Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the series. I just wish I did!
WARNING: This story will contain chapters with violence, mature subject matter and dark themes. If you are underage or if any of this kind of content may offend you then please leave now.
Also I am aware that my spelling is bad, but no one I know knows I write stories so I have no one to proof read my work.
Reviews are very much appreciated
Chapter One Attack in the Forest
It was a dark night near the end of June. Despite the efforts of the nearly full moon, the clouds shielded the earth completely from her light making the sky seem like a single blanket of infinite blackness. No sound was heard in the darkness except for the swaying of the trees as the wind whispered over their branches. A horned owl flew silently north over field and forest alike searching for his nightly meal.
From a bird's eye the forest seems to stretch north forever. On the brightest and clearest of summer days you can see the trees go all the way up and over to the rising mountains, all the way to the far horizon. Looking east a similar sight would meet you, only the mountains seem to slope slowly down and disappear. Instead of eternal green, a thin sparkling blue sliver cuts between the dark green foliage and the lighter pale blue of the sky. Here the ocean takes over where the trees and earth end. During the daytime or by the light of the moon the forest seems like a flourishing and almost magical place, but on a night such as this it appeared as a black hole, barren and lifeless, scared into the earth.
The only lights come from the city to the west, and even they are only tiny dots of light lining the outer boundaries of the woods.
The owl circled low over the southeasterly most point of the city, where all the buildings have either all been demolished and left to the will of the forest or left standing but abandoned only to one day meet the same fate as their ground sentenced brethren.
The owl, not seeing any potential meals swooped down under the thick canopy of the trees in hopes of finding a wayward squirrel. He moved silently through and around the thick tree branches never making a sound. Soon he emerged from the leaves over one of the many wondering paths that wind through the forest near the city.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
A shrill scream echoed suddenly from the ground scaring the owl from his easy flight. Flapping his wings hard he righted himself and alighted on an overhanging branch on the other side of the path.
"Would you shut up ... it's just an owl out hunting." came a much calmer but annoyed voice from the same point as the scream. It was so dark that the owner of the voices walking along the path could barely see their hands in front of their faces. For the owl, seeing in the dark comes much more easily than humans and from his perch he could see five distinct figures moving along the dirt path.
"Sorry. It's just so dark out. It's got me all jumpy ... plus I really hate owls. They're just so creepy the way they stare at you and how they can do a one-eighty with their heads. How can you even tell where we are Yuka?" Asked the girl who had screamed.
"I know these trails um ... well pretty good Airy. This one should bring us out near the entrance to the park ... . hmmmm ... There's a bus stop there ... !"
"Wow Yuka your words have instilled such confidence in me, lead on O great leader." came another voice from the dark, speaking in a very mocking sort of tone.
"O shut up Yuri!" answered Yuka.
"Hey were are Kagome and Sango? God I hate not being able to see anything" asked Airy after a minute.
"We're still here." answered Sango, her voice coming a few feet back from the rest of the group.
"Hurry up Kagome or we'll never get home!" shouted Yuka impatiently. Even though Yuka couldn't see Kagome she knew she was hanging behind the group. She always did when they managed to get her out of the house.
"We're BOTH right behind you!" answered Sango sounding a little annoyed at her friend. Sango looked to her right were she knew Kagome was walking next to her on the path.
The five girls were making their way home from an end of school party. A camp out in the woods to celebrate the end of another school year and the promised freedom of summer. Unfortunately the party had ended a tad prematurely. Someone must have caught site of the bomb fire and called in the authorities. Everyone had scattered into the trees so they wouldn't be caught. Now the girls were left stumbling through the darkness.
Kagome walked quietly next to sango with her hands buried in her pockets. The silent emptiness of the trees gave her a bad feeling. She felt as if somewhere in the darkness someone or something was watching them. Kagome fought the urge to run as best she could. Suddenly Kagome collided with something. There was a series of painful yelps as she fell to the ground in a tangle of flailing arms and legs.
"Watch where you're going Kagome!" yelled Yuri.
"I would if I could see where I was going!" responded Kagome in an annoyed tone.
"Why did u stop Airy?" Kagome continued as she helped her friend back to her feet.
"I ... I thought I saw something ... up ahead on the path ..." answered Airy in a scared voice.
"O give me a break Airy it's impossible to see anything out here!" said Yuka sounding rather annoyed. But even as the words left her mouth, the moon suddenly made an appearance lighting the ground. Instinctively all eyes moved to the path ahead. As the light moved across the path a dark shadow stood in the void of trees maybe forty feet ahead of them. Everyone held their breaths as the light from the moon disappeared for a moment behind the clouds before reappearing but the shadow was gone.
"Where did it go?" asked Airy as she looked around at the scared faces of her friends.
"Maybe we should go back." suggested Sango as she scanned the trees around them.
"We'll get caught by the cops if we go back!" responded Yuka.
"It's better then finding out what ever the hell that was!" yelled Yuri.
"Shut up ... ALL of you!" Kagome's voice rang clearly above the others. Everyone turned to look at her. The moons light had almost completely disappeared again but just enough remained for them to see the frightened look on their friend's face. Kagome could feel the panic rising inside her.
"It's too late to turn back ... they're here ... there's nowhere to run."
"What is it Kagome?" asked a worried and scared Sango.
"Demons ... they're watching us ... hunting us ..."
The girls looked at each other all waiting for someone to say something. For someone to come up with some brilliant plan to get them out this mess.
The trees around them rustled but there was so wind to move them. A sound floated from deep in the trees. At first it was hard to make out but soon it grew in pitch and volume. The sounds came from all directions. Someone was laughing. The laughs were menacing and evil and they echoed in the darkness.
Then out of the darkness the figure appeared before them. The demon's red eyes burned through the night as he continued to laugh. Terrified, Airy backed away and turned to run, but was met by another dark figure. Surprised she screamed. The sound scared the other girls who also took off into the darkness. Two more demons materialized out of the trees. It was pandemonium as Kagome stood rooted in fear, she listened as her friends where picked off one by one. Each one of them screaming as a demon grabbed hold of them.
Kagome hit her knees and closed her eyes as tight as she could but the sight of the demon's red eyes still lingered. She clamped her hands over her ears to stop the screams. The screams of innocent lives being changed forever. She was trapped all over again. Kagome could see and smell and hear everything as if it were yesterday. Children, girls and boys, screamed in their cages as the monsters had their way with them. The cold chains rubbed against Kagome's skin as they held her against the wall. Tears flowed down her face as she remembered the feel of his hands ... the horrible feeling of udder helplessness.
But she wasn't helpless ... not this time.
Sango thrashed her arms and kicked her feet against the demon who held her tight. Suddenly there was a sickening crunch and the weight of the demon collapsed onto her. Feeling the grip on her throat loosen Sango pushed herself free and got to her feet. Kagome stood next to her with a large stick in one hand and offering a second to Sango who eagerly accepted it.
"Now what?" asked Sango who was standing like a batter read to strike at anything that moved.
"I don't know" answered Kagome.
Suddenly something bumped Kagome's leg. Reacting Kagome made to swing her stick but stopped at the last second.
"God Airy! I just about took your head off!" yelled Kagome as she helped her friend off the ground.
"What are you doing ... where is the demon?" asked Sango as she looked around frantically.
"I ... I dunno he just suddenly let go of me. It felt like something hit him or grabbed him and he just dropped me. So I crawled away as fast as I could!"
Kagome and Sango exchanged worried looks as they gripped their weapons tighter.
The group moved quietly through the darkness. The night had suddenly become quiet again. Suddenly Sango's foot caught on something and she fell to the ground. She shook her head and looked around to see what she had tripped her. One of the demons lay at her feet in pieces, it's blood soaking the dirt path. The grotesque scene was too much and she screamed.
"Oh my God ..." breathed Airy as she jumped back.
"What the hell is going on?" asked Sango.
'There is something else out here . . . ' Kagome thought to herself.
Kagome spotted something else a few feet away and moved to investigate.
"Yuka!" she yelled.
"I found Yuka ... she's unconscious."
"That's more then you'll be." a voice hissed from the darkness. Before Kagome had time to react the demon had her by the throat. Sango appeared and swung her stick hitting her mark square in the back. With a painful groan the demon fell dropping Kagome.
"Guys grab Yuka. We need to get out of here!"
"What about Yuri?" asked Airy already trying to ger Yuka to her feet.
"Lets hope she's already finding a way out of the woods ..."
"heHAAhaaaaa HAAAAHAAAAha ... you stupid girl. You have not escaped me! You're just a little whore in need of a new master!" the demon laughed. Kagome felt chills run across her skin as the demon continued to laugh.
"Your old master was a fool to let such delectable escape from his grasp ... but I assure you, you will not escape from me."
Fear gripped Kagome as she sat before the demon who stood over her once more.
"How ... how do you know" Kagome stuttered.
"It is clear to a demon that your soul is tainted and marked ..." the demon hissed as he laughed and moved towards her.
"KAGOME! MOVE!" Sango's voice echoed through the night air. Kagome reacted just in time, rolling to the side just as the demon lunged for her.
"RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!" Kagome screamed as she jumped to her feet and ran into the trees.
"KAGOME WAIT!" Sango cried as she watched her friend disappear into the forest and the demon after her. They waited in silence for a moment.
"Come on lets get Yuka out of here first!" Sango ordered and they moved down the path as fast as they could.
Kagome ran as fast as she could through the trees, not having any clue where she was going. Kagome knew running into the trees was pretty much a death wish. There was not a chance in hell she was going to out run or out fight a full blooded demon. But she wasn't going to let her friends live through what she had. The demon's words kept echoing in her ears,
'It is clear to a demon that your soul is tainted and marked ...'
Tears streamed down her face as she ran. It was true. She was tainted. It didn't matter if she lived or died but she wasn't going to let it happen to her friends.
A hand appeared from behind a tree grabbing Kagome's throat. Kagome's feet flew out from under her and she landed hard on her back knocking the wind clear out of her.
"That was stupid little girl." the demon hissed as Kagome felt his weight pressing down on her. Kagome tried to scream but his hand crushed her throat slowly strangling her. She cringed as he hissed into her ear,
"I told you, you would not get away from me" the demon's free hand moved along the collar of her t-shirt ripping the fabric as he went. The edge of his claws caught Kagome's skin tearing it. Kagome tensed at the sudden pain. She could feel her blood soaking into her shirt and running down her shoulder. The demon leaned over her and ran his tongue along the cut and then up the side of her neck.
"You taste so sweet little girl. I'd almost believe you were pure ..." the demon breathed the words into her ear sending shivers down Kagome's spine. Her vision started to swim and blur as her lungs heaved trying to get air but they just couldn't get enough.
"By now my brothers have captured your friends and are having some fun ... but you ... I think I will keep you to myself for now."
Kagome fought as hard as she could against the demon but she wasn't strong enough. He just laughed louder and louder. Tears flowed faster down her cheek as she suddenly felt him between her legs. His hand moved along her thighs and over her stomach. Kagome could hear the voices and the screams. Tortured children screaming in the dark. Chains rattled. Men moaned. The stench in the air was unbearable. The red eyes burned into her memory forever.
Kagome suddenly felt herself returning to reality. She wasn't in that horrible place anymore she was being attacked in the woods. The air was rushing back into her lungs and she met no resistance as she tried to sit up. Kagome tried to look around to see where the demon had disappeared to. She could hear something moving in the trees, it sounding like fighting.
The moon peeked out from behind the clouds flooding the forest in light. A loud growling sound irrupted from somewhere near by drawing Kagome's attention. Several meters away she saw two figures standing amongst the shadows of the trees. Both stood with their hands raised ready to attack. Kagome noticed the red eyes of the demon facing her and knew it had to be the same demon who had attacked her. The new comer stood with his back towards her, between herself and her attacker. Suddenly the demon lunged forwards attacking the stranger who blocked the attack easily and sent the demon sprawling backwards.
"You think you can defeat me? You are weak and worthless!" The demon snarled as he got to his feet. The stranger said nothing.
"You're not even a demon ..." this time the stranger attacked with lightening speed cutting the demon off in mid sentence. Kagome saw a flash of light as his claws sliced through the demon. The demon's body slumped to the ground in pieces, just like the one Sango had tripped over back on the path.
Kagome held her breath as she waited for something to happen, but the stranger just stood there with his back to her. Kagome didn't dare move. Had he killed the demon to save her ... or had he come to stake is own claim on her. Minutes passed.
Suddenly Kagome jumped as a bright light flashed through the trees followed by shouts and calls,
"Miss Kagome? ... Miss Kagome? ... Miss Kagome are you there?"
Kagome looked back to where the figure stood but he was gone.
A policeman appeared at Kagome's side holding a flash light,
"It's ok Miss. You're going to be ok! We're going to help you."
Kagome felt the world fading away as she felt her body falling.
Kagome woke a few hours later in the hospital. Machines next to her bed beeped and hummed as they monitored her vitals. Looking over Kagome saw Sango asleep in a chair, a white bandage taped to her cheek. Scenes from the night flashed in Kagome's mind. She crushed her hands over her ears and kept her eyes closed trying to make them stop. One voice kept repeating in her head, a voice she had not heard in a long time,
"You are mine" it kept saying over and over.
Kagome didn't notice the doctor enter the room, and she couldn't hear him asking if she was ok. The doctor called for a nurse and tried to give Kagome a sedative but when he touched her arm she screamed and flailed her arms hitting him in the head. Sango woke and jumped up to help restrain her.
"Kagome relax ... relax it's ok" Sango said trying to calm her friend. Finally the doctor got the sedative into her and she relaxed after a moment.
"Why was she acting like that? What did you do to her?" yelled Sango at the doctors.
"It's not their fault Sango" came a voice from the doorway. A tall dark haired man stepped into the room.
"I don't believe we have met, my name is Miroku" said the young man extending his hand in Sango's direction. Sango accepted his hand,
"I'm Sango, I'm a friend of Kagome's"
"You can think of me as Kagome's cousin." Miroku said smiling.
Once the doctors had left the room Miroku sat down next to Sango,
"Sango can you tell me what happened tonight?"
Sango looked at him for a moment then at Kagome.
"We where walking in the woods after the party. We got attacked by demons. They came out of no where and grabbed us. It was horrible, they just kept laughing ... and the things they said to Kagome ..."
"What do you mean?" Miroku said sounding very serious.
"They said ... they said ... I'm sorry it's just so horrible." Sango said wiping away her tears.
"Please Sango this is important!" Miroku said putting a hand on her shoulder. Sango looked over at Kagome again.
"They said ... that she was a whore and that it was clear to a demon that her soul was tainted or marked or something like that." Sango wiped her face again.
Miroku didn't say anything.
"But she saved us. She was stupid but she saved us."
"How?" asked Miroku giving Sango a curious look.
"She attacked the demon that had me with a stick, then we found Airy and Yuka. But then he found us again. He started taunting Kagome but she ran off into the trees and he followed her. She told us to run. If she hadn't run into the trees it would have gotten all of us."
"Where was Yuri? And what happened to the other demons?"
"We found Yuri when we got out of the forest. She had already called for help so I left them there and went back to find Kagome. I found the other demons ... they were all dead. They were ripped apart by something. I met up with one of the policeman and went looking for Kagome. When we found her I noticed another demon ... the one that had chased after her ... was also dead ... just like the others. There must have been something else out there."
"Thankfully for you." Miroku sighed.
"Is she going to be ok?" asked Sango looking over at Kagome again.
Miroku paused. A sad look came over him,
"I hope so" there was along silence as they both watched Kagome sleep.
"There's nothing we can do for her tonight. Is someone coming to get you or can I take you home?" asked Miroku.
"I .. I don't want to go home alone. My parents are out of town for the weekend."
"Would you feel better at Kagome's house?" Sango nodded.
Miroku drove Sango to the old shrine where Kagome's family lived. He unlocked the door and let her in.
"Kagome's mom is off on a business trip. I called her and she's on her way home but she probably wont get here until tomorrow night. You can sleep on the couch in the living room if you want."
Sango nodded and moved into the living room. She lay down on the couch and barely had time to adjust her pillow before she was asleep.
Here ends chapter one but chapter two is just a click away!