A/N: where we last left off the trio of yokai (Sesshomaru, Getsu and Korihime) went to battle against the vengeful panther tribe from the West, fighting for both the honor of their fathers and to end the farce once and for all. mostly action in that chap and the one after this one is going to be the same, so enjoy this chap for now!
disclaimer: i don't own InuYasha; my OCs belong to me.
Chapter 23: Diamonds - Shining (pt.01)
She yelped as she fell to the ground with a muffled 'oof', landing face-first.
He deadpanned as her sister giggled behind him; he shook his head patiently, walking over to help her to her feet. "That was close, but you didn't muster enough of your power into hovering for very long." He chided as she took his hand and stood.
Her cheeks were pink and she huffed, cutting her gaze to the side.
He had sent the imp to keep an eye on the girl as she had gone off to look for food, now having been gone almost a whole day, the sun slowly beginning to bow to the moon that had been red like blood the night before and would undoubtedly be the same as soon as the sun set.
Her sister was busy lazing about in the green grass of the hilltop they were temporarily occupying, and for the past hour or two had been watching with amused blue eyes she being taught how to make herself fly by her mate.
"Don't patronize me, I almost had it." She sniffed.
His gold eyes glittered in amusement before he tucked a few strands of ebony hair behind her right ear and sighed. "Perhaps we should give up for today, on account of the fact that you would probably maim me if I frustrate you further." He suggested, dropping his hand from her cheek to his side.
She blinked before she waved her hands frantically, sweatdropping. "No, I mean… I wanna try again. Please? I know I can do it!" She clapped her hands together and stuck out her lower lip, giving him the puppy-dog eyes she knew he would do anything for.
His ears twitched at her overtly-cute attempt to beg with him before he sighed and nodded. "Go on. But after that, we're stopping for today. Understood?" He wagered.
She beamed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him happily. "Got it, thanks, Sesshomaru!" She giggled, keeping the excited and happy look on her face.
He chuckled quietly, squeezing her waist with his arm before letting her slip free. "Don't mention it. Now try to stay up at least for ten minutes this time." He kissed her forehead before letting her pull away completely.
She blushed slightly at the forehead kiss and nodded, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before she concentrated her demonic power on lifting into the air; the ground left the soles of her bare feet and she kept concentrating until she was towering over his head by ten feet.
He nodded sagely, watching her lift higher into the air and keep herself there for the ten minutes that he counted in the back of his mind.
She opened her eyes at seeing that she remained airborne before she beamed and let loose a howl, grinning like an idiot. "Hell yes, I did it!" She crowed, jumping higher and pumping a fist into the air; her concentration faltered before she squeaked and grit her teeth, maintaining her position with minimal exertion.
"Not bad, I'm surprised you managed to keep your footing for a little over ten minutes. Though you did almost slip up a second ago." He mused as he appeared infront of her with a rather proud glint in his gold stare as he noted his observations to his temporary student.
Getsu huffed, keeping the grin on her lips as she placed a hand on her hip. "'Not bad' my ass; you gotta admit I accomplished it." She teased, leaning in to poke his chest with a finger. "Admit it, love." She giggled.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes habitually, glancing at the way the dying sun highlighted her ebony hair she'd let flow freely, smirking as he pulled her gently to his chest. "Don't get too cocky, wolf girl." He scolded lowly.
She blushed slightly and then smirked back, leaning up on her tip-toes to kiss his nose. "You take the fun outta things," she complained in a whine, laughing when he wrinkled his nose at her sweet kiss.
He made a face similar to a pout, earning another laugh, squeezing her hand. "Not everything." He rebutted coolly, seeing her cheeks flare to turn that shade of reddish pink he loved most.
She snorted and pushed on his chest armor. "Piss off, you arrogant dog… Eep!" She yelped, the insult being cut short, as she lost her concentration and tumbled to the ground.
Sesshomaru exhaled patiently and dropped down after her, hooking his arm around her hips and scooping her up before she hit the ground, lowering them down at a slower pace. "Karma, my dear princess, is a bitch." He sighed.
Getsu spluttered a huff and buried her cheek into his cool armor's surface. "Shut up." She growled when he chuckled, sounding smug at stumping her.
Korihime rolled her eyes when they landed on the ground, sticking her tongue out before flopping back into the grass from sitting up to watch the spectacle. It's romantic stuff they do that makes me not ever want a mate, she thought.
He reluctantly let her slip free, looking up at the sky again and seeing that same blood moon had started its trek to the top of the night sky, the pink and scarlet orange colors of the sunset bowing below the horizon the mountains left and the sky was being colored with shades of light blue and dark blue.
"I wonder if Rin's okay," his female counterpart mused quietly as she flopped in the grass next to her sister.
Even though the rising moon cast the sky into a darkened state, her silver eyes shined like stars, reminding him once again of a cat: of course he wouldn't tell her that aloud. Ever since the incident with the panther tribe, the word "cat" usually made a dark aura appear around her and a dangerous look cross in her pretty face, so he (being smarter than his idiot baby brother) deemed it unwise and just plain idiotic to mention the word in her presence.
"I know, I keep getting this weird feeling like something is gonna happen… Kinda like the day of your wedding." Her sister mumbled, jerking him from his thoughts.
His ears twitched at the memory and he glanced at his sister-in-law before looking up at the moon to see (sure enough) that it was that scarlet color that had eclipsed the usual whiteness the night prior.
As much as he didn't believe in superstitions, he had to admit he felt something was off.
Shouldn't those two have come back by now? And –again, refusing to believe superstition—didn't the current state of the moon pose a bad omen?
Whatever the case was, superstition or just plain paranoia, it made him bristle.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" The shrill cry of the imp made all three yokai perk up, before they saw the aforementioned disciple scurry forward from the trees.
"Jaken, where's Rin?" The older of the two females present asked slowly, almost sensing the rising panic coming from her little sister.
"That's just it; she's been abducted! Naraku's incarnation Kagura came and took her!" The green imp explained boisterously.
Both sisters perked up sharply.
"Sesshomaru," Korihime began, her voice quiet even though he could practically smell the panic and anger surging through her.
He eyed the imp with that trademark stoic and calculating stare, his ears perking as the sound of buzzing hornets hummed several hundred yards away from where they stood; both females in his pack perked up and then stiffened at the stench that blew in with the nightly breeze.
Half-breed vermin.
"Let me assure you, Lord Sesshomaru… and you two as well, Princesses of the West. If you heed my request, I shall return Rin in good health." Naraku stated calmly, bowed before the trio of yokai donned in his trademark baboon pelt.
"So, what scheme do you have up your sleeve this time?" Sesshomaru wondered, his tone making it sound like he was listening to a business pitch.
"Nothing special; I simply want you to kill InuYasha."
The sound of the string creaking in her long bow shattered the tensed silence as Korihime aimed an arrow at the puppet. "What's this, you don't have the gall to do it yourself? In case you haven't noticed, InuYasha is three times the stronger half-breed compared to a disgusting wretch like you, Naraku." She spat frostily.
Both daiyokai inwardly sighed; even though the youngest of their original trio vehemently claimed to not like the aforementioned hanyou, they both couldn't deny that she held something akin to attraction to him, even though he was basically unobtainable because of a certain priestess, as well as their difference in breed of yokai and… lineage.
He snickered, "temper, little queen; I had no knowledge that your lovesick sister taught you to love for half-demons such as InuYasha." He mused.
She bristled annoyedly and a growl brewed in her throat as her blue eyes turned steely.
The Inu-Daiyokai huffed. "Why are you going to all the trouble of something so trivial? Kori." He smirked slightly.
The arrow flew at the puppet, ripping the head off as the rest of it crumpled into a smoking pile of rubble.
"Does Naraku honestly think I would follow what he says by endangering the life of a simple mortal?" He wondered more to himself.
His sister-in-law huffed, slinging her bow and quiver over her right shoulder and starting to walk away.
"Where on earth are you going?" He called patiently, seeing her turn and look him in the eye, gold clashing with blue.
"Where else? To save Rin." She answered confidently.
Her sister scowled reprovingly. "Kori-chan, you and I both know its blackmail. If that disgusting bastard managed to snag Rin then there's no stopping him from doing the same with you." She declared.
"Onee-chan, he's going to kill her! If anything, it's the first thing on his mind. Rin isn't blood, but she is pack, and she's my responsibility as a pup-sitter." She argued, turning back to start walking.
"You're being reckless." He stated, perking her ears.
She scowled over at him, a mirror image of her older sibling. "If you're being so indifferent about her, don't follow me. I can save Rin just fine on my own…" She began to state confidently.
"And when did you hear me say that I was not going as well?" Sesshomaru interjected, seeing her turn again with slightly wide blue eyes; he huffed. "I am the head of this pack, aren't I? It'd be foolish of me to let two members be slain by a vile pest such as Naraku." He stated.
"Sesshomaru," Getsu mused softly.
Korihime nodded slightly, smirking. "Well then, shake a leg, fluffy." She mused, turning to sprint away into the darkness.
He rolled his eyes. "Now I see the resemblance. Let's go." He looked at his mate and held her stare gently.
She nodded, smiling and squeezing his hand in hers. "It'd be unfair to let Kori have all the fun." She jibed, flanking his side as he flew after his sister-in-law's charge.
The imp scrambled after the trio of yokai, reminiscent of two centuries back when it was just the four of them.
::::::::xXx::::::::
"Why did you stop, milord; is something the matter?" The imp asked in confusion.
He glanced at his two companions. "You sense it too."
The Okami-Daiyokai bristled slightly. "It reeks of his demonic aura."
"Got that right. The question is, where is the place he's keeping her?" Her younger sister mused, frowning softly.
The air infront of them rippled until the sight of a dark castle came into view, surprising the imp.
"I think you spoke too soon, nee-chan," she mused with a light jab to her ribs.
He looked at the girls. "C'mon." He stepped forward into the opening of the barrier, both sisters flanking him, leaving the imp to yelp and then scurry after their lead.
A/N: sorry for the cliffhanger, its just that i plan to have the fight scenes in the next chap so this was like a prologue.
other than that, Getsu didn't really know how to concentrate her demonic power (or "yoki" as i've read it's also called) into flying so that's why this chap opens with Sesshomaru teaching her how to do as such. who knew he could be a patient teacher? lol /gets bricked
anywho, until next chap, see ya!