FROSTBITE II
The metallic smell of blood was strong enough to upset even her nose, the stink of it heavy as it wafted through the crowd. There was a beat of silence, onlookers shocked by the sudden display, but just as quickly there was a shout, and the crowd erupted into chaos: howling and whooping, the scent inciting a fervor they hadn't yet exhausted during the weeks they'd been in attendance. The giant dogs that flanked the crowd the only thing holding them back, away from the corpses as they slumped forward, choking and gasping into pools of their own blood. At her side, Achara stifled a gasp behind their hands, and Kagura kept a tight grip on their shoulder even as her stomach turned, the idea of killing a child not sitting right, but nowhere near Achara's level of horror, or that of the fox kit across the room, who looked like he might vomit. And in the center…
"Kinjirou…"
"You said to be rid of them, is this not what you meant?" He made a wide gesture with his arms, flicking the blood from his fingers, and though she couldn't see it, Kagura was sure there was a grin still plastered to his face. "I'm sure someone here will gladly clean up the bodies."
That much was certainly true, the dog nearest her was nearly drooling on the floor, but even Sesshoumaru's mother looked disgusted by the display, her lip was surely curled behind the screen of her sleeve as she looked down her nose at the corpses. Beside her, Sesshoumaru was almost a perfect mirror, disdain marring his features as he slowly rose to his feet.
Kagura held her breath. For all his attitudes, his nonchalance and disgust for the world, Sesshoumaru was set in his own morality, and if she was right, killing children was something he would not abide. But, he calmly stepped up to his cousin, close enough that his socks were in danger of turning red, as wide as the pool of blood had grown, and looked down at the two bodies with a sneer of disgust.
"If this was meant as a slight at my father, you've done a poor job of it, Kinjirou," he said, his lip curled, "killing a starved human child or two is hardly an accomplishment. I'd think you'd want for more of a challenge."
Kinjirou's shoulders straightened just a little, and Kagura felt the pressure of his sharp exhale, but whether it was a sigh or a snort she couldn't quite tell.
"I suppose you're right, maybe I should have brought a woman," He let out a soft chuckle then. "Or I should have found some misbegotten hanyou, that certainly would have been more of a challenge, wouldn't it? Not by much, but it would have certainly done his legacy justice."
"You're lucky I'm not my father, Kinjirou. Family or not your head would already be rolling for the insult." Sesshoumaru's steps were slow as he stepped through the puddle, staining his feet red until he and his cousin were nose to nose. Kinjirou resolutely held his ground. "Tell me, did you have another show up your sleeve? I'd hate to see you waste it."
"I hate to disappoint, but unfortunately―"
Whatever half-assed excuse he'd meant to voice didn't get a chance to leave his throat before Sesshoumaru's hand was wrapped around the column of his neck.
"Then stop talking."
For all the shock that played out across his posture, the split second after Sesshoumaru's claws began to dig pinpricks into his flesh, when he still hadn't decided whether to fight or flee, Kinjirou recovered from it well, and had his own claws swiped at Sesshoumaru's face within the next blink.
Around them the room seemed to lift, a gasp rolling through them, as if the draw of the fight pulled on the crowd just as much as the two men involved, cheers and hollers becoming deafening in the excitement. Up till then, it had been guests or the four-legged dogs, fist fights or snapping matches that ended in seconds, and while they resulted in injuries, none so far had resulted in a casualty, but with the way Sesshoumaru bodily threw his cousin across the room, snapping the support beams as Kinjirou's body collided with the thick wood, Sesshoumaru quick behind him, Kagura thought that might just change before the sun rose.
Bloody footprints stained the floor as the chaos spilled out into the night, the other youkai, dogs and spirits alike unperturbed by the mutilated corpses of the children, the bodies nothing more than an object in their path, something to be stepped over and pushed aside, spreading the viscera as they went and uncaring of the vibrant red stains on the soles of their feet.
Kagura, swept up in the motion of the crowd, followed suit, her hand slipping away from Achara's shoulders as she ran to the railing and threw herself against it, the wood digging into her belly as she leaned over, trying to get a better view of the two men below. Sesshoumaru and Kinjirou stood facing each other, posture severe, claws and fangs bared, both their eyes a violent shade of red, Sesshoumaru snarled something Kagura couldn't quite catch, and as much as she might have enjoyed being beside his cousin, the thrill of showing him what for, there was suddenly a frigid trickle of fear running across her skin as Kinjirou's flesh suddenly sloughed away, and a snarling, vicious dog four times her own height replaced him.
"Kagura!"
The sound of her name made her head spin, and she turned to look over her shoulder at Achara. With the crowd busy at the railing, the vibrant red splatter across the floor was even more disturbing, sparkling in the candlelight, the liquid working its way into Achara's saffron robes as they knelt in the gore beside the corpses. Not known for their strength, Achara futilely tried to lift both children onto the robe they'd discarded to carry the bodies. A wasted effort, with the giant dog, Aporo, lapping at the blood and sniffing at the boy's leg like it might hazard a try at taking a bite. Achara screeched at it to no avail, and yanked on the boy's collar, his head falling to the side to reveal the brutality of Kinjirou's claws, his neck a gory, bloodied smile, the gash clean through the boy's throat and revealing the barest glint of the white of his spine on the other side. What blood hadn't yet hardened continued to spill as Achara pulled him, still screaming at the dog.
The castle gave a violent shake, and her attention went back to the dogs, two now, more menacing than before, their youki nearly tangible in the air, driven by their rage as the sound of their snarls was deep enough to make the floorboards tremble.
"Kagura!"
She cursed and slammed a fist against the railing, sparing the dogs a final glance before she spun around and rushed back to Achara. The fox kit had joined in the chaos, swatting at Aporo who had the corpse's leg in its jaws, tugging insistently as Achara tried to rip the corpse away from it, the girl forgotten on the floor. A tool then. Kagura extended her fan and the body came back to life, its head rolling to the side even as Kagura made it bend to her will, to kick and scratch at the dog's eyes. Not very strong, but the shock of the reanimated corpse had the dog backing away with a curl to its lip, fangs bared and tail tucked at the unnatural thing before it.
Kagura was at Achara's side in the next second, but did not release the girl's corpse, positioning the thing over Achara as they wrapped the boy up in their robe. Another roar erupted from outside, followed by a violent tremor that shook the castle's walls and dropped dust upon their heads. Above the heads of the crowd, Kagura spotted a flash of white fur, but Achara's hand tugging at her sleeve forced her to look away, the gaping maw of a different dog demanding her attention as Aporo began to edge closer to the corpses again. A final swipe of her fan and the dog decided it could find an easier meal.
Loathe as she was to leave the spectacle behind, Kagura knew better than to stay behind, Shippou did not hesitate to follow, running on all fours, while Achara clutched the body to their chest and was quick behind her as she led the corpse out of the hall, their footsteps punctuated by the tremors and shakes that wracked the castle, the rumbling each time the dogs snarled and bared their fangs.
What youkai hadn't been in attendance earlier were certainly emerging now, curious about the noise and the quakes, briefly stunned by the corpse that pushed past them, but too caught up in the excitement of a fight to pay them much mind as they hurried deeper into the castle.
It wasn't hard for her to find the gap in the wall, she'd spent several days making sure it was still there before she'd gone and been humiliated, and it seemed the path was still open to her, as she snatched Achara by their collar and bodily pushed them through the barrier, the fox and the corpse not far behind. The static of the barrier clung to them, and Kagura slowed her sprint once they were all on the other side.
"Why the hell did you need to get involved?" Kagura spat, not stopping to check on them. Instead she stomped on down the corridor, arms crossed and scowling at the floor. Already, she regretted pulling them through, but knew nowhere else that they wouldn't be disturbed.
"You know why," Achara's voice was hesitant, the echo soft against the jagged rocky walls, "I wouldn't have done anything, but I couldn't leave them like that."
Kagura only acknowledged that with a sigh and kept walking, knowing that even now if she squinted over her shoulder, those atrocious little imps would be scampering along behind them, trying to yank and tear at the bodies. Their footsteps were like an echo in her ears, something she'd learned to hate as soon as she'd developed the ability to see them, an ability she'd prefer to do without.
The four of them―Kagura, Achara, the fox, and the corpse―made their way through the tunnel in silence, nothing but their footsteps to punctuate their passage. They slowed as soon as they reached the cavern, an appropriate place to bring corpses, even as Kagura resolutely ignored the little dip in the floor as she walked past and led them to a larger gap in the bones. Achara seemed like they were content to ignore the macabre decoration, but the boy gasped at the sight, frozen to the spot while Achara went to the floor to lay the boy down. She followed suit, leading the girl to the center and directing her to lay back on the floor. Achara paused a moment, hovering over their bodies until the girl's corpse finally settled, a grimace on their face.
"You know I hate when you do that."
"Would you have preferred to carry it? I know I wouldn't," Kagura muttered as she turned away and found herself a nice perch in the upturned jawbone of some giant creature, she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, content to glare at the skull stacked wall. Achara grumbled something else she didn't quite catch, their voice interrupted by a rumble through the mountain, strong enough for stones to fall from the ceiling and for the skulls to clatter loudly until the shockwave dissipated, leaving behind only the sound of water dripping somewhere far away.
Achara settled on the ground beside the corpses with a solemn sigh, their hands clasped in front of their face and eyes closed, their lips moved minisculely, muttering words Kagura had never bothered to learn. The fox stood to the side, wringing his hands while his eyes never left the bodies. Such a pitiful little display.
"Are you missing your humans yet, fox?"
Shippou jumped at her voice, his tail puffed in shock but he was quick to smooth it back down and shake a tiny fist at her.
"As if you haven't done worse things, Kagura!"
She rolled her eyes and tutted. "Not with children…"
"Both of you, hush, please."
Kagura snapped her mouth shut at Achara's reprimand, choosing to glare at the wall and allow the bird the time they needed. Shippou calmed and found himself a spot on the floor between the two of them, his back to Kagura despite the accusation he'd made only seconds before, an odd display of trust. The drip, drip, drip, of water somewhere in the caves continued, the only sound once the tremors and quakes finally diminished. The hellish imps poked and prodded at their charges, the children's souls not quite ready to leave their bodies just yet.
Kagura chewed on the inside of her cheek, unsure if she should go see what had become of the fight, curious about the state of both dogs, about the sudden silence that permeated the mountain, even as she resisted the urge to rub the soles of her feet together to slake off the dried blood between her toes. The incessant dripping was close to driving her insane, especially with Achara's muttering and the kit's fiddling with his clothes, but―
A draft piqued her awareness, a sudden chill coming from up one of the tunnels, a shift that nearly had her jumping to her feet with her fan extended, but upon further probing, she merely clicked her tongue and turned back to the wall. Though her aggravation and feigned nonchalance didn't stop her from straining to watch from the corner of her eye as Sesshoumaru emerged from the tunnel's opening, looking as dour as ever, the little toad fast on his heels, a sheathed sword in his hand and a growing red stain across his chest, sickly brown in the dull light. He held himself stern, trying not to betray the injury, but it seemed Kinjirou had been able to get in his fair share of hits.
He strode forward to the center of the cavern, his steps even, to where Achara still had their eyes closed above the corpses, he stopped just behind them while the little fox jumped to his feet, his neck craned to look up at the dog even as he backed away. Sesshoumaru ignored her and the fox both, his gaze stuck on the bodies as he towered over Achara.
"Move."
Kagura nearly fell from her perch, how dare he―but Achara merely continued their muttering, either ignorant or willfully ignoring the youkai at their back. Kagura tutted, a loud thing in the silence of the caves.
"Leave them alone, Sesshoumaru."
Not even a flinch or a glance. Kagura felt her hackles rising as she finally turned her head to watch.
"I said move."
That was it. She jumped to her feet, uncaring of what the injured and petulant dog might do as she stomped over and placed herself between them, the tiny space where her calves brushed against Achara's spine, she had to strain her arms to avoid his chest even as she jammed the tip of her fan at his face.
"And I said leave them alone!"
His gaze slowly slid to hers, his usually golden eyes a luminescent green in the light as he looked down his nose at her. He was holding his breath again, she could feel the restraint in him, his arms straight at his sides, his left hand tightly gripping the scabbard of his sword. The first time he'd met her gaze in three days, but she still felt the scalding hot burn of humiliation coiling down her spine, more powerful than the loathing and barely tempered rage clear in his eyes as he glared at her. She could feel his aura lashing the air, barely contained and furious, but she kept her spine straight, head held high. She would not cower from him.
His eyes flickered between hers, and he finally inhaled, his face softening just a hair when his lips parted, there was a tug at her sleeve…
"Kagura―"
"―let him."
She tore her eyes away and looked down at the fox, the fabric of her sleeve still gripped in a tiny fist and looking up at her with watery green eyes. He tugged again, pleading.
She blinked, confused. Why the hell should she? She no longer had a reason to listen to the damned son of a bitch other than being polite, which she had no intention of doing. But the boy still kept staring at her, begging with each tiny tug of her sleeve, and when she raised her eyes again, the man in question wore a similar expression. More open than she'd seen in days, almost like how he'd been before she'd gone and screwed everything to hell, soft and tender and warm. There was a plea in his eyes, just the same as the boys, just one he wouldn't voice, probably out of some misplaced idea of pride, but she felt her resolve crumbling under that stare, her posture slipping, seeking out his warmth in the damp, dark caverns―
Kagura pursed her lips and took a deep breath, giving Sesshoumaru one final glance before she conceded and turned to grab Achara. At first they swatted her hands away, but a firmer tug and the bird was dragged away with a hiss until they were outside of Sesshoumaru's reach. Achara struggled a bit as they awakened from their stupor, a little dazed and confused, but settled once they felt the tension in her grip.
It seemed that now he'd looked at her he wouldn't stop, Sesshoumaru watched them step back, his eyes following her every movement. She wanted to snap, to tell him to get on with it, make her stop questioning herself, but that solemn stare held her tongue until he finally turned away and drew the sword.
She didn't quite remember this one, had never seen him use it in battle, didn't even know the name of the damn thing, couldn't remember if Naraku had ever schemed over it or not. She'd only seen him draw it the once against the guardians of the gate to the next world, but he hadn't even swung it then. It looked just like any other sword, but as he held the blade over the corpses, it felt as if the air had suddenly gone several degrees colder, and the longer he held it the more she started to understand what the guardians had seen in the blade that at the time she hadn't been able to. The ethereal glow of it, the pulse of power.
He paused only a second, the span of a breath, before he swung, the blade slicing through the air and the pallbearers in one clean strike.
Kagura's eyes went wide and her grip slid away from Achara, who was quick to return to the children's side with soothing words and gentle hands as their flesh knit back together, as they began to cough and choke on the stale and bloodied air that had been trapped in their lungs.
Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword and stepped away, retreating until his back was nearly against the wall of skulls. He'd calmed, but there was still tension in his posture, the pain from his injury finally catching up to him―he glanced up at her briefly―or maybe aggravation at her presence. That was fine. She'd start swinging at him herself if he wasn't already so sad looking.
Achara continued to fuss and coo at the children, the little imp looked as annoyed as he ever was, and the fox seemed calm, watching quietly as the humans regained themselves. Once they'd regained their bearing and Sesshoumaru finally did step off the wall and approach them, the girl shrunk into herself, shielding her brother in the circle of her arms.
"Jaken, go find them new clothes."
The imp jumped to attention, sputtering an acknowledgment before he ran off, flat feet slapping against the stone floors as he went. Sesshoumaru directed his gaze at Achara next.
"There is a temple south east of here, near the coast, when he returns you will take them there."
Kagura opened her mouth but the girl spoke before she could manage.
"You're… setting us free…?"
Sesshoumaru scoffed. "I have no interest in human children."
The girl's shoulders began to tremble as her eyes flooded with tears, anxiety and terror truly catching up to her now. Her clothes were still torn, hair still matted against her skull, and she was still covered from throat to hip in her own sticky coagulated blood. In her arms, her brother, looking much the same, buried his face against her breast.
"Th-thank you, youkai-sama," she said, the word heavy in her mouth as if she wasn't really sure if she meant it.
There was a beat of silence before Shippou bounded forward up to them, a timid smile on his face. He kept his distance, but the girl still leaned away from him, unsure of the kitsune and his proximity. The fox took it in stride.
"Don't worry, you'll be alright. Sesshoumaru is usually grumpy and kind of mean, but he can be nice, too," he said with a wide grin and a nod, trying to console her.
"Shippou."
The boy flinched at his name and turned to the scowling dog with a forced laugh, trying to defuse the tension despite the menacing glare Sesshoumaru shot at him. Shippou shivered, but either he'd grown braver over the years or he'd simply become accustomed to Sesshoumaru's moods, because he did not cower away. Kagura would have found the sight almost impressive if she wasn't too preoccupied with staring down the dog to notice.
With his contribution done, the sword put away, it seemed he had no more reason to stay, the children were being attended to with Achara's soothing and the fox's showy tricks, which left Sesshoumaru standing there with nothing to do but stare. The children laughed, the boy in truth and the girl with a reserved and nervous sort of chuckle, still fearful of the youkai and the boneyard she'd come back to life in, still shooting nervous glances at the youkai who so strongly resembled her murderer. Kagura didn't blame her, with the way he stood back amongst the shadows, the bones of his family's enemies strewn around like war trophies. Would they have dumped the children's bones here, she wondered, if Sesshoumaru had been feeling less than generous after his little ordeal and left them for dead.
He must have grown tired of her prodding stare, because with one last chilling glance and a huff, he turned and headed for the opposite exit of the cavern. She had an idea where he was going, but still, watching his retreating back and listening to his heavy steps didn't leave her feeling any more benevolent than before. She kept her thoughts to herself and watched him go, the sword still tightly gripped in his hand, until he disappeared beyond the tunnels and his footsteps faded, until she was sure he was out of earshot.
"Shippou." The boy jumped again, shocked out of whatever trick he'd been working on. "How long has he had that sword?"
He turned to her and craned his neck to see her face, one eyebrow raised. "I don't know. Since before I met him, I guess."
She fidgeted with her fan, running her thumb along the paper's edge, and pulled her lip between her teeth. There had been the spark of a memory, of that day in the meadow, he'd had his hand on a sword, she hadn't realized which, hadn't had the presence of mind to remember the names of the swords at his hip or to question why he'd bother drawing a sword when they'd never been enemies, why he'd bother at all when she'd already been dying at his feet…
"How long has he―" The boy waited for her to finish, watching her expectantly, and even the human children looked curious. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, feeling agitated, more out of her element now than when he'd rejected her. The question she truly wanted answered thundering in her head and only growing louder the longer she stared at the crack in the rock he'd vanished into. "You know what… Nevermind."
She could find out herself.
…
I don't like character heavy chapters, but all in all it didn't turn out so bad, right?
