InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Soul Exodus ❯ Chapter 18: =Reawaken The Lost Pride - Part 5= ( Chapter 18 )

Written by: Zelix

 

A/N: Okay, here is the new chapter, beta-read and ready to go!

 

 

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.

 

 

Also, thank you all who reviewed (Whether it was by free will or because of my little threat… hehehe, it makes no difference to me) and because of the number of reviews that turned up, this chapter will not be THAT bad of a cliff hanger, the plot demands a cliff hanger here though but I will minimize it with the best of my abilities. Of course, the more reviews I get then the chances of the next chapter being a EVIL cliff hanger will be minimal.

 

 

Also, remember that this threat is effective throughout the story, no matter how long it will be, however, I will give a warning before hand if the next chapter will have a “plot demanded cliff hanger”, which means that even if reviewed it will be there but if I still get reviews the cliff hanger won't as heavy though. On normal chapters though, they will be cliff hanger free if I get plenty of reviews.

 

 

Lastly, I deeply apologise for this update taking so long, I just moved into my own apartment and well, things were rather hectic during that time… so I was cut off from my computer for a long time, plus the length of this chapter was a rather big of a task in itself, anyway, here it is.

 

 

That's all, now enjoy!

 

 

 

WARNINGS: Death, blood and action, need I say more? Oh yeah, NOT FOR THOSE UNDER 18… though, that hasn't stopped anyone in the past so why should it work now? LOL…

 

 

A/N: But… there isn't much action in this one either, it is hard to write action scenes and well, it's been too long since I've last updated so here it is, either in the next chapter or the one after that will have a LOT of action, since soon will be the time for the first BIG battle, meaning a boss fight if you will… hehehe, so just try to be patient, please.

 

 

 

 

 

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 18: =Reawaken the Lost Pride - Part 5=

 

 

 

*Where Arcerdo and the Moon priests are*

 

 

“… And that is the situation, Lord Jei,” were the words of Flint as he finished informing Jei and Arbel what the situation was, from the panicked state of the people to the insects he'd killed and then Arcerdo coming in and `needlessly' interfering with his fight… that's what he says anyway.

 

 

During the entire report Arc had not said a word, even though he would have just loved to make a remark when Flint had described his `not wanted assistance' (Refers to when he saved his life.), but for now he just kept his mouth shut, the situation was bad enough as it was and the last thing needed was for him to make an issue of Flints rather… personal level hatred he felt towards Arc.

 

 

During the report, the insects had not tried to attack them, it seems like they maintained their distance from the four of them for now, seeing that so far they've killed a few dozen warriors and scouts they must be trying to re-group and find an opening to attack, because even though the insects were loyal to their orders, they were not stupid enough as to waste their lives knowing it wouldn't make a difference at the moment.

 

 

So now that the little situation update was done between them, it was time for the hardest part: Getting these three fanatics to listen to reason… not likely to happen but there was very little choice.

 

 

Jei, after listening to the situation update from Flint, said with his emotionless voice: “My brothers, it seems like the situation is beyond our hands now: The entire village has been turned into a battlefield, the villagers are scattered all over the place, they are consumed with panic and terror and the insects can attack them anywhere they choose… not to mention there are a lot more of them than we originally thought, with just the three of us it is not possible for us to exterminate these Youkai and protect the people at the same time. In the light of this development, we have no choice but to…”

 

 

“… Abandon the villagers and destroy the Youkai instead, is that what you were trying to say?” Was the voice of Arc interrupting what Jei had been about to say.

 

 

The silence that followed those words was least to say, a very lethal one in when added to the history of silent moments. The three Moon priests looked at Arcerdo and he looked at them all straight into the eyes, his tone and eyes clearly reflecting that he was pissed off at them for even considering something like that, not to mention his tone had also had spite in it, lot's of it too.

 

 

The staring contest continued on, the Moon priests all had different looks in their eyes when looking at Arcerdo after hearing his interruption:

 

 

Jei = He was a little surprised, though it wouldn't show on his face, about the tone Arcerdo had used… it had been just like yesterday. His tone was far too mature for someone of his age, not to mention the hardness it had in it suggested that he was an experienced warrior while it was clear he wasn't. Jei found Arcerdo quite interesting, infuriating and puzzling at the same time.

 

 

Arbel = Well, he was almost like Jei, except his surprise showed in his eyes, also he couldn't help but feel… intimidated by the look and tone he had used. Those eyes, even though black like obsidian they held depth in them… depth that someone of his age shouldn't be even dreaming of having. This Arcerdo person was truly an enigma. But also, he was dangerous to them, yesterday proved it, physically he may not be a match for Jei but his presence was… while they had people listening to them out of fear, he had managed to make them doubt them with his words alone.

 

 

Flint = He was feeling more and more pissed off, not only yesterday but now too, this was the second time Arcerdo had used that insulting tone against Jei! It was like he was some kind of an archenemy already, they had talked about divine retribution and he had made people question it, he had tried to put him in his place only to get flattened on the ground instead. He hated him, he hated Arcerdo and his eyes clearly showed it.

 

 

After a moment more of this silence, Jei continued, his voice as emotionless as ever: “… Yes, regrettably that is what I was about to say.” Had Arcerdo been not feeling so determined at the moment, he would have snorted at that one. Yet right now, he didn't want to piss these guys off anymore than it was necessary because even though he hated to admit it, he needed their help, badly.

 

 

But right now, after hearing those words, he couldn't help it, he said back with a `humph': “If you can't save them, you abandon them… you are such a hypocrite…” and right after saying that, Flint was the one once again who made an angry reply: “What was that?! How dare you call lord Jei a hypocrite you heretic!”

 

 

To this, Arcerdo looked Flint right into the eyes and said with an annoyed voice: “I don't remember talking to you, so sit back and shut up you loud-mouthed malcontent…” Now this made Flint look like he was absolutely seething with anger, this heretic had not only accused lord Jei of being a hypocrite but also insulted him as well, his hand was already slowly reaching for his sword, ready to cut this heretic to pieces with it…

 

 

While this was happening, Arbel decided to intervene and said with what he thought was a calming tone: “Now, now… let's not let our personal feelings get in the way…” To this, Arc simply snorted and said: “Same goes to you, you little butt-kisser. I wasn't talking to either of you little lackeys, I was talking to the big dick here.” He finished while pointing his finger towards Jei, his eyes showing nothing but annoyance and despite he had… but deep down, he was actually afraid that he had pissed Jei off, since after yesterday, he was certain that Jei was a lot quicker and more skilled with his sword than Arc was with both of his own.

 

 

Now after hearing that little comment, even Arbel felt like drawing out his sword and help Flint cut Arcerdo into pieces. Yet, even though the two other priests were ready to kill Arcerdo, Jei seemed to be un-affected by his insults and instead his eyes had twinkled with what he had thought had looked like amusement and curiosity.

 

 

… And how right he had been, since Jei was thinking at the moment: `Butt-kisser? Loud mouthed malcontent? Quite crude insults but effective, seeing as how even the more calmer of the two, Arbel seems to be reaching out to his sword at the moment… This Arcerdo, I can see the fear he has in his eyes and yet he still tries to insult me openly like this? He calls me a hypocrite, why would he do that? Also, he seems… different from yesterday, not only because he is fully rested, because his appearance has changed… he seems more… mature. Right now, he doesn't give out the feeling of an inexperienced warrior wannabe but instead I feel like I am staring into the face of a warrior itself, how puzzling, yet annoying at the same time… hmm, let's see how he justifies his accusation.'

 

 

And with that, before Flint or Arbel could drew their blades out, Jei had stepped forward and signalled them with his hands to drop their offensive stances, earning a questioning look from them but he simply looked at them with his emotionless, yet stern eyes, saying without words “Disobey and die.” And with that, both of them stood down from their offensive stances while Jei looked at Arcerdo with his stern, emotionless eyes and asked: “Hypocrite? That is a rather harsh accusation to throw against us… how do you justify this accusation?”

 

 

Arc raised and eyebrow, so he was right about one thing, his guy, Jei clearly had more intelligence and self-control than those two combined… so the difference between 3rd class and 1st class was this enormous? At least on mental level. Anyway, it seems like now was his chance to try and convince these fanatics to follow his plan, so he replied while narrowing his eyes: “How do I justify it? I don't need to justify it, you just did it for me.”

 

 

Now this earned a puzzled look from both Flint and Arbel, yet Jei did not react at all and before Flint or Arbel could make any kind of questions or comments, Jei lifted his arm to signal them to be quiet, which they reluctantly obeyed. Jei then asked Arcerdo with a raised eyebrow, showing signs of interest for the first time since he was genuinely interested on what Arcerdo had meant by that: “I just proved it? What do you mean by that?”

 

 

Alright, this was looking good now, Arc had counted on the fact that Jei would be wisest one of the three and would not let his own personal anger get the best of him but instead listen with reason… which also made Arc feel at ease because if Jei had NOT been acting with reason, he wasn't too confident that he could take Jei on with the level of skill he possessed right now.

 

 

So, with this small opening Arcerdo had on these three fanatics attention, he started to explain while trying to hide the anxiousness in his voice, since if he failed now, it would be over: “Well, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it your sacred duty to protect the innocent?” To this, Jei just nodded and Arc continued: “So in other words, when you said that you all should abandon the villagers and destroy the Youkai instead, doesn't that contradict with your sacred duty? Are you abandoning the innocents you are supposed to protect?”

 

 

After hearing this, both Arbel and Flint looked at each other with alarmed looks, that… what Arcerdo had just said, it couldn't be right… could it?

 

 

Jei though, he simply narrowed his eyes at Arc and replied: “Yes, it does contradict with it but the situation has reached the point where saving the innocent ones is impossible. If we keep trying to organise them somehow, the insects will only pick them off one-by-one and will eventually kill us as well. Not to mention, the villagers are in a state of panic and they are not listening to us anymore, they began to doubt us after you appeared and they are beginning to stray from the path of god once again, so they cannot be saved like this anymore. If we instead focus on destroying the Youkai, we may be able so save some of the innocent ones… not many, but some at least.”

 

 

Arc hated to admit it but Jei had a point there. If he had not appeared then the villagers would have listened to the Moon priests faithfully… NO, that is not the answer, even if he had not appeared, the when the insects attacked the situation would not have been any different from the current one, since Arcerdo knew full and well that people believe in god when it is convenient for them but when the things go bad, they suddenly abandon the whole thing since it is no longer convenient.

 

 

But hearing Jei's reply, Arcerdo couldn't help but grit his teeth and then reply bit a bit more anger in his voice: “Save some of them?! What kind of talking is that coming from someone who is supposed to protect them?! Is this how your god works? Save them only when it is convenient to you and only if they share your belief?! `They cannot be saved because they stray from the path of god'…”

 

 

Arc made a snort of disgust before continuing: “Well, if your god is so biased about people like that, then he must not really be a god after all, since isn't god supposed to be omnipotent, forgiving and loving?” He then made pointed his finger towards Jei and said: “If your god is ruthless and cold hearted like this, then I would rather sell my soul to the devil if it means I can help these people instead of abandoning them like you would!”

 

 

Arc then lowered his hand and said with his cheeks and mouth trembling from the anger he felt: “You make me sick, all of you, you don't care about these people, all you care about is that if they share your belief or not and if they don't, you frighten them into sharing it, is that how your god does things, `if I can't have them willingly then I'll have them by force', that's not how some god would be thinking, that's the way a HUMAN thinks, that is why I call you a hypocrite, if you were a true believer of your god, then you would do everything in your power to save these people even if it seemed impossible… but since you would more rather destroy the Youkai, I can't help but ask: Is that your gods will, or YOUR will?”

 

 

He finished with a stare that was so harsh, so hard that if Jei had been just a regular person, he would have taken at least two steps back from the sheer feeling of Arcerdo's gaze.

 

 

Normally, Flint would have lost his temper right now and said something angry towards Arcerdo, but when he felt his gaze on his own, all his words got stuck in his throat… he couldn't help but think: `That heretic, how dare he say such blasphemous things to lord Jei! I should cut him down like the dog he is (How true) but… that gaze, that hard, almost infinitely deep gaze he has, because of it… I can't move! What is this?! How is it possible for this warrior wannabe to have such a gaze!? Those eyes, they are not normal, it is as if he can see into the very depths of my soul with those eyes… that is what frightens me, its those eyes, its not his tone nor his power but those eyes, something inside of me is terrified of those eyes…'

 

 

Arbel, well, his thinking wasn't that much different, except that while Flint felt fear because of those eyes, Arbel felt a sense of… absoluteness in them… as if deep within those black, endless depths of his eyes there was an absolute truth to everything, that is why he couldn't move or talk, it was that feeling that made him speechless.

 

 

Jei was once again, caught completely off guard by this young man once again, yesterday he had done it by curing that woman, Renko, and now he had done it again with his words just now. It was true that if he had said something like this in front of the high priests or someone higher up he would have been branded as a devil and executed on the spot… yet, the words were harsh and blasphemous but they also held truth in them.

 

 

Not to mention, those words had put Jei against the wall, if he answered that it was gods will that these people can't be saved then those heretical words would only be confirmed… and those who would survive this bloodbath would surely know of it as well. The chances of that happening were not that big but still possible and considering the state of the villagers mindset at the moment, the ones who would survive would go at each others throats… it has happened a few times in the past, a few years after the Youkai war ended, there had been an incident similar to this one, not identical by any means but the situation was similar, a daughter possessed by Youkai, a mother who protected her… it ended badly.

 

 

During those days and even to this day, not many people agree on the authority, methods and ways the Moon priests use and possess when they handle the Youkai/black magic/heretic, etc. related incidents, so during that incident the villagers had been divided just like they were now and when the Moon priests finally `purified' that little girl, the mother went mad with grief and attacked the Moon priests present and was executed as a result… and that, as they say, was the final nail in the coffin.

 

 

For the villagers who had been siding with the girl and the mother, after they witnessed this happen in front of them, they took up whatever arms they had and attacked the Moon priests, driving them away from the village. But, after the Moon priests sent in another group, the [Cathedral knights]. Even though Jei was an elite member of the Moon priests and he had very little love for Youkai, heretics, etc. He still would not wish for the Cathedral knights to be unleashed upon anyone, since if you think the Moon Priests were scary, then the knights would traumatize you for life because of the sheer reputation they had alone.

 

 

However, when the Cathedral knights arrived at the village, the villagers who had been following the Moon priests had been mostly killed by the ones who had sided with the mother and the daughter and at the sight of the Knights, they had repelled once again and because of it, the villagers were deemed as heretics and each and everyone of them was killed because of it. It was because of incidents like those that the Moon priests were opposed many times and many people hate them, yet cases of resistance were almost non-existent, the people hated them but because they feared them they would not stand up to them… yet, if given the right catalyst…

 

 

So that is why Jei had to be careful now, any wrong action or word could prove to be fatal when this mess was over.

 

 

(I'm terribly sorry if this seems odd, but I couldn't come up with anything better.)

 

 

After a moment more of this silence, Jei finally looked at Arcerdo straight in the eyes and thought: `You may not be a warrior, Arcerdo, yet I can see it… you are a tough adversary right now, not in skill but rather in your spirit, yet, if you are given time to grow, you could become a frightening enemy… you cornered me this time, impressive feat, I'll give you that.' And then said with a small sigh: “… You are right, we should be doing everything in our power to help these people.”

 

 

Arc raised an eyebrow, it seems like he had gotten through to him after all… good, he had been afraid there for a second that he had messed up.

 

 

Then, before Flint or Arbel could make any kind of questions or whatever to Jei regarding this sudden admission, Jei looked at them with the `shut up or die' kind of look, making them quiet down, yet Flint was clearly seething with anger again. Then, Jei looked at Arcerdo again and said: “But even you must have realised, even if we were to organize these people somehow, where would they go? The insects have cut off all exits from the village and there is no building here that could safe house them and even if there were, the insects would simply tear it down in a matter of moments, unless you have a plan…”

 

 

To this, Arc grinned slightly and said: “… Which I do.”

 

 

Now this came as a surprise to all three of them, yet Jei did not show any kind signs of it. Jei then nodded and asked: “And what is this plan of yours, pray tell?” After hearing this, Arcerdo's grin died down and his face got more serious as he began to explain: “Well, first off, the people need to be organized somehow, I already have a friend looking into that matter…” To this, Flint made a `humph' sound and said: “And this friend of yours seems to be doing a pretty lousy job, considering the state of things…” To this, Jei merely looked at him and said with his emotionless voice: “Brother Flint, if one more word comes out of your mouth, I will personally remove your tongue, understood?”

 

 

Flint merely shut his mouth and nodded, while glaring at Arcerdo.

 

 

Then, Arcerdo began to explain again: “… Now, where was I…? Oh yes, once my friend gets these people organized somehow, there is a safe place here in this village where they can be housed: The shrine where the Shikon no Tama used to be held in.” He finished by crossing his arms over his chest and said: “You do understand where I am going with this, don't you, Jei?”

 

 

For the second time, Arcerdo could see something close to surprise flashing in Jei's eyes before it was gone, then Jei put his hand under his chin and began to talk: “… Yes, of course, the shrine is big enough to house them and since the ground around the shrine itself is sacred, the insects will be at a disadvantage there, we could also erect a barrier around the shrine itself and while the sacred ground weakens the insects we could destroy the attacking Youkai with ease…”

 

 

Then, after a short moment, Jei removed his hand from underneath his chin and said: “That is a good plan, Arcerdo… yet, there is one tiny flaw in it: It is the fact that we must organize these villagers somehow and we have already seen it is impossible, unless this `friend' of yours succeeds, the plan cannot succeed…”

 

 

To this, Arcerdo hardened his eyes and said: “He WILL succeed, I know he will…” To this, Arbel was the one to ask, much to Jei's surprise: “And… what makes you so confident that he does succeed?” To this, Arcerdo simply looked back into the direction where he had left Hanataro and said: “Simple, I know he will succeed because…” Then he turned his head back towards them and said with a smile: “… This is his home and a person defending his own family, friends and home does not need god in order to do it, only a will to do it.”

 

 

Those words had left a very deep impact on all three of them, even though Flint hated Arcerdo, his words did strike home… until some darker thoughts took over: `Will to do it? What nonsense, the people are weak, the weak cannot do anything by themselves, that is why we, the superior are here… to guide the weaker away from foolish, useless thoughts like those, if you are born weak you will remain weak, only a fool tries to think differently.'

 

 

But then, when those thoughts ended, they all noticed something strange happening to the insects that had been circling above them all this time: They seemed to be… communicating with one another through their antennas and as crazy as it sounded, they seemed to be, surprised for some reason.

 

 

Then the insects began to leave from circling around above them and instead they began to fly into a single direction with a hurry for some reason… it took Arcerdo a moment to realize just where they were flying to. They had taken off towards the direction of the shrine! He immediately thought: `Hanataro… you did it! That has to be it, you managed to get these people to flee towards the shrine! You really did it, I knew you would…'

 

 

Then, one look at Jei and Arc knew that he had reached the same conclusion, the insects were now focusing on the people escaping towards the shrine… so Arc needed only say this: “Well, shall we sit here or go after them?” He grinned after saying that before he himself took off towards where the insects were heading, followed by his rather… unsteady allies for now, the Moon priests.

 

 

They had a chance now, a chance of saving these villagers.

 

 

*Meanwhile, at the shrine itself.*

 

 

Two arrows filled with holy power flew through the air right towards the two scout insects that were in front of the entrance and sure enough, they were caught completely off guard by the arrows, upon impact the arrows let out a blast of holy power and the Youkai insects were turned into ash.

 

 

At the direction where the arrows had come from stood Sumira with both Renko and Chizu following behind her, they were all a bit out of breath from all the running they had done to reach the shrine as quickly as possible, since both Sumira and Renko knew that if Arcerdo managed to get the villagers to start gathering at the shrine, they would need to have the barrier up and going before they arrived, for the insects would without a doubt be swarming the villagers like… well, like flies around shit, so the barrier had to be up before they arrived, especially because they would most likely be carrying wounded people as well.

 

 

Now, after eliminating the two Youkai guarding it they had arrived at the shrine and were entering it through the front door.

 

 

Once inside, Sumira was briefly rushed with the feeling of the residue of the Moon priests holy power that still lingered in the air, (They had used this building as their base of operations remember?) the first one was nothing special, it was strong but nothing special, the second one was the same but with a slight something that unnerved her senses… she could swear there was something malicious about that power… anyway, the last one was the one that truly made her feel the rush: It was without a doubt Jei's holy power that she felt, the reason it gave her a rush was because of the sheer INTENSITY it gave off.

 

 

Sumira had felt the Moon priests aura's before but those were situations were they kept it suppressed and controlled, here, they meditate at least once a day to sharpen them and during meditation they have to let their entire aura come out… meaning that during those times, the full length of their holy powers come out before it settles down again. She should know: she does it everyday too.

 

 

BUT, the aura she felt in this building, Jei's aura… it was only the residue that was left but it alone was enough to make her heart to start beating faster and she even felt her breathing starting to become deeper… the intensity, pressure and power that rushed through her were simply put, overwhelming, she thought to herself: `Dear god… I've NEVER felt an aura like this before… just feeling it rushing through my senses and body is enough to make me want to fall onto my knees, it is almost in-humanly strong, there is no way a human could have control over an aura with this level of power in it… and what I am feeling is only the residue of it! If the residue is this strong, then… just how powerful is the real thing?! Just who or what are these Moon priests?'

 

 

After a moment of this, Sumira shook her head and smacked her temple a few times to regain her senses and began to focus on the task at hand again.

 

 

As Renko and Chizu too entered the shrine and closed the door behind them, Sumira handed both of them a few [Ofudas] and said: “Alright, listen carefully, in order for me to start creating this barrier I need the two of you to place these Ofudas both inside and outside the shrine walls.” She finished as she gave both an even number of Ofudas.

 

 

Chizu looked at them with her child like curiosity, she had seen them a few times when Sumira had performed burials on the dead villagers and even a few times when the insects had attacked but this was the first time she was touching one so she was naturally curious about them.

 

 

Though when Sumira began to talk again, she listened: “Renko, I need you to place those Ofudas outside the shrine walls. Place two Ofudas on each wall so the barrier will be strong enough to keep the insects out, then place the last on the door itself, okay?” Renko merely nodded and set out to do it, then Sumira turned to Chizu and said: “Chizu, you place those Ofudas on walls around us, two on each wall and the last one on the door, understood?” Chizu just smiled, nodded and said: “Okay, Sumira-san!” and with childlike enthusiasm set out to do it.

 

 

While they were doing that, Sumira walked to the centre of the shrine, placed the bow and arrows on the ground in front of her and sat down in a meditating pose. She briefly thought to herself as she began to breath calmly in order to try and stabilise her body and mind, which wasn't easy because of the holy power residue she felt, it tended to disrupt her own powers and then there was also the fact that even though she had made a few barriers in the past, this was by far the biggest one she'd ever had to make.

 

 

As she felt the Ofudas being placed, she also felt the pulsing of the land around them… this pulse… her lips formed into a smirk as her eyes closed as she thought: `This pulse, it's a pulse that only holy power emits… now I see, I just knew that there was another reason as to why Arcerdo chose this location besides it being the biggest building and easy to defend: Because of the fact this had been the building where the Shikon no Tama had been guarded in, the land around the shrine is sacred! Now that the land has sensed my own holy powers, it is beginning to awaken again, meaning that anything with Youkai will be weakened when they enter it… clever, I must remember to ask him how he knew this land was sacred, even I didn't know that until just now!'

 

 

`But, regardless of that, this means that when those insects arrive, the land itself will zap some of their strength away, giving us the advantage over them… especially if he gets the Moon priests to help him, even if it is only a small help.' After she had finished those thoughts, she felt that both Renko and Chizu and finished putting on the Ofudas around the shrine and they were now beginning to resonate with her own powers as well as the sacred grounds around them, Sumira then began to focus on creating the barrier around the shrine itself and she felt it beginning to take shape and power, slowly but surely.

 

 

As she kept meditating and focusing, her thoughts were: `Arcerdo, the rest is up to you now, I will create this barrier and make this place into a sanctuary for the villagers… but I will leave the safety of the villagers to you, please, protect them, I know you can do it… I just know it.'

 

 

*Where Hanataro is at the moment*

 

 

If words could describe what Hanataro was feeling right now, then the word would be pride. He felt immense pride with himself at the moment, despite the fear of the situation he was in, the feeling of pride of himself made the fear lose some of its effect on him.

 

 

Why he felt proud you wonder? Well, it was because he had done it, he had done what he had set out to do: Getting the villagers to flee towards the shrine. He still couldn't believe he'd done it… when the villagers had only kept ignoring him and running around in panic, he didn't know how he came up with the idea he did.

 

 

Hanataro's idea had been to grab one of the running villagers and tell him to spread the following word: “Head for the shrine of the Shikon no tama, it is safe there.” and well, even though the man might not spread the word in a fashion he'd hoped, he still had, when someone had asked him where he was going, he had said he was heading to the shrine, it was safe there.

 

 

It took a while but in the end it had the desired effect: Slowly but surely the people began to leave the village and head towards the shrine instead, also, thanks for Arcerdo and the Moon priests drawing most of the insects attention away from the villagers, they had all gotten a pretty good head-start before the insects would come after them.

 

 

So, he was feeling very proud at the moment, he might not be LEADING these people out of the village but at least he had gotten them to LEAVE the village and head towards the shrine. So, here he was right now, in the middle of the fleeing villagers moving at the path through the woods and towards the shrine itself and was thinking: `Arcerdo-san, I did it, I won my battle… I don't know how I did it, I honestly don't know, I tried to use reasoning and direct approach but it didn't work, however, when I thought about how the rumours of the village had spread during the time Renko fell ill and Chizu's eye changed… it just hit me, just like that, I just knew that if I let out a rumour that the shrine was safe, it was bound to reach everyone's ears sooner or later and thanks to you, Arcerdo, for drawing the insects attention away from the villagers, they had time to leave.'

 

 

What Hanataro meant by Arcerdo drawing the insects attention away, was that when Arcerdo left towards the Moon priests, he had killed insects along the way and drawn their attention away by taunting them with words like “Over here dung beetles! Is this the best you can do?! I killed several of you in the forest and this is all you can do to get revenge?!” It had worked too.

 

 

Now, while walking through the path to the shrine, Hanataro had time to look at the state of the few villagers that were still alive… which wasn't many, barely over 23 (I don't have the slightest clue on how many people live in the village, so just cut me some slack.) were left from the attack of the insects… about 4 were injured from which one seemed lethal, out of the 23 of them only few were young people and only 2 were children, the rest were either middle-aged or elderly, among them was the last surviving elder of the village who still knew the truth behind the story about Kagome and Inuyasha, which the rest of the villagers knew nothing about.

 

 

So, while walking among them, Hanataro couldn't help but grimace at the state of them, they were tattered, beaten and from their eyes he could see they had very little hope left in them… not to mention he could hear some of them whispering things like “It's all over isn't it…?” and “We were fools to think that we could survive through this, it was pointless to begin with wasn't it?” and it made Hanataro feel like his stomach was about to cave in or something, he just couldn't believe the state of their village, it had withstood so many things and now it was like this, beaten and shamed, it made him think yet again:

 

 

`Our pride has been torn to pieces, our will to fight back is gone, there are almost none of us left… and worst of all, our hope is within hair thread away from dying out… but… it is not over yet, we will live through this! Arcerdo-san, I know you are not an experienced warrior, nor did you have any reason to help us and yet you are helping us this very moment… you have not faced any battles, yet you overcome your fear of death and still fight, while we, who have seen death many times, act like this… that is why we must live through this, we must live and regain what we have lost or we can never say that this is the village where the two of the greatest legends began. Arcerdo-san, even if I cannot do anything, I won't give up, this is my home and I will fight for it in any possible way I can!'

 

 

With that set in mind, Hanataro kept walking, feeling more confident about himself than he had ever felt, even if he wouldn't be able to do much, he would do whatever was in his power to do… not because he had to, but because he would not lose what he just regained: His pride, the pride that Arcerdo's words and actions had reawakened within him, yes, he would do anything in his power to help and he would never again lose his reawakened lost pride!

 

 

But… even with that determination, it was pretty hard to maintain it when he and the rest of the villagers who were fleeing suddenly heard very familiar sound coming from behind them and fast: The sound of buzzing wings, the insect's wings.

 

 

Now, Hanataro had had no illusions as to what would happen when the insects came after them, he knew it would become chaotic again but… it still was something he couldn't prepare himself for.

 

 

The screaming, the running, the panic itself… it is something you can't prepare yourself for no matter how hard you try, since he himself too was also running and feeling the fear gripping his heart yet again as the buzzing became louder and louder, meaning they were getting closer and closer.

 

 

But, it seems like there was still luck on their side, since about the same time as the insects had come close enough that they could be seen, the shrine itself had also appeared in front of them… they had made it, if they ran just a bit longer, just a little more…!

 

 

… But it seemed like their luck ran out at that instant…

 

 

Hanataro heard something falling, or rather he heard SOMEONE falling and with a quick glance behind him he had noticed that it was one of the younger women of the village. It was bad enough that she had fallen down right as they were almost at the shrine, but what made it worse was that Hanataro KNEW her: Her name was Yui and she was married to one of the village men named Yuso and until a few months ago, they had had a beautiful daughter as well who had been a little younger than Chizu, however… the insects had killed their daughter, just like they had killed so many others as well. Then, to make it the worst possible case scenario, not only did her husband stay behind to help her up and try to carry her… that was when a warrior insect decided to arrive before the rest of the swarm and kill both of them…

 

 

It was also at that instant when Hanataro felt something else hit mind: The feeling of helplessness and uselessness… it all happened in slow motion in his eyes, the insect coming upon the two, they noticing it, it raising it's sickle like arm to cut them and lastly the two of them holding onto one another, trying to protect one another… knowing it was useless.

 

 

Hanataro couldn't move, it was all happening so fast and he was too afraid to move… even after all that determination and confidence he had felt, he still couldn't do anything! Only watch as the sickle like arm came closer and closer upon those two, his mind going blank from seeing it happening and his breathing feeling heavy like a boulder…

 

 

All he could do was watch, watch as the sickle came downwards…

 

 

… Closer and closer…

 

 

… Closer…

 

 

… He closed his eyes, not being able to watch this…

 

 

… But, when he closed his eyes, he did hear the sound of flesh being cut, instead…

 

 

… He heard the sound of the sickle hitting something else, something hard.

 

 

And when Hanataro opened his eyes, he saw him standing there between the warrior insect and the couple holding Arcerdo, with one of his swords blocking the sickle while at the same time his other sword went underneath the insects elbow and with one fast and hard move the insects arm was severed, making it stagger and fly back while making sounds of excruciating pain but before it could get high enough. Arcerdo jumped towards it and cut the insect in half from its left elbow to it's bottom right, killing it instantly.

 

 

That was also when Hanataro saw the Moon priests coming as well, following right behind Arcerdo.

 

 

So, they had both won their battles, Hanataro had gotten the villagers to move while Arcerdo had managed to get the Moon priests to help him, the first battles were won but… seeing the rest of the swarm approaching, they both knew one thing: Now, the true battle was to begin, the battle for survival itself.

 

 

To be continued…

 

 

“The first battles have been won, yet now…

 

… Now was the time for the true battle to begin.

 

This is a battle in which we do not fight for honour, pride nor because it's our duty.

 

In this battle, we fight for survival, we fight…

 

… Because otherwise, we will all die.”

 

- Arcerdo Higurashi

 

 

Next chapter: =Fight For Survival=

 

 

 

A/N: I know this chapter sucked, but this was the best I could come for this one… however, if you think it was bad, I swear that the next chapter will be MORE than great, I swear it. For now, please review and be honest about how this mess turned out, it wasn't the easiest chapter to write you know…

 

 

Oh yes, The same warning remains:

NO reviews = Evil cliff hanger in the next chapter, hehehe…

 

 

- Zelix, see ya next time!

 

 

 

 

 

[Cathedral knights]: These are the… how to put it, “Extreme personnel” of the Moon priests, they are knights in heavy, white and blue armour with big swords and shields, their purpose is to end incidents that have gotten out of control, incidents where the people chose the path of heresy instead of god (Such as black magic or Youkai), they also got involved with corrupted people within the Moon priests, they were the internal affairs as well as the `SWAT' team of the Moon priest religion, you know? So, when the Cathedral knights are sent somewhere for some reason, it will always end with a heavy bloodbath, that is why they are rarely used. For a picture, here is the link:

 

http://greywolf.critter.net/images/gallery/meka/blue-white- knight.jpg

 

Now, this picture is NOT my own, I am taking absolutely ZERO credit for it and if someone thinks that `wow, now that's a cool' picture, then do not praise me for it, I just found it and it fitted the description perfectly.

 

 

But if this link someday dies out and no longer works, here is a manual description of the knights:

 

 

They have heavy, yet not thick armour on them, just like medieval knights do, the armour is white and it is blue at the stomach department, it also has wide, blue like shoulder armours with a cape coming out of them, which is also blue. The helmet is squarer like but round as well, it has a golden cross like form running through the front and at the top there are two, sharp and thin wing like things pointing at the top right and top left directions, then there are two crescent golden wings at the top middle of the helmet with a small, golden bull at the middle of the wings.

 

 

The knights weaponry consists of a big sword with a dark blue grip, the hilt point has a circle in it with two horn like knuckle guards on them, the circle has three dark blue, stretched circle like stones engraved on them, the blade is slightly thinner at the root of the hilt but then it thickens slightly before becoming sharp.

 

 

They also have a big shield as well, with a similar emblem on them like Jei's necklace had, (Check chapter 10: =Priests and Demons - Part 2=), except they are bigger and more decorated, of course, this does contradict what the picture in the link shows but then again, I chose that picture because it was the closest thing when compared to the original one I had in mind.

 

 

 

[Ofuda]: Just in case someone doesn't know, an Ofuda is a small, clean piece of paper with mystical mantras or patterns written on them, Miroku used them all the time and they can be used to create barriers, purify Youkai, expelling evil spirits and to perform different kinds or rituals, ceremonies, summoning, etc.