My head is spinning in multiple ways. Not only from the dizzying fall and being manhandled by creatures but having two very intimidating men making me come with them without telling much of anything of where I'm at and why I have to follow them. Though I guess my situation doesn't leave me much choice. But my feet were sore from not having proper shoes on, I felt humiliated wearing only sleep-ware, and here I am trudging though a forest and being told nothing!
"Can I ask a question?" Sounding like I was back in school or something, the 'father' turned back to eye me down and I nearly seized. "Um, yeah...where am I?"
A quizzical look in his gaze told me he didn't understand how I didn't know, but he deemed me worthy of an answer. "You are in my territory to the West of Kinku Castle." And that was it. Needing more than that and waiting for it, he faced forward and continued walking! And as I looked up to the canopy and seeing the suns rays beaming down I knew I was lacking a decent nights rest since I was forcibly brought here when it was night.
Tearing up and feeling my stomach churn and let out a grumble, I was at my wits end. "That...that doesn't help at all! I fell down a Well and somehow ended up in a field with creatures putting me into a burlap sack and thi-" I was cut off when the 'son' quickly held something sharp on my throat.
"You were given your answer," he growled maliciously. "Stay silent and continue following." His hand retreating back and seeing the sharp object being his nails, I swallowed deeply and remained quiet.
Following them both through the woods and several small clearings, I noted that I was not in any sense in Tokyo. The shrine was completely gone, the Well far behind me, and the sky was so clean from pollution of cities it made me question what I was breathing in all my life. My feet were sore though from walking with only slippers. Wearing only my sweatpants and T-shirt, I probably looked like a mangy bum following some high-end host promising me food. Yeah I was scared, but I was even more afraid of being left all alone with those creatures and what they would have done to me.
"Halt," the 'father' ordered.
Stopping on a dime and looking around, seeing nothing, the 'son' stepped behind me and seemed to get more tense as he peered around the trees. Still unable to see anything around me and hearing only nature sounds, the 'father' turned quickly to the left and drew his sword.
"Wh-"
"A brave fool comes to be slain by my blade," the 'father' spoke with a slight humor in his voice. I watched where he was staring and found two human-looking beings come forth from the foliage. They wore fur as clothing and teamed themselves with wild wolves. "What brings you here?"
"...that smell," the guy spoke crudely. A huskier voice than expected, he was a burly guy with large arms and torso, and his hair a wild up style. His eyes caught sight of me and he pointed. "Her...that smell comes from her." Smiling and seeing fangs on him, it made me shiver thinking it couldn't possibly be real, then again I have been wrong. But I didn't think I smelled that badly for them to smell me from this distance. But I snuck in a whiff just to be safe and was sure I didn't actually smell. Clearly they were mistaken for I still smelled like cherry blossoms from my bath and body soap and honey-clover shampoo. They were being quite rude.
"If you leave I shall allow you to live. Stay, and I'll cut you down where you stand."
The air between them all stiff with tension, it was anyone's gain if they make a move. But as I watched in fear of who would make the first cut, the wolf-guys snarled their displeasure but decided not to fight. Withdrawing back into the woods and feeling the air become a little less tense, both of the guys I was following sheathed their blade and smirked.
"Well that was no fun," the 'father' looked back to me and with a mocking expression laughed. "You were scared of them?"
"I-of course I was scared! Anyone would be scared!" The man shrugged his shoulders, dismissing what I said and turned his back. "...just how do I smell?" Bothering me still, I didn't feel comfortable as is but now I smell? That's just over the line.
"What?" They both questioned.
"I've been told I smell...it's bothering me." Staring at the ground, wringing my T-shirt in my hands, they both started laughing at me! "This is not funny!"
"You-" the 'father' tried hiding his laugh but failing to do so, his son was also trying not to let my words get to him. "You truly are such a strange one. Do you not have any senses?"
"...I sense that you're both dangerous, yet here I am following you [though I don't have a choice]." Saying the last part in my head and feeling my brow furrow, one of them took hold of my shoulder and came awfully close I didn't get a good look to see who it was.
"Such poor insight of your own ability...we'll fix that once we get to the temple."
"Temple?" Seeing it was the 'father', he said nothing more other than to start moving again. "Before we get moving I need to call you by name or something." Only saying father and son in my head just seemed odd at this point to continue. If I'm being dragged along to who knows where I might as well have names of my captors.
"Hmm..." he gave it thought, his son becoming more wary by the second, he deemed me worthy enough to receive his name. "Toga. My honorable son, Sesshomaru. Now you," his aura far more intimidating to refuse answering, I shifted my feet and raised my chin up high.
"Clara."
"Now that human customs are over, continue walking." Astute and to the point.
Once they were not staring back at me I silently mocked how he spoke behind his back and felt a little less fearful of the man. Though it wouldn't kill either of them to help me find some proper shoes or something else to wear if we're really going to a temple. Though it wasn't by choice to follow them, my choices were not exactly sprawled out before me, I still have some dignity as to how I look.
Having walked about a hundred miles it seems, we finally stopped the moment we passed into a clearing and faced a cliff dropping down to the depths. Normally I'd be shaking from the height and backing up, but the view was jaw-dropping. Never have I dreamed of such a beautiful scene before. As far as my eyes could see there were white capped mountains, tall and pristine. Rivers that sparkled below, cutting through the mass of forest like a knife and jarring through the land with nothing in its wake. Upon seeing such vast lands and the sheer beauty it held, my heart sank low to the pit of my stomach knowing I was nowhere near home. This land I see is alien to me in every aspect. To grasp hold of my new reality and accept I was nowhere in Tokyo any longer, I looked back to Toga and Sesshomaru and had but one question.
"What...what is the date today? Or year, reign..." not knowing what to ask them, Toga stepped forward with a rather quizzical look at me and answered.
"From what you humans describe time, the year is 1274, the Yuan Dynasty."
Everything from my head down to my toes froze. Among Asia's most crucial history moments, I was brought to a time of chaos and war. And here I stand among the land that would take shape hundreds of years later into what I know of it in the present!
"Oh boy..." not knowing a thing of what I could do and say, Toga seemed uninterested in my plight and took hold of me roughly. "What are-" [I'm having a life crisis here?!]
"We go to the temple."
Not leaving much room to counter him, he walked over to the cliffs edge and just dropped! I screamed and cried at the same time seeing my death coming to me, but hearing only the wind scathing my ears and the feeling of my body going up while dropping itself down, vertigo took hold and I was on the verge of clocking out.
"You scream quite loud for a human."
Breathing heavily as I dared to open my eyes we were no longer falling? Rather, we were floating?!
"What..."
"Humans fear death more than us demons," Toga's expression light, he placed me down steadily on what looked like a giant cloud and I held onto him with a death-grip. "You'll have all the answers you need once we make it to the temple."
"You keep mentioning this temple...what exactly are we going to do there?"
Not answering me and noticing Sesshomaru beside us on the same cloud-like substance, we made it down to the bottom of the cliff and landed on stone.
"There," Toga pointed forward and I set my gaze on a large structure only depicted in history books. Mayan ruins—except these ruins were newly built and being in use. Venturing forward and seeing the residents scatter away from us, we climbed the stone steps to the top and entered the open cavern. Beyond the entrance was a stone interior matching the look of a Colosseum. Stone benches wrapped the far wall with torches being the only light source. Being guided down the rocky path and to what I think was a throne room of sorts, a woman was praying at an alter.
"Priestess," Toga's booming voice echoed in the room, leaving all who stood in here to shudder. "I bring you this woman that might interest you."
Brought forward and standing on my own, the woman had stopped praying and slowly turned to face us. She was a real vintage beauty! Her eyes were small with pursed lips painted pink to stand out against her fair skin. She wore a veil over her face to obscure her looks, but I could clearly see her as she nimbly walked towards me with a faint smile.
It was stifling standing beside the priestess as she circled me like a bird of prey. When I thought she was human she turned out to be some kind of beast in disguise. Her eyes shifted to a cat-like structure, pupils into slits, and her mouth curved ever so slightly where fangs protruded past her lips. Not making any sudden movements and watching diligently to this woman circling, she skipped over to Toga with a delighted tone.
"She's perfect! Where did you find her?" Her slender fingers tapping his arm and her body pressed against him, Toga remained unaffected to her wiles and stepped aside.
"Some goblins had hold of her...my son and I smelled their foul scent in my territory and chased them off. Finding her was merely coincidence."
"Such a rare soul..." the woman purred lusciously. Her eyes trailed back to me and her devious smile shown. "My dear sweet child..." swiftly approaching me and her finger beneath my chin, she was even closer to me than she was with Toga. "I'm going to enjoy developing your tender soul." She purred.
"...what...what do you mean?" Trying not to show fear, but probably reeking it, she rubbed her head against my shoulder like any house cat would.
"A soul as pure as yours can be shaped with the right technique. And it just so happens that I am that technique." She booped my nose! "Now then, to get started I'll just need-" she quickly cut my hand that drew tiny droplets of blood. Panicked and stepping back while guarding myself, she found it fun watching me squirm. "A simple drop of blood." On her nail I saw my blood hang off the end and she licked it up. Revolted by the act and not wanting her near me again, a pulsing pain made me grab hold of my chest and cringe. She came back to me, prying my mouth open and tasting the iron of blood being forced into my mouth I nearly gagged if not for the increasing pain.
The entire room spun while I dropped to my knees gasping for air. Chest tightening up as though someone had hold of my heart, I tried looking through blurry eyes where Sesshomaru and Toga were standing but failed as I could only make out blobs of colors. In that instant I felt another pulse run through me and I dropped further onto the floor gripping the stone.
"She's a tough one Toga...you certain you still want her after this?" Hearing that woman speak, unable to hear Toga, I felt my conscience mind slipping in and out and finally gave into the darkness
You truly are such a delightful human.
Who are you?
The priestess. Surely your memory isn't that bad to forget me so easily?
That cat woman?
Cat?! I'm insulted you make me to be such a common feline!
Then what? What did you do to me?
Oh, this is merely the beginning my dear, sweet child. Your soul and mine, one of the same. I have been searching for someone who can handle my powers.
Not interested in powers...I want to go back home!
Home? Sweet child, you are home.
The pain that I felt ran through my body like lightning striking from above. From my head down to my toes I felt my skin crawling and ripping into shreds. The woman only laughed as I writhed around in pain and feeling my body tearing itself apart inside and out. As I screamed, my voice breaking, only the feeling remained while everything else was just white noise. Why was this happening to me?!
"Is it done..." Toga approached the priestess. She leaned back on her hands and smiled a cunning smile with her fox-like features showing through. As her form was withering away the woman laughed maniacally to her success and seemed so blissful though she was disappearing.
"More than done...she is complete." She began to dissolve slowly into a wisp of smoke. From her feet and up she began to vanish from sight as she looked to Toga and Sesshomaru with a wicked grin. "She'll be perfect! My powers will grow in her soul as I reside inside her, forming her to my taste." A delightful laughter as she was nearly faded out, she went straight to Toga and was close enough to kiss as she whispered into his ear "she'll fulfill the desires" before completely vanishing.
"Mrs. Higurashii, hey!" Seeing her sweeping in front of the shrine and waving from the stairs, she waved back with her usual smile. "I have so much to tell you!"
"..." I saw her talking, but no words came out?
"I didn't catch that, let me get closer." Running up the flight of steps, it was like I never was able to get any closer to her? "No...wait...!"
The steps elongated upwards, making the staircase to the shrine vanish and making me fall backwards off the steps! I reached for something to take hold of, anything to stop me from falling. What caught me was just a fog of white. Seeing no face and not a very clear shape, the fog moved as though alive and surrounded me.
"I want to go home..."
[You are home, sweet child.]Hearing the priestess and now seeing a shape take form, I stepped back away from the woman and tried running away. [There's nowhere to run, child. My soul has already moved onto you.]
"You're lying!"
Though I ran from her I could feel that I was getting nowhere further away from her. I stopped and felt her slender fingers slide across my shoulders and down my arms. It was a cold feeling. Like a ghost wrapping itself around me and trying to keep me from the world of the living.
[You are reborn anew into my domain, child. Serve the Great Dog Demon well and earn his boon. My power is yours now...]
"I never asked for it!" Shoving her away from me, trying to grasp reality, she laughed to herself without an ounce of grievance to her actions. "Just send me back home if you got all this power!"
[Like I said, sweet child, you have my power now. Question is, will you control it? Or will it control you?]
As she spoke she vanished like smoke and the entire landscape around me began to collapse and I started to fall through the ground in an endless black hole until I finally woke up.