InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Case of Double Personality ❯ Unexpected Allies ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: j0yrid3

Chapter II: Unexpected allies

Midoriko felt Kumiko's presence growing stronger. She couldn't contain it any longer, she had to let the girl out for a while, until she recovered her strength. Therefore, she released her hold and had her own presence fade into a half-dormant state.

Kumiko opened her eyes to find herself in a dark forest. Alone. How the...

The last thing she remembered was visiting a shrine...and looking at an old well and after that total darkness. This was beginning to get really scary. And why was she holding a bow? She remembered the strange feeling that she had experienced in front of the well. It was back. She looked at her pocked to see it emanating a purple light and she reached inside. She pulled out a small glowing shard and looked at it curiously.

“What's this?” she thought knitting her brows.

She heard the wind blowing fiercely behind her and she turned around quickly to see a woman.

It was dark so she couldn't distinguish her clearly, but she seemed to be wearing a kimono...Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice:

“Oh, a human? How did you get the shard?”

What the hell did she mean by human? Kumiko took a few steps back, not taking her eyes off the strange woman.

“Well, hand it over.” Came her voice.

She didn't know why, but she didn't want to give her the shard, somehow it didn't feel right.

“No.” she said with determination.

“That's amusing...Well, suit yourself.” Kagura replied and raised her fan.

Kumiko turned around and started to run as fast as she could. The crashing sounds alerted her that the woman was shooting with...something. The thought of using the bow crossed her mind, but she was such a lousy shot it wasn't really an option.

Something hit her leg, making a deep cut and she fell down as blood started to pore out of her open wound.

The young woman appeared in front of her raising her fan for the final blow, but suddenly she was swept away in a blur of movements.

The next moment Kumiko saw her hit a tree and fall down hard.

“Sesshoumaru...” Kagura managed to speak.

The girl now noticed a man standing between her and that strange woman. The moon was illuminating his features and he looked like a statue, standing above everyone.

“Kagura.” He spoke in a low voice. “Where's Naraku?”

The woman pulled a feather out of her hair and Kumiko saw it grow as the woman flew away on it.

“Can't tell you!” The wind carried Kagura's voice.

The man, Sesshoumaru, now turned to face Kumiko and the girl remained stunned at his appearance. Even in the dark, she could see his long silver hair and his eyes glowed yellow.

She tried to get up, but failed because of her injury and instead spoke weakly:

“Thank you...”

Sesshoumaru knitted his brows. How could Kagura manage to hurt this woman? Why did she not defend herself? He had smelled Naraku's scent and followed it and he had reached the scene in time to hear Kagura demanding the shard. He had remained hidden, watching the scene because the woman had caught his interest and he was curious to see her fight. Instead, she didn't even shoot one arrow and Kagura had even managed to injure her.

He stepped in to eliminate Kagura from the equation in order to satisfy his curiosity. Why did she not fight?

”Why did you not shoot your arrow?” he asked.

“I couldn't hit an elephant if it stood two feet away from me.” She answered honestly.

“You seemed to have no trouble with your targeting earlier.” He replied approaching her.

“Earlier?” she asked with a puzzled expression.

Her astonishment was not fake; he could sense it in her scent. What was wrong with her?

”I actually...don't remember how I got here...” she said lowering her eyes.

He had heard of a human illness that provoked the loss of memory and he decided to test his knowledge:

“What is your name, human?”

Hmph, human...why did they all keep calling her that? She wondered idly.

She looked at him as he was now much closer and noticed his claws, the stripes on his face and the crescent moon on his forehead. His ears were not round, but pointed, like an elf's and his garments seemed to be from an age many hundreds of years ago.

By the way he had literally blasted that woman into the tree and by the speed of his movements she assumed that he wasn't human at all.

“My name is Kumiko, and, forgive my rudeness, but what are you?” she asked timidly.

It was said the illness provoked the loss of memory, but she knew her name and yet she didn't know that he was youkai.

Granted, either she was suffering from another human disease he had heard of - insanity, either there was something very strange going on.

He decided to answer the question, as stupid as it seemed:

“I am a demon.”

“A what?” she screamed in her mind. “I'm dreaming right? Then why is the pain in my leg so real?”

The blood was still pouring out of her open wound and she started to feel very weak. Sitting up was out of the question, especially since the world was beginning to spin. She closed her eyes, breathing hard and Sesshoumaru realized she had a very severe injury.

He should leave her there to die. Nevertheless, she intrigued him, even if he was not the curious type. He looked at her once again to see that she had fainted. That was for the best; he thought as he lifted her into his arms and took to the air.

As he flew above the clouds, he allowed himself to contemplate the woman in his arms. She had such an unusual color of hair...Golden bangs enframed her pale face, a color he had never seen in a human before. However, he had heard that it was encountered in humans that inhabited far away lands. Her garments were unusual as well and quite inappropriate. Her kimono was very short and tight, revealing her every shape. Not that it was bothering him; on the contrary.

Her scent was strange too. While most humans reeked of sweat and other body fluids, this one smelled exotic, it was like a fusion of floral and spicy warmth. In lack of better words to describe it, it was a seductive scent. He had barely felt it before, when she was pointing her arrow at him, because of the powerful scent of purifying energy. And what caliber of purifying energy...were he a lesser demon, he would have perished from being near the arrow.

She was indeed a very strange creature.

ooooOOoooo

When Midoriko woke up, she felt an aching pain in her left leg. She searched Kumiko's most recent memories and flashes of the youkai woman, who apparently was a wind user, filled her mind. Also she had expected anyone but him to be her savior.

The warrior Miko took a glimpse at her leg to see that it had been bandaged and no longer bleeding, but judging by the pain she felt, the wound was surely deep.

She quickly reached to her pocket and felt with relief that the jewel shard was still there. Her bow and arrows were standing next to her so she grabbed them and got up weakly.

The sight she saw almost made her fall down again as Sesshoumaru materialized out of nowhere and right in front of her.

“What do you want, demon?” she snapped, her hand clutching on her bow.

She seemed to be back to how she was before the incident with Kagura, the daiyoukai noticed.

“Gratitude is obviously not on your list of attributes.” He spoke calmly.

That seemed to have a strange effect on her as she lowered her eyelids thoughtfully, as if she was trying to remember something.

“Again you do not remember?” came his low voice.

She looked at Sesshoumaru, trying to read him, yet his features seemed carved in stone.

“There are times when I am not myself.” She said, sitting down in front of him.

Midoriko didn't exactly know why she was explaining her situation to this demon, but since he was of help...

He sat down right in front of her waiting for her explanation.

“In those times...I do not remember what my other self does.”

“Who are you?” came his question.

“My name is...Midoriko.” she let out the truth.

“Midoriko?” Sesshoumaru said. “The warrior Miko that sealed the youkai souls inside her heart, giving birth to the Shikon no Tama?”

Midoriko lowered her gaze. She hated to be reminded of her stupid mistake.

“Yes. My soul has been reincarnated inside this girl and still she has a presence of her own and she surfaces from time to time.”

“You have taken over her body?” He asked with disgust, remembering another certain Miko that took a part of her soul back from her incarnate and was now walking the earth with a body made from her ashes and burial soil.

“I have done what I must to straighten my mistake!” she snapped. “Do not judge me, demon!”

He ignored her outburst and asked calmly:

“What mistake might that be?”

”The creation of the Shikon. The souls of the youkai trapped inside, I couldn't purify them and thus a jewel that can give unimaginable power to youkai was born.” She replied miserably.

“And how are you planning on straightening your mistake?” he spoke again.

“I will make the jewel whole again and this time I will purify the demon souls inside.” She stated firmly.

He gave her a long look that could have meant anything and she got up again, saying:

“Don't try to stop me from destroying the jewel or I will go against you.”

“Hmph. I have no interest in what happens to the jewel.” He informed her in a superior tone.

“I find that hard to believe.” She replied.

Now she was definitely crossing the line. He got up too, his stature tall and proud, and looked down at her:

“Do you doubt my word, human?” he growled.

She sustained his gaze without blinking and responded calmly:

“I don't trust youkai.”

His eyes pierced into hers for a few more moments and then he stepped out of the way.

“The Shikon shards are held by a hanyou called Naraku.” He spoke. “The half-breed hides behind barriers and other boring things. I search for him as well.”

Midoriko pondered something for a moment and then replied:

“I will join you in your search. I may be able to sense the barriers he puts up.”

That may be useful, Sesshoumaru thought. And if the human didn't know her place, he would soon teach it to her.

Now that he knew about one of her personalities, he was curious about the other. Of course, the other was disgustingly weak, but he guessed that was only because she didn't know how to use the power she had. Maybe she did not even know that she had it.

ooooOOoooo

Kagura returned empty handed to face her master.

His red eyes pierced into hers as his low voice made the woman shiver:

“Why did you not bring it?”

“I couldn't get it, Sesshoumaru intervened.” She defended herself.

“Is the shard in his possession now?” Naraku asked, searching Kagura's face for any signs of a lie. He knew very well that the daiyoukai had no interest in the jewel.

“No. A human girl has it.” She answered lowering her eyes from the intensity of his gaze.

“A human?” he asked distrustfully.

“Yes. She seemed to be a normal human to me.” Kagura replied.

“Why did Sesshoumaru intervene?” Naraku thought.

The demon lord obviously did not want the shard, why step in for that human? As far as he knew, Sesshoumaru was not particularly fond of humans, although the incident with the little human brat he dragged along begged to differ.

Could it be that he and the human...? No, that was impossible; no daiyoukai would lower himself so, much less one as proud as Sesshoumaru.

“He wanted to know your whereabouts. I managed to escape and told him nothing.” Kagura spoke, trying to regain some of her lost dignity.

Naraku only grinned. He knew very well where Kagura's loyalty lied.

To herself.

The masks of obedience couldn't fool one such as himself. She was lucky that he still needed her.

It was so easy to kill her...

“You will go with Hakudoushi to retrieve the shard. If it is still in the human woman's possession, you will have no difficulties. And if Sesshoumaru appears again, Hakudoushi will entertain him.” Naraku said, a wave of his hand signaling that the conversation was over.

Kagura merely bowed and exited the room.

“This should be interesting...” Naraku thought.

N/A: Well, another chapter is up, hope you enjoy it!

By the way, I live on reviews! -hint, hint- :)