Chronicles of the West

Okay guys another update. Updates will be slowing down since I will be going back to school soon and work. I have my voice back now. Yay for me. Hope you guys like.

Chapter Twenty Three

Perfect copies. Creatures that could pass for the originals. It was damned creepy. Ryu growled at the other Toga and the beast smirked back. "Just had to be a copy of you didn't it?" he snapped at Toga. His brother chuckled, "Well why not. Better to replicate perfection after all. What's the matter Ryu don't think you can kill me?". Ryu snorted, "Whatever, just stay out of my way.

They huddled close together, back to back and waiting. The copies attacked in unison. "Stay together!" Kurama shouted to the others. Easier said than done. The copies were clever, isolating those that looked like them and drawing them into battle.

Shippo looked around and growled, Kurama was fighting Kurama and Toga was fighting off a copy of himself and the fox. Shippo understood the plan then. He knew Kurama, had known him all his life, and he couldn't tell watching them now, which Kurama was the real one.

Ryu tackled one of the Togas only to get an elbow in the ribs. "Damn fool, can't even tell the real me?" he snapped and rejoined the fray. Ryu blinked as the other Kurama came at him. Which Toga was which? Shippo moved forward to attack but Ryu's voiced stopped him. "Don't!" he called, "Can you tell which one is fake?". Shippo let his claws drop uselessly. He couldn't.

Blood spattered against the stones and heavy pants and grunts filled the air. Shippo and Ryu couldn't even scent the real Toga or Kurama. "We have to do something" Ryu panted, managing to dispatch one of the fakes with this blade. He clutched his stomach and fought the urge to vomit. Kurama's lifeless eyes stared back at him accusingly. "Not the real Kurama, not the real Kurama" he whispered.

"Shippo look out!" Kurama's voice rang out. The kitsune spun to face the approaching silver haired opponents. One Kurama hit the wall hard and came up snarling. Shippo had never heard his friend sound like that before and lashed out with his claws.

Golden eyes widened in shock as Kurama clutched his arm. "Shippo?" he asked in confusion. The other Kurama was chuckling with amusement. "Too bad your friends don't know you". Shippo blinked, "Kurama, I'm sorry!" he called over the noise as his friend and mentor shoved from the wall to fight his mirror image.

Toga had pinned Toga against the floor, his blade skittering across the floor in the tumble. "Hand me the sword!" he barked and Ryu rolled to the weapon catching it in a hard grip. He strode over to the two struggling forms. Toga had his hand held out, waiting as he fought against the one beneath him.

The pinned Toga lifted golden eyes to Ryu, "No! Don't Ryu!" he cried out. Ryu drew back, his gaze darting between them. "Give me the sword Ryu! I can't hold him for much longer". "Don't do it Ryu! Kill him!". The hanyou's ears flattened, which one was his brother? This couldn't be happening.

Did the copies retain only the physical qualities of their targets, or memories as well? Ryu stared at the Toga on the bottom, "When I was young I made our father angry and hid. How did that end?" Toga's golden eyes swam with something and Ryu's hand tightened on the hilt of the sword.

"You got stuck" Toga whispered, the Toga on top. "You got stuck by your hair in the brambles near the western wall and I found you bawling your eyes out from it". Ryu almost sagged with relief and dropped the sword into the outstretched hand. Toga wasted to time in slashing downward across the fake.

Shippo looked over at the grappling Kuramas. "Say something!" he shouted. One Kurama smirked as he brought his fist down across the other's jaw. "You stink Shippo" he muttered. Shippo's cheeks flushed with embarrassment but he smiled and struck out with his claws.

The false Kurama sank to the floor, fading away to the lump that he was made from. The demons looked at each other and Ryu shook his head at his brother, "I was worried" he whispered. Toga cupped his cheek, "I was too, you aren't exactly the discerning fighter" he teased. Ryu shrugged away from him with a gruff keh.

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Silvana stared around the room she'd been brought to. She was shackled against a large plate of stone, metal grooves at her ankles, wrist and throat left little doubt as to what their purpose was. She wanted to struggle, fight, break the shackles. She could do none of those things, however. Alastair was thorough, he'd sealed her from movement and power use. She was helpless. He'd even sealed her voice.

She glared over at where he stood. Victor was with him and had not looked at her. She supposed that she'd be getting no help from him. Something terrible must have happened to her friends. They must have been seriously hurt or killed and unable to come to her aid. That was the only reason she knew of that they'd not saved her. If she was unsealed she could save herself. 'If wishes were horses' she silently mused.

Alastair walked over to stand in front of her. The key to his desired future. He glanced over at Victor. The other alchemist was busily making the last minute adjustments. Little did he know that Alastair had plans for him too. "What do you think demon?" he asked lightly, "We did all this in your honor".

Silvana glared at him, willing him to writhe in pain under her withering gaze. He only laughed, "Forgive me, I forgot that even your voice is bound". Reaching out a delicate hand he wiped at the sticky colored oil that he'd used to paint the seals on her flesh. His thumb caressed the mark, smearing an edge into non-existence. "Better?" he asked.

"Go to hell you sick son of a bitch!" she snapped at him, ivory fangs flashing at him. He chuckled and looked at his partner, "Charming isn't she? Little savage". Victor said nothing, continuing his work across the room. He dared not look at Alastair. He'd seen the words written in that journal. Knew at last the truth behind Alastair's change. He had fused himself with a demon. In hopes of gaining more power.

Victor had long thought him incapable of performing transmutations of that level. He had been wrong, deceived into doing the dirty work for his lover. It made him angry, it wounded him, and he was powerless in spite of it. "Victor love, how is it coming along?" he asked softly. The burgundy haired man nodded, "Nearly there" he bit out as he tightened a screw.

Alastair turned his chilly gaze to the vixen once more. "Oh don't look at me that way. I am a man of vision, and visions require sacrifices. As far as though go, I think you'll do nicely. My God-send really. You have no idea how hard it is to create an elemental. Our first attempts were sadly lacking". He gestured to the cages lining the far wall. Silvana focused on them, misshapen creatures lay quietly inside, sad experiments gone terribly wrong.

"You are not a god" she told him coldly, "You can only play at one using the sciences of ages". Alastair smirked "Oh I agree with you. I'm not a god…yet. After tonight I shall be. Alchemy alone could not give me what I wanted so I changed a few things".

She glared at him, "What have you done? You don't even smell human". His golden brow rose at that, "No, I suppose I don't" he admitted, "That is all part of my special recipe you see. The recipe for the domination of the world. Mix in two parts alchemy and one part good old fashioned black arts. Works rather well don't you agree?"

Victor stiffened at his words, pretending not to notice. So that was how he had managed it. He wasn't even good enough to rely on alchemy alone. Alastair took in the shocked expression on the demoness's face. "It's fitting don’t you think, when I intend to enslave and transmute all the demons of this world and the next. Rumor has it the most powerful are in the Orient. I do look forward to seeing what I can make of them"

Silvana laughed at that, "You sad excuse for flesh, unseal me and see what you can make of me". He smiled and stroked a fingertip down her cheek. "No, I don't think so. I am quite aware of your abilities and I don't want to test them against myself. I just want them. Now be a good girl and be quiet while Victor sets the blooders".

She growled at him, but he had turned away from her. She looked over at what had to be the blooders. Long thing metal rods, sharp blades at one end. She shivered despite herself at the sight of them. She closed her eyes and tried again to break the seals. No good.
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Ryu kicked a door open and they hurried down the hall. They smelled Silvana now, her fear streaking down the halls to them. They followed it and their noses unerringly to the large metal doorway before them. Ryu kicked at it, but it didn't give. "Way to go hero" Ippiku sniped, "Just announce our arrival why don't you?". Ryu flicked him in the forehead and threw his weight against the door.

Alastair looked up at the sound and growled, glaring at the woman in the room. "Seems we have company" he told her, "Your friends". Silvana felt the air rush from her lungs as hope rose up. "Ryu!" she screamed through the tall door. She tried to move again, cursing viciously at her lack of freedom.

Ryu's head snapped up, "Silvana! Hang on! we’re coming" he shouted back to her. Kurama placed a seed in the keyhole, willing it to grow. Grow it did and the lock splintered a moment later. One last kick from the hanyou and the door crashed to the floor.

Alastair looked at the demons before him and smiled, "Well, you'll all do nicely" he announced. Ryu glanced at Silvana, noting the many markings on her body. "He's sealed me" she panted to them. Toga growled and stepped forward slowly, "You are the one that made those things?" he asked. Alastair pointed at Victor, "Actually he made them for me. Didn't you like your welcoming party?"

Toga growled at him before swinging his gaze to Victor. This one was all human. No taint of demon or anything else in him. Just the scent of the trash before him. "Blaming your lover? Afraid?" he asked. Alastair blinked at him before smiling, "Ah yes, demon noses". Ryu moved toward Silvana but Alastair shook his head, "She is sealed firmly, one misstep by you and I can kill her now. I don't need her alive to get what I want, it's just more potent that way".