Yes. I know I am insane. Adding another story. Deal with it. This one's been in my head forever. If you haven't read my stuff before... Uh, just ignore me, then. :)Warning: Even though I love this idea, I am going to focus on my other stuff first, b/c it's really only fair to those readers. Speaking of, I have drabbles I need to do now. Disclaimer: The gorgeous silver-haired boy that is this title's namesake, does not, unfortunately, belong to me. (Inuyasha, for those who don't live on this planet.)
High above the forest floor, hidden in the canopy of summer foliage, a pair of dark golden eyes watches.
They take in the steady drumming of hooves as the horses walk, the not-quite-silent creak of carriage wheels as they turn, following their charges. Low murmuring can be heard from the men at the ends of the reins, and the man watching the passing caravan smiles grimly to himself, wishing his life could be so easy.
He had been watching the small group since it had entered the twilight under the trees, keeping an extra eye out--and perhaps an ear cocked--for danger. He hadn't sensed anything so far, but that didn't mean the travelers were in the clear. It was still another two leagues through the Shikon Mori--The Sacred Forest--before the entourage reached it's destination, Tama Shima--The Jewel of the Isle, capital of the land and home of King Alaidir and Queen Nusema.
The tree man's ears twitch as the gentle sound of laughter reaches them, the silver tips perking for a second before focusing on the nearest wagon, where a slender arm is holding aside a curtain at the window. He can't see the woman, because her face is hidden by the shadow of the interior. More laughter reaches the man's sensitive ears, and he smiles a little at the sound, despite himself.
Is that her, I wonder?
The man tilts his head to the side and leans forward a little on his branch to keep the carriage in view as it passes a particularly large tree.
It must be... he thinks, eyeing the guard riding beside the wagon with slight annoyance.
The rider has short, dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and is grinning widely at the female inside the carriage. He gives a low chuckle at whatever the girl is saying, before shaking his head.
The man in the tree frowns, wondering what the woman had said. He's so focused on the pair below, that it takes him a few seconds to hear the slight whistling of air as a dozen arrows fly from the forest opposite him and embed themselves in several of the wagons. The man pales slightly, and grips the branch he was perched on tightly with his claws.
He would not get involved unless it was absolutely necessary.
OoooOoooO
This has been such a long trip...
The ebony-haired girl sighs, stretching her arms out to the sides to loosen her muscles. She then raises them over her head to move her back. Everything was stiff from having sat for so long.
"Are we almost there, sis?"
The woman stares at her younger brother sitting across from her, his cheek resting on his hand while the boy stares blankly out the window, a bored expression making his young features droop. She nods.
"I think so, Sota. Miroku said it was on the other side of the forest..."
The girl pushes aside the curtain on the window, and speaks to the guard riding beside the carriage.
"Miroku? Didn't you say Tama Shima was just on the other side of the Shikon Mori?"
The man steers his charge closer to the wagon and flashes the girl a dazzling smile, putting on his best, 'I know you want me' smirk. The girl giggles.
"Oui, mon cherie," Miroku says, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. The young woman laughs again, making the boy grin. "About another hour through the forest, kyasha, then we will be able to see the city on a rise in the distance."
The girl smiles at the nickname the man had given her, before turning to tell his response to her brother. The younger boy groans, then crosses his arms and slumps down in the seat.
"Sota is soo excited to be going, he can't even contain his enthusiasm," she says rolling her eyes as she turns back to the guard. Miroku grins, then shakes his head.
"I know it's a long way, Kagome, but..."
The boy suddenly frowns and ducks low to his mount as an arrow passes through the spot where his head had just been.
"AMBUSH!" he yells, yanking open the door to the carriage and hauling the younger boy out and onto his lap. He reaches for Kagome's hand, and the girl quickly grabs two bags lying on the floor of the carriage before mounting behind the guard.
Miroku scans the rest of the caravan, seeing the other passengers being taken onto single horses and riding quickly toward their destination. He urges his horse into a gallop as the drivers of the wagons and the rest of the horsemen prepare to counterattack.
Kagome has a tight grip around Miroku's waist and is holding the back of her brother's tunic in her fist. She glances back quickly and gasps.
"They're using fire!" she yells, and feels the guard twist his head around, cursing silently as he sees the first few carriages catch, their sentries yelling in fright and anger as they jump to the ground.
"What're they after?" Sota yells above the wind rushing past their ears.
"Probably just raiders looking for loot," Miroku answers. He glances down at the boy in front of him, then looks at Kagome out of the corner of his eye.
I hope... They're not royalty, but they're close...
The guard absently wonders what happened to the siblings' parents, who were riding in one of the first carriages. He glances around and notices that there's no one near them now, slowing his mount to a walk to let the horse catch it's breath. Miroku fingers his sword, his senses still alert for danger.
"Do you think we lost them, Miroku?" Kagome whispers. She lets go of her brother's shirt, and loosens her hold on the older boy's waist to look behind them. The girl can see smoke rising in the distance, and vague sounds of fighting, but everything near them was quiet.
"I don't know," Miroku says. The boy stares around them in all directions, noting the pointed absence of any kind of sound.
It's too quiet...
Miroku frowns and is about to enter a trot, when he hears a yell from above them. Before he can react, however, something slams into his left side, knocking both him and Kagome off the horse.
"Sota! Go!" he yells, struggling to get to his feet despite the pain in his back and legs. He-- thankfully--hears the sound of hooves over a pair of voices quietly cursing.
"You two! After him!"
Miroku withdraws his sword and glares at the raiders, instinctively shielding Kagome from the men standing before him. He sees a pair of riders out of the corner of his eye, and prays that Sota doesn't slow down until he reaches the edge of the forest.
The closest marauder grins, then signals to the rest of his troup--five, total--to attack. Miroku manages to hold them off for several minutes before one of them catches his back on a downswing, and the boy goes down with a yell.
"Miroku!"
The girl kneels beside the guard, watching in horror as blood starts to soak his tunic and breeches. The boy tries to tell her something, but before Kagome can decipher it a pair of thickly muscled arms grabs her around the waist and lifts her off her feet. The girl yells, struggling and kicking until a hand encircles her throat.
"Watch closely, deary, and we'll show you how to properly skewer a pig," he drawls, making a shiver of disgust run up the girl's spine. Kagome glances down, her eyes widening in horror as one of the raiders kicks Miroku hard in the stomach.
The boy doubles over, grunting in pain from the blow to his front. He's breathing heavily, and is still trying to get to his feet. Another kick--this time to the slash across his back--makes him scream.
"No! Miroku!" Kagome cries, tears starting to fill her eyes. The marauders all laugh, seemingly amused by the displays of weakness.
"I think getting run through with your own sword will be an acceptable way to die--wouldn't you agree?" the head raider asks, bending down to pick up Miroku's sword and raising it above the boy's head. "And then we'll take our...spoils...back with us for a little fun," he says, swinging the weapon down.
"NOOOO...!"
Kagome's yell is cut off by a loud growl, and snarling. The girl stares, her eyes widening as all the fight goes out of her. She hangs limply in her attacker's arms, who also seems shocked at the scene.
Standing above the dark-haired boy on the ground, is a man dressed all in black, with the same color mask tied around his eyes. He has long silver hair hanging down his back, and cute, triangular ears on the top of his head. His clawed hands are holding the edge of the sword between them, and rage is contorting the boy's facial features. In one motion he yanks the weapon away from the raider, flipping it over and thrusting it back through the man's chest.
Kagome gapes, not understanding what's happening. The man holding her mumbles something unintelligible, then drops the girl on her backside, unsheathing his sword as he runs toward the intruder.
The man in black glares and bares his teeth--he has fangs, the girl notes--as the other four raiders attack, striking at each with Miroku's sword faster than Kagome can follow. In less than a minute, each one has gone down.
The man glances around quickly to make sure the men aren't getting back up, before he kneels beside Miroku, ripping off the boy's tunic to wrap it around his torso. The guard watches the other boy with narrowed eyes, but doesn't protest to the man's actions.
"You should be alright, but I would get back to the castle as soon as you can," the man in black says gruffly, noticing Miroku's glare.
Kagome simply continues to stare at the strange man, wondering who he was, and why he had helped them, especially since...
"Are you a demon?"
The silver-haired man snaps his eyes to the girl's, preparing to growl and bare his fangs in warning. His hostility quickly fades though, as he sees only curiosity in the girl's chocolate gaze. He debates for a minute about telling her, but decides that Miroku will anyway, if he doesn't.
"Yes," he says simply, standing and walking in the direction Sota had ridden. "Come out."
Kagome and Miroku stifle gasps as the girl's younger brother walks away from the trees. The boy sprints to his sister, hugging her tightly around the neck.
"I was so scared, sis! They almost got me, but he...," the boy says, pointing at the man in black, "...saved me. He landed behind me on the horse, then grabbed me and jumped back into a tree! A tree, Kagome!"
The girl hears an unintelligible sound from Miroku, but she's too busy watching the demon to give it proper attention. The man is trying to keep an indifferent expression on his face, but Kagome can see a slight tinge of pink on the boy's cheeks, underneath his disguise. She raises her eyes higher, and somehow manages to stifle a gasp at the sparkling golden orbs showing through the slits of the mask.
The girl continues to stare in wonder, completely entranced by the man's eyes, before she suddenly realizes that he's watching her. Kagome quickly drops her own gaze, hearing her brother whisper in her ear.
"He's a demon," the boy says, pulling back to reveal obvious delight on his young face. Kagome nods, swallowing and taking a deep breath before standing shakily to her feet.
"You can use the marauders horses. They're staked behind that outcropping," the demon says, pointing to a grouping of boulders a little ways away. The man gives the trio one last glance before turning to leave.
"Wait..."
Kagome quickly drops her hand back to her side, fisting it in her skirt while staring at her feet. The demon still has his back to her, but one pointed ear is aimed in her direction, telling the girl that he's listening.
"Th...thank you. For saving us," Kagome whispers, raising her head back to the man.
The demon stands in place for several seconds before he nods almost imperceptively, then crouches and jumps to the nearest tree, disappearing in moments.
Kagome stares at the spot she had last seen him, wondering why a demon had bothered to save them, and why there was a sudden tightness in her chest. Miroku's voice brings her back to the present.
"Um...a little help here?"
The girl turns, a gasp escaping her throat. "Sota, go get the horses," she says, heading for the guard.
Kagome helps the man to his feet, seeing her brother already returning with the mounts, as the process took several minutes. She whispers to the older boy, noticing that Sota is watching the branches above his head, trying to catch another glimpse of their savior.
"Do you know who he is?"
Miroku nods, reluctantly. "Yes. The people around here only know him by one name." He turns to the girl, a slight frown and worry on his face.
"The Silver Bandit."
Well? Oh, and I'd like to thank brakken for her semi-beta-ing of this chap, and telling me what would help torture the rest of you guys, plot-wise. Go check out her stuff. It's awesome. :)