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Chapter Thirteen: The Attack
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Ceotae wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead as she focused her healing magic on the wound beneath her fingers. The gash was long and crooked, running down the arm of the soldier like a crimson snake. The demon winced as her power delved into it, a hissing sound erupting from behind his teeth. With an apologetic smile, Ceotae finished the healing and rocked back on her heels, now staring eye to eye with the daiyokai before her. His large form was resting against a rock, his long, white hair pulled back in a harsh ponytail. His large, wise eyes judged her respectfully, while his clawed hands stroked the white silk of his clothes, and his lips pulled into a reckless smirk.
Shaking her head, the yokai stood silently, her head bowed as she averted his gaze. "Are you feeling better Lord Inu no Tashio?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him stand and rub his now healed arm, his gaze shifting across the bloody battlefield before them. She turned to him as she sensed sorrow taint his aura, and found his eyes heavy with guilt as he looked at his fallen warriors. He gave her a curt nod in answer to her question, but closed his golden orbs; the jagged blue stripe on each cheek pulled slightly downward as he frowned.
Ceotae looked across the once beautiful meadow now laden with distorted bodies and bloody streams. The Inu no Tashio moved to stand next to her, his gaze remaining on his fallen comrades. "These wars are a waste of time!" he spat, his fangs bared menacingly. The two swords on his belt banged together as he leapt forward in anger, the girl's hand on his arm the only thing restraining him.
"You are not strong enough my lord," she whispered firmly, her grip tightening on his sword arm. "You must rest yourself." He stopped his advance and succumbed to her actions, relaxing as weariness swept over his body. He allowed the girl to lead him back to the rock and force him to sit down. He smiled at the elemental, searching vainly in her depthless eyes for reasons unknown to him. She returned his grin with a smirk as she settled down before him, concentrating on removing the blood stains from his sleeve that she had missed. "You're lucky I was traveling near here. You could have bled to death."
He gave a curt laugh at this, but bowed his head towards her. "I'm more thankful that you came and helped with the battle, though it's a shame that it was too late."
Her expressions remained expressionless as she finished with one stain and moved to another. "Yes it is a shame. Ryukotsusei is a powerful adversary my lord, but I fear the demons bordering these lands are what you need to be worried about. The great dragon will reveal himself to you in due time." Ceotae watched the last blemish of crimson vanish and lifted her hand away. "Now is the time to bury these brave men of yours like they deserve…"
The Inu no Tashio looked at the girl silently, watching the emotions flashing in her eyes with interest. "Yes, you're right. My brave men deserve more than a ruined meadow for a burial site." He shook his head, trying to stand but found he couldn't under the elemental's hard stare. "I fear I will need help with this." She raised a questioning eyebrow at that, and he chuckled. "With the burials I mean."
Smirking slightly, Ceotae stared at the daiyokai then offered her services. This caused him to smile with appreciation, but soon he found his strength giving out on him. She placed her hand over his eyes and willed a sleeping spell into him, the magic taking effect almost immediately. His body relaxed, his muscles loosening, and his facial features softening immensely.
She leaned back and, as she stood, heard him mutter, "Sess…hom…aru…for…give…me…" Bewildered, Ceotae took in the name, but forced her thoughts to turn to the battlefield. With a sickening feeling, she used her power to dig graves for the fallen men, and burn the bodies of the enemy warriors.
When the Inu no Tashio woke in the morning at sunrise, all his comrades were in neat rows covered in clean soil and colorful flowers, with granite boulders marking every single one of them. He glanced around the meadow, looking for the yokai girl to thank her, but ended up leaving in bafflement.
The elemental was no where to be found.
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Ceotae shivered as the memory came to her. Unwillingly, she looked at Inuyasha, remembering her words to him only the night before. She couldn't help but experience sorrow for him as she walked along behind Sango and Miroku. But the feeling didn't last as an argument began forming between them, causing the entire group to stop in their tracks. Forcing herself from her thoughts, Ceotae turned her attention on the slayer who was turning beet red as her betrothed foolishly touched her, his wandering hands taking over for the third time that day.
"Lecherous monk!"
SLAP!
"Ow!"
"You're depraved!"
"I couldn't help myself…"
"Do every girl in the world a favor by keeping your hands to yourself!"
"That hurts my dear Sango."
"I have no doubt you'll get over it…"
Everyone held back laughter as poor Miroku was forced to walk in front of the furious Sango, a red hand print clearly visible on his cheek. Ceotae shook her head in pity for the slayer and continued after them, trying to maintain a feasible distance between her and her raging friend. The elemental found herself going slightly crazy at the impounding silence that now surrounded the travelers, and was relieved when she felt a small tug on her left sleeve. Rin looked up at her with pleading eyes and asked for a ride. Smiling, the yokai picked the girl up, and, to Jaken's displeasure, began to run with the child on her back, passing everyone in the group before transforming in a flash of navy light.
Kagome couldn't help but stare at Ceotae in her true form as the yokai ran up and down the trail with Rin on her back. The child's hands were in the air and she was laughing in delight; the mare's smooth strides kept her from being jostled too much. Jaken was trying to follow them unsuccessfully, his face meeting the dirt with every other step he took, gaining hearty laughs from everyone in the group. Even a few chuckles managed to escape from Inuyasha who was extra explosive as they closed in on Naraku's location.
The change in the elemental's form was astonishing; the once dainty features were now more muscular and thick, true depictions of a war horse. She was larger, surely, with a long horn spiraling wickedly towards the heavens like a hellish spear, accompanied by a horizontal, crimson stripe that fell across her nose. Her mane now fell to her knees, and her black tail dragged on the ground a few inches when the mare walked. But what really got Kagome were the two-inch long fangs that protruded from the elemental's lips, glinting tauntingly in the sunlight. The only thing about the yokai unicorn that was familiar was her eyes, and, by judging her appearance, the miko found it astonishing that they managed to maintain their gentleness.
The display lasted until dusk, in which Ceotae finally slowed to a walk and made her way over to Ah-Un to transform back to her human form. She changed slowly in order to catch the tired Rin in her arms, and placed the girl onto the dragon's saddle. The child immediately curled up in a ball and fell asleep, oblivious to the fact that the demon she was astride on was still walking. Moments later, the group was stopped by Inuyasha and the wary travelers settled down for the night. Ceotae beckoned to Kagome to follow her and they spent the remainder of the sunlight finding a hiding place for Sesshomaru's party to hide in the impending battle.
After searching through thick brush and thickets, they soon discovered a large den at the lee of a large oak, and decided it was efficient. The two then returned to the camp, and settled down for sleep, everyone keeping their senses alert for their rival whose aura was all around them like a sickening cloud.
Kagome watched the others sleep for awhile, her eyes trained on Inuyasha who had taken the chance to relax against a large boulder and snooze. She loved how peaceful he looked; a breeze rustled the leaves of the trees around them, making his silver locks drift up and down slowly around his youthful face. His ears twitched slightly at the noise, and for a moment she thought he was going to awaken, but watched with relief as the white triangles stopped moving.
The miko smiled and turned away, her gaze falling upon Ceotae. The yokai was lying against Ah-Un, her closed eyes ready to open and immediately focus on Rin in the case of trouble. Kagome sighed and shut her own tired orbs, knowing that Inuyasha's golden ones were trained to open upon her as well.
The night went by without disturbance, and when Kagome woke at sunrise, it was to see the elemental yokai walking towards the den with Rin at her heels.
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Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks, bewilderment and disbelief flooding him to the core. The rising sun's rays were at the daiyokai's back, warming him, but the heat soon froze over with the iciness of his hatred towards his prey. Naraku's aura was close by, his foul stench invading the atmosphere like a toxic poison, and was somehow growing in strength.
But it wasn't the hanyou's tang that engaged Sesshomaru's senses.
Not daring to hope, he found his legs moving again, his pace quickening beyond measure. His heart leapt into his throat, choking him. He ran blindly, not realizing his actions, solely intent on reaching the scent.
The scent that sent fire to his limbs, a flame so potent and familiar, it hurt him.
It can't be you, he thought to a memory that was both painful and healing. You're dead.
But not even his pride could deny her aroma, the fragrance that could bring him to his knees.
The fragrance of cherry blossoms, the perfume of the one he had loved and lost.
Ceotae?!
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"Hide here until the battle is over," Ceotae told Rin gently; eerily aware that Naraku's odor was all around them. "I fear that he will try to hurt you like he has before." She watched the girl's tired grin disappear but nod solemnly. The elemental reached out and pulled the child close into a large hug, breathing in the girl's wild flower scent, hoping it would not be for the last time. "I will tell Jaken to bring Ah-Un and you all will wait in this den until I come for you. Understand?" She pulled away to look into Rin's eyes. The girl nodded and gave a small smile.
"Be careful Lady Ceotae."
The yokai smiled and stood from her crouching position, her ears constantly moving for danger. She stretched and looked around; her heart thumped wildly as everything around them abruptly went quiet. Her eyes shifting back and forth, Ceotae fought a sickening feeling as a toxic stench filled her nostrils. She stepped forward towards the camp to warn the others when everything suddenly disappeared in the blinding white of Rin's scream.
Pain erupted from Ceotae's right shoulder as a green tentacle penetrated her skin from behind. Biting back a cry of her own, the elemental watched in agony as the limb went all the way through her shoulder, appearing near her face like a bleeding katana. She was barely able to hiss at the girl to run before an evil laugh sounded behind her. Cold tremors raced up and down her spine as she felt a deathly breath on the back of her neck, making her face contort in disgust.
"Such power you hold elemental… power that is tainted by human influence."
Ceotae grimaced as a wave of white hot pain slammed into her collarbone, the green tentacle pushing out of her shoulder more. Darkness began to creep into her eyes, causing her vision to blur. "Get your vile hands off me, Naraku!"
The evil hanyou laughed again, his face coming to rest upon her uninjured shoulder, his cheek pressing against hers. "No matter. You're powers shall be mine!"
"Leave her alone!"
Ceotae glanced ahead of her to see her friends bounding towards her, Inuyasha the closest with Tessaiga drawn and poised for the kill. She could feel Naraku lean forward towards him greedily, his red eyes full of hatred. Not wanting to see them killed, the elemental used the last of her strength to throw a barrier between her comrades and their enemy, her eyes full of pain giving them the only explanation for her actions as they stared at her in shock.
"You think that will help you! Fool!"
The pain heightened as Naraku turned her to face him, his ugly body wrapping around her as his eyes glowed in pure loathing and hunger towards her. She found her body going paralyzed, the chilling blackness of unconsciousness blinding her. His laugh echoed in her ears as she fell forward, the green limb sliding from her body. He caught her in his arms and wrapped his spider-like tentacles fully around them both, the shadow of his form covering her completely.
The shouts from her friends were the last thing Ceotae heard before she fell into oblivion.
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