InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tale of the Twins ❯ Chapter Twenty-Nine: Kaida ( Chapter 29 )

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

I'm so sorry that this one took so long! Midterms are coming up, roommate trouble, boys, work… Y'know…

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kaida

Kuraimaru opened his eyes slowly. He assumed that he had fallen asleep, which was logical—he had been utterly exhausted. He looked around. He was still seeing through his dog form's eyes. He slowly rose, stretching, and changed back into his humanoid form. It was more convenient anyway.

He sniffed the air. He couldn't hear the wind anymore, and the smell was that of damp rocks and… something alive. He could hear slight movement. He assumed that it was breathing, but it didn't sound like a dragon.

“The storm has passed,” a voice said in a distinctly English accent. “It's safe to go out now.”

He turned around. But it wasn't a dragon he was looking at.

An European girl, a bit older than him, with red hair and deep red eyes, and a slight but strong build was what he found himself looking at. She was wearing European clothing—but it wasn't expensive, it was more of peasant clothing, actually, albeit it looked new. But, the expensive European clothing would do her no good. It would get in the way, and do nothing for her figure. “Is that your other form, then?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “This is how I appear to myself, and so I chose it.”

He frowned. “You can choose how you appear?”

She nodded slightly. “Because I hatched in my dragon form and had no definite humanoid form, I can choose how it looks. This is just how I see myself.”

Well, she picked a good one. “I see.” He combed a hand through his long hair absently. “I suppose I shall be going then.” He bowed slightly—a nod of the head. “Thank you. If there is any way that I can repay you, please say so.”

The cave was plenty wide enough, but the fact that she stood in his way—quite deliberately—made him pause before exiting. “What's your name?”

“Kuraimaru.”

She nodded slightly. “Kurai… maru?”

“Yes.”

“What does that mean?”

He had never met someone who had asked him that before. Of course, most Europeans regarded him with a bit of racism, and his family already knew. And, of course, he had never met anyone that he felt like socializing himself with. “It means `nobility,' and `dark perfection.'”

She looked thoughtful. “That sounds sort of… almost romantic, in a dark kind of way.”

“Indeed. I told you my name. I think it would only be fitting for you to tell me yours.”

She laughed. “I'd tell you it, if I had one. But I don't.”

He hadn't been expecting that. He paused, looking at her. “How is that possible?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “My parents died before I had hatched. I'm pretty sure the Catholic Church killed them off or something.” She cocked her head slightly to one side. “So, considering that I grew up by myself, I didn't really need a name.”

Somehow, that seemed sad. To be nameless. It made sense but it still seemed… distressing. Suddenly, he smiled. “Then I'll call you `Kaida.'”

She blinked slowly. “Kaida? What's it mean?”
He felt his smile widen a little at the puzzled look on his face. “'Little dragon.'”

Gradually, a smile graced her fair features. “'Kaida.' Kaida.” She looked sort of content. “I like that.” He realized that she was blushing behind her red hair. It was cute, really. Childish, perhaps. But really cute.

He looked around the cave. It was rather barren. “Do you live here?”

“Right now, I do,” she said. She glanced out the entrance. “Though I've been considering flying back to England. I'd like to see London again.”

Kuraimaru nodded. For some reason, he wanted to go too. He'd spent too long in America. He started to ignore the thought and leave without her, but then he stopped. “Can I go with you?”

She looked at him, a bit shocked to hear those words. “What?”

“I've spent too long in America, and traveling by myself is boring. So would it be all right if I went with you?”

She blushed again, but overcame it quickly. “Try not to slow me down too much.”

“I can try,” he promised. He walked out of the cave and looked around. Everything was covered in snow. If the sun wasn't in the sky, he'd have no idea as to where he should even begin. He glanced back at Kaida. “What's the fastest way out of these mountains?”

“To fly,” she answered. She looked at him sidelong. “In all reality, it's probably the safest way out too.” She looked around again. “Considering that the risk of avalanches and storms.” She walked out in to the open. “Some of the storms can last for weeks. We were lucky.”
“Indeed.”

“Shall we go?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she transformed back into the first form he had seen her in. Comparing her two forms like that was strange. Most youkai had similarities between each form—enough to look the same anyway. The only real similarity was her hair and eye colour. No markings or anything. “What are you looking at?”

He blinked. He hadn't realized that he had been staring. “I was merely contemplating how it might be possible for me to keep up with you; I can't fly quite yet.”

She opened her mouth partway and made a deep growling noise. It took him a moment to realize that she was laughing. She took a step toward him, effectively closing the distance between them. She lowered her head down to his level. It was kind of intimidating. She could swallow him without the need to chew. He was glad that she had chosen to save him instead of picking a fight with him. He would probably have lost.

She turned her body, lowered her neck and shoulders primarily. Understanding downed on Kuraimaru and he climbed on to the base of her neck—the one place that seemed blessedly free of spikes. He hung on as she launched into the air. Luckily, Kaida knew exactly where she was going and they were free of the mountain range within two hours' time.

European dragons were a lot different than the Eastern in many ways. Eastern dragons sort of floated. The European ones flew by their own strength and willpower, and it was more of a strain. It was interesting watching her. She made it look so effortless, but he could literally feel every muscle in her body working to keep her in the air.

Once they were free of the mountain range and the weather became a bit more reasonable, she landed in a large enough space. He slid off of her neck. She stretched a little. “I'm going hunting,” she said.

“Enjoy yourself.”

“Of course. Shall I bring you back anything?”

He shook his head slightly. “No.”

“Very well.” She took off again and soon disappeared, leaving him standing in the middle of the clearing. He stretched. He had been sitting still for too long. Slowly, he sat down and finally laid down on the cool, fresh grass. He inhaled their distinct scent, savoring it. He could smell pine trees somewhere. He could smell water too. He assumed that it was a pond because he didn't hear it moving, but he could hear the fish occasionally jump out of the water. A wind blew down from the mountains and caused the trees to stir their branches. He liked the sound. It was calming. If he listened closely enough, he could hear a family of rabbits somewhere in the forest. An animal that sounded like a deer from its movements was somewhere else.

He looked up at sky. A hawk was circling overhead. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was nice to relax and enjoy the scenery sometimes, particularly when it was so lovely.

Slowly, he allowed himself to drift off in to what became a peaceful slumber. He didn't dream, and that was fine. When he did, it was usually something depressing, like Shuarra Meitsuki screaming for Kuraimaru to stay. He dreamed about her a lot. It made him wonder if she was really all right, or if she was trying to call out to him somewhere, because she was miserable.

He wished he knew.