Taiin began to grow frantic at Masahiro's lack of response. She gripped his shoulders and shook him, crying his name, her voice edged with desperate panic.

"MASAHIRO!!! PLEASE!! ANSWER ME!!  MASAHIRO!!"

Briefly, the thought crossed her mind that she should slap or punch him....perhaps it will help. But she remembered that grand rule that s.h.i.+nshou cannot lay harm on humans and stopped short. 

....But perhaps the pain will awaken him.....

Who cared about rules and taboos at a time like this? Panicked she deliberated, Rikugou was far off, and she..... she was the only one here...... she had been responsible for his safety.......but now.......

Taiin looked around in panic, she shook Masahiro again and watched in horror as his head flopped loosely to the side. 

A sense of nausea washed over her

........NO.........no...........

Rules be d.a.m.ned... she couldn't lose him now.......

Taiin drew her hand back......................and then dropped it with a gasp, as she felt a sudden presence behind her.

She spun around in an instant, turning to face the sea, watching in horror as creeping mist rose from the turbid spray. It was laced with the aura of Youkai.

__________________________________________________________ 

At the children side, Rikugou fidgeted nervously. Though he stood at the foot of the hill and was unable to see the bay, he too could feel the aura p.r.i.c.kling at this skin.

Something was coming.

And at once the aura seem to barrel forth, bearing down on them like sudden tempest. It moved with surprising speed, and thundering forth like the tide.

It was more than one......

It had to be......

Alot more than one....

__________________________________

"Taiin! Get the children out of here!" Rikugou's voice became commanding as a silver spear appeared in his hand.

"NO! We cant leave Masahiro here! " Taiin called back in panic.

"We have to......." Rikugo never finished as before him the air solidified into a dark shadow that rushed forth at the three of them, its sharp tendrils reaching for the children. At the last minute, Rikugo swung the spear forward, slas.h.i.+ng at the monster. The bright spear cut through the dark shadow like a light, and the creature, its features indistinct with shadow, fell at Rikugo's feet, writhing in the gra.s.s as it dissipated into the air.

Rikugou had not seconds to scrutinize the monster before another identical creature lept over the dissipating wisps of its fallen comrad, snarling as it charged forth. In the ma.s.s of darkened mist that seem to form its body, a mouth peeled open, toothy and leering.

Rikugou nimbly pulled his spear forth, rotating it deftly in his hands to point it at the creature's open mouth. Rikuguo was pushed back as the spear found its mark, sinking deeply into the monster as its vicious snarls twisted into pained whimpering.

He turned his attention to another identical creature that was charging towards then.

The two children seemed petrified in fear, they could see the monsters rus.h.i.+ng towards them, their jaws wide and hungry, but at the last moment, the creatures seemed to be repelled by an invisible force.

There was scarcely room to breath as monsters endlessly set upon them, one after another. The brothers squeezed their eyes shut, holding their breath for the inevitable.

_____________________________________

Taiin's small hands fisted in Masahiro's collar, her nails digging into her palms as she shook him desperately.

"PLEASE PLEASE WAKE UP !!!!"

______________________________________

The air seem to tremble with ominious rhythm in the dark boundless s.p.a.ce. Masahiro found himself unable to peel his eyes away from the bright shape before him, a human figure filled with light that stood over an endless plain of slain yokai. He watched as it tossed its head back, and laughter seared through the dark s.p.a.ce that enveloped him, its rhythm pounding against his chest with alarming pressure.

Masahiro's heart pounded in his chest.... his pulse thundered in his ears.

______________________________________

For the life of her, Taiin couldn't even begin to grasp what was happening. Masahiro had recently been through a lot, things most people wouldn't ever experience in ten lifetimes. He had given his life for a dear friend, and then returned from the spirit realm  at great expense. Perhaps the event still had a hold on him.

But..... why now?

With Masahiro held tightly in her arms, Taiin looked around. It seemed that there were four monsters at the moment, circling and snapping at Rikugou and the children. Shadowy ma.s.ses of trailing tendrils that looked to be made of the air itself.

At once she noticed something strange. One of the monsters seemed to move erratically, staggering with an unnatural tottering gait.

It was missing a leg.

There was no doubt about it.... it was the monster from before. Trans-note: Not the water one, the other one.

The monsters were shockingly fast, even by s.h.i.+nshou standards. Each becoming a blur of motion as they rushed in one by one. They were too powerful, too fast.... Rikugou was barely holding his own,each spear thrust more desperate than the last. He cant last much longer.

It occurred to Taiin that retreat might be a good option, she could summon some wind to carry away all five of them. She raised her hands as the air around her began to swirl and......... Suddenly, without warning, one of the monsters broke through Rikugou's defense, plunging toward the children, Its claws whistling through the air.

Momentarily stunned Rikugou turned too late as the creature bore down on the children. Taiin snapped to react and flung her gales at the monster, it sliced through the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust in the monster's path.

But she was too far away, and the wind did nothing to stop the creature as it charged forth, unimpeded by the dust.

The creature lunged forth and with a leap it closed the distance between the children, reaching forth for the tearing of flesh and crackling of bone when unbidden, a flash of white zipped across its vision, as fast as a stray thought, knocking the children from the trajectory of its claws.

The monster stumbled as it landed, momentarily taken aback at its own apparent miss. Rikugou, lept into the opening, taking full advantage of the creature's confusion. The silver blade whistled through the air, taking with it the outstretched limb of the creature, and the blade and arm fell to the earth as one.

The creature howled, writhing and rolling on the ground with furious swipes. Dark slimy tendrils issued from the stump of its limb dissipating into the air like smoke as it bled.

A flap of cloth, and Rikugou's cloak darted between the darkening air and the children. Mizu flinched away at the sound, looking around frantically with wide eyes.

Without warning, an unseen force set forth, plowing toward the monster with unmatched speed. It scarcely looked up from it's pained writhing before it was gone..... exploding into tiny dissipating shreds of darkness that fell to the earth like ash.

___________________________

Kouchin stepped through the parting curtain of dust, as the white mononoke stepped out from behind the children. The small creature twitched, angrily gritting its small teeth.

"What the h.e.l.l were you doing ?" Trans-Note: Yes, he does say this pretty spitefully

Rikugou seemed unperturbed by it's anger and merely pointed to the hill.

"It seems Masahiro is unwell. The monsters appeared at a most inopportune time."

"Masahiro?" The anger in Kouchin's eyes instantly dissappeared as she cast her gaze to Masahiro.

To the white mononoke, it was as if he had heard the name for the first time, and the thought occurred to him 'Ah! so his name is Masahiro.' But before the next breath could be drawn, the stray thought was gone, and the boy was once again left without a name. It like water cupped in his hands, flowing out between his fingers so quickly that he cant be sure it had ever been there at all. 

But the white creature had no time to dwell on such matters as he was interrupted from his thoughts by a cacophony of snarls.

The remaining three monsters had shaken off the loss of their leader and now began to prowl forth angrily, turning their gaze to the still form of the boy on the hill.

Without warning, the three creatures lunged forth, uniting into a slicing wind as they charged past the three s.h.i.+nshou. Kouchin gasped in alarm

But Taiin had seen them, and with the children safe, she braced herself for the charge.

"Dont underestimate me.... " she growled under her breath.

Taiin's first gale sliced across the field, slicing squarely into the first monster. Its grinning face seemed to smile wider and wider, stretching across its flanks until it fell in two, zipped open like a sleeping bag. Trans-note: The sleeping bag reference is mine, I'm not sure how else to describe this, gruesomely, Taiin tears the monster open from the mouth.

It fell on the ground in two, both back and belly twitching.

The two remaining creatures stopped short at the sight of their fallen comrad.

"Dont think I'll let you off easy !" Taiin cried as her gales lashed forth, sending the beasts spinning through the air. The creatures struggled desperately in the air, writhing and twisting their bodies to escape the deadly sharp gale. Though the gales sliced thousands of wounds into their bodies, they had lost none of their speed, and presently, with sharp twists and kicks, they were gone. Slipping out of the vortex of the spinning gale and das.h.i.+ng off into the air, becoming fainter as they ran.

Taiin growled in annoyance, itching to pursue the frantically retreating creatures. But she knew there were more important matters at hand.

"Masahiro!  Masahiro!!! "

_______________________________

Masahiro lay in Kouchin's arms. At her touch he seemed to respond, and for a moment he, blinked and lifted his head. His eyes were unfocused and dilated, and his pulse raced erratically. As Kouchin worriedly peered into his eyes, she thought she saw a flicker of white. But then it was gone, and she wondered if she had imagined it. Before she could dwell on it, Masahiro buckled over, again becoming as limp as a puppet with its strings cut.

_________________________________

He s.h.i.+fted a little, keeping his attention on the scene. The battle had been most informative, and now has he gazed upon the still form of Masahiro, he took interest in the strange flickering aura that surrounded him. An aura invisible to even the s.h.i.+nshou.

Strange golden eyes flickered from behind a curtain of dark hair as he licked his bloodless lips.

"Unexpected...."

He seemed pleased with the discovery. 

"So this is the boy from the capital......... impressive"

And with a spiraling twist, the man was gone, and only air remained at the vantage place he stood moments ago.