The Moon and the Sun

Ahhh! Sorry about the long wait! I've really been into Naruto lately and haven't been really into Inuyasha for a while. I feel terrible for making you guys wait so long!

Chapter 6 – Fire

As night fell, Hotaru became increasingly paranoid. Frequently, she ruffled through her book bag, searching for an item she knew wasn't there. She also kept checking her pulse and paid close attention to her breathing and often put her hand over her heart. Whenever Rin asked what she was doing and why she would simply respond, "Oh, nothing, Rin-chan. Nothing for you to get worried about. Nothing at all."

Sesshomaru, however, wasn't fooled. He could hear her heart beating in her chest, fluttering with nervousness like a caged bird. Regardless of the pain that came from her transformation, her body was perfectly sound, so why was she so worried about her heart?

Unbeknownst to him and the others, Hotaru had been diagnosed with terminal heart disease earlier in the year. It wasn't due to a bad diet or high cholesterol or lack of exercise; it was pure hereditary bad luck. The doctors expected her to live another good five years at least… as long as he took her medicine. Medicine that wasn't with her.

She wasn't afraid that her recent had changed her heart, no, far from it. She was afraid that it hadn't, and the knowledge that she might have a sudden heart attack or not wake up the next morning, or worse, that her body might go into withdrawal from the sudden lack of medication frightened her.

That's a pretty damn good reason to be nervous.

Hastily, she brought her sketchbook back out and began to draw, trying to get her mind off a possible, upcoming death. The charcoal made rough, jagged movements, and in the end she had a horrible picture of a nasty looking dragon/insect thing. Rin frowned over her shoulder.

"Hotaru-sama? What's wrong? You said you drew your feelings and that's not a very nice picture." She observed. Hotaru made an ironic little half smile. The child was a sharp one. Most she knew wouldn't have realized something like that.

She ripped the paper out of the rings and crumpled it in her hand, willing it to just burn up and disappear. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Rin. It's…" Suddenly the paper caught fire. Hotaru jumped. "Holy-!" She started and fell off Ah-Un in total shock… right on top of Jaken.

The toad-yokai squealed and tried to pull himself out from under the woman. "Oh my! Ack! ... What did I do to deserve this?" He gasped immensely as Hotaru stood, pulling air into his crushed lungs. Sesshomaru and Ah-Un stopped. "Lady Hotaru, what…" He paused in mid sentence.

Hotaru stared at her hand, which was engulfed in a bright orange flame. Somehow, it didn't burn her. She gazed at it with mystified eyes. "How… but…" She snapped her fingers experimentally and started when the flame grew larger. Shocked, she shook her hand vigorously and the flame went out, she examined her hand with a disbelieving frown.

"Hotaru-sama! Your shirt!" Rin cried out.

"Wha? Oh my gods!" She was on fire! Quickly, she batted her hands over the flames, smothering them. She sighed and held a hand over her fluttering heart once they were gone. Only then did she realize that her now considerably smaller shirt was showing way too much midriff. Her petite, but well-developed little six-pack was bare for the whole world to see. Turning a delicate shade of pink, she wrapped her arms around her waist, covering her stomach with the less offensive skin of her arms.

"Ah…" She timidly averted her eyes away from Sesshomaru's piercing gaze, now close to the color of a rose. "Um, Rin-chan? Could you hand me that cloth in my bag real quick?"

Rin opened the bag and went through it quickly. She held up a yellow cloth. "This one?"

"Yes. Toss it to me, please." She caught the item as it flew through the air and quickly wrapped it around her waist, covering her bare stomach and tying it off fashionably at the side. It was a bright contrast to her somewhat dark clothing. Her blush lessened considerably. "Thank you, Rin-chan."

Sesshomaru looked up at the darkening sky. "We will stay here tonight." He said simply and Ah-Un plopped to the ground. Hotaru made a small "oh" and went back to staring at her fingers. She didn't dare snap them again, for fear of catching something else on fire.

After a while, Jaken took Rin to go find food and Hotaru lied back on the grass and read her book. Sesshomaru sat against a tree, keeping watch, she assumed.

She put her book down and sighed, staring up at the stars. Every so often, she murmured a constellation's name and traced its outline with her fingertip in the air. This, though, only lasted a few minutes before she grew bored and rolled over on her stomach. She pulled her book bag over to her and stashed her book inside, exchanging it for an odd, two pronged, flute-like object.

She held it up and looked over at Sesshomaru. "Do you mind if I play?" She asked. Her looked at her with his strange gold eyes and didn't say anything. She took it as a yes when he looked away again, turning into her back.

She placed the junction of the Y-shaped object on her lips and blew gently. The instrument's pure sound filled the air. Hotaru moved her fingers in a slow, rhythmic pattern, producing a song that was not happy, but not quite sad. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the gentle, lilting music. She ran her finger around the edge of one of the holes, causing the note to waver pleasantly. Slowly, she picked up the pace a bit, making the song slightly quicker than before, though no less emotionless.

"Oh, Hotaru-sama, that song makes me sleepy." She heard Rin yawn.

Hotaru lowered her instrument and looked over at the child. "Should I stop?"

"No, no." The child said quickly. "I like it. It's pretty."

Wordlessly, Hotaru continued to play, the seemingly endless string of sweet notes drifting softly on the wind. Rin "mmed" contentedly and rested her head in Sesshomaru's lap. The demon lord looked down at the child. It wasn't often he saw her so relaxed and quiet. It was certainly an improvement.

"Whoa." Hotaru whispered suddenly. He looked up and saw several sparks of flame vanish into the air. Hotaru looked at the flute to the air and back to the flute again. She removed her hand and stared at her fingers for a moment. Frowning slightly, she began playing again, eyes widening when several flames flew out of the end of the instrument. She paused again and giggled slightly, flexing her fingers in front of her face. She placed the instrument back to her lips and watched with fascinating eyes as specks of fire flew around as she played.

"Oh, wow." Rin murmured.

Indeed. Sesshomaru thought, watching the strange performance. Yet another of the sun-inuyokai's strange abilities, he supposed.

It wasn't long before Rin fell asleep to the tune and lights and Hotaru put her instrument away not long after, choosing to stare up at the stars again and the sailing crescent moon. Her eyes were shaded in deep thought.

Sesshomaru stared at her curiously. She seemed worried about something, but what, he wondered? There, she was doing it again; she was checking her pulse again.

"Something troubles you." He stated, gaining her attention. She sat up and turned to face him.

"What makes you say that?"

"You have been acting very strange all day."

She tilted her head to the side. "How do you know I don't always act like that?" He blinked slowly at her, as if to say, how stupid do you think I am? She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, staring somewhat sadly at the blonde strands. "Yes, there is something bothering me. I am very ill, or perhaps I was. I'm not sure. It depends on how extensively I've changed. Just… don't be surprised if I don't wake up in the morning."

He narrowed his eyes. What sort of illness did she have? It must certainly be something serious. No matter, she wasn't going to die. Rin had taken a liking to the girl and there was no way he could allow a sun-inuyokai to die in his hand.

Confidently, he assured her, "You need not fear. You will not die while in my care."

She made eye contact with him. "That's noble of you to say, but there's no way to protect someone when the threat comes from their own body, I'm afraid. Nor is there any way to bring back the dead. I just hope such a thing does not occur." She broke eye contact and looked at the sky. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about this anymore."

Sesshomaru smirked to himself. No way to bring back the dead? Is that what she thought? Well, she would certainly be in for a surprise when she awoke the next morning, alive.

She sighed and lay back down on the grass. "Well, goodnight, I suppose."

He was somewhat surprised. "Funny. I half expected you to say goodbye."

She shifted her position and looked at him. "Goodbye is forever, and nothing lasts that long. Not even death."

He raised an eyebrow. She was certainly an odd one. "What about the gods? They are immortal, are they not?"

She closed her eyes wearily. "I don't know of any gods. Or of any god, for that matter. I have no religion." She stated simply. "It only causes conflict and war. Goodnight."

Sesshomaru watched her as she fell into slumber. Yes, she was certainly an odd one.

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Okay, so there's chapter six. So sorry for the long wait! ;;; I don't know when the next update will be either, between school and more plot bunnies attacking my mind than I can count.

I don't know what the flute-thing is called. I got it off the Chronicles of Narnia. Hehe, I almost wrote Naruto instead of Narnia. I'm an uber Naruto fan.

I had fun with the fire too. If anyone has any suggestions for my fic, I'd love to hear them.

Read and Review! Constructive criticism welcome! Please, don't tell me about how "the flute was a stupid thing and now you'll never read my fic again." That's just an annoying and stupid review. Those types of reviews drive me insane… er. Insane-er. More insane. Yes, I am insane. Not official yet, but I am insane.

Oo, I'm rambling, he he hehe. Okay, until next time then!

Ja ne!

Mysteri