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Chapter Twenty Six: The Samurai Village
"Come on, let's go and get this over with..." Mei Lhi said, rubbing her eyes, but was secretly wiping away her tears.
"No. We'll rest here for the night. Our journey was long and tiring. So we will climb down from this ledge to the village at dawn's first light." Hana replied.
All agreed, Inuyasha found a good tree, and leapt into a high branch, Kagome and the others sleeping on the ground. Mei Lhi was having trouble getting into a tree, and kept falling several feet short of her intended destination. Inuyasha watched with interest, an eyebrow raised.
"Having trouble?" He asked finally.
"Oh shut up you!" Mei Lhi snapped fiercely.
"This shouldn't be a problem for you...you're half-demon! You should just be able to get up in one leap. Or perhaps would you like me to come down and give you a boost?"
"Feh. I never thought you could be funny, Onii-san. But no, I don't need or want any help. I'm doing just-" She jumped up again, her hands finally grabbing hold of the branch. She slipped, then fell down to the floor again. "Fine." She finished.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, leaping down from his branch, grabbing Mei Lhi, then jumping to the tree that she had been trying to jump into and placed her on the branch she'd been reaching for.
"There. Now was that so hard?" Inuyasha asked.
"Thank you..." Mei Lhi said quietly.
"It...it was nothing..."
Inuyasha jumped back to his branch, taking one last glance around the camp site before closing his eyes, his ears twitching, listening for sounds other than the steady breathing of his companions.
* * *
Morning came several hours later. All woke, eating quickly, then walked down the road that led into the village. The sun's light had come through the clouds, the earth bright with its powerful rays. Villagers were working outside, chopping wood, fishing in the pond, picking the ripe fruit from the trees, washing clothes, and other such daily things. The mood seemed happy, the village full of chatter, until they noticed the group coming towards them.
All was silent, except for the whispers running about, between villagers.
"-it's her! The same one from a month ago! And now she's brought more with her so she can kill us all!"
"-the vengeful demoness! She's come to take our children!"
Inuyasha listened to the whispers as they walked on, the silence being broken by one brave village man.
"YOUKAI! YOUKAI ARE ATTACKING THE VILLAGE!!! IT'S HER!!! SHE'S COME!"
The sound of horses and yells came nearer. The mounted samurai had come. The samurai surrounded the group, the leader appearing, his face hidden by a mask.
"Three mikos...one from our own village...how disappointing, Hanajima..." The leader said.
"Hanajima?! Our Hanajima?!" The villagers gasped.
"A houshi...my, my, you could purify these youkai, but you choose not to..."
"A houshi?!" Villagers said shocked.
"A taijiya...with a nekometa as a pet...someone so skilled as yourself, you should've stayed true to your job, and slewn these youkai a long time ago..."
"Taijiya?!"
"A kitsune...hmph...just a runt..."
"Kitsune?!"
"A...hanyou...a boy hanyou..."
"Hanyou?!!!"
"And you..." The leader said at last, drawing his katana, with one hand, grabbing her neck and lifting her off the ground with the other. He placed the end of the blade at her neck, smirking. "You are the one who attacked the village...for that, you must die...but before I end your life, any last requests? Or last words?"
"Yes." Mei Lhi replied. "I have but one question...what is your face? Who are you? If I am to die, I should at least know who is killing me, so that when I am reborn again, my reincarnation will know who to kill."
"But of course..." The leader said, laughing evilly. He set her back down on the ground again, then pulled off his mask and helmet.
Mei Lhi's eyes widened with horror.
"No! No! NO!!!!!!!!!! It can't be you!!!! You're dead!!!!" She screamed.
"But it's the truth...Mei Lhi...It is I, Hakaru, your 'brother'." He replied, laughing evilly.
"Why? Why'd you do it, Hakaru? Why?! I thought we were family!"
"I wanted to live..."
"You BASTARD!!!"
"Now, I'm afraid Mei Lhi, this will be the last time we speak...it is time for your death!"
He stretched out his arm, raising his hand. Black flames shot out from his palm, right at Mei Lhi.
"Does it give you memories, Mei Lhi?!" Hakaru yelled.
Mei Lhi could not respond. She could only scream in pain.
'She's not wearing her fire rat armor!' Inuyasha thought suddenly.
He was just about to break into a run to save Mei Lhi from the flames, but stopped, when someone else got there first.
A boy around Mei Lhi's age, had jumped into the flames, protecting the hanyou girl with his own body. He wrapped an arm securely around her shoulders, raising his own hand, strong winds coming from his palm, blowing the flames away.
"Stop it, Hakaru!" The boy yelled.
"You're lucky...all of you..." Hakaru seethed, hitting the rump of his horse with the hilt of his sword.
The samurai galloped away, the boy watching them go.
"Who are you?!" Inuyasha asked.
"I'm someone who Mei Lhi has known for a very, very long time." The boy replied.
Miroku was intrigued by the boy.
"Was that an air void from your hand? Such powerful winds came from the palm of your hand. Did Naraku curse your family as well?" The monk asked.
The boy laughed.
"No, it wasn't an air void...I'm a youkai, a dragon youkai of the wind. Hakaru is also a dragon youkai, but he is the dragon of fire."
"A dragon youkai?!" The others gaped.
Hana surveyed the boy.
"Child, look at me..." She said.
"Ah Hana...how nice to see you..." The boy replied, making eye contact with the miko.
"Surely, you are not...!" Hana began.
"Hush, my lady...Mei Lhi...she's changed...and is unconscious..."
"What?! Changed? How?!" Everyone except the boy and Hana wondered.
"Child, show them what we mean." Hana said.
The boy stood and faced the group. Mei Lhi was in his arms, but not as a hanyou. She was human.
Inuyasha stared in amazement.
"But the day of-it's two weeks away!" Inuyasha said quietly, fierceness still in his voice.
"You see, what I was talking about in the village, is that, as you know, every hanyou becomes vulnerable on a different day. Mei Lhi's day, and as well as yours, is the night of the new moon-" Hana started, but was interrupted.
"Oh real great, Hana-baba! Tell some boy that we don't even know! Now he's going to go talk to that Hakaru and then in two weeks I'll be dead!" Inuyasha cut in.
"Inuyasha, you need not worry. This boy will not tell anyone...for you see, he's seen Mei Lhi become human at least thirty six times...perhaps maybe even forty eight times...you can trust him. Now, as I was saying, on the new moon, you both become human. But in Mei Lhi's case, if she suffers a great emotional trauma, she will become human...or if she is an inch from death, she will become human or full youkai, depending on which blood is able to overcome the other. But now, we must get Mei Lhi immediate care." Hana explained.
Chapter Twenty Six: The Samurai Village
"Come on, let's go and get this over with..." Mei Lhi said, rubbing her eyes, but was secretly wiping away her tears.
"No. We'll rest here for the night. Our journey was long and tiring. So we will climb down from this ledge to the village at dawn's first light." Hana replied.
All agreed, Inuyasha found a good tree, and leapt into a high branch, Kagome and the others sleeping on the ground. Mei Lhi was having trouble getting into a tree, and kept falling several feet short of her intended destination. Inuyasha watched with interest, an eyebrow raised.
"Having trouble?" He asked finally.
"Oh shut up you!" Mei Lhi snapped fiercely.
"This shouldn't be a problem for you...you're half-demon! You should just be able to get up in one leap. Or perhaps would you like me to come down and give you a boost?"
"Feh. I never thought you could be funny, Onii-san. But no, I don't need or want any help. I'm doing just-" She jumped up again, her hands finally grabbing hold of the branch. She slipped, then fell down to the floor again. "Fine." She finished.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, leaping down from his branch, grabbing Mei Lhi, then jumping to the tree that she had been trying to jump into and placed her on the branch she'd been reaching for.
"There. Now was that so hard?" Inuyasha asked.
"Thank you..." Mei Lhi said quietly.
"It...it was nothing..."
Inuyasha jumped back to his branch, taking one last glance around the camp site before closing his eyes, his ears twitching, listening for sounds other than the steady breathing of his companions.
* * *
Morning came several hours later. All woke, eating quickly, then walked down the road that led into the village. The sun's light had come through the clouds, the earth bright with its powerful rays. Villagers were working outside, chopping wood, fishing in the pond, picking the ripe fruit from the trees, washing clothes, and other such daily things. The mood seemed happy, the village full of chatter, until they noticed the group coming towards them.
All was silent, except for the whispers running about, between villagers.
"-it's her! The same one from a month ago! And now she's brought more with her so she can kill us all!"
"-the vengeful demoness! She's come to take our children!"
Inuyasha listened to the whispers as they walked on, the silence being broken by one brave village man.
"YOUKAI! YOUKAI ARE ATTACKING THE VILLAGE!!! IT'S HER!!! SHE'S COME!"
The sound of horses and yells came nearer. The mounted samurai had come. The samurai surrounded the group, the leader appearing, his face hidden by a mask.
"Three mikos...one from our own village...how disappointing, Hanajima..." The leader said.
"Hanajima?! Our Hanajima?!" The villagers gasped.
"A houshi...my, my, you could purify these youkai, but you choose not to..."
"A houshi?!" Villagers said shocked.
"A taijiya...with a nekometa as a pet...someone so skilled as yourself, you should've stayed true to your job, and slewn these youkai a long time ago..."
"Taijiya?!"
"A kitsune...hmph...just a runt..."
"Kitsune?!"
"A...hanyou...a boy hanyou..."
"Hanyou?!!!"
"And you..." The leader said at last, drawing his katana, with one hand, grabbing her neck and lifting her off the ground with the other. He placed the end of the blade at her neck, smirking. "You are the one who attacked the village...for that, you must die...but before I end your life, any last requests? Or last words?"
"Yes." Mei Lhi replied. "I have but one question...what is your face? Who are you? If I am to die, I should at least know who is killing me, so that when I am reborn again, my reincarnation will know who to kill."
"But of course..." The leader said, laughing evilly. He set her back down on the ground again, then pulled off his mask and helmet.
Mei Lhi's eyes widened with horror.
"No! No! NO!!!!!!!!!! It can't be you!!!! You're dead!!!!" She screamed.
"But it's the truth...Mei Lhi...It is I, Hakaru, your 'brother'." He replied, laughing evilly.
"Why? Why'd you do it, Hakaru? Why?! I thought we were family!"
"I wanted to live..."
"You BASTARD!!!"
"Now, I'm afraid Mei Lhi, this will be the last time we speak...it is time for your death!"
He stretched out his arm, raising his hand. Black flames shot out from his palm, right at Mei Lhi.
"Does it give you memories, Mei Lhi?!" Hakaru yelled.
Mei Lhi could not respond. She could only scream in pain.
'She's not wearing her fire rat armor!' Inuyasha thought suddenly.
He was just about to break into a run to save Mei Lhi from the flames, but stopped, when someone else got there first.
A boy around Mei Lhi's age, had jumped into the flames, protecting the hanyou girl with his own body. He wrapped an arm securely around her shoulders, raising his own hand, strong winds coming from his palm, blowing the flames away.
"Stop it, Hakaru!" The boy yelled.
"You're lucky...all of you..." Hakaru seethed, hitting the rump of his horse with the hilt of his sword.
The samurai galloped away, the boy watching them go.
"Who are you?!" Inuyasha asked.
"I'm someone who Mei Lhi has known for a very, very long time." The boy replied.
Miroku was intrigued by the boy.
"Was that an air void from your hand? Such powerful winds came from the palm of your hand. Did Naraku curse your family as well?" The monk asked.
The boy laughed.
"No, it wasn't an air void...I'm a youkai, a dragon youkai of the wind. Hakaru is also a dragon youkai, but he is the dragon of fire."
"A dragon youkai?!" The others gaped.
Hana surveyed the boy.
"Child, look at me..." She said.
"Ah Hana...how nice to see you..." The boy replied, making eye contact with the miko.
"Surely, you are not...!" Hana began.
"Hush, my lady...Mei Lhi...she's changed...and is unconscious..."
"What?! Changed? How?!" Everyone except the boy and Hana wondered.
"Child, show them what we mean." Hana said.
The boy stood and faced the group. Mei Lhi was in his arms, but not as a hanyou. She was human.
Inuyasha stared in amazement.
"But the day of-it's two weeks away!" Inuyasha said quietly, fierceness still in his voice.
"You see, what I was talking about in the village, is that, as you know, every hanyou becomes vulnerable on a different day. Mei Lhi's day, and as well as yours, is the night of the new moon-" Hana started, but was interrupted.
"Oh real great, Hana-baba! Tell some boy that we don't even know! Now he's going to go talk to that Hakaru and then in two weeks I'll be dead!" Inuyasha cut in.
"Inuyasha, you need not worry. This boy will not tell anyone...for you see, he's seen Mei Lhi become human at least thirty six times...perhaps maybe even forty eight times...you can trust him. Now, as I was saying, on the new moon, you both become human. But in Mei Lhi's case, if she suffers a great emotional trauma, she will become human...or if she is an inch from death, she will become human or full youkai, depending on which blood is able to overcome the other. But now, we must get Mei Lhi immediate care." Hana explained.