InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Opposites Attract ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Title: Opposites Attract
Author: Isis101
Character Pairing: Sesshomaru and OC
Rating: M (Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with possible strong but non-explicit adult themes, references to violence, and strong coarse language.)
Genre: Romance/Action
Type: Continuous (Incomplete)
Universe: Canon with some AU thrown in
Disclaimer: InuYasha and its characters belong exclusively to Rumiko Takahashi and I do not profit from this work. Edana belongs to me though, as she is my character. Please do not steal her.
Spoilers: N/A

A/N: Please see my profile page for regular updates on my progress for all of my fanfictions. Thank you!

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Ring…

Ring…

The 12th grade history teacher stopped mid-lecture and stood up from her desk to walk over to where the phone hung on the classroom wall. “Hello, Mrs. Abe speaking,” she said politely into the receiver.

“Hello. May I speak with Edana Calder, please?” The secretary's usually bored voice held a note of nervousness that spiked the teacher’s attention.

“Of course,” Mrs. Abe said worriedly. Edana was her best student and she hopped that the girl hadn't done anything to get herself in trouble.

Edana was just as worried and confused when her teacher called her over to the phone. As she rose from her seat in the back and walked to the front of the class, her best friend, Tomomi, whispered, “Why?”

Even if Edana had heard her friend's whispered question, she wouldn't have been able to answer because she herself didn't know why. Everyone looked up from their notes to watch Edana walk over to the phone. Their natural curiosity overrode everything else as they blatantly stared at her.

Since they were all staring so fixedly, they could easily see her face fall after a few moments of listening to the secretary. They all saw her eyes fill with worry and they all saw her walk quickly and stiffly from the room without saying a word.

Edana could feel her eyes fill with tears as she walked down the hallway of whitewashed walls. As she walked, she felt as though the walls were slowly closing in on her. Desperately, she wished that she was back at home, sleeping through the night, and that this mourning had never happened.

When she had reached the front of the class her teacher had handed her the receiver with a worried look. Edana had been curious as to why she was needed but had figured that it wouldn't be serious. She didn't think she could have ever been more wrong.

When she had taken the phone and greeted the secretary with the usual hello, the office worker had quickly told her that she was needed immediately down at the office and that she should bring all of her school stuff. If she hadn't been focused on what the secretary was saying then she might have caught the pitying note in her voice.

However, Edana had only been slightly worried or concerned that something had happened, remembering the time her mother had taken her home in the middle of the day because she had forgotten that her little sister, Setsuko, had had a doctor's appointment that afternoon. She had tried to remember if there was any such appointment today but she couldn't think of one.

The thought occurred to her that maybe her parents had planned a surprise or something for her eighteenth birthday today. She thought about it and although there was a slight possibility, it was pretty unlikely. With that she dismissed it entirely.

When she had gotten to the office after grabbing her stuff, she had seen both her sisters there as well. Her middle sister, Rei, had been sitting silently in one of the chairs against wall and her youngest sister, Setsuko, had been talking with the secretary. Normally this would have been their usual behaviour but something had been different.

Instead of Rei's usual I'm bored and holier-than-thou silence – when she wasn't chatting with her friends that is – Edana had seen Rei in a more worried, deep in thought kind of silence and instead of Setsuko's usual crazy, hyper way of talking she had been using a more sad, low, and quiet voice which would have been a major relief if the circumstances had allowed it.

When Edana had entered, the two girls had stopped their actions and looked up at her. Edana had taken note of the looks on their faces and then she had turned to the secretary.

“You called me down,” she had said, acting as though she didn't already know that something was going on.

“Yes,” the women had replied. “A Mrs. Yoshida is here to drive all three of you to the hospital.” Edana's face had paled and she had replied with a shaky thank you before walking out the door with her sisters in tow. Why was their neighbour picking them up? Where were their parents?

They had arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later after an extremely awkward car ride with Mrs. Yoshida trying desperately to cheer the girls up without telling them anything. Car crash, the nurses had whispered when they had entered. Then they had been directed to a room in the west wing on the second floor.

Now she was walking to that room, her sisters behind her.

When they reached the right wing there was a sign hanging from the ceiling. It read intensive care unit. That was when she felt the first tear of many roll down her cheek leaving a wet trail in its wake. She realized that she had stopped and started walking again only to notice that her sisters were no longer following her.

They had seen the sign, had immediately burst into tears, and were clutching at each other as they cried. They always were cry-babies, was all she could think of. She walked over to them and tucked the map that they had been using into the pocket of Rei’s jeans. That done, she continued down the hallway alone.

When she finally reached the right room, she hesitated, not knowing what to expect. Nobody had told them anything. Mrs. Yoshida had obviously not wanted to tell them anything they weren't supposed to hear and so had not said anything at all and all of the nurses had just looked at them with sad smiles that she had assumed were meant to comfort her. Instead they just made her feel as though they were laughing at her and shoving it in her face that it had happened to her and not them.

She wasn't mad or angry at them though. No. She would probably have done the exact same thing if she was them. At the moment though, she didn't want pity. All she wanted was someone to hold her and comfort her. They didn't have to say anything, just be there for her to lean on - to cry on. But her two sisters had always been closest with each other. In  all the things they had done, we had always been the odd one out.

More tears slid down her cheeks. She knew that she had to go in eventually and she had already dallied too long. So, she took a deep breath, furtively wiped at the tears in her eyes, and opened the door. As she stepped through, the first thing she saw was white. White floors, white walls, white curtains, white furniture. Then her eyes rested on the people lying on the two single beds.

She hadn't been told whether both or just one of her parents had been hurt. She hadn't even been told that it was her parents who were hurt but it hadn't been too hard for her to figure that out on her own, and from their crying, she guessed that her sisters had realized it as well.

They were in bad shape; hence, the placement in the critical care unit of the hospital. However there were no doctors. Only a nurse who immediately stood up and left without saying a word the moment she entered. It was as though they had already decided what her parents' fate would be and were doing nothing about it.

Her father was asleep but her mother opened her eyes when she heard Edana walk into the room. “Edana…” her mother said faintly.

“Yes, mom. I'm here,” she replied. She walked over to the edge of the bed and sat in the stool the nurse had vacated when she left.

“Where are Rei and Setsuko?” her mother asked. It sounded like she was having a harder time talking as she said it.

“They’re coming, mom,” Edana answered, hoping to comfort her.

“No,” her mother said a little more strongly. “They can't come yet. There is something I need to tell you first.” Edana's eyes widened a little in shock.

“Why, mom? What is it?” She felt herself tearing up again. Her mother's eyes softened a little.

“I don't have time to fully explain but don't worry. You'll most likely meet another one like you later on who'll be able to help you. In the meantime though, it would be best if you didn't try anything,” she said fading a bit near the end.

“What are you talking about, mom? What do you mean `someone like me'?” Edana’s voice was hurried and a little loud. All the stress was breaking through the mental barriers she hadn't even know she had built and it was starting to show. Her mother just looked up at her and said the one thing that could have made her life even worse.

“I am not your real mother.”

Edana jumped up and backed away into the wall. She closed her eyes, and covered her ears in an effort to block it all out. It was too much – too much, too fast.

“Stop! It's not true!” she yelled.

“Yes it is,” her mother insisted.

“No!” Edana yelled again.

“You are not a normal human being, Edana. You were not even born in this world. You are destined for great things.” At this Edana opened her eyes and looked at her mother.

“What?” she whispered is shock. She couldn’t take this – couldn’t believe it.

“You will know soon enough,” her mother answered.

“Why?” All she could think of was questions. They just kept on whirling inside her head. Why was this happening and why now of all times? What is she supposed to be then? How did this all happen? Who is she and who are, or were, her real parents?

“Because today is your eighteenth birthday,” her mother said. “I was going to tell you anyways. What time is it?”

The seemly random question threw her off a bit and she didn't know what to say before replying with a stuttered, “11:57.”

“You will turn eighteen today at exactly 12:00pm,” her mother said. Her words seemed to be getting quieter.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Edana asked, confused.

“In a few minutes you will see,” was all she said. Edana's mother closed her eyes for a second before opening them again.

“Be strong,” she said. Then as her eyes drifted shut she whispered her last words. “We loved you like our own and will continue to do so even in death. Open your heart to others and have faith in yourself and you will never go wrong. Be strong.”

Edana watched in morbid shock as her mother stopped breathing and her face took on a peaceful look. At the same time, the line on the heart monitor that was attached to her father went flat.

“I love you too, mom, dad,” she whispered. “You will always be my parents to me, no matter what.”

The clock struck noon at that moment and Edana gasped, startled. A feeling she had never felt before washed through her, piercing every cell in her body. She needed to get out of there and she needed to get out now.

Standing up from where she had been kneeling beside her mother's bedside, she rushed to the door pausing to take one last look at the people she still felt in her heart were her parents before the feeling made her start running again. She raced down the halls, past her sisters who had been shuffling slowly down the hall with their startled looks, past the elevator, down the stairs, past the front desk, and out onto the sidewalk.

Outside she stopped. She didn't know where to go anymore. Before she had been relying on the instinct she had felt but now that was gone and all she felt was the pain of losing someone you loved. She looked back at the hospital and debated going back inside but decided against it. There was nothing left for her in there now.

She knew she should go comfort her sisters but she just couldn’t find the heart to walk back into the room where her parents lay in eternal sleep. They have each other anyways, she figured. If they need comfort it would be better if they helped each other. Edana had always felt like an outsider anyways. Now she knew why. The tears welled up in violet eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Looking around, she remembered the forest not far from the small hospital that lay in Tokyo, Japan and knew where she wanted to go. Wanting to get there before she started into hysterics in the middle of the street, she raced in that direction. She ran for about two minutes until she accidently bumped into someone. She stumbled backwards and would have landed on her butt if an arm hadn't wrapped around her waist and steadied her by pulling her into a well-muscled chest.

“Sorry about that,” a masculine voice said. “Are you okay?” She felt the man’s arm unwrap itself and she stood on her own.

“Um, yeah,” she replied quickly. “I should have been watching where I was going. I've got to go.”

With that, she started running again yelling, “Good-bye,” over her shoulder.

If she hadn't been so focused on getting to her destination, she would have stopped and talked to man a bit more. He had looked to be in his early twenties and was extremely handsome in a rugged, bad-boy sort of way with black hair that was just slightly longer than normal, dark mahogany eyes, and a well built body. She couldn't help but smile as she ran, her breath coming in short gasps from the exertion.

“Wait up!” she heard a voice behind her yelling. It was him. She didn't have time for this. She had to get to that forest so she just kept running not slowing her pace at all. Unsurprisingly, he caught up quickly.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Too tired to speak she just pointed to the forest, the edge of which could be seen at the end of the street.

“Really,” he said, “Isn't that a bit too far to run to.” Edana just shrugged and kept running. The boy looked at her again after sidestepping an old lady with a grocery cart.

“I can get you there faster if you want,” he offered.

This time Edana spared him a glance but didn't slow her pace.

“How?” she asked, not willing to be taken for a ride by some stranger even if he was hot… and drop dead sexy… and-

“Stop Edana!” she yelled in her head, “Get your mind out of the gutter, girl!” Determined once again, she sped up her pace.

“I'm not going to kidnap you or anything,” he said defensively. “If you would stop running, I'd be able to introduce myself properly.”

She glanced at him again just in time to catch him smirking at her. `Arrogant prick,' she thought.

“I don't have time for this,” she said aloud. She really did feel like she would break down any minute and was surprised she hadn’t done so already.

“You want time? I’ll give you more time,” he said taking a hold of her arm.

“What!” she yelled but before the word was all the way out of her mouth they were there. At the edge of the forest, that is. She could see the dark trees swaying the slight breeze right in front of her. The few sakura trees had sprinkled their soft pink petals on the ground, creating a delicate carpet.

“Well,” the man said beside her, “Did I get you here fast enough?”

“Y-yes,” Edana stammered. “But, how?” However, before he could answer she suddenly felt a pull – a tugging deep in her chest. It felt as though it was coming from her heart. A bright, violet light suddenly enveloped her. It seemed to originate from her chest, right above her heart. As she watched transfixed, a violet crystal emerged from inside her.

It wasn't round or drop shaped but looked like a cylinder with five sides and points on each end. One point was hidden by a silver wire that wrapped around that end and held it onto a thin silver chain which wrapped itself around her neck.

Suddenly she felt a strong power surge through her. It wasn't dark or menacing but light and pure and it felt as though it had always been there, lying dormant inside her. It surged around her body until it finally subsided back into the crystal that now hung around her neck. With the blinding light gone she could again see her surroundings, but instead of a small wood on the edge of a town, she saw multitudes of trees and plants surrounding a small clearing. Then she fainted from sudden and complete exhaustion.

A young woman was sitting beside a lake of crystal water fed by a large waterfall, the top of which was hidden from view by clouds of mist. Around her was a lush forest full of animals and all types of wild life. They were drawn to this woman in a mysterious way yet unknown even to her. He was drawn in the same way only it felt deeper than that. So he observed her from a distance.

Though her surroundings were beautiful, she was far more captivating. Her light dress flowed around and caressed her figure while the violet material shimmered in the evening sun. Her long, auburn hair danced around her shoulders in the light breeze and she emitted an aura of purity and power. Through it all, it was her eyes that stood out the most. They were the lightest violet in colour and sparkled like the water in front of her. The irises where rimmed in a deep indigo and faint flecks of silver could be found in their depths. Just by watching he could tell that they were capable of piercing the soul in one instant and becoming a watery depth in the next.

At that moment, they swam with pearlescent tears.

He watched entranced as one escaped from its prison and trickled down her cheek. His eyes followed the path it made down her porcelain face and watched it disappear as it fell into the grass.

Suddenly all of the animals stood at attention, senses alert, and a thunderous roar could be heard. As he berated himself for not noticing the danger sooner, the girl stood and all the animals hurried away in fear.

His eyes widened as a blanket of darkness enclosed the little clearing and the lake turned a cloudy black. As he watched the trees and plants began to die. Dismay crossed the woman’s beautiful face but it quickly turned to a look of shock as she peered into the darkness at what was approaching. He felt the ominous aura and was filled with the sudden fierce urge to be beside her - to protect her. Surprised at the strength of these feelings he desperately tried to smash them down and get them under control.

He knew that dark aura but he couldn't remember where. All he could focus on was her and it took all of his energy just to keep his inner demon from taking over. The aura grew stronger as the darkness grew thicker. She seemed to know this evil as well for she quickly summoned a light in the palm of her hand that radiated its warm glow across the clearing. When it reached him he could feel her strength, her life and her purity. It stung a bit from the pureness of it but it was worth it just to feel its warmth.

The darkness retreated for a second when she summoned the light but then it came back even stronger than before. It crushed the light and covered the clearing once again. In the sudden pitch blackness he heard her cry of pain and his inner demon tried even harder to break free of its bonds once more. When he smelt her tears, his strong barriers broke and his inner demon took full control. His eyes turned a bloody red and he transformed into a huge white dog.

Using his demonic speed he raced towards the small glimmer of light that she was still able to produce, a light that was quickly fading. As he got closer, he could see her terrified expression and that spurred him to even greater speed. If only he had been just a little bit closer. The darkness grew thicker as her light dimmed and he reached her just as the black fog completely hid her from his sight.

When Sesshomaru awoke, all he could see was her looking at him pleading - crying.

Sesshomaru struggled out of the sweaty, twisted sheets and walked across the room to the shoji screens that hid a lush garden. Opening them he stepped outside. Taking a deep breath, his sensitive nose could smell the familiar scents of the plants, his palace guards, the kitchens and his servants on the breeze.

This was not the first time he had awakened from this dream in the middle of the night and it was always the same. He would see the beautiful girl surrounded by some sort of nature, whether it was that clearing or a high cliff over looking a gorgeous valley, when suddenly darkness would come. He would always feel those same feelings – though he remained thoroughly convinced that they were simply illusions conjured up by the dream – and the darkness would always get her first.

He didn't know how to get rid of them, nor did he know why they occurred. They were quickly becoming a nuisance and were affecting his behaviour. At the moment however, he could do nothing except learn to expect them for they always seemed to come on the night of the new moon.

This night was cloudy and the moon and stars where hidden behind large, dark clouds. He could smell the rain on the air but it had been like this for the past three months and had never rained. Coincidently, this was also when the dreams had started.

This Sesshomaru however did not believe in fate or coincidences. He was in control of his life and nothing would change that. If things happened, they happened and the people involved would just have to deal with that.

Normally dreams wouldn't affect him for two reasons, one of which being that he hardly ever dreamed. The other reason was that he simply wouldn't allow the dream to affect him. However, over the past few months it seemed as though this one had. Jaken had suspected something was bothering his master and Lord for a while, and the servants were starting to notice as well.

Lord Sesshomaru would often be caught staring pointlessly at nothing in particular and since he never did anything pointlessly it was surprising for all who knew him. The Lords would catch him doing so during meetings and although he denied it – it would do no good if they believed that he didn't care about his lands anymore – they didn’t seem to believe him. Insolent fools. Over the past months they had grown restless and at this rate they may think to try something foolish.

Sesshomaru smirked at the idea. If they did try anything they would by in for a big surprise. His armies were always ready and at his disposal and – while some Lords were forced to recruit human soldiers for their armies – he had only the strongest of youkai.

As he was imagining various scenarios in which the enemy was viciously slaughtered by his various armies, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Come in, Jaken,” Sesshomaru commanded, not revealing his annoyance to the little toad demon.

“My lord, your presence is needed right away,” the toad squeaked out upon entering his Lord's chambers.

Sesshomaru mentally sighed. “Very well, Jaken,” he said turning away from his retainer and looking back at the garden. Jaken opened his mouth as if to say something but thought the better of it. It would not do to upset his master with pointless questions.

A little while after Jaken left, Sesshomaru walked to his office. Upon entering he observed the three Lords standing in front of his desk silently. His cold glare pierced each one sending shivers down their spines.

Lord Sesshomaru was known for his ruthlessness and disinterest in anything he deemed unworthy. The little girl living with him was the only proof that he even had a heart and only the palace staff knew about her.

It seemed that the time had come to once again remind the other Lords who was the strongest. He would travel to the Eastern Lands first.

The smile that rose on his aristocratic face did more then send mere shivers down their spines.

A/N: Edana means “night rain”, Tomomi means “beautiful friend”, Setsuko means “festival child”, and Rei means “thanks”, “grace”, and “worship”.