Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
They headed on. They had heard of some strange happenings in a village, three days from where they were, and they planned to investigate matters thoroughly. After all, strange things happened where the shikon no tama appeared. Kagome had tried to ask Belladonna something, she had asked her if she was a priestess or not, even though the answer was pretty obvious. Only a powerful priestess would have been able to pull the stunt with Sesshomaru, and next to her Kagome felt like an amateur. But her only response was an averted head, and a tightening of the mouth.
"I won't answer that right now." Belladonna had said curtly.
After that no one had asked Belladonna a single question. There seemed to an aura around her which discourage questions.
It was a rainy day. The water was pouring down in torrents. Kagome had an umbrella with her, while Sango had put something on her head similar to a woven basket; except it was much wider and satisfied, somewhat, the job of an umbrella. Even Miroku had managed to convince Kagome to share the umbrella with him, and Kagome had agreed.
The rain did not show any sign of stopping. It was depressing, the weather.
Sango peered forward. "I think I see a cottage." She said. Kirara bounded forward to investigate.
"I really need to dry myself off." Miroku remarked. He looked at his clothes in disgust. There were wet and muddy.
"I always carry extras" Kagome said thankfully, and patted her knapsack.
Kirara reappeared, and mewled.
There was a cottage. A small, wooden enclosure, bare except for a few mats,it was small, but it could accommodate them all.
Miroku and Inuyasha busied themselves in setting up a fire. Meanwhile, within minutes Belladonna had hung cloth divider across part of the cottage. The girls, Sango, and Kagome went in there to dry off and change into different clothes. Inuyasha sat in a corner, his eyes shut, but his ears moving; sufficient warning to the lecherous Miroku to keep well away.
Kagome went first, and then Sango.
Belladonna went last. She wiped herself off with a cloth, and was changing into a dry, blue tunic. She also shook her hair open to dry. Her hair was long, till her hips. It was also straight. She had bangs which cupped the side of her face, and accentuated it oval shape. She was changing into a light blue tunic, and twisted her hair into a top knot, so tendrils fell loosely down her face. She didn't look like Belladonna the warrior. She looked like a young girl; royalty.
Unfortunately, while she was pulling the tunic down her back, the clot divider came undone. It meant that every one got a full view of her back.
Sango gasped.
Kagome stifled a noise.
Miroku gasped-out of shock.
"How did you get those?" Shippo cried out.
"Shippo!" Kagome gave him a glare.
Belladonna turned around. For the first time, her eyes were filled with emotion. Regret.
"You saw." She stated.
For her back was heavily bruised.
A sudden raw emotion seemed to possess Belladonna. She pulled the sleeves of her kimono up, violently, revealing white arms, heavily muscled. The blue veins of her arms stood out, but thats not what caught everyone's attention. Her hands were scarred. Tiny lines, from her wrists to her forearms, they were brown in colour.
"Lovely, aren't they?" Belladonna asked the room. It wasn't as if she was talking to anyone. She seemed to be addressing the question to herself. She laughed then. She threw her head back and laughed. It was metallic and hollow.
Belladonna stopped laughing.
"Belladonna..." Sango said, eyes full of pity. "How...?"
"Don't" Belladonna snarled. "Don't look at me like that. That's exactly why I didn't want to sa yanything, why I never say anything. She sat down. Her hair came down around her.
Belladonna smiled. It was the most painful thing Kagome had ever seen.
"Who's the bastard who did this." Inuyasha said.
Belladonna threw her head back a second time. This time the laugh was real, it was mirthful with no trace of hysteria.
"You think a man did this to me? " Belladonna laughed. "I did this to myself!"
Shock was reflected in everyone's face.
"Not intentionally." Belladonna said. She corrected herself. 'No, I think I meant this to happen. When Akio died.
"Akio?" Sango asked. "Would we know him?"
"Akio, the demon slayer. You would, maybe. He wasn't that obscure." Belladonna pursed her lips. "I was married to him. "
Even though there was silence, it was like a gunshot had gone off in the room. The silence was tense. Belladonna's mouth was in a cruel mocking half smile, as if she dared them to ask her more.
"Belladonna..." Sango was wordless.
"Why don't you just call me Bella?" Belladonna said. "My name's a mouthful, I know that."
"Your husband. Akio?" Kagome was shell shocked. "How old are you?"
"That's not a question you ask a lady. " Belladonna said. "I'm twenty two. " She shrugged. "I was in training to be a priestess, but then I met Akio..." She didn't complete it.
"I'm so sorry , Bella." Kagome said softly. She laid a gently hand on Belladonna's shoulder, comforting her. "So that's why you're so..." She stopped and shrugged.
"So what?" Belladonna fastened her purple eyes on her. "So what? " She looked the room.
"You know" Sango said.
"I truly don't. What are you saying?" Belladonna raised an eyebrow.
"So...silent. And emotionless." Sango said. "It's because the love of your life died. " Belladonna looked at her questioningly, and Sango reddened.
"My aunt. She wen't like that after my uncle, my dad's brother, was killed in battle." Sango answered.
"Love of my life?" Belladonna said. She sounded amused. There was an unspoken sentence in the air. She seemed like she was going to say something, some sort of retort. But she stopped herself. Instead nonchalance crept back into her face.
'Yes, I loved him. "She said, her voice deadpan again.
Kagome noticed that she had said something wrong. Or not wrong, she had intruded into dangerous waters. She decided not to say anymore, and began to talk inanely about the weather, to fill up the silence.
Inuyasha had no such qualms.
"Say, how do you know Sesshomaru?" He said.
Belladonna's face snapped up. She stared at him, her purple eyes filled with a sort of fire. They seemed to bore a hole through him.
Inuyasha's face turned ashen gray. "I mean...do you...it seemed like you know Sessho...maru..." he trailed off.
"I do. I did, I mean. Once." Belladonna turned her face away. She seemed lost in thought. It was clear the conversation was over, however, Kagome decided to take a chance.
"So, do you?" She said, idly.
Belladonna looked at her. The sardonic look was back in her eyes. " I can't give away all my secrets in one go, can I?" She said. The questioned seemed rhetorical, but it its quality was that of a statement.
Without knowing, Kagome responded to it as a statement. "So, you do have secrets?" she said.
" I do. " Belladonna said.
"How do you know we can trust you, then?" Miroku said, arms crossed.
"You can't. " Belladonna said.
The flames of the fire leapt up, and crackled merrily, throwing shadows onto the walls.