Hi! The last one of the batch, like I was saying in the previous chapter announce ^_^
if you're wondering about the hours between XIII and XIV : I was at the doctor, who prescribed like a list of tests to take O_o so I'll be at it tomorrow too, and Monday, and back to see him for the results Thursday... I don't like going to the doctor :-(
Chapter XV. October 1996 Musou
Shadow's pack had been traveling at a leisurely pace toward Edo, keeping an ear to the ground for any whispers about the jewel, or the smallest whiff of Naraku's scent, stopping around to help people and clean out unruly youkai and even when needed persistent human bandits – when all the youkai senses of the pack suddenly caught the familiar scent they'd been looking for, now quite clear.
With that, they altered their path toward the region where they now could tell Naraku or one of his spawn must be hiding.
Still – the timing couldn't have been worse, as the new moon was nearing once again...
The pack settled down in an abandoned forest hut for the night, all already knowing they wouldn't spent a good night – the youkai's senses in alert because of their enemy's scent, the rest of the pack just as restless from the same knowledge, and InuYasha even more antsy as he felt so weak when human.
Letting the hanyou meditate at the back of the hut, Miroku was about to raise some wards for the night when Tsukiko's head turned toward the door.
"There's wolves incoming," Shippou announced soon "but..."
"I recognize Ginta and Hakkaku's scent, but Kouga isn't with them." the alpha completed worriedly – with Naraku's smell around, she was sure it couldn't mean anything good
Sure enough, Tsume's pack was soon barging, visibly exhausted but quick to exclaim "We were following Naraku's scent, and had pretty much found the shiro, but there was a barrier..." Ginta explained
"But while we were trying to break it, the one you described as Kagura arrived, with an army of animated skeletons..." Hakkaku continued "Kouga was caught so fast we couldn't do a thing!"
"She created some kind of vortex with the bones, and Kouga's stuck inside!"
The pack shared glances, before Sango stepped up resolutely "Let's go then."
Kagome nodded, soon followed by Tsukiko, who turned toward Miroku "Will you stay and keep the wards?"
The houshi started to nod – but was interrupted by InuYasha stepping out despite looking human "I'll go too."
Ginta and Hakkaku eye's widened, as they remembered that the beta was indeed a hanyou – and their respect for him raised at the same time as he'd dared shown in front of them like that, and was ready to go and help save their alpha.
Even if as sibling-pack they wouldn't betray the hanyou's trust, it was still a telling gesture.
"Be reasonable, oji-san," the wolf sighed "Tsume's pack is one thing... But if Naraku was to caught sight of you like that..."
The beta frowned, knowing his niece was right but not liking it nonetheless.
"I'll go in your place, Inu-nii."
The hanyou startled at the affirmation, and his eyes went from the small pale hand on his arm toward the young youkai who was staring at him – a hint of fear still present, yet confident enough to stand tall.
"Kanna?" Shippou protested from his place, surprised at the quite unexpected affirmation
"I want Kagura to see me." the shadow youkai stated firmly "I want her to see that I'm better, and free from Naraku." she affirmed "I want her to keep hoping, and find her way away from him..." she added in a near whisper
And suddenly, they remembered – that young as she may look and be, Kanna was still the elder of Naraku's unfortunate children, and that clearly, she still saw the wind spirit as her little sister...
"Well then," Tsukiko smiled, turning toward the two exhausted wolves "Stay here and get better, us women have work to do!" she jested
This time, InuYasha reluctantly nodded, and went back to the cooking fire, setting out bowls for the tired youkai that looked like even moving from the place they'd dropped on the ground to come near the fire would be an impossible effort.
[Secondary Quest! It's a Man's World...
Goal: rescue Kouga
Reward: +50XP per goal, +1 Enhancement Stone upon completion]
"I thought you'd protest more." Miroku admitted while flaring his reiki, wards soon raising around the hut
"They aren't weak creature that need to be protected." the beta admitted reluctantly "And even little Kanna was ready to stand up on her feet."
The four females followed the wolves trail swiftly, soon coming upon a large vortex of skeletons and wind – Kagura must have gotten better with her skills, they soon realized, as earlier she hadn't been able to use her corpse dance and wind manipulation at the same time.
While the wolf was still hanging on inside the vortex, he was getting tired – crushing the bones was good and all, but the skeletons also had swords, that prevented him from rushing out of the attack.
Still, Kouga wasn't stupid, and while defending himself from his relentless assailants, he'd been assessing the situation – finally coming to the conclusion just as Shadow's pack arrived on the spot, that there was but one way out...
"Up!"
The jump was rather impressive, but Kagura didn't let herself get surprised too long, retaliating by sending her undead army after him – the situation could have been sticky for the wolf, stuck mid air between a horde of skeleton and a wind user, if the four girls hadn't chosen that moment to attack.
Sango's newly improved Hiraikotsu swirled through the swarm of bones, the powerful poison now coursing through it eating away at them while the weak lightning imbuing it shocked the rest enough to make them drop pursuit.
Kanna may still be a beginner with her abilities – she knew enough to grab her bow and purify the wind attack coming at the wolf enough that it simply grazed him rather than cut him in pieces, not yet at Kagome's level of power where the attack would have been completely nullified.
Kagome was the one who jumped toward Kagura, from Padfoot's back, naginata already humming with power – while Tsukiko jumped and grabbed her fellow alpha, cutting his fall before it became too dangerous.
After her first attack pushed the wind user back, Kagome simply stayed in front of her, weapon still at the ready, but not seeing the need to attack just now.
[Goal complete!+50XP
Goal update: Deal with Kagura]
Because Kagura, seeing that Kagome was the one attacking, had soon found the one who'd fired the arrow that saved Kouga from grievous injuries, and by her wide eyes and slackening jaw, she clearing hadn't expected to see Kanna.
The bewildered youkai looked around, eyes stopping on Tsukiko – remembering the terrifying power she'd fled from the day she'd lost the little girl, and suddenly she realized "You... You didn't kill her..."
"I was saved." Kanna was the one to answer
Kagura started to laugh, a note of hope and madness at the edge of her voice "I thought you were dead for sure, but that maybe it was better for you, with how empty that bastard had made you..." the wind demon eyed Tsukiko "I told him you were the one to dispatch Kanna, but he didn't seem interested in you..."
"Because he's so obsessed still by InuYasha and Kagome, he doesn't see the full picture." Kanna confirmed easily
"They he'll die, won't he?" there was no mistaking the hope in the spirit's voice this time
Even Kouga could suddenly understand better what his fellow alpha had said after the slaughtering of his fellow wolf-tribe mates – because the girl in front of him was going through the motion only to cling to life, and seemed so desperate for freedom she had let her guard completely down in front of acknowledged enemies...
After all – if for canine youkai pack was on of the most important things, elemental spirits were well known to be wild beings revealing in their individuality and mastery over their element, their very nature. Caging the wind? Yes, the wolf realized once more – Naraku really was a cruel bastard, Tsukiko had been right yet again.
The wind spirit may be going mad with her need for freedom – it didn't mean she was stupid, as was well proved by the fact she was still alive despite being the weakest of the children Naraku had let out.
"I still have to fight you." she announced the pack as she spotted the buzzing insects favored by her master not too far
"He still holds your heart." Kagome nodded, remembering what her childhood friend had revealed during their first encounter
The widening of the wind youkai eyes was confirmation enough.
The next attack that came their way, easily avoided by the pack, held no killing intent at all – then, Tsukiko loosened her powers for an instant, fire licking the ground around her before lashing out at the saimyoushou unforgivingly.
Knowing the annoying insects' disappearance would be swiftly remarked upon, and reinforcement sent, she rushed toward the undefended youkai, fire shrouding the both of them.
"There are ways to live without a heart." she stated swiftly "One would need you to bind your life to another, the other to promise yourself to follow the will of a god." spotting the insects already buzzing their way back, she added "Try to find out more on your own, if you manage to loose your little followers I'll answer your questions."
With that, the flames around them flared in a seemingly violent manner, pushing Kagura back while the four female dragged Kouga off with them.
[Quest Complete!
Reward: +50XP, +1 Enhancement Stone to be chosen]
"You're giving her a way out." Kanna affirmed rather than asked as they trailed back toward the hut where the rest of their pack was "Thank you."
"Whether she takes it is her choice." the young goddess reminded the shadow spirit
"I know." she confirmed "But at least now she's got a choice."
¤.¤.¤
"Are you alright, Kouga-san?" Kagome wondered, remembering that enchained to Naraku or not, she still had caused the wolf great sorrow
"I'm angry." the wolf admitted "It was easier to stay angry at her before, but now that I've seen her like that..." a helpless shrug "Holding a grudge against her would be as stupid as holding a grudge against a hunted wolf. Of course the wolf will lash out if you try and kill him. Of course she'd attack to ensure her survival... Damn Naraku!" he finished in a frustrated yet helpless cry
"Damn Naraku." Kanna nodded solemnly by his side, making the wolf smile
The two packs had wondered about staying around to search for Naraku's shiro – but the scent that had been leaking during the night, leading them there, was gone by now, and the usual shields the hanyou raised to hide himself away back place, making it impossible to even find back the place where they'd fought against Kagura.
"Still," Miroku was the one to point out as they took the road again "it's bit strange isn't it? Usually we only fin Naraku when he wants to be found."
"This time, there wasn't any grand scheme or anything like that." InuYasha nodded, seeing just where the houshi was going rather easily "As if he'd weakened for a day..."
"You think it was the day he loses his powers?" Shippou understood "That it would be the same day as InuYasha would be some strange luck..."
"Let's not get too sure of our theory just now." Kagome was the one to warn "After all nothing like that happened during the previous new moon..."
"True," Sango nodded "still, it's something to keep in mind."
"Where are you going now that Naraku's scent is gone once more?" the miko asked, as for now the two packs seemed to be heading the same way
"My claws are not enough anymore." Kouga admitted, clearly not liking the admission – wolf-tribe youkai tended to avoid relying on anything else than themselves after all "So we're going to the Sanctuary."
Ginta and Hakkaku eyes widened at that, the beta hesitantly asking "Do you mean... we're going to the Wolf Cemetery?"
A decisive nod – the other two gulped.
"Ah come on it's our ancestors they aren't going to smite us without reason!" the alpha protested at the fear clearly visible in his two pack-mates
"So why go to this Sanctuary?" Miroku was the one to ask, scholarly curiosity clear in his voice
"There's a weapon blessed by the past wolves that's hidden at the center of the cemetery, from what I've heard."
"It's a child's tale!"
"Well I'm checking this tale anyway!"
"And shouldn't you be heading Est if it's you ancestor's cemetery?" Kagome wondered "I mean most of the tribes are from there, aren't they?"
"Most, but not all." Kouga corrected "The Sanctuary is in neutral ground, not too far from the Nikko youkai zone."
"Uh, that's where Totosai-jii-san had his workshop, isn't it?" Shippou realized
"It is." Tsukiko confirmed "This region is seen as something of a neutral ground between the four Lands of the Cardinal Lords, so quite a few sacred ground were established around over the centuries. Because of that, even when the four Lands were still at war with each other, the region was always kept peaceful and protected."
"So in our era?" Kagome wondered
"It's the place where all meetings between the four Lords are held, greatly protected for its historical value, and has one of the biggest youkai market in all of Asia." Tsukiko explained with a smile
"Wow. I hadn't realized the place was so important when we were there..." the miko whispered in awe
The Sanctuary allowed entrance only for the wolf-tribe, Kouga had explained – but nothing forbid them from traveling together to the place, as they had no real direction in mind, and so the two pack traveled together, using the evening to train and introduce Ginta and Hakkaku to the wonder of Chaos Game' hunting parties.
The two wolves, who'd already grown stronger from their alpha's training method, which had been clearly influenced by Tsukiko's own, improved by leaps and bounds during the few days of travel.
As the two packs separated at the Sanctuary entrance, Tsukiko lingered while her pack settled to wait for their friend's return.
Their alpha's aura, they noted, seemed more powerful the nearer they'd come to the place – so they weren't too surprised when, eyes glowing green, she announced "I'm heading in, there's people wanting to chat with me."
"Have a good time, alpha-chan!" Kanna waved her off, the rest of the pack echoing the sentiment in one way or another
"Only that brat could talk about speaking to the dead so casually..." InuYasha sighed in despair, not worried about the girl in the least – if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that no dead soul could do anything to her
As for said brat – she was smiling as she entered the Sanctuary, the souls of dead warrior welcoming around her, a whisper of "Seishi-hime..." echoing in the silence, audible only to her ears
She could feel Kouga and his pack not too far ahead, but in this place blessed by the dead, hiding herself from them was but a thought, as shadows seemed to swirl around her like a lover's embrace.
The further you entered the place, the more powerful the wolves, with ornate armors and weapons made to kill rather than appear pretty – and the young wolf, resolutely, was heading toward the heart of the Sanctuary, soon awakening the guardian of the weapon he'd come to hopefully obtained.
While Ginta and Hakkaku reacted in fear at the large three-headed wolf that looked as if made from rocks and fire, Tsukiko's eyes widened for a far different reason...
"So cute!"
"Well I guess it is only fitting for a goddess of death to like a beast from hell." she turned toward the spirit that was manifesting by her side – long dark hair tied simply in the back, and luminous silver eyes, alpha marking on the cheek but more importantly a familiar symbol on his brow
"An ookami, eh?" she wasn't too surprised
"Indeed." the tall warrior smiled in amusement "Though it's been forgotten through the ages, our wolf-tribes were originally descendant from hanyou living with their youkai siblings."
"Your children?"
The ookami nodded proudly "They've changed with the year, but still they endure."
"And all of you keep an eye on them."
"Our souls are long gone..."
"But your will persist." the hime understood easily enough – after all, linked to death as she was, it wasn't the first time she encountered spirits in the mortal realms
Some were souls stuck there, and had to be purified and helped to pass on or destroyed before they could cause harm – but others were echoes, just like the spirit here were – souls who'd gone on, but rather than let their memories get erased during reincarnation, chose to leave them behind in the mortal realm.
This wasn't an easy feet to achieve, as those soul lose quite a bit of power in the process, which for all the youkai around her probably meant they'd been sent back as humans when reincarnated – and it was only achieved by those possessing a powerful strength of will.
"Will you lend me your powers Seishi-hime?" the ookami's spirit asked as they witnessed the fight on-going beneath them
"You know you cannot interfere too much with the living." the goddess reminded
"I know." a feral smile "But I don't intent to freely give out power. That, he'll have to work for himself..."
In his eyes, she read what he intended – and with a smirk of her own, let the godly powers pool around her...
Meanwhile, Kouga and his pack were fighting, both pack wolves far stronger than before but still not up to Kouga's level – while the alpha had manage to move so fast that the stone guardian had been taken by surprise, his powerful body thorn in parts.
"He's already powerful, for one so young." the ookami commented, the lightness in his tone denied by the look of intense focus in his eyes
The young alpha had nearly managed to grab the metallic claw hovering behind it's guardian when he realized from the corner of his eye that the discarded stone parts he'd thought dead had instead revived and was about to burn his pack to cinders...
The frustration in the young wolf's eyes was evident – but after one longing glance toward the shiny weapon, he turned back, claws tearing apart the guardian once more.
"So you chose your companions over the Goraishi of your ancestors?"
"What kind of alpha would I be if I abandoned my pack simply for a weapon?" Kouga bit back heatedly
"Even if it means the Goraishi is forever out of your grasp?" the three-headed wolf asked – Kouga winced when he realized the youkai was once more whole, and worst of all, that indeed the weapon behind him had indeed disappeared
"Bah." he shrugged "What would be the used of a weapon gained by sacrificing my own pack?" he snorted "I am Kouga of the Eastern tribe, alpha of the Tsume Pack, and what use is an alpha without his pack?"
"Ah, not only strong," the ookami smiled "but understanding the Laws of the Pack too." he added in approval
Beneath them, said young alpha stayed in front of his pack as the next attack was unleashed, claws at the ready – and none were more surprised than himself when over his own claws, metallic ones appeared, and the desperate attempt at breaking the attack toward him instead came out as powerful as InuYasha's Kaze no Kizu, lightning crackling along each claw and tearing through the guardian.
A stunned Kouga stared as the weapon disappeared as soon as he slipped out of his fighting position.
"You've gained the approval of your ancestors, young alpha." the ookami stated, the spirit elegantly jumping from the place he'd been chatting with Tsukiko to the ground where the three-headed wolf had just been destroyed
Behind him Tsukiko followed – making the wolves eyes widen in wonder, then soften in realization that of course the hime could enter a graveyard, they had after all witnessed her powers in their den, back when she'd given a new life to one of the dying pup, not to mention the fact that she was a wolf too.
"Aw..." said goddess was complaining, digging in the heavy layer of dust the last attack had created, before finally finding what she was looking for "Poor dear he's all tired!"
Kouga nearly face-planted when he realized that the ookami hime had a pup in her arms.
A stone, three-headed pup.
"He'll grow back in a few months," the ookami spirit reassured the goddess, clearly amused by her reaction "after all, it would be a bother if we'd have to replace our protector each time someone came to seek our approval..."
"Who are you?" Kouga wondered – after all he hadn't expected an ookami in the wolf-tribe sacred place, yet it was clear the youkai had been here for a young time
"I am YamaInu." the ookami stated, mirth in his eyes at the surprise clear in the young wolf's demeanor "And yes, those claws were originally mine."
Tsume pack immediately bowed at the revelation, into babbling " You're... the legends say... you're our first ancestor aren't you?"
"I don't know about first, I had parents too you know?" the ookami laughed "But I was the one to create the tribes." he confirmed more soberly
"But... how are you an ookami?" Hakkaku asked timidly "I mean..."
"I was born a daiyoukai." the spirit nodded in confirmation "And I had three mates in my life."
The affirmation was met with surprised – until Tsukiko pointed "Well... ookami mates for life, like most daiyoukai, but there was never anything said about monogamy you know..."
"My first mate was ookami just like me," the spirit explained "and from her descendants, the line of Fang has thrived ever since." Kouga's eyes widened – the House of Fang had held the Eastern Cardinal title for millennia after all "But my two other mates were a human girl, who was rejected by her own by fear of her powers and an ookami hanyou." a smile "And these two women bore me the children that eventually led to your tribes."
"But... we don't have human days like hanyou..." Ginta whispered
"You used to, but the human blood was diluted with time. What you still do have is the nearly human form only daiyoukai and their hanyou usually have."
Kouga nodded, then asked, rather respectfully for him "Still... while it is interesting... why come out now? From our legends, I'd think you don't appear for just anyone do you?"
The ookami nodded in approval, and explained "As soon as you stepped in this Sanctuary with the intention to take the Goraishi, all of us ancestors have tested your resolve and worthiness." a smile "And thanks to this Seishi-hime lending us her powers, I've also witnessed your life and came to a conclusion."
The ookami stepped toward the young alpha, youki flaring around him.
"With you, finally, the lines of my children can be united once more."
Tsukiko smiled, but wasn't as surprised at the three jagged lines on the wolf-tribe youkai's brow – marking him for all to see as the heir to the House of Fang.
"It do think it's the first time a cardinal Lord will have an heir that isn't daiyoukai yet." the ookami laughed "But I'm sure you'll grow into one just fine."
"I will." the young alpha promised solemnly
¤.¤.¤
With that, the spirit turned toward Tsukiko, thanking her once more, before slowly disappearing.
The goddess reluctantly let go of the stone guardian – that, Kouga had to admit, looked much cuter now that he wasn't as tall as a daiyoukai true form and murderous but young and playful – and they headed back toward the graveyard entrance, a slew of notifications appearing in glowing green letters...
[Secondary Quest Complete! The Strength of the Pack...
Kouga has proved both his fighting-prowess and worthiness as an alpha
Reward: +50XP, leveling weapon Goraishi obtained]
[Event LV150 Complete! The Strength of the Wolf...
YamaInu has passed his judgment
Reward: +50XP, Kouga unlocks the "Heir of the House of Fang" title]
["Heir of the House of Fang" title activated
+1 Endurance +1 Agility, +2 Charisma]
[Level up! Goraishi is now level 16!
+42 damage, +6 Agility, +5 lightning damage, +1 Enhancement Space]
[Goraishi Enhancement update:
Ancestor's protection (empowered, LV100): +100 Blood Drain]
(empty space)]
[Level up! Kouga is now level 129!
+1SP]
[Level up! Ginta is now level 78!
+1SP]
[Level up! Hakkaku is now level 74!
+2SP]
[Political System update!
Kouga(alpha, LV129)is now marked as Heir of the House of Fang]
As the young alpha was thanking her too, having realized from the ookami spirit's words that what had been done had only be possible thanks to the goddess, she laughed and pointed out "I'm not the one who's going to meet a Cardinal Lord he's never seen before to explain him that a distant shared ancestor has deemed fit to name me his heir instead of his own spawn..."
At the panicked expression the other alpha suddenly wore, he hadn't yet realized that part of the deal, so she felt compelled to reassure him.
"Don't worry, the current Hime of the East had no wish for the burden of inheriting that title, so you won't have problems on that matter, and her father is rather intelligent and open-minded." she eyed the small pack "Still, it won't hurt for us to go over a few of the basic rules of politeness among noble society and find you a traditional attire for when you meet him."
As they talked, they'd managed to meet up with the rest of Shadow Pack, who'd been able to guess at the latest happening thanks to Chaos Game.
"So... We're giving a make-over to Kouga?" Kagome was soon asking, starts in her eyes – the wolf started to step back softly, but was stopped by Tsukiko's firm grip
"Of course. After all, he's got to make a good first impression!"
"Still," Sango was the one to ask "aren't the daiyoukai going to protests? I mean, no matter how powerful Kouga is..."
"I'm still a youkai." the wolf nodded, before letting his youki flare – and the usual tail in his back suddenly split into seven tails
"How is it possible?" Kagome wondered "I mean according to Chaos Game you're supposed to be Three-Tailed, right?"
"That's because youkai don't gain tails the same way daiyoukai do." Tsukiko explained "And Chaos Game has used the daiyoukai power ladder."
"For youkai, their tails indicates how far along they are on their way to become daiyoukai." InuYasha added "Which takes not only power, but also the ability to switch form."
"Because the ability to go from humanoid form to true form is one of the biggest difference between human-looking youkai like the wolf-tribe and daiyoukai." Shippou took over
"Generally," Tsukiko continued "a nine-tailed youkai is around the power of a four-tail daiyoukai. And once they are recognized as daiyoukai, their powers will of course continue to grow, just like any other daiyoukai, unlocking powers as they grow..."
"But physically, for us canine, there's only ever nine tails." Shippou explained "Even for daiyoukai who've got more than nine different powers..." a shrug "Nobody really knows why."
"In other words Kouga isn't that far off from becoming a daiyoukai already." Miroku concluded, the knowledge putting his mind at ease – loud and brash like InuYasha the young wolf may be, he was still a good friend after all
"You know," Tsukiko added thoughtfully, coming back to Kagome's earlier question "I think I know just the person to help us prepare Kouga to a meeting with the Lord of the East..."
InuYasha was the first to guess just who she was talking about, and his dog ears soon turned down in apprehension – it wasn't that he didn't like her, but meeting such a force of nature was a rather unique experience...
"Obaa-san did invite us to come and visit!"
While InuKimi had indeed invited them, the pack still wondered just how they were supposed to do that, since she had explicitly stated that her palace was warded. Tsukiko had giggled, making InuYasha wonder if the shiro inu could change people's attitude even from afar, and explained to them that they had been given a key to the wards.
The youki they had been marked with wasn't only a mark of favor apparently, but could also act as a homing device – with that, all were given an impromptu lesson about dissociating the different strands of youki attached to their own aura that acted as so many different indicators for youkai.
Those strands were generally attached both spiritually and physically, since youki was a mix of both energies, and as such could left a visual trace on the body, even if it didn't most of the time – the more evident example being the pack, alpha and heir mark, but also Tsukiko's engagement mark...
Soon enough, Shadow's pack had found where the regal inu had left her youki, making appear a small blue moon in that place, which had ended up being on one of the pinkie's phalanx, and manage with various level of success to flare their own youki or reiki in the mark.
And indeed getting back a sense of direction from the action.
They had nearly reached the place InuKimi's youki urging them toward when the two packs met up with another familiar group of travelers...
¤.¤.¤
"You pick up the strangest allies, musume." Sesshoumaru commented in place of greeting, a raised eyebrow the only sign of his appraisal of Tsume pack
Meanwhile, Kanna, Shippou and Rin were happily reuniting, the three children chatting excitedly about their own pack's latest adventures.
As if called by the excitation the large group was engendering, a large form was soon darting out of the sky "Both my son and grand-daughter have come to visit at the same time!" InuKimi commented "What a wondrous event!"
"It's too late to run away," InuYasha commiserated with Kouga from the side "besides, it's good training."
"We couldn't have met a small daiyoukai first?" Ginta complained "You know, non-scary ones, like Shippou-chan?"
"Well, you've met Kanna..."
"She's both a youkai and a miko, what isn't scary about that!" Hakkaku protested "Beside there aren't daiyoukai spirits are there?"
"Well, there are spirits as strong as daiyoukai, but its not as if they have a true form..." InuYasha mused
Soon, InuKimi had opened her palace for Tsume pack too, and most had been rather surprised to realize that her palace was not anywhere on the ground but firmly implanted in a large bank of clouds...
"Well," the shiro inu commented, turning her attention toward her son first "I've got a rather good idea about the reason for your presence..."
"I'm seeking more knowledge's about this Tenseiga's Meidou Zangetsuha." the Lord of the West confirmed
"And you my dearest?"
"Well, our sibling-pack alpha suddenly finds himself with a rather big inheritance on his shoulders..."
"That must be quite the story." the inu laughed, realizing that there really was a youkai, albeit a powerful one, wearing the mark of heir for the House of Fang in front of her
"We thought he couldn't simply barge in in front of the Lord of the East... So who better to give him a crash course in daiyoukai etiquette than my favorite obaa-san?"
"Sounds like fun!" InuKimi nodded enthusiastically "Let's just start your father on his training and get to more interesting things!"
Still, despite her affirmation, all of Shadow pack caught the glimpse of worry the mother had in her eyes, and so they retreated a bit in the garden, leaving their alpha with her family.
"Toga entrusted me with this Meidou-seki," the old Lady of the West explained, turning their attention to the large black stone hanging around her neck and emanating, for Tsukiko at least, a rather familiar feeling "telling me to open the path for you should you come and seek training..."
Her voice may be light-hearted, her eyes were dead serious as she went on "This is a path full of danger, for a lesson I think you're well on your path to learn on your own... Will you still take it?"
"I will take, and overcome, any test he left behind." Sesshoumaru affirmed
"Then so be it."
With that the stone around InuKimi's neck flashed, and a large youkai stepped out – it could have been mistaken for a kuro inu at first glance, but between where it came from, and the familiar feeling his youki gave off, Tsukiko knew better.
Indeed – Tenseiga's new attack did open a path behind the youkai, but he wasn't hurt in the least like he should have.
"This is a hell-hound," InuKimi commented from her throne "Right now, Tenseiga can neither heal nor injure it."
The hell-hound seemed to look around, a spark of interest felt by Tsukiko when it caught sight of both Kanna and Miroku, before it's attention was caught by Rin.
Faster than most could see, the hound had pounced, and rushed back in the dark path opened by Sesshoumaru's blade.
"You are aware of the risks of following that beast in there?" InuKimi reminded rather than checked as Sesshoumaru prepared himself to jump after his ward
"I've got a dog to kill." the shiro inu stated in lieu of confirmation, making his mother sigh and settle back in her throne as her son disappeared in the dark
Tsukiko then stepped forward "Don't worry too much obaa-san," she smile "A little walk through hell isn't enough to get rid of chichi-ue."
"Of course I know that much!" InuKimi proudly proclaimed – but worry was still present in her eyes
"Besides," Tsukiko added "I'll be there to drag him home if needed."
[Secondary Quest! Into the Darkness...
Goal: enter the Meidou
Reward: +100XP per goal, +1 Enhancement Stone upon completion]
The Meidou closed just behind the young goddess and her familiar.
"You're not worried for your alpha?" InuKimi couldn't help but check "I mean she just got herself stuck in hell..." she felt compelled to point out
"I think she just wanted some father-daughter bonding time." Kagome affirmed without a hint of worry
"After all, if there is one place I don't think she can be stuck in, it's hell." Sango added
Seeing the lack of worry of the pack, that wasn't carelessness but rather full confidence in their alpha, InuKimi felt her own worries recess, even if she still kept an eye on the Meidou stone around her neck that let her check on the two's progress.
She may have known her darling grand-daughter was in fact a goddess, she had never seen her powers, contrarily to the pack, so their calm assurance that everything would be alright was rather soothing.
Still, having something else to focus on wouldn't be amiss, rather than worry needless in front of her stone – and so, clapping enthusiastically in her hands, she stated "Well, while they're on their family trip, should we get to the second reason you're all here?"
Kouga, who'd been hopping he'd been forgotten with this hell business, nearly whimpered.
Meanwhile, Tsukiko and Padfoot had stepped in hell far enough from Sesshoumaru that they could see the youkai finally dispatching the hell-hound, using the healing powers of his sword – the sword ability to heal the living translating into an ability to hurt the dead in hell.
[Goal complete!+100XP
Goal update: find your path in the darkness]
Tsukiko landed by her father's side with Padfoot, smiling softly at the way her father was checking on the newly rescued Rin.
"Padfoot can carry her." she suggested
Sesshoumaru nodded by her side, not needing her to explain that she wouldn't interfere in whatever laid ahead of them in the road – this was a test for her father after all.
Still, she felt compelled to point out "Hell is no place to the living."
The inu youkai understood she didn't meant that for him – Tenseiga protecting her bearer from the harshness of the world of the dead – and glanced worriedly at his charge, reminded that the little girl was far more fragile than both him and his daughter.
Merely glancing back was enough to know they wouldn't be going home that way, as the Meidou was closed – and a multitude of beasts from hell were gathering, blocking the already crumbling path.
Which left only one way – ahead, deeper toward the darkness.
Within moments, a keening whine from Padfoot alerted Sesshoumaru – hurrying toward his young charge, his eyes widened as he realized that the little human girl wasn't breathing anymore, body getting colder by the moment. He swiftly unsheathed Tenseiga, only to realize that no pall-bearer were in sigh.
That right now, Tenseiga was powerless to heal his ward.
The darkness around them deepened, as if called by the young girl's death, and with a rush of power not of this world, Rin was taken once more, deeper into hell.
"The deeper you go in the darkness, the farther you walk from the Living Realm." Tsukiko pointed out to her father – knowing it wouldn't make change his path, but warning him nonetheless
[Goal complete!+100XP
Goal update: Catch up with the youkai who took Rin]
The inu youkai nodded, eyes widening slightly as he took in the changes his daughter had been going through as they proceeded in the darkness.
The golden eyes so like his own, if warmer, were now glowing emerald barely speckled in gold, and had been ever since they'd stepped in the Meidou – but now, even the usual immaculate white of her hair was receding, replaced by a dark black shining with silver echoes, only the tips of her hair remaining it's usual color.
And those were only the physical changes – as the most marking aspect was of course the power. While very powerful for a pup so young, she still had been a young daiyoukai in the living world – but here in the dark, the power he could guess at was far more alien, and powerful than what he knew...
¤.¤.¤
"Your powers didn't react like that in chichi-ue's tomb?" he remarked
"It was merely between the realms." Tsukiko explained "My power were stronger, but not unbridled."
Not too long after, the shiro inu sped up, a new scent the only clue they were drawing near to their goal.
[Goal complete!+100XP
Goal update: defeat the Master of Hell]
Until suddenly, the narrow road they'd been following was replaced by a large area of rock, and the darkness replaced by blinding light, letting Sesshoumaru see the tall, black silhouette of an oni, a familiar body in hand, surrounded by piles upon piles of desiccated bodies.
[Goal complete:+100XP
Goal update: defeat the master of hell]
Eyes narrowing in determination, Sesshoumaru drew Tenseiga, the blade humming with healing power – and the tall oni was swiftly cut down, the small form of Rin easily caught up by the daiyoukai as he fell down down toward the ground.
"She... isn't waking up." Sesshoumaru finally whispered – realizing that defeating the tall oni hadn't brought the little girl to life like he had expected
[Goal complete! +100XP
Goal update: find your way in the darkness]
[Level up! You are now level 183!
+1SP]
"Tenseiga is a blade that heals." Tsukiko stated, adding with sorrow in her eyes "But even for a blade gifted with such a wondrous gift as her... Bringing back the dead, isn't something she can do more than once."
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in disbelief and realization at the statement, not even realizing that Tenseiga had slipped from his grip, falling blade first in the ground.
Had he really though that he could cheat death always and always, he wondered, when his own daughter had enforced ever since their first meeting how the power over death wasn't one to be taken lightly...
Had he really thought that the power to give life was so useless that he'd headed deep within hell only to grant the already powerful blade the power to take life too?
As if acknowledging both her wielder's grief, and the fact that he was finally acknowledging her for her proper worth for the first time, Tenseiga pulsed.
[Bonus goal complete!
Sesshoumaru has finally understood the value of his blade
Reward: +200XP, Tenseiga is upgraded upon quest completion]
Attention drawn to the blade, Sesshoumaru's eyes widened when he realized that the light that had illuminated his fight against the master of hell was gathering around the blade. And suddenly, he realized – it wasn't that the darkness that had recessed earlier, but the shimmer of the countless souls around the oni that he'd seen.
Souls all drawn to Tenseiga, as if begging to be saved...
Decision made, Sesshoumaru took back his blade, never letting go of Rin's body, and the light swirled around them, as the mountain of bodies turned into dust.
[Bonus goal complete!
Sesshoumaru mastered Tenseiga large-scaled healing ability
Reward: +200XP, Tenseiga's approval upon quest completion]
"Hell is a cruel place." Tsukiko whispered as she watched the souls being purified "Where souls are tormented by the different youkai and oni inhabiting it while waiting to be reincarnated."
"Why do something like that, then?"
"Brother can't be everywhere at the same time," Tsukiko sighed "so he established different realms and set them to be taken care of by his servants." her eyes took a hard glint "Here we've got the typical example of servants thinking they know better than they master what their job should be."
"And now that you're here?"
His daughter's smile was full of teeth, and bloodthirsty enough to confirm their family link "Well I should be a kind sister and ease a bit brother's job, shouldn't I?" she mused
The power that had been gently swirling around her up until now surged at her call, a blatant challenge to the keepers of hell that didn't go unnoticed.
¤.¤.¤
The darkness that had settled back with Sesshoumaru's purification of the souls tortured by the oni was soon disrupted once more, the light nearly blinding as multiple oni, all similar to the one he'd just dispatched, answered the call, their bounty of crying souls around them.
"Who dares disrupt our duty!" a voice boomed in what would have terrified any normal being
"You have forgotten your place, servants." Tsukiko answered back, scorn dripping from her voice "And apparently you can't even recognize your better."
Behind the large oni, the daiyoukai realized, hell-hounds, pall-bearer and a multitude of other creatures of hell had gathered, thorn between their fear of the tall oni and the natural respect the tiny figure standing against them was inspiring them.
KageShin slid out of its sheath, and all the oni were gone, in an elegant and deadly dance of the sword, the blade cutting the self proclaimed masters of hell and purifying the souls they held on in the same gesture while the rest of hell's citizen watched on.
Cleaning her weapon in one wrist movement, she promptly put it back to its scabbard, before turning toward them.
"You are all servants of Death, do you remember what it means?"
The silence that answered was both fearful and respectful.
"You are to take the soul of those whose life has come to an end." she stated in a cold voice "And those souls are to be taken to Death Islands to await reincarnation." she reaffirmed
"We do not take souls without a reason, or on a whim." she reminded them "We do not torture without reason souls that are simply passing between the Mortal Realm and Death islands!" she stated in a louder voice, fury barely contained within her voice and eyes
"The masters..." on small yet strangely brave pall-bearer stated "They told us to do so... That it was the only way to purify the tainted souls..."
"They were the tainted ones!" Shadow's voice echoed viciously "It's the reincarnation process' job to clean these souls, only the lost ones were supposed to be kept here!" she stated clearly, before her eyes softened "Still, the leader you were given are the one who one who led you astray, which is why you haven't been cut down with them." her power echoed once more, as she called out "Wrath."
He had already seen the man once, Sesshoumaru recognized as his daughter's disciple appeared, completely solid rather than a simple spirit in this realm right outside of the Immortal Realms.
"Little Shadow."
"I've been cleaning up a bit around." she stated to the tall, dark-haired man "Would you mind staying here for a bit reminding them of how to do their job?" a smile "I'm sure brother will send one of his own as soon as he can."
"Of course." Wrath nodded, eyes rather hard "I'm going to shape up this little organization, don't worry about it." his smile was rather disturbing as he affirmed that, making all of the otherworldly denizen shuffle in distress
With that, the man called Wrath turned toward the crowd "Scram for now!" he instructed "I'll be catching up with you as soon as I've seen the Shadow out."
Knowing better than to go against one clearly much more powerful than them, they did as they were bidden – and Wrath turned toward his mistress "Well, I'm going to take a look around to see how bad things are." his eyes didn't mask his contempt as he looked around "Given the state of things, I think you just gave me at least a decade worth of work..."
"Sorry about that," the goddess winced, powers once more settling around her "but with how bad things were, I could only think about you to put a bit of order down there."
"Naturally." Wrath nodded – he had after all been the military leader of a powerful nation, he knew how to put things in order
With that affirmation, and a parting nod, the holy disciple was gone, soon disappearing in the surrounding darkness – and another presence manifested itself, making Tsukiko's eyes widen.
"Brother!"
Sesshoumaru eyed the tall man, dark hair lightly fastened in his back, blood red eyes calm yet showing a bit of warmth when he caught sight of the young goddess.
"Little sister." he greeted back "I felt your show of power from the Islands, you're growing well."
A hint of blush tinted Tsukiko's cheek in pink, and she protested "I was merely taking advantage of being in a place were I could stretch my gifts."
"Yet once more, you're doing so in a way that helps with my duties." he noted with a fugitive smile, before turning his attention toward Sesshoumaru "How quaint..." he whispered "A mortal so far in hell," his eyes strayed to Tenseiga "but then again you're no normal mortal."
The daiyoukai felt the sword by his side pulse as if in greeting to the god, and said god commented "After all, you've managed to do what even your sire couldn't in gaining Tenseiga's approval."
"Tenseiga... didn't approve of otou-sama?" Sesshoumaru couldn't help but parrot, stunned at the affirmation
"She didn't." Death confirmed "She stayed by his side because she knew she wouldn't be used without reason, but never did the Great Dog manage to learn the true value of this blade."
"Understanding the value of both giving and taking, of life and death." Tsukiko echoed
"He was far too attuned to life to truly understand death." Death confirmed
The otherworldly being eyes swept toward the little girl the daiyoukai was still cradling in his arm, and stepped toward her, cold finger brushing a few stray hair out of her face, power pulsing faintly under his touch.
"You have learned a harsh lesson by venturing so far into hell." the god stated
On Rin's brow, the symbol of the deathly hallows pulsed once before disappearing – and the girl's chest started to move once more.
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, and Tsukiko wrapped her brother in a warm hug.
"Thank you."
"You could have done the same," Death stated "and I'm pretty sure Toga entrusted another blessed item to his mate.
"I would have, and he has." the girl confirmed, still pressed against him "But you're the one who did it first, and that's far more valuable."
There was no mistaking the soft smile this time as a mischievous light made his eyes gleam "Well, what's the point of being a god if I can't even bend my own laws from time to time?"
Staring in wonder at the revived girl, the daiyoukai affirmed, with more humility in his voice than ever before "I'm forever in your debt."
Shaking his head negatively, the dark-haired god contradicted him "Of course not. After all, your already taking care of my little sister." with a gentle push, he sent the younger goddess back toward her father, reminding them "You should head back. This isn't a realm for the living, and Chaos' bindings on your soul can't be undone too long or this body won't keep together much longer."
The god gestured toward Tenseiga one last time before disappearing in the shadows "You should try that attack of yours once more."
¤.¤.¤
Sesshoumaru nodded, and reluctantly settling Rin on Padfoot's back, he slashed Tenseiga.
The Meidou Zangetsuha that opened wasn't a crescent moon anymore, but a gibbous one, more than half-full...
This was what he'd set out to accomplish, the daiyoukai realized, yet in the light of all that had happened, it seemed like a rather inconsequential change. He shared a glance with his daughter, and the small group stepped in through the Meidou once more, getting out in InuKimi's garden.
[Quest complete!
Reward: +100XP, +1 Enhancement Stone]
[locked-weapon Tenseiga (LV200: +500 Healing power, +1000HP) evolve into leveling-weapon Tenseiga (LV1: +10 healing, +3 Wisdom, +2 spiritual resistance, +1 Enhancement Space)]
[Level up! Tenseiga is now level 201!
+410 healing, +63 Wisdom, +42 spiritual resistance , +3 Enhancement Space]
[Tenseiga Enhancement update:
A Father's Gift(empowered, LV200): +250 HP regeneration per minute
The Weight of Life(empowered, LV200):+250 YP regeneration per minute
(empty space)
(empty space)
(empty space)]
Tsukiko glanced at the notification, wondering why Chaos had even bothered since her father wasn't keyed in to the Game, even if the quest update had helped those still in the Mortal Realm keep up with their progress in hell – then she reminded herself that trying to put common sense and that particular god together wasn't a good idea.
As if to prove her right, another wave of notifications hit her Interface, those ones clearly not seen by her pack given their lack of reaction...
[Hidden Event LV300 Complete! Spring Cleaning in Hell...
such a dutiful little sister you are Little Shadow, I am so jealous of Death!
Reward: +4000XP, a new friend]
[Level up! You are now level 186!
+4SP, +2CP]
Tsukiko eyes' twitched at the latest notification – Chaos hadn't even bothered with pretending he hadn't been spying on them, not to talk about how cryptic the reward sounded.
That is – until a swirl of power looking suspiciously like a small Meidou appeared in from of her, dropping in her arms a small white pup and a letter.
[Hey little goddess!
I have been conducting quite a few experiment with our fellow gods, and just like you've recently discovered, the more powerful we are, the more incomplete we feel without our powers. Still, it's a price most are ready to pay for a bit of change in our monotonous existence.
This is why I won't scold you for spending time in hell and nearly undoing my hard work on you!
Still, even this small time has put a strain on your body, as it undid part of the seal on your holy powers, and that after Magic went out of her way to make your powers less dangerous for you when mortal (sigh) I guess children will be children.
But luckily for you, since I'm so awesome, I've a solution ready for you: your second inugami! The little beauty isn't a Grimm, as you can clearly see, and having her by your side will redirect your godly powers to her to help her grow up rather than eat up your mortal life-spawn.
Told you I was awesome!
Still, it doesn't mean you should just go and play around in hell, but a few hours from time to time won't hurt. I'm pretty sure you've already realize how to open the path with your own powers after all.
As for the little one now in your care, just like the previous one, she's someone who chose this path, and I don't think it'll be too hard to realize who.
Cheers!
Chaos]
Tsukiko couldn't help but smile at the whimsical god's letter – and wasn't even surprised when as soon as she had finished reading it, it burst into green, harmless flames.
In her arms, her new partner struggled to come in an upright position, the little pup, while about the same size as Padfoot had been when he was incarnated as her first inugami, looking and feeling much younger just like when the Grimm had come back to her for the first time – then she opened her eyes, two gleaming golden orbs echoing in her own, and Tsukiko realized, startled, that this inugami wasn't a Grimm indeed, but wasn't a dog either.
This was a white wolf.
By her side, Padfoot barked excitedly, having recognized the young one at the same time as her. With a smile, she brought the wolf against her, the little one nuzzling her fondly.
"You've got a new friend, alpha?" Miroku asked, unknowingly echoing Chaos Game
"Seems like it." Tsukiko nodded, letting the small wolf on the ground, where she sat primly, and observed the pack around her imperiously "This is Blanche."
"A wolf inugami, how quaint." InuKimi was the one to remark, carefully not mentioning how emotive her grand-daughter had been for an instant when receiving the pup – if the little ookami wanted or needed to share, she would do so at her own pace
"Apparently spending time in hell unleashed a bit my powers, so she's here to keep this under control."
"Godly powers aren't meant to be used in the Mortal Realm." Kagome nodded in understanding, all of the pack having heard and realized as much several times already
"She's very different from Padfoot." Shippou commented
"She's much younger, for one." Tsukiko reminded "And not even the same type of inugami."
"She sure doesn't look like a Grimm." Miroku nodded with an amused smile
"Is she going to grow as fast as Shingetsu?" Sango wondered
"Quite the contrary." Tsukiko explained "As an inugami, she'll attune herself to my holy powers for quite a while before she's ready to grow up. Padfoot spent his whole first incarnation looking like a pup, and never got to looking like a grown dog even in his second one, thought in that life he grew enough to communicate by thoughts like a normal familiar. This life is the first where he grows to his adult size... and even then, he still looks rather young."
After that, Blanche had soon grown tired of the chatter around her, and found Padfoot's favorite resting place – right on top of Tsukiko's head – before settling for a nap, while the several packs assembled in the garden had continued to chat amicably.
Sesshoumaru was keeping Rin within arm-length, something all realized but none were stupid enough to point out, while the little girl didn't seem any worse for the wear after her second death and resurrection – even if she did surprise both father and daughter by commenting idly "Tsuki-chan's brother was just as kind as her, wasn't he?" before going back to playing with Kanna and Shippou
As for poor Kouga, he'd become InuKimi's victim while her son was in hell, but the hours of torturous lessons had been far from useless.
Even if he viewed them as rather pointless, the wolf understood rather swiftly the basics he was imparted with, and by the time they all left the next day, Tsukiko wasn't afraid of letting Tsume pack head alone toward the East – knowing already that the wolf would manage in front of the Cardinal Lord he now was the heir of, and that InuKimi's approval now woven in his youki, as unexpected as it had been, would only act as a bonus point for the young alpha.
Sesshoumaru, Rin and Jaken went their own way too, like always – and Shadow pack turned back toward Edo once more.
They weren't that far off from the village when the youkai of the pack sense caught on the scent of blood – and of Naraku.
¤.¤.¤
Hurrying toward the scent, they soon stumbled into a band of humans bandits, all butchered – and with their face missing. Not needing to be seer to realize this was probably another of the hanyou's spawn, they sped up, following the scent to yet another bloody scene, this one still acting out.
Kanna's reflective shield sprung up before a woman hurdled protectively around a small child, to the clear surprise of the enemy.
"Eh? Resistance?" the man, his scent marking him as one of Naraku's, swung his sword on his shoulder with an amused smile "Ah no matter, I was getting bored. I thought killing those people would help me remember who I am, but it didn't, even if it was fun for a while."
"You bastard! What is Naraku's plan this time?" InuYasha bit out, not liking anymore than the rest of his pack the useless bloodshed all round them
"Naraku? Who's that? Do you know who I am?"
"Your master!"
The affirmation made the man laugh "I obey no one, hanyou! I am simply Musou, and I do as Musou will!" his eyes darkened "But anyway, your face is annoying, so why don't you just die?"
The attack was – surprisingly weak InuYasha noted as they all side-stepped it easily. Far weaker than any of Naraku's children had been until now...
Still, weak or not, the man was clearly a monster, who'd slaughtered meaninglessly a whole village, and clearly sported Naraku's scent even if he didn't seem aware of the origin of his existence. So the hanyou struck back, Tessaiga's blade enhanced by his control over wind – and the other didn't even react fast enough to completely avoid the attack, arm cut clean by the blade.
Only for a swarm of saimyoushou to appear and quickly coagulate into a brand new arm.
Surprising Musou just as much as the pack...
"Well, I guess we can eliminate any doubt we had about him being one of Naraku's children," Miroku commented while the stunned youkai observed his new arm in wonder "but this situation is still fishy, isn't it?"
"Bah," InuYasha grumbled "who cares about fishy, he's a bastard, he's one of Naraku's, that's all I need to destroy him!"
With that, a powerful Kaze no Kizu was sent toward the unsuspecting Musou – right about the same time as he caught sight of Kagome, eyes widening, only able to gasp "Kikyou?" before the attack scattered him
"He... mistook me for Kikyou." the young miko realized "And didn't seem to know about Naraku... Does it means that maybe..."
"Naraku tried to get rid of Onigumo's remnant?" Miroku wondered "After all, it is his human heart that forbid him from killing Kagome..."
"So he tried to get rid of it." Tsukiko nodded, "Yet he didn't left him unprotected..."
"What do you mean?"
The wolf hime gestured to the patch scorched by the Kaze no Kizu – and the rest of the pack, eyes widening, realized what the goddess could already feel.
"He isn't dead." Miroku whispered, eyes following the saimyoushou rapidly gathering the bits of flesh, all converging in the same place
One large bit of flesh, with a familiar spider burnt-mark in the middle of it.
And now that they had realized the pack's continued presence, the insects were buzzing menacingly, youki rapidly gathering around them as they called a swarm of youkai between them and the reviving Musou.
Between all of the pack members, taking care of the swarm of low level youkai was but a formality – but it still was more than enough time to let Musou reform, eyes glinting malevolently.
"I do remember, now," the youkai commented "about you, InuYasha... The bastard who made Kikyou weak..." his eys hardened
"You're the one that caused her death!" the hanyou retorted immediately
"You know nothing!" the one that had been Onigumo tempested "I wanted the Shikon to Tama to be able to move once more, to take Kikyou and get away from this damn cave! And yet, when my body was reborn... Nothing went as planned!"
That, the pack realized – must have been when Naraku himself had been born.
"That body that should have been mine teared up the thing I wanted the most, and I was stuck in the dark for who knows how long!" the hard eyes never left InuYasha, but all could feel youki swirl around Musou as his form suddenly changed "So tell me InuYasha... Why is it that you're still alive when Kikyou isn't?"
While more dangerous than the moment before, Musou's attack still wasn't too hard to evade – but rather than be discomfited, the youkai changed form once more under their startled eyes.
"He's not that powerful, but as long as he can regenerates, he'll be a nuisance." Sango soon understood after her Hiraikotsu cut clean the youkai's arm, only for them to be regrown in a pair of nasty pincers
"Well it's rather evident, isn't it?" Kagome pointed out "The key must be that flesh lump with a spider on it the saimyoushou were protecting earlier."
"Probably," Miroku confirmed – but the problem was that the insects were keeping on their vigil not too far, ready to sweep in and save their charge at a moment's notice
"Still," Sango wondered "if Naraku wanted to get rid of him, why keep on protecting him?"
"Because Naraku still needs him." Tsukiko stated "Don't you remember... Onigumo is the connector between the all the youkai that made Naraku."
"How clever."
The pack was surprised to realize that among the swarm of low-level youkai, and the ever-regenerating Musou, their hanyou nemesis had managed to slip on the battleground nearly unremarked.
"It's just as you said," the hanyou nodded while causally stepping toward his offspring, the furious youkai lashing out violently toward him – only for his limbs to get stuck in his progenitor's body "This Onigumo is the original connector..."
Stepping forward toward the now terrified man, he smiled coldly, as his body encroached on the other, absorbing him like a large spider eating it's prey "So he is still needed, no matter how much I wanted to get rid of his vulgar, low-grade soul."
"And because you still need him, you're still stuck as a hanyou." Miroku was the one to state
"So what?" Naraku retorted, not missing a beat
"So that night when the defenses around your hideout lowered..."
The malevolent hanyou smirked "How cunning of you, houshi, wondering about my time of weakness..." his gazed went for InuYasha "What about you? Do you cower in fear on the night you lose all your powers?" his smile widened "It's like you say houshi, I am a hanyou... However, we both may be hanyou," he added toward the pack's beta "our origins are different, and so is our time of weakness... After all, I am free to chose that time with my own will!"
The dark haired hanyou smiled as he explained "Contrarily to you, when I'm at my lowest, I can change myself, discarding my weaknesses and making myself even stronger!" he opened his arms "Why don't you test it?"
"i will!" InuYasha immediately agreed, knowing the other was taunting him, but not seeing the need not to answer – after all, they had probably gathered as many informations as they could from the loud-mouthed hanyou for now
And so without another hesitation, Kaze no Kizu was cut – only for the blades of wind to hit against a dense wall of youki, spreading clouds of miasma around. While the pack was jumping out of the corrosive vapors way, Naraku fled with his saimyoushou.
[Goal complete!+25XP
Goal update: meet Naraku's next spawn]
"So... What is it with villains and giving out monologues about their own powers?" Kagome wondered "I mean, it didn't even occur to him we were letting him talk because he was doing half our job for us by handing out information on himself!" she protested heatedly "I thought this was something that only happened in stories!"
"That's because most villains tends to have over-inflated egos." Tsukiko explained flatly "That barrier must be something he achieved while we were battling against Kagura a few days again, so like a kid with a new toy, he wanted to show it off." an amused smile "The fact oji-san's kaze no Kizu didn't manage to cut it must be all the proof he needs that his barrier is plenty powerful against us."
"That's stupid." Shippou complained "Kagome-chan is the one who cuts the barriers we encounter all of the time!"
"Of course it's stupid. Assumptions often are." Miroku nodded "But we should be thankful when the stupid ones are our enemies."
With that, the pack took the road once more, minds already mulling on the latest revelations Naraku had been kind enough to share with them.
¤.¤.¤
Shinobu had taken to Chaos Game like a fish to water, and with it, had started to improve much faster than before – the hanyou's single-mindedness in growing stronger proof enough that he had no intention of leaving Ryoichi's side by the time the kitsune dropped the orphans back to well.
While peppering Ryoichi with questions about the strange power, the neko was also starting to ask more about his life, realizing day after day that the place the kitsune came from was a far different place from the world they were living in.
Of course, it didn't came as that much of a surprise, as the fox did spent a bit of time nearly ever evening talking a bit about his home in order to get the orphans getting used to the idea of living in the very different place they were eventually heading to.
From the stories, and small slip up, eventually realizing that it wasn't another country the fox was talking about – but another time – hadn't been that hard of a step to make in the end. It did explain quite a lot about how different the daiyoukai's way of thinking was after all.
It was a few days after gaining access to Chaos Game that the poor hanyou had his next big encounter with the unmitigated strangeness that came from traveling with a reincarnated god – even if, as he'd soon realize, it wasn't the god he was currently traveling with that was at fault for that particular encounter but another one.
It had started, like often for youkai, with the feeling of youki – a powerful youki, not hostile, but not bothering with restraining its presence either.
So naturally, Shinobu had been a bit annoyed when a small, serpentine silhouette had casually landed on Ryoichi's shoulders, wrapping around his neck like a scaly scarf and sniffing curiously around the kitsune's left arm.
"I think you're looking for this." said kitsune simple stated, uncovering the engagement mark usually hidden by his haori's large sleeves
The dragon eyed him inquisitively, taking in the youki swirling in the mark, then turned his attention back toward the kitsune
"What did you do?" Shinobu couldn't help but demand
"I didn't do anything!" the fox immediately protested
"You must have if you knew what he was looking for!" the hanyou turned his attention back toward the dragon "And you! Who do you think you're fooling with this form? We could all feel your youki from miles away!"
"It's not like I was hiding." the dragon retorted easily enough "This form was just more comfortable!"
"Well, I guess you must be more used to scales and claws than skin and clothes." Ryoichi nodded amicably "But if you don't get in the habit of using your humanoid form again, you'll never be able to blend among human."
A sigh "True, I guess." with a surge of energy, the dragon was replaced by a tall man with white hair and red eyes
"If I may ask..." Ryoichi wondered "I thought you were heading toward the continent?"
"You've already heard from me?"
"My fiance and I have our ways."
"I had already gathered as much from her." the dragon nodded "Still, I was heading from the continent.." a shrug "But then I caught her youki on you, so I made a small detour to come and check!"
The former hit-man sweat dropped – only a multi-millennia youkai would call several hundred of miles a small detour...
"So?" he asked "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Well," the dragon admitted easily "I was wondering what kind of person could catch someone as interesting as that little goddess... but I must admit I didn't expect to find a young god."
"It had to happen if I wanted to follow her." the kitsune admitted easily
"You don't seem too put out by my presence?"
"You're a dragon," Ryoichi pointed out patiently "one who just declared my bambina your Treasure." that affirmation made Shinobu splutter "Of course I knew I'd see you sooner or latter."
"And yet I can feel no animosity coming from you."
"She's your Treasure, not your sex-slave." the hit-man stated blandly "And it's not as if anyone could make her do anything against her will..."
"You're not very possessive for a kitsune."
"I'm a very possessive man." said kitsune contradicted "But I'm not an insecure one. My relationship with the bambina is unique, but we're both immortal beings, I'm not naïve enough to think she'll never fall in love with someone else." a smirk "I'm simply confident enough to understand that whomever else she may love, our relation will never disappear."
"I... don't really see how this qualify as possessiveness?" Shinobu couldn't help but protest weakly "You're saying you'll share her!"
"We've lived through several life already," the fox pointed out "and my bambina attracts dangerous individuals to her like moths to a flame..." a smirk "Sooner or later there's bound to be another one interesting enough to catch her interest if only for a while." a shrug "I'm pretty sure eternal life isn't compatible with monogamy. Love herself pretty much told us as much after all..."
"So... you're saying both of you may fall in love with other people yet still be in love with each other?" the neko understood
"Exactly. If someone wanted to be in a relationship with either of us, that person could never replace us. After all, we've got an unbreakable bond."
Ryukossei had listened to the kitsune's explanation with clear interest – he really didn't regret his side-trip, he decided, the kitsune may not be as fascinating as his fiance, he still was interesting in his own right.
After all, it was everyday you encountered an assassin surrounded with rescued orphans and clearly touched by Life herself...
And this affirmation of a bond – turning his senses to the fox, he realized "Ah, so she's not only your fiance but your Sky."
Ryoichi wasn't surprised by how quick the dragoon realized it – after all, Tsukiko had written that it was the Tail Perk unlocked by his protection that had allowed her to unlock her flames, and ever since, even thought he hadn't used any perk to do the same, his daily meditation had led him more and more toward the warm, familiar flames that had been the central part of much of his first life.
And back then the two of them may not have harmonized – life-times had gone by since, and he hadn't been surprised when from the familiar flame he'd found a bond leading him directly to his bambina.
"So," the dragon wondered, "since you're not jealous of your fiancée's status... do you want the same?"
"Keep it." Ryoichi protested "I don't need powers given out of pity."
"Uh." the dragon huffed, clearly surprised "I wondered... People that aren't jealous are generally greedy, you know."
The kitsune wasn't too surprised by that affirmation – being a dragon's treasure was a highly sought after status after all. Still, to think the man had the gall to test him! His eyes were glowing with barely repressed murderous intent when he glared at the dragon.
"I have been rather patient with your curiosity," he stated "because I know of dragons habit when it come to their treasures. But you have no business trying to judge my worthiness, this is something only the bambina can decide of. And if you are stupid enough to try and come between the two of us..." his smile was full of teeth "I won't need to be the one to end you."
The dragon's eyes widened at the certainty in the fox's tone – and a new light gleamed in his eyes.
Maybe, just maybe – the little god may prove just as interesting as his fiancée...
But he had outstayed his welcome, Ryukossei realized mournfully, in trying to find out what exactly made the man worthy of that girl. Still, that didn't dampen the dragon's mood for too long – he still had his old home to visit, and by the time he came back, the assassin's mood would have surely settled.
"You're right, that little goddess is more than able to decide for herself." the dragon finally answered to the previous threat "But I still had to see if there was anything worth to fuss about!"
With that, he swiftly avoided the several fox fire balls sent his way, shifting seamlessly in his true form "We'll see each other again, little godling!"
[Hidden Event LV300 complete!
You've satisfied Ryukossei's curiosity
Reward: +4000XP, +1 Enhancement Stone
more than simply settling the dragon's curiosity about his latest Treasure, you've managed to gain his interest on your own merit
Bonus Reward: +10 000XP, "Elder Long's Treasure" title unlocked]
[Political System updated!
Ryukossei (ryu daiyoukai, LVmax) has been added as a House of Leaf ally: +50XP]
[Ryoichi activated "Elder Long's Treasure" soul-bond title
+1 Luck, +1Charisma, +2Wisdom]
[Level up! Ryoichi is now level 189!
+16SP, +6CP, +1PP]
[new Tail perk unlocked:
-Might of the Dragon: when needed ryu can be powerful warriors able to use the force of nature against their opponents, you will gain the characteristic of one of their hanyou (+2 Strength and +1 Agility every half decade) and unlock the mastery of one nature element (unlocked by becoming a dragon's treasure, locks Mind of the Dragon)
-Mind of the Dragon: ryu are reputed for their peaceful ways, trying to reason before resort to fight, you will gain the characteristic of one of their hanyou (+2 Wisdom and +1 Luck every half decade) and unlock the mastery of your inner element (unlocked by becoming a dragon's treasure, locks Might of the Dragon)
available: 0]
Ryoichi's killing intent spiked as he realized what the dragon had done – how dare the old scaly annoyance mark him as his own after he specifically refused it!
"I'm sure he did this just to piss me off." the kitsune was still grumbling in annoyance hours latter
"I'm pretty sure he did it because you were idiotic enough to threaten him and mean it." Shinobu contradicted easily "Now stop complaining about something most people would kill for, the kits are starting to wonder if you've gone mad!"
Mentioning the children seemed to be the right thing, the cat hanyou noted with undisguised relief – and if their strange leader still acted a bit like a ruffled cat for the next few days, the realization that it hadn't been 'to spite' him that the dragon had marked him but out of interest, just like both Tsukiko and InuYasha, started to settle little by little, while the band of misfits carried on its mission.