Ghost Dog
Prologue 1: Search Kyoto: Wolf: Winter
Thunder crackled heavily over a wintering forest in Kyoto. The frozen branches looked like something in a dark, twisted fanciful tale of old lore when the lightning split the sky with tentacles of blinding white.
Underneath the twisted grove of pale darkness, a wolf trudged blindly in the snow, her paw prints almost immediately covered by snowflakes falling gently to earth. Her raven's wing black coat was matted slightly down by snow and blood.
Her azure eyes gleamed strongly like gems reflecting off sunlight in a mid summer day. Her black muzzle twitched slightly when a familiar scent wafted up into her nostrils. Moon flowers.
Her eyes widened and if possible, brightened. The gunshot wound in her left shoulder caused her to limp, but at the moment; it didn't hinder her at all.
'Cheza…Cheza…are you closer? Or just farther away from me...? Her mind didn't ponder the question as her legs stretched painfully into a start of a long run, merely following the scent of the flower maiden.
The snow crunched beneath her soar paws that had been stabbed repeatedly with nails. Her chest no longer heaved heavily in order to gain air, but breathed lightly and calmly.
Her nostrils flared as she breathed in the faint scent of moon flower and the rotting stench of Darcia. Her tail flew behind her and her mouth parted slightly, her ears flattened against her elongated skull.
The wind blew against her, as if trying to push her back to the beginning of her eternal journey for Paradise. Then, a mantra blossomed within her head, Cheza, Cheza, Cheza…Cheza…
Tokyo: Hanyou: Winter
An inu hanyou sat on an office chair staring at a package that contained an iron collar studded with tiny bumps. He remember the man with the scarred face, that maniacal look in his eyes as he offered him a once in a lifetime offer.
Car horns were heard even from inside of the empty office. Traffic lights dimly illuminated the figure covered in bandages, his hoarse voice explaining what he wanted from the inu hanyou.
"Look at them, humans, just like me, except... I want something no one can have, forbidden fruit, as they say ne?" he chuckled lowly, his bandaged hand coming to muffle the rusty noise.
"And what could you possibly want that those people don't desire themselves?" the inu hanyou asked suspiciously.
The human didn't answer for a long moment, "I want Paradise."
"Keh, as if they don't want Paradise you fool."
"Not that Paradise, hanyou. I don't want money or women. I just want Paradise itself."
The inu hanyou looked up from the tasty contract offering thirteen million yen up front and another fifteen after he completed the job. "Isn't that Paradise itself? Every man's fantasy? Money and broads?"
He chuckled again, "To you and every other pathetic lowlife, maybe." The hanyou snarled in resentment at the insult but kept quiet. "No, Paradise is where, I'm free of people's stares at my disfigurement, every one is perfect in Paradise. That is my goal; to be accepted instead of cast out…I bet that's what you want too, ne, hanyou?"
The inu's eyes widened and he looked away, "That's what a lot of people want, to be accepted and perfect. Everyone wants perfection; it's the forbidden fruit of fantasy we haven't tasted yet."
The man let out another rusty chuckle, "Of course, of course. Every man strives to that bloody golden apple in the Gods' eyes ne? But, that's what you're here for. I want you to bring me back that golden apple."
The hanyou snorted and stared at the man, "You want me to bring you a spray painted apple?"
The man's grey spiraled eyes darkened, "Don't get fresh, boy. But you are going to bring something else much more valuable than a simple apple." He slid over a packet of papers in a manila folder. "Inside that folder is your copy of the contract, everything you need to know about Paradise, who and what you are capturing and…the flower maiden; Cheza. She's the key to Paradise."
The hanyou flipped through the descriptions and contracts until he came upon one picture. A girl about seventeen was barely standing, her knees touched as her midnight hair stuck to her face. Blood caked her abdomen, legs and face. Her azure eyes flashed with defiance, anger and hate. Her torn white shirt hung loosely on her and her jeans were ripped violently at the knees.
"Who the hell is this?" the hanyou blurted out.
The man smirked beneath the bandages, "That is the one and only wolf who can open Paradise. Higurashi Kagome." His eyes glittered madly. "With her, I'll own Paradise."
The hanyou's eyes narrowed, "What happened to just wanting to be in Paradise?" he growled.
"Hanyou, I was merely making an example of how powerful I would be in Paradise with her."
The inu growled, "Does she even know about-"
"Yes, she knows about Cheza, protects the flower with her very life. Amazing, really,"
"What's amazing about it!" he snapped.
He chuckled again, "That's the way you were with your Kikyo, ne? Protective, selfish… the list could go on."
The hanyou's eyes flashed, "Leave her out of this!" he hissed viciously.
The man waved a hand dismissively, "As you will, get me this wolf and you'll have enough money to buy her back from my wretched brother, Naraku. Understood, InuYasha?"
InuYasha scowled at him, "Yeah, whatever, by the way, what's the collar for?"
He held up an iron collar studded with soft, metal bumps, "Faye creatures are allergic to iron in a way, wolves are such Faye creatures, therefore, she won't be able to change into her wolf form with this on and it means less trouble for you."
InuYasha raised a curious brow, "You're taking her freedom away?"
"Do you want the job or not?"
"Keh, whatever."
So here he was an iron collar in that package and a contract to sign. Take away her freedom? Could he really and truly do that? That wolf…he looked over at the picture in which she was barely standing. The look in her eyes, that white hot hate and anger mixed in with the icy defiance.
That wolf wasn't going to give up while she was still breathing, but Kikyo, Naraku had her. He couldn't let him have her, she was his lover, and he couldn't allow that. The wolf was going to forfeit.
Cracking his knuckles, each one popped soundly. Shuffling through the many papers, he came upon of where she was predicted to be at this time.
As InuYasha rode on the smooth subway, he read a book called Book of the Howling. It wasn't a fantasy book containing werewolves, but the true nature of wild wolves.
Wolves are the mortal gods of our world; they were the protectors of the night for the Indians. Hunted for hundreds of years, these creatures have thought to be extinct for the last seven decades are still out there.
Their mother; goddess Moon, is the one they praise in the howling. She is their love, and mother.
In death, these Gods' creatures go to a place we only dream of: Paradise. Wolves who howl not only for excitement, spite and anger, but praise goddess are to be carted off to a wonderland of different seasons and bountiful food. But the already dead wolves must wait until the Obakeinu opens the doors.
One wolf, the one who will protect the flower maiden; Cheza will be the one to open this Paradise.
The wolf with the agape jaws was staring madly, as though she was the one who the world depended on. InuYasha thumbed past some pages before the wheels of the subway screeched in a sign of stopping.
A dog ear flicked languidly at an intercom telling everyone very kindly to get the hell off of his subway. Dog earring the ancient page of the book, he got up.
Stepping out of his cart, he walked to a crowded platform that read the number 3. Tapping his foot and readjusting his cloak, he waited for twenty three minutes for his contact; a perverted Buddhist priest nick named Rat.
InuYasha glared impatiently at a clock that read midnight and ground his demonic fangs and molars together in a futile attempt to calm down.
As InuYasha was about to scream high heavens, he felt something rather odd on his rear. It felt oddly like a hand…a man's hand. He felt a tic appear on his brow and his left eye twitched. Twirling around, he smacked the hand painfully away from his personal space.
Grabbing the weirdo by his throat and hoisting him up, InuYasha snarled. "What the hell were you doing to my ass!"
The young human looked shocked; obviously had thought of him as a girl from behind. Clearing his throat, he tried to redeem himself, "I am very sorry, I…" he eyed the inu critically. "I didn't think you were…" he stared the large fangs and equally massive claws, "…of my gender…forgive me…" he smiled charmingly.
InuYasha felt the tic in his eyebrow pop like an overheated balloon. "You thought I was a girl!" being groped in a crowded subway station by some weird freak was bad enough, but to be insulted of his gender was by far infuriating and embarrassing.
The short, black haired human now noticed his mistake, twiddling his thumbs while he was beginning to turn pretty colors, he thought frantically. "I didn't say anything of the sort, I merely pointed out that…" he felt the inu hanyou's grip tighten, so he hurriedly wheezed out, "You are much prettier than most males!"
The human felt he had been dropped as his hind end kissed the cement ground. He heard low growling, the kind when a dog was about to attack. The growl lessened and soon became none existent.
"Who. The. Hell. Are. You?" the hanyou ground out slowly, as if the charming human was lacking brains.
"Ah, gomen nasai, my name is Rat." He grinned as the hanyou's eye began twitching and laughed quite nervously when his hand came up.
"So, let me get this completely straight-" Miroku; the Rat's real name asked for the umpteenth time.
"I am looking for the wolf Higurashi, Kagome to get a lot of money to buy back Kikyo from Naraku and taking the wolf's freedom away along with Cheza." InuYasha said mechanically.
Miroku looked up, a light, sincere smile covering his face, "You must truly love Kikyo if you're going through so much."
InuYasha smiled lightly, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly, "Even if I may feel guilty about taking someone's freedom away, that doesn't mean I'll break down on them."
Miroku took the picture from InuYasha's coat pocket. "For some reason, she looks oddly familiar."
InuYasha quirked an eyebrow as their subway rattled lazily along the tracks. "Do you know her?" the curiosity getting the better of him.
"I believe so, but I can't be sure…but if this is the person I think it is, I will definitely help you hunt her down," the seriousness in Miroku's voice made InuYasha start.
"Why?" the inu hanyou asked, his amber eyes lighting up with said curiosity.
Miroku looked away, as if ashamed by the answer. "She was the most…strongest person…I have ever encountered. Sango, my roommate had found her half buried in snow, practically frozen, but her heart kept beating…not giving in. Sango was a doctor working for Naraku, specializing in demons and other immortals…then, after work while she was coming home she found that…" Miroku's face twisted nastily, "Wolf, she took care of her…and became obsessed with her. How she lived, what she thought…she wanted to know why Cheza was important," he winced and touched his breast gingerly.
"I tried to tell Sango over and over that this wolf was being hunted by Naraku; but she wouldn't listen to reason. She insisted that we should hide her till she was fully healed and could look for Cheza…
"When the wolf left, Sango wanted to find her and know more…she was greedy for knowledge. And then, Naraku found out and…Sango never came home."
InuYasha grimaced; from the way Miroku sounded… he loved this 'Sango'. "Did he kill her?"
Miroku's glazed eyes turned to him sharply, "Y-yes…they never found her body…I want to kill that damn wolf for never telling us she was being hunted." His violet eyes glittered with a vengeance.
"I'm sorry, for your loss…"
Miroku smiled bitterly, "As am I."