Disclaimer: In the bio...
A.N.: Yay, my muse still alive! I was afraid I'd found a use for that defibrillator I got for Christmas...
This fic was inspired by some other works I've seen about the day that Kikyou died and Inuyasha was sealed to the Goshinboku. I got to thinking (scary, I know) about some 'what if' scenarios and this is what my muse popped up with. Not quite canon, not quite AU (alternate universe), so I guess you would call this... AR (alternate reality)?
Rated for themes, possible language (oh, who am I kidding? Inuyasha's in this...) and violence. I'm warning you now, this contains lots of blood. This is kinda (okay, very) dark, but promising. Don't abandon if you don't like gloom- just read my ending A.N.
Enjoy!
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Betrayal and Rage
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Today was the day.
Today was the day she had been waiting for. Despite all outward appearances, the priestess could barely contain her happiness. A small, serene smile played on the lips of the Guardian of the Shikon Jewel. The corners of her eyes crinkled slightly with the slight widening of her smile when she realized that today would also be the last day that she held that title.
She had despaired for so long about the hand destiny had dealt her, full of hardship and responsibility. Soon, that would all be in the past. She had finally found a way to rid herself of the burden of the Jewel and live as a normal woman- even have a husband waiting! Like hitting two youkai with one arrow...
As soon as her morning chores were done, she went to meet him.
She strolled at a leisurely pace, fantasizing about future children and a hut all her own...
But it was not to be.
Suddenly, she was falling.
The change of circumstance happened so quickly that it left her momentarily stunned, unable to do anything but watch the already blood spattered ground rising up to meet her. Blood? Whose blood?
Pain. Sharp, stinging, burning, blinding pain.
Her blood.
And there he was. Inuyasha.
Her blood stained his claws. He raised them to his face, and casually licked up a one of the many crimson rivulets.
And he laughed.
The pain of her hand breaking when he stepped on it to get the Jewel barley registered to her.
The agony radiating from her shoulder seemed to sharpen her senses, but nothing he said could penetrate the fog of shock and disbelief that had settled over her mind.
Then as the hanyou retreated to the forest, through the haze, a single word became painfully clear.
The scream of "traitor" cut through the air.
Hearing the echo, the hanyou in the forest smirked.
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Today was the day.
Today was the day that his life would change forever. He fidgeted, anxiously waiting for the appointed meeting time to arrive. He wasn't sure he was ready for this...
He shook his head stubbornly. It was long past the time for doubting. Soon he would be human. Soon he would have a wife, a companion. Someone to cook his food and bear his children (he blushed slightly at that thought); someone to have a family with.
Most importantly, someone who didn't run screaming or try to kill him on sight. So few people were like that... one, actually. And he was not going to let his only chance for a family to get away. His days of loneliness ended today.
But it was not to be.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts, he had let his usually impenetrable defenses slip, for just an instant.
The twang of a bowstring and whistle of a flying arrow were all the warning he had. He dodged, but not fast enough for the projectile to completely miss grazing his heart.
He could feel the pain in his chest where the arrow protruded, and knew that he could easily die in payment for his stupid carelessness.
For just an instant, his vision flashed scarlet.
Another twang. Another jolt of pain, this time in his thigh.
He growled and turned to view his attacker. Kikyou.
A third arrow, this one to the shoulder. His vision and his mind clouded to red. Something was happening to him... He was in danger... in pain...
His last coherent thought was 'traitor'...
And with a primal roar, he changed.
He snarled and ripped the offending projectiles out of his body, lunging at this enemy that dared to threaten him.
Obviously, he had managed to surprise her. With a final shot- one he didn't even take the effort to avoid- she turned and fled.
He halted. Red eyes narrowed in confusion. He had never felt like this... so... powerful.
He reached up and casually ripped the fourth and final arrow from his torso. Animalistic eyes contemplated its bloody tip. He could feel the injury, but... there was no pain. Like it didn't matter.
He knew he should be feeling the grief of the loss of his future, but all he felt was... rage. And a thirst for revenge. Revenge... a violent, bloody revenge.
The arrow in his claws snapped.
He knew where to find her.
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She was not at the village. Her scent was hours old. No matter. He knew how to get to her. She would always come for the Jewel. Though part of him longed for the thrill of a chase, his common sense dictated that this be done as quickly as possible.
The sensible part of his mind whispered about tending his wounds, but another- steadily growing- part didn't care. That part wanted blood. Her blood.
On his way to the temple that housed the Shikon, a terrified but determined crowd of people got in his way, some carrying weapons. No matter. He cut them down when they tried to fight him.
...And he was surprised. All his life, he had killed out of the necessity of self-defense. It had been an unpleasant task, but he did what was required to survive. But he had never before felt this way when going about that grim task.
Pure pleasure.
He smirked and chuckled darkly. He flexed his claws.
A brat got in his way. The little sister of his enemy. She held a child's bow in her hands, though she was shaking fearfully. The arrow gave the weak trace of underdeveloped miko powers.
The steadily shrinking part of him hesitated. She was just a child... she had no control over her sister's actions...
He growled at himself. She held a weapon trained on him. She was a threat. She must be dealt with accordingly.
But... still...
Indecision leads to mistakes. Mistakes could lead to death. So a compromise was born.
Small threat, small price.
He only took her eye.
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She didn't know how, but sometime later she managed to stumble to her feet, stubbornly dragging her broken body back to the village. No doubt he had already used the Jewel to become a full youkai. He had to be stopped.
She found the village in burning ruins. Nearly half were dead. He had harmed her sister. They confirmed that he had the Jewel in his possession. He had to be stopped.
She knew she would not survive this, but she would make sure that he did not either. She left instructions with her sister on how to dispose of the Jewel. They both knew that she didn't expect to return. He had to be stopped.
She repeated that phrase in her mind like a mantra. It was the only thing that kept her going: her stubborn willpower, refusing to let her body collapse and die as it so desperately wanted to do. Not yet. He had to be stopped.
She found him in the meadow of the Goshinboku.
One glance confirmed it. He had used the Jewel to become a full demon. Proven by the telling purple markings on his cheeks.
He was drenched in blood- enough to make the outpour from her wound seem like a drop. His silver hair was matted with it, the sheen darkened from the soot of burning huts. His red clothing glistened brightly in the sun, the saturation nearly invisible because of the color.
And he was licking the collected blood from his claws. That set her over the edge. Time slowed down. Her heart pounded in her ears.
He had to be stopped.
There. A heartbeat of hesitation. He had only wanted the Jewel. He told her at their meeting that he would spare her if she would just hand it over. Despite both of their promises for the future, that had apparently not changed. She had gotten in his way- the entire village had- and they had paid the price. They had been warned. Was it really fair for her to pick him off from a distance- with no warning, no chance of defending himself?
... And the sacred arrow flew.
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He knew she was there. He knew that she would come for the Jewel. Before she even called his name, he knew.
Even in that split-second that she took aim , she hadn't seen him move. He was behind her even as her pitiful arrow lodged in the tree, still thrumming.
She cried out his name in frustration, rage, and despair, sinking to her knees- nothing but her will had kept her alive, and now that was gone.
He stood above her, his claws raised, ready for the killing stroke.
For a moment, he hesitated. He had felt for her. Ever since his mother died, he had hated the world and everyone in it. For a time... he had not hated her. Perhaps...
The primal part of him roared that she was a threat. His injuries throbbed their reminders. The tiny sensible whisper in his mind lamented that she had betrayed him. His chest- his heart- constricted. She had hurt him two very different ways.
He brought his claws down.
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The threat was gone. The thirst for blood was quenched.
He knew he had changed. He knew that something was not as it should be.
The bitch at his feet was dead. A tiny whisper of recognition flitted across his mind, casting the briefest shadow of sorrow. He had known her... she was...
A round stone rolled from his sleeve and onto the grass, coming into contact with the cooling corpse.
This was, unlike the carcass, something important... something he should know, should remember. But he didn't care that he couldn't. He dismissed it.
Red eyes flicked around the forest. He was hungry, and the dead bitch smelled of a foul demon. Spoiled meat.
He moved off to hunt, never once looking back.
Owari
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A.N.: I know, this style is kinda freaky, but it's all in the POV of people that have either gone insane with bloodlust or are dying and in excruciating pain- you wouldn't think too clearly either...
Could stay a oneshot, but I do have more ideas following this plotline (shocker!) and could easily make it into a twoshot or even a short multi-chapter story (gasp! has heart attack). I know, I know, this part was very tragic and angsty and creepy and dark, but the genres will get more rounded (and the tone will be less creepy/dark) if there are later chapters... so let me know if you want more, 'kay?
Again, I ask for OOC warnings and votes for a continuation. I command you to click the button. Clicky clicky, I said!
Thanks for reading!
Peace and love,
Movie-CaffineAddict