Changing Wyrds
Chapter 11: A Girl in Silence
Moto stole out of the house, praying that her master wouldn't catch her. She was quietly glad that she flourished under pressure, for the night was dark and her task urgent. Kureru's improvement over the last few days had been hindered by his beating from Hashiaku, and Moto was beginning to worry about him. There was one thing she knew she could do, and being sensible, she had decided to do it.
She crept past the gardens , annoyed that the herb she needed wouldn't be found there. It was a slight worry to her as well that what she needed, were she caught, could get her killed. Hashiaku and his kind didn't care for the weed she sought. It was a fey-bane, that demons without human blood could not be near. It was also one of the most powerful healing herbs known to Moto and her people. It would push Kureru further under for a short time, but then he would be healed miraculously quickly.
She smiled as her sharp eyes caught sight of the plant she sought. She slit it from its stem with a quick swipe of her cooking knife and stashed it in her obi with another plant. The species was solitary; only one or two plants grew together. Moto knew, though, that they weren't too far separated, and sifted through the underbrush until she spotted another. With two of the stems tucked safely away, she turned back towards the master's great house. She could only hope that she wouldn't get caught now. Hashiaku should have been far off hunting, but he was so shifty that you never could be sure of him.
Her quiet steps seemed silent even to her, but the ears of a demon were better tuned than hers, and she sagely chose to take this into account. She avoided all of the lord's common haunts, slipping through the halls as carefully as would a mouse sharing quarters with a cat. Her breaths leaked out of her lungs slowly, and only when they could not be held back. Her heart pounded, but she was more wary than afraid.
She slid open the door of Kureru's room, and let out a relieved sigh when the door was safely shut and the room proved to hide no unpleasant surprises. As she knelt by his side his eyes opened.
"You got it, then?" he decided. She nodded, pulling the leaves from her obi.
"Eat." He took them in a cloth-bound hand, hesitated, and quickly stuffed them in his mouth. He chewed with a grimace, and shuddered when he swallowed.
"Thank you, Moto," he said finally. She smiled.
"It's the least I can do for you, you know," she told him. Leaning over, she dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. He shot her a small smile before slipping into a drugged sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yatta!" cried Kagome. Inuyasha didn't make such enthusiastic noises, but he looked pleased. "Inuyasha, you're up!"
"Obviously, girl!" He tried to sound blunt, but his face betrayed him when a soft smile crept across it.
"Just don't think this means you can go off demon-killing just yet," she warned.
"I'm not always stupid, you know," retorted he.
"No," agreed Kagome gently, "you're not. Oh, Inuyasha, this is so wonderful!" She hugged him. His face colored before he returned her embrace.
"I hope we're not too late," he said suddenly.
"I hope so too." She cringed at the thought of what might have happened in the time they had left Kureru with Hashiaku. As far as she knew, Kureru was the only person staying with the demon, and she was afraid of what kind punishment he would get for his mutiny. Especially if Hashiaku had no one else to turn against.
"So," interupted Kaede, "When shall you be off?" Kagome and Inuyasha blushed in unison and quickly separated themselves.
"Um..." said Kagome.
"Oh, you're up, Inuyasha? That's good news," said Miroku as he approached. If he took notice of the pair's odd hue, he said nothing. Shippou appeared and scurried up to Kagome's shoulder.
"When are we gonna get that jerk?" he asked.
"Good grief, everyone is bloodthirsty today. We're going to wait until Inuyasha up to snuff, and then-" Kagome started.
"I feel fine," declared Inuyasha. "Let's go today."
"But-" she began.
"The longer we wait, the more danger Kureru is in," said Inuyasha.
"I know that! But you couldn't beat Hashiaku when you were in good condition. There's no way you can beat him now!" Kagome felt herself go red for a reason outside embarassment.
"But-"
"What happened to not always being stupid, huh?!" she cried in exasperation. "You just told me that you wouldn't go yet! You're not fully recovered! You can't do this, Inuyasha, you'll get us all killed!" He actually thought before he answered, which stunned everyone.
"Maybe you're right," he said. There was a pause.
"What?" said Kagome.
"I said maybe you're right! Shit, how many times do I have to say it?!" His ears flattened.
"Sorry, Inuyasha," she said. "Just...you don't usually...Oh, never mind. You'll give it a couple more days, then?" He nodded disgustedly.
"Can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She had been prepared for his condition to worsen, but that didn't mean she liked it. Even worse was that she could only steal away to see to him a few times a day. She was Hashiaku's all-purpose girl, and whenever he wanted something- anything -it was done when he said. Otherwise she would be in no condition to see to Kureru.
There was only one relief to the horror that was their lives. It relieved her, at least. She may have been used for anything and everything the master desired at home, but Kureru had essentially one purpose. It was dangerous and horrible, but it was just that one. He wasn't used the way she was. Not that she brooded over her own plight. She had always been more concerned with those around her, and besides that, sensible. She would move against Hashiaku when the time was right. For now, all she could do was feign meekness and get the advantage of surprise on her side. That she would do by whatever means necessary, and she had already used most of those means.
It had only begun a few hours ago, and in a few hours would pass. He was fevered and uncomfortable, tossing in his sleep. She knew what was happening. The plant was simultaneously fighting his demon blood and healing his human blood. If only this had been his human night. But she knew that was half a month in coming.
"You better pull through this, Kureru," she murmured, laying her hand against his forehead. But then, he couldn't fail to come through for her. After all..."Ai shiteru, ne?" she whispered, a tender smile on her lips.
____________________________________________________________________________ __
Author's Notes: Yay! There's #11 for you. I decided Moto was a keeper. At first I was just gonna make her a mentioned-once-by-name-alone kinda girl, but she came away with an actual character that I really like. So...to add to my disclaimer (or rather, claimer) Moto doesn't belong to Takahashi-san either! Yay!
Chapter 11: A Girl in Silence
Moto stole out of the house, praying that her master wouldn't catch her. She was quietly glad that she flourished under pressure, for the night was dark and her task urgent. Kureru's improvement over the last few days had been hindered by his beating from Hashiaku, and Moto was beginning to worry about him. There was one thing she knew she could do, and being sensible, she had decided to do it.
She crept past the gardens , annoyed that the herb she needed wouldn't be found there. It was a slight worry to her as well that what she needed, were she caught, could get her killed. Hashiaku and his kind didn't care for the weed she sought. It was a fey-bane, that demons without human blood could not be near. It was also one of the most powerful healing herbs known to Moto and her people. It would push Kureru further under for a short time, but then he would be healed miraculously quickly.
She smiled as her sharp eyes caught sight of the plant she sought. She slit it from its stem with a quick swipe of her cooking knife and stashed it in her obi with another plant. The species was solitary; only one or two plants grew together. Moto knew, though, that they weren't too far separated, and sifted through the underbrush until she spotted another. With two of the stems tucked safely away, she turned back towards the master's great house. She could only hope that she wouldn't get caught now. Hashiaku should have been far off hunting, but he was so shifty that you never could be sure of him.
Her quiet steps seemed silent even to her, but the ears of a demon were better tuned than hers, and she sagely chose to take this into account. She avoided all of the lord's common haunts, slipping through the halls as carefully as would a mouse sharing quarters with a cat. Her breaths leaked out of her lungs slowly, and only when they could not be held back. Her heart pounded, but she was more wary than afraid.
She slid open the door of Kureru's room, and let out a relieved sigh when the door was safely shut and the room proved to hide no unpleasant surprises. As she knelt by his side his eyes opened.
"You got it, then?" he decided. She nodded, pulling the leaves from her obi.
"Eat." He took them in a cloth-bound hand, hesitated, and quickly stuffed them in his mouth. He chewed with a grimace, and shuddered when he swallowed.
"Thank you, Moto," he said finally. She smiled.
"It's the least I can do for you, you know," she told him. Leaning over, she dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. He shot her a small smile before slipping into a drugged sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yatta!" cried Kagome. Inuyasha didn't make such enthusiastic noises, but he looked pleased. "Inuyasha, you're up!"
"Obviously, girl!" He tried to sound blunt, but his face betrayed him when a soft smile crept across it.
"Just don't think this means you can go off demon-killing just yet," she warned.
"I'm not always stupid, you know," retorted he.
"No," agreed Kagome gently, "you're not. Oh, Inuyasha, this is so wonderful!" She hugged him. His face colored before he returned her embrace.
"I hope we're not too late," he said suddenly.
"I hope so too." She cringed at the thought of what might have happened in the time they had left Kureru with Hashiaku. As far as she knew, Kureru was the only person staying with the demon, and she was afraid of what kind punishment he would get for his mutiny. Especially if Hashiaku had no one else to turn against.
"So," interupted Kaede, "When shall you be off?" Kagome and Inuyasha blushed in unison and quickly separated themselves.
"Um..." said Kagome.
"Oh, you're up, Inuyasha? That's good news," said Miroku as he approached. If he took notice of the pair's odd hue, he said nothing. Shippou appeared and scurried up to Kagome's shoulder.
"When are we gonna get that jerk?" he asked.
"Good grief, everyone is bloodthirsty today. We're going to wait until Inuyasha up to snuff, and then-" Kagome started.
"I feel fine," declared Inuyasha. "Let's go today."
"But-" she began.
"The longer we wait, the more danger Kureru is in," said Inuyasha.
"I know that! But you couldn't beat Hashiaku when you were in good condition. There's no way you can beat him now!" Kagome felt herself go red for a reason outside embarassment.
"But-"
"What happened to not always being stupid, huh?!" she cried in exasperation. "You just told me that you wouldn't go yet! You're not fully recovered! You can't do this, Inuyasha, you'll get us all killed!" He actually thought before he answered, which stunned everyone.
"Maybe you're right," he said. There was a pause.
"What?" said Kagome.
"I said maybe you're right! Shit, how many times do I have to say it?!" His ears flattened.
"Sorry, Inuyasha," she said. "Just...you don't usually...Oh, never mind. You'll give it a couple more days, then?" He nodded disgustedly.
"Can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She had been prepared for his condition to worsen, but that didn't mean she liked it. Even worse was that she could only steal away to see to him a few times a day. She was Hashiaku's all-purpose girl, and whenever he wanted something- anything -it was done when he said. Otherwise she would be in no condition to see to Kureru.
There was only one relief to the horror that was their lives. It relieved her, at least. She may have been used for anything and everything the master desired at home, but Kureru had essentially one purpose. It was dangerous and horrible, but it was just that one. He wasn't used the way she was. Not that she brooded over her own plight. She had always been more concerned with those around her, and besides that, sensible. She would move against Hashiaku when the time was right. For now, all she could do was feign meekness and get the advantage of surprise on her side. That she would do by whatever means necessary, and she had already used most of those means.
It had only begun a few hours ago, and in a few hours would pass. He was fevered and uncomfortable, tossing in his sleep. She knew what was happening. The plant was simultaneously fighting his demon blood and healing his human blood. If only this had been his human night. But she knew that was half a month in coming.
"You better pull through this, Kureru," she murmured, laying her hand against his forehead. But then, he couldn't fail to come through for her. After all..."Ai shiteru, ne?" she whispered, a tender smile on her lips.
____________________________________________________________________________ __
Author's Notes: Yay! There's #11 for you. I decided Moto was a keeper. At first I was just gonna make her a mentioned-once-by-name-alone kinda girl, but she came away with an actual character that I really like. So...to add to my disclaimer (or rather, claimer) Moto doesn't belong to Takahashi-san either! Yay!