~ Prologue & Chapter One ~
By: taiyoukai_kai
~o~
Comments: This is now my third series, and damn am I happy… There is, at present,
another story in the process.
I'm not sure which one will be out first, seeing as I'm typing both up at
the same time, but I DO know that this is
the story that will be most likely to be updated…
its like my little baby, while the other one is like…er…my sister.
Yeah…see the analogy?
No? Well, poo poo you.
Disclaimer: Love him or fear him, I don't own him. And fear his claws…Rowr.
~o~
Prologue...:
~o~
"They're coming."
Sesshoumaru looked up from his task of cleaning his blade Tenseiga. "Who?"
"I don't know." Kagome let the window-covering fall back into place and looked away toward her mate. "I just know they are coming. I can feel it."
Sesshoumaru gave one last swipe of his blade and raised it toward the light to watch its ivory gleam. "Probably more lowly youkais to beg my assistance with this ridiculous war."
Kagome cast another worried glance at the window and shrugged. She joined her mate at his task. "No…I don't think so." She hissed in awe and slid a finger down the pure white blade. "Mmmm…shiny." She smiled and gave him an absent kiss on the cheek. "I'll go see what's for dinner."
Sesshoumaru resheathed his sword and gave her an amused look. "Kagome, you are my lady, Mistress of the Western Lands. You need not go about trying to befriend the servants."
Kagome laughed, knowing how easy she was to see through. Especially by Sesshoumaru. "I guess old habits die hard."
Just then, the door slid open, and a servant bowed it the entranceway. "Master, my lady. There are visitors here to see you."
Kagome looked worriedly at Sesshoumaru. She turned back and asked, "Who are they?"
The servants didn't look up. "Mortals, my lady."
"Mikos?"
"Yes, my lady."
Kagome dismissed him and looked frantically at Sesshoumaru. "Why would they be here? I have made myself clear on my decision to not participate in this war."
Sesshoumaru shrugged elegantly. "So have I. That does not deter the youkai's from bothering me." he pointed out.
She wrung her hands with agitation. "This meeting will come to no good. I can feel it. They are the ones who will destroy us."
Sesshoumaru laughed and shook his head. "So dire, my lady? I suppose, then, we should just have to kill them."
Kagome glared at him. "This is no laughing matter!" Within seconds her temper cooled and she rushed at him, seeking comfort in his arms. "I am afraid for us. I cannot bear to lose this happiness."
He stroked her jet black hair and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You will no have to. These miko's will not harm us."
He would not let them.
"You dare threaten me!!" Sesshoumaru roared, his fury, a tangible cloak around his shoulders. "You mere humans? You, vile, disgusting creatures? You would dare threaten me and my mate?!"
The head miko fought not to cower from his fearful visage. His stark beauty and handsomeness, a twisted mask of fury and hatred. "We dare. If you do not give us Kagome, we will bind you for eternity in a frozen hell."
He laughed scathingly at the trembling mikos. He could taste the fear radiating off them. "You do not have the power to do so." He reminded them. "You cannot harm me."
"No?" the miko replied. "We might not be able to hurt you, but what about your loved ones? Your daughter has no such protection against our powers. Would you consign your infant daughter to a hell she can never escape?"
Sesshoumaru growled. "You would not dare."
The miko laughed, knowing that she was close to winning.
"Stop!" Kagome pushed passed Sesshoumaru. "Do not hurt our daughter. I will come with you if you promise to leave Rin alone!"
"Kagome!" Disbelief was written plainly on Sesshoumaru's face, before he quickly put his mask back into place.
"Promise me!" Kagome screamed at them.
The miko was startled by the pain in Kagome's eyes but shrugged it off. This was for the good of the world. "We promise."
She sobbed in relief and sorrow. "Give me a day with my mate. Then I will go."
The miko nodded, not seeing any harm in one more day. "One day."
Kagome was led away by a furious demon lord and a village miko tugged at her leader's sleeve. "Is this right? Is it right to tear apart these two who so visibly care for each other?"
The head miko shrugged her off. "It is unnatural. A miko and a demon. And this is for the country. Youkai's must be eradicated."
"How could you?!" Sesshoumaru shook his mate. "You are deliberately disobeying me!"
"No!" Kagome cried out. "I had no choice! You understand, don't you?"
Sesshoumaru let go of her as if she was a live coal. "Yes. I understand. Fine. Leave. I do not want to see you again."
Kagome wailed, desperate to make him see her point. "No! You have to see. I am doing this for us!"
He laughed. "There is no 'us'." And he walked away, heedless of her desperate cries.
Hatred was a strong word, but what Kagome was feeling at the moment seemed to surpass even that emotion.
"I will not lend you my powers." Kagome said, her face a stony mask, strong and unyielding.
The miko's milled around, crying out in confusion. "But, you said you would! You gave your word."
Kagome smiled bitterly. "You, who have let my advice go unheeded. You, who have destroying any happiness I have ever found. You, who had threatened to torture my daughter. You want me to lend you my power?!" She laughed again, mockingly, her laugh jeering and cruel. "You are all fools!"
The head miko shook her head wearily. "Then you give us no choice except to use your daughter against you."
Kagome cocked her head. "Really." She said, her voice sing songy. "But you promised that if I came to you, you would leave her alone. And here I am." She swept her hand out and gave a small bow. "So you cannot threaten me with her."
Miko's murmured to each other.
"It is true."
"It is as she says. We cannot break our vow."
"It would be like becoming them!"
The head miko ground her teeth together in annoyance. "Then, no one shall have use of it." She beckoned to her fellow miko's before she began to chant, her eyes slowly glazing over as her attention was directed elsewhere. One by one the other miko's followed suit and soon all that could be heard was their mystical chanting.
"What? What are you doing!" Kagome realized what they intended to do, and screamed her rage. "No! I will not let you!" She, too, began to chant, her voice grating uncomfortably against the melodious chanting of her brethren.
As the miko's finished their spell, they realized something had gone awfully wrong. The head miko walked up to Kagome, now incased in a solid block of mystical ice, her body frozen in the act of a powerful spell. She knocked on it with a knuckle and hissed as the ice burned her.
"Well…we sought to cast her into the frozen hell, but she managed to thwart us. Now, she's encased in a hellish block of ice. How ironic." She motioned for the other miko's. "Take it away and hide it somewhere. May she never see the light of day again."
~o~
Chapter One...:
~o~
The blood gushed out in a torrent and splashed, liquid fire, on her hands. The limp body slid to the floor as the lifeless limbs lost the will to support themselves.
As always, Kokuei* knew what she was doing was wrong and that it went against her grain to do this. But she didn't remember what she was before she was brutally reawakened. Nor who she was.
So there really wasn't much good listening to her conscience could do for her. She wasn't even supposed to have one. That's what Naraku-sama said.
"You are born a killer first and a human last. That is how you were created. It is your destiny to become a legend"
"It is your fate to bring Death to these ignorant fools…"
Exactly what these poor souls were ignorant of, she didn't know. They probably stood in her master's way.
But she never asked. And they never lived long enough to tell. That was the way her world worked. That was the way it would always work.
She looked down at the dead man who still lay at her feet. Sometimes she itched to cover it, but her master's voice always came back to stop her.
"Any more handling of the body increases the chance of leaving a clue behind. Never linger, Kokuei. Never."
And her master's word was law. No one ever went against it. To do so was to…
She looked again at the corpse.
To do so was to end up like him. An idealistic fool who believed he could make a difference by gainsaying Naraku-sama. Who thought himself above reproach. Well, he is now.
She wondered what it was like in hell. She could probably meet a lot of nice men down there. Maybe even see those she killed again. For old time's sake.
She sighed and stepped over the body to get to the window. There was no way she could meet anybody here. It rankled her sometimes, the way Naraku-sama was so possessive over those that he thought belonged to him.
But a body had to be flattered, too. Not everyone was possessed by the most influential and powerful man in Japan.
Right before she leapt from the window, she withdrew something from her pocket and set it against the window sill.
Then she disappeared into the night. Like her namesake.
Kokuei …
"Master?"
Sesshoumaru lowered his newspaper to look at his servant. "What is it, Jaken?"
"There is a Mr. Hanajima to see you."
Sesshoumaru picked up his coffee and took a sip before finally saying, "I'll see him in the library."
Jaken bowed. "Yes, my lord."
He waited until the toad left before setting his coffee back down. What could that man want with him? From what he has hear this person had earned his reputation on the other side of the law, and he was as different from himself as night was to day. Add that they have probably never met, and he had himself a bloody mystery.
Now that same mysterious man was waiting for him in the library. What could he want…?
Sesshoumaru didn't like being kept in the dark. Let the man wait for a few more minutes. It would hammer home that he, Sesshoumaru, was in charge.
After all, fifteen minutes wasn't too long a wait
Naraku glanced impatiently at his watch and rather grumpily noticed that he would never be able to make it to his next appointment on time. Damn the man…! He must have known he was here. Maybe he should have Kokuei kill the toad who answered the door as a subtle warning to Mr. Inutaishen.
He snorted to himself. No, that would be an utter waste of her beautiful talent. Hm…oh yes. He should just have her off the man himself. He chuckled. A warning to all those who still dared to oppose him. A warning that they could not miss. Yes, that was a novel idea.
Naraku leaned back in his chair. He still remembered when Sesshoumaru was Demon Lord of the Western Lands. Back in the time when technology was not even a word.
He even remembered the controversy that arose when Sesshoumaru had refused to participate in the Youkai Miko war. At the time, it had been unheard of. A demon lord did not just refuse his services.
But he had and remarkable, he had also still maintained his reputation. Youkai's still feared and respected him.
Even he, Naraku, had feared this demon. Yet, it seemed fate had quite a sense of humor. He didn't doubt that Sesshoumaru still had his superior personality, but in the day and age, your youkai powers mattered not a whit. It must have rankled him even to this minute that humans have ultimately succeeded in dominating the world.
There had even been a small rumor back in the feudal era, that Sesshoumaru had mated himself to a miko. Of course, Naraku had known it to be true, but many others were skeptical. To refuse service to benefit one's race was one thing, but to ally himself or even allow a link to for between him and the race he detested? No, it was inconceivable.
The door to the library clicked open, rousing Naraku from his thoughts.
"Inutaisho-san…" Naraku stood up. To his surprise, he hadn't expected the youkai to look exactly the same as the last time he had met him all those years ago. He hadn't even cut his hair.
"Naraku, Naraku…" Sesshoumaru just stood there in the doorway. He smiled coldly, his eyes carefully blank. "You are just as…distasteful to look upon as the last time we met." He swept his hair over his shoulder and walked slowly by a frozen Naraku. Behind him, walked Jaken holding a tray with cups.
"Coffee?" Sesshoumaru asked as he settled into his chair. When no reply came, a small smile of triumph played at his lips. He know that Naraku had not expected him to be so confident.
And as far as he was concerned, the likes of Naraku only deserved to be ground into the dirt from whence he came. The man had even dared to come to his house, entirely uninvited, and expect him to be grateful. The man had more ready cash than anybody in Japan. That he had to give him, but he had no idea what kind of fire he was playing with in Sesshoumaru.
"No?" Sesshoumaru picked a cup up and waved Jaken away. "Well, you won't mind if I do, will you?" After taking a sip of the rich black liquid, he sat back and looked at Naraku form over his cup.
"So. You have come to my home and asked for me." He swept a hand out and gave a mocking little bow form his chair. "Here I am."
Naraku had to force himself to unclench his teeth before he cracked them. He stalked back to his chair and sat gingerly down. It seemed he would have to handle this insolent fool differently than he had planned.
"I came to present a proposal that I thought would interest you." Naraku forced out.
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "A proposal, hm? Well…" he tapped an elegant finger against his cup. "I'm sure it was quite worth the while but I refuse."
Naraku's eye twitched as he fought to control his temper. "I assure you," he said through clenched teeth, "that it would be in your best interest to hear me out."
Sesshoumaru smiled coldly form behind his cup. "And I assure you that I will refuse. Now that this little…issue had been resolved, Jaken will show you to the door."
As if on cue, the little green toad appeared in the open doorway. "Master?"
Sesshoumaru looked expectantly at Naraku. "I believe…you were about to leave?"
Naraku glared at hime, hatred clear on his face, in the way he barely controlled himself. "This will not be forgotten, Sesshoumaru. You will regret mocking me!"
"Mock? Why would I mock one such as you? I was but treating you accordingly. If you have an issue with that, I assure you that I can adapt."
Naraku glared at him one last time before stalking out, knocking Jaken over in the process.
"Jaken, make sure he leaves safely." Sesshoumaru called out, and settled himself back into his chair.
Naraku would most likely send someone out to kill him now. Sesshoumaru frowned thoughtfully. The Kokuei person? There was never proof that he worked for Naraku, but he benefited too much form Shadow's activities to rule it out completely. It was oh so possible. He would have to watch himself.
Naraku, thought, had gotten so childish. Came form having everything he wanted. In the Feudal ages, Naraku had been a somewhat formidable foe. Cunning, sly and totally evil, he had not an ounce of mercy nor had he ever had even a kind thought. In other words, he was the ideal commander of the youkais for the Youkai Miko war.
Sesshoumaru suspected the reason he had behaved that way was that, quite simply, Naraku was a hanyou. No self-respecting youkai, even among the lowly would consort with a measly hanyou.
Unless he had proved himself worthy of their attention.
Sesshoumaru, himself, never have him a second thought, but youkais who faced Naraku usually perished. The same could be said for the humans.
But now, Naraku was nothing. Just a spoilt brat who hadn't gotten what he wanted. Probably, more than usual he did. Also most likely with the aid of Kokuei.
Now, Kokuei was something worth pondering about. He was an enigma, a mystery of darkness. Who was he? Why did he serve Naraku? Could he be persuaded to defect?
His killing style alone piqued Sesshoumaru's interest. He used a blade rather than the more modern gun. But according to the police reports, he didn't just stab the victims. Every victim's wound had been cauterized.
So that meant the blade had to be hot enough to burn flesh. Yet in every report, the absence of the smell of burning flesh was noted.
How could one burn flesh, but not have it smell? It was near impossible, especially since the lead detective in the murders was a youkai. Surely, he would have smelt something.
Another thing that bothered him, was that unlike most killers, this Kokuei character seemed to lack the bloodlust that consumed most criminals. In all the cases, just a practical stab through the heart or throat was detected.
He never made mistakes, never left any evidence behind. He was so infamous for being the perfect assassin, his nickname was Death, because where he went, the reaper was soon to follow.
Without fail.
But if he did work for Naraku and Naraku did send him after Sesshoumaru, his killing streak would come to an end, merely because no one, not even one so acclaimed at his profession as Kokuei, could defeat him.
However, the result from their clash would be a fight that would do the demons of old proud. But, that is if Kokuei actually lived up to his expectations
Sesshoumaru sighed. Only time would tell.
Although…
Kokuei seemed a rather feminine sounding name…
Kokuei cringed as Naraku smashed another vase. There wasn't much she could do as she watched him vent his anger on the room. Obviously, the damnable man Naraku was so sure would bow down to his dictates; didn't.
Asshole.
Kokuei winced again as he punched a hole into his monitor. That was the eight one they had to replace. She waited for him to calm down. What came after was inevitable. The man had to die. It was inevitable, unavoidable.
"Naraku-sama." Shadow waited until she had his full attention. "Why do this?" She gestured to the ruined room. "Tell me what I must do. Command me, and all will be well again."
Naraku sighed and rubbed his face, wincing as his bleeding hands stung. "I wish this time it would be that simple, but I need his approval for my next project. I cannot build it without it."
"Why, Naraku-sama?"
"Because its on his damn property!" Naraku cursed.
Kokuei smiled, relieved it was so easy to solve. "Inutaisho-sama has no heirs. If he dies…"
"…I could buy it out!" Naraku finished for her, triumph lighting up his face. "No one would dare fight me for it. Its as good as mine!" he crowed. He was surprised he didn't think of such a simple solution himself.
"Shadow, you were right. Why be angry? If I had used my head in the first place…" he trailed off not needing to finish the sentence when both knew the answer.
"Master?" Kokuei knelt on the floor at his feet. "Command me."
Naraku smiled. "Kokuei, who do you serve?"
"Only you."
"And so I command you," Naraku handed her a long dagger. "Kill Sesshoumaru and show no mercy!"
Kokuei smiled, her eyes hidden. "As only my master commands."
"Go."
In an instant she was up and out the door. Death was hunting again.
*The name Kokuei means dark shadows. At least...I'm pretty sure it does.
Now, if you all don't know who Kokuei is, you will by the next chapter. If not then…well, I'm pretty much speechless. But don't tell me, I already know who she is.
Also, yes, Naraku is supposed to be portrayed as a spoiled underground overlord kind of guy. Ruthless, but whiny. Yep. That about sums it up. Oh, and also this is the first time I'm trying this html code thingy…usually I just type it up in Word, but it screws up the words so…HTML…chyaaaa~!!! Its going to take much longer…in general…if it works…yeah…
…CHYAAAAAA~!!!!
Over and out
Kai
