The forest edge was quiet as the commander assembled the men in the dark before dawn. The troop moved with minimal noise considering the steel armor breast plates, but they feared the wrath of the man in black and his personal guard enough that terror lent stealth to those who would otherwise have been contemptuous of it.
The object of their fear was examining the ruins of the village below them through a spyglass, his long grey hair tied back in a ponytail that hung down the back of his cassock, only partially concealed by the round cap he wore. The scowl on his face as he strove to make out details by faint moonlight made many of the men edge away from him. As the commander pulled his horse up beside him he sighed.
"Tha bloody heathen ha burned the place to tha ground. There's na a town left to capture."
"Any sign of our men?" the commander asked unperturbed. At least he appeared unperturbed in front of his men, though the black garbed priest could feel the fear he kept in check under the lifeless red gaze of his guards. But then, he did know that the four human sized clockwork men had once been former officers like himself, executed for angering the priest. The man in black let himself sneer in the darkness.
"There be na sign 'o life anywhere, Captain. Only yonder ruin still stands."
"Then there should be no hindrance to our controlling this port. We can garrison in the castle, and make it our supply depot."
"Laddie, ya be a fool. Give ye no thought to what coulda happened to fifty men? We ha no reports the heathen could ha stood gainst our troops, yet we ha a burned village and no troops waitin."
"I beg your pardon, Father, but is this not why we have one of your giants with us?"
The man in black gritted his teeth. "Bloody useless lot ye mercenaries are. Yer lucky the bishop forbade me from turning the whole lot of ye into clockwork men."
The commander paled, but held his ground. "Your creations can overcome any surprises lying in wait."
"Kekeke. Confident lot, aren't you?"
Both their heads turned to look towards the new voice, the urbane looking gentleman in ornate and rather organic looking armor stepping out from behind a tree as he gave them a cocky grin. "Truly, I would have thought my first warning should have sufficed."
The priest responded immediately, his crucifix held at the ready as he drew a broadsword glimmering with bluish white symbols. "So, ye would be the demon who killed our men, I take it. I am Father Paladin Mac Cormac, Knight of the Order of Iscariot, and I shall cleanse this world of ye!"
Naraku smiled. "I see. So the Catholics are funding these Dutch pigs. Interesting, but of minor concern. But these lovely toys you have brought, they are fascinating. Would you be their creator, priest?"
"God has seen fit to grant unto me the power to animate these soldiers of the lord."
Naraku's eyes glittered. "A mere human? How droll. Still, it will be a most useful power to obtain."
"All ye shall obtain, Demon, is yer death!"
The priest kicked his horse towards Naraku as he ordered a charge, but drew short after but a few feet, realizing he was alone. He whirled to yell at the troops, and his jaw dropped in shock.
A pair of melancholy emerald eyes met his, before dropping to look at the ground. The shadowy figure sighed and turned to walk through the lifeless bodies scattered in pieces around her as the priest's mouth opened and closed several times. Then anger flared in his eyes and he pointed at the huge wagon that the troop had been dragging along. The wooden sides shattered as the giant straightened in a horrendous grinding of gears and chains. It rolled to its feet, the red eye swiveling to fix on the small black figure.
To the priest's utter disbelief, a flicker of golden light blurred through the darkness and the giant froze, its red eye dimming out as the gears clanked to a halt. Then its head slid forward and crashed to the ground as the priest felt tentacles wrap around him and Naraku's breath fell on his ear.
"Truly, a genius work of art, so wasted on a mere human. But don't worry. I shall put your talents to far more worthy use. With such a marvelous new body, I will destroy the rest of your pitiful troops, and hunt down your brothers at my leisure, simply for the joy of picking my teeth with their bones. And when I have taken over Japan, perhaps I shall send my own emissaries to your precious 'Vatican' and raze it to the ground."
Somehow the priest managed to spit despite the tentacle wrapped around his throat. "Iscariot has been exterminating yer kind for centuries, demon! They will avenge me and see ye rotting in hell!"
Naraku laughed. "Then you shall be joining me," he murmured as his tentacles pierced the priest's body and the process of absorption began. As the screams grew louder and more despairing, he laughed manically.
And in her tree at the edge of the forest, forbidden to leave by Naraku's command, Zhu Shu covered her ears and cried.
0 0 0 0 0
Rei woke suddenly, the air heavy with a feeling she didn't know how to describe.
For a second, she had almost thought Zhu Shu was nearby.
She shook her head. Probably listening to Kohaku's story had been responsible for the nightmare, though the details were chaotic and fading quickly. Just vague impressions of blood and crying.
They had spent the day in their camp following Tao-Ching's return with Sango's brother, trying to determine if their situation had changed. She and Ukyo had both been vocal about heading straight to Mikado and coming back to deliver the sword after they had rescued Zhu Shu, but they did have to admit that leaving a strong hostile force behind them was not the soundest tactical plan. Much as it had broken her heart to hear about how depressed her lovely dragon-girl had become, it was probably a bad idea to let the Dutch alone. Kagura had been clear enough that even if they weren't allied to Naraku, that wouldn't stop him from being able to use them against their little group. Be it through mind control, subverting their chain of command or outright turning them into zombies, he was sure to have some plan for them.
Plus, there was the fact that Sesshomaru was heading for Mikado. That he wanted kill Naraku wasn't really a problem, but the fact that he would likely have to go through Zhu Shu to get to him could be. Rei was worried she might be hurt if the Daiyoukai was as powerful as Kagura and everyone but Inuyasha said he was.
At least she could be certain that Zhu Shu was alive, and that her basic personality was unchanged. She had regretted taking Kohaku's shard, and somehow managed to retrieve it without killing him. Naraku might have forced her to kill, but she was still the same caring person she had fallen in love with.
((I would give anything to be by your side again, Zhu-chan.)) she thought at the blankness in her mind. ((And Ukyo feels the same. She doesn't blame you for what happened. WE both love you, and we're going to save you, so please stay alive.))
She slipped out from the covers, careful not to disturb Ukyo, and found her cheongsam. She pulled it over her head as she headed for the tent flap and the thin sliver of dawn visible through it.
The camp was quite, only the silent forms of Kirara and Sango visible at the top of the large outcrop they had designated as their lookout. Sango's brother was curled up against Kirara's side. Rei nodded to the youkai hunter as she headed to the girl's area.
Kohaku's story had made quite an impression on their little group. Hearing from a secondary source as to how long Kagura's rebellion against Naraku had been going on had explained a few of the mysteries the other party had had in their dealings with her in the past, and had even earned her a spontaneous hug from Sango from her efforts on her brother's behalf, minor as they had been. Rei had already liked the youkai girl, sympathizing with her uncertainties and fears of acceptance. She'd been going through her own version of those fears herself until Ukyo had freed her from them, and it looked like Kagura was finding her way towards the humanity Naraku had denied her.
She came back to the camp and stirred the embers of the fire, adding wood until it was blazing merrily, then taking the big pot to the stream to fill it for breakfast. If she started some rice before Kagome got up, then the other girl wouldn't be able to make porridge today.
She was midway back when she stopped, convinced she had heard crying. She looked all around, her ears straining, but unable to make out the faint sound again. She was just about to start walking when she heard it once more.
And realized it wasn't a sound she has hearing, but the faintest of twitches of the butterfly at the back of her mind.
The pot dropped unheeded as she closed her eyes and threw herself at the link, desperately trying to follow the faint traces of Zhu Shu's grief. The darkness fought her, no longer a hard wall, but a soft mass of ooze that clung to her, resisted her every effort to penetrate it to reach her beloved dragoness. She could feel Zhu Shu desperately reaching out from the other side, but the darkness fought to keep them apart, and Rei realized that it wasn't Zhu Shu who had erected this wall of silence.
She could feel her beloved's pain. The misery she felt at what Naraku was forcing her to be, and the sheer self loathing her dragoness felt over what she believed she had done to Ukyo. Rei clawed and struggled, the darkness fighting against her as she slowly lost ground. She could feel Zhu Shu slipping further away as the other girl caved in to her despair.
Desperately seeking anything to help, she called for her wand instinctively, feeling as its weight formed in her hand. But something felt different about it. It was far heavier than she had ever felt it, and the metal was not cool, but almost hot enough to burn. She had no time to think about it though as she brought it in front of her and called out the activation phrase that blazed through her mind.
"MARS PHOENIX POWER, IGNITE!"
0 0 0 0 0
Ukyo sat bolt upright as she felt the explosion of raw power surge across her mind and shred the darkness for just a few seconds. There was no time to form words as in the fiery light, she could see Zhu Shu sitting in a tree, crying. The dragon-girl looked up in surprise and Ukyo knew she could see her as well, both of them illuminated by the bright light of Rei's fiery wings. The fear and self hatred in Zhu Shu's eyes was so strong she wanted to cry, but she knew that Zhu Shu had to be seeing her as clearly, and for just those seconds, there could be no misunderstandings. Soul to soul they stood before each other naked.
The light faded as the darkness quickly moved back in, but she knew it had been enough. Words would have been wasted anyway. It had never been words Zhu Shu needed to begin with. As the darkness once more walled the dragon-girl away, she had seen the smallest glimmer of hope in those emerald eyes.
A commotion outside made her look up, her eyes opening to see the faintly lit tent around her. She rolled to her knees and stood, grabbing her towel to wrap around her quickly as she made for the flap.
The light coming from the woods near the stream was fading to more bearable levels as the pair of fiery wings visible through the trees shifted from intense white to a more muted flame as they folded in on themselves. She could see Rei through the thin screen of trees holding her scepter in front of her as the flames around her flickered and faded, leaving not a single scorch mark on the grass under her. Sango was almost to her already.
"Rei?" the youkai hunter asked gently. "Are you okay?"
Rei took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Yes, Sango. Just very tired."
"What happened?"
Rei shrugged. "I felt Zhu Shu faintly through our link. I was trying to get through to her." Her eyes looked over at Ukyo and she smiled. "I think we succeeded."
Sango followed her eyes to a nodding Ukyo.
"I think we did too, my lovely Phoenix. I think we did too."
0 0 0 0 0
"We can't tell you much beyond impressions." Ukyo said to the group as they ate breakfast. "Naraku is definitely preparing a trap of some sort. I got the faintest of impressions of one of those giants, but that's about all."
Tao-Ching growled. "I don't want to deal with the Hasai until we have rescued Zhu Shu. I don't have the slightest clue if the wish that sent us here might send us back the moment we deliver the sword. It's not a risk I willingly want to take. That's why I haven't mentioned it to Sanjuro."
"We may have no choice, tiger." Nabiki chimed in. "I tend to agree with you, but we had enough trouble dealing with the giant. Now that we know how to disable them, they will be much easier to handle, but not at the same time as we're in another fight."
"I know, I know."
"Mayhaps if we doth free the Hasai, yet keep the sword concealed until we hath rescued our goddess?" Kuno said quietly. "I doth not care for deceit, but if we simply do not reveal our possession until after we hath reunited with fair Zhu Shu, it is not truly deceit, simply prudence."
"He's got a point." Rei nodded. "We could free the castle, carry on to Mikado, then come back afterwards to deliver the sword to the daimyo."
"Makes no difference to us." Inuyasha shrugged. "We're after Naraku. Taking out the Dutch along the way will just make that a bit easier."
"If we are concerned, perhaps we can request Sanjuro accompany us to Mikado." Miroku suggested. "His eyes need caring for anyway for another few days. We could simply continue to use his services as a guide while caring for him, and give him the sword to carry before we join in battle at Mikado, that way regardless of the outcome, we can be assured of the sword returning to the Hasai."
"Waddya mean, regardless of the outcome?" Inuyasha glared.
"Merely that we might be forced to chase Naraku again. He does have a history of fleeing when he is at a disadvantage."
"He ain't going to get that chance!"
"You have no hope of slaying him unless you can find Mouryoumaru and the baby. Without his heart, Naraku cannot be slain." Kagura reminded them.
Ukyo nodded. "Yeah, that's part of the impression too. It's not just US Naraku is setting a trap for." She leaned forward. "Look, we know Sesshomaru is heading for Mikado, and we know we have to go there too. But Naraku has to know that too, and I didn't get the impression from Zhu Shu that he was remotely concerned about us or him. That leaves only one other thing he could be plotting about, right?"
"You think he's baiting a trap for Mouryoumaru?"
"Yeah, I do. Think about it, sugar. He's had Zhu Shu collecting shards. Mouryoumaru was after Kohaku's shards, and this Kouga's too. She has four shards in her possession from what I could tell of her thoughts. That's got to be a temptation directed solely at Mouryoumaru. Four shards not in Naraku's possession."
"Four shards?" Kagome blinked. "She got Kouga's too?"
Ukyo nodded. "Ummm, yeah. She was really unhappy about it too. I think she had to kill him."
Inuyasha snorted. "Stupid wolf probably forced her to."
"Inuyasha! He was your friend!" Kagome yelled.
"That stupid okami was no friend of mine! He was nothing but trouble!"
"How can you be so callous!"
"Easy! He was an idiot and a pervert and a damn pain in the ass! At least now I won't have to listen to you encouraging him all the time!"
"Encouraging him! I never–"
"WILL THE TWO OF YOU CAN IT!" Tao-Ching shouted. "Now is not the time. We're here to discuss our plan of action, not have a lover's spat!"
"But– but–"
"Look Kagome, I am sorry that Zhu Shu killed your friend, but I can assure you that she was forced to do it. The only person to blame is Naraku. If you want revenge, direct it at the person who deserves it."
Kagome glared at Tao-Ching and huffed, but kept her mouth shut.
"Now. I tend to agree with Ukyo's appraisal about Naraku's intent. Kagura? Any thing to add or modify that?"
Kagura shook her head. "No. It would fit Naraku's style. The only reason to leave so many shards in her hands is to make her a tempting target for the baby. As powerful as your friend is, I still doubt she could do more than simply defend herself long enough to allow Naraku to strike at Mouryoumaru directly. I would even suspect he is drawing us all to fight against one another while he waits to eliminate the survivors."
Tao-Ching frowned. "Damn it. That makes entirely too much sense tactically speaking. Get us to do his dirty work, then hit us when we are at our weakest."
"We shall yet prevail, no matter how the craven doth connive." Kuno said with a scowl.
"Yeah. Still it makes sense to take out the possible reinforcements before they can be used against us." Tao-Ching looked around. "Alright, so here's the plan. Kagura, you Nabiki and Rei will be our primary air offense. Your job is going to be to strafe the troops. Ukyo, Inuyasha and Kuno will go in with me as heavy offense. Our job is going to be to take out those giants. Miroku, can you take care of any archery or artillery they may try to use?"
"Artillery?"
"Large guns, like the muskets. Kagome can point them out to you."
"Alright. I can do my best."
"Good. As well as helping Sango and Miroku, Kagome, can you keep a lookout for whoever is directing the giants? Based on what Sanjuro said, he's probably going to be a Catholic priest. Your arrows might be able to disrupt his control."
Kagome gave him a sour face but nodded.
"Alright. When we go in, stay behind Kuno until he's had a chance to unleash his super windscar. Might as well cause as much havoc as we can on the first strike."
He looked around and got everyone's nod. "Alright, let's pack camp and move out. If Sanjuro's estimates are correct, we'll reach the castle by mid afternoon."
Ukyo's hand found Rei's and she gave her a smile. "We're almost there, my angel. We'll take out these vermin, and be at Mikado tomorrow."
Rei gave her a grim smile. "And then I am going to burn Naraku until not a shred of him is left to regenerate."
0 0 0 0 0
"Here she comes." Ai muttered, observing Konatsu exiting the school building and coming towards the sports field as lunch started. She was holding the challenge letter Kyoko had stuck in her desk in her hand. The ghostly form of Ying-Ying followed close behind, her hair streaming in the wind. Ai's ears strained to hear her words over the distance separating them.
"But, Ko-chan, you don't even know why they are challenging you, and I don't like this bit about you becoming their mascot for a week if you lose!"
Konatsu shrugged. "They challenged me Ying-Ying. As the sole member of the Sexy Kunoichi Clan, I am honor bound to accept, regardless of the reasons."
Ai snorted. "I challenged you because you're a sneaky underhanded magic using cheater!"
Konatsu looked up as she stopped at the entrance to the athletics field in front of Ai. "What?" she asked blinking in surprise.
"We spent weeks getting costumes and learning that routine for karaoke, and you come along and fucking enchant the damn audience with a charm spell! I cannot forgive such underhanded and sneaky tactics! Even if you are a kunoichi!"
Both Ying-Ying and Konatsu blinked this time. "Charm spell?" Ying-Ying asked in disbelief.
Kaede snorted. "A class one vocal fascination charm. Instant hypnosis of all listeners and immediate fixation on the singer. My sister tries it on us all the time, so of course I'm going to recognize it!" she growled. "The only real question is which one of you was casting the damn spell!"
Ying-Ying blinked, then her eyes hardened. "If you are implying I cast it to make people like Ko-chan, you can forget it! I do not use charm spells! I'm a combat mage and a healer, not a damn seductress like you!" She crossed her arms. "And Ko-chan doesn't know how to cast…" she trailed off. "Well, Ko-chan is simply a warrior."
"It doesn't matter, Ying-chan," Konatsu said, cracking her knuckles. "Like I said, the excuse doesn't matter. A challenge has to be met. Besides, I always wanted to be a cheerleader in middle school. Even if I do lose, it'll be fun right?"
Ai gave her a lascivious grin. "It most certainly will be."
Konatsu missed the innuendo, but Ying-Ying didn't. She placed a hand on Konatsu's arm. "Please don't do this, Ko-chan. She's not after you, she wants to hurt Zhu Shu."
Ai narrowed her eyes. "Little Miss Dragon-half has nothing to do with this. We should have been on top of the popularity lists after our song, but ninja girl bespelled the audience. The entire fucking school is in her fan club now! Since Saturday, her fan site's gotten more than 8,000 hits! That's everyone in school ten times over! And our fan sites haven't even gotten one! This has nothing to do with Zhu Shu! THIS IS REVENGE!"
"And you're seeking revenge against an innocent person!" Ying-Ying yelled back. "Ko-chan wasn't casting any spells! It's just an effect of her voice! Ye-Ying had the same talent, and it's not something controllable or even conscious!"
"I DON'T CARE! I'm going to beat that ninja bitch into the ground, and then we're going to drag her back to our club room, and she's going to make it up to us for the next week!"
Ying-Ying sighed and stepped in front of Konatsu. "Take me instead. If you have to have someone to avenge yourself on, take me. Konatsu isn't ready for your kind of payback, Ai."
Ayeka snorted. "She certainly goes out of her way to act like she is." She leaned forward and gave Ying-Ying a toothy smile, her canines hidden from Ai. "And if you try to interfere, ghost, I'll take care of you personally."
Ying-Ying gave her a cool look. "I'm not afraid of you, Ayeka. I don't care how strong you are, you can only touch me if I let you."
"If you're so sure about that, why not try it and find out?" the raven haired girl sneered back.
"It's okay, Ying-Ying," Konatsu said as she place her hand on Ying-Ying's shoulder. "It's just a challenge. And like I said, even if I lose, what's the problem?"
"Because it's not the fight I'm worried about, it's what they plan to do to you as their 'mascot'!"
Konatsu shrugged. "So I get to dress up in funny clothes. It's really not a big deal. My sisters have probably dressed me in worse."
"But– but…" Ying-Ying sputtered. "That– that's not what they're going to do!" She pointed at Ai. "She's probably planning to tie you up and force you to do all kinds of sexual things!"
Konatsu blinked. "Sex?" A deep blush spread from her neck up her face. "She– she wants to have sex with me?"
"YES! That's why you can't accept this challenge! They're all a pack of nymphomaniacs!"
Ai crossed her arms. "We are not all nymphos! Just Kaede."
"That's right." Kaede nodded.
"Look," Megumi added. "We've been cheated out of something we worked hard to earn. We deserve compensation from the person who cheated us. It's simple logic."
Konatsu looked over the five girls glaring at her, then at Ying-Ying's pleading eyes. "I– I…"
"Yo, Ko-chan, I just heard. What's this blonde bimbo trying to pull now?"
Ai glared at Ranma. "Stay out of this fem boy. This is girl business."
"Girl business?" She looked down at her generous bust. "Like I ain't stuck as one now?"
"Real girl, not a fucked up, cross-dressing, pretend one like you," Ai sniffed. "Boys shouldn't pretend to be girls. You're nothing but a fake!"
Ranma started to respond but stopped as a shiver ran through all their spines and they turned to see Konatsu standing and glaring at Ai with murder in her eyes as a darkly violet aura burned around her, so deep it was nearly black.
"Your challenge is accepted, Ai," she said with a snarl.
Ying-Ying gasped. "Ko-chan! No!"
Konatsu's answer was to reach behind her back and pull out a massive triangular blade attached to a ring, and give it a peculiar shake, the blade separating into four separate pieces and snapping into place as her fuuma shuriken opened fully.
"Fuck!" Ying-Ying swore as the ninja girl pushed past her and entered the field. "Damn it. She's pissed." She looked at Ranma. "I'm going to ward the field to keep her shuriken from escaping, and try to keep her from killing anyone. Go get Lo Shen! And hurry!"
Ranma nodded, giving her a raised eyebrow as the ghost girl hurried down the steps, then turning and heading back towards the school building.
0 0 0 0 0
Like always, the news of a fight had spread, and the stands were already crowding. Ying-Ying was already chanting as she crossed the chalked outlines of the field and as she passed, a shimmering wall of force snapped upwards from the convenient boundary line. She made it just in time as one of the cheerleader's pom-poms exploded against it.
The fight was already in full swing, Ai dodging a spray of kunai attached to slips of paper as Kaede and Kyoko were firing their exploding pellets at the fast moving ninja girl.
Then Ayeka intercepted her with a kick that hurled her nearly thirty feet into the barrier Ying-Ying had erected, the orange aura around her glowing brightly as waves of youki poured from her.
Konatsu flipped in mid-air and landed feet first against the barrier, using it as springboard to leap from, her giant shuriken flashing down in a deadly arc towards Kyoko, but the tiny cheerleader vaulted over it and drove it into the ground.
Then Ai was above the kunoichi, and her baton slashed downwards. Konatsu twisted away, but her shirt shredded from the near miss. Konatsu landed before she realized she was topless, and embarrassment suddenly drove the rage from her as she let out a squeak and blushed furiously as her hands tried to cover her enormous breasts.
Then Megumi's pom-pom bolero wrapped around her legs and brought her to her knees. Ai crowed as she landed behind Konatsu and grabbed her pony tail. "Got you now!"
Kaede laughed. "Not yet, Ai!" She grabbed Konatsu's skirt and yanked, the cloth separating as if it had been sliced, and both the skirt and Konatsu's underwear were tossed aside, leaving the blushing girl naked.
Ying-Ying yelled in anger and her hand came up, surrounded by a lambent pink ball of fire. "That's going too far, Ai!"
Her hand was knocked aside as Ayeka whirled her around. "I warned you, ghost!"
Ayeka's hand grabbed something around her neck and there was a pop as a cork came loose, and Ying-Ying stared in shock at the small bottle in Ayeka's hand.
Then she screamed as a massive suction pulled her towards the mouth of the spirit trap, and she vanished.
For a long moment, there was dead silence as Ayeka smugly plugged the cork back in and smirked. "Now we have both of you."
Then a strange voice spoke from Konatsu's mouth.
"And for that, you are now going to die."
0 0 0 0 0
The ground under Konatsu turned jet black, an inky darkness that raced across the field until it encountered the barrier with a crash. A glowing red hexagram formed around the still bound girl as Kaede's eyes widened and she threw herself against Ai, dragging the taller girl away from the markings as fire erupted from them and Konatsu stood, her remaining clothes charring away instantly. She laughed as her raven hair paled and turned snow white, and her ears grew pointed. Burning slit pupiled eyes stared at Ayeka as a fanged grin showed on the transformed girl's face.
"I was willing to let Konatsu handle the fight, and take her lumps if needed, but you should have never laid a hand on Ying-Ying, vampire."
Clove's hand shot forward and a streak of black lightning pierced Ayeka's chest and flung her backwards, blood splattering across the black field in a crimson flower.
"Ayeka!" Megumi screamed. She whirled, and ran towards the fallen girl as Kaede snarled.
"You'll pay for that, bitch!" she cried as she launched herself over the flames, her nails suddenly growing into talons.
Clove contemptuously waved her hand and tossed the red-head aside. She turned to Ai. "And you, they did this for you, so I think you shall suffer most of all." Black fire burned in the palm of her hand as she raised it towards the stunned head cheerleader and the fireball streaked towards her.
But Kyoko intercepted it, her hands both burning with a pale azure flame as she strove to prevent the fireball from reaching Ai. Her feet skidded against the ground as it drove her back, until she shimmered and her foxfire flared as she released her shape-shift. When the last of the black ball had been consumed she glared at Clove. "We're not going to let you hurt Ai!"
Clove sneered. "And how do you plan to stop me, little kitsune?"
Daggers of ice drove into her side and staggered her as Megumi entered the fray. "By killing you if we have to!"
Clove hissed as she pulled the daggers free and muttered, the blood pouring from her wounds ceasing as they sealed. "A rag tag bunch of youkai against a Dragon Mage? Don't make me laugh." She chanted softly as she lifted her hand abruptly and the ground under Megumi exploded upwards, tossing the girl into the air.
But Kaede caught her, her wings straining as she kept her from falling. She barely dodged another ball of the black fire as Megumi wildly hurled shards of ice.
Then a streak of orange slammed into Clove and hurled her aside, following her faster than the eye could track to intercept her again and again until Clove muttered a spell and hovered in mid air, her chest heaving as she glared down at Ayeka, her burning green eyes meeting the vampire's blood red ones.
"Were you a century older, vampire, you might possibly have been a minor inconvenience, but as you are now, you are simply a pest!" Clove growled as her hand arced downwards and dozens of black lightning bolts speared through Ayeka's form. For a long second, the raven haired cheerleader stood, numerous holes through her body smoking, then blood poured from her mouth and her knees collapsed.
Megumi and Kaede rejoined a sobbing Ai. "If Ayeka can't take her, how the hell can we beat her?" Kaede muttered as Megumi raised an ice shield against the black flames Clove hurled against them.
Kyoko shook Ai. "Ai, love, please, we need you! Together I know we'll be strong enough to beat her!"
Kaede looked at her. "You can't be thinking…"
Kyoko nodded. "It's the only way." She looked at Ai. "Please Ai. Help me."
Ai took along shuddering breath and clenched her fists. "Wha– What do I have to do?"
Kyoko smiled. "Just love me, Ai. Please, just love me as much as I love you…"
Then she kissed her.
0 0 0 0 0
As Kyoko's lips met Ai's she shimmered and Ai found herself standing in nothingness before a naked Kyoko.
"Wha– What happened?"
"I am possessing you. Our minds are touching and we are merging into one." Kyoko said shyly. "I'm sorry. I didn't have time to explain."
"How do we have time now?"
"We don't have much. We're talking to each other at the speed of thought actually, but once we're fully merged, time is going to resume normal speed. I possessed you because a Kitsune who is possessing a human who loves her is far more powerful than she is by herself. By surrendering ourselves entirely, we become more than we are alone."
Ai blinked. "Possession?"
"I'm a spirit who can assume flesh, Ai, but being flesh consumes much of my energy. In order to be able to use all my power, I have to resume fully spirit form, and to do that, I have to possess someone."
"And that makes you more powerful?"
"It depends." Kyoko said looking downwards. "That depends entirely on you."
Ai reached out to touch her face and made her look up. "How can I help?"
Kyoko trembled and took a deep shuddering breath. "You– you have to accept me. If– if you accept me… and love me, love me as I really am…"
Ai reached out to wipe the tear from Kyoko's eye. "And if I already do?"
Kyoko's wide eyes blinked as she stared into Ai's, and then she threw herself into Ai's embrace. "Then we can become one, and our love will multiply exponentially," she whispered as she began to glow and the darkness was burned away by her light.
0 0 0 0 0
Megumi was near to fainting from the heat pouring through her ice barrier, the shield melting as fast as she could create it as Clove continued to send her flames against it. As her strength gave out and she collapsed, the black fire was suddenly consumed by a wall of azure flame. The ice barrier shattered as she rolled aside and looked towards her savior.
Ai stood, surrounded by blue fire. Blonde fox ears poked up through her hair as a profusion of tails lashed behind her. Clove's fire died as she took stock of the transformed head cheerleader.
"So, the kitsune has given you her power. You must love her deeply if she can not only merge with you but gain enough power to grow four more tails."
"I love all of them! And I will not let you hurt them further!" Ai screamed as she brought her hands together and her fire streaked towards Clove.
Azure flame met black fire in mid air and fought against it. For long seconds, they were equal, then slowly, the blue fire began pushing back the black. Clove pushed it back momentarily, then was flung backwards as the snarling ball of clashing flame exploded. She picked her naked form up from the ground and wiped a trickle of blood away from her lip. "Impressive," she chuckled.
"I'll never let you hurt my squad!"
Clove laughed. "Such a fool."
Then she tilted back her head and roared.
Ai's fire wilted as she suddenly found herself facing a forty foot tall black dragon. Kaede barely got her out of the way as a huge taloned claw slammed against the spot where she had been standing, the shockwave ripping both their clothes to shreds as they went tumbling. Clove struck again before they could recover, but at the last second an orange blur resolved into a still bleeding Ayeka, her glowing baton stopping the descending claw.
Clove growled and sent the vampire flying with a sweep of her tail as she reared back and inhaled. Ayeka smashed into the barrier with a spray of blood, surrounded by shards of glittering glass. She slumped again as Ai screamed out her name.
Then Clove pursed her muzzle and released an inferno at the combined girls. Ai raised her arms futilely, knowing this time she was doomed…
The fire shattered against an invisible barrier just before it reached her, the shockwave knocking her flat as a figure materialized out of the light.
"Stop it, Clove!" Ying-Ying cried. "Don't let the dragon consume you!"
Ai and Kyoko blinked as they suddenly found themselves separated and staring up at the Chinese girl, who looked rather different than she had when Ayeka had trapped her in the bottle. Her tunic had grown a pair of very large belled sleeves that hung nearly to her knees on the arm that she had by her side, though it had slid back to her elbow on the hand she had raised to create the shield. And her hair was braided, the ankle length queue falling down from under a round mandarin hat topped by a worked silver button. An ofuda hung down from the side of the crimson hat, the symbols on it glowing softly.
The dragon blinked, then shimmered and reverted to the figure of Clove, her long hair whipping around her naked body in the wind from the fires all around her. Then she collapsed to her knees and began sobbing into her hands.
Ying-Ying sighed and looked down at Ai. "I am sorry. I tried to stop this," she said softly before she began walking towards the sobbing mage. Ai blinked, then memory kicked in and she turned to see Ayeka still slumped against the shield, her eyes vacant and staring.
"Ayeka!" she screamed as she scrabbled on all fours to the unmoving girl and cradled her in her arms. "No! You can't be dead! You hear me! You can't!"
Kyoko grabbed her arm. "She's already dead, Ai. She can't die again. But she needs blood!"
Ai stared at her in incomprehension for a second then nodded and looked around, grabbing a shard of glass and slashing her wrist without thinking, holding her arm before Ayeka's lips as her blood poured into the girl's mouth. For long seconds, nothing happened, then Ayeka gave a faint groan and her lips locked against Ai's wrist. Ai held the vampiress against her, feeling her heart pounding as Ayeka unconsciously drew her blood, and then she blinked, her eyes focusing on Ai's crying face.
"A– Ai?" she whispered around the blonde's wrist, then she realized what she was doing and drew back, her hand raising and sealing the slash across the blood vessel. "Ai? What are you doing! Why did you cut your wrist?"
Ai clutched her. "I thought I had lost you! You brave, infuriating, wonderful, idiotic, girl!" She sobbed as she held Ayeka to her chest. "You lost too much blood!"
"So you tried to kill yourself?"
Ai shook her head. "I wasn't thinking. I just wanted you back."
Ayeka smiled weakly. "You gave me too much, Ai. You shouldn't have hurt yourself for me."
"After you nearly died saving me?"
"I love you Ai, I couldn't let her hurt you."
"I love you too, Ayeka." She looked up at Kyoko, Kaede, and Megumi. "I love all of you. I'm sorry. I– I'm too selfish, I know. I love all of you, and I don't want to lose any of you." She lowered her eyes and sobbed. "I'm not worthy of any of you, but I love you. I– I don't think I could choose…"
Megumi knelt and placed her hand on Ai's cut wrist, a band of ice forming around it and sealing it like a bandage. "We don't want you to choose, Ai. Any more than we want to have to make a choice either."
Kaede nodded. "We all need you, Ai. You're our heart, our soul, our captain. You're the only one who makes it all work. We need you because you keep us unified. That's why we would give our lives to save you, regardless of the danger."
"But we're not human, Ai," Kyoko said softly. "And we've been afraid." She put her hand on top of Megumi's. "We were afraid you would be afraid of us, and hate us for being what we are."
Ai shook her head. "Never," she said softly, her eyes blurring with tears.
Kaede placed her hand on top of the others. "We know that now, Ai. You turned Kyoko into a five tailed fox and gave Ayeka so much blood you're about to pass out. And even after all of that, you're worried that we are going to hate you for not being able to only love one of us." She sniffed and tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes.
"We've been fools, mistress," Ayeka whispered. "Please forgive us."
"I do…" was all Ai could whisper before exhaustion and the shock of blood loss set in and her eyes closed as she fell unconscious.
0 0 0 0 0
Ying-Ying knelt beside the sobbing sorceress and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right Clove. I'm here."
"I– I nearly did it again." The white haired girl sobbed. "The rage and anger and hatred just took over!"
"But you didn't Clove. The moment you saw I was safe you stopped. You controlled the rage."
"But– but I was going to kill them all. I did kill the vampire."
"You reacted out of fear for my safety, Clove. You fought for me, and not for yourself. There is nothing wrong with that. You could not know I was simply being held in the jar, and not harmed. It was just a simple spirit trap. It would have been able to hold me another few minutes at most before its power would have been exhausted. Its meant for simple spirits like poltergeist. I am fine, and Ayeka will recover."
"She's– she's not dead?"
"No, Clove. She just needs some blood." Ying-Ying looked over her shoulder. "And it looks like Ai is seeing to that."
"I– I just was so angry that they had hurt you. I– I shoved Konatsu aside completely. She's a little scared of me now. She had simply thought I was her subconscious until now."
"Can she hear us?"
Clove nodded.
"Can you let her come forward?"
Clove nodded shakily and closed her eyes, the color shifting back to brown as they opened again.
"Ko-chan?" Ying-Ying asked softly.
"Ying-chan? What happened to me? Who is this in my head?"
"Please don't be afraid of her, Ko-chan. Her name is Clove, and she's Zhu Shu's sister. She's the one who made it possible for you to be a female, and she brought you to me. She's the one responsible for leading you right to Akane and I that day."
"She– She's Zhu Shu's sister?"
"Yes beloved. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but she needs a place to hide, because a very evil monster is trying to kill her, and the only safe place she can hide is in you."
Konatsu blinked as she absorbed that. Then she looked at Ying-Ying again. "And she needs me to keep her safe?"
Ying-Ying nodded.
Konatsu blinked again and then waved at herself. "Hello, Zhu Shu's sister. I am Konatsu and I will do my best to keep you safe on my honor as a member of the Sexy Kunoichi Clan."
Ying-Ying started. "You– you're not mad?"
Konatsu shook her head. "How could I be mad at someone who needs my help? And who is the sister of my beloved?" She smiled. "I am a kunoichi. It is my destiny to defend those I care about." She reached out and took Ying-Ying's hand. "And she defended you when I was helpless. She did what I could not. For that alone I owe her more than I could ever repay."
"But –"
Konatsu's finger on her lips stopped her. "Knowing now that she has been with me since I became a woman, I can remember all the times she has helped me as well. The soft whispers of support, the kind advice. She has earned her stay. Without her aid, I could not now say to you without shame that I love you, Ying-Ying. I love you with all my heart and all my soul, for now and forever. The fear we shared that we had lost you made that clearer to me than a thousand pictures. I can only pray that when Zhu Shu and Ukyo return that I will be able to love them as much as I do you."
Ying-Ying's breath caught. "Oh, Ko-chan!"
Konatsu giggled. "She says to tell you that you are very pretty when you are stunned, and that she's glad to see you finally figured out how to materialize."
Ying-Ying blinked. "What?" She looked down to where she had her arms wrapped around and supporting Konatsu.
Very solid, non translucent arms.
Konatsu closed her eyes momentarily, their color shifting back to green. "She wanted me to explain it," Clove said as Ying-Ying looked back in startlement. "You had to assume your true form as a guardian spirit to be able to block my attack. You had to consciously decide to fully accept your role. I'm not an expert on ghosts by any means Ying-Ying, but I know a true guardian must freely choose that role, or they will never be more than insubstantial wisps. That was one of many lessons my Master taught me so long ago. I have been wondering how such a powerful spirit had not figured out the most basic of youkai spirit magics, and now that I see you fully in your present form, I think that is the only reason it could have been. It's the only explanation I can think of for why Legend wouldn't have taught it to you. It had to be your choice."
Ying-Ying blinked in shock as Konatsu's eyes returned to brown and the ninja girl pulled her head down for a kiss. Ying-Ying closed her eyes as she savored the sensations then pulled her head back. "Ko-chan?
"Yes, my flower. It's me. I let her tag along, but I wanted to kiss you. She's still upset at losing her temper like that, but I told her it was okay. She's feeling a lot better knowing that the dark haired girl is okay." Konatsu smiled. "She's a lot like me in some ways, but she's way smarter than I am. It's funny, now that I know she's here, I feel so much better about a lot of things. I have a friend in my own head!"
She looked over Ying-Ying's shoulder at the group around Ai, who was still unconscious, but it was obvious that she was breathing. "She says they must love her a great deal to risk so much for her. She has never known youkai to so care for humans."
Ying-Ying nodded. "Much has changed since the time Clove last walked the earth."
"She says that is good to hear. It gives her hope for herself." Konatsu sighed. "She is as lonely as I once was, before I met you, Ying-chan."
Ying-Ying nodded. "I have great hopes she will not always be." She looked over at the barrier. "However, we still have a bit of a problem. One, that barrier is not opaque so the entire school just saw that fight, which means they all know about what the cheerleaders are, and two, you just turned into a dragon in front of the school, as well as using quite a few high level spells. Clove was supposed to be hiding."
Konatsu's eyes grew distant for a second, then refocused. "Um, she says she's sorry, and she might be able to cast a mass charm so at least the humans won't remember clearly what happened, but she's not sure how effective it would be, she's pretty exhausted right now."
Ying-Ying sighed. "I don't recommend it. Humans are a lot more sophisticated these days. A simple mass charm would leave too many blanks and they would question it. Besides, Lo Shen should be here by now, and she might have a better idea. Can she summon enough strength to create a dress for you both?"
Konatsu's eyes shimmered a weird mix of green and brown as the naked girl was suddenly clothed in a simple tunic of plain white. "Um, she says that was a lot harder than she thought it would be. Mass charm is definitely out."
"Good enough. Let me go check on Ai, and then I'll dispel the barrier, and it's going to be time to face the music."
Konatsu shrugged. "You'll figure something out, Ying-chan. I have faith in you."
Ying-Ying sighed. "I love you too, Konatsu. I hope I can justify that faith of yours."
0 0 0 0 0
Ayeka looked up warily as Ying-Ying and Konatsu approached, but nodded when Ying-Ying held up her hands. "I'm a healer, Ayeka. I just want to make sure she's alright."
"She's lost more blood than she should have, but her heart's beating strongly." The vampire glared at Konatsu. "Is she under control?"
Konatsu nodded. "We lost our temper, and we both apologize."
"We?"
Konatsu nodded. "I share my body with Zhu Shu's sister. She's a magic user I am honor bound to protect until she can return to her own body." Konatsu bowed. "On her behalf, I apologize as well. She only emerged because she was afraid for Ying-Ying's life."
"It was just a spirit trap. The mage I got it from said it was completely harmless, just contained spirits inside."
"We are aware of that now. Ying-Ying explained it to us." Konatsu looked over her shoulder at the burned and shattered athletics field. "I suppose in all fairness, I must concede. You had beaten me, though perhaps in my anger I did not fight my best. Clove's intervention was not part of the challenge." She gave a grimace. "Nor was revealing your youkai status. Ying-Ying says you might get in a lot of trouble because of that."
Kyoko nodded. "We're probably going to get shipped to the school for delinquent youkai. Miss Tsuchigumo is very strict about things like that. But we'll be able to come visit Ai."
"You're not going anywhere, dammit." Ai said weakly
"Ai!" Ayeka cried excitedly. "You're awake!"
Ying-Ying nodded. "I'm not great at physical healing spells, but I can help." She looked down at the blonde's head on her lap. "You should be able to stand now, but you might be a little dizzy, and you're going to need to eat and drink a lot of water very soon. I forced your body to produce enough blood to make up for some of what you lost, but you need to replace your body's stores quickly."
Ai blinked. "Are we done fighting?"
Ayeka nodded. "Konatsu said she was willing to concede."
"Why? She tromped us hard."
"Actually, she says that was Zhu Shu's sister, Clove, who seems to be a mage of great power. She's sharing a body with Konatsu."
Ai blinked. "We lost to Zhu Shu's sister?"
Ying-Ying nodded. "Her elder sister actually."
"Jesus H fucking Christ on a stick! Zhu Shu's going to grow up to be like that?"
"More or less."
"Ai?" Kyoko said, gently taking the blonde's hand. "I nearly lost you today. We nearly lost you today. Maybe," she looked around at the others who nodded. "Well. We want to apologize for pushing you. Our pride wasn't worth this. We're going to get kicked out of Furinkan anyway–"
"Like hell you are!"
"We– we… maybe we should just let this one go."
"No." Konatsu said softly. "I lost to you. I will assume the role of mascot as promised. It's the only honorable path I can take."
"And we will all do what we can to make sure none of you get kicked from Furinkan," Ying-Ying added. "Lo Shen has far more power than she usually reveals, both with the Japanese government and the Youkai High Council. She's the Amazon's Loremaster for a reason. I'm sure she'll help if we ask."
Ai blinked. "Who the hell are you guys? There's no way you are just students."
Ying-Ying smiled. "But we are, Ai. Zhu Shu is the one we're all here for. And she is the last true Empress of China. The heir of the Song Dynasty."
"I've been threatening to collar an EMPRESS?" Ai sat up and buried her face in her hands. "Oh gods. And she knows the Senshi too. I am doomed."
"Relax, Ai. Zhu Shu likes you. Trust me. I've been watching over her for the last four years." Ying-Ying smiled. "And I know she'd much rather have you as her friend."
"After all I've done?"
"You gave her wings, Ai. For that alone she considers you her friend, even if you are friendly rivals."
Ai looked up, then over at Konatsu, her eyes thoughtful. Then she nodded to herself and stood. The tatters of her shirt and bra stayed stuck to the grass, and her skirt and panties had been lost somewhere during the battle, as had her shoes. She looked around at the eyes of her squad, all of them concerned, Kaede with singed hair and smudges all over her nearly naked body, Megumi, paler than usual, her hair partially coated with ice, partially with mud, her uniform singed and charred in places, Kyoko, unblemished and naked but looking so tired, and finally Ayeka, her outfit pierced repeatedly and covered in blood. They were a mess, having given their all to defend her.
She was their leader. Wherever she led, they would follow, forever. They had given her their hearts in exchange for hers. For good, for bad, in light and in darkness, which ever path she took, they would walk beside her and become whatever she wanted them to be.
And they humbled her. She had plotted and connived, worried and cried… and what she had longed for for so long had been there all along. They deserved better than what she had given them so far. Something more real than shallow popularity contests and web ratings.
She smiled at them and turned back to Konatsu and stuck out her hand.
"I will accept you as our mascot, for as long as you want, Konatsu. And only as our mascot. You have given me the greatest gift I could have ever received. I thought challenging you was the way to get what I desired, when they were by my side all this time. If you and Zhu Shu's sister will accept, I would like to call a truce, and just be your friend."
Konatsu's eyes teared up. "Yes! I've never really had friends before. I would love to be yours!" She shook Ai's hand enthusiastically. "Now I have Akane and her wonderful family and friends, and now I have you all too! I am so happy!" She beamed brightly. "My sisters would never let me have friends before!"
"Well, welcome to the team, mascot. We'll get you a cute outfit, and your job is going to be to hold up signs for us when we're cheering, okay?"
Konatsu clapped her hands. "Wai!"
"Kami, she's like a little kid," Kaede muttered.
Ying-Ying chuckled. "Being liked is a very new experience for her."
Ayeka laid her hand on Ying-Ying's shoulder and the ghost girl turned to see her holding out her hand. "Thank you for helping Ai. I'm sorry for the trap."
Ying-Ying shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. I only wish I could have gotten out a little sooner to keep Clove from beating up on you. She's a master class Dragon Archmage. She was kind of cheating. I know Vampires are technically S class, but she's in upper U class."
Ayeka swallowed hard. "She's an Unlimited? Kami, no wonder we didn't stand a chance. I didn't think any U's still existed."
"There's a few of us still kicking around, Ayeka dear." Lo Shen's voice cut in. They turned to see the pink haired bunny-girl standing behind them. "I came expecting to have to possibly fight Clove myself. She's never been good at keeping her temper."
"She was simply worried for my sake, Lo Shen."
"So I gathered from Shan Pu. She was quite put out that you locked everyone out of the field. At least until the magical fireworks started. She's a great warrior, but wise enough to realize she's not immune to magic, unlike some stubborn idiots. I am going to have to teach that boy a little caution some time." She shook her head. "Now, I do believe the School Head is waiting to have a word with you all."
The entire group grimaced. Ying-Ying looked around then back at Lo Shen. "Is there anything you can do to help? They don't deserve to be kicked out of school just because Clove revealed their true identities. She didn't know it was supposed to be a secret."
"I don't plan to let them out of my sight, Ying-Ying. They are too potentially usable against Zhu Shu if Xi'an Chi got a hold of them. They're not going anywhere, except maybe a few weeks detention." The elder looked around at the various girls. "And the students seemed to be less than upset at their cheerleaders being cute monster girls. It seems their weirdness saturation level was exceeded quite some time ago. They took this entirely in stride. I heard quite a few of them wondering who was going to show up with ears and tails next. The hentai seemed quite pleased, in fact."
The girls let out a collective sigh of relief.
"However, I do believe Miss Tsuchigumo was rather angry. She was having a hard time controlling her urge to bite something. Spiders do tend to solve problems by eating them."
"Oh, do stop teasing them, Lo Shen." Clove said weakly. "I traumatized the poor girls enough."
Lo Shen gave her an arched eyebrow. "I do wish you had managed to hold onto your temper, Clove. Explaining you to Ke Lun is going to be a bother."
"Yes, yes. I know. It's the least of my worries right now. Can we just get this over with? Konatsu is terrified she's going to lose her new friends."
"Well, reassure the dear girl. You can help her with her school work in detention, since I am assuming she knows you're there now."
Konatsu's eyes shifted again. "I am. I don't mind keeping her safe."
"Very well. Ying-Ying? Would you please drop your barrier finally?"
"Yes, Loremistress."
The subdued group of girls were stunned by the wave of cheers that rolled in as the barrier vanished, and the wolf whistles. Ai looked down and muttered. "Damn it, we're mostly naked and a mess. What a waste."
Ying-Ying laughed as they headed across the destroyed field towards the obviously irate school administrator and her assistant. "At least you know your ratings are going to go up again."
Then the gymnasium exploded in a wave of black fire.