Author: Just letting you guys know, I'm gonna pinch a bit on the fight scene because I'm starting to think that detailed fight scenes are to be watched, not read. So, this isn't gonna be absurdly long...like the one between Kouga and Inuyasha ::shudder::
Chapter 23:
Lilian waited restlessly in the clearing, a light breeze carried the faint scents out of the forest behind her and mixed with the cool dew in the air. She suppressed a shiver as the dull winds swept across the exposed skin on her neck and face. Her eyes were turned toward the village, patiently awaiting the other, more preferred warrior.
She closed her eyes to block out the tension she was feeling at the situation. Her father, mother, brother, and Kan-ryu were all gathered, expecting the last member to arrive before the competition could begin. Every one of them remained silent, as none could find the words to say.
She exhaled a warm breath and clutched the single concealed dagger she had brought with her, hidden under the light blue sash of her kimono. The rest was a single color of ocean blue, seemingly flawless and inconspicuous except for the nearly invisible slit running up the right side all the way up to her hip. The alteration was designed to remain closed unless she applied certain pressure to rip the few threads that held it together, allowing the necessary freedom for combat if the need arose. It was one of her favorites among her limited formal attire though she hardly wore it.
She turned her head only slightly, looking first at Kan-ryu who was as confident as he had been for the past few days. The arrogant smirk he wore on such occasions was ever present on his face and Lilian could do little but wish a swift beating from the one male that had managed to catch her attention.
Unconsciously, she began to measure him up against the wolf youkai that she was calmly waiting for. There was a definite difference in build, Kouga was sleek but firm while Kan-ryu remained oddly thin despite his abilities. In the past, Kan-ryu had proven to be intolerable in conversation and confrontation, while Kouga on the other hand was completely opposite to that. She could see herself spending time comfortably with the youkai in so many different scenarios, while spending time with Kan-ryu was still something she did only for the mandatory purpose of letting her father rest easy about her having a husband.
The more she thought of the two of them, the more she realized they were completely different. Appearance, attitude, aura, everything about them, to her, signified complete and polar opposites. Evil and good, darkness and light, night and day.
Her thoughts lead her to the brink of a conclusion that in all the time that she had spent with Kouga or alone in the past few days, she had never bothered to consider.
She absolutely hated Kan-ryu, that much she knew...
But if Kouga was the positive to Kan-ryu's negatives...then...
"Its about time you showed up!"
Her mental ramblings were put on immediate hold by the aggravating voice of none other than her husband.
"Oh, and I see you brought friends too."
Lilian finally turned her focus to what she found to be a small group consisting of Kouga, Kagome, and Inuyasha. While she noticed the other two were there, it was really only Kouga whom she gave the bulk of her attention, and once she gained his, she waved and smiled.
From her perception, he seemed a bit taken aback by the action and returned to her a partially nervous smile. It effectively masked the down expression on his face moments prior that she couldn't discern.
"Yeah, we don't have a lot of time so if you could hurry up and get your ass beat, it would help us all out."
Inuyasha's exclamation was made with a large cocky grin which would have made anyone around swear that it was he who was to fight. Kagome, at his side, blushed a bit at the embarrassment before making a quick bow and short apology to the whole of Lilian's relatives.
Of all the people there, save Lilian, Inuyasha had the most confidence in his rival's ability to win this. It had only been days since their last fight, and he had to admit that there was a whole new level of respect for the wolf that he had not had years prior. He knew Kouga was strong, and there was no reason to think that the toothpick with the blade-like nose before him could provide a decent challenge.
Kouga managed to choke out a chuckle, still trying to figure out what exactly to do in his current situation. Kan-ryu himself posed little threat to him, he could tell that much by the desperation in his plans, but he was not willing to test the limits of the man's evils with so great a prize on the line.
He broke away from Lilian's bright gaze to the less preferred dark ones of his soon to be opponent. Clad in a combination of light-weight dark armor and a complete black body suit loose enough to be comfortable, but not to catch too much wind, Kan-ryu was the only one dressed in anything remotely close to battle attire. The rest wore an assortment of either casual or lightly formal arrangements though none really stood out to him aside from the oceanic combinations of Lilian's.
Kan-ryu rose slowly and slickly to his feet, the metal of the armor bracers and shin guards clanking noisily as his hands reached for a small sickle and chain the same dark color as his clothing. The chain rattled uncontrollably in the process, effectively shattering all of Kouga's sudden respect for the man at obvious stealthy capabilities in his dress. The thought of attacking out of the shadows with such a weapon seeming unrealistic, though he quickly quenched the thoughts as Kan-ryu rose to full stature.
A piercing glare at once went from Kouga to Kan-ryu, summing up all the anger he felt towards the man at the moment, knowing full well that there was plenty more. The return was a smug, confident, and bored eye contact, accompanied with a smirk that only fueled Kouga's wrath.
Without a word between them spoken, the two made steps forward, closing the large distance between the two parties. Using this time, Lilian's family made sure to retreat a bit further into the forestry so that they were slightly behind the tree line. Inuyasha hoisted Kagome up bridal style and in a few leaps, joined the family, stepping around the self imposed battle-field and landing next to Lilian, who was growing more anxious by the second.
It was when they were only a few meters apart that Kan-ryu and Kouga stopped before each other. Kouga's face was stern and tight, focused on the present problem at hand, his mind in an ever disturbed fit of turmoil. Kan-ryu merely stayed lax and disturbingly cheerful at the events.
Kan-ryu maintained eye contact with Kouga for a moment before turning to Lilian's father, still sitting amongst the family. He moved the chain into the hand holding the sickle, closing the fist around the weapon and letting the bulk of it dangle loudly by his legs. With his free hand, he covered the fisted one before him and bowed lightly.
Kouga took the hint and followed suit, rising once Kan-ryu did, and turning to face his opponent in mimicry of what he assumed to be a formal gesture.
Lilian turned to see her father, who was wearing a perfect face of indifference at the display. She turned back to the two and a light breeze blew threw the clearing.
Kouga growled almost inaudibly, the wind was blowing towards the forest. The clearing wasn't close enough to the town for an effective assassination from the buildings without being in plain sight, plus, he could smell no one else around from there. If Kan-ryu had been telling the truth, then his minions would be in the forest, but with the wind blowing the way it was, he could not be sure.
Kan-ryu sunk into a loose fighting stance, and Kouga fell to his own more defensive and sunken pose. Kouga tensely closed his hands, effectively cracking all his hands at once as Kan-ryu moved the scythe into his right hand.
The breeze blew continuously for a few moments before stopping suddenly and giving Kan-ryu the signal to start. With a devious smile on his face, he stepped forward, signaling the official begin of their bout.
Kouga's eyes darkened in half concentration as he forced himself to pay as much attention to his current dilemma as possible. Kan-ryu's smirk was absolutely infuriating, taunting him with every flashed tooth that managed to fall into sight, and when the scythe flew from his opponent's hand, he forced himself to ignore the smile he wanted so desperately to wipe off Kan-ryu's face long enough to step back.
The blade's arc stopped no more than an inch away from his chest's new position, swung with a speed that he actually seemed to lose sight of it for a moment at the apex of it's travel. He didn't make a sound as the blade was pulled back to a still advancing Kan-ryu.
It was a simple gesture to catch the retracting blade and place it back in his strong hand, thus Kan-ryu managed to re-arm himself in time to ready the weapon for close combat.
Even Kouga had to admit that the man fought with a certain finesse and grace, save for the annoying smirk, he seemed completely engrossed in his form. Punches, kicks, and scythe attacks all melded together in an odd yet smooth set of motions. It was simply age and experience that Kouga believed gave him a solid advantage in this fight, but he was still cornered with the whole "assassins" ordeal.
He stole a glance at Lilian before dodging a swift kick aimed for some part of his upper body that he didn't bother to guess. He could see solid confusion in her face as he dodged the flying scythe off instinct alone. He only looked on for a moment as his 6th sense brought his attention to a punch using all of Kan-ryu's body weight that he was forced to block from his position.
It was then that he noticed something, the annoying smirk on Kan-ryu's face was slowly disappearing, while a few short moments ago, it was on the edge of a full smile that Kouga would be able to see a mile away, it was not more like a straight face with the corners turned upward ever so slightly. Accompanying the change in lips, were the fact that his eyes were a bit narrower, and if the wolf hadn't known any better, he could have sworn that Kan-ryu was concentrating.
He pondered it with only a portion of his focus as he continued to dodge the flurry of blows that was becoming more and more swift and difficult to avoid with each passing strike.
It was only when the confident look had been fully erased, replaced with one of total focus and a bit of agitation, that Kouga had the chance to glance back at Lilian, breaking his concentration during the time that Kan-ryu was landing from an impressive air combo involving five strikes and ending with a toss of the scythe, all the while moon-saulting over Kouga's head. He nearly was hit when the chain was flung from Kan-ryu's off hand at what he saw: Lilian simply wasn't there.
Lilian slowed her breathing as she trekked nearly soundlessly through the forest, ignoring the sounds of Kan-ryu's struggle against Kouga in the background. Her steps were light, making sure not to disturb the rocks and leaves beneath her feet, afraid to blow her cover, it was bad enough that she had no choice to move directly toward her target, whatever it might be.
It had been merely a sound, maybe, she wasn't sure. Something had caught her attention from deep into the forest trees from not too far away and she wasn't sure what. She sensed it more than heard, or so she presumed, the faint presence of at least one individual, attempting to mask their presence by use of high level stealth. She would have missed it if it wasn't for a single misstep or mistake in calculation, maybe a breath taken in too quickly, maybe a piece of cloth not folded tightly enough that caught a faint breeze.
She wasn't sure exactly, all she knew was that she was soundlessly and silently moving through the trees, bathed in the broken, early light of the morning, still with her weapon concealed and her kimono un-torn. Being un-seen wasn't her agenda, being unsuspected was.
She continued on aimlessly, slightly more relaxed than she had been at the match. She knew fully that there was no reason that Kouga should be pressed as hard as he was. She had seen him fight, and even fought him herself, that alone told her that he was better than he was performing. No counters, no attacks, just dodges and blocks that seemed a bit too easily done to be struggling.
It helped her subconscious when she heard, or rather, felt whatever it was in the forest. She hoped that there was some trick Kan-ryu had up his sleeve, because in all honesty, she knew that he must be cheating, or else Kouga would have ended the match more quickly, or at least put up a better fight. She could tell when he talked about it, when he proposed it, he got so serious, and even a bit angry about it before. She was positive that he wouldn't take this too lightly...she wasn't sure why.
She allowed a silent sigh as she continued, slowly but surely.
Her thoughts drifted smoothly back to the night she let him kiss her, the tangent brought an unruly blush to her face. In the warmth of her own mix of embarrassment and light-headedness, she came to realize that she still hadn't fully decided to herself if she would have kissed him back.
Her eyes shut and her feet continued on with practiced ease as her thoughts moved in a direction they had never moved before.
She remembered the way his body had felt against hers, the odd warmth that was too comforting to be real, the odd sense of safety that he provided. His chest had rumbled in a way that she knew she could go to sleep laying or even standing against it, the low pitch and steady rhythm that sent a chill and a bizarre warmth through her at once.
She wasn't sure if he had ever stoked her cheek before at this point, but she could feel it now, his warm hand grazing across her cheek, brushing a single lavender lock away from her face. She could feel it gently cupping her cheek once the strand was tucked behind her ear and leading her gaze towards his own, the odd balance of power and gentleness that held all at once a wild animal, bold leader, and tranquil soul. A soft stifling of his breath before a slight pressure, guiding her face towards his. The sound of her own breathing stopping, time itself stopping, a tingling rushing through her body until...
The sharp sound of leaves being rustled violently brought Lilian out of her stupor.
"Now what do we have here?"
It took only a moment for Lilian to gain full awareness of the situation, both her glossy-eyed expression as well as the deep blush covering the lower half of her face like a veil were immediately dispelled at the severity of the situation. She hardened her gaze, staring forward at the one who she was pretty sure she had noticed back in the clearing. Her body was kept perfectly still, not willing to go on the offensive until she was positive that she needed to, though the ninjutsu style apparel of deep red with dust-brown, light armor gave her a pretty good idea that she was going to have to fight.
It also gave her a good idea of why Kouga wasn't fighting back.
"Why don't you run alnog and go back to enjoy the fight little lady?"
Another one stepped from behind a tree, followed by a third. They all looked like clones from the shoulder down as far as apparel went, though she dismissed the details of their facial features, positive that they didn't matter.
"What is your purpose out here?"
Her voice was calm and collected as she forced her right hand to stay away from the concealed blade and her legs to stay within the tight hold of the kimono lest the hidden seam tear.
"Listen girl, why don't you just do what we say and go back now."
The first was the one to issue the request, though it sounded more like a threat by the smile on his face and the deceitful tone of his voice.
"Yeah, or we may have to hurt you a bit without any orders."
It was the third man who decided to add his input, deciding finally that it was time to let his voice be heard. The others twitched a bit realizing that he had divulged too much information, but decided to go along anyway.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as a scowl crossed her face and she bowed her head slightly. Her stance widened as far as the dress would allow and her right hand rose steadily to her her sash.
"You think you can hurt me?"
All three of them were caught aback by both the change in atmosphere as well as her aura, which was rising to dangerous levels by way of her anger. It was a swift move that, at once, tore the lower half of the kimono on her side up to just above her thigh, and her single dagger to her hand, sheath left under the blue cloth of the sash.
"Then come on then..."
Time had been lost to him a while ago. Caught up in the chain of emotions, starting with confusion and working it's way to anger, he knew that he could do nothing but watch and fester as the events continued to build and build. But, as with all emotional bombs, he could only contain it so long before...
"Kouga! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Kagome panicked for a moment before blushing and picking herself off the ground where she had landed after being rudely thrown off of Inuyasha's lap in the midst of his fury. She grabbed at the sleeve of his cloak in an attempt to calm him, ar at least remind him of her presence.
The hanyou continued to rant on, completely missing the light tug on his side, trying to get the attention of the wolf that he now proudly called his rival.
Kagome's eye twitched as she felt everyone's gaze excluding the two combatants on Inuyasha, and consequently, her as well. She quickly got to her feet, eye now twitching violently as it hadn't in years, pushing herself into her mate's line of sight.
All at once, Inuyasha found himself face to face with something he hadn't seen in a long time, and at the very moment, felt as though he was not equipped to fully handle the situation. Kagome stood before him, one eye twitching, the other glaring, her hands balled into fists at her sides, the pose and slightly intimidating aura made up the last of what Inuyasha had in the past recognized as beyond fuming.
A nervous smile crossed his face as he moved back a single step, leaning on the retreating foot to gain a bit of distance between himself and Kagome, all the while racking his mind for the solution he used to use...and coming up completely empty.
"Oh!...K-Kagome...heh heh, I uh...well...uh..."
She only continued to fume, effectively gaining more attention from the non-combatants but no longer caring. She thought her words out carefully as she tried to make sure she didn't ruin her reputation as the kind miko that everyone loved by letting one of her old personality demons out. After a moment of tactful thinking, she prepared to give her lover a piece of her mind.
As she began to open her mouth, the wind shifted with a strong gust erupting from the forest, immediately filling Kagome's nose with a few of the more potent scents she adored from the area. The change distracted her long enough to stall her speech but only for a second, when her full attention was back on Inuyasha, she saw his face focused and a bit confused.
Before she could utter an inquiry, he placed himself between the forest and herself, crouching a bit to brace for anything.
"I smell blood…"
She was taken aback and instantly fell to guard behind him, clearing her mind in case she needed to use her powers in a moments notice.
"…It's faint, but it's there. Human, but I don't know who's."
His glance shifted towards the company of Lilian's family, who had long since ignored the two of them, before he continued, still speaking for only her to hear.
"I can smell Lilian out there…"
"…and Kouga doesn't need to be distracted anymore…"
She finished the thought for him, though he wasn't surprised.
"I'll go check it out okay?"
"Alright…"
Neither one faced each other, though if either had been asked, they could have described the determined looks on each other's faces to the finest of details. After what seemed like ages since they had truly been in battle, they still fell into the ease practiced long ago without trouble.
"Inuyasha…"
She knew she really didn't have to say it, but she did it anyway.
"…be careful."
"Always."
With the single word, he leapt forward a single bound, into the forest to find the source of the problem, though before he touched ground again to leap for the second time, he noticed an approaching figure.
Pushing his feet down to the ground in mid lunge, he forced himself to an early stop, kicking a bit of dust and pollen into the air. When all was settled, he merely waited for Lilian to close the distance, her scent strong above the scent of blood around her. He felt Kagome's relief when she too saw and recognized the kunoichi, who walked quietly and slowly, the sleeves of her kimono seemingly joined together, masking her hands that were no doubt lightly holding onto each other. A few locks of hair were fallen stray from the rest of her mold and she seemed a bit winded, though that seemed the extent of any injuries.
He was about to ask her what happened, why she smelled like blood, why she looked so focused, and why the skirt of her kimono now sported a perfectly straight seem up to her thigh, though as she approached in silence, he felt the need slip away, and as she passed, he merely turned and followed.
It was only a short distance to the edge of the clearing, and the two exited the forestry in the contagious silence, until they parted ways when the line of foliage ceased.
Inuyasha sat down, bringing a slightly confused Kagome down to his lap in silence, nuzzling against her back and forcing the scent of blood out of his recent memory by drowning it in hers.
Lilian moved to sit silently amongst her family, who, after acknowledging her presence, turned back to watch the fight, not willing to ask of the details of her recess at the time.
She turned her face calmly back towards the battle where she managed to meet Kouga's eyes. A little bit of a smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she reached for the blade that was tucked neatly within her sash once again.
Kouga was overjoyed that Lilian had returned from the forest unscathed, since it managed to quell the worrying in the pit of his stomach since she had left, and only escalated when the fresh breeze brought the scent of blood. The sickening feeling nearly drove him to abandon the duel and go get her himself, though a small portion of his mind told him repeatedly that e could trust her to be fine. It had taken most of his will power, plus Kan-ryu's relentless and increasing efficient assault, to keep himself from leaving the battle grounds. But now, he knew she was safe, and it helped him feel a little bit better, though he still had no means of winning the fight.
He dodged a short flurry of blows before jumping back to add some distance between him and Kan-ryu before he looked back at her at ended up meeting her eyes, which had an odd sharpness within them. He got a bit curious when he saw, though barely, her lips slowly arch into a smile. Her hand slipped underneath her ocean's hue sash and retrieved one of the simple daggers she normally fought with, sheath and blade alike.
With a slight shift in her wrist, she unsheathed a little bit of the blade, just enough for the wolf to catch a glimpse of dark red near the base of the blade before she re-sheathed it. She nodded her head slowly and tucked it away again.
Kouga merely blinked a few times as he tried to register what exactly had happened. The slight sound of air shifting and a chain rattling met his ear, though he paid little mind.
'Wait a second…she just got up and left…'
Kan-ryu arched back, preparing to throw the chain with all his might.
'…a little bit later, I smell blood from the forest…'
The sickle flew from his hand and cut through the air, singing softly.
'…After a minute or so, she comes back, unscathed but winded…'
The blade approached closer and Kan-ryu's eyes began to shine with hope at the prospect of finally landing an effective blow on his opponent.
'…carrying…a…bloody knife…'
His face switched to sudden focus, instinct flowing through his mind without a moment's hesitation. His hand shot up quickly, even disappearing from sight for a brief moment, until it stopped, clutching firmly to the warm hilt of the scythe stopped instantly in its path, only an inch from his face.
Kan-ryu's jaw dropped in horror, Kouga merely turned his head up towards the one who had the audacity to try and cheat him. His eyes and face remained dull, anger at the situation and joy that it had been resolved balancing out.
As if in slow motion, a smirk crept up his lips.
"You lose Kan-ryu."
Author: Yeah…I'm done with this chapter now. I don't feel like putting anymore on there because I think that the style is getting dull and this was a decent stopping point. Sorry about taking so long to update though, being a senior is really time consuming, I have had so little time to do anything.
Other than that though, I think there will only be about 2 more chapters (possibly 3) of this, but hopefully they won't take so long.
I planned to resolve the "fight" between Kouga and Kan-ryu in no more than like 3-4 paragraphs at the beginning of the next chapter, or I can have Kouga play with him a little bit. If you wanna see that, lemme know, otherwise, I'm gonna get on with the more important stuff, like the post fight talking and potential post-fight romance-ness…because I know this fic is predictable.
Anyway, until next time.
Chaoness.