Chapter 2: The Dog-Demon, Kichibei
"…Shit," Shippou murmured, standing at the edge of the village. Screams of terror from the villagers came from everywhere as he stared up at the horrible beast.
The demon was a gigantic… brown dog… "A dog demon?" He questioned aloud, watching him nip at the retreating inhabitants. Several lower level demons of all different sorts swarmed behind him. "…and he brought friends…" A smirk found its way onto the fox-demon's face as he charged into the village. "KIRARA!"
Kirara swooped down and scooped him onto her back, then took off toward the demon that swiped at the houses with massive claws.
The dog demon's red eyes caught sight of Shippou.
"FOX FIRE!" Shippou shouted, swinging his claws in the way Inu Yasha would have had he been fighting. The demon dodged easily and growled at him.
Shippou stood on Kirara's back, then leapt off.
Kirara let out a howl of alarm as he tumbled through the sky and onto the demon's back. "YO!" He shouted, jamming his claws into the dog-demon's back.
The dog roared, swinging its head around and snatching Shippou up into its jaws. Shippou yelped, trying desperately to free himself.
Kirara flew at the monster, ready to gash his eyes out. The demon used his nose to bat her aside, though she managed to get a scratch across said nose beforehand.
"Bastard! Let me go!" Shippou shouted, seeing spots. He shut his eyes, and allowed his body to glow with fox fire. "You don't listen well!"
Letting loose every bit of his energy, he blasted himself free from the grasp of the beast, shattering at least three of his sharp, pointed teeth on the way out.
Shippou fell and hit the ground hard, sliding through the dirt.
"Ow…" He groaned, spitting out dirt and blood. His clothing had been ripped along with some of his now bloody skin. "but if there's going to be some kind of fight, I just wish it'd happen, so I could get it over with. I need to be careful what I wish for."
He pulled himself to his feet only long enough to fall over again when the ground shook under the weight of the approaching demon.
Shippou shouted a particularly fowl obscenity. "I don't have any energy left to hit him with fox fire!" He stumbled to his feet and backed up. "What the hell do I do?"
The dog-demon snarled at him, and Shippou swore he was smiling. He cracked his knuckles, staring him down with as much seriousness as he could muster. I'll never beat him with my claws alone, much less a dagger… and it's not like I can actually use Tetsusaiga. The only reason it even lets me carry it is because I promised on my death to get it back to its master…His eyebrows furrowed, a new determination edging into him. That's why I can't die here.
"I've got to think of something to…" He stared up at the monster and shrugged. "Oh, what the hell?" With that he charged him, swinging back his claw. Hmm…I wonder if I could do that move that Inu Yasha used to do…
The dog-demon bellowed, charging toward Shippou. His long legs brought him closer to his prey more quickly.
Shippou buried his claw into a wound on his arm and leapt into the air. "Please work…" He swung it out, hoping and praying for success. "Blades of blood!" He shouted, and red lines swung from his claws and gouged at the demon's eyes and face. "Yeah! ALL RIGHT!" Shippou cried, descending while the demon howled in pain, shaking his head. "Whoa!" He exclaimed, flopping down upon Kirara's back. "HEY! You okay?"
Kirara cooed a reply. Shippou petted her fur, crusted with bits of blood both his and hers. "I wish I had a sharper blade to fight with… Damn! He's recovering!"
A swarm of demons attacked Shippou, sending him plummeting to the ground. "YAAH!" He screamed, landing on his hands and flipping into a kneeling position. He felt tears at the edge of his eyes from the severity of the landing on his already injured arms. He winced but forced himself to ignore the pain. "I definitely have to be careful what I wish for from now on. BACK OFF!" He clawed at each small demon, with no other choice but to take them down one by one.
An arrow soared through the air, taking down several of them. Shippou was frozen by surprise and turned to see who had shot it, in the back of his mind hoping that it was Kagome and he was waking up from a long dream.
It wasn't Kagome, but Kaede, and even though he was disappointed, he couldn't say that he was glad to have her assistance. There was a ghastly wound on her forehead, and other scratches along her body and clothing as well.
"Hey, Grandma! You holding out all right?" He called to her as she fired another arrow and readied another one.
"I wonder what this demon is after," She told him as he ran up to assist her.
"Not a clue," He said, slashing down a few more demons. "Probably the same thing these guys are after… Me."
"After you?" She asked.
"Certainly seems that way, but then again, I was the only fighting them, ah!" He placed his hand over his shoulder wound. "Stupid teeth…" He swung more crimson blades at them. "Kirara!"
Kirara was next to him in a moment.
"Is everyone safe?"
She nodded.
"Good. Give me a hand with these guys, right?"
Kirara took off, biting and slashing at every moving object.
"Grandma, your help is appreciated, but it's too dangerous, I think," Shippou told her. "It'd be best if you protect the villagers from any stragglers."
"But it is not safe for you on your own either, child. You are wounded badly."
"I'll be fine. I'm not alone. I have Kirara."
"You don't stand a chance," Another voice called, making Shippou turn.
"Who are you?" He asked in amazement.
The enormous animal was gone, replaced with a more human-like body.
"One higher than you in ranking, obviously," The voice said as the man stepped forward.
His hair was a ratty, light-brown mess, pushed behind pointed ears. His golden eyes glared Shippou down, three purple stripes similar to the dog-demon's upon each cheek. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only purple pants and black boots. In his belt he held a sword of elaborate design, the sheath and hilt incrusted with sparkling jewels. His ears and neck held similar jewels.
Shippou glared at him. "What's your name, sparkle-and-shine?"
"Kichibei," He stated heatedly. "I already know your name, Shippou."
"Huh? You know me?"
"No…" He stared at him blankly for a moment, then smiled, flipping his hair back. "My master does. I get a throne if I get rid of you, not because you're a threat, but because you're a nuisance."
"Who's your master?" Shippou asked.
"Wow, you're dumber than he said you were… and he said you were pretty dumb to begin with," He laughed flinging a clawed hand on his wrist. "Forget it. It won't matter. I came to get those jewel shards," He pointed at Shippou's neck, "and I'm not leaving without them."
"Then you're not leaving," Shippou said confidently through a toothy smirk while cracking his knuckles. He couldn't help but think about how Kaede had told him how much he was like Inu Yasha at that moment.
"You're as shabby as your sword. You think you can talk to me like you're better than me?" Kichibei wrinkled his nose at him. "Disgusting little fox."
"You're pissing me off!" Shippou yelled, rushing him.
Kichibei drew his weapon. There was a red jewel at the base of the blade on both sides.
"Bring it on, scum!" Kichibei shouted.
Kichibei's blade clipped Shippou's hurt shoulder as he dodged the weapon and knocked the feet out from under the jeweled demon.
"AH!" Kichibei yelped, falling on his back.
"You're tough in your giant form, but you're pretty clumsy this way," Shippou said, smirking.
Kichibei leapt at him, his anger getting the best of his sense. "Don't talk down to me!" He shouted, slashing at Shippou's chest with his blade. The jewels on each side of the blade glowed, and the weapon became longer and hit his torso.
Shippou shouted in pain, placing his hand over the deep red gash. I'm losing too much blood. How can I fight a weapon that makes itself long enough to reach me?
"What's the matter? Not so cocky anymore, are you?" Kichibei laughed. Unlike other dog-demons he had encountered, all of Kichibei's teeth were sharp and pointed.
Shippou narrowed his eyes and flung blades of blood at him again. Kichibei blocked them with his sword that grew wider to take every blow.
"Give up your shards now, fox. Unless you can sneak up on me, you can't win against this sword. Naraku made it especially for me."
"Naraku?" Shippou gasped. His stomach and heart had felt like they switched places. "You work for Naraku?"
Kichibei turned around and showed the kitsune his spider mark on his back. "As if I hadn't already made it obvious."
Shippou growled.
"What's the matter?" Kichibei asked, getting back into stance. "Starting to realize how against the odds you are?"
"Don't count me out yet. Foxes bite when they're cornered," Shippou replied, cracking his knuckles again.
Kichibei began to approach him. "Just die," He said, slashing Shippou in half.
Shippou made a pop noise and turned to smoke and leaves.
"HUH!" Kichibei exclaimed.
"UP HERE!" Shippou shouted descending from the sky, slamming his claws into Kichibei's shoulders. Blood spurted from the five wounds on each trouble, leaving spray on Shippou's face and in his hair as the two fell to the ground. "Fox demons on the other hand use magic and illusions. As if I hadn't already made it obvious."
"Bastard!" Kichibei hissed, shoving his blade into Shippou's side. Shippou stumbled off of him, holding the ghastly wound tenderly. He was beginning to feel woozy; his vision was distorted.
An arrow sang in the air and jammed itself into Kichibei's already blood shoulder. Kichibei turned his head in a jerky, robotic way, looking at it as if it couldn't have been possible.
Kaede was readying another arrow a distance away, looking very angry.
"Old wench," Kichibei murmured through gritted teeth. His blade grew longer and slithered through the air like a snake. "DIE!"
"GRANDMA! GET OUT OF HERE!" Shippou screamed.
It was too late.
Shippou felt sick and wanted to look away, but somehow he couldn't move. The blade jabbed right into her heart.
"At least you got one good hit in, eh, old lady?" Kichibei asked, grinning wickedly.
Shippou charged him. "I'LL KILL YOU ELEVEN TIMES OVER!" He shouted, his eyes red with hurt and rage. His thoughts had left him, his mind settled on only one thing.
Kichibei's blade returned to its normal form, and he began using it to block Shippou's wild claws.
Tears spread across Shippou's face, washing away lines of blood. They dripped pink off of his face. Shippou howled out, a noise that he couldn't identify as crying or screaming. It held every emotion he was feeling at that very moment and spoke out for everything he couldn't say.
"What are you mad at me for?" Kichibei asked, as if Shippou was acting irrationally. "Weren't you supposed to protect that old witch?"
Shippou froze, hurt spreading over his face. He had a point.
Kichibei pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and stared at the point for a moment before throwing it down. "You know, if you couldn't even save her, how are you ever going to save Inu Yasha?"
Shippou paled and took in a ragged breath.
A scythe soared through the air on a chain and wrapped around Kichibei, forcing him to drop his weapon.
Shippou stared at Kichibei, lip quivering.
"What the hell is this all about?" Kichibei yelled, trying to break free.
"Leave him alone," A strong voice commanded from the trees. A shadow of a man appeared at the edge and stepped into the sunlight, wearing black and green demon-slayer armor. His hair was pulled up into a ponytail that hung down to his shoulders, and his dark, slender eyes never left Kichibei.
"It's…you…" Shippou whispered, unbelieving.
Kohaku pulled at his weapon, taking Kichibei for a spin, quite literally.
Kichibei held his head dizzily once he was free from the scythe's grasp.
Kohaku had grown tall with large shoulders, and his face no longer held freckles. "Don't let him get inside your head!" He yelled at Shippou.
Shippou couldn't let him get inside his head anymore, mainly because he couldn't even put his own thoughts together. Kaede… dead… blood loss… the blade… dog… demon… demon-slayer… Kohaku?… fight… villagers… Inu Yasha… can't save…
Kichibei snatched up his weapon. "HEY! Human-boy! I thought you were on my side!"
"I don't give into to Naraku so easily anymore," Kohaku replied simply but strongly. "He can't keep hold on my mind forever."
Kichibei shrugged. "I don't really care. If you're a nuisance to me, I'll cut the jewel shards out of your back and get rid of you too."
Kohaku's eyes narrowed. "You…"
Kichibei readied his weapon but froze as if someone was speaking to him. "I see, sir… Yes…" He spoke to no one. He sighed dejectedly and pouted. "Yes, sir."
Kohaku glared at him.
"Sorry I can't stick around for the party, but I've got another appointment. You got lucky, human-boy." He snapped his fingers and the horde of lower-levels swooped underneath him and took him away.
Shippou felt his vision leave him as he fell, the last sight being a fuzzy image of the ground.
(A/N: Yay! Chapter 2! I hope you love or love to hate Kichibei. He kind of created himself without me knowing. I hadn't planned on introducing him at all, much less in the second chapter, but here he is! I personally think he's a pretty cool villan for Shippou, kind of like Inu Yasha's Sesshoumaru with Kouga's attitude, and he's pretty mean right now, but he'll gain more dimension as the story progresses.Plus, Kohaku's here! w00t, for Kohaku! Hope you enjoyed reading. I'll update asap.)