Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha, nor do I own any of the characters
in this fic!!
Replies on Reviews:
Hana Song: Thank you very much for your review and for reminding me to allow anonymous readers!!
My-Name-is-Spoken: Thank you very very much for your reviews!! I have corrected the mistakes I made in this chapter, thanks for telling me ^-^!
Italic: thoughts
-- --: locations
' ': spoken words
~*~*~*~*~: time gap
THE LIFE OF A SONG-MAIDEN
-by Kittymui-
A castle and a gift
Nooo!!! Kagome's mind screamed as she woke up. Sweat drops rolled on her
forehead as she sat up. Kikyou onee-sama... Eh? It was a nightmare... She
looked around and found herself in a bedroom.
The room was decorated with beautiful furniture; all azure colored and corners were coated with silver. The room also had a large balcony. Where... Then she remembered being saved by a certain dog-youkai and being carried by a white dragon to the castle where she was heading.
My ankle... She thought while looking at her well-bandaged ankle, which didn't hurt anymore.
When she realized she was still dressed in her ragged and dirty miko clothes and her face still covered with mud, someone knocked at the door.
Since she couldn't tell the person to come in, she silently waited till the door opened. A person entered the room. 'Ah, you're awake.' The person said.
Then Kagome recognized this person. Sesshoumaru. She looked at him as he approached the bed where Kagome was sitting on.
He stopped when he was about 1 meter away from her; he looked down at Kagome. 'You have slept for 2 days already.'
He looked at her clothes. 'I shall have someone prepare a bath and new clothes for you to wear. Other things are present in this room.'
When he turned to walk away, Kagome quickly grabbed his sleeve, causing him to stop and turn around. 'What is it?' he asked coldly, but was surprised to see the gentle smile on Kagome's face.
'Y-you're welcome...' he responded gentler. I guess this is the only I can show him that I'm grateful Kagome thought while releasing her grip. And Sesshoumaru slowly walked out of the room, leaving the door open.
How is it that she doesn't talk? Why is there sadness to be seen in her eyes? She smiled at me...thanking me for saving her? Sesshoumaru pondered as he walked down the hall but then shook his head. Why do I care...
-- Back in Kagome's bedroom --
After watching Sesshoumaru leave, Kagome got out of bed and walked to the balcony. The landscape that she saw was terrible, too terrible for words.
The sky was filled with thick dark clouds, no sun could be seen and all the lakes and rivers were dried out. Neither greens trees nor plants could be seen in the landscape as far as the eyes could reach. Tears almost filled her eyes when she saw this, until she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.
'This land is on the verge of dying.'
Kagome quickly turned around. A person was standing in the doorway; leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He looked a lot like Sesshoumaru.
He also had long silver hair, but unlike Sesshoumaru, this person didn't have a fluffy tail hanging over his shoulders. Instead, he had a pair of white dog-ears on his head. He was wearing a red haori with long sleeves over a red hakama. He looked rougher and less graceful than Sesshoumaru. But still good-looking in his own innocent way. Kagome thought as she kept staring at him.
[AN: A haori looks a bit like a wide jacket, you can wear it over a normal kimono. The haori is held closed with a braided cord tied in a decorative knot. In Inuyasha's case, he wears a red haori, made of Fire Rat's fur over a white juban (kind of looks like a kimono) and a red hakama. A hakama is an old Japanese part of clothing. It looks like a skirt, but it is really pants with wide pant legs. Some people tie the bottoms of the pant legs to thier ankles, and when thet do that, it looks a lot like Inuyasha's pants. Sesshoumaru also wears a haori (white) but with armor over it. As a matter of fact, Inuyasha isn't exactly wearing a haori, but in order not to confuse everybody, I'll just leave it at haori ^-^!]
'What are you staring at!' He yelled angrily, only to cover his embarrassment by her gaze. He started to walk towards her. 'And what the hell are you doing in my castle!!' He grabbed her wrist. 'You look like shit!' Kagome winced at the loud voice. 'And you even smell like...'
Surprised by his sudden stop, Kagome looked up. A shining tip of a sword was resting on his shoulder and pushing against his neck.
'I suggest you release her wrist and back off if you still want your head attached to your body, my dear brother.' a voice spoke behind him.
'Feh!' Inuyasha spat and released her wrist and walked to a wall nearby.
Kagome's gaze followed Inuyasha. B-brother? No wonder he looked like Sesshoumaru. Kagome's attention turned to Sesshoumaru, who was sheathing his sword and walking towards her.
'Your bath is ready, follow my servant and he will take you there.' Sesshoumaru clapped his hands and a servant appeared at the doorway. Kagome slightly nodded and followed the servant, leaving Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha behind.
'Since when do you care about humans?' Inuyasha asked mockingly.
'Ever since I had found out that she's wearing the Shikon no Tama.' Sesshoumaru answered.
'No way! That jewel disappeared a long time ago!! W-what does this mean?' Inuyasha was astonished after hearing this.
Sesshoumaru turned around and walked to the door. 'I do not know yet, but before that,' he looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha. 'you should learn how to treat her as a guest.' And he left the room.
'Keh! Whatever!' Inuyasha yelled after him and also left the room after a while.
~*~*~*~
This bath is really relaxing. Kagome thought while washing her hair. Too bad, there isn't any soap around.
Then Kagome suddenly remembered the good smelling plant she had put in her sleeves, to cover her human smell a little, when she was still in the forest.
Kagome stepped out of the bath and searched through her clothes. Ah! There it is! Kagome picked the petals and put it in the bath. Within second, the whole bathroom was filled with the fragrance of flowers and waterfalls.
~*~*~*~
When Kagome finished her bath, she dried her body and hair and walked back to her room. She put on the new clothes that were prepared for her. T-this is really beautiful. She watched herself in the mirror.
It was a light blue yukata with silver flowers embedded on it and it fitted her perfectly. While admiring her new clothes, she didn't notice someone standing at the doorway, his eyes locked on her.
T-this is the girl that I've saved? The beauty that was standing in front of the mirror amazed Sesshoumaru.
For one second he thought his heart was going to melt by the sight of Kagome. He quickly snapped out of his stare. 'You look really beautiful in that yukata.' He finally managed to say.
Kagome quickly turned to him. H-how long has he been standing there?? She slightly nodded and smiled.
Sesshoumaru approached her. 'Come with me, my little brother is waiting for you at the dining room.'
Kagome gave him a puzzled look.
'I guess you could say that he's regretting his rude appearance a while ago.' With that Sesshoumaru walked out of the room. A-an apology? Kagome wondered and followed him.
-- At the dining room --
What's taking her so long? Inuyasha was walking back and forth in the dining room.
'She has arrived.' Inuyasha turned to look at his brother, who gave him a death glare that warned him not to say anything rude again, and slowly left the dining room.
He could see her figure in the shadow after Sesshoumaru left. 'What are you standing there for?! I won't eat you, if that's what you're thinking.' he said, slightly annoyed.
Kagome hesitated before walking out of the shadow. She didn't dare to look up at his face, not after his reaction a while ago. If she had looked up, she would have been able to see the astonished look on his face.
God she's beautiful... Inuyasha thought and couldn't take his eyes off of Kagome.
The kimono fitted her perfectly with her dark hair and dark blue eyes.
Hate to admit it, but she smells really nice... this fragrance...I've smelled it before...a long time ago...b-but... 'The plant with this fragrance died a long time ago, along with the vegetation, where did you get this plant?' he suddenly asked. Kagome looked up but couldn't answer his question, she only gave him a puzzled look.
Inuyasha was annoyed. 'Look! You don't have to answer if you don't want to! Sheesh, you can tell me to shut up, you know.' he snarled. But then he noticed Kagome pointing at the throat and slightly shaking her head, sadness filled her eyes as she did that.
Then he understood what she was trying to make clear. 'Oh... you can't talk... I'm sorry.'
Kagome shook her head again and slightly smiled at him. Inuyasha felt guiltier than before as she saw her sad smile.
'I... euhm.' he stuttered and looked away. 'I'm also sorry for frightening you a while ago...it's just... that I get so angry sometimes when I think about what this world had become.'
Kagome was relieved that he wasn't angry at her. She smiled gently and gave him an I-forgive-you expression.
She's really kindhearted, but why do I see sadness in her eyes? He shook his head. It's none of my business.
'My name is Inuyasha, as you can see, I'm different than my brother. That's because I'm a hanyou. My father was a full youkai and my mother was human.'
He crossed his arms and stuck up his nose. 'I guess you won't be able to tell me your name huh? That's a pity...' he snorted.
Kagome looked at him. Am I really unable to tell him without my voice? W-wait...maybe I can try...Kagome thought and suddenly grabbed one of Inuyasha's hands with both her hands, causing him to widen his eyes. Inuyasha was surprised with her sudden action and slightly blushed.
'W-what are you...?' he stopped when he suddenly heard a voice in his head.
My name is Kagome, nice to meet you...Inuyasha! He looked at Kagome, even more surprised than before. 'N-nice to meet you, K-Kagome, was it? he stuttered. Kagome nodded and smiled happily at him.
Inuyasha's look softened. 'Why don't I show you around the castle?' he offered her his hand. 'You could easily get lost in this big place.' Kagome took his hand and nodded. And they both left the dining room together.
~*~*~*~
After a while, they've reached the weapon room.
'This is where we keep all other weapons except mine and my brother's.' Inuyasha explained as he opened the door.
Kagome entered the room and looked around until she saw a set of bow and quiver. She gently picked it up.
This is really beautiful. It was a bow made of dark Oakwood and the ends were connected with a silver string, the quiver was also made of the same material and at some places coated with silver decorations.
'You like it?' Inuyasha asked as he walked to Kagome's side.
Kagome looked at him and slightly nodded.
'You can have it if you want.' Inuyasha slightly smiled.
Kagome was surprised. Eh?! He must be kidding, this looks really expensive and rare.
'My mother made this bow and quiver for me.' He took the bow off of Kagome's hands and looked at it. 'You see this?' He pointed at the silver string. 'It's made from my silver hair when I was little.'
Inuyasha looked at the sword that hung around his waist. 'But I'm actually more attached to fangs and blades than bows and arrows.' He looked back at Kagome and put the bow in her hands. 'So if you really like it, you can have it. I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind that.'
Inuyasha felt something warm touching his hands, when he looked down he saw Kagome's hands holding his'. Arigatou, I will treasure this. Kagome released his hand and held the bow against her chest. Before she could see him blushing, he quickly turned around. 'Y-you're welcome...'
Inuyasha looked at the hand that Kagome held. Her hands were really warm; really comforting. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a figure at the doorway. It was Sesshoumaru.
'Stupid brother, what are you taking a girl to a weapon room for.' he said after he noticed Kagome in the room.
'I see that you have properly apologized to her, haven't you?' he looked at Kagome.
'And have you also found out what her name is?' he asked as he approached Kagome.
Inuyasha quickly stood in front of Kagome. 'Her name is Kagome. And if you don't mind, we're going to continue the tour in the castle!' He turned to Kagome, who was surprised to see him so protective towards her. She looked at Sesshoumaru and then at Inuyasha and slightly nodded.
Suddenly the whole castle began to shake heavily, as if there was a huge earthquake.
Kagome lost her balance and fell on the ground. Just before she actually hit the ground, she felt two strong arms embracing her.
When she looked up, she found herself in Inuyasha's arms and she was leaning onto his chest.
After a while, the castle stopped shaking. Inuyasha released his embrace. 'Kagome, are you okay?' She nodded.
"Earthquakes are very normal in this world, since it began to crumble.' Inuyasha explained.
Sesshoumaru walked to Inuyasha's side. 'I'm afraid this isn't an earthquake, Inuyasha, can't you smell them?'
Inuyasha sniffed the air and his expression immediately became serious. 'You're right.' He turned to Kagome. 'Stay here, Sesshoumaru and I will solve this.'
Before she could do anything, they had already left the room.
~*~*~*~
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were rushing through the halls towards the courtyard. 'What do you think it is?' Inuyasha asked while dashing. 'If I'm not mistaking, it's those Chimeras again.' he responded.
-- In the courtyard --
They have finally reached the courtyard. There were four Chimeras standing in the courtyard, playing with the dead tree trunks until they noticed the brothers approaching them.
'Hah! So you've finally showed up.' one of the Chimeras said with a smirk. 'Amazing earthquake huh?'
Inuyasha growled. 'Feh! Your mother never taught you any manners? Didn't she tell you not to go into a stranger's house?' he shouted.
'You shut up, hanyou. We didn't ask you anything,' another Chimera roared.
'We had come to claim something what your brother had taken from us.' A bigger Chimera stepped forward. 'You see, we had found a human girl first, but he had to take her from us.' He bared his fangs. 'And nobody takes something away from the Chimera brothers.'
Sesshoumaru stepped forward. 'I guess you have forgotten whom this castle belongs to.' he said with a calm voice. 'If you want the girl, you'll have to kill me first!!' Sesshoumaru unsheathed his sword and was ready to attack. Inuyasha also unsheathed his Tetsusaiga.
[AN: No Tenseiga for Sesshoumaru, only his Toukijin (for those who doesn't know, it's another powerful sword).]
The fight had begun. Inuyasha finally succeeded in killing one of the four demons with his Kaze no Kizu. But three was still a bit much for both of them.
[AN: Here comes my explanation of this kind of youkai's ^-^:]
Chimeras are very strong youkai's. They are huge beasts with 3 heads, one of an eagle, one of a snake and one of a dragon. Each head had its own elemental breath-attack: ice, poison and fire, respectively. *I have seen them in Final Fantasy 8, but I can't really remember the exact features so I used a bit of my imaginations ^-^* They have bodies that look like a crossbreed between a lion and an eagle, with four legs and wings. The head of an eagle is always the one talking, the other two only attacks.
[End of explanation.]
~*~*~*~
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru became very exhausted after a long fight.
'Die! Hanyou!!' the Chimera shouted as it breathed a huge ice storm at Inuyasha. He jumped away, but couldn't dodge it completely and his left arm and leg were frozen as he landed back on the ground.
'Chikusou!!' Inuyasha gritted his teeth. 'I can't dodge the next attack like this!'
At the same time, Inuyasha saw his brother being smashed against a wall. 'Dammit, I have underestimated you!' Sesshoumaru groaned as he tried to get back on his feet, with his sword as his support.
Blood was coming from the corner of his mouth.
'Hehehe, I'll be famous if I showed your head to the youkai's of the forest.' the biggest Chimera laughed.
It suddenly pounced at Sesshoumaru, forcing him to fall on his back to the ground. 'There is no escape now, Sesshoumaru, now prepare to die!!' the Chimera raised its huge claw.
Damn, I can't believe I'm going to lost to this low-life Sesshoumaru cursed himself and closed his eyes to wait for his end.
'Sesshoumaru!!' Inuyasha shouted, but he didn't have the time to worry about him right now. His own life was also in danger as he saw the Chimera dashing towards him. Damn, I can't let them get to Kagome, but... He looked at his frozen arms and leg. Chikusou... chikusou!!! Inuyasha closed his eyes. Kagome...
Both Sesshoumaru's and Inuyasha's eyes shot open when they suddenly heard the loud cry of the Chimeras.
Two streaks of light appeared out of nowhere and drilled the bodies of the Chimeras. When the lights faded, two arrows appeared on the spots where the streaks of light had hit.
These are... Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha thought at the same time and their gaze followed the origin of the streaks of light. Their eyes widened when they saw the person standing on the balcony.
Black hair dancing in the wind; a pair of dark blue eyes filled with determination; a dark bow in one hand and the other preparing another arrow.
Kagome...??? Inuyasha was surprised. How did she... Sesshoumaru wondered at the same time but their thoughts were soon cut off by the roar of the remaining Chimera.
'You bitch!! How dare you kill my brothers!! You will pay for this!!' the youkai shouted and its snakehead breathed a huge poisonous storm at Kagome.
Without much effort, Kagome shot an arrow at the poison, causing it to split in two and dissolve in the air.
'Cocky aren't we?' the Chimera said with a smirk. 'How about this!' And it breathed all three elemental attacks simultaneously, causing a huge antipode storm [AN: got this from the game called Chrono trigger, I don't own it!!].
Kagome was shocked to see such huge power. I-I can't move...my legs...somebody... help me!!
'Kagome!!' Inuyasha shouted as he broke the ice on his arm and leg with his Tetsusaiga and jumped on the balcony, landing between the storm and Kagome.
'Stay behind me!' Inuyasha stood protectively in front of Kagome with Tetsusaiga in his hands; ready to counterattack.
'Eat this!! Kaze no Kizu!!' Inuyasha swung his Tetsusaiga at the storm and huge blades of light appeared and flew towards it.
'What the...!!' Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw that his Kaze no Kizu cut through the storm. It didn't stop the attack?!
Very exciting huh? What will happen to Inuyasha and Kagome? Will they survive the huge antipode storm? Look forward to the next chapter ^-^.
Next chapter: The requiem of Life
Vocabulary:
Youkai: Demon
Arigatou: Thank you
Tetsusaiga: Sword used by Inuyasha, literally means 'Iron-Shattering-Fang'
Chikusou: Damn/Shit!
Kaze no Kizu: Special attack with Inuyasha's sword, Tetsusaiga, literally means 'Wind-of Wound' but it actually means the 'Wound of the Wind'.
Please review after reading ^-^!! Hope you like the story so far! If you don't review I will lose motivation to continue... so if you don't want the story to stop halfway... please review, neh??
Greets,
~Kittymui~
Posted: 20 June 2003
Last Edited: 24 June 2003
Replies on Reviews:
Hana Song: Thank you very much for your review and for reminding me to allow anonymous readers!!
My-Name-is-Spoken: Thank you very very much for your reviews!! I have corrected the mistakes I made in this chapter, thanks for telling me ^-^!
Italic: thoughts
-- --: locations
' ': spoken words
~*~*~*~*~: time gap
-by Kittymui-
A castle and a gift
The room was decorated with beautiful furniture; all azure colored and corners were coated with silver. The room also had a large balcony. Where... Then she remembered being saved by a certain dog-youkai and being carried by a white dragon to the castle where she was heading.
My ankle... She thought while looking at her well-bandaged ankle, which didn't hurt anymore.
When she realized she was still dressed in her ragged and dirty miko clothes and her face still covered with mud, someone knocked at the door.
Since she couldn't tell the person to come in, she silently waited till the door opened. A person entered the room. 'Ah, you're awake.' The person said.
Then Kagome recognized this person. Sesshoumaru. She looked at him as he approached the bed where Kagome was sitting on.
He stopped when he was about 1 meter away from her; he looked down at Kagome. 'You have slept for 2 days already.'
He looked at her clothes. 'I shall have someone prepare a bath and new clothes for you to wear. Other things are present in this room.'
When he turned to walk away, Kagome quickly grabbed his sleeve, causing him to stop and turn around. 'What is it?' he asked coldly, but was surprised to see the gentle smile on Kagome's face.
'Y-you're welcome...' he responded gentler. I guess this is the only I can show him that I'm grateful Kagome thought while releasing her grip. And Sesshoumaru slowly walked out of the room, leaving the door open.
How is it that she doesn't talk? Why is there sadness to be seen in her eyes? She smiled at me...thanking me for saving her? Sesshoumaru pondered as he walked down the hall but then shook his head. Why do I care...
-- Back in Kagome's bedroom --
After watching Sesshoumaru leave, Kagome got out of bed and walked to the balcony. The landscape that she saw was terrible, too terrible for words.
The sky was filled with thick dark clouds, no sun could be seen and all the lakes and rivers were dried out. Neither greens trees nor plants could be seen in the landscape as far as the eyes could reach. Tears almost filled her eyes when she saw this, until she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.
'This land is on the verge of dying.'
Kagome quickly turned around. A person was standing in the doorway; leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He looked a lot like Sesshoumaru.
He also had long silver hair, but unlike Sesshoumaru, this person didn't have a fluffy tail hanging over his shoulders. Instead, he had a pair of white dog-ears on his head. He was wearing a red haori with long sleeves over a red hakama. He looked rougher and less graceful than Sesshoumaru. But still good-looking in his own innocent way. Kagome thought as she kept staring at him.
[AN: A haori looks a bit like a wide jacket, you can wear it over a normal kimono. The haori is held closed with a braided cord tied in a decorative knot. In Inuyasha's case, he wears a red haori, made of Fire Rat's fur over a white juban (kind of looks like a kimono) and a red hakama. A hakama is an old Japanese part of clothing. It looks like a skirt, but it is really pants with wide pant legs. Some people tie the bottoms of the pant legs to thier ankles, and when thet do that, it looks a lot like Inuyasha's pants. Sesshoumaru also wears a haori (white) but with armor over it. As a matter of fact, Inuyasha isn't exactly wearing a haori, but in order not to confuse everybody, I'll just leave it at haori ^-^!]
'What are you staring at!' He yelled angrily, only to cover his embarrassment by her gaze. He started to walk towards her. 'And what the hell are you doing in my castle!!' He grabbed her wrist. 'You look like shit!' Kagome winced at the loud voice. 'And you even smell like...'
Surprised by his sudden stop, Kagome looked up. A shining tip of a sword was resting on his shoulder and pushing against his neck.
'I suggest you release her wrist and back off if you still want your head attached to your body, my dear brother.' a voice spoke behind him.
'Feh!' Inuyasha spat and released her wrist and walked to a wall nearby.
Kagome's gaze followed Inuyasha. B-brother? No wonder he looked like Sesshoumaru. Kagome's attention turned to Sesshoumaru, who was sheathing his sword and walking towards her.
'Your bath is ready, follow my servant and he will take you there.' Sesshoumaru clapped his hands and a servant appeared at the doorway. Kagome slightly nodded and followed the servant, leaving Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha behind.
'Since when do you care about humans?' Inuyasha asked mockingly.
'Ever since I had found out that she's wearing the Shikon no Tama.' Sesshoumaru answered.
'No way! That jewel disappeared a long time ago!! W-what does this mean?' Inuyasha was astonished after hearing this.
Sesshoumaru turned around and walked to the door. 'I do not know yet, but before that,' he looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha. 'you should learn how to treat her as a guest.' And he left the room.
'Keh! Whatever!' Inuyasha yelled after him and also left the room after a while.
~*~*~*~
This bath is really relaxing. Kagome thought while washing her hair. Too bad, there isn't any soap around.
Then Kagome suddenly remembered the good smelling plant she had put in her sleeves, to cover her human smell a little, when she was still in the forest.
Kagome stepped out of the bath and searched through her clothes. Ah! There it is! Kagome picked the petals and put it in the bath. Within second, the whole bathroom was filled with the fragrance of flowers and waterfalls.
~*~*~*~
When Kagome finished her bath, she dried her body and hair and walked back to her room. She put on the new clothes that were prepared for her. T-this is really beautiful. She watched herself in the mirror.
It was a light blue yukata with silver flowers embedded on it and it fitted her perfectly. While admiring her new clothes, she didn't notice someone standing at the doorway, his eyes locked on her.
T-this is the girl that I've saved? The beauty that was standing in front of the mirror amazed Sesshoumaru.
For one second he thought his heart was going to melt by the sight of Kagome. He quickly snapped out of his stare. 'You look really beautiful in that yukata.' He finally managed to say.
Kagome quickly turned to him. H-how long has he been standing there?? She slightly nodded and smiled.
Sesshoumaru approached her. 'Come with me, my little brother is waiting for you at the dining room.'
Kagome gave him a puzzled look.
'I guess you could say that he's regretting his rude appearance a while ago.' With that Sesshoumaru walked out of the room. A-an apology? Kagome wondered and followed him.
-- At the dining room --
What's taking her so long? Inuyasha was walking back and forth in the dining room.
'She has arrived.' Inuyasha turned to look at his brother, who gave him a death glare that warned him not to say anything rude again, and slowly left the dining room.
He could see her figure in the shadow after Sesshoumaru left. 'What are you standing there for?! I won't eat you, if that's what you're thinking.' he said, slightly annoyed.
Kagome hesitated before walking out of the shadow. She didn't dare to look up at his face, not after his reaction a while ago. If she had looked up, she would have been able to see the astonished look on his face.
God she's beautiful... Inuyasha thought and couldn't take his eyes off of Kagome.
The kimono fitted her perfectly with her dark hair and dark blue eyes.
Hate to admit it, but she smells really nice... this fragrance...I've smelled it before...a long time ago...b-but... 'The plant with this fragrance died a long time ago, along with the vegetation, where did you get this plant?' he suddenly asked. Kagome looked up but couldn't answer his question, she only gave him a puzzled look.
Inuyasha was annoyed. 'Look! You don't have to answer if you don't want to! Sheesh, you can tell me to shut up, you know.' he snarled. But then he noticed Kagome pointing at the throat and slightly shaking her head, sadness filled her eyes as she did that.
Then he understood what she was trying to make clear. 'Oh... you can't talk... I'm sorry.'
Kagome shook her head again and slightly smiled at him. Inuyasha felt guiltier than before as she saw her sad smile.
'I... euhm.' he stuttered and looked away. 'I'm also sorry for frightening you a while ago...it's just... that I get so angry sometimes when I think about what this world had become.'
Kagome was relieved that he wasn't angry at her. She smiled gently and gave him an I-forgive-you expression.
She's really kindhearted, but why do I see sadness in her eyes? He shook his head. It's none of my business.
'My name is Inuyasha, as you can see, I'm different than my brother. That's because I'm a hanyou. My father was a full youkai and my mother was human.'
He crossed his arms and stuck up his nose. 'I guess you won't be able to tell me your name huh? That's a pity...' he snorted.
Kagome looked at him. Am I really unable to tell him without my voice? W-wait...maybe I can try...Kagome thought and suddenly grabbed one of Inuyasha's hands with both her hands, causing him to widen his eyes. Inuyasha was surprised with her sudden action and slightly blushed.
'W-what are you...?' he stopped when he suddenly heard a voice in his head.
My name is Kagome, nice to meet you...Inuyasha! He looked at Kagome, even more surprised than before. 'N-nice to meet you, K-Kagome, was it? he stuttered. Kagome nodded and smiled happily at him.
Inuyasha's look softened. 'Why don't I show you around the castle?' he offered her his hand. 'You could easily get lost in this big place.' Kagome took his hand and nodded. And they both left the dining room together.
~*~*~*~
After a while, they've reached the weapon room.
'This is where we keep all other weapons except mine and my brother's.' Inuyasha explained as he opened the door.
Kagome entered the room and looked around until she saw a set of bow and quiver. She gently picked it up.
This is really beautiful. It was a bow made of dark Oakwood and the ends were connected with a silver string, the quiver was also made of the same material and at some places coated with silver decorations.
'You like it?' Inuyasha asked as he walked to Kagome's side.
Kagome looked at him and slightly nodded.
'You can have it if you want.' Inuyasha slightly smiled.
Kagome was surprised. Eh?! He must be kidding, this looks really expensive and rare.
'My mother made this bow and quiver for me.' He took the bow off of Kagome's hands and looked at it. 'You see this?' He pointed at the silver string. 'It's made from my silver hair when I was little.'
Inuyasha looked at the sword that hung around his waist. 'But I'm actually more attached to fangs and blades than bows and arrows.' He looked back at Kagome and put the bow in her hands. 'So if you really like it, you can have it. I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind that.'
Inuyasha felt something warm touching his hands, when he looked down he saw Kagome's hands holding his'. Arigatou, I will treasure this. Kagome released his hand and held the bow against her chest. Before she could see him blushing, he quickly turned around. 'Y-you're welcome...'
Inuyasha looked at the hand that Kagome held. Her hands were really warm; really comforting. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a figure at the doorway. It was Sesshoumaru.
'Stupid brother, what are you taking a girl to a weapon room for.' he said after he noticed Kagome in the room.
'I see that you have properly apologized to her, haven't you?' he looked at Kagome.
'And have you also found out what her name is?' he asked as he approached Kagome.
Inuyasha quickly stood in front of Kagome. 'Her name is Kagome. And if you don't mind, we're going to continue the tour in the castle!' He turned to Kagome, who was surprised to see him so protective towards her. She looked at Sesshoumaru and then at Inuyasha and slightly nodded.
Suddenly the whole castle began to shake heavily, as if there was a huge earthquake.
Kagome lost her balance and fell on the ground. Just before she actually hit the ground, she felt two strong arms embracing her.
When she looked up, she found herself in Inuyasha's arms and she was leaning onto his chest.
After a while, the castle stopped shaking. Inuyasha released his embrace. 'Kagome, are you okay?' She nodded.
"Earthquakes are very normal in this world, since it began to crumble.' Inuyasha explained.
Sesshoumaru walked to Inuyasha's side. 'I'm afraid this isn't an earthquake, Inuyasha, can't you smell them?'
Inuyasha sniffed the air and his expression immediately became serious. 'You're right.' He turned to Kagome. 'Stay here, Sesshoumaru and I will solve this.'
Before she could do anything, they had already left the room.
~*~*~*~
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were rushing through the halls towards the courtyard. 'What do you think it is?' Inuyasha asked while dashing. 'If I'm not mistaking, it's those Chimeras again.' he responded.
-- In the courtyard --
They have finally reached the courtyard. There were four Chimeras standing in the courtyard, playing with the dead tree trunks until they noticed the brothers approaching them.
'Hah! So you've finally showed up.' one of the Chimeras said with a smirk. 'Amazing earthquake huh?'
Inuyasha growled. 'Feh! Your mother never taught you any manners? Didn't she tell you not to go into a stranger's house?' he shouted.
'You shut up, hanyou. We didn't ask you anything,' another Chimera roared.
'We had come to claim something what your brother had taken from us.' A bigger Chimera stepped forward. 'You see, we had found a human girl first, but he had to take her from us.' He bared his fangs. 'And nobody takes something away from the Chimera brothers.'
Sesshoumaru stepped forward. 'I guess you have forgotten whom this castle belongs to.' he said with a calm voice. 'If you want the girl, you'll have to kill me first!!' Sesshoumaru unsheathed his sword and was ready to attack. Inuyasha also unsheathed his Tetsusaiga.
[AN: No Tenseiga for Sesshoumaru, only his Toukijin (for those who doesn't know, it's another powerful sword).]
The fight had begun. Inuyasha finally succeeded in killing one of the four demons with his Kaze no Kizu. But three was still a bit much for both of them.
[AN: Here comes my explanation of this kind of youkai's ^-^:]
Chimeras are very strong youkai's. They are huge beasts with 3 heads, one of an eagle, one of a snake and one of a dragon. Each head had its own elemental breath-attack: ice, poison and fire, respectively. *I have seen them in Final Fantasy 8, but I can't really remember the exact features so I used a bit of my imaginations ^-^* They have bodies that look like a crossbreed between a lion and an eagle, with four legs and wings. The head of an eagle is always the one talking, the other two only attacks.
[End of explanation.]
~*~*~*~
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru became very exhausted after a long fight.
'Die! Hanyou!!' the Chimera shouted as it breathed a huge ice storm at Inuyasha. He jumped away, but couldn't dodge it completely and his left arm and leg were frozen as he landed back on the ground.
'Chikusou!!' Inuyasha gritted his teeth. 'I can't dodge the next attack like this!'
At the same time, Inuyasha saw his brother being smashed against a wall. 'Dammit, I have underestimated you!' Sesshoumaru groaned as he tried to get back on his feet, with his sword as his support.
Blood was coming from the corner of his mouth.
'Hehehe, I'll be famous if I showed your head to the youkai's of the forest.' the biggest Chimera laughed.
It suddenly pounced at Sesshoumaru, forcing him to fall on his back to the ground. 'There is no escape now, Sesshoumaru, now prepare to die!!' the Chimera raised its huge claw.
Damn, I can't believe I'm going to lost to this low-life Sesshoumaru cursed himself and closed his eyes to wait for his end.
'Sesshoumaru!!' Inuyasha shouted, but he didn't have the time to worry about him right now. His own life was also in danger as he saw the Chimera dashing towards him. Damn, I can't let them get to Kagome, but... He looked at his frozen arms and leg. Chikusou... chikusou!!! Inuyasha closed his eyes. Kagome...
Both Sesshoumaru's and Inuyasha's eyes shot open when they suddenly heard the loud cry of the Chimeras.
Two streaks of light appeared out of nowhere and drilled the bodies of the Chimeras. When the lights faded, two arrows appeared on the spots where the streaks of light had hit.
These are... Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha thought at the same time and their gaze followed the origin of the streaks of light. Their eyes widened when they saw the person standing on the balcony.
Black hair dancing in the wind; a pair of dark blue eyes filled with determination; a dark bow in one hand and the other preparing another arrow.
Kagome...??? Inuyasha was surprised. How did she... Sesshoumaru wondered at the same time but their thoughts were soon cut off by the roar of the remaining Chimera.
'You bitch!! How dare you kill my brothers!! You will pay for this!!' the youkai shouted and its snakehead breathed a huge poisonous storm at Kagome.
Without much effort, Kagome shot an arrow at the poison, causing it to split in two and dissolve in the air.
'Cocky aren't we?' the Chimera said with a smirk. 'How about this!' And it breathed all three elemental attacks simultaneously, causing a huge antipode storm [AN: got this from the game called Chrono trigger, I don't own it!!].
Kagome was shocked to see such huge power. I-I can't move...my legs...somebody... help me!!
'Kagome!!' Inuyasha shouted as he broke the ice on his arm and leg with his Tetsusaiga and jumped on the balcony, landing between the storm and Kagome.
'Stay behind me!' Inuyasha stood protectively in front of Kagome with Tetsusaiga in his hands; ready to counterattack.
'Eat this!! Kaze no Kizu!!' Inuyasha swung his Tetsusaiga at the storm and huge blades of light appeared and flew towards it.
'What the...!!' Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw that his Kaze no Kizu cut through the storm. It didn't stop the attack?!
Very exciting huh? What will happen to Inuyasha and Kagome? Will they survive the huge antipode storm? Look forward to the next chapter ^-^.
Next chapter: The requiem of Life
Vocabulary:
Youkai: Demon
Arigatou: Thank you
Tetsusaiga: Sword used by Inuyasha, literally means 'Iron-Shattering-Fang'
Chikusou: Damn/Shit!
Kaze no Kizu: Special attack with Inuyasha's sword, Tetsusaiga, literally means 'Wind-of Wound' but it actually means the 'Wound of the Wind'.
Please review after reading ^-^!! Hope you like the story so far! If you don't review I will lose motivation to continue... so if you don't want the story to stop halfway... please review, neh??
Greets,
~Kittymui~
Posted: 20 June 2003
Last Edited: 24 June 2003
