Asahi and Shinmei: Celestial Legends
Chapter 8: Hopeless
"What?"
"It's a youkai, boss! It's huge! Ya gotta help us!" Tasuki and Koji glanced at each other, nodding.
"Chichiri, you comin'?" The monk nodded, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his staff.
"Sakuradai-san, stay here. It's too dangerous."
"But-"
"Stay," Chichiri said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Frustration turned to anger as the helpless girl watched the four men make their way outside.
Asahi glared at Chichiri's back. Why must he make her out to be so hopeless? Sure, she didn't know how to fight physically, and at the moment her celestial powers were kaput, but…She sighed heavily. She was hopeless.
Her eyes widened. She wasn't completely hopeless! She could take care of the people who got injured! She ran out of the armory, grabbing her new weapon as she dashed out the door. If the demon tried anything…she could always smack it over the head with her bow.
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Chichiri's brows furrowed as he ran with Tasuki, Koji, and the one called Kazuki.
"Kazuki, when the hell did that thing appear?"
Not too long ago, boss! It just appeared outta nowhere! I had no idea what to do!" Tasuki sighed. Kazuki had joined the gang only a few days ago; Koji gladly let him join after he saved a Reikaku bandit from a horde of poisonous snakes. That burst of courage seemed to have left him once he joined, however. He was hardly as reliable as Koji described him to be.
A loud roar brought Tasuki out of his thoughts. He looked up, suddenly face-to-face with a terrifying and downright humongous demon. Not to mention ugly. The beast's appearance was so grotesque, Tasuki wondered if he might be turned to stone, should he stare at it for too long, like that strange snake-haired woman Miaka had once described. 'Mudisa', was the name of the strange wench, if he could recall.
The leader of the bandits turned to Kazuki, his temper beginning to rise.
"Ya say this thing just snuck up on us?"
"Yes, sir!"
Have you noticed that thing's huge? Are ya BLIND or something?" The rookie bandit fidgeted, shame filling his features.
"I-I-I'm sorry boss I-I didn't-" Tasuki heaved a sigh, pushing past Kazuki to give out orders to his men.
"Okay, everyone calm down! Get yerselves a bow and fire at will! Don't waste yer shots! Stall it as much as ya can and prevent it from gettin' to the hideout!"
Chichiri in the meantime was contemplating the situation at hand. There was no doubt this youkai had come for Asahi. He silently commemorated Tasuki as he heard the redhead yell his commands. They had to protect Asahi, no matter what. The monk raised his staff, letting an explosion of chi erupt from it.
What happened next was unforeseen. All the arrows, projectiles, and even Chichiri's chi attack ricochet right back to them. The bandits ran in a pell-mell, as if all hell had broken loose. Chichiri instantaneously raised his hands. A brilliant crimson barrier materialized out of thin air, rescuing the bandits from a certain death.
The Suzaku warrior dropped to his knees. His energy had reached its pinnacle and was now slowly but surely dwindling. He quickly raised a hand to wipe away the cold sweat that had now formed above his brow. His head throbbed as he looked up at the eerie looking youkai attacker. It was still going about, swinging its clawed fists blindly as if fighting an invisible horde of enemies. The demon completely lacked the mental capacity to hit straight, let alone cast a barrier.
If that demon isn't casting this barrier…who is?
Whoever that unknown caster was, he was certainly feeling vainglorious at the moment.
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Asahi's heart thundered like a drum when her feet finally left the fortress. She gasped as her eyes met the sight of a monstrous demon in the distance. Chichiri suddenly flashed in her mind's eye. Her blood turned to ice as she heard the scream of men. Men of Mt. Reikaku.
"Hey, Lady Asahi, whattaya doing here?" The girl in question whirled around to face the speaker. It was Kazuki.
"Kazuki-san! I…I hear screams…Tasuki-kun and Chichiri-san are in trouble! Don't you hear it?" She turned towards the ominous voices, her eyes alight with fear. "We have to help them!" As she turned away Kazuki's eyes took on a murderous. A glint which went unnoticed until it was too late.
"Oh, they need help all right…" A blade was raised in the air, it's beautiful deadly metal glistening in the sun. "But they sure as hell won't get it!"
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Far away, in a land filled with snow, a young girl entered a large cavern. It went unseen by the average human, despite it's large size. It was hidden by magic. Demon magic.
As for the young girl, closer inspections would reveal her to not be a mortal, or anything close to mortal for that matter. Her pointed ears, her other-worldly armor, and, most of all, the strange tail eating serpent tattoo that branded her arm. She was, in fact, a demon.
She lifted the tattooed arm, her blood-red marking flashing, and the barrier once guarding the cavern momentarily dissipated. The demoness stepped forward into the abyss, its silence quickly shattered by a ghostly, terrifying rumble.
"Ah, Miyuki, you return. What news do you bring?"
"My Lord Tenma, Kazuki has just run into the Suzaku no Ten'nyo." The said lord let out an evil cackle.
"Perfect. That foolish human is the perfect way to give Shinmei's new reincarnation a little greeting from me." The demoness Miyuki took a breath.
"Permission to speak, my Lord?" She continued, the silence serving as an affirmative. "Why did you have a simple human such as Kazuki go after the Suzaku no Ten'nyo?"
"Ah, good of you to ask." Miyuki mentally sighed with relief. "Humans are such cowardly creatures, so easy to manipulate. That, and I am well aware that a simple human, even if gifted with demonic powers, is no match for a celestial maiden.
"I do not wish to finish off the Suzaku no Ten'nyo that quickly…I will let her live, for now, making her stay at Mt. Reikaku…interesting. Little does Kazuki know that I no longer have any use for him. Miyuki!"
"Yes, Lord!"
"Follow Kazuki. Make sure he does not kill the Suzaku brat."
"What if he should be interrogated?"
"Then he shall be…terminated." The terrible rumble held no ounce of humor. "Go." Miyuki nodded, and vanished.
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Demon claws sliced through his shoulder. Koji winced as he swung his sword, counterattacking. The demon's strange barrier once again protected it, leaving it unscathed.
Damn it… "Genro! It's no use! The barrier's too strong!"
Tasuki was at a loss of what to do. His men, his comrades who supported him though thick and thin, were being put up against a demon with a barrier that not even he or Chichiri could penetrate. Fighting was no use; it pained Tasuki watching the bandits continue to fight, some of them practically digging their own grave.
As for retreat…that option was also unlikely. Although the youkai was stupid beyond compare, it had the tendency to chase down anything that moved; and for such a huge creature, its movements were far from lethargic. The hopes of fighting their way out of this were slim, and the chances of retreat were slimmer still.
"REKKA SHINEN!" He screamed as the demon's jaws came uncomfortable close to Koji's head. Tasuki's sigh of relief turned to a yelp as the demon's head turned towards him. Beady blood red eyes bore into his amber ones. The demon stalked towards him, the distance between them closing. Fast. Tasuki did the only thing he could do: Run.
Alarm went off inside Chichiri as his chi sensing ability showed him that someone was near. Someone who shouldn't be near. It was Asahi.
"Tasuki, distract the youkai!" Chichiri yelled over the chaos. Before his unfortunate friend could answer, Chichiri quickly sprinted away. Wind rushed past his masked face as demon claws nearly raked his cheek. A flash and the feeling of heat soon followed as the Suzaku seishi of fire unleashed another (Normally) lethal attack. The demon's attention was drawn once again to the red head and his bandits, and Chichiri was promptly forgotten. The monk continued to run, only a certain Suzaku no Ten'nyo on his mind…
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"K-Kazuki-san…" Asahi yelped as she clumsily dodged the traitorous man's sword. "Wh-what-," She gasped. The man had taken on a gruesome transformation. Blood red and black markings littered his face and arms, and she noticed on his silver blade strange arcane lettering so uncanny she knew it was not something he simply bought. Similar lettering could be seen on his hands and arms.
"You-Your face…your arms and hands…" She whispered in a strangled voice. "What-,"
"I am Kazuki," He interjected, "a spy sent to Mt. Reikaku by the almighty Tenma!" Asahi's blood turned to ice.
"Tenma…?" The sneer on the man showed he was not joking. She screamed as the sword cam crashing down…
"ASAHI, DUCK!" Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bronze colored staff flash through the air.
"Chichiri!" She cried joyfully. The Suzaku warrior nodded, his eye still focused on Kazuki.
"Who are you?" The normally kind voice was deathly cold.
"I was sent here by Tenma. Geez, Chichiri, thought you were smart enough to know that at least."
"If you were sent here by Tenma, why aren't you a demon?" Kazuki gave a confident laugh.
"My demon Lord isn't just some run of the mill youkai. I promised to serve him, in return he gave me demon-like powers, even though I'm a human." Chichiri flinched at this.
"I guess one of those powers is being able to control the demon over there?"
"Yup. I knew ya were a smart guy. Unfortunately…smarts won't be enough to LIVE!" He charged. Sword clashed with staff before Chichiri suddenly moved with lightning speed, slicing through Kazuki's red bandana. Even as the brown locks of hair fell forward, they weren't enough to hide the blood red mark of the tail-eating serpent. Kazuki's fighting stance faltered slightly as he glared at Chichiri.
"Aw, come on. That was my only headband."
"I'm sure you'll get over it," Chichiri said wryly. With that their weapons met once again.
Suddenly the symbols on Kazuki's left arm glowed a ghostly violet color. Chichiri's eye widened. Air was squeezed from his chest as violet rays of light stabbed his shoulder. A choked cry escaped his lips as indescribable pain shot through his arm. He staggered back as crimson began to blossom on his sleeve. Asahi's scream tore through the air like a knife.
"NO! CHICHIRI-SAN!" Chichiri forced himself up, gasping as blood continued to gush from his wound. He collapsed to his knees, muttering incoherently.
No…He's…is he becoming delusional? Asahi's face became streaked with tears. Oh, Suzaku, please…please let him live!
She squeezed her eyes shut, and suddenly her body was enveloped in a red light, as was Chichiri's. The monk gasped as spidery twinges of pain and relief flooded through him. He looked down, amazed at what he saw.
Flesh pulled together and blood slowly began to vanish from his shoulder, as if some invisible hand was slowly taking away the wounds. Energy rushed back to him like a blast from a cannon. He shakily got to his feet, much to Kazuki's displeasure.
"Damn wench!" Tenma's minion roared. Asahi gave him a look of bewilderment, not noticing just how tired she was. Her blood became cold as ice as Kazuki suddenly lunged. Asahi waited for her blood to spill upon the ground. Instead…
"AAAH!" Asahi looked up, nearly vomiting at the sight. Kazuki's right arm had been blown off. Asahi looked to see Chichiri, crouched on the ground with hands shrouded in crimson light. To her amazement, his wounds were completely gone.
Amidst Kazuki's screams Chichiri paced forward, staff remaining at the ready.
"Tasuki and his bandits will make short work of your demon companion now." Despite his pain Kazuki smirked.
"How'd…ya figger out the symbols on my arm was what made the barrier…?"
"Simple. Your left arm was the one that shot out those rays of light. Since you're not a celestial warrior or some other god-chosen human, your body wouldn't be able to house such power without losing control over it or going insane. To neutralize things, Tenma must have given your right arm the symbols used to cast barriers, and ability which is the polar-opposite of your left arm's ability." Kazuki gave a scornful sneer.
"You're too damn perceptive…no wonder I never liked monks."
Asahi in the meantime was overjoyed at Chichiri's eerie recovery. She didn't realize just how weak she had now become, until it was too late. With relief came sudden fatigue. She was bombarded with light-headedness and a feeling of her heart going up her throat, and she collapsed.
Kazuki saw his chance. He did a surprising back flip, and bounded toward the unconscious girl, his blade whistling through the air at the chance to spill blood.
Red light erupted from the girl's body, knocking the strange sword out of Kazuki's hand. Suddenly another entered the battlefield, flames surging forward in his wake.
"REKKA SHINEN!"
Kazuki roared in pain as the holy inferno scorched his left arm. He was defeated. As the beaten follower of Tenma writhed in pain upon the bloodstained ground, Tasuki and Chichiri slowly approached, their weapons close to hand.
"Why did Tenma send you here?" Chichiri asked, his voice abnormally icy.
"He…He told me ta watch over Shinmei's brat…that's all…"
"Didn't ya also come ta kill Asahi-chan?" Tasuki growled.
"Nah…Tenma…specifically said not to kill the girl or I'd pay with my life…"
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Not far from the battlefield Miyuki sighed. She knew that fool Kazuki was too incompetent to be heavily relied upon. From a small pouch on her silver belt she drew a small shiruken star, and waited in anticipation.
Asahi's eyes fluttered open. She quickly sat up, seeing both Tasuki and Chichiri standing over a heavily disfigured Kazuki. She got to her feet, her eyes wide.
"Ta-Tasuki-kun…? Chichiri-san?" Tasuki gave her a brief yet kind glance.
"Hey Asahi-chan. We'll be there in a sec," He said, turning back to the other matter at hand. "So, where the hell can we find Tenma anyway?" As Kazuki opened his mouth to speak Chichiri's eye widened.
"LOOK OUT!"
A rain of shiruken stars fell from the sky. Tasuki and Chichiri dodged and ducked, barely avoiding the sneak attack. Tasuki winced as he scooped up Asahi. He reached behind him, yanking a shiruken star out of his back. His cargo became pale as she watched his blood drip from the small weapon.
"Tasuki-kun!"
"Don't worry! It's just a scratch," He yelled over the din."
"Maybe so, but what if she poisoned it?"
At that Tasuki skidded to a stop, his eyes wide with realization. At the same time the hail of stars came to an end.
"How perceptive of you, Suzaku no Ten'nyo."
The three looked up, seeing a young girl standing on a tree limp. In her hand she carried a Shiruken star, like all the other littered with strange arcane lettering.
"You need not worry, Tasuki. They are free of poison." Tasuki snorted in disgust.
"How'd ya know my name?"
"Let's just say a little birdie told me." Although her mouth and nose was covered by cloth, it was obvious she was smirking. "Anyway, my deed here is done, so I must be going. Farewell." With that the demoness disappeared.
The three stood, dazed in the shiruken covered battlefield for a few moments. Realization suddenly hit Chichiri.
"Kazuki!" Tasuki cursed as he turned. Kazuki was now laying on the ground, a shiruken star jutting out of his neck. Chichiri cursed under his breath as he rushed to the fallen man. His body jerked convulsively as blood continued to flow from his neck in a steady stream. He was close to death, but they still had time…
"Where is Tenma? Answer me, Kazuki! KAZUKI!" Although most of the words were an incoherent mess, one word was easily identifiable.
"Sei…gyoku…"
With one final shuddering breath, Kazuki's soul left his body. He was dead.
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"Well, you got very lucky, Tasuki-kun!" Asahi said as she dressed and bandaged the redhead's arm, "The woman was right. No poison."
"That was not woman, Sakuradai-san." Chichiri whispered. "She was a demoness, a follower of Tenma." Tasuki let out an aggravated sigh.
"Well, either way, we still lost our only solid lead ta Tenma!"
"Not quite, no da. He did say 'Seigyoku', didn't he? That's definitely a clue. The only thing we don't know is where that place is, and if that's where Tenma resides." Asahi suddenly spoke up.
"Something tells me he's not there."
"Then what's the point in goin' there?"
"We can't just rush into the part of China where Tenma is, Tasuki! Da…geez. If we went there first we wouldn't be strong enough at all! He'd annihilate us!"
"Well, sorry! Either way, we've got no clue where the hell Tenma is-,"
"I…I think I know where Seigyoku is!" Asahi interjected. "When I passed out, I had a dream where a green and blue dragon came to me…Suddenly image of a palace also appeared, but it wasn't the palace of Konan. It was the palace of Kuto!" Chichiri rubbed at his temples for a few minutes, deep in thought. He sat up, his face alight as his thought came to him in a flash.
"Of course! Seigyoku city is right next to the palace of Kuto! This means that we head there!" Tasuki popped out of his chair, amber eyes aflame with determination.
"Then it's off ta Kuto!"
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Oooh…What the hell will they find in Kuto, I wonder…? Just gonna have to find out yourself, eh?
Anyway, very very sorry for the incredibly delayed update…I had exams (which were a bitch and a half, just so ya know) and regular school work in general which kept me from my beloved computer. Please forgive me once again. I did spend lots of my free time writing and looking over this chapter though, so I can assure you that the free time I had was not wasted!
To the reviewer who decided to give me one hundred million imaginary dollars for Chichiri…YOU WON THE AUCTION:tosses Chichiri to you: Here you go!
Chichiri: TRAITOR! NO DA!
Oh, don't worry, to the rest of you who didn't get him this chapter. If it's not this chapter it's another…
Chichiri:whimpers:
I would also like to thank the reader who pointed out to me the complications of using a bow. I will be sure to keep the information you gave me in mind and refer to it in the later chapters. Thanks again! Heh, Chichiri's distance towards Asahi is a topic that hasn't gone untouched! Stuff will be unveiled eventually though…mwahahaha…
Sorry about any typos or misspellings. If any are found please feel free to specifically point them out to me in your review and I will change it ASAP. Thanks again! Oh, and by the way…See that little button at the bottom of the screen? You press that to give me a nice little review. Go on. Press the button. PRESS THE BUTTON GODDAMMIT! Okay I'm done now. Buh byes!