A/N: Hello everybody! This is getting exciting, and I hope to have this story wrapped up before the twentieth chapter, k? Hopefully that will go okay. You have no idea how hard this fanfiction is to write. Anywho, my two friends, Kristen (Lunar Kitty), and Ashley are staying over, and I'm so hyper. ; Sorry. I'll be quiet and start writing now.
A Blast from the Past
Chapter 15-Ayame's Reincarnation
She ran, her legs pumping as fast as she could push herself. Her feet pounded against the harsh concrete, bloodying her bare skin. She had lost her sandals a while ago. Her two red pigtails streamed behind her, her green eyes wild with fear. She was panting heavily, her chest heaving until she thought her lungs would burst. It was right behind her. She could barely outrun it. It was slowly gaining on her. The rain was misting her body, the sweat coming of as steam in the cool rain. It was dark except for the streetlights in this district, and she knew she couldn't run forever. She needed to find somewhere to hide. But this was a housing district. She'd need to guess.
With her legs flailing wildly, praying that her bloody feet wouldn't slip on the wet asphalt, Yuri flung herself at the nearest door, her shoulder forward and all her remaining strength behind the blow. The door fell in under the weight and shattered. She scrambled up as quickly as able, almost feeling the monstrosity's hot breath on her neck before she was off again, sprinting down the hall. It was so close to her now, ripping at her heels with razor teeth, drawing blood from her thigh and calf. It was all she could do to keep herself upright and running. Any mistake would be fatal at this point. She had been lucky to sense it coming. But it had almost caught her off guard anyway. She had sensed a wolf youkai, but this was more than that. The evil that pervaded it was... immense.
Finally, as if a gift from the gods, there was a door, cracked open. With a final burst of speed, she threw herself through and turned the bolt. There were three of them. She almost collapsed, leaning her back against the door as the wild animal on the other side of the door threw itself again and again against the stout wooden door. Snarls and growls ripped through the wood, but it held, surprisingly. Yuri struggled to find breath, her eyes misting over with exhaustion. She barely registered five shadowy forms bending over her before she lapsed into unconsciousness.
--
Naraku grit his teeth as he fought to control the youkai. It was easy enough to bend it to his will just walking around, but on the hunt, when it was truly in its element... Well, it got difficult. His creations were usually difficult this way. Except this one wasn't truly his creation. He had just... modified it.
Naraku scowled as the beast failed to corner its next prey. That might be a problem. But no matter. He knew the number on that door, and that building. His prey had just come across the would-be hunters. This meant they would likely be confronting his newest toy soon. That would be entertaining, a lot more so if Kagome was able to watch. He knew how attached she had been to it.
With a savage twist of will, he wrenched his new servant away from the area, the thing seething at the loss of its preferred prey. He had intended to let it hunt humans, but it seemed to prefer women with red hair and green eyes. That was good. It added a bit of irony to the mix. Hopefully InuYasha wasn't stupid enough not to connect the two. Twirling in his chair, Naraku faced the television monitors that linked to the rooms containing his prisoners. For hostages, he was treating them surprisingly well. He fed them three times a day, and not just bread and water either. It wasn't in his best interest at the moment to harm them.
He watched as Rin and Kagome played a board game with Ryou. He supposed he could lock them in a cellar, and feed them lumpy porridge, but that wasn't as much fun. Being a captive in comfort let them contemplate their positions more. Plus, he wasn't as rude as to let Rin give birth in a prison. Certainly he wasn't that cruel.
He laughed softly to himself. So maybe he had lost his more familiar incarnations, like Kagura and Kanna, but he had more now. Since he couldn't draw off the Shikon no Tama, he simply drew from Kikyo's miko powers. It was the same, essentially, only he had to be careful how much he drew out of her soul at a time, and let it be replenished, before he drew again. Tiring, but a necessary precaution.
Naraku smiled a little as he looked to the dark corner beside of him, in which his newest incarnation lurked. He drew it out with a thought and gazed upon it. A tall, slender demon, with feathers it its black hair, golden eyes, and traditional clothing. His newest wind demon. He liked Kagura's design, but he made it male this time, just for variety.
"I will not fail you, Naraku." The wind youkai intoned breathily, bowing low. Naraku nodded in agreement. He had better not fail me.
"Go then, Fushiku. You know what to do, I hope." With a last bow, the wind youkai swept himself out of the room, leaving Naraku to lean back in his chair with a satisfied look on his stolen face.
--
Miroku was certainly not the only one startled when a rather gorgeous young woman burst into the room, slammed the door behind her, and promptly collapsed. He also probably wasn't the only one to notice the red hair and green eyes, along with the fact that she was a wolf youkai. Of course, the fact that InuYasha's door seemed to be about to fly off its hinges was obvious as well.
While the monk was busy thinking about the obvious, everyone sprung up to have a look. Miroku quickly followed, not wanting to be left out of anything. They all looked, dumbstruck for the moment. Miroku was wondering where all the blood was coming from, until he saw the girl's bare feet and the bite marks and claw wounds on the backs of her legs. This was too weird. The door had stopped moving, and this girl who fit 'the criteria' had just shown up. Weird.
"You... girl? Are you alright?" Sessho-Maru asked, bending down. InuYasha snorted derisively, shaking his head.
"Of course she'd not alright, Sessho-Maru! She's unconscious and bleeding!" The hanyou said. Miroku shook his head. Tensions were so high that InuYasha had stooped to arguing with his half-brother. Well, not that it took much to stoop so low for InuYasha.
"Help me with her, would you Miroku?" Sango asked, pointing to the girl. "And watch your hands." She reminded him. Miroku sighed in defeat. Was every woman going to peg him like this? Gently, and keeping his hands in full view for his wife, the monk picked up the girl and carried her to the 'fold out couch'. InuYasha readied it, and Miroku placed her down.
Almost immediately, activity flurried around the girl. InuYasha and Sessho-Maru hung back, but Miroku, Sango, and Shippo began to bandage the girl's legs and feet after cleaning them with modern medication. Once she was all bandaged up, as Shippo called it, they waited.
InuYasha, in the mean time, checked outside the door. There were blood marks down the hall, along with muddy paw prints. Sessho-Maru, who had followed his brother out, bent to examine them.
"These are wolf prints." He said softly, confirming the doubts they had in their minds. Most were only theories, but as Miroku turned to look at the girl, he knew that this was her. Ayame's reincarnation.
A/N: Well, we're coming to a climax of this part of the story, eh? I've made myself promise to write a Yume no Fue chapter before the next of this though, so I'm sorry. Bleck, gomen ne.
A Blast from the Past
Chapter 15-Ayame's Reincarnation
She ran, her legs pumping as fast as she could push herself. Her feet pounded against the harsh concrete, bloodying her bare skin. She had lost her sandals a while ago. Her two red pigtails streamed behind her, her green eyes wild with fear. She was panting heavily, her chest heaving until she thought her lungs would burst. It was right behind her. She could barely outrun it. It was slowly gaining on her. The rain was misting her body, the sweat coming of as steam in the cool rain. It was dark except for the streetlights in this district, and she knew she couldn't run forever. She needed to find somewhere to hide. But this was a housing district. She'd need to guess.
With her legs flailing wildly, praying that her bloody feet wouldn't slip on the wet asphalt, Yuri flung herself at the nearest door, her shoulder forward and all her remaining strength behind the blow. The door fell in under the weight and shattered. She scrambled up as quickly as able, almost feeling the monstrosity's hot breath on her neck before she was off again, sprinting down the hall. It was so close to her now, ripping at her heels with razor teeth, drawing blood from her thigh and calf. It was all she could do to keep herself upright and running. Any mistake would be fatal at this point. She had been lucky to sense it coming. But it had almost caught her off guard anyway. She had sensed a wolf youkai, but this was more than that. The evil that pervaded it was... immense.
Finally, as if a gift from the gods, there was a door, cracked open. With a final burst of speed, she threw herself through and turned the bolt. There were three of them. She almost collapsed, leaning her back against the door as the wild animal on the other side of the door threw itself again and again against the stout wooden door. Snarls and growls ripped through the wood, but it held, surprisingly. Yuri struggled to find breath, her eyes misting over with exhaustion. She barely registered five shadowy forms bending over her before she lapsed into unconsciousness.
--
Naraku grit his teeth as he fought to control the youkai. It was easy enough to bend it to his will just walking around, but on the hunt, when it was truly in its element... Well, it got difficult. His creations were usually difficult this way. Except this one wasn't truly his creation. He had just... modified it.
Naraku scowled as the beast failed to corner its next prey. That might be a problem. But no matter. He knew the number on that door, and that building. His prey had just come across the would-be hunters. This meant they would likely be confronting his newest toy soon. That would be entertaining, a lot more so if Kagome was able to watch. He knew how attached she had been to it.
With a savage twist of will, he wrenched his new servant away from the area, the thing seething at the loss of its preferred prey. He had intended to let it hunt humans, but it seemed to prefer women with red hair and green eyes. That was good. It added a bit of irony to the mix. Hopefully InuYasha wasn't stupid enough not to connect the two. Twirling in his chair, Naraku faced the television monitors that linked to the rooms containing his prisoners. For hostages, he was treating them surprisingly well. He fed them three times a day, and not just bread and water either. It wasn't in his best interest at the moment to harm them.
He watched as Rin and Kagome played a board game with Ryou. He supposed he could lock them in a cellar, and feed them lumpy porridge, but that wasn't as much fun. Being a captive in comfort let them contemplate their positions more. Plus, he wasn't as rude as to let Rin give birth in a prison. Certainly he wasn't that cruel.
He laughed softly to himself. So maybe he had lost his more familiar incarnations, like Kagura and Kanna, but he had more now. Since he couldn't draw off the Shikon no Tama, he simply drew from Kikyo's miko powers. It was the same, essentially, only he had to be careful how much he drew out of her soul at a time, and let it be replenished, before he drew again. Tiring, but a necessary precaution.
Naraku smiled a little as he looked to the dark corner beside of him, in which his newest incarnation lurked. He drew it out with a thought and gazed upon it. A tall, slender demon, with feathers it its black hair, golden eyes, and traditional clothing. His newest wind demon. He liked Kagura's design, but he made it male this time, just for variety.
"I will not fail you, Naraku." The wind youkai intoned breathily, bowing low. Naraku nodded in agreement. He had better not fail me.
"Go then, Fushiku. You know what to do, I hope." With a last bow, the wind youkai swept himself out of the room, leaving Naraku to lean back in his chair with a satisfied look on his stolen face.
--
Miroku was certainly not the only one startled when a rather gorgeous young woman burst into the room, slammed the door behind her, and promptly collapsed. He also probably wasn't the only one to notice the red hair and green eyes, along with the fact that she was a wolf youkai. Of course, the fact that InuYasha's door seemed to be about to fly off its hinges was obvious as well.
While the monk was busy thinking about the obvious, everyone sprung up to have a look. Miroku quickly followed, not wanting to be left out of anything. They all looked, dumbstruck for the moment. Miroku was wondering where all the blood was coming from, until he saw the girl's bare feet and the bite marks and claw wounds on the backs of her legs. This was too weird. The door had stopped moving, and this girl who fit 'the criteria' had just shown up. Weird.
"You... girl? Are you alright?" Sessho-Maru asked, bending down. InuYasha snorted derisively, shaking his head.
"Of course she'd not alright, Sessho-Maru! She's unconscious and bleeding!" The hanyou said. Miroku shook his head. Tensions were so high that InuYasha had stooped to arguing with his half-brother. Well, not that it took much to stoop so low for InuYasha.
"Help me with her, would you Miroku?" Sango asked, pointing to the girl. "And watch your hands." She reminded him. Miroku sighed in defeat. Was every woman going to peg him like this? Gently, and keeping his hands in full view for his wife, the monk picked up the girl and carried her to the 'fold out couch'. InuYasha readied it, and Miroku placed her down.
Almost immediately, activity flurried around the girl. InuYasha and Sessho-Maru hung back, but Miroku, Sango, and Shippo began to bandage the girl's legs and feet after cleaning them with modern medication. Once she was all bandaged up, as Shippo called it, they waited.
InuYasha, in the mean time, checked outside the door. There were blood marks down the hall, along with muddy paw prints. Sessho-Maru, who had followed his brother out, bent to examine them.
"These are wolf prints." He said softly, confirming the doubts they had in their minds. Most were only theories, but as Miroku turned to look at the girl, he knew that this was her. Ayame's reincarnation.
A/N: Well, we're coming to a climax of this part of the story, eh? I've made myself promise to write a Yume no Fue chapter before the next of this though, so I'm sorry. Bleck, gomen ne.