PLOT/STORYLINE: On the night of Halloween, two best friends attend a college dance to celebrate the holiday of dressing up. Yet something goes wrong, there are creatures appearing that are attacking and tearing apart any human that they come across. Somehow the Gate of Demons had been opened, and Rin and Kagome find themselves in the middle of a war that will soon take place; in the new era of the Golden rose, a mystical being who once graced the land where demons once roamed freely.
CHARACTER PAIRING: Sesshomaru&Rin Inuyasha&Kagome
AUTHORESS NOTES: This will be my first INUYASHA fan fic (I have my oneshot but that doesn't count :P) THIS DOES NOT GO OFF OF THE INUYASHA STORY LINE! Rin is twenty and so is Kagome, and they have never heard of demons before now. I just basically used the characters :) I'M SORRY FOR ANY SPELLING ERRORS! SPELL CHECK IS BEING LAME AND NOT WORKING! :P
DISCLAIMER: I do not own INUYASHA
GOLDEN ROSE
BY: YOURDARLINGDAWN
CHAPTER ONE: BLOODY ANGEL
A large mass of rock sat alone in a forgotten forest, engulfing stormy grey clouds that it easily reached as they swirled and blocked the faint moonlight from above. No trees or plants grew nearby, birds who flew overhead paused in mid-flight to then scatter away; life was unknown within the eerie opening. There laid a deep scar that ran from the highest peak down to the base, inside was darkened by a chilling aura.
Those who have seen the crevice would say a mighty giant once swung his axe and attacked the mountain, when others simply noted the effects of an Earthquake.
Crackling noises became audible as the harsh layers suddenly escape each other, then soon a thunderous explosion sends the sky to part. Glowing a crimson color, the break continued it's journey over the top of the peak and along the back side of the mountain. The ground shook with tremendous strength and parted as the crack reached out to the nearest trees which had dared growing at such a distance, but they then met their fate as all leaves are lost and the splitting trunks cripple downward.
Split in two, the monstrous rock dimmed the harsh red glow and once again held the shadowy void. Within the Earth's opening eyes of all hues and sizes peered out to the freedom of which they had long been denied, and in flashes raised up into the frigid night air.
'I can't believe I'm doing this.'
Hazel eyes stared into a full length mirror as a girl with soft brown hair returned the uneasy expression, her bangs parted to the side and chopped downward to her chin while the remainder of her gleaming locks reached her small waist. Adorned with a glittering white corset gown, her light peach tinted shoulders and arms were left bare save for a silver chained pendant of ruby and gold.
Looking over to a large plastic bag on top a black marble counter, she sighed before heavily falling against a white door opposite from where her vision was focused.
A loud knock from the other side sent the brunette to jump, and she placed a hand over her heart to feel the rapid pulse.
"Rin! You've been in there for over an hour!" a girl's impatient voice called through the wood that separated them, "We're going to be late!"
The words were accompanied by the faint tapping of nails as the knocker drummed her fingers along the side wall, revealing her excitement and determination to leave.
Rin frowned and stepped back, her hand hovering above the door handle before she could force herself to grab it. Unlocking the door she swung it open to face the girl, who raised an eyebrow to the gaudy white dress.
"Where are your wings? And halo?"
Shoulder length ebony hair was neatly pinned up into a bun, and her straight cut bangs rimmed the top of sapphire eyes. She too wore the same pearl colored outfit, showing off skin slightly tanner than Rin's. White feathered wings strapped to the girl's back, which tickled the brunette's nose as her friend step into the bathroom and passed her.
Holding in a sneeze she watched the raven head reach for the bag, and whined to herself softly as a pair of wings and a halo was produced from the crinkly material.
"I can't believe you talked me into this," Rin sighed, watching the girl move close to her with both costume accessories in hand.
"Well it was your boyfriend who asked you," she shrugged and raised the soft velvet halo over the hazel eyed girl's head to clasp it down gently with a barrette, "You said yes, so don't try to put the blame on me."
"He's not my boyfriend," the brunette muttered, crossing both arms, "What I mean is, I can't believe you talked me into dressing up like this. Not to mention the same costume."
"Oh come on, your boyfriend will love it!"
"Kagome! He's not my boyfriend!"
"Okay fine," the ebony hair girl rolled her eyes amusingly, "He's not your boyfriend. Yet. Now bring your arms back."
Rin irritably sighed and did as she was told, allowing her friend to slip the straps of both wings up towards her shoulders. The hazel eyed girl then spun around to face Kagome, giving a small smirk while standing with her arms akimbo.
"I look horrible," she mumbled and walked towards the opened doorway.
"No you don't!" Kagome beamed, following the gloomy girl, "See! If you're self-conscious, that means you like him!"
Both stepped into a spacious room, at one side was a twin sized bed covered with bright pink fabrics. Flowers and stuffed toys lined up along the white headboard, which matched a miniature computer desk to the side of the childish bed.
Parallel to that side of the room was another similar bed and desk, of which were covered with violet sheets and red roses that decorated the white wood.
"I don't like him," Rin walked with a delayed manner to the side of the room that lacked pink.
"Then why did you say yes to going?" the cerulean eyed girl picked up a small handbag of white lace, freeing it from her colony of stuff animals.
"I don't know, I felt bad. I didn't want to hurt him."
"Well you will if you stand him up," Kagome moved towards the door, "So let's get moving, girly!"
"Where do you want this?"
A young boy held up a long box which is solid black in color, save for a rose carve in gold adorning the center. He glanced up to a thin man sitting at a paper covered desk, his wire framed glasses reflected the light of a nearby lamp while long black hair fell to his shoulders.
"Bring it here," he answered, holding out a hand.
With a small nod the boy placed the box carefully within his reach, he then watched the man set the it on top his desk and slowly lift the lid.
Inside was a flawless black sheaf, which the older person held up delicately to reveal the weapon inside. A golden katana gleamed back at them, its marvelous blade curved slightly with threatening sharpness. Wrapped in a black silken ribbon, the handle looked to be embedded with more roses along with a serpent trailing between the petals.
"Wow," the boy tilted his head for a better look, "Nice sword."
"It's not just any sword, it's the sword of the Golden Rose."
"Golden Rose?"
"Story goes that a priestess back in the feudal era inherited the name, for she was very unique and powerful in both beauty and magic," the man sighed and replaced the lid, then quickly stood from his desk, "But, that is just one of many myths that surround this katana. Just leave it here for now, it will find it's place very soon."
Eyes glanced over and locked on opened double doors as two angels walked into the massive hall, a few whistles from boys called out and made the ebony hair girl giggle loudly. Rin raised an eyebrow to see the students dressed in costumes that plainly showed they had tried too hard in their appearance, and let out a sigh while moving towards a black sofa chair. She wasn't one for parties or dances, and being in such a crowded room slightly uneased her nerves.
Kagome stood beside her and studied the room, orange and purple streams hung down from the dark wooden ceiling. A fog machine allowed for a cloudy layer to rise to the ankles of the dancing kids, and a strobe light overpowered the dimmed bulbs that lined up above. Black trash bags were taped up on all of the light wooden walls, which made the room look somewhat tacky for the usually beautiful school.
"I hate college," Rin muttered and crossed her arms, "Look at those girls, I didn't know bikinis were a costume."
Her friend laughed and looked over to a boy walking up to her, and gave a loud squeal of excitement.
A gold plastic crown sat on top his short black hair, going along with his blue and white costume that presented him as a king. Another boy was next to him, he too dressed as a king with red robes rather than the blue. His dark brunette hair reached his shoulders, parting in the middle to show large dark eyes.
"Hey Hojo!" Kagome smiled and ran up to the boy dressed in blue.
Giving him a hug, she grabbed both boys' arms to pull them towards the silent Rin. She stood and gave a smile to Hojo, and then looked over to the brunette.
"Hi, Kohaku," Rin winced as the sapphire eyed girl quickly elbowed her arm.
She glared over to Kagome and then moved closer to Kohaku, giving him a hug before quickly inching back from him.
Leave it up to her best friend to force her into relationships. No matter how many times she had told the girl that she wasn't interested in boys, Kagome just kept on nudging her towards Kohaku.
"You look beautiful, Rin," he grinned and took her hand, bending down to kiss it.
From the corner of her eyes she watched Kagome and her date vanish into the moving crowd, and the girl then felt her cheeks flush when she found that Kohaku's hand had not released hers after he had straightened up.
Rin held back the urge to yank out of his hold, but she didn't want to upset the boy. Ever since she had begun the school year, Kohaku had never given up on her. The thing that bothered the girl about him was that he seemed to only be attracted to her looks, never paying attention to her skills and interests.
"Thank you," the brunette girl smiled, then widened her eyes as Kohaku slowly inched closer to her.
He was going to kiss her, his eyes half lidded with desire as he made his move on Rin.
Time slowed for a moment, leaving the brunette to decide whether she should allow him to this time take her lips. It wouldn't have been his first attempt, and the decision she made would be no surprise to either one of them.
"Kohaku," she turned her head so that his lips would land on her cheek, "I can't."
With a disappointed expression, he then smiled and watched the girl turn back to look at him.
"I understand, but there is no need to be shy around me," Kohaku gently spoke and brushed her bangs back.
Raising an eyebrow Rin stared at him, she wasn't shy nor was she embarrassed; she just wasn't too fond of the kid.
Yes he was a kind friend, but his frequent attempts to force himself on her was angering. Let alone his daily speeches on how wealthy his family was and how he will inherit his father's high-ranking businesses, Kohaku was way too full of himself.
Rin lifted a hand to push her hair forward and back over her eye, but paused once a look of shock crossed the boy's face. In his eyes she could see a faint red glow as his stare locked on the brunette's arm.
'Crap,' she quickly lowered her limb from sight.
"Rin, what was that?" Kohaku asked hesitantly, unsure and surprised from what he had just seen.
"Oh, it's nothing. Must be an allergic reaction from the paint," the hazel eyed girl muttered quickly, taking a step back.
"Paint? What pain?" he blinked and studied her clean person.
"I put glow in the dark paint on to... You know... Be a glowing angel!" Rin forced a smile and turned to leave, "It began to burn so I washed it off, but I must still be getting a reaction! I need to go put some ointment on! Sorry!"
Kohaku watched aimlessly as the brunette angel ran off towards the door and vanished around the corner, then glanced over to Kagome who gave a questioning look. He sighed and shrugged his shoulder, walking through the dancing crowd to get to his friends.
"Fuck!" Rin hissed under her breath, "Why did this have to happen tonight of all nights?"
After only traveling to the end of the hall, the girl stopped to lean against a flier plastered wall. She looked down to her arm, where crimson red stripes had appeared.
Counting three along the forearm and two around her small bicep, the brunette let out an irritated sigh and slumped to the dark blue titled floor.
'I haven't gotten them in years,' she bit her bottom lip and lightly banged the back of her head against the wall supporting her back.
When Rin was a child, she had received the first stripe. It made her afraid and nervous, and so she had gone to her parents for help. They believed the girl had colored the red on herself, leaving her on her own and terrified. Shortly after, the mark had disappeared just like is had appeared out of a year later that is, when two stripes showed up instead of one.
Now that Rin was twenty, this had been her first outbreak in three years. Thinking she had gotten better, the brunette began to show her arms and soon forgot about the mysterious stripes.
'There's five now,' she frowned and went over them with concerned eyes, 'What is this? What's happening to me?'
Screams broke Rin's trail of thought, sending her to glance down the corridor where the doors to the dance hall were propped open. More horrified yells followed, along with the echos of crashes and growls.
A boy ran out of the exit and into her sight, and unexplainable look of fear was melted on his face.
"Run!" he yelled out once her saw the sitting girl.
Confused, she pushed herself to stand and cautiously stepped towards the boy. Rin noticed his run was slow, held back by a leg that was being dragged behind him.
"What's hap-"
Interrupting her words, a high pitched squeal sounded towards the brunette of the doors came a large black form, and it then landed on top of the injured boy within seconds. His screams soon were replaced by gargling chokes as the creature ripped it's victim's throat apart with a clawed hand, making the death a painfully suffocating one.
Rin felt a sharp chill overwhelm her body as her mind roared out, commanding her legs to move. She slowly stepped back, but caught the long back trail of her dress and fell backwards.
Solid white orbs shot up from the corpse, allowing beady black pupils to rest upon the brunette. It stood, revealing the human like form that slightly slouched forward. Black fur covered the creature, traveling down the hands and feet where sharp talons stood out. The head was that of a bat, but the size of a grown man. Rin stared in utter horror as she watched a pair of webbed black wings begin to spread out from the monster.
She blinked and jumped to her feet, then spun around to escape from the terrifying image. Once again she heard the high roar, and the brunette glanced over a shoulder to see that the monster was now flying after her. It's long wings easily brushed along the walls and ceiling, and bloodstained claws were outstretched towards it's newly found prey.
'What the hell is that thing?' she breathed heavily and went to turn an upcoming corner.
The speed Rin was running at sent her to slide into a wall rather than around it, and she instantly looked up to see the bat like monster closing in on her.
A large bulge jabbed the girl in the small of her back, and she felt behind her to find it was a doorknob. Turning it Rin slipped through the small space hat she opened and slammed the door shut, then locked it as a large blow caused her to stumble back.
Relieved to see the monster hadn't broken through, she eyed the dark room to find hat it was the Historian's office. A dimly lit lamp on top of a desk center in the room gave a sharp reflection along an object under the placed lighting fixture, and Rin moved to investigate where the shining was coming from. Another loud bang made her jump and dart her eyes to the holding door, and she then focused back down to find the reflection came from an engraved golden rose in the middle of a long black box.
Her heart which had been already pulsating rapidly let out a painful thump, causing Rin to drop her hands down upon the box to balance herself from the sharp pain.
The thuds inside her calmed down, but were replaced by the enormous crash of the door breaking over. It threw Rin back into the corner of the office, bringing the object with her.
"There's no use in hiding," a sickening male voice hissed into the area, "Or running, for that matter."
The creature stepped along the fallen door, wings wrapped around his body to fully give the image of a bat. Rin turned a cheek and stared down at the floor, afraid and uncertain of what to do.
Gold gleamed back at her, and the girl realized the box had opened upon falling and threw out a katana that skidded beside her hip. Without hesitating, Rin grabbed the weapon and stood.
"What's this?" crackling laughter erupted from the monster, "A human girl is going to fight me?"
"Looks like I don't really have a choice," she lowered her brow and removed the sheaf from the sword.
Eyeing the tip of the blade that was pointed towards him, the monstrous bat opened his wings and lunged forward.
Rin gasped at the sudden attack and found herself pinned against the wall, her arms pressed down to set the katana along a trembling leg. The rotten stench of decay burst into her nostrils and stained her mouth as the creature growled threateningly in her face, his inhuman eyes glared down at the girl with amusement.
A small smile crossed her lips as she stared the monster back, and he returned with a baffled expression.
"What are you smiling about?" he hissed and leaned in closer, readying himself to bite a chunk from the girl's throat.
"The fact that you just made a big mistake," Rin whispered and tightened her grip on the sword, "You didn't take away my weapon."
The sound of slashing made the monster's white pools widen, and he looked down to see that Rin had forcefully thrown the blade up and into his gut after entering in-between his legs. Finishing the job, the girl sliced upward and completely cut the creature in half.
Blood poured and covered her, and she pushed the new corpse to let the pieces drop onto the crimson puddle floor.
'Wow,' Rin stared down at the katana in her hand, 'The blade is so sharp.'
Taking a hold of the skirt of her dress, she wiped off the blade's blood onto the already stained fabric. She then replaced the sheaf and stepped over the halves of the monster, bringing the sword with her as she exited the room.
The halls were dead quiet, creating a ghostly atmosphere while the brunette made her way down the dark corridors. Power had seemed to go out, only leaving the illumination of the moon to shine through multiple windows that she passed.
A bloodcurdling scream broke the silence as a teacher flew pass the girl, landing only a few feet in front of her. She glanced at the man to see a freshly torn hole in her torso, he trembled while staring back at her before becoming still and lifeless.
Feeling the air around her shift along with a decline of temperature, Rin slowly turned around to see calm movement behind her. Glowing red orbs vanished into the shadow in-between the illuminated white squares of two windows, she herself was lit up by the second window down from the shadow of which she stared intently on.
A man then stepped forward into the light, his stare locked on the girl before him. Long silver hair flowed down his white clothed form, a mass of white fur wrapped around one shoulder. Rin blinked as she studied the stranger, he had an emotionless expression that made her unable to grasp what his intentions were. Golden eyes caught and held the brunette, sending her knees to weaken as he continued his stare on her.
The man continued towards Rin, eyeing the crimson splattered dress and feathered wings. Letting out a small huff, he stopped once arriving into her lit portion of the hall.
"A bloodied angel," his words were low and cold, "How interesting."
The tightness of the straps along her shoulders reminded Rin of her costume, and she flinched slightly to weakly attempt some comfort. Still looking at the accessory, the man raised both hands to grab each wing. He ripped them off of the girl, sending her to jump at the action.
Rin then began to step back, feeling overwhelmed by the strong beautiful eyes which emitted a deadly aura. Pain shot up her arm and sent the brunette to her knees, and instantly she glanced down to see the crimson marks glowing a fiery red.
'It's never hurt before,' she tilted her head, then looked back up to see that the man too was eyeing the glowing arm.
Rin felt panic rise in her as she noticed the vibrant gold of the stranger's orbs flash with a striking red, and a low threatening growl rumbled from his throat.
"How did you get those markings?" he snarled, beginning to reach a sharp nailed hand towards the girl's throat.
She made to attempt to move, this stranger man had her trapped in a feeling she had never felt before.
Fear and slight excitement ruffled her nerves, her mind felt as if it were floating away from her body. His eyes, so cruel and relentless, reflected her own chestnut gaze that relaxed even as the harsh clutch of clawed fingers grasped her neck.
The is nothing to fear, but fear itself.
A phrase that Rin had grown up on, believing that fear is only created by the confusion of the unknown. Death was feared by all because of the unknown afterlife, but even she couldn't fight past that universal phobia.
Yet some how in the hands of this man; this odd and frigid man, Rin had no room for the fear of death among the unsteady ripples of emotions which were coursing through her. Reality snapped back as she noticed his glare becoming more intense, the brunette hasn't realized that he had lifted her back onto her feet by the hold on her throat.
With the moonlight shining down upon them, Rin could see the definition of his pale face that illuminated the white glow. No movement curled his lips, nor did any muscles twitch around his eyes; he was frozen with all of his focus on her. Parting her lips slowly, the girl sucked in air rather than speaking.
Two sets of purple stripes graced both of his cheeks, imitating her own markings.
"I don't know," she forced out her much delayed answer, "They just appeared."
No reaction came from him, only the continued stare and hold on the girl. Drifting his vision along her body he could tell that beside the blood and clothing and markings, this girl seemed nothing more than a human. There was one way he could completely determine if she was mortal or not, and did so by tightening the risky hold around her throat.
A human would become afraid and fight for air when anyone else would simply attack their capturer.
Rin did neither, she only closed her eyes tightly and compressed her lips.
Reflexively she brought both hands to the one that grasped her, and pleadingly wrapped her fingers along his own. Cold skin sent shivers down her spine, yet as she kept her hold she could feel the slight tingle of warmth under his flesh. Oxygen deprived lungs began to burn, screaming at the brunette who only softly dug her nails into the hand that was choking her.
Watching a small glistening trail run down from the outer corner of a lidded eye, the man released his grip and sank his arm down to his side.
Air swarmed through and stung Rin's organs, shocking her as she breathed deeply and was punished with a coughing spell. She stumbled back with both hands pressed on her chest, forgetting the one who had just held her life in his hand as she regained her composure.
"You're human," he plainly spoke, it was hard to tell if he was surprised or angry.
"Of course I'm human," Rin snapped, then went to cover hr mouth to her own harshness.
The burning glared she got in return made the girl falter and step to the side, and an object kicked out from under her new footing position. In the corner of her eye she could see the black sheaf of the katana, but she kept her attention on the man as he did the same.
"Then why do you bare the markings of a demon?"
All she could do was lower the hand hovering over her gaping mouth to place it on top of her collarbone, the action sent her to realize she had been holding her breath and so she slowly inhaled. Even with the moonlight beaming down on them, Rin felt the shadows of the hall overlap on her. Everything appeared so dark and empty, however the silver hair man before her continued to glow a mystical white aura created by the entirely ivory image that he held.
Golden eyes so beautiful and inhuman pierced through the windows of her soul, sparking a light deep within that nudged her senses.
The ones attacking the school were demons, and so was the bat monster who had almost defeated her. And this mysterious and terrifying man who held no emotions or sign of care, he was also a demon.
Shocked by what her brain was absorbing, the brunette backed a foot up but once again caught the trail of her gown. A small yelp was followed by her body hitting the hard tile floor, and disregarding the urge to curse at her costume Rin relocated the demon's stare and remained silent.
She was waiting; waiting to die; waiting to be spoken to; waiting for whatever fate that was planned for her, yet he made no move as he glared down at her.
Anxiousness tested the girl's patience, and her eyes lowered to further inspect the man who was almost as a statue. Silver distracted her vision and led her to look at her hand, the hand that had cut off her air supply just moments ago.
There tangled along the pale slender fingers of the demon, was her necklace. He clutched it tightly and seemed aware that he was holding the jewelry, making Rin baffled and upset to know that it wouldn't be with her upon the last seconds of her life.
It was a gift given to her long ago, by whom she could not remember yet it held great importance.
A scream interrupted the eerie silence between the two and startled Rin, the demon however showed no action. She knew the girl's cry that called from the nearby hall, and Rin immediately reached for the katana and jumped to her feet.
If she was going to be killed, it wasn't going to be when she was sitting around waiting for death. Saving a life was more important, and the girl would rather die while attempting to help her friend.
Without hesitating she turned from the silent demon and picked her skirt up to run in the direction of the attack, fully aware of the man who never took her out of his sight.
Kagome limped frantically away from the dance hall, her leg had been slashed deeply and was revealed by a hip high tear in the skirt of her costume.
Running on bare feet after leaving behind the shoes that were slowing her down, she held in hysterical cries and approached closed doors that lined the corridor. One by one she tugged on them, but every room turned out to be locked. Discouraged, the ebony hair girl rounded a corner and hurried to one last door.
She had to hide, or at least be somewhere where objects were available to defend herself with.
Silently praying Kagome grabbed at the handle and leaned back with all of her weight, and with a relieved gasp she opened the door and darted into the room.
Finding herself in the library, the girl bit her bottom lip and scanned the large room that was faintly lit with ceiling fan lights. Book shelves towered all around her and she held back the pain in her leg as she rushed down an aisle, wanting to be out of view from the exit.
Just as she turned into the winding maze of books, a creaking sound echoed to her as the door reopened. Feeling fear intensify and boil through her blood, Kagome hopped silently towards a section of desks that were placed along the back wall.
There was a second story balcony that was built to look down to where the girl was, yet she only had time to hide rather than to run with her injury that held her back. Shimmying out of her wings she slid the costume piece under a corner table that was blocked from view and then dropped down to crawl underneath, trying the best she could to steady her racing pulse as she curled up against the wall along her hiding spot.
Silence was all that surrounded Kagome, no footsteps or signs of anyone else in the library were heard. Taking the time to sort out what had happened, the girl buried her face into her raised knees to mute her upcoming sobs.
While dancing with Hojo and her friends, a chilling scream had erupted from the crowd followed by students running to all directions.
Confusion settled on her group, which soon turned to fear as Kagome witnessed a nearby girl get tackled by a man wearing a fury costume. Upon seeing him bite down on her arm to dismember it from his victim's body, Kagome and the others scattered frantically from the scene.
Noticing she had been separated from her friends, the girl spun around to search for them as kids ran around her with fear and the small of blood filling the air.
Then amidst of all the fuss, Kagome saw a flash of red and white appear in front of her between the blinking lights of the dance and was then knocked down onto the ground. She closed her eyes to the impact, and heard men shouting as her attacker was dragged off of her. As this happened the protests of snarls and growls roared down to the girl, and what felt like a hand clawed and ripped down her leg.
Kagome shook violently, she was relieved to have escaped but was beyond worried for her friends. She didn't know what happened to Hojo and the others; she didn't know who had saved her and if they were still alive; she didn't know if Rin was okay; she didn't know who had attacked her, but what she did know was that someone had followed.
Snickering startled her, and she slowly rose her head before widening her eyes to see a pair of legs standing outside the table where she was hiding under.
The feet were bare and lined with claw like nails, and the person appeared to be wearing solid red pants. Nails drumming on the table above her caused the girl to curl up tighter into a ball, tears stung her eyes as she began to panic.
"I can smell you," a man's taunting voice laughed down to the raven hair girl, making her cry out softly.
There was no point in hiding anymore, Kagome had been found and so she no longer held in her sobs. She cried into her arms that folded on top her knees, and sharply twitched as she felt the table be lifted and heard it be thrown into a section of desks.
The sounds of wood and metal crashing into each other settled, and a frighteningly strong presence hovering over Kagome made her hesitantly look up to see who had found her.
Large red eyes grinned down with sharp teeth, bared from a pale face of which was overlapped by strands of long silver hair. Kagome noticed a set of white pointed dog ears protruding from the man's head, and would had giggled at it if her life wasn't in danger. He wore an outfit of red, and judging by the looks of the style it seemed to have been that of an old Japanese era.
Tilting her head slightly to look away from the menacing stare, Kagome's hair that was released from the once elegant bun swarmed wildly down her face to cover her eyes.
The man crouched down to her level and grinned madly to the terror he had inflicted on her, and then rested his demonic eyes on top her wounded leg. Reaching out he dug a sharp nail into the gash, and was rewarded with a shrill scream that came from his victim.
Kagome attempted to wiggled away from the silver hair man, but he brought up his free hand to grab her by the throat. Slightly growling he inched her face closer to his, allowing for her fear to overwhelm her as the girl whimpered and closed her eyes.
Feeling his hand leaved her leg she parted her eyelids and then opened her gaze wide upon seeing him lick her own blood from his finer, his deadly and mocking gaze never leaving her fearful pools.
"What," Kagome stuttered out, figuring she might as well ask questions before being killed, "What are you?"
Her voice was surprisingly soft after all of her crying and wails, and made the man chuckle and stand while dragging her with him.
"What do you think?" he snarled and pushed Kagome into the wall.
She groaned upon impact and balanced herself, then looked nervously at him as he crossed both arms with a grin. This man before her was not human, that Kagome knew for a fact. But what he was she could not put her finger on, he just looked like a crazed albino with dog ears.
"I... I don't know," she whispered, hugging her chest as if to defend herself from whatever he might do to her.
"You humans are so naive," he huffed then gave a wide smile, "But it doesn't matter, since you are going to be my dinner."
Kagome stared aimlessly at the man who began to step towards her, shocked by the fact that this was how she was going to die; she was going to be beaten and eaten.
Before he could bring forth a finger to touch the girl, a blur of white pushed in-between the two and threw the attacker back with such force that he crashed into a nearby bookcase. The shelving fell back with his landing, and books piled on top of him.
Kagome blinked and watched her savior move from her, he never turned to face the girl as he approached the fallen man.
"Inuyasha," he muttered while unstrapping a sheaved katana from his waist, "Pathetic."
Throwing the sword on top of the unconscious person, he then turned to meet Kagome's gawking stare.
Both men had the same appearance save for the eyes and markings and clothing, yet she felt relieved that the new one seemed more friendly since he had saved her.
"Thank you," she smiled and clasped her hands together over her chest.
No reply or reaction came from him, which made the girl even more nervous and confused.
"Kagome!" Rin's worried voice burst into the opening as she ran towards her friend.
Without bothering to wonder how the demon had gotten there so quick, she dropped her sword and threw both arms around the raven hair girl.
"Are you okay?" she cried and squeezed Kagome without mercy, "I was so worried!"
"I, uhh..." Kagome blinked and shook her head frantically, "Hell no! What's going on? Who in the Hell are they? What in the hell are they?"
Rin loosened her hold to step back from the angry girl, having felt with her temper many times she knew space was the best way to not get hurt.
Looking back to the golden eyed man she sighed, and then settled her gaze on the other who shared his features.
"They're demons."
"What?" Kagome raised an eyebrow and stood with her arms akimbo, "No way, that's im-"
A loud groan interrupted the girl's protest, and she froze with a ghostly white expression as the one who had attacked her began to move from under the books that buried him. Seeing a hand raise and be placed down while he sat up with silent muttering, Kagome screamed and raced over to grab a book and slammed it on top of his head.
"Hey!" Inuyasha whined and growled up at the girl, "What was that- Woah, what happened to you?"
Baffled by the question, she looked down the book in her hand and then over to Rin.
"Oh no! I think I gave him a concussion!"
"Why do you care after what he did to you?" Rin stepped over to her friend and glared down at the demon.
"I... Oh yeah!" sapphire eyes blinked and locked on Inuyasha again, "You bastard!"
"Knock it off!" he yelled and threw his arm up to block another attack.
Kagome stumbled back as he jumped to his feet and grabbed both of her wrists, feeling fear once again come over her. Dropping the book she looked up with flooded eyes, her body trembled to have the demon confronting her again.
"Please..." Kagome whimpered, closing her gaze and lowering her head, "Don't eat me..."
"Eat you?" Inuyasha spoke lightly, then focused on her appearance, "Oh no..."
The girl was bloodied and torn, sure signs of being attacked. He could smell her blood, and along came the taste in his mouth that still lingered. Rin stared dumbfounded at how the attacker now seemed to be unaware of what he did, and then darted her vision to the one she had met who simply gave a bored face to the moment.
"He doesn't remember?" the brunette inched forward to get the man's attention.
"Inuyasha is a half-breed, our father's sword that was left to him keeps his demonic nature from controlling him," he half lidded his eyes at the other demon.
"I don't hurt humans," Inuyasha sighed, then released Kagome's wrists after remembering his hold on them.
Huffing to the excuse the ebony hair girl emerged from her fear to once again give an angry look to the half-breed, surprising him on how sudden her mood had changed.
"Hurt? Hurt? You almost fucking ate me!" she wailed, throwing both arms up to exaggerate her anger.
"Look lady, I'm sorry that I tried to eat you!" he growled, matching the girl's temper, "Give me a break, I couldn't help it!"
"Give you a break? For trying to eat me?"
"Well maybe if you didn't look so good then I wouldn't have tried!"
An awkward silence filled the room and a blushing Inuyasha gaped at his own words, then irritably growled to Kagome's giggling.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing," she smirked and rolled her eyes, "Just keeping a mental note to not look good enough to eat anymore."
Rin inwardly laughed to the amusing argument that struck up again, knowing that her friend would always have the last word. Glancing back to the silent demon she frowned slightly, having heard him refer to Inuyasha's father as their father meant that they were brothers.
But why so different? Did he need a sword to keep himself in check as well?
"Are you also a half-breed?" she curiously asked, her interest in the whole ordeal peaking.
Sending Rin's face to flush madly the golden eyed man narrowed his glare at her, making it quite obvious that he was displeased by the question. She chewed on her lower lip nervously, unsure if she had made a mistake or not.
The mixed signals that she was receiving was driving her nuts, and Rin had to hold back from taking the man by the shoulders and shaking him until a single line of expression indented his stone face.
"Inuyasha is a half-breed because of his human mother, this Sesshomaru is a full-breed for he was born from full-blood demons."
Hearing the man speak in third person baffled Rin, and more questions arose which she was hesitant to ask. Now that she knew that he was a full-demon, one question continued to repeat in her head.
Running her eyes down his form she spotted two katanas strapped at his waist, as if her were a samurai whom demanded respect. This demon did act as if he were higher up than any of them, and it did fit his image quite well in a frighteningly beautiful way.
Cold woven silk in the brunette's palm reminded Rin of her own weapon, but somehow being before the demon made it feel heavier and powerless.
"Why don't you kill us, since you are a full-fledged demon?" she breathed, it wasn't until a huff that came from him that Rin realized that she had spoken.
"Do you want to die, human?" Sesshomaru asked with a steady and cold tone, emitting a gaze that caused the girl's knees to weaken.
The voices from Kagome and the half-breed diminished as a cloud surrounded Rin, perhaps she was going to die by this man's hand. Gripping her katana tighter she kept her eyes steady while staring at her reflection in his pupils, wondering if she could fight him off if he were to attack.
"Rin," she softly informed, half hoping to change the subject, "My name is Rin, not human."
"Your name makes no different to this Sesshomaru."
As he spoke, the brunette noticed movement coming from him. However his physical body remained still, and what seemed like a shutter of images reaching out to her flashed in her mind.
Reacting to the unexplainable vision and the feeling that clutched her, Rin dropped to the white carpeted floor and rolled to the side.
Glancing back she saw that the demon's hand was stretched out, the same way that she had envision that he would do. Sesshomaru lowered his brow at the action, finally showing a bit of emotion at the shocking display that the human pulled off.
"Woah," Inuyasha spoke out, he and Kagome had paused upon seeing the dodge, "How did you do that?"
No reply came from the brunette as she gripped her katana tightly and leaped up, her movements swift and precise as she ran out of the way of an incoming blade.
Once again attempting an attack, the demon wielded one of his katanas and lunged towards the girl. She proved to be quick for him as she darted from her blow, and hurried up a case of nearby stairs without looking back.
"Sesshomaru!" the half-breed yelled out, removing himself from a shocked Kagome's side, "What in the Hell are you doing?"
"What does it matter to you, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru eyed his brother dangerously, "They are only humans."
Kagome shuddered at the word they, was he planning on killing her as well?
Nothing made sense, she was lost in a void of confusion and fear. All the ebony hair girl could do was stare at the full-blood demon, his eyes never bothering to meet her.
"Dispose of her, and this Sesshomaru will kill the other human."
Words granted to shake the girl uncontrollably, her own death commanded by someone that appeared to hold no heart.
Without watching Sesshomaru turn and leave, Kagome faced her back to the half-breed and held back the urge to cry. If he were going to murder her, he would most likely turn back in to his demonic form. This was it, her headline would mention of a young college girl who was mauled and eaten by a savaged beast.
Hoping for the pain to be nice and quick, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath.
"What are you doing?"
Jumping to the voice she opened her vision back up to see Inuyasha standing in front of her, his arms crossed as he raised an eyebrow. Bewildered she blinked, tilting her head at what was going on.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" Kagome whispered, never having thought that she would ask such a thing.
Inuyasha stared at her, watching the girl tilt her head in such a manner he noticed long wavy strands of ebony move and drape down her shoulders. A bare collarbone which was well defined with elegant beauty grabbed his attention for the first time, and he drifted his gaze lower to the blood tattered gown. Even for being torn and stained with crimson, the dress looked amazing on her small figure.
Noticing that he was taking a bit to long to inspect the girl, he met her eyes again and nearly gasped.
Large cerulean pools gleamed back with pleading tears, adorning her beautifully toned skin that was flawless beyond compare. What got Inuyasha was that within this girl's fear and weakened image, he could see a slight spark of fire.
No, he wouldn't kill her; he wouldn't kill such a beauty.
Shaking his head to his own thoughts he growled and glared at Kagome, his claws digging in to his biceps.
"No, I'm not going to kill you," Inuyasha spoke loudly in a bullying tone, "Don't be so stupid!"
Taken back by the harsh reply that she got after his face turned from a soft expression to an angry one, Kagome blinked and blankly stared at him.
It didn't matter what his reasons for keeping her alive were, all that mattered was that she was going to live.
Crying out happily she threw her arms around the half-breed, catching him off guard while se buried her face into his chest. Standing with his arms down at both sides, Inuyasha listened to the frantic sobs erupting from the girl clutching to him. A strange urge to comfort her stung his muscles and finally he rested a hand on top her head, as the other slide along the middle of her back.
Kagome's hair was luxuriously soft under the half-breed's hand, and the scent invaded his nostrils as he inhaled deeply. Cherry and mint intoxicated him, drawing Inuyasha closer to the human. She was a mere mortal whom he had just attacked unknowingly, yet the need to protect her swarmed his soul.
"Inu...yasha?" the brunette muffled out the name of which she remembered the other man call him by, he crying had calmed and she twitched uncomfortable against the half-demon, "I can't breathe."
Snapping back to reality he looked down and noticed he was holding the girl close enough to crush her, his arm had wrapped and lowered at her waist as the other rested at the nape of her neck. Blushing to the nearly intimate hold he stepped back while releasing Kagome, then huffed and turned his head to hide his burning face.
"I forgot how weak you humans are," he muttered and eyed the girl who breathed deeply.
"You know what?" Kagome growled and stomped over to him, making the man face her and being oblivious to his flustered cheeks.
"What?" he grinned mockingly, interest in the fiery side that would arise from her.
Kagome stomped her foot, why this man bothered her so much she did not know. First he was holding her with such strength as if he was afraid to let her go, and then next he was insulting her!
"You are such a... a..." the girl stopped and widened her eyes, realization clouded her anger.
"What?" Inuyasha frowned to the sudden twist of emotion.
"Rin," was all she could whisper before turning from the half-breed to hurry in the direction that her friend had gone.
AUTHORESS NOTES: Please review and let me know what you think :) There is a reason for everything... the stripes, the necklace (notice I haven't described the pendant?)... I like to leave details out to keep the reader guessing, just like how I somewhat explained the story before the Golden Rose... and then mentioned it was 'one of many myths'. ;)
10/24/09 I am already getting requests for another chapter :) Thank you! But I'm trying to update all of my stories, so the second chapter to this fic will come in some time. On my profile is the lineup that I have planned for my stories, but sometimes I mix them around if I get the urge to update a story that is not the one I have planned to do next :P Maybe if I get enough requests, I'll bump GOLDEN ROSE up the list ;)
