Wind's Nocturne by Charlene Part Two: Reflections Standard disclaimers apply "Why are you here? Why aren't you with that man?" My voice rang clearly in the large empty room, almost seeming to even reverberate on its dark dank walls. Her shadow paused at the doorway. The little girl—for I could not help thinking of her thus, even though she might have been a thousand year old youkai for all I knew, stepped into the room quietly, shimmering as she did. Light seemed to emanate off of her in tender little filaments and, if one ignored the ominous setting, and that pair of frighteningly inhuman eyes, one might almost think she were an angel. "Naraku asked to be alone for the time being," she answered, her statement brief and direct, at odds with her tiny child's voice. I looked up with slight interest. It was not very often that Naraku went without Kanna's handy mirror. He made sure he kept up with the times—waiting, I was sure, for some opportunity, some crack in Inuyasha and his surroundings, so he could pounce just when the time was right. "Has anything significant been happening at Inuyasha's?" I asked sarcastically, letting a provoking smirk slip upon my lips. There had always been something in Kanna's countenance that irritated me to no end. I could never put my finger upon it, but it seemed as though she despised me for being as passionate as I was about some things—or, well, passionate at all. But her serene nature did not allow her to put it across, so the condescension ended up a muted, hidden thing, a thing that showed up clearly to me in her mockingly gentle words. Unruffled, as always, she shook her head slightly, never letting her gaze leave me, then resumed her grave, blank stare. "Can't you go a minute without letting that façade down?" I muttered bitterly, somewhat to myself, not really expecting her to answer such a personal question. I was tired with being the only human in these parts, tired with the silence's judgement of my anger as being a storm in a teacup and nothing more. "It is not a façade. Kagura, you should be this way too." I glanced up. Her face hadn't quite changed, but I thought I could sense pity in her voice if I listened hard enough. One could never really tell with Kanna. Her voice was so emotionless it could mean almost anything you wanted it to imply. "But I'm not. I wonder why…" I sighed heavily. Her unwavering gaze bore through me for some moments more, until she finally said enigmatically, "Something is holding you back. In your past, Kagura. You were never always the wind user you are now. All of us are Naraku's tools now, but we were once living. We once existed." We once existed. Once. We existed. "K-Kagura-san?" I felt the gentle tug at my kimono sleeve, and jerked up, realizing to my horror that I had allowed my thoughts to drift from the present. The boy, Kohaku, he glanced up at me with what seemed like a tinge of polite concern, and said, "We're past the area. We have to go back." Cursing angrily to myself, I turned the feather around and headed back for where the little shrine-like building stood, ringed by mountains. I could see it now, a lone construction of no particular importance. I wondered what Naraku had up his sleeve this time. The sense that the building was another of Naraku's creations, for the scent of a mild kekkai just strong enough to keep random nosy youkai away lay in the air, erased all doubts and I began to land the feather. I left Kohaku and the girl in the room, then mounted the feather and flew to return. As I lifted up in the air though, a monstrous stench suddenly pervaded the air. The smell of youkai, several of them. I glanced back at the building, bewildered, and then saw them. About twenty of them, ugly, revolting creatures, poured down from the sky to surround the building with beastly protective snarls. When I smelled Naraku on them, I frowned, but turned back to go. Naraku was probably observing me from the mirror, and I didn't want to give him any idea that I was interested in deciphering his plans. The air was hot, and it was a sultry evening with barely a breeze. The stillness of things was unsettling, and I was certain something was about to happen. Naraku was putting something into action very soon, and if things were to get messy, my chance to escape might just arrive. I began to allow my mind to turn back idly upon my previous reverie. That had happened some time back, a week or two I believe. I thought that Kanna's words made a lot of sense, too much for comfort actually. I wondered if my past had anything to do with the inexplicable bouts of sadness and—other things, of late. Most probably. How disturbing. That I was afraid to face my past wasn't anything new to me. Both irritated and reluctant, I turned my thoughts to the future. I had often reflected upon what I would do with my future, if I ever did get one. I…wanted to be among humans for some time. I knew I could never be one of them. But I had often seen how they shared love among them, and how they became angry and sad, and oh so many things at a time. They were complex creatures, no matter how low they were on the food chain, and how powerless they appeared. I thought that I might even want to see how love felt like. Kanna would surely disapprove. My face almost cracked into a grin when I thought of that. And when I thought how appealing it would all be, to have Kanna as expressive as that girl the Inuyasha kept around him, and Naraku just like that unbelievably rash dog demon, I really wanted to laugh out loud. I sailed over and around Naraku's formidable kekkai, then dove in, willing it to accept me for the flesh that was both mine and his. The minute I entered, I knew it was too quiet. At all times of the day there would be the usual crackle of Naraku's jaki, his reigning claim of dominance over his terrain. Something was surely happening. My heart leapt. Was he reassembling his youkai body parts again? Kagura. I nearly fell off the feather when his voice echoed from the very depths of my own chest. He wanted me. For what, I knew not. But, like a dog that must obey his master's call, I prepared to land the feather and face his grotesque form once again. Notes: This was a tad rushed. I am a week away from graduation exams, so. ^^; Edits will come later.
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