Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Inuyasha.
Plot: Did you ever wonder why Hiten believed Kagome's story about Inuyasha loving her? Perhaps it was because he was once in love himself a long time ago. Here's the story of his first love.
Author's Note: I'm SO sorry about the wait!
Hiten's First Love
Hiten fought as if possessed. How could he have been so stupid? Of course, they'd rig their back door with alarms. Anyone not of their clan would trip one up and they'd come swarming in. That is if they even knew where the back door is.
Taka rained down lightning. She was trying not to hit any of her kinsmen and generally succeeded, but there were some her lightning couldn't avoid. Tears were in her eyes as she defended them. He'd have to tell her that it wasn't her fault.
Actually…it was her fault. If she had never gone to the lake, he never would have seen her nor followed her to the south and been captured. Yes, it was all her fault and he'd let her know when they got away.
Damn, he hadn't thought that far ahead. He'd have to take her with him. There was nothing for it. She betrayed her clan by helping him escape. The only sentence for that was death. If she stayed, she would be killed. Something in his chest twisted at the thought of her beautiful blue eyes empty and lifeless.
He lost track of time as they fought their way out. It seemed a lifetime before Taka pulled him onto her cloud and they sped away under the cover of a rockslide. She was shaking as she navigated the terrain. There were tears coursing down her pale cheeks and her shoulders moved in silent sobs. She gave up everything to help him. Why? What was her motive behind this?
Without his instruction, Taka changed course and started north, swinging wide of her clan's territory. As the southern territory was fairly large, dawn had already broken and he was nowhere near home. It wouldn't have worried him as much as the way her eyes kept drooping down and the cloud would start to drop.
"Taka, stop. You need to rest," he ordered.
She flapped a weak hand at him. "No, I'm okay."
Hiten deftly attached his fire wheels and jumped off her cloud. Circling around her, he picked her up off of it and descended to the ground. She protested half-heartedly.
"You need rest, you idiot," Hiten repeated.
Taka scowled at him. "And we need to reach neutral ground, asshole."
Irritation pricked at him. "Don't worry about that. We're far enough away and we've caused enough damage to warrant a day's rest."
She flinched when he said they caused damage. Hiten could well imagine the guilt she was feeling. He'd feel the same if he were in her place.
He stopped. What the hell was he thinking? She brought this down on herself. He had nothing to do with it. If she had never gone north, she would still be in the loving embrace of her clan. He would still think that the entire southern clan would kill him and his kin without care or thought. None of this was his fault!
Hiten touched ground and put her down next to a tree. They were just within the tree line. He turned his back and surveyed the area. They were hidden from the sky, which was his biggest concern.
He scowled. What was his next move? Hiten glanced over his shoulder at the girl on the ground. He could leave her here for her clan to find. It would serve her right for all that she'd done. This was on her head—not his.
"What are you looking at?" she growled tiredly, looking at the ground. Taka was propped up against the trunk.
"Just the bitch that ruined my life," he snarled instantly without thinking. Hiten cringed inside when he realized what he had said.
"That wasn't my fault," Taka snapped back. "I didn't force you to come into my clan's territory. You did that all on your own."
"I wouldn't have been there in the first place if you hadn't been at the lake!" Hiten turned to look down at her. "This is YOUR fault."
"I'd have been in and out of there if you hadn't come right then. If you'd waited even five minutes, you never would have known about me!"
Hiten snorted. "You shouldn't have been there regardless! That is our territory, not yours. What gave you the right to think we'd ever allow a traitorous bitch step foot into our lands?"
Her head shot up, eyes spitting blue fire. "I never would have betrayed them if YOU hadn't come seeking my blood!" she cried as she surged to her feet. "This is your FAULT, you bastard! It was your decision to come. It was your desire for payback that caused your capture. So SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Without warning, her eyes rolled back and her knees buckled. Hiten lunged for her crumpling form and managed to catch her before she hit her head on the raised tree roots.
"Dammit," he sighed. "Just when the conversation was getting good."
Dusk came and she was still out.
Hiten began to wonder if there was something wrong with her, but he shrugged it off. She was of no consequence to him other than getting her out of his system. If she thought he was only there to get payback for a small scratch, well, that was her prerogative. That suited him fine.
Thunder boomed across the land. He glanced to the southeast. Their course had gone a northwesterly direction.
He saw lightning in the distance. That and the thunder had been going on for the better part of the day. Hiten knew her clan was burying the dead and paying the fallen their respects. His clan and kinsmen were the same.
But they had to move out soon. That bastard Kihoku would not wait the customary period of mourning. His precious Taka had gone with the enemy. He would not stop until she was back in his hands or dead.
A scorned lover was a bad enemy. All rules of engagement got thrown out the window when it came to them. There was nothing they wouldn't do to get their revenge.
Making up his mind, Hiten attached his fire wheels and flew over to Taka. Picking her up, he looked over the area and saw nothing that would suggest anyone had been there. Then he headed north.
They had to make it to neutral territory. Hiten knew they could not stay long in one place while they were still in the Southern clan's territory. To even spend the night somewhere would be dangerous.
Glancing down at the demon in his arms, Hiten scoffed. Once she woke up from her beauty sleep, he'd make her carry him with her cloud so he could get conserve his energy.
Hiten kept low to the ground. The thunder was slowly beginning to fade. Kihoku must have pushed to go after them. Yep, he was so predictable.
It wasn't long before she started to move. Blinking sleepily, she looked up at him. She looked beautiful in the starlight. So soft, so…WHAT?!?
Feeling disgusted with himself, Hiten stopped and dropped her.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" she yelled. Standing up slowly, she rubbed her backside as she glared at him.
"You deserved it."
Giving an exasperated sigh, she asked, "Back at that, are we?"
"Your turn to carry me."
"No. You dropped me." Taka crossed her arms.
Hiten fisted his hands at his hips. "So what? You'd do the same thing to me, so don't even try to act innocent."
Her mouth opened and closed several times before she shut it for good. With a huff, she called up her cloud and sat on it primly. Not looking at him, Taka jerked her head at him. He took it as her wanting him on the cloud and that she wouldn't talk to him. That was fine by him. He didn't want to talk to her either.
She took off like an arrow. Hiten nearly fell off, but managed to brace himself. He caught the small smirk on her face before she blanked her expression. The bitch meant to do that! Well, she'll get what's coming to her.
They flew across the land in silence. Hiten didn't need to sleep. He could go for days without it. Using the guise of stretching, he looked over at Taka. Does she need sleep like a human, or was she like him? Hiten didn't feel like getting his head bitten off, so he didn't ask.
The stars came out and Hiten lay down to watch them. He had always liked to look at the stars. They were so peaceful. Nothing ever touched them. They were invincible. The only thing that could ruin their beauty was the moon when it became too full and bright. Only the brightest of the stars could be seen then.
"Are you sleeping?"
Startled, Hiten looked into Taka's eyes. "Uh, no."
She glanced at him with those blue eyes of hers. The disbelief was clear in their depths. "Really?"
Hiten scowled. "I can go for days without sleep. Weeks even. What about you?"
"A week or so." Taka turned to stare ahead. "I was never trained to go longer. My father wanted to keep me at home away from battle."
Silence grew once more except there was no strain on it or anything. It just was. He thought it was rather nice without having to talk or listen to Taka's voice.
Hiten wondered about his family. Was his father worried? What about his mother? Manten and Soten? Did Kihoku ever send a letter regarding his capture?
He must have gone to another place mentally because he became aware of the clouds gathering in the sky. "Taka?"
"What now?"
A streak of lightning flashed overhead and Hiten sat up. "You better go faster."
"Why?" Thunder boomed before he could get a word out. She looked over her shoulder. "Oh no!"
"They must really hate you now," Hiten couldn't help but say. At her searing glare, he defended himself. "You're the one who helped me escape, and I am sure there are witnesses who will say you fought against them."
Taka said quietly, "Shut up."
"I'd say you're probably number one on their list of enemies now. You know how they operate generally, and they'll see you as a dangerous threat."
"Shut up!" she yelled. Taka pushed him off the cloud and Hiten fell to the ground.
"Hey, you stupid bitch!" he shouted. Once his fire wheels were on, he soared up to her height. "What's your fucking problem? I was just telling the truth."
Her jaw clenched as she glared at him. "How about this truth? You're an asshole who doesn't care about anything but himself. You think the world revolves around you. Well, guess what, it doesn't! So shut the fuck up!"
How dare she!
Hiten's blood boiled with rage. He shot past her and looped around to dart straight back at her. Just as she veered to her left, he moved directly in front of her and slammed his palm against her forehead.
"OW!" Taka cried as she fell back on her cloud. She rubbed at her forehead where an imprint of his hand glowed red. She glared daggers at him. "You asshole!"
"Listen here, bitch," he growled menacingly. "Whatever you feel, it doesn't change the facts of things. You helped me escape, even though I could have gotten out myself. You used your lightning against your own people. You came with me in the end. You made the choice to do this when you could have backed out at any time.
"We are both on the run from your people. I am going to get home any way I can. I don't particularly care if you come with me, but if I have to throw you to the demons on my heels, I will." Hiten crossed his arms.
Taka flushed in the moonlight. She hissed angrily, "You coward. You may throw what I have done in my face, but you are the one who came looking for trouble. So don't even try preaching to me!"
"You are so full of yourself!" Hiten yelled. "No wonder that bastard wants you for himself!"
The fire went out of her eyes. Her brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of his words. "What?"
Hiten scoffed. "Don't even try to tell me that you don't have a clue what I'm talking about."
Taka raised a slim brow and enunciated her words very clearly. "What. Are. You. Talking. About." She paused. "Jerk."
Opening his mouth to answer, Hiten stopped short and took a good look. She really didn't have any idea of what he meant. "Never mind. I can see there is no truth to it."
"Don't change the subject! I want to know what the hell you are talking about," she yelled. Taka bared her teeth. "You will tell me right now or I will kill you where you stand."
He narrowed his eyes. "Don't threaten me, wench!"
She maneuvered her cloud so close to him, their noses were almost touching. In a dangerous tone, she said, "Tell me or I fry you to a crisp."
He swallowed angrily. Okay, she was asking for it.
The sensation of charged air flowing over their skin gave them a second's warning to move, scarcely avoiding the strike of lightning that split the air between them.
Can you believe it's been over a year since I last updated?? I couldn't believe it, either!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this long awaited chapter! Click that little blue button and leave me a review, berating me for not updating sooner.
Oh, and tell me what you think of the chapter while you're at it.
– TG