InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Gold Manacles ❯ Chapter Six? ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Gold Manacles- Chapter Six

No, it's not here and we must apologize. You see, we have chapter six already written but there's a problem, we have it on our zip disk and well, Our zip drive is not functioning the way it should be and we're having trouble opening the file with the document. We are trying arduously to find a way to open the document. Now, if that is not possible then we might have to rewrite the chapter again…*wants to cry*

Anyway, please have a little more patience.

We want to thank all of the people that have read our fic so far. Oh, I want to announce that there is another Inufic in the works that proceeds this one. For now, it is titled, The Lost and the Found. Yes, for all you Sesshoumaru fans out there, he is in this story! There is also the introduction of a new character, Takeda Sai, who will become vital to the Sesshoumaru…a rival? A friend? A lover? Who knows, but Sai is important to both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. Evil grin.

To leave you all dangling, here is a sample from the story:

Too many people! Too much noise! Sesshoumaru was agonizing. His migrain was not getting any better. Of all the places in the world, why did Jubei had to retire to a place as populated as this?!

& nbsp; Sesshoumaru looked up at the blue sky under the protection of his straw hat. His clothing wreaked disgustingly of human despite of Jaken's efforts of washing it of its stench. This was in no way helping him feel any better. What had he been thinking when he decided to venture this place on his own! Alas, the sky did not provide him with the answer he wanted.

& nbsp; The smells were aweful! It was as confusing as the noise around him. For sure, humans did not habit themselves in bathing! Disgusting! He shook his head confirming to his disappointment. He was not feeling well and resorted to resting against the nearest wall he could find. The color in his face was drained. The last time he had been in a place like this, he was human. It had been hot that day and extremely eventful. He had been weak and devoid of his powers. Now, despite being in his full demonic glory, this felt like déjà vu. There were days he cursed having sensitive hearing and an acute sense of smell.

& nbsp; Noise upon noise, he could hear women giggling to silliness, children singing about an acorn falling into a pond and being greeted by a catfish, men hollering obsenities, dogs barking, cats meowing, mice scampering, and old men breaking wind, which he easily smelled, much to his delight. Above all, though, he could hear ebb and flow of the sea as it kissed the ships' hauls and the docks. The way the water splashed against the rocks were like gongs to his ears. The sound the water made was pleasant. It was the only pleasant thing he heard. He was not as close as he should have been to the water but he could still hear its wonderful melody as it sang.

& nbsp; Sesshoumaru reached into his breast to pull out a piece of parchment which Gin had given him. On it were directions on where to go ask for Master Jubei. He realized, or was too proud to admit, that he was certainly lost beyond belief and did not know exactly where to find this place. The youkai prince growled his frustration. He might actually have to ask one of these ningen for directions. Feh! He crushed the parchment in the ball of his fist.

& nbsp; He stood erect, away from the wall so not to appear weak. He looked around to see if he could find someone he could ask. There were nothing but food vendors and customers all around. This was humiliating! Asking ningen was far below him but he knew not the way through this laberinth of a place. He should have brought the girl.

& nbsp; Sai wondered from one store to another. Nothing suited his appetite. He was hungry but all he saw were different varieties of fish dishes. He had enough fish! The Chinemen were close by purchasing things like souvenirs to take back to their families. It pleased the young scholar to see them smiling and excitement that it brought a little smile onto his own young face.

& nbsp; Children played and sang a song which he had not heard in such a long time. As he stood where he was in the midst of the crowd, he heard the little ones sing the tale of an acorn that fell from a tree and into the very bottom of a pond. Then, a little catfish comes to greet it and asks the little acorn to play…Don kuri koro koro, don kuri ko….

That was how the song went. Sai's smile widened, remembering playing that game with his older brothers and younger sister. They would play that near the same river they caught fireflies.

& nbsp; Li Ping watched the young boy in his contemplation. Sai reminded him of his own son back home. Tonight would be the last time they would be together, he mused. The boy had been a comfort for him and everybody else on the ship. He would tell them stories of his adventures throughout the land and the fact that he did most of his schooling with monks. For his young age, Li Ping could tell the boy had it all together. There was a vibrance in him as well as an ageless maturity. The gods know this man-child is more of an adult than most of the children he had seen that were exactly his same age. To see him smile at the playing children was a reward beyond rewards. His father must be extremely proud of him!

& nbsp; Every woman that passed by, giggled in admiration towards the boy. It was true, the boy was one of those pretty ones. Ping did not understand what they were saying but he could imagine what they could be saying. It was always the same words…oh, how beautiful!, oh, how adorable!, oh, he'd look good displayed on a pedestal!...to all this and more, it would either cause the youth to blush or get irritated. Yes, he was a pretty one, not handsome, but pretty.

& nbsp; “Sai!”, Li Ping startled the boy out of his reverie.

& nbsp; “Yes?”

& nbsp; “The boys here are in need of your interpreting skills.”

& nbsp; Sai took a look at the other two trying to negociate with the Japanese vendors with what seemed like a strangled version of very bad Japanese. Sai tried stifling his laughter. They definitely needed major help. He walked to where they were. It was a ramen shop which specialized in many varieties of ramen. They were having a heck of a time telling the vendor what they wanted and understanding what the vendor was telling them.

& nbsp; “I'm coming!” As he headed towards the little group, a man backed up from one of the stands bumping into him. Sai almost lost balance but quickly regained footing. At the same time, a piece of folded up parchment fell to the ground. Without much thought, Sai pronounced a silent oops and quickly bending to gather the fallen object. However, the moment he grabbed the parchment, another hand grabbed it. Sai, instantly turned to the figure hunched over next to him, it was the man he bumped into, who smoothly placed the paper back in his breast pocket. The man stood up readjusting his travel clothes and then, his hat.

& nbsp; From where he knelt on the ground, Sai could now clearly see the stranger's face. What Sai could see was a mature man with …white hair? Sai tilted his own hat a little bit up to have a better look of his face, he was young and sported strange markings, a warrior, perhaps? The man stopped fidgeting on himself once he noticed he was being stared at by this foreign boy. Sai was delivered an annoyed, cold stare of a haughty nature. As if drawn, the boy slowly met this man's challenge by standing up and staring back in return. To Sai's amazement, he could see his own reflection in this stranger's eyes, despite the shadow partly concealing them. They were cold yet, soft. Both of these contrasting emotions existed together in an ocean of torment.

& nbsp; Sesshoumaru thought this child, indeed, was in want of a deathwish. How dare he stand up to He, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands, and expect to survive this staring contest?! Yet, he could see himself in this boy's brown pools. They were warm and innocent yet they held a blazing fire to them. They were honest yet, there was something about them that hinted falsehood.

A contrasting ocean of torment was what Sai could see and somehow feel. They were extremely captivating, his orbs, which were heavily emphasized with rich crimson, the color of blood. But, what made his eyes the most captivating of all was the gold color it possessed. Sai, then realized with a startle, they were gold! His eyes were pure gold!

& nbsp; The boy's eyes widened, sesshoumaru noticed. He heard his heart beating quicker as he stepped back a little but not too quick to not alert the people around. Sesshoumaru made note of these considerations but was careful enough not to let himself get distracted.

& nbsp; Sai swallowed nervously then pronouncing, as if to himself, “Youkai.”

& nbsp; Although, the word was said in a whisper, it was audible enough for the Youkai Prince of the West. Now, it was Sesshoumaru's turn to be on the nervous end. There were too many people to make a quick break for it by air. He broke away from the boy's stare to look up, people were staring as they passed by. Others paid no heed. Then, as if by chance, Sesshoumaru immediately noticed the child's compatriots making their way to where they were.

& nbsp; “Hey, boy!,” they yelled in Chinese.

& nbsp; Sai snapped his head around to see the guys coming. Sesshoumaru saw his chance to get away. When Sai turned back, the stranger was gone. The only thing he saw was a straw hat cutting through the crowd like a hot knife.

& nbsp; “Was he bothering you?,” asked Li Ping in concern.

& nbsp; “No, he just dropped something and I helped pick it up,” he answered rapidly.

& nbsp; “Well, just in case, you stay close to us,” Ping said.

& nbsp; Sai nodded with a smile.

& nbsp; “Alright, with that settled, maybe it's best we search for a place to stay for the night,” the chinaman suggested.

& nbsp; They all nodded. Sai stared down at his beaded bracelet, tugging on the beads he went over what just had happened. Why would a youkai be here in plain sight? And why did he not detect him? This was strange. Sai did not like it one bit. He would have to investigate and make sure as hell that this youkai did not come here to make trouble.

Hidden away from the business of the streets, sesshoumaru rested in the comfort of an alley. He removed his hat, setting it aside. He rested his back against a stone wall, trying to catch his breath and return his heart rate to normal. That was really a close call, he thought. He was this close to being discovered. Good thing he was not or this nice city would have to do repairs on the fine architecture he had found to be in abundance.

& nbsp; Now, that was the least of his worries. There was something strange about that Chinese boy. He was the only one who found him out. It was like the boy could sense him. This was no ordinary boy!, Sesshoumaru drove to that conclusion. He decided he would have to steer clear of this human. First, however, he had to regain his lost composure before heading out into the light again.

& nbsp; This was going to be a VERY long day.

& nbsp; “What more could happen?,” then, before answering that question, “Don't answer that.”

End of Sample.

Happy Reading! And I hope you all stay tuned.