by Max Jager
Going through all the different things she has learned since she started training, Imae knew there was something that she could do that could trip him up and she could land a hard blow on him. There had to be. Then she gasped as she smiled. She knew the perfect thing to do. It wouldn't kill him, but she would hurt him.
She remembered that last year, during a training session with another member of the army that Umarus brought, she trained with a fox demon that had mastered trickery to help win battles. There was one move that he showed her, that while he needed to connect, with her purification she wouldn't have too and could elongate her blade. She would use that on him, and it would be something that for sure he wouldn't expect.
X
Coming to a stop next to Kiyoshi, Umarus glanced back at Yokiyo and the pups as he crossed his arms and then turned back to watch Imae fight. She was his best student as she hung on every word he said, and the word of everyone he brought in to train with her. "She will do good My Lord. I doubt that she can actually kill him though. He has farm more experience in battle over her. But she will for sure show him just how strong she really is.
"Hm."
After next to forcing her son into Sorae's arms, Yokiyo stormed out of the circle and around to stand in front of both Kiyoshi and Umarus. And she was absolutely livid right now. "What the hell? You both know that while she is strong she can't win this fight shy why are you letting her?"
His face in a glare, Kiyoshi looked down at Yokiyo as he sighed. "We started training her at five years old for just this reason Yokiyo. What was the point in training her so she could take on anyone, if she never gets to use it and show us how she has grown?"
With a sigh, Yokiyo turned to look back at her daughter. "I know that. It is just that she is my little girl. No matter how big she gets she will always be my little girl."
Looking back and not seeing the rest, and the scent of his other two pups fading, Kiyoshi then looked down at Yokiyo. "Where are the other two?"
Her eyes glued to her daughter Yokiyo wasn't going to move. "Your mother and Yoite lead everyone to the barn. And I already dealt with Shoji."
Both blinking as they looked at her in utter shock, Kiyoshi and Umarus spoke at the same exact time. "You did?"
Nodding as she glared up at her mate now, Yokiyo crossed her arms. "I did. Just like what Imae is doing with him right now. It is time that everyone who would think about starting trouble in the lands know who I am and what I am capable of doing, and what my kids can do."
"Good point miko."
"Can it Umarus."
Turning from the two as his father came up to stand on the other side next to him, Kiyoshi kept his eyes focused on the fight. He knew she could do it. But was poised and ready to leap into action when it came time.
X
Going over in her mind all that she knew about leopards in general, and what the fox taught her, Imae finally let her eyes settle on his eyes. All demons had better senses than a human did, but a leopard was alike a falcon. They prized their eyesight more than anything. She would blind him.
Sheathing one of her katanas, Imae reached down and pulled a dagger from her boot, then without warning charged him with a swing from her single katana. When he blocked it, she swung out sweeping with the dagger, and just a fine amount of purification to elongate her blade to hit his eyes. The blade missed by a few inches, but she could feel the pulse through her dagger as she stopped and was still with a smile for him. Her purification hit its mark.
With a laugh as he looked down into her smiling face, Reijiro couldn't help but be more and more amused with the girl before him. She tried so hard and all of it was in vain. "For a miko you have really bad….." But then he gasped as his eyes went wide. His eyes started to throb with a searing pain that felt like a wave of fire cascading from them! Flinching as he looked down at her, he snarled as he bore fang, watching as her smile and everything else around him faded slowly to black. She blinded him! She took his eyes!
Sucking in a breath, Reijiro let out a scream of pain and rage as he gave a hard shove with everything he had, sending her flying. He couldn't believe that a human took his eyes away from him!"
Flying through the air, Imae gasped then tensed as she covered herself with a thin barrier of purification. She knew whatever it was that she was about to hit was going to hurt. When she hit it, she groaned as she felt her body being pierced. She looked down with pain filled eyes to see that she hit the dead tree that she had trimmed back just a few days before her brother was born. "Great Imae. Give him something to hurt you with. Good job."
Snarling the second her blood hit his nose, Reijiro dropped his own sword and charged her, transforming as he did. Though just before he could reach her he was slammed into, knocking him off course as he hit the wall and put a whole in it. Knowing it had to be Kiyoshi, Reijiro turned and bolted away from the palace. Right now he was only focused on getting home to see if there was anything that they could do about his eyes!
With a snarl as he raced after him, Kiyoshi was showing all his teeth. His daughter blinded him, and was going to kill him. There was no way, no matter what that this leopard was going to get away from him. None.
Looking up, Imae watched as Reijiro took off as a leopard, and her father in dog form chased after him. She did what she planned to do, she blinded him. But she did not count on the rage that would follow when she did. And being impaled once again brought her down to the fact she really is only a human, not a demon."
"Imae!"
Looking up to see her mother, grandfather, Umarus and Sanzo racing toward her, with Takahashi not far behind she laughed. As they reached her, Imae winked at her mother. "I know Mama, I know. Get out of the tree before I get hurt."
With a smile as Sanzo helped him, Kurosai broke off the branches near her body and they helped her off and laid her on the ground. She lost a lot of blood, but her wounds were not fatal and that was the main thing. "Everything will be fine Imae. You did good."
Laughing as she winced when they put pressure on her wounds, Imae looked up at him through one eye. "I am sorry Grandfather."
Giving her an odd look, Kurosai knew that everyone there save Takahashi was took back by that too. "Sorry? What in the hell do you got to be sorry for Imae?"
With a sigh as she kept her one eye open and in his, she took a deep breath. "Because I lost."
Growling, Umarus used one hand to keep the pressure on her arm, and another to reach out and grab her by her chin pulling her eyes to his as they both opened. "Don't you dare do this Imae. This was your first battle with a demon lord and you did something that most would have trouble doing. You blinded him. You did your best, did something like that, catching him off guard. Don't you ever say you are sorry for that. You did what you were taught and everyone who saw that fight is proud of you. Do you hear me young lady?"
A glance up at Sanzo who smiled and nodded, then her grandfather who was smiling again, Imae landed on Umarus and smiled as her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you Master Umarus."
Pushing Umarus to the side some, Takahashi helped Imae lifted her head as he held the cup for her. "Drink this My Lady. And don't throw it up either, it will make your blood clot faster so you don't lose anymore blood while I dress your wounds."
Nodding as she drank it, Imae wanted to retch. Once she was done she let her head fall back as she shook it. "That is nasty."
Looking at her arm, then her side, Takahashi shook his head. "The way you would hurt yourself My Lady as a little girl when training, I knew that the day would come that I would need to have something to make a human's blood clot fast." He quickly wrapped her arm and her side, then moved to her leg. "This is worse than the others. I am going to need to stitch both sides. Move her to the bar with everyone else so I can finish her leg there."
With a nod as he kept the pressure on her leg, Sanzo lifted Imae in his arms as they all raced for the barn. She was proving that she was more and more perfect each day. And he could finally sta
rt to feel some sort of a pull toward her.
Unlike herself, Yokiyo was quiet as she raced along next to everyone else taking her Imae toward the barn. She just wanted to make sure that Imae was going to be alright. Just as they rounded a corner to see the barn she dead stopped as she gasped. A hand going over her heart, the searing pain that shot through her body as she fell backwards in a mess of sobs to be caught by Kurosai. 'Damnit!'
Lifting her as everyone stopped, Kurosai moved with them on to the barn. As Takahashi went right to work stitching Imae's leg, he took Yokiyo and lay her between Sorae and Yukani as he sighed. "Well this could be a blessing. The way Reijiro was reacting to Imae blinding him. This might be what Kiyoshi needs to get it done faster."
Her eyes wide as she raced through everyone, Kiara landed right next to her mother as she sobbed into Yukani's waist. "Mama!" When she didn't even look up, she half closed her eyes Kiara looked down at her lap. "Father went too far."
Looking from Kiara up to Kurosai, Sanzo blinked as he felt Imae grab onto his hand. "Too…..ouch. Too far?"
Starting to feel the full force of the pain now, Imae used Sanzo hand as a tool to distract it, digging her nails in each time she felt the pain of a stitch. "Mama has done this since she and Father first mated. If they are too far apart this happens. Chasing after Reijiro, he crossed the limit. He is a wild, savage beast right now and Mama will be like this until he comes home."
Looking down at her, Soichiro was at first side tracked as he laughed at the painful face of Sanzo as she squeezed his hand. Then looking into her chocolate eyes he blinked. "But I have a question. If he is that savage right now, will he even be in the right state of mind to come back to her?"
Running her fingers through Yokiyo's hair to try and help sooth her, Sorae sighed as she looked at her. "He will. Right after they first mated, before we even met her she was already pregnant. After her presentation, with no thought that it would be the way it was, Kiyoshi left to do his rounds. The same thing happened, but by the time that he got back though she lost that one. Before they started to try and get pregnant with Kiara, we tested it to see if it would happen again. Kiyoshi described it as a pull. Like his inner demon is coming out and the only thing he wants to do is to come back to her side. Forcing himself past that point after Reijiro will give him that extra edge to end it faster than normal. Then he will race back here just as fast to her side."
X
Growling as their paws sounded like thunder echoing across the land, Kiyoshi kept a pace with Reijiro. Though he was just far enough behind him, that he couldn't quite reach his tail to stop him. He knew he was going to have to pounce on him mid run and hope he made it. The rage and adrenaline that was soaring through him was giving him that edge right now.
Just as he was starting to get ready to pounce though, he felt that lightning bolt down his spine. Before he would give into the raging beast and race back to his mate. This time though he would fight it. It would give him just the edge that he needed to overtake the leopard and kill him quickly.
With that extra boost of speed, he was able to grab the end of Reijiro's tail, pouncing up on him as he turned to swat him off and crushed him to the ground, rolling sideways. Claws were being raked down the other's sides and bellies. Each set of jaws snapping at the other looking for that kill bite. Kiyoshi was going for Reijiro's throat, and he was going for the back of Kiyoshi's spine.
Though he couldn't see anything, Reijiro was frantic as he tried to think of a way to either get him off and get away from him, or kill him. He had heard others talking about the awesome power that Kiyoshi had though he never really showed it. But he had no clue it was like this. The pure savagery of it. He wasn't holding back, and was letting it go. His heart raced at the thought of facing him even with his eye sight. He wasn't so sure if he or his father could beat him.
Using all of his strength, Reijiro let himself get pinned under Kiyoshi and pushed on his belly with all four paws. Feeling the weight lift off of him, he flipped over and was read to run when he felt the teeth in his neck as the weight of the dog crushed him to the ground. A shake of his head and he felt his spine start to snap. He was frantic trying to get away. 'Damnit! I can't die like…"
Feeling the bone through his bite, Kiyoshi snarled as he tried to pull away and started to violently shake his head back and forth as he used his weight to hold the cat down. Just a few seconds later he froze as he heard the snap and the leopards body go limp. He was gone. Dropping the body to the ground he stood and looked toward the way he came. 'Yokiyo.' Then he turned and gave in to the beast and raced back toward his mate.
X
Hearing the sound of thunder getting louder getting louder Sorae helped Yukani to untwine Yokiyo's arms from around her waist, and moved Kiara back with her just as there was a gust of air and Kiyoshi was there lifting his mate into his arms.
Taking a deep breath as he calmed down the instant that he touched her, Kiyoshi lifted his mate into his arms and sighed as her sobs seemed to get worse for a second and she latched onto his clothes. Rubbing her back under her hair he half closed his eyes. "I am sorry."
All Yokiyo could do was nod as she clung to him sobbing. She knew that he was going to cross the point he could leave her at some point. She knew why too. She hated feeling the pain and the sadness until he got back, but this was one of the times she knew she had to do it.
Still rubbing her back, Kiyoshi sat in the hay with her as he held her on his lap. A glance at Kiara as she stood with his mother then to Imae he took a deep breath. "Imae?"
Looking up at Takahashi as he walked back in to check on her, Imae laughed as she smiled. "I am just fine thanks to Master Takahashi. He always does such a wonderful job bandaging me up."
Shaking his head as he carefully looked over her bandages, Takahashi half smiled at her. "I have told you many times My Lady. No titles for me. I am nothing more than an hold healer. Simply call me Takahashi will be fine."
Laughing Imae winked at him as she shook her head side to side. "I don't even think so Master Takahashi. You are right, you are a healer. And vital to everyone here in this palace. And have been since my great grandfather was still alive. If you don't want me to call you Master Takahashi, then you stop calling me My Lady or Lady Imae."
Standing, Takahashi gave her a small bow as he smiled then turned to head out of the stall to check on others that were wounded. "Then I will forever be Master Takahashi to you My Lady. I will come back and check on you later."
Moving from her grandmother, Kiara sat right in front of her parents with worried eyes on her mother. This was the first time she had to see her mother like this for so long and it worried her. "Mama are you alright now?"
Nodding as she gently eased out of her mate's arms, Yokiyo sat before him in the hay and pulled Kiara into her arms, smiling brightly with a few left over tears as Kiara latched onto her clothes and hugged her back. That wasn't something she has done much anymore. "Yes honey. I am just fine now that your father is home. I promise."
Standing, Kiyoshi looked down at Yokiyo and Kiara for a moment then headed out the door to where everyone was standing with his father and Umarus. Once there he turned his eyes straight to Chiren. "You spent more time with your uncle and cousin getting ready for this war than anyone else. Do you know when he plans to march?"
Nodding Chiren kept his eyes on Kiyoshi's. "He was planning to march from the north in five months after the death of your son. However in this case, once he hears that your son is still alive and his own son has been killed he will rush it. With the size of his force and what he has planned, I would say four months."
With nod Kiyoshi turned to Umarus and narrowed his eyes. "You get everyone on the ball. I want to march in three months and get there early like Kiara said and get the jump on that bastard. But I want some men there in a month, just a few for each trap to get them ready for that day. I had Kiara take all the scrolls she found and put them in my study. You assign who you want to get them out ther
e and start getting them ready."
"Yes My Lord."
Looking over at his mate as she sat with his pups, Kiyoshi sighed. "I am going to take her to see Kai with me."
Blinking Kurosai gave his son an odd look. "Kai? Why are you going to go and see Kai?"
Turning back to his father, Kiyoshi had a serious look. "So we know what we are going to do when we leave in two months. As it stands right now, where the battle is going to take place, I can't go there without Yokiyo. We are hoping that there is something we can do, a way we can make it so that I can go fight without her and she can stay with the pups. If not, then when I get home I will have to figure out what to do with the pups. He is older than all of us together and we are hoping that he may have seen or hear something like this before."
"That would be a good idea." Looking over at Yokiyo, Kurosai sighed. "So when are you planning on leaving to go and see him?"
"Right now. She is going to take Katana with us so I only need you to look after Kiara." He then turned and walked back toward his pack.