Disclaimer: This story is a crossover between Inuyasha and Sweeney Todd. I own neither of them.

Prologue

The sky was cloudy and dreary that day, as it had been every day since that cursed trial began almost a week ago. Inside the cold, stone-laden walls of the court house, dozens of people had pushed their way into a single room. The fortunate and wealthiest were granted seats, and while the benches were constructed out of hard wood, these individuals were at least more comfortable than those who were resign to stand until the end of the court session. The poor and seatless were crammed together on the balconies lining the walls of the room. Their bodies, most covered with grime, dirt, and the stench from not having bathed in weeks or months, pushed up against one another uncomfortably. The ones in the back stood on tip toe and craned their necks to get a better glimpse of the scene taking place below them.

Had it been any normal case, the room would not have been so packed. The city of London was hardly free of crime, after all, and often several trials would take place within a single day, all of varying degrees. However, it could easily be said that this was no ordinary trial. After all, it was rare to see a man of such high standing be accused of such a heinous crime.

Above the majority of the court sat a single man. With his straight posture, silent demeanor, and piercing gaze, Judge Sesshoumaru Gray was easily the most regal man in the room. No one would think twice at looking down on or questioning this man; even his lack of the customary grey wig went undisputed, as his long silver hair fully made up for it. His golden eyes, ones so cold it was hard to imagine them ever warming to another being, were focused solely on the man standing at the podium attached to the wall. This second man, while his back too was straight and head held high, could not have looked more different than the calm judge. His mouth was drawn into a tight, thin line, and his face was all but drained of color. His hand was clenched so tightly on the edge of the stand that his nails left deep grooves in the hard wood. The clothing he wore, once as clean as any upper-class citizen's garments, were now covered with grime accumulated from sleeping on the hard ground of his jail cell.

As the defendant's eyes gazed up at the silent judge, his mind wandered. 'This isn't fair… How did my life become reduced to this so quickly? This isn't fair.'

"Onigumo Davis." Jumping involuntarily as his trance was broken, the white-faced man looked up at the judge. He swallowed nervously at the silver-haired man's gaze, his response fading in his throat. Without waiting for the accused to speak, the judge continued. "We have heard all evidence and witness testimonies regarding the rape and attempted murder of Kikyou Walker. I am now prepared to make my sentence." To the side, the members of the jury gazed intensely at the defendant, their faces devoid of emotion.

"Your honor, please," the man named Onigumo choked out. "The witnesses are obviously confused and easily swayed by the misguided opinions of others. They lie about what they saw to put me away—"

"And yet your own accounts of what happened that night are skeptical at best," Sesshoumaru interrupted, eyes narrowing as the pathetic man sputtered his excuses. "Therefore, in light of the evidence presented to the court, I hereby pronounce you guilty on both counts."

Upon hearing the verdict, the once suave and sophisticated Onigumo snapped. "NO!" he screamed, the remaining drop of color draining from his face. He leapt from the stand, rushing to the judge's raised table. Although the situation was hopeless, he had to make the older man see reason. However, the four guards located in the room proved to be too quick for him. They quickly stepped in and grabbed Onigumo before he could get his hands on the silver-haired judge. "Your honor! My lord Sesshoumaru! You must see reason! You cannot send an innocent man away! Think of your reputation!"

Sesshoumaru frowned, but continued to carry out his sentence. His voice, while it possessed the same final tone as before, grew louder to speak over the insane man's ravings. "Although your crimes were brutal, I will not have you put to death. Instead, you will be put to hard labor in the coal mines of Halesowen, where you will remain for the next fifty years."

Even though the death sentence was averted, it did not put Onigumo at ease. Working in the coal mines almost guaranteed his death anyway, whether it be through collapsing tunnels or hacking up his own soot-covered lungs. He wouldn't be able to last two decades in such a place, let alone five.

"No! NO! This isn't fair! I am an innocent man!" Yet even over his screams, the sound of the gavel crashing down rang clear throughout the crowded courtroom. His fate was decided.

As the guards dragged the pale, wailing man back to his cell, Onigumo screamed a final word, the name of the woman who had been burned into his mind forever.

"KIKYOOOU!"

A/N: Hello everyone. This is my first fanfic in a while, so I hope you guys find it interesting so far. As stated before, this is going to be a story in which the Inuyasha characters are stuck in the Sweeney Todd universe. It won't play out exactly like the original Sweeney Todd story, so if you think you know how everything will end up, you probably don't know everything.

As a little note, I know the English surnames may throw some people off. After thinking about it for a while, I decided that using them would be best since this IS set in England. "But Akushou, why don't you just use the Sweeney Todd surnames?" you may cry. I'm not doing that either, just because some of the name combinations sound incredibly dumb. So I'll be trying to match first names with last names that don't sound as strange.

That said, I hope to get the next chapter written up soon. Please review!