That's when everything went black... so fast too fast... not enough time to process what had just happened.
Chapter two: Human greetings
"Matsu!" Namie cried while looking up at the large black snake youkai. Its appearance was so frightening it managed to pull the strength from Namie's legs. There she sat her shaky arms the only support she had. Her eyes quivered her mouth opened in a small 'o'. It couldn't be... was that the last of her brother?
The snake struggled to swallow the dog youkai... it gagged and hissed in annoyance, then stopped at the sight of a smaller more helpless looking pup just sitting there practically screaming 'eat me.' The youkai was quite pleased with its catch today.
Namie watched in horror as the youkai flipped its HUGE head back causing the dog youkai to fall down its long, long never ending throat. Namie wanted to run, she wanted to cry and scream all together but couldn't. This was the most terrifying youkai she had ever seen.
With red orbs the snake youkai eyed the female pup before striking. The snake striked so fast that if you were to blink you would have missed the powerful strike.
Dark... real dark... black, Namie whimpered "I'm dead." That's when she realized her eyes were tightly closed. She opened one eye just a crack then jumped clear off the ground to her feet. The snake youkai was right in front of her, its mouth wide open revealing a large, slimy, pink mouth... and even more frightening... two long fangs. Namie felt tears roll down her cheeks she hiccupped and used all her demon strength to keep from falling back again.
Hiromi had come right in time. She was standing in front of the opened mouth youkai and somehow had managed to stick a good sized log in the youkai's mouth vertically.
After the log was inserted Hiromi turned, scooped Namie up then jumped back. Namie clutched onto her sisters black kimono in a death grip. Her eyes slammed shut and she began shaking. She was so lost in fear that she hadn't realized they landed. "Namie let go," Hiromi ordered as she pushed her sister to the ground. Namie landed on her hands and knees then looked at her sister as if searching for an answer. "Sister please don't..." Hiromi leapt forward high into the air and landed in front of the thrashing snake.
It was clearly written that the youkai hated the log preventing it from using its only weapon. Hiromi smirked "Weak youkai... for attacking my brother I take your life." The youkai thrashed like mad knocking trees down during the process, the strong tip of its tail whipping in and out of the lake. It hissed and flung itself about trying to use its jaw to snap the log in half. Hiromi concentrated on her prey eyeing its stomach. She extended her claws, and immediately they began to glow green... a green acid dripping off the tips of her claws... it was one of the various weapons a dominant dog demon possessed.
She threw herself forward using demon energy to get to her target fast. Then with one single swipe she sliced the youkai's stomach open. She didn't get the pleasure of feeling the snakes flesh rip under her claws, the acid prevented her hand from even touching the flesh before it dissolved.
The snake screamed up into the early morning sky, the log finally flew out of its mouth, but it never got the chance to use its jaws against the powerful dog youkai who stood proudly watching as the snake fell into the lake. The stomach down was still resting on land. Hiromi then switched her attention to the flowing fluids gushing from the open stomach, pieces of demon floated out along with the snake fluids. The finally Matsu rolled out lying on the slime. He was alive, just barely, but it least he was breathing.
Hiromi walked over to him and helped him up, he grunted in pain. Having to take a sharp intake of breath really tortured his lungs. Hiromi grabbed his left arm and gently laid it over the back of her neck allowing him to lean against her for support. He whimpered at each step he took to get back to the clearing.
Namie didn't realize she was holding her breath until she sighed relief watching as Hiromi helped Matsu back up the bank. It took good thirty-seconds before Namie found that she could move her legs. She slowly step by step made her way towards Matsu and Hiromi. A small giggle made her stop and look down. There leaning against a medium sized boulder were Hogai and Arisa. Namie smiled at the two.
That's when she realized that Hiromi was probably here and had watched long before Matsu got swallowed by the snake youkai. She most likely knew that the youkai was going to attack and rushed Hogai and Arisa away from the battle that was about to take place. Namie sighed "That's so Hiromi... thinking ahead." She leaned down and picked the round Hogai up, planted a kiss on the top of his head and looked down at Arisa. "Come on Arisa." Arisa stood and followed Namie on short little legs. Namie wanted to close her eyes when she was forced to walk past the snake youkai but didn't because she had a baby in her arms and wanted to watch her step. So instead she focused her attention on the ground. "Gray rock, white rock, gray, white, gray, gray, gray, white, white, gray, purple, gray, white, wait... purple?!" Namie looked down at what she thought was a purple rock.
She studied the sharp pointed purple rock then leaned down and sniffed at it. It didn't have a scent... but it gave her an urge... like it was pleading her to pick it up. She couldn't help herself; carefully she placed Hogai down then reached for the purple rock looking thing. He tongue jetted out to the side in determination until she reached the stone and pinched at its frame to hold it up. "OUCH!" she pulled her hand away immediately when the rock shocked her. "Are you okay... what's wrong?"
Came Hiromi's voice from behind. She stood by her sister and followed her gaze down to a particular looking rock. She leaned down to pick it up. "No don't touch it!" Namie gasped but Hiromi had already touched the rock and picked it up. Namie's eyes widened in awe as did Hiromi, the second Hiromi had touched this purple stone it suddenly glowed a bright and beautiful purple. Hiromi eyed it while turning it looking through allowing the sun rays to dance on its surface. It was pretty. Namie stared for awhile "how... how did you do that?" Hiromi shrugged. "I don't know," Then as quick as she picked the stone up she dropped it then turned to head back to Matsu. "Wait!" Namie yelled but Hiromi continued to walk.
Namie looked back down at the stone, then by curiosity she picked the stone up, this time it didn't hurt her. She smirked "Wow, cool," she immediately stashed the purple stone in a small pocket on her pink and yellow kimono.
"Ouch! It hurts!" Matsu whined as Hiromi pulled the sticky substance off of her brother's leg. Hiromi frowned "Well if you'd hold still I can pull it off fast." Matsu threw his head back and howled "OOOOUUUUCCCCCHHHH!!!! Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Hiromi rolled her eyes. "You're such a wimp just hold still." Hiromi struggled to hold her brother's leg in place as he moved away from her hand. "Just leave it on! I like it on!" Hiromi gripped a good bunch of sticky stuff and was just about to make a fast peal but like before Matsu stubbornly moved away from her and yelped. "Ouch!" Hiromi growled "If you stop moving away I'll pull it off fast and it won't hurt as bad!"
Namie sat down with Hogai in her lap and Arisa at her feet watching as Hiromi uh... tended to Matsu's leg.
"Sister," Namie asked in a whisper. She was still a bit shaken up from the events. "What?" Hiromi asked as she turned to face her little sister. "Why didn't Matsu die?" Matsu stopped struggling a bit noticing the pale look on Namie's face. Hiromi answered her straight forward "Because it takes a while for a snake to digest, and they swallow there food whole. If he would have stayed in the stomach this sticky stuff right here." RIP "OUCH!" "... Would have dissolved Matsu so the snake can digest." Namie dipped her head down so her shaggy thick bangs shaded her profile. She snuffled and both Matsu and Hiromi smelled the salty tears.
"I thought... Matsu died." She choked and in a raspy voice continued "Just like... mommy and... sisters... and everyone." That's when she lost it and began crying covering her face with both her hands feeling ashamed to cry in front of her dominant sister.
"Namie," Hiromi soothed as she left Matsu and his slime covered leg. Hiromi gently picked Hogai up from Namie's lap and set the baby next to Arisa. Then she embraced her little identical sister. There wasn't a whole lot Hiromi could say to ease the pain off her sister. All four of them had witnessed the cries of there family and three of the four children still nightmare those painful nights of watching there people go down.
Namie tried her best not to cry, she hated crying she hated expressing so much pain. But being seven years old it was hard not to express what she felt. Matsu being thirteen found it rough too but when he had to have his cry he would leap into the trees away from everyone to do it. Even eighteen year old Hiromi cried... not really cried, cried but that doesn't mean she isn't hurt... because she is very hurt. Hiromi whispered comforting things into Namie's ear gently sending her into a sleep.
Matsu just watched the scene with a heavy heart.
"Rin," "..." "Rin," "..." "RIN!" The little human girl snapped back to reality "Huh, what?" She looked around then looked down to find an old wrinkly Jaken staring up at her with big toad eyes. "Yes Jaken-sama?!" The old toad mentally slapped himself. Why do I have to deal with this human child? He groaned then returned back to the girl. "For the last time pick one out so we can be on our way and stop staring!" Rin nodded excitedly "Oh hai!"
She concentrated on each melon again. "Um..." she mumbled while scanning the field of melons carefully. "Um..." She mumbled again. Jaken made tight fist and squeezed out a growl "JUST PICK ONE!" Rin jumped then smiled. "YOUR IT!" she playfully slapped Jaken on the back and ran through the field of melons. She laughed the whole time. "Rin! Get back here!"
She wasn't stupid she knew that if she ran he would have to follow since he's supposed to watch her. Running was the only way to get him to play with her. She ran fast and hard pumping her legs as hard as she could. She threw her head back and giggled "Come on Jaken I know you can run faster than that!"
Matsu watched as Hiromi gently petted Namie's head and rocked her soothingly. Hushing her gently, it took all Matsu power not to cry. He hated how much Hiromi looked like his mother, and acted like her when she was comforting Namie. He gritted his teeth together then finally stood as much as it hurt he ripped the sticky substance off his legs holding back a cry and leapt up into the trees. Hiromi didn't make an attempt to stop him in fact she would give anything to be in his place right now.
Matsu wasn't sure how long he had been running but he ran long and fast and wasn't about to stop. He ran faster and faster leaning into his weight trying to increase speed.
Rin wasn't going to stop now that she had lost Jaken, she liked this game to. Running away from him and then hiding so he'd have to find her, it was so much fun. She pumped her arms and every now and then swung them out to slap various branches away from her face.
"Jaken are you still keeping up..." Rin was cut short when... CRASH! The little human girl flipped back as she realized that she had hit a tree again. But as she sat up with her hand on her head she froze at the sight of handsome young boy crouched (Inuyasha style) in front of her.
She didn't say anything... he was handsome and looked familiar. It was the stripes... they were the same stripes Sesshomaru had except these stripes were blue and light. He didn't have a print on his forehead but his eyes were the same as well. Golden... so very golden. Rin just sat there taking the boy in trying to process who he was. His hard was very black, darker then her own and it was short and spiked. He had a tiny gold loop earring on his left ear, and another one on the top of his left ear. He had claws and pointy ears... and wore the same type of kimono Sesshomaru wore except this boy's kimono was black... real black. He looked so handsome and intimating all at once... but seemed so familiar.
"Is he a dog youkai like Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin said accidentally. Matsu tilted his head to the side "huh?" Rin's eyes widened. His voice was quite handsome as well. Her stomach began to flutter, she wasn't sure if it was from being or afraid or just feeling well strangely something... the same type of feeling when she was around Kohaku.
With only one thing Rin could think of doing at a time like this... "Hi I'm Rin." Matsu didn't say anything for a moment. "...Rin?" He said as if learning to speak for the first time.
Done! Finally, I had to keep rewriting things and adding things and... it took me FOREVER to learn how to spell Accidentally, (shakes head sadly) English is so difficult for me. But I think I'm coming along great, if you want to know more details about how the characters look than... next chapter will have all that good stuff.