This is a story which explains some things about the so called 'Legend of Shonomaru village'.
A legend which is of great importance in my other fanfic: Miyuki, stories of a strange journey, but can also be read without the knowledge of that story.
please enjoy en review!
1. SEPARATED.
Inu no Taisho stops walking and looks over his shoulder to look where his young ward is. "Ikuymi! Hurry up!" he commands when he sees that she's still busy packing her stuff back into her 'hollow bag'. She knew that they didn't have all day. They woke up when the first sunbeams arrived, had a quick breakfast and then started packing their stuff to continue their journey.
"I'm coming, milord!" Ikuymi shouts back and she quickly throws her bag over her shoulder and runs after Inu no Taisho, who had already gone up ahead.
"Where are we headed, milord?" she asks when she catches up to her guardian. They had been travelling together for many many years but Ikuymi never stopped to call him 'lord', it was a little trait of his companion and Inu no Taisho had get adjusted too it completely.
"We're going to Koriyama village, Ikuymi. But I already told you that, didn't I?" Inu no Taisho says, slightly surprised that Ikuymi doesn't know where they were headed.
"You did? Hmmm…sorry can't remember," says Miyuki while grinning innocently. She had completely forgotten about it for some reason. Inu no Taisho shakes his head in disbelieve and sighs. "You're a complete disaster sometimes, Ikuymi. But unfortunately, that's exactly the reason why I keep you around," he says.
"You don't have the strength to get rid of me." Ikuymi's voice sounds dangerous and cold, when she says this. Her eyes have both turned pitch black, which means that her spirit has now connection with her full being in the afterlife. Inu no Taisho doesn't know much about Ikuymi's full being, only that he should fear it, but he does know how to stop the connection between the two.
"Relax, you little brat, you're far too precious to get rid of," says Inu no Taisho while he pats Ikuymi on the head, which makes Ikuymi's black eyes go back to their normal blue colour.
"Don't treat me like a child." Ikuymi's voice sounds childish angry and she's pouting like a little kid who just had been wronged, and Inu no Taisho can only laugh at his young ward and companion. She's 17 years old, but quite a skilled swordsman. At least, he presumes that the age of the body which Ikuymi inhabits now is around the age of 17. Ikuymi is a seishin no Onnanoko (=girl of the spirits), a spirit from the afterlife with the ability to take over a dead person's body and to use it to walk among the living again. So she could be any age by now. She could even be older than Inu no Taisho himself.
"Milord, what's there to see, in Koriyama village I mean," Ikuymi suddenly asks after they've walked for a couple of hours. Inu no Taisho isn't surprised by this question since Miyuki had also forgotten where they are headed. He waits a few moments before he answers, knowing that she won't like the answer he's about to give her.
"Well, she's there," Inu no Taisho answers with a stoic voice. Ikuymi seems to flinch for a mere second. "Oh no. You don't mean…"
"Yes, I mean Kyrinnia (this is the name I gave to Sesshomaru's mother, because I couldn't find her real name), my future bride," Inu no Taisho answers, still on the same tone. They both don't really like her.
"She's scary. Milord, why have you agreed on marrying her? You don't love her, I know you don't."
*Sigh* "Today's world is not always about love, Ikuymi. Two dog demon tribes are in a fight, and the only way to restore the peace is by a marriage between the children of the chiefs. Me and Kyrinnia. And besides, I owe her for saving your life, remember. You yourself once said that she would make a good wife for me," Inu no Taisho argues in his place. He doesn't know why he defends Kyrinnia like this, but his subconscious is telling him to.
"Humpf, That was before I knew what she is really like. Whether she has saved me or not, I still don't like her," Ikuymi says.
"Can you please quit complaining…" Inu no Taisho says, slightly irritated, thought it's no order. Ikuymi may be his servant, but she's also a friend and travel companion. Besides, he knows how stubborn she is, if it would be a command, she would ignore it, just because it is a command. He learned that a long time ago.
"Fine…Hey, where's Ai?" asks Ikuymi surprised.
"I don't know, she should be right behind us," Inu no Taisho answers, while looking around in search for Ai.
"Ai! Ai! Ai where are you! AI!" Ikuymi calls almost on top of her lungs, what shouldn't be necessary if Ai would be close to them. Inu no Taisho sniffs the air to get an idea where Ai might be. Ai is the shape-shifting demon and Ikuymi's first friend. Ai was there even before he appeared on the scene. But Inu no Taisho doesn't smell Ai at all, however, what he DOES smell doesn't make him happy.
"Ikuymi, prepare. Something is coming," he warns his ward. Ikuymi turns surprised around.
"What? Ya serious? Damn!" she curses. A blizzard encloses her and Ikuymi's clothes change into full travel armour. The Onitsume, her own demon sword, hangs proudly on her left hip.
"They'd better be good. We haven't had a good fight in ages," she says grinning.
"I couldn't agree more with you, Ikuymi. Let's bring it on!" Inu no Taisho yells.
"Hahahaha! Inu no Taisho! You fool, bringing you're seishin no Onnanoko with you to protect you. I will rip you both to shreds," a furious voice yells back.
"Oh great," Inu no Taisho says depressed when he hears their opponents voice.
"Who is that, milord?" asks Ikuymi surprised.
"Hakaimaru of the South. An old friend of mine…"
"He doesn't sound that friendly," Ikuymi notifies.
"Ehèhè…long story, I'll tell it you some other day."
"I'll keep you to that one."
"Inu no Taisho!" the approaching demon growls.
"What's wrong, Hakaimaru? Afraid to show yourself?" Inu no Taisho screams, challenging their opponent.
"Do you really need to challenge him like this, milord?" asks Ikuymi accusing.
"Sorry, old habit." Inu no Taisho pulls the Tessaiga.
"The windscar first? Milord, you disappoint me," Ikuymi says with a disapproving voice.
"What do you suppose we'd do then?" Inu no Taisho asks.
"Let me try something… Hakaimaru!" Ikuymi takes a step forward.
"Hakaimaru of the South! My name is Ikuymi of the Sun, servant of lord Inu no Taisho of the West. Come out and face us, or you'll regret it!" she screams.
"And I was challenging him too much?" Inu no Taisho says dry.
"Hahahaha! You're that weakling's seishin no Onnanoko, aren't you? Do you even know who you're up against?" their opponent asks arrogantly.
"Should I care?" Ikuymi asks with a smirk on her face but with an uninterested voice.
"Ouch, good one, Ikuymi. Right in his face," Inu no Taisho praises. Ikuymi's grin widens.
"Milord, what are his usual tactics?" she asks then with a serious face and voice.
"Uhmm…let me think… well, he's always one step ahead of his opponent. He can exactly predict what they're going to do…"
"So he's a mind reader…Interesting," Ikuymi deducts. A little, evil smile forms on her face.
"I haven't fought a mind reader in hundreds of years. This is gonna be fun." Ikuymi pulls the Onitsume and points it in the air.
"I call upon the Dragons of fire! Come forth my servants!" A lightning flash of fire hits Ikuymi's sword. The sword is on fire, what gives it enormous power.
"Hakaimaru! Get your ass here, you coward, or feel the wrath of my sword," Ikuymi challenges.
… … No response… …
"Shall we, milord?"
"Anytime, Ikuymi. WINDSCAR!" Inu no Taisho swings his sword down, making a windscar while Ikuymi does the same and screams: "DRAGON BLAZE!" A dangerous combination of the Tessaiga's windscar and the Onitsume's dragon blaze, rages over the fields en through the forest.
"WRRRAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"
"We've got him!" Ikuymi cheers while she looks at the rampage they've caused.
"Nice shot, Ikuymi," praises Inu no Taisho and he raises his hand to make high five. Ikuymi answers the high five. It's a habit they've developed over the past few years.
"WRRAAAAAGGGGHHHHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Huh? He's… …laughing? What the hell!" Ikuymi screams slightly in panic and fully surprised. Hakaimaru, a giant demon angel, (a demon that looks like an angel, but they're definitely not!), walks unharmed through the sea of fire caused by the combined windscar and the dragon.
"»Return! «" Ikuymi's dragon returns to the Onitsume.
"Damn, how can he still be alive? That technique should have ripped him into little shreds. »Dragons of the elements, hear my words and obey me! Come forth! «." Ikuymi's five hairyū (= type of Japanese dragons) of fire, wind, water, earth and lightning appear out of nowhere and they take their places, floating in the air, behind Ikuymi.
"So what now, Ikuymi. Any strategies ready?" Inu no Taisho asks, readying the Tessaiga.
"Just one… he's a mind reader, so…" Ikuymi raises the Onitsume into the air and runs screaming to Hakaimaru, so she can attack him. Her five dragons follow her to help her attack. "What the…? Ikuymi! Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you doing?" Inu no Taisho screams, completely overwhelmed by his wards sudden attack at their opponent.
"This is the only way, milord. He'll know what we're up to if we're going to make a strategy. So we have to attack him, without thinking of a plan," Ikuymi explains while attacking Hakaimaru randomly with attacks that combined speed and harsh plain attacks with her sword. Her dragons seem to have a mind of their own and they also combine speed wit harsh plain attacks at Hakaimaru.
"That's our strategy?" Inu no Taisho asks.
"You bet it is!" shouts Ikuymi back. She just missed Hakaimaru's wings.
"Well, we lack for a better strategy, so this'll do then," Inu no Taisho says while putting Tessaiga away. He's actually quite glad. Ikuymi normally comes up with difficult strategies to kill their opponent. It has been a while since he could just randomly attack someone. He now pulls the So'unga, whereafter he runs to Ikuymi to help her with the attack.
"Insolent fools. Heavenly rage!" Hakaimaru screams while he slams Ikuymi and her dragons away. He also performs an attack of his own. The Heavenly rage.
"Huh?" Ikuymi asks surprised, not knowing what will come now. However Inu no Taisho knows. "Shit! Ikuymi look out!" A gigantic ball of blinding and destructive white light roars over the field, destroying everything in its path.
"Darn it. »Block«!" The dragons begin spinning fast around Ikuymi and form a protective shield around her.
"Milord get out of here, now!" she orders Inu no Taisho.
"Fine." Inu no Taisho leaves the field, out of the range of the giant ball. He knows from experience that Ikuymi will be alright. If she says so, it is so.
-On that moment, behind the barrier of protective dragons.-
'I…can't…hold…it out…much lon…ger' Three of her five dragons have been crushed and the other two can't hold on much longer. The giant ball of light still smashes into her protective barrier.
'I have to send it back. I have to! But how? … … … … Of course! The ribēto powder. Where do I have that stuff?' Ikuymi starts searching in her hollow bag, the bag where everything is said to fit in. One of the two dragons breaks, one is left to protect Ikuymi.
'There it is!'
The last dragon, the dragon of Fire, Ikuymi's strongest dragon, cracks but doesn't break…yet. Ikuymi throws the little bag with ribēto in it to the ball of light.
…More cracks appear in the dragon…
The powder and the bag disappear in the ball of light. 'Come on…Come ON! You can do it. COME ON!' Something explodes within the ball.
'Yes. It worked! YES!' But Ikuymi's last dragon breaks before the ball of light is completely destroyed.
"Ah shit!"
-Silence-
An explosion beyond anything the world has ever faced before and beyond your imagination, strikes at the middle of the field.
"IKUYIMI!"
… …No response… …
"Damn! Ikuymi where are you?" Inu no Taisho runs back to the field to find his travel companion. "Wrahahaha! What's wrong Inu no Taisho? Are you that helpless without your precious seishin no Onnanoko?"
"Shut up!" Inu no Taisho yells.
"If I knew that this is what it takes to make you fight, I would have killed the girl a long time ago," Hakaimaru claims. Inu no Taisho can't stand is and inner youkai is taking over. His eyes turn red and the pink scars on his cheeks grow. He's changing into his full demonic being. "Ikuymi!" his scream changes in a terrifying howl. He jumps to the surprised Hakaimaru and devours him in one bite. His anger made him at least 20 times stronger, so Hakaimaru didn't stand a chance. Inu no Taisho howls again and changes then back to his human form. He slowly walks to the place where Ikuymi should have been. Only her sword and hollow bag remain, the girl is gone. "No…No! NOOOOOOOOO! IKUYMI!" He just lost his precious protégée.