Full Moon

Sinking and Saving

As I stepped towards the shrine housing the well, I couldn't help but reflect on all that had happened to me since I'd arrived in Japan.

It was strange, but when I'd been on my way to this new country, having left my own, I'd hoped for something adventurous to happen to me - and I'd gotten my wish, though not in the way I'd expected I would.

Here I was, walking purposefully towards the building that housed the well at the Higurashi's shrine, and so much had happened. Not only was I having strange dreams (strange dreams that were different each time, almost like a story was playing out, unlike the dream I normally would have had), but I was also fainting left and right, which had never happened to me before. I was following around Kagome, a girl who had up until now been sick, but who had suddenly seemed to recover, going to the exact same place that was haunting me carrying a big, yellow, stuffed backpack like she was going camping.

I knew that there were probably logical explanations for everything happening to me (some of which the Higurashi family had already told me), but as I stepped closer to the well's shrine, trying to keep my legs from shaking, keep my courage up, and my throat from closing in on me, I couldn't help but push the explainations to the side. Though it wasn't normal for me to think of anything mystical or magical or out of the ordinary, now that I was in Japan, unordinary seemed to be taking over my brain.

My mind pushed my dreams and insecurities aside as I stopped in front of the well's shrine, my hands outstretched, nearly resting on the edge of the sliding doors, waiting to pry them open. I could hear movement from inside the building, no doubt Kagome, and I could feel the blood pulsing in my ears, my heart pounding. I knew I was close to figuring the puzzle that had become my life out.

All I had to do now was open the door, and let the truth out.

There was a loud sound from inside of the well's shrine as I started to slide the doors open, sounding almost like a thump, as if someone were jumping and then landing on the floor heavily. My racing pulse grew louder as the doors opened and I stepped in, looking around for Kagome, sure that the sound was her…

But when I entered the well's building, seeing how dull and almost boring it was, there was no sign of the black-haired Japanese girl. Instead I was met with an empty space, stairs, and of course, the well.

My aversion to the well grew even stronger now that I was actually looking at it, and I felt my body curl in on itself slightly as I gagged, feeling sick. The air around me seemed choked with dust as I tried to breathe, and every warning signal in my mind fired with alarm, telling me to get out of there quick.

I didn't listen to my instincts, though. Instead, I stepped further into the shrine and slid the doors closed behind me, just as Kagome had, my body resisting every movement I made. I didn't want Kagome's mother or brother to see the doors to the well's shrine were open and come to find us. I still needed to talk to Kagome - and I knew she was in here somewhere, hiding.

"Kagome-san?" I called as I walked further into the shrine, starting down the wooden steps towards the lurking well, my legs feeling stiff as metal rods beneath me. No voice answered me, so I called out again: "Kagome-san?" my voice was louder this time, but died off as I stepped closer to the well and caught a glimpse inside.

My body felt cold as I peered over the lip of the well into its interior, seeing a strange, glowing, almost purple light. The light danced before my eyes as, somewhere far beneath me, I saw a shape that looked exactly like a person - that looked exactly like Kagome.

Kagome was floating in the purple light, moving downward and growing fainter as the light danced around her. She didn't seem fazed as she moved, shuttled along. In fact, she looked almost used to it, like she did it every day. On her back I could faintly see her yellow backpack.

"Kagome-san!" I yelled her name this time, my voice cracking at the end, but she didn't hear me. Panicked and worried for her safety, my aversion to the well and everything around it was forgotten as I leaned over and gripped the lip of the well, shouting again. "Kagome-san!" I sounded desperate the second time, but still she didn't hear me.

As panicked as I was, I didn't have time to think. I had no idea what was going on or how to help Kagome, but I knew I had to do something. So, after yelling her name one last time, I stepped away from the well and started for the stairs, to run and get some help. My legs felt like gel instead of steel now, wobbling beneath me.

I didn't get far from the well, though, and I wasn't able to get help for Kagome.

Instead, I was dragged towards the well as something long, black, and slimy wrapped around me, pulling me back and swallowing my screams.

The next thing I knew, I saw Rin.

"Luna-san," she said with a smile as she appeared in front of me, hands clasped behind her in a cute way. "I'm so glad to see you again!" I could tell that her happiness was genuine, and that from the weight that lifted off of her brown eyes that she'd been worried about me.

My mind couldn't adjust to where I was, so though my mouth moved, no words came out. I knew that I was dreaming again, and that in reality, something important was happening. And though part of me was delighted to see Rin, I really wanted to get back to what was happening in my waking life.

A monster had been pulling me down the well. And any moment, I could be dead, never to see my country or my family again.

"You're okay, Luna-san," Rin's smile lessened a bit, but it made me feel better none the less. "It'll be over soon," her smile turned sad then, and I felt my heart sink.

Over?

How could it be over? I didn't want to die!

"I haven't really had a chance to live yet!" my mouth finally found its voice, which was full of panic. "Please, Rin, how do I wake up? I have to get out of here! I have to help Kagome-san!" I looked around, and noticed we weren't in the meadow that we'd been in the last two times I'd seen her. Instead, we were in a forest, deep and pretty, like in a fairy tale.

I knew I sounded frantic, like I was losing my mind, but I couldn't help it. Though I was dreaming, I knew what was happening in my waking life - knew that right now, I was in the clutches of a monster, and that Kagome was being swallowed up by a purple light.

Nothing made logical sense, and all of it was crazy, but for some reason or other, it was the reality I'd been given.

Rin's eyes turned sad too as her smile vanished, an almost blank look on her face. "Kagome-sama will be alright - she always is. And I don't think you're going to die, Luna-san - he won't let you," I wanted to ask her who she was talking about, but she didn't give me time. "You have to meet everyone - he told me so. It's part of the game."

"Game?" the word tumbled out of my mouth numbly, and suddenly I felt heavy, the feeling I got whenever I was close to waking up. "What game? I'm not playing a game!"

This was my life!

Rin offered me another smile as the wind began to blow, rustling the leaves of the trees surrounding us, her smile almost apologetic. "I don't know, Luna-san," she said, and though it annoyed me that I wasn't getting answers, I knew I couldn't be mad at her for it. "He didn't tell me everything…" she trailed off then as the wind blowing through the trees picked up, and my vision began to blur dangerously.

And though I wanted to wake up and face whatever it was that had come after me, I clung to the dream as long as I could then, willing my vision not to be blurry, willing my body not to feel heavy. I wanted to save Kagome and I wanted to fight off whatever monster was attacking me (though I knew I had little chance of accomplishing either of those things, because saving Kagome seemed nearly impossible, and I was definitely not a fighter), but I also didn't want to leave Rin.

Last time I had seen her, she'd been scared, and now she was worried - all for me. I couldn't help but be angry with myself for putting her through the turmoil I was inflicting, whether she was real or not. And though it was honestly selfish, I didn't want to leave her smile behind, because it comforted me. Somehow, since coming to Japan, Rin was the thing that felt closest to home.

Though I knew that I had to let her go for now.

Rin seemed to sense my thoughts, and she laughed, her bright, sunshine smile showing again. "Don't worry, Luna-san. We'll see each other again!" she said cheerily before my vision turned to darkness, and I headed for the nightmare waiting for me.

The flesh of the ugly, slimy, cold monster coiled around me reminded me of snakeskin as my eyes opened, and I fought the urge to scream, fully embedded in the monster's grasp. I shook my dream away as I tried to move, tried to escape, wanting to clear my mind so I could think. I kept ahold of Rin's smile, though, because if I was going to die, I at least wanted to picture something pleasant.

The monster tightened its hold on me as I moved an inch, and I felt my breath rush from my lungs, its grip choking me. I heard a sinister laugh as it twisted, swiveling its head towards me, its red eyes glowing. Though its body was more akin to a snake, its head reminded me of a wolf, its long fangs gleaming.

"Irazumi, I have found you at last," the thing said as I struggled to stay conscious, my vision blurring again - though not in a way that suggested I was falling asleep. I knew then that I was dying from lack of oxygen, and the thought scared me to the core, adrenaline running through my veins and making me feel sick. "I've been waiting for you to enter this well," the monster laughed. "It has taken so long; I thought you'd never come, Irazumi."

If I could have replied to the monster, I would have spit in its face, cursing it. But my racing, panicked mind knew I couldn't reply, because I had no breath in my lungs.

This was it. It was the end for me. I was going to die inside of a well, unable to help Kagome, unable to see my family again.

I was going to die before I'd had a chance to live.

Another of the monster's laughs rang through my ears as the creature moved again. I felt air rush back into my lungs as I gasped, its snake-like body loosening around me. The few inches I had gained weren't enough to set me free, but they did clear my head.

I blinked tears out of my eyes, gasping for air, and found myself staring straight into the monster's eyes. The creature growled as its eyes narrowed, and it looked more than angry.

"What!" it nearly shouted as it shifted again, and I almost flew out of its grasp. I screamed as my body moved through the vast void of purple nothingness, and it caught onto me again. "This cannot be!" I had no idea what it was talking about, but I followed its eyes as I gathered the breath to scream again, knowing that I shouldn't have bothered, because no one would hear me.

When I followed its gaze, I found it looking at my arm. At some point since I'd fallen down the well after Kagome, my jacket had been ripped, so that now the bottom half of the right sleeve was gone, a small gash sliced into my skin. I had no idea why the sight of my forearm angered the monster, but as I looked back into its eyes, I found it didn't matter.

With a shout of rage, the creature flung me away, and I hit something hard - the tail-like end of the creature's body, which was fat, plated and thick as a rock. The breath was sucked out of me yet again as I saw spots, my body floating there in the void, unable to fall.

The monster stretched and lengthened then, its red eyes growing brighter, angrier. "This cannot be!" it shouted again as its top lip curled back, exposing even more of its fangs, about to attack me. "You filthy human, you tricked me! You are the Irazumi, but you do not possess it yet!" it hissed at me, sounding like a snake though its head resembled a wolf, and I shook in fear.

I had no idea what it wanted, no idea what it was talking about. But, as the words it had said echoed in my mind, I was reminded of something -

In the dream I'd had before I'd followed Kagome to the well - the one with the strange golden light, with the evil creatures - one of the monster's hovering near me had mentioned "it" as well, had mentioned that I was the one it had been looking for, but that I didn't have whatever it wanted yet.

What were these creatures after? What did the thing they wanted have to do with me? And what did my dreams and the well have to do with them, with Kagome?

My heart raced as the creature hissed again, growing bigger as it stretched, and I looked around me. Kagome's small form was gone now, stolen by the purple void, and I had no idea if she were safe. Maybe the monster had eaten her before it had grabbed me, and I simply hadn't seen it?

My beating heart ached with pain at that thought. Though I hadn't known Kagome for very long (though it had seemed like a long time when I'd been talking to her, as if I'd known her all my life), she was a really good friend, and I didn't want to lose her.

My will grew strong as I thought of Kagome, and then thought of Rin. Kagome was in danger (if she was still alive), and Rin had wanted to see me again. I owed them both something, so I had to make sure that I escaped from the monster.

"What are you talking about?" my voice wavered when I spoke to the creature, who laughed in my face, but it was still strong. "I'm not this Irazumi you're looking for, so just leave me alone!"

The creature reeled back when I spoke, as if confused, but then it leaned forward, and I could feel its deadly breath on my face. "You are the Irazumi," it said as its red eyes flashed. "And since you refuse to give me that which I desire, I shall have to devour you now," its mouth curved into an ugly, cruel smile as its teeth flashed, headed straight for me.

I screamed as I tried to dodge it, but suddenly, there was no place to go. The tail-like end of the creature's body reappeared behind me as I floated backwards in the void, the creature's mouth reaching out for me, ready and amped for the kill.

So, with no way to protect myself, I did the only thing I could think to do.

"HELP!" I screamed as loud as I could, closing my eyes, though I knew no one would be coming to my rescue…

And then suddenly, everything was silent.

I swallowed thickly as I felt a shiver travel up my spine, more than sure that I was dead. I thought of my parents, my friends, my brother, and the Higurashi's and Rin as I forced myself to open my eyes and face my fate in the afterlife.

But, when I opened my eyes, all I saw was the purple void of the well - and a golden, shimmering light, in which resided a very familiar figure - the same figure from my before-the-well dream.

"Greetings, Irazumi," the masculine voice said, the figure's golden eyes piercing through me. "I am surprised to see you here so soon, though just the same, it is best that the game begins at this time."

When I heard the word "game", my temper flared, and I began to wonder if this figure was the person Rin had been talking to. "I'm not playing a game!" I shouted hotly, and the figure's lips curled into an almost amused smile, their face starting to become a little visible, though the rest of them was still too shrouded in light to see clearly. "I'm tired of things attacking me! I want to know what's going on!" I knew it was probably bad for me to lose my temper, but I was angry.

And since Kagome was gone to who-knew-where, this figure was the only one who seemed to be able to give me information, because if anyone knew what was happening to me, it was them, obviously.

"You shall learn the full truth in time," the figure in the golden light sighed slightly then, and I felt some of my anger slip away. Where before they had seemed amused, like they might be laughing on the inside, now they looked almost...sad, in a way. "As for now, there is no time to explain. You should already be on your way."

"Way?" I blinked at the word, my heart sinking. Something about it sounded foreboding. "And where will I be going, exactly?"

The figure in the golden light chuckled at my question, though the sadness didn't leave their eyes. "You shall meet friends and foes, Irazumi, and be hunted by the greatest of youkai," I shivered when he said the word "youkai", knowing exactly what it meant - demons. "And I will help you along your journey. But for now, I leave you with a gift."

"Gift?" I blinked again when I heard the word, confused, and then suddenly the purple void around us started to move, streaking by me like a ship flying in light-speed. I gasped as I was grabbed from behind by some invisible, unseen force, dragged away from the glowing light and the figure in it as the purple void continued on its way.

And that's when I felt it - something glowed from my right forearm as a burning sensation snaked through my skin, making me cry out. I looked down at it as I was dragged along, gritting my teeth against the pain, but I couldn't tell what it was, what was happening to me. The pain wasn't so bad that it was excruciating, but it hurt all the same.

When I looked up again, still being dragged backwards, I saw the figure in the golden light staring at me, their bright eyes flickering in an almost familiar way. "Best wishes, Irazumi," they said. "I shall see you again," and then they started to vanish, fading out as if they were a ghost.

But I didn't want them to leave yet. I was still confused, still scared, still had no idea what to expect. I hadn't signed up for any of this. I had only come to take classes in Japan, not be hunted down by demons!

"Wait!" I shouted as the void around me began to disappear too, my body still being dragged backwards, away from everything. "I still don't understand!"

If the figure's eyes had looked sad before, they turned even darker now as their form continued to fade away, now nearly gone. "Adversity lies in store for you, Irazumi," they said, and then frowned, their sadness even darker then. "But perhaps, through it, you will be able to unite my sons."

For some reason, everything seemed to stop moving then, the world going silent. The purple void around me stopped streaking by, the force pulling me stopped pulling, and my lungs stopped breathing. The only thing that continued to move was the figure and its golden light, both of which disappeared completely then.

Sons? I found myself thinking, mind racing as I tried to piece together what he'd meant.

And then it hit me, and before I blacked out again, falling into unconsciousness, I saw it -

And what I saw was the two figures I'd seen before, swinging their swords: the first wore red and had a fierce expression, determination showing in his eyes, the desire to protect; and the second who had that cold, chilling gaze, aristocratic and prideful, a born killer who cared little for anything.

How different they were - and yet, somehow, still the same.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Rin again, though everything around us was blank, white as a blank space. Her smile was cheery when she laid eyes on me, more like the sun than ever before.

"You're closer than you've ever been now, Luna-san," she said. And then she closed her eyes, bowing her head slightly, smile curving. "I can feel it."

When I gasped, my eyes shooting open, it was raining, the drops falling from the sky above me and hitting me face. Beneath me I could feel wet, clingy dirt, and beside me I could feel my arm, splayed out, still burning slightly.

Everything I'd just heard and felt and seen echoed in my mind as I looked around, feeling panicked. From what I could tell, I was lying at the bottom of the Higurashi's well, though it looked different than it had when I'd last seen it. For one thing, there were vines crawling up the sides of it, and above, the sky was visible, the well's shrine completely gone now. I could hear noises echo from nearby, outside of the well, though I wasn't sure what they were - only sure that they definitely weren't the sounds of Kagome's family.

Confusion and terror occupied me as I gathered the courage to turn my head and look at my exposed forearm. And as soon as I did, the burning in it stopped, and as I gasped, a rush of blinding light shot forth from it, beaming up and hitting the sky above me.

The light lingered high in the sky for a moment as I turned my gaze to watch it, feeling panic grow stronger inside of me. The light itself was pure and white, but there was something about it that felt almost sinister, like it might turn around, come back, and devour me.

I turned and looked at my forearm again as the light dissipated, noticing that it now had a dark, black, tattoo-like design on it. And suddenly, I heard a roar echo from above, and I swallowed thickly, knowing exactly what it was - knowing that this was only the beginning.

Hello, readers! That was chapter four of "Full Moon". I really hope everyone enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to: KuramaEnzanBlues, ImmolationPiggieOfDoom, ..LoVe, and Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967. Thank you for your comments! I'd also like to thank everyone who added this story to their alert and/or favorites.

Please leave me comments, and let me know what you think!