This has been edited! I feel like it is much better. :3 Please let me know, yes? Oh, and I've gotten a few reviews asking if I made a Borderlands reference in this chapter.. I did not. ^_^U Apologies. I was thinking more of the song by Cage the Elephant, I suppose. I don't really know. I was just writing and probably smoshed at the time, you know. LOLZ Love you all!
Okay so this is my first fanfic work.. kinda nervous about it. Roksana, the little devil that she is, has been prowling around in my head for weeks now, so I decided to put her on paper and see where it goes.. open to any critism. Any at all, because I'd love to improve my skills. I'm pretty impressed with what I did so far, but it's probably pretty poor. -nervous giggle-
My little Roksana is also a cusser. In Russian, though, of course. Rated M for that and later steamy rolls in the sack. X)
Anywhoooo I'm a little drunk right meow so excuse any blunderrss. X3
Reviews would be nice.. :3
Oh oh, and translations before I forgets.
Mudak – Asshole
Blyad – Fuck
Begin!
The day was gorgeous. Insects were flitting here and there, little critters were bounding through the trees and on the ground, and crows were calling in that laughing way that they do. The temperature was sublime. A slightly cool breeze was rustling the leaves of the trees, the rasping whisper perfectly complimenting the cawing of the crows.
All in all, the effect was quite drugging.
A contented sigh escaped the female form lounging at the base of a large oak tree. Her legs outstretched and arms pillowing her head against the rough bark of the tree, a purr began the rumble from her chest. Her deep, blood red hair pooled around her in the soft grass, becoming slightly tousled by the breeze. Her tail, white in color with large rosettes matching the red of her hair, twitched idly. A short purple kimono adorned her body, the hem at the top of her striped thighs. It hung from her left shoulder, which also sported stripes, connecting at her right hip, leaving the right side of her chest exposed. The fabric was lighter at the shoulder than it was at the bottom and silky, a red moon behind a black tree with a raven resting on a branch decorating the hip. A black metal breastplate with purple filigree trim was worn on her chest. Black open-toed thigh highs covered her legs, with dark purple metal leg guards reaching from her ankles to her knees. She wore no shoes, so her toes were bare. Similar coverings were on her arms, the black fingerless gloves reaching mid bicep, the dark purple guards stretching from elbow to wrist.
Closing her eyes, the demon continued to purr. She never got to relax like this. It was always hey, do you know my brother? No? Awesome. I've only been looking for him for 75 years. With absolutely no leads. Or people screaming at her hey, save me from this demon! I'm useless! Or people looking at her weird. Hey, your name is Roksana? Is that foreign? Do you know you look weird? Like, you're foreign? Snow leopard demon? I've never heard of such a thing! No, she didn't know any of this. Mudak.
Whatever possessed her to stop at this lovely tree and sit down for a break, she was extremely thankful.
Breathing deeply, Roksana allowed the smells of the forest invade her nose. She smelled the fresh grass, the musty dirt, the clean water, and the fragrant blooms of spring. Her pointed nose twitched. There was something else.. something evil. It was pungent and assailed her delicate nose. Probably some lower demon. Sniffing a bit more intently, she caught the scent of a human as well.
Her intense silver eyes snapped open as she heard a bloodcurdling scream pierce her pointed, sensitive ears. It sound like a young girl.
Damn, she had a soft spot for kiddies.
"No rest for the wicked, I suppose," Roksana grumbled to herself. She was off toward the sound in a red and purple blur, faster than she could even think about it.
A couple of heartbeats later, she came upon the demon. It was a rather large, centipede-like creature, dark green in color with bright red legs. Its maw dripped with viscous, green saliva that sizzled and steamed when it hit the ground. Acid. Nice. She wrinkled her nose. The demon reeked to high heaven.
It had a young human girl in its grasp. The girl had black hair with one side tied up at the top in a little ponytail, which was adorable, and wore a purple kimono with yellow butterflies on it. Luckily, Roksana was downwind and at the back or the demon, but she didn't think it would have mattered too much anyways if she'd popped up right in front of the demon's disgusting face. The demon was obviously weak, and very intent upon the meal he had clutched in his red claws. The poor little girl was terrified, flailing and kicking and screaming. Roksana had to admire her fight.
"Silly little girl," the demon laughed in a creepy, insect kind of way, "all alone out here in the forest. You shall make a delicious snack."
The girl continued her futile fight, more desperately now.
Roksana hesitated no longer. She leaped high into the air and landed lightly on the centipede demon's back, digging in with her bare toes, at the point where the claws gripping the young girl were. The beast didn't even notice, too intent upon his food. The fool. Using her sharp black purple-tipped claws, she severed the arms holding the now unconscious child. Swinging around the demon's body like a pole, she grabbed the girl before she hit the ground and leapt off the demon to the base of a tree a distance away to keep the girl safe. Roksana laid her gently on the cushy grass.
The demon roared with it's fury, green acidic saliva flying in all directions. Outraged that its meal had been taken and its arms cut off, it used its many remaining red limbs to charge this insolent interrupter, intent upon devouring the intruder as well.
It didn't get very far. Not even turning around to face the centipede demon, Roksana pulled a metal throwing star from her black obi and flicked it behind her. She heard the hiss as the star ignited with a glowing red light, and the satisfying tearing of flesh at the star hit its mark and split the demon right down the middle into two perfect halves. Glancing back, she admired her handiwork with a triumphant smirk. She held her hand up to call the star back and it flew up to be caught between her fore and index fingers. She gave it a flick to clear it of the green goop clinging to it and tucked it back into her obi.
With the demon eradicated, Roksana gave the girl a quick once over. Boy, did she have an adorable face. Her hair was wild, curling out at the ends. However, despite almost being a centipede snack, the girl had no severe injuries, save a rather nasty scratch on her right cheek. She'd probably have some pretty bad bruises on her sides, though. Poor girl.
Carefully, the demoness scooped the girl up into her arms, and kissed her furrowed brow. The girl's face relaxed and she curled closer to Roksana. Smiling slightly, Roksana loped off in the direction of the village she had been going to visit anyways. The girls' parents were sure to be worried, but the snow leopard was going to take her to the priestess first to tend to her injuries. The red-haired demon needed to have words with the healer anyhow. Two birds with one stone, as they say.
As Roksana came closer to the village, she thought of two things: one, these villagers probably aren't going to be the friendliest towards demons. In other areas of Japan, humans are more tolerant. Around here.. not so much. Sure, she heard that the half demon Inuyasha protected this village, but he was only half demon. Humans still found something to relate to in something that is still part human.
Two, the little girl she was carrying in her arms had to be the most adorable child on the planet. Her face was that of an angel. Roksana found herself looking forward to the child waking up. She wanted to play with her and braid her hair and make flower wreaths and giggle like a girl. Sometimes adults were so droll. She much prefered dealing with children.
Roksana thought of her brother. His father and her mother had died getting them to Japan, seeing as they had come all the way from a podunk country called Russia, so she had to raise her infant half snow leopard demon brother on her own at just the age of 102. In a strange land where no one was welcoming. People in the most northern tip of Japan weren't accepting of demons at all, much like the area she was in.
She sighed, lingering on the edge of the village. She easily stayed under the radar of the humans milling around doing their mundane human things. She sent out her senses, trying to find the priestess's hut, so she could quickly get there without being noticed and raising a ruckus. Not that she was against such things, but she had an injured child in tow.
Viola! She found it. Quickly, she made her way to the priestess's abode without being noticed, thanks to her superb speed. She masked her powerful aura so she wasn't noticed by the old woman in the hut immediately and swept inside with a slight flourish.
Roksana was aware that the priestess sensed her as soon as she entered. Her long gray hair was tied at her back and there was an eye patch over one eye. She sported the traditional red and white priestess garb. The old woman was kneeling by a small fire with a teapot hung over it, drinking from a cup of tea. Her good eye snapped to the demoness as she entered entered, staring intently. There seemed to be disapproval in the old woman's eyes.
Roksana grew self-conscious. She patted at her kimono with one hand, the other holding the girl, wishing she'd had time to stop by a lake or stream to check on her appearance. Did she have some centipede slime in her hair? She glanced down at herself, taking stock. Sure, her kimono was short. Humans bellyached about it around here, but in her homeland, this was more than acceptable. Modest, even. She wore no shoes, but she'd seen many go without shoes around here. Her toes liked freedom. But, there was no sludge anywhere. Her tail was unstained and unruffled. Her blood red hair was without tangles.
She looked pretty dandy, if she did say so herself.
Reassured, Roksana broke the silence, flashing a look of respect at the priestess. She had not flinched or shown any signs of fear. The demon could be intimidating, she knew, as she had quite a bit of power under her belt. "My name is Roksana of the Snow Leopards from the, ah.. North." It wasn't exactly a lie. "I came across this child in the woods and rescued her. She surely would have perished otherwise."
The priestess set her cup of tea down carefully, studying the unusual snow leopard demon closely. Her attire was strange, but obviously had Japanese influence. Slightly wavy dark red hair, the color of drying blood, reached her thighs. Pinkish purple stripes ran from the inside corner of her striking silver eyes to her jawline, with faint dots decorating her forehead and cheeks. Stripes of the same color were on what could be seen of her thighs and upper arms, and rosettes dotted her neck and rib cage. The demon was not of this place, that much could be seen. She was very strong, her demonic aura filling the small hut. This striped and spotted demon could have easily hurt both the child and herself without effort.
Thinking of this, the priestess cautiously spoke to the female demon, yet with confidence born of experience. "I welcome ye, strange demon. My name is Kaede. Though I do not yet know why ye saved the child, I am thankful that ye did. She is my apprentice. Ye may set her over there, in the corner. What happened to her?" Kaede was in fact rather thankful this demon had come along and saved Rin. No telling what Sesshomaru would have done, she thought to herself
As gently as possible, the red-haired demon sat the child down. "She was attacked by a centipede-like demon. I slayed it and saved her, seeing as I was already on my way here." She smoothed a lock of hair from the child's forehead almost lovingly.
Kaede looked at the demon called Roksana thoughtfully. Her accent, though faint, was rather strange and her features foreign. Her cheekbones were high and defined, her nose straight and pointed, and her chin was stubborn and slightly cleft. "Why have ye come, and where did ye come from, Roksana?" Even her name was not normal.
Roksana gave a wry smile, and glanced at the priestess appraisingly. She was a sharp old bat. "I don't assume you're asking which village I was at last. I came from a bleak land called Russia, far away from here. I come seeking information, which I have heard you may have to give."
"Speak ye request, demon. Ye have saved the child, Rin. Payment is due." Kaede moved to Rin's side to begin attending her injuries. She carefully cleaned the gash on the girl's cheek.
"Well, you see, I.. lost track of my brother a few years back. I search for him. His name is Feliks. He's a half demon. He looks a lot like me, but with golden hair, white golden-tipped ears on his head, and a tail with golden spots. I last saw him in the North." Roksana's silver eyes lit up, that same rotten hope always getting the better of her. With every new thread of possibility of finding her beloved brother, she chased it hopelessly, like a butterfly that constantly danced just out of her reach. Her long white and red tail began to twitch.
Looking up from her charge, the old priestess spoke, "Nay, I have not heard of such a man in all my years." Kaede watched as the demon's tail dropped slightly and her silver eyes faded with disappointment. "However, I do know of a very ancient tree that may have answers for ye. Or he may not. But I do not know where he is."
"Blyad." Roksana cursed. Hope had sparked again at Kaede's mention of the demon tree, but fizzled just as quickly. "You're a big help," she deadpanned, tail twitching with renewed irritated vigor.
"I was not finished speaking, Roksana." The twitching grew more frenzied. The demon was obviously holding her tongue. "The master of this child, the demon lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands knows where this tree is, I believe. He frequents here to bring her gifts. I expect he will return any day now."
The demoness's eyes became a shining silver at this, tail now twitching out of excitement rather than annoyance. This was great news. Another chance, another thin, shining thread. "I can't thank you enough, old woman." She hesitated, "May I return to check on the girl- Rin?"
Kaede nodded, returning her attention to Rin's wounds. Already her sides were turning a pleasant purple and green and blue from the centipede demon's grip. " I cannot tell ye how Sesshomaru will react to ye's request..." Kaede looked up to find that her words were falling on deaf ears. The odd demoness was gone.
She sighed. Always the crazy ones.