Wednesday again! and oh isn't it wonderful. Actually I'm afraid I don't have today off. And I don't have Wednesday off next week either. Don't ask me what the hell is going on, they switched managers in our department a few weeks ago and my nice normal consistant schedule has been shot to hell.
I did complain about it to her, too. I was told it was the only way I would get all my hours. That is TOTAL BULLSHIT too! Because I was getting more hours before she took over than I'm getting now and I never had to open the morning after I closed. My schedule used to be consistently all day or all evenings. Now it's all over the friggin' map and every night I close is followed by a morning where I open. every time! Of course I didn't want to say it at the time. My eval is coming up in a little over two weeks, but damnit! This is rediculous. I'm one of their most consistent workers and I'm not likely to disappear on them any time soon (barring quitting in a fit of disgust and anger, everybody's fantasy at wal-mart) whereas quite a few others are leaving. One girl is going away to school. Another is coming up on some maternity leave. Another's got two businesses and school coming up real quick. Yet another is transferring to a different department. Which leaves us with all the people who work during the daytime (all week, and I mean all week) and two or three of us who are sometimes scheduled at night. AND we're short staffed to begin with. I need a new job.
On a totally different note: I finished typing up part four on Monday so there will be no break between part 3 and 4. That gives you three and a half months of reading pleasure before the threat of a significant break in my posting schedule. Break out the party poppers and confetti!
Wishing for Insomnia
There are days where you are thankful for your enemies. This is just one of those days for Aki. Or should we say, one of those nights.
The ghosts in the circle did their fair share of helping the exhausted Aki stay awake. They'd badgered her with all the boundless, senseless enthusiasm only children possess. Of course only children would have been as effective, for there is nothing more evil in the eyes of youth than the hated state of boredom. So they of course asked Aki to entertain them.
The almost demon readily complied, just as eager for the chance of dissipation as they were and twice as needful of something to do. She taught them games from her American childhood, very careful to introduce only the games that could be played with one or two people in a semi-stationary fashion. Games like Hide and seek or tag couldn't have been played very well in the crowded confines of the circle and it would have seemed rather cruel to introduce them for that reason alone. She had to explain games that required physical contact because she couldn't demonstrate them, adding that extra entertainment of the various ridiculous gestures and terminology used to introduce things like thumb wars and the various patty-cake games.
She taught them games until she ran out and launched into nursery rhymes and other childish tools invented to sharpen memory skills. Then Aki started reciting the various folk and fairy tales she could remember.
Eventually she ran out of those too. Or perhaps she just couldn't get her brain to recall anymore of them. She was pretty sure she screwed up some of those stories as it was. By then of course, most of the kids were too busy with their various distractions to really notice that Aki wasn't an active participant any more.
Azusa noticed though. She hadn't participated in the games like the others. She wasn't there to play. Aki was in that circle now because of her and Kagome. And Azusa blamed herself, quite firm in her feelings of guilt. It hadn't helped much when Sesshoumaru had cornered her and Kagome with the same accusations. He'd almost gotten violent before Aki nailed him with another handy rock.
Tama had looked on in bemusement. It was strange to see the taiyoukai effectively handled by an exhausted female wielding a simple rock. Especially when said female, who was the lord's mate, threatened to just "Let them eat her now!" Sesshoumaru had then sulked away, though not visibly sulking of course, and hadn't been within view of the circle or Aki since.
So Azusa couldn't run to get him as Aki's tired eyes slid closed. Not that she would have anyway, Sesshoumaru scared her. The little girl ran to the shrine where everyone else was attempting to sleep as per Shoko's advice. It was best that they attempt to sleep in order to be wide-awake to help Aki when she needed them later in the night.
Azusa didn't even need to go past the main room. The moment she entered the front door, Inuyasha and Miroku were up and heading out the door. They stumbled over each other in their haste to reach the circle, thus Miroku, through some seriously twisted turn of events, beat Inuyasha.
"Looks like it's my turn," Miroku grinned triumphantly.
"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed and settled in to a crouch comfortably in wait. He wasn't going to leave the monk alone with Aki despite the barrier and crowd of ghost children present.
"All right monk, ask your questions," Aki grumbled. "I do however, reserve the right to not answer," she added when his face took on a devilish grin.
His expression wilted a bit momentarily before he fortified it and set himself to interrogating the lovely creature. "Why did you warn us that your shield might not hold?"
"They're already feeding on it."
"What do you mean?"
Aki sighed. "They feed off of living energy subconsciously. They don't even realize they're doing it. My shield is made of living energy, as it is attached to me and I am alive. The only difference between feeding off the shield and feeding directly off me is that the energy of the shield has been given a specific task." She swallowed, attempting to wet her throat and dry mouth. "Think of it like diverting water. Slow moving and standing water is relatively easy to divert for irrigation or whatever you need it for whereas swift moving water is more likely to destroy whatever you try to use to divert it. In fact fast moving water, if it doesn't destroy your equipment, is more likely to continue in its original path than to move into the new one."
Miroku nodded, water he understood. "So are they feeding on the energy of the circle?"
"Nope, the circle is made of dead energy."
"How so? It's yours and you're alive."
"Yes, but the circle was created from a wound, blood. Every wound, large or small, is a kind of death. The circle is powerful because my blood is powerful, but it is dead. It was dead the minute it began to cool."
"Okay then," the monk answered, still slightly confused but unwilling to admit it. "Why do you refuse to travel with anyone except Fred?"
She blinked at him. "That's a stupid question. Everyone I ever cared about died of a curse that fell upon me. I am still cursed and determined to prevent anyone else from falling to it. So I don't allow anybody to risk the same thing happening to them. Fred is already dead, no risk there."
"Alright then," Miroku sighed and decided to get back to the circle explanations "You can't exit the circle and we can't get in, yet you are able to throw rocks at us. Why?" If the ghosts couldn't get through, why could something as solid as a rock?
"You would ask me something difficult," Aki muttered, absently massaging her temple as she shifted into a more upright position. "All right, we've already discussed different types of energy right? Dead energy and live energy," She didn't even look to see the monk nod in acknowledgment. Surely you don't think that's all there is. Live energy is sustained in all things living. Dead energy mingles around things of great power that have died. Then there's a third type found in things like rocks and dirt, I tend to call it dormant. The circle doesn't block dormant energies because it doesn't recognize them. That would require a bit more effort to set into the barrier. Usually dormant energy requires a certain amount of skill just to detect because it is so self contained."
"So the ghosts are feeding off the rocks?"
"No, they only feed off live energy. I thought we covered this," Aki looked over her should at him, incredulous of his stupidity. "Besides it requires too much energy to tap into, unless you find a large store of it."
"How do you know all of this anyway? From what Kagome-sama tells us, your world isn't exactly the best about teaching this sort of information."
Aki chuckled, "And that's where the irony comes in. The core of this information I know on a subconscious level. I just know. The rest is scientific speculation and common sense. It appears that I am incredibly sensitive to all energies and can manipulate them. Before this village was wiped out I could tell you the approximate age of nearly every inhabitant. With the exception of Haku, I could probably tell you what type of injury each had last suffered," Her breath caught as a gash manifested under her left eye.
"Aki-sama?" Miroku hadn't missed the sudden appearance of a cut on her face with no obvious cause. "Where'd you get that gash?"
"You remember Naraku's painted detachment? Well, while you guys were playing cat and mouse with the Shikon shards and Sesshoumaru was sulking by himself, I got to play with him," she informed him quietly. "Dream injuries take time to manifest after you wake up."
"Does it hurt?"
"Does it hurt when you wake up after being knocked out?" Aki returned sarcastically.
"Eh, heheh. Right," He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. There was on last question he was dieing to ask. Of course it would very likely end this little interview. Choices, choices. "What is this school thing?" he smiled weakly. That wasn't it.
She blinked at him. Where the hell had that come from? "School is a near universal system of education. An individual starts in the system usually around the age of five, though some start younger than that. A child is taught how to interact with others, read, write and a number of other things that will aid in later life tasks. Sometimes how well a person does in adulthood is influenced by the amount and type of education received in childhood."
"So school is very important then?" Miroku asked.
"Yes, very important, especially if you want a good job that pays well. Even more so if you want to do something you enjoy. Your job and pay dictate your quality of life and the amount of freedom you have for things that aren't work related."
"How far did you go with your education?"
"All the way, though a person does not have to go past middle school, it is usually beneficial to at least finish high school. I went beyond that, and all ahead of schedule. My family was so proud when I went off to college." She smiled warmly, lost in memory. "My little brothers were so little then. Oh, but they were determined to go to college too. They wanted to grow up and be just like me. My mother used to tease me with their hero worship." She chuckled a little, smile turning sad. "I miss them." Aki shook herself out of her reverie. "Anything else you wanted to ask about?"
"Yes, where is your country?" Still not the question, was Miroku turning chicken?
"That way," she waved her arm in a generally eastern direction.
"How far?"
"Across an ocean."
"What?" Miroku gasped. He'd always thought there was nothing beyond this Island in that direction.
"Across an ocean. Oh dear, I forgot the world is still considered flat," Aki sighed. "Oh well, doesn't matter anyway. If I went there now, there wouldn't really be anything familiar except maybe the huge natural landmarks."
"Why is that?"
"The Europeans haven't "discovered" it yet. Which actually means the land and the natives haven't been exploited by the quietly invading foreign powers. Every country was founded on blood, it's sad really," Aki yawned hugely.
Miroku realized that all his scholarly curiosity was boring, even to Aki. Hell, it almost appeared to be putting her to sleep. That's when he finally decided to just ask the question and get it over with. It was bound to wake her up a little. Miroku built up his courage with a lecherous grin and let the words flow from his lips. "So Aki, what happened to your shirt?"
The reaction was immediate; Inuyasha made Miroku pancakes while Aki looked on in amused shock. She almost laughed; surprised it had taken him that long to ask the question. Unfortunately an especially painful wound chose that moment to manifest. She collapsed under the fresh onslaught of severe pain, holding onto consciousness by the skin of her fanged teeth.
Inuyasha worriedly threw himself down against the barrier to get as close to her as possible, desperately calling for her attention. "Aki! Aki!" the hanyou called to her loudly. When he received no response that way, he thought maybe he shouldn't try yelling so close to her ears. Inuyasha summoned up the gentlest voice he could muster and called using his chosen pet name. "Aki-nee-chan," he willed her to answer.
The exhausted female slowly opened one pain-glazed eye to glance his way. "That's it Aki-nee-chan," Inuyasha kept coaxing her, calling her to move from her prone position back to leaning against the barrier. She moved slowly, jerkily, finally achieving an upright position. It was then he caught a glimpse of what caused her to collapse like that. He went to reach out and soothe her pain forgetting the impediment in his way until he was forcefully reminded.
She leaned her head back and turned to press her cheek against the warmth of his hand on through the barrier. Aki whimpered at the intense pain she had yet to grow accustomed to. Inuyasha growled in horrified sympathy, very able to recognize and understand the pain that had rendered her bereft of coherent thought.
"Oh, Aki-nee-chan…"
"It…hurts…" she grit out. "Inuki-chan…it hurts."
"I know, I know." Of course he knew. Who would know better? Inuyasha knew exactly how it felt for his triangular ears to suffer an injury. For that is what had happened to Aki. One of her sensitive, delicate ears was currently sporting a large tear.
Slowly her body acquired a sort of detachment from the pain. She found herself very awake, and cursing Naraku. Yet, secretly, she was thankful, because the wounds had proven to help keep her awake. That didn't mean she wouldn't cause bodily harm at the first opportunity.
"Aki-nee-chan," Inuyasha started timidly. "How are you holding up?"
She laughed dryly, "I now know what dinner feels like."
"That isn't funny!"
"Would you rather I cry? Break down in hysterics? Lash out without cause? None of that will help me, and some might hurt my situation."
The dog boy growled, "Still, joking isn't the way to deal with this!"
"When you've seen everything I have you learn not to take things too seriously or you risk running mad." Aki yawned; despite the pain she was still exhausted. "You're not planning to interrogate me like the monk are you?"
"Now would I settle in for something like that?" Inuyasha asked with a grin.
"Well seeing as how there isn't anything violent you can do to keep me awake, I really don't see what you're planning," Aki gazed at him under her lashes suspiciously.
From a distance her look seemed rather come hither as opposed to stand-offish, and Sesshoumaru, who had never really left completely, was finding it rather difficult to see her behavior as something innocent. It didn't help that Inuyasha had known Aki longer than him. It didn't help that she had left him without saying goodbye.
"She certainly matches you well if she's got you all twisted up inside," a wise voice observed from slightly behind him. He only growled in response. "There she sits treating your younger half-brother like a mischievous little boy and you stand all the way over here jealous because of it. Listen to their talk, Sesshoumaru-sama. They are merely playing. Neither seeks to remove you from your position as her mate," Tama informed him. "They are like litter mates, two young ones teasing each other over inanities. Surely you don't suspect them of attempting to begin a romantic relationship right before your very eyes. Especially when Inuyasha's other female is so likely to stumble upon them."
"Actually Aki banters like that with most anyone she meets. This is nothing special," Fred butted in on the one-sided conversation. "You should have seen the dressing down and playful talking to she gave to Kikyou when they first met." The ghost chuckled warmly, "Of course that might have been because Kikyou tried to shoot her."
"What?" Tama gasped.
"Oh yes," Fred replied. "Kikyou is rather narrow-minded in her views on youkai. Aki just had to be evil. It didn't matter that Aki had thought she was human up until a few months ago. It didn't matter that Aki wasn't pure youkai at all. All that mattered was that Aki was partial youkai and had the audacity to carry shards of the Shikon no Tama."
"What do you mean, she was human?" Tama demanded.
"I mean precisely what I said. Aki was human. Aki's grandmother placed her under a spell to repress her youkai blood and a few months ago this demented witch broke it." Fred explained, bored with the subject. "Aki hadn't known anything about it. She'd thought her human parents were her parents."
"Sesshou," the goat demon began darkly.
"Ghost, you talk too much," Sesshoumaru growled in irritation. He was well aware of just what Tama was going to do. She had been his former nanny. In a lot of ways she was rather like his mother, and as his mother she would feel it was her place to scold him for his breach of custom and acceptable behavior. He really hated Fred!
Tama would never strike him. She never had, but she really didn't need to. Years of being in her constant care made him very familiar with all the many ways she could punish him for his misbehavior. Lets just say that in his opinion, nothing Naraku could ever do would compare to one of Tama's really good lectures. Nothing!
So Sesshoumaru spent most of his time insuring that they would not happen. Like now was a really good time to step in and end Inuyasha's annoying chat with his mate. The male really didn't have the right to be talking with her anyway. For that matter, the slowly reviving monk had a lesson in respect coming to him as well.
Fortunately for the mortal monk, Kagura made her presence felt right then. Both inu reacted as expected. Inuyasha hauled out his sword before taking the time to really think about wielding a giant weapon capable of destroying barriers around Aki's circle and Sesshoumaru sent a warning growl at the detachment.
Aki sighed and stood up to face the wind youkai strolling down the center of the village. "What are the orders this time, Windy?"
"It's Kagura! KA-GU-RA!" the other woman grit out in annoyance.
Aki shrugged mildly before ordering Inuyasha to put his stupid sword away.
"But it's Kagura," Inuyasha pointed at the detachment as if Aki hadn't already identified the woman.
"And this is a barrier erected to prevent the deaths of you and your friends. Think about it moron!" Aki glared at him before pointedly turning her attention on the detachment that was just now reaching the circle.
"My, someone does good work," Kagura observed as she prodded the unyielding field of energy. "I guess I really will be forced to fulfill my orders this time."
"What do you mean?" Aki asked quietly as she slowly waded through the playing ghosts strewn between her and the wind user.
"My orders were to keep you here until my younger sibling with the painted face got here," she answered, looking Aki in the eye. "I had intended to warn you off or find some other way to persuade you to move before he got here, but apparently there's no chance of that."
Aki sighed, "Nope, no chance of that."
"Wait a minute," Miroku joined the conversation. "You were going to purposely fail to fulfill your orders from Naraku?"
"I don't see why she wouldn't," Fred shrugged. "She always has."
"Kagura rather resents being told what to do," Aki informed him.
"Nah," Kagura waved their words aside. "I just like you."
Aki snorted, "Yeah right."
"In any case you are trying to help us," Miroku pointed out.
"No I'm not," Kagura shook her head. "I'm just keeping Aki alive." Inuyasha nearly fell on his face in surprise. "Aki is somewhat like me. She is denied the one thing she desires in life through no fault of her own, but the sadistic whims of fate and incarnations of evil." Aki smiled gently while the rest of the observers glanced between the two women. "She should be free; free to feel, and live, and thrive."
"Just as the wind should be free to move," Aki murmured quietly.
"Wait a minute," Miroku begged in confusion. "When the hell did you two spend time together to figure this out?"
"Some things you just know," Kagura observed.
"Your job is done now," Aki murmured her face tilted downward to hide from the moonlight.
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha demanded gruffly.
"She means that the reason Kagura was to keep her here has arrived," Fred sadly pointed at the red pinpricks appearing down Aki's throat.
"You may leave, sister dear," the painted detachment's sinister voice floated from the space behind Aki as he forced the partial youkai's head up. "I can take over from here."
"Damn," Fred muttered. "I was hoping the circle would keep him out." The ghost attempted to glare at the invisible demon.
"Hmm," The space behind Aki hummed in amusement at the ghost and the rest of the people gathering outside of the circle.
Inuyasha couldn't seem to stop growling at the threat he could smell but not see, not even Kagome's soothing hand on his arm could silence the sound. Sango helped Miroku to his feet from where he still rested after his beating. Their horror at the situation was a palpable thing that hovered in the air.
But their reactions were nothing compared to Sesshoumaru's whose senses couldn't lose the scent of Aki's fear. He was having trouble maintaining his control, and it was all he could do not to lash out at the barrier that prevented him from coming to her rescue. It didn't help that the detachment proved to hold a deep rooted lust for his mate.
"Did you miss me my little toy?" the detachment's voice slithered through the air. Everyone who heard it felt slimy. "Naraku has sent me to renegotiate your little contest, my sweet one."
Aki tensed further as the painted creation swept her hair to the side and leaned his mouth closer to her ear. Quietly he murmured suggestively to her, "And I do hope you refuse because I've received orders as to what to do should you refuse. I am quite certain to enjoy them," he laughed darkly. "After all, he only specified you had to survive it, not that you had to be kept whole. And I think you'll find that pleasure is remarkably increased by pain."
Sesshoumaru's low growling intensified as Aki's green eyes glazed over slightly in paralyzing terror. Her pointed ears swiveled to catch the sound. Slowly the vague look in her eyes dissipated and she focused on him. Aki's jaw firmed in determination. Her fear wasn't going to hold her captive.
The detachment didn't miss the change in his prey. The again, how does one miss a kick to the head? He snarled ferally at the woman crouched defensively before him.
"Aki-sama! Be careful of the circle!" Haku yelled.
Aki nodded at the ghost in acknowledgment. All of her attacks would have to be strictly non magical. Anything that dealt with her keen sensitivities to energy would be a threat to the barrier. Something that she would avoid at all costs.
She had no reservations about beating the stupid painted detachment with her bare hands and brute strength. Trouble was, Aki's brute strength was lacking due to her exhaustion. Her speed was down a couple notches after her tiring sprint earlier and the circle was too confining for her to use it much anyway. She was screwed. But that didn't mean she wouldn't fight anyway.
Sesshoumaru growled in frustration watching her unwavering gaze pin down a demon he couldn't see. And as if things weren't bad enough, it started to rain.
Funny thing about being invisible, just because a person is invisible, doesn't mean anything that touches or covers you will likewise be rendered transparent as the detachment soon found out.
Aki cracked a half smile; finally something decided to work slightly in her favor. Now she had a watery outline to help her in the fight. She was still horribly outmatched, but at least now she could be sure to land more than one hit on the bastard that tormented her dreams.
The almost youkai launched herself at the semi-visible detachment striking a powerful blow in the middle of what should have been his chest. Unfortunately the detachment recovered fast enough to send her flying back into the barrier hard enough to stun her momentarily.
Aki's exhausted body betrayed her before the fight had truly begun. Even though she struggled to regain her footing her legs have out under her and she slid down the wall of dead energy. Her head was still spinning from the impact and she knew she was done. She didn't need the bastard's sinister laughter to tell her that.
Sesshoumaru growled even more angry than he had been before and his frustration grew. There was his mate, in imminent danger, and he couldn't help her. He was fast losing his control and had taken several steps towards her without his knowledge.
"STAY BACK!" a childish voice called out to the advancing watery threat. Sesshoumaru looked up to see Haku standing between Aki and her attacker.
"Haku," a dark voice began, "get out of the way!"
"Aki-sama, don't do it!" the ghost replied with worry evident in his voice.
"Aki don't give in. Come on, you're okay," Fred attempted to soothe her.
"What? What's going on?" Kagome asked in concern.
"It appears Aki may have the same problem as Inuyasha without his Tessaiga," Miroku pointed to the eyes of their friend.
Sesshoumaru studied his mate more closely even as his body continued to move without him. Her eyes were flashing rapidly between green and red. It would not do to allow his mate to go insane in the clutches of her own youkai blood.
Suddenly the advancing threat to Aki lunged at her. The former English tutor pressed herself against the firm surface behind her in reflex and Sesshoumaru took the last step to the barrier.
It's amazing how things can change from one moment to the next. Aki watched stunned as the imminent threat coming towards her was forced to a stop at the apex of his leap and then forcefully jettisoned completely out of the circle. Leaving him exposed to the attack of one pretty drenched dog boy.
The almost youkai just blinked at the event unfolding before her. She found herself quite at a loss as to what had just happened. Aki let out a stunned breath before realizing she could feel warmth on one of her shoulders where it was pressed against the barrier that held her captive.
There, with his hand pressed against her shoulder and blinking in as much startlement as her, was Sesshoumaru.