Anaya's Creator: Why is today Thursday? Why can't it be Friday!
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Adele S:
Of course I reposted this after it got deleted. As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed try, try again. Glad you like it.
Zuko's 1 and Only:
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Anaya's Creator: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Inu-Yasha, or Harry Potter.
Chapter 11: More Relatives?
Sakura dropped the letter. Seto hadn't written it; he couldn't have. The script was completely different from his, which was smaller and less embellished. Plus, Seto would have signed his name and since when did he write tanka (1) poetry or question what he had told her. But if he didn't write it, who did? Who was watching her and Seto so closely? The very thought sent shivers down her spine. In an attempt to get it off her mind, she shoved the letter in a drawer, making a mental note to show it to Seto later and then burn it, and threw the rose out the window as far as she could throw.
Strangely, she didn't see Kaiba that morning when she came back from her lessons with Snape. He wasn't even at breakfast. The first time she saw him that morning was in Potions so at the end of class, she walked up to him and put a hand on his arm.
Seto turned and saw Sakura standing beside him. He tried to say something, but she put her fingers to his lips.
"Before you say anything," she told him. "Let me say I'm sorry I let what you said get to me. It was really stupid. I shouldn't have overreacted and ignored you for the rest of the day."
He removed her hand and held it in his. "No matter, I admit it was crude of me to insult Professor Dumbledore like that, knowing he was the man that adopted you. I would have acted even worse than you if someone had talked that way about Mokuba."
"What would you have done?"
"Probably took revenge by defeating you in a duel."
"You mean you would try to. I've been pretty close to winning a few times. Who knows? Next time I might beat you. So am I forgiven for my moment of idiocy?"
"Of course,"
"And I forgive you for the comment about my uncle; you're allowed to be a moron. And you had a point; he is becoming a bit senile. He keeps going out for drinks at Hogsmeade; it's really starting to worry me."
"And when you return to your dormitory today, there should be something waiting for you. Happy Valentine's Day, love." The C.E.O. picked up his bag then left the room.
"Wait a minute, what do you mean? Get back here!" she demanded, chasing after him.
That evening, when Sakura walked into her dormitory to get ready for the masquerade, she found a mess on her bed. Befuddled, she walked over and leafed through the ripped up parchment, torn apart flowers, string, and cardboard until she found a (thankfully) untouched envelope with Seto's handwriting on it. This must have been the something he'd told me about, she thought. With a quick swipe of a claw, the envelope came open and she took out the message inside. After reading through it, she discovered that Seto had tried to send her roses and a box of Honeyduke's Chocolate, but obviously it had been intercepted, and she had a hunch by who. She shuffled through the jumble on her bed and found one flower still intact and some hairs, no doubt belonging to the culprit. One glance at their deep blue hue told her that her hunch had been correct. "Stitch, you are going to be in big trouble the next time I see you," she muttered. Rolling her eyes, she cleaned up her bed with a flick of her wand and pulled out her dress robes from inside the trunk at the end of her bed.
When she was done preparing, the top of her hair was pulled up in a bun adorned with the rose while the rest flowed gently down her back. (She had decided to ditch her hat for the night.) Her robes were golden-brown with peasant sleeves that exposed her shoulders, a skirt that went to her ankles, and a bodice that hugged her chest and the simple mask she had in her hand was pure white.
Lara was in stormy grey with her hair back in a bun with black chopsticks, and a black, grey, and white mask that made her look like an owl. Sakura felt bad for all the unlucky boys that would fall for her charm and be lured into a game of cards which, through a mixture of distracting flirtation and Carole family card tricks, would surely leave them broke.
Britts was dressed in rich plum with a black mask and cat ears on a headband that held her hair away from her freckled face. With some encouragement from Lara, she finally got the nerve to tell Ryou she liked him and the two of them were going together.
Hermione wasn't going at all, probably because Lavender (decked in her namesake) was going to be going with her precious Won-won a.k.a. Ron Weasly.
On the way down to the Great Hall, Seto leaned towards Sakura's ears and asked, "Did you enjoy the roses and chocolate I sent you?" He was dressed in black robes with a thin black mask around his eyes.
"Actually, I didn't get a chance to."
Seto gave her a questioning look.
"Stitch got to them before I did. All that was left was a ripped up box and this one flower," she said. "Next time if you have something for me, just kind of, give it to me in person. It makes things so much easier."
A beautiful crescent moon and bright stars adorned the ceiling in the Great Hall providing light. Couples were dancing to the Weird Sisters while others got food and drinks from a large buffet table and sat at small circular wooden tables with greenandred checked tablecloths and small lamps that had a gentle red glow and tiny wreaths of holly wrapped around them.
After eating a bit, and several unsuccessful minutes of trying to dance together (usually Sakura'shulking feetwould end up stepping on Kaiba's unfortunate toes), the couple decided to just go outside and look at the stars. Occasionally, one of them would point out a constellation or one of the planets.
"My father and I used to do this all the time when I was a kid," she told Seto, leaning against him. "Especially when we would go to the feudal world, then we didn't have to worry about the lights in the city." An owl suddenly swooped across the moon, making her recall the owl she had gotten the previous night. A slight frown came to her face.
Seeing this, Seto inquired, "Is everything alright, mitsuki?"
Sakura looked away from him. "There's something you should see," she murmured. She reached into her robes, pulled out the piece of parchment, and handed it to him.
Seto quickly skimmed it over and glared at her accusingly. "Who sent this to you? When did you get this?" he demanded, not trying to hide his jealously.
"I don't know; does it look like there's signature? It came late last night. I was woken up by a loud rapping sound by the window."
"What about the owl? Do you remember what it looked like?"
"I was so groggy, I don't really remember; and even if I did, there would probably be several of that kind of owl in the Owlery. And not every student has one; it could have been one of the school owls for all I know."
"Why did you show this to me?"
"Because I thought you should know that someone's watching us."
Without warning, Seto suddenly trapped Sakura in his arms and bit into her neck, hard, creating a bright red mark. The female shrieked, grabbing his biceps and pushed him away from her. "Seto Kaiba, get a hold of yourself!" she exclaimed, shaking him roughly. "What the hell was that for?"
"Maybe now that admirer of yours will get the hint and see that you're mine."
"Did you have to be that rough when you did that?" Her hand went to where he had sucked on her and winced as she touched the hickey. I'm flattered that he got so jealous, but was that really necessary? she asked herself.
Seeing the pain he had caused in his overwhelming jealousy, Seto removed her hand and began kissing the skin around it in an attempt to soothe her. Then he told her something he hadn't said to another person except his brother in a long time. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her neck. "I don't know what came over me, but it won't happen again."
Sakura wrapped her arms around him. "You have every right to be jealous; and like I said earlier, you're allowed to be a moron too sometimes."
He laughed (yes, actually laughed) into her neck then kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Oh, and you were right. You are a horrible dancer," he muttered as he broke away.
"Hey!" Sakura retorted, giving him a playful shove.
"What? You admitted it yourself yesterday. And you must have stepped on my feet at least fifteen times while we were in there."
"But you're not supposed to agree when I degrade myself."
"But it's more fun that way."
His girlfriend growled contemptuously. "Grr, I could just kill you sometimes!"
"Or maybe I should just teach you to dance. That way if I take you to a company party I won't come back with broken toes."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't a party person?"
"It looks good for the company. I have to go."
"Partying with stuffed shirts, that sounds fun." Her voice lowered disdainfully as she spoke.
"You have no idea," Kaiba grabbed her hand. "So you ready to go back inside and have your first lesson?"
"Are you sure? Don't you think I've put your feet through any more torture tonight?"
"I'll survive."
He took her other hand and led her back inside. The Weird Sisters had started playing a slow tune so Seto put her hands on his shoulders, his arms around her waist, and began moving with the rhythm. Several times, Sakura would look down at her feet, but he would bring her head back up and force her to look at him. "We're barely moving, you don't need to look at your feet and its better if you actually feel the rhythm."
Colored robes danced around them like a rainbow sea and masks of all kinds could be seen. And out of the corner of her eye, Sakura caught a glimpse of Dumbledore, dressed in orange with a mask like a phoenix, smiling at them.
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"So, where would you like to go first, Sakura?" Kaiba asked as he and his girlfriend sat down in the back of his spacious limousine.
It was Christmas Eve, the first day of winter break the two of them were riding through the slushy streets of Domino while Mokuba spent some time at a friend's house.
"Home sounds good," she replied, running her fingers down Stitch's back as he lay curled up on her lap.
"Jack, take us to the Sunset Shrine," Seto ordered.
"But sir, that temple has been burnt down for nearly six years," the driver, Jack, objected.
"Did I ask for your opinions? No, just take us there. Ow," he muttered as Sakura punched him in the bicep. "What was that for?"
"Quit being a spoiled son-of-a-bitch," she scolded, rolling her eyes. "Your stepfather's dead, don't go around acting like him."
"How do you know what he was like?"
"One by how you act, two he came to our family shrine a few times."
"How come?"
"He wanted to buy our land. I was seven at the time...
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"Catch Sakura!" said a thirteen year old, fox-demon.
Sakura jumped up and tried to catch the green sphere the red-headed fox-demon had thrown at her, but she was short enough to miss it as it passed just above her fingertips. "I'll go get it, Shippo," she told him as she landed back on her feet and ran after the ball.
She followed the ball to the entrance of the shrine and down the steps to where a black limo had pulled up. A man with graying hair, dressed in a red business suit stepped out of the vehicle and the ball stopped at his feet. "Excuse me sir, could you hand me my ball please?" Sakura asked, bowing respectfully to the stranger.
The old man picked up the ball and held it in his large hands, examining it. "Better be careful with your toys, little one," he cautioned. "Or someone may break them."
Sakura tilted her head in confusion. Why did this unfamiliar person tell her such a thing? "Um, please give me back my ball," she requested. What she didn't see was unmistakable cruelty hiding behind this man's apathetic eyes.
"Of course," but instead of giving the ball back, the guest poked a hole it, thenlet it drop tothe ground as air escaped from it. "There, you can have it now."
Sakura's jaw dropped. This man, he didn't just... no... The demon-child slowly picked up the deflated scrap of rubber, sadness clouding her vision.
"What's going on out here?" asked a female voice.
Recognizing the voice, Sakura turned around and ran up the stairs. "Momma," she cried, throwing her arms around the woman dressed in priestess' garb who had appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Sakura-honey, what happened?" Kagome cooed, kneeling down to her distressed daughter.
"My ball," she held up the flimsy remains of the toy that had once brought her joy and pointed to the stranger at the bottom of the steps.
"I see," Kagome stood up and faced the visitor. "Who do you think you are? Destroying a child's toy like that?" she demanded as she walked down towards the car.
"I am Gozaburo Kaiba, madam. I am here to see the owners of the Sunset Shrine," he answered.
"I would be one of them. Why are you here?"
"I have a proposition for you and your husband. Perhaps we could discuss this inside."
"Very well, follow me," Kagome coldly lead the man up the stairs and into the business part of their home.
-8-End Flashback-8-
"So you think my stepfather was an arrogant son-of-a-bitch because he broke your precious ball?" Seto asked, smirking at the childishness of his girlfriend.
"That's part of it," Sakura admitted. "But he also wanted my parents to sell him our home. My mother and father argued with him about selling it for what seemed like hours. He was determined to make our temple another one of his weapon building laboratories, but Mom and Dad refused no matter how much money was offered. After being turned down several times, he tried forcing us out using some of his new guns, but my father made scrap metal out of them with one swipe of his Tetseiga. And we were never bothered by him again. I'll never forgive him, but I'll never loathe him as much as Lucius Malfloy."
In no time at all, they had reached the burnt down shrine. Slowly, Sakura got out of the car and stared at what was once her home. It was the same as the day she had left it, ash-covered and barren. The fires that had been set by the Death Eaters had destroyed nearly everything. All that remained were the weather-worn cement steps, the two fox statues at the entrance of the temple, and whatever lay hidden beneath the mounds of snow.
"You can leave," Kaiba told the driver. "I don't know how long this'll take."
Memories of old times flickered across the girl's mind as she climbed the steps. She could easily see her and Shippo playing in front of where her house once stood. After wandering over to where the Bone-Eater's Well had been, Sakura stood on the edge of the large hole remained where the shack once stood, staring down at the snow-covered well in the center of it. Warm arms circled her from behind and she leaned into her boyfriend's body, inhaling his scent. "Mmm," she murmured, closing her eyes. But they snapped open a moment later when she got an idea. "Let's try to get to the feudal world," she said, turning around and looking at him.
"And how, pray tell, do we do that?" he asked. "It's impossible to travel to another time."
Sakura escaped his embrace and jumped from the edge then ran over to the well. "That's what you think. All we do is jump in here and we'll be transported to the feudal era."
"Really,"
"Yep, unless..."
"Unless what?" Kaiba inquired, joining her in the crater.
"Unless it won't let me through..." Her voice grew quiet. "Like last time..."
"Last time?"
Ignoring his question, Sakura brushed off some of the snow, swung her legs over the side of the well, and sat on the edge, waiting for Seto to do the same.
I feel so ridiculous, Kaiba thought as he copied his girlfriend. He felt her put her arm around his lower back and they jumped. Blackness surrounded them and there was a strange sensation of floating beneath them. Moments later, they reached the bottom of the well.
"Okay, how do we know that worked?" Kaiba asked, doubt in his voice.
"Easy, we climb out and have a look around." Sakura leaped up, trying to grab the ledge, but it was just out of reach and she landed back on the ground. "Damn, I'm still too short." She pulled out her wand, pointed it at herself, muttered "Wingardium Leviosa," and levitated herself out of the well. Her face lit up as she looked at her surroundings.
Gone were the ashes of her burnt home. Gone were the towering skyscrapers and crowded streets of modern Domino. Instead, all around her were large trees with heaps of snow piled on their branches. With an ecstatic giggle, the demon-girl turned back to the well and yelled, "Seto, come on up. You've got to see this." But in her excitement, Sakura didn't hear a low growling sound coming from the woods around her.
"What is it?"
"We did it. We've gone back in time. We're in the feudal era."
"Now you've really lost it, Sakura. How could we have gone back in time? It's impossible."
"Come up, look around, and then tell me that." She extended her arm and Kaiba grabbed hold.
"Sakura, what is that thing?" Kaiba inquired a few moments later as he pulled himself out of the well.
The albino turned and saw that they had been cornered by a brown and white weasel that had grown to several times its normal size. Its flaming red eyes were pouring into theirs and large plops of saliva were dripping from its mouth which was filled with many small, saw-like teeth. Sakura swallowed. "A weasel demon, no doubt, and it certainly looks hungry." Reaching into her winter parka, she pulled out her wand and moved in front of Kaiba.
Thinking the pair would make an easy meal, the overgrown rodent charged at Sakura and Kaiba.
"Protego," Sakura said. The demon slammed into an invisible shield and ricocheted off of it and landed about ten feet away from them.
Kaiba stepped forward, wand extended, but his girlfriend swung her arm in his way. "Wait a minute," she cautioned. "Maybe it's learned its lesson."
The weasel demon shook its head a little and slowly got to its feet. Growling, it bared its teeth maliciously at the couple then launched another attack.
"May I?" Kaiba offered, casting a sideways glance at Sakura.
"Be my guest,"
Seto murmured something and several sparks flew from his wand and exploded on contact with the beast causing welts to spring up on its paws.
"A stinging hex?"
"Yep,"
Letting out howls of anguish, the demon retreated, wincing as its paws touched the ground.
"So, still think we're in modern-day Japan?" Sakura challenged, giving Kaiba an I-told-you-so look.
"So, now that we're in the feudal world, what do we do?" Seto asked, changing the subject.
"Follow me, I know some people that live in the village nearby... At least, it should be nearby."
Unbeknownst to the pair, a small greenish imp with large yellow eyes was watching them. "It appears that the daughter of milord's brother, Inu-Yasha, has returned to these lands. I must tell Lord Sesshō-maru." He turned from the scene and ran off into a deeper part of the woods.
Soon the imp came to a twenty-four year old woman with long black hair gathering herbs. "What is it, Jacken?" she asked as the imp approached her.
"This does not concern you, Rin. Where is Lord Sesshō-maru?"
"If it concerns Lord Sesshō-maru, it concerns us all, Jacken. Tell me what has happened," the maiden insisted.
"Take me to him and you will find out,"
The girl turned. "Come with me,"
"So my niece has returned," Lord Sesshō-maru mused when Jacken had finished explaining. Unlike his brother, he was a full-demon. His hair was bright white and on his forehead was a royal blue crescent moon. "Perhaps I should pay her a little visit of my own..."
After walking through the trees for a few minutes, the two came across two of the villagers. "Excellent, my son, now try hitting that tree," ordered a woman with long black hair with a boomerang as tall as she was strapped to her back. A few paces away from her was a small boy of about six reeling in a scythe blade on a chain.
"Aunt Sango!" Sakura shouted, recognizing the woman.
The woman turned her hand on her weapon. "Outsiders, why do you pass this way? And why do you wear such strange clothing?" she demanded.
Sakura removed her hat, "Aunt Sango, it's me, Sakura."
Sango studied the girl for a moment. She looked so familiar, so much like Inu-Yasha. Could it be? "Sakura Yasha?"
Sakura nodded as Sango ran towards her. "Oh gods, I never thought I'd see you again," the grown woman half-sobbed as she through her arms around her. "It's been so long. Where's Kagome and your father?"
Sakura broke away and answered, "Mom and Dad died, Aunt Sango, a long time ago."
The black-haired woman's face saddened for a moment then she called to the young boy who was with her. "Haku, come over here. There's someone I want you to meet." She turned back to Sakura. "I don't know if you'll remember Haku, he was only an infant when you two last met."
After being reintroduced to Haku, Sakura introduced Kaiba and the four of them walked to the shrine and had tea with Sango's husband, Miroku, and the new young girl that had taken the role of priestess after Lady Kaede's death. The group had just settled down for lunch when the new priestess stood up.
"A demon approaches, a powerful one," she said.
Sakura stood up, not noticing that she had left her wand on the ground. "I'll go to greet it then," She turned to leave, but she felt someone grab her arm.
"You aren't going alone," he told her, taking his wand out of a pocket in his blue trench coat (A/N: Think of his Duelist Kingdom getup).
"Very well, just be aware, Seto, that not all demons will be as easy to fight off as the weasel demon we saw earlier." The two of them walked out of the temple just in time to see a very tall figure flying towards them on a dark cloud.
"Long time no see, niece," said a deep, familiar voice.
"Another relative?" Kaiba asked.
"I have lots of uncles, what can I say?" Sakura explained bluntly. "It's good to see you too, Uncle Sesshō-maru," she greeted as the cloud came to rest in front of them.
"I see you've taken on the very image of your father," Lord Sesshō-maro said as the cloud disappeared beneath his feet. He drew out one of the two swords at his hip and pointed it at her. "Let's see if you're a better fighter."
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(1) Tanka- Japanese poetry similar to Hikou, but different. I don't remember how the pattern goes right now.
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