A/N: I'd like to thank my wonderful beta, Chaos-and-Serenity!!
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Deleterious Deploration
Chapter 2
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Her heart was pounding against her chest and she felt as if it would never cease its beating. She clenched her fists in hope that the action would suffice as a stress reliever, though she knew it would not stop her from hitting the ground—even facing death.
The wind pushed her hair back in a frantic mess as she barreled towards the ground. In a split second, just when the dirt surface, covered in rocks, seemed as if it was going to swallow her up, two arms wrapped around her.
She was too shocked to even look at her savior. She had been inches from death. Inches. She took a deep breath, her whole body shaking in relief and fear. It took several moments to realize she didn't know who was holding her.
"Are you alright?"
She jumped at the gentle, quiet, almost inaudible voice and at that moment her russet eyes met striking azure ones.
"W—who are you? What do you want?"
She struggled against him, biting her lip to keep herself from screaming. The man, in all honesty, looked dangerous—as if he could kill with one blow. All she wanted to do was get away from him and quickly.
"Kouga," he answered.
His grip tightened and her heart sped up once again. "Let me go." What is he going to do to me?
"I don't think so," he answered.
She closed her eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath. "Let me go," she repeated, her voice stronger than before. The man holding her chuckled, his elf like ears twitching.
He's not normal…
"What are you?"
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"How dare you! You—you jerk! Untie me this instance!" From where she sat, her hands tied against the small of her back, she could see the hut where she had stayed. The pieces of wood were collapsing one by one and the pots of flowers that Asuka and Kocho had planted were broken into small pieces of dry clay.
Demons of all shapes and sizes roamed the area, chuckling at their newfound 'meal'. She could feel tears pricking at her eyes. Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Why did you go to get those herbs?
Her eyes frantically searched for any sign of the girls, Asuka and Kocho. Last she saw them, they were by Kikyo's scathed body. The priestess' name caused a tug at her heart and she did the best to ignore it.
"I can't. You'll get yourself killed," the man answered, still avoiding her question of what he was.
"Why do you care what I do!" she spat, refusing to cry in front of him.
His calloused hand instantly clamped over her mouth. "You're the priestess, Kagome, are you not?" he growled.
"But you—how—what?"
"Trust me, if you die…this," he said gesturing to the expanse of the land, "will all be gone. Every last piece will be rubble and burnt to a crisp. I can't let that happen. Even if it means helping a human."
She glared at him in befuddlement. "What do you mean human? Aren't you one too?"
He didn't give her an answer though his look said it all. He was something else. Her heart began pounding frantically again.
"Untie me."
"I told you, Kagome. I can't do that."
"I'll scream," she threatened.
"Fine. Do it. They'll find you and rape you until your throat becomes so sore you cannot scream anymore. And they won't stop there, no. They will tear you apart limb by limb and drink your blood like a pack of hungry wolves. They will make sure your death is by far the most painful because of what you are here to do."
A shiver shot through her spine. Something in his tone and his eyes told her he wasn't lying. She refused to believe it though.
"You don't believe me?"
He grabbed her by the shoulder and lifted her up, squatting down enough so they would not be seen. A bush stood in front of them, hiding them from prying eyes.
"Watch," he ordered.
She took a deep, shaky breath, two hot tears bounding down her cheeks. Why is he doing this? What does he have to gain?
In moments, a female body was dragged from the same hut Kagome had made her home not too long ago. Two men stood in front of her, laughing sardonically at her condition.
Kagome's eyes widened and if Kouga's hand was not covering her mouth, a gasp would have escaped her lips. Kikyo!
Kikyo's body was scantly clothed, her kimono ripped to shreds, various parts of her skin uncovered unto the howling wind. Her fleshless forehead, dripping in her own blood, gleamed against the moonlight and her eyes were hollow and lifeless. One eyeball was missing and as soon as Kagome took in the priestess' appearance completely, tears were rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably.
This—this is all my fault…none of this would have happened if I hadn't come.
And then she saw him…
His hair was like pure silk, as if the moon itself had created it. He wore the traditional armor of a leader, spikes protruding from his shoulders, a white, boa-like object wrapped around his right arm. But it was his eyes that first caught her attention and for a moment, hope sparked within her.
Though his eyes were impassive, they were unlike the other creatures'. They weren't starving or thirsty for the blood and flesh of humans. They were calm.
She remembered the passage from the journal.
And then a man revealed himself…
His eyes—
They were the eyes of a heavenly being fallen to earth.
I was overly gay, thinking perhaps he had come to save them. Something even I had not the boldness to do.
But he watched.
And I realized that those eyes, brewed from the mixture of honeysuckle and sunlight, were the eyes of a demon.
He—was their leader.
And she realized his eyes really weren't like the others. They were worse.
They thirsted for power.
And thirst for power was insatiable.
"That," Kouga began, "is Sesshomaru. Their leader. My leader."
Kagome gulped and bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out. "You might not want to watch this one," Kouga said, pulling her away from the scene just as two more females were dragged from the same hut.
Kagome got a glimpse of the two before Kouga pushed her roughly back into the small cave positioned off the side of the bottom of the cliff.
I'm so sorry, she thought as she shed tears for Kocho and Asuka.
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"Ginta, search the area. No human should be left unscathed."
"Yes milord," the wolf demon answered hastily, obliging to the Western Lord's command. It had been years since his Lord had last led a riot and the demons were savoring the moment. Of course, his Lord never partook in any of these 'barbaric' actions, but instead just watched taciturnly. Ginta was rarely ever asked to perform tasks such as he was now. He was more under Kouga's control, who, despite the rank he held in the Eastern Lands, followed Sesshomaru anyway. That single fact confused Ginta greatly.
Bodies were strewn across the ground, crimson mixing with the brown dirt that lay beneath his feet. He grinned, fangs gleaming, seeing the mess his comrades had made.
After checking the ground for any humans still alive, he made his way to the huts. One human in particular caught his attention as he walked past her blemished body.
Is she not the priestess of this village?
"Milord!"
His Lord was quickly by his side. "What is it Ginta?" he asked.
"Is this not Kikyo? The one who protected the Shikon no Tama?"
"Ah," the man said. "My half brother's wench. The one who pinned him to the Go-shinboku." There was a momentary pause between the two demons before the leader turned on his heel.
"Hang her as a symbol."
"B-but milord, what of the Shikon?"
"We have no use for it. Give it to Naraku."
"Yes, sire."
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Moments later, it struck her that she did not carry the leather book with her. At the time, it did not seem as if a single book would cause her to fret so, but it seemed as if the book was her only way home.
She didn't dare move, however; for one she was too shaken with trepidation and two, Kouga had left her tied by a piece of rope he had taken from one of the huts. She blamed herself for the village's devastation.
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Kagome whimpered and leaned her head back against the rock behind her. In all honesty, she was scared—she had no idea what was going to happen to her and the thought of that man made her want to get away.
Kikyo's image would haunt her for the rest of her life.
The way her lips had parted as if she had been trying to scream; the way her one eye was widened with full consternation.
What am I going to do? I have no home, no family, nothing. Will I ever see Souta again? What about Mama and Gramps? What have I gotten myself into?
She moved into a position so that she was lying on her stomach and began to crawl out from the small cave, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through her stomach as various rocks dug into her skin.
Once outside, the moon seemed to glare at her and she could still hear the vague crackling of the fire. It was dark, probably around midnight.
She looked around quickly, searching for a sign of the journal. Her first idea was to search the edge of the cliff, wondering if maybe it had been caught on a rock. It wasn't a high structure, merely fifty to seventy-five feet.
Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and she was able to see the faint mixture of white and brown pressed into the bleakness of black.
Oh my god. It's still there. How am I supposed to get that? Wait—the boy! If I could get to him—perhaps he could help me!
Her search for a sharp rock ended quickly and it seemed like hours until the rope was finally cut and her wrists were free. She winced and rubbed the tender skin; red patterned imprints circling her wrist.
If she could reach the boy before Kouga came back, then she would be able to get the journal back and find out what was going to happen in the end. At the moment, he was the only ounce of hope she had.
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Kouga made his way over to the small cave in which he had hid the girl. He was positive she'd still be there, unless she was just plain crazy.
It was proven that she was indeed crazy when he discovered that she was no longer in the same spot. "Stupid girl," he growled quietly to himself.
The only way to prevent anything from happening to her was to find her first.
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"Where is Kouga running off to?" Ginta asked himself, not realizing that his Lord was only a few feet away, also curious as to where one of his 'men' had gone.
"Follow him."
The command was simple, but Ginta knew he wasn't going to like what he was getting himself into. If he indeed found that Kouga was running to a human, he would have to report back to their Lord and Kouga would be exiled.
He always thought it was a silly punishment.
An excruciating sting across his back brought him from his stupor.
"Did I not give you a command?"
Ginta whimpered, the scent of his own blood mixing with the foul stench of the air. He quickly ran in the same direction his kin had, fearing the consequences if he didn't.
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Kagome ran.
Her breath was heavy and her legs were sore. As soon as she was no longer able to see the fire burning from the village, she had begun to run as quickly as she possibly could.
The tree was getting nearer with each step. She knew she would be able to free him, or so she had speculated. In the legend, he had been pinned to a tree with a sacred arrow, forged from the powers of Kikyo.
Her heart became heavy as she thought of the woman. She pushed the thoughts away as she came within reaching distance of the boy.
Kagome took a deep breath.
Please work. I need your help.
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Her scent became more and more distinct as he traveled forth in search of the human girl. He knew very well why she had run away.
"Kouga!"
The voice was so familiar that he reluctantly skidded to a stop. Why was Ginta following him? He growled, turning around.
"What are doing, Ginta?"
"I should be asking you that. Sesshomaru isn't very pleased that you ran off. Look what he did to me!"
Ginta turned around giving him a good view of his cut back, blood oozing from his skin. Kouga grabbed for him, his claws lengthening and his fangs protruding.
"I'll do much worse to you if you do not leave!"
Ginta snarled. "You know the punishment, Kouga! I can smell her!"
In an instant, Ginta was pinned against the dirt, writhing under Kouga's grip as his neck was crushed, nails puncturing the skin. "If you disobey me one more time, I will kill you," Kouga whispered, releasing his grip.
Ginta struggled to breathe.
"B-bastard," he choked out.
"He'll find her, Kouga. He'll find her and kill her."
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Her hand was so close. Just a few more inches and the arrow would be in her grasp. She took a deep breath before gripping the wooden end. A shock chorused through her whole body, the pain unbearable.
The boy in front of her did not move at all as a pinkish light engulfed her, thrusting her back into the dirty ground below her.
It had rejected her.
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A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed it! Hope it didn't confuse you too much! Review!