Strange Girl; Nine Years Later
Chapter 1
Nine years . . . Had it been only nine? To Inu-Yasha, it felt like ninety. Nine years without searching for Naraku, or the Shikon shards, or group fights against demons . . . without Kagome.
The half-youkai hadn't aged a day. He wouldn't for a long time, being in his prime. He made it a habit to travel Japan, destroying demons that he crossed, or ones that attacks humans. Still, it wasn't the same.
Today was the anniversary of Kagome's last departure. The day she left, he asked Miroku to seal up the well with spells and charms to ward off all demons. That way no demons could cross the time barrier, and he wouldn't risk giving into temptation. Annually, they went back as a sort of remembrance in honor of their departed friend.
Shippo, still so young and carefree, stopped coming after four years, thinking "What's the point? She's not coming back!"
Sango and Miroku, now married with, how many, five kids now?, stopped after seven years. "There's no point dwelling on the past," Sango stated to Inu-Yasha. "You'll only torture yourself."
But Inu-Yasha didn't listen. He continued his vigil every year for two days.
The sun began to set. 'Time to get moving,' he thought. This time he was only a few miles away. Sometimes he'd be hundreds of miles away, and made his journey sooner. But he visited the village to make sure the Shikon Jewel was safe first, then headed out to the well.
He began to become more and more visible as the sky turned from blood red to blue-black night. His coat flapped in the breeze as his feet hit the trees almost noiselessly, hair shimmering in the full moonlight. Travelers would call him a specter, too fast, too magnificent to be human. [only part folks! ^_^]
When he landed on "Inu-Yasha's Tree", as the villagers still called it, he crouched momentarily to catch sight of the well. It was there, predictably, but something was different. Raising his guard, IY jumped twice and landed next to it. Burn marks surrounded it. Curiously, IY picked up a handful of ash and sniffed lightly. 'The charms . . . burned with a match.' He touched the tip of his nose to the ash. 'And not too long ago.'
He dropped the residue and sniffed the air surrounding the well. 'Human . . . that explains how it got past the barriers. Small . . . maybe a child. And there's something else. Blood? Human blood?' IY's eye's opened in horror as he recognized the blood. 'Kagome's?!?'
Anger and fury made his blood boil, and he darted off toward the direction of the smell. His search lead him back to the village. There was a commotion going on inside Kaede's hut. IY listened for a moment. The other speaker was a girl, definitely between ten and seven years old, talking to Kaede. "I'll ask only once more. Hand over the Shikon Jewel or risk certain death!"
He looked inside to see her. She was small, petite, and very cute. She wore a white blouse and red uniform jumper skirt. Her long, long black hair was slightly shaggy, and the bangs nearly covered her eyes. "Well, lady, are you deaf?"
Kaede scowled at the girl. "Who be ye to ask of such a thing? How does ye know of the Sacred Shikon no Tama?"
"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS," the child snapped. "If you don't hand it over to me, I'll come back tomorrow and destroy the village."
Many of the men standing around chuckled. Kaede took the threat seriously. "How would ye accomplish such a deed, child?"
She flinched at being called a child. "I'm no ordinary person," the girl said evilly. "I got powers! And I'll turn them on you, too!"
Inu-Yasha had heard enough. The girl obviously meant business. He steeped into the room. "What did you do to Kagome," he demanded.
The girl turned to see the new comer. She saw his glorious silhouette against the full moon and gasped in awe.
"Ah, Inu-Yasha," said Kaede relieved. She was too old to fight much anymore. "This girl be after the Shiko-"
"I heard," he interrupted. He stepped into full view of the girl. "I smell blood on your person, girl. What did you do to her?!"
"Blood," the girl asked. She felt her jumper and glanced at it terrified. "Oh no! I still have it on me!"
That was all IY had to hear. He flexed open his fingers, sharpening his claws. He brought his claws down at the girl. She was surprisingly fast, and ducked under his legs as fast as she could, and ran out of the hut as IY's claw's crashed into the floor.
Cursing, IY spun around and dove at her. His claws dug into the side of her back near her belly. The girl squealed in pain as blood oozed down her thigh, but she kept running. IY, far from undaunted, jumped and whacked her with the back of his hand as easily as if she were a rag doll. She flew, as such, against a hut, crashing through the wall and skidding to a halt on the opposite side. The blood from her wound flowed freely, creating a puddle around her.
IY hopped into the house and prepared to strike, but something stopped him. Something, he didn't know what, held him back; wouldn't permit him to hurt the child anymore.
The girl, to his surprise, started crying. She whined and held her side in pain. "So," sneered Inu-Yasha, "you're no warrior at all, are you?"
"P-please," she begged. "No-o m-mor-r-re!! I . . . I h-hurt!"
IY snorted. "Feh, after all that talk, you're nothing more then a sniveling baby! Who taught you how to fight, a housewench? Keep talking like you did in this world and you'll be killed for sure, if I didn't do it already!"
The girl's face came into view of Inu-Yasha. Scratched and dirty, her eyes pleaded, coming in and out of focus. "Please . . . no more . . . please . . . D . . . Da . . ." but she passed out before she finished.
Something about her face - something familiar - reminded him of . . . a cold grip tightened around his heart. 'Her eyes! What was in her eyes?' IY could hardly breathe. The strange something had grabbed with an iron fist. 'What is it about her eyes? About this girl?'
Chapter 1
Nine years . . . Had it been only nine? To Inu-Yasha, it felt like ninety. Nine years without searching for Naraku, or the Shikon shards, or group fights against demons . . . without Kagome.
The half-youkai hadn't aged a day. He wouldn't for a long time, being in his prime. He made it a habit to travel Japan, destroying demons that he crossed, or ones that attacks humans. Still, it wasn't the same.
Today was the anniversary of Kagome's last departure. The day she left, he asked Miroku to seal up the well with spells and charms to ward off all demons. That way no demons could cross the time barrier, and he wouldn't risk giving into temptation. Annually, they went back as a sort of remembrance in honor of their departed friend.
Shippo, still so young and carefree, stopped coming after four years, thinking "What's the point? She's not coming back!"
Sango and Miroku, now married with, how many, five kids now?, stopped after seven years. "There's no point dwelling on the past," Sango stated to Inu-Yasha. "You'll only torture yourself."
But Inu-Yasha didn't listen. He continued his vigil every year for two days.
The sun began to set. 'Time to get moving,' he thought. This time he was only a few miles away. Sometimes he'd be hundreds of miles away, and made his journey sooner. But he visited the village to make sure the Shikon Jewel was safe first, then headed out to the well.
He began to become more and more visible as the sky turned from blood red to blue-black night. His coat flapped in the breeze as his feet hit the trees almost noiselessly, hair shimmering in the full moonlight. Travelers would call him a specter, too fast, too magnificent to be human. [only part folks! ^_^]
When he landed on "Inu-Yasha's Tree", as the villagers still called it, he crouched momentarily to catch sight of the well. It was there, predictably, but something was different. Raising his guard, IY jumped twice and landed next to it. Burn marks surrounded it. Curiously, IY picked up a handful of ash and sniffed lightly. 'The charms . . . burned with a match.' He touched the tip of his nose to the ash. 'And not too long ago.'
He dropped the residue and sniffed the air surrounding the well. 'Human . . . that explains how it got past the barriers. Small . . . maybe a child. And there's something else. Blood? Human blood?' IY's eye's opened in horror as he recognized the blood. 'Kagome's?!?'
Anger and fury made his blood boil, and he darted off toward the direction of the smell. His search lead him back to the village. There was a commotion going on inside Kaede's hut. IY listened for a moment. The other speaker was a girl, definitely between ten and seven years old, talking to Kaede. "I'll ask only once more. Hand over the Shikon Jewel or risk certain death!"
He looked inside to see her. She was small, petite, and very cute. She wore a white blouse and red uniform jumper skirt. Her long, long black hair was slightly shaggy, and the bangs nearly covered her eyes. "Well, lady, are you deaf?"
Kaede scowled at the girl. "Who be ye to ask of such a thing? How does ye know of the Sacred Shikon no Tama?"
"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS," the child snapped. "If you don't hand it over to me, I'll come back tomorrow and destroy the village."
Many of the men standing around chuckled. Kaede took the threat seriously. "How would ye accomplish such a deed, child?"
She flinched at being called a child. "I'm no ordinary person," the girl said evilly. "I got powers! And I'll turn them on you, too!"
Inu-Yasha had heard enough. The girl obviously meant business. He steeped into the room. "What did you do to Kagome," he demanded.
The girl turned to see the new comer. She saw his glorious silhouette against the full moon and gasped in awe.
"Ah, Inu-Yasha," said Kaede relieved. She was too old to fight much anymore. "This girl be after the Shiko-"
"I heard," he interrupted. He stepped into full view of the girl. "I smell blood on your person, girl. What did you do to her?!"
"Blood," the girl asked. She felt her jumper and glanced at it terrified. "Oh no! I still have it on me!"
That was all IY had to hear. He flexed open his fingers, sharpening his claws. He brought his claws down at the girl. She was surprisingly fast, and ducked under his legs as fast as she could, and ran out of the hut as IY's claw's crashed into the floor.
Cursing, IY spun around and dove at her. His claws dug into the side of her back near her belly. The girl squealed in pain as blood oozed down her thigh, but she kept running. IY, far from undaunted, jumped and whacked her with the back of his hand as easily as if she were a rag doll. She flew, as such, against a hut, crashing through the wall and skidding to a halt on the opposite side. The blood from her wound flowed freely, creating a puddle around her.
IY hopped into the house and prepared to strike, but something stopped him. Something, he didn't know what, held him back; wouldn't permit him to hurt the child anymore.
The girl, to his surprise, started crying. She whined and held her side in pain. "So," sneered Inu-Yasha, "you're no warrior at all, are you?"
"P-please," she begged. "No-o m-mor-r-re!! I . . . I h-hurt!"
IY snorted. "Feh, after all that talk, you're nothing more then a sniveling baby! Who taught you how to fight, a housewench? Keep talking like you did in this world and you'll be killed for sure, if I didn't do it already!"
The girl's face came into view of Inu-Yasha. Scratched and dirty, her eyes pleaded, coming in and out of focus. "Please . . . no more . . . please . . . D . . . Da . . ." but she passed out before she finished.
Something about her face - something familiar - reminded him of . . . a cold grip tightened around his heart. 'Her eyes! What was in her eyes?' IY could hardly breathe. The strange something had grabbed with an iron fist. 'What is it about her eyes? About this girl?'