Mega shout out goes to Insane Rurouni(s) and Ash the Wanderer. You guys ROCK!!!
This chappie is for you all!!!
Chapter 16: The Final Battle
The tentei stood their ground as the garish Kai summoned the serpent demons from the shadows on the wall. The evil beings slithered and hissed towards the boys and they could do naught but ready themselves for the brutal onslaught.
Suddenly a group of about ten serpent demons launched at Botan, "Oy!!! Botan look out!!!" yelled Yusuke. Botan who had been trailing behind the group looked up to see the blood thirsty demons, airborne, heading her way. Immediately, she ducked down- a reflex action- and covered her head with her hands. Just before the demons could make contact with her a flash of black and sparks rented though the air and interrupted their assault. After not feeling any pain or contact what so ever, she raised her violet, plum eyes upward where, low- and- behold, she saw Hiei standing above her with a blood soaked katana, surrounded by an assortment of demon parts.
She gasped in delight at her unexpected defender, "My Hero," she said dreamily while staring into his fiery crimson eyes, sparkles in her own.
Hiei sneered down at her, "Hn, baka onna, get your ass up and leave before you piss me off and I kill you myself," He said before flitting off to join the fight which had commenced after the attack on Botan.
"Ahg!!! You diminutive prick!!!" She said in disgust. Just then a demon's head flew in her direction and smashed on the wall behind her. She cringed at the sight and then scrambled to get out of the vicinity.
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Hiei decapitated the demon he was currently at war with and deliberately sent the cephalous appendage flying in the ferry onna's direction. He saw her shudder and immediately scurry away from the temple. He smirked in devilish satisfaction, 'Finally, the baka onna has shut her trap,' he thought vindictively.
Another round of foolish serpent demons made their way over to attack the vertically challenged fire demon. He sheathed his sword at his side and positioned himself in a wide, straddling stance, preparing to attack. Without delay, when the demons were abreast of him, he unsheathed his sword in god like speed and with supernatural precision he delivered a swift and merciless death to each demon. From the average eye it would seem as though he never budged an inch, but, in actuality he had slaughtered nearly twenty serpent demons in a fraction of a second.
He looked over to Yusuke and noticed that the spirit detective was busy with a minor army of his own. His fists, which were surrounded by his reiki, were swinging forcefully through each demon that came before him. His emotions had fueled him to a point where one slam of his fist into a serpent would rip the poor demon in two. The carrot top was over to the far right of the temple dealing with, and having a harder time with, a significantly smaller amount of demons. His spirit sword slashed through each demon with vigor and heart. Each victory, though time consuming, brought him closer to the triumphant, manly, hero's end he so longed for.
And Kurama...
Kurama, who was dealing with his own demons, was having a harder time concentrating on his battle. It would be in no way obvious to the casual passer – by, but, to Hiei, it was all too apparent. With each slash of his rose whip, the red haired kitsune took down multiple serpent demons at a time. However, Hiei noticed that Kurama's mind lay elsewhere; he was not as engrossed in his battle as he would be under normal circumstances. No, Kurama's attention and senses were forever in tune with that white haired dragon summoning their doom. Hiei mentally shook his head. He knew that there was no way he would be able to destroy her. Even if Kurama didn't know it, Hiei could clearly see that the kitsune's heart belonged to that woman. It was foolish for a man to be so deeply embroiled in his emotions over a woman during battle. He glanced over to the white haired priestess and idly wondered what type of woman she could be to ensnare the heart of this once cold hearted kitsune.
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After some time each of the members of the tentei had finished their battles with the small serpent demon army. The group stood in front of Kai who was standing before Ran and Hitomi who were standing in front of Shihiko. Ran clapped her hands with a mocking smile smeared across her features. "Interesting, so ignoramuses can prevail after all." She said in a drawl tone.
"Who are you calling an ignore...whatever you just said. We're the ones who just kicked the putooty out of your demon army." Said Kuwabara.
Ran chuckled softly, although, it couldn't be said that there was anything akin to amusement in her tone, "Yes, Kuwabaka, you did do magnificently in the decimation of our serpent army, however, it is you who has failed to realize something...you haven't won, in fact you've lost, pathetically."
"What do you mean," Yusuke said malevolently.
"Take a look at these pillars surrounding us. Do you notice anything strange about them?"
The group looked around them, each pillar, was glowing brightly with unparallel power. All of the energy engulfing the pillars was a result of and on its way to Shihiko. The girl, who was beyond all consciousness of the physical realm, smoldered with the power seeping from the pillars.
"You fools have been so embroiled with the battle that you did not even realize that the ritual was almost complete. As soon as the white and golden dragons on the ceiling of the temple transfer their powers to Shihiko, Shin Ryuushi will be resurrected within her own being. You've lost this round as well as .... your world." She said, ending in a menacing tone.
"That's what you think, we'll just destroy the stinking ceiling before she lights the damn thing up." Said Yusuke.
"Hn, stupid detective, do you honestly believe that they are just going to allow us to destroy it?"
"Then what do you suggest we do three eyes, let them take over the world?!" said Yusuke.
Hiei smirked, "Hn,"
"Pardon my interruption, but the Jaganshi is correct." Everyone looked up to see the seductive Kai addressing them, "there is no way in either heaven or hell that I will allow you to succeed."
Hiei sneered at Kai vehemently and pointed his katana at her, "Are you ready to die," it wasn't a question. It was a foretelling, in Hiei's mind, of what was to become of her. He had dreamt of this moment ever since his humiliating defeat by her hands. He had an insatiable thirst for blood, HERS, and it was time to collect.
He crouched down low preparing to attack, and she smiled, baiting him in. "I'm ready, my little man," she said mockingly. Hiei's eyes thinned into slits of crimson fire. His ki flared dangerously around him hinting only a fraction of the power he held within. Kai, too, flared her ki; the blackish purple energy emanated around her like death, "all of you, attack me if you dare!"
Hiei launched towards her with godlike speed and before anyone, save Kai, could tell that he had moved, his sword came into direct contact with a black wing. "Don't tell me you forgot about my dragon armor Hiei,"
Hiei smirked devilishly, "Hn," he said as forced his katana harder into her flesh.
"It's no use nothing can- AHRG!!!" Kai screamed in pain as Hiei's katana ripped unceremoniously into her wing, severing the appendage in half. She fell to one knee as Hiei looked down at her in amusement.
"Hn, a word to the wise never take me lightly." He said mercilessly.
Without warning Kai grunted and released a wave of black energy from around her which slammed into Hiei throwing him the opposite wall, "a word to the wise, shut up!" she said.
Suddenly, a huge ball of blue energy crashed into her singeing her skin, "Rei gun!!!" Yusuke said while launching the spirit bullet. As the energy cleared, a blackened Kai emerged from the blast. Yusuke blew the lingering smoke off of his index finger while staring flippantly at her. "That was a little introduction to my Rei gun, you better get to know it," he said.
At Yusuke's facetious tone, the golden flecks in her eyes expanded and began to glow brighter, "Fools," she said in a dangerously low voice, all hints of the seductress vanishing away, "do you have any idea who you are dealing with...well, let me teach you naughty boys a lesson." Kai flexed her ki and focused it towards her left hand. Black flames began to coalesce in her hand, "Black Dragon Whip!!!" she said as the black flames in her hands formed into a long scaly whip.
Without warning, she slashed her whip towards Kurama and Kuwabara. Kuwabara screamed like a girl and tried to run as Kurama, almost immediately, reached into his hair and produced his trusty rose whip, lashing it in the air at the precise moment when Kai's whip came abreast of them. He parried her whip, lash after lash with hardly a labored breath. She smiled secretively at Kurama's ignorance at her abilities. But soon, he would find out...
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Hiei awakened on the other side of the temple and gauged the situation surrounding him, Kai was going at it with Kurama in a battle of the whips. Yusuke and Kuwabara were standing around like silent idiots as Kurama did all of the work, 'Hn, ningens, good for nothings,'
Suddenly, Hiei realized that Kai had not used her fury whips on Kurama yet, he wouldn't stand a chance against her if she used that attack combined with her speed. He had to warn him. Unfortunately, he heard those fatal words escape her mouth at that time.
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"FURY WHIPS!!!" Kai screamed. Just as Kurama's whip had made contact with Kai's, Hiei's scream of warning rented through the air, but it was too late. Kai's whip glowed in the same blackish purple aura that Kai did earlier and then split into multiple appendages with hooks at the tips of them. The serpent like whips circled around Kurama seething with the evil aura, and then attacked him ruthlessly. Each one slashing away at his tissue leaving gashes and puddles of blood in their wake.
Kurama screamed at the extreme pain of the whips entering his flesh, some had even gone right through him and back again, ripping chunks of flesh from his body. Kurama fell to his knees and looked towards the woman standing at the alter. He stared at her horror stricken face at the sight of him in pain before her. He stared into her blush and gold eyes, seeing what his heart could only hope for, misery at his pain and love for him.
Vaguely he heard and sensed Kuwabara and Yusuke running towards Kai ready to attack. He turned his eyes towards them just in time to see Kai deliver a huge black wave of energy towards them, cutting them off away from him and sending them flying into the walls of the temple. They lay there unconscious.
From behind him he sensed Hiei approaching, his fists slammed into her body with unfaltering power and precision. Unfortunately, he could not make a dent in the black dragon keeper. "You'll learn your place my pet," she said to him as she delivered a back fist strike to his face, twisting his neck and rendering him unconscious like the rest of his friends and teammates.
He looked up at Kai, who still held him captive with her hooked dragon whips. A cold smile slithered across her delicate features, her eyes turning into a burning gold, "and then there was one..." she said softly. She brought her right hand back into her side, preparing to deliver a knife hand strike to his heart. As soon as she began to thrust a piercing scream echoed through the air and a blinding light scalded Kai from behind. Her eyes rolled back into her head as the rancid scent of burnt flesh reached his nose.
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It all happened so suddenly, the culmination of the ceremony to awaken the power of Shin Ryuushi within her being, the torture of Kurama and his friends and the defeat of Kai. Somewhere in between the beginning and the end, she had lost her head...
The ritual was near completion. The white and golden dragons on the ceiling had been illuminated and all that remained was for her to consume the lost ryuuki and reiki of the humans that floated above all of Japan. That was all that she had to do, that was all that she had to do to rid herself of everything that pained her, everything that slowly destroyed her being throughout the many centuries she lived...that was all. But, that was impossible, that is, it was impossible when she looked up into his eyes. Those piercing green eyes with stains of gold within their depths, a reminder of the man who had evoked the pestering, lingering emotions that still remained within her.
She had been cut off from the physical world throughout the ritual and did not realize the intensity of the situation he had been subjected to. She hadn't counted on witnessing his pain, she hadn't counted on her own emotions bursting from the chasm which she had locked them in nearly a century ago...she hadn't counted on any of it. But it, all of it, was too much to bear.
So, foolishly, she did something which was so absurd and beyond all things imaginable after everything she had been through...she followed her emotions.
After consuming about one eighth of the reiki and ryuuki they had gathered, she ended the ritual. Ran, who had sensed this, turned a thunderstruck expression in her direction. The look on her face could only be summed up into one statement, 'what the HELL are you doing.' Tears shimmered in her eyes as she shook her head at Ran as if to say, 'I can't.'
She looked back at Kai who had just defeated Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara.
"And then there was one," she said silently. Shihiko's eyes widened in horror at Kai's implication. She saw her retract her hands readying herself to kill Kurama. Just as she began to thrust, a heart wrenching scream emerged from her and her body reacted on its own. Without thinking, white flames had conjured in her right hand and had been launched in the general direction of Kai.
The black dragon keeper didn't even know what hit her as the attack burned the back of her body to a crisp. Suddenly, the whip which had held Kurama prisoner disappeared in a poof of black flames along with Kai.
Kurama looked up at her, stunned. He saw the tears steaming from her eyes down her pale, velvety cheeks and could not help but feel a deep adoration for her.
Shihiko turned around to look at Ran. Her very soul shrank when she took in the fiery red dragon keeper's steely gaze. Never had she beheld such a look of vehemence from anyone. Her eyes were completely molten gold and emitting a strange light. The demoness said nothing as she disappeared in burst of red flames.
Hitomi looked up at her 'daughter' and walked up the alter towards her. As she faced her, Shihiko glanced up at her and then removed her gaze shamefully. Hitomi placed a caressing hand on her cheek and brought her face back up to face her, "I told you...regardless of what path you choose, I will always love you my daughter," she said warmly. Her affectionate, brown eyes emanating a deep and profound love. Shihiko nodded and then brought her hand up to hold the one Hitomi held on her cheek. "Go to him," she said and then walked from the temple.
Shihiko turned to Kurama and walked towards him. She knelt down before him and looked at his wounds, avoiding his gaze. She didn't like the way his eyes made her feel. They stripped away her strength and made her feel...vulnerable.
"You are injured..." she said still avoiding his gaze. She placed her hand over one of the wounds on his torso and began to heal him. A warm golden aura glowed around her hands.
"I'm fine...now," he said weakly. He brushed his blood covered hand across her downy cheek and left stains of crimson on her. Somehow, the act...the blood on her gave him an uneasy, foreboding feeling.
Her eyes lifted up to his as a strange light, almost sorrowful developed within their depths, "But I won't be...my life is over" she said in a steely voice. Just then an army of spirit world ogres and other warriors led by Botan burst through the temple doors and surrounded them, "and soon, yours and your friends will be as well." A group of the guards suddenly surrounded her and held up charms and spell warders to repel her attacks. She removed her gaze from Kurama and stood up, "relax gentlemen, I surrender..." she said raising her hands in defeat.
Kurama gasped at what she said and tried to go after her as the guards began to take her away, alas the pain surging through his body forestalled him. Botan rushed to his side and urged him to lie back in her lap. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Shihiko. It was the last betrayal that she witnessed from the man who she just saved, the man who she unwillingly loved. She thought bitterly on this as the guards ushered her out of the temple. And an emotion she was all too familiar with entered into her soul...Pain...
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Ran walked into the grand throne room of the dragon realm. Her steps made not the slightest sound on the white marble floors of the great hall. Every few feet held buttresses of dragons in flight above her and dragons painted in gold, silver and pearl flew above her head on the ceiling.
She approached the end of the hall where there, in all of his greatness and power sat Kairen, the Lord of all dragons. His long gold plaited hair fell like a curtain of night down to the middle of his back. His striking gold eyes could pierce the soul of anyone who looked upon them. He was clad in all black (think of darcia) from the cape and gloves he wore to his tapered black boots. His golden eyes focused on Ran as she came abreast of him. He looked at her nonchalantly and then glanced beyond her, "Where is my love," he said, his voice was deep, dark and velvety.
Ran cringed at his words, 'his love indeed.' "Shihiko, is no longer one of us. She has betrayed us for the enemy and now suffers in their prison."
Kairen's eyes darkened ominously, "who turned her from me," he asked in a dangerously low voice.
"The one they call Yoko Kurama," she said.
"Yoko Kurama," he said contemplatively, "His name shall become the mark of his death..."
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To be continued...
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Tah dah!!! I'm finished with the first saga!!! So how did you like it? Sorry for the delay, I need to get straight A's this semester, which I now have, to get into medical school. But, I hated leaving you guys hanging so long and waiting for this last chapter, so, this one's for you guys. REVIEW!!!