"Why do you think Sesshomaru was here?" Sango asked from her place on
the floor of the dojo they were staying at. The villagers had been
grateful for Inuyasha coming to save them and had offered food and room
without charge.
"He doesn't need a reason. Just to massacre." Inuyasha snapped from where he paced irritated. "I can't believe I let him get away."
Kagome kept quiet, arms rapped around Shippou who was cradled in her lap. She didn't think that was the truth. She had heard what Sesshomaru had said to the villagers even if no one else did. 'Bring her.' Who was he talking about? A sacrifice? Another demon. Kagome sighed deeply, loudly enough that it drew Miroku's attention.
"Is there something wrong Kagome?" He ask, tone concerned.
Kagome smiled at them all. "No nothing. I just think I need a little walk." She set Shippou, who had fallen asleep, out of her lap and stood.
"A walk? I'm not sure that's a good idea Kagome." Inuyasha protested.
"I won't go far. I promise." She picked up her bow and arrows. "And I'll take these in case. I'll be back in no time." Gave them another reassuring smile then walked out of the dojo into the soft, fresh air and looked up at the sky where the sun had just begun to sink behind the horizon.
"Bring her." She murmured to herself. "Bring who?" She shouldered her quiver and wandered towards the trees near the dojo, looking up to watch the dark pink of the sky through the canopy, green shadows cast across the forest floor. She wandered absently, lost in thought.
'It's nice here. Peaceful. Now that Sesshomaru is gone I'm sure Inuyasha can rest. At least for a while.' She smiled to herself. "And if not I'll just sit him till he's dust." Her attention shifted then suddenly at the soft glow of pink light up ahead. "What's that?"
She crept forward, stepping around trees towards the small grove where the light came from. Sitting in the center of the grove was a girl who looked no older then 11 years old. She sat with her legs folded under her, Dark black hair falling around her like a curtain tied into 2 sections with dark red ribbons, a bundle of flowers laid across her blue and white kimono. In her hands she held a mirror with a crystal frame, and was singing into it softly with a sweet voice that was like the whisper of springtime as it stole across winter. Warm and hopeful and promising.
Kagome moved closer and felt the smile pulling at her lips. "Hello there." The girl looked up and Kagome felt no surprise for some reason as she noticed the girl's eyes were soft, strawberry pink or that they seem to glow with inner light. "Are you lost? You shouldn't be out here all alone."
The girl giggled and held out her hand smiling. Kagome smiled back and took the tiny hand in her own but instead of standing the child pulled Kagome down beside her with surprising strength and went on singing, words so soft that Kagome couldn't even make them out. She leaned closer trying to make out the musical words and as she did she began to feel light headed. Her chest constricted then tickled as if tiny bubbles were coming up from her stomach to her heart then throat. Her eyes lost focus then focused again.
The girl smiled again and Kagome felt her own answering smile as the child lifting the mirror and held it out to Kagome. Kagome took it carefully and turned it to face her and saw her own face for a few seconds then the surface rippled and instead a beautiful face stared back at her. Long white hair, deep gold eyes, pale completion, and three stripes on either side of his face. Sesshomaru. The name blossomed in Kagome's mind and the song's melody flew higher pounding in Kagome's head. She gasped then fainted promptly.
Akuai stood as the girl toppled over into the grass and gently reached down to slip the mirror from Kagome's limp fingers. She smiled and looked down at the shimmering image in the mirror then spread her hands and the mirror hovered for a moment then shattered into dust that swirled before settling over the girl, covering her like a blanket before fading like morning dew.
Akuai smiled fondly. "Such a tender little heart. All dreams of sakura blossoms and moon beams." Akuai turned her head to look at the trees and smiled warmly. "See Sesshomaru. My was is so much more foolproof and much more humane...and yet cruel."
"And how is that Akuai." The voice came from the darkness.
She smiled. "Because I love a heart that loves. But I gave this girl a loving heart for one whose heart is cold. But she will want him anyway and it will burn her up. And Inuyasha who loves with a broken heart will watch her burn and he will shatter with it. Love will kill them both."
"Then we should make sure that hate doesn't save either of them." He said amused.
Akuai's eyes darkened for just a moment and she sighed as she felt Naraku's awareness slip away. "He doesn't understand anything. Even though love can kill..." her eyes fell on Kagome. "Hate can never save. Only kill with a gentler hand."
Her eyes shifter slightly as the sound of movement from the direction of the village and a man's voice called the girl's name. She smiled and stepped back to fade into the shadows that welcomed her.
"Kagome! Kagome! Wake up." Kagome's head swam with pain at the soft calling of her name. Her eyes opened slightly and met with the darkness of night for a moment then focused on a face above her. Her heart leapt for a moment at the golden eyes that regarded her then calmed with disappointment as she recognized the face. Inuyasha.
'Disappointment?' She questioned herself softly. 'Since when are you disappointed to see Inuyasha?' She blinked as he shook her again and sat up in his arms. "I'm fine Inuyasha. What happened?"
"You were gone for too long. I came to find you and you were laying here in the middle of the forest." Inuyasha said darkly.
Forest? Kagome looked around. The Grove was gone; instead she lay on a bunch of leaves under a huge oak tree. "No! The grove! The girl!"
"What? What girl? There was no one here but you." Inuyasha said curiously. "Kagome..."
Kagome bit her lip. No one but her? Had it been a dream? No. The girl...she had to be "A demon! I saw a demon."
Inuyasha tensed. "A demon!? Where? What did it look like?"
"A girl. A little girl with pink eyes. She was...was singing and then I. I feel asleep." Kagome said slowly trying to remember. The song she couldn't understand and the floating feeling and then darkness. That's all she could recall.
"That's all she did. Just sang and put you to sleep?" Inuyasha prodded. Kagome nodded and he frowned. "She must have been trying to steal your soul then. She probably fled when she heard me calling for you. Still..." He glanced around searchingly. "We'd better get you back to the village. Can you stand?"
Kagome tried, rose to her feet shakily but her legs gave out and she collapsed. Inuyasha caught her and scooped her up into his arms. "Alright. I'll just carry you back."
Kagome nodded as he started back towards the village and glanced once behind her expecting to see the grove again or the pink glow but nothing met her eyes but trees and shadows. She sighed and rested her head against Inuyasha's chest and her eyes fluttered shut again and she slipped into the peaceful silence of sleep to dream of a demon with long white hair and gold eyes and three striped on either side of his face.
"He doesn't need a reason. Just to massacre." Inuyasha snapped from where he paced irritated. "I can't believe I let him get away."
Kagome kept quiet, arms rapped around Shippou who was cradled in her lap. She didn't think that was the truth. She had heard what Sesshomaru had said to the villagers even if no one else did. 'Bring her.' Who was he talking about? A sacrifice? Another demon. Kagome sighed deeply, loudly enough that it drew Miroku's attention.
"Is there something wrong Kagome?" He ask, tone concerned.
Kagome smiled at them all. "No nothing. I just think I need a little walk." She set Shippou, who had fallen asleep, out of her lap and stood.
"A walk? I'm not sure that's a good idea Kagome." Inuyasha protested.
"I won't go far. I promise." She picked up her bow and arrows. "And I'll take these in case. I'll be back in no time." Gave them another reassuring smile then walked out of the dojo into the soft, fresh air and looked up at the sky where the sun had just begun to sink behind the horizon.
"Bring her." She murmured to herself. "Bring who?" She shouldered her quiver and wandered towards the trees near the dojo, looking up to watch the dark pink of the sky through the canopy, green shadows cast across the forest floor. She wandered absently, lost in thought.
'It's nice here. Peaceful. Now that Sesshomaru is gone I'm sure Inuyasha can rest. At least for a while.' She smiled to herself. "And if not I'll just sit him till he's dust." Her attention shifted then suddenly at the soft glow of pink light up ahead. "What's that?"
She crept forward, stepping around trees towards the small grove where the light came from. Sitting in the center of the grove was a girl who looked no older then 11 years old. She sat with her legs folded under her, Dark black hair falling around her like a curtain tied into 2 sections with dark red ribbons, a bundle of flowers laid across her blue and white kimono. In her hands she held a mirror with a crystal frame, and was singing into it softly with a sweet voice that was like the whisper of springtime as it stole across winter. Warm and hopeful and promising.
Kagome moved closer and felt the smile pulling at her lips. "Hello there." The girl looked up and Kagome felt no surprise for some reason as she noticed the girl's eyes were soft, strawberry pink or that they seem to glow with inner light. "Are you lost? You shouldn't be out here all alone."
The girl giggled and held out her hand smiling. Kagome smiled back and took the tiny hand in her own but instead of standing the child pulled Kagome down beside her with surprising strength and went on singing, words so soft that Kagome couldn't even make them out. She leaned closer trying to make out the musical words and as she did she began to feel light headed. Her chest constricted then tickled as if tiny bubbles were coming up from her stomach to her heart then throat. Her eyes lost focus then focused again.
The girl smiled again and Kagome felt her own answering smile as the child lifting the mirror and held it out to Kagome. Kagome took it carefully and turned it to face her and saw her own face for a few seconds then the surface rippled and instead a beautiful face stared back at her. Long white hair, deep gold eyes, pale completion, and three stripes on either side of his face. Sesshomaru. The name blossomed in Kagome's mind and the song's melody flew higher pounding in Kagome's head. She gasped then fainted promptly.
Akuai stood as the girl toppled over into the grass and gently reached down to slip the mirror from Kagome's limp fingers. She smiled and looked down at the shimmering image in the mirror then spread her hands and the mirror hovered for a moment then shattered into dust that swirled before settling over the girl, covering her like a blanket before fading like morning dew.
Akuai smiled fondly. "Such a tender little heart. All dreams of sakura blossoms and moon beams." Akuai turned her head to look at the trees and smiled warmly. "See Sesshomaru. My was is so much more foolproof and much more humane...and yet cruel."
"And how is that Akuai." The voice came from the darkness.
She smiled. "Because I love a heart that loves. But I gave this girl a loving heart for one whose heart is cold. But she will want him anyway and it will burn her up. And Inuyasha who loves with a broken heart will watch her burn and he will shatter with it. Love will kill them both."
"Then we should make sure that hate doesn't save either of them." He said amused.
Akuai's eyes darkened for just a moment and she sighed as she felt Naraku's awareness slip away. "He doesn't understand anything. Even though love can kill..." her eyes fell on Kagome. "Hate can never save. Only kill with a gentler hand."
Her eyes shifter slightly as the sound of movement from the direction of the village and a man's voice called the girl's name. She smiled and stepped back to fade into the shadows that welcomed her.
"Kagome! Kagome! Wake up." Kagome's head swam with pain at the soft calling of her name. Her eyes opened slightly and met with the darkness of night for a moment then focused on a face above her. Her heart leapt for a moment at the golden eyes that regarded her then calmed with disappointment as she recognized the face. Inuyasha.
'Disappointment?' She questioned herself softly. 'Since when are you disappointed to see Inuyasha?' She blinked as he shook her again and sat up in his arms. "I'm fine Inuyasha. What happened?"
"You were gone for too long. I came to find you and you were laying here in the middle of the forest." Inuyasha said darkly.
Forest? Kagome looked around. The Grove was gone; instead she lay on a bunch of leaves under a huge oak tree. "No! The grove! The girl!"
"What? What girl? There was no one here but you." Inuyasha said curiously. "Kagome..."
Kagome bit her lip. No one but her? Had it been a dream? No. The girl...she had to be "A demon! I saw a demon."
Inuyasha tensed. "A demon!? Where? What did it look like?"
"A girl. A little girl with pink eyes. She was...was singing and then I. I feel asleep." Kagome said slowly trying to remember. The song she couldn't understand and the floating feeling and then darkness. That's all she could recall.
"That's all she did. Just sang and put you to sleep?" Inuyasha prodded. Kagome nodded and he frowned. "She must have been trying to steal your soul then. She probably fled when she heard me calling for you. Still..." He glanced around searchingly. "We'd better get you back to the village. Can you stand?"
Kagome tried, rose to her feet shakily but her legs gave out and she collapsed. Inuyasha caught her and scooped her up into his arms. "Alright. I'll just carry you back."
Kagome nodded as he started back towards the village and glanced once behind her expecting to see the grove again or the pink glow but nothing met her eyes but trees and shadows. She sighed and rested her head against Inuyasha's chest and her eyes fluttered shut again and she slipped into the peaceful silence of sleep to dream of a demon with long white hair and gold eyes and three striped on either side of his face.