A Sister's Gift

Chapter 4 – A Miserable Caged Beast

The cage was driving him insane. He cursed himself for allowing this to happen. For it was his own reckless behavior that put him behind these wretched bars. Yes, his own recklessness, and the bitch who took advantage of him. He thought about the ‘Mistress Sango’, and felt the need to rip something in two. Preferably something soft, voluptuous, and female. Something that would scream and bleed, then die.

He paced the floor, clenching and unclenching his claws. He had to get out of this damnable cage. The ningen was good for her word, so far. He was provided with fresh meat and plenty of water. The bed was adequate. No one poked or prodded him, as he knew was the fate of many a proud youkai who had found himself in a human trap. It wasn’t any of those things. It was this fucking cage!

He growled as he thought of ways to break free. None that he had tried worked so far. It seemed this slayer was a meticulous perfectionist, making sure nothing went unchecked or undone. Just his miserable luck. Of all the slave traders, and all of the youkai trainers, he had to be caught by one of the only remaining demon exterminator’s. A trained professional when dealing with his kind. That fucking bitch.

Last week she came to him again. Trying to talk him into cooperating with the program. Humph. As if. He would sooner be slaughtered than to give in. He turned swiftly and retraced his steps. The chains rattled and scraped over the floor behind him. His irritation rose another notch. Soon he would be the ‘raging maniac beast’, that the bitch called him when he lost his grip. It was just a matter of time. Three weeks he had paced this stone floor, cursing and snarling, and still he had found no way to escape. Absent-mindedly he reached up and tugged on the necklace of small beads and tiny youkai teeth. He spent the better part of two days and two nights trying to rip the thing free of his neck. He still had no idea what it’s purpose was, but came to the conclusion that it was sealed to him, thwarting any attempts he made to remove it.

The slayer had finally given up asking for his name. He just refused to give in, even the tiniest bit. Then earlier today, the inuyoukai, FiChun, appeared, standing there and glaring at him, from the other side of these cursed bars. He had begun to think the inuyoukai was simply killing time, but unfortunately that was to end, when he began to speak. His words still rang in his ears. “You hate the cage, do you not?” No answer. “You can be free of this cage, never again to set foot in this small space. Just let go of some of that arrogant stubborn pride. Allow yourself to conform. You can be free of this prison.”

‘Free’. Humph. Maybe he would no longer be kept like an animal, but he would still be caged. At the mercy of some filthy human. What kind of life would that be? A proud forest creature, trained to perform tricks as some ningen’s pet. Disgusting.

A slight noise suddenly distracted him. It came from outside of the tiny barred window. He stopped his incessant pacing to peer out into the untended grounds behind the ‘youkai building’ as this place was called. He caught sight of a young human female. Could it be? His heart began to beat a little faster. He squinted his eyes against the bright sunlight, trying to make her out. She wore the red and white colors, he was sure of that. If only the wind were blowing his way. He watched her closely as she made her way around the trees and old fallen logs. Yes, it had to be her. She carried a woven basket, and was picking herbs and digging up tiny roots. The miko. With a slight shift of the wind her scent was carried to his nose. He breathed it in deeply. How he had missed that scent.

She went about her business, unaware that he was watching her. Admiring her delicate body and her long, thick, raven tresses, which fell over her shoulder as she bent down to pluck a group of mushrooms from their perch. His little miko was here.

Momentarily his confinement was forgotten, as he watched her innocently moving about. He could hear her humming a soft little tune. Here she was, in front of him once more, the reason he had let his guard down three weeks ago.

He felt strange, mixed emotions for this human female. He spent many, many days and nights roaming the forest trying to rid his mind of her. Something about her intrigued him, and it infuriated him. If only she had left him be that winter morning, after the fight. A low growl emanated from deep in his throat at the mere thought of that damnable dragon. It was his fault. All of this. If it had not provoked him, he would not have been injured as he slay the beast. It wasn’t anything but a tiny flesh wound. It would have healed easily in a few hours, but that’s when she found him. Leaning against the tree, resting his eyes. He heard her long before he seen her. He knew she meant him no harm. He could smell her concern for him as she caught sight of the red stained snow. He cringed at the thought of what he did when she approached him cautiously. He should not have snarled at her. It had clearly frightened the girl. The fear did not stop her from her mission. She only smiled and crept a little closer. That moment was the moment that she became a permanent fixture in his mind. She spoke to him sweetly as she ripped a piece of her garment free. She placed a leaf on the wound, and bound the cloth around his arm snuggly as she hummed her gentle melody.

In his cage, he reached down and pulled the tattered piece of red fabric from its hiding place. He lifted it to his nose. The scent was all but gone now. He never confronted her after that day, and she had never seen him again, but he was there. Always watching over her as she gathered her healing herbs. A human woman. For the longest time he thought himself a disgrace to his lineage, following around a ningen female as if she were a bitch in heat. Finally, he grew weary of his inner turmoil, and allowed his instincts to guide him.

He looked back out of the barred window. She had made her way a little closer. He could clearly see her rosy cheeks and full pouty lips. What a vision. An enchanting vision, that landed his sorry ass right in this fucking cell.

As if his angry thoughts had drawn her attention, the girl stopped and began to scan the building. He thought perhaps she was looking for additional items for her basket, but when her gaze fixed on his, he was frozen. To his utter amazement the miko began to approach. He did not want her to see him this way. Not caged, like an animal. He did not want her pity. He backed away and let out a ferocious warning growl. A little more violent than was really required, but he had to make a point. After a moment he peeked back out of the window. She was gone.