InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Master ❯ Master ( One-Shot )

Master

_Dacia

It is not death that scares us, but the fact we can no longer hold on.

-Diana

The obscurity came, like a black out, as it always did after Master's drunken and enraged blows. Each biting strike brought her closer to the brink of forgetfulness; down onto her battered knees before the shadows.

She whimpered, in fear, closing her eyes and trying to delve deeper into herself. But the twilight danced just out of her reach and the pain came again- and again and again and again and-

With each intent blow her innocence cracked, her heart beating faster. Adrenaline pumped fear making her sob silently, too stubborn to let him see her muted by his belligerent domination.

She hadn't mean to talk back, really she hadn't. Really, she hadn't meant to bite the hand that fed her. Such a hand that now branded obedience into her core, her very skin ringing with its demands, a drum for him to beat at will.

She unconsciously clenched her fists tighter with curling pain and sought with blurry eyes for some brave beam to come, take her shaking hands, and led her away.

"Look at me you whelp!!!" His words slurred as coarse hands clamped furiously onto her brittle neck, compressing away her air with a grunt of besotted laughter, and brought her limp body to face him, shaking her violently.

He wanted to see the pain in her eyes, her silent surrender to his power. He wanted to know he had broken her. She was strong, but he was stronger.

"Kagura??" kanna keened, hushed, subdued, afraid, her eyes held tightly shut as she tried to make herself believe that Master loved her, that Master would never hurt her.

An almost demonic slap rang across her bruised face, scattering her tiny wisps of delicate belief, causing fearful tears to run. She gasped for air.

He smelled of sake, a smell her mind came to associate with home, with the very nature of screams. A mewling of fear -alone, sisterly, weak- came from beyond her circle of pain.

Then nothing.

"Look at me." kanna nodded mindlessly, opening dull, uncomprehending eyes -primordial eyes that saw too much. "Say it!!!" Kanna puled, holding her bottom lip between her tiny teeth.

The eyes, she hated his eyes, so distant, brown, and glazed, and possessed by a spirit she could name in twenty-seven different brands.

"Kagura..." She implored, more hurt followed, another drunken demand, "Say it NOW!!!" She was silent.

Another angry blow slammed her head against the hut's wall.

"Naraku NO!!!" came the despondent whisper of Kanna's sister; barely audible above kanna's gasping sobs, and at that moment kanna couldn't fully comprehend why her sister sounded so spiritless, so distant, for the ache was too great.

All she knew was, Kagura was unhappy, Kagura was in pain, Kagura was hurting and it was all her fault. They were human because she had failed in battle.

Master told her it was. She knew it deep inside.

She knew.

Oh, the things she knew, of pain and worry, of hopelessness and intent sobbing. She knew it since Charlene died, since her father had beaten Charlene to the brink and beyond. Charlene had gotten away; Kanna had not.

Kanna felt a withdrawn, blunt stab of happiness as she was dropped flaccidly onto the ground, landing painfully on the hard wood floor.

Then angered, distressed sounds, like those still echoing in her mind, snarled into her ears, coming from somewhere distant. Kanna tried to block them out; the feminine gasps of agony, somewhat controlled and mature, made her curl up tighter, coming to haunt her with its, "Please stop. Please- NO Henry!!! Please..."

Oh, Kagura. She sniffled, tiny little sounds. More pain laced murmurs came, more angry grunts, like some wild animal was ravaging their prey; ripping, tearing, clawing, consuming. There was a certain animalistic edge and tepid fear to the air, making her want to run, and yet she could do nothing.

She was nothing.

I'm sorry Kagura. So sorry...

"No," something low and broken whispered.

It was Kagura.

Kagura: the woman who loved her, the only one who did, who told her everyday Master did this because he loved them, that he loved her so much-maybe too much? That this hurt him more than it hurt her.

And she wondered, why would her Kagura lie to her?

What reason did she have? How could this hurt him more?

She knew parents never lied, everyone knew adults were always right, and she knew when Master came home and told her she was worthless he meant it, every word. She knew. He was right, he just had to be.

Leave me be.

Kanna cried to the voices, sobbing voices, screaming voices. But they never left her. Not in her dreams, not in the silence, not even in the times of playing children and lily-white fun.

She was never alone.

But it didn't matter.

No, no it wasn't important.

She wasn't important.

Kanna wished she could just go away, simply turn to dust, a bird, anything, for her own pain was becoming too unbearable; yet she bore it with a certain listless courage, as if she were but a small Jesus, with a father far from God and a spirit far from Holy, but the cross was still the same, always the same.

Slowly, she felt her grip on the ledge slipping, falling slightly from its sharp edge, as her legs became numb and her eyes started to hurt from clenching them so tight.

Her temples bled.

She smiled.

Soon there would be nothing of substance to bind her to this world and with a bantam ache of guilt she gave up trying to grasp onto reality, finding her essence melding with that of the darkness.

It made her happy.

She didn't want to see the nightmares anymore, the ones that never went away, never died; she didn't want to see Master's sadistic smiles, or kagura's bitter eyes, to be taken so far from hope and slammed like a brittle ship against agonizingly sharp rocks.

No, for her, there was only the eluding darkness that she wanted to scream at, cling to, become one with; yet there was nothing she could do about it but wait, and hope, that she made it under.

She wanted, waited, held her breath with anxiety.

Would he come back before she was submersed?

Would he come back?

Would he?!

Would he bring her back?

Never let her go?

Kagura...?

She floated, she burned, and the fire was not in her control, someone stronger than she controlled her fate. The shadows were like a weary dog, skimming her presence before coming closer, ever closer.

Save me.

Then she was plunged in willingly, submerged and held down below the calm surface of contuse waters, an image of hope starting to form as she felt yet another volcanic eruption of pain, another shout and another cry.

The picture dissolved.

The hope was gone.

Master had tired of Kagura.

Then...

SILENCE...?!?

The eye of the storm…

Take me!!

Kanna felt her mind sag into the shadow's arms and she inhaled deep, shallow breaths of its tangy sweetness, going limp all at once. Another sharp jab of steel pain, she knew what he wanted. She had held out long enough, she had held her own willingly. Time to let go.

Let go.

"I'm sorry Master, please stop!!! Master?!" Then with one last powerful meeting of boots and splintered ribs he left, footsteps moving away, and then, moments later, the loud crack of wood on wood.

Kanna, Kanna!?! He's gone honey. Honey?!"

But he would come back. He always did. Always...

Kagura? She wondered, shivery.

But as she shifted into something abysmal and followed the shadows elsewhere, away from the light, away from the voice, desperately and gloriously away, she smiled reassuringly.

Sorry Kagura.

Someone shook her, the light tried to grab her, but she caste them no second glance. She was going home, to the castle of never ending shadows, cascading darkness, and never, ending peace. He could not take her from the void again. She was home.

She was going.

She was gone.

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