A/N: Airi was introduced into the world of Inuyasha during my fanfic The Lost Chapters. This story begins before she runs into them. I really appreciate all your support and reviews. The cover art was created by me and is a first glimpse of Airi. There's more art on Deviant Art for at AiriChronicles.
I do not own InuYasha or the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi. But Airi is mine :-)
PROLOGUE:
A Beauty from the Ashes
In the feudal era nestled within the vast Forest of Harune, the sky began to brighten over the remains of what had once been a peaceful village. Its hidden location had afforded its previous residents refuge from the greed and suffering of war. But soon the simple village became targeted by a strong group of ruthless bandits, led by the notorious Commander Shuu. There wasn't a person around who didn't cower at the name. He was a war deserter, who attracted the most violent and heartless men to his side. And their greed, fueled by their success of burning and pillaging small helpless towns, had no limits.
The bandits ambushed this isolated village at night, giving its inhabitants little chance to flee from their brutality. Most of the men and women were cut down and the few children that managed to escape perished from hunger, sickness or demon attacks before they could reach the outskirts of the woods. Thereafter, Commander Shuu set up a permanent base at the site and expanded his reign of terror on neighboring towns.
But now, said village lay in ruins once again.
A blazing fire ravaged the camp and purged the area of any signs of life. The surrounding trees would have succumbed to the greedy flames as well, had it not been for the kami of that forest. He summoned a heavy rainfall overnight to cleanse the old village of the remaining darkness and bloodthirst from the bandits. The Forest of Harune was a place for peace and calmness and although he wasn't strong enough to stop the bandit's merciless behavior throughout the past few years, he could still protect the natural essence of his forest.
In the morning, the sun slowly peeked over the horizon and painted orange and rose streaks across the sky. But the rays barely reached the ground through the thick, dense smoke lingering eerily over the land, as if to deter others from approaching the area. For if anyone other than the Kami had been there, they would've mistaken the human-like shadow rising from the ashes for a demon. Long legs stretched up from the ground and sharp emerald eyes scanned the area. But the Kami recognized the teenage girl immediately and was overcome with happiness and guilt. Her survival sparked a wondrous joy, but then sadness consumed him. There were not many who knew of what she had endured over the last few years and everyday he wished he wasn't one of them. He regretted his inability to save this girl from the barbarity she had suffered in the hands of Commander Shuu. A young girl taken from her homeland and imprisoned in an encampment of rough, sinful men. Death might have been an easier way to end her hardships, he thought, because she would surely have to experience much more before she could be happy. He watched her as she looked around confused and astonished at her own continued existence, no doubt trying to recall what had happened the night before.
-X-
Gradually images of Tsuyoshi surfaced in her mind. His lifeless face lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood. The last word to leave his lips before the light left his eyes was her name, Airi.
Commander Shuu's demeaning rhetoric echoed in her head, forcing her to relive the horror again, "You think you can escape me, you stupid whore! I own you! You're only alive so I have something warm to put my dick in at night!"
Airi's anguish quickly turned to rage as the sound of Commander Shuu's loud tantalizing laughter and repulsive insults filler her head. She hated him. He was a foul repulsive excuse of a man, who simply took whatever he wanted. With the exception of Airi, she had been offered up as a gift from her hometown.
The small defenseless village that she grew up in had seeked out the commander themselves and taken the liberty of exchanging Airi's freedom for their safety. Initially, the commander had outright refused their offer. He could get a young 14 year old girl any time he wanted. It certainly wasn't a good enough reason to deny his men the spoils of raiding and wrecking another town. But their incessant pleading was annoying and once they offered him a nice amount of gold in addition, he finally agreed to see this "gift" out of boredom. When the commander first laid eyes on Airi, he was less than impressed. She was pretty with long wavy grey hair to the middle of her back and piercing green eyes. She was taller than your average woman with specially tailored clothing made out of a very fine silk. He thought her to be a lord's daughter, the typical shy and obedient type, the type that he had absolutely no use for. But the village leaders had an ace up their sleeve. They were well-informed about the commander's sadistic behavior and it was a simple task to get him interested in their peace offering.
When Airi was brought in front of the commander, one of the guards demanded that she bow to him. But instead she continued to hold her head high. The guard yanked down hard on her chains bringing her to the ground, while another guard forced her to keep her head down. And as if someone flipped a switch, Airi's fiery personality came out like an explosion. She fought savagely against the men holding her down and screamed about how she couldn't be used as a bartering tool. To top it off she spit on the commander's shoes. That action alone triggered a hellish grin to spread across his face. He wanted her. Not as a wife, but as a form of amusement. He saw a girl that needed to be broken and he was more than up to the challenge. He walked up to her then and clasped his hands around her neck still smiling dangerously. Her neck was long and elegant and she gasped for breath as he squeezed it tighter. "I'll take her," he had said, while cutting off her supply of air until she passed out. As her body began to slump, he let her drop to the ground in a loud thud. Later when she came to, she was no longer in her hometown and would withstand a life of hell for the next three years.
The humiliation and mistreatment she suffered was unfathomable. But Airi proved to be stronger and more resilient than he had expected. And although she had grown to be more compliant, she was by no means tame. So the moment Commander Shuu cut down the one shining light in her life, she had gone into a blind rage.
That shining light's name was Tsuyoshi. He was one of the guards tasked with watching her while the rest of the bandits were out on raids. He was older than the others and therefore a rather different individual from the rest. He had joined Commander Shuu out of a necessity to survive. He had a kindness to him and over time his kindness turned into love for Airi. The more she was abused the more he wanted to run away with her. With him being the only man to show her compassion, she had reciprocated his affections. Whether she truly loved him or not was unclear. Secretly, they planned to escape from the encampment and start a new life together. But that dream died with Tsuyoshi when their plans were foiled, leaving revenge and rage to consume her.
Without a second thought, she had picked up one of Tsuyoshi's axes and sliced open Commander Shuu's gut. The dumbfounded look on his face as he had fallen hadn't brought her any relief, however. Nevertheless she felt empowered from killing him and laughed like a crazed banshee. Bandits and small demons alike had cowered in fear when they heard her unhinged cackling. And in her lack of sanity, she set the entire camp on fire, without a care for her own life. Airi had given up on living. Her sole purpose was to kill Commander Shuu and she had already sent him to hell. Mad with sorrow, she lost consciousness amidst the smoke and flames, as she cried over Tsuyoshi's lifeless corpse. She surrendered her last breath with the hope that her next life would be a better one.
-X-
But now, Airi stood amongst the ruins of the camp that had previously been her personal prison. How had she survived such a destructive fire?
The young girl glanced down at herself; the once luxurious, silk kimonos she wore were reduced to mere rags. They hung from her body like an accessory, baring every private part of her body, as if the commander was trying to get the last laugh. Outraged by this thought, she ripped off what was left of them and tossed them aside. The disturbed ashes rose up around her making her cough violently. She wasn't sure of what to do next or where to go, but she definitely wouldn't stay there. Decidedly, she bent down and pulled two large heavy weapons from the ground and slung them over her right shoulder. The Kami of Harune Forest sent a fresh breeze in her direction, hoping she would choose the path he guided her towards. At least that path will lead her to some form of clothing to cover her nakedness, he thought. Even though he knew her hardships were far from over, he hoped they would be easier to bear. Airi flitted into the woods unaware of the Kami watching her. Nor did she look back upon the devastation she had never expected to survive. She was finally free.