Charms
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My internet has been having some trouble but it got better. Yeay. "You were just lazy weren't you!" Yusuke accused. No that's not true. I was busy with work then I had to pick up my sister and I had a fever and my internet...*sniffle*sniffle* "Don't pick on her Yusuke-kun." Kurama's mother pats Eiri-san on the head.
Chapter...What are we on...oh yeah! Chapter 22
"What do you say?" Kurama squeezed his fist, wasting a few drops of precious blood to the cold ashes littering the ground. The tiny white arboreal spirits jerked and a few tested the barrier again. A zap thrust the things away, fussing over their discomfort.
*@What do you want?@* a few spirits had color changed to a delicate cherry blossom pink. They hoovered around the sheild as the crowd of white ones watched.
//Is Rinroga speaking throught them?// Kurama watched how the little pink sprite's movement were more calculated now and the voices was...different. "I want Daiki back." green eyes narrowed.
*@Who?@*
"Don't play games." the fox demon warned. "You marked him."
Silence.
"I know your mark is only given to your victims!" he growled. "You tried to kill him didn't you," then something occured to him, "but someone stopped you...didn't they?"
//That makes sense. If the fire were caused by an attack, that would account for the sheer amount of damage in this localized area.// The pink sprites floated idoly but the aura from the sprout was uneasy, nervous. Kurama felt closer to the truth with every word.
"You're blossoms told me I smelled like 'him.'" The sprout shuttered. //Soft spot?// "'He' was the one who did this wasn't he?" The fox demon looked around at the ashes and the only thing standing, the black, burnt stump that was once Rinroga.
*@What do you want?!@*
"I told you." Kurama spoke with superior confidence. The red head was getting the distinct impression that Rinroga was not as useful as he had first assumed.
*@I can not animate the dead@*
"I didn't say he was dead." Green eyes closed. "Why did you say that?" and opened again. "Unless you know who I'm talking about." The ancient plant was sweating now, sort of. "But he's not dead." Kurama admitted out of curiosity of the other's reaction. Confusion painted the plant's aura. "But you didn't know that...did you?"
*@When I was attacked. There was a boy...@*
"Daiki..." Kurama filled in.
*@One took his soul, the other burned my body before I could devour him@* it admitted, perhaps hoping this would be enough to satisfy the deal.
"There were two." Kurama didn't know what this information was telling him but it must have been complicated. The most important facts he's learned was that Daiki was here that rainy night and someone other than Rinroga took his soul.
Could that person have been trying to use Daiki as a soldier or a new body perhaps? If that was the case...something went wrong. The second could have, not only interupted the soul snatcher, but Rinroga as well. Someone who could weild a powerful fire that could burn this ancient tree and the surrounding area to fine ashes.
"Can you tell me..." //It can't be.// The red head had his suspicions, but once again, more questions than answers. His mind raced, wondering at the possiblities. "Can you tell me who was the one that took Daiki's soul?" If he could even get a lead on that one...
*@Neither animal nor human@*
"What?" that made no sense. There are many things that are neither animal nor human.
*@A man of beasts, he felt like demon's own@*
"I don't understand." //A beast demon, perhaps? But then what does the 'man of beasts' mean?//
*@Neither do I@*
"Fine." //Useless.// This was going no where. There was just one more thing the fox demon needed to know. "Who was the one that attacked you?" This was, to Kurama, a very important question. His heart began to beat harder and a pain in his stomach began to twist.
*@His arm spit a dragon of black and burning distruction@* the little white spirits shivered at his mention.
"Tell me one last thing." Kurama let his red bangs cover his expression. Through all his mixed emotions, anger was prevailing. "When he burned you...why didn't you stay dead?" Kurama turned and began to walk away, not caring if it answered the question.
*@Our deal@* The pink blossoms fluttered to intercept him.
"Is off." The thorn whip flew faster than eyes could see and shredded the pink barricades. The fox demon looked over his shoulder at the sprout. "You couldn't keep up you're end." The red head told it and continued on his way.
*@Unacceptable@* A chorus of blossoms rang out before the thousands perhaps millions of them, rushed at Kurama.
The red head dropped a few seeds on the ground and exerted his spiritual energy to command growth. He stepped over them and waited for the energies of the little sprites to come closer. //Now!// Thousands of thorned tendrals shot up from the ground piercing and shredding the arboreal blood suckers. The sheild barrier repelled what was left of the onslaught.
*@AH@* the charcoal column shook with rage. Not only the column, but the ground as well.
"What's happening?" Kurama felt an amassing of power, driven by anger.
More often, the fox demon would face his opponents, standing his ground for what he believed in. This was not one of those circumstances. Kurama ran, sure that whatever the plant had in mind it would only have a territoral radius of how far it could reach him.
Danger was alerting every sense his spiritual and animal powers possessed. The red head jumped when he felt the ground giving way, almost one hundred feet from the cove of ash. //A directed attack under ground? Could Rinroga's roots reach this far?// The fox demon jumped into the trees and leaped over the colapsing network of forest. //There must be a limit, there's always a limit.//
Kurama had dropped the barrier, it was taking excess energy and he needed all he could get to reteat. Did Rinroga really have this much power? If so then why wouldn't he have used it to begin with? Why would he play such games? //Trying to protect himself no doubt, waiting for me to drop my guard.//
The fox demon ignored the pains his body screamed as he raced. But how much farther would he have to go, especially at this pace? He didn't like to admit it but, it was becoming increasingly difficult. Suddenly the tree Kurama was jumping to colapsed. In mid air Kurama threw his weight but it was too late, the red head fell into the fallen branches.
Kurama managed enough control to miss a few threatening branches that would have made fine skewers, perhaps some other time. Once grounded he knew he had to move again and quickly, but, a hot jolt jabbed into his shoulder and thigh. The fox demon gasped as red color splattered on the green leaves and gray branches of the fallen monster.
Perhaps it was shock, but every thing began to slow down. The red head looked down at the twisted shafts of ancient root that peirced his body. He curled his bloody hand and his whole arm stung like prickling needles slicing through his flesh. In a moment of perfect clarity he reached an epiphany.
Kurama grabbed the ancient root that protruded from his shoulder. //I can make anything grow. That means, I can do the oppisite.// With a burst of spiritual power, he shrivled the life sucking tendril. It whipped away frantically but it was too late. The fox demon felt the one in his thigh was withdrawn as quickly, shriveling like the other.
The red head fell to his knees watching the once magnificent roots streching for miles drying out and wrinkling, lossing every bit of strength it ever took from anyone. //Plants are plants, ultimately.// But he had underestimated the distance it could reach him.
Kurama felt himself slipping, his blood flooded from the gaping wounds. //Well, it worked.// He didn't have the strenght left to speak, besides who would he be talking to? At the first thought of exhastion he remembered...//Daiki// The fox demon's energy wasn't completely spent yet. He strained his muscles, letting his left arm rest to his side, he stood.
There were too many questions to be answered. Daiki was depending on him. He took one step and then another. The branches crunched under his improperly disbursed weight. His less damaged arm grabbed for any support he could get a hold of. But to take another step was begining to feel impossible.
"Easy there." A voice he had never heard before spoke to him. //Who?// he wanted to look around but turning his head would me to shift his balance and that would probably leave him face down on the ground. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
A sweeping motion took all the pressure off his body. Kurama wondered if he had fallen and his body was so numb he hadn't realized it. This was utterly unacceptible. His eyes searched for where he was, because the light was unsteady.
"Just like Yugasa." The man, who seemed to be carrying Kurama, uttered in admiration.
"Yu...gasa." The fox demon managed before the blood loss forced him to rest. He hadn't heard that name in nearly one hundered years. The demon that taught him everything he knew about plant maniputlation. The one who was rumored to have concieved the art itself. The willow of ages, Yugasa.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My internet has been having some trouble but it got better. Yeay. "You were just lazy weren't you!" Yusuke accused. No that's not true. I was busy with work then I had to pick up my sister and I had a fever and my internet...*sniffle*sniffle* "Don't pick on her Yusuke-kun." Kurama's mother pats Eiri-san on the head.
Chapter...What are we on...oh yeah! Chapter 22
"What do you say?" Kurama squeezed his fist, wasting a few drops of precious blood to the cold ashes littering the ground. The tiny white arboreal spirits jerked and a few tested the barrier again. A zap thrust the things away, fussing over their discomfort.
*@What do you want?@* a few spirits had color changed to a delicate cherry blossom pink. They hoovered around the sheild as the crowd of white ones watched.
//Is Rinroga speaking throught them?// Kurama watched how the little pink sprite's movement were more calculated now and the voices was...different. "I want Daiki back." green eyes narrowed.
*@Who?@*
"Don't play games." the fox demon warned. "You marked him."
Silence.
"I know your mark is only given to your victims!" he growled. "You tried to kill him didn't you," then something occured to him, "but someone stopped you...didn't they?"
//That makes sense. If the fire were caused by an attack, that would account for the sheer amount of damage in this localized area.// The pink sprites floated idoly but the aura from the sprout was uneasy, nervous. Kurama felt closer to the truth with every word.
"You're blossoms told me I smelled like 'him.'" The sprout shuttered. //Soft spot?// "'He' was the one who did this wasn't he?" The fox demon looked around at the ashes and the only thing standing, the black, burnt stump that was once Rinroga.
*@What do you want?!@*
"I told you." Kurama spoke with superior confidence. The red head was getting the distinct impression that Rinroga was not as useful as he had first assumed.
*@I can not animate the dead@*
"I didn't say he was dead." Green eyes closed. "Why did you say that?" and opened again. "Unless you know who I'm talking about." The ancient plant was sweating now, sort of. "But he's not dead." Kurama admitted out of curiosity of the other's reaction. Confusion painted the plant's aura. "But you didn't know that...did you?"
*@When I was attacked. There was a boy...@*
"Daiki..." Kurama filled in.
*@One took his soul, the other burned my body before I could devour him@* it admitted, perhaps hoping this would be enough to satisfy the deal.
"There were two." Kurama didn't know what this information was telling him but it must have been complicated. The most important facts he's learned was that Daiki was here that rainy night and someone other than Rinroga took his soul.
Could that person have been trying to use Daiki as a soldier or a new body perhaps? If that was the case...something went wrong. The second could have, not only interupted the soul snatcher, but Rinroga as well. Someone who could weild a powerful fire that could burn this ancient tree and the surrounding area to fine ashes.
"Can you tell me..." //It can't be.// The red head had his suspicions, but once again, more questions than answers. His mind raced, wondering at the possiblities. "Can you tell me who was the one that took Daiki's soul?" If he could even get a lead on that one...
*@Neither animal nor human@*
"What?" that made no sense. There are many things that are neither animal nor human.
*@A man of beasts, he felt like demon's own@*
"I don't understand." //A beast demon, perhaps? But then what does the 'man of beasts' mean?//
*@Neither do I@*
"Fine." //Useless.// This was going no where. There was just one more thing the fox demon needed to know. "Who was the one that attacked you?" This was, to Kurama, a very important question. His heart began to beat harder and a pain in his stomach began to twist.
*@His arm spit a dragon of black and burning distruction@* the little white spirits shivered at his mention.
"Tell me one last thing." Kurama let his red bangs cover his expression. Through all his mixed emotions, anger was prevailing. "When he burned you...why didn't you stay dead?" Kurama turned and began to walk away, not caring if it answered the question.
*@Our deal@* The pink blossoms fluttered to intercept him.
"Is off." The thorn whip flew faster than eyes could see and shredded the pink barricades. The fox demon looked over his shoulder at the sprout. "You couldn't keep up you're end." The red head told it and continued on his way.
*@Unacceptable@* A chorus of blossoms rang out before the thousands perhaps millions of them, rushed at Kurama.
The red head dropped a few seeds on the ground and exerted his spiritual energy to command growth. He stepped over them and waited for the energies of the little sprites to come closer. //Now!// Thousands of thorned tendrals shot up from the ground piercing and shredding the arboreal blood suckers. The sheild barrier repelled what was left of the onslaught.
*@AH@* the charcoal column shook with rage. Not only the column, but the ground as well.
"What's happening?" Kurama felt an amassing of power, driven by anger.
More often, the fox demon would face his opponents, standing his ground for what he believed in. This was not one of those circumstances. Kurama ran, sure that whatever the plant had in mind it would only have a territoral radius of how far it could reach him.
Danger was alerting every sense his spiritual and animal powers possessed. The red head jumped when he felt the ground giving way, almost one hundred feet from the cove of ash. //A directed attack under ground? Could Rinroga's roots reach this far?// The fox demon jumped into the trees and leaped over the colapsing network of forest. //There must be a limit, there's always a limit.//
Kurama had dropped the barrier, it was taking excess energy and he needed all he could get to reteat. Did Rinroga really have this much power? If so then why wouldn't he have used it to begin with? Why would he play such games? //Trying to protect himself no doubt, waiting for me to drop my guard.//
The fox demon ignored the pains his body screamed as he raced. But how much farther would he have to go, especially at this pace? He didn't like to admit it but, it was becoming increasingly difficult. Suddenly the tree Kurama was jumping to colapsed. In mid air Kurama threw his weight but it was too late, the red head fell into the fallen branches.
Kurama managed enough control to miss a few threatening branches that would have made fine skewers, perhaps some other time. Once grounded he knew he had to move again and quickly, but, a hot jolt jabbed into his shoulder and thigh. The fox demon gasped as red color splattered on the green leaves and gray branches of the fallen monster.
Perhaps it was shock, but every thing began to slow down. The red head looked down at the twisted shafts of ancient root that peirced his body. He curled his bloody hand and his whole arm stung like prickling needles slicing through his flesh. In a moment of perfect clarity he reached an epiphany.
Kurama grabbed the ancient root that protruded from his shoulder. //I can make anything grow. That means, I can do the oppisite.// With a burst of spiritual power, he shrivled the life sucking tendril. It whipped away frantically but it was too late. The fox demon felt the one in his thigh was withdrawn as quickly, shriveling like the other.
The red head fell to his knees watching the once magnificent roots streching for miles drying out and wrinkling, lossing every bit of strength it ever took from anyone. //Plants are plants, ultimately.// But he had underestimated the distance it could reach him.
Kurama felt himself slipping, his blood flooded from the gaping wounds. //Well, it worked.// He didn't have the strenght left to speak, besides who would he be talking to? At the first thought of exhastion he remembered...//Daiki// The fox demon's energy wasn't completely spent yet. He strained his muscles, letting his left arm rest to his side, he stood.
There were too many questions to be answered. Daiki was depending on him. He took one step and then another. The branches crunched under his improperly disbursed weight. His less damaged arm grabbed for any support he could get a hold of. But to take another step was begining to feel impossible.
"Easy there." A voice he had never heard before spoke to him. //Who?// he wanted to look around but turning his head would me to shift his balance and that would probably leave him face down on the ground. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
A sweeping motion took all the pressure off his body. Kurama wondered if he had fallen and his body was so numb he hadn't realized it. This was utterly unacceptible. His eyes searched for where he was, because the light was unsteady.
"Just like Yugasa." The man, who seemed to be carrying Kurama, uttered in admiration.
"Yu...gasa." The fox demon managed before the blood loss forced him to rest. He hadn't heard that name in nearly one hundered years. The demon that taught him everything he knew about plant maniputlation. The one who was rumored to have concieved the art itself. The willow of ages, Yugasa.