InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Leiko ❯ Truth and Lies ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter Fifteen

Truth and Lies

 

Tenma laughed once more. "So good to see you, too, my dear." she said.

Leiko struggled underneath Tenma's weight. She tried to lift herself up but even that didtn't work. Tenma's laughter made Leiko's ears rings. The priestess danced on her back for a breif moment, then leapt into the air and sat atop a nearby branch. Leiko leapt to her instantly, her hand flying to Yakeima's hilt. Again, Tenma laughed at the hanyou.

"You really should learn to control that temper." Tenma said, examining her nails.

Leiko growled in anger. "My temper came on as a result of my sister's weakness!" she said. "It was you who did it. You made her sick."

Tenma flicked a bit of imaginary dirt from under her nail. "That, my dear hanyou, was quite a mistake." she said.

Leiko stood there, glaring up at her.

"You were the threat to me, not your sweet baby sister. I knew from the first moment I laid eyes on you who you were. If I poisoned you then you would eventually die and I would have nothing to worry about." Tenma said.

"If you knew me then how did you still manage to get the wrong one?" Leiko said, sneering.

"That mistake worked to my avail. I planned to poison you when you were alone but that blasted Kouga showed up. When I tried to draw their attention to your sister so I could get you alone, I made a mistake and poured the vial of poison on you sister."

"How can a witch like you make such a mistake? You should know your tools of death well enough."

Tenma gave a snort of contempt. "True enough." she agreed. "But the vial I thought I had poured on her was suppose to contain nothing more than a sort of scented liquid. The vile smell alone would have made your sister cry. However, the herbs used in the poison and the other vial were the same color."

"So it was simply a matter of picking the wrong vial."

"Yes, pretty much."

Leiko chuckled. "And here I thought you were a great villian." she said.

"Oh, but that error will prove to be your downfall." Tenma said, smiling. "You know that it is wise to let me live for I hold the key to your sister's life."

"Bitch!" Leiko leapt at the woman.

Tenma's hand shot out and her pale fingers curled around Leiko's throat. Leiko's own hand grabbed hold of Tenma's, but she could not tear away from the death grip of the evil one. Her silver eyes stared into the ice blue eyes of the woman.

"Your sister will die before you are able to retrieve the Four Souls. If you had not been so selfish and had wished your sister to be well once more, none of this would have come to pass." Tenma whispered.

Leiko's eyes welled up with tears of bitter hatred. Tenma let go of her throat suddenly and Leiko plummeted to the ground. She slammed into the sweet grass, not daring to move. To the right a twig broke. Someone was coming close.

"Fare you well, you selfish little brat." Tenma said and flew off.

Yamainu burst into the clearing and found Leiko laying on the ground. He ran to her side and shook her. She picked her head up, her eyes held great sorrow. When the hanyou realized who she was looking a her face became a mask. All emotion vanished from it. Yamainu stared at her. He must have imagined the sorrow he had seen on her face.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah." Leiko lied as she rose to her feet.

Yamainu cocked an eyebrow in question. "The others are waiting. Keiyo made dinner." he said.

Leiko nodded and followed him back to the village. As they neared the edge of the forest, Yamainu stopped suddenly. Leiko felt a shiver run down her spine and her heartbeat became one with another.

"A Soul!" they said in unison.