Thief of Hearts - Chapter One

By: Sakura Katsana

Disclaimer: Rumiko-sama, can I ask you a HUGE favor?

Rumiko-sama: No, you cannot have Inuyasha.

Sakura: ::sigh:: It was worth a shot . . .

Sakura's Note: Hey everyone! Here is my newest fic, one I hope you all will enjoy just as much as I do to write it. I've been working on it for a while now, editing it, and rewriting parts to make it better. I think it's going to be one of my favorites! Also, thank you to my Beta Reader, Ariri sama for editing this chapter for me. I really appreciate it. So, this chapter is dedicated to her.

There isn't much to say, seeing how this is the first chapter and all. So, please read and review.

Enjoy!

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Chapter One: The Sengoku Jidai

He sighed into his hands, slowly moving them back down to his chair's armrest, "Listen to me, all of you!"

The roaring of foreseen victory silenced immediately.

"Always remember to pillage BEFORE you burn!" He glared at the men, silently reliving the very embarrassing slipup of his comrades over and over in his head. "I don't want a repeat of last time."

Almost all of the men bowed their heads in embarrassment as various apologies flowed through the room, all directed towards their very frustrated leader.

He waved a passive hand, while the other massaged his temple, "Alright, alright, I guess it's done with. It's not like we didn't get a good haul anyway, right?"

Agreeing cheers filled the room, some even tossed rubies and diamonds around haphazardly.

"Right," he agreed, a smile playing at his lips. "Carry on." He didn't have a chance to reach for his sake before the uproar of cheers began and the partying resumed.

As long as they weren't drunk enough to fall off their horses it'd be alright.

A little sake before looting never did any harm, if anything it made everything go much better-- as long as they didn't start burning things again. . .

Smirking, their leader stood and walked towards the festivities. Suddenly he felt a hand slap his shoulder. "Ah, what wise advice you gave up there," a man about a year or two older than his honey-eyed King flashed his pearly whites. "Something that will stick with their hearts for years to come, wouldn't you say, Inuyasha?"

"Sarcasm doesn't really become you, Miroku," Inuyasha stated simply, biting into a huge drumstick he had gotten his hands on.

The lavender-eyed man smiled sardonically, "And leadership doesn't really become you either." Inuyasha shot the older man a glare, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, gods."

"You damn well better be," Inuyasha muttered, taking a gulp of sake. "You ready for the haul tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Miroku replied, whipping his head around as a man who had taken a dive off a table yelped in pain. "But, I think that lad might."

"Oi!" Inuyasha slapped a hand to his face, "Take the sake out of here!" He roared at two of Sengoku Jidai's more bulky members--Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu.

The two nodded and began hauling the hogsheads of sake and rice wine into the storage rooms despite everyone's protests.

"You just pissed off a lot of men 'Yash," Miroku shook his head sadly, "But," he said in a singsong voice, "I still have mine--hey!" Inuyasha smirked as he held the goblet of sake above his friend's head.

"How dare you take away the sake?!" a low, rumbling, voice came from behind, causing most of the Sengoku Jidai to fall into silence--all except those too drunk to care.

"Shut your mouth Naraku, your brother was the ass that dived off the table got himself knocked senseless!" Inuyasha growled, "I can tell just by the smell of you that you've had enough yourself."

Snickers followed Inuyasha's comments.

Naraku sneered, "Bastard . . ."

"If you have so many problems with me then why don't just go somewhere else? Like a cell in Shikon, or maybe in Kunô ?" Inuyasha knocked the man aside, "The sake's back there, if you want to get so drunk you can't grab your share of the loot then you can go. It only makes it easier for me and Miroku."

It was quiet enough to hear the crickets chirping outside.

"Well then," Inuyasha cleared his throat, "Now that that's settled." The honey-eyed boss unsheathed his sword and stabbed a hole in a barrel of rum, "Cheers."

Miroku smirked, "You do know that you just killed the purpose don't you?"

"I don't-"

"Well don't you know how to rouse a crowd?" a white-haired thief yawned with boredom, a glass of wine still in his hand.

Inuyasha ignored his brother, "Miroku, are the horses ready?"

His friend, following suite, nodded, "Yup."

Inuyasha nodded, "Alright then, when the moon rises."

"We'll get our just prizes," Miroku finished.

"You both are so adolescent," Sesshoumaru commented dryly, "What a tacky aphorism."

"Oh come on," Miroku sighed, "We've been saying it since we were kids, shouldn't it be adolescent?"

Sesshoumaru glared at both younger men, "You're not the true ruler of this place."

"If I'm not, then who is? Certainly you don't think it's you," Inuyasha growled, "Don't you have something better to . . .do? Like tend to the horses? Or is it your night off?"

"Someday, little brother, someday."

"Half brother!" Inuyasha yelled after the grumbling man.

"You always know how to annoy him, don't you?"

"Years of experience," the amber-eyed crook shrugged. "But we'll always be brothers . . .there's always time to make amends." Both men looked at one another, then laughed.

Looking above him, Inuyasha saw the moon rising through the large hole above their domain. "It's time."

With his words, the room became silent before a tumult of whooping and words of encouragement echoed through their hideout.

"To the horses!" Goshinki yelled over everyone else.

"To the horses!" The rest of the Jidai cheered, abandoning their goblets carelessly on the tables and retrieving their best weapons.

The Sengoku Jidai flooded out of their lair, riding their horses until they reached the river.

Inuyasha grinned back behind him at the others, his silvery white hair swirling around him in the early sandstorm, "Alright! The storm should be here by morning, get in, get out, and return. You know the Code, get caught; you're mute."

Their horses stormed through the desert, sand lashing out at their faces, as they rode towards their next target and newest riches.

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They reached their target around midnight, a few stars tumbling through the night sky like diamonds.

It was time to put their tactics to work.

Rouyakan had rode ahead of the others to put phase one of their flawless plan into action.

The oil was spread, the torch tossed, and now a screen of flames blocked every escape.

"It's the Sengoku Jidai!"

"Take your riches!"

"Grab your women and children!" Villagers continued to exclaim and protest as they fought to leave the village with all they could carry.

Inuyasha spurred his horse into a faster pace until he reached the middle of the village. He looked around, surveying the damage and--for them--success.

In one word, it was chaos.

The controlled flames were no longer controlled in some areas, huts were being invaded by his men right and left, their horses along with some new ones were being loaded with loot, all the while villagers clinging to the last of their possessions and running towards the far away dunes.

No one could say that his bunch was slow.

Well . . .

They could, and if they were talking about Onigumo they'd be right, but they wouldn't live long after, that was for sure.

The golden hoop in his left ear gleamed in the fires surrounding the village. His silver hair shimmered in the glow of the fires and danced along his back with the winds that fanned the growing flames.

He, Inuyasha, was the one that struck deep fear into these villagers' hearts. You could tell by the look on their faces as they scuttled past.

But his brow furrowed when he spotted Hiten and Manten battering some children for their possessions.

"Hiten! Manten!" Inuyasha galloped towards them, anger engraved into his features. "What in all the hells do you think you're doing?"

"Taking what we want," Hiten barked, his brother nodding in silent accord.

Inuyasha growled, swung his leg over his black stallion, and knelt down to the children's eye levels. "Get out of here, and if any of my men say anything to you, tell them Inuyasha says to leave you two alone."

The little girl nodded nervously before giving the leader of the feared Sengoku Jidai a small smile as she followed her older brother through the chaos, holding her baby brother in her arms.

"What was that?" Manten griped, annoyed.

"Yeah! You just saved our victims!" Hiten snarled. "What are you? Going soft?"

"I told you all a long time ago you don't mess with the children." Their leader turned to leave, assuming his words were final.

"What's the difference?"

Guess not.

Inuyasha growled in warning, but deciding it was better to console them with their own reasoning he heaved a sigh. "If you hurt the kids then soon there will be none that'll grow up and get things that we can steal." His voice was tired. How many times had he repeated this to them?

Hiten and Manten suddenly donned expressions of understanding.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled from towards a hut. "We have a problem!"

"Gods," Inuyasha groaned, "Both of you, if I see you tormenting another child you'll be sorry." Both Jidai men nodded, although somewhat disappointed. Mounting his horse, Inuyasha followed Miroku's call to one of the smaller huts by the riverside.

"What is it?" Inuyasha barked storming through the reed flap they used to block out the sand. "Why'd you call me--"

Miroku looked up from the woman on the floor to his fellow Jidai, "Like I said, we have a problem."

"Oh, sh-"

"Language!" Miroku scolded, "Not around . . .this type of . . . situation."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he laid eyes on the woman, lying on a pile of furs by the indoor fire . . .

. . .giving birth.

"I haven't got time for this! What do you think I am?!" Inuyasha yelped, nervousness gnawing at him. "A midwife?"

Miroku stood up, "Well . . .if you were it'd help--"

"Miroku!"

"Okay, okay! I know you're not, but what are we going to do?"

"I don't have time for this!" Inuyasha repeated, exasperated.

"I heard you! Gods, I don't have a hearing problem!"

"Take care of it."

"Me?!"

"Do you see anyone else in here?"

"Yes."

"Who? Who else do you see?"

"You!"

"Oh, hell no."

"Come on! We can't just leave her here! It's our fault there's no one to help her . . ."

"You have a big problem."

"Really? What's that?"

"Your conscience! And your respect!"

"Respect? For what?!" Miroku paused, looking from his friend back to the woman who was halfway through labor. "Oh." He hastily, and awkwardly, covered the woman's spread legs with a cloth, muttering his apologies to the huffing woman.

"Hold on a minute."

Miroku slapped a hand to his face, "We don't have a minute! The woman's about to spit out a baby!"

No use.

Inuyasha had disappeared from the hut.

Out of the blue the lavender-eyed male felt his hand being squeezed painfully. Considering his line of work, Miroku had experienced plenty of pain, but her steady grip was pretty painful itself. This woman wasn't planning on letting go soon either.

The hut's door flap was pulled open and his tawny-eyed superior stepped through, his right hand wrapped around a terrified woman's wrists. "I found someone." He released the woman only to have her try and dash towards the entrance.

Inuyasha grabbed her in his arms, "Listen to me, this woman's about to have a kid, and that means you're going to help her. That, or just watch what happens to you." Let the baby be ok . . . With that, he slipped out of the hut, jumped on his horse, and rode off to join his fellow Jidai's in their glory.

"There they are!" A female's angry voice yelled through the chaotic screams.

Inuyasha whipped his head around to see the familiar uniforms of Shikon's soldiers storming towards the village.

What were they doing here?

How did they know?

Miroku appeared by his side moments later, on his own brown charger, and looked in question towards the men.

"Round the scoundrels up boys, don't let a single one escape!" the female's voice roused up the voices of others.

Miroku ignored his friend's commands to the others as he realized something.

A woman led them.

A woman!

. . .Wow.

Miroku smirked, "Inuyasha, leave the vixen to me."

Inuyasha nodded, understanding his perverted friend perfectly. "Have fun."

"Oh believe me, I will."

Inuyasha glared at the oncoming soldiers; by a quick count he guessed there were thirty. Unsheathing his sword, he charged forward into a battle of clashing swords and flying daggers.

Miroku raced off in search of the woman he had spotted earlier.

"Hiraikotsu!"

He dodged just seconds before a humungous boomerang hurtled towards him. "What the-"

Found her.

She rode towards him, a scowl set firmly on her otherwise flawless face, and her boomerang at the ready. "Where do you think you're going?" She purred with false sensitivity and it drove him crazy anyway.

"I could ask you the same question, my lady," Miroku looked the woman over. "And I do mean lady."

Her magenta eyes complimented her russet hair and creamy skin, along with the absolute anger from his words.

Not to mention he had to try very hard not to gawk at her; she wore Shikon's skintight black uniform with the classic red metal plates placed strategically on her shoulders, knees, elbows, and abdomen.

But all of her beauty was spoiled by her attempting to throw him carelessly into a jail cell the second she knocked him out with her big, shiny, hard, boomerang . . .thing. Sighing, Miroku unsheathed his own weapon.

"My business here is no business of yours," she growled. "But you," the woman indicated the chaos surrounding them, "You my Jidai, will pay for this."

"Well, since I'll be dying anyway, why not give me the courtesy of telling me your name?" the Jidai winked. "Man's last wish?"

"You don't need to know," she stated simply, slinging her boomerang over her shoulder and standing unarmed.

. . .until two blades popped out from her wristbands.

"And men deserve no last wishes."

This was going to be interesting.

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"Everyone got their share?" Inuyasha sheathed his sword, taking the time to give the once over to all the unconscious warriors. There were roars of agreements from the bandits surrounding him.

"Then let's move out."

"Wait! Where's Miroku?" One man piped up.

Inuyasha looked around the group; no Miroku.

"Oi! There's 'e is boss!" Jinenji yelled from his horse.

Their leader crooked his neck in the direction of Jinenji's finger to find Miroku, leaning against a shack, and looking not nearly at his best.

"Miroku . . ." Inuyasha growled, rushing to his side, "Where is she? Where's the woman that did this to you?"

"She"--cough--"rode off with the remaining conscious men," Miroku answered, dazed. "My head hurts Inu! My head hurts!"

Inu?

Um . . . No . . .

"Miroku, what nonsense are you spouting now?"

The murmurs behind them silenced.

His men did a bad job at eavesdropping.

"What're they saying?"

"Shut up and I'll tell you!"

Yup, very bad job.

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"Three cheers for our leader Inuyasha!" Jakotsu raised his ruby-studded goblet over the revelry.

They had returned with five extra horses carrying their newly acquired possessions. And, of course, they had all returned to drinking--more vigorously now that they didn't need to stand for more than five minutes at a time.

Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku, by far, had collected the most out of everyone, save for Inuyasha who had managed to find gold in a town with not an ounce in it.

Miroku groaned, opening his eyes lazily. "Inuyasha, what's going on?"

"I see you've come back to your senses," Inuyasha mumbled. "And you've stopped calling me 'Inu'."

Miroku didn't have a chance to ask.

"Here's the stuff for Miroku," Gatenmaru tossed a handful of bandages towards the honey-eyed man, "Beaten by a vixen, gods, what next?"

"Shut up Gatenmaru," Miroku growled, "She wasn't just any ordinary woman!"

"Let it go," Inuyasha advised, "It's embarrassing enough to say you were beat by her, you don't need to go making it worse saying she was no 'ordinary woman'!"

"But she couldn't have been any ordinary woman!" Miroku insisted, grimacing as Inuyasha began tightening the bandage around his arm. "She seemed to be leading those men. What woman can demand that much respect from Shikon soldiers?"

". . ."

"What?"

". . ."

"What?!"

"Oi, Miroku, tell me. Tell me you haven't fallen for this wench!"

"What?"

"Could you say something else please?"

"Why don't you?"

Inuyasha growled, tying the bandage around his friend's bicep. "Fine, grit your teeth, baka."

"Ow!"

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"You're going down, Toutousai," Goshinki grunted, looking the old man square in the eye.

"I haven't been here for thirty years and not learned a thing or two," Toutousai retorted, bringing his opponents arms down to his side of the table.

Inuyasha clapped and tossed comments around with the rest of the men when Goshinki stood and walked away, yelling for another nip.

"Who's next?" Toutousai dared.

Most of the men had already been defeated by the old man once that night and didn't wish to crush their pride anymore, at least for now, and the ones who had yet to step up to the challenge were reluctant.

The old man was strong, to be blunt.

He'd been there since he was in his early teens and had never left, nor been expected to leave like most others past their prime. Him and Myouga were the oldest there, and some of the most experienced.

"You haven't taken up any challenges lately 'Yash," Miroku goaded. "How about it?"

Others nudged their leader in the ribs, egging him on until he was seated across the ancient table, his arm poised and ready for the test.

Toutousai smirked, his confidence building all night was enough to give him an edge.

"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Go!" Ginkotsu slammed the table signaling the beginning of their competition.

Neither man flinched as the arm wrestling match began, neither arm moved, nor did either opponent say anything.

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"And we've been sitting here for how long?" Inuyasha grunted across the table to Toutousai.

"Pretty long."

"Well then, let's end this."

"Let's."

Both strained their arms, Inuyasha's biceps bulging at the struggled attempt, Toutousai finally breaking a sweat.

A round of cheers broke through the crowd as Inuyasha slammed Toutousai's arm down to his section. "Well done old man."

"Likewise," Toutousai grunted. "I'd say you improved."

"It's been five years, fighting and looting can do that to a man," Miroku interjected as Inuyasha graciously took a quart of liquor from another member.

A young boy flew into the room, completely out of breath. "Inuyasha! The horses! They've been stolen!"

The partying halted as Inuyasha rushed through the crowd towards Nobunaga. There were whispers and shouts all over the place.

"What?"

"Our steeds, they're gone boss," Nobunaga repeated breathlessly.

"Did you see the thieves?"

"No, I went out and they were all gone. The only reason Bakuryuuha is still here's because Sesshoumaru was leading him back from the river."

"Are there any more left, other than him?"

"Only one other than yours; Kazaana--Miroku's," Inuyasha looked back at Miroku, who nodded.

"We'll get them back," Inuyasha promised, mounting his horse. "Before sunrise."

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Kuno means 'torture' or at least it does based on my handy dandy little Japanese dictionary.

When he asks for another 'nip' Goshinki means another swig, I don't think I needed to explain that but just in case.

Well, there's the first chapter, I hope you all like it and review.

Ja ne

Sakura