AN: On to another chapter... not much to say here, just hope you're enjoying it so far...
Chapter 2- Ring of Fire
The air hung deep and fragrant, scented with the shrewd harshness of her power as it permeated the thinning atmosphere. It clung like a mistress' garments to the lining of his lungs, pierced his bare flesh with an embrace of scorching heat. It was overbearing, ruthless even to one who had lived in a sun drenched land; its terrible warmth catching at each gasping breath. It did not truly rule his tiring lungs and yet he felt it as an ever-present nuance as he focused his energy on understanding what was taking place before him.
Watching the golden flames engulf the oncoming darkness, he could not wrest his thoughts from the demon who had only just deserted his side. Their limited exchange of words was awkward even of such short acquaintance but as her figure had wavered in the night wind her promise of freedom during the early hours she'd accosted him and pledged his sweat and muscle to the now completed task, seemed just as fickle. Now in the flickering of firelight they carried no weighty impression with their repetition, even if their crude syllables were still heavy on his tongue and dark upon his mind. They proposed a freedom, an escape from something he had not yet grasped the full concept of and so was wasted with their credibility; their effectiveness in a land he did not yet see so troubled as to require such rash acts of vengeance as she had alluded to.
Before him the wood burned incessantly, and yet had not charred itself into ash. Uncannily it glowed with an otherworldly light apart from the gilded flames that sank their many teeth into the blackened sky. It remained a distant entity even now though its constant flickering seared his sun hardened hide. He glanced about it, form rigid and unyielding in the onslaught of heat, searching for a sign of the woman, a sign of purpose in the blaze that captured the night in the crucible of its seeking conflagrations. Scanning the dancing blaze his eyes fell upon a flickering that was not an outlet of the fire; a thickening light that wavered far off in the trees. It shone a sickening color that reminded him of sickness, swelled his churning stomach with a figment of nauseating stench. In its aftermath he heard a steady thread of laughter. Light upon the wind that had suddenly arose, it scored his bones and beat at his ears as it assailed him.
It was the copious glee of the demon that had incited it, he realized as her form materialized in the heart of the blaze. He hair stood on end raging up into the edges of the flame, courting the halcyon tongues with black curlicues that twisted and wound supple lengths about their smoldering companions. Her skin shone with the stolen light of the fire but did not blister in its intense heat. It seemed more that the warmth aided her, giving her strength that even from his distance he could feel radiating from her creamy skin; a thousand ripples of power challenging him again and again as they fled her being. She floated her feet lulling below her inches from the blackened wood.
He could do nothing but stare open-mouth as she smiled at him from the center of disaster, her lips curling thick and welcoming in calming arcs that trailed off in the slight lines of her cheek bones. Her eyes drifted over him, no less provocative or searching than they had been when first she had looked upon him so intently. Unable to pull his gaze away even from the deep daggers that shot him inquisitive glances and ate away at his resolve he merely stood stock still, one hand raised, unbidden by his master, in an uncertain gesture. Open palmed and daringly it sought the beauty that stood before him; the glorious demon of a creature that was all eyes and limbs. The even flow of her stomach, her slender waist and rising breasts were lost on him. He saw only the raging eyes and firm legs that with her shifting arms held her suspended just as she held his gaze.
In one swift moment all the world had stopped, and then her gaze left him and her body swivelled to look in another direction. Everything came running back to him and his hand shook with the fierce heat battered away at it so closely extended into the flames. He shifted back gently, unsure of himself, of his own limbs that faltered beneath him stumbling gracelessly as the attempted a retreat. Carefully he lifted his chin, followed the demoness' sharp gaze to the tops of swaying trees. Again the soft wind had risen to jolt him from the severity of the fire's temperature. It carried a dank dampness that coated him in mild dew drops and lit upon his eyelashes so that he had to shake them sternly to see properly. Far off he could see a disturbance in the canopy of trees nothing wholly unlike a stiff, strong wind and yet it gave the impression of something far more foreboding.
As it neared he braced himself wondering once again at his foolishness for committing himself to the foolish causes of a hellion. He had earned himself enough trouble for all his life. Never again would he find himself fancying the idea of adventure as he was sometimes wont to do. Now as the raging beast that hid beneath the forest's towering giants grew closer he felt his will split. Somewhere in his childish heart he longed to cower before the undoubtable death that was hurtling towards him; wished with every fiber of his being to sink into the earth below him, become the dirt, the rocks that lay scattered beneath him safe from the assault. But rather than give in to such wishes he rested with another part of him, the courage that years of hardships had born within his tight limbs. He stood rigid a muscle in his jaw working imperceptibly as he stared in the direction of the oncoming threat.
Kagome started as Ayumi questioned her once again.
"Where did you get this?"
Involuntarily her fingers tightened about the stone. She shook her head gently, shoulders twitching in a tight shrug unsure if her fellow priestess had yet noticed the jewel she clutched tightly to her side. She followed the worried gaze that passed over her, scurrying across her form. But it did not seem as if she had because her eyes returned quickly to the wide gash in her arm. Returning from Caräklan she had been too feverish and worn, to capably wrap and bind the wound. There had been no sense in it, and somehow as she'd collapsed upon her bed that night nothing mattered more than the jewel. It fed upon her as she held it within her hands, even now its cold wreath of power encircled her veins and languished in her youth. Feeling this she did not resist, even as it strained her, for some inner sustenance permeated from its presence. She held it close and felt the smooth calm that swept over her.
The crushing pain she knew had to exist down the length of her forearm was absent as Ayumi examined it. Not even a twinge of discomfort reached her consciousness. She didn't understand its power but she held the jewel tightly and smiled up at her friend. "It's only a cut, Ayumi, don't worry yourself over it. Some rowdy soldier decided picking on innocent citizens wasn't enough so he had to attack an unarmed priestess as well."
Unwilling to let go the concept of the pain that must be associated with the deep wound Ayumi protested gently; the smile on Kagome's face dissuaded her fierce rebuke. "Yes but it is deep, dangerously deep. You must be careful. You know the kings soldiers are ruthless, we've seen such things before." She managed a small smile, her lips thinned out in her meager attempt to ease her own fears of her friends condition. The wound was one of great proportions and she feared an infection may have set in within the time it was left to itself. "Just keep it wrapped alright, and take the day off. Eri and Yuka, the three of us can handle your duties for the day."
"Thank you, Ayumi." Kagome smiled gently as her friend exited the room.
She sat up slowly testing her left arm gently. Still no pain. Sighing evenly she brought her right arm up slowly the jewel held firmly within her hand, compacted against the smooth skin of her creamy palm. She held it before her unwilling to unfurl the tight cage of her fingers from its opalescent curvature. Carefully she unraveled her will and let her fingers wilt from the cold sphere in her palm. It no longer pulsed as it had when it was first shoved upon her, but pink hues twirled with light silver swirls in shapeless currents beneath its outer sheen. Warmth caressed her like a lover as she gazed into the myriad dances that ravaged the timid orb. Its soft tone gave the impression of peacefulness beneath its surface, but it reminded her of the sea. Flat unwavering water was always clear and tranquil, and yet with but an instance's bidding it could become a whirlwind, a hurricane of flashing waves and frothing torrents of white water. She saw that same quality immersed in the jewel as it relaxed in the crook of her hand.
Lightly she stood up admiring for a moment the smooth shush of her bandaged left arm as it grazed the sheets. Ayumi had learned the art of healing well, and even if she could not feel the wound she knew it was deep and cavernous raging its own canyon along her bruised flesh. She eyed the white bandages warily though for even without the pain she knew that it would scar thick and jarring across her forearm. Pulling her gaze away she padded gently across the cold floors of her quarters. The wood creaked as she approached the bureau its perfectly carved exterior a haunting resemblance to the woodlands that surrounded their island; its soft curves alluding to the thin range of mountains that lined the northern coast. So delicately it recalled the sloping hills and valleys that range across the entire land; the hollows of the lake and the thin slices of the river.
Opening it she took out a thin garment, a robe of sheer fabric. It fell over her in calming waves and clung gently to the curves of her flesh. Short and loose it bared her tight thighs and sharp calves, but held tight to the easy incline of her stomach. She donned no shoes but let her bare feet lead her to the doorway. Unconsciously she clung to the smooth jewel and let it lead her furtively out the doorway and along the backside of the lodgings. Legs working diligently she crossed low meadows and the dew clinging to the thinning flurry of her dress where it pranced about her ankles.
She fell into an easy gait as she approached the foothills. Leaving the temples and incense burning behind her she gained the height of the nearest slope. Tall grass embraced her shins and tickled the vacuous slip behind her knees. A smile flitted across her lips despite the agony of the world around her, and yet the slight breeze yanking playfully at her loose curls pulled away the aches of her country and soothed her with its inviting touch.
The land fell away about her in all directions but to the north where it swept up wide skirts about the ankles of towering peaks. The mountains roared with a bracing wind that scraped at their bared rock, a fierce wall of defiance. Turning her back on them she gazed out upon the valley before her tasting the hint of salt that rode on the back of a zephyr. Coarse grass covered the hills about her, ladies' tresses springing up sporadically amongst lupine and buttercups. Wild onion blooms tangled with wheatgrass and splayed out in unbalanced heaps across the lower reaches of the hills. She took it all in as if never having seen it before and her perception was at once blurred, and focused. The sting of the sharp grass cut into the tight but smooth skin of her legs but the clouds in the distance melded from sky to treetops in an off white blur that caressed the morning sunlight, arms widespread and imploring. The puff dispersed slowly winding its way over the treetops.
Detached, Kagome watched it encroaching on her moving more like a snake than a cloud formation as it neared her. It slithered over the land, a latent fog that had its own life, its own will that demanded some speedy fulfillment as it moved faster every second. With a sharp intake of breath she felt the need that curled maliciously within it as it approached her. Her legs buckled and she fell unceremoniously to the ground clutching the sphere to her chest as the mass of shifting mist approached. Unflinchingly she reached out as it neared her feeling the icy winds that shaped it. It let itself enfold her, a smooth blanket that seeped into the open air about her and engulfed her limbs. Her sight grew fainter and blackness swallowed her vision as she felt her body relaxing to the calming massage of cloud and the comfortable cradle of the earth beneath her.
Tongues of fire lapped at her legs as the hung limp below her. The misted cloud that had swallowed her had unfurled to reveal this heatless flame. She rode atop its waves in light bobs and yet with little effort could still feel the sway of the grass about her and the rough earth beneath her.
Glimpsing this world so separate from herself she saw a man beside her staring into the distance. He himself was not as enraptured with the flames, some feet away from them she knew he must feel their maddening heat but dare not turn his gaze from what held it with such intensity. In a moment she took in his rough chest carved out of torso with thin beads of sweat cloaking his shoulders. He was tall and his heart within him as rough as his hardened muscles.
Following his gaze she felt her hovering body shift, a gently twisting but her dress felt as if it's cloth had snagged on some unseen barb. Wordlessly, and motionlessly she willed it loose, miraculously filling the shear fall away. Returning her attention to the trees that bordered what looked like scattered fields she saw what had captured him and it held her at bay with just as much urgency. They were flooded with power, that wretched at her heart her very being in thrusts of anger as they scoured the land before them. The air about them swirled with the thrill of a hunt and they barked like maddened dogs in the face of their prey. It took but a moment longer for her to identify them as they slithered nearer. The unmistakable stench of evil wafted towards her in a undulating heave of pestilence, and they reared their various heads in a cry of triumph as they came upon the filtering smoke that permeated the air.
Demons. Demons were upon them. She cast a wary glance to the man beneath her, and for a moment caught his eye. They were locked in an embrace of gazes and a bridge between them was crossed. He faltered in his calm demeanor for an instant and she felt herself dip dangerously closer to the smoldering logs below. The world beyond his from wavered and she felt the heat of the fire burn her flesh. She cried out in earnest unable to control her limbs as she floated awkwardly. His eyes bulged and he reached up quickly, but pulled his hand away as a demon swirling about the fire snapped at it.
And then she was awakened to the scene about her and saw them, hundreds of them trailing about the wisps of curling smoke. They were near enough to scratch her flesh and yet as they shriveled and shook about her in a frightening dance. They eyed her suspiciously as they all but draped their limbs about her. They sickened her and yet evoked a latent power within her that seethed and writhed in response to their promptings.
A voice broke the stern silence she had not noted until it was absent and spoke informatively. "Unbeknownst to this land these very creatures ravage the outskirts or your country. Outrageously you may wish to protest their encroachment on our boundaries, their very existence you may challenge as they have not been seen or heard from for thousands of years, but they do not come unbidden." An swift silence filled the spaces after her words and floated on led wings through the air about them, a weighty expectancy chilling the atmosphere.
"They cannot come unbidden as they were invited to share the wealth of our land." Kagome started as she felt the last words fall from her very lips. The man beneath her was caught within her reign of vision and could not avert his eyes. The demons flooded the ground about him and seemed to choke his limbs with just as much if not more fervor than they had solicited her. "They will come, eventually to shroud this land in permanent residence, so sweetly asked, so gently beseeched to do so. There must be those who rise to stop this intrusion, or the gods they feed off of will fade into nonexistence and all hope for your people will cease to be an option."
A terror of unknown proportions filled her lungs and she felt herself choke on the words as they jumped from her tongue. There were no more to come though and as the fire swerved about with a bidding of its own the demons faded and then dissipated. Before her the man stood staring all but open mouthed at her. His form shifted gently as if the breeze that brought the fire sputtering had made him but a specter. In a few moments he faded away entirely and the blackness rode again on its carriage of shadows to color her vision with night.
The inkling of itching grass become more than a notion and then her hands here pushing her body up from the wretched threads of scratching growth. The night hair flushed her face and she felt a throb in her head. Both hands pressed against the earth she realized she was no longer carrying the jewel. Searching about her she found it lying beside her. Reaching for it she felt its warmth even before her fingers closed about it. Gazing into its depth she saw a ring of fire engulfing the swirling mists of its inner torment, and the past day came reeling back to her.
The demoness that floated before him began to waver, and for the first time he noticed the change in her appearance. Her face was a blaze of chiseled features that struck him with familiarity, recognition withholding itself just enough to persuade him he knew the face that stared intently back at him, and betrayed the knowledge that he had never known the name that belonged to that face. Her words, that had berated him with their truthfulness had seemed forced but were definitely of her lips. She disappeared slowly, falling in upon herself and dying with the forms of demons that had crowded about her.
The warmth of the fire heightened his senses and he backed away from it instinctively now able to control himself. Its inner logs had become pools of ash that rippled gently surrounded by a ring of fire that at away at its edges in painful nibbles. He shivered despite the heat and let the night air sooth his aching limbs. The world about him was altogether different, altogether new. He had no idea how to approach it and so calmly went to the well to fetch a bucket. As soon as the fire was out, as soon as its flames no longer called to his primal instinct of hunger he could think on this. He needed time, and patience to aide him, above all he felt he needed the girl, the hellion of the flames, to help him.
AN: Okey so that didn't really turn out as I had planned but I wanted them to experience it at the same time... kind of came out a little cheesy, but I'll work on keeping it a little more substancy next time. Hopefully there isn't such a long wait.