Kagura smirked and wondered which attack would be fun for today. Maybe it was time for another bladed tornado attack again. The confused expression Kouga always got when confronted by it was priceless.
Kagura knew she had practiced enough on her fine control over the past months that Kouga wouldn't be injured too much. She usually concentrated on making sure the wind blades in the funnel hit him on his chest and back where his breastplate protected him. She'd have to be careful. Kouga did have a lot of exposed skin with his arms, face, and legs always bare. Somehow she always felt a slight twinge of regret slicing up and marring his tanned skin even if it would be healed by the next time they fought.
Occasionally, Kagura wondered if the only reason Kouga left his limbs bare was mobility. "If he really wanted to he'd probably be able to get some armor that didn't restrict his movements. Knowing him, he just wants to show off how muscular his legs are. Which is silly considering I'm the only female he's been hanging out with lately. He should probably get out more. Oh well, here comes the dumb beast." Kagura said to herself fondly, as a dust cloud was seen in the distance, heading towards their agreed upon meeting spot.
"He's taking his sweet time getting here though." Kagura couldn't help but mutter as Kouga finally got there. She had been looking forward to their fight since the last one five days before. She was even thinking about telling Kouga after today's duel they'd be moving up the schedule to every three days.
"Ready for your regularly scheduled spanking, Kouga-*kun*?" Kagura sweetly sneered, mimicking the honorific the time traveler miko, Kagome, used to call him. It usually did well to get Kouga's hackles up.
"Let's see if you can manage it today, Kagura-chan!" Kouga tossed right back, unfazed.
"I seem to somehow manage every time." Kagura made sure to give him her most dazzling smile.
"Yes, but some people can actually spend their time doing something useful like training. To improve, instead of just wandering being ignored by their precious lord. You shouldn't underestimate them."
Kagura's smile faltered a bit and then widened. The usual verbal foreplay was over. The boy thought he was tough. She'd might as well oblige him and give him the attack he never could get out of.
"Whatever, Kouga. Tornado Blades."
Kagura smirked as she saw the tornado swallow Kouga into it's depths. The last couple of times she'd tried this tactic, Kouga had spent his time dodging and blocking the swirling blades of the countless number of smaller tornados making up the tornado, until he was completely spent. The very last time, she lifted the twister after a while, to find an scratched up and unconscious youkai-boy. After checking to see if he was still alive (In other words, she kicked him in the side to see if he'd grunt. Even the unconscious have pain reactions.) she had just left him there in the field somewhat disappointed that he hadn't lasted longer.
Suddenly, there was a bulge in the side of the tornado's wall. Kagura blinked and focused on containing the twister but it wasn't working. The whole thing started to wobble violently like unbalanced child's toy-top. Then a smaller dust devil separated from the main tornado, straight at her.
Kouga must have figured out that he couldn't fight her attack. But since he could control a smaller tornado, he melded his dust devil with the wall of the tornado easily, insulating himself from her attack. Then he split his dust devil from the tornado while she was focused on righting the tornado. He really had improved!
Of course, her inspection of her partner's fighting abilities was cut off by the sudden need to block the punch aimed directly at her. She didn't even have time to raise a wind wall. Instead, she blocked with her forearm thrown up to protect her face.
Kagura screamed as she was thrown back. So much for having fun and games.
~*~*~
Kagura came back to the camp still wincing. Her arm was a blue mass of swelling. She knew it was broken and might even be shattered into a couple pieces. Though she knew her demon healing would take care of it before sunrise, she still didn't want to risk it healing wrong and being twisted or deformed.
She didn't have time now to ponder the shocked look in Kouga's eye when he noted that he finally got in a good, direct, disabling hit. She definently didn't have time to ponder why he was stupid enough to suddenly take off when the battle was going his way. She had thought that was what he always wanted.
She went to the edge of a camp where a grove of bamboo grew and sliced a good length off. She, then, went to her pack where she knew she had some bandages just in case Kouga got lucky. While she was in her pack she found a lone chopstick. She had lost the other one earlier that week and since she figured she didn't need the one she had. So she placed the chopstick between her teeth to bite to prevent herself from screaming out as she tightened the bandage around her injured arm and bamboo splint.
"What happened?" Sesshoumaru walked up to her.
"I fell." She managed to say around the chopstick. "Ow!" She winced as Sesshoumaru gently picked up her arm and surveyed her binding and grudgingly approved.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Did she really think that he didn't know where she had been? That he couldn't smell the wolf's stench clinging to her along with her every couple of days? "Do not lie to me."
Kagura shrugged as she took back her arm and rolled her kimono's sleeve down. "It doesn't matter how it happened. It's my own busi-." She went turned back to repack her things.
"No, it is not." Sesshoumaru pulled her around by her good arm to face him. "I do not want you to meet again with him. You must have let your guard down and allowed him to break your arm. I-."
Kagura growled. Sesshoumaru had chosen a crappy day to get on her case. "So suddenly you are taking an interest in my life? Maybe I should do the same and ask where you are going every time you get the whim to leave for several days?"
Sesshoumaru blinked. He wasn't trying to go in that direction. "That is none of your concern."
"Let me get this straight. You can dictate my life but I can't even ask about yours?" Kagura glared at Sesshoumaru as she took several angry steps until she was right in his face.
Sesshoumaru was a well spoken noble youkai, feared, lightning fast, and vicious on the battlefield. Both of them knew it. But that didn't seem to matter in this argument.
"That is not what I meant." Sesshoumaru frowned. He wasn't used to talking so much or dealing with irrate, emotional females. Why couldn't she just be agreeable like Jaken and Rin?
"Oh! Are you going to give me that 'If I can't get stronger, I should just accept my fate' speech? And somehow that'll prevent me from going out and training and getting stronger. Then I can stay here with you and accept all your little orders like I did for Naraku!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as he took a step back. "You are twisting my words."
"No, that's impossible! You're the Great and Powerful Sesshoumaru-sama, Lord of the Western Lands! No one can force or twist you! Unlike some measly little throwaway piece of flesh of Naraku's!"
With that, Kagura stomped away and then flew away on her feather, leaving Sesshoumaru wonder why he suddenly felt so confused. He didn't say any of that.
___
A/N Tornados have been proven to be made up of smaller twisters (which are made of even smaller twisters, which are made up of smaller... etc.) How do I know this? Because I watch PBS! Mwahahahaha...!
Anyway, I just got back from a wedding so sorry for the short chapter and slight cliffhanger. Will complete what I wanted to be the rest of the chapter this week and post it next week... as long as I get plenty of reviews.
[insert omake here... crap! I can't think of a joke! Writer's block!!]
Seeing her vague profile amid the cloud of steam in a clearing, ....
"Okay.Pointy ears, short hair, kinda poofy though. Must be the steam." Kouga sighed as he tried to discern the scent, once again having it interferred by the sulfur of the springs. "No stench of death or humanity. I think I smell youkai... why am I doing this again?"
But since this an omake, there is no real explaination.
Kouga charged through the underbrush and the tendrils of steam obscuring his prey.
"Bitch! I have you n-!" Kouga began to yell as he prepared to throw
a punch, but his step faltered for a split second as he was
startled by the wide-eyed look given to him. Unfortunately, his forward
momentum caused him to still plow into the small person. Luckily, Kouga
had aimed high so when he tackled Shippou, he hadn't hit the boulder Shippou
was standing on before but had sailed right into the hotspring with the
kitsune.
"What the?" Kouga muttered as he flipped his wet ponytail out of his face and held up nude furball by his tail.
"I was just taking a bath! WAHHH! Kagome, help me!" Shippou wailed, flailing his arms around the best he could.
"Kagome?" Kouga looked up to suddenly notice the other occupants of the spring, namely a red faced Sango and Kagome trying to cover their bare chests as best they could with wash cloths.
"Thank you!" Kouga whispered up to the heavens. Finally, a good omake!... at least, it was until Inuyasha and Miroku jumped out of their protective (*coughpeekingcough*) place nearby to defend their womenfolk...
"What about me?" Shippou sniffed, big eyed.
...(*sigh*) until Inuyasha and Miroku jumped out of their protective place nearby to defend their womenfolk and the uber-kawaii Shippou. Needless to say, a very large fight ensues.
Especially when Miroku made the mistake of pausing midfight to note that "I didn't know Kagome-sama had a birthmark on her upper thigh before," when she and Sango was trying to sneek off. Kouga and Inuyasha didn't really appreaciate the observation though.
Neither did Sango considering how fast she can put on her catsuit and got into the fight.