YOU MUST READ THIS! This chapter is mostly a dream sequence, just so you don't get confused.. It does serve a purpose later on so pay attention!
Just a recap of some of the original characters that I added that will be appearing in this chapter:
Seiya- Moyuru's half-brother and also a full demon (yes, I know it's like Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, but the half-brother thing is where the whole similarity ends as you will find out.)
Tsukasa- Moyuru's full demon father and the tyranical lord of the southern lands. (A lord like Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father, but definitely not nice like Inu no Taisho)
Also remember that Haha means Mother and Chichi means father.
Well, let's not draw this out any longer and get along with the story shall we? As always read, REVIEW and enjoy!
But first, A poem that I wrote for this chapter: (It definitely fits)
A Past that Left Scars
Memories of a past so distant,
Distant as the stars.
A past of pain,
A past that left scars.
A past you struggle to forget.
You struggle, but the memories live on.
Just as the scars may fade,
The memory does too,
But though the scar may lighten,
It'll never go away,
And the memory stays with you.
Memories of a past so distant
The distance to the stars does not compare
And even though you try to hide it,
The scar is still there.
A reminder of the past,
A past you would rather forget,
But as long as the scar's still there
You can never get rid of it-
The memory,
Of a past that left scars.
A Painful Memory
"Psst! Hey Moyuru!" a voice whispered.
A tiny five-year-old Moyuru looked to the bushes outside the old hut she had occupied after her mother's death. Her large fox-ears perked and her big blue eyes lit up with recognition as the voice spoke again.
"Is there anyone near?" the voice asked, whispering again.
"Nope, no one here but me." Moyuru answered, a small smile coming to her dirt smudged face.
Another child, a young boy kitsune youkai, stepped forward out of the bushes that had concealed him. He looked to be eight or nine years old. He had deep blue eyes and brown hair which was kept in a braid and trailed down his back to the backs of his knees. His bangs were also much like Moyuru's, thick, parted in the middle and long enough to where they hung in his face, partially covering his eyebrows. He wore a baggy sleeveless shirt and baggy pants, both of a light blue color. He had a tail the same color as his hair except for at the end where it was cream colored. He carried with him a small bundle.
"Seiya!" Moyuru exclaimed happily, running to him and hugging him.
He hugged her back, "Sorry I took so long, Chichi's been watching me and I couldn't sneak out. I brought you all the food I could get though." he said as they pulled away from one another, going into the hut.
Once inside he unwrapped the bundle that he had been carrying. Inside it was all that he could salvage of his own meal as well as what few items he had managed to pilfer from the kitchen when no one was looking. It was a meager meal, but it was more than enough to excite the stomach of his five-year-old little sister.
Moyuru's stomach let out a loud growl as her nose caught scent of the food.
"Woah, you sound like you're really hungry." Seiya commented pushing the food to her, "I know it might not be enough. . ." he began regretfully.
"You got what you could, it's better than nothin'." Moyuru offered, beginning to eat. She ate rather quickly, though trying not to be piggish. She finished chewing a piece of venison before swallowing it. "Well, it's better than a little hand-full of rice!" she said, trying to be optimistic as she continued to eat.
She suddenly paused mid-chew, her large fox-like ears twitching at the faint noise that was nearing them. "Do you hear that?" she asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, it sounds like someone's coming." Seiya whispered in agreement, going to the door and peering out. He froze, his eyes widening. "It's Chichi!" he exclaimed quietly, horrified. What would their father do to them if he found out? If he hadn't found out already!
Moyuru whimpered softly, "Seiya, I'm scared." she cried quietly as she curled up on herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
"It'll be okay." Seiya assured her, hugging her comfortingly as his eyes scanned the hut for any means of escape. He knew that they had been caught when he didn't find any sign of an escape route anywhere, either from the hut or their situation.
The flap that covered the door was ripped away as their father stormed in. He galred at his daughter a moment before speaking, "I knew you were behind this Moyuru! If it weren't for you, Seiya wouldn't be soiling his reputation and mine by stealing for a worthless half breed!"
Moyuru recoiled from the volume of his voice as well as his harsh words.
"I didn't take much, only enough for her. I only took it because you're not giving her enough!" Seiya retorted, now standing in between his father and his little sister.
"You see? She's corrupted you just like she has done to or bloodline by sullying it with her ignoble mixed blood!" Tsukasa yelled angrily.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry Chichi just don't hurt me!" Moyuru cried, still curled up and tense as though bracing for the beating she was sure she would get. Tears streamed from her eyes, causing light colored streaks to appear on her face as they washed the dirt away.
Tsukasa looked to her dispassionately as he began to approach her. "Seiya, step aside." he ordered.
Seiya swallowed hard before shaking his head, "No, she doesn't deserve it." he stated, standing his ground.
Tsukasa glared at him, "Seiya. . ." he said in a warning tone.
"No." Seiya replied more firmly, making Tsukasa angrier.
"Seiya, you will step aside unless you wish to be punished before hand."
Seiya let a small gulp. He knew that his father would punish him for this. He would beat him without remorse, but he couldn't let any harm come to his little sister. She had been hurt too many times already.
"No." the young boy replied again though his heart threatened to pound out of his chest and his knees felt like they could collapse under him. It took every ounce of courage he could muster just to stand his ground.
"You fool of a child!" Tsukasa growled, picking him up by the front of his shirt.
Seiya yelped in shock as he felt his feet leaving the ground. He wore a fearful expression as he found himself being held eye level with his father. What would he do to him?
"You bring this upon yourself!" Tsukasa snarled, slapping Seiya, his claws digging into and marring the skin on the right side of his face.
"Ah!" Seiya gasped in pain as his head jerked to the side at the impact. He stared off into space with a shocked expression as warm blood oozed from the open wounds. He now had four jagged gashes on his face, one cutting dangerously close to his eye.
"Now stay out of my way!" the southern lord yelled angrily, roughly throwing Seiya aside.
Seiya let out a cry of surprise as he flew through the air, hitting the ground hard and sliding a bit. He lay on the ground, stunned for a few moments before dragging himself to his knees and gasping for the air that had been knocked from him.
Moyuru had shrunk back into a corner as her father approached her, "I'm sorry! Just don't hurt me and Seiya anymore please!" she begged, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Her pleas went unheard by her father, "Silence!" he bellowed, looking as though he were about to strike her.
Seiya lunged at his father, forgetting the pain for the moment and going for Tsukasa's face. His small claws dug into the flesh of the larger demon's cheek, raking along the bone.
Tsukasa growled angrily at Seiya as he landed and took his place protectively standing in front of Moyuru.
Seiya's father glared at him, "I told you to stay out of the way." he seethed darkly, lashing out at his son.
Seiya's eyes clenched shut as he braced for the blow, his father was too fast and he would never get out of the way in time! He screamed in pain as his father's claws once again assaulted the right side of his face, swiping right down it.
The boy fell to his hands and knees, cringing in pain and clutching the injury. Blood ran through his fingers and flowed in diminutive rivers of crimson down his arm.
"Seiya!" Moyuru cried out, beginning to rush to his side, but a few stern words from her brother stopped her.
"No, Moyuru stay back!" Seiya ordered, his voice filled with pain as he again picked himself up off the ground.
"That human mother of hers rubbed off on you more than I thought. She was a fool and now she's made you one too." Tsukasa sneered as Seiya regained his footing, still between Moyuru and his increasingly irate father. "Now out of my way." Tsukasa ordered again.
Seiya clenched his fists, forcing himself to hold his ground, "No, I won't let you hurt her like you did my haha." he replied in a quivering voice.
Tsukasa just growled, beginning forward again.
Seiya lunged at him. His eyes suddenly widened and he cried out in pain as he found himself hurtling through the air, crashing through the rotting wall of the decrepit hut and hitting the ground outside. His small body rolled a few times before finally coming to a stop where he lay sprawled out and motionless.
"Seiya!" Moyuru cried, beginning to run out to him. She froze upon hearing her name.
"Don't help him unless you want to worsen your punishment, he's already received his." Tsukasa stated.
Moyuru looked to him in shock, "But-
"I said don't help him!" he snarled, causing Moyuru to flinch and shrink back against the wall. "Let him suffer a while and then we'll see if he makes the same mistake again." He turned his attention to his terrified daughter, "I will be back and if I find that you did anything to lessen his punishment. . ." he threatened, allowing the threat to dangle in the air as though daring the scared girl to ask about the consequence. He then left, seeming to have forgotten about punishing his hanyou daughter for the moment.
Moyuru waited until he disappeared from view before running to her brother's side.
Seiya still hadn't moved. He lay on his back, exposing more deep claw marks across his stomach and chest. His breathing was choppy and uneven, he was dying!
Moyuru's mind raced. What should she do? She knew that Seiya needed help, if he didn't get it then he would die! But if she helped, her own death could be the result. But she couldn't just let him die! He had gotten hurt trying to help her! Her! She couldn't just stand by and do nothing while he lay there, the life steadily leaving his body. But what could she do? She had to think!
Seiya moaned weakly, beginning to gain consciousness.
"Seiya!" Moyuru cried, hoping for a response.
"Moyuru. . ." he replied after a while, "Chichi didn't. . . hurt you. . . did he?" he asked, his speech broken by the pain he was in.
"No." Moyuru answered quietly, shaking her head.
"Good." her brother stated softly, cringing in pain.
"Seiya! Are you okay big brother?" Moyuru asked.
Seiya opened his remaining good eye to look at her, "I will be. . . I'll even say hi to your haha for you. . ." he said weakly before his eyelids slid shut and he went completely limp.
"Seiya?. . . Seiya!" Moyuru cried, nudging him in hope that he would move or something, anything! She sunk deep into despair as no response came from her brother. The only sign that he was even still alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest as he continued to breathe uneasily.
Moyuru was suddenly struck with an idea. Akiko! Akiko was her only friend, Sakura's, mother and she was a healer. She could help!
Sakura and her family were the only other demons she knew that weren't so prejudice against humans and half demons. Akiko had even helped Kyoko, Moyuru's mother, many times before and Kyoko was human. Sakura's family also wasn't bad off, having a decent sized house instead of a mere hut to live in. They were one of the wealthiest families in the primarily kitsune youkai village with Tadashi, Sakura's father, being a rather skilled samurai.
But how to get there without her father seeing her? All of the larger houses were closest to the castle. No time to think about that! She had to get moving! Moyuru hesitated no longer before starting for the healer's house at a run, running as fast as her little legs would carry her.
Not even two minutes had passed before she was frantically knocking on the door of the house. She continued to knock until the door slid open, an annoyed looking Akiko standing on the other side of it.
Akiko's expression quickly changed when she noticed the panting Moyuru who had been the one knocking.
Moyuru sank to her knees as soon as the door opened, taking in gulps of air.
"Moyuru, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Akiko asked, her green eyes showing concern.
"It's Seiya!" Moyuru blurted out, not even bothering to catch her breath first, "He didn't deserve. . . you've gotta help. . . he'll die!" Moyuru managed to force out between gasps of air.
Akiko's eyes widened, "Tadashi!" she called back into the house.
Sakura's father appeared in the doorway behind her, "What seems to be the problem?" he asked, having sensed the urgency in his mate's voice.
"She says Seiya's in some kind of trouble! She says he's going to die!" Akiko answered.
Tadashi's eyes widened in shock as well, "Where is he?" he asked quickly.
Moyuru still hadn't quite caught her breath yet as she spoke, "Old hut. . . at the edge of the village. . . where I live." she breathed.
Tadashi nodded once, "Akiko, you stay here and get things ready, I'll be right back." he said before he was gone.
Akiko rubbed Moyuru on the back comfortingly, "Okay, calm down, we're going to help you and everything's going to be fine." she said softly, scooping the exhausted girl up in her arms and taking her to a spare room where she rolled out two extra futons.
"Chichi's gonna be mad at me." Moyuru cried, curling up in a corner of the room.
Akiko looked to the scared girl in question, "What do you mean?" she asked.
Moyuru didn't answer, just sat there with her arms wrapped around her knees and her head resting on them to where her eyes were hidden from view.
No sooner had Akiko finished preparing the room than she heard Tadashi call her name. She quickly got up, beginning to move to the door as Tadashi entered, Seiya's body resting limply in his arms. Akiko put her hands over her mouth, shock clearly written across her features. "Oh Kami Sama!" she exclaimed.
Tadashi laid Seiya carefully down on a futon. Although only a few minutes had passed since Moyuru had last seen her brother, his breathing had slowed to nearly a stop and his skin had turned an unhealthy color pale.
Akiko whispered something quickly to Tadashi who nodded once and approached Moyuru, kneeling down next to her.
She hadn't noticed him there as she sat crying.
Tadashi put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. The young hanyou flinched, turning her head quickly to look at him. Upon seeing that she was in no danger, she calmed down.
"Come on, let's go somewhere else." Tadashi offered.
"But, I don't want to leave him." she protested, not moving from her spot.
"Don't worry, we'll be back. Akiko just needs some space to work." he said reassuringly.
Moyuru reluctantly got to her feet, following him out of the room and into the living area of the house. Then came the question Moyuru had been dreading.
"What happened to your brother?" Tadashi asked.
Moyuru stayed silent, keeping her gaze trained on the ground in front of her.
"I understand if it scared you but we need to know." Tadashi insisted, urging her to talk though not pushing it on her too hard.
Moyuru still hesitated, too scared to speak of the matter for fear that it might cause her father to be more angry with her than he already would be.
Tadashi pulled her into a comforting hug, "Just tell me what happened." he urged gently. He may have been samurai, but he didn't act it outside of battle. Apparently having a child had mellowed him out a bit.
Moyuru spoke, still hesitant, "H-he was only t-trying to protect me." Moyuru stammered out.
"From what?" Tadashi asked quietly.
Moyuru stayed silent for a while, still reluctant to speak of it.
"Chichi." she replied quietly after a few moments, her eyes still focused on the floor.
Tadashi looked shocked to say the least. Seiya's own father had done this horrible thing to him? It was preposterous! "Your chichi did that to him?" Tadashi asked incredulously.
Moyuru looked to him with pleading eyes, "Please don't tell anyone I told you, Chichi might hurt me for it! Please don't tell!" she begged, her voice and expression full of fear.
"Okay, okay I won't. I won't let him hurt you again." Tadashi said softly, trying to calm her as she had begun to cry again.
"Seiya's going to be okay isn't he?" Moyuru asked in a voice that was beyond worry.
What could Tadashi tell her? He knew that the possibilities of Seiya living through something like that were slim to none. It would be a miracle if he even regained consciousness. "I don't know." he answered quietly, not wanting to get her hopes up incase her brother really were to die. It would crush Moyuru either way, whether she was expecting him to live or not.
"Tadashi!" came Akiko's urgent voice.
He pulled away from Moyuru, setting her down, "Stay here." he commanded before rushing to his mate.
Moyuru sat where she was told to, nervously toying with her hair. She knew that there was something wrong, she could sense it. The tension that was in the air suddenly was nearly unbearable to the five-year-old. What was happening to Seiya? She could hear frantic words being spoken in the other room, but couldn't make out what they were. Moyuru sat there, feeling hopeless. Seiya had run into trouble, she knew it, but she couldn't do anything to help and it felt as though the fact were eating away at her from the inside.
Soon the voices had subsided and the tension left the air as the door to the room slid open, Tadashi hurrying out of it with a pail of water. The rag that had been used to clean Seiya's wounds floated around in the water that sloshed in the pail. Once white, it was now stained red with blood. The water was also reddened, not clear anymore as it had been when Akiko had brought it in. Tadashi had obviously been told to empty the pail and get more.
Moyuru chanced to move from her spot after she had watched Tadashi leave. She moved quietly down the hall to the room, opening the door and peering in.
Akiko was beginning to finish her work. She had finally succeeded in stopping the bleeding and was now applying herbs to the wounds, carefully bandaging them. She wore a troubled expression as she worked.
Moyuru heard footsteps nearing the back door of the house and she hurried back to her spot, acting as though she had never left it as Tadashi reentered with a fresh pail of water.
He didn't seem to notice Moyuru's scent at the door of the room as he dropped the pail off with Akiko. He came back into the room, sitting once again with Moyuru.
Moyuru sat with her arms wrapped around her legs, her eyes bloodshot from crying. Dark circles had appeared under them, the hour having been late when she had first knocked on their door.
"You should get some sleep." Tadashi suggested.
Moyuru shook her head, "I'm not going to sleep until I can be in there with Seiya." She stated firmly though she had leaned heavily into Tadashi the moment he sat down, yawning and rubbing at her eyes sleepily.
Tadashi rubbed her comfortingly on the back as she did so, "It shouldn't be too long now." he said.
To tell the truth, he didn't know how long it was going to be. Seiya wasn't fairing too well, but he couldn't tell Moyuru that. When Akiko had urgently summoned Tadashi earlier it had been a close call, a very close call. The young boy's heart had completely stopped!
They had barely managed to save him this time, what if it happened again? Would they still be able to save him? What could have driven Tsukasa to beat him so badly? Tadashi knew that Tsukasa had a tendency to rule with an iron fist, but to beat his own son nearly to death? He had gone too far.
"Chichi's gonna be mad at me." Moyuru cried.
"Why?" Tadashi questioned.
"Because. . . he told me not to help Seiya. He told me that was his punishment for stealing food for me and that I shouldn't do anything to help him." Moyuru explained through tears, "Seiya was only trying to help me! Chichi got mad at me and was going to punish me but Seiya wouldn't let him. . . so he hurt him instead. He would've never got hurt if I wasn't there." she added sadly as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
"Don't think that, it wasn't your fault." Tadashi said.
"Then whose fault was it?" Moyuru demanded.
Tadashi looked a bit shocked having not at all expected this from a five-year-old. She already acted as if she were twice her own age or older.
There was the sound of a door sliding open as Akiko stepped into the room, "I've done all I can." she stated simply, the look in her eyes showing that the outcome was still uncertain. She once again pulled Tadashi aside.
Moyuru waited a few moments before sneaking after them, if it was something about her brother, she wanted to know.
"So, did you find out how that happened?" Akiko asked once she was sure they were alone.
"Yes, I did and you would be surprised." Tadashi answered
"Well, what happened? Who did that to him?" Akiko prompted impatiently, the question had been eating away at her since Seiya had been brought in.
"Tsukasa." came Tadashi's one word answer.
Akiko looked shocked, "What? He did that to his own son? Why?" she questioned, puzzled by the idea that anyone would do that to their own flesh and blood.
"Seiya was sneaking Moyuru food and, from what I gathered, they were caught. Moyuru told me that Tsukasa was going to beat her but Seiya tried to stop him." Tadashi explained.
Akiko's fists clenched, "Humph, starving his own daughter and beating his own son nearly to death! What a great lord Tsukasa has made." she commented sardonically, the bitter sarcasm present in every word.
"What about Seiya, how is he doing?" Tadashi asked, slightly changing the subject.
Akiko sighed heavily, dropping her arms to her sides and looking to the ground, "I believe you already know the answer to that question." she answered quietly.
"I see." Tadashi replied.
"I wish there were more I could do to help." Akiko stated quietly.
"I know. Poor kid. . ." Tadashi commented, "He didn't even do anything wrong."
"It just isn't right, we need to go to Tsukasa with this! It's not fair to his poor children that he treats them like this!" Akiko exclaimed quietly.
"I know, but we can't. I fear of what may happen to Moyuru if we confront Tsukasa with what she's told us, he'll take it out on her for sure." Tadashi said.
"What if we tell others in the village? He can't ignore all of us. We may not have gotten much of a rising out of him hurting Moyuru merely because she's half-demon, but tell them what has happened to Seiya and there's sure to be some kind of reaction. After it's all over we can take them both in." Akiko suggested.
"You're forgetting that Tsukasa is still a lord, he has command over an entire army. He would only kill us and then take it out on one or both of his children." Tadashi replied dryly.
"But I can't just watch this happen to those innocent little ones! They don't deserve it!" Akiko protested.
"I know," Tadashi said, drawing his mate into an embrace, "we just have to help where we can. If it wouldn't be putting our family in danger to take Moyuru and Seiya both in you know I would do it without a second thought."
"But. . ." Akiko prompted.
"But Tsukasa has already threatened us with what will happen if we do and we have Sakura to think about. We just have to give them support when we can. They're strong kids, they can make it through this. . . somehow." Tadashi stated. "I know you want to help, but it's out of our control."
Akiko sighed heavily as they pulled away from each other, "I know Moyuru wants to be with her brother tonight, so I will allow her to stay in that room with him. They both need each other." she said.
Tadashi just nodded once, "I'll tell her." he stated simply.
"I will stay in the room tonight as well, incase anything else should happen." Akiko added.
"Alright. You know where to find me if you need me." Tadashi replied, beginning towards the living area where he had left Moyuru. He sniffed the air a bit when he came to the corner where Moyuru had been hiding. How much of that had she heard?
When he entered the room he found Moyuru to be sitting where he had left her, acting as though she had heard nothing of what had been said. Tadashi approached her, sitting on his heels in front of her.
She looked up to him, a certain sorrow in her eyes. It was plain that she had heard plenty.
"You can go be with your brother now, but he hasn't woken up yet." Tadashi informed her.
Her only reply was a nod as she got up to follow him.
Akiko was already in the room when they got there, already lying on a futon close to Seiya who was situated on one as comfortably as possible, his wounds having been carefully cleaned and bandaged.
Moyuru curled up on the foot of Seiya's futon, saying a silent prayer before falling asleep.
"Moyuru? . . ." a voice asked softly, rousing Moyuru from her light sleep.
She forced herself to sit up, opening her eyes. Sunlight flooded in through a window and she was forced to squint to see, her eyes needing time to adjust to the light.
"Hey," the voice said weakly.
Moyuru looked for the source, turning to find Seiya awake.
"I said hi to your haha for you. . . she said to tell you that she loves you." he said quietly, a testament to how close to death he had come.
Moyuru's eyes welled up with tears.
"What's the matter?" he asked, looking to her questioningly now.
"I'm sorry. . . and I'm glad you're okay." she said, a stray tear rolling down her cheek.
"Don't cry, you don't have anything to be sorry for." he stated, "All I need now is rest and I'll be okay, Haha told me so." he added, beginning to drift back to sleep.
Akiko had been awake to witness the moment between the siblings. It was a miracle! After he had gone back to sleep, she checked up on him, making sure that everything would be okay. It was nearly too good to be true, he was already healing wonderfully! The only thing that was reluctant to heal were the wounds on his face.
Akiko looked to them, troubled. He would definitely loose sight in that eye and the wounds would scar. Scars that were there to stay, for life. "Well, it looks like he'll be fine." Akiko announced happily.
Moyuru even seemed to be uplifted by this little bit of news.
There was a sudden ominous crash from somewhere in the house, "What's the meaning of this?" Tadashi's voice demanded.
Akiko was to her feet in a moment, moving Seiya and Moyuru to a secret location well hidden behind a wall, "You stay here." she ordered Moyuru before rushing into the living area.
"Where is my son?" another voice questioned angrily. Moyuru's heart skipped a beat, "Chichi. . ." she whispered fearfully.
"They're not here." Tadashi replied as Moyuru reached a hiding spot where she could see what was going on. The room was overrun with soldiers.
Akiko nodded in agreement to what her mate had stated.
Tsukasa approached her, eyeing her skeptically and grabbing her wrist.
"You let go of her!" Tadashi growled, beginning to lunge for him.
"Seize him!" Sukasa ordered. His soldiers did as they were told, now restraining a disgruntled Tadashi in the middle of the room. Tsukasa turned back to Akiko, drawing her hand up to his face, "If Seiya is not here, then why do your hands smell of his blood, healer?" he demanded, still having hold of her wrist.
Akiko fell silent, not answering.
"Where is he?" Sukasa asked again, growing angry when she still didn't answer him, "Wench!" he growled.
Akiko cried out in pain as he back handed her. She fell to the ground, holding her cheek.
Moyuru's eyes widened and she gasped as she watched from the safety of her hiding spot.
"Akiko!" Tadashi yelled, now struggling vigorously with the soldiers that held him, "You bastard! You'll pay for that! No one hurts her!" he spat.
Tsukasa stormed angrily over to him, drawing his sword.
Akiko's eyes grew wide, "No! Stop please!" she pleaded.
Tsukasa hadn't seemed to have heard her as he pressed the blade of the sword to Tadashi's neck, "Maybe you'll tell me where my son is, you are supposed to serve your lord." he said.
Tadashi glared at him, not saying a word.
Tsukasa pressed the sword even harder against his neck, "Tell me!" he demanded.
Tadashi didn't so much as flinch as the sword drew blood, "I'm not telling you." he stated firmly, not even an inkling of fear present in his expression.
Tsukasa growled angrily, pulling away from him. "No matter, I'll find a way to make you talk." he stated.
"Haha, Chichi, what's all the noise about?" a small, sleepy voice questioned.
Akiko ran to intercept Sakura before she had a chance to wander into the room but she was stopped when the southern lord made it there first, plucking the little girl off the ground by the back of her sleeping attire.
Sakura shrieked as she found herself suspended in the air, her feet nowhere near the ground.
"No!" Akiko cried.
Tadashi's eyes widened before narrowing dangerously at Sukasa, "Leave her out of this." he snarled, his eyes glowing a hellish red as he prepared to transform.
Tsukasa put his claws to the little girl's throat, "If you truly care for your daughter then you won't even think about it." he threatened, "As a matter of fact, I think we've been over this before."
Tadashi's eyes faded back to their original color and he continued to glare.
"So, are you going to give them up?" Tsukasa asked, "She really is a such a sweet child, I'm sure you'd miss her terribly." he mused, idly dragging a clawed finger lightly across Sakura's neck. He turned his attention back to the girl's father, "Am I right?"
"Stop! It's my fault, leave 'em alone!" Moyuru yelled, leaving the safety of her hiding place, "I went to get help, they're only doing what they're supposed to do!"
Tadashi and Akiko both seemed shocked by Moyuru's sudden appearance. She wasn't supposed to have left the secret room! Could a mere five year old really be conscious that she was risking her own life to save her friends?
"No Moyuru! What are you doing?" Tadashi exclaimed quietly.
Tsukasa paused, putting Sakura back down and marching angrily towards his own daughter.
Akiko ran to her shaken child, scooping her up in her arms and wishing that she could do the same for the hanyou as well.
Moyuru began backing away as her father neared her, looming above her now.
"I told you not to help him!" Tsukasa yelled as his hand wrapped around her tiny throat, lifting her up off the ground.
Moyuru found herself unable to scream as she struggled for air, her feet dangling and her small hands clawing at the big one around her neck.
Tadashi had begun struggling again, "Put her down, she didn't do anything to deserve this!" he growled.
Tsukasa turned to glare back at him, "Shut him up." he ordered. One of Sukasa's men struck Tadashi in the back of the neck, knocking him out cold.
"No! Stop all of this now!" Akiko cried, shielding Sakura's eyes from the violence.
"Chi. . . chi. . ." Moyuru managed to choke out, "Please. . . stop."
"Silence!" Sukasa snarled, his claws digging into the back of her neck causing Moyuru to cringe in pain. "You directly disobeyed me! I should kill you now!" he raged.
Moyuru continued to struggle for air, her flailing becoming weaker as she was beginning to go limp.
"Worthless hanyou!" Sukasa ground out, roughly throwing her aside. His claws ripped into her delicate skin as he did so, causing her to bleed.
She cried out in pain as she hit the floor hard. The world around her seemed to spin before dimming into nothingness.
Kagome's eyes shot open as Moyuru sat straight up in bed. What was that? It couldn't have been real, could it? Kagome reached for her lamp, switching it on. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Moyuru nodded, "Just a bad dream." she replied. Lying back down on her good side, her back facing towards Kagome. Her hair shifted from her neck, revealing scars on the back of it.
Those scars. . . Kagome thought to herself, They look like they're from claws like her father's claws in the dream when he nearly strangled her to death!
"That wasn't just a dream was it? . . . That little boy was your brother and that other demon that hurt him was your father wasn't he?" Kagome asked quietly.
Moyuru's eyes widened though Kagome couldn't see her shocked expression. How could she have known? "What are you talking about?" Moyuru asked.
"You know, you had the same dream didn't you?" Kagome replied, "But it couldn't have been just a dream. Those scars on your neck. . . your father gave those to you." she said trying to get an answer out of Moyuru.
Moyuru put a hand over the scars, trying to hide them as she had tried to hide her past. She wanted to forget her past and put it all behind her, but those scars . . . they were a constant reminder to her. "Yes, he did, and he would give me many more afterwards. You're right, that was more than a dream. . . It was a memory . . . one that I would prefer to forget." Moyuru finally answered hesitantly.
"What happened to your brother? Did he. . . ?" Kagome didn't finish her sentence but Moyuru knew what she meant.
"No, not then. The night that you found me in the forest. That was the night he died." Moyuru replied choking back tears, the memory still fresh in her mind.
"I'm sorry, it must've been so hard for you" Kagome commented.
Moyuru curled up on the mattress, "I miss him." she cried softly. "He took care of me for all those years, taught me nearly everything I know. . . I can't believe he's gone, it all happened so fast." she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper and filled with a sorrow that came from deep within her soul. She quickly tried to stop the tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks.
Kagome got up from her bed, going to the mattress on which Moyuru lay and seating herself on the edge of it. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, you can cry around me, I understand. Just let it all out." the miko said softly.
Moyuru uncurled, rolling onto her stomach and burying her face into a pillow before breaking out into sobs.
Kagome rubbed her on the back comfortingly. She couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. If that dream was only a taste of what she had been through then it was impossible not to feel bad for her.
"I miss him!" Moyuru sobbed into the pillow.
Kagome looked to her sympathetically. So this was why she seemed so sad all the time, her life was so devoid of happiness. Now she must feel so alone, so empty.
"Where's Moyuru? I thought she said that she was just going out to get some fresh air. It's been hours now and she hasn't come back." Shippo stated, sounding worried.
"She'll be fine." Inuyasha said nonchalantly.
"Inuyasha, what makes you so sure she's okay?" Sango questioned.
"Because, I tracked her scent to the well when I looked for her earlier." Inuyasha answered, sounding a bit annoyed.
"The well?" Shippo echoed.
"It seems as though she's gone to get Kagome herself." Miroku stated.
"She did seem to think it was her fault." Sango pointed out, absent mindedly scratching Kirara behind the ears.
"You mean she can go through the well too?" Shippo questioned incredulously.
Inuyasha shrugged, "I guess. Her scent went into it and she wasn't at the bottom of it so obviously she made it to the other side or else she would've been back by now." he stated, sitting against the wall with his arms and legs crossed. "What are you so worried about anyway? You're getting what you wanted. I wouldn't have gone to go get Kagome and I wouldn't care if Moyuru couldn't get her to come back." he added indignantly.
"Inuyasha! You're being so ignorant, didn't you ever stop to think that maybe you and Kagome misunderstood each other!" Shippo demanded a bit agitated. Shippo always got aggravated when Inuyasha refused to go get Kagome. Kagome was the closest thing to a mother that the young kit had, what would he do without her?
"What's there to misunderstand? Kagome doesn't trust me or else she wouldn't have been spying on me." Inuyasha snapped back.
Kaede spoke up, having been listening in on the conversation, "Did ye ever think to consider that Kagome may have seen ye and Moyuru together by pure coincidence alone? Kagome would understandably mistaken it for a sign that you were in love with Moyuru based on ye troubles with my sister, Kikyo." she stated.
Inuyasha fell silent. No, he hadn't thought of it that way. His problem with Kikyo hadn't even ended until Kikyo died and his and Kagome's relationship had been shaky until then.
Inuyasha sighed heavily. Kagome did have a reason not to trust him, it made sense now. Moyuru knew better though, maybe she could get Kagome to come back. But still, Inuyasha thought angrily, she should know me enough to know that I wouldn't break a promise to her, I promised that I would never do that again.
"Bye Mom!" Kagome called to her mother who stood in the doorway.
"Be careful!"
"Okay!" came Kagome's answer as she continued towards the well, her oversized backpack strapped to her shoulders.
Moyuru followed close behind her, now with clean clothes on. Luckily they hadn't shrunken or fallen apart in the washing machine. Moyuru also felt better, most of the smaller cuts and nearly all of the bruises had healed thanks to her demon blood. The only injuries that remained were the cut on her forehead and the horrendous bruise on her side, though those were healing quickly, the bruise not so sore as it was.
Moyuru hadn't said much all day, only speaking to thank Kagome and her mother for their hospitality. She seemed to be in deep thought as she walked. She briefly wondered how Kagome could stand going from a safe place to a dangerous one all the time like this.
In Kagome's house there was a nearly absolute sense of security. How could she leave it? How could she leave the warm shelter of her home to go to the feudal era where nothing was for certain or guaranteed?
Moyuru looked back to the house as they neared the entrance to the well. She secretly wished not to leave, but she knew she was terribly out of place here and had to go back to the other side even though she didn't feel as though she belonged there either. She sighed a heavy sigh as Kagome slid open the doors of the small shrine. Well, now it was back to the other side.
"Here, I can take that up for you." Moyuru offered once they were in the past, now standing in the bottom of the well.
"No, you're injured." Kagome protested.
"My legs aren't. Trust me, I can get it up there quick enough. Besides. . . it's the least I can do after you and your mother helped me like you did." Moyuru stated.
Kagome reluctantly put the heavy bag down. Moyuru was hanyou after all, but she didn't seem to have the strength in her arms that a hanyou should have.
Moyuru picked it up and, with quite a bit of effort, put the straps on her shoulders as she had seen Kagome do before taking off. She leapt into the air, rebounding off a wall half way up for the extra height she needed to get over the edge.
Kagome blinked a few times, staring up after her. Well, it seemed as though what she lacked in upper body strength she certainly made up for.
"Thank you!" Kagome called up after her, but Moyuru hadn't heard her.
Upon landing the hanyou had abruptly dropped the backpack, now seeming to have frozen. Her eyes were wide as she stared incredulously in the direction of a kitsune youkai that had stepped from the forest as soon as she exited the well. A kitsune youkai with an all too familiar face, "It couldn't be. . ." Moyuru whispered to no one.
So, how was that? Much more eventful than the last one? Well, here I am, leaving you at a cliffie. Don't you just love them. If you paid attention to the dream sequence then you should know who the mystery kitsune youkai is. You should either know or have a very good guess.
PREVIEW!
Chapter 10: A Familiar Face, Naraku's Plot
Whoever it was that appeared by the well when Moyuru got back certainly must be someone she recognized. Apparently it's a big shock, but who is it and what do they want? Are they friend or enemy or some kind of illusion? Do they have anything to do with what Naraku might be planning?
Mayu Kitsune
