Title: The
Unknown
Chapter 2: Brothers in Arms
ooOoo
It was only an hour or two before she would reach her friends, before she would join the quarrelling, friendly, and messy group, before she would arrange her face in a light mask of happiness and silliness that everyone would accept, and before everyone would smile at her and ask if she was all right. It was only an hour before she would smile back and say softly: "Yes, thank you, I am fine."
But now, she walked. Stepping on a green carpet of the forest, smelling a bitter aroma of the moist wood and forest ground, Sango thought of her childhood. Words of on old lullaby slowly filled her mind, a soft voice of her mother entered her memory, and suddenly, Sango felt like a child again. Sweetly and softly, Sango hummed the melody, and she could almost feel the presence of her mother and her warm hands on her skin, light of fire in their hut, and warm voice of Kohaku calling her name.
She repeated the lyrics of the song with a smile, like a sacred mantra or an ancient charm against forgetting. Sango lost herself in comforting reminiscence. Once you are with me you are mine, my child/ Once I am with you, the world belongs to us,/ World is all we have, you and me… She couldn't remember more, just the short piece of the song, but melody and the feeling of her mother hand on her forehead clung to her like a second skin, enveloping Sango with memories and long forgotten feelings…
ooOoo
Something awoken him. A feeling? No, a smell…
Her smell drew him to her. No, not even her smell. What allured him the most was the coppery aroma of her blood that flew in the evening air like magic. Almost undetectable, it came to him carried on the wings of the evening air, like a sophisticated invitation. It called to him and teased playing with his senses, incited to enter her small human world and take it.
At the beginning it was only a hint of her presence, an elusive delicate smell that was brought to him with the summer breeze and that charmed him with its soft feminine undertones. It played on the edge of his consciousness and fueled his growing hunger, his desire for flesh blood. She was his, regardless of who she was. He tried to imagine how she looked and how her flesh will taste…For she was the chosen one for today, the prey of the evening—and he would never give up on her now. He wanted her, therefore, it was as if her flesh had already had his name on it; name that was written with her own human blood on the surface of her white skin.
ooOoo
He ventured deeper into the forest and fear and terror filled followed each step of his. It spread in the air like a disease or famine. Manchi of the South, a member of the southern Inu clan, the lord of the South Village entered the Inuyasha's forest. The hunt was about to begin.
He smiled, following slowly the new scent. It led him here, to a narrow wild path created by shy inhabitants of this forest. But even the wild animals and smaller demons didn't dare to approach him; they stayed hidden in the deepest caves and between the dark roots of ancient trees. And those low creatures that didn't have enough skills or strength to detect him before, now tried to flee desperately, or make themselves invisible among the safety of dark-green forest floor and bushes, breathless from fear. As f the forest could protect them, or the shadows could grant them safety. Pitiful, he thought with a smirk, but of little consequences.
For tonight, the prey has already been selected.
ooOoo
A small demon stood in the dark passage on the back of the castle hiding from suspicious glances of guards and servants. The heavy rain soaked his dark clothing but nothing in this world held the power to force him to abandon his post. Not now, when they were so close…he knew he should not worry too much, the welcoming darkness of the night along with his great knowledge of the deepest and darkest secrets of the castle granted him some safety—at least from uninvited stares of passerby demons and nosy creatures of the night.
He stayed alert and focused as the rain numbed all sounds and scents in the area. He scanned his surroundings carefully, aware of each suspicious movement of wind and detecting even the smallest scents and sounds from the castle and courtyard. Nobody must now about me here…Nobody , his eyes flashed with fear and momentary panic at a thought that someone would learn about their plan.
His face was hidden under an oversized hood, but nothing, even the long coat was not able to conceal the violent quivers of his body as he thought about his master, and what his master would do to them if he learn the truth… He can never know, he mused wrapping his cloak tighter around his shoulders, as if the gesture could make him safe or perhaps invisible for the eyes of his master. Not until is too late…
"Is he back?" A voice whispering next to his ear brought the small demon back to reality; in the darkness of the castle, a strange whisper made him tremble even more.
"No, not yet. Tonight he went to wander the wild steps of the West…But he may be back at any moment, I never know what he chooses to do..." The small youkai answered and stirred trying to fish an outline of his visitor from the surrounding them darkness. But his visitor preferred to say hidden carefully choosing the shelter of night above the gaze of the green demon.
"You are late, where have you been?" Trying not to show how his body trembled under the weight of their plan and eventual punishment, the tiny green demon folded his arms waiting for explanations.
"It took me days to find the witch and persuade her to teach the spells to me, but I got them!" the newcomer's voice vibrated through the dark alley with a suddenly loud outburst of pride and excitement.
"Shhoosh! If somebody hears us, he will skin us alive, you fool," the small creature hissed irritated.
"I know, I am sorry, my friend." The vice quieted down, "What I wanted to say, I fulfilled my duty, and I got the spell. Did you do as planned? Did you leave him the message?"
"Yes, he shall find my letter in his chambers as soon as he is back. We don't have much time now. We have to prepare." The green demon said with a deadly tone staring into dark space in front of him. "You should come with me. Where the hell are you, Myoga?" he looked around, his tremors and fear not possible to hide any longer. "Myoga!" he almost jelled as he felt a sharp pain on the skin of his neck.
"Here, my friend…" Myoga smiled and wiped blood from his mouth as the eyes of a small green demon rested on his. "I know you fear, but we don't have a choice. We have been waiting for too long for something to happen. We have to do that. We have take control of their lives, Jaken."
ooOoo
Jaken walked towards his underground chambers. This was the only place Jaken could feel safe in those days; in the dark and moist passages of the ancient catacombs, which nobody visited any longer…no one but him. The passages were so old that most of the inhabitants of the castle didn't even knew about them, and those demons who knew about the crypts were too afraid of the ancient courses and spirits to venture there. Nobody with a right mind dared to disturbed the ancients whose bones have rested here from centuries or maybe thousands of years.
But Jaken walked further growing calmer and relaxed with each step. He wasn't afraid of the dead and he wasn't afraid of their curses. Only the living were worth of his fear.
Besides, it was a safe place, where the dead whispered their secrets to him and where he would never come. He, the one against whom they united and plotted, the one who was his savior and his master, the one whose power was too great for his own good. He hated the dead. Sesshomaru preferred the power of life and the legends of the living.
ooOoo
It was easy to find her. She was quiet, he noticed, but didn't mask her scent at all. Gently bending delicate branches of the young trees, he studied his human prey. Female, lean and young; he tilted his head to have a better view of the woman. Noticing her gear and weapon, a dark brow rose: What do we have here… A huntress, perhaps?
"Well, my little lady, ready yourself, because your time came…" Manchi whispered and licked his lips, hidden in dark-green shade of the three, "Come, my little one, come closer…"
ooOoo
Sango walked trough the forest, slowly moving east. After the whole day of steady march, her muscles felt sore, and her skin and uniform almost melted in the sun fusing into one sweaty and incredibly tacky layer. She dreamt of a bath in cool waters of a river, but she knew that she shouldn't rest. She was too close to rest now.
Following the wild path, aware of how close she was to the village, she allowed herself to relax. But suddenly, an overwhelming power reached her senses. Sango stood abruptly. Something was wrong. Oh, gods, what is that? Her mind raced as a striking cold aura paralyzed her. "A demon?" No lower demon could emit such youki; it numbed her senses and pushed against her skin like a knife. Standing still and trying to recover from the shock, Sango focused on her next move. Is that an attack? Her left hand slowly reached for the hiraikotsu, as her right arm extended in front of her in a defensive stance. Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the area in front of her. She tuned her senses to the paralyzing energy, and shivered at the coldness of the demonic energy.
A realization hit her. "Oh gods!" There was only one type of demons that possess this type of youki…Inu.
ooOoo
Her childhood lullabies disappeared in one moment and the scattered memories of her mother escaped leaving her nothing but cold panic. Too shocked to fear, she waited. Here she was, almost physically paralyzed by a youki of a demon that she couldn't even see, and who didn't even decided to attack her yet. He observed her waiting for her moves. Standing there and staring at the darkness of the unreadable forest, she shifted into a defensive stance, her katana ready for attack.
Counting her breaths to distract herself from the fear that slowly awoken in her chest, Sango swallowed hard. Inu demon attacking her in the middle of the Inuyasha forest, — this whole situation was too strange, too dangerous, almost too bizarre to be real. She shook her head, strengthened her grip on the weapon, and waited for his next move.
The warm wind stopped and the forest became silent, a voiceless witness to his hunt, a tacit mourner to his victim. In the dark silence, Sango could hear the loud beat of her own hart. A drop of sweat flew down her spine.
Each her breath felt like an eternity and she suddenly realized that her chest became absurdly shallow, and her breaths didn't supply enough air to her lungs any more, as if the air around her wanted to suffocate her. Don't panic, easy, Sango… she calmed herself, but thousands of crazy thoughts swam through her brain bringing new waves of odd facts and old dreams, disconnected from reality pieces of information, images from her past …
Attack. Her father. His voice lecturing her… Attack-an aggressive action against a person with weapons or armed force, typically in a battle or war, attempt to injure or kill.. his face next to her holding a bloody knife and smiling at her. 'Your first hunt, Sango. The youkai didn't stand a chance against you, my girl.' His eyes so close to her that she could smell his sweat 'Someday, Sango, you will be the best.' And then the blood again, the graves…
No! Stop that! Wake up Sango! She shook of the odd thoughts and strengthen the grip on her katana. The youki is growing. He will attack…one, she counted the seconds to his strike and crouched ready to wield her weapon. Two, his youki jumped as if physically striking her, he is so close now…
Three!... The world pulsed as she registered his form jumping at her. His dark silhouette covered her form like a shadow, and lonely small beams of the sunlight reached her from between the trees. The lights playing with the tree leaves and strangely warm gust of wing on her face, his rising form… The images in her head spun and blurred into one mixing into one wild form, form without a true shape, but emerging with a screaming color. Color that splashed on her face and covered her hands overtaking her vision. Red.
Blood—was the last conscious thought in her mind as she swung her sword aiming at his face.
The air vibrated with the scream. Forest bloomed with blood.
ooOoo
Myoga hidden deeply in the depths of his friend's cloak stayed silent waiting patiently for a better and safer place to discuss their plans. With his eyes closed, he listened to the strong heartbeat of the greenish creature. He didn't want to think. In fact, he repelled all possible thoughts, all possible outcomes of their plans. He knew that if they started to think what can go wrong, how he would punish them, or how his spies could listen to their secret conversations, his own hart would stop petrified, frozen and dead in the face fear.
Because even if Myoga stayed focused only on their plan and only on this one outcome they planned together, his mind whispered to him: Danger.
ooOoo
A/N: I made minor changes in this chapter. Please, let me know what you think about the story so far…
