Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sangre y Sacrificio ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

 

 

Disclaimer: Aw, I miss putting these up. Yeah, yeah, I don't own the characters.

 

A/N: OMG! An update? Who knew?

 

Sangre y Sacrificio

Chapter 3

 

 

 

Youko ground his teeth against the cold sting of the icy water that dripped down his person as he effortlessly hauled the girl out of the river and onto the grassy bank. He was soaking wet, no more than that. He was absolutely drenched from head to toe. He could feel the heaviness his saturated tail dragging on the ground behind him. But of course, what more was expected after jumping into the rampant waters of a river known for its ferocity and plummeting down one of the largest waterfalls in the Western lands while just missing the jagged rocks that jutted from the beneath the surface.

 

A spike of anger cut through him. How dare a mere human reduce him, prince of thieves and future leader of the silver kitsune clan, to the appearance of a drowned rat? His lips peeled back to reveal ivory fangs and he abruptly dumped the girl's body unceremoniously on the ground, immediately regretting it when her head landed none too gently on a sizeable rock with a sickening thud.

 

Scowling, Youko tried to smother the guilt and quickly arising sympathy for the helpless girl as a thin stream of blood trailed down the side of her porcelain face, the red liquid painfully bright against the paleness of her skin. And then it hit him; the sweet metallic scent of her blood called to him, its presence so strong that it he could practically taste it in his mouth.

 

Shaking away the haze that had threatened to overtake his brain, Youko glared at the female and plucked the orange-haired kitsune from her leg where he had attached himself in an inane attempt to save the human. Giving the girl one last glance, the silver kitsune turned and made his way into the thicket without regard to the annoying voice in his head, berating him for leaving an innocent, young girl alone out in the middle of nowhere.

 

He snorted. Why should he care what happened to some stupid human? Their pathetic race wouldn't last another century with their puny bodies and emotionally driven minds. It was none of his concern what fate held in store for the girl. And judging by her raggedy clothing it looked as though she would be better off dead than alive anyway. Chuckling, Youko shifted the kit to his left arm and prepared to take off when a familiar scent drew his attention toward the heavens. Golden eyes narrowed at the dark, ominous clouds blocking out the last vestiges of a blue sky.

 

`Wonderful. A fitting ending to a perfect day.' Silver ears swiveled to the four winds, their heightened sensitivity picking up the torrential downpours crashing down upon the land further upstream. He clicked his tongue with indecision. He could brave the storm, end up getting even more wet if that were even probable considering his current state, and get back home in a matter of hours. Granted he would miss the raid he'd been planning for three days now, if he hadn't already, but at least he wouldn't have to until wait the storm out.

 

His ears rotated in the opposite direction, the faint cackling of a fire not too far off in the distance piquing his interest. Or he could wait until the storm passed in the hut and leave tomorrow fully rested and ready to make the journey home. The latter seeming more sensible, Youko bent his knees, fully prepared to push off into a sprint before the heavens unleashed their fury, but something nagged at him, effectively keeping him in place like they'd been strapped down by his own plants.

 

Knowing exactly the reason behind the digression of his wayward impulse, Youko stood and slanted a wary glance out of the corner of his eye at the human. He cursed under his breath as another bout of guilt lanced through the organ he hadn't known existed until now. There was no way he could leave the girl lying in the middle of a storm in such an undignified heap.

 

Folding beneath the relentless persistence of his prodding conscience, Youko released an annoyed growl and grudgingly turned around. In one fluid motion, he crouched down and scooped her body from the grassy riverbank with his free arm. Youko heaved the unconscious over his right shoulder, shifting her weight until he was confident he would be able to run without dropping her in the position. His tails rustled in excitement when her limp hand brushed against the top of concealed tails, eliciting a tiny shiver to zip up his spine.

 

Youko frowned at the reaction, but then again he shouldn't be too surprised. It had been a few moons since he'd last had sex. He would have to rectify this brief, uncharacteristic period of celibacy when he returned home.

 

Wet droplets of rain splattered noiselessly onto his nose, the cold sensation bringing reality back into focus. The darkening of the sky overhead foretold of the downpour that was due to be unleashed any given moment. Taking this as his cue to exit, Youko secured both girl and child in his grasp before loping into a mad dash into the forest. Carefully dodging errant branches poking from a sundry of directions, the silver kitsune's maneuvers were fluid, graceful, and as agile as any cat.

 

It didn't take long to arrive at the clearing. A small hut sat in the center, twin beds of flowers lining both sides of its entrance. It appeared devoid of life save for the smoke from a fire within curling from a opening in the roof as it reached for the sky. But Youko knew better. His sensitive nose betrayed the scent of a human despite the rain that was beginning to fall more heavily. And he was fully prepared to maim whatever opposition they held if they turned him down.

 

Before he could get a chance to identify if the person inside was friend or foe, she chose to reveal herself. An old lady no more than seventy summers slid the shoji screen and poked her head outside. “Come in, come in before you catch your death boy.”

 

Grateful that his concealment spell was still in place, Youko stepped forth and hurriedly entered the hut. “Thank you for your generosity. My friends have taken a bit of a stumble and were knocked unconscious. I don't think I could've made it back to our village with the approaching storm.”

 

“I don't expect that you would have,” she said sliding the screen shut. “Now come by the fire and get warmed up. Poor dears, you all are soaking wet. Let me get some dry blankets.”

 

Youko watched as the old woman dressed in a hakama and gi that looked older than dirt shuffle into one of the back rooms, a brief instance of confusion coloring his countenance. Humans were entirely too trusting in nature for their own good. Snorting lightly at their idiocy, the silver kitsune moved toward the fire cracking in the middle of the room and knelt down. He laid the kit to his left, and then gently transferred the girl to floor. She felt cold and clammy beneath his fingers.

 

Another pang of guilt tugged at him as he sat back on his haunches and stared at the shell the girl that housed such a fiery spirit had become, her lush lips stripped of their color, her inky mass of hair scattered limply in wet tangles around her form, the blue veins in her arm even more prominent against the sallow tint of her skin. She was lying still and stiff as a board, the only indication that she was even alive being the barely visible rise and fall of her chest.

 

Obscured, elongated ears twitched, signaling the return of the woman. “Here. These should be enough,” she said hobbling with a slight limp toward him, her arms full of blankets that look as though they'd seen better days. “I'm sorry I don't have anything more decent than these old rags, but it's all that I've got.”

 

“They are more than adequate,” Youko said with a smile, inwardly cringing at the frayed blankets and course material as she handed them over. “I greatly appreciate your hospitality. Not too many folk are considerate enough to welcome strangers into their home in the midst of these violent times.”

 

“Psh,” she waved him off, “don't be fooled by these old bones. I know a good spirit when I sense one.” With a grin that evened out the creased lines of her craggy face, she gave him a conspiratorial wink. “I've trusted my gut for a long time now and it has never let me down. Besides, you look like a good, wholesome boy who's obviously dedicated to your woman.”

 

`Shows how much you know,' Youko mentally snickered, and outwardly fashioned an expression of sincerity upon his features. “Well, I will be forever indebted to that gut of yours.”

 

She laughed, which more or less resembled the scraping of nails against the surface of a stone, the noise causing Youko to flatten his ears to his scalp to escape the excruciating torture to his eardrums. “I'll be in the back room if you need anything,” the old woman said, her laughter having tapered off into a reverberating chuckle. “There's some water in the bucket over in the corner if you find yourselves thirsty. Good night and take good care of your friends.”

 

“Good night.” The placid smile fell as she retreated to the other side of the hut. `Good riddance. I should have killed the old hag, at least it would have spared me the torment of her company and that horrible laugh.' But he never was one for biting the hand that fed him, be it human or youkai. The silver kitsune returned to the fire and parked himself between the child and girl. Youko draped the smaller blankets around the small kit, his lips twitching as the cherub-faced youth snored in his sleep.

 

He turned to the girl, his eyebrows knitting together as he surveyed her shivering figure. It then dawned on him that humans were more susceptible to weather conditions than youkai. Muttering a few choice words under his breath, Youko quickly rolled the girl on her side, untied the yellow obi binding the mauve kimono and peeled the wet robe from her body, carelessly tossing it aside with a loud plop.

 

Arrested breath caught between the walls of his throat, his eyes widening as they shamelessly roved over the voluptuous body that lay before him, the only barrier separating him from the softness of her flesh being a thin yukata that left little to the imagination. This was definitely no mere slip of a girl, as he witnessed firsthand, but a fully developed woman, complete with flawless curves and an exquisiteness that rendered him breathless. She was beautiful.

 

`No, beautiful is an understatement. She is beyond words.' His body reacted accordingly, the urge to raven the young maiden clawing at him from the inside until he could feel an uncomfortable tightening in his belly. The heady scent of vanilla and sakura blossoms invaded every nuance of his head. His mouth watered with the promises of sweet release she unwillingly offered, his fingers aching to shred the thin material and take her where she rested. Youko shook his head and blinked away the vestiges of red that'd begun to bleed into his vision. `No. I will not lower myself by using a human for release.'

 

Easier said than done.

 

Youko had to physically restrain himself from the beast that was bucking and raging within its confines as he tucked her into two large blankets, which he hoped was enough to curb his instinctual desires with her flesh being out of sight. Withholding a frustrated groan, Youko resisted the impulse to take another peek and instead busied himself with wringing the residual water from his hair and tail.

 

He shrugged out of the damp toga clinging to him like a second skin and laid it out on the floorboards next to the girl's discarded robe, then settled down on the remaining blanket with arms and legs crossed. Here he was, Japan's most notorious criminal and heir to a thrown of prestige and power, demoted to the position of caretaker to a homeless kit and a poverty-stricken, human girl.

 

If only Nago could see him now. The old fool would probably laugh so hard he'd cough up his own lungs, not that he'd be particularly saddened to witness the feat, but he'd be damned if he let someone mock him and get away with it. Nobody made a fool out of Youko Kurama, not a poor excuse a father or some random village girl, regardless of her beauty and body.

 

Banishing the unpleasant thoughts, he closed his eyes, still retaining his upright position, and allowed himself to drift into a light sleep, the girl's personal fragrance unintentionally bringing a small smile to his face.

 

TBC

 

A/N: This was so random and quite short, for me anyways. I really didn't plan to continue with this story, but hey, when my muse beckons, I come arunning with pen and paper. Thanks to all those who reviewed and begged me, quite literally, to update. And thanks for jamming up my email account too. I appreciate that, really. This is totally for you guys. May all credit go to my muse, who has appeared out of the blue amidst the chaos that is my life. Don't know when she'll leave, hopefully after I finish with the next chapter of As Deemed By Fate, so stay tuned. Peace.