Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kurama, Sesshoumaru's General! ❯ Strategies, Commands, and General ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Strategies, Commands, and General.

Sesshoumaru arrived after a time, and snuck up on Kurama. Tapping the boy on his shoulder, he smirked when the boy stiffened and turned around slowly.

Kurama was shocked when a finger touched his shoulder, not sensing any youki approaching. He turned around slowly with eyes narrowed and calculating. A sigh of relief lit his face when he spotted silver, and he spun around quickly to face Sesshoumaru. "So," he began, "how boring was YOUR day?" He smiled innocently.

Sesshoumaru raised a cool eyebrow and said calmly, "Not boring. Just irritating."

Kurama blinked innocently and asked cutely, "Irritating, how?"

His face expressionless, Sesshoumaru traced a claw down the line of Kurama's jaw. "Irritating because I could not spend time with you…"

Kurama smiled and said with a finger cutely raised, "Complements will not score you brownie points, Sesshoumaru." (*sniff* that was so *sniff* KAWAII! Sorry, my ma says that all the time, and I love it! ^^)

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow at the strange choice of words. "It matters not," he said, and swished Kurama off his feet.

Kurama, not expecting it, `eep'ed cutely and clung to Sesshoumaru's haori. "Don't DO that, Sesshoumaru," he admonished.

Leaning in close, Sesshoumaru whispered sexily, "You know you wanted it."

Blinking at the `his-era-ish' sentence, Kurama didn't expect the sudden kiss. Before he knew it, he was moaning into the kiss, in a world of bliss.

Kannei blinked from within the shadows, his face slowly turning red and emitting heat.

Kurama pulled away from Sesshoumaru, and, smirking, called out, "You know, Kannei, if you don't leave, that hard on is going to be painful soon." He had smelt the demon's arousal before Sesshoumaru only because he was more attuned to such things, being the sensual youko that he is. (^_-)

Sesshoumaru sniffed daintily and picked up Kannei's arousal. His eyebrow twitched in hidden amusement. "Leave, Kannei, and take care of your `problem'," he said tonelessly.

Kurama snickered at Sesshoumaru's teasing choice of words, but was soon silenced when the demon lord kissed him again.

Meanwhile, Kannei had managed to blush at least 20 different shades of red, and was now silently leaving the library.

Kurama ignored Kannei, and enjoyed the sweet kisses Sesshoumaru bestowed upon him.

"Milord Sesshoumaru!" a voice yelled out as the door to the library burst open.

Sesshoumaru and Kurama were apart in a millisecond, perfectly composed.

"Yes?" Sesshoumaru, annoyance hidden in his expression and voice.

"It's the Lord of the Northern Lands' army, sir! It has crossed our northern border and is heading straight for your castle!" the messenger said urgently.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, and his posture stiffened.

Kurama watched Sesshoumaru's subtle signs of shock and anger. He turned his gaze to Sesshoumaru's cold eyes. "What is your plan of action?" he asked quietly, a calm expression upon his face.

Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to Kurama, and said coldly, "Dismissed."

The messenger left the room quickly, not wanting to be caught in Sesshoumaru's presence while he was PISSED. Capital P-I-S-S-E-D people!

`How dare he attack my lands without first declaring war. This is cowardly!' Sesshoumaru thought furiously to himself, though his expression on the outside was utterly cold and calm.

Kurama's eyes had narrowed down to calculating and calm slits. "This action shows his cowardice and lack of honor. Sesshoumaru, where shall we go to devise a plan to destroy Nenki?" Kurama asked, his voice cold and sharp.

Sesshoumaru stared at Kurama in surprise, not knowing that the redhead could be so mature at such a young age… `He truly is an anomaly.' "Yes. We will go to my office to plan a way to obliterate Nenki and his armies…" he said coldly.

Kurama nodded his head and followed Sesshoumaru as he left the library.

They walked with quick strides down the halls of Sesshoumaru's palace, heading (in what Kurama guessed) was the direction of Seshoumaru's office. Arriving in little time, they strode in and shut the door quietly behind them.

Sesshoumaru kneeled down behind his desk, and Kurama settled himself down opposite the Western Lord. Beckoning a messenger that stood off to the side, Sesshoumaru ordered the cat demon to mark down on his map where the army crossed, and the amount of soldiers.

Kurama watched carefully as the messenger marked the information down quickly, then escaped off to the side. Examining the map, a small frown creased his brow. The army was huge, ranging in the thousands, of demons and humans EACH. That was around 3000 soldiers total… This was not looking good for them. Kurama knew for a fact that Sesshoumaru did not have the largest of armies, more the strongest of armies. But, if there were enough enemy, Sesshoumaru's army could be overwhealmed. That was not good. If the army turned tail and ran, that would leave the Western Lands completely open to attack.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes quickly swept over the map, then turned his gaze to Kurama. "What do you make of this?"

Kurama repeated his thoughts to Sesshoumaru, missing the slightly impressed look in the demon's eyes.

"What might your tactic be?"

Thoughtful, Kurama thought up possible strategies. Brainstorming outloud, he said, "We could possibly herd them into the small valley to their right, then slaughter them from all sides. We could also try to attack them from behind. Split them in two, then kill them. Massacre the humans, so the blood is thick in the air to confuse Nenki's army, then go in for the kill…" Kurama trailed off, giving the impression that he had many more ideas.

Nodding, Sesshoumaru asked, "Which would you do?"

Kurama looked thoughtful, then responded, "It would depend. How many soldiers I had. Their special abilities. Using nature against them could help. Deplete their supplies. The abilities of the enemy. Their level of intelligence. There are many factors involved."

"I did well, choosing you to become my new general. Hikume would have ran at them in a direct assault, taking many of our soldiers to the grave WITH him no doubt." A flash of amusement reached Sesshoumaru's eyes, but quickly disappeared.

Kurama smiled softly at this attempt at humor. "I do not know him well enough to assume what he may have done, but I do know that he would have lost you the battle." A serious and emotionless expression planted itself firmly upon Kurama's face, surprising Sesshoumaru. He spoke coldly and calculatingly, "He didn't have the self control of his emotions or his reactions to have successfully won a single war for you. Oh Sesshoumaru, how in the seven hells did you manage to survive this long with that fool as a general?"

"I led the army myself most of the time, and he followed my orders," Sesshoumaru replied simply.

Kurama raised an amused eyebrow. "Is that so? You did not trust him enough to know which side to attack, I assume." A low chuckled vibrated in Kurama's chest as he smiled slightly.

Sesshoumaru seemed amused by this humor, and the corner of his mouth even TWITCHED upwards the tinniest of bits in a smile.

However, Kurama, being perfect and observant Kurama, easily caught this and couldn't help but smile genuinely in return.

A knock sounded on the door, and Sesshoumaru said coldly, "Enter."

A Serious looking demon with red human-like eyes (Hiten-like eyes ppl) opened the door, his black hair cascading down his back like waves of darkness. "Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Nenki's army has stopped to rest in the valley. They seem to be settling in for the night. Our armies are ready to travel, with supplies for four weeks packed and ready to go. What are your orders?"

Sesshoumaru nodded his head at the fire elemental demon, and spoke, "My new general, Kurama, will be leading my army. You will take orders from him, and never question him. Is that understood?" Receiving a nod from the demon, he continued, "Make sure the rest of my army knows this as well, and punishment WILL be dealt to those who disobey."

The demon bowed low, and exited the room.

"Kurama," Sesshoumaru began, "Kannei will be keeping an eye on you the entire time, and will protect you. You needn't worry about leading the army, Kaze will do his job and lead them himself. You stay at the back and give orders to messengers, who will take the orders to those you specify. Any questions?"

Kurama thought for a moment, before asking, "What should I do if am I surrounded and Kannei is unable to fight?"

Sesshoumaru seemed slightly upset with this question. It seemed like he wanted to say, `Something like that will never occur', but his rational mind told him to tell Kurama the truth. "If you are surrounded, you are expected to fight. If you are captured, you die before you reveal any information whatsoever, down to your NAME."

Kurama nodded gravely and stood. "Is that all? Anything else I should know?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, a sign of dismissal to Kurama.

Leaving the room in a few quick strides, Kurama had much on his mind. For instance, what the hell was he going to do? There were too many factors! He needed to know more about the enemy… That gave him an idea… "Kannei," he called out softly, receiving a quiet `yes?' in return, "Do you know of any demons able to spy on the enemy?"

Kannei spoke softly, "I know one demon who is exceptionally good at it, and he so happens to be in the army."

Kurama smiled a half-smile, and said, "Can you please show me him later on when I am with the army? I need him to complete some special tasks for me…"

"Of course," was Kannei's quiet response.

Soon, Kurama arrived at the doors that exited the palace at the front. To his surprise, Sesshoumaru's army was rather small, but seemingly well-trained… He'd have to see their abilities for himself. Kaze walked toward him from the crowd, a smile set on his handsome face.

"So, are you up for dealing with these crazy demons?" he asked with no small amount of amusement.

Kurama played his game, and smiled. "I don't know, they look rather tough…" he said, his voice containing mock-fear.

Kaze burst out laughing and slipped an arm around Kurama's shoulders. "This shall be a fun endeaver with you as our general!!"

Kurama merely smiled softly and quickly examined every demon he came across as he was shown to the horse he would be riding.

"Kaze," Kurama began to get the wind elemental's attention, "Kannei told me about a demon in this army who was very good a spying on the enemy. Who is this?"

Kaze grinned and said, "Oh! That's Kage (shadow), he's the best at such things because of his amazing ability of hiding in the shadows. Oi! Kage! General wants to meet you!"

A demon, presumably Kage, turned to look at Kaze after the shout. His eyes narrowed when they found Kurama, examining him like a chunk of meat.

Kurama blinked at the scrutiny of the stare, and in turn examined Kage. He had messy shoulder length black hair and black eyes. Two black diamonds marked his cheeks. He wore a dark black cloak with not-so-loose clothing underneath.

"This is our new general? I had heard he was human, but I didn't think that he would be so… delicate looking…" Kage said coolly with half-lidded eyes, a hint of coldness in his voice.

Kaze merely smiled genuinely at the shadowy demon and said, "Yes, I was quite shocked when I first saw him as well… However… although he may seem delicate, he has more intelligence than any human I've ever seen, and many demons as well."

Kurama inwardly smiled at the praise, yet on the outside, he held in place a mask of calm.

Kage turned to examine Kurama a second time, his right eyebrow raised speculatively. "Really? Then perhaps he would feel up to a game of Go some time…"

Kurama smiled politely, using his full Shuiichi-polite-as-hell façade. "I would love to, Kage. Perhaps when we return?"

The shadowy demon seemed surprised, but quickly hid it with coldness. "What is it that you needed me for?" he asked coolly.

Smiling politely, Kurama said, "I wish to put your… skills… to use for me as soon as possible."

Kage raised an eyebrow. "What does my general need me for?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I need you to…" he trailed off, sensing an unusual pressence in the area. Thinking quick, he said calmly, "We shall discuss it later in private."

Kage merely nodded, curious, but obeyed the unspoken dismissal.

Meanwhile, Kaze was frowning softly to himself, unable to see what had caught Kurama's attention so suddenly. He watched in puzzlement as Kurama mounted up with ease, and turned his horse to face Kaze.

"Where shall I ride?" Kurama asked, not knowing if he should be at the front or back.

"Well, usually the general is at the front… but with these circumstances… I'm not sure."

Kurama nodded, and mumbled too quietly for Kaze to hear, "Kannei, where will Sesshoumaru have me ride?"

"Ride at the front, to show the demons in this army that you are not fearful. I will keep an eye on you, and an eye on our surroundings."

Kurama nodded almost imperceptibly, and kicked his horse into a trot, heading for the front of the army. `I have no experience whatsoever leading an army… What about hand signals and such? I suppose I will have Kaze take care of that…' Not seeing Kaze in the crowd, he asked a nearby demon to retrieve him for him.

The demon obeyed him, and found Kaze within seconds.

"Kaze, you shall ride up front with me, for I know not how to properly lead an army."

Kaze grinned, sitted on his horse, and moved it to be beside Kurama. "So I'm to be your guidance, I assume?"

Kurama smirked at him, startling Kaze slightly, and said, "Of course, what other use may I have of you?" A twinkle in his eyes betrayed the strict words, causing Kaze to smile.

"Alright, first you need to get their attention. You need to get a booming voice, loud and clear over the rustle of weapons, armor, animals, etc. To get their attention, yell out the word `Attention'."

Kurama half-smiled to himself when it reminded him of some movies he had seen as a child. "ATTENTION!" he said in a loud, deep, resonating, and commanding voice. Now that he had their attention, he improvised, for he had not asked what to do after that. "I am your new general, and you may address me as such! I will not tolerate any roguish behaviour in this army, and I expect that you obey all orders, no matter how insignificant they may be!" He paused to let his words sink in. "I know that I am only human, and you may think that I do not deserve this post! If you believe so, then know that I could give a rat's ass what you think about me, as long as you obey commands!" He inwardly smirked at the looks of shock on the demons' faces. "Now, form two parallel lines and await the next command!" He watched with sharp and calculating eyes as the demons obeyed, albeit slowly. "Sooner rather than later thank you very much!" He turned to the surprised Kaze, "Well, now what?"

Kaze blinked. And blinked some more. And FINALLY decided to use his brain and answer the rather simple question. "Well, you shout out `move out' when they're in lines… and… yeah. That's about it."

Kurama raised a cool eyebrow. "Really, now? What about hand signals, like `stop', or `slow', or `quick'. Do you not have any form of communication besides yelling out orders?"

"We have a different form of communication."

"And that would be…"

"Mind-to-mind."

"Really… and how exactly is this done?"

"Through messengers."

"And where are these `messengers'?"

"I am one of them, Kage is another, and there are a few more. If you ever require one of us to relay a message, use this hand signal." He held out his hand and then pulled down his ring finger, and leaving the other three fingers and thump pointing up. "Hold up your hand with this signal, and one of us will come to you."

Kurama nodded his head. That was simple enough. And if he needed to, he could relay the messages with his own mind abilities that he had picked up from Hiei.

Seeing that the small army of 70 or so was ready, he bellowed, "MOVE OUT!" He kicked his horse into a trot, and waited for Kaze to pull up beside him.

"I need to know more about this army and the surrounding area. How far of a ride is the valley that Nenki stays within?"

"I'd say around a 3 days ride at this pace."

"What are the abilities of this army?"

With that question, Kaze got into a detailed description of the army, their strengths, weaknesses, and more. Kaze answered all of Kurama's questions, and soon the youko knew all that he needed to know.

`Now that I am fully aware of everything, I can effectively stage this war.'

And with that thought, the plans of war are carefully devised…