InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Stealer ❯ Six - The Soul Stealer ( Chapter 6 )

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

�How could I ever have thought that Kagome was pregnant anyway?� But now that he�d said it, it seemed even more real. Pregnant. What if she�s� pregnant?

Jump to Callisto, the Soul Stealer - my original character. She is the real threat in this fanfic.

Callisto wants revenge... and she's planning on getting it - no matter who or what stands in her way. Two people are on her death list, isn't it convenient that the hanyou happens to be in the right place at the right time?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.02.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 334 | Status: Completed

Soul Stealer
Chapter Six - The Soul Stealer

Note: Kaja is pronounced `Kay-uh'

“How could I ever have thought that Kagome was pregnant anyway?” But now that he'd said it, it seemed even more real. Pregnant. What if she's… pregnant?

“Humph,” Callisto looked up at the dark sky above. Another day, another town destroyed and another couple of hundred jars filled. The containers swung faintly at her horse's side. Callisto straightened up.
The moon was the brightest she'd seen it in a while. There was a silver sheen to it, ghostly and fading into nothing. It was full, and the sight of it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

“Kaja, we'll be leaving for Musashi's domain soon.” She said briefly over her shoulder, her dark hair fluttering loosely in the wind. Kaja whinnied and raised her head, staring at her owner with large brown eyes. She then shook out her mane and the soul-jars rattled dangerously.

Callisto turned sharply. “Easy girl, you don't want to harm the merchandise,”
Her fiery gaze travelled over the hundreds of glass containers resting in satchels attached to her companion. She scowled.
“Not a single bad soul among them. Pity,” she turned back to look at the sky. “Bad souls are worth more. Right, Kaja?”

The horse whinnied again. Callisto smiled hungrily, her garnet-coloured eyes shifting.
“Yes-s… We'll try and swindle these to the puppeteers in the mountains. They're a bunch of demons I know who can't resist human souls,”

The moon ducked behind a stream of clouds - out of sight. Callisto's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists. “How many jars more do you think you can take, Kaja?” she asked the horse without turning. She didn't expect an answer. She was calculating in her head. Well… room for a town more, she thought.

She grinned menacingly. “There's a priestess over in Musashi's domain. She deserves something, I can tell ya,” Callisto looked down at the star-shaped scar on the back of her right hand. She scowled in recollection. “Her name was Kaede…”

The memories engulfed her. Bit by bit.
Back then, Callisto had been a maiden. Granted, she was a demon maiden and every boy in the village who fell in love with her soon ended up screaming: “Flee from the devil-woman!”
Good times…

But Kaede came along and put a stop to all that. She lived in the sister village, across the river and on the other side of the domain. She'd come to rid the town of the said `devil-woman'. Callisto had only been one hundred at the time. She had a whole life to live yet!

In appearance Callisto was only nineteen. She still seemed nineteen now. Her skin was the colour of cappuccino, her eyes were as red as lasers and just as unforgiving. Her ebony hair was wispy and loose - long and flowing down to her waist. She was beautiful, she always had been.

And her scar had only appeared after Kaede had kicked her out of the village. Only then, only after the human woman had arrived to `vanquish' her, was the mark cast on her for life.

Callisto rubbed the back of her hand softly. It hurt. Even now.
Kaede had been in her early thirties at the time but Callisto guessed that by now she'd be a withering old woman. She smirked dangerously.

Hmm… Now where is her village again?
Kaja nudged her back softly, nestling her nose in with Callisto's ribboned armour. Callisto turned, then glared at the distance - where she knew Musashi's domain rested. Her eyes were a pair of flames dancing in the moonlight.
“Come on, Kaja. We have some souls to steal,”

“This is not good… not good at all,” Kaede muttered, bustling about her hut. Miroku looked up, dazed. He was so tired. Even after all his rest, he felt the dizzying need to sleep fall over him. Sango was more than sympathetic. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder, yawning.

Besides Kaede, Shippo was the only one moving. He was sitting in front of the fire and at infrequent moments would move his hands to catch the warmth, then rub them together and blow on them.
He didn't look at all sleepy.

Kaede was grabbing all manner of things. Herbs, little glass vials, baskets, water, powders - anything she knew that would aid the girl lying stiff on the floor.
She was still unconscious. And every now and then, someone would look at her and sigh. Sigh painfully. They all wondered whether she would wake up.

Kaede sat down eventually at Kagome's side. She raised the girl's left hand in the air and patted it softly. She was upset; everyone could see it in her eyes. But not as upset as the boy opposite, who tried very hard to conceal it.

“Is she alright?” Inuyasha asked, sitting back on the balls of his feet - watching Kagome intently. Kaede looked bewildered for an instant, then slowly shook her head.
“I have no clue as to what is wrong with her,” she sighed, dropping Kagome's hand. It hit the floor with a thump.

Inuyasha flinched. He gazed down at Kagome's face. Her brows were furrowed; her eyes were clamped tightly shut and shifting from time to time - as if she were having a nightmare. Her lips would sometimes part, revealing gritted teeth. At that time, her eyebrows would arch and she'd look like she was in terrible pain.

All Inuyasha's ideas about her being pregnant were gone. If she were, she wouldn't have to endure this pain. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. He could feel the heat coming off of her as it was, he could see the beads of sweat hovering on her forehead and he could also see how flushed her face was at the temples - yet ghostly pale along her cheeks.

Inuyasha slammed his fist against the floor. Miroku leapt up in surprise - awake. Inuyasha started growling slowly under his breath. The noise was a churning sound that was slowly growing louder and erupting. “Why. Won't. She. Wake. Up?” he asked, his tone deadly. He sounded patient. He was quite the opposite at that moment.

Kaede shook her head - lost. “Inuyasha, don't fret. She's come out of worse things than this.”
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, angrily. “You don't know the first thing about what's wrong with her, and you're telling me to calm down?”

“I didn't say calm down. I said don't worry.” Kaede pointed out.
Sango sighed. “It's the same thing,” she said vaguely. “Inuyasha gets angry when he's worried.”

“I do not!” Inuyasha cried, standing up. “What makes you think I'm worried? Kagome's just… just putting this on!”
Miroku snorted. “Don't even try it, Inuyasha. We saw what you were doing and you can't talk yourself out of it. You even said, damn it, that you were with Kagome now. So, don't…”

Inuyasha froze. Damn, the monk's right. He looked down at his feet and scowled. Then he shrugged. “Okay. Fine. I'm worried. You got a problem with that?”
Miroku looked away. “It's okay with me,”

Kaede was eyeing the half-demon up and down. Then she let out a breath, smiling slightly. “I see…”
Inuyasha didn't like the way she said it. He frowned. “Kaede,” he began. “There's gotta be something you can d-”

There was a crash and footsteps pounding across hard wood flooring. A villager ran into Kaede's hut, panting. “Lady Kaede, word's spreading across the river! The Soul Stealer is coming this way!”

Kaede's eyes widened. She stood up, looking very old all of a sudden. “What?”
The villager looked terrified, his eyes were practically rolling in his head. “She's already killed the guards at the outposts! She's heading this way!” he repeated.

Kaede tensed up. Her shoulders sagged. Then, slowly, she turned away. “How many people are in the village?” she asked the man.
The newcomer seemed to recover slightly at this. He took in a few deep breaths. “Eighty - if you count the farming families along the horizon,”

Kaede sighed. Miroku and Sango looked at each other, bewildered. Inuyasha stared down at Kagome - apparently not listening to this conversation. Shippo's face was white and he was trembling. S-Soul Stealer…? He thought.
The villager opened his mouth, then began timidly, “Uh… Lady Kaede?”

“Evacuate the village,” she told the man. “I'll stay and do my duty.”
The villager nodded and ran off, yelling warnings at the top of his lungs.
Kaede frowned. “Miroku. Sango.”
The two looked up immediately. Kaede looked stern. “I want you to take Shippo and supervise the villagers as they leave - understand?”

The two gawped like fish for an instant, gibbering replies, when Shippo stood up and shook his head - tears in his eyes.
“No,” he said sharply. Kaede immediately glared at him.
She looked adamant. “Shippo, I'm not arguing. If you know what's good for you, little Kitsune, then go.”

“I won't!” Shippo demanded, stomping his foot. Inuyasha looked up at the small fox-demon in wonder.
Shippo was carrying on. “You all know my mummy died before my papa - but you don't know how! Well I'll tell you! She had her soul sucked out of her and she died in my papa's arms! The woman who killed her was the Soul Stealer: Callisto! And I want vengeance!”

“Just like you got vengeance for your father?” Inuyasha mocked, an eyebrow raised.
Shippo clenched his fists. “My mummy would still be here if it wasn't for that… that…”

“Shippo!” Kaede snapped. “This is not up for deliberation. You are leaving, understand? Besides…” she stopped, then composed herself. “You have to take care of Kagome. She's the closest thing to a mother you have left, and you have to ensure she gets away safely.”

The fox-demon's mouth fell open. His green eyes grew huge. And then his strength - the fight that kept him going - washed out of him. In a matter of seconds he crumpled like a puppet without strings. He looked at the floor. “Yes, ma'am.”

Kaede nodded in agreement.
“Keh!”
She turned to meet cold amber eyes. “What is it, Inuyasha?”
The half-demon sniffed. “Well, it's just that you haven't mentioned me in a while. Am I meant to help defend this town with you, or what?”

Kaede nodded gravely.
Inuyasha smiled devilishly. He tossed his hair over his shoulder. “And you didn't even ask me?”
Kaede sighed. “I'd have thought a prospect of a battle would be enough for you.”

Inuyasha blinked, then his grin grew wider. “Kaede?”
“Yes?”
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed suddenly. His expression grew stormy - his eyes dark. “How about `no'?”

Kaede shook her head. “Inuyasha…”
“Forget this, hag. I'm leaving. And Kagome's coming with me,” He bent down, picked Kagome up and slung her over his shoulder. Then he looked over at his other friends. He nodded in their direction. “They are, too. Come on, guys, this isn't our fight.”

Shippo looked up. He sniffed, withholding the new tears that threatened to fall. “Isn't it?” he asked.
Inuyasha's body stiffened.
Sango shut her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Miroku slowly nodded. “Shippo's right, Inuyasha. We can't just walk away.”

“Call it what you want, monk.” Inuyasha spoke more harshly than he meant too. “You can stay, but I'm leaving,”

With that, he burst out into the moonlight. It had been dark for a while now - it had taken him a long time to get back to Kaede's hut, longer than he'd imagined. At first it was hard for his demon eyes to adjust but soon Inuyasha realised that the village around him was empty.

Had tumbleweed been blowing it would have looked like a perfect ghost town. The wind whistled bitterly in the trees, the creek of wood rung out as the huts took a battering from the elements, owls hooted and softly - in the distance - came the padding of feet and the reverberating sound of horse's hooves.

Inuyasha stiffened. “No…”
They'd spent so much time arguing… they hadn't even thought how near the threat was.
She was here. Now. In the village. Making her way slowly through.
Callisto.
The Soul Stealer.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…”