Akiho Amino is the leader of the Gahir wolf pack in makai. The only thing is: she's not a wolf demon. Amino sama is known for her indifferent demeanor and quick temper. Hidari, her right hand man, has even experienced what it's like to be on the receiving of her very angry, very drunk, self. Being her right hand man, he also knows that she once had a lover. Unfortunately, every time this lover of hers, Hiei, is brought up, Akiho goes into a drunken rage. So who is he, and how was it even possible that someone as indifferent as Amino sama could have a lover? All is not as it seems as Akiho has a seizure one day, waking up only to blabber on about emotions and this Hiei man. Follow this adventure as Akiho recalls her past, bringing up painful memories and lost moments.
They all watched in growing concern as she convulsed on the ground, her eyes seeming to roll into her head till only the whites of her eyes could be seen. One man got on his knees next to her, attempting to hold her still so she would not damage herself while she thrashed around. As soon as he tried to touch her, however, a jolt of blue electricity zapped his hand, causing him to hiss in pain.
As they all stood there, completely helpless as their leader writhed in pain on the ground, she was unaware of the danger she was putting herself in. Pictures were flashing by in her mind, terrible visions of blood and death. People screaming as they scratched at their heads, drawing blood with their growing panic. They were running, their hearts pounding and their bodies burning; running from a figure in black.
" Do you see them?" a voice whispered. Suddenly she was standing in a field, thousands of small crosses scattered across the hills. A man stood next to her, wearing a brown cloak soaked in what looked like blood. His eyes were pure white, but he still seemed to see her.
" Who is it I see?" she questioned, her eyes flickering around. " Why have so many died?"
"… Should you not know already?" he asked, his face emotionless. He took a step closer to her, inspecting her face with his white eyes.
" Where have you taken me?" she demanded, putting her hand to her belt. She had expected to feel her sword at her waist, but instead felt only a soft cloth. Looking down at herself she frowned. Instead of her trousers and cotton shirt, she wore a tatty dress with purple flowers on it. " Where are my clothes?"
" A woman should wear a woman's clothing, should she not?" he chuckled, letting his eyes sweep across the graves in front of them. " … The is the gravesite of a battlefield. Many were lost."
" Why have you shown me this?" she asked, her voice a whisper. Suddenly they stood before a stone, surrounded by the muddy crosses. At his nod, she took a hesitant step towards the grave. Weeds covered almost the entire stone, and it took her a moment to clear enough of it to see the name. Etched into the rock was one name: Amino. " No!" she shouted, jumping back as if it had burned her. " What trickery is this?!"
" 'Tis no trickery," the man boomed, his voice seeming like that of an army's. Out of the ground came a large shake, followed by the hands of the deceased. Barely any flesh covered their hands as they grabbed at her legs and skirt.
" Get away!" she shouted, kicking at the hands trying to bind her. The man watched with a grin as she panicked, trying to escape the skeleton hands to no avail. They tore at her dress, ripping off bits and pieces as she tried to escape their cold grip. " Why do you do this?! Why to me?!"
" A vision of what is to come," he called after her, his voice carrying across the field easily. She was running and kicking at them; her skirt held her back, as she had not worn such frivolous clothes in years. A hand grabbed her right ankle, and suddenly she lost her footing and fell to the ground.
" No!" she screeched, tearing at the hands that clutched her. " No! Get away from me! I am not dead!"
" … Do you think that you will live forever?" he questioned, looking down at her as she struggled. " With the way you live?"
" I am not dead yet!" she shouted frantically. Still those cold hands reached for her, but they would not stop.
" Why not go back to your old life?" he asked her. She followed his gaze and gasped at what she saw. There stood the old her, from the life that seemed so long ago. She was wearing ningen clothes, smiling at her with a carefree smile.
" That is not who I am," she spat, renewing her efforts to free herself. No, that was the old her; the one that cared for such stupid emotions such as love and loyalty. Now she was free from such burdensome feelings.
" … You look but you see nothing," he growled at her. This was the first emotion her had really allowed to spread on his face: anger. And it frightened her.
" I put that behind me!" she grunted, somehow forcing herself to her knees. " You wish to know what I see?! I see a pathetic ningen onna who experiences pain because she is ruled by her emotions. No longer will I feel such pain! I will not be so weak as that; not in a thousand years!" She winced as the man let out a booming laugh, echoing eerily around them.
" So naïve!" he wheezed, holding his sides as if they hurt. This, she decided, was much scarier then his anger. " Your mind is clouded by your nonsense!" Once he calmed himself down, he looked at her with a grin. " Look."
Following his pointed finger, she gasped at what she saw. There, standing where her own figure had previously stood, was Hiei. His crimson looked down at her, his face as emotionless as the cloaked mans had been. " Hi… Hiei," she stammered, no longer paying attention to the hands grabbing at her. He continued to stare at her, his arms crossed over his chest. " Hiei! It's me: Kisa!"
" Hn. You're not her," he growled, narrowing his eyes at her. " My onna would never see emotions as a weakness."
" But…" she argued, feeling tears sting her eyes. Why was he acting so cold? " I only… it hurt so much after you left!"
" Foolishness," he grumbled, turning his back to her. " You're not worth my time." She and the old man watched as he began marching away.
" Hiei!" she shouted, somehow managing to scramble to her feet. " Wait! I l… I love you!" She ran after him, tripping every few steps from the dead hands reaching for her. Even though those cold, slimy hands sought to pull her down, to keep her with them, she continued after him.
He was so close to her now; all she wanted was to hold onto to him and never let go. " You think you can leave?!" the man roared, suddenly blocking her way. " You have chosen your path, and you cannot stray, else you will die earlier then planned."
" I don't care!" she fumed, pushing the man out of her way. " I'll make a new damn path!" The man watched her chase after the apparition, a small smile gracing his features.
" … Some progress, then," he mumbled. And he closed his eyes, and disappeared.
Hiei suddenly stopped walking, looking over his should at her as she threw her arms around him. " Don't leave me," she sobbed, clutching his body as close to her as she could. " Please… I don't want to be alone…"
" Hn," he grunted, his eyes softening. He turned around in her arms and embraced her, resting his head on top of her own. " That's my onna." They were motionless, enjoying the feel of each other's warmth after they had been separated so long. " Do not forget who you are," he whispered, whipping the tears from her cheeks. " I will find you… be strong until I do."
" NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
The men around her jumped back as she screeched out those words, eyeing her warily as the convulsions stopped. " Amino sama?" one whimpered, daring to take a step closer to his leader. They all watched as she closed her eyes for a long moment, finally opening them a minute later. Her pupils were large, and she seemed very far away indeed. " Amino sama?" he asked again, causing her eyes to swivel around to find him.
Looking at his brown wolf ears and his strange, blue eyes she whispered: " Hidari?"
" Thank goodness," he breathed, stooping down to get a better look at her. " You had a fit, Amino sama. Are you alright?"
"… I saw him," she muttered, her eyes looking off into space.
" Who, Amino sama?" he asked, a frown on his face. She had seen someone during her fit? This didn't sound good.
"… The one I told you about," she said quietly. " … Hiei…"
Hidari looked around at his companions, motioning for them to go away so he could speak privately with the girl. Once they had left her carefully reached out a hand to her, sighing in relief when he was not shocked. He gently sat her up, letting her lean against his knee for support. " Have you had these fits before?" he questioned, keeping his voice soft to try and keep her as calm as possible. Last time she had spoken of the fire demon, Hiei, she had ended up drinking her weight in alcohol and had then proceeded to smash everything she could get her hands on. He did not wish for a repeat performance.
" Never," she answered. She felt like she had been hit by a truck, and could feel a headache coming on.
" You had a… vision, then?" he questioned warily. Hidari had never been a brave man when it came to angry woman (who was?), and Amino sama had proven to be very skilled at being angry. And shouting. And throwing things…
" … I'm not sure what it was," she mumbled, whipping a trail off drool from her chin. " … Tell me, Hidari. Do you believe emotions are weaknesses?"
Surprised by her sudden question, he took a moment to answer. " I believe they become so if you let them," he said slowly. Amino sama was a very tricky woman, and could easily be looking for a fight. " I feel what I feel, and it is just so. I will not run from them, or hide. It would be a fools battle, if you ask me." Hidari bit the inside of his cheek, not impressed by his choice of words. Amino sama had once spoken to him about such things- while she was drunk. She found all emotions useless, and when he had foolishly argued with her, she had thrown a half empty keg at him.
" … So it is," she breathed. Hidari looked at her strangely for a moment. There was something to her face, other then her wide, frantic eyes, that looked different then what he normally saw. Then, he knew exactly what it was. She looked sad. Depressed even. He had never seen such emotions on her face.
" Amino sama," he said in concern, looking into her eyes. " What happened?"
" … He saved me," she answered.
" From what?" he asked. " If I may be so bold."
" Myself," she muttered, looking up at him with a smile. Now that was a surprise. Never before had anyone seen Amino sama smile. Oh, she had plenty of evil grins, but never had anyone seen her smile in any other way. She seemed almost… content. "… We should head home. The pack will be expecting food…"
This is kind of a test run for this series. If you like it, I will be sure to continue. And future chapters will not be so short, just to let you know. Thanks for reading!