InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Lifetime Loving You Part 1; Seasons in Owari ❯ At First Glance ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter 19; At First Glance

(Mika's POV)

"The Virgin's Sanctuary" is what my father called it when he told me on my thirteenth birthday when I would not come back into the world until it was time for me to wed.

"A good man" is my father called him when he told me on my sixteenth birthday when I was to be wed once I was of age.

"The first moonless summer night" was the night my father chose to have me wed, and on that night I would become a bride.

The life of a Japanese Princess is not about being beautiful and proper, it about one thing and one thing only. Baring an heir to your husband's throne and before that, doing everything your father, mother, and the nurse who cares for you tells you to do.

I was now in my twenties, still young, but getting older. The young lord I was supposed to wed, turned me down, and now my father was in search of another. He was determined to wed me the first moonless night of the summer, and spring had already come into full bloom.

Yet despite all the beautiful gardens I had come to love and care for, I was alone. Of course I had my dear nurse and all my maidens at my call, but still, these were servants. I longed for someone to love me for whom I was, and not for the fact I was the princess of Japan. I hated that title, as I hated myself for being born into such a life. I did not wish to be royalty any longer, I wanted freedom, but my father's wishes to not allow my cousin to inherit the throne were stronger than my heart's dreams.

I was forced into this tiny sanctuary away from all I knew in my home of Kyoto. I was miserable, bored, and I longed for a companion to share my misery with. An animal perhaps, but my nurse would not have it.

Of all the creatures in the land, I envied my father's enemy, the great Inu- taisho. I was told to fear him, but I found him amazing. He had grace and the ability to inflict fear on all the lands. Yet, above all things, he was free...I was not.

On fine spring day, however, brought all of my dreams in a simple figure.

I was in my garden sitting on my favored boulder by the old nut tree. These were sacred grounds, a sanctuary for those who were to be virgins until they were wed to a young lord; and, I being of royal stature was brought her for that reason alone.

I was no ordinary princess, however. I had this enormous power to protect and to see things. I was wise for a woman at my young age. I was educated through scrolls on the sanctuary grounds, always building my vocabulary and reading stories of lands far away or some that did not exist.

On this day as I sat under my nut tree, I read a tale of a beast and a beautiful maiden. There's love story touched my in so many ways, that I wished for that sort of love whole heartedly.

"Mika! Oh, Child?" I soon heard my nurse call from the small house on the grounds as her feet padded the wooden walkway around the house until she found me. "Mika, there you are, and with another one of those silly stories I see."

I looked up and just as soon as I did my nurse apprehended my scroll. "Young ladies such as you do not need to both with such nonsense. These are silly things for a woman of your caliber to do. You have more important thing to worry about, like your educate and to be honorable to your husband."

I sighed and looked out at the walls completely bored with the same old lecture. "Perhaps I would not be so compelled to do such things if you let me go outside these walls every once in a while. Nurse, I am bored with myself and these four walls. I want to see what is outside the walls."

My nurse scoffed at the idea and shook her head as she pinned her black graying hair back into place. "Neh, Child, if your father found out I let you out of here and you were harmed in any sort, my head would meet the sword."

I sat up straight and looked at her. "Then why don't you come with me and Make sure no harm comes to me? After all, Dear Sweet Nurse, what harm can we run into in the forest?"

The argument went on for sometime before I finally got my wish. I put on a long navy robe with white flowers, and went out of the walls with my nurse at my side. However, this entire adventure came at a price. I had to go where she wanted me to go, which made the experience not as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be.

Yet, the smell of the trees and sap made me feel better, and I enjoyed my short amount of time out in the world. I walked ahead some ways before I heard my nurse call, "Do not go far, Child!"

I groaned, and said to myself, "How can I help my people, or help my land if I do not know what is beyond my boundaries?"

I grinned and then took off, ignoring the huffing and puffing sounds of my nurse as she sat down to rest. She fell asleep easily once she sat down to catch her breath, and I made my escape into the unknown wilds not far away.

I looked around with curiosity that was evident in my eyes, until I came to a small clearing where a beautiful white flower grew. I gasped in awe of its beauty and knelt down before it to smell its sweet scent.

I was taken in by its tickle and light head sensations, that I did not hear the sounds of footsteps approaching. Once I did I turned, fully expecting to see my nurse, but instead beheld a man with a painted face of white and black with robes of purple over his body. I jumped to my feet in fear once I saw the large red eyes staring back at me.

He grinned showing his full set of sharp teeth before me. "A child has wandered into the wood, and so alone I see?"

I swallowed hard after his hissing terrible voice spoke to me. "Who, who are you?"

His beady eye glowed red and I backed up against a tree in fear. I then saw a purple scaly hand appear with long dagger like talons crowning the tips. "I am the Dragon Demon, Ryuukossei...and from the stench of you, I would say you are the Japanese Emperor's daughter, Mika."

I trembled and felt fear build in my body as the demon cackled. "What a pleasure this will be to watch a second great clan of beings' blood die."

I trembled as he raised his claws and cried out, "Somebody? Anybody! Help!"

The demon sneered and swung his huge set of talons at me, and just before he touched me, there came a loud roar from the west. I opened my eyes to the sound as the sneering dragon came to a halt and backed away growling.

A moment later, I saw another man with blood red eyes and a large mane of silver, ivory, hair run into the dragon knocking him off his feet. The beasts snarled at each other before finally engaging in a brawl of talons and claws, fangs and jaws, and growls and hisses.

It was then that I realized that the ivory mane was indeed another male demon, but not of the same breed. No, this one had large folded back ears that stood up right and tall like a wolf's, but at the same time they were not the same décor of a wolf. They were elaborate and folded back against his head as he snarled and snapped at the dragon. He was of the western dog pack of demons.

I watching horror as my hero, if he was my hero, was slashed across his torso by the dragon demon. His arm was broken next, and he paused to catch his breath before snarling and lunging himself at the dragon man once more. The demon backed away and snickered to him before disappearing into thin air.

The dog demon's breathing grew labored and he looked at me with those wild red eyes. I clutched my heart to hide my fear, but only as soon as I did, did I see those red eyes become gold. My eyes widened in awe as I looked at those beautiful golden eyes, those wild untamed eyes. My heart went from fear to aflutter in moments, and just as it did those golden eyes flickered behind his eye lids, and with a growling groan he fell on his side, loosening conciseness.

His breath sounded like humming purrs, heavy but in pain. I slowly came to his side and brushed the stray ivory hair from his face where I saw the mark of a sun and three stripes decorate each cheek. I ran my fingers over those red strips and the burse swelling next to his left eye.

I fled to my nurse can called to her. "Nurse, get the maids! There is a man in the woods that has been attacked by demons. He may be dying! Quickly, fetch them at once!"

~~~~

In an old garden shed the maidens flocked around me and tended his wounds as he lay unconscious before us all. Some blushed as they stripped him of his robes and into clean green hakama and a white kimono. I tended to his torso wound while three others attended to his arm.

One looked at him carefully and spoke softly with fear. "He is a demon! If he were to wake he will skewer as all!"

My nurse grunted, "I say let the thing die, Child! It is of no use saving such a wild man killer."

I did not look at any of them and continued my work as I spoke. "He saved my life from another demon in that wood. It is only proper and fair that I repay him for saving my life, by saving his."

The maidens shivered when he stirred, but I did not. My nurse grunted and then walked to the reed door. "You'd of better find away to tame him at least and keep him under control until his wounds have healed and he has recovered fully from his injuries. If we cannot keep him under control, he will kill us all."

I stopped work and looked at my nurse before she left me and my maids alone with the motionless dog demon. I turned to my side and found a rusty chain piled in a corner of the shed. I took hold of it and formed a glowing pink lily in the palm of my hand. I let the petals disperse over the chain until it glowed pink and moved itself around the demon's neck. It linked in a loop at his shoulders and the pink glow faded until the chain was shimmering silver. I nodded and went back to his torso. "Now you have nothing to fear. This chain that hangs around his neck and this leash will keep him from harming any of us."

I got to my feet and my maidens followed. I let our sanctuary priest place holy seals over the door and shed walls to keep our guest from escaping. "The chain will subdue him until we can keep him outside in the garden by the old nut tree. It will limit his strength to that of a human's and his claws will do us no harm even if he slashes us. You will not bleed; so, sleep soundly tonight for he will do you no harm."

Then the youngest of the maids came to me and tugged at my robe. "My Lady, what if this demon is Lord Inu-taisho of the Western Dog Demon Tribe? If it is so, then he can grow to an enormous size and break the chain and destroy the sanctuary."

I smiled and patted her hand. "No need to worry. The spell I have cast will subdue his demon powers for as long as he wears it. He can not remove it unless I bid it. When he is ready to return to the wild, and I am sure he will not attack us once he is free, then I will remove the chain that hangs at his shoulders, but not before."

I went to my quarters and sat by the small fire in my room as I combed my hair. I was deep in thought and I felt sadness cloud my senses as I looked at my sliding doors leading to the gardens. I opened my door just enough to peek outside and look at the tiny shed. I wondered what our guest was dreaming of tonight as he slept.

"Such beautiful eyes; wild, golden, eyes," I whispered to myself before closing the sliding doors. I placed my hand over the crack. "I envy you. I envy the freedom you have, wild dog demon. If only I knew such freedoms you have, then my life would not be laid out for me."