Written for iyissekiwa, and Inuyasha writing community over at livejournal, and as noted, it won second place for the prompt middle. This is the longer version of the 250 word count submission. I hope you all like and enjoy! ^_^
MANNAKA
The staleness of the air accompanied by the growth of mildew fixed itself firmly upon their refuge, assaulting her nostrils-such an act was tied to her tongue, allowing her to taste its bitterness.
All the while her demeanor remained intact, as still as the departed and just as impassive.
She stood against a wall of the small cabin, her mind bare yet conscious of the other two occupants that held a wall of their own, leaving the lingering timbered side of the four-walled space before her to simply have the company of the door it enclosed. There was never a need to look up from her pale feet that gripped a damp wooden floor, for she knew their present state and countenance remained the same, and had not changed despite the several moments spent.
She knew Naraku sat as he generally would, a knee propped before him, an arm languidly atop—lids sheathing eyes that bred impiety. While Kagura sat beneath the lone window within the abode, keeping watch of the miasma-coated skies, fan hidden within the sleeves of her kimono.
Insipid hands brought the mirror she held slowly to her chest, all the while her eyes never wavered from her feet.
A thought seeped in like the murk that surrounded them-as between them she now stood, in the middle is where she often found herself in truth.
She was in the possession of a demon who created her for the sole purpose of doing his bidding; which she often acted upon without hesitation. Though, she could attest he treated her with such a decency no other could claim treatment of, nor refute. This was the only kindness she knew him to be capable of conferring.
And a demoness who held the passion she herself lacked, one who provided to her twenty-fold. She catered to her needs, as few as they were and provided for her the necessities that their begetter cared not to. She often would speak of relinquishment from misery, to a freedom that would provide them true happiness; whether in life or through death, she was not relatively certain.
But she thought both selfish, for her sire sought to use her ability for his benefit, whilst her sister sought an ally not readily found in others. They both harbored ill sentiments for one another, yet managed a docile consideration for her that she could not help but deem to be another selfish ploy-as unintentional as it appeared.
She did not know whether they, who made whole the routine she called her existence, cared not for what she wanted.
Kanna suddenly felt a stillness tug at her soul, which gave note to a shift in the atmosphere. She found her head rising, her stare following suit, to stray to her companions; Naraku holding a scowl of disapproval and distaste and Kagura a smirk of gratification-both of which were directed towards her.
Hands that held a mirror not hers against her torso subsequently quivered, a movement she found unfamiliar, prompting her to move her hands from her, orbs catching sight of the mirror in her grasp. A slight numbness took shape within her, as she stared at her reflection, her face holding something she could not fathom….
A frown.
One so foreign and untried-took residence upon her face, gracing her features with its presence.
Her face unchanging, a silent wonder took form within her shell, one that did not translate to blank eyes that no longer embraced the dullness that she was so accustomed to.
Kanna's frown deepened at a thought.
She did not think that Naraku shaped her with such a function.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please do leave a review of your thoughts, they are much appreciated! ^_^
~Crystal Crest~