unbrilliant: Hey, everyone! I'm back and so is my story! There are some major revisions, so, if it doesn't sound like you've read something before, then it's probably because I rewrote that particular paragraph. I also changed the whole even-though-I-live-in-the-Amazon-I-still-speak-Japanese thing. So, now, because the Amazon Rainforest is in Brazil and the native language there is Portuguese…Bhikku, Hamati, and Kalindi now speak Portuguese! Heh heh. I have nothing else to say so here is the disclaimer…
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I hope its creator, Yoshihiro Togashi, doesn't mind if I borrow some of the characters. Oh, yes…all of the Portuguese spoken in this fic is taken from the AltaVista Babel Fish Translator. So, if any of you readers speak Portuguese as a native or a second language and some of the words are incorrect, please let me know!
For Pride or Love?
Chapter One:
Nearly dawn in the Amazon Rainforest…
It was early morning in the Amazon. The nocturnal animals were drifting off to sleep while the daytime wildlife visibly began to stir. A woman wearing a white nightgown ran frantically on the forest floor; hurdling roots and avoiding trees. Her long, ebony hair shimmered softly in the scarce lighting of the rising sun. Her tan complexion complimented her dark hair. She wasn't all that tall; only around 5'6" at the most. The woman's wrinkle-free face indicated that she was young, maybe around the ripe age of twenty. Her eyes, normally a bright emerald green, were dull and lifeless as a fresh batch of tears made their way down her pain-stricken face.
From far away, anyone could have mistaken her for human. But, with closer inspection, her true origin would have been revealed. She was far from human. She was a tiger demon. A Bengal Tiger demon to be more specific. Atop her head sat two tiger ears that were flattened down; warning others of her extreme agitation. And on her lower back, a tiger-like tail whipped around wildly; clearing confirming that this female was, indeed, distraught.
"Esse bastardo (that bastard)! Esse traitor (that traitor)! Príncipe meu burro (prince my ass)! O híbrido ou não, nossa criança merece ainda viver (hybrid or not, our child still deserves a chance to live)! Esse filho de uma cadela tentado terminar também minha vida (That son of a bitch tried to end my life as well)!", whispered the demon female harshly so as not to alert anyone of her presence.
'A palavra chave é tentada. Que se ele... se eu não ...… (the key word is attempted. What if he…If I had not…)'
Hamati's face darkened as her thoughts trailed off.
Her hand drifted unconsciously to her stomach and she hissed out, "No, esta criança não é de Arith (No, this child is not Arith's). Esta é minha criança (This is my child)! Eu não quero minha criança ser influenciado por um pai tal como ele (I do not want my child to be influenced by a father such as him)!
After what seemed like an hour of running she stopped in front of a human village. The village was pretty small, only containing no more than twenty huts. Since hardly anyone was outside at the moment, Hamati wisely concluded that most humans were asleep at this particular ungodly hour. Hamati hesitantly waved over a lone, fair-skinned human woman with shoulder-length brown hair. The woman turned her head in Hamati's direction at the beckoning motion.
"Kalindi! Kalindi! Sobre aqui (over here)!", Hamati stage-whispered.
The woman now known as Kalindi jogged over to her and stopped about two feet away. Her apprehensive brown eyes scrutinized Hamati. Now that Kalindi stood closer to Hamati, you could see the difference in height of the two young women. Although Hamati was fairly tall, Kalindi appeared to be about an inch taller.
"Hamati? Hamati, é isso você (is that you)?", Kalindi questioned gently as she took in her long-lost friend's appearance.
"Sim (yes), é mim (it is me)."
Hamati searched her mind for the correct words so she could speak to Kalindi in her native tongue; English.
With much difficultly, Hamati slurred out. "Please, Kalindi. May I stay in your village?"
Kalindi pulled Hamati into a tight embrace. "Oh, Hamati! Eu faltei-o (I missed you)! Why do you want to stay here? What has happened?"
It took Hamati a few short moments to translate Kalindi's words.
When she got their meaning she grimaced. "Arith…", Hamati flinched at his name and put together another response in English. "…tried to kill me when he found out I was with child. He has…most likely already told his father that I ran away."
Kalindi's face became gravely solemn at the detached monotone of Hamati's voice.
An awkward silence passed. The only sounds were the occasional pitter-patter of animal feet along the canopy branches and the soft tink of Hamati's tears hitting the ground beneath her feet.
Hamati looked Kalindi in the eye. "Do you…know of a safe place where I can give birth to my child?"
Kalindi looked thoughtful for a moment. "I know of a place", Kalindi paused then continued. "A cave about a mile from here. It is not safe in my village. Arith probably would suspect that you would go to a friend for help."
Hamati nodded slightly, "You are right. Can you show me the way to the cave?"
"Sim (yes), Eu posso (I can). Fortunately, I have no tasks in this village that only I can complete. I will have to ask Lajila to take on some extra duties."
The only sign Hamati gave to show that she had heard her was the small shifting of her eyes.
Kalindi looked sadly at her dear friend. "Vindo, Hamati. I will take you to my hut so you can rest."
About an hour later, Kalindi and Hamati sat around the small fire in Kalindi's hut. They were shrouded in a thick silence; the only sound being the seldom crackling of the fire. Hamati now wore a thin, spring-green, cotton overdress in place of her ratty and torn white nightgown. Kalindi still donned the usual deerskin dress.
After a couple of minutes, Kalindi's delicate voice glided through the quiet, "If you want, we can leave for the cave in the next hour."
Hamati flexed her now well-rested legs. All she got from that was 'you', 'leave for the cave', and 'hour'. Not sure what to answer in English, she just nodded her head slightly and continued to gaze into the fire.
Kalindi stood up and made to leave. "Good.I will go and speak with Lajila now."
Because Hamati understood English very little, the only words she caught were 'good', 'speak', and 'Lajila'. Favorably, those words were enough for Hamati to understand where Kalindi was going. Hamati's eyes glazed over somewhat as she began to turn over some thoughts in her head.
'Mesmo se nós vamos a essa caverna, Arith encontrar-nos-á (Even if we go to the cave, Arith will find us). Kalindi está no perigo quando em minha companhia (Kalindi is in danger when in my company). Eu esperança que eu puder proteger Kalindi e mim mesmo quando com criança (I hope that I am able to protect Kalindi and myself while I am with child). Eu sei quando Arith vem, virá com um exército (I know when Arith comes, he will come with an army).'
Hamati's jaw clenched in determination. Kalindi would not perish under her care.
While Hamati was lost in though, Kalindi crept back into her hut. She whispered Hamati's name so as not to startle her.
Hamati still jumped slightly as she was pulled from her thoughts, but did not pounce on the person in the hut's entrance because she recognized the speaker's voice and aura.
Hamati spoke with hesitance, "You…are done speaking with Lajila?"
Kalindi nodded. "Sim, e é hora de sair (yes, and it is time to leave)."
Hamati stood up and stretched in silent agreement. After gathering some supplies they would need, they ventured out of the village and into the forest.
The sun was setting and the two women now stood on the bank of the Amazon River. They were assessing how to get across the river and to the cave on the other side as quietly as possible. Hamati's eyes began to dart around nervously. It would be night soon and it was not safe to be out in the open when it was dark. Especially since the trees blocked out any trace of the moon and the nocturnal animals would be on the prowl. So, in light of the situation at hand, Hamati picked up Kalindi and leapt across the river. She landed gracefully and quietly.
She set Kalindi down on her feet and raised an eyebrow at her scowling face. "I could have made it across myself. I did not need-"
Hamati interjected. "We needed to cross quietly, Kalindi."
Kalindi's scowl deepened at Hamati's blunt words, but remained quiet. She knew Hamati was right. They then gathered their bearings and walked into the cave.
The cave was damp and a bit cramped, but the two females decided it would have to do as they rolled out their sleeping blankets. Kalindi, in an attempt to nurse her wounded pride, remained quiet as she laid down and fell asleep. Hamati, catching on as to why Kalindi was silent, refrained from saying anything in fear of angering her friend. Hamati sat down Indian-style and slipped into a meditative state. She knew she would not sleep this night or many nights to follow. She would never admit it aloud, but she feared Arith and his murderous tactics.
unbrilliant: If you're wondering why the languages are switching from English to Portuguese, it's because Kalindi's native tongue is English. She only knows a little bit of Portuguese so it's hard for her to speak a language she's not familiar with. She tries to talk to Hamati as much as she can in Portuguese because Hamati doesn't speak English well. -takes deep breath- Okay, that's all I have to say. Please review!