Well, here's another chapter. I honestly have nothing better to do than to write. I'm not saying that writing is bad though, I'm just saying that I have nothing else to do in my life, like interact with other people…oh well. Maybe I am quite pathetic.
Disclaimer: How many times must I tell you? I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this. It's not that hard to put two and two together, ya know. Come on people, use your brains! (like I'm the one to talk-_-). But hey, no one reads disclaimers, right…right? Uh…see ya!
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*Is it possible to change your fate? I don't know. Sometimes, perhaps, but then again, it might be destiny, not fate. No one knows. That's why people wonder. Many would have quit by now. You can't understand fate or destiny, or they way the world works. What if you could save someone from dying at their expected time. If by giving them more of their life, do you lose a little of your own? Do you shorten your own life by saving another's? Nobody knows. That's the point. We aren't meant to think of things like that. Fate and destiny have their own systems, and we will have to abide by them…well, until we find a slip in fate. Then you never know what might happen.*
"Oi, Yume," said Cycil. She was standing in the shadows of the dark and empty room. Yume's eyes snapped open and she looked forward, recognizing the voice instantly.
"Nani, Cycil?" she asked with little question in her voice.
"Yume. What did you want with me?"
"I have a job for you."
"Oh? Ittai?"
"Hai."
"Well then, what is it?"
"I believe you already know."
"Why do you have such an interest in them?"
"She won't answer you," said Siria, stepping out of the shadows. Cycil refused to remove herself from the darkness, but she watched as Siria walked up to the throne that Yume resided on.
"Then at least tell me what you want me to do. I don't care why you want it done, I'll just do it."
"That's good. Then I want you to…"
******
After bidding their farewells to the kind villagers, the Inuyasha group began their journey again, with smiles on their faces.
"I feel great!" announced Miroku.
"Good for you," retorted Inuyasha, uninterested. They walked for a while through the forest. They weren't sure where they were going and didn't really care either. There hadn't been any shards in the area, so they decided to head back towards where they had started. The sun was high in the sky and the trees were beautiful under the bright sun. Everything was beautiful in the area and Kagome made sure to take note of it all.
"Oi, wake up," said a man. The group stopped and turned to look at the source of the voice. It had come from the left. They all began to head over in that direction.
"Come on," said another man. They group eventually found out what all the commotion was about. There were three men, who seemed to be from the village. Two of them were sitting around the other one, who was unconscious on the ground.
"Wake up!" yelled the first one again.
"What's going on?" asked Kagome. The two men looked over at the strangers, instantly noticing Shippo and Inuyasha.
"Y-youkai!" they both screamed, but they weren't about to just run and leave their friend, so they just stayed, looking scared.
"Relax, we won't hurt you," said Kagome.
"What happened?" asked Sango, motioning towards the unconscious man. The two others looked down at their friend.
"We don't know," responded the first guy. Miroku stepped in.
"Onegai. Let me see him." The two men nodded. Miroku approached the unconscious man and bent down, looking over him. The man was deathly still. He placed his hand over the man's mouth and noticed that there wasn't any air escaping. This man was dead, and now he had to break it to the two village men.
"This man is dead," he said quite bluntly. The two village men looked shocked.
"But how?" asked the first one.
"He's the fifth one in the last 7 days."
"The fifth?" asked Kagome.
"Hai. More and more villagers are dying."
"What's the cause of it?" asked Sango.
"We don't know."
"It's probably just a youkai," said Inuyasha. "We can take care of it."
"I don't think a youkai did this," said Miroku. "This man has no wounds. There aren't any marks on his neck, so he wasn't choked either. He just…died."
"Is it a disease?" asked Shippo.
"He was fine yesterday," answered the second man. They all just stood in silence, trying to figure this out. Kagome then turned to look at Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha?" she questioned. He already knew what she was going to ask him.
"Look, unless it's a demon, there's really nothing we can do, now is there," he said. He didn't seem to care much about the situation. Kagome sighed. She had to admit, he was right. If it wasn't a demon, then there wasn't really anything they could do. "Ikuzo," said Inuyasha, turning around and walking off. Reluctantly, they all followed him, leaving the two men with their dead friend. Each of them had their own thoughts on this, but decided against voicing them. The group moved slowly through the forest. Overall, it would be a nice day.
******
"You understand, right?" asked Yume.
"Sou na," responded Cycil.
"Then leave and get to it. It's already night."
"Ittai?"
"Hai."
"Well then, ja ne, Yume." Cycil quickly bowed, getting down onto her right knee, then stood and walked away. Yume smiled. 'At least she has more respect than Siria…sometimes.'
"Siria," said Yume.
"Hai, danna?" she asked lamely.
"Follow her."
"Nani?"
"You heard me."
"Doushite?"
"You know how Cycil can be. Now do as you're told, Siria."
"Hai, hai, whatever you say, danna." Siria walked off, leaving Yume to her empty thoughts.
******
It had gotten quite late and the Inuyasha group had found a quiet area in the forest to set up camp. It was a peaceful night, the stars and moon shining brightly in the sky. They all sat around, eating their ramen. The campfire was burning brightly, illuminating the small area. The forest was very peaceful at night. Nothing disturbed the beautiful silence. Inuyasha was soon done with his ramen and then got seconds. He seemed content with the instant noodles. Kagome finished hers and then pulled out a book to read. Miroku was the next one done. He set his bowl down and then stood up.
"I'm going for a walk," he announced. He just received a quick glance from Inuyasha, who instantly went back to devouring the noodles left in his dish. Miroku turned around and walked away from the camp. It was a calm night, so he figured that a small walk would do him good. As he walked, something ahead of him caught his attention. There seemed to be a soft blue light emanating from a clearing up ahead. He walked a little faster, curious as to what it was. He eventually pushed past a few more trees and got to the small clearing. It was still shielded above by trees, but it was a clearing nonetheless. In the middle stood a girl. Her head was down, so Miroku couldn't see her face, but something about her seemed off. She had short, chin length, light orange hair. Her ears were slightly pointed, but not enough to notice. She had on a long sleeved, light blue shirt. The sleeves were wider at the end. Around each elbow was a sea green band. Her shirt was long, almost like a skirt combined with a shirt. A waistband divided the sections. On the band was a dark gray, diamond shaped stone. The band was the same color as the braces on her arms, and the choker around her neck. Under the skirt, she wore a pair of short pants, stopping at her knees. A pair of faded brown boots finished her attire.
"I've been waiting for you," she said, a smirk spreading across her face.
"For me?" asked Miroku. He gave his usual, confident smile. "And just who might you be?"
"My name is Cycil," she responded, still not lifting her head. "I knew you'd come out here."
"Oh? And how would you know something like that?"
"You'd be surprised," she responded coolly. Suddenly, a pair of light gray wings emerged from her back. She spread them as far as they would go and then slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of scarlet colored eyes. She still wore her smirk as she narrowed her eyes. Miroku seemed shocked as he stared at the girl in front of him.
"Are…you a youkai?"
"My, aren't you brilliant," she responded sarcastically. Miroku was now angry. He glared at Cycil, who just laughed. "Good. I'm glad you're mad. It'll make this more fun." She began to beat her wings and rose just barely off the ground. She then rushed at him, coming quicker than he could see. She punched him in the stomach and then spun around and kicked him in the back. Miroku went flying farther into the clearing. He rolled a few feet and then slowly pushed himself up. When he raised his head, however, Cycil was right there, in front or him. He took a few steps back, shocked at how fast she had moved. He blinked and she was gone.
"Nani? Doko ni…?"
"Are you looking for me," whispered Cycil from behind him. He was about to turn around when he was grabbed from behind. Cycil held him where he was, preventing him from even moving. She punched him in the stomach to guarantee he wouldn't move. He made a gasping sound as he tried to regain his composure. "Well, Miroku, it's been fun, but I'm sick of this game. I think we'll end it here. And because you're a houshi, I'll do something special for you."
"And what would that be?" he managed to choke out, still regaining from the punch.
"I'm kind of hungry," she said, not answering his question completely. She turned slightly so that his side was facing her. She held him with her right arm and raised her left. Her hand then became transparent. She just smirked.
"What are you doing?" Miroku was panicked. He hadn't seen a demon do this before.
"Like I told you, I'm hungry." She moved her hand to touch his chest, but it went right through him. Miroku's eyes widened in unspeakable pain. Cycil seemed to grab onto something inside of him and then twisted her arm. Miroku cried out in pure agony.
******
Inuyasha's ears twitched as a familiar voice echoed throughout the forest. His eyes shot open and he instantly stood up. The others all heard as well, and were soon on their feet.
"That sounded like…" started Kagome.
"Houshi-sama," whispered Sango.
"Ikuzo!" yelled Inuyasha, as he ran off into the forest. He was shortly followed by the other four members left in his group. They kept running until they reached the clearing. Standing in the middle of it was Cycil, her hands held out in front of her, cupping something above them. Her head was down.
"Youkai," growled Inuyasha. It seemed like they just kept getting attacked. A few feet away from Cycil was Miroku. He was lying on the ground, as still as death.
"Houshi-sama!" called Sango as she, Kagome, Shippo, and Kirara all ran over to him. Kagome and Sango fell to their knees next to him. They were in shock at what they saw. Miroku's eyes were half open, but they were completely empty of all emotion, as if he were in a trance. His chest didn't rise or fall and his skin was slightly pale. None of them knew what to do. Shippo glanced from the houshi to Cycil, who Inuyasha was still facing down. Shippo's eyes then fell on the item floating above her cupped hands. It was surprising that none of them had noticed. It was light blue and misty looking. He had seen so many in his short life.
"Inu…yasha…" he said, slightly nervous.
"Nani?" asked Inuyasha, slightly annoyed.
"That…that thing in her hands…" Shippo was pointing to Cycil with a look of horror on his face. Inuyasha turned back to the youkai and focused on the item she had. His eyes widened upon realizing what it was. Kagome and Sango were both looking as well.
"Demo, that's a…" started Inuyasha. Cycil just smirked.
"That's right…it's a tamashii…"
"A…a tamashii?" asked Kagome, already knowing what that meant. Cycil just widened her smirk and lifted her head to face Inuyasha. She was enjoying every minute of this.
"Impossible," stated Inuyasha.
"Iya. I'm afraid it's very possible." They all just stared on in complete shock. Kagome and Sango turned their attention back to Miroku. He was as still as death, and there was a good reason for that.
"Miroku-sama is…" Tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Houshi-sama…" Sango's eyes began to water as well.
"Temee!" shouted Inuyasha. He drew the Tetsusaiga and pointed it at her. "You'll pay for this. You ripped out his tamashii."
"That's right. The tamashii of a houshi is full of power. If I eat it, then I'll become stronger."
"Y-you're gonna…" began Shippo, his body quivering from fear.
"That's right. I'll eat his soul. He's dead to you now."
"Tojikomeru! You'll pay for this!" Inuyasha lunged forward, swinging his sword at Cycil, but she simply beat her wings and lifted off higher than he could reach. She smiled at this. However, Inuyasha quickly jumped up and swung at her again. She just barely evaded the attack, but by doing so, she lost her hold on the tamashii. It began to make its way back to Miroku. Cycil quickly grabbed onto it with her right hand and sighed.
"That was close," she said in a relieved tone. She then turned to Inuyasha, her face covered in anger. "You baka. You almost made me drop it."
"That's the point," responded Inuyasha. 'If I can just get the tamashii away from her long enough, it can return to Miroku.' Inuyasha lunged at her again, but she evaded easily. Meanwhile, the others were watching with earnest. Kagome suddenly stood up.
"I'm gonna help Inuyasha. Stay here with Miroku-sama," she stated, and then walked off, finding a good position to shoot from. Sango stayed with the still Miroku. She looked down at him. 'It must have hurt,' she thought to herself. 'Onegai…I don't want you to die…we'll save you, Houshi-sama.' Meanwhile, Kagome found a decent position. They only had one chance to do this, and she couldn't mess up. She quickly pulled out an arrow and knocked it. She then raised the bow and drew it back, aiming carefully. Inuyasha was in the way.
"Inuyasha! Move!" she warned him. He glanced back at her and then jumped out of the way, just as she released the string, sending the boy flying at Cycil. She realized there wasn't much time to dodge. She quickly moved, but the arrow would have taken her arms if she hadn't dropped them to her sides. Of course, in doing so, she released the tamashii.
"Kuso!" she screamed as she lunged for the escaping tamashii. However, Inuyasha was ready and blocked her path with the Tetsusaiga. "Iya!" she cried out. The tamashii had already reached Miroku and reentered his body. His eyes soon closed and his chest slowly rose and fell.
"Houshi-sama, wake up," Sango said softly. He slowly opened his eyes again and looked up at Sango.
"Sango?" he questioned weakly.
"Onore!" shouted Cycil as she slashed at Inuyasha with her claws. "I'll kill you!" She lunged at him again, but Inuyasha jumped out of the way. Cycil ended up hitting nothing but the ground. She pushed off and flew into the sky, but her eyes widened as she watched Inuyasha jump towards her. He was getting closer, preparing his sword.
"Shine!" he shouted. He swung his sword at the youkai, but his swing was soon stopped by a curved sword. Inuyasha's eyes went wide when he saw the person holding the sword. "It's you," he said. The crimson haired Siria wore a confident smirk on her face. Both her and Inuyasha jumped back and away from each other. Cycil soon landed just behind Siria.
"Well, it looks like I got here just in time," said Siria.
"I guess I owe you, Siria," said Cycil.
"Yeah, I guess you do." Siria sheathed her sword and then looked around at the group. Miroku was slowly pushing himself up so that he could see what was happening. With the help of Sango, he was able to sit up. He looked exhausted. "Let's go, Cycil. We're done here."
"Nani?"
"You heard me. We're leaving."
"Alright." Cycil spread her wings and lifted off into the night sky. Siria bowed and then jumped away, heading off into the forest. Inuyasha sighed and then sheathed the Tetsusaiga.
"I wonder what that was all about," said Shippo. "Why would they just leave?"
"Who knows," said Inuyasha, seemingly uninterested. "Let's head back."
******
"Gomen nasai, Yume," said Cycil. "I failed."
"It's fine. I don't care."
"Nani? You don't care? Then why'd you send her, and more so, why did you send me?!" yelled Siria. Yume just sighed.
"You wouldn't understand, even if I told you."
"Yume," said Cycil, getting the girl's attention. "You haven't even told us yet. What are you, exactly?" Yume closed her eyes and sighed again. The question would have come up eventually, so she might as well tell them. Maybe it would get them to shut up for a while about her requests.
"Are you a youkai?" asked Siria.
"Iie."
"Then you're a ningen," said Cycil.
"Iie."
"So you're a hanyou?" asked Siria, with disbelief. Yume simply shook her head.
"I am none of these things."
"But how? It doesn't make any sense," stated Cycil.
"Tell us what you are."
"I'm a shokkou no mugen. I'm surprised you didn't know that. I'm also known as a hateshi. Whatever I am, however, doesn't matter. I am Yume, no matter how you look at it. You can leave now. I'll call you when I need you."
"Hai, danna," responded Siria. She left the room, followed by a silent Cycil.
"So, Siria, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"About what your 'danna' is?"
"She's yours as well, you know. Come to think of it, just why do you listen to her?"
"Yume made me what I am. She saved my life when I was dying, so I will repay her with it. What about you?"
"…"
"Why do you listen to Yume?"
"That's none of your business."
"Come on, I told you my reason."
"…"
"Whatever. I don't care anyway." Both of them walked off into the shadows, neither one saying another word.
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Oh man, that took forever! I'm so tired and I've been trying to write this all week, but we've been busy. I hope this was a good chapter. I think I may have rushed a few parts. But oh well.
Ittai –really
Ya ne –see ya
Doko ni –where is…
Tamashii –soul, and yes, I spelt it right.
Temee –it means wench or B*tch when talking to a girl and B*st*rd when talking to a guy. And why did I replace the vowels in those words? Cause I hate saying them and I hate writing them even more.
Tojikomeru –shut up
Onore –why you…(insulting way)
Shine –die!
Gomen nasai –I'm very sorry
Ningen –human being
Shokkou no mugen –literally means weaver of dreams, or dream weaver.
Hateshi –means fate
Wow…that's a lot of Japanese words. Yep. Well, please review. I'd really appreciate it.
Ja!
