A New Leaf
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: This takes place one month after the last chapter.
Chapter 12
Rin winces as another scream fills the air. "AHHHH!" The scream of a dying man. Though he was not alone.
In the month that had passed since the first major battle of the war, things had reached a stalemate until earlier that day. Lady Midori had chosen to keep her army completely intact instead of separating it.
That meant that the smaller divisions of Sesshomaru's and Inukimi's armies couldn't take them head on. Until today. Today was the day that her Lord had decided to strike and it was the day that Japan's grass stopped being green. It was now red.
"You wretched child!" Jaken races towards her, carrying his staff with him. "What are you doing out here?! Lord Sesshomaru told you to hide in the castle!"
Blood red. The formerly innocent blades are grass were now drenched in blood. Demon blood. This was not a war between humans or even humans and demons. No, this was something else entirely.
Demon against demon. This was far from the first battle that Rin had ever witnessed, but it was the most gruesome. The sounds of the dying surrounded her. Their screams and the scent of blood was almost disorienting. It was all the young woman could do not to sink to her knees from the savagery of it all.
"I'm here to help!" She might not be as strong as Lord Sesshomaru or Sasuke, but she could help.
After all, hadn't Rin been the one to partially blind Midori? It wasn't always the strongest combatant that won. Sometimes intelligence or even dumb luck was enough to win the day.
Jaken's eyes narrow at her as Rin witnesses a demon get cut in half nearby. "You may have learned how to hold a sword, but these demons all have years, if not centuries of experience on you." That was painfully true. "You're no match for them. Let's get you to safety."
She was a match for them though. Rin had something they didn't. Sasuke had taught her how to use chakra. Granted, it was only a few tricks, but she could also use a sword. She was also fast and agile. Maybe, not as fast as most demons, but it could be enough.
They would underestimate her and that's when she would strike. "Jaken, look out!" A demon was coming towards them.
This was a particularly ugly one. It looked like it was some kind of goblin and it was slimy. Slimy, but big. Easily twice Rin's size. That didn't matter though.
"What are you talking about?" Jaken whirls around and screams.
He moves to smack the beast in the head with his staff, but that only made it the vile creature angry. Angry enough that it smacked Jaken straight into the nearest tree and it was advancing towards Rin.
"Splinter Spear!" Not that she was going to die here today.
Sasuke and Lord Sesshomaru would be very upset, if that happened. So she wouldn't die here, but this demon word.
A large spear made of wood shoots out of her hand and extends about ten feet forwards. Straight into the demon's chest.
Blood gushes from the wound. It was like watching a fountain of sorts. Only that wasn't water spilling onto the ground. That was gore.
"I'm going to kill you!" Gore that causes the beast to issue a terrifying roar and to advance towards her.
Rin was about to go for a follow up attack when a blur comes between her and the beast. Before she knew what was happening, the demon had been cleaved into two pieces.
It's top half fell onto the ground as the lower half of its body just dropped over. "Rin, are you alright?" Sasuke looks at her with concern in his eyes.
It was her lover. "I'm alright." Rin was tremendously relived to see him, but disturbed by his clothes.
Not because of the style of them, but because of the color. Sesshomaru had given Sasuke white armor to red and now, it was caked with mud and blood. Was he injured?
That couldn't be possible though. He seemed perfectly fine. Hopefully, that was the blood of some of his slain foes and not his own.
"Yes, I'm fine." She smiles at him as she embraces Sasuke without a care for his current state. "Though I could have handled it on my own."
Jaken was slowly standing up and stumbling over to them. "What an ungrateful child you are!" She mostly ignored him though. Rin was used to such reactions from the imp. "The man just saved your life!" It was impossible to please him and she had ceased trying to do so ages ago.
Sasuke rolls his eyes at Jaken. "She had already stabbed it in the heart." Yes, she had. "It was going to die. All she had to do was dodge, but I decided to take out the trash for her."
He was such a considerate lover. Making things easier for her, but right now they couldn't lose focus. The battle had only just begun.
"Unbelievable." Kagura looks down at the scene below her. "I've never seen such a slaughter."
That was certainly saying something because she had been under Naraku's control for so long. Everywhere that she looked, she could see people dying or trying to kill each other.
The screams were bad enough, but now the wolves were arriving. Battle cries from the wolf demons and howls of fury from the regular wolves were now filling everywhere. It was as if a nightmare had come to life.
Crunch. Snap. Thud! The wolves were tearing into their enemies. She could see and hear that bones were being snapped and crunch. Some demons were literally having their throats torn out.
"Looks like I'm late for the party!" A cloud of dust is seen as Koga skids onto the battlefield, using his super speed.
Good. The mutt still despised her for what she did to that wolf demon tide, but there was no denying that he was a skilled fighter and they could use every pair of extra hands they could get.
Koga was now joining the fray. Fast and furious with his powerful fists. His fangs were bared and well it was disturbingly magnificent to watch him run circles around some nearby demons.
"TAKE THIS! WINDSCAR!" Not to be outdone though, Kagura sees that Inuyasha had joined the battle.
She'd recognize that white hair anywhere. It was rather distinctive to say the least. So was his fighting style. It was all raw power and without any sense of strategy. Nothing like Sesshomaru's.
Truly, it was hard to believe they shared the same father, half the time. Though their hair and eye color spoke volumes. Not only that, but they were each so powerful. Inutashio's blood flowed through their veins strongly.
"You're such a show off." Koga rolls his eyes.
"Will you just shut up?" Inuyasha glares at the wolf demon, only to cry out in pain when a snake demoness sneaks up behind him and sinks her fangs into his arm.
Kagura didn't think it was a venomous type, but that blood pouring from the half breed's arm was troubling to say the least. Though Inuyasha was far from the only one who had been injured.
"WIND TUNNEL!" Miroku was sucking in as many demons into his tunnel as he possibly could, but only so many were within range.
There had to be tens of thousands of demons on the battlefield. Inuyasha's group had only arrived a few days before, but they were ready to fight alongside them it seemed.
"Fox fire!" Shippo was using his magic to act as a shield while using a sling against opponents.
Kagura was almost certain the little kitsune had a blade on his person too. It was apparently just easier for him to hurtle stones at another demon's eyes or forehead to knock them out or blind them than to use raw strength for his dagger to take them out that way.
"He's a clever one." She shakes her head.
Sango's boomerang was flying all over the place. The woman kicks a demon that had sunk its jaws into her should, sending it flying back as Kagome shoots it with an arrow.
"I doubt anyone is getting out of this battle without some injuries." Still, she had work to do. "They aren't the only ones who can fight." She smirks at the thought while sending her Dance of the Dragons down at some enemies.
Several tornadoes form. They pick up some of their enemies and throw them around, shredding them. Wind was a far more destructive element than most people gave it credit for, after all.
This was insanity, Sasuke thinks as he looks around. This was almost as bad as the war against Madara in his own era. Kirin or Susanoo would be ideal, but they each held disadvantages.
Kirin was powerful and fast, but he was just as likely to hit a comrade as an enemy in a battlefield like this. He'd possibly save that move for Midori later on.
"Death by a Thousand Cuts!" Apparently, Rin was not having an issue deciding which attacks to use.
The woman was quite clever. She had already 'created' a couple Jutsus of her own. Sasuke was sure that they existed back in his world, but she didn't know that and he didn't know their proper names.
The fact that she had chosen to give one of her attacks such a sinister name though, well that surprised him. Maybe, Sasuke shouldn't have been shocked though. This woman did travel with Lord Sesshomaru. It was more likely than not, that she was far more used to seeing carnage than her sweet demeanor let on.
"When did the child learn how to do that?" Jaken was wildly swinging his staff and sending fire at his opponents.
The poor creature was having a devil of a time fighting. He was one of the smaller fighters on the field and likely would have been easily overwhelmed, were it not for his fire.
Sasuke smirks at his question. "I taught her." Now, it was time to get serious. "Stay inside the fire. It will not burn you as it is under my control."
He activates his Amaterasu. A trickle of blood flows down his face as he summons the black flames that burned hotter than the flames of Hell itself.
"Right!" Jaken quickly darts over to him and Rin does the same.
Sasuke frowns as he looks around. Rin's 'Death by a Thousand Cuts' had actually sliced a couple demons up pretty good, but there were still tens of thousands of more.
"Stay inside the flames." They needed more.
This wasn't going to be enough, but Sasuke was afraid of hurting more of their allies. "Aoda! Garuda!" So he unleashes the Summoning Jutsu. "The ones wearing white are on our side. If you see any white, they're Western Fighters."
Aoda looks around in confusion. "Master Sasuke, it seems that you've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble this time." This was so not his fault. "Does that mean anyone not in white we are ordered to kill?"
Garuda squawks in agreement with the giant serpent's question. "Yes, it does. Now, go!" That was all that his summons needed to be told because they both quickly charge into battle.
The hawk ascends into the sky and performs aerial dives to slash people to death with his mighty claws. Garuda's flight was a thing of beauty to witness. His destructive capacity almost unmatched.
Well save for Aoda. The enormous snake was now smacking his tail down on nearby enemies, seeming to happily crush them to death.
"They're amazing!" Jaken blinks in awe as Sasuke nods.
They were. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be enough. It would help around the edges though and perhaps keep the worst of the fighting from coming near his beloved Rin, but the war was far from won. He knew that much without a doubt.
"Yes, they are." Sasuke was less than happy to see some arrows slam into Aoda's sides.
The serpent didn't like that though. "DIE!" It would be far from enough to kill him, but it was enough to rile the snake up and that was why many tail smashes were suddenly being administered with astonishing speed.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" His lover was also being reckless.
"This way I can help more." Before Sasuke could say anything, Rin's clones dart off onto the battlefield with kunais ready to go.
Where had she gotten those? "Rin, what are you doing with a bunch of kunais?" Honestly.
"I had one of the blacksmiths copy one of yours and make me lots of them." She smiles sweetly at him. "They worked so well against Lady Midori, I thought they might be useful."
Sasuke didn't know whether to be proud or disturbed. "Right. Well stay there." He supposed he'd figure it out later, right now he had to take down some demons and quickly.
Inukimi was growing more and more furious. How dare these vile wretches presume that they could actually injure her? The gall of these demons was unbelievable and yet, here she was. Fighting against as many of them as she could get her paws and jaws on.
"Fools!" She snaps some demons inside her massive jaws. "Did you actually think that you could stand against me?" Having already transformed into her true form at the start of the battle.
She knew that Sesshomaru disliked fighting in his true form. He seemed to believe that it gave him less control over his mind. That was true to a degree, but she had mostly negated it through practice.
There was also something tremendously satisfying about crushing them in her mighty jaws and spitting them out. They were nothing to her. They were utterly beneath her. It was like a colony of ants, but there were so many that it was highly annoying to have to kill them all.
"Lion's Barrage!" She turns her attention towards the battle cry.
Ah. It was Sasuke. The human who had Mated with Sesshomaru's human and he was fighting like a demon.
All around his body there was a strange blue glow. She didn't know that it was called the Chidori Current, but whatever it was it was effective. Every single time an enemy came near him, they seemed to get electrocuted and he was now delivering several brutal punches and kicks to his enemies down below. The Lion's Barrage seemed to live up to its name.
Crunch! Smack! Bam! The blows were fast and furious, but Sasuke was far from done. "Fireball Jutsu!" He was now issuing a massive fireball from his mouth and burning his enemies alive.
"I think I like this one." Inukimi suddenly had a feeling that those black flames might be of Sasuke's creation.
He was human and yet, his powers were demonic. Rin had done well for herself. Speaking of Rin though, something very strange was going on. There were dozens of Rin's on the battlefield and they were all wielding a strange dagger like weapon.
"AHHHH!" Whatever it was, it was apparently effective.
The Rin's were throwing the daggers into their enemies. Sometimes into their eyes. Other times into their throats. Still others into their bellies or heart.
"A strange kind of magic." Inukimi decides as she stomps on some enemies.
The Inu woman tries to ignore the pain of their swords or other weapons cutting into her paws as she does so. She would teach them their place, the Lady of the West muses as she continues cutting through her foes. One by one, two by two, and dozen by dozen.
"Die!" Inukimi smirks as much as a giant dog could.
Rin wasn't the only one using strange attacks though. "Lightning Flash." Sasuke was now throwing a giant weapon of some kind around. Little did she know it was a fuma shuriken. What Inukimi did note is that after the initial attack, there was a lightning trail of sorts that apparently could temporarily stun those who were foolish enough to get into its path.
"Interesting." Such a versatile range of attacks.
Sesshomaru was growing more and more agitated as the battle progressed. There were simply so many of them, that even using the Bakusaiga was only cutting into their numbers so much.
Fortunately, he wasn't the only combatant on the field. He could see his mother crushing people to death with her giant paws and biting them in half inside her massive jaws.
Not only that, but Inuyasha's pack was charging into their foes with ferocity, even the little kitsune was doing rather well. There were also the wolf demons and their animal counterparts, cutting into Midori's numbers.
"Rin." Sesshomaru blinks as he slashes through a boar demon's throat with his poisonous claws.
He could see her out of the corner of his eyes. Well several Rin's actually. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu." That must be what she was using and it was effective.
The clones might not be lasting long, but enough to get in a fatal or significant strike before they were dispelled. It was a clever strategy for someone like Rin. Sasuke had taught her well.
"All this time, I didn't think her a warrior." Though it seemed he had been proven wrong to a degree.
She would never have his raw strength, but Rin was proving to be competent in combat. Perhaps one day, she might be at Kagura's level.
He smiles at that thought as he looks up at the sky. Kagura was still launching her Dance of the Blades and Dance of the Dragon all over the place. It was only a minority of demons who had taken to the sky and thus she had almost a clear shot to do as she pleased. It was clever, but eventually, Sesshomaru knew she'd have to face a bird demon or something of that nature.
"She'll manage." He knew that for a fact.
The woman had survived Naraku. Kagura was capable of surviving almost anything, really. The demoness had even survived speaking with his mother alone. Now, that was impressive.
"Now, where is she?" His golden eyes scan the battlefield for Lady Midori.
She would be here. He knew that much. The woman was far too much too much of narcissist not to be. The green eyed witch had set all of this in motion. All of the blood that had been spilt on this day was on her hands and not his own.
That's when Sesshomaru a ferocious howl of fury and he smirks. Ah. So that's what her plan was. The woman was hoping to transform first and take him out before he could.
"Not a bad plan." It wouldn't work though.
On this day, she would be the one to die. He would emerge the victor and then everything would go back to the way it was before. Sesshomaru would make sure of it.
"DIE!" The massive canine comes charging at him, but Sesshomaru lashes out his energy whip at her.
It was enough to make even her balk slightly. She retreats and that's when his smirk grows. "You should feel honored. I rarely use this form." For good reason, he thinks to himself as he transforms into an even larger dog. "I find it a bit primitive and very few have seen me use it more than once. Unfortunately, it shall also be the last thing you ever see."
Rin may have blinded the bitch, but he would finish the job. This woman had the audacity to attack his lands and for that, she would pay with her life. Lady Midori would not live to see another sunrise.