The Trouble with Demon Cats

By: Crystal Arrow

Disclaimer: do I look like I own Inuyasha…No, thank you.

Chapter 2: What lies ahead

            The sun rose slowly over the eastern horizon, where far away over land and sea lay the eastern coast of America, and though that was not this girl's home, it the thought of it brought sadness to Crystal's heart. Throughout the night she had tossed and turned on the hard forest floor pondering her choice. And now she watched as the sun rose over the far distant horizon, and she hated it, more than she hated anything at the moment. So as the sun's early morning rays warmed her back, Crystal rose, and with an angry tear began walking towards the west completely alone, forsaking all her past and all her dreams for an uncertain future in darkness. As the teenage girl walked westward, she saw in the sky the full moon, still visible in the early morning just over the western horizon, as though it fled from the sun from which it gained its light, running to the darkness, just like her. She grinned. "I guess its good that given the choice I have now, I always know to choose silver over gold."

            Behind her, the golden horizon shone mercilessly on the land waking it from its rest into life, whether it liked it or not. Crystal ignored it and continued striving for the silver moon in the distance.

            Of course, as day wore on, the moon disappeared from the sky and the sun caught up with her, seemingly racing Crystal to the west. The day should have told Crystal, because she didn't know it was a race, and if she did, she would have lost anyways. Being an American teenager obsessed with anime who hated all sports, there was really no way she could be in shape. It was a lost cause.

            At noon, Crystal collapsed in a heap beneath the welcome shade of a large tree. It extended high into the sky and expanded outwards a ways beyond the surrounding trees making it very nearly the largest tree around. It would take several people just to reach all the way around it. And here under this tree the teenage girl with the worst possible life at the moment took refuge. Kaida had long since deserted her. Crystal was beginning to think that Kaida would probably just leave her to struggle on her own, given that the demonic cat had first put her in the given situation then left her to find her own path. Like Crystal had any idea where she was actually heading. It was thoughts like these that pervaded her mind until she fell into a fitful sleep beneath what she would find to be the Goshinboku Tree.

            A ways off, another teenage girl of Japanese descent was pulling herself and an ungodly large yellow bag out of an ordinary looking well in the middle of a clearing. Before the girl could even pull herself out of the well, and inu hanyou came and puller her out only to immediately start quarrelling with her. "Stupid girl! You're late!" He shouted.

            Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry, my alarm didn't go off at the right time and I slept in."

            "Until noon!?!?"

            "Whatever." The girl muttered under her breath, followed shortly by, "SIT!" Inuyasha came crashing down into the ground.

            "KAGOME!" He yelped, but Kagome was already on her way to the village to greet her friends Miroku, Sango and Shippo.  Halfway there, however, she stopped. It was the same place where she had first met Inuyasha where he was bound fifty years earlier by her incarnation, the priestess Kikyo. It was the Goshinboku tree, large and majestic. The said tree held a large place in her heart, but now it seemingly held something else.

            Inuyasha landed softly beside the young miko, fully prepared to give her an ear full for her unprovoked sit command. But before he could begin his tirade, his keen canine nose picked up the scent of a human girl very close to them with the slightest demonic essence to it. Turning towards the source, he found a teenage girl nestled in the roots of the Goshinboku tree. She was the same age as Kagome, and given by her style clothes, from the same time as well, but why was she here?

            Side by side, Kagome and Inuyasha stood gazing at the girl so misplaced in the feudal setting. "Is she from the future?"

            "…I think so."

            Silence. "Doesn't she seem kinda familiar?" Kagome asked.

            At that, Crystal stirred from her slumber. She had been sleeping for no longer than an hour, and now there were people before her. She opened silver eyes and returned the inquisitive stare she was receiving. "Inuyasha?"

            "Aha!" Kagome yelled out. "I know you! You're that strange girl with the adorable little dog."

            "…If you call that adorable. I thought it looked more like a rag."

            "Inuyasha!"

            Crystal laughed, "Don't worry, I totally agree, but she's a cute rag." Kagome laughed with her. But stopped in confusion.

            "I never did figure out, how did you get here before?"

            Crystal looked up, her silver eyes catching the light and Inuyasha's attention. "Well, neither do I. The first time I appeared here was over a year ago. So much has changed. I've gotten a year older, obviously, cut my hair and learned some new things that maybe I didn't want to know…" The girl ran long fingers through her untamed black hair. "And I have only a hint of an idea of how I came here now. Sigh You'd never believe me."

            Kagome laughed in response. "Ha! That's my line."

            "You really want to know?" Crystal asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

            "Feh, I couldn't care less how you got here! I want to know how a human like you has silver eyes and a hint of youkai scent on you!" Crystal stared up at him, her eyes like two moons gazing out from beneath her midnight bangs. And so, in an uncontrolled spout of rage and emotion, Crystal told Inuyasha and Kagome about her predicament. How in a month's time she would become a full-blooded youkai, no matter if she wanted it or not. How she was engaged against he will and knowledge to a youkai she'd never met. How she was abruptly taken by no other than her trusted cat away from her life, that even though she hated it, was all she'd ever known. How she was afraid to get up and take another step into her uncertain future, but positive that remaining motionless would result in her continued pain, and that the path home was non-existent. She cried it all out as lime eyes gazed sadly down at her from the tree overhead. The poor soul of a once powerful noble youkai trapped in the body of a cat and forced by the spell cast upon her to betray the only human she'd ever loved, ripping her away from a life filled with promise and inserting her instead into a land ravaged by war regularly, where she was by all means more likely to die a horrible death before ever reaching her final destination.

            When Crystal cried, her silver eyes sparkled like stars, like the stars forced to gaze down upon a world filled with evil and despair, with no choice to look elsewhere, but into the darkness.

            Kagome, being the caring being that she was, knelt down next to the other girl and wrapped her arms around her for comfort. Crystal however responded by flinching away. Even in the past, Crystal always had a problem with accepting an open embrace, even from the best of her friends. Maybe it was a sense she had, because she knew that one day it would disappear, and maybe if she never experienced the love of another, she wouldn't miss it when it was gone. Kagome pulled away, and gazed down at her in pity.

A while later, Crystal finally settled down, and followed Inuyasha and Kagome to the nearby village where she was greeted openly by the villagers, whom, seeing her with their trusted Kagome, knew she must be good.

            Inside the village miko's hut, Kaede greeted her and gave her some warm soup to drink while Kagome related to her Crystal's situation. Kirara, the demon pet of the taiyija, Sango sat purring in her lap, and Crystal petted her absent-mindedly.  

            "Well then, child." Kaede said after having digested the tale. "I don't believe there is anything I can do to break this spell, it is beyond the power of a human to overcome."

            "That's okay." The girl answered, that's in the past, its not like I can change it… besides, I never was one to cry over spilt milk. I was always more the kind to curse madly then laugh it off later. Kinda like my English grade" she laughed. "What happens happens, and there really is no reason to piss and moan over it forever. What matters is what lies ahead."

            "Crystal…" Kagome whispered in a plea to just let it all out and cry. But the girl only laughed.

            "You know, I'll laugh at this later, and how pissed I was at my damn demonic cat for this…Because, who knows, maybe the youkai lord I'm engaged to will be a total hunk and fall head over heels in love with me!" The group laughed hesitantly. "I've never had a guy show any interest in me before…"

            Miroku, the houshi gasped at this. "Such a beautiful young lady as yourself never noticed by a man? How wrong, I shall correct it!" With that he moved around the fire to kneel before the young girl. "Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

            WHACK!!!      The Taiyija's giant boomerang connected rather harshly with the back of the houshi's skull. "Damn lecherous monk." She muttered under her breath.

            Blink blink… "Well then… that was different. And, um, no."

            Now ignoring the unconscious monk, Sango asked, "But Crystal, now what will you do?"

            Crystal thought about it for a few minutes, then her eyes glinted in the firelight as it struck her. "First things first. I can't go around feudal Japan with an English name, that's not the way to fit in, even if I am going to become a demon. So a new name? Hmmm."

            She sat quietly for a while thinking of a new name while her new companions gave suggestions.

            "Kira?"

            "Misako?"

            "Jin?"

            "Kaoru?"        

            "Momo?"        

            "Nori?"           

            "Rei?" 

And the suggestions went on and on and on and on and on….

Crystal is no longer listening….

I'm no longer listening…

"AHAH!!!" Crystal shouted out.

            "Ryoko?" Miroku repeated.

            "No! I've thought of my new name!"

            Inuyasha growled, "Wench, were you even listening to ours?"

            "No, some of yours were rather rude! And hey! I'm not your average girl, and this is a name, it's not like I'm growing up used to this, I have to choose wisely! So I've decided on …"

            " Amaya, that's what you chose right?"

            "Kaida!"

            "It means 'night rain. It suits you; you've always been quite the night owl, and not the happiest person in the world. I think it suits you just fine. And then when the rain stops and the sun rises, there's always a brand new day."

            "I hate mornings." Crystal, now named Amaya smiled.

            "Which is why I'm happy to inform you that after a long day, night will always come, and so will the rain, to wash away all the pain." Kaida entered the hut quietly, stalking proudly like the cat she is. However, her appearance told otherwise. Her fur was ruffled and unkempt, as though she'd lost the will to keep herself clean. Lime yellow eyes no longer shone, but gazed sadly into Amaya's silver ones begging forgiveness for what could not be undone.

            Amaya took Kaida into her arms, and hugged her. Kagome and the others were surprised to see the girl so forgiving, after all the demon had taken from her. "Amaya fits just fine."

Author's note:

            I feel like crap. So I decided to write. No idea why. But I feel like rolling over and dieing right about now. I mean really. So make me happy and review! Please?

            Crystal Arrow