First, let me apologize for how late this thing came out. First I had a lot of stuff to do for school, then I got a really bad stomach virus, which lasted for about a week. Anyway…I couldn't really decide on how long to make this chapter, but I settled on the shorter side as you can tell.
Thanks guys for all the reviews. I'm happy you like it so far. It's that time again:
Replies:
TiffyTaffy0409: Thanks!
jinulover: Thank you!
Warm-Amber92: One day we all shall see what Naraku is doing. As of now no one knows…
Melanyl: No you're not boring me. It's my job to –hopefully- not bore you as the author. Thank you for the compliment. I like the detail you put into it.
Glon Morski: Dark angst? Angst can get darker? Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. Thanks for reviewing
Sammixoxo: All will be reviewed to you in time
x.x
Chapter 2: "Freedom"
x.x
The world whipped past me and the greens of the trees all blurred into one dark color. The sky was a darkening blue. Despite the darkness of the outside world…there was still light. Maybe, not a visible light, but a metaphorical one.
I was free…
No more being trapped in a cage, no more beatings, no more killings, no more deflowering innocent women. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. That breath was being held for many years. A weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt stronger, more powerful than ever before. I had my life back!
I pushed my ears forward, closed my eyes, and breathed in deeply.
I was free…free of the hell and the devil, free of the feculent horror my life had become. I could now be me and take control of my own destiny.
I only stopped running when I reached a large lake in the forest that surrounded the lab. Still on all fours I spat the file out of my mouth and happily walked towards the lake. I pushed past the reeds and bent down to lap at the water.
It was warm, and not very appetizing, but it still quenched my thirst. I don't know why I was still so surprised. I was still very near the hell I'd come from. This was the outskirts. While I could make my own destiny, the low-pitched hooting of an owl made me wonder, what else was out there?
Was I truly free? What if this place was a new training ground for the more "inhuman" experiments? What if someone was watching me right now? What if heknew exactly where I was? Come to think of it that escape was really easy…
My ears went flat and I silently crept away from the mosquito and algae infested lake. I went back to retrieve my folder. I wanted to read it, but on the small patch of grassland that surrounded the lake I was exposed to what other creatures existed out here. Silently and hopefully surreptitiously as possible I made a small bed in the reeds and lay down with the file before me.
My mouth gaped when I saw what was in the file. Inside it read:
Experiment Name: Inuyasha Kyoshiro Takahashi
Sex: M
Height: 6'4
Weight: 250lbs
Age: 45
Original Species: Human
New Species: Half dog, half human
Parents: Inutaisho Takahashi and Izayoi Takahashi
Living relatives: Sesshomaru Takahashi
Favorite color: Red
There was a bit more information and a lot of pictures of me. Most were when I was actively serving Satan with little remorse – if I even had any at all – but others seemed to be from when I was much younger. My head tilted in curiosity.
I saw a little boy with blue-black hair and dark brown eyes. He had a cheeky grin that was so big he had to close his eyes. He was sitting down in someone's lap…it was a woman. She was beautiful, with long brown hair and a warm smile. I could tell she really loved her son…behind them was what I assumed to be their little house in the country.
"Mommy!"
My teeth clenched and one of my eyes closed. A skull splitting headache rocked my brain and almost made me cry out loud. The high pitched voice in my head wasn't unhappy or hurt, but it was loud.
"You are a beast, and animal." The voice rang in my head louder than that of the little boy's and I gave a growl
"You are a beast, an animal." The voice repeated.
"No, I'm not! I'm notan animal!" I yelled loudly at the deep voice of the devil in my head.
"You are a beast, an animal!" The voice in my head roared louder and it sounded even more demonic than I remembered. My mouth hung open and I shook my head, trying to clear it.
The voice gradually faded away and I turned my attention back to the folder. I looked at the "Parents" section again. I remembered my mother, her sweet and gentle nature. I sniffed and felt as though I could remember her scent. I tried to remember something else but another migraine hit me like a rock. I growled.
Usually when this happened I stopped trying to think, but I was on my own now. I controlled me own destiny. Why should the devils experiments hold any power over me?
I steeled my will and tried to think of my "Living Relative", Sesshomaru. It didn't say what the person was to me, or what happened to them. I didn't remember him or her at all. In fact I didn't even remember my father very well either.
"There has to be something in here on one of them…a picture…or a note from them…anything!" I thought.
Quickly I scrambled through the folder and found what I was looking for. It was a picture of what appeared to be a large, muscular man. His hair was very long, draping down far past his waist in a black curtain.
Familiarity washed through me with such strength that I collapsed on the ground. Memories of this Sesshomaru and Inutaisho filled my head. They weren't clear memories, but I could feel the emotion from them.
…and then the worst headache I'd ever had…
The world spun around me and my body swayed back and forth. Blood burst from my ears and I tried to sit up…
Strange sounds came from everywhere at once…they were demonic sounds…I wanted them to stop, but I didn't have the strength to call out. "I thought I just escaped hell." I thought, not wanting to face this kind of suffering any longer.
And then…
Blackness…
…
..
.
x.x
Soft sounds of chirping birds woke me. My canine ears twitched at the sound and my eyes slowly fluttered open. I picked myself up and placed a hand on my head. "Ungh…what happened last night?"
Realization hit me once again.
My clawed hands gripped the soft grass beneath them. The scent of water and the soft sound of the ripples of the water as bugs landed upon the surface.
I was free!
I wanted to jump around, strip off my clothes and howl my excitement to anyone who could hear!
I turned over and I heard the sound of crumbled paper.
Quickly I grabbed whatever made the noise. It was a picture. A picture of a man.
He was very feminine looking, with long midnight black hair and calculating blue eyes. A scowl was plastered against on his face.
"Sesshomaru!"
It was a sudden declaration from a voice inside my head.
He obviously didn't know that there was a picture being taken. "My only living relative…" I breathed out quietly.
Did he know where I was? Did he remember me? Was he anxiously waiting to hear from me?
To those questions, there was no answer.
Peering around it came to me that I actually had no idea what I was going to do with my freedom. I gathered all the papers, put them back in the file and slowly stood up.
I now knew what I was going to do.
I was going to find Sesshomaru!
x.x
I sat in the dark office, glaring daggers at this poor excuse for a man before me. He was smiling smugly in my direction. I hated him and his disgusting stench.
"So, why are you asking me to do this?" I asked in relation to the task he'd just asked me to do. I was strong, sure, but my existence hadn't mattered much to him before. Why, it mattered now was for most of the unconcealed suspicion. "Because I feel you are most qualified for the job." He looked very amused. All I could do was raise a brow and press myself as close to the comfortable red chair as possible.
He wasn't a complete idiot – the fucker – I was good.
…I was no dumbass either. "So, if I do this for you, what's in it for me?" I folded my arms and stared at him with a tiny bit of curiosity. Despite what he could do to me if I refused, I knew I could afford to be a little bit of a smartass. He needed me, even if it was just for the moment. That's why I would stay alive as long as that douchebag Inuyasha continued to roam free.
He gave a dark chuckle. "Anything you desire."
"Anything?"
"Anything." He repeated.
I stared at him in more mistrust. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully as I stared into crimson eyes. They were filled with expectation and something else, a darker force that was hard for me to comprehend. He was thinking about something and I knew I wouldn't like it when I found out.
"In exchange for my services I want two things done." I stated and he shrugged.
"You drive a hard bargain, don't you experiment? However, state these things and I might do them."
If he refused one thing, I could live with the other, but if he chose the one I didn't want…
"I want freedom, and not just that. I want the freedom of my wife as well." His eyes widened in surprised. "I won't tell a soul what has happened here, so long as freedom for us both is achieved."
He shrugged. "A simple request, consider it done."
I sat up perfectly straight. Did he really just agree to that? I'd be free to walk to streets hand in hand with my beautiful wife. To feel a gentle breeze on our faces as we smiled and laughed at some stupid joke I'd told. To see the sun make her hair illuminate like a brilliant blaze. Then maybe one day…we could have children, like we always wanted. All I had to do was bring in an escapee.
Simple.
"You are dismissed experiment." I nodded and scrambled excitedly to my feet.
"Oh, one more thing," He called as I'd reached the door. I slowly turned to look at him. "Don't fail me, or I'll kill you."
I was waiting for that. Our eyes met, narrowed and the sudden tension congested the small room and I snorted.
"I never fail!"
x.x
The plot thickens…you've just met the Hunter, I hope you like him (or her). The question for the update is which character do you think it is? I'm interested in hearing your theories.
So, until next time: Stay beautiful, howl with your packs, win all your races, and listen to Alesana…lots of Alesana…
~WolfJockey