InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon an Inuyoukai ❯ Of Memories Past ( Chapter 6 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Empatheia 
Inutaisho and his sad little group of allies flee the Kyuden no Inu for their lives. Oi, watch out for that...!
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.19.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 295 | Status: Work In Progress
Inutaisho and his sad little group of allies flee the Kyuden no Inu for their lives. Oi, watch out for that...!
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.19.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 295 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N- This chapter is dedicated to Of Memories Past, a fabulous writer who is unfortunately no longer gifting us with her talent. Thank you!
Editing completed January 21st
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Ch apter VI: Of Memories Past
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They made a rather sorry procession, he thought, looking back over them to the fading walls of his castle. One low-level dragon demon, probably good muscle in a fight but good for little else. One low-level toad demon, very good at organizing things and being sycophantic, but good for little else. And one human woman, a seer with a fair amount of the gift, modestly good with a bow or dagger, good for predicting dangerous situations and looking pretty. And little else. What have I come to? he wondered.
They walked in silence but for the toad's incessant chattering for a good ways through the darkening woods. The moon rose silently, silvering the branches and remaining leaves. It smelled like autumn, decaying leaves and cooling water.
Then, it smelled like salt. He suddenly became aware of her laboured breathing behind him and turned. Tears ran silently down her cheeks like mercury in the moonlight. They'd been walking for hours, and she was wounded. He gave himself another mental kick. There would indeed be a bruise on his brain.
"Don't stop on my account," she blurted, cutting him off when she saw him stop and open his mouth. "I'll be fine, let's keep going."
"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "If you keep going like this, tomorrow you won't be able to move." He knew what the best solution would be to this dilemma, but was reluctant to lower himself to it. Taiyoukai were not pack animals, and the thought of her so close made his skin itch. But it was evidently either that or stay within range of the castle for a whole night, and that was much more unpalatable. He sighed and pulled his armour off along with the great tongues of fur that identified him as inuyoukai, and tied them to the dragon. Then he knelt, feeling strangely naked, and pulled his long queue out of the way. "Get on."
She gasped. "I couldn't..."
"Now, woman. Do not try my patience. We need to get as far away from the castle as possible. This way, pressure will be off all your injuries." He knew she saw the reason, but she was still reluctant. "If you tell no one, I won't kill you for it," he promised, with a hint of humour. She sniffled, and a moment later her light form was securely esconced on his back, her chin looking over his shoulder. She's light as a feather! he noted incredulously. Why didn't I think of this earlier?
"Jaken, ride the dragon. We're going airborne." The toad scrambled to climb the dragon as Inutaisho launched for the skies. Izayoi shrieked a little, but not more than was to be expected of anyone. Her arms tightened around his chest, belaying her fear. He knew that it would not take long to dissipate, so he remained up where he was. And sure enough, within a few minutes of silent soaring her stranglehold loosened and she relaxed.
"Everything looks so tiny!" she marveled, forgetting her fear to lean out and stare down at the miniature landscape. "They're like toys!" Awe-stricken, she stared unblinking at the unfurling landscape beneath her. Her hands were still holding on to his shoulders, but only lightly, for balance.
Inutaisho, meanwhile, was trying to get used to the feeling of someone using him as a packhorse, even if it was his idea and voluntary. It wasn't the weight, his armour was heavier than her- it was more the warmth and movement that was unsettling to him. No living thing had shared his space for a hundred years, and even then it had only been one particular person. Izayoi's not-herness was deeply disturbing him.
They flew like that for a while, her infectuous joy brightening the sky like a second moon. The clouds passed by like memories.
He thought about Mai. He'd only been four hundred years old when he'd been mated to her, but demons have a long memory, and her face that first time was imprinted on his mind in silver lines and rosy shadows. He let his eyes go blank and fell backwards through two and half millenia.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvV
He smoldered in not-so-silent fury, glaring into his tall father's cold, narrowed eyes. "I was to choose! You promised I could choose my own mate, when the time came! Why have you broken your promise? And why her? You know I've never liked her, or her family. I don't understand!" He was young, and volatile, and only just beginning to be allowed to make decisions for himself. That the privilige had been taken away so soon without explanation rankled more than a little. "What about Umira? You know I only want her. I love her. She loves me. She'll be devastated if I'm forced to marry someone else." His father's impassive face face infuriated him. "Answer me!" The great golden eyes narrowed.
"Do not be an idiot," the great demon lord bit out. "First, duty comes before love for the taiyoukai. If we are to avoid war with the Iruka clan, this match is desperately needed. Secondly, you do not 'love' your little half-breed toy. She is not pureblood inuyoukai, she is tainted with wolfblood, therefore she is not suitable for you. You have had your fun. Now it is time to be a man." The tall silver form turned in the light from the open shoji. "Do not disappoint me with any more foolish rantings. You are my son. Do me proud." Tears of frustration burned in Inutaisho's eyes, but he fiercely held them back as he watched his father leave and slide the shoji shut behind him. Then he let them flow. But only for a moment. Taiyoukai do not weep. The shadow beyond the door paused.
"She is waiting in the courtyard. Do your duty." Inutaisho angrily dashed the wetness off his cheeks and stood, muscles clenched.
"Very well, Father. Your will be done." The fury was still there in his voice, but controlled. Inuseshoku lingered a moment longer, then moved off. A silent Inutaisho followed sullenly into the bright sunlight of the courtyard. He blinked a moment, and then his eyes focused and he saw her for the first time since they had both been children.
Gentle, honey coloured eyes regarded him calmly from beneath a thin veil, and suddenly all his ranting seemed childish and selfish. She stood with perfect grace, endless silver hair cloaking her shoulders, indistinguishable with the flowing white gown she wore. There were five freckles on her right cheek, but that was her only imperfection. His eyes met hers... and Urima and his 'love' for her became in a flash distant, painless memories.
Had there ever been a time when he did not love this goddess? It was more that her physical perfection- Urima had that too, all high-level youkai did. It was the golden light in her eyes, the tranquillity and warmth that flowed from them, and the deep pool of mischievous energy that lay behind the serenity. It was the way she stood, so sure of herself without being arrogant. It was the way she looked at him without the hatred that might rightfully have been there. It was the way she just was, without any falsity or deception.
"My lady Mai," he greeted her quietly. The expanse of courtyard between them had somewhen vanished. He lifted her slim, unblemished hand and pressed his lips to it. "Have you been well?" Words. Stupid, meaningless, polite words. She nodded and thanked him, but her voice was a silver rushing in his ears.
The impassive sun watched as they fell, and watched throughout the years as they stayed fallen, growing from the bottom up into a love beyond time or happenstance. The impassive sun watched... and smiled.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv V
She thought about Akira, her best friend when she was growing up. She wondered what the cougar demon was doing now. Where are you, Aki? I miss you so.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv V
"Aki, can we play somewhere else? The human smells bad." Izayoi's eyes welled. She thought she'd be used to it by now, but every comment like that threw her anew. "Why do you always hang around with her? She can't run as fast as us, or jump as high, or even fly. She's slow and boring. Come play with us, Aki, please!" They always acted like she wasn't there, like she was invisible or deaf. There was nothing in the world quite so horrible as the feeling she got when she realized nobody really liked her. She was... tolerated. That was all. She bowed her head and waited for Aki's apology and subsequent swift departure. And so, she was startled to see him standing his ground, between her and the malicious demonings, throwing his shadow protectively over her.
"She smells like flowers," Aki snarled, "and she runs plenty fast enough for me. Besides which, she's much more pleasant company than you could muster in a thousand years. So go away. We're playing." His child's voice was still deep, and vibrating with anger. Her tears spilled over. It was indescribable, the feeling of being protected, of not being alone, and she was afraid to breathe in case it shattered, like icicles in the early spring sun.. The demonlings harrumphed and fled in a pack, leaving her and Akira. He turned and knelt with her on the warm grass.
"Are you all right, Iza? They're idiots, don't listen to them." She flung her arms around his tawny neck, helpless to stop herself. Her tears flowed into his sandy hair as he held her, silent and gentle.
"Why do they hate me?" she wailed, heartbroken and uncomprehending. He smoothed small circles on her back.
"Hush, they don't, really. You're just different, is all. They don' t know how to deal with you, so they're nervous and they act all brave and snotty like that. They're not so bad if they know you and know how to act around you. We'll teach them, you and me. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe." He briskly patted her back. "There now, your nose is all runny. This is a clean tunic, my mother'll yell at you if you muck it up." She snorted and giggled despite herself. "Come on, I bet you can't beat me back to the pond!"
"Oh, how you dream!" she snuffled. "Such wild dreams." She rocketed to her feet and took off running for the pond, hearing him laugh behind her. He let her win, as always.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv V
Jaken dreamed of eating daisies. Ah-Un thought of flying.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvV
An arrow whizzing past Inutaisho's nose broke their reverie. "The border!" Jaken shrieked. "The guards are shooting at us. Aieeeee!" He scrambled to shield himself behind the bags and armour on Ah-Un's back. "Save me!" A well-aimed shot thudded into the pack bare inches from Jaken's head, and we began to weep great amphibian tears of terror.
"Damn!" Inutaisho breathed. Izayoi was silent, her breathing short and irregular, fingers dug deeply into his shoulders. He felt obscurely grateful that she did not have claws. "Hold on, woman."
"Wha....AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!" Inutaisho let go of the energy holding him up and plummeted like a stone into the safety of the trees. He dodged expertly all the reaching branches that threatened to clothesline him on his precipitous downwards path, but Izayoi saw only thousands of hard, wooden threats flying straight for her head. She screamed helplessly, trying to burrow into Inutaisho's back.
The endless descent took only a few moments, and Inutaisho landed lightly behind a good thick tree for protection. Taken unawares at the sudden cessation of movement, Izayoi fell off, landing in a vaguely sentient, shivering heap on the mossy floor. "Don't ever do that again," she whispered.
"It was that or be shot," he snapped irritably. "Live with it." She was silent, shaking with leftover terror from the close brush with death and the reminder of her own fragile mortality.
"My loooooorrrddd!" shrieked Jaken, falling from the sky to land with an unhealthy crunch in an unceremonious pile at Inutaisho's feet. Ah-Un landed seconds later, seemingly unperturbed. Izayoi threw her arms around a scaly leg and held on for dear life.
"We must move." She mutely shook her head, tightening her grasp around Ah-Un's sturdy leg. Inutaisho scowled, walked over, and hauled her bodily to her feet. "If you want to live, we must go now. If you are going to be inclined to endanger the rest of us, I will leave you here." He left unspoken how ridiculous that was, since the talisman in her belly was the whole reason they were trying to cross the border into Sakenmaru's peninsula. Thankfully, she was terrified and mentally scattered enough not to notice.
When he saw that she was not going to be of any help, he scooped her up and sprinted for the border. The guards were waiting for them in formation on their watchtower, arrows drawn. He shifted Izayoi to one arm and sliced the whistling arrows out of the air with his claws. Forty feet... thirty...twenty... ten... he could see the whites of their terrified eyes as he closed on them. They expected to die, he knew. But he was in a hurry, and didn't want to have to stop and wash the blood off.
So he bolted straight past the tower, assuming they would not have arrow-slits on the back side of their tower as the threats would presumably be coming from outside, not within their own lands. He was right, there were none- but what there was was a marching set of guards coming to relieve their compatriots, on the ground right in the path of his flight. How had he not seen them?
It was too late to dodge, or block. One vicious iron point tore into his upper leg, and another nicked Izayoi on its way into his gut. He howled, and trampled them into the dust on his way through. Must keep going! he thought, realizing that if he stopped to engage them, Izayoi would most likely pay for it with her life. His powerful legs pounded the earth as though trying to launch off into the sky- but that was too dangerous, they would be an open target that way.
A dark treeline appeared ahead. He redoubled his sprint, eating the wind. An arrow thudded (agony) into his back, and he stumbled. They hurtled into the welcoming darkness of the forest, not slowing for long minutes, until he was absolutely certain they were not being followed. Then he groaned, missed his footing, and collapsed with Izayoi beneath him. She cried out at his weight.
"Inutaisho-sama!" she cried in alarm, wriggling out from under him with difficulty. He'd at least managed to fall on his side, so that the arrows in his leg and belly did not get driven deeper in. He smelled blood, not his own, and lifted his head to see her bleeding freely from a slash in her side. Wonderful, now we are all wounded, he thought gaily, delirious with pain.
Dimly, he heard her warn him of something. Pain flowered redly in his back and he howled, blind with agony. She was pulling the arrows out. His leg was next, and the pain was worse yet, if possible. "Only one left now, hang on," she whispered, wincing audibly. And then she yanked out the shaft in his stomach, and he wished himself dead. The wounds were narrow, though deep, and he felt his body energetically working on healing them. In five minutes, perhaps, he would be able to move again.
In the distance, he heard the guards shouting to eachother as they fanned out to search for him. He swore silently, praying for a few more minutes. Izayoi was binding his throbbing wounds with strips of her haori expertly and swiftly. Blessed woman! The healing will go much faster if the wounds are protected. "Help me stand," he grated, and she obeyed immediately. She was stronger than she looked.
"Are they following?" she asked timidly, and grimaced at his nod. "K'so," she remarked blackly, and he glanced over at her in surprise. He hadn't thought her the type to swear, but she pulled it off admirably, without sounding... well, like a woman trying to swear.
Ah-Un and Jaken finally caught up, rather arrow-riddled themselves. Thankfully, the arrows in Ah-Un's hide had not penetrated very deeply, and the one in Jaken's shoulder was a simple matter to extract and bind. Inutaisho kept a hand clapped over his mouth to muffle his woeful wails and shrieks until she was finished. The guards were very close now.
At his signal, she hopped onto his back and they took off, slowed considerably by their collective injuries but still much faster than the human guards. The forest swallowed them without a trace, and they changed direction to head for the Southlord's castle.
They were now in the Southern Lands... hostile territory. He prayed to whatever was listening that they could make it to Sakenmaru's castle before the guards raised the alarm- he was strong, but twenty-five thousand furious youkai could overwhelm even him. He tucked his head and ran faster, valiantly ignoring the bonfires festering in his flesh where the arrows had been.
The heart of the woods welcomed them with open arms, coating them in shadows and silence.
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^_^ I'm so vicious... Hope you like the edited version better, it's less sketchy than the original. And more plausible, I think. Review review review! Flames are welcome, I love a good laugh!
Editing completed January 21st
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Ch apter VI: Of Memories Past
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They made a rather sorry procession, he thought, looking back over them to the fading walls of his castle. One low-level dragon demon, probably good muscle in a fight but good for little else. One low-level toad demon, very good at organizing things and being sycophantic, but good for little else. And one human woman, a seer with a fair amount of the gift, modestly good with a bow or dagger, good for predicting dangerous situations and looking pretty. And little else. What have I come to? he wondered.
They walked in silence but for the toad's incessant chattering for a good ways through the darkening woods. The moon rose silently, silvering the branches and remaining leaves. It smelled like autumn, decaying leaves and cooling water.
Then, it smelled like salt. He suddenly became aware of her laboured breathing behind him and turned. Tears ran silently down her cheeks like mercury in the moonlight. They'd been walking for hours, and she was wounded. He gave himself another mental kick. There would indeed be a bruise on his brain.
"Don't stop on my account," she blurted, cutting him off when she saw him stop and open his mouth. "I'll be fine, let's keep going."
"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "If you keep going like this, tomorrow you won't be able to move." He knew what the best solution would be to this dilemma, but was reluctant to lower himself to it. Taiyoukai were not pack animals, and the thought of her so close made his skin itch. But it was evidently either that or stay within range of the castle for a whole night, and that was much more unpalatable. He sighed and pulled his armour off along with the great tongues of fur that identified him as inuyoukai, and tied them to the dragon. Then he knelt, feeling strangely naked, and pulled his long queue out of the way. "Get on."
She gasped. "I couldn't..."
"Now, woman. Do not try my patience. We need to get as far away from the castle as possible. This way, pressure will be off all your injuries." He knew she saw the reason, but she was still reluctant. "If you tell no one, I won't kill you for it," he promised, with a hint of humour. She sniffled, and a moment later her light form was securely esconced on his back, her chin looking over his shoulder. She's light as a feather! he noted incredulously. Why didn't I think of this earlier?
"Jaken, ride the dragon. We're going airborne." The toad scrambled to climb the dragon as Inutaisho launched for the skies. Izayoi shrieked a little, but not more than was to be expected of anyone. Her arms tightened around his chest, belaying her fear. He knew that it would not take long to dissipate, so he remained up where he was. And sure enough, within a few minutes of silent soaring her stranglehold loosened and she relaxed.
"Everything looks so tiny!" she marveled, forgetting her fear to lean out and stare down at the miniature landscape. "They're like toys!" Awe-stricken, she stared unblinking at the unfurling landscape beneath her. Her hands were still holding on to his shoulders, but only lightly, for balance.
Inutaisho, meanwhile, was trying to get used to the feeling of someone using him as a packhorse, even if it was his idea and voluntary. It wasn't the weight, his armour was heavier than her- it was more the warmth and movement that was unsettling to him. No living thing had shared his space for a hundred years, and even then it had only been one particular person. Izayoi's not-herness was deeply disturbing him.
They flew like that for a while, her infectuous joy brightening the sky like a second moon. The clouds passed by like memories.
He thought about Mai. He'd only been four hundred years old when he'd been mated to her, but demons have a long memory, and her face that first time was imprinted on his mind in silver lines and rosy shadows. He let his eyes go blank and fell backwards through two and half millenia.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvV
He smoldered in not-so-silent fury, glaring into his tall father's cold, narrowed eyes. "I was to choose! You promised I could choose my own mate, when the time came! Why have you broken your promise? And why her? You know I've never liked her, or her family. I don't understand!" He was young, and volatile, and only just beginning to be allowed to make decisions for himself. That the privilige had been taken away so soon without explanation rankled more than a little. "What about Umira? You know I only want her. I love her. She loves me. She'll be devastated if I'm forced to marry someone else." His father's impassive face face infuriated him. "Answer me!" The great golden eyes narrowed.
"Do not be an idiot," the great demon lord bit out. "First, duty comes before love for the taiyoukai. If we are to avoid war with the Iruka clan, this match is desperately needed. Secondly, you do not 'love' your little half-breed toy. She is not pureblood inuyoukai, she is tainted with wolfblood, therefore she is not suitable for you. You have had your fun. Now it is time to be a man." The tall silver form turned in the light from the open shoji. "Do not disappoint me with any more foolish rantings. You are my son. Do me proud." Tears of frustration burned in Inutaisho's eyes, but he fiercely held them back as he watched his father leave and slide the shoji shut behind him. Then he let them flow. But only for a moment. Taiyoukai do not weep. The shadow beyond the door paused.
"She is waiting in the courtyard. Do your duty." Inutaisho angrily dashed the wetness off his cheeks and stood, muscles clenched.
"Very well, Father. Your will be done." The fury was still there in his voice, but controlled. Inuseshoku lingered a moment longer, then moved off. A silent Inutaisho followed sullenly into the bright sunlight of the courtyard. He blinked a moment, and then his eyes focused and he saw her for the first time since they had both been children.
Gentle, honey coloured eyes regarded him calmly from beneath a thin veil, and suddenly all his ranting seemed childish and selfish. She stood with perfect grace, endless silver hair cloaking her shoulders, indistinguishable with the flowing white gown she wore. There were five freckles on her right cheek, but that was her only imperfection. His eyes met hers... and Urima and his 'love' for her became in a flash distant, painless memories.
Had there ever been a time when he did not love this goddess? It was more that her physical perfection- Urima had that too, all high-level youkai did. It was the golden light in her eyes, the tranquillity and warmth that flowed from them, and the deep pool of mischievous energy that lay behind the serenity. It was the way she stood, so sure of herself without being arrogant. It was the way she looked at him without the hatred that might rightfully have been there. It was the way she just was, without any falsity or deception.
"My lady Mai," he greeted her quietly. The expanse of courtyard between them had somewhen vanished. He lifted her slim, unblemished hand and pressed his lips to it. "Have you been well?" Words. Stupid, meaningless, polite words. She nodded and thanked him, but her voice was a silver rushing in his ears.
The impassive sun watched as they fell, and watched throughout the years as they stayed fallen, growing from the bottom up into a love beyond time or happenstance. The impassive sun watched... and smiled.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv V
She thought about Akira, her best friend when she was growing up. She wondered what the cougar demon was doing now. Where are you, Aki? I miss you so.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv V
"Aki, can we play somewhere else? The human smells bad." Izayoi's eyes welled. She thought she'd be used to it by now, but every comment like that threw her anew. "Why do you always hang around with her? She can't run as fast as us, or jump as high, or even fly. She's slow and boring. Come play with us, Aki, please!" They always acted like she wasn't there, like she was invisible or deaf. There was nothing in the world quite so horrible as the feeling she got when she realized nobody really liked her. She was... tolerated. That was all. She bowed her head and waited for Aki's apology and subsequent swift departure. And so, she was startled to see him standing his ground, between her and the malicious demonings, throwing his shadow protectively over her.
"She smells like flowers," Aki snarled, "and she runs plenty fast enough for me. Besides which, she's much more pleasant company than you could muster in a thousand years. So go away. We're playing." His child's voice was still deep, and vibrating with anger. Her tears spilled over. It was indescribable, the feeling of being protected, of not being alone, and she was afraid to breathe in case it shattered, like icicles in the early spring sun.. The demonlings harrumphed and fled in a pack, leaving her and Akira. He turned and knelt with her on the warm grass.
"Are you all right, Iza? They're idiots, don't listen to them." She flung her arms around his tawny neck, helpless to stop herself. Her tears flowed into his sandy hair as he held her, silent and gentle.
"Why do they hate me?" she wailed, heartbroken and uncomprehending. He smoothed small circles on her back.
"Hush, they don't, really. You're just different, is all. They don' t know how to deal with you, so they're nervous and they act all brave and snotty like that. They're not so bad if they know you and know how to act around you. We'll teach them, you and me. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe." He briskly patted her back. "There now, your nose is all runny. This is a clean tunic, my mother'll yell at you if you muck it up." She snorted and giggled despite herself. "Come on, I bet you can't beat me back to the pond!"
"Oh, how you dream!" she snuffled. "Such wild dreams." She rocketed to her feet and took off running for the pond, hearing him laugh behind her. He let her win, as always.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv V
Jaken dreamed of eating daisies. Ah-Un thought of flying.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvV
An arrow whizzing past Inutaisho's nose broke their reverie. "The border!" Jaken shrieked. "The guards are shooting at us. Aieeeee!" He scrambled to shield himself behind the bags and armour on Ah-Un's back. "Save me!" A well-aimed shot thudded into the pack bare inches from Jaken's head, and we began to weep great amphibian tears of terror.
"Damn!" Inutaisho breathed. Izayoi was silent, her breathing short and irregular, fingers dug deeply into his shoulders. He felt obscurely grateful that she did not have claws. "Hold on, woman."
"Wha....AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!" Inutaisho let go of the energy holding him up and plummeted like a stone into the safety of the trees. He dodged expertly all the reaching branches that threatened to clothesline him on his precipitous downwards path, but Izayoi saw only thousands of hard, wooden threats flying straight for her head. She screamed helplessly, trying to burrow into Inutaisho's back.
The endless descent took only a few moments, and Inutaisho landed lightly behind a good thick tree for protection. Taken unawares at the sudden cessation of movement, Izayoi fell off, landing in a vaguely sentient, shivering heap on the mossy floor. "Don't ever do that again," she whispered.
"It was that or be shot," he snapped irritably. "Live with it." She was silent, shaking with leftover terror from the close brush with death and the reminder of her own fragile mortality.
"My loooooorrrddd!" shrieked Jaken, falling from the sky to land with an unhealthy crunch in an unceremonious pile at Inutaisho's feet. Ah-Un landed seconds later, seemingly unperturbed. Izayoi threw her arms around a scaly leg and held on for dear life.
"We must move." She mutely shook her head, tightening her grasp around Ah-Un's sturdy leg. Inutaisho scowled, walked over, and hauled her bodily to her feet. "If you want to live, we must go now. If you are going to be inclined to endanger the rest of us, I will leave you here." He left unspoken how ridiculous that was, since the talisman in her belly was the whole reason they were trying to cross the border into Sakenmaru's peninsula. Thankfully, she was terrified and mentally scattered enough not to notice.
When he saw that she was not going to be of any help, he scooped her up and sprinted for the border. The guards were waiting for them in formation on their watchtower, arrows drawn. He shifted Izayoi to one arm and sliced the whistling arrows out of the air with his claws. Forty feet... thirty...twenty... ten... he could see the whites of their terrified eyes as he closed on them. They expected to die, he knew. But he was in a hurry, and didn't want to have to stop and wash the blood off.
So he bolted straight past the tower, assuming they would not have arrow-slits on the back side of their tower as the threats would presumably be coming from outside, not within their own lands. He was right, there were none- but what there was was a marching set of guards coming to relieve their compatriots, on the ground right in the path of his flight. How had he not seen them?
It was too late to dodge, or block. One vicious iron point tore into his upper leg, and another nicked Izayoi on its way into his gut. He howled, and trampled them into the dust on his way through. Must keep going! he thought, realizing that if he stopped to engage them, Izayoi would most likely pay for it with her life. His powerful legs pounded the earth as though trying to launch off into the sky- but that was too dangerous, they would be an open target that way.
A dark treeline appeared ahead. He redoubled his sprint, eating the wind. An arrow thudded (agony) into his back, and he stumbled. They hurtled into the welcoming darkness of the forest, not slowing for long minutes, until he was absolutely certain they were not being followed. Then he groaned, missed his footing, and collapsed with Izayoi beneath him. She cried out at his weight.
"Inutaisho-sama!" she cried in alarm, wriggling out from under him with difficulty. He'd at least managed to fall on his side, so that the arrows in his leg and belly did not get driven deeper in. He smelled blood, not his own, and lifted his head to see her bleeding freely from a slash in her side. Wonderful, now we are all wounded, he thought gaily, delirious with pain.
Dimly, he heard her warn him of something. Pain flowered redly in his back and he howled, blind with agony. She was pulling the arrows out. His leg was next, and the pain was worse yet, if possible. "Only one left now, hang on," she whispered, wincing audibly. And then she yanked out the shaft in his stomach, and he wished himself dead. The wounds were narrow, though deep, and he felt his body energetically working on healing them. In five minutes, perhaps, he would be able to move again.
In the distance, he heard the guards shouting to eachother as they fanned out to search for him. He swore silently, praying for a few more minutes. Izayoi was binding his throbbing wounds with strips of her haori expertly and swiftly. Blessed woman! The healing will go much faster if the wounds are protected. "Help me stand," he grated, and she obeyed immediately. She was stronger than she looked.
"Are they following?" she asked timidly, and grimaced at his nod. "K'so," she remarked blackly, and he glanced over at her in surprise. He hadn't thought her the type to swear, but she pulled it off admirably, without sounding... well, like a woman trying to swear.
Ah-Un and Jaken finally caught up, rather arrow-riddled themselves. Thankfully, the arrows in Ah-Un's hide had not penetrated very deeply, and the one in Jaken's shoulder was a simple matter to extract and bind. Inutaisho kept a hand clapped over his mouth to muffle his woeful wails and shrieks until she was finished. The guards were very close now.
At his signal, she hopped onto his back and they took off, slowed considerably by their collective injuries but still much faster than the human guards. The forest swallowed them without a trace, and they changed direction to head for the Southlord's castle.
They were now in the Southern Lands... hostile territory. He prayed to whatever was listening that they could make it to Sakenmaru's castle before the guards raised the alarm- he was strong, but twenty-five thousand furious youkai could overwhelm even him. He tucked his head and ran faster, valiantly ignoring the bonfires festering in his flesh where the arrows had been.
The heart of the woods welcomed them with open arms, coating them in shadows and silence.
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^_^ I'm so vicious... Hope you like the edited version better, it's less sketchy than the original. And more plausible, I think. Review review review! Flames are welcome, I love a good laugh!