Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Snow ❯ Beauty of War ( Chapter 8 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kokosada 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Action / Supernatural | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.26.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 230 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Action / Supernatural | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.26.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 230 | Status: Work In Progress
Under the Hunter's Moon
Golden Foxfyre
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. That is the privilege of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media. This plot line, however is mine.
Chapter 16
Shippo was bounding ahead, purposely landing in the early spring puddles. He'd been with his pack leaders for several months now. During the winter, there were very few leads on shards, even though they'd kept looking. Now that spring was here, they were approaching an area where people had said that a monk wandered. It was also a place rife with rumors of shards.
A shadow fell across his path. The kit glanced up and let out a frightened yelp before rushing back to Kagome and Inuyasha. He hid behind Kagome, peeking around her habakama. He hadn't expected this.
A young Buddhist monk stood before them with his staff in hand. Violet eyes gazed at them in studious silence. The Shinto priestess...she had shards, yet was in the company of youkai. What was this? "Lady Priestess, that is not something youkai should possess."
Blue eyes widened then narrowed. She could tell he wasn't as sensitive to the presence of the shards as she was. He was a monk, but prejudging others... "Don't be so quick to deal out judgment." Then she noticed the bracer and beads on his right arm, covering and sealing his hand. "How would you feel if someone judged you for the curse in your hand?"
He blinked. The priestess did have a point. Yet everything he had heard... "You know what yoki does to the jewel."
A soft grow escaped Inuyasha, catching the monk's attention. That growl was a clear warning. He needed to watch what he said. The hanyou was angered and protective. The monk would rather keep his life, cursed though it was. He wasn't ready to die yet.
Kagome groaned, a hand over her face. "Evil taints it. Not all youkai are evil, and not all humans are good. An evil man will taint it as readily as any youkai." She squatted, lifting the kit as she rose. 'Did his training cover that at all?'
The monk was shocked. He'd never known a priestess to be so forward with her views. He turned to the memories of his training, trying to remember what was said of youkai and men. "My training only touched on the fact. I was told that the jewel should be kept away from youkai because of their yoki." Then certain prophecies his master had him read popped into his mind. The scrolls upon scrolls of prophecy set guidelines that these three easily met. Could he trust them?
Three sets of eyes watched him warily. Kagome was more than uneasy. That monk could do more than purify her mate and the pack-child. The void in his hand could kill all of them.
The rings on his staff jangled as he shifted it to his shoulder. Their auras were powerful and held no malice. Then he sensed darkness approaching. Those in front of him also alerted, for they sensed it too.
Violent shaking nearly knocked them over then an ogre emerged from the shadows. Gleaming red eyes glared at them then he lunged with a deafening roar. His targets quickly moved out of the way, enraging him.
Kagome dodged his tail, setting Shippo down and telling him to hide. She turned, sensing the aura of the shards. Red-clad arms grabbed her then the hanyou leapt out of the way while the kit scampered into the bushes.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha prompted.
Hearing her name snapped her back to the present. "There's a shard in the back of his neck!" she exclaimed.
A growl escaped Inuyasha as he glared at the ogre; a growl of a different tone than what he'd used to warn the monk. He noticed blue flame erupting from several sutras that landed on the opposite side. The hanyou lunged, his claws gashing deep wounds along the ogre's ribs.
A large hand lashed out at him, only to be met by an arrow enveloped in Kagome's purifying aura. The arm exploded in a burst of pink light. The beast's agonized roar momentarily deafened those near him. He turned on the priestess only to have a youkai-forged blade deeply score his side. The ogre turned, landing a swiping blow on the hanyou. Claws the size of well-established branched tore through fire rat cloth, carving deep wounds across Inuyasha's chest and abdomen. The hanyou collided with the trees with a sickening crack.
With a loud, stomach-churning crunch, one of the ogre's knees gave way. The metal top of the monk's staff snapped back, ring clanking together harshly.
Now crippled, the ogre staggered about, his remaining hand hitting the ground. His red eyes noticed the hanyou lunging from the mess of splinters his impact with the trees had created. Another scroll hit him, preventing him from turning to bite. The sword came down near the back of his head, cleaving through skin, muscle and bone easily.
The ground shook and the collision resounded when the ogre collapsed. Kagome quickly pulled the shard from the corpse, purified and fused it to her chunk, then turned to her mate. Her eyes widened and she rushed to him, ignoring the scratches and bruises she bore in favor of her mate's lacerations.
Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga as his mate approached. He rolled his eyes as she examined his wounds. Shippo scrambled out of the bushes he'd been hiding in, staring at the ogre's body. He quickly made his way to Kagome and Inuyasha, staying out of the way while the hanyou's wounds were cleaned and bandaged.
All three tensed when the monk approached. The pack leaders gazed at him, caution lighting their eyes. What was the monk up to now?
A violet gaze traveled from one to another. He owed them for helping him against that oni. He gave them a polite bow. "Thank you for aiding me. My name is Miroku." His gaze lingered on Kagome a little too long, earning him another warning growl.
Three pairs of eyes met after the growl. He'd apologized for his actions and then some by what he had done. Finally, the miko spoke. "I'm Kagome and this," she gestured to her mate, "is Inuyasha." As the kit wasn't of their blood, he'd have to introduce himself.
The kit climbed up to her shoulder. "My name is Shippo."
That was when it clicked. These were the ones he'd heard of during the winter. A group making their way to the sage's mountain and helping others while they were at it. But where they were now...only a few days away from the forest village. They must've started from there after learning that the roads were snowbound.
But that village was terrified of canid youkai due to the raids attempted during the hunter's moon. What was going on? Would they tell him? And why were they going to the mountain?
Golden Foxfyre
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. That is the privilege of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media. This plot line, however is mine.
Chapter 16
Shippo was bounding ahead, purposely landing in the early spring puddles. He'd been with his pack leaders for several months now. During the winter, there were very few leads on shards, even though they'd kept looking. Now that spring was here, they were approaching an area where people had said that a monk wandered. It was also a place rife with rumors of shards.
A shadow fell across his path. The kit glanced up and let out a frightened yelp before rushing back to Kagome and Inuyasha. He hid behind Kagome, peeking around her habakama. He hadn't expected this.
A young Buddhist monk stood before them with his staff in hand. Violet eyes gazed at them in studious silence. The Shinto priestess...she had shards, yet was in the company of youkai. What was this? "Lady Priestess, that is not something youkai should possess."
Blue eyes widened then narrowed. She could tell he wasn't as sensitive to the presence of the shards as she was. He was a monk, but prejudging others... "Don't be so quick to deal out judgment." Then she noticed the bracer and beads on his right arm, covering and sealing his hand. "How would you feel if someone judged you for the curse in your hand?"
He blinked. The priestess did have a point. Yet everything he had heard... "You know what yoki does to the jewel."
A soft grow escaped Inuyasha, catching the monk's attention. That growl was a clear warning. He needed to watch what he said. The hanyou was angered and protective. The monk would rather keep his life, cursed though it was. He wasn't ready to die yet.
Kagome groaned, a hand over her face. "Evil taints it. Not all youkai are evil, and not all humans are good. An evil man will taint it as readily as any youkai." She squatted, lifting the kit as she rose. 'Did his training cover that at all?'
The monk was shocked. He'd never known a priestess to be so forward with her views. He turned to the memories of his training, trying to remember what was said of youkai and men. "My training only touched on the fact. I was told that the jewel should be kept away from youkai because of their yoki." Then certain prophecies his master had him read popped into his mind. The scrolls upon scrolls of prophecy set guidelines that these three easily met. Could he trust them?
Three sets of eyes watched him warily. Kagome was more than uneasy. That monk could do more than purify her mate and the pack-child. The void in his hand could kill all of them.
The rings on his staff jangled as he shifted it to his shoulder. Their auras were powerful and held no malice. Then he sensed darkness approaching. Those in front of him also alerted, for they sensed it too.
Violent shaking nearly knocked them over then an ogre emerged from the shadows. Gleaming red eyes glared at them then he lunged with a deafening roar. His targets quickly moved out of the way, enraging him.
Kagome dodged his tail, setting Shippo down and telling him to hide. She turned, sensing the aura of the shards. Red-clad arms grabbed her then the hanyou leapt out of the way while the kit scampered into the bushes.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha prompted.
Hearing her name snapped her back to the present. "There's a shard in the back of his neck!" she exclaimed.
A growl escaped Inuyasha as he glared at the ogre; a growl of a different tone than what he'd used to warn the monk. He noticed blue flame erupting from several sutras that landed on the opposite side. The hanyou lunged, his claws gashing deep wounds along the ogre's ribs.
A large hand lashed out at him, only to be met by an arrow enveloped in Kagome's purifying aura. The arm exploded in a burst of pink light. The beast's agonized roar momentarily deafened those near him. He turned on the priestess only to have a youkai-forged blade deeply score his side. The ogre turned, landing a swiping blow on the hanyou. Claws the size of well-established branched tore through fire rat cloth, carving deep wounds across Inuyasha's chest and abdomen. The hanyou collided with the trees with a sickening crack.
With a loud, stomach-churning crunch, one of the ogre's knees gave way. The metal top of the monk's staff snapped back, ring clanking together harshly.
Now crippled, the ogre staggered about, his remaining hand hitting the ground. His red eyes noticed the hanyou lunging from the mess of splinters his impact with the trees had created. Another scroll hit him, preventing him from turning to bite. The sword came down near the back of his head, cleaving through skin, muscle and bone easily.
The ground shook and the collision resounded when the ogre collapsed. Kagome quickly pulled the shard from the corpse, purified and fused it to her chunk, then turned to her mate. Her eyes widened and she rushed to him, ignoring the scratches and bruises she bore in favor of her mate's lacerations.
Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga as his mate approached. He rolled his eyes as she examined his wounds. Shippo scrambled out of the bushes he'd been hiding in, staring at the ogre's body. He quickly made his way to Kagome and Inuyasha, staying out of the way while the hanyou's wounds were cleaned and bandaged.
All three tensed when the monk approached. The pack leaders gazed at him, caution lighting their eyes. What was the monk up to now?
A violet gaze traveled from one to another. He owed them for helping him against that oni. He gave them a polite bow. "Thank you for aiding me. My name is Miroku." His gaze lingered on Kagome a little too long, earning him another warning growl.
Three pairs of eyes met after the growl. He'd apologized for his actions and then some by what he had done. Finally, the miko spoke. "I'm Kagome and this," she gestured to her mate, "is Inuyasha." As the kit wasn't of their blood, he'd have to introduce himself.
The kit climbed up to her shoulder. "My name is Shippo."
That was when it clicked. These were the ones he'd heard of during the winter. A group making their way to the sage's mountain and helping others while they were at it. But where they were now...only a few days away from the forest village. They must've started from there after learning that the roads were snowbound.
But that village was terrified of canid youkai due to the raids attempted during the hunter's moon. What was going on? Would they tell him? And why were they going to the mountain?