(no subject)
Title: A battle won
Author: Chante-chan
Prompt: technique
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1387
Warnings: gambling, mention of alchohol
Summary:A battle won, a card drawn.
A/N: I really recomend that you read the first few chapters, as this is a continuation of For my honor, found herehttp://dokuga.com/fanfiction/story/7674/1 ... Also, it might not be clear, so fyi, Sesshomaru is really talking to kagome when he is talking to his brother.
My hea
rt thudded in my chest, a strange taste in my mouth as I stared ahead, holding the staff in a vice like grip that turned my knuckles white. After honing my skill with the sword for who knew how long, I was self conscious. I was substandard with the staff, because I was sure, I was absolutely certain that for this litter they would have us use a sword. But I was wrong, and unfortunately for me, that meant almost certain doom.
Sesshomaru had warned away my worry, and now he stood in the crowd, watching the competitors with his cool and callous façade, watching for who he would have to become pack mates with. He had won in the first round with barely a motion. A person who had not seen the fight asked me if he had broken a sweat, and I need not have answered. A group of five turned to face the unwitting girl, and responded with various harsh forms of “no”. I sighed softly, looking out at the ring from the very edge, my feet hanging onto the ring, which consisted of a circle of packed snow.
I watched as a very slight girl twirled the staff between her fingers, showing expert skill as she faced her opponent. She dodged this way and that, smiling all the while as the much larger opponent swiftly tired himself out. He lunged and stomped and swung his staff, but never landed a blow. I cringed as she made her first strike, felling the giant in a single blow. She turned to the officials, bowing low but not managing to wipe off her victorious smirk. They nodded the confirmation of her win, and she stood, swiftly turning and exiting the arena, her hair snapping like a snakes strike.
Behind me, cool and detached, I heard Sesshomaru exchange words with his younger brother.
“Efficient.”
He seemed unconcerned for his brother’s wellbeing, which depended on this tournament just as much as my own did. If either of us lost, we would at very least be the scum that stayed because they had a desperate grasp on a pup from a lesser breed. At very best we would be allowed to stay here and continue training, but hold no real position on any of the affairs that occurred. This was our last chance at any sort of ranking, and his overly brash and cocky demeanor gave away his nerves.
It was very soon my turn to compete for my chance at a pup. My pack mates stood behind me in a semicircle as I looked at my adversary. He was smaller, and his eyes constantly moved as if chasing something that existed just on the edge of his field of vision.
Behind me too, I could hear Sesshomaru’s voice, carrying over the prattle that the rest of my team was shouting. I leaned back subconsciously, looking for his words.
“Look, half-breed, if you wish to win then let your weapon do the work for you. Do not attempt anything brash.” His words continued, but the horn sounded and I could not hear the rest. I would not have the chance to, for the man lunged at me, aiming for my head. I moved out of the way, sliding a bit on the slippery snow as I moved into a defensive form, my heart thudding in my chest as I took painful gulps of the frigid air. I circled around him as he righted himself and prepared for another attack.
“Be careful, brother”
He charged at me with his staff poised for a blow to the head. I took a step forward to deflect the attack, but instead of sidestepping I slid, landing roughly on my back, the force of the fall making me slide helplessly between his legs, which effectively swept his feet from under him.
“Good, you are starting to get it.”
I scrambled onto my feet, looking apprehensively at him as he cradled his broken nose, turning angry eyes towards my still slipping form. He growled low in his throat, changing his hold on his staff, using it like one would use a lance, jabbing at me as I struggled to dodge. He managed to get me a few times in my ribs. I winced, sliding further back, nearly tumbling into the snow.
“Do not think too much, lest you be caught surprised as your enemy fells you.”
I nodded to myself, shoving against him with the point of my shoulder, bringing my staff down against the junction of his head and shoulder with all of my body weight behind it. He pushed forward, and with nowhere to run, I tumbled to the ground, grunting at the impact. I panicked, using my staff to push him away from me, squeezing my eyes shut as he reared back his hand to strike me. It took me a moment, but I flailed, and after a few seconds my foot collided with something and I heard a pained grunt as he fell away from me.
Rushing to sit on his chest, I pressed my staff against the column of his neck and pressed down, with the weight of my body behind it. I struggled to hold him down and cut off hi air supply. He gurgled one last time before I felt him go lax beneath me, and I pulled my staff away with haste. I searched for his pulse, finding it lightly thrumming beneath my fingers.
I felt a rush of relief, feeling his light pulse under my searching fingers, and I stood, bowing to the officials. I balled my hands into fists, willing the tremors to stop. I shakily walked out of the ring, picking my way through the crowd.
-;-
Many hours later I relaxed in the dining hall, sitting with my fellow winners from the day’s competition. I smiled as they were introduced to me. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Kouga, and myself were the only ones from my pack. I looked around to see a man apprenticed as a monk, a demon-slayer with a quick temper, a cold woman who looked like me but wasn’t much for conversation, a fox kit that constantly was getting into trouble, a wolf demoness who had a bone to pick with Kouga, and Ken, an elemental demon with kind eyes and a calm, sort of morose demeanor about him.
It was a celebration, and the ale flowed like a river, warming the insides and loosing the tongue.
We were all merry and jolly, some of us perhaps too much, as Monk-in-training Miroku couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, nor could he keep at bay the bawdy jokes. I was fighting a losing battle to keep the pink from my cheeks as he spoke, recounting the lady-loves that he had left at home.
And so we spent the night, merry and happy as the wee hours of the night closed in, the spirits and good food getting to our heads. We were coerced into a game from Miroku’s homeland.
We worked ourselves into teams, and as luck would have it I ended up with Sesshomaru, who looked severely disinterested.
Miroku smiled deviously, no doubt elated that he had sweet talked another batch of suckers.
“Rules are simple. You just need to have the highest number on your cards. You combine the values of your team’s cards and whichever team has the most point’s wins.
We drew our cards after placing our bets, and I looked confusedly up at Sesshomaru, hesitating to pull my card. He leaned towards me, and I closed my eyes as his scent wafted into my nose. I was startled as his words reached my ears.
“The monk cheats. Draw from the bottom of the deck”
I looked around; sure the others had heard the accusation. I shrugged when they looked to be none the wiser. I drew, and Miroku urged us to add up our totals.
While most were in the single digits, Miroku’s team had a tally of seventeen, which narrowed a few eyes. That cheater!
I held my card out, surprised that I had a ten, and turned my eyes to Sesshomaru. He sighed morosely, and laid down his card, revealing a nine. I let out a little squeal as I collected our prizes.
Author: Chante-chan
Prompt: technique
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1387
Warnings: gambling, mention of alchohol
Summary:A battle won, a card drawn.
A/N: I really recomend that you read the first few chapters, as this is a continuation of For my honor, found herehttp://dokuga.com/fanfiction/story/7674/1 ... Also, it might not be clear, so fyi, Sesshomaru is really talking to kagome when he is talking to his brother.
My hea
rt thudded in my chest, a strange taste in my mouth as I stared ahead, holding the staff in a vice like grip that turned my knuckles white. After honing my skill with the sword for who knew how long, I was self conscious. I was substandard with the staff, because I was sure, I was absolutely certain that for this litter they would have us use a sword. But I was wrong, and unfortunately for me, that meant almost certain doom.
Sesshomaru had warned away my worry, and now he stood in the crowd, watching the competitors with his cool and callous façade, watching for who he would have to become pack mates with. He had won in the first round with barely a motion. A person who had not seen the fight asked me if he had broken a sweat, and I need not have answered. A group of five turned to face the unwitting girl, and responded with various harsh forms of “no”. I sighed softly, looking out at the ring from the very edge, my feet hanging onto the ring, which consisted of a circle of packed snow.
I watched as a very slight girl twirled the staff between her fingers, showing expert skill as she faced her opponent. She dodged this way and that, smiling all the while as the much larger opponent swiftly tired himself out. He lunged and stomped and swung his staff, but never landed a blow. I cringed as she made her first strike, felling the giant in a single blow. She turned to the officials, bowing low but not managing to wipe off her victorious smirk. They nodded the confirmation of her win, and she stood, swiftly turning and exiting the arena, her hair snapping like a snakes strike.
Behind me, cool and detached, I heard Sesshomaru exchange words with his younger brother.
“Efficient.”
He seemed unconcerned for his brother’s wellbeing, which depended on this tournament just as much as my own did. If either of us lost, we would at very least be the scum that stayed because they had a desperate grasp on a pup from a lesser breed. At very best we would be allowed to stay here and continue training, but hold no real position on any of the affairs that occurred. This was our last chance at any sort of ranking, and his overly brash and cocky demeanor gave away his nerves.
It was very soon my turn to compete for my chance at a pup. My pack mates stood behind me in a semicircle as I looked at my adversary. He was smaller, and his eyes constantly moved as if chasing something that existed just on the edge of his field of vision.
Behind me too, I could hear Sesshomaru’s voice, carrying over the prattle that the rest of my team was shouting. I leaned back subconsciously, looking for his words.
“Look, half-breed, if you wish to win then let your weapon do the work for you. Do not attempt anything brash.” His words continued, but the horn sounded and I could not hear the rest. I would not have the chance to, for the man lunged at me, aiming for my head. I moved out of the way, sliding a bit on the slippery snow as I moved into a defensive form, my heart thudding in my chest as I took painful gulps of the frigid air. I circled around him as he righted himself and prepared for another attack.
“Be careful, brother”
He charged at me with his staff poised for a blow to the head. I took a step forward to deflect the attack, but instead of sidestepping I slid, landing roughly on my back, the force of the fall making me slide helplessly between his legs, which effectively swept his feet from under him.
“Good, you are starting to get it.”
I scrambled onto my feet, looking apprehensively at him as he cradled his broken nose, turning angry eyes towards my still slipping form. He growled low in his throat, changing his hold on his staff, using it like one would use a lance, jabbing at me as I struggled to dodge. He managed to get me a few times in my ribs. I winced, sliding further back, nearly tumbling into the snow.
“Do not think too much, lest you be caught surprised as your enemy fells you.”
I nodded to myself, shoving against him with the point of my shoulder, bringing my staff down against the junction of his head and shoulder with all of my body weight behind it. He pushed forward, and with nowhere to run, I tumbled to the ground, grunting at the impact. I panicked, using my staff to push him away from me, squeezing my eyes shut as he reared back his hand to strike me. It took me a moment, but I flailed, and after a few seconds my foot collided with something and I heard a pained grunt as he fell away from me.
Rushing to sit on his chest, I pressed my staff against the column of his neck and pressed down, with the weight of my body behind it. I struggled to hold him down and cut off hi air supply. He gurgled one last time before I felt him go lax beneath me, and I pulled my staff away with haste. I searched for his pulse, finding it lightly thrumming beneath my fingers.
I felt a rush of relief, feeling his light pulse under my searching fingers, and I stood, bowing to the officials. I balled my hands into fists, willing the tremors to stop. I shakily walked out of the ring, picking my way through the crowd.
-;-
Many hours later I relaxed in the dining hall, sitting with my fellow winners from the day’s competition. I smiled as they were introduced to me. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Kouga, and myself were the only ones from my pack. I looked around to see a man apprenticed as a monk, a demon-slayer with a quick temper, a cold woman who looked like me but wasn’t much for conversation, a fox kit that constantly was getting into trouble, a wolf demoness who had a bone to pick with Kouga, and Ken, an elemental demon with kind eyes and a calm, sort of morose demeanor about him.
It was a celebration, and the ale flowed like a river, warming the insides and loosing the tongue.
We were all merry and jolly, some of us perhaps too much, as Monk-in-training Miroku couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, nor could he keep at bay the bawdy jokes. I was fighting a losing battle to keep the pink from my cheeks as he spoke, recounting the lady-loves that he had left at home.
And so we spent the night, merry and happy as the wee hours of the night closed in, the spirits and good food getting to our heads. We were coerced into a game from Miroku’s homeland.
We worked ourselves into teams, and as luck would have it I ended up with Sesshomaru, who looked severely disinterested.
Miroku smiled deviously, no doubt elated that he had sweet talked another batch of suckers.
“Rules are simple. You just need to have the highest number on your cards. You combine the values of your team’s cards and whichever team has the most point’s wins.
We drew our cards after placing our bets, and I looked confusedly up at Sesshomaru, hesitating to pull my card. He leaned towards me, and I closed my eyes as his scent wafted into my nose. I was startled as his words reached my ears.
“The monk cheats. Draw from the bottom of the deck”
I looked around; sure the others had heard the accusation. I shrugged when they looked to be none the wiser. I drew, and Miroku urged us to add up our totals.
While most were in the single digits, Miroku’s team had a tally of seventeen, which narrowed a few eyes. That cheater!
I held my card out, surprised that I had a ten, and turned my eyes to Sesshomaru. He sighed morosely, and laid down his card, revealing a nine. I let out a little squeal as I collected our prizes.