Enjoy :-)
Revisions of later chapters are in progress, but it will only happen when I have the time to do them (or when I'm reminded to do them lol).
Also, there are some parts that remain will grammatically incorrect because I like the way it reads/sounds/ that was my intention (not all of it mind you, but some parts). If that bothers you...well...sucks to be you, I guess.
The light from the moon bathes the bare young woman dancing within its heavenly ring. Her body moves and sways as though she were possessed. Her bare feet stomps across the clearing grounds as her bracelets jingle every time she flicks her wrists. Her medium dirty blonde hair glows magnificently in the moon light as the rhythmic beating of the traditional dara drums beat within her head. The wind wraps itself around her causing her to dance harder. The jingling of her bracelets became constant as she stomps her feet hard against the earth. Sweat begins to roll down her face and the rain begins to fall. Thunder claps through the night sky, but the woman seems unaffected as though in a deep trance.
Screams and cries echo through her head as she finds herself running along side a small child through the forest. The sounds of spears soar through the air around her, but she does not look back, and soon she is stuck.
The young woman's eyes snap open. Her arms stretching out to her sides and her head back. The woman breaths heavily as the sound of the drums fades back into the depths of her mind. She falls to her knees as tears roll down her face, for it is never easy to accept that fact that she is the last of her kind.
~~~Later that day~~~~
The cool wind blows carelessly through her hair as she sits under the shade of a large tree. The sweet smell of spring fills her nostrils awaking her from her deep slumber and allowing her to recognize any changes in her surrounding that may have happened while she slept.
"Lady Usagi! Lady Usagi, please help!" She looks up to see a woman rushing towards her with a white bundle tightly held in her arms."My child, he has stopped breathing! Please Lady Usagi, you must help him. Please!"
A warm and gently smile forms over Usagi's lips, "It is alright," She says soothingly as she takes the child away from its mother and into her arms. "I assure you I will not let this child die."
Usagi begins to remove the clothing so she can see the baby's face, which was a slight shade of blue. She opens the baby's mouth to see if an item lodged itself within the child's throat. Having seen that it was clear, she then reaches inside a small brown leather bag and pulls out a small vile of green liquid. Opening the vile, she allows three drops to fall into the baby's mouth. Afterwards, she begins to rub the baby's throat in a counter-clockwise motion while muttering the words, "Winds of Mother Nature I plea, fill this baby's lungs with air and let him breathe."
Soon, the baby coughs up a small amount of mucus and begins to scream. The young mother lets out a relieved sigh as Usagi wipes the infant's mouth, and hands him back to his mother.
"Oh thank you Lady Usagi, thank you!"
Usagi smiles as she watches the mother rock her baby, when she suddenly becomes aware of the vicious glares of the villagers. She sighs as she picks up her bag and begins to walk away "It's always the same." she thinks as she walks towards her home. "You heal a person in this village one day, and you're defending yourself from that same person the next. I bet by tomorrow that woman will be glaring at me as if I was the one who caused her child to stop breathing."
She enters her little hut and begins to light a fire, "Ungrateful monsters." She mutters as she begins sorting out the herbs she collected today.
"I would probably get less dirty looks if I were in the company of a demon than I do here."
She lets out a loud yawn that takes her by surprise, but chooses to finish her sorting before resting. Having completed her task, Usagi sets the bag on a shelf and crawls slowly in to bed.
"I supposed I should get some sleep for only the gods know what crap I may have to put up with when dawn breaks."
~~~~~Inuyasha && Company~~~~~~
Kirara lets out a mew of distress as Inuyasha and his company wait quietly while Jenesi finishes.
"I'm sorry my friends, but none of my herbs are strong enough to heal her. All I am able to do to ease the pain and slow down the poison that runs through her veins."
"Is there anything we can do to save her?" Sango asks the worry in her voice evident.
"Well, there is one thing you can do to help Kirara, but I'm not sure you will be able to do it."
"Please," Kagome begs, "Please tell us anyway Jenesi."
He gives off a soft sigh, "You must find a Dara. They are the only people I know of who have stronger medical herbs than I."
"Well then," Inuyasha says standing up, "I suppose we have to find this Dara then."
"Don't be so sure of yourself, Inuyasha." speaks voice from outside.
Jenesi's mother briskly pushes the bamboo covering to the side and steps in, "This will be a difficult search, for you see, years ago, there was a great massacre of the Dara people."
The group stares in shock as their hopes of saving Kirara begin to fade.
"The local villagers believed that the Dara people were demons."
"But…weren't they?" Shippo questions.
"Not sure, some say they were; some say they weren't, but the fact still remains that the Daras were very powerful healers. They used their vast knowledge of herbs to heal the sick and injured. Some refer to them as 'children of nature' or 'children of the moon.' But when the great massacre occurred, all but one of the Daras were killed."
"All but one, so there is still hope, right?" Kagome asks.
The old woman nods her head.
"Yes, there is still hope, but it will be difficult to find her. Chances are it is hiding amongst villagers as their local healer or midwife."
"Midwife, so that means the surviving Dara is a woman?" Miroku asks trying very hard to hide his interest.
"It is very likely that the surviving Dara is female." Jensei states as he continues to grind down the herbs.
Miroku closes his eyes as he stands, "Well then, we must be going if we are to find this very beautiful midwife."
Sango gives Miroku a vicious glare that causes him to sit back down near Kagome for protection.
"So if the Dara is a healer of a village, and we come across the healer of a village, how do we know it's her?" Inuyasha asks.
"There are four unique things about Daras that separates them from average humans. The first is their vast knowledge of herbs. It is said that a Dara's medicine can cure any illness or injury, and that they use the power of the elements around them to help the medicine act faster. The second is their slow aging process."
"So, they age like demons?" Kagome suggests.
"Not quite, they do age slower than normal humans, but compared to demons its nothing. The oldest Dara I ever heard of was about….400 or 450. To humans that's a long time, but to demons that's nothing."
"What causes them to age so slowly?" Miroku questions, his mind still wondering if the Dara is beautiful.
"No one knows for sure what causes it, but they use that ability against the Daras as evidence that they are demons."
"I can see how that can cause problems for them." Sango mutters as she strokes Kirara on the head.
"Now the third thing that makes them so unique is their scent."
"Their scent?"
"Yes, their scent is said to smell very sweet, especially to demons. It is said that their scent is so intoxicatingly sweet that it drives even the sanest demons mad. Many demons are known to attack and devour Daras."
"Sadly, a Dara is a rare delicacy to demons and if they smell one, they won't stop till they have eaten it." Jenesi says sighing.
"Yes, it is sad, but we don't have time to mope." Jenesi's mother says noticing the sad looks developing on everyone's face, "Now the final thing is the most important. Whenever a Dara's life is in danger, they can call upon the elemental beasts as their weapon."
"Wait so if they could use the elements, how come they didn't do it when they were being massacred!?" Inuyasha asks.
"It is against their nature to fight. Daras are non-violent people, and they believe that no one has the right to take another living things life. They couldn't stand violence or war or anything that would cause harm to another living creature."
"Well that's stupid! If you have the power to protect yourselves and the ones you love, you should use it instead of running away like a bunch of cowards."
"That maybe Inuyasha, but that is what the Daras believed, and even though we may find it a bit strange, we have no right to question or judge their beliefs." Miroku states simply.
"Feh!" Inuyasha says as he storms out of the hut keeping all of his thoughts to himself.
"Well then," Jenesi says handing Sango a small container of dark green liquid, "this should keep the pain away and slow down the poison. Make sure you give her three drops a day, nothing more nothing less." Sango nods thanking Jensei for his help.
"I hope that your journey will not be in vain," he says watching as they leave.
~~~~~Some where in the north~~~~~
A tall lean masculine figure forms from the shadows of the cave as he gazes upon his frozen Master. Unlit candles were set in a circle around the block of ice waiting patiently for the ritual to begin. The man walks over to his master, careful not to knock over any of the candles that Lieko took so much time getting straight. The last thing he wants to hear is her mouth going on and on about how perfect it all had to be, and how he destroyed her hard work for the Master.
"Suck up." He mutters softly as he places his hands on the block of ice.
It's been centuries since the first war between his Master and Mother Nature, and frankly, he's not all that excited about bring him back.
"Hiroshi, such a surprise to see you here." comes a soothing masculine voice behind him.
Hiroshi sneers as he turns to see his eldest brother Akira morph from the shadows.
"It's such a shame to see our poor Master in this…embarrassing state, don't you agree?" Akira says walking towards the frozen man.
"Humph." Is all that escapes Hiroshi's mouth as he looks back at his Master.
"No matter," Akira says his trademark smile forming on his lips as he turns his attention to the block, "within a few months our Master shall be back to normal, and in full health to continue where he left off in the world."
Hiroshi turns and begins to walk away.
"There is still one left in the world, Akira. As long as she is still alive, Mother Nature is bound to return." He says glancing over his shoulder to see what kind of reaction his brother will give off.
Unfortunately, Akira's irritatingly calm expression doesn't change, in fact he begins to chuckle, "Am I supposed to feel threaten, little brother? If I may bring to your attention that the Daras of this time believe in 'non-violence'."
He laughs, "Isn't it ironic that Mother Nature's own warriors have chosen to be non-violent."
Hiroshi stares blankly at the stone walls, "I see no point in this war, it doesn't matter who wins, neither one can survive without the other and plus," Hiroshi turns as a painful look develops in his eyes, "how can you hurt the one person you ever loved."
Akira's smile fades from his face as a look of irritation replaces it, "How dare you say that our master depends on some woman to survive."
Hiroshi glares at Akira, "Well, he does! He's the one that developed feelings for-"
With extraordinary speed, Akira grabs Hiroshi by the neck and slams him in to the wall, "You are his servant." he says in a low deadly tone, "You will show him the respect he deserves and never speak of his relations to that woman around him, and especially around me. If you fail to do so, I will personally see that you are disposed of quickly and accurately."
Akira tightens his grip on Hiroshi as he glares at his naive younger brother.
"Whoa!" comes another voice beside the two men, "My bet's on Akira."
"It's…nice to know…that I have…such a supporting sister….in my….time of…need." Hiroshi gasps glaring down at a woman.
She flicks back one of the bright red pig tails behind her shoulders as her blue eyes gleam with joy. She smiles as she straightens the black cloak that is over her original outfit. "Well, I do what I can, plus you must have done or said something really awful to get Akira mad in the first place, so I figure you probably deserved it."
"What took you so long to get here, Tora, and where are Leiko and Kiyoshi." Akira asks releasing Hiroshi.
"They're on their way here and," she walks up to Akira and hits him playfully in the stomach, "You ditched me, that's why I'm so late!"
Akira smiles, obviously forgetting how angry he was a Hiroshi just a minute ago.
"My dear baby sister, I would never do anything as mean as ditch you." He pulls her in to an embrace.
"Let me go you creep!" she snaps pulling away from him a shuddering, "Two things," she says walking over to the circle of candles looking her spot for the ritual, "First, never ever hug me again and second, you did to ditch me. You started speeding up and moving in zigzags till finally I got fed up trying to keep up." She says pouting. "You can be so mean sometimes Akira."
"Oh quit crying, you big baby." Lieko says coolly as she morphs from the shadows and walks towards her spot.
Behind her a man, a few inches taller, appears doing the same.
"Lieko, you are just as mean." Tora says scratching the brim of her nose, "Well then, you can do either two things about it, you can get over it or fight me, but I highly suggest you do the first."
Tora's playfulness vanishes instantly as she glares at her younger sister, "You know, that arrogance of yours will get you killed one day." She says in a low deadly tone similar to the one Akira just did.
"I would like to see you try." She says returning her sister's glare.
"Now, now, ladies, we are here for a good cause, let us not ruin it by causing meaningless arguments. Kiyoshi, Tora, begin lighting the candles." Akira says taking his seat right in front of the master.
"It should take us at least 1 to 2 months to remove the seal, less time if all five of us are here."
Everyone's attention suddenly turns to Hiroshi.
He lets out a growl, "Forget it, I have better things to do."
Akira sighs as he continues to look at the large block of ice. "This act of rebellion will not go unpunished Hiroshi, remember that."
Hiroshi turns and disappears within the shadows muttering the word 'whatever' as he went.
The young girl races through the forest as the sound of the villagers draw near.
"Kill her!"
"Kill the child!"
"Kill the demon!"
"She will curse us all, if we let her live!"
The villagers throw rocks and knives, spears and sticks. The young girl continues to run. She cannot see where she is going, but she knows that if she falters, she will die. The girl runs on until her worst fears come to life as she skids to a halt at the cliff's edge. The swifts rapids rage below. There is no place for the girl to hide as the screams of the villagers draw near.
"Kill her!"
"She's trapped! Now's our chance! Slay the demon!"
The girl cowers in fear, "Please," she cries backing up towards the edge of the cliff, "Please stop, I'm not a demon, please."
The young girl's cries fall upon deaf ears as the villagers begin hurling stones and spears at her, "Please,I'm begging you stop please!" The girl cries realizing she can no longer back up, "Please stop! Please sto-" but before the girl could finish her begging, a knife pierces her shoulder causing her to lose her footing. A horrible scream pierces through the air as the young girl falls into the rushing rapids below.
"Please stop!" Usagi mutters in her sleep as she tosses to one side.
Sweat coats her body as she turns back to the other side, "Please, I'm not a demon, please!" She suddenly feels something eating away at her stomach causing her to jerk awake. What she sees horrifies her. She lets out a blood curling scream as she beats the flames off her body, "Somebody, please help me!"
She looks around and sees her entire home engulfed in flames. The thought to cry out again crossed her mind, when she begins to hear loud chanting over the crackling of the fire.
"Burn her! Kill the demon!"
Tears roll down her cheeks as she realizes that it was the villagers' chanting from outside her home. The same people who she cared for, healed, and watched over are now trying to burn her alive, "No!" she cries, "Please stop! Please, after everything I've done for you?! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!"
Suddenly, a flaming torch flies into the hut through a hole in the burning roof. She stares in horror as it lands on her bed instantly engulfing it, and her, in flames. She lets out a horrible cry as the flames lick away at her skin. Smoke fills her lungs as her vision begins to blur. She tries to stay awake, but slowly she begins to sway in and out of consciousness, "Mother!" she cries softly, "Please, help me!" and with those final words, she collapses.
The villagers cheer as her screams cease, but their victory is short lived as a mighty pulse soars from the burning shack, and goes through the village causing an uneasy feeling to go through them. Usagi's unconscious body pulses again as it begins to slowly rise up through the hole in the ceiling.
Her body sends out another pulse, and as if summoned, the flames from the hut leap up and begin to cover her body from head to toe. The fire slowly forming a giant serpent. Her body pulses again sending small waves of energy through the serpent's body. The villagers watch in horror as the creature molds together in front of their very eyes. They gaze upon her unconscious body as she begins to pulse harder and faster sending constant waves of energy though the snakes body, like a heartbeat. Without warning, her eyes and the serpent's eyes open simultaneously exposing an eerie yellow glow. The serpent lets out a horrible shriek causing the villagers to run in terror, but it was too late.
Everything the serpent touches erupts into flames as it begins destroying homes and devouring the wicked souls of the villagers. No one could escapes from it, no one could hide from it, and everyone perished. Finally, when the village was nothing more than ash, the serpent took its leave. As it slithered through the forest, its flames slowly began to die. The pulses became slower and slower as the serpent shrunk in size till only a trail of ashes and an unconscious woman remained.
A woman with no memory of the events that had just taken place.
~~The next day/ Inuyasha && Company~~
Inuyasha and the others stare in horror at the pile of ashes that used to be a village.
"What the hell happened here?" Inuyasha says sniffing the air trying to catch the scent of the demon that did this or of the Dara.
"By the looks of this village, I highly doubt there will be any survivors." Miroku says watching as the wind carries away some ashes.
"Survivors, hell we'll be lucky enough to find bodies." Inuyasha says sitting down, "This is a complete waste of time."
"Inuyasha," Kagome says still staring at the village, "What if the Dara was here when the village was attacked. What if-"
"I highly doubt it Kagome. I don't smell her scent anywhere."
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to check anyway." Sango says giving Kirara her medicine.
"CHECK!? Check what! In case you haven't noticed there is nothing but ashes here!"
"Come now, Inuyasha, I'm sure if you use that nose of yours, we'll be able to figure out if the Dara was here or not." Miroku says placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"What the hell do I have to smell, all that is here is ash….."
Everyone looks at him with a smile.
"….NO WAY!"
"Come on Inuyasha it's for a good cause…please." Kagome begs.
"No, I'm not doing it."
"Please Inuyasha, you're the only one who can." Shippo adds.
"NO, I AIN'T SNIFFIN NO ASHES AND THAT'S FINAL!"
~~~~~~A few minutes later~~~~~~~
Inuyasha mutters to himself as he sniffs around different piles of ash looking for the Dara's scent.
"Have you found the scent yet Inuyasha?" Miroku asks.
Inuyasha turns and glares, "Does it look like I found the scent yet?!"
The look on Miroku's face is one of irritation and fear. Inuyasha turns and continue through the village looking for the supposedly sweet scent of the Dara. The others follow in silence.
"How the hell am I supposed to find this scent when everything smells of burnt flesh and wood?"
The others watch half amused and half anxious as Inuyasha smells through piles of ash.
"AAAAACHOOOOO!"
The others muffle out their laughter as the pile Inuyasha was just sniffing exploded everywhere due to his sneeze.
"AAAAACHOOO, AAACHOOO,AAAACHOOOOOOO!"
He turns and glares at his so-called friends exposing his ash covered face.
"WHAT SO DAMN FUNNY!" He snaps watching as the others roll with laughter. "If you think you can do any better than be my guest!"
Kagome sits up wiping the tears from her eyes, "We're sorry Inuyasha but…..it's….." Kagome falls back on her back and begins laughing again. Inuyasha turns and stalks off trying to ignore the hysterical laughter of his friends.
Inuyasha mutters to himself as he walks through the village, "AAACHOO!" he sniffs and rubs his nose, "Stupid ash!" he mutters wiping the ash off his face when suddenly he smells it. Its faint, but he's certain he smells something sweet. He follows the scent all the way to a charred section of the forest. The deeper he follows the charred path, the stronger the scent gets till finally he finds an unconscious woman.
Inuyasha crouches down and stares at the strange woman, her scent is indescribably sweet as he looks her over. Her hair is odd, golden like the sun, and she wears a soft blue kimono slightly singed. He places his ear near her chest and listens carefully, "Its faint, but at least she has a heartbeat." He says as he carefully picks her up and carries her to his friends, "Hopefully, Kaiede will be able to help her."