Lone Wolf
I stand alone…
By Crystal Arrow
Disclaimer- You will notice that there are a lot of original characters in this story, along with the characters from Inuyasha. Please get it through your thick skull that I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters, but all of the original characters, which I am hoping you're able to discern on your own.
Chapter Ten: Trouble Follows
And so Aiko finally had a home in the open arms of the small farming village. She lived with the old miko, taking to calling her grandmother (Obaasan), and supposedly earned her stay by acting as the defender of the village. Many a demon had come to the village, and everyone had fallen to Aiko's strength and superior fighting skills. This in turn resulted in a large collection of none other than shikon shards. Little did any of the villagers know that having the jewel shards in their possession attracted more demons to them, it never occurred to them, especially since all the monsters were so easily taken care of by their new demon in residence, so why worry?
Presently, the epitome of trouble itself was heading straight for that village. How can one tell? Because you can hear this from the distance: WHUMP "Damnit, Bitch!!!"
"Inuyasha! Stop being mean to Shippo!" All the while, a small kitsune cub makes faces at the disgruntled inu hanyou from the miko's shoulders. The accompanying taiyija and houshi simply shake their heads at the all too common spectacle.
An argument ensues between the two until the miko, Kagome, abruptly perks up. "Kagome, is it a shikon shard?" Inuyasha, the inu hanyou asked.
"Yeah, a few miles ahead, a lot of them!"
"Let's go!" Inuyasha shouts. He crouches down allowing Kagome to climb onto his back.
Sango, the taiyija calls to her demon companion, Kirara, who then transforms into a giant fire cat. She and the houshi both mount her back and the unlikely crew takes flight heading towards the shards ahead.
At the same time, the taiyoukai of the western lands just so happened to be patrolling his lands. He traveled in the woods avoiding the human villages on his land, choosing to reign over them silently rather than overbearingly. With him traveled a small toad demon, his retainer named Jaken; a small and overly adorable human child by the name of Rin; and his two headed dragon, Ah-Un. The taiyoukai himself was an inu yokai, cold and stoic, he was feared among all demons, but at the same time, more beautiful than most women. He traveled silently as Jaken complained loudly over the humming little girl arguing that such a worthless ningen should not have the honor to travel with his lord Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru stopped, looking ahead into the distance. "Jaken, take care of Rin." With that he took to his cloud and into the air, leaving the gaping Jaken behind to care for the mischievously grinning child.
"Jaken! Let's pick some flowers!" Rin proclaimed giddily.
"WHY!?!?!!" The poor toad cried to the demon lord, but he was already gone.
And so, on this day, trouble befell the little village where Aiko had finally found a home.
Aiko was dressed in a crude common kimono in her human form. She had long since mastered her three forms, and used them all to her advantage. However, for her everyday life in the village, she hid her demonic aura and lived as a human. Presently she worked in the rice fields with the other villagers. Long black hair was tied in a knot on the top of her head, stray wisps and curls falling into her face in a deliberate attempt to piss her off. She stood and brushed her hair out of her face muttering, "I should just kill you damn it, just cut you all off and be done with it. Though, even then, you would probably find a way to piss me off wouldn't you, you fucking piece of shit!"
The villagers closest to her laughed at her antics. "You know, Aiko," a teenage boy teased. "You shouldn't talk to yourself so violently, it's not healthy."
"You're telling me." She answered laughing, as she recall her statement so long ago that had left her traveling alone for so long. "From now on, I stand alone." That had to be the stupidest thing she'd ever set as a goal.
Her demon senses flickered in acknowledgment of an approaching power. Aiko looked up at the sky, it was coming on noon, time for lunch. Hopefully the oncoming demons she sensed wouldn't ruin it, she happened to be hungry having missed breakfast sleeping in.
"Hey! I gotta go to work, I'll be back later!" Aiko called out as she shouldered her pickings and headed towards the village. The villagers waved and wished her good luck while continuing with their work without a hint of worry.
Aiko arrived at the old miko's home within a few minutes dropping her pickings by the door and stalking in. "Obaasan!" the demon girl called.
"I am right in front of you, child." The miko answered.
Aiko giggled, "I know, but it's so much fun trying to scare you!"
The old lady sighed. "What shall I do with ye?"
"Give me my weapons, there's a demon on the way." Aiko stopped when her senses tingled again. "Make that four, but only two are a threat."
"Whatever you say child. Will you allow me to try to persuade them to leave peacefully this time?"
"Whatever, Obaasan. Hey, about daggers this time around?" Aiko asked as she fingered a pair of daggers the village blacksmith had made for her after she had successfully broken three katanas in her battles, thinking maybe these will last longer. And they had served Aiko well, still shining as they did the first day he had given them to her, made of polished steel, both with smooth leather hilts with inlayed vine designs. And engraved delicately into each dagger was a different message. "Faithful Protector." And "Never Alone." Both meant the world to her. Aiko strapped the sheathes to her thighs beneath the short skirt of her kimono, and then tied another longer skirt over her kimono so as to hide them. Thinking better of going into battle in a skirt, she removed the skirt and put on some pants, retying the sheathes over the pants and putting the skirt on over the pants, successfully hiding it.
As the demon in disguise finishing dressing, she glanced about the room. In the corner of the room set on a pedestal surrounded by candles lay several shards of crystal that she had found in the carcasses of her defeated adversaries. She didn't know what they were, but that they were infected with darkness. However, over time, these gems had brightened, and now shone silver in the warm light of the candles in the corner. Obaasan had said she sensed power from these jewel shards, but she herself did not have the power to purify in her old age, or harness their power. So they sat seemingly harmless in the corner, yet to Aiko, they beckoned. Like stars they shone, so like the night that she loved so much, but within their light, was darkness still. Turning, she sheathed her blades. Aiko quickly brushed her hair back out of her face, retying the knot as she stepped out of the small shack shortly followed by the miko, armed with a bow and arrows, prepared to face the oncoming threat.
Together they strode towards the gate of the village to await its arrival. As they waited, and she sensed it draw closer and closer still, Aiko pondered, 'I don't know if it's just me, or maybe those stars that shine in that room, but wherever I go, no matter where that may be, trouble follows me.'
Author's Note:
Woohooo!! School's over and now that my brain has successfully shut off for two weeks straight, I am back to writing! I'm pretty proud of this chapter despite its uneventfulness. Oh well. I'll try to write more, and finally get these stories moving. Please Review, they make me sooooo happy and really encourage me to write. And thanks especially to Runa Wanderer. My gosh, you review like crazy! But your encouragement really helps! Thank you to everyone who reviews, whether it's only once, or excessively! Thanks, and I'm so sorry for the waits!
Crystal Arrow