Ch.17 Solstice.

                                                              犬夜叉:お伽話 庭園
                                                                Ch.17 Solstice

   Sayuri felt like she was in a dream, her vision was blury, but she could barely recognize where she was. She looked around the enormous garden, hoping that she would see her comrades and his love, Miroku, but saw no one. Suddenly Sayuri heard some laughter and decided to see who it was, as she stepped closer the laughter became more and more familiar. Sayuri came to a sudden halt when she caught sight of the woman who was so happily, it was Akemi, her mother. Sayuri put a hand over her mouth to keep her from gasping in surprise. She kept glaring at her mother and saw realized that a little girl was in her arms. Sayuri looked in disbelieve, "I-I didn't know my mother had another child...", she thought.

    "My child, it is almost time to eat.", Akemi said in a sweet, soothing voice.

    The little girl giggled amused and said, "Mother, will Father accompany us?"

    "I am not sure, child. Your father has not returned yet.", Akemi answered in her sweet tone.

    The little girl frowned, but soon forgot and started giggling again. She ran to a nearby bush filled with roses and cut one with her pointy nails. "Mother, mother look what i brought you!", the girl said extending her hand to Akemi offering the rose to her. Akemi took the the rose from the girl and gave her a sweet kiss on her forehead.

    Sayuri hadn't seen the little girl's face and wondered if it was her sister. When the girl turned around to see the pond that was nearby, Sayuri's eyed widen and gasped in surprise to see that the girl, in reality was her when she was little. Sayuri felt the blood from her face drain and her heart was beating frantically. She tried to take some deep clensing breaths to calm herself. "This is just a dream... I should wake up pretty soon.", Sayuri thought.

    Sayuri heard footsteps that were almost running towards her mother and her younger self. When the footsteps ceased from within the darkness of the night Tsuki appeared, she was her childhood friend. Tsuki was a littler taller than her younger self, her skin was the color of maple and her eyes were a deep brown. She had the typical clothes their maidens wore, a simple light blue kimono and her dark hair fell losely on her back.

    "My lady, I was informed that we might be under attack in a few moments!", Tsuki said calmer than she looked.

    As soon as the words left her lips a barricade of demons attaked the peace that the feudal garden brought. Sayuri felt the impulse to run toward her mother and protect her, but she knew it was only a nightmare. "Please... I want to wake up now...", Sayuri thought pleedind she could wake up soon before she had to re-live that painful and traumatic experience.  

    Everything happened so sudden that Sayuri couldn't believe what her eyes showed her. Demons entering the boundries of the garden and heading toward her mother, Tsuki and herself. Sayuri ran to her mother and stepped infront of her in a protective way and told Tsuki to step aside. Her little self took a few deep breaths trying to calm her anger, but couldn't. Her eyes tinted scarlet red and more markings appeared on her face and along her neck, back, arms and legs, Giving her a tiger look. Her nails grew longer and so did her fangs. In a quick move she killed all the demons that attempted to attack her. When Sayuri finished the last of the demons Akemi tried in vain to calm her down.

   "Sayuri, my child, be calm... Everything is alright now... Take deep bre-...", Akemi said in soothing words. But, before she could finish Sayuri tried to attack her. Akemi backed away and told Tsuki to run for help. The poor girl was frozen in fear and couldn't think in anything else than protecting her master. Taking a deep breath Tsuki stepped infront of her master and spread her arms in manner to protect Akemi from Sayuri.

   Sayuri narrowed her eyes at her and snarled. Her eyes glowing a deep red kept her in the trance that enabled her to think clearly and recognize a friend or a foe. Sayuri growled again before attacking her best friend Tsuki. Tsuki screamed in pain and dropped to her knees putting her hands on her chest covering the deep cut Sayuri had caused her. Sayuri stepped closer to finish her but her mother's words stopped her.

    "Uphold the rules of the U-Ikkaridi.
Be high in spirit ye shall succeed.
Power of the Five Elements,
Will help Mother Nature stay alive.
From grains of Earth to the moving Air.
Past the burning Fire that magick flares.
Flow with Water, lakes, and streams;
Around the Spirit's aura and dreams.", Akemi said raising her arms and conjuring the spell. "Seal this child from evil and save her from herself!", she concluded.

    Sayuri's eyes widen and the scarlet red that taint them slowly started to disapear and red tears rolled down her pale cheeks. The marks along her body and face faded leaving the three usual marks that decorated her face. Sayuri's eyes were blue again reflecting the innocence she possesed. "Mo-Mother, what has happen here?", she asked with trembling voice full of confusion.

   "Everything is alright now, my dear child.", Akemi reassured her.

   Sayuri looked down and saw that her hands were covered in blood as well as her clothes. Tsuki groaned in pain, and Sayuri glanced at her now noticing her friend on her knees pressing her hands to her chest. "Oh, No! Tsuki! They harmed you!", Sayuri said running to her side.

   Tsuki looked at her hurted and confused by Sayuri's response. "Sayuri you...", She began saying.

   "You saved her.", Akemi finished for her.

   Tsuki glanced up to meet her master's eyes and understood that Sayuri didn't remembered what she had done. Another shot of intense pain engulfed her and she cried.

   Sayuri took Tsuki in her arms and sooth her telling her that help was on the way, that she had to not close her eyes. Tsuki weakly streched a hand and caressed Sayuri's cheek and said so soft that was like a whisper, "I will watch over you my dear friend. I will go now, i see my mother waiting for me..."

   Sayuri didn't realized she was crying until a tear dropped on Tsuki's face. "Tsuki, please do not leave me just yet... there are so many things we still need to experience together...", Sayuri's word broke off and she began sobbing and hugged tightly her dying friend.

   "Please let me go Sayuri..." Tsuki pleaded caressing again Sayuri's cheek.

   "Alright... You can go now, rest in peace my dear friend", Sayuri whispered so low that only Tsuki heard. With a pleasant smile Tsuki closed her eyes and allowed darkness to swallow her.

   Akemi cried in silcence at the loss of Tsuki that considered her like her own daughter when her mother died when she was very little and promised her that she would take care of Tsuki. "Sayuri, let her go now sweetheart.", Akemi said trying to pull Sayuri away from Tsuki's lifeless body.

   The sun began to set as Sayuri let out her grasp Tsuki's body. Still crying she stood up and hugged her mother tightly. Sayuri fainted in her mother's arms. Akemi lay her on the bloody floor. A few moments passed when Chiyo, the leader of the Tora clan arrived at full speed followed by several warriors and tigers.

   "What in the world happened here?!" Chiyo demanded as soon as he got to his wife's side.

   Akemi lowered her gaze from her husband's cold, blue eyes and said "Sayuri transformed..."

   Chiyo's eyes widen and lowered her gaze to see her daughter on the floor unconscious. "How did it happen?", his voice was smooth and cold.

   "When the demons came to invade they found us here... And Sayuri just wanted to protect me and Tsuki... But...", She broke into tears before she could say what Sayuri had done. Akemi couldn't bare to say the words out loud.

   Chiyo's eyes searched the perimeter looking for any trace of wandering demons, but his eyes found made him gasp in horror. There Tsuki laid on the floor covered in blood and dead. "Did our child did this horrible act?", Chiyo asked hoping that her sweet daughter hadn't kill Tsuki.

   Akemi couldn't find the words to explain, and instead she nodded slowly. Chiyo understood cursed in low voice.

   "How did she controled herself?", Chiyo asked meeting her wife's sad, violet eyes.

   "I had to cast a spell on her."

   "A spell? What kind of spell?", Chiyo asked confused.

   "A cast that my clan used to perform to purify the demons soul. The U-Ikkaridi performed this spell on half-breed kids to keep them from transforming, and giving into the darkness from their hearts. I never thought i had to cast this spell on my own child.", Akemi said her voice filled with sadness and guilt.

   Sayuri was frozen hearing her mother's words. and hoped that it was just a nightmare. She didn't remembered much of that day, but she was sure that she hadn't murdered Tsuki. She couldn't take it anymore and began running as fast as she could away from that hideous scene that a few moments ago happened again before her eyes. While she ran she concentrated on Miroku, trying to make herself wake up. Tears were runnig down her cheeks and blured her vision. Sayuri kept running but soon she fell in a black abysm, she began hearing familiar voices but couldn't quite figure out who they were. As she fell the voices became clear and realized that the voices belonged to Kira, Inuyasha and Miroku that were talking near her.

   Sayuri suddenly come to a halt and felt warm again. The voices now were clear and understood what her comrades were saying.

   "I'm worried she won't wake up...", Miroku was saying.

   "Do not worry, i'm sure she will soon. She hit her head pretty hard last week.", Kira said in a soothing voice.

   "A week?!", Sayuri thought, "I swear it felt like a few minutes..." Sayuri tried to opened her eyes. It took her several moments to be able to move. Her body was stiff and numb. When she was able to open her eyes the light from the fire that burned to warm the cold night. "Watashi no ai...", Sayuri said in a whisper. She felt her mouth dry and her throat sore.

   Miroku turned around to see Sayuri calling for him, his eyes started to fill with tears, he had to blink hard to stop the tears to run down his cheeks. He hurried to her side and kneeled by her and took her hand, "Oh, bara no tsubomi! You scared me so much!"

   Sayuri looked up to see Miroku and her eyes filled with tears. "Watashi no ai, i was so scared... I missed you deeply."

   Miroku bent to posses those familiar lips that called him. He kissed her sweetly and passionately, with a sudden urge.

   Inuyasha and Kira sighed releaved to see that Sayuri was alright and full of energy. Inuyasha got closer to Kira and put an arm arounde her. Kira rested her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and closed her eyes while she thought.

                                                                                                                                        真衣美