58muie5: Okay so I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho...or do I?
Inuyasha: No you don't.
muie5: Okay. I don't. But I do own Shine.
Chapter 1: Who Is It?
The sun shined almost blindingly in the cloudless sky, the damage done to the grass by the harsh winter's snow was finally beginning to disappear, and even the flowers that hid their beautiful faces started to show. With the warm breeze to top it all off, it was obviously spring time. It was such a wonderful day, if not for the fact that I was making my way to the prison society calls 'school'.
I made my normal stop at my friend's house. We have walked to school together every day since first grade. Honestly, it was the only part of the morning that was enjoyable. Yet, as I approached her driveway, she was not there waiting for me as she did every morning. Even though her absence gave me pause, I started up her short driveway to the off-white, country style home.
"Sarah?" I called as I knocked on the light purple door.
No answer was heard, so I knocked three more times. The same creepy silence answered my attempts to get my friend. This was a bit strange, so I moved over to the left front window. The purple wooden shades were closed, blocking my view into the home.
"She must have already left," I murmured to myself, as I started back towards the street.
As I continued my way towards the school, the streets were barren. A few feet away from Sarah's house it hit me that this deafening quiet never broke since I left my home over four blocks away. Even in my own home my mother and father were not rushing around the house, as per their morning routine of being late for work.
This stillness continued all the way to school. As I turned onto the street the school was on, I froze. Not a single person was there. The bell, to announce the start of the school day, rang through the silent suburb. Yet, not a soul was around.
Something inside me told me to run; told me to hide. An internal warning system I should have listened to, but instead I cautiously started towards the school building. The parking lot was empty, which never happened. I pushed pass the gut feeling to flee, and went up to the glass door entrance. It did no good, the entire school was pitch black. This was enough to make me head back towards my home.
When I got close to Sarah's house once again, I caught a glimpse of a figure moving from tree to tree behind me. With all that had already happened this morning, of course I took off running. The person – or thing – did not seem to have a problem keeping up. Somehow I knew that if this thing really wanted to, it could take me out with no effort. This fact terrified me to no end. My heart started to beat faster and faster. With every futile step, my breath became exceedingly shallow. I finally stopped dead in my tracks, knowing I could do nothing to stop whatever it was.
Silence was the response to my actions. Even though this relieved me, I know that it was still watching me. Despite everything inside me running at full speed, I had to try to calm myself down. It took everything I had to not collapse to the asphalt below my feet. So once I got my breath back, I bravely took another step. And another…And another…But there it was, the sound of footsteps in the grass behind me.
"Stop! Just stop!" I cried, collapsing to my knees.
There was nothing. No response, no movement, just silence. I could not see anyone, but the feeling of pressure on my chest kept me frozen in fear. So there I was: kneeling in the middle of the empty road with not a soul around, tears streaming down my face, and the wind blowing my lose hair in my face.
I took a deep breath and managed to squeak out, "Who is there?"
Nothing but the sound of the breeze brushing the leaves from side to side.
"Wha…What do you wan–"
"You happen to be the only one in this strange village. As well as the surrounding ones. Therefore, you either caused this or you know the one that did," answered a firm, vicious, commanding voice.
"Mi'lord! Mi'lord! Where are you, Mi'lord?!" came an annoying – almost nails-on-a-chalkboard sound – call from the street corner before me.
"What…What is this thing?" I spatted, trying hard not to get nauseous.
"A human? A mere human? What a disgusting creature," reviled this green toad-looking thing, as if the word 'human' was poisonous to his speech.
The toad thing got within striking distance with its staff. It took me a moment to notice this weird looking staff had two heads. One was of a women and was of an old man. It rose its staff as if to strike me.
"Jaken!" growled the unknown individual.
The toad started to frantically looking around, completely forgetting that I was even there, "Mi'lord! Is that you, Mi'lord? I am so pleased that I have found you."
"What are you?" I asked, still reeling over the disgust of this creature in front of me.
"What I am is of no concern to you," it barked, "Do you wish for me to take care of this human, Mi'lord?"
"We will take her with us."
"But, Mi'lord! Why would you want to bring this filthy human with…"
A joyace squeal interrupted Jaken's complaining, "There you are, Mi'lord!"
I turned towards the street corner located behind me. There, running straight for us, was a girl who could not have been more than six or seven. She wore a yellow and orange plaid kimono. Her short black hair was pulled into a single side ponytail. The closer she got, I noticed her smile was missing a tooth. Despite everything, she just looked like a normal, happy child.
"I am so happy that I have found you, Mi'lord!"
"Jeeze. Do you have any more people or things following you?" I mumbled towards Jaken rather than the other two.
"Watch how you speak to Mi'lord, you wench," ordered Jaken.
"Hello. What is your name?" asked the sweetest voice I have ever heard.
I twisted my waist so that I could turn to look up at her from where I continued to kneel on the road. Looking into those bright eyes and seeing that big smile, made me smile right back. "My name is Shine. What is yours, sweetheart?"
"My name is Rin. I like you, Shine."
"Thank you. You are just a sweetheart."
"We are leaving," ordered the yet still mysterious person.
Both Rin and Jaken turned their attention towards the voice. Out stepped a tall male. He brandished white, almost silver hair that reached below his butt. His eyes were gold with magenta eye shadow. Displayed on his cheeks were two purple strips and a matching crescent moon on his forehead. Strangely, he wore armor with spikes on his should and breast plate. Yet, over his should he wore what looked like a white, fluffy boa. His clothes were of Japanese style. They were white with some yellow and magenta flower patterns.
"Jaken," the man commanded.
"Yes, Mi'lord," Jaken said, turning to me and pulling me up.
I got up with a few false stumbles forward. My legs where still weak from the running earlier, and my body was just getting back to a normal rhythm. Still being a little disoriented, I just stood there for a second.
"Follow, wench!"
Hearing that thing call me such a word yet again made my hands crumple into a fist. Without a second thought, I twirled around and knocked him square on the head. After doing so, Rin grabbed my hand as she started to follow the man. She let go after I started to walk on my own, so she could catch up to the mysterious guy.
"Stop bothering Lord Sesshomaru, you little wench," Jaken ordered from the back of the group.
"Sesshomaru?" I thought to myself.
A lot of time passed without any more being said. I followed quietly, Rin was obediently following by Sesshomaru's side, and Jaken was on the other side of Sesshomaru while looking back at me every so often.
"Umm…Where are we going?" I asked, looking at the ground so not to make eye contact with any of them.
"Stop whining, human!" Jaken snapped, but yet he was the only one to answer me.
"Just ignore him," Rin said as she skipped behind Sesshomaru.
"You little…"
"Jaken," Sesshomaru said sharp and commanding.
"Sorry, Mi'lord! I beg for your forgiveness!" Jaken pleaded as he bowed several times.
"He sure got you whipped," I mumbled under my breath with a snicker.
Rin started to giggle. Jaken immediately gave her a just-you-wait glare before started to follow once again.
Two hours passed before we reach our destination. I had a feeling that it would have taken less time for them to get here if I was not following. Yet, we stood in the middle of a vast open field. The grass was knee high and a golden yellow. I knew this field very well. It was always the center of ghost stories or urban ledges around here. The grass never seemed to die during the winter, grow any taller, or change color through the seasons.
Suddenly a felt a full body chill. One that went all the way down to my bones, and shook my very core. Something was there. Then I saw it, a faint shadow of a circle in the middle of the air. It felt like it was trying to suck me into it, like I had no other option other than to go towards it. Just as I took a step towards it, my mind was flooded with all these foreign words. These words were coming so fast and so strong that I felt like if I did not voice them, they would tear apart my head.
I quietly said the words, so that I would not seem crazy to the others. Suddenly a black circle appeared. The rim around it looked like a crackling blue light. This was the shadow I saw, but it was obviously visible to the others now. A ten foot circle was now before us in this strange field.
Without hesitation Rin, Sesshomaru, and Jaken started towards the circle. I stumbled forward, trying to grab for Rin.
"What are you doing?" I squeaked, trying to stop them.
"Going home," Rin answered sweetly.
"What? Where?"
Sesshomaru finally turned to me. The black circle behind him caused all of his features to almost glow. My heart skipped a beat as I realized how beautiful he actually was.
