InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tainted Trust ❯ Face Never Forgotten ( Chapter 9 )
Family Portrait
'Chapter Nine - A Face Never Forgotten'
The girl had been awake for quite sometime. Amber eyes trying to adjust to the dim light of the cell. She curled herself up noticing the gashes on her sides and arms. "Talon marks…" She stammered, before her memory painfully returned to her aching skull. "That's right…a bird demon." She sighed, until a reality hit her. What ever became of Miroku? Before her thought could be finished another interrupted.
"Hello?" He said cautiously, eyes studying her form in the moonlight.
"Where am I?" She mumbled, ignoring his greeting.
"In Sesshomaru's cell for humans that have been captured. You've been asleep for quite a while, I was wondering if you would make it, what with those wounds and all." He explained, her features turning worried.
"Sesshomaru's…Human pens…" She gasped, that bird demon had taken her here. It would have been easier if he would have killed her…
"Who are you?" He asked, watching her roving eyes.
"…Sango." She said simply, propping her sore body against the cold stone wall. She slowly, painfully, made her way across the cell, her goal to try and peer into the isle, to see into the other pens. 'Is Miroku here too?' She thought, hopeful.
"I'm Hojo." He watched her form inch it's way to the pen bars. "If you're looking for a way out, it's useless there isn't any way out of here. Sesshomaru keeps this place heavily guarded on the outside even if you were to break form this cell." He explained, but his new information didn't make her cease her search. He furrowed his brows; "Did you hear me?"
"I heard you…I'm looking for someone." She mumbled, thin fingers grasping the rotten iron bars for support as she tried to sift through the darkness.
"Who?" He asked, getting to his feet as well.
She didn't lilac all the questions he asked. No one she's ever known tried to pry this deep into a stranger's matters. "A monk named, Miroku." She stated, eyes wandering to each dark pen.
"Monk, not many of those around are there?" He chuckled softly before going to the bars as well. "Well, you wont be able to tell, too dark."
Amber eyes narrowed to him, "I understand the lighting is poor, but I will still look."
"Also, you're the only new one to come in all day." He said matter-o-factly. "You have a lot of stamina, taking those blows like that and still able to get up. What're you?"
"Excuse me?" She raised a brow.
He smiled apologetically, "I mean, anything special?" He looked her over, causing her to shift uncomfortably. She was indeed different from the other women who came in. Soft looking, yet a worker's build. Not many women were workers, besides the slaves, and she was captured recently so he ruled her out of being a slave from before.
"…I am a demon hunter." She said, crossing her way back to the corner she was in not so long ago. Wrapping her arms around herself. Eyes set to the figure that now sat in front of her.
"Not a very good one, eh?" He joked, but received an angry and hurt stare. "Just kidding, Gomen…" He mumbled, eyes locking with hers now. "You're not meant to be a slave. You can see it in your eyes; you demand respect for your position. However, Sango, slaves have no respect, no position. You better take that habit if you want to live to see that, Miroku you were looking for."
"I'm not a slave." She grumbled, eyes looking downwards.
"You are now." He said coldly. Too coldly for her tastes.
~
"Kikyo…" He snarled, golden eyes piercing her flesh like knives, as his grip grew tighter causing her to wince.
'Kikyo?' She thought to herself, eyes never leaving his intense gaze. 'Kikyo…The woman from my dream…this is why I remember this place.' She thought absently, ignoring the pain in her wrist as her dream flashed in her mind.
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"Kikyo?" The confused expression shone as the half demon leaped form his tree perch.
"Inu-Yasha…Inu-Yasha! That's not me!" She shouted, to no avail, she was too far away for him to hear.
"Kikyo, you're…injured?" He blinked, approaching once more.
"You did this to me! You vile beast, I trusted you!" Her eyes grew cold, ignoring the soft sprinkle of water that fell from their deep depths. He stopped in his tracks, a loss for words as she steadied an arrow.
"…It's…Not me…" She said to herself, trying to make the small boat move quicker. She would never make it in time to reach the half demon…her half demon…
The arrow aimed to his shoulder, her words piercing his ears, shattering his very soul. "Die Inu-Yasha." Her arrow flew with expert aim. It didn't miss it's target, piercing his shoulder, sending him flying back to be pinned to the thick God Tree. To be imprisoned…Forever.
"Inu-Yasha!" She yelped, running across the bank and towards the pinned half demon. "Inu-Yasha…" She said frantically. Who was that maiden? She looked just like her… "Don't worry, Inu-Yasha…I'll get the arrow out…" She choked, hands reaching forth to pry it free…But before she could grasp the soft wood she was taken…taken to her death. "Inu-Yasha!" Was her last cry to darkness…
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'I remember the dream…Kikyo…' "Inu-Yasha…?" She gasped, he was the hanyou form her dream…Now it was clearer. However, did the soul of that priestess take her body here…To free the man she couldn't in life. It must've been why she was dragged here, but now what will happen? He died thinking she killed him…
"Kikyo…Why did you try and kill me?" He said stonily, his eyes shining with pain and hurt.
"I…" She said softly, not understanding fully of this situation. Neither did she know if the inner voice trying to tell him the truth.
A voice broke the tense air, causing the half demon to turn to it. He let the girl's wrist drop as he saw who was in front of his now. She stepped from behind the thick tree, eyes staring into his. "Inu-Yasha, do not let her fool you…I am still here, she merely took my soul."
"…What?" He couldn't understand what was going on, two Kikyos? Glancing behind he saw…Nothing, where did that girl go?
"Inu-Yasha…" She called again, his golden eyes turning back to her. "Come with me…" She said silkily, the hanyou's eyes grew heavy until they shut completely. The girl's arms wrapping around his limp form, grinning gently to herself. The gaze that was upon his form now wasn't that of dark chestnut, but that of passion pink.
~
"Do not follow me, Jaken. I have important matter to attend." He growled, glancing coldly behind to the emerald demon.
"B-But master…I am confused, of what girl to you speak of? Surely you cannot speak of Kikyo…That wench died master!" He mumbled his eyes upon his intense optics of moonlight.
"I understand she is dead, I slew her with my own claws, did I not?" With that said he turned to leave, but once again was greeted by his follower's shrill voice.
"But master, what girl?" He squeaked.
"It is beyond your comprehension." He spat, letting him be greeted by the cold steel of the bedchamber door.
"Ah, Sesshomaru, I thought you would never make it…" The airy voice shattered the cool night air.
"Greetings, do you bring my brother?" He asked simply, approaching the female figure.
"Yes…" She nodded setting down the bundle that was Inu-Yasha.
"You play a good shape shifter, Naraku…" He said, hoisting the half demon easily over his shoulder.
"…Thank you…" She smirked, the original form seeping though, leaving a single lock of obsidian to be twirled between thin fingers.
"I ask one more task…" He said finally, stopping his pace to the door.
"What is it?" He asked, watching the once retreating figure.
"Find me the girl, witch took Kikyo's soul." With that spoken he left, Naraku disappearing into the night, as the world seemed distant once more. Walking down the hallway, he ignored the unconscious reptilian demon in front of his door. He roughly tossed his brother upon the dark tile of his old room, awaiting him to rise.
"What?" He mumbled, eyes attempting to focus upon the form in front of him.
"I see you've finally awoken from your sleep." He said simply, watching as Inu-Yasha got to his bare feet.
"No thanks to you…" He growled, "Kikyo removed my bind…"
"You know as well as I demons cannot touch a scared arrow. But, you talk of foolishness, it was her fault you have got there in the first place." He mumbled, meeting the angered stare from his brother. Grinning to him, as there was no retaliation he continued, "She betrayed you…"
"But-She-" He blinked, confusion entering his troubled eyes.
"What? You really believed she had a reason, or perhaps under a spell?" He restrained himself from laughing at his dismay. "Had she bound your heart where you would believe every spoken word? You are pathetic…that human was plotting your death from the beginning."
"But…I saw her…She helped me…" He grumbled to himself. Was he right, did Kikyo really intend to kill him that night? Her eyes were so full of hurt, so distant; it almost seemed like it was her…
Such words did not escape Sesshomaru's fine hearing. "Saw her? Dear brother, that girl has been dead for the past fifty years. We found her body a ways from yours…" He explained, Inu-Yasha defiantly believing everything. "Humans are cunning creatures. That's why we must keep them living in check under us Demons. You will reign with me…" He spoke again.
Inu-Yasha had drained out his voice. Numbly nodding as his brother departed his chambers. That was right, she had died. He saw her corpse before he was sent to coma. Then whom had he seen? And why was there two of her?
~
As soon as her wrist was dropped she had began running. She was still at a quickened pace. Soaked from swimming into the lake after the boat over turned in haste. She was trying frantically to make it back to Kaede's hut. 'Is my soul…really trying to take over again?' This was so confusing…She tried to block all her thoughts, as well as leaving the forest behind her. "Almost there…" She panted, making her way out to the dirt road. Down it would be Kaede's hut; she would just have to pray she ran into no demons. She was about to sprint down it, attempting to leave dust in her wake when a pitiful cry hit her ears.
"Girl…" Abruptly stopped she glanced around for the maker of this voice. "The bushes, quick, my leg…It's injured, demons may approach soon, please help me…I must get home to my family…" The voice whimpered, pulling Kagome from running or staying to help him.
"Well…" She mumbled, watching the soft rustling of the green leaves of the berry bushes. "Alright…" She sighed, prying her eyes away from the path and averting her attention to the bushes.
A/N:
Good chapter, bad chapter? Tell me! The next one will be mainly about Sango and Kagome and Hojo. And if I made Hojo OOC sorry, but I have no clue what he's like, I just decided to throw him in there instead of making up a whole new character in general. So, yeah…Please R&R and a new chapter will be posted shortly, otherwise I'll take my sweet time ^.~ Ja Ne!