Hello again or nice to meet you! Miss Saigon11 here! This is my ver first fic One Day, One Night. Today, Tuesday, December 1st, 2009, nearly a year after I first published this chapter, I decided to go back and change the AUTHOR'S NOTES at the begining and end of this chapter. Makes me feel like such a n00b and much less sophisticated. Really, who doesn't want to get rid of any traces of n00b?
SUMMARY: Takes place during the manga. So, for the past few weeks, Inuyasha has been having the same dream; the night when he was pinned to the tree. But for some reason, these dreams have been feeling more and more real, as if he's actually re-experiencing the event. Then they are attacked by a monster that was supposed to be extinct. And Inuyasha has another dream, only at the end, he meets a strange woman that tells him that he is being forced up against a new foe who is supposedly stronger than Naraku. Along the journey, the group forms new alliences, create new friendships, and streangthen the relationships within the group. When it becomes clear that this new enemy wants Inuyasha out of the picture, his friends, old and new, will do everything they can to ensure his protection. However, knowing Inuyasha, he isn't going to want to be locked up in some place where he can't do anything but watch. Just how far are his friends willing to go to protect him, and just how far will Inuyasha go to protect the ones close to his heart? As the weeks go by, and they aren't any closer to victory, patience is wearing thin, and the trust is starting to break. When push comes to shove, will this story end with the much wanted sweet victory, or will it end with broken hearts and the pain of betrayal? (Rated T)
Yerp. Better summary.
So, Onward!
Disclaimer: I do not own or make money off of Inuyasha. This was made purely for fans by a fan. It is in no way sponsored, approved, endorsed by or affiliated by Rumiko Takahashi or Viz Media, or any other affiliates. Nor do I own Jin, Chase, or Chancy. They belong to me friend.
Chapter 1: Hauntings of the Night
I was at least 99.9% sure I was dreaming for two reasons: One because I was carrying the complete Shikon Jewel in my hand. I knew for a fact that Naraku has almost all the shards. And two: I was running in darkness. Completely pitch black. The only thing I could see was myself. What's strange about it was the fact that even I know it's impossible for anyone to run in this kind of darkness, even for a half demon like me.
But it feels so real. I can feel my feet touch the ground, the wind in my face, and the weight of my hair off my back. And I have a strange feeling I've done this before…
Suddenly, as if I just opened my eyes, I could see the world around me. The darkness was gone, and I'm in a familiar scene. I've defiantly been here before.
"Inuyasha!"
I turn toward the sound of my name being called only to find myself face to face with an arrow. It pierced my chest sending a shock of pain throughout my body. I crash into a tree, the arrow holding me there.
The jewel flies out of my hand. I reach for it, but the damn arrow in my chest keeps me from catching it. It bounces and rolls in front of a woman with long black hair and pale skin – and a wounded shoulder.
Kikyo.
"Ki…Kikyo...I thought…ugh!"
I woke up before anything else happened.
I was wet and sticky with sweat. My heartbeat was accelerated, and I was breathing heavy. It was only a dream. Just as I thought.
Next to me was Miroku, a powerful monk with a curse wind tunnel in his right hand. At times he can be a pervert, but at other times he proves to be a friend. He was sound asleep. Across the campsite, propped up against a tree, were Sango and her demon cat Kirara. Sango is a demon slayer, a warrior that specializes in ridding an area of demons. Whenever we're up against an unfamiliar demon, she's usually the one with all the info. Kirara is a demon cat that is a major way of transportation for Sango and Miroku when she's in her true form.
I leaned back against the tree I was sleeping against and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down.
"Bad dream?" asked a concerned voice.
I looked over to my left and locked eyes with a young girl named Kagome. I quickly looked away because she looks like Kikyo.
Shippo, a young fox demon, was curled up on Kagome's lap. Kagome's always been the motherly type and is always looking out for others. Heh. She'd go even save someone she owed nothing to. Sometimes, she's so worried about others, she forgets to take care of herself. That idiot.
"Hmph. So what if it was?"
"They say it's good to talk about a bad dream, what was it about?" She asked, only she really didn't need to. Kagome knows the reason why I can't look her in the eye. She also knows I've been having the same dream for a while now.
When I didn't answer, she sighed. "Inuyasha, you can't keep dwelling on the past. If you spend your life in the present, thinking about the past, then you won't be able to move toward the future."
I hate it when she gets all philosophic on me. What I hate even more is that I know she's right. She's just trying to help and I don't deserve it.
"Where the hell do you get off telling me how to live my life!? I'll live it any damn way I please!" I leaned back against the tree with my arms crossed, staring into the fire. "Not everyone's life is filled with sunshine and rainbows; it's just you who thinks they need to be! You can't force people to…" I stop in mid-sentence when I look up at Kagome and see that her eyes have been filled with a familiar emotion: Sadness. I hurt her.
Her eyes sparkled but not in the excited way. More like she was doing everything she could to keep her tears under control. She looked down at Shippo, sleeping soundly on her lap. She brushed some hair out of the twerp's eyes. "I was only trying to help." She confessed softly. A tear got loose and slid down her face. She swiped at it with her hand. I guess she was refusing to let me see that she was sad. Not that it mattered much. I know her better than anybody and can tell when she's sad. I've also figured out her behavior patterns: when she's made at me she'll go for a walk. When she's really mad at me she'll say "Sit". And when she's furious at me, she'll say "Sit" a whole bunch' a times and go home.
I watched as Kagome gently pushed Shippo off her lap, trying not to wake him, and stand up. "I'm going for a walk." she grabbed a burning stick from the fire. "Don't even try to follow me."
"W…" I tried to stop her only getting partially out of my sitting position. I stopped when I saw that her face said that she'd had enough of me. I watched her as she took a path that was opposite the nearby village.
'Why the hell do I always say one thing too many!?! I thought as I slumped back against the tree with my head in my hands. I don't mean to hurt her. Living your life as a half breed and being looked down upon by it doesn't exactly leave you with a happy attitude and a positive out look on life. 'Trust no one' and 'Every man for himself'. Those were my guidelines for protecting myself. It was the only way I knew how……Until I met Kagome that is.
I frowned as I thought about that conclusion. 'I suppose it's true.' I thought. 'I mean considering the fact that….what's that smell?' I lifted my nose and sniffed the air. 'Is it Koga? Heh. That would probably explain why the air smells so…' my stomach flipped when a caught the full wave of the smell. It wasn't Koga. Far from it actually and much more sickening. 'The only thing that could have that smell would be a….But that's impossible!'
A blood curdling shriek pierced the air. I looked at Sango and Miroku still sound asleep. I would've laughed if it hadn't dawned on me as to who that scream belonged to. I grabbed the Tetsusaiga and raced off down the path Kagome took.
A Brief Interlude
Unaware of where she was going, Kagome walked farther down the unfamiliar path and into the dense forest, dark and menacing.
'Not everyone's life is filled with sunshine and rainbows; it's just you who thinks they need to be!' Those words played over and over again inside her head cutting her like knives. She understands the reasons behind Inuyasha's sharp tongue. Anyone who grew up under conditions like Inuyasha's; who wouldn't expect them to be bitter about it?
Inuyasha's father died after he was born, and his mother died when he was still a kid. Around the time he was 16, he and his first love Kikyo were turned against each other and it was Kikyo who pinned Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree 50 years earlier. Kagome then broke the spell on Inuyasha by pulling the arrow out of his chest. When Inuyasha was free, he was thirsty for revenge against Kikyo for he was convinced she had betrayed him.
Shortly after that, a demon revived Kikyo using part of Kagome's soul. She's not really "alive" because she's only made up of bones, ashes, and burial soil. But the only way she can keep from becoming just a corpse again is to feed off the souls of the dead.
Even when Kikyo found out that Naraku was the one who tricked her and Inuyasha into betraying each other, and even though she still loves Inuyasha, their relationship was never the same.
Kagome hated it whenever she was forced to think or talk about Kikyo. She wasn't going to deny that she had feelings for the half demon, but just what kind of feelings she didn't even want to admit to herself. Ever since her father, her sanctuary where she could say anything to, died in an accident, she started keeping a tight lid on her feelings.
Suddenly, she heard a twig snap, and everything seemed to go silent. She turned around, her torch illuminating the path before her. "Inuyasha?" she called out. No answer. She started moving backwards. "Inuyasha if that's you, stoppit! You're freaking me out!"
A sudden burst of wind blew out her torch, leaving her in the darkness. As she turned around, she saw something move in the darkness. A shiver crawled from the small of her back up to the nape of her neck. She meekly tried to call out Inuyasha's name one more time but was over powered by the sickly sweet smell of decaying bodies.
Stumbling, the young girl fell over backwards, hands clasped over her mouth trying to keep her stomach under control. The scent was so strong she could taste it, which did not help her condition when she tried to breath.
"St-stay away!" Kagome sputtered, taking in another gulp of the foul air. Her stomach flipped and she couldn't hold it back any longer; she turned her face toward the ground and was violently sick.
The scent was stronger now. Kagome could tell that the source was near. She faced forward and gasped at the horrific view before her.
The creature, whom Kagome was sure was a human once upon a time, was revolting. Chunks of its skin fell of with every movement. Its eyes were sunken and its cheek bones were sticking out. Strands of hair dangled from its scalp, and for some reason its skin was moving.
The creature bent its knees until it was at eye level with Kagome. It leaned forward, its face just inches from hers. It smiled, showing rotten teeth, black, and decayed. When it smiled, its lips almost fell off in the process. The sight was so sickening, Kagome was glad that she'd hardly eaten anything that day. She didn't think she could handle another fit like that.
"You're pretty cute." The creature said in a bone chilling voice.
"So cute I could eat you right up, here and now."
As the creature talked, something fell from its face and onto Kagome's thigh, right below her school girls' skirt. Horrified, she realized what was making its skin move: maggots; and lots of them. Kagome screamed.
"Shh, shh, quiet!" the creature silenced her by putting a mealy hand over her quivering lips. The creature leaned its face closer to hers. "No need to shout now is there?" it ran its tongue along Kagome's cheek from her chin to her temple.
"No!" Kagome shrieked, pushing the creature away and took off down the path, heart pounding, breath heaving. As she ran, she knocked into a tall, dark figure.
Chapter 1 cont.
I held Kagome there to my chest staring down the Un-Dead, my right hand tightening around the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. The
Un-Dead stared back, his eyes meeting mine. The Un-Dead curled his lip, I curled mine tool. He stood his ground, I held mine. The Un-Dead snarled and I released a rippling growl from my throat.
It pointed a gnarled finger at Kagome. "The girl," I tightened my grip on her. Hearing her gasp for breath, I loosened my hold slightly, my eyes never leaving Sir Ugly infront of me.
The Un-Dead turned its palm to the sky and clawed its hand. "Give her to me! I already made my mark on her!"
Of course I noticed the slime on Kagome's face when she bumped into me, but spitting on someone can hardly be considered 'making a mark'. "Over my dead body!" I shouted back.
"That can be arranged!" The Un-Dead bent into a crouch ready to attack.
I charged full speed ahead. "Take this, you bastard!" I jumped and swung at him with the Tetsusaiga. Unfortunately, the thing actually knows how to fight and dodged my attack. He slashed at my back as I was coming down with his claw-like nails, which would've really hurt if I wasn't wearing my kimono. Getting slashed by an Un-Dead sure as hell wasn't a walk in the park.
'Dammit! Now that thing's closer to Kagome!' I landed hard and turned around seeing the Un-Dead grinning maniacally at me. I narrowed my eyes at it. His grin widened in return.
"You're quick," it said, "but I'm faster!" it lunged at me.
"Like hell you are!" I leaped at it. "You're mine!"
We collided. We hit each other so hard that not even I knew what happened. It seemed like we had just switched positions again. I was about to turn and strike when I heard a thump on the ground. I turned to see the Un-Dead's on the ground, and its body crumpled on the ground.
"'You're quick,'" I quoted, "but I'm faster." And with that, I punted the Un-Dead's head, silently smiling to myself. I had always wanted to do that.
I turned to see Kagome standing in the same spot, shaking with fear. Sheathing the Tetsusaiga, I headed over to where she stood.
"You okay?" I asked, slightly annoyed at how it seemed like every frickin' day she got in trouble.
Instead of answering, she just laid her head on my shoulder….Um what the hell?!?! I stiffened, taken off guard by her reaction. I eventually relaxed when I realized she had stopped shaking.
I tried again: "You okay?" she only nodded.
"Well, it you're fine then lets go." She didn't move. I sighed irritated and started tapping my foot. How long was she going to keep this up?
"Thank you." She said in a small voice.
"Huh? Oh, yeah whatever." I said, feeling the heat rising in my face.
We stood there for about five more minutes. I angled my head towards her face to see if I could get a rough idea of when she wanted to go back to the campsite. But I lost all train of thought when I looked down at her face, her eyes closed. While I was staring at the sheer innocence of her look, the entire world and its entire people seemed just a bit nicer. All in that one moment.
That is, until Kagome jerked her head back smacking me in the face, and then causing my head to fly back.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed turning away from me, "That was so scary!"
"That thing is called and Un-Dead," I told her, "it's kinda like a zombie but they're alive." My voice was muffled on account of my hand covering the lower half of my face trying to numb the pain.
"…..Huh?" she asked her back still turned.
Sigh. "I mean, they're like, okay, they aren't dead. They're people who died along time ago and then they were suddenly brought back to life only their looks didn't improve."
"Ohmigosh!" apparently she turned around. "Are you okay?! Did I do that?! I'm sorry!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Sheesh! Let's just get back to camp!" I turned around and headed back to the camp with Kagome following closely behind.
* * *
"Kagome was stalked by an Un-Dead?!" Miroku exclaimed the next morning at breakfast.
"I've heard about those." Sango said stroking Kirara. "Apparently they get their energy from young people, but they're supposed to be wiped out! No one is supposed to know how to make them anymore."
We were sitting under a tree in a clearing near the village. The morning sun shined down on us as we ate the food Kagome packed for us and recapped the previous night's events.
Kagome cocked her head to one side, obviously thinking. "Inuyasha said something about them being 'brought back to life'."
Sango placed her chopsticks down to pick up a rice ball. "Yeah, apparently thousands of years ago, the most menacing power of all was black magic. Even the demons lived in fear of the wicked sorcerers." I snorted as she said that. Sango glared at me before she continued. "Anyways, making Un-Deads were generally a really tough thing to do, it took massive amounts of power to complete. They were supposedly very strong." She started nibbling on her rice ball.
Kagome looked around nervously. "Should we expect any more Un-Deads?"
"No," Sango said matter-of-factly, "Un-Deads are impossibly strong when banded together, but when you get them alone they are easy to take down. They almost always travel in a pack." She stopped to think for a moment before turning to look at me. "You said there was only one?" I nodded. "Then I wouldn't expect anymore."
Kagome nodded, finally understanding. I opened my mouth to say something about Naraku. After all, by the look on Kagome's face, I could tell that she wasn't interested in the subject anymore.
"Sango, could you tell me more about the time with black magic?" Well I've been wrong before.
I closed my mouth and got into a more comfortable position for the long story. I already know it. Hmmm, if I fall asleep, will I have another dream?
"The time was generally awful – that doesn't even scratch the surface of what life was like back then. There wasn't even one clear ruler. Families traveled among themselves, doing what they could to survive. The only ones with true power were the sorcerers who practiced black magic. The sorcerers could do whatever they wanted. If I told you all the things they did, you'd be stuck here for years.
"But even beings of such awesome power had a leader. Naturally each one wanted to be the ruler. It started when a young boy at around 14-years-old stepped out and declared himself ruler because he was the most powerful. This angered everyone. 'What makes you most powerful, you scrawny little urchin!' one sorcerer shouted. As the sorcerer stepped forward to dispose of the boy with his own magic, with just a flick of the boy's wrist, the sorcerer fell dead; his neck twisted.
"'I think that does. Don't you agree?' he asked, smiling wickedly at the other sorcerers who were cowering in fear.
"And from that day on, the young boy led an army of the most powerful sorcerers he could find, and led attack after attack, winning battle after battle claiming as much land as he could. People started calling him the Shadow King because hardly anyone ever spoke to him let alone see him, and those who did speak to him only saw him enveloped in shadow."
She stopped for a minute and looked at me. "Remember there were demons, only since they never came out they were labeled as myths." She continued her story.
"Then one day, a man in a silk cloak approached the Shadow King. He stood before him and threw back his hood, revealing red eyes and a row of sharp teeth outlining his mouth. He was the King of the Demons. 'You will now pay for the suffering of my people!' he shouted and then he threw himself at the Shadow King and was then locked in a heated battle.
"Minutes turned into hours, and then days but no one won the fight yet. Eventually, the King of the Demons realized that the King of the Shadows cannot die – another one of the black magic skills he possessed. Thinking quickly, the King of the Demons sealed the Shadow King in a state that everyone, sorcerers included, thought was just a fairytale – the state between life and death. The Shadow King got sucked into a void and stayed there forever.
"Shortly after that, the King of the Demons died from his wounds. After the demon king died, all the demons came forth and destroyed every last sorcerer, and with their king dead, they turned against each other, fighting for the right to rule. Soon they decided to become their own master and off they went, wreaking havoc wherever they went."
Sango took a deep breath, "And that brings us to today."
…..Oh, what it's over? I yawned, tired from listening to that story. I looked around me: Kagome looked interested, Shippo looked confused, and…I stopped and stared at Miroku. So did everyone else. He was leaning against the tree, eyes closed and mouth open. To be honest he looked like a fish with his mouth hanging open like that.
Eventually his eyes snapped open. "Oh um, yes, very interesting story Sango. Now," he cleared his throat, "what were we talking about?" I laughed when Sango hit him with her Hiraikotsu. Serves the idiot right.
"Oh!" Sango slapped herself on her thigh. "That reminds me! I recently heard a rumor about some sort of warrior in azure colored armor."
"You mean there's a samurai running around in sky blue armor? What's so important about that?" Miroku asked, rubbing his sore head.
"That's the thing, he's not a samurai. I heard he's from far west of the mainland."
"You mean he's from Europe." Kagome stated.
"Yeah, they call him a knight I think."
Kagome nodded. "Yes that's right." She thought for a moment. "What would a European knight be doing in Japan?"
I was getting bored of all this talk about this ah-sure night or whatever. If he ain't bothering me then he's fine. "Feh. What are you getting so worked up about anyway? S'not like he's bothering anyone."
Sango shrugged. "I just thought it be something worth while too keep in mind. He sounds like bad news to me."
"Chh, in what way? How his armor could be seen from a mile away? What's with that blue armor anyway?"
Sango sighed, irritated. "Like I said, it's just a rumor. Fragments could've been added, left out, or forgotten."
"Oh, like 'Telephone'." Kagome said, jumping into the convo. Everyone just stared at her.
"Uh, I hope you realize not everyone is from your time Kagome! What the hell is a telly-fone!?" Kagome shot me a shut-up-and-I-will-explain-it look.
"It's a game where a group of people sit in a circle and one person whispers a word or phrase into the ear of the person next to them. Then that person repeats the word or phrase to the person next to them. It keeps going and going until the last person shouts out what they heard last and it's never what was originally said." She giggled. "I've heard the phrase 'school's almost over' change to 'don't say a word'."
"That sounds fun!" Shippo shouted as he leaped onto Kagome's lap. "Can we play it?!"
I almost shuddered at the idea of playing that stupid game. Who'd want to sit in a circle, passing a phrase around like gossiping old ladies? I sure as hell wouldn't! "Count me out," I said standing, "I have no desire whatsoever to play your stupid games." I stalked off. I've got better things to do with my time, like snapping Naraku's neck or figuring out the meaning behind that dream last night. Or should I say nightmare.
A Brief Interlude
"I have no desire whatsoever to play your stupid games." Everyone watched in silence as the half demon stalked off toward the large irrigation ditches behind the village.
Miroku sighed. "Now what's wrong with him?" The young monk and the demon slayer turned their attention to Kagome, expecting and answer.
Kagome's head was down and she was fiddling with her chop sticks, hoping to avoid the question by pretending that she hadn't heard Miroku's question, or seen her friends turn their heads toward her. Shippo looked questioningly from one teen to the other, and back again.
"Kagome? You know something don't you." Miroku stated, sounding more like a confirmation rather than a question.
Kagome sighed. 'Well it's not like it's a secret or anything.' Kagome shifted in position, shifting her legs to the side so all her weight was on her hip. She raised her head, not making eye contact to her friends. "He had another dream," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "One of those dreams."
"He's been having those a lot lately, hasn't he?" Sango said. "Maybe it's a sign?"
"Maybe," Kagome said, picking and invisible hair off her skirt. She silently hoped that it had nothing to do with the Priestess Kikyo.
Kagome's tried to be nice to her but the Priestess gives her the cold shoulder. Kikyo even tried to kill her once. She didn't succeed, but she did succeed in taking Kagome's half of the jewel. She handed it over to Naraku and then lied about it to Inuyasha. Kagome now knows that letting Naraku have all the shards was just part of her plan to destroy him.
Kagome shuddered at the bitter memory. Since then, she always felt a sort of uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe it was because of Kikyo's cold, unfeeling eyes that held no emotion, or how her voice was always coated in bitterness even after she had found out about how it was Naraku who set up that trap for her and Inuyasha. Or maybe she just plain didn't trust the Priestess.
"Well," Kagome said, snapping out of her thoughts. "I'd like to ask him more about those dreams, but I think we should leave him alone for a while."
All but Sango nodded and returned to eating. She just knew that the strange, European knight in azure colored armor and Inuyasha's dreams were connected. 'I mean, why else would he be having those dreams? He never had them before we met up with Naraku or any other strong enemy. So, why now?' A chill ran up Sango's spine, 'Ohhh I've got a bad feeling about this!'
* * *
The sky was broken and distorted because of the branches that hung over head. The only light that was guiding the two dark figures was from the moon. Although it was pitch black out, the two had no trouble dodging the trees in the dense woods.
'Hmmm,' a young man with black hair, cascading down his back and stopping just below his knees, thought. 'So many people want to kill this 'Inuyasha' person.'
The team had just encountered a rather aristocratic demon with armor, long and silver hair, and some sort of long, fluffy pelt on his shoulder. He was the third demon they had encountered that wished Inuyasha dead in the three, short weeks they've been in Japan.
The first one, whose face was hidden because he wore the mask of a baboon, seemed to want Inuyasha dead just because he said so. Or, at least that's what it sounded like to the team. The second one was a wolf demon with black hair, tied back in a pony tail and hung between his shoulder blades, wanted Inuyasha dead because of what seemed to be jealousy. 'As soon as I get than mangy mutt out of the picture I'll finally be able to make Kagome my woman!' he had said. After that, he raced off, kicking up a tornado of dirt behind him, with two companions begging him to slow down.
"Chase," a bubbly voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Chase, what are you thinking about?"
Chase looked down at his companion. She was a cute, petite girl with blonde hair and curls. His companion was a witch with white cat ears and a poofy cat tail, both with brown tips.
Chase smiled. "I was just thinking about our past encounters we had." He had a sudden thought. "Jin," Jin had to crane he neck back to look Chase in the eye because he was 6'2" and she was 5'1". "How would you like to pay this 'Inuyasha' a visit? I'm sure we can find time to 'play' with him." He grinned wickedly.
Jin's face lit up. "Ohhh I'm sure Chancy would love a new play-mate!" she said, conjuring up her favorite minion. Of course they all looked the same, but this one had personality. She giggled as Chancy stood there, looking up at Jin. He was a small thing with a small body and a larger head. He had no hands or feet, just rounded stubs. He had large white eyes with no pupil and an antennae sticking out of the top of his head. He had a long scar, stretching from the top of his head to the bottom, crossing over his left eye.
"Chaaaancccccyy!" Jin sang his name. "Do you want a new 'friend'?" She giggled as Chancy made a little noise that meant he was happy.
Jin leaned against Chase, grinning flirtatiously. "So Chase, when do we get to see him? You know how impatient Chancy gets."
Chase half-smiled back. "You'll have to keep him busy, Jin. I still don't know where he is….But that shouldn't be a problem for long."
"Ah-greed! A big, strong man like you is sure to find him within a week!" she giggled again.
Chase joined in but for a different reason. 'Those poor fools,' he thought. 'They're lucky. They won't have time to suffer….Unlike the rest of this world.'
And that's the end of that! I don't really have much to say about anything down here. Flames are welcome and so are reviews! Please let me know what you think! Thoughts of the readers are very important to the writer! Thank you!