The following fight scene was inspired by "The Art of War" by VNV Nation.
Izumi cried out, her hand raised to try and block the blow.
There was a deafening clang as blade met blade.
Blinking, Izumi leaned back, trying to catch her breath, watching, shocked, at the blade tip that hovered about a foot away from her.
Kenpeki's blade, which was caught neatly by the Demon Lord's Tokijin.
There was utter silence in the forest, both Izumi and Kenpeki somewhat startled at Sesshomaru's sudden appearance.
Flexing his arm, Sesshomaru pushed back against Kenpeki's sword, driving the other demon back several steps. Kenpeki fought against the Demon Lord's strength for a second, before allowing himself to be forced back. He darted back several feet, and stood, watching silently, as Sesshomaru straightened up and turned, facing him.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked calmly, in a curious tone.
"What does it matter to you?" Kenpeki said, in an equally calm yet curious tone, "What I do is none of your concern."
"Everything that transpires in this forest is my concern," Sesshomaru countered.
Behind the Demon Lord, Izumi reached back, grasping the tree, and fighting her way to a standing position. She clutched her shoulder, her blood hot beneath her hand. Her leg ached.
"His name...is Kenpeki," Izumi panted, "and apparently ... I should know him. Unforunately, I do not. I have no memory of him."
"Huh. Kenpeki. I have no knowledge of you either. You do not come from these parts, do you?"
Kenpeki's gaze moved from Sesshomaru to Izumi, and back again.
"Is the Handmaiden under your protection, then?"
"You did not answer my question. I will repeat it, in case you did not understand," the Demon Lord replied, in that same cool, curious tone, "You are not from here, are you?"
There was a slight tightening around Kenpeki's eyes, his only indication that the Demon Lord's arrogance annoyed him. He lifted his head slightly, "I do not. My lands reside further south."
"Then what brings you here."
Kenpeki raised his sword again, pointing the tip towards Izumi, "She does."
Lord Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder at Izumi, as if perhaps just now noticing she was there. He looked her over for a second, then back again to the other demon.
"What is there about her that would bring you all the way here to attack her?"
Kenpeki lowered his sword, "As I said before, it is none of your concern. Be on your way, lest I am forced to deal with you."
Sesshomaru was silent.
A slight breeze came up, playing with the Demon Lord's clothing, his long silver hair. It tugged at Kenpeki's clothing and hair as well, lightly toying with it.
They are so alike, Izumi thought, Like mirror images of each other, one light, the other dark. Gods Above, who is he?
"My name is Lord Sesshomaru, of the Western Reaches," Sesshomaru spoke cooly, "I will not "be on my way". You will tell me what interest you have in the woman."
"Sesshomaru? I have not heard of you before. Your name is unknown to me."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes; his only motion.
"As for that woman," Kenpeki said, "She and I have unfinished business to attend to. Business started long ago."
"Tell me who you are!" Izumi suddenly cried out, "If I have wronged you in some manner, tell me, that I may make amends!"
"Your inability to remember me insults me," Kenpeki said, his voice suddenly betraying some of the anger inside. He quickly smothered it down, smoothing out his voice again, "but it was so long ago. And perhaps your mind is slipping due to your age, hmm?"
Izumi said nothing. There was silence.
"I am Kenpeki," Kenpeki said, "And I was the First General of the Army of Dakai. Now do you remember?"
Behind him, Sesshomaru heard Izumi gasp. Then her voice, sharp and angry, and shrill with emotion.
"You! Betrayer! Traitor! So many deaths are on your head!"
Kenpeki suddenly smiled, "Ahhh. Now you remember me."
"Yes I remember you. I remember those you killed as well, betrayer! A bounty was put on your head!"
"And yet no one has claimed it," Kenpeki smiled. The smile faded, "You ruined my chance to join his army you know. I could have been so powerful."
"What are you speaking of?" Sesshomaru suddenly spoke, his normally cool voice tinged with annoyance.
Kenpeki spoke before Izumi could, "I was a great general long, long ago. And this bitch interfered, and ruied my chances. She went out of her way to block my advancement!"
Sesshomaru glanced behind him again, at Izumi, curious.
Izumi still held her shoulder. She was pale, and shivering, but her anger rose a heat in her eyes, and in her voice as she spoke.
"Kenpeki was supposed to lead two branches of our army against our enemy. His name was Oogantaru, and he was working for Keimetsu!"
"Keimetsu?"
She nodded, "This was his first attempt at coming into this plane, Lord Sesshomaru. He wasn't as strong at the time, and needed to use a human general to arrange an army. In much the same way Keimetsu is using Omek today. Kenpeki led our soldiers into a valley, and led them to the slaughter!"
Kenpeki laughed, "You were such fools, you and your allies. Did you really think I would remain with you, fighting on your side, when you offered me nothing? Oogantaru offered me powers and riches beyond anything I could imagine!"
"Betrayer!"
"I was a soldier, Handmaiden. Soldiers rise in ranks. I was promised my own army, my own Shoganate if I agreed. It is not my fault you and yours couldn't offer me anything useful."
"300 men and demons, slaughtered on the field! You have no honour!"
Kenpeki's face darkened slightly, "Do not speak to me of honour, woman. You went out of your way to destroy Oogantaru and any remains of his army. You ensured I was unable to contact Keimetsu, you and him. He sealed me beneath a temple, and I was only able to break out after 100 years had passed!"
Izumi said nothing.
"I searched for him, but heard he was dead. His sealing me forced me to go South, to stay down there. It is only recently I have been able to come this far north. Now I search for you and any of his associates to kill, for revenge."
"You should have stayed in the south," Lord Sesshomaru said, "You will find no revenge here. Return to your place of dwelling."
Kenpeki frowned slightly, "Are you trying to tell me that you think you're going to protect this woman?"
Sesshomaru paused, looking curiously at the other demon, "I fail to see what business that is to you. Know that I will not allow any harm to come to her, for reasons of my own. You would do well to give up on this idea of revenge now, before I am forced to kill you."
Sesshomaru turned, sheathing Tokijin, and approached Izumi.
His eyes roamed over her form, noticing her shoulder and leg, "Do you think you can walk, Izumi?"
"I..yes, if I go slowly. Please...let's leave here, quickly."
The Demon Lord looked at Izumi, arching a brow slightly. She seemed frightened. Had Kenpeki truly scared her that much?
"I do not recall giving you permission to leave," Kenpeki stated behind him.
Sesshomaru didn't turn, "And what gives you the idea that I need your permission to do anything?"
"I will kill you, if you try to leave with her. Give her to me, demon."
Sesshomaru paused, and turned, looking back at Kenpeki. Beside him, Izumi gripped his sleeve, "Sesshomaru, please." Her voice was lowered, almost a whisper.
Sesshomaru looked at Izumi again, a faint frown on his brow. He looked back to Kenpeki.
"I am a Demon Lord, and you will address me as such."
Kenpeki was silent for a second, then he frowned as well.
"You look like him."
Izumi's hands tightened on Sesshomaru's sleeve.
"And whom do I look like?"
Kenpeki scowled, "The one with her. The one that sealed me and banished me."
"InuTashio."
Silence.
Izumi's voice was small, "Lord Sesshomaru, we must leave here, please."
Sesshomaru didn't seem to hear her. He spoke, his voice calm and curious.
"InuTashio? He was the one you fought against, with Izumi? He was the one that sealed you?"
"Yes. You look like him. You are related?"
"He was my father."
Silence.
"Well then," Kenpeki smiled coldly, "Perhaps this day will not be a waste after all."
He raised his sword, and beckoned, "Come, then, and fall in your father's place."
Sesshomaru was still, silent, for a second. He turned, facing Kenpeki fully, then drew Tokijin.
"Lord Sesshomaru," Izumi spoke lowly, "Please."
He glanced aside towards Izumi, not turning. An arching of the brow was the only motion.
Izumi went to speak, then stopped. There was no way the Demon Lord would let Kenpeki's taunts pass. His arrogance insisted on retribution, and the fact Kenpeki was an enemy of his father's only increased his desire to destroy him.
Instead, Izumi slowly get go of the Demon Lord's sleeve, and spoke quietly, "Try not to let him goad you into entering your true form, Lord Sesshomaru. I remember there was something your father said about it, that once in his true form, Kenpeki became somehow harder to defeat."
Sesshomaru said nothing.
"Forewarned is forarmed," Izumi said weakly, stepping back.
The Demon Lord stepped forward several steps, holding Tokijin in one hand. His other hand hung loosely - he had mastered Tokijin before receiving his other arm and so hardly used it.
Kenpeki smiled coldly, holding his sword out before him, going still.
A slight breeze came up, ruffling the leaves of the trees, the shrubs. A faint curl of dust rippled along the ground, and still nothing moved.
It was silent.
To Izumi, it seemed time stopped. Neither swordsmen moved, neither spoke. Each silently regarded the other, like two statues gazing at each other across the clearing.
Not even a bird called.
Izumi moved back slightly, leaning back against the tree she had fallen against earlier, using it to prop herself up, and went still.
Still, silence.
Suddenly, shockingly swift, the Demon Lord lunged into a running attack. One, two, three, four steps, and swords met with a resounding clash so hard sparks flew.
The first attack was a test of strength. Neither spoke, they each just watched the other over their blades, faces giving nothing away. Kenpeki's smile had vanished, to be replaced by a cold, calculating mask. Sesshomaru's face was, as always, emotionless.
Blades sang as they scraped against each other.
Neither moved, neither gained an upper hand, neither fell back.
As if on an unspoken agreement, both warriors fell backwards, breaking the contact. Each darted backwards several feet, putting a clearing between them.
Again, for a few minutes, neither spoke. Each was busy re-evaluating the other.
After a second, Kenpeki spoke.
"You have strength, I will give you that."
"Why have you come here?" Sesshomaru asked, calmly curious. "You said you came looking for Izumi, but how did you know to come here?"
"The woman told me. Kagome."
Izumi blinked, startled, "Kagome?"
"Yes. She told me you were here."
Izumi frowned, confused. After a second, she blinked.
"You! You're the demon that was with that man that kidnapped her! You are the demon she spoke of!"
"I am."
Izumi scowled, "I'm a fool. I should have remembered your name when she spoke it."
Kenpeki looked displeased, "Even after hearing my name, you did not remember me? Your title gives you arrogance, woman. Or perhaps you are simply so old you are going senile."
Izumi glared.
"Regardless you reasons for coming here," the Demon Lord said, "You would still do well to return to the south. I am feeling generous. Apologise to Lady Izumi, and I shall let you leave."
Kenpeki blinked at Sesshomaru, and laughed, "Your arrogance knows no bounds! Look at you! You truly believe you will defeat me!"
"That is not in doubt."
"We shall see!"
Kenpeki lunged, bringing his sword down in an overhead sweep. The Demon Lord raised Tokijin, blocking the strike, then darted backwards when Kenpeki make a wide swing, intending to cut him in half.
Izumi continued to watch, quietly worrying. Kenpeki had been a tough advesary for InuTashio back then. She was worried Sesshomaru's arrogance might get him injured. It was a lesson his father had to learn, not to underestimate Kenpeki.
Sesshomaru darted back just out of the range of Kenpeki's sword, long hair and clothing trailing his motions, before lunging in himself. Kenpeki darted backwards, just out of reach of Tokijin.
Sesshomaru pressed his advantage, swinging once, twice, and a third time, each time Kenpeki darting back, back. He lunged around a tree, moving to the side as Tokijin swung, cutting the tree in half with a razor's edge.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Sesshomaru turned, following Kenpeki's motions, pressing his advantage.
A second time, Kenpeki's sword and Tokijin met with a resounding crash.
This time, the blades squealed as their owners visibly fought, each pushing hard against the other. Kenpeki and Sesshomaru locked gazes, one a deep blue it seemed black, the other a cold gold.
"Your father couldn't defeat me," Kenpeki said, grinning, "What makes you think you will, pup?"
"Peasant.", Sesshomaru snarled lowly, a wrinkle across the bridge of his nose, the only sign of his growing anger, and pushed Kenpeki back.
Kenpeki dug in his feet, and lunged, attacking.
Again, Sesshomaru blocked his blow, and pushing Kenpeki back again, brought his blade up for a powerful down-swing.
Kenpeki darted aside, lightning fast, slipping past the Demon Lord's side, bringing his own blade up, flicking it past Sesshomaru's side.
The blade tip passed inches away from his side, the red end of his sleeves rippling in the backdraft.
Just as swift, Sesshomaru brought his blade down and around, and Kenpeki ducked, only his hair rippling.
They darted away from each other, again silent, observing.
Sesshomaru slightly narrowed his eyes. Kenpeki was fast.
Not as fast as he was of course, that was simply impossible, he thought. But here was a true adversary worthy of his attention. It had been a long time since he had fought anyone worth his full attention.
Izumi remained silent and still. The bleeding in her shoulder and leg had trickled to a stop, and she didn't want to interrupt Sesshomaru.
Izumi remembered InuTashio fighting Kenpeki, so long, long ago. InuTashio had despised Kenpeki with a heated passion after the betrayal. The mere mention of his name had been enough to raise anger in his golden eyes. Izumi remembered begging her closest friend to caution, to not let his anger get the best of him. Somewhat like InuYasha, InuTashio, once enraged, could make stupid mistakes. Although like his older son, it was rare to get InuTashio that angry.
Even the WindScar hadn't done much damage to Kenpeki, she remembered.
In the end, both Izumi and InuTashio had fought to seal Kenpeki under the temple, alive. It had been all the great Demon Lord had been able to do in the end, exhausted after a four hour long battle. He had utterly refused to let Izumi get involved in any manner, insisting this was his battle, and not hers. Her battle was to stop Keimetsu's forces. Not battle his underlings.
She closed her eyes, remembering how enraged Kenpeki had been when she had managed to cut off his communication with Oogantaru, and with her Lady's permission, had destroyed him. With Oogantaru gone, Kenpeki hadn't been able to contact Keimetsu. And once he was sealed away, he had been left helpless, while Keimetsu had been defeated, driven back from his attempt to enter this plane of existance.
Hearing a clang, she opened her eyes to see Sesshomaru and Kenpeki moving again, in that give-and-take, back-and-forth motion of a sword battle. Both men moved fluidly, gracefully, tall, slender beings. Their blades flashed in the sunlight.
Kenpeki had been at his strongest back then. How weak was he, now, after being out of his prison all this time? Was he as strong now as then?
She tried to get a look at his blade, trying to remember what his blade had looked like back then. As she remembered, foggily, he had had a powerful blade as well, Tetsusaiga's equal. But what of Tokijin?
Sesshomaru and Kenpeki darted back, away from each other again, squaring off on opposite sides of the clearing. Several trees had fallen victim to their blades and lay on the ground, their trunks cut off at strange angles.
As she watched, Sesshomaru and Kenpeki darted at each other, blades swinging. There was no crash this time, as blades aimed for vulnerable spots.
They passed each other like birds, mid-air, brilliant colors flashing, before they each landed, and turned, regarding the other.
Kenpeki reached up, and touched his shoulder, where his sleeve had been sliced open, the edges turning red.
Sesshomaru spoke, voice cool, "I am not easily impressed. At this rate, you will succeed in doing so."
At that, a small, traitorous trickle of red appeared at his temple, slipping down just past his eye.
Izumi cried out in shock.
Frowning, Sesshomaru raised a hand at the tickle, touching it with the heel of his palm. He lowered it, looking at it silently. No sign of shock or surprise showed on his face. He spoke a single word.
"So."
Kenpeki grinned, "And are you suitably impressed now, Demon Lord?"
Sesshomaru lowered his hand, raised his blade again.
"No."
He lunged.
Kenpeki raised his sword, preparing to block.
Sesshomaru swung Tokijin, releasing the needle attack of the blade, and thousands of needles went flashing outwards towards the other demon.
Cursing, Kenpeki took a step back, and raised his own blade.
A sudden, red aura appeared around the blade, make it glow vividly. Heat seemed to ripple outwards from the blade, making the air above it dance.
The needles from Tokijin flashed outwards, and when Kenpeki raised his blade, they seemed to be drawn into to blade, as if the blade were sucking them in, drawing them into itself.
Sesshomaru paused.
What manner of sorcery...?
When the needles were gone, Kenpeki raised his blade over his head, pointing the tip towards the sky. A savage grin on his face, he then lowered the blade, pointing it directly at the Demon Lord.
Izumi cried, "Look out!"
A blade hole seemed to appear directly in front of the tip of Kenpeki's blade, and suddenly, the needles were back, flashing outwards, towards Sesshomaru.
With a muttered curse, Sesshomaru lunged into the air, attempting to leap out of the path of his own attack.
Kenpeki laughed, swinging the blade upwards, following the Demon Lord's path; the needles sprayed outward like water from a sprinkler.
Sesshomaru avoided most of the needles, but a few struck him in his lower legs, tearing through his pants, and slicing into the flesh beneath.
He uttered a grunt, coming back down and landing roughly, staggering a second as pain shot up his legs. He recovered quickly, and turned his attention to Kenpeki.
Now the Demon Lord's eyes reflected his anger, the normally cold gold turning hot with emotion. That was two strikes Kenpeki had gotten on him.
Watching, Izumi felt like kicking herself in anger. Why hadn't she remembered that sword? That was one of the problems InuTashio had had, that it would absorb the WindScar and throw it back. It was an attack that was similar to the BackLash Wave, only in this case, the attack wouldn't be changed into anything else.
Eyes narrowed, Sesshomaru lunged forward again, sword raised for a strong downward blow.
Kenpeki brought up his blade, catching Tokijin. He crouched his blade out horizontally before him, Sesshomaru leaning over him, Tokijin bearing down. Anger was on the Demon Lord's face, his brow marred, nose wrinkled.
the blades squealed against each other a second time, as the two demons brought their strength into play.
Kenpeki thrust forward , pushing Tokijin back a fraction, and he lunged backwards, rolling to the side. Sesshomaru's strength carried him forward, and Tokijin sank a clear foot into the ground.
Kenpeki rolled to his feet, and darted past the Demon Lord. Moving swift as the wind, he left Sesshomaru behind him, his eyes now focused on the woman leaning against the tree.
Growing more and more furious, Sesshomaru yanked Tokijin free, and lunged after him.
A savage grin appeared on the dark demon's face, bringing his arm back for a forward slash.
Izumi gasped, and threw herself sideways, falling hard on her right side. Her cry of pain was lost in the sound of the tree she was leaning against become sheared in half, the top portion sliding backwards to come down with a thunderous crash. Rolling over to try and right herself, Izumi's focused on something that settled to the ground before her, something long, and black.
A long hank of her hair, cut from her head.
She looked up, horrified, to see Kenpeki grinning down at her.
"Fast, for a human woman!"
"Pay attention!" Sesshomaru's furious voice cracked across the clearing like a whip; dazed, Izumi had no idea if he was talking to her or Kenpeki. There was a blur of silvery motion, and the Demon Lord was there, driving Kenpeki backwards from the tree, "I am your opponant, do not turn away from me!"
"Ohh," Kenpeki laughed, dancing backwards, "What's the matter, demon lord, don't like being ignored?"
"You are a worthless peasant," Sesshomaru snarled, "the very air you breathe is wasted upon you."
Kenpeki laughed, and their blades rang.
Izumi half hobbled, half crawled to the nearest tree, and eased herself up again, panting at the pain in her leg. Every time she put any weight on it, it ached horribly. She watched the two demons fight, watching the Demon Lord worriedly.
He's getting angry. The fact that this Kenpeki is as good as he is...Amaterasu, perhaps even better... is enraging him. And when he ignores Sesshomaru, that drives him farther into anger. Kenpeki has not lost his ways.
The clearing they were in was slowly getting larger and larger, as more and more trees were lost to their swings. In one case, Izumi lost sight of them both completely, but was able to tell where they were by the falling saplings and trees.
Now she could hear more than sword strikes. Both blades were using their powers against each other, also angered. There was a strange sound that occasionally rang out, a dark, unpleasant ringing, and Izumi guessed it must be Tokijin's own aura growing in strength, growing in anger at the other sword.
She shivered. As Handmaiden, she remembered the sudden agony she had felt when that blade had been forced through her, pinning her to a tree. Someone had stolen Tokijin from the Demon Lord, and had attacked her with it before she had been able to respond. That same person had had the nerve to then basically kidnap Sesshomaru later. The darkness in Tokijin was not to be trifled with.
Izumi looked down at her right shoulder, where the fall had reopened her injury. With a curse, she grabbed her right sleeve and yanked hard, tearing it free of the shirt. Izumi balled the material up, pressing it to her shoulder, hissing in pain.
The sound of battle grew louder, and she looked up in time to see Kenpeki come angling in, running along the ground, that smile still on his face. He paused, looking around.
A shadow fell over him, and he threw himself to the side just as Sesshomaru landed, Tokijin out, the blade sinking deep into the ground. Dirt, grass and rocks went flying with the impact.
Slowly, he withdrew his blade.
There was silence in the clearing, save for the panting of both demons as each stared at the other.
Kenpeki was ruffled, his hair in disarray and wild, several slices and cuts in his clothing, but from what Izumi could see, no new injuries on him. That insane smile was still there.
Sesshomaru was back-on to Izumi, so she couldn't see his face, but his clothing had several dirty splotches on it, and his usually sleek hair was in disarray. She could visibly see his shoulders moving as he fought for breath, and she clenched her fists.
Mother Amaterasu, please, keep him safe. I don't know if he's ever faced an enemy as skilled as this one, and his arrogance may yet do him in.
She watched Kenpeki as he also fought for breath, and thought to herself, I need to buy Lord Sesshomaru some time to catch his breath, to catch his second wind.
She raised her head, "Kenpeki!"
The dark demon's gaze moved to her, and he nodded, "Ah yes, still here? I would have thought you would have scurried back to whatever hole you are living in now, human woman."
"Are you trying to insult me?" Izumi called to him, "You keep emphasizing my human-ness. And my woman-ness. As if I would somehow be insulted by such things."
Kenpeki grinned, long fangs revealed, "Aren't you? Don't you rankle at the fact you are no longer a Handmaiden? That you are a nothing, a nobody, a mere insect?"
"And why would that insult me?" Izumi called, "Even insects have their duties, and some are quite important. Bees create food for us to eat. Ants take care of garbage. If you wish to insult me, I'm afraid you are going to have to do better than that."
"This battle no longer concerns you, woman. Leave, while I allow you to leave."
"Ah, so now you will try to insult me by calling me a woman. Well, in all truth, I would much rather be a woman than a man. Most of you are so conceited and concerned about whether or not you are stronger than this one or that one. We women have put such silliness behind us, and have gained an advantage over you."
"Oh? Such as?"
"Well, while we are generally not as strong as men, we are usually much smarter than them. Some of them, anyway. Most of them, in fact."
"Smarter?" Kenpeki laughed, delighted, "You come out here, walking around, in a weakened, human state, while there are enemies about, and you speak of being smarter?"
"I think so, yes. After all, I was not sealed away for 100 years."
His laughing face quickly flashed into fury, reddening and twisting.
Sesshomaru lunged.
Cursing, Kenpeki danced backwards, raising his sword to block Tokijin's attack.
He was not quite fast enough.
Tokijin's tip carved a line down over Kenpeki's chest, drawing a fine line of blood.
Kenpeki snarled in fury, and swung his blade up, knocking Sesshomaru's Tokijin up and away, exposing his chest.
Kenpeki reached out, slapping his hand, palm out, against the Demon Lord's chest, and Sesshomaru was blown back off his feet to go crashing back into the forest, taking out trees and shrubs, his clothing and long silver hair trailing after him like a comet's tail.
"Sesshomaru!"
"Ha!" Kenpeki crowed laughter, and turned, leveling his gaze on Izumi. He started walking towards her.
"Now, woman, I will show you the error of your ways.
I will make you regret mocking me.
I will teach you to learn your place."
Izumi bent, and having nothing else to hand, grabbed up a slender tree branch, holding it out before her.
"Her place,' came a cold voice, "is where she wishes it to be!"
There was a flash of silver, and a long flaying whip snapped out from the forest, catching Kenpeki in the chest. He was thrown backwards, off his feet, slamming up against a large tree, hard enough to rock the tree back, roots tearing up from the ground.
Izumi turned to see the Demon Lord step from the forest.
His hair was somewhat snarled, and there was a tear in the violet and yellow sash that hung from his belt, both his hair and sash most likely having been the victim of a tree branch somewhere. His battle fur, his Moko-Moko, was nowhere to be seen. His poisoned whip retracted back into his claws.
He stepped clear of the brush, and stood there, almost burning in his fury.
Kenpeki got to his feet, his shirt smoking slightly from the poison working in the material. Blood splattered his chest and chin, but he grinned.
"I will devour your very bones," Sesshomaru snarled, fangs flashing in the sunlight, and his eyes phased red.
Kenpeki laughed.
"No!" Izumi called out, "You must not fall victim to his taunts, Sesshomaru! Do not give way to your true form!"
"This parasite dares strike me? Me?"
"You are smarter than this, Lord!" Izumi called to him, "Too smart to fall for such a fool's tricks! You do not need to take your true form to defeat him!"
Kenpeki laughed, "Come come now, Lord. Surely you do not listen to this human woman? Why a Demon Lord of your stature-"
A flick of his wrist, and his whip went flying out.
Kenpeki was possibly faster than Sesshomaru, but not even Kenpeki was faster than a Demon Lord's whip in full motion.
The tip of the whip caught Kenpeki fully across the face.
With a startled scream of agony, Kenpeki was knocked backwards onto his face. He clamped his hands to his face, and screamed again.
Eyes a cold gold, Sesshomaru raised his hand, and brought his whip whistling down again, to strike Kenpeki in the chest.
Another sweep of his arm, and the Demon Lord's whip struck again, and again. Each time Kenpeki screamed in pain.
Before the whip could descend a fifth time, Kenpeki raised a glowing shield about him. Sesshomaru's whip lashed and snapped against the shield, but it was unable to penetrate.
The Demon Lord lowered his arm, his whip retracting into his claws.
There was silence, save for Kenpeki's pained gasps as he lay there for a second. Slowly, he managed to sit up.
Hands still over his face, blood leaked and trickled out among his fingers, down over his chest and lap. One blue-black eye glared at him through his fingers.
"Do not think this is over, son of InuTashio! I will return, and I will eat you alive!"
Sesshomaru started forward.
With a flickering of light, the shield, and Kenpeki in it, vanished, leaving only a stench of charred wood behind.
There was silence.
The Demon Lord stood there, back-on to Izumi, looking at the place where Kenpeki had been sitting. A breeze came up, pulling at his torn clothing, his mussed hair, causing little dirt devils to skitter over the ground.
Izumi let her breath out in a long sigh, letting the slender branch of wood in her hands fall to the ground with a clatter.
She slowly sank to her knees, eyes closed. Gods Above and Below that was too close, far too close.
Hearing movement, she opened her eyes to see Sesshomaru crossing the clearing to where Tokijin lay, dropped when he had been knocked back into the forest. He bent and retreived it, and after inspecting it, slid it back into it's scabbard.
Then he turned.
Their gaze met across the clearing, gold to black.
Izumi looked him over, at the marks and slight tears on his clothing, at the vivid red blooms on his lower pant legs, his blood a rather shocking red. Her eyes traveled up to his face, to the dried thin line of blood that ran from his right temple to the top of his cheek, to his rather messed hair.
She didn't know what to say.
Sesshomaru took the question from her by speaking, his voice hard and angry.
"What game are you playing?"
Izumi blinked, looking way up at the Demon Lord, "Game?"
"He was correct. You are human now. What are you doing walking about this forest with a sword, knowing you have enemies that will take advantage of the fact you no longer have any powers? What acts as a mind within that head?"
Izumi sighed deeply, and rubbed her face, "You are right."
Silence.
Sesshomaru watched her, and grew somewhat troubled. He hadn't expected her to agree with him, certainly not so swiftly.
"I shouldn't have come out here, I suppose, but I thought I saw...well...I thought I saw something, and came to investigate."
"You came to investigate," he repeated, as if unable to believe his ears, "A human. A human woman, wandering alone in the forest in these times."
"Alright, I am sorry, I'm a fool! But it isn't easy to suddenly be...helpless."
Silence.
Izumi looked down at her hands, "It will sound very stupid to you, Lord Sesshomaru, but I forget sometimes that I no longer have my powers. For so long I was able to defend myself quite well. It does not come easy to me, to realize I cannot defend myself against demons now, certainly not against demons as powerful as that one."
Sesshomaru watched her for a second, then spoke.
"Are you badly injured?"
Izumi looked up at him, then down at herself, "I...I don't think so. The bleeding has stopped, at any rate."
She reached back, and used the tree to start pushing herself up, grunting slightly.
A hand took her left elbow, and pulled her to her feet. She swayed for a second, then looked at him.
"Thank you."
He stepped back. Izumi looked down at her injured leg.
"You never told me my father fought with you against Keimetsu."
"No, I didn't."
"Why?"
"I...I don't know."
Silence.
She looked up, looking at him, meeting his eyes, and spoke softly, "I tell you the truth, Lord Sesshomaru. I do not know why I never told you. I should have...you had the right to know, but...perhaps I wanted to keep that memory to myself."
He said nothing, just looked at her.
Izumi opened her mouth, then closed it again, not sure what to say. After a second, she tried again, and spoke.
"Thank you. For saving me from Kenpeki."
The emotionless mask slid back onto the Demon Lord's face, and he slightly turned from her, "Rin would be sorrowed if anything happened to you."
There was silence. In the distance, a lone bird peeped, as if asking if it were safe to sing. The comforting scent of newly cut wood drifted across the clearing, the wind still rising now and again to play with their clothing.
"Well...regardless your reasons...I thank you. It meant a lot to me. As did...what you said to Kenpeki."
"I'm afraid I have no memory of what I may have said. I was busy battling him."
Silence.
"Yes. Of course. I understand."
Izumi watched him for a second, his profile as he seemed to gaze away into the forest. She smiled a little sadly, then turned, using the slender branch as a cane to take a step.
His voice came from behind her, "You will stay in the village, and not venture out in this manner again."
Pause.
Izumi turned, and looked back at him, "I'm afraid I can't do that."
Now he turned, and regarded her curiously, "What?"
"I cannot do that."
He took a step towards her, "Explain yourself."
"I may be called on to help someone, Lord Sesshomaru. I may only be a human, but I still have knowledge of things relating to this war. If there is anything I can do to help, I will."
A faint furrowing of the brow, of confusion, "You will still risk yourself for Amaterasu, even though you have no powers or skills."
"Yes."
Silence. He studied her, seeming to get annoyed. When he spoke, his voice was somewhat irritated.
"What madness drives you to this?"
She paused, trying to think of the best way to explain to him.
"Because that is who I am. And even though I no longer have anything to offer my Goddess in the way of powers...I am still committed to this. I still wish to see Keimetsu defeated. That is not Handmaiden, that is Izumi. Even when I was Handmaiden...I was still Izumi. I will still bring whatever I can to this war."
"At the risk of your own life?"
"Yes."
Sesshomaru looked at her, silent for a second.
"You are the single most foolish woman I have ever met."
His voice was oddly tinged, there was almost a faint trace of confusion and despair there, despair that he simply couldn't understand what made her work.
Izumi suddenly found herself laughing; the Demon Lord seemed so lost.
"I suppose I am," she smiled, "Certainly you are not the first to tell me that, Lord."
She turned, and started on again, limping very lightly.
Lord Sessmoaru watched her leave, a strange feeling of confusion and loss, and having the feeling that he somehow lost a battle with Izumi, a battle he hadn't even known he had been waging.