Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, or the movie Pompeii (or the city of Pompeii), a fact that surprises no one. Without further ado!

Molten Gold

The Britannia Isles | 62 AD

(Seventeen Years Earlier)

Chaos. Everything was chaos.

The pounding of horses against the dirt had jolted him awake from a deep sleep. Sometimes, they would get lone riders galloping by, but never as many horses as he could hear. Ears swiveling around atop his head and slipping out of his furs, InuYasha leapt to the edge of the tent he shared with his mother, and crouched at the entrance, just in time to see an army of men descend upon the people who had been kind enough to share their home with him.

InuYasha blinked sleep out of his eyes, looking around dazed and confused as a horde of men on horses rained down on the people. Within seconds, tents were set on fire, people were being cut down where they stood, unarmed, and tossed away to the side. His heart dropped to his stomach, and for a split second, a valuable second, he wondered if they were coming for him and his mother. They had been driven out of numerous villages, for the sole reason that his blood was tainted. Either way you looked at it, his blood was either tainted by human blood, or tainted by demon blood; he was destined to never fit in, to always be an outsider. It still confused him, he didn't quite understand why everyone couldn't all get along, but even at the young age of six, he was already beginning to be hardened towards the world. His mother was the only person he could count on, and they had only reluctantly begun to live with a clan in the Isles of Britannia, because of the influence his father had over the region when he had been alive. At least – that was the gist of it. His mother had told him they had accepted him because they were kind people. Keh. He didn't quite buy it.

The men continued to ride around on their horses, striking blows to anyone who got in their way, and InuYasha felt an unnerving fear grip at him. They clearly weren't coming for him, if they had bothered to strike so many people down, while he was standing watching. From a closer proximity, he could tell that half of them were demons, the other half humans, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what was going on, but all he knew was that he needed to find his Mama, and they needed to get out of there. Fast. But it was almost as if the world around him was erupting in slow motion, part of him and his childlike innocence couldn't fathom what was going on, and the other part of him, the part that had been hardened to the world, knew that this was danger, and he needed to get to safety.

Not without his mother.

"Mama!" InuYasha bellowed as he swung his head around frantically, eyes wide, trying to search through the mass of terrified people for her familiar, kind face. Screams of pain, fear, and terror assaulted his ears, and the fresh scent of blood hit his nose with such aggression that he wanted to be sick. But he had to be strong. He had to be. For her.

"Mama!" He tried again, even though he knew that his voice would never reach her human ears.

And when his eyes finally landed on her, he wished that they hadn't. A man with long, dark hair that curled around him almost like snakes, had dismounted his white horse, and had his clawed hands around his mother's neck. InuYasha couldn't breathe, he felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, and he knew what was about to happened seconds before it did.

The man's lips curled up into a sinister smirk, and through the chaos, shouted, "The governor wants these trade routes reopened. These rebels need to be taken care of once and for all, and we need to send a clear and well defined message."

Something broke inside of InuYasha as he watched the man run the blade of his sword across his mother's throat, and toss her lifeless body to the side as if she meant nothing. Any sort of childlike innocence or hope he had was gone.

"Kill them. Kill them all."

All he could feel in that moment was hatred. A rage he had never felt before, even at six years of age, coursed through him, and he crouched, ready to leap at the man who had just killed the only person on the planet who mattered to him, the only person on the planet who ever fought for him.

Unfortunately, as he was young and still developing, his reflexes were a little slow, and as he tensed to leap forward, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and as he blinked, everything went dark.

The smell hit him before he even opened his eyes. It was death on such a scale that he had never encountered before, and he leaned over to empty the contents of his stomach. Through his daze, it took him a moment to situate himself, and when he finally opened his eyes, everything came rushing back.

Tears immediately blurred his vision, and as he turned to the side, he realized that he had been tossed haphazardly onto a heap of bodies, bodies that weren't given a proper burial, and were just tossed into one giant heap as if they meant nothing.

Mama…

Part of him wanted to look for her, but the other part of him knew that he needed to get away from there. Leaning over, he retched again, and continued to dry heave until he felt absolutely empty. Wiping the tears from his eyes and cheeks, he stood up, listening intently for any sound of anyone nearby. When he didn't catch any, he sucked in a breath, and then without a backwards glance, started off towards the future.

Whatever the future held.

And he did fine fending for himself for three days. Even through the heartbreak and the grief, he was living one moment at a time. Killing when he needed to eat, finding water when he needed to drink. Trying to ignore the throbbing in his chest of what he formerly believed to be his heart. Repeat.

It was after three days of going without sleep that he passed out under a tree from the never ceasing grief, and exhaustion.

When he awoke, he was being hauled to his feet by a man whose scent he didn't recognize, and he reached out to strike the man, who immediately caught his arm, and laughed maliciously.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Someone tugged sharply on his ears, and InuYasha growled.

"A half-demon, eh? Well 'gents, looks like we just got real lucky."

The Outskirts of Pompeii | 79 AD

(Present Day)

Kagome continued to fidget, hands wringing together in her lap, even as the woman who had long since passed the role of servant, and had become her best friend and most trusted confidant, gave her a knowing look.

"Your parents will be happy that you're back." Sango reminded her once again, her tone firm and expression neutral, though her eyes were twinkling with a kindness that Kagome knew was unrivaled. Despite all of the horrors that had befallen upon her friend in the twenty three years she'd been granted life, her eyes still twinkled and sparkled in a way Kagome had never quite seen before.

"I know." Kagome nodded, even though she sounded about as uncertain as she felt. The carriage jolted, and she grabbed onto the seat beneath her, digging her heels into the floor for stability. She had decided to come back from her year abroad in Rome a few weeks early, and she knew that she would be flooded with questions about why she had decided to leave. In all honesty, she didn't want to talk about it. Even Sango, the one person in her life she could tell anything to hadn't been privy to all of the details. She didn't need to rehash it; she didn't want to think about the man who had driven her out.

Besides, she liked Pompeii much better anyway. It was home.

Emperor Titus was about as corrupt as demons came, and all of her girlish, romanticized ideals of Rome had been crushed the moment she had actually stepped foot into the city. At least in Pompeii she felt relatively safe, her parents may not have been perfect, but they ruled the city well, as fair and just as they could manage. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to relay the news to them that demons were starting to really take charge of – well, pretty much everything, and she had figured she would put together some type of explanation on the journey home.

So far, she was right out of luck.

Kagome hadn't realized how loudly she was sighing until Sango reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "Everything will be fine. Just think how wonderful it will be to finally be home." Sango had clearly missed Pompeii, as well, and Kagome was finally able to give her a warm smile.

"And we're arriving just in time for the Vulcanalia festival!"

Sango's reply was cut short, as they heard shouts and cries of "Make way for your superiors! Make way for your betters! Move it scum! Off the road!"

Kagome peered out of the window, frowning deeply as she noticed a rather large group of men, all shackled together, being herded off the road like cattle. The treatment of slaves never sat quite right with her. Her parents were kind and respectful to all of the men and women that worked in their home, and to see men being treated no better than animals was always an alarming wake-up call. And as demons continued to take control, things were probably going to get worse. The carriage rolled to a stop as they waited for the men to fully clear off the road, and Kagome clutched at the door so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Let it go, Kagome. It isn't your place to intervene." Sango warned softly, though her tone indicated she felt the same way as Kagome did.

Kagome nodded, and was about to turn away from the scene, when a man tripped and fell. In his exhaustion, he wasn't able to fully catch himself, and he fell, hard, into the mud, nearly taking down the two men who were shackled to him on either side. Both men tried to help him up, but he was down for the count, and holding the rest of the men up.

"Alright." A harsh, raspy voice cut through the silence. "Who is responsible for this?"

Craning her neck to see who was bellowing, Kagome brushed off Sango's hands at her shoulders, trying to gently pry her away from the window of the carriage. She was absolutely transfixed.

"I said", the voice bellowed again, "Who is responsible for this?" A small, squat demon man emerged from the group of gladiators. He was holding a whip in his hand, and he smacked it loudly against his palm, catching sight of the gladiator still on the ground.

"Master Jaken, I believe this man has fainted." One of the Gladiators piped up, and Kagome wasn't entirely sure whether he was trying to help the fallen man or not.

Jaken seemed as if he were contemplating for a moment, then finally, he settled on a command. "Five lashes for his discretion. Someone stand him up."

"That's not fair!"

Kagome was practically leaning her entire body out of the carriage by this point, all attempts at subtle propriety thrown to the wind. The man who spoke would have looked to be a normal human man, if it weren't for the dog ears perched on the top of his head. She'd never seen anyone with ears like that, and her mouth gaped in wonder. For a small, fleeting moment, she had a strong urge to reach out and touch them, and once she realized herself, she blushed, thankful that she was far enough away from him.

The dog man continued, "He's only human, for fuck's sake. You've had us marching all day; I'm surprised he didn't pass out on ya hours ago."

While Jaken may have looked simply irritated at being interrupted before, he looked positively mad now, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head in his rage. "You forget your place, slave."

"I forget nothing."

His captor narrowed his eyes, "Speak out of turn once more, and you'll regret it, boy."

"You ignorant bastard", it seemed like he had more to say, but Jake cut him off by punching him in the jaw. The dog eared Gladiator stumbled, but he managed to remain upright.

"Stop!"

No one was more surprised at the sudden outburst than Kagome herself, and she hadn't realized she'd been moving until she was out of the carriage, and halfway towards the men, Sango hot on her heels. The crowd of Gladiators looked towards her and Sango for the first time. Kagome felt Sango stiffen behind her, and she held out her hand to let her friend know that she had it under control. The demon looked towards Kagome, indignant that a human girl had dared to give him a command. She felt her heart skip a beat; though she kept her torso raised, maintaining eye contact, the way that Sango had taught her to command attention. In the grand hierarchy of the world, and as the daughter of a lord, her place, at least for the time being, was no doubt above him, and while she didn't normally care about such hierarchies, if she could use it to save another's life, then she certainly would. It wasn't up to anyone else to tell someone how to treat their slaves, but Kagome had never been one to stand by idly, and witness injustice.

Unsure exactly how to continue, Kagome caught eyes with Sango, but all her friend had to offer was a funny look, so she cleared her throat, and then began, "I should think you would be more civilized, especially when there are ladies present."

Jaken recoiled at that, and Kagome continued to move forward, until she had brushed past him, and was standing in front of the Gladiator with the dog ears. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a handkerchief, and held it up to him.

"What's your name?" Kagome looked up, and the second the two made eye contact, her eyes widened, and she almost took a step backwards. His eyes were a beautiful shade of molten gold, but here was an untamed ferocity in them, such a violent distrust that it made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. He still hadn't taken the handkerchief, and she held it up a little higher.

Now she was starting to feel a little stupid. "I'm just trying to help."

"Feh. I don't need anyone's help." He said it lowly enough under his breath, making sure that she would be the only one to hear, and Kagome blanched, recoiling as hurt bubbled up in her chest, a wave of foolishness washing over her. Of course he didn't need her help. Of course he would be distrustful of anyone offering their help, just as much as he was distrustful of figures of authority. But – it made her heart ache at just how much pain there was in his eyes. She wanted to tell him it would be alright, but she knew that promise would be childishly futile.

Behind her, Jaken and Sango seemed to be deep in conversation, and Kagome, unable to continue looking at the Gladiator, turned back to them, "Please – forgive the men this time around. Get them some water, and have mercy. "

Jaken's impish face screwed up, as if he wanted to explode on her, but finally, after a moment, he composed himself, and nodded. "Your compassion is overwhelming, my lady."

Sango grabbed Kagome's hand, and started pulling her back towards the carriage. She caught a glimpse of the dog eared Gladiator spitting out a mouthful of blood, and the man who had fallen wiping mud out of his eyes, and she hoped that someone would give them water soon enough. As Sango closed the door behind Kagome, she could hear Master Jaken yelling, and the sound of a whip hitting flesh, and it made her wince.

"You're the Masters prized possession, and you better thank your lucky stars that you are, otherwise I would kill you right where you stand. The same goes for the rest of you swine. No more stopping, we're reaching Pompeii by nightfall."

Settled back into the carriage, Kagome held her breath as it jolted to a start, and she kept looking forward until they had rolled past the men, at which point she stared out the window, unable to meet Sango's eyes. Oh, how she wanted her friend to say something, to tell her it was alright, to tell her she wasn't as foolish as she felt.

She continued to stare out the window for a long while, until she finally looked over and caught Sango's eye. Her friend was very clearly trying not to smile, and Kagome knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "What? I don't think there is anything amusing about what just transpired."

Sango pursed her lips together, as if trying to decide whether to answer or not, until she finally offered up, "Neither do I, you know that Kagome. But honestly, all the eligible bachelors in Rome, practically throwing themselves at your feet, and the man who catches your attention is a half-demon slave."

Kagome scowled, "You know the only reason they're throwing themselves anywhere near me is because it's a power play, a political move. A strong alliance with Pompeii could mean everything. Besides, I was merely being kind! There is something inhumane about the way that those men are treated. And he risked his life for another man's – how could I not jump in?"

"Once again, you know that I don't disagree with you." It was unspoken, of course, but neither of the two women had any idea where Sango would have ended up if Kagome's family hadn't taken her in.

Kagome paused, then tacked on, "Honestly, I didn't help him because he 'caught my attention', I did it because it was the right thing to do."

Sango perked a brow, but she chose not to comment, merely nodding with a smile, turning to look out her own window. "We should be home, soon."

Sighing, Kagome leaned forward, sticking her head out the window of the carriage, letting the wind gently caress her cheeks as she tried to breathe and calm herself down.

She was going to be forever haunted by that mans eyes.

A/N: Three guesses who the man who drove Kagome out of Rome was ...

Okay, so I first of all want to apologize for the wait on this! Inuvember had me distracted, and then I ran into some sort of mental block. I'm hoping that I'm doing alright with the characterization, but I haven't written anything canon in years, so I feel like I'll be nervous about this throughout the whole fic. That being said, if anyone has any tips on how to keep things more IC in AU's (or just in general, really) I am honestly all ears.

Anyway, enough of me rambling. Thank you so much to everyone for all the reviews for the last chapter! I literally screeched reading them all. I said to myself, okay if I get one review I'll be happy BUT SO MANY OF YOU SEEM TO BE ENJOYING THIS SO FAR so I'm really overwhelmed and super, super grateful. Hugs and cookies for everyone who even reads this.

Questions, Comments, Critiques (Credit Card Numbers) are always welcome!