InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Feudal Stars ❯ Chapter 4

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

The sun above shimmered downwards, brightening grounds below. The tall grass was covered in morning dew, making the young demoness wet and cold in the bitter morning breeze.

"What do you think, Aries?" her mother asked as she looked over the grass plain with her daughter, "A endless field of nothing, you can do whatever you wish really.".

Aries glanced up at her mother, then looked over at the other members of her family. Her father was holding on to her new born baby brother, Cancer. While her older siblings Leo and Gemini played amongst the tall grass.

Leo practised his weapon skills with a large stick he had found hidden under the grass.

Gemini simply walked to each blade of grass, adding the dew to the levitating ball of dew she had following her closely.

"It's alright." Aries replied to her mother. Yet all she really wished to do was play with her mother, like she had said they could. It didn't matter where.

Aries then heard a sound, that she knew all to well over the last while. The crys of her baby brother. It was truly just a annoying noise that Aries had come to wish that she could drown out in someway.

"I'm sorry..." Pieces said weakly to her daughter as she looked over to see what was the matter, "I'll be back in but a moment.". With that said, she rushed over to her husband who held on to their youngest child.

Aries just folded her arms, with a stern look on her face. How boring. She didn't wish to wait for her mother to be done with stupid younger brother.

So, she simply didn't wait. Aries turned and began to walk through the seemingly endless meadows. It was long before she couldn't see her family behind her, or hear the horrible cries of her younger sibling.

The sun was high over head, and the grass was now dry. Aries didn't know what time it was, nor who long she had been walking. She glanced back to see if anyone was following her, yet there was no one there. She looked forwards once again to see that there was a faint outline of decent tree tops before her.

A forest.

Much more interesting then this silly meadow. The young demoness walked to the edge of the forest, and paused. She looked back once again, and once she saw that still no one followed after her, she entered the forest.

There was a errie and dark feeling that floated through the air in the forest. The smell of blood was intense, even for Aries' normal demonic nose. She finally couldn't stand the smell of the blood and rotten flesh, clasping her hands over her nose. Yet her hands and fingers weren't much of a filter, the smell still laid heavy in the air.

Yet, even though the forest smelt of blood and rotting flesh, Aries still kept moving forwards. It was almost like she didn't think beyond the smell, what it most likly meant.

When the young demoness finally felt the large demonic pressence around her, it was far to late.

From the shadows that resided in the corners of the forest, they came. Fresh blood and flesh, full of demonic power, made them come. Hundreds, of large serpants crawled across the forest floor towards their pray. Feeding off blood, growing with their own demonic power.

Aries halted all movement when she noticed the large head of one of the serpants poke out of the under brush close to her. She knew, that their was more though.

Even then, their was something else in this forest. Waiting, guiding, feasting.

Even though Aries knew the numbers most likly stood against her, she just couldn't give up. She was a full blooded demon, demons don't give up, they fight till the death.

Aries pulled the small knife her father had given her not very long ago. For once, something her father gave her would actually be useful. She then struck it downwards into the skull of the large serpant.

It was surprisingly, a easy kill. For it's size, and the power Aries could sence around her.

But with the death of one of the serpants, the other laying in wait quickly came out of hiding, attacking the unready demoness.

Aries fell to the ground from the impact, she had multiple snakes biting into her. The pain covered her body, she could feel her own blood coming from where the snake's fangs had bite into her skin.

Aries closed her crimson red eyes tightly, trying to fight away the tears that were coming into them.

Is this how it ended for her? Eaten alive by mere giant forest snakes?

She could feel a single tear roll down her pale face, the tear drop then fell off her face and landed on to the ground right below her head.

A pulse, came from deep within. Somewhere in her body, she could feel a pulse. Power, pulsing in her flesh, wanting to get out.

Aries wasn't in the position to fight, for once the pulsing began to increase in speed and power, it over came her.

Before she knew what was going on, she was standing over the bloody bodies of the serpants that once carried the upper hand. Their bodies, ripped to pieces. Their flesh and inners were scattered around the small area around Aries, yet none came close to where she was actually standing.

The young demoness fell to her knees, not sure what had just happened. All she knew what that her all body hurt, even more where the snakes had ripped into her flesh. She held herself up weakly with her arms, if they were to move, she knew she'd fall face first into the dirt below.

"You little brat!" a voice snapped bitterly, "Who dare you murder my beautiful snakes in such a manner.".

Aries looked up, to see a woman standing before her. She did look very mad at Aries, since the snakes clearly belonged to her. The woman wasn't really dressed in much, a straps of cloth covered her important areas, and that was that. The large serpants, also slithered over her exsposed skin. In a way, they looked like they were another part of her.

"You come into my forest, and kill my lovly snakes." the snake charmer said bitterly, "In return, I guess I'll just have to kill you.".

Aries hung her head, staring at the ground below. She was so weak. The pulsing feeling was completly gone now, so their wasn't going to be some mystical power that saved her this time.

But before the snake woman could do, or say anything else. Aries could hear the sound of steel cutting through bone. She glanced up to see the snake charmer with a clean cut right through her middle.

"How... how?!" were the last words the woman said as the top part of her body fell to the ground, then the bottem part followed suit.

The hero, standing before Aries. Dressed completly in black, but Aries could clearly make out blood stains on his outfit as well. The man turned around to face Aries, yet she couldn't see his face behind his long black hair. He kneeled down and helped Aries sit up, rather then looking like she could tetter over at any moment.

"Are you okay?" the man asked Aries, his voice was calm and gentle.

Aries weakly nodded as a responce, since she didn't really know what to say to her savoir.

"That's good to hear your okay, Aries." the man said with a nod of his head.

"Th-thank you..." Aries said weakly, as she looked away shyly.

"It's nothing really, just helping someone in need." the man said as he scratched his head through his thick black hair.

The man covered in black and Aries were silent for a few moments. Yet the silence was strange to Aries, it was almost comforting. Something she had only felt when her mother had stood silently in her doorway, before finally saying good-night.

"You behave for your mother, alright." The man said with a weak laugh as he played with Aries' already messy hair.

At that moment, she heard someone behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see her family finally coming to look for her.

"Aries!" Pieces said as she basicly jumped at her daughter and held on to her tightly, "I was so worried about you!".

"I'm alright mother." Aries said weakly as she tryed to motion towards the man dressed in black, "Thanks to him."

Her father was silent, staring at what Aries jestured towards. "Thanks to who?" he said sternly, not being able to see who Aries was speaking about.

Aries then pushed her mother away from her, so she could turn and see that the man had disappeared. Almost as sudden as he had appeared.

"But... there was this man." Aries said weakly as she got to her feet, "He was completly dressed in black, and was covered in blood, and he had long black hair that covered his face. Did you not see him at all?".

"There was no one here with you Aries." her mother said weakly as she got up, but her face seemed worried about something else then Aries 'seeing' people, "We only saw you.".

----- Present Date -----

"What ever happens, you must not go into these holy waters." Pieces said blankly to those around her as she watched her newly reborn daughter slowly get to her feet.

Everyone looked at Pieces, clearly not understanding what she was trying to get at. Authual seemed to be the only one that really did.

"How can you say that!" He angerly said to Pieces, "You just get your daughter back, and your ready to just throw her away so easily!?".

Pieces hung her head, she could feel the eyes of many watching her. Yet she didn't care, it had to be this way. "You aren't one of us Authual, so you can't understand." Pieces said coldly to the fallen angel.

Authual, almost looked hurt by Pieces words. "That's what you keep telling me..." he muttered bitterly, "But perhaps you are the one that doesn't understand what's best for your own daughter.".

Aries stumbled as she walked through the lake of souls. It was deeper then she had remembered it to be. Yet that wasn't really what she was worried about at the moment.

It was hard to deal with the fact she was walking around like some sort of toddler. Looking like she had never really walked before.

She fell to her knees once again, for around the fifth time. "Damnit." she angerly cursed to herself.

Her head was currently spinning, and she felt like she was going to be sick. It also felt like she was just ran over by some sort of large beast, since her whole body ached.

Which she though couldn't really be the greatest thing to feel when one is just brought back from the dead.

Aries got to her feet again, this time she waited for her head to stop spinning so she wouldn't just fall over right away. She couldn't wait to get to land and hear Cancer making fun of her.

She stumbled again when a noise came from close behind her. There was a high pitch scream that shot through the night. Aries covered her ears, trying to mute the sound some what. She had heard it before, in the middle of the night. Her mother would tell her stories about the Tree of Aliyma, and about the screams that cut through the night. They were once alive, members of their family.

She looked over her shoulder, hoping that what she thought was behind her, wasn't. But her hopes were wrong, since they were there. Their lifeless eyes watching her.

The vassels of the goddess Aliyma.

Aries hadn't forgotten what they had done to her during their last encounter. It was almost like she could already hear her bones breaking by their hands. Her heart was racing in her chest.

She couldn't say that she wasn't afraid. Staring into the faces of beings that had almost killed her sixty two years ago. It was almost like reliving a bad dream, just wishing that you could wake up.

"Aries! Get the hell out of there!" Gemini screamed, she as well knew all to well what was most likly about to happen.

Although Aries didn't really need to hear her older sister's calls, she darted towards the land. Yet still off balance, the bark covered beings easily caught up to her.

"Damnit..." she muttered angerly as she felt their wood hands grasp her body tightly and she fell to the ground once again.

Her crimson eyes stared blankly at the seemingly decent land where her friends and family watched. She felt like a idiot as the held on to her and lifted her into the air.

"Wait a minute..." Aries muttered to herself as she remembered something.

They never did that before. They just broke Aries where she had stood. They never did anything like this before. Aries wiggled in their grasp, trying to move so she could actually see what they were doing, rather then see her friends and family below. Yet she couldn't turn at all in their tight grasp.

Aries saw that one of the bark encased beings, it's green lifeless eyes staring into Aries' crimson eyes. It felt like she was staring right into her soul, yet when Aries tryed look away, there was something that wouldn't let her.

Then, the being moved closer to Aries rapping it's hands around her neck. She could feel the others let going of her, and all that held her up was the hands around her neck.

It was hard to breath, as the pressure around her neck kept increasing, draining out her last breaths.

"What the hells going on here!" Inuyasha protested angerly, clearly wanting a answer.

Pieces stared at the sight above, looking as shooked as everyone else now. She hung her head once again to hide the tears that had begun to run down her face.

"Pieces, what's happening." Authual ordered sternly, "You know, don't you?".

Pieces remained silent, almost like she had blocked out all the sounds around her. Not wanting to be able to hear the screams of her ancestors any longer, or perhaps she didn't want to hear Aries.

"Damnit..." Authual muttered angerly as he began to move towards the waters Pieces had forbid them to enter. Before he could actually step into the water, or ever glide over them like he had before, a great force stopped him in his tracks.

"I told you that you can't go." Pieces muttered weakly, one of her hands were held out towards Authual, holding him in place, "There is no need to worry, Aries isn't in danger.".

"What do you mean, are you blind!?" Authual yelled angerly, "Your goddess is strangling her!".

"I don't understand how..." Pieces said weakly, trying her best to hide her sorrow, "But she's recieving the Band of Aliyma.".

"But I was the one how studied for years! I was the eldest, the one who was supposed to get it!" Gemini protested bitterly, seeming like she didn't care for the fact that one of her other siblings was getting the honer that was supposed to be hers, "Aries never did anything towards getting the blessing, she even left our lands. Why does she get to become a immortal vassel of Aliyma!".

"There is a difference, from guidelines and what is set in stone, Gemini." Leo said sternly to his eldest sister, "Your self centered personality might have been what made them decide to give it to someone more worthy.".

Gemini shot a look of pure hate towards her younger brother, which clearly said something along the line of, "Shut the hell up.".

"Well weren't you the one that supposedly gave up on our race and beliefs?" Leo said with a shrug of his shoulders, "Yet all these things are still just meant to be yours.".

That what it took. Gemini angerly slapped her younger brother across the face before she ran out of the clearing and back off to the palace.

Leo easily shrugged off his sisters attack on him. "Your not as strong as you think you are, as well." he muttered weakly.

"But what is this Band of Aliyma?" Inuyasha asked, seeming more confused then ever, "What does it mean for Aries?".

"It's the black band around our ancestor's necks, it's known as one of the greatest blessings to our people." Leo pointed out to the dog demon, "It means that Aries will one day become one of the vassels that are connected to the Tree of Aliyma. To live forever with our goddess blessing.".

During all of confusion, Sesshomaru remained silent as he watched what was happening to his wife before him. He looked concerned, but then again he looked lost.

Tears began to form in Aries' crimson red eyes. She wasn't able to breath now, she could slowly see her sight failing her. Her eyes were slowly closing on her as well. All she wanted to do was pass out, so the pain would go away.

A single tear rolled down her face, and fell towards the waters below. The ripples it created were small, yet they were there. Almost as soon as the tear drop hit the river of souls, the greenish blue colour of the water soon changed to a blood red tone.

Once the whole lake had changed in tone, Aries' eyes shot back open.

Aries could feel it, the pusling inside of her. The power that she had only felt a few times through out her whole life.

The crimson red of her iris had bleed into the white of her eyes, and covered over her pupils as well. They glowed fiercly, and her eyes looked like they lusted for blood.

Aries lifted her right hand, and pushed it infront of the vassels face.

"Die."

As the words escaped from Aries' lips, she pushed her hand towards the beings face, sinking her claws deep into the bark.

A scream rang through the air, much worse then anything the vassels had created before. It was of shere pain and sorrow. Like something was ripping the being from the inside.

Which was almost true. Starting with the beings face, those watching from the land could see the bark decaying around Aries' claws. The being let go of Aries, and she elegently landed in the blood toned lakes of souls.

While above, the being kept decaying instantly, spreading from the face, to the rest of the head, and all the way down to the waist line.

The screams finally stopped when the being had completly decayed. What was left of it was blown away in a greatly timed gust of wind.

Aries then began to walk towards the land, though this time she didn't fall at all. It seemed like she had gotten used to walking once again.

Once she took her first step on the ground surrounding the lake of souls, she blinked a few times and her crimson eyes finally returned to normal. With that, she fell to the ground.

Finally getting what she wanted, to pass out.

Around her neck, the black Band of Aliyma was clear. Aries had been blissed with the band that would later make her into one of the vassels she had just killed.

"She's okay..." Pieces said weakly as she knelt down beside her daughter, "She just blacked out.".

Pieces, finally looking up from when she had started to cry. It was clear to anyone who wanted to see, that she had been crying while hiding her face.

-----

Aries sat up, she was surrounded by complete darkness. It had to be the middle of the night, yet even moon light didn't light her room.

Her currently felt like it was split in two, and she felt really drained of energy. Yet, there was something else that felt odd to the crimson eyed demoness.

She ran her pale fingers across her neck. It didn't hurt, or feel like it was swollen, like it might have from being strangled. It felt odd to her fingers, like it wasn't her own skin that rapped around her neck.

Aries shivered, the odd feelings around her neck was spooky. Yet she didn't think that much of it, she'd see what it was in the morning, when she could actually see.

She was about to try to go back to sleep when she heard something outside her door. Aries was then blinded by a sudden flash of light that flooded into her room as the door opened.

Standing over her in the doorway was her eldest sister, Gemini.

Gemini stared downwards at Aries, with a look on her face that looked pained and disgusted. But the look on her face quickly changed to that of a look of concern for her younger sister.

"How are you doing, Aries?" Gemini asked weakly, in a tone of voice that almost sounded like she had to force it out.

"I'm fine." Aries said with a weak smile as she got to her feet, feeling odd with her sister looking down on her, "Although my head really hurts.".

"Are you up to going for a walk?" Gemini asked with a pleasent smile on her face, "Although I can't promise you won't have to listen to your older sister complain about life.".

Aries laughed weakly, although she didn't really understand why Gemini would want to go walking in the middle of the night, "It's alright, I think I can handle that.".

Aries followed her older sister out of their home, the two sisters were extremly quiet, to make sure they didn't wake anybody up.

They walked outside, and along the inner side of the wall. They found the gap in the wall they used to use when they were kids. It was a tight fit, seeming how they were much bigger then they were when they were just demon whelps.

Then, the sisters began to calmly walk around the forest area that surrounded their home.

Aries stared at the dark night sky above. The clouds most have rolled in, since she couldn't see any stars or the moon in the sky. The night was dark, yet it felt peaceful to Aries.

Even though she had nearly died earlier that night, or at least she thought she was. Aries paused, and touched whatever was around her neck once again, which sent another chill down her spine.

Gemini stopped walking once they had arrived in the middle of a clearing in the forest. Aries quickly followed suit. She stared at her sister with her crimson red eyes, wondering what was going on.

She was being strangly quiet, and she hadn't even glanced over at Aries the whole time. Gemini just kept walking forwards, almost like she was leading Aries here for some reason.

"Aries, I need something from you." Gemini said weakly, she stared in the distence as she spoke, not even looking over at who she was actually talking to at the moment.

"Alright, I'll do whatever I can." Aries said as she pumped one of her arms showing that she was ready, "Just tell me what you need me to do.".

Gemini finally turned to look at her younger sister, her eyes were blank and emotionless. "I need you to get out of my life." she said sternly, her eyes fixed on Aries, "Mother always did like you best, now Aliyma favours you as well. Let your older sister have some happiness in her pointless life.".

Aries was taken back by your older sisters request. It wasn't at all what she had thought her sister might have asked of her. She wanted her to leave all that she knowed, with the simple reason that she was the favourite?

"I-I could never do that Gemini." Aries said weakly as she hung her head, she sounded very confused, "I care for my family too much to just leave them like that.".

"Care!?" Gemini questioned angerly, "You don't care about me! You took everything from me, how is that caring?".

Aries was silent, she didn't look up at her sister. She didn't want to see her face, the anger that most of been in it at the moment. Then again, Aries didn't understand what was going on, or why Gemini was saying Aries took her life from her.

"If you won't leave peacefully..." Gemini said in a cold tone of voice, "I'll just have to kill you.".

That was the last straw, Aries looked up at her sister. No longer was she confused, nor did she hold pity towards her. If her sister would go as far as to kill her, why shouldn't she do the same.

She wasn't going to let Gemini walk all over her. Make her leave, or kill her. Both ways taking away the life she had just gotten back.

"If you want a fight." Aries said in a equaly cold tone of voice, her crimson red eyes glowed fiercly with anger, "Then come at me Gemini, I'm waiting.".

~End of Chapter 4

AN: Gemini isn't a very nice sister (sorry to anyone out there that is a Gemini, you still rock). The next chapter is the destinied battle between sisters. Also, did you notice in Aries' past, that the man that saved her knew her name. I wonder... till next time!