Note: I wish to hereby apologize to my faithful readers for screwing up on my usually predictable update and new chapter schedule. I went home for a week or so and there were no computers available for me to write my new chapters on so I had to wait. As recompense I have lengthened the chapter from the usual ten to seventeen(according to my Microsoft Word program) and introduced an original character that I am considering making a permanent part of this story and any sequels I decide to write. Let me know what you think! And now on with the show….. A Forest Just Outside of Sesshomaru's Territory, An Hour Later
Naraku will not be pleased. Kagura thought to herself as she came to the conclusion that Alexander would not be leaving Sesshomaru's territory anytime soon.
She had completed her preparations to maneuver him to a location of her Master's choosing and even had suitable bait at the ready to force his co-operation should the inu youkai perceive the truth behind her subtle efforts. The problem now was that it would be difficult to draw Alexander out without the possibility of Sesshomaru accompanying him where ever he went. The fact that the Ice Lord had not immediately ejected the pup the same day he arrived meant that he was giving the young man special consideration which was rare. How far this special consideration would extend was unknown and that was what complicated matters for her and may anger Naraku. While the Master was not an impatient being nor was his patience infinite in duration and it was her fear that he would take this delay poorly. That was why she was currently devising a convincing excuse that not only minimized the problem but also pointed out how it could work to his advantage. At the moment all she could think of is that by allowing Alexander to stay with Sesshomaru for a time it would make the young inu youkai an even more valuable when the time came for Naraku to absorb him. After all the only reason why Alexander might seek out the Tai Inu Youkai of the West would be to either gain knowledge or power and that could be passed on to Naraku upon absorbtion.
That should please Naraku if nothing else. , Kagura thought to herself as she looked in the direction of the Ice Lord's castle, He may have attempted to coneal it but I know for a fact that all attempts to infiltrate the demon Lord's kingdom have failed.
It had been the cause of many a period of foul temperment in Naraku's castle when his spies returned to report they were unable to enter Sesshomaru's kingdom without being slain within a day. The only ones who managed to survive to make this report were the more cowardly spies that had sworn loyalty to Naraku and they didn't live for very long after they had delivered their report. The hanyou once known as the thief Onigumo had known from the beginning of his efforts to conquer all of Japan and beyond that he would need to deal with the powerful inu youkai Lord sooner or later. In an effort to gather intelligence for the inevitable confrontation Naraku had sent spy after spy into the Tai Inu Youkai's lands under orders to determine the numbers and power of Sesshomaru's armies. Once that could be determined plans could be made to undermine and perhaps destroy the more powerful elements of the army weakening it enough to be defeated. However with the continuous failure of his spies Sesshomaru's lands remained an unknown element and that made it a source of constant frustration for Naraku. Fortunately she had learned early on to be away from the castle when he was in a particularly foul mood over the latest unfavorable report from his operatives.
If Naraku was successful in absorbing Alexander not only would he receive new powers but also all the knowledge of what the inu youkai had seen and heard while within Sesshomaru's lands. This would prove invaluable in any future attempts to invade this territory in the future. Hopefully if he paid her a visit, whether it be in person or through one of his demon puppets, this excuse would placate him enough to save her from any sort of punishment or pain.
As for Alexander himself his spending time in Sesshomaru's company could actually turn out to benefit her personally. With a little luck some of the Ice Lord's ruthlessness and skill would rub off on the young dog demon and erode away his reluctance to take the life of his enemies. If that one weakness was taken away and his killer instincts enhanced then he would be more than ready to kill Naraku when the time arrived. She would follow her 'Master' Naraku's plan to lure the yound man into a trap but when the moment of Onimgumo's triumph seemed at hand she would turn the tables on him and do her best to provide Alexander with the best opening he would ever have to kill their mutual foe. She knew he was powerful from the way he managed to dispatch so large a number of demons in the attack force she had led to the temple where they first met. His crimson mist alone would be more than enough to finish Naraku as long as he scored a direct hit against his foe and once that was done she would finally be free to pursue her own agenda for the future. She had no real plans laid out as of yet but she knew that anything would be better than the perpetual servitude she was forced to tolerate now. All she had to do was keep up the appearance of obedience and subservience to that monster until the right oppourtunity presented itself and then seize it.
For now though she would remain where she was, positioned just outside Sesshomaru's lands awaiting a signal from one of the other servants that monitored the border. If Alexander or Kikyo took one step outside of Sesshomaru's kingdom she would be alerted instantly and would move to trail them from a distance. She had no idea how far along her 'Master' was in crafting a suitable incarnation of himself to use in the defeat of the pup. In any case he had not sent word to put their plan into effect so she was left contemplating her own survival and possible future should things play out the way she wanted. In the past her efforts to kill Naraku using other powerful warriors and demons had failed miserably with none of them possessing either the skill or the power needed to finish the job. For a time she had hoped that InuYasha might have been the one she had searched for to aide in her bid for freedom but as the recent skirmish with Muso had revealed Naraku's constant upgrading of his body had rendered Tetsaiga useless. Where before it held the promise of obliterating Naraku entirely it now was incapable of even breaking through one of Naraku's youki barriers. That had rendered him useless to her but Alexander was a full demon in terms of power and if his crimson mist worked the way she hoped it would even the barrier would fall before it.
So in the end all of my hopes are pinned on one mysterious inu-youkai male. , she thought to herself as she considered leaving briefly to check on her preparations, You had better not let me down Alexander!
An Emptied Room, Sesshomaru's Castle, Mid-Afternoon
Stop it! An instructor must maintain discipline and self-control! Sesshomaru thought to himself as he awaited the arrival of Alexander when the pup's first lesson.
He had been present since the last of the furniture had been moved out of the room and it had also been since then. However as the moments ticked by he found himself increasingly uneasy and nervous but could not come up with a rational reason for it. While it was true that Alexander would be his very first pupil in the fighting style of the inu youkai he was fairly confident that he could fulfill the pup's request. After all as a noble he had received the best of everything both as a child and now as the ruling Lord and that included combat training. He was certain that if he emulated his sensei's teaching method then he should be able to achieve similar results with Alexander. Yet despite the confidence in himself that he currently possessed the nervous feeling within him remained and grew as the time of the first class approached. Was it the idea that continued to surface in his mind where he speculated on making the boy his heir? Was it the superior way in which Alexander behaved around him? To these questions he had no definite answers one way or another but he was determined not to allow his anxiety show in his face or his behavior. He would remain in front of the young inu youkai as he always was in front of others, untouchable and certain in everything he said or did.
As for the class outline for this session he would have to see firsthand just how much this young pup knew and how far they had to go before this Sesshomaru could consider him finished. It was the same method that his own teacher had used but in retrospect he would pull his punches a bit with Alexander. After all he had been born an inu-youkai and had been allowed seven years to grow accustomed to it before his father had insisted that he start down the path of the warrior. The young inu youkai he was to teach had been in his current form for not even a single year and was employing its gifts without any true understanding of what his current limitations were. If he did not show some restraint he would either scare the pup into withdrawing his request or injure him to the point where it would take a few days before combat instruction could resume. For some reason it was important to him to instruct Alexander properly on the first attempt rather than make several mistakes before finally devising the correct method. It was as though his heart already considered the pup to be his son and all that was left was for his mind to come to the same conclusion. It did not make sense at all for he knew intellectual that it was only through an accident of magic that the boy was now an inu youkai that bore a close family resemblance to him. The very idea that a human who bore only a family resemblance to him because of magic inciting him to consider the idea of seeing him as a son was bizarre on a grand level.
In any even this Sesshomaru will maintain a moderate level of professionalism during the pup's instruction until he has completely settled this disturbing topic for himself. Sesshomaru thought firmly as he forced all indecision and anxiety to the lower depths of his mind.
It was as he finished this mental task that the door opened to reveal the source of his confusion calmly walking into the room calm and collected. Predictably right behind him was the undead miko Kikyo who was as cold and reserved as she had always been since her revival by the demon sorceress Urasue. Thus far she had obeyed his command not to devour the souls of any of his subjects but he knew she did this more so to remain in Alexander's good graces rather than any real fear of him. It was her way as a wandering wraith of bone, clay and a fragment of the soul that she once possessed when she was alive and completely human. With the knowledge that she was no longer human she no longer felt she was constrained by human morality or restraints like others did. In a way she was a contradiction in that while she continued to conduct herself as a priestess would she acted quite detached from those she aided. Personally this Sesshomaru thought that she continued her priestess duties just to pass the time between attempts to kill either Naraku or his witless half brother.
In any case she had given him no real reason to ask her to leave his realm and without juste cause Alexander would likely go with her if she was to leave. Still this Sesshomaru would make certain that any attempt she made to influence him met with extremely limited success. For now though it was time to begin the first in a series of lessons to turn this amateur into an inu youkai warrior worthy of even this Sesshomaru's respect.
With the closing of the door Sesshomaru began his first lesson and charged the yound inu youkai with his arm poised for a slash of his claws. The boy exhibited good reflexes as instead of freezing in shock at this unexpected attack the pup leapt backwards to avoid the blow. However when this Sesshomaru followed up with a second attack the youkai Lord succeeded in making contact with the young inu youkai cutting five parallel lines across the front of his shirt. No blood was spilled though but that was more due to the Ice Lord's own restraint than any delayed attempt by Alexander to avoid the attack. It was this second attack that Alexander attempted to launch his first with a slash of his own aimed at Sesshomaru's face. However with his experience though he had seen the attack coming almost from the moment it was launched and easily avoided the pup's claws. Deciding to force the child to be more careful in how he chose to attack the youkai Lord grabbed the extended arm and use the young inu youkai's own momentum to send him flying into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Alexander hit hard but was soon back on his feet and charging forward with both arms tucked close to his body with no sign as to which limb would be used first. Sesshomaru decided not to allow the child to make his move and leapt into the air to force the pup to alter his plans significantly for it was more difficult to attack an airborne inu youkai than one standing on the ground. The boy proved up to the task of altering his tactics in the heat of battle for there was no faltering when he followed this Sersshomaru into the air.
A mallable mind this young inu youkai has. , Sesshomaru thought as he dodged at attempt by Alexander to trick him into a vulnerable position, He shows that he has the ability to improvise when circumstances are not as he might expect them to be. That places him quite a few levels above InuYasha.
As had been proven in numerous encounters both when the Tai Inu Youkai was a participant and an unnoticed observer he had judged his half-brother as being nothing more than a brawler when it came to being a warrior. There was no grace, no skill, in the hanyou's movements when locked in a battle with a worthy adversary. He relied on predictable youki techniques and his flawed skill with the Tetsaiga to defeat his adversaries. While InuYasha had on occasion managed to force this Sesshomaru into withdrawing from battle that was more due to his momentary lapse in discipline than his half brother actually being his equal. In this pup though there seemed to be the potential that promised much if the young one remained dedicated to learning the fighting art of the inu youkai. This made the Ice Lord even more determined to make sure that the lessons went smoothly as it would encourage the boy to come back for more. The idea of possibly finding someone to pass his knowledge onto was oddly attractive to Lord Sesshomaru.
In you may rest the future of my line young Alexander. , Sesshomaru said as he decided to take the level of fighting up to the next level, This Sesshomaru hopes that you do not become a disappointment to him.
Xander's Native Reality, New Watcher's Council HQ, The Laboratory
"I am disappointed in you Willow Rosenberg. From what I have witnessed of your skills thus far I would have thought you more careful when dealing with such volatile forces." Illyria stated with all the emotion of a lump of coal as she surveyed the room where the Zeppo had disappeared.
She had arrived mere hours ago and been oblivious to the warm welcome both Willow and Giles had attempted to deliver to her upon opening the front door. Even before she had seen the estate itself she had known where the tear in the dimensional fabric was located. Although her power may have been substantially decreased after the majority of it had been forcibly removed from her body by the souled vampire Angel and his friends. She had not been happy with being lowered to such a weakened state but had learned to cope with the help of the one known as Wesley. The memories of the one who had been chosen to be the vessel for her essence combined with her own encounters with the human made her situation more bearable. While she did not believe in their quest to protect the weak and ignorant members of their race from the half-breeds and filth that the demon community represented staying with the vampire and Wesley was necessary. Many millennia had passed since she had reigned over this realm with her true demon bretheren and in that time the world had been inherited by a race that had been little more than livestock to her kind. She was a stranger here with only the most universal constants still unchanged by the passage of time to comfort her and make up for her ignorance in other areas.
It had only been a short while ago by how she had measured time since her new life had almost been cut short when the vampire had put in motion the ambitious plan to obliterate the key agents of the Wolf, the Ram and the Heart in this realm. They had succeeded in their mission but had very nearly lost had it not been for the timely assistance of these 'Slayers' when their need had been at it's greatest. She may have even lost her guide Wesley had the wicca Willow who stood before her now not healed the knife wound in his stomach. From there the situation had become steadily more dire when their foes had unleashed an army of demons and monsters to make quick work of those who had dared such a bold act as to destroy the circle. The battle had been fierce and bloody with none escaping it without significant injury. Some had even required immediate medical attention of the sort that could only be found at one of the humans' official medical facilities. However from what she had seen with her own eyes and heard second hand between this Council and the vampire's relocated investigation agency all had recovered fully from their wounds.
However it was because of this Willow's act of saving her Wesley's life that she was here now repaying that debt. It had been less than a week ago that the correspondance between the two organizations had begun looking for a way to find one of their allies. She had seen this Xander Harris only in passing during the final fight with Wolfram and Hart. He had seemed no different than any other human, less than that as he was missing one eye, but he had been deemed important enough to warrant every resource be employed in the search. In the end though it had been decided that she would go to their lair in person to use her superior senses to determine where he had gone or at the very least narrow the list of possibilities. So here she was and what she saw only lowered her opinion of the red haired human and her supposed skill in wielding potent magicks. Spells centered around the manipulation and transportation of energy were among the more delicate and complicated that these humans were capable of wielding. She herself had only been able to wield her own control over the flow of time haphazardly when she had found herself in this new body. It had taken her time to adjust to the changes in sensation and perception from what she had known in the body of her birth. Eventually she had regained the majority of her former mastery if at a lower level of potency due to this form's inability to contain the entirety of her power. To hear that this mortal had attempt something so foolish without first learning the lesser magicks related to teleportation and transmutation had caused her to almost reject the request for aid.
Yet here I am and all because Wesley insisted that I honor their request. , Illyria thought distastefully as she continued to survey the room, Damn that human and his attractive smile!
"I was careful!" , protested the wicca as she attempted to defend herself against the former hell goddess' statement, "I followed the directions for each individual spell to the letter! The merger would have worked if the ruby hadn't been shattered."
"It would not have shattered if you had possessed the forsight of locking the door to this room." , Illyria said as she approached the approximite location where this Xander was said to have been seen last, "You have only your own carelessness to blame for the loss of your friend."
"HE'S NOT LOST! We just can't find him at the moment!" Willow yelled angrily at the very idea that her best guy friend was gone for good.
"In all likelihood he was killed when the energy was channeled through his body by the shards of the Ruby. The tear in the dimensional fabric that your undisciplined spell caused is considerable and the power needed to create such a tear would have been more than most humans could withstand." , Illyria said without restraint but decided to say something optimistic if only to cause Rupert Giles not to bother Wesley with a phone call, "However that would only have been the case if he had remained here for the duration of the incident. If there had been a destination in mind when he had been immersed in the energy of the spells there is a chance he may still be alive."
This seemed to calm the wicca somewhat and earn a nod of thanks from the current ruler of the Watcher's Council. Secure in the knowledge that any report made to Wesley or the vampire would place her in a favorable light she returned her complete focus to sifting through the layers of energy and magic as perceived through her superior eyes. It was no easy task to do this with the chaos that foolish witch's spell had caused in the natural flow of magic in this region but with untold years of experience to guide her she was finding it only moderately difficult. She could almost see what the boy had attempted to do days ago in order to minimize the potential damage the spell had the power to perpetrate. It had been an efficient course of action given the circumstances that must have been involved in the incident but ultimately futile where he was concerned. Attempting to place the unstable shards into such a crude container only placed him in further danger rather than less and it had been only mere chance that it had even been partially successful. From a certain point of view though it would be in the boy's best interests if he had indeed been transported somewhere or somewhen else rather than remain here. Much like exposure to the humans' nuclear waste being in such close proximity to such magicks would likely have been lethal to him eventually. His body would have either lost all cohesion from the transmutation elements of the spell or gradually completed the change into energy as it was the mid-point of the teleportation process. If he had indeed been transported elsewhere it was likely that the individual spells would have run their course and left him unharmed for the most part aside from some physical disfigurment and fractures to his soul.
While she was uncertain if retrieving him was at all possible she would give these humans her best efforts if only to completely repay the debt she owed the wicca. It was then that she perceived something that she did not expect to find and changed the depth of the problem considerably. When she had first been told the details of the experiment she had known that there would be damage to the walls separating this dimension from all the others. This had led her to believe that this Xander Harris would have been transported to one of the neighboring dimensions that existed in close proximity to their own. However what she saw now was not just a tear in the dimensional barrier but also in this very reality. It was a common misconception among the human race that terms reality and dimension were the same thing when in fact they were quite different. A dimension was unique with each dimension being fundamentally different from each other so as to make it almost uninhabitable to non-indigenous species. The fact that the human who had been chosen as her vessel had been able to suvive in Pylea was merely the coincidental fact that the natives required an environment similar to Earth's to survive. In most cases a human transported to another dimension would die within moments of arriving there as the environment would be incapable of meeting their needs or be instrinsically hostile to them.
Realities on the other hand were much more similar to one another than dimensions with the only variations being things such as historical events, differing origins of creation and magics. Alternate realities were such that it was quite possible for a human from one reality to survive in another provided that he could adapt to the different customs and power structures in that reality. For instance while it may be the case that in this reality sciences such as cloning and genetic engineering may still be in their infancy another reality may have already gone through a Eugenics war with such knowledge. In another reality magic and non-humans may be as common place as the recorded word is here which made for some interesting scenarios. She remembered one of her brothers journeying to another reality in the hopes that even one as weak as he could rule over all. She still wondered from time to time what had become of little Malbolgia and if he had achieved his dream or if he had been slaughtered within days of his arrival. In the end it was little more than a passing topic for her as she had never truly had any affection for her sibling beyond his occasional uses in her plots against her rivals.
In the case of this Xander Harris though while it may have increased the chances of him still being alive it increased the number of places where he may have been transported to by the failed merger of spells. Much like the numerous paths not taken in a mortal's life there existed numerous alternate realities and determining which one the boy had been sent too would be difficult. Perhaps if she attempted to determine what had been in the young human's mind at the time of the transferrance it might help to narrow down the possibilities.
"What was Xander Harris doing prior to the failure of the merger?" she asked without looking up from the hole in the fabric of reality.
"Um .. ah .. I think he was watching an InuYasha marathon on TV." Giles replied answering only because he kept close tabs on what the lad's 'little expenditure' was being used for as well as being the last one to go to bed that night prior to the accident.
"Yeah! It's like his favorite anime show ever!" Willow said enthusiastically as she remembered the times her friend had convinced her to watch the show.
"What is this 'InuYasha' show about?" Illyria asked only vaguely familiar with the fantasies that the human's insisted on watching on one of their contraptions.
"It's about this girl who accidently locates a magical portal in her family's sacred well that transports her back to the warring states era in Japan. That's about five hundred years ago historically." , Willow explained as she tried to summarize the basic facts of the show, "There she finds out not only that she is the reincarnation of a powerful priestess but also that a powerful mystical item was hidden within her body. The item is later shattered into many pieces and scattered throughout Japan which leads to her traveling across the country to find them and make sure that no one demon or human uses them for evil ends."
"There are demons in this show?" Illyria asks in hopes of more details as it would help in narrowing down the possible destinations.
"Yeah! There's dog demons, fox demons, spider demons and … Ohhhh just wait here and I'll show you!" Willow said as she ran out of the room presumably to get something.
The wicca returned a few moments later with a .. DVD Illyria believed it was called and a few other pieces of human technology. Taking a large mirror from a shelf she placed it on the table and began to connect one of the machine's to the mirror though for what purpose the former demon empress did not know. Wesley's comrade Rupert seemed to have an idea and moved to try and stop her but the young woman stopped him with a gesture.
"Don't worry Giles. This is one of my inventions that does actually work." , Willow said as she began to draw some symbols on the edge of the mirror, "Buffy asked me to come up with a way she could watch her favorite shows on the trips where they would be out of contact with civilization for awhile. It took me awhile but now all you need to watch DVDs in the field is a mirror, a DVD player, some light and your favorite DVDs."
Rupert Giles merely shook his head in disbelief at the frivolous use of magic but Illyria waited patiently and with a detached air. She knew not what the red haired woman was doing but was willing to give her some leeway before voicing her growing impatience. It took only five minutes for Willow to complete the process and with a few words of power the mirror ceased to reflect images and took on an ebon shade. The young wicca then took a silver disk and placed in the human machine and then it was with the press of a button that images began to appear on the surface of the mirror as well as sounds. It was with the insistance of the wicca that she watched the entirety of the disk's contents and was introduced to this entertainment called anime in the form of the show InuYasha. Though she found the story predictable in that it favored the human characters and those few demons who were close to humans in their appearance. She found it childish and immature and it only lowered her opinion of this Xander Harris if this was what he watched to entertain himself. Still, as the ending credits of the final episode on the DVD finished, she found that it would be helpful at narrowing down the number of possible destinations that the boy could have been transported to by the accident. If this show was truly at the forefront of the young man's mind when he was bombarded with the arcane energy then there were only a select few realities he could be in.
With this in mind she returned to the location of the tear and with a violent thrust pushed her right hand into the tear in an attempt to interface with the anomaly and seek out the gathering of realities that best matched what she had just been shown. It was at times like these that she could almost feel her former power return to her, the power to literally mold the world around her to meet her needs. It would be fleeting though for she knew that once she disconnected herself from the tear the power would leave her and she would return to the limited lower state she was forced to endure in this time. She took a moment to revel in this but soon reigned in her emotions and began her search of the realities in question. It would not be difficult as the energies released by the wicca's failed merger of magicks was unique and would be easy to detect. The only problem would be if there was some time difference between this reality and the one in which this Xander Harris could be found. Just as each living being on this world was born at a different time so to was each individual reality created at a different moment in time. Not only that but just as each person is different in several ways each reality also progressed temporally at a different rate than the others. For all the wicca knew three hundred years could have passed in the world where her friend had been sent to and he could be little more than a collection of dust and bones. In any case she would complete her task and then be gone from this place.
There! The strongest trace of the power that was created in this room lies in that reality! Illyria thought as she saw with her true demon eyes the faint but definite crimson glow of the merger spell.
"I have found where the one you call Xander has been sent." Illyria declared as she withdrew her hand from the tear.
"You have! Oh thank the Goddess!" Willow said in relief before realizing who she was in the presence of at the moment.
"Is it possible to bring Xander back Illyria?" Giles asked trying to cover for his friend's ill chosen words.
"Not from here. I only found him by following the astral trail left by the spell to the reality where he was desposited. If we are to retrieve Xander Harris and return safely we must go to this reality ourselves and establish a departure portal on that end." Illyria replied bluntly and efficiently.
"Very well. I will delegate my duties to Ronald and pack a .." Giles began as he no doubt was making a list but was stopped almost immediately by Willow.
"No Giles! I'll go with her. I got us into this situation and I have to get us out." , Willow said in a manner that brooke no argument, "Besides you're the pretty much the president of the Watcher's Council. You're too valuable to risk on a mission this dangerous. Besides lets not forget who has more magic in them. I stand a better chance of helping Illyria open another portal on the other end than you do."
For a moment it looked as though Giles might contest this course of action but eventually he breathed a sigh of defeat and nodded giving his permission.
Believing matters were decided Illyria said "Very well. I will require one hour to prepare and then we will leave. I expect you to be ready to leave by that time."
Never mind the fact that you forgot to ask whether I wished to go on this journey or not! Illyria thought frostily as she sat down on the floor and began her physical and mental preparations.
Two Weeks Later, InuYasha Universe, Mid-Day
O-kay! Best out of twenty-three! Xander thought to himself as he quickly got to his feet just in time to dodge to the side and avoid a follow up attack by Sesshomaru.
It had been like this almost every single day since the first lesson and he was distinctly beginning to hate going to his room after every lesson aching all over wearing blood stained clothes. Unfortunately that was how the Lord of the castle insisted the lessons be done stating that his inu youkai body was perfectly able to heal any lacerations overnight and any other sources of pain were part of the training process. That didn't make the pseudo youkai any happier but given that any argument he gave would be unlikely to sway the Ice Lord all he could do is grin and bear it. In any case according to Sesshomaru-sama he was making progress and the demon Lord almost seemed pleased but then again the Zeppo could just be reading a little too much into the youkai Lord's facial expressions. Still he had been knocked to the ground a total of twenty-three times since the lesson started this morning and had not landed more than a glancing blow against his opponent the entire time. Fortunately as he continued to dance around the room dodging Lord Sesshomaru's attacks he hit upon a potential strategy that might just give him the edge he needed. From what he could tell the fighting style of the inu youkai seemed restrained to just using one's hands and claws against one's opponent adding in the odd youki attack when it was beneficial. Not that Sesshomaru had used any such energy attacks against him stating he did not want to damage his castle too much but it was a logical assumption. That led him to believe that perhaps he could gain the advantage if he mixed in some fancy footwork in with his own hand-based attacks.
Time to see if this brilliant idea of mine will work. He thought to himself as he moved himself just out of range of the next attack before thrusting his right leg forward aiming for the youkai Lord's stomach.
For a moment time seemed to slow down as he waited to see if his attack would connect knowing that it was entirely possible for Sesshomaru to just dodge to the side and in doing so be in a prime position to attack while he was vulnerable. He waited as his foot inched closer and closer with every second to its target and for a moment believed that he had screwed up. However when he felt his foot make contact all his hesitation disappeared as he watched the Tai Inu Youkai of the West lift into the air and fly back almost to the wall opposite of the Zeppo before recovering and coming to a stop. He looked across the room at Xander with a look of surprise on his face as if that was the first time that he had been struck in such a manner. When the look on the Ice Lord's face changed from surprise to an ice cold stare strong enough to freeze the sun it took all of Xander's will power not to make a run for it. While it was true that Sesshomaru was almost always cold as far as his face was concerned it was at times like these that made his normal look seem like a sunny smile in comparison. With a speed that Xander had never before now known the youkai Lord was capable of Sesshomaru-sama charged across the room and with a vicious punch to the not-quite-inu youkai's gut. Air whooshed from his lungs like a high pressure air hose and momentarily was unable to form a coherent thought as he was flung hard against the wall rendering him unable to prevent himself from falling to the ground.
"An admirable effort Alexander. However we are here to teach you how to fight like a proper inu youkai and not a dishonorable ningen." , Sesshamaru stated calmly from his place in the middle of the room, "Keep that in mind when you fight me."
To this Xander could make no reply more because his lungs were still sorting out how to properly draw in oxygen than whether or not he had a reply to the Lord's statement. Taking a moment to calm himself and focus on getting his bodily functions back in working order he decided that straying from the established ciriculum might not have been such a good idea. Apparently Sesshomaru's opinion of ningen fighting styles was the same as his opinion of ningens in general which was that they were little better than crooks, cheaters and homewreckers. Not surprising considering what he could remember of Sesshomaru from the Anime shows detailing his past. According to those episodes Sesshomaru's pop cheated on his mom with a ningen woman and that affair might have played a role in the mother's death. Needless to say that gave Sesshomaru some issues to work through but hopefully Rin would smooth out the rough edges and inspire some open mindedness. In any case it was back to glancing blows with the claws and fists for him since he had no intention of coughing up his lung from another one of those punches. Once he was back to his feet he got in the ready position that Sesshomaru had shown him and decided that he would take the offensive this time and try and get some payback. He stayed with the tactic that had earned him the most concrete hits which was attempting to fake one attack in order to set up the youkai Lord for the real hit. Unfortunately though he soon found himself tossing this tactic out the same window as his 'use kicks to mix things up' idea as the demon Lord saw the attack coming and grabbed the attacking arm before using it to throw him across the room. Fortunately this time he simply landed on the floor and skid across the floor instead of hitting the wall which was preferable since there was some padding on the floor.
Best out of twenty-four here I come. Xander thought with a groan as he picked himself off the floor.
Eight Hours Later, Hallway Leading Back To Xander's Room
Much more of this and Naraku won't have to worry about killing me because Sesshomaru will do the job for him. Xander thought as he trudged down the hall to his room where he anticipated becoming comatose the moment he hit the pillow.
The rough training session had ended early this time because the Tai Inu Youkai of the West had noticed him limping a bit after a particularly nasty throw. Xander had believed that this would simply cause the Lord to focus on that weakness and tell him that he should fight through it. Still getting the rest of the evening off was perfectly fine with him so he kept his mouth shut and left the room before the demon Lord could change his mind. He had seen Kikyo leave the room about an hour earlier stating that she had other things to do and would be back later which meant that she was going for her nightly meal of souls. He still couldn't say one way or the other how he felt about her feeding off of the souls of the dead. On the one hand he knew that she needed to absorb those souls in order to remain in her current state of life instead of going to pieces before his very eyes. The original bit of sorcerery that had brought her back was designed so that her original soul would be completely within her body and keep it from deteriorating. However since the unique link between the undead miko and Kagome interfered with that she was left with a mere sliver of a soul to sustain her existence. That sliver cannot exist on its own and would gradually fade into nothingness if she did not feed it and bolster it with the souls she devoured. He could understand the desire to live, understand that it was a powerful motivator that could be used to justify just about any act no matter how wrong others might think it was. On the other hand though she was preventing the souls of the innocent dead from passing on and being reincarnated into whatever form fate decided they should have. It was a situation that was neither white nor black., right nor wrong, but instead resided smack dab in the middle of a patch of grey that had him on the fence position-wise.
Could it really be right to deprive her of a chance to live again? Or would the right choice be to end her second chance at life and let both her soul and the souls she has consumed pass on? He thought to himself with no clear decision in his mind or a possibility of one in sight.
When he opened the door to his room he immediately knew that something was not as it should be for there were no lit candles awaiting him. It was routine that all of rooms occupied by guests or residents would have the candles within lit after sunset and he had never seen this procedure broken since he had first slept here. It had become as expected as street lights popping on in a major city back in his own world and the fact that his room was now dark did not speak well of what lay within. Fortunately inu youkai eyesight was good for seeing in the dark and after a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the lack of illumination he could easily make out shapes and identify everything in the room. What he could see though was a winged form on his bed in a relaxed position apparently waiting for him but he was unable to make out certain specifics because the wings were resting in such a way as to obscure any telling futures. Well the wings as well as some kind of sleevless hooded cloak if his eyes were not mistaken but given the lack of tell tale shine of metal and the non-hostile position he doubted that he was in danger. Moving casually over to where an oil lamp was he reached out and used his youki to light it and once done the entire room was illuminated to the point where he could more easily make out the features of his uninvited guest.
And what features they are! He thought as his sense of reason and caution decided to drop the ball only to have it grabbed by an area below the belt.
Laying back beind propped up by fully extended arms a most certainly female form with orange/brown wings wearing a hooded cloak as he had earlier seen which ended just above the knees. Her feet were bare and looked like they went on forever from what he could see and she had wrist braces on both toned arms that told him she wasn't a civilian or someone's arm candy. As for the body, which he only looked at for a moment as he was not going to make the universal mistake of staring at a girl's chest for more than a second, he could tell that like her arms there was some muscle present. He still couldn't make much of her face due to the hood but she definitely had the most interesting purple eyes that for some reason reminded him of sapphires. Mentally shaking his head to reboot along with his common sense and caution at finding strange women in his room with hidden faces. Despite the fact that the last time he found an attractive woman in his room she had immediately disrobed and then made wild monkey sex with him he somehow doubted that this winged one was another Anya. After all what were the odds that he would wind up in the same room with another weird, sex starved and money fixated demon woman. When this thought left his head the woman sat up straighter and used both hands to pull the hood down to finally reveal her face.
Okay! Definitely not anywhere near sex starved as with a face and body like that she has probably never complained ever about not getting any! , He thought as he tried his best not to look like a gaping immature teenager, In fact I'm surprised that she isn't already Mrs. Sesshomaru! What is she doing in my room then?
"Not that I'm complaining about finding a beautiful winged woman in my bed but what are you doing here?" he asked trying not to take notice of the looks she was sending his way.
"Giggle Well I just thought that after such a tiring day of training with Lord Sesshomaru that you might need some help relaxing and getting the kinks out of your muscles." , the winged woman replied with a saucy smile on her face as she stood up, "I am Satu of the western tengu clan."
"Nice to meet you. I'm .." Xander said but before he could finish she put two of her fingers from her right hand on his lips stopping him.
"I know who you are Alexander. The entire city surrounding Sesshomaru-sama's castle is rife with rumors of your origins and what business you have with our Lord." , Satu said as she let her right hand drop until it was pressed flat against his chest, "There are those who say you are a long lost son while others believe that you are a shapeshifter that the youkai Lord wishes to employ. Personally I think that the truth is far more intriguing than anyone suspects."
Xander was only half hearing the words coming out of her mouth as she rest of his mind was distracted by the way her was rubbing his chest. She was under an arm's length away and was coming dangerously close to invading his personal space and it looks like she was just getting warmed up. He tried to casually look about the room without her noticing so as to size up possible escape routes but apparently his subtlety needed some work as she picked up on what he was doing and moved closer. With her so close escaping would be doubly difficult as it left him with little room to maneuver and given her probable wing span even if he dodged her arms her wings would be enough to stop him. Thus he was in one helluva uncomfortable situation as not only was a beautiful tengu woman putting the moves on him but he could use nothing more than words to dissuade her as pushing her around or hurting her would only make matters worse. In a way it seemed fairly similar to his first time with Faith from the seemingly innocent encounter to him actually not interested in taking up an offer of the sensual nature. He had personally always considered Faith a serious hottie but given that she had been with issues when she first arrived in Sunnydale he hadn't acted on his emotions. In the storm that followed there had been no time to get to know each other and when she had woken from the fall induced coma it had been only a week before she fled to LA. Then when she eventually came back to help them with the trouble with the First during the weeks leading up to the destruction of Sunnydale he was already involved with Anya and not interested in anyone else. In any case Satu was definitely cut from the same cloth as Faith and was interesting in being very friendly with him but he was still wondering about the reason. After all he somehow doubted that anyone knew she was here judging by the hooded cloak she was wearing and the fact that she likely came through the window. Add to that the fact that she seemed to be trying to turn up the heat in here and his mind was already dreaming up possibilities of how this could go drastically wrong. One possibility was that she would go on the offensive sexually like Faith had that night with the Sisterhood of the Jhe and he would wake up the next morning in bed with her. This would be better than being shoved out the door with your clothes but if Sesshomaru, Jakken or Kikyo happened to come by and give him a wake up call it could get complicated for him. Another would be that he could try and talk his way out but given her expert talents and appearance he doubted he could put more than two words together before slipping into guy babble. Besides she would likely just get angry and make trouble for him in the form of false rumors or if she was a warrior as he believed she would decide to let her fists, claws and whatever else she had in her counter argument. Such a scuffle would undoutbably attract unwanted attention from the rest of the castle and perhaps cause unnecessary trouble for Lord Sesshomaru. So that left him with plan C which entailed teasing her into following him outside the castle where he could perceivably lose her and then double back to his room and get some sleep. While he was still tired and slightly sore from his training session with Sesshomaru-sama he was certain that he could still move at a fairly decent clip.
Taking her by the hand like a suave super secret agent he led her over to the window and asked "How would you like to find out just how intriguing?"
She seemed slightly taken aback by his question as she had no doubt believed she would have to work a little harder to get him in the proper mood but quickly recovered and replied to his question with a look that said it all.
"However you're going to have to catch me first!" Xander said and with a lopsided smile before leaping from the window to a rooftop below and across from his room.
As soon as he touched down he took off running at near what he would call his top speed while trying to pace himself as he imagined that he would need to do some serious zigging and zagging before he would lose Satu. The last thing he needed was to run out of steam before he accomplished his mission and then have the winged woman catch him expecting an explanation that he would not give her. Behind and above him he could hear the sounds of wings extending and then what could only be the tengu woman taking to the sky above him. As soon as he leapt to his fifth rooftop he dropped down to the ground below and resumed his flight from his pursuer where he stood a better chance of losing her. She was in a superior position for this little game as she could cover more ground from the air than he could on the ground and running on the rooftops only made it easier for her. By dropping to the streets below he could seek cover beneath overhanging rooftops and behind stacks of crates and baskets making for perfect hiding spots. With this in mind he began to randomly go right or left down streets as he spotted them and in some cases hiding until she passed by before going back the way he came. Unfortunately she seemed skilled at such games of tag and was able to follow him almost every step of the way losing him for only a minute or two before finding him again. He was getting sincerely frustrated as he remembered being quite good at tag back in his own reality and he'd be damned if he was going to get caught now.
Only one chance! There's one place she might be edgy about going to and where I could get some better cover to lose her! He thought to himself as he headed back to the main castle buildings.
It took him awhile and there were several close calls when Satu made some dives to try and tackle him but thankfully after trying to avoid the attacks delivered by Sesshomaru earlier he was more than up to the task. Eventually he arrived at his destination of the royal gardens that he routinely meditated in when he had the spare time and had something to contemplate. While it was true that the garden for the most part consisted of flowers and bushes there were some trees native to the region there which would hopefully obscure him from Satu's eyes. If she wanted to catch him she would have to land and search on foot which would give him a window of oppourtunity to get past her and back to his room. He had just reached the ten foot mark and was closing on the edge of the collection of trees when something slammed into his back and sent him hard to the ground. He wasn't all that hurt or winded by being tackled to the ground but given who was likely on top of him at the moment he had to move quickly. Rolling over onto his back he quickly reached out with both hands to grasp her shoulders and push her off him so he could get back to his feet safely and get away. Unfortunately he had done it in such haste that he misjudged both the location of said shoulders resulting in his hands being a little too close together and about four inches south of her shoulders. Needless when his brain became aware of this error he found himself oddly paralyzed and unable to re-attach his hands in a more neutral location.
"Why Alexander! I had no idea you felt so strongly about me!" Satu declared seductively as she surprisingly made no move to remove his hands from her chest or slap him silly like most women would in her position.
"I .. uh .. um .. that is … uh" was all he was able to get before she firmly straddled his stomach to make sure he could not get away very easily.
"Well I have to say that I feel some definite attraction towards you as well! You put up one helluva chase before the end but I'm afraid I still have quite a bit of pent up energy to use up." , Satu said as she removed the hooded cloak she had been wearing to reveal that she was wearing the equivalent of a Chun Li outfit but with an exposed midriff, "What do you say we both do something vigorous and pleasurable before retiring for the night?"
Before Xander could give any kind of answer though he heard a twanging sound fill the air and in the time it takes a person to blink a purple blast of energy flew by Satu's right wing lightly burning a few feathers on that wing causing her to jump off him. She landed a few feet away and immediately went to inspect the damage to her right wing before both she and Alexander looked towards where the blast came from. When the source was discovered however the two of them had very different reactions to the perpetrator. For Satu it was a reaction of mild annoyance and a little bit disappointment at not being able to have her way with the young inu youkai male. She had been perfectly honest with him when she had said that she felt some attraction towards him but whether it was actual love or just lust would take time to discover. For Xander his unease went up by a factor of five and feat became a real issue because there standing just outside entrance that led into the castle was the undead priestess Kikyo with bow and arrow in hand. While this in itself would be enough to case most demons to make tracks the icy look she was sending the tengu woman and the pseudo-inu youkai was enough to make both of them question whether or not they'd still be alive tomorrow.
"Alexander. I believe your time would be better spent going to sleep early as Lord Sesshomaru will undoubtably wish you to be well rested for tomorrow." , Kikyo said in a tone reserved for one of barely restrained fury, "As for you tengu I would leave and never let me catch you near this particular inu youkai again. I am sure that Sesshomaru-sama would agree that he has no time to be wasting with virtueless women like you."
This of course got Satu more than a little steamed due to the fact that she considered herself to be among the more professional female warriors who served under Lord Sesshomaru. There were some she knew of who were well on their way to having slept with every male in the Tai Inu Youkai's kingdom whereas she was much more picky with who she chose to display her body to. In her estimation Alexander was definitely worthy as he was pretty scrumptious if she said so herself and she had a feeling her opinion of him would only increase as she got to know him. Still she wasn't willing to risk herself after just the first encounter and the potency of the miko's enchanted arrows was well known among those of the demon set. It was said there wasn't a demon in existence that could survive a direct hit with one of theose purification arrows and she certainly wasn't going to try her luck. With a sigh she flexed her wings a little to make sure she could still use her right wing and then turned to Alexander for a few parting words.
"Well Alexander I guess it would be alright to cut our little date short since I am sure it will make you look forward to the next one." Satu said as she walked right up to the inu youkai.
Then before either Xander or Kikyo could react she lunged forward, wrapper her arms around his neck and gave him one of the hottest kisses right on the lips. It only lasted for a few seconds before she released him and took to the sky but it left the former Zeppo dumbstruck with dazed look on his face. It was only there for a moment though as he quickly picked up on a sharp rise in Kikyo's energy signature causing him to sharply twist his head in her direction. On the outside she seemed to be her usual stony ice queen self and had even placed her bow and arrow back in their 'storage positions' as he like to call them. However when he looked into her eyes and then took her rather sharp energy signature and he knew that he had to tread carefully in the next few seconds or be dodging enchanted arrows while trying to get the hell out of there. Quickly composing himself into his 'Sesshomaru personae' as he usually did in difficult situations he slowly and regally began to walk in the direction of the door to the castle. He hoped that if he didn't do anything to make her even madder he might be able to make it back to his room before being torn apart by either her arrows or her words. He had just made it into the door when she let out a fake cough that let him know she had something to say to him and so he braced himself.
"Alexander. I suggest you do more to restrain yourself in the future." , Kikyo said as she began to walk in the opposite direction towards the forest section of the garden, "No doubt many female youkai will approach you in that manner and I would hate to think you were pathetic enough to fall for their low bred charms."
With that she vanished into the darkness of the trees leaving Alexander LaVelle Harris with his looking to the sky and wondering why he had to be the recipient of the old curse 'may you live in interesting times'. After all he was all for a little excitement every now and again but at the rate things were going he'd be screwed long before he ever found a way to return home.
What I wouldn't give for some sort of normal crisis like a horde of vampires or maybe a Mayor with delusions of demonhood. , Xander thought as he continued into the castle to get a good night's rest, At least if that was the case I could just stake them or blow it up and that would be the end of it. I never was very good at the complicated things. We all left that in G-Man's hands. How did he do it?