The next two days passed without incident aside from Fai and Mokona teasing Kurogane and Ashura annoying Ryuu for food. Once again, they trekked through the dense woods. Soma was more often unseen than seen, off keeping a lookout ahead of the party. The evening of the second day. They reached a cliff that over-looked a field of wild-flowers. The entire party was surprised to see the people standing there. One was Lady Kendappa; the other was a tall young man with red hair and grey eyes dressed in pale blue robes with a red cloak over them. They both looked up in surprise.
Neither Syaoran, nor the rest of his group, new who the man was but they weren't the only ones surprised to see Lady Kendappa.
"Lady Kendappa?" Ashura was stunned and was probably going to say more but he suddenly gripped his head as if in pain, down in the valley the strange man did the same thing. Memories were returning. When Ashura finally lowered his hands, he looked directly at Tenou and asked softly, "You're my ... Brother?"
Tenou also looked in shock. "Could it be? Pointed ears, golden eyes... It is you... my ... twin brother..."
Lady Kendappa, seemingly unaware of the tension, saw the one person she didn't want to see in this situation. "Soma..."
It was interrupted by an army in black surrounding them o the cliffs above. Syaoran noticed that RYuu and Lady Karura pulled up the hoods of their cloaks while Yasha used his to shield Ashura from view. A tall man in black robes with gold ornaments on a black charger rode forward.
"I am the general of the West-land, Koumokuten." He addressed them in pompous tones. "Your time is up rebels. I'm sending you to hell."
"Aw shi-!" Ryuu was cut off.
"Long time no see, Lord Yasha. Who'd have guessed the strongest guardian warrior in Tenkai would have accomplished nothing after all his trouble?"
Kurogane surreptitiously glanced at Yasha out of the corner of his eyes, but his attention was switched when Ashura stepped out from behind the cloak and stood defiantly before the pompous general.
A voice rang out behind the group: "Koumokuten! That child there... He's my-"
Koumokuten cut him off. "There you are, Prince Tenou. You are to return to Zenmi Castle at once. After all, we can't have you here, when this place becomes a battlefield."
Two men in gaudy armor stood forward. "I am Deva, one of the five gods of the West, the earth god."
"And I am Rudra, the sky god. We're here to avenge the murders of our comrades Varuna, Vahyu, and Aguni."
"Give me a break already!" Ryuu exclaimed, annoyed beyond words. "How is it all five gods of the West are so dumb!?"
"Ryuu, wait!" Syaoran tried to stop him but he and Lady Karura had dashed off, destroying the two gods with ease. Syaoran noticed that Fai had conveniently cover Sakura's eyes with is long hand, preventing her from seeing the carnage.
Ryuu's and Lady Karura's hoods had fallen off, revealing who they were.
"You are.. The dragon King's son!"
"Oops, ya got me."
"And Lady Karura!!"
"Well, we tried." Neither seemed perturbed they'd been found out.
"You've allied with Lord Yasha!?" He sounded disbelieving. "More betrayers!"
"Now that you know our identities, we're gonna have to send you to Hell!!" Ryuu claimed, pointing at the general.
"Lord Ryuu..." Lady Karura tried to quell his bravado. He ignored her.
"By the way, I'm not just the dragon king's son! I am the dragon king!!"
"Kill the rebels!!" Koumokuten order without preamble.
The entire army charged down the cliff side at the companions. Down in the valley, Lady Kendappa could be seen trying to get Tenou to leave.
"Prince Tenou!! It's dangerous here! We must go to the castle!"
Tenou hesitated. "But... I can't leave him... He may be.. my long last twin brother."
Back to the fighting...
Kurogane, who was having the time of his life hacking and slashing, saw Soma pulled to the side by Lady Kendappa, but was too far away to hear what they were saying. Deciding it was none of his business, he just kept cutting 'em down.
Fai, with Mokona on his shoulder, didn't even bother trying to attack, he simply kept dodging, eventually making the soldiers stab each other, never once losing his customary grin. Karura and her bird, Garuda, were absolutely tearing through Koumokuten's army with ease. She too had a smile on her face, but hers wasn't fabricated.
Sakura, unable to fight in actuality, instead acted as a decoy for Ryuu; she distracted the soldiers while Ryuu and his overly large sword cut them down.
Syaoran and Yasha made a strange pair, fighting almost back to back, bringing down the army with their swords and magic. Syaoran looked up and saw Ashura standing at the edge of the cliff, watching Tenou and Kendappa leave on a winged horse. He couldn't even imagine what was going through the child's mind. Syaoran suddenly saw two soldiers coming at Ashura and was about to warn him but Ryuu beat him to it.
"Ashura!!" He shouted, fending off a pair of freaks of his own. "Pay attention!"
That seemed to snap him out of his trance just in time to jump back away from a sword coming down with enough force to split the rock where he had been. Ashura didn't say a word but instead formed the golden fire in his hands and shot it at the soldiers, reducing them to ash.
Koumokuten watched as his army was slaughtered and finally decided enough was enough. "Stand back!" The ranks of men parted and the general of the West rode forward. He held in his hand what looked like a large sword/spear combined weapon.
"You will face me, Lord Yasha Me and my magic sword that thirsts for blood." He smirked and looked Yasha in the eye. "I should tell you that before I got here, I killed a man who claimed to be the son of the former Lord Yasha. His name was Rasestu I think. " HIs tone was so condescending even Syaoran couldn't help but hate him. Yasha's face gave away nothing. Koumokuten continued. "For being the a great warrior's brother, he was pathetic. He begged for his life, crying like a little girl when I ran him through with my sword."
Fai noticed that the faces of their companions hardened, especially Yasha's. Fai sympathized.
"Oh, I cam across a young woman too." He brandished his sword. "A young, rather beautiful human woman on the mountain just over yonder. In an attempt to keep your whereabout secret, she killed herself." Sakura clasped her hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp. "The foolish broad. She was just wasting our time. She didn't know that I read your location from her dead body." Fai quietly but gently covered Sakura's ears, not wanting her to hear anymore fro the man, and Sakura didn't object. "I split her corpse in two and in the waterfall of blood that gushed forth, watched the image of you projected there. A little show, but effective nonetheless, wouldn't you say, Lord Yasha?"
Syaoran and Kurogane watched as magical energy swirled around Yasha, his face a mask of rage and -
"lord Yasha's eyes! They've turned the color of blood!" The army retreated from his wrath.
Yasha charged at Koumokuten with a battle cry. The general smirked. "Now that's what I like to see!" He raised his sword. "Magic Manipulation Attack!" A demon wrapped around his sword and shot at Yasha.
"Yama Heavenly Wolf Blade!"
The attacks collided and exploded the earth except where the two were standing. Syaoran would've fallen if Ryuu hadn't grabbed him around the waist and heaved him up on solid ground. Koumokuten raised a hand as if to shield himself but his face was cut deeply.
"No one slanders my brother!" Yasha shouted. "You will die for your loose mouth, Koumokuten!" He jumped and brought his sword down on the general, the resulting force blowing the latter away and off his horse. He looked up from the ground and could almost see the power surround Yasha.
"They weren't lying when they said you're the strongest guardian warrior in Tenkai..."
From the ledge where the companions stood, all they could see what a giant sphere of power.
"Oh boy..." Ryuu sounded just a little bit scared.
"That's our Lord Yasha. He's a strong as the four gods." Lady Karura murmured. "No... even stronger."
Soma held Ashura. "Amazing."
Back in the Sphere...
"...But I'm one of the four gods! The general of the Westland. I can't be defeated by some measly guardian warrior!" He continued his tirade. The sphere dissipated as Koumokuten raised his sword. "Hell demons, come forth!! Enter my realm and obey my orders! My Hundred Thirsting Hell Spawn!" Out of his sword cam long, multi-eyed demons with razor sharp teeth. They quickly wrapped around Yasha, forming an impenetrable cocoon.
"Yasha! NO!!" Ashura cried in horror.
"If those demons are anything like the demons from my world," Kurogane said. "then he's gonna need some help." He had his sword ready, but was stopped by Fai.
" Don't, Kurggy. It's his fight, not yours."
"There won't be a bone left of you, Lord Yasha!" Koumokuten cackled. He turned and pointed at Ashura. "You're next, child of Ashura!"
Sakura pulled the child to her while the others stood protectively in front of them. Suddenly, a light burst fort the in between the demons, then exploded outward, revealing a battered but very much alive Yasha.
"Impossible... He survived the hundred Hell demons?! Koumokuten was talking to himself.
"Too bad, I'm not about to lose to you. Fort the people of my tribe who died for me... For my brother and his wife Shara... I will tear you down." He wasn't boasting, this wasn't bravado, this was a promise. "I couldn't save the Yasha tribe or Rasestu. But I will not let anything happen to Ashura, ever!!"
"I've had it with you." THe general had momentarily regained his composer. Then lost it again. "You're going to Hell if it's the last thing I do!" He launched a large ball of power. It cracked and splintered the ground as it barreled towards Yasha. Suddenly Ryuu was next to him.
"Lord Yasha, I'll back you up!"
"No Lord Ryuu." Yasha stood in front of him.
"But-" Yasha cut off his protest.
"He killed Rasestu and Shara. Fort that... He's mine!!" He brought his sword down just as the ball reached him, stopping it. Ryuu threw his arms in front of his face. When he lowered them, the ball was dissipating. Ryuu felt the power emanating from Yasha and carefully moved back, not wanting to be in the way.
Yasha stood calmly despite his injuries. "I will not die so easily." Koumokuten was getting scared.
"We should take cover, guys!" Ryuu said, grabbing Ashura. "Keep your head down!"
"Why, what's going to happen?" Fai asked, his grin slipping a little.
"I think we're about to find out, wizard." Kurogane said, dragging Syaoran and Sakura back with him.
"I still have to defeat Taishakuten and protect Ashura. So I cannot die yet!"Yasha raised his sword and brought it down directly in front of Koumokuten. "Pluto's Destruction, Slay Illusion!" Light cracked out of the sword and extended. The resounding energy blew apart rocks and destroyed most of the cliffs. Ryuu held Ashura protectively as the others braced against the power. Ashura looked over Ryuu's arm and saw, through the light, Yasha successfully disarm Koumokuten. THe light from Yasha's sword hit the creep full on and something strange happened.
"My body! It's...disintegrating! It's disintegrating! What is this light?!" Koumokuten screamed even as he fell apart. A few minutes later, the only thing left was the robes he'd been in. Yasha looked down at it in contempt until a breeze blew it and the remains away. He looked up to the sky, looking almost as kif he's saying a prayer to the dead.
Ashura broke out of Ryuu's hold and ran to Yasha, jumping and climbing the rocks and pillars until he was finally able to clamber up to Yasha's side.
"Yasha! Are you alright?" Ashura asked worriedly as he looked over Yasha's wounds.
"I'm fine Ashura. They're just scratches." He bent down and gently lifted Ashura into a hug and carried him as he jumped across the rocks, heading back to the companions on the solid ground.
"Good, now that that's settled," Kurogane said as Yasha and Ashura returned. "Let's get on with storming the castle."
"Kuro-puu's too impatient!" Mokona said from Sakura's arms. "Can't you see everyone needs to rest after that?"
"Don't be mad, Mokona." Fai teased. "Kuro-wanwan's just blood thirsty." And the chase begins.
"How do they possibly have that much energy?" Lady Karura asked no one in particular.
Ashura finally got down off Yasha's shoulder and made his way to Sakura to take her hand. Just as he was about to grab it, he saw Syaoran behind her. More importantly, he saw the blood that soaked through his robe.
"You're bleeding!" Ashura held Sakura's arm and pointed to Syaoran's chest.
Syaoran, who previously had been unaware that he had reopened his would, looked down and felt the wetness. The adrenaline in him was slowly wearing off and rather large amounts of pain were coming to the fore. He winced and put a hand to his chest. It came away smeared with blood. Syaoran stumbled back and probably would've gone off the cliff if Karura hadn't grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, away from the edge, kneeling down with him.
"Syaoran!" Sakura rushed to his side and gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"You idiot!" Ryuu yelled as he stood glaring at Syaoran. "If you're hurt, you ought to tell one of us!"
"Calm down, Lord Ryuu." Soma said complacently, kneeling down in front of Syaoran. "He probably didn't even feel it."
"Huh?" Soma sighed and tried to explain about adrenaline while tending to Syaoran. Fai had finally stopped running and looked over to see what the commotion was about.
"Look, Syaoran's surrounded by pretty girls!" Mokona cried from Fai's shoulder.
"Yes, he's got a veritable harem. It's it grand? Our son is growing up, Kuro-daddy, aren't you proud?" Fai poked him in the cheek.
"I'm gonna wring your skinny neck, Mage."
Syaoran, who could hear their conversation blushed a bright cherry red, prompting Sakura to put a hand on his forehead, checking for a fever. Syaoran promptly blushed even more.
Ryuu was practically doubled over in silent laughter. He had heard Fai's comment and couldn't help but think that if Syaoran blushed any harder, he'd either stay red permanently or start frying brain cells.