All rights for Inuyasha are reserved to Rumiko Takahashi
Miroku posed his question not really caring who answered. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Shippo was kind enough to answer. "I see it, but I don't think I want to."
The group readied their weapons as a rather large number of armored monsters ran straight toward them.
Kikyo jumped from Inuyasha's back and readied her bow. She let loose a shining blue arrow with a holy aura trailing in its wake. The shot itself blew a large gap right through the middle of the enemy's formation all the while splintering dead trees in its path.
Each member of the group turned towards Kikyo who was already running towards the new gap in the forest. "We have to keep moving! These things could be attacking villages!"
Sango, Miroku, and Shippo stayed silent for a second and each addressed Inuyasha with a curious look. Inuyasha simply regarded the obviously surprised monsters with a casual glance. "Well…you heard the lady."
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Kohaku was fourteen years old. He had been training to be a demon slayer since he was seven and had been actively killing demons since he was ten. Traveling with Sesshomaru for the past two years had given him the experience needed to quite skillfully dispatch most low level demons without breaking a sweat. But Kohaku was not trained to fight like this. He was a hunter not a warrior.
The shattered weapons that lied somewhere off in the forest behind him was testament to this fact.
He had sent Rin and Jaken off on Ah Un just shortly after he had used his last explosive. After hours of fighting he was no longer capable of protecting them.
Kohaku ducked behind the nearest tree. Out of pure habbit he checked his inventory. He instantly realized the futility of this action. He had a breath mask, which was absolutely useless right now, a water canteen, given to him by Sesshomaru, and a katana.
Opening the canteen he took a few sips of water silently thanking Sesshomaru for the umpteenth time that day. The older demon had absolutely insisted that once every season Kohaku venture out by himself to practice fighting with demons. Only now could Kohaku see the wisdom behind this. The practice of survival insured an aptitude for it.
Hearing heavy footsteps nearing he reattached his canteen to its belt hook and drew the katana from its sheath. 'Break's over.'
Kohaku jumped out from behind the tree surprising three of the monsters who were apparently a scouting party. They were in one of several formations that Kohaku had seen today, one in front and one on each of the leader's flanks. Their lack of numbers was definitely attributed to the terrain.
The trees were far enough apart so that a small group of people could walk with a little bit of space in between them although it did make fighting a bit cramped.
Kohaku wasted no time. He brought his sword straight across in a deliberate and deadly line severing the leader's head from his neck, before the body had even fallen Kohaku bolted towards the monster on the left flank.
Having only a second to react the monster brought it's sword down on Kohaku but was met only by dirt. Kohaku ducked and rolled to his left again putting just a little more distance between him and the now advancing third monster from the right flank who was no longer surprised.
The second monster hesitated having found his prey still in the realm of the living and made a fatal mistake. Instead of hopping back and moving to defend himself he took a moment to find Kohaku visually.
Kohaku saw the head of the monster turn and took his chance. Grasping his sword with both hands he drew the hilt back to his side and then pushed out. His form was nowhere near perfect but that did not stop his katana from piercing the monster's head. The tip of the blade had gone through the monster's mouth, gouging several sharp teeth from its gums as the sword made its way through the back of its head, severing the connection between the monster's spine and its brain.
The third monster wasted no time charging Kohaku and bringing his sword down much like the second had.
Kohaku had barely a second to think. The only things that passed through his head were the repetitious movements he had committed to memory throughout the day. The monster's armor was weaker than normal armor but was still strong enough to slow a blade down, although its great downfall was that it restricted the wearer's movements. If it hadn't Kohaku would have had a much more difficult time surviving up till now.
Gathering all his accumulated knowledge, he noticed the angle of the incoming blade. It was a horizontal slash that was meant to strike him in the shoulder but never would. During the second it took for the monster to move into position Kohaku had already changed the placement of his feet. Kohaku pushed off to the left once more and twisted with his sword taking the second monster's corpse with him.
The monster's strike landed in the torso of his ally's corpse.
For the briefest of moments the monster's eyes met Kohaku's and an unspoken and temporary treaty was struck. Both rose and placed a foot on the second monster's corpse and kicked off with enough force to release their swords form their bloody sheath.
After each sword was freed in unison both backpedaled away from each other allowing the second monster's corpse to fall harmlessly between them. With each fighter's back to a tree the treaty was off.
Both paused only long enough to regain a fighting stance then charged forward.
Kohaku instantaneously realized the pattern of movement he had been using and feinted to the left. The monster, not realizing the feint, moved to attack.
Waiting till the last possible second Kohaku committed to an all out move by purposely stepping to his right sending him stumbling over the second monster's corpse. The third monster noticed Kohaku's absence from his line of sight moved to counter Kohaku's feint but had not anticipated the new direction that Kohaku's attack would be coming from.
Kohaku's body twisted as it fell bringing the teenage demon slayer's sword out to sever the monster's wrist.
The boy's attack missed its target but still made its mark severing four of the monster's fingers that just happened to be holding its sword.
The monster's rusted sword fell from its nonexistent grasp and clattered to the ground causing the monster to fall to its knees and attempt to retrieve its sword with its off hand.
Kohaku rolled over the second monster's corpse and regained his footing. He rose fluidly and turned to find the monster fumbling with its sword.
With one fluid motion Kohaku brought his katana down on the third monster and decapitated him.
The entire encounter had lasted only ten seconds.
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Corran had landed on one of the cliffs near the northern mountains just south of where Sesshomaru now fought. He had been watching the battle for the last few hours when his new ally arrived.
Raphael's wings kicked up a gust around Corran sending the dying plants around him off the cliff. "Are things going according to plan?"
Corran regarded the angel indifferently. "Do you mean here or in Greece?"
Raphael landed and shrugged. "Both."
"Well if Hades has figured it out I wouldn't be alive right now so I assume all is fine in my quiet little hometown but if you're talking about Sesshomaru then things are a bit different."
"If you're talking about him getting weaker then we already know."
Corran's shoulders dropped. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing. It was his sacrifice to make…and he has our gratitude for it."
Corran's eyes narrowed.
"If you're wondering about your placement I've already cleared a position for you."
"I am not concerned about my fate only his!"
Raphael was obviously surprised. "He will be fine. A spot has been cleared for him as well, that is if he should choose to take it."
Corran paused, looking out towards the battle raging just to the north of them. "I don't know if he'll make it to the end. Then again, history shows that he is a notoriously hard man to kill."
"Don't worry he's not the only one we have."
Corran turned angrily towards the angel. "That's the first I've heard of this."
"Did you really think we would let our plans rest in the hands of one man? Catalysts like him are all over the world. Even his brother would do." Raphael watched the subtle body language of his ally. "Is something bothering you."
"No, just your average every day fate of the universe conversation."
"Don't be so vain. We are not so important as to shape the outcome of this conflict alone."
Corran bit back a peal of laughter.
"What's so funny?"
"Just something Sesshomaru asked me a long time ago. To whom do Gods prey?"
Raphael smiled. "He is a very interesting man."
Both the angel and the traitor watched as the battle continued. But deep down Corran was uneasy. He did not like the way the fates were shaping Sesshomaru's future.
The old demon had been correct. Corran owed much more to Sesshomaru than even he would admit. To see Sesshomaru used in this way was unnerving at best. 'What did they do to you?'
No, Corran did not like this at all.
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Author's notes:
Sorry this took me so long to post. My internet has been acting kind of weird lately (damn you Sudden link). But the good news is that spring break starts this Friday for me which means that I'll have some more time to write.
Story wise I was a little nervous about this chapter. It's the first time I've ever had to write a fight scene with swords and I wasn't sure how it would turn out, especially since I have no experience with swords which I can relate to. But for future chapter's I'm already doing some research on sword technique so the fights should get better or at least my description of them.
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Question of the chapter.
What martial art style was created by Bruce Lee?
Hint: No hint this time.