Hello again, or nice to meet you! Miss Saigon11 here! Welcome to my new story Love Under a Bloodred Sky. It's another Inuyasha fanfic this time taking place in the present during summer at a camp and it's a murder mystery! Yes, someone dies but do we know them? Nobody knows....(I do! But I'm not saying!)
And to those of you who are currenty reading One Day, One Night, don't worry. I haven't given up on it. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head so I had to make it. So I'll be writting both stories in tandum! Whic begs the question; can I do it? Do I have the metabalism, the stamina, the will, and the sugar to do it? I hope so.
So onward!
Flames are welcome.
Chapter 1: Summer Camp by the Lake
There he lay, the intoxicating darkness surrounds him, binding him like iron chains. He doesn't move, not even a little as the lustful darkness swirls around him. To him, all meaning of time and space is nothing but a distant memory, begging to return. But, although the darkness may have numbed him, the chronic noise had never ceased to bring him back to the forces of reality.
The constant beeping of his alarm clock is what brought him back from the sweet slumber that had overtaken him. Half awake already, he swung his arm over the machine and brought it down on the off button. He rolled off the mattress and onto the floor, grunting in the process. His name was Inuyasha, and today was the beginning of summer, or, as Inuyasha puts it, the beginning of hell.
Inuyasha hoisted himself into a sitting position. He scratched his head and looked at the alarm clock, though he knew all too well what time it was. The clock read 4:30, a good three hours earlier then when he normally wakes up.
"Dammit." He mumbled in a voice that was almost inaudible.
Suddenly, the darkness disappeared and was replaced by a blinding white light.
"Good," a male voice said from behind him. "You're up." The voice continued, harsh and unforgiving.
Inuyasha sluggishly turned around to face his older half-brother Sesshomaru. Although he was only half, the two brothers looked almost exactly alike. They both had the same long silver hair, the same golden eyes, and the same well-toned body. The only thing that set them apart was that Sesshomaru was a full-blooded demon while Inuyasha was just half.
"Now get a move on." Sesshomaru commanded. "The bus will be here in an hour."
Inuyasha moaned. "I still don't see why I have to go to this stupid camp. What am I, four?"
"Based on the way you were acting last week? No, you're not four. You're two!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Inuyasha retaliated, standing up. He stuck his hand out to the floor lamp to balance himself from the sudden head rush.
Sesshomaru leaned against the door frame. "You punched a third year in the mouth! You knocked out some of his teeth! An upper-classman! That was your third offense that year! You're lucky I was there to convince the judge to let you off easy with just this camp!"
"Commoner's camp, I might add." Inuyasha said commoner as if it were the dirtiest word in the world. Sesshomaru was the head of a very important organization. It was the main supplier of Japan's military. No matter what, Sesshomaru was consulted with every military decision. He may not have the final say, but his word was always strongly acknowledged.
Inuyasha continued with his complaint. "If you're so rich, why didn't you send me to some elite camp? At least there I won't have to listen to all those losers gush about how—and I quote—'beautiful' the scenery is." He rolled his eyes in disgust.
Sesshomaru laughed. It wasn't pleasant. Short. Cold. Unfeeling. "And let you spend four months in the lap of luxury? No way. You wouldn't learn a thing. You'd probably hit a sixth grader next. Now get going! You wasted 15 minutes on this pointless argument!" Sesshomaru slammed the door shut as Inuyasha threw his shoe at it.
"As if I'd beat up an elementary brat! That's low!" Inuyasha growled and kicked his mattress.
'Damn that Sesshomaru!' Inuyasha thought bitterly as he entered his private bathroom.
He stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection. The dog ears on the top of his head—a constant reminder of what he is—twitched. He flicked them once then closed his eyes.
He felt a sense of change wash over him. The prickling heat started at the top of his scalp and made a slow and steady crawl down his body. Faster and faster the heat went until he could no longer feel his claws on the porcelain sink or his fangs pinch against his bottom lip. Slowly, he opened his eyes and found two violet-black orbs staring back. Inuyasha had turned himself into a human.
Though he unwillingly turned into a human on every night of the full moon, changing willingly was a skill he was forced to learn if he wanted to keep is friends and family safe from full-blooded demon attacks. Not to mention to keep his brother's multi-million organization free from scandal. If word got out that Sesshomaru's family had a half-demon in it, they would be ruined for sure.
As Inuyasha ran his claw-less fingers through his deep black hair, he caught himself remembering the way his silver hair used to shine in the light. Yes, he must admit; he missed his silver hair. Inuyasha shook his mind free of those thoughts. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stepped into the shower.
Inuyasha tried to rush everything, but the shower was the one thing that refused to be rushed, no matter how hard he tried. The feeling of the hot, steamy water pouring against his skin unlocked his joints and relaxed his tense muscles. As soon as he was done, he stepped out of the shower, feeling fresh and rejuvenated.
Inuyasha exited to bathroom and checked the time. The tense feeling washed over him again. The clock read 5:15!
"Dammit!" Inuyasha cursed out loud. "I've got 15 minutes until the damned bus gets here!"
He ran to his dresser and yanked the drawer out of its frame. The drawer fell to the floor and missed Inuyasha's foot by inches. Inuyasha swore again and decided to yank out every drawer.
'The maids will clean it up.' He thought as he dug through piles of clothes he decided not to take with him.
Inuyasha pulled a red football jersey that had Akaitori and a picture of a red bird on the front over his head and yanked on a pair of dark wash jeans. He shoved on his shoes, not bothering to put on any socks.
"Hitome!" he shouted, running down the hall. "Where's my—"
"Right here." A petite woman said, popping up right in front of Inuyasha. She handed him his black leather jacket.
"Thanks." Inuyasha said, sliding his arms through the sleeves. "What about—"
"On the table in the foyer. And—" she reached around herself to her back pocket and pulled out a black sidekick. "Here's your sidekick." Hitome dropped the electronic into Inuyasha's open palm.
"Thanks." Inuyasha dropped it in his jacket pocket. "You always know what I need."
Hitome bowed. "It's my job to know, sir."
As Hitome scurried away, off to take care of another situation, begging her attention, Inuyasha started to wonder how he was going to survive the next four months without people at his beck and call. The loud sound of a Greyhound's horn snapped Inuyasha out of his thoughts.
"Dammit!" Inuyasha charged down the hall at an all out sprint. He turned corners, weaving in and out of corridors that led to the front door. Running down stairs, skipping two at a time, striving for more time, avoiding servants as they hurried about, starting their day. Bursting through the doors to the great hall and racing down the long empty space. Pushing the double doors open and entering the foyer. The Greyhound sounded again and Inuyasha ran for the door, stopping only to pick up his aviators of the small table next to the door. In one swift motion, Inuyasha slid his sunglasses on over his eyes and pushed the front door open. With the Greyhound in sight, Inuyasha walked swiftly to the gate.
Two butlers were standing at the front door's threshold, struggling with Inuyasha's two travel suitcases.
"S-sir! Your luggage!" one of them called.
Inuyasha took off his aviators and yelled over his shoulder. "They go in the bus behind the first one!" He turned away and slid his glasses back on.
"Wait!" a perky and bubbly voice called out. Inuyasha turned to see Rin, Sesshomaru's new wife, running happily behind him.
He sighed. "Rin, I'm going to be late."
Rin didn't say anything. She just stood on her toes to give Inuyasha a hug. Inuyasha stiffened at the sudden move of affection.
"Ohh, I'm gonna miss you!"
Inuyasha pushed Rin off him. "Please don't do that. It's way too early." Inuyasha griped.
Rin stuck out her bottom lip in a pretend pout. "Oh please don't be so grouchy! You know I can't smile when people are unhappy and it's very hard to talk wif my mouf like dis."
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile slightly at his half-sister-in-law's quirkiness. In the four short weeks that Inuyasha has known her, he began to like her. He didn't like her at first because she was annoying, but she had grown on him.
Inuyasha laughed once. "Alright, alright." Rin smiled and hugged him again. "Jeeze, it's not like you're never gonna see me again! Don't forget that in two months you can visit me on the day when parents and guardians come to the camp."
Rin pulled away. "I know, I know. It's just that I've grown too really like you in these past four weeks." She fake sniffled. "Who am I going to pick on? You know Sesshy hates pranks!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you'll find something to do. You're Rin after all." The Greyhound's horn blared again. "Hey, I gotta go. See ya in two months." Inuyasha started for the bus again.
"Wait!" Rin called. "I want to go over it again!"
"Why? We spent hours on it!"
"What happens when someone asks you your relationship to Sesshomaru?"
Inuyasha groaned. "Rin—"
"What happens when someone asks you your relationship to Sesshomaru?" Rin pressed.
Inuyasha sighed. "I tell them that I'm your younger brother."
"And if they know that you've been living with him before we got married?"
"I say still say that you're my sister and that Sesshomaru's a family friend and you couldn't support me so you asked him to take care of me. Can I go now?" Rin nodded yes and Inuyasha finally made it to the bus.
The bus driver greeted him with a smile that said I-really-don't-want-to-be-here-smiling-at-you-but-I-wil-cause-it's-my-job. "Good morning." She said kindly.
"Feh." Was Inuyasha's only reply.
The bus driver's smile morphed in to a scowl as Inuyasha made his way to the back of the bus. He collapsed down on the seat and immediately fell asleep.
* * *
Light was shining brightly behind his closed eyes. Slowly, Inuyasha lifted his eyelids and was greeted with the morning sun. The time was now 7:00. Inuyasha yawned and shifted his sitting position so he was sitting up straight.
"Finally you're up!" a voice from beside him said. Inuyasha turned to see his best—and equally rich—friend Miroku grinning at him. Miroku's father was the head of a popular business that rolled in a bunch of money. He didn't have the same status as Sesshomaru, but they were of the same class.
"I got on the bus at 6:00 only to find you out like a light." Miroku wagged a black sharpie in Inuyasha's face. "I almost drew a moustache on ya."
Out of annoyance, Inuyasha grabbed the marker out of his friend's hand, opened the window and threw the sharpie as far as his human body aloud him.
"Well you just got rid of our only means of fun."
Inuyasha crossed his arms and scoffed at his friend's childishness as the bus slowly rolled to a stop. He looked out the window and found that they were in the part of town where the commoners lived. As he was taking in the pathetic state of where the commoners lived, he spied a girl checking him out. To show the girl that he was way out of her league and to remind her of her place, he purposely whipped out his sidekick and pretended to send a text. The girl got the hint, and hurried away, embarrassed.
A chorus of squeals and high-pitched greetings erupted from the front as the passenger got on. The passenger was a tall, slender girl with hair and intense shade of brunette. Her light brown eyes sparkled with flecks of gold. She made her way down the aisle and sat at the seat in the middle.
Miroku's eyebrows had risen the moment she stepped on the bus. He leaned toward Inuyasha. "She's kinda cute."
"So go talk to her." Inuyasha responded halfheartedly. He was too absorbed in the game he was playing on his sidekick.
Miroku sighed at his friend's lack of interest. Normally if Miroku had said a commoner was cute, Inuyasha would go on and on about why rich guys didn't date poor girls. Emphasis on the poor. Miroku shrugged and decided that it was one pointless lecture he could afford to miss. Thinking of a pick-up line, he strode down the aisle and sat in the seat right behind the girl.
"Excuse me," Miroku said, tapping the girl on the shoulder.
The girl turned around and the sound of his voice and the feel of his finger. Her light brown and gold-speckled eyes locked in with Miroku's deep cobalt blue eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice how your pretty eyes sparkle in the sunlight." A light pink blush crept up the girl's neck and settled on her face.
"Sango! Hey, Sango!" a small fox demon gushed. He bounded up onto the seat next to the girl known a Sango.
Sango smiled warmly at the kid. "Hello, Shippo. It's nice to see you again."
"So, your name's Sango?" Miroku asked a little annoyed at the kid for interrupting them. Sango nodded. "Yes. And this," she gestured to the fox demon, "is Shippo."
Miroku nodded. "I'm Miroku. It's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand. Sango took it and gave a gentle shake.
Sango drew her hand back. "I don't believe you've been to this camp to this camp before."
"That's right." Miroku commended. "My friend and I are new here." He pointed back at Inuyasha who had a shocked look on his face from his unexpected death in his game.
Sango's eyes narrowed. "Oh. So are you the delinquents I was told about?"
Miroku chuckled. "Actually that's just Inuyasha. I'm here because he's been my friend since we were kids."
"So, Sango," Shippo said, tugging on her cami-solo. "Have you heard from Kagome yet?"
"Oh, that's right. She called me about 30 minutes ago."
Shippo's eyes widened. "Really?! What'd she say, what'd she say?!"
"She said she couldn't wait to come back and see us all."
Shippo's smile faltered a bit. "Is that it?"
"Well we talked about other things, mostly girl stuff."
"Like what?"
"Not telling!" Sango giggled.
Shippo stuck out his bottom lip. "I'm so jelouse of you, Sango."
Sango's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Why's that?"
"'Cause you're friends with Kagome."
"You're friends with her too."
"Yeah, but not like you. You know a whole other side to her. You know her secrets."
"I'm sure she has her own share of secrets she won't even tell me."
"That's dumb." Shippo said. He began playing with his shoe lace. "Keeping secrets from your best friend."
"Is it? I'm not so sure." Everyone looked up to see that Inuyasha had joined their conversation. He and Miroku shared a knowing look. Outside of his family, Miroku was the only one who knew Inuyasha's secret.
"Everyone has their secrets." Inuyasha continued. "Sometimes the truth is just too much for people to handle." He plopped down on the seat next to Miroku.
"Wait," Miroku held up a hand. "Does that you have some secrets that you haven't told me?"
"Yup."
"What are they? Tell me!"
Inuyasha shoved Miroku into the wall of the bus. "If I told you, they wouldn't be secret, would they?" he let Miroku go.
"Um," Sango said, trying to get Inuyasha's attention. It worked.
"Yeah? You want something?"
Sango shrunk back a bit under Inuyasha's hard gaze. "Um, w-what exactly did you do?"
Inuyasha didn't need that to be specified. He knew exactly what she was talking about. "I'm a second-year student and I punched a third-year student and knocked out some of his teeth. It was my third offense that year."
Sango gasped. "Y-you did what?!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Inuyasha snapped.
"Oh so you accidentally knocked out his teeth?!"
Inuyasha started to say something then stopped. "You know what? I don't have to tell you anything. The judge didn't believe me. Sesshomaru didn't believe me. Why should you?"
It was silent as the two teens stared each other down, as Miroku tried to think of a way to calm everyone down, and as Shippo stared from Inuyasha to Miroku to Sango and back again.
"So," Miroku said, trying to move things along. "Who's this 'Kagome' chick you mentioned earlier?"
"She's someone everyone looks up to." Sango answered, tearing her eyes away from Inuyasha to look at Miroku. "Whenever you're feeling, bad, sad, or scared, you can pour your heart out to her and she'll listen. She'll listen to you and accept you. She always knows exactly what to say and what to do."
"So you're saying she never gets mad, or yells?" Inuyasha asked.
"She won't if you're a little kid. If you're not she'll give you a what-for if you make her mad. It's not fun."
Miroku nodded, taking all this in. He turned to Inuyasha. "Hey, sounds like your kind of girl."
"My kind of girl?" Inuyasha scoffed. "Hell no! There's no way she'll accept everyone. That's impossible. And what's with not getting mad at little kids? You gotta teach kids their place, even if you gotta whip them into shape."
"Oh, yeah. I can see that defiantly worked for you." Sango replied sarcastically.
"Why you—!" Miroku stopped his friend just as he was about to lunge at Sango.
"P-please Inuyasha! Let's all be rational!"
The rest of the bus ride continued semi-peacefully as the newly acquainted friends got to know each other better.
* * *
The time was 10:00 a.m. Inuyasha was sleeping soundly yet again but was woken up by a chorus of shrill shrieks. Among the noise he heard the phrase "We're here!" repeated over and over again, giving him the clue that they were, indeed, here.
"Inuyasha! Wake up! Sango says that after we're assigned out cabins then we can go get food in the mess hall!" Miroku was practically bouncing off the walls when Inuyasha opened his eyes.
Inuyasha moaned and lifted his head off the window. He looked at his giddy friend. "What, you didn't have breakfast this morning?"
"Nope. Overslept. Now let's go!" Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's arm and yanked him out of the seat and off the bus. He continued to drag him over to where Sango was standing.
"So, how do we find out our cabin number and whatnot?" Miroku asked Sango.
Sango turned to her side. "The director of the camp, Midoriko, Kagome's grandmother, will—" Sango shrieked when she felt a hand feel down her back. She turned and smacked Miroku hard in the face. "Pervert!" she screamed.
Miroku laughed while holding his stinging cheek. "So, you were saying?"
"The director will read off a cabin number and names." Sango answered in a huff.
About five minutes later, an old woman that was in about her late sixties early seventies stepped up on a giant log with a mike in her hands. This was Kagome's grandmother Midoriko.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention." Midoriko tried to say over the loud talking of the campers. "May I have your attention, please." She tried again.
"Ex-ca-yuse me!" a loud and demanding voice shouted. Everyone turned and cheered to see a tall girl standing on the log next to Midoriko. The girl was Kagome. Kagome had black hair that was long and lustful, shimmering in the light. She had pale skin and a slight tan. A cute baby doll top and a denim mini skirt accented her excellent figure. Deep, piercing brown eyes searched to crowd and a small smile played on her pink lips.
Inuyasha's face turned the faintest shade of pink as he took in the girls look. He turned his face toward the ground, focusing on the grass. 'I suppose she's kinda cute. For a commoner, that is.'
Midoriko laughed. "Well then, why don't you read off the list, Kagome? No one seems to want to listen to me." Midoriko handed Kagome the microphone and a sheet of paper.
"Okay," Kagome said into the mic. "I'm sure that most of you know my name already, but for those of you who don't, I'm Kagome." More cheers erupted from the crowd. "Alright, I'm not that special."
'At least she's modest…' Inuyasha thought. 'I wouldn't want to hang around with an egotistical girl.'
"Okay, let's continue. That kind, old woman who just handed me the mic is Midoriko, my grandmother. Treat her well, ya hear? Moving on, I'll start with the much older campers." She cleared her throat. "First group: Kouga Hayashida, Miroku Ishida, and Inuyasha Arishima. Your cabin number is 18."
Inuyasha started to move towards cabin 18 but Miroku stopped him. "Wait!" he said. "I want to know which cabin Sango is in."
"Oh, so you can spy on me, pervert?" she was shushed by someone in the crowed.
"Second group," Kagome continued, "consists of me, Kagome Higarashi, Ayame Aizawa, and Sango Kirishima. Our cabin is 17 and right next to 18. We will be having the same schedule as the guys in 18 so you guys better be good looking." The crowd laughed.
Sango sighed when she realized she would be having to share the same schedule as Miroku the pervert, and Inuyasha the delinquent. But the thought of sharing her entire summer with her best friend was enough to make any horrible flaw seem completely worthless. She hummed quietly as she walked up to her new home for the next four months with Inuyasha and Miroku following behind.
Inuyasha on the other hand wasn't feeling so giddy. The thought of having to spend the next four months without servants, comfortable beds, edible food and being followed by Kagome's entourage was putting a damper on his mood. Even though he would be with his best friend, he was convinced that the next four months of his life would be something he would be happy to forget. He quietly made his way up to his cabin, the only noise floating on the air was Kagome's voice, booming out names and numbers, and the cheers from the campers who were paired with their friends and the 'awwww's of those who weren't.
But there was something else too. Inuyasha abruptly turned around and scanned the area. He may be human, but he still had his demon instincts, and those instincts told him that something was up. Nothing was there.
'I'm probably just tired.' Inuyasha thought to himself. He looked out over at the lake and laughed to himself. 'A summer camp by a lake, huh? I wonder if something bad will happen.' Another laugh to himself, and he turned around to his cabin.
Little did he know how right he truly was.
Dun dun dun! Well, that's the end of chapter one. Let me think up chapter two. Until next time!
Miss Saigon11