Chapter 4: Demons, Toads, and Brothels?

It's called Pride...

Tears Left Uncried

Raye: So do I get any face time this round, or what?
KB: Ugh! Somebody shut her up.
Raye: You can’t shut up what you invented. *sarcastic grin*
Lee: Can you two stop fighting for five seconds please? KB, Raye does have a point. You did create her to be talkative and rash.
Raye: Excuse me?!
KB: Yeah, but if I’d known she was going to turn out this bad I would’ve kept her as a side character.
Raye: What?!
Lee: You’re fault there.
KB: Yes, I take full responsibility. Shall we continue with the story?
Lee: After you. *bow*
KB: Why couldn’t Raye be more like you?
Raye: I’m standing RIGHT HERE! Gaa, I hate you both!

-KB


Tears Left Uncried
Chapter 4:
Demons and Toads and…Brothels? Oh My!

Your name!

Your age!

Lee sighs again for what feels like the hundredth time this morning, eyes boring death glares into the guy’s back. Kind of hard to do with all that hair in the way…all that long, smooth silvery hair.

I wonder what it would feel like to... No! Stop it, Lee, stop it! She face-palms herself…for what feels like the thousandth time this morning. Yeah, today’s been great if you haven’t guessed that for yourself yet.

Lee’s morning had not been her usual routine morning. Where she would’ve slept in until at least seven fifteen, this guy got them up at…who knows what hour, but she knows that it was way before her usual time. The sun wasn’t even up, for crying out loud!

And as for brushing her teeth? Yeah, right!

Oh, are you wondering about breakfast? Yeah, she’s getting to that part.

She. Ate. A. Boar.

A freakin’ WILD boar!

No beef. No chicken. Not even sushi! No, this guy came back carrying a giant pig on his shoulder and just tossed in onto the fire. Lee’s sure that one had to clean wild animals before cooking them, right? Or something along those lines at least.

Nope, not them. They just waited until the hide was all toasty brown and then broke into it like…like…savages! Well, at least the small girl, Rin, ate with a little decency; popping in small pieces of meat into her mouth at a time. The toad thing took different measures, ripping off a hind leg and shredding into it like a chicken leg.

Lee had wanted to run behind the nearest tree and barf with disgust. Instead of embarrassing herself more, she just remained balled up in her spot on the ground and watched in horror; her appetite vanishing much like her bag had in the river.

Speaking of which…

“I don’t even have my brush…” Lee whines to herself, hugging her arms tighter around herself as they continued over the hills of grass, occasionally finding a dirt road to follow along the way. Her hair brush had been something she always brought with her everywhere, even though wearing her hair endlessly in a bun at the back of her head never called for her to use it. Just another useless thing in her bag just like the romance novel that she hid there had been. Again, she sighs.

Rin slows down to walk beside her, still gripping the reins on the two-headed…dragon...thing…Geez, whatever. “Miss Lee. Are you okay?” The small child stares up at her worriedly, tugging at her uniform skirt with her tiny free hand.

Lee almost doesn’t hear her over the rambling thoughts in her head. Of course I’m not okay! I got eaten by a tree, chased by some greasy pervert, tossed down a freezing cold river, which wasn’t fun by the way, had a rock hit my head, and had to eat a. WILD. BOAR! No, I’m not okay!

Course, she doesn’t say this. She’s not a kid hater. She actually likes kids; excluding her sister.

Lee sighs heavily…again…and tries to put on a smile. She can feel it practically tangling on her face from the lack of ‘truth-glue’ holding it on. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little hot.”

Rin laughs. “Yeah, it is really hot today, but at least there’s a breeze about!” She races off, skipping through the grass and sending flower petals into the wind. The dragon…thing…doesn’t take the chance to race off now that it’s free from the girl’s grasp. Instead, it remains by Lee’s side and keeps pace with her while it watches Rin dance through the grass.

Even the ride’s got issues. Lee thinks, giving the beast a wary glance. When the dragon doesn’t make a move to snap at her, Lee finds Rin with her eyes again just as she spirals around and tries to grab onto the petals that fly into the air above her. How can someone be so positive?

“My Lord, shall we head to the village first or to the caves?”

Lee shifts her gaze towards the two…males (if that’s what that toad creature is) walking in front of them. The silver-haired guy doesn’t move to look down at his loyal follower at all, just going to prove Lee’s theory that he’s a stuck up snob like the kids from her school. She can practically feel the cloud of pride billowing off of him.

Wait, is ‘billowing’ even a word? She wonders off into her thoughts again, just proving everyone’s theory that she really is a scatter brain.

As if to answer the toad’s question for the tall guy, a small village comes into view as they reach the top of the hill and Lee takes the pause to stop and catch her breath. They’d been hiking since breakfast (if that’s what you can call it) and her feet are blistering in her uniform shoes. The hot sun isn’t making anything better at all, adding to her discomfort. She’d usually go home after school and slip into her soft pajamas and fuzzy house slippers before curling up with a good book.

Again, no. Now, she’s stuck with the feeling of sweat building up on the back of her neck and down her back, making her clothes feel all sticky, and her ankles becoming more sore with every excruciating step.

“Aye, the village. Great choice, my Lord.” The toad bows. The guy answers by stalking off and leaving the toad bowing to nothing. “Ah! My Lord, please wait for me!”

He’s so sucking up to him and this guy isn’t even bothering to give him the time of day. Maybe his silver hair means ‘brainless’ in this world. Lee shakes her head as she stands back up from leaning over on her knees and starts back after them with heavy breath. She can’t wait until she gets a chance to sit down, maybe even find some normal food.

“Come on, Miss Lee!” Rin grabs her hand excitedly and tugs Lee’s sore body along behind her. The dragon creature follows faithfully along.

As they enter the village, some of the poorly dressed kimono people duck into their houses in fear, others gaze in wonder as they pass, and others…

Lee jerks in surprise. “Wait, brothels? You mean they actually had those back then?”

“What are brothels?” Rin asks.

Lee gulps. “Nothing! Nothing. Forget it.”

“I only ask because Lord Sesshomaru seems to like those places.” Rin continues as if Lee hadn’t said anything and points back at the painted, very loosely dressed, women who bat their eyelashes at this supposed ‘lord’.

“Likes?” Lee dares to inquire.

“He goes there a lot.” Rin smiles so innocently and Lee bites her tongue.

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

They pass the brothel, stopping in the center of the village, and the tall guy turns towards Rin. He tosses her a small bag before turning away; suspiciously towards the brothels. “Rin, you will fend for yourself for today. Stay in the town and do not wonder.”

“Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!” Rin announces proudly as if her words are her words of the day. “Can miss Lee come with me?”

For the second time today, the silver-haired guy (yes, she’s refusing to say his name) turns those cold, sharp, gold eyes on her and the hair stands on the back of her neck. Lee turns her eyes elsewhere to avoid his uncomfortable gaze.

“See that she stays out of trouble.”

“What?!” Lee snaps, that strange anger boiling up out of nowhere and taking hold of her. She slaps her hand over her mouth and reins herself back in. What the heck is wrong with her? She’s not like this at all.

With his orders given, he stalks off, the toad stumbling to catch up.

Rin takes her by the hand and bounces in place. “Isn’t Lord Sesshomaru so nice?”

“Nice? He left us here to fend for ourselves. How is that nice?” Lee groans, rubbing the space between her eyebrows where a headache is beginning to form.

“He gave us money.” Rin starts to pout as she fiddles with the string on the bag.

“That just proves he’s a rich stuck up snob.” She mumbles. Rin tilts her head in confusion, obviously not understanding the word ‘snob’, so Lee just smiles at the child and rubs her head. “Just forget it. How about we go spend all that money on useless stuff to pay him back, huh?”

Rin’s smile returns, unaware of the evil intent behind the suggestion, and she starts bouncing in place again. “Okay, let’s go!”

They start to turn around, but Lee has to jerk to a stop to keep from running smack into an old lady. Weird thing is, the lady is standing on a wooden box so that her eyes are even with Lee’s.

How the heck-? When did-? Where did-? Huh?! Lee can’t form a single coherent thought at all as to what the old lady’s deal is.

The woman is dressed in a red kimono, quite flashy compared to the villagers walking by in browns, with white hair pulled into two braids that lie down the sides of her neck. Her eyes are a brilliant aqua, like the sea, and Lee swears they shift out of a cat-like look. But the moment passes and the woman’s eyes are normal as any other human’s. Lee tries to back up away from the woman standing on the box, but the lady grabs the red neck tie on her uniform and holds Lee in her place. A very close and very uncomfortable three inches from the old woman’s face.

“C-can I help you?” Lee forces out, tugging weakly on the neck tie. The old woman tightens her grip in response and narrows her eyes as if she’s trying to see something. Lee tries feebly to lean away from the woman as she rocks towards her, but nothing helps. He uniform shoes are rooted to the ground.

“No.” The woman barks her answer, leaning closer until their noses are touching. She lowers her voice to almost a whisper. “It is I who can help ye.”

“Uh…pardon?”

“Come!” The old woman throws up her hand, face exploding into an excited smile as she hops down from her box, so quickly in fact that Lee gasps in fright and lands on her butt.

“For what?” Lee calls after the woman breathlessly. Rin hurries to her side to help Lee to her feet.

The old woman pauses just long enough to glare back over her shoulder menacingly. “To find your destiny.”

Rin and Lee share a look that clearly says she’s lost her mind.

“Come, we make ye beautiful!” The woman grabs Lee’s hand again and yanks Lee into a small shop at the edge of the street. Rin follows behind hurriedly.

“Rin, help!” Lee squeaks out from behind a curtain as the woman pokes and tugs at her from all directions. It’s impossible to keep up with the lady with her speed. Before Lee can stop her, the old lady has stripped her down to her unmentionables and tossed a bundle of cloth into her arms.

“Dress.” The woman orders. She tries to take Lee’s glasses, but the taller girl wins that battle as she holds them high above her head out of the woman’s reach. Not a second later, Lee’s uniform is gone and a blue kimono with short sleeves is in its place. A very short kimono.

The darn thing barely goes half-way down her thigh, for Pete’s sake! It’s tied shut with a white wrap while matching blue cloth is pulled onto each of her forearms like bracers and onto her calves like shin guards. Lee doesn’t have a clue to where her uniform shoes have gone to, but they’re replaced too by those uncomfortable sandals that they wore in the olden days.

Lee looks down at herself in horror. “Are you crazy?! I can’t go out like this! I’ll be gawked at for sure!”

“Good!” The woman laughs, pushing the two girls towards the door.

“No, not good.” Lee argues.

“Yes, good! Men will be fighting for ye hand in no time.” She shoves them out into the street and slams the door behind them. Lee and Rin stand there in silence, unsure of what to make of the encounter at all. They glance at each other before Rin just shrugs and smiles.

“You look pretty.”

“That’s not the point!” Lee spins around, ready to tear down the door, but comes to a halt as she finds nothing there. The shop is gone, vanished, disappeared into thin air. “What the-?! How-?!”

Again at a loss of words, Lee drops to her knees where she stands and starts whining again. “Why me? Why can’t I wake up? I wanna go home!”

“But miss Lee, you got a free outfit.” Rin points out.

“It ain’t free! That old hag took my uniform as payment!” Lee bites on her tongue as that strange anger pours out of her mouth again and hangs her head. “This day can't get any worse.”

Author's Note

Author’s Note:
I started this story a long time ago on the Fanfiction site, but wasn’t getting any feedback on it what so ever. I didn’t know what was good or what was bad on the story at all. I didn’t even know if readers were liking the story either. Very few people were answering my pleas for help, so I decided to just delete the story.
Then a reader on Fanfiction decided to help me and I figured it was time to go back and redo the story chapter by chapter. The helpful reader asked if they could so a version of my story and sadly I agreed to it. Now, the reader isn’t crediting me for the work except when I say something about it and they refuse to answer my messages at all.
So here I am, forced to come to another fanfiction site and look for fresh new readers.
PLEASE let me know if there are any screw ups in the story. I really love the Inuyasha anime (PROPS TO THE ARTIST/WRITER WHO CREATED IT BECAUSE I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA) and I have always wanted to do a fanfiction on it.
There are nearly 40 chapters in this story and they can all be read on Fanfiction.net if you wish to skip forward a bit, but I’ll be uploading the newly rewritten chapters here.
I’m also on DeviantArt under Kizyoi if you’d like to check out my art.

-KB