Title: Providence
Author: AeriasAWriter
Notes: A story I'm writing for my dear friend Lauren. She's obsessed with a couple of silver-haired brothers and I said I didn't mind writing it for her. Then Eva demanded to be included. Oh, well. There's major cursing (mostly Lauren), lewd remarks (mostly Miroku), and a load of Real folks thrown in in the last couple of chapters. Thereby I say this is Rated-R!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did it would be yaoiful. But Lauren, Eva, and friends are real people and would be offended if they were ripped off of this. So no touchy.
Chapter 1: Kidnapped
Dead leaves rustled softly as Lauren walked along the broken sidewalk. She muttered angrily under her breath and dug her left hand deep into her jacket pocket, balancing her books with her right arm. She cocked a leg back and kicked a jagged stone out of her way with a quiet grunt, watching it bounce into the road. She ignored the overpowering scent of freshly cut grass and morning dew that tickled her nose.
"Fuck this whole damn school! I fucking hate Algebra Two! Damn Mr. Noack to hell and back! Mother fuckin' retards! All of them! Mr. Franco and Mr. Maseck! They're all such damn fucking idiots! Frayed pant legs are fire-hazards?!? How? It's not like we're going to stick our feet into a bonfire any time soon! Or what?!? They got torches that are hidden along the floor of the halls!?!"
Despite her raging anger, Lauren couldn't help but laugh at the imagery that thought managed to bring up. Her sides heaved with laughter. She could just see all of her friends leaping into the air as they tried to avoid the fire that reached out to lick the soles of their feet with tongues of hot flame. The blaze threatening to catch the frayed pants' strings on fire.
"Holy crap! Jump Jonathan! Watch your feet! Kristina! Climb onto those lockers! If you don't, your pants will catch on fire and you'll get burned!"
She fell silent then, crossing the width of the bus lane, ever moving closer to the doors of the much dreaded school.
"I'm so damn glad that I graduate this May. Just two more months of school to go. That's all I have got to remember. Only two more freakin' months!"
She sighed heavily, letting the air escape her lungs.
Lauren glanced up at the school and trudged up the front of the big gray building. She was going to regret getting out of bed today, she just knew it. She looked down to watch her feet shuffle along the dirty cement, her red shoelaces flopping around, and her black hi-tops duly showing the wear and tear of everyday use.
Somebody suddenly slammed into her, as if they had not been watching where they were running, knocking her onto her butt. The new pair of jeans she'd had to go home to change into were now filthy.
"Aaagggghhhhh!!! Dammit! Watch where the hell you're going!" She scrambled for her text books as the school bell rang. "Fuck! There goes the damn bell!"
Damn, I hate it when I'm right! she thought angrily.
She heard a throat clear and looked up to notice a large, yet slim hand held out to her. She blinked rapidly. Someone was trying to be nice? To her? Then her gaze followed the hand up the arm to the strong, broad shoulders, and further to the boy's rather handsome and attractively boyish face. She slowly, hesitantly took the offered hand and let the boy pull her to her unsteady feet, all the while reminding herself to keep breathing.
Lauren studied him intently, struggling not to laugh aloud at his somewhat strange and unusual appearance. He just looked so out of place to the petite red-head.
The boy stared back at her as they looked each other over. Lauren smirked, his attentively serious face seemed at odds with his amused eyes. He was at least a foot taller than her, she duly noted with a satisfied sound as she had to look up at him. His reddish-golden hair fell well below his mid-back, it was below his waist even.
Going for heavy metal rock star? she wondered, amused.
Then, when she finally looked up to see the color of his greenish-gray-blue eyes, she noticed that he was blatantly staring back at her. Not only was he entertained by her, but he continued to just smile, friendly to the end. She had to fight to repress the sudden urge to growl at him.
So she took a step back to study his bizarre, outlandish clothing. He was wearing a fiery red kimono, she smiled when she realized that she actually knew what it was called, and had a string of blue and white beads around the thin, pale column of his neck.
Lauren's eyes widened slightly as her gaze came to rest on a sword that hung low at his side, firmly tied to his belt-like sash. It was sheathed in an old leather sheath that appeared to be custom made for the older, plainer looking sword. She curiously peered a little closer at the sword and saw that the thin blade looked amazingly like an old samurai sword, like something she'd find in a museum. She glanced up at the boy's face and wondered if he knew how to fight with the blade.
That'd be so cool if he did! Lauren thought, tilting her head to the side.
Continuing her gaze downward, however, she realized that he was barefoot. The pale skin of his feet strangely contrasting with the ground when all she was used to seeing was a colorful assortments of shoes. She grimaced in sympathy when she thought about what would happen if he stumbled upon a pile of broken glass.
Then she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up. And there they were. A pair of strangely, dog-like ears, almost hidden in the mass of his hair. The ears twitched yet again and Lauren shrieked, stepping back, trying to get away from the strange and decidedly creepy boy.
"Oh. My. God." The words tumbled from Lauren's mouth in a weird, high-pitched squeak and she openly gaped at the taller boy. He chuckled heartily at her opening and closing mouth, her pale oval face looking remarkably like an impression of a fish.
Her wide eyes then rapidly grew twice as large as the tall boy stepped closer to her, now invading her personal space. He gently began to check her over, wiping the traces of dust and dirt from her fairly rumpled clothing. Lauren shook herself out of it and began to glare.
"You are in my BUBBLE!"
He smirked down at her, ignoring her outcry before he fairly easily picked her up and began running with her in his arms back the way he had come. Lauren threw her arms around his pale neck with a loud earth-shattering scream and watched her heavy school books hit the dirty and wet ground again. Not that she minded losing her text books so much. But she abruptly remembered the type of stuff that the news channels reported on when people were kidnapped.
Damn, it's always the quiet ones you have to worry about!
"Oh, shit! Put me down, dammit! Where the hell do you think you are taking me?!? I demand that you leave me the hell alone!!!"
The tall boy chuckled softly, his chest rumbling faintly as Lauren pressed her head to it, listening to his heart beat. She loosened her death grip to lift her head up and look into his amused eyes. She was more than just slightly unnerved by how fast the trees seemed to be slipping by. The boy carrying her was not even breathing hard.
"Do not look so worried, my dear. I would never dream of hurting you, not in a hundred million years. You are very important to me."
Lauren blinked, rapidly.
"I am? Why?"
The boy smiled again, but didn't answer. He merely continued running, the wind whipping at their clothing as Lauren realized that they were following the highway. They followed Highway 290 out of town and towards the capital. She shivered in awe at the boy's stamina and endurance as they passed ranches, convenience stores, and even cars.
"Why did you take me?"
Nothing. The boy ignored her as he dodged a tree and ran past it. She sighed heavily, getting the feeling that her kidnapper may be one of those strong and silent types that only talk when they have to. She looked forward in the direction they were heading.
He began to slow then, approaching a fenced in cement yard with hundreds of pipes jutting heavenward from the ground. Lauren watched as he quickly strode towards a hole in the fence, merely ducking his head to enter into the yard. Though he was sure to tighten his grip on her so she didn't fall out of his arms. She squeaked in alarm at the feel of being pressed to his chest even harder than she had been.
He hurriedly walked between the huge yard of pipes to the other side. And there, off to the right side under an oak tree stood an old dried-up well complete with a large concrete lid over the mouth. Which he strode towards immediately, a grin on his lips. Lauren eyed it with a disgusted look of suspicious distaste.
"You still haven't answer me!" she said, hotly.
He chuckled softly once more and set Lauren on the ground like she was some one-of-kind of ultra rare and delicate china. He eyeballed the heavy concrete lid on the well. He reached under it with both hands and Lauren rolled her eyes.
There's no way that boy could pick up that lid. It says that it's five hundred pounds.
She gasped audibly as, with a smile, he lifted the five-hundred pound lid off the well's large mouth quite easily. Then he tossed it aside, just as easily. And Lauren felt the earth shake as it hit the ground some fifty feet away, crushing a section of the chain link fence. Lauren struggled not to let her fear overcome her. Her face was looking much like that of an owl with her eyes as wide as they were when she turned back to face the boy. She caught herself and with a grimace shook herself out of her 'unreasonable' fear.
"Can I at least know your name?"
She placed her hands on her hips as she looked up at him. The boy laughed aloud at her exasperated tone, she only barely managed not to let her fear bleed into the words. His broadest grin yet settled across his almost angelic face.
"Maybe on the other side," he said, downright cheerful as he gently pulled Lauren up over his broad shoulder. She screamed when he climbed up onto the stone rim and quickly jumped into the dark depths of the old well. She heard a chuckle escape the boy's lips as he hit the floor of the deep dark pit. But felt it as his shoulder hit her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Lauren began to pound his back with her fists, furious. She screamed again when she heard his soft laugh grow a little louder.
"You idiot! How the hell can we climb out now!?! What the fuck is going on?!? First you kidnap me off the school grounds, then you run off to a dried up old well, and THEN YOU DROP US DOWN THE FUCKING DRIED-UP OLD WELL!!!"
She screamed at the boy and his ears twitched forward slightly, he seemed to grow more than slightly annoyed.
"Father was indeed correct about you," he whispered softly in the pitch black pit.
Lauren paused, her hands slowing of their own accord, and tried to see the boy through the darkness. The eerie sound of the wind blowing over the top of the well startled her.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice softened to little more than a mere whisper.
She felt the boy shrug almost imperceptibly before crouching down, low to the ground. He sprang up with Lauren still on his shoulder and easily jumped well clear of the deep pit. Lauren blinked into the sudden light, bewildered.
The red-haired girl waited for her eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight. Closing them and then opening them back up again. The sunlight hadn't been that bright when they had jumped into the well. She finally got her eyes to focus and she took a look around.
She took in the scene of the deep forest with a sharp gasp, startled. The old, gnarled trees, the dense, clinging undergrowth, the colorful, wild flowers, and even a small, gray rabbit that hopped away in fright. Hundreds of different birds chirped loudly in the tall redwood trees overheard and the squirrels chattered loudly at each other as the wild life resumed what they were doing. Her gaze softened.
At least this is better than being at home with my mother when she in one of her lazy moods.
The tall boy lifted Lauren off his shoulder and placed her gently on her own two feet in the tall, soft grass. She shook her shoes free on the dripping dew before tilting her head off to the side. She gazed up at him with a curious look. With another glance around the small clearing she exhaled noisily.
"And my name is Inutaisho," he said softly. Her eyes returned to look over him a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"That's a sweet name. How'd you end up with it?" She asked just as softly, she reached over to pick up a small shiny stone at the foot of a big tree beside the well. Inutaisho smiled disarmingly, his hand coming to rest on his hip.
"It was my paternal grandfather's name."
"Cool! I bet he loved you a lot to let your parents name you after him. He's probably proud to have you carry on his name like that." Inutaisho's pale face colored a rosy pink and he cleared his throat harshly. Lauren arched a single delicate eyebrow.
"Well, he didn't know. He died a long time before my parents even met. My father wanted to name me after him because he missed him."
"Whoa, that's totally deep. Your father sounds like a really great guy."
Lauren rolled the smooth stone between her fingers as Inutaisho nodded in complete agreement. He flashed her a smile, but ended up staring down at the ground. His ears twitched and he frowned very slightly.
"Inutaisho?"
The redhead boy looked up at Lauren when she called his name. His eyes narrowed at a soft sound in the trees. Behind him a big, scaly snake-like beast with four feet and two very human looking hands stepped from the woods. Lauren shrieked in horror as it charged towards the two much smaller humanoids beside the well.
Inutaisho unsheathed his blade in a bright flash, which cleared to reveal that the blade had grown larger and now sported a strange fur border around the hilt. The tall boy then leapt high into the still air. Backing away, Lauren fell onto her butt to gaze up at the creature in fear.
His lightning fast downward stroke cleaved the monster's great head in two. Blood gusted out in a wide arc and the huge creature crumpled in on itself. He pulled his blade free with a jerk and leaned down to wipe off the blood on the grass.
Inutaisho snorted in disgust at the strange being and kicked it. The body shuddered in response before lying completely still. He sheathed the sword again quickly before turning back to face Lauren, a sheepish expression on his own handsome face. She stared at the beast behind him with wide eyes, sure that it was quite dead.
"What is th-that horrid thing?"
"A demon," Inutaisho sighed, "They're quite common in this particular section of the kingdom. Especially right at this point in time."
Lauren's eyes widened further and she scrambled to her feet, standing up from where she had fallen. Her mouth worked, opening and closing, without being able to say anything. Her eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously, she found her voice.
"WHAT! YOU KIDNAPPED ME AND BROUGHT ME TO A PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF DEMONS!?!"
"Yes," he said calmly, his ears twitching. "But I'm stronger than anything in these parts."
"Really!?! Can you be sure of that?!?" Lauren demanded, her eyes narrowing. Inutaisho shifted uncomfortably trying to ignore the sparks that the girl's eyes were practically shooting at him. He sighed.
"Yes."
"Oh. . . well then. . . whatever." Lauren forced herself to calm down as she recalled how easily Inutaisho had thrown aside the five hundred pound lid and slain the demon. She frowned uneasily at the taller boy. "I guess you could be right."
Inutaisho smiled mischievously at her grudgingly given statement. He then quickly strode forward to gently lift her into his arms once more. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him with all of her might, shaking as he leapt into the air.
Her flushed face was pressed tightly against his broad chest while the wind swept by faster and faster. She opened her greenish-gray-blue eyes curiously, gaping down at the ground which was so suddenly some four hundred-odd feet below her. Inutaisho merely chuckled down at her.
"Like my wings? Flying like this I can go twice as fast than when I'm just running."
Lauren looked over Inutaisho's shoulder and gaped open-mouthed at vast white feathered wings that sprouted from the boy's shoulder blades. Inutaisho smirked proudly before his wings shimmered into great dragon-fly like wings. The giant wings never skipped a downward beat, remaining uninterrupted by the changes. Another shimmer, then he had gigantic bat-like wings with opposable thumb-like appendages.
"They're not only very useful, but they can be fun to play with. Especially when there isn't anything else to do and you're alone."
"That's so awesome! I want my own pair!" Inutaisho chuckled again.
"Sorry. That's a no go. You have to be born with the genes for it." He twisted his body as he maneuvered through the air, artfully manipulating the wind's currents.
"Jeans? Huh? What? Oh, no wait! I know what you mean!" She looked down abruptly and spied a pair of calm golden eyes watching them cross the large expansion of sky.
Lauren ignored the cold gaze of the stare and giggled merrily at the big fluffy white thing that adorned the creature's shoulder. Only briefly noting to herself that it looked like an oversized feather boa. Inutaisho didn't seem to see it or the being that held it though so Lauren didn't say anything to bring attention to the strange creature. Nothing was said as they slowly approached a large lake in the middle of more forest with an open meadow along one side. The blue water sparkling in welcome.
"Over there is a small rural village and within the village lives a well-know old wise woman, who is greatly respected though the nearest villages. Her name is Kaede." Inutaisho pointed a clawed finger to the side. Lauren nodded and looked thoughtful. Then did a double take to gape at the finger.
The boy didn't have claws eariler! Lauren opened her mouth to ask about it but the boy stopped her by talking first.
"And this is where my part of the journey shall end."
"Wait! What the hell do you mean?!?" Lauren asked. She peered up at him through her bangs and frowned. Inutaisho didn't answer right away as he lost altitude and landed on the lake's sandy shore.
"You'll see."
It was all that Inutaisho said as he put Lauren down and stretched out his tender back muscles, the ones that were pulled at the mighty wings. Lauren wobbled and she realized that her legs were asleep. Her rubbed the calves of her legs and grimaced as the feeling of pins and needles ran through them, the blood returning to the flesh.
"If you want a drink, I suggest that you get it now." Inutaisho said softly with a broad toothy grin. Lauren nodded sharply and knelt at the lake's sandy edge. Cupping her hands together, she got a long drink from the cold, fresh water.
Then she scooted back a little from the edge to rest in the tall, cool, shading meadow grasses. Inutaisho also knelt to drink and while he did so, he kept glancing around, his furry dog-like ears twitching to catch all sound.
The teenage girl hesitantly reached over on a whim, running a small hand over the soft down of white feathers that currently covered Inutaisho's broad wings. The boy jerked upright at the unexpected touch. Their eyes met in an intense staring contest as Lauren thought about how cute he was, she opened her mouth.
"Who goes there!?!"
"They're here," Inutaisho muttered softly, turning away towards the newcomers. Lauren turned to see the bent form of an old woman and a taller one of a young man, maybe a teenage boy. The pair drew closer and Lauren's pale eyes widened for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. The boy that came with the old woman seemed to be a mirror image of Inutaisho, except for the minor fact that this boy had silver-white hair and didn't have the massive wings jutting out to the sky from his shoulder blades.
At least not yet he doesn't, thought Lauren very sourly.
TBC. . .
An actual incident at our school and Lauren actually did say that in response. We did actually get quite a laugh over the idea of flame throwers in the halls along the floor.