Beauty and the Demon
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Walt Disney definitely do not belong to me. Any people, ideas, quotes, etc. all belong to their respectful owners; I am simply borrowing them for my own pleasure.
A/N: Remember, this story takes place in the modern-day time period and in a semi-small town near the woods, just like in the Disney movie. Thank you very much to my few readers out there: Sakura Avalon, The Unnamed Demon and Kagomefan. Once again, thanks so much to IceDragon for staying with me for all 3 of my so-called chapters, and to Katherine/Megan Jones: Sango, Miroku, Shippou and some others will be making their appearances soon. No worries. =0) Also, there is a sketch of Kagome of BD in my profile. Go there to check it out, if you like.
III. Take Me Instead
That same day, about an hour after Kouga left her house, Kagome decided to go into town to buy some groceries for dinner. She walked a couple of blocks to the local store, ignoring most of the soft whispers that drifted by her ears every time she passed a group of people. She couldn't understand it. She was just as human as they were. Yeah, sure, maybe she wasn't as "ladylike" as they would want her to be… and sometimes she did have suspicions about her own powers. … Wait. Powers? Where did that come from?
Oh yes, that's right. That's the whole reason why she had her own set of bow and arrows, after all. Her own mother had handcrafted all of them years ago. Kagome remembered when she would sit next to her on the couch and watch her skilled hands, carving and shaping each piece of equipment with care and passion. The soft chipping noise of knife against wood, her mother's furrowed brow arched in concentration, and the soft glow of light that radiated from her fingers and into each weapon. Kagome never understood what the pink light was, but sometimes, when she was practicing with her bow and arrows, she could see and almost feel that light seeping through them. It somehow gave her a sense of power, and whenever she shot one of her arrows, the light surrounding it would pierce through the air and flare with life.
Her thoughts wandered as she began searching for the items necessary for her meal. She missed her mother. She had always been there to protect her, through thick and thin and all through Kagome's childhood. A couple of months after they had moved to this small town, however, she had disappeared, along with her baby brother, Souta. Her and her grandpa never saw them since. Of course, they had looked everywhere for them, but they never found a trace. That was about two or three years ago. If Souta were here, he'd be almost fourteen now. The familiar feeling of warm liquid threatening to fall from her eyes came, but Kagome stopped them. So many tears and so much pain had escaped her back then. Now, a teenager forced to grow up much quicker than normal, a growing teenage girl without a mother, was now all alone. Oh how I miss Grandpa as well. I wonder if he is doing alright.
As if to answer her, Felipe came running out from the woods and into her path just as she was crossing the small bridge that led back to her house. Grandpa's invention was still attached behind him, but where was Grandpa? "Felipe! What's wrong?" He kept jerking his head from left to right, neighing frantically. "Felipe, calm down! Where's Grandpa? What happened??" Kagome ran to the house and grabbed her bow and arrows, dropped the bag of food she had just purchased and went back outside to unlatch the small wooden cart that held the invention. Swinging her legs up and over the horse's back, she grabbed the reins and kicked him lightly. "Let's go, Felipe. You must take me to him!"
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After running wildly through the woods for about an hour, they came upon the large gate that Grandpa had went through a couple of days before. Kagome hesitantly got off the horse and walked him in, tying him to a tree in the front yard. As she approached the large mansion, a slight sense of fear creeped into her senses. The place was so dark, desolate and cold. Only concerned for her grandfather's health, she forgot her manners and simply opened one of the double doors that led into the house. The inside, although a little bit warmer, was no brighter than the outside. In fact, it seemed even gloomier and full of shadows. "Grandpa!" Careful to make as little noise as possible, she walked up a flight of stairs, and at the fork, up the left side. "Grandpa, are you here?"
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In another room inside the mansion, a candle and a clock stood on top of a table. A cup, which appeared to be moving, went up to the two items and… and talked. "Hey, guys! You won't believe this. There's a GIRL in the castle!"
The candle, which sat on a purple candle holder, somehow grew a face and replied, "A girl?! WHERE?" The candle's eyes became glossy.
"Miroku-sama, you are always like that when it comes to women." The clock, which had black circles around the eyes laughed. He turned to Shippou, the tiny blue and green cup. "But, a woman, Shippou-chan? Is this another one of your foxy tricks?"
"No, I swear to you! This time, I'm serious!" Shippou jumped up and down excitedly.
"Ahem. You know I can never pass up a chance to meet a woman, Hachi. Maybe I should go outside and ask her to…" The candle grinned. The cup and clock rolled their eyes. Suddenly, Miroku's smile became serious. "You know, she could be the one." The other two animate objects nodded solemnly.
Down the hall, they heard a woman's voice call out, "Grandpa? Grandpa, where are you?"
"Ahh~, such a beautiful voice." Miroku's eyes glassed over once again. Shaking his head, he said, "There's no time for that! I must lead her to her grandfather." He hopped down from the table and out of the room.
Hastily making his way up to the tower, he heard the woman's voice call out to him. "Oh, wait! Please wait! I'm looking for my grandfather." He smiled and continued all the way up the steps and even past Grandpa's cell. The woman, who was close behind him, appeared a few seconds later. "Grandpa? Was that you?" She looked around the tower. There was a small hallway with many cells on either side. Water dripped from the ceiling and small puddles were on the floor.
"Kagome…??" Grandpa's called from inside one of the cells.
"Grandpa!" She ran up to the door and reached in. "Oh, Grandpa. How did you get here?? What happened to you?" She grabbed his icy cold hands.
"Kagome, listen to me. Before I die-"
"DIE? You're not going to die, Grandpa!!" Kagome felt tears form in her eyes.
"Just listen! There's something you need to know about your mother." Her eyes widened at this. "The reason why she disappeared so many years ago.." A sudden burst of harsh coughs escaped his mouth, stopping any words that would have come.
"Grandpa! Damnit, I have to get you out of here!" She stood up and tried to look for a keyhole in the massive wooden door. Her grandfather continued to cough uncontrollably. "Hold on, Grandpa!" Her fingers brushed against a hole in the door, but before she could do anything about it, she heard a low growl from behind her, startling her. Wha- what is that? Turning around, she asked, "Hello? Is someone there?"
Intense red eyes pierced through the darkness. Kagome backed up against the door, her knees shaking. Even though she could only see its eyes, it was enough for her not to even notice that she had dropped her weapons on the floor. "Oh my God…"
"What the hell are you doing here?!" The creature's voice roared throughout the hall. When it had opened its mouth, she thought she caught a glimpse of very sharp fangs.
"M-my grandfather. I have to get him out of here. He's very sick!" She stood up taller, trying to show that she wasn't afraid. She had to get Grandpa out.
"I don't give a shit if he's sick! He shouldn't even BE here. He was trespassing on MY territory." It growled once again, this time deep within its throat.
If she wasn't in such a bad situation, she would have laughed at how funny that last line sounded. It talked as if it was a dog protecting his 'territory.' (A/N: Ha ha ha. ^_~) "Please, I beg of you. He's the only family I have left!"
It grunted. "I don't care," it replied softly. Kagome could sense a tinge of sadness in its voice.
"You.. you don't have any family either…. Do you?" Her eyes softened with understanding.
That was obviously the wrong thing for her to say, for it immediately jumped at her and enclosed its strong hand around her slender neck. "Shut the fuck up!" She clutched at its wrist to try to pull its hand away, but it was just too strong. She could still see nothing but its eyes.
"Kagome! Please, let her go! I'll stay here; I'll do anything! Just don't hurt her, please!!" Grandpa's voice was raspy from coughing, but he managed to convince the creature to let go of his granddaughter's neck. It didn't move from its spot, however, just inches from Kagome's face. Its stare seemed to burn holes through her skin.
"No!" Tears filled her eyes. She knelt down and clasped her grandfather's hands. "I love you, Grandpa." Kissing his palm, she stood up again. Looking it straight in the eye, she stated, "Take me instead."
The creature stood stunned at first, but then laughed. "You would take his place?" It trailed a claw down her face. "You are stupider than I thought… but it's done." It pushed her aside roughly and pulled open the cell door. Grabbing Grandpa by the back of his shirt, it jumped down from the window and onto the front steps of its mansion. Throwing him into a walking carriage, it commanded it to take him back the town and then leapt back up into the tower. It found the girl sobbing inside the cell.
When Kagome lifted her head up, she gasped. She could finally see it. It had shiny white hair that trailed down its back and pointy white dog ears. She was right when she thought she saw fangs, for they were so long, they even stuck out of its mouth. But, even though it didn't exactly look it, its face was almost completely human, save for the red eyes and purple lines on the sides. "What…are you?" She asked softly.
He walked up to her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand up. "I am a demon." Just as he had guessed would happen, she fainted, straight into his arms. Easily carrying her, he descended the stairs and started to walk to the East Wing, where her room would be.
A/N: Phew. Yeah, it's still kinda short but I guess they're always gonna be like that. Sorrie! =0P Please R&R. Thank you~
