Current mood:	thirsty
Entry tags:	original fic: tengu kakushi

Tengu Kakushi [CotKB chpt. 4 R/PG-13]
Title: Tengu Kakushi
The Curse of the Koryu Blood [kitsune arch]: Chapter 4
Chapter Rating: R or PG-13
Chapter Warnings: violence, profanity
Summary: Ebisuko is determined to make Shuuko pay for her crimes. However, is she strong enough even to fight her?
Note: Holy shit, writing fights takes a buttload of energy and is hard to do without sounding repeative. x_x [Which I probably do sound like anyway, but I don't really care.]

"Today is the first day of school!"

Ebisuko and Akane laughed excitedly, while Kaze just stood there poker faced. They were younger then; in human years, Kaze was seven, Akane was eight and Ebisuko eleven. They each wore their little school uniforms, lunch bags and books in their hands.

Akane turned and laughed at her little brother. "You look cute in that!" She tugged at his azure blue sleeve.

"S--shut up!" Kaze stammered, blushing as he yanked his arm away. Akane just kept giggling.

"That's enough, you two."

Hikari had appeared, but she was disguised as an entirely different human. At around this time, she was the wife of Seichii's father. However, Hikari was beautiful in any form she took. She approached her three children and gave them each a hug. "Be good, and remember to be careful. Do not use any of your powers for any reason," she ordered, looking at Akane with a frown.

Akane once set a girl's hat on fire last year. "It was an accident!" she whined.

"I'll make sure they stay good!" Ebisuko assured, shoving a thumb against her chest.

Hikari laughed and nodded. "All of you have a lovely first day of school." She leaned in, pecking each of the children on the forehead before sending them out the door for the bus. She stood there, waving to them as they left.

"Mama... how come I can't go with them?"

Hikari lowered her hand, then slowly turned around. Standing at the end of the stairs was a twelve year old Shuuko, dressed in a neat, clean white kimono. Her eyes were large, sparkling, her hair much wavier then. She looked up at her mother with those big eyes filled with curiosity.

"You're going to a different school," Hikari answered. A moment later, an older man appeared from the dining room. He wore a thick black kimono that matched the dark look in his eyes. He glared down at Shuuko, who felt very uncomfortable. "This is an old friend of mine, Suguru-san. He will be your teacher."

"Am I going to be home schooled again?" Shuuko asked, frowning. "You let the others go to public schools but never me..."

"No, you won't be home schooled anymore, so to speak," Hikari assured sincerely. "You're going to be taught by Suguru-san here. He is a fellow kitsune. He is going to take you to his temple a few miles from home. You'll be schooled there."

"I'll have to leave home!?" Shuuko gasped. "Do I come back at noon like the others?"

"No. You'll be staying with him except on the weekends. We will come and visit you there," Hikari answered, firmly.

Shuuko grew tears in her eyes, before suddenly wailing angrily, "I don't want to go with him! I want to go to school just like Akane and Kaze and Ebisuko! I want to go to public school! I want to go to public school!"

"Suguru-san is a better teacher; you'll learn more from him than you will at--"

"I DON'T CARE!" Shuuko screamed, stamping down a foot. She glared hellfire at Hikari. "I'm not going to go live with some old pervert teacher! I'd rather die!" She then switched her glare on the stoic Suguru. "Go back to your stupid temple! I'm not going with you! You'll probably try to molest me or something!"

"SHUUKO!"

Shuuko stepped back by force when she was suddenly slapped. She looked up in horror at Suguru, who had been the one to strike her. "You are disrespecting your mother," he growled lowly, "apologize."

Shuuko blinked away the tears, before her shock turned to rage. "I HATE YOU!!" she shouted instead, before darting back upstairs, sobbing.

Hikari watched her leave, then sighed. "You're the only one who could possibly do what I've asked," she said to her friend.

"It will take much time," Suguru replied, gazing up the stairs, "but I can only do so much. It will be her, in the end, that decides the outcome."

"Suguru-san... please. You're the only hope I have left."

"I'm serious, Shuuko!" Ebisuko snapped, clenching her fists. "Stop all this!"

Shuuko twirled a piece of her nearly white hair around her finger. "Stop it? Why..." She then grinned like some mad woman, causing Ebisuko shivers down her spine. "I've only just begun!"

"Shuuko..." Ebisuko had never been so afraid in her life.

"Ebisuko, you think your whining and your begging is going to make me drop all my plans and go back to being a good little girl that kisses your ass?" Shuuko asked, quietly, her smile now more tamed, less devious. "Well, it's a little too late, don't you think...?" Shuuko gave the den's door a little push, allowing Ebisuko to see more of Seichii's corpse.

"I--I never wanted you to praise me! I never once wanted to make you feel inferior!" Ebisuko shouted in her defense.

"I really don't care if you did or not," Shuuko snorted, her face dark, stern, as if she were looking down at Ebisuko like some unworthy insect. "My plans for dominating HMI begin now--and your life ends here."

"Shuuko!!"

"What's going on!?"

Shuuko and Ebisuko looked aside; down the end of the hall, Lukus, in his pajamas, had come running towards them. All the servants had slept downstairs except for Lukus. Shuuko growled angrily; she was tired of being interrupted. "Go back to bed, old man," she hissed, sending an invisible force as strong as a hurricane's gale at the butler.

Lukus gasped and cried as he flew clear back down the hall and into his room, the doors slamming shut. Shuuko held back her hand, examining her fingernails. "Damn. I'll have to alter that idiot's memory in the morning," she grumbled, sounding as if doing so was as simple as giving him a little smack on the hand.

"Shuuko... You could have killed him..." Ebisuko whispered, shaking her head. "You poisoned mother, putting her in this state... Then you went and killed Seichii, then Hana-san... And now you've harmed another human being..."

"It's not like there's only a few of them," Shuuko muttered, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, Shuuko stepped back when Ebisuko's obsidian stone glowed an intense white light. The stone then flew off its chain and turned into an orb of light of the same color and intensity, floating above her head; it was her hoshi-no-tama. With freeing her source of power, Ebisuko had also freed her two black tails and fox ears.

"Soooo, you really were serious when you said you were gonna try and stop me," Shuuko sniggered, mildly impressed by the show of powers. Ebisuko rarely ever let loose her kitsune side.

"I said I'd make you pay! And you will!" Ebisuko snapped, the aura around her body glowing a dark black.

Shuuko smiled as she twirled another lock of hair around her long, thin finger. "You want to fight, do you?" she smirked. The diamond on Shuuko's necklace glowed just as strong as Ebisuko's, detaching itself to float above her head in an orb of silvery light. From her ears sprouted fox ones, and uncoiled two white tails from beneath her dress.

"Then we'll fight!" Shuuko laughed, once again that look of madness across her face. Ebisuko rose her fists and spread her legs, getting into a battle stance. "First off," Shuuko said, touching the nearby wall; it slowly began to glow a bright silver light. "We shouldn't fight here. Other oh so precious humans could get harmed, and I certainly don't want to waste time finding new servants."

Ebisuko watched suspiciously as the silver light engulfed the entire house, but yet it could not be seen by human eyes. Ebisuko squinted her own eyes as she looked back at her sister; the spirit ball was glowing so brightly, it was blinding her and keeping most of Shuuko hidden in its light.

However, Ebisuko did get to see her Cheshire cat grin.

"See you on the other side."

Ebisuko blinked before screaming when the ground beneath her gave away. She fell down three stories, frantically trying to grab something. But with a painful 'oomph,' she fell right on her rear on the bottom floor. She sat there for a moment, hissing in pain, her kitsune ears flattened.

"Ebi... Ebisu... sama..."

Ebisuko gasped and looked back quickly. Only a few feet away laid the maid Hana, covered in glass and blood. "Ebisuko... sama..." Hana croaked, staring black eyed at the ceiling. Ebisuko was shocked; she was still alive!

"Hana-san! Hana-san!" she gasped. She crawled over to her side, taking one of her bleeding hands in her own. Hana stared at the ceiling for another moment before slowly looking over at Ebisuko. Ebisuko smiled brightly, heaving a sigh of relief. "Thank God..."

"Shu... Shuuko... Shuuko-sama... she... she kil..." Hana stopped to cough painfully. Blood dribbled from her mouth as she continued quietly, "... Killed the Master."

Ebisuko frowned. "I know..." she whispered, squeezing Hana's hand tightly.

Hana coughed again. "She... she killed him... with... impaled..."

Ebisuko could only watch her, sadness and pity swelling in her heart.

Hana rose a hand. "Then she... she then..." she gurgled. Ebisuko nodded; she was listening. Hana rose a hand towards Ebisuko's face. "... Did this..." Then, Hana's once trembling, bloody hand, was now grasping Ebisuko's throat tightly.

Ebisuko gagged and dropped the maid's other hand, grasping at the one at her throat. Hana remained looking calm, blank and dazed as she throttled the girl she served. "... She killed him... in the throat with..."

"H-aa--Hana!" Ebisuko gasped.

Hana blinked, before a smile that almost reached ear to ear crossed her face. "Would you like to die with the Master?" she giggled, squeezing Ebisuko's throat tighter.

"Haa... Hana..." Ebisuko wheezed. She dug her fingernails into Hana's hand, but she felt nothing.

"Come! Die with me! The afterworld isn't so scary! Once you get used to all the screaming! You feel like you truly belong!" Hana cackled, but it borderlined screaming.

"HANA!!" Ebisuko shouted, terrified and all most out of air. She let go of one of the hands and held out her own at Hana. Whispering something, she shot a small flame right in Hana's face. Hana shrieked in pain, released Ebisuko and convulsed furiously on the floor. Her screams were so demonic, they echoed with hundreds of others.

Ebisuko coughed as she painfully drew to her feet, taking a few steps back. "What... what're you...?" she grumbled, rubbing her throat. She could feel bruises forming.

"How cruel of you, Ebisuko-sama."

Ebisuko jumped and whirled around. Like some broken toy, Hana was crawling to her feet, her shattered bones crunching as she jolted her limbs around in some attempt to control them. The fire had faded, and Hana's face seemed to have melted off, the last of her liquid skin dripped from her chin.

Hana had two large, narrowed pure red eyes that looked like upside down smiles. No nose, no other features, but she had a large, gaping mouth of fangs. "You betray me after all I've done for you? I've been nothing but a loyal servant to you, and this is what I get in return? How cruel of you," Hana giggled, different tones, both high pitched and low, in her voice. Ebisuko shook her head; no, this couldn't be real...

"You're an ungrateful brat!" Hana shrieked, opening her mouth wide enough to reveal all three sets of pointed fangs. She leapt in the air with a roar, stretching her hands out for Ebisuko. Her arms had grown a couple feet longer, her once milky skin an ugly, wrinkled dark green; her fingers were no longer human, but four long jagged claws.

"No! You aren't Hana!" Ebisuko exclaimed, jumping back as the demon-Hana landed where she once stood, squatting there with her long arms and claws hagning beside her. Ebisuko narrowed her eyes; she knew Hana! Hana was a good person, a kind person... Besides, this was all Shuuko's fault...

"Away!!" Ebisuko commanded, holding out both her hands at the demon-Hana. Her energy ball glowed, before a bolt of light flew out of it and struck the creature right in the heart. Demon-Hana flailed and screamed for an entire minute before with a loud 'pop,' she turned into nothing but ash. The ash laid out on the floor in the shape of a human body, and with a cold wind, it blew away, revealing the real Hana still laying there, dead, bloody and wide eyed.

Ebisuko sighed heavily; at least that was over with. She gasped again when her surroundings changed; everything was turning black. The tiled floor, the stairs, Hana's body, everything was now covered in darkness. Ebisuko suddenly felt very cold, and very scared.

"You almost fell for that illusion! But, you made it! Good for you!"

Ebisuko whirled around and saw Shuuko standing two yards away in the middle of this endless dark void. She was grinning pleasantly, her star ball glowing softly above her head like a halo. Ebisuko grit her teeth and clenched her fists. "That was a horrible thing you did!" she snapped.

"God, when will you realize everything I've done up until poisoning mother is wicked!?" Shuuko sighed. She then shrugged. "Well, we certainly can't be fighting in the house, now can we? You know what mother said..." she broke off in a giggle. Ebisuko did not find it funny. "Regardless, we don't want to involve anyone. This is between you and I. I've managed to open a portal to a vacant dimension. It'll be a perfect place for us to fight."

"Just remember..." Shuuko pulled back some of her hair. "Since I opened and summoned this realm, it obeys my powers."

"Let's just get this over with!" Ebisuko growled, her tight fists shaking with rage.

"Very well," Shuuko purred. "Kitsune bi."

She held her hands out in front of her, a beautiful fire of blue and white pouring from her palms. The blue fire started to fall, like water, onto the ground before suddenly lifting and raising to the ceiling. It wound round and round in circles, until a minute later, it resembled something of a spiral staircase.

Shuuko dropped her hands, and her orb's glowing went down a notch. "See you upstairs," she whispered. She winked at Ebisuko then walked up the staircase of harmless fire. There was no visible ceiling, but after climbing about twenty feet up the stairs, Shuuko suddenly walked right into the darkness like a door and was gone.

A cautious minute later, Ebisuko ran over to the fiery staircase. Before she could take a single step on it, the fire howled, curled into a ball and flew at Ebisuko. Ebisuko quickly crossed her arms over her face, forming a shield; the fire hit an invisible force, separating it and the young kitsune by mere inches. Ebisuko waited for the fire to die out before dropping her arms, and ultimately the shield.

"Guess I'll have to make my own," she spat. Ebisuko held out her hands, just as her sister had done. "Kitsune bi!" And like before, fire the color of blue and white appeared from Ebisuko's hands and made a staircase leading her to Shuuko.

Ebisuko wasted no time running up the spiral staircase, her energy ball bouncing in the air behind her. All she could think of as she came closer to the darkness where Shuuko had disappeared was how angry, and terrified, she was.

Ebisuko suddenly stepped out onto solid ground, having reached the top of the staircase. She looked around; she was no longer in the dark void. It looked like she was on a wide rooftop in a deserted city. Infact, her surroundings were all the roof tops of buildings. Had she gone back into the real world...? No, Shuuko would not risk that. This dimension only took on the form of its owner's desire.

"See you made it!"

Ebisuko looked up. Shuuko was standing on top of a roof about two stories higher next to the one she was on. A cold wind blew, swishing both her long, glowing hair and fox tails to and fro. Her little star ball looked like an extra full moon above her. "For a moment, I thought you were going to run back to bed, hoping this was all a bad dream," she giggled, keeping her bangs out of her eyes.

"All right, Shuuko! I'm here, let's do this!" Ebisuko shouted.

"Much agreed," Shuuko purred, "it's about time you died."

Ebisuko was wide eyed at the comment, but even more when Shuuko shot a bolt of white/blue fire at her. Ebisuko jumped back, the rod of fire flying past her and into the ground, where it burst into a bloom of flames before disappearing.

Ebisuko turned back around, gasping to see Shuuko in her face. Shuuko smirked, before sending a fist into Ebisuko's stomach. As Ebisuko bent down to cradle her aching belly, Shuuko gave her an upper cut under the chin. Ebisuko's head jerked up and backwards, causing her to fall over.

"I'm not really into fighting with fists, but I've always wanted to do that," Shuuko chortled, massaging her knuckles.

Ebisuko sat up, rubbing her bright red chin. She growled at her sister, before rolling to her feet, sending a ball of bright blue fire at her. Shuuko merely tossed it aside with her shielded arm, where it flew high into the air, disappearing. Ebisuko bit her lip, trying to think of another spell. The one she had used would have definitely knocked Shuuko down, but do her no real harm.

"Please," Shuuko spat, disappointed. She opened one of her hands; a group of yen-sized orbs of light floated above her hand. "That was just pathetic!" She then threw her hand forward, unleashing the little orbs of light.

Despite how small they were, they moved fast and could do just as much damage as a bullet could if it hit the target. Ebisuko rose her shield again, watching six of them burn out once they hit it. However, one of the bullets of light flew above her, then turned around, flying for her back. Ebisuko could feel the power closing in and quickly turned. She was about to destroy the orb of light, but it stopped instantly.

"You forget..."

Ebisuko screamed when the remaining five orbs of light hit her in the back, slicing up her skin and leaving giant bruises. Ebisuko wobbled about, trying to stand. She reached her hand back, touching a bloody cut on her shoulder.

"Reall bullets can only go within a straight line towards their appointed target," Shuuko explained with a wink, "but these know how to strategize. They're all pieces of my own chi; I figured you'd know that. Sad, it is, that you fell for that decoy's trick and turned to it when the others were flying right at you."

Ebisuko said nothing but scowled. Her energy ball floated against her back, its glow slowly healing the wounds. Before it could finish up the last bruise, Shuuko sent down another invisible force at Ebisuko that knocked her off her feet and onto her knees, the ball quickly darting away. The force had been so strong, it had bent the bricks beneath her feet.

"Don't think you can just have the time to make yourself up between fights," Shuuko tsked. With another wave of her hand, more of her energy thrust down at Ebisuko. Ebisuko had rolled away this time, twice in fact, leaving behind two holes in the ground where she had once laid.

Ebisuko jumped to her feet, shooting another fireball at Shuuko. Shuuko rose her hand, shield dissipating the flame. Ebisuko growled and continued to toss, one by one, more fireballs. Shuuko just stood there, smiling as she watched the fireballs become extinguished the moment they hit her hand, the five inch thick shield over top of it.

Ebisuko panted, her hoshi-no-tama glow dimming just slightly. She knew she was using too much power. Not all she had, but too much at once. "All you can do is use fireballs?" Shuuko snickered against her hand. Ebisuko ignored her, trying to catch her breath.

"Let me show you one of my favorite tricks," Shuuko cooed. Ebisuko watched as Shuuko pressed her hands together, palm against palm. She whispered something softly, before pulling her hands apart, a thin line of blue fire in between, coming out of each palm. Finally, she lifted one hand and grasped the broken end of the six foot long string of light. She gave it a nice crack; now she had herself a whip of fire.

"This will cause some interesting pain," Shuuko taunted, stroking the fiery whip. She then jumped down from her roof top, cracking her whip at Ebisuko. Ebisuko rose a hand to turn on her shield before the whip snapped on her arm, coiling around it. Ebisuko wailed before she was yanked four feet forward, falling face first into the ground.

"Ahahahahha!" Shuuko laughed victoriously, releasing Ebisuko's arm and holding back her whip. "That was quite a lot of fun!!" Then, again, she struck at Ebisuko.

Ebisuko was quick to recover this time, and used a sharp piece of her shield to slice the whip in half, making it disappear. Shuuko looked stunned, for only a moment, as her whip faded from her hand.

Ebisuko took this moment to regain her balance and stand. She crossed her arms over one another three times as quick as possible. Each time, she sent out a ring of light. Shuuko grunted when one of the rings wrapped around her legs tightly, the other around the waist and the third around her torso, holding down her arms to her sides.

"I command you to stop all of this!" Ebisuko ordered, pointing at her bound sister.

Shuuko grunted before it turned into a snarled smirk. "I just noticed something!" she giggled. With a quiver of her body and all her strength, she broke free of the rings, turning them to bits of glitter. Ebisuko was only mildly surprised. "You're only using defensive magic!"

Ebisuko said nothing; she only held her hand up for another attack.

"Are you refusing to use your offensive magic against me? Because I'm your dear half-sister? How kind and thoughtful!" Shuuko inquired, mocking gratitude in her voice. She then grinned all her pearly white teeth and generated more orbs of light. "Even more stupid, however. You really are an idiot. If you want to go out like some sort of pitied martyr or hero, then just die here and now."

Shuuko tossed the orbs of light at Ebisuko. Ebisuko hopped back, grabbing her star ball in her hands. She stretched it out in front of her, forming a shield of bright light. She held it up and out, shielding herself from any of the orbs of light. One of the orbs tried attacking her from behind, or so she would think, but she set up her barrier quickly. She swished back one hand that sent another shard of her barrier to break off and stab the orb of light straight in the core, making it disappear.

Once all the orbs were gone, Ebisuko ran a few feet forward before squatting and jumping high into the air. Shuuko watched her as she backed away, Ebisuko landing perfectly on her feet in front of her. Ebisuko glared at her with fire burning in her eyes, before sending a fireball at her older half-sister.

Shuuko had been shocked by Ebisuko escaping the orbs of light that the fire knocked her in the shoulder, sending her flying six feet backwards into the air. Shuuko quickly curled into a ball, landed on her hands and flipped up on her feet. She growled angrily as she struck her arm to the side, sending a boomarang-shaped fireball at Ebisuko.

Ebisuko tossed her own fireball at Shuuko's; the two clashed, blowing up. Soft winds flew in all directions before calming again. "You pulled a fast one on me, Ebisuko," Shuuko chuckled, grasping her bruised shoulder. She rose her other hand at the younger kitsune. "But I refuse to let a twerp like you beat me."

"I'll make you realize what evil you've done! I'll make you pay!" Ebisuko seethed. She gathered her hands together, forming a small fireball between them; as her hands spread farther open, the fireball grew larger and larger, until it was the size of a basketball. Ebisuko grunted and tossed the large fireball at Shuuko. If hit by it, it would be more than enough to knock her out.

"I've heard this speech all before," Shuuko muttered. She lifted a hand, shouting, "Deflect!!"

A white shield flew over her body; when the fireball hit it, it bounced off the shield and flew right back at Ebisuko. Ebisuko gasped, before her star ball bounced in front of her, absorbing the power.

"Enough with all this. Let's settle it a little more personally," Shuuko snickered, reaching a hand into her spirit ball. Slowly, from the orb, she removed a beautiful, shining katana, its blade a pure ivory white. She struck it to the side, cutting the air with a quick whipping noise. "This way, there's more of your blood to be shed."

Ebisuko winced at her comment, but it made her even more determined to stop Shuuko. "Fine," she spat. Ebisuko reached into her energy ball and pulled out her own katana; its blade, however, was as dark as night. Ebisuko held it across herself so Shuuko could see her own dark reflection. "If this is the only way..."

"Of course..." Shuuko retorted. Then, with an angry battle cry, Shuuko flew at Ebisuko with her sword raised. Ebisuko quickly lifted hers, both the swords striking one another with an angry 'pang.' Shuuko jumped back on her feet, then dove forward again, the tip of the katana aimed for Ebisuko's chest.

Ebisuko turned quickly and slammed her sword against Shuuko's. Shuuko yanked back her sword, took a moment to find a position, then struck again. Ebisuko blocked the sword with her own once more, shoving it back along with Shuuko. Ebisuko squatted half way before jumping up and landing back on the roof behind her.

"You going to run!?" Shuuko cackled, rubbing her sore shoulder. She ran across the roof top then leapt off, landing gracefully on the roof next to Ebisuko. Ebisuko turned, their swords clashing against one another again.

Ebisuko and Shuuko continued to duel, striking their katana left and right, constantly hitting the other, scraping metal with metal. "I'll tell you something interesting, Ebisuko," Shuuko grunted as her blade once again smacked against Ebisuko's. Ebisuko just focused on the sword fight, pretending not to be listening.

"You know our mother is a Korean kitsune? The kimho, or nine-tailed kitsune. They are the most notorious, dangerous types in all of Asia," Shuuko informed; she growled as she attempted to stab Ebisuko in the shoulder, but the black sword pushed it away.

"Kimho are known to kill, maim and eat their loved ones. They want nothing but wealth and power!" Shuuko continued. She giggled as she quickly whirled around like a ballerina to miss a slice of Ebisuko's katana. "They're nothing but evil, demonic monsters. Yet, they live up in Tengoku with the other celestial kitsune as if they deserve a place in Heaven. Imagine; the lowest of scum dining with the gods themselves!"

"Don't talk about mother like that...!" Ebisuko fumed, bringing her sword down on Shuuko. Shuuko crossed her blade over her chest, blocking and shoving it back.

"What's so great about her? Koryu kitsune are considered the most foul, yet kimho do exactly why they do!" Shuuko barked, offended. The banging of their swords echoed like thunder. "The only difference is the madness koryu tend to suffer from. Did you know that? Most koryu are born insane."

"That's just an excuse to justify what you've done!" Ebisuko yelled bitterly. She screamed when she found her back pinned against a nearby wall. Shuuko's katana was pressed against Ebisuko's, whose was inches from her chest. If Shuuko pushed hard enough, she would make Ebisuko's own blade be the death of her.

Shuuko's dark grin loomed over the grunting, younger kitsune. "What makes matters worse... the blood that runs in my veins belongs to both kimho and koryu. The madness, the lust, the insanity, the greed... The curse of this blood is ten times stronger. All of it has been amplified. You'd think for a moment I'd feel dirty and ashamed..."

Ebisuko gasped when she felt her own sword touch her chest and slowly slice through her shirt. Shuuko leaned in to get face to face with her, eye to eye. Her grin was mad, her entire expression was insane. "... But I'm quite proud of being fucking crazy!" she laughed, before jumping back and holding out her katana, running forward to run it through Ebisuko.

Ebisuko, however, was quick. She jumped up into the air, landing on the tip of Shuuko's sword. Shuuko was indeed surprised. Ebisuko once again jumped into the air, over Shuuko and landed behind her. Both her and Shuuko turned at the same time, and found both their katanas pointed at each others throats.

It was silence then, not a single noise. Nothing but the two staring at one another. Waiting for one of them to take the dare and plunge forward. Ebisuko was glaring, but Shuuko was smiling. "Your hand is shaking..." she whispered, looking down Ebisuko's hand holding the weapon. Ebisuko did not look, but she knew; the sword was practically quivering.

"Can you kill me, Ebisuko?" Shuuko asked, in such a soft, thoughtful voice. It made Ebisuko wince. "Go on, you can do it. However, that's if I strike at the same time. Then we'd both die," she giggled. This only made Ebisuko shake even more. A minute passed, before a look of disgust crossed Shuuko's face.

"You really are pathetic."

Ebisuko screamed when Shuuko's free hand had shot a rod of fire at her, and it now was stuck in her leg. Ebisuko fell over, clutching her bleeding leg, the rod still deeply embedded in her limb. The fire stung as she tried to pull it out. But she risked the burns on her hands, and pulled with all her might.

"HMI will belong to me, and only me," Shuuko snapped, pointing her sword at Ebisuko. Ebisuko looked up at her, then the sword, blinking. Shuuko let the katana go, causing it to disappear. Her hoshi-no-tama glowed even brighter than before. Ebisuko knew that was a bad sign, and started working faster on pulling out the burning rod.

"I'll become rich and popular. Everyone will love me. And then, I'll expand HMI, and make it the only mining company in Japan," Shuuko chuckled, before a bolt of light struck Ebisuko from her star ball. Ebisuko cried and fell back a few feet, a bloody gash across her stomach. She sat up very slowly, one hand on her bleeding stomach, the other still holding onto the rod in her leg.

"I'll soon have companies crawling at my feet, begging for jobs! I'll have people who'd die to touch me, Ebisuko!" Shuuko laughed with that aforementioned madness twinkling in her eye. Ebisuko shivered; she could see Shuuko's body trembling. Not out of fear or anger, but pure euphoria. "This entire country will fall to their knees before me!! And who knows--with my powers, I could take this entire company, my power to a whole new level!" she cackled, her eyes wide as her insane smile, hands shaking tremendously.

"Shuuko..." Ebisuko coughed. She bit her tongue, a cry echoing deep in her throat as she finally pulled the rod of fire out of her leg. She tossed it aside, looking at her shaking, burnt hand. The rod of fire disappeared right before it could hit the ground. Ebisuko looked up at her older half-sister, who was grinning all her teeth, lost in her own little world of fantasy and dementia.

"Shuuko... you're not right..." Ebisuko murmured. She tried standing up, but failed. "You're sick, Shuuko... something's wrong... You need help..." She grimaced again as she used what was left of her strength and energy to crawl to her feet, limping about before falling against the brick chimney branching out of the roof.

Shuuko stopped laughing, and for a brief moment, looked outraged with offense. Ebisuko braced herself, despite her wounded, bleeding leg. Then, Shuuko smiled again, and chuckled ever so sweetly, so nicely. "There is..." Shuuko walked over to Ebisuko, who struggled to limp away, but could only move back a few inches. Shuuko leaned closer to her face and finished what she had to say "... No cure for insanity."

Ebisuko shrieked when she flew backwards into the air, landing on her ass right at the edge of the roof. She gasped as her arm flailed, causing her to fall off the side of the roof. Quickly, she grabbed onto the corner, holding on tightly. She looked down below her; there was a thick fog a little over a hundred feet below that covered any sign of any street or bottom. She swallowed loudly, her heart racing.

"Well!"

Ebisuko snapped her head back up, Shuuko standing on the edge right in front of her hands. "This is quite the predicament you're in," she sniggered, brushing back some of her long hair.

"Shuuko! Help me! Please!" Ebisuko begged, digging her fingers into the cement.

"Help you? Did you forget I'm trying to kill you, dear sister?" Shuuko snorted, rolling her eyes. She kneeled down, getting closer to the panting black kitsune. "I was going to personally rip you to shreds, but now I have a much better idea..."

Ebisuko watched as Shuuko stood straight again and took a step back. She felt entirely helpless, her tails swishing by her dangling legs. Her hoshi-no-tama was busy healing up the wound in her leg to do anything else. It was the first step if she wanted to do anything else either way.

Shuuko pressed her hands together, her aura turning an icy white. Her fox ears pricked up as her two pure white tails rose. She shut her eyes and exclaimed in an ethereal voice, "Demon Gate of the Northeast that mine blood guards. Open yourself unto me!"

Shuuko struck out her hand, shooting out a black gas like substance that formed an ugly, hissing face. Ebisuko turned her head away as it brushed past her face and down below her. A second later, there was a low groan and Ebisuko felt wind at her ankles. She quickly glanced down and gasped.

A giant black hole had suddenly appeared only a few feet beneath her, growing larger and larger. One by one, clawed, deformed hands reached out, grabbing for her. "I think this is a much better fate, don't you? More wicked," Shuuko snickered behind one hand like a little girl. She sneered then and said to Ebisuko, "You'll be taken straight to Jigoku, a place people like you are found to be the most delicate." She gave her lips a slow lick to emphasize.

"SHUUKO! STOP THIS!" Ebisuko begged, clawing at the cement, trying to pull herself back on the roof. "Akane--Kaze--!"

"Don't worry about them," Shuuko assured softly, "they'll be kept safe and alive... so long as you're out of the picture."

Ebisuko widened her eyes. The thought of Shuuko harming their little brother and sister...

"Time to say goodbye, sweet sister," Shuuko whistled, giving her a salute. Ebisuko opened her mouth to plead, before Shuuko angrily stomped on her hands.

"Uwaaah!" the younger kitsune cried, hands reclutantly letting go and causing her to fall. A second later, hundreds of slimy hands held onto every part of her, groping and clawing. Ebisuko could see Shuuko's grin as she slowly disappeared into the hole to Hell. "Shuuko--!" She reached out her hand free, reaching for her sister, before two more pulled it back inside. That was the last thing Ebisuko saw before one hand grabbed her by the face and pulled her completely inside.

Shuuko watched the portal gurgle, before with a hit of her chi, it snarled painfully and forced itself closee. She stood there, her surroundings disappearing, until she was now back in the mansion by the den. "Well, that's over with," she sighed in relief, brushing hair behind her ear.

She then turned and grinned as she looked into the den, right at Seichii's body. "You and I have some business to attend to..." she purred, tugging at her shirt. As she stepped into the room, her body quivered like broken water and the next moment, she was now disguised as Seichii himself.

~~~

Ebisuko's entire being was in pain. Her lungs prickled, it was hard to breath. Her limbs, her muscles, every sinew in her body felt as if it were being ripped apart. Her eyes burnt, she tasted blood in her mouth. She tried screaming, but no voice left her throat. Slowly, those cold and yet burning hands were leading her farther and father down the tunnel, closer and closer to Jigoku.

Ebisuko shut her eyes tightly. This... this would be the end?

Just then, she had an idea.

Snapping open her eyes, Ebisuko looked back up, her hoshi-no-tama darting this way and that, avoiding being touched but following its master nonetheless. Ebisuko managed to sit up, holding her hand out for her power ball. The energy ball felt her chi adjust and quickly dodged a hand to fly at her.

The star ball landed in her hand just as one of the slimy green ones grasped her wrist. Ebisuko squeaked, before squeezing onto the hoshi-no-tama as tightly as possible. The ball stretched out into a long rod, before turning into a solid, black blade katana. Ebisuko took in a deep breath of the sulfur scented air, before, with a little wriggling, stabbed the sword into the side of the fleshy, black portal.

The tunnel seemed to moan like a hollow wind, each hand letting her go to shake and writhe with pain. Ebisuko swung upward with the help of her sword, before shoving the blade in farther. The walls of the portal were much like human flesh, black and green blood splurting from its wound. The portal continued to cry in pain. Then, with one last jerk, the portal ripped open and Ebisuko quickly crawled out.

"Eegh!"

Ebisuko's body felt a lot lighter, and it was easier to breath. She opened her eyes, noticing she was high in the air. The last of her energy finally gave way and slowly, her eyes shut and she fell unconscious, her hoshi-no-tama and kitsune attributes disappearing.

Ebisuko was falling head first towards the Earth. Closer and closer, the pavement coming into clear view. Just before her life could end--

"Oooou! Shiiit!"

Ebisuko's fall had been broken.

Laying out next to her was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a blue sweater and jeans. He sat up, rubbing the lump growing on top of his head beneath his messy shag of dark brown hair. He was a handsome boy, his soft brown eyes now looking at Ebisuko's unconscious form.

"You're lucky I caught you," he grunted. He continued to rub his sore head, having fallen over himself from the impact when he caught Ebisuko. He couldn't help but stare at the girl with intrigue...

"Oniichan! Come on! We're gonna be late... huh?"

A minute later, a pretty girl in a red seifuku uniform appeared by his side. "Where'd she come from?" she asked, pointing at Ebisuko.

The man chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "She sorta... fell from the sky."

"Don't even joke like that!" the younger girl gasped, horrified. She noticed how bruised Ebisuko was, not to mention a couple of her wounds. "Sh--shit! We need to call an ambulance! Uh, uh, uh, uh, ph--phone! Phone!" she wibbled, stomping in one place up and down. She then cheered when she saw a pay phone down the street. "I'll--I'll be right back!" she babbled before dashing off to the phone.

The boy nodded before a glow shimmered beside him. He looked back at Ebisuko and squeaked, jumping in his seat. Ebisuko's entire body glimmered, shrinking away; when the light lifted, Ebisuko was in her true form: a beautiful, lean dark black fox.

"What...?"

The man was confused, staring at the fox. The fox which was once a girl. He noticed her two tails, and remembered the kitsune lore...

"Oniichan!! I need yen to--!"

When the boy's sister returned, she was surprised to see Ebisuko gone and her brother standing with a bundle in his jacket. "Where'd she go!? Huh!? Huh!?" she cried, leaping around her brother, looking this way and that.

"She, uhh, just took off, is all..." her brother chuckled.

"In her condition!?"

"Y-yeah, I know..."

"Ah, MAN."

The young girl, Nyanko, sighed heavily. "I'm beginning to think she was never even there..." she grumbled. She took a moment to contemplate before snapping, "Right then! We're gonna miss the parade! Let's go, Aburage-niichan!" She grabbed her brother by the arm and dragged him down the street.

"O--okay! Careful!" Aburage laughed, while he kept the little black fox tucked under his jacket in his other arm.

~~~

To Be Continued

:
Kitsune Powers: Though I read they are not associated with any element, they commonly seem to be seen around fire a lot, hence why they used fire for their attacks. They also have the power of illusion and manipulation.
Kitsune Bi: A trail of blue fire made by kitsunes leading to disaster. The kitsune bi in this wasn't the fire they fought with, but rather the spiral staircases they made.
Demon Gate of the Northeast: Kitsunes are said to be guardians of this gate that leads to the demon world. They ward off its evil energy known as kimon. Kimon will be used more often later down the line; Shuuko's little ugly faced smoke puff was supposed to be a little bit of kimon to open the gate.
Hoshi-no-tama: While once source says this spear is the source of their powers, I made up the whole thing about them being able to absorb powers/used as a weapon or hell, pulling a katana from them.
Nyanko: Nyan is the sound a cat makes. Ko, as discussed, can mean girl. It's just kinda of a cute little kitty-like name.
Aburage: fried tofu. There's a reason why he's got this bogus name. XD