I do not own InuYasha or the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.
The Mysterious Thief - Part Six
Airi had finally allowed herself to relax around her new companions and throughout the day they joked and told her stories of their adventures. Her favorite tale was the one with the Hell painter where Inuyasha would pass out from the strong ink fumes. They traveled well after sunset to make up for lost time, but eventually Kagome refused to ride any further.
"Inuyasha it's too dark for me to ride my bike," she whined, after almost falling from a deep rut in the road.
"I told you I'd carry you," the half demon reminded her.
"I wouldn't mind being carried. Do you always travel such long distances?" Airi wondered.
"I can carry you," Miroku offered, sleuthing up behind her.
He reached out to grab her rear, but Sango slapped his hand away. He shook off the sting and sighed in defeat. He had been trying all day to get a juicy squeeze from the newcomer, but Sango was relentless.
"Inuyasha I can't walk any further," Shippo complained, plopping on the ground.
Everyone, except Inuyasha, had stopped now as if in agreement. In the low light Miroku could barely see Inuyasha, but heard him sniffing the air.
"What is it Inuyasha?" the monk questioned, the tone of his voice suggesting something might be amiss.
"Wait here." The half demon slid off into the darkness, but returned quickly. "There's a hot spring up ahead," he announced to everyone's delight.
They trudged on for a few more yards in the last bit of sunlight.
"Girls go first!" Kagome said, suddenly in high spirits.
The girls excitedly gathered wood and set up camp before heading down to the hot spring.
"Miroku you stay faaar away," Sango glared at him over her shoulder.
"Don't worry Sango, I can set traps for him on the way down," Shippo boasted.
The monk sighed knowing that he wouldn't want to deal with her wrath if he got caught and sat by the fire Inuyasha had started.
The hot spring was a couple of yards down a slight slope from their camp, but still within ear reach of the half demon. Kagome kindly lent Airi a hair ribbon and Shippo and the women placed their clothing on a flat rock before slipping into the warm water.
"This feels so good. I've never been in a natural spring before," Airi smiled. The water warmed her soul and made her skin redden. She felt complete bliss and safety in the water.
"Really? We don't always find them, but they're our favorite part of traveling," Sango admitted.
"Hmm, mmm," Kagome agreed, her fair skin already flushed from the heat.
They were quiet at first, enjoying the quiet and relaxation until Shippo spoke.
"You were pretty ruthless with those bandits. We normally don't kill humans," the fox demon childishly blurted.
"Shippo," Kagome hushed him.
"It's okay Kagome. He's right and I suppose it's because of my past," she admitted. "Before, you asked me where I came from and where I learned to fight," she paused.
"You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to," Sango cautioned her, the sincerity clear on her face.
"It's okay; I haven't felt like I could trust anyone in a while, until I met you guys. It's nice to have someone to talk to," she confessed, her smile fading.
"Where did you get that necklace from?" Kagome asked to change the subject. The orange metal necklace clasped in the center of her neck gleamed in the moonlight.
"Oh this?" she touched it affectionately. "It was my mother's. It's the only thing I have of hers. Ever since I can remember my father told me never to take it off."
The young miko silently kicked herself for renewing the subject.
"From my childhood I remember my father most. He was a high-born lord in the East and it was rumored my mother was unsuitable to be his wife, but he married her anyway. She passed away when I was very young and the villagers pressed for my father to remarry. My stepmother was very kind, but as they began to have children of their own I became less important. Since my mother wasn't high born and I wasn't a boy, I had no claim to anything and would pass directly to my half-brothers," she sighed remembering old times, before her tone changed. "My step-grandmother, Leiko (Lay' ko) hated me and she went out of her way to make my life miserable." Airi paused here remembering the harsh treatment she received in her teen years. "She placed a curse on me: one that turned the women of the village against me."
They were all listening intently and Shippo gasped when she mentioned the curse.
"Like Miroku's curse? The wind tunnel in his hand, if we don't defeat Naraku it will only get larger, and suck him in too!" Shippo exclaimed.
"Is that why you guys are searching for this Naraku? To save Miroku's life?" she asked.
"Well, it's one of the reasons; he's faulted each of us in his own way. He wiped out my village and holds my little brother captive. Except Naraku erased his memory so he stays a faithful servant to him," the demon slayer admitted painfully.
"Don't worry Sango, we'll get Kohaku back," Kagome tried to cheer her up.
"So what kind of curse do you have?" Shippo asked impatiently.
"Well, it's complicated. I'm not sure what kind of curse it is, but I can't die from it…at least not directly. If a man gets within an intimate distance of me, my scent will change to that of the woman he desires most. He'll be overcome with passion and longing and….try to use me as he pleases," she lowered her eyes ashamed. "Normally humans aren't so sensitive to each other's scent like demons, but it radiates off me like a perfume. Leiko set up several scenarios where it looked like I was the one trying to steal other women's husbands. My father defended me, knowing that I was not that kind of person, and no one would challenge him openly. So ultimately, she hired someone to kidnap me and sold me to a group of local bandits in return for peace."
"How cruel. Did your father do nothing?" Sango asked, remembering her kind-hearted father.
Airi shook her head, "They came for me during the night while my father was away in a neighboring village. I'm not sure what they told him was the cause of my disappearance, but I'll never forget what Leiko told me before they took me. She said my mother could never be trusted and that I was too quiet and couldn't be trusted either."
A small tear formed in her left eye, but she blinked it away and continued.
"The leader of the bandits called himself Commander Shuu, and forced me to marry him," Airi explained, saying his name harshly. "He abused, humiliated and used me. He often grew angry that my appearance didn't match my scent and he wou…would tie me up in front of the camp and allow his men to become overpowered by my changing scent." She paused as a lone tear rolled down her cheek and steamed off on the water's surface. "I hated myself, my life, everything. I wanted to kill myself, but I was so heavily guarded, like some prized jewel, that I never had an opportunity to carry it out. I was held captive for three years and in the last few months a new guard was added to my watch. I thought since he was new I could outsmart or trick him and get away, but I underestimated him. I feared that he would tell Commander Shuu and I would be beaten for my disobedience, but instead he taught me how to fight with his double axes. His name was Tsuyoshi (Tsu' yoshi) and he was so kind and handsome."
A sad smile graced her lips when she said his name.
"He had jet black hair with dark piercing eyes and I loved him and he loved me. When he was close to me he smelt my scent and no other. We made plans to escape and find my homeland, but Commander Shuu killed Tsuyoshi when we tried to protect me. I was overcome with grief and took his axes to cut down the commander. After that, I didn't care if I lived or died anymore and set fire to the camp. I lost consciousness and I don't know how I survived the fire, but when I awoke everything was burned to the ground without a man in sight. And I've been on the run ever since," she finished.
Kagome and Sango just looked at her amazed by everything she'd been through. "Well, I trust you and we'll help you get home," Kagome soothed.
Airi finally lifted her eyes from gazing into the dark waters to look at her new friends. Sango and Shippo nodded in agreement which made her smile despite the silent tears.
She wiped her eyes and they talked about Sango's village and how she learned to fight before getting out. Airi longed to stay in the calming water and got out last. While they dressed, Shippo kept a look out for a lurking monk and then they walked back to camp.
Miroku and Inuyasha went down to the hot spring, but didn't have much to talk. Miroku brought up Airi once, but the half demon skated around answering. He had noticed that even though she teased Miroku, she always kept a safe distance as to not entice him with her scent and decided to keep Miroku out of the loop. He could already imagine the monk wanting to test out her curse and claim that it was for research. She had been through a lot, maybe even more than him, and he felt sorry for her.
After everyone had bathed, they ate what was left in Kagome's pack and turned in early. Inuyasha kept watch again tonight, but there was something concealed and undetectable watching them: and it was waiting for the right moment to strike.
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to post this, but I wanted to make sure I explained Airi's back story well since she might make another appearance down the road. Thanks for all your support and sticking with me.