InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Feudal Stars ❯ Prologue

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The night was silent, and some what peaceful. Which was strange for this point in time. The moon and stars shone above, lighting the seemingly empty night. A gental wind blow across the land, causing the leaves on the trees to rustle. The only noise she could hear, the sounds of the leaves, and the sound of her own breath in her chest.

Cream coloured eyes, blank and misty, stared forwards at the path ahead. She glasped a small jar to her body, what was inside, an offering to her goddess. The marking on the jar, the seal on it's surface, made sure that nothing could ever escape it's containment, unless let out.

A clearing ahead, a faint glow in the decentence. She walked into it's soft warming aura, a releaved look on her pale face. A lake stood infront of her, it glowed a faint greenish blue tone. The waters moved softly, and the mist from the water floated around the clearing. No real water was here though, it only contained the souls of the dead. Trapped, unable to move on to the plain of death. Forced, to roam in this clearing for the rest of eternity, until drained of their memories.

In the center of this lake of souls, stood a tree, tall and proud. It's roots were visable in this lake, drinking the souls that were placed around it. The tree, looked like any of the other trees around it, outside the lake of souls. Although, it towered over the others, in height and size.

The maiden, dressed in a black kimono with silver trim, and a golden toned sash around her waist, stepped into the waters. She held the jar tightly, as she stepped through the resting place of the soul her family had captured. The waters, moved softly around her legs and feet, flowing againest her body. She could feel it, the hands of the dead, trying to drag her down with them. Although she did not faulter, she had made this journey many times before, so they was no reason to be frightened.

She halted her movement at the base of the tree trunk. She lefted one of her hands off the jar and place her pale hand on the bark of the tree. Soft to the touch, but harder then any stone. Marking were engraved in the tree, they faintly glowed with the same greenish blue tone that the waters below emitted.

The maiden stepped backwards, and glanced upwards at the top of the tree, to see the branchs above. No branches were on the top of this tree, there was only four figures. The bark of the tree, encased their bodies above. Their eyes, watching the maiden below them. Their bodies, reaching out towards the maiden.

The bark of the tree grew in size, as the four figures moved downwards. The maiden, smiled weakly at the faces of the four figures conected to the tree. Her cream eyes, stared back into their lifeless ones.

"A blessing, yet a curse... isn't it." the maiden weakly stated to them, even though she knew they could really reply to her.

A high pitch scream could be heard through the night, disturbing the some what peaceful night. The maiden bit her bottem lip, and plugged her ears. They couldn't speak, all they could do now is move, think, and scream like this. She didn't know, if they actually knew that they couldn't speak anymore. Seeming how they always tryed to speak, and always released these screams.

"I bring the soul of a pure maiden for you." the maiden said to the figures, as she showed the four figures the jar she carried with her.

She knelt downwards and place the jar in the lake of souls. She then released the cork on the jar, releasing what was trapped within. A white light brusts from the bottle, and entered the river. It tryed to get out of the lake, multiple times, like most new comers did. Although no matter how hard it tryed, it was stuck here, forever.

The maiden got to her feet once again, and slipped the empty jar into her kimono. She then looked upwards at the four figures still watching her. Green, blue, purple, and yellow, were the tones of their lifeless eyes. Their faces, set in stone, looking just like they did when they were actually living. Leaves trailed from their head, forming what used to be their hair. They all look the same, just cut off at the waist. Seeming how their waists shot off to the top of the tree, that piece of bark was what conected them to this tree. All of the four figures, had a black band around their neck. It was a marking of something.

She then, took a step towards the yellow eyed figure. She hugged the figure tightly, her cream toned suddenly full of pain and saddness. "May Aliyma's blessing be with you... mother." she muttered weakly to the figure, "Please... take care of Aries for me.".

With that, she walked away from the four figures, and out of the river of souls. Although she stopped at the edge of the clearing, and glanced backwards. The body, trapped within the bark of the trunk, not yet encased by bark. Her body, still organic, but yet she was gone from this plain. The maiden then touched the black band around her own pale neck

"Don't worry Aries, your sleep will be over soon." the maiden said weakly, hoping her words would reach the organic girl encased in the trunk of the tree.

The maiden dressed in the black kimono, then walked out of the clearing. Returning to her home, her living family. Leaving behind those of her family who are trapped and dead with the Tree of Aliyma.

----- Around seventy years ago -----

Aries walked through the hallways of her castle like house. Her crimson eyes were full of her demonic rage. Everyone else going down the hallway, moved out of her way, afraid of what would happen if they got in her way.

The blue kimonoed Aries stormed into the room where her mother was currently. Her crimson eyes, full of anger for her mother, stared right at her.

"Aries, what's the matter..." her mother asked, like any caring mother would ask their child. She wore the same black kimono, it complemented her curves and framed her body nicely like always.

"How dare you! With out even telling me first!" Aries questioned angerly, her crismon eyes glowed with anger.

Her mother was silent, as she got to her feet. She fixed her kimono, and retied the golden coloured sash around her waist. She was calm, as she jestered her daughter to sit down next to her.

"Let's talk about this over some tea perhaps?" her mother said, her voice showed no emotions. She was strangly calm for how angry her daughter currently was.

Aries angerly walked over to the other side of the little table in her mother's personal 'meeting' room. She crossed her legs, a stern look on her face. Aries put her elbows on the table and rested her head on her fists, staring right across the table at her mother.

Her mother sat back down, and began to pour herself a cup of herbal tea. She then began to pour Aries' a cup as well. Her attention was centered around the tea is seemed, since she never glanced up once at her daughter displeased face.

"How can you be giving me to those mutts in the western lands!" Aries yelled at her mother as she slammed her hand on to the table, her cup of tea fell over and the liquid inside spilled on to the table.

Her mother didn't respond right away, she simply leaned over and cleaned up the mess her daughter had just created. "Gemini is the heir to this kingdom when I become one with the Tree of Aliyma." Aries' mother replied weakly, her tone of voice calm as always, "And you are the second born daughter.".

"Who cares! Why don't you let Leo take over the kingdom in Gemini's place!?" Aries questioned angerly, she was clearly trying to find some way to find to get out of going to the western kingdoms.

"It doesn't work that way, first born is the heir to the kingdom, no matter what." her mother said calmly, as she took a sip of her tea, "You'll have to deal with it, the agreement as already been made. There is no going back now.".

Aries angerly crossed her arm over her chest, her crimson eyes showed how anger she was at the fact her mother was pawning her off on their enemies. This stupid peace agreement that they were going to make with their enemies, the ones they were currently at war with.

"We need to stop all of this pointless killing caused by the war." her mother explained to her daughter with a weak smile, "You do understand right. That this is for our people.".

The responce she got was just an evil glare from Aries. She clearly didn't like this idea, plan and simple.

"Don't I even get to meet him, my so called future husband." Aries asked, as she rolled her crimson coloured eyes.

"I've made a date for the two of us to met with him." Her mother replied with a smile, glad her daughter was finally going with their agreement.

"You aren't going to dress me up and make me walk around like a idiot are you?" Aries questioned weakly, just hating the idea of having to be a wife to some scumbag she hadn't even met before.

Her mother laughed at Aries' words before repling with, "No, you can dress and act how ever you like. Just be yourself.".

The door to the room was opened once again, has a male walked into the room and kneeled down. The servent bowed his head to Aries' mother before speaking, "Lady Pieces, you've been summoned by Lady Gemini.".

Pieces got to her feet and weakly smiled over at Aries. Her cream coloured eyes showed how happy she was to know that Aries was going to help her bring peace to their people. "Alright, show me where she is." Pieces said as she walked out of the room and jestered for the servent to show her the way to her oldest daugher.

Aries stared after her mother for a moment, and sighed when she disappeared from sight. She got to her feet and ran her fingers through her long raven black coloured hair. She then cracked her knuckles, clearly not really knowing what to do now. "This is just plain stupid..." She muttered weakly to herself as she glanced around the room.

She then walked out of the room into the hallway. She walked down the hall, much calmer then she was before. Although she was still clearly angry, her crimson eyes glowed faintly, like they normaly did.

"Hey Aries, what are you doing?" Aries could hear a voice ask her. She stopped, and looked around to see who the voice belonged to. Her crimson eyes stopped on a tall man standing next to her. His face was kind and gental, although his large body and musclur build made most people afraid of him. He had flame coloured hair, that was currently messy, sticking every way off of his head.

"Hello Leo." Aries replied weakly to her older brother, "Just yelling at mother.".

"What's happened now?" Leo asked, he rolled his eyes, knowing that Aries and their mother always were fighting about something.

"You don't know! Their planning on giving me to the mutts of the west!" Aries angerly exclaimned to her brother.

Leo was silent for a moment, clearly not sure what to say about Aries' current problem. "Well, I guess you'll just have to deal with it..." Leo said weakly to his sister.

"Yes, that makes me feel so much better." Aries said angerly with a sigh.

"Well maybe you can do something to take your mind off of it." Leo said, trying to help his troubled little sister.

Aries paused for a moment, thinking over what Leo had just told her. "I want to kill something." she said as she turned around and walked away.

Leo was motionless, watching Aries walk away from him. It took a few moments for him to relise what Aries wanted to do. Something to take her mind off the fate that would soon befall her. "What... hey wait up for me!" Leo yelled after Aries as he chased after her.

~End of Prologue

AN: I hope you've enjoyed the prologue to my InuYasha fanfic. Characters from the anime will be appearing in Chapter 1. I'm just giving some background on the character Aries right now, who is one of the major characters I've made myself. Thanks for your time! Please review as well, I'd like to hear about what you think about my fanfic.
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