WARNING: This chapter contains text illustrating graphic violence, coarse language, violent sexual references and themes that may offend some readers. After reading this and deciding that you do not wish to read it then do not.

A/N: My stories are not all that great, but if you're going to put a review up to critisize my work, please make it CONSTRUCTIVE critisism and not reviews that outline how much you think the story sucks. Flames are not welcome here. I appreciate all those who put the time in to correct a few mistakes here and there (such as spelling and grammar or a few Saiyuki errors) but I do not wish to read reviews with the content such as "Take this crap down, I've had enough of it". Thankyou.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any themes that you might recognize from Saiyuki. If I did, Hakkai and Sanzo would never leave my bedroom to fight insane youkai. But alas...life is not so kind. vv

Chapter one: The cause and effect theory

- - -They say that when something horrific happens it can completely alter a good person. If one is strong enough one will not succumb to the dealings of sin. Alcohol, sex, drugs. Some people are just not strong enough to remain as lawful citizens when disaster strikes. Some however are not and tend to become the victims of the cause and effect theory - - -

She read quietly to herself minding her own business on the busy markets of her village. Her stall sold everything from grapefruit to lamb chops. Nothing unordinary ever happened there, it was a peaceful place accomodating peaceful people. Youkai and human lived together in perfect harmony. Ebony glanced up from her book and smiled gracefully at the customers waiting in line to buy goods from her stall.

"Alright sir, would you like that wrapped?" She asked gently, taking the large slab of salted meat from a shelf in the back. She returned and her smile dissapeared. The old man who lived down the street lay against the stall, blood staining the fresh apples there. Youkai were using vicious claws to tear the human apart. Their eyes were empty, their tongues lapping up the flowing blood. His organs slipped from his body to the ground. Covered in dirt. She dropped the meat, blood drenching the paper bag she had wrapped it in. Forced herself not to scream. The demon eyes flickered over her helplessness and they grinned, fangs glinting with scarlet blood. Fingers trembling she pulled the hand gun from her belt and positioned it at the Youkai as they advanced on her. "R-Roulf?" She let her arms droop a little as a close friend of hers stalked towards her. Sharing the emptiness. They dug in the sand together as children. Tearful she sniffed. "Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly. "Don't need to answer to you bitch." Said one. She shook her head, jaw dropped.

"Please, don't make me hurt you. Roulf, please" She begged "I don't want to hurt you" They all laughed and advanced closer in on her. She closed her eyes, the tears running down her face. She pulled the trigger, fireing at will at all those who walked against her. Roulf fell to the ground and clawed himself towards her, tongue dragging along the dirt road. She leaped into the air and escaped the threatending circle. Ran as fast as she could back to her house.

Her stomach recieved some sort of sharp pains, making her flinch. She pushed the door open, it creaked. She froze in the doorway, bloody footprints were splodged on the ground. Handprints swiped across the walls, furniture was upturned, dishes were broken and askew on the ground. Glass cut into her boots, she trembled as she passed through the living room to the stairs. A trail of thick blood mottled on the polished wood. She reached the top of the stairs and was hit with that heavy metalic scent that everybody dreaded. Her little brother's room was open, the door torn off of its hinges. She knew what was coming...could feel it in her heart. Yet she walked on, knew that she had to see it for herself. The gun loose in her slack hand. Sweat across her forehead. And he lay there, his little scalp missing. Skull cracked, eyes staring. She dropped the gun, vomit threaded between her fingers as she leant against the wall. His little fingers...missing. A naked little boy looked like a mutant, souless eyes and a heartless chest.

She heard the floorboards creeking behind her and picked the gun up, spun on her heel. The Youkai slapped the weapon from her hands and pushed her to the ground. "You fucking bastard" she screamed, the blood trickling from his lips to her face. He just smirked and licked the blood from her face. He pulled his arm back and struck her with his claws with full force, tearing the flesh from her bones. She didn't make a sound of pain, she didn't completely feel it. She looked over to the gun longingly, it lay at her brother's toeless feet. Ebony shuddered and braced herself. She plunged her fingers deep into the Youkai's eyes and grabbed the gun, the handle was slippery within her sweaty palms. She shoved the nozzle of the gun deep into its mouth and pulled the trigger. The brain mass and blood splurted out the back of his head. She pushed the heavy body off of her and groaned in pain. Pulled herself up, holding her bleeding side. She spat on the corpse of the youkai and turned only to face another. The female's rouged lips curled into a twisted and sinister smirk. She struggled in the grip. The youkai tore at her breasts with her rouged claws. She used her damned claws to tear out her left eye. Ebony screamed in pain and fired at the youkai who was attempting to kill her.

She took one last look at her little brother and ran from the house, stumbled into town where the people were devistated. The Youkai had gone on a very rapid and violent rampage and left. She collapsed on the roads. Hearing only the sounds of simple villagers whispering about her survival. "Oh my god Graham it's Ebony. She's still alive" Said one voice. "Quick, somebody get help. SOMEBODY! She's still alive. Get help god dammit." They couldn't pry the gun from her fingers while stitching up the deep wounds on her body. Half awake, half asleep - Ebony felt the full pain of the needle pulling her body back together. Heard doubtful voices discussing on the odds as to whether she would survive or not.

A fortnight later she woke during the night. Ugly black threading marking her ivory flesh. Tears on her face as she endured the pain of sitting forward. Her fingers threaded into black hair. Bandage over her left eye socket she shook her head. Revisited the horror of what had happened over and over in her mind. She looked to the chair opposite her and grimaced as she forced herself from the bed. She couldn't stay here, she needed to get out. Needed to escape these fucking memories. She looked to the white gown she wore and sighed, limping over to the window. A doctor entered - heard the sobbing and reached out to her. "No, Ebony san please don't leave" She leaped from the window and to the ground below. He followed. But when he reached the ground she was nowhere to be seen. "Shit, she'll never survive like that out there on her own." Called for villagers to search for her. But they couldn't find her, Ebony dissapeared into the thicket of the forest.

She came across a merchant after six hours of restless travel and tried to make negotiations for clothes and a weapon. He grabbed at her waist and pushed his lips against the back of her neck, pushing her silky black hair aside. Mentioned that he was a lonely man, he would give her anything for a night of her company. He would accept nothing else. She lay beneath the bulk of the man behind his old green wagon, the paint peeling from the wood. Endured his breath on her face, his half erect manhood pulsating against her thigh. Rolled the condom onto it, pushed deeply into her and fucked her until he was done with her. She fixed her gown and demanded the clothes and the weapon. Shifty man refused with a satisfied grin, she took the gun from his seat up front and pointed it in his face. "Hold your part of the deal" She demanded tonelessly. Trembling violently he complied and supplied her with a gypsy red silk skirt, white pagan-style short sleeved shirt and three hand guns. "I want your jacket" she said. Black leather, wrapped about her would shield her from the world. He shrugged the jacket from his shoulders and dropped it at her feet. The leather eye patch somewhat daunting, perhaps he reminded her of what she had lost. She reached down to pick it up and he struck her hard on the head with his meaty fist.

He kicked her, the stitches weak and splitting. She cried out in pain, he yanked her hair and dragged her to her feet, holding a gun to her temple. She wiped the blood from her bottom lip and pressed her gun against his groin, pulled the trigger. As he rolled about on the ground in pain she fired another two into his head and took the money from his pocket. She took the leather eye patch from his head and placed it over her left socket. Pushed the pathetic body into the river. Detatched the wagon from the strong mare and packed the rucksack with essentials and took the money from his black metal box. She straddled the horse and glanced at the blood on the ground. Shuddering memories attacked her. She pushed them away and kicked the sides of the horse. Galloped in the direction of the closest village.

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Thankyou for taking the time to read the first chapter, I hope that you enjoyed it. Constructive critisism and supportive reviews are most certainly welcome