PRELUDE

Inuyasha woke with a groan, his head lolling heavily against his chest. He rolled his head to one side, and even that slight movement caused a riot of pain in his skull. Blinking stubbornly, fighting against succumbing to the blessed relief of unconsciousness again, he tried to focus on his surroundings. There was hardly any light, his eyes may as well be closed; the air smelt dank and musty, and it was suffocatingly warm.

He lurched to his feet, trying to ignore the clanging pain in his head, only to stagger as his arms were pulled back. There was something heavy around his wrists, restraining him. Feeling with his fingers and claws he realised that his forearms were encased together in a thick metal band connected to chains. He backed up, his naked shoulders coming into contact with rough damp stone.

He could smell dirt and metal and blood. Some of it he recognised as his, but there was someone else's too. He struggled to understand what was going on, shaking his head to jog his memory, and then flattened his ears at the pain the movement provoked, wishing he hadn't. There was something… someone… the scent of the other person was…

"KAGOME!" he hollered, uncaring of the pain in his skull.

A rattling noise echoed far above him, and he heard rusted metal screeching. Beams of light penetrated his eyes and he squinted at the sudden assault on his already aching head. A voice filtered down from above him.

"Yelling won't do you no good you know. Why don't you have a nice nap, while you can."

"Fucking bastard! Where's Kagome! What have you done with her!"

"Me personally? I haven't done nothing."

"Where is she! If she's hurt, I'm gonna…"

"She was a bit upset when I saw her last, but she was mostly fine. Master wouldn't want her too damaged, or she wouldn't be able to play."

Inuyasha yanked at the chains holding him with all his strength, but he couldn't get them to budge. He kicked out at the damp stone walls but didn't make a dent. He was frantic. Some sick bastard had Kagome. Miroku and Sango had gone back to the taijiya village so Sango could make some more repairs on her hiraikotsu, and Shippo was with Kaede. They weren't expected back for a couple of days, so no one would be looking for her. No one else knew she was in danger.

He squinted back up at the small hole above him but couldn't see who was talking. Dammit, he needed to calm down and find out where they were.

"Where am I?"

"Well, I could be mistaken, but it looks to me like you're in a hole."

"Smart arse bastard! Alright, where's Kagome then?"

"Well, I don't know exactly… she started a while ago, so who knows where she is now."

"Fuck! What is Kagome doing right now!"

"Ah, that's a bit easier. She agreed to do the Master's challenge."

Inuyasha's heart beat faster. This was sounding worse and worse. He paced backwards and forward in the small round space that the chain allowed. "What does that even mean?"

"If she wins, you both get to go free. If you lose, you both stay here forever."

"What… what does she have to do?"

"She has to beat the clock. Master Jareth told her she had to solve the labyrinth." And with a screech of metal, the grating above him closed and he was plunged back into darkness.


Sooo, this is a little something I'm working on for InuKag Week 2019 on Tumblr. You can find me there under the same handle - bearpluscat.

This, obviously, is the prelude and the next seven chapters will all be based around this years word prompts for each respective day. I'll upload them here after Tumblr, but you shouldn't have to wait too long.

Can I make a cohesive story just using single word prompts? I think so.

Can I manage a chapter a day? Here's hoping!

Will I be able to limit myself 1000 words per chapter I set myself? Doubtful...

I'm really excited about this little project though. I hope you enjoy it!