Also written by Kalliel Inuyaksa.
A/N: This fanfic is the sequel to another story I haven't finished writing yet. Just thought I'd say that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Chapter 1: Rumors of War
The morning's mist hovered low to the ground, coating the silvestrous reeds with tender droplets of dew.
What made it truly dreadful conditions, however, was the fact that these fields were flooded so that no crops grew, and in the weathering yet carefully dug rows, naught but these weeds flourished.
As his boots squelched through the forsaken farmland, stagnant water seeped through the seams so that there was an accumulating amount of liquid inside as well, and it wouldn't have mattered whether he had been shoes or not.
About halfway through Japan's newest swamp, the standing water was tainted with a faint ripple of crimson.
Finally, the wind whipped up, breaking the unnerving stillness of the atmosphere.
It was a familiar scant, the stench of blood. It was a metallic, bittersweet smell. There had been another battle in the petty war amongst those creatures, humans, for it was their morbid scent on the breeze.
His long silverish hair flying, as he swept towards the blood bathed earth, to see what damage had now been done. Tainted grounds, tainted spirits. The earth was in turmoil.
Far away, in an old, old village, stood another demon. He was also recognizable with that silvery hair, and golden eyes to boot. He stood next to a dilapidated hut, his red kariginu and hakama fluttering slightly in the cool morning breeze.
He looked like a full-demon, with two white, furry dog ears, pricked forward, and swiveling about every now and then, to catch the slightest sounds,
"Inuyasha!" a teenage girl called out, running towards him. She herself had lengthy hair, but black, and hazel eyes, which sparkled happily.
His eyes, while not those of selfless kindness like those of his companion, were not the steely glare of the demon who had traversed the inundated grassland. A tentative mixture of both of those emotions, coming together in one being. He was pariah, a hanyou.
The girl too, was different. With those clothes certainly, she was not of this world. She was the girl of rumors then. The young maiden who supposedly so resembled the deceased Kikyo. The woman who held a lethal power over her partner with a single command, as well as those of time-space travel. The poor lass who was destined to be unhappy, whether she deserved it or not. Because it was she who shattered the Shikon no Tama, and now had to regain them; she who fell in love with a being she could never fathom.
"What?" Inuyasha asked her, not bothering to turn around. He thought he heard hoarse, terrified screaming in the distance, and it intrigued him. That, and the reek of blood. Human blood.
"Kaede told me of happenings involving a jewel shard, located north of hear." She turned to face him, only to find he was watching something else, gripping the hilt of the steel-cleaving Tetsusaiga, golden eyes taking on an intense gaze. Kagome sighed, and said, "Are you even listening to me?"
"Feh. Of course I am," Inuyasha snapped, still straining to catch the muffled sounds of pained shouting. "Hey."
"What?" What was with him, more like it. Usually he jumped at the chance for a new jewel shard. What caught his attention this time?
"Did Kaede also talk of rumors of war in the north along with pieces of the Shikon no Tama?"
Kagome cocked her head in thought. "Well, now that you mention it... yes, she did tell me about two daimyo battling over territory, but I didn't think it was that important, it happens all the time, right? Why do you ask?"
"I can hear war happening right now; I can feel the tension in the wind," Inuyasha said grimly, finally turning back towards her. "And the smell of demons too."
"Do you think that one of the daimyo is in possession of a shard?" Kagome asked anxiously.
"You tell me. You're the one who can sense them. Can't you?" Inuyasha muttered sarcastically.
"Um.... Yes! Yes, I can sense two," Kagome informed him, with surprise evident in her voice. Kaede had only said one, so where was this extra piece from?
"Then let's go!" Inuyasha motioned her to climb on his back, and when she had done so, they took off, sending up a cloud of dust behind them.
"If only Sango and Lord Miroku were here," Kagome sighed a couple minutes later. "We could use more people for this."
"We don't need them," Inuyasha said impatiently. "Besides, we're almost there."
He was right. Kagome could see the battlefield, strewn with bloody corpses, just ahead. And the stench almost made her faint. She gagged, wishing that she hadn't decided to eat lunch today.
"You ok?" Inuyasha asked quietly.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "What happened? It seems like everyone's dead, from both sides." She could still smell the acrid tang of blood, intermingled with the scent of wet dog hair. She watched the ribbons of crimson blood in the water swirl around Inuyasha's ankles as he came to an abrupt stop. She pushed her face into his hair, shutting her eyes tight.
Inuyasha didn't answer. As Kagome looked up, she saw why. Standing in the middle of the field, was Sesshomaru, his claws smeared with blood.
(A/N: Okay, there's the first chapter. Please read and review, and the next chapter will hopefully come soon. Sango and Miroku might be in later chapters.)