Chapter 9

An untamable soul

The strong and sweet scent of human blood impregnated the dusky air, caressing his nostrils, inviting his inner and starving beast.

Thick drops of the red and warm liquid slowly dripped on the floor, sliding down her arm and pouring abundantly from between her fingers, these firmly pressed against the deep rend in her shoulder.

Her wide open and deeply shocked eyes were fixed on the demon immediately in front of her. She was speechless, still trying to digest that sudden attempt of assassination.

"M-M-Mi… Milord...?!"

Jaken stammered, even more grasped by shock than the wounded woman herself. In a matter of second, Sesshomaru had dived against the daimyo's back and attacked her to kill, and it was by a mere luck and quick reflexes that the woman realized it fast enough to turn around just in time to evade the lethal strike that surely would have decapitated her. Her left shoulder and arm took the blow instead of her neck, and ended completely lacerated.

Sesshomaru took a heavy step forward and the woman instinctively moved back, her heel tripped on a chest and she fell on the cleaning gears on the floor. The demon launched itself and its claws forward to the next and last attack. Sakuya clasped her eyes shut and shrugged, waiting for the killing blow to arrive and upon realizing that none came, she opened them again to find the tall demon bent like a shell over her, covering her with his shadow. His fist deeply plunged to the wall instead of her head.

"Take Jaken," he muttered sternly to her, his silver hair softly caressing her face. "and run."

"Milord! What's happening?!" Jaken inquired desperately.

"Run, now," he ordered.

He shrugged and they knew that his brief moment of self control would soon fade again. The lord jumped forward, escaping the demon's siege from beneath its arm, grabbing a stunned Jaken and then sprinted to the door. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth and gasped, each small piece of his being shaking as he made his best effort to remain still, resist that powerful control taking over him and give the woman time to disappear from his sight. Which was pointless, since the grave wound on her shoulder would leave a clear trail of blood and scent for him to easily follow.

...

"Amazing, Sesshomaru… No one ever managed to resist… my control before..."

The ghostly creature admired the handsome figure of the silver haired dog demon reflected on the water's surface. Somehow that exquisite creature managed to partially resist the control, freeing his mind and reason from her grasp. However, his body was still hers to control, and she ordered him to stand up, leave the treasure room and give chase to the Sakagama lord. Sesshomaru scowled, displeased as he unwillingly obeyed.

"You... are really a rarity…" She complimented softly, touching his face with one finger, watching the slight swirls distorting his image on the water. "...A treasure… that I shall acquire for myself…"

...

A desperate race led the feudal lord and Jaken straight to the forests surrounding the castle. As soon as they breached into the wilderness and found themselves completely surrounded by tall woods, cold darkness and humid soil, the lord allowed herself to slow down and catch some precious breath. She let the small imp leap back to the floor and rested her back against a tree, once again holding her wound.

"What on Earth is the meaning of this?" she inquired, still trembling, trying to recover her thoughts and reason back from shock's grasp.

"I have no idea!" Jaken cried. Sesshomaru's most loyal servant was clearly in dismay, which immediately discarded the idea of deliberate betrayal from the daimyo's mind. Sesshomaru wasn't himself, that much was clear, especially for Jaken. Attacking a distracted and relatively friendly target from behind was a low and cowardly move that the proud and noble dog demon lord would never allow himself do, even against its most loathed enemy. "It is the first time I see Lord Sesshomaru losing it like this!"

"I need fire," she bitterly informed, "this wound must be cauterized or I will perish soon."

Jaken turned to her and finally noticed the giant red stain sullying the entire left sleeve of the woman's Gi and still shining below her pressed fingers. A spurt of heroism took over the imp as he realized that it was on his strong shoulders that the noble duty of saving a lady in distress had fatefully fallen on. He coughed, regaining his composure.

"A-hem, do you still have that dagger? Put it on the ground, quick." The hidden blade slid from beneath her sleeve to the ground as he commanded, and Jaken readied Nintojo with the old man's head facing the weapon. The lady covered her face from the intense light and heat that suddenly and surprisingly spurted from the head's mouth along with a wide whirlwind of flames. The whirlwind faded, leaving only a circle of charred soil and the incandescent blade resting in the middle of it. "There. You better do it yourself, and try not to make a noise or you will give away our position."

After a few seconds in silence acknowledging the staff and its revealed powers, she nodded gratefully to him and picked up the fervent blade by its hilt. Jaken clasped his eyes shut instinctively, unwilling to watch the woman burning her own arm. The sound of boiling meat finally faded and he opened them again to watch her sweating, blushed and breathing heavily after the giant effort required of her to handle the blade whilst remaining silent, and also to notice a strange movement in the treetops near the forest's borders.

"I-It is him!" he cried, clinged to Nintojo like a shield. "It is pointless, we cannot outrun Lord Sesshomaru. He will reach us!"

"Find Hokumaru. He will aid us."

"Curse you, woman! I will not abandon my lord!"

"Do not worry. When you return we will figure out a way to bring him back to his senses. Now go, quickly."

"What about yo-" Before he could finish his question, he felt her strong hand suddenly grabbing him by his collar and then hurling him far away above and across the trees, to safety.

...

After leaving the treasure room and swiftly killing the guards at the doors before they could even notice him and let alone sound any alarm, Sesshomaru patiently headed for the forest, following the strong scent of blood left in the air. Not even a single insect dared to stay in his path, probably due to the strong demonic energy pulsing from him as keeping it lit was preventing the enemy from taking full control of his senses.

Soon, he approached the core of the scent in a small alcove formed by the trees, with a mild lighting coming from the moon. The daimyo had stopped running and seemingly decided to face him, as he met her firmly standing, staring at him and with her enchanted sword in hand, the tip of the long and sharp blade touching the soil in a clear defying stance. Her erect posture and the reek of charred meat coming from her told him that she handled the wound in her shoulder, probably with Jaken's aid. The imp was nowhere to be seen.

"Fool," he uttered, lifting his right hand to the height of his shoulder, displaying his five sharp claws recently bathed in various types of human blood and urging to strike again. His eyes were entirely covered by a purple and abyssal glow. "I told you to run."

"You are awake," she concluded upon realizing the regal serenity in his words and calm demeanor.

"I am," he confirmed, "although my body will not obey me."

"What happened to you?"

"It seems that the injury I received from that lousy fox allowed a strange energy to enter and take a hold of my body." He strived to remain where he was, but his feet started to walk on their own, quietly approaching her. "I cannot track nor recognize its source."

"Do you have any weak spots?" The lord scowled, watching the distance between them getting smaller and smaller. A night breeze embraced the daiyokai, carrying his long silver hair and mokomoko to the side, and bringing only the scent of forest and death to her.

"None that especially a human could exploit," he admitted arrogantly, but also sincerely.

"Tell me what must be done." Although the situation was dire, Lady Sakuya found herself deeply admiring the son of Toga, and how elegantly he was keeping his demeanor and composure even when his own body was betraying him.

The answer came in the form of a swift assault. Sesshomaru jumped over the daimyo and launched his claws against her neck. She deflected his hand with the blunt side of her blade and immediately appended a powerful spinning kick against his torso, which despite strong had barely repelled him. He repeated the assault and this time, when she moved to deflect, he changed his hand's direction, grabbed her wrist by surprise and then threw her violently against the trees. She spun in the air and managed to land in the stalk with her feet instead of her back, then took impulse for a new jump in order to evade Sesshomaru once again. The tree took the deep cut in her stead, immediately falling.

Her quick scream filled the air when his whip hit her hard in the spine before she could properly land, leaving a deep and long diagonal cut in her back. She landed clumsily and immediately turned in order to parry a powerful slash sent by him with Bakusaiga. A contest of strengths began as blade met blade and sword pressed sword. The lord pressed her feet firmly against the ground and steadied her torso, managing to keep her ground against the demon's astonishing force as he tried to push her backwards. Her strength began to quickly fade as he maliciously directed most of Bakusaiga's weight to the side of her wounded arm. Her structure trembled and he gave one single and strong push. The woman gasped when she felt her already wounded back bluntly hitting a tree behind her. His blade nearly touched her neck and she pressed her own sword forward against his, trying to keep it out of her skin's reach.

"Think of Sohma." He suggested and watched the lady's eyes suddenly widening at the sound of his words. He knew that that single word would be capable of infusing great strength and determination in the woman. "Fall, and your fosterling shall be the next." He taunted further, expecting his threat to infuriate her.

Just like in that battle where they faced each other, all her features frowned and her eyes flashed as anger promptly seemed to boil her soul. She gritted her teeth and, seemingly forgetting about her wounds and dire situation, she gave a strong yank forward, surprisingly pushing his sword back and creating an opening in his guard for the sole of her foot to meet the middle of his chest, kicking him violently backwards and breaking his siege. Sesshomaru recovered his balance and his lips slightly curved in a discreet smile, gracefully leaping back in order to evade a powerful vertical slash that she sent against his head, this time with the blade completely dipped in her energy. The blade hit the floor instead, provoking an explosion and leaving a steaming crater on the ground.

As he expected, her protective instinct towards her son turned the woman into a quite strong opponent, suddenly capable of evading, resisting and counter attacking most of his strikes with solid strength, without losing balance or being affected by the pain of her wounds. As expected of a feudal lord, the leader of her family and province, Sakuya was a master swordsman and excelled in close combat, combining movements of her sword with those of her legs in a very specific fighting style. She was physically strong, resilient and nimble, even in comparison to a man. And as expected from a descendant of Sakagama Sojiro, she had keen spiritual powers, and those were the main focus of Sesshomaru's attention at the time for they were especially effective against demons like himself.

Still, she was only human. His speed and agility were far superior from hers and eventually he saw and exploited an opening in her stance, parrying her sword whilst sweeping her legs at the same time, and that movement alone sent her back directly flat to the ground. She immediately lost her breath, flinched due to the pain and dropped her sword, defeated. He picked it up and threw it away, then pressed his foot on the lord's chest, immobilizing her against the ground. Her pained scream filled the air again when he forced his foot deeper, slowly smashing ribs and chest bones.

"It is over," he decreed emotionlessly yet bitterly, unable to refrain his own murdering hand.

He turned Bakusaiga on his hand, holding it now inversely by its hilt, and lifted his hand and weapon, ready to descend it and impale the woman's chest. She stared silently and fiercely at him, waiting for his providence, refusing to show any cowardice or hesitation before her own demise after being bested in battle. Hers was the heart of a samurai, indeed. His hand descended and her entire body tensed.

But the blade's end met something solid enough not to let it sink in the woman's flesh.

"What is this?" He retried to impale her, but something blocked the blade again. Sweating and speechless due to anxiety and pain, Sakuya lowered her gaze down to her own chest, also confused.

Finally, a sublime blue brilliance erupted from the woman's chest where the blade was touching. When the strong light faded, an elegant and blue breastplate was revealed embracing her torso. Sakuya widened her eyes in surprise and Sesshomaru emotionlessly beheld that recognizable piece of armor. Sojiro's armor has finally decided to come to the current daimyo's aid. The light poured from her other members and then faded to reveal the complete armor and its additional garments and ornaments fully dressing her. Except for her head, not a single piece of her complexion was now to be seen as the armor covered her body entirely, even the small joints of her fingers.

"Great-grandfather..." the lord muttered as she finally came to realization. The armor adjusted itself to fit her body just fine, it only needed a proper incentive to reveal itself to its new owner. In this case, to save her life.

Then they heard it, the sound of something very large and very heavy running and trampling trees on the heart of the forest. After seconds feeling the very ground trembling, Sesshomaru watched from the corner of his eyes the giant bear demon finally make his entrance, destroying all obstacles in his path and with a familiar green imp mounted on its back, almost invisible due to the drastic difference of sizes.

As soon as the elder demon saw that the dog daiyokai had the feudal lord painfully pressed under his foot, he promptly charged in its direction, his giant mouth open and his sharp fangs ready to tear the silver haired demon apart. Sesshomaru jumped to safety and Hokumaru rolled and stopped standing on top of the woman, keeping her protected beneath him. He roared loudly and ferociously to the dog demon in a sound and furious warning. Meanwhile, Jaken lept from the bear's back to the lord's side.

"Never do that again, you viper of a woman! I was almost killed and eaten by a bunch of centipedes!" He scolded before noticing the blue garment covering her body. "This armor! So you have found a way to wear it."

"It is still heavy. I do not think it has fully accepted me…" she revealed while slowly lifting her torso and managing to sit. The armor was indeed heavy and silent as any other common armor would be, which was odd, but at least it would offer her body an exceptional and welcome protection. She nodded at Sesshomaru's direction. "We must break him free from his control. Do you see any weak spots in him?"

"Let's see…" Jaken turned to thoroughly evaluate his master from a distance, but a sudden strange movement of his called the imp's attention. "Milord?!"

The dog daiyokai suddenly touched a knee on the ground, seemingly stunned.

...

The trio watched the dog demon lord intently and worriedly as it was obviously struggling. A new command was being enforced to him, this time one despicable and hateful enough for him to try his best not to accomplish.

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth and a very rare displayal of wrath became visible in his eyes as he tried to deny it, the disgusting order to transform into his true form. Whoever was controlling him, it lacked honor and worth to see and let alone command him while he was in his true form. Red color disputed space in his already fully purple eyes and his divinely beautiful face began to distort as he poured his demonic energy, and the very trees, soil and air around him started to shake and tremble.

"O-oh no! My lord! He is transforming!" Jaken informed, pretty much to the party's dismay. "We must stop him! If Lord Sesshomaru changes into his true form, even this fat monster will be nothing but a snack to him!"

"Hokumaru!" The lord didn't need to finish her sentence and the ancient bear demon was already charging in the daiyokai's direction, aiming a strong strike of his large paw against its target, trying to render him unconscious. She and Jaken gasped in shock when Sesshomaru simply turned a single and wild punch against the bear's belly, violently sending the huge demon flying backwards, leaving a trail of destroyed trees in its wake.

"Look! His chest!" The imp promptly pointed to its master as a strange purple glow suddenly became visible in Sesshomaru's core. Lady Sakuya scowled, recognizing that dark and dreary amalgam swirling in the daiyokai's chest like a nest of snakes.

"Jaken, Hokumaru! Keep him distracted," she uttered as she called her enchanted sword back to her hand and supported her weight on the blade in order to stand up, fighting the deep sting in her own ribs and wounds.

"What can I do? What can I do? Oh!" The small and desperate imp spotted a tall tree full of fruits nearby. He swallowed dry, thinking at least five times before making the decision of running towards it and then quickly climbing it. He settled on its highest branch. "Do forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru!" He cried wet and shiny tears as he started throwing coconuts at his master.

Hokumaru spun on the floor and stood up, letting loose a wild and wrathful roar that promptly scared away every single soul alive in the forest. With a red brilliance flashing in his angered eyes, he tapped his paws on the floor and then charged again the dog demon lord's direction, this time willing to really trample and dismember him with his giant fangs.

Knowing that this time he wouldn't be able to repel the elder with a single punch, Sesshomaru merged his index and middle fingers and then gracefully spun around his own axis. The bright strand of yellow-green energy sprouted from his fingertips and spun with him, forming a wide and sharp whirlwind that shredded Jaken's projectiles to dust on contact and should force the bear demon to break before hitting it. However, against all odds and to Sesshomaru's surprise, Hokumaru hastened his race and simply dove against the sharp whirlwind, ignoring the whip and the multiple gashes open in his pelt by it and violently biting his arm and shoulder. He shook the silver haired daiyokai and then threw him upwards. With his entire left flank lacerated and covered in black blood, the son of Toga spun and regained stability in the air, then sent the whip against the bear's neck, wrapping it and suffocating him.

Then he felt it, a strong sting crossing his chest from behind. He turned a beastly, red and purple stare with the corner of his eyes from above his shoulder to the woman dressed in blue behind him, who was firmly holding her enchanted sword as it impaled his torso from behind. After successfully hitting him, Lady Sakuya pulled her blade back from inside him, managing to leave her own energy inside the demon's innards before receiving a violent slap in the face that scratched her cheek and sent her flying.

Sesshomaru felt his entire core swirling and boiling as Sakuya's and the unknown dreary energy clashed inside him. He landed gracefully on the ground and, when his left knee touched the dirty soil and fresh air invaded his nostrils and peacefully caressed his lungs, he knew that his body was his to control again.

...

"Tch…"

The horrendous woman slowly stood up as the beautiful image of the dog demon on the water's surface slowly disappeared from her sight. Bitter was the taste of defeat, the dire realization that her powers were still not perfect and undefeatable.

No, as long as she existed, as long as she endured existence and the living around her, there would always be room for improvement.

She kept her faceless head down for a second, her wide, purple and thin lips slightly curved in a dread and mysterious smile.

"You failed," Arashi bitterly stated, gently touching the phantom's long black and brightless hair. It was the very time he saw her powers failing her.

"I did…"

She gave him his back indifferently and made her way patiently towards the woods. Arashi frowned at her emotionless reaction. Life indeed seemed to be becoming more and more pointless to her, and that deeply pained him. He stood in place, just watching her from a distance.

"...But that demon…" she muttered softly to herself once alone, quietly raising her head, facing the full and gorgeous moon. "...Sesshomaru... I need him…"

...

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken ran desperately and in tears to his master's side. Sesshomaru slowly stood up and lowered his gaze to his own chest, noticing the absence of abnormalities in there except for the hole left by the feudal lord's blade. He checked on his own hand and fingers, moving them slightly around, concluding that no more unknown sources held him in chains.

Then he turned and emotionlessly checked on the daimyo on the other side of the field. After painfully standing up, acknowledging the success of her move and design that Sesshomaru was free again, she sheathed her sword and gave him her back, stumbling towards the bear demon that was already on its feet, waiting for her to approach. She told him some undistinguishable words in a soft tone and caressed his muzzle. Then the armor suddenly abandoned her and probably returned to the treasured room, which startled the woman and left her clearly confused and dismayed.

He took a step in their direction, but detained himself as soon as he saw the palm of open her hand facing him, indirectly asking him to stay where he was. Sorrow, fear and distrust were painted all over her honest face, and he aloofly softened his gaze, unwilling to further confront her.

She muttered something to the giant bear demon, which laid its large neck and arm on the ground, allowing the woman quenched in her own blood to easily walk over it, climb him and settle on his back. She gave a last indecipherable glance to the dog demon lord before Hokumaru huffed, turned away and calmly began to walk towards the castle.

"Milord, shouldn't we follow them? The woman almost died," Jaken suggested hesitantly, suddenly more empathetic toward the daimyo after their little time together.

"She will be fine," he stated indifferently, knowing that an army of flatterers, medics and worried people would be waiting especially for the woman at home. Yet he frowned, displeased at that sudden feeling of worry that touched his core and suggested him to secretly follow them, just for precaution, in case they met hardships along the way. He turned on his heels, starting to walk towards the forest in the opposite direction.

"Are you really okay now, milord? No more strange itchings? Wait for me!" the imp pleaded as he hushed to his lord's side.

...

"Milady! What the hell happened?!"

A heavily armored general Yamato trampled the noisy and curious crowd outside the castle's walls and rushed to the bear demon's side as soon as he noticed the wounded, dirty and exhausted pair slowly approaching the gates. Eventually Lady Sakuya lost the little strength that was left in her and fell from the demon's back directly onto the general's stretched and prepared arms. He carefully lifted her and then laid her on the stone path, gently touching and caressing her scratched face.

"Wolves attacked me in the woods," she lied softly under the man's attentive and stern gaze, "Old Hokumaru saved me."

"What were you doing alone outside the castle? In the wild no less!? That could have ended tragically!"

"Enough questions, general. Call my physician and do not let anyone disturb me while I get treated and rest."

The blunt and rude answer was not of her liking at all, especially when the man was just kindly and loyally concerned about her welfare, but it was the best way to avoid further questions and especially its answers. Soon the worried court ladies and a crying Sohma approached and Yamato simply swallowed his fury, silently helping his lady to stand up and carefully delivering her to the women's aid. Takashi discreetly joined him, watching with him the women and the child entering the building.

"Quite large wolves, were they not? Since even Old Hokumaru ended up wounded..." The counselor calmy muttered to the general's ears. Yamato snarled loudly, anger dressing his entire complexion as he left the yard with tough footsteps.

Takashi smiled and then returned to the comfort of his chambers.