Kizuna Chapter 1: Devotion's Beginning
Banana Rum: Kiyomi
Disclaimer: Well, I obviously DO NOT own any of these characters. I don't really understand why we have to write these disclaimers. Obviously Rumiko Takahashi would NEVER put her works on a website. Isn't that why she publishes them?
"Mew." Small, shrill cries rang throughout the meadow. Delicate flowers of pink and white dotted the lush, green meadow. Rolling hills created shallow indentations and protected from the softly blowing winds. In one such hollow, a neko youkai and her offspring resided. The mews that filled the air emitted from the newly born kittens.
There were only six tiny felines, and all except one were an exact replica of their smokey-colored mother. The exception was much different. Instead of the short, coarse, practical fur of wild youkai, this kitten's was long and silky. Its fur was a glistening white, and black markings adorned the face, tails, paws and tips of the ears. In short, this baby stood out too much from its surroundings, therefore, it would not live long.
As the litter of kittens clamored over each other to suckled at the exhausted mother's teats, a disturbance broke the tranquil setting.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!" The earsplitting cry of a gargantuan centipede trampled the grass and flowers, leaving crushed ruins. It charged straight toward the cat and her young. But the weary mother could barely move. Sensing the danger in the air, the just born youkai's mews became more shrill and frantic. In their terror, the kittens started burrowing and climbing over the mother's body. But the white kitten started crawling the wrong way, away from the comfort of its mother. The still helpless mother could only sit and watch, she was too fatigued. Death would come soon, and her poor kittens had just been born.
Blood stained a large patch of grass. Small carcasses were strewn about, the fur on them matted and bloody. A miko walked through the once serene field, surveying the damage. She wore the traditional red and white clothing of a miko, she had a bow in her hand, and a quiver of arrows slung across her back. Her face was composed, not one line on her face relayed emotion. Another rogue youkai had struck. Lately, many youkai had suddenly become mad, causing them to go on mass killing streaks.
It was unfortunate. A neko youkai and her young had been massacred in the latest attack. And from the size of the bodies, the kittens had just been born. Their eyes were still closed.
All of the sudden, the miko stopped walking, If one listened closely enough, they could hear a quiet cry, seemingly coming from the grass. The miko was one who listened. She knelt down next to a patch of once magnificent flowers, and picked up what looked like another lifeless body. It was pure white, with two tails, and black markings. It squirmed, searching for the comforting body of its dead mother. Carefully cradling the small feline, the miko walked back to the village from which she came from.
Cold. So cold. And scared. Terrified. Where was mother? Something was there. Bad. It was sinister. The youki it gave off was as different as possible from Mother and my siblings'. Run. Must run. Get away. Run. Tall stalks of something obstructed my path. Must still get away. Am I far away enough? Tired. So tired... Mother? I'm lost. I collapsed.
Next thing I knew, I was lifted off the ground by... a human! Its smell was revolting. But the touch was friendly and gentle. So, this human would not hurt me... I hoped. I was safe for now.
I brought the kitten home. Poor thing. Its mother and siblings had all been killed. And from the looks of it, this one wouldn't have lasted a week by itself. Its fur was pure white. Pure as snow. It was about time I got myself a companion. This puny kitten would be perfect, because I would raise it.
For three weeks I nursed Kirara, the name I had given the kitten, back to health. She was so lively! Always crawling out of the basket I kept her in or batting away imaginary butterflies.
Finally, she opened her eyes. I was the first thing she saw. How happy I was to see "my child" taking her first look at the world. Hopefully, she would love me as much as I had grown to love her.
I felt it was time. I opened my eyes. And looking straight into mine were soft, brown ones. They were so comforting. Was this my mother? Or maybe it was the human?
"Hello little one. My name is Midoriko. I hope you don't mind, but I've decided to call you Kirara. Do you like it?"
Author's notes:
Er, please review? Constructive criticism as well as flames are welcome.
-Kiyomi