Hello Simply Hopeless here and this is my first sequel. Please don't read
this story if you haven't read 'Forget Me Not.' You might not understand
who Terry is if you do. Oh your still here are you, that means you either
read the first story or don't care what I told you just earlier. Oh well I
hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review.
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Embracing Tomorrow
Chapter One: Just Me, Myself, and I
'It's funny how life can turn out. You'd think just by looking at me that I'm just a young cat youkai but that's not all of the truth. I was born a human and I will die a human but in between I'm a youkai. I didn't choose to be a youkai, I didn't wish for my mother to die, it just happened,' thought Terry to herself.
She stood right in the middle of the place that she had lived in for five years. The house and its furniture were burnt, broken or turned to ash; there was no more home, no more mother. Terry began to shed tears she had thought had run out.
"I should have died with her... or tried to save her," she said to herself and almost let out a sob except that it was choked back in all her misery. She could see a hand sticking from a pile of rubble and Terry quickly went to it.
She bent over a little and frantically tugged at the half burnt wood, tears blurring her sight. She barely managed to push a half broken piece of a roof beam from her mother's body.
When she had finished she collapsed next to the burnt corpse that used to be her mother. "They should have never done this mother," said Terry her lavender ears drooping and her cat tail barely even moved.
She brushed gentle fingers across the burnt woman's face that was barely even recognizable anymore. She could feel the events of the day pulling at her tired limbs and she curled up against her mother. She moved one of her mother's arms so that it was flung around her small shoulders in a half hug.
Terry rested her wet cheek against her mother's chest and lay there thinking about what she should do tomorrow. But her mind was foggy with tiredness and it wasn't long before the ten-year-old cat youkai begun to fall asleep, an occasional tear falling down her cheek. Not even the scary sounds from the forest surrounding her would make her move from that spot. This would probably be the last time she would ever see this place again and have her mother's arm wrapped around her.
DREAM
Terry stood there looking at the familiar surroundings. "The house wasn't burnt down. It was only a dream," she said and sighed in relief. She rushed quickly into the house to hug her mother.
"It was only a dream mother, the house burning and..." said Terry but stopped short as she saw who was in the room. There was her own self sitting in the chair swinging her legs back and forth and pouting at her mother over her shoulder.
"This can't be," said Terry in disbelief but the others didn't hear. Terry could hear their conversation and she knew that this was the conversation they had an hour before the accident.
Terry waved her hands at the dream Terry to warn her of what was coming but she couldn't get through to her. "Why can't the village except me for me, I'm a likable person and I want to meet people my own age," said the dream Terry and pouted.
"It's been a year since the accident and you know how the village is sore about you coming at this time," said the old woman. "I know it was my fault for showing that girl in her brother how I became a youkai but I did warn them not to do it. You have to be pure of heart to go in there and come back out alive. They were the ones who took the risk," said the dream Terry and got up.
"Where are you going?" said Terry's mother. "Out," was all the dream Terry said and left the real Terry and the dream mother in the room. 'It won't be long now,' thought Terry anxiously and turned to tug at her mother's kimono sleeve but her hands past through it like it was mist.
Terry hadn't gone very far. She was at the bottom of the hill picking up herbs that her mother would like. Some would help her mother with her eyesight and others would probably used to help the villagers.
Her ears twitched as she heard something whizzing towards her. She looked to see that a rock landed not to far from her. Terry looked up to see the faces of mad villagers. 'What is going on?' she thought to herself but then her eyes mirrored the flames from the torches.
'No,' she thought to herself in horror and dropped her bunch of herbs so she could run up the hill. Terry could already hear them running after her but she had to ignore that as she ran to warn her mother.
The real Terry turned as she saw the dream Terry throw open the door and close it quickly, her face full of horror and fear. "Mommy what are we going to do," she said frantically, her blue-gray eyes mirrored the torches of the villagers.
Terry's mother looked out the window to see what had Terry all in a frenzy but when she looked out the window her face was full of determination though her eyes mirrored Terry's fears.
"Run child, run!" said the old woman urgently. "But what about you mommy? I can't leave you here to face the villagers. No, I'll stay with you," said Terry firmly. "I love you Terry and I love that you care what happens to me but I care what happens to you. I'm old and have lived my life while you are just beginning yours. Please, I'm begging you to go and let me hold them off," said the old woman pleadingly.
"Mo..." said Terry before she was cut off by the old woman. "Please," the old woman said urgently before she pushed her adopted daughter to the back door. Terry looked over her shoulder, tears in her eyes.
"I love you mommy and I'll never forget you," said Terry. "I love you to sweets now go!" said the old woman. Terry quickly ran out the door not wishing to see what would happen.
The real Terry was torn up as she saw her mother face the villagers. She did not relent when they demanded where I was, she did not flinch when they started to light the wooden hut.
Terry wanted to stay with her mother in her final hours but not even in her dreams was she allowed to stay. She was quickly transported to the hill that the dream Terry had run to.
The dream Terry wailed with pain and sorrow as she saw her home burn down with her mother in it. The dream Terry wanted to escape living nightmare she was forced to witness and the real Terry wanted to wake up, hating the fact that she had to experience that pain over again.
OUTSIDE THE DREAM
Terry tossed and turned and let a helpless cry as she tried to fight the dream. Sweat beaded her brow and she shot up flinging her mother's arm from her. Her eyes flew open all of a sudden and they were wide and full of fear.
Her breath came quickly and snaked out her lips to hang visibly in the cold predawn air. She stumbled to her feet quickly and tried to calm her beating heart. "Must stay calm," she told herself and forced herself to take one deep breath after another though her lungs burned for her effort.
She knew with certainty that she could not stay in that place any longer but her blue-gray eyes looked guiltily to her mother. 'I can't just leave her there and it is my fault that she is dead,' she thought to herself and walked slowly back to her mother.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Terry was bent over a small hole she had created and was digging with her hands into the moist earth. She blest the rain that had fallen the day before yesterday and when she was tired of digging she rested.
A broken piece of wood was lying beside her and she used it to dig for a while. After about a half a hour later she surveyed the crude hole she made that was only three feet deep and barely big enough to fit the body.
She walked to her mother, the muscles in her arms already screaming at for all they had to do but she still had to bury her mother. She half dragged, half pulled her mother to the three-foot hole and gently placed her in.
She bit her lip to stop the tears that threatened to spill again. She should have done a proper burial by having her cremated but she couldn't bring herself to light the already burnt body. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," said Terry softly as she sprinkled the last bit of dirt on her mother's grave. She tried not to remember the burnt women in the ground but the kind old woman who had become her mother.
With flowers laid on her grave and a half burnt plank for a headstone Terry turned to leave. She didn't bother turning back, why should she; all that was behind her was already etched in her mind forever and all eternity.
Terry had carved her mother's real name on the board with a clawed finger and below it even though she didn't know when Maro was born she wrote her date of death and these parting words.
"Here lies a woman who did not deserve the fate that was given her. A woman who has been the joy and now sadly the sorrow in my life. Here lies 'mother.' May she find true happiness in her other life." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
As soon as Terry couldn't walk anymore she quickly changed into her cat form and climbed up a tree to sleep.
When Terry woke up she did not bother trying to go back to her destroyed home. 'Seeing it in daylight will be even harder to bare then seeing it at night,' she thought and walked along in no particular direction except away from the village.
After a few hours of walking she stopped to look were her feet had taken her and her heart beat frantically against her rib cage. She knew that she was going towards her old village even though she did not now what the point was.
'Might as well see my first family,' thought Terry wryly before she continued walking to her village. It took her two more days before she actually made it there and three days just sitting there doing nothing but watching the village from her tree.
She dared not go there fearing but hoping to see her family, the ones who cast her out. Curiosity getting the better of her though made her quickly decide to transform into a house cat and moved stealthy down to the village.
She stayed in the shadows as much as possible and relied on her faded memories to guide herself to her old house, if they were still there. And they were, sitting as happily as they could be. She wanted to howl out in anger for them daring to be so happy after what they did to their own flesh and blood.
She looked at them sulking from the safety of the shadow. Then a girl walked out and crooned at her as if she was a frightened cat. "Here kitty, kitty I won't hurt you," said the little girl and without even batting an eye she picked Terry up.
Terry made a small meow of protest at how the girl had picked her up with her arms under her armpits leaving the rest of the cat's weight to dangle, her tail brushing the ground. Any normal cat would have not just made small protests but would let their claws back them up but Terry simply tolerated it, for now at least.
When they came to the set of hut's that was Terry's family's she cried to her father, "Look at the new kitty cat I've got." Terry's eyes, which were full of disinterest, flickered momentarily at the man and in that moment she began to hiss.
"Drop that cat now Sada!" said her father as soon as he laid eyes on it. Terry fell unceremoniously down but made sure she landed on her feet before she quickly transformed back into her human form.
"What's wrong father," said Terry her blue-gray eyes cold as ice, "Don't you miss your daughter!" "You are not my daughter, she died a long time ago," said the man quickly. "That's what you would like wouldn't you," said Terry smirking though she did not feel like laughing.
A woman ran out of the hut to see what the trouble was but as soon as she set eyes on the cat youkai she breathed, "Aiko." "That used to be my name once upon a time but I abandoned that name like you obviously abandoned me. Aiko means 'Little Loved One,' and frankly it seemed you really never loved me," said Terry with icy calmness hoping to hurt her mother with her words and her feline smile widen when she saw that she had succeeded.
"It wasn't want you think," said her mother quickly as she cut off any protests her husband was about to make. "Oh yes, I see. You had simply forgot to get your five year old when you asked her to pick a flower for you. Just how you simply forgot that you had a daughter before you had this replacement. That's what she is isn't she," came Terry's voice at one point sarcastic the next moment demanding and full of hidden rage.
"Please forgive your mother," was all the woman could say, tears slowing falling down her face. "What's to forgive, my real mother, the one who raised me for the past five years is dead," said Terry, her eyes shining with tears that she stubbornly would not let fall, "There was no need to forgive her but you why should you care what I say if you don't care if I live or die."
With that Terry couldn't bear to stand being there any longer and began to walk stoutly out of the village daring anyone who look at her to attack her. "Mother don't cry," said a boy as he came running from the other side of the village to comfort the crying woman. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Terry's feet were sitting in the cool water from the stream and she sighed to herself. "I don't want to go back there, they don't won't me there and I can't seem to tolerate them," said Terry as she looked at her reflection in the water. "I guess it's just me, myself and I for now and forever," said Terry and smiled ruefully at her reflection.
"What's a cat like you doing all by her lonesome," came a leering voice from behind her. She turned to set eyes on a tall youkai with blood red hair and piercing coal black eyes. He would look handsome and friendly if it wasn't for the fact that he wore a menacing smile that made her hair stand on end.
"Wha... what do you want," said Terry trying to control the trembling in her voice. "I just want to be your friend," said the tall youkai as he took a step towards Terry. Terry let out a warning hiss but he only laughed before he took another step forward.
"I don't think you really want to be alone in the world do you," said the tall youkai and just when he was about to reach out to touch her she leapt back and fell into the stream by accident.
"I didn't know that the kitty cat wanted to take a bath. I thought you guys hated water?" crooned the tall youkai. Terry's brushed her sopping lavender hair from her face, her teeth clenched. "We do," said Terry, "We just learn to tolerate it." She quickly got out of the water and wrings the water from her hair.
"Hey let me get help you dry off," said the tall youkai and the next minute Terry had only a little time to duck before the fireball flew at her. "Fire apparition, I should of known," hissed Terry favoring getting wet over being burned alive.
"It's all fun and games," said the fire apparition a red flame flickering on the palm of his hands. "Yeah to a twisted baka like you," Terry said looking cautiously at him, she knew that she would not be able to take on the grown fire apparition, she knew it but all of sudden she didn't care. 'What do I have to live for,' she thought.
She leapt at him, her claws extended in slashed down to leave five bloody claw marks on the handsome youkai's face. "Just because these injuries will heal doesn't mean I don't want to kill you right now," said the tall youkai laughing bitterly before his flame grew bigger and he threw it at her.
Terry cart wheeled to dodge that one and tried to find where she could attack him. She had little to no experience and she was only fueled by the anger she felt at the cards fate dealt her. She was going to lose; she knew this for a fact. She also discovered that she really didn't want to throw her life away.
She almost watched in fascination as the fire apparition punched her in the stomach making her double over in pain. She quickly got up trying to block the pain from her mind but succeeding barely.
With one arm clutched to her stomach she looked into his eyes, hers were starting to glow and seemed to stop him from making a further attack. Terry smiled seeing that she finally had the upper hand but due to her pain and also her lack of training in her strange powers the effects did not last long.
"You tried to take over my mind did you," said the tall youkai the scratches from his face already starting healng slowly. Terry trembled not knowing what to do, she could die right now and no one would care, no one hear or pay attention to her cry of help. 'Why should they,' she thought bitterly, 'Mother's death was my fault, the reason I became a youkai was my fault. It was all her fault.'
"Don't cry kitty I have a better use for you," said the tall youkai, "I will get you properly trained then I will harness your talent for controlling other people's minds." 'Death was much better,' thought Terry wryly but she could not stop him from grabbing her shoulder ruthlessly.
Terry let out a cry of pain but was quickly silenced by a slap to her face. "Did I tell you to cry," said the tall youkai amused at his new possession. Terry's tears squeezed from her closed eyes and she bemoaned the future she would be forced to lead when she was suddenly dropped.
Terry's eyes flew open and she looked to see what happened. An arrow stuck out from the tall youkai's back and Terry looked with frightened eyes to see who had shot it, fearing that his next target would be her.
"I'm not hear to hurt you Aiko," said a young man and walked cautiously to the frightened cat youkai. "Yo," she breathed as she saw one of her older brothers, not the one who comforted their mother but the other one.
"I'm glad you remembered me," said Yo smiling at his little sister. Terry bowed her head not wanting to look into his face. He was her favorite brother and he was with them.
FLASHBACK
A three-year-old girl who looked just like Terry was sitting in the lap of what appeared to be her mother. This was before she involuntarily became a cat youkia with cat ears and tail. She was human then; her family still loved her then.
Terry had black wavy hair and brown eyes. She giggled in delight as her older brother Yo tickled her tummy.
END FLASHBACK
'Those were happy days how quickly they ran from me,' thought Terry and slowly got up so she could walk away into the forest. "Aiko where are you going?" said Yo, his kind face looking at her retreating back.
"What need of you of a youkai sister," said Terry bitterly, her lavender cat ears drooping, her tail limp and tears falling silently down her face. "We didn't mean to..." said Yo but was cut off by Terry's soft voice.
"Why didn't you come to get me then? Why did you leave me?" said Terry turning, her blue gray eyes begging for an answer that would never come. Terry turned back so she could continue to walk into the forest and Yo sighed in defeat.
"My name is not Aiko anymore, its Terry," her voice drifted through the forest to tell him. "Take care... little sister," said Yo to himself since Terry was long gone. Then he turned slowly back to his home.
Terry's lavender cat ears twitched as she caught the far off words. "I will big brother," she said and walked wherever she was compelled to go. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 'Strange Dreams,' is the next chapter if you review me. I know that I haven't really talked about Kagome much if at all in this first chapter but in the next chapter Kagome is faced with strange dreams of Terry but she doesn't know who Terry is and why she would be in her dreams. Maybe it had to do with the flowers that were sent to her with that note, 'Forget Me Not,' but Terry wasn't the one who sent it. Well I hope you like it and remember to review.
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Embracing Tomorrow
Chapter One: Just Me, Myself, and I
'It's funny how life can turn out. You'd think just by looking at me that I'm just a young cat youkai but that's not all of the truth. I was born a human and I will die a human but in between I'm a youkai. I didn't choose to be a youkai, I didn't wish for my mother to die, it just happened,' thought Terry to herself.
She stood right in the middle of the place that she had lived in for five years. The house and its furniture were burnt, broken or turned to ash; there was no more home, no more mother. Terry began to shed tears she had thought had run out.
"I should have died with her... or tried to save her," she said to herself and almost let out a sob except that it was choked back in all her misery. She could see a hand sticking from a pile of rubble and Terry quickly went to it.
She bent over a little and frantically tugged at the half burnt wood, tears blurring her sight. She barely managed to push a half broken piece of a roof beam from her mother's body.
When she had finished she collapsed next to the burnt corpse that used to be her mother. "They should have never done this mother," said Terry her lavender ears drooping and her cat tail barely even moved.
She brushed gentle fingers across the burnt woman's face that was barely even recognizable anymore. She could feel the events of the day pulling at her tired limbs and she curled up against her mother. She moved one of her mother's arms so that it was flung around her small shoulders in a half hug.
Terry rested her wet cheek against her mother's chest and lay there thinking about what she should do tomorrow. But her mind was foggy with tiredness and it wasn't long before the ten-year-old cat youkai begun to fall asleep, an occasional tear falling down her cheek. Not even the scary sounds from the forest surrounding her would make her move from that spot. This would probably be the last time she would ever see this place again and have her mother's arm wrapped around her.
DREAM
Terry stood there looking at the familiar surroundings. "The house wasn't burnt down. It was only a dream," she said and sighed in relief. She rushed quickly into the house to hug her mother.
"It was only a dream mother, the house burning and..." said Terry but stopped short as she saw who was in the room. There was her own self sitting in the chair swinging her legs back and forth and pouting at her mother over her shoulder.
"This can't be," said Terry in disbelief but the others didn't hear. Terry could hear their conversation and she knew that this was the conversation they had an hour before the accident.
Terry waved her hands at the dream Terry to warn her of what was coming but she couldn't get through to her. "Why can't the village except me for me, I'm a likable person and I want to meet people my own age," said the dream Terry and pouted.
"It's been a year since the accident and you know how the village is sore about you coming at this time," said the old woman. "I know it was my fault for showing that girl in her brother how I became a youkai but I did warn them not to do it. You have to be pure of heart to go in there and come back out alive. They were the ones who took the risk," said the dream Terry and got up.
"Where are you going?" said Terry's mother. "Out," was all the dream Terry said and left the real Terry and the dream mother in the room. 'It won't be long now,' thought Terry anxiously and turned to tug at her mother's kimono sleeve but her hands past through it like it was mist.
Terry hadn't gone very far. She was at the bottom of the hill picking up herbs that her mother would like. Some would help her mother with her eyesight and others would probably used to help the villagers.
Her ears twitched as she heard something whizzing towards her. She looked to see that a rock landed not to far from her. Terry looked up to see the faces of mad villagers. 'What is going on?' she thought to herself but then her eyes mirrored the flames from the torches.
'No,' she thought to herself in horror and dropped her bunch of herbs so she could run up the hill. Terry could already hear them running after her but she had to ignore that as she ran to warn her mother.
The real Terry turned as she saw the dream Terry throw open the door and close it quickly, her face full of horror and fear. "Mommy what are we going to do," she said frantically, her blue-gray eyes mirrored the torches of the villagers.
Terry's mother looked out the window to see what had Terry all in a frenzy but when she looked out the window her face was full of determination though her eyes mirrored Terry's fears.
"Run child, run!" said the old woman urgently. "But what about you mommy? I can't leave you here to face the villagers. No, I'll stay with you," said Terry firmly. "I love you Terry and I love that you care what happens to me but I care what happens to you. I'm old and have lived my life while you are just beginning yours. Please, I'm begging you to go and let me hold them off," said the old woman pleadingly.
"Mo..." said Terry before she was cut off by the old woman. "Please," the old woman said urgently before she pushed her adopted daughter to the back door. Terry looked over her shoulder, tears in her eyes.
"I love you mommy and I'll never forget you," said Terry. "I love you to sweets now go!" said the old woman. Terry quickly ran out the door not wishing to see what would happen.
The real Terry was torn up as she saw her mother face the villagers. She did not relent when they demanded where I was, she did not flinch when they started to light the wooden hut.
Terry wanted to stay with her mother in her final hours but not even in her dreams was she allowed to stay. She was quickly transported to the hill that the dream Terry had run to.
The dream Terry wailed with pain and sorrow as she saw her home burn down with her mother in it. The dream Terry wanted to escape living nightmare she was forced to witness and the real Terry wanted to wake up, hating the fact that she had to experience that pain over again.
OUTSIDE THE DREAM
Terry tossed and turned and let a helpless cry as she tried to fight the dream. Sweat beaded her brow and she shot up flinging her mother's arm from her. Her eyes flew open all of a sudden and they were wide and full of fear.
Her breath came quickly and snaked out her lips to hang visibly in the cold predawn air. She stumbled to her feet quickly and tried to calm her beating heart. "Must stay calm," she told herself and forced herself to take one deep breath after another though her lungs burned for her effort.
She knew with certainty that she could not stay in that place any longer but her blue-gray eyes looked guiltily to her mother. 'I can't just leave her there and it is my fault that she is dead,' she thought to herself and walked slowly back to her mother.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Terry was bent over a small hole she had created and was digging with her hands into the moist earth. She blest the rain that had fallen the day before yesterday and when she was tired of digging she rested.
A broken piece of wood was lying beside her and she used it to dig for a while. After about a half a hour later she surveyed the crude hole she made that was only three feet deep and barely big enough to fit the body.
She walked to her mother, the muscles in her arms already screaming at for all they had to do but she still had to bury her mother. She half dragged, half pulled her mother to the three-foot hole and gently placed her in.
She bit her lip to stop the tears that threatened to spill again. She should have done a proper burial by having her cremated but she couldn't bring herself to light the already burnt body. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," said Terry softly as she sprinkled the last bit of dirt on her mother's grave. She tried not to remember the burnt women in the ground but the kind old woman who had become her mother.
With flowers laid on her grave and a half burnt plank for a headstone Terry turned to leave. She didn't bother turning back, why should she; all that was behind her was already etched in her mind forever and all eternity.
Terry had carved her mother's real name on the board with a clawed finger and below it even though she didn't know when Maro was born she wrote her date of death and these parting words.
"Here lies a woman who did not deserve the fate that was given her. A woman who has been the joy and now sadly the sorrow in my life. Here lies 'mother.' May she find true happiness in her other life." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
As soon as Terry couldn't walk anymore she quickly changed into her cat form and climbed up a tree to sleep.
When Terry woke up she did not bother trying to go back to her destroyed home. 'Seeing it in daylight will be even harder to bare then seeing it at night,' she thought and walked along in no particular direction except away from the village.
After a few hours of walking she stopped to look were her feet had taken her and her heart beat frantically against her rib cage. She knew that she was going towards her old village even though she did not now what the point was.
'Might as well see my first family,' thought Terry wryly before she continued walking to her village. It took her two more days before she actually made it there and three days just sitting there doing nothing but watching the village from her tree.
She dared not go there fearing but hoping to see her family, the ones who cast her out. Curiosity getting the better of her though made her quickly decide to transform into a house cat and moved stealthy down to the village.
She stayed in the shadows as much as possible and relied on her faded memories to guide herself to her old house, if they were still there. And they were, sitting as happily as they could be. She wanted to howl out in anger for them daring to be so happy after what they did to their own flesh and blood.
She looked at them sulking from the safety of the shadow. Then a girl walked out and crooned at her as if she was a frightened cat. "Here kitty, kitty I won't hurt you," said the little girl and without even batting an eye she picked Terry up.
Terry made a small meow of protest at how the girl had picked her up with her arms under her armpits leaving the rest of the cat's weight to dangle, her tail brushing the ground. Any normal cat would have not just made small protests but would let their claws back them up but Terry simply tolerated it, for now at least.
When they came to the set of hut's that was Terry's family's she cried to her father, "Look at the new kitty cat I've got." Terry's eyes, which were full of disinterest, flickered momentarily at the man and in that moment she began to hiss.
"Drop that cat now Sada!" said her father as soon as he laid eyes on it. Terry fell unceremoniously down but made sure she landed on her feet before she quickly transformed back into her human form.
"What's wrong father," said Terry her blue-gray eyes cold as ice, "Don't you miss your daughter!" "You are not my daughter, she died a long time ago," said the man quickly. "That's what you would like wouldn't you," said Terry smirking though she did not feel like laughing.
A woman ran out of the hut to see what the trouble was but as soon as she set eyes on the cat youkai she breathed, "Aiko." "That used to be my name once upon a time but I abandoned that name like you obviously abandoned me. Aiko means 'Little Loved One,' and frankly it seemed you really never loved me," said Terry with icy calmness hoping to hurt her mother with her words and her feline smile widen when she saw that she had succeeded.
"It wasn't want you think," said her mother quickly as she cut off any protests her husband was about to make. "Oh yes, I see. You had simply forgot to get your five year old when you asked her to pick a flower for you. Just how you simply forgot that you had a daughter before you had this replacement. That's what she is isn't she," came Terry's voice at one point sarcastic the next moment demanding and full of hidden rage.
"Please forgive your mother," was all the woman could say, tears slowing falling down her face. "What's to forgive, my real mother, the one who raised me for the past five years is dead," said Terry, her eyes shining with tears that she stubbornly would not let fall, "There was no need to forgive her but you why should you care what I say if you don't care if I live or die."
With that Terry couldn't bear to stand being there any longer and began to walk stoutly out of the village daring anyone who look at her to attack her. "Mother don't cry," said a boy as he came running from the other side of the village to comfort the crying woman. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Terry's feet were sitting in the cool water from the stream and she sighed to herself. "I don't want to go back there, they don't won't me there and I can't seem to tolerate them," said Terry as she looked at her reflection in the water. "I guess it's just me, myself and I for now and forever," said Terry and smiled ruefully at her reflection.
"What's a cat like you doing all by her lonesome," came a leering voice from behind her. She turned to set eyes on a tall youkai with blood red hair and piercing coal black eyes. He would look handsome and friendly if it wasn't for the fact that he wore a menacing smile that made her hair stand on end.
"Wha... what do you want," said Terry trying to control the trembling in her voice. "I just want to be your friend," said the tall youkai as he took a step towards Terry. Terry let out a warning hiss but he only laughed before he took another step forward.
"I don't think you really want to be alone in the world do you," said the tall youkai and just when he was about to reach out to touch her she leapt back and fell into the stream by accident.
"I didn't know that the kitty cat wanted to take a bath. I thought you guys hated water?" crooned the tall youkai. Terry's brushed her sopping lavender hair from her face, her teeth clenched. "We do," said Terry, "We just learn to tolerate it." She quickly got out of the water and wrings the water from her hair.
"Hey let me get help you dry off," said the tall youkai and the next minute Terry had only a little time to duck before the fireball flew at her. "Fire apparition, I should of known," hissed Terry favoring getting wet over being burned alive.
"It's all fun and games," said the fire apparition a red flame flickering on the palm of his hands. "Yeah to a twisted baka like you," Terry said looking cautiously at him, she knew that she would not be able to take on the grown fire apparition, she knew it but all of sudden she didn't care. 'What do I have to live for,' she thought.
She leapt at him, her claws extended in slashed down to leave five bloody claw marks on the handsome youkai's face. "Just because these injuries will heal doesn't mean I don't want to kill you right now," said the tall youkai laughing bitterly before his flame grew bigger and he threw it at her.
Terry cart wheeled to dodge that one and tried to find where she could attack him. She had little to no experience and she was only fueled by the anger she felt at the cards fate dealt her. She was going to lose; she knew this for a fact. She also discovered that she really didn't want to throw her life away.
She almost watched in fascination as the fire apparition punched her in the stomach making her double over in pain. She quickly got up trying to block the pain from her mind but succeeding barely.
With one arm clutched to her stomach she looked into his eyes, hers were starting to glow and seemed to stop him from making a further attack. Terry smiled seeing that she finally had the upper hand but due to her pain and also her lack of training in her strange powers the effects did not last long.
"You tried to take over my mind did you," said the tall youkai the scratches from his face already starting healng slowly. Terry trembled not knowing what to do, she could die right now and no one would care, no one hear or pay attention to her cry of help. 'Why should they,' she thought bitterly, 'Mother's death was my fault, the reason I became a youkai was my fault. It was all her fault.'
"Don't cry kitty I have a better use for you," said the tall youkai, "I will get you properly trained then I will harness your talent for controlling other people's minds." 'Death was much better,' thought Terry wryly but she could not stop him from grabbing her shoulder ruthlessly.
Terry let out a cry of pain but was quickly silenced by a slap to her face. "Did I tell you to cry," said the tall youkai amused at his new possession. Terry's tears squeezed from her closed eyes and she bemoaned the future she would be forced to lead when she was suddenly dropped.
Terry's eyes flew open and she looked to see what happened. An arrow stuck out from the tall youkai's back and Terry looked with frightened eyes to see who had shot it, fearing that his next target would be her.
"I'm not hear to hurt you Aiko," said a young man and walked cautiously to the frightened cat youkai. "Yo," she breathed as she saw one of her older brothers, not the one who comforted their mother but the other one.
"I'm glad you remembered me," said Yo smiling at his little sister. Terry bowed her head not wanting to look into his face. He was her favorite brother and he was with them.
FLASHBACK
A three-year-old girl who looked just like Terry was sitting in the lap of what appeared to be her mother. This was before she involuntarily became a cat youkia with cat ears and tail. She was human then; her family still loved her then.
Terry had black wavy hair and brown eyes. She giggled in delight as her older brother Yo tickled her tummy.
END FLASHBACK
'Those were happy days how quickly they ran from me,' thought Terry and slowly got up so she could walk away into the forest. "Aiko where are you going?" said Yo, his kind face looking at her retreating back.
"What need of you of a youkai sister," said Terry bitterly, her lavender cat ears drooping, her tail limp and tears falling silently down her face. "We didn't mean to..." said Yo but was cut off by Terry's soft voice.
"Why didn't you come to get me then? Why did you leave me?" said Terry turning, her blue gray eyes begging for an answer that would never come. Terry turned back so she could continue to walk into the forest and Yo sighed in defeat.
"My name is not Aiko anymore, its Terry," her voice drifted through the forest to tell him. "Take care... little sister," said Yo to himself since Terry was long gone. Then he turned slowly back to his home.
Terry's lavender cat ears twitched as she caught the far off words. "I will big brother," she said and walked wherever she was compelled to go. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 'Strange Dreams,' is the next chapter if you review me. I know that I haven't really talked about Kagome much if at all in this first chapter but in the next chapter Kagome is faced with strange dreams of Terry but she doesn't know who Terry is and why she would be in her dreams. Maybe it had to do with the flowers that were sent to her with that note, 'Forget Me Not,' but Terry wasn't the one who sent it. Well I hope you like it and remember to review.