Author's Note: Well my vacation due to being beaten to a bloody pulp by Sesshy's fangirls is over! I'm finally recovered enough to move my fingers, though that's all I can move right now. So please enjoy the long awaited part 2 of the Kitsune battle! Enjoy ch. 26 and please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or affiliated with Inuyasha, however this particular story is M-I-N-E! :)
Full Moon Rising Part 2
"Watch out Kagome!" Shippo growled as he swiftly flew towards her and shielded her just as a lightning bolt struck inches from her feet. He sent a flaming trail towards their attacker while Kagome launched a purifying arrow that leveled the youkai to dust.
The sky was swarming with all types of demons that attacked from above, and the ground was covered with Thunder tribe warriors. They were heavily outnumbered, not to mention outmatched. Kagome felt the presence of several jewel shards in various places, but she feared they would never get the chance to take them. She cast a longing glance toward Ukitake's palace.
There's no way we can beat them like this! Please hurry, Sesshomaru! I can't do this on my own!
"Well, well fox prince, it seems we face each other in battle again!"
Shippo whirled around and gasped in horror. "No way…you're dead!"
Kagome looked up at the heavily armored young man that floated down towards them holding a long spear. A dark glow caught her eye, and she quickly glanced at his forehead.
"Shippo! He has a jewel shard in his forehead!"
Hiten leveled a glare at the young girl, but a dark smile soon spread over his face. "A young woman who can sense the Shikon Jewel huh? You could prove to be quite useful!"
Hiten suddenly dashed towards Kagome, reaching out a clawed hand to grab her, but Shippo hurled a large flaming ball at him before he could reach her. Shippo quickly stepped in front of Kagome and held out his two flaming palms. "Leave her alone Hiten! Your target is me!"
The two princes jumped and clashed in the air as they dealt blow after blow to each other. Kagome could only stand back and watch helplessly as thunder and fire crackled above in a heated battle.
"Why aren't you dead?!" Shippo growled as the two continued to parry.
"Haha! Dunno for sure, but when that Naraku guy put this shard in my head, I woke up."
Kagome gasped and screamed, "Where is Naraku?!"
Hiten defended another blow before answering, "Tch! He's dealing with that old hag! After he finishes here off, he's going after that hanyou bastard while he's still weak!"
"WHAT?!" Shippo roared as he sliced a deep wound through Hiten's chest, causing the man to stumble backward into a tree. The Thunder prince slowly picked himself up as the wound in his chest began to slowly heal. Shippo leaped towards him, claws extended, but Hiten quickly leveled his spear to block the blow.
"Sesshomaru is not weak!" Kagome screeched from below, fear beginning to cloud her senses.
"Hehe! He is now thanks to the moon!"
"…What…?" Kagome whispered before realization dawned on her.
No it can't be! Not now! Why didn't he tell me he was going to transform?! Did the others know?!
She abruptly remembered the wary looks and strange conduct her companions had been displaying for the past few days. Kagome couldn't believe she had been this clueless. Suddenly driven by fear and force of will, Kagome furiously ran toward Ukitake's mansion, not once looking back.
"Kagome!" Shippo called frantically. The momentary distraction allowed Hiten to push the Kitsune back. A swift strike from his spear left a deep gash in Shippo's arm, and the fox prince quickly put some distance between them.
A smirk formed on Hiten's lips before he quickly called over his shoulder, "Manten! Go after that girl!"
The ugly brother looked up from his latest kill and jumped on his chariot to chase after Kagome.
"Let's finish this fox!" Hiten growled as he lunged toward the wounded Shippo.
Kagome ran as fast as she could, keeping her eyes on the castle in front of her. She frantically dodged weapons and jumped over bodies, but she never once took her eyes away from her goal. Dark laughter sounded behind her, and Kagome didn't have to look behind her to know someone was chasing after her, but she didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. The laughter steadily became louder and louder, until Kagome finally glanced over her shoulder to see Manten only inches away.
She screeched and screamed, "Eww! Get away from me you bald fattso!"
"Bald fattso?! How dare you insult me little wench! I'll devour you whole!"
Manten grabbed Kagome by the hair and yanked her towards him, but a familiar rush of wind was steadily making its way towards Manten's body. The ugly youkai looked up just in time to see Miroku's Hiraikotsu tearing through the sky merely feet away from his exposed form. Dropping Kagome quickly, Manten made a swift dodge out of his chariot seconds before the giant bone boomerang hit the contraption and crushed it to pieces.
"M-my…my…my carriage!" Manten gasped in horror before whirling around to face the taijya. Letting out a furious cry, he charged towards Miroku, spear raised to impale the man who had damaged his possession.
Hiraikotsu was quickly making its way back towards its master, but the weapon was too far away to help defend the taijya. Miroku was ready to draw the short sword at his side, but Sango suddenly jumped in front of him and raised her own sword for a purifying strike. Noticing the danger ahead, Manten quickly stopped in his tracks just as Hiraikotsu hit him hard in the back of the head, causing the youkai to topple over face first in the dirt.
"Kagome! We can handle this! Go to Sesshomaru!" Sango commanded immediately.
Kagome nodded silently, but before she raced off she turned and called, "Be careful! Naraku's here, too!"
"We know! The Saimyosho are all over the place, so I can't use my Kazaana!" Miroku growled, clenching his fist.
"Somebody help meeeee!" A terrified Koga suddenly came running towards them, a worm-like youkai close on his heels. Kagome quickly launched an arrow at his attacker just as the pup launched himself in her arms.
"Koga! Are you okay?" Kagome hugged the little wolf cub reassuringly.
"Y-y-yeah…I-I'm f-fine." The trembling cub said bravely.
A loud roar filled the sky, and Kagome looked up to see Kirara tearing her enemies apart with fang and claw. The shard hunters were doing their best to keep the Thunder warriors from approaching the castle, but she didn't know how much longer they could hold out.
Kagome placed Koga on the ground and said, "Stay with Miroku, Koga. I have to go help Sesshomaru."
The pup's face scrunched in a determined look and he nodded his understanding before bounding towards Miroku's shoulder.
Leaving the experienced fighters behind, Kagome quickly dashed the last few yards toward Ukitake's castle. As she burst through the doors, the first sight she beheld was a wounded Ukitake trapped in a dark red barrier covered in sutras. White flames surrounded the Kitsune elder, but Naraku's barrier was slowly draining her youki. Kagome grabbed one of her arrows and furiously slammed it down on the offending barrier. The arrow and the barrier crackled in a clash of purity and youki. The force of the impact started to burn Kagome's hands, but the young girl stood fast as the arrow grew brighter and the barrier began to dissolve under the force of Kagome's power. As the last of the barrier disappeared, Ukitake's flames blazed stronger as her youki slowly began to return.
Kagome bent down towards her and cautiously asked, "Ukitake-sama, are you alright?"
Dark green eyes filled with fury flashed towards the girl, but seeing Kagome's face, her eyes softened and she let out an exhausted sigh before rising to her feet.
"Where is that hanyou bastard that dared trap me here?!" she growled low.
"No Ukitake-sama! You're too wounded to fight him!"
"Nonsense! This is my clan, and I their leader! It is my duty to fight till the end." She pushed past Kagome and headed towards the door.
"If I were you, I would be less worried about me and more worried about your wounded lover." Without another word, the nine-tails burst through the door and transformed into a giant red fox while charging full on into the fray.
Kagome was worried about the old fox, but the fear of what was happening to Sesshomaru overtook her, and the girl soon found herself racing up the stairs toward the man who had saved her time and time again.
Ukitake tore through the battle field, white flames scorching the grounds around her along with everything and everyone in the vicinity. Her fellow clansmen had already surrounded themselves in flame barriers, but the thunder tribe had no cover against the onslaught of heat that turned all that touched it to ash. She furiously tore through the land until the remaining Thunder tribe warriors fled in terror. Ukitake pounced on one of the retreating warriors, pinning him under her giant paw before growling low, "Where is your leader?"
"H-he's not here…Boten-sama stayed behind to guard the village…"
"Coward! Tell him this war is over!" she snarled, letting the terrified warrior scurry off.
Ukitake then raced towards the smell of her grandson's blood as the sight of the two princes clashing came into view. From what she could see, Shippo had been wounded in various places, while the Thunder youkai remained unscathed. A streak of lighting suddenly lit up the sky, and Ukitake looked up to see Shippo falling towards the ground. The poor fox landed with a heavy thud, but he soon struggled to climb to his knees. Hiten raised his spear high and dashed towards the paralyzed fox laughing mockingly, "Haha! I have you now Kitsune! Prepare to die!"
Ukitake's body moved on its own until she found herself on the other side of Hiten's spear. Shippo starred with wide-eyed horror underneath her, while Hiten's surprised face soon turned into a smirk. Pulling the spear out with a fierce jerk, Ukitake's blood splattered on Shippo's tear stained face just as the fox elder transformed back into her human form and collapsed. Shippo could only stare at the barely breathing body of his beloved grandmother until Hiten's wicked laughter snapped him out of his trance.
"Who knew the leader of the fox clan could be so weak! What an honor for her to die by my hand!"
"You…YOU!" Shippo furiously lept towards Hiten as his body transformed into a large fox surrounded by blue flames that crackled furiously. Shippo growled as his flames surrounded the terrified Hiten. The fox prince raised a large paw, claws glinting fiercely in the moonlight before slashing down on Hiten's forehead, leaving a large gash as the Shikon shard fell to the ground. The thunder prince's eyes glazed over, and the corpse crumpled forward, turning to dust.
Shippo quickly transformed back and dashed to his grandmother's side, cradling the heavily breathing woman in his arms as tears rolled down his cheeks. Ukitake lifted a shaking hand to her grandson's face, rubbing her thumb soothingly over his cheek.
"You've grown so much, my little Shippo. I only wish I could have been stronger for your sake."
Ukitake's hand slowly fell to her side, as her dark green eyes closed in a peaceful expression.
Other Author's Note: Uh oh, another cliffy! But don't worry, this battle isn't over yet! There is much more to come, and who knows what Kag is gonna do when she confronts Narkau (probably something stupid knowing her, but you didn't hear that from me!).