Hi!
Thanks go to: DanCrazed, sangoscourage, Lintered & Sorceress of the Cat for reviewing:) YAY! –hugs– thanks so much!
Okay… I feel weird...as usual. I need some more reviews people! –makes hopeful face– please! Now, on with the fic!
Disclaimer: INUYASHA! YAY! I REALLY need to hug him – even though he'd probably poke me with his sword for doing so… oh well. That just proves that I don't own him or anyone else…except for Yousu. Yousu is MINE:)
To Imbue A Soul
Chapter 4: The secret
.oOo.
The following afternoon Yousu burst eagerly into the hospital ward that would soon no longer be hers – after tonight she wouldn't have to endure any of those doctors and their scary examinations. They were scary in her own opinion anyway.
An' I'll 'ave me a family! she thought excitedly as she began to pull out her meagre wardrobe of clothes. For some reason, having a family seemed important somehow, as if before she hadn't had any…
But that's cryin' stuff, the girl thought determinedly. An' I ain't gonna be all sad fer Kagome an' her friends…They says that me memories'll come back to me later in time –
"How are you, dear?" the nurse Yousu knew as Lady Miki swept into the room holding a travelling bag and a few other things. Dropping them on the bed she added," These are yours – they're from the donation box, and you were lucky enough to get them since you're leaving…"
Yousu listened attentively to the lady's chatter – in the girl's opinion Miki talked way too much. But the girl did listen. Yousu had found that you learnt fast by listening, and no one could compare to the longing the girl felt when it came to knowledge.
"Do you only have these three things to wear, Miss Yousu?" Miki asked. The girl nodded.
"Me pale kimono they found me in, me sleepin'-clothes, the stuff I'm wearin' an' that shirt and half-dress I gotta wear when I'm not at school."
"It's a skirt, dear."
"Eh, okay."
"So," the nurse began as she neatly folded the clothes and packed them away in the new bag, "Are you excited, Yousu? Do you think you'll have fun in your new home?"
"Aye an' aye. I reckon there'll be lots of fun happenin'" Yousu confirmed. "An' I know that Kagome's mum'll take lots of care of me. I saw her at school when it finished an' I reckon she's real nice."
"That's great!" Miki replied enthusiastically. "But I've been told to inform you that you will have to report back here from time to time. Say…if you get a flash of memory from before your coma – anything that would help with your recovery."
"Aye, I will," Yousu said quietly. "I'd give anythin' to have me thoughts back fer me own."
And no one but her knew just how much.
In half an hour the girl had changed into a white shirt and lavender skirt – a new set of clothes that had been donated just for the occasion. Yousu blushed when the nurse said she looked beautiful and hastily denied the fact.
"All set?" the lady asked when she was done.
"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed. "I was ready ages ago! Come on!"
Grabbing Miki in a grip that seemed too strong to belong to any normal teenage girl, Yousu grabbed her bag and dragged her carer from the room. People in the hospital corridors stopped to stare at the laughing pair as they slid to a halt in front of the reception. The receptionist there smiled at the girl.
"You'll get far on those legs, miss," she said, laughing. Yousu turned to the nurse who was breathing heavily, but smiling. Frowning, the girl concentrated on her own breathingbut found nothing uneven about it.
That's a right strange thing… Yousu thought. But those doctors did say that I'd a rather good ability to run for someone who just woke up from a long-sleep.
"Now, Miss Yousu," the girl's carer said, "You'll be getting a ride to Higurashi Shrine in one of the services cars, all right?"
"Ye ain't comin'?" Yousu asked. Miki shook her head.
"You're on your own now dear – along with your new family, of course," the lady added when the girl began to frown. "You'll be fine, just try your best and you'll do well."
"Aye, I'll try," Yousu assured her. Bowing deeply much to the amusement of everyone watching she added, "Ye I'll never forget fer yer help."
"I was just doing my job…" Miki said, but Yousu caught the lady's touched tone of voice.
Outside a silver car pulled into the car park.
"Ah! Here we are!" her carer said, exiting through the sliding doors after signing off a slip of paper at the reception. "You'll be riding with Miss Naho here – off you go!"
Yousu eyed the vehicle and its driver warily.
"I won't bite!" Naho laughed then looked quizzically at the nurse. "Miki, she's the coma-girl, isn't she?"
"Yes – here's the documents that you'll have to give to Ms Higurashi..."
The two women's conversation faded from Yousu's hearing as the girl stepped up to the car. Its shiny paint mirrored her reflection and she studied it intently.
Who am I? she wondered. I woke from a coma not four days past an' I ain't able to recall anythin'! 'Cept fer me name o' course. Yousu… Lifting her hair back she tilted her head slightly so she was able to see the 'tattoos' as the doctors called them. But mayhap with Kagome I can remember stuff – I seem to always see her face in me dreams... though I don't really like the feelin' I get with it. It's like I hate her or somethin'…
"Miss Yousu!" Naho called. "Jump in and we'll get going!"
But… the girl added in her head as she bowed to Miki one last time before seating herself uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the vehicle. I don't reckon I could ever hate Kagome. She's been so nice to me – an' she sounded real pleased 'bout me livin' with her an' everythin'…
So what are these dreams if they ain't memories?
-----
"Here we are," Naho said, pulling up outside Kagome's – and now Yousu's – home. After a quick exchange of greetings and documents Naho left and Yousu was left standing shyly in the doorway.
"Kagome!" her mum called. "Your friend is here!"
"Who?" Kagome called from upstairs. "Yuka? Or Eri maybe?"
"It's Yousu – your new sister!" her mother called, winking at the girl beside her. There was a quick pattering of feet and Kagome appeared behind her mum.
"Yousu!" she said brightly. "Hi! Come in and I show you around! Here, let me take that for you…"
Kagome grabbed the girl's few belongings and led her into the house, once Yousu removed her shoes. At the base of the stairs Yousu paused and spun around into a bow to Kagome's mother.
"Thank ye, ma'am, fer givin' me a home," she said swiftly.
"You don't have to bow, Yousu," the woman said, smiling. Yousu straightened immediately. "And I hope that you are happy here."
"I will be! There ain't nothin' that'll change that!" the girl exclaimed before racing after Kagome.
In Kagome's room the two girls seated themselves on the bed.
"It's going to be so much fun!" Kagome exclaimed. "The others should be arriving any minute…"
Sure enough, within fifteen minutes Yuka, Ayumi and Eri were upstairs with their gear. Yousu became shy again until the other four began telling jokes, after which she just became confused.
"I don't understand any o' –" she began, but was cut off when Sota walked in to the room.
"Hi you guys…" he asked then stopped when he saw Yousu staring at him with interest, her violet eyes glittering.
"Uh…" Sota trailed off and glanced at Kagome. "This is our new sister, right?"
"This's yer brother?" Yousu asked at the same time.
"Yes Yousu, this is Sota," Kagome said quickly. Her brother was still glancing nervously at the violet-eyed girl. Yousu blushed as she realized she was making him feel uncomfortable. She half-bowed to him before apologising hastily. Sota visibly relaxed.
"That's okay, Yousu – you just gave me a fright," he told her. Staring back at her a little awe began to show on his face. "Wow, look at your eyes! They're so cool!"
Everyone laughed as the violet-eyed girl crossed her eyes trying to see them for herself.
"Here," Kagome said, still giggling. "Have a mirror."
-----
Later that afternoon just before dark the five girls sat on their temporary beds in Kagome's room talking to each other. It was a tight squeeze, but the five of them just managed to fit.
"Hey, I know," Yuka said to the others. "Why don't we play 'Truth or Dare'?"
"What's that?" Yousu asked.
"Well," Eri began, "someone asks 'Truth or Dare?" and then the person that they ask chooses one. If its Truth then you get asked a question that you have to answer and the other is something to do – a 'Dare'."
"That sounds stupid," Yousu snorted.
"It is silly," Ayumi muttered.
"But it can be fun too!" Yuka insisted. "You go first, Yousu."
"If ye say so…I'll choose Truth," Yousu snuggled into her blanket. "I don't wanna move right now."
"Okay, Yousu, I know that you don't have much of a past," Yuka began. "But… what's your biggest secret?"
"If I tol' ye it ain't gonna be a secret no more!" Yousu said triumphantly. "Although," she added when she received a mix of scowls and grins from her companions, "I do 'ave one, I think."
"Well, then," Ayumi urged in spite of herself. "Tell us!"
Yousu took a deep breath and watched the full moon begin todrift above the horizon.
"Well, when I was at the hospital, they all says that weird things kept happenin' about me – like I could run real fast without bein' out of breath an' stuff. An' when I first woke up I was real scared – whenever anyone got close there was freaky winds and frozen things an' –" she stopped because they all were staring at her in shock. She blushed. "What?"
Kagome silently got up to turn on the light switch causing Yousu to blink rapidly at the abrupt change in brightness.
"What?" she asked again.
"Uh… look in the mirror, Yousu," Kagome suggested. The girl did so and gaped at what she saw.
"That's – That ain't me!" she exclaimed. "That just ain't me!"
The Yousu in the reflection still looked similar, but the silver streak in her bangs had vanished and her eyes had dimmed to a deep black. Through her hair Yousu could see no trace of the markings on her temples and when she checked her arms it was no different.
"I – I'm normal," she said in astonishment. "I – I'll 'ave to tell the hospital this now," she groaned. "I can tell by yer faces that this ain't usual, right?"
The other four nodded together.
"I don't think you should tell them, Yousu," Ayumi said softly after a long silence. "They either won't believe you or they'll take you back there and do more tests on you like you were some kind of alien."
"Alien?"
"A being from space – up in the sky."
"Oh," Yousu sighed, her nowblack eyes expressionless. "Well, I ain't able to remember nothin', remember? Fer all we know, I could be a person from the sky."
She was so newto all of this, but Yousu was sure that she could trust her new friends. Some inner instinct told her that.
"I wonder if I'll change back?" she wondered aloud as she continued to watch the full moon dust the cloudy sky withblue-white moonbeams.
Well, I like how this chappie turned out in the end. Finally – some mystery! Sort of…
Okay, please review! Pretty please? And tell me how you liked it :)
Bye!
Víra