GAAAAH! I'm so sorry for the late update, everybody! *bows repeatedly* But some serious family stuff came up and it just kinda temporarily killed my mood for writing. Not to mention I was having a little difficultly working out just how exactly I wanted these next couple of chapters to go. However, after reading through all of my reviews, my plot-bunny power fired up again! As a result, I am now presenting you with one of my favorite chapters I have ever created! But first, lets have a HUGE thank you and brownies to my most recent and AWESOME twenty-eight reviewers: Guest, victoria cullen33, the-redhead-is-writing, Sutenki, Momochan77, Benji M Bling, SarahBloomSakura, kia himatari, Birdly The Reaper Of Souls, 12345678910, EbonySapphire, BraziaRios, MajesticSkittles, TheCaramelSecrets, yoyowezy, TPWABW, Sutoka-chan, Momo6447, Juhoni, Guest, SakuraTheGreenEyedGirl, Lady Inuyuki, peygoodwin, try10, Neeky-chan, Guest, funnlittlestory, and Guest! I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH! *glomps* Honestly, I was a bit surprised to hear that quite a few of you shed some tears in the last chapter. Well, that must mean I'm doing something right if I'm able to invoke that kind of an emotional reaction with my character. However, if you guys/girls were crying then... well... *coughs* best get your water buckets ready, okay? *laughs nervously* Also, another HUGE thanks to all the AWESOME readers who have already favorited and/or followed this story! YOU GUYS/GIRLS ARE PURE AWESOMENESS! Hope everyone enjoys chapter fifty-two!
SHOUT OUT TO "try10": HOLY CRAP YOU REVIEWED ALMOST EVERY CHAPTER OF MY STORY! *glomps you and showers you with brownies* Haha, I have to admit I really got a kick out of reading them. Especially in the beginning. XD At first I was just like, "Wait for it... wait for it..." And then you finally got to the parts you were waiting for and I seriously just sat there reading your reviews all smug like. LMAO! You made my day. XD Thank you!
SHOUT OUT TO "Neeky-chan": My dear, awesomesauce Neeky-chan has drawn me yet ANOTHER piece of fan-art for this story! And IT'S A FREAKING CHIBI KAZE AND SESSHY HOLDING HANDS! *squeals manically* THE CUTENESS OF IT IS OVER 9,000! Thank you so much, Neeky-chan! I now command you all to go and gaze upon it! GO! GOOOO! The link is on my profile!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha, the Inuyasha plot, NOR the Inuyasha characters. I only own my own OCs Kaze Hijikata, Riko Hijikata, Ryosuke Hijikata, Toga Akatsuki, Shido of the Massacre, any other OCs created along the way, and any part of the plot NOT a part of the Inuyasha anime or manga. This fanfic, however, is MINE and I'd like to keep it that way.
Chapter 52-Shattered Reflections
Darkness.
It was nothing but an empty, black abyss engulfing Kaze, causing her to blink at her cold, eerily silent surroundings. Walking forward, she continued to peer around her in confusion. "Where… am I?" she asked no one in particular, voice echoing dully around her as she glanced to and fro.
Continuing to move forward, the young woman's red eyes narrowed at a small glimmer buried in the darkness. Was that a light up ahead? Feeling relief wash over her, the spiritualist picked up her pace a bit, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of a large door of light.
Kaze tilted her head curiously at it as it almost seemed to beckon her through.
So through the door she went, and was promptly greeted with a strange yet oddly familiar sight.
She was on a flatter portion of a mountain side, surrounded by fog, deep within the woods. Before her was a small, tranquil pond with dozens of streams of all shapes and sizes running from it, and winding through them was a bamboo pathway that let up to a massive shrine.
Kaze stared up in wonder at the building ahead. It was breathtaking… haunting, with the only sound being the rippling of the streams. They young woman felt compelled to move closer. Apricot trees in full bloom framed the entire pathway, curtaining the walk and leading all the way up to and surrounding the shrine. Kaze paused to deeply inhale the scent. It all felt so familiar. It felt otherworldly.
It made her feel like this was… home.
Upon passing through the archway, the girl glanced up at the bells hanging from its beams when suddenly, they began to ring.
The spiritualist's eyebrow rose a bit in surprise as upon looking up the short flight of steps, the shrine responded to the bell's chimes by opening their cherry wood doors and welcoming her inside.
Welcoming her home.
Even upon stepping within the building, the chimes continued to ring softly in the background. It all felt so familiar. So… very…
Kaze's eyebrows furrowed lightly as she attempted to put her finger on root of her nostalgia. It was right there. Yet…
Red eyes continued to roam the room as she delved deeper inside.
… so far away.
Ring!
The young woman froze in her tracks, eyes widening at the familiar tone of the bell that suddenly rang from deeper within the shrine.
Pure has become impure.
Impure has now become pure.
The voices drifted hauntingly into the girl's ears, tugging her forward and latching onto her soul.
Good has now become bad.
Bad has become good.
Kaze rounded a corner, continuing to travel deeper within the shrine, her eyes clouded, attempting to see something that was lost in her mind.
To live is to die.
To die is to live.
Red eyes focused dazedly on a door down the hallway where she could hear the song echoing eerily from within.
Fallen is the child in despair.
Rises in ruin.
Her hand was on the slide, just as the song ended. That haunting song. Her song.
Yes.
It was hers. Meant for her back when…
When what?
Kaze's eyes drifted shut as she slowly exhaled and leaned her forehead up against the sliding door. It was so close. The answers were so close! Why couldn't she…
Ring!
With a growl, the young woman threw the door open, and froze at what she saw.
Mirrors.
The entire room was filled with them, mirrors of all shapes and sizes. Peering around curiously, Kaze wove her way through the maze of her reflections. She winced sharply as suddenly it was if a needle had stabbed through her chest. "W-What the hell!?" the young woman hissed, grabbing at her chest and sagging weakly against a pillar. However, as she peered up at the body length mirror before her, her breath caught in her throat. Red eyes widened in shock as her trembling voice spoke, "You're-"
A reflection of herself stared back at her with narrowed, gleaming crimson eyes. However, the white that should have been surrounding the blazing red irises was instead inky black. Not only that, but the young woman's reflection in this mirror seemed to be only around perhaps fourteen, with hair that was more layered and falling only to her mid neck. In fact, though clearly her reflection, this version of herself could easily be taken for either a girl or a hauntingly beautiful boy dressed in a long, pitch black haori that drug on the ground and a male yukata.
"Is that… really me?" Kaze wondered, speechless. She flinched at the sudden malicious intent that flickered in her reflection's eyes.
"You dare forget?" the other girl's voice rang out in a clear, deathly tone.
"Forget?" the spiritualist questioned, fear creeping through her body.
"Sinner…"
The young woman went cold, eyes widening as a sudden bolt of terror shot through her upon hearing such a piercing word, "Wha- GAH!"
Leaping from the mirror, the younger figure viciously wrapped powerful hands around the spiritualist throat, pinning her to the floor. "You dare forget!?" she snarled again, voice dripping venom and she brought her forehead down to touch that of her prisoner.
"Wha-What are you-" Kaze wheezed, trying desperately and failing the free herself.
"Fallen… you sinner," the other girl whispered furiously before closing her eyes and continuing in a hoarsely broken voice. "Why have you forsaken me?"
Ring!
The spiritualist trembled violently as one of the hands released her throat and moved up the caress her cheek. "You are… not a part of me," Kaze whispered shakily.
"I AM!" the black clad figure roared, tightening the grip on her captive's throat. "I AM YOU!"
"No!" the young woman snarled, fear ripping her apart and she struggled to tear free. "You are not me!"
The other girl blinked slowly before loosening her grasp, eyes narrowing darkly as a cruel smile broke over her features, "You say such things as if you actually know who you are."
Kaze went completely rigid.
"But that's not true is it?" she continued.
Stop.
"Because the truth is, you've known this whole time…"
Shut up.
"That something about your current existence is a complete lie."
"STOP IT!" Kaze finally screamed clawing viciously at her captor before bringing her hands up over her eyes to claw at her bangs. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"
"Then remember," a new, softer voice spoke off to the side.
Shaking violently, the spiritualist chanced a peek over to her right to see a seven year old version of herself, clad in a white yukata staring at her dully. However, this version of herself had steel silver eyes instead of red.
"Who are you?" Kaze asked weakly.
"I am you," the child replied simply.
"Liar."
Steel silver eyes narrowed, "So you seem to wish."
"Shut up," the young woman replied in defeat, staring listlessly up at the ceiling as she let her hands fall to her sides.
"Then remember."
Kaze grit her teeth, images of faces, blood, searing heat and roaring flames flashing through her mind accompanied by screams of terror. Clamping her hands over her ears, the spiritualist squeezed her eyes shut before choking out a sob, "I don't want to! I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!" Trembling violently, the girl felt the hands leave her throat completely as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm too scared… I don't… I don't want to know," she sobbed hoarsely. "You two are just a part of my chaos!"
"You know that's a lie," the fourteen year old version of herself stated softly, brushing her hand over the spiritualist's forehead. "The very existence of your 'chaos' is a lie."
"Shut up," Kaze hissed painfully.
"I am the victim, and I am the sinner," the child version of the spiritualist spoke emptily, steel silver eyes eroding away until nothing but black holes remained.
Kaze inhaled sharply and raggedly at the scene.
"And I am the choice that the sinner has made," the fourteen year old version of herself stated quietly.
A choice… the words struck a painful cord within the broken young woman's soul.
"YOU," both figures spoke together with black, narrowed eyes, "are the fool and coward who's forgotten!"
Ring!
The mirrors all shattered along with the two escaped reflections, littering the floor with shards of broken glass. Sitting up slowly, the spiritualist stared listlessly at the scene before her. Picking up a long, jagged piece of glass, she peered down at it for a silent moment before letting it slide from her hand and fall to the floor. Blankly, the girl watched as blood gushed from the slice in her palm before returning her gaze to the room of glass shards.
Shattered.
"Ah," she realized wearily, red eyes dull. "So, this is… this must be… my soul."
Ring!
…
Ring!
…
Ring!
"…ze…"
"Huh?" the female's gaze peered around tiredly. Had she heard yet another voice?
"…aze…"
"It sounds… familiar," she whispered quietly, a new pull tugging at something in her soul.
"…Kaze…"
"Kaze…" the girl questioned dully. "Who is… that?"
"KAZE!"
Another sharp tug on her soul, and the entire scene around the young woman disintegrated, allowing her to drift away from the consuming darkness. "Oh, yeah," her head finally began to clear as she allowed her red eyes to close. "That's me."
With Sesshomaru and Kaze/In the Woods…
"Kaze!" Sesshomaru snarled again, roughly jostling his precious intended laying curled in his mokomoko. "Wake up!" he ordered sharply, attaching his youki to his youki in his intended's body and forcefully pulling her back into consciousness.
Slowly, dazed red eyes peered open to meet pools of concerned gold. At first, it was hard to make out her companion's face. The young woman's mind felt muddled and disorientated. At that moment, even trying to stay conscious was painful. "Se…sshomaru?" she whispered softly as her vision cleared.
The Daiyoukai felt a wave of what he could only describe as relief wash over him. Pulling her up closer against his chest, he nuzzled his face into the crook of his female's neck, deeply inhaling her scent. All this had started not long after retiring for the evening in the presence of Inuyasha's pack. It had been a little ways into the night when through the connection of his courting mark, the Inu had felt something go terribly wrong with his future mate. Instinct taking over, he had immediately scooped her up and flown to a secluded area so as not to let any other beings near her while he attempted to remedy the problem.
"You were having a nightmare," he growled lowly, soothingly rubbing his one clawed hand over the young woman's back. "Something was wrong, and you were unwell, for you would not wake up."
The spiritualist went rigid in her lover's grasp, images of her dream, now burned in her mind, flashing before her eyes. Almost instantly, she could feel herself begin to tremble as she clenched onto her friend's haori for dear life.
"Kaze?"
"Remember," the girl squeezed her eyes shut, a pain rippling through her temples.
'The very existence of your 'chaos' is a lie.'
"So what is it? What are they!?" Kaze felt herself gasp for air. "What did I… what did I really see when I sealed that part of me… those two away!?"
"Kaze!"
The young woman placed her hands over her ears, "What is it that I can't remember!?"
'Something about your current existence is a complete lie.'
"Mate!" Sesshomaru's feral voice broke through the spiritualist's chaotic mind, dragging her back to the surface as the Daiyoukai grabbed her chin and forcefully made her meet his blood red eyes. "What is it that frightens you?" he demanded, hot breath caressing her lips as his forehead leaned against her own.
"I… don't know," Kaze voiced brokenly, wanting to, yet unable to tear away from her comrade's gaze. She felt so broken, so vulnerable at the moment. "There's something I can't remember," she continued in a voice barely above a whisper. "I know it's important… and I keep trying… I keep trying to remember, but I can't. No," the girl trembled, finally admitting to the disgustingly traitorous part of herself. "A part of me… doesn't want to."
The Western Lord growled lowly, once again pressing his face into the crook of his female's neck, except this time, lightly grazing his fangs over her courting mark. "Nothing shall harm you," he stated fiercely, eyes blazing with malice at the thought. "I shall never allow it."
Kaze's eyes fluttered closed with exhaustion, her forehead meeting Sesshomaru's shoulder as she allowed herself to be at least momentarily consumed by the warmth her beloved was lavishing upon her neck. Slowly, a wry smile touched her lips, "I thought you hated weak things."
"You are not weak," the Inu replied instantly, reprimandingly nipping at her flesh and tightening his grip.
"I'm scared to remember the truth," the girl murmured quietly.
"And yet you are going to search for it all the same. Aren't you?" the Daiyoukai questioned in an unusually quiet tone.
"I have to," Kaze's eyes again fluttered open, a miserable smile plastering itself upon her lips, "It's my nature."
"It is foolish," Sesshomaru growled in frustration, eyes narrowing as he pulled back so as to meet his intended's gaze. However, in contrast to his tone, something else seemed to gleam in the depths of his eyes, "Yet, I believe it is what you humans call courage."
Surprise flickered over Kaze's expression for a moment before her eyes softened. "Ah, right you are… us foolish humans," the spiritualist joked softly with a gentle chuckle. "And besides that, I did promise you right? I promised I wouldn't go and die on you. I refuse to."
"Indeed," the Western Lord hummed his agreement, leaning forward so as to kiss his future mate when he paused upon noticing the way her body had again become rigid. "Kaze?" he growled questioningly.
But Kaze had already drifted somewhere else, her wide, red eyes glazing over with a hauntingly pained expression.
'I refuse to die.'
The young woman winced sharply, a pain shooting once again through her temple. She'd said the same phrase before… so why…
'I refuse to die.'
But even then, when promising Sesshomaru… that hadn't… been the first time she'd spoke those words with so much conviction.
'I refuse to die.'
Dark red eyes widened in pain at her throat suddenly began to burn, eyes watering with unshed tears as Kaze rasped for breath.
It was hot, the sun burning down on her burnt, bruised body laying upon the ground.
The land around her was barren and searing with heat.
Her throat was dry.
'It hurts. Somebody… anybody… help me.'
The rope around her neck and tied to the stake burned, grinding into her skin and drawing blood from her many attempts at escape.
'Why?'
Steel silver eyes filled with malice and hatred peered up at the heavens.
"I did nothing wrong," she spat.
The sun still blared down upon the child's mangled, bloody body.
'So why?'
Faces flooded into the girl's mind. Hateful, traitorous bastards…
They would not get the satisfaction of her death.
'I won't give it to them.'
Hate so strong pulsed through the child's veins that even the jackals didn't dare to approach her.
'I refuse to die.'
"Kaze!" Sesshomaru roared as he felt his intended slip further and further into the abyss. "KAZE!"
A bloodcurdling scream promptly split the air.
And the shit has finally started to hit the fan. Phew! I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW LONG I'VE WAITED TO MAKE THIS CHAPTER! It is one of my all time favorites!*squeals with excitement until noticing the mob of pitchfork wielding readers* Now, now, I know I left another cliffhanger but... *sweats nervously and hides behind Toga* I plan to have the next chapter out as soon as possible. Okay? So, please, PLEAAAASE review! I am literally DYING to hear you readers thoughts on this chapter, especially considering its content! GAAAH! I'm so excited for the stuff that's to come! Therefore, review away! You readers have been doing an AWESOME job so far and it's kept my inspiration level soaring. So, keep it up! Also, please follow and favorite this story as well! See you all in the next chapter! :D
Rock Out!
Kira
