A/N: Hi! I'm Black Mage Dad (but I'm a girl!) and this is – sadly – my first Inuyasha fic! I'm scared! Eep! So, uh, please be kind in your reviews (if I get any, sigh). Just so you know, I'm not knew to the network and have a very successful fic in the Final Fantasy IX section called Return of the Destroyed. Read it if you ever get the chance (even though it's over twenty chapters long *sweatdrop*). Also, I apologize for not having Sesshoumaru make an appearance in this chapter. He will in the next one; that's a promise. So, please read and review! And be nice!
Disclaimer: I'm too stupid to own Inuyasha . . .
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A mist was rose eerily into the air, encircling the small ceramic bowl. A deathly pale hand dipped its fingers into the dish and gently stirred the liquid within. The other hand was delicately sprinkling a powder into the broth which caused the air within the room to become stuffy and nearly impossible to breathe. The smell of incense was asphyxiating.
A man leaned over the bowl, a thin smile spreading across his lips. Pools of tangled black locks fell over his shoulders and his skin was the color of the dead. But scarier than his skeletal appearance was the man's eyes. They were dark, like rat-holes, yet held within them a cunning so meticulously evil that they seemed to have a very life of their own. And while intelligence shivered in those cold, black pools, there was a sparkle there that bordered on insanity.
A woman shifted her weight outside the room, taking careful heed not to let the floorboards creak. Fear crept icily up her spine as she realized the dangerous situation she had put herself in: nothing separated her from the man inside, except for a thin screen door. But she had to know . . . Had to know what he was up to for so long in there . . . Why he had ordered her and her sister away . . .
"It is okay, Kagura. You may enter,"
The woman stiffened considerably, gripping her fan in fear. So he knew! Then again, he always knew . . . Taking a deep breath, Kagura opened the screen door.
"Naraku," she said softly, crimson red eyes narrowing as incense drifted thickly into her lungs. "Please, forgive me – "
"Iie. It is I that should forgive you," Naraku stated firmly, lifting his fingers from the broth and turning his ghostly face to the woman. Kagura blinked in surprise at her master's kind words. She shook her head, the green beads dangling from earrings tinkling as she moved.
"Naraku," she repeated. "I am aware that you ordered me away. However . . ."
"Your curiosity got the better of you," Naraku murmured, nodding. His eyes flickered for a moment before he smiled. "It is to be understood," he said. "After all, who wouldn't wonder what monstrosity their master was conducting behind closed doors? Come," he beckoned the woman in with one water-pruned hand. Kagura was frightened, and yet eager to see what her heart's keeper had come up with. The hanyou never ceased to amaze her. Stepping further into the room, Kagura slipped quietly to Naraku's side.
"Gaze upon the broth," ordered Naraku gently, pointing into the depths of the dish. Kagura did so, and soon found that she had to strain her eyes to see through the curling tentacles of smoke. For a moment, she contemplated giving up, then suddenly an image formed, as clear as life at one moment, and fading like breath on the wind at the next. It was a boy, and a very small one at that. His eyes were large, like suns of gold, and long silver hair spilled down over his back. The child's fire-red clothes were rippling in a slight breeze, and the two curious dog-ears atop his head were twitching nervously.
Kagura pulled back slightly, frowning. "Why, that's the bastard hanyou, Inuyasha," she breathed as her face clouded over in confusion. "Yet he is so tiny here,"
Naraku nodded, and a strange madness seemed to glaze over his eyes. "Merely a child," he whispered, grinning. "Think, Kagura. Think how easy it would be to kill him like this. So young, so innocent. Why, his claws must be no bigger than rat's teeth; the Tetsusaiga still resting comfortably in Inutaisho's grave. How easy it would be to snuff out his life in one – fatal – grasp," Naraku clenched his fingers into a fist, baring his teeth in a manner most unlike him. Kagura felt that icy chill once more, and wondered briefly if all the planning and slow progress had finally kicked her master over the edge. And – the youkai's thoughts growing ever wilder – perhaps his mental breakdown could become an easy means for her desertion! Maybe the gods were smiling upon her for a change!
"This is all you've been doing for the past week . . .?" Kagura asked delicately. Her words seemed to snap Naraku out of his insanity and the hanyou slowly lowered his fist and smiled. The film over his eyes steadily faded back to the cunning black abyss once more.
"Kagura, do you honestly believe I would waste my time drawing up water fantasies if I did not have a greater purpose in mind? Iie. Shinkou, Kagura," Naraku drew her forward once more, and his fingers glided over the surface of the liquid.
The image shifted to a forest in twilight. The young Inuyasha was running and his golden eyes were wide with fear. Desperately, he glanced over his shoulder as if being pursued by an invisible enemy. This seemed to please Naraku greatly. Suddenly, Kagura gasped. The little Inuyasha had leapt into someone's arms, burying his face into the thick white coat as if it were sanctuary. The coat of a great ivory baboon . . .
"Naraku, he – "
"Have you ever heard of a youkai called Mu-Onna?" Naraku interjected as he, too, gazed upon the water. "The Nothing-Woman?"
Kagura's brow furrowed. "The creature spawned from the souls of tortured mothers who lost their children to war?"
Naraku nodded. "Hai. A creature of many shapes. As am I,"
"But Naraku," Kagura wracked her brain for information on the legendary demon. "Is not the Mu-Onna dead? Last I heard, she was destroyed during some kind of fight,"
Naraku's lip twitched into a smirk. "She is. But, as with any powerful youkai, much of her spiritual powers remain. She has many magics. But one in particular . . ." the evil hanyou's eyes were aflame as he paused in his speech. "I am gaining a power far greater than any I have ever had before," Naraku whispered, unable to keep the excitement from his voice. "And through the magic of the Mu-Onna and the teachings of the ogres, I have discovered methods of complete control that remain unheard of in this world," He was starting to scare Kagura greatly, but she managed to keep her face completely passive.
"For now," Naraku continued. "I have taken something very great from the undefeatable Inuyasha. Something he has valued his whole life . . ."
Kagura's voice was barely above a whisper. "What is it . . .?"
Naraku's pale lips cracked into a grin. The mist drifting around the bowl began to lift into the air and pour out through the cracks in the walls. Naraku shifted restlessly as he watched the smoke, and then closed his eyes in the sheer beauty of his new-found power. He laughed softly.
"What have I taken?" he questioned Kagura, chuckling. "It should be quite obvious, soon . . ."
Hundreds of miles away, a young silver-haired hanyou awoke with a yelp.
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"Chikuso!" Inuyasha cried, nearly startling himself out of the tall tree. The hanyou looked around in horror, positive that he could feel Naraku's presence beside him. It was still early morning, and the sun had not even begun to peek out over the distant mountains. A damp chill hung in the air, becoming even icier against the half-demon's cold sweat. Shivering slightly, Inuyasha waited for his breathing to slow before settling back against the trunk. He continued to glance around warily, his nose straining for the scent of any enemies.
"It was just a dream . . ." he said, more to comfort himself than anything. "Gah, it's seemed to close . . ." the hanyou shuddered once more as the image of the mist drifting lazily around the bowl resurfaced in his mind. The dream was beginning to fade already, and he quickly closed his eyes, attempting to cling onto any of the last fragments he could catch.
Naraku had been speaking to one of his spawns, the kaze-youkai, Kagura. Naraku claimed to have a new power. Than he said he took something of Inuyasha's. But what? Inuyasha's face twitched angrily.
"Feh! It's not important!" he growled, determined not to let a stupid dream bother him.
And with that said, the hanyou settled back against the trunk of the tree and drifted into a fitful sleep.
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That morning, the village was teeming with activity. The weather was sweet and warm with a tangy taste to the air. Most of the villagers were outside, determined to finish their work before the winter cold began to set in.
Separated from the activity of the villagers, a young girl was walking down the main road, a small boy perched atop her shoulder. The two did not seem to fit in at all. The girl was wearing a green skirt and a white blouse while the boy atop her shoulder had pointed ears, fox feet, and a large, fluffy tail.
"Isn't it beautiful today, Shippou?" the girl queried, allowing the breeze to play across her silky black hair. The kitsune let out a content sigh. What could be better than sitting atop the shoulder of his favorite person during the sweetest day of the year?
"I wish we could spend every day like this, Kagome," Shippou muttered resentfully.
"Now, now," Kagome chastised, a faint smile ghosting across her lips. "Look at the bright side: no jewel hunting today!"
"Exactly!" Shippou exclaimed. "Why can't every day be like this? No scent of shards on the air, perfect weather . . . I want it to be like this forever!"
Kagome sighed, gazing out across the pale blue sky. She knew what the young kitsune meant; it was beautiful. But still . . . she had an obligation and a duty. As it was her fault the jewel had been reborn in the Sengoku Jidai, and that it had shattered, Kagome knew that it was also her job to gather the shards and restore the Shikon no Tama to its original form; then to purify and banish it forever.
Kagome didn't realize she'd been zoning out until a voice called out her name.
"Eh?"
It was Miroku, the young and rather lecherous houshi. He jogged over to the pair, his staff jingling merrily with each step.
"Kagome-sama," he addressed, smiling. "Isn't it beautiful today?"
"Hai, it's gorgeous,"
Miroku's eyes glittered playfully. "Why, it's almost as beautiful as you!"
". . . Don't ever say that again . . ."
Miroku laughed, patting Kagome on the back. "I am merely teasing," he said, still chuckling. "Besides, Sango would kill me if she heard,"
Kagome smirked. Miroku and Sango had been gnawing at each other for as long as she had known them. Sango hated the fact that Miroku liked to grab her ass, etc. However, even to the untrained eye, it was obvious that they liked each other A LOT. Whether or not they would admit it, however, would be another adventure . . .
"Hey, have you seen Inuyasha?" Kagome queried suddenly, glancing around the village for any sign of the hanyou's fire-red clothes. Miroku shook his head.
"I haven't seen him all day. Doushite ne?"
Kagome shrugged, causing Shippou to nearly fall off her shoulder. "Oh, I don't know . . . He left to go sleep in the forest last night, and now I haven't seen hide nor hair of him since," the young girl hesitated before suddenly blurting out "I'm going to go find him!"
Shippou immediately dug his nails into Kagome's shirt sleeve and began scrambling desperately to remain upon her shoulder. "Don't put me down!" he whined helplessly. Miroku looked rather hurt.
"What? Don't you like my company?" he asked.
"It's not that!" Shippou shouted, glaring at the monk. "But I know what's gonna happen! Kagome and Inuyasha are going to fight and the whole day's going to be ruined!"
"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Kagome snapped, her tone more annoyed and harsh then she had intended. With a "huh," she grabbed Shippou by the tail and plopped him gently on the ground. The kitsune looked up at her miserably before shaking his head in defeat.
"Now stay here," Kagome instructed, turning slowly on her heel and starting off towards the forest. Shippou watched her go and a look of disgust passed through his emerald green eyes.
"You'll be sorry . . ." he muttered, making sure Kagome could just barely hear him. She did, but ignored the kitsune's warning.
Miroku watched her retreating form silently before turning to the young youkai beside him. "Well, looks like it's just us and Sango,"
Shippou sighed. ". . . Yup . . ."
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Inuyasha's footsteps were heavy as he walked, and he felt as if his acute dog senses were dimmed down slightly.
There must be something in the air . . . Inuyasha thought, rubbing his forehead irritably. As soon as he had descended from the tree, he'd felt drowsy, as if his body had turned to jelly. He had intended to go straight back to the village, however, fatigue had gotten the better of him and the silver-haired hanyou had slumped back against a tree and rested for a bit. Now he was making a second attempt . . .
"Chikuso . . .!" Inuyasha repeated for about the fifteenth time that day. "I'm so tired . . ."
His ears suddenly perked up as he caught the sound of footsteps crunching upon the leaves. He stiffened for a moment, before catching the familiar cinnamon-scent.
"Kagome . . .?" he queried, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. The human girl emerged from behind a clump of trees, a scolding look upon her face.
"Inuyasha? Geez, what are you doing?! Where have you been?!"
Inuyasha caught the barbs in her tone and his ears flattened down considerably. "What's it to you?" he snapped. "I was just heading back, alright?!"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Gosh, you don't have to get so defensive! I was just curious!" Oh no . . . I can't let Shippou be right . . .
Inuyasha sat down on the forest floor in a huff, looking unusually disgruntled. Kagome frowned.
"Inuyasha? Daijoubu?"
"I'm fine!" Inuyasha snapped. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he felt the need to be on guard; like his natural youkai instincts were kicking in. He felt completely on the defensive and his senses seemed to tell him that Kagome was some sort of opponent with the sole intent of hurting him.
Kagome stared at the hanyou in disbelief. "Don't use that tone with me!" she shouted, hands on her hips. "I have a right to be concerned! It's not like you to hang out in the forest for so long! You didn't even come to the village for food! I had Ramen, you know!"
"Keh. What do I care? All you care about is me saving your pathetic little skin from all the evil youkai!"
"OSUWARI!!!"
With a cry, Inuyasha's body slammed into the forest floor. He lay there for a moment, stunned, before a furious snarl rose in his throat.
"Wench!" he shrieked, pushing himself painfully onto his hands and knees. "That does it! Get out of here! I'm gonna rip your throat out!"
Kagome gasped, clenching a fist near her chest. Never before had such cruel words come from Inuyasha's mouth. It felt as if a dagger were lodged in her heart, and Inuyasha was slowly turning it. Tears pooled up in the girl's hurt eyes, threatening to spill at any second. How could he?! The bastard! The god damn bastard! After all she'd done for him!
"Fine!" Kagome screamed, shaking with uncomprehensible wrath. "You can take your stupid Shikon no Tama and shove it up your ass! I'm going home! I never want to see you AGAIN!"
She swung around furiously, storming back through the trees in such a rage that even the birds fell silent. Inuyasha watched her go, golden eyes smoldering. Suddenly, he stopped, and the flames dimmed within them.
"Why . . . Why did I just do that . . .? What's wrong with me . . .?"
A sudden pain flashed through the hanyou's body, starting somewhere in his chest and spreading through every inch of his being. The half-dog let out a cry, shaking uncontrollably. Then, as quickly as it had come, the pain passed, and he found himself lying in the grass, shivering. For some reason, he felt a terrible need to return to the village; to see Kagome again. He wanted to go to the well, but something else told him not to. Inuyasha rose painfully to his feet and felt the world tipping dangerously beneath him. In a sort of trance, he began his slow trudge back to the village . . .
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"Yuka, Eri, Ayumi!" Kagome shouted, attempting to shove her way through the crowds of students crammed into the high-school's entrance. Having descended back through the well so early in the morning, the young girl had actually managed to make it home in time for class. But now there was a strange uneasiness in the air, and the students were all talking animatedly. It didn't take an idiot to know that something big had happened . . .
"What's going on?" Kagome queried, finally locating a large enough gap in the mass of teens that she could make it to her friends. Yuka grabbed Kagome by the sleeve and dragged her closer into the group.
"Didn't you hear?!" she gasped, shoving her nose in the young girl's face. Kagome blinked innocently, dark black hair falling down over her shoulders.
"Hear what?"
Ayumi sighed dramatically. Eri looked embarrassed for her friend. Kagome hated when they got all bubbly like that . . . As the crowds of students around them shifted, the fifteen-year-old managed to catch some of their conversation.
". . . Fifth one in the city . . ."
". . . Can't believe it would be someone from our school . . ."
". . . When will it end . . .?"
Kagome furrowed her brow in confusion. "Ayumi, Yuka, Eri . . . Did someone die?!"
Eri looked disgusted. "Of course not!"
"Maybe they did!" Yuka interjected, looking excited.
Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous . . ."
"WOULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?!?!?!?!" Kagome screamed. Her patience had finally reached its breaking point. Her friends each wore an equal expression of shock, not used to the cheerful Kagome being so on edge. Yuka was the first brave enough to speak.
"K-Kagome . . .? Is it . . . that time of the month . . .?"
Kagome pulled back in horror. "No!"
All three of her friends glanced at each other and nodded. Simultaneously, in a single accusing voice, they spoke. "Boy trouble."
"All right, Kagome. Spit it out," Ayumi demanded, folding her arms over her chest. "What happened?"
"I-It's nothing . . ." Kagome muttered, scratching the back of her head.
"Did you have a fight with that guy, again?" Eri queried, tsking disappointedly. Kagome blushed.
"It's n-none of your business!"
"Kagome, just talk to him!" Yuka advised, smiling. "There isn't a man alive who won't forgive you for flying back!"
"So I should suck up to him?" Kagome asked sarcastically. All three of her friends nodded. Kagome sighed.
"Mou . . . So what's going on, anyways?"
Yuka tapped her chin, watching the crowds of students. "It's the fifth person to vanish in the area this week! And this one was from our school!"
"Nani?! What happened to them?!"
They all shrugged. "No one knows," Eri explained. Kagome opened her mouth to ask more questions when the bell rang, and suddenly she found herself being herded inside by a pulsating mass of irritable teenagers.
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Shippou sighed, dipping his feet into the cool water of the village lake. Luckily, the wind was low and the kitsune did not get sea-sick.
"Kagome's been gone for hours," he murmured, glancing at Miroku out of the corner of his eye. "She must've gone home again . . ."
Miroku nodded glumly, leaning against his staff. Beside him, Sango was lying against Kirara, a typically small neko-youkai who, at the moment, was in her large lion-like form. The taijiya let out a small sigh.
"It's a shame those two can't get along," she said offhandedly, watching the birds diving upon the water. "If they could just see eye to eye . . ."
"Give it time, Sango," Miroku stated slowly. "One of these days, they will finally see the light . . ."
"And may it not be in death!" Sango exclaimed, smiling. Miroku chuckled but Shippou did not seem to find it amusing. His eyes narrowed and he continued to swirl his fox-feet through the lake.
Suddenly, the group spotted a shape moving slowly off in the distance. They recognized the red pants immediately.
"It's Inuyasha!" Sango gasped, sitting up in horror. "And he's not with Kagome!"
They each exchanged looks of unease before rising to their feet. Inuyasha did not seem to notice the approaching figures, and his mind was focused only on getting back to the village. But when a hand clothed in violet silk and rosary beads came down upon his shoulder, the hanyou immediately snapped out of his thoughts.
". . . Miroku . . .?"
"Inuyasha, where's Kagome?" the houshi demanded, eyes narrowed. Inuyasha brushed the man off instantly, snarling.
"Leave me alone, monk, if you know what's good for you,"
"Inuyasha, what did you do to Kagome?!" Shippou cried shrilly, tugging on the inu-youkai's sleeve. Inuyasha kicked the kitsune away.
"Get out of here!" he shouted at them fiercely. "I'm going back to the village . . . With or without Kagome!"
Realizing defeat, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou allowed their comrade to pass. Kirara was bristling and circling the group anxiously.
"It's okay, Kirara," Sango murmured, patting the cat on the head. "Come on. We'd better follow him,'
"Good idea," Miroku agreed.
"Yeah!" Shippou hissed. "That way I can punch his face in when we get there!"
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Kagome couldn't concentrate. Her pencil was hammering like a woodpecker against the desk and her leg was shaking up and down so fast it could have become a sewing machine. She knew she was supposed to be solving for x, but somehow her thoughts continued to drift back to Inuyasha.
Why did he say such cruel things to me . . .? Kagome wondered, her eyes gazing blankly out the window. I just don't understand . . . It's always when it seems like we're starting to get along that he goes and turns back into his old jerky self!
"Higurashi! What is the solution for y = mx + b when x equals -7/2?"
Kagome's eyes went dark. "Uh . . . I . . . don't know . . .?"
Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi tsked. Kagome sighed.
What a mess . . . That does it . . . I'm gonna go back and talk to Inuyasha! Something didn't seem right when he yelled at me. Something was bothering him. And I intend to find out what it was!
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Shippou, Sango, and Miroku were at a loss for words. When they had followed Inuyasha back to the village, the three expected to find him brooding, crabby, and ranting about Kagome. But he wasn't. Instead, the hanyou was circling the inside of Kaede's hut, his ears folded back and his eyes dancing with a desperation they had not seen in him in months.
"What's he doing?" Sango queried, peeking through the cloth covering the door of the hut. "Why is he just wandering around like that?"
"Is it possible . . .?" Miroku whispered, frowning.
"What?"
"Maybe . . . Maybe Inuyasha's waiting for Kagome . . .!"
Shippou snorted, but Sango's eyes were wide.
"You mean to apologize for whatever he said? Apologize . . . without us pushing him into it . . .?"
Miroku nodded. Shippou laughed coldly.
"Yeah . . . right!"
Sango bit her lip, pulling back a corner of the cloth and stealing another glance inside. Inuyasha just continued to circle like a caged animal, one of his ears ticking occasionally. "I guess, maybe it's possible . . . But houshi-sama? Haven't you noticed anything strange?"
"That Inuyasha-sama hasn't sensed our presence yet?"
"Hai. I don't think he's even caught a whiff . . ."
Miroku shrugged. "Maybe he's just pretending he doesn't know we're here,"
"He's knows we're here," Shippou growled bitterly. "He's just being a jerk,"
Sango threw a glare at the little kitsune but didn't feel like arguing. After awhile, the three grew weary of their waiting and stood up.
"We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Miroku said, resting his staff upon his shoulder. "Come on. This is something they must sort out themselves . . ."
Sango yawned. "Anyways, it's getting dark. Shippou, you should be in bed!"
"Aw, man!" Shippou whined as Sango picked him up like a doll. "Why do I have to go to sleep before you guys!"
Miroku smiled at the young youkai. "It's no use arguing, Shippou. We're older and we can step on you,"
The kitsune's eyes were flaming but he knew when he'd been licked. Glaring the rest of the way, Shippou allowed Sango to carry him far away from Kaede's hut.
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Inuyasha's bare feet padded quietly upon the wooden floor, his pace remaining constant despite the exhausted ache that was beginning to spread throughout his body. The inu-youkai needed to see Kagome. He needed to. He couldn't explain why, but somewhere deep inside the hanyou knew: if he didn't see her now, then he never would.
At the same time, Higurashi Kagome was running down the village road, trying to see where she was going through the setting sun. She had to talk to Inuyasha. She had to know what had made him so mad. Instinct told her the hanyou was back at Kaede's hut, most likely searching for any remaining Ramen. Once she got to the shack, Kagome grabbed the cloth over the door and nearly tore it down in her excitement.
"Inuyasha?!"
Their eyes locked, and Inuyasha finally stopped his desperate pacing. He stared at her for the longest time, and Kagome realized in wonderment that the hanyou didn't look angry or mad. He just looked . . . drained . . .
"Kagome . . .?" Inuyasha queried, his voice barely above a whisper. The hanyou's golden eyes went blank. "You . . . came back . . . I'm sorry . . . forgive me . . ."
And all Kagome could do was watch as her friend crumpled like a rag-doll before her eyes . . .
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A/N: Uh oh! Inu-angst! I apologize for the lack of plot so far, but it should start to shape more in the second chapter (which I've already started work on). So have mercy and review this poor, neglected author! Thanks! ^_^