The next morning, Kikyo waited for Sesshomaru in his beautiful outer gardens. A wide yet shallow ornamental stream gently trickled through the garden's castle stone, cutting through a nature-made thicket of wild grass and flowers. The straight, unbending way the garden river flowed, bright silver in the piercing sunshine, reminded Kikyo of Lord Sesshomaru's tresses.
Clearly the Western Lord was no herbalist, judging by the overgrown tangle of foliage that surrounded the priestess. The wildness did not spoil the outer gardens however and the spot by the tiled river was still luscious and edged with several pink frosted japanese willows.
Kikyo began plucking some of the most beneficial herbs from the overgrowth, more out of habit than anything else. She tucked Jiinkokato and Shinkahiko plants into the red pockets of her new priestess robes. The robes had been brought to her by an extremely frustrated toad demon.
Suddenly, a shadow fell upon her kneeling form and she turned to see a pair of unimpressed yellow eyes observing her.
"It's impolite to creep up on a lady without announcing your presence Lord Sesshomaru," Kikyo said lightly, gracefully rising and picking up the borrowed bow she had dropped in the grass. She had taken the bow from Sesshomaru's armoury that morning, ready for their planned excursion. The bow was stiff and unyielding but would suffice as her weapon for now, until she could find a suitable replacement.
"You're not a lady, you're a spectre," Sesshomaru replied bluntly, oblivious that his words would insult the priestess. Kikyo frowned at his rudeness, perhaps demons had a more blunt etiquette than she was used to. Or no ettiquette at all.
"Do you not have much experience with talking to humans? Besides Rin of course," Kikyo asked in a cheerful voice, clinging lightly to politeness.
"You're not human, you are a-"
"Yes alright, so you keep telling me!" Kikyo interrupted in an exasperated voice, her good mood diminishing. "Let's just find this demon and be done with it."
Sesshomaru nodded in silent agreement, his expression stony. "I will fly us to the Northern Lands, which is where Tsumetai will most likely be. It is far, you will be too slow if you walk," Sesshomaru said as he reached out a clawed hand to Kikyo, who looked at his outstretched palm dubiously. She was unused to being touched, except in violent scraps with past demons.
Kikyo placed her hand in his offered one, hating how cold she must feel in comparison to his warm skin. Sesshomaru held the priestess to his chest in an overly rough motion as wispy clouds formed under their feet, jerking her navel as they slowly ascended.
Kikyo stiffened in fright and instinctively grabbed the Western Lord as they steadily rose into the air. Sesshomaru was rigid in her arms and she could tell he hated the necessary proximity between them, but if she let him go, she would surely fall. The cloud was like a moving and unsteady platform, Kikyo stood firmly with slightly bent knees in the hope that she would not plummet to the rapidly disappearing ground.
They headed north in the chilly air, gliding like birds and looking as magnificent as shooting stars. The freedom of the skies was exhilarating and Kikyo would have enjoyed herself had she not been so terrified of heights. Despite her tight grip on Sesshomaru, she did not show her discomfort.
Kikyo had not anticipated that the flight north would take so long, even at Sesshomaru's punishing pace that was faster than any bird could fly. A slightly awkward silence bloomed and stretched as they swiftly scudded across the skies, a silence that neither woman nor demon knew how to banish. Kikyo could not think of anything to say as she hung onto Sesshomaru grimly, her body pressed against his hard chest. She had only ever been this physically close to Inuyasha and had not realised until now how much she had missed such closeness with another being. Would Inuyasha be outraged if he could see her now, clinging to his older brother? Kikyo wanted to ask about her old lover, but could not summon the right words.
"We have just passed the Northern Border, Tsumetai should show himself once he realises I have entered his domain," Sesshomaru said stiffly as they began their swift descent. The ground was closer now and blanketed in the white of snow.
"Do we have a plan of attack?" Kikyo asked as she alighted quickly from Sesshomaru's cloud at the first possible moment, so that space lay between them. The more she moved away, the less awkward the silence became between them, as they reclaimed their personal space.
A light dusting of snow crackled underfoot and Sesshomaru's's breathe came out in white plumes. The air had a bitter edge to it and the cold nipped at them like a peckish pack of birds. All was white apart from the burnt umber of the woodland trees, trees that resonated an eerie quiet.
"A plan of attack is not needed, Priestess. I will engage Tsumetai, you will pick your moment and shoot your holy arrow at him," Sesshomaru replied. He unsheathed Bakuseiga and the frosty woods around them rang with the swords demonic power. The Priestess had always known that Inuyasha's brother was a powerful lord amongst demons, but this level of power was spine chilling. Kikyo watched with mild amusement as the dog-demon prowled the vicinity ferociously, looking more like a blood hound than ever.
'Well…Lord Sesshomaru is certainly an alpha male in every sense of the word,' Kikyo thought, a small smile tugging at her lips.
It was not long until the frost demon arrived in a swirl of snow, a few hundred yards to their left. Kikyo eyed his cobalt hair and metallic eyes with interest, but did not yet reach for an arrow. Tsumetai was in his white armour still, which could potentially pose a problem to Kikyo if the metal was enchanted. If the armour was created by his demonic power however, it would dissolve under her power as easily as his flesh would. Tsumetai glared at the intruders incredulously.
"It was a bold move indeed to waltz in here with your woman, Sesshomaru! Bold, but ill-advised!" Tsumetai spat angrily, his frosted blade drawn.
Kikyo was about to protest this inaccurate assumption, but Sesshomaru glared at her and she remained silent. Kikyo blinked her understanding: He wanted Tsumetai to believe she was a harmless companion. That way they would have a split second advantage. One arrow was usually all it would take for Kikyo to bring a demon down, then it would be over.
"The move is not ill-advised if it ends in your death, prepare yourself to fight me, Tsumetai," Sesshomaru said arrogantly.
"The only demise will be yours dog!" Tsumetai yelled in a rage as the two demons charged at each other. Tsumetai swiped his sword and an avalanche of snow threatened to bury Sesshomaru, who fended off the blow with Bakuseiga's electric power. The woods shook with the demonic forces being flung about the place and the earth beneath their feet rumbled under the strain of such awesome power.
Kikyo had no choice but to run for cover, shocked to her core at the reckless use of such power the two demons were displaying. The Priestess watched from behind the safety of a large oak, poised to pick her moment of attack. Tsumetai was close to battering Sesshomaru, who seemed to be moving in a slow, jerky fashion she had not noticed before. A demon able to control the elements was rare, but this frost demons grasp of power was overly potent. It was as if he could freeze half the continent over if he wanted to. One thing was clear to Kikyo: Tsumetai was unable to fully control his suspicious amount of power, his attacks were reckless overkill.
Kikyo crept out from the frozen trunk of her haven tree, panting heavily with adrenaline. In one practised, fluid moment she had released an arrow from her quiver and placed it against her bow. Sesshomaru was making a grand show of fighting the Northern Lord, using his poison whip and Bakuseiga simultaneously in one strike. But Kikyo could see the Western Lord was lagging unusually early in the battle. Tsumetai's eyes darted back and forth, he was wholly distracted. Sesshomaru's eyes flickered to Kikyo before he leapt away from Tsumetai, putting a far amount of distance between them. Tsumetai turned his back on Kikyo as he pursued the dog demon, and Kikyo saw her chance.
The Priestess released her spiritual arrow with a flash of blinding lilac light. The arrow whistled through the air at break-neck speed before nestling into Tsumetai's waist on the left hand side. Tsumetai gave a shriek of agony and hastily erected a barrier of ice around himself, like a jagged snow globe. The flesh on his side began to sizzle and smoke through his white armour.
"W-what has that wench done to me?" Tsumetai cried in dismay. He placed trembling hands on the blackening wound, trying to stop the purification from spreading. Sesshomaru jumped over to Kikyo, and they both stared at the shouting frost demon.
"What's happening? Why is he not being purified?" Sesshomaru snapped viciously as Kikyo looked on in bewilderment. She had never seen a demon survive her arrow before, all others before had been blasted to bits. But Tsumetai was clearly an aristocratic demon of high rank. His own demonic power was strong enough to overpower her holy arrow to some extent.
"I don't know, most demons would be instantly purified. But this Tsumetai is too strong, it seems to be taking longer," Kikyo said worriedly. Both Kikyo and Sesshomaru watched as Tsumetai hacked at his own torso, gouging out the infected flesh to prevent his whole body being purified, the chunk of flesh disintegrated before it hit the floor, dissolving a hole in the frost demons shield.
"You'll pay for this you little whore! No one meddles in my affairs and gets away with it! I'll CRUSH YOU!" Tsumetai yelled furiously, safe behind his icy shield, careening almost directly above their heads. The frost demon began a complicated spell as he rose into the air, his blue brows knitted in concentration. Clumps of ice and snow merged together, guided by Tsumetai's overloaded magic.
Sesshomaru turned on Kikyo like a rabid dog.
"What USE are you if you can't purify him with your arrows? You've wasted my time," Sesshomaru snarled at Kikyo.
"One more arrow should finish him, he had to cut off his own flesh to stop my arrows purification. We must get him out from behind the barrier," Kikyo said as she drew another arrow from her quiver with narrowed eyes. She did not mention his sluggish fighting, concerned Sesshomaru would enrage himself further. Sesshomaru huffed at Kikyo in outrage and Bakuseiga crackled with its master's anger.
"There is no "we" in this Priestess, either you will kill him or you can go back to the underworld for all I care," Sesshomaru hissed nastily. Kikyo made no sign that she had heard him, she shot another arrow and shattered the barrier around Tsumetai. Shards of ice exploded and littered the ground, forcing Kikyo to cover her head with her hands.
Tsumetai quickly created a new barrier before Kikyo could strike again. She stared at Tsumetai in amazement, he did not even look tired after using all that demonic magic.
"Look Priestess, he's created two golems," Sesshomaru said, he pointed towards two large lumps of ice the size of huts that were emerging from behind them. Whilst they bickered, Tsumetai had assembled two ogre-like monsters. Mist rose from the golem's frosty limbs as they marched towards Kikyo, frozen spears in their hands.
'Tsumetai's power must be great indeed if he can orchestrate such a complex attack,' Kikyo thought as she backed away, a third arrow at the ready.
"I will deal with Tsumetai, you must destroy the golems. Surely even you can accomplish that," Sesshomaru said before he began a second assault on Tsumetai.
Kikyo leapt out of the way as a fist the size of a boulder crashed into the earth in front of her. Kikyo shot another arrow and blasted the golems arm and spear into rubble. A sizeable nugget of ice smacked Kikyo on the head, making her eyes tear in pain and stars start to pop in front of her eyes. She shook away the pain and knocked another arrow. Her fourth arrow burst the attacking golems head and the magic holding the golem together dissipated, until it crumbled into a mass of ice, snow and rock.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Kikyo noticed too late that a javelin of ice was speeding towards her. She had not kept a close enough eye on the second golem. Kikyo used her bow to deflect the attack towards her feet, but the spear was too close and she was blown backwards, slamming into a tree with the force of the blow. Had she been a normal human, her spine surely would have snapped in two.
"Priestess!" Sesshomaru called to Kikyo as she struggled back to her feet shakily. Tsumetai took this moment to slash at the dog demon, causing a large laceration to spurt blood down his chest.
The Western Lords armour broke and he crumpled to the ground, half buried in the snow. A few seconds past but the Western Lord remained motionless.
"Lord Sesshomaru! Are you alright?" Kikyo yelled, trying to hobble towards him, lifting her own holy barrier around Sesshomaru. Tsumetai tried to attack the dog demon in a frenzy, only to be repelled by the Priestesses shield. Seeing her moment Kikyo sent an arrow at Tsumetai as Sesshomaru got to his feet with a growl, eyes on some shape in the distance. Sesshomaru obliterated the remaining advancing golem behind Kikyo with a swipe of Bakuseiga.
The holy arrow sunk into Tsumetai's shoulder just as the golem exploded in a hailstorm of ice.
The Northern Lord's pauldron armour crumbled away like white dust, as did the now exposed muscle on his shoulder. Again, he carved away his own flesh and covered what was left with healing ice, spitting at Kikyo's feet. In a hearbeat, another barrier of ice separated the foes.
"This isn't over woman, I vow to rip your heart out one of these days," Tsumetai promised dangerously before disappearing into a crystal blizzard of his own making. All that was left was the ash from his disintegrated chunks of flesh, the soft grey marring the perfect white of the snow.
Shaking from head to toe and using her bow as a walking stick, Kikyo picked her way through the ruined forest. Stepping over ice, snow and wood until she reached the Western Lord. Sesshomaru was kneeling on one leg, as if standing up straight caused him discomfort. His slim armour had fallen away completely and his kimono was ripped beyond repair, revealing his pale chest.
Kikyo gasped as she saw the frosted wounds that riddled his exposed torso, mottling his flesh. It was a wonder he could stand at all with such extensive injuries.
Kikyo knelt beside Sesshomaru.
"How did you obtain these injuries Lord Sesshomaru? Did those happen just now?" Kikyo tried to take a closer look, but the dog demon pushed her away roughly.
"Leave me be spectre, it's none of your concern. You have failed me, Tsumetai escaped. You are of no use to me if you are too weak to purify the Northern Lord," Sesshomaru said seething, his eyes were tinged red.
This time, Kikyo did not ignore his insults. She stood defiantly, her fists clenched.
"And YOU have put us both in grave danger today, you're in no position to fight a demon as powerful as Tsumetai in this pathetic condition," Kikyo snapped back at him, her thin eyebrows drawn into a tight, angry line.
"Then go back to your hillside wench! I no longer have any need of you," he replied with a snarl, he dragged himself to his feet with as much grace as he could muster.
Kikyo sighed in frustration, she found Sesshomaru as difficult as a spoilt toddler. She could heal him, but he would never let her do it whilst he was in this temper. He was even surlier than Inuyasha.
"Enough of this! I will argue with you no longer!" Kikyo said determinedly as she stepped closer to Sesshomaru. She placed her forefinger on his temple and filled him with her magic, not dissimilar from her arrow of sealing. Kikyo's magic forced Sesshomaru's eyes closed and he fell forwards into her braced arms. He was heavier than he looked.
"Forgive me, but you are too hot-headed to reason with," Kikyo whispered, her cold breath apologetic in his ear.