All right, I decided to post chapter one early. Yay!!! Okay, I haven't gotten any review, though. Come on, people, I'm gonna need some serious reviews if I'm going to keep posting. I'm going to need five reviews (at least), before I post my next chapter. Okay, now on with the story!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and no amount of money I have in the bank will earn me the right to say I do. Chapter One
The Girl 'Night Rain'
Amaya Imamura awoke with a start. She could almost swear that she could still feel the hot burn of lips against the back of her left shoulder. She shot straight up in her bed and looked around the motel room.
Nothing was out of place, not a single scrap of clothing or furniture. The blinds were still neatly closed over the single window by the standard chain-and-hook locked door. They didn't even rustle with the slow swirl of the ceiling fan above her head.
She reached back a shaking hand and wiped the sweat from the back of her neck. The same dream, the same goddamn dream had haunted her now for the last thirteen months. What did it mean?
Always, the smell of blood would assault her nostrils and she would gag. The floor would be littered with dead bodies, some of people she knew and loved, and some of people whom she had never laid eyes on in her life. And always, before the dream was over, she could feel him behind her. Who, she didn't know. Yet his lips and breath and tongue would tease the flesh of her shoulder, and she would awaken desperate to feel such a thing, to have this man next to her in her bed, yet she would awaken alone.
She used to cry about it. Now, well . . . now it scared the hell out of her.
"Damn it," she muttered out, and crawled out of the twin sized bed, thankful to be rid of the scratchy material on her skin, and headed into the small kitchenette at the far end of the motel room. Opening the door to the refrigerator, she pulled out a half-gone two liter of Coke and a barely nibbled on burger from the nearby fast food joint, and she sat at the round table that took up almost of the area deemed "kitchen."
After a bite of her sandwich and a long swig of soda, she took note of the time. Shit, she thought to herself. Almost six a.m. Almost a full night's sleep. It was still quite daunting to think that she had only fallen asleep at three; however, this was quite average for Amaya.
"This day is shaping up to suck," she said to herself.
She thought briefly of her friends in Waikiki, where she had grown up. Then she grimaced. Yeah, like they would ever want to see her again. Not after what happened.
Amaya shook her head, letting the long, black tresses cascade over her arms and thighs. Such cynical thoughts should have seemed unbecoming of such a young woman, yet at only nineteen, Amaya had seen more of the darkness in this world than she should ever have had to.
After a quick, semi-warm shower, she had all of her clothes neatly packed into her over-sized duffle bag, her all black Fender Stratocaster in its soft case, and her wallet and money tucked inside of her miniature leather backpack that suited as a purse. It was a little early, but she was sure the manager was up. The short, plump man with one squinty eye and one wide open, he was always up before dawn to make sure that no one skipped out on their tab. She, however, was paid up through the week, and it was only Tuesday.
When she neared the booth connected to the manager's office, she could see him pretending to sleep in his fold-up chair next to the walls that desperately needed a new paint job.
"What you want, girl?" his deep, disdainful voice croaked out.
"Room's free. I'm outta here," she said, tossing the keys through the two by four inch slot in the protective glass. Then she walked away.
"Wait, kid, I owe you a refund," he said in what she was sure was the only kind deed he had ever done.
"Keep it," Amaya yelled, not even breaking her stride. Hopefully the amount would be enough to shut him up if anyone came asking about her.
However, she did not see the figure sitting across the street in the black pick-up truck.
Amaya walked along the streets of Tokyo on this crisp Tuesday morning. People hustled by, setting off to their different destinations of business and pleasure. She watched the happy children as they skipped by, holding onto their parents hands. Street cars whirled by, the sound deafening and somewhat enjoyable to her, a girl who loved the roar of a powerful engine.
Amaya pushed the long black hair off of her face, and tucked it behind her ear, readjusting the suede duffle-bag and soft guitar case on her right shoulder, while balancing the miniature backpack in her left hand. She thanked God that she had decided to tie her black, rose covered hooded sweatshirt around her waist instead of wearing it, since it was a rather warm start to the day, despite the chill in the air.
Reaching into her make-shift purse, she pulled out a pair of thick, black sunglasses and placed them on her nose.
"Well, this city couldn't get any bigger," she whispered to herself as her back protested the weight of her clothes, accessories, as well as her guitar that was adding pressure to her shoulder.
She walked past a small child holding on to her mother's hand. The girl smiled, than frowned all in a span of seconds. "Mommy, that woman has flowers and demons on her arms," she said, pointing very enthusiastically at Amaya's arms, which were exposed by her black tank top.
"Don't stare, Asuka, its not polite," the mother said, however she, too, stared.
Amaya sighed as she walked on. She should be used to this. When you have tattoos like she did, it was probably to be expected that people would not think very highly of you.
Almost like fate, she looked up and saw the giant tiers that signified a sacred place. Looking closer at the small sign welded to the concrete walls that formed a barrier around the perimeter, she pulled her sunglasses down her nose with a smartly bent finger.
"Higurashi Shrine," she read aloud, frowning slightly. "Why not?" she said to herself, and started walking up the stairs. Sure, for your average citizen, walking these steps would seem like a hardship, but not for her. She was so damn used to it, anyway, from years visiting her Grandmother's shrine.
When she reached the top, there was an old man smiling toothily at her.
"Welcome to Higurashi Shrine, young lady. Can I interest you in a tour?" he asked, again with that smile. Shit, she thought to herself. He's gonna try to sell me something.
"Could I just walk around a bit?" she asked, noting his sudden pointed expression, as well as the quick look at her all-black outfit, her worn out black and white Chuck Taylor's, and the huge amounts of luggage on her arms. "My grandmother lived on a shrine her whole life, meaning that I was raised there for most of my life. Therefore, I can swear to you now, that my grandmother would tan my ass red if she thought for a second I would desecrate any shrine."
"Buy a keychain and we gotta deal," he said quickly, holding up a cheaply made Shikon Jewel trinket. She took a quick peak at the price tag and nodded.
"Old man, you sure know how to con people," she said, handing over money and tucking the 'souvenir' into her bag.
He went off, seeing another couple that were climbing up the steps to the shrine, and having a hard time of it, too. Amaya distinctly heard someone say, "Shouldn't they, like, put in an escalator on these shrine-thingies." Dumb, blonde, and American, she thought, taking note of the ignorance and . . . well, just the horrible valley girl accent that this poor girl got conned into thinking was cool. She felt sorry for whoever she was with.
Amaya walked around, taking note of all of the small shacks and buildings, and all of the historical significance that surrounded it. Even though she really did not care to know the history, hence her wanting to get rid of the old man, but still . . . .
She walked up to a giant tree. Looking up, she watched the rays of the sun penetrate the thick foliage. This tree, she could almost sense its traumatic past. It had probably stood for a thousand years, seeing every winter turn to spring, and every spring turn to scorching summer with the stony cynicism that you could only find from one as ancient as him.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Why was she suddenly so sad? Why did she suddenly feel so alone? Her heart beat in her chest, and she almost succumbed to her urge to suddenly rub the area around her heart. She didn't know why she cared so much about life, because it obviously didn't give a flying fuck about her.
She turned at the sound of a door sliding open. For a moment, fear gripped her. Ducking behind the tree, she watched as a woman stalked out of the house. She was maybe thirty, with long black hair and deep blue eyes, which was unusual, wearing blue jeans and a soft, solid blue T-shirt.
What was going on here? This woman, who ever she was, was walking into this hut with a huge, yellow backpack full of stuff, and in her left hand was a black medical bag with a red cross on it. What the hell could she being doing?
Amaya followed her, slinking as stealthily as possible considering her two huge bags. The woman walked in the hut, and then there was a bright flash of purple.
How odd, she thought, walking slowly into the shack, almost in a trance, as though something in her subconscious called out to this place, to the shed that this woman had walked into.
She wasn't in there. She was gone and there was only one entrance. Frowning slightly, and gently slipping the sunglasses off of her nose, she peered down the well which was down the stairs and in the center of the room.
Amaya was almost scared. Had this woman fallen in? What if she was caught? She felt as though she were intruding on this family's property.
But no, glancing down, there was nothing in the well. She pulled out her keychain-flashlight and shone it down to make double sure.
Breathing a sigh of relief, with her brow still furrowed, she leaned her hands on the lip of the well, hunching over a bit as she relaxed her shoulders and she was about to lower her bags to the floor and rest when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders.
Amaya screamed, and tried to turn around, but the hands held her fast. She tried to shake herself loose, but with the added weight on her shoulders, she couldn't twist her body the way she would have liked to. Reaching back, she grabbed at whatever she could reach, and she pulled at a lock of hair, feeling the strands give way with a satisfying rip. She screamed once more when the hands added forward pressure, and she went tumbling into the well, headfirst.
She flailed her arms, and bent them over her head, knowing that either way, she was going to land and break her neck. She cried out, and tears seeped her eyes. Shit, I'm not ready to die. Not yet.
And then, before she could feel the sickening thud of her body hitting the floor, she, for the first time in her life, fainted.
Kagome pulled herself from the well and set off toward the village.
The sky was cloudy and thick with the coming precipitation, and the chilly breeze caught her in its grasp. She rubbed her arms and shivered, immediately quickening her pace.
The wind whipped her hair around and into her face. When she reached the first hut of the village, she recognized it as her own. Soon after Naraku's demise, and the group of jewel hunters had settled down in the small village, Kagome had been given a set of huts at the edge of the forest, one for her personal use and one for her to keep her medicines from the future.
It was ironic, really. At one point in her life, entering high school had been so difficult, so out of reach due to her alternate life here in the feudal era, that she had had no hopes of going to college, let alone med school. Yet, when her skills as a healer had increased, so had her desires to help the people here, leading her to her ultimate destiny as a doctor. Though not all of her modern medicine was possible, or even practical, to practice here beyond the well, she could still apply general philosophies with the common injuries and illnesses of this time.
When she pulled back the hanging door, she was immediately assaulted by the red kimono-clad demon that had become the bane of her existence.
"Why did you leave so quickly yesterday, huh? I know there's more to it than what you were telling me."
"What do you care, Inuyasha?" She arched her neatly-plucked brow at him.
"Rin was worried about you," he said, shoving his hands in his sleeves, and then found a spot on the ceiling that was particularly interesting.
"I'm assuming that they went home," she said, and then began to unpack her clothes, roughly stuffing them into a chest in the corner.
"Yeah," he said, settling down on the floor. "Sesshomaru wanted, and I quote: 'A complete and immediate report if Naraku should show his cowardly face to you, you worthless half-breed.'" His imitation of his brother was a little off, however.
"He did not say it that way, and you know it," she said, frantically digging around her bag. "Shit," she whispered harshly.
"What?"
"I forgot my . . . uh," she scratched her head, not really wanting to have to explain to him what a tampon was. They had already had an interesting, and very uncomfortable, chat about the nature of a bra and why it was necessary for her to wear one. "I forgot something important, and I'll need it in a few days, and I have to go back for it."
"You just got back," he said indignantly.
"Don't worry, I'll just run in and get it," she said. "Why don't you come with me? Mom's been asking about you."
He looked at her, noting the slight bitter turn in her voice. He watched her as she pulled on a sweatshirt over her T-shirt, and then flipped her hair out of the collar. He could not remember her ever resenting anyone, not even the people in her time who got to live normal lives.
They walked in silence, only glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Tension licked at their skin, and Inuyasha had the sudden urge to just grab her by her shoulders and . . . demand that she tell him what was bothering her, of course.
About halfway to the well, rain began to pour on their head, soaking them to the bone. However, it was a warm day, and the cool spring rain calmed the increasing heat and brought life to the fields and woodlands.
"I love the rain," Kagome whispered as she smiled for the first time that day, reveling in the feel of the rain against her skin.
"You're going to get sick," he said, and then added and annoyed, "Feh."
"Actually, that is a common misconception. Getting cold will not make you sick, however, being indoors more during the winter months will make you more susceptible to catching germs from other people, thereby . . . . Oof . . . ." She was cut off by Inuyasha plastering his hand over her mouth.
"More than I needed to know."
"Okay," she said when he finally lifted his hand from her lips. Her cheeks, however, were stained a girly shade of pink.
When the well came into view, they both stopped, and Inuyasha motioned for Kagome to go first. Sitting on the edge of the well, she was about to push herself over the edge when she stopped.
"What's the hold-up?" Inuyasha said, jumping up to land on the lip of the well.
"There's a girl down there."
Okay, there's chapter one!!! Tell me what you think. As always, read and review!!! Thanx everyone!!!
