Ah, this should be standard procedure by now, but there is explicitly violent and disturbing imagery in this chapter. Read at your own risk!

-oOo-

CH 6

The snow is thawing.

Touran glances regretfully at the shrinking ice and sighs. She can already feel her powers beginning to wane. Of course, Shunran is joyful, sending flurries of petals spiraling in the sky with jubilant thrusts of her hands. Karan is glad as well, winter having dulled her strength, and spring signalling the coming of her own peak of power; summer. Shuran, that oaf, is dumbly obedient, as always.

"I'm bored, Touran, let's do something." Karan casually blows a fireball at a passing human, who yelps and slaps at their burning hair.

Touran sends a shower of ice crystals into the air. They turn into deadly spears at the apex of their arc and slam forcefully into the ground in random formation. "We could duel."

"We duel all the time." Karan sends a petulant thread of flame winding in the air in Touran's direction, and it is quickly encased in solid ice. The ice melts but extinguishes the flame, and falls to the ground as a sheet of water. "This is tiresome."

"We haven't received any orders to terminate a human, so we can't do a thing," Shunran pouts. "What's the point of being a youkai and having all this time if there's nothing to spend it on?" She breaks off and watches with avid interest as a human staggers by with bloodied, bandaged stumps for arms. "Hey, you," she calls arrogantly. "What happened?"

"An accident… at the packing factory, ma'am," rasps the girl, who has yet to look up. Her dark hair hangs in a lank curtain around her face, concealing all but her nose and mouth.

The Panther Devas exchange smirks. They cannot target a functioning human, but cripples who cannot serve the regime are fair game.

"I don't want anyone butting in," said Touran quietly. "We take her to a side alley." Her subordinates nod. As one, they advance on the human and force her into the space between two buildings; a crack, really, filthy with grime and garbage. Shuran takes up post at the mouth, guarding from the inside and out.

Touran chuckles as they stalk the girl, who is bent over, shoulders are shaking in what they assume is fear, as they cannot see her face. "My, my. A young female at the prime of her life… so tragically injured. Whatever shall we do?" She placed a delicate hand on her hip in mock thought. "What do you think, friends?"

"Put her out of her misery, of course," sneers Karan, the tip of her tail twitching. "And simultaneously amuse ourselves. Ha!" She sends a spear of fire at the girl, and wrinkles her nose when it is dodged. "Hmm. Try this one on for size!" She summons a trio of yellow fireballs and fires them, one after the other, with a feline laugh. Her smile vanish as again, her attacks are evaded. "You're a human, aren't you?"

"She may be a diluted hanyou," says Touran calmly, stepping forth. "Get back, Karan." With a cold smile, Touran calls forth a slim baton of shimmering blue ice and slams it into the ground. Ice spreads rapidly out from the point of contact, lowering the temperature by several degrees.

"Hey!" complains Karan as her fires burn lower.

"I'll make it up to you later." Touran raises the baton high in the air, and the sky bristles with a hundred spikes of ice. At her command, they fly at the girl. In a flurry of ice shards, the spikes meet and shatter. The Devas' smirks slip off their faces as the debris clears and they realize that the girl has vanished.

Karan curses. "What's going on? She's definitely a hum- -" She screams as a painfully hot hand closes around her wrist from behind. In a blur of agony, the demoness falls to her knees. Her arm is beginning to disintegrate. Desperately, she tries to light her fires, but smoke is all she can summon. She cannot move. Her superior youkai limbs are rigid and refuse to obey her frantic will. "Touran!"

The elder panther is frozen as she locks eyes with the person behind her subordinate. The human girl is staring straight at her, hateful eyes blazing like blue fire. In her daze of disbelief, Touran sees that the girl's hands are perfectly fine. The bloodied bandages lie crumpled on the alley ground, lit faintly with the glow of the girl's powers. Powers… the girl is a miko. Like a pale winter sunrise, it dawns on her. The reports of youkai disappearing recently, it was her! It was this wretched slip of a girl with powers forbidden by youkai law. The bloody hands… it was a trap. Oh god, like a pathetic mortal mouse, they had fallen for the obvious trap. They, the Panther Devas!

Karan crumples to the ground, rapidly disintegrating into glittering essence. With a shriek, Shunran flies at the girl, flowers whipping angrily around her. With a calm smile, the miko opens her arms wide and embraces the furious youkai. The panther's body begins to crack, as if made of porcelain. Miko light shines through the crevices, almost blinding Touran. Shunran screams, but the miko's arms are wound tightly around her, and she is weakening quickly as her muscles fail. With a wail, a second comrade falls. Next is Shuran, charging forth with an enraged roar to avenge his clan.

"W-wait," Touran tries to call, but her voice is weak. She can only watch as her friend falls to his knees, and his head slides off his shoulders in a flurry of essence. Just like that, she is the only one left.

The miko turns around slowly and smiles at Touran, and the light of her miko powers reflect eerily on her delighted features. "Come, let us dance."

What is wrong with her, dammit? Touran has faced far stronger foes than this wisp of a girl, but somehow she can barely move. Her thoughts float as heavily as though through honey, and her body is numb. Is this fear? Ridiculous. She has been around since long before the Youkai Revolution and subsequent subjugation of all holy blood. She has even faced priests and the occasional miko, and cut them down with ease. But what is this? This power, it is different. It burns like a thousand suns, and yet numbs like the most unforgiving frigidity of glaciers.

This girl… Is she human?

"Don't tell me you're afraid," the miko chuckles. "Come, youkai. I will lead you in your final dance." She smirks with dark promise. "Entertain me… as I entertained you seventeen winters ago."

Touran's face shows confusion.

"Have you forgotten? How could you?" tuts the miko, stepping closer. "Well, it doesn't matter. I remember that day so well… Do you know, my mother's arms are still scarred from that incident? They still shake with every movement, and her hands are always cold, so cold…" However cold the hands may be, Touran thinks with a chill, they cannot even approach the absolute frigidity of this miko's glare.

"I do not remember!" Touran protests. "Are you insane? Surrender now, miko, and I will ensure a quick death. No matter what you do, the youkai will find you, and when they do, it will not be pretty."

"I don't fear my death," says the miko darkly. "You demons have already stolen my life several times over. Now, all I care for is the extermination of as many youkai as I can manage. I owe that much to those who have laid down their lives for me." Her mouth stretches wide in a hideous grin. "Now, Deva… dance for me."

Touran shouts as the ground beneath her feet explodes with miko energy. She leaps to the side, but is unable to dodge the next shot, which slices through her forearm. Her severed wrist falls to the frozen ground, pale and lifeless. Blood gushes from her wound, and Touran cries out in agony. But she has no time to rest. The miko truly makes her dance, leaping from side to side, twisting this way and that. By the time the miko stops firing, Touran is a mess. Her other arm has been ripped off at the shoulder, her legs lie in bloody pieces in the snow, her eye is gone, and there is a gaping hole in her stomach. With a sob, Touran crumples to the ground, armless, legless… prideless. She prays for death, and cries with fear as she hears the miko approach. She rolls onto her back, blinking up at the dark silhouette through her tears. "Just kill me, goddamnit!"

"I'll get to that in a moment," she replies with a gentle smile that does not reach her hateful eyes. The miko bends down and grasps the stumps left of Touran's legs.

"What… What are you doing?" The youkai's voice is shrill with terror. "Please… please no more!"

"Shhh." The miko spreads the stumps wide and settles herself between them. Touran looks into that cold face, and she knows then… this girl is not sane. She begins to struggle, and with a sneer, the miko makes another cut with her miko light, slicing off another piece of one of the stumps that were once long, graceful legs. The youkai screams, and the miko reaches up and seals her glowing hand over her mouth. There is a sizzle and an awful burning smell, and Touran is reduced to quiet whimpers. "Now, now…"

The girl holds up her hand and clenches it into a fist, lit with livid flames of miko energy. With a gruesome smile, she thrusts her fist between Touran's legs.

"Ahhhhh!" Touran's agonized cry rips through the melted flesh sealing her mouth shut in a spray of blood.

She withdraws, then enters again.

Screaming. Sobbing, crying, begging. More screaming.

When the panther finally falls silent, the miko rises to her feet and looks around at the destruction she has wrought. Four piles of glittering ashes are spread out in the bloodied snow. She picks up the bloody bandages and tucks them in her pocket. With snake-like coldness in her eyes, she dusts off her hands. Around her, the sound barrier falls with a whisper.

Ever since the day her brother was slaughtered and eaten, she has been luring youkai to their deaths in dark, secluded alleys. Word has gotten out that youkai are disappearing, but most dismiss this, too smug and confident in their strength to fear the same fate themselves. These Devas were a prime example of that. They stalked her as their prey, and ultimately ended up being butchered themselves like the pigs they were. She will continue this until she kills the last youkai, or is killed herself. There's no purpose to her life if it is not hunting youkai.

She looks up into the gray sky. Snow is beginning to fall again. In a moment of childish wistfulness, she extends her tongue out and catches a snowflake on her tongue. Then she remembers; the last time she did such a thing, it was with a lively bundle of excitement and child-innocence by her side. With an ugly look, she spits out the melted snow, straight onto the ashes of once-Touran.

"Tch. Still a better end than they deserved," Kagome murmurs coldly, and stalks into the night.

-oOo-

On that cheerful note, Happy Mother's Day on Sunday!

If you have been enjoying this story, then please leave a review. :) If not, review anyways and tell me what I can do better.

Cheers!

Philosophy Blue