"Be still," a voice hissed.
The figures froze at the command, silently watching a small group of Panther demons sprint past them. This hadn't been the first time an enemy patrol had failed to see them but all the same, it really made Hoshi wonder if the correct demons had been selected for guard duty. It was all about being alert and aware of their surroundings but they'd failed to do that. But then again, she had to give herself credit for being able to know what signs demons looked for and how to ensure she didn't cause any attention to come to her. She was a trained warrior, after all. She waited until they were out of sight before gesturing to her companions to follow her. She dug her talons into the rock and crept along its side, grateful for the shadows of the trees. For a moment, there was nothing except for the sounds of crickets and the soft wind.
"How much farther," Masa hissed.
She only shushed him to grab the sharp edge of the cliff and brace her legs against the cool stone behind her, kicking off to flip upward onto the top of the cliff. Hoshi ignored the sounds of surprise. Her hand reached down to grasp Minoru's and pull him up, who helped her pull the rest of them onto the top of the cliff. A few of them muttered and one even tried to do what she had done, only to start falling and would have if she and Minoru hadn't shot out their hands to grab his to drag him up to his humiliation. She just shook her head – how much pride lived among demons? Too much in her opinion. She crept towards a large rock and hid in its shadow, peering over it as her companions joined her. She wanted to growl when one of them kicked a rock.
"Alright," she murmured softly, peeking once more. "We will continue our journey north and if anyone sees a demon, duck down and the rest will do the same, got it?"
"Hai,"some muttered in reluctant agreement.
"But, Shi, is this wise to do?"
"Dark times call for drastic measures," she whispered. "We need to act fast because each moment is precious."
"This is going against our orders!"
"I disagree. Our orders are to fight the enemy and protect the palace at all costs, which I believe I'm doing at this moment."
"By going past enemy lines without the permission of Lord Takahiro?"
"He gave us permission once the fight started," Hoshi said as patiently as she could. "He wants us to protect the palace and fight for our victory, which means we are obeying his orders."
"I do not agree," one of the demons hissed. "We need to be at the palace fighting for its protection, not exploring in the woods when our allies are in need of even our aid!"
Hoshiko was extremely grateful she was blessed with great patience – something she knew was not very common in warriors who were more likely to charge into battle without thought; Inuyasha. She bit her lip a bit. After all, she'd seen too much arrogance and pride in warriors during her past battles that led to their deaths while she resorted to patiently fighting until she got her opening to strike. Right now, though, that wasn't the reason her patience was being tried. Her companions, as great as they were, kept questioning her and seemed to hold no faith in her at the moment. She wished they could just believe her. She knew what she was doing; as it was, her past said enough of what she knew and what she had learned. She'd fought with the Inu No Taisho for heaven's sake, he'd been her teacher! Not that they knew that (except Minoru) but all the same, they all knew she'd been trained in the art of war and battle strategies. She was still alive, wasn't she? Right?
Yet at the same time, she understood where they were coming from. None of these demons had taken orders from a 'female.' She was a demoness, not a demon nor did she have any rank of power, she was a mere 'servant' from the lands of the West. It saddened her what the fate was of her gender. After all, she was a fine example of what a demoness could become if she was trained properly and treated as an equal, right? The only downfall of that were pain, suffering, and losses that resulted. She had to remind herself not every demoness had the same background as she did. She took a deep breath.
"Don't you trust me," she whispered to her companion.
"Why should I," that certain demon spat. "You dragged us out here into the woods?"
"You chose to come with me," Hoshi answered calmly. "If you do not want to be here and wish to aid your allies at the palace walls, then go."
There was a small silence.
"We should all return, not sit here in the shadows and watch more enemies run to bring down our allies!"
She took another deep breath, ignoring the snarling of her inner demon in her head. Hoshi glanced behind her at her companions – Masa, Ryota, Arata, and three new companions she did not know the names of but one most likely would be deemed the name 'unappeasable.' They all were eyeing her easily while that certain one was glaring at her. It was obvious they weren't trusting her to the extent they had when they'd first met her and the newbies had no faith in her at all. Again, she figured it had to do with her gender. The only ones who appeared to give her their full trust and faith were Minoru and Arata. Something she also had to do for them – she had to trust them, she had to give them her faith, and she also had to give them her loyalty. They didn't appear to want to do the same. Then again, perhaps Hoshi knew nothing different; she and Inu No Taisho had never left each other's side, fighting side by side. They'd protected each other, they'd saved each other, and they'd depended on each other. She gave them her all; her faith, trust, and loyalty. So she would never leave her allies side even if it meant her death – it was what she had been taught to do. She glanced back up the hill to ensure no one was there. She inhaled deeply through her nose and detected nothing except the scents of demons that had passed earlier, absolutely nothing new. She silently darted to another large pill of rocks in the shadows and ignored the rapid footsteps of her allies, instead checking to ensure no one had seen just in case. Again, no one was in sight. She looked at them. They were all crouched around her, staring at her once more with unsure expressions. The one demon who distrusted her and appeared not to like her by any means was growling under his breath now. She sighed.
"What is it," she questioned gently even though she clearly knew what was on their, or one in particular, minds.
"We need to return to the Palace," 'unappeasable' demon snarled. "We are wasting our time out here."
"Are we," Hoshi hummed, ever glad she was the patient sort. "I know you think this is not what we are meant to do or ordered to do, but it has to be done. We are only wasting time – each moment is precious. We have been fighting for hours, my ally. Our forces are weakening and the Palace is becoming more vulnerable by each second. We will spare more lives if we accomplish this mission. I have my reasons and logic."
"Oh," the demon spat. "We are hiking in the woods while more of our allies are dying each moment. We aren't sparing more lives, we're killing them off!"
Hoshiko, without losing her temper or even her patience, was suddenly at 'unappeasables' side with her blade at his throat, his head tilted back by her other hand. The other demons inhaled sharply while the demon sputtered, eyes widening. No one had seen her move; she had suddenly been there within a second. She eyed the demon carefully with a faint smile.
"Are you sure that you would be of value to our allies," she hummed, her voice sickly sweet. "I caught you without even a reaction from you until my blade was at your throat."
"Y-You," the demon hissed, but cringed when Hoshi pressed harder against his throat with her blade.
"Do you really think I am up here 'hiking in the woods' like we are on a little stroll? I'm not that unwise, fool. I have been trained in the ways of claw, fang, and blade since I was only a century old. I have been in battles that would surpass all your years in number, perhaps even double or tripled, and the battlefield is one of the places I have been in too many times. You are the one who is being unwise, not me. Silence yourself or I will remove you."
"You would kill me," the demon growled.
"No," Hoshi replied, releasing some of the tension of the blade. "I would knock you out and hide you. You are becoming irritating. Silence yourself or leave."
"And why do you think you have this authority?"
Hoshi growled now; the others cringed at her sudden venom.
"Take that up with Lord Sesshomaru of the West and we shall see who has the authority."
The demon swallowed, hard. Obeying her, despite her low rank of servant, was a million times better than facing the Western Lord's wrath. But he wondered, why did she even have favor with the demon lord? She was nothing; a female warrior. Despite what she had said, she hadn't earned any favor. He growled back at her.
"Why would Lord Sesshomaru give you any power by any means? You are female, a servant."
Hoshiko pressed the blade into his neck; he felt sweat run down his back. If she pressed any harder, blood would definitely be spilled. He looked at his allies in panic and hoping for aid. None of them moved to help, watching them. Masa, Arata, and Minoru just watched while the other two looked strained – they were unused to her as much as he was. He immediately met the eyes of the demoness as he felt the blade slide gently against his neck in a rocking motion. Her eyes were on him.
"I am the strongest warrior within his clan," Hoshi murmured. "I have earned his favor and respect, don't you think if I hold that rank? I may be female and a servant but I'm proud to be while you may find me a disgrace among my gender. Remember, fool, that a demoness brought you into the world and I do not like males who forget that."
The demon was silenced for a moment – she was the strongest warrior in his clan? He hateful had to admit that she earned that battle wise, he wasn't easily held prisoner. But here he was, still stunned by the sudden contact of the blade against his throat and her hand holding him there. He glared at her.
"Fine, great warrior," he snipped, but ever weary of the blade. "Then what makes you think what you are planning will work according to plan?"
"I haven't been only taught to fight, but to plan strategy. I know how armies function. So my plan is this; The leader of the Panther demons, who has not made any attempt to join the battle or even show their face, is the commander of the attack. He is the head of the war strategies, the leadership. Without him, the attack will fall through. The warriors lose sense of direction and have no one to keep the leadership at hand. Do you get what I am planning now? We are going to capture the Panther leader demon ourselves because think of the results – they will lose their leader and what happens when warriors lose their leader? They panic, they lose all sense of direction and leadership, it turns into chaos – they don't know what to do! Now do you understand?"
Her allies made murmurs of surprise and acknowledgement. The demoness had a point and it really made sense; taking out the leader took out the warriors. The demon's hostile expression faltered. He was wrong, she was right all along. She was logical, wise, intelligent. Not the weak little prune he had imagined when rumors reached him and even seeing her. She had looked so gentle, so kind that he hadn't even imagined her to be a fighter but observing her made him realize, she was a very well trained warrior. He frowned and looked away for a moment, growling quietly to himself.
"And you are sure this stragety will work?"
"Hai. I have used it before and it has succeeded every time, my ally. I have never lost a fight."
There was a stunned and very shocked silence. She hadn't lost a fight, ever? He stared her down and the honesty, the truth, was in her eyes. She wasn't lying. She had never lost a fight. He was in awe. Finally, he lowered his head in submission and allowed the blade to press into his throat – it stung slightly. The demoness eyed him for a moment before releasing him, her blade lowering. He felt her satisfaction and he didn't like it. He hadn't wanted to submit to a female but she had won him over. He despised her for it.
Hoshiko observed the pride broken demon and finally looked at the others, whom were staring at her in shock or in awe. She figured it was because she was a female and shouldn't have knowledge of war, but all the same she was glad she did and understood its vile nature. For some reason, she found herself wishing Lord Takahiro had thought of this himself. Why had she been the one to think of it? Too much in the warzone was her explanation. Her allies glanced at each other and appeared to hold a silent conversation with their eyes but they slowly met her eyes and nodded in approval and agreement. She had to smile faintly. She hoped she didn't need to get another one to submit; her inner demon was smug in her head. That would teach that pup to mind her! She bit her lip slightly and peered over the boulder again, eyeing the shadows. She hadn't heard anything but it was slightly unnerving. Where had their enemy gone? None had passed by yet. She gestured to her companions to stay behind, giving them a warning with her eyes not to follow, and crept out into the open. Nothing happened. She clutched Taiyo tightly in her hands, ready for a last second ambush. The plants tickled her ankles. She crouched down and crumbled some of the bark, sniffing at it. The scents of multiple demons faintly covered it but it wasn't fresh. Finally, her ears perked up as she caught something – faint breathing. She paused, pressing herself up against a tree and glancing upward. Hoshiko frowned a bit.
A Panther demon was perched on a tree branch, watching the darkness with a bow in his hands. How had he not noticed her, she didn't know. Hoshi had to admit, he was a poor watchman – she hadn't been that quiet! She observed him, noting his flicking orange eyes but he still hadn't turned around. She didn't want to kill him, he looked so normal that it sent pangs through her; how could this demon be an enemy? However, she silently pulled her bow off her back and withdrew an arrow that instead of a sharp point, had a very narrow one with a herb coating it. The next thing the demon knew, the arrow plunged into one of the muscles of his neck and he flailed, falling out of the tree. He couldn't scream. He watched as a gorgeous demoness entered his vision, light green hair tied at the back of her head and blue eyes watching him unemotionally. He felt dizzy and finally passed out with a slight gurgle. Hoshi eyed the unconscious demon for a moment.
She knelt down to the demon and patted down his body (she felt bad to do this), finding a suitable dagger and to her delight an explosion. That would come in handy. She slipped it into a hidden pouch underneath her armor. She grasped the arrow in her foes neck and pulled it out with a faint wet sound. She didn't know why she ripped a small section of cloth to press it against the wound and leave it there. Her inner demon didn't approve. She should have killed him. But Hoshi didn't want to kill him, she wanted to let him live, go back to the demons he cared about, and not add another life she'd taken to her list. She already had too much blood on her hands as it was. She despised watching the life leaving her foes eyes, even if he had tried to kill her or her loved ones.
As she looked around her, she saw no other potential threats and heard nothing of any suspicion. She sighed to herself; her foes were making her more uneasy by the moment. She wandered over to her companions, glancing down at them to find them with weapons drawn and alert but mean looking expressions. They exhaled softly when she appeared.
"What was that thud?"
For a moment, Hoshiko was extremely pleased – they hadn't left the hiding place until she returned. Her inner demon even hummed in satisfaction. She shrugged it off lightly.
"I took out a watchman," she replied, gesturing in the direction of the knocked out enemy. "He wasn't very observant. At least we know we are getting closer to our target and this side is somewhat open now from the guard."
"How are you so sure we are getting closer to our target," Masa questioned.
"Why would they randomly station a guard there? It also looks like the guards are stationed in a circle, if we remember the course of our passing foes."
"Indeed," Ryota grumbled. "You seem aware, Shi, more than we."
"You learn to be," Hoshi shrugged, looking away. "We should be off. If we don't want to be spotted, we need to get moving before someone spots the fallen guard."
They nodded in agreement. Within moments, the group was sprinting up the mountainside in the shadows as quietly as possible, keeping a watchful eye out for any Panthers or any potential allies for their foes. To their surprise, they found none. The trees were silent and no eyes were seen in the trees – it was though they thought no one would dare come up this way, which could be the answer why there weren't many guards. It was extremely odd due to the fact the attack force had come from this direction and they had a leader to protect. Hoshi leaped over a log and swung from a branch. It was too silent for her liking.
Do you feel it, Hoshi's inner demon spoke dully.
Hai, I do. No evidence of auras anywhere.
Nor have we seen any demons for some amount of time. Where could they be?
I do not know, but it is best we move in this direction. Most likely we will find something of value, such as the location of our hiding Panther leader.
Indeed.
I will admit though, they aren't being wise with guarding their own ground. It is though they put all their favor in attacking, not defending.
Bakas.
Hoshiko was forced to faintly smile. It was sort of amusing the way her inner demon said it and it was true, it was not the wisest thing to do. Defending was as important as attacking. She ignored the sharp slap of a branch against her shoulder and glanced upward. Only the sharp, dark cliffs towered over her. She narrowed her eyes in thought. If she was hiding, she had always picked the best place that seemed the most unlikely. She skid to a stop, her eyes still locked on the cliffs above the Northern Palace.
"Shi?"
She didn't turn to look at her company.
"If I was a leader in hiding," she said gently. "Don't you think I'd want to be in the most unlikely place but one of the best, among the darkness but in plain sight?"
The demons blinked – she spoke like in a riddle.
"Hai?"
"Then I think I would hide there," Hoshi continued, pointing at the cliffs above the Northern Palace. "Don't you agree?"
"There? But this isn't the path toward those cliffs."
"There must be another path that they are using to appear to be coming from this direction. Think about it. We expect the leader to be hiding in the shadows among these trees, but he isn't. He is hiding in shadows, but in plain sight. He'd want to watch the invasion, to ensure his orders are being kept and his power is established. It is an unlikely place as well, but one of the best. No one would look there which is the reason I think that is where our leader is hiding."
"I agree with Shi," Ryota hummed. "It is a clever place, one of the least likely to be searched."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I'm not," Hoshi replied. "But I can be, though I need to get closer."
The warrior demoness gestured for them to follow her as she took a slightly different course up the mountain. The faint odor of Panther demons were along this way, but not in great numbers. It would be more likely to lead them to their target. After all, it was all the art of pretending to be in one place when they truly were in another – she'd had to learn it herself. Even Naraku had used such a trick, according to Inuyasha. Truly, it was all about hiding and decreasing any chances of being found and who wanted to be found when they wished to hide away? She had to smile softly to herself.
For several minutes there was nothing. Only the shadows of the trees whipping by, the slashes of bushes whipping her legs, and the dirt flying out behind her as she ran. She had to remind herself to slow down – her companions were by no means as fast as she was. After all, who wouldn't become faster after being chased down countless times? She had been hunted down but she had always given them a hard time to catch up. She leaned her head back slightly, enjoying the wind billowing her hair behind her like a green wave. She didn't flinch when Masa appeared at her side – too much war experience, once again. She'd had too many surprises that she had just learned to accept them. So she contentedly ran at his side.
Then, she felt that she was close enough. Hoshiko extending her arm in a signal to stop as she slowed down, her companions obeying her silent command and doing the same. She glanced at Minoru.
"Watch my back," was all she said.
Minoru frowned a bit but stepped toward his lady. She would always get his protection upon request and orders; he was her assigned protector. His lady knelt upon the ground and pressed her fingertips up against the dirt and the other hand against the stone of the cliffs. He felt it – her aura was flaring out into the Earth. His companion's inhaled sharply, signaling they'd felt it as well, and they watched the still demoness focus upon her new task.
Hoshiko flared out her aura into the Earth. She felt the throbbing of life below her, the thrum of each being pressing against her own heart and the energy pulsing off everything around her. She felt the water in the roots, the dirt giving way to worms, the grass swaying lightly at the feet of her companions. The trees sang their song to her. She felt the throbbing of life all around her, it was endless. She pressed herself into it, the life she felt, into its warmth. She felt the happiness and peace in everything around her but she pulled away from it, seeking darkness. The Earth called to her, shuddering against her presence as she passed through the battlefields, the dripping blood. It made her cringe a bit. She forged on. She felt her spirit connected to the creatures, into the bark of the trees, the dirt, and the dancing plants around her. Nothing felt abnormal except for the sorrow and the hatred on the battlefield. She pressed harder, seeking with more attention. She imagined darkness, hatred, betrayal. The Earth guided her to the cliffs, to the rocks and its harsh but lively song as though knowing where the darkness she looked for bred. Finally, she felt it. Footsteps, weapons, darkness; it was a mile to the Northwest. She gently caressed the Earth's energy in acknowledgement and gratitude – it hummed happily. All but sadly, she withdrew from the Earth.
"What is she doing," she heard as she came back into her body.
"It is a gift of hers," Minoru murmured. "She can connect to the Earth with her aura and spirit. I am guessing she is searching for our target."
"She will find our foes," Ryota said, bewildered by the explanation.
"Already did," Hoshi spoke up, rising to her feet startling her group. "A mile Northwest, right over there."
Hoshiko pointed to the cliff, right above the Northern Palace. Her group could only gape as she showed them the path their foes had used to trick them all. That gift of hers was incredible.
As it turned out, it was not easy to journey through the cliffs narrow passageways with the threat of being spotted. It had taken all their agile and stealth skills to remain unseen and safe from harm. Not that it called for too much, but enough. It had taken too much time though; several of the group members had a hard time and reluctantly had to accept help. However, with all the threats on the horizon, the scents covering the walls and hovering in the air clearly gave away that not many demons had passed through these passageways and it concerned the group. What if the prediction was wrong? Despite that, a certain member of their group wouldn't give up and determinedly continued on, forcing them to follow her. She was stubborn, all right. But she seemed like she knew what she was doing so they caved in, but it still worried them to a degree.
The low voices caught their attention. They switched glances with each other in surprise before looking at the blue eyed beauty who gazed in the general direction of their target with a calculating expression. They couldn't believe it – she had been right all along. Masa patted her shoulder gently and she gave him a faint smile, before they pressed forward. The group prowled closer, finally able to see the flicker of fire dancing on the dark rocks – pointed ears flattened slightly against their skulls at the cruel mockery and the vile comments that emitted to them, upset by the harsh laughter. She gestured for them to remain behind and crawled over to the edge of the cliff, peering downward at their foe.
A group of demons were crowded in a circle, enjoying a drink (what she didn't know), continuing their dark words against the Northern lands and its rulers. Hoshiko clenched her fists. They weren't her lands, confused by her anger, but she respected Lord Takahiro – he did not deserve such mockery. It also angered her that they were defying their Lord and betraying his friendship, his trust. She wasn't surprised when Minoru joined her at her shoulder, looking down as well. He growled lowly in his throat, so softly she almost didn't hear.
"You were right," he breathed into her ear.
"Indeed," she hummed.
She observed the oblivious demons. They really seemed unconcerned about their safety and still had no idea that they had been found, but they looked more like support and guards for their leader. She wondered if they knew the real nature of war and how it functioned. Hoshi ran her eyes over each one until she found her target – the Panther demon leader. She inhaled sharply; oh man, he was bigger than she had thought. He stood in the shadows, his face lit up by the crackling fire as he observed the chaos below with a dark smile that sent creeps into her blood. His hair was long and midnight black, braided back from his face and decorated with the bones of what she could only assume of his fallen foes. She couldn't see his eyes very well, but from what she could make of him were they were as cold as Lord Sesshomaru's but held an evil malice, a darkness her beloved never would. He wore nothing more than black leggings, a black belt around his chest with numerous blades, and a large, fuzzy black cape. It was surprising to see him without chest armor – it was improper. It was immediately obvious he wouldn't go down easily as she observed his thick muscles, despite the lack of armor.
"There," she murmured, pointing him out to Minoru.
"That's him," he hissed in surprise.
"Hai," Hoshi continued softly. "Who else of these dimwits could it be? It's him all right, besides he is wearing a necklace with the tip of one of the Panther King demon's horns."
Minoru stared at her.
"And you are so sure?"
"Hai," Hoshi whispered so softly he barely heard. "I watched Inu No Taisho fight him and kill him. I'd recognize it anywhere."
The Eagle demon simply nodded, noting the sad glaze in her eyes before she got herself under control. She looked at their target for a moment before crawling back, Minoru slowly following. She walked up to her company.
"We are outnumbered by those demons down there," Hoshi murmured, gesturing in the general direction of their foes. "There are guards stationed and it is obvious the ones down there with our target are most likely his biggest supporters and protectors."
Masa looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We shouldn't ambush them, it will alert our leader and he might run for it," Masa grumbled, rubbing his face.
"If he escapes, our mission will fail," Ryota said quietly. "We need to take a sneakier approach."
"I have an idea," Hoshiko said. "We should sneak attack them by taking out the guards with our far distance weapons from above and dropping down to acquire our target."
"Brilliant. However he is strong and it is obvious it will be a fight. Shi, Minoru, and I will take him down while the rest of you hold back the surviving guards."
The group nodded in agreement. Within a few minutes, the rest of the plan had been told to the group and they faded away into the undergrowth to their positions. Hoshiko and Minoru sneakily approached the edge of the cliff once more and hid behind different rocks big enough to only mask one of them. She was grateful for the mask of the night. The demoness watched the demons below – they had no idea what was coming. Across the other side, she could see Ryota and Arata creeping along the edge. Soon enough, the leader would be in their grasp. She pulled out an arrow from her bag and glanced down at her ordered target. A messy, drunk looking demon mocking the Lords and it took all her will not to shoot right then. She frowned deeply though. None of them appeared to have any respect.
"Are you ready, milady?"
She glanced over at Minoru, his silver eyes gleaming in the night.
"Always," she answered grimly with a low tone.
Finally, she saw Masa appear at his position with his hand held upward. She loaded her arrow and tried to keep as silent as possible, wincing lightly at the creak of Minoru's bow. Luckily, the demons below seemed too busy to notice the shadow figures above. She glanced in the leader's direction. He was staring upward in her direction, eyes narrowed. She stilled. Had he seen her? But gazing at him made her realize he was staring above her. Then she heard the shift of movement. She turned her head far enough to see Minoru, staring in horror right behind her frozen to the ground. She could see her companions stiffen. Slowly, she turned around.
A Panther demon stood behind her, staring at his leader but when he tilted his head to the side she could tell he could clearly see her, his mouth turning into a frown when she looked at him. She couldn't help but stare at him. Why hadn't he alerted his companions? Wasn't he aware of why they were here? She slowly withdrew her dagger from her armor – he just frowned deeper at that and waved his hand at her in a nonthreatening manner. She blinked. What was he doing? Why wasn't he protecting his leader? None of this was making any sense. She turned her head slowly to gaze at the Panther demon leader who raised his fist in a way that asked 'is all well?' She froze, looking back at the foe panther. To her utter shock, the guard slowly also raised his fist in response: 'all is well.' She felt her heart slow down a bit but all the same she could hear her inner demon hissing in surprise; why was he helping them? Was there something going on she didn't understand? The guard glanced slightly at her and turned away, walking out of sight of his leader before looking at her, dead in the eye. She felt her hand clench on the dagger again. The demon must have noticed because he frowned a bit but shook his head at her.
"Kill him," the demon whispered to her.
She felt her blood go cold. Why would he want her to kill his leader? It was his duty to protect him, not ally himself with the foe to help bring him down. As she gazed at him, she realized something. There was a spark of hope in his eyes, as though he was pleading for her to right a wrong done and fix what had broken. There was something wrong with this situation. But all the same, she inclined her head in respect and acknowledgement and he returned the sediment, before hurrying away and she could tell he was ushering others away. He was helping to keep their presence a secret for them to complete their mission, to end this battle. She couldn't believe it – If he was caught, it meant death. Why did he do it? She glanced at Minoru who looked stunned but when he returned her gaze, he shrugged weakly. So she wasn't imagining things. Hoshi made a mental note if that this succeeded, to find that demon and speak to him, perhaps ensure a reward. She waved at her companions who all seemed to sigh with relief.
"What was that," Minoru finally hissed.
"I do not know," Hoshi murmured, glancing behind her. "But at least we know we have the knowledge that demons on this side appear to disagree with what our leader is doing. That might be an advantage."
Minoru weakly shrugged his agreement, before looking at their leader once more. She met the eyes of Masa, who gave her a look of concern but she simply smiled in return. He gave a weak smile in return before his own eyes slid back to the still oblivious demons. She wondered how deaf and blind they were. Most likely, probably too busy partying for their so said 'success.' She slowly reloaded her bow and nodded at her leaders direction, noting everyone else was doing the same.
'Ready?' Masa signed.
She tensed up as she nodded, watching the countdown on Masa's hands. She felt her heart beating in her chest. She aimed.
'NOW!'
She fired –her arrow flew true, stabbing her foe in the eye and knocking him off his feet, death consuming him before he knew what happened. The whizzes of arrows filled the stunned silence before it settled upon the demons what was happening – they were under attack. The demons began to scream as they were assassinated, blood flying and painting the rocks red. The demon leader jumped his feet and narrowly avoided a blade fly by his face as one of his allies tripped as he was killed, throwing his only weapon by accident at his tribe leader. She could see the horror and fury settle in. Blood flew and screams rang out as Hoshiko got to her feet and jumped down to land in the fray. She cut down a guard that attempted to charge her. The demoness ducked as a blade flew over her and grabbed her foe with her swords at the hips, flinging him over her to slam him into the rock wall, knocking him out with a hit over the head. She ignored the wet slap of her hair as it hit her cheek covered in blood and jumped into a battle where Arata was being cornered. She would not let anyone else die tonight.
As she sliced another guard in two, she suddenly felt fire burning into her back. She stiffened slightly as she turned to meet the fire with her own, feeling ready to burn away the fury with her own power. Her gaze was suddenly full of blazing orange eyes. She stared down the powerful leader of the Panther tribe as he glared at her from the distance that separated them, his body trembling in rage. It was though they almost couldn't see the fighting raging between them. Hoshi had to wonder, why had he selected her out? Why was he burning holes into her back, when he could have chosen any other of her companions? Suddenly, her heart dropped into her belly as she recognized him. Years ago, on the battlefield. She had seen him when Inu No Taisho was fighting the King Panther demon, fighting not a few feet from her and he had met her eyes, before he had vanished. Then she could see the recognition in his eyes – he'd realized he'd seen her before, on that very day. The ward of the great dog demon general. His eyes widened as he stared at her as she stared at him, but he looked even angrier and he whirled around, sprinting away. She felt her inner demon growl.
He won't escape, her inner demon hissed. Up for a game of tag, milady?
I'm game.
Before her inner demon could respond, Hoshiko was chasing down her target. For several moments she couldn't see him until that fuzzy black cape caught her attention and she followed it. The leader glanced back over his shoulder and growled when he noticed her, speeding up. Instead of pushing herself to catch up, she settled into an easy run. Let him run himself out – she was patient enough to wait. She leaped over logs and swung from branches, almost mocking him. She could feel his aura growing more hostile, more annoyed. Hoshi kept up with him, estimating his speed was about the same as her easy run, but she figured that was due to his size and she could tell he wasn't very graceful. She slid down a steep incline, enjoying the breeze. She knew time was precious, but it was better to take him down when he was weaker – she was prefer not to go back with the leader in hand but bleeding to death. His deeper breathing reached her. He turned to glare at her once more, but it was obvious the glare was slightly weaker. She glanced upward and noticed they had run a few miles from their previous location – were her companions following her? She couldn't tell from here. Finally, her patience paid off. He sprinted for a few more minutes before turning sharply, skidding to a stop. She skid to her own stop and they stared each other down from the distance separating them, before he began to circle her and not wanting to get caught, she began to mimic his movements.
"Isn't it little Hoshiko," the demon finally rumbled after a few circles, his voice deep and malicious. "I am surprised to see you alive, spawn."
She tried not to flinch.
"You remember my name, then," she replied quietly.
"How could I not," he spat. "The Inu No Taisho screamed your name for the field to hear when you were nearly trampled by our great King, getting you out of the way in the nick of time. It was quite obvious his feelings for you were greater than friendship and companions."
She couldn't hold back the flinch this time; she remembered that. She had been nearly crushed by the Panther King and Inu No Taisho had barely grabbed her in time to get her out of the way, her own speed unable to get her out the way. She had nearly died that day. Not that was unusual. But that day it had been revealed to the ones that had heard the Inu No Taisho cared for her beyond the usual companion. Yet, it didn't seem many remembered anymore. Only if they saw her, but otherwise it appeared she was forgotten or the ones remembered sworn to secrecy by the Inu No Taisho. It made her wonder how many remembered her in reality. She hissed at him and she hated herself for showing him he had hit a mark.
"And here I find you on the battlefield once more, years later," he growled at her.
She didn't reply this time, only circling him as he circled her.
"Why fight with them," he rumbled at her. "They will lose – my forces will overwhelm them. You fight for a lost cause."
"My loyalty lies with the Lord of the West."
"It seems after Inu No Taisho, you now serve his son," he laughed. "Interesting, very interesting. Too bad it won't be for much longer."
Before Hoshiko could respond, he had pulled two large knifes out and charged her, swinging at her throat. She swung her swords to take the blow and made her own move, lashing at his legs forcing him to jump away. He snarled at her and before she knew it, they had lunged at each other and the dance of blade and fang began. They ducked and whirled, blades whistling in the air as they sang with a song to rip the blood from their foe. Hoshiko locked blades with the Panther demon leader again and again. She barely flinched when he impaled her through the shoulder but she felt a sense of victory when she got a slash across his forearm. It was like they were dancing, when in reality they were dancing to kill. She got a kick in behind his knee and brought him down yet he managed to hold his own by lashing out at her, snarling darkly. Their chests heaved with effort. He swung downward cutting her ankle and before she could jump away, slammed her from the side knocking her onto her back. He slashed downward but she blocked, placing her feet on his chest and heaving him upward and over her, her enemy landing behind her with a grunt. She got to her feet immediately, throwing a dagger from her belt at him. He dodged to the side. She twirled around as his blades whistled by her waist. She felt another sense of victory as she cut him across the cheek and lowered her blade, catching him across the shoulder to his collarbone. Hoshi leaped away as he howled in anger, prowling after her blades swinging. She held up her blades as a shield, catching the hits but flinched when the blade slashed her fingers. Her blade dripped onto the ground and her foe grinned, pleased to have caused her pain. She growled at him but yelped when he stepped on her feet, spinning around to hit her in the face with his elbow. She staggered back, feeling blade drip down her forehead and she spat out a glob of blood.
"MILADY!"
Hoshiko watched in shock as her foe was knocked away, by a protective Minoru, protecting her from a blow that surely would have been fatal if hit correctly or wounded severely at the most. She gasped. He had called her his lady in front of him, the demon who wouldn't hesitate to give her away to her foes! Yet, her enemy seemed not to have picked up on it and was busy dueling with the eagle demon. The two males seemed unconcerned about her now, too busy trying to draw blood. She glanced behind her – where were the others? She heard a yelp and whipped around, noting that her companion was in trouble. She charged as Minoru fell, slashing at the Panther leader as he tried to slice at her allies unprotected back. She continued her pursuit, dancing around him with her blades and forcing him to protect himself. She ignored the desire to go help Minoru to his feet, able to see he was having trouble getting back onto his footing. It was all on her. Her fury at this demon for hurting her friend fueled her power.
She lashed and whirled on her foe, feeling her power pumping through her veins and her physical body carry her with speed and grace across the ground. She locked blades with him and soon enough, he was wheezing from the effort from holding her back. The Inu No Taisho had trained her to be the very best warrior she could be, adjusting her training to her strengths and destroying her weaknesses. He had done an excellent job. Not only had that helped her, but her training with Lord Sesshomaru honed her abilities. She had fought with the best. Finally, she locked her leg behind his and swept it back, knocking the Panther demon leader onto his back. He made to get up but her sword as at his throat, her other pressed against his abdomen. He froze in shock, looking at the demoness. The darkness of the night brought out the paleness of her skin, the flying green hair with droplets of blood, and her blazing blue eyes narrowed in fury.
"Minoru," she called.
"I am here."
She looked at her companion. He was bleeding from his hip and leg, his face pale, but at least he was on his feet. He glanced at her defeated foe and smiled weakly, looking at her.
"You did it," he said with a tone full of wonder. "You defeated him."
"Indeed," she muttered, her eyes going up; she could tell at least an hour had passed since their battle had begun and she had to reluctantly admit that he'd done well against her. "But we need to get him to the Northern Lord."
Minoru tore a piece of leather from his outfit and with the help of his lady, dragged the silent and angry Panther leader onto his knees and tied his hands behind his back. He removed all of their foes weapons, leaving him without those but he still had speed, strength, and claws. They'd have to be careful. They got to their feet as to her surprise, the others arrived breathing harder than normal. Masa stared at the silent leader.
"Well done, Shi," he murmured, eyes looked at her in surprise. "I am impressed, you got our target."
Hoshi just nodded.
"Look at that," Arata crowed, but not with the energy he often did as he grabbed the leaders head and jerked it back and forth. "Defeated by a female warrior, how does it feel eh?"
"Shut up," the leader finally spoke, growling darkly.
"What's the matter, pride broken?"
Masa moved forward to snatch Arata away, but to his surprise Shi waved him back and shook her head. He stared at her for a long moment before reluctantly withdrawing, gritting his teeth as he watched. He had not dared to mess with that blue fire in her eyes and he had to admit, she looked terrifying at the moment. She was covered in blood, her armor dented with the effort, but her eyes were burning and pulsing with red at the corners. Arata yanked the panthers head back, forcing a grunt of pain to come from their target.
"You are the reason my guardian died," Arata hissed, pressing a blade against his shoulder. "I hope you pay for it in the worst way possible."
Before the Panther could respond, the fox demon slammed him face first into the ground and placed his foot on his head, pressing him farther into the dirt and grinding his face against the rocks. The Panther hissed lightly, trying to fight the fox demon off. The other demons stepped back as Hoshi stepped forward to grab their foe by the back of the neck, yanking him up. Arata allowed her so, but he glared at their foe with a secret hate. Hoshi was a bit surprised to see such nature in his eyes – he was often so warm and happy.
"Now what do we do," a demon murmured.
"We take him to Lord Takahiro," Masa snapped.
"My warriors will stop you," the Panther suddenly snapped, spitting some dirt from his mouth and shaking his head. "They won't let you drag me into that palace."
They considered this for a moment. He had a point – the Panther grinned when he realized how hard it would be for them to get him into the Palace and into their allies hands. Hoshi laughed lightly, surprising everyone. She dug her talons into his neck, forcing the smile off his face and making him wince.
"Do you think I didn't consider that," she hummed. "I know a secret passage from here to our destination and I will ensure you get into the hands of the Lords – I will not fail and I never have. You remember me years ago on the battlefield."
The Panther paled when he recalled that day. While she hadn't been able to get out of the way of the Panther King and had to be saved by her guardian, he had seen her fight. She'd swatted foes away like they were flies and killed without mercy. That same warrior had defeated him. She was cut in a few places while he was a different story; he was wounded almost all over. He wondered if she'd been toying with him until he was weak enough to drag off. He stared at her eyes and realized that must be it – he got pissed. How dare she mock him? She must have realized he had realized what she'd been doing because her eyes narrowed on him, but appeared to mock him. He shook all over in rage.
"You, there," she called, bringing back into the world of reality. "Carry our little package so he can't escape."
He growled in outrage, but silenced when he felt poison seep into his neck. The demoness shoved him forward until the demon slung him over his shoulder, where he thrashed violently.
"How dare you treat me this way," he howled. "I am not a servant, but the leader of-"
Hoshiko had hit him in the back of the head with the hilt of her sword, knocking him out. Her companions stared at her. The demoness glanced at them, wiping the blood from her blade looking quite unconcerned. Masa shrugged it off – it was better if he was silent for the moment being. He gestured for the others to surround the demon carrying their prize, but clasped Hoshi's shoulder as she tried to pass him to the front.
"Shi," he said as gently as possible. "You are weary – go to the back of the ground and protect us from behind. You will not need to run as fast nor put too much effort watching. Relax for now so you regain your energy and strength."
He saw pride flash through her eyes. The demon captain worried that she'd deny him and head to the front anyway, probably aware of the fact he wouldn't fight it. He waited as she clenched her jaw for a moment as the red flashed hotter through her eyes before she backed away, nodding in grim acceptance. He had the idea she'd had to push back her inner demon, whom probably was not happy at the moment. He simply nodded and moved away before he was punished – his senses were screaming that she'd make him pay for it or at least, Lord Sesshomaru would put the point across. She was his greatest warrior, she'd earned his respect and he'd pay for it if she became unhappy with him at the hand of the Western Lord.
Hoshiko slid her blades back into their sheaths and ignored the fuming of her inner demon. She should run at the head, not those demons! But she had to admit, she was a bit tired from all this fighting. It was only of her experience and stamina that she could keep fighting – if she was not as powerful she'd probably be brought down by now. She began to follow her group as they hit the trail at a sprint, forcing herself to go easy. The wind cooled the sweat from her brow.
She shot down the cliffs. Her whole body seemed to protest the effort but kept going, yet wanting to rest and have a drink. Her throat was somewhat dry. She pressed her hand against her shoulder and was pleased to feel that the blood had already hardened, healing itself. She stumbled a bit but managed to keep her balance and attempted to hide her twisted ankle to the best of her abilities. Yet, she felt Ryota snap his head around to stare at her. She met his gaze evenly. He narrowed his eyes at her slight limp but kept going, yet dropped back enough that she could tell he was keeping an eye on her. Her inner demon huffed in annoyance; that was insulting to her pride. She was fine. She jumped to kick off a tree, swinging from a branch from a high drop to swing to the bottom, keeping up with the others the best she could.
"Are you well," a voice hissed at her side.
"Hai," she replied, jumping slightly away from the demon running at her side; Arata. "You did a good job back there."
"Arigato," the fox kit hissed. "Yet you brought down our target, so it is our gratitude that should be appreciated by you."
She glanced at him, forcing herself not to speed up once again.
"Arigato for that," she hummed in response, looking upward slightly. "This shouldn't last much longer."
"Indeed. Arigato for saving me."
Hoshi's gaze shot to his face, examining his expression. He really was genuine, but she could see the pain in his eyes that revealed how much torture he was in by the loss of his guardian. She understood; she'd lost Inu No Taisho. She nodded at him.
"Watch it, guards ahead," Masa called over his shoulder.
In response, Hoshi pulled out her katanas and sensed that Arata had withdrawn his knifes from the depths of his armor. They kept running, the demoness allowing herself to speed up enough to fully keep up with her companions. She noted allies in the trees and on the ground, fighting their foes as they raced between the battles. It appeared they hadn't noticed their fallen leader yet.
The demoness sped up and slammed her body into an unexpecting foe, listening to his howl of surprise and then pain as she stabbed her katana through his chest. Blood splattered onto her but she hurled the body to the side, ignoring the warmth. She tripped another to give one of her allies an opportunity to strike as she passed by. Suddenly, orange eyes met her gaze. The Panther demon leader was awake. He stared at her before he seemed to realize he was among his people, now beginning to struggle. He tried to shout but someone had stuffed some cloth into his mouth to the point he couldn't get it out. But a sound loud enough to sound like a plea reached her and before she could do anything about it, a Panther turned to face them and saw their leader gagged and tied up as they passed. He froze. Then, he snarled so furiously and shouted the alarm before Hoshi could silence him.
"They have our king," the panther howled. "Stop them!"
Hoshiko could feel the shock emanate from the Panthers as they appeared to suddenly realize where their leader was and howled their rage, while she immediately noted the shock and hope in other expressions. What was going on? They launched themselves at their group, but they were ready. Hoshiko slashed, punched, and kicked their foes away while they struggled to protect the demon carrying their prize. She saw she had no choice when she noted the force coming up from behind.
"Get out of the way," she screamed to her allies.
Her allies appeared to hear her as they looked at her for not even a second before throwing themselves to the side. She twirled, running backward as she felt her swords pulse in her hands.
"SUN'S FIRE," she screeched.
The orange energy ripped up the ground behind her, dispatching her foes and she hoped so badly no allies had died but when she noticed them running for it out the way she felt relief. The Panthers screamed as they met their demise. She stumbled, but someone grabbed her from under her armpit to yank her back onto her feet. Minoru. They ran together but the force came at them once again, forcing their group to run in a different direction. She panted slightly. That had taken more out of her than she would have thought.
Suddenly, the trees vanished as if taken away as they were forced into the open. They were now running along the edge of the cliffs, the Northern Palace in view below them. She felt pain at what she saw. One of the walls were on fire and allies and foes alike battled on the grounds, destroying the Palace in the process. If they didn't hurry this up, who knew who was fall and die? The Panther leader was thrashing violently now, completely dependent on his warriors to save him. She wouldn't let that happen. Rocks ripped at her feet through her boots.
She grasped Arata's forearm as he stumbled, dragging him behind her and forcing him to keep running. He was panting hard by this point. Keep going, she hissed to herself. She wouldn't stop! Her group was faltering, she could tell, but they kept the determination to keep going. Suddenly, she saw a figure lunge at her and Arata and with all her might, shoved Arata forward out of the way. She whirled to face her opponent as he slammed into her, knocking them off their feet and into a roll, both fighting for control. She heard her companions scream her name. Suddenly, the world fell into a spin. Her foe screeched in panic.
Then she realized what had happened.
She had fallen off the cliff. The wind screamed in her ears as she fell, her foe still attempting to strangle her. Her clothes danced in a frenzy as she spun around and around. Yet, she knew she didn't have enough energy to call upon her wind element; she just didn't have it in her, she could feel it. But she noticed that the cliffs wall was not even a foot from her. An idea came into her head. So, ignoring her opponent, she whipped out her katanas and slammed them into the rock, gasping at the violent jerk on her arms. Her arms and swords screamed as they continued to slide downward, but she didn't let go. Finally, they slid to a stop, her swords embedded in the stone. Then, she noticed her foe on her back digging his talons into her back and hips. She let go for a split second to spin around, slamming her foe into the wall. She heard him gasp and struggle, but she swung forward and slammed her feet back into his stomach. He gagged in her ear. She let go with one hand this time, digging her claws into his face and hearing him scream, put either foot on either side of his hips and jerked hard, pulling him free from behind her and kicked him away, watching him fall away. She heard his scream for a few long moments before it cut off suddenly. She panted, hard. She hung from the side of the cliff – what a miracle it had been. She felt her blood drip down the back of her neck.
She looked up. She had fallen a good length down the cliff. She groaned in pain at the screaming in her arms and shoulders from the effort. She let go to catch herself once again, now facing the cliff. She thought hard, forcing power into Taiyo for it to transform back into its dagger forms. She gasped at the effort. Oh man, she was so tired. But she wouldn't stop fighting. Her inner demon was gasping in her head, angry at nearly everything.
"SHI!"
She forced herself to look to the side. It was Minoru, on one of the lower cliffs to her far left but still higher up than her, no bigger than a claw on her hand. He was looking at her but she could sense his panic from here. Her companions appeared at his side, but she could see some of them still fighting. They looked quite surprised to see her hanging on the cliff with nothing more than daggers plunged into the rock to hold her up.
"Are you okay," Minoru screamed at her.
"Fine," she shouted back.
"Don't worry, we'll come and get you!"
"No," she screeched. "Get the Panther leader to the Lords, now! I'll be fine, go now. That's an order, Minoru!"
She didn't dare climb to where her companions were. It was farther away than to climb up and more dangerous, so she'd go back up. She could see the strain on her protector's face as he debated his choices but finally, he shouted to her.
"Be safe," he shouted. "I will never forgive you if you die!"
Neither would Lord Sesshomaru, her inner demon suddenly whispered, sending a pang through her.
She watched Minoru and her companions turn away, running farther down the edge of the cliffs but still within her sight heading toward the Northern Palace. She wished so much she was with them, but when she saw Arata with them, safe, she felt no guilt. She glanced upward, forcing herself to pull out one of her daggers to plunge it higher, pulling herself up to repeat the process with the other dagger. She slowly but surely pulled herself up. Her arms were screaming, her legs trembling, but she kept going. She glanced down again to see her companions jumping down the cliffs, yelping lightly when she slid downward a few feet. She gritted her teeth at the strain. Oh, this hurt. She'd scrapped her knees and they didn't feel very good at the moment. With a low curse to herself, Hoshi began to pull herself upward again.
Her limbs were burning. It took so much effort to pull her daggers out of the walls to plunge them back into the rock hard side of the cliff to heave herself up. She cursed when her feet slipped slightly, forcing her to slid downward slightly again as she scrambled for purchase. Finally, she could see the edge of the cliff. But to her horror, a demon slid over the edge to slam straight into her face missing her yelp of pain and surprise, skidding them downward again as the demon grabbed her. She wailed when he punched her in the back, his claws sinking into her shoulders. It was a Panther. Why was he hurting her when she could have saved him, technically? She hissed in pain when he grabbed her head and slammed it into the wall. She took the chance and yanked one of her daggers out of the wall, swinging her arm around to slam it into the base of his spine. He snarled in her ear and slammed her head again, but she reached her head over and sank her teeth into his arm. The taste of blood filled her mouth. He yowled, slamming her head into the rock and she felt her blood drip down her face and she felt dizzy.
Help me, she screamed silently as she struggled for consciousness.
Give me control, her inner demon screeched. NOW!
The demoness saw no choice. She allowed her inner demon to flow through her blood, her eyes pulsing red and her power flaring out violently. She suddenly found herself slamming her head back into his forehead, worsening her headache but releasing his hold slightly, and relying on her single dagger in the wall to spin around to slam him into the wall. He snarled as he lunged for her, intent on bringing her down with him, but her hand plunged through his chest and grabbed his spine through his body, his yowl in her ears. She tore his heart out and threw it at his face, his body falling away from her. Her inner demon faded enough to the point they both had control, but they both felt so dizzy she felt she'd puke. Then, she noticed her other dagger was gone.
"Taiyo," she moaned out.
She saw something falling away from her suddenly soar back up and she barely had the energy to snatch it. She was so tired and fighting to stay conscious. Her daggers suddenly seemed to push energy back into her. She could do it! She had done it before. The demoness gritted her teeth in effort but she forced herself to move. She plunged the dagger back into the wall and began to heave herself back up, her back screaming in pain now. She wondered how much more she could take.
Finally, Hoshiko saw the edge of the cliff. She didn't hesitate to grab it and heave herself up. She nearly slipped, but she heaved again to pull herself up the hips over the cliff. She was heaving for air. Oh, she was so tired! But before she could do anything more, a sword was under her chin. Her eyes shot up to look into a Panthers face. He was grinned at her in a way that made her sick.
"Look who it is," he hummed at her. "The little warrior demoness."
She heard some laughter, but some snarls. She rested her chin lightly on the point of the sword, feeling it prick under her chin. She didn't care – even her inner demon was quiet.
"I don't think anyone will like if I kill you," he continued. "But I think I will, don't you agree all of you?"
"Indeed," came the answer, some nodding and grinning.
She continued to just look at him, breathing hard. He looked sick and whipped the sword out from under her, making her fall forward slightly until she threw her arm out to catch herself. She glanced downward at her dagger. She could see the demon gloating over his victory before raising the sword above her neck. He would behead her, huh? She knew what she had to do. Hoshi waited until she heard the whistle of the blade before rolling over, raising her arm up. She bit back a cry as the blade sank into her bone in her arm, but laying on her back allowed her to curl her back up to bring her legs up to kick him in the face. The demon yelped as he backed up. She forced herself to her feet to continue her assault, punching before bringing her leg until his groin, doubling him over to stab him in the back of the skull taking away his life. She jumped away from the body as swords swung at her. She held out her daggers as the Panthers prowled closer, pissed she had just killed their comrade. She was in trouble, she could barely keep on her feet now. She held out her daggers threateningly, but it didn't work due to the shaking in her arms. They laughed at her. She snarled back. She stopped backing up when she felt the edge of the cliff at her heels.
Another idea popped into her head. She waited until they were close enough before streaming her power into her daggers, pulsing them back into katanas and spinning around as fast as she could, blood and guts flying around her and even hitting her. She shot her arms out farther and hooked her swords behind her foes bones, throwing them over the cliff and hearing only a single scream. She gasped with effort, her arms shaking. She was covered in blood and guts, her swords dripping red. She stumbled over several feet to fall into a tree, feeling the bark scrape her cheek. She clung to it, hearing her heart beating violently in her chest and a single tear run down her cheek. She'd killed so much today, she was so tired – how much farther could she go? She could see no one, but she barely picked up the sounds of battle farther away. She forced her spirit into the tree, stealing its energy. It seemed to willingly give it before she felt herself stream out, pulling more energy from the Earth to pull it into her broken body. Then, she felt a burning pain in her hand. She screamed, her focus turning onto her body to find a demon standing not a few feet from her, fire on his hands but not burning him. She smelt burnt flesh and glanced at her hand. It was smoking, burned by the fire. How had she not noticed him approach? He had caught her unaware and burnt her during her communication with nature.
"An Earth elemental," the demon laughed, stepped forward as she stepped backward on trembling legs. "The thing fire loves to burn."
She stepped farther away, holding out Taiyo as her only defense. She wondered if she even had enough power to bend water – fires enemy. Just like she had before on the Palace hours before. She yelped as she ducked down, a fireball flying over her head – she felt the heat on the back of her head and burn some of her hair. She dodged to the side as the demon charged her, his hands on fire. She cut his hand with her blade, his eyes suddenly angry in fury, before he punched her. She felt her cheek burn. She yipped and backed away, but not before catching another fire fist on her wounded shoulder. She fell backward onto the ground. He came after her and using the same move as she hard earlier, placed her feet on his chest and heaved him over her, scrambling to her feet. She was shaking so hard she didn't think she'd hold on for much longer; am I doing to die tonight, was her only thought.
Her foe howled angrily and threw a fireball at her, in her weariness not able to dodge it fully to catch her sleeve. She swatted at it to put it out, franticly trying to keep him in view but as he attacked again to his surprise she spun to give him a kick in the side and punch him to the ground. He cut her ankle immediately and watched her stumble away from him. She backed away some more. Hoshi felt like falling to the ground and giving up but she couldn't. She had to keep fighting. She had always won, so why not today? Her foe was coming after her once more, his hands burning so bright it hurt her eyes, but he froze when she bumped into something. She screamed when she felt the warmth of a body behind her at her back, a blade coming around her before she could leap away from whoever it was. She was surrounded, it was over. Then she smelt who it was, her scream dying immediately only to turn into a gasp, the scent the most beautiful thing she had ever smelt. An arm in a white kimono with red flowers came around her waist to hold her to the masculine body. She felt tears of relief in her eyes when she recognized the katana.
"You will not touch her again," a deep, gorgeous voice said that filled her ears, her soul caressing that voice with so much love it sent a shiver through her.
She looked up slightly to see a strong chin, silver hair falling around either side of them. She had never been so happy to see him. It was her beloved, the demon she loved; Lord Sesshomaru. Despite this wonderful reunion with him, she felt his rage and his protectiveness following through him. Her foe sputtered at the sight of him and turned to run, only to find Bakusaiga impaled in his back. Hoshiko watched as Sesshomaru killed the demon that had tried to take her life on unsteady legs, holding onto a nearby tree branch to maintain her feet. She felt sweat and blood dripping down her back. She bit her lip when she felt how dizzy and tired she was, her body shouting for rest. Yet, she would stay strong. She didn't look up when she heard her beloved approach. She could smell the new blood spilt.
"Hoshiko," he rumbled in that gorgeous voice of his, still as cold as usual. "Are you well?"
"I'm fine," she whispered, clenching her eyes for a moment. "I simply need a moment."
There was a silence; the only thing she heard was her heartbeat. She took deep breaths, wiping the sweat from her brow and upon feeling the drying blood of a cut along her hairline, covered it with her hair. She tried not to stumble as she walked away from the tree – it was time for duty, she could not rest. Her heart desired so much to fall into Sesshomaru's arms, but she would not. Now was not the time to be lovey and romantic; she needed to follow her orders. She pushed back tears of pain but of relief, love for her hero.
"We need to get to the palace," she said, her voice almost shaking; it frightened her.
"Hn," he said, almost in agreement.
She forced herself into a run, hearing him being to follow her. The trees whipped by her and it took all her will not to give up, or even to trip. She must not reveal weakness. Suddenly, something occurred to her. Why was Sesshomaru here and not at the palace? There was barely anyone out here now. She turned her head to look at him, his white silver hair streaming out behind him and she finally saw those golden eyes, focused ahead but so beautiful. Her throat was sore, but she forced herself to speak.
"How did you know I was here," she forced out in a murmur.
"Minoru," Lord Sesshomaru replied simply with a cold tone.
It hit her; her beloved had come for her. He'd come to save her and bring her back, to be her hero. And her love for him deepened once more. She reached out her hand to his and when she felt his fingers brush hers, her heart pounded almost painfully especially when he also brushed his hand against hers. Something simple, but held so much meaning she hoped he'd get. Her sign of gratitude and love – a sign he hopefully understood and returned.
I hope you all enjoyed this, this took me forever to type T.T well, I hope you enjoyed this despite how much violence and fighting there is but I promise this is about it. Our Hoshiko did it, but when she was almost done our favorite Lord saved her! Woo hoo! Enjoy and please review, it makes me happy! :D