InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Dreams ❯ Youkai ( Chapter 7 )

Broken Dreams

 

Chapter 7

 

Youkai

 

There's something about waking up in a puddle of your own dry vomit, combined with the fact you have no idea where you are or what time it is, that tends to put you in a bad mood. Kagome woke up with a throbbing headache. A second later, everything else started throbbing too, causing her to groan and shift slightly, causing even more pain. Memories flooded back, and she noted with a slight relief that the pain had lessened slightly.

 

“So you're awake, huh?” the man asked. Kagome looked up at he turned to look at her over his shoulder. Kagome hadn't taken much notice of him before, but she took the time to now that she wasn't so unsettled. She remembered the hands, but that wasn't the only odd thing about her savior.

 

He wore a dirty cloak that looked like it may have been white at some point, but was so dusty and dirty that it was dark grey, almost black. It tattered and dragged a little at the ground, and hung loosely from the sleeves that she could see. It had a hood that covered his head and hung over the front. A wire grating with black material stretched over it covered his face like a fencer's mask.

 

“Yeah, and I feel like shit,” Kagome muttered, turning her head away slowly. The man nodded and turned back to the fire. Kagome faintly heard him stirring something, and took the time to look around her new surroundings. She was still in a cave, and it was still raining. Kagome noticed she couldn't see the actual rain for an awning over the cave entrance made of animal hides.

 

She looked down at herself and saw that she had a fur blanket over her, and faintly felt her clothes under her. The unpleasant feeling of dried blood all over her skin was gone, and Kagome realized just how he would have had to clean her. In the past, Kagome would have blushed at the thought of a stranger looking at her, but she didn't get the feeling that this man would be the kind to take advantage of her while she was asleep. He didn't come off as the same kind of man Kouga was.

 

Trust wasn't something that came easily to Kagome anymore. Her ability to trust in the goodness of people was lost a long time ago when she learned that even the most trustworthy people would betray that trust if they stood to gain from doing so. Considering she didn't have a name or face to place on this man, Kagome wasn't going to trust him either. But on the bright side, he had taken care of her so far. She was just worried what he would want in return. Eventually, everyone wanted something in exchange for kindness. Kagome pushed away those thoughts and examined the rest of the cave.

A large stack of firewood lay deeper in the cave next to a pile of more animal skins. Kagome felt the furs under her fingertips, and craned her neck slightly to see a soft bed underneath her. She sniffed and recoiled in disgust at the disgusting smell that was wafting through the cave. She coughed slightly.

 

“What's that smell?” she asked.

 

“The fire,” The man answered. “I have to keep it burning all day and night.” He explained.

 

“Why?” Kagome asked.

 

“I use it to burn herbs I get from a village not far from here. The herbs smell bad and hide my scent, and also put up a barrier around the cave to hide my youki so others can't sense it,” The man explained. Kagome frowned.

 

“You hide from other youkai?” she gasped, surprised. She had never met many youkai who tried to avoid fighting.

 

“Yes,” The man said. He picked up another cup from beside him and started to spoon something into it from out of Kagome's line of sight.

 

“Why?”

 

“You ask a lot of questions, don't you?” The man chuckled. “I don't like fighting,” he turned with the cup. Kagome smelt a nice aroma coming from it as he brought it towards her.

 

“Why don't you like fighting?” she asked.

 

“Because it's stupid,” the man replied. “Fighting only results in pain and death. Nothing is resolved.”

 

“But some people deserve to die,” Kagome sneered bitterly. The man wisely let it drop and held the cup to Kagome's mouth. The one hand came to the back of her head and tipped it forward so she could swallow without choking. Kagome felt something sharp touch the back of her hair, and she found her answer in the man's other hand- claws. Whoever this man was, he was a youkai.

 

“Here. I'm not sure if you'd want to eat anything solid, so this is just stew broth. It's still food though,” the youkai said. Kagome smiled slightly and opened her jaw slightly. The youkai tipped the cup forward and Kagome felt the coiling in her stomach subside as she gulped down the broth. It wasn't the best she had tasted, but the last two things she had tasted were the disgusting medicinal brew and her own vomit, so she welcomed the change. When she finished her meal a few minutes later, she licked her lips and stared at where she thought the youkai's eyes were in his black mask.

“Why are you doing this?” Kagome asked. The youkai shrugged.

 

“I found you hurt. If I had left you, you would have died. I didn't want that. People shouldn't die,” Kagome shook her head sadly as he turned away to get his own meal. Whomever this youkai was that had saved her, he was naïve. A few years ago, Kagome would have admired his resolve to live without fighting and killing. But now she knew better. Some people deserved to die, no matter what they do to redeem themselves.

 

“Do you have a name?” Kagome asked. The youkai tensed slightly. After a minute, he resumed fixing his meal, and Kagome thought he might not answer.

 

“No,” he said, walking away from the fire. He sat down with a bowl of stew across the cave from Kagome and started eating. Kagome was surprised. What did he mean `no'?

 

“What do you mean?” she asked. The youkai sighed and set his bowl down by his side.

 

“You asked if I had a name. No, I don't,” he explained. Kagome was starting to get frustrated. Was a straight answer too much to ask?

 

“That's not possible, everyone has a name,” Kagome insisted. The youkai shook his head and clasped his hands together.

 

“Not everyone. I don't,” the youkai said, resuming his meal. Kagome sighed. This guy was getting more confusing by the second.

 

“Why not?” Kagome asked. The youkai stared down at his stew. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a breath.

 

“I don't remember it,” he muttered. Kagome's jaw dropped. He didn't remember his own name?

 

“Well. what do other people call you?” Kagome suggested. The youkai tilted his head back slightly, seemingly in thought.

 

“The village I go to sometimes, I go once a month usually. I trade the furs I've caught for spices and vegetables,” he said quietly.

 

“Well what do the villagers call you?” the youkai thought for a minute, and then looked up at Kagome.

 

“My name is Youkai,” he said. Kagome chuckled a little. It wasn't exactly a name, just a title or an insult, since he was youkai as far as she could tell by his claws. But at least she had something to call this guy.

 

“Hi Youkai, I'm Kagome.”