The Dragon and the Fox Part 2

"Oh I wouldnt mind being your test dummy. I was my father's for much less and much worse" Ryoma laughed before not even wincing as she touched his various burns "I know you have a reputation that proceeds you, but no one has seriously tried to court you? You are still a beautiful woman, are they all that scared?"

"Good, then totally worth it" Yukine said relaxing back against her pillows again looking at the claw again "I feel it ya know? The connection with the other side of Mizen that I'm missing when I hold this thing. I feel....whole...and complete...under control...powerful" she said as her amber eyes flashed once in the light before settling again "Mizen was an incredible sage indeed"

Sayuri chuckled slightly though she remained silent as she kept treating his wounds before she would then glance at him, "I haven't allowed others to even get close to me.....Sesshoumaru perhaps once but that was before his current mate and when my father was alive." she said simply telling him then that it had been several years. "Through the years of course my uncle has tried but I had things here to fix...no thanks to your father" she teased him some before she soon would lean in a bit closer her faces a few inches from his now. "Though...I suppose I can thank you some what....I got a sly fox here to help me rebuild I can give the little kit a home I suppose"

Artemis listened slightly from the hallway she had no wounds on herself as she could tell that everyone was alright, nodding she would let her wings fold back and she would then turn. It probably would be alright to use the crystals to contact the Empress and Wu to let them known, as she moved up to one of the crystals she tapped it "Lord Wu.....Empress Ayame this is Artemis.....we found and attained the claw of Mizen"

“That is a good thing.....I wonder if your father feels that effect also since he has the other half.” He said as he sat back in his chair. “It’s hard to imagine though that Mizen and the other Firsts would place one of Yamis runes in their weapons. Or maybe it’s just something I don’t understand having not being demon. Also those creatures....would Mizen or Sol truly leave something like that to protect something that important? The golem I understand, but those beats seem far to dark and dangerous.”

Ryoma leaned forward planting a gentle kiss on her lips. It was tender, yet hungry and left her with a sense of pleasure tickling her skin "I don't know about being 'little' or a kit, but I can help you do more than just rebuild, I can give make your life comenalive"he said and pulled her up into the bed with him

Wu paused a few moments before responding "That wasn't the voice I was expecting to hear contact me first. But that is wonderful news. And much faster than expected. I take it all of you made it through the tunnel alive?"he said before turning to report the news to Ayame "We can have a portal opened to Sayuri's castle to retrieve you all at once"

Yukine sat up slightly looking over at him "Well it's because Yami turned against his own people. When Yami decided all his creations were flawed when the Gods turned against him, Sol and Luna decided to seal Yami away, they also sealed his sword separately so even if he was to break free from his earthen tomb, he could never split the sky to reach them again. Each of the Sacred Beasts took an heirloom of theirs and with it placed a seal on Yami's Kusanagi. Once all four runes have been removed Yami will return to his full strength once again. It's a huge gamble to actually let him wield his sword again to be honest but it's what the Empress and her High Lord council decided is the best path so here we are."Yukine explained to him "It's only Lord Yami that stands a chance against Lucifer anyway, this battle we are fighting is the trickle down from a never ending war"

Sayuri was a bit caught off guard when he suddenly kissed her, it left her...wanting more and she almost wanted to test him by leaving seeing just who was the one wanting. His words where slowly passing his lips and as he ended his sentence his arms where around her pulling her onto the bed as she soon was looking down at him as her black hair created a curtain around their heads. "Oh....you plan on bringing me to life? Have I been dead this whole time?" she asked with a grin, her eyes faintly glowing in the shadows that her hair created.

Artemis stood unmoving even as she heard Wu's voice no doubt she knew he didn't have faith truly in her or even her uncle considering what they where and who they had once served. Though she closed her eyes and would speak "Everyone is alive, they are being treated for their wounds by Sayuri's servants while Magi is already working on bringing the Temple to Heel. As for the portal wait untill the morning this will give everyone a chance to rest besides....most of them are preoccupied"

Ayame smirked some as she looked towards Wu, her chin resting in her chin listening before she would speak "They deserve a rest after dealing with that foul beast...but after Magi or even Sayuri gets a hold of it...it's probably going to be a puppy at their beck and call"

“You shouldn’t try to sit up....not yet...”he said though he listened to her explain everything while gently easing her back to lay down.

"Well no, but to the rest of the world your a living nightmare. A cruel witch, a dark mistress. But I've found nothing but peace amongst the shadows"Ryoma said as he looked into her eyes with his deep red ones "I don't want a kingdom, I don't want to be a ruler, hell I had a chance to be the Emperor and turned that deal down. But I do know that I want you more than any valuable object I've ever stolen."he told her "I know Kyuubi's get a bad reputation, but I'm being sincere when I say that I want to make my home here in the isles after this war is over."

Wu turned his head towards Ayame listening before nodding his head "Right you are"he said before putting his fingers to his ears "Alright Artemis as you wish. Contact me in the morning and I shall arrange a portal to be opened. Let me be the first to tell you all congratulations on a job well done, half the battle is done."

Yukine winced easing back down with his aid nodding her head "Thank you. But yes, after all that happened and the 4 beasts passed away their artifacts were each sealed away. They can only be handled by the reincarnate to the Sacred Beast, which is why I feel...whole, because I have Mizen's spirit finally filling me"she told him

Sayuri smirked some looking at him as she would slightly tilt her head listening to his words, "Oh? a living nightmare am I? sounds rather harsh....but so much fun at the same time." she couldn't help but chuckle slightly, he could see just a glimpse of the 'maddness' that lurked behind that smile. Just how long had she looked into the very void of chaos and how far did it drive her to maddness? Though she would let her eyes slowly shut as she took a deep breath, then leaned forward pressing her face that much closer to his face and spoke softly as her eyes opened....they where softer, a rich blue that was like stairing into an endless ocean. "Well if you trully desire this Ryoma...then the isls welcome you if you plan on coming and going then I will give you something that links you straight here....so that your always able to come home no matter how far you travel....but for now.....rest" she would soon pull herself back. After all she had been straddling him the whole time and she brushed her hair from her shoulder as she slid from the bed, "this dark mistress still has work to do not to mention I'm got a dark beast to bring to heel....can't have it doing as it pleases anymore.."

Artemis nodded as she stood there, "I'll be sure to pass the message along, the isles do feel peaceful now....though I am not sure for how long till Lady Sayuri and her strange mage start poking the shadows...is it wise to let them have control of the temple now that the artifact is gone?" she asked

“Let us hope this does not affect your father negatively. From what your Sister has told me, the splitting of the soul had put a lot of strain on him. Inuyasha is half demon and he is the bearer of Taizens soul? Or is it because I’m He is a Hanyo, that he does not bear it?”

Ryoma nodded his head as he closed his eyes "I'll...be...here"he said between yawns as he put his head on the pillow almost instantly falling asleep to recover some of his energy

"At this point...we dont have a choice. We promised Lady Sayuri that we wouldnt intervene or occupy the isles after retrieving what we needed. In hopes we pray she becomes a strong ally in the future. Besides Magi is a trusted friend of both Lord Sekai and Inu no Taisho, we are in good hands."he told her "Just be wary not to cross either of them."

"I will have to reach out to my father and see how he is feeling now" Yukine stated "I don't know Inuyasha's whole story. But there is something wrong with becoming Tenzen's true heir due to him being a hanyou. When he gets away from his father's fang, Tenzen's power drives him into an uncontrollable frenzy. I dont know if he will be able to truly take over Tenzen's spirit once his father passes on."she commented "This next rune may be more challenging than this one"

Sayuri waited till he was out cold before she would move to one of the crystals and a portal opened back within the temple as she looked around, already feeling the chaotic energy calming down as she smirked. "Magi you work fast." she moved forward and started to wonder down the halls, she hadn't been in these halls since her father's fall but she could remember them as her father had once tamed the beast to keep outsiders at bay. Her eyes began to glow as she let her energy pulse around her taunting what ever creature that came her way as a dark grin spread over her features, if magi did pass her he would know...to stay out of her way.

Artemis nodded "Very well if that is what you belive is right" she would then cut contact and sighed shaking her head, she felt extremly tired all of a sudden and she pinched the birdge between her eyes till she turned. "Probably just used to much energy..." she whispered more to herself as she then went to go lay down and sleep.

"Then its a good thing we are here...." Asura's voice was heard as she looked at Yukine and Sabreal, "came to see how you where doing Yukine...but as for Inuyasha, don't underestimate hanyou's we can be quiet shocking." she laughed some, "Mother is one considering her mother was human and but Akuma and I are one's even if we are more demon than human. I'm sure there's more than just one fail safe that Inu no Taisho put in place for his youngest son so we just are going to have to prepare like we did this one."

“I’ve come to see that Inuyasha has his....strengths.” He said in a rather teasing manner. “But if he were unable to take the soul, what would happen then to the soul of Tenzen? Would it skip him altogether or find a new immediate host? “

Akuma was walking down the hall leaving the medica ward as he came around the corner and ran directly into Artemis "Oh Im sorry..I was in my.thoughts I didnt hear you coming"

Yukine laughed slightly "If your grandmother was a human and your grandfather a hanyou, you are no more than a quarter human at best. But you are hanyou amongst different powerful demon so it isnlucky we do have you. As far as what happens, we dont know, it hasn't happened before. My father has some ideas...it may skip him and wait for he or Sesshoumaru to bear child...or it could attempt to fuse with Sesshoumaru since he is Luna's vessel...but Im not too sure how that would work having 3 spirits inhabiting one body even if he is the perfect daiyoukai"she said "We would have to find out.."

Artemis paused when she looked at Akuma before she would shake her head "No its alright, I was half out of it myself I suppose I used to much energy during that last battle." she said simply as she stood there. She would then shift to the side some "Are you feeling alright? You did take a few hits yourself"

Asura shrugged her shoulders, "Either or even if Tenzen does chose Inuyasha we have no choice but to have him do it." She said simply then would turn, "for now this is all we have, we can explain it to the others once we return back to the palace for now....we rest till the morning"

Sabreal nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Seems we will need to enjoy this respites while we can. If this temple was any indication of what’s to come, we will be quite busy. Plus not many seem to know if there are temple guardians or what they even are.”

"Yeah I'm good, a few bites is nothing compared to some of the tortures I've had to go through" Akuma said with a small chuckle scratching the back of his head "I'm just glad we all made it out of there in one piece. I should probably report all of this to my father, I'm sure they're dying to know if we made it out alright"

Yukine nodded her head "That is true. We had knowlesge of these temples due to past experiences but for Tenzen and Jinzen's artifcats we are going in blind...all we have are the clues..the Temple in the Sky and Kurama saying "See you in hell..." you don't think....he took it to the grave with him...do you?"

"I've already spoken to the Empress and the Grand Master" She stated as she looked at him, "You all where being treated and since I didn't need treatment I went a head and gave him my report. They'll open a portal for us in the morning and give us time to rest before we journey to the next location." It was like she was giving a soldier's report at least she could tell that in her own tone, she spent years being a tool to Lucifer it would seem she still couldn't shake everything that had been beaten into her. "I was going to go relax a bit in the gardens here, or soak in the springs did you care to join me Akuma?"

Asura tilted her head "There's a way to find out.....Akuma shares our great grandfather the dragon monk spirit I share Kurama's with some meditation or pure force I could call upon him and see if I can get any clues from him on that one...but that's as far as I can guess. Though I was really hoping NOT to have Kurama I mean come on!!! I'm to be the next Empress and here I am with the spirit of the guy who destroyed Rei to begin with!!"

“It can be difficult too be with that comparison hanging over you. But I think you have the capability to not only surpass the reputation of Kurama, but the expectations other have placed upon you. You will make a great Empress Asura.

"Oh" Akuma said blushing slightly "You really seem to be on top of things...usually I'm stuck hanging around my lackadaisical sister...sure I'll go to the springs with you. I can use a nice long soak after all this. Especially with some time off now." He said

"Yeah well that's yet to be seen" Yukine teased "I'm not the only Princess in these lands with a reputation for having a bad attitude" she laughed "My sister and I still have a bet on which one of youbis actually goinf to be the one to take the throne you know. The Dragon or the Fox part 3" she chuckled

Artemis glanced at him seeing him blushing but she would shake her head "I'm used to it....when under Lucifer it was more or less beaten into my body and mind that when a mission was complete I had to report in." she said simply moving forward to head towards the baths. "As for a soak that sounds great you know?" she said with a smile as she glanced back towards him. "Besides I don't think I've ever seen you with more than one tail...do you keep them curled up?" she asked

Asura would roll her eyes "Ha ha very funny Yukine...when it comes ot my attitude I like to say I get it from Raizen even if my father would wish I stayed as unlike that old demon as possible."

Sabreal chuckled. “I think your coming of age is going to be interesting. Hope I’ll still be around to see it.” He said.

Akuma nodded "Usually yes. So it looks like one large tail. My sister and I are as different as we are similar. We both prefer fighting with our hands even though I have a new halbred. However she uses her magic and youki purely as raw, unrestrained power to which she has no equal. I use my magic in a more technical manner. I have knowledge of thousands of seals and ancient techniques I learned from our father's tutelage. A kyuubi channels its energy from its tails. Asura having her full tails on display isnhomage to her power. Having my tails wrapped around each other funnels my power and helps me channel it into my skills and spells instead of just raw strength. But against those beasts...I needed to amplify my abilities or else they'd have killed me"

Yukine blinked looking at Sabreal "Planning on going somewhere I dont know about?"she questioned before looking at Asura "They do have a point you know. I know he's your great grandfather but you have other Lords you should also be looking to for fuidance and mentorship. Raizen took over his throne through war and conquering and the East is still the most unrefined and warlike of the 4 territories. Remember you are taking over an entire Kingdom not just one land. I too have to remember these lessons because with Miaka and Sesshoumaru together again I'm once more the Crowned Princess of the South."

"Interesting, didn't think of it that way though I wasn't really taught difference in youkai just that you all needed to be killed and how to do it" she said rubbing the back of her neck some as she sighed, she didn't even know much about herself anymore now that she learned she was actually half angel and war demon. "You and your sister are rather powerful though even in terms of normal power its amazing that Lucifer didn't do something right away to put an end to you both."

Asura shook her head "ya...I figured that as much but ruling a whole Kingdom of four territories is a lot harder than just rulling one...specially when I'm up against my mother whos' like a freakin saint when it comes to being an Empress she has my dad there to consult...I don't have that...I own't make Akuma become my fathers position thats his choice but still...wouldn't mind passing it either sometimes I wonder if I should even be the Empress....my brothe ris fair my suited.."

Sabreal turned back to her. “Not if I can help it....but I wasn’t able to do anything against those beasts....I was no help at all.....I’m weak and useless. I guess what I mean is if I survive all this.”

"I dont think he could have" Akuma said looking over st her "My mom is unique, she has the best traits from youkai as well as having Lucifer's blessing via Rei Yuan and his original blessings to be granted the Drgon's blood. In essence my mother is the blending of both Yami and Lucifer. And then comes our birth and the reincarnation of our ancestors...I dont think Lucifer could harm us even if he wanted to." Akuma said as they reached the hot spring as he began stripping down to get into the water

Yukine shook her head at Sabreal "Not useless. And you are still coming into your strengths. I couldnt even stop those beasts from attacking and they are supposed to be under my control. Dont beat yourself up over my current state."she said before turning to Asura "I don't know the answer to that, your brother does seem like the more booksmart type over your raw talent. That's just like my sister and I. I believe I have more raw strength than her, but her knowledge and talent with different magic dwarfs mine. Maybe that's a conversation you should have with your parents...you guys are only minutes apart after all." She stated "But I dont think Akuma would lesve your side anyway. Havent you ever wondered WHY he takes to learning everything he can from your father and NOT just your mother?"she questioned knowingly "He's been planning to be your #2 for far longer than I think you noticed"she chuckled