Categories > Anime/Manga > Inuyasha > The Hidden Evil Design
Chapter 11: Yuri
0 reviewsThe backstory of the mysterious new character named Yuri is revealed! What part does she play in this strange game Naraku is playing? What more surprises await our friends? Also, in this chapter...
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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. There... can't get any simpler than that, eh? By the way, Rumiko Takahashi rules for making such an incredible, in depth story... no one could have pulled off what she has any more than she has (isn't that awkward...) anyway clears throat congrats Takahashi-san!
Note: This is the first chapter I have posted away from FanFiction.net... before my damned school blocked that website, I was happily updating from there, as "ChaoticYoukai667" (look how much that name has changed...!) To do the honor of letting my story be known and read, I have decided to keep uploading my fic... here on FicWad. I hope you all enjoy it!
Another Note: ..... forgets what he was going to say
Another Note: now remembers Let it continue!
Chapter 11 - Yuri
She was born into an average working family, Yuri was. Or so some would believe. But the truth was... just a little more obscure. If you were to go up to her and ask what her life was like when she was younger (she's now 16, by the way), you just might receive the coldest, damned stare you could ever possibly receive from a normal person. But was she normal, you are probably asking? Yes. To a certain degree.
Yuri had always been the sort of child who would cringe and hide whenever strangers came over to her house; she couldn't help it... that's just the way she was. The only time she would not be so frightened is when her very best friend, Mari, came over to hang out... only then did Yuri come out of her shell and actually get involved. This was all after that incident... if I were to ask her right now if I could relate that dreaded day to you all, she probably would not let me... and I would suffer that horrible, cold stare in return. But, let's make this a secret between you and me, all right? I'll tell ya, just be sure never to tell her!
Oh... one more thing before I reveal all I would reveal to you... Yuri is a strange child... that much is true. But if I reveal all I would reveal to you, and not leave anything out, I would have you know that it would be the ultimate in truth... the truth may frighten the bejeesus out of you, but that's why you are reading this fic, isn't it? To be frightened, at least a little, while you search the mind of this author on what he believes is a good Inuyasha story. And don't worry; we will return to our friend, the hanyou, after a short time. For now, Yuri's story must be told, lest it rot in the corners of my mind forever, picking up "dust" in my head, brain matter collecting around it... cells wondering what the hell is going on, why that piece of information is not being used to some good for the system.
But enough of that (told you I rant and rave, didn't I?). Let Yuri's story be told. Let the name of dread come forth, and enter your mind...
_-_-_
"Mother, where is my textbook? I need it for school!"
The shout rang through the small house, yielding no return call to her.
She tried again.
"Mother! Where's my science textbook?"
Yuri's call again rang unimpeded through the house, with no response.
"Well, damn you, then! I'll find it on my own!"
With that, she stormed out of the kitchen, where she had been scrubbing dishes moments before. No matter how many times she tried to wash the dishes they had in that tiny house, she could never seem to get all the crumbs off them; it was as if they were all held there magnetically, by the most powerful attraction known to man (and man did not know too much about magnets, anyway, or so Yuri knew). All things considered, she just could not do dishes even if her life depended on it; that was the simple fact of the matter.
Yuri traveled through her little home with great care. It was like there were pieces of furniture scattered all around the place that would shatter at the slightest touch; there were not, though, just beat-up living room accessories that would probably be better off being placed in some junk yard miles away, where eyes would never want to look upon them again, lest they burn out, or something (in other words, Yuri had really shitty furniture). You can't say she was poor, because poor was not the word for it, even though poor may be the first word that pops into your mind when you see her place: all shambles, busted windows and the like.
Yuri was by no means homeless; she had a mother, but she was gone so often doing things for her job, and so long that it was hard to tell she even had a mother. She had a father, at one time, but he died in some war that Yuri had no idea what war it was. Her mother had told her, once long ago, but that really seemed long ago, now (although in reality it was only five months ago).
Where other family was concerned, she had a brother, but he had died years ago, according to her mother, when he had been 15. She wouldn't say how, but Yuri felt as if a great hole had been opened up inside of her, at the pain of his loss. In fact, she had been barely two years old at the time of his death, and she was now 15, so that was even harder to deal with, knowing she would outlive her brother what he had lived during his time.
So, life here in Tokyo, at least for her, was a little tough. After looking at her, her life and her home, you can probably relate to her problems, can't you? If you can't, then you're pretty heartless (just kidding; I would never insult any of you!).
_-_-_
"Mother, I'm leaving now!" Yuri shouted, her voice traveling down the stairs and through the rest of the house. She was in her room; it had been about half an hour since she had come up from doing the dishes, and she was god-awful bored. She had books she could read, but they had been read so many times that she knew she could probably recite them all from memory without even picking one up.
"OK, you old bitch... go on and ignore me like that. See what I care!" She finished by hurling a small china bowl from her dresser at the wall, where it shattered like a bomb, pieces flying everywhere, a couple grazing her cheek as they went by; Yuri cried out and collapsed on her bed, weeping, face buried into her soft, plush feather pillow she had received for her tenth birthday; it was still in good shape, too.
It had been like this ever since her mother had gotten a job working to help the homeless (say Yuri was homeless again, would you?), and her daughter could not seem to grasp the situation, even though it had been over a year ago that it had begun. Although she earned enough to move them along, keep a roof over their heads and food in their mouths, Yuri could not seem to stand the idea that they were the only people this worst off, even though they made some money, at least.
Growing up, she had always believed that the poor ones, the ones with small, crappy houses and homely families, were the worse off... but after what happened today, and all the days since her mother got this job, she could not help but feel they were now in that category. This made her cry even harder.
Little did Ibeka Yurianna, Yuri for short, know in the days ahead, her life would change so much that tears would pretty much lose all meaning to her.
_-_-_
"Mother? Where are you?" The sound was muffled in her pillow.
Once again, Yuri was met with only the silence of her room.
She knew her mother would arrive soon... she just did not know when. If anyone tried to guess her mother's schedule at work, they might just as well be guessing when the end of the world was going to hit... well, for that... they might not be too far from the truth. At any rate, it was hard to determine when she would be able to see her beloved mother again.
However, her prayers would be answered in a mere few hours... but it would not be her mother come to call at the door...
_-_-_
Yuri was hungry.
"Mother, come home and make me dinner!" the girl raged, flying up from her bed, hair disheveled, face beet-red and soaked from crying, and flew down the stairs to the kitchen, where she tore open the cupboards, frantically searching for something to scrounge on. Her search yielded nothing... just like her calls to her mother had. They were all futile... useless... IGNORED!
"Damn you, woman!" Yuri screamed, bounding around the kitchen in hardly contained rage, knocking vases and other decorations from the table, hearing them shatter, pleased with the sound they made.
Before she knew it, she was slumped on the ground, fallen to her knees, and crying openly again. Her house was a shambles, her LIFE was a shambles. She just wanted to do something about it... she just wanted to... die. That thought ran, conscious, through her head, swerving around anything that tried to stop it from becoming unstable, and causing the girl to truly do something she honestly did not want to do... these emotions were coming out of her rage for her house, jealousy for other people who were better off, and open hatred toward her mother.
"I just want to DIE!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth for resonance; she might have been standing at a podium in front of thousands of people.
"Do you really wish that, Yuri? If so, I can give you something much better."
Yuri stopped screaming, as suddenly as if someone had flicked off a light switch; a deep, unearthly silence fell in the tiny kitchen. Very slowly, she turned around.
No one was there.
The silence spiraled away the seconds until it felt like she had been in that kitchen for two hours... when it had really been barely two minutes.
"Who's there?" Yuri called, voice shaking and anxious.
There was no response, just the rapid beating of her pounding heart.
"Who is it? Show yourself!" the girl demanded, instinctively ripping open a drawer and withdrawing a long, sharp butcher knife... just in case.
Just in case, Yuri thought, blade shaking in her unstable hand.
Suddenly, the kitchen turned extremely hot... it was almost as if it were 150 degrees outside and all the windows had been shut... fans running to circulate air around the place... now it was like all those windows had been thrown open, and stiflingly hot air came rushing in. Sweat immediately started pouring down her face.
Yuri grabbed insanely at a paper towel and daubed at her face, breathing heavily... but the suffocating air would not dissipate.
What's going on? she thought, beginning to panic.
All at once, soft laughter echoed through the kitchen... laughter that was at once kind and sinister to listen to.
It rang out for a few seconds, and then it was gone. The voice from before spoke again, sounding as if it was right behind her.
"Hello, Yuri... you seem to be a little troubled in your mind... is there anything I can do for you?"
Yuri squinted into where she heard the voice coming from... the small closet at the back corner, the interior of which was shrouded in darkness... but the girl could faintly make out a shape, standing, just out of sight, just out of the line of her vision. Because of the blackness, she could not make out who or what it was, but...
"Who are you?" Yuri asked, trying with all her might to steady the hand that held the butcher knife, fearing that any second her arm would twitch and she would do something irreversible.
The black shape standing in the depths of the tiny closet did not respond... yet.
"Tell me who you are or I will strike!" the girl demanded, brandishing the knife in what she hoped was a threatening way; the figure gave no sign in any way that it was afraid.
Pervasive silence fell in the room again.
Then...
"Bastard!" Yuri yelled, taking a few uneasy steps toward the closet; she could have sworn the figure within shifted just a little; maybe it was frightened of her now? It should be.
It should be, she thought, as if to steady her reasoning... and sanity.
"Yuri," the voice came again, finally, from inside the closet, "I mean you no harm... if you do what I say, that is." The voice was low, and pleasantly charming... he or she could have passed for anyone walking in the street that sincerely meant no wrong... but was it a man or woman? Yuri could not tell.
"Tell me who you are," Yuri repeated, this time keeping the knife clenched tight in her hand at her side, being careful not to accidentally cut into her flesh, despite her overwhelming fear.
The figure was silent for just a moment... then it spoke again, in a voice just as quiet and kind as before.
"Before I give you my name, Yuri, I need you to give me your promise... will you do so?"
Yuri was perplexed. What was going on here? What did this man (or woman), who had mysteriously showed up in her own house, want with her?
Even though she was still scared shitless and so confused she could not, immediately, even distinguish from right to left, she nodded.
"You have it."
She spoke the words almost without thinking... as if some higher power were egging her into doing something she would later regret.
Even though it was dark in the closet, and the figure's features hidden, Yuri could have guessed that there was a wide, pleased smile on their face.
"Very well, Yuri... I can tell that you are not the person who lies, or goes back on their word... I will now introduce myself."
He fell silent again, as if waiting for Yuri to suddenly jump out and guess what his name was. She didn't, however. He continued, and when he gave her his name, she at once felt a cold stab of fear and dread pierce her heart... she knew that name! She just couldn't remember where it was she had heard it last.
"My name is Naraku."
_-_-_
Confused, yet? Probably. There is much more to reveal on Yuri's life, and most importantly, that day... the day that, if I were to tell you about it, I would meet the hot fires of Hell at her hands. It's that bad, if you did not already know. And whenever Naraku is involved with something, it's BAD. Even if you do not know Inuyasha, you can probably guess that name means anything but good. It, in fact, does mean, in Japanese, "hell."
It probably surprises you to realize that, as powerful as he may be, Takahashi-san has always let Inuyasha and his group get the better of Naraku... for the most part. Even though Naraku is considerably more powerful by far than any of them (except perhaps Inuyasha's brother, Sesshoumaru...), he has always been drawn back or defeated in some way... it must be the mark of a good story... to let the villain be encountered again and again, yet not really destroying them, merely getting the better of them and causing them to run away, only to reappear later on.
But I'm sure all of you are wondering what is happening to Inuyasha, right now, in the present? I would tell you now, but now that I've begun Yuri's tale, it must be told to its entirety... I am exceptionally sorry, but this is the way it must be done. But don't worry... we'll leave Inuyasha and Yuri right where they are, in the present storyline, while we search the past, and see what happened to make that girl, Yuri, the "name of dread," change so suddenly and so much...
_-_-_
"Naraku... eh?" Yuri wondered aloud, realizing that the name did not exactly stir some memory after all... maybe it was anxiety of the current situation?
Without another word, the shadows in the closet shifted, and the figure stepped out into the dim light of the kitchen. Yuri stared.
She had expected a human, specifically a man, and she now knew it to be a man, not only by the name, but also now by the change of voice and body build that was now revealed.
He was tall, and swathed in a long, silver-white cloak, similar to the skin of an animal, and as Yuri's eyes traveled up the frame, she noticed that, instead of a head, there was what completed the strange figure... the mask of a baboon. It was cut so that it did not cover the entire face, just the eyes, ears and top of the head... only the mouth was showing now... leering in an unpleasant grin. There were eye holes in the mask, actually, though, where they would have been on a human face. The figure did not appear to have any hair, and if it did, then it was cleverly tied back and concealed underneath the mask, because Yuri could not see any.
Suddenly, she burst out laughing.
Naraku stood there, unmoving, gauging her reaction, as if wondering why she was laughing like she was. The suddenness of the situation, the total unexpectedness of it... she could not help it. In one fell swoop, all of her fear, anger and sorrow she felt earlier faded away, and she was left in a cacophony of amusement.
"I am pleased that you are not as frightened as you were before," Naraku said, startling Yuri so that she suddenly stopped laughing, the remnants of it dying into silence in the kitchen, "and I am also happy to note that you will probably never have to feel afraid again."
This pronouncement was followed by another long, deep silence, uncomfortable, even in Yuri's right. She had to break it... and she did. She took a breath.
"Now that we know each other," Naraku continued, "I expect you are wondering what it is I am doing here, are you not?"
He took her silence for a yes.
"Very well... basically, I need your help, Yurianna. A certain group of foes pursue me, now, and have been for quite some time. Each time I elude them, they always come back to find me. Last time, I just barely got away. They are a cruel bunch, smart and very powerful. The one who leads them is the most cunning of all, one who wields a magical sword that can do a variety of things, not only cutting its enemies, but also launching demonic power back at things, letting loose a barrage of diamond shards and even growing dragon scales that can absorb demon power. Does this foe not strike your attention, Yuri?"
The abrupt end of his explanation left the girl stunned. Such a wealth of information given in a short time; it was slightly overwhelming to her. Nevertheless, she pressed on, not knowing as she did it if it was the right thing to even do.
"What help would you ask of me?" she asked, trying to sound as polite as she could, which was mildly difficult; for her, politeness was quite hard to come by... just ask her mother.
Naraku was silent for a moment, before he spoke again.
"It's simple, really, Yuri. These foes are my match and more, and there are two other specific foes other than the group I mentioned before... ones that, if not stopped, could prove my ultimate undoing."
In his head, Naraku was thinking, And it's because of one of these foes that I am standing here right now. If it weren't for one of those foes in particular, I would not even be alive... He grinned, causing the girl to shudder suddenly.
Maybe I overdid it, but... so be it. He sighed, as if in resignation.
"It's simple, really, Yuri," he repeated, "I want your help to eliminate these foes. I want them dead."
Yuri did not immediately reply.
Naraku laughed softly, before speaking.
"Yuri, Yuri, Yuri," he said silkily, "your silence tells me that you are instantly regretting your promise to me... I'll have you know that you cannot do anything in the line of betraying, double-crossing, stabbing in the back... none of that. I'll have you know that if you do any of those things... your wish to be rid of this earth will come true." He ended it so bluntly that it sounded much more than a threat, and Yuri was frightened. People had always said this girl was nice and brave, but she did not feel brave at all at this moment; on the contrary, she hoped suddenly that the ground would open up and swallow her, put her away from this person that mysteriously knew so much about her, and struck a deal with her that she was not immediately willing to accept, lest it cost her life should she refuse or try to betray him.
So what could she do? She evidently did not have much of a choice.
She steeled herself.
Then nodded.
"Okay, Naraku, or whatever your name is," she started, flinching when she saw him move toward her slightly when she threw in that smart-aleck part. She bypassed it as quickly and surely as she possibly could.
"Sorry about that little comment (he stopped advancing toward her now)," Yuri said quickly, hoping to cover her slight mistake, "I will help you find who you are looking for."
There was silence as he stood not five feet away from her; after about two minutes, his lack of any sort of response began to bug her.
"I'll help you, I said!" the girl said defiantly, noting how he was just standing there, still and cool as a statue, regarding her with his hidden eyes, which she could have sworn glittered a little bit like red in the darkness of the holes of the mask he wore.
The silence extended for about a minute more, and then...
"Very good, Yuri, I knew you would agree."
Yuri waited.
In vain.
"Hello?" she tried after a few minutes. "Naraku? Earth to Naraku?!"
If she came off sounding smart again, she did not care. The figure remained stoic and silent.
"Yo!" Yuri called, cupping her hands about her mouth, but that yielded no response, either. She sighed, traces of anger edging their way to the surface... she did not enjoy being ignored.
"If all you are going to do is just stand there, ignore me, and not do anything at all, for that matter, then I'm going to end our bargain right here. It's no wonder your foes always get the better of you! When one comes up to attack you, you probably just stand there, confident they'll miss or something! Is that it?"
What happened next was too fast to see, at least by human eyes. One minute, the girl was shouting at the silent man, wrapped as he was in the baboon pelt; the next, she felt extreme pressure bearing down on her throat, and realized that he was now standing in front of her, eyes flaring red behind the mask, hand flown up out of the costume, pushing down on her neck; she let out one quick scream before he had her voice box almost completely obscured.
She gasped for air, sputtering, trying vainly to break free, but his grip was like iron.
"Do you think I'm worthless, now, Yuri?" he asked, voice soft and compelling; as of yet, he had not sounded at all angry or upset by anything she said or did, even though many other people might have at some point. His grip tightened.
Yuri felt herself beginning to slip into blackness; she fought the wave of dizziness that passed through her body... she was about to faint, and she could not do anything about it.
Damn it! she thought, wildly trying to strike out and hit the man in front of her, but every time she attempted to lash out at him, he would easily block her stroke.
"Will you listen to me, heed my words, and not go back on them? You gave me your promise earlier, but you broke it just now by lashing out at me like you did... I do not tolerate this behavior, girl... remember that."
Yuri tried as best she could to nod her head, or give any indication that she agreed to his
(threat)
request. He seemed to believe it, for he slowly loosened his grip, eventually letting her tumble to the kitchen floor, gasping and coughing, grabbing at her throat and rubbing it, where it hurt like it had just been burned.
"I sense it in the way you reacted, Yuri... your answer... your undying devotion to me, now... I know all about you."
That last sentence left the girl on the floor, writhing and twisting in agony, hanging dumbstruck.
"What do you mean, you know all about me? I have never even met you, before!" This was, of course, true, at least to her prospects... she had never seen this man, before, and even if she had, she couldn't tell, because of the way he was currently dressed.
Naraku laughed softly.
"Yes, you are confused, and I know it. But this whole escapade has been nothing short of confusing for me, also. I'll admit it. Even I did not know of this little detail until a month or so ago. Only you can help me do this."
This did not help to alleviate her perplexity.
"I do not understand anything you're telling me... you're talking in circles, and I don't like it." Her voice, which had been hoarse a few seconds ago, now returned to full strength. She listened.
"I know about your past, Yuri. You may not believe this, but I am not even from your world. I know someone in particular who is, but she is not important to this conversation... although sometime in the future you may get a chance to meet her. I know about your mother, how she is always away, and hardly ever gets to see you because of her job. I know about your father, who died mysteriously, and you do not even know why or how. I know about your brother, whom you thought to be dead... he is not."
Startled, caught off guard, she waited for him to continue.
When he did not right away, she asked, "What do you mean? It's been proven that he is dead!" She stopped there, because Naraku was shaking his head.
"You were led to believe this was so, but I assure you, it is not true. I can tell, from your words and your looks, that you were too young to even remember who he was, let alone his name if one were to give it to you." He paused.
"Your brother's name is Inuyasha."
_-_-_
TBC
OMG!! Bear with me, folks! I know you're all confused, but I'm trying my best, here! Hopefully, those of you who are confused (and I know there are many) with this whole freakin' story will be alleviated (and that means "relieved") of all of your questions; in other words, the whole plot will be explained. I think...
Anyway, keep the reviews comin'!
Note: This is the first chapter I have posted away from FanFiction.net... before my damned school blocked that website, I was happily updating from there, as "ChaoticYoukai667" (look how much that name has changed...!) To do the honor of letting my story be known and read, I have decided to keep uploading my fic... here on FicWad. I hope you all enjoy it!
Another Note: ..... forgets what he was going to say
Another Note: now remembers Let it continue!
Chapter 11 - Yuri
She was born into an average working family, Yuri was. Or so some would believe. But the truth was... just a little more obscure. If you were to go up to her and ask what her life was like when she was younger (she's now 16, by the way), you just might receive the coldest, damned stare you could ever possibly receive from a normal person. But was she normal, you are probably asking? Yes. To a certain degree.
Yuri had always been the sort of child who would cringe and hide whenever strangers came over to her house; she couldn't help it... that's just the way she was. The only time she would not be so frightened is when her very best friend, Mari, came over to hang out... only then did Yuri come out of her shell and actually get involved. This was all after that incident... if I were to ask her right now if I could relate that dreaded day to you all, she probably would not let me... and I would suffer that horrible, cold stare in return. But, let's make this a secret between you and me, all right? I'll tell ya, just be sure never to tell her!
Oh... one more thing before I reveal all I would reveal to you... Yuri is a strange child... that much is true. But if I reveal all I would reveal to you, and not leave anything out, I would have you know that it would be the ultimate in truth... the truth may frighten the bejeesus out of you, but that's why you are reading this fic, isn't it? To be frightened, at least a little, while you search the mind of this author on what he believes is a good Inuyasha story. And don't worry; we will return to our friend, the hanyou, after a short time. For now, Yuri's story must be told, lest it rot in the corners of my mind forever, picking up "dust" in my head, brain matter collecting around it... cells wondering what the hell is going on, why that piece of information is not being used to some good for the system.
But enough of that (told you I rant and rave, didn't I?). Let Yuri's story be told. Let the name of dread come forth, and enter your mind...
_-_-_
"Mother, where is my textbook? I need it for school!"
The shout rang through the small house, yielding no return call to her.
She tried again.
"Mother! Where's my science textbook?"
Yuri's call again rang unimpeded through the house, with no response.
"Well, damn you, then! I'll find it on my own!"
With that, she stormed out of the kitchen, where she had been scrubbing dishes moments before. No matter how many times she tried to wash the dishes they had in that tiny house, she could never seem to get all the crumbs off them; it was as if they were all held there magnetically, by the most powerful attraction known to man (and man did not know too much about magnets, anyway, or so Yuri knew). All things considered, she just could not do dishes even if her life depended on it; that was the simple fact of the matter.
Yuri traveled through her little home with great care. It was like there were pieces of furniture scattered all around the place that would shatter at the slightest touch; there were not, though, just beat-up living room accessories that would probably be better off being placed in some junk yard miles away, where eyes would never want to look upon them again, lest they burn out, or something (in other words, Yuri had really shitty furniture). You can't say she was poor, because poor was not the word for it, even though poor may be the first word that pops into your mind when you see her place: all shambles, busted windows and the like.
Yuri was by no means homeless; she had a mother, but she was gone so often doing things for her job, and so long that it was hard to tell she even had a mother. She had a father, at one time, but he died in some war that Yuri had no idea what war it was. Her mother had told her, once long ago, but that really seemed long ago, now (although in reality it was only five months ago).
Where other family was concerned, she had a brother, but he had died years ago, according to her mother, when he had been 15. She wouldn't say how, but Yuri felt as if a great hole had been opened up inside of her, at the pain of his loss. In fact, she had been barely two years old at the time of his death, and she was now 15, so that was even harder to deal with, knowing she would outlive her brother what he had lived during his time.
So, life here in Tokyo, at least for her, was a little tough. After looking at her, her life and her home, you can probably relate to her problems, can't you? If you can't, then you're pretty heartless (just kidding; I would never insult any of you!).
_-_-_
"Mother, I'm leaving now!" Yuri shouted, her voice traveling down the stairs and through the rest of the house. She was in her room; it had been about half an hour since she had come up from doing the dishes, and she was god-awful bored. She had books she could read, but they had been read so many times that she knew she could probably recite them all from memory without even picking one up.
"OK, you old bitch... go on and ignore me like that. See what I care!" She finished by hurling a small china bowl from her dresser at the wall, where it shattered like a bomb, pieces flying everywhere, a couple grazing her cheek as they went by; Yuri cried out and collapsed on her bed, weeping, face buried into her soft, plush feather pillow she had received for her tenth birthday; it was still in good shape, too.
It had been like this ever since her mother had gotten a job working to help the homeless (say Yuri was homeless again, would you?), and her daughter could not seem to grasp the situation, even though it had been over a year ago that it had begun. Although she earned enough to move them along, keep a roof over their heads and food in their mouths, Yuri could not seem to stand the idea that they were the only people this worst off, even though they made some money, at least.
Growing up, she had always believed that the poor ones, the ones with small, crappy houses and homely families, were the worse off... but after what happened today, and all the days since her mother got this job, she could not help but feel they were now in that category. This made her cry even harder.
Little did Ibeka Yurianna, Yuri for short, know in the days ahead, her life would change so much that tears would pretty much lose all meaning to her.
_-_-_
"Mother? Where are you?" The sound was muffled in her pillow.
Once again, Yuri was met with only the silence of her room.
She knew her mother would arrive soon... she just did not know when. If anyone tried to guess her mother's schedule at work, they might just as well be guessing when the end of the world was going to hit... well, for that... they might not be too far from the truth. At any rate, it was hard to determine when she would be able to see her beloved mother again.
However, her prayers would be answered in a mere few hours... but it would not be her mother come to call at the door...
_-_-_
Yuri was hungry.
"Mother, come home and make me dinner!" the girl raged, flying up from her bed, hair disheveled, face beet-red and soaked from crying, and flew down the stairs to the kitchen, where she tore open the cupboards, frantically searching for something to scrounge on. Her search yielded nothing... just like her calls to her mother had. They were all futile... useless... IGNORED!
"Damn you, woman!" Yuri screamed, bounding around the kitchen in hardly contained rage, knocking vases and other decorations from the table, hearing them shatter, pleased with the sound they made.
Before she knew it, she was slumped on the ground, fallen to her knees, and crying openly again. Her house was a shambles, her LIFE was a shambles. She just wanted to do something about it... she just wanted to... die. That thought ran, conscious, through her head, swerving around anything that tried to stop it from becoming unstable, and causing the girl to truly do something she honestly did not want to do... these emotions were coming out of her rage for her house, jealousy for other people who were better off, and open hatred toward her mother.
"I just want to DIE!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth for resonance; she might have been standing at a podium in front of thousands of people.
"Do you really wish that, Yuri? If so, I can give you something much better."
Yuri stopped screaming, as suddenly as if someone had flicked off a light switch; a deep, unearthly silence fell in the tiny kitchen. Very slowly, she turned around.
No one was there.
The silence spiraled away the seconds until it felt like she had been in that kitchen for two hours... when it had really been barely two minutes.
"Who's there?" Yuri called, voice shaking and anxious.
There was no response, just the rapid beating of her pounding heart.
"Who is it? Show yourself!" the girl demanded, instinctively ripping open a drawer and withdrawing a long, sharp butcher knife... just in case.
Just in case, Yuri thought, blade shaking in her unstable hand.
Suddenly, the kitchen turned extremely hot... it was almost as if it were 150 degrees outside and all the windows had been shut... fans running to circulate air around the place... now it was like all those windows had been thrown open, and stiflingly hot air came rushing in. Sweat immediately started pouring down her face.
Yuri grabbed insanely at a paper towel and daubed at her face, breathing heavily... but the suffocating air would not dissipate.
What's going on? she thought, beginning to panic.
All at once, soft laughter echoed through the kitchen... laughter that was at once kind and sinister to listen to.
It rang out for a few seconds, and then it was gone. The voice from before spoke again, sounding as if it was right behind her.
"Hello, Yuri... you seem to be a little troubled in your mind... is there anything I can do for you?"
Yuri squinted into where she heard the voice coming from... the small closet at the back corner, the interior of which was shrouded in darkness... but the girl could faintly make out a shape, standing, just out of sight, just out of the line of her vision. Because of the blackness, she could not make out who or what it was, but...
"Who are you?" Yuri asked, trying with all her might to steady the hand that held the butcher knife, fearing that any second her arm would twitch and she would do something irreversible.
The black shape standing in the depths of the tiny closet did not respond... yet.
"Tell me who you are or I will strike!" the girl demanded, brandishing the knife in what she hoped was a threatening way; the figure gave no sign in any way that it was afraid.
Pervasive silence fell in the room again.
Then...
"Bastard!" Yuri yelled, taking a few uneasy steps toward the closet; she could have sworn the figure within shifted just a little; maybe it was frightened of her now? It should be.
It should be, she thought, as if to steady her reasoning... and sanity.
"Yuri," the voice came again, finally, from inside the closet, "I mean you no harm... if you do what I say, that is." The voice was low, and pleasantly charming... he or she could have passed for anyone walking in the street that sincerely meant no wrong... but was it a man or woman? Yuri could not tell.
"Tell me who you are," Yuri repeated, this time keeping the knife clenched tight in her hand at her side, being careful not to accidentally cut into her flesh, despite her overwhelming fear.
The figure was silent for just a moment... then it spoke again, in a voice just as quiet and kind as before.
"Before I give you my name, Yuri, I need you to give me your promise... will you do so?"
Yuri was perplexed. What was going on here? What did this man (or woman), who had mysteriously showed up in her own house, want with her?
Even though she was still scared shitless and so confused she could not, immediately, even distinguish from right to left, she nodded.
"You have it."
She spoke the words almost without thinking... as if some higher power were egging her into doing something she would later regret.
Even though it was dark in the closet, and the figure's features hidden, Yuri could have guessed that there was a wide, pleased smile on their face.
"Very well, Yuri... I can tell that you are not the person who lies, or goes back on their word... I will now introduce myself."
He fell silent again, as if waiting for Yuri to suddenly jump out and guess what his name was. She didn't, however. He continued, and when he gave her his name, she at once felt a cold stab of fear and dread pierce her heart... she knew that name! She just couldn't remember where it was she had heard it last.
"My name is Naraku."
_-_-_
Confused, yet? Probably. There is much more to reveal on Yuri's life, and most importantly, that day... the day that, if I were to tell you about it, I would meet the hot fires of Hell at her hands. It's that bad, if you did not already know. And whenever Naraku is involved with something, it's BAD. Even if you do not know Inuyasha, you can probably guess that name means anything but good. It, in fact, does mean, in Japanese, "hell."
It probably surprises you to realize that, as powerful as he may be, Takahashi-san has always let Inuyasha and his group get the better of Naraku... for the most part. Even though Naraku is considerably more powerful by far than any of them (except perhaps Inuyasha's brother, Sesshoumaru...), he has always been drawn back or defeated in some way... it must be the mark of a good story... to let the villain be encountered again and again, yet not really destroying them, merely getting the better of them and causing them to run away, only to reappear later on.
But I'm sure all of you are wondering what is happening to Inuyasha, right now, in the present? I would tell you now, but now that I've begun Yuri's tale, it must be told to its entirety... I am exceptionally sorry, but this is the way it must be done. But don't worry... we'll leave Inuyasha and Yuri right where they are, in the present storyline, while we search the past, and see what happened to make that girl, Yuri, the "name of dread," change so suddenly and so much...
_-_-_
"Naraku... eh?" Yuri wondered aloud, realizing that the name did not exactly stir some memory after all... maybe it was anxiety of the current situation?
Without another word, the shadows in the closet shifted, and the figure stepped out into the dim light of the kitchen. Yuri stared.
She had expected a human, specifically a man, and she now knew it to be a man, not only by the name, but also now by the change of voice and body build that was now revealed.
He was tall, and swathed in a long, silver-white cloak, similar to the skin of an animal, and as Yuri's eyes traveled up the frame, she noticed that, instead of a head, there was what completed the strange figure... the mask of a baboon. It was cut so that it did not cover the entire face, just the eyes, ears and top of the head... only the mouth was showing now... leering in an unpleasant grin. There were eye holes in the mask, actually, though, where they would have been on a human face. The figure did not appear to have any hair, and if it did, then it was cleverly tied back and concealed underneath the mask, because Yuri could not see any.
Suddenly, she burst out laughing.
Naraku stood there, unmoving, gauging her reaction, as if wondering why she was laughing like she was. The suddenness of the situation, the total unexpectedness of it... she could not help it. In one fell swoop, all of her fear, anger and sorrow she felt earlier faded away, and she was left in a cacophony of amusement.
"I am pleased that you are not as frightened as you were before," Naraku said, startling Yuri so that she suddenly stopped laughing, the remnants of it dying into silence in the kitchen, "and I am also happy to note that you will probably never have to feel afraid again."
This pronouncement was followed by another long, deep silence, uncomfortable, even in Yuri's right. She had to break it... and she did. She took a breath.
"Now that we know each other," Naraku continued, "I expect you are wondering what it is I am doing here, are you not?"
He took her silence for a yes.
"Very well... basically, I need your help, Yurianna. A certain group of foes pursue me, now, and have been for quite some time. Each time I elude them, they always come back to find me. Last time, I just barely got away. They are a cruel bunch, smart and very powerful. The one who leads them is the most cunning of all, one who wields a magical sword that can do a variety of things, not only cutting its enemies, but also launching demonic power back at things, letting loose a barrage of diamond shards and even growing dragon scales that can absorb demon power. Does this foe not strike your attention, Yuri?"
The abrupt end of his explanation left the girl stunned. Such a wealth of information given in a short time; it was slightly overwhelming to her. Nevertheless, she pressed on, not knowing as she did it if it was the right thing to even do.
"What help would you ask of me?" she asked, trying to sound as polite as she could, which was mildly difficult; for her, politeness was quite hard to come by... just ask her mother.
Naraku was silent for a moment, before he spoke again.
"It's simple, really, Yuri. These foes are my match and more, and there are two other specific foes other than the group I mentioned before... ones that, if not stopped, could prove my ultimate undoing."
In his head, Naraku was thinking, And it's because of one of these foes that I am standing here right now. If it weren't for one of those foes in particular, I would not even be alive... He grinned, causing the girl to shudder suddenly.
Maybe I overdid it, but... so be it. He sighed, as if in resignation.
"It's simple, really, Yuri," he repeated, "I want your help to eliminate these foes. I want them dead."
Yuri did not immediately reply.
Naraku laughed softly, before speaking.
"Yuri, Yuri, Yuri," he said silkily, "your silence tells me that you are instantly regretting your promise to me... I'll have you know that you cannot do anything in the line of betraying, double-crossing, stabbing in the back... none of that. I'll have you know that if you do any of those things... your wish to be rid of this earth will come true." He ended it so bluntly that it sounded much more than a threat, and Yuri was frightened. People had always said this girl was nice and brave, but she did not feel brave at all at this moment; on the contrary, she hoped suddenly that the ground would open up and swallow her, put her away from this person that mysteriously knew so much about her, and struck a deal with her that she was not immediately willing to accept, lest it cost her life should she refuse or try to betray him.
So what could she do? She evidently did not have much of a choice.
She steeled herself.
Then nodded.
"Okay, Naraku, or whatever your name is," she started, flinching when she saw him move toward her slightly when she threw in that smart-aleck part. She bypassed it as quickly and surely as she possibly could.
"Sorry about that little comment (he stopped advancing toward her now)," Yuri said quickly, hoping to cover her slight mistake, "I will help you find who you are looking for."
There was silence as he stood not five feet away from her; after about two minutes, his lack of any sort of response began to bug her.
"I'll help you, I said!" the girl said defiantly, noting how he was just standing there, still and cool as a statue, regarding her with his hidden eyes, which she could have sworn glittered a little bit like red in the darkness of the holes of the mask he wore.
The silence extended for about a minute more, and then...
"Very good, Yuri, I knew you would agree."
Yuri waited.
In vain.
"Hello?" she tried after a few minutes. "Naraku? Earth to Naraku?!"
If she came off sounding smart again, she did not care. The figure remained stoic and silent.
"Yo!" Yuri called, cupping her hands about her mouth, but that yielded no response, either. She sighed, traces of anger edging their way to the surface... she did not enjoy being ignored.
"If all you are going to do is just stand there, ignore me, and not do anything at all, for that matter, then I'm going to end our bargain right here. It's no wonder your foes always get the better of you! When one comes up to attack you, you probably just stand there, confident they'll miss or something! Is that it?"
What happened next was too fast to see, at least by human eyes. One minute, the girl was shouting at the silent man, wrapped as he was in the baboon pelt; the next, she felt extreme pressure bearing down on her throat, and realized that he was now standing in front of her, eyes flaring red behind the mask, hand flown up out of the costume, pushing down on her neck; she let out one quick scream before he had her voice box almost completely obscured.
She gasped for air, sputtering, trying vainly to break free, but his grip was like iron.
"Do you think I'm worthless, now, Yuri?" he asked, voice soft and compelling; as of yet, he had not sounded at all angry or upset by anything she said or did, even though many other people might have at some point. His grip tightened.
Yuri felt herself beginning to slip into blackness; she fought the wave of dizziness that passed through her body... she was about to faint, and she could not do anything about it.
Damn it! she thought, wildly trying to strike out and hit the man in front of her, but every time she attempted to lash out at him, he would easily block her stroke.
"Will you listen to me, heed my words, and not go back on them? You gave me your promise earlier, but you broke it just now by lashing out at me like you did... I do not tolerate this behavior, girl... remember that."
Yuri tried as best she could to nod her head, or give any indication that she agreed to his
(threat)
request. He seemed to believe it, for he slowly loosened his grip, eventually letting her tumble to the kitchen floor, gasping and coughing, grabbing at her throat and rubbing it, where it hurt like it had just been burned.
"I sense it in the way you reacted, Yuri... your answer... your undying devotion to me, now... I know all about you."
That last sentence left the girl on the floor, writhing and twisting in agony, hanging dumbstruck.
"What do you mean, you know all about me? I have never even met you, before!" This was, of course, true, at least to her prospects... she had never seen this man, before, and even if she had, she couldn't tell, because of the way he was currently dressed.
Naraku laughed softly.
"Yes, you are confused, and I know it. But this whole escapade has been nothing short of confusing for me, also. I'll admit it. Even I did not know of this little detail until a month or so ago. Only you can help me do this."
This did not help to alleviate her perplexity.
"I do not understand anything you're telling me... you're talking in circles, and I don't like it." Her voice, which had been hoarse a few seconds ago, now returned to full strength. She listened.
"I know about your past, Yuri. You may not believe this, but I am not even from your world. I know someone in particular who is, but she is not important to this conversation... although sometime in the future you may get a chance to meet her. I know about your mother, how she is always away, and hardly ever gets to see you because of her job. I know about your father, who died mysteriously, and you do not even know why or how. I know about your brother, whom you thought to be dead... he is not."
Startled, caught off guard, she waited for him to continue.
When he did not right away, she asked, "What do you mean? It's been proven that he is dead!" She stopped there, because Naraku was shaking his head.
"You were led to believe this was so, but I assure you, it is not true. I can tell, from your words and your looks, that you were too young to even remember who he was, let alone his name if one were to give it to you." He paused.
"Your brother's name is Inuyasha."
_-_-_
TBC
OMG!! Bear with me, folks! I know you're all confused, but I'm trying my best, here! Hopefully, those of you who are confused (and I know there are many) with this whole freakin' story will be alleviated (and that means "relieved") of all of your questions; in other words, the whole plot will be explained. I think...
Anyway, keep the reviews comin'!
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