Disclaimer: I own nothing okay! Even though I've made my character Asaki, all that's left that I own is a computer, a microwave and bed! (Takahashi-sama, if you're reading this and want dibbs on my character… please email me! Haha)
I apologize for the wait on this chapter, but since March break is over and I am packed to the brim with essays, a final in vocals and many other high school troubles, I don't have much time left. But for my heroic reviewers, this story shall live on to its last chapter! Not much more to say…Umm… I will be starting a Harry Potter/Inuyasha fanfic when I find the time, but that may not be for a while. So anyways…. Please, please, please I'm begging all that reads my story to review whether it is nice or flamie! I love all your comments! Please keep 'em going! Love ya's! Here we go then… the 9th chapter of my fanfic!
Chapter Nine: A Familiar Curse
"Go and get it," it repeated persistently.
"Get what?" she asked the voice back.
"Fetch me the jewel," it said, "Fetch me the poisoned jewel!"
"I don't know where it is…" she told the voice back.
"You will find it and bring it to me even if you must kill him, Asaki…"
"Asaki…Asaki? Asaki!" Inuyasha knelt by his unconscious sister as he tried to waken her.
"Neh Inuyasha, don't wake her," the old miko warned him lightly. They all had made it out of the caverns of the hill before it had collapsed. Unfortunately, Asaki had succumbed to her wounds and remained unconscious. Inuyasha frowned. He could already tell that Asaki was weaker than most demons, even though she was a full one. Most demons would still be conscious after what had happened.
Asaki's eyes eventually began to flutter. She heard Inuyasha's voice becoming more and more defined. She pried her blurry eyes open to find a room full of worried faces, lit by candle light. She quickly looked around for any signs of Naraku or his minions.
"Asaki! Are you allright?" Inuyasha asked her hurriedly. Asaki nodded distractedly. She ignored the throbbing pains coming from her back and upper arms. She saw they had been bandaged and treated. But something else much more important was distracting her from her wounds.
Asaki quickly brought her left hand up to her face to examine it. To her great disdain, the golden bracelet the enemy had placed on her delicate wrist still remained firmly gripped to her skin. Inuyasha and the others noticed this too. Inuyasha certainly had not remembered anything that tight on her wrist before Naraku had taken her. Her skin underneath it seemed puckered and almost losing circulation.
"What's that?" He asked Asaki, pointing towards the band of gold. Asaki felt ashamed to admit that the enemy had placed a curse on her. She felt demeaned as a demon to be under the control of another demon. Certainly she would be able to break the curse without any help, she thought. Asaki felt she had no need to tell her brother or his friends, as it would cause her to feel even more defenseless.
"Oh…Nothing, it's….nothing. Just a bracelet. I've never been able to take it off." Asaki fibbed in her defense. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Maybe he had overlooked the bracelet and just did not remember it was there? Oh well, it was nothing of harm then.
Kagome, wondering deeply of what Naraku had done to Asaki and why, decided to ask her. "Asaki, do you remember what Naraku was doing to you? Do you remember exactly why he had kidnapped you?" Everyone was silent, eagerly waiting for Asaki's response.
Asaki hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was okay to tell them. Although the monk was somewhat questionable, she saw no dishonesty or untrustworthiness in any of their eyes. Asaki heaved a small sigh and began to talk.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I know the reason why this Naraku tried to kidnap me, but each of you will have to promise to never repeat what I am about to speak to anyone outside yourselves." Asaki looked at them to receive a hesitant nod by each of them. The group immediately was intrigued by Asaki's secretive nature. Again, the monk, the exterminator, the young and old mikos, the little fox and cat, and her brother watched her strenuously.
Asaki half-mindedly looked around the area to make sure no unintended set of ears would hear her news. After a quick moment of pause, Asaki began. "I know that each of you know well the story of the shikon jewel by now, am I correct?" They each nodded their heads hastily. Asaki continued.
"Well princess warrior whose heart formed the sacred jewel, also had a sister. Unlike the warrior, her sister was much different. Her sister was evil, and had intentions to kill the princess warrior because her sister's fame had grown to make her feel jealousy, anger and loathing. Because of this, her heart seethed with the poisoned thoughts of destruction, death and scorn against all things good.
The night that the warrior was planned to be murdered, her sister convinced demons from the mountains to come and battle with the warrior princess. The demons agreed in return for the warrior's soul. That night, that exact same battle, it was the battle that decided the warrior princess' fate. Ironically in the end, one of the demons who had battled the warrior escaped before it got sealed and went to her sister in revenge. The demon ended up killing the sister, and taking her evil soul.
But when that demon had taken her soul, it had turned into a crystal, or jewel. This jewel is the sister jewel of the Shikon jewel, and it still exists." Asaki paused for a moment.
The group sat wide-eyed in front of Asaki. A sister jewel to the Shikon jewel!
"So you're saying, there is another jewel!" Sango asked her in complete bewilderment. Asaki nodded.
"But what does this have to do with you being kidnapped by Naraku?" Inuyasha asked her.
"The thing is, I know where the jewel is hidden. Some how Naraku must have found out about the sister jewel, and he found out that I know where to find it." Asaki sighed, "That's why he was torturing me to find it for him. But I refused. This particular jewel is poisoned. It is no worse, yet no better to the Shikon jewel. In fact, it does the complete opposite of the jewel you know. Instead of granting humans and demons power and strength, the poisoned jewel drains it from them. The closer you get to this jewel, the more it will permanently drain you of your power. Your power and energy does not return to you after you've held this jewel in your hand."
Miroku thought tentatively. "If Naraku had that kind of power at his fingertips, he would be unstoppable!"
"Aye," Kaede grimly agreed. "But how would he keep it in his possession if it would drain his own power?"
"He probably wanted me to stay with him to hold it, so I would lose my power instead of him," Asaki said quietly. Inuyasha quickly stood up, a determined look grew steadily in his eyes.
"I'm not going to let him take you again, Asaki. I won't." He said. Asaki could see his claws were tightly clenched to the palms of his hand. He was indeed angry at Naraku.
Without another word, Inuyasha stepped outside to sit on the roof by himself. He told himself he would guard the hut overnight, in case that persistent demon came slinking along again.
"But, what can we do?" Kagome thought aloud, "A jewel like that can't stay out of protection when someone that evil is trying to take it!" Shippo agreed.
"The only thing I can do is take it back, and find a way to destroy it before anyone can get their hands on it." Asaki told her. "If a human were to touch it for more than a few seconds, they would instantly die." Kagome jerked slightly at her words. Shippo grew worried about his friend and hugged Kagome closely while in her arms.
After a while, the group decided to rest for the remainder of the night. They all quickly fell asleep in Kaede's hut, but Asaki still lie awake, worrying over what to do. The wounds in her back were quickly healing, as any demons' would. She was now able to stand and walk around. After failing to fall asleep countless times, she decided to go out of the hut for some fresh air.
The night was already beginning to lighten a little. Although dawn was still a few hours away, the endless black sky began to fade into a dull gray. She stood outside, staring at the sky for a few moments, before a voice startled her.
"Are you allright enough to be walking around?" Inuyasha asked her. Asaki quickly turned around to see a pair of glowing amber eyes staring at her in the darkness on top of the hut.
"You scared me Inuyasha. I thought you were asleep." Asaki heaved a breath of relief it was no one else. "I'm fine." Asaki jumped onto the hut to sit next to her brother. Inuyasha was slightly surprised at how fast she managed to heal.
Asaki sat next to him. They were silent for a while, not knowing what to say to each other. Finally Asaki spoke to him.
"So have you realized why I am how I am?" she asked him shyly.
"What do you mean?"
"Why I'm so much weaker than most demons."
Inuyasha grunted lightly. "Yeah… How long did you handle it?"
"I was the jewel's guardian for ten years before Sesshomaru was born."
"Ten years! Who made you do this!" Inuyasha looked straight at her in bewilderment and rage.
"I only touched the thing once, but I was around it for the ten years. It was of my choosing to guard it, but it was father who asked me to do it. I chose to guard it, because I thought I could prove to myself that I was strong. I wanted to be a strong demon like father." Asaki lowered her head in self disgust. "But I really faltered. I was so foolish then."
Inuyasha felt deep sympathy to his sister, but didn't know how to express it. Hesitantly, Inuyasha took Asaki's hand and held it firmly. Asaki smiled at him.
Asaki could feel the sympathy and pain emanating from his body. She could also feel the want to protect her, but Asaki knew what she had to do.
"Inuyasha. I know as well as you know what I must do," Asaki slowly told him. He nodded grimly.
"I was afraid you would say that. I don't want you to be left alone though! I need to protect you from Naraku!" he said determinedly.
"I know you do, and you are…but I must do this alone. You have friends to protect, and I only make it harder for you to do so. I can meet up with you later down the road, but for a few days I need to go alone." Inuyasha agreed despondently.
"Thank you Inuyasha, I will come back to you in a few days. But after that I will need to go alone to destroy the damned thing." Asaki got up and embraced her brother. He slowly returned the embrace. Asaki could almost feel Inuyasha shake with the fear he had for her going alone.
Asaki finally let go, and turned to leave. "Inuyasha, I have one favour to ask you," She said. "Please don't try to fight or kill Sesshomaru. He will not try to kill you if you don't try to kill him."
"So he found out, did he?" Asaki could instantly hear the dislike in his voice when he spoke of their brother. It was a shame that the brothers could not be closer.
"I did what I judged to be right Sesshomaru. Inuyasha had a right to know about me," Asaki sternly told him.
"Inuyasha does not deserve to know. Was it really necessary for his human companions to know also? If information like that reached the tainted ears of Naraku…" Sesshomaru internally shuddered at the thought of Naraku taking his sister again.
After Asaki had left Inuyasha that night, she met up with Sesshomaru to discuss her plans. Sesshomaru and Asaki had stopped in a familiar glade of a forest they knew well growing up to stop and talk.
The morning sun was already half way above the line of trees on the horizon. Golden autumn colours streaked the sky, for it was almost time for the leaves to turn and fall. The leaves and grass of the forest shimmered with fresh morning dew. Asaki loved mornings like these. She loved how the dew emphasized the scents of the forests to which she adored most. But today, she couldn't take the time to stop and admire the early autumn.
Asaki sat on a fallen oak log and watched her little brother pace in front of her. She could feel his anxiety and alertness emanating from him in a series of tremors. Although Sesshomaru had mastered the art of hiding his emotions, Asaki could see right through it without any difficulties. He was obviously worried one of the humans or their brother would not keep the secret and Naraku would find out. Asaki was a little worried too, but she saw no traits of suspicion in their eyes.
"Sesshomaru," she said after watching him pace for the longest time. "I saw no untruthfulness in the humans, or Inuyasha. They can be trusted with the secret."
"I would have been fine if you had just told Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru raised his voice slightly in anger. "It was supposed to be the family secret and never to have been known by any other human or demon! Naraku will kill you the second he finds out about your weakness!" Sesshomaru clenched his fist in fury.
Asaki frowned. She had never fought like this with Sesshomaru before. If he was being protective, he was going too far. "I know he will not kill me instantly because he needs me to find the jewel. Father and I were the only ones who knew where it was. How he found out about the jewel, I haven't a clue. There is nothing you can do about this Sesshomaru; it was my choice to tell the humans as well as Inuyasha! They can probably help us if-"
"-Humans helping us?" Sesshomaru interrupted. "You leave the humans out of this! This is only between you, Inuyasha and myself, and that is the way it was meant to be." Sesshomaru turned his back to Asaki. He did not want to fight with his sister anymore. Although he felt her decisions were reckless, she was right; he could do nothing about them.
Asaki gave up trying to argue her point. The stubborn traits of their father were definitely a dominant gene that all of them seemed to inherit. Asaki still did not understand why Sesshomaru thought this was such a major issue. The humans did not look as if they would automatically tell the enemy everything they had heard! Did Sesshomaru really hate humans this much? Or was there something else he was beginning to worry about?
"So what will you do, Asaki?" Sesshomaru asked her finally. He still did not take his eyes off the horizon to look at his sister.
"I must find it and destroy the poisoned jewel before Naraku finds it. I…I will-"
"Bring it to me Asaki. Bring me the jewel now."
Asaki stopped in the middle of her words. The voice of that evil demon man had returned! If she disobeyed it right there and then, she would get wounded like last time from the bracelet! Asaki wanted to get rid of the bracelet without the help of her brothers, so it was best Sesshomaru did not find out about it either.
Sesshomaru turned to face his sister, wondering what was taking her to respond to his question. He saw a faint look of surprise and fear on her face. "Asaki? What is the matter?" He asked.
"Oh…nothing. It's nothing." Asaki jumped off the fallen log and walked towards Sesshomaru. "There is no time to waste. I have to go and find it immediately." She told him quickly.
"You shouldn't go Asaki. You will become weaker if you get closer to it. There must be another way that won't get you hurt." Sesshomaru looked down at his sister with slight sympathy on his emotionless face. Asaki avoided his gaze.
"There is no other way. I will be fine Sesshomaru." She smiled weakly. "I must go alone though."
Author's Note: Ha! I'm slowly breaking free of my cliff hanger curse, but it's still pretty suspenseful! I bet you didn't see that coming! What did you all think of the twist I put in? I assure you it will get much more interesting in the next two chapters!I'm so sorry it took so long to update this one, but I had the worst case of writer's block mixed with a lot of school stuff and problems at home. I had to leave my beloved computer for a few days because my grandma was ill in the hospital. She's getting better though. I posted another fanfic earlier, but I should've posted this because it did not get as much praise at this one did! Meh, oh well! I might update the other one later, but I don't really have many ideas for finishing it. If you have any ideas, please put them in a review! I will try and update this one again soon. Please review! Reviews make my day and give me more inspiration to write! I warmly accept reviews, flames, questions, comments etc. Ok, not much more to say that's important. Thanks for reading and please, PLEASE review!
-Emily
