Disclaimer: Inuyasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Other characters are property of Dark Star.
Rating: PG-13; possible language, just in case
Summary: An elf, captured from overseas, was abused in all ways imaginable. She finds it, now, too hard to bear. She will live on through Kagome…but what problems will it pose to the young girl? Sess/Kag
Genre: Romance/Drama
Dedication: This story, the idea, anyways, is dedicated to all those who supported me…to my cousins and to my brother especially…thank you.
A/N: Comments from the first chapter were…better than expected. ^_^ Thanks for the critique! It's always appreciated. It seems that there was nothing major that needed to be changed. There was a question on how Sesshoumaru will be involved. ^.~ All I have to say is, wait. Being the avid Sess/Kag fan that I am, I will not exclude him from this story. Ever. That said; let's move on to the story.
M e r g e d S o u l s Chapter Two: EscapeOctober 2002
Her head felt like it was going to split open at any second, leaving gravity to draw out any and all of her blood and organs. Erianthe was miserable. Blinking, she tried to focus her vision, blurred and dim. Her whole body was sore, and she was scarcely aware of the hand groping along her body. By now, she was used to the treatment, not to say that she liked it. Hell no, she detested it as she detested the one who exploited it. In a way, she wished that she had never awakened. Erianthe numbed her senses as much she could, ignoring the aggressive lips moving down the length of her body. If this wasn't hell, then she didn't know what was.
~*~*~*~*~
Kagome sauntered along the worn path to her home, the bucket of water swishing as she moved. Smiling, she gazed up at the sky with wondering brown eyes. Clouds drifted carelessly across the vast expanse of blue, teasing the wind with their slow movement. Breezes whispered across the land, attempting to urge the slow-moving clouds. Kagome loved the outdoors, the forest especially. Sometimes, she would just sit at the base of a large tree and take in everything around her. It was strange for a seven-year-old to be able to sit so long like that, but Kagome spent hours on end just living the forest. Birds chirped merrily as squirrels went about their business, bushy tails waving in rhythm with their body as their scurried up and down their trees. The sound of running water could faintly be heard, somewhere in the near-distance as liquid flowed from brooks. Children's laughter bubbled along with all the rest of the natural music, emanating from the joyous playing of the village girls and boys. Kagome, eager to join them in their games, quickened her pace to her house.
"Okaa-san!" she called happily, wandering around the hut.
"Kagome-chan!" her mother answered, stepping out from behind some curtains. "Arigatoo!"
"I'm going to go play!" Kagome told her mother, setting the bucket down only to rush off through the entrance.
Lady Higurashi smiled and shook her head. Kagome was such a carefree girl.
The girl skipped all the way to the ring of children laughing and playing. She had many friends, not too close, but still friends nonetheless. They happily welcomed her into the game, hide-and-seek. Kagome readily agreed and was soon seeking out a place to hide in.
~*~*~*~*~
Erianthe groaned. It seemed like the man had finished toying with her and had left rather abruptly. As she stared wearily up at the ceiling, she wondered to herself, Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Tears began to well up inside her dull blue-gray eyes. It wasn't meant to be this way. An erratic sob escaped her throat, resonating silently off the walls of an unfamiliar hut. She was supposed to be a queen of high status. She was supposed to be sitting out in the forest right now, weaving flowers into fragrant crown. She was supposed to be with him, he who she had loved for so long. But it was not the case. He had been separated from her, as had the rest of her people. It was because of these humans…these filthy, disgusting, lustful, greedy, selfish, murdering, idiotic humans. Another sob broke free, growing into a devastating pool of sobbing and tears.
When her crying subsided, sadness and depression burned her soul. Her eyes were tinged with crimson, tracks of shining fresh tears glistening on her cheeks. No. It was not the humans to blame. There was that one, special, little girl, the girl whose aura had been filled with compassion and warmth. There was a chink in the flaws of humans, and here was this little girl to prove it. It seemed that she, alone, could make up for the blemishes of the entire human race. She represented the best, the innocent, the caring. Maybe there were others? Erianthe shook her head. No, she could not trouble herself with that now. She would use this girl. Her mind was made up.
Drying her tears, she reached for her clothing, discarded carelessly in the corner of the room. Not caring whether it was clean or not, she laid down in the futon in the center of the room and tried to sleep. She would need all her energy to perform the task held before her.
~*~*~*~*~
The sun had set and was now casting its rays over the land in a last attempt to warm the people before it left them until dawn. Clouds once a creamy white glowed a light lilac, contrasting sharply with the orange tint of the sky. It was then that Erianthe woke from her nap, finding that she was again tied up. The rope gnawed at her pale skin, reddening it with irritation. She smiled, ironic in her current situation. These little men had yet to see what she could do.
~*~*~*~*~
It was getting dark, and some of the children had ventured home for fear of their mother's accusing scolds. Kagome was one of the few left over, and soon, the few other than her were leaving. Promises of coming tomorrow and good nights were exchanged as the girls and boys skipped home. Sighing, she decided she should probably go home as well, considering that the fireflies were hanging about now. Before she would go home, however, she wished to make a visit to the forest, to favorite spot just on the edge where she could see everything, the sun, the moon, the stars. Wanting to make it before it got too dark, she sprinted across the village to the dark silhouette of the forest.
~*~*~*~*~
Screams of fury and confusion were haphazardly thrown everywhere. Erianthe smirked to herself as she leapt onto the roof of an unused hut, her hands still bound. That's right. Do you still think I am weak and defenseless? Her eyes flashed ominously as fire appeared on the soldiers. Some had their hair spark, others had their clothes, and a few of the unlucky bastards were caught on flame entirely. It was her gift to control the elements, and her favorite, in this case, was fire. Men looked up at her with new fear. A few foolhardy enough had shot arrows up at her flickering figure in the smoke, none of them catching their mark. Smirking, she upped the danger. Strong winds were blowing towards them, fueling the ignited soldiers. This was almost too much fun. Truly, she would never had done this, but the loathing for these men went so deep, it was almost less than she wished for. Casting a hateful glance back towards the howling males, she leapt off into the dusk.
Erianthe's movements were swift and nimble as she flitted through the forest. Faintly, she could sense the little girl's aura at the edge of the wood, and she speeded up. Hopefully, the men wouldn't retaliate any time soon, but the villagers were still awake, and if they weren't they would be now. She stopped suddenly, on the branch of a tree at which the little girl sat. Silently, she prayed that such a small, innocent girl would not be hurt in any way by the actions she was about to take. Erianthe took a deep breath. This was it.
Smiling softly, Kagome caught a firefly on her extended finger, admiring its soft flashing before releasing it into the dusk again. For some reason, she felt particularly safe this afternoon. There was something…it seemed…around that emanated a feeling of warmth and security, yet threatening danger. It was strange, to say the least. She gasped when a woman landed in front of her. It was almost as if she was a fallen angel, had it not been for her obviously bedraggled state.
She almost smiled at the young girl's surprise. Really, she would have expected a surprised shriek or something to that effect, but it was all the better when all she did was gasp. Leaning down in a bow, Erianthe introduced herself.
"I am Erianthe," she said warmly, despite the hateful events that had recently come to pass. "May I ask your name?"
Kagome giggled at the formality, which she had never before been shown. "I'm Kagome! Nice to meet you Lady Erianthe!"
"Nice to meet you as well," Erianthe answered wearily. She smiled, and Kagome smiled back. "Would it be okay if I asked a favor of you, Kagome?"
The little girl paused for a moment, unsure if she should trust a stranger or not. But, the woman had introduced herself, hadn't she? And then, she had smiled, hadn't she? She seemed nice enough. "Hai!" Kagome answered enthusiastically, rising to stand.
"Okay, well," Erianthe said, relieved that the girl had agreed, "Can you untie me, first?" She turned around so Kagome could see the rope bound tightly around her wrists.
Though a bit puzzled, she silently complied and worked at the knots. Once done, she looked eagerly and expectantly up at the strange lady.
"Thank you," the Elven queen said warmly, massaging the sore wrists. "Now," she started and bent down, "I have a secret to tell you."
Kagome's eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically.
Erianthe smiled and motioned for the girl to come closer. "I'm a queen from far away," she whispered into the girl's ear.
For a moment the girl seemed not to believe her, and then, her eyes lit up wondrously. "You're a queen?"
"Yes, I am. Are you willing to help me?" she asked.
"Hai!" the girl agreed.
"Okay, then you have to give me your hand."
Kagome uncertainly slid her hand into the elven queen's slender one.
"I'm going to disappear, understand?" Erianthe asked quietly. She was going to go through with this, no matter what complications it would bring.
"H-hai," Kagome answered. She was a bit confused as to why this woman was doing this, but it was going to help her, right? After all, she was a queen.
"You're a very good girl," Erianthe said before clasping the tiny hand in both of hers. I apologize for any pain this will cause in the future… Sighing, she closed her eyes and started to chant in a musical voice, one, it seemed, that had not been used in ages. Yet, it retained the pure ring and tone that she had once in her kingdom, the castle she had once lived in. Once her musical chant had finished, she was glowing, as was Kagome. Opening her eyes, she suddenly looked very tired. But then again, her blue-gray eyes were sparkling with a light they had not known in a while. They were gleaming with an apologetic gaze, mixed with relief and happiness. The soul transfer is almost complete. Erianthe shook her head sadly at the fate that was to befall this girl.
Kagome watched the woman with curiosity. She was glowing. And she looked…happier? But then again, she was…crying? This was all very confusing to Kagome. She watched as Erianthe shook her head and then leaned closer to her. The elf whispered three words before kissing the little girl on her forehead.
"I'm sorry."
And then, with a blinding flash the elf-queen was gone and where she had been now was shimmering air. Kagome looked around frantically, searching for Lady Erianthe, but she found her nowhere in sight. Shrugging, she looked up at the sky and smiled at the twinkling stars before she skipped back home.
Erianthe saw everything through Kagome's eyes. She shut herself away from the little girl, for fear of what she might do. Now, her soul was merged with Kagome's. Her attributes would pass along to her gradually. And eventually, they would share one mind and one body. The long-term effects were still to be seen, but for now, she would remain dormant and rise only when desperately needed. Kagome's soul was everything Erianthe expected. The warmth there was overwhelming. Patience as well as forgiveness was abundant. Kindness was in full stock, and compassion was always available. This girl, she deemed, was quite amazing. She shut herself off to everything around her and let things just flow. Everything would turn out as it would, and there was nothing she could do about it. All she had to do was wait.
Kagome felt something seem to shut off in her. Shivering, she bolted into a sprint, anxious to get home. When she arrived, her mother gave her a light scolding before nudging her to the table, where a full dinner was waiting. Kagome sighed in relief, feeling safer to be home. As she ate, she overheard her mother and father talking.
"They say she was a mystical creature, not human," Kagome's father said gravely.
"Really? Was she a demon, then?" Lady Higurashi asked.
"No. The soldiers said she was an elf, but I highly doubt that."
"And she really was said to have set the soldiers on fire?"
"Yes, I think so." Kagome's father looked pointedly at her. "I think we should discuss this later."
Lady Higurashi nodded in agreement and continued to eat silently. Kagome's interest, however, was sparked. An elf? Wow! An elf??? Her mind wandered for a moment, questioning the origin of a certain blonde-haired strange lady. As if something had barricaded the thought, the question dissipated completely, and Kagome was left to wonder why she hadn't touched her food.
Erianthe stirred slightly in the girl's soul. You cannot know. She blocked all thoughts of elves away from the curious girl. Not yet. But I will tell you in time…
A/N: I don't know where I'm really going to go with this, it seemed a bit wordy, and I apologize for that. ^_^ Suggestions welcome!
Review Responses:
*liriele starfire*-Thanks for the review!
*beth*-Great story, huh? I don't think it's all that impressive. ^^' Well, as to how it's going to be a Sess/Kag, you'll find out. I'll have to change the summary a bit, too. I don't think it's catching enough people…don't worry, Sess/Kag will come up, I love them, too!!! ^_^
*phoebemoon*-I'll try to keep up with my stories, I really will!!! ^_^ I'm glad you like them!
*DemonBlade*-Amaze you? Never cease? ^______^ You've just made my day!
*avihenda*-Your wish is my command! ^_^
*firefly of hell*-Well, that's wonderful! What do you think of the second chapter?
*Blue Angel*-Thanks for the compliments! ^^ I like the format, too!!!! Actually, my inspiration for Erianthe was the Lord of the Rings. The idea of elves was based totally on those, but they are slightly different to fit my ideals. ^_^ I really appreciate your critique, one of the few whom actually bother to point out my mistakes. ^_^
*MoonFairy*-Interest caught already? Wow. 0.0 Never happened to me before!!! ^_^ I'm sorry to say that, no, I don't think Kagome will travel back to Fyora. But then again, my mind changes if I think of something new or "better" than the original scheme of things. ^^ But other than that, you'll have to read to find out! ^_^
*Landlady of the Universe*-I'm glad you like the idea. It kind of came to me on the spur of the moment. Strange, ne? I, myself, haven't worked out all the details as to how the 'demon race' is going to play, but Fluffy's part will be quite significant. Don't worry, I would never abandon Sesshou-chan! ^_^
*Fire Mistress*-Continue I did! Here it is!
*Crystal Arrow*-Ya got your chapter!
*Azalie*-…meaning you read my other stories but you didn't review?!?!?!?! =P j/k thanks!
*Pearl*-Thanks for reviewing! ^_^
*Gwenivere*-Hey…you're the girl who sent multiple reviews to EVERY SINGLE FRICKIN' CHAPTER OF POWER OF HEALING!!!! Just to get a new chapter, too. Jeez. ^^' Anyways, I'm glad you like the idea. Kagome is young for a reason, though not a very important one. I hope I have the patience to write all of this!!! ^________^
*Lady Love*-And indeed, she will find happiness, I assure you.
Note: Everyone knows that I won't send updates unless you are already on the mailing list or have shown your e-mail to me in your review somewhere, right? ^_^
~*~*~Dark Star~*~*~