Inu no Taisho changed form and flew towards the castle.
"OI!" Masayoshi called out to the flying demon.
"Forget him." Akane said, urgently. "We need to get to the village."
Miodriko's eyes were fixed at the blazing castle, her feet rooted.
"Mido!" Akane cried, tugging Midoriko's shivering hand.
"Come on!" Akane urged, pulling Midoriko along.
Smoke rose from the village.
"Whats going on?" Masayoshi asked his father.
"Demons." Lord So muttered as the villagers gathered at the shrine. "The Inu yokai have gone to their castle. We have to hold them off till they can come to our aid."
Midoriko looked north, the dark miasma of demons inching towards the village. A few of the vanguard lay in pieces, strewn around the village.
"We have to get the barrier up." The head priest called out, after the last of the villagers gathered at the shrine.
The priests and apprentice mikos started chanting.
"Mido!" Akane called out from the shrine entrance, having already joined the others in creating the barrier.
Midoriko's knees were shaking, her mind going back to the night the demons killed her family. The similarities of the situations were overwhelming. And that was when her fear turned to anger. Midoriko marched upto Yamato.
"Whats the plan?" She asked.
"We get the barrier up." Yamato said, as he marked characters in the air. "And then we wait for the Inu yokai to help us."
Midoriko clenched her fists. She broke through the barrier and ran towards the demons.
"MIDORIKO!" Kaya shouted but stayed within the boundaries of the shrine.
Stupid. Midoriko thought, as the effects of the miasma grew stronger. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Waiting for demons to save us from demons.
She looked at the bodies of the soldiers around her, their blank eyes staring at the afternoon sky. She took a sword from the nearest soldier.
"What's the plan?" Midoriko heard a familiar voice ask.
She almost broke her neck turning around. Akane and Masayoshi were close on her heels, panting a little as they kept up.
"What the hell are you doing?" Masayoshi said, angrily.
"I should be asking you that!" Midoriko said, drawing circles on the ground.
Akane quietly watched Midoriko.
"You can't be serious?" Akane said, holding Midoriko's hands. "There have to be hundreds of demons in that group alone. We don't know how many attacks to expect."
"What's going on?" Masayoshi demanded.
"Let's go back to the shrine." Akane said, her voice unexpectadly calm.
"I know why you are here." Midoriko said, as she pulled her hand free. "But it's not going to work. You know this is our best chance."
"Our best chance is waiting for the Inu yokai." Masayoshi said, angrily. "Father is most displeased. Lord Hajime was emphatic about your protection and my father gave him his word."
Midoriko smiled a little.
"Last chance." Midoriko said, as she drew the last characters in the circle around her. "Get back to the shrine. I can't guarentee your safety."
I can't promise to protect you. Midoriko thought, hoping the they would turn around.
"Would somebody tell me what's going on?" Masayoshi said, looking west towards the advancing demons.
"She is going to draw them here." Akane muttered. "Our barrier won't hold long against the sheer number."
"What?" Masayoshi said, taking a couple of steps back.
He instinctively drew his sword. Akane sighed a little as she took a lance from the body of a soldier.
"This better work." Akane said, as she stood next to Midoriko.
"Are you fucking insane?" Midoriko growled. "I just said I can't guarantee your safety. Go back to the shrine. I will handle them."
"I'm sure you can." Akane said, smiling. "But I will be worried sick at the shrine. I can help a little here. Masayoshi-san should go back though."
Masayoshi looked at the girls for a minute.
"And leave two girls behind to do a man's work." Masayoshi said, taking a firm defensive stance, a frown on his face. "If I survive, I will never hear the end of it."
"You guys are nuts." Midoriko grumbled. "You're only going to weigh me down."
"Oh, just complete the spell, Mido." Akane said, rolling her eyes. "I don't nearly have the power to draw all of them here."
The demons were almost at the shrine. Midoriko completed the circle around her and was immediately surrounded by a glowing pinkish light.
-X-X-
The fighting at the castle paused for a moment, looking at the light coming from the village.
"What the hell was that?" The eldest son of the Inu Daiyokai, Inu no Ooji said, as he single-handedly battled five demons.
Several of the demons crawling on the castle walls rushed towards the light, leaving the carnage at the castle behind.
"Hold your positions." The strongest of the Inu Daiyokai, Inu no Ko, barked.
His five sons immediately turned their complete attention towards the battle at hands.
"Honey!" Inu no Ko's wife, Inu no Kogo, called out. "Why is it so hard to break into our own castle?"
She swiped the neck of the nearest demon attacking her.
"The demons are coming from inside the castle." Inu no Ko replied, as they inched their way towards the interior of the castle.
"I sense a large anamoly at the King's chamber." Genjenki added, slicing the necks of the weaker yokai.
"My chamber?" Ino no Ko said, guffawing. "You have some nerve."
"He maybe right, Father." The second son of the Inu no Ko said, as he jumped over bodies of slain demons. "The location of the anomaly seems to be your chambers. Since few have access to your chambers, it will be easier for us to identify the primary culprit."
"Stay back, sweetie." Inu no Kogo cooed at Inu no Taisho. "Your brothers and your father can handle this. You just stay close to mommy."
Inu no Taisho rolled his eyes as he tried to take a couple of steps towards the castle.
"Listen to your mother." Inu no Ko said, his voice serious. "I cannot have all the princes taking part in a siege."
"Father, I assure you..." Inu no Ooji started.
But he faltered under his fathers gaze.
"You don't think I can fight, can you?" Inu no Taisho said, as he cut through a couple of demons. "You think I'm too soft."
"Of course not, sweetie." Inu no Kogo said, in a sing song voice. "Your father is just being smart about this. Besides these are only low level demons. You can stay and protect mommy."
Inu no Taisho's hands shook in anger.
A couple of years ago, Inu no Taisho had fought with his father over the unjust imprisonment of a human and snuck the human out in the dead of the night. Inu no Taisho never saw that human again but his relationship with his father had never been the same since then, his father taking the act as the ultimate act of betrayal to their kind.
"You will stay out of the way." Inu no Ko said, a tone of finality in his voice. "Let's go."
His yellow streaks crackled as he changed forms. The other princes followed suit. Genjenki glanced at Inu no Taisho one final time before changing form and followed them inside. Inu no Taisho, his mother and the lower Inu yokai were left at the gate, slaying any stray demons the others missed.
-X-X-
Beads of sweat dripped down Akane's cheeks as she fought the yokai, slaying some and purifying some. Masayoshi was adept with the sword but the sheer number of demons had them at a disadvantage. Midoriko kept glancing at Akane and Masayoshi, slaying demons in the tens in a single blow. More demons came towards them from the castle.
"There are too many." Akane said, dropping to her knees, the exhaustion finally getting to her.
Midoriko killed the demons that were about to pounce on Akane.
"Go back to the shrine!" Midoriko ordered Akane.
But Akane was barely able to stand. The overwhelming demonic presence was a first for Akane.
"Maybe we should all go back to the shrine." Midoriko heard a voice say from near her ears.
Almost immediately, she felt a pinch near her ear. She slapped her neck and Myoga floated down.
"Why is he here?" Masayoshi said, as he hovered protectively around Akane, the strain of the demons showing on him too.
"Myoga, right?" Midoriko said, as she jumped towards the nearest swarm slaying them with a flick of her sword.
"I'm honoured you remember, Midoriko-sama." Myoga said, holing onto a strand of Midoriko's hair.
"Why aren't you with the Inu yokai?" Midoriko said, drawing temporary protective barriers around Akane and Masayoshi, giving them some time to recover.
Myoga jumped on Akane's shoulder when he realized what Midoriko had done.
"I was sure my service would be needed here." Myoga called out from Akane's shoulder.
Almost immediately, Akane's thumb descended on Myoga.
"He's a coward." Akane said, trying to get to her feet.
"Stay down." Midoriko said, as she stood fast in front of the demons, the barrier around Akane and Masayoshi fading. "Stay behind me. I'm not sure I can control this yet."
"Control what?" Masayoshi said, as he tried to get to his feet.
"When Mido says stay back, we stay back." Akane said, pulling Masayoshi down.
Midoriko dropped her sword. She took a deep breath, trying to push away any doubt that she may have. One thing she had learned at the shrine was that doubt was a mikos biggest undoing.
She felt the world around her slow down a little. She faced the advancing demons and swiped the air. For a second, everything froze. And then the demons started falling to the ground, squirming helplessly, the weaker ones completely still in death. Midoriko picked up her sword and flew threw the demons, slaying the ones that showed even a little sign of life.
Once she was sure she got the last of the demons, she fell to her knees, panting heavily. She screamed in victory and turned towards Akane and Masayoshi.
The world froze once more.
"AKANE!" Midoriko shouted as she ran towards the pale body of Akane, bleeding profusely from a lump of flesh missing around her abdomen.
"No." Midoriko cried as she skid to a halt near Akane. "No. How did this happen?"
"You." Masayoshi said, clutching the pale body of Akane. "What you did to those demons happened to her."
Midoriko scrambled away from Akane, her hand on her mouth, her eyes wide in horror.
"She lives." Myoga said, from Akane's shoulder. "She's weak. But she lives."
"We need a doctor." Midoriko said, hope descending into the panic. "We need to get her to a doctor."
Midoriko scooped Akane on her back and started running towards the shrine. Masayoshi unsteadily balanced himself on his legs, using his sword for support. He touched his side, a layer of blood covering his hand. He clicked his tongue as he started making his way to the shrine.
-X-X-
Inu no Taisho squinted at the village, his expression solemn. He sniffed the air, thick with familiar blood.
"Masayoshi is hurt." Inu no Taisho said, as he doodled on the ground. The fight was taken deeper into the castle. The yokai sat around their queen and prince, taking in the summer sun. Inu no Taisho sighed again.
"Don't be so glum, dear." Inu no Kogo said, ruffling Inu no Taisho's hair. "The fight will be over soon and we can have a nice cup of tea. How would you like that?"
Inu no Taisho rolled his eyes, his fingers flexing as they ached to fight.
"Can I atleast go to the village?" Inu no Taisho grumbled for the tenth time. "You already think I'm too soft with humans. Maybe I can help there."
"You know I can't allow that." Inu no Kogo mother said, looking glumly at the village. "There isn't anything you can do now."
-X-X-
Midoriko ran wildly through the village, barely noticing the burning huts and the lifeless bodies. Her heart froze every time a drop of Akane's blood dripped to the ground. Midoriko's knees hurt, the sides of her chest burnt.
But she knew she couldn't stop.
She knew that if she paused for even a second to catch her breath, Akane's body would get that much colder.
Midoriko barely registered the centipede demon at her back. Midoriko's instictively crouched as the shadow of the creature engulfed her own. But the creature passed over Midoriko and landed with a heavy thud nearby. Midoriko recognized the sword she had used earlier sticking out from the back of the creatures head.
Masayoshi walked towards the demon briskly and pulled out the sword. He frowned at it for a few moments and then gave it to Midoriko.
"This was Mori-san's." Masayoshi said, as he kept pace towards the shrine. "It was a gift from my father. Take good care of it."
Masayoshi, Midoriko and Akane arrived at the shrine.
Masayoshi stopped dead on his feet. He covered Midoriko's mouth who was about to scream. The shrine lay in ruins, the demon army advancing from the opposite side. Trolls wrestled at the entrance as larger demons picked them off and tore their limbs.
"You have to be quiet." Masayoshi hissed into Midoriko's ears.
Midoriko nodded as tears streamed down her face. Akane slowly slid down Midoriko's back, Midoriko jumping to bring her back to place. Masayoshi started stepping back, a hand still on Midoriko's mouth. Midoriko watched the burning shrine become smaller, as Masayoshi crept into the shadows of the forest.
After they were a safe distance away, Masayoshi released Midoriko, who fell to her knees, the unconcious Akane still on her back. Midoriko's mind was screaming, but her voice was now stuck in her throat. Masayoshi punched a tree, his face masked in pain.
"Her heart rate is slowing." Midoriko heard Myoga say after a few minutes.
Midoriko nodded, roughly wiping the tears from her cheeks. She gently lay Akane on the ground, ignoring her bloody haori.
"Stay here." Midoriko said, her voice breaking as she spoke. "I need to get the doctor."
"Don't be stupid." Masayoshi said, clutching his side and swaying a little. "The doctor's dead."
"We don't know that for sure." Midoriko said, picking up her sword, her hands shivering. "I will be quick. Akane needs a doctor. And as a matter of fact, so do you. I was never really good at medicine."
Masayoshi caught Midoriko's hand and stopped her from going towards the shrine.
"You need to think." Masayoshi said, angrily. "This is not the time for an over-reaction."
"Do you have any other ideas then?" Midoriko asked, desperately.
She knew that it was a long shot that the doctor was alive. The carnage at the village seemed absolute.
Masayoshi frowned. He let Midoriko go and reached under the sleeve of his shirt. His expression was stony.
"I hate losing." He muttered as he blew into a leaf, letting out a low whistle.
Midoriko looked at him confused.
"Inu no Taisho and I had a bet." Masayoshi said, settling down in the shade of a tree. "We bet as to who would need the other first. If he ever needed me, he would blast a red light towards the sky. And if I ever needed him, I called him with this."
Midoriko slowly nodded.
"Stay right here." She said in a soothing voice. "I will be back soon. There's no point..."
Midoriko was cut short when two Inu daiyokai landed near them. The demon with the blue stripes had his eyes fixed on Masayoshi. The other demon, who seemed older and female, looked at the lot in general, revealing her fangs in a doggy smile. She bent her knees, the younger demon following suit.
Masayoshi carefully placed Akane on the older demon's back. She immediately took off towards the castle, giving the younger demon a brief. Masayoshi moved to help Midoriko, but Midoriko pushed him away.
"THIS WAS IT!" Midoriko shouted angrily. "THIS WAS YOUR BIG PLAN? DID YOU ALREADY FORGET THAT IT WAS DEMONS WHO SLAUGHTERED THE VILLAGE? HURT AKANE AND YOU?"
"I just lost my entire family." Masayoshi said, in a low growl. "I'm the last remaining Lord of this land. I'm duty bound to gather our family's allies and get our home back. I'm, however, under no obligation to listen to the whines of a brainless, useless woman. You can go back, for all I care."
He got onto Inu no Taisho's back.
"Let's go." He said, his breathing ragged.
But Inu no Taisho did not move. He lingered for Midoriko, his golden eyes boring into her brown ones. Midoriko watched as the older demon landed near the yokai castle, disappearing from view. Midoriko clenched her fists. She robotically walked towards Inu no Taisho and got onto his back. Inu no Taisho took off towards the castle.
-X-X-
When Midoriko and Masayoshi arrived at the castle, the demon healers were already busy working on Akane.
"Such power..." One of them muttered. Midoriko immediately marched towards Akane and sat next to her, growling at the inu yokai around her.
"Isn't she Midoriko?" Inu no Kogo said, sitting at the same spot as before. "My, my! Is she cloaking her abilities?"
Midoriko shot Inu no Kogo an angry look. Inu no Kogo smiled kindly at the human. Inu no Taisho observed his injured friend getting tended to.
Without warning, Midoriko jumped to her feet. She knotted her fingers in prayer and looked towards the entrance of the castle. She created a barrier, protecting both the humans and the yokai from the pulsating violet miasma that shot towards them. The miasma licked the barrier as it shot away from the castle.
Midoriko swayed a little before falling to her knees, panting. Inu no Kogo was already on her feet, growling, her magenta stripes crackling. She immediately changed forms and charged into the castle, her tail grazing Midoriko's head as she flew.
Inu no Taisho was growling too, his claws getting longer.
"What's going on?" Masayoshi demanded, as the other yokai cowered in fear.
"My father." Inu no Taisho said, moments before changing forms. "That fucking anomaly has captured my father and killed my brothers."
AN: Sorry for the long wait! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think in reviews/PMs.
As always, keep reading!