Author's notes: This chapter is a little bit... well, you guys out there better judge it. Review it and tell me what you think!. BTW, the little faces between the paragraphs, means a change of narrator.
Disclaimer: Still Inu-Yasha isn't mine.
Scroll #6:
"The Earthquake."
I run.
THUD
I run as fast as I can, without even stop to think about the taiyoukai. I run in worry. In worry for my family.
THUD
I've always been scare of running. I think that is the only fear I, Mikami, got. But now, I don't care. I want to reach my house as soon as possible.
THUD
I don't know where I'm going. I better stop to hear my surroundings and sniff the air.
There. That's the way. I run again.
THUD
I think I started to run as soon as the annoying earthquake stopped. I just ran, because I was and I am in worry. I think I'm close now. Geez! I been running since a while by now.
THUD
Damn! That Hurts!… I seems like I'm near my house. Why everything seems so hot?. Oh My God! What's happening? That scent! That is Fire For Sure!. Oh no!
THUD
"Mikami-san!. Be careful." That is Isao-sama. He smells terrible!. He helps me to stand up.
"Honey, are you all right?."
"Okaasan! Isao-sama! What's going on? What's happening? Why do you smell… like fire?."
Oh. My. God!. My house is on fire? Kami! Why do you hate my luck today?. I try to run to my house for no particular reason, but my okaasan grips me by my waist. We both stumble and fall down.
"Don't worry honey!. Lets go… there is nothing we can do here!."
"Your okaasan is right, Mikami-san. Besides, we better go to the village: after an earthquakes, every kind of youkais turn nervous and use to attack lone humans. And the taiyoukai that visited you last night is still in the area…"
Tell ME about it!. I better don't say a word about my recent 'encounter'. I hug my okaasan and let her direct me to the village.
"Otou is at the village, right?."
"I hope so, honey."
"Isao-sama… why do you smell like burned meat?." I ask.
"Well, the roof fell on us and I was cooking." Says my okaasan. "We barely escaped…"
"Don't worry, Mikami-san. This is nothing serious, the fire didn't get me or your mother. But I can't say the same about my haori…"
That remark from Isao-sama doesn't surprise me. He always had the strangest accidents, and got out of them harmless.
I hate earthquakes. Besides my worthless brother, an earthquake is the thing I hate the most. Why?. Because the are unpredictable, annoying for my highs and refine senses, and they always messes with my perfect balance with the environment… of course, the list doesn't finish there.
"Sesshomaru-sama? What happened?."
Music to my ears. I didn't knew that I, Sesshomaru, missed Rin-chan's voice that much. She sounds sick, but, she is talking at least. I touch her forehead. The fever is giving up. The insolent was right… but after a sniff, I note that Rin-chan is still sick…
"An earthquake, that's all. How are you feeling?."
COUGH, COUGH, Cough, Cough
That answers my question. I look to Jaken. He is still curl on himself. I watch to the trees and to the ground. This earthquake isn't going to be the last one.
Damn! I hate earthquakes. Am I, Sesshomaru, forgetting something?. No. I'm forgetting someone: that insolent woman.
"How are… you?."
What the…? Where Is She?. Grrrrr! She FLED! How I didn't think about it.
As I care. I, Sesshomaru, will find her in a matter of minutes. I look at Jaken and stand up, with Rin-chan in my arms, and follow the so clear path that the woman left behind her. Besides, she is blind: this will be a piece of cake.
COUGH, COUGH, Cough, Cough
Hmpf. Humans are such pathetic beings: they can't hide their tracks.
COUGH, COUGH, Cough, Cough
It seems like this woman was in a rush. She fell a lot of times. I, Sesshomaru, was right: this will be a piece of cake.
Great. Another earthquake!.
The image of my house burning assaults me. Image, as I thought how an image is. Usually, my dreams are made of the forms, textures and the scents that I, Mikami, catch during the day.
This is the crappiest day ever. I hate it: first, an arrogant taiyoukai 'took' me as a 'slave', then an earthquake destroyed my house, and now this… I, Mikami, am sensing the proximity of another earthquake… I better got a hold onto something… there we go… Good. This one finish soon. I'm tire of this!
"Mikami-chan?." Says a voice. I know this voice, is Usagi, a good friend of mine. She is 15. "Do you think that this is a punishment from the gods?."
"A punish for what?."
"I don't know. Isao-sama is saying that youkais might be running wild out there, and they can might attack us…"
"Feh. Don't listen to Isao-sama. The guy is a fatalist!. Do you know where are our parents?."
"The men are helping at the barn and with the houses. There is a lot of people who ended up buried and… dead. Our mothers are gathering food I think… its almost dinner time and the kids are hungry."
"They are always hungry. The sun is set, yet?."
"Hai. Mikami-chan, I note you nervous. There is something bothering you?. Is because of the taiyoukai maybe? Isao-sama told me what happened to you last night."
I simply nod. I sigh: my 'master' still doesn't give any sign of life. I hope that he is squash under a fallen tree, he and the short youkai. Usagi take me by my hand to walk outside. The shrine is too crowd and noisy. I understand her: the atmosphere isn't the best of all and I need to walk. I'm going to say hi to my Otousan if I can.
Another wave shocks the ground, harder then before, and the whole earth shakes again. I hear a loud rumble not far, follow by several yells for help. Usagi rush to a side, pulling me with her. We both stumble and fell to the ground. I stand up, carefully, and follow her. Someone grabs our hands. The earthquake finishes, but I hear this savage growl.
"We have to get out of here." says Usagi, in fear.
"What's going on?."
"Two beasts… RUN!"
Kami-sama really hates my luck today. As Usagi yells, I hear more savage growls, grunts and stuff. It looks like two youkais are attacking our village. Oh My! This is serious!
"This way, we can hide here!." Says Usagi. Poor girl, she is terrify!.
"No: if we stay still, they are going to find us!…"
I don't like that scent… or those growls. I grab Usagi's arms (the girl is petrify) and force her to run…
"Mikami!"
I hear growls too near. And I smell and awful scent too near for my tastes. I pull Usagi's hand…
"Usagi, don't let go of my hand!… Ompfh!"
THUD
What? Usagi? Where are you?. I stand up with difficulty. It's a little bit hard try that, specially with everybody running wild everywhere… but, Where is Usagi?
They are growls everywhere! I can't focus well! Someone pushes me aside, and then another push. I fall to the ground and stand up as fast as I can.
"USAGI-CHAN!." I yell. "OTOUSAN! OKAASAN!."
Suddenly, everything around me turns into a pandemonium. Yells everywhere, cries for help, people trying to fight back…
THUD
… People pushing each other… and using the other as carpets. Someone grabs me and helps me to stand.
"Are you Ok, musume-chan?." Is my Otousan!. He force me to run.
"Please, are you fine, honey? We need to get out of here!."
"We have to find Usagi-chan!."
I got this feeling inside my guts… something isn't right… what is this feeling?…
"Its too late for her… we better run to the forests!."
What? What did my okaasan means with 'too late'. I cover my ears. I don't want to know!. I don't like this… at all!. Whatever she is trying to explain, I don't want to know it. My luck today sucks already. Today is not my day.
Guide by my Otousan, we open a path to the forest. The creatures are breathing on our necks. This isn't easy, people keeps pushing us aside and we stumble almost on everything. The most annoying things are those yells for help and that sound… that sound similar when you crash a watermelon against a wall. I don't want to think about it.
THUD
I fall again. My okaasan help me to stand up and urge me to run. We enter the forest and run a little. Suddenly, we stop. Oh My God!. There is a third creature nearby!
Otousan turns on his heels, looking to the village behind us. My okaasan gasps and hugs me tightly. Otousan shove us behind him. I hear heavy footsteps coming to us, and growls too.
"Run." Says Otou.
"No. We're not going to leave you here, facing that… creature…" says my okaasan. I grab Otouchan's arm.
"She is right!."
"Don't argue. Just… GET OUT OF THE WAY!."
With a single push, Otousan make us my okaasan and me to run into the woods. I start to cry, I know that my Otousan doesn't have a chance against such creature, whatever it is.
Oh no. Its coming after us!
"Honey!." Says my Okaasan. "No matter what you hear, keep running, as fast as you can, run for your life!."
"NO!."
"DO IT!." I stop, but okaasan pushes me immediately. "DO AS I SAY! And live a long life, musume…"
The creature is above us and my okaasan pushes me again. I feel this terrible urge of running. So be it… but… my parents… Just run, Mikami! Think of that tomorrow… I cry… I can't run forever, I'm scare, I can fall in any moment and this creature will eat me, like it did with my parents!
Just run, Mikami, do as your parents told you!
THUD
I stand quickly and I run once again. I think I know this way. This path leads to my house… well… to the remains of my house. The scent of burning ashes fills my nostrils after a while. I stop. I fell down and cry hopelessly.
I can't keep running. If that beast is going to kill me… I will have a terrible taste. I'm all sweat!.
Why the taiyoukai didn't kill me last night? WHY I, Mikami, am still alive. How dare he to irrupt into my life and turning it upside down?. Why I'm not DEAD?.
A roar behind me tell me that the creature finally find me. Breathe, Mikami, and say your prays…
What was that noise? A sword?.
After a few minutes, an arm grabs me by my collar and set me on my feet.
"There you are!."
Just what I need it!.
To be continued…
By
Misao-CG
Musume: daughter.
