Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Hitori Dake no Mikazuki ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Prologue

She could sense their coming. Feel every footstep that brought them closer to her cell. A small, vicious smile adorned her lips as she listen to the doors creak open, the prisoners in the cages all jump up to beg the two to let them free, as if he had a heart. She knew what each one was in there for. The mizu youkai across from her was caught stealing fish that had come from his own rivers in the first place. The inu yasha had spoken harshly against Akuma, therefore was to be put to death the next morning, or suffer the same fate as the others if she was pretty enough. Personally, Mori would rather die than live the agony that she did. Others were trapped in this hole for theft, arson and murder, all in the name of the justice that no longer existed. The rest, all female demons who had once been princesses of the lands Akuma had conquered, just as she had been, and were all there for the same reason- slavery. And not just any kind. Akuma had some…distasteful hobbies, and for some reason Mori was his favorite. Every night spent in his room or her dungeon cell was a living nightmare.

But tonight, it ended.

There was nothing to live for, as far as she was concerned. Her first love had been taken from her, and the second was gone, hidden away somewhere in the three worlds. Worst of all, her brother was dead. That bastard, Akuma, had the audacity to keep his pelt hanging in his bedchamber. She had only seen it last night, and one night was all it took to shatter her spirit.

The door creaked open, and the lantern light that filled the room was enough to blind her. Her tiny cell was dark, with no windows at all, which was actually a blessing in disguise, for in the dark she was unable to see the uneven, moss colored stone floor, or the ceiling that dripped ice-cold water, as if it was a make-shift Chinese water torture cell, and, best of all, the red-eyed, naked-tailed rats were invisible in the darkness.

"Mori-chan-" a voice started, but she cut them off.

"No."

"Mori, I hate this as much as you do, but-"

"No, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be here right now, Sango."

Another voice answered, one more masculine and antagonistic than the one before, "If you don't come, we'll have to get Lord Akuma-sama ourselves."

"Then get him. I'm not going with you."

When the male guard left, Sango came and knelt beside Mori. "He fell for it," she said simply, without any hint of a jest in her voice. "My Lady, are you positive-"

"I am, Sango. I am."

"I have the draught. When it has taken effect and I am unconscious, the maho said to position me so it's as if we had a fight, and then you can…" she refused to say the last bit. "You may even knock me around a little, to make the scene more persuasive, Yume-baba said it's powerful enough." She hesitated a second before throwing her arms around Mori. "My Lady, isn't there any other way?" she blurted out through heart wrenching sobs, but, though her face softened and tears came to her eyes, Mori's resolution was set in stone.

"There isn't. Hurry and take the draught, there isn't much time." Sango drank the effervescent green liquid in the small glass vial quickly, and almost immediately was knocked into a hazy stupor. Mori did as Sango had asked, and threw a punch at the latter's face for good measure, careful not to draw blood, lest the rats would eat her alive. It was for Sango's own safety- she could be killed if Akuma realized that Mori's former lady-in-waiting had helped her.

There was no hesitance as Mori felt around for the arrows on Sango's back. The kitsune was famous for her kyudo skills and flaunted it; hence she always carried a full quiver. All Mori needed was one to carry out her plans, just one to snuff out the fires of her own private hell.

Fingering the sharp, steel tip of the sagittae, Mori had no qualms about what she was about to do. She heard, faintly, the sound of the door being flung open, and Akuma's yelling, but all sounds were soon drowned out by the rhythm of the blood pulsing in her ears as she quickly stabbed herself in the jugular vein. She turned to Akuma, savoring the utterly stupefied look on his face, breaking out into a full-blown cackle as she felt the blood flow in claret torrents.

Mori died laughing.