InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mission: Assassination - Terminated ❯ First Attempt ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Well duh!

Wow! I am actually updating this only a few days after posting the first chapter. It must be a miracle. For those of you waiting for `Freedom of the Fire Bird' I am so sorry about that but I am currently stuck on the next chapter. I know what would happen in the future but I'm not exactly sure how to get with this chapter at the moment. So in the meantime, I've updated this fic.

Wow! 10 reviews for the first chapter? You ppl are so nice! Thanks to you wonderful reviewers. Here are the responses:

Email:

Lea: Glad you liked it. Thank you!

Sesshoumaru The Killing Perfection (on the site, it said I had 3 reviews but when I clicked on it, it only displayed 1) (NOTE: to ppl who review on this site, please send me your reviews to my email, coz I never know when I get reviews from there. Thank you!)

Derk: Thank you. Actually I think you'll be the only person ever to say they like "Freedom of the Fire Bird" better than this fic. Coz I know that more ppl read Sess/Kag fics than Sess/OC fics, but thanks. That means a lot considering MY character's in it. ^_^

Fanfiction.net

Kaguya: Personally, I think this will be one of the most interesting fics I will ever write. I really like the plot and how the story is going as well. Thank you!

Nekiochan: I know I sent you an email about it, but just in case you didn't receive the email. . . Well I've never read that part of that site actually so I had no idea that you posted a challenge that was similar to the plot of my fic. My plot isn't even near that besides that fact that Kagome is a ninja sent to assassinate Sesshoumaru. But thanks for bringing that to my attention. Keep reading my fic!

Mediaminer.org

Sundragon: Hey you reviewed for this fic as well. Well since I really, really like the plot I am going to continue. If you mean Kagome and Sesshoumaru, then yes they're going to meet in this chapter so just scroll down. To answer your last question, yes Inuyasha will for sure be in this story. This wouldn't be an Inuyasha fanfic without our hanyou with his cute ears.

SeSsYs RiNcHaN: Glad you liked it! Hope I'm not asking too much if I'm asking you to review again cause I want to know if ppl are still reading this. Well wait no longer cause here's chapter 2.

debey: Wow such high ratings! Thank you! You're right. I myself have seen fics with assassination themes but most of them are set in modern times, whereas mine is set in the Warring States era. Don't worry, didn't I say in the summary that this WILL be a Sess/Kag fic? It WILL stay that way.

TwilightAngel: Hey thank you very, very, very much for reading my fics and saying they're good. Unlike many talented authors I know, I tend to find writing a little difficult coz I usually can't write anything, and I mean anything unless I'm in the mood or just had a sudden brainstorm. And even then my words don't seem to flow. But then again they do say that you're your own worst critic. :) Cool ten out of ten in everything!

Platerair Queen: Wow another full 10 out of 10 ratings! Oh when the front part says the story's updated means that the front part (meaning the part that shows with the other fics, the summary, rating, title, genre, etc) is changed in some way or that the fic is revised in some way. (I think) When a NEW chapter is added however, then the NEW message will be next to the title indicating that. Just to clear that up. I DID revise the first chapter by the way but I didn't add a second one. . . until now. :)

Cresent Moon 22000: 10 out of 10 in Enjoyment factor. . . then you must really enjoy my fic. Thanks! Don't be sorry, I get like that sometimes when I'm on sugar high! ~_^

Keep the reviews coming! If you've read some of my messages, you can probably tell that I care A LOT about reviews. I don't know if you noticed but I actually find it very, very difficult to write unless I'm in the mood or had a sudden brainstorm (such as the case with the first chapter of this fic. Anyway, I usually don't talk so much. On with the fic!

`Mission: Assassination - Terminated'

By Fenikkusu Ice

Chapter 2: First Attempt

*****

The full moon did not reflect off its full light that night as the clouds in the sky blocked the radiance of the moon. Even though the moon was now at its highest peak in the sky, the shadows and the darkness continued to roam the Western Lands.

A lone castle stood proudly on a large hill, overlooking the vast lands that was the territory that belonged to the youkai of that residence. Inside the tall stone structure, there was a courtyard. The surface of the courtyard made the area perfect for combat and training.

On this particular night, a tall, muscular figure practiced fighting with his straight sword. His smooth silvery silky hair flared out and swinging with the tilt of his head, not at all getting in the way of his training. His moves with his sword were smooth, strong, and confident, as were his stride and walk. He seemed to be battling with an invisible enemy as he continued to execute a series of swings, jumps, kicks and flips to further complicate the difficulty of his fighting style. His feet were in a rhythm, almost in a dance, if not for his youkai abilities that made the rhythm almost impossible to comprehend. To the human eye, he would be nothing but a white and silver blur that was clearly the most dangerous of them all. Even other full-blooded youkai had trouble keeping up with his speed and agility. . . and he knew it.

He was the youkai who had inherited these lands from his great and powerful father. The reason why he would train himself to no end was to prove that he was capable and worthy of this territory that so many youkai longed to claim.

This demon of a century continued his intense session, fully aware of his surroundings.

^^^^^^

The shadowed silhouette rode on her horse in the night across the Western lands to the very centre of the territory where the castle of the Western Lord was located. Her horse was very well trained; its hoofs made very little noise on the ground, whereas other horses would produce loud thundering on the earth which no doubt alerted the enemy.

The ninja finally reached the edge of the hill, where she jumped off the horse and headed towards the Lord's home. She did not have to worry about her horse. Her horse had been trained to hide and wait for her mistress's call. With the forest surrounding the castle, there were many places for the horse and a certain assassin to hide.

Kagome stealthily slid into the shadows, carefully maneuvering her way through the dense forest without making a single sound. She ran into something as hard as a solid brick wall so suddenly that she stumbled backwards, but didn't fall. Her hand cautiously reached out and then touched an invisible barrier. `No problem,' she thought as she smirked through her mask. A dark purple light emitted from her right hand as it was placed against the magical barrier. A hole seemed to melt that part, as it became large enough for Kagome to step inside. Once she did, she stopped her powers from disturbing the barrier to avoid detection and then the barrier became whole again as if she had never set foot into it.

Like at her practiced routines many times before, she crept to the darkness, concealing herself in the shadows once again. When she reached the edge of the forest, she could just make out the three youkai guards on this side of the castle. The letter she had received had told her that the three youkai were not inu youkai so their sense of smell was not as good as the Western Lord's. She would not be detected if she chose to spare their lives. No matter, she could mask her scent anyway.

Kagome waited until the guards walked out of sight, then she quietly approached the stone wall. She took out her arrow from where it was tied on her belt and used it to climb. She stuck the tip of the arrow into the holes in between the stones and used it to pull her weight while her other hand and her feet were grasping or pushing against the wall. When she reached the top, she caught a glimpse of a figure before landing gracefully on the other side. The courtyard was actually surrounded by bushes and some trees that were against the wall where she was so she was safely concealed.

Through the small light the moon provided, she observed that the tall figure had all the features that described the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands. `Good, he just made my job easier,' she thought. Due to the setting of the courtyard, it would be nearly impossible to sneak up on him without giving herself away for a surprise and soundless attack. She would not be able to kill him quickly and silently. She preferred a good fight before she killed; she enjoyed the challenge and the humiliation she would inflict on her opponent. She stepped into the exposed courtyard and waited the youkai to notice her.

Sesshoumaru had sensed that he was being watched just before he felt a presence from behind him. Turning around, he stopped his training with his sword by his side. He could clearly tell by the person's attire that she was a ninja, and no doubt sent to eliminate him by his enemies. The ninja was indeed a woman; he easily tell because of the ninja's frame.

"I know of your purpose already human. Tell me who you are and whom you work for," he said in his icy cold tone. He could just kill her with a swipe of his claws right now, but he wanted to know who would dare attempt to assassinate the great lord of the Western lands. Granted there had been many, despite the fact that he eliminated them all himself quite effortlessly.

Kagome responded, lowering her voice and repeating his tone, "It is not of your concern. You will be dead before the first rays of sunlight peek through those mountains over there." She gestured to the mountains that were on the edge of the eastern part of the western lands by tilting her head to the side.

"We'll see." With that said, he flung towards Kagome, preparing to slice her with his sword. At the last step however, the ninja moved to the right, dodging his attack with ease, and unsheathing her own sword in the process. Just as she brought her sword down to Sesshoumaru's head, he blocked it with his own, and pushed her off by using his strength. The taiyoukai took on the offensive as he delivered swipes towards her head, stomach and legs while moving forward, trying to trap her in a corner. The disguised figure proved to be skilled as she blocked, dodged or countered every one of his strikes. To his dismay, she caught onto his plan and leapt high above him so now he was the one who was closer to a corner of the courtyard, against two walls.

`Apparently I have underestimated this human,' he thought as he was now brought into the defensive with her attacking him with her sword. This amused him because she had been the most formidable opponent in battle he had seen so far. He was getting way too bored nowadays and had finally found someone worthy of his attention, although he was slightly agitated that she a human no less was able to last this long against a demon of his power. `Her speed and agility is incredible; she is no ordinary human.'

His skill and strength impressed Kagome. She had never met a lord, demon or not, who have spent as much time as he to improve his fighting skills. She was itching for a challenge and she had found it in this demon. `His skills are superior to those of others. I shall enjoy seeing the look upon his face when I defeat him,' she thought smirking.

At this time, Sesshoumaru had not been using all of his youkai speed for one purpose: to test his opponent. Kagome's smirk quickly disappeared when she realized this. `He's toying with me.'

The Western Lord inwardly grinned as he felt the ninja brought her attacks faster. `So she is infuriated,' he thought.

To any onlooker, they were both too fast though one could see that they executed series upon series of flips, kicks, punches and swipes. Neither was able to draw blood from the other although one was just toying with his opponent.

Kagome sensed another aura just before another silver-haired figure walked into the clearing. Not wishing for her fight between the Western Lord and herself to be interrupted and her victory to be spoiled, she used her miko powers to leapt far from Sesshoumaru to a corner. It didn't matter when she killed him now anyway; she still had until the next full moon, which was plenty of time. She bowed holding her sword between her hands and said in an emotionless tone, "I promise you that you will not live for much longer. Remember my name is Fenikkusu."

And with that, she threw a smoke bomb, temporary blinding the inu youkai and using her miko powers, escaped over the stone wall, and landed where her horse was waiting, galloping into the dense, dark forest.

Her smoke bomb had also one more effect: it had an irritating scent that only youkai can smell so that Sesshoumaru and the other inu youkai were greatly disturbed and distracted from her escape.

After the smoke dissipated, all Sesshoumaru had on his mind was the ninja who had impressed him with her skills in speed, agility, and intellect and repeated the name he will not forget,

"Fenikkusu."

*****

Wow! That's my longest chapter so far. Read and Review! I really need to work on my other fics now! Ja ne!

Fenikkusu Ice