InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Soul Exodus ❯ Chapter 15: =Reawaken The Lost Pride - Part 2= ( Chapter 15 )

Written by: Zelix

 

A/N: Okay, here is the Beta-read version, enjoy!

 

 

Once again: BIG thanks for Osuwari00 for being my beta reader on this one and I MEAN BIG THANKS! I truly appreciate you for being so patient while I'm being such a lazy ass… big thanks, I mean it.

 

 

Now, here is the action filled chapter, took a lot out of me to make it so please enjoy it and review it, okay? Now… read, enjoy and review. Oh yes, if someone is wondering about what the name of the chapter has to do with anything that's going on, you'll see the reason soon.

 

 

WARNINGS: We will get a very deep picture about what Arcerdo feels and thinks during fighting, so get ready for some serious character depth. Next chapter will have lots of blood and death, so be prepared.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's related to Inuyasha, I do own Arc though and if someone intends to copy him without my permission I'll F*** you up!

 

 

“Talking”

`Thinking'

[Check the bottom for details]

*Flashback/Switch in Time or place*

=Used when mentioning a technique, attack or something important=

 

 

If this was a TV series:

 

Opening: Chihiro Yonekura - Butterfly kiss

Ending: Hikaru no go - Bokura no boken

 

 

 

 

Time Soul Exodus

 

 

Chapter 15: =Reawaken the Lost Pride - Part 2=

 

 

*Within the forest of Inuyasha, overlooking the village*

 

 

Heitaro, the mysterious… yet bald… Youkai who we met a little while back (Chapter 8: =Dying village= and Chapter 9: =Priests and Demons=), was currently standing on a branch of the many trees around him and had an excellent vantage point to the massacre that was about to start.

 

 

He thought to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose and keeping his eyes closed: `I knew we should not have given a brute like Kedaru his powers… what was master thinking when he/she/it decided to give that vermin this level of power? Look at him, he was specifically told not to draw attention but now, instead of doing that he is turning his simple little mission into a massacre, great…'

 

 

Then Heitaro felt and saw the barrier around the village shatter and also felt Kedaru's You-ki flaring until it died down again. `So now it would start eh? This little show of ruthless killing…'

 

 

Heitaro then sighed and opened his eyes to look at the village, then he said to himself: “Oh well, I was told to simply gather information about the `stranger' (Refers to Arcerdo) who appeared here without my master noticing… oh well, even though this stranger has had some luck against a few warrior insects, he doesn't stand a chance against a whole army of them…”

 

 

As the screams of panic and terror began to fill the village and the smell of blood began to hit his nose, he finished with a small smile: “But then again, it will be quite entertaining to see him try and do it, fight the insect army that is…”

 

 

*Back where Arcerdo is… along with a big, stinking and lethal looking warrior insect*

 

 

`Okay, this is not what I imagined to be doing at my dying moment: To stare with a stupid expression as a big-ass warrior insect cuts me in half, nope, not at all what I would have expected to do at my dying moment.' This was the only thought that ran through Arc's mind as he saw the warrior insect in front of him, it's sickle like arm coming down to cut him in half and fast… yet in his eyes, it was all happening with agonizing slowness and, even though it sounds cliché, He saw his life passing before his eyes and for the first time in a long while he thought to himself: `Boy, my life truly DID suck… god, what kind of a loser have been for 18 long years? Though… the last year was kind of groovy, thanks to my mate…'

 

 

Arc wanted to move though, he seriously wanted to move out of the way but… his body wouldn't react. He still hadn't fully recovered from that little `vision' he just had and well because of that his body wouldn't listen to what his mind was telling it to do. If that wasn't the case he could have easily dodged it…

 

 

He didn't feel anything at the moment, he knew he was going to die and yet he couldn't feel anything… he guessed it was because his mind hadn't fully recovered from the vision yet as well, though, when the sickle was coming closer and closer with an agonizing slowness, his mind replayed the image of the little girl from his vision: How she played with the wind, how happy she looked and how delighted she had become when she waved at him and shouted: “Daddy!”.

 

 

`Daddy… daddy…' that word kept echoing in his head as the sickle like arm was now dangerously close to his body, yet he still couldn't move or feel anything… He wanted to move, wanted to fight, he didn't want to die… he wanted to live, wanted to get up, he wanted to know if that vision had been a dream or a glimpse from a possible future, he wanted to know and to know it he had to move… RIGHT NOW!!

 

 

Then, as that thought passed through Arc's head, his body suddenly and without warning managed to once again do what his mind was telling it to do… and in the nick of time too! When the sickle-like arm was almost upon him, he suddenly leaned back on the ground and saw as the sickle blade of the insects arm passed just a few inches above his face, if he had hesitated just a fraction of a second longer… he didn't want to think about that, that had been simply TOO close.

 

 

The insect then prepared to strike again but before it could take a proper attacking pose, three arrows flew through the air and hit the insect in its eye, neck and chest in a combo sequence with immense speed and rate. Before the insect had time to make any kind of sounds of pain, the arrows glowed with holy powers and the insect was completely incinerated as a flash of pink/white light burst from the arrows.

 

 

As Arc quickly got up to his feet, the scent of the incinerating insect youkai's flesh hit Arcs nose and… well, it really stank… though that thought was quickly pushed out from his mind when he heard the familiar voice Sumira shouting: “Heads up Arc, two more to your right!” He quickly looked to his right and saw two scout insects coming at him with immense speed with their stingers ready to stab him. He quickly rolled to his left, avoiding them both really narrowly… when they passed him, he could feel the wind that followed from their passing, not to mention his heart was beating rapidly from the sudden rush of adrenalin within his body.

 

 

As he rolled, Arc began to frantically think: `What the hell is going on?! Where did these insects come from all of a sudden?!? Wasn't there supposed to be a barrier…?!' As he got up again and saw the insects getting ready to attack him again, he noticed that he couldn't sense the barrier around them anymore… had it been broken? How…? When…?

 

 

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't see the insects coming until it was too late to dodge them. Fear gripped his heart as he saw their approach in slow motion, their stingers coming closer and closer with poison dripping from them and because he was so focused on them, he could practically smell the foul, acid like stench of the poison they were oozing with… for the briefest instant it made him nauseous.

 

 

But then, just like with the warrior insect, arrows flew out of nowhere yet again, one for each scout and just like before: They hit with immense accuracy and speed right into the necks of the scouts and they too were vaporized in a flash of holy power… though this time, some of the vaporizing flesh hit Arc on the face which, least to say, stank like rotting pile of flesh… eww… lucky for him though, they disintegrated before leaving a mark on him, only the stench.

 

 

To say Arc was in a slight state of shock was an understatement, this had all happened so fast: The vision, barrier suddenly breaking and three insects attacking out of nowhere, so yeah… his mind was a bit tangled up right now.

 

 

Though, that state of shock was broken when his ears picked up something… a sound… just one but it was coming closer and fast, then the smell… oh no!

 

 

Arc looked behind him and saw Sumira standing in front of Renko and Chizu with her bow and arrows ready. She was also looking around frantically to make sure if there were anymore insects around… and that was when Arc spotted it and began to run towards them with his Youkai speed while his eyes hardened and locked onto something.

 

 

*With Sumira, Renko and Chizu*

 

 

Sumira had just destroyed the two scout insects that had been about to attack Arc and even the warrior insect before those two, briefly she wondered what Arc was doing… being a quarter Youkai would mean he should have been able to sense, hear or even smell them coming but instead he had been sitting there like a brain-dead zombie while those insects had snuck up on him without him noticing them at all.

 

 

But she hadn't had time to think about that, instead she thought to herself: `I was right, when the barrier collapsed and the first insects arrived, instead of attacking the village they headed right towards this field. I figured they were after Chizu and Arc and it seems like I was right… It seems like I got here just in time as well, had I been just a few seconds later, I dread to think what would have happened.'

 

 

Sumira then quickly looked behind her to make sure Chizu and Renko were alright and much to her relief, they were… Renko was kneeling in front of Chizu and held her to herself tightly. The little girl was scared and Sumira couldn't blame her… to be honest, she was afraid as well, sure she'd had some scuffles with the insects before the Moon priests had put up the barrier but now… now it was different, right now the insects seemed to be coming with everything they had instead of just some small raiding groups attacking and… she couldn't help but feel that there was still something more coming, something far more powerful than these warriors and scouts…

 

 

Then Sumira saw and heard Arc coming towards her as he shouted: “Sumira, get down!!” At first she had been shocked to see how fast Arc was moving, he was moving so fast that he was leaving after-images of himself behind! Yet, as his words registered in her head, she quickly looked to her right and saw another warrior insect right next to her, ready to kill her with a downward slash with it's sickle-like arm… Damn! She must have missed it while making sure if Renko and Chizu were alright!

 

 

If she was a normal person, she would have fallen to the insects attack but she wasn't a normal person, no, she was a battle-hardened Priestess/Miko so instead of giving into the sudden fear that crept up into her heart, she quickly side-stepped away from the insects attack and saw as it's sickle-like arm went into the ground at the spot she had stood and couldn't help but be slightly amazed by the pure power of these insect Youkai. It's arm went so deep into the earth so quickly… she dreaded to think what would have happened if it had actually HIT her.

 

 

Then, before the insect could pull its sickle from the earth, or Sumira could ready her bow, something closely resembling a blur ran past the insect and it stopped moving completely for a short moment… before its arms and head fell off simultaneously, leaving behind wounds that had burned shut. Then the insect fell down onto its stomach and twitched violently for a few moments before stopping completely and Sumira felt it's You-ki disappearing completely… it was dead alright.

 

 

Behind the insect, Arc had stopped with both his swords drawn while still in their sheaths and had left behind small skidding marks when he had stopped moving. He had been moving so fast that in order to stop he had to bury his feet deep enough into the earth to leave skid marks and Sumira could feel his holy powers flowing through the sheathed swords, power that was so intense that it was no surprise that the insect had died so fast.

 

 

But that wasn't what Sumira was currently shocked and amazed about, no, what she was amazed about right now was the way Arc had moved. From what she knew, movement like the one Arc had used, leaving after-images of himself was something not even a handful of Youkai could do… the last Youkai that had moved like that in battle had been from what Sumira could remember, none other than the former [Tai-Youkai] of the Western Lands, Lord Sesshoumaru, the first son of the legendary Inu Tai-Youkai, Inutaisho, and also the strongest Youkai to have lived before disappearing after the Youkai war began.

 

 

Sumira quickly thought to herself as she kept looking between the insect Youkai and Arcerdo: `That speed… how, how could Arc move so fast? I didn't even see a trace of him when he passed the insect and not only did he kill the insect but he had done it by slashing it three times almost simultaneously! Not to mention, those cuts aren't only lethal but the way they were made… no swordsman without great experience could cut them so precisely or neatly and I saw how Arc held a sword during his little training session, he held it like a beginner would but… now that I look at him more closely, the way he holds his swords has changed! Not to mention, why is his presence and demeanour suddenly so… cold? What is going on?'

 

 

*Back with Arc*

 

 

Arc was squeezing his two swords, Tetsusaiga and Toukijin VERY tightly right now… he had seen the insect coming at Sumira and it didn't take a genius to figure out what it had intended to do to her… and because of the vision he had had a moment ago, his mind hadn't been in total control of his instincts yet so his control had slipped slightly when he realised that Sumira was in trouble and it allowed his Youkai blood to almost take over.

 

 

That's why he had moved so fast, his instincts had screamed at him to kill the insect and he did kill it, yet now, now his instincts refused to settle down! They were screaming and clawing in his mind, they could feel enemies everywhere and wanted nothing more but to kill each and every one of them… but Arc didn't know what it meant by enemies exactly so he couldn't risk going out of control, because for all he knew, the enemies could be the villagers themselves as well.

 

 

So right now, he was gripping the swords really tightly while keeping his eyes screwed shut and kept gritting his teeth together as well, all the while repeating in his this in his head: `I will not become a monster… I will not become a monster…' After a moment of this, he could feel his instincts settling down as his mind began to gain control of them again, then, that voice he had heard… his Youkai blood spoke to him briefly: {*Whew*… That was close, wouldn't you agree? You better watch yourself more carefully you little weakling, for next time you might not be able to stop at all, you are not yet ready… or better yet, I doubt you'll EVER be ready to go that deep into your own instincts yet, so watch it, pansy.}

 

 

Arc didn't retort to that one, that voice was right, while he could control his instincts and Youkai blood to a small degree…what he had just experienced had been the deeper end of it and well, he definitely did NOT want to go there again for a few years at least. When his instincts settled down again, he slowly opened his eyes and thought to himself: `Damn, I'm so damn weak! I was almost killed again… and I almost went out of control to boot! Damn it… I MUST become stronger than this, I must find a way to become stronger so I won't have to risk going berserk ever again. Though for now, I must just make do with what I have, I just hope it will be enough… at least enough so I won't have to use… =[That skill]=…'

 

 

Arc then opened his eyes slowly and his muscles slowly relaxing and he took a slow, deep inhale of breath before slowly exhaling it… his body settled down from the adrenalin high it had been on. Then he looked back at Sumira and Renko, they both held a rather… large shock in their eyes as they both stared at him… damn, they must have seen him change slightly and well, it was no surprise that they had such shock written all over their faces, thank the gods though that Chizu hadn't seen it, since her head was still buried within her mothers chest and scent of fear was coming out of her in waves… He was glad Chizu hadn't seen his little change just now, the last thing he wanted was for her to be scared of him right now.

 

 

He smiled a bit sadly at Renko and Sumira, his eyes now holding shame and uncertainty in them, as if not sure what to say right now.

 

 

This silence felt like an eternity while in reality it didn't last even 10 second, though for Arc, it felt like he was waiting for the hammer to fall or something.

 

 

Then, the silence was broken when a hesitant and tiny voice spoke out: “Did… did Arc-sama make… make the monsters go away?” All their attention was now focused on the source of the voice, Chizu, who looked between Renko, Sumira and Arc with scared yet hopeful eyes.

 

 

Those eyes, so trusting and hopeful… they made both Renko and Sumira feel relieved again, they hated to admit it but… at the moment they had seen Arc's rather sudden, brief and dramatic change just now, they had felt more fear of him than they had felt against the insects or the Moon priests, there had just been something cold and… frighteningly powerful radiating from him on that brief moment, yet, hearing Chizu's voice and seeing the hopeful and trusting look in her eyes, it made that fear wash away because… well, it just did, it must have been the fact that Chizu, who wouldn't trust anyone besides her mother had so much innocent trust in Arcerdo.

 

 

Renko was the one who responded to her daughters words with a warm voice: “Yes, Arc… -sama… (She grinned as she noticed his eye brow twitch from annoyance) and Sumira made the monsters go away, it's okay now.” All three of them knew that was a lie, there was sure to be a whole lot more of them, these had merely been a scout force before the real attack wave would hit… yet, how could they NOT lie to her for now? She was so frightened right now, so they just couldn't help but to say that small lie to her.

 

 

Arc had seen their faces soften and hearing Chizu's words and seeing the effect it had on the two women, he felt the tension in his body and heart leaving completely and he began to walk towards them with a warm smile on his face, his eyes reflecting the relief he felt at that moment.

 

 

Then, after Chizu heard her mother's words, the hesitance she had felt died down and she wiggled out of her mothers embrace and ran straight to Arc and after her tiny hands had taken a firm grip of him, she said with a happy voice: “I knew it! Arc-sama (He groaned) truly is a big guardian dog!” She had no idea how dead right those words were… if she only knew.

 

 

Arc, Sumira and Renko couldn't help but look at Chizu with a smile, this little girl was quite amazing… not only had she somehow given Arc the ability to dream, even if for only one night, and now she had dispelled the anxious atmosphere that had been here a moment ago…

 

 

Though, this peaceful moment was broken when a villager came running to the fields. The first thing that both Sumira and Arc noticed was that his entire demeanour was full of fear and terror. Chizu too noticed that her `hero's' face had gone serious and she knew quite well what that face meant… she had seen it in the forest when he had saved her for the first time and because of that she knew that Arc was now serious, so she released her arms from around him and ran to her mother instead, not wanting to get in the way.

 

 

The villager was one of the few young men that were left in the village, upon arrival he was panting and said between his rapid intakes of breath: “Priestess… Sumira-san… the… the… village… it's…” Sumira had during this time and walked in front of the young man and after placing her hand on his shoulder and helping him catch his breath, she asked calmly: “Hanataro-kun (The villagers name, some of you might recognise it from somewhere but I swear it is pure coincidence), calm down… what has happened to the village?”

 

 

The young man, now known as Hanataro, answered with panic in his eyes: “Sumira-san, the village is under heavy attack by the insects! They attacked in swarms and they've cut off all the paths out of the village! We need help!” Hearing this, Arc looked back at Chizu and Renko, thinking rapidly: `So the main attack wave has arrived… shit, this is bad, it is obvious they are after Chizu but why? Has it something to do with her having two different eye colours? Well, that is the not the problem right now, right now the village is in danger… what to do…? Think, think you stupid idiot! Where could the villagers gather, where there is a building large enough to fit them and at the same time easy to defend? Hmm… Ah, I got an idea, it's not the best possible one but it's all I have!'

 

 

As he finished his thoughts, he turned to Sumira and said: “Sumira-san, the insects are not attacking randomly this time, this attack wave is meant to be the last one… which means they are coming at as with everything they have and they will not stop until they get what they want.”

 

 

Sumira heard his words and could only nod, this attack had the sort of `final' feeling in it and also because the barrier had been shattered it could only mean that they were not just testing the grounds anymore, they were coming at them with lethal intents this time.

 

 

Arc then walked forward a bit so he could face all of them, Renko, Chizu, Sumira and Hanataro at once and said with a very serious voice: “Alright, since this is the real attack wave, we must get all the villagers we can to a safe location that's big enough to hold them and easy to defend at the same time… and the only building I can think of for that is the shrine where the Shikon no Tama used to be guarded. We must get the villagers there, put a barrier around it and repel these insects once and for all.”

 

 

“So, here's what we will do: Hanataro, you come back to the village with me and help me get the people to the shrine safely. Sumira, you take both Renko and Chizu to the shrine and make a barrier around because when the villager's start coming in the insects will be right behind them, so the barrier must be in place before then. I will head to the village and hold the insects while Hanataro here will round up the villagers and lead them to the shrine… any questions?”

 

 

There was a silence, they had heard his words and even though Sumira wanted to protest, she couldn't find the voice to do it… his words made sense, she was right now the only one with experience to create a barrier strong enough to hold the insects, at least to some degree, and the insects main targets must be at the moment both Chizu and Arc. If Arc goes into the village and fights them he might be able to buy enough time for the villagers to reach the shrine and Hanataro knew the path there better than anyone in the village.

 

 

Yet, what about the Moon priests?

 

 

Arc, as if expecting that question answered it before it could be voiced: “As for the Moon priests… I don't trust them but… I'm sure they will escort the villagers to the shrine. They might be creepy and cold but their duty is clearly to protect this village and its people so they have no choice but to do it, at least that's what I think anyway.”

 

 

There was another silence before Sumira nodded and said: “Alright, I understand. I will leave the villagers in your and Hanataro's hands, just make sure you don't get hurt by the insects. While the scouts poison is curable by the berries, the warrior insects poison is completely different… since it doesn't poison the body but instead it dissolves anything it touches, skin, bone, flesh, clothes… even armour, so make sure you're carefully, alright?”

 

 

Hanataro didn't like how this conversation had went, he was scared to go back to the village but he was quite uncertain about going back there with Arcerdo…he was one of the people who didn't quite know what to think of Arc, so he was still neutral about him, yet, since Sumira already had agreed to the plan he'd come up with, he would have to just trust Arc about being right, he didn't like it though.

 

 

Renko also knew why Arc had come up with this plan, she knew full well that the insects were somehow being drawn to her daughter… Arc must know it as well, since he had told Sumira, who knew the area around here better than he did to take her and Chizu to the shrine first, effectively making sure that the insects wouldn't be able to come after her daughter, at least not immediately anyway. She had to admit, Arc was pretty sharp for his age, not to mention a quick thinker too… both signs of a natural born warrior, she should know, she had been married to one.

 

 

After hearing Sumira's warning words, Arc had pieced together the puzzle about why the warrior insects poison had smelled different than the scouts… so it was a dissolving type eh? He had to be very careful about it then, since even though the fire rat kimono he wore was tough, it wasn't resistant to dissolving liquids. Sure it would take a moment to get through, but not that long.

 

 

He then nodded and said to Sumira: “See you at the shrine then, be careful… the insects are coming in fast and will soon be everywhere around us, so make haste and be careful.” Without waiting for a reply, he began to run towards the village and Hanataro began to follow a few seconds later, leaving Sumira to look after Chizu and Renko.

 

 

As Sumira helped Renko to her feet, Chizu asked with hesitant eyes and voice: “Is… Arc-sama going to fight the monsters?” Sumira thought to herself quickly: `Arc… he truly is something else. Not only is he going to fight for people he has met only recently, but he is also risking his own life now to help them… knowing that if he dies, his mate will die as well, yet he still is going to risk death like this… I wonder, does he even know how dangerous the situation can get? Maybe he does, maybe not… but there is one thing I will believe in…'

 

 

Sumira then answered Chizu's question while readying her bow and arrows for the trip ahead with a smile and confident voice: “… Yes, he is going to fight them… and he is going to win, so don't worry Chizu.” At those words, Chizu smiled and all three of them started the trip to the shrine, knowing it wouldn't be easy to get there, yet they had to get there.

 

 

Sumira thought quickly before they entered the small woods around them: `… That is what I believe in, I believe that despite the dangers and how much the odds are against him, he will win… I just know it and that's why I believe in him, he just has that kind of an aura around him.'

 

 

To be continued…

 

 

“The true battle begins now…

 

I am now risking my life to help these people…

 

I keep asking myself why, why do I risk my life for these people…

 

… Yet the answer won't come, so instead I have to find it, the hard way.” - Arcerdo Higurashi

 

 

 

Next chapter: =Reawaken The Lost Pride - Part 3=

 

 

 

[Tai-Youkai]: I'm pretty sure I've explained this before but just in case someone doesn't know yet… a Tai-Youkai is used to address a lord class Youkai, such as Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho, you could say they are the royalty of the Youkai race and therefore immensely powerful, perhaps even invincible. The last known Tai-Youkai of the western lands was Sesshoumaru before he came into the present era with his mate, Rin… though why this happened, that is still a mystery.

 

 

[That Skill]: You'll have to wait and see… hehehe, let's just say this is something I've been killing to use in at least one of my stories.