By Moonlight
A Demon in the City of Steel Torches

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, save the occasional random villager.

Synopsis: Semi-AU~ instead of Kagome stumbling upon the Sengoku Jidai, Inuyasha finds his way into the modern world—in his human form.

He woke hours before dawn, probing his hushed surroundings with canine senses for anything worth noting. Something felt wrong, and it troubled him to no end. The unspoken dread that had begun to boil within darkened his already foul temper, and it took only a final glance at the awakening sky to confirm his gloomy suspicions.

Overcome by a mixture of anger and exasperation, Inuyasha fled.


It was noon when the legendary Goshinboku's leafy branches reached out to welcome him, but the weary disgust that bit as his mind had not yet subsided. He knew; the struggle within his veins was just beginning. A wave of nausea pulled his tightened lips into a menacing scowl, and without wasting a moment, the half-demon stalked into the jaded woodland.

A shroud of heaviness pulled upon his straining limbs as he muttered a string of curses under his breath. The last few days had been tough; his idiot brother insisted on appearing at the most inconvenient times, and he had to admit that only luck had guided him from those encounters with no more than a few flesh wounds. He was arrogant to a fault, but even Inuyasha knew the dangers of running into his brother on a moonless night.

Sunset crept upon him on its toes, catching the haughty demon unprepared. Inky darkness leaked from the ominous sky and shadows tainted his once-silver mane with murky ooze. By the time his claws-—his last defense—-dissolved into blunt, human nails, Inuyasha found himself not far from a silent clearing in the bowels of the undisturbed vastness. Maintaining his caution, the now-human Inuyasha slumped in the shadows of a make-shift well to regain his composure.

The sun had gone, and stars were beginning to shine into view when his demon blood finally succumbed for the night, marked by the quelling of his ever-present rage into a type of fearful submission. On these senseless human nights, he could only hide—-after all, what else were humans good for?

As if triggered by this thought, human voices interrupted his frail moment of peace, and intruding footsteps echoed throughout. Heavily-armed villagers marched grimly, dragging the corpse of a fallen monster not far behind. "They saw another demon enter here! Split up!" Bearing angry torches, the improvised army tore through the once-silent haven and with a mumbled curse, Inuyasha leapt into the well...


Darkness blinded him, and the foolish alarm that took him over was back tenfold. With growing frustration, the reluctant human climbed up the steps that he knew weren't there the first time, and flung open the recently materialized doors. The dour villagers were gone, and only the Goshinboku remained where a massive forest once stood. Despite the moon's desertion, the mysterious streets glowed from the light of a hundred steel torches, and this giant village was still quite alive with activity. His curiosity piqued, Inuyasha wandered on.


The building he had chosen to enter was unlike any other he had seen. It wasn't made of wood or straw, and the windows were sealed with a transparent, shiny type of stone. Groups of laughing men swarmed inside, and the small room reeked of alcohol and sweat. He didn't mind; anything was better than the smell of blood and rotting flesh that he was so accustomed to. Taking a seat in the corner, Inuyasha kept a cautious eye over the strangely content humans.

"Can I get you something, sir?" A small waitress stepped in front of him, smiling. Her hair fell in a coarse heap around her shoulders, and although she was quite ordinary-looking, her soft, glowing eyes seemed to brighten her entire face. She didn't look much unlike the human women he'd seen in villages, he noted, but in comparison, she was nearly naked. Keeping his steady gaze on a stain on the ceiling, he merely grunted and shook his head. Unfazed by her customer's apparent detachment, she shrugged, "I'm Kagome—let me know if you change your mind."


She was fascinating, for a human.

Whether he realized it or not, he had been watching her for more or less the whole evening. He had himself convinced that she was nothing special, and yet something inexplicable about her drew his eye. She was a catastrophic mixture of clumsiness and grace, and though she emitted warmth and laughter, she could also be fiery and engrossed in debate. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice the sloppy smile that sneaked upon him as he watched; Kagome didn't seem to notice her new audience.

That fact that he didn't belong had been instilled within for so long that he hardly noticed it now, but the half-demon felt strangely comfortable here, where burly human men laughed away the fleeting silence and a tiny waitress radiated hospitality. Cold wind pushed through the cringing walls and cut across tears in his tattered cloak, and yet he had never felt so warm. The frantic events of late chose these moments to descend upon him, and with alarming ease, Inuyasha leaned back and closed his eyes.


"Mister? I'm sorry, but we're closing soon." He woke with a start; had he really fallen asleep? Furious with himself, Inuyasha jerked upright and surveyed his surroundings with guilty suspicion. Most of the people had left, save a few particularly rowdy fools, and emptiness replaced the once-hearty atmosphere. Kagome stood beside him, a gentle smile playing upon her features, "I haven't seen you here before, are you new?"

He studied her carefully before replying, taking in the comforting smell of her perfume, "Yeah." He winced a bit at the roughness of his own voice; his throat had grown scratchy and coarse from disuse. Casting a sideways glance at the door, he found disappointment—it was still pitch black outside. With a sigh, he began to rise.

"Oh wow! Your clothes..." He jolted upright, startled by the warmth of her touch. Slender, soft fingers pulled away, and once again, his body was submerged in ice. "These look like they came straight out of my history textbooks!" She laughed, gazing in admiration at his silky, crimson robes and bowed, "Please come again!"

He followed her with his gaze as she stepped away and stumbled on nothing, looking to him like a terribly fragile doll falling from its shelf. Instinctively, he reached out to catch her, enclosing her firmly with strong arms. Her warmth flooded into him once more and filled with awkward nervousness, he pushed her away, struggling to fight away the blood that was rushing to his face, "Be more careful, woman."

Heatedly, she stuck out her tongue and turned away, "My name is Kagome, and I was going to thank you, but I changed my mind."


The increasingly chilly winds bit at his bare heels and whistled shrilly, taunting him. Minutes felt like hours as the half-demon shifted uncomfortably on a drafty rooftop, watching for sunrise. The twisted mixture of blood was rioting once more within his tortured veins, and it wouldn't be long before this internal war would subside, he hoped; it wouldn't be too long before sunrise. He held on to that thought before realizing a more immediate concern—how would he get home?

Slightly troubled, the half-demon began to retrace his footsteps.


"Leaving already? Want me to walk you home? It's risky for a young, pretty girl to walk alone at night." Playfully feigning worry, the bartender winked at Kagome while cleaning the last table, "Thanks for helping tonight."

"I'll be fine, thanks," she smiled wearily, "see you tomorrow!"

The scene change was a welcome one—a few hours stuck in the crowded bar was more than she could take. The dim streetlights flickered as Kagome crossed the empty streets, her gaze absent-mindedly floating towards the stars. With a soft smile lingering upon her lips, she lost herself in blissful thoughts—the idol of all the third year girls had asked her out just that day, and a friend of her grandfather had offered her the very well-paying job at the bar—things were going well, she had to admit. So well, in fact, that it took her almost the entire distance home to notice the ruffle of fabric and the sound of soft footsteps that had been accompanying her.

"Who's there?" she called out hesitantly, getting into a clumsy defensive stance that she'd learned in gym class, "Come out!"

"I was wondering when you'd notice," a voice replied flatly.

Startled, Kagome whirled around, scanning her surroundings, but seeing nothing, "Where are you? Why are you following me?"

"Why would anyone want to follow you?" With a graceful leap, a familiar young man appeared before her with an indignant glare, "I'm looking for something."

A sigh of relief escaped the tired girl's lips and twisted them into a knowing smile, "Lost, eh? I can help you find it, if you like. I've lived here all my life." There wasn't anything about him that ruled out the possibilities of danger, but for some reason, the panic that had built so rapidly within her had completely dissolved.

"A shrine," he offered simply, too weary to consider the alternatives. He didn't mind this world all that much as a human, but he had a feeling that as a demon, the people wouldn't be quite so cordial.

"Oh! You're looking for the Higurashi shrine? My family runs it—but it's closed now, I'm afraid. Grandpa's up very early, though, so you can come any time after dawn—"

"Where is it?"

She pointed out the large, medieval-looking temple not far away, "Not much of a view from here, but you should see it on a night with more moon; it's beautiful." A bolt of anguish seemed to cross his unwavering gaze for a split second as she spoke. Backing away reflexively, she nearly tripped over the sidewalk's edge before the he grabbed her wrist and secured her balance. "Thank—"

He grunted disdainfully before she could finish her sentence, and released his grip as if she was diseased. Turning away, he growled, "I told you to be more careful."


Author's Notes: This chapter is mainly set-up and whatnot, so hopefully things will get interesting from here. Please, please review—- I'm mainly worried about maintaining their personalities, so if you see anything amiss, please. I don't plan to continue if no one's reading, either~ questions, comments, ideas, constructive criticism—- all very welcome!

(Edit 4/13/03):  Yeah.  I just realized that I have like 5 grammatical errors in the first sentence.  Um.  I'm definitely not writing at obscene times anymore.  Proofread.  Sorry 'bout that.  I'd like to say the next chapter is coming soon, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.  It won't take too long.  ^__^;; (please don't kill me)