InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mark the Beginning of Love ❯ Invitation ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I no owny any of `em.

 

A/N: A little longer. Ahh, maybe I should have put this in the angst genre as well... Anyways, enjoy!

 

 

Mark the Beginning of Love-

 

Chapter Three~

Invitation

 

 

For a long while they stood there, looking at each other. The girl, Kagura, had an expression of annoyance and felt really out of everything. The boy, Sesshoumaru, merely looked at her with his calm, cool appearance. His father, Inu Taisho, was utterly perplexed that this young child before him was the source of the threat of death toward his son. Neither of them made a move. As if mocking them, a soft breeze gusted past and not one flinched.

 

Even the sparrows nearby lost interest and flew away.

 

Finally, Inu Taisho made his move. He kneeled down, still towering above the rather small girl, and smiled at her.

 

“Greetings, and what is your name, little girl?”

 

Kagura's face instantly turned beat red in color. Little girl?! The nerve of this guy! Who does he think he is- some kind of high and mighty lord? No one calls me `little' and gets away with it!!

 

Noticing her face, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk. Either she's embarrassed or she's insulted. Judging by her not so ladylike manners she performed earlier, I'm assuming the latter mentioned description is correct.

 

Before she could let out her steam on the lofty man kneeling before her, said male grabbed her puny hands and looked at them curiously.

 

“My, my, you seem to have injured yourself. Are these burn marks?” he inquired, examining the sensitive red spots on her fingers and palms. When he touched a relatively fresh mark, she flinched. “It hurts?”

 

She gave him a questioning glance.

 

Why should he care? Why should anyone care? I'm nothing special- so why is he, a total and complete stranger, worrying over these marks? No one has ever showed me kindness...I'm tempted to pull away and glare at him...but...it's hard to reject this new...nice emotion he's showing.

 

A sudden whirlpool of memories flooded her mind and she stood there, speechless.

 

It wasn't that long ago...I think it was only four years.

 

I was seven and my baby sister and brother had just been born. I can remember the joy in Father's eyes when he gazed down at the infants. Mother was overjoyed as well...maybe even more than Father.

 

But, I can remember the slight fear in her eyes. I didn't understand why she was afraid. I had two baby siblings and she and Father had two more children. What was there to fear?

 

Then...when my siblings, Kanna and Hakudoshi, grew to be able to walk and talk, something happened.

 

Mother left and never came back.

 

Biting her lip so hard she feared it might allow blood to drip, Kagura tried to forget the awful memory, but to no avail.

 

Later, I found out that she wasn't...alive anymore.

 

I found her in the closet and blood was surrounding her body. Father explained to me, when he saw me gaping at Mother's body, that it was for the best...

 

Noticing the terrified look in Kagura's eyes, Inu Taisho let go of her hands. “I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?”

 

At first, Kagura thought she was going to burst in tears at the memory, but instead she took a deep breath and turned away.

 

Sesshoumaru watched her actions with mild curiosity. What had his father done to frighten her so? Could it be that she had remembered something terrifying? Clutching the knife loosely in his hands, he tapped the tip slowly and gently against his palm.

 

“Give me back my knife!”

 

Confused, Sesshoumaru looked to where she had last been and found she had vanished.

 

“Behind you, Einstein.”

 

Startled, the boy slowly turned around and saw her give him a small smirk before seizing the pocketknife and dashing off.

 

He started to silently fume. No one attempts to startle this Sesshoumaru (and succeeds) and tries to get away with it.

 

Before Kagura could even comprehend what was going on, she felt herself pressed against the trunk of a tree. He had taken the time to make sure she'd be comfortable and that it wouldn't hurt her, but still he took the object away from her hands once again. “Did I not say that a girl of your age and stature should not be wielding such a weapon?”

 

Trying to break free from his grasp, Kagura struggled and kicked her legs, but he held her tight against the tree. “Let me go! And give me my knife! It's not yours!!”

 

“When I announce that you should not carry around so deadly a weapon, I expect you to follow my judgment.”

 

Angry crimson orbs flashed to meet his cool, golden ones.

 

Crimson...I never realized she had such an unusual eye color...

 

He continued to stare at her eyes, mulling over the fact that they were ruby.

 

“I don't even know you. You don't know me. So, give me back my knife- now!”

 

“Never.”

 

“Give it!”

 

“I'd rather not.”

 

“GIVE ME IT!!”

 

“No.”

 

While the two bickered, Inu Taisho looked to where she had been earlier, and found that the tree she had sat at had a white piece of cloth pinned to the bark. Looking farther into the trees, he saw a few other trees with the same unusual decoration. He walked into the trees, following the path that was guided by the white pieces of cloth, until finally; he reached a very small area bathed in sunlight.

 

A small pack sat atop a stump, water containers peeking from inside, and a few other survival items lay spilled across the grass.

 

“Could this be where that child retires to at night?” he thought aloud, approaching the pack slowly. Inside the backpack were many items that he would never have suspected a young girl to know how to use.

 

Something rectangular caught his eye, and he reached in to gently take it out.

 

It was a frame, bordering a family photo. The occupants of the photo were the girl that was the owner of the pack he had invaded, held onto the shoulders of a tall, black haired man. Beside them was a woman, holding two infants that looked like twins. It would have made his heart suddenly go soft, had there not been red ink scribbled across the photo, spelling out `Death'. An `X' appeared on the mother's head, a straight red line dashed through the man's throat. And on the girl's face, she had scribbled a frown in blue marker, teardrops falling from her eyes.

 

But it was the face of the woman that made his heart pound.

 

He knew that woman...

 

Suddenly, a soft sound of leaves crunching underneath small feet approached him, then, they immediately halted. He turned around to see the girl puffing, apparently just barely being able to escape the boy's clutches. She stared at him, fright again in her eyes as she realized what he was holding.

 

Sesshoumaru was close behind, silently mumbling about the fact that she had been able to slap him- hard. When he saw the girl staring at his father, he slowly brought down the hand that was pressed to his cheek and was about to say something, had she not spoken first.

 

“What are you doing?!?!”

 

The girl dropped her knife, dashed to seize the picture from his hands, and hurriedly gathered her items. She gave them an angry look, obviously mixed with terror.

 

“LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” she demanded, tears falling from her eyes. She hurriedly wiped them away, sniffling a little, but refusing to show them weakness.

 

“I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...” apologized the man. He tried to come near her, but she cried out again.

 

“STOP IT! I DON'T NEED YOU GUYS MAKING MY LIFE EVEN HARDER!” Her knees gave out all of a sudden and she dropped to the ground, sobbing to herself silently.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru noticed the image of the photo, and almost stepped back at the pain that was clearly put into the scribbles. For a moment he was at a loss of what to do.

 

She's clearly been faced with death and tormenting pain. But, she is still a stranger, even if she is in need of comfort. For once, I'm not so sure what I should do...

 

Inu Taisho was the one to make his decision first. He advanced toward the girl and wiped away her tears like a father would do his daughter. When she allowed him to do so, he brought her eyes to look at his, and he saw beyond the puffy nose and tear stained eyes. He saw a lonely girl who was in deep need of someone to care for her. Slowly, he let go of her chin and embraced her.

 

Sesshoumaru saw all of this with the same, expressionless eyes he always had, but he knew that his father had suddenly taken a liking to the girl. His father was a big softie at heart, and a child in pain always brought out the `Daddy' in him.

 

“What is your name, little girl?” Inu Taisho asked the girl.

 

“K-Kagura...” she silently said for the second time that day.

 

“Kagura...” he repeated (like father, like son) and he waited a moment before saying, “You don't have anywhere to go, do you?” he asked, releasing her from his embrace to look at her. She slowly shook her head.

 

Why am I answering him? What is it about this man that makes me feel safe all of a sudden?

 

“Then, I want you...to come live with us.”

 

Both Sesshoumaru's and Kagura's eyes widened at the invitation.

 

Did Father just ask...

 

...me to come and live with them?!?!