𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 犬夜叉 ♡ ; 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚔𝚞 𝚡 𝚘𝚌

misunderstanding

This was it.

Mei was going to die.

Was it going to be a blissful death? Or one of continuous loss?

- -

"Papa, for how long have you been in charge of the kingdom?" a snaggle-tooth, younger version of Mei sat underneath a large oak tree with her father as he cleaned his blade in a calm rhythm that seemed to continue on and on forever.

When her father did speak, he smiled and patted her messily braided hair. "I don't Rule The castle, my daughter. I simply protect it." he shook his head and chuckled softly, his hand never leaving the sheath of his blade.

"Ooooh." mei replied on amazement. "Does that mean you'll protect me too?" mei questioned, her large crimson eyes eyeing the gleam in his sword. She could even see her reflection!

"Of course. I'll always protect you, my daughter."

"Promise?"

Promise.

The darkness beamed a bright light and mei regained consciousness, still clamped between Inuyasha's hand. Her throat was burning hot and her feet began to grow numb, but what came over her hands was unbeknownst to her. She felt her hand raise and flex just enough to land a deep scratch across Inuyasha's face.

Yelping in pain, he dropped her to the ground and held his cheek in agony. "BITCH!" he yelled. Inuyasha retracted his hand away to see what mimicked 3 crimson stains on his hand.

With one hand cradling her throat, mei stood to her feet and glared at Inuyasha in disgust. "How... DARE you?!" she spat at him, as painful as it was to even speak. Mei looked down at her hand and saw her nails grew 3 times its length before they slowly shortened to normal length.

I'll always protect you.

She promised herself to keep that side on control as best as possible. But she was not about to lose her life of a cheap shot by a half-demon.

Sango ran to Mei's side while Miroku helped Inuyasha to his feet. His stare never left hers.

"What the fuck did you do with her?!" Inuyasha yelled, his eyes flaring in anger.

Her? Was kagome missing?

"Inuyasha, I have not a clue what you're talking about!" mei protested, her throat still burning.

"Bullshit! She's been gone since yesterday and you mean to tell me you know nothing?" Miroku even began to eye the situation suspiciously.

"I'm telling you nothing but the truth!" with a wince, mei clutched at her throat at the sudden burning feeling that was grasping at her flesh and causing her to suffocate. What was this sorcery?

"I swear to God, bitch if you-"

"Inuyashaaaaa!" that familiar airy voice echoed through the forest at a piercingly friendly shrill.

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Mei all faced the direction of the voice to see a cheerful Kagome waving at the bunch with a knapsack full of something anonymously bulky.

"Kagome-" Inuyasha swallowed hard as his golden eyes wandered back to the burning glare of Mei's and the disappointed sulk of Sango's.

Mei, still clutching her throat, shrugged Sango off of her and stormed off the opposite direction. Was being away from the castle worth this kind of persecution? Through burning eyes full of tears, she couldn't find the proper answer.

"Inuyasha? Where's Mei going? Mei! What's going on? Inuyasha, what did you do to her?"

"Kagome, I-"

"Mei! Mei don't go!"

She continued to walk. Ran, even. Until Kagome's pleading voice distanced far in the distance.

Don't go, Mei!

- - - -

Mei was back at the ravine, this time at the most southern part of it until it cascaded into what appeared to be the ocean. She sat, silent, her feet dipped into the water and her reflection a motionless blur as the birds echoed around her.

Her throat still burned and her heart still aching.

She cupped the chilled water into her hand and rubbed it around her neck in hopes that the burning would stop, but it only stalled the sensation.

"What am I going to do?" she sobbed. "If I stay with this group I fear that Inuyasha is going to kill me and if I go back to the castle then... Then..."

The words sat on the tip of her tongue yet it refused to jump into the water of her thoughts. She was at a crossroads of where to go.

"I'm better off alone. To hell with belonging anywhere. I just want to take my sword and be done with all of this rubbish." she spat furiously into the dirt. It even agreed a few earthworms at the force of it.

"To hell with them all." she fastened her hair into a low ponytail and stood to her feet after retracting her feet from the pond. "To hell with Inuyasha and this sick romance with Kagome. To hell with Miroku, to hell with sango. To hell with..." her voice trailed off, almost hesitant to speak his name.

A dark voice rang out behind her.

"To hell with me too, Mei?"

I'll always protect you.