Blood of the Innocent
Chapter 2- Are you afraid of the dark?
Inuyasha eventually passed out. Whether it was from lack of food or lack of oxygen, no one was really sure. The other residents of the camp took turns watching their fitfully-sleeping guest.
Inuyasha mumbled in his sleep and turned over. Miroku was on watch duty at the moment, and he turned to look at Inuyasha after a second mumble escaped from his sleepy lips. 'Must be having a nightmare,' was the depraved monk's only thought toward the matter before he returned to his meditative state.
-Inuyasha's Dream-
"You are condemned for the killing of innocents! What have you to say for yourself?" The executioners red eyes bored in to the man.
"It wasn't me!" the man cried hysterically, violet orbs open wide, "I'm innocent!"
The executioner smirked. "If you are truly innocent, then why were you found at the scene of the crime? Why was there blood coating your hands!" The man let loose a wicked laugh. "You are guilty! Grovel at my feet and I may consider letting you free!"
The man's violet eyes lost their fearful look in favor of one brimming with hatred. "If proving my innocence means bowing to you for a crime I did not commit, I'd rather die with my feet in the air and my head held high."
The executioners' smug smile faded for a moment before quickly returning to its former glory. "Very well then! I shall grant your wish!" He reached for the lever to drop the platform on which the condemned man stood. He grasped the handle, and with a wicked laugh, pulled.
The platform fell away from the violet-eyed man's feet and he plummeted towards the earth. The rope tightened around his neck. His pupils contracted and he gasped for air. "Kh...!"
The executioner's sick smile widened still. "How about that! Your neck didn't break! Well, we'll just have to watch you strangle yourself! Any last words, Cretin?"
The man's violet eyes rolled upwards to gaze into the executioner's, "I'll... kill you!"
The all too smug man laughed, "But you're the one who's doing the dying!"
The violet eyes turned a hateful crimson, cerulean pupils formed in the center of the angry orbs. The coal black hair that hung down to his waist turned a snowy white, and a triangular set of white dog ears climbed to rest just above his temples. Deep purple scar-like marks slashed across his cheeks, and long fangs erupted from his mouth. "When I say I'll kill you..." he whispered coldly, "you WILL end up dead!" he finished with a roar, eyes narrowing into a killer's glare. The demon turned his head out toward the gathered crowd. "All of you! I will..." the demon coughed, the lack of oxygen finally taking its toll, "return! And you will pay..." he gasped once more, "for your sins! And..." he coughed again, his voice growing weaker as he continued. "And you will pay for my life!"
-End-
Inuyasha jerked awake and he was once again in the dimly lit camping circle. As he looked around, he noticed that Kagome was still awake and that she was feeding the dying fire with some small sticks she had probably found lying around the campsite.
"Hey."
Kagome jumped at Inuyasha's soft call. She whipped her head around to stare at the man who appeared to have woken up only moments ago. "Hey," she replied softly, placing her right hand over her rapidly beating heart, "You scared me!" she returned her attention to the fire, adding a few more sticks to the dying flames. Turning to face the silver-haired stranger once again, she asked. "What're you doing up, anyway?"
"Hmm..." Inuyasha thought back to his dream, or, more accurately, his flashback. "I just..." his pallid hair glistened in the orangey flames, "had a bad dream."
Kagome completely abandoned the fire, which was now crackling jovially in the once-quiet clearing. "What kind of bad dream?"
Inuyasha's face darkened. "I'd rather not talk about it."
An uncomfortable silence slipped between the two. Kagome looked down at the
ground, watching the shadows flicker from the fires' short flames.
"So," Kagome looked up at Inuyasha's light voice to see him smiling happily, "why are you up so late at night?"
Kagome smiled as well, relieved that the awful quiet had passed, "Watch duty."
Inuyasha blinked, "Watch duty?"
"Yeah." Kagome nodded. "We're in the woods. There are all kinds of things lurking in the darkness. Also..." she trailed off. 'Also, I'm here to make sure you don't kill us in our sleep.' She grimaced at her own thought. 'I can't say that! After all-'
"Are you afraid of the dark, Kagome?"
Inuyasha's voice ripped Kagome from her unpleasant thoughts. "Huh?"
"Are you afraid of the dark?" he repeated, rather slowly.
"Well..." Kagome thought for a moment. "A lot of things can hide in it, and you can be ambushed-"
"No." Inuyasha interrupted firmly. "Not that kind of darkness."
Kagome blinked, shocked by the sudden interruption. "What," Kagome was almost afraid to ask, "kind of darkness are you talking about?"
Inuyasha's eyes seemed to dull, "Human darkness."
Kagome was confused, "I'm sorry, I just-"
"Don't get it?" Inuyasha interrupted once again. Kagome nodded. Inuyasha closed his eyes and smiled, but it was not a look of happiness. It was a melancholic smile. He opened his amber orbs and gazed straight into Kagome's eyes with a flaming stare. His hair shone in the orange-tinged light and his eyes reflected it with an unearthly illumination. "Most people don't."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome's voice trailed off into nothingness.
"I'm afraid of the dark." Inuyasha looked at the pile of blazing twigs. When he looked up again, his eyes were lifeless and his smile was forced. "Well," his voice was cheerful, though he obviously was not, "it's getting rather late," he lowered himself to the ground, his back to the fire and Kagome. "Goodnight Kagome."
"Goodnight Inuyasha."
-The Next Morning.-
Sango and Miroku noticed tension between their female friend and the cursed male as they walked along the path that would lead them to the next town.
Sango motioned to Miroku, and the two fell further behind.
"So," Miroku began, "what do you think is going on with those two? I don't really care about that Inuyasha fellow, but Kagome seems rather..." he looked to Sango.
"Off," she finished for him, and he nodded. Sango glowered at the back of Inuyasha's pale head. "If he hurt her in any way..." she cracked her knuckles, "I'll kill him."
Miroku clutched the rosary beads that were wrapped around his gloved right hand. "If he has done anything to endanger Kagome's welfare..." he gave the beads a light tug, "I might have to take drastic measures as well."
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Kagome looked sideways at Inuyasha. 'What was with him earlier? I understand everything he said, I just don't know why he said it. What kind of nightmare did he have, anyway?' "Hey, Inuyasha?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Kagome's eyes expanded, "How do you know what I wanted to ask you?"
He looked at her, "What else would you ask me?" His voice was chilly.
Kagome gulped. "I was... I was..." She looked around wildly for something to ask him about, something other that what she really wanted to know. She spotted Sango and Miroku lagging behind and quietly whispering to one another, she saw Miroku finger the rosary that surrounded his right hand, she frowned. "I was going to ask you what you thought Sango and Miroku were talking about!" She finished triumphantly.
Inuyasha glanced back at the demon slayer and the monk lazily, "I have no idea. After all," he continued rather coldly, "I hardly know them."
Kagome deflated quickly as she heard this. "I just thought," she looked up at him shyly, "you know," she pointed at the white, twitching dog ears that rested at the top of his head, "that you might be able to hear them."
"Why?" He asked angrily, "because I'm a freak!" Kagome took a step back from the livid Inuyasha. "Even if I could hear them, I wouldn't tell you what they were saying! That's just plain rude! Besides," he quieted his voice slightly, "they obviously don't want to be heard."
Kagome quietly looked back to see Sango and Miroku staring at her before they quickly returned to their discussion. "H-hey!" Everyone looked over at Kagome when they heard her shaky call. "L-let's make camp, it's getting kinda dark."
-After Sunset-
Inuyasha was resting against a tree at the edge of camp, just outside the circle of light, head lowered, eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Miroku, Sango, and Kagome were sitting around the customary campfire.
Kagome glanced around the circle, and then she glanced back at the fire. "Hey Sango?" She asked, lifting her gaze to stare at the other female.
"Yeah?"
"Are you afraid of the dark?"
Sango looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Human darkness."
Sango thought for a moment. "I don't get it."
Kagome lowered her gaze once again to the dancing flames. "Me neither."
Unseen by the other campers, a tear slipped down Inuyasha's face to land on his red-clothed leg.
First off: Sorry about the shortness everyone!
Secondly: OMG! Responses! Yay! I only got 4 reviews from the 32 hits, but who's to complain? 32 hits!
Third: I have chapter 3 drafted and most of chapter 4 drafted already. All I have to do is type it then get it beta'd. Cries at the thought of typing
Fourth: Big thank you's go out to DogEarFetish, who so kindly beta'd this!
Fifth I only thought this would get up to 'second': Review responses come next time! I'm in a rush at the moment! Sorry! Proceeds to bow and scrape