"Heh, heh, heh…." A giant monkey-like creature chuckled as he faced a small bunch of villagers with weapons and farming tools, "You'll all die!"
"Quickly, we have to get to the forest and hide!" A young teenage girl whispers ushering a group of children out of the village and turns around to see one more girl, "What are you doing? Let's go already!"
"It's going to kill everyone, Tsuki!"
"I'm going to help."
"But Lady Ichiko…" (Ichiko, no Ichigo)
"I am a miko. It is my duty to fight demons." The miko bends down to face the little girl, "You show some promise as a miko. I can sense great power in you. Really strange ones, though." (miko – priestess)
The teenager grabs the 4-year-old girl.
"Quickly, me must get out of here!" She pulls the horror-filled girl toward the forest.
The miko straightens.
"I'm not strong, but I will try to banish the demon. At most drive it away."
Lady Ichiko walks away toward the demon.
+ ~ + ~ + ~
The miko walked up to the saru-demon (monkey-demon). The villagers parted to let her pass.
"This is where you will die," the miko took out some scrolls and muttered some unintelligible words.
The spell did not seem to affect the demon very much.
"Heh! You think that weak spell will hurt me? A small knife would do better!"
"The spells aren't powerful enough!"
The miko tried many more spells.
"You are pathetic!"
"It's no use. I don't have enough power to defeat it."
"Then we'll fight! It will not get our children!" A villager said determined.
"You dare to oppose me! You'll all die! I'll start with you, miko. Then I'll kill all you weak villagers. I can find those little children and eat them afterwards."
The demon slashed at the miko. The miko quickly closed her eyes clapped her hands together. She muttered something and a transparent emerald-colored barrier appeared expanding away from her to protect the villagers and herself.
"What a weak barrier." The demon laughed as its paw bounced off the barrier.
The demon pushed itself against the barrier. It struggled for a second then broke through the barrier. The barrier disperses and the demon slashes at the miko. The miko screamed and fell, dead, into a pool of her own blood. The villagers stare in horror. The demon then turns and begins to kill the villagers.
+ ~ + ~ + ~
"Tsuki, she's dead." The little girl paused, "So are a lot of other people."
"Who would 'she' be?"
"Ichiko-sama."
"How do you know that?"
"I felt her aura disappear."
"You what?!"
"Tsuki, the Lady Ichiko said I had miko powers. Maybe I can beat the demon."
"You'll die." Tsuki answered flatly.
"I want to try."
"Oh, go ahead. If you want to die…" Tsuki said sarcastically
"Really? Thanks! Bye." The girl ran out of the forest.
"Hey, wait! I didn't mean it!"
"I'll be back! I promise! And don't cry. Crying is babyish." She said running off.
Tsuki stared after her. Her eyes filled with tears. Remembering the girl's words, she wiped them from her eyes and tried to not cry.
"You better come back or I'll never forgive you." She said softly.
+ ~ + ~ + ~
The young child stopped to stare as she reached the village. Dead bodies were all over the place. She had sensed them die but had not thought that the sight would be so very horrifying. She felt a bit nauseated. The girl snapped out of her daze when someone screamed and looked at the demon. It was harassing another villager who was cowering on the ground in front of it.
"HEY!"
The demon stopped mid-swipe. He turned in the direction of the sound.
"Ah, a young child. You will make a very delicious meal for me. The sweet tender meat of a youngster." The demon advanced toward his new prey.
"What are you doing out here?! You're supposed to go with the others!" A villager yelled.
"I'm going to try and kill this demon." Ankoku replied with a determined expression.
"But, you don't…"
"Lady Ichiko taught me some really simple spells and I think I know how to control my own power."
"Power?" One village muttered confused, "Since when has she had power?"
The demon reached the girl and slashed at her. She shut her eyes in concentration and glittering amethyst-colored barrier appeared around her.
"Another barrier. This one will break just as easily."
The demon pounced on the barrier. As he hit the barrier a crackling sound is heard. For a moment it seemed the demon had succeeded in breaking the barrier when the demon was suddenly repelled and he flew through the air. The demon hit the ground rolling.
"Her shield… It prevailed…." A villager nearby said in amazement.
"You little brat…"The young girl's barrier slowly disperses as she loses her concentration. The demon runs at full speed toward the girl. He manages to knock her over with a swipe of his paw, sending her sprawling beside a dead man he had killed earlier.
"This will end here…"The girl slowly gets up and looked at the remaining villagers.
"RUN FOR IT, ALREADY!! TAKE EVERYONE AND RUN! WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?!" She yelled waving her arms.
The villagers were practically frozen with fear. Bruises began to appear all over the young child's right side.
"IDIOTS! RUN!!! AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OLDER THAN ME?"
The villagers, finally grasping what she was saying, ran.
"Foolish little girl. Let them run. I'll get them later. You are dead."
The girl looked at the dead man at her feet. The man had a bow in his hand and a quiver of arrows on his back. She looked startled for a moment.
"Brother…" She muttered as she looked at the man.
The girl gingerly tool the bow and the quiver of arrows from the dead man without touching him. She took an arrow from the quiver and quickly fit an arrow to the bow with expertise of a practiced archer.
"Heh. You think a puny arrow will even harm me? I'm betting you don't even know how to use it." The demon taunted.
"That's where you're wrong. I'm quite good with the bow and arrow." The young miko said confidently.
"Even so, that arrow isn't going to hurt me."
"Maybe be not not, but if I add a bit of my power to it…" The bow and arrow glowed a steady violet, "… you never know what might happen. The possibilities are dazzling.1"
The saru-demon growled.
"It won't be enough!"
The demon slashed at the child. The girl let the arrow fly. The arrow hit the paw descending on her and it froze in mid-air.
"Seems like my arrows work quite well."
The young miko quickly picked up put another arrow to the string, ready to fire.
"My hand! It can't move!" The demon cried in a horrified voice then turned on the 4-year-old, "You…"
"This one's for you, Sanshi!"
The girl took a look at her dead brother sprawled by her feet then turned her attention to the demon and loosed a second arrow. With deadly accuracy, the arrow flew through the air and hit the demon's throat.
"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The demon screamed, clutching his throat.
A glittering object flew from the demon's neck. The little girl jumped up and neatly caught it in her free hand. (one hand's holding the bow)
"What's this?"
The demon did not reply.
"IF I MUST DIE, YOU WILL TOO!" He roared in pain, instead.
There was suddenly an explosion. The little girl looking at the object in her hand was blown away. She held on to the unknown object and let go of the bow which had snapped in half from the explosion. The girl crashed to the ground and fell unconscious.
~ + ~ + ~
Meanwhile…
The vilagers, hearing the explosion, turned around to look.
"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Tsuki screamed in despair, "YOU PROMISED YOU'D BE BACK!! YOU PROMISED, SIS!!!"
Light from the explosion enveloped the villagers and Tsuki's screams were drowned out.
~ + ~ + ~
"Ugh, where am I?" The girl asked rubbing her head.
She wearily sat up to find a being in a baboon cloak towering over her.
"Where's my Shard, child? Give it to me and I won't hurt you." He said.
"What are you talking about?" The girl asked flopping back down on the ground, too tired to be afraid.
"The Shard of the Jewel I gave to the demon."
"I have no idea as of what you're talking about."
"I can tell you're not lying. Sleep." He commanded softly touching a finger to her forehead, "When you awaken, you shall remember nothing."
The little girl sank into blissful sleep. The demon bent down to search her for the Shard.
"Naraku." Someone behind him softly said.
The demon, Naraku, quickly spun around to face the newcomer.
"Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's older half-brother."
"What would you be doing to a young human girl?"
"None of your business."
"You lost a Shard. To a human child I might add. I heard everything you said to that little girl. I thought you always managed to hold onto your Shards."
"Grr."
"You will pay for trying to trick me." Sesshoumaru held up his hand.
"That's right. You never trick Master Sesshoumaru. He's going to kill you." A toad-like demon piped up.
"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshoumaru whacked Jaken.
"Sorry, Master."
"Heh," Sesshoumaru slashed at Naraku with his claws, "Poison Talons!"
Naraku dodged the attack, and then faded into the forest.
"He got away." Sesshoumaru said softly.
"Coward!" Jaken yelled into the forest.
Sesshoumaru looked at the little girl by the well.
"Useless weakling. She couldn't possibly have been able to steal a Shard from Naraku."
Sesshoumaru nudged the girl with his foot. The girl just rolled over and fell into the dry well. Sesshoumaru paid no heed. Humans are weak, pathetic, useless creatures anyway. Why care about one little girl. He leaves with Jaken.
~ + ~ + ~ + ~
A few hours later:
A little girl got up and found herself in a small dry well.
"Where am I"
Her head felt a bit fuzzy. She noticed a ladder hanging from the top of the well. She started to climb until she noticed something in her hand. It was a small glittering object. It looked like a shard of glass, instead it wasn't a clear color. It was rose-colored.
"Where'd I get this from?"
Her head was still fuzzy, do she didn't bother to think about it. The little girl put the shard in her pocket and climbed up the ladder. She walked out of the shrine with the well and walked down the stairs. The small child noticed some other kids playing nearby. She walked over to them.
"Hello."
The other kids rejected and teased her.
"She's so dirty." One said.
"Look at what she's wearing!" Another said in disgust
The little girl fought to control her temper. A woman noticed her and came over. She picked up the child.
"Hey!" the girl complained.
"What's your name, dear?" The woman asked.
"My name? My name is… Ankoku." The girl answered probing her memory, "Yes, it's Ankoku!"
"Where are your parents?"
"My parents. I don't know. I don't remember. I can't remember!" The little girl says trying to remember.
Ankoku's memories seemed to slowly trickle away until she could find no memories. The poor girl panicked. Her head seemed empty of all things. Ankoku began to cry.
~ + ~ + ~ + ~
1 Quote from "The Realm of the Gods" by Tamora Pierce (Pg.123)