I suppose it's been far too long. I can't even remember the last time I uploaded. This story is an Inuyasha and Legend of Korra crossover, though the Gaang will be mentioned, too. I hope you enjoy; I feel that my writing styles have grown immensely since my last story and I hope I don't disappoint.
Light shocked her back awake. Slowly, painfully, her eyes squinted open. The view in front of her was horrifyingly beautiful. Ash and snow fell from the sky in flurries; firelight flickered and reflected off the icy walls and homes of the compound.
Suddenly, Kagome was aware that she could hear when an earsplitting scream pierced through the smoke-filled air. Shaky legs carried Kagome to the courtyard; she had to hold back a cry at the sight.
Three hooded figures surround her crumpled mother in the snow. Kagome crouched behind what remained of her home and watched as one leaned over her mom.
"I won't ask you again. Where is the girl? We know she's here!"
Kagome had to strain to hear what her mother replied with. "I won't say it again, either, I will never tell you!"
Another figure delivered a swift kick to the woman's ribcage. Kagome barely contained the yelp that threatened to slip past her lips. Her mother cried out and then coughed up blood that splattered onto the pure white snow.
With a mirthless smile, Ms. Higurashi looked into the faces of her attackers. "She will be long gone by now. The secret path we have for emergencies is only known to members of this compound. You have failed."
Another kicked sent her mother sprawling a few feet from the trio. "Stupid woman, your bravery will be the death of you!" The tallest of the three pulled an impressive sword from his back. Its metallic surface glinted in the soft glow of the small fires that burned around the complex.
Without even blinking, Kagome's mother watched the man walk towards her, sword tip aimed for her heart. The figure raised the sword and forcefully sent it sailing into her mother's chest. Kagome felt hot tears course down her face.
A single tear left Ms. Higurashi's eyes. "And the Avatar will be the death of you."
The sword twisted once, and then the woman's last breath left her body with a gurgling sound. Kagome caught sight of an insignia on the hilt of the sword; it looked like a circle with a sword and bow crossed, and smaller circle – or sphere - below the two.
The three figures regrouped near the bathhouse that was now in shambles. Kagome tried recalling just what had happened to cause such destruction to her home, but couldn't remember anything before waking up outside.
"What do we do, my lord?"
"We search this area for her; I'm not entirely convinced that what the woman said was true. Our goal is to find the girl and contain her."
They broke, and began walking in different directions around the compound. Kagome panicked when the tallest, the one with the sword, began walking her way. She tried putting weight on her right leg, but collapsed in the snow. It seemed that all of the adrenaline from earlier was gone and she had suffered a serious sprain to her right ankle.
The man neared closer, and Kagome prayed to whatever god was listening to let her next plan work. With a swipe of her hand, the snow beneath her feet opened and Kagome slipped in, swiping her hand again to cover the hole.
She held her breath and listened for the footsteps overhead. They paused, and Kagome thought for sure that she had been too slow in her bending and the man had seen her, but the pounding of feet resumed again and faded away.
Kagome fell to all fours and began meticulously pushing and pulling at the snow and ice around her to form a tunnel. The man was right to not believe her mother, because in truth, there were no escape tunnels built into the compound. Kagome knew from the moment the lie left her mother's lips that it was meant to be a distraction to lead the others off Kagome's trail.
Her ankle screamed under her, but she bit her lips and moved on. Her first priority was to get as far away from the home-turned-homicide-site, then she would heal her ankle.
When Kagome surfaced from her underground path, the sky was just started to be painted with morning light. A sigh of relief left her lips when she looked back and saw no signs of her old home, except for a faint tail of smoke that snaked into the sky.
She forced the snow around her into a large bound with the roll of her wrists and leaned against it for support. Kagome loosened the ties of her lion-seal boot and pull it off, then two layers of socks. Her ankle was swollen and bruised, making ugly marks across her normally cream-colored skin.
Kagome lifted a small amount of snow in her hand, willing it to change forms back to liquid. It did, and surrounded her hand in glowing blue light. She didn't heal it all the way, feeling the need to still put more distance between the killers and herself. Once she felt she could put weight on it, she redressed her foot and set off again, above land, this time.
Her mind held an image in her head, one of huge ships and a rolling sea. That's where she was headed.
When Kagome reached the port, she was taken aback at how much it had altered from her memory. Granted, it had been 14 or so years, but it still had changed drastically.
Huge cargo ships were lined down the seemingly never-ending dock. Their horns vibrated Kagome's bones all the way down to her toes as she made her way to one of the small trading posts set up near the harbor.
A middle-aged man with a kind face greeted her. "Hello, Miss, what can I do for you?"
Kagome wasted no time with formalities. "I need to get to Republic City."
The man flipped through a book in front of him, slightly shaking his head after giving it a look over. "The next passenger ship isn't going to be in for another two weeks. We don't get many visitors here; not many people want to come to a frozen rock like this place. I can get you a ticket if you want t-"
Kagome furiously shook her head. "No, you don't understand! I have to get to Republic City as soon as I can."
He gave her a defeated look. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's nothing I can do for you right now."
The girl turned, crushed, and began walking to one of the Inn's to find a place to stay. She was almost to the door when a bunch of men shouting caught her attention.
Kagome followed the voices until she saw that it was a crew of men loading up their fishing boat. She ran to the edge of the dock, balancing on her tiptoes to stop herself from falling over. "Hey!" She hollered, waving her arms.
The group of men, who were about to set sail, stopped their banter to stare at her expectantly. Suddenly, Kagome felt very out of place. "Where are you going?"
A burly man with his hood pulled over his head stepped forward. "To an island that our brothers are waiting at in the Mo Ce Sea. What is it to you, woman?"
Kagome hesitated, feeling that many of the men aboard the ship were not friendly. "I would be forever in your debt if you would take me to Republic City."
A higher-pitched voice sprung from the back of the crowd. "We're already running late as it is; and we sure don't have time to make stops so little Miss Doe Eyes can buy herself a new pair of boots in Republic City."
Kagome felt her anger flash. "It's not for a shopping spree, my grandfather and brother are there on a business trip and if I don't get to them soon…well, I don't really know what will happen. You all are my only hope!"
The first man raised his hand to quiet down the second. "Last time I checked, Yuzi, I was captain here." Then he turned back to Kagome. "What will you offer as payment?"
She searched her mind for something, anything that she might have as value to give. Swiftly, the idea hit her. "My grandfather is the head of the White Lotus. Once you take me to where he is – safely - I'll have him pay you whatever it is you want."
The big man eyed her. "How do I know you speak the truth?"
"This." Kagome reached beneath her coat and let her necklace charm dangle freely. On the end of the leather cord hung a perfect emblem of the White Lotus.
The captain nodded his head. "Lay down a plank for her to board, this woman will accompany us."
Kagome almost leaped for joy, but thought it better not to. The men probably already thought she was strange or bothersome as she was. A few groaned, but soon a wooden board was slip from under a rail for her to walk across.
Once she was close enough, the captain wrapped one huge hand around her arm and yanked her over the edge. She felt like she was floating until her feet landed firmly on the deck.
As soon as Kagome looked up from her feet to her new travel-mates she regretted it. Many looked at her with less-than-kind expressions, and then some she nearly shuddered at. Involuntarily she shuffled closer to the biggest man on the boat.
"Don't worry; none of them will lay a finger on you."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
With a grin he started to walk away and towards the back of the ship. "Not only am I a man of my word, but I also don't like losing money."
Realizing that the only thing keeping the men at bay from probably molesting and-or killing her was a sack of money, Kagome pulled her jacket tighter around her and settled next to a barrel for the ride.
*** Three Days Later ***
The trip was not pleasant to say the least. Kagome felt that she always had to be on guard in case one of the crew members decided to go against their captain's word. Consequentially, she hadn't slept more than a few hours.
She also didn't eat, and only drank what water she managed to sneak from the barrel beside her when no one was looking. Going to the bathroom was something she reduced to a one-time experience, and never wanted to repeat it again.
It took a shorter amount of time for them to reach their destination than she thought it would have, but she wasn't going to argue with good fortune. Almost all of the men aboard were water benders, so whenever the wind wasn't on their side they simply tied the sails away and moved the water to guide them.
So many thoughts were running through Kagome's head when they docked. She almost jumped from the boat and ran through the streets to find her family, but that was stopped when a rough hand caught her arm.
"Not so fast, woman."
It was the captain. Oh yeah, she still had to hold up her end of the bargain.
"Remember what I said about losing money."
Kagome gulped. It wasn't that she minded getting him the money; she was one to always follow through on a promise. She just wished he wasn't so scary.
"Take me to City Hall, that is where my grandfather will be."