InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Soul of a Lost Child ❯ Nasake ( Chapter 3 )

"Mmm," she groaned, squinting her eyes as the light filtered in through a small window in the wall facing her. What… Wait, where was she? She quickly gained a sitting position, though her muscles ached in protest. The last thing she had remembered was falling to sleep with Kirara curled up beside her out in the woods. This hut certainly wasn't that clearing.

"Myew?" Her head shot down to see Kirara laying beside her, looking up with quizzical eyes.

"Kirara," she breathed, her voice once again hard to use. "You have any clue where we are?"

"Myew."

"You either, huh? How about we go find out?" She grasped the wall, slowly standing on wobbly legs. Kirara stood as well, moving toward her, head cocked to the side, as she attempted to take a step, only to collapse back on the futon. "Or not."

She looked up as the material hanging over the doorway was pushed aside. In stepped a young woman, her skin was tan and her hair ranged from ebony to a blond-brown color. As she turned, her cloudy mahogany eyes rested on the girl.

"You're awake, are you? It's about time! You've been sleeping for nearly a week!"

"Whe… Where are we?" the girl stuttered, wondering what a week was. She was still dazed as her dreams, memories-yet-not, of her past slowly forced their way to the back of her mind, lying in wait for the next opportunity to strike.

"We are in a nearly non-existent village on the outskirts of a dying forest about ten minutes walk from Keira's clearing, where we found you." Minutes? As was previously stated, the child had no sense of time. This woman was unbelievably confusing to top it off. She was staring off into space as she walked around the hut, grabbing herbs and instruments as she went. "Something wrong?" she inquired, cocking her head to the side.

"Umm… uh, ano… I uh…"

"You don't understand Nasake either, do you?" asked a voice from the doorway. There was a man there, quite similar to the woman in appearance, though his hair was shorter and his eyes lacked the mist. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as a smile grew on his face. "Don't worry, I've lived with her my entire life and she's still a mystery to me." The woman, Nasake apparently, turned from her work to send a glare in the general vicinity of her brother.

"Don't listen to Minori," she hissed, turned back to her work of grinding an herb that smelled almost as bad as a rotting corpse, which only brought the girl to remember her family once again. She laid down once again, hardly noticing as the other two humans in the room began bickering. The only time she really looked at something was when Kirara purred, curling up beside her. She reached to her face, only to find it wet with tears she had not known were there. It was not long before she fell asleep again, in spite of the sun that still shone in her eyes.

***

"Aoko! Akako! Where are you?" Panic was evident on her face as she searched for her daughters. Her husband was locating the boys elsewhere. They had come after them once, it had only been a matter of time before they came again. Earlier she had foolishly sent the children out to play, ignoring the nagging feeling she had in the back of her mind. Now they were out of sight, and in grave danger. As she reached the tree line, she called out again. A loud snap of twigs and the girls quickly ran to her side from the underbrush, clinging to her kimono and staring ahead in horror. All conscious thoughts fled from her mind as she looked upon the sight.

"Mother!" A snake youkai was wrapped about several of the trees, her youngest daughter wrapped in its tongue, quickly headed for its mouth. Just before its jaws snapped shut, her husband and the boys crashed through the trees to her side, and her thoughts returned to her head. She went to race forward, to rescue her daughter, but warm, strong arms held her back, as the jaws sealed, hiding the little girl from view, and undoubtedly her life.

"NO!" her scream rang through the air, followed by a blinding pink-purple light. "Mi…"

***

"Midoriko!"

Nasake and Minori turned to the young girl, now sitting erect on make-shift futon, one seeing and the other not as she curled in on herself, sobbing.

*************************************************************** *********

Okay, so this is the full chapter, yes, I realize it's not that much longer, but it's something, and I really hate the fact that I'm getting it out so late, but I just got back in school and I took some really tough courses, so I'm gonna have to be dealing with a lot of homework.

Sorry it took so long. Enjoy,

Sessh

By the by, I don't tell people to review down here because it's their choice, but reviews do boost my self-esteem and that, in turn, helps me write a little easier, meaning that I'll get more writing done… so reviews are appreciated.