The Kindness of Strangers
Disclaimer: (to the tune of "I know a song that gets on every body's nerves")
I don't own InuYasha and I know I never will.
I don't own InuYasha and I know I never will.
I don't own InuYasha and I know I never will,
So leave me alone lawyers!
Chapter 2-Child of Water and Light
The water froze her to the core as she struggled to stay about the surface of the raging river. She opened her mouth to yell, but it only allowed water in. She saw something in the water behind her, something red and black. It called to her, struggling to come closer. She called back, relief sweeping over her like the cold of the water. He meant safety, she knew he did. She tried to swim towards him, still calling his name, but she was tired and it was freezing and her body was becoming heavier by the second, her clothes weighing her down. Somehow, she realized she'd never reach him. Something had happened and he wasn't moving anymore, he was sinking under the turbulent water.
"InuYasha!" she called one last time before crashing into a rock and blacking out.
Mizuko sat straight up in the futon, gasping for air greedily. That dream again, that nightmare. She had had every time she had fallen asleep, which wasn't saying much considering she could only remember two nights. The villagers had found her on the riverbank, beaten by the stones and unable to remember anything about her life, anything but that boy, InuYasha. She knew that name meant something and each time she thought of it, she caught a glimpse of him like out of the corner of her eye, there but indistinguishable.
"That dream again?"
She looked over and saw the old priestess sitting by the fire, poking it as she watched the kettle over the flames. Mizuko just nodded, looking down at her hands. "Lady Rakusu, are you certain it can't be a memory? Are you certain it is a figment of my imagination? It feels so real, and that boy, that InuYasha…"
"That boy is none of your concern," Rakusu replied, almost coldly. Mizuko didn't like it. A priestess was like a mother, warm and gentle. An image flashed of an old woman with long gray hair tied back, an eye patch over her right eye and a wrinkled, friendly face. That was a priestess, not this cold and uncaring woman. "It is probably some spell. Tell me Mizuko, why would the boy be named dog demon unless he were one?"
"What does it matter if he be demon if he has a kind heart?"
The old woman chuckled. "You have much to learn, child, about the vice of demons. This village was once prosperous, the mine was famous throughout Japan and even the poorest man lived in luxury," she nodded, knowing luxury meant merely that he did not go hungry and had a horse, "but, that changed when an evil demon, no, I need not say evil for all demons are evil, when a demon appeared and slaughtered the miners and collapsed the mine, burying it. We tried to reopen, but the demon killed any who went close. Now, we struggle to survive. Tell me now that demons are not messengers of the underworld."
Mizuko looked to her hands, not knowing what to say for a moment. "That was merely one demon. A race cannot be judged by the actions of one." There was a burning pain across her cheek and she looked to the woman's hand, watching as it slowly returned to the fire.
"You shall see, child, the evil of demons, but, I have news."
Mizuko looked at the old woman curiously. "What kind of news?"
"When we found you, we sent word to the neighboring villages. Late last night, two men arrived, your brothers."
Mizuko started, searching her mind for something about them. "My…brothers?" The image of a boy with short brown hair appeared. He held a white ball with black patches and he was grinning happily.
"That's right Mizuko, I mean, Hikari. They are here to bring you home. Aren't you happy?"
She nodded absently. Hikari? That seemed as likely to be her name as Mizuko. It meant nothing to her, but not much did beyond herbs. "Where are they? Can I see them?"
"Soon child. They will be here when they rise. Come, it is time to eat."
They were not her brothers.
Brothers would not have beaten her almost as soon as they left the village. Brothers would not have tied her wrists to a branch above her head. Brothers would not have starved her.
Brothers would not have raped her.
These men, they were slavers. She had known since she had seen the money pass from the hands of the older to the miko, a reward they called it, more like a finder's fee. She belonged to these men now, until they sold her to another man who'd beat and starve and rape her, and she still didn't know who she was. That hurt the most, that was why she was crying as she dangled off the branch by her wrists, the cold night air attacking her mostly exposed body, not the pain, not the betrayal, at least, not mostly. She did hurt, everywhere to be specific, especially her head. She was trying to understand why she had called for that boy when the first blows had come on her, that InuYasha.
Was he her protector? Yes, it made sense. His name always brought a sense of calm to her, the image of him holding her in his arms a sense of safety. He was her protector, so why was he not there? She remembered the boy in the water with her. She had called to him, InuYasha, as she saw him go under the churning water. That was why he was not there, he was dead, drowned as he struggled to save her. Salty drops rolled down her cheeks. She could not even remember his face, and yet his death hurt her so much.
One of the men stirred in camp, the younger she thought. He stood and walked over to her. She felt fear rise up in her, certain of what he would do, but she did not make a sound as he approached. He stopped a few feet away, maybe two or three, still inside the reach of his arm. The light of the thin moon flashed against something silver, the blade of a knife as he cut her down, her knees buckling at the sudden addition of weight. She didn't even try to stop herself.
"Stupid bitch can't even stand."
His rough hands pulled her up and pushed her up against the trunk of the tree, her own legs catching herself now. The shock was gone, her muscles were not through yet, but she made it look like a struggle. Maybe, just maybe, when he was done, she'd have a chance to run. Anywhere, it didn't matter, so long as it was away from those men.
"What's wrong bitch?" he asked as his cold hands wandered her body, "can't you at least make this interesting?" She remained silent and he growled quietly. "C'mon bitch, we couldn't have broken you so fast. We just got you, our new toy can't be broken so soon." Still, she was silent. The man gave a disapproving sound before forcing his mouth over her breast. She gave an unwilling gasp as unwanted pleasure flowed from it into her. "Ah, so you aren't broken." She could hear him undoing the ties of his kimono as he sucked on the breast once more and more tears rolled down her checks. He forced himself into her roughly and she gave a small groan of pain. It hurt, so much, she wished she could escape, but she knew there was no way. As soon as he finished, he tied her back onto the tree, this time at least allowing her to sit. He returned to his sleeping position, and the other man got up.