Chronicles of the West

Chapter Eighty Three

Toga kept his eye on the foxbat. Tohru's moniker for the poor lad had stuck. Amari, was an odd creature. He wanted to free, that much was obvious. Toga wondered if a living freedom was possible for him. As the hunting party had moved deeper into the east, it became clear that the once kitsune was far more than they had realized.

He flew in circling patterns around them and the oni mounts, his strange glimmering eyes moving with swift efficiency over the treetops and the ground below them, then the sky around them. He had warned them that the makers, as he called them, had made several others like him.

He was unsure of the number they had attained however. Many were like him, resentful of their new masters. Some were thrilled to be more powerful than their original forms. They had been lost to the moving words of the makers. The promise of a bright and glorious future, where they would be demi-gods over all.

These were the ones that he worried about. They believed in the cause of the makers, and they would kill blindly for it. Images of packs in flight bearing down on them didn't sit well with anyone. Stops were rare and only taken when the mounts were tired.

They'd encountered several different enemies during those times. All land creatures. Oddities that bore venom or bindings. They had been dealt with swiftly enough by the deadly blows of Tokijin. The last had barely shown itself before Sesshoumaru had utterly destroyed it.

"It will not be so easy, the closer we get my lord" Amari had warned him. The Taiyoukai had grunted and sheathed his weapon. Toga had stepped up beside Amari then, and asked a few questions. The answers burned now in his mind, urging him to push the oni mount higher to level with the foxbat.

"Amari" he called, "You seem to be looking for something". Amari nodded, "My brethren, those creature made for flight. The closer we get to the castle barrier the more heavier our resistance will be" he told the tall inu.

"I expect attacks to increase" he said. Toga narrowed his eyes, "I would think that they would surround the castle and try to prevent our entry". Amari chuckled, "Oh no, they know that you will enter. They are merely going to try and buy time for the makers".

Eyes like liquid silver turned to blazing gold, "We cannot let that happen, the fighters must not all engage at the battle, some must get through. Once inside the makers will want to face them". Toga considered this. It made sense, the makers, would not pass up an opportunity to harvest such refined materials. Bastards.

He wanted to be in the north, looking over his territory and claiming Aislin. He'd been damned patient. His father had the best of intentions where his human ward was concerned, but Toga would have felt much better had be made her completely his before they left.

She had wept and clung to him, and he'd soothed her with soft growls and tender nuzzling. Daisuke had been appointed to remain behind and Toga had not been pleased about that. The horse was still very much interested in Aislin and that made the dog less than happy. Still, Taisha was there and she would defend his interests. That thought made him smirk.

He had left her with the promise that not only would he return, but that he would make her his lady when he did. Aislin had kissed him and wished him well, then demanded he return quickly. Toga was never one to disappoint a lady.

He recalled when Tohma and Souta returned to the west. A small cloth covered bundle cradled against Souta's armor. His face set in grim lines. They had found Ninia's remains. Not much had been left and Souta had been very quiet since that time.

Toga knew that he had harbored feelings for the lovely human assassin. According to his father, she looked identical to her grandmother, Sango. And was every bit as skilled. She had been a frequent visitor to the palace in her youth. She and Saio had become the best of friends and when Saio decided that she wished to join the league, Ninia had gone as well.

Ninia's bones had been washed and wrapped. Few were aware that Sesshoumaru himself had seen to that. His large clawed hands cradling the bare skull tenderly. Unseen by all but one, the great lord had whispered his gratitude for her service and his regret for her death.

Ninia had been intered in the family area of the gardens, a small shrine erected to her courage. She was honored and remembered, and deeply missed. Kurama had helped Saio to the small area, after the others had departed. Toga had been on the upper walls watching.

The girl had sunk to her knees in the newly turned earth, weeping. Her slender fingers digging into the soil and she sobbed her apologies. It was heartbreaking to see the most vicious assassin in all the league reduced to such.

Kurama had soothed her as best he could, and he alone would bear her secret to the end of time. He had seen the fox stiffen in surprise at some words Saio had told him that night, but he had not heard them. Only seen that the fox had held her a little closer and stroked her hair until she'd fallen into the arms of sleep. Kurama had lifted the female against his chest and carried her from the grave to the infirmary.

Toga had wanted to ask what she'd said that could affect the great Youko Kurama in such a way. He'd not though. There had been too much that required his attention.

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Silvana lay across the large bed, watching the moon. She could almost feel the minutes tick by, and with each passing moment her dread grew. Each night, she was taken to the dining hall, and there she was allowed to see that Elda remained unharmed.

Each night Josin brought her back to her rooms and would remind her of her coming fate. She had also found that Josin and Sero were far more than co-conspirators. They were lovers. While that did not upset her, the fact that they saw no problem with using her body and her powers did.

Josin chuckled at her discomfort, "I am sure I can make it enjoyable for you, or at the least, not painful" he told her. She had glared at him, looking away sharply. He'd forced her face back to his, brushing his nose along hers. "I like spirit" he assured her, "It makes it more interesting to break another".

She had felt disgust at his words. He looked like heaven but his heart was darker than any hell. She knew that he was aroused by her, not because she was beautiful, not because he suffered a sudden change of preference. It was because of her power and his power over her. She knew that it was this that fired his lust to such heights. She also knew that if she fought him in earnest, Elda would suffer for It.

She tried to tell herself that she didn't care about the wolf, that she could defend herself. That thought lasted perhaps an hour. She continually let her energy pulse, hoping Ryu could feel that tendril and follow it back to her. Days past, and the moon continued it's progress. It wasn't looking good.

She took a deep breath and gathered her energy to her once more. Forming the small, bright sphere of light in her chest. She focused, though it was becoming painful to her and forced the ball upwards and out of her body, letting it flow westward.

She was tiring more quickly of late, the direct result of her powers drawing out her strength. She clutched the bedding and whimpered softly. 'Please hurry Ryu' she mentally called, 'I can't hold on for much longer'.

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Ryu blinked, feeling a tug inside of himself. His head lifted into the wind, his silver braid flowing out behind him. It was her, he could feel her. A glance around him told him the others felt the pulse as well. "It is getting weaker" he said softly to his father, "She is wearing herself out".

Inuyasha heard this and blinked, "It's her power isn't it?" he asked, "Then why does it drain her like that?". Sesshoumaru let his golden gaze linger on his hanyou son. "Elementals are creatures made of pure energy Inuyasha, in fact, they rarely hold a physical body for long due to the strain that power causes. She was born of a demon and an elemental. Even a demon body suffers under that power.

She requires a mate to share the burden of power. Energy, when distributed between the two becomes more manageable, less painful. Easier to control" he replied. Ryu's ear flickered slightly. If he had mated her, none of this would have happened. They would have had to capture both of them, and that wouldn't happen.

His golden eyes narrowed on the skyline, his guilt was eating at him. He promised that as soon as she was safe, he'd remedy the situation. He'd been so stubborn about her power, and his desire to prove the court wrong about his intent toward her. So much so, that he'd overlooked her pain and exhaustion at housing such energy. Granted, she hadn't had to use them when with him. Yes, he'd remedy it.

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Kurama stared at the bloom that lay glowing softly in his palm. He could end it all now. He could. But he wouldn't. Not yet. The reason that Sesshoumaru had sent him to steal this flower was to prevent that.

Taisha stepped into the moonlight, her green eyes lighting on the soft golden shimmer coming from Kurama's clawed hand. "Kurama?" she called softly, "What is that?". Kurama closed his fingers and met her eyes. "You should be sleeping Taisha".

She arched a brow and moved to stand beside him, "And you should also, but instead you stand here and ignore my questions". Kurama lifted his hand toward her face and slowly opened his fingers. She looked more magnificent than the star filled sky, more radiant than the dawn.

The golden glow swept slowly over her features, making them softer. She breathed in a small 'oh'. "It's so beautiful" she whispered, "What is it?". Kurama tore his eyes from her face and settled them back on the blossom.

"This is a fate blossom" he told her. Her brow furrowed before memory struck, "But those are myths, legend" she said. He smirked, tucking a braid over her shoulder. A careless gesture that seemed so intimate in the dimness. "So are you, and your family" he pointed out. She looked at the velvety petals, "So" she asked, "What does it do?".

Kurama shrugged, "Grants wishes" he said simply, "Your father learned of it's existence and sent me to find it. They appear rarely. One bloom every thousand years. One must know how to find it or they will search forever".

Taisha was curious now. "How did he know?" she asked. Kurama chuckled, "As usual your father is a man of secrets and mystery. He was born of this flower Taisha".