Wind's Nocturne by Charlene

Part One: Summoned

Standard disclaimers apply

Kagura. My heart stopped for a moment. I could never get used to this, when Naraku would summon me through my heart in his hands, with his wintry voice like a stab in my chest. Shaken, I quickly arose, smoothing down the folds of my kimono and surreptitiously adjusting my feathered hair ornaments.

The day had so far been very quiet and uneventful. I had spent the morning—if this hell on earth could be said to run on time—in my room. Kanna was nowhere to be seen, as always, and that boy…Kohaku? He was duller than anything I had ever encountered. I thought it was strange how, even after all his memories were erased, he remained silent and unresponsive to even the kindest remark. For Naraku did not bother to control him when he did not need to. He was going to be relocated away from the fortress soon, I heard, and I suppose I was in a little way disappointed. He was the only other being in this place who had once been human after all, and emotion-oriented thoughts and actions were not something one could easily find here.

I glanced idly out of the window to check for any disturbances, or a reason why Naraku, after two weeks of silence, suddenly wanted me. Nothing. No, not nothing. The intensity and heaviness of Naraku's dark kekkai bore down upon the place like a giant belly of doom. Not a normal living thing could venture forth without being repelled rather nastily by the protective barrier, and, if they could, by some trick of magic, work their way past that, the poisonous air would ensure they did not last long enough to catch even a glimpse of the fortress' overbearing walls.

Deciding not to idle too long, I made my way tensely through the winding corridors swathed in darkness. As I walked, I realized I could sense Kanna's presence in Naraku's room. Ah, that's right. She had her mirror and Naraku, being nothing but a crippled coward who sat in the shadows behind his puppets and detachments, had to keep up with what was happening outside.

Inuyasha…I wonder when he will become strong enough to defeat this foe?

"Kagura."

Naraku's gaze was like ice, staring right into me, as if he could see everything within—all the wicked thoughts of betrayal I had been harbouring for the longest time. This flustered and angered me. Kanna sat in front of him, holding up her mirror which was reflecting scenes of the outside world. Naraku stared, and smiled a most provocative smile for a moment.

"Naraku. What do you want? Has something happened?"

"No." He closed his eyes. "But rest assured, a lot will come to pass very soon. Now, find Sesshoumaru's followers and take the girl. Kohaku waits nearby, fetch him and take them both to the mountains northeast of here. Leave them there, and return." As he spoke, Kanna's mirror shimmered and flashed, and she turned it in my direction so I could see Sesshoumaru's repulsive toad follower, and a little human girl in a squash patch, plucking squashes under the bright moon.

"Go. Now."

Quite suddenly, a gurgle escaped his throat and the room stood still. There was something…inside him? Directly, his eyes opened and I was stunned to see them a bright predatory yellow—the pupils reduced to slits, much like those of reptilians. For a split second, his entire countenance changed. His skin turned a clammy sick green, and his face was riddled with bulging veins and bumps. His limbs were no longer limbs, but a mass of gurgling green flesh, bubbling like melting solid. And when the moment had passed, he was himself again, grinning ferally as if pleased that I had witnessed the horrendous transformation.

It had passed, but the horror lingered in the room like an overpowering stink.

I swept out of the room hurriedly, drawing my feather from my hair as I did, ready to leave immediately. With Naraku, no questions were asked. If you were lucky, he was in a rare conversational mood and would casually mention some things, which you then had to piece together later.

Besides, I had witnessed the disassembling and reassembling of the youkai parts within himself some weeks back. Just…it had never quite reached his facial features this way. I shook the image from my mind, shuddering to think any deeper into it.

Getting the child was a cinch. Jaken was the usual pushover to deal with, and I had her in a moment, unconscious from the violence and suddenness of the attack. Wind was a very powerful thing, really. It was air, and air surrounded us all. And I was glad for my power, my given element, because it was so convenient and so…feminine.

She was very small, maybe five or six, but she had dainty features rare in a child of such a young age. Rin, Jaken had called her. A pretty, cute little thing, but nonetheless, powerless and still simply a human child. What was such a useless being travelling with Sesshoumaru for? And he despised humans too, or so he said. Well well, it seemed that things really weren't what they seemed.

I saw Kohaku with his odd, chained claw-shaped weapon standing by a river, staring into its depths. "Kohaku," I called, as I landed the feather by him. He did not respond for a few moments, then turned slowly around. His eyes were oddly blank, but not without the glint of human life in them. He wasn't being controlled.

What on earth was making him act this way? His memories were gone, all he had left was a blank meaningless existence before him which was, in his case, a most fortunate thing. He was told what to do, and there was no reason not to follow. There shouldn't be such conflicting, unsettled emotions within him.

"I'm here to fetch you to the mountains, as Naraku ordered," I explained, in an almost soothing voice. For some strange reason I could not fathom, I didn't want to upset or disturb him. I thought he was…pitiful.

He had turned back to the stream, and I was wary of what he was going to do next.

"I can see dead faces in blood," he stated emotionlessly. "All the time, but never so clearly as when I'm looking in water. It's like a pool of tears I peer into. I think they might be my tears, but I'm not sure."

My breath caught in my chest. He still had the images in his mind! Were they so deeply ingrained in him that they could not be erased, even with Naraku's immense power? I thought how utterly disturbing this was, even to me.

"My sist—AAGHH!" His yell echoed in the trees around us. Clutching his head as if it were about to crack, he fell onto his knees in the grass. Frightened, I stepped off the feather and took a hesitant step towards him. I needed to take him to the mountains, but if he was like this—

Almost abruptly, he stood up again. His arms dropped back limply to his sides, and he turned to face me. The gaze held raw but muted fear, which then faded into balefulness and finally, it all seemed to swim back into focus. Well, it was some semblance of focus I suppose, but I couldn't really explain to what extent of consciousness his mind functioned upon. Before I could say a word, he stepped onto the feather, waiting for me to get back on too.

Notes: I'm sorry, the real plot hasn't come out yet. I have a lot planned for this fic as a series, and I think I will take it one chapter at a time. If you spot any inconsistencies with the anime, please inform me. For eg. if Kagura had actually seen Rin with Sesshoumaru before, or if the anime timeline is messed up. (From what I remember, it's Kagura's attempt to betray Naraku, her witnessing his true youkai forms, Musou, and finally the great battle in episode 81.) It will be much appreciated.