As they walked, Norimoto and Yukinobu remained on edge, noting that Sesshomaru was just as much so. They remained a few feet behind Kurome as she led the way to the southern fields to wait and to meditate, but they noticed something was off with her.
"Kurome, my dear, hold a moment." Yukinobu asked, stopping.
Kurome's ears perked up and she stopped, turning towards the Inu no Taisho. "What is it, milord?"
"I am curious as to who that whelp is and why he has come here claiming you as his prize."
Kurome sighed and looked at her father who let his gaze drop at the mere mention of it. "When I was still a young pup, the Ikeda Southern Wolf tribe came to my village in hopes of establishing an alliance with the Shikotsu Northern Wolf tribe. An alliance was indeed formed and it had been decided that the first born of each tribe would be wed and made a mating pair when they came of age. Hamuro and I are the first born of our tribes, but the contract that was signed by my father and by Hamuro's father and grandfather was voided when they betrayed us. They had tricked us into an alliance and lay in wait until the right moment when they could strike and try to overpower us, claiming our lands for their own."
Sesshomaru watched as her youki became a little bit visible, the light blue aura beginning to whip around her like a fire trying to burst into open flames. Her hair was bristled, her ears straight out in anger and defiance. She was terrifying and beautiful, but he was certain there was more to come.
"Norimoto, do you have the document for this alliance and contract?" Yukinobu asked.
Norimoto nodded. "I always keep it with me, knowing that mongrel whelp would try to come back with such claims." He pulled it from his pack and handed it to the Inu no Taisho.
As his father read through the document, Sesshomaru took a few steps closer to Kurome, his hand lightly grazing hers. "Are you sure of this?" he asked in a hushed tone that only she would hear.
Kurome blushed a little, relaxing at his touch- even if it was subtle- as she nodded. "This needs to end, 'Sho. I can't allow it to continue. I do no want this fool to stand in the way of our happiness."
Sesshomaru raised a brow and looked at her, his eyes softening. "Our happiness?"
Kurome blushed, not even thinking about what she had just said. "Y-You know, since we're friends and all." She stammered, the feeling of his kiss just less than an hour ago still lingering heavily on her lips. "I don't want him to ruin whatever happiness we find." She looked away from him and felt her cheeks burning even more when she realized that her father and Yukinobu had heard the last part. "What? We're friends, alright? Can't I wish for him to be happy too?" She turned away and started moving towards the center of the hill again, noticing that a tent had been propped up. She quickened her pace and found a spot just ahead of the tent facing back towards the village to sit down and begin meditating.
The hour was nearing its end and Sesshomaru had sat down across from Kurome, taking the same meditative stance as her. They had faced each other, placed their hands together, and closed their eyes as they allowed their youki to transfer between each other. This helped to calm their nerves and their minds, but Kurome sensed there was a deeper intimacy to it.
The horns blew as Hamuro approached with his men and Kurome opened her eyes to find Sesshomaru glaring in the wolf youkai's direction. When he looked back at her, she saw a sudden sense of protectiveness in his golden eyes. She let him help her to stand and not once did their gaze break. Not until Hamuro huffed and rolled his eyes, demanding their attention.
"Let's get this over with so that I can take you home and be done with this foolishness." Hamuro said, glaring at Sesshomaru.
Kurome smirked when Sesshomaru flashed his youki at Hamuro causing him to flinch just as he had with Yukinobu's youki, but it was fleeting and her smirked was quickly replaced with a cold expression. "Very well." She pulled off her belt, handing her dagger to her father, then her mother's spear. "Hold onto these for me please?"
Norimoto nodded and took the belt without question, then her armor as she unclasped her cloak and unhooked the fastens of her chest piece, hip guards, greaves, and vambraces.
Hamuro scoffed. "What is this?"
Kurome turned to him, still standing next to Sesshomaru, and narrowed her eyes. "This duel with have no weapons, no armor."
Hamuro laughed and looked at his men. "Well, looks like someone is quite the cocky bitch!"
Kurome heard a low growl coming from her right and she looked at Sesshomaru, seeing his fur bristling in anger and his eyes narrowed in disgust. To the untrained eye, he looked stoic and expressionless as always, but she knew him well enough to know when he was pissed. "No weapons. No armor." She repeated, her hand coming to rest on Sesshomaru's arm as she tried to calm them.
Hamuro noticed this and his own eyes narrowed. "Fine, whatever. I don't need either to beat you into submission."
Kurome ignored the comment and sent reassuring waves of youki to her father, Yukinobu, and Kimiko- who had joined them shortly before Hamuro had. "Whenever you are ready to begin."
Hamuro tossed his armor and his weapons to his men and went to stand in the center of the field. Kurome, standing in nothing but her basic clothes, went to join him and led him a little further away to ensure that the others were safe.
Sesshomaru watched as they each took their stance- recognizing Kurome's familial stance compared to Hamuro's brutish untrained stance- and could not take his eyes off of Kurome. Under her armor, she wore black bottoms that came just to her mid thigh under a kimono sleeveless top of varying shades of blue. On her arms she wore matching gloves that ran the length of her arm from her mid biceps to her wrists. It was a beautiful contrast to her silvery blonde hair and teal markings. And just as quickly as he had finished admiring her beauty in that very moment, the two wolf youkai lunged at each other.
"Oh my, the whelp is nearly as fast as Kurome." Yukinobu noted, concern and surprise in his voice.
"Kurome is the fastest wolf in the north. No one compares to her." Kimiko said proudly.
Sesshomaru analyzed their movements, seeing the first strike going to Hamuro. The first strike flung Kurome backwards, but she landed lightly on her feet completely unfazed, then lunged in retaliation. She turned with incredible speed and flung her foot straight into his ribs. Hamuro grunted and skidded back several yards from the force of her kick, falling to one knee. He clearly had a few broken ribs, but Sesshomaru knew he still had some fight in him.
Hamuro glared at her, letting his anger and embarrassment get the better of him as his youki burst outward and enveloped him. "Bitch!"
Kurome glared at him, but she remained calm and moved into the next stance.
Sesshomaru noticed her switching to the Shikotsu Rain style Kurome had developed by combining her family's martial art style with her dance moves and the corner of his mouth twitched up. He watched Hamuro lunged at her, his youki quickly overcoming him. Kurome dodged his attacks with ease, moving through each of her stances and moves to parry his attacks and take the offensive. She charged at him, forcing him to block her attacks and back away from her. He watched as she used her blinding speed to quickly get behind him and land a kick to the back of his knee, driving him down to the ground.
Never once releasing her own youki, Kurome of the Rain stood victorious as Hamuro of the Ikeda Southern Wolf tribe lay defeated in the grassy field. She stood over him, still wary that he may be faking, but when she heard his labored breathing and smelled the blood on him, she knew she had won.
"It's over, Hamuro. I have the match and you are defeated. You agreed to my terms and now you must abide by them. You will leave these lands and never come near me, my family, or my people ever again." She said, then turned and walked away from him, going towards her father and sister, Sesshomaru and his father, and their friends and allies- all those gathered cheering for her.
Kimiko beamed at her sister and started to run to her, ready to hug her in congratulations. Kurome smiled and hurried to reach her, but a sudden sense of danger rose and just as she turned to look back at Hamuro to see what he was up to, something whizzed passed her and she heard a thud then the smell of fresh blood began to cloud the air in front of her.
"Kimiko!" her father screamed.
Kurome, fearing the absolute worst, turned to look at her little sister and felt her eyes widen, her ears lay flat against her hair, and her body shaking with anguish, fury, and grief. "No!" She ran to catch her sister as Kimiko slumped forward, a dagger protruding from her chest. "Kimi, stay with me!" Kurome fell to her knees under the weight of her sister and looked down at her, searching her darkening eyes.
"K-Kurome, I'm s-sorry... I s-should have been m-more careful..." Kimiko managed, smiling weakly up at her sister. "Be s-strong for me? Be s-strong for F-Father?"
Kurome nodded, taking her sister's hand. "I will, Kimi. We both will, just hold on a little longer!"
Kimiko gave her one last smile, then her eyes glazed over and Kurome watched the light leave her sister's eyes.
"Kimi..?" she called, shaking her sister gently. "Kimiko?!" Frantic to keep her sister alive even though she knew it was far too late, Kurome unleashed her youki and tried to use the strongest healing spell she knew. She pushed the spell into Kimiko's body, willing her heart to beat, but it was no use.
Norimoto stared in shock, grief, anger, and fear as his eldest daughter held her sister's body close to her, her blue youki aura blazing around her. "Kurome... She's gone..."