"Sealed Past" Ch. 13 [novella, Kagome/Ranma(Inuyasha), M]

Chapter 13

Ranma looked up at the sign before him, reading it aloud, "Full Circle Dojo. Is there any particular meaning to the name?"

"No, not really," Shippou replied, "It used to be a gymnasium but when I turned it into a dojo I never really got around to changing the name. And now it would be too late because most demons are familiar with it. Besides, my wife says it fits."

Ranma shrugged, "Whatever. What style do you teach?"

"Nothing and everything." Shippou replied with a short laugh.

"Huh?"

"The Full Circle Dojo is unique, even by demon standards because the only requirement is that you have to be a demon, or know of demons. Your fighting techniques and the training you have doesn't really matter, because here it's anything goes, much like you said your own style is. Some of my scariest members are the priests and priestesses actually. They may not know how to throw a punch, but damned if they don't know how to throw their power around." Shippou said, as he nodded in greeting to the doorman.

"Really… what does their 'power' do to demons anyway?"

"It depends on the spell and the power of the spell-caster. But it can be as painful as a light sunburn to three-degree burns."

"You mean it physically harms you?" Ranma questioned as they entered the building, feeling the Other practically growl with glee.

"Not usually. It's your spiritual energy that gets burned. Not many religious spells affect our physical bodies, just our spirits." Shippou explained.

"Huh…" Ranma replied thoughtfully as they stopped in a doorway; looking at the people currently sparring in the dojo for a moment, surprised to find that be he and the Other reached the same conclusions regarding each fighter's skill level. "Just curious… what about Kagome?"

"What about Mama?"

"What do her powers do to a demon?"

"She incinerates, spiritually and literally." Shippou answered bluntly.

Ranma threw the fox a sharp look of stunned disbelief.

"I'm serious, even before Mama became the Shikon-Priestess, her powers were almost unheard of and now… it's best to think of her as a superconductor when everyone else is merely batteries."

"Shit." Ranma breathed, the Other nodded vigorously in the fox's support.

"Yes, shit." Shippou agreed grimly. "But enough of that, I'd like for you to meet—"

"Hey Fox!" A masculine voice called out sneeringly. "Who's the new pet?"

Shippou's lips twisted slightly into the beginning of a snarl as a dog demon strode arrogantly towards him.
The demon was wearing tight black jeans and a white t-shirt with the arms torn off. His long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, a piercing above one eyebrow, and pointed ears decorated with numerous studs. He was the picture of rebellious youth. A sneer twisted his otherwise attractive face into an ugly expression.

Ranma blinked. His face a mask of befuddled confusion as the Other grew stronger. "That's impossible," he blurted out, "He can't be Inuheishi. The bastard's dead."

The demon hesitated in mid-step, confused surprise momentarily wiping the sneer from his face. What did this human know about Inuheishi?

"This is Genken, Inuheishi's younger brother." Shippou explained with a growl, surprised himself that Ranma had seen the resemblance to Inuyasha's killer.

"Oh," Ranma replied, his expression clearing with relief.

"So? What's it to you?" Genken said with renewed arrogance. He loved rubbing it into the fox's face that it had been his brother that had killed the legendary Inuyasha, the nine-tail's adoptive father.

Even if it had cost his family their place in Court and demon politics, the Seibuinutaisho Family couldn't hide Inuheishi's crowning achievement, killing the Lord of the Western Lands younger brother. Making the power of their lineage a force to be reckoned with.

"Nothing," Ranma replied with a dismissive shrug, "It just meant I'd have to kill him again."

"What?"

"Let me tell you a little secret," Ranma whispered in a confidential manner, leaning towards the dog demon's face. Within he slid the leash free of his inner dog demon, allowing all that he was and all that he had been to slowly emerge.

Genken sucked in his breath as the human's scent suddenly changed. The guy no longer smelled like a human male, but now began to reek of great dog demon.

"Your brother's dead," Ranma growled in dog demon with bared fangs, eyes beginning to bleed demon crimson, "But I no longer am."

Genken sucked in a breath as he took a stumbling step backwards in shock. What did this bastard mean?

Ranma's growl deepened into a demonic grin, as the pupils of his eyes slitted and turned an iridescent blue. Along his cheekbones, faint ribbons of purple began to appear.

Staring in fear, the scent of a great demon overpowering, snippets of conversations about a demon with such a transformation flashed through Genken's mind. About a legendary half-breed that no demon had ever stood against alone. A half-breed who's blood lust when transformed made the battlefields of the Sengoku Jidai look like a walk in the park.

"Dogs apart!" A voice shouted within the dojo as the sudden flaring of aggressive demonic auras attracted everyone's attention.

"Let me!" A man said wolfishly.

The spell-casters merely rolled their eyes skywards, the wolf lord was always looking for a reason to fight, especially with the dogs.

Taking a breath, a senior priest, a man in his mid forties, released two bolts of purification power. Not enough to seriously harm the feuding dogs, but enough to definitely get their attention.

Genken reacted in the predictable manner, he instantly retreated, his own powers fading beneath the lash of the pure energy. Shippou-sama's companion however reacted in an entirely different manner. He reflected the energy bolt, sending it back to nip at the priest.

"Holy shit," one of the priestess' cursed wide-eyed.

"I didn't think anyone could do that," a young wolf breathed with bug-eyed incredulity.

"I know of demons that can," the wolf pup's father and pack leader said forbiddingly. Eyeing the black haired stranger with renewed interest the wolf took an even deeper breath to catch and identify the demon's scent.

"But my lord, the only demons were know are the royal dogs!" One of the pack members protested.

"Exactly," he replied with a savage grin, "Hello mutt."

"Hello wolf," Ranma's grin was just as demonic.