Title: Black Rain
Author: Priestess Skye
Word Count: 1869Genre: Dark Drama, Angst
Rating: R for disturbing images
Pairing: Inu/Kag
Summary: The search for the next reincarnation of Kikyou has taken Inuyasha to the most unlikely of places during a time he is needed the most.
Warnings: Some disturbing images of true events. Characters are a little OOC due to circumstances.
Universe: AU

Written for LJ's Iyficcontest community. Prompt: Alternate Universe

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In the middle of the street lay a boy, his cries echoing along the empty corridor as his clothing slowly eroded away under the intense flame covering him. Another stood next to him, naked, bleeding profusely through large cuts to his legs and arms, no doubt caused by flying debris. His clothes having long since been burned away, there were no barriers preventing the onslaught of blood pouring out of him, as he tried to douse the flames on the other boy with it. It was of little to no help.

The smell of fear, grief, anguish and pain was strong, almost overpower, Inuyasha thought as he scrunched his nose. He didn't know why he came here of all places. He had every intention of staying away after hearing of what had happened. But he was drawn to this place, like it was some sort of beacon. Why? He wasn't sure. Something was here…

Buildings were decimated, greenery was lost, and everything was covered in black soot. He didn't need to touch it to know it was toxic to all living things. He could smell the poison within it, much stronger than anything his brother had ever produced. What was once a great city was turned to a barren wasteland in a blink of an eye, he thought with remorse. Where had he gone wrong? He didn't join the fight for his country. That was so far from the truth.

Boredom.

That option seemed much more likely. It was the need to get out and do something again, though he couldn't wield his blade. For once, he should have listened to Sesshoumaru and stayed away as this wasn't his battle. The old Japan he once knew was long gone and this new one didn't have any love for him. He was a tool. An assassin. He was only useful as long as he proved to be an efficient silent killer. There was no honour in slitting a man's throat while he slept, Inuyasha scowled. And for what? So he could watch his people die as the enemy released what was perhaps the greatest weapon he had ever seen in his long life? It wasn't worth it.

He felt dishonoured to wear the uniform, though he had yet to take it off.

Despite them hidden under his hat, Inuyasha's ears pressed flat against his head as he heard the sobbing, the screams, and felt the terror, grief and pain of those around him. Newly orphaned children roamed the streets, looking very much lost in this world that had been changed by the mere press of a button. His brother lay crushed beneath the rubble of his home. Face burned beyond recognition, Inuyasha knew there was nothing he could do.

There was nothing he could do for any of them. The air had been poisoned. They were breathing in toxic dust and would, in a matter of hours, be eaten from the inside out. Those that didn't die today would no doubt die tomorrow. Slowly, painfully, and without reason. Why was he here? Did he really need to witness all this?

There was a girl, he remembered. The last time he saw her she was still young, but so full of vitality, and reminded him so much of his Kikyou. She was too young then, entirely too trusting, but she caused his blood to stir. Picking up his speed, he turned west, away from the disaster site. Though the devastation wasn't nearly as great, there were the telltale signs that the sickness would be spreading. The buildings that didn't collapse were covered in black, and windows were shattered. Trees were burned, flowers had disappeared, and everything had a stale grey shade to it.

Except for the blood. It stood out, the red brighter than he knew it should be. In a colourless world, it was suddenly there.

"My son!" a woman cried as shifted through the rubble of what he assumed to be her home. Standing motionless, he watched, forcing himself to remain detached from this scene. These people weren't his, and they had done nothing for him. If they knew who he was, he was sure they'd spit scorn upon him, as so many had in the past before. He wasn't like them. He could stand in this and breathe. It would take a lot more than a mere bomb to destroy him as it had them.

And still, his fingers itched to help, to do something to make up for what he knew in the end would be his fault. He participated in the war. He did nothing to put an end to the death and destruction. He could have refused. Maybe he wouldn't have angered the American government then.

A sudden and great wail erupted from her as her slight frame, wracked with sobs, fell to the floor and shook. She held a small body to her, the leg bent awkwardly, the little head slumped backward. And there was bone.

Beneath the charred skin, and beneath the blood was bone, visible to the naked human eye.

And to him, it was death. Nothing more. One more to add to the growing tally.

With every step he was losing hope. Would he find her as he found so many of the others? Dead or near death, the poison having destroyed her body? Would he find her at all?

Sniffing the air, he sifted through sulfur, the scent of death, the poison and the smell of burning flesh. Nothing. He didn't even know where to look.

Not that it mattered to him.

Why would a child he met ten years ago matter to him?

"You came…"

It was softly spoken, but it was as if she had shouted it in his ear. Turning away from the mourning mother, Inuyasha nearly fell to his knees in relief as he found the young girl.

Except she was no longer young. The years having treated her well, she filled out nicely, he thought. Long black hair, wide brown eyes, and the body of a woman, not a little girl. She reminded him of…"Kikyou," he murmured, taking her in.

Her long black hair was singed on the ends, the smell of it and burning flesh permeating his nose. Her face and shoulders covered in red burns, severe in nature, and the rest of her uncovered as the sheer heat of the blast burned away the last of her clothing.

And modesty.

Though he was sure she had other things on her mind than what she was showing and what she wasn't.

However, despite the physical reminders of currents events, there was no mistaking who she was, or he should say, where she came from. Five hundred years. Ten different women. All of them could be traced back to the original.

"Kikyou?" She asked, perplexed. "Kagome. Please tell me you remember me, Inuyasha. I remember you."

No. Not Kikyou. Kikyou had been dead and buried for five hundred years. She was far too young. Still, it was possible. "Kagome." The resemblance between the two was remarkable, and if this were five hundred years earlier, the girl could have been Kikyou's sister. But the cheekbones, the set of the eyes, the dark hair and pale skin, all of it reminded him of his old love.

"Yeah." Though she smiled, it didn't reach her eyes, a sight that disturbed him greatly. But watching her approach he knew who she was, and that she was the one he had come for. "You promised to return one day," she replied. "It was probably ten years ago, but I watched for you everyday."

Ten years ago…

The happy child with the bright eyes.

The one who always smiled.

The one he knew could fill the empty spot within him, much more so than the others. She already had during that one visit. "Kagome."

He caught her wincing as her barefoot stumbled over a large stone on the ground. Her socks and shoes had obviously gone the way of her pants and half her shirt. This was not an uncommon sight, nor was the sight of seeing her covered in blood, both her own and a mix of those she had no doubt stopped to help. Shedding his jacket, he carefully placed it on her shoulders, forgetting the blood that would no doubt stain it.

It would only serve as a physical reminder of what he had done.

Though her gasp of pain was near silent, it echoed through his ears as she stepped on yet another stone. Frowning, he glanced at her feet, noticing for the first time the fresh blood oozing from the large toe. She didn't cry, nor did she complain, but he knew the pain was unbearable. She was radiating with it. It was yet another similarity.

Five hundred years, almost a dozen women, and Kagome was perhaps the closest to Kikyou. Perhaps that was why he was drawn to her ten years ago.

"Come on." Though his tone was gruff, he tried to remain gentle as he picked her up and held her within his arms. They had a long road to travel, most of it by foot as he didn't dare get caught by the jets, which still flew above. Desertion wasn't a term the army threw around lightly, and he knew his disappearance would cause the Japanese government to send people out searching for him. He knew too much, had done too much. "Where's your family?" he asked, knowing instinctively she wouldn't leave them behind.

"Dead." She sounded numb as she answered, curling her head into his shoulder. "All of them. It was instantaneous with Souta. Mama and ji-chan died later. I'll be joining them shortly."

His heart stirred in revolt as he heard those words. "You'll live, Kagome."

"No. Look at me. Each minute the sickness is changing. First it was just the blood, now there's white spots within the blood. It's only a matter of time before the poison takes me."

He did. He looked down at her skin and saw the rising white spots in amongst the blood and charred skin. Radiation poisoning was a bitch, and it would take a lot for her to overcome it, but she was strong, and she would. She was another of Kikyou's reincarnations. Perhaps the first true one in a long time. She was strong in more ways than one. But he couldn't help but be concerned. Clutching her a little tighter, he smiled at her sigh of relief.

She felt safe.

With him.

This trust she seemed to emit was overwhelming. "Where are we going?" she asked, her lashes fluttering lightly against her reddened cheek as she closed her eyes.

"Away. Somewhere safe."

Sesshoumaru's, he thought. As much as he didn't wish to see his elder brother, there was no place else he could go. Taking to the wind, he left the black cloud and dust of Hiroshima behind. The city would forever remember the tragedy that occurred, the shadows of people would be forever burned into the walls of nearby buildings. But that didn't mean he had to always live within the shadow of it.

"I'll protect you, Kagome. Always."

AN

The images portrayed in this fic are taken from actual accounts of survivors of Hiroshima in 1945. Many of them were just children when it happened, and some of the worst accounts came from those who lived close to the hypercentre. Black rain is the term used to describe the rain of that time as it was radioactive particles floating down from the blast. The last moments of people in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been forever recorded on the walls of buildings as to this day you can still see their shadows of where they stood burned into the concrete and brick.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this fic, it is for sheer enjoyment only.