I am alive.
Hey, to sweetdaeth: I'm glad that you are in love with this story. Hopefully you could check my other story. Soon, I hope for other stories to come out. I'm going to have to find time to check out your stuff!
ChristyKay(): All this praise will start to bloat my head! Thanks!! Hey, if Kouga's making you mad, I'm doing my job.
So, Hojo is a captain in a Homeland military. Shippou is a Corporal, Jaken and Naraku are Privates. Kaede is a General. Any ideas for other characters??
Sesshoumaru is happy with me. He finally gets to beat up Inuyasha in this chapter. But he's angry because he doesn't finish him. Hey, I need Inu- chan, Sesshy! But, you get Rin! Be happy!!!
Sesshy: BUT I DON'T FINISH THE HANYOU!!!
ME: So what??
I gave up on him. So, read this and enjoy.
"So, you'll just get rid of me?" he snarled. Kouga smirked.
"I just might." ________________________________________________________________ Inuyasha was furious. His own brother would attempt to kill him! That was how far jealousy could take someone.
He was so furious, in fact, that he did not know he was being attacked until the force of the attack had thrown him forward. Instinct caught him and he managed to spin to see his attacker.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha cried. The exiled clan member smirked and raised his blade threateningly.
"Well, well. Brother to the Heir, at my mercy," he gloated. Inuyasha thought back to his previous conversation and his face reddened in anger.
"Like the Heir would care!" he spat.
Sesshoumaru's face displayed only slight surprise. "Then I'll just kill you for my own amusement," he answered in a monotone. The blade raised higher and then fell like silver lightning.
Inuyasha had guessed that would happen and dodged it easily before he was up and using his own short blade to defend against the exile's attacks. Unfortunately, being exiled had done its number on Sesshoumaru. He was faster and stronger, and his senses had been improved. Softer living had dulled Inuyasha's reflexes and instincts.
Simply put, Inuyasha was unable to block every attack the exile threw at him. He was bleeding quite heavily before long, and quite possibly could have died, had the fight continued long.
As it was, the fight did not continue long. There was a sharp cracking sound before the fighters paused. Sesshoumaru only took a moment to think before he was gone into the dense foliage.
The sharp crack sounded again, nearly deafening Inuyasha's sensitive ears. Suddenly, he could pick out the sounds of beings moving all around where he was. Slowly, as if threatened, he backed away from the ever-closing circle like a cornered dog. The sharp crack sounded suddenly behind him and he leapt into the air in surprise.
By the time he had recovered from the loud retort, he found himself being held tightly by two rather large men. He struggled, but his open wounds had weakened him beyond much struggle.
"Poor creature," a soft voice sounded above him. A soft-faced, tall, dark- haired man stood above him. His face was filled with pity. "Well, he was trespassing on our lands. Bring him with, and bind him well."
The two men holding him started to force his hands behind his back, but still he fought, even in his weakened state. Finally, he gave in to his fate and, wearily, he allowed the men to bind him. As he waited, he looked to the trees and saw a flash of white.
Kouga sat in a tree, well-hidden from untrained eyes. White palm fronds hung from his head, creating the image of white, un-kept hair. A pleased grin was spread across his face hidden behind his hand. His shoulders were shaking from laughter.
Inuyasha roared in rage and was quite pleased to see Kouga's face take on a look of shock and slight fear. He pulled at the two men, hoping they would just let go. Of course, they did not. The rage that was building up in him gave him strength and it did not take long for him to break loose from the men attempting to hold him. The men cried out as he slipped away from them.
Suddenly, everything slowed. He ran toward his adopted brother, pleased to see the pig run off squealing, but there was a sharp click that echoed in his memory. Seconds later, he looked over to see the dark-haired man looking at him.
The sharp crack sounded once more and there was a short burst of pain before he was washed in deep, unshakeable darkness.
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Jaken was still upset to be chosen to be a babysitter, even if to the general's youngest daughter. He should be honored, as Shippou had pounded into him, but the darn girl was too talkative, too perky, and insisted on taking a walk in the jungle before the meal. And now, he was hungry and in the jungle with the girl and a few other soldiers he had called for simply on a whim.
His sharper senses caught his attention as they picked up the sound of distant gunshots. He looked in their direction and looked at the soldiers later. One of the better soldiers raised her eyebrow, signaling she had heard them too.
Kagura was a good soldier, jungle-trained. If she had heard things he thought he had heard, they had been real. He glanced fleetingly at the general's daughter and then looked back at her. She nodded and looked slightly northwest before she looked back at him.
The other soldiers had no idea what was going on, but Jaken and Kagura did. The girl had to be brought back to the camp, and quick. The sound of gunshots is never a good thing to hear when around a camp is surrounded by enemies. Jaken started walking ahead to catch up with the girl, Rin, but a short, sharp scream to their right caught her attention. In the scream was pain, anguish, and defeat. Rin let out a heart-wrenching squeal at the sound and started trotting through the underbrush, lifting her skirts clear of the tearing grasses.
Jaken mumbled under his breath as he raced after the girl. She screamed something of someone being hurt, and he motioned for the four other soldiers to hurry their runs and he sprinted to catch the renegade lady.
She was found in a clearing covered in blood. It was not her blood, but it was over her skirts as she set them in blood-soaked grasses. In the corner of the clearing, under a leafy branch, Jaken could see golden eyes staring out at the newcomers with hatred. He could see the cruel glint of steel and knew instantly what it was when he saw the man-like hands gripping at torn, mangled flesh.
"A man trap!" Rin screamed. The sound of pain her voice was strange to Jaken, and it set him on edge. For the child to feel pain for a wild man was not in his comfort zone. The mangled man looked up at her and let out a fairly convincing snarl. Unperturbed, the girl strode forward, slowly and gently, as if he was a wounded animal that needed her help. She made her way to him and pushed the leafy branch off of the trap, revealing a mangled mess that made even Kagura, the most emotionless soldier there, wince in pain.
He snarled once more as she leaned down, a hand extended in a way that could be seen as friendly and helpful. In this snarl, Jaken could see teeth that had been sharpened to cruel points. He stepped forward as he saw the man readying to use those teeth. Never had he seen this sort of behavior in a human!
Rin slowly leaned toward him, gentle and forgiving. The man lunged and the girl fell back, her voice ripping out of her lungs in a terrified and painful scream. She held her hand to her middle, red staining the fair white of her skin.
Jaken saw the red and cried out. A guardian's instinct threw him into a rage. His short sword was out in seconds and held it over the man, as did the other four soldiers. An attacker of the general's daughter was to be dealt with seriously, and to rip apart her skin meant death.
"No!" Rin cried, her hand clutched on her skirts, attempting to staunch the flow of blood. "He's scared! Take the trap off of him!" For a moment, Jaken considered ignoring her command, but he slowly nodded at Kagura. The woman sheathed her blade and moved to tend to the daughter as Jaken and the other males moved to the terribly impossible task of opening the jaws of steel.
As Kagura bandaged the girl's hand, Rin looked at the man watching her. His golden eyes were wide in amazement and relief. They looked so much different than when she had been near him. He had had fear and pain clouding his eyes then. Now, he was watching her with almost total trust as the four men around him started to open the trap. His eyes only cast upon the men in fleeting glances; it seemed as if he could not bear not looking at the young teenager.
Rin knew that there was no danger from him, even if his body was to heal perfectly. She did not know how she knew that, but she just knew that he would not harm her or any one she held dear if she told him not to.
What seemed like an hour later, the trap was open enough for the man to pull himself out of the deadly jaws. When he was out, the four straining men let go of the trap and the jaws fell closed with a resounding clang. For a moment, the torn and broken man looked at the steel clamps and then looked at the small girl watching him trustingly. He attempted to stand, but the pain forced him to stay down.
He gritted his teeth before he pulled himself to a moveable position. He slowly made his way to the girl, hoping that the men would not attempt to harm him as he did so. His silver hair fell about his shoulders as he pulled himself forward.
The five guards watched nervously as the man started to crawl to the general's daughter. Kagura was the only one who was ready to fight, though, for she had not strained to open the deadly grip. Rin stepped toward the man, shortening his horrible movement to the minimum.
Slowly, the man lowered his forehead to her feet and placed it gently there. "Milady," he murmured, his voice sounding harsh and rough even to him. The scream that had drawn the girl to him had ripped his throat apart. "I thank you and place my life into your hands."
The girl stepped back for a moment and he waited silently for whatever she might have the men to do him. Suddenly, he could see that she was crouching down before him. She placed a hand upon his head. A look of slight shock covered his face as she lifted it to her. He could see the shocked looks on the faces of the people behind her and nearly smiled.
"Take him with us," she said finally, looking at her guards. "Mother should be waiting for us."
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End here? I don't think so. ARGH!!! This longer than I expected it to be. Two more scenes, at about the same length!! Oh well. So, continue with the story. What happens to Inuyasha? You'll see!!
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Inuyasha awoke to feel someone shaking him. "Wake up, will you? You sleep like a log," a gruff voice shouted. He snarled slightly and opened his eyes to glare at one of the soldiers that had taken him captive. "Come now, you're to see the General now."
Inuyasha snarled again, angry that he was still held. He had been awoken before from his healing sleep, once when a soldier bandaging him had tore the skin a little more. The second was when a soldier had awoken him to feed him. He did not mind the second awakening that much. He had been pretty hungry anyway.
Suddenly, the tall, dark-haired man was in the room. "Come on. Stand up unless you would like for us to carry you to the General. She is to be meeting with her daughters at this time as well. What sort of an impression would you create being carried in?"
Inuyasha growled and silently obeyed the orders. Suddenly, Inuyasha remembered something, and the man became more important; he had been the one talking with the middle daughter, the one Kouga was going to kidnap! Kouga.
He would never let Kouga get away with what he had done.
"Bind him," the tall man ordered suddenly. Inuyasha blinked in shock, but before he could do anything, he was tied tightly. Shortly after, he was thrust before the man into the room before them.
The room was a simply furnished office, the desk and main chair being simple but comfortable. A few other soft chairs were in the room. At the desk was an elder woman. In two of the chairs were what he supposed were guards. And in the other two chairs.
His eyes fell upon the oldest daughter and he swallowed hard. She was beautiful, as if carved from pale granite and painted with onyx to create shadows. There was little color upon her, except for her lips that were bright red. Not one girl in the clan looked anything like her.
"Captain Hojo!" the elder cried, rising from her chair. Inuyasha took that name and committed it to memory. "What is this?"
"General Kaede, he was caught trespassing on our lands. I fear he could be a spy for one of the wild clans," the tall man answered.
The elder woman thought this over for a moment before she looked Inuyasha in the eye and sighed gently. "The punishment for espionage is imprisonment," she said quietly, as if informing him of his options. Inuyasha knew he sputtered out some exclamation, but the next thing that happened erased his memory of what it had been.
The middle daughter stood up and drew the attention of the room. Inuyasha suddenly saw her and could see the same beauty of her older sister, but she was more colorful, and she seemed to be real, not the granite carved look her sister had. "Mother," she started respectfully. Her hands were clenched in front of her, her fingers interlocked as if pulling strength from herself. "May I ask a question?"
The mother smiled and nodded. "Of course you may, Kagome."
"What has he done?" she asked bluntly. At the bluntness, the oldest sister stood up and placed a hand reproachfully on her shoulder. An irate expression crossed her granite face and she seemed to look to pull her sister backwards.
"Why do you question Mother's judgement? What Mother says should be law to us!" the oldest girl cried.
"Kikyo, Kikyo," the general murmured, holding her hands up to stop her eldest daughter. "Let your sister speak. Be patient."
After given a look from the general, Captain Hojo moved to answer the girl. He faltered when she turned her glare on him, but he continued. "We believe he is a spy from the clans."
"Why would the clans spy on us?" Kagome asked quietly.
"We.are.the.invaders," the captain continued, as if embarrassed.
"Why should we be afraid of the clans? This one carries only a short blade. Our soldiers carry a rifle, pistol, and a machete," she answered. After watching the captain sputter for a few moments on that question, she spun to face her mother. "We should have no fear of them. Mother, he has done nothing. Let him be free!"
Inuyasha had a great, sudden, new respect for this girl. She was incredible at thinking this sort of thing through. Another interesting thing was the idea that she would argue for him, even though she knew nothing of him. He could have been a spy after all, and she would not have known and probably would still argue for him. These girls of this new people were strange things indeed. Not one girl in the clan looked or spoke like they did.
The two men in the room were stunned and silent. The general smiled quietly, as if she had known this knowledge all along and had waited for the girl to act. "I am touched, Kagome. It will be done."
The next thing Inuyasha remembered was being pushed outside a door that led to the open air. Not one soldier looked his way, and he was fully armed, freed, bandaged, the jungle before him. All he had to do was run to it and go to the clan and... The Clan.
Kouga would be displeased that he got free. Kouga wanted that girl, Kagome. The girl who freed him.
Slowly, he turned around and looked back at the building. If he were to go to the clan and let Kouga take her, he would never forgive himself. He could warn her; he owed her that much.
Delicately, he sniffed the air. He was jungle trained, and his nose had been trained especially hard. Right now, he could smell three female scents he recognized. Two of the scents had the scent of youth. One of them, the slightly younger one, had the reek of the tall, dark-haired man with her.
That had to be it. He dashed off, following the scent to a flight of stairs, down a hall, and finally, to a closed door. From his trained ears, he could tell that there was only one person in the room. He was grinning ear to ear now. He could see what would happen when he told her the warning. He could almost picture her throwing herself upon him. The only thing that would have made it better was if it was the oldest sister.
He slid into the door, careful to close the door silently. The room reeked of a masculine scent that put him on edge, but he knew that that person was not there. The scent was old, but still was potently of a fast, cunning person. It reminded him of a fox's scent. It lacked brute strength, but was just as deadly with that speed and cunning.
The soft scent of a youthful, feminine person caught his attention and pulled him from the thoughts of the guard. He followed the sounds that he could hear from outside and the teasing scent and wandered over to a smaller room off the side of the main room. Steam issued from the room, as did a sound that reminded him slightly of a waterfall. There was a cloth curtain, and behind it came all of the sounds and scent. Though he had no idea of what she was doing, he knew he had to talk to her. Confidently, he reached out his hand and ripped the curtain back.
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
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^_^ Leave you here? I don't know, shall I? (Notices pleading look and tone in ChristyKay's last review and tries to resist.) No.must.resist. ARGH!! Fine, I'll continue the story.
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Shippou had just been entering the room when he heard his charge scream. It took seconds for him to enter the bathroom and throw the shocked assailant to the floor. Using a memory that was almost instinct, he placed each knee on his opponent's elbows, one had on his neck, and one hand balled in a fist, prepared to strike.
Shippou could catch the frantic sounds of Kagome's struggle to get something wrapped around her. He shuddered at the thought of what had almost happened and he, in respect for her dignity, made sure both pairs of male eyes stayed on each other. Before long, though, he got bored of watching the molten pools of gold.
"So, Fool. What were you doing in Milady's chambers?" Shippou snarled, raising his fist before swinging it downwards.
Inuyasha could only gasp before everything exploded in a flash of light.
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ARGH!! Much too long of a chapter!!! Oh well, Kay, you'll have happy readers, so type on! You like typing anyways, don't you?
Kay: ARGH!! CURSE YOU GIRLS!! (Any questions of what is going on, review and ask! ^_~!!!)
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Miroku put his whittling aside as he heard the sounds of a body entering the cave. He had been waiting on his master, Inuyasha, to come back. Miroku entered the main cave, a slight smile gracing his handsome face as he remembered the conversation of the other night. After that conversation, they had been good friends, and Sango had been included. It had brought him hope that he might find a friend in this man.
To his shock and horror, it was not Inuyasha that had entered the cave.
"M-Master K-Kouga!" he cried, trying to cover his surprise. "How may I serve you?" Two things raised his suspicions. The first thing was that Inuyasha had told him all about the lies Kouga had told. The second thing was that Kouga never entered this cave unless he was forced to enter.
"Take Inuyasha's belongings and throw them into the river. Use that one girl to help you," Kouga said, waving his hand in the general direction of the slave quarters, probably referring to Sango. Suddenly, Kouga had grabbed Miroku by the neck and lifted him to above his head. "Tell a soul what you are doing and your innards will mingle with hers in that same river."
"What.what did you do.to Inu-Master Inuyasha?" Miroku hissed around the constricting grip, true, genuine curiosity in his eyes. He had learned to hide his emotions, and mainly, he was hiding his concern for his master.
"I did nothing," Kouga spat, accenting the 'I'. "I could tell you, but if my father finds out." Kouga paused, tightening the grip he held on Miroku's throat. Miroku smiled in pure innocence and waited. "Inuyasha has been captured."
"Captured?" Miroku gasped. Hope ignited in his heart. Captured meant another tribe or clan. No clan could kidnap Inuyasha, but one people could. The people he had been stolen from. The people with the weapons so far advanced they made the clans shameful and Neanderthal-like.
Kouga saw the kindled flame of hope and chose to put it out. "No one knows you're in our clan," Kouga murmured smoothly, "and no one knows where we keep our clan, and no one knows about our clan, so shut up!" By the time he finished speaking, he was shouting. Suddenly, Kouga threw the slave to the ground and snarled loudly at the gasping slave. "Now stop wasting my time and do what you are told!"
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*Little epilogue to Chapter 2 and a bit of foreshadowing*
Miroku sat up once Kouga had left and glared at his retreated back. He held his throat gently, attempting to not brush the bruises the cruel fingers of his other master had left. He could hear the soft pattering of Sango's feet as she walked into the room and lay her head on his shoulder.
"Are you all right, Miroku?" she asked hopelessly.
"Yes, I'll be all right," he muttered angrily. Slowly, he sat up and swallowed to open his throat passages again.
"So close to freedom, huh?" she murmured quietly. "Too bad they hid the clan so well." She buried her face into his shoulder and wiped away tears she was too proud to show.
"Closer than you think, my dear," Miroku answered, laughing quietly, patting her head gently.
Sango raised her head in surprise and looked at him as if he was insane. "You forget one person Kouga underestimates."
Sango opened her mouth in understanding. "Inuyasha knows!"
"Yes, he does, doesn't he?" Miroku smiled. Suddenly, she was pressing her lips upon his and he gave in to her. Suddenly, he realized belatedly that his hand was moving. Oh no.
"HENTAI!" she screamed and slapped him, but not as hard as she could have.
"Sorry," he muttered and caught her mouth with his again.
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YEAH!!! The longest chapter I have ever written! TEN STINKING PAGES!! Three stinky days to type them, with resorting to working before school (6:25-6:50) and such. ARGH!! But I finished it! Scratch that, ELEVEN STINKING PAGES!!!!
To tell you, I really didn't want this to be drama, but it's turning out that way. Darn it.
So, warn me if I'm getting a little OOC, but hey, I'm working on trying to make them as in character as possible in these conditions.
I really just typed the little epilogue as it came to me. This really should be PG-13, though. People read those more. I'll try it.
TO ALL THOSE WHO HAD QUESTIONS OF ANY SORT: REVIEW AND THEY WILL BE ANSWERED!! YOU CAN EVEN ASK IF I'M SINGLE, FOR GOODNESS SAKES! To that, I answer that I am, of my own free will. Okay, scratch asking if I'm single.
Did any one read the Author's Note at the beginning? It could answer a lot of questions, especially in the next chapter.
Up and coming: "What are you doing up? The muscles in your legs were ripped asunder!"
So, I'm done. See ya later. ~ Kay Kylo, and my darn female compadres.
(Just for all the world to know before I am barraged with questions, I am a girl. Review and ask for clarification.)
Hey, to sweetdaeth: I'm glad that you are in love with this story. Hopefully you could check my other story. Soon, I hope for other stories to come out. I'm going to have to find time to check out your stuff!
ChristyKay(): All this praise will start to bloat my head! Thanks!! Hey, if Kouga's making you mad, I'm doing my job.
So, Hojo is a captain in a Homeland military. Shippou is a Corporal, Jaken and Naraku are Privates. Kaede is a General. Any ideas for other characters??
Sesshoumaru is happy with me. He finally gets to beat up Inuyasha in this chapter. But he's angry because he doesn't finish him. Hey, I need Inu- chan, Sesshy! But, you get Rin! Be happy!!!
Sesshy: BUT I DON'T FINISH THE HANYOU!!!
ME: So what??
I gave up on him. So, read this and enjoy.
"So, you'll just get rid of me?" he snarled. Kouga smirked.
"I just might." ________________________________________________________________ Inuyasha was furious. His own brother would attempt to kill him! That was how far jealousy could take someone.
He was so furious, in fact, that he did not know he was being attacked until the force of the attack had thrown him forward. Instinct caught him and he managed to spin to see his attacker.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha cried. The exiled clan member smirked and raised his blade threateningly.
"Well, well. Brother to the Heir, at my mercy," he gloated. Inuyasha thought back to his previous conversation and his face reddened in anger.
"Like the Heir would care!" he spat.
Sesshoumaru's face displayed only slight surprise. "Then I'll just kill you for my own amusement," he answered in a monotone. The blade raised higher and then fell like silver lightning.
Inuyasha had guessed that would happen and dodged it easily before he was up and using his own short blade to defend against the exile's attacks. Unfortunately, being exiled had done its number on Sesshoumaru. He was faster and stronger, and his senses had been improved. Softer living had dulled Inuyasha's reflexes and instincts.
Simply put, Inuyasha was unable to block every attack the exile threw at him. He was bleeding quite heavily before long, and quite possibly could have died, had the fight continued long.
As it was, the fight did not continue long. There was a sharp cracking sound before the fighters paused. Sesshoumaru only took a moment to think before he was gone into the dense foliage.
The sharp crack sounded again, nearly deafening Inuyasha's sensitive ears. Suddenly, he could pick out the sounds of beings moving all around where he was. Slowly, as if threatened, he backed away from the ever-closing circle like a cornered dog. The sharp crack sounded suddenly behind him and he leapt into the air in surprise.
By the time he had recovered from the loud retort, he found himself being held tightly by two rather large men. He struggled, but his open wounds had weakened him beyond much struggle.
"Poor creature," a soft voice sounded above him. A soft-faced, tall, dark- haired man stood above him. His face was filled with pity. "Well, he was trespassing on our lands. Bring him with, and bind him well."
The two men holding him started to force his hands behind his back, but still he fought, even in his weakened state. Finally, he gave in to his fate and, wearily, he allowed the men to bind him. As he waited, he looked to the trees and saw a flash of white.
Kouga sat in a tree, well-hidden from untrained eyes. White palm fronds hung from his head, creating the image of white, un-kept hair. A pleased grin was spread across his face hidden behind his hand. His shoulders were shaking from laughter.
Inuyasha roared in rage and was quite pleased to see Kouga's face take on a look of shock and slight fear. He pulled at the two men, hoping they would just let go. Of course, they did not. The rage that was building up in him gave him strength and it did not take long for him to break loose from the men attempting to hold him. The men cried out as he slipped away from them.
Suddenly, everything slowed. He ran toward his adopted brother, pleased to see the pig run off squealing, but there was a sharp click that echoed in his memory. Seconds later, he looked over to see the dark-haired man looking at him.
The sharp crack sounded once more and there was a short burst of pain before he was washed in deep, unshakeable darkness.
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Jaken was still upset to be chosen to be a babysitter, even if to the general's youngest daughter. He should be honored, as Shippou had pounded into him, but the darn girl was too talkative, too perky, and insisted on taking a walk in the jungle before the meal. And now, he was hungry and in the jungle with the girl and a few other soldiers he had called for simply on a whim.
His sharper senses caught his attention as they picked up the sound of distant gunshots. He looked in their direction and looked at the soldiers later. One of the better soldiers raised her eyebrow, signaling she had heard them too.
Kagura was a good soldier, jungle-trained. If she had heard things he thought he had heard, they had been real. He glanced fleetingly at the general's daughter and then looked back at her. She nodded and looked slightly northwest before she looked back at him.
The other soldiers had no idea what was going on, but Jaken and Kagura did. The girl had to be brought back to the camp, and quick. The sound of gunshots is never a good thing to hear when around a camp is surrounded by enemies. Jaken started walking ahead to catch up with the girl, Rin, but a short, sharp scream to their right caught her attention. In the scream was pain, anguish, and defeat. Rin let out a heart-wrenching squeal at the sound and started trotting through the underbrush, lifting her skirts clear of the tearing grasses.
Jaken mumbled under his breath as he raced after the girl. She screamed something of someone being hurt, and he motioned for the four other soldiers to hurry their runs and he sprinted to catch the renegade lady.
She was found in a clearing covered in blood. It was not her blood, but it was over her skirts as she set them in blood-soaked grasses. In the corner of the clearing, under a leafy branch, Jaken could see golden eyes staring out at the newcomers with hatred. He could see the cruel glint of steel and knew instantly what it was when he saw the man-like hands gripping at torn, mangled flesh.
"A man trap!" Rin screamed. The sound of pain her voice was strange to Jaken, and it set him on edge. For the child to feel pain for a wild man was not in his comfort zone. The mangled man looked up at her and let out a fairly convincing snarl. Unperturbed, the girl strode forward, slowly and gently, as if he was a wounded animal that needed her help. She made her way to him and pushed the leafy branch off of the trap, revealing a mangled mess that made even Kagura, the most emotionless soldier there, wince in pain.
He snarled once more as she leaned down, a hand extended in a way that could be seen as friendly and helpful. In this snarl, Jaken could see teeth that had been sharpened to cruel points. He stepped forward as he saw the man readying to use those teeth. Never had he seen this sort of behavior in a human!
Rin slowly leaned toward him, gentle and forgiving. The man lunged and the girl fell back, her voice ripping out of her lungs in a terrified and painful scream. She held her hand to her middle, red staining the fair white of her skin.
Jaken saw the red and cried out. A guardian's instinct threw him into a rage. His short sword was out in seconds and held it over the man, as did the other four soldiers. An attacker of the general's daughter was to be dealt with seriously, and to rip apart her skin meant death.
"No!" Rin cried, her hand clutched on her skirts, attempting to staunch the flow of blood. "He's scared! Take the trap off of him!" For a moment, Jaken considered ignoring her command, but he slowly nodded at Kagura. The woman sheathed her blade and moved to tend to the daughter as Jaken and the other males moved to the terribly impossible task of opening the jaws of steel.
As Kagura bandaged the girl's hand, Rin looked at the man watching her. His golden eyes were wide in amazement and relief. They looked so much different than when she had been near him. He had had fear and pain clouding his eyes then. Now, he was watching her with almost total trust as the four men around him started to open the trap. His eyes only cast upon the men in fleeting glances; it seemed as if he could not bear not looking at the young teenager.
Rin knew that there was no danger from him, even if his body was to heal perfectly. She did not know how she knew that, but she just knew that he would not harm her or any one she held dear if she told him not to.
What seemed like an hour later, the trap was open enough for the man to pull himself out of the deadly jaws. When he was out, the four straining men let go of the trap and the jaws fell closed with a resounding clang. For a moment, the torn and broken man looked at the steel clamps and then looked at the small girl watching him trustingly. He attempted to stand, but the pain forced him to stay down.
He gritted his teeth before he pulled himself to a moveable position. He slowly made his way to the girl, hoping that the men would not attempt to harm him as he did so. His silver hair fell about his shoulders as he pulled himself forward.
The five guards watched nervously as the man started to crawl to the general's daughter. Kagura was the only one who was ready to fight, though, for she had not strained to open the deadly grip. Rin stepped toward the man, shortening his horrible movement to the minimum.
Slowly, the man lowered his forehead to her feet and placed it gently there. "Milady," he murmured, his voice sounding harsh and rough even to him. The scream that had drawn the girl to him had ripped his throat apart. "I thank you and place my life into your hands."
The girl stepped back for a moment and he waited silently for whatever she might have the men to do him. Suddenly, he could see that she was crouching down before him. She placed a hand upon his head. A look of slight shock covered his face as she lifted it to her. He could see the shocked looks on the faces of the people behind her and nearly smiled.
"Take him with us," she said finally, looking at her guards. "Mother should be waiting for us."
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End here? I don't think so. ARGH!!! This longer than I expected it to be. Two more scenes, at about the same length!! Oh well. So, continue with the story. What happens to Inuyasha? You'll see!!
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Inuyasha awoke to feel someone shaking him. "Wake up, will you? You sleep like a log," a gruff voice shouted. He snarled slightly and opened his eyes to glare at one of the soldiers that had taken him captive. "Come now, you're to see the General now."
Inuyasha snarled again, angry that he was still held. He had been awoken before from his healing sleep, once when a soldier bandaging him had tore the skin a little more. The second was when a soldier had awoken him to feed him. He did not mind the second awakening that much. He had been pretty hungry anyway.
Suddenly, the tall, dark-haired man was in the room. "Come on. Stand up unless you would like for us to carry you to the General. She is to be meeting with her daughters at this time as well. What sort of an impression would you create being carried in?"
Inuyasha growled and silently obeyed the orders. Suddenly, Inuyasha remembered something, and the man became more important; he had been the one talking with the middle daughter, the one Kouga was going to kidnap! Kouga.
He would never let Kouga get away with what he had done.
"Bind him," the tall man ordered suddenly. Inuyasha blinked in shock, but before he could do anything, he was tied tightly. Shortly after, he was thrust before the man into the room before them.
The room was a simply furnished office, the desk and main chair being simple but comfortable. A few other soft chairs were in the room. At the desk was an elder woman. In two of the chairs were what he supposed were guards. And in the other two chairs.
His eyes fell upon the oldest daughter and he swallowed hard. She was beautiful, as if carved from pale granite and painted with onyx to create shadows. There was little color upon her, except for her lips that were bright red. Not one girl in the clan looked anything like her.
"Captain Hojo!" the elder cried, rising from her chair. Inuyasha took that name and committed it to memory. "What is this?"
"General Kaede, he was caught trespassing on our lands. I fear he could be a spy for one of the wild clans," the tall man answered.
The elder woman thought this over for a moment before she looked Inuyasha in the eye and sighed gently. "The punishment for espionage is imprisonment," she said quietly, as if informing him of his options. Inuyasha knew he sputtered out some exclamation, but the next thing that happened erased his memory of what it had been.
The middle daughter stood up and drew the attention of the room. Inuyasha suddenly saw her and could see the same beauty of her older sister, but she was more colorful, and she seemed to be real, not the granite carved look her sister had. "Mother," she started respectfully. Her hands were clenched in front of her, her fingers interlocked as if pulling strength from herself. "May I ask a question?"
The mother smiled and nodded. "Of course you may, Kagome."
"What has he done?" she asked bluntly. At the bluntness, the oldest sister stood up and placed a hand reproachfully on her shoulder. An irate expression crossed her granite face and she seemed to look to pull her sister backwards.
"Why do you question Mother's judgement? What Mother says should be law to us!" the oldest girl cried.
"Kikyo, Kikyo," the general murmured, holding her hands up to stop her eldest daughter. "Let your sister speak. Be patient."
After given a look from the general, Captain Hojo moved to answer the girl. He faltered when she turned her glare on him, but he continued. "We believe he is a spy from the clans."
"Why would the clans spy on us?" Kagome asked quietly.
"We.are.the.invaders," the captain continued, as if embarrassed.
"Why should we be afraid of the clans? This one carries only a short blade. Our soldiers carry a rifle, pistol, and a machete," she answered. After watching the captain sputter for a few moments on that question, she spun to face her mother. "We should have no fear of them. Mother, he has done nothing. Let him be free!"
Inuyasha had a great, sudden, new respect for this girl. She was incredible at thinking this sort of thing through. Another interesting thing was the idea that she would argue for him, even though she knew nothing of him. He could have been a spy after all, and she would not have known and probably would still argue for him. These girls of this new people were strange things indeed. Not one girl in the clan looked or spoke like they did.
The two men in the room were stunned and silent. The general smiled quietly, as if she had known this knowledge all along and had waited for the girl to act. "I am touched, Kagome. It will be done."
The next thing Inuyasha remembered was being pushed outside a door that led to the open air. Not one soldier looked his way, and he was fully armed, freed, bandaged, the jungle before him. All he had to do was run to it and go to the clan and... The Clan.
Kouga would be displeased that he got free. Kouga wanted that girl, Kagome. The girl who freed him.
Slowly, he turned around and looked back at the building. If he were to go to the clan and let Kouga take her, he would never forgive himself. He could warn her; he owed her that much.
Delicately, he sniffed the air. He was jungle trained, and his nose had been trained especially hard. Right now, he could smell three female scents he recognized. Two of the scents had the scent of youth. One of them, the slightly younger one, had the reek of the tall, dark-haired man with her.
That had to be it. He dashed off, following the scent to a flight of stairs, down a hall, and finally, to a closed door. From his trained ears, he could tell that there was only one person in the room. He was grinning ear to ear now. He could see what would happen when he told her the warning. He could almost picture her throwing herself upon him. The only thing that would have made it better was if it was the oldest sister.
He slid into the door, careful to close the door silently. The room reeked of a masculine scent that put him on edge, but he knew that that person was not there. The scent was old, but still was potently of a fast, cunning person. It reminded him of a fox's scent. It lacked brute strength, but was just as deadly with that speed and cunning.
The soft scent of a youthful, feminine person caught his attention and pulled him from the thoughts of the guard. He followed the sounds that he could hear from outside and the teasing scent and wandered over to a smaller room off the side of the main room. Steam issued from the room, as did a sound that reminded him slightly of a waterfall. There was a cloth curtain, and behind it came all of the sounds and scent. Though he had no idea of what she was doing, he knew he had to talk to her. Confidently, he reached out his hand and ripped the curtain back.
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
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^_^ Leave you here? I don't know, shall I? (Notices pleading look and tone in ChristyKay's last review and tries to resist.) No.must.resist. ARGH!! Fine, I'll continue the story.
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Shippou had just been entering the room when he heard his charge scream. It took seconds for him to enter the bathroom and throw the shocked assailant to the floor. Using a memory that was almost instinct, he placed each knee on his opponent's elbows, one had on his neck, and one hand balled in a fist, prepared to strike.
Shippou could catch the frantic sounds of Kagome's struggle to get something wrapped around her. He shuddered at the thought of what had almost happened and he, in respect for her dignity, made sure both pairs of male eyes stayed on each other. Before long, though, he got bored of watching the molten pools of gold.
"So, Fool. What were you doing in Milady's chambers?" Shippou snarled, raising his fist before swinging it downwards.
Inuyasha could only gasp before everything exploded in a flash of light.
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ARGH!! Much too long of a chapter!!! Oh well, Kay, you'll have happy readers, so type on! You like typing anyways, don't you?
Kay: ARGH!! CURSE YOU GIRLS!! (Any questions of what is going on, review and ask! ^_~!!!)
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Miroku put his whittling aside as he heard the sounds of a body entering the cave. He had been waiting on his master, Inuyasha, to come back. Miroku entered the main cave, a slight smile gracing his handsome face as he remembered the conversation of the other night. After that conversation, they had been good friends, and Sango had been included. It had brought him hope that he might find a friend in this man.
To his shock and horror, it was not Inuyasha that had entered the cave.
"M-Master K-Kouga!" he cried, trying to cover his surprise. "How may I serve you?" Two things raised his suspicions. The first thing was that Inuyasha had told him all about the lies Kouga had told. The second thing was that Kouga never entered this cave unless he was forced to enter.
"Take Inuyasha's belongings and throw them into the river. Use that one girl to help you," Kouga said, waving his hand in the general direction of the slave quarters, probably referring to Sango. Suddenly, Kouga had grabbed Miroku by the neck and lifted him to above his head. "Tell a soul what you are doing and your innards will mingle with hers in that same river."
"What.what did you do.to Inu-Master Inuyasha?" Miroku hissed around the constricting grip, true, genuine curiosity in his eyes. He had learned to hide his emotions, and mainly, he was hiding his concern for his master.
"I did nothing," Kouga spat, accenting the 'I'. "I could tell you, but if my father finds out." Kouga paused, tightening the grip he held on Miroku's throat. Miroku smiled in pure innocence and waited. "Inuyasha has been captured."
"Captured?" Miroku gasped. Hope ignited in his heart. Captured meant another tribe or clan. No clan could kidnap Inuyasha, but one people could. The people he had been stolen from. The people with the weapons so far advanced they made the clans shameful and Neanderthal-like.
Kouga saw the kindled flame of hope and chose to put it out. "No one knows you're in our clan," Kouga murmured smoothly, "and no one knows where we keep our clan, and no one knows about our clan, so shut up!" By the time he finished speaking, he was shouting. Suddenly, Kouga threw the slave to the ground and snarled loudly at the gasping slave. "Now stop wasting my time and do what you are told!"
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*Little epilogue to Chapter 2 and a bit of foreshadowing*
Miroku sat up once Kouga had left and glared at his retreated back. He held his throat gently, attempting to not brush the bruises the cruel fingers of his other master had left. He could hear the soft pattering of Sango's feet as she walked into the room and lay her head on his shoulder.
"Are you all right, Miroku?" she asked hopelessly.
"Yes, I'll be all right," he muttered angrily. Slowly, he sat up and swallowed to open his throat passages again.
"So close to freedom, huh?" she murmured quietly. "Too bad they hid the clan so well." She buried her face into his shoulder and wiped away tears she was too proud to show.
"Closer than you think, my dear," Miroku answered, laughing quietly, patting her head gently.
Sango raised her head in surprise and looked at him as if he was insane. "You forget one person Kouga underestimates."
Sango opened her mouth in understanding. "Inuyasha knows!"
"Yes, he does, doesn't he?" Miroku smiled. Suddenly, she was pressing her lips upon his and he gave in to her. Suddenly, he realized belatedly that his hand was moving. Oh no.
"HENTAI!" she screamed and slapped him, but not as hard as she could have.
"Sorry," he muttered and caught her mouth with his again.
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YEAH!!! The longest chapter I have ever written! TEN STINKING PAGES!! Three stinky days to type them, with resorting to working before school (6:25-6:50) and such. ARGH!! But I finished it! Scratch that, ELEVEN STINKING PAGES!!!!
To tell you, I really didn't want this to be drama, but it's turning out that way. Darn it.
So, warn me if I'm getting a little OOC, but hey, I'm working on trying to make them as in character as possible in these conditions.
I really just typed the little epilogue as it came to me. This really should be PG-13, though. People read those more. I'll try it.
TO ALL THOSE WHO HAD QUESTIONS OF ANY SORT: REVIEW AND THEY WILL BE ANSWERED!! YOU CAN EVEN ASK IF I'M SINGLE, FOR GOODNESS SAKES! To that, I answer that I am, of my own free will. Okay, scratch asking if I'm single.
Did any one read the Author's Note at the beginning? It could answer a lot of questions, especially in the next chapter.
Up and coming: "What are you doing up? The muscles in your legs were ripped asunder!"
So, I'm done. See ya later. ~ Kay Kylo, and my darn female compadres.
(Just for all the world to know before I am barraged with questions, I am a girl. Review and ask for clarification.)