Thanks to all who've reveiwed. I love you all! Please remembered to check out my Inuyasha stories too! Enjoy chappie 4!
Chapter 4: The Awakening
He was floating. Soujiro never knew a time in his life when he didn't have some colossal weight that was holding him to the ground. But now, gravity had no hold. It wasn't important anymore. He was floating freely through space, warm and cool, feeling safe and at peace. Nothing he did or failed to do in the past could hurt him here. No one from the past could get him here. This was his own place.
Soujiro vaguely remembered the pain in his shoulder and side. A once unbearable, consuming anguish faded into a dull throb. He remembered the feeling of poking and prodding, and burning. He remembered the feel of cool fingers on his face, brushing away the hair that had fallen into his eyes. The feeling of those fingers helping him lean forward to drink the water that revitalized him. Soujiro didn't remember the words, but he could remember the shadow of a voice. It had been soft and comforting, something the likes of which he had never known. But the soothing darkness would always carry him away when he was on the verge of opening his eyes.
The first thing he truly remembered was the feel of the sunlight on his eyelids. Soujiro opened his eyes, blinking a few times until they focused, then he winced when he tried to move his right arm. Pain shot through him, every fiber of his being screaming out in agony at such a simple movement. He coughed while trying to hold back a cry, and found he was able to move his left arm without pain. That one was okay, as arms go. He reached up to rub his eyelids, willing himself into the waking world once more, trying to shake off that horrible nightmare of some creation.
"Am I dead?" he wondered aloud.
"Not yet," said a voice from nearby, though it sounded somewhat muffled. Like it was from another room. It was the first time that Soujiro looked around, noticing that he was not alone. And noticing that he was laying on a bed, in a room, in a house. The room itself was unadorned apart from a small ink painting of a deer on a far wall. It was simple, open and airy, but cozy at the same time. Soujiro noticed a folded blanket on the floor next to the bed.
"Where am I?" he asked the voice. He looked around the small room, trying to locate the source of the voice who had spoken to him before.
"You're in my house," was the reply. "We're across the bridge, on the opposite side of the river, from Renko Village." Soujiro froze. Renko village? The village those guardians were from? The ones who tried to kill him? "Don't worry," the voice continued, as if reading his thoughts. "No one can hurt you while you're here."
It was then that Soujiro noticed that it was a female voice. Soujiro also now saw the owner of the voice, a young woman who had just entered the room carrying with her a cup and some food. She was dressed strangely in his eyes, dressed in clothes similar to his own, only hers were a deep green. The food was placed on the floor and the girl kneeled next to the bed. Yes, this was definitely a girl and one that was no older then himself. She was rather pretty, in an innocent way. Her prettiest feature was her eyes, large and emerald green. Her face was framed by a fall of jet-black hair that reached her chin. It gave her an angelic appearance. When she smiled at him, Soujiro knew that he would do anything she asked him to.
She eased her hand gently under his head, helping him to lean forward far enough so that she assisted him in drinking the cup of water she had brought. "Drink," she commanded. Soujiro did, and greedily, until every drop was gone. "Do you want some more?" she asked when he was finished.
"I would truly appreciate it miss," he responded. The girl helped him lay gently back down, then left to fetch more water. The process was repeated and when she was finished, she leaned back from the bed and eased the blanket that covered his upper torso off of him. Soujiro was a little surprised to see that he was without a shirt, but it didn't seem to bother her. She was too busy peeling back the bandaging that covered his side wound. "What happened?" Soujiro asked her, trying to distract himself from the fact that there was a girl touching his bare chest, even if it was for medicinal purposes.
"I was hoping you might tell me," she said to him as she looked over the wound. It was looking good, but to be cautious, she splashed a little alcohol in a cloth and wiped it gently. Did that ever burn! Soujiro clenched his teeth, fists clenching, trying to bite back the hiss of pain.
"I'm sorry," she apologized as she rewrapped it. "I have to keep it clean or you'll end up worse then you already are. And I have to do the shoulder now."
"I know," he said, letting out a deep breath when she finished and moved to lean over his shoulder. "But it still stings." The girl smiled apologetically as she swabbed off the shoulder wound. He couldn't help wincing as she bandaged him freshly there too. Soujiro was surprised, however, to feel her cool fingers brushing back the hair from his face in a comforting gesture.
"Do you remember what happened with the guardians?" she asked.
"You knew the guardians attacked me?" he asked, trying to hide his surprise.
She blushed a little. "I saw them throw you into the river from the bridge. I had been nearby, but when they came, they were in a total frenzy. It looked like they would have attacked anything, man or beast. I hid until they left. She stood up, brushing off her hands as she explained. "I really didn't think you'd survive the fall. The fall is long and the rocks on the river floor are deadly." Soujiro shivered involuntarily. Somehow, someway, he was still alive. Somehow, someway, he was still living by whatever fate, or deity, or lucky star that watched over him. "I found you on the river bank," she continued, drawing him from his thoughts. "You had been washed ashore and I saw that you were just barely alive. I knew I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you back to my house."
She made the comment as if it were the most logical, natural thing in the world. But her eyes held something different. She was frightened, frightened of him just enough to be on guard. Weary of the situation she had found herself in. Maybe she wasn't so innocent, but she sure as hell was smart. Her eyes told him volumes about how she knew far more then she was letting on.
"I was just going to the village to restock supplies," Soujiro said, looking away to the ceiling. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was minding my own business when these men just appeared and told me to leave. I resisted. I admit it wasn't the smartest of actions, but I thought so at the time. Two men just materialized from the bushes and shot me from different sides. I didn't have time to react."
The girl nodded knowingly. "That would be Kymo and Hiroshi. They can't fight with a sword like men, so they hide in the trees with their rifles to shoot at anything causing unrest." She paused, then continued. "You must be a very good swordsman." There was a touch of envy in her voice and a look of admiration in her eyes.
"How did you know I'm a swordsman?" he asked suspiciously.
The girl smiled, the fear gone from her eyes. She looked eager for conversation, and although he was reluctant to admit it, so was Soujiro. "Well, the riflemen don't shoot at anyone unless the swordsmen guardians are having a difficult time subduing someone. That and these." She reached out a hand and captured on of his in her own. The girl ran a finger down the small scars on his palm, the calluses that form from many years of intensive work with a sword. "You have the hands of a swordsman."
"And how might you know that?" Soujiro asked, but smiling none the less. She held up her own hands and smiled shyly. Soujiro clearly saw the small scars and calluses on her hands like on his own, the evidence of her skill with a blade. "A female swordsman, your kind are rare."
"Yes, but only because we have to be able to fight better then men," she replied cheerfully. Then she caught herself. "You should sleep. We'll have time to talk later, when you're not in need of healing so much. I don't think you'll be moving for a while."
"But won't those guardians be looking for me?" Soujiro couldn't deny the urge to sleep much longer, but he didn't want the girl to stop talking. The sound of her voice gave him something to hang on to. But even this short time of conversation was draining his energy.
"They all think you're dead," she said softly. She tucked the blanket around him once more, something to encourage him to sleep. "You know , there are many myths about the river you were thrown into." Her voice had taken on a mysterious, story-teller tone that captivated his attention. "They say the river has the power to judge the human soul. When one is given to the river, by force, choice, or accident, the river will judge you. If it judges your soul to be damned, then the river takes you away and you will never be found again. But if it judges you worthy, then it will give you deliverance to a savior."
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, covering a yawn. He gave her a sleepy smile.
"Because the river didn't take your life. I've heard that myth a thousand times from the village and as long as I've lived here, there has only been one other person who was cast into the river and was survived. Everyone was taken down the mountain and never seen again."
"Who was it? Who was the one who survived?"
"Me," she said with a slow smile. She looked thoughtfully down at him, as if only just remembering something. "What's your name?"
"Soujiro," he yawned. "Seta Soujiro." His eyelids were getting heavier. He couldn't force back the desire to sleep any longer, but he had to know one more thing before exhaustion claimed him. "What's your name?"
"Akio," she replied. A cool hand began to stroke his forehead, lulling him into sleep. "I'm Akio." Then sleep took him away in to a dark, dreamless, and healing sleep.
Okay, here we are of chapter four. I love Soujiro, he's just so....chibi! LOL. Please remember to review, because then I will love you. And everyone remember and never forget that the love of Jesse the Wolf Demon is like Ramen...just damn good.
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~
Chapter 4: The Awakening
He was floating. Soujiro never knew a time in his life when he didn't have some colossal weight that was holding him to the ground. But now, gravity had no hold. It wasn't important anymore. He was floating freely through space, warm and cool, feeling safe and at peace. Nothing he did or failed to do in the past could hurt him here. No one from the past could get him here. This was his own place.
Soujiro vaguely remembered the pain in his shoulder and side. A once unbearable, consuming anguish faded into a dull throb. He remembered the feeling of poking and prodding, and burning. He remembered the feel of cool fingers on his face, brushing away the hair that had fallen into his eyes. The feeling of those fingers helping him lean forward to drink the water that revitalized him. Soujiro didn't remember the words, but he could remember the shadow of a voice. It had been soft and comforting, something the likes of which he had never known. But the soothing darkness would always carry him away when he was on the verge of opening his eyes.
The first thing he truly remembered was the feel of the sunlight on his eyelids. Soujiro opened his eyes, blinking a few times until they focused, then he winced when he tried to move his right arm. Pain shot through him, every fiber of his being screaming out in agony at such a simple movement. He coughed while trying to hold back a cry, and found he was able to move his left arm without pain. That one was okay, as arms go. He reached up to rub his eyelids, willing himself into the waking world once more, trying to shake off that horrible nightmare of some creation.
"Am I dead?" he wondered aloud.
"Not yet," said a voice from nearby, though it sounded somewhat muffled. Like it was from another room. It was the first time that Soujiro looked around, noticing that he was not alone. And noticing that he was laying on a bed, in a room, in a house. The room itself was unadorned apart from a small ink painting of a deer on a far wall. It was simple, open and airy, but cozy at the same time. Soujiro noticed a folded blanket on the floor next to the bed.
"Where am I?" he asked the voice. He looked around the small room, trying to locate the source of the voice who had spoken to him before.
"You're in my house," was the reply. "We're across the bridge, on the opposite side of the river, from Renko Village." Soujiro froze. Renko village? The village those guardians were from? The ones who tried to kill him? "Don't worry," the voice continued, as if reading his thoughts. "No one can hurt you while you're here."
It was then that Soujiro noticed that it was a female voice. Soujiro also now saw the owner of the voice, a young woman who had just entered the room carrying with her a cup and some food. She was dressed strangely in his eyes, dressed in clothes similar to his own, only hers were a deep green. The food was placed on the floor and the girl kneeled next to the bed. Yes, this was definitely a girl and one that was no older then himself. She was rather pretty, in an innocent way. Her prettiest feature was her eyes, large and emerald green. Her face was framed by a fall of jet-black hair that reached her chin. It gave her an angelic appearance. When she smiled at him, Soujiro knew that he would do anything she asked him to.
She eased her hand gently under his head, helping him to lean forward far enough so that she assisted him in drinking the cup of water she had brought. "Drink," she commanded. Soujiro did, and greedily, until every drop was gone. "Do you want some more?" she asked when he was finished.
"I would truly appreciate it miss," he responded. The girl helped him lay gently back down, then left to fetch more water. The process was repeated and when she was finished, she leaned back from the bed and eased the blanket that covered his upper torso off of him. Soujiro was a little surprised to see that he was without a shirt, but it didn't seem to bother her. She was too busy peeling back the bandaging that covered his side wound. "What happened?" Soujiro asked her, trying to distract himself from the fact that there was a girl touching his bare chest, even if it was for medicinal purposes.
"I was hoping you might tell me," she said to him as she looked over the wound. It was looking good, but to be cautious, she splashed a little alcohol in a cloth and wiped it gently. Did that ever burn! Soujiro clenched his teeth, fists clenching, trying to bite back the hiss of pain.
"I'm sorry," she apologized as she rewrapped it. "I have to keep it clean or you'll end up worse then you already are. And I have to do the shoulder now."
"I know," he said, letting out a deep breath when she finished and moved to lean over his shoulder. "But it still stings." The girl smiled apologetically as she swabbed off the shoulder wound. He couldn't help wincing as she bandaged him freshly there too. Soujiro was surprised, however, to feel her cool fingers brushing back the hair from his face in a comforting gesture.
"Do you remember what happened with the guardians?" she asked.
"You knew the guardians attacked me?" he asked, trying to hide his surprise.
She blushed a little. "I saw them throw you into the river from the bridge. I had been nearby, but when they came, they were in a total frenzy. It looked like they would have attacked anything, man or beast. I hid until they left. She stood up, brushing off her hands as she explained. "I really didn't think you'd survive the fall. The fall is long and the rocks on the river floor are deadly." Soujiro shivered involuntarily. Somehow, someway, he was still alive. Somehow, someway, he was still living by whatever fate, or deity, or lucky star that watched over him. "I found you on the river bank," she continued, drawing him from his thoughts. "You had been washed ashore and I saw that you were just barely alive. I knew I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you back to my house."
She made the comment as if it were the most logical, natural thing in the world. But her eyes held something different. She was frightened, frightened of him just enough to be on guard. Weary of the situation she had found herself in. Maybe she wasn't so innocent, but she sure as hell was smart. Her eyes told him volumes about how she knew far more then she was letting on.
"I was just going to the village to restock supplies," Soujiro said, looking away to the ceiling. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was minding my own business when these men just appeared and told me to leave. I resisted. I admit it wasn't the smartest of actions, but I thought so at the time. Two men just materialized from the bushes and shot me from different sides. I didn't have time to react."
The girl nodded knowingly. "That would be Kymo and Hiroshi. They can't fight with a sword like men, so they hide in the trees with their rifles to shoot at anything causing unrest." She paused, then continued. "You must be a very good swordsman." There was a touch of envy in her voice and a look of admiration in her eyes.
"How did you know I'm a swordsman?" he asked suspiciously.
The girl smiled, the fear gone from her eyes. She looked eager for conversation, and although he was reluctant to admit it, so was Soujiro. "Well, the riflemen don't shoot at anyone unless the swordsmen guardians are having a difficult time subduing someone. That and these." She reached out a hand and captured on of his in her own. The girl ran a finger down the small scars on his palm, the calluses that form from many years of intensive work with a sword. "You have the hands of a swordsman."
"And how might you know that?" Soujiro asked, but smiling none the less. She held up her own hands and smiled shyly. Soujiro clearly saw the small scars and calluses on her hands like on his own, the evidence of her skill with a blade. "A female swordsman, your kind are rare."
"Yes, but only because we have to be able to fight better then men," she replied cheerfully. Then she caught herself. "You should sleep. We'll have time to talk later, when you're not in need of healing so much. I don't think you'll be moving for a while."
"But won't those guardians be looking for me?" Soujiro couldn't deny the urge to sleep much longer, but he didn't want the girl to stop talking. The sound of her voice gave him something to hang on to. But even this short time of conversation was draining his energy.
"They all think you're dead," she said softly. She tucked the blanket around him once more, something to encourage him to sleep. "You know , there are many myths about the river you were thrown into." Her voice had taken on a mysterious, story-teller tone that captivated his attention. "They say the river has the power to judge the human soul. When one is given to the river, by force, choice, or accident, the river will judge you. If it judges your soul to be damned, then the river takes you away and you will never be found again. But if it judges you worthy, then it will give you deliverance to a savior."
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, covering a yawn. He gave her a sleepy smile.
"Because the river didn't take your life. I've heard that myth a thousand times from the village and as long as I've lived here, there has only been one other person who was cast into the river and was survived. Everyone was taken down the mountain and never seen again."
"Who was it? Who was the one who survived?"
"Me," she said with a slow smile. She looked thoughtfully down at him, as if only just remembering something. "What's your name?"
"Soujiro," he yawned. "Seta Soujiro." His eyelids were getting heavier. He couldn't force back the desire to sleep any longer, but he had to know one more thing before exhaustion claimed him. "What's your name?"
"Akio," she replied. A cool hand began to stroke his forehead, lulling him into sleep. "I'm Akio." Then sleep took him away in to a dark, dreamless, and healing sleep.
Okay, here we are of chapter four. I love Soujiro, he's just so....chibi! LOL. Please remember to review, because then I will love you. And everyone remember and never forget that the love of Jesse the Wolf Demon is like Ramen...just damn good.
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~