This Story Belongs To Blazing-Assasin, I just Shared It With You Here. She Is Not On Fanfiction, but DeviantArt.
Disclaimer: Neither me or Blazing-Assasin own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.
"I swear, you poke me again, and I'll cut that finger of yours off!" Kaede threatened as she shot a death glare in Yukio's direction.
They had been traveling for about a month or so, now, and still had no idea of where to find the group searching for Naraku. They did, however, have a slight idea in which direction Naraku was. So they had continued on, pressing in his direction in hope that they would come across InuYasha, Kagome, or any of the others in the group on the quest.
As they walked through a forest which was bare without it's leaves, Yukio had insisted on getting on Kaede's last nerve. He had continuously poked her, until she finally blew up on him. Yumi lowered her shoulders, as all grew quiet again. Only the crushing from underneath their steps which crunched away the twigs and light snow powdered on top. Winter was nearing it's end, but still left a brief mark of white substance on the forest floor. She rubbed her arms which were partly bare from the slits in her sleeves and watched as her heavy breath fogged in the crisp, cold air. She froze in her tracks and peered over her shoulder when she felt two strong, yet, soothing hands begin to vibrate against her arms.
"What are you doing, Yukio?" She asked with a small blush to her fair cheeks.
"Just helping to warm you up," He beamed with a small grin. As Yumi slowly began to walk again, not really caring, Yukio fell back as he received a few small rocks to the head. He scowled as he rub his head and glare down the fox-demon and half dog-demon who were giggling and chuckling to themselves with what they had done. They continue to march through the woods once again. Kaede glanced off to the side to see nothing but bare, skinny trees with their grasping branches reaching out and towards the sky. She was getting tired of walking through this eerie bareness that seemed to crawl up her spine. She didn't like how it was so openly visible, leaving only the bones of the many trees which weren't spaced too far apart to see. She glanced to her other side, to see the hazy warm glow of the orange sunset slipping past the bark of the thin trees and onto their chilled bodies. It was so...peaceful. She felt as if she were floating on a cloud. It's embracing glow seemed to swallow them hole, leaving darting shadows along their bodies. She peered over to see her shadow and the shadows of her comrades gracing the earth. She smiled. She didn't know why, but she did. Suddenly, she stopped. Everyone followed suit, curiously, and Yumi summoned up her words to ask,
"What's wrong, Kaede?"
Kaede grabbed her sword's handle as a calm, bone-tingling breeze blew by the group.
"Something's following us," she replied with a serious look. She looked as if she were ready to attack at any given moment. The rest of the group felt the strangeness creep up on them as well and definitely didn't enjoy it's presence. They heard a soft giggling but couldn't point out exactly where it was coming from. They felt the twigs beneath their feet begin to quiver as the giggling grew louder.
"Alright, show yourself!" Kaede shouted, fed up with the games they were playing.
Suddenly a young woman appeared before them. She had a slim, tiny frame with slouching shoulders and a mischievous grin. She had dark green eyes that shimmered in the remaining sunlight, and soft, tanned skin. Her short, sandy-brown hair fanned outwards, with her sharp cut bangs parting to the side. Her slender ankles were dressed with anklets that were pieces of string with wood chips strung on. She wore a long green skirt with ripped ends and long slit sides, revealing her long legs which tight brown pants attached to. She wore a brown strapless bodice with forest-green designs of leaves imprinted. Attached to her side, seemed to be a curved tachi with the handle surrounded by tree roots.
"So!" She started, extremely giddily, "You must be the group he's been talking about,"
They all eyed her as in 'what-the-hell-is-this-broad-going-on-about?' , and finally, Kaede spoke these unspoken words when she just continued to smile and giggle foolishly to herself,
"Who's been talking about us?"
Kaede could smell demon all over her. The woman smirked as there was a slight gleam in her right eye. She held her hands to her waist and snickered,
"Why, Naraku, silly!"
Kaede immediately unsheathed her sword, ready to attack. The girl noticed this and frowned a small pout while her words danced with childish sulk,
"That's not nice! A child such as your self should not be playing with toys like that,"
She began to giggle again as she heard Kaede growl. She glanced over to the rest of the group for a brief moment before saying,
"How rude of me, I haven't even told you who I am, now have I? Well, my name is Mokuzai, ruler of the trees and the rest of the timber in this forest,"
"What do you want with us?" Shippou kept a steady tone, keeping his body in a ready position. She smiled again, her eyes dancing with excitement.
"You see, I am an ally of Naraku and he has so strictly instructed that I kill you all and take the sacred jewel!"
At this, they all were prepared to fight the demoness in order to save their skins and continue on. She clapped her hands together and hopped around girlishly, squealing about how she was going to kill them all. She stopped and twirled a strand of hair around her index finger as her ears picked up on Kaede's vicious words,
"Listen you freak, there is no way a little weak demon like you is going to kill us, so why don't you just beat it,"
She let the piece of dark hair go and unsheathed her weapon. Her eyes narrowed as her light-hearted voice grew dark and cold,
"No one calls me weak, not even you, puppy,"
Kaede stepped back cautiously as wood-chips flew around the demon in a circular pattern. Mokuzai snickered as she sent a chip flying in Kaede's direction, skimming her cheek, leaving a slit mark. Kaede didn't flinch as the blood rolled down her cheek as a tear would. The wood chips fell back to the ground as the demon girl exclaimed,
"Oh! I almost forgot! I have some friends for you three to play with as well,"
Addressing Yukio, Yumi, and Shippou, the wood chips rose again, forming two male identical figures. They had dark colorless eyes, and long brown hair that fell down their bare backs and chests which were viewable to all. They wore baggy brown pants as their only clothing, with green obi. Yumi giggled in her mind as she gazed at their rock hard bodies with their abs forming into a six-pack. She frowned, though, as the two men went after Yukio and Shippou, leaving Yumi with no opponent. She curse to herself, wanting at least one of the handsome men...even if they were just wood, they were still really hot.
"And for you, demon slayer, I face you with your own kind and even a taijiya himself,"
Suddenly, a man jumped down from one tree's branch beside Mokuzai. It was Kohaku. But only Shippou could tell from seeing him so long ago. Yumi took a step backwards with horror filled eyes as if she herself had known him, too. Kaede couldn't help but wonder why she was so afraid of him. Kohaku took a step towards her, and Yumi snarled as she unraveled the nunchaku coiled around her waist. Kohaku's weapon, the kusari-gama, went flying towards the young demon slayer, but she knocked it away with her nunchaku. She leapt back words out of the way, trying to make room to fight and to avoid Kohaku's attempting slices.
"So!" Mokuzai squealed as she held her blade forward, "Shall I kill you now, or do you have any last words before I do,"
Kaede smirked and equally held her fanged sword forward. Strands of ebony spilled over her shoulder as she bent her knees and back, ready to attack. Finally ready, she said smoothly with a hint of mock,
"Yeah...go to hell,"
The wood demoness clenched her teeth and thrust her body forward as Kaede did, too. Their two swords met with a high pitched whine. Kaede felt as if her head were going to split in two from the mind-boggling noise. She continued to block, as the wood demon continued to strike with her shrieking sword. With ever clash of their swords, the wailing hummed, making her ears seem like they were bleeding.
"Had enough?" Mokuzai screamed through laughing grunts. Kaede just tuned her out while she twisted her griped movements back and forth in an effort to block the attacks. She narrowed her eyes as she watched the fright dancing in Kaede's orbs. Growing tired of her blocks, Mokuzai leapt into the air, kicking the half demon back, driving her into a couple of trees. Kaede hit the ground and struggled to stand but was held down by broken trees that she brought down with herself. Her chest expanded as her lost breath returned. She roughly shrugged off the broken branches and snapped tree trunks and shook her head forcefully, trying to see over the thick dust her fall created. She jumped to the side as her opponent came at her from above, digging her sword into the spot which Kaede's body would have been pinned if she hadn't dodged.
Meanwhile, Shippou and Yukio were fighting the two 'wood-men', as Shippou had specified them as, and were beginning to become annoyed that their opponents would not disappear when they sliced at them with their claws.
"Ok," Yukio grunted while he ducked a punch from the wooden opponent he faced, "I'm getting tired of this. Isn't there some way we could get rid of them?"
Shippou pushed his fighter down and somewhat slapped it in the face.
"I don't know!" He yelled in anger as one took him by the neck, "Get...off of me!"
He pivoted and threw a ball of his fox fire in the strangler's direction. He watched, dumb-founded as the wooden creature burst into flames. He growled as he heard Yukio mutter,
"Dumb-ass,"
He turned around and threw more fire in the other's direction as Yukio jumped away from him.
"See, now why the hell didn't you think of that before?!" Yukio shouted while smacking Shippou in the head.
"Why didn't you, either! You knew I had the fox-fire!"
"This is not my fault! It's your power and..."
As they continued to bicker, The flames began to spread catching all the timber in it's path.
Yumi grunted painfully as sweat dripped down her temple when she dodged Kohaku's attacks. She blocked his katana with her weapon which she called Naginata (which in fact it was similar to), and tried to slice at him after her blocks. She spun around on her heel, trying to cut at his abs, but he turned on his heel the opposite way and slit her side. She let a spine tingling scream echo throughout the forest, but felt her body lift into the air and away from the taijiya who threatened to kill her. She lifted her eyelids which were squeezed tight with fear of death to see Yukio's face, shimmering from the flames below.
"Y-Yukio..." She drifted off into a meek whisper but he didn't seem to hear her.
"Ah! My forest!" Mokuzai shrieked as the forest was lit with flames. Kaede looked around innocently but still with a tight grip on her sword's handle. She glared back, surprised, at the demon girl who narrowed her burning gaze in Kaede's direction as she growled viciously,
"You!" She gripped the tachi's rooted handle harder, "You did this! It' all your fault and now you will die for your actions!"
She jolted forward, slashing at the hanyou as fast as she could, with the shrieking of her sword vibrating in Kaede's sensitive hearing. She squinted, trying to block out the sound but found it impossible. She couldn't take it anymore. She opened her eyes, the flames' reflections dancing in the pools of Mokuzai's glowing eyes and pushed the Tetshiega against the tachi with all her strength. As her sword gave in, Tetshiega burst through the protective 'shield' it had created and cut into her body, causing her to be thrown back. The demon was trembled as she tried to stand, taking hold of a burning stump for balance. She dropped to her knees and gazed around at the fire blazing in her forest, not seeming to notice the gushing blood coming from her abdomen. Kaede couldn't help but feel deep pity for her as she looked past her tainted soul, and into the core of her heart as tears spilled down her cheeks. She hung her head low as she sobbed slowly to herself with burning cinders falling on and around her.
"Kaede!" Shippou yelled for her to follow them from the top of a standing tree that looked as if it were about to fall at any given moment with Yukio flying over top with Yumi in his arms. Kaede hesitated while glancing back to Mokuzai who hadn't noticed the fiery twigs burning into her clothes. She frowned and held out her hand to Mokuzai who had noticed she was still there.
"Come on! You can't stay here," Kaede shouted over the loud cracking of bark and feisty flames that danced about. She looked astonished that after she had tried to kill her, she had stayed behind and risked her life to help her. She gazed around at her surroundings, though, and knew what she had to do,
"Make sure you keep to the west! You'll run into Naraku soon enough,"
"What are you talking about!? Take my hand! We'll get out of here,"
"I can't leave,"
"Why!?"
"This forest is my very essence. If it dies, I must die with it. Now go!"
Kaede stood there, her eyes glazed over with tears as she watched the trueness in the wood mistress's eyes. She cast her gaze to the ground, then turned briskly and leapt into the air with Shippou and the rest. As she soar over the smoke gathering atop the trees, she felt her body become weak with sorrow.
Mokuzai lay on her back, the tips of her hair gradually singed, the fire working it's way up her body.
"What are you doing, Mokuzai, get up and kill them," she could hear Naraku's voice below throughout her empty mind.
"No. I won't deal with you anymore, baka. My will of you being killed is now set in the hands of that half dog demon. And I know she will not fail,"
Finally, her body gave in and she was swallowed by the flames.
***
Kaede sat up in the tall tree towering over where the group had set up camp for the night, thinking to herself. Ever since the fight against the wood demon the previous day, she hadn't said a word. She was too upset with herself for letting Mokuzai die like that. Kaede heaved a sigh and glanced up towards the night sky with her hands tucked into her sleeves. Right then and there it struck her of how lonely she really was. Sure, she had her friends and family, but it wasn't enough. It was as if something was missing in her heart. A gap that could maybe never be filled. She had always felt like that. Like no one had really accepted her the way she needed to be. Maybe that was why she always felt so distant as she grew older and more independent.
At the base of the tree, Yumi lay sleeping soundly with her side bandaged. Yukio had been watching her sleep with Shippou who was staring at him like he was a total stalker.
"You know, nothing is going to get her if you fall asleep. Besides, she's a strong girl...she can fend for herself,"
"No, she can't. That's why she needs me here to protect her,"
"I can protect myself, thank you," Yumi peeped up in agitation into the conversation with her eyelids still closed, obviously eaves dropping. Shippou chuckled and wiggled into a comfortable position as Yukio sulked with his wings fanned out in front of him as a type of shield. Then all three fell asleep.
Kaede had just begun to close her eyes and slip into a deep sleep, when she heard sobs coming from the forest. She opened one eye and glared down at the trio below but they had not even flinched. Thinking it was a dream of sort, she closed her lids and tried to fall back to sleep. But once again, she was promptly awoken to a faint cry. She groaned silently then hopped down and tip toed around Shippou and into the core of the forest from which the noise came from.
She slowed down and held her finger tips to her lips in shock to see a young woman with long, luscious raven-black strands blowing gently in the soft night wind. She had her hands cupping around her eyes, with a clump of hair grasped with a white ribbon to the side of her head. She wore a long violet kimono that was bathed in soft, pale moonlight. It was tied loosely by a white sash that seemed luminous in the pale glow, as well. All upon seeing the woman, it hit Kaede. It was the woman she had seen when she was underneath the spell of the glass shards. In waver to her decision, she went along with her best instinct and bit her lip, resolving the hesitation by offering her assistance.
"What's wrong?" Kaede asked lightly as she kneeled down in front of her. She sniffled and rubbed the liquid tucked in the corner of her right eye, then explained,
"Please, help me! I stayed in the forest just like Sesshoumaru-sama had said but then I went looking for him when he didn't come for me, and he was asleep! I tried to wake him up but Rin couldn't! I mean-I couldn't,"
Rin stood after correcting her habit of referring to herself in the third person and took Kaede's hand, leading her in the taiyoukai's direction. Kaede reflected on what the woman, Rin, had said as she was marching towards this, 'Sesshoumaru' with her wrist grasped by her soft, gentle hand.
They finally came to a stop, and Rin knelt beside the demon.
Kaede observed Sesshoumaru. He had long, silky silver hair that was much thinner and finer than that of her father's. He had markings on his face such as two deep purple stripes gracing his cheeks, and a deep blue crescent moon on his forehead. He looked almost the exact same as she saw him before when entranced with the glass pieces except now, when asleep, he looked peaceful instead of cold hearted.
'Ok, so,' she thought to herself as she kneel beside him as well, 'He's in a deep sleep, there's a conspicuous aura surrounding him. Yeah, I think I can help,'
She softly placed her hands on his chest. He was so warm and she could feel his heart beating steadily in his chest. At that very moment, she felt a wave of one particular feeling wash over her; the feeling of security. As if she knew she was safe. She had only gotten this feeling when her father was around but even he worried her at times. But with this demon that she had just met now that seemed so familiar, she felt so safe she could just fall into his lap and sleep soundly. The thought of sleep joggled her tiredness, discreetly letting out a tiny yawn. After her moment of stillness, she began to concentrate on her powers. Light shone from beneath her placed hands, and the aura was lifted. She and Rin backed up cautiously until Sesshoumaru coughed, letting some blood roll from his bottom lip. Kaede smiled as Sesshoumaru was still groggy and asleep and assured,
"He's going to be fine, now,"
She stood and was surprised when Rin embraced her while exclaiming her happy gratitude. Kaede grinned again then walked off and back to camp where she fell asleep back in the tree. Before she fell into sleep, she came to the conclusion that Rin was very dependent on the demon she had cured.
Meanwhile, Rin had fled off to get some water for her lord to drink for when he properly awoke. Sesshoumaru, actually only resting with his eyes shut, began to think to himself,
'Who put me in this trance? Why won't I open my eyes? Where is Kaede?'
He stopped his thoughts right there and his eyes shot open as he rethought his last inner words,
'Kaede? She...is InuYasha's child. She's the one who saved me. This is quite peculiar...why am I thinking of her? I feel as if I must protect her...but. Why is this? I don't understand,'
"Sesshoumaru-sama?!" Rin exclaimed as she ran to his side with a canteen full of water. She placed it to the side when he had no interest, and blubbered,
"I was so worried, my lord! I'm glad you're alright,"
He turned his gaze away from her as he changed the subject,
"It's late, Rin, you should be asleep,"
She seemed shocked that he would say such a thing. Her big brown eyes widened as her mouth cupped into a gasping rim. She finally explained,
"But how could I sleep, Sesshoumaru-sama, when you were in trouble?"
In spite of his cold-hearted personality, he smirked at this remark that could have been taken as a genuine smile from the dog-demon lord. Graciously, he held out his hand and she delicately slipped her's into his and lay beside him. She nestled into his grasp, resting her head on the large, soft pelt and immediately fell asleep. Sesshoumaru stared blankly at the woman for a moment, then up to the stars.