Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, its characters, or 'Royal Dragon' which this plot is based on.
Summary: Why did life hate her? Kagome's day couldn't get any worse. First, she gets fired from her crappy job, then, she gets kicked out of her apartment and was homeless. But the cherry on top was getting kidnapped and taken to be hunted by demons so she can mate with one of them. Yea…she probably shouldn't have gotten out of bed that morning.
There were hundreds of demon males assembled at the foot of the cliff that led toward the field where the foraging was to take place. The scent of testosterone and adrenaline filled the air, and everyone was divided between territories and chatted amongst themselves in small groups. They had already been briefed on how this was to work.
All of the participants had to remain in human form, and for those who were able to transform couldn't under any circumstance. Also, the use of weapons of any kind wasn't permitted. Only hand-to-hand combat was allowed and then only if the women were at a safe distance. Their safety was paramount and needed to remain at the forefront of their minds at all times. Only once a female was marked with a male scent would he be considered the victor. She wouldn't be his though until she was properly claimed and that was only cemented after the mating.
As was normal with the foraging, the females had been given a head start. It was almost a pointless exercise. Humans didn't stand a chance, despite being given more time. Logically, Inuyasha knew that the reason for the time delay and the need to follow the rules was so that all participants could be given a fighting chance to find and land a mate. Inuyasha just needed to make sure that he was one of the demons to secure one. He was also starting to realize that the foraging wasn't just designed to test strength and stamina. It was first and foremost, designed to test wits and skill. Inuyasha doubted the women would be difficult to track so brain matter wasn't really a requirement.
He stood quietly to the side. In fifteen minutes, the horn would blow and the foraging would begin. Even though Inuyasha was still nervous deep down, at the same time he was spiked with adrenaline and excitement. If he was being honest, he was in a bit of need for excitement happening and this was the thing he needed. He just wished that the end game was more substantial.
Taken from his thoughts, the horn sounded once to signal the ten second countdown. When it sounded again, they would be off. The tension was so thick it was stifling. Males jostled for a place at the front.
Three… two… one… the horn sounded a second time. A shrill clanging noise that was barely audible over the sudden groans and grunts. Demons elbowed one another, while others took off at a sprint. Many more fell from blows or after being tripped. Inuyasha surged forward, he took no prisoners, and if any were in his way, they would fall. If any came at him, they would bleed. His eyes remained trained on the path ahead, a path of bodies was left in his wake.
He would catch a mate for himself.
No matter what.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The water was icy cold. It took Kagome's breath away and made her teeth chatter. Her feet were already in pain and bruised from the long walk. Right now, they were completely numb. It had taken them two and a half hours to get to the stream. They spent another hour creating a false trail. All eight of them had crossed the stream and trudged for half an hour in the wrong direction. They took branches and wiped away their footprints as they trudged back. They then were very careful to step in the same footprints as before as they headed back to the stream. Hopefully it looked like they crossed the stream and they were able to mask their scent and trail. It would buy them some time and, hopefully, cause a bit of confusion.
Even though it felt like her feet were going to fall off, she forced herself to continue. Ocean was breathing hard, her jaw was set. Kagome could hear Pia making the odd sound of discomfort. The other women behind her, they were all feeling it. The pain, the burn, and no one complained. They had to keep going. Kagome wasn't sure how many of these demons would be on their tail. They had to keep focusing on escaping and for now that meant continuing on, and putting enough of a head start between themselves and the men behind them. The ones that wanted to use them and harm them.
It was ten till twelve. In a couple of minutes, the foraging would begin. The hunters were going to be catching their prey. They were the prey. She knew what it felt like to be that deer at the end of the scope, only death wouldn't come quickly. If those bastards thought they could have her, have any of them and keep breathing, they were wrong. Dead wrong.
She was pretty sure that many of those that demons would go after Ashley first. It sounded like they were required to fight amongst each other in order to win a woman for themselves. Vivi had left herself in the open so hopefully this would mean a whole lot of fighting before they found and caught up the rest of them. Some of these men would then go after Ashley and some would come after the eight of them. It was horrible to think that way but it was true. The other two women might end up buying them some time.
But then what?
What if they did manage to escape? Would the wild animals get them? Or the elements? Kagome couldn't think like that. One step at a time, one minute at a time. If it came to it, she would fight. They would all have to fight.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The demon next to Inuyasha bellowed as they caught sight of the female. A whole chorus of demons shouted out behind him. but Inuyasha kept going. Now that he thought about it, why was there a woman already in view?
'What the hell was this woman doing here?' He thought. With the head start these women got, he figured they would've been miles away by now. Instead, the woman before him was still at the drop off point. Which meant only one thing. This one decided not to run. It was clear as day to him that she'd given up before she'd even begun.
As Inuyasha grew closer he could hear that the woman was crying, whimpering. She pulled herself into a tight ball. It reminded him of when he was a kid, and he immediately felt sad for her. Being a half-demon wasn't always easy for him growing up, and he used to constantly get bullied by other demons within the lands. After hard days, he would curl himself into a ball as a coping mechanism. However, hundreds of years later, he managed to become well known, not just for being the son of a powerful demon, but in his own strength and skill he acquired and built up over the years. Now no one messed with him like he used to be as a kid.
He slowed. What should he do? There was only one other demon closest to him, and Inuyasha could sense he was strong, but he wouldn't expect his attack. It would be easy to knock him down to take the woman for himself. She was his for the plucking. The only problem was, he didn't want her. This wasn't the kind of woman he wanted to mate with. Sure, he felt bad for her and she reminded him of himself when he was a kid. However, there was no fighting spirit within her. No drive. The fact that she was so easily giving up and not going to stand up for herself to a heard of demons was something he didn't find appealing. Definitely not fit to be the mother of his children either. If the other women were similar to this one, he was already in deep shit. There were eight more females. Eight that had actually chosen to partake in the foraging. This one seemed broken and useless. Even further down the food chain than a gazelle. At least a deer had the decency to run. To try.
There was only one thing to do, he held back for a split second allowing a fire demon to run up behind him and at the last second, he punched him, hearing cartilage and bone smash as his fist connected with the male's face. On a loud groan, the demon went down, falling hard. There was a tight group of others behind him. It was certain they would start fighting once they came closer, along with the others that were close behind. This would buy him time to take the lead. Unfortunately, it looked like the dragon daiyokai and leader of the dragon tribe, Air, would secure a female. This put more pressure on him. He had to win one of the others at all costs.
Inuyasha sprinted past the weeping woman, his nose in the air as he followed the scent. The sounds of fighting ensued as the males realized that Inuyasha wasn't interested in the woman and that they stood a chance. There was a whole lot of grunting and the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh, shouting, groaning and moaning. The noises only grew louder as more and more demons joined in the fray. He couldn't think on it. He needed to get ahead. This was an opportunity. Let the others fight for her. He would continue on and search for the remaining women. Thinking, he realized that there were two options, down the valley or into the forest towards the river. If he were running, he would choose to go towards the water. This was the wisest and most logical choice and therefore he took it himself.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Half an hour later, he reached the stream. It was knee-deep at the center and only six feet wide. He was disappointed to find that the women had chosen to cross the river and continue on. The current path he took would lead him to the base of the peak. He doubted they could climb such a mountain. It would mean having to edge around the base which was a waste of time. It didn't make sense. Although the scent was still strong, he could see that that they had made a silly attempt to cover up their tracks. Then all of a sudden, the trail disappeared. Scent and all. What was this? Adrenaline coursed through his veins. The need to continue running rode him hard.
He sucked in a couple of deep breaths and willed himself to calm down. This didn't make any sense. Had they somehow managed to completely mask their scent? It wasn't possible?
No.
Forget it.
He inhaled deeply. Then the real reason dawned on him.
"Feh, these women aren't as stupid as they seem." Inuyasha told himself. He suddenly felt anxious to meet the one that had devised this plan. This woman was the one that he certainly had to get his hands on.
Worry suddenly flooded him. What if some of the others hadn't been so easily fooled? It would mean that he could be behind or at the very least that he would no longer have a head start. At first, he was tempted to run back the way he had come but that would alert any others to the trap the women had set. If he had fallen for it, others would too. If he wanted a chance at finding and winning the female that set this up, he needed to continue on parallel with the river and then head back to the water, only further along the bank. The females would be trying to hide their scents and therefore sticking to the water. It's what he would do if he was in their place.
This was becoming more and more interesting by the second. Inuyasha picked up the pace and fifteen minutes later he was swinging in. He could hear the sound of the water as it trickled and gurgled. It wouldn't be long now.
As he was running, he caught sight of the water daiyokai, Kyo's, a grin appeared on Kyo's face when he was running beside Inuyasha. There was also a group of about four males running closely behind him. They weren't working together but since this was the most likely path the females had taken, it meant others would be on it too. Inuyasha frowned.
"They caught you out, didn't they?" Kyo said. The water daiyokai had blood smeared on his face. Some of the others had torn clothing and blood smears and splatters. It was obvious that they had fought for that crying woman and lost.
Inuyasha silently growled when he noticed that Koga, the leader of the wolf demon tribe was a little way behind the group. He couldn't believe that mangy wolf was participating in this. If he remembered correctly, he already had some wolf demon woman pining for him.
Kyo chuckled. "I see you finally noticed Koga."
Inuyasha growled. "Why is that damned wolf here? I thought he was already promised to some wolf demon woman. Ayame was it?"
"Yes, but he's against that union. She's the granddaughter of the Northern wolf demon tribe leader, and he's been wanting this union for a few years now."
"Feh. If she's fertile and willing to be with that bastard, I don't see why he wouldn't want to be with her." Inuyasha commented.
"True. But it can also be noted that Koga has joined other demons for a night on the town in the human world, and he's acquired a taste for them."
"Well, that makes sense then." Inuyasha then added. "Are there any others ahead?"
Kyo shook his head. "Not a chance."
He nodded once and turned back to where the river meandered. He didn't feel much like small talk. He needed to concentrate on staying ahead.
"Relax! I'm pretty sure that this group isn't the only one that didn't fall for it and I'm pretty sure that there's more than one female up ahead so maybe we can work together."
Inuyasha didn't answer.
"I'll let you have first dibs."
"First what?" Inuyasha growled. He wasn't interested in games.
"First dibs. It means that you can pick first."
Inuyasha made a grunting noise. Kyo sure was an arrogant demon. "That's nice of you."
Kyo laughed. "Not in agreement then?" He paused. "That's a pity."
They continued to run on the bank of the river. Aside from the fact that humans would easily tire, they wouldn't be able to move very fast while sticking to the water. There was a distinct possibility that they were on the wrong trail but Inuyasha's gut told him that this was the way that the female group were headed. It didn't sound like the others were growing closer. For now, though it was just himself, Kyo and the four trailing demons, one of whom being Koga and the other some fox daiyokai and Inuyasha guessed was some panther demon. The other two weren't much competition. Koga might end up being a bit of a problem. Not for his strength per say, but if he happens to go after the female he wanted. Well, Inuyasha knew it would be difficult.
The forests on either side of them grew thicker. The currents within the river grew stronger and the banks deeper. The water cut a sharp left up ahead as the river began to meander. The women had gotten further than he would've thought possible, but they continued to run on. The mud thick beneath their feet, and the air crisp in his nose.
He sniffed again and Kyo did the same. There was a hint of citrus, something floral and berry in the air. It was a scent he hadn't smelled before. By the reaction of the others around him, the scent of human females was up ahead. The fox demon roared. One of the others growled. The whole group surged with renewed strength. They were on the right path. Adrenaline coursed, this reinvigorated him and he picked up the pace. Unfortunately, it reinvigorated all of them. Kyo surged forward with a roar. They would be just around the bend.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Pia stumbled and fell to her knees with a soft gasp. Kagome turned, as the other woman struggled to get back onto her feet.
The tiny woman gave her an attempt at a smile. She looked exhausted. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how long I can go on like this." Pia whispered.
"We can't stop now." Ocean whispered back.
"Just a little bit further." Kagome added, keeping her voice as low as possible.
Just then, a loud roar erupted from somewhere behind them. They all turned. There was a sharp bend in the river about a hundred feet behind them.
"Shit!" Kagome murmured. "We need to move. Now." She began to run.
The stream was no longer a stream but a river. It was deep and strong. They needed to be careful not to go in too deep because the currents would sweep them away. Thankfully the pebbled edges were muddy with flat stones. By now Kagome was so cold that she could barely feel her feet. It didn't matter, she picked up her pace and could hear the rest of the group right behind her. They made their way to the bank since they no longer needed to mask their scent.
There was another roar, louder this time.
Kagome heard Pia stop dead. The other women whimpered softly.
"Keep going!" She shouted, not daring to look back. Kagome leapt out of the river and the rest of the women followed suit. The foraging was on and in full force. They were gaining on them. It terrified her but it also fueled her. They all picked up the pace.
There was a loud splashing noise as Pia began to run once more. She made more whimpering noises. "I see them. I see them!" She shrieked. "Oh God." There was another loud splash and then the sound of footfalls on the ground behind her. It sounded like Pia had also jumped out of the river.
Kagome's arms were pumping and the muscles in her thighs burned but she kept on going. It wasn't long before she heard them. The hard pounding of their feet against the ground behind them. The ragged noises as they breathed in and out. She risked a glance over her shoulder and wished that she hadn't. Some of them looked vicious! And with how easily they were starting to catch up to them, that Orrin demon was right. If they were caught, they were going to be torn apart. She glanced back a second time, locking eyes with one of them. His orbs were gold and filled with determination like she'd never seen before. A shiver raced up her spine.
For a moment she thought of dropping to her knees and begging for her life. Fuck that. She picked up the pace. The other women didn't look like they weren't going to last for much longer. They had to keep going. The river turned sharply this time to the right and as it did, she could see how the water rushed faster. How it swirled, gurgled and surged. Deep and wild.
In that moment, she realized that there was only one chance of getting away. It certainly wasn't on foot. She would need to give herself over to the mercy of the river. There was only one problem with that, she hadn't been taught how to swim. She did take some lessons, though after her family died and she was put in foster care, she never bothered. Of course, she could've learned when the other foster kids took lessons, but it reminded her too much that her mom used to take her to lessons and it just made her sad to continue. When she grew up, she never bothered to finish learning. Sure, she could make it to one side of the pool to the other. Slowly and carefully, using the doggy paddle. But could she actually keep herself afloat long enough to survive the immense power of the surging river?
There was a loud scream behind her. It was bloodcurdling and so filled with fear that it almost had her stopping and turning. Pia, they had Pia. There was no other explanation.
"Let go of me!" She screamed. "What are you doing?" She screamed even louder.
Everything in Kagome told her told her to stop, to help, but it would do no good. There was no way that she could stand up to a demon. She glanced at the river. It was either stay here and face these men, with very little chance of survival or take her chances in the river. She glanced over her shoulder. There was one was right behind her, and several more behind him. If he reached out, he might just be able to touch her. If he missed, there would be more to take his place. It turned her blood cold.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Pia sprawled out on the ground. She continued to scream. There was a man on top of her, his hands were all over her. It angered her. The injustice and the brutality of it all, the savagery, it sickened and disgusted her. Kagome had to remind herself that there was nothing she could do, if she stopped to try and help, she would be next.
On a loud yell, that came out sounding more like a battle cry than a scream of terror, which was what she was feeling, she hurled herself into the river. For the first time, she was thankful that she was wearing so little. At least the light dress wouldn't weigh her down. The woolen shawl had long since fallen in the river, swept away by the current much like what was about to happen to her as well.
The golden eyed demon managed to snag her dress. There was a moment where time seemed to stop. Then there was a tearing noise as her dress ripped free from his grip. The current grabbed her immediately, it pulled her down. Her eyes were squeezed shut. The air forced out of her lungs in a whoosh as the cold gripped her.
Her arms and legs flailed, almost of their own accord. Her lungs burned as the need for air assaulted her. She kicked harder, finally breaking to the surface. There was a splashing and kicking next to her. Panic seized her. It had to be him. The one with the golden eyes. She was moving quickly. It felt like she was being pulled under and then spat out. Breaking to the surface for short periods of time to gulp air before being pulled back under. She caught a glimpse of long, blonde streaked hair and realized that the splashing was coming from Ocean. She was in the water with her.
Knowing that it was friend and not foe, Kagome was able to relax a bit. Although, now she was feeling that maybe taking a chance on the river wasn't the best idea after all. Her knee banged against something and she let out a yelp. Probably a rock. Just then the current tugged her under again and water filled her nose and mouth. She coughed as she came up, her lungs started burning, and her muscles shook with fatigue. She'd never felt so cold or desperate in all of her life.
Almost as soon as she came up, she was being pulled under again. She barely had enough time to take in a breath. Her lungs ached with the need to cough. Using the last reserves of strength she had, she kicked hard, breaking the surface. Kagome sucked in a deep breath. Her lungs protesting as she coughed. Oh god. She couldn't take much more of this. She tried to look around but there was no sign of Ocean. There were rocks up ahead but the currents were pulling her under again. She sucked in another deep breath just before her head became submerged. Her left arm scraped against one of those rocks and she cried out. The noise swept away by the currents.
It was a miracle she had lasted this long and an even greater miracle that she managed to avoid so many of the rocky outcrops. That she managed to keep fighting for air. Otherwise, she allowed the river to carry her. Her only consolation was that she was moving further and further away from the enemy. She knew that the currents were strong and that the river was moving fast but she hadn't realized quite how fast. Not until she caught sight of the forest just beyond the steep bank, it rushed past in a blur.
Kagome just kept kicking, fighting, and praying. Just when she thought she wasn't going to be able to hold on for much longer, the river turned yet another corner and she was flushed out onto a narrow bank. Just to the right of her, the river continued to surge. Her feet found purchase on the soggy silt covered bed. It was difficult going but she shuffled and kicked and dragged herself until she hit the sand on the edge. Kagome threw herself onto the bank. Her feet still dangled in the river but she didn't care. Her chest heaved. Her whole body shook both from cold and fatigue.
After a couple of minutes, she dragged herself further out to where the ground was dry. If she hoped to stand any chance of survival, she needed to get dry and fast. After about five minutes, Kagome turned herself over. She shook and shivered but at least she was alive. Banged up, but alive. Her knee throbbed and her arm was scraped open but she didn't think she'd broken any bones. She allowed herself ten minutes to regain her strength before pulling herself into a sitting position.
She wanted to call out to Ocean but she didn't want to risk giving away her position. She could be anywhere. Kagome only hoped that the other woman was alive. Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of Pia. Poor, Pia. She grit her teeth, feeling anger well inside her. There was nothing she could do. Right now, she needed to think about herself. She needed to get the hell out of there. Quite frankly, she'd rather die of starvation and be killed any day than be captured by one of those demons. Those dark eyes were all she could see in her mind's eye. They scared the hell out of her. So intense. So evil.
Kagome spotted some tall reeds growing on a nearby bank. She pulled herself to her feet and slowly walked to them. Let that bastard with the golden eyes find her. She knew instinctively that he was coming. That he was the one to fear.
'Let him come.' She thought to herself. 'Let the bastard come. I'll be waiting.' But may God help him if he tried to touch her.