The Puppet Master
Seine: Hey, everybody! Geez, I'm finally back into writing again.
Sango: Took you long enough. I think Miroku almost stopped groping, it's been so long.
Seine: Quiet you. Anyway, Inuyasha, could you go the disclaimer?
Inuyasha: Bite me. chomp ow!!! Fine, already, geez.... Seine doesn't own Inuyasha and any of it's characters, but would kill to do so.
Origins
It was a quiet day, then sun rising to it's highest point above the the group, shining it's ever draining and exhausting light and heat down upon them. Shippo sighed from inside Kagome's bike basket.
" This is so boring, there haven't been any youkai all morning! And not even a single human to trick! Are we ever gonna find anything?" Shippo whined, earning a punch in the head from Inuyasha.
" Quit your whining, runt! It's already enough that we haven't found anything to pulverize!" Kagome sighed, watching Shippo and Inuyasha fight about the same boring nonsense. Miroku, on the other hand, was walking slowly beside her, hands behind his head, completely carefree.
" You know, maybe one day they'll knock each other's windpipes out and render themselves speechless." Sango smiled slightly, a bit behind the group, Kirara resting on her shoulder, bathing in the sunlight. Kirara mewed softly in content, though her ears twitched from a slight noise.
The wind picked up, and Kirara leapt of Sango's shoulder, and transformed, snarling loudly. Sango leapt on top of Kirara, waiting for Kirara to bolt off. A sudden shriek from far off in the trees, and Kirara bolted, letting the trees bend in her wind. The rest followed, Inuyasha keeping pace and scent with the great fire cat. She stopped in a clearing, where a couple of human males were throwing stones at something.
Kirara easily sent them into a tree, and landed. Sango got off, and looked towards what they were throwing rocks at. It was what appeared to be a normal human woman. Her hair was the color of the darkest tree bark, though matted from what appeared to be tree twigs and grass. Her skin was tanned, about Sango's color, from work outdoors. She wore a dark grey kimono, one suited for tough work. It was torn in various placed. She was barefoot, and her leg was most certainly broken.
But it was her face that clearly held the youkai nature. She had one small horn above each eyebrow near the temples, and 2 even smaller ones jutting from just above the inner side of the eyebrows. And her eyes were a frosty blue, almost white color. Sango was about to raise her katana, but Kirara suddenly curled her fiery body around the youkai, protecting her.
" Kill her! She's a youkai!" Inuyasha silenced the villagers, and watched Sango as she kneeled down, and stretched her hand out towards her. The youkai crumbled back into Kirara, fearing Sango and the others.
" Please, please leave me be... I've done nothing wrong..." Her voice was crackling with sobs, but was soothing like a mothers voice. Sango smiled lightly.
" It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. Please, tell me you name. Kirara is protecting you, so that's enough for me." The youkai looked up.
" M-my name? Fahna, my name is Fahna." Sango smiled, and the villagers spoke up again.
" Slay her, youkai taijya, save us from that filthy menace!" Sango's eyes flickered angrily.
" Shut up, you infernal fools. I can smell deceit crawling off of you, and I don't have the nose of Inuyasha. Leave us be, or I may have to endanger your life." The humans bolted off, nearly in shock at the taijya's harsh words. Sango looked back to Fahna.
" Tell me, why are they hunting you so?" Fahna sighed.
" I came through this village only a day ago. I was going to return to my village, the one you come from, the youkai exterminators village, to my husband. They started throwing rocks at me, and when I fled to the woods, I hit one of their traps, and it broke my leg. I can't run properly, so eventually they found me. Thank heavens a kind soul like yours appeared for me, you're a blessing. And to see Kirara again, what a site for sore eyes." Sango froze, and slumped down onto her butt.
" Fahna-san, we may have a little bit to talk about. But first, let's get those wounds touched up. Here, this is going to hurt..." Sango quickly re-set Fahna's bone, and bound it with something from Kagome's medicine box. Fahna stood up, and with the help of Kirara, they found another clearing, where the sun shone a bit brighter then the deep underbrush. Kagome set down a blanket and pulled out some sandwiches, handing some to everyone. Fahna looked amazed.
" You're offering me such a delicacy? Domo Arigato, young Miko." Kagome blinked, and swallowed her bit of sandwich.
" How did you know I was a Miko?" Fahna smiled, and tapped her horns.
" I can sense things now in my age. They're not strong now, but your Miko powers are steadily growing. Oh, and houshi-sama, please keep your hands off of the lovely taijya, she really does not appreciate it." Miroku blinked.
" But, I haven't groped her in front of you, how could you know that information? Are you a mind reader?" Fahna smiled again.
" Not quite. Human and youkai feelings radiate the same way, although a youkai's is trained more in thought. But it seems as though the lovely taijya has been taught well in organized thoughts. Hishama-chan has done well in teaching you. Though, you confuse me, normally only the men are the slayers." Sango sighed.
" Well, father decided that since I was his only daughter and his first child, he'd teach me the ways of the slayer. " She explained, finishing off her sandwich.
" Your father is very noble to do so, you must be a formidable warrior." She smiled, devouring the last bite of her sandwich.
" But, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you... The village is gone, destroyed by Naraku. I, and my possessed brother Kohaku, are the only ones left..." Sango gazed down, and Kagome placed her hand on Sango's shoulder, looking almost as sad. Fahna looked completely stunned. She gazed down, tears flowing from her beautiful face.
" Hishama-chan.... my daughter.... dead? How could he die? He was so noble, so kind... My daughter, why have they taken such an innocent soul...." Fahna murmered, tears flowing down her face. Sango placed her hands on Fahna's shoulders.
" I'm sorry. I lost the entire village in one night, and I was lucky enough that my friends came along and buried the villagers." Fahna sniffed the air, then Sango's arm. Her eyes dried slightly.
" You.... you smell just like Hishama-chan." Fahna reached back, under Sango's hair, and felt the back of her neck. Sango immediately went rigid under the feeling of Fahna's claws against an old scar. Fahna smiled.
" So, perhaps I haven't lost it all. The mark of the youkai purification ward is scared into your neck. Please, this may be hard for you, but let me see into you. I need to see what happened. I need to see what has become of my daughter." Sango nodded. They both sat cross-legged.
" Now, you other's will most likely see as well, the energy is quite intense. Here it goes...."
Seine: CLIFFY!! Sorry, I need to see what people think of this. Ya.
Sesshy: Read and Review, it is helpful to our cause.
Seine: what he said.