InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Light in the Darkness ❯ Running ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Light in the Darkness
Chapter 3: Running
“In dim morning light, in a shadows doorway, I sleep in silence. Night has past. A dull night I had. But I do not mind the dullness because it only makes me more excited for the adventure ahead. And what an adventure that will be.”- Kolbi Monasmith
* * *
In a nest over looking a sleepy campsite, a young lark was waking feeling very excited. He shook the dew from his feathers, jumping up to soak up the sun's warmth. It chirped happily in a laughing way as it swooped down over the campsite and landed on a branch that overhung a sleeping maiden. He was curious about the humans as was all the animals of the forest, but he was also frightened of them. Like all the mothers, his told him stories about the creatures he shared his home with, but no story could match the horrifying tales of the humans. It didn't matter to him how bad the humans were, he would never be rid of his fascination.
Tiny, midnight black eyes gazed at the camp's occupants and he found the sleeping maidens rather beautiful. Though the one that slept below him had such fair features that it was doubtful that the other maiden would be able to compare to her. But when looking at the other maiden he found that even with her weather worn features she was a lovely picture of innocence.
A sound below him made him look down again; the beautiful maiden had shifted while she moaned. She said something strange under her breath as she raised her hand to her face to rub her sleepy eyes. Her eyes opened lazily as she yawned not at all discretely. She pulled herself into a sitting position and cast her dark eyes over the camp.
The pale features of her face contorted into a look of pure exasperation. She must have decided that life sucked too much to wake up because she shut her eyes and fell back onto the ground in a flutter of hair and clothing.
The pretty, little bird chirped to the maiden, singing, “This is no time for sleep! It is a beautiful day.” Nevertheless, the maiden ignored him.
Suddenly the maiden jumped to her feet, searching franticly, “Where is it? Where the hell is my bag!?” It was then the little bird decided he didn't like this maiden anymore and flew away to find his mother. But he had forgotten to watch for predators and was scooped up in the beak of a hawk. His distraught mother cried for her son for weeks afterward.
Meanwhile, the young maiden passed back and forth with the eyes of Jaken and Ah-Un following her path. “Where did I leave it? Did I have it when I was with Sesshomaru?” She stopped, gazing wide eyed at some distant memory. “Shit, it's still at the bus stop!”
“Be quiet,” Jaken snapped. “Nobody cares.”
“Why you little….!” Jaken gripped his staff for protection but didn't even try to hit him. She hated cowards. “If it wasn't for Sesshomaru I'd kill you in an instant!”
“That is Lord Sesshomaru to you mortal.”
“I may be human but I'm a hell of a lot smarter than you are!” She shouted now far beyond irritated. This place sucked worse than what Shy would imagine as hell, even though she didn't believe in hell. There was no end to the irritating people that buzzed around her like flies and she never did like flies.
Shy sighed heavily and sat down beside the fire to warm up. Her hands swayed back and forth only inches from the flames as she watched Jaken stir a kettle on the fire. She arched her neck forward to look over and into the kettle. The flames licked close to her but did not touch her. They seemed to try to avoid touching her: Jaken took note of this.
“That looks disgusting. What did you put in it? Rotten meat and vegetables or did you just throw in some mud and twigs?”
“I did nothing of the sort. I killed a rabbit this morning and Rin collected some mushrooms yesterday.”
“Great, I hate mushrooms and I hate meat.”
If it was possible, Jaken's eyes grew bigger as he stared. “Don't like meat? That's impossible. I've never heard of such a thing.”
Shy laughed gleefully. “Then you definitely haven't been to where I'm from. There are hundreds of people that don't eat meat.”
“Hundreds of people?”
“Yep, there are tons of them just like me and more are joining. Eating meat has become more unlikable.” Shy coughed and glanced at the pot in revulsion. “So I won't be eating that.”
Jaken's eyes narrowed and he grabbed his staff. “You shall eat my stew!” he bellowed swinging his staff over his head. “I shall make you and then you'll see!”
She looked bored when she turned her gaze to him. “I'll see what exactly?” With a look of contempt on her face.
“That I, Master Jaken, make the best stew in the world! And you'll realize you have no chance of winning my lord with me around,” he looked satisfied with his little speech, but Shy, or the now awake Rin, thought of it very highly. He was after all an insane toad, and his speech hadn't made a bit of sense.
Rin cleared her throat and stood with amused expression. “Master Jaken what do you mean? Are you in love with Lord Sesshomaru?” She dusted off her kimono and giggled quietly to herself.
“Of course not, you silly girl. I am only thinking of Lord Sesshomaru's best interests.” Shy raised an eyebrow. “And I am sure you'll agree Rin that that woman will only lead to trouble.” Rin nodded her affirmation.
“Hey, I'm right here you know!” Shy jumped up, sounding hurt. Rin didn't even look at her when Shy stood in front of her and gripped her shoulders. “C'mon Rin, I don't know what I did but I'm sorry!”
When the older woman didn't answer Shy let go and turned her gaze to the ground. “I see,” she whispered, “You both think I'm after Sesshomaru. Well I'm not! I don't give a damn about that bastard! C'mon Rin, I'm sorry he went out last night to go find me.”
Rin winced and stepped out of reach. “You lie,” Jaken sniggered. “We both know you are nothing but a whore after our master's title.”
“How dare you call me that you little….!” She raised her hand to strike and Jaken cowered. “You don't understand at all! I didn't want to come with him but it was either that or die,” Shy felt as if she had been struck and her threatening hand dropped to her side. “I didn't intend any of this to happen. This is all a mistake, a simple misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding or not, it doesn't matter,” Rin said simply.
“Then what does matter then?”
“She means she thinks of me as an inferior being,” Shy spoke up, her dark eyes staring at Rin with apprehension. “And so it shouldn't matter if I didn't intend it or not: I still crossed the line.”
Jaken huffed with skepticism and moved to sit before the fire. He commenced stirring the pot once more, while Shy moved back toward her tree. Rin gave Shy one last glare before sitting down by the fire to help Jaken. But Rin couldn't help glancing back over her shoulder at her competition, and she never did like what she saw.
Shy blushed at Rin's scrutiny and turned her face away. Shy cleared her throat uncomfortably glancing at the trees. “Hey, where is Sesshomaru?”
“It is none of your business to know where Lord Sesshomaru is,” Jaken snapped.
“In other words you don't know,” she smirked cynically. “Do you know where he is Rin?”
“No.”
Shy closed her eyes and pondered her dilemma. Let's see, she was stuck in the world of Inuyasha, and she traveling with Sesshomaru. It wasn't that bad, but Sesshomaru probably planed on going after Naraku. Shy really didn't feel like being put in any kind of danger. Then again Naraku may have something to do with her being brought to this world, which means she may have some purpose here. Isn't it that in every fantasy book that when you go to a different world you have some quest to do. Great that's just what she needed a stupid quest to fulfill. Shy hated literature; there were way too many rules.
Shy cried out in impatience, jumping to her feet. Frustration drove her toward the edge of camp, but Jaken was under foot. He slid in front of her before she could get past the fire. “What do you think you're doing?” He asked hotly.
“What do you think I'm doing? I'm leaving this God-forsaken place!”
“My lord told me not to let you leave.” He said blatantly.
“Well, I don't care,” she roared fiercely. “I need to take a bath and I want to go home!” She stomped her foot like a child and crossed her arms over her chest as she pouted.
“Lord Sesshomaru gave me permission to kill you if you dared leave.” Oh just great! I can just add getting killed to my list of things to do today, she wanted to say, but held her tongue. This wasn't the time or the place to let loose her big mouth or at least, more than she already had.
“I'll go with her,” Rin offered. “I need to take a bath as well.” Both of them looked at her in surprise. “Its not that I like you or anything, it's just safer to go together.”
“Alright, as long as you watch her,” Jaken watched them leave the camp and wonder into the woods.
* * *
Shy didn't know much about Japanese woodlands, she had thought that they were like Yellowstone or the Rocky Mountain forests with their tall evergreens and cool temperatures, wrong. She realized the day before that the temperature wasn't as cool as she had thought, though it was cold at night, the climate was subtropical and the flora was diverse to say the least. Animal life was just as diverse, which left the American in the loss.
It didn't matter that Shy had studied plants, since she had only studied the vegetation in America. In this tropical climate she was left grouping about in the undergrowth and constantly looking up at the canopy. She was jumpy, her nerves were taking a sever beating with this little adventure.
A bird chirped from a branch above her making her jump and walk closer to Rin. “Are you sure you know where you're going?” Shy asked timidly as she eyed her surroundings.
“Of course I do.” Shy nodded, feeling stupid. “I'm just not used to this climate,” Shy mumbled, “it's kind of tropical here.” Shy said the word tropical in English because she didn't know its Japanese counter part
The look of annoyance slid off Rin's face to only be replaced by a look of confusion. “Tropical?” she drew the word out as if she was unsure of how to pronounce it. “But I thought the climate on the continent was similar to the climate here.”
“In some places the climate is a little similar,” Shy said thinking back to a report she did on China in the 7th grade. “But in other parts it is completely different.”
“I want to go there one day.” Rin smiled thoughtfully.
“Maybe we could go together?” Shy suggested but Rin's smile quickly vanished at the thought. The chocolate eyes of Rin took on a glare of disgust, “With you? Never! I am appalled just thinking about it.”
Shy's jaw clenched shut as she swallowed a retort. What was the point arguing with the woman? Rin was her elder by a few years but that didn't mean she had to act like such a bitch. Then again Rin had gotten her feelings hurt when Sesshomaru had gone looking for Shy the night before. But Shy didn't even like Sesshomaru; he was too full of himself.
“I'm sorry,” Shy mumbled reluctantly; this was hurting Shy's pride too much for her to not say something. “If it makes things any better, I really hate Sesshomaru.”
Silence rained for a moment as Rin contemplated her words. “That helps nothing,” she said tentatively. “Your hatred of him will only cause him to work harder to win your heart.” Her words quieted Shy and then, for the first time that day, Shy smiled a true smile and laughed whole heartedly. “I am afraid that he will find that my heart isn't willing to be taken, not any more.”
“You are in love with someone else?” Shy steeled herself from Rin's innocent gaze as she realized she had said too much.
“Not really, just a little crush that ended with him not liking me and me not liking him,” Shy scratched her head, laughing nervously while she started to walk again. “Um, you were supposed to be leading us to a hot spring…”
“Oh yes,” Rin looked about distractedly. “Uh oh.”
“What do you mean `uh oh'?” Shy stumbled toward Rin in the knee high foliage and grabbed the girl's shoulders and shook her. “Are you saying we're lost?”
Rin recoiled from Shy, feeling affronted and haughty. “We are not lost! I assure you, I know exactly where I am going.”
Relief washed over Shy making her sigh happily. She leaned against a tree eyeing Rin wearily. “I'm sorry, I just panicked.”
Rin snorted, “Yes, well I'm sure that I would panic if I was in your situation, but since I'm not then I have to say you are completely out of control. That was very improper of you to grab me like that.” Shy blinked in surprise, if only Rin knew the kind of shit the teenagers from her time did! She held back a laugh at the thought of the look that would have surely been on Rin's face.
“I'm very sorry,” Shy said grinning.
“I'm sure you are,” Rin retorted.
* * *
Inuyasha sat up, “It was a woman?” Sesshomaru nodded his reply, silently cursing the circumstances. He despised his brother and Inuyasha's love of humans, but he despised more that he had to work with them to destroy Naraku.
“What type of woman would come flying, unconscious in a vortex of light from the Moon?” Shippou wondered aloud. Kohaku shrugged.
“Maybe a beautiful one? Was she beautiful?” Miroku asked eagerly, Sango glared at him.
“This isn't the time for your lechery, Monk.” She growled hand on her hurikoutsu
“Do you think she's another plot of Naraku's?” Kohaku said, trying to change the subject.
Sesshomaru held himself away from Inuyasha with a look of contempt upon his face. “She has a likeness to Kagura.”
“Do you mean Naraku's incarnation?” Shippou asked, looking up from his toys.
“Of course that's who he meant you stupid kit.”
The little kitsune shook his head and glared at Inuyasha, “but she's dead, and I'm not stupid!”
“Oh course you are,” Inuyasha sneered. Shippou stuck out his tounge. Inuyasha returned the blunt gesture by hitting him on the head.
“It's true that she died Shippou, but Naraku could have brought her back, since she wasn't a real person after all.” Inuyasha snorted his agreement, but Sesshomaru's disagreement was written all over his face. He had always believed Kagura to be real even if she was Naraku's puppet.
“True, she wasn't born into this world naturally, but she had a soul just like everyone else. She despised Naraku and she helped us once,” Miroku mused.
“Yeah so what? She tried to kill us many of times, and I say that one good deed doesn't make up for a life time of bad ones.”
“She hated Naraku,” Kohaku mused dejectedly. “She was always betraying him. Why would he want to bring her back after killing her? And she only tried to kill you because Naraku told her to, he had her heart. If she dared disobey he'd kill her.”
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and leaned more heavily against his tree. He was biting back a retort to try to save Kagura's dignity. He just managed swallowed it down after Kohaku defended her. “Can we return to the girl?” He inquired after opening his eyes.
They all blinked and looked back to him. “Yeah, but there isn't much to talk about,” Shippou said.
“Of course there are things to talk about,” Sango shook her head as Kirara mewed her agreement.
“Like what?” Shippou cocked his head to the side, “We already decided that she can't be trusted.”
“That is true, but we still don't know who or what she is. And if she isn't a part of Naraku's schemes than she could be a part of something bigger,” Miroku stated. “Sesshomaru-sama you did say that she dressed similar to Kagome and that she talked like Kagome?” Sesshomaru nodded. “To bad Kagome isn't here to help.”
Inuyasha growled, closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. “Well, she isn't, get over it.” The group stared solemnly at the ground, and Shippou stifled a sob.
“I think we should see what the girl does before we make any final decisions,” Miroku said confidently. “But if it seems like she is nothing but an innocent bystander, than try to send her back through the Bone Eaters Well. She may have come from the same place as Kagome.”
Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk, the girl definitely wasn't innocent.
* * *
The sun was high in the sky as they tumbled about in the underbrush. Birds flew away as lizards scurried away from under their feet. They had hit panic mode. Nothing could stop the two, not even the horrendous scratches and bruises that were mangling their pale bodies. Luckily their instincts to flee blocked out everything.
A figure jumped into the path and Shy screamed. “Get out of the Way.” But didn't and Shy ran head first into him before she could stop. But he was expecting her weight and caught her in his arms. “I've been looking for you my dear,” the highly accented voice whispered in her ear. Shy froze.
“I-I th-thought you were dead,” she stammered. She could feel the eyes of Rin watching them, wondering; probably thinking that he was the man Shy had been talking about earlier. But he definitely wasn't.
Christen laughed, shaking his handsome head. “I cannot be killed so easily,” he held her at arms length studying her. She wanted to tear from his grasp and run away, but his bright eyes had paralyzed her.
But she managed to yell to Rin. “Run Rin, run. Go and find Sesshomaru and tell him that Christen is back.” Rin stepped back, unsure whether to go or not. “Go!”
Rin turned and bolted but Christen was upon her and had brought her back toward Shy before either girl knew what had happened. There he held them, both held by an arm, as he smiled triumphantly at each. “I'm afraid I cannot allow such a pretty face to leave so easily.”
The girls glanced at each other. “But I thought you only wanted me,” Shy pouted with an added batting of the eyes.
“I've decided that I want you both.” He glared at Shy with suspicion, but he seemed flattered.
“That's not very fair to us,” Rin spoke up with a tremble in her voice.
Christen laughed, tightening his grip. “Oh, but I hate to take just one of you.”
Shy smiled sweetly at him and stroked his face. “Then don't,” she curled her fingers, and scratched. “We'll leave instead!” As Christen screamed and grasped his face, they ran away. They ran as fast as they could, even faster than before because this time they had something to run from. But Christen was hot on their trail.
They weaved through the trees, jumping over bushes and kicking up dirt as they zigzagged a path. Rin followed Shy's lead just because of Shy's quicker reflexives and her strange ability to know the best ways of losing Christen. Rin eventually began to wonder if Shy had been chased a lot, so she knew the best ways of getting rid of pursuers, or maybe in Shy's village they taught you how to run away. But that seemed too strange a thing to teach to children.
A log covered the path ahead of them. It was large and it would take a good while to go around it, but they were going too fast to stop. Rin knew that Shy had seen it because she picked up speed. As the log got closer till it seemed as if Shy was going to run head first into it, but at the last second she pounded into the air. One foot kicked off from the log as the rest of her went somersaulting into the air in a sort of show-offish way. Rin was preparing to do the same when she realized that Shy hadn't reappeared after landing. Shy had just kept falling. Rin braked in absolute befuddlement.
She glanced back over her shoulder, and shuddered at Christen's close proximity. She gazed down over the log to see Shy tumbling down a steep hill. The hill dipped sharply down toward a river that ran fast and deep.
* * *
Shy had seen the log coming closer, and she knew exactly what to do from all the times she played in the woods with Jacob. She ran faster, her hair whipping into her eyes, and she smiled at the feeling of freedom. Her arms were pumping along with her legs, as her muscles strained with satisfaction. Then the log was before her, and she smiled: she loved this part.
She bent her knees and jumped. Then she kicked off from the log to gain higher altitude. This was what she loved. She loved the feeling as she hung in the air with nothing under her feet. It was like she was flying, but she was really falling. Her feet hit the ground. A jolt shook through her legs, and then she was falling again. The ground had given out.
Shy's head hit something hard as her body crashed onto what seemed like solid ground. But the ground was dipping vertically downward. She was being pulled downward by gravity, and she had no control of her body. She saw visions of dirt, trees, and sky flash before her as she tumbled.
It took her brain a while to comprehend her predicament, since it was numb from the shock of her fall. But once it did she had a plan. She forced her body to turn. She flipped onto her back, as she grabbed a small tree.
The tree bent under her weight making her think it was going to break, but it steadied. Another larger tree stood just below the one she held. She swung her feet over and let go of the tree. She fell a little ways before her feet hit the larger tree, and she collapsed panting.
The hill was covered with trees. Some of the trees stuck out vertically, like the one Shy was sitting on. They dipped toward a small stream that wove through the small gorge. Roots twisted out of the loosely packed dirt and hung limp. They looked like spider-webs that had been stained with dirt.
Shy thought the scene was tranquil and it made her eyes turn soft and watery. She felt like she could sit there for ever and just watch the animals amble about. She laid there for a while catching her breath, as she leaned against the hill side. Then she remembered Rin, and realized that life had to move on. Christen was still fallowing them. She gazed up toward the top of the hill, her eyes quickly turning hard again. She was surprised by how much she had fallen, a good couple meters she estimated.
“Rin!” she yelled, worry curling in the pit of her stomach. No one appeared above the log. It was silent as the grave and that scared the shit of Shy. Where could Rin have gone? Did Christen catch her? “Rin where are you?”
“I'm coming,” Rin's voice echoed around the valley. Shy waited, expecting Rin's form to come leaping over the log. And when she did she hit the hill full force. Rin slid down dazed and confused. But when she realized finally what had happened her face contorted with fear.
“Shy!” She screamed, arms flailing about as she tried to slow her fall. “Shy catch me!”
Shy was grinning, and in her mind she was laughing. To her this was great fun, but to Rin the whole experience was a nightmare. She especially thought this when she was tumbling down the hill. But Shy simply reached out and seemingly plucked her out of the air. And she held Rin there by the collar of her kimono, while she laughed. “Hello Sunshine,” Shy said.
* * *
It was an awkward silence that had creped up on the group: they fidgeted and mumbled under their breaths. Sesshomaru even fidgeted under the weight of the awkwardness. It was very unpleasant after all.
No one asked him to leave, and he didn't propose it. If anything he was trying to delay his leaving. Things had been left unsaid, and he had an inkling that they would stay unsaid it he didn't stay.
Sango cleared her throat and everyone glanced her way. “Since we've settled the problem with the girl, maybe we should talk about Naraku.”
Inuyasha snorted, “What is there to talk about?”
“Well for one, we don't know why Lord Sesshomaru has a grudge against Naraku,” Miroku said. “I had thought at one time you were allies.”
“That was a long time ago,” Shippou stated.
“True, fifteen years to be exact,” Miroku stood and walked toward Sesshomaru, stopping only centimeters from his armor clad feet. Miroku gazed inquiringly down at him like a scientist would gaze at a bug under a microscope. “If I may ask Sesshomaru-sama, why is it you despise Naraku.”
“That isn't any of your concern.”
“Actually it is.”
Inuyasha stood, as well as Sango, both expecting a fight, while Shippou was more worried about his “ninja food” getting smashed. But they had nothing to worry about, there wasn't going to be a fight.
“Fine,” Sesshomaru stood. “He used me.” Miroku nodded, pleased that a fight was avoided.
“Are you sure it isn't because he killed Kagura?” Inuyasha said with a glare at Sesshomaru.
“Inuyasha,” Sango reprimanded. Miroku sighed, and moved to sit back down. His robes swayed and his staff jingled in the breeze. Miroku's eyes had been closed, but suddenly they flew open.
Sesshomaru stiffened and sniffed at the air. Inuyasha and Kirara also sniffed. Kirara jumped to her feet and was soon engulfed in flames. The flames dissipated, leaving the cat ten times larger and snarling. Inuyasha moved into a battle stance with his hand on the tetsusaiga.
Shippou scratched his head in confusion. “What's going on?”
“A demon is approaching,” Sango said as she stripped off her over-kimono behind a tree. She reappeared and stood with weapon in hand.
Shippou gulped, “Is it a powerful demon?”
“Yes,” Miroku said, “And it's angry.”
* * *
Shy dodged behind a tree grabbing the collar of Rin's kimono and pulling the girl with her. Rin stumbled and tripped, but jumped up again. They held their breath as the footsteps of their pursuer drew closer. They had nearly lost him when they took the tumble down the hill, but Christen quickly caught up with them again.
“You can't hide from me,” his voice echoed eerily threw the forest. “I know where you are. I can smell your fear.”
Rin shivered, stifling a sob. Shy shifted from foot to foot in anticipation (her hand still on the collar of Rin's kimono). The footsteps stop. Silence crashes down on them. It felt as if Shy had just jumped into an icy river. She shivered with fear and turned to look back around the tree.
Shy felt her fingers slip from the collar of Rin's kimono. Rin had moved away from Shy, probably to look for Christen too. But then a scream reverberates through the trees. It was Rin.
Shy spun around to face the spot where Rin once had stood. Rin was there, her mouth now covered by the hand of Christen. He held Rin, one arm around her waste, while the other covered her mouth. He grinned with the thrill of victory. Shy glared back. “I caught you,” he sneered.
He removed his hand from Rin's mouth to stroke her light brown hair. His icy blue eyes glinted with sick humor. Shy felt like she was going to be sick. She remembered what he had tried to do to her the night before. Those sharp teeth about to pierce her flesh……She thrust the thought from her mind. She had to stay focus, they're lives depended on her.
Then Shy remembered something. It rested in the pocket of her jeans. A switchblade. She's stolen it once on a dare, a stupid dare that nearly got her arrested. But it had been worth it. Too bad she hadn't had it before the incident or incidents, (her mother called them that). An incident was an understatement for sure.
Shy reached slowly into her pocket, eyes always on Christen. “Okay you have us, what are you going to do now?” He laughed.
“I'm going to back you both mine.” Shy's fingers brushed the knife.
“You're going to turn us into vampires?”
“Vampires? Yes, I'll just give you a little nibble on the neck,” he tilted Rin's head, as he pushed the kimono off her shoulder. Her neck was left exposed, with Christen stroking it. “And then you'll be mine forever.”
Shy's fingers closed in on the switchblade, and she flipped the blade out with practiced precision. “I'm afraid I can't let you do that.” She charged at him with switchblade raised. Rin was pushed away. She fell, sprawling, onto the ground.
Christen hissed like a cat, eyes like blue fire, as his nails elongated into daggers. Shy: she was a picture of ferocity. Her dark eyes gleamed, and her hair flew around her. She looked like some wild cat, or maybe more like a bird. Maybe she was some strange mix of both. She danced before Christen, dodging every attack he made. His sharp nails always missed her. She as well, twirled in to strike him, but never hit him. Her switchblade didn't cut him, it didn't even come close. Rin was transfixed, especially by Shy's look of happiness. She was enjoying this!
“Enough,” Christen finally yelled. “I cannot best you. You are like no woman I've seen before.”
Shy giggled, “trust me there are a lot of women like me where I come from.” She turned her back on him and smiled down at Rin. “C'mon Rin we're leaving.” Rin stared at Shy like Shy was something new and dangerous. She trembled. “Rin,” Shy sighed. “This isn't the time to be daydreaming.”
“What are you? I've never seen any human move like that,” Rin stammered. Shy reached out her hand to help Rin up, but Rin pulled away from it as if she had been stung. “Just another reason why you can't be trusted.”
Shy glared back, rage boiled in her veins. She had protected Rin, saved her life even and this is how Rin repaid her? What a bitch.
“Suite yourself, I don't need your friendship.” Shy turned away from her and started to walk past Christen. “Don't bother asking my help again.”
There was a flash of white to her left where Christen had stood. She turned to look but he was gone. She jumped back around, and gasped when she found him behind her. His breath licked her face; she could smell blood on it. He smiled handsomely at her and she felt like she was going to be sick. “Leave us alone.”
“I can't.”
“Why not?” Shy was stammering, and she was trembling just as Rin had been not a minute before. She realized with a start that she was afraid of him. But greater than her fear was a feeling of desperation. She felt like a little bird caught by the cat. The feeling that she wouldn't get out alive was growing stronger and stronger, and all Shy wanted to do now was to get as far away from Christen as possible.
“I'm smitten, and your blood smelt so good last night,” he purred.
“My blood?” Shy squeaked.
“Oh yes, you had so many cuts and bruises. The sent of blood was all over you.” Her hand went to her arm compulsively. He leaned toward her and she stepped away.
Shy tried to move but she couldn't. Her knees were knocking and her eyes couldn't look away from his. Everything went spinning out of control as Christen gloated over his tiny victory over her. The only thing Shy could hear was her heart beat. It was racing faster and faster, a bounding drum in her ear.
“Shy!” Her name reverberated around her, as she felt something ram, hard, into her back. “Get moving.” Shy was thrust forward by Rin's momentum. Shy had to either run, or fall flat on her face, and she ran. She ran past the surprised Christen, fallowing after the now courageous Rin.
Shy gained up her momentum and she belted past Rin. Rin gave her a glare. “Why can't you just fight him?”
“Couldn't you tell?” Shy asked mystified. Rin shook her head. “He was going easy on me. He could've beaten me, easy, but he didn't. It's all just a game to him.”
They heard Christen's cry of outrage and the flutter of his clothing as he took off after them. Shy was sure he could've caught them easily. Why he didn't was probably to make them feel like they had a chance. Shy wasn't going to let even the hint of a chance slip by.
Rin must've felt the same way Shy did because she also ran. She ran hard and fast with sweat dripping into her eyes. Their legs were sore from all the running, but they weren't about to give up.
The forest was dark, shadowed under a mixture of trees. Light shined down in small streams lighting little paths. Shy could see, since it wasn't that dark. It was dark enough though, but it wasn't helping anything. Every tiny sound echoed around them, all through the forest Shy and Rin's footsteps resounded. They would never lose Christen under these conditions.
Suddenly, Shy burst out into the sunlight. Her eyes burned with the suddenly exposure. She stumbled about and crashed into Rin once-or what she thought was Rin. It must've been a clearing. It had appeared so suddenly before her that she hadn't had time to prepare. Rin squealed in fright, and Shy spun around, forgetting completely about her sore eyes.
The sharp end of a colossal blade- that seemed more like a fang than blade- glinted inches from her face, her sweat dribbled down her nose and onto that imposing blade. Laughing nervously she stepped back away from it. “Uh, Rin wants going on?”
“Lord Inuyasha, it's me, Rin!” Rin shouted, terrified, from behind Shy.
“Is that really you?” A boy stepped into Shy's view. Shy thought he looked vaguely familiar.
“Of course it's me.” Rin laughed rather nervously as she stepped toward him. “It's been a long time Kohaku.”
“Who's the girl?” Inuyasha growled interrupting the reunion. His eyes were locked on Shy's. Everyone in the clearing stood ready to fight, even little Shippou. They didn't trust Shy. It might have been her clothes, but Shy doubted that.
Shy looked at them. She couldn't believe it. She was staring at some of her favorite characters. Inuyasha-even though he had the Tetsusaiga pointed into her face-looked almost the same as he did in the T.V. show and those dog ears looked so soft. She just wanted to touch `em.
Kirara looked vicious, while Shippou looked cute and practically the same as he did in the show. Sango and Miroku looked at least ten years older, just like Rin did. Sure, Shy hadn't expected any of this to happen, but what really shocked her was who was staring so entranced at Rin, and the person that was missing. Kohaku stood among them, tall and tan with muscles rippling over his body. He had to be at least in his twenties, and he was handsome. Not as good looking as Christen did the night before when he had charmed Shy, but he was handsome. Girls at Shy's school would have been falling head over heels for him.
The only thing that ruined everything was the lack of the main character. “Where is Kagome?” She asked. She hadn't meant to say it, but she had.
Inuyasha snarled at her. “How do you know of Kagome?” He thrust the sword farther into her face. Shy shivered and fell backward as she tried to scramble away from him.
At that very moment Christen leapt onto the scene. He paraded into the clearing looking dashing and humble at the same time. Everyone stopped and stared at him. He gave them all a debonair smile that made Rin and Sango gasp in delight. Miroku and Kohaku eyed him with jealousy, while Inuyasha glared at him with mistrust. Sesshomaru who stood on the other side of a tree watched with amusement. Shy was the only woman who hadn't fallen under his spell, she glared at with loathing. She was seething with her hatred of him, and even Inuyasha was backing away from her.
“Why won't you just leave us alone, you fucking asshole?” Shy jumped to her feet, fists clenched and hair flying. Her eyes were smoldering and her voice roared with fury.
“My, what a temper you have.” Christen looped an arm around her, and grinned. Shy froze. “I'm sorry if these girls caused you any trouble. I bought them earlier off a slaver, but they attacked me and ran off. I've been searching for them all morning.”
“He's lying!” Rin cried.
“I know that!” Inuyasha yelled at her as he rested the Tetsusaiga on his shoulder. “You belong to Sesshomaru.”
“Sesshomaru?” Christen looked delighted, he even let go of Shy. She stumbled away from him, while she pulled out her switchblade.
“Inuyasha, Sesshomaru is here isn't he?”
“Yeah.” Inuyasha looked dumbfounded. “Wait, how do you know my name?”
“Uh, a little birdie told me?” She tried to smile innocently but she just looked guiltier.
“Liar!” Inuyasha swung his sword back to Shy. “You know something that you're not telling. Are you friends with Kagome?”
“No, of course not. I don't even come from this world!” She squeaked and clamped her hands of her mouth. Her eyes were wide with disbelief: she couldn't believe she just said that. Everyone froze, staring at her like some alien.
“Do you mean you come from Kagome's era?” Miroku asked tentatively.
“No. I mean that I come from a world similar to Kagome's era. Technically everyone here isn't real and I'm not supposed to be here. Um, this whole place is a T.V. show?”
“What is a T.V. show?” Shippou asked Kohaku. Kohaku shrugged, “I don't know.”
“My you are a special little thing then?” Christen laughed and wrapped an arm around her. Shy froze as chills trickled down her spine.
She swung at him as she jumped out of his arms. “Don't you touch me you filthy monster.”
“Monster!” Christen gave her a hurt expression like she had just insulted him, but that vanished with a cruel twist. His innocence was a mask after all. “You are a filthy mouthed little savage aren't you? Your world must be so primitive.”
Shy laughed, “Actually my country is the most powerful of all! We can destroy whole countries, we've traveled to the Moon, and we have the most money in the whole world. Primitive, ha, you my horrible sir are primitive compared to me.” There was silence as she glared at him. How dared he call her primitive! They didn't even bathe once a day and they didn't even have shampoo.
“Did they make that knife too?” Christen cooed into her ear. She whirled away from him again, and with one quick movement she had the knife against his throat.
“Yeah, vampire, it is stainless steal, with a mahogany handle. Do you like?”
“Vampire?” The group asked in unison.
“A blood-sucking demon.” Shy said, exasperated. “Does anybody, but me, know English literature?”
“I do,” Christen said with a smile as he gripped the blade of the switch and pulled it from Shy's hand.
“You don't count, and give me back my switchblade!” Shy tried to steady her voice, but she couldn't' steady her body.
“Now why would I do that?” He tossed it to his other hand while he licked up the blood from the cut made by the blade. Shy winced and nausea punched its cruel fist into her stomach.
“Give it back to me,” Shy said hoarsely as if fear had closed up her throat.
“No,” he smiled, teeth stained red.
“Just leave us alone,” Rin yelled, stepping forward. Kohaku grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
Christen chuckled darkly. “Never.”
Everyone had by that time forgotten that there was another in the clearing. The demon that hid behind Christen waiting to strike him down. That demon appeared then, as silent as the grave. Shy was the first to notice his shadowy entrance. Suddenly, her body grew steady and her glare darkened. “Fine, that means we'll just have to kill you.” She jumped at him and swung. Sesshomaru also leaped at Christen with the Tokijin poised. But they failed.
Shy was thrust forward by her own momentum and was expecting Christen to dodge. Christen didn't, he stood there grinning a cruel, toothy smile. He seized her wrist and flung her past him into Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru didn't have time to dodge; neither did he have time to slow down. Shy ran into him at full force, and the breath left her unexpectedly as her head struck the steel plates of his armor.
Shy was stunned and she felt her feet buckle, but she wasn't sure if she hit the ground or not. One thing she was sure of was that someone had his arms around her, and that he was holding her tightly. She heard distantly, as if this person was far away, a breathy voice whispering in her ear very lustily, “Oh, no, my lovely girl you're bleeding.” Something wet and hot touched a spot above her right eye that burned sharply. The spot went numb and she felt relaxed, but with a abrupt jolt she realized the wet thing was a tounge. And that tounge was lapping up her blood very hungrily.
Shy listened to the sickening slurp as the rest of her body went numb. She managed to wonder why no one was stopping this, but she wasn't able to ask. For as her blood was drained away she slipped into unconsciousness. Maybe, Shy hoped, she wouldn't have to wake up.
An/Wow, creepy ending I'll have to admit. It was one of those last minute ideas. Its Kind of gross, no, not kind of, it is gross. But jeez this chapter was 22 pages, can you believe that? This has got to be the longest thing I've ever written. I hope you like, so I'm begging you review! Give me some support here!
@%Lady Red Dragon%@
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