Chapter Ten
To My Heart-Filled Regret...Watashi no kokoro-ippai kōkai shimasu
He woke in a cold sweat, and looked around him, holding his chest trying to ease his rapidly beating heart. He was all alone in the dark cold cave and he shivered. Standing and gathering his wits around him, he exited the cave and blinked. There was no one around, no signs of his pack members, no traces of them ever being there. Something felt off about this whole situation, the coldness soaking through his clothing, as though some dark presence was in the shadows pulling strings.
He hesitantly called out. "Kazuki?" All he got was silence and panic began to drift into his heart.
'They have all left you. You have failed, and they abandoned you.' That voice he so diligently tried to ignore laughed mockingly at him.
He shook his head to dislodge that cold dark voice. Menacing clouds loomed overhead and a loud clap of thunder caused him to jump and look up at the same sky that lingered over his island. He shuddered. Had they moved on without him? Had he been such a burden that even Kazuki had left his side?
Not believing it, he moved through the camp and as soon as he walked into the treeline, a large field came into his vision, and his heart jumped in shock. It was the field from his prior night terror. To his right sat a trickling spring, and in the distance, he could make out the treeline. Squinting, he wondered if he would see that large white forest spirit from his previous nightmare. He swallowed the lump in his throat, glanced around and his eyes fell on the bodies of his clansmen, scattered around, torn apart and blood everywhere. A menacing chill ran up his spine and he closed his eyes from the horror.
'You killed them all.' The voice spat out in a condescending manner.
He shook his head again. Glancing down at his hands, they were covered in blood, his claws holding bits of flesh in them. He fell to his knees and put his face in his hands. "I did not do this!" He cried out to no one in particular. The horror of the situation hit him full force as guilt and overwhelming sorrow entered his heart.
'This is your fate.' The voice boomed inside his head.
"My fate is my own!" He cried out.
He lifted his face and his eyes fell on the lifeless body of Kazuki and he choked back a sob. The rain began to fall then, and the field glimmered and shifted to him much older and covered in blood, looking over massive amounts of bodies, both humans, and youkai. In his hand, he held a large broadsword covered in a red hilt, a large glowing orb on the pommel. He shuddered and his world shifted again, in a swirling mass of colors. Silence overwhelmed him then, and he looked around and stood beside a large steaming pool, a beautiful youkai woman sat next to it, staring at the water a look of contentment on her face. Without warning she gasped and fell into the water, her lifeless eyes staring up at him, her blood seeping into the water. In his hand, he held the same sword from the massacre fields.
He began to run then, and stumbling, he fell to the hard earth grunting at the impact. Lifting his gaze, his eyes fell upon the white forest spirit, shimmering before him but behind a golden barrier, and it was glaring at him accusingly.
'You bring death and destruction to everything around you, give in to your darkness, unleash me. Release me!' The insidious voice hissed, getting more demanding.
"Never!" He cried out into the darkness that began to surround him.
The voice in his head howled in rage, and his world fell beneath his feet causing him to fall. He closed his eyes and heard his heart beating rapidly in his ears. Opening his eyes in terror, he saw the earth far below him rising at such a rapid pace he wasn't certain he would survive the impact.
Seihomaru shot up from his bedroll crying out. "Ah!" He glanced around him and heaved in huge amounts of breaths, trying to still his heart.
Kazuki glanced over at him with a raised brow. "You were tossing and turning quite a bit."
Seihomaru sighed in relief. "Bad dream."
Kazuki nodded and frowned at the pale white face of his charge. "Indeed. Care to talk about it?"
Seihomaru shook his head quickly. "No." He breathed. "How long have I slept?"
Kazuki glanced towards the cave entrance. "Only a few hours."
Seihomaru nodded and pushed his blanket off him and got to his feet. "It's been two days since they left, have they gotten back yet?"
Kazuki also stood and shook his head. "Not yet." He had also been thinking about the members of their pack who had left in search of Turari and their guards.
Seihomaru shook his head and exited the cave. Most of the members of his clan were still asleep and he sighed. "I am anxious to get moving. So let's get everyone up and ready to depart."
Kazuki frowned and looked at him.
"We are going back to the first camp to search for them. Strength in numbers, right?"
Kazuki nodded, and he began giving orders to their clan members.
Seihomaru watched closely as his pack members got up and started gathering their belongings looking at one another curiously for answers. Even Akina seemed confused as to why they were moving without the other members. Shaking his head, Seihomaru walked over to the small group and decided to inform them of his intentions.
"We are not leaving our pack behind. Instead, we are going to search for them. I do not like the fact that we have sent out two separate search parties and none have returned. So rather than send out another and sit and wait, we will all go. This way if we run into trouble, we are all together."
Kazuki walked forward and nodded in agreement. "There are only three reasons why no one has returned. One, they have gotten lost, which is highly unlikely. Two, they have been captured despite their abilities, or three they have been attacked and are either incapable of sending word to us, or they have been killed." Akina looked up at him her eyes wide. "Regardless of what happened, we are all going back to search."
Akina nodded hesitantly and glanced around at the ladies who took their lead from her. There were only four of them in total, and they were pretty inseparable. From what Seihomaru could tell, Akina was more a mother figure to the three younger ones and he smiled briefly. It wasn't every day he had been in the company of women, but with their strength and determination, he had not been against them coming with their group. Not to mention that two out of the four of them were healers in training. Akina having the most experience had come along with the group but her teacher had refused and had remained behind on the island.
Traylaymaru walked up then a rather uneasy look on his face. "I am not so certain about this." He muttered.
"What has you on edge?" Seihomaru questioned curiously.
Traylaymaru shook his head, his eyes drifting to the forest surrounding them. "I don't know, but something feels off."
Akina walked up to them then nodding her head in agreement, overhearing their conversation. "It feels dark, almost as though we are back on the island. It isn't the same feeling as when we first encountered the beauty of the mainland."
Kazuki glanced at her nodding in agreement. "Now that you mention it, this looming darkness as you call it has been with us since our encounter with the oni."
Traylaymaru sighed and shook his head. "We need to keep our senses about us and be on full alert."
Kazuki released a low whistle, and a short bird-like cry, causing Seihomaru and the other pack members to glance at him curiously. He grinned then and waited. Various chirps and calls came out of the forest and shadows in response.
Seihomaru raised a brow and blinked all around him looking for the guards Kazuki had informed him were there, but he didn't see anyone. He shook his head and chuckled to himself. Most of his pack were looking around nervously at the sounds but seeing Kazuki's grin, they chose to ignore it and continued gathering their things.
It was maybe an hour later when they were back on the road, leading away from their cave and back towards their old campsite. If they were lucky they would arrive by mid-afternoon, and hopefully, come across their clan. Although Seihomaru wasn't so certain. If anything they all should have gotten back unless they got lost somewhere along the way.
"I still want one." Seihomaru grinned at Kazuki, earning himself a chuckle of amusement from Traylaymaru who led the way towards their old camp.
Kazuki rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."
"You can't talk me out of it." Seihomaru pressed.
Kazuki groaned.
"I want that particular one," Seihomaru stressed.
"That might be a bit difficult seeing as the humans own it." Kazuki shook his head in exasperation.
"But it's so shiny and big."
Traylaymaru glanced back. "We can build one that is just as big and just as shiny."
"Can we build it bigger?" Seihomaru asked looking at his new adviser. "I want it to be as formidable as that one we saw. More so."
They all got several confused looks from the other members of their clan as they bantered back and forth.
Kazuki groaned again. "You first need to find a place that has not been overrun by humans, or other youkai, and claim that territory as your own, then you can establish a new shinden-zukuri."
"But my shinden-zukuri is so small in comparison. I want a castle." Seihomaru grinned dreamily.
Traylaymaru laughed. "I am sure we can find a spot to set you up with a new establishment. Not all territories have been claimed."
Seihomaru nodded excitedly. "I have so many plans, and I think that the mainland is a good place to start making them. I know there are dangers here, but it doesn't matter where we go, there will always be dangers. If what the wolf youkai said, humans are more prolific. Which means more of them to contend with anyway."
"Fantastic." One of the female youkai commented overhearing their conversation.
Seihomaru glanced at her and sighed. "Would anyone care to inform me as to why we despise them so much? I know we ran across them before, but I think they were only concerned with protecting their own pack. I saw fear in their eyes, not pure hatred."
Traylaymaru nodded. "It is true that they fear us, probably as much as we fear them. Perhaps it is the unknown, what they can do that we don't fully understand, and same for them. It has always been like that between our kinds."
Seihomaru nodded.
Akina fell into step beside Traylaymaru. "It also has to do with the continuous thought of revenge or seeking honor among their clansmen. Don't forget, youkai and humans have been fighting for as long as I can remember. One takes a life, the other seeks revenge, and so on."
Seihomaru grunted. "A continuous cycle that never seems to end. I am going to break that cycle."
Kazuki and Traylaymaru glanced at him in surprise. "Break it how?"
Seihomaru shrugged. "I haven't thought that far yet."
"Not all humans and youkai despise one another," Traylaymaru muttered. "Although I don't approve of such a thing, there are those youkai who have taken on a human lover."
Seihomaru glanced at him surprised. Even Kazuki seemed shocked at the news. "A human lover?"
Traylaymaru nodded, ignoring the disbelieving looks the pack were giving him. "Ask Nii, he was there."
Nii, however, held a concerned look on his face and was far ahead of the group as he was anxious to find his brother's whereabouts.
The pack had no issues on their trek back to their former camp, but as they got closer, Nii's walk slowed almost to a stop, a look of dread on his face. Traylaymaru was the next to approach and he also stopped and quickly shook his head at Kazuki.
"We will rest here," Kazuki growled, halting the group before they got too close. Seihomaru stopped walking and glanced at him curiously.
"We should almost be there though." The young lord protested.
"We stop here." Kazuki insisted, tilting his head towards Nii and Traylaymaru who were further up on the path.
Seihomaru's eyes moved to the two and he noticed the uneasy looks on their faces. Immediately he glanced at Kazuki for an explanation.
Traylaymaru held onto Nii's arm, trying to prevent him from moving forward, and they were arguing as Kazuki approached. "Stop this." He commanded, which earned himself a glare from Nii. The scent of blood hit him then and he almost reeled at the smell. If this almost knocked him off his feet, he knew Seihomaru and his sensitive nose would pass out from it. "Stop him from approaching." Kazuki snarled the command to Traylaymaru, who immediately turned and met up with the young lord.
Kazuki was about to comment on something when a very familiar scent reached him and he closed his eyes in defeat. His men were not easily overcome or defeated, and yet the blood on the air was enough to tell him what had transpired in their old camp.
"Come." He whispered to Nii, who kept staring towards their former secluded campsite.
They didn't need to see what had happened, but they went to the camp regardless. Kazuki entered first and looked around at the bodies of his guards with dismay filling his heart. Nii released a soft cry when his eyes fell on the body of his brother, and he fell to his knees. Kazuki scanned the area and sucked in his breath when his golden gaze fell on Ose. They had put up a good fight, but lost in such a manner that spoke of a foe that was far more powerful than they were combined. Shaking his head, Kazuki moved forward and placed his fingers to Ose's neck, hoping to feel a pulse, but the skin was cold, indicating they had been dead for more than a day.
Shaking his head, his nose picked up a scent and his eyes narrowed, a slow and deadly growl erupting from his lips.
'By the Gods.' Taizo snarled, immediately picking up the familiar smell.
'No god can save him now!' Kazuki snarled to his youki. His eyes fell on Nii who looked at him with horror clearly written on his face. His nose had also picked up the smell.
'They could have easily overtaken him, how did he acquire so much power to kill them all?' Taizo questioned, remembering how easy he had overwhelmed that particular youki.
Kazuki released a loud snarl and got to his feet. "He will answer for his crimes!" His hands bunched into fists and he grit his teeth his rage almost blinding him.
'Easy.' Taizo warned, feeling the rage build up and calling to his more primal side.
Kazuki sucked in a deep breath, feeling the anger build up and hearing the warning his youki gave him, but this was too much to contain. He could feel Taizo near the surface, whispering to him desperately to calm down.
'You do not want to use up all your energy to release me now!'
Kazuki grunted but agreed. When he found the youkai responsible for this massacre, then he would unleash Taizo and give him a taste of what real power was. Taizo all too readily agreed. Even though he had released Taizo once already, it wasn't nearly his full capabilities, not to mention they had just completed their bond and now even more power flowed through his veins. Narrowing his eyes, he was anxious to find the culprit and find out just how much power Taizo housed within its ancient form.
"Will you tell me what is going on?" Seihomaru growled at Traylaymaru who prevented him from going to Kazuki. Risa's words rang in his head and the all too fresh memory of his night terror right there beside it.
"Just wait here until Kazuki returns." The dark-haired youkai begged. "Please?"
Seihomaru shook his head. "Don't make me hit you, move!"
With a sigh, Traylaymaru stepped to the side and watched as Seihomaru walked down the path. He knew as soon as the strong scent of blood reached the young lords nose, he would stop and either pass out from the strength of it, or turn around and return with more questions than he had answers to give.
Seihomaru slowly walked down the path, knowing that his clan members remained where Kazuki told them to rest, and a strong scent of iron reached his nose. He sucked in his breath sharply, and dizziness hit him. It was the smell of his clansmen blood. "No." He whispered to himself, opening his mouth to ease the stench of it. Alarm filled him, and he glanced back at his pack who stared after him curiously.
"Psst." A whisper exited the trees.
He almost jumped had he not recognized the voice. Seihomaru almost shouted with joy but stopped when Turari shook his head, a look of shame on his face.
"I am not ready to face them just yet. I have dishonored my family with my fight against Kazuki."
Seihomaru once again glanced back at his pack and then over to Turari who hid behind a tree in the shadows. "We have been looking everywhere for you."
Turari nodded. "Something very dangerous lingers in these woods, I am sure you have already caught the scent of blood."
Seihomaru frowned and nodded. "I haven't gone there yet. Kazuki and Nii went."
Turari sighed and nodded. "Can we talk, privately?"
"Come with me to the others, we can talk there. If danger lurks here, it is safer if we are all together." Seihomaru tried to urge.
"As I said, I am not ready to face them. Especially my brother." Turari shook his head. "Walk with me, we won't go far, I just need to clear my head. I have been in hiding for so long."
Seihomaru glanced once more behind him and then sighed. "Where have you been hiding, and how have you managed to avoid this danger? What is this danger exactly?" He slipped into the trees and followed Turari slowly.
"I wish I had all the answers," Turari muttered, his voice cold and calculating.
Seihomaru felt a chill run up his spine and he frowned. Every muscle in his body signaled a flight response, but this was his friend. If they stayed together, they would be safe. "How close is this thing that killed my clan?"
"It lurks in the darkness," Turari whispered.
They pushed past some bushes deeper into the forest and exited into a large field. The green grass was sprinkled with small white flowers and Seihomaru stopped, staring. Fear instantly turned his blood cold and he gulped. This was the exact field from his night terror. The same size, flowers, swaying grass, and he blinked in stunned silence. He was awake, not asleep, yet his nightmare was right here before him in living color.
Seihomaru's mouth dropped open and he turned around to face Turari. The eyes that met his were cold and menacing. "Turari?"
"What?" The voice was his advisers yet it was filled with malice and contempt.
"What is this?" Seihomaru gulped nervously.
"What is what?"
"This?" He waved to the field, and to his friend. "You have never looked at me as an enemy."
"Really? Not that you noticed at least." Turari grinned slowly, the light gleaming off his fangs.
"Have I done something to cause this?" Seihomaru whispered, terror, entering every part of his body. Here he was alone, with someone he grew up with, and yet his longtime friend was looking at him as though he were nothing but wasted flesh.
"Everything." The voice this time was deep and smooth, guttural and filled with hate. "Your whole bloodline has done this. You have done this, your father, your grandfather, your great grandfather.."
Seihomaru stepped back, glancing around him for any sign of escape, anyway he could get away quickly. He had no fighting skills, no way to defend himself, he had only just begun to train. "What have I done exactly?" He looked back at his friend, begging him for answers.
"Your whole bloodline deserves to be erased from this world. You have no idea what your family had done to mine, you were but a pup, yet his blood flows through you, and now his youki. That curse that drives you mad, will claim you and take you, causing you to do exactly the same thing your father did to my family. I must eradicate it, I must eliminate it."
Seihomaru swallowed. This was not his friend, but something far more deadly than he ever thought possible, and he was alone without his pack, without Kazuki. He took another step back. "Turari, stop this. I had nothing to do with what my father did. I came here to find a way to get rid of the curse."
"It matters not, there is no cure, no way to get rid of it unless you destroy it. To destroy it you must die!" Turari snarled.
Seihomaru's heart skipped a beat, and he spun around and ran.
Kazuki pulled Nii to his feet and led him away from his brother. "There is nothing we can do."
Nii shook his head. "We need to bury them."
Kazuki nodded. "I will do it. Go back to the others, inform them what transpired here, and stay close to Seihomaru until I return. Do not tell them who is responsible."
Nii glared at him. "I want his head."
Kazuki nodded, his rage still close to the surface that he had to fight against the insistent push to release it. "You will have your vengeance, but first we must leave this place as we are exposed."
Nii knelt down beside his brother once again and rifled through his bag. His fingers touched the item he was searching for and pulled it free. It was their father's fang etched into the shape of a dog. He reached forward and closed his brother's sightless eyes and he felt the sorrow grip his heart. Standing, he glanced once at Kazuki then exited the area to make his way back to their pack members.
As he approached, several looked at him, concern on their faces when they caught sight of his grim one. Traylaymaru approached him. "What happened?"
Nii snarled. "Stay away from me!" He snapped.
Traylaymaru stepped back startled and released a soft gasp at all the anger Nii reflected on him.
Nii stopped however and paused searching the area with his eyes. "Where is Seihomaru?"
Traylaymaru blinked. "I thought he was with you and Kazuki. He went to find you."
Nii lifted his nose to the air and sniffed, but he detected no scents that were not of their clan. With a growl, he about-faced and ran back in the direction he had left Kazuki in. Breaking through the brush, Kazuki paused in his digging, glancing at the frantic and desperate look on Nii's face.
"Seihomaru is missing." Nii snarled, his nose still frantically searching for their lords' scent.
Kazuki's eyes widened. "Get back to the others and start searching." Without another word, he sprinted out of the small camp and darted through the trees, his heart pounding in his chest. 'Taizo, I need you.'
Immediately his sense of smell increased and his hearing picked up sounds that would otherwise go unnoticed. So many feelings ran through him, and his heart nearly stilled as his nose picked up his charges scent, with that of the one who had betrayed them all. "No." He gasped, running even harder.
The amount of youki in the air left his skin tingling, and it was as though an electric charge tried to hinder his movement.
'Kazuki, there's danger!' Taizo snarled.
'I know that!' Kazuki was near panic at the immense pressure that erupted around him the closer he got to Seihomaru's scent. 'We must stop him!'
Taizo remained silent.
The anger that rolled off him just looking at the pathetic being who ran from him made him laugh in delight. This being needed to die, needed to pay for all the deaths and torment he put his people through. With a slow smile, he lifted his hands and used all the youki he absorbed into himself and focused on one thing, and one thing only. He needed to kill that weak pathetic being who ran from him. If he absorbed that youki too, he would be even more powerful.
A burst of energy erupted from his hands and hit the being square in the back, knocking it off its feet. The smell of burnt flesh reached his nose and he grinned wider. Focusing on his power, he raised his hands and focused on absorbing the youki housed within the weaker being before him. A sharp cry of pain erupted from the being's mouth, the face twisted in anguish. Another peel of laughter left him then and he began his work of separating youki spirit from host. "You are mine now!" He hissed in delight.
The cry reached his ears and his heart froze instantly as he broke through the brush. Kazuki was not prepared however to see Seihomaru surrounded in a large red bubble, hovering above the ground or Turari standing there using his powers against their lord. Seihomaru's face was contorted with pain, and Kazuki saw the golden eyes open. The laughter that erupted from Turari's mouth was none other than the adviser's youki at the surface.
"By the gods!" Kazuki breathed.
'Kazuki, that is not just one youki!' Taizo growled, now fighting against all restraints so he could assist his host. 'Kazuki, let me loose!'
With a snarl of rage, Kazuki barred his teeth. "Gladly!" He felt his eyes bleed red, and raced forward, drawing his sword as Taizo's power coursed through his veins. There was so much of it that he felt his body pulse several times, and he was shouting at Turari. "Release him!" His sword flared to life, the power so much that it flooded into his sword, as he ran. Taizo's youki erupted through the blade in a burst of fire and ice, what he liked to call frost fire, something so intense that when burned by it, you didn't feel a burning sensation, but icy cold searing that went right to your bones.
Turari narrowed his eyes as that familiar voice entered his ears. "You are too late!" He laughed maniacally.
Kazuki reached him in seconds and slid his blade through Turari's torso. "Release him!" He snarled again and pushed more of his power into his blade. Turari's face twisted in pain, and a loud gasp exited his mouth. Kazuki twisted his wrist and the blade tore through the adviser's lungs. With an upward motion, the guard sliced through the youkai's collarbone and up through the shoulder, splitting through it almost too easily.
Turari screamed in pain then, but he quickly turned around and planted both his hands onto Kazuki's shoulders. With every last ounce of strength, Turari forced all his power through him and at Kazuki. The electrical charge that erupted from Turari rushed through Kazuki, singing his clothing first, then burning his skin. That all too familiar sensation caused the guard to open his eyes wide. "It was you!" He snarled.
'Kazuki!' Taizo gasped, the pain flooding through even him, causing him to wince at the strength of it.
Turari grinned. "Yes, it was me!" He shouted and pushed his youki outward.
Kazuki's breath caught in his throat as his body was engulfed in fire and lightning, searing over his skin and through his body. His muscles seized, and he shut his eyes to fight against the massive amount of youki trying to melt his bones. Taizo countered and forced more energy through his host, to try to douse it.
'Kazuki, we are using too much energy.' Taizo snarled, his power being overwhelmed by the amount Turari exhibited. 'We are fighting against not just his youki, but others as well.'
With every last ounce of strength left in him, Kazuki thrust his sword through Turari's chest and pulled upward until he felt the blade slice through the heart muscle. It twitched, and shock drifted across Turari's face as the cold steel sliced his heart in half. A soft gasp escaped the adviser's mouth, as Kazuki's sword erupted in ice and fire, as the guard used up whatever energy he had left, and he twisted the blade causing Turari's heart to stop mid-beat.
Taizo felt it before it happened, and he was unable to give ample warning to his host. The youki that had been released clashed and exploded engulfing the area and Kazuki in a searing pulse that caused the guard to be flung back, and he flew several feet away slamming into the earth with a loud crunch. Kazuki grunted as his body impacted with the earth, knocking the wind out of him, and he gasped for air. He felt his bones break at the impact, and felt the searing of the flames licking through his veins. His heart fluttered and his body was weak. Taizo gasped as the pain rushed through him, and he fell to his knees inside the pools. His eyes lifted to the tree and saw several leaves fall slowly to the ground. Kazuki's tree of life was fading, and quickly.
Taizo closed his eyes in agony. 'Kazuki?'
He still breathed, but it was weak, and he could feel his host's body fight against the inevitable. His host was so badly burned and weakened, that the all too familiar feeling filled him then. No response came to him, so he waited by the pools. Taizo pulled himself to his feet, and he knew it wouldn't be long as a bright light opened from the darkness. His eyes trailed over to the light and the spirit closed his eyes again, grief filling him.
Kazuki gasped, forcing his body to move. He could make out Seihomaru's body in the grass, and he had to make it to him. He knew that he had literally no time left, but he had to make sure Seihomaru was alive. Kazuki dragged his broken body to his charge and pulled himself up to look on the sightless golden eyes. A low moan escaped his lips, he had failed.
'Taizo?' Kazuki called.
'Hai?' Came the sorrow-filled voice.
'You have to do something for me.'
Taizo waited.
'I need you to save his life.'
'Kazuki-'
'No, you need to do this.' Kazuki desperately shot in. 'He is like a son to me, you must save him.'
Kazuki could feel the torment in Taizo, but he also felt lost. 'If I do this, you will have no energy left. You will die, as soon as I leave.'
'But he will live. I am dead anyway.' Kazuki sucked in a sharp breath of pain.
Kazuki could feel Taizo hesitate, but felt the brush of acceptance as his spirit agreed reluctantly.
'Keep him safe.' Kazuki sighed as he felt his spirit slip from him. He had mere seconds and his eyes remained glued on his young charge. Finally, the young lord gasped in a huge gulp of air, as Kazuki's consciousness left him, and he drew in one last breath.
He had almost turned around when he felt the massive explosion near the mine he was using to pull metal from, but instead, he jumped onto his mount and went to investigate. As soon as he approached the field, he stopped and blinked. The wavering air on his right was one thing, but on his left were two bodies.
"Yare, yare." He muttered softly. His eyes trailed back to the wavering mass that signaled something sinister hovering there, something that was akin to a released youki, yet it was something far more malevolent. Rather than get close to it, he took a wide path to the two bodies lying in the grass. As he got closer he noticed the younger one breathing erratically, and the other hovered over him protectively. He lowered his fingers and pressed them against the much larger youkai and he sighed. Standing upright, he looked around wondering if there were any others, yet he could not find any. Shaking his head, he waved over his mount who released a protested moo, and he clicked his tongue. "Now, now, come. This boy needs our help."
He lifted the boy's limp body and jumped up onto his mount, and kicked him into action. "Take us home, Mo-mo" With a quick whistle into the air, he sent a message out to someone he hoped could assist him. This boy was weak, his youki weak, and if something wasn't done soon, he would die.
Nii stumbled to the ground as an explosion of youki erupted through the forest, and several members of their clan cried out in alarm. "Hells!" He cursed, scrambling to his feet. "What was that?" He whistled to his shadow members signaling that it was time for them to show themselves. Whatever it was, it was colossal. They crashed through the trees and into a field, and they all stopped.
Directly in front of them sat an imposing mass, which shimmered and twitched in place. It was not a solid mass, yet it didn't move. Nii covered his nose with his sleeve and stepped back quickly, alarmed. The force it emanated was so massive that even getting close was dangerous. It held an electrical charge, pressure and so much rage that every time it twitched a foul stench escaped it.
"Don't get close to it." Nii hissed, his nose still covered by his sleeve.
Traylaymaru wailed then. "Oh gods." It was so faint that he had almost missed it, but hovering close to the spot was his brothers' scent.
The whole group broke into a panic then, Nii and Akina rushed through the field towards the lone figure lying there. Traylaymaru looked in their direction and saw Kazuki's still form, and he lowered his eyes guilt filling his entire being. The ethereal object hovering above the ground was none other than what was left of his brother. "By the gods, Turari, what have you done?"
He turned away from where his brother's youki pulsed, and ashamed that he held any relation to someone who had betrayed them sickened him. Slowly, he approached the group who huddled close together, near Kazuki's still form. His body was singed by what he knew had been his fathers' power. As he got close, several members of their pack snarled in warning and he stopped instantly. He released a soft sigh but stayed where he was. Due to his relation to Turari, it appeared that he was now a threat.
Rather than retreat, he remained in place and stood very still. If they wanted him dead, then so be it. Far better a fate than to live his life with the guilt that his own brother had betrayed them, and killed so many of their clan, for what? Revenge? Traylaymaru dropped to his knees and placed his face in his hands, the shame so great, he could not bear to even look at those he called pack.
He froze when a footfall stepped near him and he choked back a sob, as a hand was placed on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up into a pair of golden eyes filled with sorrow. It was Akina. Allowing all the grief to surface, he released a soft sob and her arms wrapped around him. He could only whisper brokenly. "I am so sorry."
Her fingers brushed through his hair and she comforted him as a mother would a child. "Shh. It is alright." She whispered to him.
Akina glanced over at the remaining group and asked. "What do we do now?" Her arms still wrapped around Traylaymaru protectively.
Nii stood up. "We bury our dead and search for Seihomaru."
"Where do we start looking?" She asked.
Nii shook his head. "I smell a strange scent, and Seihomaru was here, not long ago."
"Can you tell if he is alive?" Akina whispered, her arms still wrapped around the grief-stricken Traylaymaru.
"I am uncertain." Nii shook his head. Glancing around at their clan, he saw various stages of mourning, and he shifted uncomfortably. "You have some work ahead of you, healer."
Akina nodded. "And you are full of despair."
Nii snorted. "I know your brother was a member of the night watch, are you not saddened by his passing?"
Akina lifted her eyes to his and glared at him. "We all have lost friends, or family today. Best if we stand together rather than grow apart." She knew that many would be angry, others would be filled with heartbreak, some with depression, so hesitantly, her arms released Traylaymaru and she stood up. "We should move to a safer location. I do not want to be close to that." Her hand waved to the wavering mass that was all that was left of Turari.
Nii nodded. "Agreed. Let us move from here." They all moved away slowly, back into the safe confines of the forest, but he remained, staring down at Kazuki's still form, broken and burnt within the grass. Shaking his head, he bent down and lifted the much larger guard, and carried him to the forest. He didn't follow the other inu youkai who situated themselves on the path, instead, he went to their former camp, where the rest of their pack members were. It was now up to him to bury the dead.
Soon, however, Traylaymaru and a few of the younger male youkai arrived and sorrowfully glanced at the dead bodies of the guards. Nii was knelt on the ground his hands and claws covered in mud, digging holes for each of their dead. Traylaymaru immediately gave orders for the younger males to assist, and he himself knelt and also started digging. The entire time he dug, he cursed his younger brother, and he hated himself for allowing such devastation to fall upon their close-knit pack. If he had only seen it sooner, perhaps he could have stopped it.
He shook his head, and stood, walking over to a young silver-haired guard. Gently, he picked the youth up and placed him into the grave he had dug. This all felt wrong, they shouldn't be burying their dead, instead, they should all be sitting around a fire sharing stories with one another. For the better part of the night, they dug and buried their men, all the while remaining silent in their grief. The last three members of their pack left to bury were Shigeo, Ose, and Kazuki.
Nii knelt beside his brother and bent his head low, trying to hold in his grief that suddenly surfaced seeing his brother's still form and sightless eyes. Somehow he felt robbed of his revenge and yet was somehow satisfied that it had been Kazuki who had killed the traitor. But now their lord was missing, and with no idea what condition he was in.
He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Traylaymaru digging with as much determination as the other males. It was then he noticed the sadness on the dark-haired inu's face. Nii stood up and walked over to him. "You blame yourself? Why?"
Traylaymaru glanced up at him and shook his head. "I should have seen this. I could have stopped it."
Nii grunted but shook his head. "What your brother did was his own doing, not yours. None of us saw this. Yet we suspected."
Traylaymaru nodded. "All this was preventable, had I just not run away all those years ago."
"You left because your family ordered you to, you left because you had no choice. He was too young, so don't blame yourself." Nii couldn't even bring himself to utter the traitors' name.
Traylaymaru sighed. "I can't voice how sorry I am for all that has transpired because of my brother."
Nii placed his hand on his shoulder. "I vented all my anger on you earlier, so I am no innocent. I know this wasn't your doing."
Traylaymaru shook his head. "The others aren't so forgiving. What happens to me now?"
Nii glanced at him surprised. "You are still a member of this clan, you have not shown any reason not to trust you." The young youkai sat back on his heels as the other men placed Kazuki's body into the grave. "Besides I believe Akina would protest heavily if we sent you away."
Traylaymaru glanced at him with a raised brow. "Akina?"
Nii shook his head. "The Healer."
"Oh. Why in all hell would she care if I stayed or left?" Traylaymaru snarled softly, completely bewildered.
"You really haven't noticed?" Nii blinked at him, then turned and watched the men place Ose and Shigeo's bodies into their graves beside Kazuki's.
"Noticed what?"
Nii whistled. "You are clueless aren't you?"
Traylaymaru sat there with a perplexed expression on his face while they covered the graves. Soon they were moving from their old camp back towards there waiting remaining pack members. As soon as they approached, a young golden-haired inu youkai moved forward and stood before Nii.
"What do we do now?" He asked.
Nii raised his brow curiously. "You are asking me?"
"You are a captain, just like your brother was. We look to you for answers now that both Shigeo and Kazuki are gone."
Nii sucked in his breath sharply. He glanced down to the ground for a moment, thinking quickly. "I suppose we track where Seihomaru's scent leads, and find him." He paused when a short chirp reached his ears, and he lifted his head towards the direction it came from. "What news?"
A small youkai emerged from the brush silently and nodded to Nii. "I went back to the field."
"You are our best tracker, what did you find?" Nii asked, ignoring the looks he was getting from those that were always present and not hidden.
"A smelt the scent of iron." The young shadow guard informed.
"Blood?"
He shook his head. "No, more like the scent of iron that our own blacksmiths emit when they work their craft."
"So we are looking for a youkai blacksmith?" Nii muttered.
"I also picked up the scent of wildlife, although the smell eludes me. Dirt, mixed with hide and excrement."
Nii raised his brow. "A mount, or pack animal of some sort?"
The young shadow guard nodded.
Nii nodded and the guard vanished into the shadows quickly without having to be told what else would be needed of him. He was already aware of him needing to track their lord. "Let's not linger here. Gather your things." Nii turned to Traylaymaru and glanced at him. "This youkai village is close, let us head there and see if any word has reached them regarding Seihomaru's whereabouts."
Traylaymaru nodded. "They might even be aware of this youkai blacksmith who uses a pack mount. I am certain there are not many in this area."
"Oh?"
"Not many minerals around for them to mine if they are looking for metal for weapons or armor. Not in this region anyway." The dark-haired youkai stated.
Nii nodded, and without another word, lead their members off the forest path towards where he remembered the village to be located in.