The screen flickers for a bit before the author appears, typing away at a computer.
*Hey guys Hakuorofan7 and welcome to another chapter of Hanyo of Snow.*
*Anyway I know I promised this chapter yesterday on the 29th, today I am going to more then make it up for it by making it a double update tonight. First off with this and followed by another chapter of Twilit Mages.*
*So with that out of the way, let's get this started shall we.*
*First off I do not own Inuyasha, it is owned by the amazing Rumiko Takahashi.*
*Finally just sit back, relax, maybe put some music on, and enjoy. I will see you all at the end of the chapter."
The author snaps his fingers, beginning the chapter.
Vs Sesshōmaru
(Kagome POV)
Well this is just great.
I'm paralyzed on the side of some lake, Touma and Yura are possibly facing off against Sesshōmaru alone, and Inuko is being fooled by a faceless version of her mother.
I may not be as well versed as Y/N or Gramps in the realm of yokai, but I know a Noppera-bō when I see one.
I tried to warn Inuko, but whatever is paralyzing me has also robbed me of my voice.
Inuko, please notice who that woman really is before it is too late. If I'm going to die, because you can't then I'm blaming you!
I hope that I can get out of this paralysis soon or otherwise I have the feeling that no one will live to see the next day.
(Touma POV)
I created a barrier of ice just in time to shield myself and Yura from Sesshōmaru's attack. She easily sliced through it with her whip and lunged after me. She tried to strike me with her whip.
Only for Yura to pull me out of the way with her hairs.
Sesshōmaru rushed after me, but found herself wrapped up in Yura's hairs.
"How do you like that you bitch!" Yura shouted as she tightened her grip on the hairs.
"Disappointed actually." Sesshōmaru said emotionlessly as she broke out of the hairs through her strength alone. "Did you think that a lowly yokai such as yourself could contain me."
"Maybe a bit longer then I thought." Yura admitted before pulling on some of her hairs, sending a number of large tree branches wrapped in her hair flying into the daiyokai.
Sesshōmaru gracefully dodged each and every branch before barley dodging my attempt to cut her down with Shūsui. I tried to make a few more hits with the sword, but she kept dancing through the swings.
So I decided to go with the older approach of summoning an ice spike where she was.
She jumped out of the way and when she was mid air I launched a few ice shards at her. Sesshōmaru dodged them as settled back into the ground.
Only to dodge again as Yura redirected the shard back with her hair. They buried themselves into the ground where Sesshōmaru once was and she turned to me with a small smirk.
"An impressive tactic for one such as yourself after such shoddy swordplay." She commented.
"Thanks I think. But I've only been using a sword for this past week." I said, making a note to look up some swordplay if I survived the night.
"Fair enough." Sesshōmaru said before she brought out her yoki whip once again.
I barely dodged a strike from the whip as it came down and cracked the earth in two where I once was. Sesshōmaru tried to strike me again, but Yura used her hairs to restrain her whipping arm.
Using that opportunity I rushed at her and slashed at her with my blade, scratching her cheek.
Sesshōmaru broke her arm free and I barely dodged her whip. With her freed hand she wiped the blood away from her cheek and the cut immediately closed up.
"Not bad hanyo, but you could do better then that." She said before she tried to whip me again.
Yura pulled me back just in time, but Sesshōmaru cut the hairs with her whip and tried to cut me with her free hand. I barley dodged it, but one of her claws cut against the Shikon Jewel shard on my chest and cracked it.
I could only scream out in pain as I felt the shard seal itself back up.
I felt something trying to rush through the crack, but something held it down as the shard sealed the crack. Once it was done, I collapsed down onto the ground physically exhausted.
I really need to find out what the deal with what these presences inside this accursed shard was. If what I just felt was but a mere taste of what was truly inside, then I dread what would happen when the true power of theses presences are unleashed.
"Master are you alright?" Yura asked while looking over me.
"I'm fine." I groaned out.
"Good, because now I can kill you." Sesshōmaru said as she rushed at us and Yura barely had any time to get us away from the daiyokai. "Here I thought that you were worth the interest, but you have a shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded within you. It is such a disgrace for anyone who uses such an item to enhance their power."
"Not by choice mind you." I said. "I was there when the jewel was shattered and ended up with this thing piercing my chest. If I can remove I would, but as I learned that removing it will kill me. Inuko tried to remove and I have the scars to prove it."
Sesshōmaru studied me for a minute, before sighing.
"It seems like you might be truthful then hanyo." She said before flexing her claws and some sort of miasma forming from between them. "So I will give you one last chance to prove yourself."
Yura seemed worried and I can understand why. If the miasma was of any indication then like many a powerful yokai she was capable of using some form of deadly poison. This will not end well.
"Do not disappoint me again hanyo." She said as she sprayed the poison towards us. Yura barley managed to pull us away from the poison as the plant life where we previously were decayed away.
Sesshōmaru was going all out now.
She was moving at speeds so fast that I could barley keep up with her and Yura had to keep pulling me along just to dodge her claws, poison, or whip. We kept this up for a minute before Yura started to look tired after so many close encounters.
We need a plan fast.
Sesshōmaru sent another stream of poison at us, but Yura pulled myself out of the way.
The daiyokai opened her claws once again and I saw an opening.
Jumping onto the ground I created a series of ice spikes underneath Sesshōmaru's feet. Not sharp enough to pierce the skin, but enough to through her off balance.
Her poison missed me and Yura took the chance to attack her. However Sesshōmaru saw this and one strike of her whip sent Yura crashing next to me.
"You alright Yura?" I asked.
"I'm fine Master." She said before tackling into me as saving me from being hit by Sesshōmaru's whip.
The daiyokai charged at us once again, and Yura barely pulled myself out of the way. She tried to cut us open with her claws, but we kept dodging them. However with each swing Sesshōmaru grew a little closer to landing her mark.
A minute or two later she grew tired of clawing at us and unleashed her yoki whip point blank at me.
I could only scream out in pain as I was sent flying through the air before Yura lowered me onto the ground gently with her hairs.
Once there I noticed the lacerations along my right shoulder and the blood soaked rags that were once the right sleeve of my gi.
That was going to take a while to heal.
I tried to get back up, but I found my right arm bound in a hair cocoon and my ankles bound to the ground and I felt the lacerations being stitched up by the hair.
"Stay down Master, your arm needs to heal a bit so rest up a bit." Yura said as she was moving both of the hands at rapid speed. Before long hair seeped into through the trees in the form of tendrils.
Seems like Yura was pulling up all the stops this time. And if her look was of any indication then she wished to do this alone for now.
Normally I would protest and help her out anyway, but my right arm hurts like all Yomi. So I would sit out for now.
But that doesn't mean that I can't help out for now.
"Very well Yura, but I won't just sit here. I'll provide some covering fire." I said while bringing up my left hand, with mist covering it.
"As you say master." Yura said before facing Sesshōmaru. "You are going to pay for harming my master you flat chested bitch!"
The daiyokai in question only twitched her eye at that remark before lunging at Yura.
Who replied in kind by sending all of the tendrils after her.
Sesshōmaru gracefully dodged every single one of them and began to cut up the hair with her claws and whip until I began to pelt her with ice shards. They weren't very sharp as I was conserving my yoki, but they blunt were enough to annoy her and shatter on impact. After a few hits Sesshōmaru began to cut apart the shards with her whip until she was struck by a tendril. So for the next few minutes she dodged and cut through the tendrils and shards with the occasional one managed to hit her. This continued on until I felt the hair in my arm start to lax.
Yura had finished healing my arm.
I tried to get up, only for Yura to tie me up into the nearest tree and gagged me with her hair.
"I'm sorry Master, but this is the only way." Yura said, confusing me.
What did she have planned?
Suddenly all off the tendrils bound around Sesshōmaru, before she could react Yura stabbed Benigasumi into her chest. The daiyokai could barley hold in the need to howl out in pain as Yura twisted her blade causing blood to start leaking out from the cocoon.
It didn't last long as Sesshōmaru soon broke free and sent Benigasumi and Yura flying. The blade impaired itself next to me and Sesshōmaru grabbed Yura by the throat.
"I am impressed yokai, few have every injured me as such and even fewer has displayed such loyalty to their master. So with that, do any last words Yura of the Hair?" The daiyokai said as miasma began to leak from her free hand.
"Rot in Yomi you flat bitch!" Yura gasped out defiantly.
"Not the best choice of words, but I shall oblige. Farewell Yura." Sesshōmaru said before unleashing her poison.
I could only watch in horror as Yura was disintegrated right before my eyes as she glared at Sesshōmaru until she disappeared completely.
"Defiance until the end, a rarity among such weak yokai. I will be sure to remember her." Sesshōmaru said coldly.
I knew that Yura wasn't gone, she pulled the same trick against Inuko.
But that doesn't mean I was going to make Sesshōmaru suffer for it!
When the hair binding me went limp I broke through it and rushed towards the daiyokai, my hands turning into icy claws. I slashed at her, only to be sent crashing into the ground. Sesshōmaru then used her whip to slice the ice around my hands into pieces.
"A valiant effort hanyo I will give you that. You and you vassal have given me the best fight I've had in nearly 50 years. So for that I must congratulate you." She said, with the wound Yura inflicted on her slowly healing, slower then any other times I saw it.
Of course, Benigasumi was a yokai sword. While I was capable of cutting her with Shūsui it was still a mortal blade so she was capable of healing instantly from that. However the injury that Yura made was healing slower due to it being caused by a yokai blade.
She provided me with a chance to end this.
I just needed to take this chance before it was too late.
"I shall reunite you with your vassal now hanyo. Any last words?" She asked, with miasma forming between her claws.
I would have said something, but the sound of someone screaming interrupted us.
We turned to see the screaming form of a flaming Jaken falling towards us.
(Kagome POV- A little earlier)
Okay things have gotten worse.
Inuko is still under some sort of illusion with his fake mom slowly absorbing her into its body, I can hear the sounds of fighting in the distance and that is where I assume Touma and Yura are fighting that overgrown bitch at, and now I find the illusion to have worn off on myself. Only to still be paralyzed on the shore of a swamp and now in the process of being wrapped up in chains by four imps.
I swear to Amaterasu when I get out of here that imp Jaken is going to pay. If what everyone says about Sesshōmaru said is true then this was all his idea.
"Kagome."
Wait, I know that voice.
"It is me, Myōga the Flea!" He said while jumping on my neck.
Not the rescue I was hoping for, but hopefully he should do.
"Poor thing you are wrapped up in chains." He sighed out.
I was going to squash him for that remark when I get out of this paralysis.
"Don't worry I will undo this spell in a few moments." Myōga said.
Okay then maybe not.
I heard him humming in thought for a moment before he gulped.
"Looks delicious." He said before jumping onto my face and started to drink my blood.
Never mind I am going to hit him.
After a moment I started to regain movement in my whole body.
Nope, still going to squash him.
I did exactly that and I stood up, shaking the chains right off me. This actions prompted the imps to flee. I still managed to kick the closest one into the swamp as payback though.
"Thank you." I said dryly to the elder yokai as he crumpled onto my shoulder.
I heard the sound of something in the water and I looked to see Jaken approaching Inuko and the Noppera-bō by boat as it was consuming her. Once the imp got to shore the imp bopped the Noppera-bō with the Nintōjō.
"Slow down Mu-on'na, we need Inuko alive for now!" He said.
"My apologies Lord Jaken." Mu-on'na said and Inuko's absorbtion into her seemed to have ground to a halt.
"You can suck the life out of her later, we need the location of Lord Tōga's tomb first." He said getting the Mu-on'na to nod.
With that going on I decided to sneak behind him and take the Nintōjō before he could use it against me. I did not want to be burnt to a crisp after all.
"Please remember Inuko where the location of your father's tomb is?" The fake mother said so lovingly that it made me sick for the purpose behind the tone. Such a thing should not be used for something like this.
"I don't know..." Inuko groaned out before the Mu-on'na began to absorb even more of her.
"The please open your heart to me Inuko." The yokai said before after a few moments her head perked up. "What's this? The black pearl in the right..."
It was just that what I and Touma suspected, the way to Tōga's tomb was hidden within Inuko's right eye.
"Lord Tōga you crafty demon." Myōga whispered. "So that is where your tomb is."
"So I take it that it has something to do with this black pearl?" I asked him.
"Yes it does and we need to get Lady Inuko as far away from Sesshōmaru as possible." He said, getting me to nod.
"The black pearl in the right, that is not good enough!" Jaken demanded with a glare. "So find out more!"
"Lord Jaken if I dive any deeper this girls spirit will be broken." The Mu-on'na said sadly. It seems like she has gotten a little attached to Inuko like a mother to a child. Honestly it was so convincing I wasn't sure if it was genuine or false.
"I don't care just do it!" Jaken demanded, causing me to frown at the imp.
I was going to make him pay.
The Mu-on'na hesitated for a few moments before giving a reluctant nod and pulled Inuko further into herself.
"There there Inuko." The yokai said lovingly as Inuko started to struggle. Looks like Inuko has figured it out already.
"Now hurry up or Lady Sesshōmaru will kill the both of us!" Jaken said as I was right behind him.
He squawked as I stomped unto his back and picked up his staff. I continued to stomp on him for a minute before raising his staff, flames spitting out from the old man head.
"Wait please!" He begged, but I have had enough of this imp.
"Fore!" I shouted out with a grin as I swung the Nintōjō onto Jaken, turning him into a screaming, flaming projectile flying out into the distance.
I have always wanted to do that.
Now I turned my attention to the Mu-on'na who was running away while absorbing Inuko.
"Give her back!" I demanded, pulling on Inuko to try to get her out. But the pull of the Mu-on'na was too strong and too fast, so I fell down onto the ground and dropped the Nintōjō. The yokai rested on the swamp's shore and continued to absorb Inuko as her struggling started to subside.
"Any idea on how to get Inuko out?" I asked Myōga.
"You need to awaken Inuko's spirit." He said.
"Spirit?" I asked.
"The Mu-on'na is a type of yokai born from the amalgamation of the spirits of mothers who have lost their children to famine or war. Though I have never seen one that has taken the form of a Noppera-bō before, that might be why Sesshōmaru used this one to have fooled Lady Inuko. Still to break her hold over Inuko we need to awaken her spirit." Myōga said.
I tried to figure something out until I felt something pulling on my soul. Following it I saw the reflection of the Mu-on'na absorbing Inuko. Looking between them and the reflection I was able to determine that there was connection.
However I nearly screamed out in pain as a seething hatred started to burn within my very being. One directed towards Inuko alone. I felt a precsense try to take me over and I closed the connection as quickly as possible.
What in Izanami's name was that!
Seeing Inuko being almost completely absorbed I decided to focus on that particular issue later and ask Y/N or Kaede about it later. Already had enough on our plate as it is.
Grabbing the Nintōjō I swung it into the water, disrupting the spell.
The Mu-on'na screamed out in pain as it spat Inuko out onto the ground and fled into the forest.
Dropping the Nintōjō I ran to check on Inuko she was in a trance like state for a minute before snapping out and snarling at the retreating yokai.
"Damn you! Damn you to the deepest pits of Yomi!" Inuko cursed. "You are going to pay for using my mother's image like that."
"Focus on that later." I snapped at her. "Right now we need to find Touma and Yura and get away from Sesshōmaru."
Inuko started at me for a moment before she huffed.
"Normally I would disagree, but since Sesshōmaru will most likely gorge my eye out for that pearl we need to regroup." She sighed out.
I just nodded at her and went to look for my bow and quiver.
Hopefully Touma is alright.
(Touma POV)
It looks like Kagome and Inuko handled Jaken if the burnt, twitching imp in a newly formed crater was of any indication.
"Jaken did you find anything." Sesshōmaru said emotionlessly as she prodded her retainer with her foot.
"The black pear...is the...right..." He said before fainting.
Looks like he found out where the location was if the disturbing smile on Sesshōmaru's face was of any indication.
"So Inuko has one of Hōsenki's pearls hidden within her body. Father sure did pick a troublesome spot for anyone to have reached his tomb." She said smiling.
"If it isn't too much to ask about where his tomb is?" I asked.
I knew that I've read something about a black pearl in my father's notes, but the details are hazy at the moment.
"As much as I wish to tell you and continue our duel, sadly it must come to an end right now." Sesshōmaru said while forming her whip and covering it with her poison.
I couldn't have agreed more.
I created an explosion of mist to temporarily blind the daiyokai. I barely dodged her whip strike as it cut through the mist and grabbed Shūsui.
Sesshōmaru rushed towards me with a poisonous whip which I barely dodged. I tried to aim for her injury, but she blocked it with her whip.
She then disarmed me and grabbed my throat with one hand, her claws slowly being drawn out.
"You performed honorable hanyo, but it is time for me to enter my father's tomb after all these years. So I will reward you with a quick death." She said with her claws about to unsteath.
I would have died, if the movement of something didn't catch both her attention.
I used the opportunity to escape from the daiyokai's grip. She tried to summon her poison, only to stop as the blade of Benigasumi burst through her chest from her back.
"Gotcha bitch!" Yura said while twisting her blade, causing the daiyokai to wince in pain. "Now Master!"
Taking the chance I skewered Sesshōmaru with Shūsui in the opening provided towards me. I immediately set about freezing her. I used every once of yoki left in my body to freeze her down till even the smallest of blood cells couldn't flow. I couldn't leave anything to chance. Sesshōmaru struggled a bit before she was completely frozen.
I collapsed onto the ground, completely spent.
We had finally put her down, but for how long I don't know. She was the daughter of one of the strongest yokai of all time and possibly non divine beings to have ever existed.
"Master are you alright?" Yura asked me as she helped me up, careful not to aggrivate my right arm.
"Exhausted, but fine." I said while sheathing Shūsui real quick. "How about you, Sesshōmaru destroyed your body completely. If I didn't see you pull the same trick last night then I would have thought that you had died."
"Honestly it hurt like nothing I've ever felt before. Still I'm used to such pain, comes with having an immortal body I suppose. But your concern is appreciated Master." Yura said with a nod.
"No problem, just try not to do anything like that again unless you need to Yura." I said while trying to walk and fail. "Thanks."
"It's no problem Master, besides I wasn't planning on doing anything like that a lot on our journey. It takes a lot of hair to make a body after all." She said, while I nodded.
It made sense after all, she had a lot of hair around here in the ruins of her old nest after all.
Still with that said we needed to leave after all, can't tell-.
"I'm impressed hanyo, or should I say Touma." Sesshōmaru said.
Too late.
Both Yura and I turned to see the mostly frozen form of Sesshōmaru eyeing us with a disturbing smile. Her head and right arm was free.
"I've got to say that no one has done anything like this to me. So I have to say that I'm impressed." Sesshōmaru said before move her free hand over to the area were I stabbed her. "I must say that only one other yokai has ever scarred me and I can tell that this injury won't be healing the same way."
So I managed to scar possibly one of the strongest yokai around although it would possibly be nothing more then a frostbite scar at the worst.
I would feel a little pride at the moment if the look she was sending me wasn't a little disturbing.
"For such power and having such a powerful tsukumogami like Yura as your vassal I must say that you are worthy of the Shūsui. I'm sure that father would have wanted to have given it to someone like you." She praised, causing me to be a bit nervous.
"Thanks I think." I said, getting her to nod.
"Now then I am giving you and Yura one minute to leave and warn Inuko before I break out of this and slaughter anyone who stands between me and father's tomb. Except for you and your vassal Touma, I'll spare you two." She said emotionlessly, getting both me and Yura to nod before running away like Izanami herself was chasing us.
It might as well been her considering how dangerous Sesshōmaru is.
We need to reunite with the others as soon as possible and put as much distance between myself and Sesshōmaru as possible.
The look that she kept giving me unnerved both myself and Yura.
It spelt nothing but trouble for a long while to come.
The screen flickered for a bit before the author reappeared.
*Hey guys Hakuorofan7 here and I hoped that you all enjoyed this chapter.*
*Sorry that I keep having to keep these afterwords short, but I do have another story to edit an post tonight before I have to turn in for the night.*
*Anyway next chapter will be out April 11th and I hope you all will enjoy that chapter when it comes out.*
*So until then if you have any questions leave a review or PM me and I will get back to you while I can. Until next time, ciao!*
The author waves goodbye as the screen fades to black.
