Similar Features by Mizui

Chapter 1

I was flying, branches whipped past me, tearing into my skin, thorns gouged paths in my flesh; every part of my body ached, exhaustion had come and gone, desperation was the only thing keeping me going. Suddenly I was falling. My feet hit the ground, knees bent, wings flat, arms out into a roll that was more muscle memory than any specific need to keep from hurting myself. Then I was running.

My true agony was in knowing that my wings were to new, too weak to carry me any farther, and because of that, I would be too late. Branches thinned, the spaces between the trees got larger, light began to filter through the thick canopy overhead.

I burst into the clearing, taking it all in at a glance, the flowers blooming, the shining creek bed burbling along at its merry pace, it all seemed to serene for the panic I was feeling. My pulse pounded so hard I could feel it through my whole body. The sudden light was blinding. 

Then, I saw her. She was reaching her arms out towards me, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, I had only the impression of her long graceful limbs, and hair black as the night with no moon before her eyes caught, eyes as blue as the very depths of the ocean, so deep of their color and with flecks of gold. Then as I watched their color began to drain, fading to a hollow, empty grey. My race began again as I dashed towards her, her knees buckled but her arms remained reaching for me, her mouth was moving

“...me... Kagome...”

I awoke with a start, sputtering and gasping, drenched in sweat. “Kagome! You’re late!” InuYasha was right, of course, and I’d regret it later, but that dream had been so real, and the woman... I shook my head, splashing my face with the cool water in the wash bowl, trying to wash away the remains of the dream from my mind. I knew there was no reason to fully wash up yet, by the time the sun rose I’d be covered in sweat again anyway. I stared down into the water as the ripples settled, into the same eyes from my dream.

“Damn.” I grumbled throwing on my gear as quickly as I could, I was already late enough, my punishment would only grow the later I got. Not that it took long anyway, as I use the term “gear” lightly. I donned a gi, worn soft with use, but undecorated as a sign of my place as the village burden, and a soft pink hakama. I strapped on my battered sword as my feet left the stairway leading to my tree home. My wings beat rapidly as I hurried to the clearing where the warriors trained, I was so late. No sooner than my feet touched the dew dampened grass was I assaulted by the angry voice of the teacher.

“How nice of you to finally join us, girl. I was beginning to wonder if you’d decided your beauty rest was more important than training.” The look he gave me was enough to send a shiver of fear down my spine. I was all too familiar with that look, the one that said if I wasn’t good enough today, then I’d be visiting the healer for more than just the usual scrapes and bruises. I’d already had the charm for preventing my monthlies pierced through the top of my ear, but if I failed this morning, I would be needing more than that to function for the rest of the day.

At some signal unknown to me, the others came at me all at once, my feet left the ground once again as I prepared to take them on. This was nothing I couldn’t handle. The first to reach me was grinning madly, he knew what would come if I were to fail. Just as well, he swung his sword up I danced into his attack, too close now for him to strike me. I gripped his wrist and twisted it in towards his shoulder. Removing his weapon from his hand, I swiftly kicked him into the others moving towards me. Newly armed it was easy to head off the next few to come at me. Like a spinning dance I wove through attackers. A cut to a wrist on one man. A quick spin and a hilt to the head of another, sending him to the ground in a heap.

It was while I was weaving in and out of the fight that I saw her. The light shining in my eyes, I felt the sweat dripping into my eyes, as I brought my arm up to wipe my face, I caught just a glimpse of long limbs and black hair, it was her, the woman from my dream!

Pain so intense it was blinding. Ripping my attention away from the woman, I raised my training sword, ready to defend myself. I swung up under the next attack of my assailant, but I was already too late. A second blow. This one to the side of my head and neck, I’d have been dead had it been anything but dulled swords. I cursed, falling to my knees, as I heard the laugh of the dark haired woman, the one I had thought was the one from my dream.

‘Kikyou, I should have known.’ I thought, cursing quietly to myself for allowing her to distract me. The men began to close in around me once again. This time their weapons lay forgotten in the grass. I closed my eyes tightly, raising the sword I still clutched in my hands. I ran the blade along my hand, picturing a sharpened edge made of ice. When the first man got near enough I swung at his leg, dragging the blade around the far side of his knee. He fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. Startled cries from the men around him drew the attention of the instructor. Dark wavy hair, attached to an admittedly attractive red eyed man, made its way through the others towards me.

“Naraku” I called, “What’s the idea, giving the men sharpened swords?” I stood from my kneeling position, the grass spongy under me, threw the now bloody blade on the ground. “Don’t just stand there, you idiots, get that guy to Kaede.” I mumbled a bit guiltily, I did hope he’d get full use of that leg back, it wasn’t his fault his leader was an ass. I watched as the other men carried their friend off the field. I could feel Naraku’s eyes boring holes into my back, I reached up to wipe the sweat from my brow again as I turned to face him. “Sir?” I questioned, reverting back to the formal speech that was expected of me, finding it much harder to face down Naraku without a weapon in my hand. I watched him bend down and pick up my discarded blade.

Almost before I could register his movement he lunged, swiping the blade diagonally across my chest. I pushed off the balls of my feet, wings lifting me not quite far enough away from the blade to escape entirely. I eyed the red welt from chest to hip through the slice in my gi. I threw my arms apart in what was a seemingly empty, angry gesture, but watched as the sharp edge of the blade melted away.

“Never drop your weapon, lousy cur.” He ordered, leering at me. I could feel the wrappings of my breast band loosening more and more with my heavy breathing. I crossed my arms over my chest self-consciously, stumbling backwards a few steps, as Naraku lumbered closer.

“Kagome, Kagome, Kagome… My how you have grown since I first met you. When I took over your useless father’s squadron, imagine my surprise at the little twerp I found amongst them; my shame when I discovered she may well be the best fighter of them all.” He came closer to me with each repetition of my name, and for each step towards me, I took one backward. “But look at you now,” another step for each of us with each word he said,

“Fast,” step,

“Graceful,” step,

“Skilled,” three steps,

Suddenly I was backed up to a tree. He was on top of me before I could turn to run, “Beautiful..” his voice trailed off as he pushed his body against mine, standing between my legs to keep me from getting a good kick in. I pushed against his chest with both my arms, but my strength was nothing to his, honed in over a century of life.

“Stop this, Naraku.” I tried to sound forceful, commanding, but my voice came out soft, meek, scared. He laughed, a high keening sound that made me shudder, and ground himself in to me, pressing me more tightly against the tree to the point of pain.

“Ah, my little Kagome, why do you fight me?” he paused, eying me as he leaned down to trace the gap at the collar of my gi with his tongue,  “Just give in to me, I will take care of you.” His tongue darted out again licking a sickening line of cold along my neck, up to the shell of my ear. My heart raced with fear as his hands found their way to the knot of my obi, loosening my top, slipping his hands inside. My breath caught in my throat.

I couldn’t scream, couldn’t run. He trailed wet kisses along my jaw and back towards my ear again, slid his hands up my sides brushing my breasts through what was left of my chest bindings. “Please.. Naraku, stop this..” I couldn’t breathe, my voice came out in a pant, fighting to take in more air as I struggled against him. He groaned into my hair as he pressed against me through his hakama. His hands slid down my sides again, leaving my skin crawling in their wake, reaching for the ties to my hakama, and finally, finally, my mind was working again.

‘no.. No, “No!” the last was a shout. I pulled my arm back, body working on autopilot, and slammed the heel of my palm up and into his nose.  He grunted, doubling over clutching his nose. I followed the first hit with an elbow to his kidney, stumbling away from him, still half dressed.

“Bitch,” He growled, glaring up at me from the ground where he had fallen, “This isn’t over,” I heard him shout as I took off, first running then, with a push of the muscles in my calves,  flying towards home, “Not even close!”