With Honey and Venom
"What hast thou done to me,
Girl, with the dream in thine eyes?
Brightened the sun to me,
Lightened the skies;
Made there be one to me,
One only sun to me Not in the skies.

What hast thou done to me,
Girl, with the dream in thine eyes?
Darkened the sun to me,
Blackened the skies;
Made there be none to me,
Nor star nor sun to me,
Only black skies."

-"Et Melle Et Felle," Anonymous

What prompts people to fall in love? Is there truly such an emotion so vivid as to allow two different people to come together and care for one another so deeply as to be monogamous?

In my experience, there is no such thing; lust is the only factor in any relationship, and it depends solely on the strength of it to determine whether the two are monogamous or not. So far, there has never been a monogamous couple. The man will stray eventually, seeking out other bed-partners.

Love has never existed in any relationship.


IX...Harsh Memories Beget Tears of Sorrow


As Sesshoumaru and I stood there beneath the vast cloud of darkness and demons, I felt oddly at peace. Maybe it was the surety that this would be the end, or perhaps it was the fact that I was probably going to die here alongside Sesshoumaru? Wait...why does that make me happy? He's an ass! And what's the deal with me feeling okay with dying here, unfulfilled? Dammit, I wasn't going to die without a fight! Not now!

I gripped the chain still attached to the manacle I wore, my teeth gritting in frustration. I'd taken so much shit in my life, and I was going down like this? Oh, hell no!

"Onee-chan! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rin , Jaken, and Ah-Un rushing up to us, opposite the cloud of demons. How had they found us? Well, that would be saved for later, when we weren't dead.

"You have brought my sword?" Demanded Sesshoumaru, not even daring to turn from the demons.

"Y-Yes, my lord!" Jaken piped, clutching the sword that was at least twice his size.

I took a moment to study the sword, a tad surprised. I'd known that those in feudal Japan didn't necessarily use a katana, but it was still a little amazing to see a double-edged sword in this area of the world. Weird, I know, but I did tend to associate one type of weapon with a country. England had pistols, Arabia had scimitars, and Japan had the katana. Just my view of the world, I guess.

"Good," Sesshoumaru was saying, taking the double-edged sword by the grip, and turned fully to face the advancing demons. "Jaken, defend Rin." With those words, Sesshoumaru rushed at the demons, who had made a clearing with their landing.

Had he just left me behind? The sudden tightening of the collar confirmed it, and I rushed after him, gripping the chain in my hand so hard that it hurt, even with the nice bruise that was steadily rising. I wasn't going to idly stand by and watch Sesshoumaru maul these demons; there were too many this time!

I entered the fray mere seconds after the golden-eyed demon, swinging the metal chain in powerful arcs, barely dodging the blows that would have severed my head from my body, or various body parts. I may not know a lot of fighting techniques, but my strength is my strong point, particularly my legs.

"Hehe, you'll die here, wench!" A creepy kappa cackled at me, his hands wriggling in excitement.

"As if, ya bugger!" I grinned toothily, kicking him in the stomach with all the force I had, which was quite a lot. After all, I could leg press half a ton with no problem; with all the weight-training I've done, I can pack quite a kick, or even a punch! Even if I haven't done any serious weight-lifting in years, most of my muscles are still there.

So, because of the strength behind my kick, the kappa flew back a few yards, crashing into an oni, who in turn stumbled into another oni, and he started a chain reaction. Good for me!

But the battle had just begun.

At least half an hour had passed, and we were all still fighting. Sesshoumaru and I had both taken a few hits (actually, I had taken more than him), and I was beginning to tire. When weight-training, you never really pay attention to the endurance. Endurance was my weak point in fighting, I guess, but that didn't stop me from taking down my fair share of demons.

However, there were just too damn many. They'd driven us back, back towards Jaken and Rin. Sesshoumaru was now defending the two, while I was being backed towards a break in the tree line. I don't know where it led, but it did not bode well.

"Don't let the wench escape," a few of the demons growled at each other, advancing upon me. "Master Naraku will reward us for her capture."

That name again...it send shivers down my spine, and I stumbled as a blow caught my square in the stomach, because I'd lost my concentration. I was hurtled backwards through the tree line, and I moved my body, most painfully, forward so that my feet caught the ground, slowing my momentum. I stopped and fell forward, catching myself with my right hand, my left curled around my stomach. Bile and blood danced at the back of my throat, but I swallowed them back down, shuddering at the biting taste. Internal damage was almost certainly there, but I wouldn't give up...I wouldn't...

I'm tired of feeling scared.

But, I was now cornered atop the cliff that was located beyond the tree line, which overlooked a deep ravine; Sesshoumaru was still fighting to protect Rin. The demon that had hit me advanced one step, two, three, closing in on me, while I had nowhere to go...but down, down, down into the waters below. I'd lost the rusty chain sometime in the fray, the manacle having been torn from my bruised wrist, and the demon had a very pointy weapon pointed at my chest. For a second, I almost thought I'd wake from this obvious nightmare, safe and warm in my own bed, cuddling my plushie, Bartholomew.

But the demon was real. Everything was real, including the wounds that were pulsing angrily, letting my life's blood escape sluggishly. I was doomed, utterly doomed. Even if Sesshoumaru wanted to save me right then, he wouldn't reach me in time. Death was breathing down my neck, and I felt...I felt...

Angry.

All the anger and rage I'd suppressed over the years was at the boiling point; all this, this was just too much! I was mad that these...demons would try and kill me, when I'd done nothing. I was angered that this Naraku person wanted my body, dead or alive. I was pissed that Sesshoumaru didn't care enough to try and save me.

Things blurred a bit then, but I could feel the rage pounding in what little blood I had left. The rage, so pure and fiercely blazing, filled every pore of my soul, drowning out the static, the warmth, the cold. Every single fiber of my being was drenched in rage, and then I felt my hands rip through some type of fabric...warm fabric, that was wet with something.

I knew I was wild-eyed then, as I turned toward a shout near my left. Golden eyes, filled with some un-named emotion, looked into mine, and I felt a quiver somewhere in the recesses of my soul, a miniscule small part that had escaped the torrent of my pent-up rage.

However, I felt the onslaught of an attack before I could dodge it, and my breath was taken away as a sharp, piercing pain enveloped my throat. What...what had happened?

Before I knew it, I was stumbling backwards, clutching my throat as I gasped, staring wide-eyed at the hand that came away drenched in ruby red blood. My blood. The thought of my blood being spilt made me dizzy, and I fell backwards. Down, down, down I went, mind blank with the realization that I was hurt, had probably hurt someone else.

Guilt enveloped my soul as the water enveloped my body, and I blacked out.

A drum beats in the darkness...

My dreams were once again filled with the nightmares of my youth, and I felt the heartache as I lived each very real moment. All that I had lived through...the loneliness, the hatred, the bullying... Every bad part of my childhood was now advanced upon me in terrifying proportions. The bullies of my youth were transformed into demons, and the comforting grace of my parents was nowhere to be found.

Tears slid down my cheeks as I ran from the demons hunting me, and I called out for someone, anyone, to save me. No one answered. Why wouldn't anyone answer?

"You are different from us."

"No! I'm not! I'm like you, just a normal kid!"

"You are different."

"No!" I cried, gripping my hair and tugging painfully, wanting to end this nightmare. "I'm normal! Normal!"

"Different."

"No!"

"Different!"

"Noo!"

"Why do you run?"

I looked up, tears filling my eyes. Golden eyes stared down at my huddled form, and I stood up with a silly, happy smile on my face. "Sesshoumaru! You've come to help me?"

"Why do you run?" He repeated, his face stoic and emotionless.

"What...what do you mean? I'm not running!" I looked at him, confused, having forgotten about the demons that had chased me before.

"You run from the things you fear most. You run from closeness; you run from intimacy with another living soul..."

"Wha...? What...what do you mean?" I asked, shivering as the air suddenly turned cold. "I've never run from those things! Closeness with another person: that's what I've always longed for all my life! Why would I run from them? Tell me, dammit!"

"I cannot tell you what you already know..." His voice faded into the background, and his golden gaze went with his words.

"Wait! Sesshoumaru! Come back," I wailed, chasing after his disappearing image. Why was he always running from me? Did I...did he hate me because I was different?

"You will always be different, girl," an insidious voice whispered behind me. I whirled around, eyes widening at the dark shadow. It was pitch black in this place, yet this shadow was darker than the surrounding blackness. "No one will ever like you, because you will always be different from everyone. They will mock you, ridicule you, punish you for being different..."

"Shut... Shut up!"I screamed at the shadow, clenching my fists so hard that my nails drew blood. "I'll find someone that doesn't mind me being different! I swear I will!"

"You will not...you will never find anyone; not then, not now, not ever."

Unbidden, the tears began their trail down my cheeks anew, and I stared into the red pits of darkness that were the shadow's eyes. "You don't...you can't know...my fate is what I make of it...I'll find someone to love me!"

"You cannot outrun your destiny forever," the shadow whispered, tendrils of it's darkness caressing my arms.

"Gah!" The tendrils of darkness had suddenly slashed at my back, and now it throbbed painfully, too painfully. What...? It felt like the slash had gone all over, yet left a few patches unscathed. It had a definite shape, but I couldn't tell. "What...what did you do to me?"

"It is the mark of your destiny, Winifred... It is your destiny to bear this mark, and fulfill it's meaning..."


End Chapter


Post Scriptum Author's Note: Alright. That's the end of the ninth chapter; how did you like it? The battle scene ended a little short, so I added that dream in at the end. -sweatdrop- Did it fit? Anyways, next chapter will reveal some of Adele's past, including what really happened with her old boyfriend, David.
So, yea, anyways... Yay me! 400 hits and counting! Isn't that just great? -happy smile- That means that my story IS getting read, and that's what's really important, neh? -dances- What makes me happiest is not only reviews for my story, but also WHAV getting read. -smilesmile-
In any case, cookies to whoever guesses who that dark shadow was! -sweatdrop- As if that'll be hard.
On a side note...this particular chapter didn't take me as long as most of them did, but it most definitely took a lot more time than last chapter. I guess it's because for this one, I actually had to think of what to happen to connect two scenes together as one. Oh well. -bows and smiles- Thanks for reading chapter nine of With Honey and Venom! Until next time, ja ne!