Ice Fangs[]
A young woman with long blue hair in a blue Kimono was riding the wind, freezing the land as she traveled and causing it to know. She had picked up the scent of a fellow Kitsune and was eager to investigate.
In fact, that Kitsune would be found in a form she herself was in - human.
On a cliff overlooking an unknown village, a red-haired man, dressed in what looked like samurai attire, was calmly sleeping in the warm grass. His expression looked rather content as he slept on his back, arms folded across his chest. His long red hair was scattered across the ground from his head.
Fuyuko began to descend, having spotted her quarry far below her. With her, snow began to fall over the man's head, Fuyuko's signal of arrival.
He instantly awakened.
For normal circumstances, the look in his pale, yellow eyes would be enough to make the victim paralyze out of sheer fear. Once those eyes snapped open, a dark and killer aura seeped from his body, constantly and at a horrifying rate. Slowly, he got up from his position on the ground and looked upwards at the source that awoke him.
Then, those cold eyes narrowed dangerously, and a slight scowl appeared on his face as his nostrils inhaled the female's scent. His hands clenched slowly into fists. However, to greeting to the woman, he only spoke three words, all that were needed to explain his feelings.
"Back off, woman."
Fuyuko's eyes widened. "Nice way to greet someone bouya." She said, obviously not intimidated by the man.
"Are you deaf?" His cold tone had not left his voice. "I'm telling you to disappear from my sight. I don't associate myself with you Kitsune maggots."
"You smell enough like a Kitsune yourself." Fuyuko pointed out. "What's your name?"
The man chuckled humorlessly. "After what their kind did to me, I don't consider myself to be a part of them anymore." He replied dismissively. "And as for my name... Tenko Juusei."
"Fuyukodachi." The woman replied. "It's nice to make your acquaintance. Although you smell like a Kitsune, you look to be human. How did you come to be like this?"
A sneer came across Tenko's face. "I would say the same for you, woman. You have the scent of them, and yet you look like you do. Why bother to concern yourself with how I look?" He retorted.
"I was reincarnated." Fuyuko replied. "But I managed to hang onto my memories of my past life. You obviously weren't reincarnated or you wouldn't sound so resentful. So I'm curious."
Once again, Tenko chuckled, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "Then you don't know that curiosity..." He stated, both amusement and a chill dripping from his tone. "Can be a very...fatal... quality."
"Now really bouya." Fuyuko said in a scolding tone. "Human Men are supposed to be nice to women. Or didn't you learn that?"
Tenko's sneer faded to the lesser smirk, and he tilted his head to the side inquisitively. "Who said I was human?" He mocked, a bit of dry teasing in his voice. Strangely now, his inital hostility had faded, replaced by amusement. "Or did you hit your way on the way here, woman?"
"Least you could do is answer my questions." Fuyuko sighed. "I didn't come all the way out here for no reason."
The humor in Tenko's face faded, replaced a stoic expression. "...the Kitsune sealed me in this form for crimes against their realm I didn't commit." He said, his tone low and choleric. He scoffed. "Hmph! The ignorant bastards should know better, and the real criminal's free to do whatever he wants."
"Hmmm.. I'd say it was an improvement." Fuyuko said slyly. "You must look alot better as a human than you would have an an Kitsune."
If he was a lesser man, he would've blushed and/or panicked. But, yellow eyes widening slightly, Tenko cocked an eyebrow and smirked once more. "You trying to come on to me, woman? You should know better..." He replied, amusement showing in his voice.
Fuyuko let out a short bark of a laugh. "Consider it a compliment." She replied grinning. She looked up to see the weather she was causing intensify slightly.
Tenko's yellow eyes looked up towards the sky, feeling the chill onto his skin as the wind came into contact with him. His red, flowing hair blew behind him, and he lowered his head a bit, giving himself a rather majestic and authoritative appearance. "Such cold winds... you're her, aren't you?" He questioned. "The Ice Kitsune..."
"Was her." Fuyuko replied. "I died quite awhile ago. I'm surprised anyone remembers who I am."
"It's not hard. A Kitsune like her was quite memorable and unique in its traits and abilties. I even remember how the way she acted..." Tenko boasted. "She loved to fight, did she not?"
"Good times." Fuyuko agreed. "Would you care to spar with me while I'm here?"
"You read my mind, woman."
With that single statement, Tenko raised his hands up, fist curled into the opposite palm as if he was cracking his knuckles. "But don't expect me to hold back, even against you." He said, the cold tone returning to his voice full-force.
"I'd be furious if you did bouya." She replied, smiling. "Ladies first." She formed the seals Tiger, Snake and Ram and extended her hands. "Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountains!" She cried, expelling a mass of wind from her hand to blast Tenko.
His hands moving rapidly, Tenko moved to utilize a wind technique of his own. When he got to the final seal, he uttered his own command: "Wind Release: Full-Body Shockwave." The result: a column of wind surrounding him, with the ferocity of a miniature tornado.
When the offensive winds collided with the defensive, they simply added onto the strength of the tornado. With a smirk, Tenko thrust his hands forward. The tornado split into five seperate ones, each rushing at Fuyako with immense speed and power.
"Ice Release: Stalagmite!!" She cried, forming seals and thrusting her hand to the ground and causing diamond-hard stalagmite spears to burst from the ground, acting as a shield.
The winds slammed into the stalagmites with all force behind them, dispelling after a short minute of struggle. Thanks to their hardened nature, they were able to withstand the immense pressure that otherwise would've crushed Fuyuko into pieces. But Tenko didn't stop there, charging right towards the stalagmites like a mad bull.
WHAM!
CRUNCH!
His Kitsune strength was able to send him through one of the stalagmites and right to Fuyuko, his body crouched to the ground for a split second. However, he rose up again, his strength backing him up once more as he threw a punch right for her face.
The moment his fist connected to her face, she burst into water and dropped onto the ground in a puddle.
"Substitution...." Tenko thought, a scowl forming onto his face once more. "All right, where are you...." His senses kicked in, and his eyes searched around, looking for any sign of movement in the area.
What was moving however, was the only thing he wasn't paying attention to was the puddle on the ground, which began to creep up and it completely enveloped him within seconds. At the top of the water above his head, the watery figure of Fuyuko formed. "This wasn't a substitution." She said cheerfully. "It's the Hydration Technique."
"You clever bitch..." Tenko thought in loathing respect, fixing Fuyuko with a withering glare. "What is this supposed to do to me?" He demanded, immediately stopping his own breath shortly after.
"Drown you of course." Fuyuko replied. "I don't hesitate to kill an opponent you know."
Shutting his eyes and lowering his head down, Tenko spread his arms outward. Then, a violent burst of chakra burst from his body. "Imprisonment won't be enough to bring me to my death..." He gloated, the waters flying away from him as well as the figure of Fuyuko.
The water gathered in one spot and formed Fuyukodachi again. "Nice." She commented.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Tenko replied slyly, crossing his opposite fingers. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
Instantly, a dozen clones of himself spawned with a poof of smoke, and without hesitation, all of them rushed Fuyuko.
"Now now sweetie." She said in a sugary voice. "Haste makes waste they say." She held her hands back and ice needles grew from all ten fingers. "Ice Senbon." She launched them all at the oncoming clones, watching ten of them disperse leaving only two left to handle, plus the original.
By that point, they had managed to reach their opponent. But, despite having the majority of his clones taken out, Tenko held a sneer on his face as he raised a finger up. "There's only one thing I say to that, woman..."
Only one word.
"Boom."
BOOM!
The two shadow clones that were left instantly exploded, taking Fuyuko with them in a combined and violent explosion.
When the smoke cleared, Fuyuko was still standing, though she had sight burns. "Wow. That was hot." She said, brushing hair out of her face.
Tenko frowned, though he couldn't say he was expecting more. Like him, she also had the Kitsune blood running through her. She would prove to be a tough opponent, indeed. "Then you haven't seen my Katon yet." He boasted, flipping through another set of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Unholy Fire."
With the Tiger seal formed to his lips, he exhaled a horizontal column of white fire straight for Fuyuko. With the heat coming off, it was easy to see that this was no regular Katon technique. It was much...much hotter.
"Ice Release: Shining Ice Wall!" She cried, and she pressed her hands to the ground, a large wall erupting from the ground and it met with the flames.
Now it was impossible to break through such a barrier.
Therefore, Tenko once again resorted to unorthodox tactics.
As soon as the wall reached the half-way point between the ground and its peak, Tenko stopped fueling the flames. The remainder of them had continued to hit against the wall, though to no avail. With them at work, even if for a second, it would provide a distraction for his next move.
He kicked himself into speed, vaulting himself over the wall and re-appearing right behind Fuyuko. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and in a devilish and fox-like manner, put his mouth closer to her ear. "If I must say..." He whispered slyly, using almost her exact words. "You look better up close."
Fuyuko's face reddened slightly but she pushed his hand off her shoulder and disregarded the compliment. "I never thought performing this technique would be so simple." She formed a unique seaL, and created a dome of twenty-one mirrors made out of ice to trap an Tenko. She walked into one of her mirrors and her reflection was cast around the others.
"Secret Technique of Water: Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors.." She whispered. "My trump card."
Knowing that he had allowed himself to slip into her hand once more, Tenko eyed his surroundings, particularly the reflections of Fuyuko that all stared at him with the same face. "Didn't I tell you before, woman?" He growled. "It'll take more than imprisonment to bring me to my death."
Fox and the Moon[]
"Who said this was just imprisonment?" She asked and blood spurted from Tenko's leg. "This is far beyond mere imprisonment."
Pain shot through the calf, but Tenko merely grunted. His mouth curved into a feral snarl, Kitsune instincts kicking in. "What the fuck?!" He thought, eyes darting around. "I didn't even get to see what it was!!!"
"You're welcome to try and fight me. But with your lack of a Mangekyou Sharingan, you won't stand a chance." She raised a needle, and suddenly Tenko was being cut all over, but it was short lived as the slashes ceased as suddenly as they began.
"Nnngh!!!"
Curse this damn fragile human body! The pain was now much more prominent, and he staggered randomly, feeling the slashes into his skin. The more cuts he felt, the more and more he was feeling like a cornered fox. His adrenaline began pumping, intensifying both his pain and his fury.
However, inside of his mind, he didn't give in just yet.
"Calm down..."
His narrowed eyes fell onto the mirrors. "My eyes are useless for this kind of fight." He thought, closing them. His chakra senses kicked in. "Such speed can only be trusted by my own senses... don't worry, Fuyuko. I'll find the real you!" He thought.
The Fuyuko's who surrounded him each drew out a kunai with an explosive tag. "You intend to fight?"
"I TIRE of this little game, woman." Tenko snarled, flipping through hand seals immediately. "It's time to smash these mirrors of yours!" Now, his rage could clearly be heard by his opponent, true feelings finally surfaced.
He got to the last seal. "Wind Release: Full-Body Shockwave!" He declared.
Once again, the frightening pillar surrounded him, seemingly extending into the sky. The proximity of Fuyuko to the ferocious winds was starting to blow the twelve mirros back. A bitter sense of satisfaction filled his veins as he looked on with disdain at the mirrors for one last time.
Then, he thrust his hands out, and the five seperate tornadoes smashed all of them into pieces.
Fuyuko instantly jumped out of her mirror and threw the kunai at Tenko.
However, two seperate tornadoes had caught both Fuyuko and the kunai in their clutches. When the kunai exploded, the tornado was immediately dispelled. The one with Fuyuko had tossed her with immense speed into the unforgiving ground and dispelled, leaving three of them left.
With nothing short of full-blown confidence, Tenko thrust his hands forward, sending the remaining three straight for his opponent in what seemed like a final finishing move.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" She formed seals and expelled a massive ball of wind at Tenko intending to blow him off the cliff.
"What a novice mistake."
Moving his hands, Tenko simply moved his hands, the tornadoes absorbing the wind blast equally. "You should've learned from the previous time I did this - these tornadoes are strengthened by your winds. That error is the last mistake you'll make."
The tornadoes had closed the gap between their prey.
"Say hello to the Ice Kitsune for me."
He spoke with an air of finality, the tornadoes slamming into her with their combined force.
But there was no scream, no spurt of blood. Only thing visible was a flash of dark blue and red. A large Chinese dragon was surrounding her, having shielded her from the attacks.
The dragon began to unwrap itself from around her as she stood up, blinking. "That was close.." She looked genuinely relieved to be alive. "Hyōrinmaru..get him.." She said, forming the seal of the dragon.
The Ice Dragon charging at Tenko
"....Damn you." Tenko said coldly, glaring intensely at both her and the dragon. His fists clenched, and his teeth was still bared in that frightening snarl. "DAMN YOU!"
The Dragon enveloped him and expanded, freezing him inside an ice obelisk. She sank to her knees..it seemed she had won..
PLOOSH!
Her victory would not last.
Instantly, another surge of chakra was felt, and the ice around Tenko shattered. The released chakra was like a storm to the area, curving and twisting pillars of it ripping through the ground. Slowly, Tenko rose to his feet once more. But now, his face had taken on a more feral appearance - whiskers were on his cheeks, and his nails and canine teeth had sharpened considerably.
"Congratulations, woman." He said, voice enhancing his feral look. "You've actually forced me into my Fox Mode, even if it was only needed for a moment. Now... you're at my mercy." Slowly, and purposefully, he walked towards her, hand drawing out one of the swords on his obi.
Fuyuko did not look intimated, but she did look curious. She could have drawn her own blade but what was the point of drawing out this battle? She walked up to him, matching his steps until they were face-to-face.
His eyes widened immediately, and he lowered his own sword, clearly stunned by her bold movements. "...Nani?" He questioned, his cold tone having a bit of bewilderment. "What are you trying to do?"
She smiled, a fox-like smile that enhanced the beauty on her face. "You're very interesting." She said quietly. "More interesting than anyone I've met so far."
"..." The man could bring himself to say nothing, only staring on with stoic eyes. The anger towards her was starting to dissipate, even as he continued to stare into the face of someone that he was trying so hard to slaughter. The whiskers slowly began to recede, and his eyes resumed their normal color.
Then, he closed his eyes and turned away. "Your interests are quite dangerous." He said calmly.
She turned his face back towards her and in a surprise move, presses her lips to his, but she broke off quickly. "I think I'll stick with you for awhile. Perhaps I can learn a few things."
A split second of surprise once again over took his features, before they faded once again into a stoic expression. "You sure you wish to do that, woman?" He asked warningly. "I walk a death-ridden path..."
"I just froze numerous humans to death on the way here to find you." She said stubbornly. "Do you think I have a problem with death?"
"Humans are not my target. The bastards of the Kitsune Realm are what I seek to destroy." The man stated, folding his arms across his chest.
"Still no problem with that." She said matter-of-factly. "I'll even help you if you want."
"I see..." For a moment, Tenko didn't speak, allowing the winds of her energies to whip his hair around slightly. Then, a slight smirk came across his place. "It would be most satisfying to have one of my own at my side to watch the traitors bathe in their own blood. If you want to stick around..."
Calmly, he parted from her and started to walk off. "Then follow me."
She began to float, her normal method of transport, and began to follow him. This would prove to be entertaining...
The End