InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taming the unruly ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 23 )

A drop of water stirred Ana from her sleep. How long had it been? Where were they? Ah-Uh whined, shaking their heads as the light drizzle turned into a downpour.  The dragon started his descent, something that she wasn’t too happy about. This rain would not be her set back, she needed to get to Edo ASAP! “Ah-Un,” she called out trying her best to grab the slippery leather reins. “Stop! What are you doing?” She gave the reins a tug to guide the dragon back to the skies but the thing wouldn’t budge. What were they doing? She knew that the two headed dragon could fly through the rain with ease, so why were they landing? She tugged on the reins once more, begging the dragon to do her bidding, but to her dismay they landed.

She hopped off their back when they entered a cave glaring at them for their blatant disregard for her wishes. “Why did you do that?” she yelled, as if she would have gotten a verbal response. The only answer she got was a clap of thunder and the sound of rain dancing along the land.  Ah-Un looked at her a ‘why do you think’ expression filling his eyes. She pulled her hood back, unsure of what they were trying to tell her. “I don’t know,” she answered simply. They turned from her, as if they were disappointed, shaking their head in silent disbelief before curling up on the cavern floor. She sighed in defeat, what did they think, that she would get sick from a bit of rain? That’s when realization kicked in. Ana how could you be so stupid? You are asthmatic after all, and a human. You could get an attack, even though it has been a while since you've had an episode, or you could get really sick. Or even worse, get struck by lightning.

“I’m sorry Ah-Un.” She gently patted the dragons heads, “I didn’t think about the consequences. You were only trying to protect me.” They snorted, an acception to her apology before one head nudged her, guiding her towards them. She complied, walking to the middle of where they lay, accepting what little warmth radiated from their body. It was going to be a long night with the way the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled.

The soft light of the early morning sun pulled Ana from a deep sleep. She groaned, stretching as she rose from her place of rest. “Ah-Un,” she yawned, trying to wake the dragon while trying to get the last bit of sleep from her system. “Ah-Un. We gotta go.” If they didn’t leave now she was sure the royal guards would catch up with them, or would they? No one knew where she was headed and since it had poured so much last night any scent trail she might have left would have dissipated.

They awoke after a moment, snorting unhappily. It seemed as if mornings were not their thing. Ana rolled her eyes at the laziness of the dragon. “You know we have somewhere to go. It’s not as if I had permission you know.” They snorted again, one head pointing to their back. Understanding the gesture she did as instructed. She hadn’t had an outburst since she had left the castle. Perhaps, as her mate had said, the forces inside her were indeed stabilizing again. She just hoped that it would stay like this, at least until they were in Edo, hurting Ah-Un was the last thing she wanted.

They ventured out of the cave, leaping into the sky when they got to its mouth. After a few minutes they started to descend again. “Ah-Un?” she questioned. They landed next to a creek. Oh, water, they wanted water. Heck, she needed it too. It wasn’t like she brought anything along with her except the clothes on her back. With an appreciative sigh she knelt down beside the creek and they drank to their heart’s content.

Foot firm on Ah-Un’s stirrup Ana readied herself to get back onto the dragons back only to stop when something flickered in her peripheral vision. She looked up, startled to find a little girl standing not too far from them. “Um, hello?” Ana asked, a bit taken back by the girls presence. The little girl just stood there, mirror in hand, motionless. “Are you lost?” Again nothing. She just stood there, dark eyes fixed on Ana. “If you are lost I can help.” Ana offered awkwardly. The girl’s lips moved but she couldn’t hear what she said. “Huh?” She moved closer to the girl.

“Soul absorption”.

An invisible force gripped her soul, her body affixed as if chains were wrapped around it. Fear engulfed every fiber of her being, eyes widening as she tried to move,  tried to cry out, but nothing happened. There was a sickening screech just like the ripping of velcro on a child’s no laced sneaker, but twice as loud and twice as aggressive. The wild patter of her heart skipped as the invisible force continued to pull until there was a loud snap.

Ears ringing, stomach lurching, Ana tried to stop herself from puking as she slowly regained her senses. What the hell just happened? Her head snapped up when she heard Ah-Un's worried cry, a collapsed body next to them. What the-... Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she watched the two headed dragon nudge the body in concern. That was her. That was her body! No, no, no, no, no, no….this could not be happening.

Trembling hands reached out in attempt to get back to her body but all she  encountered was an invisible wall. This could not be happening! "Ah-Un!" She cried out in desperation, but it seemed as if the dragon could not hear her. They just continued to nudge her limp body, trying to wake her and when they couldn’t took a defensive stance over her body. Poised for attack they charged towards her when she floated closer towards them, only to be stopped by a gust of wind. What was that all about? Why would Ah-Un want to attack her? Now focused on the new enemy they prepared themselves again, leaping into the air to ward of the enemy but was stopped again by another gust of wind. That attack, it was so familiar, but who… the enemy came into view, large feather swaying in the breeze, black hair tucked perfectly into a short ponytail. No, why was she here?! If she was here that could only mean one thing...

“Ah-Un!” she screeched in vain, banging against the invisible barrier as realization took a firm hold of her consciousness.  “No, no, no…” she mumbled, as she watched Ah-Un’s side get clipped by one of Kagura’s attacks. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t  pulled Ah-Un into this, none of this would be happening. Numb palms slid down the invisible force field as she watched a frightened Ah-Un scurry away from the scene in a flash. She should be happy, really, but as time slowly ticked on, an eerie sense of deja vu grazed the back of her mind. It was just like her nightmares where her mate walked away, leaving her to be preyed upon.

Disembodied, she turned from the scene. On one hand Ah-Un returning would signal her distress but on the other what would become of her? Those nightmares… they were coming true. He had said he was looking for her and she had thought that it was just her messed up mind conjuring her experience into a nightmare, but here she was, captured just like he said. “Damn it!” she heard Kagura curse. “We better get out of here Kanna.” The girl named Kanna said nothing.

Empty, that’s how she felt. Nothing made sense. How did they find her? Why now? Why did she leave? What would he do to her? Now that was a dumb one. Of course she knew. The way he had looked at her. The lust in his eyes, the way they danced gleefully as she squirmed under his thumb. The satisfied look he got when he managed to get her to scream. It was all going to happen again. And this time… this time, he may actually get what he wanted. The thought alone, having his hands on her, touching her in a manner that only her mate should... a shiver ran through her disembodied body, her stomach clenching with raw fear. Dread. Blank, cold dread as if she were a child once more engulfed her entire being. Would she be able to come back from this? She knew the answer. No. If he got that far she would kill herself. The nightmares were just too much. Overcoming them once was bad enough. Would Sesshomaru even want her after that? What are you thinking Ana? Of course he would… It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. That wasn’t the point though. The point was if she would be able to let him back in after going through all of that. She knew that she hadn’t fully recovered from the first time.

As time rolled on her mind raced, questions were answered by made up answers; answers reworded into more questions. It was like a badly written song that was annoyingly catchy, endlessly worming itself into your mind until you gave into the madness and start to actually like it. This weightless body made it so easy. Much like how it was when she had re-lived her mate’s life. She could do nothing but watch in horror  just like what she was doing now. A small part of her wanted to give in, to just let it happen but she knew better. Even if her emotions were like an endless sea of deard she refused to let the work her friends and mate had done for her be unravelled.

She gasped awake from a sleep she didn’t know she was in, a heavy cough rattling her chest. She took a shaky breath as her eyes tried to focus in the darkness. She was back in her body she realized as her fingers rubbed the center of her chest to ease the pain. Where was she?  Her palm glided over a silky material, its feel and texture familiar. She’s back in her room? How long ago did she fall asleep? Was that all just a dream? Shit! She was supposed to be getting ready to go to Edo. She slid off the futon, ready to prepare herself when a flicker of light pulled her attention to the corner of the room. The world went absolutely still as a figure stepped out of the darkness, the glow of the candlelight illuminating his face. Frozen, she watched as a sly smile touched his lips and ruby eyes danced with excitement. “Well hello my love. I have been waiting for you.”