-Saira-
Chapter 12: Glow of the Jewel
Why do things like this always happen to me? Am I that bad a guy?
These were the thoughts going through Myike's mind as he caught the semiconscious Saira and watched the snake demon resurrect itself.
Was it fair that a healthy and devilishly handsome seventeen year old boy could survive countless attacks from women, his best friend-turned-demon nearly mauling him to death, and a dozen or so "kind" temple priestesses with ample breasts beating him to a bloody pulp, only to be chomped to bits by an ill-tempered venomous snake demon without securing a male heir for his line?
No. It wasn't.
This would be about the time Saira would make a smart-ass comment like 'Snakes eat their victims whole.' If she happened to be conscious and if she could read his thoughts. Neither things she could do right now which really didn't help at all. As a matter of fact neither would that comment have.
Augh! Come on! I can think up a solution.
. . . . .
Shit. Shit. Shit. What am I gonna do? I don't fight.
Myike was still drained from dissolving the barrier earlier and to make matters worse he had spent the last moments he had on this earth thinking about snakes' eating habits.
My father would be ashamed of me.
HIIIIISSSSSSS . . . .
The snake had obviously decided this was the time to attack its prey and Myike was barely able to dive out of the way as the snake violently struck the ground where he had been standing.
He clutched tighter to Saira in his arms. He couldn't dodge forever.
The snake struggled to pry its sharp, deadly fangs out of the ground as Myike gulped.
That was a deep gouge.
As he looked around for some way to escape he noticed the old looking prayer beads and faded paper where the previously dead snake had been.
The remnants of a prayer circle. Useless to him.
But why was the demon killed and sealed like that? Surely it couldn't have resurrected itself.
At least he wished it couldn't have, as the snake turned on him, very much alive, and seeming to want its prey's undivided attention before it was devoured. It circled around them on its belly and tensed to strike when Myike suddenly remembered he had a holy weapon on his person.
He clumsily held Shakujou before him and the girl.
…And waited as if he expected it to leap out and do the defending.
Myike sighed and concentrated on calling out any kind of power his ancestors could have imbued him with. They should've. Three generations of his were powerful monks after all. They had to have some power even if they were also legendary cheats and scoundrels.
He knew he'd inherited the quick tongue and the appreciation of the female form. But although he did have Saira in a very vulnerable position at the moment a) Saira would kill him when she woke up and b) The demon would kill them before that…
Then the snake seemed to decide it liked its prey spaced out with a dopey look on its' face and went in for the kill. Myike finally snapped to attention and winced.
Probably not the right time for fantasizing either.
His ancestors would've been proud.
Myike sat very still, head bowed, staff clutched in hand, waiting patiently for the afterlife when he noticed he was glowing. Myike looked up and saw what looked like a fairly large blue bubble around him and Saira. He blinked once before his eyes widened in realization.
I created a barrier?
The youkai looked a little pissed. It must have been hungry after being dead for however long.
Myike gently placed Saira down on the ground and examined it. It wasn't very big, only big enough to fit the two inside comfortably, and it was already weakening as he felt himself starting to get tired.
It's now or never then.
Myike stepped through it cautiously after placing one of the various charms he had on his person and praying to Kami it wouldn't break. All the barriers he'd seen would break when walked through by the caster. But he had no choice. He HAD to fight or they'd both die anyway. Casting that barrier had been an accidental second chance. He had to make the most of it.
Myike winced as he stepped out and looked back. It hadn't broken but the aura of it had changed slightly. He watched the unconscious girl suspiciously.
Never mind. There's no time now, even if she's helping with the barrier, I cast it. If I fall it'll break. The boy raised his weapon at the dokuhebi and said a silent prayer that he wasn't committing suicide for nothing.
The hebiyoukai stared at him calculatingly in turn. Myike averted his eyes. He'd heard snakes could entrance their prey. Maybe that had been what had happened with Saira.
"Stupid thing." he muttered and dug around in his pockets for more lightning rosaries. The youkai still studied him curiously. Maybe he's not hungry anymore?
The teenager ran as fast as he could and struck at the snake's side with his staff, amazed when it slashed through the beast's tough hide easily. A gargantuan chunk of the snake's body slid off.
Myike's silent cheering was suddenly halted when the snake struck at him. Luckily the sticky black blood spilling from its side like poison slowed it down and made it less than accurate. Myike made another slash at it cockily, this time deeper on its other side. Amazingly this demon seemed pretty weak.
Until it shed its skin.
Myike's eyes widened. Its chest glowed with a purple light. The snake seemed to have another whole new body under its previous torn flesh. Its' eyes stared viciously. Its perfect red scales shined. The hebi was whole again.
Not good.
He brandished Shakujou frantically and hit it on its side once again, but this time he bounced back and skidded on the ground a few feet. Its hide was like iron. When before, his staff had cut through it like butter, the snake now seemed twice as strong. But maybe the whole of it wasn't that tough yet...
Myike stood shakily and held his staff before him, one hand behind his back as the demon came for him again. His face remained impassive as its' mouth opened wide to swallow him.
The boy only saw black for two seconds before the youkai was cooked.
Lightning beads were very convenient.
His wager had been correct. Its' flesh was still soft on the inside.
Myike wiped at the sweat pouring down his face and released the barrier as he plopped on the ground. He was exhausted again. It seemed that spiritual powers drained you physically. He didn't notice the small scratch on his upper arm.
He turned hearing a groan. Saira came around with a confused look in her golden eyes. "Great timing, sleepy head. You missed all the fun." Myike smiled weakly, gesticulating at the bloody mess, though Saira could smell the disgusting roasted flesh just fine.
She sat up and ran over to him. "What happened?" The miko tried not to sound worried and ended up sounding agitated. She never was good at hiding her emotions.
"You woke that thing up. You know it was in a prayer circle for a reason."
She blinked once and hugged him enthusiastically. "You mean you slayed it all by yourself? I'm so proud of you!" Saira immediately stopped smirking at his pained expression. "Hey. You okay?"
He pointed silently. The deceased snake was quivering as its' chest glowed with an eerie pastel light.
They both watched it incredulously as the flesh stared repairing itself again at the center of its chest.
"It must have a talisman!" Saira shouted. Without thinking she jogged up to it taking out her sword and sliced it to bits in one swift motion.
Myike twitched. Sure, its' easy for her.
With a grunt and a disgusted face she cut its chest open and ripped out the glowing piece. Immediately the parts stopped moving and rotted to dust flying on the wind.
"What is it?" Myike asked as he stumbled over. The fight had taken a lot out of him it seemed.
A small black jewel the size of a large marble rested in her hands. "It must be some kind of powerful article for that thing to resurrect itself. Why would someone just leave it here?"
Myike opened his mouth to say that technically she had resurrected the demon by breaking the enchantments surrounding it when suddenly the courtyard was filled with sound.
It was low at first, a few random clangs, shouting. But gradually it grew louder. It sounded like screaming.
The couple looked around dazedly. Saira wanted to cover her ears.
The wind started to pick up.
Saira looked down to see the jewel swirling in her hands. It began to glow a fierce neon pink pulsing scarlet.
Myike watched silently. He wanted to tell her to drop it and run but he was caught in the entrancing light of the jewel.
The wind swirled faster and faster as the sounds of battle grew nearer…