Inuyasha

The Wicked Child

Chapter VI

Plight

I'm not really in the mood for narration as of now. There's a first time for anything, I suppose. I've been defeated by a warrior that is more skilled than myself. That is not what I'm upset about. What really got me hot is the fact that he knew exactly what kind of warrior that I am-- inside and out. He comments on me having no real purpose in fighting and a first for him, he spared a life... mine. Sephiroth's words inflicted far more damage than his katana ever would and for that I am now morose.

My personal trail... tribulations...

I... I should of continued my family tradition: to carry on as a priestess, but I forsaken it. Now I have my regrets. Mother... I'm terribly sorry for my mistakes. For the sins I committed, maybe I deserve the hardships that I'm going through right now. Please guide me, mother.

Help me find answers...

This is my plight...

Elsewhere in a city not far away from where our heroines currently occupy, a lone figure hiked it's way on a long trail of stairs to what looks like a small dojo. Inside the edifice, the familiar sounds of someone undergoing intense training was audible inside it's quarters. The mysterious figure skulked in the darkness, as though as it was eavesdropping on what the trainee was doing.

Strewn sporadically across the room were literally hundreds of equipment and accessories intended for assisting athletes and warriors in their rigorous activities. These items ranged from weights, weapons, protective gear, punching bags, and so on. The tyro was among these objects as it vigorously pounded away at a metal drum filled with small stones.

Koga's knuckles were swollen from the assault on the large drum as his breathing became labored. His forehead was drenched in defiant sweat and his bare feet had scrapes on it from kicking the barrel. The expression on his face was a mask of determination and his body defied it's fatigue. The wolf had several of these grueling sessions for as long as he can remember, but tonight his display of power, speed, and technique were far more arduous than before.

"Koga-kun, it's seems that you really need to relent a little." A solemn yet melodic female's voice admonished, catching the fighter's attention. "At that rate, there's a chance that a training equipment is going to defeat you before an actual opponent will."

Koga paused in his routine and used a cloth to rub his sweat drenched forehead. "Thanks for the concern Princess." He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "This is how we bodyguards keep ourselves in shape." If any, Koga is one of the very few body guards that Queen Soichano hired three years ago to watch her daughter. Soichano-hime is notorious for wandering off to seemingly perilous places all of her own-- like exterminating demons for instances. Thus, to the Queen's knowledge of her daring daughter, she hired Koga.

"Well," Koga began as he sat at a corner, "are you set and ready to head to Hitomi? Maybe I can let loose some steam and have some fun there."

Soichano-hime approached him and sat besides him. "That certainly sounds like a lot of fun. Koga-kun." The princess replied with a thin smile. "Let me guess, you're planning to participate in the Underground Battle Cult?"

Koga narrowed his sharp azure eyes a bit and smiled mischievously. "Kikyou-chan, you know me all to well. I wonder do you see me as an open book?" He flexed his lean powerful arms and took a pose. "Yeah that's me, Koga: the up and coming champion of the UBC."

Kikyou giggled along with her bodyguard/companion. Her long well groomed hair which seductively framed her small face was not tied in a long ponytail for the moment and she wore a long night gown. "So it seems. But don't you think that the Battle Cult will present a greater challenge than last time? The last time you've participated you literally didn't even break a sweat."

"That's because that cult lacked warriors of demonic heritage." Clarified a foreign voice.

Kikyou's dark eyes widened a little in realization. "Nobuyuki, I thought that you were still preparing for tonight's trip."

"Forgive me for startling you." The said person apologized with a bow. A chestnut brown skinned feline youkai made room and sat between Koga and the princess. "The royal steeds are ready to depart."

"Ooh, that's a little quicker than I thought." The princess grinned. "Isn't that a new record?"

Nobuyuki fished into his pockets and pulled out a small hourglass. "Well, what do you know? It looks like I've outdone myself this time."

Koga arched a brow. "What? You're proud of packing all of our belongings in under five minutes? You call that impressive?"

"Yeah. Isn't there a problem with that?"

"Kids..."

"I can certainly see that you missed your childhood." Nobuyuki mocked, earning a quick raspberry from the said wolf. "Anyway princess, what's on our agenda?"

"We're heading to the Hitomi village." Kikyou answered.

"Hitomi... hmm. I've heard so much about the festivities there. This is definitely going to be a first for me." Nobuyuki wondered. "That's the town a little south of here that gets all the tourism right?"

"What? You're chicken or something?" Koga inquired with a jibe.

"Never that, wolf man." Nobuyuki responded with a snort. "I was just wondering why would you two be so interested in that town. I also heard that place also has a decent crime rate and the law doesn't give a damn about it."

"Actually that what makes Hitomi so interesting." Kikyou explained. "A princess' life got to be more interesting than just sitting on her ass and looking cute while everyone else always dolt on her." She nodded her head in distaste. "Personally, sometimes I don't like being a princess... it almost seems as though that I was meant for something else."

"There you go with those weird musings again." Said Koga as he rose to his feet. "C'mon, this visit will pretty much get you out of your state of mind."

"I suppose..." She rose to her feet as well. "Alright, onward."

"How pathetic. You were never meant to be a warrior."

'You lie... I am as much of a warrior as everyone else whom trained under the arts.'

"The man who defeated you was right. He analyzed you like an open book and immediately deciphered your glaring weaknesses. What does that tell you?"

'Be gone! Must I be tortured any farther?'

'Of course you do! You drew all of this upon yourself. Unless you relinquish your livelihood as a disciple of ninjitsu you will only bestow more emotional pain upon yourself."

'Why are you doing this?' Kagome demanded to the dark side of her conscience. 'You dare mock me because of the life that I have chosen!? Second, I didn't had any choice but to walk this path and I have no regrets!'

'That's the point... you, Kagome, had chosen the wrong path in life. A life in which wasn't entirely meant for you. If you insist on maintaining it you will only end up humiliating yourself and endangering your life further... and ultimately, disappointing your late mother.'

'I... I--'

'WAKE UP KAGOME! GO OUT AND DISCOVER YOUR TRUE SELF BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!! AWAKEN, KAGOME HIGURASHI!!'

And abruptly, she did. She awoke with a frightened gasp and immediately noticed that she was no longer laying in the fields on the town's outskirts. What her mind processed next was the fact that she was laid across an incredibly soft surface-- a bed. "Where am I?"

She tried to move in order to survey more of the unfamiliar surroundings but she only received spasms of pain on various places of her body. She winced in pain afterwards and gave scrutinizing the environment another try. From what she could tell, she was in someone else's room-- it's not all that large but not too shabby.

This place is definitely not the inn that she and her friends vacated in earlier this morning.

Kagome removed the bed sheets from her body and insisted on finding out who brought her here... but there was just one little thing... she was naked!!

"What the hell!!?" She beseeched, looking upon herself. All article of clothing (the ninja tunic wasn't much, you know) were mysteriously removed from her delicate body-- only to be replaced with gauzes and bandages. Her dagger was safe and sound on a dresser near the bed. Well at least who ever it is seems to care enough to tend to her injuries... but... whoever this person was definitely blessed to see her body totally nude and she didn't have anything to say about it.

'Well, at least I can appreciate the help,' she thought, 'but I haven't permit whoever it is to view every corner of my body bared. Hmm, now I wonder where could my garbs be.' She soundlessly hopped off the bed, this time ignoring the pangs on her body-- at least they were not as bad as before.

'I could use these sheets to dress myself. Just in case I just so happen to run into a crowd.' She surmised. She grabbed on of the sheets and folded it before she wrapped it around her lower body like a loose flowing dress. Fortunately her torso was completely wrapped but still...

"Hey, maybe you shouldn't try to move as of yet." Informed a voice. "Those blows you have taken still looks pretty nasty."

Kagome yelped shrilly of the sudden appearance of none other than... "Inuyasha!

"That's my name, don't wear it out." He responded. "Here, I brought you something to eat."

"Um, thanks..." She replied uncertainly before she accepted the steaming bowl of noodles. "You... did you brought me here from the fields?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha answered, displaying a smile as though he found out something about her. "That was a pretty intense battle that you were in. You gave that guy hell."

Kagome grew nervous. She was aware that this man had found out her little "secret". With a distressed groan she laid back on the bed and held a hand to her forehead with a sigh. "Oh my goodness... so that means that... that I'm a--"

"Actually I found it out from the very beginning." He elucidated. "You know, the scenario back at the inn this morning? Hmm? Rings a bell doesn't it?"

"Uh... it was me... you got me." She chuckled nervously.

"I know. You're a rare kind a girl. You whoop ass like a mother fucker."

"Yes Inuyasha, I can." Sighed Kagome. "I'm a kunoichi."

"Well you're definitely not the average martial artist, that's for sure." He grinned. "It's apparent that you been into ninjitsu for many years."

"It's true... it's all true." She replied sadly. 'Damn. It happened again. He's not an enemy but this guy had easily figured me out as well. What's wrong with me!?' She thought in disdain. 'Am I becoming so delicate that many a stranger can decipher me?'

"Don't feel so bad about it."

"Actually, I do." Kagome sighed, spreading out the sheet that she had tied up on her body. For a brief moment, Inu had a quick nice glance of her legs again. Lithe but powerful, and they were also long and graceful. Slightly tan... like peanut butter... ooh, and just as easy to spread, he thought (Inu's looking pretty hard, that's for sure). "Inuyasha... there's something else that I must confess..."

Her voice shook him out of his fan-- I mean, reverie. "Huh? What did you say?"

"I lied." Her voice was cracking with sadness now.

"Lied about what, Kagome?" He wondered in concern.

Kagome hesitated, but complied. "I was raise as a kunoichi every since I was very young-- roughly when I was two or three years old. My mother didn't die from grief of miscarriage... she... she was killed. She never had the chance to give birth to my younger sister."

"Damn..." He felt with condolence. "That's pretty harsh. You've been living a rough life since the beginning. Something that is not unlike I've been through myself."

"I'm so sorry. For lying to you like that and I'm especially sorry for running away from my true self every since I was so young."

"No... it's not your fault Kagome." Inuyasha reassured.

"Yes it is." Kagome sniffed. "If my mother should see me now, she'll hit the roof of her grave... I've been a terrible woman... I deserve such shame."

"Kagome that couldn't be helped. I'm sure that you mother is proud of you, knowing that you didn't have a choice to live the life that you lead."

"Inuyasha...?" She queried in a surprised tone.

"Here something for you to wear. Your garbs was in bad shape so I brought you this." He handed her some robes which is identical to his but it was dark blue. "I know that it's a little to big for you to wear, but it's better than nothing."

"Thank you." Kagome merited. "It is kind of chilly in here." She decided to try so of the noodles he gave her. She reached for it on the dresser and sample a mouthful. "Good choice. It's the spicy chicken flavor."

"Inuyasha, I think that you would definitely appreciate our guests tonight." Said a certain "devoted" monk as he appeared at the doorway. As Miroku entered, he immediately noticed a half naked woman sitting upon one of the beds as she tried to don on blue robes. "Ah, I see that you are already occupied for the night."

"It's you!" Kagome realized as she immediately makes an effort to cover herself up with the bed sheets. "Don't look my way, this is not a peep show!"

Inuyasha arched a brow at what Kagome just said. "Huh?"

"Hey mister, this definitely does not look like the inn that me and my friend here vacated in this morning." Said Nazuna as she shortly appeared in the room with a sleeping Kagura in tow. "Do you mind telling us what are you really up to?"

"N-nothing..." Miroku stammered.

Then it happened: Nazuna gazed over to the bed and saw a seemingly helpless Kagome upon it and she hardly had any clothes on. "Kagome!! What in the twelve hells happened to you!!?"

Kagome gasped and realized what Nazuna could be assuming. On countless occasions-- even thought it was not relevant, Nazuna would always be there to back Kagome up whether it be a minor hassle or a seeming threat. She saw the way how Nazuna eyed Inuyasha and the monk dangerously. "Um... Nazuna this isn't what it looks like!"

"My g-d!" Nazuna shouted in contempt. "These guys are low lives and you've already been raped by one of them!" She dropped Kagura on the floor and pulled out her flail. "Kagome, I get these two heathens for you! You can bet on it!"

"Hey! Chill out!" Inuyasha shouted. "You heard Kagome, this is not what it seems!"

"I will not chill out!" Nazuna seethed. "You have soiled my best friend without honor and now you shall face my wrath!!" She whirled her flail and adopted a stance. "Prepare yourselves! Your punishment will be severe!"

"This isn't good!" Said Miroku with his fear rising. "Well, what do you insist that we do to make her realize that we're not such culprits?"

"We have no choice." Inuyasha declared. "We got to convince her... forcefully."

"No Inuyasha! Don't! This is a big misunderstanding!" Kagome yelled.

But it was too late, she already charged herself into battle.

TO BE CONTINUED

Damn Nazuna, you really need to grow up. I'm now in a state of pure angst and this is how you are going to act. Something's got to be done in order to prevent them from ripping each other apart...

But how?

I have enough on my mind and heart as it is...

NEXT CHAPTER

Effort of Redemption