Ch 2: The Man on the Tree
Kagome followed Sezaku through the darkened forest. The howls of wolves and the hoots of owls made the hair on the back of her neck stand. The emotionless expression on Sezaku's face didn't help matters.
"Hey, Sezaku, forget how to speak?"
"What is there to say?" he snapped back. "Wait, I hear something. The Emperor's guards, they must be searching for their missing comrades."
"Great, I was looking forward to a fight." Kagome said confidently, tightening her vambraces.
"No, we can't let them suspect that the guild is out here. Take the path to the left; I'll take the one to the right. They meet at the same place. Go, now hurry!"
Kagome ran to her left and up a tree. She waited in its branches until she spotted a black-clad guard searching the area under her. "Only one?" she thought, "I'm disappointed." She swung down from the tree, silently landing behind him. She quickly closed the distance between them, and in the span of a heartbeat wrapped her arms around his head and snapped his neck. She smiled with satisfaction, until she heard more footprints.
"Of course he wouldn't have reinforcements,..." she thought sarcastically. Taking the hint, she dove into the woods and ran. She could hear slow, cautious steps behind her. She climbed up another tree and held her breath. She saw three guards combing the area, talking to each other in a language she couldn't understand. Finally, a man in a black suit and a mask approached. She squinted her eyes to get a better view, and almost gasped when she did.
"What is Setsuna doing here?" she thought.
The guards shook their heads, and then walked over. "There's no one here," one said.
"It doesn't matter. We'll continue on to the Raven Guild's meeting place," he replied.
"The Raven... Oh Shit, I have to warn Sezaku!" Kagome thought. She began to move back, but the branch she was perched on snapped, sending the young fighter to the ground. She landed as best she could, but it still hurt. She wasted no time on self-reclamation, but instead peered over the bushes to ensure her fall was not heard. When she was convinced she was alone, she rose to her feet, but sank back down.
"Fuck! I think I sprained my ankle!" she got up, and limped away. She felt a sharp pain in her arm as well. "Great. It's a good thing I have a day off tomorrow, otherwise I'd get my ass kicked." She limped as far as she could, but finally her feet gave out. She tried to grab something, anything to break her fall. She rose to her feet, but was surprised to feel red cloth in her hands. She looked up, and saw him.
He wore a red outfit, and had long, white hair. An arrow protruded from his chest, as he hung limp from the tree. She didn't know what prompted her, but she reached out, and touched his face. His skin was rough, but still warm. "Is he alive?" she thought as she reached for the arrow, and pulled it out. He fell to his knees, then rose and looked at Kagome square in the eyes.
"Give me the Shikon, girl. Or I'll tear you two shreds!" he threatened.
"What a pickup line. I gotta give him points for originality," she mumbled. "Okay, question one, what the fuck is a 'Shikon'? Second, if you want to fight, I'll be happy to oblige!"
The man in red hesitated, and then looked around. "Wait, where am I? How could you not know what the 'Shikon' is?"
Kagome laughed. "You're in Japan, duh. As for this "Shikon', you mean a little jewel about this big, said to posses great power?"
"That's it! Tell me where it is!"
"No need to get so pushy, big boy. You're not gonna get it anyway, it belongs to the emperor."
"Emperor?"
"Emperor Naraku, Lord of all the World, Master of the Demons? Where have you been?"
An explosion interrupted their conversation. Kagome gasped, then tried to walk in the direction of the blast. She hadn't gone far until she felt a strong pair of arms lift her into the air. "Hold on," the stranger said as he leapt into the sky. A few bounds were all it took to get there, but immediately she wished she hadn't.
Bodies lay all over the ground, blood pooling everywhere. Bodies were dismembered, disfigured, and not one among the stirred. She scanned the horizon, and then saw towering among the bodies, a giant of a man. He was nearly seven feet tall, wearing a black outfit with red belts and straps, and a red mask. She knew immediately who it was. "Setsuna..."
The monster of a man said nothing as he turned slowly around. Kagome charged, her vambraces glowing with power. She approached and punched him with all her strength, but he didn't even flinch. Her thrust out his arm, grabbed Kagome by the throat, and tossed her into a tree like a rag doll. He began to move in for the kill, but the red-clad man stood in his path.
"Sorry pal, she's with me!" he said taking to the air. He reared his arm back, but in the split second it took him to prepare his attack, his throat was in Setsuna's grasp. The man found himself slammed into the ground with such force he was temporarily paralyzed. Setsuna looked down, his mask betraying no emotion.
"I assure you, I was not the architect of this slaughter," he said in a gruff, raspy voice. He walked away with other creatures with veils over their faces. The man in red slowly rose, then turned to Kagome. He put two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse.
"She's still alive? Tough girl. That would be enough to take a demon out..." He placed his hand on the side of her head and frowned. "Bleeding badly though." He picked her up, cradling her gently in his arms, and looked around. He spotted a man with black glasses approaching.
***
Light slowly penetrated Kagome's eyes. It was morning, she could tell that much. She tried to shield herself, and spotted the bandages on her arms. She could feel one tightly wrapped around her head and another around her ribs. She sat up, exposing her naked breasts. She gasped when she the red- clad stranger standing at her bedside, and quickly scrambled to cover herself.
"Don't worry, I already saw you. Who do you think wrapped you up?" the man said. Kagome snorted, then let the blanket go. The man blushed slightly, trying to avert his eyes.
"How..."
"Did I find your house? The man in black told me," he answered, still trying not to stare.
"Man in black? Sezaku! He's still alive!" she exclaimed. She groaned, feeling her ribs, and sank back down. "Why did you save me?"
"I figured I owed you at least that much. And you're the only person alive I know," he replied. "What year is this?"
"Two-thousand and three." Kagome answered.
The man sighed and sat down. "Over five hundred years. No wonder everything's changed..."
"I'm sorry. I know what its like to be alone."
"Don't bother," he said getting out of his chair. "I'll let you rest."
"Wait..." Kagome said weakly. "I'm Kagome. What is your name?"
He chuckled at her persistence. "Inuyasha." He began to walk away, but she stopped him again.
"Inuyasha? Thank you," she said as she lost consciousness. Inuyasha walked over, and covered her with the sheets.
"Really tough girl," he thought. But still human."
....................To be continued
Kagome followed Sezaku through the darkened forest. The howls of wolves and the hoots of owls made the hair on the back of her neck stand. The emotionless expression on Sezaku's face didn't help matters.
"Hey, Sezaku, forget how to speak?"
"What is there to say?" he snapped back. "Wait, I hear something. The Emperor's guards, they must be searching for their missing comrades."
"Great, I was looking forward to a fight." Kagome said confidently, tightening her vambraces.
"No, we can't let them suspect that the guild is out here. Take the path to the left; I'll take the one to the right. They meet at the same place. Go, now hurry!"
Kagome ran to her left and up a tree. She waited in its branches until she spotted a black-clad guard searching the area under her. "Only one?" she thought, "I'm disappointed." She swung down from the tree, silently landing behind him. She quickly closed the distance between them, and in the span of a heartbeat wrapped her arms around his head and snapped his neck. She smiled with satisfaction, until she heard more footprints.
"Of course he wouldn't have reinforcements,..." she thought sarcastically. Taking the hint, she dove into the woods and ran. She could hear slow, cautious steps behind her. She climbed up another tree and held her breath. She saw three guards combing the area, talking to each other in a language she couldn't understand. Finally, a man in a black suit and a mask approached. She squinted her eyes to get a better view, and almost gasped when she did.
"What is Setsuna doing here?" she thought.
The guards shook their heads, and then walked over. "There's no one here," one said.
"It doesn't matter. We'll continue on to the Raven Guild's meeting place," he replied.
"The Raven... Oh Shit, I have to warn Sezaku!" Kagome thought. She began to move back, but the branch she was perched on snapped, sending the young fighter to the ground. She landed as best she could, but it still hurt. She wasted no time on self-reclamation, but instead peered over the bushes to ensure her fall was not heard. When she was convinced she was alone, she rose to her feet, but sank back down.
"Fuck! I think I sprained my ankle!" she got up, and limped away. She felt a sharp pain in her arm as well. "Great. It's a good thing I have a day off tomorrow, otherwise I'd get my ass kicked." She limped as far as she could, but finally her feet gave out. She tried to grab something, anything to break her fall. She rose to her feet, but was surprised to feel red cloth in her hands. She looked up, and saw him.
He wore a red outfit, and had long, white hair. An arrow protruded from his chest, as he hung limp from the tree. She didn't know what prompted her, but she reached out, and touched his face. His skin was rough, but still warm. "Is he alive?" she thought as she reached for the arrow, and pulled it out. He fell to his knees, then rose and looked at Kagome square in the eyes.
"Give me the Shikon, girl. Or I'll tear you two shreds!" he threatened.
"What a pickup line. I gotta give him points for originality," she mumbled. "Okay, question one, what the fuck is a 'Shikon'? Second, if you want to fight, I'll be happy to oblige!"
The man in red hesitated, and then looked around. "Wait, where am I? How could you not know what the 'Shikon' is?"
Kagome laughed. "You're in Japan, duh. As for this "Shikon', you mean a little jewel about this big, said to posses great power?"
"That's it! Tell me where it is!"
"No need to get so pushy, big boy. You're not gonna get it anyway, it belongs to the emperor."
"Emperor?"
"Emperor Naraku, Lord of all the World, Master of the Demons? Where have you been?"
An explosion interrupted their conversation. Kagome gasped, then tried to walk in the direction of the blast. She hadn't gone far until she felt a strong pair of arms lift her into the air. "Hold on," the stranger said as he leapt into the sky. A few bounds were all it took to get there, but immediately she wished she hadn't.
Bodies lay all over the ground, blood pooling everywhere. Bodies were dismembered, disfigured, and not one among the stirred. She scanned the horizon, and then saw towering among the bodies, a giant of a man. He was nearly seven feet tall, wearing a black outfit with red belts and straps, and a red mask. She knew immediately who it was. "Setsuna..."
The monster of a man said nothing as he turned slowly around. Kagome charged, her vambraces glowing with power. She approached and punched him with all her strength, but he didn't even flinch. Her thrust out his arm, grabbed Kagome by the throat, and tossed her into a tree like a rag doll. He began to move in for the kill, but the red-clad man stood in his path.
"Sorry pal, she's with me!" he said taking to the air. He reared his arm back, but in the split second it took him to prepare his attack, his throat was in Setsuna's grasp. The man found himself slammed into the ground with such force he was temporarily paralyzed. Setsuna looked down, his mask betraying no emotion.
"I assure you, I was not the architect of this slaughter," he said in a gruff, raspy voice. He walked away with other creatures with veils over their faces. The man in red slowly rose, then turned to Kagome. He put two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse.
"She's still alive? Tough girl. That would be enough to take a demon out..." He placed his hand on the side of her head and frowned. "Bleeding badly though." He picked her up, cradling her gently in his arms, and looked around. He spotted a man with black glasses approaching.
***
Light slowly penetrated Kagome's eyes. It was morning, she could tell that much. She tried to shield herself, and spotted the bandages on her arms. She could feel one tightly wrapped around her head and another around her ribs. She sat up, exposing her naked breasts. She gasped when she the red- clad stranger standing at her bedside, and quickly scrambled to cover herself.
"Don't worry, I already saw you. Who do you think wrapped you up?" the man said. Kagome snorted, then let the blanket go. The man blushed slightly, trying to avert his eyes.
"How..."
"Did I find your house? The man in black told me," he answered, still trying not to stare.
"Man in black? Sezaku! He's still alive!" she exclaimed. She groaned, feeling her ribs, and sank back down. "Why did you save me?"
"I figured I owed you at least that much. And you're the only person alive I know," he replied. "What year is this?"
"Two-thousand and three." Kagome answered.
The man sighed and sat down. "Over five hundred years. No wonder everything's changed..."
"I'm sorry. I know what its like to be alone."
"Don't bother," he said getting out of his chair. "I'll let you rest."
"Wait..." Kagome said weakly. "I'm Kagome. What is your name?"
He chuckled at her persistence. "Inuyasha." He began to walk away, but she stopped him again.
"Inuyasha? Thank you," she said as she lost consciousness. Inuyasha walked over, and covered her with the sheets.
"Really tough girl," he thought. But still human."
....................To be continued