Memory of a Soul
Airian Reesu
Chapter Eleven: Insight
Azarni refused to turn away from the window. She stood in front of it, her hands gripping the small frame. The door had closed long ago, taking Rinako away. Away to see a monster.
Now some woman stood there, waiting for her to move. Azarni had heard that man say that she was here to make sure she didn't get lonely.
She was already lonely. And she was tired of having that stranger stare at her…
The woman by the door cleared her throat. "Azarni-san?" It was a quiet voice, almost meek. She sounded skittish.
But not as skittish as Azarni was. She leapt nearly a foot into the air. Her nerves were strung tight enough to snap. "What!" She shouted, fingernails catching in a chink in the wood. She hissed angrily, starting to shake her hand.
"Are you all right, Azarni-san?"
"Fine!" Azarni turned to glare at the woman. "You can leave me alone now."
The woman shook her head, the bun on the back of her head bouncing with the movement. Her hands were folded in the long sleeves of her kimono, her posture very demure.
Azarni studied her. She supposed that she was actually rather pretty. In a strange kind of way. Her eyes were a little too small; her face was a little too narrow. But she was still attractive.
The woman seemed to sense that Azarni had calmed down. She smiled gently. "My name is Sei. I was asked to see if there was anything you'd like to do. Would you be interested in a game? I think we have a Go board, or I'm sure I could dig up a pack of cards."
Azarni stared her down a moment longer, before turning fully from the window. "When will Rinako be coming back?"
Sei shook her head. "I don't know that."
Azarni hesitated, staring at the floor. She was worried about Rinako. But what could she do? It wasn't as if they'd let her leave the room…
"I…I think I could go for a game of cards," she remarked, tentatively. "I don't know how to play Go at all…"
Sei grinned encouragingly. "All right. I'll be right back. Stay here."
The door snapped shut behind her. Azarni stared at it for a moment, waiting. Then, after a significant time had passed, she crept forward. She froze when the floorboard creaked, but then berated herself. She was allowed to move around!
Azarni finally reached the door and she pressed her ear against it, listening. Not hearing anyone out in the hallway, she inched the panel aside. She pressed her eye up to the crack, trying to see if anyone was standing guard.
No one.
Taking a deep breath, Azarni pushed the heavy door open as slowly as she could. Once the opening was wide enough for her to squeeze through, she slipped out and dragged it closed, wincing when it tapped the frame.
Scanning the hall one more time, Azarni chose the direction she thought Rinako had disappeared to and starting walking. This place couldn't be that big.
Yet, after a few minutes, she found herself staring at a painted shoji wall that she swore she'd just seen a few moments ago.
"What the hell…" she muttered. Her nerves were starting to act up again, and she felt tense. Her eyes shifted down the branching hallways, feeling trapped. She had the mental image of wandering around these pale halls endlessly, never finding an end. And always surrounded by demons.
It was like a nightmare.
Not able to stand it a second longer, Azarni pushed off in some random direction. And she kept walking. The complex was far too quiet for her, not even a breath of life. Nothing but gleaming floorboards and flawless shoji walls. Every once in a while there would be a wall illustration that reminded her of the last she'd seen, or there would be a nondescript door.
She was afraid of those doors. Who knew what lay beyond?
Azarni was beginning to decide that her choice of action had been a very bad idea. Very bad.
"Oh Rinako, Rinako, where are you?" she whimpered, stumbling around yet another corner.
That's when she heard it. Voices. Coming from down the hall.
Her spirits lifted immediately. Azarni raced down the hall, not caring anymore. She just wanted to get out of this labyrinth. Old palaces weren't supposed to be this quiet and eerie. Not on TV, anyway.
As she approached, Azarni caught the distinct tone of a female voice, talking calmly. She couldn't tell who it was, but it sounded familiar.
Thinking that it may be Sei, she went right up to the door and tossed it open.
A whole room full of people turned their attention away from the speaking woman to stare at her. The woman turned at a slower pace, and Azarni recognized her. It was that redhead Yayoi.
"Why have you interrupted out meeting?" she questioned, icily.
Azarni opened her mouth to ask "what meeting?" but her voice fell dead when her eyes actually focussed on the people in the room.
It was filled to the seams with monsters.
They looked vaguely human, but their jewel-colored eyes, fangs, and talons told different stories. Each was in a different state, but it was all the same. Monsters.
A few of them had risen to their feet, moving towards her. Stalking her.
Azarni screamed.
She stumbled backwards, eyes nearly bulging out as she called for nonexistent help.
Yet, before all the breath could leave her lungs, she felt a strong breeze rush past her, and a form materialized as if out of the very air in front of her. It intercepted the closet aggressor, lifting the bewildered woman straight off the ground to hang two feet in the air. This effectively halted everyone in his or her tracks.
It all happened in the time it took for his hair to settle. Waves of white flooded Azarni's vision, and she went to scream again. She wanted to scream and die and run away.
But her voice wouldn't work.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Yayoi was quick at work now. She'd risen to her feet, all coldness gone from her voice. "What's wrong?"
Azarni stared wide-eyed as Sesshoumaru addressed her calmly. As if their wasn't a franticly wriggling woman clawing at his arm. "It appears that you are not very hospitable to your guests, mutt." With that last word he flicked his wrist, pitching his captive straight into the mass of bodies on the floor.
They tired to catch her, but she ended up hitting the floor anyway, the sound of her skidding along the floorboards loud in the stillness. She gasped weakly, clawing at her throat in pain.
"We did nothing to harm the girl, Sesshoumaru-sama," Yayoi informed him, trying to plead her case. "She came here without our knowledge. She must have been frightened!" She was on her knees, bowing lowly. She seemed to read more into the youkai's still-as-stone façade than Azarni did.
Azarni could only watch in sickened fascination as the once proud woman began to bow and scrape. The occupants of the room appeared as shocked as she was at the reaction, staring in both fear and confusion from the far corners of the room they'd receded into.
Sesshoumaru didn't bat an eye. He stared down at the stooping woman, his whole posture giving nothing away.
The whole moment was frozen in an overpowering tenseness that seeped into everyone like a heavy weight, pulling them down. A moment more and they'd drown.
"Azarni-chan!"
Azarni's head shot up at the familiar voice, just in time to see Rinako and Ryoichi running down the hall towards them. Rinako had hiked up the lower end of her kimono as high as it would go. She slid to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily and completely oblivious of the threatening atmosphere. Her arms were flung around her stunned friend in an instant, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
It took Azarni a long time to realize what had just happened. She stared at the top of Rinako's head blankly; arms hung stiff at her side.
But then she saw the demon looking over at them and she suddenly clung to Rinako desperately. "It was awful!" She wailed, hiding her face in her friend's hair. "Monsters! All of them!"
Rinako rubbed comforting circles in her back, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, Azarni. It's okay."
"No, it's not…" she whimpered. "Monsters…" She lifted her head slightly, whispering in Rinako's ear. "He came out of nowhere. I swear it. Grabbed the one by the neck, tossed her clear across the room. One hand…Oh gods…"
Rinako's grip tightened and her head turned. Her hair obscured any vision Azarni had and she closed her eyes, hand grasping the thick material of Rinako's clothing. She just wanted to go away. But she knew Rinako wouldn't go.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rinako's voice was soft, almost awed. "You…you did what I asked…?"
Azarni winced. There was no way Rinako would ever leave here now.
She heard it in her voice. Rinako didn't know it, but it was her hero voice. The one she took with whoever she thought might fill the empty gap in her life that her mother had left. Fill the dark spot that had been left from a lonely childhood. Sachiko had been on that list once.
Now she was dead.
Apparently it was time for someone else to take her spot. Why did it have to be the thing that had killed her in the first place?
Yayoi was talking again, but Azarni didn't listen. And apparently no one else wanted to listen either.
"Enough." The youkai didn't sound very pleased. His voice wasn't as flat as before, but it never raised in volume. Rinako released her slowly, so that she could see what was happening. "No one wants to hear your relentless prattling, wench."
Azarni lifted her gaze in time to see the demon turn from the doorway and Yayoi's stricken face as she stared after him. It was a split-second thing, falling away as soon as it had come, and most likely lost in view of the demon's terrifyingly cold dismissal. No one wanted to take their attention away from him, even with his back turned.
The youkai's focus was on them now. He indicated Ryoichi, who hovered uneasily beside them, with a brusque wave of his hand. Azarni's eyes were immediately drawn to the faint red on his fingers. "Tori, take the girl back. Rinako-san, you shall return with me."
Rinako's head bobbed immediately in acquiesce. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama." She leaned forward to squeeze Azarni's arm one more time in comfort. "I told you he would," she whispered in her ear. There was a thrill of excitement running underneath her voice. Almost as if something she'd been searching for had just landed in her lap. "I knew it. I just knew it."
Then she smiled. Azarni felt some of her apprehension fade with that smile, but it was mostly instinct. Rinako's happy face always made her feel better.
"Will you be okay by yourself?" Rinako asked then, seeming to finally think about it. "I could go with you if you want…"
Azarni cast a quick glance at the youkai who still stood in the doorway, watching them in stony silence. He was waiting, Azarni guessed. There wasn't anything to give it away, except for the fact that he hadn't left yet.
"I'll…be fine," she replied, turning back to Rinako. "Fine. I'll see you later?"
"Of course." Rinako gave her a long, searching look. "Have Ryoichi-san stay with you, all right? You may say you're fine, but you still look a little upset. He'll be nice to you." With this, she smiled at the man next to them. "Won't you, Ryoichi-san."
He nodded immediately, and Azarni didn't feel so afraid of him anymore. And it wasn't his reassurance. It was the fact that Rinako had him wrapped around her little finger. Azarni could see that he was ensnared in her natural charms, like a kitten rolled up in a ball of string. It was actually rather amusing.
And she would have told Rinako to open up her eyes and go for it. If they weren't in this situation, that is. It was kind of difficult to have a boyfriend when you were a prisoner.
Rinako took a step back, looking Azarni over one last time, before giving her a smile. "See you later, okay?"
Azarni nodded, and Rinako was off. She hurried over to where the youkai stood. Azarni followed her with her eyes. Almost as if they had a mind of her own, her eyes flickered up to Sesshoumaru, and she found him gazing at her steadily.
Her heart thudded loudly under that cold stare, but she steeled her nerves, meeting his gaze boldly. Her knees began to wobble beneath her, but she kept her head up. She wanted her message to get across.
And apparently it did. One of those perfect eyebrows rose in what may have been amusement, and he inclined his head a fraction in her direction.
All it took was that simple gesture. Relief flooded through Azarni's body like a wave of strong alcohol. She'd done it. Made him promise her something.
Rinako…I fought a demon, just for you…
That still didn't mean she wasn't afraid of him. It was just that…he had kept his promise. At least it seemed like it…
Now that the silent confrontation was over, the youkai spun on his heel and left the scene, motioning for Rinako to follow.
And she did, trailing behind almost as if she was meant to be there. Azarni watched them go, thoughtfully.
Yes...almost as if she was supposed to be there…
Yayoi stared at the now empty doorway in silent amazement. The other people in the room were murmuring now--asking if that had been him, if what they'd seen was real. Their voices an unneeded clamor that clouded her thoughts. But she couldn't bring herself to tell them to stop.
What had just happened…it was incredible. All that girl had to do was scream, and he'd been there. Appearing out of thin air like some sort of vengeful angel.
And this from Sesshoumaru, the human-hater.
It made no sense to her at all. She, the one with demon blood, inu blood, could barely speak to him. And now this human could call him to her aid with only a scream.
Why did he care? What was so special about her?
As Yayoi gazed unseeing, a thought crept into her mind. It was more of a remembrance than a thought at first.
"Rinako-san, you shall return with me." He'd said it, just now.
Rinako-san. Ryoichi was tori, she was mutt. The human he'd rescued had been girl.
Yet, that other human woman was Rinako-san.
That thought hit her like a stone. She snapped to attention, starting loudly.
It was her, wasn't it. Something about that girl…
"Yayoi?"
Yayoi glanced over to the one man who'd addressed her. It was one of her followers; a man named Junichi. He still looked somewhat shaken, his strangely pupil-less eyes wide. He'd been the one she'd been speaking to, before all this happened. Who she'd been trying to explain all these physical changes to. That had been what the meeting was about, after all. They were all getting nervous now, and she had to set them straight.
"Yes?"
"We…aren't going to become like that, are we?" He sounded more afraid than he appeared. Yayoi followed his gaze as it drifted to where Machi lay curled on the floor, hand still to her scratched throat. Many of the others were hovering around her. A pack mentality.
The mentality she wanted.
"There was nothing wrong with what he did," Yayoi told him, allowing her voice to become loud enough for the others to hear. "It is a youkai's ability to protect. The girl felt threatened, so he defended her. Don't you want to be able to do that for loved ones?" She got to her feat, wandering over to where the sea of faces around Machi watched her. They backed up as she came closer. She knelt before the frightened woman, who peered up at her with wild eyes.
"Wouldn't you do the same thing, if you could? Don't you wish to?" she asked her small crowd. "Simply defeat a threat with the flick of your wrist?" There was slight murmur, like a current of identical thought slipping into each and every mind around her.
Yayoi bent towards the woman on the floor. Her voice became dreamy as she spoke. "Machi, you know what it's like…you've felt his power. Tell me."
The woman blinked up at her, fingers sliding over her neck. She stirred weakly, eyes falling half shut. "Like a vise…" she whispered in a hoarse voice. "Like a steel vise, slowly killing me. Crushing me… " Her eyes drifted open, and she stared at her hand. "I will be able to do that?"
"If you wish to. Yes. We all can." Yayoi clasped her hands together, mimicking rapture. "We can all rise above this pathetic human species. We can change things."
Another wave of voices, more thought passed between them. It was all so simple.
Yayoi smiled.
Her web had caught, finally.
Doctor Nishioka Ike wasn't known for being a child-loving man. No one even believed he had an outside life at all. Which caused many heads to turn when he dragged a wheelchair holding a little girl into the lobby of the research facility. He pushed her over the blinding white tiles of the floor, stopping only to speak to the receptionist.
"Nishioka-sensei, who is this?" the woman asked, peering down at the girl after she'd retrieved any messages that had been left for the doctor. The child was a sweet looking little thing, with dark black hair tied up in two pigtails on the sides of her head. Her eyes were deep and brown. She looked to be about five or six years old. Her legs were covered with a white and pink blanket that had Hello Kitty printed on it in different poses.
Nishioka only grunted, shuffling through the papers in his hand. After he was done he shoved them into his pocket. "She's my niece. Akako," he replied at last, gruffly.
The receptionist smiled down at Akako, who lowered her eyes shyly. "Well, hello Akako. Aren't you such a sweet little girl?" The child blushed. The woman laughed, before looking up at the doctor. "Why did you bring her in today?"
Nishioka merely grunted again, taking the handles of Akako's wheelchair. "Did Natsuko call at all?"
The receptionist rolled her eyes, before answering his question politely. "Yes, she did. Said something about how she'd be able to see you sometime today, since she's in town." The woman sighed. "Poor girl. It's shame what happened to her mother. She's such a good girl, taking so much time out of school and work to help her recover. Accidents are terrible things…"
Nishioka nodded, distractedly. "Yes, yes. Shame." He began to push the girl away. "Call me when she gets here."
"Of course." The receptionist watched the two disappear into the elevator, before shaking her head. "That poor girl. Being related to a man like that. I wonder what happened to her legs…?"
It was only after the shiny elevator doors had slide shut and they'd begun to go up that Akako spoke, quietly. "Oji-san, why are we here in the daytime?"
Nishioka stared at the changing digits above the door. "You're going to be coming more often than usual, now," he informed her, coldly.
Akako looked down at her hands. "Oh." She poked at one of the flowers in Hello Kitty's hand. "Will Natsuko-chan come today?"
"Yes. Now be quiet."
The girl complied easily enough. She contented herself with tracing the white squiggly lines that curled around the figures on her blanket. The only sound was the workings of the elevator.
When the ding announcing the arrival at their floor, Nishioka took Akako's wheelchair handles again and pushed her through the second the doors opened. Turning her rather sharply, he marched down the long white corridor to his designated rooms. A few other workers were out, and they gave him questioning looks as he went by. But no one said anything; no one really cared to. He was the eccentric, after all.
Nishioka stopped the girl in front of the door, before reaching into his pocket for his keys. Akako took the chance to look around. "It looks different in the daytime," she remarked, softly.
Nishioka said nothing, unlocking the door and pushing it open. He rolled her into the room and threw the door closed.
It was dark inside. There were no windows, and the lights were off. The only bit of light came in under the door. Nishioka fumbled, looking for the light switch. It took a moment, but soon light flooded the small space, making Akako blink, trying to adjust.
Nishioka didn't seem so disturbed. He trudged over to his desk, plopping his briefcase on a pile of papers. "Wait here," he ordered as an afterthought, before he disappeared behind one of the doors in the back of the room.
Akako did as she was told, sitting at the head of a sea of books and papers that filled the office. She twiddled her thumbs for a moment, but her attention was naturally drawn away from the boring act to the heaps of documents on her uncle's desk. Many of them were computer printouts, which she knew came from the old computer he kept behind one of those doors. He didn't leave it out in the main office, not wanting it to get in the way.
The other notes were all handwritten. Nishioka had a lot of notes, although Akako didn't know what they were about. She'd never seen him use any of the ones on his desk. He only used the ones that came out of his briefcase.
Akako put her hands on her wheels with the intent of pushing herself over there. But Nishioka came back into the room, carefully shutting the door behind him. Seeing her over by the door, he waved her over impatiently. "I want to show you something."
Akako smiled, happily rolling over to him now that she'd been noticed. It was slow going, since her arms were a little too weak to move the chair, but she made it. Maneuvering herself as close as she could, she craned her neck to see the entire desk. "What is it, Oji-san?"
Nishioka lifted the latches on his briefcase and raised the lid. Tossing it back, he drew out a handful of papers. Shuffling them around, he removed two and handed them to the little girl. "Remember what I told you Natsuko was doing?"
Akako nodded and looked down at the papers in her hands. There were all sketches, the first being a drawing of a person with long hair and pointy ears. They looked kind of like a creature from a fairy tale. She studied it for a moment, then flipped to the other page, which showed a dog with floppy ears. Akako's eyes grew wide in delight. "Doggy!" she cried, happily, holding the image up to her uncle. "See, Oji-san! A doggy!" She looked closer, noticing the missing leg. "Poor doggy," she added, sadly. "He can't walk right, just like me."
The girl jumped when Nishioka's hand came out and snatched the papers from her. "He can walk just fine, girl," he snapped, shoving the drawings back into his notes. "He's a youkai." His eyes narrowed. "So don't call him a 'doggy'."
Akako frowned. "Isn't that what the drawing's of?"
"No. It's an inuyoukai, like I've told you before."
Akako wrinkled her nose. Youkai. There was that word again. She'd heard that word from her grandmother all the time when she was little. The old woman had liked to tell stories all the time. She was a miko, so she'd known quite a few.
Akako remembered going to the old shrine down in Kyoto. It was such a pretty place. Too bad Obaa-san had left them. She'd gone to the sky, she'd been told. Now it was just her Mama and Oji-san. Otou-san had left them too, Mama had said. A long time ago.
Nishioka closed the top of his case. He stared at it a minute, glasses sliding down his nose. Then he turned his gaze on Akako, using one finger to absently raise his glasses. "Natsuko gave me those drawings. They're off a real, living youkai, she said."
Akako frowned, lightly, in thought. "You mean like the kind Obaa-san told us about?"
Nishioka nodded, eagerly. He pressed his palm against the desktop, leaning over. "Yes. What do you remember about Obaa-san's stories?"
The little girl bobbed her head. "Lots. How they were all magical and powerful and stuff."
Nishioka nodded again, moving back. He sat down in his chair. His attention was focussed on Akako, and she liked it. He always paid attention to her when she remembered things. And when he pricked her with the needle.
Akako's eyes wandered over to the door behind her uncle's chair, staring at the white face in apprehension. Nishioka noticed this. "Only a little bit today," he told her, almost conversationally. He propped his feet against the end of the desk, using it to hold himself up a he slide down in the seat. He stared out over the papers on his desk. "You have that doctor's appointment Friday, remember?"
He propped a hand on his fist, looking at her. "You're a special girl, you know." His voice was more that of a scientist stating a fact than an uncle giving a compliment. Akako didn't know the difference. "Obaa-san gave you a gift that not many people have anymore. And that gift is going to help Oji-san."
Akako smiled, bobbing her head. "Yep. I'm going to help Oji-san!" She looked down at her blanket-covered legs, her smile fading. "Akako can only help by giving to the needle…"
Nishioka was oblivious to her change in mood. He stared at the wall behind her. "Let those scientists have their cell research and cloning," he murmured softly. "It'll take them years to find what they're looking for. I already found it." He smiled, closing his eyes in pleasure. "The perfect being."
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The (notoriously long) Author Notes! (which is why I put them at the end…;;)
Wow…so…short…. --looks at chapter again-- What happened?
Whatever it was, it means a quick update. I wrote this whole thing in less than a day…oo… (Seems that I really should have started it right away, instead of working on UH. It would have been easier on me…and you.)
Anyway… do I see something?…yes I do! Plot development! Move-age! --celebrates-- It wasn't angsty-I-don't-know-how-I-feel-about-what's-happening stuff anymore! At least not in this part… (oi…)
See! Azarni is actually good for something! To scream--okay, not really. As you can see here, she realizes the relationship forming between Rinako and Sess before they do… and by 'saving' her, Sess is able to prove to Rinako that he can keep his word. Kinda opens things up for her, perspective wise. Which is good. Azarni is more observant than you thought (and I thought too...) Although she's still a wussy…
--is fearful that the cause of scream is anticlimactic after cliff hanger-- Heh….I went through many reason for it before I just wrote this one down. Thought it would help move the plot faster than my other ideas… ;;
And we meet a new character here! Akako. I like her… (didn't really know if I would…) And I liked writing her POV. She'll be important later on…(duh…), although it might not be in a way you expect…
And, before anyone asks-- No, Akako/Nishioka are not related to Kagome. I reread the chapter and thought that someone might come to that conclusion. So I'll state it here. Make it easy.
The chapter title basically tells you what was going on in this chapter. Insight into characters. A bit of what's behind Yayoi (crazy little bitch...), what the hell those other people are there for, a little about Nishioka (whose name is written Japanese-style. Nishioka is the family name.), and Azarni seeing into the S/R relationship (family/friend stuff, people!).
Author ramblings…(okay, it's all ramblings, but this is more off base than the other stuff…)
Just so you people know, the only way you'd get any romance in this story would be if I acted on Ryoichi's little infatuation with Rinako. Could you just imagine it? Him trying to get close to Rinako with "Deadly-Daddy" Sess giving him a death-glare?
I can just picture it: those two sitting together in a room with Sesshoumaru stationed directly between them. Call that nerve-racking for a would-be boyfriend. ;; No action going on there…
What I can see in here is some cuteness between the two. So maybe I will work at that angle an insy-little bit. Don't really know… --shrug-- I think 'Ichi would be kinda cute trying to romance her… (Or it could be the music I'm listening to…oO) Please give opinion!
A little nudge in another direction. I have an account at livejournal now. I gave up on keeping my own blog, since it meant too much code work… (am so lazy…) Links on the main page if you want to see how boring my life is…. --sigh--
Although I do have to read Crime and Punishment, The Sun Also Rises, and Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution for school in September….
That last book will kill me…….
Also, I have a trip coming up in August. Hope to have next UH chapter done by then. And, if I'm really feeling good, maybe another Memory. I really need to slap some of these chapters down before school begins… APs will rule my world…oO…. (they are kinda like college courses in high school, if you didn't know. I know that not all of you are American. And not all of you are still in high school…or live in my state…..) I damn myself by being a multi-tasking, over-ambitious perfectionist…and honor student…
--sigh--
Won't even go into my original fiction…. That would make me cry…(so much of it…oo…)
Damn, I talk a lot…. Very sorry! (I always say that….) But, hey, I warned you it was rambling!