-Kiss Me or Kill Me
Chapter 6: The Run
She looked down at the patchy dirt road in weariness and winced as a salty sweat drop glided into her eye. Her clothes were soaked from the half jog, half walk the travelers had been maintaining for hours but still… she stood up and nodded to Miroku. Desperation had licked at their heels for many a mile and adrenalin fueled that desperation until it ran out around midday. But still they could not stop. Worry had chased her the entire morning- worry of her life, worry of the villagers, worry of her kingdom. Could she really continue running away like this her entire life? She had ran from her problems only to fall into more problems, in which she would probably run from again. Her feet would probably fall apart before she could ever get anywhere.
She was about to start running again when Miroku pulled at her arm. She looked at him in alarm and he shook his head, it wasn't Sesshoumaru. She followed his gaze to something off in the distance and suddenly, she felt it too. It felt heavy, almost sticky, and it was hungrily reaching out to both of them. It licked at their power and liked what it tasted, immediately latching itself onto them like a parasite.
"Ugh!" Kagome swatted at the invisible force that hung around them. Miroku rolled his eyes and pulled out one of his fudas, sticking one on her forehead. The air lightened immediately and the power whirled off towards where they had been gazing at before.
"What was that?" Kagome asked, still shaking off the feeling of something sucking on her body.
"We're going to find out and see." Miroku said, changing their direction towards that hungry force.
"Are you crazy? You want to go towards that?" Kagome exclaimed, but following him nonetheless. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.
"I'm a traveling monk." He said. She gave him a blank look and he rolled his eyes at her once more. "I travel around and dispel sources of evil. I may be aiding you since I am such a gentleman, but foremost, I must help people." He continued into a forest that grew thicker and darker.
"What about Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked worriedly.
"Sesshoumaru will find you eventually. Make yourself useful and help a village with your powers before it goes to waste." He said with a wave of his hand. Kagome's eyes went wide in surprise and she was about to launch into a verbal attack when Miroku pushed aside a tall bush to reveal a dark city. The long streets continued farther than she could see but there wasn't a person in sight. There wasn't any twitchy feelings of evil or power but the emptiness of life was just as alarming. Kagome could feel her nervousness being pushed to the brink of pure anxiety. Her gut told her that she shouldn't be here but her moral conscience refused to get beaten by a perverted, yet strangely moral monk. Miroku pushed her ahead and Kagome glared at him as she walked into the empty street. Windows were closed and stalls were vacant, there wasn't even a presence of life. Visions of lonely ghosts and hungry monsters seemed ready to jump at her from every dark corner as they made their way further into the city. Miroku looked at her in exasperation.
"You can singlehandedly take on powerful 30 foot tall demons, but not an empty street?" He asked her as they passed by a particularly haunting house.
"Oh, right." Kagome said sheepishly, remembering the terror of that night. But, at least she had seen death coming face to face. It was so different from anticipating death that could get her at any time. Ah, can't forget about Sesshoumaru now either. She sighed. It appeared that the past few days had covered any fears she had in her once innocent past.
They finally arrived at an opulent palace that seemed equally the size of the city itself. The gates were only partially ajar, just enough to let bodies pass by but nothing else. Miroku was silent the entire time as they traversed through a maze of hallways and doors. Kagome could only follow his lead, unsure of what to make of this whole mess and of whether the monk actually knew where he was going. An entire city's population disappearing without a trace? She had thought to see at least a few bodies or physical damage as a testament to some disaster but it was empty... and clean. Nothing was out of place and there wasn't even a speck of dust to signify human life. When opening a pair of grand doors, Kagome shrieked to see a king at the far end, sagging his chair with his hand covering his eyes. He was gloriously dressed with flowing red robes and glimmering gold in his hair and on his arms. But for all his glory, there were no rows of attendants and officials to compliment it. Poorly lit lamps only threw the long room into a heavy atmosphere. At the sound of the open door he sprang awake and ran down to meet them, the ends of his robes snapping at the preternaturally fast movement. His eyes were wild as they got closer, the whites of his eyes almost seemed to glow more than the light from the lamps.
"You are here to save us?" He asked desperately, pulling at Kagome's hand rather than hopping to the properly solemn Miroku. His clammy hands felt strange and wet on her skin and she gave a weak smile while trying to pry them off politely. Why was he going to her when Miroku was clearly the monk? His iron grip guided Kagome to a sideroom when a young man laid asleep. He would have been handsome if it wasn't for the ghastly color of his skin complimenting his almost sheer white robe. His face was deathly pale and if it wasn't for the soft rise and fall of his chest, she would have thought him dead.
"What happened?" Kagome asked quietly as they all sat around the young man. The king wrung his hands and kept touching the bracelets on his wrists. She looked closer to see a cluster of strange symbols carved into the gold. He noticed her stare and he quickly pulled his sleeves over the jewelry as he flung himself on top of his son.
"A month ago, people started disappearing. We sent word to surrounding mikos and monks but none came. I and my family didn't dare to leave the palace but as you can see now, my one and only son is now about to leave me like the rest." He cried into the sleeves of his billowing robes. He made a convincing actor but Kagome could clearly see he was leaving parts of his story out.
Miroku patiently patted the king on his back and motioned Kagome to leave the room. "I'll stay here and look for clues, I want you to go around the city and see if there is anybody still alive."
"By myself?" Kagome snapped at him but the monk had already turned his head away, giving an attentive ear to the king instead. That was it? No further explanation or even any questioning? Just go out and find clues? Her soft steps was swallowed by the palace's silence and she gave a gulp as she stepped out into the steadily darkening street. Dark clouds hung low over the city, so close she felt like she could jump and graze the bottom of the cloud with her fingertips. She peered here and there but all the houses were empty. Gah, what am I doing? I should be running for my life, not solving a mystery. True, there was nothing to fear since she had beaten death once with an arrow and was now expecting death again sometime in the future. But there was something about being alone that made everything reluctantly clearer. She settled herself on a small stall's bench and tried to get her thoughts together. Obviously, the monk had other ideas in mind pertaining to her safety. If she had known what a load of crock he was, she wouldn't have agreed to take his aid. But... it felt so good to have someone at her side, to have someone to walk with (albeit away from death). She could leave right now and go her own way, but she couldn't leave this place without telling him. What if he ran around looking for her and something happened? The prospect of more guilt on her shoulders wouldn't let her do that. That lecher had enough morality in him to listen to a grieving king and save a city. And he had a point, the legendary youkai called Sesshoumaru hunting the puny human Kagome would be no different from a wolf hunting a bunny that was already trussed up for it to eat.
Her head fell weakly into her hands as uncomfortable thoughts began to fill her head. Be a hero and die sooner. Be a coward and die later. Live on her knees or die on her feet. At her age, she would have never guessed that these sort of decisions would fall upon her but here she was. She hadn't even had her first kiss or fallen in love. She gave a snicker into her hands. Maybe Sesshoumaru wouldn't mind imparting a few last requests to his prey. She suddenly wondered how she would die in his hands. A claw through the heart like Inuyasha or perhaps, strangulation, which was slower and more appropriate for revenge. If she had a breathe to spare before death, then why not; why not ask her murderer to kiss her and then kill her. He wasn't a senseless pyschopath but a cold, logical machine that killed for reasons only, even if they were petty. Death was a high price to pay for an arm, especially for a regenerating immortal. But, she didn't really hate him. He was an twisted bastard and definitely someone she would not want to be in the same room with. But when he wanted something done, it got done. And when he declared to do something, he would do it. He was someone who never strayed from his path and she admired that, in her own little sick and twisted way.
She released a deep breath into her hands, putting into it all her troubles and worries. If she was going to die so uncomfortably soon, she might as well be useful and save a few people with her strange powers. Besides, would a day or two of extra living really be worth being a coward? The conclusion was simple, but she was a simple person so it was only fitting. With that decided she slapped her hands on her thighs and stood up, renewed with the energy of a final decision. She winced at her own pun. It would be a final decision, wouldn't it?
So far she had only stayed on the main road but it was time for a change of tactics. She looked into one of the small alleyways that split away from the road and took a deep gulp before stepping into it. Her footsteps were swallowed so quickly by the darkness that she felt she was walking in a dream. She tried to keep the fear at bay with images of Sesshoumaru's livid face but it was proving to be futile as he was just too damned good looking for his own good. Beautiful people really did have it easy in life. Not even murder could take away the ethereal quality of the youkai's looks. Instead, every sound had her jumping and cringing until she saw a tiny light in the distance. Success! She ran like her life depended on it towards that lovely source but the distance didn't seem to be closing. If anything, she was nearly at the outskirts of the city and still the light danced before her, teasing her to run faster than her weak legs could take her. She was already exhausted from running all morning. Her wheezing breaths sounded too loud amongst the unnatural silence of the forest and she immediately stopped, turning her head here and there. Something was wrong. Forests were never really quiet. The wind rattling leaves and animals scampering here and there were a constant background noise, but this was nothing; like living things were terrified to come near here and a single sound of life would be the catalyst for danger. The light vigorously shook itself, as if it was irritated at her for stopping to rest. She grumbled a few choice curse words she had picked up at the stables and started her jog again, this time through an overgrown path. After what seemed like ages, the light suddenly disappeared when she arrived at an old hut. All her natural instincts screamed at her to run away but she had come too far. She pushed the ragged door curtain aside and let a sliver of moonlight fill an empty room with a hole in the ground. Something hissed at the corner of the room and Kagome was about to let out a blood curdling scream when a soft object jumped at her and covered her mouth.
"SSH!!!!!" The thing whispered to her angrily. It pulled her out of the hut and into the cover of a nearby bush. There was a tiny pop and something that felt like a soft cloth covered her. "This will hide you but if you utter a single sound, it'll be the end for you!" The thing threatened her before falling silent.
Kagome was about to protest when that tiny sliver of moonlight disappeared. Her eyes peered through the sheer cloth to see a large, hulky person fall from the sky and then drag itself towards the hut. After ten minutes, the person came out again and leaped into the sky once more. Kagome fought down a gasp as the person, the thing disappeared into the cover of trees. The cloth moved itself off of her with a pop and Kagome looked down to see a tiny fox boy with his hands on his hips.
"After all my work, you took forever to get here!" He complained in a no nonsense manner. She almost giggled as she grabbed him and held him closer for a better look. She had never seen a kitsune cub but she had read about them in the library. They were famed as trickesters but this cute little cub looked like he could barely harm a flea! He was wearing a little green gi that went well with his own forest green eyes and red fur. "Hey!" He screeched at her as she pulled at his tail. "Eyes up here!"
"Mm, yes?" Kagome said as she settled him on her lap.
"This is no time to be a girl when your man is about to be in danger!" The cub said. "He's being seduced as we speak and you two are next on the menu for the frog king."
"Frog king?" Kagome asked worriedly as her original plan came back to memory. "Seduced? What happened to this place?"
"Youkai came in and devoured this place, driving out all us lower youkai, that's what's going on. And since you and the monk are about the only beings I've come across that can beat 'em, I'm willing to help out a couple of weak humans." The cub said with his arms crossed.
"Weak eh?" Kagome muttered as the fox boy began to drag her back to the hut. He pointed at the hole below and Kagome looked to see what appeared to be dozens of humongous eggs sacs filled with human beings. She had found the city's population but there was an alarmingly short amount of people. Where were the rest?
"They have stashes like these hidden here and there in the city, this one is used the least which is why I brought you. The youkai sucks these guys up when they need a meal or healing. The frog king gets the human prince all to himself, which leaves the other guys verrry hungry." The cub explained impatiently. He paced back and forth in a manner that seemed more suitable for those much older than him. "While I release the rest of the humans, I need you and the monk to distract and defeat the higher ups. With the humans out of the way, they won't keep regenerating, which will give you the chance."
"Uhm, how many more of these frog kings are there?" Kagome asked as she watched his nervous movements.
"The frog king and some of his court are in the palace. It's the lizard youkai that roam the city and guard it. You need to take out the king and the rest will scatter."
Kagome froze and the cub looked at her in curiosity. "Did you just say lizard youkai? 30 foot tall with power over weather? Terrible temper? Kind of dumb?" She asked, horrified of the answer she might get.
"These guys are only about 10 feet tall, the tallest one are usually the kings and leaders." He said, confirming her worst nightmares. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be the human who took out this clan's beloved queen a few days ago, would you?" Kagome groaned even more into her hands. That ugly disgusting creatures was what their queen looked like? She could only imagine what the king had in store for her. The fox cub slapped at her hands so he could peer down at her face. "If you have the power to take on the queen, I'd say you have a chance against the frog king. Now hurry, or else your monk will be dead by dawn!"
"Urgh!" Kagome groaned again as he proceeded to drag her back to the city. "Wait, you know, that lizard queen was a complete misunderstanding that led to a rather unexpected outcome. They don't hold a grudge now, do they?" She gave a weak laugh.
The fox boy snickered but didn't look back. "They heard about the human miko who slaughtered their beloved queen without mercy. They are told to save you for the king, but not necessarily alive."
Kagome had nothing to say to that as the fox boy pulled her into a run, stop to sniff the air, then pull again. Several times they had to hide in a hut as a large, ominous shadow would pass by. Kagome didn't have to peek to know it was the lizard sentries the cub had been talking about. The bow was an uncomfortable weight at her back that reminded her of her still weak abilities to aim, let alone fire an arrow. Between getting mauled by a vindictive family of lizard youkai or the merciless killing of Sesshoumaru, Kagome wavered in her choice. In a fantasy world, she would die like any other normal human being, perhaps by a throw from a horse or maybe even a debilitating disease. She gave her 2nd sigh of the day as she weighed the facts. She had to save all those people and Miroku with just herself, and perhaps a fox boy sidekick, that is if he even decided to help her out. From how he talked, he would be watching at the sidelines. But then, isn't this what those storybooks were always about? A fabulous hero who saves the day? Somehow, the facts of her life had skewed the hero story beyond recognition.
The fox boy pointed down a small street. "That is the way to the monk's prison. I'm going to start releasing the humans. If you fail, everybody dies." He popped into a pink balloon that gently floated away, leaving Kagome by herself.
"As if I need you to remind me." She muttered as she began to jog up the street. She reached a side gate of the palace and with stealthy steps, slipped inside with no trouble. The courtyard was, of course, empty of life but she was still cautious. There was too much open space for her to sneak against the walls, it could only be a straight shot from the gate to the palace building. She tried to concentrate for youkai energy around her but there was nothing she could sense. She had two choices, either her senses were working and there was really no demon in vicinity or her senses weren't working and she would be caught, hence leaving everybody to death. She sent a prayer to kami and a death threat to the absent Miroku and sprinted across the stone tiles. She reached the door and jumped inside just as the click of sharp claws fell on the same tiles she had just ran on. She fought down her breaths as the unmistakable presence of youkai trailed outside. She could feel them now, very subtly, but it was a better start than she could ever hope for. She concentrated on that presence until it grew into a solid shape in her mind. Her heartbeat felt as loud as drumbeats as the youkai prowled closer towards her. Finally, it went away and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly stood up and crept down the hallway in search of Miroku. She scrunched her nose and tried to concentrate even further. Slight pressures of energy began to appear on her mental radar. There were four sources towards the left ahead and two on the right, but all six were very much demon energy. It was the one straight ahead of her that worried her the most. It was like a hungry fire licking and devouring everything it could reach. Was this the same parasitic power that had tried to latch onto her and Miroku earlier? She pushed that painful thought aside and tried to concentrate even further. Miroku's power would be different from the youkai inhabiting the city so all she had to do was find the anomaly. In the far right she felt a dim flickering energy that was different from the youki all around her. With a grim smile, she took the first right corridor and let her senses lead the way.
She dipped into rooms and pushed passed shoji doors as she avoided any youkai she felt. Her path led her down into the dank dungeons that held prisoners and offenders. There was a small lit cell at the very end and she ran with all her might to it but was thrown off to the side and into metal cell bars. She thought she felt something crack but didn't have enough time to process as the breath was knocked out of her body. She gagged and coughed as she desperately sucked in air. A geta sandal came into view and she followed it all the way up to a beautiful woman in a 7 layer kimono. Her face was empty of malice but her foot had a different motive as it proceeded to kick her hard in the chest. Kagome blocked the kick with her arm and scrambled to get up. Her world spun in dark colors and she thought she would fall but the woman's slap brought her back to reality. Kagome returned the slap with a closed fist and ran towards the last cell again before the woman could react. A tackle from behind prevented her and Kagome felt the breath knocked out of her for the second time. With a furious yell, Kagome kicked the woman away and reached for the metal fire stand in front of her. Her fingers barely grazed it when the woman dragged her away with an incredible strength. Kagome turned and kicked her legs out of the woman's hold. She swiped her leg across the other woman's legs, knocking her down. Taking the opportunity, Kagome dashed to the cell to see Miroku slumped to the side. With a groan, Kagome grabbed the fire stand in time to block another attack from the vicious woman. With a hearty clonk on the head, the woman crumbled down and Kagome finally had time to breathe. She looked around for a set of keys and found none hanging on the walls. She groaned again. Her day couldn't get any worse and she was so exhausted and she had to have broken something in that sudden scuffle and just where were the damned keys? She pulled herself to the unconscious woman and searched through her clothes but found nothing. With a shriek of frustration, Kagome kicked at the bars and blankly stared as the door swung invitingly open. She mechanically walked in, pulled the monk up by the front of his robe and proceeded to slap him awake. She had risked capture to save him only to find out that he was never locked up in the first place. Fury just couldn't quite describe it.
"Owww." Miroku moaned at her as he blinked awake. He held his sore cheek as he stood up.
"The door wasn't locked." Kagome said flatly as he grabbed his staff and led them up and out of cell area.
"Eh, yes," Miroku bit his lip. "She though it would be interesting in the dungeons, and really, who could say no to a lady. Especially one with such aim." He said while lightly touching a bump on his head. "But I did garner enough information that the king is being possessed by a frog youkai and eating off the prince's spiritual energy."
"And?" Kagome asked as they began to approach closer to that hungry source.
"And what? We defeat it, take the spoils of reward, and run like mad till your Sesshoumaru finds you." He said as he began to pull out fudas.
"Don't call him that." She muttered to him as she nervously pulled out her thankfully unbroken bow and arrows. She nocked an arrow in place and aimed to the front as they arrived at the pair of grand doors again. This time, the king openly released his powers and she felt him sucking at her life force. Miroku slapped a fuda on her forehead and his before kicking open the doors. The terrible wind vortex ripped into the air and sucked everything in the room in. Several hapless youkai managed to get caught and disappeared into the strange hole in Miroku's palm. Kagome peered around the room and saw the king with the sleeping prince in his arms. The king looked at her with a grin on his face and released the prince.
"No!" Kagome leaped on Miroku's arm to stop the vortex. The monk saw the prince flying towards them and immediately wrapped his hand in the buddha bead but the prince crashed into him, throwing them through the wall of the room behind them. The frog king was on her in a second with a giant leap. He grabbed her by the neck and she felt him try to suck her dry but the fuda did its job. He was too close to shoot but just perfect to stab. Kagome willed her powers through the arrow and slammed the sharp object into the king's eye. Again, her powers only glimmered for brief moment but it was enough time to penetrate the king's defenses. The frog king roared out in anger as blood poured out from his useless eye. His cries came out in a guttural language and Kagome's miko senses wailed at impending danger. More than 20 lizard youkai were speeding towards her and she didn't have the heart to feel scared. She turned to look at Miroku who was almost conveniently knocked out from being thrown through a wall. The frog king had moved to the center of the room, wailing out his calls but still holding his bloodied eye in pain. Well, at least she had done something. In no time at all, the 20 lizard youkai came with bloodlust in their auras. Their eyes recognized her and with dismay, she could see the resemblance of the queen in her counterparts. Licking their chops, seven of them stepped forward towards her. Kagome immediately nocked at arrow in place and cried inside at why fate couldn't tip the odds in her favor for once.
"You will die for killing our beautiful queen." The lizards hissed.
"Beautiful? HA!" Kagome laughed, hoping her confidence sounded convincing. It certainly didn't to her ears and her eyes were sinking too as seven 10 feet tall lizards drew close.
Arrow after arrow flew but her magic wouldn't come out, no matter how hard she tried. Her arrows were no where near powerful enough to rip the tough hide of the lizards. At this distance, she was able to hit a few but they pitifully bounced off their skin. She was so tired. Her body ached from all the running and tossing and fighting she had been doing in the past few days. She wanted so badly to win this fight. She kept screaming inside for her powers to come out like it did before and save her, save everyone! But only weariness answered. She dove to the right to avoid getting mauled by a claw and ran away, hoping to draw the enemy away from the unconscious prince and Miroku. Her lungs squeezed in anger and every step seemed to draw her chest tighter. Was it the fatigue or tears? She stumbled out of the gates and onto the street and turned to greet dozens of youkai lurking from empty houses and rooftops. They all stared at her silently without making a single move. The frog king fell from the sky with his eye still bleeding heavily from her arrow. His was the only movement as he strode forward.
"What have you done with my precious stores?" The king asked her angrily. "This will scar my exquisite face if I don't heal it soon!"
Kagome felt brief relief that at least the city people would survive this fight. The fox boy had done his part but would she be able to do hers?
Please, just this once, come out even if I can't do it myself. Just come out and do that purply thing and just save the day so I can at least live till its over.
She nocked her last arrow in place and aimed straight at the king. Nothing in her body or heart clicked in place and told her her stance was right. There was no indication that she would be able to succeed and a bitter tear escaped from her narrowed eyes.
"Save me." She whispered to herself as she let go.
~*~*~*~*~
He stared at her from the distance in complete safety. The lizard youkai were all too engrossed in their hunt of the queen killer to notice his presence. Not that they would since he had hidden his youki completely. In all honesty, he had to hand it to her for getting so far and doing so much in the short amount of time he gave her. He really did try to walk slowly but her growing scent seemed to spark an urge in him. He had eagerly followed her tired fragrance on the road to the striking fear in the deserted city. Watching her run here and there to save the pitiful humans was almost a fascinating picture to see. She was such a fool to waste her precious time to live on these wasted beings.
And her face, what a laugh. It was like watching fireworks that flitted and transitioned into different colors and back again. She was scared one moment then content the other. Nothing seemed to stay for long in those cobalt eyes. She was dangerously close to being interesting and he did not like that at all. Art could be interesting, kami, even other youkai could be interesting. But humans? Never.
However, he looked on in interest as the lizard youkai crowded around her, blocking all possible exits. Her fingers trembled as she put the arrow in place and her body swayed in tiredness but she didn't move from her spot. Her captivating face begged for a miracle to happen but still, she held the bow, moving it up to aim. She was completely out of league in this fight, they would all kill her with just a flick of their finger. If she was remotely intelligent, she would beg for forgiveness. But no, there was no sign of giving up in her.
He unknowingly shifted his weight, his feet getting ready to spring forward.
What was wrong with this girl? The odds were obviously against her, why didn't she look defeated?
He felt all the youkai stir in readiness to attack and his eyes couldn't move away from her face.
Her lips mouthed something and he was lightning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Something exploded all around her and she ducked to the ground as things began to rain down from the sky. Kagome peeked through her fingers to see blood and chunky bits fall all around her. A few seconds later it all stopped and steps came close to her head.
She looked up to meet Sesshoumaru's sun gold eyes and only one word could describe the entirety of her predicament.
"Shit."
A predatory smirk materialized on his elegant face.
"I've got you now."
"W-wait! Just one second!" She yelled with her face still unable to tear itself away from his golden eyes. Surprisingly, he stayed his hand and waited for her to speak.
Why was he listening to her? She, of all beings, had somehow managed to add seconds to her fast declining life. But he did find her utterly amusing; perhaps these last seconds would increase the number of years he would spend mulling over this interesting hunt. She gulped as her eyes made a quick jump from his clawed fingers and back to his eyes.
"Proceed." He said impatiently. Was this girl really going to waste the remainder of her life with silence? She jumped at the sound of his voice, which appeared to knock her out of her reverie because the look in her eyes now changed. It was back to that sorrowful regret he had locked into his brain after hours of tracking.
"Before you kill me, there's something you need to know...about the treaty and my-" She finally looked away from him, choosing to stare instead at the dirty hem of her pants. "The king." She pursed her lips with resolve and gave him a hard look. He almost let a smile escape his lips from the constant changes in the peasant's face. She really was entertaining.
"He was planning on cheating you with a false bride so he could secure the lands in the east with the real princess!" She blurted out. The temperature around them felt like it dropped a hundred degrees as the taiyoukai's eyes drilled into her. "That's why Inuyasha and I came back without any warning, to tell you in secret but you- you had to be you and kill Inuyasha before even asking for his side of the story!" Tears spilled over and dragged itself down her muddied cheeks, resisting every inch of the way until it fell into a dirty splatters on her shirt. "I-I didn't mean to take away your arm but what's done is done. You have done your dirty deed and I have done mine. But unlike you, I choose to pay the consequences." She glared at him, daring him to kill her and his fingers itched to slap away that look of defiance in her face. Humans should never be defiant or proud or angry. Subservient humans were the only humans he was willing to tolerant and this wench would be no different. "Take the king of the north down." She said softly as she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of his wrath. "If not for yourself, then for what he will do if he is not stopped."
He grabbed the front of her shirt and easily lifted her into the air. Her body was limp from fatigue but her determined face never faltered for a second. He took a deep breath to ready her death and instead, got a heady waft of her scent filling his head. Sorrowful jasmine...
Well, he was a man of his word, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*Well, I hope nobody has forgotten me quite yet. I'm still around and still trying to work on a couple of chapters here and there when I have time. There is a lot to add for this story and I really do intend to finish this. Pllllllease keep reviewing and keep my spirits up about writing. I really do read all of the reviews. I hope this chapter wasn't too cruel~
predator808- aha, it really has been awhile huh? here's your update!
Jen konoha-wow really? 2004? and only 6 chapters, thats almost a chapter a year. you're right, it is pretty sad
the rogue prince- thanks for your continued interest in this story, hope the chapter was alright. I tend to rush sometimes because I know you guys are waiting for an update
..- repressed sexuality.. * snicker* I wouldn't be surprised
strawberry lover- i'm actually having trouble on how to put sango into the story, she might not actually play a part as I want to keep this story under 20 chapters.