The Battle Of Kaoru! ((The Chapter Version))

"Then maybe you should be more careful not to provoke me." Frost warned. "You don't want to die, do you?"

Kaoru bit her lip. She wasn't sure whether to feel intimidated or insulted. Especially since this was the second near-death experience she's faced tonight. "Hmph. Don't get cocky." She sneered. She dashed towards him, floating just above the ground while holding her sword behind her. Frost tightened his grip on his two swords, ready to defend himself. Suddenly, she flew upwards, and vanished within seconds.

"Whoa, what?" Frost began to look around. "Where did you go!? You can't hide from me!" He yelled. He kept turning around, trying to make sure that she wouldn't sneak up on him. Just as suddenly as she vanished, she reappeared above his head. Before anyone could shout any warnings, she formed another barrier around herself, forcing Frost into the ground below them. Frost fell flat on his face, his puffy body squishing from being crushed under the barrier. They could hear his muffled cries as he struggled to free himself.

"Hmph. Just as I thought." She chuckled. "You may be strong, but you are still nothing before my power." She strengthened the barrier, causing the ground under Frost to crack. "And your friends are even weaker than you are!" She began to cackle loudly.


Yumi was worried that Frost might not make it out of this one, but Sesshomaru was angered by her statement. "Weaker than a little ball of pudginess, huh?" He growled, lowly. "We'll soon see about that..."

"Father..?" Yumi looked over at him, and gasped when he suddenly drew his sword.

Icicle looked up at Sesshomaru, and quickly jumped out of his way when he sprung forward.


Frost was trying with all of his might to crawl out from under the barrier, but it was no use. He was completely pinned down. Kaoru was still laughing at her victory, knowing that neither one of them could stop her. She then looked forward, and her smug grin vanished completely. In that instant, she saw Sesshomaru, inches away from her barrier with his sword behind him. In the next instant, she felt a powerful force throwing her backwards as Sesshomaru disappeared from her sight. He stood behind her, his sword extended outwards. Her barrier had been cleanly sliced in half, slowly separating before shattering altogether. "W-What is this...!?" She gasped, landing on the ground between Sesshomaru and Frost. Frost hopped back to his feet, and immediately leaped into the air, stopping at her face. He twisted his body, delivering a swift kick across her face.

"Wow..." Yumi said in awe.

"Way to go, you two!" Icicle cheered.

Kaoru held her cheek where she had been struck, still shocked that they were able to get through her barrier. 'These souls...they're failing me...' She thought. 'I'm still not at full power...to think that these mortals could not just get through my barrier, but actually destroy it altogether...' She snapped out of her thoughts, and glared down at Frost. He could almost literally see the flames in her eyes as she stared him down as if she were trying to kill him with her sight. "I will not be defeated so easily." She swore. She floated up into the air above the group. "I'll destroy every last one of you..." She spun her sword around in front of her, soon releasing her grip on it and let it spin in mid-air by itself. She quickly made several strange hand signs, and chanted silently to herself.

Frost and Sesshomaru backed up a bit, keeping their distance from her as they prepared for the worst. "Keep your eyes on her, Icicle!" Frost called back. "I don't like where this is going!"

The sword stopped briefly at four different angles, releasing a small, white spiritual orb before spinning again. After releasing the fourth one, it spun around and stopped with the tip facing the sky. She grasped the handle with both hands, the blade soon becoming enveloped in a mystical aura. The spiritual orbs swirled around, soon taking the form of a small, white dragon, and was gradually growing in size. "Prepare to meet your demise..." She swung her sword vertically, unleashing the four spiritual orbs down towards the heroes. "Fall into despair before my Kaze Dragons!" As she spoke, the orbs nearly exploded into four large, and very long dragons, slithering through the air towards the group at an alarming rate.

The dragons split up to attack each of them. One flew towards Sesshomaru, almost as if it were going to slam into him. He clutched his sword tightly, and slashed at it diagonally. His sword cut clean through the spirit, chopping it in half. "What the..." The dragon kept going, now split in two and each half passing by his sides. They both formed into two smaller dragons, and swung around to fly back towards him. He turned around, ready to attack again. The dragons split up before reaching him, and darted at him from his sides. They pulled up just before reaching him, and he felt several blades of air slashing at him from both sides. The dragons kept flying back and forth at him, repeatedly slashing at him with their invisible blades of air.

Another dragon flew towards Frost. He as well was ready to chop it in half. However, it flew up before he could strike it. It stopped just above his head, and a column of wind formed around them. The dragon brought up an upward draft, causing Frost to fly up above the ground. The dragon flew around him in mid-air, striking at him from all sides mercilessly.

The last two dragons headed for Icicle and Yumi. The spirits began to circle around the two quickly, soon forming a tornado around them. "Power Star: Protect!" Icicle shouted. The small star in his hands glowed again as a barrier formed around the two. The barrier protected them from the harsh winds. The tornado began to pull in debree from outside, and throw it towards the barrier, causing them both to jump when they saw random objects hitting against it.
"Will this barrier last?" Yumi asked, worriedly.
"That depends...on just how long this tornado lasts." Icicle replied. He was beginning to feel uneasy as the time went by, and it showed no signs of letting up.

As if out of nowhere, Yami, Smash, and Kyle appeared on the battlefield.

Kaoru was baffled, but scoffed at them. "You can't save them! Its already too late!" she laughed.

"Hang on Yumi!" Yami yelled as she drew out her Tetsusaiga. "WIND SCAR!" After she slammed her sword to the ground, four large scars sought out the dragons Kaoru summoned, and cut them in half. This time they didn't multiply. They vanished.

Sesshomaru, seeing that his daughter was safe, relaxed himself and went down to one knee from pain because of his new injuries. "Yami..you're late." he said, twitching his mouth to a smirk.

(You can just put how relieved Frost and Icicle are, and do some dialogue with Smash assuring them things will be okay, then I could take it from there.)

Icicle let down the barrier, once the tornado disappeared. "They're back!" He cried out. "Yes!!"

Frost landed on his back, but soon got up. "Where the POYO have you been!?" He yelled, almost angrily. But Smash could tell that he was just as glad to see him as everyone else.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Smash said, grinning a bit. He then turned to look at Kaoru, his grin fading quickly. "But we're back, and ready to take you down."

Take a look at the first post.

Wow..thanks so much Yusef that's so cool!^.^

I've always wanted to do that.

Yami charged forward, with her sword in both of her hands. The two clashed in a matter of moments. They didn't waste any time trying to chop each other to pieces. Their attacks were swift and quick, but not one of them touched each other. Sparks flew with every clash and clang of the blades.

"Whoa..." Pearl watched from a safe distance away with Kaomi in her arms. "Such a large sword..yet Yami swings it like it's nothing!" She said, rather impressed.


The rest of the fighters stood by, waiting for an opportune moment to attack. Frost and Icicle took this as their chance to take a short rest, but Sesshomaru hadn't had enough yet. Though all he could do at the moment was rest, he wanted to get back in on the action as soon as possible. He had to make Kaoru pay with his own two hands.

As the two fiercely swung at each other, Kaoru began to smile wickedly. "Well, This is more fun than I thought it'd be." She said, in a rather taunting tone, all the while parrying and countering Yami's attacks.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Yami snapped back. Her swings suddenly grew stronger, and were beginning to push Kaoru back. Soon, they locked blades in a mighty clash, now forcing their strength against each other.

"My, your temper is worse than your Uncle's." She joked, keeping the same wicked smile on her face. Sesshomaru's eye twitched with rage upon hearing that remark. "I suppose it runs in the family!"

"Speak one more word of my family," Both she and Sesshomaru growled in unison. Before either of them could finish, A barrier suddenly formed around Kaoru, bouncing Yami back to the ground. She landed in a kneeling position, and quickly stood to jump back at her-only to see that she was no longer in front of her. "What-You Coward!" She exclaimed. "You didn't run away, did you!?" She looked all around her, trying to figure out where she went. They could hear her mad cackling echoing across the entire area.

Suddenly, she appeared a few feet above Yami's head. She held her sword above her head, and quickly descended down towards her. "Prepare To Die!" Yami looked up to see the oncoming attack, but she wasn't fast enough to defend herself.
Just as suddenly as she appeared, Kaoru found herself being completely knocked off course as a fist plunged into the side of her face. Smash sprung into action, just in the nick of time. She twirled around in mid-air, trying to regain her balance and flip up-right as Smash landed on the ground in front of her. She was somewhat surprised when she saw who had hit him.

"Really, you thought it'd be that easy?" Smash scoffed. "Not with me around." He got into a battle stance as Yami looked over at him. Her life had just flashed before her eyes, it was difficult to take in the fact that she really almost died in that last second.

Kaoru glared fiercely at him; he could almost see the flames in her eyes. "Mocked by an animal. You filthy little creature, You will rue the day you ever stood against me!" She ran towards him, surprisingly quickly. She swung her sword horizontally, aiming to split him in half, but Smash easily ducked under it. He made a 360 spin, sweep kicking her legs in the process. Her feet were swept off the ground, but she remained in the air. He followed up with a rising uppercut towards her chin, but she was able to float back enough to avoid it.


"Hey, you guys...Smash doesn't have a weapon to use against her." Icicle said, looking worried. "He's gonna get sliced up!"

Yami looked rather worried, especially after considering Icicle's statement. He really was at a disadvantage, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Either way, it would be difficult to move in now; she had to wait for an opening.

Frost, however, just watched. "I have faith in him. He'll be alright."

"She still has the advantage." Kyle said. "We should be ready to aid him as soon as possible."

Sesshomaru was starting to get impatient, waiting for a chance to fight again. Smash stole his only other opportunity right under his nose, just by luck since he was the closest one to her. He slowly walked towards the two, not wanting to miss any other chances to take over.


Kaoru was now swinging wildly at him, hoping to overwhelm him. Smash quickly dodged each attack, keeping his eye on the sword. Seeing how this was getting nowhere, Kaoru decided to knock him down with another barrier. Once again, a new barrier briefly formed around her, just as she was swinging her sword at him. As he dodged the blade, he was caught off guard and forced back into the dirt. Before he could get up, she charged at him, ready to stab him in the chest. He managed to roll over, letting the sword get stuck in the ground, and jumped back to his feet. As Kaoru took the blade out of the ground, Smash rammed his shoulder into her, knocking her off her feet. Once again, she hovered above the ground, and took the sword with her.
"Hmph. Not bad." She said, in a sarcastic tone of voice. Smash flicked his thumb past his nose, returning to his battle stance shortly afterwards. "I might actually have to start trying now."

"Oh, was that a warm-up? I thought it was for real." Smash snarked back, faking a surprised voice. Kaoru crinkled her nose at him. She wasn't used to facing someone equally sarcastic, and it annoyed her.

Pearl felt Kaomi tense up after watching her mother's close call. "M-mommy..!" she cried out. "I-It's alright Kaomi." Pearl tried to reassure when she heard the small half demon start to whimper out of fear.

Even though she was trying to be strong for the little one, Pearl was just as scared. When they were with Kikyo and went over the plan on how to defeat Kaoru, she felt so confident and sure that it would be easy..but now she was actually worried that they wouldn't make it..And even if they did defeat Kaoru, would Taelor be saved?..Or would she not make it?

'No..stop thinking that...I have faith in them..and Taelor. They can do it!' she thought desperately, not wanting to think the worst..

"Hey.."

The sudden voice made Pearl jump. She turned and saw Yumi, her yellow eyes looking at her with concern.

"Y-yes?"

"You're not looking so good. You're very pale." Yumi commented to Pearl. She got closer to lay a hand on Kaomi's head to calm her down.

"Oh well..I-I-" Pearl stammered, feeling a little embarrassed and not knowing what to say.

"Everything will be alright. We've got so many skilled fighters and Yami and my dad won't let anything happen to you or your brother."

Pearl smiled lightly, glad that Yumi came here to assure her when she did. "Thank you."

Yumi smiled. "No problem Pearl. I sure am glad you guys finally made it. I'm guessing we have a plan to defeat Kaoru?"

"Yes. We have to give Kaoru her soul back and weaken her before we can shoot her with an arrow that will hopefully..save Taelor…” Pearl slowed down at the last part.

“I see..” Yumi looked down. “So its not certain if we can even save Taelor or not..” she said sadly.

Pearl nodded, but looked confident. “I have faith in Taelor’s strength. She’ll make it..I know she can.”

“Heh..Yeah I don’t think she can go down so easily.” Yumi agreed with a smirk, feeling almost as confident as Pearl.

~

Yami watched silently at the ongoing fight between Smash and Kaoru. She was still a little dazed from her near death experience, but she was starting to get back to her senses. She was studying Kaoru’s fighting style like both Kyle and Smash were so they would know her weak points for when the time came to give her soul back.

’She’s not even at her full power yet, and she almost took me out for good..’ she shook her head, cursing herself. ’How am I supposed to beat her then? If it wasn’t for Smash..’ she didn’t even want to think about the other outcome. But at least now she knew she has her back covered no matter what, giving her the more confidence when she thought about it. ’Together we can do this..I’ve gotta remember that it’s not just me fighting her now..It’s all of us.’ Now she stood up and waited for the chance she could join back in battle.



Finally..I did a long part! xD

The battle raged on between the two. Kaoru clearly had an advantage against Smash, but he didn't back down. He managed to stay clear from most of her attacks, seemingly experienced with fighting sword wielders. He managed to get a few hits down on her, but she brushed it all off for the most part. Soon, though, Smash began to tire out. He was forced to stay on the defensive, as Kaoru began to take advantage of it. As she drove him backwards, a wicked smirk spread across her face. One that he noticed immediately.


Pearl watched worriedly. "Smash's getting tired..." She whispered. "Please, hang in there..."
Kyle glanced at Pearl, then back at Smash. He slowly walked onto the battle field, sword in hand.


Smash just barely dodged another swing from Kaoru's blade. He had already gotten nicked a few times before, he knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. All the while, Kaoru was still smirking at him. Suddenly, another barrier formed around her, and bounced Smash back. Smash skidded back a few feet, but kept his balance. "That's not gonna work, Kaoru." He flatly stated. "I know that trick already."
"Hmph." Kaoru let her barrier down with a scowl. "You hold up pretty well for an animal."
"Tsk. I'm more than just an animal." Smash moved back into his battle stance, taking the chance to catch his breath and ready himself for her next move.
"You won't be much more than a pile of ashes once I'm through with you." Kaoru snarled, as her sword began to glow dark red. She pointed it out towards him, closing her eyes. Smash's eyes widened as he realized what she was doing. "Feel the wrath of my Rose Dragon!"
As she spoke, the fiery red dragon began to emerge from the blade. In that instant, something clashed against her sword, causing the dragon to shoot out towards the sky as her aim was thrown off. Kyle stood in front of her, with the Gemblade against her sword. She looked surprised at what had happened, but soon hid that with a fierce glare. "Insolent creature..." She cursed under her breath.

Smash lowered his guard. "Couldn't have stepped in at a better time, man." Smash said, sincerely.
Kyle simply smiled, not looking back at him. "Allow me to fight for you, while you regain your strength."
Kaoru growled lowly, and forced her sword back against his. "I will make you pay for that." She swung at him furiously, letting her anger get the best of her. Kyle easily blocked with his own sword, and the sword duel began once more.

Sesshomaru buried his face in his palm. Once again, someone stole his chance before he even had it. It was beginning to get ridiculous. He began to slowly walk towards the battle, trying out Kyle's strategy for himself.
Smash backed away and leaned up against a tree, panting heavily. 'Whew! What a workout.' He thought. 'If he hadn't stepped in there, I probably woulda been toast even if I HAD dodged.' He watched as the two clashed blades, and soon noticed Sesshomaru inching towards them. 'Looks like he's next in line.'


"Enough of this." Kaoru formed another barrier, and bounced Kyle away from her. This was getting nowhere, Kyle was too good of a swordsman to defeat head on. Like Smash, Kyle managed to keep his balance. "If I cannot defeat you with the sword, then I shall drown you with the dragon!" She held her sword in front of her, sideways, and chanted quickly. Her sword began to glow blue, and Kyle immediately got on the defensive. "Know the fury of my Leviathan!" She stabbed her sword into the ground, and a large, long blue dragon spirit shot up into the air. It began to swirl around in the air as it escaped from the blade. Kyle looked up at it, shocked to see such a huge beast before him.

"Whoa..." Smash stared up in awe at the Leviathan. "It's huge!"
Sesshomaru was also surprised. This wasn't something she used very often, if at all. "If she's using this now, then she's probably growing weaker..." He gripped his sword tightly, getting ready to defend himself.
Yami grew more worried by the second. She had never seen her use this one before. She was afraid of what it could do to them. "I..I have to stop it..."

Kaomi hid her face in Pearl's chest, too terrified to even look. Pearl stared at the dragon in shock. "Oh my..."
"Oh boy. What's this one gonna do?" Icicle groaned.
"Stay sharp, Icicle." Frost said. "We might have to step in."


Kyle, despite being surprised and somewhat afraid, remained calm. He held his sword up in front of him, with the tip facing the sky.
Kaoru grinned devilishly. "Now you and your pathetic friends will all perish!" She yelled. Her mad laughter filled the air, sending chills down everyone's spines. The Leviathan shot down towards him, forming into a large tidal wave that threatened to crash down on him and everyone else near him. Instead of trying to move, Kyle held his ground, and closed his eyes.
"O Gem of Water, I offer you this power..." He rose the sword above his head as the blue gem on the handle began to glow in response. The tidal wave began to swirl around as it began to get sucked into the blade. Kaoru's laughter came to an abrupt stop as she noticed what was happening.
"WHAT?" She was completely taken by surprise. Soon, her entire wave had been consumed by the Gemblade.

"Holy crap, what?" Smash leaned forward, trying to figure out what just happened.
Yami rubbed her eyes, thinking that she was seeing things. But no, the tidal wave was completely gone. 'Did he just...?'
Sesshomaru just stared at Kyle. "Just what kind of sword is he wielding out there...?" He wondered aloud.

Frost and Icicle stared with their mouths gaping open. Pearl wasn't even sure what had happened. "What happened to the water?" She asked, looking baffled.

The Gemblade was glowing blue from all the water it had absorbed. Kyle spun his sword around to his side, and stood in wait for Kaoru's next move.
Kaoru was filled with uncontainable rage. That was one of her most powerful dragon spirits, and she was sure that it would take them out. "You wretched beast...! I will purge your existence from this world, and make sure you experience every agonizing second of it!" She screamed. Without warning, she charged at him, with her sword pointing outward. "Feel The Wrath of my Rose Dragon!!" Kyle took a step back in surprise, she was actually summoning another dragon while closing in on him. As the dragon began to emerge from the blade, Kaoru was only a few feet away from him. Instinctively, Kyle slammed the Gemblade down against her sword, causing it to stick into the ground while stopping her. The dragon glowed brightly as it struggled to get out towards the ground. Kaoru's eyes widened, realizing the mistake she made. Kyle looked down at it, and gasped for the same reason.
With nowhere to go, the dragon shot into the ground in a fiery explosion, one that covered the whole area around the two.

"Kyle!" Smash and Yami both cried out.
Kyle came flying out of the explosion, the Gemblade glowed red from absorbing most of the blast. He landed on his feet, but immediately fell down into a kneeling position. Smash and Yami quickly rushed to his aid. "Kyle, Are you alright!?" Yami asked desperately.
Kyle struggled to stand up, "Yes.." He coughed, "I am alright."

Kaoru came flying out of the other side, and for once she landed on the ground. The explosion hurt them both quite a bit. When the smoke cleared, she could see that Kyle was still not down. She cursed her failure under her breath.