InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ EQUILIBRIUM: Crescent of Light ❯ A Vague Reality ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

A VAGUE REALITY

 

*Warning:

Language and slight sexual reference

 

***

InuYashahad never been the kind of person you could call lazy. Even in his juvenile years people expected nothing but efficiency and excellence from his work. Whether it was daily chores or work that the Academy had assigned him, InuYasha Roland Takahashi always produced results.

Such skills were useful when you lived the life of an outlaw.

The hot sun scorched his bare back as his handmade axe struck the dense log of wood that he was trying to split in half. The crudely carved stone cracked the wood about halfway before becoming stubbornly lodged into what was supposed to be his firewood for later that evening.

“Fucking piece of shit,” he grumbled, setting the wooden handle down.

He reached out for the log with one hand, digging his extremely tough claws into the waterlogged lumber. With the other hand he grasped the wooden handle and gave it a ferocious yank. He cursed foully when the axe refused to budge.

Kicking the log off of its stand he plopped down onto the carpet of leaves and twigs roughly. A clawed hand wiped his sweaty forehead, his sensitive nose wrinkling in disgust at the stench of the perspiration coating his body.

Maybe, a dip in the lake wouldn't be so bad, he thought reluctantly. He was never one to give up so easily, but the heat was really getting to him. As he contemplated whether or not to take a break, his clawed fingers unconsciously travelled up his neck to grasp the small pendant lying there. He looked down at the beaded necklace and smiled bitterly.

Ten years, he thought, ten years and I still can't get them out of my head.

Images appeared like a slideshow through his mind. Loss, sadness, overwhelming guilt, it was all there in his plagued mind. The sadness crept like bile up his throat and he shook his head, willing his tears back where they belonged — inside of him. He didn't deserve the right to soil this world with his sadness, with his painful memories. He could cry as much as he liked but he would never let the outside world see his tears, ever.

He huffed, deciding that a few moments rest in the soothing cold of the lake couldn't hurt. The leaves crackled beneath his weight as he stood gracefully and proceeded to sprint through the sparsely gapped trees of the forest.

Powerful legs pushed against the ground, urging his body to move faster. The wind swept across his hot face and he closed his eyes gratefully.

Fighting wild animals and — if he was lucky — the occasional Carthrid proved to be much more venting than running did, but seeing as none of which were available to sink his claws into he decided that this short sprint would have to do.

It didn't take long to reach the large body of, cool, clear liquid and he drank from it languidly, knowing his digestive system could handle any unpleasant substances within the water with ease.

He didn't even bother to take off his pants, figuring that it would keep him cooler if they were wet. He lay floating on his back, his ears giving an occasional twitch to any stray sound of the forest.

While the silence was blissful he couldn't deny that he missed the sound of pleasant chatter from family and friends. He longed to hear the jokes and resounding laughter from those he cared for, to see the proud look of his father or the loving smile of his mother, to feel the warmth of a lover beside him as he slept each night.

Granted; his life was purely nomadic, moving every time he got bored of the location, and travelling to another site that fit his needs. This life style sporadically brought him into close contact with villages and he was occasionally graced with the fortune of bedding a woman for the night with no further attachments.

But such actions were only temporary feelings of lust that satiated a hormone-induced need, leading him to just switch locations the first thing the next morning. A quick rut wasn't what he wanted from life. He wanted the satisfaction of his family's presence at his side, the daily beauty of a wife's smile, the soft patter of tiny feet racing through his home, not his house, but his home.

He snorted; it was too late for any of that. Such opportunities were lost ten years ago in the climatic, horrifying, and dreary setting of violent battles in which only bloodshed and loss could ever hoped to be recalled.

This was his life now, a life that was silent, tranquil, languid and easy-going, a life that he was sure to live alone.

~~~

It was a typical day in the wilderness of this foreign world. A small, wooden hut stood in the middle of a vast clearing, the forest surrounding it like water would a peninsula. The sun shined upon the seemingly endless, green grass that stretched from the clearing all the way to the horizon. The couple who resided here had picked this spot to live strictly because of the view, and truthfully Kagome couldn't blame them. The beauty of this place was worthy of a high-end vacation home. But sightseeing was not on Kagome's mind as she argued lightly with her mother.

“Mom, really I'm fine!”

Thankfully, their hospitality was as extensive as their taste in home locations when they had graciously welcomed Gramps and her mother into their home.

“Are you quite sure, honey? The nights are only going to get colder.” Her mother held out the ridiculously heavy wool blanket to her only daughter.

“Yes, I'm sure!” Kagome said for what felt like the thousandth time.

There was a tap on Kagome's shoulder and she turned around to find a patient looking Káede. One gnarled fist held a horse's reins tightly, and her ancient looking walking stick was held by the other. “Child,” she said, “the escorts are nearly ready and nightfall is fast approaching. We must make haste.”

Kagome nodded, having grown use to her strange way of speaking. “Alright, just a few more minutes, okay?”

The old woman smiled slightly before leading the horse away, her walking stick's impact upon the ground muffled by the soft grass.

Kagome turned back towards her mother with a slight frown on her face. It was because of these escorts that Gramps and her mother had to be left behind. This place, according to Káede, was somewhat of a rest-stop for people who wish to travel from this world — which she still had no idea how they had gotten to — to the world Kagome had left behind. Káede had assured her that they would be safe here but Kagome wasn't convinced.

“The road ahead is dangerous,” Káede had said. “The escorts are there for protection purposes and six people are much more easily found than four. And we can't afford to be found, Kagome.”

Kagome understood her logic, the faint bruising on her throat could attest to that, but she couldn't say that she was excited about having to go about this strange world with nothing more than complete strangers to keep her company. And Káede still wouldn't tell her why she had to come with them at all. It frustrated her to no end that she had jump into this crazy life with a blindfold on.

When her mother had walked onto the scene of her daughter trying to throw Káede out of the house, her shock was palpable, but it was nothing compared to Kagome's. The fact that her mother knew this strange woman personally was frightening and mind boggling to her. Hasty explanations, a lengthy confession from her mother, further visual evidence of Káede's powers and perhaps a tear or two occupied the short space of only a couple of hours and it all proved to be too much for her.

She passed out on the couch, whether from shock or exhaustion, she didn't know, but something in those few hours she'd slept had changed her mother. She was still the same person, but there was a certain fear in her eyes that made her insides quench uncomfortably every time her mother looked at her. Gramps hadn't changed much — he was too busy jumping in joy about his repaired vase — but her mother certainly had. And whatever had caused it couldn't be good news for her.

Kagome blinked as a sudden pressure encased her and she found her mother embracing her tightly. “Please be careful,” she whispered. Her voice trembled as she spoke; wetness on her neck blew the cover of her mother's tears.

Kagome embraced her back, the reality of the situation reared its unwelcome head and Kagome had to bite her lip to hold back her own sorrow. “I will.”

“And do everything Káede tells you to!”

“I promise, mom.”

An impatient cough broke the tangled pair apart. Gramps eyed them with a disapproving face. Kagome walked past her mother to approach her grandfather. “You take care of yourself, you hear me?” he said gruffly.

Kagome nodded, knowing that Gramps was truly concerned despite his tone.

Gramps grunted in approval as Káede suddenly spoke from afar. “Ah, Sesshoumaru. You are ready to depart then?

She looked back to see a tall figure rove gracefully out of the wood. So graceful that it looked as though he were gliding across the pasture rather than actually taking the time to walk. He had an unresponsive air about him, but he was what you could call beautiful in an almost feminine way. Light gray hair that, like Káede, didn't seem to be influenced by age, dangled past his shoulders like fine silk. Dignified features held an immovable expression of indifference, as his calculating green eyes stared at the old woman. They were void of emotion although not necessarily cold, but that didn't stop Kagome from wondering if he ever smiled.

“I am,” he said flatly. Even his voice lacked any hint of passion.

The old woman nodded and went back to packing some last minute things into the knapsack dangling from her horse's saddle. The man, who she assumed was called Sesshoumaru, cast his blank gaze to Kagome, his green eyes quickly taking notice of her attire.

She had to fight the blush that threatened to color her cheeks a dark shade of pink. Her short green skirt and form-fitting, white t-shirt was extremely different — not to mention, more revealing — from what he and Káede wore.

This man wore a floor length, skin-colored robe. The robe was open, but kept in place by a white sash, leaving the bottom half to blow freely in the wind. Another robe, shorter and white, covered his chest and was tucked into the same colored silk pants. Two samurai swords strapped to either hip told her this must be one of escorts.

His majestic poise reeked of power, commanded respect and Kagome couldn't help but reluctantly give it to him as he approached her with a grace no earth-dweller had the right to possess.

“Woman,” he said almost degradingly. “What are these absurd garments you bear?”

It was amazing how fast respect could disappear.

Her blue eyes clashed with his green ones as a familiar anger welled up inside of her. “Just because I dress differently than you, doesn't make me less of a person, you jerk!” she shouted.

He didn't even blink at her outburst and his lack of reaction only made her angrier. “Your scent,” he said slowly, his voice was the only betrayal of his interest. “It's familiar… yet…” he stopped and his mouth upturned in the slightest hint of a smile, looking as though he had realized something. “A modernist,” he said. “How amusing.”

Kagome groaned in aggrKagometion and shouldered past him, with admittedly more force than was needed, to talk to Káede, anything to get away from this seemingly narcissistic man.

Who was he to talk down to her like that? So what if she wore these clothes? It was really hot here, damn it! He acted like he was somehow better than her when he didn't even know her, not to mention this “modernist” stuff was starting to get old very quickly.

Her mind was still ranting on about Sesshoumaru's lack of consideration as she approached Káede, who was still checking and rechecking the contents she had packed. Before she could even get close enough to alert the old woman to her presence, Káede spoke. “Dear, if Sesshoumaru is irritating you, why not assist the other escort in the stable? I believe you'll find her much more accommodating.”

Kagome's mouth felt her jaw slacken and drop. How did she know she was there? Her back was turned and she was more than ten feet away! Her body was still frozen in its stupor as Káede turned to look at her, the last rays of the sun shined directly on the old woman's face, causing her to squint. The burn on her left eye, which was already eternally narrowed, caused it to go down further than her right one. The resulting expression somewhat reflected a wink.

“Try not to dawdle, child,” she said. “We really must get going soon.” Káede turned back to the sack she was checking.

Kagome shook her head, coming forcefully out of her brief state of shock. She nodded and hurried to the brown stable that resided on the outskirts of the clearing. She got to the barn and knocked twice on the wooden doors, slightly confused as to why it was closed in the first place.

There was a sound of clattering metal and slight disorientation. She could hear two horses neigh loudly as an irate voice called out, “I thought I told you people that there was Council privacy needed while I was in here? How many times do I have to tell you…? Oh, hello.” The door opened a few inches to reveal a kind, yet suspicious, looking face of a brown eyed woman.

Kagome held her hand up slightly in a nervous gesture of salutation. “Uh… hi,” she said uncertainly. “Um… Káede asked me to come and help you with the horses?”

“Oh, you must be Kagome,” she said. The woman suddenly smiled, all traces of suspicion disappeared from her face. She opened the door a bit wider and stood aside. “Come on in, but quickly, we don't want them to see.”

“How do you know my name?” she asked as she slipped inside the barn, puzzled by the need of secrecy.

The woman shut the door firmly, encasing them in the smell of hay, rotting wood, and the horse's waste. The only sources of light were the small oil lanterns spaced evenly throughout the barn. “Káede had a little talk with me and Sesshoumaru the minute you guys arrived.”

Kagome's anger at Sesshoumaru rekindled as she remembered distinctly that he had called her “woman”. Before she could stop herself, she shouted, “That jerk knew my name?”

The woman snorted. “I can tell you've already met Sesshoumaru.” She extended her hand. “Sango Polmeroy,” she said pleasantly.

Kagome smiled and took her hand. “Pleasure,” she replied, thinking to herself that Káede had been right about her after all. Sango had long brown hair that trickled down her back, brown eyes held confidence and tenacity as femininely lean muscles bunched in alluring legs that poked out of a simple, white travelling dress.

“So,” Kagome said curiously, “why all the secrecy?”

Sango laughed. “Oh, it's no biggie,” she giggled. “The owners of this place just don't like weapons too much.” She pointed towards a small pile of lethal looking weapons, two of which lay haphazardly apart from the pile, looking as though they had been dropped and Kagome now knew what the metallic clanging was. She noticed that one of the horses was already sporting some of the deadly iron in a specialized looking pack. The horse seemed to be tremendously uncomfortable. His back legs kicked the hay furiously sending it into the other pens; the horse's occupying them snorted their annoyance.

“Bucky, please calm down!” Sango shouted, rushing over to try and soothe the troubled animal. Needless to say, her efforts were in vain. She looked over at Kagome wearily. “He's never been like this,” she shouted over his insistent neighing. “It wasn't until we got these,” she pointed towards the straps that held the bag for the weaponry, “that this shit started to happen.”

Four years of veterinarian school suddenly took over as Kagome's clinically trained eye examined in the restless creature from afar, immediately spotting the problem.

“Well of course he's acting up, look.” She walked steadily towards the horse and calmly reached up and firmly grasped two of the ridiculously tight straps that rested just behind his pointed ears. “These straps are squeezing right down on his poll.” She moved the straps down a bit and the effect was immediate. The horse stopped kicking, and his neighs quieted down to mere annoyed snorts.

Kagome looked at a stunned Sango and smiled. “There you go,” she said pleasantly.

Sango chuckled and shoved a double edged axe into the already stuffed bag of metal. “You and I are going to get along just fine.”

The saddling of the other horse proved to not be as hard as Kagome thought, but her other tantalizing discovery she made in that stuffy barn mattered a lot more. She found that there was at least one normal person in this strange world. They laughed and indulged in light hearted conversation as they put the leftover weaponry beneath a hidden trap door, so the owners of the clearing wouldn't find it. Kagome was just starting to bring the baggage horse — the one carrying Sango's mini arsenal — out of the barn when she heard it.

“GET OUT OF MY BED, YOU DAMN MUTT!”

Kagome groaned. “Oh, not again.”

“What?” asked a bewildered Sango. “What happened?”

The young woman muttered under her breath about impish canines as she handed the artillery horse's reins to Sango. “Max,” she replied, marching in the direction of the hut.

Sango took the reins hastily, anxious to see what all the commotion was all about. “Who's Max?”

The pair arrived on the scene just in time to see Gramps stomp out of the hut, the hosting couple behind him furiously apologizing for letting the mischievous canine into his room.

“That stupid mutt left a little going away present on my pillow,” the old man shouted, holding a hand up in front of everyone's face, to which they backed away from like two magnets of the same charge, more specifically from the horrible smelling brown spot that was staining the wrinkled appendage.

Her mother shook her head. “Oh, dear.”

Kagome asked the couple in the threshold of the door for a wet rag.

Sango snorted in laughter.

Her mistake was realized when no one seemed to be relishing in the hilarity of the situation. She coughed a few times, to try and cover it up but the deed was done. “You think it's funny, do you?” growled an enraged looking Gramps.

Sango gulped nervously “Well it sort of is, isn't it?” she said, desperately trying to legitimize her actions. “Isn't it?” Sango was saved from her repercussions as the culprit of the whole mess finally decided to make his grand entrance.

A full grown, gray wolf bounded out of the door — followed closely by the couple who had retrieved the wet rag for Gramps — and stopped at his best friend's feet, his tail wagging furiously, his head cocked to the side with one ear up and the other down.

Gramps took the rag with a gruff thank you and proceeded to scrub the soiled essence from his hand. “You know,” he said as he bunched the rag together, trying to arrange it in a way that didn't put the foul substance back on his hand, “I thought wolves were supposed to be known for their honor and dignity, not for their annoying talent of pissing me off!”

She remembered that following morning when Káede had insisted that they leave right away and to her surprise, her mother had agreed immediately.

They hadn't given her time to ask many questions, only enough to pack a few belongings, which included nothing more than a few change of clothes, basic hygienic supplies, and her father's diary, but she had been adamant about leaving Max behind. She fiercely insisted on bringing him, no matter what it took.

She was quite taken aback when Káede had said that she hadn't intended to leave him behind at all. When Kagome had questioned what she meant, Káede told Max to “reveal” himself.

After getting over the shock that her adorable, sweet, lovable Labrador was actually a huge, sharp-toothed wolf, she realized that Max really hadn't changed at all. His appearance may have been different but he was the same lovable, smart, and downright mischievous canine as before. This moment here was proof of that.

The sound of hooves against the soft ground told Kagome that it was time to go. She turned around to see Káede sitting with a surprising amount of grace on her horse's saddle. In the distance she could see Sesshoumaru waiting for them atop his own horse.

“Ready?” the old woman asked.

Sango nodded and hurriedly straddled her horse, eager to get away before Gramps remembered who he was mad at.

“Now hold on!” Gramps said suspiciously. “Just how do I know that these “escorts” of yours are capable of protecting my granddaughter?”

Káede raised a brow. “Sesshoumaru, the young man off in the distance, is quite possibly the most talented dueler our Academy has ever seen. And Sango here is one of the most accomplished assassins we have at our disposal. Do not doubt that I have just as much at stake as you do.”

There was a nudge on Kagome's shoulder and she looked up to see Sango's outstretched hand. “What?”

Sango grinned. “Well you can't very well ride by yourself, now can you?”

Kagome bit her lip nervously and took her hand, clambering onto the saddle with nowhere near as much grace as the other three.

There was the feeling that something was being forced into her fist and she looked down to see a brown, leather bracelet with an assortment of strange charms fastened to it in her hand. She glanced down her mother's hand that was still holding her own. She was crying again.

“It belonged to your father,” she explained shakily. “It's not much, but I…”

Kagome smiled and fastened the bracelet around her wrist automatically. “I'll never take it off,” she assured her mother.

Káede cleared her throat. “Well, Charlotte, it was lovely to see you again.”

Her mother smiled, wiping the wetness from her face. “Yes, it was lovely to see you too, Káede.” she replied.

“Until next time, my old friend,” said Káede as she started to turn her horse towards the sunset.

Her mother nodded. “Yes, until next time.”

“Oi!” Gramps yelled. “See if you can abandon that fleabag in a ditch somewhere!”

Max responded by lifting his leg over a bare calf, sickly marking his territory. Gramps screeched in fury but the wolf had already taken off into the sunset, his tail wagging high as he howled in triumph that he had gotten the last word. Kagome couldn't help but laugh.

She laughed so hard, her heels accidentally dug into the sides of the horse beneath her and it jolted into action, sprinting after the canine, followed soon after by the baggage horse and Káede's. Kagome swore she heard Sesshoumaru snort as she passed him. He too, followed the group, his silver hair and the bottom half of his pale robe gliding behind him.

Sango quickly recovered from the slight surprise of the early takeoff and steered the horse in the right direction. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Max was slowing down to run alongside her.

She looked back at the life she had left behind, her mother was still waving and Gramps' faint shouts could still heard. She turned to the one reminder that life she had as he ran gracefully, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, matching the horse stride for stride. Max looked up at her and she swore that he winked a mischievous eye as he proceeded to pull slightly ahead of the horse, being careful to stay with the group.

As the wind splashed across her face, Kagome smiled and it was in that moment that she realized something. Now that the revelation was made she was astounded that she hadn't noticed it before, shocked to discover that this change within her had been apparent since the moment she looked into the red eyes of a Carthrid in that dingy alleyway.

That feeling, the feeling that she wasn't where she belonged, that she should be out doing other things, she realized in that moment for the first time in her life, that feeling had disappeared.

 

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::Author's Notes::

Three new characters for ya to enjoy. Inuyasha makes his presence as a hot-headed, emotion hiding, and honorable warrior. Sango's being that spunky, fiery, and battle ready woman, and Sesshoumaru… well he's just being Sesshoumaru.

Keep in mind people, that this IS an original story, these characters all may be a bit different from there Anime/Manga counterparts. The biggest physical difference will probably prove to be Inuyasha.

Once again, to all who reviewed, thank you, and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

 

Acknowledgements

~chanda~kokoronagomu~Liesie~Stinkypinker~Haksi~i nu-babe~ladydeath31178~pokiepal~

*Special shout out to chanda, thank you for the reviews and patience.

 

 

NEXTCHAPTER:The Lost Warrior

(To all who are missing Inuyasha's testosterone I have one thing to say to you… “Keh!”)

 

~Eyes of Eden~

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