InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silver turns to Red ❯ Chapter 4 - The Storm ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha that privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do however own Tara O'Connor and her dog Bran.

 

 

Chapter 4 - The Storm

 

Late afternoon sunlight seeps through the window as I lie in bed trying to recapture the beautiful dream I had been enjoying. `Hmmm…a delicious warmth is all I can remember.' Groaning, I rub my eyes dispelling the last remnants of sleep. `That was a pleasant nap, but I better get up before I waste the rest of the day.' With that thought I struggle to extricate myself from the mummy-like wrapping of the sweaty bed sheets. Twisting to and fro, I eventually roll out of my bed, landing with a loud `thud' upon the hard ground, in a floundering heap of tangled limbs and clingy white sheets. With a disgruntled groan I finally free myself from the cotton deathtrap, flicking my foot to the side in an attempt to remove the last persistent scrap of sticky white fabric still adhered to my ankle. Stretching to my full height, and sporting a triumphant smile, I proudly stride towards the bathroom for a nice hot shower.

 

Stifling back a yawn, I lean over the bathtub to turn on the hot water. I take my clothes off and step into the steamy waterfall. As the water cascades over my head I reach for the bottle of shampoo. Pouring a copious amount into my palm I start to wash my long locks. `Hmmm…I can't believe it's already the middle of February. It just doesn't seem like I've been here for only three weeks. Kagome has really progressed in her training. She'll definitely be able to hold her own against any foe now. Letting the rushing water rinse the suds out of my hair I continue contemplating, `I'm so glad I don't have to put-up with Inuyasha for the next few days since Kagome decided to take him with her and the family to Kyoto to help out with her cousin's wedding. I reach for the bottle of conditioner and pour a thick glob. `It's not that I hate him…so much as I just can't stand that little prick! If he could just get rid of that damned inferiority complex of his he wouldn't be that bad of a guy, but no, he constantly has to prove himself.' I roughly rub the conditioner into my red hair, massaging those bitter thoughts out of my mind. `I wonder what this `destiny' is that the messenger mentioned? Mentally snorting, `I could dream up a million scenarios and I still wouldn't be able to come up with the right one. Banishing the troublesome thought, I retreat under the soothing rush of warm water, `At least I've got my satchel packed with all the gear I could possibly need in the Feudal Era. I have it hanging in the well house along with my sword belt and shield.'

 

After turning off the shower, I reach for a towel to wrap around my hair and then another one to wrap around my body. I step out of the tub, and leisurely walk back to my room. Sitting on the bed, I begin rubbing vanilla scented lotion on my arms and legs, letting its magical scent calm my strained emotions. Strolling over to my dresser, I rummage through it trying to decide on what I should wear; I finally settle upon jeans and a long sleeved dark blue T-shirt. It's only 40°F outside today, which is unusually cold for this time of year. `I think I'll practice my archery before the sun sets.” Quickly exiting the room and walking down the stairs and into the kitchen, I grab an apple and a banana for a quick mid-afternoon snack. At the backdoor I stuff the fruit into my coat pocket while grabbing my bow and quiver full of arrows. I walk out of the house, heading for the woods out back.

 

As I pass by the well house I sense the ancient power floating heavily in the air. `It's so thick I can practically see it…I wonder if it's going to call me soon? I decide to call Bran to my side in case I have to move quickly.' Swiveling my head toward the Goshinbuko Tree `Ahhhh…there he is, sleeping the day away.' My lips twitch into a bemused smile at the sight of the monstrous black hound slumbering in the shade of the massive tree.

 

`What was that?' my breath catches in my throat as the well calls out to my powers - making me almost stumble from its intensity. `Oh my God! Someone is screaming for help on the other side of the well. I can feel the magic demanding my presence.' “Bran!” he lifts his head and perks up his ears at my urgent cry, “Come on boy, it's time to go to work.” With speed I haven't seen him use since he was a pup, he gallops after me as I run to well house.

 

I thrust the heavy wooden door open just as Bran barrels over to my side. I quickly make my way down the stairs but before I leap into the well I secure my blades to my hip and sling my leather satchel over my shoulder. I turn towards the well and begin to climb onto the rim when Bran growls and grabs my arm gently in his jaws in an attempt to prevent me (in his mind) from jumping to my death. “Let go, Bran” he shakes his head - along with my arm - and starts to tug me away from the well. I cry out at his overprotective behavior, “I'm not trying to kill myself Bran” and glare at him as I grab his muzzle to physically extract my arm from between his teeth. “I'm jumping into the well whether you like it or not” I finally maneuver my arm from his grasp and before he can grab hold of me again I leap into the dry well. I look back when I hear Bran whining overhead. Amazingly, it seems to a take a long time to reach the bottom, as I find myself floating down the well as the archaic magic spirals `round my body. I can no longer hear Bran's whimpering just as my feet touch the bottom of the ancient pit. The first difference I notice is the chilling cold and the snowflakes falling lazily `round me.

 

`The first order of business is to get out of here' I think as I start to climb up the rope ladder that Kagome had Inuyasha put there to help anyone using the well when no one was to around to help get them out.

 

`I am so glad I have my coat on otherwise I would truly be in trouble right now.' Nearing the top of the well I hear the muffled wails of a crying child. Grasping the edge with my hands I finally fall gracelessly over the top next to her.

 

Regaining my equilibrium I place a comforting hand on her shoulder saying, “Hey…what's wrong?” She just continues to bawl her little eyes out as if I hadn't spoken. Maternal instincts, that I didn't even know I had, must have kicked in because I was hugging her and stroking her back before I realized I had even moved. “Shhhhuuuusssshhhh…don't cry little one, everything will be all right, I'm here now.” She seems to calm down some after a short while and through her sorrow-filled hiccups she begins telling me her sad little tale.

 

“Ah Un's…`sniffle'…dead” she whispers into my chest. “He died…protecting…me”. My arms tighten around her. I quickly look all around judging whether we are still in danger, but all I see is snow and emptiness.

 

“He must have been a very brave man to give up his life for you.”

 

The girl looks up at me with a slightly bewildered expression in her puffy red eyes. “Ah Un was not a man…`hiccup'…he was a dragon” she slowly stammers out.

 

“Ohhh…my mistake” I sat quietly trying to keep the shock out of my eyes. `All right, think Tara how can I distract her before she goes completely into shock! The mundane that's right! Get her talking about normal everyday stuff so she doesn't feel completely overwhelmed by her friend's death. Introductions are always a good start.'

 

“My name's Tara. What's yours?”

 

“My name's Rin” she replies softly.

 

“That's a pretty name. Where do you live, Rin?”

 

“We were in a cave far away waiting for Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-san to come back…but…`her bottom lip begins to quiver'…that's far away from here…and…`her eyes start tearing'…I'll never get back in time before the storm arrives!” She hides her face in my chest again.

 

Rocking her gently and whispering soothing words to her, I contemplate my next move. `I can sense that the well won't let us pass back through so that's not an option. Wait! She said “I'll never get back in time before the storm arrives”…surely this child doesn't actually think I'd abandon her!

 

“Rin, honey,” trying to imitate my Mother when she tried to reason with me as a child, I firmly state, “You are not alone and we will find your other companions when the storm has passed over. But first I need your help. Can you help me, Rin?”

 

She slowly lifts her head and looking straight into my eyes, nods her head. I see a hopeful bud of determination slowly growing in her sad dark brown eyes.

 

“Good. Now we need to find some shelter or make it ourselves.” I wipe the tears off her cheeks, “Do you know anything about these woods, Rin? Is there a village nearby or even an abandoned hunting lodge?”

 

She shakes her head, “I've never seen this forest before”.

 

Sighing `That would have been too easy'. I look up to the sky `Those clouds are thick and just full of snow…we don't have much time before the bottom falls out. I hope the wind doesn't pick-up…I'm not sure we'd survive that too.' “Come on Rin” pulling her up with me as I stand, “We've got to find some sticks, and anything else we can think of to make a shelter by the well to keep us safe during the storm.”

 

Surveying the forest, I notice a large fallen tree. “I think what we need may be over there” I say, pointing to my left. When I grab the little girl's hand I am shocked. It feels like a block of ice. That's when I notice her whole body shivering from the cold. “Oh my God! Rin, you're freezing!” I open my neck scarf out wide and wrap it around her shoulders like a shawl, crossing it over her chest and tucking it into her obi in back. Then I reach into my pocket hoping that my gloves are there. `Yes!' I mentally congratulate myself as I pull out my nice leather gloves. “Here Rin.” She takes them from my hand with a quizzical expression on her face. “I know they're too big for you but put them on anyway, they'll keep you warm.” `Why is she staring at them like some strange, foreign object?' “Ohhh honey I'm sorry, let me show you how to put them on.” The Velcro strap used to keep the glove tight to my wrist has obviously not been invented yet. I grab one of them and release the strap, slip it on and then reseal it. A light-bulb (or its medieval equivalent) appears to go off in her head and for the first time since I met her her face lights up. `She's really cute when she smiles,' I think as I hand the glove back to her.

 

“Arigatou Tara-san” she says softly as she puts the gloves on her little hands.

 

“Come on, we don't have time to dawdle” I say as I grab her now bulky hand, quickly leading her toward the felled tree.

 

Reaching the log, I take a moment to scrutinize it, evaluating every possible way it could be used in constructing a shelter for us. The tree had obviously fallen a few months earlier before winter set in because most of it's leaves were still attached to it's branches. It was a fairly large tree as the three feet width of it's trunk testifies to, but when it fell a large portion of the top cracked off, which was no longer there as I could see the track marks in the ground where it had been dragged away. That left about twenty feet of tree for me to use.

 

“Rin.” The girl jumps out of her melancholic trance and looks up at me. “I want you to gather as many leaves as you can. Scrape off the top snowy layer and get the dry ones underneath. I know they'll be dirty, but that's alright. We're going to use them to make a dry floor for our hut. Oh, and please gather some firewood too.”

 

She vigorously nods her head and starts picking-up the dead leaves around the fallen tree.

 

`All right she's taken care of…now I've got to find a way to chop up this tree into four ten foot long poles, then chop off some of the longer branches so I can weave them in between the poles once they're leaning up against the well in a makeshift shack.' Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and begin to focus on my spiritual powers; calling on them to awaken my Sidhe blood. I can feel my body pulsating with strength as I open my eyes. Everything has taken on a new and richer hue. I can feel the subtle life force of the little girl, not two yards away from me. “Rin” I call out, “please move far away from the tree, I don't want you getting hurt while I'm cutting it up.” She nods and quickly obeys, dragging some small branches behind her. Looking down at the tree I see a faint blue line running through the center of the trunk with several transparent green lines on either side. Concentrating on that blue line I reach for the small hatchet attached onto my back pack. `If I hit that central line with just the right amount of force I can break this tree in half.' Focusing further, I slowly begin to awaken my youkai blood to give me the physical strength to cut the tree. I walk towards the center of the fallen tree. Stepping to the side, I square my shoulders and scratch the spot with a small `x' where my hatchet needs to strike. I steady myself and the power flowing through my body as I raise the hatchet above my head and in one swift, fluid slash, the tree cracks open - splitting in two equal halves. I immediately hear a loud gasp. I whirl around thinking Rin has spotted some danger approaching. Instead I see her with a look of pure amazement written across her face.

 

“You're almost as strong as Sesshoumaru-sama” she says in a voiced filled with awe.

 

I raise my eyebrow at this remark `Almost! Who the hell is this guy?' I think.

 

“Wow,” her eyes widen “he raises his eyebrow just like that, too. Are you related to Sesshoumaru-sama?” she asks innocently.

 

“No Rin, I don't think I'm related to Sesshoumaru-sama.” I notice then that she's made a makeshift lap with her kimono filling it with dead leaves. “If that's all the leaves you can fit in there take them over to the well. Then gather some more.”

 

She nods her head and slowly walks back to the well trying not to spill any of the leaves. She piles them next to the considerable amount of fire wood she has gathered. I am impressed.

 

Return to the two long planks of wood, I cut those in half as well. I then drag them one by one towards the well. First we brushed away as much snow as we could from the side of the well and then pilled the dried leaves to create a warmer bedding. With Rin's help I manage to prop the planks against the side of the well, creating a lean-to. I direct Rin to gather some rocks to make a proper fire ring and to drag as much dry wood into one side of our shed as she can. Meanwhile I cover up as many holes between the planks in our shelter by cutting off some of the branches and then sliding them into the open spaces. Once she's brought back some stones I have us crawl into the shelter, where we place the fire ring near the opening. By the time we get the fire started the sun is beginning to set. We strike up a conversation where she tells me that she's been living as a ward of Sesshoumaru-sama for the past five years, since she was five years old. She finally tells me, in a tiny little voice, what happened to Ah-Un.

 

“I was checking on my animals by the Blue Lake, making sure they had everything they needed before the storm came, when a gigantic dragon emerged from the sky, blocking out the sun with his colossal wingspan. He bellowed something about making the `dog lord' suffer for his transgression against the dragon clan, and before I knew what was happening he landed right in front of me. I couldn't move a muscle as I stared into those hate filled black eyes. Even as I saw him preparing to roast me with his fiery breath I could do nothing but stare. That's when Ah Un jumped in front of me, taking the brunt of the dragon's fire. Still not able to make myself run away, Ah-Un flung me onto his back with his front paws and we were taking to the sky. I heard this horrible roar behind us and I knew without turning around that the larger, evil dragon was chasing us.

 

I could see that part of Ah-Un's scaly hide had disintegrated from the dragon's potent breath and…” she tightens her fists in my shirt, “…I just knew he was in so much pain.” She inhales harshly, trying to compose herself before she continues with her narrative. “Ah-Un tried really hard for so long to outmaneuver the black dragon but he was hurt and the dragon was relentless. Then my friend turned his head to look at me. I could see

that he knew he was going to die but that he wanted me to survive. The next time he swooped down close to the forest's floor I was not surprised when he shook me off and I rolled away. Ah-Un flew back into the air above the trees. I know he was trying to distract our foe from me because he flew straight towards him. I was hiding safely when the evil dragon caught my friend and tore him in half with his giant teeth.” Fresh tears fall as she barely chokes out, “He was my best friend”.

 

We both spared a moment of silence for the brave Ah-Un. Breaking into the cloud of heartache that surrounds her I speak up, telling her that it is a tradition in my family to sing a song in honor of a loved one's passing. I ask her if she would like me to honor her friend so. She gives a solemn nod and I begin to sing By yon Bonnie Banks, infusing the song with my emotions, lending my voice a quiet grace with every note.

 

A peaceful stillness falls upon us with the end of my solemn song. With a soft note of wonder in her voice, Rin breaks the silence, “That was such a pretty song, Tara. I often entertain myself by singing when I accompany Sesshoumaru-sama during his lengthy patrols. I don't know many songs and I'm afraid I bore my lord by repeating the same ones over and over again. Also, I know I'll be missing Ah-Un a lot during our travels and your song eased some of the pain, so could you teach me that beautiful song” she asks with a hopeful look in her eye?

 

With a smile, I nod and begin teaching her the words. I explain that it's about a warrior who, having been mortally wounded in combat, consoles his comrade by telling him that his spirit will meet him again in their native land. I find that she is a quick study as she

learns the words and tune in no time, and she soon has me teaching her many more. We sing until our empty stomachs start rumbling. With a heavy sigh, Rin asks me if I have anything to eat? I respond by extracting the apple and banana from my coat pocket. I notice the apple is a little bruised so I take that for myself and hand her the banana. Starting in on my fruit, I notice her staring at the banana and before I can stop her she promptly bites into it, without removing the peel.

 

Gagging, “Tara-san this food is terrible” and spits out the offending mouthful.

 

Trying to stifle my laughter I choke out “I'm sorry, Rin I didn't think to tell you not to eat the skin.” I reach down and show her how to unpeel it. With a tentative, nibble she tastes the soft fruit.

 

“This is strange but very good,” she says with her mouth full from another bite.

 

We continue to talk away the hours, but as the roar of the storm increases I can feel the temperature drop as the wind picks up, but I know as long as I stay awake to keep the fire fed we will be able to survive the night. Eventually Rin falls asleep, and with the howling of the wind and the tension easing from my tired muscles, I close my eyes for just a moment…

 

 

**********

 

 

Weaving indiscernibly through his silver hued hair, tiny snowflakes shimmer as they fall upon the formidable warrior. Walking with genteel ease, his leather clad feet appear to glide over the rocky hill as he approaches his winter home. The white silk of an empty sleeve billows in the cold gust while his long hair dances lightly behind him. The scurrying of stubby little legs can be heard far behind the beautiful inuyoukai as his loyal vassal, Jaken, tries desperately to keep up with the long strided Taiyoukai.

 

He walks purposefully towards a huge boulder that appears to have lain at the base of the tall peak for eons. It is swathed in several multicolored layers of lichen and is obviously immovable by human hands, but as the lord approaches, he easily rolls it to the side, revealing a tall but narrow doorway. He waits for his diminutive toady to enter the private entrance to his home before he returns the stone to its sentry duty.

 

After traveling down the shadowy tunnel for only a few moments he hears the pitter-patter of swiftly moving feet at the same time detecting the scent of his adoptive mother, Yasu. An affectionately plump, brown haired woman stops short, within a hairsbreadth of smacking right into his chest.

 

“Sesshou-san”, she says after catching her breath, “I am so glad you have returned. I fear something terrible has befallen Rin and Ah-Un. They left hours ago and have not returned. She was so worried that her woodland friends were not prepared for the coming storm that I allowed her to leave for the afternoon to see to them. I would have gone with her, but I had to supervise the servants and make sure we had enough supplies left for the rest of the winter…” she starts biting her bottom lip and wringing her hands, “…but she told me she did not need me to come with her, that Ah-Un would protect her and that she would be back before the snow started falling, but that was several hours ago and…” the tall, slightly annoyed man puts his finger up against her quivering lips, silencing her rambling.

 

“Do you know where they went?”

 

Taking in a deep breath to temporarily calm her frazzled nerves, “She said she would be at the Blue Lake at the southern edge of the mountain.” She starts wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip again, appearing to be mere seconds away from a crying fit when Sesshoumaru places a hand on her shoulder and speaks, in a comforting voice, “I shall find her” calming her instantly.

 

He orders Jaken to remain with Yasu as he quickly leaves to retrieve his tardy ward.

 

“Come Yasu,” the toad leads the little inuyoukai towards her room, “Let's have some tea while Sesshoumaru-sama retrieves his silly human.”

 

 

**********

 

That was really evil of me leaving you with that cliffhanger ending. I hadn't originally intended to do that but that's what happened. Don't worry I've already started Chapter 5, and that'll probably take me about a week - week/half to write and edit it. Unfortunately I don't have next weekend to work on it as I'll be away visiting family *gags*…the people I have to put up with because of shared blood…oh well. Don't forget to review!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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