InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leiko ❯ Leiko's Wish ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

Leiko 's Wish

 

Leiko groaned softly. The fall had hurt her pretty badly. Her head was spinning and something was running down her forehead. She reached up to feel what it was. When Leiko looked at her fingers she groaned again. Blood stained the ground where her head had lain. It was also in her hair and all over her hand. Leiko wiped the blood off on her shirt. It was then that she realized something was different about her fingernails. She looked closer and gasped when she saw that she had claws.

“Claws?!” she exclaimed.

Where were her fingernails? Leiko ground her teeth only to discover that they, too, had changed. She reached up and touched her teeth. Her fingertips ran along them slowly trying to make her brain register the fact that they were now fangs. Outside a bird sang. The sound made her ears twitch. Twitch? Her ears had never twitched! Leiko closed her eyes as she reached up to touch her ears. To her horror her ears were like that of a dog. A scream escaped her lips. This had to be a bad dream!

Leiko leapt to her feet and looked around her. She was still inside the well but the smell was different. Leiko sniffed the air to see if her sense of smell had improved. Sure enough she caught a variety of unknown smells. If she had been the type of person who fainted over even the smallest shock now would have been the time to do so. Leiko ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it in front of her face. Her hair had changed as well. It was no longer ebony but a pale silvery-white.

What in hell was going on? Leiko caught sight of the jewel half buried in the soft soil of the well. It was still glowing but it seemed much fainter than before. She bent down and scooped it into her palm. Had it granted her wish? Leiko stared at it blankly. She shrugged and slipped it into her pocket. With a frustrated sigh she tried to think of a way to get out of the well. Her eyes caught sight of a bunch of vines growing up the side of the well. A smile crossed her face. She took hold of them and began to climb out.

Leiko lay her chin atop the ledge and inhaled sharply. She climbed onto the ledge. For some reason her toes were aching. Leiko pulled off her shoes and socks and saw the problem. Her toenails had changed into claws as well. This was getting ridiculous! Leiko slid to the ground, shoes in hand.

For the first time she looked around her. There was no shrine or well house. Instead, large trees surrounded the well. Birds sang loudly and there was the distant sound of a stream gurgling. The scent of flowers in bloom hung heavily in the air. Leiko drank in the sights, sounds, and smells as if she couldn't get enough of them. She turned her head to the left, sniffing the air. Something other than the sweet fragrance of flowers hung in the air.

She cocked her head in confusion. What was it? Leiko knelt down to the ground and sniffed. She shook her head in disbelief. She was acting like a damned dog. Leiko drew away from the ground as she caught the scent. It was blood. Not her own because hers was dried and all over her forehead and shirt. Leiko bit her lower lip, looked around her to be sure no one witnessed her sniffing the ground like a hunting dog tracking its quarry, and took a long whiff of the scent again.

It was strongest to the west. Leiko rose to her feet. She dusted herself off and sniffed the air while she walked forward. Leiko stopped at the edge of the clearing. She looked around her and with another shrug she entered it. As she walked over the entangled roots and got deeper into the forest the scent of blood got stronger. It was almost sickening. Her head was whirling from the strong smell. Leiko brought her hand to her head and lay it on her palm. This was just insane. She had no idea where she was or why she was there. Any normal person would have freaked out when they'd caught sight of their hands alone.

“Why am I not scared of what's happened?” she asked the tree in front of her. “Is it because I've had stories about things like this put into my head since I was little?”

The sky was turning pink and orange from the setting sun. It would be night soon and she had nowhere to spend it. Leiko took a deep breath to calm herself. When she did so she inhaled the scent of blood once more. Her stomach gave an awful lurch and bile rose in her throat. Leiko turned away from the direction the wind was blowing and headed for the sound of the gurgling stream. That seemed the safest place to go. Her bare feet made little noise as she walked but that didn't stop the fallen twigs from making a slight cracking as she stepped on them.

The stream came into view and with it the gurgling sound got louder. Leiko heaved a sigh of relief. The smell of blood was gone to be replaced by the smell of cooking fish. Her stomach gave a loud rumble and it was then that she realized how hungry she was. She cursed herself for not eating before. Leiko moved forward and closed the distance between herself and the gurgling water. She knelt beside the stream to clean off the dried blood. She rubbed her face off with her already dirty shirt. Her eyes caught sight of a large fish roasting over a large blazing fire. The smell of cooking fish tickled her nose once more and she turned in the direction of the tantalizing smell.

She rose to her feet, completely focused on the promise of food. A small fire burned a little way off. She licked her lips in anticipation as she neared the crackling flames. Fat dripped down the cooking fish and sent up a low hiss as it hit the fire. Leiko grabbed the end of the stick that held the fish. She sank her fangs into the tender flesh and smiled in satisfaction. It burned her tongue but that didn't matter.

A faint noise made her ears twitch. Leiko looked behind her and her eyes widened. A man with graying hair and angry blue eyes was aiming an arrow at her and it was aimed at her heart. Leiko let the fish fall to the ground. The man glanced at it and his face reddened with an angry rage. What was it with this guy? All she'd done was take a little bite of fish. Okay, so maybe it had been a big bite but if he was so peeved about it she'd catch him more. Leiko seriously doubted he'd let her tell him anything.

Leiko slowly raised her hands above her head. It seemed the only appropriate thing to do. Her legs began to scream in pain from having to stay in a squatting position. The man took a few steps closer towards her. His eyes burned with unspoken hate. He put the arrowhead against her throat and applied a little bit of pressure. Blood oozed forth from the place where the point was slightly embedded. Leiko winced and sucked in a sharp breath.

“You won't steal from me and mine again, Yamainu.” the man growled.

“What in the hell are you talking about?!” Leiko demanded. “I'm not Yamainu. My name's Leiko.”

The man gave a bark of laughter. “Then you're his woman. Ha! Shoulda known he'd send a little wretch like you to do his dirty work.”

Leiko was getting rather irritated with this guy. She wasn't anyone's lapdog. No one told her what to do. She glared up at the man, prepared to tell him off for accusing her of something like that. Before her lips could form the words someone attacked her captor. The man flew into the stream with his bow and arrow landing with a splash beside him. Leiko stared in awe at the man who'd saved her. He landed in front of her with his back to her. Leiko never expected her wish to get her into so much trouble so soon. Next time she'd have to be more careful of what she wished for.