AUTHOR'S CORNER:
-Eep!- Sorry about the cliffy guys! -sweatdrop- Since I felt so bad, I've decided to update so early this time, yes, it's still an odd numbered day of the month... but it's 2 in the morning instead of before work:) I don't think alot of you will be very happy with me about this chapter either, but bear with me! I have alot to get out of the way between the two of them! Things will get better and much more interesting, I promise! THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR AWESOME REVIEWS! A bunch of you guys actually had me laughing out loud this time around! You guys are awesome! Not a single flame so far and tons of wonderful reviews to read every time I log on:D I love you guys!
Enjoy!
Chapter 20
Looking up in confusion and fear her mind finally began to process what was happening around her. She somehow had been transported directly into the past to a battle and from the looks of the soldiers all around her who ceased fighting to stare at the barely dressed apparition before them, they were all demons. Wonderful, apparently, she'd been transported back to the very battle that her teacher had sent her to study and write on. Well, nothing like actual experience right?
It didn't take long for the demons to shake themselves out of their stupor and decide to do something about the bizarre human female who had appeared in the middle of a fierce battle in a flash of strange blue light. What was obviously a snake demon stepped forward as battle resumed all around her, combatants locked in combat and others dying with deafening wails. The snake youkai lifted a heavy axe over her head with a fang filled sneer.
Before Kagome's absent mind was able to get the memo that logical thought was somewhat needed right now, her body reacted, pulling Fubuki from his sheath behind her shoulder and brought her miko powers to bear on the blade, igniting it with a pale pink glow. The sight of a naked and glowing blade in the hands of the woman caused the demon to pause before bringing the axe down on her from over his head, but he shrugged as if it was impossible that the woman would have any skill with a weapon and continued his swing.
Fortunately for Kagome, an axe is a very slow weapon to fight with and she easily dodged his first few swings, making the youkai very angry. He swung wildly at the woman now, hissing in frustration before he stopped in confusion and then screamed in pain as the sword now embedded in his torso purified him from the inside out. Within seconds he was nothing but ash.
Combatants all around stopped and stared at the odd woman who now began cutting a path through any youkai who got too near to her, her odd silvery sword glowing pink and leaving tendrils of cold air behind the sweeping blade. The youkai wearing the same uniform as the snake youkai she'd killed decided she must be an enemy and started to attack her in earnest, rushing her and trying to overwhelm her.
Kagome's brain still refused to process things in any intelligent way, so she simply reacted to immediate stimulus, relying on her miko senses and her instincts as well as Fubuki's whispered observations. With a cry of "Kaze no koori!" she cut a massive path of icy destruction through the snake youkai clamoring to destroy the weak human before turning back to the battle, oblivious to the amazed stares of the youkai in western armor.
Sesshomaru had led his troops into the battle, heading up the charge across the field to collide with Ken'ichi's army while the southern lord himself stood safely to the side and watched the battle from a short distance away. The taiyoukai of the western lands was now cutting his way through the foul ranks of snake youkai, unwilling to unleash his kentasu or the dragon strike quite yet. For one thing, he usually reserved those for one on one battles and the other was that he knew the battle would be long, so he did not wish to use any excess energy.
Most youkai fell back in fear at the sight of the deadly lord before they were relentlessly cut down, the mass of bodies lying in the deadly dog demon's wake increasing with each passing minute. When an opening was created in which friendly losses were at a minimum, he would unleash a short blast of his kentasu, making sure not to use too much energy.
Though the lord himself was as of yet unharmed and leaving great devastation in his path, he could clearly see across the field that over all, his troops were beginning to lose the battle. At this point they had been fighting for a good few hours and the losses were beginning to take a toll. The southern army was much larger than they had anticipated and they just kept on coming, those still in reserve leaping forward to take the place of the fallen. The snake youkai fought with no regard for themselves or fellow troops which made them difficult to fight against. Despite the assistance the northern lord had sent since he himself couldn't make an appearance it was clear that it wouldn't quite be enough.
A disturbance close to the edge of the southern army's line of reserves caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of what it was over the din of battle.
Kagome realized after receiving a few nicks and small wounds that unless she did something drastic that she would not make it to the edge of the battle in one piece. She'd done a fantastic job fending any attackers off, but it would not be good enough. A short time after being thrown into the middle of the battle she had come to the understanding that the more practical looking uniforms were those belonging to the west since they all had the insignia of a dog with a crescent moon on them somewhere and that the enemy were the youkai who were mostly snakes in the fancy red armor.
Nodding to herself and mentally preparing Fubuki, she decided that indeed, drastic measures were required. In a loud and clear voice that rose up over the din of battle she yelled to the western soldiers.
"Those allied to the west! Fall back as far from me as you can!" this said, she turned to the closest in the southern uniforms, "alright you pricks from the south! Come get me!" with outraged cries, soldiers from the south charged her position as soldiers of the west moved away slowly, not entirely sure what to make of the fiery young woman who was almost naked to their eyes.
Kagome grinned evilly, she'd wanted to try this in full force for a long time, but had never found an appropriate place to do it. Grabbing Fubuki with both hands on the hilt, she pointed the tip straight into the ground and stabbed down as hard as possible, embedding the blade a few inches into the blood soaked earth. Kneeling down, she placed her forehead to the hilt before throwing her head back with a cry of "Ame no koori!"
Suddenly the air right around the miko grew intensely cold and dark clouds appeared from nowhere, swirling down like a tornado to touch the pommel of the katana. The charging youkai stopped in their tracks as they stared at the young woman kneeling on the ground, gripping the katana tightly and beginning to glow a bright pink. Moments later the sky began to rain large chunks of ice shaped like spear heads for a fifty yard radius. The woman's hair swirled around her as her power gathered into her, was conducted into the katana and then exited into the swirling clouds bringing the freezing storm down on her enemies. Wherever the shards touched was instantly turned to ice. Youkai all around her screamed in agony as arms, torsos, legs and anything else touched by the downpour was turned into solid ice and in some cases shattered. The ground was quickly covered in fog as the intense cold mixed with the warm air and created a version of snow fog.
Though the attack was powerful and basically obliterated and or put every fighter within a hundred yards of her out of commission, the attack required massive amounts of concentration and power, draining her more than she'd anticipated. The attack took only a matter of thirty seconds or so, but to the combatants it seemed like the ice rain fell forever. Eventually it slowed and came to a stop, the sky cleared back to its original grayish hue and Kagome gripped the sword in surprise. Although she still had reserves of power left, the attack had taken more than she had wanted to give and she felt shaky and weak. Gripping Fubuki tightly she staggered to her feet and pulled the blade from the ground with more effort than it should have taken.
After the initial shock of the attack had passed and the ice ceased to fall from the sky, the youkai once again rushed the miko who was currently struggling to her feet, though they carefully avoided the still melting ice and dead or dying comrades around her.
Sesshomaru's head snapped up when he heard the cry of Ame no koori and watched in amazement (though of course his face still looked bored) as the sky began to rain ice down on his enemies.
Realization hit him like a ton of bricks that he knew that voice just before the sweet scent of sakura blossoms drifted to his nose over the stench of blood and death. Only one sword I know of could unleash an attack like that and last I knew it was over four hundred years in the future… with …
Unexplainable panic rushed through is veins and clamped down on his heart at the thought that his little miko might be the cause of that sudden unnatural storm and may very well be in incredible danger. With a roar that stopped the blood in the veins of friends and enemies alike he took off in the direction of the localized storm, cutting through enemy youkai like water, unleashing his kentasu here and there to further speed his progress across the massive battlefield.
Ken'ichi's eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the strange looking girl who was killing everything that came near her. He was surprised to see that she knew how to fight passably well, though it was obvious that this was her first battle. When the girl had dropped to her knees in front of her downward pointed sword and unleashed that storm he had really begun to become concerned. Just who was this girl?
It was then that he noticed the lord of the west rapidly making his way over to the location of the girl. Unfortunately, he couldn't glean from the demon's expression why he was headed over, but his actions showed anxiety. Whether he was going there to kill her or protect her, he didn't know, but now he was determined that he, lord of the south was going to have the girl, not Sesshomaru. With an evil smirk, he finally waded into the battle, heading for the girl in an attempt to get there before the inuyoukai did.
With a growl of frustration, Sesshomaru leapt over his enemies and finally caught sight of who was in the center of the storm. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of his little miko who wasn't so young anymore. Her body had filled out nicely, her long raven ponytail was being whipped upward due to the force of her storm and her eyes were closed, her face upturned to the clouds she'd created. Dodging the ice that rained down from above, he made his way toward her, determined to bring her to safety before finding out what in the hell she was doing there.
As the girl finally opened her eyes and stood, bracing herself with a weary stance he caught sight of Ken'ichi approaching rapidly from the side. Putting on a final burst of speed, he snagged the miko and blocked Ken'ichi's blade, leaping high into the sky, putting distance between himself and the battle below. With a low hiss Ken'ichi leapt upward in pursuit.
Kagome had just been preparing herself to fight to the death, purifying and freezing whatever her blade touched when a strong arm gripped her around her waist and her stomach was left behind as she lurched upward and into the sky, her feet dangling below her and her sword out in front of her as if she were a doll being picked up by its owner.
Below her, she saw a rather powerful looking youkai stop right where she had been moments before and leap after them with a hiss. Suppressing a yelp as the arm holding her suddenly changed directions and began falling toward the earth again, moving away from the youkai who was following them doggedly, she finally had the presence of mind to twist around with a scowl to see who had nabbed her.
Sesshomaru wanted to smile in satisfaction at the look on his miko's face when she finally managed to twist around enough to see him, but his concentration was mostly on the lord following them. Apparently the youkai wanted the girl for himself when he'd witnessed her display of power, otherwise he would have tried to kill them both instead of chasing them.
"Sesshomaru, how unfair of you to unleash such a powerful and beautiful weapon on my unsuspecting troops," the youkai taunted as Sesshomaru dodged to the side and away from the demon's lunge as he touched down and leapt high into the air again. Kagome liked rollercoasters, but this was ridiculous.
"Since when have you ever done anything fairly, Ken'ichi?" Sesshomaru retorted in a bored tone.
"Now now, Sesshomaru, you're going to tarnish my good name in front of the very enticing female you're currently trying to take away from me," he said shooting the fuming miko a lustful look.
"My name is Kagome, you stupid snake! KA-GO-ME!" the fiery little miko shouted fearlessly at the youkai chasing them, waving her sword at him in an attempt to look threatening and making Sesshomaru wish he could roll his eyes. She hadn't changed at all.
"Goodness, Sesshomaru. What a little hellion you've found," Ken'ichi's massive black sword clashed with Tōkijin as they battled in the air, Sesshomaru keeping his own body between Kagome and the snake.
The southern lord attacked relentlessly, looking for any weakness in the taiyoukai's stance or defenses. If he could just injure the dog without endangering the woman then he could claim her as his own. What a fine concubine and battle tool she would make! Licking his lips in anticipation he renewed his attacks on the western lord who doggedly kept himself between Ken'ichi and the miko.
Their fight had them leaping high into the air and falling again, using the force of their blows and sword clashes as momentum to keep their leaping and dodging going. Sesshomaru landed and unexpectedly leapt with great force almost straight up going quite an impressive distance above the battle with the snake following him. The taiyoukai knew this was a ridiculous fight and wished to end it as soon as possible, though he didn't see how he could do it with the miko clutched under one arm.
Still heading higher into the air, Sesshomaru was surprised to feel Kagome twist in his arm and whisper "let go." Was the girl crazy? She'd fall to her death! Deciding to trust her he loosened his hold knowing he could catch her when necessary.
Kagome felt his grip loosen on her waist and took advantage of that and their momentum to kick herself backward and power up Fubuki. Sesshomaru recognized the shift in her aura and smiled menacingly down at the southern lord.
Ken'ichi looked up at the now separated pair in confusion. The young girl had twisted out of Sesshomaru's grip and thrown herself backward, bringing her sword to bear in front of her and he felt a shift in her energy. At the same time Sesshomaru twisted in the air, pulling Tōkijin forward, seemingly waiting for something.
Kagome watched in satisfaction as Fubuki frosted all the way to the tip and began to glow bright white.
"Kaze no koori!" with a yell Kagome swiped the sword in Ken'ichi's direction and a wave of pure blizzard power swept toward him with amazing speed. At the same moment Sesshomaru swung Tōkijin and released his soryouha, fiery demon energy met with the freezing energy of her kaze no koori, but instead of canceling one another out, they swirled around one another, like polar opposite energy, repelling and attracting one another until the mix of white and fiery blue energy slammed into Ken'ichi, stopping his upward movement and throwing him hard into the ground making a crater where he'd landed.
The blast from Fubuki had catapulted Kagome's light frame further into the sky making her backflip up and away from Sesshomaru. The taiyoukai couldn't help but admire the changes in the girl's form as she soared through the air, hair whipping all around her as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her, Fubuki held out to one side as her bright blue eyes watched the demon's rapid descent and meeting with the ground.
Internally Kagome was beginning to wonder if Sesshomaru planned on retrieving her or just letting her fall. Good thing she wasn't afraid of heights, she thought sarcastically. Just then Sesshomaru was by her side with one hand resting lightly on her waist as they began their own descent to the ground. Though the hand on her waist felt light, she knew she was held with a steel grip as they touched down because she didn't feel jerked at all, just safe.
Ken'ichi dragged himself out of his crater with a look of hatred burning in his eyes, most of which was directed at Kagome. His chest smoldered and she could see most of his armor had been burned away and his entire front from his chin all the way down to his waist was severely burnt and singed. It was quite painful looking, though Kagome felt no remorse for causing such damage.
"You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" he hissed at her. Kagome wanted to retort back that he'd missed the slight fact that she wasn't a female dog demon, thank you very much, but figure it wasn't the wisest time to do that. With a loud hiss and an odd sounding snarl Ken'ichi began to change.
His long black hair and lean face shape shifted, elongating even more until it was shaped like a massive snake, his hair disappeared along with his arms and legs until nothing was left of the humanoid demon before them and in his place was a massive black mamba, the protruding fangs were as long and thick around as her thigh and he stood as tall as Sesshomaru's dog form.
Glancing over at Sesshomaru, she realized he planned on meeting the snake on even terms. With a feral snarl Sesshomaru's face became long and fuzzy, his eyes turned bright red the hurricane force winds picked up as his youki swirled around him making Kagome squint her eyes. Moments later a massive white dog stood where Sesshomaru was before. The demon's faced off, hisses and snarls blending together as sickening yellow eyes bore into demonic red. Generals on each side of the army decided to follow the example of their masters and massive dogs, snakes and other enormous demons began to emerge all over the field.
Oh Kami! This is bad!
Ame no Koori – Rain of Ice, this attack brings down something resembling a hail storm, only the chunks of ice are shaped like spearheads and freeze whatever they touch kind of like nitroglycerine. The caster must remain still during this spell which is the major weakness of such a casting. This is an area of effect spell and the range is a circumference of fifty yards. The caster becomes more and more drained the longer they hold the spell in effect.
Soryouha – spelling? Dragon strike attack that was used in movie three against InuYasha. Sesshomaru calls down a massive blue and yellow lighting storm that strikes his target much in the way his kentasu does.