"FlashBack"
"Nauki?" Inu-Yasha touched her face, the smell of blood heavy in the air. She didn't
move. His heart raced with total shock and fear. "N..Nauki..?" He nudged her cheek with his nose.
She laid still.
Inu-Yasha opened the top of her kimono to see the extension of her wound. His eyes widened, his breathing stopping on contact. Blood was everywhere. There was a horrifying gap going vertically down the middle of her body. It started from her collarbone and went all the way to her stomach. Nauki had been cut wide open by the talon on the claw of the massive demon that had attacked Inu-Yasha.
He felt sick.
He forced himself to snap out of it. Very quickly, Inu-Yasha laid on top of her, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he tried to keep her from leaking any more blood.
The blood loss was great.
Inu-Yasha didn't want her to die. Through tears and gritted teeth, he held her.
"Not my daughter," he whispered in grief. Nauki had saved him from a violent attack by jumping in front of him when he had fallen. When Inu-Yasha had seen her struck, his aggression had turned him into a full demon.
After he had gone on a violent rampage to rid himself of the demon, Inu-Yasha had made his way over to Nauki, whom was laying face down on the ground. He was slowly turning back to normal as the chill ran down his back.
Inu-Yasha looked up. In front of him stood a female as pale as death with long black hair, flowing behind her in waves of smoke. Her face held no expression. Her eyes did not have pupils. The woman reaked with darkness and sorrow. "Who are you," he breathed, holding Nauki tighter in his arms. His daughter was no longer breathing and her heart had stopped moments before.
Realizing this, Inu-Yasha closed his eyes tightly, digging his claws into her back. The grief increased. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like he was dying along with her.
"I have come to claim her," the woman said in a monotone voice.
*Claim her? She's a soul catcher for the underworld!* Inu-Yasha's emotions swarmed over him. He bent down grabbing Nauki's throat with his teeth. He growled harshly at the soul retriever. The woman floated closer to him having never encountered a being such as he before. "Why does this angel mean so much to you, demon?" She raised her hand, her index finger hovering parallel to his forehead.
Inu-Yasha was sure she was going to attack him. He lowered his head. All he wanted now was his daughter. Inu-Yasha's heart was pouring out emotions in all directions.
"I am not going to attack you, dog demon," the woman said. "I would like to know why she means so much to you tha tyou would risk your life by defying me." She touched her cold finger to his forehead. "Don't hold anything back," she warned.
Inu-Yasha thought about all of the interactions with Nauki that he had had. Everything flashed before his eyes. He remembered how she had cried over him for a solid week as he lay hurt and barely alive on the floor of the hut. She had seen him get hurt. The pain in her eyes and voice had caused him to open more emotionally to her.
From then on, Nauki could not be left alone. The incident had traumitized her to a great extent. When she woke from naps to find herself alone, she would scream for him, or Kagome. Often, she would tremble, her body tense, if she was approached by someone unfamiliar.
Kagome had taken Nauki with her, back to her own era to comfort her. Out of curiosity, Kagome
had Nauki's teeth checked to find out her age. She appeared to be six years-old from her height.
However, her vocabulary and interactions with others proved that her mentality did not match her age.
("She's only three years-old, Inu-Yasha."
"But...,Kagome, her height."
"I asked my mom the same thing. She said whoever Nauki's dad is, is that he's tall and that's where she got it from."
He tilted his head watching Nauki sleep underneath his arm, her small hand holding onto his bandages. She was comfortably sucking on Kagome's old pacifer. He lifted his body up a little
the pain around his chest and waist hurting him. Nauki jerked.
She started to cry in her sleep, hot tears coming out of her eyes. Inu-Yasha put his arm back around her. Nauki calmed down instantly, whimpering as she fell back to sleep.
"Why did she just do that?"
"She's just a baby, Inu-Yasha."
"A...baby?" He bent down watching her. Inu-Yasha was beginning to realize how small and
fragile Nauki really was. She wasn't a demon like him, or so he thought at the time.
"Well, she's more of a toddler, but she's still very young. Considering that she saw you get hurt, she's afraid for you to be out of her sight.")
His mind flashed to the first few days after he had rescued her from the wilderness. Inu-Yasha remembered how she had smiled at him. ("What's your name, Little One?") Nauki had laid her ear over his heart to fall fast asleep again; a hint of where she had originally came from.
Inu-Yasha let go of Nauki's throat, rubbing his nose against her cheek. *I'm suppose to protect you, and I failed.* He gritted his teeth again.
("You're my family," Nauki said as she lay on the floor, not looking at him.
Inu-Yasha approached her slowly. He shouldn't have left her with that family in a nearby village.
A year ago, he had promised he would try to be her father, but in that year, Nauki had fallen ill with Yellow Fever. It had scared the life out of him.
For three weeks, he watched her suffer as she fought the disease. Nauki would whimper in her sleep, not able to move much because of how weak she was. Inu-Yasha had to pass food to her
through his mouth in order to get nourishment in her body.
Inu-Yasha gently laid over her, wrapping his arms around her as he laid his head on her shoulder, looking off. "I didn't want to leave you, Nauki. I...was causing you to get hurt by letting you travel with us to hunt for the shards. I'm not a very good parent, Little One. I'm suppose to protect you."
Nauki turned around looking up into his eyes with sorrow. The sparkle in her eyes was still there, but it was fading. "You're my papa." She put her arms around his neck, holding him
tightly. "I wuv you, Inu-Yassa."
Hearing her say that, made it hard for him to look at her. He had never told her he loved her, or how much she meant to him. All Inu-Yasha could do was bury his face in her shoulder, ashamed of how he had treated her.)
Every bit of guilt he had had over the years lifted from him. Raising Nauki had been a journey. His heart ached. He was not ready to give her up, even though, she lay dead in his arms.
"Not my daughter," he whispered again, his voice cracking as the sorrow increased. Inu-Yasha
could not look at the woman in front of him. He was completely lost in his thoughts.
("Here, papa," Nauki tugged on his kimono. Inu-Yasha looked down. She was holding a flower in her hand. "What's this?"
"It'd a perdy," Nauki said, handing it to him. She skipped off to find more flowers.
Kagome walked up behind him. "Aw, that's cute. She's picking flowers for you." She smiled.
"I'm not a girl." He crossed his arms.
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "She's giving you flowers because she wants to make you happy."
"The only thing that would make me happy is to become a great demon."
Nauki pulled on his kimono again, handing himm a bushel of flowers. She had heard what he had said. And, Nauki had a temper. The girl crossed her arms, scowling at him. She started to growl at him, narrowing her eyes. Nauki then started to show her teeth like a fiersom animal.
"Oh, boy, are you going to get it," Kagome said, watching the girl.
Inu-Yasha swallowed.
"You a great papa!" Nauki pushed him hard.
He staggered back.
Nauki stomped her foot, then walked off to go be by herself.)
It had taken him a while to learn that he didn't have to become a great demon to impress
anyone, or to make himself known. Inu-Yasha didn't care for anyone's approval of him; he never
had. When he had become a father with Aya and Oda, he started to care. He cared what Kagome
thought. And he cared about Nauki.
He hated to admit it, but Nauki was his world. She had changed him and made him realize that there was no regret in loving someone, no matter what the cost was. Now her love for him had
cost her, her life.
"I have made my decision."
Inu-Yasha looked up his eyes bloodshot from crying. "What decision?" He breathed the words out carefully. The woman did not answer. She started to float backwards, her form disappearing.
"Farewell, dog demon," she said, not giving him the slightest clue to what she had been referring to.
His heart started to race again. Inu-Yasha wanted to bring Nauki back. He looked down at her slowly, her face cold and motionless. Inu-Yasha turned her face towards him. He shut his eyes. "NAUKI," he screamed to the top of his lungs, her name echoing off of the trees around him. He half expected her to hear him, but he knew in his heart, that she was no longer able.
Inu-Yasha picked her up, holding her. He rubbed his cheek on her shoulder, her head laying on his in return. He couldn't bury her. He knew he had to, and it was going to tear him apart.
For hours, Inu-Yasha held her, the darkness swallowing them. He didn't know how he was going to tell Aya and Oda that their sister was dead. All because of him.
He looked at her sadly. Not accepting her death, Inu-Yasha started to clean her face like he used to when she was little. It was more of a funeral ceremony than coaxing her into sleep.
After he finished, he rubbed his nose against her cheek, then kissed her gently. Not able to move just yet, he laid his head back on her shoulder. Inu-Yasha wanted to hold her before she
was gone forever from his arms.
Something was scratching faintly at his side. Inu-Yasha lifted his head, slowly looking down. Nauki's finger was lightly, faintly moving.
He looked at her quicly. "N-Nauki?" Inu-Yasha said her name as if it were forbidden. The soul retriever had weighed out the options of bringing Nauki back to life. *That's what she had meant about making her decision!* His heart was beating violently in his chest. Panic started to claim him. Nauki had been brought back to life, but she could still die. Her wound was not anything to be taken lightly.
"Little One, can you hear me?" Nauki's finger lightly moved against his side. Inu-Yasha slowly laid her down mkaing sure he didn't press himself against her wound. He slowly licked her cheek, trying to coax her into staying calm.
"If this hurts, I'm sorry, Nauki." Inu-Yasha started to remove the night kimono that was
underneath her usual wear. Blood had dried the clothing to her skin. As careful as he could be,
he started to pry it off of her. She was in a great deal of pain. Nauki was too weak to cry. She
softly whimpered.
Inu-Yasha removed the clothing from her. He couldn't bear to cause her pain, no matter how small the amount. The clotted blood worried him. The wound itself was still fatal. The dried blood made it noticeable how deep the cut was. He touched Nauki's face gently. She was still conscious, but barely.
Inu-Yasha had to clean her up to limit the chance of the would getting infected. Taking off the top of his kimono, he tried to remember how far a water source was. It was too far to reach. *Dammit! If I try to carry her that great of a distance, she could die again. Nauki's in
critical condition. I'm going to have to make do with the clothing on me.*
Inu-Yasha took off his night kimono then presceded to shred it into rags. Once he had done so, he cleaned Nauki's wound. She was still bleeding. He quickly started to wrap the shredded cloth around her, trying his best to stop the bleeding. Nauki tried to cry at the pressure, but couldn't muster a sound.
Inu-Yasha picked her up again, holding her in his arms. Her heart was racing as it tried to replace the blood she had lost. He needed to calm her down. "Nia, you've got to calm down. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He had used the pet name Aya and Oda had given her when they were little.
Inu-Yasha started to rock her in his arms. "I can't lose you, Nauki." He licked her cheek, the grief still apparant in his voice. "I can't lose the spirit of my heart, or my heart won't exist," he whispered.
Nauki could hear his words. The thing that scared her, was that she could barely feel him, or hear his heart beating. She was atoned to his heart. They were bonded in a way as every Soul Angel is with the person(s) they came from. *I know he loves me. He's always showed it whether he realizes it or not. Papa doesn't have to say it to mean it.* She grimaced some, the pain hurting her.
Inu-Yasha kept rocking her. The only thing he prayed for was that he could get Nauki stable. Once she was stable, he could carry her back to tend to her wound. "You didn't have to step in front of me." He held her harder, his claws digging into her back once more.
Nauki didn't have much strength left. She was going to pass out very soon.
"I...h..ad...to..Y..ou..'re...my...pa..pa.." She breathed hard as she muttered the words out, barely audible.
"I can't afford for you to get hurt, Little One. It pains me inside and out to watch you
suffer because of something I have done."
"I-I..l..ove...you...un..con...dition..ally...I..nu...Y..a..sha...I'm..going...to..pro..tect you..." Nauki slowly licked his neck. She could feel his heart opening to its full extent as he
listened to what she said from her heart. "I..kn..ow...you...l..ove..me...not..by..wh..at...you..
say..b..ut...by...what...you..do..."
Inu-Yasha rubbed his cheek against hers again, tears flowing down his face onto hers.
Nauki's body went limp, her breathing going shallow as she passed out. He held her even
tighter, his ears alert. He dared even Sesshomaru to bother him considering the mood he was in.
"Nauki?" Inu-Yasha touched her face, the smell of blood heavy in the air. She didn't
move. His heart raced with total shock and fear. "N..Nauki..?" He nudged her cheek with his nose.
She laid still.
Inu-Yasha opened the top of her kimono to see the extension of her wound. His eyes widened, his breathing stopping on contact. Blood was everywhere. There was a horrifying gap going vertically down the middle of her body. It started from her collarbone and went all the way to her stomach. Nauki had been cut wide open by the talon on the claw of the massive demon that had attacked Inu-Yasha.
He felt sick.
He forced himself to snap out of it. Very quickly, Inu-Yasha laid on top of her, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he tried to keep her from leaking any more blood.
The blood loss was great.
Inu-Yasha didn't want her to die. Through tears and gritted teeth, he held her.
"Not my daughter," he whispered in grief. Nauki had saved him from a violent attack by jumping in front of him when he had fallen. When Inu-Yasha had seen her struck, his aggression had turned him into a full demon.
After he had gone on a violent rampage to rid himself of the demon, Inu-Yasha had made his way over to Nauki, whom was laying face down on the ground. He was slowly turning back to normal as the chill ran down his back.
Inu-Yasha looked up. In front of him stood a female as pale as death with long black hair, flowing behind her in waves of smoke. Her face held no expression. Her eyes did not have pupils. The woman reaked with darkness and sorrow. "Who are you," he breathed, holding Nauki tighter in his arms. His daughter was no longer breathing and her heart had stopped moments before.
Realizing this, Inu-Yasha closed his eyes tightly, digging his claws into her back. The grief increased. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like he was dying along with her.
"I have come to claim her," the woman said in a monotone voice.
*Claim her? She's a soul catcher for the underworld!* Inu-Yasha's emotions swarmed over him. He bent down grabbing Nauki's throat with his teeth. He growled harshly at the soul retriever. The woman floated closer to him having never encountered a being such as he before. "Why does this angel mean so much to you, demon?" She raised her hand, her index finger hovering parallel to his forehead.
Inu-Yasha was sure she was going to attack him. He lowered his head. All he wanted now was his daughter. Inu-Yasha's heart was pouring out emotions in all directions.
"I am not going to attack you, dog demon," the woman said. "I would like to know why she means so much to you tha tyou would risk your life by defying me." She touched her cold finger to his forehead. "Don't hold anything back," she warned.
Inu-Yasha thought about all of the interactions with Nauki that he had had. Everything flashed before his eyes. He remembered how she had cried over him for a solid week as he lay hurt and barely alive on the floor of the hut. She had seen him get hurt. The pain in her eyes and voice had caused him to open more emotionally to her.
From then on, Nauki could not be left alone. The incident had traumitized her to a great extent. When she woke from naps to find herself alone, she would scream for him, or Kagome. Often, she would tremble, her body tense, if she was approached by someone unfamiliar.
Kagome had taken Nauki with her, back to her own era to comfort her. Out of curiosity, Kagome
had Nauki's teeth checked to find out her age. She appeared to be six years-old from her height.
However, her vocabulary and interactions with others proved that her mentality did not match her age.
("She's only three years-old, Inu-Yasha."
"But...,Kagome, her height."
"I asked my mom the same thing. She said whoever Nauki's dad is, is that he's tall and that's where she got it from."
He tilted his head watching Nauki sleep underneath his arm, her small hand holding onto his bandages. She was comfortably sucking on Kagome's old pacifer. He lifted his body up a little
the pain around his chest and waist hurting him. Nauki jerked.
She started to cry in her sleep, hot tears coming out of her eyes. Inu-Yasha put his arm back around her. Nauki calmed down instantly, whimpering as she fell back to sleep.
"Why did she just do that?"
"She's just a baby, Inu-Yasha."
"A...baby?" He bent down watching her. Inu-Yasha was beginning to realize how small and
fragile Nauki really was. She wasn't a demon like him, or so he thought at the time.
"Well, she's more of a toddler, but she's still very young. Considering that she saw you get hurt, she's afraid for you to be out of her sight.")
His mind flashed to the first few days after he had rescued her from the wilderness. Inu-Yasha remembered how she had smiled at him. ("What's your name, Little One?") Nauki had laid her ear over his heart to fall fast asleep again; a hint of where she had originally came from.
Inu-Yasha let go of Nauki's throat, rubbing his nose against her cheek. *I'm suppose to protect you, and I failed.* He gritted his teeth again.
("You're my family," Nauki said as she lay on the floor, not looking at him.
Inu-Yasha approached her slowly. He shouldn't have left her with that family in a nearby village.
A year ago, he had promised he would try to be her father, but in that year, Nauki had fallen ill with Yellow Fever. It had scared the life out of him.
For three weeks, he watched her suffer as she fought the disease. Nauki would whimper in her sleep, not able to move much because of how weak she was. Inu-Yasha had to pass food to her
through his mouth in order to get nourishment in her body.
Inu-Yasha gently laid over her, wrapping his arms around her as he laid his head on her shoulder, looking off. "I didn't want to leave you, Nauki. I...was causing you to get hurt by letting you travel with us to hunt for the shards. I'm not a very good parent, Little One. I'm suppose to protect you."
Nauki turned around looking up into his eyes with sorrow. The sparkle in her eyes was still there, but it was fading. "You're my papa." She put her arms around his neck, holding him
tightly. "I wuv you, Inu-Yassa."
Hearing her say that, made it hard for him to look at her. He had never told her he loved her, or how much she meant to him. All Inu-Yasha could do was bury his face in her shoulder, ashamed of how he had treated her.)
Every bit of guilt he had had over the years lifted from him. Raising Nauki had been a journey. His heart ached. He was not ready to give her up, even though, she lay dead in his arms.
"Not my daughter," he whispered again, his voice cracking as the sorrow increased. Inu-Yasha
could not look at the woman in front of him. He was completely lost in his thoughts.
("Here, papa," Nauki tugged on his kimono. Inu-Yasha looked down. She was holding a flower in her hand. "What's this?"
"It'd a perdy," Nauki said, handing it to him. She skipped off to find more flowers.
Kagome walked up behind him. "Aw, that's cute. She's picking flowers for you." She smiled.
"I'm not a girl." He crossed his arms.
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "She's giving you flowers because she wants to make you happy."
"The only thing that would make me happy is to become a great demon."
Nauki pulled on his kimono again, handing himm a bushel of flowers. She had heard what he had said. And, Nauki had a temper. The girl crossed her arms, scowling at him. She started to growl at him, narrowing her eyes. Nauki then started to show her teeth like a fiersom animal.
"Oh, boy, are you going to get it," Kagome said, watching the girl.
Inu-Yasha swallowed.
"You a great papa!" Nauki pushed him hard.
He staggered back.
Nauki stomped her foot, then walked off to go be by herself.)
It had taken him a while to learn that he didn't have to become a great demon to impress
anyone, or to make himself known. Inu-Yasha didn't care for anyone's approval of him; he never
had. When he had become a father with Aya and Oda, he started to care. He cared what Kagome
thought. And he cared about Nauki.
He hated to admit it, but Nauki was his world. She had changed him and made him realize that there was no regret in loving someone, no matter what the cost was. Now her love for him had
cost her, her life.
"I have made my decision."
Inu-Yasha looked up his eyes bloodshot from crying. "What decision?" He breathed the words out carefully. The woman did not answer. She started to float backwards, her form disappearing.
"Farewell, dog demon," she said, not giving him the slightest clue to what she had been referring to.
His heart started to race again. Inu-Yasha wanted to bring Nauki back. He looked down at her slowly, her face cold and motionless. Inu-Yasha turned her face towards him. He shut his eyes. "NAUKI," he screamed to the top of his lungs, her name echoing off of the trees around him. He half expected her to hear him, but he knew in his heart, that she was no longer able.
Inu-Yasha picked her up, holding her. He rubbed his cheek on her shoulder, her head laying on his in return. He couldn't bury her. He knew he had to, and it was going to tear him apart.
For hours, Inu-Yasha held her, the darkness swallowing them. He didn't know how he was going to tell Aya and Oda that their sister was dead. All because of him.
He looked at her sadly. Not accepting her death, Inu-Yasha started to clean her face like he used to when she was little. It was more of a funeral ceremony than coaxing her into sleep.
After he finished, he rubbed his nose against her cheek, then kissed her gently. Not able to move just yet, he laid his head back on her shoulder. Inu-Yasha wanted to hold her before she
was gone forever from his arms.
Something was scratching faintly at his side. Inu-Yasha lifted his head, slowly looking down. Nauki's finger was lightly, faintly moving.
He looked at her quicly. "N-Nauki?" Inu-Yasha said her name as if it were forbidden. The soul retriever had weighed out the options of bringing Nauki back to life. *That's what she had meant about making her decision!* His heart was beating violently in his chest. Panic started to claim him. Nauki had been brought back to life, but she could still die. Her wound was not anything to be taken lightly.
"Little One, can you hear me?" Nauki's finger lightly moved against his side. Inu-Yasha slowly laid her down mkaing sure he didn't press himself against her wound. He slowly licked her cheek, trying to coax her into staying calm.
"If this hurts, I'm sorry, Nauki." Inu-Yasha started to remove the night kimono that was
underneath her usual wear. Blood had dried the clothing to her skin. As careful as he could be,
he started to pry it off of her. She was in a great deal of pain. Nauki was too weak to cry. She
softly whimpered.
Inu-Yasha removed the clothing from her. He couldn't bear to cause her pain, no matter how small the amount. The clotted blood worried him. The wound itself was still fatal. The dried blood made it noticeable how deep the cut was. He touched Nauki's face gently. She was still conscious, but barely.
Inu-Yasha had to clean her up to limit the chance of the would getting infected. Taking off the top of his kimono, he tried to remember how far a water source was. It was too far to reach. *Dammit! If I try to carry her that great of a distance, she could die again. Nauki's in
critical condition. I'm going to have to make do with the clothing on me.*
Inu-Yasha took off his night kimono then presceded to shred it into rags. Once he had done so, he cleaned Nauki's wound. She was still bleeding. He quickly started to wrap the shredded cloth around her, trying his best to stop the bleeding. Nauki tried to cry at the pressure, but couldn't muster a sound.
Inu-Yasha picked her up again, holding her in his arms. Her heart was racing as it tried to replace the blood she had lost. He needed to calm her down. "Nia, you've got to calm down. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He had used the pet name Aya and Oda had given her when they were little.
Inu-Yasha started to rock her in his arms. "I can't lose you, Nauki." He licked her cheek, the grief still apparant in his voice. "I can't lose the spirit of my heart, or my heart won't exist," he whispered.
Nauki could hear his words. The thing that scared her, was that she could barely feel him, or hear his heart beating. She was atoned to his heart. They were bonded in a way as every Soul Angel is with the person(s) they came from. *I know he loves me. He's always showed it whether he realizes it or not. Papa doesn't have to say it to mean it.* She grimaced some, the pain hurting her.
Inu-Yasha kept rocking her. The only thing he prayed for was that he could get Nauki stable. Once she was stable, he could carry her back to tend to her wound. "You didn't have to step in front of me." He held her harder, his claws digging into her back once more.
Nauki didn't have much strength left. She was going to pass out very soon.
"I...h..ad...to..Y..ou..'re...my...pa..pa.." She breathed hard as she muttered the words out, barely audible.
"I can't afford for you to get hurt, Little One. It pains me inside and out to watch you
suffer because of something I have done."
"I-I..l..ove...you...un..con...dition..ally...I..nu...Y..a..sha...I'm..going...to..pro..tect you..." Nauki slowly licked his neck. She could feel his heart opening to its full extent as he
listened to what she said from her heart. "I..kn..ow...you...l..ove..me...not..by..wh..at...you..
say..b..ut...by...what...you..do..."
Inu-Yasha rubbed his cheek against hers again, tears flowing down his face onto hers.
Nauki's body went limp, her breathing going shallow as she passed out. He held her even
tighter, his ears alert. He dared even Sesshomaru to bother him considering the mood he was in.