Anaya's Creator: TGIF! And I have a German project I should be working on...
Kaiba: Here is the one, solitary review:
Zuko's 1 and Only:
Sorry, but there will be wands; I never said I was a people pleaser. Thanks for reviewing nearly every chapter I put up.
Anaya's Creator: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Inu-Yasha, or Harry Potter.
Chapter 12: Exposed Truth
"Let me see; are you more of a challenge than your father? Hmm, I wonder..." Lord Sesshō-maru murmured as he drew back his blade. He cast a cold stare at Seto and Sakura then swung his blade.
"Seto, get out of the way!" Sakura shouted, giving him a powerful shove. Her hand plunged inside of her parka to grab her wand, but it wasn't there. Oh shit, she thought, mentally kicking herself. I left it in the temple... But before she could dodge it, the force from her uncle's strike hit her and she slammed backwards into a nearby shed. Her body exploded in pain as it collapsed on top of her. She tried to get up, but she was only able to move some of the rubble off of her.
"What are you waiting for, niece?" Lord Sessho-maro growled as he approached the collapsed shed. "Draw your weapon and fight me."
"If I had a weapon I would have drawn it by now," she retorted. Wincing because of her wounds, she tried to get up once more, but once again she was without success. "Why are you doing this anyways? We're blood."
"I want to see how much you've improved as a fighter. Now fight me, Sakura!" The male demon sliced his sword through the air again.
"Protego!" Seto shouted and some of the attack hit an invisible barrier that appeared in front of the destroyed shack. Some of it bounced off while the rest traveled across the unseen shield and sliced trees in their path into firewood.
Lord Sesshō-maru avoided the rebound easily and turned to the wizard that had cast the spell. "You foolish mortal, stay out of matters that don't concern you!" He drew back his sword to strike again, but he stopped when a large blue fire appeared in front of him, blocking him from getting at Seto.
"Hold it, hold it, what's all the violence about?" said a voice as the fire that had materialized as the flames died down a fox-demon appeared.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Kaiba ran over to Sakura. "Are you alright?" he asked as he helped her out of the rubble and slung her arm over his shoulders so she could stand. She didn't answer, but he could sense a familiar, hellish aura forming around her. Her winter coat was no more and what clothing was still on her body was badly torn and becoming stained with blood. Slowly, her head lifted and he saw black marks on her cheeks. "Sakura?" he said, shaking her a little. "Sakura, mitsuki (angel), no; don't..."
At this statement, Lord Sesshō-maru and the fox demon turned. Seto's words seemed meaningless to Sakura as she roughly pushed him away from her. Her dark pupils stared menacingly at the two male demons in the pools of her blood red eyes, and then she charged.
Hmm, she has become a true demon now, Sesshō-maru thought, dodging his niece's hasty attack effortlessly. She is so much more easily pushed to lose control than her father ever was; so, the enchantment hasn't faded yet...
She has transformed already? the fox demon wondered as he jumped out of the way of the rabid demoness. Poor girl, I have to find a way to make her change back to her hanyou (1) form before she kills us all. "Lord Sesshō-maru," he shouted. "We have to knock her out. If you get behind her, I'll distract her."
"And why should I follow your orders?"
"Because, otherwise, she'll destroy the both of us or die trying."
"I'll knock her out, but I don't need your help," the dog demon retorted and ran behind Sakura. He was about to hit her on the head with the hilt of his sword, but she turned around and took a swipe at him with her lengthened claws.
Taken aback, Lord Sesshō-maru drew back, but not in time to prevent Sakura from giving him a good scratch across one of his cheeks.
"Will you accept my help now?" the fox demon asked, watching as a thin stream of crimson thread down Sesshō-maru's cheek.
Grudgingly, he agreed.
The fox demon smiled. "Fox Fire!" he shouted and a great fire surrounded Sakura on all sides.
The demon girl let out a frustrated growl, bearing her fangs at the flames that were as tall as she was. She took a deep breath, but instantly started coughing. Weakening because of the heat and lack of oxygen, she fell to her knees.
Apathy in his eyes, Lord Sesshō-maru jumped over the blazes, knocked Sakura out, hoisted her over one of his shoulders, and leapt out.
"What's going on out here?" Miroku had come running out of the temple with Sango, Haku, and the priestess behind him.
The fox demon raised an arm and the inferno disappeared. "Perhaps we could discuss this over a nice cup of tea?" he suggested, clapping his hands together and walking in the direction of the temple.
A while later, Sakura stirred. As her eyes opened, she found herself staring at the wooden roof of a shelter. To her left, a curtain had been erected to give her some privacy and a pink kimono had been draped over her. She moved the material off of her and saw that her clothes had been removed and her injuries had been bandaged up. Not seeing her clothes, she put the kimono on and fastened it with a sash that had been lying next to her.
"So, Lord Sesshō-maru, why did you attack Sakura?" asked a familiar voice.
Curious, Sakura stepped out from behind the curtain and she saw everyone gathered around the hearth in the center of the room. "I know I would certainly like to know the answer to that question," she said, kneeling between Lord Sesshō-maru and Kaiba. After she sat down, she felt his hand enclose around hers.
"How are you feeling?" he whispered in one of her dog-ears, concern in his voice.
Sakura had to bite back a moan as the C.E.O.'s hot breath made the highly sensitive hairs on her dog-ears prickle. "Okay, but I'll feel better once I get some answers," she answered softly, giving his hand gentle squeeze. Then she felt a thin stick of wood get pressed into her hand. She looked down and saw her wand now in her hand.
"Next time, don't forget it!" Seto growled.
"Before I answer any of your questions, I'd like to know who you are," Lord Sesshō-maru demanded viciously.
"Lord Sesshō-maru, I'm offended. Has it truly been so long that you would have forgotten me?"
Sakura studied the fox-demon for a few moments. He looked about twenty-six years old and had reddish orange hair that was held back by an aqua ribbon. And he seemed oddly familiar. "Shippo?" she asked.
The fox-demon's head turned, "You got it, Sakura, long time no see. And who is this young man you brought with you? Your lover?"
Sakura's face went blood red. "Seto Kaiba," the albino answered simply, looking at the floor and ignoring the fox demon's second question.
"Shippo, eh?" Lord Sesshō-maru mused. "Ah yes, the little fox kitsune who was always trailing after my brother and his dear Kagome, I remember now."
Shippo clapped his hands together. "Wonderful, now that we all know each other, I have a question: What's all this fighting about? Did I walk in on a family squabble or something of the sort?"
"Sakura, let me see your right arm," the dog demon ordered, extending his hand. Confusion in her blood red eyes, his niece complied. He lifted up the sleeve of the kimono and undid some of the bandage on her upper arm.
"Hey! I just finished dressing that wound..." the new priestess objected.
"Then you will redress it after I am done," Lord Sesshō-maru told her coldly, casting the priestess a killing stare which silenced her. He continued to unwrap the strips of cloth until the tan marking on Sakura's arm was revealed. "This is why I came," he said, pointing to it.
Sango gasped. "The curse mark," she whispered.
"Curse mark?" Seto asked, he turned to Sakura. "You told me this was a birthmark."
"That's what we thought too," Miroku said. "That is, until her first full moon when she transformed into a full demon and never became human."
"So you convert into a full demon because of some enchantment? You said because of my part-demon blood," Kaiba asserted, giving her a reproachful glare.
Sakura felt herself buckle his accusing gaze, "I know and I'm sorry, Seto." She looked at him straight in the eye. "I know lying to you was wrong, there is no excuse I can give for it, except that I was afraid of what your reaction might be. Being a part-demon has cost me very many friends, and I didn't want to lose anymore. If I changed due to my part-demon blood, I would become human once a month, not demon. I am cursed."
"How? When? Why were you cursed?"
"It happened sixteen years ago," Shippo answered. "Not long after Kagome, Sakura's mom, married Inu-Yasha and became pregnant with Sakura, we fought Naraku for the last time..."
-8-Flashback-8-
Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kyoga (head of the wolf-demon clan) had finally cornered Naraku. He was backed against a wall, bleeding everywhere and was too weak to do anything to save himself. Inu-Yasha was standing in front of him, the Tetseiga at the ready and the now-complete Shikon Jewel clenched in his hand. "Well, Naraku, it appears you have no where left to run, you slime," he growled. "You fooled Kikyo and me into killing each other."
"Cursed the male offspring of my family," Miroku added.
"Desecrated my village and kinsmen," Sango put in.
"Slaughtered my comrades," Kyoga tacked on.
"And for this you shall pay with your own life," Kagome finished. She drew her bow and set an arrow to it. "Everyone clear out of the way."
Everyone stepped back, Kagome fired her arrow, and her Sacred Arrow pierced the very heart of the demon that had caused them all so much misery.
"Curse you, Kikyo's reincarnation," Naraku hissed as his body broke apart. "And I will, I use the last of my magic to hex the child in your womb. As long as she is what she was born she will transform into a full-fledged demon once every month and never become human."
-8-End Flashback-8-
"After his defeat, it was decided that Inu-Yasha and Kagome would go back to the present to raise you and the Jewel of Four Souls would go with them. The plan was that on Sakura's eighteenth birthday, the Sacred Jewel would be passed on to her and fate would then decide itself."
"Fate would then decide itself?" Kaiba asked, bewildered.
"At that time either Sakura or her father would use the Shikon Jewel and become human, then it would fade from existence forever," Miroku said shortly.
"Once again, I must apologize for lying to you, Seto," Sakura apologized as she and Seto walked back to the Bone Eater's Well to return to their own time. She still had on the pink kimono and hoped no one would notice anything when they got back to their own time. She felt Seto tuck something into her hair. Confused, she reached to it and pulled a thorn-less red rose out of her hair.
"The crimson brings out your gorgeous eyes," he told her as he continued walking; his hands plunged deep into his pockets and his shoulders hunched forward slightly.
One night, a few days later, Seto came home from work late and saw Sakura wrapped in a blanket on the floor of his study in front of the fire place with a mug of hot chocolate beside her. In her hands was To Kill a Mockingbird, a book from his library that she seemed to enjoy.
"Welcome home," she greeted, looking up from the book as he entered the room. Her eyes were slightly and her voice echoed her exhaustion.
"It's nearly midnight, love. What are you doing up?" he inquired as he sat down beside her, reclining his back against one of his huge leather chairs.
"Is it a crime to wait for you to come back from work?" she retorted as she sat up still wrapped in the blanket.
"No, it's just that... never mind. Did you and Mokuba have a good time today?"
Sakura yawned briefly before answering. "We spent lots of time at the arcade, winning those dopey prizes and eating all the pizza and ice cream we could stuff down our throats. It was very enjoyable."
"Good. Has he gone to bed?"
"We watched some anime movies, pigged out on popcorn, and he was out like an extinguishing spell at ten thirty." Her gaze wandered to the fire place and lingered there for a few moments, her tired eyes anxiously staring into the flames.
"Is anything troubling you, pet?" he asked, running his hand along her face and to make her face him.
Sakura looked away, "Nothing's wrong, Seto," she lied.
"You're lying to me," her boyfriend murmured. He went behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and trailed his lips along her neck, "Tell me the truth."
"Everything is bothering me;" she gushed. "Voldemort's running rampant in England and killing more day by day, all what Harry's telling us about Voldemort's past, my uncle's hand still being injured. Kami, what isn't going wrong in this world?"
Sakura let out a loud sigh and let her body mold against Seto's. Hungry for his electrifying touch, she turned around into his arms to face him and amorously kissing him as his hands ran over her thin t-shirt that barricaded her skin from his touch.
As the temperature of their bodies rose, Seto stopped caressing Sakura and removed his trench coat. Her fingers flew to his shirt and undid the first couple buttons as quickly as she could then unlatched herself from his mouth and kissed his exposed shoulders, collar bone, and chest.
Seto caught her chin and brought her back to his mouth, hastily pushing his tongue inside her sweet caverns. Caught up in the fervor of a tongue battle, the two of them fell backward onto the floor struggling against each other for dominance. His hands traveled to her hips and began pushing the shirt off her stomach. He broke their kiss abruptly and flipped her over onto her back, dragging his hand along her heated stomach.
Sakura let out a groan of approval and arched her lower back into his hand. "Seto, don't stop," she purred. Her body felt as if it was on fire and she didn't want it to end.
Seto moved downward and buried her face in her stomach, licking across it eagerly. His hand moved upwards until it was centimeters from her breasts when she grabbed his wrist and yanked him away. He stopped paying attention to her stomach and glared at her, an irritated growl escaping his throat.
"I don't think so," she whispered with a drained smile.
The male sighed. So, she was going to let him go only so far with her. That was fine with him; chasing after her was part of the fun. He crawled back up her body then laid on the floor beside her, his arms around her in a possessive hold.
The tired girl climbed on top of the male and lay down on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she let the smell of the burning fire and the warmth of his arms, give her sleep. And for the first time in her life, she felt what it must have been like to be human.
Seto stared down at the woman in his arms. A few small bite marks were beginning to grow on her pale neck. One of his hands traveled to his own neck. Never, in all the times the two of them had made out, had she ever bitten into his neck. I wonder why...
When Sakura woke up the next morning, as she was brushing her hair after getting dressed, she noticed several bite marks and a hickey had formed on her neck overnight. Oh great, she thought. Now I have to go buy some cover-up or something. Curse you, Seto.
The Saturday before going back to Hogwarts, Seto took the day off from work and he and Sakura went into a spacious blank room with large windows letting in huge streams of sunshine, a smooth wooden floor, and a large stereo system.
"In all my exploring, I have never seen this room," she told him. "Why are we here?"
"Having for your first dancing lesson, what else?" he answered.
Kaiba took walked over to the stereo system and turned it on. A slow, melodic tune with a swaying one-two-three beat began to play. He walked to the middle of the room and he and Sakura stood facing each other. Kaiba put her right hand on his shoulder and held her left hand in his right. "The first dance I'm going to teach you is the waltz. I'll first teach it to you slow so that you can catch on quickly, then we'll try going faster. Just do the opposite of what I do."
After about twenty minutes of following his lead (and accidentally stepping on his toes a fair amount of times), Sakura was actually starting to get the hang of the waltz and found herself staring into his deep eyes more often instead of looking at her feet. "Who taught you how to dance?" she asked.
"My father," he answered. "And he had been taught by his father."
"I see. Did he and your mother go out dancing together a lot while they were alive?"
"Yes many times, and your parents?"
"I think my mom may have tried teaching my dad once, but it didn't seem to take. More often they would take me back to the feudal world with them and go out doing who knows what while I was left with Aunt Sango and Uncle Miroku."
"Did you ever do much with your other uncle, Sessho-marū?"
"Well, he and my father didn't get along very well; according to what my mother said, they would have gladly ripped out and eaten each other's entrails. Though the times I did see him, he didn't seem so bad; he was kind to me, despite his rather horrible impression over break. He hadn't seen me in a long time so he was trying to see how powerful I had become, I guess. Anyway, he would always bring me a nice present every birthday up until I came to England; otherwise though, he kept his distance. I really wish I'd spent more time with him."
-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-
(1) I believe this means part-demon, but it may mean half-demon. Sorry if I use this incorrectly.
Anaya's Creator: REVIEW STUPID PEOPLE OR I WON'T LIKE YOU NO MORE!
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