InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What Are You? ❯ Chapter Twenty-One: Spider and the Moon ( Chapter 21 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Twenty-One

Spider and the Moon

The Weaver was annoyed to see how quickly “I” was ruining my clothing, as if it were entirely my fault that cloth was not made out of more durable stuff. She grumbled to herself about how careless I was with something so expensive. She knew that I couldn't afford to kill her though. It would mean revealing my secret to another weaver. That would be rather counterproductive.

She said that she could mend this one (not in the way a human mends, but in a way that no one would be able to tell it had ripped) or make a new one. I chose the former; it was faster. So, she sat at her stool, mending it, six of her eight legs in constant, deft motions that I didn't understand. I was sprawled out half-naked on the tatami mats as I waited for her to finish, more than likely looking far too dramatic. It wouldn't take her long at all.

I turned my head to stare out the window at the moon. I recalled a story from far west in the mainland about a spider… something to do with the moon. As I dug deeper into the memory, a few more details surfaced. Ah, yes, a spider which weaves a web that holds the moon. What country had I heard it from? I couldn't remember any more.

In an effort to block out the little vial of poison I had clutched in my hand, I focused completely on the story. The moon… My brow creased in thought. A spider, and the moon… Naraku and me, I realized. I was the elusive moon, and he had been the spider, weaving a web…

But why would I think about him? The answer came to me just as I asked myself the question. The tiny life growing in me was why. I should just kill it.

I studied the moon. It sort of did look like it was being held in a magical web… supporting it in the sky, but not exactly needing it…

Maybe I was thinking too much in to an old myth. Yes, I was. Did everyone get like this when they were pregnant—thinking about stupid, pointless things that ordinarily wouldn't matter, or even cross one's mind? It shouldn't matter. It never should have even occurred to me. I absently touched the crescent moon on my forehead—identical to the one hanging in the night sky. A web that holds the moon… To what point and purpose?

What had been the name of the story? The spider had had a name… There was a reason it was always weaving… Was it something about… greed, maybe pride? Pride, that was it. What had been the rest of the story? My memory didn't seem to want to give me any more details.

I frowned. What was the name of that damned country? I thought of all the countries I had journeyed to, but some of their names eluded me—apparently, the one that this myth had come from too. Even some of the languages were lost to me. I just couldn't seem to remember…

I heard the rustle of silk from somewhere. What was that country…? My face was suddenly covered in white silk. I pushed it off and shot the Weaver with a glare. She wasn't even looking at me, so the effort was wasted. “I told you three times that I had finished it, but you didn't seem to hear me,” she explained, an exasperated tone tingeing her characteristically thin voice.

“Hm.” I pulled on the garment again. I was getting better at dressing with only one arm. At the beginning, I had found replacement arms just so I could get dressed. But I had pretty much figured it out now. “How much do I owe?”

She glanced at me, then back at her loom. Always weaving… “Don't kill the child.”

I rose to my feet, resisting the urge to show the extent of my annoyance with her. For some reason, I didn't doubt that she knew. The old demon had always managed to figure out everything that I tried to keep hidden. It could be from years of dealing with me. “Why not? It has caused me nothing but trouble.”

“I think… You will regret it if you do.”

I felt a little insulted. I had no qualms about killing children. “I disagree.”

She didn't move from her loom. The sounds of the raw silk against raw silk, and the movements of the loom were the only sounds for a moment. “Then why haven't you swallowed the poison yet?”

I blinked and scowled. This conversation was over. I tossed a coin over my shoulder on my way out. It hit the floor with a metallic ring and rolled before coming to rest. I was growing angry. It was best to leave now. But why hadn't I swallowed the poison yet? There was no reason not to. Besides, if I didn't, then… Then everyone would find out. I just couldn't have that. Everything would come to ruin if I allowed that to happen.

Ha! Why should I hesitate to kill something that was going to betray my darkest secret? There was no reason to allow such a creature to live.

That decided, I opened the bottle and put it to my lips.

******

Note: Oops. Regarding Chapter Eighteen, I noticed that I uploaded it twice. Now the real chapter is in place, though for Chapter Nineteen. I feel stupid… Sorries!