Well,
you've finished the proloque and your back for more! Yay!
Celebration!
….ok…maybe not. Clamp is blah blah, not mine…etc
Review
please.
***
( vision/dream )
Chapter 1
All she felt was pain. It wasn't physical
pain, it was spiritual pain. She had never felt pain like what she was feeling.
It surpassed any injury either physical or mental that she ever had. It reached
into her body, her spiritual body and gripped her core with its icy grip. She
shivered. It all felt like a dream, an unending dream that she couldn't get out
of. The more she was in the dream, the more that she lost grip of reality, the
more pain she felt. It all felt so cold. Then like a sudden shock she realized
another emotion, a twitch of reality that gripped her soul. She felt nothing.
She didn't feel her companion at her feet; she didn't sense another soul with
her. A soul that had always been with her ever since she was born. She didn't
feel him. In a rush of emotion she soon realized that she was alone. A state of
loneliness was impossible for her people. They were always with their
companion, with their inugami. She had never ever truly felt alone. It was an
emotion that she was not used to feel; she was not built to feel. Nekoi
Yuzuriha, the Mistress of Mitsumine Shrine, Inugami master, and Ten no Ryu was
not built to feel loneliness.
*
* *
The light was too strong, she couldn't take
it anymore, she had to open her eyes. She could hear voices around her, voices
of encouragement. Warm, she felt a warm hand gripping her hand. It felt so
warm, and inviting. It gripped her soar hand even tighter as she mumble back
into reality, away from her dreams.
Yuzuriha slowly opened her eyes, fluttering
them as she focused from the unfocused picture of individuals around her bed,
to her friends. They were all their, all at her side. Arisugawa Sorata and
Kishu Arashi were right there at the front of her bed, each giving her a smile.
Even Arashi, the cold Hidden Priestess of Ise Shrine was smiling at her.
Yuzuriha was very glade that she, of all people was there by her side. She was
one of the ones that she respected the most. Sorata was there, winking at her,
he always made her feel better. He silently put a hand on Arashi who blushing
swapped it away. Sorata acted to be hurt. Yuzuriha gave a forceful giggle. She
knew he only did that to make her feel better; she had to give him at least a
giggle, to make him feel good that he had actually done something for her. He
was not there to help her in her battle.
The thought hit her, and the reminder of
her loss. Still forcing a smile she swiftly looked at the floor for any signs
of Inuki. He wasn't there. Everyone noticed her action but didn't say anything
for regret and anger for not helping the fourteen year old, inexperienced Ten
no Ryu, fight her destined battle which cost her something that now one else
can comprehend to lose.
Kasumi Karen glided her way to Yuzuriha's
hospital bed to put a motherly hand on Yuzuriha's cheek. " How are you? Feeling
better?"
They all knew the answer of the Soapland
Flower Hostess's question before Yuzuriha could muster a reply. " I'm fine,
really, I feel a little bad for losing the battle, all those people. I'm sorry
for losing, I cost us big…"
" No you didn't, it was… our fault for not
seeing your kekkai soon enough. I'm so sorry." Daisuke Aoki whispered as he
gave her a glass of water to Yuzuriha. He sat next to Karen at her bedside,
having his hand on her knee. He could feel the cuts on her leg. It sickened him
for not being there for little Yuzuriha, the youngest of the Ten no Ryu,
Dragons of Heaven.
Sumeragi Subaru was at the corner, staring
at her, looking at every square inch of her body, surveying her injuries. Yuzuriha
had to give him a silent smile. He stared at her long and hard as if he was
staring into her soul. He knew what she was trying to hide. The feelings that
raged inside of her that were hidden behind her happy mask. Noticing that she
was still smiling at him, a genuine smile, he couldn't help but nod his head.
She still felt warm, warmth that was filled
into her body by the hand that was still holding her hand. Slowly she smiled
and looked into the eyes of Shiro Kamui. The cold, sixteen year old that would
save the world from 1999, the end of the world. She knew he had a big heart,
she had seen it. She was probably the only one in the group to see the real
Kamui, or try to see. Someday, someone will love him as much as Kotori, the
Monou daughter of a shrine who was destined to die horribly by the hands of her
brother, Monou Fuuma, the leader of the Chi no Ryu. She unfortunately met her
destiny just like Inuki did.
He tightened his grip when he notices
Yuzuriha's expression go vague. The pain returned, more forcefully this time.
"Kamui I'm alright" She managed to say confidently while smiling. She was
surprised at her control to keep her voice from breaking from the pain. She
smiled at everyone in the room as the doctors came to clear the visitors. Their
metallic shoes smashing into the hard, cold, white floors. She could barely see their faces; her
eyesight was still bad. " Thank you for coming guys, and next time I'll do you
proud either in battle or in making you guys one hell of an ice-cream sundae!"
Yuzuriha croaked as her visitors cleared the room.
Kamui stood at the door. His brown eyes
were piercing through her's. She was lost in them. They told such a story, a
story of love, pain and regret. There was something else in his eyes, something
that made her warm. Nodding he broke his connection to her and left.
All was
quite as the doctors examine Yuzuriha. There was an occasional clicking of a
pen or shoes, but relatively all was quite. Yuzuriha stared at her little
window. It was dark out; the clouds were rolling, threatening of a
thunderstorm. She was stripped of her shirt and could feel the cold wet
stripping that they were applying to her body. Even though there were doctors
in the room, she still felt alone. She couldn't hear the breaths and sniffs of
Inuki. She couldn't hear his growls of irritation when the doctors stripped her
of her clothing. She couldn't feel him licking her hand when she dropped it
over the bed. She felt nothing. That frighted her.
The walls were getting darker by the minute by the
approaching storm. Each minute she could hear the clicking of the pens going
faster. The flipping of pages going faster. The applying of the strippings, the
clicking of the shoes, the ticking of the clock, faster and faster, time was
going too fast, she couldn't breath, all too fast, to rapid, the clouds, the
cold bandages, the touching, the feeling, the hands over her body, "STOP
TOUCHING ME!!!!" she shrieked.
They all stopped and looked at her. They were all
shocked. She was wide eyed at what she did. She had lost control. Lost control
like when she was a little child back at her shrine. She realized how rude she
was. They didn't know what happened to her, what truly happened to her, how
could she yell at innocent people. What was she becoming? They didn't mean to
touch her that way, just that everything was going to fast, she felt as if time
was running out. Her breaths started to go rapid as she found herself gasping
for air. Precious air. It was happening again. Just like in the battle. When
she was falling, hugging Inuki. She couldn't breath; the rubble was closing in
on her, and the loss of breath. All of a sudden all went fast as she spun out
of control, falling unconscious in the blackness behind her eyes. All she heard
was yelling from the doctors as she went out.
*
* *
"How's the patient?"
" She's alright Doctor, she just came back
from unconsciousness. She feels dizzy, but other then that, all her symptoms
don't point to any complications. "
"I didn't think so, she simply went into
shock"
" Does she have family?"
" Check her records at the office, I don't
think her parents know about this"
"What if she doesn't have family?"
" I hope she does"
"Doctor…"
"Hai"
"She says she's sorry"
"What a sweet child, you can tell her not
to worry her little head about it."
He had over heard their conversation, hearing enough
he decided to leave. He had no chances to see her. He didn't even know if he
wanted to see her. The smell of blood was still in the air. He had no doubt it
was Yuzuriha's. He could still hear her inugami's whining. He lightly brushed
his hair with his hand, attempting to relieve the dog's hauntings, to relieve
the haunted memories the he would carry for a long time. He could not believe
what had happened to Yuzuriha, he didn't want to believe. It was hard to see
Yuzuriha's truth. The fate that she shares with him, a fate that intertwines
their soul to death. He was confused. Which role did he now play in her life?
Friend, enemy, maybe something more? Getting up on his feet, which were covered
with hard, black military boots. Fixing the cresses of his brown and gray
military pants, he started to walk off toward the double doors of the exit.
Putting his rough hands back into his jacket, he slowly lifted his sough but
harsh eyes towards the hall where Yuzuriha was hospitalized. He just stood
there. Giving one last sigh to relax his strong arms, he made his exit towards
the drizzle of rain, stopping briefly to touch the plants, he then disappeared.
* * *
The thunder rumbled its way through the air, as the
humidity sipped through the glass plains. It was all dark in the room. Only the
black figure of Yuzuriha was seen between the black walls of her room.
Lightning clapped through the clouds, lighting the room with blinding white
light. She could feel the rumbling of the thunder through the shaking ground.
She was never afraid of thunder, but right now she was sharing the experience
alone. No one was with her; she was alone for her first night conscious. "How
do normal people live like this?" Yuzuriha shrieked in her mind. She had always
though of the normal civilians as 'two dimensional' not being worthy of an
inugami. Through her years, that belief subsided but she still felt, deep in
her heart the same way. She even had the same thoughts towards the others. Many
of her people thought the same way. Now, she was just like them,
two-dimensional. Grabbing her pillow she shuddered as another set of lightning
crashed through the heavens
***"Grandma… grandma! Why are they so mean! Why can't they see him! They said he wasn't
real! He's real! He is. He's right their in my arms! He is there… he looking at
them and they can't see!"
Chibi Yuzuriha ran through the halls of
Mitsumine shrine shrieking. She was running like the wind, skirt flying
everywhere, as she darted through the halls, the prayer room, and the gardens.
It was a beautiful day; the blossoms of the trees were in full bloom. The scent
of the cherry blossoms was full in the air. Yuzuriha was holding chibi Inuki
for dear life, barley able to hold his full weight, she simply settle for
holding his head and chest, letting his rest of his body hanging in the air.
She ran straight to the prayer room, down
the dark halls. All of a sudden the room exploded in space, surrounded in dark
cloth drapings hanging from the ceiling. The hard, pine floor clattered under
Chibi Yuzuriha's feet. The air was full of mystic, ancient humidity hung in the
air, never getting the chance to get out of the shrine into the modern world.
Mist started to swirl around the chibi inugami master. It never bothered her,
it was what she lived in, in the souls of many inugamis. The mist swirled into
shapes of great inugamis who bared their teeth to whom ever was there to
witness them. They all came to the little master, swirling in the air in
happiness for their little girl. Yuzuriha loved them. She would stay in the
shrine and just be with them. The many thousand of inugamis who lay rest in the
walls of the Mitsumine shrine.
A shriveled women lay in the middle of the
huge room, only lit bay the many candles around her, ancient candles that were
said to light their light to the many Mitsumine priest who gave their lives for
Mitsumine. She was covered in thin traditional robes and covers. Its fabric
perfectly weaved in complete detail, every colour, and every fabric perfectly
chosen to be weaved for its master.
"Grandma!!" Chibi Yuzuriha yelled, crying
to her anciant grandmother, the ancient leader of the Mitsumine shrine, holy
keeper of Mitsumine and the Mitsumine inugamis of the world, and high
priestess.
Chibi Yuzuriha crawled up to her
grandmother over the holiest place of Mitsumine to her grandmother who lay
praying in the middle of the holiest place of Mitsumine. Grandmother Nekoi,
Yuzuriha and the rest of the holy priests of Mitsumine, the inugami masters of
the world were the only ones allowed this deep into the Mitsumine shrine and in
the holy place of Mitsumine.
" Young child, be sit yourself. Don't you
dare cry in here." The old women glared at her granddaughter.
Yuzuriha sat her self, still clinging to
chibi Inuki. She draped the ends of the tapestry and ropes of her grandmother,
feeling its softness to her skin. " How dare you try to prove yourself and sink
low for the mass children of your school? You are an Inugami master, high
priestess of Mitsumine. We don't need to prove your worth to civilians. Inuki
was born to you, for you and no one else. People who are not spiritually bound
cannot see Inuki or any Inugami. People will never know of Inuki, stop
pestering them. You don't need them as much as you need Inuki. You are of a
higher level then them. You both are their guardians, not their peers."
Yuzuriha whipped her tears away from her
eyes, feeling ashamed. How could she cry in this place? In front of
Grandma? Grandma Nekoi saw Yuzuriha
trying to gain back her composition, trying desperately to gain control of her
feelings. Grandma Nekoi with her hands mentioned the little girl to come at her
side. The girl complide, crawling to her side. Wrapping her roped around the
little girl she gave her a big hug never letting go. She was harsh in those
subjects, but she never let the thought continue. She was still a young child,
and she was proud that Yuzuriha had such strength, even in her young age. She
was so proud of her, and she often showed the little girl a lot of silent
affection when they were both alone. Yuzuriha smiled and snuggled into the old
women. They loved each other so much, and had deep respect for each other,
deeper then anyone could understand.
Inuki leaped into the air, turning into a
wolf shaped mists, intertwining with the other Inugamis, howling with them
their haunting howls and barks. They shrilled in the air, as the Mitsumine dogs
gave a soulful dance for Mitsumine. The women and girl stared at their
spectacle, letting themselves relax so they can join their inugami's spirits
with their own to join in the Mitsumine spiritual dance. " I love you Inuki"
Chibi Yuzuriha whispered.
"I love you Inuki." Yuzuriha whispered in
her hospital room, never letting a single tear leave her face as her memory
washed away.
Yuzuriha
attempted to smile, but she couldn't muster it. Lightning flashed, sending beams
of light into the fourteen year olds eyes as her mind shrieked. She smelled
blood, a smell that was far different then humans, a smell that she had only
smelled once. The smell of an Inugami's blood.
***She was on the ground, bleeding to death. She could smell it, smell
the blood. She crawled to the source, crawled to the direction. It was getting
stronger; stronger as she continued to crawl across the blood covered destroyed
streets. There was no other smell, just the smell of Inuki's blood. The buildings
were all destroyed, crushed onto the streets. She could see their bodies of
dead civilians; some decapitated, and ripped apart, their blood splattered
across the ground in gushes.
Bloop, Bloop
Liquid dripped on the head of the girl. With her
hand she lightly touched her hair. It was blood. She turned her head to the
direction of the dripping. Blood splattered onto her face. Crawling across her
cheeks and perfect lips. Her eyes went in complete shock. It was the blood of
an Inugami. It was Inuki's blood.
"…n..o…" Yuzuriha whispered as she came back from
her vision.
She stared into the night sky. It stopped thundering
out and it was just pouring rain. Yuzuriha lightly touched her face as she
stared into the clouds. Not letting her eyes off the window, she went under the
blankets of her bed. She didn't want this. She didn't want to grieve. To let
go. She didn't want to feel anymore, she didn't want to experience her
emotions, memories, visions of Inuki, and the reminder that Inuki was gone. She
closed her eyes and started to pray to Mitsumine, and went into meditation,
losing herself in her prayers. She had never prayed so hard in all her life as
she prayed that night.
She never noticed a figure watching her the whole
entire time.
