Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter 6: Life

I found her name. I turned to face the red eyed wind sorceress behind me and glared at her while I said, "Kaze no supine." I watched as she crumbled to the ground struggling for breath and unable to stand. "I may not be worthy of respect in your eyes, but I will not be cheated or deceived. I have made a deal with Naraku, but I will not over step my bounds just so that you may be amused and satisfy your need to go against him. I know more than you could ever possibly want me to know. I know your name. I know your fate. I know your circumstances, I know everything. You think that because Naraku holds your heart you can never be free. You are mistaken. If you chose you could be free of him, but you fear death. Yet because you have allowed me to grasp your name, thereby chaining yourself to me. Your soul and entire existence now belongs to me and if I would choose to end it I can with uttering only one word. You should always know your opponent and never underestimate anyone because of their blood. You were foolish and have now paid dearly for it." Every word I spoke was true, I now held her fate in my hand and the only way for her to be free of me was for me to die and take her name with me. I knew this, but she did not.

"Now, please lead me to a place where I can bath without either of us being punished for it. I do not wish to cause unnecessary pain to others." I asked as the wind sorceress struggled to gather herself from the floor. And glared at me in the pale light from the surrounding torches.

She chuckled, "You are not as dumb as I thought. So why are you here, when you can easily escape anyone or anything with that nifty trick of yours? Again, why are you here listening to Naraku? You must want something" she finished still sounding smug as she glowered at the woman standing in front of her. She was not small and petite like the women of this country. She was on par with or taller than Kagura's height and had a sinful body as well. To Kagura she looked like a human whore and she had no want to treat her any better than one.

"I am here to die." Alina said as she watched Kagura's face contort into first surprise and then superiority.

"If you wanted to die so bad, then I can help you along!" she yelled at the human in front of her as she raised her fan. "Dance of Blades!" she yelled as she released her wind in the form of large flying blades. Her attack blew out most of the torches in the underground chamber and cut large gashes in the stone. When the smoke cleared from her attack all of Kagura's superiority was gone. In front of her stood the same woman, untouched from her attack. Her hand was raised in front of her and from it a faint blue shield of power was formed. She had deflected her attack easily.

"I cannot be killed by the likes of you." Alina said in a monotone voice. She was beyond caring because by the years end, she would be no more. "If you will not show me an appropriate place for me to bath, I will find one for myself" was all Alina said before she left an irate and scared Kagura standing in the private bathing room.

"How could she do that? How could she deflect my attack so effortlessly? All she did was raise her hand and my attack was rendered useless. Just what exactly is she?" Kagura wondered to herself as she tried to keep her fear of the young human at bay.

Meanwhile, Alina had found a well-kept pond in the back of the castle where she decided to bathe. The only people in the castle were her and the two demonesses. She saw no need to bath in a cold room with unclean water when she could bath in the open air and enjoy nature for a change. It was one of the only things she would miss when she faded from existence. The warmth of summer nights and the chattering of insects on the warm breeze that floated through the air. The beauty of spring flowers in an open field blooming while the trees had yet to completely unfold their foliage. The brilliant colors of fall at dusk and dawn as they seemed to merge with the horizon. Yet her favorite thing about nature that she would miss was the snow. Yes she would miss winter, the pure white snow that would blanket the ground and float lazily from the sky. The moon at night when it held a halo of ice and the crisp scent of the cold air. Winter, to Alina, felt like life and peacefulness. She would miss winter most of all.

Alina thought to her life and what it had become. It had become almost a game, one that she would inevitably lose, yet she continued to play. Her life was a series of disgraceful and unfortunate events that all stemmed from her birth. Like every other woman who shared her bloodline would lead, just as her mother had. Many would resign themselves to the fate, some had twisted their fate to be even more gruesome than the one they were meant to lead. Alina, as had a few others, was trying to run from it. Yet fate was like love, it had a nasty habit of finding you in the most inconvenient of times and decide to never let go. To make a hard and terrible existence even worse. To Alina love was like a curse, no love was a curse. She was not running from her fate like others before her. No, she was running away from anything that held any semblance of love. Because love was why she would die.

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner, I was having some writer's block because I was not in the mood for writing dark, tragic and mysterious fanfiction. Though having another idea for a fic and posting it also had a lot to do with it.

This fic is the most serious fic I have written. The rest are either informal or, like my new fic 'What If?', is in major need of details and revision. though writing about Naraku in a not so insidious light is challenging as well. Not easy my friends. Okay enough with the mindless chatter.

Thank you for reading and please review. I enjoy the reviews very much and it encourages me to write.