: Muichi Motsu :
: By : Akikazu :
((Dedication)) ((Kishiro, Night Ember, vixenia))
: Chapter Seven :
She was avoiding his eyes, keeping them down cast and watching the stone that made up the whole room.
"Kagome it wasn't your fault that they died," Sesshomaru said calmly.
She flinched, that's what everyone always said.
"I know it wasn't but I just can't help but think that this would have never happened if I had done something different… Anything different."
Sesshomaru tilted her face up and forced her to meet his eyes. Her eyes were tearful and full of pain and regret.
"If you had done anything different some of you or Shippo might have died also. If there was another way you would have found it as it is they have all passed on the bastard that killed them is dead."
Kagome absently wondered if he was calling Naraku a bastard or if he was referring Inu Yasha, as she let herself be embraced by her brother. After a hesitant moment she hugged him back, letting her arms wrap around his lean and strong frame.
"Aww, how sweat."
The voice was silky as it cooed at them. Sesshomaru release Kagome and pushed her behind him searching for the source of the mocking voice. He found it in a man that lounged on a boulder near the trap door Kurama had gone through.
"What business do you have here?" Sesshomaru demanded.
Kagome stepped around Sesshomaru annoyed that he would treat her like a defenseless child when she had possibly defeated hundreds of demons. Then she too took notice of the man across the room.
"I am death, I believe that the miko will recognize me."
Kagome racked her brain searching all of her memories for a match to that piercing, dark red glare. After finding nothing she matched the voice with the only remote possibility.
"You're Epsilon aren't you?"
Sesshomaru produced the air of an outraged older sibling as he kept his eyes on Epsilon.
"What did you do this time Kagome?" His voice was steely with a hint of exasperation.
"I didn't do anything this time, I just made a deal with him," Kagome turned earnestly to Epsilon. "And you did a fabulous job by the way."
Epsilon's brow raised a centimeter as he watched the miko try to wriggle her way out of confrontation. Too bad she was doomed to fail.
"Your audacity will not go unpunished little girl, no matter how hard you try to get out of this."
Kagome frowned at him as Sesshomaru's glare sharpened.
"Did do anything, did you?" His voice was a low growl.
"I suppose you want a duel then."
There was no need to answer.
He jumped down from the boulder letting the unnatural aura around him blow his hair and clothes behind him, giving him the appearance of floating down.
"Very well, as there is obviously no way of keeping you out of this, I shall watch. Remember that if you fail and die I still hold the Tenseiga," the threat hung in the air.
Kagome nodded and waited as he stalked away, departing for the far side of the room, as far as possible from Epsilon.
Epsilon watched as she pulled out her daggers, threading some of her miko powers into them, making booth the daggers and her eyes glow with a faint pink light. He smirked as he revealed his weapon of choice. Three claws formed between his knuckles on both hands they were shiny black and crackled with blue energy.
As soon as the claws were formed he rushed at the miko, make a testing move at her throat. His movement was slow and predictable, but it was just a test of her skills. If she wasn't able to block it she would be a waste of his true strength.
She blocked without even thinking about it, and he found himself staring into her cerulean eyes.
"Use all your power, just try to kill me," She hissed.
Kagome pushed back forcing him to jump away. The daggers in her hands twirled threateningly, become blurs of pink energy with the quick movements. With a harsh glare she sent the energy flying at him. He dodged easily and she followed him with her eyes, watching his movements and studying his technique.
The slices of purifying energy stopped flying and Epsilon came to a halt a few yards away from her. Giving him no time to dodge she attacked.
As she predicted his left claw moved to defend his abdomen. When she got into range she shoved her left dagger in between the claws, twisting them away from her. Her right dagger quickly followed, slicing into his flesh. She pushed closer, burying the dagger into his body and dragging it upward, ripping through his body, regardless of the pain as her buried his right hand claws into her left shoulder.
Epsilon hooked the claws into her bones he threw her away from him, letting the dagger tear out of him.
When she was out of his reach she shifted both daggers into her left hand to hold her injured shoulder. She could feel the pain burning through her body as the energies from his claws battled with the power of her miko.
Her enemy used her distraction to his advantage, speeding toward her. He was surprised when she blocked without moving, the blades close to both of their faces. He could feel her purifying powers reach for him, calling to erase his from the world.
He shoved her away sending her slamming into the ground. She sprung back to her feet but he was at her side, and his claws dug into her stomach.
The scent of blood became stronger and the stone floor was now slippery with it. Kagome slipped as she tried to move away from him, but Epsilon had no such problem as he hovered inches off the ground.
He sent the claws into her thigh making her whimper as she felt the cold steel of the claws digging into her bone. Epsilon moved away when he heard the satisfying crunch of shattering bone.
Kagome tried to get up but pain came lancing through her body from both her shoulder and thigh. She collapsed back to the ground with a thud.
"Surrender, you know your defeat is eminent little girl," Epsilon commanded.
"I can't."
Taking a deep breath to brace herself from the pain, Kagome hauled herself to her feet. She fell into a low attack stance, drawing her right arm and leg forward and using her left hand to defend. Epsilon frowned at her, his displeasure evident, but instead of moving into a stance he attacked her again.
Kagome was sent flying into another wall from his backhand. She steadied herself against the wall and spit out the blood that was welling in her mouth. Epsilon grabbed her and turned to slam her into the boulder he had been standing on earlier, pinning her there with his steel claws digging into her upper arm.
"Submit." He ordered.
"No."
He slammed her harder into the rock causing smaller and looser fragments to fall off.
"You are barley conscious, how do you expect to with against me?"
Epsilon allowed her fall heavily to the ground and Kagome forced her upper body off the floor, tilting her face to meet his eyes. Dark red clashed with deep blue, a silent battle of wills that neither dared to lose.
"There is one thing that I can do," her voice was whisper soft.
"Really," his voice was skeptical and his eyebrow rose slightly.
"I'll bind you."
He made a sound of disbelief and sat on the boulder that he had been slamming her into.
"You bind me? Let me guess 'death submit life' ne? You are not the first to try."
Kagome flipped her blade into her right hand and set her left arm in front of her. Carefully she started carving kanji symbols into her skin. After a second the kanji for death was flowing was bleeding on her arm.
"Death."
Epsilon frowned at her. He had thought he had discouraged her. Did she not know that if she failed to complete the blinding that her life would be forfeit to appease the balance of life?
The slight girl on the floor continued to carve another kanji into her arm, right beneath the first. Her shoulders were shaking slightly but she held her arms steady as she finished the second kanji.
"Harmonize."
His eyes widened. What in hell was she doing? He had never seen this before. A dreadful feeling took root deep in the pit of his stomach.
The three kanji was taking form underneath the dagger coated with both of their blood. Her shoulders were shaking more violently but her arms remained steadfast as she sought to complete her binding.
"Eternal."
Blood was pour freely from the kanji on her arm, being whipped harshly away from her by a mystical wind. The kanji on her arm glowed a bloody red and words appeared beneath them.
Death Harmonize Eternal
The kanji flash a light purple before fading, but the binding wasn't over yet. The wind lifted Kagome off the ground and her body gave off a purple glow while Epsilon glowed with the bloody red light.
The mystical wind howled and pulsed even more violently, shoving Sesshomaru back a little. He watched in abject horror as the lights grew brighter fight each other for dominance in the stone room. Suddenly the red light exploded sending multicolored balls of light every where. The purple glow faded and Kagome's form was gently lowered to the floor.
Sesshomaru approached cautiously, wary of the residential power hovering in the air. Although he knew Kagome would never consciously attack him, her miko power was begging to obliterate his existence. He finally arrived at her side and knelt by her unconscious body, checking her over and examining her status.
She had cut and bruised everywhere, along with a shattered bone in her thigh and serious wounds in her side upper arms and left shoulder.
There was no sign of the 'death' anywhere. Sesshomaru guessed that Kagome had gotten rid of it by doing what ever she had done with those lights.
His sister was a powerful miko, what a valuable asset.
Lifting her into his arms he straightened. He could hear the human and detective thundering down the stairs, Sesshomaru had no doubt that the fire youkai was there no matter hoe silent he may tread. The Inu Taiyoukai could also hear the excited chatter of the kitsune kit coming from the trap door.
It appeared it was time for their departure.
: End Chapter :
: Author's Note :
This chapter is cursed! I've had to write and rewrite it five times!
But yes chapter seven is finally out and now I have another story to work on too, a Juvenile Orion and Inu Yasha crossover. If you haven't read the Juvenile Orion series I would check it out, I loved it.
Ja ne.
: Review Responses :
Ryokotsusei – Shippo's gonna be hyper for a while to come.
LKLTB – Li Shen is going to be seen again, but he and Epsilon will be wild cards for the time being. Yup Shippo's going to be bouncing off the walls for a while, but Kag and Sess might soon think it's time for his training to begin.
tbiris – Li Shen and Epsilon are OCs their histories will be revealed later in the story so don't worry about it. An d let's just say that Kagome giving Epsilon a body is a done deal, now that it works on its own she, her power has nothing to do about it.
kitsune'sangelofflames – yes and soon I will have everyone brainwashed and doing my will!
shadow miko – Yup I was breaking them into groups so it would be easier to write, more suspenseful too.