Off in the alleys and bushes off the side of the road another figure paced the white one. This one was obviously a young girl clad in a rather unseasonably short white kimono with a red lining and a large violet sash. Her right foot was bound with a crimson ribbon that matched the one in her hair, but it was hard to see with her small, delicate feet moving so fast. It was apparent that she was indeed the faster one, but her refusal to involve anyone else handicapped her.
It wasn't until the media helicopters began to thunder in the distance that the masked man leapt to the opposite side of the road as the girl and ran towards a large hill with a shrine on top. The girl dug in her beribboned foot and bent a knee as she dug a small trench with her heel. The instant she'd almost stopped she leapt into the air, spinning once and landing easily on the opposite side of the eight-lane highway. The moment a foot touched the ground she was sprinting again, not even breathing hard.
But then, she mused as she chased the demon and drew a breath, it wouldn't do to have the Watcher have to stop to catch her breath. "Larva!"
"Wakarimashta!"
She could feel the shadow that was her servant speed up, cutting off the demon's retreat into the rear of the shrine. Through his eyes she saw the almost comedic tumbling the creature went through to try to keep from running into the ominous wall that was her servant Larva. His beauty was hidden behind a bone-white mask and hooded robes that gave him the impression of being Death himself. The image was completed with by ornate scythe, which he held in both hands with that indescribable air of confidence of someone holding their favorite weapon.
Time to end this. He was within range, and no ordinary humans were around to become caught in her very unique web. Her eyes narrowed and the flat area around them faded out of existence, replaced by the world of dreams.
Most say this girl's dream world was more of a nightmare. The ground was black and covered so thickly with mist that over most of it you couldn't see your own feet let alone what you walking on... or in. Scattered with apparently no pattern at all were glowing orbs of gold about the size of a basketball. These were in fact souls caught up in their own unique dreams. Eerie, seemingly dead black trees clutched more of the softly glowing golden spheres with dead branches, reaching up towards the bloodstained sky with others.
The girl hissed in a breath as the familiar rush of energy washed over her, embracing the strength that was flowing from the darkness. As horrifying as most found this piece of parallel space she had more than one reason to favor it, not the least being the enhanced abilities she gained.
She had caught up to where Larva was toying with her current prey. He was keeping the Shinma confined to a clearing large enough to fight in, including a pool of water that in the crimson light appeared to be blood, surrounded by the living trees of death. Well enough. The girl leapt silently onto a sturdy branch of a tree and raised her hands upwards to her face, a hand carved wooden flute appearing in her hands. The flute her mother had made. Pushing aside a momentary pang of sorrow she took a breath, closed her amber-gold eyes, and played a single piercing note that echoed strangely in her crimson world. The rest of the line of a slow, short melody followed.
The white figure had whirled to face the source of the song. His violet eyes widened in horror then narrowed in anger. "Kansha. The Shinma Huntress. So you're the one chasing me."
Pale hands released the flute of darkness, and it faded back to wherever it had emerged from. "Sou. I am the Watcher." She dropped down from the tree, slowing a moment before she landed silently. "Return to the Darkness peacefully and you shall be forgiven."
It was rare, but sometimes a Shinma would take her up on her offer. Very rarely did it happen, and even more rarely she let them go. As the Shinma crouched down the pair hunting him knew this was not to be one of those times. Larva dropped his scythe, which vanished from sight.
The girl raised a palm as Larva crossed his right hand in front of his cloaked body, his talons extending. Red light pulsed faintly from the left eye of his mask. At some unknown, silent signal the three simultaneously began to move. While Larva raised his talons, waiting to strike cleanly the Watcher made a throwing motion. A flame darted from her fingertips, exploding on the ground where a split second before the Shinma had been. He got up from his life-saving roll and leapt into the air, followed immediately by Larva. With talons bared he thrust his claw into the Shinma's stomach…
Only to pass through, hitting nothing. Confused, he reversed direction and landed protectively next to his Mistress. Amber eyes watched four perfect copies flee in four separate directions.
"Nice trick," chirped a childlike voice from up in one of the dead trees. "Kinda impressive."
"Shiina, which is real?"
There was a pause as the psychic Shinma turned its second sight around them. "All of 'em. They're all bits of the whole. Follow the one that went to the shrine, they're all heading that way."
"Arigatou, Shiina."
Her other servant faded to invisibility as she dropped the parallel space.
I've gotta get back… I've gotta find that well! The figure in white clenched its fingers on a tiny piece of broken glass and willed for more speed as it's copies merged with it. I hope Naraku-otousama forgives me for borrowing this. Without looking behind it dashed into the hut of the forbidden well.
Sunset Shrine. The hunters barely had time to register the name before darting after the Shinma, and without ceremony jumped into the well itself-- the girl's hand caught the foot of the white creature before the void took him.
And was taken herself.
~%~
Damn that rosary! Inu
Yasha swore incomprehensibly into the ground after being 'sat' the sixth time
that day. S'not like I saw anything...
Miroku patted his head, right
between the puppy ears. "Inu Yasha, you must learn to hide better if you wish to
watch Kagome-sama and Sango-san bathing."
The hanyou pushed into a crawling
position to protest that he had jumped into the tree to get a better view for a
lookout post just in time to see a fist-sized rock collide with Miroku's
forehead--a present from Sango. "Sukebe houshi!"
"We said STAND WATCH, not stand AND
watch!"
Shippo snickered from his perch
in the tree as Inu Yasha began to yell at Kagome that he wasn't trying to peek.
"I'll never understand adults," he grumbled and began to strip, hanging his
things from branches haphazardly. "Here I come,
Kagome!"
The girls looked up as the
fox-boy bounced off the branch and splashed into the slow stream, shrieking in
near unison as the cold water covered them. Kagome laughed as Shippo clung to
her arm, and helped him get a few burrs out of his bushy tail.
Priest and demon sat sulking on the
bank; Miroku because Shippo got to see parts of their traveling companions he
had only dreamed about and Inu Yasha because he'd been sat. His ears twitched
irritably as the sound of laughter and encouragement came from the water. Shippo
was splashing wildly, trying to balance his tail as Kagome taught him how to
swim her way.
Sango decided she'd had
enough kitsune-induced splashing and scrambled out, pulling her travel yukata on
over her damp skin quickly in the cover of the bushes, not wanting to take any
chances with the perverted monk so close. Although she had to admit she didn't
mind his appreciative glance when she returned to the fire.
"Ah! Sango-san, would you like some help
drying your--" She happened to be reaching for the Hiraikotsu so he smiled and
finished with "your lovely hair?"
"Keh!
You just want a chance to grab her, you perverted bouzu!"
"I'm a servant of Buddha," he protested,
pulling his staff closer as if as
proof.
*shikon*
Kagome jerked her head up suddenly. It
was faint. Very faint, but very much there and leaving them behind fast. It was
a tiny shard; so small that with the auras flaring by the campfire (and Inu
Yasha's rather creative suggestions as to where Miroku could place his monk's
staff) she'd almost missed it.
"Shippo-chan, let's go get dressed."
"Eh?" He looked up, treading water.
Uh-oh, that's her Shikon no Tama face. "A shard?"
"Hai. We'll be leaving early in the
morning."
Inu Yasha's head instinctively
turned (from where he had just thrown Miroku into the forest) to look at Kagome,
trained to respond to the word 'shard'. "Kagome! Where is it?" To his horror he
found himself staring directly at her chest as she walked out of the water.
Shippo snickered.
Kagome clenched a fist.
Inu Yasha braced himself for what was
coming.
"OSUWARI!"
Seven, thought Inu Yasha,
updating his mental tally.
~%~
The forest was full of shadows
and dark colors, splashed randomly with a firefly or two. Moss, attached to
stately trees, emitted a soft scent indescribable to those who have not been
fortunate enough to smell it. Mushrooms sprouted like magic from the decaying
forest floor, living off the dead plants that made the soil so rich; rich as
chocolate, rich as cream.
As rich as
blood.
Blood is such a funny thing,
representing life to so many, death to so many more. A pale figure knelt beside
a pale green and off-white mushroom, examining it with deep, soulful brown eyes.
Which is it to me, she mused, life or death? She turned her head to examine the ribbon tying her
silken hair to one side. It was the color of life's essence. Another constant reminder of my time as a mortal which contrasts... Well, what I am now.
This is what the forest is
supposed to be like, she thought, watching the stillness with almost morbid
fascination. Untouched by man or Shinma. Ageless and
growing.
After a few moments she
forced herself out of her rhetoric. She looked at the deepest shadow in the
forest, which was broken only by a shocking white mask with dark tears running
up from the right eye and down from the left in a sort of twisted yin-yang
balance.
"Ne, Larva. Are you getting
hungry?"
The tall black shadow turned an
impassive mask upwards to the sky for a thoughtful moment before answering. "We
should investigate that strange energy vortex and track the Shinma which led us
into it, but for that you need your strength." A touch of irony entered the
quiet voice. "He is stronger than he looks. I'm still not sure how he got away
from us."
"I think I smell a village." A
cat-sized vaguely pink ball with seven tails hopped out of the branches, landing
with a soft thump on the ground beside her before uncurling into the shape of a
lop-eared rabbit-like demon with one red and white eye, the other hidden by a
pink and black ear. "Over that way," he continued, motioning with a paw, "about
four kilometers."
Fondly, as if with a
pet or a young child, the young girl rubbed behind his ears. "Stay with Larva,
Shiina. In my shadows." The small creature nodded reluctantly, watching the girl
rise and smooth her the sash of her kimono. She reached upwards and with motions
stemming from centuries of practice untied the ribbons binding her hair. As she
turned her flawless face to the eerily pure starlight her brown eyes seemed to
melt to amber-gold. A sudden gust of wind pushed a cloud over the three-quarters
moon; casting a shadow over them all and making the silhouette of her clothes
seem to change.
As the cloud moved away
again the three had all vanished; as silent as the stars they had been watching.
~%~
Early the next afternoon, in
that very same small meadow Inu Yasha took a few four-limbed steps forward, his
sensitive nose buried in the dirt. He had ordered everyone else to stay
out of the clearing and stick to one spot so he could sniff out clues as to who
these people were, and what they were doing with one of "his" shikon shards.
They had obeyed, but only because they'd been traveling for hours and needed a
rest. That and Inu Yasha tended to mutter some rather, uh, creative language
when he was trying to figure things out. The girls barely managed to get out of
earshot with only mildly burning
ears.
The hanyou made a face as he swore
under his breath. The scent of old blood was lingering in the middle of the
clearing. There were too many tiny variations in smell to count, each whiff
smelled like a new human yet scented with one stronger scent. There it was, the
scent of his enemy. Whoever this youkai was he obviously fed on humans. And...
He paused, considering. It almost smells like this youkai is dead. His heart did
a flip. Kikyou? No. Kikyou smells like mud and ash and Kagome's scent deep
inside. He 'keh'd' mentally, trying to cover his emotional
blunder.
Meanwhile Kagome idly brushed a
rogue lock of hair behind her ear, leaning back against a tree. Shippo had made
himself comfortable on her lap, Sango was beside her scratching behind Kirara's
ears as the tiny wind and fire youkai rested and purred her brain out, and
Miroku on the other side to guard against potential
ambushes.
"Ne, Kagome," whispered Shippo
conspiratorially, "is it me or does the dog-breath seem more comfortable on four
legs than two?"
She stifled a chuckle
and lightly scolded the kitsune in another whisper. "He's a dog youkai,
Shippo-chan, and the easiest way for him to pick up a scent is to get his nose
low to the ground."
Kirara perked her
head suddenly, her ears swiveling alertly. Priest and Hunter noticed and with a
glance each ensured their weapon was within arm's reach. Sango casually
unfastened the yukata she wore over her armor, pretending to be soothing the
fire cat.
"Yosh', yosh', Kirara-chan.
It's just the wind." At least she hoped it
was.
Shippo looked up sniffing. "I smell
blood!" He looked at Kagome, horrified. "Human blood! And it's fresh
too!"
Inu Yasha's ear twitched and in
three small leaps (for him, at least) closed the distance between himself and
the group at the tree. He could have taken it in one larger jump, but he felt
eyes on him from all over and didn't want whoever was out there to know his
strength. Ruefully he had to admit that the time he spent with Kagome and the
others had taught him a great deal about tactics; he even realized now that in
battle being a hanyou could be an advantage occasionally, causing his opponents
to underestimate him severely and give him an
edge.
He landed between Miroku and
Kagome as the group was rising. "I heard Shippo. What's goin' on," he demanded.
"Is someone hurt?"
"None of us." A grim
smile appeared on Miroku's face. It was obvious he was serious--he wasn't even
watching Sango adjusting her yukata. "We've decided to go investigate, and help
if we can."
Following Shippo and Inu
Yasha's noses they made their way quickly upwind, back the way they had come. In
their silence Sango and Kagome each worried for the young child they had met
outside Matsumura. She was quite cute and energetic, gathering the few remaining
flowers in a field left fallow this season. Kagome smiled when she remembered
the tiny voice demanding to pet Inu Yasha's ears before directing them towards a
teahouse.
Before long they caught sight
of her faded violet yukata. She had dropped her flowers and was sitting, leaning
against a boulder beside the path. She had a dreamy expression on her young
face, a childish smile on her lips. Shippo quietly pointed her out as the source
of the smell.
"Anou ne," said Kagome as
the group approached along the path, "are you okay?" There was no answer from
the girl. After a moment she remembered the girl's name and said, while gently
shaking her shoulder, "Kiku-chan? Wake
up."
Kiku sat pale and unmoving, as if
the life had been sucked from her. Kagome and Sango knelt beside the child,
concerned. Kagome felt her forehead and withdrew her hand,
horrified.
"She's so
cold!"
Sango took the child's pulse at
the wrist. "She's alive, though. But it's like she's only half there." She
thoughtfully looked at Miroku. "She might be
possessed."
Inu Yasha sniffed near her.
"No youkai scent, but it could be an oni." Almost smirking he added, "I guess
the bouzu should try to get her out of
it."
"I'm a houshi," protested the
delinquent monk in question. He had already been clearing his mind and hunting
through his robes for the appropriate
scrolls.
Shippo meeped and hid behind
Kagome's shoulder. "An exorcism?"
"Yup,"
interrupted the hanyou, grabbing Shippo's tail to pick him up. "We're gonna go
look for whoever did it." Over his shoulder he said, "C'mon, Kirara, unless you
wanna get exorcised outta yourself."
She
mewed pathetically at the prospect, looking up at Sango who nodded that it was
alright. After trotting forwards a ways she was covered in a blaze of fire,
transforming into her giant form. After delicately plucking Shippo from Inu
Yasha's grasp and setting him on her back she growled, indicating she was ready
to follow. He nodded, growling something in return and then they were off,
combing the forest.
"Alright," said
Miroku, tapping his staff on the ground to make the iron rings chime. "Shall we
begin?"
All during the chanting Kiku had
the same contented smile on her lips. Kagome did as she was directed, placing a
spiritual ward on the girl's forehead and joining in the proper rituals. She had
learned many of the sutras unwillingly, since her grandfather chanted them day
in and day out at the shrine.
Not that
she knew what they were supposed to do, but even children around a temple can
recite Buddha's wisdom. Or something. Ji-chan had tried to teach her classic
quotes too.
Over an hour later Miroku
wiped sweat from his forehead with a sleeve. "She's in a dreamlike state. I
can't fathom it."
"Let's take her to her
village at least. Maybe they'll have some clue
there."
"Good idea, Sango-chan. That way
we can prepare the villagers for Inu Yasha
too."
While Kagome hefted her bag up
onto her back Miroku carefully gathered the child in his arms. Sango could have
sworn she saw something sad or wistful in the delinquent monk's eyes, but like a
tic it was gone as soon as she noticed it. She looked away from him towards
Kagome as the child's hair fell behind her shoulders as her head fell backwards
over Miroku's left arm.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
"What's wrong, Kagome!"
Sango exclaimed, the Hiraikotsu in her grasp before even she had realized she
was moving.
"Kikikikikikuku..." The
future girl was pointing at Kiku, too deep in shock or trembling too hard to
speak.
Sango and a puzzled Miroku
followed her finger towards Kiku's innocent chest, then up to her
throat.
Which was marred by two small
round puncture wounds.
"She's been
bitten," murmured Miroku, aghast, "but by
what?"
"A youkai," Sango was quick to
suggest.
Kagome shook her head slowly,
and managed to form a single word.
"Kyuuketsuki."
Vampire.
Then everything went black.
After all she's seen why did Kagome go
into shock at a Vampiric attack? How does a youkai know the Shinma Hunter? More
pressingly how can they use the well...? Will Miroku ever go a day without
getting brained at least once?
~to be continued~
Hajimemash'te! My
name is Cosmic Jester, and this is my first fanfiction. Well, my first
fanfiction posted to fanfiction dot net at any rate. Please review! I need
to know what I'm doing well with this silly little fanfic of mine, as well as
what I need to work on.
As for Miyu being out of character I found her TV
series self to be a bit too depressing for the purpose of this story. So I took
a little creative license and took her from five years after the end of the
series and had her become a bit more playful. ^_^ Larva is as close to his
bishie self as I can make him and Shiina just as
cute.
Glossary:
Kimono: classic Japanese
garb.
Wakarimashta: "I understand." Or "(it's)Understood."
Shinma:
God-Demons. The name given to the creatures Miyu hunts.
Kansha/Kanshisha:
The Watcher or the Guardian. It's Miyu's official title on the TV
show.
Sou: "That's right."
Arigatou:
"Thanks."
-otousama: Name suffix meaning "Lord Father".
Sunset
Shrine: Higurashi means sunset, so the Higurashi shrine is the sunset
shrine.
Hanyou: Half-youkai.
Sukebe: Middling-level
pervert.
Houshi: Monk.
Kitsune: Fox demon.
Yukata: An
unlined kimono.
-san: Name suffix meaning
"Mr./Miss./Ms./Mrs."
Hiraikotsu: "Flying Bone," the apt name for Sango's
huge boomerang.
Bouzu: Insulting name for a monk.
Shikon/Shikon no
Tama: "Jewel of the Four Souls." A very powerful glass gem that magnifies a
youkai's power or grants wishes to humans. Kagome and Inu Yasha accidentally
shattered it, causing the hundreds or thousands of tiny shards to separate over
the country, perhaps even the world. Since each piece has the ability to boost
youkai powers it's vital for Kagome to put the Shikon no Tama back together.
Inu Yasha just wants to become a full youkai.
-chan: Name suffix
meaning "dear" or "little"
Hai: Yes.
Osuwari: The command for a
dog to sit. It's also the word Kagome uses for the rosary to subdue Inu
Yasha.
Ne: "Isn't that so?" or "Right?" or "Say, name."
Youkai:
"Demon."
Yosh': According to my good friends at Dragonball Super Z "All
RIGHT! Cool! Dang skippy!" It's also used to calm children (and cat youkai, in
this fic).
Anou: "Uhm, er, well, y'know.."
Kiku: A little girl of
Matsumura [Pine Village] whose name means "chrysanthemum." She's appeared in
another Inu Yasha fanfiction I wrote, but have yet to post.
Oni: Devil
from Hell.
Sutra: Chants believed to have magical/spiritual
power.
Ji-chan: Grandpa. Specifically Kagome's.
The actual quote
as I encountered it is: "Even boys hanging about the temple gate learn to chant
the sutras."
Kyuuketsuki: Vampire.