Chapter three(or five, as FF puts it…) of Lady Malikai, the Nathanial n’ Nicholai

Shippô paused outside of magnificent doors, marbled black with swirling blues, over twenty feet tall. Crouched for a moment, Shippô stood and raised a hand, letting his unique silver green flames flash around his hand then shoot upwards. It took naught a second for a response as a figure clothed in black appeared before him, a shakujou in the visible hand.

“Who dares come and call upon the Great Lady of this Domain?” A deep voice asked quietly, the man raising his staff high into the air while he spoke only to let it drop as his voice stopped, the rings clanging as his Holy Magic rose in the air. Shippô backed a few steps before bowing.

“One who was called by Blood and now answers by Blood.” Shippô straightened, hands clenched at his sides as he declared “I am Shippô Damien Julian, Child born of the Lady’s Blood.” The figure seemed to jerk, and then a single scared hand rose to remove the hood from his head, revealing a startled dark blue eye, the other hidden by a mass of long blood red hair.

“…Shippô? But you look- never mind that, how did you get here?” Shippô blinked, and then a grin over took his face as he launched himself forward.

“Uncle Nicholai!” The man caught him easily, a smile over taking the heavily scared face “Oh Inari-sama, how are you alive!!?? You died when I was barely a pup!” at that, Nicholai smiled.

“Do you remember nothing of what we taught you, Shippô?” Shippô blinked, the his eyes went wide.

“But if you’re here then that means…!” As he spoke another man landed near them with a quiet laugh, and then stood from his crouched position, dressed in a plain over robe similar to Inuyasha’s and trousers both a dark blue.

“Hello Shippô.” The new man started softly, green/blue eyes half lidded with a smile on his face. He removed his hands from his sleeves and held them wide, easily catching his son as the boy threw himself at him.

“What the hell is going on here??” the Fire Kitsunes looked up to see Inuyasha land near them, dropping Kagome irritably as he landed before stalking forward, hand itching towards Tetsusaiga “Who the hell are you two?” Nicholai removed his black cloak, revealing clothing similar to Miroku’s monk clothing, a purple tunic with black sleeves and blue trousers. Nicholai held his shakujou before himself in a defensive stance as Inuyasha paused, turning to the kit perched on the smiling red head’s head.

“Shippô, who are they?” Shippô pulled his face from where he’d buried it in his father’s neck and sniffed.

“This is my father, Nathaniel Julian, and my uncle Nicholai Damien.” Nathaniel let out a pleasant smile as he bowed, Shippô dancing about to sit on the back of his neck as his father put a hand at his waist, the other at his back.

“What the little one has said is true.” He started, lilting tenor voice ringing, “And we are the Guardians of the Lady Malikai’s domain.” He rose, holding a hand out so Shippô could rest there, and then his smile turned malevolent “Now I ask you, who are you, and what is your business here??”

Miroku finally came to a stop as he saw a single marbled blue door, cracked open slightly.

“Is this where you are?” He whispered into the darkness as he opened the door by shoving it aside with his shakujou, afraid to touch the swirling symbols upon the blue wood, walking though. He got no reply, save the lights around him flashing to life. “Oh, to the gods.”

Flouting in a large cylinder was a woman, her arms bound by think chains at the ceiling. She was clothed in nothing save a nearly see through white cloth, red eyes open and pupil-less, black hair hovering about her body like ragged seaweed in the red contaminated liquid.

On her forehead was a silver outlined magenta crescent.

Malikai was before him.

Miroku numbly strolled over to her cage, pressing a hand against the glass, then jerked back, eyes wide.

He could…feel hunger, to the most primal sense echoing from her, when he touched the blood tainted glass… and the moment his skin left the glass, pure malicious erupted from his back, making him turn.

Before her cage was a table with a single glowing mirror, the energy flouting off of it an iniquitous dark purple tinted green.

Do not get too close, that is a curse upon me by Naraku so I could not rise again…wait! Before the voice could go on Miroku raised his shakujou and jammed it though the mirror, the poisonous glass shattering instantly, it’s shards flying about in the air before being sucked into the cylinder, sinking into the woman there

Thank you now please leave! Malikai urged, even as her body started to writhe. Once I am free I will not be able to control myself, and I do not wish to-ngg! The body jerked, red eyes slipping shut, then the glass cracked, the chains braking to shoot though the glass, the strange red tinted blue liquid pouring out.

Miroku stood his ground as the flood of liquid ran past, Malikai having landed on the ground at a crouch, body limp, head bowed.

“I told you to leave this place, human.” She whispered softly, falling forward to inch towards him on her hands and knees, hair covering her features save one brilliant red eye. In a purely un feeling move, Malikai grabbed the chain locked into her skin and ripped them out, blood flying as the chain was absentmindedly thrown. Miroku stood where he was, frozen as she stopped not even three yards from him and extended a hand out like a stretching cat, long deadly claws glowing black. “I haven’t feed in sooo long…and you smell so sweet…” The words sent a shiver of fear through his body, but not one of fear.

He should have felt fear. Miroku knew the trembles starting all over his body, the hair rising on his nape, and his dilating pupils should have been caused by fear, he should flee….

Violet eyes wide, Miroku watched as Malikai stood slowly, the white dress upon her frame falling to the ground as her Youki rose, her hands following to cup her face.

And Miroku got to gaze at the most curvilinear body he’d ever seen. Even with drenched black locks covering her skin, he could not help the lust that coiled in his belly at the sight. Malikai lowered her hands, a dark grin that nearly cut her face in half growing on her features

“Mirooookuuuu…” Without a thought, his shakujou fell to the ground, and he took a step forward, eyes closed, hands spread wide.

Red eyes flashed.

“WIND SCAR!!!” Nathanial raise an eyebrow lifting a single hand as he held out two fingers, jerking his hand to the side when the attack came within reach, the movement cutting the wave of demonic wind in half as he pulled his other hand away to protect his child.

“It was mistake I see, leaving my son in your care Han’yô.” The Kitsune elder hissed, raising his free hand to cup at the fire growing in his palm, “I had hoped that the woman in your care would soften you with time, how foolish I was in pain.” Inuyasha bristled at the label, already furious.

“I’ve done nothing to harm the brat!” He snarled, holding his family heirloom high to point at the threateningly smirking red head. Nathanial’s look darkened.

“Yet it seems to have done nothing to help my child either, or did you think the little parlor tricks I taught him would be enough to protect himself once he left your care?”

“Like a baby like him needs to fight!!” Kagome shouted, not having risen from where she fell just yet. Shippô frowned, even as Nicholai shook his head

“How young do you think he is?” He asked calmly, giving his nephew a pointed stare, one that was returned with a sheepish smile.

“Like I know demonic years!”

“Mentally, then?” Kagome closed her mouth, gazing at the Kitsune kit.

“I would say…maybe five? Six?” Nathaniel blinked, and then pulled his hand before him to smirk at the beaming child.

“You have done very well Shippô!” The kit smirked before turning to the group, standing as he did a little bow. A bubble of his off white smoke appeared as he leapt into the air with a flip, and then a different child was before them.

Roughly the size of a ten year old child, the boy had short red hair falling a little past his ears, fully human body gripping Nathanial’s arm as he dangled in the air.

“You’ve grown.” Shippô looked up to his uncle with a grin and let go, landing on the ground with a small tap. Standing at his father’s side, he tipped an imaginary hat to the two staring at him and grinned widely

“Hello.” He spoke, voice a tad deeper than before “Let me intraduce meself, Shippô Damien Julian, pleased ta meet’cha.” Inuyasha started to shake his head as Nicholai smacked Shippô over the head

“Speak properly child. You are the heir of us all, remember.” Shippô rubbed his head as he nodded, then froze, eyes going wide. Nicholai narrowed his eyes, turning to the west

“My...Lady?” Nathanial blinked, then cursed.

Done. That’s all, for now. :D