True Power
A/N: I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers. Your comments inspire me to keep going. Here's chapter 3! Please review to let me know of your thoughts!
I apologise for any spelling mistakes that's found, however, I am from the United Kingdom and not America therefore spellings will be completely different.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, though one can only wish. I only own my OC and the story itself.
Three
'Give me the Shikon no Tama!' a gravelly voice yelled just as a large purple creature charged out of the bushes.
Rikka raised a hand, a white light encircled the appendage, forming a barrier. The creature collided against the barrier, its form dissipating as the barrier purified him. She frowned down at where the creature had turned into ash before the wind blew the ashes away.
'That's the fifth one,' she said to herself, glaring at nothing. 'Shikon no Tama? Why would I have such a thing?'
She ran a hand through her hair, eyes cast to the falling sun that peeked through the leaves.
The sight was beautiful, especially with the wind rustling the leaves, making it appear as if Rikka was watching colourful water dancing. The peace, the tranquillity, of the feudal era appeased her in a way the modern world could not. The air was crisp and clean, unpolluted. Aside from nature preserves, Rikka had never seen a large quantity of trees bunched together. The witch in her was completely at peace, finally in her element. Even her power was more tuned into this world than the one she had left behind. Yet, there was something different about her power, something more primal and dangerous. It was almost as if she had been given a power boost, doubling, maybe tripling, it. Despite not having successfully mastered what power she had before, Rikka could feel the incontrollable churning power laying almost dormant inside of her, like a feral beast that awaited release.
It was frightening, yet strangely, it calmed her knowing it was there.
But her power was not the problem. This jewel was.
Why did the yōkai think she had it? Wasn't it shattered around feudal Japan due to Kagome's arrow?
Rikka pulled the red jewel from out of her school uniform blouse and raised it for inspection.
Surely, they do not mean this? she thought confused. This is not some petty jewel that corrupts wishes. Perhaps the stupid creatures only see it as a means to grow stronger without putting any effort in. Pathetic.
She tucked the jewel under her sailor top and carried on walking.
Regardless of what the yōkai perceived, there was no way she was going to allow their filthy claws to even touch the jewel around her neck. Rikka cared nothing for the Shikon no Tama, a jewel that only causes more grief than relief. She didn't care that it grants wishes. Last she knew, it only corrupted those wishes in order to benefit itself. She was definitely one person who would not covet that jewel.
As the sun touched the horizon, Rikka decided to make camp. By the time twilight arrived, the fire was up and she had gathered enough food to stave off hunger. A rabbit, a few edible mushrooms, and a handful of non-poisonous berries. It was all she could scavenge at the last minute, but it was enough. Summoning a carving knife from the pocket between dimensions, she skinned the rabbit and divided it into four equal chunks of meat. She skewered one on a thick stick and stuck the other end in the ground by the fire. On a separate stick, she skewered the mushrooms and cooked them in the same way as the meat. As she waited, she plopped the juicy berries into her mouth.
With nothing else to occupy herself, Rikka leaned back on her hands staring into the living core of the fire.
She tried to picture Kagome in this era but failed miserably. Kagome was not the outdoorsy type. She was too girly-girl for that. She was hung up over passing her grades, getting into high school, and hanging with her friends. She hated dirt, preferring to be as clean as possible. So what was she doing in this era, a place that required getting down and dirty? Maybe Kagome wasn't who Rikka had thought she was. Maybe she was more athletic and tomboy like.
Rikka shook that thought aside.
Kagome, a tomboy? Never. That girl preferred skirts to jeans, fawned over her precious hair, and was a hopeless romantic as the other girls her age. There was no doubt that she was waiting for her knight in shining armour to come and sweep her off her feet atop a white horse. Rikka had the feeling that she was going to be in for a rude awakening. In this era of war, poverty and yōkai, a knight in shining armour riding in on a white horse was too farfetched. Kagome would probably end up falling in love with a ruffian, an outcast, someone who was rude and barbaric.
Wait. Didn't Kagome already have a boyfriend? That two-timing jerk? What was his name?
Forget it, Rikka thought to herself checking the rabbit and mushrooms.
The mushrooms were lovely and golden, while the rabbit still needed a little more time. Sitting back again, Rikka blew on the first mushroom and bit into it. While she wished that she had herbs or even butter to flavour the mushroom, she was not ungrateful. It was far better than starving to death.
It was just as she was finishing the first mushroom when she heard an unusual sound.
Closing her eyes, she listened.
The wind rustled through the leaves, imitating a waterfall. The crickets had fallen silent, as had the nocturnal creatures. This level of silence was unnerving, but it was a sign that something dangerous lurked around. This lack of noise threw Rikka's guard up. The sound she had originally heard sounded again. The familiarity of the sound brought her to her feet. It was the sound of an injured pup. Raising four dogs from puppies, Rikka was well accustomed to the sounds of the dog species. But it wasn't only that. The canine family was her animal to call. So she was more tuned in to them.
Abandoning the rabbit, Rikka darted into the under bush chasing after the whimpering. As she drew closer, the air suddenly got heavier with concentrated power. Still unaccustomed to the era, she was unable to identify the cause of the power, but she readied her own in the form of a black mist that surrounded her fist.
Charging through an unfamiliar territory was the stupidest thing that Rikka could have done. But the pull of a canine in trouble drew her in like a moth to a flame. She was unable to ignore it. Between protecting the canine species to protect a member of the Higurashi family, Rikka couldn't decide which one demanded her attention more. They were both important for her to protect, the pull stronger than anything else. If she failed in protecting them, she'd suffer with such pain it would seem like she had been the one to have been attacked and not them. That was the price to pay for a witch bound to something.
The whimpering came again. This time it was accompanied by a pain that shuddered through Rikka's being. Her very soul trembled.
She winced in pain, a sharp intake of breath accompanied the wince. She ran through it, knowing that the pup was in more trouble than ever before.
The black mist increased in volume, nearly swallowing her entire arm. She paid it no mind, more focused on getting to the pup than anything else.
A large creature, definitely a yōkai, appeared as soon as she rounded around a large tree. It towered high into the treetops, its head hidden by the shadows. Its skin was a sickly purple, a contrast to the bright, colourful, cheery surroundings. Had it been brown instead of purple, Rikka would have assumed it was a tree. Its legs were thick all around and unbelievably long. Arms were just as imposing. Its butt was covered by a fur skirt, making her relieved to know that she wouldn't have to be exposed to such a horrendous sight.
Another whimper snapped her out of her thoughts.
Through the gap between the yōkai's legs, she could see a small black furred form cowering, but trying to put up a brave front. A pair of red eyes glared up at the towering yōkai, a small snarl flowing out of its throat. The pup's hackles were raised, but the way it had pressed in on itself said that it was scared but not willing to show it. A courageous thing. It favoured its right hind leg, the left lightly raised off the ground. Rikka bet she would find a deep gash on the poor thing.
Breathing out slowly, Rikka controlled the black mist into a familiar form. A sword. Despite maintaining a misty appearance, the sword looked as real and sharp as any other. She then charged at the yōkai, pushing strength into her legs and jumping high into the air. Black mist swirled with more intensity around the sword. Swinging downwards, she sent that energy towards the yōkai, slashing it in half. She used the wind to decrease her fall and landed lightly on the ground.
Now that the threat was gone, Rikka released the black mist and looked over at the pup who now cowered from her.
The sight made Rikka's heart pulse in pain. Around it, she smiled and slowly knelt on the ground, showing how harmless she was. Well, that was a total lie, considering she didn't need to have anything in her hands to be dangerous. This the pup knew too well. There was no denying the intelligence of the animal. It didn't matter how young those in the canine family were, they were intelligent beings. And this was only proven with the way the pup was looking at her now.
'It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you,' Rikka said in what she hoped to be a reassuring voice.
The pup growled at her, and backed away slightly unconvinced.
'Yeah, I know. I'm a big bad witch,' she said jokingly. She sat crossed legged on the ground, hoping to pass as nonthreatening. 'Is that better?'
The growl stopped, but the pup's position did not change. Rikka, however, could see its little black nose twitching. It was such an adorable sight that she wanted to scoop the pup into her arms and hug it to death.
Calm yourself, Rikka, she scolded herself.
'Here,' she said holding out the back of her hand for it to sniff.
And sniff the pup did.
It cautiously approached, favouring its right hind leg as it hopped over. Black nose kept twitching until it was just a fingertip's reach away. Rikka made no sudden movements in case she frightened the poor thing. She remained absolutely still, waiting for the pup to trust her, even a little. Her patience was rewarded by the pup lightly brushing its nose against her hand before a small pink tongue darted out and licked her.
'See,' Rikka said experimentally stroking a hand over his head.
He nuzzled into her palm eagerly.
'Where are you injured?' she asked, even though she knew where.
The pup whined and looked back at his left hind leg.
Rikka scooped him into her arms and let him lay in her lap. His injured leg was facing away from her so that nothing was pressing on it and so it was easier for Rikka to get to. She felt the pup lay its head down, belly partially showing. It was a submissive sign, and one of complete trust. She felt honoured. In gratitude, she stroked his head and embraced him protectively with her body. It was a sign that she would protect him. He snuggled against her belly, pressing his side to her warmth.
Now focused on his injured leg, Rikka ran a very gentle hand over it.
He whimpered when her fingers ran over the beginning of the cut. Removing her now blooded hand, Rikka realised that the wound was more serious than she original thought. What she had managed to gather from feeling was that there were four deep claw marks, each bleeding freely. There was no poison, thankfully, otherwise the pup would have been in a lot more trouble. At least she knew he wouldn't be cowed by much bigger opponents.
'Don't worry,' she said softly, 'I'll be able to fix you up.'
With barely any concentration, Rikka's magic rushed to the surface in a white glow. Laying a hand above the wounds, she ordered her magic to heal. While she could not visibly see the process, she could feel the wounds stitching back together until nothing remained of him ever having been attacked. Her magic receded as soon as there was nothing left to heal. Happy with her work, Rikka smiled as she watched the pup wriggle out of her lap and test his newly healed limb.
His tail wagged back and forth as he spun in a circle. Barking happily, he jumped at Rikka had showered her with kisses.
Laughing, Rikka tried to hold the excited pup at bay, but he was a lot stronger than he looked.
He nuzzled her neck, licked her one final time and wriggled out of her grasp. His tail was still wagging excitedly. He barked once, spun in a circle and darted through the shrubbery.
She should have known that with nothing to hold him back, he wouldn't stay. While that was a little disappointing, Rikka was happy with just helping him. At least he had shown his gratitude.
Getting to her feet, Rikka eyed where the pup had dashed through before walking in the opposite direction. The forest at night, while scary, was peaceful as the nocturnal animals began their songs. Stumbling over branches as she headed back to camp, Rikka cursed not having night vision. Being a witch, she could summon her own version of light. But that would only draw attention to herself. She didn't need the needless hassle. She just wanted to settle down and sleep. She was beyond exhausted.
Finally reaching camp, she remembered the cooking rabbit when she saw it charred in the fire. Frustrated, Rikka threw the rabbit, and the stick, into the fire. She then eyed the place where she had left her other pieces of meat, only to discover it had been stolen. Now she was really mad.
'Great,' she huffed sitting down against the base of a tree. 'Let's just hope that those berries and mushrooms were enough.'
Her stomach then decided to prove her wrong by rumbling loudly.
Hiding her face behind her long bangs, Rikka felt mortified. 'Stupid stomach…'
~ ~ ~ Here's a bonus for you ~ ~ ~
'This meat is really delicious, Jaken-sama,' Rin exclaimed, biting into the meat on the stick.
'You said it,' Jaken said, taking another large bite of his own. 'I'm so relieved to have found them by that fire.'
'Wasn't it someone else's food?' Rin asked curiously.
'They're not going to need it,' Jaken announced uncaringly, biting again into the meat.
'So it was alright for us to take it?' she inquired.
'Of course,' Jaken announced puffing out his chest.
Rin smiled contentedly. 'That's a relief.'
'Jaken.'
Jaken jumped to his feet and instantly grovelled on the ground as the white clad yōkai stepped into the clearing.
'You've returned, Sesshōmaru-sama.'
'Sesshōmaru-sama!' Rin announced happily, getting to her feet. 'Look what Jaken-sama and I found today!'
She held the stick up, looking up at him for approval.
'Very good,' he said barely glancing at her. 'Report.'
'The night's been quiet, Milord,' Jaken said walking over. 'No yōkai have disturbed us, and there's no sign of Naraku in these parts. I did hear a yōkai pup a while ago, but nothing for a while. The stupid thing must have gotten eaten. And then there was that strange power.'
Strange power? Sesshōmaru thought looking down at his servant. 'Explain.'
'It felt nothing like yōki or even reiryoku. I must admit, My Lord, that I've never felt this power before. It felt terrifyingly dark, dangerous and powerful. But just as quickly, it changed into something light, gentle and still powerful.'
'Where?'
Jaken pointed west of their position. 'It's a little further from the camp we found not so long ago. That's where we found the rabbit meat.'
'And?' Sesshōmaru demanded, wanting more information.
'There was no one there,' Jaken clarified.
Sesshōmaru walked away and sat at the base of a tree, his right leg propped up and the other folded behind it. He laid his one arm at his side, golden eyes closed. And while he looked peaceful, seemingly sleeping, the others knew that was not the case. Though he rested his eyes, Sesshōmaru did not need to sleep as often as humans. Closing his eyes allowed him to rejuvenate, and to let his thoughts wander. This time his thoughts were occupied by the strange power Jaken had described.
He wasn't interested because Jaken had described it. He was interested because he had felt it prior before returning to the camp. While he was intrigued, he was also extremely weary. This was the first time he recalled feeling such power wash over him. And Jaken was right about one thing, no matter how dark or light the power was, it was unmistakably powerful, and belonged to one individual. A being controlled by light and darkness, a very dangerous combination. He'd need to take care of it quickly, before things escalated to dangerous proportions. And it would not do for someone of his stature to allow a dangerous being to wander unchecked.
