Author's Notes: Everyone seems to be shouting, "Yes! I knew it! Katherine
is a youkai!" Methinks you are counting your eggs before they're hatched.
Katherine is not all she seems, so don't get too comfortable. Katherine is
a mystery. I wasn't even sure what I was going to do with her at first.
She's changed so much since I first came up with her! At first she was a
lot like Chisa from "Love & Hate" (which you may feel free to R/R. Okay,
I'm done shamelessly plugging now), who was basically a lot like me. But
gradually she changed. I knew I wanted to make her…well, you'll find out
later. Gradually, her personality changed to fit her… (plot device)
better. I hear that developing a character before they're in a story is a
very important thing to do in original fiction, so writing OC is good
practice for me. By the way, this fic is no longer semi-SI. Katherine is
not like me at all. Just to clarify.
More notes (Wow, I have a lot to say this time, ne?): Some people may find Katherine's speech to Miroku last chapter similar to Chisa's speech to Tamahome in "Love & Hate". There is a reason for that: those are my feelings, pure and simple. I've never had a boyfriend, and I want to know what it's like. When I see a couple of my friends hanging all over each other, I get jealous. Anyway, I won't go on a big thing because you've read it already (hopefully twice). Just saying that those are based on my own emotions. Okay, I'm done now. You can wake up and read the fic.
There was a surprised silence. Katherine looked like she wanted to cry.
"You're not human," Sesshoumaru stated simply.
"No. I don't know what I am. All I know is that I'm different, and it's not because of deformities. First of all, I have fangs and pointed ears, as you can see. I also have claws and amber eyes." She reached up and took the contacts out of her eyes. "See, these make my eyes look brown, but they're not." Like she said, her eyes were the bright yellow-orange shade of the petrified tree sap. She held up her hands. "When I don't bite my nails, they grow long and sharp. I try to keep them in check." She lowered her hands and looked down. "You're the first person I told. And damn it, I don't even know *why* I told you! You kidnapped me and tied me up." She glared at him, then said softly, "But for some reason, I don't hate you."
"Really," said Sesshoumaru. "Nor do you fear me."
"No. I have no reason to."
"I could kill you any second, as I've done to many before you. Do you fear me now?"
Katherine hesitated for a moment. Then she said softly, almost wonderingly, "No, I don't…"
A small smirk twisted the beautiful youkai's lips. "We'll see about that…"
~**~
"Inu-Yasha! Miroku! Shippo!" Kagome cried in alarm. "Sesshoumaru kidnapped Katherine!"
"What?!" A collective shout arose from the group. The three guys emerged from wherever the hell they were sleeping, Miroku in a loincloth. At the site, Kagome eep-ed slightly and turned away.
"We have to go rescue her!" Shippo said.
"No…" Inu-Yasha said. The other three turned around to look at him.
"Why not?" Shippo demanded. "Don't you care about her?"
"It's no use," he replied, staring at the ground. "Once Sesshoumaru takes a mortal captive, they're gone…"
"What do you mean?" Shippo yelled at him. "You can save her! We go there and you kick Sesshoumaru's butt! That's how it's always been! There's nothing you can't fix!"
Inu-Yasha didn't reply.
Shippo started to get angry. "Wait, of course you can't save her. You're nothing but a stupid half-breed!" He hit Inu-Yasha, his tiny fists pounding ineffectively. Finally, he scampered off into the woods.
"Shippo…" Kagome started to go after the kitsune.
"No, leave him alone." Everyone turned and looked at Inu-Yasha's slumped form. "He needs some time to himself…" He looked up, and Kagome was shocked to see tears running down his cheeks.
"Oh, Inu-Yasha," she whispered, then her own eyes began to overflow. "Inu- Yasha!" She ran into his arms and he held her, rocking back and forth.
*~Flashback~*
"Inu-Yasha, could you please go out and get me some food from the garden?"
"Okay, okaa-san!" Inu-Yasha, no more than seven years old, went out to the vegetable garden to pick some food for his mother. "Hmm…let's see. If I pick some tomatoes, maybe she'll make some of her soup!" Cheerfully and eagerly, the young hanyou picked out his favorites from the garden. When he picked all that he could carry, he set off back towards his home.
He pushed open the door. "Okaa-san, I have the food for you!" He stopped in horror at the carnage around him. Blood had been splashed around the room as if there had been a struggle. He ran, terrified, out of the small house and to the home of his friend and mentor, Kenji.
"Kenji-san!" he cried, praying that the man was home. "Okaa-san is gone and the house is all bloody! Come on!"
The aging man got up out of his chair and followed the pup. When they reached Inu-Yasha's home, he stopped and closed his eyes.
"Kenji-san? What's wrong?"
"Sesshoumaru…" Kenji whispered. He retrieved his bow and arrows. "Inu- Yasha, you stay in my house until I come back?
~*A week later*~
"Are you back yet?" The small hanyou tentatively pushed open the door. "Kenji-san?" What he saw was worse than last week – than anything he could imagine!
There, in the middle of the floor, were the bloody corpses of the only two people who accepted him. Standing between them stood a boy who appeared to be about five years older than Inu-Yasha. He turned and smiled, but it was a cold smile, not comforting at all. "You're my little brother, aren't you?" Inu-Yasha just stood there, paralyzed with fear. "I am Sesshoumaru, a *full* youkai. Maybe I'll send you to destroy that disgusting mortal bitch who bore you…" He kicked Inu-Yasha's mother's body lightly. He lifted up a clawed hand, then swung it down towards the small hanyou. Inu- Yasha flinched, and Sesshoumaru's hand stopped suddenly. "No…" he said, musing. "There is no amusement in killing something as you and pathetic as you. I'll wait a few years. *Then* I'll have my fun!" He whirled out of the room, laughing.
Inu-Yasha collapsed to his knees in a combination of relief and grief. "Okaa-san…Kenji-san…" he sobbed, crying late into the night.
~*End Flashback*~
Inu-Yasha knelt, shaking from withheld tears. His head was lowered so nobody could see his expression, but his feelings were obvious. "Inu- Yasha…" Kagome said. The hanyou just stood, not appearing to have heard his girlfriend's words.
"I'll go find Shippo. You two can just go to sleep." And with that, he walked away, leaving the two humans staring after him.
More notes (Wow, I have a lot to say this time, ne?): Some people may find Katherine's speech to Miroku last chapter similar to Chisa's speech to Tamahome in "Love & Hate". There is a reason for that: those are my feelings, pure and simple. I've never had a boyfriend, and I want to know what it's like. When I see a couple of my friends hanging all over each other, I get jealous. Anyway, I won't go on a big thing because you've read it already (hopefully twice). Just saying that those are based on my own emotions. Okay, I'm done now. You can wake up and read the fic.
There was a surprised silence. Katherine looked like she wanted to cry.
"You're not human," Sesshoumaru stated simply.
"No. I don't know what I am. All I know is that I'm different, and it's not because of deformities. First of all, I have fangs and pointed ears, as you can see. I also have claws and amber eyes." She reached up and took the contacts out of her eyes. "See, these make my eyes look brown, but they're not." Like she said, her eyes were the bright yellow-orange shade of the petrified tree sap. She held up her hands. "When I don't bite my nails, they grow long and sharp. I try to keep them in check." She lowered her hands and looked down. "You're the first person I told. And damn it, I don't even know *why* I told you! You kidnapped me and tied me up." She glared at him, then said softly, "But for some reason, I don't hate you."
"Really," said Sesshoumaru. "Nor do you fear me."
"No. I have no reason to."
"I could kill you any second, as I've done to many before you. Do you fear me now?"
Katherine hesitated for a moment. Then she said softly, almost wonderingly, "No, I don't…"
A small smirk twisted the beautiful youkai's lips. "We'll see about that…"
~**~
"Inu-Yasha! Miroku! Shippo!" Kagome cried in alarm. "Sesshoumaru kidnapped Katherine!"
"What?!" A collective shout arose from the group. The three guys emerged from wherever the hell they were sleeping, Miroku in a loincloth. At the site, Kagome eep-ed slightly and turned away.
"We have to go rescue her!" Shippo said.
"No…" Inu-Yasha said. The other three turned around to look at him.
"Why not?" Shippo demanded. "Don't you care about her?"
"It's no use," he replied, staring at the ground. "Once Sesshoumaru takes a mortal captive, they're gone…"
"What do you mean?" Shippo yelled at him. "You can save her! We go there and you kick Sesshoumaru's butt! That's how it's always been! There's nothing you can't fix!"
Inu-Yasha didn't reply.
Shippo started to get angry. "Wait, of course you can't save her. You're nothing but a stupid half-breed!" He hit Inu-Yasha, his tiny fists pounding ineffectively. Finally, he scampered off into the woods.
"Shippo…" Kagome started to go after the kitsune.
"No, leave him alone." Everyone turned and looked at Inu-Yasha's slumped form. "He needs some time to himself…" He looked up, and Kagome was shocked to see tears running down his cheeks.
"Oh, Inu-Yasha," she whispered, then her own eyes began to overflow. "Inu- Yasha!" She ran into his arms and he held her, rocking back and forth.
*~Flashback~*
"Inu-Yasha, could you please go out and get me some food from the garden?"
"Okay, okaa-san!" Inu-Yasha, no more than seven years old, went out to the vegetable garden to pick some food for his mother. "Hmm…let's see. If I pick some tomatoes, maybe she'll make some of her soup!" Cheerfully and eagerly, the young hanyou picked out his favorites from the garden. When he picked all that he could carry, he set off back towards his home.
He pushed open the door. "Okaa-san, I have the food for you!" He stopped in horror at the carnage around him. Blood had been splashed around the room as if there had been a struggle. He ran, terrified, out of the small house and to the home of his friend and mentor, Kenji.
"Kenji-san!" he cried, praying that the man was home. "Okaa-san is gone and the house is all bloody! Come on!"
The aging man got up out of his chair and followed the pup. When they reached Inu-Yasha's home, he stopped and closed his eyes.
"Kenji-san? What's wrong?"
"Sesshoumaru…" Kenji whispered. He retrieved his bow and arrows. "Inu- Yasha, you stay in my house until I come back?
~*A week later*~
"Are you back yet?" The small hanyou tentatively pushed open the door. "Kenji-san?" What he saw was worse than last week – than anything he could imagine!
There, in the middle of the floor, were the bloody corpses of the only two people who accepted him. Standing between them stood a boy who appeared to be about five years older than Inu-Yasha. He turned and smiled, but it was a cold smile, not comforting at all. "You're my little brother, aren't you?" Inu-Yasha just stood there, paralyzed with fear. "I am Sesshoumaru, a *full* youkai. Maybe I'll send you to destroy that disgusting mortal bitch who bore you…" He kicked Inu-Yasha's mother's body lightly. He lifted up a clawed hand, then swung it down towards the small hanyou. Inu- Yasha flinched, and Sesshoumaru's hand stopped suddenly. "No…" he said, musing. "There is no amusement in killing something as you and pathetic as you. I'll wait a few years. *Then* I'll have my fun!" He whirled out of the room, laughing.
Inu-Yasha collapsed to his knees in a combination of relief and grief. "Okaa-san…Kenji-san…" he sobbed, crying late into the night.
~*End Flashback*~
Inu-Yasha knelt, shaking from withheld tears. His head was lowered so nobody could see his expression, but his feelings were obvious. "Inu- Yasha…" Kagome said. The hanyou just stood, not appearing to have heard his girlfriend's words.
"I'll go find Shippo. You two can just go to sleep." And with that, he walked away, leaving the two humans staring after him.