InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Black Dagger ❯ The Dark Waltz ( Chapter 1 )

A light wind ruffled through the silky silver hair of a yokai as he stood, solemnly watching the moon rise. Golden eyes penetrated the deep dark night, he sighed, sheathing his sword. The faint stench of the dead rose in the air, the smell of smoke and blood mingled with rotting flesh as he stared down at the vast array of corpses at his feet. And beneath it all, he sensed the life there left, the dying light of the young woman.

His eyes met hers, the deep fiery pools of red shone back at him with something like malice as she sheathed her own sword and tucked a stray strand of black hair behind an ear. His eyes feel over her darkly clad figure, her pale skin contradicting the dark makeup that circled her eyes. Her hair fell to her waist, unbound, as she shifted uncomfortably. The woman stood scanning the fallen bodies for a moment, then shut her eyes, whispering a curse over the dead.

She let her eyes open again, meeting the ground as she stared into the ever open eyes of the dead ones, and she envied them with everything she was. The taller male youkai approached her slowly, taking his place at her side.

"He is not among them, I already checked," she said softly, glaring at the ground.

"The bastard was bound to run," he said harshly, closing his eyes. "Coward."

"Then there is no bounty to this kill, which makes it meaningless." She hissed, kicking a corpse with her booted foot. "I am now five minutes older, that's all."

"Be patient, he is gone, but not lost. I can smell his putrid stench from here." Sesshoumaru sniffed the air, tracing the scent south. "He's not far."

The woman glanced up at the slight crescent moon, letting what little light shown through the thick smoke bathe her as she stood silently next to Sesshoumaru. She wore a flimsy black top, covered by her dark armor which was engraved with strange words the Sesshoumaru could not read. Black combat boots covered most of her legs, her waist adorned with two black belts, one of which held three daggers of different lengths. A marking on her shoulder indicated her rank as a youkai, her potent and powerful abilities placed at an A class level. And a black dagger tattoo, much like the one Sesshoumaru himself wore, denoted her profession as a hired mercenary. Around her neck she wore a pendant bearing the sign of the phoenix, which was complimented by the two beautiful black wings fixed to her back, between her shoulder blades.

"Fenikkusu! Fenikkusu!" Distant voices shouted out angrily, piercing the night's quiet. "Kill Fenikkusu Yumiko! Shou sono fenikkusu kuro!"

The two began to run as the cries of the townspeople grew louder. A malevolent smirk spread upon the woman's lips, as she turned to Sesshoumaru. "He'll not get away." The two of them sprinted off into the darkness, the sound of their footsteps masked only by the angry shouts of the vengeful townspeople. The scent left an intricate path for Sesshoumaru to follow, and with each step they took, the smell grew stronger.

"He's close." Sesshoumaru said softly, stopping abruptly.

"Then he is as good as dead," by now the young woman had felt the demon's presence, and was well on it. She stopped also, stepping with caution in the youkai's general direction. As a skilled assassin, she delighted in the killing of others. Many years and missions had made her cold in that way. Sesshoumaru sometimes could not even feel her presence, it was as though she was almost dead sometimes, though he knew very well that she could not die. But after so many years, what is left of the soul?

He never stopped to consider her age, though he knew she was very old. Her name was feared and regarded by all, Fenikkusu Kuro Yumiko, Yumiko the dark phoenix, and he knew it well. He had heard tales of the legendary killer, who took no orders and held no loyalties. Though he never imagined her to be a woman. She was dark, cold, something he'd never experienced in a youkai female before. But after meeting such a woman, he had grown on her attitude, and disliked females that exerted any other message to him. He had come to pity her, in her strange fate as one of the undying dark phoenixes, and her past life, which he still knew very little about. She was quiet when it came to things like that, and he was…well…quiet all the time, so that worked out much to his liking.

He had had various male and female partners before, but none that handled the task set before them so quickly. Men he had come to admire hardly came up to her potent fighting standards. She matched his own sharp intellect and cleverness as well, which made her easy to converse with. But one quality he found beneath her skin, emotion. Sadness, angst, weariness, and somewhat repentant happiness. He had never encountered such things in any assassin…male or female. And something about her aura intoxicated him in that way.

The night grew clearer as the two assassins emerged from the thick cloud of smoke. Yumiko turned, glancing at the smoldering village behind them. The faint smell of smoke still hung in the air, tightening her throat as she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. And there was silence…

The quick swipe of her sword broke the stillness, and a body, well, two pieces of what was once a body anyway, fell lifeless to the ground. Sesshoumaru glanced down at the corpse, considering it. Beside the body laid the sword of the victim, a sword which, had just one second more passed, would have brought Yumiko or himself down instead.

"Damn you to hell, filthy bastard," said Yumiko, sheathing her sword and glaring at the corpse. A silence passed between the two assassins as they stood, each waiting for the other to speak, shatter the silence. In Sesshoumaru's experience, a kill like this was something of great relief to be done with, something that was celebrated and bragged about…at least for the night. But this one felt strange, sad, as he stood next to the phoenix. The young woman was like a whole new dimension for him, he was used to a different type of atmosphere. She had no mirth or joy left within herself, after all these long years as a mercenary, there was only hate and sorrow. She was not young, but still there could have been some sense of accomplishment about her. Instead it was as though she'd just checked off another name on her list. Despite his own black hearted nature he found her manner to be quite cold.

We are the lucky ones
We shine like a thousand suns
When all of the color runs together

I'll keep you company
In one glorious harmony
Waltzing with destiny forever

Dance me into the night
Underneath the moon shining so bright
Turning me into the light

Time dancers whirling past
I gaze through the looking glass
And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven

Sacred geometry
Where movement is poetry
Visions of you and me forever

Dance me into the night
Underneath the moon shining so bright
Turning me into the light

Dance me into the night
Underneath the moon shining so bright
Let the dark waltz begin
Oh let me wheel - let me spin
Let it take me again
Turning me into the light