InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Priestess ❯ Battle Fury ( Chapter 3 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's ideas or characters.

A/N: Hey everyone. Here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoyed the last three. Michiro finally sees the great dog youkai face-to-face! Please read and review!

CHAPTER 3: BATTLE FURY

Another fierce roar split the trees, causing Michiro's ears to ache with the terrible sound. This was a different sound then before- harsh, tearing and malicious. The fight had begun. There was already the second creature entering the battle.

Michiro already regretted her close proximity to the fight.

As she slowly sat up, pulling her bow into her lap, she could see the Inu Taiyoukai spitting with rage, shifting his stance on the forest floor. She strained to see where the other roar had come from. Over the lip of the valley, charged another figure of astounding size. It was an ookami- a wolf demon. Its pointed face was twisted in a coarse snarl, it's blue eyes practically oozing hatred for its opponent. Michiro could see that the dog demon felt exactly the same way about said wolf. He was growling back, a glare echoing from his glowing red eyes.

Without warning, the wolf was up against the dog, swinging his claws at the glistening white body. The other demon was surprisingly swift, dodging the sharp claws. Instead of taking a deadly blow, the dog buried its teeth into the shoulder of its opponent.

The ookami howled in rage, his ear-splitting cry filled with pain. He ripped his body away from the dog's poisonous canines, the fresh black blood staining his golden brown coat.

The two began to circle each other in a menacing dance, the injured wolf gnashing his teeth at the aggressor. Michiro had watched the whole scene, completely dumbfounded.

--Why am I here? Why have I put myself out in the open like this, when it is most likely I will be trampled underneath their paws?-- She shuddered at the sharp, gleaming claws on their feet, and did not like the idea of being helplessly tossed beneath them.

After a few agonizing seconds of debate on the part of the two demons, the wolf decided to make his move. His body springing effortlessly towards his opponent, he slammed towards him with the full momentum of the jump.

As he crash-landed with all of his weight, the dog youkai was pushed back a good distance. When the wolf had hit the ground, the earth beneath Michiro had seemed to quake, and she was shoved off-balance, again startled by the effect that these heavenly bodies could evoke on their surroundings.

The two great demons were now in full fighting mode, both sets of hackles raised in wounded pride and blind fury. The inu had regained his footing within a second of being launched back, and flung himself at the ookami. In a sharp and calculated move, he slashed a gaping wound across the wolf's cheek, causing more of the black blood to taint its fur.

Michiro's lips trembled faster than the ground beneath her legs as she watched to two battle in unchained ferocity. Though the wolf had shed far more blood from his opponent's rapid succession of attacks, the two seemed evenly matched- each retaliating brilliantly with schedule swipes of their bodily weaponry.

The ookami barred his long fangs at the inu taiyoukai, a growl making his lower lip quiver terribly. With astounding grace, he pushed towards the left of the other demon, causing the youkai to dodge the blow. In a split second, he had turned the move into a fake, and his sharp teeth had buried themselves into the dog's glistening white throat. Quickly having gained dominance over the other taiyoukai, he tackled the great shining demon, shoving him full force into the bed of trees. The forest beneath them was snapped and splintered, as if the trees were tiny twigs in their grasp.

The wolf was without mercy. Its indigo eyes burned with ecstasy in seeing its opponent in pain. The dog youkai was at a severe disadvantage, trapped under the hind legs of the wolf, while it clamped down on the flesh of the white throat. Dark blood was erupting from the growing wound, and his beautiful coat, too, was being discolored. The dog let out a defeated and terrified yip, and to Michiro, it almost sounded like a puppy who had been brutally beaten by its master.

Michiro cried out, seeing the beautiful creature slumped among the trees, unable to stop its life from slipping away at the hands of a vicious killer. As she had viewed the maddened fight between the lord youkai, the inuyoukai had radiated a holiness and righteousness that she could not even began to explain to herself. That the ookami was killing that beauty with a sadistic kind of satisfaction, made her mind scream in indignation.

Her eyes flamed wildly at the scene passing before her, and she wanted the strained whimpering of the dog demon to stop- she wanted it to fling the wolf onto its haunches and finish the fight in glory. But, he was having trouble fighting off the nasty attack.

Without even considering repercussions or consulting her normal store of good sense, Michiro began fumbling with her long bow, notching a hama no ya into the carved wood. Not even stopping to wonder if her power was enough to drive off the great wolf demon, she raised the bow to take aim. Quickly, a purplish glow had encased the arrow that she had notched, and, as the bowstring vibrated with the release, a trail of the bright light cut through the air.

The arrow slammed into the wolf's already injured shoulder. The purifying arrow raked the side of the flesh, neutralizing some of his youki, and pulverizing a chunk of his shoulder. Feeling the deep, stinging gash, the wolf momentarily forgot the prey within his jaws, and bellowed in ire.

Before the youkai could fully even react to the blow and search out the perpetrator, Michiro had fired off another succession of arrows, each hitting the ookami in his side, burying their purifying heads into his dark fur. The wolf howled again in agony, and stumbled back, its teeth removing themselves from the dog's injured throat. He saw the next arrow pelting towards his body, and made the decision to turn his tail and run from the barrage of damaging hama no ya.

Michiro let her bow down slowly, exhaling shakily, as she watched the ookami bound off over the peak of the hill. She then realized how her veins were coursing with virility, how her whole body shook with the effects of adrenaline. Her mind pounded with shock at her own actions….and their effects. --Did I….drive off a youkai? A

tai ookami--?

She puzzled at how, not even thinking of her own strength, she had managed to injure such an imposing figure. Perhaps something else had caused the wolf to flee. She looked around the tops of the trees, the clearing that she stood in. The only other things left in this silent wasteland were her, the fallen youkai, and the far-off shadow of the Hakeda mansion, blurred in the twilight mists.

Breathe. Breathe. Is he alive? Is he alive? Her mind chanted to the beat of her heart, as she suddenly found herself tearing madly through the trees and brush, to the fallen angel on the other side of the forest. Cold wind whipped vicious through her raven hair, and her cheeks and nose were rosy with the effort of speed. Where had he fallen? Was he still breathing? Had all her efforts been in vain?

She gasped for air, and her leg muscles screamed for rest. But she had to find the taiyoukai. Gradually, the great youki was becoming clearer to her senses, and she knew she was getting closer to the creature. The swirling aura of the beast seemed to be beckoning her further into the trees, and she followed gladly, like a lost child.

When her body felt like it could move no more, she was at another clearing, facing something strange and beautiful and far different from what she had expected. The taiyoukai that had been fighting just minutes before was no more- it was replaced by a different manifestation of itself. The human-like form of youkai. Michiro cherished the fact that it was rare to witness a lord youkai in this state. She moved silently onto the patch of grass, her crimson hakama swishing along the tips of the blades.

The empty circle was quiet, hushed. To her, it felt as if she had entered the most sacred of shrines, and that this great youkai was the altar. His graceful body was sprawled in the grass, arched in a grotesque semblance of death. His slim white throat was drenched in black blood, which had also seeped into his long locks and the brazen, silver kimono.

His whole figure still retained an ethereal glow about it, shimmering with youki and power and beauty. He was like an ancient god, beautiful and fearsome to behold. As she took another cautious step forward, she saw his clawed fingers twitch slightly. He was alive! Another step closer, and she could hear the faint rasp of his labored breathing beneath the horrific wound in his throat. Surely he would be dead if he had no help. Michiro understood that youkai healed fast- but a wound such as this was too grievous to be taken lightly. The taiyoukai's brow furrowed as a spasm of pain wracked his thick-muscled body.

Michiro knew that she had to help him. She had already taken the first step into saving his life- she could not let him suffer, helplessly, here on the cold ground. It was as if her soul ached with his pain as she watched him writhe on the forest floor.

Closing in the rest of the distance between her and him, she knelt down beside his injured body. She was reluctant to touch him, fearing she would exacerbate is already fatal wounds. Not knowing where else to begin, she placed a tentative, light set of fingers upon his smooth forehead. She pulled back quickly, feeling how his skin burned with fever….seeing how the blood poured from the open wound…watching his pained expressions.

She had to find a way to help him. --The only option left is to go back to the mansion. Would they let a youkai into their midst? Could I persuade them?-- Michiro knew that she at least needed supplies to help him.

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She had left his pale body lying in the empty clearing. Michiro was sprinting at a breakneck pace in the direction of her home. She had not left him defenseless, though. She had quickly conjured up a protective barrier around him, hoping to ward off any stray scavengers. Yes, the youkai was one of great renown…..but there were vicious and cruel demons out in a dark forest like that, all of whom would gleefully tear through a helpless body without hesitation.

As the running began to take its toll on her lungs and her legs, the shadow of the mansion appeared, hung in the shifting mists of twilight. As the vision of the suffering godlike creature floated into her thoughts once again, she pushed herself to fly to the gates of the Hakeda house.

Finally reaching the steep wooden door, she flung herself against it, ramming her fists forcefully on the thick planks. "Guards? Guards! I need help-now! Haiyaku! Open….open up!"

Within a few seconds, the square, wooden peephole was opened, and half a face was staring towards to outside world. She pounced on the eyes, breathing quickly and frantically in the open space, relieved that someone had answered her call so fast. She saw it was Shinjiru, staring out into the growing darkness, his pointy mustache brushing the edges of the square opening.

"Who is it?! Why do you bother us with your hollering? We are in mourning!" He barked, in a somber warning tone.

"Oh thank God, it's you! It is me, Michiro. I need your-"

He cut in, fiercely, his beady eyes swerving out to meet her shining dark ones. "Michiro?! What fool….what trickery…" he growled, his barely visible lips curling into a sneer.

"What are you talking about, Shinjiru-san? I need your help, immediately…there's a wounded-"

"Help? HELP?! What a cruel trick to play on this household. You are not Michiro. Michiro-sama, the beautiful and graceful daughter of our deceased lord, she no longer walks this earth- you are not Michiro!"

Michiro squeaked and tried to draw words from her own throat, as she struggled to comprehend what she was hearing. "But- it can't….LOOK AT ME! I'm Michiro! I am here, I am alive!" She pulled herself directly in front of Shinjiru, pleading with her eyes for him to hear her cries.

He spit at her through the opening, his face twisted- but eyes gleaming with a familiar smile. "You are an imposter, a fraud and a heartless woman, to torture us so with the memory of our Honored Lady. Michiro went to face bravely against the Lords of the land, and she never returned to us…her only family." He let out a harsh wail that sounded strangely like laughter to Michiro's unbelieving ears. "We are lost- lost without her!"

Michiro cried out into the night in anger and disbelief. "Won't you recognize me? Won't you see me?" She hammered on the wood again. But, Shinjiru stared back at her with self-satisfied eyes.

Then, he had turned quickly to someone behind him.

"Ganzau! Come here!"

Michiro let out a pent-up breath, realizing that the advisor had called the loyal priest to identify her. Once Ganzau allowed her inside, she could retrieve her supplies and go to help the demon.

After a moment of waiting, Ganzau had taken the place of Shinjiru at the door. He looked out at her, and they locked eyes.

"Ganzau-sama! Onegai, I must get in! There is a youkai- a good youkai- that needs my help. I must have my miko supplies!"

He looked at her with a stony expression, as if he was looking right through her. Michiro could hear Shinjiru's words float from behind the high priest. "Is she Michiro, Ganzau-sama?"

Ganzau was looking straight out at Michiro, and his whole being seemed to droop with a heavy burden, and his brown eyes shone with defeat. "I……No……"

Michiro gasped, trying to deny his answer. "Ganzau-sama!!! It's me! It's your pupil, Michiro! You can't possibly-"

"You are not Michiro." His voice wavered with strangled emotion. "She….She….is…..DEAD!"

Michiro screamed at Ganzau, who had already retreated hastily from the gate. "I'M NOT DEAD! I NEED YOU HELP! PLEASE! SOMEBODY! See me….."

Only silence from the inside met her desperate cries. Then, Shinjiru was speaking to Ganzau in a hushed whisper. Then she heard his command, spoken loud and pompous so that all of the guards on watch would hear. "Ganzau! Get rid of this demon-spawn- this fake!" He spit the words out, leaving Michiro stunned, still huddled against the heavy wood.

Ganzau's fingers protruded from the opening, his arm extending as far as his limb would fit through the hole.

"No..Ganzau….please…don't…..don't be fooled by Shinjiru- they've brainwashed you…."

Before she could speak again, she was abruptly thrown off her feet by a blast of piercing, forceful energy. It seemed to tear through her entire shoulder, rip through her veins, it blinded her thoughts for a moment. And, then she was sprawled in the dewy grass, smelling the earth beneath her hair, and feeling the paralyzing wound break on her shoulder.

Ganzau was looking out, once again, from the space in the door. His whole face was distorted in pain and failure. "I'm sorry….." he whispered, and hurried from the door.

"Slink off to your hole, demon-spawn, vixen. Your trickery has failed." Shinjiru spit at her once more, and slammed the hole-cover. She faintly heard the footsteps of the two, and the clamor of the guards on the other side of the gate. But, she was having trouble focusing on those noises, as her mind was reeling with the energy blast and total confusion. Her face was cradled in the soft, damp soil and she felt that a storm was gathering in the darkening sky.

But where would she go from here?