Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters used in this story, the credit goes to Rumiko Takahashi and all other associated companies.

Warning: Dark & mature content throughout, definite trigger warning. Please read at your own risk!

Prisoner of Love

Chapter 1

"No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness."

- Aristotle

...

[Friday, December 19th 1997]

The distinct crunch of boots against frost cut through the silence of the winter morning, those simple footfalls the loudest sound possible in the absence of daytime activity. A delicate blanket of white snow perfectly covered the dark streets of modern-day Tokyo, several days of heavy snowfall leaving the city a picturesque image of winter. Everything was frozen in its momentary beauty, only the snowflakes falling from the dark sky reminding one that time still moved forever onward. The suburbs of Tokyo were as silent as they were dark, the apartment buildings and businesses long since locked up for the cold night. It was enchanting, and it was silent… A perfect invitation for monsters to crawl out from the shadows.

A small bridge laden with train tracks stretched over a frozen canal, the end disappearing into a simple tunnel that lead down into the complicated network that made up the train lines below Tokyo. Standing in the middle of the bridge was a lone figure, their build most certainly that of a man, his entire body clothed in heavy mountaineering gear and ready to tackle the weather. Slung over his shoulder was a heavy burden, a long shape wrapped in a blue tarp and secured with thick rope at both ends. He displayed no signs of fatigue, having had to lug the load up and across the bridge with surprising ease.

"Alright." A gloved hand moved the warm mask downwards, steady breaths turning into soft clouds in the winter air. With a flick of his forearm, the man manoeuvred his sleeve to reveal a simple watch, assessing the time before he tilted his head towards the blue tarp. "We've got twenty minutes."

After dumping the tarp covered object down onto the bridge with a soft thump, he went about untying the rope with meticulous rhythm. A soft tune was whistled as he worked, the delicate notes relaxed and cheery. There was no mess or haste to how he handled the task, complete confidence emanating from the stranger as he worked the complicated knots open.

Only a handful of moments later, with all the ropes freed, he peeled back a section of the tarp only for a pale hand to fall free and drop into the snow. Blood instantly pooled around it, dying the flakes a deep red. Harsh and contrasting against the pale crust, the crimson blood was a violent hue… quickly tainting the serenity of the winter morning.

In minutes he laid the girl out with almost affectionate care, each movement gentle as he rolled her from the blue tarp onto the cold snow of the bridge, the action swift and flawless as if completed with a practised hand. She was deathly pale, her naked form almost blending in with the snow and ice she lay upon. The long strands of ebony hair framed her youthful face, falling around her head and shoulders… even slick with blood and sweat, the dark tendrils looked soft to the touch, fanning around her head like feather-light wings. Thick, dark lashes were bold against the ashen colour of her cheeks, her eyes closed as if she were only sleeping in the soft bed of snow.

But that was the furthest from the truth.

Taking a moment to unwrap a set of sterile gloves, the figure expertly replaced the winter gear with them before poking a gloved finger into her bloodied mouth. The mystery man seemed to be surveying his own handiwork, his other finger joining to prop her mouth open. No hard barrier met his exploring hand, no pearly whites left within the bloodied orifice that had once been a talkative mouth. Only the slick feel of her wounded gums remained, every tooth plucked clean from her pretty little head. He did not seem perturbed by the unnatural way the features of her face hung, nor the grind of bone against bone as he disturbed her shattered jaw, the man only removed his fingers and set her jaw into place with a gentle caress.

"Oh, Kagome… Look what you made me do."

The shady figure lowered his hand to caress the corpse, gloved fingers admiring the artwork before him as they entwined with her own digits in an almost loving gesture. The movement only exposed the raw skin of her fingertips to his judgement, revealing more proof of the crimes committed against the mangled young woman. Her skin was burned and sticky, fresh blisters and burns coating the palms of her once delicate hands. Each fingernail was torn from the nail bed, leaving her hands ugly and unsightly. Seemingly satisfied with her disfiguration, he dropped the hand before he stood.

A soft, unhinged laugh escaped his mouth, a long and joyous fit of amusement sending soft puffs of air out into the cold night. The whole scenario was wrong, forced together like pieces from an unmatching puzzle. The delicate environment did not match the blood pooled at his feet and all over his gloved hands, the dead body laying abused in the snow… The laughter of the young man, that would be deemed innocent in any other scenario, was as ominous as it could get.

"Well… I suppose you're not really my Kagome at all, are you?"

After reigning in his amusement, he pressed a boot-clad foot up against the corpse. With a shove in the right place, he easily rolled her over once… successfully pushing her from the small bridge and off into the abyss. There was a heart-wrenching crack as the already abused body hit the ice, the frozen river below shattering as the girl's corpse was sent into its icy depths.

The stranger watched with cold brown eyes as the chunks of ice settled into place once more, the light snowfall and calm silence of the winter morning hardly seeming disturbed despite the harrowing event that had just occurred. His footprints were already fading away, his crimes slowly erased by nature as the white snow washed it away.

Faint bird song and the warm light of the sun crept up on the horizon signalled the beginning of a new day, the inhabitants of Tokyo soon to wake up without knowing the misdeeds done to one of their own. Tokyo was not often assaulted with the harsh snowy winters, many not prepared for the chaos they can bring. Who knew when the poor girl would be found.

"Sleep well."

He allowed himself a soft smile before gloved fingers moved the face mask into place once more. Rushing hands collected his few tools and rope, as boot clad feed kicked the bloodied snow from the bridge before he hurried down, darting along the rails and back the way he came. Not a single glance back towards the ice that shielded away his crimes, as the snow quietly settled above the surface.

Right on time, a few minutes later the next scheduled train quickly soared across the bridge as it scattered any remaining evidence into the wind. The few tired passengers were none the wiser to the horror below them, their early morning commute out of Tokyo being their only worry.

The snow continued to fall.

...

...

[Monday, 22nd December 1997]

"And that is why you should exercise regularly and make sure to maintain a healthy balanced diet." Hojo finished his routine morning lecture, one hand clung firmly to strap above him while the other held up a finger matter-of-factly, waving the digit around in front of his three friends.

"Yes, Hojo." Yuka, Eri and Ayumi all hummed in unison, the apathetic sound an obvious automatic response from where they sat in front of the energetic schoolboy. All three girls resumed their own conversation, ignoring Hojo as he stood in front of them rambling about the nutritional risk of processed foods. He seemed happy enough to talk there by himself, the elderly passengers beside the girls nodding away with enthusiasm as they listened to the teen ramble. Every morning was always the same old, dull routine.

"Hmm... Do you think Kagome will come to school today?" Eri piped up suddenly, not seeming to ask anyone in particular as she slumped backwards in her seat with a weary groan. "I think Professor Nosaka is on the warpath for her… again. The second he sees her she's toast!"

"Higurashi?" Hojo's attention derailed almost instantly at the mention of Kagome Higurashi, his health tirade going quickly forgotten in favour of the topic change. The boy's eagerness was clear the way light radiated off his face, hope etched into his boyish features as his eyes lit up. If Hojo had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously behind him. "Higurashi is coming to school today? Is she well enough?"

"I hope so. Kagome called me a few days ago asking about what math she had missed while she was sick with her uh… 'pinworm infection'." Yuka added with a grimace while the other two nodded solemnly.

"Yeah. I gave her a quick rundown of the English assignment due for today… It sounded like she was going to cram 6 weeks of Professor Tana's rambling into one weekend, though." Eri laughed nervously, and then all three schoolgirls gave a heavy sigh before all speaking at once.

"Poor Kagome."

Hojo visibly twitched, the action going unnoticed by the girls as his grip on the train handle tightened until his knuckles grew white. His mouth opened, a question eagerly waiting to be spoken on his talkative tongue-

When the train suddenly lurched forward and shuddered to an emergency halt, the brakes screeched and scrambled the unprepared passengers inside as they all tumbled from their seats. Warning lights flashed on and the train attendant's electronic voice buzzed out of the overhead speakers, urging the startled passengers to remain calm. Yuka, Eri and Ayumi helped each other steady themselves, casting wary and curious glances around them, as Hojo stood several feet away. The boy seemed to have toughed out the initial impact and instead was assisting an elderly passenger from the floor, school bag forgotten, and his books splayed across the train floor.

Without warning, several police officers scrambled onto the car, their blue shirts seeming to put some of the passengers on board at ease, if only for a fraction of a moment. Everyone's thought process was in sync, their faces showing the clear shift between 'If the police were here that meant they were okay… right?' and 'But wait… why were the police here?! Are we in danger?!'

An instant buzz of questions started, everyone's morning routine thrown through a complete loop. Tokyo's public transport ran like clockwork, each and every passenger had never suffered their train stopping mid-journey before. The trains were barely ever a second late! Were they going to be late to school or to work? Disquiet quickly erupted among the people riding the morning transport as officers attempted to calm the upset crowd.

"Uh… H-hey guys? T-there is s-something going on o-out- out-" Ayumi's finger poked at the glass, her eyes as wide as saucers as her gasping breath fanned out across the grubby screen window. "Out there, in the w- water."

An ear-splitting scream from further down the train pulled everyone's attention to the window, and the passengers of the morning train rushed over to stare down to the shocking sight that floated on the surface of the partly frozen water. The train had been stopped mid-way across a small bridge, only one car suspended above the narrow river… That car conveniently housing the four classmates.

"I-Is that- a- a…" Eri stammered, stepping away from the glass with her face as pale as the whites of her uniform. Shaking hands covering her mouth in shock as she stammered at the realisation. "Oh my god!-"

"Everyone step away from the window!" A booming voice dripping with authority settled the crowd to silence as officers moved to pull everyone away from the windows, assisting the stunned passengers into seats on the opposite side of the car.

"This is a crime scene, please remain calm." That very same voice erupted from a man clad in a tailor-made suit, eyes narrow and cold as he slipped something from his pocket. Pushing his glasses up with a gloved middle finger, the scholarly looking fellow presented his credentials by flipping open a leather wallet housing his badge and ID.

"Mizutani Tetsuya, Tokyo Metropolitan Police." The man paused for only a second before he flipped the wallet closed and returned it to his pocket, turning his narrowed gaze to the horrified passengers. "Please remain calm, we have everything under control. We will have the train moving momentarily, please excuse us for this interruption of your journey and needless exposure to a crime scene."

Bending right at the hips with his hands at his sides, Officer Mizutani bowed low in apology before swiftly stepping off the train and leaving the uniformed police officers to deal with the stunned, confused and horrified passengers.

Ayumi chanced another glance at the window from where she could see between the gaps of officers, watching with wide eyes as what looked like a heavily armed military unit fanned out around the area. Police dogs were sniffing around, pulling their masters around on the snowy banks beside the small river. Yellow tape was rolled out from post to post, police officers holding reporters back as they tried to control the scene as much as possible. She could see the flash of cameras pointed in the train's direction. But what held Ayumi's attention was the harrowing sight of a figure being pulled from the water. Dark tendrils of ebony hair clung to the ghostly white skin, and for a moment, the girl thought it was her dear friend Kagome being dragged out of the depths.

Ayumi emptied her breakfast onto the floor of the train, several police officers darting forward to catch the swaying girl as the other two watched with teary eyes. Hojo was rigid, his entire form tense as he stared at what he could see out of the window. His expression was unreadable, his thoughts mirroring that of Ayumi's as he watched a yellow tent be quickly erected around the riverbank.

That day… they would give anything for it to have remained the same old, dull routine.

...

Author's Note:

So, there you have it! My first attempt at writing fanfiction! Chapters of Prisoner of Love may not all be chronological and may jump back and forth between events due to this story including both Kagome, Inuyasha and other character's experiences. Dates will be included in each chapter to know what point in the story we are~

I write this story as a bit of stress relief, and mostly on my phone, so chapters will vary in length and update speed! I'll try my best.

See you next time~

-Tashea