InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mika- the Inu Ookami Hanyou ❯ Enter Ryuu, the Demon Horse ( Chapter 10 )

Enter Ryuu, the Demon Horse

 

The island of a dead war lord…

 

Mika glanced at her captor as they approached the main hall of the residence on the island. She noticed on their flight that he seemed quite sad. Kohaku had doctored her wounds once they had arrived. As he led her in, Mika immediately recognized the stench of Naraku and Hakudoushi. The evil of the two lay thick in the air, almost causing her to chock.

 

“Well, look at what we have here. I'm Naraku,” he said as he approached Mika. He looked her over as he moved around her and Kohaku. “And from what I've been able to gather, you're a valuable prize to all concerned. What I'd like to know is how was it that you were able to get through my rift?”

 

Mika laughed as she thought back to her earlier conversation with Kagome. “I've no idea why I was able to come through, just that I'm here now. I guess that I should actually be grateful to you. Seeing as how if it hadn't been for your rift, I may have never found my real family.”

 

Naraku shook his head as he replied, “That was merely a coincidence. For now, you're my guest.” He motioned for Kohaku to escort Mika from the room. Once they left, Naraku looked at Hakudoushi. “There's something about this girl that's not right. I feel her demonic aura, but there's something else, something deeper, almost sinister in nature.”

 

“Is there cause to be concerned? Should we kill her now? Or wait until the others arrive and we just kill them all?”

 

After a few moments, an evil smile crossed Naraku's face as he replied, “We let her go.”

 

“What…?! Are you out of your mind?” Hakudoushi screamed. “After what she's put us through you plan on just letting her walk out of here! She's worth as much to us as the remaining jewel shards.”

“Because of the unknown, I'd rather have her loose with them then have her turn on us. Once we understand her better, then we'll recapture her. We'll make it to where she escapes, but we'll not make it easy.”

 

Hakudoushi smiled as he saw the brilliance of Naraku's plan. “Do you think that they'll catch on?”

 

As an evil grin crossed his face, Naraku replied, “Not in the least. They won't know what hit them!”

 

 

As Kohaku and Mika exited the main room, Mika began to feel really faint. Through the loss of blood and the physical exertions in the last two fights took their toll. She collapsed a mere ten feet from the room they had reserved for her. Kohaku carefully dragged her to the lone bed. Once he made sure her wounds were redressed, he knelt near the bed, deep in thought.

 

“Why do they need her? She seems like an ordinary girl to me. I just hope she's able to escape from these people. If only I'd be able to leave with her, but I have to kill Naraku first.” He thought. After checking on her one last time, Kohaku left for his own room, deep in thought.

 

Mika lay on her bed, engrossed in a dream of fleeting images intermingled with the screams of a horse fighting for its life. Once Mika realized that the screams were real, she awoke in agony. Her wounds had not yet healed due to the thrashing about on her bed causing the deeper ones to reopen.

 

Carefully she eased out of bed and moved toward the lone window. Mika leaned on the window sill, trying to determine where the screams were coming from. As the screams rang out across the island, they reverberated over the entire area through the surrounding mountains and valleys, making it difficult for Mika to pinpoint the horse's location. With a heavy heart and a sigh, Mika returned to her bed, determined to find the source of the screams of pain and suffering. As fatigue gripped her body, Mika collapsed on her bed, deep in sleep before her head hit her pillow.

 

Early the next morning, Mika awoke to the smell of some sweets and rice. She stretched her aching muscles, scratching unconsciously at the bandages that covered her arm and legs. Mika's nose led her to the try of food set near the door. “Kohaku must have placed it there while I slept,” she thought. As she looked over the meager meal, Mika said aloud, “Why can't they just eat regular food like bacon and eggs. I'd kill for some sourdough toast or even a bowl of cereal!” Mika raised the chopsticks at the ready and after a few unsuccessful attempts got the hang of eating. Her final thought as she finished her meal was, “What I wouldn't give for a fork right now!”

 

Once she finished her meal, Mika moved toward the lone window as she thought about the screams of the wounded horse from the night before. “Where did the sounds come from? I know it originated from this island, but where?” She looked out the window as she said aloud, “What have I gotten myself into?” From her vantage point she was able to see the entirety of the island. As Mika looked over the island, she noticed the corrals and a small stable a little ways from the main buildings. She went to the door of her room and found it unlocked. “Sloppy work on their part, and yet I guess it would be pointless unless I was able to find a boat to escape.” Mika moved quickly through the corridors of the main building and exited near the stables.

 

As she entered the stables, Mika was quite surprised for they were nearly empty. In fact the only animal stabled was a filthy, beaten horse of indiscernible color. As she moved toward the stall of the horse, Mika picked up on the faint smell of blood and decay. Mika followed the putrid smell to a nearby corner where a corpse lay sprawled on the floor. While fighting the urge to throw up, she gripped the haori of the dead servant and dragged him out of the stable, as far away from the horse as possible. From the looks of the servant, he had died a horrific death, Mika surmised. Once the body had been removed from the stable, she returned to the horse. Under the thick layer of dirt, mud and blood, Mika could see the faint coloring of a dark reddish bay and white body with black and white mane and tail. As she leaned on the stall door, the horse kept its head down and stayed as far away from her as possible.

 

“I'd stay away from him if I were you,” a youth's voice said from behind her. Mika turned an ear toward the voice, without letting her eyes leave the horse.

 

As Kohaku leaned against the door as well, Mika asked, “What happened to him? I can smell the dried blood and the open sores from here.” The horse twitched his tail as he felt their eyes survey his injured body.

 

“Hakudoushi and Naraku have tried breaking this horse's spirit. He is the son of Entei, a powerful demonic horse that chose his rider based on demonic power and strength. He chose Hakudoushi as his rider before he was killed by Inuyasha. This colt was born only recently, but due to his demonic powers he has grown to the equivalent of a 3 year-old in a matter of months. However, he has not taken to either of the masters and for that they are trying to break him to their will. As you can see, his spirit seems broken, yet when he sees either Hakudoushi or Naraku a flame jumps into his eyes and he fights as if the devil were on his tail,” Kohaku explained, understanding the horse's feelings, but unable to allow his emotions to show.

 

Mika moved into the stall quietly before Kohaku could advise her against it. “Would you bring me a bucket of water, some rags and ointment please? Make sure to pass them in carefully as not to spoke him. And see if you could also find some carrots as well, but bring the other stuff first,” Mika asked. Kohaku bowed his head silently, and left the stable as quickly as he could on his errand.

 

Mika turned her attention toward the horse as she slowly moved toward his battered body. She kept the wall to her back and spoke soft soothing words. As she moved toward him, the horse would shuffle to the opposite side of the stall. He stomped his rear hoof in warning and swished his tail more vigorously. Mika took the hint to avoid the hind quarters. She slid closer to the colt until he started to move away from her again. Instead of continuing toward his head, Mika slowly slid down the wall, to sit on the straw strewn floor, reducing her size to as small as possible. As she settled on the floor, waiting for the horse to get use to her presence, Kohaku returned to the stable with the requested provisions. He placed them inside the stall and walked away, leaving the strange young woman to her venture.

 

Mika continued her quiet vigil on the horse as the light slowly began to fade into dusk and then dark. As the light faded to night, Mika noticed the lights in the corridor being lit. Kohaku peered into the stall as he passed by with a torch in hand. “Are you planning on staying here tonight?” he asked.

 

“Is there any place else for me to be?” she asked, then retorted with a smile, “I'd rather sleep here than in that room. Here at least I feel free, where as there I feel like I'm being held as a prisoner. Thanks for bringing the stuff I asked for earlier.” Kohaku left the girl and the horse as he continued his rounds of the surrounding buildings. Mika looked at the colt as she said, “I'll still be here in the morning, whether you like it or not, so get use to it.” Mika leaned against the wall, shifting her weight, getting comfortable on the floor for the evening.

 

As the night continued, the horse slowly moved toward the sleeping girl. In his mind she was no different than his captors when she first approached him. If it had not been for the hobbles on his forelegs, he would have attacked the intruder and killed her. However, as the day progressed, he slowly began to sense that she was very unlike the others. He slowly realized that this was a half-demon before him, but that she did not emanate the dark evil aura of Naraku or Hakudoushi. As the girl slept, the colt moved slowly toward her resting body. His nose breathed in her scent as his head hung near her sleeping form. From this scent, he was able to sense her good hearted intentions and kindness. From that point on, the colt fell asleep, his nose resting on her chest, knowing that he'd found his rider.

 

Early the next morning, Mika awoke with the colt's nose on her chest. She slowly moved her hand to his muzzle, rubbing his great jaw. The colt woke with a jerk of his head, unused to the soft comforting touch of anyone. Mika lowered her hand back to her lap as the colt moved away from her. As she stretched her aching muscles, Mika noticed that although the colt had moved away from her, he was closer then he had previously been the night before. Within a few minutes, the colt moved back to Mika, nuzzling her shoulder and chest with his muzzle. Mika slowly raised her hand to his muzzle again; he at first flinched at her touch, but did not move away from her. She slowly rubbed his great soft nose and as much of his head she could reach. He muffled a nicker as he continued to nuzzle her chest. The colt was glad to have followed his nose and took a liking to the girl relatively quickly. From her touch, he could tell she was used to working with horses and that she was not heavy handed and malicious as the captors were.

 

Mika slowly moved to her feet as she continued to move her hands across the colt's nose, down his cheek and onto his graceful neck. As she moved, she could feel the once tense muscles melt into acceptance at her touch. She moved slowly toward the bucket of water and the rags, not taking her eyes or hand off the horse. When she touched his body with the water, the colt tensed again, however after some encouraging words and the kind touch of Mika, he allowed her to wash the filth from his body.

 

Within a couple of hours and changing the water in the bucket numerous times, Mika was able to remove all the dirt, mud and dried blood from the colt's bay and white coat. She treated the wounds with the ointment Kohaku left as well. As she looked over the colt, she was amazed at how big he actually was. At the lowest point on his back, she could barely see across. She moved her hands over his body again, just as a general rub down as she thought of her days riding the ranges of Idaho on horses from the nearby ranch. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of her last ride on horseback, three days before the accident that claimed her parents' lives. Mika pressed her face into the great chest of the horse and cried. As best he could, the colt comforted the crying maiden by pulling her close to his chest with a gentle nudge of his great head, uncertain as to why she cried, but feeling the need to be solid for her. Once she was able to dry her tears, Mika exited the stall and took a rope off a nearby hook.

 

As Mika entered the stall once again, she noticed the colt back into the corner of his stall, ears laid flat to his head and teeth bared. Mika looked at the rope in her hands and saw the bloody hairs entwined in the rope's length. Upon seeing the horrific mess, she threw the rope out of her hands into the opposite wall, sensing the rope was the tool of their evil captors. Mika thought for a few minutes, knowing that the horse would need to eat something shortly; she looked around the sparsely furnished stable. Seeing loops of thin leather hanging from a rack above some saddles, Mika immediately went to them. After a few minutes she was able to fashion a crude halter and lead rope from them.

 

As she approached the horse, the colt sniffed at the new contraption in her hands. He allowed her to place the halter about his head and lead him slowly from the stall toward the small pasture nearby. Once he was able to enter the pasture, Mika looped the lead over his back and attached it to the halter, making a hackamore from the leather. She moved back toward the fence as the horse ate his fill of grass. Kohaku appeared next to her as he said, “The masters will not be pleased about you leading the horse out here. He is wild and needs to be kept confined.”

 

“Like you, I suppose,” Mika retorted, never taking her eyes off the horse.

 

As the look of surprise crossed his face, Mika replied, “No need to tell me to keep quiet. It's none of my business what happens. I know that your sister misses you greatly and you reflect that as well.”

 

“How do you know what …” Kohaku responded, but never was able to find the words to express his concern without giving away his returned memories.

 

Mika turned toward the youth, her lips near his ear as she whispered, “I can see it in your eyes for they are the window into your soul. Keep your thoughts of killing Naraku buried for they will be your undoing.” She turned back to the horse as he continued to graze.

 

As she looked over the horse, she remembered the hobbles on his forelegs. “Kohaku, why does he have the hobbles? If this is an island as you say, then there is no reason for him to be hobbled as such for there is no place for him to run to. Or am I missing something?” Mika asked.

 

“This is no ordinary horse. Like his father, this one can fly, however to do so he needs to be able to jump into the air and race the wind as he would on land. With his front legs bound as such he can only walk on the earth and not get free.”

 

Mika moved toward the horse as he fed. As her hands touched the leather restraints, Kohaku yelled, “Don't….” but the words died on the wind as she let them fall to the ground. The colt continued to graze, moving his legs in a little wider range than previously able. Once the realization that the horrid leather hobbles were removed, the colt started to move a little faster around the pasture, going from a swift walk to trot to canter in a few steps. He returned to Mika and nuzzled her chest.

 

Mika rubbed the great horse as she whispered, “You're welcome, Ryuu.”

 

“How touching, a girl and her horse, it would bring a tear to my eyes if I had a heart,” a child like voice came from behind Mika.

 

As she turned to look at the horrid child, Ryuu pushed her behind his massive body; his teeth bared and ears flattened as he took a defensive position between Mika and Hakudoushi. “I thank you for bringing the spirit back into this horse. It will make breaking him a lot more pleasant,” he continued as he entered the pasture.

 

Ryuu continued to hold his defensive position between the two as the evil child advanced. He pawed the ground in front of him, snorting viciously to spook the intruder. Mika stated, “I would leave if I were you Hakudoushi. From his reaction to you, this horse is not fond of you. He'll kill you if given the chance.”

 

Hakudoushi laughed manically as he advanced on the pair. Ryuu reared onto his hind legs, fanning the air before his body as he opened his mouth. When the horse's mouth opened a look of horror crossed Hakudoushi's face as Ryuu unleashed a terrifying fire blast that toasted the evil child to a crispy critter. As the charred remains of Hakudoushi laughed and floated away from the pasture, Ryuu went down on one knee, allowing Mika to slide onto his back. Mika was used to riding bare back, and gripped the colt tight with both her legs as she wrapped her hand into his thick mane. He sprung off the ground and flew higher into the air, away from the island and its evil inhabitants.

 

Halfway to the shore, Mika heard the wind whistle in her ears on a relatively non windy day. She looked over her shoulder and saw the demon, Kagura unleash her “Dance of Blades.” Mika pulled the reins sharply to the right to avoid being cut to ribbons; however she had misjudged the trajectory of the blades and received some minor cuts across her back and upper arms. Ryuu turned in mid-air, and charged the wind sorceress head on, dodging her “Dance of Blades” as he moved in for a kill. At the last possible moment, to avoid being run down, Kagura moved in the opposite direction of his charge, unleashing a massive attack. Ryuu screamed in pain as the blades caught the horse in the chest, leaving a large gash in his beautiful coat. As he turned broadside to Kagura, leaving Mika unexpectedly exposed, the wind sorceress used it to her advantage. She unleashed one final assault, catching Mika squarely on the left side, cutting her deeply in the arm, leg and chest, reducing her clothes to ribbons and spraying her blood onto the wind. A blade of wind had cut through Ryuu's thick mane that Mika had entwined her hand in, causing the girl to lose her balance and fall into the lake below.

 

As she fell, Mika thought of all that had happened and only one word came to her mind as she hit the water below, “Father.” Her demonic essence pulsated like a single heart beat as she slid under the water, into unconsciousness. The essence crossed the surface of the lake as fast as wildfire. It sought out its target in the blink of an eye.

 

Forest depths in search of Mika…

 

From a great distance, Sesshomaru stood quietly in a clearing of the woods, not far from where Koga, Kagome, and the others searched. His eyes were closed as he listened to the surrounding sounds, trying to discern those of the Saimyosho so that he could find Naraku. As the essence hit his senses, Sesshomaru thought, “My… daughter… is calling… to me? This can't be right! How could she accept me without knowing me?” His eyes flashed open; as flames flew into them as he thought of the danger his own flesh and blood was in. He moved quickly away from the group, directly toward the island in the lake a great distance from his current position, determined to be nearer to his daughter, save her if possible.