Chapter Ten
Welp, here's another chapter, it's kinda slow going and a little blah towards the middle and end, but I did what I could with a four year old constantly coming up and demanding I answer her endless flow of questions about life, the universe and everything. So it's probably not my best work, but at least it's something.
Anyway, hope you lot are still into this story as much as you were before and I really do hope to finish it before the end of the year, but I honestly have no idea.
By the way: I want to thank Cat2k10 for her pm to me the other day. I just now read it and I have to say, it made me feel better than I thought it would, so seriously, thank you for the message, I appreciate it more than I could say.
Onward!
-I do NOT own Inuyasha or it's character
-I DO own Sonya, Niki and the plot
~TL S0nya
Keeping her eyes closed, Niki listened to the soft conversations going on around her in the sheltered glade. It wasn't long before Kagome and herself were joined by Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha. Shippo wasn't too far behind them when they came out, clinging to Kagome tightly with a sad look in his eyes. Sesshomaru and Touga chose to stay inside with the witch as she transferred Sonya's soul back into her body, leaving the others to wander about until they were told what happened.
"Why is it taking so long?" Inuyasha's brash voice brought Niki from her quiet contemplation and made her eyes crack open slightly to stare over at the red clad hanyou with a raised eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure it takes a lot of energy and concentration to move a soul." She muttered idly, earning a glare from him in her efforts. "Whatever." He growled and laid his head on Kagome's lap with a low grumble, making the miko blush slightly and smile down at him.
Feeling a small twinge in her chest, Niki glanced over at Sango and Miroku, seeing they were deep in conversation. 'Well... Guess I'm on my own.' Sighing internally, she stood from where she reclined against the tree behind her and walked farther into the glade, studying the fruits that were still growing on the branches above with idle curiosity. "It's almost winter down off the mountain and it should be freezing up here." Shaking her head lightly, a small smile lighting her features as she reached up to pick an apple hanging above her.
A sudden tightening around her neck made Niki pause and look down at the snake still wrapped there with a frown. "What's that about? It's just a fruit." The snake, unable to answer her properly merely tightened again and looked back the direction they came from, back towards the group pointedly. "Alright alright fine." Huffing under her breath, she cast another look at the apple tree before turning around to join the others once more. "So insistent you know that?"
Settling down once she got farther from the tree, the snake merely laid his head back down and closed his eyes once more. "Go ahead and ignore me, you little jerk." Muttering under her breath, Niki stopped just beside the hut and cast a quick glance over at the others, each of them talking about something with their other half.
Without letting herself think about it too deeply, she ducked back into the hut to join Sesshomaru and Touga inside.
Kneeling beside Sonya across from Sesshomaru, Touga stared down at the wolf's face intently, searching for any sign of life as the old witch continued to chant in the background. A soft tickling seemed to dust his senses for the slightest moment before he brushed it off and focused back on the woman lying on the ground in front of him.
Sesshomaru himself was focused on her features as well, golden eyes intent as he watched the light from the glowing gem wash over her face with each pulse it gave out. Ever since the old witch had placed the gem on her, he couldn't feel or sense Sonya. Before, even while not in contact with the stone, he could at least feel her through their bond, but now, he couldn't feel anything and it agitated him more than he could say. His instinct to protect had him bristling more and more as the ritual went on.
The chanting finally stopped, bringing both Inu's attention back to the witch as she picked up the last bowl beside her, expression intense as she stirred the liquid inside swiftly. "Open her mouth, pup, she must drink this before her soul returns or the body will reject it." The simple order sent Sesshomaru's hackles up at the tone but he silently obeyed, willing to put up with being ordered around for Sonya's sake, even if it was by a old witch that had no rights to do so.
Staying quiet, father and son watched as the witch carefully poured the mixture into Sonya's open mouth, almost holding their breath as the last drop drained in and the witch resumed her chanting with a louder voice. Within moments the gem began pulsing brighter, seemingly responding to her voice as she urged the soul to reunite with it's body in an ancient tongue few could understand.
And just as quickly as the pulsing started it stopped, casting the room into a dim glow from flickering candles set about them. Falling silent, the witch kept her eyes closed, feeling the energy within the gem with a careful mind, silently worrying it wouldn't respond to her urging when it burst into a thousand little shards and rained down on their heads.
Jerking back in surprise, Sesshomaru shot a glare at the witch, silently demanding answers as she brushed the shards of gem away from Sonya's still face, her lips pursed lightly in thought. "We must now wait for her soul to decide. The jewel has broken, freeing her from it's confines. Now it is for her to choose." sitting back on her heels, the witch wiped a hand across her damp forehead, obvious exhaustion overtaking her within moments and leaving her slumped forward.
Seeing this, Niki walked over and helped her to her feet, gently urging the witch to the table set to the side of the room and pouring a cup of tea from the ready pot. "Thank you for doing what you could." She murmured softly, shooting a quick glance over at the two Inu still sitting beside the wolf's body and casting a small smile over at the tired woman.
"Indeed, as I have said, it is now up to the wolf to return. We are never certain of other's choices." The witch looked over at them as well and heaved a small sigh. "I only wish I could have done more." Niki shook her head and settled down across from the witch and rested her chin on her hands. "Like I said, you did what you could. That's all any of us could ask for." Falling silent, the both of them sipped tea as they waited for any sign of life from the wolf.
The sun was beginning to make it's way back into the sky when Niki was shaken awake. "Hmm...?" Mumbling softly under her breath, she cracked her eyes open and blinked at Touga as he leaned over her with a small, amused expression. "Oh, it's you." She grumbled and sat up, arms stretching over her head as she let out a yawn. "What time is it?"
"The sun has just risen." He turned to glance over his shoulder at where Sesshomaru still knelt beside Sonya, a flicker of worry sparking in his eyes before he hid it and turned back to Niki as she ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to fix it. "How is it going?"
"She still shows no signs of awaking. I believe the worst of our fears may have come." He shook his head lightly and settled onto the mat beside her heavily. "Don't give up hope yet, I'm sure she's just tired from the whole ordeal." Niki lifted her shoulders in a shrug and let out a soft yawn.
"I hope you are correct..." Touga shook his head again and settled back while she poured tea for him and herself. "I know I am, just relax." She flashed a wry smile at him as she lifted the cup to her lips. "You all keep telling me how much the both of us are alike and I'm only thinking about how I'd react to the situation, and I'd be tired, have you checked her heartbeat?"
"It beats." Sesshomaru's answer drew their attention to where he still knelt, eyes locked onto her face. "But she will not wake."
"Did you think maybe she's sleeping right now? I can only imagine how exhausting it has to be when you're moved from a stone to a real body. If anything she's getting used to it again is all." Niki stood up and stretched her legs before heading towards the door with another soft yawn. "Give her time like the old witch said. That's all you can do right now."
With that said she walked outside into the sunlight, leaving the two of them alone in the hut.
"Girl."
Turning around, Niki spotted the old witch standing at the edge of the path beside the hut, one hand waving at her to follow as she turned and walked behind the hut, disappearing from view. Suppressing a groan, she followed her quietly into the glen.
Catching up with the witch, she stopped under one of the fruit trees and raised an eyebrow at her. "What did you want?"
"I have seen your soul, girl. and it does not belong in our world."
"Well yeah... I don't really remember, but Kagome is convinced I'm from her time in the future." Niki frowned slightly, slightly confused with the sudden conversation.
"No, it is not a displacement from one's own time. You do not belong in our world, no matter when you are from." The witch frowned as well, her green eyes roaming over Niki's features while she spoke. "You should not be here. Your memories, you say you do not have them any longer?"
"No... I can't remember anything to be honest." Niki shrugged and glanced around the area, subtly inhaling the gentle scent of apples and grass and relaxed. "It's slow going... From time to time I'll get flashes of something but it's not much."
Closing her eyes, the witch remained in silent thought for a moment, contemplating what had just been said before opening her eyes again and nodding once. "I will help you, girl. But be warned, what memories you hold may be difficult to have."
Blinking slightly, Niki gaped at the witch in surprise. 'It was that easy? Find a witch and get back my memories?' "You can do that? Get my memories back I mean."
"Of course, child. Do you take me for a weakling?" The witch laughed softly and reached up, picking an apple from the hanging branch above her and offered it to Niki. "Eat the fruit and all of your memories may return. But be warned, it will be painful."
Niki quirked an eyebrow at the witch's choice of words. "The fruit of knowledge? That's a bit... Biblical." After only receiving a confused look from the old woman, she chose not to explain and plucked the apple from her palm and turned it around in her fingers, studying it's red skin curiously. "And you're saying if I eat this, I'll remember everything? Just like that?"
"As I have said, girl, your soul does not belong in this world, so nothing will be simple for you. Your memories are not part of this plane of existence and will prove painful to recover. They must pass through the veil that separates our worlds to return to you. Choose to eat or not, I will warn your companions of the trial you will face." With that the old witch walked back towards the hut and her gathered friends to give Niki the privacy she needed to think.
Settling on the grass, Niki unwound the snake from her neck and let him coil on the ground beside her as she stared at the apple in her hand. "So... This is what you didn't want me to eat? Why not?" She asked the lazy reptile when it lifted it's head to stare at her from where he lay. "Well?"
Flicking it's tongue out, the snake simply laid its head back down and closed it's eyes once again, ignoring her as Niki growled lightly at it then returned to her inspection of the fruit. It looked like any ordinary apple if she was honest, red and firm, a little cool to the touch and it smelled sweet. Lifting it up to the sun, she frowned in thought. 'If I eat this the old witch said I'd get my memories back, right? But it would hurt because apparently I don't even belong in this world at all, not just this time.'
Dropping her hand back into her lap, Niki let out a small sigh and closed her eyes, her head leaning back against the tree behind her. "What the hell am I supposed to do, huh?" She muttered out loud to herself as she scowled at nothing at all. "I mean, this is what I wanted, but I'm not eating it so what the hell is my problem?"
Letting out a frustrated growl she let herself slip to the side and laid on the ground instead, eyes closed tight against the bright sunlight, the apple clutched in one hand, the other laying open beside her. Keeping silent, she just lay there, letting her mind wander in whatever direction it pleased, ignoring everything else around her for the moment as a sense of peace settled over her for the first time since she woke up without her memories. Vague faces drifted across her thoughts followed by disjointed voices saying random phrases she had heard over the past few days.
As she lay there, a small smile stole over her face, simply enjoying the warmth the sun offered. For once, she didn't feel pressured to remember, to act to even want anything at all. She just wanted to relax and lay there for as long as she possibly could. "If you wish to sleep in the open, be aware that anything could attack while you lay defenseless."
That was unless a frustrating Inu decided to intrude on her peace and offer useless advice. Heaving a soft sigh, she sat up and narrowed her eyes at the towering demon standing in front of her. "What do you want, Touga?" Niki grumbled, a hand reaching up to brush the loose grass from her hair and picked the snake up so it could wrap back around her as Touga joined her on the grass.
"The witch had told us of her offer to you."
"Oh..." She dropped her gaze and plucked at the grass idly. "Yeah, she told me it might hurt, so I dunno."
"You do not strike me the type to shy away from pain." Touga raised an eyebrow at her sudden withdraw, watching as she studiously avoided his gaze. "Well you don't exactly know me then, do you? No one knows me, I don't even know me." Niki muttered, keeping her eyes pointed down away from him as she plucked another piece of grass and tore it apart slowly.
"While that may be true, I beleive your problem had been the lost memories you now have a chance to regain. Could it be you fear what those memories are?" Hearing this, Niki ducked her head down again and shredded the grass quicker, determined not to look up at him. "I don't know. It could be that, it could be I have a family out there somewhere. It could be nothing, I suppose you could say it's the fear of the unknown becoming known that's making me think."
"If it is worry the others would turn their backs on you after you regain your memories, rest assured they will not. Kagome seems to have grown attached to you as well as the kitsune. My sons, while rude, do not mind your presence as much any longer." Fed up with her actions, Touga reached out and grabbed one of her wrists, effectively stopping her from widening the bald part of ground she continued to pull grass from and forced her to look up at him. "You must make your decision. You are the only one that can." Letting her go, he stood up and brushed the grass from his hakima then walked away without another word. "Yeah, well you never had to worry about something like this." Niki muttered under her breath once he was out of sight, her eyes dropping down to where the apple still lay beside her and heaved a small sigh.
"What the hell."