I awoke and the first thing that hit me was the major headache racking my brain and quickly massaged the woozy pain. Then I realized that my arms were no longer bound and searched my nearby surroundings. It was already early evening judging by the dull blue coloring above and I was sitting by a campfire a little ways from the distant roar of the falls. But I wasn't alone, a small dark-haired girl in an orange checkered kimono sleeping a few feet to my left and a strange imp like creature holding a two headed wooden staff snoozing away with a bubble blowing out of his nose on her left. I carefully rose silently and got a closer look at the kid. And the moment I saw her face, a name suddenly clicked my mind.
"Rin?" I spoke uncertainly, not sure if I was correct. She stirred in her slumber but didn't wake. I figured that was a sign of confirmation. "So I was right." Unconsciously, I sweep a stray hair off her face and sat next to her on her right all quiet like. The sleeping imp's face formed another name in mind. "You must be Jaken, but how do I know you?"
Of course the little green demon didn't respond nor would he if he was awake either. I wasn't sure why; I just did. My thoughts reeled back to the moment I found myself in this world bound in a little boat when I awoke and still drew a blank on my memories, swimming in a world of white and black with no shape or form to define anything exact to be seen or recognizable. There was nothing remotely I could think of to create a clear picture of my situation or anything else in that particular.
"What am I doing here?" I whispered to the dancing element as though its movements could sign an answer to my muddled memory.
Suddenly, there was loud rustling in the bushes nearby, and I jumped to my feet as a dark shadow came into the light. My heart stopped for what seemed to be the second time today as the presence of the heavy footfalls showed itself. A beastly horror with immense muscles, one blood-shot eye, and sickly fangs emerges with a battle ax at hand, and hungry eyes drooling over his evening dinner. In other words: Rin and I. She and Jaken immediately wakes up and screams when they saw the monster.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" she calls out, clinging to Jaken as did the little demon, fear rolling off them in waves.
'Sesshomaru?' A brief image of a man's face back at the falls flashed in my memory. The image dissipates as I was brought back the current situation.
The demon stepped into the campsite, his one eye never leaving us. "Looks like I'll be eating good tonight." it licked his lips with utter satisfaction and raises his weapon.
I don't know what possessed me to do it, but without thinking, I stood my guard in front of the two, arms out protectively like a shield and felt something course through my veins to my fingertips as an electric blue aura surrounds us like a bubble. The ax came down as the demon paid no heed to the cackling power radiating him and his prey, but the weapon fell short only to connect with the transparent wall and sprang back violently as if the barrier fought back with invisible hands. The demon recoiled from the sudden rebound and fell flat on its back.
The power fled from my fingertips and the strange energy dispersed. "Whoa." I stare down at my hands in wonder. The two gaze in awe (Rin) and alarm (Jaken) after the barrier vanished. I guess this isn't considered normal for them either.
The demon rose from the ground and raised his talons while I was distracted. Rin screamed once more, her vocals knocking me back to my sense, but it was too late to react and could only shut my eyes out of reflex. That's when a glowing green whip stabs the demon through its back and sliced him in half did I allow myself to look. The lashing weapon continued on like a striking cobra towards me but rewound itself at the last second before it touched me (much to my surprise and relief). The demon's body thundered the ground as it fell and a new arrival took its place behind the bleeding corpse.
Rin smiles and bounds for Sesshomaru as he entered the campsite. She looks up at the silent man and spreads her arms out in excitement. "Lord Sesshomaru, you're back!" she turns and looks my way with all innocence. "That person protected me and Master Jaken from the demon!"
Jaken jogged up behind her and started pointing at me with an accusing finger while I did nothing but stare. "That thing is not human, Lord Sesshomaru! It used some sort of energy that repelled the demon! She must be Naraku's!"
'Did he just call me an 'it'?' But for some reason that didn't bother me as much as it should because at the mention of that name, my blood boiled to a thick consistency that made me wanna retch in disgust. I was about to tell the little troll off when his master approached me with an indifferent yet intimidating stare.
"Who and what are you?"