Episode 13: I Begin To Understand (Special POV featuring Mika!)
My face was wet by the rain by the time I took shelter under the branches of the tree. It had suddenly begun to rain when I embarked on this mountain with Sesshoumaru and his "companions". And there were no dark, gloomy, big clouds hovering above us, so it was not normal for it to be raining. Especially on a mountain that was quite warm, now extremely soaked and muddy from the falling raindrops.
"When is Sesshoumaru-sama coming back???" complained a certain toad. Jaken was always complaining these days, and for the first time of my life, I did wonder where did that selfish Sesshoumaru go.
Sesshoumaru. I had only spent a week with him and I believe he still does not even know my name. Well, I'm going to tell him when he comes back, I thought bitterly. But now was not the time to be regretting the late introduction. I was worried; the rain was pouring harder every minute, and Rin couldn't last.
Rin was the little girl in the colorful kimono that seemed to follow Sesshoumaru like a pet. I was actually surprised he even let her follow him; but I knew even he wouldn't just abandon a little girl who saved his life to the wild.
"He's not coming back anytime soon is he," I commented and sat there some more.
"No, he's not," Jaken replied and grimaced as he struggled to strike a fire. I shook my head. It was common sense that you couldn't start a fire when you have a shower coming down from the sky.
"Forget about a fire, we need to worry about how to find somewhere where the rain can't possibly fall on us. Think Jaken," I said, standing up. I stretched my stiff legs a bit and heard a groan from my stomach. I was fairly hungry, and I would have bet my good ol' horse Hime (who was huddled as small as she could behind us) that the others were starving as well.
"We also need to worry about where to get some food. I'm not going to last any longer than this."
Jaken ignored my comment about food and suggested, "What about that cart that your horse drags around? We can use that as shelter can't we?"
"No way! It's already wet enough. I don't need your dirtiness dirtying it everywhere!"
"You're just about as dirty and muddy as me!" he groaned.
I looked to the sky. It didn't look like clouds to me, but it was gray and depressing all the same.
"You know what, I can't wait anymore. I'm going to find where that Sesshoumaru is! Stay here with Rin and Ah-Un, alright?"
"WAIT A MO! Don't JUST LEAVE ME HERE--" protested Jaken, but I was already running from the rain.

In my hand, I clutched my bow and supply of arrows tightly. Maybe he got engaged in a fight or something. Maybe that's why he won't come back. But my assurance didn't sound convincing. I was still worried.
I started cough and sneeze. The water was so cold, I think my fingers were getting frostbite! I took a quick glance at my hands. They were red and the skin texture was of like a prune, but still pale tan.
I kept on running until I heard thunder. My shaking knees fell to the mountain floor. It crashed somewhere a bit far from my location, but nevertheless, I was scared. When I was small, I remember hiding under my blankets whenever the godly lighting tore across the sky. The fear remained dormant until now.
Then when I was sure the thunder was gone, I got up and took a step forward when something slimy wrapped around my ankles.
"AH!" I mumbled and slipped back onto the damp earth. I could taste and feel the grit in my mouth. GROSS! I thought with dismay and scrambled to get back up on my two feet. But the evil crackle of laughter was all that I needed to cling to the land.
"It makes me laugh to see you so powerless, Mika," Naraku said. I shut my eyes and begged that it was not him. I opened my mouth to reply him.
"You are laughing, you half-breed fool," I snapped.
"It seems so."
Get up Mika! The bad guy is right behind you and you're sleeping on your stomach. He could kill you any moment!!! my mind urged, but my heart was pounding so hard, all I could do was grip to the mud. Biting my lip, I wished that he would ignore me.
"What do you want," I asked, my mouth trembling with fright. I tried not to show it, but I guess he heard anyway.
But by the time I murmured those words, someone whisked me away already.
"What are you doing here," someone said, the words blurred from rain.
"Looking for you," I mumbled and fell into sleep, at the wrong time.
And immediately, I had a horrible nightmare of my past.
I remember...
I remember that day when I went into the hut. I was going to feed Sahi, my little dog. Only what I found there was not what I expected.
I can still hear my frail voice calling his name. I remember calling Sahi and running back outside to tell my teacher about the blood in the hut.
I can still see the scene so clear, as if it were yesterday.
I said to my sensei, 'Omae-sensei, I think someone killed the chickens in the hut.'
And she replied with sorrow in her eyes, 'I'm afraid those weren't the chickens...'
I remember the shocked scream I yelled when I saw my sensei holding Sahi with quavering hands, shaking so much that the blood poured from her hands.
I remember the massacre of the village earlier that day. Just because of my foolishness, my naiveness, that simple mistake.

I could hear Sesshoumaru place me down gently again, and leave me to fight Naraku. I wanted to get up so badly, but my body still refused, the nightmare rerunning many times in my mind.
Even without my sight and the unholy dreams blocking my sight and senses, I knew he was struggling. Naraku had him trapped. There were tentacles surrounding him, and each striking at a different tempo. There was even tentacles in the sky.

Then someone's hands touched my warm face. I could hear that girl named Kagome's voice whisper my name.
"Mika-chan! Are you alright?"
"Does she seem alright? You ask the worse questions at the wrong times!" Inuyasha shouted and took out his sword, the metal scraping the sheath.
"Inuyasha!" I heard her voice strain. I felt her hands snatch something and felt liquid poured into my dry lips.
The rain was still pouring, ice cold but all I cared was Sesshoumaru.
He could die in that condition! I have to get up...
And some blind fury took a hold of me and I snatched my bow. I forced my eyes open, my head aching painfully. I aimed the arrow at Naraku's head and let go. The string shook as the arrow flew. I collapsed and knew I finally got his attention from Sesshoumaru.
The following events happened so fast I could not believe them. At first, I just felt the rain continuously falling on my cheek. Then I felt the tentacles wind around my legs and pull me toward him. A few feet away I saw Sesshoumaru struggling to get away from the tentacles and Inuyasha hacking at the tentacles.
"I won't give up even if you cut me into pieces!" I reached out my red hands and grasped the tentacles. I felt warm light on my hands and began to tear them apart.
"You will suffer for all you've done Naraku!"
Naraku started to chuckle at my frenzied attempt but was shocked when his souls came flying out.
"What's going on???" Sango shouted, her breath heavy as she cut off more of the tentacles. Miroku who was standing beside her was too shocked to say anything.
His souls were all tainted black but when they reached me they turned white and pure.
Then as a final attempt to escape, Naraku raised a free tentacle and struck my ankle and tossed me off the mountain.