Initially, the battle went well.
Inuyasha understood almost immediately why Sesshomaru had chosen to place Koga's wolves at the front; they immediately caused the horses to fall into a panic. Though initially going after mounted soldiers was harder, by the time the wolves swept through a lot of the dragon tribe soldiers had decided to let their mounts go in favor of not being thrown off.
Already, the corpse flower was becoming useful to Inuyasha- swaths of those strange flowers bloomed, clearing the air and helping their forces against the dragon yokai who were all masked.
Of course they weren't invulnerable to swords and the stomping horses, but it began to create gaps in the otherwise heavy miasma. It was through these gaps that the Foo-Dogs would begin to see the truth.
Inuyasha attacked in her usual pattern-less style, while Sesshomaru attacked in sync with the wolf, rat, and tiger forces. Indeed; both Foo-Dogs weren't used to fighting with others at their side. Sesshomaru was finding it irritating that he couldn't use some of his larger attacks, unless he also planned on wiping out half his men. But he was sure that that wouldn't be a problem for too much longer.
Almost immediately though, something seemed off. Initially Sesshomaru was not sure what, as the miasma was also messing with his senses. But the reaction times, scents, and overall look of some of the soldiers seemed… off somehow.
He wasn't sure if his senses were just tricking him so he ignored the twinge of intuition, for now. In favor of racking up the body count. Already, the ground all around the walls of the Palace were churned up thanks to the horse's hooves.
In the pools they'd made, blood, purple miasma and of course, bodies were already beginning to pile up.
The air stung his skin as Bakusaiga's light ripped through the air over and over- smaller, more precise attacks needed for this moment in time. When fitting, he switched to the poison whip- and woe to anyone who was on the receiving end of that glittering green arc.
Towards the late afternoon Sesshomaru had a sudden realization as he leapt at one of the dragon soldiers who gave him that unsettling feeling. He tore through the man's chest with one hand , ignoring the pained "Auuuugh!" and shoving his horse into the nearest wolf's mouth with a kick.
Pulling out the dragon's heart, he sniffed it carefully as the last few beats of it pulsed rivers of red down his pretty white sleeves. Sesshomaru tsked in irritation, still sniffing. This was one reason he didn't love war… such a mess in every aspect. Unlike most Daiyokai of his kind he actually didn't relish the gore of it. Nor did he relish the psychological pain associated with it. Nevertheless it was absolutely necessary in this case.
He would show the dragons a lesson they would never forget. He continued to sniff.
No, this wasn't the source of the smell.
As the wolf trotted away he dug through the gore, elbow- deep in a pile of pink and maroon entrails that glistened wetly in the soft light. Parrying as someone tried to attack him from behind, and ignoring the tickly feeling coming from his nose.
He was starting to bleed from the nose thanks to the thick miasma.
Inuyasha must not be faring better. I will have to assist her.
He thought. But first to business.
Finally he found what he'd suspected… yet simultaneously dreaded. Deep inside the man, tucked away carefully behind the flexible bag of his stomach was a small wooden stick- thick as a finger, wrapped in dragon hairs and blood.
The moment he pulled it free the man's body seemed to shudder. The flesh turning a sickening brown, then shedding out into the ground into a pile of loosely-packed dirt.
Puppets.
He thought with disdain and threw is aside angrily. That explained their sheer numbers- a great many of them were these puppets, driven only by the fake mass of hairs and blood deeply embedded inside dirt bodies. The same was probably true of the horses as well- but the men were far more of a bother than their steeds… and besides, Koga was making quite some progress on them.
Sesshomaru whirled, decapitating the dragon yokai behind him who had been interrupting his thoughts. A quick splash of blood whipped into the air, a single stripe of it decorating the bridge of Sesshomaru's perfect nose.
He snarled and grabbed the reins of a horse closest to him.
Then, in one smooth movement, drove both heels into the side of the rider on the animal, pulling himself atop. One foot was resting at the horn of the saddle- the other, firmly in the seat.
Inuyasha.
He felt her mind close by as he scanned the crowd. A sense of relief flooding him when he saw the familiar flash of a red hakama and Inuyasha's irritated:
What, Sesshomaru! I'm a little busy!
This few extra feet gained him the height he needed to find Inuyasha- and he darted off. Dodging and decapitating as he went, shouts of pain showing his path.
A great many of the soldiers are puppets. They are covering this with the miasma. We must find the sources of the miasma and destroy them.
Inuyasha was surprised to say the least when Sesshomaru materialized in front of her. Very much too close for comfort.
"Sesshomaru!" She barked in surprise and backed up. Dodging and swooping upwards again, her sword clanging against a dragon's smaller rapier as she shoved him away.
The Daiyokai snarled in irritation: so many, and so close to Inuyasha.
So close to his mate.
It was absolutely unacceptable.
All Inuyasha really caught was a slight flick of his wrist, and a green glow. An of course, that evil sound in the air; something like a ringing, but sharper. It made her silver ears slick to the sides of her head.
A great many of the yokai who had been giving Inuyasha trouble seemed to… disassemble. Inuyasha made a face and pressed the mask tighter over her nose in an attempt to protect her from the smell. But as Sesshomaru had suspected he could already see signs of the miasma's effect on her.
Not only was her face mask stained with a blot of blood ( her blood, he could smell it) but thin, wispy purple veins were starting to show on her neck and near her temples. Her skin was also starting to turn that fetid, greasy white of miasma- poisoning.
Without warning he grabbed her collar and yanked her into a rather passionate kiss.
Sesshomaru, what in seven hells-?!
Inuyasha roared at him, struggling and pushing at his chest -and then pausing just for a moment. Something was happening. She was beginning to feel-
Much better. Her headache was clearing. Her muscles no longer felt fatigued.
And as he pulled away she looked at his face in shock. Now he was the one with those little purple veins, his usually perfect complexion smeared and unusually pale. Sesshomaru made a face, converting the miasma into a liquid in his mouth and then spitting it onto the ground in disgust. It splattered onto a shield and dripped downwards in a spot of purplish-black.
"Filthy dragon tricks." He wiped his mouth with a ruined sleeve and heard Inuyasha mutter faintly under her breath, "Thanks."
As more soldiers moved towards them they spoke in each other's minds, as it was much faster.
How do we find the source of the miasma?
Sesshomaru looked around, eyes narrowed. They must have hidden it in their ranks. Look for out of the ordinary objects on the soldiers- boxes and the like. It may even be in the towers.
Inuyasha nodded, then huffed when Sesshomaru added,
Do not let yourself be so poisoned by the miasma. It will take you down faster than you realize.
Yeah, yeah. I made a mistake. I'll stay closer to where all the flowers are, all right? She huffed, giving him a little wave with her sword before darting off again through the crowd. He watched her go before disappearing with a sense of worry in his gut. It wasn't even the end of the first day and to have the miasma already sapping her of her strength…
It was odd.
They'd both been training so hard it was surprising to him to see her so affected. After all, she'd survived his miasma, and his was far more potent.
It was as if something else was sapping her strength.
As if….
He shook his head and swung Bakusaiga, and the rippling crackle of its power ripped across the hoard of yokai. The very air itself seemed changed and he could feel the static electricity pulling at his clothes and tinging the hair on the nape of his neck.
It was going to be a long night.
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At The Fox Tribe Palace
Diaozuan was quite busy. Between taking care of the kits and helping his father with advice on the war, he'd scarcely had time to sleep. Luckily for him and other Daiyokai like him, sleep and other bodily needs could be put aside as needed much longer than a humans before there were any lasting consequences.
" We need you out there, Diaozuan. I know I originally said for you to stay here, but I'm sure the pups will be well- taken care of." His father said, and he could see the sincerely in his bright purple eyes. Diaozuan wilted , just a little.
Sesshomaru's precious kits giving little mewls and purrs in his arms, rolling and kneading at his clothes with tiny claws. He didn't know why, but he'd never warmed to the nurse that had been picked to take care of his kits. It had happened right after he'd brought them home, an incident so small he hadn't mentioned it at first.
When he'd walked in on her leaning on the crib when he'd first brought the kits home.
There had been a moment- just a moment- where he'd observed her without her being aware of his presence.
As he'd watched her, her eyes had seemed vacant. But not in the thoughtful or wandering way. No- they'd been the vacancy of the ocean after swallowing a ship of innocent people, the vacancy of an open grave filled with mist.
A vacancy of spirit. A detachment and coldness he hadn't seen before or since.
But the fact that the gaze had been directed at his babies filled him with dread. He'd told his father of course, but by the next morning even he began to doubt himself. After all, she had been with them for years and was so friendly. So welcoming. Perhaps he'd just been tired? A hallucination of a paranoid new parent?
"You know how I feel about her." Diaozuan said quietly, his tail flicking on the ground in irritation and curling over each other in anxiety. Sadao sighed and set a hand on his son's shoulder, "I do. But we can get another to take care of them if it bothers you so much." He felt that large warm hand tighten on his bicep.
"I need you , son. And the tribe needs you. They need to see their new leader fighting and defending our lands."
Diaozuan sighed. Switching to a different caregiver wouldn't solve the feeling. The fact of the matter was he didn't want them with anyone else, because that meant she could have access to them without Diaozuan or Sadao being present. He didn't want that.
His gaze drifted to the window. Outside, he could see the dragon's forces just outside the glittering bubble of their barrier. And the wretched dragon himself- a writhing silver and black mass, belching fire and screeching.
Ryuu.
They hadn't expected him to make an appearance, at least not so soon. It was causing them quite some trouble.
"Tomorrow." Diaozuan finally promised with a heavy feeling in his chest. "Come morning light if nothing has turned for the better. I will be with you tomorrow." Their gazes met and Sadao gave a slow nod before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
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The War of Pandemonium, Day 2
As a grey dawn broke over the horizon, Koga's forces retreated behind the barrier. He was given permission to do so by a nod from Sesshomaru- and what was left of his wolves ran gratefully back behind the wall that protected them from the onslaught. Koga had lost many soldiers, and most were wounded and needed medical attention.
In Sesshomaru's opinion, he had more than repaid his debt for his previous transgressions.
The wolf had earned a break. Earned the right to retreat as he so chose.
Dishonorable? Perhaps. But Koga cared not if his actions were construed as honorable or not. All that mattered was that he got approval from Sesshomaru the alpha.
Nothing else mattered.
Behind the wall, nurses gathered, setting up temporary beds in the small farmhouses nearby in order to treat the wolves who returned to their human forms.
Other soon flooded in as well- tigers, rats, and of course the occasional Foo-Dog soldier, sometimes dragged by a friend.
Pinpointing the sources of the miasma had been more difficult than previously imagined, much to Sesshomaru's chagrin. Additionally, the constant barrage of spear and arrows was starting to take an effect on the barrier. Tiny, minute cracks were starting to appear.
While the barrier was fueled by demonic energy and magic, it was not immune to an attack of this scale. The combination of arrows, spears, and choking miasma was taking its toll. Dumb, wild yokai never attacked in these numbers- that was why the barrier was effective against them Well, them and any other yokai who attempted to enter the Palace with ill will in their hearts.
Despite his best efforts an arrow of fear had lodged itself somewhere just under his ribs. Sesshomaru remembered Toshi's words, and he knew that he absolutely must get this situation under control before Ryuu arrived.
The silver dragon will come by midnight on the third day.
Well three guesses who the silver dragon was. He remembered Ryuu's appearance and the glint of his silver scales with all too much accuracy. After all he was the one who had threatened Inukezi's safety. That sort of event was not so easily forgotten or forgiven by the Lord of the West.
It was actually Inuyasha who discovered where the source of the miasma was.
Unlike most demonic miasma, which was sloughed naturally from the breath of higher-level Daiyokai, this was an artificial brew created from a combination of several crushed herbs.
"Ugh!" Inuyasha yanked her sword from the man's form, wiping it on her thigh with a disgusted expression. She hated fighting close-quarters; it meant she couldn't use her larger attacks, for Sesshomaru's men, as well as the tigers and rats were always near. And she was pretty sure they wouldn't appreciate friendly fire from the Tetsaiga. As she did so though, she noted a strange burst of miasma and her yellow eyes widened.
By now, none of them were looking too pretty. Inuyasha's normally clean skin was scored with a mix of blood, sweat, and dirt, as was nearly everyone else's on the field who still stood. She was more grateful than ever that the pups were inside the castle…
She did not want them seeing what lay outside the walls. What wars really looked like. Let them dream of the honor and glory and not of standing ankle-deep in a mix of blood, mud and shit.
She turned over the body with the metal edge, looking for where the burst had come from. His leather rations pockets were fake: instead, there were tiny boxes filled with that god-awful powder. Inuyasha chopped the belt off of his form, holding her sword up to parry a dragon yokai as she sniffed at the packets. The 'leather' was actually dyed gauze- breathable. So that every time the yokai moved, the miasma would leak forth into the air.
This… complicated things.
She turned to face her opponent, cleaving him in half with a scream of anger.
Sesshomaru. The miasma's coming from their damn ration's belts. I think each one of 'em might have the miasma powder.
Across the filed Inuyasha heard the merciless crackle of Bakusaiga, and green light filled the air for a moment. Sesshomaru was lucky enough to have found a pocket of only enemies and was going to use that to his full advantage.
Thank you Inuyasha.
He shot back at the other Foo-Dog. But in reality his mind was racing. Why in the seven hells would Ryuu take all the time to measure out that powder to each soldier and puppet? That must have taken an obscene amount of preparation time and was a huge-
Sesshomaru paused, just for a moment. Bloody mist lingering in the air and collecting in his silver hair as Bakusaiga finished off soldier and puppet indiscriminately.
A huge waste of time.
Ryuu is wasting our time.
That had been his plan all along. Why he'd never shown up for these last two days. Why now, Inuyasha and the rest would have to waste time getting rid of this miasma in order to locate the puppets.
He was keeping them busy as the barrier got weaker and weaker. That way when he finally arrived Inuyasha and Sesshomaru would already be thoroughly exhausted mentally and physically.
Speaking of Inuyasha. He thought, making his way over to her once more. Despite staying in the flowers her sword created, she still needed to be drained of the miasma several times during the day.
And though he did his best to hide the symptoms, the process of drawing it from her into himself, liquifying it, and expelling it was not.. entirely without consequences to his own health. A headache was forming around his temples. Spiking incredible shards of pain into his skull if he happened to snap his head to one side or the other too quickly. His blood was starting to feel unusually sluggish, and his skin was starting to have that unhealthy greasy sheen that came with the beginning of miasma poisoning.
But better him than her.
Neither of them were strangers to pushing themselves beyond their limits. He would merely have to pay the consequences later. Paying it forward so to speak. Sesshomaru ran into one of his own soldiers on the way back and said in a low voice,
"Move the barrier back about six feet. We cannot have it taking the brunt of the arrows anymore. Let the wall take some of the burden."
"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru." He said, his voice high and laced with fear as he stumbled off.
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" I can't stand it anymore. I'm just going to take a quick peek." Inukezi said, getting to his feet. The other pups looked at him with uncertainty.
" We're not supposed to go anywhere near the wall until it's over, Inukezi. That's what mom and Sess said." Ame murmured quietly, her silver tail giving little nervous twitches. It was nice to be able to call Inuyasha 'mom' and though it initially started as teasing, it was sort of the default now. Much to Inuyasha's annoyance.
"Look , I'll be inside the barrier. Nothing's going to happen. I just wanna make sure everyone's okay. And then I'll come right back, I promise." He assured them but heart the slight waver in his own voice. Maybe he was trying to reassure himself as much as them. But that didn't matter. He needed to see. He needed to know what was going on, damn it !
He needed to know that they were doing okay. That they were winning or at least holding their own.
Toshi said, " If you go near the wall, you'll die."
And at first it was such an even statement they all laughed nervously, assuming he was joking.
But when he looked into the kit's jeweled purple eyes he felt fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Toshi's eyes seemed unfocused and dazed, as if not looking at him but through him, and his expression was certainly not that of joking. He looked deadly serious. Pleading even. His eyes seemed to snap back into focus and he added, " Don't. Don't go Inukezi. I saw it in a dream. Please don't go. I know the anticipation is awful and believe me, we're all itching to go look but… please don't."
He got up out of his chair and gently grabbed the taller boy's hand. His small claws matching Inukezi's as he gave it a squeeze. The other pups looked uncertain now as well, uncomfortable and stirring in their seats.
And for a moment Inukezi hesitated. After all, all of them knew of Toshi's strange little gift by now- it wasn't something he'd been able to hide from them for very long.
"Look, I'll take a guard with me all right? I'll be perfectly fine."
Rin stood. " If you're going, then I'm coming with you." She glanced over to Toshi. " I mean, you didn't see anything like that with me, right? So maybe if I go with you, it'll be like extra protection. You know… ward off whatever you did see."
Katsu rolled his eyes, " What kinda effed up logic is that? If Toshi sees it, it comes true. Duh. Don't be an idiot Inukezi, just sit with us a little while longer."
Toshi felt Inukezi squeeze his hand in return but gently let the hand drop. "It doesn't work like that." He said, his voice quiet and low. He tried once more, going for the sleeve this time.
"Stay. Please." He whispered, meeting Inukezi's eyes. Inukezi faltered once more but then seemed to double down on his own resolve. He ruffled Toshi's black hair gently and assured him, " I'll be right back. And I'll prove to you that those visions aren't right all the time. Okay?"
Toshi's ears slicked back in a rush of irritation and anger. Inukezi didn't believe him. He was being treated like a child. One who feared things that were made-up. One that saw threats where none existed. He pushed the boy's hand away and went to the corner, curling up against the side of the bookshelf and not saying a single word more.
Katsu felt Toshi's anger and it seemed to bubble over in the hot-tempered pup. " Fine. Go! See if we care, bastard. Toshi didn't have to tell you anything! He could've just let you go."
Inukezi rolled his eyes, "Whatever Katsu." And watched both the pup and kit with a strange sensation in his chest. Maybe he was making the wrong decision… but when he looked at Rin and felt the warmth of her hand, he thought maybe it'd be all right.
After all, they had Sesshomaru's guard with them. The scary horse-one with hands like stones.
Nothing could hurt them.
Ame went to Toshi's side when Inukezi and Rin left, sitting down close enough so that their thighs were gently touching. He gave a low growl and she didn't respond, only wrapping her soft warm tail around his waist. After a moment or two he started petting the fur absent-mindely with a few of his claws and his shoulders drooped just a bit. Yet when she got closer, Ame could see the shine of a tear on his cheek.
"I wouldn't… I wouldn't lie, I wouldn't… I wouldn't make up something like that." He hiccupped, and Ame scooted closer. Katsu slipped away from the table as well, wanting to give his brother comfort.
"We know, Toshi. And we believe you." Ame assured him as he wiped a few tears away, his eyes red and narrowed with anger. And the two Foo-Dogs quietly comforted Toshi as Inukezi made his way towards the wall.
It was a bit of a walk- the inner city and outer city were pretty large after all. And there were only about 4 sets of stairs that led to the outer wall, so most of the walk was just through the inner city. Most of the walk was in silence, Inukezi's stomach twisting slightly for some reason. Toshi had visions all the time didn't he? Surely not all of them were right. I mean, that just wasn't fair. Getting a sneak preview before everyone else.
Rin looked as beautiful as ever; her hair was all done up in pins and her brown eyes glittered in the evening light like honey.
He was going to finally tell her.
He was going to tell her exactly how he felt about her.
As they began to ascend up the staircase, he began, " So um, there was something that I wanted to tell you. Originally I was gonna kinda wait, especially with all this crazy stuff going on but-"
He paused in embarrassment when he was stopped by the guard, who was giving him a look. He'd accidentally been wandering off ahead. He took a few steps back, letting the guard to first and looking around the top of the wall.
Once the guard assessed at as safe, he gave them a little wave.
But when they actually got to the top of the wall and could see what was going on… they both immediately wished they'd stayed inside.
It was like looking into hell.
A mass of bloody people screaming and stabbing and horses shrieking in pain and the flash of electric magic and… God, it was awful. It smelled like a thousand rotting corpses. Though it was evening the stink of it rose well above the walls in heavy gusts. To the left, Inukezi thought he saw the familiar yellow glow of the wind scar ripping across in its five golden arcs but he couldn't be certain.
His words faltered in his throat. This hadn't been at all like he imagined. Somehow he'd been thinking of organized lines and good clean deaths and … well, things old tales had told him of war. He couldn't think of anything less romantic than this.
He tiptoed a few feet closer to the edge than Rin, wanting to see it all.
It was then that the barrier contracted about six feet.
At first neither of them really realized what was happening. Only that the glittery wall was coming much closer to them at an alarming rate.
Rin watched as the great protective arc went past Inukezi's feet and then something hit him, square in the chest.
"Inukezi!"
An especially skilled marksman had found his target. Inukezi looked at Rin with surprise and terror, the force of the arrow sliding him a few feet backwards as his heart-blood was torn from his body at the tip of the arrow.
A beautiful splash of dark-red decorating his shirt and the bricks below his feet.
The same place his father Inuyasha had been struck by Kikyo all those years ago.
Rin did not hear the guard move, the tinkling of his armor as he saved her from the same fate. She only reached for Inukezi, sure that she could save him, sure that this was something that could be fixed, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, oh god anyone please-
"I love you." His voice was garbled as blood bubbled in his throat.
Her hand fumbled on his as he tumbled backward.
Sliding out.
Inukezi tumbled backward and off of the wall, and he was dead before he hit the ground.
And far off in the heat of battle Inuyasha paused.
Feeling as if something was wrong.
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Smiles- I was thinking of that, but I haven't quite settled on it yet xD
Kibou32- Yes sorry about the delay. A lot of things have been going on in my personal life( my boyfriend got evicted, my parents moved, etc) so I haven't been feeling super inspired. But I'm going to continue to do my best to get this fic Done!
EatEmUp- Well, eheh. Lets just say I hope you're gonna be happy with what I have planned xD See you soon~