Ascension of the Spirit
By Banana Rum: Kalliel
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Kikyo-the-walnut: Blah blah blah. Whatever. Onto real people…
Moggy: My condolences toward you—the special reviewer reward is given to you!
Horse-crazy-gurl: I'm trying!
ElshA: Thanks?
AngelShae: -blush- Aw, thanks! I feel so loved.
Abi: Yay! Yup, I do beta read Melon-chan's stories, thank you for noticing.
SpikeSmeagleSparklies: As per usual, you say the right thing in a concise format.
Sweet-thing-88: You may be surprised…And thank you for all the compliments!
Sexysango: Kiss? I dunno…that's getting a bit ahead of ourselves, isn't it?
Thanks for the compliments everyone! Will you be next to win the Special Reviewer Award? Tune in next time!
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Disclaimer: There is a reason this is called fanfiction…
Preliminary notes: Yay! I created a little something called a PLOT. Congratulations me. And I bumped the rating down again because there was no reason for it to be 'R'. Hopefully that will serve not to scare people away—I'm not capable of writing anything TRULY 'R' anyway.
And so Ascension of the Spirit takes on a slightly romantic turn…hopefully. Wait—I said that last time, didn't I? Well, ain't going to happen. Well, it WILL, just nobody will notice because love for me is slightly different than love for the rest of the world.
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Beta read by Kikyo-the-walnut/Zora
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Chapter 8: Bridge over Troubled Water
Elsewhere
Sengoku Jidai
"What the hell am I doing?" Amidst the mist, heavily intent on devouring the mountain alive, a figure lurked, grabbing any shrub in his way and violently wrenching it from the earth to clear his path. " 'Come to the Tama Shrine' she said, 'I have something I want to show you' she said. Well, shit. She never said where the accursed Tama Shrine was!" The grumbling continued as the ground became less stable and the condensation in the air thickened into fog.
A small lizard skittered across the travel-worn rut the hanyou had followed for the past half hour, though it could have been more, since the sun was annoyingly blocked from view and worthless now as a gauge of time. There were no travelers on the path now. Perhaps it was a day of rest for the townsfolk on pilgrimage, but the path could also merely be a detour constructed by traveling herds of animals; or even the stain of youki left emblazoned upon the land.
The moisture in the air was chokingly obtrusive, blanketing both vision and scents into indistinguishable scrawls of muddle.
"Did she think I went and prayed at some damned forsaken temple all the time or what?" Now he was losing it. Ranting about the idiocy of stupid girls to HIMSELF, no less.
"And what is the forsaken temple you speak of?"
The hanyou literally jumped in surprise. Then, to cover up his startled appearance, shot back, "And what's it to you?"
"Not far from here is a great shrine that most come to worship at," the woman answered politely. She was quite ravishing, dressed in traveling silk of the finest design and fabric. Her eyes sparkled wittingly, framed by black hair pulled back in an elaborate coil. So 'most' really did mean everyone. She appeared to be a lady of a castle, all dressed up for presentation. "It is quite beautiful, even by the standards of the Great Goddess herself."
"Fuck this 'Great Goddess'," the youkai spat, then followed up with a, "Just…tell me what direction it's in." Why was he so tight-strung all of a sudden? It was just some human bitch…
"Just ahead, youkai-san."
He pushed past her roughly and bounded up the mountain away from her.
The woman pulled up her cloak to hide the slight chuckle she emitted. "Have fun, youkai-san." She mimicked herself in a mocking tone. "You bastard of a prey." Then, picking her way against the flow of loose pebbles and slippery weeds, she disappeared into the uninspiring plant-life.
The hanyou continued upwards, speeding his ascent merely because he wanted to be rid of the fog. The woman, no matter how cloyingly unsettling, had proved herself right, and soon the red torii came into view, a rising dragon of flame in a steaming ocean.
Despite his earlier predictions of the mist suddenly parting and the sun shining down unobstructed, it remained foggy once inside the shrine gates. Even through the blanket of mist, it was evident to him that someone had deliberately planned out the exact floor plan for every corner of the shrine. The snaking gravel pathway was made to look natural--every plot of earth sprinkled amongst the walk was grown to appear wild. The effect came off altogether passable, but underneath the successful exterior, the hanyou could tell it had been a forced effort. Wandering aimlessly through the vast gardens, he noticed a few small, box-like shrines scattered within the foliage, each designated to a different kami.
Tiny bell-rings of petite branches fanned out, covered in even thinner veins making up their lacework. It was hard to believe that the underside of each of those leaves was awash in thorn hooks. Kind of like the position I'm in now, he thought absently more focused on the freezing, slippery pebbles beneath his feet than anything else.
It's ugly here.
Then his ears pricked up, catching a voice in the next grove over. Whaddaya know, it's that little bratty sidekick girl.
"Sango, I wanted to take Koichi here! Why do we have to come here so early? There's nothing foreseeably urgent here that needs tending to." Mujina whined.
"I like it better in the morning. And besides, you don't bring children like Koichi to the Tama Shrine. He and his family have their own back in Niwatori." Sango objected.
"Kochi is not a child! He's fourteen! Anyway, the shrine is dead, just like that one miko who used to tend to that village. There is no one and nothing left! The villagers even salvaged the building for wood and food!"
The hanyou clenched his fists, tension running through his muscles. He couldn't believe the Niwatori bastards had done something so sacrilegious. Not that he cared in the least, but it had been hers. And damn it, 'that one miko' had a name, the girl might as well use it. Not that he had, but still…
"You know what? Fine. Go get him. But I'll be waiting back at the village." Sango turned violently back to the shrine they stood in front of.
"I think I'll do that." Mujina sounded even madder than usual. Sulking, she marched off in the other direction, ponytail swinging like a black viper poised for the kill.
After she was sure Mujina had left, Sango dropped to a sitting position, sighing heavily in defeat. They were fighting most of the time they were together now. And to make it worse, Mujina was straying further from Sango's ever-watchful eye and had been spending more time in Niwatori village 'buying herbs' than was really necessary. The urge to bring Koichi to the picnic that was supposed to be just the two of them proved that Mujina indeed that fallen for someone else to replace her.
But then again, what was she doing? Yes, she had invited that hanyou to the shrine, but for different reasons. They weren't in love or anything… but she WAS hiding her interaction with him from the young woman who was supposed to be her best friend. But that was different…
"No it isn't." She whispered to herself. She was going to be found out sooner or later, and what was 'later' four years ago when all this started was now becoming 'sooner'.
"What isn't?"
Sango cursed. She could feel his presence directly behind her now. Why must he always be able to sneak up on her but never vice versa?
"It is not of your concern." She bit back the icy comment she had meant to say afterwards. He had little reason to stay as long as she needed him for; the mere fact that he was here at all was a favor to her. It was time to walk tenderly over a bridge of troubled water.
"So what am I doing here?" He prompted again, folding the cloth of his sleeves inwards as he crossed his arms.
"You tell me—it's your legs that walked you here." Shit. Wrong thing to say. And she was beginning to think like him, too. Hospitality…be hospitable…you're the hostess…she chanted over and over in her head. "I mean, thank you for coming."
"Nothin' better to be doing," he grunted.
"You've used that excuse before, hanyou. Only works once." Ack, not again! Why does everything I say have to be disagreeable?
"I have a name, you know." No he didn't. Not a single one since childhood. And even if he had, it was long forgotten.
"Well, what is it?" This conversation was getting nowhere.
"Why would I tell you? Do you want to know my birthday too, so you can get that witch-friend of yours to ill-wish me?" He smirked, leering down at her with a mouth full of white fangs, as if in warning not to get too friendly, because he was still a demon and still ready to slit her throat if the need arose.
"You're not in charge here." Sango reminded him. "Don't give ME a reason to have to cleanse spilt blood from these walls. You can, however, offer incense."
"I'm not religious…" he objected bluntly.
"Stupid, of course not. I don't think there's a youkai alive who would admit to it. But when you fall deeply into trouble, what is it you rely on?"
The hanyou paused, as if contemplating the answer. "Me."
Sango glared at him, then nodded slowly in resignation. "No gods for your kind, then." She dropped a small ball of rice folded and securely tied with leaves at the foot of the shrine, clapped twice, then started down onto a different path, motioning for her acquaintance to follow.
They trekked through the gardens with an uncomfortable air of silence hovering between them, before Sango, in light of trying to inspire the slightest bit of calming chatter, commented, "It's beautiful here, isn't it. The largest shrine on this side of the Musashi division."
"No."
Sango stopped. What the hell? Why was she talking about beauty with him at all? Of course he didn't care. "Oh right. You'd rather see the aftermath of war on a battlefield." But if beauty was that easy to come by, it would be an empty word.
"No." He turned away.
This would be so much easier if he would give in and stop grumbling one-word answers. But the fact, contrary to her prior predictions, that he did not revel in the reek of blood was encouraging. "So what is beautiful in your eyes?"
He didn't answer. They continued to walk in silence once more, before coming to a small bridge that was more for show than for serviceable use.
"What's with all the birds?" The hanyou asked dully. There were birds of varying sizes and colors, all pecking at the ground beneath a spindly crab apple tree.
Sango's hand strayed to her furoshiki. The hanyou too, could feel an unnerving presence behind the gathering. Not physically BEHIND, but it was no coincidence.
Regaining her reserve, Sango walked forward. Almost instantly, the fowl flew up, dive-bombing the taijiya and nipping at her hands which instintivelly flew up to protect her face. The onslaught ceased only when she retreated behind the hanyou.
Speaking of whom, he had been equally caught of guard, and was currently cursing himself for that weakness. "What the fuck?" He grunted, pulling the naked blade of Kyuuriko from his obi and slashing the sole bird that had not returned to foraging like the others in two pieces.
Without warning, Sango vaulted past the hanyou's arm, pushing him backwards as she flew forward to meet the now airborne birds.
"You crazy bitch!" He growled furiously, following suit. "You don't even have any weapons!" The youkai clawed through feathers and flesh, spraying loose plumage and birds' blood into the trickling water below them.
Below him, Sango hurled her furoshiki up into the air, spilling its contents over the bridge and fowl. Fish cakes, pickled plums, musubi, and a mysterious something else floated down, and the multitude of birds made a sharp turn, diverting their attention away from Sango and the hanyou and turning to the food. The two dashed to the other side of the garden.
"What," the hanyou panted, "was in that food?" They continued running until they passed under the torii once more and collapsed to a stop before the rocky slope.
"Nothing!" Huffed Sango indignantly, picking small pebbles from her hands that had accumulated there when she broke her fall. "It was just the lunch I prepared for me and Mujina…"
"Do the birds drop dead now from food poisoning? Or do they explode?" The hanyou's eyes narrowed with his less-than-trusting remarks.
Sango returned the glare. "Ignoramus. It was merely a diversion. They'll be co—" A series of annoyed squawks and crows interrupted her. "As I said, they'll be coming back."
"That still doesn't answer whether or not they'll explode when their poor livers can't process the shit."
"Feeling pity now are we? I bet that's a first. And if you keep talking like that, I can arrange for the sparing of your liver needing to process it by slicing it out myself."
"Hey, I'm the one with the sword. You don't have anything to do the slicing with!"
Sango snorted disgustedly. "Forget I said anything. I for one am going to get our of here before the pheasants from hell peck my eyeballs out." She jumped up, and began fleeing down the mountainside as fast as humanly possible while still treading carefully enough to keep from falling head over heels.
"Hey, wait!" The hanyou staggered after her, leaping over particularly insecure patches of rock to easily match stride with the taijiya. Pushing past her, he shouted, "This way!"
Sango grabbed a section of his ivory hair, pulling him back towards her. "Not so fast!" She objected, "I come to this shrine every moon-cycle! I think I would know which way goes back to the village and it's THIS way!" She motioned in the exact opposite direction.
"Fool! I'm at least half-demon! I know which way I came and it's definitely THIS direction!" He tugged her back to his path. Her sandals slid along the ground a few inches, but he didn't pull her much further than that. She had an iron-fast grip on his hair and damn it hurt. Bitch. Their followers were fast approaching. "They'll be on us in a moment. Just TRUST me!"
Sango laughed bitterly. "Trust you? How dare you use those two words in the same sentence! I'm going home MY way with or without you; it doesn't matter to me!" Sango released her hold on his tresses and turned to her path.
Damn. He looked up, then roughly grabbed Sango by the waist and plunged off the road into the greenery to escape the rush of air and murderous flap of wings right where they had previously stood.
Together they crashed through the bushes, emerging on the other side to continue the decent. Sango cringed every time she heard branches snap and rocks give in under their weight, though she was perfectly safe, pocketed by voluminous billows of a red kariginu.
Down and further they plunged, into fog and darkness and dampness until Sango wasn't entirely sure whether they had already died and were in hell or if they could possibly still be falling.
Eventually, they met the ground with a bone-jarring crunch, Sango all the while protected from any major injury. She remained in his arms and opened her eyes, numerous bruises and small cuts scattered along her flesh making sure she was painfully aware of each one of them.
Her savior of the moment groaned, a deep-throated semi-conscious cry of utter discomfort. Sango kept still and limp. She wanted to know how he acted when he was alone. She hadn't the slightest idea why, but it was that inexplicable urge that kept her quiet when he mumbled her name. If she got what she wanted, she told herself, she would never tell another lie again.
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WaterfallsSengoku Jidai
At first he couldn't tell whether she was alive or not. But after a second, he felt the steady rise and fall of her breath, and even the beat of her heart, she was in such close proximity to him.
Edging away from her leadened, heavy body, he rolled over onto his stomach. Useless wench. He sheltered her the whole blasted way down and she still couldn't stay conscious. Probably fainted out of terror alone. Keh.
He could feel a warm substance trickling down from his scalp, and a stabbing pain along his shoulder blades and the sides of his ribs. 'Keh' again. This was stupid—god-fucked shittily stupid. Muscles protesting from the pain, he backed up against the wall to regain a standing position. It seemed that after their gradual yet forceful tumble, they had dropped the last fifteen feet in a complete vertical fall. She should have just listened to him and gone his direction. Then they wouldn't have had to have gone through this damned torturous experience.
"Hey," the hanyou growled. "You." Sango didn't move. She wanted to see something interesting, damn it.
He walked slowly to her. Didn't hurt that much…Damn. Damn. Damn. Finally he gave in and said more loudly, "SANGO."
Oh well. There would most likely be other times. She sighed—the kind of sigh that a person who was just waking up would make when they found out they were not in their own bed.
"Back among the living, are you?"
Sango grumbled what he took to be halfway between a yes and an indignant retort.
"So what are we going to do? I told you my way was the right one."
"Ha! All this proves is that the way you chose to escape from those accursed birds was definitely the WRONG one! I mean it, if you say one more…" Sango broke off. "Are you okay?" There was a flicker of concern? No, the emotions displayed on the hanyou's face merely gave her the feeling that there was something inexorably bad behind her, and that he was looking at it. She sighed again.
"I am honored to make your acquaintance once more, youkai-san." It was the same woman, quintessential of the princesses of old whilst the Kyoto court still reigned.
"Who the hell are you?" The hanyou felt sick just looking at her.
The lady just smiled faintly, gesturing around the area. Midday sun was at long last beginning to burn away the fog, and they could now see that all around them were walls. How was that even possible? And to make it stranger, more cascades flew off the ridges above them, splashing into a ring of water forming around the woman. "How rude of me. I forgot to make introductions. Welcome to the Cacades, a favorite, shall we say, TOURIST attraction for my valued guests and me. Feel free to make yourselves as much at home as possible."
"And how is that an introduction?" The hanyou snapped.
Then the world seemed to spin. He fell over, disoriented by the turning of the ground. But, it seemed, the rocks below their feet really did move, of that he was certain, as one of the jutting waterfalls which had previously been circled around the lavender-clad maiden pelted downwards onto him, soaking his clothes and hair.
"This isn't funny," he remarked flatly, scowling as he moved out of the way of the water.
"Of that I am aware of. If I had meant for it to be amusing, you would know. Humans and youkai," she paused, looking him over with an inspecting eye, "AND hanyou call me tsukihime."
"O-tsukihime-sama…" Sango breathed. Her partner just looked and stared back and forth between the two of them. She had a lot of explaining to do after he finished off this supposed moon princess.
"Any name?" He spat, carrying an aura of hardy arrogance.
The tsukihime sighed. "Hm…I suppose you filthy bastard and your lady companion Sango may call me by my own name as opposed to a fanciful title like that."
"Then give it to us, damn it!" His eyes glinted, darkening in color from menacing amber to deadly bronze.
The princess swept toward him, fondling loose locks of stringy, wet hair and stroking the side of his face and hard edges of his chin. For some reason, Sango had the dirty impression that she should not be there.
The hanyou recoiled as the maiden made a grab for him, flinging her arms around his neck and touching moist crimson dampness. Pressing her lips against that blood and licking his neck, she whispered, "Kagome."
-end chapter eight
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Stupid ending rambles:
quote"Why would I tell you? Do you want to know my birthday too so you can get that witch-friend of yours to ill-wish me?" endquote
--Like in many anime/manga, such as Fruits Basket, xxHolic, and Sen to Chihiro no kamikukashi, Inuyasha is referring to some random bit of long-standing Japanese folklore that if someone has your name (and in some cases, your birthday) they can curse or control you.
Again, I am deeply sorry for the lack of romance, but I think with my newly found plot (three actually, and I'm using all of them) we should be able to add some good old fashioned Rumiko Takahashi romance and then some. Gomen ne, horse-crazy-gurl! (and anyone else)
And, Kagome had to be in this story somehow! Frankly, I was starting to miss her. This AU world Kagome can also be found in original context on Melon-chan's upcoming story. (I started it but ended up not being able to continue, so I gave it to her. She seemed happy.)
Does anyone care if I update this story at all? Just curious…Because it doesn't seem like it. Please let me know if you do so I don't get too discouraged--
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Jaa
Kalliel
