Hello everyone! Welcome to the 9th chapter of Inner Demon. I'd like to thank all of you for reading this far, I hope you're enjoying the story. Also, I'd like to extend my thanks to TallyYoungBlood, and Crazy Hyper Active Nyx for their kind reviews (and thank you, TallyYoungBlood, for scolding me :D. I need a little slap on the wrist every once in a while).
Well, I hope you enjoy!
The smell of smoke. And the far off screams of pain. My nerves begin to scream in warning.
Run. Run. Run. Run.
A voice whispers in my ear. My heart begins to flip in my chest.
"Princess."
"Join me in this body, and you're problems, your heartache, will be gone."
"They'll never hurt you again."
"Princess"
The voice is like a hiss. A serpent whispering in my ear.
Naraku appears before me, in the same violet mist that surrounded him before. The same venomous smile. And the same clawed hand gripping my torso.
"Young One."
He pulls me close to him. His breath is on my neck. His poison miasma fills my lungs.
My heart trembles in fear. When I open my mouth scream not a single sound comes out.
"You need not be afraid. The pain and fear won't last for long." Naraku laughs. Hot tears threaten to spill over my eyes.
I feel his teeth sink into my throat. The smell of blood fills my head.
And the nightmare shatters when I finally scream.
My eyes snap open, and I find myself sitting up beside the smoldering ashes of our fire in the same familiar, safe campsite.
"Lady Sachiko?" Rin mumbles sleepily. "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing." My voice cracks. "Just a bad dream, Rin."
"Oh." Rin nods drowsily, "Good Morning, then."
"Has Lord Sesshomaru returned yet?" I look all around me, but as expected, he's still gone.
"Not yet, but he'll be here soon… I think." Rin smiles radiantly and stands up to stretch.
"You think?"
"Well, sometimes he's gone for a few days at a time. But he said he'd be back in the morning. If he said that he would be back, he'll be back."
"And Jaken?" I flatten down my hair and stretch out my back. Almost every muscle in my body aches in a stiff pain. For one, I've never had to sleep outside before. And for two, my body feels like yesterday's battle was just a few hours ago. But all of my cuts are gone, and it looks as I wasn't in a battle for my life yesterday.
Rin giggles, and points to the other side of the extinguished fire. Jaken lies sprawled out in the grass, snoring very contentedly. I smile, not surprised at all that Jaken was fully enjoying his rest.
"I'm hungry; will you come with me to find breakfast?" Rin asked sweetly, and ran her fingers through her hair; she brushed out the blades of grass and the leaves that stuck out from her raven hair.
"Sure, lead the way." I stand up and stretch my legs. "But we have more apples if that's what you want."
"No, I think there's a river around here. I could hear it from the apple trees yesterday." Rin scurries over to the apples and lifts the bag to let them tumble out. She also grabs three small, animal hide sacks. I can only imagine that they are for water. She balls the bag up in her hands, and asks, "Ready?"
I look to Jaken, and sigh. I grab his staff and poke his head with the end of it. "Get up, you lazy little lackey."
Jaken sits up in surprise and groggily rubs his eyes. He glares at me angrily. "What do you want, Girl?"
"Good morning to you too, Jaken." I hand him his staff. "Rin and I are going to get breakfast. Get a fire ready while were gone so we can cook it."
"Hmph." Was Jaken's only reply. I suspect that it's the best I'll ever get out of him.
"Let's go, Rin. I'm starving." I follow her out of the clearing.
I follow her in the same way, past the apple trees, until I can also hear the rushing sound of the water in the riverbed.
"There it is!" Rin starts to run ahead and I somewhat stiffly follow after her. My legs let out an ache in protest, but it's still nothing compared to yesterday.
Rin stops at the river's edge and pulls her dress up slightly above her knees until she can wade into the shallows without getting her clothes wet.
"Is that how you plan on catching the fish?" I frown at her. No rod. No tools. No net. This was going to take awhile.
"Yep!" Rin smiles giddily and stands straight and still.
I watch her for awhile.
Well…I might as well help.
I pull my pants up to my knees and roll up my sleeves. I wade father into the river and follow Rin's lead. The water is cold, but it feels good against my sore legs. Suddenly, all I really want is a bath. . . And new clothes. But I don't think I have time for either.
Eventually, fish start to swim past our legs. Rin stays stone still, waiting for the right time.
I wonder if these demon abilities have affected my reflexes.
I don't wait, a fish starts to swim past my ankle and I go for it.
The fish starts to slip from my grasp and I grip it with both hands.
"R-Rin?" I stammer as the fish thrashes around in my hands. "Get the bag, please?"
Rin suddenly appears behind me with the bag and I drop the fish into it.
"Great job, Lady Sachiko!" Rin smiles ecstatically.
"Thanks. How many more should we have?"
"Uh, I would say 6 more; Ah-Un eats a lot."
"Well then, let's get to it."
"Jaken! We're back, and we brought breakfast!" Rin goes bounding into the camp happily. "Oh, and I got water too. We'll be ready to go when Lord Sesshomaru returns."
With the sack of food in my hand I follow her into the camp. Jaken sits before a very good sized fire.
"I smell fish." Jaken wrinkles his nose slightly.
"You're a quick one." I smirk and drop the bag down beside the fire.
Rin opens it and grabs two fish. She scurries over to Ah-Uh and sweetly gives one fish to each head.
"Lord Sesshomaru should be here soon right?" I look to Jaken curiously.
"Who knows?" Jaken spears one fish with a thick stick and holds it over the fire. "He might not return at all today."
"But he said-"
"He'll come back today." Rin smiles encouragingly. "If he said so, he'll come back. There's still the whole morning left."
"Right." I nod and spear a fish with a stick as well and I place it over the fire. Rin follows suit and holds her fish above the fire.
We eat and let the fire die when we're done. Rin feeds the leftover fish to Ah-Un and we find that there's nothing else to do but wait for Lord Sesshomaru to return.
Jaken busies himself packing things up on Ah-Un's back. The water, the rest of the food, and what blankets they have with them. I stomp out the fire and look around. I expect Lord Sesshomaru to appear at any minute. I just need to talk to him. I want to- no- I need to see Uncle Tomo and Karen. I can't leave without making sure that they're okay.
I could go now, but I'm too afraid of the monks. A chill of fear ran up and down my spine when I thought of the leader attacking me. I wouldn't survive that twice.
"Are you going to travel with us, Lady Sachiko?" Rin stands at my side.
"I don't think Lord Sesshomaru will have me." I shake my head. "Besides, I have something I have to do."
Rin furrowed her brow. "What is it?"
"I have to see my father. To do that I need to go further north of here."
"Oh," Rin seemed to deflate.
"What's wrong, Rin?"
"Well." She clasped her arms behind her back and sighed. "I thought it would be fun to travel with you, Lady Sachiko. Why are you visiting your father?"
I felt a knot form in my stomach. "It's a long, long story, Rin."
"I understand." She nodded and plopped down on the ground.
"Lord Sesshomaru! Welcome back!" Jaken spoke excitedly.
I spun around and followed Jaken's stare. Lord Sesshomaru stepped out of the brush and looked first to Jaken, then to Rin, and finally to me.
"You stayed put." He almost sounded surprised.
I crossed my arms and frowned at him. "Of course I did, I'm not suicidal."
"We have everything ready to go, My Lord!" Jaken immediately appeared at Sesshomaru's feet. "Where are we headed in next?"
"We are not leaving yet, Jaken, there is still a matter of unfinished business." Lord Sesshomaru frowned at me. "Isn't there?"
"That depends on what you mean." I forced myself to look him straight in the eye. My demon blood turned cold out of fear. Did he do that to every demon he faced, or was it just newbies like me who felt like they ought to hide under a rock when he's around?
"Your wounds are gone." He looked me up down with that passive scowl.
"Yes?" I rolled my shoulder back and then forward again to test the soreness. Stiff, but not unbearable. "What about it?"
Lord Sesshomaru seemed to look me over once again. He almost seemed hesitant to speak. "Your companions are waiting for you."
I felt my heart jump. "What? How would you-"
"I met them today after I looked for clues of Naraku's direction."
"Are they okay?" I felt my heart pounding. I remembered that Uncle Tomo had been injured. I remember him being so weak he could hardly stand. And I could remember Karen being surrounded by thousands of broken hearted villagers looking for their scapegoat.
"They're fine. But your village is watching them very closely. I met them when they were alone. I told them where to meet us."
I didn't know what to say. He was serious. He went to all that trouble for me? But to him, that would be a trivial thing. Reuniting friends and family to provide closure definitely wasn't his purpose.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru, but…why? Why did you go to the trouble?"
"Because I knew you wouldn't be willing to leave without saying goodbye to them. You know you have to go. But you want to make sure that they're okay, and that they're safe. If I didn't find them then you would have gone yourself. And I'm sure that you would have found a way to get yourself killed."
I couldn't help but smile the smallest bit. Was Sesshomaru being thoughtful? Probably not. Those weren't the eyes of a concerned friend. He wanted something from me.
"Why do you care if I die, Lord Sesshomaru?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"You saved me once, because I helped you. I understand that. And you didn't want Naraku to get a hold of my powers. I sort of understand that. But why take me out here and protect me? Why arrange the secret meeting?"
He thought for a moment, but didn't answer.
And I decided to rephrase the question.
"What do you want from me, Lord Sesshomaru? What could you possibly gain from protecting me when Naraku and the villagers are gone?"
Still, he was silent. I felt like I was about to go insane. Why is he doing this to me?
"It's because he's after you."
"Who?"
He glared at me as if I had asked the stupidest question he had ever heard. "Naraku."
My mind wandered to the nightmare I had of him. "How would you know? He was after the village, remember? My powers were a bonus…right?"
"No. He wants your powers badly for some reason. He even risked his life to try and get them. He knew I was here and risked revealing himself. Just for you."
My stomach twisted. Naraku inspired more fear than Lord Sesshomaru. "Why? And how is that of use to you?"
"He's going to follow you. He's going to go after you at any chance he receives. I plan to be close by when he does, and that will be my golden opportunity to kill him. I will no longer have to chase him. Because he will be following you."
My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I was bait.
I probably should have seen that coming.
"Understand?" His golden eyes were filled with impatience.
"I can't go with you." I shook my head. "I have something I have to do."
A growl came from his throat. Frustration? Maybe agitation?
"I'm not giving you a choice, Girl."
"But I-"
"We'll go where you need to go. But if you try to run away, I will find you. And I promise you that you'll regret it."
My stomach did a flip. I didn't know who I should be more afraid of. Lord Sesshomaru, Naraku, or the monks in the village? The only choice that involved living longer than a week was Lord Sesshomaru.
"They're waiting for you. Come, or don't come. It doesn't make a difference to me." Lord Sesshomaru turned from me and started to walk to the thick of the forest.
I followed him quickly, and gave Rin and Jaken a very nervous wave good-bye.
I followed Lord Sesshomaru is complete silence. Mostly because I was still so afraid of him. I didn't understand how Rin could be so easy going around such an intimidating demon. No child was that naïve. She had mentioned something before about him saving her…but he had saved me from death too, and I still wanted to run from him when he glared at me.
So what act of uncharacteristic kindness gave Rin so much confidence and affection for him?
"Lord Sesshomaru? May I ask a question?"
No answer.
I could only hope that it was a silent 'yes'.
"How did you and Rin meet?"
I mostly didn't expect an answer. He hardly cared for me, so why would he answer me?
But then his voice sent shivers up and down my spine unexpectedly. "Why are you asking such an irrelevant question?"
I frowned at him. "Well, for one, you're a frightening demon, Lord Sesshomaru. In fact, when I first saw you, I wanted nothing more than to run away. What I'm wondering is: what with you being so intimidating, how does a little girl grow to love you as much as Rin does?"
Silence on his part.
I took a deep breath. "And she does love you, Lord Sesshomaru. I doubt there is a person alive who would speak more highly of you, purely out of love and admiration."
"What about Jaken?"
I couldn't help but laugh a little. "He does respect and admire you greatly. But you also intimidate him. He speaks highly of you, but somewhat out of fear."
He didn't really want to answer the question. That much was plainly obvious. But I wanted so badly to know. And though I could just go to Rin later and get the story, there was a bit of progress in prying it out of Lord Sesshomaru.
"Did you save her life like you saved mine?"
No answer.
"Is Naraku also after her?" The idea sounded ridiculous even to me.
He growled out of irritation.
"So you did save her life?"
No answer.
"I could just ask Rin. I bet she would tell me."
He stopped to glare at me. "What does any of this information mean to you? Why do you care?"
I looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, I'm going to be spending a lot of time with you, Lord Sesshomaru. Can you blame me for wanting to know a little more about you and your friends?"
"Be that as it may, it's none of your business."
"Is it a touching story, Lord Sesshomaru? Do you have a soft spot for damsels in distress?"
He growled again. I smiled and suppressed a laugh. "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru. I shouldn't be this rude when you've arranged a meeting with my Karen and Tomo."
Lord Sesshomaru shook his head and didn't respond to me.
We keep walking in silence. For a split second, I thought I heard the brush behind us moving and I spun around.
"It's nothing." Lord Sesshomaru assured me quietly and started forward again.
My shoulders sank in relief and embarrassment. "I really make a pathetic demon, don't I?"
"Yes, you do." Lord Sesshomaru agreed, staring ahead with focus. "You can't tell the difference between an animal running away and a demon following its prey."
"Thanks for the friendly reminder," I sighed and glared at him.
"Your full abilities haven't come in yet. You've been a demon for less than a week."
"And let me tell you, it's been great so far."
"It's going to get worse." Lord Sesshomaru stopped abruptly and looked to me. "Stay here while I go ahead. I smell something."
"Something?"
"Someone."
I felt my mouth go dry. "The monks?"
"Just one. Stay here and say nothing, Girl."
I nod quickly and watch him disappear from sight. I strain my ears to hear something. Anything that would tell me where he was going. But Lord Sesshomaru makes not a single sound. How the hell does he do that?
He comes back not even 5 five minutes later. He's frowning, but not more than usual.
"Well?"
"He was following your companions. They're already there." He turned and started to walk forward. Fearless as always.
"And the monk?"
"Dealt with."
My eyes widened in horror. "You didn't."
A growl escaped his throat. "You can't honestly be concerned about a man who wants to kill you, can you?"
"Still-"
"Save your speech, Girl. The monk is alive."
I heaved a sigh of relief, and Lord Sesshomaru scoffed at me in disgust. "I'll never comprehend people like you. Your childish sense of right and wrong is ridiculous."
"And I'll never understand why you're always so willing to kill people."
"Those who get in my way are insects. I have no need for them, and they would sooner have my head on a spit than befriend me. Our hatred is mutual."
"What about Rin? She's human, but she's not an insect to you, is she?"
"You're on that topic again? Your stubbornness is incredibly irritating."
"You've known that since the first day we met, I informed you myself."
He stopped, and his golden eyes narrowed.
"What?" I frowned at him. "Is something wrong?"
"Stay here while I make sure they're alone."
Before I could even nod, he was gone.
"At least he warned me." I sigh and cross my arms. I look around and try to exercise the new-and-improved demon senses but nothing seems out of the ordinary. But I still feel as if Naraku will come out again at any moment. My nerves start to jitter and I shudder when I imagine the sensation of his tentacle-like appendages slithering up my legs.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath in and out. When I open my eyes, Lord Sesshomaru is already standing there, his golden eyes fixed on me.
"Your knees are shaking."
"I keep thinking about Naraku, and it scares me. I can't get rid of the feeling that he's close by, watching me."
"He won't attack you when I am nearby." Lord Sesshomaru's golden eyes look up and scan the surroundings. Satisfied that Naraku is nowhere near, he looks to me again.
"I wish you'd say he's far, far away from here."
"Would you prefer that I lie?"
"In some situations, yes." I nod and I almost think that I see a glint of humor in Lord Sesshomaru's golden stare.
"Then he is far, far away."
I frown, and he sighs.
"What?"
"That didn't help as much as I thought it would."
He grabs my arm and starts to pull me forward. "Enough whining. You're safe, for now, and your companions are becoming impatient to see you."
"And you're impatient to get the hell out of here."
"The longer we stay here, the more likely Naraku will recover and attack us where we are weakest."
"He won't attack me when I'm with you."
"But he would attack Rin and Jaken."
I bit my bottom lip in realization.
Lord Sesshomaru growled underneath his breath, "I can hear you worrying in your head."
Before I can form a reply, someone cries out my name and Lord Sesshomaru lets go of my arm.
"Sachi-chan!" Karen's arms wrap around my neck instantly and I stagger backwards.
"Karen." Relief washes over mind. "I'm so glad you're safe."
She pulls back from me and smiles; there are tears in her eyes. Suddenly, I feel one tear running down my cheek.
"Sachiko." Uncle Tomo's voice was scratchy, and tired. But he sounded so happy. Karen let me go and Tomo quickly filled in her place. Big arms squeezed me to him. His arm was in a sling from where he had been injured. He was also bandaged on his head and shoulders. He looked battered, but not broken.
"Uncle, are you hurting?"
He smiled at me. "No. I'm fine. Are you well?"
Tears were falling quickly now. "Yes, I'm already healed. How is the village?"
Both of their smiles fell.
Karen's the first to speak, timidly at first. "Half of the town is in ruins." She sheepishly looks to Lord Sesshomaru knowingly. "And there are many people dead and missing right now. The market wasn't hurt so much, and the rest of the town was mostly left with minimum damage."
"But the villagers are furious," Uncle Tomo intervened, stone faced. "Sachiko, you have to leave this area as soon as possible. Your mother is hell bent on exorcising you, and the monks will stop at nothing to find you."
I wasn't as worried about the monks anymore; Lord Sesshomaru could handle them with ease as long as I didn't leave his side. But my stomach flipped at the thought of Karen and Tomo facing the entire village alone.
"But how are you two?" I frown at both of them and they exchange a look.
"I was fired from your mother's service."
"A vandal came in and ruined some of my best swords. No one claims to have seen him." Tomo scowls in disgust.
Guilt settled in the bottom of my stomach. "What else?"
Tomo crosses his arms and sighs. "We are being cast out. If we don't leave by the end of next week. They will persecute us."
New tears of fear surfaced in Karen's eyes. Tomo touched her shoulder with assurance. He appeared so strong, but I couldn't help but notice the helplessness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry." I reached out to Karen and she readily took my hands. "This is entirely my fault. Your lives are uprooted, the town is destroyed, and so many people are dead and it's all my fault."
"We knew what we were getting into when we sided with you, Sachi." Karen squeezed my hands. "There was no other way that this could have happened."
"More people would have died if that Naraku demon had taken you." Tomo put a strong, calloused hand on my shoulder.
"Please don't worry about us, Sachiko." Karen smiled sweetly despite her tears. "We'll find a new village south of here. It will be a new beginning. Perhaps you can visit us there if you pass through."
"We're more worried about you." Tomo squeezed my shoulder. He gave a wary look to Lord Sesshomaru. "Karen says your name is Lord Sesshomaru, is that correct?"
"Yes."
Tomo approaches him carefully, with his head held high and his shoulders square and brave. "You must promise me that you will protect my niece at all costs."
"My intentions are not to harm her. As long as she is with me, Naraku will not get to her."
"It's alright, Uncle, I trust Lord Sesshomaru." I put a hand on his back as reassuringly as I can.
Uncle turns back to me again. "You have your sword?"
I pat the hilt with a nod, and Tomo lets out a sigh of relief.
"I suggest you work on getting stronger in combat, Sachiko, you'll need it."
"Yes, Uncle." I nod quickly and he pats my cheek affectionately and pulls me in for a hug.
I feel something stick in my throat. I know that 'goodbye' has to come next. Lord Sesshomaru is becoming impatient, and Karen and Tomo have to return to the village soon to avoid more suspicion.
"We brought you some things." Karen turns and gathers up two bags that had been left unnoticed by me on the ground.
"Your mother ordered me to throw your clothes away, but I thought I'd save some of them and give them to you. Oh, and I know you hate them, but these combs were always so pretty in your hair. I couldn't bear to throw them away."
"Thank you, Karen." I felt more tears forming in my eyes. "But I won't have a use for them; will you give them to Fumie for me?" And then I felt my heart ache a little more for not asking this before, "How is Fumie?"
"She's confused." Karen sighs. "Your mother is feeding her lies, and she doesn't know enough to believe otherwise. I've tried to talk to her but…your mother won't let me near the house."
"Have you talked to her, Uncle Tomo?"
He shakes his head. "Your mother says that I betrayed her. She won't allow me near the house either."
"Please take them with you," Karen smiles sweetly and places the first bag in my arms. I sighed in resignation and smiled at her. "Thank you, Karen."
"And take this bag with you as well." Uncle Tomo grunts as he picks up the second bag. "There is food in here, offered by some of the villagers who are loyal to you. It should last you and your companions awhile, hopefully."
"Thank you, Uncle. . . But it's not your cooking is it?" I smile wryly and Tomo chuckles with the shake of his head.
"We have to go, Sachiko." Lord Sesshomaru frowns at me, and then to Karen and Tomo.
"I know." I nod and I exchange a sad stare with Karen. Her tears are resurfacing, and she pulls me into a hug. Sachiko has been by my side ever since I moved to the village when I was young, and the thought of life without her support always seemed terrifying. And the thought that I might never see her again is heart wrenching.
She pulls away from me and smiles through her tears. "Promise me you'll stay safe. Please don't forget about us, and-"
"Don't even think about that sort of thing, Karen." I shake my head. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of."
She smiles and hugs me again. "I'll miss you, Sachi-chan."
"I'll miss you too, Karen." I squeeze her back. "Thank you so much, for everything."
We let go of each other and I turn to Tomo with a trembling smile. "You'll take care of her, won't you?"
He nods and tears surface in his eyes. "Of course. Come here, Sachiko."
He opens his arms and I readily embrace him. He's held me so many times before, and to think that this could be the last time? Suddenly all I want to do is break down in his arms like I've done so many times before when I was still a little girl. Almost all of my life, I've depended on these two…would I be able to go without his constant strength and Karen's unwavering support?
"You'll be fine, Sachiko." Uncle Tomo squeezes me briefly. Somehow he always reads my mine.
"I'm going to miss you, Uncle." I take a deep breath to keep the tears to a minimum; I don't need Lord Sesshomaru to scoff at me later for crying like a child.
"I'll miss you too, Sachiko. I love you and I'll pray for your strength and safety." He pulls away and kisses my tear stained cheek.
"I love you too, Uncle. And I'll do the same." I held back a sob and had to close my eyes for a moment.
When I open my eyes, Karen is bowing politely to Lord Sesshomaru.
"Karen?"
Still bowing, Karen says, "Please, take good care of my friend, Lord Sesshomaru."
Lord Sesshomaru says nothing, but when Karen straightens out he nods to her.
With one last squeeze, Uncle Tomo says, "Goodbye, Sachiko." A sob catches in his throat and I can feel my emotions rising out of control and I start to sob uncontrollably. He squeezes me even tighter. No one other than Uncle Tomo makes me feel this safe.
"Goodbye, Uncle." I sniffle when I regain my control. And we pull away from each other.
"Goodbye, Sachi." Karen pulls me into one last hug and I squeeze back. I feel another break down coming, but by some miracle Karen and I both subdue it when we smile at each other.
"Goodbye, Karen." I take a step back, and pick up both bags again from the ground. "Thank you, both of you, and farewell."
It takes all my strength to turn my back on them, and follow Lord Sesshomaru back into the forest. And I quietly bid one last mental good bye to the only father and best friend I've ever known.
Did you enjoy it? I hope so! Catch you later in chapter 10, and review if you like!
