InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tale of the Twins ❯ Chapter Nineteen: Separated ( Chapter 19 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Nineteen

It wasn't like their parents were being lax in their parental duties. It was that, for whatever reason, Naraku and Sesshoumaru had wandered off in to the woods. From what the others were saying, they must have gone out pretty far, because they couldn't smell or sense either of them.

However, situations like this were best left taken advantage of. No barrier tonight, and two less guards. The twins had to take advantage of this situation.

It wasn't like Iria, Rin, and the others didn't take precautions either. Naturally, they were under supervision until Rin thought they had fallen asleep, and even then, Rin and Iria were on either side of them. The twins watched the two until Iria and Rin had fallen asleep, then they quietly got up and tiptoed out of the camp area. Once certain that no one would hear them, or might mistake them for forest creatures, they broke out in a sprint. Once they were even farther away, they began to laugh and play, weaving in and out of the trees, jumping over foliage, and other such play.

Kuraimaru suddenly froze. It was so unexpected that his twin actually slammed in to him. He stood his ground and she peered around his shoulder curiously.

“What's goin' on--Oh…” Her eyes widened at the sight before her eyes. The two stared in awestruck silence. They knew that they weren't youkai, but it seemed impossible that an ordinary animal could be so big. Beside them, the twins felt insignificant. They were elephants, but they didn't know what they were; they had never seen them before. The elephants paid the youkai twins no heed as they passed, slowly but surely, making large prints in the forest to mark their passing.

When the creatures had passed and the twins lost sight of them, they rushed out of the hiding place to see if they were really as big as they had looked. Shuarra stood in the center of one of the footprints.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “They're so big!”

Kuraimaru nodded. “I wonder what they are.”

She hopped to a smaller footprint. “If they stepped on me…” She poked at a tree branch that had been stepped on—split right in two. “I'd be flat.” She raised one hand up in the air and brought it down on her other palm, imitating squishing noise vocally, trying to imagine one of those creatures stepping on her or some other smaller creature—like that tiger they had run in to. “Do you think they're mean?” she wondered.

Kuraimaru glanced at the trail. “I don't know.”
She brightened suddenly. “Want to go find out?”

He was really tempted to go. In fact, he almost led the way, then he glanced at the limb that had been so easily snapped in half. If those creatures got angry or frightened… “Bad.” He pointed at the limb. “That'll be your spine if you scare them, Shuarra.”

“I'm not scary!”

He smirked. “You're face is scary.”

“You're so mean!” She picked up a rock and threw it at him. He caught it. This angered her further and she picked up a stick. She charged at her older brother, swinging it like a kendo blade. He laughed and dodged, then jumped upwards, landing precariously in a tree. She ground her teeth in frustration. “If Kurai-kun weren't a coward, you'd come down and fight Shuarra!”

Kuraimaru frowned. “Why?”

“So you're not a coward!”

His frown deepened. “What's the point in fighting you? I already know I'll win.”

“Ya don't know that!” She swung her stick again angrily. “Come down here!”

“No. It's a waste of time.”

“Loser! Kuraimaru is a loser! Shuarra Meitsuki wins!” She spun around in a circle joyously and stuck her tongue out at her brother. A stick hit her in the face. She glared at him. “You're mean! Sore loser!”

He sighed deeply. “Baka.”

“Am not! Coward! Loser!” Another stick hit her in the face. She backed away to what she judged to be a safe distance. She stuck her tongue out again. “Kuraimaru is a loser!”

“Shut up.”

She laughed. “It's true! Loser—“

“Shut up!” he snapped.

She frowned and looked around. “Are we in trouble again?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Shuarra-kun, get up here.”

She dropped her stick immediately and rushed to the tree. With her brother's aide, she scaled it. They waited in silence, searching the darkness for anything out of the ordinary. They heard something walking. They tensed. Kuraimaru could make out a figure in the trees, but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction for him to tell what it was. It was walking toward them. They stopped moving, eyes wide, staring.

The figure stepped out of the trees. They weren't sure of whether to be relieved or frightened, for the figure was Sesshoumaru.

“You are causing trouble for Rin and Iria,” he commented.

Kuraimaru jumped down, landing beside him. “They woke up?”

“Yes. They awoke everyone and they are searching for you.”

“Oh…”

“You know what this means, Kuraimaru.”
He looked away. “Yes.” Big trouble. Shuarra Meitsuki was trying to get down, but her legs weren't quite long enough yet. She was too little make it down safely on her own. Sesshoumaru held out his arms and she let go of the tree branch, trusting him to catch her, which he did. He set her down. She almost hugged him, then backed away upon seeing exactly how displeased he was.

“You're… mad?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She looked down. “Because we wandered away on our own.”
“One would think that you two would know better.” He sighed. But they were youkai, after all. Arrogant and reckless to the end. But it wasn't like he had a choice but to leave them. Naraku had to leave, regardless, and Sesshoumaru wanted to be there for him, just in case something were to happen. But once he heard the commotion in the camp, he had to investigate. His suspicions had been confirmed, so he had set out looking for his children.

And here they were. Out playing while everyone else was to their wits' end looking for them.

What should he do? What possible punishment could there be that would be functional? An idea suddenly sprang to mind. Separation. They would hate it. If he threatened to separate them, they might actually behave once they were together again. A perfect plan. He would separate them all day the next day, and all night as well.

Come to think of it… He had never seen the two of them apart. They were siblings, but they were also best friends. What would they be like separated from each other?

The answer came in the morning, when Naraku returned. Sesshoumaru had explained the ordeal to him, and Naraku decided to take Shuarra Meitsuki and stay with the rest of the group. Sesshoumaru took Kuraimaru and they went on ahead of them.

For a while, Kuraimaru seemed just fine, then he started looking anxiously over his shoulder, biting his lower lip nervously. All in all, he simply didn't feel right with her so far away, though he never once brought the matter up.

Shuarra Meitsuki was no where near as composed as her brother. She complained often and loudly of his absence, and when threatened in to shutting up, she felt the pain of his absence like missing her intestines—he was so vital. She kept halfway expecting him to suddenly show up, and he didn't. It was disorienting in such a way as that she walked as if in a daze.

By the end of the day, they were both ready to sleep, but couldn't manage to sleep much at all without the other nearby. They both only wondered about the other, and they were out of range for their “mind link,” so to speak, to function with clarity. Kuraimaru only knew which direction she was in, and nothing more. He felt like something very important was missing—like maybe an arm or something—without her hovering around him.

In the morning, their punishment was over and they rejoiced upon seeing each other. They remained inseparable for three days afterwards, though they never once snuck out again. The punishment had been a success—and they had made it to the location of the new ship as well. Nanako was already there, waiting for them.

Thought:

I think Rin needs a sexy youkai or even hanyou boyfriend. It won't be for a bit longer, though. Suggestions/ideas/thoughts regarding this are welcome and appreciated.