Pairing(s): Sesshoumaru/OC (further pairings up to debate, suggestions are appreciated).
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the clothes on my back as well as this OC which came to me as I was fighiting my writer's block.
Warning: Rated M for graphic scenes.
A/N: I know, it took me forever to write this chapter... But uhhh... It's here!
Now, for those who have read the first chappie... I would recommend rereading it xD I made some changes to it lol Imsosorryomg. I also corrected most of the grammar mistakes so hopefully it isn't as horrible to read as the first time.
This chappie is also not spellchecked so... uhh... forgive me?
I have to admit, this chapter might not be very interesting to you. It is more of a build up chapter and there is no Sesshoumaru. I don't even know if that sexy dog will even appear in the next chapter xD It will be a very slow progressing story. Don't expect love at first sight, sniff, lick or whatever.
I will focus a lot on the plot, how they met and gradualy let the romance blossom.
Now, on to the very improtant part.
PLEASE READ: This chapter contains some graphic scenes of gutting animals. So if you love animals (as do I) and can not bear to read them being killed, cleaned and used as a source of food, then this story aint for you. Please click tha back button. I won't blame you, I know it is difficult to imagine animals in such a position. However, in this story it was a necessity as I want to show you the lengths a human must go.
For those who accept this and still want to read:
Enjoy~
Chapter 2: Alone in the Wilderness
Shion rose up from her seated position, looking around the dreamland her brain had created. It was night, the only source of light being the full moon looming over her head. Her ears could also barely catch any sound, the forest deathly quiet. The only source of noise being the rushing water of the river.
She walked around the clearing, observing, her feet cold and hurting each time she stepped on a rock. The pain far too real making her doubt that she was in a dream after all.
She gripped Shukumeisaiga tightly to herself, slowly sliding the blade out of its sheath, her instincts on high alert.
The chill of the wind easily bypassed her pajamas, causing the girl to shiver, early spring still just as harsh as the bypassing winter with the clothes she had on.
At least, she believed it was early spring.
She went up to the river, gently putting down her katana, as she dipped her fingers in the icy water.
She backed her hand away, the cold jolting her back.
As time went on and Shion touched more, felt more, heard more… the situation seemed to get far too real.
And as realization seemed to hit her, to tell her that this wasn't a dream. That somehow, something had brought her to this foreign land, Shion did what every sane person would have done in her situation.
She panicked.
"G…. GRANDPA?"
Nothing.
"KAZUKI?"
"ANYBODY!"
She called out to the night, each time, the only response she would get would be from the howling wind... And then… A growl.
Shion's heart began to race, her body forming the stances she had practiced again and again in Kendo, Shukumeisaiga's scabbard lay forgotten on the ground.
"WHO IS THERE?"
Well… the better question would have been what was there.
Shion only heard the further growls of the creature.
She took a step back, afraid of what animal was hiding itself in the darkness of the forest. Her eyes had long adjusted to the faint light of the moon, however, she could only catch the sight of glowing eyes of a predator awaiting his chance to pounce on her.
At last the creature made itself know, though it did not leave her much time to observe and study. The monster was racing its way to Shion, ready to dip its claws into her flesh.
Her body was screaming for her to run. To run and run and get as far away from this horrendous creature. And she would have done just that, had she not reminded herself that Shukumeisaiga's sheath lay on the ground. And she would not be able to retrieve it without guaranteeing the creature an easy prey and dinner to eat.
Her heart was hammering in her ribs, her knuckles white from the tight grip she held on her katana. And just as the creature jumped high, fangs glaring, ready to rip her head off, Shion held up her katana, a warrior's scream roaring out of her throat as she lunged herself at the monster, sliding the blade into its chest.
The creature fell, its weight dragging her down together with her sword.
But the monster was not dead yet. It kept closing and opening its jaw like a rabid dog, trying to cut off any limb or piece of meat from Shion and it almost succeeded, had she not jumped away, abandoning her sword, still buried in its ribs. Though she did not escape unscathed. Her arm had been sliced, her own blood gushing through her clothes.
The creature stood up, sword still deep in its chest, its breath ragged. It tried to once again attack, but only managed to collapse on the ground once more.
Shion still walked even further, careful that the creature would not somehow stand up once again and by some miracle attack her to the point that she would have to join the monster in the afterlife.
As time passed, however, the creatures antics slowed down, the blood continuing to flow out of its wound, no longer grows and howls being released from its mouth, but whines and cries. It was obviously in pain.
When the creature finally stilled, Shion felt safe enough to close the distance between them once more, carefully touching the hilt of her katana, pushing it further inside the monster's flesh, just in case that it was still alive, before dragging it out.
Her chest was heaving, adrenaline high. He hands started to tremble and she felt tears trickle from her cheeks.
He knees buckled as she fell the bloodied ground, her clothes ruined as she covered her face with her hands crying away the fear she had felt but second ago.
Where was she?
Why was she here?
Why did this creature attack her?
What was this creature even?
At first glance it had looked remarkably like a wolf. However, the unnatural coloring and patterns, its size as well as unusual eyes told her otherwise.
Its claws were far too long, far too sharp, this creature could not be from her world.
Time passed, the only sound to be heard were the quite cries of Shion.
However, she could not continue crying forever, and as her tears started to dry, the fear she had felt slowly calming, she stood up, her legs still shaking, as she made her way to Shukumeisaiga's sheath, careful to bypass the monster, lifting it from the ground and sheathing the bloodied sword inside.
She stood for a few moments, unable to comprehend what had happened. And she wanted to believe so hard that this was all a dream. A nightmare.
But the pain she felt from her wound told her otherwise. It burned, it stung, it was far too real.
She headed slowly to the river, washing her hands, her face and eventually cleaned the wound on her arm, thankful that it didn't seem to be as deep as she had thought initially, already closing.
She felt her clothes stick to her body, the red liquid easily seeping through the fabric.
She felt uncomfortable, disgusted even.
She stripped her pajamas, leaving herself in only her underwear, the child of the weather reminding her how fragile and prone to sickness she was against the forces of mother nature.
But she could not wear those clothes any longer. She dipped them in the icy water, trying her best to get the blood out, rubbing them hard in hopes that the pajamas would once again retain their baby blue color.
And though she was able to get most of the blood out, the reddish hue never completely left.
She took her wet clothes, sneeze after sneeze escaping her mouth, making her way to one of the trees which seemed to have been left alone from the forest, hanging her clothes to dry.
However, now that she was practically naked in the middle of nowhere, with just a sword on her back, which she had yet to learn how to properly use, she could not simply spend the night as she was. The weather was far too cold, her body could go into hyperthermia the longer the darkness engulfed the world.
And by the position of the moon, it would be quite a while till the night was over, leaving way for the sun to warm the fields.
She needed to find wood and somehow start a fire, lest she froze.
The wood part would be easy. After all, she was surrounded by trees. The difficult part was conquering her fear and to actually dare make a step inside the forest. What if there was another creature, just like the dead one not far from her, awaiting its opportunity to attack?
But if she continued like so, she would either die from hyperthermia or risk it and hope there was no such creature lying in its wake.
At least she had a weapon to even try and defend herself. Hell, it was because of Shukumeisaiga that she was even alive right now.
She slowly made her way to the forest, her body shivering from the cold. She never went to deep, always keeping herself at the edge of the forest, gathering fallen branches or cutting some if need be with her katana.
However, just as she though she was finished she heard another growl.
This one was much less intimidating though.
It sounded… Like the growl of a puppy.
However, never one to underestimate her opponents, she let all the gathered wood fall to the ground, the katana once again out of its sheath.
The blade was soaked in dried blood, and she knew she needed to clean the blade soon, but first, she had a monster to kill. If she went to rest after she was done preparing the fire (if she even could start a fire in the first place), it could easily sneak up on her and kill her in her sleep.
She slowly approached the growl, her body ready to leap at whatever danger she needed to face, at the sight of the monster… she was brought to a stop.
The creature had black fur, the tips of its ears painted red, the eye area also covered in red fur like a panda. Its paws were tiny, layered in the same shade of red, looking like tiny socks were covering its little feet.
And its eyes… its eyes were an unnatural kind of blue. Glowing. But not menacing. Not as the other creature's had been.
It was… a puppy.
It barked and tried to attack, but it was far too small to do any real damage, its threat useless.
Shion realized… she had killed this creature's mother.
Looking at the defensive monster, doing its best to defend itself from the looming danger, Shion put her blade back to its sheath. She could never be able to kill something as tiny and helpless as this one… Despite the kind of monster it would turn out to be once it grew.
She backed away, gathering the fallen branches she had dropped, making her way back to the center of the clearing.
She looked at the dead body of the mother, not knowing how to feel. It was most likely that the mother was trying to hunt food for her pup, or show it how to hunt. Instead, it had met its demise at her hand, leaving her child to take care of itself.
However, if creatures such as this existed, what kind of other creatures lurked inside the forest? She doubted the little pup would be able to live much longer.
As she placed the branches at a hopefully good position, dropping dried leaves on it, hoping for the fire to catch on like this faster, she took two slim branches and started shaping the edge of one of the sticks in the form of a pyramid.
She once again felt the bitter cold, urging her to make fire as soon as she could, lest she froze to death.
She started rubbing the stick with the edge on the other branch, rolling it as fast as she could.
What she failed to realize, in her concentration to make fire, the small pup had gone out of its hiding, slowly making its way the dead monster lying not far from the rivers bank.
Her face lit up as she saw smoke rising up from the wood, the sting on her hand a small price for what she would be getting, quickly using the dried leaves to bring the fire to roar. It took time. It felt like a lifetime before the fire starting roaring, but she did it. All the survival documentaries watching on TV had not been for naught after all!
However, the joy of her success did not last long.
She heard the whines of the baby creature, trying to nudge its mother awake. To no avail.
Shion looked away, not knowing what to do. Feeling pity for the pup, hating herself for taking its mothers life.
But the creature had tried to kill her. She had nor threatened them in any way! If she had not killed the creature than she would be the one lying dead! She could not feel guilty for preserving her own life!
But as an animal lover, Shion could not help it how the cries of the creature pulled on her heartstrings. Not only did it lose its mother… It might also be hungry, starving even.
Rubbing her hands on the fire, gathering up some heat, she stood up and went to the creature wolf thingy, hoping she could help it in any way.
As it noticed her coming its way, it immediately started growling, though it continued to retreat in its mother's fur.
"I… I won't hurt you… Aren't you cold little one? Are you hungry? I don't have much to offer unfortunately." She tried to make conversation, sooth the creature. She felt ridiculous honestly, trying to reason with a beast. But she could not simply leave it alone. It was far too cure, fluffy and helpless. It was still innocent. It had done no one any harm.
She stretched out her arm.
The creature continued to growl.
It would not budge.
Seeing as the situation would be a helpless one, she retreated back to the fire, hoping that by the morning her clothes would be once again dry, and she would not have to go hunt for food half naked through the forest.
What she would give for a blanked and a pair of shoes!
She sighed, putting her head on the ground as she lied on the cold grass. She inched closer to the fire, feeling its warmth, adding a few more branches before closing her eyes, Shukumeisaga tightly in her grip.
She could not fully fall asleep, she could only try to rest. And be on high alert at all times.
However, this kind of life was uncommon for Shion and before she knew it, tiredness overwhelmed her, simply resting no longer an option and she felt herself drift into deep sleep.
Her last thoughts consisted of how maybe the next time she would wake up, she would once again be in her bed, under her warm and soft blanket, in the safety of her home where such bloodthirsty creature did not exist.
(Destiny a Dawn)
Shion woke up the bright rays of the sun shining on her face, the fire beside her almost completely gone, her body once again prone to the cold wind. She shivered, wondering why the hell she was sleeping half naked and where were her blankets…
And then she remembered.
She immediately stood up, not believing how easily she had fallen asleep, surprised that she was even still alive. But she was also disappointed. Disappointed that this place she was stuck in was reality after all. That she somehow had been teleported in the middle of nowhere far into the night.
She looked around, noticing that the pup was still in its mother's presence, sleeping sadly beside her corpse. She ignored it and instead went to the tree where her pajamas hung, checking them if they were dry. To her chagrin, they were still a bit moist.
Wet clothes were less practical than being naked, as water soaked in the cold much easier. She had to remain in her underwear for a bit longer.
She took a few more branches from the stock she had piled last night and threw them to the dying fire, hoping that it would roar once more back to life. She blew the ashes, giving the remaining fire more power to catch on and thankfully it did.
She could spare her hands further blisters.
She calmly went to the river, her steps as quiet as possible as not to disturb the sleeping pup, washing her face, cleansing her mouth before she went on gulping much needed water. Once finished she made her way behind a tree, relieving herself before she went back to the fire and sat down, warming herself in any way possible, trying her best to shield out mother nature.
At least there was no rain to make the situation worse. She had no idea where she would be able to find shelter. And as it was early spring, rain was far too common.
As time passed and the sun rouse higher and higher, the airs temperature rising, she felt her stomach twist, an ugly growl filling the quiet clearing (only the birds were chirping).
She needed food.
The growl though hadn't alerted just Shion to her need for nourishment. The orphaned puppy let out a whine, reminding her of its misery.
She stood up again, checking her pajamas and thankfully this time they felt dry.
She immediately put them on, letting her body temperature as well as the fire warm them up. Picking up Shukumeisaiga from the ground, she strengthened her resolve, taking a deep breath and headed to the forests way, determined to find food.
Food for herself as well as for the tiny creature whom she had orphaned… Even if it had not been entirely her fault.
The thing was… she was pretty sure the small pup was a carnivore and thus needed meet to eat. Shion had never hunted in her entire life and the only thing by her side was the katana in her hand. She had no idea how to go on about this.
She would have to simply eyeball it.
She looked around the trees, seeing if any of them bore fruits. She needed to be careful what kinds of vegetation she picked, not that she accidentally poisoned herself. However, that would be quite difficult seeing as she had no idea which would harm her, and which would give her nourishment.
She moved quietly in the forest, her feet aching from the uneven ground, feeling blisters already forming. But she had to endure it as she had no desire to die.
She was alone. In the middle of nowhere. And even though she would wish nothing more than to hug her knees and cry for her grandpa, papa and her best friend, she could not do that. Because she knew they would be unable to hear her. And she knew they were probably sick with worry, doing anything in their power to find her.
And she needed to be alive for them to do that. She could not simply crawl into depression and pity herself. She needed to work and provide food and some form of shelter in order to survive, so that she one day would return back to her family and friend.
She spotted some nuts lying on the ground, dusting the dirt off and collecting them. She cracked them open and was glad to see that they were edible enough. It would have to do for now, to still the big hunger.
She ate whatever nuts she found that did not seem rotten. She continued to search for any type of fruit, however, seeing as it was early spring, the vegetation had yet to fully mature. She also held an eye out for any small animals she could hunt.
And she had spotted a few rabbits here and there. Chased them, trued to stab them with her katana… To no avail. She knew she could not survive just off nuts and seeing as any type of fruit seemed yet to be ripe enough to eat, she was left with only one option.
Well, at least she was 100% sure now that the pup would not starve.
Well… if she managed to get a catch that is.
She tiptoed through the forest, careful not to go too far from the clearing. She did not want to lose her way back after all. As soon as she would hear movement, she would jump into action and attack. Most of these attacks were failures, the animal quick to run away (sometimes they were foxes) and out maneuver her.
But at last.
Finally.
She was able to manage her first kill.
The rabbit she had caught would be enough to feed her for the entire day! However, she knew she had to hunt for a second one. For the lonely pup that probably was still lying underneath its mother's fur.
Shion wondered if she should be as cruel as to take the mothers fur to use it as a blanked or cover for the cold harsh nights.
However, the guilt of doing that left her with only one choice. No, she could not be that cruel. Not when she knew how much the puppy was suffering.
She waited once again to catch another prey, hoping that this time it would go faster. The nuts were already disappearing from her stomach, hunger once again presenting itself.
It did not go any faster… But eventually she was able to catch a fox, finally being able to head back to her fire, which was thankfully still running.
She laid the dead animals (and oh god they were so cute, why did she have to kill them!) next to the riverbank, before heading to the fire and adding some branches to bring it back in full motion. She turned to the trees, hoping to find big enough leaves to acts as plates, once again disappearing in its depths.
The puppy looked curiously at the dead animals lying innocently beside the river, but did not make any effort to go to them. It knew they belonged to Shion and feared what she would do if he dared to steal them. And besides, it did not wish to leave the safety of its mother… even if she was no longer alive.
Once satisfied the leaves she had found (quite big she might add), she headed back to the animals, washing the leaves before turning her attention to the dead creatures.
It would be her first time doing this… However, she did not feel as sick as she thought she would feel by the thought of eating these animals and preparing them herself.
She was an animal lover but the hunger in her stomach tightened her resolve.
Nipping the skin of the animals just a bit, making it easier for her to skin the animals, she pulled the fur as hard as she could, the skin easily releasing their hold on the meat, as the bodies were still warm. Leaving the fur on the side, planning on using them later on, she gently ripped the stomach of the rabbit open, careful not to hit the bladder (she was so thankful for all those survival shows she had seen), and as the innards of the animal were exposed, she pinched the end of the bladder as she cut it away, throwing on the far side of the forest.
She spilled the guts of the animal to a whole she had made previously, acting as a trash bin, cleaning the meat with water and laying it on the cleaned leaf, before doing the same with the fox.
Once both animals were clean, she started sectioning the meet, cutting it in pieces. She took a huge chunk of the foxes meet, slowly approaching the corpse of the monster as well as its pup, hoping the little guy would eat her offering.
"Hey…" She said softly.
The pup saw her, once again resuming its growl as it did each time she had tried to approach the monster.
"I've got something for you to eat"
The pup looked at the meat in her hand as she stretched it its way. It hesitated, the growls turning into a whine. It was so painfully obvious that it was starving.
"Here. Take it." She inched a bit closer.
The pup started barking, obviously not liking that Shion was approaching him.
She stopped in her tracks.
The creature looked at the meat, its eyes filled with want. He slowly came closer, sniffing the air, seeing if there was anything not right with the meat.
Once the pup felt that it was safe to take the meat, he quickly jumped forward, startling Shion, grabbing the meat in its mouth, before backing away.
It carefully looked at Shion, afraid the girl might do something to him. However, as she saw her smile and nod its way, his desire for food finally taking over, he tore through the flesh.
Satisfied that she had fed the puppy, she headed back to the rest of the meat, picked them up and went to the fire to cook them.
Taking a few sturdy and thin branches, cleaning them with water, she pierced the meet with them and set them next to the fire, letting them cook.
At last, Shion had once again food in her stomach, the pain of hunger no longer bothering her.
Once she was done eating, saving some meat for later, she took the fur she had extracted from the animals. With a few knots and a bit of tweaking, she put the fur on her feet, her cold toes finally FINALLY warming up, finally having some protection from the cold hard ground.
As the day went on she gathered some more wood, to stock up for the night, before she settled down for the day to pass, finally having some time to think of what to do now.
She would need to find a way out of the forest. She could not stay forever in this clearing. However, she would need to do that in the daytime of course. Seeing as half of this day was already over, today would be out of question.
Tomorrow would be a new day. She would save some meat of tonight's dinner for the next day as well, having at least some type of nourishment for the travel. But then there was the question which way to go?
Well, her logic said that the best path would be following the river. She hoped that this way she would be able to find civilization much sooner and hopefully find her way back to her family.
She still had no clue how she had ended up here. She had an inkling that it was Shukumeisaiga's fault, seeing as how the blade had taken in her blood and moments after she had read the engravings she had been transported magically in the middle of nowhere.
It sounded ridiculous of course.
But the sword did answer to only female warriors… So truly it wasn't that farfetched, what will all the legend and stuff.
She looked at her katana, unsheathing it from its protector. The blade was incredibly dirty, now covered in dried blood. It looked disgusting. Refusing to leave the blade in such a pitiful state, she went beside the river and started cleaning the blade.
It was dangerous, seeing how sharp the edge of the sword was, but she could not bear to look at it in such a way.
Once satisfied, feeling the blade was once more clean, she headed back to the warmth of the fire.
She wondered what the little pup would do once she left. There would be no one to hunt for it… It would need to learn on its own.
She felt sadness for the creature who still refused to leave its mother's side. At least, for one more day, it would be able to have something to eat.
She saw looked as the creature finally rose, looking around, locking eyes with her. However, it quickly cut its gaze, quickly heading to the river, drinking some of the water, before she saw him head to the forest.
Did he finally realize that its mother would no longer wake up? That it needed to finally take care of itself.
She had been wrong.
The pup circled a tree, sniffing it, before peeing on its trunk, quickly returning to the corpse.
It snuggled back under the mother's arm. At least her fur could provide some warmth to the little guy.
Night approached, and the temperature dropped. She gave the creature another piece of meat, this time the puppy was far less reluctant.
She prepared some for herself, saving the last two biggest pieces for tomorrow. One would be for her and one she would once again offer the little guy.
With her tummy once again satisfied she went to sleep, hoping that this time she would not fall as deeply.
Tomorrow she would have to find her way out of this forest, in hopes that she could get once again reunited with her family.
She only hoped that she was still somewhere in Japan. Who knows in which part of the world Shukumeisaiga could have thrown her to.