Wanted Dead or Alive

Prologue

"Kay, bye mom." Kagome called out as she headed for the Bone-Eaters Well.

"Bye honey, say hello to everyone for me!" Kagome 's mom bellowed, waving goodbye.

"Okay, I got everything I need, Feudal Japan here I come." Kagome said to herself as she jumped down the well.

Chapter 1

"Feh!, What's takin that wench so long. She should be here by now." Inuyasha said to himself as he stood alone by the well. Suddenly, a strange scent passed by briefly. "Huh, wonder what that was. Probably nothing major."

Just then, a young woman with black hair, dressed in a school uniform popped out of the well beside him. His nose was filled with the scent of lilacs and tulips.

"Heh, hi Inuyasha," Kagome said nervously "sorry I'm late."

"Feh, whatever, just c'mon, everybody's waiting" Inuyasha said sternly.

As he was walking off, something caught Kagome 's eye. Inuyasha 's Tetsuiga was missing. "Hey, uh..., where's the Tetsuiga Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Oh, it's being repaired. Should be ready sometime near the half-moon." He said uncaringly.

Again he smelled that scent. He identified the scent as familiar this time, but something didn't feel right. As soon as he recalled the scent, he also felt a dark, ominous presence. As did Kagome.

"Careful, something seems awkward." Inuyasha spat.

Kagome gave an assuring nod.

Unbeknownst to them, a dark figure watched them from the shadows.

On the way back to the village, Inuyasha noticed he was being followed by seven people. Six humans, and the other that weird presence from before.

"Why are they following us?" he asked.

"I don't know, it's really creepy though." Kagome stated.

As soon as those words came out of her mouth, a sword was drove through Inuyasha 's left shoulder, forcing him to the ground. Screaming in pain, he attempted to cut him in half with his Iron Reaver Soul Stealer.

"Hah, I got him." he gloated. He was surprised to see that human standing still in one piece. "What the hell!?" he spat.

The man pulled another sword out, thrusting it into his right shoulder. "Aaaaahhhh!" screamed the half-demon.

Unable to move his arms, he kneeled down, readying to bite the man when another appeared holding a knife to Kagome 's throat. "You move, she dies." he said

A look of horror appeared on Inuyasha 's face, followed by a look of defeat. "If you kill me, can she go free?" he asked desperately. "Yes." the one in front of him replied, chuckling afterwards.

Now, the demonic scent was stronger than ever. He looked over to Kagome, tears welling up in his eyes. "Kagome, I want you to know that I... I-I-I... I love you!" he managed to confess. "I always have and will till the day that I die, which may not be very long from now."

Kagome was sobbing profusely now. Half of her tears of joy, Inuyasha actually loves her. And half of sorrow. It was bad enough when she thought she hadn't a chance with him. Now, she does have a chance and he's going to be killed. Dammit!

Inuyasha stared his foe dead in the eyes. He sensed that presence approaching him. The man raised his sword in the air. As the sword was coming down, he shut his eyes. Soon after he felt blood stain his body, but no pain came. Was this what it was like to be dead? He then heard kagome shriek, so instinctively tried to open his eyes. Surprisingly, they opened. He found a face of disgust on Kagome. She was pointing in front of him. He looked at the man in front of him to find a hand pierced through his chest, holding out his still beating heart. It was appalling. The hand then squeezed into a fist, crushing the heart and sending blood in all directions.

"Hey, what the hell's going on here!?" the man holding the young priestess hostage yelled as he pulled out his sword. "Half-breed, one move and I kill the girl," he said holding the sword to her throat,"I really mean I-." Silence followed. The figure had hold of the mans head. Just as soon as he had got over there, the figure snapped the neck of the human. Kagome was still trembling, and by this time, the other four humans had started charging both the figure, who Inuyasha had finally recognized as an Ishukami, and the half-demon too. " You must fight without your demonic powers. If there is a demonic pulse behind your attack, their bodies will become intangible." called a masculine, raspy voice. Inuyasha then jerked himself up and tried to raise a fist, but soon dropped it to his waist having forgotten of his previous shoulder injuries.

"Looks like I'm fighting with my feet." the Hanyou said confidently.

Inuyasha then began to charge the mini-army of men in light blue hoari. He leapt in the air kicked on of the scrawnier ones in the face. The only reaction from the grunt was Inuyasha 's foot being grabbed and the half-demon was flung to the other side of the clearing. In fact, he was thrown right into Kagome, knocking her out cold. Now he was pissed! He got up and started to charge on of the men but to no avail, as a tranquilizer was shot into his shoulder. Inuyasha fell to the ground in a haze he looked at the Ishukami and gasped, "Protect... Kagome, please." The Inu Hanyou then blacked out.

As for the Ishukami, he stared the four men down with no look of fear in his eyes.

Then he spoke, "You are all kairai. You mean nothing to your teishu and will gain nothing from my capture."

One of the mercenaries then stepped forward, "Shut your goddamn mouth, Hebi"

"Please, you flatter me. Poor little me, a snake, HAH! You all make me laugh. You are nothing more than slaves to a greedy, power-hungry bastard that only wishes to eliminate me for the simple fact that I can defeat him with both hands tied behind my back." he scoffed arrogantly. "You probably don't even know my name. Filthy wretches!"

"We don't need to know your name to know that you're an abomination." the biggest one shouted.

"Well one should at least know the name of the one who slew them. After all it's only fair." the Ishukami said with a wicked smile curling his lips. "My name is Sune-kumaru, and you shall have the pleasure of being fed to my 'pets'"

"Pets, just what in the hell do you mean by pets?" the soldier asked

"You shall see." Sune-kumaru stated evilly.

Sune-kumaru then began making hand signs at an ever increasing speed, stopping with his arms straight out. He pointed his head towards the sky with his mouth open. He let his arms fall limp and a foot and a half long tung fell from it. A loud hissing noise came from deep inside him and then several thirteen foot long snakes began pouring from his mouth, all headed in the direction of the four extremely unfortunate mercenaries. The four were unable to move, still in shock of what they had witnessed. One by one the snakes plunged their fangs into the men, poisoning them and devouring them bit by bit, all the while Sune-kumaru watched with a pleased look on his face, his tung flicking back and forth. When nothing was left but bones and blood stains in the grass, the sick figure who had summoned the creatures assumed his former position and let out a strong hiss, signaling for his pets to come back. After the snakes had slithered down his throat, he replaced his tung and licked his lips evilly.

"Feh, you weren't worth the trouble of summoning my pets. You all tasted awful!" Sune-kumaru raved.

He then directed his attention to the Inu Hanyou and the young Miko, wondering what to do with them. He then walked over to the two. He first picked up Kagome, tossing her over his left shoulder. He did the same for Inuyasha, tossing him over his left shoulder.

"I will assume that you two are headed for the village near here, so I will take you there." he said talking more to himself than anyone else considering that his only company was either unconscious or near death judging by how much blood was draining from Inuyasha 's wounds. He then grabbed Kagome 's backpack, having to hold it with his teeth, and proceeded to run to Kaede 's village, carrying the two injured warriors on his shoulders.