InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten Memories ❯ Chapter Two - Her will to live ( Chapter 2 )

It was getting dark. She felt as though she had been walking upstream for hours now, but no matter how far she walked, there was still no village in site. She frowned quietly to herself as the sun began to sink toward the horizon. She watched as the sun changed hues and began to touch the top of various trees. It reflected a mirror like image off of the stream she was following. The once warm field she woke up in was left behind and she was nearing another forest. She sighed to herself and studied the sun once more. That's when she saw it- smoke! She was nearing a village, all she had to do was cross through a small forest and she was there.

 

She picked up from her steady pace to a jogging speed. She didn't want to run all the way there in fear of tiring herself out before reaching her destination, but time was ticking and the sun was setting, and she did NOT want to be left alone out in the dark.

 

As she neared the forest the wind picked up and a sudden chill vibrated through her bones. She sense that something was coming. She picked up her speed even more so, determined to reach her destination.

 

As she entered the forest the numbing feeling rushed back to her once again. She felt as though if she were to stop running, if even for an instant she would fall apart and her very soul would crumble. Her ears pounded, her legs thrashed, it seemed as though the very world were closing in on her. That's when she stopped suddenly. She heard voices! They belonged to men, but they weren't normal voices they were cries of agony. She raced toward the voices, determined to find out what was wrong.

 

She sped up, than turned sharply almost out of instinct, and sped up even more. She needed to find out what was wrong. She reached a small clearing within the forest and it was dead quiet. She stopped; panting, and looked around. There were bodies of men, all slain, resting on the forest floor. She frantically searched in the shadows for their attacker but found nothing. With all of her might she ignored her gut instincts to run and approached a fallen man. She was holding a bow, arrow notched at the string out.

 

Her ears pounded once more, and it felt like her heart skipped a beat. She instinctively turned around and faced the darkness. She could sense something. She looked closer and she could see a light, not just any light, but something important. Than the feeling surfaced once again, like her heart had just skipped another beat. She reached from within her pocked and pulled out a tiny vial. She didn't remember carrying this….

 

She examined the vial closely and saw that similar beams of light shone out from within the container. Only they were much brighter in her grasp. That is when the most horrible sound erupted through the forest. A gaggling sound rung out from the darkness, and the sounds of dozens of trees collapsing filled her ears. She screamed. She screamed so loud it even scared herself. The trees collapsing became louder and louder as something came nearer and nearer to her. A monster came from the shadows and bolted toward her. She ducked just an instant too soon as the large beast flew clean over her head. She grabbed the bow and arrow and ran off in the opposite direction.

 

She ran through the forest away from the creature as fast as her legs could carry her. She dodged between trees and jumped over fallen ones. She felt as though she could collapse at any given moment but her spirit was too strong. The only thing carrying her was will alone. The creature was slowly gaining on her. But she could see the forest ending up again. Once gain the creature soared toward her and she ducked once again. When the monster flew over her head it hit several trees dead on. She backed away quickly and notched the arrow defensively. It didn't take the creature too long to recover. She pointed the arrow straight at him instinctively, like she had done this time and time again. She felt her spirit pulse and she pulled back the bowstring. Her aim was dead on, and right when the creature started charging at her she slipped her hold and let the arrow fly.

 

A bright, pure light poured through the darkness and lit the entire area. Several people who had just emerged from the village were caught in awe, as the large demon fell too the floor degenerating right before their eyes.

 

She slowly approached the fallen demon's remains and picked up a sliver of light. The instant she touched it the color changed slightly and felt warm to the touch. She pulled out her vial which was kept safety in her pocked to compare the pieces.

 

They were shards of something. But what? A piece of glass? No it was something more than that, she could feel it.

 

“Priestess!” The men who emerged from the village called out. She turned over to them to see their gracious gratitude. “Thank you so much for purifying the demon that has plagued our village for months now!” an older man thanked as he approached her. “You have our gratitude” another one added. “Come stay in our village tonight it's the least we can do” another older man offered. At that they led her down a hill and to their village.

 

Upon entering the village she was thanked everywhere. The men walked her through the village and as she passed by several of the villagers who were watching whispered. She looked down at her clothing and compared it too everyone else. It was defiantly different, but she couldn't see the problem.

 

The men lead her to the town square where everyone cheered. “Come you must meet our lord” one of the mend inquired. They lead her even farther ahead toward a large manor. The manor was impressive, there was no way around saying that much. Several torches were place about illuminating the darkened grounds. Cobblestone covered the grounds within the manor's walls and her footsteps echoed with each step.

 

As they approached a large staircase, leading into the manor, the men bowed. From behind a screen a clear shadow of a man was in view. The screen opened and he stepped out.

 

“Thank you stranger. I have heard that you have saved the lives of many villagers residing in this village. That demon has overwhelmed us, and some of us have been scared to even leave the village itself. Now thanks too you, the people here will be able to sleep peacefully at night.”

 

She bowed her head in respect. She didn't know what to say, how would she know that through a fluke she would be able to dispose of an entire demon with one arrow. “Please stay with us a while longer, we can see that you are a weary traveler in need of some well deserved rest.” She nodded her head. “Accommodate her!” The lord ordered to his servants and two younger women emerged from within the manor. They began to lead her away from the manors wall but were stopped abruptly.

 

“One more thing” the lord requested. “What's your name?”

 

She stopped dead in her tracks and lowered her head. “I don't know” she whispered back. That's when reality kicked in. She didn't know what she was doing in the field because she didn't know how she got there. She didn't know her name, but than again maybe she didn't even have a name. She may have been a traveler but why was she traveling. What was she in search for? The vial in her pocket hummed at the thought. She dug through her pocket and examined the bottle closely. This was her only lead to her actual life. Her only clue.

 

 

Her only Hope.