"You see, I need to test if I actually separated Natsume's powers from him," Matoba tossed the sword aside and rummaged in his pocket, pulling out a small gem, "if this ritual was used on any one else, they would have just lost their powers and sight and gone back to being a normal human. But for some reason the Natsume line must have a kind of mutation, see look, the sword wasn't even in a vital area," Matoba nudged Natsume's body with his foot, " he hasn't even bled out, being separated from his power is what destroyed him, GET BACK."
Madara stopped in his tracks, as the small gem lit up and a force pushed against him.
"I see, it does work doesn't it," Matoba smiled and looked down at the gem, "the crystalized form if you must know."
"You-you BASTARD!" Taki surged forward and went to hit Matoba, but a shikigami grabbed her arm and lifter her up, her feet dangling, "let me go you freak! Natsume, why? Why did you do that?" Taki growled and squirmed to try to get free.
"It was necessary, you can take the body and grieve if you want, I will even let those youkai have a free pass," Matoba smiled, still holding the small gem.
In one movement Madara, Misuzu, and the C-listers moved forward.
"Or not," Matoba pocketed the gem and swung his bow around, "I was giving you a chance."
"A chance," a voice rung out from behind his ear, " this is a chance for us to revenge Reiko and Takashi."
Matoba dove just out of Hinoe's reach before putting an arrow on the string, "Now, now, ugh"
Shikigami grabbed Matoba and dragged his arm up, lifting the bow away. Natori stood hidden behind Misuzu's bulk, glaring over at him.
"Oh,so an exorcist is joining with the rogue youkai, whatever am I going to do," a smile and a flash, the gem was back in his hand, the shikigami destroyed and the youkai forced to step back, "I'm going to practice."
Madara threw himself at Matoba but was forced back against the wall, a shield had been erected around him. He lazily grabbed his bow and another arrow and pointed it straight at Hinoe, "Who wants to go first?"
Tanuma watched as the youkai bounded all over the room, crashing into the shield and dodging arrows. The exorcist, the one that looked a bit like Natsume was making some symbols on the ground and calling up some more youkai. Tanuma moved his focus to Taki who was still stuck in the air, intermittently kicking the paper thing holding her up. He moved quickly around the room and grabbed one of its legs, making it drop Taki. He rolled out of the way as it came for him and jumped back as Ponta flew by, shredding it into pieces. "Tanuma," Taki gasped, "We need to see him."
"I don't think we should- Taki!" Tanuma stumbled forward as Taki apparently didn't hear him and walked towards the center of the design. Tanuma followed, ducking around the chaos that filled the area, one of the youkai getting hit in the arm, the shield flaring up each time a new youkai had run into it. He stopped and knelt next to Taki, who had placed Natsume's head on her lap. Tanuma did not look at the body; instead he just grabbed onto Taki shoulders, and tried to calm a roaring headache.
Something was wrong. Taki could just tell. She looked down at the body, not looking at the face, not yet. Something was out of place. She looked over at the wound instead, which had gone through Natsume's right shoulder, and not all the way through, just to the bone. "I know he is dead," Taki closed her eyes and thought, "but that's not it."
She glanced quickly at Natsume's face. His eyes were closed, his jaw was clenched. She put her fingers on his neck, ignoring the sticky feeling of the blood that had pooled next to his shoulder. Nothing. No movement. No breathe, not even one little heart beat. Tears began to fall again. Taki felt as Tanuma pitched forward, gasping as he was raked over the head by a shikigami.
"Tanuma!"
"I'm fine, ouch," Tanuma smiled and rubbed his head, "We need to get out of here."
Taki shook her head and tightened her grip on Natsume's wounded shoulder, "we can't leave him here!"
"I didn't say that, I just mean there is little that we can do to help them, and at this rate..." Tanuma struggled to keep his voice calm, still not looking towards Na- the pile, "at this rate everyone in this building is going to die."
Taki let her head hang down, but stiffly nodded. A blast went right over where her head had been and with a cry she fell over onto Natsume. She looked up and saw an arrow sticking out of the wall. "We need to leave now," Tanuma grabbed Taki's arm and moved her up, "Here, I will grab- what?" Taki turned at the strange tone Tanuma used. "Tanuma?"
"He isn't there!" Tanuma turned and looked around, clenching his eyes and running a hand over his aching temples.
"What do you mean, he is right here?" Taki grabbed Natsume's shoulder and heaved his body up a bit.
Tanuma was staring right at Taki, his eyes wide open, he gulped and quickly breathed out, "Taki... you aren't holding on to anything."
Evil cliffy again, sorry! Anyway, please enjoy!
~not necessarily in between
