Kitsunu's Stage: Chapter 3
Miroku had fallen asleep for no longer then three hours. As he awoke, Kitsunu was still asleep, and he still had a warm arm around her. He couldn't help but smile seeing her innocence as she slept. She woke up a bit later; it had taken her a moment to remember why she was asleep in someone's arms, but she remembered, she had fallen sleep. It had been the most peaceful slumber she had ever experienced, as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. His eyes were closed but she could tell he wasn't sleeping. He then smiled and asked,
"Did you sleep well?" She smiled softly.
" Yes, I did," She answered her voice trailing.
"I'm happy to hear it," He said releasing her from his gentle hold and placing his hand loosely at his side.
She smiled and stood up offering a hand to help him up as well. He took it and stood up at her side. Kitsunu then looked at his arm; it seemed fine, but still…for a human that could cause some pain. He caught her staring at it and before he could reassure her it was fine she asked,
" Miroku… is your wound feeling any better?" He nodded.
"Thank you for your concern Kitsunu, but this is only a flesh wound, I'll be fine," he said convincingly although it had been paining him slightly. She smiled convinced by his cheery disposition. Noticing something was missing; Miroku looked around and then looked at his left hand. Realizing what wasn't there. Kitsunu noticed his frantic searching.
"What's wrong, Lord Miroku?" she questioned. He looked at her.
"That Ritsuko, she stole my staff!" he exclaimed.
"You mean she actually had the nerve to steal your staff…?" Kitsunu asked with a sarcastic yet annoyed tone; they didn't need any more postponement.
"Indeed." He replied. She nodded
"Well, we had better go get it back." She smirked as she began trailing Kouga's scent, it was so individual and vile she could still smell it mixed in with all the other scents in the area. Miroku followed after her almost instantly. Ritsuko sat at the edge of the tribe's territory turning her prize over in her hands. A few of the more friendly tribe members peered over a rock looking at her. One then asked,
"Where did you get that Ritsuko?" She smirked,
"I stole it during Kouga and my last confrontation with the monk and his tramp."
"Good steal," he answered. Kouga then appeared behind the two causing them to fall on their faces.
"Isn't that the monk's staff, Ritsuko?" he questioned. She smiled and held it out in front of her body proudly.
"Yes Kouga." She said craving his praise. She then added, "I stole it from the monk before we left." She smiled awaiting his reply. He smirked.
"Nice grab. But don't you think the monk and that wench will come back for it?" He said taking a step closer to her looking into her deceitful, scheming eyes.
"Yes, that's exactly why I took it!" she exclaimed,
"To direct them here?!" He asked confused and angered by her statement.
"Well, let's face it, we don't have any leads to Naraku, so I figured if we lead the monk and that whore back here for the staff, then let them go free we can trail them until they meet up with Naraku again. Once that happens we can kill Naraku and then easily finish them off." She explained, she had this all planed out and it sounded like a good plan. Kouga took in everything she had said.
"Ritsuko…" He started rubbing his chin with his hand trying to find a loophole in her plan.
"That's genius!" he said putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him in a friendly fashion and only for a second. Her cheeks turned a light scarlet, that was the first time he had ever held her or even praised her for that matter. Even if he hadn't felt what she had, she still cherished every second of it. He was amazed by her plan; maybe the human wench was worth something after all. She held tightly onto the staff; it was her ticket to being noticed and appreciated.
Kitsunu was still walking trying to trail his scent still, and Miroku walking close behind. She came across a clearing she had been walking in a mountain forest area and now the earth was a light brown, and there was a huge steep cliff to her right. Kouga perked up,
"I'm catching their scents near by." with that he ran a good distance and slid down the cliff, a huge amount of dust concealing him as Kitsunu and Miroku both tensed, ready for anything as the dust mounted making it almost impossible to see. As the dust cleared before their eyes, revealed Ritsuko holding Miroku's staff and Kouga standing straight up and facing them with a smug little smile on his face.
"So, we meet again. What brings you to my territory, wretches?" Kouga asked, although it was very obvious why they were there.
"I think you know why we're here. Now return the staff before I actually do some damage," she said in an impulsive manner as she remained in a calm position. She wasn't going to use her physical attacks this time. He smirked,
"Oh, touchy, touchy." He then gestured for Ritsuko to stand behind him.
"We have a score to settle, you reckless wretch of a mortal." Kouga announced. Kitsunu sighed.
"I don't have the time to fight every petty demon that gets in my way, including yourself, so return the staff, this is the last time I am going to repeat myself," she said in a very confident yet annoyed voice. Kouga only glared.
"Keh, you're going to have to take it from us!" he said leaping at her with intense speed; she leaped gracefully out of the way. He faced her with intense eyes,
"It was a mistake to provoke this…" she said calmly. She then unexpectedly flung her gloved right hand out in front of her body. A small black glow emanated from her hand and flew fierce at the predator. Kouga narrowly dodged the attack, the speeds being so great. Her eyes narrowed,
"So, how long do you think you can keep that up?" She asked smirking. He only gave her a deadly look.
"Until I can finish you vermin off!" he retorted as he flew at her. She dodged and sent more of her black and almost shadow-like attacks flying his way, the small beams of power, effortless to conjure. Though these attacks didn't look very powerful, nor did they look like something that was hard to manage. She made it appear as if she could not do any better then those simple attacks, though this went unnoticed.
They did however notice that she was easily able to counter his every attack. Finally Kitsunu grew bored of this method and leapt at him at speeds he could barely recognize. He was unfazed by this as he blindly ran at her; their speeds were equally matched thanks to his jewel shards. He had managed to hit her shoulder while her attacks pierced through four different locations on his arm, each one drawling a good deal of blood. He winced and let out a grunt in pain. His wounds becoming more evident, it had happened so fast; he hadn't even seen it coming. Kitsunu was now standing where Kouga had been only half a second ago, she was holding her shoulder not facing her opponent.
That mutt face, he almost dislocated my shoulder, I can hardly move it… she thought. Miroku and Ritsuko were both astounded by the attacks. Miroku watched Kitsunu as she spun around acting as if no damage had been caused. Ritsuko had started to walk towards them but Kouga raised a hand.
"Stay back," he growled looking at Kitsunu with hatred glistening in his eyes. Miroku looked at Ritsuko holding his staff. It was displeasing to see his staff in the hands of the likes of her. He then started towards her slowly at first; she hadn't noticed his movements behind her.
Kitsunu and Kouga continued to attack one another, Kouga's arm useless, and Kitsunu was barely able to lift hers. They both managed to attack, but Kitsunu still was using those attacks that seemed to easy, it was almost like she had to seem less powerful than she truly was; she did need her foes to think she was weak, so in the end, she would prevail.
Miroku then grabbed his staff, yanking it from Ritsuko; she just managed to keep a hold on it as she was jerked forward from his attempt to retrieve it. She growled, her deep purple eyes showing no mercy. They both kept a good hold on the staff, fighting for possession of it. Miroku getting a tighter hold on the staff as a light and unnoticeable blue surge of energy powered through it. Ritsuko let go as her hands burnt under the staff's power. She growled again and a spear appeared in her hands. She then attacked him forcing him to defend.
Kitsunu finally decided enough was enough and kicked him hard in the stomach, which was completely unexpected. Kouga knew he hadn't seen her move; she had just reappeared. Like she had skipped a whole movement and appeared where she needed to be. He remembered this as he flew into the side of the cliff slamming into it with great speed, causing dust to rise and rocks to fall.
Ritsuko and Miroku still struggled when she managed to knock the staff out of his hands. He gasped as it stuck in the ground. The end forced its way into the earth. She then held her spear close to his chest.
"This is your demise, monk," she said smirking. Kitsunu, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared next to Ritsuko. Not making a sound or saying a word she discretely knocked the spear out of her hands. It landed only feet away from Kouga who was still struggling to stand causing complete silence. Kitsunu then quickly kicked Ritsuko over next to Kouga so they were both on the opposite side of the clearing. Miroku then walked over, picking up his staff and turning it over and placing it back into the ground right side up and tightly clenching onto the prayer beads on his right arm.
"If you value your lives, I suggest you leave," he said in a stern voice his eyes portraying nothing more than his serious conduct. Ritsuko helped Kouga stand. As she retorted not allowing herself to believe that they had been victorious
"Fine, we got what we needed," they both glared as they teleported off. Kitsunu smirked,
"They're all talk." She then placed her hand, which was not wounded, on her hip, letting the other arm hang freely at her side. She didn't try to move it not wanting to provoke any unnecessary pain. Miroku smiled taking his staff back and walking over to her. He then noticed her arm, and winced slightly looking at it. She held her wound gently, noticing he was looking at her limp shoulder;
"It's really nothing to worry about," she said smiling slightly. He walked over closer to her placing her wounded arm over his shoulder, allowing her to walk comfortably by leaning her weight on him and not causing any preventable pain. She smiled softly,
"Thank you for your precautions Lord Miroku, but I think I can..." she was interrupted as he put a finger to her lips.
"Hush. It's fine, the most vital thing is that we get your arm mended," he said removing his finger and walking at a slow pace so that she could use him for support. She still thought this was a bit much, but it was sweet in a sense. Even over a small thing like her shoulder, it would be healed by the next morning and the sun was already beginning to fall from the sky. They found a suitable place to spend the night, and set up a small camp, which consisted of no more than a fire close by a small fresh water spring concealed deeply in the forest. They had been traveling in this forest before the nuisance that was Ritsuko and Kouga had interrupted their journey. Kitsunu leaned up against a large old tree and Miroku was next to her but gave her the space he felt she deserved. They remained silent for a time watching the stars and listening to the sounds of the forest. Kitsunu felt nothing and smiled softly, enjoying the peace for once.
"The stars are so beautiful tonight," she said breaking the silence between them. She had been sitting crossed legged, her good arm and hand supporting her head. He returned a light smile slightly turning toward her and replied,
"Indeed they are… but their beauty cannot even compare to yours my lady." She blushed considerably; no one had ever complemented her on something like that before. She looked at him; he was still gazing up at the stars as if he had not said anything. She didn't know how to respond to such a thing. Her blush deepened as she realized she hadn't responded. She scooted a little closer and leaned on him. He smiled, closing his eyes for a moment then looked into the fire. Perfectly content with her leaning on him, he sat straight up so that she was in a more comfortable position. She slowly dosed off, the fire's dying light reflecting off of their bodies. Miroku was unable to sleep, feeling as if he should be protecting her. He was lost in thought carelessly watching the stars slowly disappear as the sun peaked over the horizon. He knew just as well as anyone else that he was a womanizer, but why he felt different around her was becoming evident. Kitsunu was so different from the others, almost like Sango had been. He then remembered how Sango was and an odd emotion arose in his soul, he couldn't let this uneasy feeling of guilt escape him. He had left the group; no doubt they would be worried. They had agreed to travel together to slay Naraku for their own personal reasons. As he watched Kitsunu sleep peacefully, his arm around her shoulders, he smiled softly watching her breathe serenely. The morning sun had just appeared over the horizon as Kitsunu opened her eyes, although it had not been a friendly awakening. Miroku had awoken as well, Naraku's aura was a lot closer than they both would have liked to imagine. Kitsunu blushed noticing she was still leaning on Miroku, as she awoke from her dreamless sleep with a start.
"Kitsunu, you sense it as well," he said flatly, nothing but seriousness in his usually friendly tone. She nodded as she stood brushing the dirt off of her black cloak. Miroku grabbed his staff. He stood up as well and firmly said,
"There's a large possibility this is another one of Naraku's traps." Kitsunu looked at him, her eyes narrowing,
"What other alternative do we have then to fall into it?" She had an excellent point. How many other chances would they have to fight Naraku? This was their only option; besides, Miroku knew Naraku would soon attack them. Kitsunu looked at him as he nodded. Running into the enemy wasn't her favorite strategy, but what other choice did she have? They both looked in the direction where the aura was growing to massive proportions. Starting in that direction, with Miroku following almost instantaneously. They came to a clearing, the wind encircled the area; it seemed even the earth knew something evil was stirring.
From the sky, dropped a very graceful Kagura, leaving the safety of her feather, she remained crouched, her head slanted down and her fan held securely across her body. Both Miroku and Kitsunu tensed, as swarms of demons, including the poison insects, gathered almost instantly after she landed. She then looked up, standing with the ease of a guest. She smiled smugly watching them in their offensive positions, as the demons hovered, ambitious to slaughter the humans. Kagura, her smug smile plastered on her face, said in a confident tone,
"It's humorous how Naraku sends so many demons and myself just to take care of vermin such as yourselves, such a waste," Her voice had a fake cheeriness as she snapped her fan open with a swift movement. Kitsunu sensed nothing else. This couldn't be it. Naraku was smarter than that; he would never send just Kagura and some demons into battle alone. Either way it didn't look like she had much time to think it over as Kagura signaled the demons to attack. With effortless attacks Kitsunu defended herself, not once being touched. Miroku struggled but was able to keep himself unscathed. Kitsunu had already killed off most of them distracted by the seemingly endless amount.
Kagura took advantage of this and sent several wind blades her way. Kitsunu glared, and fended off a demon as quickly as she could when another attacked her. She was unable to dodge both, and a wind blade cleanly slit up her arm drawing a great deal of blood to spray through the air. Her eyes widened as she quickly grasped onto her wound trying to stop the blood. She hissed at the pain. Little did any of them know that both Ritsuko and Kouga were watching from a distance, waiting for either the wretches to die or Naraku to appear. Miroku witnessed this distressed by her own signs of pain. He screamed killing a few demons without thinking about it and rushing to her side. She grimaced again trying to ignore the agonizing pain. Miroku felt so meager unable to help her. All he could do was fend off a few more demons. Kitsunu smirked, ignoring the pain, grabbing her sword and killing random demons. She then gained strength she didn't have and killed enough so that not even a large fraction of the original group remained. She glared at Kagura and Miroku was forced to take some steps away from her as demons attacked him backwards.
Kagura kept taking steps back as if she were leading her away from Miroku on purpose, the demons doing the same. Kitsunu killed any demon that came close, ruthlessly looking at Kagura with intense eyes. They remained golden, but threatened to change to red at any second. Kagura smiled, they had both fallen for it. A demon attacked Miroku from behind and he was forced to spin around. To his horror he saw his own reflection. Then he saw Kanna, expressionless, holding the mirror. Naraku stood beside her. Kitsunu looked away, her eyes widening in complete terror; she now knew what Naraku was planning.
"Miroku!" she screamed killing the last demons instantly with only the sound of her voice echoing through them with demon intensity. But then again, that's only what it had appeared to look like, her voice shattering the demons. Kagura felt it as well, pulsing through her body, but it wasn't the sound. She knew what it was and a new respect and fear for Kitsunu grew in her. She winced and backed away, preparing to take leave on her feather. Kitsunu, still holding her wound watched in dismay. Ritsuko and Kouga watched, Kouga really didn't care what happened to them. Ritsuko, on the other hand, having human morals felt as if she should help them. Kanna then said,
"Look into the mirror, see your soul" quietly in an eerie voice as she twisted the mirror. Miroku's reflection bounced back at him; he felt weaker as he looked into it. Kitsunu felt completely helpless as she watched unable to bring herself to move and didn't know what to do either way. Fear pulsed through her like it had only once before. Kagura watched smirking along with Naraku, Kanna ready to take Miroku's soul, Kitsunu completely immobilized, and Kouga and Ritsuko watching over them. The silence was then broke as Naraku started to laugh in a sinister pleasure.
