I have returned and I've brought chapter twenty with me!! Sorry for
the wait for this chapter, I've had a bit of writer's block you see. Ugh,
but at least now I've gotten over it, at least for this chapter. I'm still
having a bit of trouble thinking of how I want to end this story. Don't
worry though it's not going to happen anytime soon.....I think. Anyways,
not much else to say except enjoy!
Natasha Z.: Hahaha, I'm, glad you liked the Karisou bashing. He got what was coming to him. Sorry about the Megumi thing, but well that's the way it goes. Don't worry though I have something planned for her, so don't think that she's getting off easy. Thanx for the review and enjoy this chapter!
fluffyscatdemon: Yay! I'm glad you liked that chapter! I feel so bad for keeping Ayame and Sesshoumaru apart though. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make a really good meeting scene for them. Anyways I hope that you like this chapter as much as the last one and thanks for the review!
feudalfairyfan4ever: o_O;.....wow... I never knew Karisou was that hated. Hehe just...don't hurt me please!! He has gone into hiding somewhere else and I don't know where. Ahh, but your army guys should know, after all they have tracking devices. When you find him though don't go too hard on him hahaha. Although, he did steal my money, so nevermind about being nice! Kick the crap outta him mwuhahaha!!! *Ahem!* Well, thanks so much for the review and have fun with Karisou!
Disclaimer: *Aries is sleeping in her bed, cuddling her Sesshy plushie when someone quietly opens the door and sneaks in. The shadowed figure gets to the side of the bed and softly snarls at the sight. The person then pries the plushie out of Aries's arms and leaves the room. Aries wakes up the next morning and screams. The screaming draws the attention of the cast of InuYasha.* "What the hell is going on in here?" *InuYasha demands.* "S...s...someone has stolen my Sesshoumaru plushie!!!" *Aries begins to break down. Sesshoumaru walks into the room with some papers in his hand.* "Hey I found these in the mailbox. They're for you." *He hands the papers to Aries. She reads them then screams again and faints. InuYasha picks up the papers and looks at them. One is a picture of the plushie being held over a trash can by an arm that stangely resembles Sesshoumaru's, due to the stripes. The other paper is a letter that says if Aries ever wants her plushie back she must admit that she doesn't own Sesshoumaru or anyone else from InuYasha and to leave Sesshoumaru alone.*
Chapter Twenty: Ghostly Figure
The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing through the trees, birds were chirping. It was a perfect day, except for the fact that Ayame was driving herself crazy with worry and stress from thinking about Sesshoumaru and that supposed new mate of his. She was walking at a rather fast pace, her long and determined strides bringing her ever closer to her destination. Ayame just couldn't get her mind off of that demoness she had met the other day. She wasn't sure if she had been telling the truth or not, but she was going to find out, she wasn't sure how yet though. Maybe she would just walk right up to the front of the house and demand that Sesshoumaru tell her the truth. Or perhaps not, that would cause too much trouble if he really did have a new mate, and besides she wasn't sure if she would really want to hear Sesshoumaru tell her that he had found someone new. No, it was better to just observe from afar.
Half the day had already passed by and Ayame was just now near the border of the house. She walked up a hill and when she reached the top she had a perfect view of the whole estate. She could see the entire house, the gardens, and even some of the land beyond. This is where she would do her spying. Ayame gazed about the gardens. She spotted Rin, who was as usual running around picking flowers. Ayame smiled, a sad smile, at the little childs antics. She watched as Rin stopped picking flowers and started to run back towards the house. Ayame followed her with her eyes and then she spotted him. Sesshoumaru was just standing there, his beautiful, long, silvery hair blowing in the breeze. This was the first time Ayame had seen him in over a month and she had to restrain herself when the sudden urge to run down there and hug him overwhelmed her. Ayame smiled again as she watched Rin run up and embrace Sesshoumaru's leg. She watched as Sesshoumaru affectionately patted the top of the little girl's head. He then looked up and over towards where Ayame was. Afraid that he might spot her, Ayame slowly lowered herself behind some bushes. He looked away and Ayame released the breath she had been holding.
Ayame moved the bushes a bit so that she could see better and what she saw, was not a welcome sight. There was that blonde haired demoness. She was holding onto Sesshoumaru's arm and smiling up at him. He however, did not return the smile and Ayame wondered at this. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Ayame descended the hill and began to move closer. She made her way down to the edge of the trees. She could hear Sesshoumaru and the demoness conversing, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Ayame moved a bit closer and she tried desperately to tune her ears toward the talking. She was just about to move a bit closer when she suddenly realized that Rin was right in front of her. Ayame didn't know what to do. She slowly reached for the little girl, but stopped when Rin decided to scream at the top of her lungs and run away. Ayame placed her hands on top of her ears and then not wanting to be caught, she too ran away. She ran back up to the top of the hill and sat down in some thick foliage. She removed her hands from her ears. All she could hear though was a loud ringing noise.
'What was that all about?' Ayame wondered.
Down at the house, Sesshoumaru was trying to get Rin to stop screaming and crying and tell him what had happened.
"What is it Rin? What did you see?" Sesshoumaru inquired, while stroking her hair.
"I saw....a...g..g..ghost!" Rin exclaimed.
"You saw a what?" Sesshoumaru asked. He was very confused right now.
"A ghost!"
"And what did this ghost look like Rin? Did it try to hurt you?" Sesshoumaru asked with a slight bit of anger in his voice, because if the ghost did try to hurt her, he would send it to hell where it belonged.
Rin shook her head no. "It looked like....okaasan." She said in a wavering voice.
This got Sesshoumaru's attention. "You mean...it looked like Ayame?" He asked Rin, some urgency now entering his voice. When Rin didn't answer him right away he knelt down to her level and gently grabbed hold of her shoulders. He began to lightly shake her. "Rin, did this ghost...did she look like Ayame?"
Rin nodded her head yes. Sesshoumaru quickly stood up.
"Show me where you saw this ghost Rin."
Rin nodded her head again and they both set off towards the spot near the edge of the trees.
"Sesshoumaru, wait for me!" Megumi shouted as she ran to catch up. Things weren't looking good for her. She thought that for sure Ayame would have left when she tricked her into thinking that she was Sesshoumaru's mate. Or that at least Karisou would have found her and taken her back.
"That's where she was." Said Rin, while pointing to a spot next to a tall tree.
Sesshoumaru walked over to the spot. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He could smell lavender. It was all around him and he reveled in its sweet scent. The fact that the scent was here was a bit confusing though. Usually ghosts do not have a scent, seeing as how they lack a body. But here, the scent was everywhere, but how could that be? After all it was impossible for Ayame to be alive, wasn't it? He had seen her die with his own eyes, he had even burried her. So how was it that this area was so rich with the smell of lavenders? Sesshoumaru turned towards Rin. He noticed that she had calmed down and was fiddling with the flowers in her hand. She was holding a bundle of delicate purple, or rather lavender flowers. Sesshoumaru sighed to himself. Of course. It all made sense now. Rin had picked some lavenders and since she had been over here the scent was there too. Sesshoumaru slightly shook his head. He couldn't believe that he had actually thought that Ayame was alive. Although, Rin had said that she saw Ayame. Maybe she had just imagined it. He didn't know what to think anymore, all he knew was that when he had smelt the lavender, he really had wished that it had been Ayame, and that she was alive and well.
Megumi stepped forward to get a better look. "False alarm?" She asked in an innocent voice.
Sesshoumaru just gave her a cold glare and ushered Rin back towards the house. Megumi didn't follow right away. She lingered around the spot where Ayame was sighted. She could smell lavender too. She moved the bush near the tree and found some footprints. Megumi quickly stepped back and scanned the hillside. She couldn't see anything, but she knew that Ayame had indeed been there. Megumi then headed back towards the house as well. She needed to write a letter to Karisou telling him that Ayame was hanging around and that he should come and get her while she kept Sesshoumaru distracted. She would tell the messanger to send it as soon as possible and hopefully soon, Karisou would have recieved the letter and have already taken care of the problem.
Ayame watched from atop the hill, as Sesshoumaru, Rin, and the demoness went inside. Ayame sighed to herself. That had been a close one. How could she have not seen that Rin was right there? She guessed that it was probably because she was so focused on hearing what Sesshoumaru was talking about. She hadn't heard much. She had only made out one word and that word was actually a name. It was Megumi. At first Ayame didn't think anything of it, but when she had reached the top of the hill after the whole ordeal, she began to think about it and that's when she remembered. Megumi was the name of the demoness that was working with Karisou. Ayame smiled because she also realized that she wasn't Sesshoumaru's mate because she had said herself that Sesshoumaru was not paying attention to her and was not interested. Ayame decided that she would make her move that night. She was going to get to see Sesshoumaru again, to hold him in her arms, and she couldn't wait.
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*A few hours after sunset*
Ayame was once again walking down the hill. She decided to go over to the lake that was surrounded by sakura trees because Sesshoumaru's window looked out over that part of the garden. Ayame was standing at the edge of the trees again. She could see Sesshoumaru's window clearly. Not only that, but she could Sesshoumaru too. He was standing on the balcony and he looked so sad. Ayame's chest ached at the way his features appeared to be so sad and cold. Oh well, she was about to change that. Ayame was just about to step out from behind the trees, when there was suddenly some movement behind her and she could feel the sharp, cold edge of a blade being pressed roughly against her throat. She was just about to shout to Sesshoumaru when a voice spoke.
"Don't even think about screaming. You do and I swear that not even a sound will escape your lips before I cut your throat open."
Ayame recognized that voice instantly. It was Karisou and he sounded furious. So he had found her. Ayame obediantly closed her mouth, not wanting to upset Karisou any further and cause him to slit her throat.
"Very good. Now, it wasn't very nice of you to hit me and run off, now was it? That's okay. I guess I could find it in my heart to forgive you. That is, if you come back with me."
"I don't want to go back with you. I want to be with Sess..." Ayame was cut off when Karisou painfully pressed the blade on her throat and it started to smash her windpipe.
"You have no choice. You will come back with me, you will be my mate, and you will forget about Sesshoumaru."
With that said, Karisou removed the blade from being pressed against Ayame's throat and hit her hard over the head with the handle. Ayame's vision blurred from the hit and she sank to her knees. She was going to pass out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her body fell over and layed unconscious on the ground. Karisou sheathed his sword and picked up Ayame's body. He watched, disgusted, as Sesshoumaru disappeared from the balcony as he went into his room. Without another moment to waste, Karisou began to head back to the eastern lands at a run, with an unconscious Ayame in his arms.
Yay! Another chapter done. I know some of you will be frustrated that Ayame finally got to the western lands only to be taken back, but please trust me they will get together. Just bare with me cause believe me I want them to be back together already just as much as you do! However, I have this plot in my head and well this is how it goes. If you really must get some of your anger out just let me know and I'll send Karisou over to your house so you can beat him up as much as you want. Anyways please read and review! And until the next chapter, see ya!
~Aries
Natasha Z.: Hahaha, I'm, glad you liked the Karisou bashing. He got what was coming to him. Sorry about the Megumi thing, but well that's the way it goes. Don't worry though I have something planned for her, so don't think that she's getting off easy. Thanx for the review and enjoy this chapter!
fluffyscatdemon: Yay! I'm glad you liked that chapter! I feel so bad for keeping Ayame and Sesshoumaru apart though. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make a really good meeting scene for them. Anyways I hope that you like this chapter as much as the last one and thanks for the review!
feudalfairyfan4ever: o_O;.....wow... I never knew Karisou was that hated. Hehe just...don't hurt me please!! He has gone into hiding somewhere else and I don't know where. Ahh, but your army guys should know, after all they have tracking devices. When you find him though don't go too hard on him hahaha. Although, he did steal my money, so nevermind about being nice! Kick the crap outta him mwuhahaha!!! *Ahem!* Well, thanks so much for the review and have fun with Karisou!
Disclaimer: *Aries is sleeping in her bed, cuddling her Sesshy plushie when someone quietly opens the door and sneaks in. The shadowed figure gets to the side of the bed and softly snarls at the sight. The person then pries the plushie out of Aries's arms and leaves the room. Aries wakes up the next morning and screams. The screaming draws the attention of the cast of InuYasha.* "What the hell is going on in here?" *InuYasha demands.* "S...s...someone has stolen my Sesshoumaru plushie!!!" *Aries begins to break down. Sesshoumaru walks into the room with some papers in his hand.* "Hey I found these in the mailbox. They're for you." *He hands the papers to Aries. She reads them then screams again and faints. InuYasha picks up the papers and looks at them. One is a picture of the plushie being held over a trash can by an arm that stangely resembles Sesshoumaru's, due to the stripes. The other paper is a letter that says if Aries ever wants her plushie back she must admit that she doesn't own Sesshoumaru or anyone else from InuYasha and to leave Sesshoumaru alone.*
Chapter Twenty: Ghostly Figure
The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing through the trees, birds were chirping. It was a perfect day, except for the fact that Ayame was driving herself crazy with worry and stress from thinking about Sesshoumaru and that supposed new mate of his. She was walking at a rather fast pace, her long and determined strides bringing her ever closer to her destination. Ayame just couldn't get her mind off of that demoness she had met the other day. She wasn't sure if she had been telling the truth or not, but she was going to find out, she wasn't sure how yet though. Maybe she would just walk right up to the front of the house and demand that Sesshoumaru tell her the truth. Or perhaps not, that would cause too much trouble if he really did have a new mate, and besides she wasn't sure if she would really want to hear Sesshoumaru tell her that he had found someone new. No, it was better to just observe from afar.
Half the day had already passed by and Ayame was just now near the border of the house. She walked up a hill and when she reached the top she had a perfect view of the whole estate. She could see the entire house, the gardens, and even some of the land beyond. This is where she would do her spying. Ayame gazed about the gardens. She spotted Rin, who was as usual running around picking flowers. Ayame smiled, a sad smile, at the little childs antics. She watched as Rin stopped picking flowers and started to run back towards the house. Ayame followed her with her eyes and then she spotted him. Sesshoumaru was just standing there, his beautiful, long, silvery hair blowing in the breeze. This was the first time Ayame had seen him in over a month and she had to restrain herself when the sudden urge to run down there and hug him overwhelmed her. Ayame smiled again as she watched Rin run up and embrace Sesshoumaru's leg. She watched as Sesshoumaru affectionately patted the top of the little girl's head. He then looked up and over towards where Ayame was. Afraid that he might spot her, Ayame slowly lowered herself behind some bushes. He looked away and Ayame released the breath she had been holding.
Ayame moved the bushes a bit so that she could see better and what she saw, was not a welcome sight. There was that blonde haired demoness. She was holding onto Sesshoumaru's arm and smiling up at him. He however, did not return the smile and Ayame wondered at this. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Ayame descended the hill and began to move closer. She made her way down to the edge of the trees. She could hear Sesshoumaru and the demoness conversing, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Ayame moved a bit closer and she tried desperately to tune her ears toward the talking. She was just about to move a bit closer when she suddenly realized that Rin was right in front of her. Ayame didn't know what to do. She slowly reached for the little girl, but stopped when Rin decided to scream at the top of her lungs and run away. Ayame placed her hands on top of her ears and then not wanting to be caught, she too ran away. She ran back up to the top of the hill and sat down in some thick foliage. She removed her hands from her ears. All she could hear though was a loud ringing noise.
'What was that all about?' Ayame wondered.
Down at the house, Sesshoumaru was trying to get Rin to stop screaming and crying and tell him what had happened.
"What is it Rin? What did you see?" Sesshoumaru inquired, while stroking her hair.
"I saw....a...g..g..ghost!" Rin exclaimed.
"You saw a what?" Sesshoumaru asked. He was very confused right now.
"A ghost!"
"And what did this ghost look like Rin? Did it try to hurt you?" Sesshoumaru asked with a slight bit of anger in his voice, because if the ghost did try to hurt her, he would send it to hell where it belonged.
Rin shook her head no. "It looked like....okaasan." She said in a wavering voice.
This got Sesshoumaru's attention. "You mean...it looked like Ayame?" He asked Rin, some urgency now entering his voice. When Rin didn't answer him right away he knelt down to her level and gently grabbed hold of her shoulders. He began to lightly shake her. "Rin, did this ghost...did she look like Ayame?"
Rin nodded her head yes. Sesshoumaru quickly stood up.
"Show me where you saw this ghost Rin."
Rin nodded her head again and they both set off towards the spot near the edge of the trees.
"Sesshoumaru, wait for me!" Megumi shouted as she ran to catch up. Things weren't looking good for her. She thought that for sure Ayame would have left when she tricked her into thinking that she was Sesshoumaru's mate. Or that at least Karisou would have found her and taken her back.
"That's where she was." Said Rin, while pointing to a spot next to a tall tree.
Sesshoumaru walked over to the spot. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He could smell lavender. It was all around him and he reveled in its sweet scent. The fact that the scent was here was a bit confusing though. Usually ghosts do not have a scent, seeing as how they lack a body. But here, the scent was everywhere, but how could that be? After all it was impossible for Ayame to be alive, wasn't it? He had seen her die with his own eyes, he had even burried her. So how was it that this area was so rich with the smell of lavenders? Sesshoumaru turned towards Rin. He noticed that she had calmed down and was fiddling with the flowers in her hand. She was holding a bundle of delicate purple, or rather lavender flowers. Sesshoumaru sighed to himself. Of course. It all made sense now. Rin had picked some lavenders and since she had been over here the scent was there too. Sesshoumaru slightly shook his head. He couldn't believe that he had actually thought that Ayame was alive. Although, Rin had said that she saw Ayame. Maybe she had just imagined it. He didn't know what to think anymore, all he knew was that when he had smelt the lavender, he really had wished that it had been Ayame, and that she was alive and well.
Megumi stepped forward to get a better look. "False alarm?" She asked in an innocent voice.
Sesshoumaru just gave her a cold glare and ushered Rin back towards the house. Megumi didn't follow right away. She lingered around the spot where Ayame was sighted. She could smell lavender too. She moved the bush near the tree and found some footprints. Megumi quickly stepped back and scanned the hillside. She couldn't see anything, but she knew that Ayame had indeed been there. Megumi then headed back towards the house as well. She needed to write a letter to Karisou telling him that Ayame was hanging around and that he should come and get her while she kept Sesshoumaru distracted. She would tell the messanger to send it as soon as possible and hopefully soon, Karisou would have recieved the letter and have already taken care of the problem.
Ayame watched from atop the hill, as Sesshoumaru, Rin, and the demoness went inside. Ayame sighed to herself. That had been a close one. How could she have not seen that Rin was right there? She guessed that it was probably because she was so focused on hearing what Sesshoumaru was talking about. She hadn't heard much. She had only made out one word and that word was actually a name. It was Megumi. At first Ayame didn't think anything of it, but when she had reached the top of the hill after the whole ordeal, she began to think about it and that's when she remembered. Megumi was the name of the demoness that was working with Karisou. Ayame smiled because she also realized that she wasn't Sesshoumaru's mate because she had said herself that Sesshoumaru was not paying attention to her and was not interested. Ayame decided that she would make her move that night. She was going to get to see Sesshoumaru again, to hold him in her arms, and she couldn't wait.
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*A few hours after sunset*
Ayame was once again walking down the hill. She decided to go over to the lake that was surrounded by sakura trees because Sesshoumaru's window looked out over that part of the garden. Ayame was standing at the edge of the trees again. She could see Sesshoumaru's window clearly. Not only that, but she could Sesshoumaru too. He was standing on the balcony and he looked so sad. Ayame's chest ached at the way his features appeared to be so sad and cold. Oh well, she was about to change that. Ayame was just about to step out from behind the trees, when there was suddenly some movement behind her and she could feel the sharp, cold edge of a blade being pressed roughly against her throat. She was just about to shout to Sesshoumaru when a voice spoke.
"Don't even think about screaming. You do and I swear that not even a sound will escape your lips before I cut your throat open."
Ayame recognized that voice instantly. It was Karisou and he sounded furious. So he had found her. Ayame obediantly closed her mouth, not wanting to upset Karisou any further and cause him to slit her throat.
"Very good. Now, it wasn't very nice of you to hit me and run off, now was it? That's okay. I guess I could find it in my heart to forgive you. That is, if you come back with me."
"I don't want to go back with you. I want to be with Sess..." Ayame was cut off when Karisou painfully pressed the blade on her throat and it started to smash her windpipe.
"You have no choice. You will come back with me, you will be my mate, and you will forget about Sesshoumaru."
With that said, Karisou removed the blade from being pressed against Ayame's throat and hit her hard over the head with the handle. Ayame's vision blurred from the hit and she sank to her knees. She was going to pass out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her body fell over and layed unconscious on the ground. Karisou sheathed his sword and picked up Ayame's body. He watched, disgusted, as Sesshoumaru disappeared from the balcony as he went into his room. Without another moment to waste, Karisou began to head back to the eastern lands at a run, with an unconscious Ayame in his arms.
Yay! Another chapter done. I know some of you will be frustrated that Ayame finally got to the western lands only to be taken back, but please trust me they will get together. Just bare with me cause believe me I want them to be back together already just as much as you do! However, I have this plot in my head and well this is how it goes. If you really must get some of your anger out just let me know and I'll send Karisou over to your house so you can beat him up as much as you want. Anyways please read and review! And until the next chapter, see ya!
~Aries