Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko
Takahashi.
AN: Well its been a while since I updated, I was really pondering where to go from where I left off. But I think I finally managed to work out the direction I'm going in. Yeah!
Chapter Eight: More Human All the Time
Head bowed, a demon walked among them. None the wiser to how close they brushed with death as he slipped past. Mumbled niceties for rude brushes and crushed feet fell on deaf ears as he silently disappeared into the crowd. The long, dark cloak was drawn tightly around him unsuccessfully tried to keep him separate from their invading presence. The unwieldy, flat box trucked under his arm contained the last bit of his past, his identity, his armor.
Hiten paused in chance parting of the mass of humans that congested the city sidewalk. A brief look skyward allowed him to try and place that particular part of the sky before he was swept up in the press of people. The sky. The only thing that had not changed to an unrecognizable state, but still not able to lend him direction. The blue hue of the heavens seemed less vibrant and the clouds were no longer of their colorless nature as he remembered. Even the air which he drew in on his drawn out breath seemed less life giving. 'Heh, demons stop being the population control on these vermin and they ruin the very environment they live in.' He found that his own company was some how less lonely when he confided in himself.
His heart thumped with an urgency to seek out his sister and protect her. But time was cruel and changed the land. These humans had carved mountains and leveled forests; building towering buildings and sprawling paved ribbons which bound, tamed the land. Any hope he had of find home, the castle in the clouds per say, was next to impossible.
Sloshing through a filmed puddle made his nose wrinkle. 'Filthy, disgusting humans, they are to blame.' In a desperate attempt to give his emotions a target, he found himself falling back on the truth that had let him slaughter them in his now seemingly fanciful past. After several hours of fruitless attempts to find a land mark that would allow him to return to his home Hiten found himself frustrated and drained. Haruki completely disappeared without a word after his sisters death and Midori... he'd rather not think of that wench.
Glancing at his free hand, his thin lips were creased further in a deepening frown. The smell of blood never really bothered him all that much. But it was more than the sent of her blood that clung to him. The mixture of odors that made up her individual sent added a sickeningly sweet edge which made his stomach turn. How could these humans walk by him and not smell it on him? Her fear and death hung over him like a cloud. 'Humans really are inferior little creatures aren't they,' he sneered.
A small group of giggling human girls approached him. His eyes narrowing as his hate for that uniform rose. The seemingly innocent mix of white and green taunted him. Subconsciously he registered some one taking particular interest in him. He was being watched, bored into by eyes around him. A boy which he had not noticed before paused mid stride to look. One of the girls from the group looked back at him as he fell behind. Exchanging scrutinizing glares, Hiten tried to place this human's face. It seem to familiar, yet the long black hair and dark eyes were out of place. The human seemed to know him well enough, his lips drawn into a thin line and eye brows arched down as he stood unmoving before him.
"Inuyasha, come on!" one of the girls cried. Hiten narrowed his eyes. Had he heard wrong? Was his mind playing cruel tricks on him? This human did resemble the hanyou, but lacked the vibrant yellow eyes and silvered hair. And where was the unmistakable red out fit? His fist clenched as the human continued to watch him. "Inuyasha come... on!" The girl began to drag the boy along. Shifting his line of sight from the boy, Hiten paused. That girl. It's that girl! She was identical to the one he hated so. the memory of her that lay burned into his mind rose to the surface. The shifting mass of humans fluctuated, shoving the shocked demon forward a half step to catch his balance. He had blinked and they were gone. Disappeared back into the crowed. Pressing through the seething mass, Hiten dove after them. There was no mistake. She was the same girl, the same wrenched human girl that had a hand in his defeat and his brother's death. He wasn't sure how they could have been there, but he was sure that indeed they were.
Was his luck this bad or was it his karma that was catching up with him? He had seen them. They were so close that if he had reached out, he could have touched them and they managed to fade away into the background, slip through his fingers just like that. Angry mumbles from the seemingly faceless humans added to his compounding mood. Not only was he lost and unable to find any means of getting home, he had missed his chance to have the revenge which he had long since though was out of his reach. His free hand flexed as the air became charged. The crackle of energy and the slight sent of ozone flowed around him. Frustrated beyond words, Hiten decided he could simply turn these mortals to ash, all of them. Surely they hadn't gotten far enough away to avoid it. He would kill all them to slate this need for revenge.
The boy bumped his shoulder as he passed from the opposite direction. His gate pausing to affirm that he had purposely disrupted the demon's concentration. As he continued past, Hiten slipped after him. 'He must have appeared, been flushed out, to spare the street full of humans,' Hiten justified. Ducking after the boy into a narrow ally, Hiten smiled demonically, letting his fangs shine white against his lips. The boy paused before turning half turning towards him. Was he trembling or was his imagination running away with him?
"How are you alive?" The unmistakable voice of the hanyou emanated from the mortal body. Hiten eyed the boy. The sure signs of a human trying to hide their fear marked the boy's every move.
"You are very bold for a human, don't you think?" Hiten stood boldly, his feet splayed shoulder width apart, back straight and his chin turn slightly skyward in a condescending tilt. The human, now confirmed as Inuyasha, spun on his heel to square his shoulders to him. Even though his body had changed his attitude certainly had not. How easily the boy was goaded.
"I killed with my own two hands! How can you still be alive?!" His body tensed as he squared off with the demon.
"When you left me I wasn't quite dead. You left me dying on the ground. Very sloppy work and mistake you wont live much longer to regret." His knuckles cracked as Hiten readied himself to attack. A warning ran down his spine just before he sprung into action. The air in the ally way suddenly became thick, gaining a white-pink glow to it. "Miko power?" He growled out more to himself than to the hanyou. How is it that he came across humans with unnatural powers? It must be his karma again. The girl stepped out from behind Inuyasha. Kagome made herself known with a show of awakened power.
"I will not allow you to harm anyone." Hiten eyed this girl. She was slightly older in appearance but the way she acted, the way she carried herself was drastically different. Her powers had increased many fold and she stood before him without fear. Warnings continued through his system. His tensed muscles refused to budge. Trying to take her on would not be the wisest of choices. The three stood in silence, frozen in that moment. Covering his distress with his trade mark smirk, Hiten straighten his stance from his attack position. Someone must be laughing at him right about now.
"Kagome, was it?..."
Cautiously Hiten ascended the temple steps. He had tentatively agreed to follow the pair to this place after deciding there was no where else to go and it was rather clear they would not allow him to go along on his way. The girl's display earlier crushed any hope he had of killing her, but in the back of his mind he relished the thought of catching Inuyasha alone. Obviously human, he would have no problem ripping him to shreds. Pin him against a wall and watch him squirm as he tore his insides with his powerful claws. Images of the human girl he had held dying flashed before his minds eye. Her entrails ripped from her body, blood flowing in a seemingly endless stream. His stomach retched as his hand covered his mouth out of reflex. Was he sick? 'I'm a demon for crying out loud,' Hiten scolded himself. No, there would be no question. He could and would kill Inuyasha if the opportunity arose.. The memory of the bitter tears he had shed for his brother reaffirmed his resolve. If he could just bid his time until he was alone.
The demonic smile appeared again. They were so trusting. At least the miko was. The hanyou had put up a bit of an argument when she had suggested he follow in the first place. But, he had agreed that simply letting him go wasn't an option. An unspoken agreement did not go unnoticed by the thunder demon. They never once suggested killing him.
The heavy soles of the boots Hiten now wore caught on the edge of on of the last steps, bring him back to the present to avoid an ungraceful fall. How he longed for his light cloth shoes. How he longed for the past. Hiten's face softened with an unsatiable anguish. Passing under the arch at the top of the stairs, Hiten observed the sprawling temple complex. The prickle of barrier energy racked over him as he trailed behind the couple. A calming sensation taking hold despite his drive to stay alert. As they walked pass an aged tree, Hiten smiled to himself in this almost drunken state of mind. Pausing before the entrance, a oddly familiar feeling worked its way into his being. The old style of building made him feel more at home. This was something he longed for. Something that was from the past, like he was. A part of the time that he lost, but tried to hold onto in some small way. His grip subconsciously tightened on the box he still held under his arm.
Refocusing on the pair of humans, Hiten found himself unable to raise his fury. Was it the power of this place or was he sinking into a deeper depression? Their shoes slipped off and slippers were put on before stepping onto the raised wooded floor. Kagome pause for a moment and picked up a pair of slippers which he held out to the dazed demon. Following suit, Hiten kicked off the heavy boots he had acquired while Haruki inhabited his body, Hiten clutched the box which contained his armor. Like a security blanket, he could feel them watching him as he slipped his feet into the soft slippers. He suppressed a small smile that threatened to surface as he stretched and wiggled his toes in the comfortable footwear which reminded him of his favorite pair of worn shoes.
Their eyes burrowed into him, an unwavering and piercing in particular kept vigil. Was he being lured into a trap? He stopped to consider the possibility. In his sudden boldness to hide his surprise he hadn't considered the possibility that he was being led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Their low conversation ended with Inuyasha tromping off with a disrespectful 'feh' leaving Kagome standing before him. Although not fair, Hiten made note that could still feel the hanyou or was it now simple human watching him. Her smile seemed disarming, all understanding, and forgiving at the same time. He found himself unable to meet her gaze, like he was suddenly ashamed of many things, one of which being standing before her.
"Your sister will be glade to see you, I'm sure." Her head tilted slightly as though genuinely pleased with herself. He stood there, looking slightly up to be swallowed by her dark eyes. Looking past her, Hiten caught a glimpse of inky black hair in the door way beyond. Letting the air which he didn't know he had been hold go the sudden connection was made with what she had said.
"You know my sister?" His voice betrayed him as he made eye contact again. His state of unnatural emotions brought on by the strange power of this place and his general confusion meshed together to uncharacteristic excitement. Like a small boy who had just discovered a frog after a long day in waist deep water and muck, Hiten had spoken without thinking or taking any time to compose himself. Feeling his cheeks start to flush, he looked away from her again. 'I must be running a fever.' He nursed his ego which was now suffering from self inflicted injuries.
To be continued...
AN: Few! This chapter took a lot of revision and time didn't it? It was a bit difficult to make it flow like I wanted it to. Please review! Thanks.
AN: Well its been a while since I updated, I was really pondering where to go from where I left off. But I think I finally managed to work out the direction I'm going in. Yeah!
Chapter Eight: More Human All the Time
Head bowed, a demon walked among them. None the wiser to how close they brushed with death as he slipped past. Mumbled niceties for rude brushes and crushed feet fell on deaf ears as he silently disappeared into the crowd. The long, dark cloak was drawn tightly around him unsuccessfully tried to keep him separate from their invading presence. The unwieldy, flat box trucked under his arm contained the last bit of his past, his identity, his armor.
Hiten paused in chance parting of the mass of humans that congested the city sidewalk. A brief look skyward allowed him to try and place that particular part of the sky before he was swept up in the press of people. The sky. The only thing that had not changed to an unrecognizable state, but still not able to lend him direction. The blue hue of the heavens seemed less vibrant and the clouds were no longer of their colorless nature as he remembered. Even the air which he drew in on his drawn out breath seemed less life giving. 'Heh, demons stop being the population control on these vermin and they ruin the very environment they live in.' He found that his own company was some how less lonely when he confided in himself.
His heart thumped with an urgency to seek out his sister and protect her. But time was cruel and changed the land. These humans had carved mountains and leveled forests; building towering buildings and sprawling paved ribbons which bound, tamed the land. Any hope he had of find home, the castle in the clouds per say, was next to impossible.
Sloshing through a filmed puddle made his nose wrinkle. 'Filthy, disgusting humans, they are to blame.' In a desperate attempt to give his emotions a target, he found himself falling back on the truth that had let him slaughter them in his now seemingly fanciful past. After several hours of fruitless attempts to find a land mark that would allow him to return to his home Hiten found himself frustrated and drained. Haruki completely disappeared without a word after his sisters death and Midori... he'd rather not think of that wench.
Glancing at his free hand, his thin lips were creased further in a deepening frown. The smell of blood never really bothered him all that much. But it was more than the sent of her blood that clung to him. The mixture of odors that made up her individual sent added a sickeningly sweet edge which made his stomach turn. How could these humans walk by him and not smell it on him? Her fear and death hung over him like a cloud. 'Humans really are inferior little creatures aren't they,' he sneered.
A small group of giggling human girls approached him. His eyes narrowing as his hate for that uniform rose. The seemingly innocent mix of white and green taunted him. Subconsciously he registered some one taking particular interest in him. He was being watched, bored into by eyes around him. A boy which he had not noticed before paused mid stride to look. One of the girls from the group looked back at him as he fell behind. Exchanging scrutinizing glares, Hiten tried to place this human's face. It seem to familiar, yet the long black hair and dark eyes were out of place. The human seemed to know him well enough, his lips drawn into a thin line and eye brows arched down as he stood unmoving before him.
"Inuyasha, come on!" one of the girls cried. Hiten narrowed his eyes. Had he heard wrong? Was his mind playing cruel tricks on him? This human did resemble the hanyou, but lacked the vibrant yellow eyes and silvered hair. And where was the unmistakable red out fit? His fist clenched as the human continued to watch him. "Inuyasha come... on!" The girl began to drag the boy along. Shifting his line of sight from the boy, Hiten paused. That girl. It's that girl! She was identical to the one he hated so. the memory of her that lay burned into his mind rose to the surface. The shifting mass of humans fluctuated, shoving the shocked demon forward a half step to catch his balance. He had blinked and they were gone. Disappeared back into the crowed. Pressing through the seething mass, Hiten dove after them. There was no mistake. She was the same girl, the same wrenched human girl that had a hand in his defeat and his brother's death. He wasn't sure how they could have been there, but he was sure that indeed they were.
Was his luck this bad or was it his karma that was catching up with him? He had seen them. They were so close that if he had reached out, he could have touched them and they managed to fade away into the background, slip through his fingers just like that. Angry mumbles from the seemingly faceless humans added to his compounding mood. Not only was he lost and unable to find any means of getting home, he had missed his chance to have the revenge which he had long since though was out of his reach. His free hand flexed as the air became charged. The crackle of energy and the slight sent of ozone flowed around him. Frustrated beyond words, Hiten decided he could simply turn these mortals to ash, all of them. Surely they hadn't gotten far enough away to avoid it. He would kill all them to slate this need for revenge.
The boy bumped his shoulder as he passed from the opposite direction. His gate pausing to affirm that he had purposely disrupted the demon's concentration. As he continued past, Hiten slipped after him. 'He must have appeared, been flushed out, to spare the street full of humans,' Hiten justified. Ducking after the boy into a narrow ally, Hiten smiled demonically, letting his fangs shine white against his lips. The boy paused before turning half turning towards him. Was he trembling or was his imagination running away with him?
"How are you alive?" The unmistakable voice of the hanyou emanated from the mortal body. Hiten eyed the boy. The sure signs of a human trying to hide their fear marked the boy's every move.
"You are very bold for a human, don't you think?" Hiten stood boldly, his feet splayed shoulder width apart, back straight and his chin turn slightly skyward in a condescending tilt. The human, now confirmed as Inuyasha, spun on his heel to square his shoulders to him. Even though his body had changed his attitude certainly had not. How easily the boy was goaded.
"I killed with my own two hands! How can you still be alive?!" His body tensed as he squared off with the demon.
"When you left me I wasn't quite dead. You left me dying on the ground. Very sloppy work and mistake you wont live much longer to regret." His knuckles cracked as Hiten readied himself to attack. A warning ran down his spine just before he sprung into action. The air in the ally way suddenly became thick, gaining a white-pink glow to it. "Miko power?" He growled out more to himself than to the hanyou. How is it that he came across humans with unnatural powers? It must be his karma again. The girl stepped out from behind Inuyasha. Kagome made herself known with a show of awakened power.
"I will not allow you to harm anyone." Hiten eyed this girl. She was slightly older in appearance but the way she acted, the way she carried herself was drastically different. Her powers had increased many fold and she stood before him without fear. Warnings continued through his system. His tensed muscles refused to budge. Trying to take her on would not be the wisest of choices. The three stood in silence, frozen in that moment. Covering his distress with his trade mark smirk, Hiten straighten his stance from his attack position. Someone must be laughing at him right about now.
"Kagome, was it?..."
Cautiously Hiten ascended the temple steps. He had tentatively agreed to follow the pair to this place after deciding there was no where else to go and it was rather clear they would not allow him to go along on his way. The girl's display earlier crushed any hope he had of killing her, but in the back of his mind he relished the thought of catching Inuyasha alone. Obviously human, he would have no problem ripping him to shreds. Pin him against a wall and watch him squirm as he tore his insides with his powerful claws. Images of the human girl he had held dying flashed before his minds eye. Her entrails ripped from her body, blood flowing in a seemingly endless stream. His stomach retched as his hand covered his mouth out of reflex. Was he sick? 'I'm a demon for crying out loud,' Hiten scolded himself. No, there would be no question. He could and would kill Inuyasha if the opportunity arose.. The memory of the bitter tears he had shed for his brother reaffirmed his resolve. If he could just bid his time until he was alone.
The demonic smile appeared again. They were so trusting. At least the miko was. The hanyou had put up a bit of an argument when she had suggested he follow in the first place. But, he had agreed that simply letting him go wasn't an option. An unspoken agreement did not go unnoticed by the thunder demon. They never once suggested killing him.
The heavy soles of the boots Hiten now wore caught on the edge of on of the last steps, bring him back to the present to avoid an ungraceful fall. How he longed for his light cloth shoes. How he longed for the past. Hiten's face softened with an unsatiable anguish. Passing under the arch at the top of the stairs, Hiten observed the sprawling temple complex. The prickle of barrier energy racked over him as he trailed behind the couple. A calming sensation taking hold despite his drive to stay alert. As they walked pass an aged tree, Hiten smiled to himself in this almost drunken state of mind. Pausing before the entrance, a oddly familiar feeling worked its way into his being. The old style of building made him feel more at home. This was something he longed for. Something that was from the past, like he was. A part of the time that he lost, but tried to hold onto in some small way. His grip subconsciously tightened on the box he still held under his arm.
Refocusing on the pair of humans, Hiten found himself unable to raise his fury. Was it the power of this place or was he sinking into a deeper depression? Their shoes slipped off and slippers were put on before stepping onto the raised wooded floor. Kagome pause for a moment and picked up a pair of slippers which he held out to the dazed demon. Following suit, Hiten kicked off the heavy boots he had acquired while Haruki inhabited his body, Hiten clutched the box which contained his armor. Like a security blanket, he could feel them watching him as he slipped his feet into the soft slippers. He suppressed a small smile that threatened to surface as he stretched and wiggled his toes in the comfortable footwear which reminded him of his favorite pair of worn shoes.
Their eyes burrowed into him, an unwavering and piercing in particular kept vigil. Was he being lured into a trap? He stopped to consider the possibility. In his sudden boldness to hide his surprise he hadn't considered the possibility that he was being led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Their low conversation ended with Inuyasha tromping off with a disrespectful 'feh' leaving Kagome standing before him. Although not fair, Hiten made note that could still feel the hanyou or was it now simple human watching him. Her smile seemed disarming, all understanding, and forgiving at the same time. He found himself unable to meet her gaze, like he was suddenly ashamed of many things, one of which being standing before her.
"Your sister will be glade to see you, I'm sure." Her head tilted slightly as though genuinely pleased with herself. He stood there, looking slightly up to be swallowed by her dark eyes. Looking past her, Hiten caught a glimpse of inky black hair in the door way beyond. Letting the air which he didn't know he had been hold go the sudden connection was made with what she had said.
"You know my sister?" His voice betrayed him as he made eye contact again. His state of unnatural emotions brought on by the strange power of this place and his general confusion meshed together to uncharacteristic excitement. Like a small boy who had just discovered a frog after a long day in waist deep water and muck, Hiten had spoken without thinking or taking any time to compose himself. Feeling his cheeks start to flush, he looked away from her again. 'I must be running a fever.' He nursed his ego which was now suffering from self inflicted injuries.
To be continued...
AN: Few! This chapter took a lot of revision and time didn't it? It was a bit difficult to make it flow like I wanted it to. Please review! Thanks.
