Old posts i found on my old computer o.o

[Kikuyoshi]

So, i finally booted up the old tower and found a bunch of old rps that i'm gonna post up here for people to poke at n.n some of them might not even be my posts...but posts i saved for some reason or another x.x;

but yeah...here ya go...don't comment on stuff until i've got it all up just to keep confusion down x.x;

[Kikuyoshi]

Sweat soaked white hair lay bedraggled against the front
of Ghost's face, his chest rising slowly, yet deeply as he
stood before the determined human. Sinister pupils
dialated and focused like a camera lense on the now holy
face of his person...and in all truth, perhaps he should
have felt a nudge of fear, for he was facing down a human
that had been blessed by both angel and demon. Yet he
feared not, his confidance in his own power and the
stolen power of Loki, one of the most feared and powerful
demon creatures to have ever walked the earth..

Rather, he took a calm step forward, no smile, no sarcasm,
nothing but his utter hate for every living breathing thing
in existance. A fearsome power built up about him, both
wings of intense hellfire red flaring at his sides, and the
look held within his eyes spoke of experience in the
darkest of human ways; a look alone that would make
one question themselves on their purity.

Glancing towards the fallen beast of white, Ghost
gathered a bit of saliva and spit upon the Ivory Wolf,
displaying his detest of his chosen last words. "Place
your pity on someone else, dog..." eyes narrowed as his
foot harshly placed contact into Yueh's corpse, just at the
belly. "I ENJOYED hunting down those children
and their families." He circled about the dead Yueh's
figure, his eyes shifting from the corpse to once again lay
upon Zach as he spoke. "I enjoyed raping the women. I
enjoyed slowly killing them infront of their children." He
paused, a cruel smirk slowly building around his lips, as
if the memories themselves were giving him a most
pleasant feeling. "Making them watch as i snuffed their
birth creatures out of existance...hearing them scream
when i pushed my knife through thier soft, supple skin..."
Ghost stopped, his tonge flitting out to lick at his lips,
looking very turned on by the words he was speaking. For
a moment or so, he simply stood there, staring down
Zach, his tongue still slightly peeking out from his mouth,
though quite rappidly did the look of amusement drop
from his expression, his ears listening to Zach speak; eyes
watching as the weapon was pulled from thin air.

"It is not I" A pause escaped him as he took yet another
step forward. Slow...steady, until all at once, he stopped,
his head cocked slightly to the side to glare at Zach with
one red eye, the other covered by white tresses. "that shall
die this day." Boldly he continued to walk forward, his
steps carrying him swiftly closer and closer to the fallen
figure of Tari, a hellish idea suddenly striking him. "No..."
a smile pulled at his lips. "Today.......we shall live." One
long pointy fingernail was suddenly thrust into the
deceased maiden's chest, her blood splattering in silence
as he then removed his finger and placed it to his mouth
to lick clean the crimson liquid. Quickly he jumped back
before Zach could reach him out of anger, though his eyes
remained on Tari, he himself looking a bit curious.
However, when nothing happened, Ghost simply gave a
small chuckle, his attention on Zach. "When this is all
over..." A pause, as he suddenly vanished, appearing
again just behind Zach, his nail lightly playing with his
hair as his breath was close enough to feel on the nape of
his neck. "Tari will bare my children."

[/color][/size]

A soft whisper of a womanly voice passed by and
through the ears of Keroberos alone, thier haunting
melody slow and rich, proclaiming in thier tones a
sadness that struck the heart like none other
emotion...and yet, they brought hope as well, that perhaps
this evil would eventually melt away and the sun would
shine down once more upon the lands.

In any event, a new miricle began to take place; for Kero
was suddenly spotlighted by a celestial light bearing a
soft golden hue. On this stream of light, the same child
that had spoken to him as Kangetsu accended into
heaven, now walked barefoot along the stream of light,
his back now graced with a pair of silver wings.

Small fingeres lightly pet at Kero's fur, his small head
resting now against his shoulderblades as his feet
touched down upon the ground, his small voice soothing
in its own way. "You need not tremble so..." Wide, blue
eyes lifted to look the wolf in the face, a smile blessing his
lips. "You are to still deliver the amulet to Yueh when
Ghost is at his weakest..." His eyes closed, as though that
thought were a happy one. "After that, a miricle shall take
flight...and peace will be restored." His small fingers
lightly scratched behind Kero's right ear, his head still
lain against the wolf's taller body.

[/color][/size]

[Kikuyoshi]

The brightness of Yueh's eyes softened at the sight
of Ghost. You poor creature of darkness, what
kind of life have you known? The Alpha of
Shinkou Ookami had perceived a whole new light on
the monster.

"Pity," he repeated, taking a few steps towards
Ghost, though not close enough to cause him any
more fury and hatred he was already feeling.

Ghost appeared at his side. Yueh did not move, save
for his eyes that followed Ghost's hands. He did
not flinch as Ghost clutched his heart. Ghost might
even feel the soft flutter of warmth there.
It was very much undiscernable to conceive any
feelings from Yueh. Pools of bright blue glowed
softly in the light of Yueh's compassionate wolf
face. Fear was drained from the his features.

"There are many evils in this world. But when there
is evil, there is good, too. It is unfortunate that
you had to taste the terrible in the first years
of your childhood. The thing I treasure... is the
goodness of everyone, and I do believe you have
a hidden goodness too, a goodness that is waiting
to be released from your soul. It is the innocence
of your childhood that is still burning within, Ghost."
It was at that brief moment that Yueh made eye contact
with Ghost, and being so close together, it was
just as unnerving as staring down a pissed-off
dragon. "As much as you have done, I cannot say I
blame you in the slightest for killing all of those
people. It was anger that has driven you, revenge
for yourself." Yueh sighed softly, his breath warm
and almost shuddering as Ghost tugged at his breast.
"I could release you from your sin, and your
horrorible past, Ghost." He continued to look upon
Ghost, with no emotion stirring there from the Alpha's
gaze. "You are at my mercy, Ghost. I'm not at yours
now."

And at that moment, Ghost tore out his heart.
A single word was issued from his quavering lips.
"Love."
A mass of blood gushed from Yueh's breast, one of his
ribs showing. Yueh simply stood there, his legs shaking
beneath him as his heart was now clutched in the hands
of his pitiful enemy. Brilliant blue eyes, once white,
still shone, then soon faded into darkness. Pupils
hardened and became still, and slowly, Yueh began
to fall sideways. A noisy thud like a boulder hitting
earth was then heard. Yueh, the Alpha of Shinkou
Ookami, was dead.

The heart within Ghost's grasp pumped slowly, as if
it was still within Yueh's body. Suddenly, the heart
of Yueh hardened, and became something like a glassy
stone, almost like pure diamond. The blood smeared
across Ghost's body turned bright gossamer white,
those that belonged to Yueh anyway. The white blood
engulfing Ghost would indeed burn, for the heart
was in unworthy hands of evil, and indeed the heart
seemed almost alive still. The purity of the heart
seem to glow and scream at Ghost. If it was dropped,
righ then and there something incredible began to
ensue.

The earth beneath the heart stone began to tremble,
and gave way to the purity of the heart. It shone
bright, almost blindingly like the distant sun in the
sky, and was soon engulfed in dirt. The earth seem
to tremble at this point, the entire atmosphere
changing to a point that was unexplainable and
perfectly mysterious. The earth then stopped
shuddering, and where the heart glass bead had been,
a sappling branch began to take root and grow.

It looked indeed as if something was growing there.
The earth cracked and gave way to a tree that
was growing, it's limbs stretching to the high heavens.
A tree it was, and what a curious thing, so beautiful
and curious. As the base of the tree grew thicker,
the branches grew longer, hands reaching up
until it was at least fifty feet high. The tree was
bare, yet the branches were white as the glowing
round moon that appeared from the dark clouds.

Roots sloshed, rose and fell from the earth as if
it was about to walk away. However, one branch tore
out towards Ghost, where its whale-sized root plunged
downward upon the evil creature of hate. Soon
Ghost might be locked within the tree's grasp.
With one powerful forceful push, the root settled
itself with Ghost beneath it towards the earth,
where Ghost would soon perhaps be buried.

Then, the tree became quiet, and settled right then
and there. With the moon high above the all,
another miracle seem to have entouched this tree.
Blossoms like no other bloomed bright and beautiful
upon the branches in clusters, like one giant
Cherry Blossom tree, yet the blossom itself was
unfathomably marvelous in all it's shape and glory.
Soft petals were enriched with obscured power, their
lacy face opening up to the world around them.
Then, the land became quiet once more, not a thing
stirring. The tree simply stood there, as if it
had been there for ages.

But not all was quite done. Blossoms from these
fantastic flowers fell, and drifted steadily like
flocks of birds from the tree, racing upon the wind
across the land to bring sorrowful news of their
Alpha's demise. Across the distance, they floated
on Her pale face, glittering like hundreds of
butterflies; petals free on this earth, and all the
more mysterious as this tree towered above all.

[/size][/color]

[Kikuyoshi]

*Aoshi pulled back faintly, a look of worry on his face.* 'Blaze?...are you alright?' *gaze turned to glare at "Tobias".* 'Asshole...what the hell did you go and do that for?'

*Legato sneered, then turned to Blazingtear.* 'Yes...the love of my life...are you alright?' *sarcasm dripped from his vocals as he put on a sweet and innocent face.* 'I did not mean to hit you so hard with that pan...i only wished for you to fall so i could see up that pretty kimo-'

*Aoshi quickly brought the frying pan down on Tobias' head, rendering him unconcious for the time being.* 'Bastard...'

BlazingTear moved away from them all slightly, edging away as though she were afraid of them. "B...Blaze........Is..that my name?"

*Aoshi haulted, starting at her before shaking his head and speaking softly.* 'Do...do you know who I am?' *Slowly he crouched down on the floor, leveling to her hight.*

BlazingTear shook her head quickly, moving away even further. Daaku sighed, causing her to turn and finally notice the large beast. BlazingTear gave a startled cry, "W-where am I!? What is this..."

*Aoshi inhailed sharply, eyes glancing about the room to observe everyone else's reactions. He himself must have looked mighty odd, standing there with nothing but boxers and a trenchcoat about his waist.* 'Your name is Blazingtear, you're hear to heal from a battle that took place not long ago.' *Eyes of steel blue observed her gently.* 'My name is Aoshi, a good friend to you if you take my word for it.' *his hand then gestured about the room.* 'That's Daaku, Kagome and this...' *his hand paused on Tobias' figure.* 'Well...this is your...his name is Tobias.' *lids closed slightly.* 'Though at the moment he's being posessed by someone named Legato...'

*Kagome blinked, then shook her head, calmly stepping forward to touch Blazingtear's shoulder, eyes now darting towards Aoshi.* 'Perhaps you should've just given her the basics...'

BlazingTear closed her eyes, putting a hand to her head as she shook it slowly, "I....can't remember....anything..." She winced, rubbing a small bump on her head, "It's too much...."

*Kagome smiled gently* 'Common...let's get you some rest...maybe that's all you need...'

*Tobias suddenly moaned, a solitary word rising from his lips as he slipped back into conciousness.* 'Blazingtear...' *Eyes fluttered open, their amber hue glancing about the room slightly bewildered.* 'What happened? I feel like i got hit by a truck...' *eyes fell on Blazingtear.* 'Hey...you alright?' *he tried to move towards her, though not with much luck, considering he was currently chained up.* 'Damnit...would someone get these things off me?!'

She gazed down at Tobias, a confused look upon her face. She pointed at him, auds laying flat as she recalled only part of what Aoshi had attempted to explain to her, "You're....Legato?"

Daaku shook his head, "Perhaps we should explain a bit to him what has happened...if at all possible..."

*Tobias blinked dumbfoundedly, glancing towards Aoshi.* 'Is she...feeling alright? And why the hell are you standing there without a shirt and pants?!'

*Aoshi sighed and rubbed his temples.* 'Your being controlled by Legato, Tobias. And just recently...Blazingtear lost her memory...' *eyes closed breifly, quickly taking his leave outside to collect his articles, returning only moment's later fully clothed, his kadotchi once more at his side.*

*Tobias scowled.* 'What the hell do you mean i'm being controlle-' *eyes suddenly dialated, shifting to a silvery hue.* 'My he's a nucience...' *Gaze shifted towards Blazingtear, a small smile on his lips.* 'Aye m'dear...I am Legato...your protector -and- your lover. We -were- very happy together...until these bumbling fools kidnapped us...then hit you in the head, causing you to loose your memory. It would seem as if this one is slightly jealous of our partnership..' *eyes darted towards Aoshi, who stiffened, his fist clenching tightly.*

"No..." She said softly, eyes closing tight as she put her hands on her head. Slivers of images flashed through her mind, Legato's castle as she ran away from it in the vast fields, Tobias as a full demon coming at her, Daaku swinging his tail and knocking her out, Aoshi's glowing form embracing her tightly as she kissed him... She opened her eyes, though having seen those memorys she didn't even know wheather or not she could fully trust them. Those images had ment nothing to her, she barely even knew herself at the moment let alone anyone in the room.

*Aoshi's eyes narrowed.* 'Don't you even -dare- try confusing her! She's NEVER loved you Legato, and Never will!' *fist clenched angrily, his body shaking softly out of rage.* 'I swear...if you weren't in Tobias' body...i'd probably dispose of you. It's bad enough you disgraced yourself in your own body...don't do it again in someone elses...'
*he hung his head, whisps of black hair falling into his eyes as he took a deep breath, calming himself. Slowly he turned to Blazingtear, his steps carrying him towards her lightly, a hand now gently placed on her shoulder as he looked deep into her eyes.* 'For now...you cannot trust anything he says...least not until your memory returns to you. I do not ask that you trust me either...but i must insist that you get some rest...your wounds have not yet healed.' *he pulled away from her slowly, but not before tucking a small, delicate white rose with gold tipped edges behind her ear.*

*Legato frowned at Aoshi's words, though spoke nothing more...at least for the moment.*

She moved her hand slowly to take the white rose from behind her ear, gazing at it for a while before standing. Perhaps it wasn't what Aoshi had intened, or maybe it was. Either way, she trusted him completely, though more because her memory of him had been one of the few good ones.

*Kagome stepped forward, smiling softly at Blazingtear, eyes upon the white rose.* 'Beautiful isn't it...' *She sighed heavily* 'Shame i can't meet a guy like that...' *she beamed then started to move towards the other room with the beds.* 'Common...you need sleep.'


*Aoshi sighed heavily as he sat back down, eyes glaring sharply at Legato.* 'You wiseice. Just how the hell did you get into -Tobias'- body anyways?'

*Legato sneered.* 'I was wondering when you'd ask' *he pulled slightly on the chains, glaring up at Daaku before responding.* 'Out of all of you...he was the weakest...and unconcious. Besides...what a perfect opportunity to make Blazingtear fall in love with me...now that i -am- the man she loves!'

*Aoshi snarled and rose to his feet, speaking in a raspy though sharp edged whisper.* 'THE HELL SHE LOVES YOU! She's in love with Tobias, and i'll be damned if you even come close to taking his place. That and i'm not going to let you. Blaze is happy when around him, and i'll die before i see her fall for the likes of you!'

*Legato meerely blinked.* 'You know...with Tobias out of the picture...you could have her. She would fall to you so easily...if only -he- wasn't in your way.' *brow lifted* 'You could kill him easily Aoshi...why have you not done so already?'

*Aoshi frowned, eyes flashing wildly.* 'Because it would hurt Blaze too much, that's why.' *eyes lowered to the floor, glazing over slightly.* 'And it feels like i die every time i see that she's unhappy...' *He suddenly grabbed for Legato's Kimono, pulling his face up close to his, dispite the yelp that escaped Legato's lips from the pull of the chains.* 'Which is why i -won't- have you fudging with her emotions like that!' *Throwing him to the ground, Aoshi then slipped outside, figuring the night air would do him some good.*

Daaku snorted, watching Aoshi leave. "And just when I thought things were going to get peaceful..." He sighed, speaking softly to himself, "Never a dull moment...Though perhaps now we MAY get some rest..." His orbs turned upon Legato, "I doubt you're comfy?"

BlazingTear followed after Kagome quietly, ears picking up only parts of Aoshi and Legato's conversation, though most of what she had picked up from Aoshi made her smile slightly.

*Legato shifted, glaring with a slightly amused look at Daaku* 'You're the one who chickened out on killing me.' *sneer filled his lips.* 'I must thank you for that...for had i been demolished earlier, i doubt my controll over this body would have been possible.'

*Kagome, oblivious to all the conversation just in the next room, now worked to lay down fresh sheets on the only bed above the floor, it's form plush as it was a matress instead of a mat. Smiling warmly she then lifted a pillow from one of the other beds and placed it down on the cushion.* 'Here...hopefully you'll get a well needed rest on this...'

Daaku's orbs narrowed, glowing a deeper red as his form moved closer to Legato, walking upon all fours. His tail whipped forward and wrapped about his neck as he pulled Legato closer to him, his voice nothing but a low, cold hiss, "The only reason you survived our last meeting is because I do not 'kill' in the same sence that you are thinking." His tail quickly withdrew, dropping Legato. "I devour the very soul from one's body, only if they are not able to move...and it isn't just a simple death, but a more gruesome and terrifying thing that even your twisted and vile mind could not even begin to comprehend...or imagine..."

BlazingTear stared at the bed for a moment, as though she might not have known what to do. Though only moments after Kagome finished her adjustments, she slowly climbed onto the bed, feeling the matress and bouncing a bit as she enjoyed the feel of it.

*Legato sneered bodly, acting tough for the sake of being tough.* 'I am not afraid of death. Just the scent of death is intoxicating to my sences...a feeling i quite enjoy.' *his body shifted, slightly uncomfortable around this figure, though hell if he'd show it.*

*Kagome laughed lightly.* 'I thought you might enjoy that. I assume master Aoshi will be in shortly as well...though naturally he'll take the bed down here..' *she grinned slightly then pulled from the room.*

[Kikuyoshi]

*The soft splash of water could be heard within the calm of the morning air, though a steamy fog settled like a blanket just over the surface of the hotsprings. The splashed liquid rolled down the firm, muscular back of a figure within the midsts of the cloud, his form given an almost magical, seductive quality...as though waking from a very long dream. Slowly, this man's fingers worked the skin on his shoulder, trying to release an unseen tension hidden just beneath his delicious looking hide. Although it was unclear as to his face, it appeared that he had longer looking hair...white in appearance, though one could only guess, as the fogs surrounding him made it slightly hard to see. A heavy set sigh was released as his body sank into the steamy waters, though when he emerged, the fog lifted momentarily, and an unforgettable face imprinted the thick air. Strands of black hung limply about his well structured face, each dripping lightly, the drips of water causing small ripples just around his waist as they met with the sleek surface of the spring. Muscular frame pushed it's way through the liquid, hands now reaching for his white under kimono, which he then dried his face. Stormy blue eyes then turned to the elegant vision of beauty, resting just a few steps away on a rock. Fondly, a hand was outstreched, fingertips lightly caressing her hair, his words spoken softly.* 'Blaze...wake up...'

Her eye lids wrinkled momentarily as she squeezed them together and opened them, orbs unfocused upon the being before her as she awoke from her deep sleep. Her vision was blurred, not yet adjusted to the sights of the real world, though it was clear to her that this person was not Tobias, but very familiar. Eyes closed again as she took a deep breath, arms streatching above her head as she remain where she lay. "Who..." Her voice was slightly groggy with sleep as she now fully awoke, orbs widening as she now sat up rather quickly. Doushiko gave a startled cry as she tumbled into Blaze's lap.

*Body withdrew quickly, creating a small wake in the water that surrounded his lower half, and thus irritating a small gathering of fireflies that had managed to maintain life by lingering about the hotsprings. The tiny flickering balls of blue and green scattered, illuminating various parts of Aoshi's body, as well as other areas of their surroundings. Surprised at her reaction, a small laugh trickled from his lips.* 'You alright? Did you have a bad dream or something?' *fingertips quickly worked there way through his tresses, which settled damply about his face once again, dispite his efforts to keep them out of his eyes. Sinking slightly lower into the warm waters, he then tred a moment in the liquid, his muscular arms working the water into small waves as he stayed afloat.*

"Not...really..." BlazingTear gazed at him, a puzzled look upon her face. "How did you...I thought..." She stopped herself, lids closing halfway as she gave a sigh. She rubbed a hand against her head, shaking it lightly from side to side, "I shouldn't even try thinking about it..." She yawned before turning to watch him in the water. "Too confusing..."

*Puzzled by her words, Aoshi shook his head.* You feeling alight?' *moving closer again, body then lifting from the water onto a rock just slightly below where Blazingtear was sitting. Bringing one knee up to his chest, his hands wrapped around it, his other leg dangling off the rock, allows his feet to graze the surface of the water.* 'How did i what?' *brows knit in a confused fashion, his hand reaching up to lightly touch her forhead, as though checking to see if she truely was alright...though this led to a small droplet of water left behind on her skin. Chuckling softly, Aoshi grabbed his shirt and carefully wiped it away, blue spheres lighting up in the soft rays of the full moon just overhead.*

BlazingTear shook her head, "Nevermind...it's nothing..." She then smiled softly as she looked a him, "With all this warm air I guess I'm feeling a bit light headed."

Doushiko jumped down from the boulder, carefully approaching one of the hot springs and sniffing the edge warily. BlazingTear's eyes followed the small feline as she ventured near the water, causing her to look out over the parts of the hot springs that she could see. Her smile faded partially as she realised that Tobias had not spoken, nor made an appearance since the time that she had woken up.

*Rising to his feet, Aoshi smiled, a finger allowing itself to trail ever so softly against Blaze's cheek.* 'I can get you a cold rag to put on your head if you like...or perhapse we should go inside for a bit...get away from this warm air.' *body moved slowly and nonchelantly, as if in no hurry whatsoever, and as though he hadn't a care in the world. Fingers tugged at his under kimono, tying it firmly into place before grasping his trenchcoat and then offering a hand to Blaze.* 'Lets get you out of the heat...some water to drink may help as well...'

"I just need a bit of cold air...a few minutes in the snow maybe will help." She smiled, sliding down from the rock and scanning the area once more with her eyes for any sign of Tobias. "That's strange..." She turned to Aoshi again, "Did you see Tobias? He was here when I fell asleep." Doushiko padded softly over to BlazingTear, rubbing against her legs as she purred, and strangly gave out a soft, deep growl at the same time. "I wouldn't think he'd have gone anywhere since he was wounded..."

*Another look of confusion was directed towards Blaze, brows knit together in both worry and trying to contemplate her words.* 'Who is...Tobias?' *pausing in his footsteps, Aoshi stared at her a moment, his expression unfaultered and completely serious.* 'Maybe...you should lie down Blaze...you're starting to worry me.' *hand lightly touched the side of her cheek, though it did not seem to carry any signs of fever from what he could tell.*

She pulled away from his hand, slightly surprised by his response. "I'm fine..." Her gaze swept out over the area again, wishing Tobias would return soon and show Aoshi it was she who should be worried about him at the moment.

*A show of confusion and worry still lingered upon Aoshi's visage, and after a moment of watching her, he finally gave a short, but respectful nod of his head.* 'I'll be in the house if you need me...don't stay out too late...you'll catch your death out here.' *feet imprinted slightly in the moist grasses just under his weight, his stride swift and assured as he ventured into a house that had been failed to be noticed under the amount of fog the springs provided, though it was quite obvious Aoshi knew it was there all along. With such a confidance about him...it would be hard to imagine that he was not in his right mind at the moment. Pausing in the doorway of the house, he turned, storm blue eyes focusing on Blaze's face, an expression of genuine concern etched upon his face...but being who he was, it was not of his nature to press matters. Blaze could take care of herself...and at the moment, he thought it best if she had some time alone to clear her head.*

BlazingTear stared after him for a long while, a bit shocked at what had just occured. She began to wonder if she truly was alright as she had said she was. Blaze then closed her eyes and sniffed the air lightly, trying to see if she could pick up Tobais' scent in the humid air. She didn't have a very keen sence of smell in such an area, but she could distinguish one scent from the next if she put her mind to it. Surely it was Aoshi who was mistaken, perhaps he had just lost a few memories in the process of returning...specifically all the ones that involved Tobias obviously... She moved towards the edge of one of the springs, the one she was sure she had last seen Tobias near as he clensed his wound. Lowering to her knees, she touched the small amount of grass that grew there, sniffing the air again where she now sat. Her eyes suddenly opened in a panic. For some reason, she could not pick up any trace of his scent, even though she was sure that it was this very spot where he had sat.

*The sound of a dull blade being scraped across a wet stone, now echoed throughout the household, sturdy, skilled hands working the blade into a fine and respectable point. It was apparent the "dream" aoshi and the "real" aoshi were similar in almost every aspect...the only difference being that this Aoshi seemed to have a more solitary side to him. An ancient hint of culture...lingering within his mannorisms. Taking up the blade with one hand, a cloth was carefully pulled across the metal, though in his carelessness and clouded thoughts of blaze, he managed to knick the edge of his finger, to which a trickle of blood spurted, it's trail weaving down the flat of the swort, mixing with the carvings etched into the metal. Frowning, aoshi swiftly ran the cloth again over the blade...but being as new as it was, the blood perminantly stained the polished element a light glint of crimson. sighing, he carefully, though skillfully replaced his Kadotchi into it's sheath, then lay the tool on it's proper stand. Flopping down onto a nearby bed, his tresses scattered about his face, covering his eyes from the world. It was here he would wait for blaze to come.*

He couldn't just disappear like that... BlazingTear stood quickly, running in the direction in which she had come from before laying down to rest, thinking that Tobias possibly had gone back the way they had come. She couldn't believe that he could have just disappeared. The cold air was shocking after having stayed so long near the warmth of the springs. The moisture of the humid air that stuck to her skin caused the cold air to freeze it instantly, sending a chill through her body as she walked into the snow. Doushiko followed along after her, the feline jumping in the footprints that BlazingTear left in the deep snow. A chilled wind suddenly blasted through the forest, causing Blaze to hug herself tightly in attempts to keep the cold air from freezing her entire body. She could no longer rely on her scence of smell, for taking in the cold air all but killed her scenes as it stung her nose with frost. Already she could feel her face numb in the wind's chill. The cold and snow wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the biting wind. The chilled blasts of air soon calmed, however, and so she moved on through the trees, continuing her search. BlazingTear called out Tobias' name several times in an attempt to sooner find him, but with each passing moment, she felt herself loosing hope and spiraling further into confusion of what was happening. She sank to the ground, resting her back against the cold bark of a pine as Doushiko climbed into her lap in an attempt to help keep her warm. BlazingTear suddenly felt a small itching feeling, seconds later she had to cover her mouth as she gave a loud sneeze. She realised now that it might not have been such a good idea to venture out in the snow immediatly after leaving the warm humidity of the hot springs.

*the snap of a twig resonated just infront of Blazingtear, and not two seconds after, a blanket had been thrown over her shoulders.* 'Are you trying to die?' *the voice was womanly in tone, and strikingly familiar. Unteathered hair blew about this woman's face, to which she quickly caught inbetween her fingers and pushed back, her own body clutching at some warmer garments.* 'Foolish child...' *shaking her head, Kiyoko moved past her, her steps leading back to the hotsprings, though she paused momentarily to look over her shoulder.* 'Are you going to stay there all day...come, you shouldn't keep Aoshi waiting.' *from there, kiyoko continued forward, her steps slow and calm.*

BlazingTear was silent, hands moving to wrapped the blanket twightly around her as she slowly stood. As her gaze followed in the direction in which Kiyoko had gone, she shook her head, moving slowly after, wishing this to be all nothing more than a confused dream. She shivered, even with the warm blanket she now had wrapped around her body, which the stinging pain of the cold plainly stated that this was no dream.

*upon reaching the small oasis hidden within the surrounding snowstorm, Kiyoko removed her garments, leaving just her under kimono and slowly slipped into the hotspring. Without looking at blaze, she pointed an extended finger towards the house.* 'He waits for you inside...don't keep him.' *brown orbs now turned to look directly into Blaze's, and for a split second...as if just right under the subconcious mind, her entire image changed and she was once again priestess Kiyoko...the woman who loathed and hated tobias. The woman who was dead. Of course, none of this truely happened...at least Kiyoko showed no signs of acknowledging that she was someone different in perhaps another world solely existant within blaze's mind. Turning back to the task at hand, Kiyoko began to lightly wash her long tresses, as well as rid herself of any dirt particles that had stubbornly decided to cling to her.*

BlazingTear shivered, though it was not caused by the cold from which she had just come. Now all she wanted was to lie down and forget everything, have a moment of peace for once in her life time, without surprises, riddles or confusing situations to solve. What she wanted most of all however, was Tobias to be there with her. Although it seemed that here, that was not possible. She moved slowly towards the house, blanket now wrapped loosly around her being as she suddenly felt too warm for comfort.

*cranium tilted upward as Blaze entered the humble, yet respectable housing unit...the likes of which were built by Aoshi himself. Fashioned to resemble the traditional japanese house, sliding doors furnished each room. It was truely and elegant sight to behold. Instantly, Aoshi was on his feet, his feet sliding a bit on the wooden flooring, considering at the time, he wore but socks.* 'Feeling any better?' *gently and lightly he kissed the top of her forehead, his lips warm and soft to the touch. A realistic warmth.* 'You should lie down...kiyoko should be able to prepare dinner tonight...i'll bring it to you when it's ready.' *gently his finger slid down the side of her neck, then lifted, taking with it a strand of hair...which he toyed with a moment before releasing it back to her.*

*As if on cue, Kiyoko's hand now opened the front door, her outfit still that of a pristess, but fit in more of a kimono-likeness. Gaze shifted between aoshi and Blazingtear, to which she bowed her head slightly and respectfully.* 'Sorry to have interrupted...' *a slight worried tone to her vocals.* 'but it would seem we have an unwanted visitor...' *gaze lifted, her eyes speaking volumes compared to her words.*

'Damn...' *head turned from both blaze and kiyoko.* 'I told him if he came back to pester me again...i would have no choice but to remove him by force...' *carefully, his hand took up the blade in which he had sharpened earlier, gleaming, storm blue eyes directed towards the front door.* 'Shino...why is it you stalk me.' *his last words hung in the air ominously, and upon sliding the sheath of his sword into his belt, Aoshi headed for the front door, his steps strong and proud.*

Blaze's heart lept in surprise at his kiss, having not expected it at all. The Aoshi she knew would have been cautious of the wrath of Tobias had he ever done something as such. Her gaze watched Aoshi as he moved towards the door, eye lids drooping with a loss of energy. Shino? Even here? Even now? Life still enjoyed toying with her. Shino was here yet Tobias was not? Her gaze was drawn down as Doushiko let out a fit of sneezes, the feline looking as tired as Blaze.

*The splatter of liquid could be heard against the smooth surface of the wood floors, crimson red in hue...and a lot of it. Aoshi's hand had barely reached out to touch the door, let alone pull it open, so there was little reason as to why he should be bleeding in such quantities. Dropping to one knee, he hadn't even let out a yell...simply just a small grunt and his hand quickly covered his shoulder. The sword tucked in his belt, now quickly clattered to the ground, and it was found that the blade had been unsheathed and carried the thick stains of blood on it's blade. Again, like Kiyoko had done in the hotsprings, there was a flashback and Aoshi was lying face down at Kagome's hut, in a pool of his own, self inflicted blood. The scene ended as quickly as it had come...only when this aoshi returned to his normal looking self, he was still mysteriously injured...though each was exactly in the place to which he was found in blaze's dream where he died.*

The smell of blood that reached Blaze's nose was sickening, despite this she quickly moved closer to Aoshi, auds flat as this scene was all too familiar in her mind. It seemed that even in this alternate world she would get no peace as she had hoped for. Her finger tips lightly touched his shoulder, for fear of causing him any pain with the wounds that had mysteriously been inflicted upon him.

'You cannot cause him pain...child...' *Shino suddenly appeared at her side, his hand outstretched to grasp her shoulder.* 'For he isn't really there.' *both Kiyoko and Aoshi seemed frozen to their place, neither one blinking nor breathing...as if simply statues.* 'But you will watch him die...over and over again...' *a grin surfaced to his lips.* 'And while you do...time in the real world will slowly tick you by...until Gene is mine. Forever.' *sneering, his hand released her.* 'I suggest you make better with the time you have with Aoshi in this next dream...for once you wake...you'll never see him again. And that's all he'll have been. Just simply...a dream.' *eyes flickered softly, an amused sort of look to them.* 'I must say...that is what you want though...am i right? Tobias is all the man you could ever want...or ever hope for.' *a soft chuckle reached his lips.* 'You should see him...he's in utter ribbons...stressing over you right now because you won't wake up. How...pitiful.' *the rags of Shino's costume started to flutter in a false breeze, to which they then consumed him entirely and he disappeared, leaving nothing but a solitary strand of bandage on the flooring, and instantly, both Aoshi and Kiyoko sprang back to life.*

*Toppling over, now was when aoshi let out a stiffled yell, for three more gashes appeared on his side, spilling even more blood. Eventually, he lay still, face down in this pool, tresses completely drenched and died a deep red. Kiyoko drew back, mortified, her chest rising and falling rappidly, eyes wide to the display infront of her.*

This isn't real..." BlazingTear stared down at Aoshi's unmoving body with wide eyes, feeling all the more sickened... But the pain of seeing happen was truely horrifying... If she could not awaken...this would become a reality. She had to wake up, had to escape this false nightmare. She grabbed the door and threw it open, instantly running out through the hotsprings and back into the freezing snow. If it was nothing more than a dream...how could it feel so real...how could she escape it when she couldn't wake up. She no longer allowed the false elements to slow her down, the only thing she could do was run, in hopes that the shock of it all would awake her.

'Blaze! wait! where are you going?!' *Kiyoko's hand reached out to grab her...but missed entirely.* 'WHAT DID YOU DO?!' *horrified by the sight of Aoshi, it was the only thing that Kiyoko could think of to say...though her words weren't nescessarily directed towards blaze in particular. The last sight Blaze could've possibly seen, was Kiyoko on her knees, tears in her eyes while she wiped up the blood.*


'Where do you plan on running to...little blaze?' *Shino's voice hovered above her like a fog.* 'There is no where to go. Everytime you fall asleep...you'll only wake at his side...and watch him die all over again...'

'BLAZE...WAKE UP!'//

'...you'll never reach Gene in time...so why bother trying.' *Shino paused upon the call to blaze.* 'My...he certainly does try so hard to wake you...did you enjoy hearing your love's voice once more?' *a chortle escaped from Shino's mouth* 'Go back to the springs and sleep...i promise your next dream will be slightly more pleasent...'

"TOBIAS!!!" Her voice cried out as loud as her vocals would allow. Tears now began to stream from her eyes as she fell to her knees in the snow. "I can't..." Doushiko yowled as the feline sank to her haunches. "I can't wake up Tobias..."

~You're pathetic...~ BlazingTear was instantly alert, the voice ringing clear in her head as though someone had been standing right next to her as they spoke it, yet no one was near save for doushiko. The voice was nothing more than a memory in her mind, a point in time when she knew nothing of these horrors. Her older brother, Arillius, had always told her that when they were younger...always said she was weak. ~You may be the alpha's daughter but there's not always going to be someone around to protect you. So get stronger! Be tough! Learn to protect yourself...~ BlazingTear pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them as she rested her head. "There's nothing I can do..." A few moments passed as she sat silently, Doushiko even having stopped in her consistant yowling. Suddenly, Blaze stood up, a new thought bubbling to the surface of her mind, one that hadn't occured to her before. If she fell asleep..she would only have to reface the horrors of Aoshi's death all over again. But what if she were to do something so extreme, that it could possibly ruin the effects of this false world... She looked down at Doushiko, the small feline backing away in fear of what it was that Blaze planned on doing.

*a laugh sounded about Blazingtears head* 'Foolish...he cannont hear you...however...you have been crying out his name for the past five hours. Amazing how time flies when your asleep...don't you think?' *another laugh and then a pause.* 'Go back to the spirngs and enjoy what little time you have left with Aoshi...i promise this time i won't kill him until your two days time has worn out. Then...you can wake and be with this...tobias, you care for so much.'

She ignored the sound of his voice, kneeling in the snow once again and taking hold Doushiko lightly in her hands. She picked up the small feline and held her close to her body, smiling softly as she whispered something into Doushiko's ears. The feline mewed softy, ears lying flat as she rubbed her head against BlazingTear's neck. Moments passed before the feline held in BlazingTear's arms had gone, replaced by a massive creature whose form was more dragon than cat. Blaze took a few steps back, awaiting Doushiko to do as she had instructed. BlazingTear suddenly gasped, hugging the dragon's head as tears ran down her cheeks, her own blood dripping from the horn that now protruded from her back. Her voice was soft and weakening with each breath as she spoke, "For all the times that Aoshi has died for me...I now repay him...with my own..." Her eyes closed tightly, praying that this was not a foolish mistake.

'Foolish woman....' *words drifted out from hearing and Shino all but disappeared.*


'....Blaze.' *the sound of water was apparent in the still of night, and fireflys danced about the area as if serenading some distant song, unable to reach the ears of human, wolf or feline.* 'Damnit...please. Wake up...' *fingertips squeezed softly against blaze's own hand, gently caressing her soft, pale skin.*


'You cannot go yet...' *a voice inside blaze's mind spoke quietly...a familiar voice. A masculine voice. Not long after, Aoshi appeared, his attire crisp and white in appearance...something she had seen him in only twice...both on days in which he was not among the living.* 'There is something i need...to tell you before you wake, though please know that it won't take up anytime in the process...' *gently, fingertips swept through his hair, and this dream Aoshi extended his hand, expecting her to take it.* 'I am not under Shino's control...nor am i simply just an illusion. The only proof i can give to show you that it is indeed me in spirit...is this...' *fingertips quite suddenly produced a solitary small white rose with gold tipped edges...something that Aoshi had given her from the very first time they met. Something only he really knew about.*

Instantly she recognized the flower, and thus felt a sence of peace at it's meer beauty and familiarity. A soft smile appeared on her face as she nodded, moving closer to Aoshi and taking his extended hand.

*gracefully, his fingers slipped the flower into Blaze's hand, a smile to his lips, though his eyes gave way to an undiscribable saddness.* 'I'm...sorry you had to watch me die like that again...' *brows furrowed as he lightly touched her cheek, though he shook his head.* 'There will be time later for that...hopefully. Right now...theres something i must let you in on.' *an appologetic look crossed his face.* 'I have to admit, i haven't been completely honest with you...' *eyes averted her's* 'You won't be able to reach Gene in time...but understand, that it was meant to be this way. I knew Shino would try to destroy me...so gene was simply a decoy.' *gaze then lifted towards Blaze.* 'You however...still hold the child i granted you weeks ago...and to that i am greatful, because it means that i'll be able to come back to you blaze.' *another sad smile lit his lips.* 'You must pretend as though we never spoke. You must go and try to rescue Gene...and when you fail...you must clear your mind of any thoughts of me...for if Shino learns the truth...' *words hung in the air shamefully.* '...Blaze, i never imagined or wanted to put you in danger....but if he learns the truth...he'll come to kill you.' *eyes lowered, then rose again, their stormy blue hue reflecting back Blaze's image.* 'Tell no one but Tobias on what it is you must do. Do this, and i'll come back to protect you again...this i can promise.' *slowly he leaned forward, placing a small, simple kiss on her lips before he disappeared altogether entirely.* '...stay safe blaze'


*Tobias pulled from blaze's lips, having given her a kiss at the exact same instant that aoshi did in the dream world. Eyes were moist, though he was too stubborn to allow the tears to fall.* 'Blaze...i swear to you...if you just wake up...i'll...' *head lowered, resting gently on her head, having cradled her into his arms.*

Her eyes lids squeezed together tightly before opening slowly. She moved her hand to lightly touch his face with her fingertips, as though to check if he where real. "Tobias..."

Doushiko uncurled herself, the poor feline shaking like a leaf, scared out of her wits at what she had done, even though it had been in a dream world.

'you're...awake!' *body pulled slightly back, then quickly embraced her again.* 'Damnit you scared me...' *words were spoken in a rush of soft air, eyelids closed as he took in everything about her; her scent, her heartbeat, and her breathing. As far as he was concerned, he could've stayed there for hours...just listening to her breath...so long as he knew she would wake up again. Cranium rested against her's, his hands lacing with her's as well, though he paused upon finding crushed rose petals within her hand. Too relieved to quesion as to where the heck they came from, Tobias instead lightly rested his lips against the side of her neck, his kiss warm and gentle before he spoke in nothing but a whisper.* 'I thought i'd lost you...'

"Same here..." BlazingTear said softly as she draped her arms over his neck in a gentile embrace. "I need to tell you something..." Blaze suddenly stopped, quickly pulling away, a hand moving to the point in her chest where Doushiko's horn had pierced her in the dream world. Though it hadn't really happened, she could feel a dull pain in the exact spot.

'What is it?' *His words now never left his lips any louder than a whisper, as though afraid that if he spoke loudly, she would simply disappear from his life entirely. Slightly alarmed however at how she broke her words...and the way that she held herself, vocals tightened, as well as the muscles within his body.* 'What's wrong? Are you hurt?' *brows furrowed with worry, she had been, after all, sleeping for about an entire day in length, so the options of something seriously wrong were quite possible, and with this thought, about ten million different possibilities, questions and concerns ran through tobias' mind in a soft stir of panic. Calming himself, he simply waited for her to explain.*

She could feel the wound, but it wasn't as though she were in agony from it. She shook her head slowly, "It's nothing..." Though she started to rub the spot slightly, she continued speaking. Her voice lowered to nothing more than a whisper as she leaned closer to him to make sure he was the only other being who could hear what she was about to say, "We will find Gene eventually...but..we will not suceed in rescuing him from Shino."

*confused by her words, brows knit together tightly as he pulled his head away, thus allowing him the room to gaze down at her through amber orbs.* 'How the heck do you figure this?...and if not, what's the point?'

'The point of what?' *vocals of a masculine structure sounded througout the area, a voice not unfamliar to Blaze.* 'It amazes me that Blaze actually dared to kill herself...even though she did not know what the outcome of her actions would be.' *a gleam lit up Shino's eyes, his words hushed now, though still entirely relaxing.* 'I could've let you die in there you know...i'm not entirely sure why i did allow you to wake up. Possibly because your actions intreigued me. Such a fragile creature you are, not even worthy to hold a sword...yet you would take your own life without question should it save someone you love pain. Interesting.' *Shino's bandages rustled in the wind, as well as his unbound hair, a silvery white hue of tresses.* 'It amazes me to think that while you sit here and hold each other...the clock is still ticking and Gene is closer to death.' *a frown lined his lips.* 'If i didn't know any better...i'd say you were hiding something...' *foot inched a step closer, though retracted quickly when Tobias almost hacked off his toes with his Tetsusaiga.*

'Bastard...get the hell out of here before i take off your head next...' *Tobias had left the comfort of Blaze's arms, outraged at the words that had seeped from Shino's mouth. It was his fault that blaze wouldn't wake...and without his knowing...she apparently almost died. The thought chilled him to the core, but also fueled a deep, growing hatred for this one named Shino.* 'If you don't leave now...so help me, you will die' *words were spoken through clenched teeth, his eyes quite quickly shifting to their liquid silver state.*

BlazingTear remained silent, a cold glare aimed in Shino's direction. She still had more to tell Tobias what Aoshi had reviealed to her, and she couldn't necessarily inform him with Shino here.

Doushiko instantly shook off her fearful mood and stood her ground, fur spiking and small fangs showing. It was this being that she connected her having to, in a way, kill her precious mistress, and thus now hated most of all out of many she had met.

'My, my...it seems i've grown quite popular amongst the masses....how utterly delightful' *gaze shifted among Tobias and Doushiko, finally resting on Blazingtear, to which he smirked.* 'Not so much as an attempt to get up and fight. You truely are a pathetic creature...' *a sour look crossed his face.* 'You weren't worthy of Aoshi's gaze...your too much of a pathetic woman to deserve a warrior like him.' *slowly but steadily, it was apparent that Shino's voice was becomming steadily more feminine, though this tone was not exactly friendly.* 'I was the only one who deserved to have him...but you stole him from me. You caused his weakness because you -were- his weakness. Do you really think he would be dead at this very moment were it not for you?!' *fingertips suddenly moved towards his neck, his nails lifting a very thin, invisible layer of skin, thus peeling back a mask. Feminine features now faced all three of them, Shino's face carrying an exquisite earthly beauty.* 'I learned how to fight...by dressing as a man...because i didn't want to spend my life as a coward...like you' *eyes glared at Blazingtear before she turned away, disolving into the night air.* 'I will make Aoshi pay for falling in love with you...i will erase him entirely from this world...so that only i can carry on his legend....' *words drifted off eerily*





*Tobias stood there, completely dumbfounded, though upon looking back, he couldn't figure out why he hadn't figured Shino out before. It was apparent now why he had had such a smooth, soothing voice, and the bandages were obviously used to keep suspicious eyes from guessing about her curves.* 'What...the hell just happened?' *lowering his blade, Tobias glanced back at blaze, wondering what she could possibly be thinking because of Shino's words.*

BlazingTear's gaze was lowered, a worn out look upon her face, not really showing any hint of what she was feeling at the moment. "If I...If I am so weak..." She looked up towards the spot where Shino was last. "Then she has no strength at all..." She closed her eyes, hand moving to the spot on her chest where she could still feel the slight pain, her voice now barely a whisper now as she spoke, "I'm not a stong fighter...but I am strong at heart...and Shino is not allowing the one she loves to be happy..." She then stood, moving towards Tobias and placing her head close to his, speaking in a soft voice that only he could hear, "Aoshi himself told me, the Gene that Shino has is meerly a decoy. When Shino thinks she has killed him, we must pretend to have forgotten everything about Aoshi."

'Blaze...don't even consider what she said.' *tobias shook his head firmly.* 'the wench doesn't have the slightest clue as to what you've been through.' *brows then furrowed at her words, his own voice dropping.* 'Pretend to forget about aoshi? for how long?'

'Good luck with that...' *a figure from the shadows suddenly slipped forward, obviously having picked up the conversation. In appearance, one could almost mistake him for being Aoshi...though subtle differences were apparent. A cig hung from his lip loosely, silver whisps of smoke trailing upward in a soft haze. From under his trenchcoat, one caught a glimps of something metallic, though only those who knew him, knew of the unfathomable arsenal hidden within this coat. Thus, was Seto, Aoshi's only sibling.* 'Your gonna need a lot of help if you want to pull one over Shino's eyes.' *inhailing deeply, Seto then exhailed one last time, his fingers flicking the stub down into the ground, and ground it out with the heel of his foot.* ' That bitch isn't stupid...just look at how she managed to fool everyone into thinking she was a guy for all those years.' *a smirk came to his lips.* 'Though i highly doubt she kept that secret from aoshi for long...'

BlazingTear jumped at Seto's sudden appearance, not having senced him there at all. Though recognizing quickly who it was, she turned to him, "What do you propose we do then?"

'Stick to what Aoshi has planned...i'm just saying it'll be hard to pull one over Shino's eyes...' *shoulders pulled forward into a shrug* 'I'm just the guy with the guns...' *fingers instantly pulled out an ivory carved pistol, to which he twirled about on his finger, pointed at Tobias, and fired, though it was apparently loaded with blanks.* 'I'm just the guy with the guns...' *a smirk appeared on Seto's face, seeing as how Tobias had palled slightly from the whole event.*

'Asshole...' *fist clench as the color returned to Tobias' cheeks, though his gaze still remained silver in hue.* 'Try something like that again and you may be reunited with aoshi sooner than the rest of us...'

BlazingTear sighed, shaking her head light before looking off in the direction she thought was the last place Shino had stood. "So...where do we go from here?"

'You go after Gene...just as Aoshi instructed.' *gaze also shifted towards the spot in which Shino had last stood, his boots clunking softly on the ground as he started to head that way.* 'And hope that Shino doesn't have us all figured out already...'

*ears twitched as he watched Seto, a frown to his lips.* 'How the hell do you know all of this anyways?' *suspicion lingered within his orbs, not exactly willing to trust someone who pulled a gun on him...regardless of wheather it was loaded or not.*

'I know more than you think...after all, Aoshi is my brother.' *without turning, he continued to talk, all the while continuing forward, forcing Tobias to follow should he wish to hear the words that he was speaking* 'I've had contact with Aoshi ever since his death...he instructed me to watch out for Blaze...well, for obvious reasons...'

*brow arched as Tobias glanced at blaze, slightly fearful of what these "obvious reasons" were, and not exactly certain that he wanted to ask.*

At Tobias' glance towards her, she turned her own gaze away from his, auds laying flat as she looked towards Doushiko. The feline seemed to be in a bad mood after what she had done, slinking along behind BlazingTear as though something were going to pounce out at them at any moment. At the sound of the crinkling leaves underfoot, Doushiko nearly jumped a mile high before pouncing upon the inanamate object.

'I see your finally on the move again...' *reclined within a tree, looking as calm as ever, Shino watched the three of them.* 'You really aught to keep your voices down...or someone may over hear your interesting conversation...' *spheres glittered angrily, though the feeling soon melted away.* 'Seeing as how you don't seem to be in any rush to rescue the child...why don't we up the odds and make things more interesting for you...' *a smirk coverd Shino's lips, her long, raven black hair dangling just slightly over the treebranch. It was amazing the difference in appearance when compared to her counterpart shino the man. Her skin was slightly paler, and adorned with freckles, and traditional japanese eyes were accented softly by a light coat of eyeliner. Standing up, she quickly hurled somehthing at the three of them, and upon hitting the ground, it produced a cloud of gas, the likes of which covered the surrounding area. Strangely enough, it did nothing to the sences, other then smell extreamly terrible. Tobias however, now dropped to one knee, his sensitive nose unable to handle the smell. eyes watering, he covered his mouth and nose with a cloth...but even that was not enough to save him from Shino. Placing a curved blade to his neck, she grabbed him about the middle and dragged him with her.* 'If you care to see your precious love again...you'll find him with Gene. And Seto...i wouldn't fire any guns if i were you...they may just go off in your face.' *a laugh exited her mouth before she disappeared without a trace.*

"Tobias!!" BlazingTear cried out, though the sound was muffled as she tried to block out the horrible smell with her hands. She moved as quickly as she could through the gas, yet too late she was as Shino had already gone. She dropped to her knees, coughing as the horrid gas leaked into her lungs. She closed her eyes, auds pressed flat against her head, waiting for the gas to fade...if it would that is.

*a strong arm worked its way about Blazingtear's waist, Seto not being affected quite as badly, considering he was simply a human and his sense of smell wasn't as keen as Tobias' or Blazingtear's.* 'Common...we can't help him by sitting here.' *brows furrowed as he tried to lead her from the gassious fumes.* 'Damn bitch messed with my guns...it'll take me a month to fix them...' *frowing, Seto contemplated the many thoughts circling about in his head.* 'I guess that means we do it the old fashion way...though i'm definatly no match for Shino...' *a simple snap of his fingers, an a sword extended down his sleeve, the handle comming to rest in Seto's hand.* 'You still got that staff with you? Cuz your going to need some form of protection if your going up against Shino...'

She took in a breath of fresh air, glad to be away from the fowl gases. At Seto's mention of her staff, BlazingTear nodded, remembering that the last time she had needed Touharu's help. She closed her eyes and concentrated, picturing Touharu in her mind.

*the ground pulsated with a soft glowing cirlce, just infront of blaze's feet, pale blue in it's coloration. As blue orbs of light streamed upward, Touharu emerged slowly and calmly, her mutli-colored metalic tresses glittering with the rays of her own produced light. Eyes close and arms crossed over her chest, she her skin slowly started to dissolve into a metallic looking substance, gradually growing thinner and thinner by the second until she was nothing more than a staff, to which at it's top was held a rare and lovely stone.*


*Seto looked on in slight awe, the site fastinating and slightly intimidating him as well.* 'Damn...if Shino knew you could do that, i be she wouldn't be so hard on you...' *hands stuffed into his pockets, a smirk to his lips.* 'Heck knows i wish i could do that...' *head twitched slightly to toss back a few strands of his hair which had settled right in his eyes.*

BlazingTear took the staff lightly in her hand, gazing at the gem at its top. "It's been awhile though..." She sighed, thinking about if she would be able to remember how to summon all the right spells. She never even really got a chanc to practice when she had last had it.

Doushiko sniffed the bottom of the staff, giving a small growl before rubbing against it, the soft noise changing to a steady purr.

'You ready then?' *footsteps were already clunking steadily in the snow, creating a small path as he strode forward, kicking up small amounts of the fluffy whitened cold cotton stuff. (ok..not the best discription...but i'm feeling hyper so neener on you xP) Keen eyes swept over their surroundings, trying to pick out certain details that would lead them to tobias, gene and shino. After much walking, they ended up practically smack dab in the middle of nowhere, though the place did seem oddly famliar.* 'Shit.' *gaze turned to blazingtear, wondering if she remembered this place as well, considering it was the exact location in which she had hacked off Kemonu's arm. Below was the same cave in which Kemonu had imprisoned Tobias, and as was then, so was it now, only gene was the one strapped to the wall. Tobias was no where within site, though Shino could be seen quite clearly, reclining on her side just ontop of a flat stone outside of the cave entrance.*

Blaze's eyes swept the area, heart pounding slightly as she did recognise it. Though she was not searching it because she recognised it, but because she was searching for Tobias. Her gaze then turned to Shino, wondering if she had heard everything that they had said. Although she figured that Shino didn't know where Gene truely was at least...or else Shino would have gone after her instead. So Blaze figured it was possible that Shino still knew nothing...but at least suspected something was up...

*Shino's outfit had changed, for now that her secret was out, she had no reason to hide her body, although years of wearing bandages hadn't really made her one to wear a slinky outfit. Tightfitting material covered ever inch of herself, though it appeared to be extreamly tough and armorish. Brown orbs gleamed softly in what little sunlight peered down through the clouded sky, the likes of which threatened to spread another blanket of snow.* 'I see you made it...Too bad for tobias though.' *hand swept through her hair.* 'He has such a tongue on him, i had little choice but to end his life...' *gaze shifted slightly towards a body that was strung up on a treebranch, his arms tied to the branch so that the rest of his body was dangling down. Underneath him, a pool of blood could be seen, rippling ever now and then as another drop dripped down the hanyou's body.* 'Pity...isn't it.' *gaze turned back to blaze.* 'Now you've no one to rescue you' *attention focused on Seto, a smirk to her lips.* 'You never were one with a sword...' *her words turned sour.* 'Aoshi was always the better fighter in your family...you're nothing without your guns!'

The staff's tip had already begun to spark and glow as soon as BlazingTear had caught sight of Tobias' body. Her grip tightened as the gem flash red in accordance to her anger. Her orbs seemed alive with fire as the crimson and amber swirl of her pupils. "It's a pity that no one will be able to rescue you from my wrath..." A swirl of red gathered infront of the staff's gem as BlazingTear pointed the tip directly at Shino. As the swirl of crimson hue spun, it doubled in size before shifting to a flaming ivory hue, releasing itself from the staff and speeding toward Shino.

'Fastinating what killing someone can do to a person.' *eyes widened at the sight of the orb, a smirk to her lips knowing she couldn't avoid it completely. The flames seared her right arm, burning clear through the armored suit, badly burning her skin.* 'Where on earth did you find that weapon...i never imagined a weakling like you to carry such an item' *Already the air held the foul stench of blood, burning flesh and rubber.* 'No matter...' *darting forward, shino quickly withdrew her sword, aiming to hack off Blazingtear's head with one clean swing...though her attack was blocked and sparks flew as Seto sidestepped to take the blow himself, his sword the only thing from keeping Shino from slicing right through him.* 'Cute manouver...now block this' *a second sword was produced, stabbing diretly through Seto's gut, the tip of this second blade almost reaching through to Blaze. Quickly the handle was twisted to the side, ensuring his innards would be severly injured, and with a kick, she released him off her sword.* 'Your no match for someone just as skilled as Aoshi. Your brother should've killed you when he had the chance.' *position held strong as she stared mercylessly down at Seto, her gaze shifting towards Blazingtear, a cold, heartless stare.* 'Are you ready for me?...'

*Seto crumpled to the ground, swiftly coughing up blood. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he tried to stand, but failed miserably and only sank back to the ground.* 'Damn....bitch'

BlazingTear glared codly at Shino raising her staff and bringing it down quickly in an attempt to strike the enemy standing before her, though she slowed and stopped as a large white scaled, and furry form stepped between them. Doushiko's dragon form looking fierce as her jaws opened to release a painfully loud and high pitched roar.

'Aww...has the kitty decided to come out and play?' *eyes narrowed tightly* 'Just remember...your not the only one with claws and fangs...' *reaching to her side, she quickly pulled out a glove device that had deadly razor like spikes portruding outwards instead of the normal fingers. A curious look crossed her face then, though her words were harsh and snappy.* 'I didn't kill Tobias just so we could stand here and stare at eachother...give me everything you've got and i'll make sure your end will be swift and painless...not to mention-' *vocals cut off as she let out a small groan of protest and stumbled forward only slightly, tobias standing just behind her, his claws dripping with blood. Her blood.*

'Seems you haven't thought of everything...' *Tobias' voice was unusually calm as he stood there, his left side facing Blazingtear, while his bangs hung in his face, hiding his eyes from view.* 'And i hate it when people talk about me in the past tense...because they always end up being wrong.' *tongue wet his lips as a sneer was produced, his eyes having met with the image of himself tied up and dripping blood in a tree.* 'Nice hollogram...maybe next time you'll make sure that you've tied up your prisoner a bit better.'

Her heart lept at the sound of his voice, BlazingTear moving past Doushiko as the feline was suddenly surrounded in a small pillar of flame that continued to shrink until it disappeared, leaving the small feline form of Doushiko in it's place. BlazingTear warily gazed at Shino's fallen form as she moved closer towards Tobias. She should have known better than to fall for Shino's trick, she hadn't even thought to check for any scent.

*Tobias took a step backwards away from her, vocals barking out at her.* 'Stay back!' *cranium slowly lifted, his hair lifting away from his eye for but a breif moment, though just enough for all who looked to note that the entire of his eyes were ghostly white.*

'Stupid girl...do you really think i can be defeated so easily?' *turning around, her hand whipped five metal spiked darts at Blazingtear and Tobias. Two of them struck Tobias directly in the arm and side, though he hadn't flinched so much as a muscle when they pierced his flesh. Body then tucked and rolled a distance away from them, only to draw forth another sword. Crouched like a cat ready to pounce, strands of her hair hung limply infront of her face giving her an exotic, angry appeal.* 'First lesson...never underestimate your opponant.'

BlazingTear raise her staff quickly in surprise, a small shield, see through yet holding a crimson hue, appearing before her to block the darts. Though one managed to break through the quickly made shield, it's metallic form tearing into her left shoulder.

*Yanking the darts from his soulder and side, Tobias then tossed them to the ground disdainfully, his head slowly turning to gaze at Shino. In an eyeblink, he was behind her, though it was apparent something went wrong, for he stood there with a funny look on his face, then suddenly coughed up a bit of blood.*

*Shino had a grim expression on her face, the sword having been pointed backwards. Making sure the point was all the way through, she then jerked it forward, to which Tobias crumpled to his knees. Hands now bloodied,as well as other portions of her body, Shino's gaze was directed on Blazingtear, a look of realization crossing her face.* 'It's you...' *teeth clenched* ' YOU HAVE THE CHILD...DON'T YOU?!' *darting forward, sword slashed downward towards Blaze, attempting to cut off the arm which held the staff. She had clearly had figured out where aoshi had hidden the real gene, and it was apparent she wasn't happy about it in the slightest* 'You have no choice but to deal with me now...there's no one to save you but your cat...and even she is hardly a threat to me. This battle will end only when one of us is dead.'

BlazingTear quickly switched the staff to her right hand, feeling that her other arm was useless, blood tricking down it from the open wound upon her shoulder. Her heart jumped as she brought up the staff to block Shino's attack, all the while a small, barely noticable ball of flame gathered at the staff's tip in an attempt to give Shino a surprise attack when she got closer.

*The metal of her sword clashed heavily against Blazingtear's sword, though shino didn't let up in the slightest once they made contact. Using all of her body weight, she pushed against Blaze's block, her free hand reaching out to make a fisted sipe for blaze's face.* 'You didn't deserve him...' *words were spoken quickly and breathlessly through clenched teeth.* 'I don't understand how he fell for such a pathetic weakling. You could never measure up to Aoshi's skills...yet you weakened him to your level. HOW!' *feet thrust forward, trying to knock her to the ground.*

BlazingTear managed to dodge her fist, yet the feet were completely unexpected as she was knocked to the ground, her staff falling back and nearly touching her chest, with Shino's sword just inches from her face. Doushiko growled from somewhere behind the two women, but did nothing to assist Blaze in fear of just hurting her as well. The fireball at the end of BlazingTear's staff suddenly grew, shooting right at Shino.

*flippin the sword over in her hand, she quickly switched it to her left and swong at the massive ball of flames as if a batter in baseball. In doing so, the tip of the blade came dangerously close to Blazingtear, leaving a cut that trailed from the bottom corner of her eye all the way down to her jawline, the design of which was slightly curved in shape. Sweat beaded on Shino's face, her tresses damp with prespiration, though the added stress seemed to make her skin glow. Fighting against this force of nature, it was all she could do to keep it off, and finally managed to block it, although in doing so, her body was thrown backwards into the dirt.*

BlazingTear pushed herself up quickly, despite the screaming pain of her shoulder in which the metal dart was still embedded, as she hadn't had any time to remove it. Once upon her feet, she stood before Shino, the gem meerly inches away from her face, it's glimmering sides glowing a bright red. BlazingTear was breathing hard, blood still trailing in large amounts from her shoulder, and now from the added wound just near her right eye, she could taste her own blood as it leaked from the cut. Her eyes were hard and had a determind look in them, the swirl of crimson and amber in her orbs matching that of the color that now formed within the staff's gem as it powered up for another attack.

*from her position on the ground, there was little Shino could do...or so it would seem. Legs kicked out, allowing her to jump onto her feet in a crouched position. Sliding out one leg, she swung it forward in hopes that she could kick blazingtear's feet out from under her, while at the same time, more darts flew though the air, this time all aimed for Blazingtear's stomach area. Even if she couldn't kill blaze, she wanted to take down aoshi.* 'Wench...that child is mine to kill...you cannot protect it' *ignoring the blood that seeped from her open wounds, Shino continued to fight, her anger and hatred fueling her more than anything.*

*from within the cave, Gene's body suddenly started to glow, a soft green aura pulsating about his body. Gently, the chains about his arms and legs cracked and crumbled, the small child moving out from the stone prison calmly. From within blaze, a slight pressure was applied...then released, an orb of light traveling out from her stomach area the orb of light stopping any darts that tried to touch her, then slowly decended, finally disolving into gene's body. A wind picked up soley under gene then, orbs of light flickering about his body as he suddenly grew, his hair turning a dark shade of Black, while his outfit grew in size, providing him with dark navy blue pants, a black shirt and white trenchcoat. When his eyes finally opened, the shone through a deep blue green...like the hue before a mighty and powerful storm. Thus...Gene had become Aoshi once more.* 'Seems i was wrong...you didn't fail at all...' *hand then reached for his kadotchi, eyes boring down on Shinomai.* 'This battle is between you and me now...Blaze...' *gaze shifted towards her lovely image.* 'Go take care of Tobias.' *vocals were stern and serious, for the matter at hand delt with his past, and he could ask no one to face it for him but himself.*

BlazingTear stumbled backwards, away from Shino as she clutched her shoulder, having switched which hand hel her staff. She took a hold of the dart which bore into her shoulder and pulled it out with a cry, causing more blood to bubble up, but at least it no longer held the stinging pain of that metallic object. At Aoshi's words, she nodded, walking slowly over to Tobias and kneeling down before him.

*The two past comrads stood now in a faceoff, each knowing they both were just as skilled as the other...even in Shino's current condition, she knew her skills matched aoshi's down to the letter. Eyes closed, Aoshi stood there for a moment, collecting his thoughts and feelings. Neither needed to speak, for all had already been said through their actions. Waiting. The unnatural silence surrounding them was almost unbarable, and it continued to stay silent until the very last move. Rushing forward, the both of them hurled towards eachother, swords drawn. A one swing battle, for both slashed and haulted, their backs to one another. For a moment, nothing happend, then Aoshi fell to one knee, though Shino was quite worse off of the two, for as she collapsed, her head came clean off. Disappointment stained Aoshi's face, his eyes closed to the outsideworld as he wiped his blade clean of her blood, then slid it back into his sheath. There he remained...blaze would come to him when she was ready.*

*Tobias lay upon the ground, his mouth crusted with dried blood...though he was still breathing as he was unconcious. Seto, however, was no where to be seen, and his trail of blood led only a few paces into the forest, then stopped, as if he had simply vanished.*

BlazingTear listened softly to his steady breathing for a moment, thankful that he was breathing at all. Her hand moved towards his lips, pulling her sleeve up a bit to clean off some of the dried blood, though stopped herself before hand as she realised her own sleeve was wet from her own blood that had splattered.

*From afar, aoshi watched the two with a faint hint of sadness eteched upon his face. Thoughts tumbled through his head as he then glanced at his hands. He hadn't been there for less than an hour and already his hands were full of blood. Heavily his chest rose and fell in a sigh, footsteps carrying him towards Blazingtear and Tobias.* 'We should get him to Kagome...' *vocals were spoken softly as he bent down to Blaze's level, his hand ripping at his pant legs.* 'Nothing you own...should ever smell of blood.' *brows furrowed as he avoided her gaze, his hands offering her the trenchcoat.* 'You should change and clean that wound...there's a spring off to your right.' *eyes lingered on Tobias' face* 'I'll take care of him for the time being...' *Now he allowed himself a glance up at Blaze, though it quickly dropped. He didn't deserve to look at her...not after the hell he put her through.*

She accepted his trench coat, nodding slowly as she had lost the energy to speak. Never had she taken part in such a battle...and it scared her, not because she had fought...but because a part of her had enjoyed it...
She hurried over to the springs, moving in the direction that Aoshi had indicated, and there she found it. Doushiko followed quietly after her, sitting by the water's edge and meowing softly only once. Giving a sigh, BlazingTear looked down at her robes, and though their color was origionally red, the crimson of the blood made it appear almost black in many areas. She stepped into the water, clothes and all, as they were so drenched in blood, what did it matter if she were going to wash them anyway. A few moments passed before she stepped out of the spring, picking up Aoshi's coat and putting it around her. She picked up her own wet clothes and began to head back towards Aoshi, with Doushiko following close behind.

*Tobias was already again standing on his feet, though mostly due to Aoshi's support. Gaze lingered on Blazingtear for a momet, a smile to his cracked lips before he again fell victim to unconciousness, to which he fell back in aoshi's arm.*

((continued on the next post))

[Kikuyoshi]

'He's been talking about you ever since he woke up...seems he was convinced that he had actually killed you when he attacked Shinomai.' *Steadily he lifted the hanyou up over his shoulder, his gaze still avoiding looking Blazingtear directly in the eyes. For a moment, he was silent, then spoke softly.* 'We should...head for Kagome's hut..' *for a fraction of a second, he caught her gaze, but retracted it again all too quickly.* 'Are you able to walk?'

She nodded, noticing the fact that he continued to avoid her gaze. Auds lay flat as she looked down at Doushiko momentarily, the feline busy scratching at an itch beneath her chin. BlazingTear smiled, but only faintly, turning her gaze to Aoshi as she moved closer to him, taking his hand in her as though to say that it was alright. "Let's go then."

*Aoshi caught his breath as her hand reached his, caught off guard by this action. Dispite her efforts, he still couldn't help feel responsible and slightly guilty for the events that had taken place...but at the moment, he could allow it all to slip away. For the moment, he would be happy...for blaze.*

~~~~~~

*Upon reaching the hut, Aoshi gently released Blazingtear's hand to step inside. Carefully he placed Tobias in one of the beds, then returned to Blaze.* 'Per...haps you should lie down as well..' *eyes met with hers full on this time, brows furrowed with worry at her condition.* 'i don't want that to get infected...and Kagome can help with that...' *still slightly leery of her, Aoshi lingered within the doorway of the hut, a few paces away from her.*

She nodded, attempting to look at her shoulder as it was feeling slightly wet with blood. She moved towards the door way, brushing lightly past Aoshi as she entered the hut. Doushiko walked slowly behind, the small feline looking worn and tired.

*As blaze passed him by, his hand reached out to take hers, cranium tilting to look her directly in the eyes. Mouth then opened to speak, only nothing came out...his words unwilling to be spoken aloud. Thus, his silence did the talking, his expression solmn and serious, though a deep pain was visible within his eyes. Without truely realizing it, Shinomai had done her job...for at the moment, Aoshi felt completely at fault. He had never in his life wished for Blaze to suffer as she did today. Turning away, a sigh was released as he shook his head, unable to speak the thoughts that were troubling him. Fingers released their grip on her hand as he pulled from the doorway.* 'Go...you need your rest.' *without looking back at her, he decended down the back step and in the highlight of the moon, he wandered about the hotsprings aimlessly, his thoughts consuming him entirely.*

BlazingTear's gaze remained upon him as he left, looking upset that he felt the way he did. She wondered for a moment if she should follow after him, then thought that that may just make things worse...it may be best just to give him time to himself to think. She entered the hut, gaze upon the floor before looking up and around the room. It had been awhile since she was here last... she looked to Tobias where Aoshi had placed him, locating a bed next to his and sitting down upon it, not really laying down, instead, she watched Tobias as he rest. Her hand unconciously moved to her chest where the gems she had worn thoughout her life hung, the two crystals shining as bright as ever. One she had been given to by her father, the other, she had litterally been born with...

* The soft sound of Tobias' breathing filled the hut, every occasion faultering to release a dry cough. Slowly he rolled over onto his side, his hand unconcious of where it was going, now landing in Blazingtear's lap*

*outside, Aoshi sat upon a boulder, gaze fixated upon his reflection. It wasn't supposed to have worked out the way it did...for the decoy gene was supposed to have died, and Blaze should've been safe. As far as he was concerned...he wasn't even supposed to be here right now...and yet...he was.*

BlazingTear jumped as his hand hit her lap, she having been deep in thought about something else at the moment. She placed a hand over her heart, as though to slow it's excessive beating, the other hand moved to touch Tobias'. At their touch, the gems around Blaze's neck suddenly let out a pulse of energy, as though it were a living thing. She picked it up in her hand, looking down at the small red gem, wondering what it could possibly mean.

*The mat to the back door slowly lifted, Aoshi's figure easy to pick out dispite the shadows that surrounded the hut. For a moment, he simply stood in a corner silently, his gaze directed towards the door, as if not entirely sure why he had come back inside. After a moment, he approached blaze, words that of a soft whisper, should she be sleeping.* 'kagome hasn't returned yet?'

BlazingTear looked up at him, shaking her head softly from side to side. "I haven't seen her at all since I came in..." The bed vibrated only slightly as Doushiko now stepped along the soft sheets, moving towards BlazingTear's side and curling up against her.

'I see...' *Vocals were produced softly with little emotion, his gaze taking note that Tobias was waking. Body then withdrew back into the shadows, his back against one of the far walls, gaze again lingering on the door as a sigh escaped him.*

*Lids fluttered open, lashes coming together a few times as he blinked, his voice groggy and caused him to cough.* 'B-blaze?' *brows furrowed as his nose took in the new scents around him, the likes of which made his head hurt just a bit, considering he hadn't been expecting it.* 'Where are we?'

"Kagome's hut..." She said softly, standing and moving closer to him. Doushiko let out an annoyed mew, having found it comfy laying next to BlazingTear's warm body. Her finger tips lightly brushed his face as she gazed down at him, "Try not to speak too much or-" Her voice cut off, ears twitching as she thought she heard something. The gem hanging about her neck pulsed again, this time anyone nearby could have seen, or felt it clearly.

*Gaze shifted from the door towards Blazingtear and Tobias, having quite clearly felt the pulsation in the air. Brows furrowed, but he dared not step closer, however it didn't keep him from keeping a close watch over the two...should anything happen*

*Brows furrowed slightly, though Tobias shrugged off whatever it was that he felt. Right now, he wasn't even exactly sure if he could move his body, let alone know if he was truely feeling things...or perhaps simply imagining it.* 'Kagome's hut...when did we get here?' *gaze remained on her necklace, still trying to figure out if what he saw was reality or simply some illusion caused by his blood loss.*

"J-just...just a few minutes ago..." Her gaze moved to the door. She had heard it again, only this time, she was sure of it, though seeing that neither Aoshi nor Tobias had reacted, she possibly could have just imagined it. The sound reached her ears again, one that only she could hear, yet her gem at the same instant gave a greater pulse of energy, this one causing BlazingTear to fall back upon the bed behind her, a hand clutching her chest.

*Reacting dispite his injuries, Tobias sat upright quite quickly, concern expressed over his entire face. From his eyes, the whole thing had taken place in slightly slow motion...as if he were in a nightmare, where he couldn't reach her quite in time.* 'Blaze' *mouth inhailed sharply as he felt his injuries break open once again, though he ignored the pain, his hands outstreched to reach her.*

*Aoshi was there within a heartbeat, kneeling next to Blaze, though keeping a slight distance should Tobias feel threatened by his intrusion...but he felt justified, considering the condition Tobias was currently in.*

As quickly as it had happened, everything seemed to instantly calm down. BlazingTear's hand remained across her heart, right where the gems were now touching. Her breathing had quickened, she meerly being surprised by the actions of the gem that hung around her neck. Her ears then perked, head turning as a sound came from outside, one that could be heard clearly by all.

*Kadotchi was instantly drawn from it's sheath, a stalker like, crouched position taken as Aoshi crept towards the door. Strands of hair lingered just within his eyes, gaze shifting towards Blaze and Tobias.* 'Stay here...' *vocals were nothing more than a raspy whisper, his boots not making even the slightest noise as he slipped out the back door, his sword positioned at the ready.*

*Tobias' only caught a glimps of Aoshi before he left, his attention immediatly returning to Blaze, brows furrowed in confusion as he reached out to take the had that still lingered on her chest.* 'Blaze...are you...' *wincing slightly, he continued.* 'Are you alright? What's...going on?'

A rather large buck stood only a few feet from Aoshi, the creature looking spooked and ready to take flight to escape into the forest. Although it continued to stand there, large eyes gazing directly upon Aoshi.

Her head shook slowly, gaze upon him, "I don't know...but I'm fine." She then grasped his hand in both of her own. "You shouldn't be moving..."

*The cold steel eyes of an assassin met with that of the buck, his mind having figure it to be something a bit more to the extreme. Since his runin with Shinomai...everything of his past life had come seeping back to him...including his fighting style. The only thing that kept him from becoming completely consumed by his newfound nerves of steel, was the thought of protecting Blazingtear. For a moment, he simply stared down the beast, then with a skilled swing of his hand, put away his sword and started to move back towards the hut.*

'I'll move as i see..' *brows furrowed as he paused, unwilling to allow another wince to pass his lips.* 'as i see fit...and besides, i'll be just fine in a couple days' *a weak, tired smile crossed his lips, his free hand lightly touching her cheek before he lay back down, his hand still holding her's.*

At Aoshi's movement, the buck started towards him slowly, heavy hooves barely making a sound upon the soil. It lowered it's head, catching one of the sleeves in his mouth and nibbling on it as though it were a peice of grass.

*At the mammal's movement, Aoshi withdrew, his body pulling from the buck out of concern and suspicion. As his knowledge would serve, any deer would've taken flight into the wilderness by now...and most definatly wouldn't have simply moved in for a closer inspection...let alone chew on his clothing. In the process of putting some distance between himself and the creature, a small portion of the material tore and detached, to which it lingered still in the animal's mouth. Not exactly sure what was going on, hand instinctivly reached for his Kadochi, though he didn't completely pull the weapon out fully. Brows furrowed, he stood slightly crouched infront of the door to the hut, should the creature try anything. One couldn't be to careful with the sort of shapeshifters they had come into contact with before.*

The material fluttered to the ground as there was a moment's pause, the earth itself seeming to take a breath as the deer instantly disappeared. Above Aoshi's head fluttered the form of a tiny humming bird, one of creatures that could flit about at amazing speeds in a heartbeat. The small form quickly disappeared inside the hut, hiding itself in some other form too small to notice.

*eyes shifted amazingly quickly and accuratly, following each and every movement of the small form...at least until it decided to dip inside the hut.* 'Damnit!' *pushing quickly into the hut, sword was fully drawn, eyes swift to pick up any sudden movements around the hut. Speaking in hushed tones, vocals reached blazingtear in a rugged and hurried whisper.* 'Stay low...i'm not exactly sure what it is we're dealing with...' *facial expression was of upmost seriousness, his stance held almost directly above her out of protection.*

'What's going on in her-' *voice was cut off as Kagome held up a lantern, reveiling the faces of those around her.* 'Oh! Aoshi...' *her words were more of shock than anything, though instead of standing there and gawking, she quickly buisied herself with providing them all with a bit more light, to which then she proceeded to bring out bandages, having already noted the blood staining Tobias's clothing.*

"Something far out of your league assassin." The voice that had spoken belonged to a man that now stood in one of the corners of the room, his eyes seeming to glow in the light of the hut as he stood facing them. His eyes were hard, yet enchanting as they swirled in many different colors with a magical air about them. His short, dark hair fell into his eyes as his gaze landed upon BlazingTear, a gloved hand moving before his vision holding a small object which glowed upon his raising it. After a second, he lowered it beneath the dark cloak drapped around his being, "Never had I thought I would actually find you..." His tone carried a hint of anger, as though he could control himself no longer to just simply stand there, and it was Blaze's presence that caused this emotion within him.

*Teeth clenched together out of instant distaste for this...thing...now standing before them. Blade tilted to allow the moonlight to stream down it's side, glinting directly into this strangers eyes.* 'How the hell would you know what's out of my leauge?' *steelblue orbs narrowed, his stance loose to allow flexability for whatever this shapeshifter might throw at them.* 'Whatever buisness you have with blaze...' *head tilted slightly as he took a small step forward, strands of hair falling partially over his eyes.* 'You'll have to go through me first in order to reach her.'

*There was a slight groan just behind Aoshi, Tobias having risen as well, though quite unstable on his legs yet.* 'That...goes for me as well.' *amber orbs met with the gaze of this strange figure, a coldness to them that proved to be slightly terrifying in a sence...the same coldness that had driven Tobias to almost have attacked Blaze when they had delt with Shinomai. Wincing only slightly on occasion, Tobias managed to hold his ground, ignoring the fact that his wound had opened up again.*

"It is not...Blaze...I have bussiness with..." Though he said this, his eyes stayed upon her form. "How sad it is..." He took a step towards them, boots clinking as he did, "That you seem to have gained feelngs for this...illusion..."

BlazingTear's heart pounded, wondering what on earth he was talking about. The gem around her neck suddenly pulsed again, then became quiet, as though it had never done anything more than hang from the chain around Blaze's neck.

'STATE YOUR BUISNESS THEN!' *words clashed violently with the otherwise hushed atomosphere within the hut. After having been dead for what seemed an eternity, he wasn't about to have some crackerjack come in and try and dish out some idiotic story to try and lure blaze away.* 'If you haven't buisness with blaze...' *muscles grew tense, taking note of the step he took closer to them, his hand itching to make this figure bleed.* 'Then i suggest you leave' *without turning, he spoke, his gaze however not once straying from the unfamliar face before him.* 'Tobias...get down. Your in no position to be trying anything.'

'Idiot...it doesn't matter what condition i'm in.' *his voice contained a coldness to it, almost identicle to the tone of voice Kemonu used.* 'I'm going to fight whether you like it or not...and-' *his hand went to his chest as he winced softly.* 'And no stupid chest pain is going to keep me from protecting blaze.'

"Only because she is connected to all of this..." His form began to shift and change into a new form, claws growing from his fingers and fur seeming to sprout right from his cloak, until he was the massive and powerful for of a brown bear. "She must die!!!!" He started towards them, not stopping as a thunderous roar erupted from his iron jaws.

'BASKARD!' *feet pushed forward with a powerful jolt, sword having already been ready for such and assault, though not having expected Tobias to have gotten there first. Skidding to a hault, the blade barely had time enough to stop, it's tip having lightly scratched open the surface of Tobias' neck.*

'You will not touch her...' *words were surprisingly calm considering the given situation. Lightning crackled about his body in tiny, whip like motions, the charges seemingly being mostly drawn to his fingertips. Dripping blood, he stood there breifly, staring down the monsterous beast hurling towards him, his own feet kicking off from the ground just moments after he felt the cold of Aoshi's blade.* 'now leave.' *claws outstreched, preparing to make direct contact with the bear, a calm and unpenitrable look upon his face.*

Claws ground into the floor suddenly, his form shrinking quickly in size to that of a mouse the meerly slid beneath Tobias. As he passed under him, the shifter's form grew again, this time as a tiger that lept towards Blaze, aiming to bite it's jaws down upon her neck. He suddenly retreated, moving along the wall, thrashing his head from side to side with Doushiko clinging tightly to his noze by her jaws. He had been surprised by the feline's attack, not having noticed her at all. All the while he was struggling in a fury to rid him of the feline pest, he was vulnerable.

*bare feet skid only slightly against the hardwood flooring of kagome's hut, Tobias having stopped on a dime to try and stop this mysterious man from harming Blaze. In his turning however, blood splattered from his wound, staining the floor a crimson, although in his seriousness, it appeared that he hadn't the slightest clue as to what pain really was.*

*Concerned by the obvious lack of feeling Tobias was displaying, Aoshi whirled around, eyes expressing a clear show of panic.* 'Blaze...you gotta make him stop.' *His foothold slipped slighlty on the amount of blood tobias had spilt.* 'If he keeps this up...he's going to die' *vocals were gruff and blunt, his stance darting forward as his blade made for the intruder's arm, swinging the sword skillfully, aiming to hack up his arm.*

Doushiko was thrown across the floor as the shifter lept away from Aoshi's attack, escaping it with a deep slash in his forelimb. Letting loose a roar the shook the walls of the hut, his body began changing once again. Finishing in the transformation, a large creature now sat before them, looking much like Daaku in his normal appearance, minus the orange stripes. Jaws wide enough to swallow a man whole opened to reveal sword like fangs, a hissing screech emitting from it's vocals.

BlazingTear, despite the pain of the noise this creature made, rushed towards Tobias, throwing her arms around him as though to embrace him. "Tobias! Please stop..."

*Fingers slid about Blazingtear's wrist tightly, his gaze not even bothering to look down and reach her.* 'Let go...' *cold vocals, unfamiliarly cold, reached the air, his gaze turning now to stare at her blankly. For a moment he stayed as such, the sound clearly not proving to hold any effect over him, dispite his overly sensitive hearing. With a small shove, he released himself from her grasp, gaze lingering on this creature before him. Again, sparks of electricity sprouted about his form, his footsteps hitting the ground in soft splashes as he advanced slowly.*

*Aoshi darted forward again, slashing at the monster's gaping maw.* 'Blaze...if you don't stop him...i'll not be responsible for how i -will-.' *eyes remained on his target, a determination expressed feircly within his eyes. He didn't come back to life, just to get killed again.*

The shifter's head shot forward at surprising speed, like a viper striking at it's prey. The jaws closed quickly, aimming to ensnare Aoshi within the sharp jowls in the process.

"Tobias..." She closed her eyes, not wanting to have had to resort to this, but he left her no choice. "Sit!!"

*Aoshi simply stood there, a defiant look blazing within his steel orbs, both of them reflecting back the image of this monsterous thing closing in to consume him. A smirk lit his lips in the final moments, gaze reaching over to glance at Blaze.* 'Get yourself and Tobias out of here...' *with that he positoned himself in a crouched position, his kadotchi weilded with one hand, to which he hurled at this monstrocity, aiming for the weapon to be hurled down his throat. Simultaniously, his free hand reached behind his sheath, pulling out a hidden kadotchi, to which he pointed upwards...for should the intruder try to swallow him, the blade would in most likelyhood pierce through his mouth or throat...whichever it was the first to come into contact with.*

*Tobias growled, dull amber spheres turning to gaze at Blaze unresponsivly.* 'I'm not a dog...' *with that he turned and continued to keep going, the command having had not even the slightest effect over him. However, in his one breif moment of distraction, he forgot that about his feet lay a layer of his own blood, causing him to fall to the ground just the same, knocking him out for the time being.*

The sword caught him in his throat, its handle showing through the many gleaming fangs within his jaws. The shifter paused, backing away from Aoshi with the sword still jammed through his neck. A horrid noise emitted from his gaping jaws as his head lowered, large amounts of blood spilling onto the floor. A clawed hand grasped the sword's handle, ripping it free with a screech of pain. His form shifted again, leaving nothing more than the man whom they had first seen, though looking worse than before now as he kneeled upon one knee, one arm holding the other as blood dripped down his chin. "You...fool..." His head dropped as he coughed up more amounts of blood. It was obvious he wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

BlazingTear watched the battle scene only for a second, shivering slightly. She took Tobias by the hand, draping his arm over her shoulders to help him from the room. Moving towards the door only a step, she suddenly stopped. Her heart was racing...pounding in a way that was not fear or worry. She suddenly found it difficult to take in air, the sights around her growing faint until everything was nothing but one big shadow, even her hearing seemed to distance everything, each sound that she heard was as though it was quite a distance from her.

*Aoshi frowned upon the scene before him.* 'You'll be wise to tell your friends...' *eyes narrowed as he retreived his sword.* 'Nothing is out of my league...' *he stood there a moment, at least until he heard the collapsing of bodies, cranium turning, his eyes widening.* 'Blaze!' *skidding on the amount of blood that had spilt within this time, Aoshi reached her side in a matter of minutes. It had become eerily quiet...for the only one still alive, awake, or able to move, was him...Kagome having long passed out, as well as tobias and now Blazingtear.* 'Damnit...Blaze! what's going on...'

The gem about her neck began to pulse again, only this time, it was one after the other, continuous in it's strange actions. The crimson hue of the gem began to darken, clouding up until it was shrouded comletely in darkness.

From where he kneel, the shifter's eyes widened as he understood what was happening, gaze turning to Aoshi, "If I were you...I would...move away...from...the girl..." His body bent over, more blood spilling to the floor.

A strange aura surrounded itself around BlazingTear, making her body appear to glow in a dark light. The wolven ears atop her head began to shrink away, vanishing completely. Her claws which, before hand had never been much to begin with, shrank as well, making her appear more human than she appeared. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, their wolven like quality gone from her pupils, instead the irises were a surprisingly bright blue in color. A hand moved to her head as she rubbed it, "What a headache..."

'Why?' *disdain marinated his words, each syllible dripping with a dislike for the man on the floor.* 'So you can come after her again?' *eyes turned towards Blazingtear once again, though his breath caught just within his throat, his stomache giving a jolt as his gaze swept over her figure, slighlty in awe at what had awakened.*

*Tobias murmured in his state of unconciousness, amber orbs opening slowly reveiling to him a blurred state of the world...though he could make out enough to tell that it was blaze whom was sitting next to him.*

"She's not who you think..." He now sat up, back against the wall and eyes upon BlazingTear.

BlazingTear took one look at Aoshi and suddenly sat up, giving a yell. "What in hell!?" She pushed herself away from him, standing quickly and folding her arms across her chest, looking irritated. "Get any closer and I'll zap you next time." She looked around the room, a chaotic smile upon her face, "Looks cozy, but it could use a bit more chaos." Her eyes landed upon the shifter, who still sat bleeding against the wall. "Akki, you sludge ball, you're still alive."

a defend Tsuin. The creature was odly familiar looking...posessing two tails and black fur..appearing to look identicle to a certain small feline... Tsuin gazed down at this creature and smiled, "I suppose it likes me...unfortunate for you..."

*Sharp eyes picked up sight of the small animal, brows furrowing together as a though occured to him, his words difficult for the battle going on within him was hard to controll, and already he found himself trying to forget blaze and put her behind him...so he could focus on something more important. His job. An assassin at heart.* 'If...if blaze is simply an illusion...why is.' *words broke as he closed his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts.* 'Why is Doushiko still here?'

*from behind Tsuin, Toutaku appeared, having freed himself from the arrows which bound him...a feat quite hard to fathom, considering only a very few number of beings could escape Kiyoko's hold once she decided to pin you down. Cold eyes watched over his master, the only show of emotion being the deadly and sinister warning glinting within his eyes, daring anyone to try and touch Tsuin again.*

"Don't think me someone easy to kill...even without my spells I have formidable allies..." The black furred Doushiko growled menacingly as Tsuin gave the feline a light pat on the head. She then stood, a hand rubbing the small chain that Akki had gotten around her neck, one that caused Tsuin to be as powerless as she was.

*irritated vocals spilled forth, Aoshi's eyes glinting with pure, unfiltered annoyance.* 'You never answered my question.' *streightening himself up, sword was placed back in his sheath.* 'Why is Doushiko with you?'

*Tobias backed away from Aoshi slightly, disturbed by the intensity of his voice. Auds fell flat, not exactly sure what to make of the situation..not that he was really in any condition to do anything, considering his wound was still spilling blood.*

*Toutaku lingered by his master's side, expressionless once more. Like an obedient slave, it would appeare that all she had to do was say the word and he would even end his own life. How true this statement was however, was yet to be seen by those around him.*

"How should I know? I'm not the one who summoned this beast." She placed a hand upon the wall to steady herself as she stood. She glared at them all, not knowing what to expect from them, save for Akki whom she had known as an enemy many years ago. "The spell I cast meerly created a shell for a soul I used." Her hand moved to the ruff of Doushiko's neck, lightly touching the soft fur, "If this creature had a connection with that soul...then perhaps she still exists." Tsuin then smiled, "Either that, or since I've fully reclaimed my body, my own soul has acted as a replacement for her own."

*Without a word, Aoshi moved forward solomnly, his gaze directed nowhere else but infront of him. Steps echoed against the hardwood flooring, his body brushing by Tsuin, his shoulder bumping into hers. Only in this moment did his gaze shift, the deadly blue calm of his eyes, just like that of the sea before a violent storm, meeting with her face. Still he spoke nothing and continued towards the door, all emotion and expression wiped clean from his face.*

*Confusion settled in Tobias' eyes. Everything was becomming blurry again. Teetering on the balls of his feet, he crouched down slightly, and soon afterward collapsed on the floor, having lost conciousness due to both the loss of blood and the shock of what was taking place.*

"And where the heck are you going?" Tsuin gazed back at Aoshi, her expression, blank. Although she would not show it, something about his eyes had given her, as powerful a sorceress as she, a faint chill. Either it really had been Aoshi's gaze, or she was meerly feeling a slight nausiea from her lack of spells, since the chained necklace that Akki had fastened around her neck drained her magic.

*Pausing just within the frame of the back door, Aoshi's hand reached up to softly caress the sturdy oak that this particular doorframe was fashioned out of.* 'I once told Blaze i would always protect her.' *until this point, he had avoided all eye contact with Tsuin, his vocals lacking their normal livelyness. Now, eyes darted rappidly towards her form, a vibrant anger stirring within the depths of blue pigment.* 'My sword, and my life, are not meant for your protection, or amusement. Where i go is buisness of my own. I need not report to the likes of you.'

*Toutaku stepped forward, his movement blurred as he rappidly darted about infront of Aoshi, a blade now within his hand. Eyes were narrowed, but only slight, and his look of seriousness still remained etched upon his visage.* 'would you like him as a pet master? Or should i simply kill him now?' *vocals were monotone, all expression and emotion drained from his words entirely.*

Tsuin simply smiled, closing her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Just let him be."

Akki, all this time, had stood a few feet from Tsuin, holding his wounded hand as he watched. He held the advantage while Tsuin's powers were under control...but as much as he wanted her dead, he could not kill her now, let alone even attempt to do so. The main reason having much to do with Toutaku, as well as Doushiko. Tsuin would not be easy to kill with those two protecting her, but...there was also something else that prevented him from attempting so...

*Aoshi gaze, stonelike in every way imaginable, never once left Toutaku's face, his body not even having flinched in the slightest. After a moment of silence between the two, Toutaku lowered the sword reluctantly, a sour look directed in Aoshi's direction. As he passed, Aoshi kept his eyes upon him, speaking softly, though hardly gently.* 'Know that in the time it took you to reach me...i could've had your guts already spilled and spread on the floor.' *muscles grew tense for a moment, eyes closed tightly before opening again. Here was where he exited...though not before tossing one more glance directly at Tsuin, a wordless threat passing between them...a promise that he would indeed be back.*

*Toutaku spoke nothing, but instead moved towards Tobias. Kicking his body out of the way, he then watched as Tobias rolled a few feet...though was soon joined by Touharu, who proceeded to comfort and mend him...much to Toutaku's distaste.*

"Well now..." Tsuin's eyes swept about the room, "How pathetic..." Her gaze moved to Akki as his good hand moved to a sheath upon his hip, grasping the handle as he readied himself to pull it out should he need it. Tsuin's arm swung out instinctivly, palm up and waiting, expecting something to occur. Instead of the magic Tsuin had been anticipating, only tiny sparks were able to fly from her fingertips, nothing but meer static to Akki. Both of Tsuin's hands now grasped at the necklace, trying to break it with strain, but the moment she put any force on it, she fell to her knees upon the floor, a painful shockwave of magic having shot through her body. Her eyes glared upon the one who had cursed her with such a thing, "For this Akki, your death will be more than just slow..and painful..."

*Toutaku's eyes flashed, his figure becomming a blurr as he suddenly appeared directly behind Akki. Sword drawn, all he would need to do would be to push forward at a slight angle...* 'Release her.' *vocals were sharp, showing the most expression since his arrival.* 'Either way...your going to die.'

*A surge of light flared off to the corner of the room, Touharu's body pulsating with an electrical charge of intense magnitude. Walking forward, she shook her head, causing her lengthy tresses of multiple colors to ripple.* 'Don't you touch him Toutaku...don't you lay one finger on him.' *vocals were surprisingly angrier than normal...an unusual thing for Touharu to display.*

Akki's form shifted quickly, for one moment he was there, the next there was a small bird zipping its way towards Touharu. The bright shimmering feathers showing many brilliant colors as the animal streaked through the air at speeds that a human could never move on foot. Akki settled down upon Touharu's shoulder, small black eyes watching Toutaku. He then spoke, still in the form of a hummingbird his voice sounded slightly comical coming from such a small creature. "A witch like her should never be allowed such power..."

Tsuin stood, slowly, eyes upon both Touharu and Akki. "Why is it you run Akki? You've only made one attempt on my life and yet now...you keep your distance?" Her shoulders shook slightly as she laughed, taunting them in a way. "What...or whom is it you are trying to save? Does all this..." Her arm moved to indicate everything that had occured within the room, "Bring up those sad memories?"

*Dispite his knowledge that any magic attack against his sister would be useless, he advanced on Touharu, sword in his posession.* 'Release him to me Haru. Step down and heed the words of your older brother.' *a soft rage had been building within him, just the spark needed to trigger the next event. Quite suddenly, Toutaku's body ignited in flames, and when the firey flicker faded, an entirely new looking figure stood before them, though his face undoubtably belonged to Toutaku. Muscles rippled down both his arms and chest, and his hair was incredibly shorter, just hanging slightly past his ears. At the moment, he was undoubtably superior to Touharu, and the blade in which he had been carrying was now quite a bit thicker and longer. Standing there, a twisted smirk appeared on his lips, a finger of his free hand lifting to push up a pair of stylish shades, tinted purple in hue.* 'Your no match for me Haru. I don't need magic to beat you. Give him to me.'

*Instinctivly, Touharu backed up, though her face remained firm and confident. The only thing that gave her away in the slightest was the small placement of fear behind her eyes, though she carefully made sure not to draw attention to that fact.* 'Kill me then, Taku. And then die yourself.' *brows furrowed as she shook her head.* 'For being my older sibling...you know nothing. Every injury you happen to get, i get as well. I can only assume it works the other way around as well.'

*Tobias slowly opened his eyes, ears catching the last bit of Tsuin's statement. Feeling incredibly better, due to Touharu's healing, he now sat up, gaze fixated on Tsuin.* 'What the hell do you mean by that?'

Akki's small body now quivered, the small bird heart beating at ten times the rate it normally did, which was already more than a human's could pump. He wondered if this was a mistake to perch upon her shouldering, thinking he had now put her into danger aswell. Though listening to what they had said, it sounded pointless for either of them to fight one another.

Tsuin's gaze moved to Tobias, her form moving slowly closer to him as she frowned. "Akki was once as you are now...helpless, as your love is taken from you so easily, and then to find out that she was nothing more than a simple illusion, created by my spells..." Tsuin smiled as she appeared proud of this fact, "The fool seems to think that there may be a way to regain what has been lost." From behind her, Doushiko's red orbs watched Tobias carefully, back arched and ready to pounce.

*Toutaku sneered, inching closer to his sibling.* 'Mother always said you were the sensible one.' *turning his blade to look at it, a twisted pleasure crossed his face.* 'She prefered you, you know. She told me...right before i slit her throat.' *eyes lifted from the blade, his hand lifted as to bring it down on her.* 'I did it all with this. This one tool that allows me the ability to attack anyone. Even you.' *

*In a flutter of black trenchcoat, Aoshi suddenly fell from the rafters of the ceiling, his body weight used to crush Toutaku into the floor, knocking the sword from his hands. Skillful fingertips worked quickly, tying Toutaku's hands together behind him, eyes darting towards Tsuin and Doushiko. Body still used to pin Toutaku to the floor, his free hand pulled a gun, aiming the weapon directly at Doushiko.* 'Don't think i'll miss just because i've been out of the buisness for a while.' *eyes flashed mercylessly.* 'Now get away from him.'

*Tobias' eyes flashed angrily, and he was on his feet within a matter of seconds.* 'You bahitche' *vocals barked out with force, though he controlled the urge to enhilate this woman on the spot.* 'So then...who is Blaze? How in the hell did you create something so...pure.' *he paused, eyes moving up and down her figure in disgust.* 'when you yourself are nothing but a disgusting hag?'

"Watch your tongue!!" Tsuin snapped as her hand swung at him, though not to hit him, but to cast a spell. The necklace that Akki had put around her neck began to crack, becoming brittle as pieces of it fell to the floor, and with the necklace gone, there was nothing to drain Tsuin of her magic. As it had begun to break apart, a whirlwind of air rushed towards Tobias, the defening sound it created was like the shriek of a banshee. Despite all this, Tsuin's voice could still be heard above the earsplitting sound as she spoke, "They were simply shells who played the part of innocence, gaining protection while I gained strength! You are all fools to think anyone could ever truely be like that." About her neck, there was a strange black aura, the source of this dark light shinning from the gem that hung around her neck, it's surface still onix in hue.

*over the roaring shreek of the wind, a gunshot was fired. Left with nothing but a smoking gun, Aoshi stood off to the side, both hands placed on the weapon. His stance relaxing, eyes were locked on Tsuin, his expression reveiling nothing of use. The bullet however, was not aimed for Tsuin, but rather, it had struck Tobias in the chest, and the hanyou swiftly crumpled to the ground, thus missing Tsuin's attack completely* 'My assignment is finally complete.' *eyes shifted towards Tobias' body.* 'When i first came...my orders were to destroy him.' *turning on heel he avoided all eye contact with Touharu, knowing full well that she had fallen to the floor in a fit of silent tears.* 'He's dead...don't plan on his return.'

"How could you do that!?" The small form of Akki hummed before Aoshi, still appearing as a tiny hummingbird, as he had forgotten in all the excitement he had transformed at all. "You knew him!!" The crest of feathers upon the tiny chest where puffed out, meerly making the bird appear less menacing than he already was. "He shared your feelings for the one you cared for... You killed him, all because you lost hope! Lost control! Believing that wench!?" His small form dropped a few feet momentarily as it attempted to point at Tsuin.

Tsuin calmed, lowering her hand as the swirl of wind disappeared. She turned away from Tobias, looking disappointed that it was not she who had killed him. At the sound of her name she turned, looking in an uninterested mannor at the assassin and the insect of a bird. In the back of her mind, she felt a twinge of...what feeling was this? Perhaps she was bored, tired, possibly hungry, but... She held her breath. This emotion was... "No..." Tsuin's voice was small at first, barely a whisper, but it soon grew in tone as she continued. "no...no...no...this can't be..." Tsuin suddenly appeared to be helpless, something about her bold and fierce personality was completely lost as she wrapped her arms around herself. "NO!!!!" Her gaze turned to Aoshi, eyes wet as she was on the verge of tears, her voice soft, having lost it's menacing tone. "Aoshi...why..." She sank to her knees upon the floor, the gem around her neck was now a gentile glow of rose. "I don't understand...how...how could you..." Beside her on the floor, Doushiko mewed gentily, but sadly. The feline rubbed up against her side in an attempt to comfort her mistress, the soft fur gleaming an unmistakable white.

*The smell of leather was thick in the air, Aoshi's coat giving off the strong, yet alluring scent. For those of keener mind...meaning that it was quite new...and thus hadn't been in his posession for all the years he was an assassin. Body withdrew, his shoulders leaning up against the wall for support as he studied the effects of what he had done, his expression not altering in the slightest, however he did speak.* 'Interesting.' *turning the gun over in his hand, a smirk now appeared on his lips.* 'It's amazing what effect rubber bullets have on a person. Knocks the wind right out of them.' *steel orbs lifted, a kinder, warmer look to them.* 'Welcome back Blaze.'

*off to the left, Tobias stirred with a groan, not having been able to move or breath for the past few seconds.* 'Damnit Aoshi...next time you want me to get out of the way...just...-' *vocals haulted as his eyes met with blaze, and his heart just about altogether stopped, obviously haulting all other body movements as well, considering his mouth was still open in mid sentance.*

"Ingenious..." Akki's beak had dropped open in astonishment, even though it was technically impossible for a hummingbird's beak to do so. Akki then lowered his head, looking as ashamed as a bird no bigger than a child sized fist could look. "Um...what I said earlier...I didn't know...so..."

BlazingTear gave a shaken sigh, a few droplets of tears running down her cheeks, with a soft smile on her face. "I'm sorry..." Though she was now content knowing that it had all been something Aoshi had been planning, her heart still pounded rather quickly. With all the excitement, and sudden rush of things, Blaze now began to feel light headed. Slowly, she began to fall forward, ears ringing and vision darkening, but this time Tsuin was not taking control.

*gaze shifted to Akki, pocketing the gun.* 'In order to fool your enimies, you must first fool your allies.' *body remained placed against the wall, fulling knowing it was Tobias' place to be with blaze, not his. Bowing his head slightly, his eyes closed in a small, sad, though relieved smile.*


*arms slipped about Blaze's figure quickly, preventing her from hitting the ground. Gently he cradled her within his arms, fingertips lightly tracing the edge of her chin.*

*Touharu suddenly moved towards Aoshi, her cheeks a slight hue of pink, and still wet from the tears she had shed. Looking like an exotic princess, it was apparent that she was in her "elderly" form, for her body provided many curves that weren't usually there. For a moment, she stood there and looked at him, her expression almost appearing as though she were going to slap him, yet the exact opposite took place. The event took place within a matter of seconds, but Touharu had moved forward suddenly, arms embracing Aoshi tightly as her lips locked with his. Seconds later, there was a soft clatter as Blazingtear's staff fell lightly to the ground, leaving a stunned and bewildered Aoshi just standing there.*

It was only a moment or two before BlazingTear opened her eyes, waiting a bit more to allow the ringing and light headedness to fade. She then moved slowly, placing a hand on the floor to sit up. "Tobias...she's still here..." Though apparently Blaze's own soul had regained control, her ears were still elven in appearance, she lacked her sharper claws, and her eyes still retained their light blue color. "Someone else as well...but...she's not like Tsuin..." Her voice was weak, as though she were tired and drained, but Akki had heard what she said clearly and instantly flown closer with a renewed interest. Although Tsuin had been in control, BlazingTear had been able to see it all, though could do nothing to stop it. "We were created...by Tsuin's magic...given life...we were souls with no purpose...destined to die at birth..." BlazingTear leaned forward, resting her head upon Tobias' chest, "At the times nearing our birth, Tsuin was weak and dying. So she merged her soul with our own, hiding away until she was healed, so then she could easily steal our bodys..." The gem around BlazingTear's neck began to cloud, it's soft red color suddenly darkening. One of her hands grabbed the gem, trying to cover it as though to stop it from taking control, "Don't hesitate to attack her!!" She was desperate, speaking quickly in rushed tones, "Destroy it quickly! Destroy th-" Her voice was cut of, mouth open as though to speak, but no words came. Doushiko's fur lifted, the feline hissing and spitting as her fur suddenly darkened to a black pitch.

*brows knit together tightly, his hand gently caressing Blazingtear's cheek as he shook his head.* 'I won't destroy you...just because it will mean the death of her.' *gently he leaned forward as the transformation was taking place, his lips pressing tenderly against her's in a warm embrace.*

*there was a soft click of a gun nearby, Aoshi's body having pulled away from the wall and placed the gun directly against Tsuin's head, his expression once again blank, although his cheeks still held a soft and very faint hint of embarassment due to Touharu's stolen kiss.*

*Toutaku had been lying dormant all this time, having reverted back to his staff form. At the slightest hint that Tsuin was returning yet again, all chords used to bind him went up in flames, and the ominous staff scraped across the wooden flooring, the gem on its tip glinting maliciously. As far as one could tell...the sword in which Toutaku had stated would allow him to kill his own siser, was no where in sight...most likely meaning that Toutaku had made it apart of the staff as well...thus giving him power over Touharu.*

BlazingTear closed her eyes, pulling away from Tobias, the gem hanging around her neck completely darkened now. As her eyes opened again, she froze, feeling the barrel of Aoshi's gun against her head. "Such a warm welcoming..." She frowned upon seeing Tobias fine and well, muttering softly, "Clever too..."

Akki's form shifted till, once again, he stood, not as a beast or animal, but a man.

*the metalic opening to the rifle firmly pressed against Tsuin's skull, his free hand making a swift grab for the gem about her neck.* 'Hope you don't mind if i borrow this...' *spheres of blue lingered on her face, their coloration sharp and deadly crystal clear.* 'But i've always had a thing for treasure.'

*Tobias frowned faintly, not exactly sure what Aoshi was up to...or what he wanted with the gem.*

"Return that at once!!" Tsuin's hands reached for the gem before she stopped, remembering Aoshi's gun still pressed against her skull. Apparently that gem was important, but not so much as to risk her life.

*callused fingers quickly pocketed the gem within one of the many pockets of his black leather trenchcoat. Once the item was secure, gaze again drifted back towards tsuin's form, the swirling clouds of blue deeply reflecting back her face. From her prospective, it was probably troubling to see the expression enscribed upon his handsomly distinguished face. Inside, no matter how many times his mind told him that this was not blaze, he couldn't help but to feel the rising swell of emotions he had come to know by spending time with Blaze. However, new feelings had been stirred and awaken. A path that had been covered over by his past feelings. The lost path of an assassin. This blood told him he shouldn't waist any more time. He should slay her now...should she break free and destroy him first. Shaking his head, he pulled away from this grisly vision, although his gun still rested firmly and snugly against her skull.*

'It would seem i've entered at an interesting point...' *uninterested vocals reached the inside of the hut, it's owner lingering just outside, unwilling to draw within the strange contraption called a shelter. As an eerie wind picked up the flap of the back door however, Kemonu's figure could clearly be recognised.* 'how...fortunate for me.' *sarcasm was slyly slipped into the statement, though his apparent distaste for them all still shone through the strongest.*

"What an unfortunate situation..." Tsuin brought her hand up quickly, creating a small whirl of air before her form seemed to just dissappear in a single blink. Though now she only stood at a distance in the room from either Aoshi or Tobias. Tsuin bowed slightly, as though having just performed a miraculous trick before an audience awaiting the show. At that moment, she got a chance to really look at herself since she had first taken control of Blaze's body, having not noticed it was Aoshi's other trench coat which she wore. "What the hell is this?" She turned around, facing away from everyone in the room as she moved her arms, the coat hitting the floor and, for a brief moment, had nothing to conceil herself. Though within a second her arms moved out at her sides as another outfit drapped her being, a black dress, with sleeve ends that drooped low to the floor. "Much better..."

*Another breeze blew within the area of the hut, though with the distraction Tsuin provided, it would seem not a soul really noticed.*

*Aoshi scowled, his eyes closing for a breif moment, though not fast enough as memories resurfaced of blaze. Forbidden memories, ones he had tried to rid his mind of...so as to be as gentalmanly as possible for Blaze's sake. Sidestepping quickly, his outstretched hand grabbed for his coat, the gun tilted to the side as he pulled the trigger, the bullet aimed for Tsuin's leg, just for the sake of keeping her there.*

*From outside there was stifled mutterings and half pronounced curse words, the likes of which taking to the air in Tobias' voice. Having used the distraction of the girl to his advantage, Kemonu had ensnared his brother, and was thus carrying him away, a firm hand placed just about his neck.*

At the sound of his gun shot, Tsuin spun, the fibers of her dress twirling with her and seeming to aide the magic with it's dizzying effects as the wind shot from her hand. As it hit the bullet, the metal object seemed to stop in mid air and turn back the very opposite of the way it had come, though off a few degrees as it caught in the floor very near to Aoshi.

*Already having predicted the outcome of where his bullet would land, Aoshi had drawn very near to Tsuin on her opposite side, the breath of his words just close enough to tickle the edge of her neck.* 'Forgive me...' *sword was drawn, the dull part of the blade moving just behind her head, the plan being to knock her unconcious. At the moment, there really was nothing he could do to aid Tobias...not if he wanted to help Blaze.*

Tsuin fell forward from the shock, eyes wide as her vision darkened instantly. She uttered a single whispered word as she fell, though it was jumbled and faint, it was most likely a foul word.

Akki approached slowly, scratching his head. "Now what..."















'Interesting....' *the strong curves of his face were again lit up instantly as another flash of lightning bolted across the sky, also illuminating another figure within the doorway, body completely drenched.*

'Damnit...' *From the dark shadows that draped across the doorway, two amber spheres caught what faint light lingered within the hut for a breif moment, the soggy figure taking another step forward.* 'I finally got away form that baskard...no thanks to any of you...' *giving a toss of his head, water sprayed in every direction, a scowl displayed upon Tobias' lips.*

A low growl and the simple twitch of dual tails was the only response given by the dark furred Doushiko. The shinning red orbs moved from each of the men within the room, stance ready to pounce if one of them even thought to make a move towards her.

Akki's gaze was upon Tsuin as he spoke in a low tone, "Didn't notice you were gone."

*Still drenched, Tobias wriggled free from his bright red overshirt, fingers working the material to release any excess water while holding it directly over Doushiko. Oblivious to the fact of what he had just done, hand snapped the cloth downward, an irritated look on his face and a glare given towards Akki.*

*Aoshi scowled at the both of them, glancing downward at the object held within his hand. His mind made up, he set the tiny gem down upon the wood flooring, his boot heel placed against it, quickly applying pressure to that one particular spot in hopes that the gem would shadder*

Doushiko let out a shrieking hiss and swiped at Tobias' heels before running off into a corner of the room.

The gem's black hue began to glow outward with the applied preasure, small sparks of energy flying from the tiny object as it crackled and hissed very much like the sound that Doushiko had made. Unfortunatly, it did not break.

'What the...' *Attention quickly altered towards the fleeing form of Doushiko, then down to his ankle, which produced three red lines of blood.* 'Damn ani-' *words trailed off as his ears picked up the sound being produced by the gem.*

*Smirking softly, aoshi shook his head.* 'I should've figured...' *skilled fingers found the handle to his blade, quickly and mercylessly drawing the sword from its sheeth, driving the tip downward in a jab, knowing that now either the gem would break apart...or his sword would.*

The horrid sound produced from the gem increased as Aoshi's blade threatened to break it. From the glowing object, a small stream of black smoke rose in a spiral to the ceiling. A few moments passed before the gem suddenly gave off a flash of a bright light, shooting across the room and sliding across the floor as it bounced off the wall. The dark hue of the gem had disappeared, leaving nothing more than a clear crystal with a crack that ran straight down the center.

Doushiko's fur faded to the usual white it had always been before, the feline blinking as she tilted her head to the side.

Tsuin's body began to glow with the faint outline of white, her figure seeming to blur and appear as though there were two of her. The light became blinding, filling the entire room quickly and receeding just as fast. As it cleared, there were now two similar forms sitting beside each other upon the floor, one having black wolf-ish ears, and the other appearing to be more human like.

*Having turned away and lifted his arm to cover from the blinding light, Tobias now turned his head slowly back to where Tsuin had lain, though the sight that met with his eyes was much more pleasant than that of the cursed woman. Still damp from the rain still pouring outside, Tobias quickly darted forward, his hands reaching out to touch Blaze's face as the rest of him sank to the floor next to her.* 'Blaze...your alright...'

*Aoshi toppled down to one knee, blood spilling with a splash onto the floor from his hand, the pressure having been great apon his weapon, causing the blade to bend slightly so when the gem finally broke loose, the only way the sword had to go was up...thus cuz deep into Aoshi's left hand. Gritting his teeth he quickly tied up the wound with a shred of material from his shirt, a look of both annoyance, gratitude and relief that he hadn't killed Blaze off with what he had just done.*

At the sound of Tobias' voice, BlazingTear's ears twitched, her gaze moving upon him as her hands moved to touch his, small tears sliding down her cheeks. Though she opened her mouth to speak his name, her vocals refused to produce any sound, and thus she was silent.

Akki moved forward slowly, towards the other who was next to Blaze. His suspisions told him that Tsuin had managed to recreate herself, yet as the female looked up at him, her eyes meeting his, he knew instantly who it was. He dropped to his knees, embracing the one who appeared so similar to Blaze, yet was completely different in many ways. "Atsune..." Was all he could say before she lightly placed a finger over his lips, smiling.

*From behind a veil of black tresses, steel blue orbs surpressed the emotion swelling within him, unable to express the flood of reliefe that swelled over his body. Nay, he could only watch the scene unfold before him, like watching nothing more than a play. A play in which he had no more right to take part in. Mind made up, his footsteps sounded hollow within his own ears as he approached the couple, a solomn look spread across his entire face. Lightly, his fingertips met with the material of Blaze's shirt, not speaking a word, though he assumed his facial expression spoke all she needed to know. He would not be returning...unless she truely needed him...and from the looks of things, it appeared Tobias could manage. Turning, he made move to exit out the back door, his stride even and unhesitant.*

Her auds lay flat as she watched him quietly. She closed her eyes, a slight smile appearing on her lips. She hadn't needed words to understand what he had intended. As Aoshi left, BlazingTear leaned forward slowly, resting her head against Tobias' shoulder and embracing him lightly.

From where the cracked gem rested in the room, the object sparkled and crackled for a split second before dying out completely. The now calm gem almost looked beautiful with it's crystal siding despite the jagged crack that ran it's entire length.

*Tobias quickly worked his arms about the slender figure of Blaze, his other senses picking up what Aoshi was planning to do even though not once did he look up. At the moment, he was too concerned with what had just happened...and an unmistakable feeling of dread and bad things to come consumed his person to the point that the happyness in which he felt upon Blaze's return had all but melted away. Something was to happen...and soon.*

The two hushed voices of Atsune and Akki could be heard as they quietly conversed. Akki suddenly yelled out as Atsune smiled softly. "Really Akki, it's nothing to worry about." Her hand touched his cheek, "I'm only happy that I can see you again after so long, but to hear the sound of your voice..." Atsune turned slowly, eyes upon Tobias and Blaze. She began moving towards them hesitantly, not wanting to inturrupt them. Akki followed behind her, muttering and cursing about something under his breath.

*Withdrawing from the secure feeling Blaze had supplied him with up until now, both eyes and ears were drawn to the figure before him, a quesioning look to his face. Slowly his arms untangled from about Blaze's waist, body drawing upright to stand, not exactly sure what was going on, nor what to expect of this woman.* 'You want something?'

((continued again in the next post))

[Kikuyoshi]

At Tobias' words, Atsune appeared to be confused momentarily, then looking to be in deep concentration for some reason. She sighed in a defeated way as her gaze returned to him. "I don't know how to put this really...don't be alarmed, it's nothing to get excited over," She smiled for a moment before continuing on, "but...It appears that something went wrong when the gem was cracked..." Her gaze moved to the crystal that now lay dead on the floor. "It may have been Tsuin's life force, but it was still attached to us as well. And so in result, myself and BlazingTear have lost something, though I am sure the effects shall wear off in a day or two..." She looked to Blaze hopefully, "Right?"

BlazingTear smiled as she stood, giving an ok symbol with her hand.

*Brows furrowed as doggen ears fell flat against his head, concern setting in dispite Atsune's words of comfort. Gaze quickly settled upon blaze, realization setting in as the clues fell into place one by one.* 'And if it doesn't clear up....' *voice haulted, unable to keep his mind from fearing the worst of the situation.* 'Then what?' *head turned to Atsune, brows knitted together with worry.* 'Tsuin's gone...at least from what i gather. If this side effect doesn't disappear...then what?' *vocals faded out with a softer tone attatched to them, the feeling of helplessness settling in.*

BlazingTear's hand lightly touched Tobias' shoulder, wishing she could offer some hopeful words of her own. Unfortunatly that was the one thing she couldn't do at the moment.

Atsune shook her head, not able to hear his words, though understanding partially from his movements and expression. "It is something we will all just have to get used to for the time being...hopefully...it will wear off..." Though she had intended it to sound joyful, it was obvious from her expression that she had her doubts about it just going away.

Tobias muttered under his breath, recoiling at Blaze's touch, not exactly willing to listen to the fact that there was nothing in his power he could do. Pacing back and forth, ears flat against his head, it was apparent he was attempting to come up with some sort of an idea...even if it was simply grasping at straws. In the middle of his irritated walk, he haulted quite suddenly, a sour look pulling at the edges of his mouth. 'Great...the baskard's back.' Edging towards the door, his fingers lightly touched the handle of his sword.* 'What took you Kemonu? Getting slow in your old age?'


'Little brother...do not mistake my disinterest in you for that of old age.' Voice was incredibly smooth and calm, though the edge of his words could not be hidden no matter how serene he appeared to be. 'You have something that i require...to come willingly is your own decision.'

At the sound of Kemonu's voice, BlazingTear darted to Tobias' side, eyes upon the villinous brother. Forgetting that she lacked a voice, her mouth moved as if to say something, though she stopped, moving a hand to her throat and lowering her gaze.

Akki pushed Atsune behind him just in case, she being at a great disadvantage at the moment if trouble were to brew. A small white blur weaved through his legs and gave a startling hiss as the feline stopped right beside BlazingTear to glare up at Kemonu.

Occulars of purest amber flickered with a dull and annoyed look, vocals of seriousness reaching the air in a tone quite unlike that of Tobias. 'I know what you seek Kemonu...' his voice dropped an octive or two, sounding like that of a whispered growl. 'and you'll not get it from me.'

Darker amber lifted to meet the face of Blazingtear, an unamused expression etched upon his face. 'How...dull.' attention shifted to that of Tobias. 'Why don't you come out here...away from your...-woman-.' he paused, withdrawing a new sword, the likes of which had not yet been seen by their group. 'That way she won't have to watch you die...'

BlazingTear grabbed a hold of Tobias' sleeve, the only way she knew how to get his attention without the use of a voice. She tugged at the loose cloth and shook her head franticly, auds laying flat as her eyes moved up to his, the crimson and amber pupils filled with worry.

Reaction showing off a bit of surprise at being held back by Blazingtear, Tobias paused in his advance towards Kemonu, eyes reaching her eyes of worry and concern. Fleetingly, fingertips lightly brushed back a bit of her hair, a confident look to his face as he whispered softly. 'I'll be fine...i've beaten him before...i can do it again, regardless of that new sword.' Releasing her, he decended down the small flight of steps, the balls of his feet imprinting upon the moist soil below. 'Well...what is it you're waiting for...-brother-'

'You waist my time...now perish.' Darting in quickly, he hadn't needed to advance all that close, for with one simple stroke of his sword, a highly powerful energy beam lashed out from it's tip, tearing up the ground hungrily in order to reach Tobias.

Not knowing if Tobias could dodge the attack or block it in time didn't matter to her, protecting him was the only thing she had on her mind at that instant. With a sharp intake of breath, Blaze moved faster than she ever had in her life, standing in between Tobias and Kemonu's attack. She pulled up her hands as if to shield it simply by that action. Though as the beams of energy appeared to make contact with her skin, a thin translucent shield sprang to life before her. It's hue was transparent, but swirled in bright yellows, oranges, and reds, like that of a fire. BlazingTear closed her eyes, shaking with the strain of holding off such an attack. Her small form was pushed back a few inches before she was thrown back completely, the shield shattering as it absorbed what was left of the deadly energy.

'My...wasn't that exciting' Kemonu stood perfectly streight, and it was clear from his expression that such an attack hadn't cost him an ounce of his energy. However, a look of annoyance had clouded his face, his words spoken a bit stronger than before. 'Tobias...do you really intend to have this...woman, fight your battles for you? How sad for you.'

Scowling at his brother, Tobias darted for blaze, shaking his head as he knelt beside her. 'What were you thinking?! you could've been killed!' brows knit together with worry 'you alright?'

Annoyed, Kemonu put away his sword and turned to leave. 'You disappoint me -sibling-. Trust that i will be back for you, when you decide your man enough to fight me alone. I've no intention of waisting my time.'

She nodded slowly, dazed and tired, but other than that, she was perfectly fine. Her gaze stayed upon the ground as she stood, wondering about her weak display of power. She had spent so much of her strength blocking an attack that Kemonu hadn't even put much effort into striking. Though she could not speak, her vocal cords strained with the instinct to produce some kind of sound. What came out though was nothing but a muffled choke of air.

She lightly touched her neck with her hand, trying with all her might to produce even the slightest of sound to form at least some type of word...at this point any word, even if it made no sence, would be an achievement. Though it was barely above a whisper and somewhat garbled, BlazingTear managed to speak, "h-at...swo-rd..." This was all she managed to say before her voice gave out, and was lost once again.

Auds fell flat against his cranium, amber pigmented spheres narrowing out of hatred for his brother. "That damn baskard..." vocals were loathsome and thick with irritation. Not only did his thoughts trouble him with what could've happened to blazingtear...but also at the fact that Kemonu had aquired such a sword...the likes of which he had never seen it's equil. Even his tetsusiaga was no match for a sword with that sort of power...at least thus was what he assumed. His rantings within him mind were abruptly broken however, his doggen triangulars picking up the faint, but unmistakable sound of Blazingtear's voice. Estatic, skull rotated, his eyes meeting with her's breifly before his brows furrowed and he drew closer. "Blaze...you...spoke" Was it simply some sort of fluke? Or was she indeed slowly becomming cured. Tobias could not be sure, and he automatically tried to snuff his feelings of hope...not wishing to have them smashed at a later date when they were possibly proven wrong.

BlazingTear smiled, though her auds lay flat as she rubbed her throat as though it ached just from that feeble attempt. "Soon..." She paused, placing a hand before her mouth before she started coughing. Her shoulder's shook as she sunk to her knees, she suddenly having gone ghostly pale. It appeared that the strain of Kemonu's attack against her thin barrier had some aftershock effects.

"don't strain yourself!" Brows knit together out of frustration, both feelings of compassion and concern mixing together to give him a sort of emotional high. Worry seeped it upon witnessing the drastic alteration in her skin coloring, his arms instinctivly going about her frame as she shook while coughing. "Common...let's get you inside" vocals were passive and soft, not at all his usual tone, save for when he spoke to Blaze on occasions such as this. He would do anything for the girl...even show his softer side, though for the most part he kept that side of him sheltered, never truely having liked wearing his feelings on his sleeve. Cautiously he picked Blazingtear up, one arm around her shoulders, the other just under the back of her knees, thus carrying her in a cradled sort of fashion. Proceeding from there, he moved towards Kagome's hut, intending to put her to bed upon their entrance into the small, yet cozy building.

"But...I...T-tobias.." Her voice once again gave out, silencing what it was she had been trying to say. She sighed in defeat, relaxing her tired body in his arms. Upon entering the hut, it was obvious the place was deserted, save for Doushiko, for Atsune and Akki seemed to have left. Where the two had gone couldn't possible be found out, since the only scent left behind was that of a stallion's as it had carried the human girl upon it's back. With Akki's power of transformation, finding him again by scent alone would be near to impossible.

The absences of Akki and Atsune didn't seem to bother Tobias in the slightest, though the smell of stallion made him crinkle his nose slightly. Transporting Blaze from the middle of the back room and into a smaller bedroom, he then set her down gently into one of the beds on the floor.

Sinking down beside her, fingertips gently caressed the black tresses that had fallen into her eyes, pushing them back soothingly. It was dark in the room...almost too dark to see by. Grunting, Tobias rose upon his feet, searching feebly about the room for something, finally producing a match. Staring at the tiny object for a moment, he then proceeded to try and light the stupid thing...after only having seen it done once. Irritated after a bit, he threw the small stick across the room, glaring at it. "So much for that idea..."

"Idiot...you don't even know how to light a simple match." Dropping from a roofbeam, Tucker landed only inches away from Blazingtear's body in a crouched position, his nose so close she could've touched it with her's had she lifted her head slightly. Not even meeting her gaze he rose, his eye contact on Tobias alone. "you really are primative...aren't you" Quick hands produced a lighter, his thumb running across the rough metal surface, providing a spark with which a fire flickered up. His black attire illuminated by the faint trickle of light, he moved off to the side of the room, quickly lighting a few candles. "There...was that what you were trying to do?"

BlazingTear fell backwards on the bed, not having senced Tucker at all he had given her quite a scare, which wasn't much of a help to the condition she was in now. With her hand over her pounding heart, she took in a deep breath of air and looked at him with an expression that showed she was wondering what he was doing here.

Tobias was wondering the same thing, and his facial expression showed it...among other things. "Just what sort of entrance is that?! What the hell do you want here?!" Tobias shifted forward, clearly aggitated by Tucker's appearance.

Holding his cool, Tucker simply glanced down at Blazingtear, brow arching at her seemingly helpless condition. "What the hell did you do to her?" Body leaned up against the wall, completely avoiding Tobias' questioning.

BlazingTear opened her mouth to explain, having once again forgotten that she no longer had much of a voice to speak with. Not being able to utter a sound, she lay back upon the bed and closed her eyes, resting for the time being.

Doushiko walked over to Tucker, gave him a sniff of inspection, recognized his scent, and calmly rubbed up against his legs.

It was dark outside...though the fact that it was night had little to do with the eerie feeling that was sprouting within Tobias, that soft tickling sensation that ran down the surface of his spine, fortelling of something to come. He didn't like it. Amber spheres quickly darted down to spy Blazingtear, still recovering from Kemonu's latest attack. The damn baskard. Irritated once more, Tobias began to pace, his eyes now locked on the sickly color of the sky above, it's hue cast in both purples and greens. Whatever it was, he was almost positive it had something to do with himself and Blaze.

Doushiko's fur bristled, preceeded by a low growl from the feline's throat. This sound caused BlazingTear to sit up, worried eyes first moving to Tobias before looking at Doushiko. Though she felt tired from fighting off Kemonu's attack before, she refused to rest suspecting that something was happening.

The mottled sky of bruised coloration let out a crack like a fresh whip, followed simultaniously by a flash of lightning, yet not a single drop of rain dared to fall. Illuminated breifly by the blink of light, every single hair on the back of Tobias' neck raised dispite his protest, for he had spotting something in the distance that did not please him at all.

~~~~~

The wind took hold of his white trenchcoat, flapping it about his heels restlessly, exposing dark blue pants and leather boots. Illuminated by the breif flicker of light the sky had provided, one could easily spot the spikes portruding out from the right shoulder of his jacket, while the other shoulder was decorated with a skull. A sneer decorated this masculine's handsome face, though his visage brought up disturbing memories within the minds of those he had already met. Black hair was swept slightly to the side, allowing only one eye to be exposed, it's amber pigment staring directly at the hut while the other remained hidden underneath a layer of tresses. A voice spoke with eerie softness within Blaze's mind, starting out with a deranged, light hearted laugh. "Blaze...we meet again. Now why don't you be a good girl and tell tobias to sit?"

Her blood ran cold at the sound of his voice in her mind. Too many times before had they met for her to ever forget him. At his request, she shivered, shaking her head quickly in refusal to do such a thing.

"very well" A pause in the conversation due to another blinding erruption of lightning from the sky, the likes of which illuminating Legato once more, only to display that he had gotten closer in the time that had passed, and was continuing to advance. "I'll do it myself"

~~~~

A stifled groan slipped through Tobias' lips, straining breifly befor his body gave out, his face now pushed up against the wood flooring of the hut, having landed with a thud very much like he would've if Blaze had given the command herself.

~~~~

"Speak to me blaze...what's going on in that head of yours?" Though his face couldn't be seen at the moment, it was quite obvious that right at that moment, he had a sinister grin upon his face.

Her mouth opened but no words came as she still was unable to produce any words. From beside her Doushiko let loose a hissing snarl as Legato drew nearer. The feline was crouched and ready to spring at the instant, if Legato attempted to harm Tobias, or further advance towards BlazingTear.

The soft crunch of leaves could be heard just outside the hut's back door, a figure shrouded in shadow now visible within the wooden frame, yet still far away enough that he was untouchable. Lips moved now, carrying his voice to all sets of ears, his tone rich and husky yet dripping with ill intentions. "my...it has indeed been a while" Gaze lowered to spy tobias still on the floor. "comfortable are we?" a soft laugh escaped him, eyes darting towards blazingtear. "I've grown more powerful in my absence. When you banished me from that...skyler's body, i was allowed to return to my own, all the more wiser. And now i stand before you with a proposal." Another pause as the amber of his eyes flickered. "you will marry me and leave this canine mutt behind"

She needed no voice to show her answer to such a question, her expression alone revealed it. In her mind she formed the smallest word, though to Legato, even if it was heard within the mind, was a loud and fierce, No.

Doushiko inched forward, legs further coiling as she prepared to spring at Legato.

A sinister sneer lit Legato's face, having known full well what she was going to say. That being the case, he would go to his usual job of making their lives a living hell...only this time he had more power to back him up. "As you wish...enjoy this gift of new...life" Something in his spoken words was highly suspicious, though before anyone had a chance to say anything, both Tobias, Blaze and Doushiko were knocked out by a simple wave of Legato's hand, his spell overpowering their senses.

~~~~

Tobias awoke in a different position than when Legato had left them, his eyes opening to a clearer night sky. Frowning slightly, hand reached up to rub his head, figuring he'd have a bump there for sure the way he had been smacked into the floor...however none could be found. "huh...maybe i drempt it...i mean i could've just been..." Instantly all words ceased to pour from Tobias' mouth, his eyes catching site of what was just below him; a considerably larger chest and a girlish figure. Letting out a yelp, eyes searched the room quickly getting one of the biggest shocks of his life; his body was still lying by the doorway, while he was in the exact spot that Blaze had been earlier that night.

BlazingTear could tell something was wrong the instant she awoke. Her gaze moved quickly about the room to see if Tobias was alright, which only gave her the shock of her life as she spotted, not Tobias' body, but her own. Doushiko jumped as BlaizngTear gave a surprised yell, glancing down at herself...or himself... only just begining to realise just exactally what Legato had done.

Blazingtear's girlish voice filled the hut with an ear shattering shriek, Tobias having grabbed a hold of his newly developed implants and shook them a bit in an angered fashion, his brain obviously not registering what he was actually touching and who's they were. "WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE! WHERE'D THESE COME FROM AND WHO THE HELL IS IN MY BODY?!" Bewildered he stood there awkwardly, his body movements carried out as if he were still in his own body, making him seem gawky.

BlazingTear could only stare at him, either in surprise, shock, or both... She put a hand to her head instinctively or checking for a fever, most likely to see if she was hallucinating. She began to speak but paused at the strangeness of hearing Tobias' own tone instead. "This is one of Legato's little games..."

Fist clenched in rage, and it would've probably been extremely funny to see blaze's body in such an aggressive stance, save for the fact that it was tobias speaking seriously just inside of her. "That damn...BASKARD!' Starting to pace the floor, Tobias nearly tripped and stumbled every step considering what he was wearing. Brows furrowing at his awkward movements, he eventually gave up in his fight to pace about the room in his rage and instead sat down, not very ladylike mind you, and stared at his own face through firey reddish orange pupils. For a moment or two, he simply sat there in silence, speaking not a single word in the process.

Moments later, feminine vocals poured from Tobias' mouth, a curious look to his face. "So...can you lift my sword?" It was a simple question, but the answer to it was critical. In order for them to return to their original bodies, they would have to be able to go up against Legato...and without proper use of the tools they had, they didn't stand a chance.

BlazingTear looked down at the sheath upon her side, looking a bit doubtful. She stood, a hand reaching for the handle as she spoke, "Even if I could, I don't think I'd be able to use it well..." She pulled it from it's sheath, instantly leaning forward as the weight of the sword pulled her down with it. "It's...heavy..." BlazingTear lifted it momentarily before it dropped to the floor again.

"I figured as much..." Brows furrowed in concentraition, knowing full well that this was exactly what Legato had planned to happen. The little baskard had known all along the effects of switching a body would have...having gained this knowledge from no less than switching to a different body himself. In anycase, there was nothing at the moment that Tobias could do, considering he couldn't verywell lift the sword with the
body he was in at the moment. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, a hand helping to push him up from the wood flooring and he stood full height...though he felt extremely shorter than usual. Grunting he flexed Blaze's body, trying to get a feel for her movments and how she worked, though the added weight in the front of him didn't help much. "Geeze...how do
you move with these things. If it were my body, i'd probably chop them off out of annoyance." Eyes glared at the rounded lumps of flesh, though his brow twitched pervertedly after thinking some time on the subject. Shaking his head however, he was instantly returned back to reality, and quite creeped out by the fact that if this was indeed to be his new form, he had just been checking himself out. An interesting concept.

"So...what do you propose we do?" vocals escaped him oddly...at least within his ears, seeing as he was used to a deeper voice, and to be hearing that of blaze's within his ears was simply too odd to think on for a lengthy period of time. "I no doubt can't use your fire powers very well...unless we feel like scorching everything in sight." spoken with some sarcasm, Tobias folded his arms over his chest, though quickly removed them when reminded of what was there, still uneasy on that subject....though the thought of taking a bath disturbed him even more, his face in fact turning red ever so slightly.

Her ears twitched with irritation, having noticed his odd behavior. "Perhaps..." She attempted to pick up the sword in one hand to return it to the sheath. It didn't budge. "We need help..." She looked at him, finding it strange to be facing her own body. It was almost as though she were looking in a mirror, without the same effect though.

From where she sat on the floor, Doushiko threw back her head and gave a yowling mew that filled the room.

"Did someone ask for help?" feminin vocals poured into the hut from just outside the back door, their location pointing out the fact that this figure was not at all standing on the ground, but rather sitting on the roof, leaning over ever so slightly to peer in, the only thing visible at the moment, (considering the flap of the door was down), was strands of golden hair and two strangely familiar amber spheres. Managing to pull of a summersault in mid air, she dropped down onto the first step just below her, the ghostly pale complexioned skin of her hand now working to push back the drap over the door. She was slender in figure, a stunningly beautiful demon...for that was what she was of course; it was apparent by her scent and her looks.

Laughing ever so softly, a gentle hand reached out to tug at Tobias' ear, not knowing at all that it was blaze who now resided in Tobias' body. "Why...little brother, that must've hurt your pride; asking for help and all" Another soft laugh, though she silenced it upon realizing the other woman in the room was staring her down with a sort of death glare.

Tobias' gaze never left Tari's figure, and his posture suggested that he wasn't all that thrilled to see her in the first place. Arms crossed over his chest, he sat indian style, his ears twitching, forgetting completely that he was in a kimono and such a way of sitting was not entirely appropriate. "Just what the hell do you think your doing here?" Sour vocals left his mouth, their tone feminine but indeed a bit deeper and all the more sarcastic.

BlazingTear scooted away a bit, surprised by Tari's sudden appearance, and was slightly suspicious only for a moment before she recognised who it was she was looking at. Tobias' manner towards relations also help to place who Tari really was. She then smiled in an embarassed sort of way, "It may have, were I Tobias." She then turned to give Tobias a cold glare, wondering how he could dislike his only relative who wasn't out to kill him.

"my my, a family reuinion..." Voluptuous vocals took form within the hut, the movement of an unseen shadow now budging ever so slightly. How long this figure had been standing there could not be determined, considering how neither Blaze, Tobias, nor Tari had detected a presence at all. "how...heartwarming" Sliding from the veil of darkness, Kiyoko stood fully, her eyes cast in the direction of Blazingtear, their brown coloration sweeping over Tobias' body with mild interest before she turned in Tobias' direction, her reaction a little more amused. "I had been wondering what had happened...considering Tobias couldn't even lift his sword." A smirk spread across her lips as she took another step forward, though haulted completely when Tobias rose to his feet.

"Damnit to hell...can't we get one damn moment to ourselves to think?" For being trapped within Blaze's body, Tobias sure had gotten down the part of the scary female look, his annoyance quite apparent in the way he carried himself. "I don't need help from either of you...-ESPECIALLY- you!" His last words were directed towards Kiyoko, auds now flattened against a cranium of blackened hair.

Tari was suddenly directly behind Tobias, a delicate hand slapping outward quite quickly and brutally, although her face showed somewhat of an opposite emotion. Cheerfull was what was written all over her face, though by the sound her hand made against the skin of his back, she was also in no mood for his crap. "Aww...that's just his way of saying he doesn't want us to get hurt..." Instantly the happy act dropped from her face, fingertips reaching out to grab ahold of his ear angrily. "listen you...just because you have your stupid, stubborn pride, doesn't mean i'm going to let you go out there unprotected and willing to sacrafice Blaze's body to some disgusting demon.' Tari glared at him quite fouly "Bet you never thought about that did you...the fact that your in Blaze's body is going to mean your going to have to be extra careful not to harm it...' Releasing him she muttered under her breath upon returning to Blaze's side. "stupid idiotic...no good....thinks with his...."

BlazingTear stepped away from Kiyoko in surprise and, not used to Tobias' difference in build, stumbled and fell back to the floor. She managed to catch herself and sat up, only slightly bruised by her tumble. Through it all she kept her gaze upon Kiyoko, surprized the woman had managed to stay hidden from their sences. Though in the confusion of the moment, she thought, it was possible for them to have easily missed that. "What it is you want here?" As if she even had to ask that question without knowing its horrid answer.

[Kikuyoshi]

For some unknown reason, Ghost's temper seemed to flare up, sparking the instant Shawn's name was muttered.

"Shawn?.....Shawn." He repeated in a rather disgusted matter, his voice almost a growl. "Is that the only name you can mutter?" Red eyes seemed to burn right through the veil of his hair, irritation and anger of unmeasurable lengths quite visible even from far away.

"Very well...if you won't name her, i have no choice." Eyes narrowed softly, but held a rather dangerous appeal. Slowly he advanced upon the holy being that was chained and anchored to the ground, his hand reaching upwards until he had grasped a handful of feathers. Without looking at her again, he spoke, his words malicious but hinting at a bit of eagerness.

"You know, without their wings, angels can't return to heaven." It was now that he turned his attention to Sol. "Have you ever wondered what an angel looked like without them?" A grin. A sick twisted and horrifying grin took hold of his lips just then. "I know i have."

His arm yanked backwards from the wing, drawing with it a clump of pure, snowy white feathers, but as soon as they were removed from the body, they seemed to burn and turned to nothing but ash in Ghost's hands. The maiden of pure whom had not moved suddenly lurched, twisting like a worm in the chains that bound her and released a most horrible and sad stricken cry of pain. Afterwards, she remained silent, still not awoken by the name Sol was to give her.

"your move" His hand moved to grasp another chunk of feathers

[Kikuyoshi]

Shen took a staggered step towards Bo, though he retreated when she responded to him with a sharp "Stay back!". Eyes then strayed toward Nisha, giving a small nod and lightly placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come...there's nothing more we can do for her." Brows furrowed with sadness as he took one last glance at the banished Angel in the middle of the pool of blood and sighed lightly. She wouldn't have anyone come near her; Shen knew that even before he had stepped forward...yet he hadn't been able to simply just move on without trying.

Moving onward, Shen no longer vanished, a different air about him now that they had encountered such a horrible tragity. Determination and fearlessness expressed themselves boldly on his face, his eyes glinting with a bit of anger as well. He no longer cared about the council...let them come! They deserved nothing short of an exicusion themselves...and at that moment, Shen would've been most glad to deliver one.

"Khayryn..." He spoke the name softly then lightly closed his eyes, pausing in his steps for one brief moment. "No doubt they'll make him a fallen angel" He paused in his words, a sudden image flashing within his mind. "He's of a fire element..." His voice was distant, though he turned his gaze to Nisha. "We best be cautious in finding him...His anger and sorrow from this event has made him a bit darkhearted and hateful."

~~~~
Z's reply


Her words were sharp and Nisha flenched as if a whip had suddenly cracked across her back. And as Shen placed a hand on her shoulder, her head turned half way before her eyes did, as if she were to look away they would all suddenly be gone. His words were soft, and she knew them to be true before he even had to say anything at all. She took a last look at Bo with greatly saddened eyes. Quietly she wished the fallen one guidance in her time of turmoil.

She then looked towards Shen and noted that he had already began walking again. She had to jog a few steps to catch up with him, now walking besides him. Ears perked slightly as he spoke and she nodded, looking towards teh ground briefly as if making a mental note of that. Glancing back at him, her frown deepened. 'Shen..' Her voice was quiet as if afraid to even ask this question. 'Arent you going to go invisable?'


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Body fell against the stone wall for support, ears flat to his cranium and his head slightly tilted downward, silver bangs hiding his eyes from view. Lightly his hand clawed at the smooth and glistening walls, nails leaving small trails of white behind them. Loosly his hand dropped from the stone and Tobias slumped downward, his shoulder rubbing against the wall until he was then squatting on the floor. A sigh escaped him right before he sneezed, his right ear twitching lightly due to the echo the sound then created.

This entire fight was his fault...he knew that very well, however, he was too stubborn to do anything. That and the fact that what Blaze had said earlier had somewhat hurt him...though he wasn't exactly sure why as they hadn't really ever officially stated that they were together....everyone had simply assumed, though it wasn't like they were too far from the truth.

~~~~~~

wom

A soft noise echoed about the cavern, announcing the presense of another being. Tiny footsteps could be heard approaching and though the area was lit with the odd, hanging lanterns, the lights could only reach so far into the darkness. A soft thud sounded out as something hit the cavern floor and then again as a round object rolled near Tobias' figure. Following the small toy was a young child who stood no larger than two feet high. His hair was short and tan, with two overly large wolf ears of the same color, sticking up and plainly announcing himself as a Konzen wolf. His outfit was a simple brown tunic with cream colored pants that had the tiniest fluff of tail sticking out. When the child spotted Tobias, he stopped and tilted his head, putting a small finger into his mouth. After some time, the child took his finger from his mouth and gave Tobias a large, one toothed smile and loudly proclaimed, "Puppy!"

Daaku, upon the child's appearance, made it his goal to turn around and curl into a very large, uneven lump near one of the many stalagmites. Anyone under a child's way of thinking would think him to be nothing more than an oddly colored, large rock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steady and stalking footsteps were placed carefully against the grasses of this interesting terrain. The smells that greeted his nose were nothing short of bland when compared to that of his wolven nostrils...yet the smell of damp was steadily apparent. Cautious, that was how he was acting now for at any given moment, at any random turn, Shawn could very possibly come face to face with the most horrific thing he had ever come across in his life.

...Then again, perhaps he would simply come across his mate.

A glimpse of something red flashed off in the distance, and before he could question on whether or not his eyes were deceiving him, Shawn bolted in that direction, all to aware that Solarfyre's hair had matched that shade when they were here last time. Shouting once more, he hoped to catch the ears of the creature off in the distance, his higher hope being that it was really and truly Solarfyre.

"Sol! ....Sol is that you?!"

He had a bad feeling about the whole thing in the pit of his stomach....something was off and yet for the moment, Shawn had decided to ignore it. After all...one could not help but feel uncomfortable in this realm.

~~~~

fely

Delicately, the enemy pulled the strings of the vocal chords of his puppets, smiling sinisterly. They had each encountered their other; now the deceit would continue. How delightful!

As Shawn found the false Solarfyre, the enemy made her throw herself upon him. A flash of red hair and glowing orange eyes, and the false Sol embraced Shawn completely. “Oh, Shawn!” she exclaimed. Despite her cry, if one listened extremely closely, one would notice how curiously devoid of emotion her voice was. “You jerk! You made me so worried.” Clearly, the enemy was mimicking the words that the real Sol now spoke to her false mate. The fake Sol kissed Shawn, then stood back and smiled sweetly at him. “Aren’t you glad to be back here? At least we’re away from that bastard Ghost. Oh! I know! We can explore more of this world, since we didn’t have the chance last time…what do you say?”

*

At the same time, the real Solarfyre was talking to the false Shawn, trying to extract answers from him. She noticed, disappointed, that he was being evasive and vague, saying he woke up and started looking for her, but knew nothing beyond that. Whenever she inquired after his wellbeing, he would simply state that he was just glad he found her. Yet he did not sound as glad.

That made Sol concerned. “Shawn, what’s wrong?” she kept asking, but he continued to reassure her that nothing was wrong. Still, she was suspicious. “You’re hiding something from me,” she accused. “I don’t like that. Don’t be stupid, Shawn. You can’t hide from me. So spit it out.”

But the fake Shawn would not look at her. “We should go on,” he murmured, much to Sol’s frustration.

“No! We’re staying right here until you tell me what the matter is.” She stood, arms folded, glaring at him with fiery orange eyes.

[Kikuyoshi]

Everything was happening way too fast...her words sped by his ears like bullets and the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach grew to bursting proportions....and then time came to a screeching halt as her lips pressed firmly against his. For a moment or so he simply stood there, ridged and surprised...she had never been so bold as to kiss him in such a way before. Instincts told him to pull away quickly, yet his emotions urgently took over and he found himself drawing her into his arms, never breaking the time forbidden kiss.

As she pulled away, Loki was hesitant to break the connection between them, the uneasy feeling in the center of his stomach bubbling up to the surface yet again.

"that broke the spell" Her words sparked up alarm, his eyes flickering with life as he studied her face, watching as a drop of blood trickled down her cheek. Unnatural. that was the word that came to mind. He couldn't move...there wasn't any time. Again time sped up to awkward proportions, as though it were trying to catch up for time lost when it slowed.

As it happened in the past, so it did in the future. Her cry ruffled every feather in his wings, his eyes widening to the sight of her body bursting into a million pieces and he was instantly spattered with a good deal of her blood. It wasn't even a second after that Loki's body gave a shudder and doubled over, his hand gripping the sides of his head as he then suddenly thrust backward, his vociferation shrill and vehement to the sky (<-- kiku had fun with the dictionary xP )

The small cracks in the ground that had sparked before, now splintered and spread in a wider range, small boulders rising into the air, ignoring the rules of gravity altogether. Such was the power of Loki's aura...it all but threatened to tear through the fabric of "existence" in the illusory fabrication that was dream world.

Visible power surged upward from Loki's feet, an array of colors spanning from red to black to green. Once more his mouth opened to release a powerful and almighty cry, his wingspan spread out to the fullest as a surge of energy pulsated outward from his person and into the land, it's touch toppling trees the instant it struck, and thus created a small crater, to which he was the direct center. The boulders that had been floating about him up until then shot outward in all directions, until nothing but barren ground lay at Loki's feet. A rage consumed him fully, the likes of which had not been witnessed by eyes of this world in 400 some years, his own mindset having been thrust back to the very day he found Marissa in death the first time...and such was his reaction as well.

Body stood ridged in his mess of destruction, eyes open wide and deadly, contrasting vibrantly with the cloud of darkness that swarmed overhead. It was stunningly clear now why Loki had been imprisoned...such power was a violation of any natural law...yet did that mean the one who captured him was even more powerful than Loki? As if to answer that question, Loki's voice clamored yet once more, demanding a certain person to come forth....yet would they show, or would it be something or someone else?

"TESTAMENT!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~


“And so,” said a dark and chilling voice that seemed to cut across all the mayhem Loki had just caused, “it is finally time to see which of us is truly more powerful.”

The owner of that voice stepped forth out of the sky, like a piece of darkness had been cut cleanly from the fabric of the night. He was, at first, hardly impressive; though he had stunningly rich looks, from the long black hair that he had let fall in a wild fashion to his shoulders to the deep color of his big navy blue eyes, he was a simple man holding an ebony staff. He was garbed in black robes that hung loosely around his thin figure, and when a wind blew across him, his frontal robes parted to reveal a heavily muscled chest. He did not appear to be the source of all of Loki’s rage and angry despair, but calmly walked on air as if he were descending a staircase. Moments after he had spoken, he stood facing Loki within the crater of destruction the demon had created.

Testament—for it was he—had a cruel smile on his face as he studied Loki. “Enjoying yourself, old friend?” he asked as casually as if he had just run into Loki at a carnival. “This world’s a great place to unleash all your unchecked power, isn’t it? It’s a great feeling, to be alive and free…” As soon as Testament spoke that last word, his ebony staff abruptly grew a wickedly curved blade; it was now a scythe, highly reminiscent of the one Death was fabled to bear.

The new blade glinted coldly and reflected the destruction around it, including the form of Loki, the creator of it all. Testament let out a sorrowful sigh and glanced at the droplets of blood on the ground, which alone seemed to have survived Loki’s shockwave. “A pity about your old girl,” Testament said with absolutely no sympathy whatsoever. “But, in truth, you’re probably better off without her—she was holding you back with her promises of a good time and so on. Without her, though, you’re at your full potential. Though, you’ve got a lot to do to convince me that you’re stronger than me.” His grin stretched even more cruelly.

It was impossible to tell if this was the real Testament or just another puppet employed by Nightmare. It wasn’t even clear if the Marissa Loki had seen had been real. But it hardly mattered; clearly this Testament was as powerful as he claimed to be, and he was not going to back away from a fight.

“Loki, old friend, it’s dashing good to see you,” Testament said conversationally, seeming to enjoy his time to talk. “Last time I saw you, why, you were a little—er—trapped…” Still smirking maliciously, Testament flicked his sickle towards Loki, the blade suddenly turning a deep purple color. Almost instantly a purple translucent bubble appeared around the demon. “I should’ve known you’d escape eventually,” Testament added regretfully, flicking his weapon again, making the bubble start to shrink around Loki. “Guess it was high time to be done again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~


LUST

The soft flutter of feathers wouldn't have startled anyone under normal circumstances...however, the mood had gotten increasingly dramatic and it wouldn't have been surprising for Nisha to whirl around out of surprise to this sudden break in the silence. Voluptuous curves would have greeted Nisha's eyes should the troubled demoness turn, and at first impression one might have been dumbstruck in awe by this creatures beauty. Onyx feathered adorned this vixen's backside, their hue hinting at highlights of purple and green, while sharp violet eyes were outlined and accented vibrantly with dark eyeliner. A crimson and black gown was what this creature had decided upon wearing, black lace bits adorning it here and there to create a dramatic effect.

Lovely and full lips curled up into a smile at the sight of Nisha, their parting bringing forth a small stream of words, their tone bold yet seductive. " Don't tell me you're going dancing in that outfit." Brow quirked as fingers produced an elegant mask, simultaneously moving her free hand to brush back a few unruly waved strands of black hair from her face. The mask itself was exquisite, silver-blue in hue and small enough that it would work itself just over the eyes, two almond slits on either side to look through. If one were to look close enough, one might be able to detect that it was made of a fine metal, the likes of which were layered in small sections so that the mask fit and moved with the face as though it were natural.

Feet shuffled softly against the pavement of the sidewalk, this beauty circling Nisha to size her up, scrutinizing eyes almost chilly as they moved in swift strokes up and down her figure. Extending a hand quite suddenly, the maiden urged her to follow. "common, i've got just the thing." without bothering to wait, and moving with grace most women only dream about, she turned and started toward a small passageway not but a few steps back, elegant tresses of rich black bouncing slightly with each step.

~~~~~~

What am I doing here? How do I know these people aren't thankful for this way of life? What if I had just stumbled upon a bunch of rebels. How do I know any of them were telling the truth? These questions were just part of what was going through Nisha's ever contemplating mind. Feet carried her as if on their own will, obediently following the path that had been so graciously marked for. A small slump in her shoulders was given as she looked down at the piece of paper that was held in her hand, grey eyes looking at Jaspers painted picture, And who am I helping? A friend? Or something else? The questions she was asking herself were slowly starting to slow her down. Now, alone in this city she was starting to rethink things, to step back from the sudden burst of courage and looking at things from an outsiders point of view. Was she now just tricking (or even hoping) that someone could love her?

The thoughts were wrapping around her mind, holding it as if in a powerful vice. But then the words broke through to her. Head instantly snapped up and she turned to see who had so easily snuck up on her. And before she knew it, the other was approaching, looking over her as if she was on display in a toy shop. Her body seemed to shrink in on itself, trying to move away from the scrutinizing gaze. Then she was offering her to follow. Nisha blinked and looked down at her outfit, never really understanding the idea of fashion. What was wrong with what she was wearing? Another look around assured her that they were alone. She had two choices to make now, one to follow one to continue on her way. 'Why would I want to change?' She asked quietly taking a step towards the graceful being. Curious to know the answer, 'And why should I trust you?' No since in beating around the bush.

~~~~~~

Kagome let out a small gasp as Tobias crumpled over, her view of him having been from the front rather then his backside. Her heart pounded loudly as the maiden passed by, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Cautiously she took a step back, her hand rising to place a hand over her chest as though the action would keep her heart from jumping right out of her chest. That priestess had been something of a most powerful sort, for at her mere touch, Tobias had already been rendered unconscious.

Franticly Kagome's eyes circled around the area, trying to spot something so that she might be a bit more useful...an herb with a strong smell to wake him from his daze perhaps...or maybe a shovel...then again Blaze could always perform her sit command.

Panic suddenly surged through Kagome, her head turning in the direction Blaze, Doushikou and Aoshi had headed off in, her hand moving to her mouth as she spoke. "Ummm..." Her eyes traveled up to the giant Daaku, an uneasy expression crossing her face...she had never really addressed him directly. "Just a thought, but if Tobias isn't ok...shouldn't we find blaze and make sure she's alright too....?" Her question squeeked out from her mouth before she sighed and turned around, pressing both pointer fingers together nervously...both from having talked to him and at the thought of something else going wrong. "I knew i should've stayed in bed today..."

Sweat dripped down Aoshi's face, his breathing ragged and shallow while his brows furrowed from time to time in some sort of thought. There would be no waking him....nor tobias for that matter, as he lay in quite the same state as Aoshi...unresponsive.

~~~

Daaku quieted down enough from his rage to turn and quietly gaze over at the speaker. He wasn't used to her voice, certainly not addressing him, since she hadn't really ever spoken directly to him but once or twice. His nostrils widened as he took in a deep breath and let it out in a snort while he looked at Isis.

"Keep watch over Tobias." Daaku moved quickly on all fours toward Kagome, so as not to give the girl any time to protest. His shoulders lifted and large claws scooped her up, swiftly but carefully as not to injure her. He walked on his hind legs with his upper body leaning forward while his tail took up the imbalance in his stance so he wouldn't fall over. If either Aoshi or Blaze were hurt or in the same condition as Tobias, Kagome would be an asset. Daaku figured Tobias would be better off than the others, since he had demon in his blood...

Daaku slowed his pace after a short while and, with surprising gentleness placed Kagome upright on the ground next to Aoshi and a somewhat surprised BlazingTear.

~~~

A small cry of protest and surpise escaped Kagome's mouth, her eyes widening as her hands moved instantly to try and stop her skirt from flying up on her. Slightly frazzled from being

~~~~


Sockets shifted suddenly, and although one might not have been
able to physically see his gaze, they sure as hell could feel it.
Piercing and horrible, a coldness would seize the body and nothing
but the worst possible feelings and memories would be sure to
surface. As if all hope was sucked away the very moment Ghost set
his sights on you...as though he had already stolen your soul.

Pale flesh seemed to dance as the fiery reds and oranges burst
forth and threatened to set him ablaze, the flare casting an odd
array of shadows when mixed with the unearthly glow of Hageshii
Shizukesa. Rather than stepping aside, the humanoid figure
welcomed it with open arms, clawed fingers stretching with
anticipation as the ball of fire blasted directly through him...and
continued to move well past him. It met it's resting place in a patch
of tall grasses, sparking them into a passionate blaze. Wistfully
Ghost turned his head to watch...as though disappointed it hadn't
struck him. However his lust for pain was remedied as a talon
carved it's way into his flesh, his head thrust back as he relished
the pain of his own doing. Deeply his nail cut up along the side of
his forearm, the skin making a sickening squelching noise as it split
open and his blood spurted forth. Shivering with delight, he
withdrew the nail, lifting it to his face, his tongue eager to greet it.
Fleshy and moist it curled about his finger and lapped at the crimson
liquid that dripped freely. It was enough to make any normal person
sick.

"Would you like to try again?" His words were mocking and very
much amused as his figure slipped forward, bare feet making no
indent on the grassy floor as he silently and without hesitation
passed directly through Arzai, his head tilting slightly in Tari's
direction. In her fear, it had seemed that she had slipped into a
vegetative state, her body and functions working as well as they
should...yet her mind seemed to have slipped elsewhere. Lightly he
reached out a hand as though to touch her face, a twisted smirk
curling the edges of his lips. "Oh the things i would do to such a
pretty face...." He whispered, yet the manner in which he spoke
suggested foul play and provoked rather disturbing images.

Finally he acknowledged the presence of another, his cranium at
last settling toward the African wolf dog, blades of his hair lifting as
though the wind wished to taunt the poor creature more by
granting him the pleasure of laying eyes on the disturbing red
oculars of Ghost. Dark red encircled the entirety of the iris, veining
out toward the pupil in jagged lines...bloodshot in a way and
overlapping a lighter crimson. Perhaps it was not exactly how his
eyes looked in appearance, but rather the message he sent out
with them. Those eyes had seen horrible things, darker and more
disgusting than any creature should ever have the opportunity to
envision...and perhaps even more disturbing was the mind behind
the eyes, for each horrible act, each unthinkable way he tortured
and slew thousands of beings, his mind had wanted, no, had
-relished- it to the last drop.

"Define your definition of touch." sneering he began a slow circle
about the gathering, most of his attention drawn to Helix's
body...there was something to this wolf that apparently sparked
Ghost's interest, for it was rare that his attention was held by one
thing for lengths at a time...at least in a situation where he could
control it. In regards to his comment however, one look at Tari was
enough of an explanation....for he had yet to physically touch her in
their current meeting, and here she was lost to the lot of them,
hidden within the depths of her own mind.

~~~~~

The warrior's heart went out to the vegitated female demon. Her eyes were blank and deep, dank and nasty, like something had washed away the life behind those strange oculis. It near made him shudder, keeping his cool was beginning to become somewhat of a chore. What kind of being was this? Of course his name was aptly, Ghost....Where had that come from? Viento shook his head side to side momentarily in confusion. This Ghost fellow was in his head, sifting and seeking. The sickening feeling of being so violated had started the very moment those ghastly orbs had come to rest on him. He did not like this, did not want to fathom what the being saw in his hidden memories. Could this phantom being see the five seperate entities that lurked inside an insanely cramped skull.

Viento blinked, his connection with the four other personalities in his head fading to nothingness. He closed his silverine eyes, scrunched his face in pain as a massive migraine thunderbolted through his skull. It was as though there were an invisible string stretched between his two temples and it was slowly pulling together at the center. Viento stumbled backwards, lightning crackling about his neck and shoulders simply out of instinct. The licks of electricity were caught in a rogue wind and buzzed maliciously about the whole area, climbing hungrily upon everything it touched.

Silver eyes, streaked with gold snapped open and Viento snarled. He had lost complete connection with the personalities in his head. Now remained only a blank buzzing phoneline between them, no more then a hazy silence that seemed to engulph him entirely. The African Wild Dog's eyes narrowed to slits, every muscle bunching alongside the other, grating them together almost painfully. The warrior's blood was up and hot. There was no encouragement or chiding going on. No complaints. Viento was alone, and he would have preferred it no other way. Now it was just him, Ghost, and the star-struck demoness staring off blankly into the oblivion of an empty head. The Wild Dog's jaws opened in a breif snarl, and he calmed the storm building heavily about him.

"You are evil. But you are dead...Why do you insist on coming back and tormenting those who were rid of your maggot-ridden carcass? You are Ghost arent you? I have heard the stories, heard how you were destroyed. You are a beast of malevolence, and you do not belong here!"
In his talking, Viento had moved himself a little closer to Tari, hoping to maybe wake her of her fearful reverie, blankeyed stare of the [grrr]ing damned. Oh this wasnt helping. And the voices in his head were silent. Okay, maybe some kind of encouragments would help out a bit.....Gahhhh!

[Aveilthé]

Wooow o.o Cooool. I'm so glad you found these.

Nobody read my posts, they're crap. ><