Showdown! Arctic Alliances final part

Someone called her name in the distance. She knew she heard it. It was a small voice. No, two small ones. Breath labored and heavy, chest pounding in aching thumps, and throat hoarse from her screaming, the doctor was barely able to regain the strength to stand. Clutching at the ground, she was quaking from the sudden onslaught of weakness and having to hold up her own deadening weight. Her ankles were quivering at the energy it had to use to lift her lower body. Knees buckling and slamming into the earth, she pushed herself up until she no longer stumbled as she stood. Her neck was stinging and bleeding badly. The former control she had of the ice was ripped from her in the process, but she had another power in exchange for the loss and she could only hope that it would help her stop this unknown beast. Her ears were ringing with the amalgamation of different voices calling out to her and the severity of the searing pain. She was closer to ending this nightmare than she thought. Hearing the voices was the step forward because that meant the lost souls were within her grasp. She vowed to help them. Her word was her bond - firmer and stronger than any blood pact she agreed to. Coughing to alleviate the discomfort around her neck, Meioshi struggled to stand upright but managed to do so. She could feel her torso's weight pushing her legs down. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale... repeating the breath until she could distinguish the voices from each other. She closed her eyes and moved to even her breathing.

Then, she felt something coming at her in the distance. A presence she was... familiar with somehow. A dark one. One that tried to speak to her before. It was moving fast, and it easily weaved through the forest trees without pushing them or climbing on them. It had to be native to forests for it to move with such dexterity. Breathing normalized, she stood firm and waited. What was this beast coming to her? Why was it so familiar? The next moment, it was right in front of her! Snapping her eyes open, a towering creature was standing before her with a toothy grin and excitable aura about it. Its eyes were glowing white. It was obviously the black wall demon from what the Nameless General had shown her, and the Dai Fubuki blade now at her side was forming a bond with her internally like a shield, yet this creature had this odd reminiscence about it. Where had she seen this creature before?

"Ah, so you do remember me, my beauty?" the creature asked, grin widening. "At least a little bit."

"We've met before then? Where?" Meioshi questioned, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.

"You were younger then, but you bumped into me trying to escape a spot in hell," the creature said, hopping a little like it was a child aching to open a present. "I watched you run to a safe place. A cave between the upper levels. You were able to purify it. It drove my curiosity into a want to follow you, so I did. An odd one, you were. You didn't have any soft thoughts for me to hear. I couldn't get into the cave either. Instead, I sung to you a lullaby. You sung back before sleep had taken you."

Meioshi's eyes widened with realization. She remembered. A spot of kindness in the form of a song helped her to relax enough to get a few hours of sleep. So, it was the black wall demon that did that. All but excited that she remembered it, the creature twirled about like a dog following its tail and returned to his still place.

"You remember me now!" the creature said.

"I suppose I do," Meioshi said, relaxing her tension. "Why are you here, black wall?"

"To make a proposal, my beauty," the creature answered. "I know your secrets. You need more power and I have power. I can share it with you. Why don't you keep my sword and simply join me at my side? I can teach you how to wield the snow sword and you will have the might of a titan like me. With your new power comes the ability to defeat the one you want."

"So, I am to take the place of the lost boy?" Meioshi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Luring more prey to you?"

"There is no need for the lost boy. Only a wielder," the creature replied. "You are different, my beauty. You can hold the blade, hear my voice, and see me without going completely mad. There is no need for prey if you are the wielder. However..."

The creature lifted up its proud claw and stomped it into the ground to make a pool of snow and ice. From it, he pulled out the possessed Ichi and a struggling Yuko trying to get out of his grasp. Meioshi gasped at this and gritted her teeth. This was a ploy!

"Deny this transaction and I take both of their lives," the creature threatened, forming his hand into a prison cell. "Defend my new lands as the guardian of true winter and I spare them. Battle the other titans with my power and I grant you the means to defeat your enemy."

"Lord Sesshomaru! Wait!"

"Ah, such perfect timing!" the creature said with a girthy chuckle. "So winsome is the little one! I'll be needing him as well."

Much to her dismay, Sesshomaru was right behind the creature and striking at it with his Bakusaiga. The creature merely turned to look at the western lord before it glowed green for a few seconds. Once it devoured the power of Bakusaiga, its blackened skin returned to normal. Meioshi wasn't aware of the creature's powers, so this visibly shocked her and made her hope that Sesshomaru didn't just power the creature further. Now, she had to think carefully. If she was meant to be the lost boy and the mother, what was Sesshomaru supposed to be if not more leverage against her? What the hell was he even doing here still? Once he landed next to her, he quietly got into a defensive position and narrowed his eyes at the creature.

"Thank you for the meal, son of the Great General," the creature said, looking at Sesshomaru and then averting his gaze to Meioshi. "This energy of yours could prove to be quite useful. Now then, my beauty, what will it be?"

"If you're seriously thinking of siding with this creature, I will lose all respect for you and kill you next," Sesshomaru threatened.

"Frightening words, young man," Meioshi said, slightly turning her head to respond to him but keeping her eyes on the creature. She took notice to Jaken hiding away. She then said, "But I've to focus my attention on something else at the moment. I don't quite understand why it wants you as well, but I'm praying that you didn't just make the thing stronger a couple of seconds ago."

"Tick tock, my beauty, tick tock," the creature said, opening its mouth slightly to show green light illuminating its teeth. He breathed out toxic smoke then closed his mouth again while Yuko started to cough then choke. "Your precious apprentice is losing time."

"Shit!" Meioshi cursed, narrowing her eyes. "You gave him your - ! That's it! Lord Sesshomaru, I want you to do what you just said and try to kill me."

Sesshomaru turned his attention to the doctor, wondering what vile plot she had cooking up in that nonexistent brain of hers, and then hesitantly returned his sight to the black wall demon. He remained quiet and chose to ignore the request to see if she was serious.

"I'll do it!" Meioshi said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'll do it! Don't hurt Yuko, please."

The creature was not impressed by the ease of the doctor's surrender. She was planning something. She was too much of a survivor to just roll over like that. Watching her creep towards it, the creature locked eyes with Meioshi and leaned down only slightly to ensure she wasn't some decoy. Her blood may have dried but it was recognizable, and those eyes were still that enchanting hazel it remembered very clearly. Body a little thicker but still the same shape. The general's son lowered his sword with a lingering question in his gaze as he watched Meioshi walk in the face of danger.

Sensing there being a trap, he hissed out, "Where's that fight I saw in you years ago? Don't tell me you lost your nerve in front of the general's son."

"I don't want Yuko hurt," Meioshi answered simply, bowing before the creature. "If being the new guardian is all you want then I'll serve you."

You'd risk betraying those lost souls who believed in you over a stupid trap? Sesshomaru thought. I thought you were smarter than this.

"Such a pity," the creature said, sucking back his toxic breath and letting Yuko breathe again. "I actually looked forward to fighting you."

"Meioshi, no..." Yuko ground out.

The creature placed both Ichi and Yuko down and crawled toward Meioshi. It still sensed something off and said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually cared about the general's son and his opinion of you. You're both thinking about each other right now and it's annoying."

"Sorry, I just thought he would HURRY THE HELL UP AND ATTACK ME instead of standing there like an idiot!" Meioshi shouted. Sesshomaru's eyes widened at that. Before he knew it, Meioshi had taken out a smaller blade and unleashed a burst of divine power that struck the creature's right arm and severed it. The creature roared in pain, more out of anger for falling for the trap, and reeled back. Meioshi turned back to Sesshomaru to command, "Why are you still standing there? Hit me!"

Sesshomaru charged at her with a lingering sense of doubt and struck at her, but she summoned up more power from the tanto and waited for the creature to lunge for Sesshomaru's yoki energy to regenerate. When it did as predicted, she threw the tanto at its other arm and ducked so that Sesshomaru's attack completely stopped the creature from regenerating or using his power to restore itself. The tanto spun around to return to Meioshi's hand.

"You little witch!" the beast complimented, laughing at the cleverness of the trick. "Cutting me down like this when I gifted you with peace! Let's see how clever you really are after I drain your friend's little imp servant."

In a flurry of snow and stormy gusts of wind, Ichi took Yuko away again and the black wall demon took Jaken. Once Meioshi and Sesshomaru recovered from the abrupt escape, they focused their attention on the enemy. Meioshi broke the silence in saying, "Well, that actually went more brilliantly than I thought. Good job, Lord Sesshomaru."

"If Jaken dies because of you, I will kill you," Sesshomaru threatened with a dark voice.

"If Yuko dies because of you, I'll let my old friend eat you," Meioshi threatened in a more passive-aggressive tone. She folded her arms to think for a second and voiced, "Lucky for us, that's not how he operates. If Jaken is as devoted to you as he's told me when we met, he won't succumb to the creature willingly because it would upset you. That particular demon is highly parasitic. It feeds off different things slowly but only if you let it. The way it does that is by hearing your softest thoughts and picking something of importance to you out of it. Once it gains your confidence, it drains whatever is connected to your life's energy. Ichi was possessed by a different kind of parasite. One that the demon can't fully control but has a mutual relationship with. Thankfully, he's savable. Jaken will be fine for now, but I don't want him hurt any more than you do. He doesn't deserve punishment for my carelessness. Neither do you."

"What were you doing in hell in the first place? Why did you disturb that creature?" Sesshomaru asked, unsure of the doctor's kindness towards Jaken... or him.

"Actually, I never really disturbed him in a literal sense," Meioshi replied, unfolding her arms and lightly rubbing her neck. It still stung and was starting to leave a burning sensation. She hissed a little from the contact with her own palms, but she was able to control her response to the pain once she relaxed. She then said, "I just remember him singing me lullabies. I didn't know it was feeding off the wolf or the bird. I didn't even know he was a wall."

Sesshomaru went silent for a moment, hesitant about the information he wanted to relay to the doctor, but mentioned, "He was in the sky when I confronted it."

"He changes forms then," Meioshi said, humming in thought. She turned to Sesshomaru and continued, "Right then. You're probably going to run off to save Jaken, but I would like to formally request your help for now. I'll help you save Jaken as an apology for getting you involved. I had no intention for any of this to happen. Jaken was nothing but pleasant to be around, and he cares about your well-being like a proper attendant. I'll take full ownership over my failure to protect life. In return, I only ask that you help me save my friends. If you'd rather be independent, I understand. I'll just have to think of another plan."

Sesshomaru locked eyes with the doctor to analyze her voice and body language. She didn't seem desperate for his help, but she did sound genuinely sorry that Jaken was now a hostage. He must have left an astounding impression on the doctor. For her to say that Jaken cared about him in a way that seemed to be passed just being a worshipper made something on the inside of him move in his chest. It was an uncomfortable feeling at first, but he turned to the forest where Jaken was taken by the black wall demon.

"That's a good look on you," the doctor suddenly complimented, making him turn to her. She had a smile on her face that softened her eyes and made her lips seem rosier in color. Not responding to her, she then said, "You have a nice blush dusting your cheeks."

"Let's go, witch," Sesshomaru replied, leading the way to save Jaken. A ridiculous claim from an even more ridiculous woman. To so much as insinuate he would do something so effeminate! The nerve! He then said, "Don't dawdle."

'I guess he doesn't know...' Meioshi thought. 'He's not blushing on the outside...'