InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Helper of the Darkness ❯ History, Religion, and Myths ( Chapter 3 )

Concealment. What better place to hide something then in plain sight? It couldn't be anything too big, I was still quite weak. Merle could get out on her own. Nobody knew she was my pupil so she should escape unnoticed. At least I hope. Merle has a tendency to screw everything up even before I have a plan. Why I haven't abandoned her is mere conscience, she did save my life after all.

 

She… she… no, I felt so hopeless then, I don't want to remember. I don't want to remember the pain… the sheer horror… clinging to life with everything I had…the will to live that held me captive in my own body while that overpowering presence did with me as it pleased. Afterward I wished to die. One thought echoed in my mind: why did I cling to life only to feel such excruciating agony?

 

Merle pulled my face up to look at my eyes. Why did I cling to life so?

 

“Master Knives what's wrong?” why did Merle save me? Why did this beautiful creature save such a pathetic and worthless life? For the first time I felt the hot tears falling freely down my face.

 

The more I tried to stop the tears the more that came out.

 

Merle laid my head upon her breast and encircled her arms around me in a warm embrace like a mother comforting a crying child, and like the child I was I put my arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Merle ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After his ranting I half expected Mater Knives to smite me. But he sat in the bed cross-legged, planning what to do next most likely.

 

So I sat there waiting for instructions. Only when I saw blood streaming down his arms did I see Knives was clutching himself so hard it drew blood and shaking did I begin to worry.

So I did something stupid. I went over there and held his face between my hands. My hands touched moisture. Was Master Knives… crying? Incredulous I lifted his head.

 

My heart nearly stopped. Such sadness and pain filled those beautiful silverish eyes. Master Knives never showed any emotion besides anger and exasperation, to see him like this… “Master Knives what's wrong?” I was surprised that I could speak at all let alone so calmly when fear and pity bubbled underneath.

 

He only cried more. It broke my heart to see him like this. I had to comfort Knives, but how?

 

I laid his head upon my breast and encircled my arms around him in what was hopefully a comforting embrace.

 

It surprised me that he returned the embrace. He felt so warm…

 

“Why am I so weak?” he said into my breast. Weak? Weak is the last to come to mind whenever I think of Master Knives. If anything he's the strongest person I know.

 

“Knives you are not weak. You're the strongest person I know.”

 

He turned his head to look at me “then you haven't been with many people,” there was no scowl on his face, nor skepticism, just unbelief.

 

“Ex-ex-excuse m-m-me M-m-mister Knives,” the maid from earlier said before she registered the scene before her. A blush formed “I-I-I am sorry. Excuse me,” she all but ran out the door.

 

“It's not what it looks like!” Knives yelled pulling himself from the embrace but the maid was long gone. “Damn it!”

 

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Knives ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Leaving the inn has just become harder. Not only is there a rumor that I'm masquerading as an elf but now people will say that Merle is my lover. I hate women.

 

Now I have to find a way out for Merle. Damn, I barely have enough power for small alterations to my features. This sucks. What am I going to do?

 

“What's the matter Master?” Merle questioned.

 

“Oh, nothing just that now I have to smuggle you out too.”

 

“What?”

 

I sighed in exasperation. “You could have walked out of the inn with little comment because there wasn't any obvious relationship between you and I. But now, because that maid saw us like that, people will say that we have a deep perhaps even sexual relationship. And because of that if I go they'll keep you here to make sure I come back. In other words, a hostage.”

 

“But how were you planning on to get out?”

 

“I was going to make slight alterations to my facial features. But I can't do it for the both of us.”

 

“What about the gifts the employees gave you?”

 

“Merle I don't think you realize this but this”-- I gestured the tapestries, paintings, statues, and jewelry-- “all of this is utter crap, therefore unnecessary and useless.”

 

“But if we sold it we'd have money for food and lodging.”

 

Merle CAN be brilliant! If only this happened more often there'd be so many things we could avoid.

 

“It's a stupid idea isn't it?” Merle said, obviously thinking that my silence was retaining impatience with her stupidity.

 

“No, no, I'm just-“ I was about to say that I was surprised she had brains in that seemingly empty head, but I should compliment her. I want to promote these good ideas and have them happen as much as possible. “I'm just brooding over your suggestion.”

 

“So, it's a good idea?”

 

“Actually it is.” Her face showed utter shock, not only was I surprised and happy by her suggestion but I was actually being nice to her.

 

“I could put make-up on.”

 

“What?”

 

“To alter my features.” Two good suggestions in the space of 5 minutes! And by a dumbbell such as Merle! This was getting better and better. “I could do it for you too,” she said, becoming a little bolder.

 

“No.” I didn't have a particularly good reason for my refusal; I just didn't want to.

 

And so Merle found a mirror in one of the piles of crap cluttering the room and commenced altering her features with powder and paint.

 

I willed my eyes to darken to a bluish color and my hair to a lighter hue like brown. Illusions were easier concerning power but required constant concentration and I had other things to worry about.

 

I found a handheld mirror in a pile close to my bed and held it in front of my face. A man looked back at me with dark brown hair and silverish white eyes. What the hell? Did I do the incantation wrong? That must be it.

 

I tried 3 more times but the irises refused to change their eerie color. Damn, my eyes were the most noticeable thing about me besides my rude behavior; if they saw them then they'd know it was me.

 

Nothing for it, I brightened my hair to red with a few goldish yellow strands.

 

“Are you about done?” I shouted at Merle.

 

“Not yet,” she replied.

 

I sighed in exasperation and began rummaging through the piles of crap for things that were small enough to carry and at least somewhat expensive. That meant jewelry.

By the time Merle was finished I had a small bag of jewelry, 3 figurines, 5 tapestries, and 4 paintings.

 

I looked up from my collection of small valuables to look at a girl with light brown skin, ebony hair, and large blue eyes and the faint smell of jasmine.

 

I rose then with the small treasures in hand and had a simple wooden cane appear in my hand.

 

“What's the cane for?” Merle asked.

 

“You'll know in a minute.” I walked to the door while pulling a white strip of cloth from a hidden pocket in my pelts and tying it around my head covering my eyes.

 

“Your to come out later,” I commanded.

 

“What about you? You surely can't see anything with that blindfold.”

 

“I've been blind before Merle.”

 

And with that I opened the door and walked out.

 

The instincts and knowing movement of the blind that I neglected came slowly but faster then I had expected. I walked slowly at first, trying to get use to not using my eyes while I moved the cane back and forth to make sure I didn't bump into anything. As I walked down the stairs to the first landing I grew more confident but still proceeded with caution.

 

Finally I made it to the common room. I had all the things that showed the world I was blind: a white cloth covering my “useless” eyes to protect everyone from the blind mans soul stealing gaze, a cane, and bare feet.

 

I found it rather amusing that people thought that a blind mans gaze stole your soul and sucked the life from it for temporary sight. But perhaps I found it amusing because I took off my blindfold once and scared a man to death nearly losing his voice screaming as he looked into my blind silver white eyes even after he realized he was fine. Poor man couldn't sleep for a week.

 

I believe that I made it to the door but there were two men blocking the way. I tired to go around but fortune wasn't on my side if it ever was.

 

“Hey where do you think your going?” one of them asked trying to start a conversation and possibly get a free mug of beer, although why he started with that is lost to the wind.

 

“Out the door,” I answered impatiently and tried to go between the two since going around was out of the question.

 

“Aren't ya even going to say please?” so he was gonna be cute. I hit him in the leg with my cane. He fell to the ground yelling in pain. I was going for the groin but that works too.

 

I walked out the door and towards the stables. Once I got there I heard the door open and close and someone walk toward me.

 

“There was a man on the floor cursing and yelling. The guy next to him said that his leg was broken,” Merle informed. It seemed more a question then statement.

 

“Go into the stables and get Jicaru,” I said, avoiding the question, which was answer enough.

 

“Your so violent Master Knives, I thought elves were suppose to be peaceful.”

 

“They're also suppose to be polite, compassionate, carefree, and patient, now go get Jicaru,” and without further argument Merle went to retrieve the doglike-horse-thing.

 

She returned and I helped her up before I went up myself. I grabbed hold of Jicaru's white mane and whispered elfish into the beast's ear telling it to go where it wished as long as we ended up outside the town quickly.

 

As we walked through the crowds of people Merle rummaged through the small treasures. It was only a matter of time before—“Master Knives who is this?”—Before she asked whom these art pieces depicted. She handed me one of the figurines. I felt the contours of the small statue and named it Noku and handed it back to her.

 

“You don't know who Noku is?” I asked, incredulous.

 

“No,” Merle answered simply.

 

“Then your guardian has been lacking in teaching you about history as well as religion and myths. Noku is the most powerful half demon anyone had come across. It belied the fact that his mother was a weak demon and his father but a poor human farmer.”

 

“Why are you talking about his parents? Power comes from training, not heredity.”

 

“That is true but during Noku's time many believed power comes from those before you. That's why Noku is such a big historical figure. He was the one who proved that heredity has nothing to do with power.”

 

I could tell that Merle was soaking up this information for she was silent for many seconds.

 

“But Master, I recall the blessing that the maid gave you, the one talking about the four brothers smiling upon you and Natarre guide you, who are these people?”

 

“Have you been living under a rock?! Not knowing about Noku I can understand, but the Four Brothers and Natarre? A three year old knows who they are!”

 

Merle began to whimper and I tried to calm my anger before going on. Better late then never I guess.

 

“Natarre is the elf goddess which many humans also believe in and worship. She created the elves to protect the humans against the demons. She is the rival of none other then the Lord of Nightmares, creator and god of the demons and humans.”

 

“But if the Lord of Nightmares is the creator of humans then why do they worship Natarre?”

 

“I just said that Merle, because she protected them against the demons. Many scholars believe the Lord of Nightmares created man so he could feed the demons. As for the Four Brothers, also known as the Four Sons, there was a feud between two families that lasted for centuries. It is still under debate of whether the two families were demons, humans or elves. There was also a prophecy that whichever one had the blessing of four sons without a break in-between for a daughter then that family will reign victorious. Needless to say that one of the families had accomplished this fete and had four powerful sons.” I pulled down my blindfold, grabbed the bag and pulled out a small painting of the Four Brothers. Pointing to each one in turn.

 

I pointed to one with maroon hair, triangular ears with two silver clasps on the outer rim and connected together by a chain, gray eyes and whose face while looked dazed portrayed no emotion. He wore a sleeveless, snug, transparent gray, and black shirt and a chain hanging down his chest with a skull and cross bones. The sleeves to the shirt were on his arms held there by black straps and his maroon pants were ripped in many places. On his right hand were two silver rings on the index and middle finger and one on his left foot on his big toe. Floating behind him in this particular picture were two small dark red wings.

 

“This is Run the eldest of the four.”

 

“Why does he have wings? If this is a true depiction then doesn't that mean he's a demon?”

 

“Some artists portray their opinion or put things of hidden meaning in their art. If the former is true then the artist believes that the Four Brothers, or, at least Run and Yin, are demons,” I moved my finger to the two in the middle whose countenance were almost exactly alike. They both had unruly red hair that seems to stick up everywhere and small horns sticking out of their foreheads through the mess. But the similarities ended there. The one standing by Run had a smile on his face and his blue eyes portrayed a child's innocence that not many carried to their adult years. Next to him his twin had yellow eyes with black slits and his scowl showed anger not at all restrained. The former had a white shirt and baggy white pants with a blue sash around his waist, the latter had a black shirt and baggy black pants with a red sash around his waist. “The one in white is Jin and the one in black is Yin, Jin's twin brother. Because of their similar countenances and obvious, almost bipolar, differences in personalities they are considered one of the many symbols of light and dark, good and evil. It's unknown which is the older but, again, this particular artist thinks that Jin is the older of the two.”

 

The last one, on the end, had red hair and gradually turned black at the tips with it in a loose bun with the rest hanging out, his eyes the color of fire that showed the soul of a shy and hesitant boy, his skin more tan then the rest of his brothers and quite frankly looked like a girl. In this painting he lacked the two tails, one black with a white tip the other white with a black tip, and the one wing that was striped black and white. He wore a long blue vest over an equally long white shirt and blue pants, his only jewelry a necklace with two blue and yellow shells partly covering the red sphere that was the centerpiece and a yellow butterfly hair clip. “And that is Kaiya, youngest of the four.”

 

“Master Knives what does it mean to have the Four Brothers smiling upon you?”

 

“The Four Brothers are thought of as good luck, bringers of good fortune. So when someone says `may the Four Brothers smile upon you' they are asking them to favor you,” I was getting tired of explaining all this to Merle. Sure I was only telling her the basics but I'm not too religious and talking about it is kind of dull and pointless. Many times Merle has asked me what I believe in and I have kept quiet. I had my beliefs true, but I wanted Merle to have her own opinions, which was why I kept any explanation concerning religion with as little bias as I could while telling her what others thought on the subject.

 

“Master Knives why do you have a necklace with somebody's hair?”

 

“That red hair is suppose to be a lock of hair from Jin's head.”

 

“You mean Jin one of the Four Brothers?”

 

“Yes, Jin is the luckiest out of the four and people who are superstitious think that possessing a lock of Jin's hair, bits of his fingernails, or anything else on his person is lucky. And out of that group are a few who are gullible enough to believe that that is Jin's hair.”

 

“So your saying it isn't?”

 

“Of course Merle, do you think that merchants have the resources or courage, if Jin is an actual person, to cut off a lock of his hair or steal an item of clothing? It's nothing more then a sales gimmick.”