InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Soul Exodus ❯ Chapter 4: =Past Tears of the Girl= ( Chapter 4 )

Written by: Zelix

A/N: okay, here we go again, enjoy… oh yeah, please REVIEW DAMN IT!!

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing that has something to do with Inuyasha, I only own my OC.

"Talking"

`Thinking'

[Check the bottom for details]

*Flashback/Switch in time or place*

=Used when mentioning a technique, attack or something important=

If this was a TV series:

Opening: Chihiro Yonekura - Butterfly kiss

Ending: Hikaru no Go - Bokura no Boken

Time Soul Exodus

Chapter 4: =Past Tears of the Girl=

After a moment, Arcs face got a bit more serious and his voice more concerned as he asked Chizu: "Chizu, what were you doing out here in the forest? Are you from the village?"

After asking that, Arc felt Chizu tense against him and his nose with hit with a scent of fear, he immediately hugged her closer and said quickly: "Sorry… I didn't mean to frighten you, calm down… please." He slowly rocked back and forth, trying to calm her down.

This went on for a while, Arc rocking her back and forth while she clung onto him, the bare chest of Arc that she pressed her head against felt so warm… she could hear his hearts gentle beat and it made her think about her mother, she also could feel something warm surround them, like he was shielding her from the outside world… it made her smile.

Arc felt relieved, Chizu was calming down… he had used a minimum amount of his Holy powers to ease her mind, he had done that plenty of times during his 7 days alone with Kagura, since sometimes she had nightmares and with his powers he could make them go away, he was doing that to Chizu right now.

`Strange… why do I feel like a father right now? Damn weird, yet at the same time it feel so natural… heh, I really have changed haven't I? If this was a year ago, I would be terrified about the idea of even having a little brother or a sister, yet now it feels like… I feel like wanting to be a father, damn… Kagura, where are you?' He then felt someone tucking at the necklace he had (Read the prologue for details) and his attention was diverted to Chizu again, she was looking at him with curious eyes… damn, those different eye colours (Red and violet) they kept bugging him, there was something in them… but what? Even his Holy powers couldn't pinpoint just what it was, his Youkai instincts didn't say anything either… how bloody odd.

Chizu then asked with a low, shy voice: "Arc-sama? Why do you look so sad…?" Arc then realised that he had been dwelling in his memories again, drat… they always made him feel sad. He then answered with a small sigh: "Don't call me `sama', it doesn't sound right… (Ponders a bit before continuing) and no, I'm not sad, just worried…" She then asked with a slightly scared voice: "Are the monsters going to get us?" Arc tightened his hold on Chizu immediately and said with a stern voice: "No, I won't let them get you, I'll protect you no matter what, understood?" He felt confused again, there he went again, acting like a father protecting his pup… Christ… though, it did feel nice, to know that you could comfort a scared child.

She just nodded and smiled again, making him feel warm… so this is what it's like when an innocent child trusts you, it's quite a remarkable feeling. Arc then asked: "Chizu, I need you to answer these questions no matter how much you're scared, please? Will you? I need to know…" She hesitated a bit before nodding slowly, he then rubbed her back gently and pulled her closer as the air was starting to get cold, he then asked: "For starters, are you from the village?"

Chizu nodded slowly, yet Arc could feel through her fear and hesitation through his empathy powers, what was it that scared her so much? Arc then asked while rocking her back and forth slowly: "Good girl, just relax… whatever it is that scares you, I will protect you, okay?" She nodded again slowly, Arc sighed before asking again: "What were you doing in the forest all alone? Aren't your mother and father worried about you?" She tensed again at the mention of `mother' and `father' he then could smell tears in her eyes… crap! He pushed it too far… he then tried to use his Holy powers again to suppress her sad emotions but it wasn't working, shit… before he could say anything more, Chizu began to cry against his chest, leaving Arc both panicked and helpless.

Arc tried to think of something to help her with, yet he couldn't figure out anything! Then he suddenly thought of something, it was risky because it might blow his cover but… listening to her cry was just simply too painful for him, so while she cried against him, he did the same thing he had done many times to Kagura when they first met: He began to purr.

The purring made Chizu slowly stop crying, she was confused… what was this weird vibration that came out of his chest? It sounded like a dog or something, yet, as she listened to it, her tears were slowly stopping and her mind was beginning to ease down, she also felt warm… warm and safe, she thought about her mother again…

This lasted for a while, until Chizu actually began to giggle, making Arc stop and ask her with an raised eyebrow: "What's so funny, girl?" She merely giggled some more before simply answering: "You." He looked at her with the look that asked: What the hell? Chizu then said with a small giggle: "You're like a big dog or something!" Arc got the idea, this child was way too innocent to figure out that he was a part Youkai, then again… even his mother couldn't sense his demon aura so a little child like this one wouldn't be able to sense it either… well, at least she was amused, he then decided to amuse her further and made one sound: "Wuf wuf."

Both began to laugh hard, her innocent laughter was like a drug to his ears… so carefree right now, so happy and amused… then, when he looked at her laughing face, one of his happier memories played before his eyes… the time when he and the whole family had been travelling up and down Japan, they had made a stop at a wide open plain and both he and Kagura had decided to burn off some excessive energy…

*Flashback*

Arc and Kagura were both running in the fields, the wind was whipping around them and the wild flower petals were swirling around them. The scents of spring, wilderness and nature were all around them… the sound of both of them laughing and taunting one another for being a slowpoke just added to the fun.

The running ended when Arc suddenly pounced on Kagura, making them topple down a small grass hill and when they stopped rolling they ended with Kagura on top of him, it took them a moment before Arc managed to say with a small smirk: "Not exactly the outcome I planned…" It took a moment before both began to laugh once again and after a moment of laughing, Kagura leaned down onto him and both kissed each other with tenderness.

After a little while, they had ended up laying against the grassy hill with Kagura snuggling against him, he was slowly rubbing her slightly pointy ears while she simply purred against him from the attention, he then said with a smile: "It seems so unreal…" Kagura replied with a low, husky voice: "What is, mate?" He smiled at that, `mate'… he never got tired of hearing it from her lips, just like he enjoyed saying it too.

Arc then replied with after breathing out: "All this, it's been over 3 months now since we became mates and sometimes all this just seems so unreal… you know? That everything is TOO perfect, it sometimes scares me, I fear that this won't last…" He had stopped rubbing her ears now, his expression becoming slightly worried, Kagura felt it through they're bond as soul mates and looked at her mate now worried herself, she then said with a small smile: "I'm glad…" Arc looked at her with a confused expression before she placed a palm onto his cheek and continued: "To be honest, I too have been thinking that all this is just TOO perfect… that there is a catch in it somewhere but I don't know what it is, that scares me…"

He then turned to his side to embrace his mate and said with a low, warm voice: "My mate… is that why…?" She nodded against his neck and said with a worried voice: "Yes… sometimes when I wake up during the night or during the morning is because i'm afraid, I'm afraid that when I wake up this has all been nothing but a dream… that you aren't there, that we never met. Sometimes I'm afraid of the night, I'm afraid that something in the night separates us for good and…"

Kagura couldn't finish because Arc silenced her with a kiss, she reacted to it instantly and both poured they're feelings into it, as if telling each other they were real and not going anywhere… After it ended Arc said to her with both tender yet stern voice: "Mate, don't ever even THINK that something separates us, I don't care who or what it is… if something tries to take you from me, I'll hunt who/whatever it is and kill it, REALLY slowly… you are my soul mate and not even death will tear us apart, remember it." Kagura felt all her worries just simply wash away, it was exactly THIS side of Arc that always made her calm down: The side of him that was a regal Tai-Youkai that held onto anything that was dear to it with claws and teeth and always knew just what to say to make her feel safe and loved…

She then said while holding onto him like a lifeline: "I will… my mate, thank you… I love you so much." Arc kissed her forehead before saying: "I love you too, mate…"

*End Flashback*

Arc was looking at the exit of the cave, his eyes un-focused and glassy… like he wasn't even there. Chizu had stopped her laughing a while ago and was now looking at Arcs eyes with growing worry and curiosity, she had seen that look before, her mother always had that look when they talked about her father… she then saw Arc close his eyes and mutter something under his breath, it sounded something like: "We were right at that time… It was TOO perfect…"

Chizu then asked him timidly: "Arc-sama…?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head… hopeless, this girl was a lost cause, just like Rin. Arc then replied: "Yes? What is it?" She fidgeted in his embrace slightly to take a better position before asking: "You… you looked so sad just now…?" He sighed and waited a bit before replying: "I just miss my family…"

She looked at him and he kept looking at the cave entrance, she then asked: "Where are your papa and mama?" Arc shook his head from side to side slowly before answering: "They're at home, far away from here…" He then used one of his hands to grasp at the necklace around his neck and said while still not looking at her: "I cannot go back until I find someone, someone who was taken from me…" Chizu didn't know why but… looking at this man made her feel bad, he looked so sad and lonely, like he had lost something important to him and couldn't find it anymore.

Chizu then suddenly found herself talking to him, talking about her village: "I don't know why but the people in the village have changed, they used to be friendly to me and my mama but… not long ago they began to avoid her, they wouldn't talk to her and they even began to look at her with weird looks, with fear and disgust."

Arc listened to her and began to softly rub her back to soothe her worries, she then continued: "Then, a few days ago… the… cl…cloaked people came… they… they were scary… my mama wouldn't let me leave the hut, she was terrified for my safety…" She then suddenly looked up at his face and began to shake him, though he didn't even flinch but he got the idea she was desperate for something, she then said: "Arc-sama! My mama… my mama is sick! She… she is going to die! Please, please help her…!" She was completely in tears again, Arc knew that asking about her village was not going to get anything out of her, so instead he gently grabbed her shoulders and said: "It's okay, Chizu, I will help her… I'll make your mother better, okay? Say… is that why you were out in the forest? Were you trying to get help?"

Chizu nodded rapidly and said: "The cloaked people say my mama is cursed, that she will die… they won't help her, they just say that she brought it on herself! That's a lie! My mama…!" Arc silenced her with by putting a finger onto her lips and asked with a calm voice: "So you left to find someone to help her? Or were you trying to find something that could help her here?" She nodded on both questions and then suddenly got out of Arcs embrace and dug into her tattered Kimono (She's still wearing his Fundoshi) and pulled a piece of some odd berry bush she was carrying, she then said with a bit calmer voice: "My mama said that these berries help to cure you if you're sick, they only grow in the monster forest so… I…"

Arc gently took the piece of bush with berries in it and asked after sniffing it he asked: "So you left without anyone seeing you to look for them and instead a monster found you, right?" Chizu nodded and Arc thought to himself: `Hmm… I wonder why she went by herself? Why couldn't she ask for help from the villagers…? Who are those cloaked people? Ah well, it doesn't seem like I'll be getting any information out of her, so there's no point in asking her… hmmm, these berries, my mother told be about them, it's true, these particular berries don't exist in my era anymore but my mother taught me that they are not only sweet tasting but also powerful against poisons and some say they're effective at dispelling curses, though that remains unconfirmed. Okay, I have to get her back to the village and help her mother, maybe she can properly explain what is going on… besides, no one should have to grow up without parent(s)…'

Arc then saw that the moon had set already, it would be morning soon, now was the best time to move and his clothes were dry already anyway, he gave the berries back to Chizu and said with a nod: "Alright, Chizu, I will take you back to the village and make your mom better, after that… well, let's just see what happens." Chizu then hugged him tightly as he just chuckled, after that, he got fully dressed again and after placing his swords into they're proper places at his back and pulling his small backpack over his shoulder he looked back at Chizu and saw her tattered Kimono, he briefly made a note to somehow get her a new one, being the nice guy he was.

Chizu looked at Arc with practically sparkling eyes, which was weird considering he had two different eye colours, she couldn't stop thinking just how simply… dazzling Arc looked like, he was like a hero from some ancient legend… (It seems like history repeats itself, Souta admired Inuyasha, Chizu admires Arc, nice circle huh?)

After everything was set, they walked to the exit of the cave and Arc said to Chizu with a serious tone: "Listen carefully Chizu, those monsters are still out there so do exactly as I tell you to do, understood?" She nodded eagerly and he just smiled, when they exited the cave he sniffed the air for those insects, none were around, good. He then took Chizu by the hand and sniffed the air with his eyes closed, trying to find the scent of the village…

His mind began to wonder again, he could see where the scents and sounds were coming from again… (Read chapter 2 for details) Chizu looked at him curiously all this time, wondering what he was doing… he was more like a dog than she had thought, sniffing the air like that.

Arc then found what he was looking for, the scent of people and planting fields… it was very feint for some reason, so faint in fact that he had to push his sense of smell to pick it up… it made him all the more curious and worried, what was going on here? Insects, empty forest, a lone girl in the woods with two different eyes, a village bare detectable and those cloaked people Chizu keeps mentioning… he could tell this was going to be an interesting day, for better or worse.

Chizu then asked Arc with a child like curiosity: "Arc-sama? (He groans) What were you doing?" He tensed and his eyes opened wide with shock, shit… what was he thinking?! He had sniffed the air while someone was looking! Crap… crap, crap, crap!! He looked at Chizus innocent eyes and then said with a nervous smile: "Ahh… I just thought I smelled something funny… must have been my imagination…" He thought right after: `Great going moron! If she buys that I'll have to be more careful in the future…' She just sniffed the air herself and then said with a shrug: "I don't smell anything… you're funny Arc-sama." He just sweat dropped and replied: "Yeah, I hear that all the time…" With that, they began to walk towards the village, carefully because he had no idea if those insects were still there… damn, he could hear his heart starting to pound with nervousness, if taking down one Insect was that hard, he didn't even dare to think what it would be like to fight an army of them…

*Meanwhile, in an unknown part of the forest*

There stood a massive nest, an insect nest full of bee Youkai, the nest looked like a gigantic ball formation of living flesh and it reeked rather horrible… the bees were busy buzzing around it, doing various different things, warriors were flying around it, some coming and some going, the scouts were busy re-constructing the walls of the nest and some where carrying different kinds of materials and used them to make the nest more bigger, slowly but steadily.

The perfect rhythm of the nest and it's workers did not falter, not even when the search group that brought the dead scout (The one that Arc killed in chapter 2) entered the nest and flew straight towards the core/heart of the nest, in there, they entered a very large chamber where the eggs were, in there… was the one who ruled the place but despite it being a bee nest, the master mind was not a bee… it was a gigantic, grey and red black coloured Spider/Scorpion mixed Youkai, it had the body of a spider with lot's of dark blue eyes yet it had the claws and tail of a scorpion, the skin looked rock hard and it was breathing green, thin smoke.

The Youkai was large, very large, it's claws alone could hold at least 3 people each and it's tail could even penetrate a stone wall, all in all… it looked not only ugly but also brutally strong. It was currently looking at the eggs, as if searching for something… that was when the rest returned with the dead body, the large Youkai turned around to see it, then spoke with a low, rumbling and echoing devil like voice: "Käh… What did you bring that here for? Where is the `crystal'? He was sent to find it along with few others…" The insects didn't speak, they're antennas just trembled a bit, yet the large Youkai could still understand what they were saying, it's eyes then lit up with the shock of the news and it roared: "WHAT?! You don't have it?! You are telling me that not only did you lose the `crystal' but a stranger killed one of your own?! Ridiculous… you incompetent fools, I warned you on what would happen if you failed!"

Then the Large Youkai suddenly lunged it's tail towards the ground and before anyone could blink, the tail squashed one of the eggs that lay there and as soon as it happened, the nest suddenly ceased all activity as if listening to the sound of the egg being crushed and the fluids leaking out… the large Youkai just made a Khiääh like sound and said: "I felt merciful so I only destroyed one, however, if you lose the `crystal' again I will destroy 10 of these eggs! NOW GO!" With that, you could swear that every last one of the insects eyes in the entire nest lit up with silent fury before they resumed they're activities, the large Youkai just walked back and forth with it's six, heavy and armoured spider legs and thought to itself: `Käh…this game is starting to anger me, it is taking way too long already! Though, they said there is a stranger in here, an unknown player has appeared then… käh, he killed one scout but so what? If that's the best he has, I could crush him with ease… even if he somehow makes it to the village, which he won't, there is nothing he can do… the `crystal', I must admit, the queen was clever on where she hid it, hehehe… but no matter, I'll have it soon.'

To be continued…

"The village and the girl, the insects and cloaked people…

Is there are connection? If there is, what is it?

Now I know where the village is but the question is…

… Can I make it?" - Arcerdo Higurashi

Next chapter:

=Swords and Demons=

A/N: Whew… damn, sorry about the long delay everyone! I know this chapter wasn't very interesting but the next one will be, I swear! Now if you people could PLEASE review so I can have the energy to write!

- Zelix, see ya next time!