Guardian
Forest Spirit
The giant yellow demon roared: bucking and rearing as something latched onto its back. It clawed and scratched at the other monster, hoping to detach it from its body.
Gojyo and the others watched in amazement as the two beasts fought. Their huge claws tore up the ground and their large bodies knocked over huge trees, sending them crashing against the earth.
The yellow creature threw the other off of its back and snarled its lips pulled back and its fangs bared. Its fur stood on end as it hunched its shoulders. Its crimson eyes locked with the other demon's gold ones, not leaving the others gaze.
The other beast growled back, now standing in the light of the forest. It was a wolf-like creature, almost as big as the other demon. Trickles of red blood ran down its white coat of fur and its paws were stained crimson from the yellow demon's blood. Its lips were stained red from blood, red droplets falling from its chin. Its golden eyes watched the demon before it, trained to kill in an instant. Its mane of white fur rose like prickled thorns, sharp and deadly. The muscles in its legs clenched and bunched, ready to spring at the other demon.
"The White Mononoke," breathed Gojyo. Its amber eyes flickered in his direction and back to the other demon, its growl growing louder.
The yellow demon reared up and roared, giving the mononoke a chance to strike. The mononoke latched onto its opponent's throat and bit down hard, its fangs sinking in deep. The other demon struggled against the mononoke's hold, but to no avail.
Yanking on the flesh, the mononoke tore out the demon's throat, the yellow demon dropping in a bloody heap. Its limbs twitched before it finally died, its flesh rotting and leaving a pile of bones and a large puddle of blood.
The mononoke dropped the chunk of flesh from its mouth and shook its fur, licking its lips when it was done. Turning its golden eyes to the four, it sniffed, taking in their scents.
'A kappa-hanyou, a monkey youkai, a boar youkai, and a Sanzo priest,' thought the mononoke.
"Mononoke, our friend was injured by that demon. Can you take us to the Forest Spirit?" asked Hakkai.
"Hai, I can," said the mononoke, its voice like wind, low and breathy, "Put him on." It knelt down and Hakkai and Gojyo lifted Sanzo onto its back, "You may climb on as well, it will be hard for you to keep up at the pace I must go. Your friend is injured badly and we must hurry to His Lake." Turning its head, it dashed of with the four on its back.
They continued to run through the forest, dashing and weaving through the maze of trees. Ducking under low branches and splashing through brooks.
"How much farther?" asked Goku from the mononoke's back.
"Not much, we're almost there," said the mononoke, rounding a rocky bend. An old trail leading up the mountain was ahead of them. The wolf jumped down onto the path and dashed ahead, Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku clinging tightly to its fur.
They rounded another bend and came to a misty lake. The trees were tall and grew right out of the water, the sunlight barely shown through their branches. Tiny islands floated in the middle of the lake, butterflies dancing on the curling grasses. Clear water rippled against the earth, stopping at the land's edge. A beam of pure sunlight beamed down on a single island, surrounding it in an ethereal light.
"Wait here," said the mononoke. Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo climbed down and watched as the mononoke placed a paw on top of the water, sitting on the surface. Placing the rest of its paws on the water, it trotted across to the glimmering island. Pulling Sanzo off of its back, it laid him on the island, his lower half resting in the water. It placed a gold stone above his head before trotting back across the water.
"What about Sanzo?" asked Goku, worry written all over his face.
"Your friend is in good hands. Kishin will take care of him," said the mononoke, "Come, this way. You may watch from up here." The wolf led them up a hill and they sat, watching the misty lake below.
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"Look," whispered the mononoke.
The forest grew quiet and still. The soft padding of hooves was the only sound in the forest. A gentle neigh rippled over the water. A single figure could be seen walking through the mist.
A horse-like creature stepped into the sunlight, standing on the surface of the calm water. Short, jade green fur covered its body with a shining silver mane and tail. A ring of gold was at the base of its tail and a horn of pure silver on its forehead. It stepped onto the island, standing behind Sanzo, its white eyes scanning the priest.
"What soul poisoned by a dragon of my forest. A blessed gift of golden life be restored. A mortal on a mission, to heal those corrupted. May your tainted blood be cured of its wound, a fatal liquid of green venom. You life be returned to this empty vessel," breathed the creature. The golden stone gleamed and vanished, replaced by a white, floating orb.
"Whose that?" whispered Goku from above, his eyes wide and staring.
"That is Kishin, Spirit of the Forest of Life," said the mononoke.
Kishin blew a soft breath and the orb floated back into Sanzo's body. Kishin raised his head and nodded: turning around and disappearing back into the forest.
"Now, we may go down," said the mononoke. It trotted back down the hill and went to the little island, picking up Sanzo and putting him on its back. Walking back across the water with ease, it let Hakkai and the others take him.
"Thank you," said Hakkai, leaning Sanzo against his body. The mononoke shook its head and grinned, fangs glinting in the sun.
"No problem. You guys are probably hungry and tired, you can rest at my place," said the mononoke.
"Yay! Food!" shouted Goku. They put Sanzo back on the mononoke's back and followed it through the forest. They came to old trail again and followed it to a clearing. Trees surrounded it and a large cave was in the northern part of the clearing.
The group sat down outside the cave, laying Sanzo down on a blanket of white fur. The mononoke disappeared into the cave.
"...That was interesting," said Gojyo, pulling out a cigarette. He looked into the box and frowned, noticing there was only one left. 'Note to self...get another pack soon,' he thought.
"Yeah," said Goku, his eyes never leaving Sanzo's sleeping body. He sat next to the priest, his shoulders hunched and his legs crossed.
The mononoke walked back out of the cave with a large bundle in its mouth. Setting it down on the ground, it flopped onto the ground between Gojyo and Hakkai.
"Its not much, but its food. Don't worry, its fresh from the village and cooked," said the mononoke. The bundle fell open and all sorts of foods were inside rabbit, pheasant, deer, fruit, and many others.
"FOOD!" shouted Goku, practically diving into the food.
"Hey! Leave some for us!" said Gojyo. Hakkai laughed as the two fought over the food, growling and shouting at each other.
"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Hakkai, looking at the mononoke.
"No, I don't eat human food," said the mononoke, smiling.
"Then why do you have it?" asked Goku, talking with a mouthful of something.
"Just in case. You never know what stupid human's going to get stuck in the forest or if the humans come in here and destroy stuff," said the mononoke.
"What do you mean?" asked Gojyo, rubbing off an apple that he found before taking a bite.
"The humans come here and tear down the trees. They're trying to build a pass through the forest," it shook its head, "It's more like they want to tear the whole forest down and build onto the town. That's why I'm here. I protect the forest and Kishin from the humans that want to destroy it."
"I see," said Hakkai. They were silent for a while, the spring breeze the only sound in the clearing.
"Do you know an 'Aislin Akiyama'?" asked Gojyo. The mononoke was silent, golden eyes trained on Gojyo only before shifting to the rest of the group.
"...Why?" asked the mononoke, "If you are bounty hunters, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Don't worry, we're not bounty hunters. We don't want to harm the forest," said Hakkai, holding up his hands.
"I guess," said the mononoke, turning back to Gojyo, "Yes, an Aislin Akiyama lives in this forest. I think I can trust you enough, seeing how you're probably smart enough to figure out who I am." A soft glow surrounded the mononoke and began to reshape the wolf. The fur shortened and its face took on a human appearance. The light faded and a girl looked back.
"You're the girl from the restaurant!" said Goku, pointing at her. She nodded and smiled.
Where the mononoke once sat, a girl took its place. Her skin was a dark tan, a soft bronze color. Her silver hair was pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. Two white dog-ears twitched on top of her head, almost hidden in the mass of silver. Amber eyes stared back at the group, bright and lively, like molten fire. She wore a black top that had a white bat on the front and a pair of baggy camouflage pants that covered the top of her boots. On her left wrist was a leather band with one chain link on it. Her white tail was lying by her leg and thumping against the green earth.
"I thought so," said Gojyo.
"Thought what?" asked Aislin, confused.
"I had a feeling that you were that girl," said Gojyo.
"It ain't that hard to figure out ya' know. Lots of people know 'cause of those bounty hunting offices," said Aislin, glaring at the ground.
A soft groan came from Sanzo and he opened his eyes, blinking back the sunlight. He raised his hand and shielded his eyes from the light.
"Welcome back Sanzo," said Hakkai.
"Sanzo!" said Goku, hugging Sanzo's neck.
"Get off me you fool!" growled Sanzo. Goku let go and hid behind Hakkai.
"He's alive, yippee," mumbled Gojyo, taking another bite into the apple.
"Where are we?" asked Sanzo, sitting up and looking around.
"You're still in the forest, just away from that demon," said Aislin.
"That demon, what was it?" asked Hakkai.
"It was a Manalishi, a dragon demon with highly venomous poison. Your friend was dead by the time we got to Kishin's lake," said Aislin.
"Dead? Then how the heck is he back alive?" asked Goku.
"Kishin brought his soul back. He can do that because...I don't really know why, but he can," said Aislin, crossing her arms. She got up and went back into the cave, coming out with a jug of liquid. She handed it to Sanzo and returned to her seat.
"Drink it. Don't smell it, don't look at it, just drink it. It will return you to full strength," said Aislin. Sanzo brought the drink to his lips and downed it in several gulps, almost bringing it back up a couple times.
"That stuff tastes like shit," said Sanzo, wiping his mouth.
"Are there any other mononoke in this forest? Besides you and that tiger demon?" asked Hakkai.
"Tiger demon? Oh! You mean Ryuumaru? Yeah, the Manalishi are one of them. There's the boar clan that is lead by Uyeda and other types of demons, but I can't remember them all," said Aislin, sitting back down in the grass. A strange look passed over her face and shook it away, shrugging her shoulders and smiling.
"Has the Minus Wave affected any youkai here?" asked Hakkai.
"Minus Wave? Oh, that thing! Two: my younger brother, Ronin, and my older brother, Aiken. The Wave took over them and they disappeared into the West, I haven't seen them since," said Aislin softly.
"We're headed west to stop the Minus Wave," said Goku, turning to Sanzo, "Hey Sanzo, do you think--?"
"No Goku, she can't come with us," said Sanzo firmly.
"Aw! Why not!" whined Goku.
"Because I'm not having some wench needing to be protected every time we turn our backs. She can't come and that's final," said Sanzo.
"It's okay Goku, my place is here in the forest. I'll go west when Kishin tells me it's time," said Aislin smiling. Goku frowned and hunched forward, his arms crossed against his chest.
"Sanzo's just being mean, is all," he mumbled.
"What was that?" growled Sanzo, his eyes flickering at Goku. Goku bristled and scooted away from the priest.
"Why don't you tell what your brothers look like," said Hakkai.
"Well, Ronin is a little shorter than me and has short gray hair. When in his dog form, he's silver with red markings on his paws. Aiken is taller than me, has blonde hair that he usually wears in a braid. In his true form he's--!" Aislin stopped and sniffed the air, a low growl growing in her throat. She got up and ran to the cave, coming back out with a large blade slung across her back.
"What's up?" asked Gojyo.
"Guys, it smells like that dragon thing," said Goku, a shiver running down his back.
Loud roars echoed through the forest, trees shaking with every pounding footstep.
"Damn," mumbled Aislin as she took off into the forest.
"Should we follow her?" asked Gojyo. Goku had already ran ahead, following Aislin into the forest. Sanzo shrugged his shoulders and went after Goku. Hakkai and Gojyo taking up the rear with Haku not far behind.
Aislin and Goku stood at the cliff, looking across the forest. The trees to the south of Kishin's lake shook with violent force from the many feet trampling the ground. The roars grew louder with every step, more violent with each throaty call.
"What's going on?" asked Sanzo, watching the forest with thinly veiled interest.
"The Manalishi are angry. They're mad at Kishin for some reason," said Aislin. She turned her eyes to the lake and watched as Kishin stepped out of the green. White eyes unblinking as he tossed his head and whinnied, his gaze shifting to the cliff, before turning back into the shadows of the forest.
Aislin nodded and whistled, looking towards the forest as two figures approached one black and the other white. Barks and howls escaped the creatures as they came closer, their tails wagging behind them. They stopped at Aislin's side, rubbing their muzzles into her open palms.
"Rika," Aislin said and the black wolf looked up, "Go get Ryuumaru and tell him to hurry. Stay as far away from the Manalishi as possible. Go!" the wolf nodded and ran off down the hill, headed towards the tiger demon at the edge of the forest.
"Berkano," the white wolf looked up at Aislin, " You're to come with me." The wolf barked and Aislin turned back to the group of men behind her. "You'd better get out of here before it gets bloody," said Aislin smiling.
Hakkai nodded and outstretched his hand; "Maybe we'll meet again."
"Maybe," said Aislin, shaking it firmly, smiling at the rest of the group. Turning around, Aislin gripped Berkano's white mane and pulled herself up onto his back. Glancing back and waving, she moved him forward at a dash. With a quick flicker of white fur, the two were over the cliff and dashing off into the forest.
"Well… that was interesting," said Gojyo, rubbing the back of his neck.
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Author's Note
Well, that's it. got to go.