Hakisuma was eight, standing on teh bridge near her village, casting stones into the smooth tranquil water. It was sunset, and everything was outlined with a faint gold glow. The air smelled of sakura, and birds called to each other from tree to tree, bidding goodnight.
Hakisuma heard footsteps behind her and turned around. Makoto stood behind her. He smiled at Hakisuma.
:End flashback:
She remembered how Makoto had changed. He used to be handsome in his own way; filled with boyish charm and adventure. His complexion was delicate, but everybody knew he was tough. He was one of the only kids who didn't taunt her for her blood. He was nice and Hakisuma liked him for it. Now he's different. Something happened.
:Flashback:
A slight breeze brushed by. The smell of sakura sank into Hakisuma's skin. A strand of jet-black hair fell into her face.
"Hakisuma..." Makoto reached out and tucked the lock of hair behind her fox ears. She had transormed unwillingly after a beating recieved from the neighborhood kids earlier.
Hakisuma was sad...Makoto was also picked on because of her. She looked away. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were turned down into a faint frown.
She was silent the whole time. She never thank Makoto for what he has done for her. She had never said a word to him. Deep down, she was thankful. He was the only person who care for her besides her family.
Makoto also frowned; he was worried. He had to cheer her up...
Hakisuma looked up with surprise. Her hands were suddenly very warm. She looked down and her breathing nearly stopped. Makoto was holding her hands, atttempting to warm them. What was this alien fluttery feeling in her chest?
"M-makoto?" Hakisuma asked with a surprised expression and blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Makoto smiled again. "That was the first time you've spoken to me..." he said softly. He was always a soft-spoken boy.
"Huh?" Hakisuma's face was starting to heat up. She withdrew her hands from Makoto's grip.
Makoto looked at her sadly. Their hair ruffled in a bypassing a breeze. The golden sunset reflected in their eyes, creating a luminous glow, and making Hakisuma's look angelic. They were firey; blood-red in the center and a golden rim around the edges. Makoto gazed at them, mesmerized.
Hakisuma looked away. This was akward. She was not used to people looking into her eyes. They usually treated her like dirt. She was used to that.
"I've always been fond of you," Makoto finally murmured.
"N-nani?" Hakisuma stuttered. "What do you mean!" she was very flustered. The fluttery sensation in her chest grew. Somehow, she was calmed in a way by his presense. It was as if she...
"I mean that I like you. You are unique, and should be proud of it," Makoto said.
"I'm different, so they make fun of me..."
Hakisuma was silent. She was gazing off into the un-rippled depths of the river. Beyond the river was a giant rice-field that their village was proud in growing. The firey sun was half-way down the rows of rice stalks. It looked like the sky was burning with the sun.
"Ermm...Hakisuma?" Makoto asked in a low voice.
Hakisuma looked at Makoto. She was still silent, but her eyes were questioning.
Makoto was stuck. Something was happening. Hakisuma's aura was changing to a gentler form. Peaceful and calm.
Hakisuma's eyes seemed to swirl. Her irises turned to a metallic hue; the silver, gold, and red swirled into a mass of an earthy rainbow. Her eyes faded to a silver, her usual pigment.
Makoto blinked and cleared his head. She was waiting for him.
His heart beat faster and faster; he was positive that Hakisuma heard it. She only tilted her head slightly to the side.
"I-I'll make you...my koibito when we grow up...then I can protect you," Makoto stammered quietly. He took a breath and leaned forward. He gave Hakisuma a small kiss on the lips. He savored the sweet moment for the few seconds it lasted and walked away without looking back, fearing her reaction.
Behind Makoto, Hakisuma wore a stunned expression. Her eyes were wide and her body was frozen; rigid. Then, she slowly relaxed. She touched her lips and smiled behind her fingers.
:End flashback:
Hakisuma blushed at the mere memory. She smiled and touched her lips, the same way she did seven years ago.
Inu Yasha watched with mild interest from behind hidden eyes. Hakisuma thought that he was sleeping.
Inu Yasha could sense that Hakisuma had a lot on her mind. His heart lightened as he felt the smile, but now the smile transformed into bitterness.
:Flashback:
It was a day later, and Hakisuma skipped into her hut. She felt lighter. She had figured out what the feeling in her chest was. A handful of flowers occupied one hand, picked fresh from the meadow near her house for her mother.
Her hand brushed aside the mat door and froze. What was Makoto's mom doing at her house? She works all day in the rice fields. Hakisuma noticed the tears streaming down her face.
Hakisuma's mother was comforting Makoto's okaa-san, and glanced distractedly at Hakisuma.
"N-nani?" Hakisuma eyed the moms uncertainly. "What happened?" Something was wrong. Hakisuma felt her blood shift. The effect was taking in. The tension was transforming her into her demon form.
Makoto lived alone with his mother; his father had left them when Makoto was six for another woman. That was four years ago. Makoto was bitter about his father. His father had ruined Makoto's mom's life. They were poorer than the rest of the village, and Makoto's mother worked all day. Makoto had to take care of himself. Sometimes he even had to work along with his mom.
Makoto's okaa-san had turned into a weak and frail woman.
"M-makoto!" Makoto's mother's voice came out in a strangled whisper. "He was taken-dragged away by bandits! We have to go after him..." Makoto's mom rocked back and forth on her seat.
Hakisuma's mother gave Hakisuma a look and tilted her head towards the doorway. Hakisuma dropped the flowers onto the ground and nodded. Her throat was dry. She turned and sped down the dirt road, following Makoto's scent.
They never did find him. Not that any of the neighbors bothered at all. They disliked Makoto for sticking up for Hakisuma. The only reason the adults didn't pick on him too was because Makoto's mother already had enough on her plate. They pitied her.
Then, one day he came back. But he was different. He wasn't nic, his attitide had completely changed. He was less conservative and more like a drunken man. Hakisuma grew afraid.
He had arrived staggering into the village at dawn a few months afterwards.
:End flashback:
Hakisuma clenched her fists and bit her lip.
Inu Yasha got up and left the room. He figured that Hakisuma probably wanted some time alone.
"Is something that matter?" Kagome glanced up from the trigometry she was studying, sensing the troubled air around Inu Yasha.
"Hakisuma-she's feeling down," Inu Yasha replied. He jumped into his tree and settled down.
Kagome stared at him. He didn't even seem to care...although he did have a troubled atmosphere around him...
Shippo sat up from his resting spot in the sun. "Hakisuma-chan's feeling down?" he asked worriedly.
Hikari's ears perked. Her look hardened, and she sought out Kii with her foot. Hikari nudged Kii's rump, indicating that she should go inside and comfort Hakisuma. She did so with as little motion as possible. She couldn't be caught performing a kindness act.
Kii hopped off the tree and made her way to the hut when she sensed a slight vibration in the ground. Horses...about five.
She stiffened and her fur stood on edge.
Inu Yasha sniffed the air from up in the Goshinboku. (SP?)
Kagome paused in the middle of writing something.
Miroku stopped trying to grope Sango and Sango hold a wooden container over his head, in mid-hit.
(:CUT)
Inu Yasha: It's not gonna be another fight, is it! I'm tired of fighting! Wimpy demons...
Shippo: Yeah! Everybody gets hurt!
A.B.C.:.Otaku: Eeeeeeeh...
Sango: Please, hurry it up! My arms are sore!
Miroku: Yes, yes! Ah, the temptation is killing me!
A.B.C.:.Okatu: Errrrmm...bloody hell, there's gonna be torture next! (flipping through agenda book)
Miroku and Sango: Hurry! Get on with the story!
A.B.C.:.Otaku: Err...no. This is the last for this chappie. You guys have to wait until the next one.
Sango: (groan) I'm gonna be aching all week! My arms are already killing me!
Miroku: Alas! Mine too! (sweating) no...must not rub!
REPLIES TO REVIEWS: (or...REPLY to REVIEW)
Nobody: Aaaah, you're the only one who reviewed. Poo. Makoto is gonna be a big part of the ending...as you can see. So, what do you think? I'm gonna plan torture to make the story more dramatic. Thanks for reviewing!
(A/N) ummm...you heard it, peoples! Torture. Drama. Aaahh, the essensce of fanfiction. Gotta love it! READ AND REVIEW, dammit! (haha, jk) R&R! (bow)