InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What Matters the Most ❯ Red Moon Rising ( Chapter 38 )

A/N: Hey everyone! Gomen it took me so long to post this-- haven’t had a lot of time to write lately... Anyway, in case your interested, This chapter was written solely because I like the title. ^_^ Also, people were wondering which side Kagura was going to be on... I have no idea if this’ll clear that up, but...

-fawn of the woods - Well... I don’t know if they’ll talk about that necessarily, but I plan to have someone else’s point of view on this. Just don’t know when I’ll get it up... ^_^ Seems people have been missing one of the other characters who helped get this plot in motion, and who I’ve been shamefully neglecting lately. ^_^

-AnimeRainChildOfLove - Woah, lots of review from you neh? Lol, well lets see if I can answer them all-- Yep, Kouga and Rin. I Actually didn’t think anyone would like that, so this is definitely good to hear, cause I’m not about to go back and change the pairing... even if it does put them OOC. ^_^ -- Yep, Sesshomaru didn’t get all pissy about human Inuyasha. After all they’ve been through already, I can hardly picture him turning his back on his mate now. That would have simply ruined my story. ^_^ -- Lol, thanks, that’s quite an... interesting, and poetic(? -- Is that right? I’m not sure if that’s the right description I’m looking for...) way of wording it. Glad you enjoyed the ending too-- I personally didn’t like it much, but writer’s block was starting to kick in, and I had to finish it someway before that took hold. ^_^

-Crazy-Inuyasha-Girl - Lol, we’ll have to see. My other stories are currently being neglected a little as well, so I need to devote some time to them sometime soon too... It’s definitely gonna slow the updates down a little I’m afraid...

-VK - Lol, one of the good ones? What are the others? ^_^ -- So Tooru used to be Kyo? Hm... Well that’s definitely interesting... I think... I don’t know, I’ve never heard of Diru before... ^_^ Lol

Okay, well that’s all for now, and I’ve got to get busy writing another chapter, so until then...

DISCLAIMER - Havn’t used one in a while, so I figured I better post this one up just for good measure -- Don’t own Inuyasha and co. Just the story and OC.   ~*~   Red Moon Rising

Rin opened the door to her room, slipping inside and leaning with her back against the door to close it.

She couldn’t explain this strange feeling coursing through her, but she didn’t want it to leave either.

It was like the faint thrill that went through her whenever Inuyasha or Sesshomaru looked at her after look at each other-- strange and warming and exciting all at once, yet it always felt extended and not meant for her when she felt it from them, and that’s because she knew it wasn’t meant for her. She was catching the aftershocks of their own passion and love. Everybody else felt it too, she was sure. But what she was feeling now was more complete than that... and it was entirely hers...

Well, hers and Kouga’s.

She grinned at the thought of the wolf demon.

She had kissed him! She had actually kissed Kouga!

And he hadn’t pulled away or anything like that either...

She frowned slightly at that thought, shaking her head, because it sounded awfully close to hopeful.

‘Don’t be stupid.’ She mentally chided herself. ‘He’s a prince and a demon no less! There’s no way in any or all of the seven hells that you could ever be with him!’

‘But he seems interested in you.’ Another part of her mind cut in, and her frowned deepened even more. She hated when she got like this! The two sides of her mind would start bickering with one another non-stop until she finally proved one or the other of them wrong! It wasn’t like she had a split personality or anything, but she was just stubborn, and therefore developed the annoying ability in herself to argue each and every point out to it’s fullest extent.

However (luckily or unluckily enough, depending on how you look at her) before she could continue her mental argument with herself, she was cut off by something shifting behind her, and then suddenly cold steel was pressed against her throat and an arm was wrapped around her chest, pinning her own to her sides.

Rin immediately went rigid, fear coursing through her as she was unable to see her attacker, nor could she respond to them in any form of retaliation.

‘Did you have a good time with your little wolf-prince?’ A familiar voice hissed in her ear, and Rin instantly relaxed slightly, before frowning and tensing again.

‘Is that really any business of your, Kagura?’ She asked, concealed with here everywhere slip from her throat as she pulled angrily away and turned to glare at her “sister”.

‘Where do you get off anyway, scaring me like that! I should ram that knife into your gut for that!’ She said, Kagura watching her passively all the while. ‘You have been hanging around with the hanyou too much-- he has effected your speech and tone for the worst I see.’ The elder of the too said slowly, allowing Rin a moment to eye her angrily and defensively before striding forward to grab her siblings wrist, dragging the indignant and surprised Rin over to the window.

‘Look.’ She said flatly, pointing toward the darkened sky. Rin frowned defiantly at her, but followed the command nonetheless, turning her eyes toward the horizon and gasping at the sight that greeted her.

There, hovering just inches over the horizon and perhaps five times it’s normal size (large enough to cover a good portion of the horizon and sky anyways), was the moon, glowing brightly against the inky backlight of the universe and shining with as much glory as it ever did.

But this was clearly different from usual.

The moon hovering before them was not silver or white or even the occasional orange-ish colour it sometimes took around this time of year.

This moon was red, shining in the sky like a gigantic ruby and looking for all the world like the iris of one of Kagura’s eyes. It was even glowing in a similar manner as Kagura’s sometimes did.

Taking a small step back, Rin could feel her sister’s eyes upon her, and she cast her a nervous glance, hoping that she would know what this was all about. Because, with it’s red colour, the moon had brought a strange sense of foreboding-- one that she did not care to have, and wasn’t sure what to do about.

‘What does it mean?’ She asked in a tentative whisper that caused Kagura to scrunch up her face in distaste at her obvious fear before turning back to stare out the window.

She fell silent for several minutes, as if contemplating something, before finally deeming the time right to speak.

‘It means that something epic is going to happen soon. Something that will greatly tip the scales toward good or evil.’ She turned back toward Rin, her eyes becoming a deep shade of crimson from the shadows playing across them. ‘It means someone is probably going to die soon. And their death will have a great impact on the rest of the world.’

Rin’s eyes grew wider as she glanced back at the sky.

‘Does Lord Inu Taisho know? Do Sesshomaru and Inuyasha?’ She asked, and Kagura raised an eyebrow.

‘No. They do not.’ She said, looking back at the moon, it’s reflection melting to be perfectly camouflaged in her own eyes as she said ‘They are not able to see it. No one but we two can.’

Rin frowned slightly at this. ‘But that doesn’t make any sense.’ She said softly. ‘Why are we the only one’s able to see it?’ She asked, her voice laden with confusion as she watched her sister intently.

Kagura waved her fan in an offhanded sort of way, causing the wind to stir around the room and the image of the moon outside to flicker slightly.

‘The wind painted it for my eyes to see. Because you are with me, you can see it as well.’ She said, snapping her fan shut and causing the moon to disappear completely, leaving nothing but tiny flecks of stars against the jet-black sky. ‘There is no moon to see with human or demon eyes alone tonight.’ Kagura said. ‘It has hidden itself from us. But because of that the wind was able to reveal that one to me.’ She turned slowly toward Rin.

‘Two moons can never be in the sky at the same time, so I only have access to this power on the night of the new moon when the other chooses to hide away, and let the red moon show it’s face. Which it only does if something great is approaching. Otherwise it is nothing more that a sliver of blue against the sky.’ She said, and Rin stared at her a moment before nodding slowly.

There was a moment’s silence and then Rin suddenly turned and began to move toward the door.

‘Where are you going?’ Kagura asked, causing Rin to pause, glance back at her sister.

‘Someone has to tell Inuyasha and Sesshomaru about it!’ She said, as though it was the most obviously thing in the world. ‘This could very well have to do with them and Naraku-- we can’t just leave something like this hanging in the air for them to discover for themselves!’

Kagura’s eyes narrowed.

There was a faint but familiar snap as the wind-fan opened again, and the next thing Rin knew she was pinned to the wall next to the door by some of Kagura’s wind-blades.

‘You will tell no one, Rin.’ She said, her voice low and menacing, her eyes seeming to emit a light of their own in the dim room, and suddenly it was very easy to see the resemblance between her and Naraku.

Rin watched from her new position pinned to the wall as Kagura walked over to the low table the mirror had resided on earlier, pulling on one corner of a dark velvet cloth that now lay there, revealing the familiar glitter of Kana’s mirror for all of a second before she let the cloth fall back down and cut it off.

‘I have been speaking with our brother.’ Kagura said, still holding Rin captive against the wall. ‘He plans to kill Inuyasha and the pups when they are born.’ She said as Rin gasped into her invisible gag of wind.

‘You betrayed Naraku, Rin.’ The yasha said, stepping toward her sister, extending one arm to the side to hold her fan in an almost lazy manner that usually signalled she was about to attack, and Rin tensed. Kagura wouldn’t kill her... would she? ‘What do you plan to do if he succeeds and kill’s your precious Inu’s?’

Rin stared at her sister a moment with wide eyes, trembling faintly in fear at the prospect that Kagura might actually slay her, waiting until she felt the invisible pressure pull away from her mouth before softly speaking.

‘Whatever it takes.’

Kagura blinked in surprise, but Rin wasn’t done yet.

‘I knew what I was getting into when I started this, Kagura, I just didn’t know what would happen along the way.’ She said slowly. ‘I gave up my “life” with Naraku in the hopes of finding something better. And I have. I am ready to give up everything, even my life, if only to keep the memories I have of this time here. I’ve gained something better than I ever could have if I’d stayed in the safety of Naraku’s control. I gained a life, Kagura. And a heart. And I have been trying to make up for all that I have done wrong before when I was under our brother’s rein.’ She said, staring her sister hard in the eyes, her body stilling it’s trembling. ‘What have you done?’

Kagure stared at her a moment, her eyes still narrowed, before she smirked, waving her fan (ignoring the small cringe from Rin) and letting the ningen before her drop to the floor once again.

‘I did not come here for love or friendship, or even a “heart” Rin.’ She said, still smirking. ‘But neither do I want to go back to Naraku. Nevertheless, even should I agree to help Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, we cannot tell anyone what has been seen and said here tonight.’

Rin frowned, her confusion returning to her once more as she stared at her sister. ‘But why not?’ She asked, not missing the way Kagura’s eyes narrowed again.

‘Because this isn’t our battle, Imouto.’ She said. And now it was Rin’s turn to narrow her eyes.

‘Yes it is, aneue.’ She said, putting emphasis on the last word before giving a small shake of her head. ‘We made it outs the moment we came here.’

Kagura raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. ‘That doesn’t change anything.’ She said, feeling Rin’s confusion spike once again and barely suppressing the urge to pin the girl to the wall again because of it. ‘We still cannot tell anyone.’

Rin let out a small huff.

‘I ask again-- why?’

Kagura shot her a sceptical look. ‘Are you really that foolish Rin? You know as well as I that Naraku will be watching us-- you especially. If he learns that Inuyasha, or anyone else for that matter, know of his plans, do you think he will still follow through with them?’ She demanded of her now silent sister. ‘he will change them and he will also know that I betrayed him as well. We will be cut off from his plans and anything else he might come up with. At least this way we have some warning so that we might find some way to help prevent him from following through with his plots.’

Rin opened her mouth, paused, then shut it again, offering a small nod.

‘Aright, we don’t tell.’ She agreed, and Kagura eyed her a moment, nodding, before offering her a long, calculating look.

‘He’ll be loyal to you.’ She said suddenly, her words zooming completely off of their current topic to some foreign topic Rin wasn’t familiar with, and she blinked in surprise and confusion. What the hell was Kagura talking about now?

She got her answer when Kagura continued with what she was saying a moment later.

‘That Kouga character.’ She said. ‘He’ll be loyal to you.’ Rin’s felt her eyes widen in surprise, and the only thing that stopped her jaw from hitting the ground was the defensive part of her mind’s suddenly urgent need to make a reply.

But the “What makes you think I’m even interested in him” had been transformed somewhere along the road from her mind to her mouth, and came out instead as a simple, soft ‘What makes you say that?’

Kagura eyed her consideringly a moment before answering.

‘He is an ookami demon.’ She said, as if that explained everything. But the look on Rin’s face clearly said that it didn’t, and Kagura huffed slightly in annoyance before continuing. ‘Wolves are pack animals and, demon or not, they are extremely loyal. When they choose a mate it is for life. Since Kouga is the prince I of the wolf tribe, I can hardly see him being an exception to this rule.’

Rin flushed slightly even as she silently began to considering Kagura’s words.

Were they true? Did wolves really mate for lives? How did Kagura know this? Did it really matter? Did she want that? Did Kouga?

She decided she would have to question the wolf about it later (if at all) but for now she really did need to get busy discouraging her sister from this train of thoughts.

Her and Kouga were not a couple. They were just friends. Sort of. Who had kissed...

‘What makes you think we’re even interested in each other that way?’ She asked, her older bastardized question finally voicing itself in the proper manner (a fact which she was quite pleased about). However it hardly hard the desired effect.

Kagura simply smirked at her, before saying ‘You certain have an eye for royalty though, don’t you-- first Inuyasha, prince of the western lands, and now Kouga, prince of the wolf tribe. At least the wolf doesn’t already have an intended mate though.’ She said, as Rin’s eyes narrowed under her sister’s teasing.

‘And who exactly do you have your eyes on now that Sesshomaru is taken, Kagura?’ She shot back, her voice heated and practically hissing with venom.

Kagura raised an eyebrow, both at the tone and the question, and then laughed as though she’s just been told the world’s funniest joke. Rin rolled her eyes in frustration and crossed her arms (unconsciously mimicking Kouga’s pose) as she waited for her sister to finish.

‘I’m serious!’ She whined, and Kagura cast her a sceptical glance.

‘I already told you I didn’t come for love.’ Kagura said in an offhanded manner. ‘I have no interest in such things.’

Rin rolled her eyes again, before turning and heading off into the small washing area attached to their room.

‘Yeah, sure Kagura, whatever.’ She thought as she dipped one of the cloths into the small wash-basin before pausing with a smirk.

‘Well then, sister-dear, if you haven’t set your sights on anyone yet, perhaps I should find him for you.’ She thought, a devilish smirk playing across her face. ‘After all, I can hardly have you feeling left out now can I?’

These thoughts in mind, Rin continued to grin as she wrung out the cloth and began scrubbing her skin with it, all the while running over the list of possible candidates she could hook her sister up with.

  ~*~  

Glossary

Inu Taisho - Inuyasha and Sesshomaru’s father. Means something like Lord of the dogs or Dog-General. Which means that, whenever I put “Lord Inu Taisho” It really makes absolutely no sense. ^_^

Imouto - Little Sister

Aneue - Older Sister ~*~  

A\N: Lol, I bet no one can guess who I’ve got planned to hook Kagura up with. (And yes, there is someone, I’m just not sure when and if they’ll be included in the story very much)

Anyway, hoped everyone enjoyed the chapter-- Not getting too far out there for everyone is it? ^_^ Lol.

Oh, and sorry to everyone I’m supposed to email updates too-- My email has been down for the past few days, and I don’t know when it’ll be back up again... Gomen for that.

‘I knew what I was getting into when I started this, Kagura, I just didn’t know what would happen along the way.’ -- These are my thoughts exactly on writing this story. ^_^