Okay then, so here we have the next chapter to my little story.
Thank you all for reviewing, it makes me very, very happy. To know that my work is appreciated is what drives me, so please continue giving me a reason to write. If you spot any mistakes or have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment.
Disclaimer: Non possiedo Inuyasha.
Explosion of Power: Honoo no Tama
Sighing as his short little legs strained to keep up to speed with his Lord's long strides, the small toad youkai hobbled along apprehensively, noticing that his master seemed rather distraught. Though his facial expression remained the same, and his scent gave away nothing of his anger or frustration, the little imp knew his Lord well, having picked up a sense, of sorts, that told him when Sesshomaru-sama was upset. It was times like these where he would simply follow along silently, knowing that the simplest of things could set his master off.
Looking to his left at the small ningen child, his eyes narrowed. The child could throw herself onto his Lord and talk constantly, yet the most she ever got was a calm demand for silence, which she readily obeyed. If he had ever done such a thing, Sesshomaru-sama would have kicked him so hard that his kidney would have been resituated three inches to the right.
The weak little human girl was such a burden, and he often wondered at times why they kept her around. When he saw her smile jubilantly after Ah-Un gave her a nudge, something clicked, and realization set it.
'Ah yes,' he pondered, 'though she is of no help to the group, she does often brighten the mood. Though my Lord would never admit to it… her presence sooths him. Her childish naivety and innocence is rather refreshing in such hard times.'
"Jaken-sama?" her high, yet not unpleasant voice called.
"What is it, Rin?" the short, green toad youkai snapped.
"What is the matter with Sesshomaru-sama?"
Jaken blinked a few times. Apparently, the girl had come to earn the same sixth sense as he, being able to tell when something was bothering the unshakable western Lord. He frowned a little when he heard her inquire if he was hurt. "Foolish ningen, Lord Sesshomaru is far too mighty to let something as simple as a mere wound affect him. Besides, who would have wounded him? None match his strength or-"
"Jaken."
The cold voice froze the words before they could pass his green, beak like mouth. Shuddering a little, he turned to look at his Lord, who was still walking calmly in front of them. "Hai, milord?"
"Silence."
Shutting up immediately, for fear of his life, Jaken settled for grumbling, staring harshly over at the little ningen girl who had gotten him into trouble. She had been speaking as well, but did his Lord bother to threaten her? No, of course not.
Yet, as she flashed him a bright, gap-toothed smile, he couldn't help but grin a little to himself. She was a strange human, indeed.
Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at the pair behind him, lifting a brow in scrutiny. His retainer did have a rather annoying voice, and at the moment, he did not need the atrocious sound grating on his nerves. He was concentrating, and the piercing noise made it difficult to do so.
Sniffing lightly, he cleared his mind, trying very hard to think of anything but the infuriating little onna who so brazenly stood against him. Her insubordination was both maddening and exciting. His inner inu growled happily at the thought of a challenge, willing him to call her bluff and dominate her… bend her to his will… force her into submission.
He had come to the conclusion that he desired her. In his own defense, he had also decided that his actions and thoughts were expected. After all, what sane, straight youkai… or human for that matter, wouldn't be turned on by her? She was the very embodiment of power, and her looks were second to none. Though he himself had bedded several females, some in which were more attractive than she, there was something about her that made her stand out above all the rest. She had a sort of natural beauty, one that would never need to be enhanced by thick red lipstick or blush. Her grace and enthralling voice lead him to believe she was not simply some common trollop, which helped to ease the fact that she was still very much a ningen. She was intelligent, something that very few could claim to be in this time. She was unique… a mystery. Even after his frequent visits to her at the monastery, so many of his questions remained unanswered. She was pure, and smelled lovely. She was kind hearted and loyal. Yes… there were many reasons why he did and should desire her… and so it lead him to accept it, albeit begrudgingly.
His ward squealed in pain and he turned his head slightly, glancing at her from over his shoulder.
"What's the matter now, you stupid human?" Jaken admonished.
Rin was currently staring at the side of her arm, where a tiny, almost nonexistent red welt was forming. She scratched it once and shrugged, smiling brightly as she chirped, "Oh, it's nothing Jaken-sama. A bug bit Rin, but Rin is alright now."
Huffing angrily, Jaken continued on, mumbling about weak ningen children and such.
It had been three days since his last encounter with the miko, and he actually found himself craving her presence. This little infatuation of his was becoming unbearable. Something needed to be done. He could not have the wench plaguing his thoughts. Such a distraction could be just the opening an enemy needed to attack. No… he would not allow this to go any further. It would stop, otherwise it would become weakness, and weakness was not something the taiyoukai liked the idea of.
A distant, inhuman cry pierced the air and he veered sharply to the right, following the source of the noise. As he sped along, his presence unnoticeable due to his speed, he could feel the grubby aura of insect youkai. Sharpening his senses, he soon recognized the stink that accompanied it to belong to a form of hornet demon. Apparently, a nest had been stirred up somewhere nearby, and they were not at all pleased.
He burst through the brush and took in his surroundings. Apparently, the youkai had only just arrived, so very little damage had been done. Searching through the hoard of swarming demons, he noted two things. Firstly, the queen was somewhere near the middle of the massacre. Secondly, she had just recently given birth. So that was it? There had been no disturbance of their nest, their young simply needed to feed. It was too bad for them that they had chosen this particular settlement to attack. He would not allow merciless slaughter on his lands. The filthy pests should have stuck to hunting rabbits.
With a single, graceful bound, he leapt forth, claws brandished as he took a swipe at the nearest youkai, taking its head off with one clean flick of his wrist. He made to attack another, but an ear piercing scream drew his attention away from the measly wasps, back toward the forest from whence he had came. His eyes widened only a portion as he caught sight of his ward and the hungry looking drone wasp that hovered above her. His retainer lay sprawled out on the ground meters away, blood pouring profusely from his head.
Looking on in horror as the large, wasp like demon closed in on her, flashes of her past encounter with the wolves flooded Rin's mind, freezing her to the spot. Terrified beyond belief, Rin did the only thing she could. Throwing her hands in front of her, she cried out in desperation, "SESSHOMARU-SAMA!"
Instead of experiencing the agonizing pain she had expected, all she felt was a slight spatter of something wet against her cheek. Opening her eyes, she gasped when she found an angel staring back at her, a kind smile gracing her lips.
Sesshomaru sighed inwardly as the young miko who had been previously flooding his thoughts came from no where, the large blade she wore on her back now free of its bindings. With a single, graceful sweep of her weapon, the demon threatening his ward's life was no more. Turning his head, he resumed his attack, slaughtering the pathetic wasps with his acid whip.
Patting the child on the head, Kagome commanded softly, "Rin, I need you to stay here by Ah-Un. Do not come into the clearing, understood?"
Nodding obediently, Rin turned and scuttled up to the lumbering dragon steed, which was currently pulling the unconscious form of Jaken closer to the tree line.
Smiling at the girl's retreating form, Kagome turned and assessed her position. Years of training had taught her that one should never run headlong into a hoard of youkai, no matter how weak they seemed. What these demons lacked in physical power they made up for in speed and numbers. Their young, who were no bigger than the average wasp at the moment, also proved to be a hazard. Though tiny, they were not to be overlooked.
She had seen what they could do during previous encounters, and it was rather repulsive. Unlike the full grown wasps, they did not brandish large, protruding pinchers, nor could they move very fast. They were, however, equipped with a deadly poison, one that was highly effective, even on strong blooded youkai. After having entered the bloodstream, it worked its way into the heart. From there it would cause the one injected to lose control of their bodies, bringing them into a spastic state of paralyses. That was when the young moved in for the kill. They would burrow into the body by whatever means necessary, entering through the nose, ears, mouth, and any other opening. Once inside, they literally ate the host from the inside out, insuring a slow, painful death.
Searching the clearing for the center of the swarm, she found what she was looking for and, using her miko abilities to propel her upward, leapt straight into the center of the battle. Landing gracefully, she searched the grounds for Sesshomaru, who she knew was currently fighting off the demon wasps. It was hard to see him, since masses of ningen and wasp youkai alike were covering the area. Instead, she used her miko ability to seek out his aura, and in no time at all, pinpointed his location.
Turning around, she called out to him, knowing his keen senses would pick up on her voice. "Sesshomaru, vacate the vicinity. I'm going to use the Flame Sphere!"
Slicing through another wasp, he shot forward, coming to stand directly behind the onna who had cried out to him. "Wench, do not presume that this Sesshomaru is inclined to follow your orders."
Frowning at his stubborn nature, Kagome reasoned, "I have no doubt in your abilities, milord, and I meant no offence, but it will be much simpler to let me handle this particular situation. There are too many innocent lives in the village for you to simply decimate it, and if you continue picking them off in small batches as you are now, more lives will be lost. Allow me to do this and I can save a great deal of people."
"What is it you intend to do?" he inquired curtly, his whip decapitating another wasp as it swooped down at him.
Clutching the hilt of her blade, she explained, "The attack I wish to use seeks out and destroys only those with youkai lineage. The blade was constructed to use its abilities only on those with demon blood in them. Humans are much more easily defeated, and the magic would simply be wasted on something so weak. The blade alone can cut them down with ease."
Understanding, he snorted and spat coldly, "This sword of yours does not frighten me, miko. My power is by far superior. I do not fear its magic, and refuse to leave a battle on my lands to the hands of some ningen wench."
Shrugging, she stated shortly, "Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you."
The second she felt him dart off into the hoard once more, she searched out the aura's belonging to Ah-Un, Rin, and Jaken. Upon finding them, she immediately cast a barrier around them, not wanting to harm either of the youkai within.
She crouched low, bringing the arced tip of her blade to the ground and balancing on one foot, turning in an elegant circle to etch a line in the dirt surrounding her. Once she had spun completely around and the ends of the line matched up, forming a ring to which she was standing in the middle of, she stood, feet akimbo and sword held straight up above her head in a single hand. Closing her eyes, she called on the youkai energy within the blade, feeling the pulsing thrum of its power reverberating through her entire body in rippling shock waves. When she reopened her hardened, cerulean orbs, the blade in her hand was a glowing red, its color akin to that of a burning hot ember.
Sesshomaru paused in his quest to kill when he felt a surging heat fill the area. Turning back toward the miko, he watched with awe as red light rose up out of the ground, its origin being the hoop she had drawn in the dirt. As it did, her hair swirled upward, the edges of her fighting kimono flapping in the wind her attack was generating.
His own silvery strands of hair began to sway gently behind him, the sleeves of his haori rustling against his sides.
He noted that all around him, human and demon alike had paused to witness the astounding event that was taking place. The humans seemed to not have been effected at all, as she had said the blade's mystic power did not target ningen. The youkai, however, were all cringing in pain as the magic billowed forth, bathing them in a light that seemed to singe their skin. He was no exception, for his own flesh sizzled, stinging him. Perhaps there was more to the blade than he had anticipated.
Slowly, as more power built, the light slid upward, forming a cylinder of red around her, highlighting her alluring features in a rouge sheen. The center of the funnel began to expand outward, the top slowly shrinking until it connected, forming a translucent red sphere around the petite onna. The sight was magnificent.
Concentrating hard, Kagome lifted her other hand to grasp the tang, flipping the sword so that its tip faced downward. Brows furrowing as she felt the power swell and overflow its boundaries, she plunged the blade into the earth while crying out, "Honoo no Tama!"
The red globe surrounding her shuddered, shrinking for a moment before expanding in a fearsome burst, bathing all in the vicinity in its eerie scarlet glow. He lifted his only arm in front of his face, allowing it to take the brunt of the attack. Through his squinting lids, he watched as every wasp youkai around him burst into flame before completely disintegrating. The humans, though they lifted their hands to shield their eyes, were left unscathed. Refusing to retreat, he stood his ground and bore the agony to the best of his abilities, teeth clenching as pain engulfed his form.
Kagome released a relieved breath as the red beam receded back into her sword, the blade quivering before returning to its normal shade. Yanking it from its place in the ground, she gave it a good jerk, cleaning it of any soil that might have clung to the tip, before twirling it her hand and sliding it back into the strap on her back.
Looking up to find Sesshomaru still standing in place, despite her warning, she shook her head, sighing at his inflated ego. When he lower his arm, she did not fail to see the small stream of blood that weaved around his finger, a crimson droplet suspended on the tip of one deadly claw for a second before plummeting to the earth below with a silent 'splat'.
Turning her attention elsewhere, she decided it was best to scour the village for any who might have been so unfortunate to get caught under the rubble. Though a good portion of the community was untouched, a third was annihilated, meaning there were more than likely going to be casualties.
Well there you have it. That, ladies and gentlemen, was a glimpse at the demonic power of the Faia Enko. It seems the young miko has progressed rather well in regards to her strength. As for the next entry… well, you'll all have to wait and see, won't you?
Review and I'll update quicker… which means less waiting for you.