I'm trying to keep a schedule of updating on Sundays. So that's why this chapter came so soon after the last.
My very last season of marching band begins in less than a week. I'm so excited! But it also means that school is starting soon, so my time to write will become very short, if not non-existent. I'll try my best.
Without further ado, here is Chapter 4. And as promised, here he is!
~Akane-chan
Chapter 4: It Begins
My screams were the first things I heard in the morning.
I bolted upright in bed, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. My breathing was hard and ragged. I could feel droplets of sweat dripping down my back and forehead. Hyper-alert, my head darted around my small house, checking for any dangers. There were none. Sunlight peeked through the small windows on either side of my small hut, enough to illuminate every corner. I didn't need my powers to hear that all was well outside as a couple of villagers passed by, talking excitedly about the upcoming harvest.
I sighed. I have since lost count of how many times I've had that dream in the past few months. Each time, the dream lasted longer and longer. This time, I finished my battle with Kagura, I thought. I quickly realized these dreams were not ordinary. I sometimes realize that I am dreaming, but I am not able to change the outcome, as my dream self continues to do and say exactly what was said when it actually occurred. I also felt pain. Every bit of it, emotional and physical. Ten years have passed since I lost my mother. I thought I had accepted the pain and found peace. Then the nightmares started, forcing me to relive everything and cause those emotional scars to come wide open again, as if they had never healed. I was afraid to sleep now. Someone wanted me to relive those memories, but who? Why?
I closed my eyes against the world and collapsed back down onto my pillow. I didn't understand these dreams or why I was having them. Was Sereni in my head, and was she the one making me remember all of this? Why now, when I have just moved on?
Screams reached my ears. My heart rate rose once again, still hyper-sensitive from my dream.
"Demon! There's a demon attacking the village!"
"Someone help!"
"Lady Kira! Someone get Lady Kira!"
I quickly rose from my bed, albeit reluctantly. Dressing quickly in my usual blue and silver-starred kimono, I gathered up my sword and headed outside. The wonderful blacksmith of this village forged this sword long ago, accidentally adding in infusions of demon blood and medicinal herbs. The combination proved to be potent, but too powerful for any normal human to control. When I came across it (after it had poisoned several villagers), my powers seem to resonate with it. The unrestrained aura surrounding it immediately subsided when I touched it. The villagers believe that I am a priestess with immense spiritual powers, including the power of purification. This seemed a much more believable and safe story than explaining that I was a demi-goddess, so I never corrected them. They were safer that way, and they also provided me good housing and food in exchange for protecting their village.
"Lady Kira-!" A young boy had just run to my door as I came outside, almost crashing into me. "Ah, sorry. But you must hurry! There's a demon attacking the village!"
"Thank you," I said. "Go find somewhere safe to hide." He nodded, and rushed off. I headed the other way, toward the screams.
It was not difficult to find the demon causing the chaos. A huge demon with a hard shell on its back like a turtle marched through the village, destorying houses one by one, as if he were looking for something. The demon's head was human-like, though he bore silver hair and purple scars across his cheeks. His body also resembled that of a human's except for his right arm, which was considerably thicker that the other, being covered by a spiky shell that seemed to continue from the one on his back. I unsheathed my sword from its scabbard and charged for an attack. Just before I reached him, I stopped suddenly.
"Help! Lord Sesshoumaru!" A little girl with raven-black hair screamed from within the demon's grasp. She pounded away fearlessly at its hand. "Let me go!"
Oh no... I couldn't dispose of this demon as I normally would. He had a human hostage, and I might accidentally hurt her if I used my goddess energy.
This was proving to be more difficult that I first thought.
"You can't hide her from me. Bring me what I ask, or you shall all perish, starting with this little girl," the demon demanded. As if to put truth to his words, the demon squeezed the hand holding the girl. She cried out in pain.
I gripped my sword tightly and jumped high into the air. Aiming for the hand that held the girl, I swung down on the demon's shoulder. My sword met with flesh, though it did not cut. The demon's aura resisted my attack in a shower of sparks and flung me backwards. I landed safely on my feet only a few feet from where I had stood, contemplating what had happened.
The demon, intrigued, turned toward me. "Oh, and who dares to attack me?" He gazed at me, a look of amusement in his eyes. "A young girl? Maybe a priestess?"
"Who are you, demon? What do you want from us?" I called up to it.
The demon smirked. "How bold. I am Mouryoumaru. I have come for the goddess that I've heard resides in this village. Bring her to me, and I shall spare your pathetic lives."
I started. How does this demon know about me? Is he working with Naraku, like Kagura? He did not seem to know who I was, meaning I was safe for now.
"No goddess resides in this village," one of the village men was brave enough to speak up. "If there was such a person here, would we be so impoverished?"
His statement tore at my heart. This village lived in poverty because it stood on slightly infertile ground, making it difficult for them to grow enough food to feed all of them. I did not have the power to fix their situation; however, every day, I wished that I had that power. It pained me to see such kind people, people who took me in and helped raised me as one of their own, suffer every day. Their spirits were strong, and they never complained about their lives. They just tried the best the could, which made them happy.
"Please, stay back," I implored. "I will take care of this demon."
Mouryoumaru seemed amused. "It seems that she has hidden her true identity from you, then. No matter, I will find her."
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Where are you?" The little girl kicked at Mouryoumaru's hand. "You had better let me go before Lord Sesshoumaru gets here, or you'll be sorry!"
"Quiet, girl," Mouryoumaru hissed, squeezing the girl tightly. She cried out once again. "Sesshoumaru will not come for you. In fact, he's probably dead by now."
"No! He's alive! He would never be defeated by someone like you! LORD SESSHOUMARU!"
"I said quiet!" Mouryoumaru bellowed, squeezing her so tightly that the girl fell limp in his grasp, unconscious.
I felt a hot sensation at my wrist, and glanced down. My bracelet shone brightly in its usual rainbow of colors. Since learning of my powers and identity, I realized that my bracelet has a mind of its own, almost like a spirit inhabited it. Like a new mother, I have learned to differentiate its reactions and understand its intent when it shines. At the moment, its light was hot, almost painfully so. My bracelet was angry at Mouryoumaru.
It wasn't the only one. I felt my goddess energy purr beneath my skin, not unlike a shiver when you are cold. It was yearning to be released. This was another power I discovered I had. I could focus my mind and tap into my spiritual energies. When I first learned this, I had accidentally summoned my power to heal a deep gash I received from a demon that had been chasing me. Not long after, I learned to manifest my power into a physical form as orbs of energy. When I acquired my sword, my curiosity led me to apply a similar principal into the blade. Now, the sword was a natural extension of my arm that I could easily manipulate to focus and aim my goddess energy in a battle.
This one, for example. I allowed my power to seep into my blade. It began to glow a faint blue light. I checked to make sure the villagers were far enough away. Satisfied, I charged toward the towering demon.
"Are you going to try that little trick again? It won't work," Mouryoumaru laughed. With his free hand, he swiped across the ground, trying to knock my feet from underneath me.
"You underestimate me," I said, then smiled knowingly. Just as he was about to make contact, I pushed off from the ground, flying fast into the air. Mouryoumaru looked confused. I imagine that he thinks I completed disappeared. I grinned to myself.
Floating for a moment high above the silver-haired demon, I angled myself toward his occupied arm. Using the momentum of my fall, I brought my sword down on his shoulder. This time, my sword easily cut through his arm. I heard Mouryoumaru scream in pain, but I ignored him for the moment. The little girl fell out of the now dismembered arm. I caught her just in time.
Turning to the nearest person to me, I handed her over. "Please take her somewhere safe."
"Yes, Lady Kira," the man responded, and hurried off toward the nearest hut that was still intact. Confident in the girl's safety, I resumed my attention on a very angry Mouryoumaru.
"You... You are no ordinary priestess, are you?" He said. His voice grew deeper and barely audible. He paused for a moment, considering me. Then he smiled wickedly. "I've found you, Goddess."
"So you've found me," I said. "What do you want from me?"
"Naraku wants to make use of your powers," he responded. Naraku?! "You will pay dearly for injuring me!"
My goddess energy purred. "It would be my pleasure to finish the job!"
Mouryoumaru advanced toward me, almost trampling several villagers in his path. Before he came within five meters, I heard a familiar buzzing nearby. So did Mouryoumaru, as he stopped his attack.
Red and yellow-striped insects appeared behind Mouryoumaru. How did I not sense them until they were right there? They hovered for a moment, and Mouryoumaru looked toward them, communicating in the same strange way as Kagura had. A few seconds later, Mouryoumaru grimaced.
"I will spare your life this time, Goddess. Next time, you will die," he spit out the last few words before disappearing into a cloud of purple miasma along with the insects.
I heard cheering behind me, which startled me.
"The demon is gone!"
"Cheers for Lady Kira!"
"Lady Kira!"
I had completely forgotten about the villagers until now. Sheathing my sword, I turned toward them and bowed. "Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry about all of the destruction..."
"Oh no, my lady! If you hadn't driven off that demon, we might all be dead," one woman chimed.
"Yes! It is no problem to rebuild the village," said another.
The others nodded in agreement, murmuring to each other. I smiled. "Thank you," I said again. "Excuse me for a moment." I worked my way through the crowd toward the hut I saw the little girl be taken into.
"Please, I need to go to Lord Sesshoumaru! He's hurt!" The girl's voice met my ears before I reached the entrance. Just as I reached for the curtain, a small form rammed into my legs, almost knocking me down. "Agh!"
The girl fell down on her butt. "Are you alright?" I asked.
Rubbing her behind, she glanced up at me. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm ok. Oh! You're the one who saved me!" The girl stood, then bowed. "Thank you for saving me. The nice man inside told me what happened. But I need to be going." She started toward the forest just within eyesight.
"Hold on," I said, and she stopped. "I'll go with you. You said your friend was hurt, right? Maybe I can help."
She seemed hesitant. "I'm not sure...," she said, fiddling with her hands. "I'll be fine."
I didn't need my mind-reading powers to see that she was hiding something. "It's alright. If he's hurt, he'll need special care to get better," I reassured her. "Now, let's hurry."
The girl seemed to be concerned with something, but she didn't say another word. She merely nodded, and ran off toward the forest.
As we approached, my goddess energy purred in anticipation. I could sense an enormous demonic aura nearby. As we ran, I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly. The aura became clearer as we continued inside. While strong, I could feel it weakening, and the smell of blood was mixed in the air. I wasn't sure if it belonged to her friend to to the demon I sensed nearby. The uncertainty gnawed at my mind. I prayed I wasn't following this girl to her death.
"There he is! Lord Sesshoumaru!" The little girl dashed as fast as she could toward a body leaning up against a tree, and kneeled beside it. I was certain now. The demonic aura as well as the scent of blood was eminating from this figure. The creature was covered in blood almost completely from head to toe. Despite its weakened state, I could sense the immense power this demon possessed. Why was a human girl travelling with such a powerful demon?
I cautiously approached. The demon was male. Beneath the layer of blood I could see glimmers of his long silver hair. His haori I assumed was supposed to be white, as I saw small white spots poking through the blood. Standing right next to him, I could faintly hear his heartbeat. It was weak, but stable.
"He's still breathing," I said. I looked at the girl sitting opposite me. She gazed down at the demon with concern, and I could see she was fighting back tears. "Would you mind going back to the village and fetching me a few things? We need to treat his wounds quickly." She looked up at me and nodded. I told her what I needed, and she dashed off without another word. Satisfied, I turned my attention toward my patient.
The demon was a magnificent creature. He had human-like features, from his angular face to his muscular arms and torso. I couldn't quite gauge his legs, as they were completely covered by his pants, which matched his haori in color and blood. Aside from his aura, only a few of his features betrayed his demon heritage: the sharp claws on his hands and the pair of purple scars on each cheek. His face looked strangely peaceful despite his wounds. I looked down his body and cringed. He suffered a deep gash in his torso. I didn't want to look to see if it punctured all the way through his body. I turned back toward his face. His silver bangs fell lightly over his forehead. His features, though sharp, seemed soft all at once. Despite his disheveled look, he was beautiful.
I felt my bracelet glow. It glowed brightly, almost happily. This reaction confused me. What was it happy about?
Before I could follow that train of thought, the little girl returned, carrying a bucket and a wash cloth. "Thank you," I said, retrieving the items from her. She nodded, and resumed her seat on the demon's other side.
"He's gonna be ok, right?" the girl asked.
I smiled. "Yes, he'll be fine. We just need to clean him up and dress his wounds." I could feel his demonic aura returning. He will wake any moment.
I stood, bucket in hand.
"Where are you going?" the girl asked, panic evident in her voice.
"Do not worry. I am just going to fetch some water from the river so we can wash him," I said, giving her my most reassuring smile.
"Oh, ok," she returned my smile with her own bright one.
The river ran very close to the village. Despite its proximity, the fields here still did not produce crops of high quality. The villagers were convinced that the place was cursed. Some told a story of how their ancestors defeated a great vengeful demon, who was now buried nearby. I did not have the heart to tell them that the sources of their small harvests were a few amongst them who could not afford food to eat.
I quickly filled the bucket with the river's cool water and returned to the little girl and her demon companion. She brightened at my return, and watched eagerly as I prepared the bucket and cloth for washing.
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.
"No, that's alright. I can manage," I said. Her face fell slightly. A thought occurred to me. I had yet to ask her name. "I am sorry, I've been rude. What is your name, little girl?"
"Oh! My name's Rin," she said cheerfully. "And this is Lord Sesshoumaru. What about you? What's your name, Miss?"
My heart skipped several beats. Rin? I stopped what I was doing to gaze intently at her. Raven black hair, very much like my mother's. Dark brown eyes, large and expressive, like my father's. Non-inclusive of the color difference, she looked like a younger version of me, with her hair tied up in a small tie in the back of her had. But was it her?
"My name is Kira," I said. It couldn't be the same Rin, I convinced myself. Curiosity was a powerful force, however. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
"That's ok. I'm ten years old. How about you?"
My chest tightened. She was the same age. Still, I couldn't believe it was more than just a coincidence. My parents told me her village had been attacked not five years ago, with casualties. Only a handful of the adults and older children had survived.
"Miss Kira? Are you alright?" Rin's voice brought me from my reverie. I stared at her once last time before shaking my head.
"Yes, sorry. I was just thinking how you looked just like someone I knew," I said and smiled. Rin seemed satisfied because she smiled back at me. I sighed inwardly. Part of me hoped; another part of me knew that it was pointless. There was no one left. Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I directed my attention to the more pressing matter of the demon in front of us.
I began quickly undressing his body. I carefully peeled off his blood-stained haori, causing Rin to wince at the sound.
"It's alright," I told her, "The blood has just dried onto his skin. He will be okay."
"I know," she said with a confident smile. "I'm not scared." I believed her.
After removing his upper garments, I set his clothing aside. I would wash them later. I looked at the demon's exposed skin. Two long slashes and one large, round hole marred his torso. New blood glimmered in the sunlight, covering the wounds. I touched them softly. While the blood was new, the bleeding had ceased. I was grateful. I did not do too well around gushing wounds. His demonic powers already accelerated his healing, which saved me yet another step in the process. All that was left for me was to clean and patch him up. I reached for the wash cloth that Rin had brought me and soaked it in the bucket of water. As carefully as I could without waking the beast, I rubbed away the caked blood from his skin. Even with the cloth separating my hand from his body, I could feel every feature of his form. Firm and strong, his figure was perfect, save for the wounds I was currently addressing. I hoped they would not scar.
"Miss Kira, are you alright? You don't look well," Rin's voice called to me from a daydream I did not know I had entered. Confused, I looked over at Rin then down at my patient. The cloth had slipped from my hand and currently lay on the floor. I felt my cheeks heat. Startled, I shook my head of the thoughts I did not want to acknowledge. It was proving difficult to remember that the beautiful sleeping creature before me was a demon.
I quickly picked up the damp cloth. "Yes, I'm sorry. I was dozing off a little bit, that's all."
I pushed all thoughts of the demon from my mind and focused on washing away the blood. If I did not look at his face, my mind would not wander. With new resolve, I accomplished my task quickly, every once in a while cheaking his wounds for re-openings and infections. I dared not attempt to remove his pants. There were only a few streaks of blood decorated over the white fabric. I'm sure he would take care of that himself. I directed my attention instead to his hair. It had lay matted to his clothes, so it had turned a dark shade of crimson as well. I carefully held his hair. I felt like silk, flowing languidly between my fingers. My breath caught for a moment. I did not expect such softness from a demon. It was a jewel in and of itself, so I took extra care in cleaning what I could of his hair.
"Rin, why don't you go and fetch me some bandages?" I asked, bringing Rin from her musings on the ground. She blinked for a moment to process what I had told her.
"Okay," she assented enthusiastically. Bringing herself to her feet, she bounded back toward the village with my request.
I felt eyes boring into my foreheard and looked back. Bright golden orbs stared intensely at me. All I could do was stare as they seemed to look straight through my soul.
"Oh, you're awake," I said, strangely calm. The demon did not blink, but continued staring. I couldn't help but fidget slightly, looking for something to preoccupy my hands with to avoid staring at him. How did I not sense him wake up? His demonic aura was overwhelming.
I became aware of a fuzziness in my head. It took me a moment to realize what it was. I had not come across another mind reader since my mother died. I pushed the intruder out of my mind, only to feel it angrily push back. Surprised, I looked around and found the demon staring just as angrily back at me. I smirked.
"So, you can read my thoughts, can you?" I spoke in his mind. Before he could answer me, a familiar schreeching voice reached our ears.
"LORD SESSHOUMARU!" Rin came bounding toward the demon, dropping the package of bandages before throwing herself into the demon's arms. For a moment, I saw the demon's eyes soften at the sight of the ecstatic young girl. They returned to normal before I could confirm it as something other than my imagination.
"Rin, do not forget about his wounds. You do not want to reopen them," I reminded her.
"Oh," Rin slowly lifted herself up. "I'm sorry, my Lord." She smiled and removed herself from on top of the demon.
The interaction confused me. Rin's affection but strict formality, coupled with the dog demon's reaction to her arrival, provided for a very strange but seemingly amicable relationship. I could not make sense of it. I looked on, an observer, but ready to protect Rin if need be. I did not trust this Lord Sesshoumaru. I must be vigilant, lest this demon show his true colors and kill Rin.
"You would have left me to die, then? In front of her?"
I gasped and stared incredulouosly at the dog-demon, who stared right back with cold, piercing eyes. I did not feel him intrude into my mind. How did he bypass my defenses without detection? I immediately brought my powers to the forefront of my mind as an inpenetrable wall of defense.
"I do not know how you can read my thoughts with my sensing it, but you would do well to stay out," I spoke to the demon scathingly through our telepathic connection. I was quite glad that Rin could not witness this exchange. She would become upset. "As for your question, no, I would not have left you to die. A person in need is worthy of help-or in your case, a humanoid demon. My nature tells me there is good in all life."
The demon's eyes remained cold, expressionless, though almost condescending. I felt him probe my defenses, and allowed him in far enough so as to hear his reply. "You are foolish to think that any demon is not evil. Their sole interest is to kill without remorse and gain power, nothing more."
I paused for a moment. His response left me confused. "Really? Then what of Rin, your human companion? What is she to you? It is quite puzzling that a small human child is travelling with a demon as powerful as you. Happily, I might add."
His eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly before they turned toward the girl sitting patiently by his side. Rin smiled a toothy grin at him, and his gazed softened. There was something depper to this relationship, something more complex that what was on the surface. For the life of me, I could not figure it out. Resigning to ask more questions later, I began unravelling the badages. A powerful, clawed hand stopped me.
It seemed that this demon and I were staring quite a bit at each other lately. Unfortunately for him, I would not give in. "I am going to dress your wounds. They will become infected with the miasma if you leave them be."
It was true. The wounds, although rapidly clotting and healing, were turning a sickly purple color. I was confident that the poisonous gas came from Mouryoumaru, as he disappeared in a cloud of purple miasma. The bandages Rin brought me I made myself, infusing them with my healing powers. They were more for minor venomous bites for humans, but they would function just as well for this demon.
The demon did not say a word, but continued to stare straight into my eyes. Satisfied with something, he finally released my hand and allowed me to work. I worked quickly so as not to irritate him further. The wounds sizzled at the touch of the healing cloth, assuring me that they were slowly being purified. I knew the process hurt immensely, but the demon showed no sign of pain.
Finished, I sat back and addressed the demon aloud. "My bandages will purify the miasma within the wounds. It will take at least a day for them to be fully healed, so I suggest you remain here for the night."
The dog demon showed no signs that he heard me. He continued to watch Rin, who had gone to play in the river. I sighed. He was cooperating for now, and that was all I could ask for. I heard my stomach grumble and felt my cheeks heat slightly. I stood and bowed before taking my leave. I joined Rin by the river. Fish sounded good for lunch.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!