A/N: Here's the first real chapter, juicier that the prologue. Just a little warning before you start reading: you're about to read about an old, evil acquaintance of ours. Don't act too surprised!
I hope you like it and don't forget to read the notes and the end of the chapter!
Chapter I: The worst day of my life
That morning Kagome woke up with a headache and her eyes still swollen from all the tears she had shed the night before.
The sun high in the sky revealed to her that it was late and, probably, no one had woken her up earlier because this was her last day as a free and self-possessed woman. Even her little brother, who had fallen asleep with her to comfort her, was already out doing his duties; she would have done the same had she not been blocked by memories that swept over her like a high tide.
Only yesterday she had experienced the worst day of her life, but she also knew it was just the beginning. Besides, with the prospects she had been given, there was little she could do.
What hope was there for a woman who had witnessed the death of her fiancé at the hands of a demon within days of her wedding? And how much less rosy were her hopes since she had been forced to marry the cruellest man in the village on the same day to silence malicious rumours about her supposed bad luck?
It had all happened so quickly that Kagome struggled to put her thoughts in order.
She remembered how happy she had been when Hojo, her lifelong friend, had asked for her hand; she knew hers would be a happy life because he was a good man and would respect her, unlike so many others to whom her friends had been promised. However, all certainty had collapsed the instant the young man had found himself on the same path as a bloodthirsty demon and had died defending her; it had only taken that matter of seconds, having taken a new shortcut during their walk and meeting the wrong person, to open an unbridgeable chasm.
The rumours and the so-called shadow of misfortune she carried were born shortly afterwards: Hojo's family had not wanted to listen to her, Hitomiko-sama had looked upon her with distrust and shame, as had the headman and all the important families. In short, hers had been ostracized, and to save face, her mother and grandfather had been forced to accept the proposal of Onigumo, the only man who had proposed to her despite her misfortune. Kagome still shuddered at the thought of those dark, lascivious eyes weighing her figure that would soon have her in control until her death.
At that point, all she had to do was pray that it would come as soon as possible, just as it had for the man's first wife. It was rumoured in the village that she had died as a result of his violence, but even if that had been true, nothing would have changed: a woman became the property of the man to whom she was given in marriage.
On the one hand, Kagome did not understand how her mother could have consented to such a union; she would have preferred to remain unmarried and exiled for the rest of her life rather than end up in Onigumo's dirty hands. On the other... she also knew that refusing that request at such a time would put her family in an even more difficult position, but also that they had not really been given the opportunity to do so. She sighed and finally got up from her bed. To allow her loved ones to live in peace, especially after the hardships they had already been through, was worth the sacrifice. Even though only the night before she had opposed her mother, she now knew more clearly that for her family's sake she would do it.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she got ready for the morning and, taking a last breath of air, tried to find some courage. Her last day of freedom was beginning, and she wanted to enjoy every last moment of it, despite the dirty looks from the neighbours or the whispering that would follow her everywhere.
She put on her priestess robes, aware that they would soon no longer be hers - Onigumo had made it a condition that she give up her apprenticeship; not that anyone would still want her as such – and she decided that she would go and gather some medicinal herbs. It was the only way she knew to clear her mind and forget, for a moment, the prospect of a life more hellish than ever.
A few hours earlier, miles away from that village at the edge of the forest, a half-demon with long silver hair, dog ears and a matching scowl was listening to his father's angry spiel. The man, a dai-youkai from whom both sons had inherited the colours, was better known as Inu-no-Taisho and ruled the lands to the west in feudal Japan cohabited by demons and humans.
It was not known exactly how old he was, but no one cared. What travelled most from mouth to mouth was his valour, courage and, above all, his affection for humans – much to the chagrin of the puritans of his race. For the love of one of them, his second wife, he had even risked death, trivially burnt by the man who had fallen in love with her, unrequited. The fact that he had survived, even after receiving mortal wounds from his previous clash with Ryukotsusei, his historical enemy, had confirmed his strength and fighting skills.
That victory, however, had allowed his human spouse and newborn half-demon son to grow up in his castle along with the other youkai who inhabited it, including his eldest son. He was born from the union of Inu-no-Taisho, otherwise known as Toga, and his first wife, Kimi; a short-lived marriage of interest. And it was Sesshomaru the cause of his agitated mood and the situation Inuyasha was currently in.
In the early hours of dawn, news had arrived that, in yet another fit of rage against humans, the demon had murdered in cold blood a young man living in the village bordering their lands.
Toga had unsuccessfully attempted to share with him his views on cohabitation between the two peoples, but, unfortunately, he had taken after his mother, inheriting from her contempt and conceit in particular. Sesshomaru did not understand how one could love inferior beings and hated his father for his choice to procreate with one of them – no matter how much Toga repeated that she was his soulmate. For that reason, he had spent the last two hundred years making the life of the half-breed and his mother a living hell, unleashing his fury whenever he felt like it on people guilty of sharing their race. It was only a pity that initiatives of that kind had often endangered the peace that his father had carried on for centuries; killing the young man was just yet another dastardly action.
Now, before anyone could start a war, Toga would have to pay physical and moral damages to the family of the man and that of his fiancé. Anyone would have called him a fool to worry about something so futile, and no one would have gone to such lengths to make reparations. However, Toga was also not remembered for his good heart for nothing.
But the news came at an inopportune time; it would have been impossible for him to leave the castle, and that was precisely why he had sent for his second son, a half-demon with a heart certainly more open than Sesshomaru's but just as hot-headed. Not to mention that being despised by most of the valley's inhabitants for his nature had made him distrustful of anyone but his father and mother.
Toga foresaw that Inuyasha wouldn't easily accept an assignment that included visiting a human village and being the target of just as much harassment; after all, the young hanyou had soon learned that being in the middle made him hated by almost everyone. It was only thanks to his parents' love – the only one he had ever known – if hadn't grown up with hatred in his heart. In the end, however, Toga had no doubt he would agree.
This brought them back to the room where Toga was pacing back and forth, explaining to him the gravity of what had just happened. Inuyasha listened to him distractedly, but his interest was piqued the moment his father's fateful words reached his canine ears, which wiggled frantically on his head, attempting to understand if he had indeed heard correctly.
"What does I expect you to reach that village by nightfall mean?" he burst out, jumping to his feet and giving him a dirty look. "I'm not going anywhere; let that bastard Sesshomaru solve the problem!"
Toga sighed. "Inuyasha, we've already talked about this; don't expect-"
"No," blurted the half-demon again, "you talked about it; I don't remember agreeing to any of this crap. I don't see why I always have to be the one caught in the middle of it every time that asshole pulls one of his."
His father narrowed his eyes. "Inuyasha," he repeated in a tone that did not allow for a retort, "you know I don't like it when you talk about your brother like that."
"Half-brother," the other specified, "and it's not like I was ever interested, pa, with all due respect." He shrugged his shoulders and returned to his seat.
"Do not think you can change the subject so easily," the Inu-no-Taisho continued, reading in his gestures his true intentions. "You will go to that village and bring those two families gold and everything they could possibly want to repay for this wrong," he stressed again with finality.
Inuyasha knew that when his father used that tone it was no joke, and usually, he would have continued to clash with him anyway; he didn't like being anyone's errand boy, least of all if it was anything to do with him. But there was a strange glint in his parent's eyes, and his shoulders were strangely slumped as if he was feeling the backlash of yet another misdeed of his oldest son.
"Keh," he huffed, already partly resigned. "I don't understand why you have to put me in the middle of it," he reiterated.
"Because, fortunately for me, at least one of my sons still obeys me sometimes." He smiled at him, and Inuyasha turned his gaze away, embarrassed at the pride he read in his father's voice and eyes.
"Keh," he repeated in a lower voice as he left the room, adding nothing more. And as she watched him leave, Toga was assured that all would be well.
Soon after, Inuyasha set off for the village he remembered from the many lonely journeys he had made. What he couldn't imagine was that fate had already set its wheels in motion; he couldn't even know that his brother's selfish actions had set them in motion. In any case, there was no escape.
Fate had already decided for him.
Shortly, both Inuyasha and a woman unknown to him would lose all certainty and find themselves faced with a path they had never planned, but no less attractive for that.
Inuyasha was very fast for a half-demon, but with a father like his, it was not even a surprise that he was not only faster but also stronger than most. Therefore, it took him a short time to arrive. The noonday sun was high in the sky and every inhabitant was in the midst of his activities; the hubbub of the peasants, the screams of the mothers and the cries of the children threatened to deafen him and only exacerbated his already black mood.
With a dark frown on his face, he climbed down from the branch on which he was perched to observe the cluster of dirty huts and half-ploughed fields, placing the soles of his feet firmly on the ground; the black boots his father forced him to wear whenever he sent him out to do this and that cushioned the impact, but even barefoot he had never hurt himself jumping from tree to tree. He had just crossed the line that established the boundary between his father's land and human lands when an arrow, very fast, grazed his cheek; he had just the time to move his face to avoid it.
He immediately sniffed the air and growled.
He hadn't even arrived and already they were sending people at him. "Woman, see that you put your arrows away if you don't want any trouble."
As he spoke, a tall female figure emerged from her hide; she wore a pair of red hakama under a white kosode, typical of priestesses, had long ebony-coloured hair tied with an equally white ribbon, snow-white skin and a not at all friendly expression.
"You should take a better look at where you're standing, demon," she retorted with a sour note but imbued with confidence.
Inuyasha almost had bile rising in his throat because of the equally sour smell that her hatred and contempt emanated. Instead of vomiting, he sneered. "Are you telling me to leave this place, wench?" he taunted her. "You'd better think about that before you turn against me; I'm sure that if the headman learns of your actions in my regard, he won't be so happy." Everyone who lived on the fringes of the western lands – and beyond – knew who his father was and how much effort he put into keeping coexistence between humans and demons possible without bloodshed. Consequently, everyone was also aware that they should not get in his way. The fact that this girl had not recognised him by the colour of his hair spoke volumes about her ignorance – and to say that women like her were considered the most educated.
She had not even finished speaking when another person, dressed the same, looking and smelling identical, appeared beside her. She looked at him disdainfully, dwelling especially on his ears, and then turned to her companion. "Kikyo, do you need help getting rid of this being?" She wrinkled her nose for added emphasis.
The other, Kikyo, still had a second arrow nocked and her gaze focused on him. The derisive smile Inuyasha was sending her way didn't please her at all, and she was considering whether any of what he had just said was to be taken as true. Even though, in reality, she had always been taught that anything that came out of a demon's mouth was false.
She ignored her companion and turned again to Inuyasha. "That will be for me to determine, demon," she hissed. "You will remain good and still beside that tree while I go and call him to ascertain that you do indeed matter." She made to fire the second arrow and pin him to the trunk behind him when, in a second, he appeared beside her, claws pointed at her jugular.
"Oh, I don't think so, Kikyo. I'll be the one to find him myself, and I think I'll have a lot of fun telling him what you and your little friend tried to do," he grinned. "And if you even try to nock that arrow," he continued, referring to the other behind him, "your friend won't even have time left to start her cry for help."
Actually, he would never have thought of killing either of them nor did he believe they could do anything to him – they were too slow – but he loved seeing the smug smiles disappear from the faces of people like them. After all, the only fun he had when his father sent him on such missions was to mock arrogant, haughty, as well as absurdly ignorant, humans.
A moment later, without the two priestesses being able to do anything, he had disappeared in the direction of the village, and while he was trying to locate the headman's house, he was still blowing off steam. He had just gone further into the woods when another one of them came into his sights. She was crouched on the ground and had her back to him, but Inuyasha caught the exact moment when her shoulders stiffened as she sensed his presence. He didn't know whether to call her stupid for continuing to have her back to a demon who, for all he knew, might want to kill her or smarter for not already fighting him like her companions.
And while he thought of a way to get rid of her even more easily, Kagome recognised his aura.
The young woman had never fled in the face of danger and knew that staying still would not help her, but at the moment, she was paralysed with fear; the individual behind her had an aura so familiar to the one who had killed Hojo and everything was still so fresh that she couldn't think clearly. After the first few seconds had passed, she wondered why he hadn't killed her yet; hadn't he come back for that? When endless more moments passed and nothing happened, Kagome braced herself and stood up, trying to hide the trembling of her body.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha continued to observe her with an arched eyebrow; he just couldn't bring himself to categorise this woman whose attitude was unlike anything he had imagined. When she turned around, her gaze lingered a little too much on his hair, clothing and arms, but the hanyou clearly felt her heartbeat quicken and saw her pupils dilate. That was certainly not the reaction he had expected from a priestess.
He certainly could not have known that she had recognised the colour of his hair and linked it to Sesshomaru; only his red robe and the lack of magenta marks on his wrists had made him different in her eyes.
Kagome was just wondering if he had been sent by the demon from the day before when she looked up even more and met his eyes. In an instant, the questions and doubts disappeared, along with their surroundings, the outlines and all the details; everything faded away.
Suddenly, Inuyasha felt an insurmountable force push him towards the unknown woman and chains – no, laces; indestructible yes, but not constricting – bind him to her. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest as he explored her brown irises, searching for the secret of the world, sure – and he did not even understand where such certainty came from – that he would find there at least the meaning of the existence he had led up to that moment. He parted his lips and made to speak, but nothing came out. He wondered why his body suddenly did not respond to him and why that woman, the very one who should have been his natural enemy, was looking at him with the same astonishment. And that was when he understood.
All his life he had heard people say that it didn't exist for him as he was an unworthy being, and no God would ever grace him with such a special thing. But as a child, he had loved to listen to his mother tell of his meeting with Toga and every time he had asked her about the worst day of her life with typical childlike innocence, she had smiled and told him that she no longer remembered what had happened; the joy of meeting her other half had erased every sad moment. However, he had stopped asking questions the day he had also asked if it was always the woman who experienced the fateful incident or if it also happened to men. His father had burst out laughing, and Inuyasha was sure that anything he would say would be encouraging. Yet, Sesshomaru had anticipated him and in a dismissive tone had said, "What's it to you, half-breed? Why do you keep asking such questions? For those of your race, there are no soulmates; no one would want to lay eyes on someone like you, much less be destined for it." And then he was gone, even before Toga could reprimand him.
But Inuyasha hadn't cared, he hadn't wanted his father to punish Sesshomaru; he was used to it. What he would have loved from him was a word, even a look, that belied his half-brother. Instead, the compassion he had read in those golden eyes like his own had confirmed what Sesshomaru had just revealed to him.
Over the years, he had discovered that there was no certainty; no one really knew what the fate of half-demons was because those few that were born were ostracised by everyone and never even had the chance to meet their soulmate. And if there was anyone in the world who had made it, the news had certainly never reached the ears of his family. There were even those who had come to doubt the bond between his parents, although his mother's longevity was irrefutable proof. Meanwhile, he had resigned himself to the life of loneliness that awaited him, grateful to have known at least one kind of love: that of his father and mother.
But in that instant, standing before the person who disproved all his beliefs, Inuyasha felt shaken inside. His mind analysed every memory and story of his parents, studied every probability and the unknown, the feelings he felt and the reactions her face sent back to him; everything spoke clearly and left no room for doubt: he had found her.
He did not have a chance to think about it too much because shortly afterwards her voice, at once delicate and full of determination, asked him, "Who are you?" Her posture was stiff and she met his gaze with defiance. Inuyasha, however, immediately figured that what she was putting on was a mask; she was terrified, and he did not understand why. His pupils dilated at the thought that it was his fault, that even his soulmate – the one destined for him – was frightened at the thought of such an impure being.
Was it really as Sesshomaru had always said?
At the same moment, Kagome was making similar observations, but she still continued to watch the man destined for her guardedly. Was it possible that he, of all people, was in charge of killing her? The terror that her body continued to emanate and was burning Inuyasha's nostrils was not due to the latter's nature as a hybrid but to the idea that fate was mocking her, deluding her into thinking she had a chance and then cruelly snatching it from her hands.
Recomposing himself and wiping all traces of astonishment or wonder from his face, Inuyasha spoke for the first time, keeping his voice free of any inflexion that might reveal what he was hiding in his heart. "I am the Inu-no-Taisho's son," he announced, hoping that at least she was not as ignorant as the priestess he had met moments before.
Upon hearing that title, Kagome's eyes widened and she forgot for a moment the possible connection to the demon who had killed Hojo only the day before. She was obviously familiar with the Inu-no-Taisho, the one who was committed to keeping the peace in those lands; a second later, she also remembered what they said about his appearance: long, shiny silver hair, usually tied in a high tail, marks on his face and wrists, pointed ears, golden eyes... it all led back to him. Kagome felt her body begin to shake uncontrollably. But was there anything to be afraid of? If it was indeed the General himself who had ordered her death, for some inexplicable reason, was it worth feeling afraid? Leaving that world wouldn't have been so bad after all; it would have saved her a lot of pain.
Inuyasha immediately sensed the change. Was it possible that her father's name inspired more terror in her? The stench had increased disproportionately, and he could see her façade crumbling. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked her, concerned.
Kagome continued to maintain eye contact despite everything. "W-what does the Inu-no-Taisho want from us?" she asked back, unable to compose herself.
The half-demon looked at her sceptically, still unable to understand the woman sending him so many mixed signals within minutes of their first meeting; she kept wavering between terror and determination – weak as it was – and seemed like she wanted to maintain a modicum of demeanour even though it cost her effort. Yet, the reason was still obscure to him. And that was supposed to be her soulmate? A priestess intimidated by a name or his appearance? Was it another joke? He narrowed his eyes and gave a defiant look of his own. "Keh, not that it's any of your business, but my father sent me to settle a diplomatic incident that occurred around here yesterday. The details I will only reveal to the headman."
Kagome felt an aggressive fire blaze within her at those words, at the boldness of that person. The only incident that had occurred was Hojo's death, and he dared to dismiss it so easily? "Diplomatic? Details?" she hissed through clenched teeth, incredulous. "And you mean to tell me that a demon killing a defenceless human in cold blood, on purpose, is to be considered an accident?"
The hatred with imbued in those words struck Inuyasha, and it came naturally to him to associate it with the conception most humans had of demons. He couldn't have known that the resentment with which Kagome had loaded her question was due to the expression of contempt Sesshomaru had exhibited when he had clawed Hojo and the ease with which he had walked away, the haughtiness with which he had looked at her almost implying that she should be grateful to him for sparing her life.
"Oi, I don't know what your problem is, wench, but like I said, I will only discuss this with the headman. If you don't want to tell me where to find him, I'll do it myself, without having to suffer your nonsense." He was beginning to get annoyed with the situation, and if it weren't for the fact that this woman was connected to him and, because of that, he felt the weight of those new laces glueing his feet to the ground, he would have abandoned her long ago.
"Nonsense!" Kagome raised her voice to express more disappointment. "How can you talk like that?" she accused him. "I don't know who that demon from yesterday is to you, or what game you people are playing on the other side of these lands – and perhaps you will eventually kill me to get your dirty work done – but I assure you that to me, that had to witness the murder of my fiancée, these things are in no way nonsense," she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Inuyasha instinctively took a step back on hearing her, beginning to understand everything.
The terror that his appearance, so similar to his father's and brother's in colour, aroused in her.
The anger at hearing him speak of a mere 'accident'.
The fact that he had found his soul mate without, at the same time, experiencing the worst day of his life.
The one in front of him was the woman who was supposed to marry the man Sesshomaru had murdered and, apparently, had been present during the fateful moment; she had looked at her half-brother's icy, contemptuous eyes and was now associating them with him. Was it possible that the terror she so exuded was not due to him being a hanyou as much as the fact that he was related to Sesshomaru?
What was she babbling about, then? Kill her? Why on earth would he do that? But she had spoken of completing a task, and reflecting in his mind every single instant of their meeting, ever since her back had been turned, Inuyasha understood more and more how Sesshomaru had once again ruined his life. No matter if his reckless actions had made it possible to meet her, the conditions were dire, and perhaps, the two of them would never even have a chance.
"I couldn't have known," he whispered finally, though he was aware that those words couldn't do much.
Kagome cast him another glare. "What did you come for?" she asked again, ignoring his pseudo-apology. "Or can't you still discuss it with me?" she added wryly.
"My father has learned of the crime committed by my half-brother," Inuyasha replied, trying to be as diplomatic as possible and not act like his usual self, though her hostility made the task more complicated. "He would like to make amends wherever possible; he sent me to discuss compensation with the victim's family and his fiancée's... well, yours."
Kagome huffed, though she was slightly calmer now. "As if any compensation were enough." Inside she tried to rearrange her turmoil; her soulmate was the brother of the demon who had murdered her fiancé; he was related to the person guilty of ruining her life and, at the same time, setting fate in motion... if her grandfather's legend was correct. She would have liked to laugh at the absurdity of that life, of fate, of the dirty game of destiny; to laugh so hard that she would look crazy and lose her breath because perhaps, after all, she really was becoming crazy. She turned her back to him and picked up the basket abandoned earlier. "Follow me," she ordered him in a less piercing tone before walking off.
Inuyasha sighed, noticing how the woman kept changing her attitude. What kind of situation had they gotten him into? How was he going to get out of it and solve the soulmate problem?
He knew that putting aside anger and fear the girl had also felt the same laces bind them the moment their eyes had met; he had read it on her face. But knowing it wouldn't have made the situation any easier or eased the doubts that suddenly gripped his heart.
A/N:
Well, If you haven't still realized, the old evil acquaintance I was speaking about is obviously Sesshomaru. In this first part of the story he'll stay true to the demon we met at the beginning of the original story, besides it makes everything more interesting since he's actually responsible for Inuyasha and Kagome's first meeting. Whether it was a good or bad thing I'll let you decide.
That said, there's a long road ahead of us and I hope this chapter caught your interest; I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts.
Until next time!
