Fragile Dreams, Chapter 3



written by Christine

Chapter 3


	She watched the boy, Luka, haul the last of the waste up the stairs. Since he made no aggressive moves, She took a chance and relaxed a little. He returned carrying food and a bucket. He walked toward her corner. She watched him suspiciously. Luka saw the glare but took heart as he saw she was no longer trembling in his presence.

He placed the food on the floor next to her, turned the bucket upside down and sat on it. He refused to sit on the bed just as she did. She tentatively reached for a fruit and took a bite. He didn’t look directly at her but instead looked at the fruit as she ate it, only glancing at her occasionally. “I’ll return tomorrow.” He announced. “'He' says I’m now in charge of your care.” He patted his makeshift seat. “I will leave this bucket for you. Please use it. I really don’t enjoy scooping poop.” He said with a smile. She nearly choked on her last bite upon hearing that comment and then wiped the juices from her face with the back of her hand. It left a somewhat clean stripe across her mouth. “Tomorrow I’ll bring a tub down here. You need to bathe.” He paused when he saw her blush. “Your wounds will get infected if you don’t.” He said in a rush. He got the sudden urge to justify such an invasion of her privacy. “I would also like to look at that arm. My mother is a miko and has taught me her knowledge.” She grimaced but said nothing. She placed the core of the apple on the plate of food and contemplated her next consumption. “You know the grime is not keeping him away. The only one you are hurting now is yourself.” Still she said nothing, continuing her study of the plate. He calculated and made his decision. “I want to help you, Isabo. I’m going to help you regain your freedom or die trying.” She halted in her reach for another fruit. She looked straight at him for the first time. He saw the faint star on her forehead confirming her identity. Who is this boy? “How do you know my name?” she asked. He sighed. Finally he thought. “My mother told me.” A shout came from outside. “LUKA!” “Curse him” Luka said under his breath. With that, he stood, flipping the bucket over in one smooth motion. “Good night Isabo.” “Luka...” He stopped and looked back. She was holding out the shirt to him. He walked back to her, took the shirt and placed it once again around her shoulders, letting his hands touch her this time. “Keep it,” he said. With that he departed. Her head was reeling. His mother told him? I must know her then, she thought. She grabbed the rice bowl and shoveled the contents in her mouth with her fingers. They never gave her chopsticks anymore. She had used the last pair of sticks she had to injure one of her attackers during a “rape feast”.

	Suddenly she got a picture of a little girl with short strawberry blond hair hugging her. She was one of InuYasha’s two childhood friends. This girl was strong and was destined to be a powerful miko. Isabo was helping her find her true potential. What was her name? Nami. Nami was her name. The other girl was Kikyo. What happened to Kikyo, she never found out. But Nami was the one that really surprised her. It was right after she returned from a trip to the demon world and discovered that Izayoi had died in her absence and young InuYasha had disappeared. She had sought out Nami and Kikyo to find out where InuYasha had disappeared to. She found that Kikyo, and her parents were missing too. She hoped Nami had the answer as to where and why. She did in a way.

The last picture of Nami in Isabo’s head was of a little girl sitting on the grass crying hysterically while Isabo, in her unicorn form kicked, plunged, bucked, and fought her captures who had bond her with their golden lassos. As she fell to the ground unable to struggle further against the ropes, she mentally yelled at the little girl “Betrayer!” over and over again. Then they came toward her with a sword, not toward her heart to kill her, but toward her head to take her horn! She transformed into a woman to thwart them and ended up being their captive sex slave instead.



	Luka was older than Nami was when Isabo last saw her but the resemblance was unmistakable. Then she thought, she must be in her sixties now, a bit old to have only one son and a young son at that, but humans do live longer in Otherworld than anywhere else. Suddenly a cold shiver ran down her spine. Luka’s open defiance of their leader came to her mind. Only a son would be so brave. That meant Nami had mated Yutaka.

Isabo knew that man would not be anybody’s mate of choice. She must have been forced into the joining. Now Isabo understood the boy’s open anger and hatred. That man would twist and smother or kill any beautiful spirit. She would not wish that man on even her worse enemy. It’s a miracle that the boy’s soul was still intact. Still, he was not a virgin. She would have sense that. Suddenly, she knew why. His father took that away from him too. When will this evilness end? Oh Nami, Luka, I’m so sorry. Her appetite left her. She curled up against the wall and cried. She cried as she had not cried since the death of her children and Inutaishou. The dam she had built around all her feelings all those years ago broke. She cried for all her lost children. She cried for beloved Inutaishou. She cried for her only living son now alienated. She cried for Nami and her son Luka. She cried for sweet Izayoi and her lost son. She even cried for herself. She cried until she fell asleep exhausted but she found no peace there. In her dreams she relived all her regrets, always ending with the events of her capture.