Hi guys! Once again, sorry for the long update! Here's the new chapter!
Chapter 3: Awakening
It was terrible. Bodies littered the floor like autumn leaves, their blood staining the ground. Among the mass of bodies lay Asahi's parents. They had suffered the most gruesome fate out of all the villagers. Their eyes gouged out, faces contorted with pain. Their bodies dripped with blood, swaying as they hung from a rafter by their hair.
Asahi covered her mouth as she felt her stomach do a flip. It was barbaric!
Who could do such a thing! She mentally screamed.
Cold laughter interrupted her thoughts. Asahi jumped at the sound. Before her stood another youkai. However, this one was different than the one she encountered in the forest. Unlike the last demon, whose body and face was heavily disfigured, this one looked like a human. His true nature was, however, still easy to tell.
A pair of black wings sprouted from his back, spread wide and only increasing his intimidating appearance. The bottom part of his face was covered by a black mask, and a black cloak covered his body. His eyes shone a ghostly silver color.
"So…you have finally arrived, Sakuradai Asahi…" His voice was cold and dripped with malice. "It is about time you made your debut." The girl in question knelt, gathering up the body of a poor village boy.
"Why…" was all she could say. "WHY!" She screamed. Her fury only increased as she heard the youkai snicker.
"Why, I thought it would be very kind of me…" He whispered, slowly drawing a small dagger. "If I killed these villagers…SO THEY COULD MEET YOU IN HELL!" He charged forward, unaware of the change that had occurred in his target…
>. >. >. >. >.
Asahi's hands clenched into fists on the boy's broken body. Imaged of her massacred parents flashed before her mind's eye.
"Okasan…Otosan…" She whimpered. Different emotions surged through her veins. Hate. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Fear… Those and many others were the only all that she could concentrate on.
I'll…
"DIE, ASAHI SAKURADAI!"
I'll…
The dagger raised above her head, ready to strike…
I'll kill you.
>. >. >. >. >.
Chichiri jolted out of his nap. He sat up, aware of the strange wind that whistled through the trees. But that was not what had brought him out of his leisurely slumber…
Chichiri removed his smiling mask, deciding to contact the one person who could help him in the most right now…
>. >. >. >. >. >.
Tasuki laughed heartily as he thumped Koji on the back. Although meal times at Mt. Reikaku were cheerful and energetic, this time it was all just a façade. With the absence of Chichiri, it just didn't seem the same.
Well, I'm sure the guy's fine… Tasuki thought as he picked up some meat with his chopsticks.
TASUKI! A voice screamed within his head. Tasuki let out a small yelp, dropping the food and chopsticks in surprise. He ignored Koji's puzzled look as he timidly answered.
Ch…Chichiri…? The fire seishi stumbled.
Yes. Listen closely, please don't ask questions. The voice said hurriedly. I can explain later. Meet me at the village at the bottom of Mt Reikaku on the west side of the mountain. If you ant to bring some of your men, that's fine. Things might get rough, so… Tasuki's bros furrowed in concern.
Wait…What! 'Chiri, what's goin' on!
Look, I told you, SAVE IT FOR LATER! The monk barked, causing the bandit to flinch. Chichiri's voice softened. I'm sorry. People's lives might be at risk. Please hurry. Tasuki gave the slightest nod.
Yeah. Got it. I'll be right there. With that, he and a few of his most trusted men dashed out, preparing themselves for the worst.
>. >. >. >. >.
It had been only a few minutes since Chichiri heard Tasuki's answer. The monk dashed through the plants, ducking and dodging trees as he ran towards the source of his worries with everything he had. His lungs felt like they were going to burst, but he plunged on. The sounds of hooves suddenly caught his attention.
"Chichiri!" A voice yelled. Chichiri smiled grimly as he turned. Sure enough, riding towards him was Tasuki with a few of his men. Only seconds went by as Chichiri mounted the horse Tasuki had brought for him.
"So, 'Chiri!" Tasuki yelled above the thundering of hooves. "What was with the sudden message?"
"I sensed a very strange chi…it wasn't normal. It caused strange disturbances as well. Look, see the horses? Even as we speak, you can see that they are uneasy." Tasuki looked at his mount. It was true; his palomino could be seen tossing its head, letting out small whinnies as it galloped on. It was the same with the other horses. Tasuki fixed his gaze to the path, even more determined to fix whatever had gone so wrong…
>. >. >. >. >.
As the small group neared the village, Chichiri's uneasiness increased. An image of Asahi's smiling face popped into his mind. His brows furrowed and they continued on. . Tasuki's voice suddenly cut through the air.
"LOOK!"
In the center of the village, a huge orb of light could be seen. It seemed to destroy everything in its path. The bandits cried out in fear upon realizing the strange light was moving towards them. Chichiri's eye widened. Someone seemed to be in the center of the blinding orb. He then noticed a strange figure lying before the light.
It was a human like demon, but signs on the corpse revealed that the youkai had come to a terrible end. Its internal organs had been crushed, no, imploded from the outside. Blood oozed from the oozed from the demon's mouth as its lifeless eyes stared straight ahead.
Suddenly, a sick feeling came upon the monk, like a weight was being shoved against his chest, depriving his lungs of precious oxygen. The bandits and Tasuki were suffering the same fate.
"Everyone, get back!" Chichiri yelled over the deafening noise. Houses and trees were knocked down by the unknown entity as if they were made of paper. As Chichiri lead his horse back, he happened to look again at the orb. His eye widened in shock. Inside the blinding orb of light was Asahi.
It didn't take long for Chichiri to predict what had happened.
Asahi must have held some sort of strange power…attracting the other demon. He slaughtered Asahi's village, and then her powers must have awakened! His eye widened. It's too much for her! She'll be killed at this rate!
"Tasuki, take my horse!" Chichiri yelled, dismounting before the red head could speak.
"W-Wait, Chichiri!" Tasuki screamed, watching his friend run towards what could possibly be his death…
>. >. >. >. >.
Chichiri gasped as he felt the pressure on his chest increase. His footsteps began to falter as he felt his legs become weak. But he didn't want to give up on her…losing people important to you was a feeling Chichiri knew well. To have Asahi be consumed by her sadness was something he couldn't allow.
"Asahi, SNAP OUT OF IT!" He yelled, desperately trying to reach the grief-stricken girl.
"It's okay to be sad," He continued. "But you can't let sadness and anger destroy your feelings for the people you care about! DON'T DO THIS, ASAHI!" He cried out in a strangled yell. He wasn't sure just how much longer he could stand against this strange power…
The light suddenly vanished. Asahi lay suspended in the air for a few brief seconds, eyes wide with fear and surprise. With that, she collapsed into Chichiri's waiting arms.
Tasuki and his men set to work on burying to dead, except the youkai. They put special grave markings on the tombs of Asahi's parents, who they assumed to be the couple who had suffered the worst. While the bandits were working on the villagers' graves, Chichiri said a quick prayer for the departed while attending to Asahi.
Her dress was ripped and stained with dirt and a bit of blood. Her steady breathing indicated she was sleeping, although her facial expression looked pained. Chichiri didn't realize his hand had enveloped the poor girl's own as he noticed her pretty face streaked with tears.
>. >. >. >. >.
So, what'd y'all think of it? (Hm…weird accent…) Here are the reviews!
InuyashaFushigiYugifan: Glad you like it! Hope you liked this chapter too! (Despite how depressing it was…)
aznchibi: Well, I updated! Hope you liked it!
Fire Dragon: Heh, yeah…those cliffhangers of mine…oh well! This one's cliffie wasn't too bad, was it? Well, hope you like the chapter!
guest: Hee hee, yes I know. I suck. AND PROUD OF IT! HAHAHAHA! JK. Hope you liked this chapter!