11.26.02

SUMMARY: When Kagome was captured by the thunder youkai, she never thought that Inuyasha would give up on her. And she never thought that she woud have to tame a wild beast, before it destroyed her first. (HITEN/KAGOME)

DISCLAIMER: Hiten, Kagome and the world of Inuyasha are the creations of Takahashi Rumiko and are not owned by me.

This picks up from where Kagome is captured by the Reishou brothers. From there on, contents are changed to suit my own *ehem* needs. This includes the premature insertion of characters who might appear later on in the actual story. So eh, treat this as a semi-AU if u must. Thankies ^___^

The plot's gonna be kinda dark, but I wouldn't exactly call it angsty. More like...intense. Not just the typical lovey-dovey romance story, but one which explores the darker side of a love-hate relationship. It seems more realistic in this way to me. I wouldn't expect a youkai, especially one as cruel as Hiten, to 'fall for' Kagome immediately, so I'll be taking the liberation to devlop their characters for the whole relationship to work. But don't worry. Knowing me (i'm a sucker for romance), there will be fair amounts of *clears throat* um...mushy situations, once the time is ripe of course ^____^


Reishou brothers - The lightning-beast brothers

Youkai - Demon

Hentai - Pervert

Kowaii - Scary

Futon - Thick mattress or bed laid on the ground for sleeping


Distant Thunder
By: cacat-angel

chapter 2: Youkai Instincts

"What do you mean you're not going to rescue Kagome??" An indignant kitsune squeaked, his cry of protest resounding through the otherwise silent forest. His round face red with anger. "But you can't just leave her to fend for herself...they would kill her!"

"Exactly what I said. What I do is my business, brat." The hanyou spat, his long white mane blowing in the night breeze. He stood in the middle of the small clearing where they faced off, his large, golden eyes narrowing at the kitsune. ""And now that your guardian-angel Kagome is gone..."

Shippou's chubby tomato-like face seemed to discolour as the hanyou before him bristled and cracked his knuckles. An immediate and sure sign of danger.

Kagome was gone...which meant...

Instinctively, the little cub hopped and bounced backwards, leaving a relatively safe distance between him and Inuyasha. He brandished his signature kitsune ward in his tiny black hand, waving it wildly before him, warning the hanyou to keep away.

He hadn't realised the blatant fact that Kagome's disappearance signified. Now, left alone with this half dog-demon which he barely knew, he could guarantee his own safety no longer. Before, Kagome had been quick to jump to his defence - if placing herself in between the cub and the hanyou wasn't enough, then her sharp command of 'osuwari' was sure to do the trick. It had saved his own hide countless times, though he never really did believe the foul-mouthed hanyou would be true to his own words and 'finish off' the younger youkai.

But now, looking at the menancing pose the hanyou had taken up, claws flexed and fangs bared - an open challenge to the kitsune, daring him to speak up any futher, Shippo suddenly had every reason to fear for his own safety.

Which just added a further notch to his guilt. Had he really been taking Kagome for granted? He remembered everytime the girl had stood up for him, tried to shield him from the brunt of Inuyasha's anger. And every single time, he had brushed off her help in a bout of childish anger.

Shippo grounded his tiny, sharp fangs against each other as he glared at the hanyou. His short, bushy tail twitched impatiently behind him.

His impression of the dog was never high. And he had just thought of a new vocabulary to describe the brute perfectly - completely, and utterly selfish. Ok, make that four words.

He was about to voice his opinions to the hanyou pointedly - and risk his own hide once again - when the mangy dog made a sharp movement, swivelling about in the general direction of the east. His white tipped ears flicked and twitched nervously. It was as if he had heard something that Shippo's weaker hearing couldn't pick up.

"Kisama..."

That was the last thing Inuyasha uttered before he heaved Kagome's metal contraption atop his back, and then bolted forward to pluck Shippo from the ground. Disregarding the kitsune's furious squeals of protests, he bounded off towards an unknown destination.

***


She's alive?! Kagome gaped in disbelief at the snake-youkai. Her eyes revealed her confusion as she gazed intently at the youkai's exotic features. This was Hiten's mate alright. The one he had by his side earlier on, when Kagome had first met him.

Her skin was flawlessly pale with a yellowish tinge. Her slanted, yellow eyes with their green pupils, lined with a thick smudged purple line, returned her gaze lazily. But most importantly, there was not a single trace of a bleamish on her face, not even a scratch.

Hadn't Hiten created a wide, gaping hole in her face just hours ago? Hadn't she witnessed, with her own eyes, the sheer viciousness as Hiten drove his fist through his mate's visage? How the female youkai had collapsed onto the ground like a lifeless mannequin, her pet snakes slithering around her body, probably puzzling over their mistress' sudden death? Why did the youkai...

Then Kagome realized all at once. Really, it was all too simple. She was a youkai, that's why she had survived. She was probably equipped with some inexplicable, rejuvenating ability.

"Oh..."

The female youkai blinked, her tiny painted lips pursed together in a pout. "Oh? Is that all you can say?" This human girl was strange. And different, somehow. Wasn't she supposed to scream and hide in fear? There was something special about her, and closely, she saw something else.

Suddenly, whatever lustful thoughts she had on her mind disappeared. And in its place, was something else. Her eyes gleamed suddenly.

Moving away from the door she leaned against silently, she slinked around behind the girl, rubbing her breasts against the girl's back. Then she twisted and arched her body around so that she was pressed against the girl's side. Her lips curved with pleasure as the girl seemed to stiffen at her touch.

"I am Kobu," she purred softly, trailing a sharp nail along the girl's jawline as her other hand reached out to massage the girl's slender neck from behind. "What shall I call you?"

Meeting the youkai's strange gaze, Kagome suddenly found herself drawn to the youkai's green-yellow gaze. It seemed to swirl round and round, growing larger until they filled her vision and she could take nothing else in. All thoughts of the earlier disgust seemed to grow further away, until all that filled her mind were the youkai's mesmerizing stare.

Kobu saw that the girl's eyes were starting to take on the vacant expression.

It was all that was needed.

Slowly, the youkai's small lips seemed to widen and stretch open elastically, till they were unproportionately wide apart. Her tiny fangs extended to long sharp points dripping with acidic liquid and her tongue flickered out of from the depths of her throat. Rearing her head backwards, she emitted a sharp hiss as she prepared to strike...

And was suddenly thrown aside brutally.

With a loud thump, she crashed in a heap against the shoji door. Her fangs missed her own tongue barely by a few inches as her head banged against the wooden wall.

"That's enough, you bitch!"

The loud roar shook Kagome from her stupor. She started from her trance only to be greeted by a low rumble of thunder. Instinctively, she clapped her hands over her ears, not sure where that sentence had been directed towards.

She should have covered her eyes instead. In front of her, the snake-youkai, Kobu, was about to be murdered by Hiten, again.

"Stop it!" Kagome shrieked and without thinking, flung herself against Hiten, whose raised hand had just been about to lash out at the snake youkai. She had the element of surprise with her. Colliding with Hiten's rock-hard body, she caused him to stumble a few paces backwards, along with herself.

It took him awhile to steady himself. When he did, he had Kagome in his grip even before she could free herself from the tangle of limbs. Wincing as her flailing hands and legs landed against him, he suddenly remembered why it had just been him and Manten all along. Why he had never dwelled with a female for longer than a decade.

Females, be it demon, human or whatever goddamned species, where nothing but a pain in the ass.

"Be still!" He snarled at the struggling human he gripped by the neck. He turned and shot a death glare at Kobu, who was just about to open her mouth to protest. "And you, be quiet! You are blessed by Kami that I have not ridded the world of your pathetic existence." He turned his blazing red eyes on Kagome, who had decided it was probably wiser to follow his orders. "The both of you! But rest assured, the day will not be far from now."

Flinging Kagome against Kobu, he whipped about sharply on his heels, his long, black queue lashing behind him like a deadly spear, and stalked back into the room.

But not before he halted and snapped a command to Kobu. "And remember, this wench is my brother Manten's. Do not take her as prey, not unless you value your miserable existence." Snorting, he disappeared within the shoji door.

Kagome paled as she stole a glimpse at the snake youkai beside her. Prey?!

***

In a rather cramped room located several stories above Hiten's lodging, Manten rolled over onto his huge stomach, creating another large dent in his futon as he grunted in his sleep.

He muttered something about noisy, screeching hair and human wenches who seemed to sound like Hiten an-chan, slapping a pudgy fist against his cheek and scratching it absently.

He was completely oblivious to the din below him, and oblivious to the fact that his handsome older brother was probably not as successful with women as Manten had imagined.

***

"Whee-ere are yeeoouuu takiiiing meee?!"

Speaking with the wind hurtling sharply against your face was close to impossible. Even for a smart mouthed kitsune cub who could easily have out-talked a certain half dog-demon. Who was used to being land borne, and had never travelled at the speed of sound, through the air, on the shoulders of an incredibly strong and fast hanyou.

As it was, Shippo soon found that talking whilst doing so, was was a surefire method to either develop sagging jowls, or choke yourself on a combination of wind and your own saliva.

"Shut up kid. Just be glad that I ain't throwing you for the Reishou brothers to get at."

He definitely had to find out how Inuyasha managed. It was probably some doggy talent of his. So bouncing jauntily and clinging on with tiny sharp claws for his dear life, Shippo had no choice but to remain silent throughout the rest of the journey, even if it meant obeying Inuyasha for once.

Peace at last. If he knew this was a way to shut the damned kitsune up, he would have done it long ago. Not that the cub would have accepted, or even deserved a ride from him, under normal circumstances.

But what was that voice, calling out his name? The strange, hollow voice which seemed to travel with the wind. It spoke of something...of a promise, made long ago...

Kikyo...is that you?

-end chapter 2-


ok...i'm still not sure how ppl's response will be towards this ficcie of mine. Its a pretty first-time attempt writing a story of this sort, with a feudal japan setting and having new characters and all. I hope you guys like it .

Reviews Corner

[Landlady of the Universe] Yippeee you like him too??!! Ohmygosh i just cant stop drooling over hiten *droolz* and ehe i'm working on YAKUZA don't worry =P but u give me more of my PROMISES!!!!!!!!!

[Quimberly] - Heie thanx ^ ^ i've been looking high and low for hiten fics too...*pouts and crosses arms* hopefully, just hopefully, this'll be the start of more to come . i'm keeping my fingers crossed...

[ForestKarma] - he he he i can read your minnnd~~~~~ nah. but YESH he is so hot! i think i'm gonna draw a fanart of him too =D and thank you for supporting the pairing!!! *hugz* aha as for inu....umm...we'll see ne ^______^

[dark angel] - Hmm soon soon..but not just yet = )

[Megumi-chan] - wooopsie ^___^ didn't mean ta mislead ya *winks*

[yashyispoofy] - hey thanks for reading my fic then, hope i wont disappoint u __

[rEbEcCa] - hope dis answers ur question!

[tikimoof] - hmm me no want chocolate, *not unless its chocolate hiten or chocolate sesshoumaru...i would love to gobble them into my tummy ; )*

[DeMoN tAiNtEd] - yoikes i was pretty embarrassed myself lol! but neways, glad it evoked dat reaction from u. just how i wanted it to be hehe

[Rymsie] - Thank you!!! personally, i find YOUR writing wonderful!!!!!!!

[Kitty] - oooo thanx a whole bunch!

[Anne-twilight] - you update TOOOOOOOO!!!!

[holly] - Thanx ^___^ hope my disclaimer answered your questions...

[blank] - @____@ ehehheh *blushes* awww...