Disclaimer: I don't own.....I don't...I DON'T OWN YYH!! *cries in
corner*
Wait! I own Sikuna, my bedroom, and my shrine to Kurama.
Chapter 3 Storytelling
When they arrived at the campsite, they saw that the fire was already going, and stew was boiling nicely. The guys were talking quietly among the flames, all but Hiei, who was glaring at the ground, leaning against a tree trunk on the far end of the site. The guys noticed the girls approaching, and their jaws dropped in awe at Sikuna. All but Hiei. His eyes were focused on the ground.
"HimynameisKuwabaraIthinkI'min"
"Hello. My name is Sikuna," she interrupted, not wanting to know what he thought.
The last thing that I need is friends. They only get in the way of your survival. They only end up harming you in the end.
"Do you want any stew, Sikuna?" Yusuke asked.
"It's ready if ya do."
"What is in it?" she asked, not quite yet trusting this strange group of people.
"Uh, let us see.. There is rabbit, basil, rosemary, and uh, some wild berries for flavor," Kurama stammered.
"That sounds good. Yes, I do believe that I will," Sikuna said, almost inaudibly. Yusuke prepared a bowl, and handed it to her. She was about to take a sip when she noticed something, and lowered the bowl hesitantly.
"Are none of you going to eat?" Sikuna asked uncertainly.
"Well, you see, um, us guys have never really. cooked before. I really was looking for firewood when we met, Hiei was looking for wild animals," Yusuke paused to jab his thumb in Hiei's direction, "...and Kurama knows the most about plants." Kurama took this time to blush.
"You actually walked in on us trying to decide who should try the stew first. Hiei would say that it was horrible anyway, the girls would have only said it was good, no matter how gross it was, and Kurama, well, he said no, and we like him too much to force it down his throat. Me and Kuwabara will eat anything. You were the only one left. We're really sorry." Yusuke was looking at a lone stick burning in the flames, and all the other guys gazed guiltily away.
"The sad part is.. He's right!" Boton whispered to Sikuna. All three girls burst into a fit of laughter. Well, (haha) it smells(haha) pretty good," Sikuna bust into another fit of giggles. Kurama gave a gentle smile that almost melted her feet. Yusuke chuckled, then burst out laughing. Kuwabara looked puzzled, and Hiei was still by the tree, showing no emotion whatsoever. Wait a moment, thought Sikuna, was that a smile? Hiei's lips twitched again. It is! So he does have feelings!
Hiei caught Sikuna staring at him, and stared back. It soon became a contest as to whom was weaker. Kurama noticed first. He tapped everyone n the shoulder and pointed to the competitors. They quietly watched Sikuna stare, eyes wide and round, and Hiei glaring so vigorously that his eyes were little more than slits. Suddenly, Sikuna looked away, laughing gently.
"What is it?" snapped Hiei, glaring as much as ever.
"It is just that I thought that I saw something on your face, but it was really small. I was staring to see if it was truly there. You started staring back, and I decided to see who would crack a smile first. I suppose that I did. I could not help it when everyone started staring at us! In any case, there is nothing on your face now," explained Sikuna.
"Let us eat!" She raised the bowl to her lips and took a small sip. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Is it that bad, Sikuna?" Kurama asked, looking extremely worried.
"You lied to me," Sikuna accused.
"You said that you have never cooked before. This is fantastic!" Yusuke and Kurama stared open-mouthed at her response. They looked at each other and grinned.
"Do you really think so?"
"You really think so?"
Sikuna nodded, and poured everyone a bowl. In less than a moment, Yusuke and Kuwabara were on their 4th bowl. Sikuna decided to ask Kurama the question threatening to escape her lips.
"What is a group like you doing here, anyway? I mean, you do not usually find six people wandering around the Forest of Nightmares."
"Why is it called the Forest of Nightmares?" Kurama asked.
"It is a sanctuary for beings with high levels of spirit energy. Normal people cannot enter here without having everyone in the Forest becoming enraged and completely destroying them." Sikuna explained.
"Back to my question. Why are you here?" she asked. Yusuke decided to answer.
"Actually, we are on a mission.." He told her the story of how they got together and how they ended up in the Forest of Nightmares.
".. And now we are told to find someone with a great power. That person left a village near here about a day or so ago, I would think."
Sikuna's eyes widened in surprise.
"What were you sent to do with this person?" she asked fearfully. "We were told only to find this powerful being and to investigate them. If they are in control of their power, we can leave in peace. If there is trouble, then we will need to get it under control," Kurama answered.
"It's you, isn't it?" Hiei snarled, his eyes seething with rage. Everyone looked up in surprise at her.
"I believe that I will be going now." Sikuna abruptly stood up and began to walk away. Kurama leapt in front of her and acted as a barricade.
"I am afraid that we cannot allow that," he said.
"We need to know why you let the village, why we have not felt your power coming from you, and if you are dangerous or not." Kurama's eyes lowered in sadness. Sikuna, trapped, looked about like an animal, and saw no escape. She searched each pair of eyes individually. Yusuke, face grim, took a step closer, as did Kuwabara. The girls stood apart, eyes showing shock and.terror? Sikuna held back a gasp of pain and looked lastly at Hiei. She was nearly consumed by the rapid series of emotions flickering underneath the rage. Feeling angry and hurt, she roared,
"Do you really want to know? I was born at the edge of that village 19 years ago! I had no friends as a child, because the adults told their children that I was an unnatural freak! Every day they would beat me, but I had heard horrid stories about the outside world, and was too frightened to leave!" Breathing heavily, she continued.
" I can numb the senses of others. Hiding my power with my power, you can say. I was about 4 when they caught me blasting tiny designs using holes into nearby trees, and they became angry. They then beat me until I passed out. When I came to, I was chained to a wall with bronze shackles. They knew that I was allergic to bronze, and that it rapidly sucks out my spirit energy. It made it so that I could hardly move for the past fifteen years. When I was 8, my wings grew in. Everyday, the same routine. Wake up to leering faces, get whipped, then beaten, then stoned, have my wings hacked off with a blunt, rusty ax, and.and.. " Sikuna started crying.
"They made me eat my wings! My own wings!" Sikuna ripped off her shirt, and thick, leathery wings covered her. She then collapsed into a fetal position on the ground. Yukina ran over and gathered Sikuna into her arms. Sikuna flinched reflexively and began shuddering from crying so hard.
"The. they w.were s.(hic).. so hor. orrib.ble to m.me, a.and I.I did no. nothing to. to th.them!" Sikuna whimpered, and hiccupped uncontrollably. Boton came over and joined Yukina in the embrace. Kuwabara looked confused, not quite sure what to do. Yusuke went to go forward, stopped, and looked uncomfortable. Kurama looked at his foot, and made it move in small circles.
She has no idea of how much I have felt that pain.
Sikuna raised her head slightly in confusion. That sounded almost like Hiei, but he would not say something that emotional, would he? She gazed at him over Boton's shoulder, but he was glossy-eyed, locked in his memories.
"Th.thank you..you f. for no.not ha.hating m.me," Sikuna whispered. She sighed, and passed out from sheer exhaustion.
Wait! I own Sikuna, my bedroom, and my shrine to Kurama.
Chapter 3 Storytelling
When they arrived at the campsite, they saw that the fire was already going, and stew was boiling nicely. The guys were talking quietly among the flames, all but Hiei, who was glaring at the ground, leaning against a tree trunk on the far end of the site. The guys noticed the girls approaching, and their jaws dropped in awe at Sikuna. All but Hiei. His eyes were focused on the ground.
"HimynameisKuwabaraIthinkI'min"
"Hello. My name is Sikuna," she interrupted, not wanting to know what he thought.
The last thing that I need is friends. They only get in the way of your survival. They only end up harming you in the end.
"Do you want any stew, Sikuna?" Yusuke asked.
"It's ready if ya do."
"What is in it?" she asked, not quite yet trusting this strange group of people.
"Uh, let us see.. There is rabbit, basil, rosemary, and uh, some wild berries for flavor," Kurama stammered.
"That sounds good. Yes, I do believe that I will," Sikuna said, almost inaudibly. Yusuke prepared a bowl, and handed it to her. She was about to take a sip when she noticed something, and lowered the bowl hesitantly.
"Are none of you going to eat?" Sikuna asked uncertainly.
"Well, you see, um, us guys have never really. cooked before. I really was looking for firewood when we met, Hiei was looking for wild animals," Yusuke paused to jab his thumb in Hiei's direction, "...and Kurama knows the most about plants." Kurama took this time to blush.
"You actually walked in on us trying to decide who should try the stew first. Hiei would say that it was horrible anyway, the girls would have only said it was good, no matter how gross it was, and Kurama, well, he said no, and we like him too much to force it down his throat. Me and Kuwabara will eat anything. You were the only one left. We're really sorry." Yusuke was looking at a lone stick burning in the flames, and all the other guys gazed guiltily away.
"The sad part is.. He's right!" Boton whispered to Sikuna. All three girls burst into a fit of laughter. Well, (haha) it smells(haha) pretty good," Sikuna bust into another fit of giggles. Kurama gave a gentle smile that almost melted her feet. Yusuke chuckled, then burst out laughing. Kuwabara looked puzzled, and Hiei was still by the tree, showing no emotion whatsoever. Wait a moment, thought Sikuna, was that a smile? Hiei's lips twitched again. It is! So he does have feelings!
Hiei caught Sikuna staring at him, and stared back. It soon became a contest as to whom was weaker. Kurama noticed first. He tapped everyone n the shoulder and pointed to the competitors. They quietly watched Sikuna stare, eyes wide and round, and Hiei glaring so vigorously that his eyes were little more than slits. Suddenly, Sikuna looked away, laughing gently.
"What is it?" snapped Hiei, glaring as much as ever.
"It is just that I thought that I saw something on your face, but it was really small. I was staring to see if it was truly there. You started staring back, and I decided to see who would crack a smile first. I suppose that I did. I could not help it when everyone started staring at us! In any case, there is nothing on your face now," explained Sikuna.
"Let us eat!" She raised the bowl to her lips and took a small sip. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Is it that bad, Sikuna?" Kurama asked, looking extremely worried.
"You lied to me," Sikuna accused.
"You said that you have never cooked before. This is fantastic!" Yusuke and Kurama stared open-mouthed at her response. They looked at each other and grinned.
"Do you really think so?"
"You really think so?"
Sikuna nodded, and poured everyone a bowl. In less than a moment, Yusuke and Kuwabara were on their 4th bowl. Sikuna decided to ask Kurama the question threatening to escape her lips.
"What is a group like you doing here, anyway? I mean, you do not usually find six people wandering around the Forest of Nightmares."
"Why is it called the Forest of Nightmares?" Kurama asked.
"It is a sanctuary for beings with high levels of spirit energy. Normal people cannot enter here without having everyone in the Forest becoming enraged and completely destroying them." Sikuna explained.
"Back to my question. Why are you here?" she asked. Yusuke decided to answer.
"Actually, we are on a mission.." He told her the story of how they got together and how they ended up in the Forest of Nightmares.
".. And now we are told to find someone with a great power. That person left a village near here about a day or so ago, I would think."
Sikuna's eyes widened in surprise.
"What were you sent to do with this person?" she asked fearfully. "We were told only to find this powerful being and to investigate them. If they are in control of their power, we can leave in peace. If there is trouble, then we will need to get it under control," Kurama answered.
"It's you, isn't it?" Hiei snarled, his eyes seething with rage. Everyone looked up in surprise at her.
"I believe that I will be going now." Sikuna abruptly stood up and began to walk away. Kurama leapt in front of her and acted as a barricade.
"I am afraid that we cannot allow that," he said.
"We need to know why you let the village, why we have not felt your power coming from you, and if you are dangerous or not." Kurama's eyes lowered in sadness. Sikuna, trapped, looked about like an animal, and saw no escape. She searched each pair of eyes individually. Yusuke, face grim, took a step closer, as did Kuwabara. The girls stood apart, eyes showing shock and.terror? Sikuna held back a gasp of pain and looked lastly at Hiei. She was nearly consumed by the rapid series of emotions flickering underneath the rage. Feeling angry and hurt, she roared,
"Do you really want to know? I was born at the edge of that village 19 years ago! I had no friends as a child, because the adults told their children that I was an unnatural freak! Every day they would beat me, but I had heard horrid stories about the outside world, and was too frightened to leave!" Breathing heavily, she continued.
" I can numb the senses of others. Hiding my power with my power, you can say. I was about 4 when they caught me blasting tiny designs using holes into nearby trees, and they became angry. They then beat me until I passed out. When I came to, I was chained to a wall with bronze shackles. They knew that I was allergic to bronze, and that it rapidly sucks out my spirit energy. It made it so that I could hardly move for the past fifteen years. When I was 8, my wings grew in. Everyday, the same routine. Wake up to leering faces, get whipped, then beaten, then stoned, have my wings hacked off with a blunt, rusty ax, and.and.. " Sikuna started crying.
"They made me eat my wings! My own wings!" Sikuna ripped off her shirt, and thick, leathery wings covered her. She then collapsed into a fetal position on the ground. Yukina ran over and gathered Sikuna into her arms. Sikuna flinched reflexively and began shuddering from crying so hard.
"The. they w.were s.(hic).. so hor. orrib.ble to m.me, a.and I.I did no. nothing to. to th.them!" Sikuna whimpered, and hiccupped uncontrollably. Boton came over and joined Yukina in the embrace. Kuwabara looked confused, not quite sure what to do. Yusuke went to go forward, stopped, and looked uncomfortable. Kurama looked at his foot, and made it move in small circles.
She has no idea of how much I have felt that pain.
Sikuna raised her head slightly in confusion. That sounded almost like Hiei, but he would not say something that emotional, would he? She gazed at him over Boton's shoulder, but he was glossy-eyed, locked in his memories.
"Th.thank you..you f. for no.not ha.hating m.me," Sikuna whispered. She sighed, and passed out from sheer exhaustion.