Ch27 Blood and Tears
(Kagome POV)
"Once again I have to ask that are you absolutely sure for this?" I asked Shippō as we left the alcove, still concerned that he was about to risk himself for this plan to work.
"I will be fine, I have you backing me up anyway." He said, getting me to sigh.
"If you say so, just try not to wonder off to someplace where I can't get a good shot in." I said, getting the kit to nod before his form shifted into a exact duplicate of myself.
Which to be honest was a little creepy to see the second time.
"Well you won't have to wait long, I will be back in a few with Manten so be ready!" Shippō said in my voice while running off and waving.
Okay, on second thought that was even creepier then him changing his appearance to my own.
Shaking my heads of those thoughts I went to behind a rock pillar and steeled myself for when Manten showed up.
We only had one shot at this and while Myōga has already run off to get help, there was still a good chance of things going wrong. The best I can do for now is prepare for the worst and inflicted as much pain as I can on the raijū when the time comes.
All I need to do know is wait and hope that Shippō will be alright.
(3rd POV)
"Show yourself you bitch!" Manten shouted out as he blasted a nearby rock formation to rubble.
He checked the smoking crater left behind only to find nothing, only angering him further.
For the past few minutes it had been a mixture of blast lightning at random and checking remains of whatever was left in order to confirm that he did indeed kill the girl.
He would have tried to look for her any other way, but that bitch had been silent, had damaged one of his eyes, and had shot a fucking arrow into his snout.
So as long as he could kill her this way, he would be happy...until Hiten got her hands on him.
Still it will all be worth it in the end.
"Hey ugly!" The girl called out from a rock outcropping behind him.
"Gotcha bitch!" Manten declared as he blasted it to pieces, not taking any chances.
As soon as he cut off the blast, a rock sailed into his bad eye.
"Damn it!" The raijū cried out in pain, clutching his eye.
"Missed me you big, bald moron!" Kagome's voice called out again.
"Die!!!" Manten roared, releasing another burst of electricity at some more rocks.
Only to get another another rock to his eye.
"I am going kill you slowly and painfully!" He roared out in pain once again.
"Yourfather was a mutt and your mother a wani!" Kagome called out once again.
"Leave my family out of this!" Manten roared, discharging another burst of electricity.
With this time a girlish scream emanating from behind the rubble and a distinct thud.
"Finally!" Manten declared as he rushed past the rubble and saw the barely conscious form of Kagome lying on the ground. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up in the air with one hand and began to squeeze the life out of here.
"If you have anything to say before I crush your throat, say it now." The raijū said gleefully, applying a little extra pressure to her throat.
"I dohave...one thing..." Kagome groaned out, before to Manten's surprise her hair came to life and wrapped around his hairs and neck. "This is for my father!"
With that Kagome's hair and eyes changed color and Manten realized his mistake.
"The kitsune brat!" Manten choked out, as Shippō began to return to his true appearance.
"Gotch!" He declared, as an arrow lodged itself into his chest.
He roared out in pain before throwing a glare towards the source of the arrow.
The real Kagome, who returned it with a grin.
(Kagome POV)
That worked out better then I thought it was going to be.
Though then again he was probably pissed off beyond all belief, but he did not notice the little surprise we had prepared for him
"There you are you bitch!" Manten shouted. "I am going to kill this kit first then I am-"
He was cut off as the firecracker attached to the arrow exploded, causing the raijū to fall on his ass and clutching his chest in pain. Letting go of Shippō in the process.
Attaching a firecracker to an arrow, a little over kill in any other situation.
But considering that I was facing what was basically a walking railgun built like a tank I figured it should have been enough.
Sadly it seemed like I had underestimated Manten's durability as he got up, the spot where the arrow landed blacked with a number of scratches and a small, yet deep gash on his chest.
Okay not as desirable as I had hoped that it would be, but then again it did quite a number against Manten.
Just needed to aim for the head this time.
I lit another arrow and notched it, trying to get a good aim on the raijū.
But it seemed like Manten had wisened up to my plan as he took aim at me and was charging another burst of electricity towards me.
However Shippō once again cam to my assistance once again, by throwing a large rock towards his eye.
"Not again!" Manten bellowed, letting lose the electricity towards where Shippō was.
This provided the distraction I needed and let lose the arrow.
Sadly my aim was off and the arrow imbedded it self into his leg before detonating, leaving Manten to howl out in pain.
Okay then I still had two more arrows left, I am sure the next one will get his in the head-
I was broken from my musings by the sound of the bow finally breaking in my hands.
"Damn it!" I cursed out before pulling out another arrow.
I would hate to deal with him up close, but it seems like I got no choice now.
"Die you bitch!" Manten cried out as he unleashed another burst of electricity not that far away from me. He released another one not that far away from me before another rock hit him in the eye.
"That's it I am going to kil-" Manten tried to say before he cried out in pain as the rock enlarged into a crude looking Jizo statue and crushed his hand.
"Hurry Kagome, without a seal I can't keep it that size for long!" Shippō called out, prompting me to run and try to ignite the arrow.
Which is hard to do by the way.
I finally lit it up before Manten discharged another burst of electricity towards my, forcing me to barely get out of the way and for me to drop the arrow. The fuse extinguishing upon contact with the ground.
Picking it up I lit it once again and rushed at him.
I managed to get close to the raijū before the Jizo statue shrunk back to it's regular size and freed his Manten.
He tried to charge another burst of electricity and incinerate me up close.
But there was no way in Yomi I was going to let that happen.
So I tossed the lit arrow into his mouth and decided to run away.
"Not again!" Manten cried out in fear, cutting off the electricity and catching the arrow before it fell into his maw.
However it blow up in his face and sent him crashing backwards into the ground.
But I knew that it wouldn't keep him down for long so I continued running until I saw Shippō. Who I stopped only to pick him up and just continued to run.
"We can still take him!" Shippō protested in my arms as I continued to run.
"We only have one arrow left and I am believe we are probably going to need a little extra help in order get an opening in order to finish him off." I said, hoping that Myōga has at least gotten to Y/N and the others.
Without my bow I wasn't all that confident I would be able to put Manten down once and for all. However with anyone else helping us we could get the perfect opening to do so.
After another minute of running I was finally able to see the others, but it didn't look like things were going so well on their end.
Yura and Y/N were looking quite a bit exhausted and Inuko was disarmed and had a massive cut across her torso that I could see from here.
Hiten herself looked pretty battered, but she looked like she was still ready to continue fighting with that bloodthirsty grin of hers
Okay getting help is not going to be an option as with the state they are in all if Manten joins with Hiten it will be even more difficult to deal with the two then it already was.
"Found you!" I heard cry out behind us.
Before I could even turn around, a burst of electricity sent us flying into the air and crashing onto the rocky ground.
I got up with a groan to see Shippō passed out onto the ground, my camping knife lying right next to him.
I tried to reach for get it, but a burst of electricity cut a trench right between the two of us. Before I could even react, a hand grabbed be by my throat.
I was lifted off the ground to see a pissed off beyond all belief Manten, his face cut up and covered with soot from the exploding arrow.
"Now I finally caught you, bitch! Now I would have choked you out, but your arrow damaged my other hand quite badly!" Manten said as he showed me his right hand.
It was covered black with soot, had large splinters sticking out of it, was cut pretty badly, and two of his fingers hung uselessly.
"I take it that it hurts like all Yomi, good then you will have some experience it for when we send you there." I spat out, struggling to breathe as he kept trying to choke me.
"Just keep talking like that, it makes it all the better for me when you to waste your breathe on false hope and bravado." Manten said with a salvage grin, missing something out of the corner of his eye.
Upon noticing it, I kicked Manten in his bad eye.
The raijū howled out in pain and only tighter his grip on my throat.
"That's it, time to die bitch!" Manten cried out, before crying out as Shippō lept onto his chest and sunk his fangs and my camping knife into his chest and drawling blood.
This loosened his grip on my throat and a well placed kick to his snout force Manten to let me go.
And just in time too.
"Shippō let go of him!" I shouted prying him off of Manten.
Manten roared out in pain and began to charge a burst of electricity.
"Manten!" Hiten's voice cried out desperately in the distance, causing Manten to turn towards here.
And making the last mistake he ever made.
(Y/N POV - A few minutes earlier)
Now I was starting to get tired and so was Yura, though she wasn't really showing it as much as I was.
Guess another perk of having a body made out of hair.
Anyways I have cut back on the number of ice shards I produce in order to conserve yoki. I have been saving them for whenever Hiten found an opening that she could exploit with her clash with Inuko.
Which was starting to become more and more frequent as Inuko was starting to get winded.
While Hiten was still going strong, despite being in slightly worse off shape then Inuko and a few more cuts we managed to inflict on her.
Honestly I don't know how long her stalemate with Inuko will last, but I do know that when it breaks it will probably be in her favor and not ours.
"Y/N, Yura!" Myōga called out not that far from us, breaking me from my thoughts.
Wait if he was here, then something must've happened with Kagome and Shippō!
"Myōga what happened?" I asked, my tone laced with worry as he hoped towards me.
"Nothing that I know of, Kagome sent me to come and get one of you to help take down Manten. Considering it seems like Lady Inuko is fighting with Hiten at the moment. So one of you two should be enough." Myōga said, not easing my worries at all.
Still I have to applaud Kagome for at least thinking send help before facing Manten, but it must've been quite a while for him to have traveled to us. I figure Kagome and Shippō could hold him off long enough on their own if they were careful enough.
But she must've figured that the two of them alone couldn't have defeat Manten, so I can hope that they are all right.
"Master if you are worried about the girl and the kit, well it seems like they are fine." Yura said, breaking me of my musings and pointing a bit away from us near some rock outcroppings.
There was Kagome and Shippō, the later being carried in the former's arms.
He looked quite battered and from the way Kagome was panting she must have ran all the way here, possibly running out of or low on options to deal with Manten.
Still it was good to see that they were alright, though if they were here then Manten probably wasn't that far behind them.
Well we would have two raijū on top of things soon then.
Maybe I can send Yura to help them real quick, she would probably get there faster anyway and she provide some quick relief for them while I can prepare to generate us enough mist to cover us, if even for a few seconds we could regroup away from the raijū and recover just a bit.
It was a good plan, but it died out a moment later as Inuko screamed out in pain.
Looking back towards her I saw a sight that made my stomach drop.
Inuko was on her knees, clutching a massive gash against her torso and wincing in pain. Tessaiga was stabbed into the dirt right next to her and Hiten was floating above her, lightning crackling off of her halberd.
Combined with a burst of electricity and Kagome and Shippō flying into air things were not looking so good for us.
I needed to do something soon or else all three of them were probably going to die.
(Inuko POV)
Damn it all!
This hurts worse then that fucking arrow!
At least the pain was brief, not feeling like I just got hit by my bitch of a sister's poisonous claws!
With this and Manten catching up with Kagome and the kit things are just going all to Yomi!
So once again, damn it all!
"Damn it Manten, I told you not to go after her!
" Hiten growled out as soon as she noticed her brother attempting to choke Kagome out, losing her grin.
She sighed out and leveled her halberd at me.
"It has been fun Inuko, but it seems like things have come to an end.
I would extend this longer, but it seems like my brother needs some punishment.
So I'll give you a quick death. Any last words? "
"Give it your best shot you battle crazed, thunder bitch." I snarled out, getting a small chuckle from he raijū while I dug my claws into my wound and hiding a wince.
I just need the right time to strike.
"Well said." Hiten said, thrusting her halberd forward.
Before being struck in the back by a large chunk of ice, breaking her concentration and sending her fly back.
It was soon followed by Benigasumi, but Hiten regained her composure and swatted it away with her halberd and sentit into the ground towards me. She then sent a few blasts of lightning towards Y/N and Yura, sending them back.
With her back turned towards me I got a good glimpse of Manten being kicked in the snout by Kagome and Shippō looking like he was about to lunge at him.
A futile effort perhaps, but it could give me an opening that I need to finish him once and for all.
And seeing both Tessaiga and Benigasumi gave me an idea.
With my free hand I grabbed Yura's blade and hid it before Hiten turned her attention back towards me, raising her halberd in a bid to finish me once and for all.
But I was ready for the bitch this time!
"Hijin Kessō" I shouted, releasing the yoki charged blood and caught her off guard.
As she used her lightning and halberd, I grabbed Tessaiga and just bolted towards Manten with it.
A few seconds later a bolt of lightning crashed next to my, forcing me to jump out of the way before forcing to block Hiten's halberd.
"Sorry, but I will not allow you to lay a hand on my brother!" Hiten snarled out, lighting crackling at the end of her halberd.
"Well it seems like someone beat me to it then." I said, getting her to look behind her to see Shippō latching himself onto Manten.
Give me the chance to draw Benigasumi and slash Hiten across her face, cutting her deep above the corner of her right eye straight across her nose.
Hiten cried out in pain, clutching her gash in pain.
With her distracted I tried to continue on towards Manten, until Hiten blindly shot out multiple bolts of lightning in order to hit me.
Seeing no other option, I did the only thing I could and tossed Tessaiga, right towards Manten.
"Manten!" Hiten cried out desperately, cutting off to her attack and rushing towards her brother, but it was too late.
He turned around and was immediately impaled through the chest, Kagome only managing to pull Shippō away so he wouldn't meet the same fate.
Manten quickly fell backwards onto the ground, blood pouring from his wounds.
He didn't have long and Hiten knew it. She could have struck me then and there, but she flew off towards her brother with tears streaming from her eyes.
A moment later I felt a tug on Benigasumi and it was pulled out of my hand and into Yura's as she, Y/N, and Myōga approached me.
"Are you alright Inuko?" Y/N asked as Myōga jumped onto my shoulder.
"Considering that I have a massive gash not really, though considering my overgrown bitch of a sister pulled out my eye a few days ago this is the second worst injury I have gotten this week.
Luckily I can heal from this on about a day.
Manten on the other hand won't. Still thanks for asking.
" I said, getting Y/N to wince and Myōga to shake his head.
"While I am glad that you have a worthy first kill with the Tessaiga Lady Inuko, but did you have to throw it at him?" Myōga asked, obviously feeling indignant of using my old man's blade like that.
"Off course, couldn't really use it from here with that thunder bitch tailing my ass." I said, getting both Y/N and Yura to wince for some reason.
"And I don't know if I would have accidentally hit Kagome or Shippō with Benigasumi. So I had to use the Tessaiga like that, which we are going to retrieve along with the girl and the kit. Also Y/N how much mist can you produce in an instant?" I asked.
"Plenty of it, considering that Hiten is most likely going to kill you more then ever now. So I take it we run like all Yomi once the mist is up." He said, getting me to nod.
"Correct, normally I would hate to say this but given our current state, the fact she has three gem shards, and I just murdered her brother we do not stand much of a chance if she goes ballistic." I said, getting Y/N and Myōga to nod.
"Probably a good, yet futile idea since they are on their way here." Yura said, pointing towards where Manten was .
Kagome was running towards us with a passed out Shippō, a fox pelt, and the deactivated Tessaiga in her arms.
And the look on her face spelled nothing but trouble.
(Kagome POV)
We need to leave now!
Perhaps we only had about a few minutes at most before Hiten hunts us down!
The warning she left us still fresh in my mind, and what she said chilled me to my core.
(A few minutes earlier)
Manten screamed out in pain as Tessaiga impaled him before collapsing onto the ground, blood seeping out of his wounds and pooling beneath him while Tessaiga turned into its inactive form.
It was finally over, Manten was down and judging by his current condition he wouldn't be getting up soon.
"Is it over?" Shippō asked, tears starting to pool in his eyes.
"It is, Manten will be dead soon and your father will be avenged. But we still have to worry about Hiten. I will grab the Tessaiga and your father's fur then we run okay? But for now find a place to hide from her okay?" I asked him.
"What about you?" He asked, clearly worried about me.
"I will be fine, just hide and I will come to get you. Okay." I said, getting Shippō to nod.
"Okay." He said, tears streaming from his eyes as he ran to cover.
Shippō didn't make it more then a few steps before a bolt of lightning struck about a few meters next to him and sent him flying.
He land onto the ground next to Manten, the impact causing him to go limp.
"Shippō!" I cried out, rushing over to him.
I quickly check him over and breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw that he was only unconscious. Not a good sign obviously, but he was still alive and breathing and that was all that matters.
But there was still a major issue and that was Hiten.
I moved away from Shippō and pulled the depowered form of Tessaiga out of the dying form of Manten, getting a painful groan from him.
Not much I can do with a rusty sword against a raijū, but it was better then nothing.
As soon as I did however I came face to face with Hiten and I wished that I didn't.
She was covered with cuts, the most predominate one being a deep gash from above the corner of her right eye and cut straight through her nasal cavity. It was seeping blood down with her face and mixed with her tears and her face between pure rage, despair, and grief made it a terrifying image.
"Kagome get out of here...my grievances are not with you. So take the kit and leave before I make you." Hiten said, sounding almost broken.
It honestly hurt me to hear here say that.
Sure Hiten was a horrible yokai, a battle maniac, a hedonist, and a possible psychopath. But from our interaction she seemed to generally love her family, if she was a bit rough with her brother.
Considering how Manten was like I couldn't blame her.
But right now her brother was dying right in front of her and all she could feel is grief.
That and unyielding rage towards her brother's killer, which for once is actually making me fear for Inuko's safety. Especially since she described to me what she did with her parent's killers.
But I wasn't leaving, at least not yet.
"I am not leaving without Shippō's father's pelt." I said firmly, not going to back down no matter what she would do.
However Hiten let out a sad chuckle at that and quickly removed the pelt.
"You know I think that this ties into what that saying those Buddhists brought over here.
What was it called again, oh right karma.
This is a karmatic situation isn't it? The kit's father was brutally killed in front of the one he cherished the most the world and here lies Manten experiencing the brutal death while dying in front of me.
The person he cherishes the most in the world.
" Hiten said, tears streaming down her face even faster now. "Karma is a real bitch isn't it?"
"You have no idea." I said somberly as she handed me the pelt. Which I then wrapped around Shippō before picking him up. "I am sorry that you have to experience this, not about Manten though. He was an asshole."
"I will admit he is one, but he is my family after all." Hiten said with a sad grin.
"Fuck...you bitch...and really sister..." Manten groaned out, towards the two of us.
"Really little brother and I am here for you." Hiten said, moving towards her brother. "Can you move at all?"
"No sister, I can't feel anything...and it is only getting worse..." Manten said, tears streaming out of his eyes, and getting Hiten's eyes to water even more.
"I see, then I won't leave your side then." Hiten choked out, getting my heart to retch at the site.
Here were two of the most heinous people I have met, and here they are with one a step away from going into Yomi and the other one grieving and comforting her brother.
I feel a little elated at Manten dying for all that he has done to us and especially to Shippō, but here I am feel depressed and a little guilty for this and what it was doing to Hiten
How does one deal with such a conflicting feeling?
"Kagome." Hiten said, trying her best to sound composed if only for a few moments. "Since I respect you, I will give you a warning. But first I need to ask Manten something." She said, her voice cracking up. "Manten-"
"You don't need to ask me...sister Hiten, if it is for you...I will gladly give it to you...to do what you wish...with it..." Manten groaned out sadly, getting Hiten to cry even harder.
Dear Amaterasu this is hard to watch.
"Of course Manten." Hiten said, before wiping the tears and a good amount of blood off her face before turning towards me.
"Kagome I will only say this to you once, but I want you to run away as fast as you can.
I'd wish for you to put as much distance between the two of us as possible take Y/N if you want, but leave Inuko here.
Now you might ignore that part of the warning and if that is true then I can understand, but know this.
When Manten leaves the world of the living I will devour his heart and hunt all of you down.
" She said, trying her best to hold herself throughout her warning but giving into her anger during the last part.
I was growing fearful throughout her little warning, but one part cut me off guard the most.
"Wait you are planning on devouring your own brother's heart!" I shouted out, both disgusted and fearful.
"It's a raijū ritual long forbidden, due to the reckless killing for each other's hearts.
It grants a great boost in power for a raijū, but it often brings diseases that will surely kill that raijū eventually.
But of it is from a blood relative then the chance of catching the diseases decrease.
However considering they are family, this is mostly a forbidden act without permission as it results in certain death.
That and I can't have the last thing Manten seeing is his sister ripping a hole in his chest and devouring it whole.
" Hiten said, once again barely holding herself together.
"Not helping sister..." Manten groaned out.
"Well it's true." She said.
"And completely barbaric." I added, starting to take a few steps back and ready to burst into a full sprint at a moment's notice.
"That basically sums up Raijū culture in general." Hiten said, getting me to shudder.
No wonder she and Manten are the way that they are.
"Anyway the warning is simple, once Manten crosses over I will devour his heart and take his gem shards so that I will have enough power to brutally kill the bitch that took my brother from me any damn way I please!
" Hiten snapped, causing me to take a few more steps back.
"After that their will be a time my emotions will overwhelm me and I will undoubtedly seek only three things.
Killing Inuko, capturing you and Y/N, and in the end.
..well I can tell what you can guess. Nothing else will matter to me and I will do everything to accomplish those goals, killing anyone else in my way.
So I will only say this once, run and never look back! "
With no further prompting I ran as fast as I could, not wanting to be near Hiten when she would snap.
Considering that she admitted to plan on brutally murder Inuko and possibly rape both Y/N and myself I ran faster then I ever had in my life.
I was more afraid now then I ever was with Sesshōmaru!
I needed to warn everyone else now and put as much distance between us and Hiten as soon as possible!
Because that was all we could do.
For once she snapped, she will be nothing short of unstoppable in her pursuit of us.
(3rd POV - A few minutes later)
As he lay dying, Manten was treated to a sight that he never wished to see.
His sister breaking down over him, crying her heart out and it only made his passing even worse for him.
Sure he would love nothing more then to cross over at this point. We would have asked Hiten to end it all there, but he couldn't do that to his sister.
While it would be mercy to him, he didn't want to know what it would do to his sister's mind. Being asked by her brother to end it all and being the one to kill him.
Given how much she cared for himself and Sōten, it would break her heart in order to grant him mercy.
So he supposed he would have to wait in order to die to save his sister from suffering a grief even stronger then the one she was experiencing.
Speaking of, his vision was getting fuzzy and turning to black.
He knew what it meant.
"Sister Hiten...it's time." Manten groaned out, getting Hiten's to sob even louder. "I can feel it...I am fading out here..."
"Manten please..." Hiten choked out.
"It is no use sister...it is too late...and it is all my fault..." Manten groaned out.
"No it is not, it is all my fault!" Hiten snapped. "I got caught up in the thrill of battle so much I didn't even consider your safety or the fact you weren't even ready yet! In the end I got careless and you are paying the price for it!"
At that she sobbed even harder, getting tears to form in his eyes.
"I had a feeling...that I wasn't...ready yet.
But in the end...I suppose it was both of our faults.
..for your reasons...and for me...I didn't listen to you.
..I tried to killl that bitch and I got careless.
.." Manten groaned out with a grin. "I guess in the end.
..the two of us...were nothing more then a pair of careless fools. ..weren't we?"
"We were." Hiten choked out in a mixture of a sob and chuckle.
Manten let out a small smile at that before taking one last sigh.
"Hiten, if it comes down to it...promise me one thing..." Manten said, starting to cry.
"Whatever it is I will do it." Hiten choked out, knowing she was hearing his last request.
"Promise me...that no matter what you do after I die...go back to Sōten...even if it means giving up your vengeance." Manten groaned out, shocking Hiten.
"But Manten-" "But nothing Hiten! Sōten needs you!
Our little sister needs you...after all we were all she got.
She was too young...to truly remember our parents all that well.
..so all she had was us...now all she has will be you.
So please go back to her...and keep her from being alone.
..can you promise me that sister Hiten..
." Manten cried out, getting Hiten to sob even harder and to embrace her brother.
"I promise Manten..." Hiten sobbed out.
"Thank you sister..." Manten cried out. "My only regret in the end was not having hair.
..killing that bitch...or becoming an uncle.
No my only regret...is leaving you and Sōten alone.
..in this world. All I used to wish for was beautiful hair.
..but now I wish for just on last day with the two of you.
.. that and maybe in the next life...I will be reborn as your's and Sōten's brother.
..and I wouldn't care if I was bald or not.
I would be happy either way...to be with the both of you once again.
.." Manten trailed off with a sad smile, before going limp in Hiten's arms.
Manten had left the world of the the living.
"Manten!!!" Hiten cried out, hugging her brother's corpse to close to her and letting her grief flow out of her as she cried her heart out for a few minutes.
Letting it slowly turn to rage.
Rage at the one.
"I'm sorry Manten, but I can't keep my promise. At least not yet." Hiten said, choking back some more sobs as she closed her brother's lifeless eyes and ripped out the jewel shards in his head.
"I can't go back to Sōten as long as the dirty, brother killing bitch is still alive!" Hiten snarled out, embedding the shards into her forehead and feeling a rush of newfound power flowing through her.
And a feeling of emptiness at the cost of it.
"But I can grant you your last wish Manten." Hiten said, shoving her hand into his wound and ripping out his heart.
"A piece of you will always live inside me Manten." Hiten said, her tone pure venomous and her eyes shining in a mad light.
She opened her mouth wide, and shoved his heart into out. Pushing past her gag reflex in order to swallow it whole.
After a minute she closed her mouth and refused the urge to puke it up.
"That was disgusting, but necessary in order to kill Inuko..." Hiten trailed off as she felt the raw power coursing through her, her very pretense now causing the thunderclouds above her to erupt into a violent storm.
"And to honor your last wish Manten. You will be reborn, not as our brother.
No I will continue on with our original plan and you will be reborn as my child.
One that holds the full power of the storms themselves.
" Hiten said with a smile, her tone filled with a weird combination or rage, grief, and elation.
The nearby lightning illuminated hers eyes that displayed only one emotion.
Madness.
She had been driven mad by grief, rage, the power coursing through her, and the forbidden act of devouring her brother's heart.
And she embraced it wholeheartedly.
"And wouldn't it be quite lovely, wouldn't it Manten." Hiten said, as lightning crashed behind her, blinding her form before vanishing from sight.
Off to chase after her prey.
And in her mind, her one chance of fulfilling Manten's last wish.
(Chapter 27 end)