Author's Notes: My first non-poem IY ficcy. n_n;; If you can't stand harsh language, severe angst, rape, or anything of the sort, I suggest stopping now. :/ I apologize is any characters seem OOC. n_n; With that said, on to the story!
Oh. And I don't own Inuyasha, only my imagination.
---
I lied. :X Next up we have the alphebetized Japanese list of words I've used, so if you don't know a particular word, here's the place to look. n_n It will change from chapter to chapter, though. A word repeated in another chapter will still be included. -noddles-
Aa - Yeah / Informal Yes
-babaa - Slang suffix for referring to old women, or your
grandmother.
Chikuso - Dammit
Hanyou - Half-Demon
Houshi-sama - Low-ranking monk, what Miroku is
Iie - No
Oyasumi - Good night
Youkai - Demon
Zettai ni yurusenai - I will never forgive them
---
Shattered Eternity
Chapter One
Tainted Innocence
Chikuso..Why, of all nights did this have to happen? Why did I lull myself into thinking we were safe, even though it's the New Moon? Shit. Those bastards.. "KAGOME!"
It was nearly dawn, a tiny sliver of sunlight peeking over the horizon. It seemed slower than ever. For Inuyasha the hanyou, this was the one night the youkai blood in his veins stopped flowing. His claws, fangs, and acute senses were gone, leaving only poor human qualities that surely wouldn't hold up against the villains they were to face.
Sango and Shippou accompanied Inuyasha atop of Kirara's back while Miroku ran along on the ground, but Inuyasha paid them little notice. He waited, desperate for the sun to rise and his youkai powers to return. His gaze never left the rising sun. It was torturing him, he knew it. The bright orange sphere rose slowly, just daring him to go on ahead as a human.
At long last, Inuyasha could feel the power coursing through his veins. Needle-point claws and fangs took the place of blunt nails and teeth. His hair faded from black to grey, grey to white. Pointed dog ears erected themselves on his crown, enhancing his hearing immediatly. His keen sense of smell returned, and Inuyasha was hanyou once more.
He leapt from Kirara's back, picking up Kagome's scent immediatly. He was out of sight in the wink of an eye, knowing Miroku, Sango, and Shippou wouldn't be far behind to back him up if necassary.
"Houshi-sama," Sango said worriedly. "Are we going to find her in time?"
"Inuyasha will find her," Miroku responded solemnly. "And he'll deal more than enough punishment on those responsible for her capture, there is no doubt about it."
Inuyasha raced through the forest, quite possibly faster than he had ever run before. Kagome's cheerful, smiling face was all his mind could concieve, and whether or not he'd find her in time. There had been quite a struggle, the scent of her passionate anger and fear was clear as he followed her scent trail. But what confused him most was that he could not sense a single youkai. In fact, the only other scents that were with Kagome's were humans'. Granted, they reeked of corruption, but they were humans just the same.
A sudden, high-pitched scream cut through the air. A jolt gripped Inuyasha's heart when he realized it was her frightened, pained scream. He sprinted to the source of the sound, letting out a great battle cry that could be heard for miles.
The state he found her in was hideous, almost too painful for him to bear. She was completely naked, the tattered remains of her school uniform were scattered about in bits in pieces. Her body was bruised and cut up, blood dotting her milky skin. Her eyes were squeezed shut in fear, tears leaking freely through their corner. There was a small stream of blood around the area of the apex of her thighs, clear evidence of what had happened.
She must have heard him approach, because she open her eyes in fear. Had they returned? Upon seeing the familiar red kimono and silver hair, Kagome recoiled, ashamed of her condition. "Kagome..." Inuyasha knelt beside her and moved to brush her hair out of her face, only to be answered with a biting shout.
"Don't touch me!" came the sorrowful sob. Her shoulders shook with each powerful sob, and Inuyasha wasn't sure how to calm or comfort her.
"It's alright," he whispered. "I'm here now." He took off his red jacket and gently wrapped it around Kagome's shaking form. She clung desperatly to him and sobbed in his shoulder, for how long Inuyasha couldn't guess at. He could only cradle her and whisper soothing words, arms gently encircling her until the sobbing faded to an occasional hiccup.
Sometime during this timeless embrace, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou had arrived, but didn't say anything when they saw the tender scene. Only when they realized Kagome had nothing on under Inuyasha's jacket did it begin to dawn on the older two what had happened. Shippou was at loss, although he could tell by the expressions of everyone around him that something terrible had happened.
Only when Kagome fell into a fitful sleep did Inuyasha turn around to meet the eyes of his companions. "They were gone by the time I got here," Inuyasha replied to the unsaid question.
"Was it a youkai?" Sango demanded.
"Iie.." Inuyasha said. "I don't think it was a major plan out to get us. Just some lecherous humans stumbled upon our campsite and took Kagome for there own twisted pleasures." Unknowingly, he tightened his grip on the sleeping girl he held in his arms. "Zettai ni yurusenai!"
"We should we turn to Kaede-sama's* village," Miroku said. "She could use some herbs to help heal Kagome-sama's wounds."
"Aa." Inuyasha stood up, careful as you not awaken Kagome. Sango flew above their heads on Kirara, while the others walked. Inuyasha carried Kagome, not willing to let her out of his protective grasp.
The journey didn't take more than a few hours, as they weren't terrible far from the village. Kagome had woken up, but didn't make a sound, only burying her face into the folds of Inuyasha's jacket, unreasonably ashamed. Kaede wasn't surprised to find them knocking at her door, but it was a shock to see Kagome in her condition. After coaxing Kagome into letting her clean her scratched and to apply an herbal antiseptic and giving her some herbs to help her sleep, she spoke privately with Inuyasha.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
Inuyasha looked down, ashamed at his inability to protect her. "It was the New Moon. Some lechers came across our campsite and took her away. We followed, and found her too late. They were already gone. But," he growled, clenching his fist, "I will not let them live."
"I see," Kaede said. "I can heal the wounds on her body, but I am helpless to heal the wounds in her heart. A rape is a terrible thing for a young woman to go through. It can break even the strongest spirit." Her face was downcast, and Inuyasha's heart tightened. "Well, you should get some sleep."
"Aa. Oyasumi, Kaede-babaa." Inuyasha certainly had no intention of sleeping, but he hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours, and exhaustion slowed his movements and dulled his mind. He relented and settled outside Kagome's door and slept there. If anything was going to come and attack her, they'd be in a million pieces before they could blink twice.
---
*=I don't know what Miroku really called Kaede. X_x;; 'Kaede-sama' seemed fitting, but if you know what he called her in the manga/anime, feel free to tlel me in a review or e-mail. (DerangedPenguinX@aol.com) n_n;
Other than that small confusion, I am pleased with myself. I can't wait to start chapter two, but it's 2:40 in the morning and I've been working on this since midnight. x_x I deserve sleep too. I hope you enjoyed, and if you didn't, at least review and tell me why. Flames I don't like. Constructive criticism I do like. Suggestions on what to do to fix what sucked, or suggestions of what I could put in later, since the details are very sketchy right now.
