InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Soul Exodus ❯ Chapter 14: =Reawaken The Lost Pride - Part 1= ( Chapter 14 )

Written by: Zelix

 

A/N: Okay, here is the Beta-read version, enjoy!

 

And once again: BIG thanks for Osuwari00 for being my beta reader on this one and I MEAN BIG THANKS! I truly appreciate you for being so patient while I'm being such a lazy ass… big thanks, I mean it.

 

 

Oh yes, this chapter will be split into parts, since making one chapter would take an eternity, I'm sorry, I know I promised this to be a super long chapter but it's been far too long since my last update so I hope this will give all you who were eager for more at least something to ease the tension… I'm so sorry for not updating sooner.

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's related to Inuyasha, I do own Arc though and if someone intends to copy him without my permission I'll F*** you up!

 

 

“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 14: =Reawaken the Lost Pride - Part 1=

 

 

 

*A few moments before the attack began*

 

 

Arcerdo had been walking back to Chizu's and Renko's hut after his little training and heart-to-heart like talk with Sumira… or at least that was the best way he could describe it: heart-to-heart.

 

 

He had taken a route back that wouldn't take him through the village. Sumira was right in that now wasn't the best possible time to show up there since his little incident with the Moon Priests yesterday. If he showed up there now it might ignite a huge uproar between the villager's especially since some of them were beginning to support his words rather than the priests, so his presence might become a trigger for something disastrous and considering the situation they were in… yeah, it would be for the best to keep a very low profile for now.

 

 

Arc still found it so hard to believe that this village had once been a place where people were proud and the place where the Shikon no Tama had been guarded. He found it so hard to believe that because of the state things were in now: the villagers had been reduced from proud people into snivelling, grovelling and helpless cowards that were so easy to manipulate… but then again, the people here had lost so much. The forest where they used to hunt was occupied by demonic insects that had at first been neutral and then suddenly became aggressive, then the villagers had lost many of their young ones in the battles against the insects when they had come to the village, kidnapping and killing children for some reason and they even took the bodies of the children they'd killed, lastly they had summoned the Moon Priests who they feared more than they feared the insects.

 

 

So yes, the villagers had a pretty good reason to be like they were… but that didn't mean he would have to just accept it, no way. Even though the people here were pitiful at the moment, they still were the people his mom and dad had fought to protect more than once, the people who had given them a `home' here in the past and even helped them when they had been wounded and exhausted from long journeys. Now it was his turn to help them… `heh, like father like son, huh'? Or in this case, more like `mother' rather than `father' because, well, knowing his dad he'd be all: “Keh, why should I?” or something similar, so yeah, definitely more like `mother'.

 

 

As he neared the hut where Renko and Chizu lived, he couldn't help but think: `No matter how much I try to convince myself, all this still feels like it isn't happening… I mean, how would anyone think when they find out that you're a quarter Inu-Youkai, your soul mate is a full blooded wind Youkai, your father is some legendary hanyou from 500 years ago, your mother is a woman who can travel across time through an old well, then your mate disappears into thin air and now you've travelled into the past to look for her… not to mention I've made enemies out of people who are some kind of an inquisition rather than good Samaritans… so yeah, who wouldn't think this is all some crazy dream?'

 

 

Arc sighed at himself and stopped walking for a moment to rub his face with his hand. He said to himself in a low voice: “Except this is all painfully real and I'm smacked right in the middle of it. Sometimes, it truly sucks to be me…” By that time, he had arrived at the hut but to his surprise it was empty and the very first feeling he got was dread… had something happened here?

 

 

Before he could think about it further though, his nose and ears picked up Chizu's and Renko's presence nearby which made him sigh with relief. He followed the sounds and scents and ended up in a small field behind the hut. The sight that greeted him made him smile warmly and his heart felt sort of uplifted as well: There, on a grassy field, was Renko, just sitting down and looking at her daughter while she ran up and down the field chasing a butterfly while laughing with an innocent, child-like laughter… he sighed warmly, just listening to that innocent laughter made him feel warm and serene on the inside… his efforts from yesterday had really paid off. Just seeing this scene here made all the exhaustion, efforts and hard work worth it.

 

 

He thought to himself as he stood there in the back round, looking at the two of them with a warm smile: `Just listen to that… how is it that something so small, so tiny and warm like the laughter of an innocent child can make you feel like there is nothing wrong in this world? Just simply by listening I have learned that you can't take happiness nor anything else for granted… for instance, look at Renko: I bet that when she learned her daughter had two different eyes she knew that it wouldn't be easy for the two of them, she must have known that just because she loved her daughter it wouldn't mean everything would be alright, I bet she knew that something like this would happen and yet, she refuses to stop loving her daughter…'

 

 

`I came to that conclusion when I… `devoured' the curse within her, I didn't tell this to anyone but the curse should have killed her a week before I had arrived here, in other words, she should have been dead for a week already! But no, instead, when I was within her vital energy lines… or `soul' if you will, I felt nothing there except her intense will to live so her daughter wouldn't be alone. She is a fighter and had been able to survive the week with her willpower alone, she didn't take the love she had for her daughter for granted but instead she fought, struggled and wrestled to hang onto it no matter what, even when death was just an inch away from taking her she simply refused to give up… just like my own mother, wanting to be with the people she loves no matter how much pain it would bring with it…'

 

 

Arc felt a small tear making its way down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off as his eyes looked at the both of them until he was snapped out of his reverie by the very familiar, innocent and yet at the same time cheery shouting: “Arc-sama!” And as always, he groaned… hopeless, she was just plain hopeless.

 

 

Then, Arc saw Chizu running straight at him and after bracing himself he felt her jump on him and wrap her small arms around his waist while still giggling. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit himself while petting her head softly. Then, after a moment of giggling, Chizu said to Arc with a voice so happy it made his heart throb slightly with warmth: “Thank you Arc-sama! (Another groan from him) I knew you could help mommy! Mommy is better now, she is walking, laughing… thank you, Arc-sama!”

 

 

Arc groaned again and at the same time couldn't help but blush a little, it isn't everyday that a little child would thank you like this from the bottom of his/her heart…

 

 

After a moment more of Chizu thanking Arc, she let go of him only to grab one of his hands with both her smaller ones and started dragging him to the field while talking about everything and anything she could come up with, most of them being how much she wanted to make a flower crown for him. Arc couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm and energy while he let Chizu drag him to the field right next to Renko, who was also chuckling at her daughters energy and how much she saw Arc as a hero, though she did want to talk to Arc as well… about the events yesterday and about what Sumira told her this morning. She had to hear that last night Arc had confessed he was a Youkai, but a quarter rather than full or a half, not to mention she had also told Renko about what Arc was doing here, trying to find his mate even though he had no idea where to start looking.

 

 

Sumira had trusted Renko not to talk to others about it and after hearing the reason behind Arcs appearance here, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic for him as well… she was highly familiar about what it feels like to lose the one you love, since she had lost her husband and almost lost her daughter so many times. She did understand what Arc felt like, except that his loved one was still alive and he had a hope of finding her.

 

 

Which was why she knew that Arc was going through more hell than she was… or had, since when you know your loved one is dead it hurts, it hurts so much that you just want to die but at the same time it is also a relief, since knowing your loved one won't ever come back will take away the anxiousness, restlessness, dreamless nights, etc. It will take all those slowly away and give you the chance to move on, it is quite cruel to think like that but she knew it was the truth, having experienced it herself.

 

 

But Arcerdo… his situation was worse than hers because he knew his loved one was alive but did not know where she was, what she was doing, was she hurt? Was she in pain? Those kinds of questions would haunt him until he knew for sure… not to mention he would continuously keep hoping to meet her everyday… that's why it was so horrible. While knowing your loved one was dead hurt and wounded you very deeply, not knowing anything would slowly torture you and keep eating you from the inside until all that's left is a shell and you become a shadow of what you used to be.

 

 

Renko felt Arc sitting next to her while Chizu was once again running in the field, except this time she was collecting different kinds of flowers to make a flower crown for her `hero', Arcerdo… or Arc-sama as she called him, despite him telling her not to call him that.

 

 

Renko looked at Arcerdo as he sat down next to her, no matter how much she tried to look at him… she just couldn't believe he was a quarter Youkai. He just looked so… so… innocent. He looked so calm, pure and gentle it was impossible to consider he could be even partly a violent Youkai, it just didn't fit his appearance and nature at all. And yet, he was partly a Youkai and from what she had heard from both Chizu and Sumira, a really strong one at that too, which she couldn't believe either since right now he looked he wouldn't hurt a fly.

 

 

Arcerdo was such a mystery, yet… she couldn't help but feel there was something about him, something that literally screamed out: “Absolute”. By that, she didn't mean anything bad, just that even though he looked so calm and innocent, there was an aura around him which told of absolute determination and strength, that is the feeling she got from him.

 

 

She was silent for a moment, just looking at him while his attention was on Chizu. His lips were smiling lightly and warmly, yet his eyes reflected a distant sense of longing and sadness… that only added to the image of him being a gentle being and not a strong warrior. Right now he looked like a young man who longed for those he loved and not a warrior with determination to push forward.

 

 

So after another moment of silence, it was Arc, much to Renko's surprise who broke the silence by saying with a warm voice: “I know what you are thinking, `how can a quarter Youkai be so innocent?' Am I right?” This startled Renko a bit, how did he know what she had been thinking about? Arc didn't even look her way before chuckling a bit and said: “Don't be surprised about this… I can't read minds or anything but because I have empathy powers I figured out what you were thinking about.”

 

 

Renko's eyebrow furrowed a bit as she asked with a confused voice: “Empathy powers? What are those exactly?” This time, Arc looked at her and his eyes showed a small surprise before he smiled again and said while looking at his palm and fisting it for a second: “Heh, sorry about that. I tend to forget that not everyone here knows about things like these… (Refers to the fact that this is the past and he was from the future, where terms like those are more common knowledge you know?)… Well, to put it bluntly, when a person has empathy powers it means that either he or she can… how to put this, hmm… well, that person can `feel' the feelings of the people around him. When a certain emotion within a person grows stronger than others, a person with empathy powers can, so to say, `feel' it coming out of that person. Like just now for instance, when you were thinking, I could feel the deep emotions of wonder and confusion coming out of you in waves and well, it didn't take me long to figure out what you were wondering about, since Sumira must have told you about my… secret, so to say.”

 

 

At first Renko's eyes widened in surprise, then she smiled at said while looking away from him: “Yes, she did… You needn't worry though, I won't be telling anyone about you, not after what you did for both my daughter and for me.” Arc just looked up towards the sky and said to her with a sigh: “You don't need to be grateful, it's not like I did it just so you would owe me a favour. I did it because I wanted to do it… but I can't deny that it is good to have someone owe you something, if I said I didn't like it, I would be lying.” He finished with a chuckle.

 

 

Renko could see the humour in his deep, obsidian black eyes and couldn't help but chuckle herself as well before saying: “Regardless of that, it does not change the fact that because of you I am able to hear my daughter laugh like this and see her happy like this as well… for that, I owe you my life and don't say that I don't need to, I'm deadly serious about it.” That last sentence came with a serious tone, since this was important to her.

 

 

This time, Arc didn't say anything, her mother and father had told him that if someone says they owe you his life, you do not say NO… since it would make the person feel that their life is not worthy enough. That is why Arc remained quiet so he wouldn't accidentally offend her… plus, knowing she said she owed him her life made HIM feel honoured. Renko's life was more than worthy enough: She was strong, kind and had both a high sense of honour and the spirit of a true fighter, so yes, he did feel honoured that a person with such a strong heart and spirit owed him her life.

 

 

So instead of saying anything about her `pledge of honour', Arc instead said with a small frown: “I know… yet, the reason why I wanted to save you was not only because it's in my nature, the main trigger for it is in front of me, laughing and looking so happy…” Both of their eyes locked on Chizu as she was humming something under her breath while making the flower crown. While looking at her Arc continued: “… I would have helped you regardless of the situation but she was the person that gave me the motivation and determination to make myself succeed to matter what. Just imagining her growing up alone without parents or the thought of her crying because I wasn't able to save you was enough to push myself beyond my limits… I swore I would succeed, I swore it to myself because…”

 

 

He lowered his head so his eyes disappeared under his bangs and continued with a lower yet harder voice: “… No one and I mean, NO ONE, should be forced to grow up alone or to live alone. It is simply too cruel to imagine anyone living like that…” Arc could feel his hands fisting themselves on the grass below, he hadn't meant for this conversation to go so serious but he just couldn't stop himself in time and now, his feelings were washing over him as he recalled the loneliness he had felt all those years ago before meeting Kagura.

 

 

If Renko could describe it in words on how she saw Arc right now, then word would be: “Perfect.” Those last words he had said were simply impossible for a young man of his age. To be able to speak with that level of knowledge or with a voice like that, the way his voice had sounded… it was as if… he wasn't a young man at all. For a moment there he had seemed like someone who knew all too well how cruel and painful ones' life can get no matter how warm it was, then those words… `No one should be forced to grow up alone or live alone, it is simply too cruel to imagine anyone living like that'… they left no room for argument, they were simply too true to be argued with.

 

 

But now, she could see it in his demeanour, it wasn't like it was before… right now his appearance revealed that he was remembering something painful, something that he didn't want to remember.

 

 

This time, it was Renko who broke the silence. “… Sumira was right about you… even though you are not completely human, you have a heart more human than most humans do, what you say is so true, yet… because of all the wars…” She couldn't finish, she knew all too well what Arc meant with those words, yet, there were just so many who did have to grow up alone for one reason or another… mostly because of the wars, especially after the Youkai war. Many children were forced to grow up alone and even more people lost so many loved ones, all because of something as senseless as a war.

 

 

After hearing her words, Arc's eyes opened wide from the surprise he felt, Sumira had said that? Is that how she had seen him, someone who is not completely human yet has a heart more human than most humans do? His parents had always told him something like that during the time he had mated with Kagura, yet he was never sure if they were just saying it… Kagura too had mentioned something like that but he still had not been completely convinced… yet now, hearing a complete stranger saying it, he was overwhelmed by the rush of feelings it brought forth, he felt so warm and good it threatened to burst him…

 

 

Yet, those feelings brought forth a shadow as well: If he was so… `human', so to say, why did he become so intensely violent and bloodthirsty when his Youkai blood had awoken? Those intense and endless feelings of bloodlust and need to kill were something only a twisted monster could feel, so why had he felt like that…?

 

 

Was it because this… `human' side of him was nothing but a lie and the Youkai side was his true self? Or was it because the Youkai side of him was poisoning his human side and he was slowly becoming a monster? Or maybe… maybe it was because… that was what he truly desired? To become an emotionless killing machine… maybe that was his `flow' in life?

 

 

(Flow in life, if you've forgotten, check the last chapter for details)

 

 

Arc shook his head and thought with angry thoughts: `NO!! That is not it… I refuse to believe that is the answer, I refuse it… I will never accept that as an answer, no matter what, I will never become like that… never…' Yet, the shadow remained within him… the shadow called `doubt'.

 

 

He was brought out of his thoughts however, when Renko asked him: “Arcerdo…?” He blinked a few times to focus his thoughts, then he turned to her and said with a small smile: “Call me Arc, it doesn't feel right when someone calls me by my full name… oh, and don't worry about me, I tend to space out a lot when I think too much, hehehe…”

 

 

Renko could still see the lingering feeling of fear in his eyes. Arc was afraid of something… something about himself, yet she didn't ask about it, it was clear in his eyes that it was something he didn't want to talk about it.

 

 

There was a slight silence before Renko asked while looking back at Chizu: “Arc, you must know about my husband correct?” Arc looked at her with a raised eyebrow, why was she asking something like that all of a sudden? He wasn't sure what this was about but… he became curious, maybe by listening to her story he would understand the bond between Renko and Chizu more better, so he closed his eyes, remembered for a moment and then said: “Yes… I remember hearing that he was killed in a war…”

 

 

Renko nodded, she then said while keeping her eyes locked on Chizu: “Yes, you are right about that… my husband was a [ronin], a survivor from the [Youkai war 20 years ago]. I was a little over 11 years old when the war ended. He was almost 21 years old. After the war ended he came to this village in order to get away from the memories and horrors of that war. He gave up his sword and became a farmer instead, yet many children still went to talk to him, trying to make him tell stories about his time in the war… I still remember when myself and some of the other village children listened to his stories about the war, most of us expected to hear stories about courageous samurai fighting against evil Youkai… no offence meant there, Arc…” She said that last part somewhat sheepishly to him.

 

 

Arc just shrugged and said: “None taken, I know how evil and merciless some Youkai were during those times, so don't apologies for it. Just because some were evil and bad doesn't mean all of us are, though most were evil… *sigh*…”

 

 

Renko said while nodding: “You're right there, though sadly the same goes for humans as well… anyway, when we were expecting to hear stories about courageous samurai, we got something else instead… he told us stories about how evil HUMANS could be instead of Youkai. Sure he told us stories about evil Youkai but he also told us stories about what humans did as well, how a good man turned savage and sadistic, how bloody a battle field really looked like after a battle… I remember how awestruck I was when he told those stories, sure I felt scared but mostly, I didn't listen to the horrors of the stories but instead I looked at HIM and… when telling those stories, he looked like he was reliving those times again, I guess he wanted us `stupid brats' as he called us sometimes to realize that stories about `courageous samurai' were nothing but stories. Instead of giving us a dream, he gave us the reality.”

 

 

“I remember how many of the children ran to their mothers and fathers after hearing those horrible stories and how sometimes some parents would come and berate him for telling their children such… `brutal stories', so to say and I can still remember how he always responded: “Just because you want your children to live in a dream world doesn't mean the world will allow it, reality is cruel to everyone, adults and children alike.” Least to say, not many adults liked him, yet, even though my own parents also told me to stay away from… I still sometimes snuck out to listen to his stories.”

 

 

“You cannot believe how surprised he was that I always came to him, listened to his brutal stories… I didn't understand myself either at the time, it wasn't until 4 years later when I turned 15 that I began to realize why his stories fascinated me all the time: By listening to them, I learned that he wasn't an evil person, he wasn't intentionally being mean or cold… it was just a defensive wall he had built to shield himself from memories and feelings. One day he told me a story about a child who had been possessed by a Youkai's spirit and how he had killed that child… when he finished that story, I could see his eyes changing slightly, the walls he'd built had slightly cracked at that moment and it wasn't a tough warrior behind them… no, instead there had been a young man who had been forced to grow up too quickly and experience things too horrible for words to describe.”

 

 

“It was then, after listening to that story and going home that night when I realized it. I hadn't been listening to his stories because I was interested in them, I had listened to them because of the person who told them… I had wanted to see the `real' him and I felt if I listened to enough of his stories I would see the real him…and that night I had… A year later I realized I was falling in love with him. He was older than I was by 10 years but the `real' him was barely older than I was, It is hard to explain but…”

 

 

Arc interrupted her by saying: “I know what you mean, there have been times when, despite my age, I've been no better than a little kid who doesn't know which road to take…”

 

 

Renko looked at him briefly and thought: `Now I understand why Chizu trusts Arc so much… it's his eyes, those eyes… they have so much resemblance to my husbands, so tough on the outside but on the inside he is so vulnerable… his nature and way of talking is also so similar at times, no wonder she trusted him so easily.'

 

 

She then continued: “Yes, that's how he looked like at that time, just like someone who truly didn't know what path to take… my parents never found out about the fact that I secretly met with him and listened to his stories. Everyone was too busy with the fields, it had been a bad harvest that year and many villagers were concerned about the incoming winter…”

 

 

“However, it was because of that winter… even though it was the most painful time of my life, it was because of that winter that I ended up marrying him…”

 

 

Renko took a small pause before continuing: “During that winter, many villagers fell ill and some died of starvation due to the bad harvest… even my mother fell ill and sadly, our medicines were running low and there wasn't enough anymore. My father left the village to buy more medicine but… he never came back, a search party was formed to find him and after two days of searching, they found him… it seemed like a pack of wolves had attacked him…”

 

 

Arc looked down and said: “I'm sorry to hear that…” his voice full of honest regret and sadness.

 

 

Renko shook her head and continued: “Don't be, I've already come into grips with it, he died while trying to save my mother… that is how I will always remember him… but… it was also why my mother died of the illness as well. After they learned of the wolves, the villagers sent out a large group of people to get more medicine, yet they didn't make it back in time to save my mother, she died 2 days before the medicines arrived.”

 

 

“I was devastated, both of my parents had died and I was all alone… yet, it was strange but it was at that time I remembered the words: “Reality is cruel to everyone, adults and children alike”… those words, when I remembered them, I just stopped thinking and acted.”

 

 

Renko sighed and while looking up into the sky she said: “To make the long story short, that night I went to my future husbands hut and… well, all I really remember from that time was that I kept asking him: “Why is reality so cruel to everyone?”… It was the morning after that when he answered my question: “Reality is and will always be cruel… yet it does not mean we have to just accept it as it is.” It was from that day forward that I began to live with him, my parents were dead and he was the person I liked the most in the whole village… he was a bit hesitant about it but eventually he agreed to look after me.”

 

 

“It wasn't until 2 more years later that I told him I loved him… of course, it took him practically forever to accept the fact I loved him, since he had looked after me over 2 years like a parent… well, it was to be expected that it would be hard for him to accept it. Yet in the end, we were married and a year later we tried to have a child for a long time… it was hard because of me, my body's ability to have children was not working normally due to some weird condition I was born with. Yet, Sumira, who had become the village miko after Kaede passed away, finally was able to make the necessary medicine to help me… and when I was 21, I became pregnant with Chizu.”

 

 

“When she was born, I will never forget my husband's reaction when she was born… those eyes that had always held so much fear in them were for the first time since our wedding become filled with hope and warmth… though the bad news was that my body would never be able to bear another child… the medicine helped but it had left my body with no more means of having another child… so Chizu truly was our most precious treasure, the only child we would ever have.”

 

 

“Then, by the time Chizu turned 4, my husband was informed that a battle was going to fought near the village… even after the Youkai war ended, humans still kept fighting one another, so there were battles everywhere. My husband left for that battle to make sure it would not come near the village… I tried to stop him but… I could see it in his eyes: he wanted to protect both me and our daughter no matter what and he was not going to risk the village being attacked, so he left for the battlefield.”

 

 

“I waited for his return, for 7 days I was restless and could hardly sleep… Chizu also asked many times when papa would be returning. It was always so painful for me to smile and say he would be coming back soon, while I really knew that there was no telling if he could come back at all. And after those 7 days, a messenger from the army my husband had gone to fight for came to our village and…”

 

 

Renko didn't finish, Arc understood why, since even though she had come into grips with her parents' deaths, it seemed like her husband's death was something she still couldn't properly get over… so he finished for her: “It was then when you were told he had fallen in battle…”

 

 

No words were spoken after that, there was no more need…

 

 

Arc could now understand the bond between Renko and Chizu, it wasn't simply because Renko loved her daughter that made her a fighter, it was because she had lost everyone she had loved before… her parents, then her husband… now, there was only one person who gave her the will to keep on living: The only child she could ever have, Chizu… That was why she refused to die or let someone take her daughter, it wasn't only because of her love for her daughter but also because she was the only child she would ever have and she was also the last link she had to her dead, beloved husband: the last link to her will to keep living… God only knows how she must have felt at that time and… he didn't even want to think what Chizu must have felt like, yet, that little girl… how could she be so happy right now? It was because of Renko, her mother. It was such an amazing bond. Renko was not the only fighter, Chizu was too… they were both fighters in their own way…

 

 

Arc could also understand why Renko told him this story, it was… because in that story, her husband had been almost like he himself was right now: A man with a tough exterior, yet inside he was nothing more than a scared and confused little kid… but even though her husband had been wounded by the scars of war, he still pulled through for his loved ones. He had even gone to fight in order to protect them, knowing that he might not be coming back but still left to fight so he could protect his family… except, Arc was not trying to protect his family, he was trying to save his loved one but in order to do so, he must not let his inner fears deter him from that path no matter what…

 

 

For reality was cruel, yet he didn't need to accept it that way… instead of just accepting it, he would have to fight it in order to change it.

 

 

(Okay, that was rather long… hopefully it made some sense, since I have no idea where I came up with that one.)

 

 

After a moment of more silence, both of their attentions were drawn back to Chizu when she came to her mother and asked her to help him make the flower crown. As Renko got up and Chizu went back to collecting flowers, Renko looked at Arc one more time before saying: “Chizu is my precious treasure, even if it means my death… I will protect her no matter what, no matter who or what I am up against, keep that in mind Arc… for if you're not willing to risk death to protect someone precious to you, you cannot truly say you love them, always remember that.” And with that, Renko went to help her daughter, leaving Arc to think to himself again.

 

 

Renko's words kept ringing in Arcs head… `if you're not willing to risk death to protect someone precious to you, you cannot truly say that you love them'… she was right, for if he wasn't willing to risk death, could he really say he loved Kagura? But… that was a problem, since if he died, Kagura would also die so… how could he risk death knowing that his death would be the death of his mate as well? Also, that made him wonder, why was Youkai mating made like this? That the other would die if one died? Why would whoever came up with Youkai mating make it so dangerous…?

 

 

Yet, Arc was positive he loved Kagura, yet… goddamn it, this was so complicated! He would need to stop thinking for now, since first off he didn't know where his mate was and right now he needed to focus on the problems at hand: the insects, the moon priests… so think about Renko's words later, that was the only solution for now.

 

 

But… the more he looked those two, Renko and Chizu, as the two of them made that flower crown, he couldn't help but think about Kagura again… Kagura, his family, his friends… he briefly wondered, how were they doing right now? No doubt his mother was crying right now… he had felt it in her when he left, the deep sadness that welled up within her as he jumped into the well… he had made his mother cry, the thought hurt, A LOT. Yet there had been no choice, he needed to find his mate…

 

 

Arc shook his head again, this was getting out of hand, he had way too much to think about… and his Youkai blood, being restless as it was, wasn't helping one bit… This was hell for him, pure and utter hell, not to mention it was also the proof, the proof that he hadn't really grown up mentally at all… he felt like a lost kid who didn't know the way home, he hated it, he felt so helpless…

 

 

He looked at Renko and Chizu again… truth to be told, he envied Renko right now. She was so determined; she was truly willing to die for her daughter. Her curse had been a proof of it and the way she fought to stay alive for her daughter's sake proved that she was truly an adult… while he himself, he was hesitating like this. True, he had at first been dead set on finding his mate, even thinking about dying for her but now… when he thought about the full depth of the situation, he wasn't so sure anymore about anything… he hated it.

 

 

Arc groaned to himself, thinking about what should be do now? What could he do…? While trying to figure out answers to his dilemma, he kept looking at Renko and Chizu with a far-off look in his eyes. Letting his mind wander as the sound of Chizu's innocent and happy laughter echoed in his ears…

 

 

As his eyes kept looking at Chizu, her running from one point to another, collecting flowers and laughing… his vision slowly began to blur for a moment before it focused again. Now the scene he saw when they focused again was very different: Instead of Chizu being there to jump and run all over the field or Renko trying to help her daughter, there was a small girl with slightly tanned skin… or was it bronzed? He didn't see too clearly… but the girl also had two stormy grey eyes and black, almost velvety smooth looking, neck long hair.

 

 

Her laughter, it sounded almost like a… like a mixture of his mothers and Kagura's… The way she moved with the soft wind that blew past the field, it was like she was nothing but a feather moving along it, as if the wind was her closest friend and companion.

 

 

Then, she suddenly turned her head and those storm grey eyes, which lit up with excitement, stared right at him… the gaze, warmth and excitement that shined in her eyes pierced right through his very soul; making him feel something deep within his heart, a feeling he couldn't describe and could not recognise. It was something very close to serenity and happiness except it felt like something even greater, like a peace deep within him had awoken that he never knew he had had within him.

 

 

And then… the little girl waved at him and said something, something that would never leave his memory:

 

 

“{[ = Daddy!! = ]}”…

 

 

Then, everything slowed down until it all stopped… the world slowly began to turn grey as everything simply ceased. The sounds, the scents, the movement, time… everything, nothing was left, except the long, practically never-ending silence…

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

… rdo…

 

 

What was that? Did someone just say something…?

 

 

... A…DO…

 

 

Yes, someone definitely did say something just now…

 

 

…ARCERDO, LOOK OUT!!

 

 

That sound… Sumira! She was shouting his name! It snapped him out of his thoughts and when he came back to reality, he saw only one thing in front of him: A big, stinking, lethal looking…

 

 

=Warrior Insect, with it's sickle like hand coming straight at him…=

 

 

To be Continued…

 

 

“The situation just went from bad to worse…

 

The insects are here, yet what are they after…?

 

Can I protect and save the people of the village…

 

… Or more importantly, can I even save myself from this situation?”

- Arcerdo Higurashi

 

 

Next chapter: =Reawaken The Lost Pride - Part 2=

 

 

 

A/N: Whew… man that was long… I just hope this chapter was any good, since I was pretty tired when I wrote it. Anyway, if this chapter sucked or there was something that conflicts with the plot somehow or if I need to re-write it, let me know. The next chapter will have lot's of action in it… so see ya then!

 

- Zelix, see ya later!

 

 

 

[Ronin]: It is what Samurai's without a lord or a master were called. Some of them become mercenaries, some become bandits and others try to find a new master to serve.

 

 

[Youkai war 20 years ago]: Just to set the record straight: it has been 30 years since Naraku was killed, after the first 5 years, the Youkai war taking it's first steps and after another 4 years it had become an all-out war, 1 year after that was the point where Inuyasha, Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Shippou, Kouga, Ayame and Kagura went into the present era for good, the war came to an end 2 years later which was also the time when Arc was born, then 17 years later Kagura and Arc got mated, then one year later Kagura disappeared, 30 years in total, so the Youkai war has been over roughly 20 years ago. I know there might be inconsistencies in this, but this is the timeline I'm sticking onto from now on, to avoid any and all confusion later on.