HEY GAIZZZ! Sorry it's taken me so long to make this short-ass chapter. I'm a horrible person. Anyweh, I don't have much to say other than enjoy the chapter, I think stuff is finally getting started a little. Don't expect too much though!
What was coming was inevitable, Orihime knew that even if she were to put up a shield between her and the attacking tentacles, there would be more to come. She hated to resort to attack, but the six voices urged her to, and it was clear to her what she must do. After all, lives were at stake!
The weaving princess reluctantly took her stance.
Making sure not to hesitate, the girl's voice rose and erupted into the words, "Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun!"
And on queue, her main attack was launched, leaving whirlwinds in its wake.
Tsubaki was flying at such sharp speed toward the enemy that he seemed to cut even the air. Then, he made contact with the attacking tentacles, splitting them right down the middle.
IMPOSSIBLE!
The monster let out a screech in agony as it withdrew his tentacles as fast as it could in defense. However, the monster's attempts were futile, and before the monster could react any further Tsubaki was already behind said beast, making a swift, round sweep to return to Orihime.
Seconds passed, and the beast just stood there, frozen, seemingly unaffected by the attack…
Finally, the demon let out a rough grumble before splitting down the middle, its two halves making deep thumps as they each hit the ground separately. Then silence filled the air, a silence much more unsettling than the fear inducing roars of the monster that had been rattling their eardrums before.
The battle was supposed to be over, and oh, how Orihime wished it would be, but the monster's body seemed to refuse its fate. The bloodied mass of fur and tentacles writhed about, with eyes twitching and searching, but no longer seeing. A horrid scene unfit for anyone as innocent as Orihime to see. Luckily she hadn't fully snapped out of her war-like trance yet. Her expression remained stern and unmoving as she gazed elsewhere with distant eyes.
Just then, two different voices, one high, one low cut the silence, and shook Orihime and the others back to reality. The different tones seemed to come from each side of the defeated mounds of flesh that lay in front of all of them.
The voices pleaded pathetically for the life that was already as good as gone, the voices raking against the group's ears.
"IT HURTS IT HURTS! HELP ME MY LORD! YOU TOLD ME THAT IF I SERVED YOU, I WOULD NEVER AGAIN SUFFER! SO WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH? NOOOO! NO NO NO! …noooo…."
Slowly the wretched screeching voice faded away, leaving the lower gurgling voice to be heard.
"CURSE YOU HUMAN…I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS…" The voice threatened before trailing off.
As suddenly as it had come, that voice also died, releasing a wheezing sound in its stead. Its eyes glazed over and the twitching ceased, confirming its death.
Orihime just stands there, with her body stiff and shaking, her lips pressed in a thin line with her eyes fearful. She was too horrified to even move. She recalled the events that took place just seconds ago, and to top it off, her most prominent memory was the quivering mass of flesh that pleaded for its life, the life she had taken.
Before she could ask herself who exactly the demon had been pleading to, Orihime was hit with a wave of nausea, and the ground beneath her feet seemed to ripple, making it hard to keep her balance. Black spots danced across her eyes and invaded her vision. Finally, she saw her surroundings go from horizontal to vertical, then, darkness took over her every senses.
"Maybe using her powers all at once was a little too sudden…" said a hesitant blonde Shun Shun Rikka as she looked down at the unconscious Orihime.
-x-
Mmmmmhmhmmm… how very interesting…
A deep, rich voice hummed through the dark, musty cave where flickering torchlight painted the ice encrusted ebony walls. Enveloped in cloudy darkness crouched the owner of this voice, over a dimly glowing pool of viscous tar. The tar bubbled, spouting noxious gas with each exhale. This figure peered into the yellowish depths, as it revealed the images of a girl -about 17- now lying on the ground with a flash of orange hair splayed out around her. On the collar of her otherworldly outfit were two faintly lit hairpins.
There they are. The source of her power.
The aura surrounding them reminded her spy of the very thing he desired most. The infamous Shikon jewel… This was now a mere dream. The jewel had been destroyed by the wretched reincarnate called Kagome. Still, how could these mere hairpins be so similar to something as powerful as the Shikon jewel?
The question both knawed at his brain and intrigued him.
This subject proved most interesting, and this would not be the last time he would watch her, he decided.
"I must know everything… Inoue Orihime, I will keep you under my watchful eye, you may become useful to me…"
Another gasp of miasma escaped the boiling pool, casting a yellow glow upon the face of the grinning spy, as he ponders his next move.
-x-
It's dark… but it's so warm here…
Where is here?
Orihime felt the thin grass beneath her, the sweat that plastered her clothes to her and remembered what had happened today. Had she not been so numb she would have that mental breakdown that she should have had hours ago, but instead she was pulled deeper into the void of darkness.
.After all that's happened, she needed this rest.
Rest. Yes, that's what I need. I'm so tired…
And with that, she drifted off into sleep…
She hadn't been coherent enough to hear the little girl she helped yelling for her, nor had she been able to hear her begging a "Lord Sesshomaru" to save her hero, but she could have sworn she felt two big arms lift her from her resting place.
-x-
GASP!
Orihime jerked herself into an upright position, clinching her chest where her hairpins should be. Only, they weren't there! Instead, she found the crisp collar of a simple kimono. She had woken up to find herself in a futon, in a small house she didn't recognize. She flashed her eyes around the room, and instantly settled down when she realized her pins were right beside her on top of her neatly folded clothes.
Orihime reached over to grab her things. Strange, her clothes had been folded as neatly as she normally did, but who in Feudal Japan would know how to fold a school uniform properly?
Any thought she had was wiped away when she noticed she had a visitor. It was none other than the younger girl she helped the other day. Beside her stood an old woman in traditional priestess clothing.
Just as Orihime was about to speak, she was tackled in a hug by the girl.
"Thank you so much for rescuing me, Miss! Had you not come, I don't know what would have happened..."
The girl had tears in her eyes as she backed away from the hug.
"No, no! Don't thank me, it was nothing!" Orihime said blushing as she hurriedly waved her hands infront of her. "Besides, it was definitely worth it!" She said with a smile.
"I can't thank you enough Miss, you saved my life, and I don't even know your name! My name's Rin, what's yours?"
"OH! I'm Orihime!" she answered happily.
At the moment she was so happy to meet a normal person that she had almost forgotten her situation. Then, the old woman cut into the conversation.
"Orihime, can you tell me where you're from exactly?" The old priestess inquired with a serious expression.
Bringing up the subject changed Orihime's whole attitude, and instantaneously the room grew tense.
A hesitant pause…
"Um… How do I go about this?" She paused awkwardly and looked down at her lap.
"... I'm from … the future…"
After a few seconds of silence, Orihime risked looking up at the woman. She expected to see an expression that said 'you're insane' on her face, or maybe even the roar of laughter, but saw neither. Indeed, the woman's face displayed shock, but also a look of understanding, as though she believed her.
Does she?
"KAGOMEEE!"
OH NO! she doesn't believe me, she's calling in her friend to get rid of me!
Orihime scrambled out of the covers and to her feet.
"PLEASE! I'm not crazy please don't kill me!" She begged.
"Nonsense child, calm thyself. This is Kagome, I think you two will have a lot to talk about"
WHEW! thas some nutty stuff goin' on! Doncha think? Eh? EHHH? Do you think I gave the demon a death too similar to Aaroniero from Bleach? haha, I thought it would be good to have a death scene like that for the demon. So I ended up copying it pretty much -_- So, good? yes no? Also, I'm excited since I finally introduced the villain :)
Leave a review, it makes me happeh! XD It would also be a nice birthday present, since my b-deh is coming up on the 28th :3 (I am trying to guilt you into leaving reviews, is it working? Hurrhurr)
FAIRWINZ!