Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters recognizable from the show. What I do own is the plot of this story and any oc that pops up. Enjoy reading!
...Where all roads meet...
Prelude
Hisane knew she had very little time left.
The car skidded unsteadily through treacherous mountain roads of Kanazawa, slippery due to recent snow. It was still snowing; small white flakes danced their way slowly onto the waiting earth like feathers fallen from an angel's wings.
Hisane wrapped her tired hands around her little daughter, sound asleep on her lap, and held her close. Her eyelids strained to stay above her pupils. Pain burnt her insides as if she was on fire. Blood trickled slowly down the corner of her mouth, leaving a crimson streak down her chin. The car gave a skid and she tightened the grip around her child, afraid she might fall off. The patch of road visible through the windshield was getting in and out of focus. The yellow glow of the streetlights diffused across the melancholy road, throwing alternate band of darkness and light across her tired, frail body.
This was it; the fate she had been trying to elude had finally caught up to her. She was going to die. Powerless, alone, unable to protect her family…Such a pathetic way to die, she thought. But she deserved it. She deserved the worst death possible. It was her fault…It was all her fault…
Trying to keep awake, she moved her head strenuously, focusing through blurred vision on a beloved face.
Bright green eyes unfocused, head cocked towards her, he was buckled up to the driver's seat. A deep gash slashed across his chest and stained his clothes a deep red. With each swerve of the car his lifeless body shook- a puppet attached to the hands of an inept puppeteer. Hisane stared at him numbly, an odd ringing in her ears.
She willed it to disappear, the dreadful illusion, and when it didn't, her mind drifted from her body and floated.
He's dead, her brain repeated over and over again, he's dead he's dead he's dead…
It was all just a bad dream, and when she woke up, he'd be next to her, and he'd laugh that bright, jovial laugh that melted her heart, and then look at her with such tenderness she would want to cry, and then he'll lie down next to her, stroking her hair until she fell asleep, her fingers holding onto his shirt…
But none of that would happen, would it? He was dead, she was alone.
"I'm alone…" her mouth said in a whisper, as a strange chill spread through her body. A sob rose at the base of her throat. Slowly, she moved her hands and curled her numb fingers around his palm, which was cold as death.
It was so tempting to stop fighting, to stop struggling and die, to just give in to the white fog that was filling her head and drift…But she couldn't.
Curled asleep on her lap was the most precious thing in the world, her child. She looked down at her daughter, her tiny angel given to her in love.
Death was certain; her killers had made sure of that. How clever they were in plotting their death; either the miasma would end her, slowly, painfully, or the car will crash and burst into flames, incinerating the small family whole. It had taken all her power to protect her child from the death that was about to claim her. Now she was powerless, barely able to keep her eyes open. In that speeding car, holding her family in her hands, doomed to certain death, Hisane realized that she felt lonelier than ever before. So helpless, unable to protect the two people who meant everything to her, awaiting a painful death…There was nothing, absolutely nothing, she could do. No power in the world could save her. She didn't want to be saved. She deserved the worst death possible.
I should have known…Her tired eyes rested on the lifeless face on the driver's seat. I shouldn't have gone against fate. I rebelled, and now, look what happened…She gently stroked his hand, managing a wan smile. Tears flowed down her bloodstained cheeks.
You were wrong, Takumi, There never was a happy ending...
Not for us.
Something made her look up and at the road ahead through her blurred vision.
Despite the darkening cloud she felt settling over her brain, she could make out the road illuminated by the streetlights, the hairpin bend approaching…
In a matter of time, the car would topple off the cliff, crashing down in a burst of flames, taking her and her family with it…
She gasped in terror. There was no way to stop the vehicle- the brakes had been tampered with. Frantically her mind raced, searching for some way to save her child. She scrunched her eyes shut, teeth gritting in concentration.
"Just this once..." she whispered desperately "Just this once, please!" A pink light appeared on her forehead which shined feebly in the form of a four leaved star. She raised a trembling hand and kept it steady over her child, trying hard to focus through her pain.
A thin film of silver appeared under her hand and hovered over the child like mist; and then it flickered and disappeared.
"NO!" White fog was blinding her, she had to fight...She raised her hand again, coughing up blood, using all her will to keep her eyelids open. She has nothing to do with this! She shouldn't be punished! Body trembling, she tried to concentrate through her pain, trying to conjure what was left of her powers. Darkness began to obscure her senses. She was losing control over her body. Brittle with exhaustion, she struggled to stay awake; she had to fight… One last thing...She couldn't...
With a shuddering sigh, she felt her hand fall limply onto her lap.
"Yuki..." She murmured as she fell forward, eyes closing on their own accord. The car gave a violent jerk as it careened off the bend and over the drop.
In the end, all that remained were flames that danced in the dark, snowy night...
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I know there aren't any Inuyasha characters here, but they'll be introduced from the next chapter onwards- stay tuned.