"Magic II"
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters in this story. They are the copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. There is no profit made from this story and it is used only for fanfiction purposes.
Summary: Haunted by dreams of a past she could hardly remember, the gaunt and haggard figure of a young woman found herself wandering the streets of Tokyo. Having gone days without food and unable to remember her own name let alone a lifetime, what will she uncover in her quest to find the truth?
Notes: Hello everyone! The first "Magic was meant to be a one-shot; however, my readers really wanted me to take the story further so here it goes. This also was meant to be a one-shot but it was too long and had to be broken down into sections. So, although technically, it is just a one-shot it is a multiple chapter one-shot. There will be a third and final installment of "Magic" where everything comes to a head and is resolved. At this point, it will probably include a lot of fluff in the reunion. If you have not read the first story, do so before reading this one. It will make a lot more sense. In the first story, I was originally inspired by an old song but for this story, I was inspired by the 1950's movie Anastasiawith Yul Brenner and Ingrid Bergman. I tried to capture Ingrid's mental instability here. This was hard to write and out of my comfort zone. Once I got started though, it began to flow nicely. A big Thank you! to all of my reviewers, namely Pamila De Castro – who's read mostly all of my stories; Temarifire – you made me laugh, thanks for the comments; jj – who's always willing to check out my stories; icegirljenni – one of my first reviewers since my very first story and all you others who go out of your way to leave a comment, favorite, and so on. Again, this story and Innocent Enough will be my last. It was a pleasure. Enjoy! ;)
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It was a cold, wet and gloomy day as the gaunt, hooded figure of a young woman aimlessly wandered the crowded streets of Tokyo. Weaving in and out of the noisy throng of travelers and businessman, she nervously tugged at the collar of her thin jacket, constantly looking back as if she were being followed.
"Watch where you're going!" snapped a short, stern fellow as she accidentally bumped into him.
"Sorry," she quietly murmured, putting her hand to her temple in distress.
Haunted by images of a past she could hardly remember, she stumbled in and out of consciousness.
For all she knew, she was just some teenaged runaway who had grown up in an orphanage. Only, she did not remember growing up, at least not in the present time.
She shook her head at the discomforting thoughts, not willing to face the fact that she truly did not know who she was or where she was going.
"Move!"
Excuse you!" complained a group of rowdy young women as she barreled clumsily into them.
"I'm sorry!" she fretted.
"What's wrong with her?" she heard one whisper as they walked away sneering and giggling.
Again, she grabbed her temples in distress, overwhelmed by all the brightness and tumult of the surrounding metropolis.
She had to find a place to rest… and soon but where would she go? She had no money, no relatives and nothing of which to barter.
On top of that, the thin, threadbare jacket she wore hardly protected her from the cold which was, increasingly, starting to seep into her very bones.
She shivered, crashing, this time, into a tall, young man.
"Sorry!" she stated automatically.
"Are you alright?" he asked grabbing hold of her shoulders before she slipped and fell.
"Mm…" she mumbled in frustration as he steadied her.
"You know, you should be more care…"
"Yuka!" rang a loud masculine voice.
"…ful. Someone could have…" the young man continued.
'No! It's them!' She panicked as she turned around to see two men in long overcoats walking briskly down the sidewalk towards her.
"Yuka!" they cried out again, motioning with their arms to come to them.
'I cannot go back.' She shuddered as she turned and breezed past the young man who still stood reciting his dissertation on the dangers of walking the streets.
"You have nowhere else to go!" She heard them shout. Sadly, it was true. She didn't have anywhere else to go.
Should she just give in and go back to her caretakers?
Beads of sweat began to form across her sallow brow despite the falling snow as a series of frightful memories flashed before her.
[There she was, lying on a bed of some sort. She could hear noises, noises like the sound of a buzzing bee. 'What's that?' she wondered as a thin, silver object was brought towards her. "Now, now! This won't hurt a bit." she heard a male voice coo. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she felt hands touch her body. Unable to move, she lay there in utter terror as she desperately scanned the room, searching for anything familiar in hopes that it was just a dream.
"How could she have survived so much time…being so young?" she heard a voice inquire.
"She looks to be no more than fifteen. Not to mention, the countless injuries she has undoubtedly sustained," he commented.
"Maybe it was the sword," intoned another.
"Rin!" echoed a deep, melodic voice which belonged to a pair of fiery gold eyes which burned into her soul and imprinted on her mind.
"Come with us child! You have nowhere to go! We can help you!" prodded an old, austere woman who stood on the banks of what seemed like a river flowing through a park. In addition, there were two men in long, black overcoats struggling to fish her out of the fast moving channel.
Suddenly, there she was in what looked like a room, sitting on a bed – a contraption she was familiar with from her days in the shiro.]
'What shiro?' she mulled. 'Was she a queen, a princess or maybe a mistress?' she wondered.
[Once again, the old woman entered the room as she sat on the bed in nothing but a strange sleeping yukata. "We do not provide free room and board, girl! You will earn your keep here!" Just then, two men came into the room and began to look at her with dishonorable intentions. She wanted to scream. She wanted to bolt but who would hear her? Who would come to her aid?]
She cringed at the memory. Thank goodness someone did come to her aid – the very people she now ran from.
"Yuka!" she heard them shout again. This time, they picked up the pace, running lightly so as to not draw attention to themselves.
"Stop girl! We are not here to hurt you!" she heard them say as she too started into a full on sprint to escape her would be captors.
She dashed through the crowd frantically, triggering a slew of angry insults but she could not dwell on that now. They were coming and there was no place to run.
She glanced back.
They were now, in full pursuit knocking over vendor stands and displays and pushing aside any who got in their way.
She had not eaten in days, and the lack thereof was beginning to take its toll.
Feeling herself grow increasingly weak, she began to look for a place to hide.
As she spotted a narrow alley across the way, she began to ponder how she could cross the street without being seen. Fortunately, there was a crossing at the light up ahead. She could disappear into the moving crowd as they made their way to the other side. Instinctively, she slowed hoping to blend in as she made her way anxiously towards it.
Once there, she crouched slightly to avoid detection as she fearfully watched her captors draw closer and closer; however, the action caused her head to spin intensely.
Just then, the light turned and she bolted forward, desperately trying to steady herself to stay hidden within the crowd.
'She had to reach the safety of the alley soon,' she thought. She was running out of time and out of steam.
She felt herself stumble as she began to hallucinate. Blurred images filled her mind as she made her way towards the dark alley: A face with fierce, golden eyes and the deep echo of a name she had heard once before…a mysterious necklace with a glowing, purple medallion, the men who were chasing her – only now they were standing over her in white overcoats…
The images faded as moments of clarity came and went like the sudden gusts of biting winds.
It had felt like an eternity as she finally reached the alley which contained articles of everything from hanging clothes lines, to bicycles, to junk piles covered with tarp and even several trash cans.
She promptly searched for a place to hide, breathing heavily as her heart pounded in her ears.
In a flash, the vision of a great and mysterious tree appeared before her glowing with the slight cover of dew and surrounded by a strange aura; then, just as quickly, vanished. Eyes wide open, she blinked then looked on in astonishment through the cold, thin air but there was nothing there except the cloudy haze of her own breath.
Across the way, her eyes zoned in on her would be captors as they keenly scanned the scene before her.
'No!' she silently screamed as they proceeded to cross the street. She quickly hid behind a trash can as they entered the alley.
"Do you see her?" she heard one ask. "No," replied the other as they continued further into the cluttered recess.
"Go away! Go away, please!" she whispered quietly, unable to quell the rising fear in her belly.
"There's nothing here. Let's go." She heard one state.
As the men turned back to exit the alley, she remained silent then breathed a sigh of relief after they unknowingly passed her by.
She sat there as still as a rock for the space of a minute, trying to find the courage to move.
When she felt sure they were gone, she awkwardly rose to her feet trying to suppress the feeling of faint which had washed over her.
Although, she was glad she had evaded the tenacious men, she still had to find out who she was and where she came from. Not only that, but she was extremely tired and hungry without a place to lay her head.
Deciding that she would worry about such weighty matters another day, she cautiously peeked out of the alley to see if the coast was clear. Satisfied that there was no sign of her pursuers, she pulled her hood further over her head then quickly slipped back into the crowd.
