So this is my second post, which is a reply to Kat Lady’s Monthly Challenge. I believe the timeline will explain itself, but in case anyone misses it, this chapter takes place later in the same day from the previous chapter.
Prompt: “From the dark”
No word limit: 1 636 words used
Oh, before I forget. It’s a little early but… Happy Halloween everyone! :)
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Tricks and Treats
The last rays of light sunk below the horizon with the large blazing orb of fire. The full moon cast an eerie glow over the thin patches of trees. Shadows blended together creating images of creatures hidden in the night.
“Can’t we stop,” Kagome whined.
Rin slept atop Ah-Un, her deep sleep allowing her to ignore the shriek, screeches and deep growls. Yet Kagome’s ears picked up the howls and snarls, cries and screams, whimpers and squeals. She was certain there was something out there. The night appeared more active than most nights and she desperately wanted to set up a fire to ward away anything that might be out to get them. But she was also reminded that light would make it easier for any prey to find them.
“Miko, we will continue.”
Sesshomaru didn’t explain why he wanted to continue, nor did he help by stating how much longer they would set up camp. In fact her silent alpha appeared to take pleasure in her fidgeting and jumpiness.
Earlier that day Rin and Kagome had been telling story to one another, shortly leaving camp. The young child explained that the village she lived in commemorated the dead with a feast. But one year they stopped and all the spirits got angry and destroyed the village. Of course Kagome had heard tales, plenty of the stories were ways to explain why something happened, and most were false. So she wasn’t worried about it.
Except Sesshomaru decided it was time to share. Not that Kagome minded the fact that he was willingly handing out information, in fact she didn’t even want to question the situation at the time. It became a different story when he explained that miko’s were usually targeted on specific nights of the year for their energy. When a spirit could walk the earth it gave them the opportunity to suck dry a Shrine Maiden’s power in order to obtain a body of their own. He was careful to state that the spirit couldn’t linger far from their resting place, nor could they come out during the day.
Of course he told his story just before they crossed an empty field laden with crosses. When Kagome asked about it he told her it was the site of an important battle. It marked the day that the gods left the earth, severing themselves from the demons left behind.
Kagome looked about the area again. The cool, crisp night air was a plague. Not to mention she hated that they were still crossing the battle field. A few trees blocked their visibility here and there, but Kagome could see they still had a fair ways to go before getting off what she figured to be the largest cemetery ever.
Each grave was marked with stone or wooden crosses, and the mounds of dirt showed no signs of anything growing at all.
“I miss home. I miss my bed, and mom, and Souta, and yes I even miss grandpa,” Kagome mumbled to herself. “And should I die before returning home I pray that you are tortured for the rest of your miserable life,” the miko cursed.
Sesshomaru took a quick glance over his shoulder at the woman muttering nonsense.
“Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about you. If I’m killed it will be your fault for dragging me on this stupid journey and through this place.”
Despite her anger and the curses being mumbled under her breath, she wilfully followed the inu. As it rounded midnight Kagome fidgeted more. Her mind was on the trick or treating she could be doing at home, all the free candy she could have been getting, and the wonderful costume she could have dressed up in. It was the only thing that she could use to distract herself from the sights and sounds of the night. But what she knew was the witching hour was upon them and she had heard the stories about what that would entail.
A snap to her right caught her attention and she whipped her head in the direction, calming her racing heart only a little when she saw Jaken had changed his position from behind the two-headed dragon. With each passing moment Kagome hated herself more and more. She scared easily, everyone she knew was aware of that too. Sango and Miroku were forever play pranks on her, getting her worked up about nothing because she entertained them.
So even though she knew there was a chance that Sesshomaru was messing with her head, the logical part of her mind was too busy huddling in the corner, scared witless, leaving the irrational part of her to take up defence and coward in the foreground of the battle field.
The wind picked up, pulling the hair from behind her shoulders to her face. She tugged it back into place, and plucked an elastic from her pocket. Something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. A shifting shadow seemed to pass by. Out of an unconscious need to be protected, Kagome picked up her pace and moved beside the inu leading them away.
“Did you see that?” she whispered nearly silent, as if to keep her voice from reaching the ears of whatever it was she had thought she saw.
Sesshomaru said nothing, choosing to press forward and ignore the human that shivered in her steps as she walked beside him. Kagome busied herself with checking her surroundings over and over again. A few seconds later she swore she saw something moving at the border of her vision. She quickly pointed it out, but it appeared to be nothing more than a moving tree. Of course Kagome didn’t want to deny the fact that she had indeed seen something, but she didn’t want the inu to believe she was crazy.
However, when a few minutes later she saw an eerie light floating between the trees, she knew she wasn’t going insane. Kagome stopped and faced the light, determined to prove to Sesshomaru there was something out there.
“Come miko,” he stated when she began falling behind.
“No, look it’s there… see it?”
“If you linger for long you will become their prey,” he calmly pointed out.
“You mean… you weren’t kidding about that?” she peeped up, hoping that he was just having fun with her like others did.
“This Sesshomaru doesn’t joke.”
Kagome grew even more fearful in that minute when she noted that the single light was joined by three others. In an instant the miko began moving again, hating her life even more at that one moment than any other.
“Sesshomaru?” she began as soon as she had caught up with him again. “Is there a way that I could protect myself? A barrier perhaps.”
“Your powers give them energy, you can’t use them or you will energize them more,” he advised.
“So you’re telling me that we have no choice but to run away?” she whispered.
When the inu said nothing Kagome desperately wanted to hit him. But she soon found that the ground was suddenly coming closer and closer to her face and it took a moment to realize why that was. Just as she hit the surface below, she felt a shift on the grip on her ankle. Something had taken hold of her in order to trip her. The panic running wild through her mind was nothing compared to the fear of what might happen if the spirits managed to drain her of all her powers.
And as soon as something wrapped around her she screamed. All her limbs thrash about not caring what they were hitting. The only thing on her mind was to get free and run from whatever it was that held her. Except something stronger than her calmly pinned her arms to her side and held her legs away from their form. Finally opening her eyes, Kagome noted she was no longer on the ground and a glance over her should told her that Sesshomaru had picked her up off the ground.
“Miko, the ‘all hollow’s eve’ you speak of is not until tomorrow night, which is why this Sesshomaru must insist that we continue until we reach safe ground on the other side of the river by sunset tomorrow. Therefore it would be appreciated that you stop your hysterics and struggles and follow your alpha without further trouble.”
Kagome dropped her mouth dumbfounded. Kagome realized that she was never told when it was that the spirits would walk, she had simply assumed that it was that night. It angered her suddenly that he had played such a trick, yet she wanted to get away from the field as soon as possible, which meant payback would have to wait until later.
“But… if it isn’t until tomorrow what were those white things?” she asked a moment later.
The inu remained silent, choosing to narrow his eyes towards the forest in thought. He didn’t wish for the miko to run off for her ‘beloved hanyou’ and therefore it was unnecessary for him to speak of the dead miko’s soul collectors. Instead he lowered the woman to the ground and began to pick a quicker pace toward river he spoke of earlier.
There was more than one reason for his story. Though it was true that the spirits would walk in search for a body, and it would occur the following night, he didn’t explain he was creating distance between his pack and his half brother. He never expected for Kagome’s overactive imagination or the panic reaction when she tripped herself on a small fallen tombstone.
One thing was for sure, if she was going to be like this ever year it was worth thinking into a larger trick to play when the next ‘Halloween’ came around.
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Ja ne
Angelic Memories
© 2009