InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Angel ❯ The Contest Concludes ( Chapter 25 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Twenty-Five:

The Contest Concludes

Kagome giggled at the look on the face of the two males standing before her. This was the last competition between InuYasha and Yamiko. She had chosen this next competition purely for her own amusement.

Why should pigheaded males be the only ones to have fun with this contest right?

"You've got to be freaking kidding me!" InuYasha exclaimed.

Kagome burst out laughing, hands on her hips.

"What's the matter my Lord? Can't handle a little challenge?" she teased.

An angry blush made its way to his cheeks.

"What the hell kind of challenge is this?” he asked, animatedly waving his arms around, “This ain't no challenge! This is….is…."

At a loss for words, he dropped into an angry glare. That sent Kagome into another bout of laughter. Looking over at Yamiko, Kagome could barely breathe. The young demon lord stood there, eyebrow twitching, looking so very put out with this new turn of events.

"I ain't doing it!" InuYasha declared, drawing her attention once more.

Kagome took a breath, and tried to calm herself enough to speak.

"Then Lord Yamiko wins by default," Kagome said smugly.

"The hell he does!"

"Then it's either do it or don't do it and allow Lord Yamiko to win. Your choice, InuYasha,"

InuYasha crossed his arms on a huff, glaring daggers at Kagome and Yamiko. He damn sure didn't want to lose to that chicken shit Yamiko.

"Fine,"

Kagome clapped her hands with an excited squeal.

"Great."

Yamiko did not look happy at all. InuYasha looked too angry to form words. Kagome could only smile as the servants brought their materials and set them onto the table. This seemed to only agitate the males even more and further amuse Kagome.

Once the last of the needed materials was set on the table and the servants left the room with amused smiles, Kagome went over to the table and faced the two males.

"Your next challenge is cooking!"

Her smile bright as the sun, Kagome burst into another fit of laughter, her sides aching and tears threatening to spill over.

InuYasha growled while Yamiko sighed in defeat.

Their disgruntlement only made her laugh harder.

"Oh come on, it is not so bad," she said when she could breathe once more.

"It's a woman's chore!" InuYasha complained.

"It is demeaning." Yamiko said in an irritable manner.

Anger was swift and quick, dissolving her amusement in less than a second. Eyes glowing eerily, the two males felt their skin crackle from the energy radiating from her body. Ever since she had obtained that necklace, her power had steadily increased, making everyone that was stupid enough to incite her anger feel more than a little uncomfortable.

InuYasha hid behind Yamiko and both males took a step back.

'Damn she's scary when she's pissed' InuYasha thought to himself, as he crouched down a bit.

Seeing as InuYasha had tucked his tails between his legs and hid behind him, Yamiko raised his hands in complete and utter surrender.

If there was one subject he knew well, it was women, and when a woman got that look on her face, the offending male could do naught but surrender to her will and hope that said woman did not decide to take a chunk out of his ass despite his surrender.

"Now, now Lady Kagome, we meant no offense," Yamiko said, hoping she didn't decide to make a big fuss about their thoughtless words.

Kagome lifted a slender dark brow at the two, amusement shinning through her eyes. Seeing the twinkle through, both males visibly relaxed. InuYasha even left his hiding space, crossing his arms as he moved to stand next to Yamiko as if he had not been hiding like a wee, frightened baby only seconds before.

"Right, of course you didn't." she said with a smirk, "Now, you have two hours to prepare something to eat. When you're done, whoever has the best dish wins,"

Kagome started for the door.

"Wait, you're not gonna stay and help?" InuYasha asked incredulously.

"No, I'm off to secure some judges," she said.

Opening the door she gave them another bright smile.

"Good luck!"

And then she was gone.

InuYasha and Yamiko stood there for a moment, not sure what to do our where to start. Finally, InuYasha went over to the table of ingredients. Looking up with a serious face at Yamiko he rolled up his sleeves.

"You're going down," he declared.

With that he picked up a knife, a carrot and went to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome walked down the hall in search of her judges.

She giggled softly to herself. She couldn't wait to see what they made. Hopefully they wouldn't blow up the kitchen. Although she did not know if it was wise to leave those two alone.

Their tempers were short, their patience almost nonexistent and their competitiveness was one of their most fatal flaws.

Knowing this, the slightest offense by either of them could result in injuries.

She shrugged.

They'd work it out and if they didn't, well then, she'd just have to bash their heads together a few times until they did.

As she walked, she couldn't help but think about the Evil Six. It was like they were a dark cloud hanging over her head, no matter how hard she tried not to let it affect her so much, she couldn't help it.

Today was no different.

Her spirits dropped and her bubbly giggles came to an abrupt halt.

They had sent the patrolling soldiers yesterday afternoon and they expected to hear back from the group in a few days. Thinking about what they would find out when they returned put a knot in her belly.

A part of her wanted to know, and another part of her didn't want to hear what they had to report.

If it was more bad news, she didn't think she could stomach it. Things were already so damn bad, she prayed to the Gods that things didn't get worse.

She sighed, trying to push the thoughts from her mind.

There was no use getting all anxious at this point, she'd cross that river when she got to it, best thing to do was hope for the best while preparing and expecting the worse.

Tired of searching aimlessly, she stopped in the hall.

Concentrating on the surroundings auras and energies, she zeroed in on the one she was searching for. Finding it fairly easily, she headed outside towards the training field.

Unconsciously she fingered the necklace around her neck, an answering caress traveled up to meet her fingers. It was strange, this connection she had with the amulet. She had connected and meditated with the help of the spirit inside; harnessing the necklace's power.

The power inside had flowed around and through her; taking shelter inside her body, connecting to her, becoming one with her.

Each time she tapped into that power a piece of it stayed; making her feel stronger than she had ever felt before. It was strange to say the least, but it wasn't a bad kind of strange, quite the opposite actually. And the benefits that she received were amazing. At least to her; she thoroughly enjoyed putting InuYasha and Yamiko in their place but she wasn't sure they enjoyed the benefits as much as she did.

She giggled at the memory of their shocked faces the night she had used her power on them for the first time out in the gardens.

That had been more fun than it should have been.

At least she thought so. She was damn sure that Yamiko and InuYasha would definitely disagree with that assessment.

Finally, she was outside in the training field, standing with her hands on her hips and feeling quite proud of herself. She had only gotten lost twice in that big ridiculous maze of a castle; each time it had occurred had been before she had honed her powers, now, getting loss was not a non issue.

Though the difficult halls were a pain in the ass, she knew the construction of the castle was done purposely to confuse any spies or assassins that infiltrated so she couldn't really complain about the structure.

It was for safety purposes.

The training field was just an open area of land, enclosed by stone walls that seemed to stretch into the very sky.

Many soldiers were training with wooden swords, jogging the perimeter of the field and sparring with their comrades. Kagome's eyes scanned the faces of the males, looking for one familiar face in particular.

"My Lady, what brings you here?"

Kagome turned to see Lord Sarinji standing behind her.

A raging blush made its way instantly to her face at the sight of him.

Lord Sarinji had stripped off his kimono ]and wore naught but a blue pair of hakama and a sword strapped to his hip. Sweat glistened off of his bare muscled chest. Kagome had to admit, for an older male he looked damn good.

He didn't look a day over thirty and his body didn't look like that of an old man, that was for sure.

She had no idea this was what he looked liked underneath all that silk and armor. It was going to be hard not envision his naked chest when he was dressed again.

"M-my Lord,” she stammered, willing her blush to go away, “I was uh looking for you."

He raised a brow at the crimson staining her cheeks. His eyes seemed to gleam in amusement, no doubt guessing the reason behind the deepening redness on her face. He crossed his arms over his chest, his pecks and muscles rippling as he did so.

Seeing the action Kagome's brow rose and she blinked, not sure she had seen right.

Was he flexing at her?

His muscles moved again.

He was flexing at her!

His eyes twinkled, challenging her to comment on it. She said nothing.

"Were you my Lady? What may I do for you?"

A bead of sweat made its way down his left peck. Sarinji flexed again.

"I uh, wanted to chest you" color exploded up her neck, "I-I mean ask you to uh be the judge of Lord InuYasha and Lord Yamiko's competition. I-If you don't mind that is, if you're busy I-"

Her words stuck in her throat as he uncrossed his muscled arms, revealing his glorious chest once more. Taking her hand he brought it up to his mouth, laying a soft kiss on the back of it. Kagome felt her stomach flip flop.

He truly was charming.

"For you my Lady, I am never too busy,"

Kagome smiled, "Thank you my Lord, I really appreciate it,"

"It is no trouble, my Lady,"

"Thank you. I must be off now, my Lord. Please meet me in the dining room in two hours,"

He bowed regally over her hand, a roughish smile on his lips.

"Until then, my Lady,"

Sarinji watched as a flustered Kagome walked away, hips swaying.

His lips curved up smugly.

He still had it. In his youth, he had been quite the ladies man, charming even the most reluctant woman right out of her knickers.

A familiar stirring grasped his attention.

He sighed.

There it was again. That ragging hard-on that popped up every time she was near him, though now it was more intense than before. He was sure it had to do with her newly acquired power, the energy flowing from her that was twisting his insides with desire.

She was humming with power.

Since she had acquired that amulet, there had been a dramatic increase in her power. Now she was more alluring than before, his attraction to her was so damn strong he could barely stand it. Her power like a magnet pulling him towards her, when their auras were in contact it was ecstasy.

He wanted her so fucking bad he couldn't think straight.

It was torture and the only way to keep it at bay was to take the edge off of his ragging desire.

With thoughts of her dancing around in his mind, he turned and went back to the castle, heading towards his room to take care of 'business'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome fanned her flushed face and took a deep breath as she left the training fields, Sarinji's flexing pecks still fresh in her mind.

Holy cow.

He was as gorgeous as Sesshomaru. A bit older but from the look of his body there was no way in hell you could tell. Kagome giggled to herself and headed towards the bordering woods, following Lord Katzunami's aura. The trees were huge with dark green leaves. It was so pretty out here.

She walked for about ten minutes before she stumbled upon Lord Katzunami.

He was sitting with his legs folded and seemed to be meditating. The air around him was vibrating with energy, heavy and intense. That energy was not Katzunami's energy. It was from someone else.

It was soothing and yet chocking at the same time.

Kagome looked around but there was no one there and for once she could not pinpoint the location of the aura.

That was strange and more than a bit unsettling.

"Lord Katzunami?"

The strange energy retracted immediately, dispersing into the air so fast she almost questioned if it had been there at all.

Katzunami opened his eyes and stood; a smile coming instantly to his lips.

"Kagome," he breathed as if he was awed by her presence.

His eyes warmed completely, and he moved towards her. He swept her into an embrace, an adorable grin on his face. Kagome looked up at him in surprise. He was certainly happy to see her today that was for sure.

"Lord Katzunami…um….are you alright?" she asked with a questioning smile.

His grin widened and his hands at her hips tightened.

She squeaked as he lifted her up and twirled her around in a circle.

"Yes I am quite fine," he said as he stopped and lowered her to the ground once more. "I have not a care in the world, my Lady. Is it not wonderful?"

Before she could speak he kissed her soundly on the lips. Kagome was caught off guard, not expecting the kiss.

His lips were soft and warm.

It was….nice.

He was gentle and skilled and yet she felt it was lacking. A certain silver-haired demon Lord came to mind, and Kagome broke away with an embarrassed flush. What a thing to do. Since when did she compare kisses from other males to Sesshomaru?

Thankfully Katzunami did not seem to notice anything wrong.

"Forgive me, my Lady. I am usually confined to the Spirit Realm and each day here on earth is a blessing from the Gods. I cannot help but feel excitement and wonder coursing through my very veins. And with the added bonus of seeing your face and being in your presence is more than I ever thought to have in my long, long lifetime."

Kagome smiled up at him, happiness blooming in her chest.

"You flatter me, my Lord,"

And she truly was. Never had anyone said such kind things to her before and she couldn't help but take the words to heart.

Lifting a hand, he caressed her cheek softly.

"It is but the truth Kagome. It is why I fell in love with you. Like a rare jewel you are hard to find. There is none like you, nor will there ever be,"

Kagome felt her heart turn. He had such a way with words. And he actually admitted to being in love with her. It would take some getting used to; having someone in love with her but if he continued to sweet talk her in such a manner, she knew it would not be too hard to get used to it.

"Thank you my Lord, you are very much the charmer. The reason I have sought you out is because I wanted to ask a favor of you."

"You have only but to ask my Lady, and in any way I may be of service I shall endeavor to fulfill your request."

"Lord InuYasha and Lord Yamiko are at the final stage of their competition; however, I am in need of judges. Would you be interested in being a judge?"

Taking her hand, he gave the back a soft kiss.

"For you my Lady, I will."

"Great. Please meet in the dining room in about two hours. "

"Of course,"

"I will see you then, my Lord," she said as she turned and walked away.

She headed back into the castle. Inside the castle, she hesitated.

She needed one more judge.

Now where could she find another judge?

Lost in thought Kagome didn't see the woman in front of her before it was too late. She crashed into something solid and fell back on her bottom with a thud.

"Ow." Kagome said as sat up.

The woman she crashed into sat up as well, rubbing her head.

"I am sorry, are you alright Lady Kagome?" the woman asked.

"You know me?" Kagome asked in surprise.

The woman smiled shyly. "Not exactly. I know of you through my brother Mahou. And of course from the gossip,"

They both stood. The woman dusted off her blue kimono and bowed at the waist.

"My name is Hikari. I am going to be staying here for a few months while my brother discusses business matters with Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome bowed back to the woman and as she straightened, instantly she felt something….off, an underlying malice beneath her aura. At first, she wasn't too keen to stay near the woman with that dark energy, but after taking a moment to think about it, her weariness disappeared.

Kagome mentally shrugged; Sesshomaru sometimes gave off that feel, so did most demon individuals.

Even InuYasha had a slight dark energy.

It was probably a youkai thing.

"Nice to meet you Hikari; sorry about that, I was a bit distracted," Kagome explained.

"Oh that's quite alright. Are you late for an appointment?"

"Not at all, I'm looking for a judge for a tasting competition."

"Really? Have you a person in mind my Lady?"

Kagome shook her head.

"I'm afraid not."

"I wouldn't mind being your judge my Lady. That is if you-"

"Really? Thank you so much! If you could meet me in the dining room in about an hour that would be great."

Hikari smiled and bowed once more.

"Yes, of course my Lady," she said.

"I will see you there," Kagome said.

Hikari watched as she walked off.

'Good work Hikari. The closer we get to her, the more opportunities will arise to take her out.'

Hikari had not volunteered for that reason at all; doing something malicious or harmful to the dark haired woman had not crossed her mind at all. She had simply thought it would be fun to be a judge in a tasting contest.

Besides, Kagome didn't seem like the stuck up bitch or the slutty whore after Lord Sesshomaru's money, title and lands that she had imagined her to be. She seemed nice, gentle, kind even.

Hikari turned her attention back to the voice.

'You can't be serious; I'm not going to kill her,'

'You know damn well that I am. She has to be killed In order for us to have Lord Sesshomaru.'

'I do not think I can do that,' Hikari said gently, `she doesn't seem like the conniving woman you made her seem like,'

She flinched at the anger and outrage that swamped her, choking her with its overwhelming darkness and suffocating air.

'Do you want her to steal him from us?'

Hikari looked down at her feet, shuffling them as she wrung her fingers nervously.

'No,'

'Then do as I say!'

Hikari sighed.

She loved Lord Sesshomaru with all her heart, but to murder just to keep him? Was it something she could do? It just didn't feel right to her nor was it something that should be done to such a kind woman like Kagome, at least in her opinion.

'You can and you will Hikari. I will not lose him because of you! You had better get over yourself! If we lose him I will make sure you never know peace again! Do you understand me Hikari?'

Hikari didn't respond, but instead headed to her room. She still had an hour before she had to meet in the dining room. Until then, she didn't want to think about anything, especially not about killing someone.

'Do not ignore me Hikari.'

Going to her closet, she continued to ignore the voice as she pulled out her wooden flute. Her brother had crafted the musical instrument years ago for her fifteenth birthday. Hikari had loved it, and practiced it every chance she got.

Taking a seat on the comfy, pillowed window seat she began to play a soft, slow, sad melody. The music calmed her instantly, drowning out the voice in her head.

'We will lose everything if you screw this up. Are you really that stupid?'

Still ignoring the voice, Hikari did not miss a note, her nimble fingers moving over the flute perfectly. To tune out the voice in her mind she played a bit louder.

'Hikari! Answer me when I speak to you!' the voice thundered even louder.

Suddenly the flute was ripped from her hands and flung across the room, breaking it in two. Hikari was not surprised at all, just disappointed. That was her favorite flute.

She sighed.

'What is it?'

'Now that I have your attention, listen to me. We cannot afford to let that bitch live. Do you understand me Hikari? We cannot risk it.'

'I…understand.'

'Good.'

Hikari remained silent. Just because she understood did not mean she would go through with it. She would allow her to think she would go along with it for now; anything to get her off her back for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Khaos landed on his feet with a soft thud. His feet barely touched the floor before he was off again, running at lightning speed, nothing more than a naked blur to the untrained eye.

It was a good day today.

Dark clouds were rolling in and the smell of moisture in the air was a great welcome.

It didn't take him long to find a village.

It was a fairly large village, clean, and seemingly friendly. The huts were well made and stable, the grass was well cared for and fresh smelling. The people themselves were surprisingly clean. Most people were not. It was a welcomed surprise.

He was no neat freak like brother Tourcher but he did prefer not have his senses bombarded with the smell of stinking human flesh and unwashed bodies.

Adrenaline pumping and excitement rushing through his veins, he ran head full force into the village, ready to promote chaos, ready to kill, injure and maim. The villagers stopped and stared as he entered the village. Women giggled coyly at him, their gazes inviting, while the males stared, neither welcoming nor openly hostile.

He smirked.

Foolish people.

They did not even know death when it was staring them straight in the face.

They didn't have the mental capacity to run from him.

Nay, they sat there like stupid sheep welcoming a hungry wolf into their domain.

Useless, the lot of them.

With a careless thrust of his hand he sent a blast of energy out into the gathering crowd. The blast took out two huts and three women in its path. Screams erupted from the villagers as they ran frantically for cover, some running away from the village. A small group of villagers headed towards the roads leading away from the village, intending to seek refuge at another nearby village.

Khaos closed his eyes, relishing in the screams and pandemonium around him.

It was music to his ears.

It had been too long. Way too fucking long.

Lifting his right hand, he summoned energy into it. It glowed a deep purplish black as it accumulated in his palm, reeking of dark malice and menacing evil. When the energy reached its peak, he thrust his hand forearm deep into the ground, sending ripples through the dirt.

From the ground, a black barrier formed, encasing the entire village and blocking out the sun, blocking the fleeing villagers from escaping.

The villagers stopped, not sure where to go, what to do.

One man from the fleeing crowd stepped towards the pulsating barrier hesitantly.

"Hitchiko, no! Come back here! Do not touch it!" the man's wife cried from the group.

The man looked back at her once and then continued on. He approached the barrier and felt sick to his stomach. The atrocious energy it radiated was something he had never come across before.

It was choking.

He gulped. He didn't want to touch it but they had to find a way out, or that demon would kill them all, he was sure of it.

He reached out a hand cringing at the waves of monstrous energy it emitted. It made his skin crawl and he felt severely nauseous.

"Hitchiko! NO!"

Ignoring her he pressed on. The feeling was intense and disgusting. He felt lightheaded, but his frantic need to escape kept him from pulling back, kept him from staying here and being slaughtered by that beast.

Finally, his hand came in contact with the barrier.

Pain. Everywhere pain.

He had never felt so much pain in his life! The barrier was like a living entity; a part of the dark energy wrapping around him pulling him towards it. He screamed as the barrier pulled him in, his feet dragging in the dirt. As the pain became too intense to bear he passed out, the voice of his wife calling his name the last thing he heard.

Khaos put on a new kimono he had confiscated from one of the huts. It wasn't exactly made of silk, but it would do for now. Besides it was red. Red was his favorite color. He threw on the matching hakama and black obi and left the cramped old hut.

The village was in ashes. Limbs and bodies littered the floor. He walked on top of the bodies without a care or concern, crushing bones left and right.

Taking to the sky, he headed east following the dark telepathic energy of his brothers.

Unbeknownst to him, someone was still alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hitchiko awoke to blinding pain; every breath he took was more painful than the last. His insides were on fire. He struggled to breathe, to think, to do anything, but couldn't.

It was too much.

He lay there in complete agony. Wave after wave of pain crashed into him. Each wave lasted seconds but for Hitchiko it was an eternity. His skin was a dark purplish color; pasty and clammy to the touch.

Closing his eyes he clenched his muscles, his whole body quivered from the pain. It hurt so damn bad. Bile rose. Barely able to turn his head, he tilted it to the side to keep from drowning on his own vomit.

He vomited on the grass beside him, crimson, sticky and hot.

It was horrible.

It was as if he had drunk the contents of a chamber pot that had been sitting out in the sun for days. As he settled back, the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

Closing his eyes on the pain, he welcomed the solace of oblivion........

When next he awoke the sun was bright in the sky. The pain had not dimmed from the last time he'd awoken. He quivered from the intensity of it. Spots danced before his eyes.

The pain, dear Gods above the pain.

He wanted death.

Needed death, prayed for it. It was just too painful to go on. His insides felt as if they were on fire, as if every organ were melting.

'Let me die. Please God let me die,'

He said the words over and over in his head, too much in pain to form the words with his lips. Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. It felt like his insides were being ripped apart from the inside out.

Closing his eyes, he rolled onto his side. His insides seemed to shift over with the movement.

More pain shot through his body.

For a moment, he blacked out.

When his vision cleared, a shadow was cast over him. Many shadows. He could barely open his eyes, could barely make out the figures above him; his vision was so blurred. A cool hand touched his forehead. Someone was trying to talk to him.

The voices sounded so far away and he could only catch bits and pieces.

"….happened here?" said a voice.

He was pulled up into a sitting position and pain like nothing he had ever felt before erupted. He screamed, grabbing onto the kimono of the closet person.

"….wrong......him?" asked a voice a different voice.

"Look there.......bleeding about the ears and..." came another voice.

"What…here? ……..this to you?" the voice from before asked.

It was hard to hear, hard to focus on what was being said to him.

Hitchiko took a few breaths. He had to tell them; maybe they could stop that maniac. His lips were dry and chapped; they hurt. His voice was raspy when he spoke, barely above a whisper.

"He…..came…."

"Who? Who came?"The voice asked.

"B….Blue….hair…..dragon…..demon…."

"Where did he go?"

Before he could answer he gagged. Bile rose in his mouth. The person turned him to the side so he could vomit. His stomach clenched, and his muscles tensed. The feeling of being ripped apart from the inside out intensified tenfold. Blood poured from his ears, eyes and nose.

Finally, he vomited.

The people around him stepped back in horror at the sight before them as Hitchiko retched and gagged. His organs came up through his mouth, spilling onto the ground in a hot bloodied mess. His stomach came first, falling out of his mouth and plopping onto the ground with slimy black mucus covering the pink glob. He gagged on the thick veins clogging his windpipe, his whole body contracting.

Next came his liver and kidneys, they could see the heat coming off the partially melted organs. The smell was so bad, a few of the people vomited themselves while others fainted dead away.

Hitchiko gagged again, bring forth his intestines. His heart soon followed; it was still connected to a vein from his insides. Hitchiko looked down at his organs, at his pulsating heart, not understanding, not comprehending what he was seeing.

His vision blurred then blackened.

He fell to the ground, eyes open and vacant.

General Haku turned the dead male over and closed his eyes. Looking at the mess on the ground he would not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes. What manner of being were they dealing with?

He had never in all his years of living seen anything like this.

Blue hair?

Dragon demon?

There was no doubt about it. That blue haired dragon youkai had to be one of the Evil Six. The destruction of the village was too similar to the others. General Haku stood and addressed the soldiers. Most of the soldiers were from the Western lands but some were from the other territories.

"Bury the dead. We continue east after they have been buried," General Haku said.

Solemnly, they completed their task. Many of the bodies fell apart on contact. Only a few of the bodies were intact to some degree, though most of the bits and pieces left behind were thrown into a mass grave. There was no way they'd be able to place the correct body parts with each other, and they certainly didn't have the time to try. Not from what they were seeing.

Once all parts and bodies were put into the massive grave, they shoveled in dirt, and said a prayer for the poor souls of the dead.

After which, they headed east.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome came into the kitchen. The smell of smoke nearly choked her. She coughed, fanning away the smoke. Yamiko stood shaking his head at InuYasha, who was covered in white powder and had huge stains all over his silken kimono and hakama. Yamiko was in much the same shape, minus the white powder.

Kagome could not help but laugh.

They both glared at her. When she could breathe again she asked,

"Are you ready?"

Yamiko nodded stiffly and InuYasha crossed his arms.

"Great. Bring your dishes to the dining room."

That said, Kagome left and headed to the dining room. Lord Katzunami was seated at the left of Hikari, and Lord Sarinji was seated at her right. Kagome stood next to the head of the table.

"Thank you all for coming today,” she said to the three.

They nodded in acknowledgment.

A moment later Yamiko and InuYasha came in through the large double doors. They each held plates with silver tops covering the food. Hikari giggled at their appearances while Katzunami and Sarinji sat in silent amusement.

"Okay, InuYasha, you go first," Kagome said.

"Hell no I ain't going first!" InuYasha said.

Yamiko sighed in exasperation.

"Then move aside mutt face," Yamiko said as he elbowed InuYasha roughly and rudely out of the way.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes at him. Yamiko ignored him and set the dish on the table. He took the top off and stood back.

Kagome was a bit surprised.

The food looked…..decent.

It was some sort of desert. Sort of like a small cake but it was flat and shaped funny. It was heavily frosted with vanilla cream with strawberries messily stuffed on top. Yamiko took the knife from the plate and cut four small pieces from the cake and placed it onto their plates.

Hikari was the first to taste it.

She took a small fork full, when she didn't show any signs of disapproval, everyone else followed suit. Kagome was as surprised as everyone else. It wasn't the best cake in the world but it was pretty good.

"It's really good, Lord Yamiko," Hikari said taking another bite.

InuYasha snorted.

"My ass," he mumbled under his breath.

"It is acceptable." Lord Katzunami said.

"Indeed," Lord Sarinji agreed.

InuYasha rolled his eyes.

Yamiko smirked as he placed the cover back over the rest of the dish and stood back. He wasn't the world's best cook but it wasn't hard to put a few things together. Besides, he used to sneak into the kitchens when he was a young pup and the cook would make delicious deserts for him to eat before dinner.

He had watched her at times and thanks to those memories he was able to bake a few things.

"Your turn InuYasha," Kagome said finishing off the rest of the desert.

InuYasha seemed reluctant to do so but stepped forward anyways and placed his dish on the table. He paused a moment before lifting the lid.

Kagome was shocked as were the other judges. And the one question that was bouncing around in their minds was the same as the one Kagome had to resist voicing herself.

What the fuck was that?

It was a green…..blob?

A big steaming heap of green goo. There was bread on the side of the plate next to the blob, it looked eatable. Hikari looked panicked, Katzunami's brow twitched, while Sarinji looked a bit green in the face.

Kagome was speechless and InuYasha's cheeks colored.

"Don't stare at it eat it," He grumbled.

Yamiko burst out laughing.

InuYasha colored even more and turned on Yamiko.

"Shut the fuck up!"

Kagome cleared her throat.

"Serve your dish InuYasha."

Hikari looked even more panicked.

InuYasha growled at Yamiko who was on the floor laughing, and then turned to serve. He took a spoon full and slopped it onto their plates. Everyone grabbed a piece of bread. Once everyone had food on their plates the room went silent, and no one made a move to taste the green mush.

In the silence, InuYasha's growls grew while Yamiko's laughter intensified.

Not wanting InuYasha to feel bad Kagome picked up her bread and dipped it into the green mush. She hesitated a moment, before closing her eyes and taking a bite. She chewed carefully.

Flavor exploded on her tongue.

It had to be the most delicious thing she had ever tasted in her life.

"It's…..delicious….." she said in surprise.

Yamiko stopped laughing and sat up, surprised. Even InuYasha seemed surprised. Katzunami picked up his bread, dipped it and took a bite. Everyone watched in silence as he chewed.

"She's right," he said picking up his bread and dipping it once more, this time making sure to get a lot of the green goo onto the bread.

Hikari and Sarinji followed suit.

"It's so good!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Indeed," Sarinji agreed.

Yamiko growled as InuYasha smirked.

"What is your vote Lord Katzunami?" Kagome asked.

"Lord InuYasha." Lord Katzunami said.

"Hikari?"

"Lord InuYasha."

"Lord Sarinji?"

"Lord InuYasha."

"It's unanimous. Lord InuYasha wins the competition," Kagome announced.

Yamiko growled again as InuYasha laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

They'd been traveling a few hours with no sign of anyone matching the description of the blue haired Ryu youkai or any of the other demons of the Evil Six. Just as they were about to turn back a dark light shot forth into the sky.

General Haku signaled the group to stop.

The dark light was giving off intense energy. It was sickening, turning his stomach. He had never felt such a thing before.

It had to be them.

He signaled the group to move once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Khaos lay sprawled in a tree branch, dangling his foot and chewing on a finger from the village.

"Are we done yet?" he whined, "I haven't even been awake a whole day and I've only destroyed one village. When am I gonna get to have some real fun?"

"Patience Khaos, this has to be done. Big brother Vishious said so," Tourcher said from his spot on the ground.

Wearing an expensive looking green kimono, hakama and armor, his hair up in a neat pony tail, Tourcher was as polished as ever. He sat with his legs crossed on a blanket, his eyes closed, in a circle with Ehvil, Mahdness and Ahgony on the ground of the grassy area. They were focusing their energy on the dark liquid inside the golden goblet.

Khaos sighed.

If Vishious ordered this done, of course it would be done, but damn if he wasn't antsy to take out another village. The last village had been but a teaser. He wanted more. Needed more.

Ehvil opened his eyes and withdrew his energy.

The light from their combined energy dimmed.

"It seems we have company," Ahgony said, eyes still closed.

Khaos was the first one up. He leapt from the tree and stretched.

"Fuck yeah. Finally, some entertainment,"

Tourcher sighed and opened his eyes as he too withdrew his energy and the light dimmed even more, "We don't have time for this shit. If we stop now, we will have to start all over again."

Ahgony withdrew his energy from the cup as well.

"It cannot be helped," he said standing up and dusting off his bare ass much to Tourcher's annoyance.

Mahdness opened his eyes and withdrew his energy, extinguishing the light completely just as the intruders made their appearance.

A group of soldiers.

From the uniforms they wore they were soldiers from different territories. It seems they had not been as sneaky as they thought they were being. Vishious had warned them to be cautious. Ehvil's eyes widened. There was a man in front. He seemed to be the one in charge of the group. That man, why did he seem so familiar?

"Why do you intrude?" Mahdness asked the group.

The man, clearly a General, took out a scroll from the satchel on his back and opened it. In a loud clear voice, he began to read.

"You five have a warrant for your arrest. You are hereby order to appear before the Royal courts to face charges of-"

Khaos laughed loud and hard.

The General narrowed his eyes at the laughing demon.

Ahgony moved too fast for the General. A quick buts of energy and a flick of his claws, Ahgony severed the Generals hand. It fell to the floor, the severed hand still clutching the parchment. The General cried out and clutched his arm, taking a cloth; he wrapped his arm tight to stop the bleeding.

"Blah, blah, blah. What the fuck do we care about a warrant?" Ahgony said licking the blood from his claws.

"You'll pay for that!" said one of the soldiers charging at Ahgony.

"Stand down!" The General shouted to the soldier.

But it was too late. Ahgony grabbed the man around the throat and twisted at an angle, careful not to kill him instantly. The demon soldier slumped to the ground, an awful wheezing sound coming from his open mouth. Ahgony picked the male up by the neck as if he weighed nothing.

"Foolish soldier. Never did care for them. Too hot headed," Ahgony said as he grasped the soldier's arm and ripped it off.

The soldier mouth widened in a silent scream; unable to draw a breath to make a sound. His half broken neck left his head hanging limply at an odd angle.

"Useless pieces of shit aren't they?" Ahgony said as he ripped off the other arm and again the man screamed silently, his body convulsing.

The General growled.

"Indeed they are." Tourcher said.

"You sick fuck! Why do you torture him needlessly!" cried another soldier.

Ahgony tilted his head seeming to think over the question carefully.

"Why? I never really thought about why," He said tossing the body aside carelessly into a tree behind him as he spoke, “I do it because I am compelled to do it,"

"Enough talk! Let's do this shit!" Khaos said as he stepped forward.

Ahgony shrugged, "After you."

Khaos need no more encouragement. Rushing forward he jumped into the group of soldiers.

General Haku tried not to focus on the pain and more on the battle at hand. They had severely underestimated their opponents. Their mission was no longer to apprehend the suspects but rather to survive and report back to the Western lands.

As the blue haired male began systematically tear through the soldiers he knew he had no choice.

"Retreat!" he commanded.

The remaining soldiers ran, heading towards the western lands. General Haku took off, full speed thankful for his canine heritage. He ran as fast as he could, never once looking back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Laters!

~Sessakag