"Oh, damn, Damn, DAMN! I don't know why he's playing games; we both know he's gonna slaughter me!"
These, of course, were the only thoughts in Yusuke's mind as he continued to dodge Sesshoumaru's Poison Claw attacks; however, just as he thought, Sesshoumaru was simply playing games, corning Yusuke and then letting him run away from said claws. Of course, Yusuke had tried several times to blast the demon with a Spirit Gun attack, or perhaps a simple blast of energy, but all this had failed, for each attack was simply absorbed by the second sword at his waist, and then dissolved into nothingness. So, Yusuke was forced to run, and become the source of amusement for his assailant. In truth, he was becoming less and less aggravated, and more and more afraid. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, seemed to be greatly and happily amused.
Sesshoumaru: Where, oh where, could my prey have gone? Ah…(he looked toward a darker corner of the room, and saw a glint of Yusuke's eyes as he turned his head slightly) There you are. Funny; I thought you would have preferred to mask your scent, rather than hide in the open…
Yusuke: If you know where I am, why not kill me? (he grunted as he barely dodged another blow from no-longer-glowing claws)
Sesshoumaru: Killing you would end my fun. (he purposefully missed his target, smiling as he did so.) And we can't have that, now can we?
Yusuke: I know I certainly wouldn't mind.
Sesshoumaru: Yes, yes…You must hate ducking and dodging around this small room. I'll let you go… (the door suddenly reappeared, and opened just enough for Yusuke to slip through)…For a price, of course.
Yusuke: (slipping toward the door) What's the catch?
Sesshoumaru: Nothing really. (He watched Yusuke moving ever closer to the door) But then again…
Yusuke wasn't listening anymore. He broke into a full-out run, and left the room, slamming the door behind him. However, as he did so, he noticed the floor changing around him as well as the hue of the torches on the walls. The door behind him was replaced by a stone wall, but as he moved from a sudden panic, he found himself rather bloody. Turning around, he saw what looked like large splatters of crimson on the wall, as well as what looked like a shallow river of the liquid on the floor as well. Hearing a voice from somewhere down the corridor, he ran toward it, his encounter with Sesshoumaru temporarily forgotten. As he got closer to the person, however, he was allowed to slow down, due to Kurama's un-rapid pace; he was just closing the communicator, and placing it back in his pocket when Yusuke completely caught up.
Yusuke: Kurama? (he noticed the blood covering much of the man's front) What happened? Who attacked you?
Kurama: No one…Were you attacked by someone?
Yusuke: Yeah; I just got done playing "Duck-Duck-Goose" with Elder Dog-Brother back in another corridor…And if you aren't hurt, what happened to you?
Kurama: Apparently, Hiei was hurt as he came into this maze. I don't know who it was that possibly could have done so, but I know for sure that it wasn't Satsuki or Hisaka. They've never even come down the corridor with green and violet light; their scents aren't anywhere near here.
Yusuke: So…You don't think it could have been Sesshoumaru? Or Kenta, maybe even Hitairu?
Kurama: (shaking his head) No, I don't believe so. None of them have been anywhere near here, and I only just saw Kenta as I was coming back inside…
Yusuke: But how could Sesshoumaru be here, if he hadn't come in either way that we did?
Kurama: Perhaps…Perhaps there's another way to look at this. Yusuke, do you remember the color of the torches on the walls when you first encountered him?
Yusuke: Yeah…I think they were blue and yellow…
Kurama: That's all I need to know. Lets find that hallway you were fighting in.
Yusuke: But why! He's just gonna try and kill me again!
Kurama: Take the risk; it may be the best way to put an end to all of the mazes and traps in this place.
Satsuki: Hisaka? Hisaka, where did you go?
She looked around, not seeing the tigress demon anywhere; however, it wasn't until she saw the colors changing on the walls that she knew Hisaka had taken the alternate path, and had gone down the set of shadowed stairs, well hidden in the corner of the corridor's end. Cursing under her breath, she picked up the pace, making the decision to try and find the hidden prison chamber before her companion could; Hisaka must have caught a familiar scent to slip away so suddenly. She made her way to the next ladder on the wall, jumping up to catch it high as she quickly pulled herself upward and through the seemingly-solid floor; when she broke the surface, she saw the hues of the light changing, and tumbled forward to prevent herself from being sliced in a clean half when the barrier broke and the floor returned to its solid composition once more.
Looking around, she found that she didn't recognize this particular corridor. The torches lit her way with flickering flame of deep, blue-violet and gold, but she wasn't sure which way in which to go. However, a voice broke out toward her in the darkness, and she whirled, only to come eye-to-eye with a man with long, flowing hair.
"A Demon? …No… He's a Shape-Shifter."
Sesshoumaru: Right you are. I was waiting for someone to realize that…
Before her eyes, the man's body was consumed by a glowing aura of pure white, and his form shrank into nothing more than a simple sphere of pallid coloring. However, it took on another form, and with a burst of illumination, a dragon stood before her, holding a black staff in his right hand. White clothes, a shirtless torso, and a sash of deep emerald at his waist made her retreat from him in alarm. She knew this man, and knew what he was all about; the fact that he was considered to be "The Hydra Devil" was nothing she would take lightly…but never, could she have imagined, that he would be a Shape-Shifter…
Satsuki: Sansai? What are you doing here?
Sansai: Carrying out my orders from Kuro…or rather, Houka. To be honest, I don't even know what his real name is, but I'm pretty sure that its neither of those. Anyways, what are you doing here? You wouldn't be trying to find the prison chambers, would you?
Satsuki: …No. I'm trying to find my friend.
Sansai: Would she be a tigress demon who has blonde hair and a mate being kept in the lower dungeons? If so…You won't be finding her here.
Satsuki: What have you done with her!
Sansai: Why, nothing. Another of your comrades, however…I do hope he's alive when the others find him. But then, Hiei didn't come here with you, now did he?
Satsuki: Who?
Sansai: Hiei. This young dragon the Realm is buzzing over…You know, he wasn't that strong…Of course, he was quite stunned…
Satsuki: You tried to kill him?
Sansai: I had orders.
He approached her as he began twirling his staff in his hand. She easily saw the glint of the bladed tip on one end, as well as the curved blades that seemed to hold the hovering sphere between them. The gem began to give off an odd, red glow, and he pointed it at her, aiming for her heart. A smile played across his lips for a brief moment, before he moved forward again, and swung the blades at her; she backed away, and came up against the wall, her eyes wide with the unfamiliar feeling of fright and her body frozen in place.
Sansai: …I also have orders to kill intruders. (he moved closer) Don't you think it amazing how people just freeze when faced with a possible death? Hiei was paralyzed with fear…Amazing what an effect something so unfamiliar can have on someone, isn't it?
He received no answer and he laughed softly at her; she truly was pathetic for a dragoness…Amazing how strong her aura was as it lashed out at him when he made another step toward her. She was practically making him drown in the scent of her fear, and he removed his weapon from the direction of her body; there was no reason to end her life, after all. She was a true dragon; why compromise things by killing Hitairu's eldest heir?
Sansai: I'll let you go for now. Next time I see you, don't expect to be so lucky.
Leaving her there against the wall, he sped off down the corridors with what any other dragon would consider amazing speed; currently, he was a blur of white and slight green as he raced through the corridors and leapt over stairways, both ascending as well as descending. Of course, this failed to make the corridors change, and he found his target with ease; at seeing him again, Hisaka extended her claws and halted on the spot, ready to fight him again should he try and attack her another time. He, however, wasn't in the mood for games any longer.
Sansai: Look, tigress. You should get back to your friends, and do it now.
Hisaka: Why bother? Knowing a snake like you, it's probably just another trap.
Sansai: Fine. Do as you wish; be killed by the Guardian Dragons. Its no scale off my tail.
With this thought, as well as a blur of white, he disappeared and left no trace. However, the second Hisaka turned back to the path, she felt her body slip through something that reminded her of cold water; a shiver traced her spine, and no sooner than she opened her eyes from their involuntary closing, she saw the gleam of blue in the distance…But it was she shape of the light that made her try and back away, only to fail as it felt like a wall had erected behind her. The gleaming azure light came closer, and she knew at once that it was the eyes of some beast, and instinct demanded that she run for it.
Which she did. Another corridor twisted away from her to the right, as well as from the left; it was a snap decision, and she flew down the right path. A tangling web of different stairways and ladders awaited her, all different colors, as though testing her with a puzzle. A treacherous roar sounded from behind her, and with her adrenaline rush, she chose the staircase closest to her, illuminated by only golden light. With natural ability, she leapt over it, and kept running, coming to face yet another maze of color as well as glowing eyes of green; once more, she made a snap decision, and climbed a ladder of pale violet. To her relief, she appeared from the floor the instant Kurama and Yusuke walked by.
As Kurama seemed to be the only one to notice her, she took time to catch her breath while he stopped and turned to face her; being a fox, there was no doubt in her mind that he could catch the scent of her fear, and as she steadied her voice, she looked past him at Yusuke, who appeared to be going down a green-lit hallway.
Hisaka: Don't go that way!
As though confused, he turned back to her slowly, and raised an eyebrow. More than likely, he hadn't heard her approach, nor had he realized that Kurama was still standing in the place he was when he first saw her. Yusuke began to walk back toward them, but as he began to take a step, he shivered greatly, which only seemed to add to his confusion. A loud screeching roar echoed through the empty hallways above them, and Hisaka had to clutch the wall to keep herself standing; apparently, another alarm to the dragon had been alerted… Kurama looked up at the level above them, and instantly, he grabbed Hisaka by the arm and pulled her toward where Yusuke had frozen; before they could turn around, there was what felt like an explosion behind them as the ceiling fell through.
However, it was the creature that caused it to happen that made them all back away in shock.
Large, and fierce, the dragon was covered in scales of dark violet and deep, denim blue. Unlike all other dragons they had thus far come against, it was not serpentine, but instead, more of the stereotypical build for the specie. A long, craning neck extended from a bulky, muscular body, reminding Kurama of the Loch Ness Monster; but instead of fins, it was supported by four very strong legs, ended by large, clawed feet that could easily crush them should it be given the chance. Its tail beat the walls of the corridor viciously, sending quakes through the hall with each impact against the stone, and its head was ducked down beneath the enormous hole in the level above, peering down at them with eyes that glittered just above a long, beaklike snout; the head of the beast also had two silver horns extending from the back that curved slightly over its neck, and its teeth were like those of a crocodile, extending a bit from within its mouth. It opened said mouth in another screeching roar, and Hisaka felt her body preparing to bolt again; Kurama, however, held her in place.
Kurama: No. If you run, it'll pick you off. Stand your ground.
Hisaka: Easy for you to say. (her voice wasn't much more than a harsh whisper) You can fight back; I can't.
Kurama: I'm sure you have a weapon of some kind; use your Spirit Energy, or Demonic Energy.
Hisaka: It doesn't work on these things.
Yusuke: You mean these are like those Raptor Dragons we were nearly killed by?
Kurama: Seems that way.
Yusuke: Well, that explains why Sesshoumaru was fighting old-style against Hitairu.
Kurama: Care to run that by me again?
Yusuke: No time; run for it!
With another roar, its tail broke through the stone of the surrounding walls and atop this destructive action, opened its mouth to release a blast of water that threw them back towards the wall behind them; none of them were prepared for it, and hit at full force, becoming stunned from the impact. Banging its head furiously on the ceiling, it succeeded in toppling the entire level above, but the falling debris failed to faze it; mouth agape and gleaming fangs dripping water, and no doubt saliva, it approached at an alarming pace before the three could move. However…
As the dragon charged toward them, every intent to crush them either with claws or jaws, it was stopped by a strong burst of white light, that hit the target of its eye and made it reel backward with a screech of pain. This seemed to do the trick of snapping them back to reality, and they looked up, not seeing her, but hearing her voice.
Satsuki: Run for it, before it attacks again! And when you do, watch out for Sansai; he released the traps to let the dragon free!
Yusuke: Hey! Where are you going!
Satsuki: To find the Prison Chambers and release their inhabitants from the dungeons.
Kurama: Are there any more dragons we should know about?
Satsuki: I'm not sure; better be alert just in case. I'm not gonna tell you again; move it!
Her footsteps trailed away as she ran, and the dragon began to shake its head violently, sending masses of blood and fluid to splatter on the walls; but they were back on their feet and tore down the side-hallway. Kurama and Yusuke ran the fastest, but seeing as how he had never let go of Hisaka's wrist, she was forced to keep pace, lest she be dragged down the maze of corridors and hallways; however, none of them were thinking these things. They had a silent agreement, only made a bond by the current situation; they were going to locate the only dragon in their midst, and therefore, have a weapon of some sort against the possibility of being prey.
Their footsteps echoed loudly with their stride, and they would have wondered if the dragon had heard them…Bt alas, as good luck was scarce this day, there was another roar from the direction of the corridor before them. Now faced with few options, Yusuke began to look around frantically, cursing under his breath as he did so, but was fortunate enough to find a ladder on the wall. Color didn't matter, for he had never managed to solve the puzzle of the maze anyway, and he ran at it, catching it high near the top as he leapt. He climbed through the floor above, and Hisaka did the same; Kurama knew that he wouldn't have had the time to make it through before his body would have been severed in two, and instead, took a sharp turn down another path in the hall. It was barely wide enough for him to move through, so there was no doubt the dragon would have a bit of trouble getting to him, but this wasn't his first thought. The first thing he noticed was the green light coming from one end; it didn't take him long to make his decision as he kept going forward.
"I do hope Satsuki is faring better than we are…The thought of no more dragons seems rather appealing as well…"
She did her best to ignore the roars echoing around her as she made her way deeper into the maze; there was no doubt that she could pass through the barriers without triggering the dragons' release, but their presence alone was quite unsettling. Surprisingly, her footsteps became even more quiet as she ran faster, but she wasn't completely sure she could go unheard; there was still the feeling of being followed about the atmosphere, but she wasn't going to stop to turn around. If Sansai was following her, he couldn't go after the others, and currently, that was most important. The paths she was taking were becoming tiresome, and the constant turns in the corridors were becoming more and more confusing, but she kept to the straight path, descending at every opportunity that she could, as well as trying to avoid touching the stairs. However, it seemed that it wasn't to be that she found the dungeons with no problems…
The sting of a blade against her back made her lose her balance before she could leap over the stairway, and she took a rough tumble, landing on her side, and looking up at the man following her. He skipped over the stairs in a graceful leap, and tucked stray jade hairs behind his ear with a cocky nature that simply infuriated Satsuki…but she knew she was in no position to say so. The black staff was in his hand, and he began to twirl it absently through his fingers, turning it into nothing more than a large ebony blur as he approached slowly. She tried to back away, but her body was frozen with pain and expulsion of her adrenaline.
Sansai: I told you not to interfere.
Satsuki: Since when did I do as you asked?
Sansai: Since I can easily kill you. (he moved the blade to rest beneath her chin, pressing at her throat) You don't want to die, do you?
Satsuki: Kill me; Father will only take you down afterwards.
Sansai: Of course he would. (his body changed form with the familiar white glow) That's why he'll kill Setare, rather than me.
Satsuki: You'd sacrifice your own brother? How heartless are you?
Setare: Quite. Now if you don't mind, I think--
A blue flash shot past his ear and collided with the wall behind him, shattering it on impact and causing him to look to his right, seeing Yusuke standing before the path of another corridor, Hisaka standing behind him, trying to catch her breath. Yusuke, who was also heaving for air, had his hand in shot-gun position, the tip of his finger illuminated by the tiny blue light as he prepared to fire again. Sansai snarled at him before jerking his staff away and changing its spear end into that of similar blades surrounding the glowing orb. He stepped away from Satsuki and toward Yusuke, challenge in his eyes, and tail swishing violently behind him. He took another few steps, but halted as the energy on Yusuke's finger began to glow brighter.
Yusuke: Take another step, and I'll kill you.
Setare: You wouldn't do that. Killing me releases the dragons, as I'm the only one who can control the barriers.
Yusuke: Feeling lucky, huh?
Setare: Only an idiot would take such a risk.
Yusuke: Idiotic is such a strong term; my friends prefer to think of me as 'brash.' Now, back up and show who you really are. I've had enough of your illusions lately, and I'm sure everyone else has.
Setare: Perceptive, aren't you?
Yusuke: You're pushing it.
Sansai backed away, bowing his head with a smirk as he did so. However, the instant his body returned to its original form, he looked up slightly, and the smirk only became more profound, showing a sharp fang in the process. He stood straight, but before any of the others could move, he took another pace backward…
And the corridor came to life as he touched the bottom step. He began to laugh as the roar of another dragon echoed toward them from the corridor before which Yusuke and Hisaka were standing, and made his way back up the stairs as he released another barrier. Yusuke's shiver seemed to shock him back to reality, for he took the chance to shoot at Sansai once before he disappeared, but his shot was evaded by the dragon's swiftness, and more of the wall was disintegrated. The roar of the dragon was dangerously close now, but this wasn't what Yusuke paid the most attention to. He rushed to Satsuki's side, half-lifting her to her feet as Hisaka made her way toward the path Satsuki had been taking.
Satsuki: I'm surprised you didn't just leave me here to die…
Yusuke: I can't stand you, but I'm not heartless. Now where is that path gonna take us?
Satsuki: Either outside or to the dungeons. (Another roar echoed, even closer now)
Yusuke: Can you still run?
Satsuki: What do you think? (Yusuke shifted her weight to his body and hoisted her onto his back)
Yusuke: Then you get a free ride; just don't bleed on me too much. (he turned toward Hisaka who looked to be on the verge of freezing from fear again) Let's move; quickly!
Well, how's that for a cliffhanger? Believe me, I don't know where these chapters are coming from, but hey, they work, right? I'll try to have the next one up soon, and if anyone was confused by the changing of names around Sansai, forgive me; it seemed like the way to type it. Until next time!