InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After-effects ❯ Kindered spirits ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: My name not being Rumiko Takahashi I therefore do not own Inuyasha and the gang.

 

Author's note: Well, another day, another chapter :). So, with Kagome's decision essentially taken, it's time to jump to another character that also deserves the spotlight, namely Kagura. So, without further ado, on with the chapter.

 

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Chapter 3: Kindered spirits

 

Sighing in contentment, Kagura lowered herself in the warm water of a hotspring. Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to travel to the events of the day. Her first day of freedom as she liked to call it. At first, she had simply flown without any particular goal in mind. "The wind is free to go where he wants," she had thought.

 

However, the wind doesn't have a stomach to feed and soon nature had to be answered. So, she found herself on the outskirt of a small village, contemplating the most effective way to get her food. That was when things got a little strange.

 

***flashback***

 

"Let's see," she thought. "If I barge in there and wreck everything, I'd get my food alright," she mused again with a certain amount of amusement.

 

Yet even as she had this thought, the image of a schoolgirl in green and white clothing filled her head and something prevented her from going through with her plan. "This goddam miko, why did she have to go ahead and be so nice to me? Now I can't shake her image off my mind!" exclaimed the wind sorceress frustrated.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone running in the woods behind her. She whirled around only to have a girl crash directly into her, making them both tumble to the ground.

 

"Watch where you're going dammit," shot the sorceress as she got back on her feet.

 

"I'm sorry, good mistress, I really am," said the young girl while looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, but…" she said and froze as she gazed at Kagura for the first time.

 

"Just realised I'm a youkai did you?" thought the sorceress amused by the reaction. Amused, until she realised that the girl wasn't looking at her but rather at something behind her.

 

Reacting quickly, she threw herself forward and a ripping sound could be heard as something tore the back of her kimono apart, narrowly missing her flesh. She did a diving roll and came to a stop on her knees, facing her opponent with her fan in her hand.

 

The said enemy was a lower class bear youkai. Nothing dangerous enough to actually threaten her. It was in fact so weak that she could hardly feel his presence at all which explained why it had caught her by surprise.

 

"Feh!" she exclaimed in disdain. "You actually believe you can take me on?" she asked the beast in front of her who simply growled menacingly in response.

 

"Well don't say I didn't warn you," she said in a bored tone. "Fujin no mai!" she exclaimed with a wide swipe of her fan. The blades of air thus created flew toward the bear and sliced it apart, killing it instantly.

 

"That's what happens to those who rip my favorite kimono apart!" she exclaimed before turning around.

 

She was almost instantly confronted by the young girl who had bumped into her earlier. "Oh thank you, good mistress! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed while throwing herself at Kagura's feet.

 

"Now wait a second!" exclaimed the sorceress after a few seconds of stunned silence. "What is this all about!" she said again in confusion.

 

"You saved my life, good mistress, I can't thank you enough. Please if there's anything I can do for you, name it," said the young girl while looking up at the wind sorceress with grateful eyes.

 

"Anything?" asked the sorceress surprised.

 

"Anything that is within my power," answered the young girl.

 

"Well looks like I just found the solution to my food problem," thought Kagura wrily. "Can you cook?" she questioned.

 

This brought a huge smile on the kneeling girl's face. "Yes, better than anyone in the village," she beamed proudly. "If you shall accompany me, good mistress, I will cook you a meal fit for a queen," finished the young girl while getting to her feet.

 

"Goodness, who IS that girl!" thought Kagura bewildered by such overflowing gratitude. "One more thing girl," called the sorceress to the retreating girl. Seeing her stop and turn around, she continued. "Stop it with the `good mistress' thing, it's annoying. My name is Kagura so use it," shot the wind sorceress.

 

"As you wish Kagura-sama," said the young girl with a small bow before heading off.

 

"And I only just destroyed a sorry excuse for a youkai," thought Kagura before shaking her head and following the young girl.

 

***End flashback***

 

Now up to this point, things were just strange to Kagura. That little girl wearing nothing but rags was overly grateful to her for saving her life and wanted to treat her to a meal. "What meal," she could remember thinking. Indeed, the state the child was in would suggest to anyone looking that the girl could hardly feed herself, let alone another mouth.

 

However, things really started smelling fishy when they reached the outskirt of the village. Her guide suddenly tensed up as if remembering something highly unpleasant and she could sense the smell of fear emanating from her. Nonetheless, they kept progressing steadily until they reached an increadibly beautiful house.

 

***Flashback***

 

"Kagura-sama, would you allow me to warn my parents? I fear how they may react to your presence," she asked with a respectful bow.

 

"Look, if you don't want me to be here, I'll just go, it's not like it really matters to me," said the sorceress.

 

"No, please I beg you Kagura-sama, stay! My parents are... good people and they'll welcome you with open arms. It's just that since you're a youkai, they might be surprised a little bit," she finished, not once looking up from the ground.

 

The sorceress raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She could have sworn that the girl had hesitated slightly when she had said that her parents were good people. "Something's strange here," she reflected. "Chances are, I might be falling straight into a trap," she mused again.

 

The strangest thing of all was that while the little girl was definitively hiding something, Kagura could not smell any wicked intentions. Whatever fear there was, it was not directed at her, but at something else. Though these facts made her curious, what really decided her to stay was a strange tugging in the back of her mind. She felt drawn to that little girl and she wanted to know why. "Alright, I'll wait here while you go warn your parents," she finally said.

 

"Thank you for your kindness Kagura-sama," the girl said before straightening and walking into the house.

 

"This girl's clothing don't match the luxury of this place at all," she thought with a furrow of her brow.

 

She didn't have to wait long before the lord and lady of the house appeared to greet her. They were both plump fellows with what could only be qualified as an honest and open face. While their clothes could not be called rich, it still bore a striking difference from the rags the little girl had worn.

 

"I take it you are the one which saved our daughter's life?" asked the elderly man with a small bow. "Please allow us to welcome you in our humble abode," he said again and gestured with his hand for her to come inside.

 

"Will you accept another kimono while we fix your current one?" asked the lady very politely.

 

"That would be greatly appreciated," answered Kagura. "But I expect to have it back, I'm rather attached to it," she added.

 

"But of course Kagura-sama, you will have it back as soon as it is repaired," answered the old woman as she lead her to a room.

 

There, she took a blue kimono from a dresser and looked at it critically before deciding it would fit the sorceress. "I'm afraid it might be a little short for you, we are not exactly of the same size," apologized the lady.

 

"I'll manage, thank you," said female youkai.

 

"Thank you for your understanding," said the lady before she walked out to allow Kagura to change in peace.

 

As she disrobed, Kagura couldn't help but reflect on the couple who had just welcomed her into their home. Something was off about them, maybe it was their overwhelming politeness, maybe it was their blatant openness, she didn't know for sure, but she intended to get to the bottom of this mystery. One thing was certain though, they were hiding something. She had to give them credit though, they were good actor, but it takes more than an act to trick a youkai's keen sense of smell.

 

"I'll play along for now, I have a feeling it won't be long before I know the truth," she reflected as she finished putting the borrowed kimono on.

 

Once she made her exit, she was confronted by the old woman who had waited for her outside the door. "You look great Kagura-sama," she said with a smile. "If you would hand me your kimono, it would be my pleasure to see that it is properly sewed," she added with her ever present smile.

 

"Thank you," said the sorceress politely and handed her the damaged piece of cloth. "By the way, where is your daughter, I haven't seen her at all since I've come in," asked the female youkai curiously.

 

"Yuna went to get changed into better clothing," explained the old woman as they headed to the common room. "You see, she loves to play in the forest and has a nasty tendency to rip her clothes, so we gave her these so she can play freely. I'm afraid they may be due for a little replacement though," chuckled the woman.

 

"I see," answered the sorceress simply. "That would explain the rags, but..." she thought suspiciously. She could have sworn that she had seen her host tense ever so slightly at the mention of Yuna. She didn't have much time to muse on this though as they had reached the common room and she was greeted by the ten years old and her father.

 

"Welcome back, Kagura-sama," said the old man. "Please, have a seat," he said, motioning for the table in front of him.

 

"I would like to thank you again for saving our daughter's life," he said once she had settled down. "So tell us, what exactly did happen, I'm afraid Yuna was a bit incoherent in her story and her praise for you clouded the actual fact," he added, shooting the ten years old a warm smile and causing her to crunch back in her seat with an embarassed blush on her cheeks.

 

"Well, there isn't really much to say, I was taking a rest in the woods and she happened to run straight into me. The next thing I know, a bear youkai rips the back of my kimono apart. Let's just say not many could do such a feat and live to tell about it," she explained.

 

"So I see," chuckled the old man. "Well in any case, I understand that Yuna has promised you a thank you meal," launched her host. "We shall make good on that promise, but first maybe you would like a bath to help you relax?" asked her host.

 

"Well..." she started hesitantly. She wasn't sure exactly if accepting would be such a good idea. On the other hand, refusing such an offer might raise their suspicion and make it that much more difficult to extract the truth from them. "It would be nice, but I wouldn't want to cause you too much trouble," she said falsely embarassed.

 

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the old man. "Yuna, prepare the necessary supply and show our guest to the spring," he finished.

 

"Yes father," the young girl said before standing up and going away to execute her task.

 

***End flashback***

 

And so here she was, enjoying the feeling of the warm water under the watchful eye of Yuna. The little girl was sitting there, not making a sound and looking at the ground. "If this girl is the type to run through the woods and rip her kimono apart, I'm ready to eat my fan," reflected the sorceress.

 

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the ten years old was sporting a rather pensive look on her face, as if she too was struggling with an unsolvable mystery of her own.

 

"Yuna, is everything alright?" asked the sorceress after a few seconds of scrutiny.

 

The child was so engrossed in her own thought that she litteraly jumped out of her skin when she heard Kagura's voice. "W... What," she stuttered in surprise.

 

"I asked if everything was alright. You seemed preoccupied with something," inquired the female youkai.

 

A spark of fear flashed in the ten years old's eyes before she recovered her countenance. "It's nothing important, Kagura-sama, nothing important," she said with another bow.

 

"Nothing you want me to know about, you mean," thought Kagura suspiciously right before she dipped her head under water.

 

Piercing the surface again, she stood and headed toward the side and reached for her towel. Before she could grasp it though, Yuna had it in her hands and was spreading it as wide as she could in the obvious intention of helping her dry herself.

 

"You know I can do that myself, you don't have to help me," said the sorceress a bit surprised by the attention.

 

"But I'd really like to help," blurted the child instantly. Then her eyes widened in horror as if she had commited an unspeakable crime. "I mean, I would be honored if you allowed me to help you Kagura-sama," she corrected herself with yet another bow.

 

"That's far too formal for a ten years old, it's almost like she's a slave or something," mused the sorceress.

 

Kagura's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this thought. Things that didn't make much sense before suddenly started to arrange themselves. The rags worn by the little girl, her mannerism and even the reason she was drawn to her, all of it suddenly made sense.

 

"A slave... Just like I used to be," she thought completely bewildered.

 

"Kagura-sama?" Yuna called in a small voice.

 

This jarred the sorceress back to reality and she could notice that the girl was still standing with her arms outstretched, waiting for her to move closer and help her dry herself. "Well, there's one way to find out for sure if I'm right or not, but I believe I can at least get dressed before that," mused the sorceress.

 

"Oh alright, let's just get this over with," she answered before moving out of the water.

 

Her answer seemed to please the little girl greatly because a huge smile appeared on her face. She then started to work on her task rather diligently and almost before she knew it, Kagura found herself fully dried and clothed.

 

"Okay then, now to test my theory," mused the sorceress.

 

Yuna didn't even have time to realize what was happening. One second the female youkai was standing in front of her and the next, she had thrown open her kimono.

 

The older woman's suspicions were confirmed when she saw the array of scars that crisscrossed the child's chest and back. With a sigh, she closed it again and sat down on the ground, motioning for the girl to do the same.

 

"So you're not really their daughter are you? You're their slave," she said matter of factly once Yuna had settled down.

 

The girl didn't answer, she simply nodded her head wth a faraway look in her eyes. "For how long?" asked the sorceress gently.

 

"They took me in four years ago when my mother died. At first they were nice, but then, they started to make me do chores for them. In the beginning I didn't mind, but they kept demanding more and more every day," she said with downcast eyes.

 

"As the months passed, I grew weaker and started to make mistakes. That's when they..." she whispered with a shudder.

 

"And now, I'm too weak to even try to escape," she said as tears started to appear in her eyes.

 

Kagura couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy for the little girl. Not too long ago, she had been in a similar situation and only a miracle had managed to get her out of it.

 

"I'm sorry Yuna, I really am," began the sorceress while putting a comforting hand on the crying child's shoulder. "Still... There's something I don't understand," she said, causing the girl to raise her head.

 

"Why did you offer to make me a meal?" she asked.

 

"It was stupid of me really, but I desperately wanted to thank you for saving my life. I wanted it so much in fact that I... forgot my status for a second," she said, her cheeks flushed in embarassement.

 

"I see. But then why did you invent such a story about you being their daughter?" inquired the sorceress.

 

"They told me to say that if I met someone. I'm not sure why, but I think they don't want people to know," answered Yuna.

 

"You never tried to tell anyone about this?" asked the sorceress again.

 

"Yes, but the villagers always push me away, saying I'm the daughter of an evil witch or something like that," she answered while hugging herself.

 

Kagura wasn't sure where the urge came from exactly, but she found herself draping an arm around the child's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

 

"There now it's okay," she murmured soothingly and both fell silent for a while.

 

"Your masters, they're planning something are they? I could sense it the moment I met them," said Kagura eventually.

 

"Yes, they are, but I don't know exactly what it is. I heard them whispering something about a good price, but that's about all I know," said the child sadly.

 

"I see," answered the sorceress. "So they want to kill me and cash in the reward eh, humans are so stupid sometimes," she thought with disdain. "Well looks like I won't get my meal after all," she reflected again.

 

"So that leaves only one thing to do I suppose," sighed the sorceress in a bored tone of voice.

 

"What exactly Kagura-sama?" asked the child in confusion.

 

"I need my things back. Once that's done, we can leave," she said.

 

"You... You'd really take me with you Kagura-sama?" asked the child, her face alight with sudden hope.

 

"Of course," answered the sorceress with a smile.

 

Kagura wasn't sure exactly what had possessed her to invite Yuna to come with her. Maybe it was because she pitied her, maybe it was because she was a slave just like her, she didn't know. Yet, the warm feeling she had when she saw the happy expression on the child's face made her think that for once, she might actually have done something right.

 

******

 

The walk from the hotspring to the house was mostly spent in a comfortable silence. But as they neared their destination, Yuna started to get nervous. Kagura, seeing this and not willing to get her in any more danger than was necessary decided not to bring her inside.

 

"Yuna, you stay here and hide until I come out, okay?" she asked.

 

"Will you be alright Kagura-sama?" asked the child uncertainly.

 

"Don't worry, it will only take a few minutes and then we'll be able to leave," she added comfortingly.

 

This seemed to calm the girl somewhat, but she still looked somewhat jumpy. "Here," she said and handed her one of the feathers adorning her hair. "If you're ever in danger, this magic feather will protect you," she said soothingly.

 

When Yuna looked up from her gift, Kagura noted with satisfaction that all fear had vanished from her charge's face. So with a last smile and a friendly tap on the head, she headed off to recover her missing items.

 

Almost as soon as she crossed the door, she was confronted with her ever 'friendly' hosts. "Kagura-sama, welcome back, I trust you enjoyed your bath," the old man said in a friendly tone.

 

"Why yes, thank you," she said pleasantly, though inside she seethed.

 

"Kagura-sama, might I ask where exactly is Yuna," the old lady asked after looking around and not seeing the ten years old.

 

"She said to go on ahead while she gathered the things, I expect she'll be there shortly," answered the sorceress in her fake friendly tone. "By the way... I left something with my kimono and I'd like to have it back, can you show me where you left it?" she asked with a sugar tone.

 

"Of course," the old lady said immediately. "If you would follow me," she gestured in invitation before heading off with Kagura in tow.

 

"Enjoy it while you can, you monsters," thought the sorceress angrily. So far she had not smelled any hint of suspicion from the couple and everything was going right according to plan.

 

It wasn't long before they reached the room where her kimono was being kept. She spotted it along with her fan as soon as they entered. "Excellent," she mused silently.

 

Moving into the room, she quickly retrieved her two missing items, which prompted her host to look at her curiously. "Kagura-sama? Why are you taking your kimono, I haven't finished sewing it?" asked the old woman.

 

"Well you see, ever since I entered this house, I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong," began the sorceress, her tone gradually loosing it's friendly nature as she advanced on the old woman.

 

"The thing was that I didn't know for sure what it was until I talked to Yuna," she continued, not once breaking steps.

 

Up to now, the old woman had been slowly backing away from the advancing sorceress, nervous by the change of attitude. At the mention of Yuna however, fear suddenly appeared on her features and she tripped, falling hard on the floor.

 

Alerted by the noice, her husband suddenly appeared with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked, spotting his terrified wife on the ground at once.

 

"S... Sh... She..." stuttered the old woman, unable to talk properly.

 

"I believe that what your wife is trying to say is that I happened to find some very nasty scars on Yuna's torso and back," said Kagura with venom in her voice.

 

The sorceress looked in perverse amusement as horror started to appear on the old man's face as well. "I wonder if it hurts to be flogged like that," she mused out loud. "Maybe you could tell me," she said, a cruel smile appearing on her face.

 

By now, the couple was cowering in fear in front of the angry female youkai. "P... Please... I beg you, spare us," whimpered the old man.

 

"I knew it, deep down, they're just cowards who prey on the weak," she thought angrily.

 

"Feh!" she spat, looking in disdain at the pathetic forms before her. "You're not even worth my time," she said and started to walk away.

 

When she reached the door though, she stopped and turned around. "Fujin no mai!" she exclaimed with a wide swipe of her fan.

 

The blades danced around the two people, tearing their clothes apart and opening quite a number of gashes on their body. Once it was done, they were both lying on the ground in a moaning and bleeding heap. "Don't worry, these wounds won't kill you... unfortunately," she began in a disappointed tone. "However, they will leave scars all over your body. That way, you can always remember the pain you felt today," she finished icily and walked away.

 

"That's weird... I didn't kill them," thought the sorceress puzzled by her own behavior. "They certainly deserved it, but... something stopped me," she reflected again.

 

Her musing was interrupted when she heard the happy exclamation of Yuna as she spotted her coming her way. She couldn't help but smile as the ten years old jumped out of hiding and started to run her way.

 

"Kagura-sama, you're alright," said the ten years old happily.

 

"Of course, I promised I'd come back after all now did I," answered the sorceress with a smile on her face.

 

"Kagura-sama, what did you do to them?" asked the young girl her happiness dimming a bit.

 

"Don't worry, I just left them a little souvenir," the sorceress said soothingly and the child instantly brightened up again.

 

"Was she... the reason I didn't kill them?" she mused, surprised by her own realization.

 

There are times in life when timing plays an important role in determining the success or failure of certain events. In this particular case, timing played a deadly role. The realization Kagura had just come to made her lose focus of her environment for a split second... that was a mistake. She barely had time to register the change of expression on Yuna's face before she found herself pushed backward with surprising force by the ten years old.

 

Then, time seemed to slow down as an arrow lodged itself into the child's shoulder and she was thrown on the ground where she remained motionless. Kagura didn't move, the full meaning of what had just happened slowly sinking in.

 

"Yuna..." she murmured in a horrified whisper.

 

She didn't have time to muse on this because a whizzing sound suddenly caught her ears. Not wasting time, she jumped to her feet and with a wide swipe of her fan, she severed the incoming projectile neatly in two.

 

Looking at her opponent, she noticed that it was the old man who she had spared before. "Y... You won't leave here alive!" he stuttered as he fumbled to tuck another arrow on his bow.

 

"You!" she said in a dangerously low tone.

 

All coherent thought left Kagura's mind as a rage like none she ever felt before filled her. The scene where Yuna was impaled by an arrow kept repeating itself with crystal clarity in her mind. Wind started swirling around her and a red aura, crackling with power, appeared around her. Her fan began to pulse in answer to the energy flowing through her and her eyes suddenly began to glow.

 

So great was her anger, so great was her pain, that it consumed everything, leaving only a burning wasteland of hate behind. Even if she had killed the man before her, chances were that she would never have been able to come back from her madness. As it was though, fate intervened in the person of Yuna.

 

"Kagura-sama..." called the child weakly.

 

Upon hearing the ten years old's voice, the fire that had been raging inside her mind suddenly died out. "Yuna..." whispered the female youkai as her eyes returned to normal and the red cloud surrounding her vanished.

 

Turning around, she could see that the child was lying on her side, looking at her through a haze of pain. "Don't... kill... it's... bad," she whispered before slumping on the ground unconscious.

 

 

"Yuna!" called the sorceress and before she knew it, she found herself kneeling in front of the little girl, cradling her gently in her laps.

 

"Yuna," she called again while shaking her gently.

 

There was no reaction though and this caused the sorceress to grow frantic. "Dammit, what am I supposed to do!" she thought frustratedly.

 

Her eyes then fell on the arrow still protruding from Yuna's shoulder and a desperate idea formed in her head. "That young miko... She's my last hope," she mused.

 

Balancing the child in one arm, she took her other feather from her hair and threw it straight up. It promptly grew and lifted them off the ground. And as the last rays of the sun faded over the horizon, Kagura couldn't help but feel worry twist her stomach. "A night... a night away," she thought desperately. "Hang on Yuna, I beg you... Hang on," she cried desperately as her eyes started to burn with unshed tears.