InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Across the Ages ❯ Into the present ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

FourThe day was bitterly cold. The harsh Bavarian snows, contrasting hugely with the desert sands they'd been looking at a mere handful of hours earlier. She was tired, they all were. Almost ready to drop on her feet. At least they weren't in the war zone any longer and they breathed easier now.Ayeka wished she could be happier about it all, but when this formation was finished, she'd be going inside and picking up the phone. She'd be ending her three year relationship. It was a bit funny, he'd finally got around to proposing and now they were finished. There was always the twinge that this was less than she wanted and Ayeka had learned the hard way not to settle.Her dreams had been plagued of late by visions of a silver haired man and she felt inside that she knew him as far more than the machinations of an exhausted mind. The first sergeant was dismissing them, her body going through the formal motions without thought. How sad she mused.She pushed through the lingering throng of soldiers and stamped the snow from her boots as she pulled the doors wide and headed for the phone. "Ayeka!" a shrill feminine voice rang out, "Whatcha doin?" It was Jessica, a friend of hers. Her blue eyes full of concern. She, of course knew everything. Ayeka smiled, "Just gonna go and call Matthew and then maybe my mom. I'll be upstairs in a bit ok?"Jess nodded, "I'll make you some cocoa and we can watch girl movies" she offered and Ayeka waved her away gratefully. With a look of grim determination she lifted the phone and punched in the number. It rang a few times and then the man on the other side of the world answered. "Hello?"Ayeka's sharp ears heard the muffled giggle of another woman on the line, "Hey Matt, it's me, is this a bad time?". The receiver was covered from the other side and she felt her temper rise, "Look I already know about her so don't shush her. I'm just calling because, well obviously we aren't ready to get married." she hurried to say.For a moment the line was silent, "Matt, it's fine. We are just two very different people now. If it makes you happy to lie and cheat when I'm at war then I just don't see a future for us." The cold hard truth was more painful for her than him it seemed, for a second after she finished, he spoke up brightly, "Ok. Hey we are still friends right baby?"She gritted her teeth and brutally shoved her tears away, "No we aren't and don't call me baby." she snapped. He was defensive, "You went away." he reminded her. She was angry now."I had no choice in the matter""I know but I was lonely""We saw each other 6 months ago""Yeah and it's a long time""You told me two days ago that you loved me""I know, but""No buts you asshole! You have been screwing around on my since last August. That means I had only been gone for three months! I wasn't even in the war zone yet!""What was I supposed to do?""Umm lets see.... WAIT! I waited, I dodged bullets and only wanted to be home with you!""Well...""You know what? This is done, I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to hear your reasons... nothing you can say will make this right for me." "I don't see why you have to be a bitch about this and why we can't be friends"She saw red, "Because you hurt me, and I only just realized what a bastard you are."She slammed the phone back into it's cradle with enough force to crack the plastic. She squeezed her eyes shut and refused to cry. She couldn't cry. She was in the wolves den and to cry here was not good. She at least had to hold it together until she got to her room.There was always something missing in her relationships, men didn't challenge her mentally or just didn't get it done physically. She assumed it was her problem and settled for less than what would make her happy. It was her fault really she supposed, she was going to be that old lady that lived alone with like sixteen cats. Oh yeah, that was so her.She locked her door and stripped off her uniform. She climbed into the narrow shower and turned the hot water on. Germans had really hot water and it hurt but she didn't care. She'd gladly swap one pain for another right now and scalded skin was a trade up from her own hurting pride and stupidity.All the signs had been there over the months that he just didn't care and most times when she asked herself what she'd feel if he left, she'd found a big fat nothing in the tear ducts. She supposed that she had taken for granted that they had made it through that hellish year. She'd been wrong and now she was left to wonder if it had shattered long before.She growled in frustration and scrubbed her scalp until it stung. "I just won't think about it," she said aloud, "Book closed, chapter over." Then Ayeka finished her shower and toweled herself dry, combed out her fiery hair. She shrugged into pj's and nearly tripped over her armor on the floor. With a careless flick she flung it into the corner. She'd not be wearing that again.She grabbed her pillow and headed to Jess's room. Cocoa and chick flicks sounded kinda nice right now. Walking down the hall, she felt a shimmer of anxiety, like something was about to happen. She shoved it away, call it battlefield nerves. But hours later when she settled in her own bed to get a few hours sleep, she couldn't shake that feeling.Her dreams were vivid. A green forest, a small stream. She stood still and stiff, a bow in her hands. The slight breeze ruffled the leaves around her and she narrowed her eyes on the target in her sights. She could not see him well, masked by shadow as he was. Slowly, he stepped into the patterned sunlight, silver hair gleaming, gold eyes indignant at her actions. The scene changed, same stream. Same devastatingly handsome man coming towards her, but this time she raised no weapon against him. She held her had out to him and he smiled, a smile that she wished she could see from men in her life. "Where are you?" she cried out to him. She was crushed against the warm chest, a soft rumbling in that hard plane of muscle. "I am coming soon." he promised.Again the backdrop shifted and she found herself pinned by the hard length of his body, silky hair flowing around them. Her body was on fire and she ached for him. He lowered his head to her throat, and she felt the scrape of fangs against flesh. She saw her body lift to his and she cried out. He soothed her with honeyed words.She lifted her eyes to see him, but there was a small smear of blood on his white cheek. She stared at him, the scent of blood and death rising around her and she tore her eyes away. At their feet was no stream, no softly lit chamber now, but the scattered bodies of people. Torn apart on blood soaked earth. She looked back up at him, his eyes glowing red. "What have you done?" she demanded, stepping away from him on shaking legs, "Look what you've done!"He advanced on her, "They are nothing to me, vermin". Her eyes wide with shock, "They are not. I won't let you hurt them!" she shouted at him, feeling tears well in her eyes even as her hand clenched around a sword. "I shall be the barrier that guards them from you demon."Ayeka woke hard, sweating and panting. What the hell was that? It had been so real. She ran her hands over her face and laid back down. Sleep would probably not come again this night, but she could try. Her heart raced so loudly that she was able to lay there and listen to it. An overloud pounding in her ears. She sucked in slow, deep breaths to calm it. Morning was still several hours away and she needed more sleep. She closed her eyes and focused on nothing but the inky blackness of sleep cocooning her.She glowered at the alarm clock when it rang a short time later. She'd spent the majority of the night glaring at it, watching time slip away from her. Outside the snow still fell and the chilled seeped into the room despite the old radiator heater near the wall. She rose and padded to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face and put on her uniform. It was another day of wearing the brave face for those around her.Her day went as usual, nothing untoward to cause her worry. She crunched through the snow from her little office and up the small hill to her company building. Half the men were there, standing in small huddled groups, smoking, laughing. A tall stern man walked to the front of them and barked orders. As one the groups separated and assembled into an orderly formation. Soldiers stood erect in the watery winter light, heedless of the rising wind and snow. They stood still. It might have been a pleasant warm day, it wasn't. That stern man was the First Sergeant and he was not to be trifled with. He could make you mop the floor all the night or guard a patch of grass.He spoke in loud tones and his men listened raptly. High above the clouds began to swirl and grow dark. They paid no mind. It was only when a sudden bolt of bright blue hurtled to the ground that they looked at the cause. A tall man stood there, surrounded by cracked and upturned bits of the parking lot. His silver hair snapped in the wind as he surveyed those across from him. For a moment silence reigned. Then the newcomer spoke and Ayeka was hard pressed to look away. It was him, the man from her dream! "I have come for my wife" he said in tones colder than the wind around them. No one answered, not sure of what they saw.He narrowed his golden eyes and searched the many faces. "Are you deaf?" he asked, "I want my wife". The First Sergeant recovered first, "Just who the hell are you?" he demanded, fear forgotten as he fought to assert his authority. Sesshoumaru growled at him, his fingertips glowing green and he prepared to snap the man in half with a blast of youki."Stop!" the voice rang out. Strong and loud and utterly feminine. He turned to stare into the sea green eyes of his mate. "It's you" he said, letting his hand drop. She stared at him, why wasn't he attacking? Whoever he was, he was definitely aggressive and most certainly a threat. It was then that memory struck her. The pain made her stumble and clutch her head, visions of lives gone by, of heartache and loneliness. Of a beautiful man and a long forgotten palace.He watched impassively as she recalled him. It always happened. She lifted her eyes to him, recognition, love and hurt flooding them. Even after so many centuries, it twisted in his chest like a holy blade. "Sesshoumaru?" she whispered. He bowed his head in greeting, "Ayeka. Are you prepared to cease this battle?". She narrowed her eyes at him, delicate nostrils flaring.She was ready, she wanted to leave it all... and go with him. But she couldn't. The First Sergeant stepped forward but Sesshoumaru released small amount of his power and felled a tree before him. Ayeka lunged and hit the man full force in his middle, knocking him from harm's path.Standing she took a deep breath, "I won't let you hurt them". He smiled in an almost mocking way. "Who will stop me? You?" he asked. She stiffened, was she wrong, did he seek this fight? "I have for hundreds of years, I'm not about to stop now"He stared at her, for the first time noticing that age was evident in her face now. "You are looking older" he stated, though not unkindly, "I would have come for you sooner but you have become quite good at hiding from me". She blinked as his gaze ran over her, "I can help you". The light nearly blinded her and she threw up her hands to protect herself but there was no need. She felt a decade younger. Looked younger. He had renewed her. Why? "Why have you come?" she asked him softly and his eyes warmed for a moment. "Because you are mine" he told her.She looked around at the many familiar faces who stared back in horror or shock. "What about them?" she asked. He arched a silver brow, "What of them?" he returned. She frowned at him, "Are you going to kill them?" He seemed to consider it a moment or two, "For all that they have done to you, I most certainly would be within my rights". She shook her head, "They are my people Sesshoumaru. So long as you hunt them like this, I cannot come with you. If you love me you would spare them" she told him fervently.He barked with laughter, "You can be so foolish Ayeka. They do not care for you, these humans that you coddle. You do not belong here." She felt the pang, he was right, she didn't belong here. She never had, but this wasn't about her happiness, this was about her duty."They are human beings, they are my people." she gritted out. Sesshoumaru watched her hold her hand up and made no move to stop the sword from fleeing his side to return to her. It glowed brightly in the dim light, casting a circle of light at her feet. He took up his battle stance and unsheathed the Tokijin. "You are no longer human Ayeka. You haven't been for a very long time, since the night you gave yourself to me, you have ceased to be wholly human".Ayeka shifted her weight. "It's cold and I am tired of talking demon. Fight me if you came to fight. There are two ways that this can end. You can leave them alone or you can kill them. I fight for their sake" Sesshoumaru snarled in irritation, "It is for their sake that I have come you damnable woman!" His outburst surprised her but she kept her weapon at the ready. "What do you mean?" she asked, suspicion rang in her voice.In quick blunt terms he told her of Naraku, of the coming battle. He implied his need for her and the need of his men. She took the information in stride, absorbing each part. She knew he told the truth for he would never lie, far too proud and honorable for that course."Will you not hunt them?" she asked. He shook his head, "I have not hunted them since that day Ayeka, but I will kill when I see fit." She shook her head and felt tears flood her eyes. No! They were so close and he was impeding them! He sensed her ache and doubt. "I shall make a pact with you," he offered, "We shall battle one final time. The loser shall submit to the winner. If you win, I shall abide by your wishes and we will no longer be bound, you shall be free of me." He hated the words even as he said them, but he was also confident that he would win. Though not easily.She licked her lips and his eyes followed the action, "And if you win?". He smiled, "If I win my lady wife, then you belong to me forever. You will return with me, bear my pups and trust my judgment in these matters". She let her gaze slide over her comrades, "Will you spare them, no matter the outcome?" she asked in a whisper. He said nothing but his eyes conveyed his acceptance of this. He'd had no intention of killing them to start with.She took a deep breath, she did not fear her opponent. Either way, today it would end. "Then let's fight Sesshoumaru"