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All characters involved in this fanfic with spoilers are the property of Watase Yuu sensei. Please give Virgo-chan comments on how you feel about it and tell her. For any prove read error, tell me.
Part 6a: Attack and Conquest 1
by Virgo-chan
"WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!!!"
The cry woke everyone from their blissful sleep. The six charged outside, ready for a fight. A stampede of frightened people from the back of the village shoved against them. From the very back, they could hear someone cry out 'monster!' and then the sound of a body falling.
In desperation to protect the people once more, Tasuki and Kouji bodily shoved forward, trying to guide the group out of danger. When they got there, all the group could do were to stand there and gawk.
The body laid on the dirt road. Floating four feet above him was Taiitsu-kun with her trusty mallet. "Anyone else wants to call me that?" She yelled to the retreating backs of villagers.
The non-Seishis took a shaky step back, working their jaw as they dumbly pointed at the leathery, wrinkled midget. Chichiri sweatdropped while Tasuki took in the scene with a monotonous expression.
The monk hesitantly stepped forward, but remained silent as he waited patiently for the red to fade from Taiitsu-kun's face.
"Ano... Taiitsu-kun, what are you doing here, no da?"
Rgaining her composure, the ancient woman turned to her pupil. "I, Chichiri, am here to warn you about an upcoming danger."
Tasuki groaned. "Another one? I thought we were going to stop with all these huge dangers until we get to Miaka's world! Dammit! Thanks a lot for ruining our vacation, ya hag!"
POOM!
"You better have a little more respect if you even want to live to see the creatures." She warned to the twitching mass at her feet. She looked up at the others, gravely taking each face in, her beady eyes betraying nothing. "Chichiri."
"Hai, Taiitsu-kun, no da?"
"How strong do you think your friends are?"
"Ano..."
"Why do we need their help when we have you?" Tasuki asked as he sat up. "After all, your ugly ass face would scare anything away."
POOM!
"You don't know when to shut up, ne, Genru no baka?" His older sister asked. She walked up to Taiitsu-kun, bowing low to her. "I'm Genru's onee-chan, Hanako. I can fight better than any man and I have people to back me up on that claim, as well. That's Kouji, he's pretty handy with a sword. Then there's Ryo, the guys told me he was the emperor's best pupil with the sword."
Taiitsu-kun nodded in satisfaction. "Well, it's not the best, but it'll have to do." She then opened her eyes and starred at Kaiku. "You, however, are a problem."
He blinked. "Me? How so?"
She floated over to him, looking him up and down, then from the back and above. She nodded to herself, seemingly coming to a decision. Closing her eyes again, the wizened mage weaved her hands and...
POOM!
"Ittai!" Kaiku held his head in his hands, careful not to touch the bump forming there. "What was that for?"
"Tell me, boy, what is your name?"
"Eh?"
"NAMEA WA!" She screeched.
"Ko-Kotoku desu!" He said, snapping his body ramrod straight.
She nodded again. "Good. Now, are you one of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi?"
"Nani?"
POOM!
"Ittai!"
"I ask you again. Are you with the Seiryuu Seishi?"
"Hai, I'm one of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi. Ore wa Amiboshi."
"Do you have your flute with you?"
"..."
Taiitsu-kun raised her mallet menacingly at the blonde in front of her. "Well?"
"Iie!" Immediately Amiboshi raised his arms over his head, trying to block the on coming attack.
"I'm not going to hit you, bakamono." Her old voice said. When he lowered his hands, she lowered the hammer-er, mallet.
"Itte! I thought you said you wouldn't hit me!"
"That's for not trusting me." POOM! "And that's contradicting me."
"Ano, Taiitsu-kun, no da. I think you should stop before you give him brain damage, no da."
She turned away from the Seiryuu Seishi. "I came here to give you all a little help. By the laws governing the universe, I can't directly help you with your tasks. As I have done before, I will give you all gifts to further enhance your greatest skills and powers."
"Hold on, old hag, I thought you could only do that for Seishi?"
Taiitsu-kun looked at Tasuki, debating whether to smash him or not. She decided on the latter because popping him one would give them even less time to prepare. "I lied." She said simply. In front of each person, a brilliant light formed the shape of an object. With a great flash, the light collapsed in on itself, fading into magnificently made weapons or accessories.
Amiboshi looked at the object that floated in his waiting hands. A flute, much like his own, but was a deep, indigo color with beads, teeth and claws adorning it, hanging from the bottom. Gingerly, the Seiryuu Seishi licked his lips before placing them over the opening on the top. He played a short, harmless melody; the notes running through his body like water over rocks, the power emanating from instrument's music overwhelmed them all.
A quiver filled with arrows rested lightly in Hanako's hands, a long, intricately carved bow appeared at her side as well. The arrows were long, wood thick, strong and light weight, each sharp point shone like the sun. The drawstring was tight and gleamed silver, when plucked, it gave off a melodious tone. Automatically, she could tell the bow had enough power to send an arrow at least fifty feet and through solid steel.
For Ryo, the light reviled a long sword, gracefully curving. The tip was brought to a sharp point; the outer side of the blade had several jagged edges, made to do maximum damage with one stroke. The sky silver blade met the hilt with a crimson jewel and a character engraved to represent Konan-koku. The hilt itself was simple, long and curved, taunt ribbons crisscrossing the leathered handle and a hand guard made of several curving prongs, circling around the bottom of the blade.
Taiitsu-kun's pupil received a ring, very simply made, but the jewel imbedded there illuminated with its hidden powers. A jewel of liquid scarlet set into flaming gold, the ring fit perfectly on his left, middle finger. Once he put the jewelry on, a rush of magical power flowed through his body.
Much to the surprise of the others, Kouji's gift was a twin set of knives. Though he was a natural with a sword, he would rather use knives and daggers. For either throwing or close-quarters fighting, Kouji was the best at both. The blades were double edged, the tips ended very finely for the use of precision work. The hilt beneath his strong hands were steel wrapped in leather for a sure grip, but thin enough so the material wouldn't soften a pummel blow too much. The hand guards used sloped downwards, ending in points half way to his wrists.
Tasuki grinned broadly, his hands eagerly grasping the hilt of his improved tessen. The folds flashed crimson when the moonlight hit it right; the edges came together as razor sharpened edges. With a few swift practice swings, small trails of fire danced along the space where the tessen had once occupied.
His amber eyes widened even more. "Wicked!" He raised the metal fan high, the tip of his tongue poked from between his lips in a greedy smile. "Hey, what's this?" Everyone gathered around him as he brought the tessen back down. "There's something written on this side. I can't read this; I think its some ancient writing. Can you read it, Chichiri?" The monk scrunched his face in concentration and shook his head.
The old woman cackled. "Of course none of you can read it. It is in the language of the gods, only they can read it, and only those they deem worthy can release its powers. Surprisingly, Suzaku must think your will is strong enough to unleash it."
That only got him even more confused. "But then, wouldn't I be able to read it?"
POOM!
"Didn't I just say only the four gods could read it? Listen up boy, and try to keep the beans out of your ears. Now, the only way you can use that power is when you absolutely need to. And if you're able to survive using that power, you might as well be a god. After all, how many people do you know can make Tamahome beg for mercy?"
"NE?" Chichiri and Tasuki asked.
"Obake-chan has something like this?"
"Demo... Didn't Nakago almost kill him no da?"
Taiitsu-kun gazed at them flatly. "Che, that was because Yui sealed Suzaku's powers. That 'oni' symbol that appears on his forehead is part of it. It gives him more power, yes, but he defeated Nakago by fully unleashing its power. Didn't you see how weary he was after that fight?" The two Seishi mulled that over. "Granted, though, he did die, and with Suzaku's powers sealed, the 'oni' symbol wouldn't work. But since Suzaku blessed him with an ultimate power, they were embedded into his brain. His will wanted to keep fighting Nakago, but his body was too weak. He then unleashed the hidden power, allowing his fighting spirit to manifest itself in to a physical presence."
"So you're saying... that I don't need to have my tessen to release the power? Just something really big to use it on?"
"Yes. That and something to conduct it. Your focus is too flighty; you don't know how to control your aim. That's why you depend so heavily on your tessen. If your focus and will are integrated, then you wouldn't need that tessen to direct your powers."
Blink, blink. "You mean I don't really need my tessen at all?"
"Bakamono ja! Didn't I just tell you that?" She then lowered her voice to a near inaudible growl. "Tell me, how much cotton do you stuff in the ears of yours, boy?
"As for the rest of you, I take it that you would like to know what your new found weapons can do." They all nodded in response. "Well, Amiboshi already knows what his can do. It's a more improved one though; it fills people with more strength and also allows you a slight manipulation, as well. There are some other hidden properties of your new flute, you'll figure it out all in due time, though.
"Hanako, you can already tell how much power that bow has, but your arrows are an even greater asset. The tips have been sharpened and will never dull, nor the shafts break. These arrows will only respond to your will and will always hit their mark. But don't think you can hit something that's behind you, you have to visually see the target before you let the arrow loose, that way you can guide it.
"That sword, Ryo, was much like the one I gave to your teacher, Hotohori. It has an inner strength and will protect you to the point that it will seem to work on its own. But don't get cocky with it. The only way it can protect you is if you fight with it. Remember what you were taught and focus your entire chi through it, you'll be a near-unbeatable opponent.
"Young Kouji, though your trade mark is with a sword, your heart told me you'd rather use knives. These are also taught to have a mind of their own. The weaker you get, the more they will fight for you, however, the stronger and more determined you are, the more damage they will do. They will also enhance your already superior speed and agility.
"And to my pupil, Chichiri. That ring you wear is a very powerful conductor. It can hold a great amount of chi or magic, but you must fire it somewhere. If held too long, the captive energy can do irreparable damage to you body and mind. And, as always, it will make your magic more powerful."
She gazed around at the group. "All right, peoples, get ready to get rocked because here comes the four guardians."
Before anyone could open their mouths, a deafening roar erupted from behind.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hongo Yui, a girl of few words, a nasty temper and a tale that would probably land her in the local funny farm or maybe even become a best best selling novel. Well, if someone else hadn't already wrote something similar to it. She blinked and stopped her reading, starring up at the television screen. Had she just heard right? Did someone actually make a book out of the book? I mean, a novel about someone's adventure in the Shijin Ten Cho Shi? Ignoring her homework for the time being she reached for the remote control and turned up the volume. On it was an international entertainment show, talking about movies and books from around the globe.
"Japan's number one novelist, Kyoretsu Chikara, has once again reached to top of the international book list. This time with her newest hit, Shichi Hogosha no Noryoku , or Power of the Seven Warriors. She told reporters, quotee 'I am not sure how exactly this idea came to me. It sort of came in pieces in my dreams and I had an overwhelming urge to write it. And, well, here it is, at that top.'
"Unlike her other fictional writings, this takes on a more fantasy tone. The story about how a young girl from another dimension was brought to a world to call upon one of the gods and save a kingdom. Along the way, she finds seven protectors to guard and guide her along her perilous journey. This beloved writer has now decided to start with her first ever book tour, starting with the nation's capitol, Tokyo."
But she wasn't paying attention to that. Yui was, instead, looking at the cover of the book the lady was holding. It was black, eight silhouettes and the words etched lightly into it with a pale green. But what bore into her mind the most was resting in the middle of the covering. Pair of eyes, narrow, slanted and colored like a frosted emerald; above them was a strange symbol that glowed like a beacon in the thickest of nights. The sign of Genbuseikun.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Reoccurring dreams are never very pleasant. Well, I guess it would depend on what type of dream they happen to be. However, if it involves a part of your very existence being ripped from your very soul, heart shattered, torn and bloodied - more than once - and the scene of you covered crimson with the blood of young children as you mercilessly killed them just to hear their screams of agony... It's a living hell. Well, if you've never experienced it, Shinji could tell you aaaaaaaalll about it.
He was never a firm believer that dreams unlocked the inner sanctions of the unconscious mind, or it held the key to the unknowable future, or even relived some moments of one's past life. Mainly because he didn't believe that he would ever want to kill someone, he wasn't a damned fatalist, nor did he think reincarnation was real (okay, a little dramatic irony here).
So what was all this about? Why did he keep seeing himself disappear into a raging river? Why does he dream of himself, wild and disheveled, destroying to lives of an innocent family? Or why he sees himself, face broken and streaked with blood, laying in the middle of a small village, his own voice hanging in the air with a final 'Sayonara, Aniki'? And Yui-sama... why, in all his dreams, does he envision the ivory skinned blonde, whose haunted eyes had captured his heart and his soul?
And now... well now he couldn't sleep. All his nights were filled with visions of terror that refused to ebb into the dark sea of the unknown after he would awaken. Shinji clenched his fist tightly, trying to fight back at the frustration. How many nights has he spent walking around, trying to figure out some way to beat this thing? Hell, the only times even got a peaceful hour or so of rest was in school, can't say the teachers were very happy with him, either.
He turned the corner when something caught his eye. He stood in shock for a moment, then ran forward in a dead sprint, fists flying at his side. "YUI-SAMA!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After watching that show on the book, Shichi Hogosha no Noryoku, Yui immediately called Miaka, hoping the brunette was still keeping a close watch on Umiiro. She was eating dinner... well that answers that. She tried calling the soft-spoken girl, but her phone line was dead. That left Yui cold. Who knows what could have happened? Genbu could have gotten her already, brought her back through the book, and Lord knows what else. So she grabbed her jacket and bolted for Umiiro's apartment.
Before she got there, she was jumped by a pair of thugs. No, no raping this time, just someone getting mugged. She was knocked out and dragged into an alley where she was searched for money, jewelry, or a Kashmir sweater, anything that looked as if it was of any yen value. She awoke to the sound of someone calling her name.
Groggily she propped herself on her elbows, looking over her shoulder to see Shinji running towards her. She was about to yell for him to stop but her throat was too dry and her voice came raspy. He threw himself at her muggers, connecting a right fist to one of their jaws. The second one backed away, flipping open a stiletto before charging at the young man. The other rubbed his jaw and fumbled with his pocket knife while waiting for an opening.
Yui didn't know what to do. She wasn't much of a fighter, nor did she really want to get in the way of those really pointy blades. But she couldn't just sit back and let those men slash him to death, either.
She brought her hands together, legs tucked under her body and head bent backward, facing the blank night sky. < Not when he came back... Not when I finally have my friend back... Onegai, Seiryuuseikun... Tasukete...> She prayed, almost able to feel the energy flowing through her body and the blue light shooting from her brow, almost able to see the light filling the small alley and feel a cool wind billowing around her.
A transformation took place inside of Shinji. The stiletto-armed thug rammed his fist into the youth's cheek, snapping his head back. When it rolled back, he was no longer Shinji, but Suboshi, eyes filled with the hate, violence and vengeance the Seishi knew, the aggression that was failed to be reborn in the boy.
He looked at the mugger, a wide, toothy grin on his face, eyes dilated, glowing a glacier blue. "Nan da? That's the best you can do?" The man backed away frightened by the pale blue glow and the strange symbol that flashed on the boy's shoulder. Over the torn clothes of Shinji, Suboshi's armored uniform solidified. His grin grew even wider at the obvious fear emanating from the man. He drew a hand back and, quicker than the eye could follow, drove his fist into the man's Adam's apple, causing him to double over in pain. Suboshi then followed with connecting the heel of his palm into the thug's chin; blood spurted from his broken nose. He then turned to the second man, eyes wide with sadistic humor.
The last mugger grabbed Yui by the shoulders, pressing the pocket knife against her throat. "S-stay back! I'm warning you!"
Suboshi narrowed his eyes, the grin slowly fading into a scowl. "Are you threatening Yui-sama? If you know what's good for you, than you'll give back everything you stole from her and leave." The man stood in place, thinking that he could get away holding the girl hostage. "I'm giving you five seconds." He counted slowly, the light from his Seishi symbol intensified, illuminating the entire alley as the cold wind howled through the narrow passage like a tornado. The man was petrified, frozen in place by fear.
He snarled, stretching out a hand to the mugger. The guy was startled back into animation when he felt the knife in his hand move. With a cry he let it go, but before it hit the ground, it soared into Suboshi's hand. The telekinetic Seishi dropped the small blade in disgust, the knife slowly bending and mangling itself at his feet. He crossed his arms over his chest, hands clenched in to tight fists. The rocks and bottles and garbage on the ground rattled slightly. As he flung his limbs out, the objects flew forward as well, smashing against the mugger repeatedly until he slumped against the ground, fainted from the pain of the cuts that formed over his body.
The blue light faded and the wind slowly died. The Seishi symbol disappeared, as did Suboshi, leaving a torn and tattered Shinji in his place once more. He collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the fight and mental fatigued from Suboshi's attack. Yui slowly crawled forward, shaking Shinji gently by the shoulders.
"Shinji-kun... Shinji-kun! Get up... Please get up! I don't want you to die! Shinji-kun!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Seiryuu...!' Byakko cried. 'What have you done?'
The great dragon turned his long and graceful neck to the white tiger. 'What do you mean?'
'Why have you unleashed your Seishi's power?'
'My Miko asked for help. She was being attacked and my Seishi was to only one there to help her. If she were to get hurt, physically, emotionally or mentally, all our millennia of planning would have been for not.'
Suzaku's wings sounded in the vast space. 'You allowed him to gain more knowledge of his powers. You know that Shichi seishi Suboshi is one of your most powerful Seishi. If he is able to use his talents to their full extent, he could be a very annoying pest for our mission.'
Golden eyes narrowed, flaring briefly. 'I know my Seishi, Suzaku, I don't need you telling me about my own people. I did not give him complete mastery over any part of his powers; I just allowed a more advanced spirit of himself to temporarily inhabit his body. He still knows nothing of his abilities. And it will stay that as long as the other Seishi do not come into this world.'
In the silence that was Genbu, his watchers, the double-headed snake, hissed to life, relaying the message sent across immeasurable distances. 'Then we shall have to make sure that at least one of them does not.'
The others watched the snakes silently. Then at length asked, 'And how are we going to do that?'
'We will steal the one of the three essences. In that way, they shall never be reborn.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Now, six against four are usually considered very good odds. However, these were four very large and very powerful opponents.
The first, obviously Suzaku's guardian, was well over six feet in length; its wingspan was even longer. He (well, it had a loincloth, c'mon) had the head of a pterodactyl; long jaws lined with tiny, triangular teeth. His arms and legs were lanky and ended with sharp talons. The crimson wings and tail beat down hot, scorching air as flames flickered from within his throat.
The second came in on a geyser that erupted from the town's river. Reptilian head with row upon row of sharp teeth, glowing yellow eyes deeply set into a sapphire-scaled head. Leathery wings mounted his back and a long, powerful tail trailed behind, sending powerful waves crashing onto the riverbank. He pulled himself ashore with webbed, clawed hands and stood on two muscularly scaled legs.
He let out a mighty roar that was echoed by another creature. This one coming from the nearby forest. A giant white and black furred beast with hands that ended in knives. Its bulky body was knotted with muscles, even the thick neck that swung the mighty head about. He was hunched over, tree trunk arms nearly brushing the ground and black lips pulled back to reveal ivory teeth and fangs like sabers.
And then the last stooped over with a large, bony humped back. He was large, with crushing jaws of bone and fists clenched like iron. He shuffled his thick, stumped feet as he slowly plodded forward. He leaned back, sucking in a huge breath, then blasted hot, stinking air at the town. Trees and houses fell to the ground and nearly blowing the heroes away.
The six scrambled away from the quartet, desperate to get away from the monsters. Suddenly Tasuki stopped.
"What the hell are we doing?!" He shouted at no one in particular. He pulled back his upper lip and whistled shrilly between his fangs. "Oi! Get back here!" The others stopped and turned to look at the pyro. "Where the fuck y'all going?! They're over that way!" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. He then turned back to the war zone and sprinted into the carnage.
The others looked at him, both with amazement and awe on their faces, or they were thinking he was incredibly stupid and looking for a death wish. Then Kouji pumped a fist into the air. "He's right! We've worked hard to rebuild this town. Are we gonna let some over-grown barnyard animals tear it down again?!"
The others started feeding off the bandits' enthusiasm. "Dame!"
"Let's go!" He shouted, the others taking up the battle cry as they jumped into the fray.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui struggled under Shinji's weight. She dragged him into the hospital lobby, calling the night clerk for assistance. He and two nurse aids took the unconscious boy into an examination room while another aid checked the blonde girl for any injuries. She suddenly began feeling a little light head, and the world swam in her view.
"Miss? Miss, are you okay?" The aid asked.
"Watashi... Watashi..." Her mouth moved to form more words, but the room already faded into black.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chichiri cursed mentally. This fight wasn't going so hot. Actually, it was going too hot. Suzaku's guardian would spread fires through out the village and the forest, and Genbu's guardian would bring in a strong breeze to make them spread faster. But the main problem was Seiryuu's guardian.
Because the dragon god is the patron of the mind, and because Amiboshi is his Seishi, it made the flutist more susceptible to mind control than the others. Every time they would try to the guardian, Amiboshi would strike a sour note on his flute, causing the others to real back in pain. And whenever one of the guardians was hurt, he would play an up-tempo piece to bring the adrenaline back into them. Right now, their main concern was to get Amiboshi to stop and to get rid of that damned guardian.
Then an idea popped into his head. The monk took off his kasa and began searching in it and found the object that eluded him: A pair of earmuffs. He then vanished inside his kasa and reappeared by Kouji's side.
"Kouji-kun no da!" He yelled above the din. "I have an idea to stop Amiboshi-kun, no da!"
"Yeah?" He grunted, trying to block Byakko's guardian from smashing a rock hard fist in to his face. "Can't wait to hear it!"
"I'm going to teleport us behind Amiboshi-kun, you grab him and make sure he can't play his flute, no da!"
"And what happens if he sees us first?" His answer was a thick pair of pink, fuzzy 'Hello Kitty' earmuffs placed on his head. "Oh."
Chichiri lifted one side of it away from Kouji's head. "We'll start soon, I just need to get a few more things covered!" The dark skinned bandit merely nodded, wishing the monk would either leave or help him fight off the hulking lummox in front of them.