InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tears of Blood ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

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

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<B>Tears of Blood </B>
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<I>Chapter Four</I>
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xXx
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He ran as fast as he could. <I>'I'm not going back, never,'</I> he thought. As he ran, clear liquid streamed from his eyes, only to get thrown into the wind. He yelped as he tripped over an overturned root. He cursed it for all it was worth and picked up is small body to continue running.
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"Wait, Shippou-chan," a female voice said from close behind him. "Do you hate me that much?!" The small kitsune turned to look at the woman who caught up to him.
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"Yes," he said in a tone that could kill the already dead. "I do, Okaasan," he said, and looked at her the way one should never look at another.
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"Why?!" she asked her son, not one tear attempted to form in her eyes, however. Her eyes were almost… happy. Shippou seen it, and snorted disgustedly.
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"How DEAR you, of all people, ask me that?!" he started, "I may have loved you at one time. Even after everything you have done to me, I loved you still, but no more. I'm leaving, and this time I am not coming back. I don't need you, I only stayed because of Otousan," he yelled. The dark hid the smirk on the uncaring and cruel older female kitsune. "If it weren't for him, I would still be eating rats in a cave somewhere."
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"Where will you go, Shippou-chan," she spat as if his name were a disease. "You have no one, and where will you go? You are merely a ten-year old kitsune. You are nothing without me," the evil grin seemed like it would never leave her face.
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"Good bye, Okaasan," a sad smile crept into his face. "I wish you would tell Otousan that I love him, but you wont so I'll not even bother," he turned his back to her. For the last time he wished his mother would embrace him, in the way a mother only could. Tell and show him how much he was loved. Comfort him from his nightmares, not give them to him.
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"You'll come back," the cruel woman said matter-of-factly.
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"How much I wish I could hate you," he whispered the last words he would ever utter to his mother. Shippou ran, somehow, faster than before. He would run until sunrise.
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xXx
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The tiredness was overwhelming and it overtook him as he approached a cave. It was deep though he stopped when he couldn't see the entrance any longer. He collapsed to the flour and let the rest of his tears fall. Shippou hugged his knees and let sleep take him.
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xXx
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"What the hell isss that?!" a hissing voice said.
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"I'm not ssure master, but looksss like a baby kitsssune," another voice said.
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"I know what it isss, what isss it doing here?"
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"Would you like for me to get rid of it Yuko-sssama," the other youkia said.
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"No Masao, take him back asss a guessst. The young kit looksss asss if he hasss had a very long and hard journey," the snake finished looking at Shippou's bloody paws.
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"Yesss my lord," said the other snake, and picked up the kit. He disappeared into the cave, fallowing his master.
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xXx
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Shippou was very reluctant to open his eyes, afraid of what he would see if he did.
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"Hello," a voice said, and Shippou opened his eyes. Shippou sat up with a fear-stricken face, he stared at the snake youkia.
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"H-hello," he cracked the snake smiled.
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"Hello kitsssune," the voice said again. "I am Yuko, of the sssnake youkai."
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"Shippou," the kit said automatically, fear evident in his face.
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"Don't worry Shippou-chan, I will not hurt you. We found you at the entrance of my cave, you have been asssleep ever ssensse.
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"Thanks," he was careful to keep his face emotionless.
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"May I ask why you traveled for ssso long at one time?"
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"It doesn't really matter, I not going back," said Shippou.
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"Alright then, perhapsss sssome other time," he said his kind smile never leaving as he heard Shippou's stomach demand attention. "My ssservantsss have brought you sssome food. I believe it isss ssstill good."
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"Thanks," he said again, gratefully.
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"Do you have any where to go?" the youkia lord asked even though it was more like a statement. Shippou found his bandaged paws quite interesting at the moment.
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"No," he whispered truthfully.
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"I thought ssso, You will ssstay here then," Yuko didn't ask.
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"But I wouldn't--"
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"You wont, Shippou-chan. I don't want to be ressponsssible for the death of a baby kit," the snake said kindly, but demanding.
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"Thanks again, Yuko-sama," a small smile setting into his face.
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"Good, when you're finisshed with your food, I'll have my ssservantss sshow you around the casstle."
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"Castle, I thought this was a cave?" Shippou asked.
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"Thisss is an under grown castle," he laughed "It's necesssary because of the work we do, so no one or nothing would find usss," the snake youkia finished.
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"What kind of work do you do?" he asked innocently, Yuko's smile faltered for a second.
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"I think it isss time for you to eat, before the ssservantsss have to leave," the youkia started to leave as Shippou ate his food.
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xXx
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"… And thisss isss the dining area," the servant, Masao said looking and acting board. "You are to eat there, NOT in your asssigned room," he opened the large doors. Shippou looked in awe. This 'cave' was indeed an underground castle.
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"Yes sir," was the kits automatic response. He was only half listening to the snake youkai. They continued down the long endless hall.
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"…This is the masster'sss room," he said as they stopped in front of two beautiful indigo and gold doors.
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"Yuko-sama stays in there?!" Shippou asked.
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"Yes, but you will not go in there unlesss invited," Masao said to Shippou who wasn't paying as much attention as he should have. "Do here me, kitsssune?!" for the first time the snake looked at Shippou.
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"Y-yes sir," Shippou smiled at the youkia. Masao got angry as well as annoyed.
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"My masster may tolerate you kitssune'sss, but I don't," the snake gave him a deadpan look. "If given the chancsse, I would kill you both."
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"What do you mean?" that got the kit's attention.
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"Children," Masao muttered to himself. "No, the other kitsssune child."
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"There's another kitsune here?!" Shippou asked both happy and confused.
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"Yesss, and she ressidess next to the room you will be ssstaying in."
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"Where is my room?" he asked excitedly. Masao made a disgusted sound.
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"A little ways from the masster'sss," he told him.
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"Then let's go," Shippou couldn't hold in his excitement, and almost started in a run, Masao kept his pace, most defiantly going against the kit's wishes.
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"Thisss isss your room," the snake servant told him as they approached the tall indigo doors. Shippou, however, didn't give it a second glance. Masao rolled his cat-like eyes. "Thiss isss the other kitssune'sss room," he move a few feet and stopped when they reached an identical set if indigo doors. The snake youkia knocked on the door. However, before he could get an answer, he opened the door.
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"What do you want, Masao?!" said a small and very annoyed female voice.
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"You should be a lot more ressspect," the youkia spat.
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"What, respect you?!" the female kit mocked. "I'd rather die."
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"That can be arranged," the snake servant smirked, though knowing quite well that he wouldn't for fear of his master.
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"Empty threats, that's getting old Masao," she smirked as a bell of some sort was heard.
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"If you don't mind, I have more important mattersss to attend to," the youkai said through clenched teeth. "No wondering around," then he left. Shippou couldn't take it any longer and went in the other kit's room.
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"Hello?" the kit said when she some enter after the bells rang.
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"Hi," was Shippou's oh so intelligent response.
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"You must be the other kitsune Yuko-sama was talking about," she said excitedly, and jumped off her over sized bed. "I'm so happy you're here, my name's Vilna!" she continued jumping up and down, shaking him.
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"Hi," he repeated. "I'm Shippou."
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"Well Shippou, It's nice to meet you," she let go of him only to give him a long crushing hug.
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"Yea … nice … to … meet … you … too," Shippou gasped with his small lungs begging for air. Vilna finaly let go, and Shippou took a few minutes to get his breathing back to normal.
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"I've never meet a kitsune my own age before," she told him.
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"Nether have I," Shippou said thoughtfully as they both sat on the flour.
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"Well we're not really suppose to any way," Vilna smiled. "We're only suppose to see other kit's when we're of age to mate," she said as if remembering something, Shippou nodded in agreement. "Anyway, how'd you get here?" Vilna asked.
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"We'll um … I ran away. I was running all day and I found this cave. Then Yuko-sama found me and brought me here," he tried to sound as chirpy as her, but it wasn't working too well.
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"Oh," was all she said.
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"What about you?" he asked.
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"My tousan died and because my kaasan was a hanyou, she was killed short after. I ran as fast I could until Yuko-sama found me," she faked a smile.
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"A hanyou?" Shippou asked.
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"My Kaasan was half human and half kitsune," she sounded sad.
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"That means that you have human blood in you too," Shippou smiled.
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"You want to make some thing of it?!" she asked in a low tone.
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"N-no, I don't care that you have human in you," he smiled, noting for the future not to make her angry.
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"Good, just don't tell anyone. Only Yuko-sama, and now you, know about it," she told him. Shippou made an imaginary 'X' across his chest.
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"I promise, I wont tell anyone," he continued smiling, in turn making her smile again.
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"Thanks, I can tell we're going to be great friends," she gave him another big hug.
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"No … problem," he gasped and she let him go. "But you don't smell at all like human?" he questioned.
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"Only certain youkia can smell me. Basically only the inu-youkia and the wolf youkia can smell it," her smiled wavered. He could tell she didn't like being part human.
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"Anyway," Shippou decided to chance the subject. "We're is Yuko-sama?"
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"He's working," she shrugged.
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"Doing what?" he asked some what annoyed.
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"Dono' nobody'll tell me. Yuko-sama said that he'll tell me when I get old enough," she shrugged again.
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"Oh," was all he said not giving it a second thought. "You have a nice room," he looked around for the first time being in her room. He saw a huge canopy bed with light pink see-through sheets. The bed also had pink sheets on it. The bed it self was wood with a cotton-like matters. The flour was made with a gray and black marble. The walls and ceiling were round and cave-like. He also noticed an indigo colored door that looked like it went to his room.
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"Your room should look the same, but with different colored sheet of course," she smiled, interrupting his thoughts.
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"Oh yea," there was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a short while.
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"Well I'll go now, I have to see my room," he started to get up.
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"Ok, just don't wander around, Masao gets really mad with that for some reason," she laughed. "I did that and I didn't really get that far."
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"Ok," he lied and they both knew it. "See ya soon," he smiled.
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"All right, bye,"
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xXx
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"I thought I told you not to wonder around," the very angry snake servant scolded Shippou.
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"Um …"
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"I sssaid no wondering and when I sssay that I mean it!" Masao said.
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"…Um… " the kitsune studded. He had been caught 'looking around' as the snake youkia would put it. As Vilna said, he didn't get very far.
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"You!" Masao hissed very angrily. "You will ssstay here until the massster fetchesss you and the other brat," he almost through him in the room and slammed the door.
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"Fine," Shippou yelled at the closed door. He sat on his large canopy bed with his arms crossed and waited for the snake youkia lord.
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xXx
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"You're too slow," Shippou teased a laughing Vilna who chased him through the long halls.
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"Shippou, get back here!" she gasped. She didn't notice him stop short and ran right into him. "Ow, why'd ya stop!?" she asked and rubbed her back.
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"Vilna, do you know where we are?" he asked looking around.
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"No, I've never seen this place before," she looked around as well. The hall was less wide and not as light as the others. There were only a few doors that were plain wood and rotten.
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"Do you think we finally found the dungeons?!" Shippou asked.
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"I don't know, but it looks like it." She went up to one of the doors.
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"Wait," Shippou said, as she was about to open it. "Masao and Yuko-sama's going to be mad at us," he tried to reason, though he wanted to open it as much as she did.
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"They're already mad at us for wandering." That was reason enough for him.
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"Alright open it,"' he said.. She hesitantly turned the doorknob. They froze in place for what they saw.
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"Um … Shippou?" Vilna said nervously.
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"Vilna," he said in the same tone.
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"You're seeing what I'm seeing, right?"
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"I … I think so," his eyes never left the two figures they saw. Two female humans huddled together on a small cot. With just a small blanket wrapped around them. Only one torch lit up the desolate cold room.
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"H-hello," Vilna finaly said bravely. The older of the two looked up.
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"Please, don't close the door little one," she said with a shadow of a smile.
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"Uh, ok," was all the kit could say.
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"Who are you?" Shippou asked.
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"We are prisoners and we are dying," the younger human said.
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"Akina!" the older woman scolded. "They are only children."
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"Youkai children," Akina said.
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"None the less-" she winced in some sort of pain. "-they are still children."
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"Yes, Okaasan," she said not wanting to argue with her mother.
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"Sorry, we're not too fond of youkai," the woman tried to smile.
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"That's all right. I'm Vilna," she smiled and put something between the door so it would stay open a crack.
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"I'm Shippou," he smiled just the same. "W-why," he tried to get courage to ask. "Why are you here?" he finally asked. The older woman sighed.
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"We are dying and we're prisoners here," she winced as pain set through her abdomen. "We have about less than a week to live."
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"Yuko-sama knows that you're here?" Vilna asked.
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"Yes," she sighed again.
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"Than why--," Vilna walked closer to the cot. She saw it before she smelt it, unfortunately . "Oh gods!" The flesh on the two women was rotten and decaying almost right off their bones. The older woman had her hands and feet wrapped in bandages. Their arms and legs were rotten to the core and unusable. It was a surprise that they could even speak. "You're lepers?" she was barely able to ask in her shock.
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"No," the younger one, Akina, said. "We don't have a disease, we are poisoned. This poison is far worse then leprosy."
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"Who did this to you?" Shippou asked. "You should tell Yuko-sama. He'll do something about it," he smiled. trust for the snake youkai evident in his eyes.
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"It was--" Akina was cut off sharply by her mother.
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"You really like…" she paused, "… him," she finished, trying to hide her distaste for the youkai.
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"He saved us. If it weren't for him, we'd be dead some where," Vilna said. The two humans looked in disbelief.
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"What… why… I mean… how is that possible," Akina stuttered. She didn't believe what the kit said for one minute. "That youkai is sick and evil and--" she was suddenly cut off when the door was suddenly flung open. Who stood in the door way was non other than the snake servant Masao. Not a good sign, for either of them.
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"What the HELL are you two doing!?" he yelled. "I have told you, NO WANDERING. The massster isss going to have your heads for thisss!" He attempted to drag the two kits out of t he room.
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"It was nice meeting you," both said before the door was slammed shut.
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xXx
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"What did you two think you were doing?!" the snake lord asked scolding at the two kit's sitting across from him.
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"Yuko-sama, we found a room with two humans in it," Vilna piped up.
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"…And they were sick," Shippou finished for her.
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"Masao told me assss much," Yuko mumbled.
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"Yuko-sama?" Shippou asked. "Why are they sick and why are they here?" The kit gave him a quizzical look identical to Vilna's. The snake let out a loud sigh.
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"I guessss I have to tell you about the sssnake youkai hisssstory…"
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xXx
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"So why can't you cure them?" Shippou asked. The two young kits couldn't believe what their beloved, kind snake youkai was telling them.
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"Shippou-chan," he paused. "I can't. There are a lot of reassonsss why I can't. "I was paid to poisssion the two human woman by a certain youkai becaussse of a cursssed human monk."
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"But why can you still help them?" Vilna asked.
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"Bessidesss," he ignored the kit. "I have only done that once, and it wass out of love for the human," he paused again. "After I did, however, she ran off to another youkai, a kitsssune. I will not ever do that again." Both Vilna and Shippou shared blank looks.
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"But--" Vilna started but stopped herself. "Yuko-sama?" he looked at her. "C-can we… um go and visit then until they… go?" she asked. "So they know that they're not alone?" she added as an after thought. Yuko stared blankly at the kitsune children. Then he sighed yet again, he had no choice.
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"Thank you, Yuko-sama," Shippou said emotionless, then started to leave, Vilna at his heels. They didn't wait to be dismissed. They both needed time alone to think about what they just heard. To them, Yuko was a kind and wonderful youkai who had adopted them. How could he do that, and how could he keep it from them?
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xXx
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"What are you two doing back here," Akina asked confused.
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"Yuko-sama said we could come here until …" Shippou trailed off as Vilna put the stopper in the door.
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"Did he also tell you why--" she winced, "We're sick?" she asked. Her mother gave her a deadpan look.
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"Yes," Vilna said flatly. "We are both disappointed in him," she finished. Akina smiled, she didn't hate the two kits in front of her. She didn't even hate other youkai as much as she thought she did. She loathed the snake youkai for everything they were worth, which wasn't much, for raping her and her mother in front of her brother who was to die of the same curse as his father and grandfather.
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"Akina-sama? Shippou said interrupting he thoughts. She was surprised, no youkai called her that before.
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"Yes?" she asked.
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"W-why wont your Okaasan speak?" he asked when he noticed she wasn't talking.
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"Oh," she looked down. "Okaasan can't talk any more, her jaw stopped working.”
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"But she spoke the other day," Vilna said sitting down next to Shippou.
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"Hai, she was," she saddened more. " Kaasan won't live much longer. S-she has maybe a day or two if she is lucky," she tried to sob.
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"We're so sorry Akina-sama," Vilna said sympathetically and got up to try to comfort the human.
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"I really wish there was something we could do," Shippou said.
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"You have already done something," she said looking up, a single tear falling down her cheek. "You have taught us that not all youkai are as evil as they seem," she said, "Even if it's too late."
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xXx
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"Yuko-sama, please give her a proper burial, please," Shippou pleaded.
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"We can not," the youkai lord told them. "It is not our place to do ssso." The two kits just looked at him as if what he just said was the biggest load of crap they have ever heard.
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"Fine," he said looking at them. "You will not tell the other one, or anyone else for that matter."
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"Agreed," they both said and left.
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xXx
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"Hello, Akina-sama," Shippou said to the now lone human. She just looked at him, for she could no longer speak.
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"We're back," Vilna said trying to sound chipper. It didn't change the deadly atmosphere at all, however. Akina started coughing violently, blood pouring out of her mouth every time. The kits looked on in horror as part of her jaw fell off, her bones were too soft.
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"Oh no," Vilna gasped, "Akina." She looked at the living body, alive only by breathing. Her last eye was dripping down the side of her face, she was tearing blood.
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"Akina-sama!" Shippou cried.
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"She shouldn't die like this, no one should," Vilna said angrily.
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"Damn it!" he cursed.
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"The human isss dying," a voice said from the doorway.
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"Masao!" Vilna said her voice laced with hate.
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"She isss dying, and there is nothing you can do."
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"Shut up you damned snake!" she yelled.
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"Now do you sssee why we are an evil race of youkai, do you sssee!?" he yelled in her face.
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"Yes. Yes I do," she said in a painfully calm voice. "Goodbye Shippou," he didn't once remove her gaze from the snake. "I am leaving and never coming back," she finally looked away from the youkai. "We'll meet again someday," she said to her friend.
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"… Until then," he said sadly and watched her leave. Then he evilly glared at Masao.
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"Now we jussst have to get rid of you," he snake said looking at the kit.
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"Masao, please leave," he said calmly. The snake acted like he didn't hear him, but left anyway. Shippou went to his only other friend to stay with her through her last breaths. He didn't cry, he couldn't.
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xXx-
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"Akina-sama's dead," Shippou told the snake lord.
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"You act asss if you hoped she wouldn't," Yuko said emotionless.
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"Vilna has left."
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"Where did she go?" he asked.
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"She left and she's not coming back," he said impassively, despite what he was feeling.
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"What?"
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"I am also leaving," he said flatly. "I've been here almost three years and I should leave." The snake lord didn't say anything or do anything for a while.
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"Very well Shippou-chan," he finally said. "If you mussst leave, but hear thisss. I have never meant to hurt any one you cared about nor will I ever. That I promissse," he finished.
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"I-I think it's a little too late for that," he mumbled to his self. "Goodbye Yuko-sama. Until we meet again," he finished and left the castle for the first time in two and a half years.
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xXx
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He wandered aimlessly for a while. Weeks, months, he didn’t know nor did he care. Then he smelt an all too familiar smell and then blood, it was not a good mix.
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"Otousan!?" he ran to where the sent was coming from. He was horrified in what he saw. His mother lying dead and his father hovering over her in his true form. Crimson blood covering every inch of his once golden brown coat.
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"Okaasan, Otousan!?" Shippou yelled and ran to them.
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"Shippou-chan… stay… back," the older kitsune barked and coughed up blood. Shippou either ignored him or didn't hear him.
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"Oh look, another worthless kitsune," a big ugly thing said. "No matter, he can watch his dear Tousan get skinned alive." Shippou stopped he couldn't believe what he just heard. But before he could give it another thought, the ugly youkai took out a dagger and started cutting the skin and fur off the still alive kitsune. He cried in an astounding amount of pain as his skin was pealed off. Vast amounts of blood were going everywhere. When he finished he threw the bloody skinless corpse to the ground in front of Shippou. "Now it's your turn he said the frightened kit, and licked the short blade clean.
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"Stop brother," some one else said. He was much more beautiful than his brother. "We already have enough. We'll come back latter."
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"Alright," the ugly one said. "Do you here that?! We'll come back for you, so don't go anywhere," he continued laughing and took Shippou's parents away with him and flew away on a black cloud. Shippou could still hear him laughing and curled himself into a small ball and cried. For the first time, he regretted ever leaving home years ago.<P>
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