Utsushiyo Monogatari: Crimson Shadow

Chapter Fifteen: Green

Ryoku. Eyes with the colour of the grass. Raw grief was viscerally shredding mercilessly through his spirit. His father's final parting gift was to preserve his life by sacrificing himself to the wrath of two far more powerful opponents so that his heir could escape. The cold autumn gust ruffled his dirt-stained white fur playfully as he contemplated his move, hidden among the tall grass flowing with the draught. Vengeance was before him as he stalked Katori stealthily. The Daiyōkai was visibly still suffering from crossing paths with Onigami. 

No one could stop his thirst for revenge in Kinai. The other Kitsune hunting parties were waiting as back up for the ambush. Katori will never claim Kinai as his, not when the kitsune are around, Ryoku smirked at the thought as he transformed into his human form in a low launching position to spring and strike. His sword materialised in his hands. 

Dashing through the grass swiftly, he charged as Katori spotted him in the split second. A flash of Katori's sword clashed with his in an impact so great that he flew back to regain his attack stance. A pale Katori only smiled wryly as he surged forth rapidly striking the young inexperienced Kitsune Daiyōkai who was barely matching his speed. A blackish aura swirled around his sword as he released a hand to summon another blackish ball of aura. Trapped, Ryoku's eyes widened.

"Can't release your blade with one hand," Katori spoke in a low dangerous tone. "Now watch and learn...how your father was defeated."

Two choices remain - none of both palatable. A flaming bright orb zipped through and blinding both of them temporarily. A shove threw him out of danger's way across the field.

"Now Now, two against one?" Katori mocked her. 

"If you don't count the tsukumogami  in your sword," Gu-in's voice dripped with scathing sarcasm.

Picking himself up, Ryoku could something restraining him firmly as he rubbed his eyes. "Stop," Makoto's familiar voice whispered into his ear as Ryoku noticed something radiating yoki on his shoulders. Each time he struggled, the tighter the grip grew. "Recall your Kitsune unless you want a bloodbath."

Immediately rustling through the leaves, the parties withdrew on Ryoku's command. Makoto released the pressure as the fight intensified between Katori and Gu-in. Surging forward, both parties went back and forth with their clashing blades into a blurred mixture of blackish and reddish yōki aura.  Something was not right. Ryoku rubbed his eyes again. There were now two Katori fighting each other. Gu-in had taken the form of Katori with the reddish aura.

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"Jaki comes from the darkest deepest emotions but it seems absorbed," Onigami mused as the others surveyed the wreckage done in the still heavily damaged hall of Yakō's abode. Some cringed at his comment for it was their closest dread. Every scene of death had an overwhelming lingering jaki. Except for this. The tragic ending of dead foxes laid in front of them but there was almost no jaki. Another massacre. The other scattered Yamato Daiyōkai quickly regrouped, murmuring amongst themselves. Amanozako kept silent, unlike his usually boisterous style. 

"Ryujin's stance is that if Yakō was too weak to hold the position...then there's no rule against an open challenge," the leader of Tanuki spoke up. 

"There are no winners in this," Onigami muttered - distracted by his fascination of a three tailed fox's corpse. Waving his hand over it to read the fading residual energy, he quickly withdrew and frown. Only those of Kure origin suffered. The ones of Yamato origin were despatched quickly.

"We should ask Ryujin for his decision," the Komainu Daiyōkai suggested. 

"Tsk...If he is protecting Katori, well, which he is, he would make up some excuse," Amanozako finally spoke up as he rubbed something on his fingertips after closely inspecting a few corpses. " I have seen traces of this substance before...in...the Echizen massacre ... "