Tenshi Houshi
Chapter Nine
Escalating Nightmares
"Sango," the man's lips moved against the woman's neck, forming words and kissing sweat from her sweet skin, but not a sound emitted from the ghost's throat.
"Houshi-sama..." Sango whispered in a trembling voice, shuddering under the man's hands as they caressed her, trembling as he touched her. He had lifted his head, beads of sweat on his face and strands of hair clinging to his shimmering skin, falling gracefully around his face. He smiled boyishly at her, his lips moving but not speaking. "Houshi-sama... I can't understand you..." she urged louder and louder, her voice rising with each plea.
Jolts of pain shot through her body, each becoming more and more painful, more urgent with each strike. Sango closed her eyes, wanting to cry. It hurt so much... she just wanted to...
"Sango."
His voice! Her eyes shot open, but her voice locked tight in her throat at the sight. Blood was smeared over his body, deep gashes and gouges in his skin made him bleed, large clots of blood accompanying it all. Only did she shriek when his dead eyes gleamed and rolled back, and a large clot of blood fell onto her belly.
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"Sango... Sango, wake up! Sango-chan!" the wolf princess shook the human repeatedly, her face paler than usual. The human had begun screaming violently in her sleep, frightening the wolf girl out of her slumber. "Sango, onegai! SANGO!"
With a final shriek Sango leapt up. Ayame gently embraced her, waiting for the deep gasps for air to stop. "Sango-chan?" Ayame murmured, stroking the woman's back when she began to sob quietly against her. "Doushite?"
"Daijabou ja nai," Sango choked.
"Shh," Ayame tried to comfort the taijiya, though holding the female human felt awkward. "Saa ike, ne?
"Hai, ikuzo..." Sango wiped her sleeve against her eyes as she sat up. The sun was still down and Kirara was napping in her larger form, a deep rumbling purr shaking the air around her. "Kirara!" Sango called and the hi-neko awoke with a roar-like yawn. Releasing yet another deep purr, she walked to Sango and rubbed her large frame against Sango's waist before dipping down so the two could climb on. Ayame got on first, making sure Kirara was comforted enough to allow the young demoness to ride in the front. Sango slid on behind her, wrapping her arms around the wolf princess's leather armor and closing her eyes against her back.
They had been traveling for nearly a month, and they hadn't found the mountain. Ayame's stamina as a demon had shown through, while Sango became more and more restless with each night. Ayame knew the human needed rest, as well as herself. She wouldn't sleep--couldn't allow herself to! She couldn't stop--
"Ayame-chan," Sango's weak voice came from behind her, invading her thoughts quite suddenly.
"Huh, what is it?"
"What do you do... while I sleep? Each day you're awake before I awaken... do you sleep?"
For a long time the wolf princess didn't answer, staring ahead as she led Kirara along the trail. Right before Sango gave up on an answer, "I don't," came the reply. Sango looked up at the back of the fiery haired demoness. "I don't--I can't... I see him in my sleep, it terrifies me... so I don't. If I see him I cry... I hurt, and I can't think. I don't let myself sleep."
"It must be hard for you," Sango whispered. "My father told me some demons with as much feelings as humans... when they mated with another, a bond was made and if it broke the other would die out of loneliness."
"Iie... I will not die," Ayame whispered back just as softly, her voice trembling. "Kouga didn't want me to die, I have his child... and even--...even if he doesn't come back I will bear his heir and raise them to lead the west tribe... whether it be a prince or princess... that doesn't ma--matter!" Sango stared at the girl's back, surprised that not so much as a sob came from the demoness. Her back shook for a moment but no sounds came but deep breathing.
"You... you loved him."
"Of course I did, like you the monk." Ayame straightened herself. "You have the rose?"
Throughout their strange journey they had easily located the Bara no Kibou, yet kept it wrapped in sutras to keep the curse from arising. "How close are we to the mountains?" Sango asked anxiously."
"Just ahead, we're passing over the northern wolf territory now."
"But... isn't this too easy?"
"Not everything in life is difficult..."
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Translations:
Houshi-sama - "Sir Monk", quite literally
onegai - please
-chan - familiar ending for a friend or cherished one
doushite? - are you alright?
daijabou ja nai - I'm not alright
saa ike, ne? - let's go, then?
hai, ikuzo... - yes, let's go.
hi-neko - fire-cat
iie - no
Bara no Kibou - Rose of Hope
Please ignore the weirdness of the layout of the translations, I continue to despice that's why I moved to but I will continue to post things here because it's how I keep in touch with certain friends.