InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ayabumu ❯ Cat-Napped! A Tale of Two Girls ( Prologue )

Ayabumu

 

By Koritsune Dragonrider and Cece Williams

 

(Ayabumu: to fear; to have misgivings; to be doubtful; to mistrust)

 

Cece: Hey, y'all! This is our first "Inuyasha" story.

 

Miroku: What's "y'all?"

 

Cece: You all. Oh, never mind.

 

Kori: We're working on this together! There are OC is this one and Ayumi, the fiery priestessin training, is mine!

 

Cece: grabs Miroku by the earAnd no flirting with the OCs, Miroku!

 

Miroku: Ow!

 

Inu: Hn, he'd flirt with a worm if it was to his benefit.

 

Kagome: Inuyasha!

 

Inu: Uh oh.starts running

 

Kagome: Sit, boy!

 

Inu: THUDWhy? Why? Why?

 

Cece : I bet that had to hurt.

 

Shippo: Serves him right!

 

Kori: On with the show!

 

Prologue: Catnapped! A Tale of Two Girls

 

Ayumi laughed as she played with a littler of kittens. The neko youkai were ten years old but still small enough to be considered toddlers. Their small kitty tails waved back and forth as the tries to jump on her in their game of “Catch the Prey.” She laughed, moving out of the way. An orange one landed where she was but launched himself again. This time he landed on her chest and started licking her face, which made her laugh.

 

“Okay,” she gasped. “You win. Oka-Ouch!”

 

She yelped when she felt something tug on her black hair and looked down to find a black kitten tugging on it like a game of tug of war.

 

“Jiro! Ouch! That's my hair!” She picked dup the younger one up by his shirt and held him up to face her. The kitten struggled against her hold but didn't have the inhuman strength demons possess yet. But still no matter how hard he tried, he could never loosen the grip his half sister held him in.

 

“Let me go, ane,” he called. “I was only playing!”

 

“My hair is not a tail,” she said tugging at his. “It does hurt.”

 

“So does when you pull on my tail,” said Jiro curling his tail around his legs. “Oh, and Mama wants to see you.”

 

“What?!” she dropped Jiro on the ground and he landed cat like. He looked up at his sister and smiled.

 

“You're in trouble,” he sing-songed.

 

“But I didn't do anything,” she whined and ran back to the village, the kittens following her and Jiro clinging to her shoulder.

 

When she got to the village she wasn't surprised to see neko youkai walking around the humans, help cultivating the fields or fishing in the stream in the center of the village. All the kittens, except Jiro, left to find their families and she went to the far edge of the village, past the gate and into the courtyard. She wasn't surprised to see her mother, Keiko, standing on the porch waiting for her. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her gi was white and blue, a color that set off her eyes. On the right side of her face were four stripes running down from the tip of her eye lid, past her jaw and o the neck. Aside from that feature she also looked pretty angry.

 

“Where have you been, Ayumi,” asked Keiko and the younger priestess grimaced.

 

“I was . . . Well, I . . . That is . . .,” she started to say but she got tongued tied. Unfortunately for her, Jiro finished the sentenced.

 

“She was off playing again,” he said and laughed.

 

“I wasn't!” protested Ayumi. “I was, uh, getting willow bark!”

 

“We have plenty of willow bark in the supply room,” said Keiko. “Which you were supposed to clean today.”

 

Ayumi gave a nervous laugh and hung her head, nodding it.

 

“Hai, okaasan, I'll get right one it,” she said. Keiko nodded and left to see to her own chores, but just as she got to the door she stopped and looked at her daughter again.

 

“Oh, I forgot to remind you, it's almost time for your special day.”

 

“You don't mean my birthday,” joked Ayumi then groaned when she saw her mother's serious face. “Do I have to?”

 

“Yes, you have to. You're the only one who can.”

 

“Why me? Why not Jiro?”

 

“Hey,” said Jiro. “Don't put me into this?”

 

“Why me?” asked Ayumi again.

 

“Because they gave you the mark. You're the only one who can complete the circle.”

 

Ayumi pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and exposed her wrist. Tattooed on there with blue paint were four parallel stripes similar to the ones on her mother's cheek. She groaned as she slid the sleeve back down. Why did they have to pick her? She was just a mere human, for goodness sake. What could be so special about her?

 

As if sensing her distress, her mother walked to where she stood and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“It's an honor to be chosen,” she said. “You should be proud to fulfill the tradition.”

 

“Then why has my pride been replaced with melancholy,” she asked.

 

“Your melancholy is really feared of the unknown. But remember, fear is not the absence of courage. Just a sign of something greater. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.”

 

With that Keiko walked back into the temple as Ayumi and Jiro looked after her.

 

“Fear is not the absence of courage,” repeated Ayumi, “just a sign of something greater.”

 

Jiro looked up at his elder sister and placed a hand on her forehead.

 

“Are you running a fear?” he asked. “Or are you actually listening to what Mama says?”

 

Ayumi looked angrily at her brother.

 

“Of course I listen to Okaasan!” she yelled. “What kind of stupid question is that?”

 

“Oh, you are running a fever.”

 

“Jiro!” Jiro laughed and jumped from her shoulder as she chased him. “You get back here! I am not sick!”

 

“Mama!” yelled Jiro. “Ayumi's chasing me again!”

 

“Ayumi, stop chasing your brother!”

 

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Sayuri walked down the hall toward her parents retiring room. She had just come out of training and sweat plastered her brown hair her face and neck and the fur from her ears and tail were flattened to her skin. She decided to take a bath after she saw what her parents wanted.

 

She found the door to the retiring room and knocked softly as was respected in the palace. You never know what there are talking about that you were not supposed to hear.

 

“Who is it?” asked her mother on the other side.

 

“Sayuri, okaa-sama,” she said and slid the door open. Her mother was by the hearth, as the day was a bit cold in the autumn air, and embroidering a piece of clothe skillfully. Her orangish-yellow hair had been placed in a series of knots and curls around her head, and she was wearing an extravagant kimono that billowed around her on the floor. Her father was in a seat adjacent to her mother, a scroll in hand as he read the scouting reports. His midnight black hair was pulled up into a ponytail at the top of his head and the gi he wore was finer then any mortal lord's, but not flashy enough to smitten his pride. He looked up when she walked in.

 

“Ah, Sayuri,” he said. “Please sit down.” She did, sitting opposite her father and adjacent to her mother. Compared to her parents, Sayuri looked less then fashionable. Her blue Chinese fighting outfit stood out against her parent's kimono and gi, and her favorite weapon that never left her side, her tempo Blue Thunder.

 

“You wanted to see me,” she said.

 

“Yes,” said Tama, her father. “As you know, your birthday is coming soon and we believe it is time.”

 

“Time?” asked Sayuri, a little confused.

 

“For you commitment,” said Sora, her mother. “You have become of age.”

 

“But, mother, father,” she pleaded, “I'm still too young! I'm not prepared!”

 

“Your birthday's only a month away,” said Tama. “You'll have plenty of time to prepare.”

 

Sayuri stared shocked at her parents. They wouldn't, they couldn't. They couldn't make her go through with it. She didn't want to, through she knew it had been arranged since the day she was born but she didn't really like the person who would be her Bond partner. They hardly ever got along. Why did they have to choose that one? Some one else would do. She couldn't do it. She wouldn't do it!

 

“I won't do it,” she said and her parents looked up shocked at her.

 

“I'm afraid you don't have a choice, honey,” said her mother. “You have the mark.” Her mother pointed to her daughter's left hand. On her wrist were four parallel strips in purple tattoo paint. Her partner had identical ones on her right wrist.

 

“Everything had been arranged,” said Tama. “On your birthday, you shall partake in the ceremony and complete a cycle that has been passes down for hundreds of years.”

 

“What if I don't want to,” yelled Sayuri. “What if I want to have a normal life?”

 

“Darling, you can never have a normal life,” said Sora. “You were born special.”

 

“I don't want to be special!” she yelled. “I want to be me!”

 

Picking up her tempo she started to the door but stopped when her father's voice spoke up.

 

“Remember my daughter,” he said. “Fear is not the absence of courage. Just a sign of something greater.”

 

“Father,” she said looking at him over her shoulder. “You can take that philosophy and shove it!” She slammed open the door and slammed it shut so hard that the tea set on the floor rattled.

 

“Oh dear,” said Sora.

 

“She'll come around,” said Tama. “They always do.”

 

“Do they,” asked Sora looking at her husband.

 

“I did,” he said and touched four parallel strips that ran down his left cheek

 

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Sayuri walked put of the village and passes the orchids toward the river where she liked to think. Sitting on one of the large rocks she scuffed.

 

“Fear isn't the absence of courage,” she said. “What a laugh! You're only afraid when your courage left you. Everyone knows that!”

 

She couldn't believe her parents were letting her go through with it. Sure it had been planned since she was a baby, but she should still have a say on the matter. She should still say if she wanted this. Why did they have to pick her? Why was it always her?! Growling, she picked up a rock and threw it into the river.

 

“Stupid parents,” she yelled and grabbed more rocks to throw. “Stupid contract! Stupid tradition! Stupid spell! Stupid everything!”

 

Each statement was punctuated by a throwing of a rock and a deep KER-PLANK sound it made on landing. With the last sentence she grabbed a small boulder and threw it in, satisfied with the loud SPLASH it made upon landing. Sitting back down she calmed herself by throwing pebbles in.

 

“Life is so unfair,” she mumbled and gasped when she heard a twig snap. Warrior instincts came to life as she grabbed Blue Thunder and raised herself in a defense position.

 

“Come out,” she yelled and two wolf demons walked into view. She gave them a quick perspective eye and took in their appearance. They looked like any old wolf demons that she encountered but no markings showed which pack they were from, and they couldn't be rogues. Rogues were loners, not wanting anyone in their way. Plus if it was a pack, there would be more then two.

 

“Whose pack are you from?” she asked. “Tsume's or Koga's?” She named the two closest to the plains and yet they still did not answer. They just stared at her and started growling as the advanced toward her. “I'll take that as a no!”

 

She swung her tempo and the staff connected with the neck of the first and jammed the heel of her staff in the other's shin. Both went down and Sayuri swung her tempo and took their heads off.

 

“Ha, two wolves with one swing,” she said and turned to leave, but a bussing noise and turned to find both standing again. She gasped as they proceeded toward her.

 

“What kind of demons are you,” she cried and swung at them again. This time both still stood and advanced toward the neko. With a yelp she jumped and climbed a tree, her nails finding the small grooves and silvers in the trunk. When they were right below her she jumped down, quickly turning in mid-air to grab the branch she was on, and kicked both demons. They went down and she landed taking Blue Thunder back in her hands.

 

When she took a deep breathe to keep calm she started coughing, a rattling hacking sound come from her throat and out her mouth. She looked up at the wolf demons, which had their mouths open and had purple smoke come from their mouth, like ash from the spout of a volcano. She tried to cover her mouth but too much was already in her system.

 

`That's not the powers of a wolf,' she thought. `That's . . .Knh . . .”

 

With a soft sigh she fell to the ground, Blue Thunder fell from her hand and into the river.

 

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Ayumi had been washing clothes by the river like her mother instructed her. Her chores involving the rooms of the temple were done and she had just the laundry to do. She was happy to be away from the village and into a place that she felt happy in. She likes the woods better then the village because it felt so big! Sure there was the caution of demons but if you bypassed that then it was a very nice place to be, and just feel secure. Ayumi liked that and often come to that spot.

 

Suddenly pain flared through her body, mainly her right hand. She grabbed her hand, thinking she cut herself on a rock or something, but all she saw was the stripe tattoos on her wrist had changed color. Instead of the purple it had been since birth, it had turned a dark blue and continues to throb. She looked around to try and find out what had hurt her but found nothing.

 

“What is going on,” she thought aloud.

 

TBC

 

Myoga: Master Inuyasha, you shouldn't try to anger these authoresses.

 

Inu: holding cracked back What was your first clue?

 

Koga: tries to stop laughing Beaten up by two girls!

 

Miroku: starts laughing as well

 

Inu:growls Laugh it up, wolf boy!

 

Koga: Okay, puppy. laughs harder

 

Inu: I'll kill you!

 

Kagome: Inuyasha... SIT!

 

Inu: THUD NO!

 

Kori: laughs pointing at dog boy

 

Cece: fans herself Oh, boy. looks at everyone Is my face red?

 

Miroku: Is that a blush?

 

Cece: THUNK No, you jerk!

 

Kori: Geez, the nerve of....O.O

 

Sango: Miroku! hits him with Hiraikotsu

 

Miroku: anime bumps on head It was worth the pain.

 

Koga: So, anyway, read and review . . . before Inu-trasha wakes up.

 

Inu: Why you . . .

 

Kori: And send chocolate!

 

Cece: Lots of it.