This one's a shorty, but then again it isn't that significant. I hope you can all forgive me for the crimes I have committed in putting Kagome through such trauma, but it had to be done for the story to be effective. If they had simply fallen in love and everything went perfectly there wouldn't be much spice to the plot, would there?
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Lonely Voyager, Foreboding Shadow
She entered the village during her third day of traveling. Dusk found her on the outskirts of the small settlement, head heavy and lolling on her neck from lack of sleep. The tiny community, which bordered Japan's current capital, Kyoto, must have been a vital trade center, for the familiar scent of spices and meat permeated her senses.
The dusty roads were stirring with life, youkai and human alike scurrying about to purchase this and that. A small group of village women chatted idly along the side of the road, their children playing a game of tag amongst the winding crowd.
Stands displaying vibrantly colored knick-knacks pockmarked the main street, vendors shouting out animatedly to advertise their wares. Fruit, fish, and grain lined the counters and hung from the rafters, and the tinkling of chimes could be heard in the distance. She had smiled at that. Such a gentle sound was music to her ears amidst the chaotic uproar of the village. It soothed her aching soul.
It was not hard for her to find a place to settle for the night. A woman and her child provided her with shelter in return for her services. A warm bed and hot supper were welcome luxuries to Kagome at the time being, for she had not slept for two nights, nor had she eaten in three days. Though she had been trained to go without sleep for lengths of up to a week, it was hard to do so when no sustenance was provided.
The room she had been supplied with was sparsely furnished, though it had a homey feeling to it. The small bed was decorated with a single pillow and a matching white sheet. At the foot, a quilt sat folded neatly, the mismatching patches clashing in a rather cute way with the torn, light blue curtains that hung over the window.
A small bureau sat next to the bed, the years chipping away at the smooth, wooden surface, giving it a rustic look. A small mirror sat atop the dresser, something that was actually rather surprising. Not many peasants owned mirrors. It was cracked, and smudged, but it served its purpose. Taking a quick glance into said mirror, Kagome grumbled when she caught sight of herself. She was a mess.
Her hair was tousled and knotted, her cheeks drained of color. Purple bags stood out noticeably beneath her eyes, stating that she was indeed worn out.
Her power nearly sapped, she collapsed onto the small one person bed, sprawled out across the mattress like a corpse and, in her own opinion, looking like one as well. During her travels, she had made sure to keep up a strong barrier at all times. She had no time for interruptions, nor did she want Sesshomaru finding her.
'I highly doubt you'll have to worry about that,' she hissed inwardly. It was true, the chances of the inu youkai coming to find her were slim to none, and the fact made her even bitterer than she had been before. She truly had been a fool.
Yawning widely, Kagome allowed sleep to overcome her. On the morrow, she would thank the pair for their hospitality and leave first thing. However, before she left, she would have to see what she could do about renting a horse. She hoped they weren't too terribly expensive; she only had a few pieces of gold left.
A baleful chuckle shattered the silence of the lightless room, crimson orbs flickering with anticipation.
"So, little one," he crooned as he traced the image Kanna's mirror reflected, "you have left the dog behind to travel on your own?" Leaning back against the window frame he was situated next to, the hanyou's cold, sinister lips quirked into a vicious and foreboding smirk, one that held the silent promise of chaos to come.
"A foolish move, on your part, Kagome," he mumbled to no one in particular. "However," he interjected, "I must remember to thank you as I pry the final shards from your fingers, for you have made my own task that much simpler."
Hand clenching until small rivulets of blood dripped from between his fingers, the hybrid demon called Naraku sighed as a flicker of pain shot up his arm. "Without that bothersome inu youkai in my way, the jewel is as good as mine, and with it, as is Kagome."
Dismissing the pale, white haired girl, Naraku stretched a long, lean leg out in front of him, the other bent with his elbow resting casually on his knee. Inhaling deeply, he cast a quick glance out the window.
Miasma clouded skies were free of any life, the ground below bare. Black mangled figures that were once trees stood feebly here and there; ready to break under the slightest pressure. He grinned wickedly.
In due time, this, his realm of chaos, would spread, corroding everything until the land was cast in a bleak shadow… just the way he liked it. Soon the world would be his to shape, his to mold. With the completed Shikon-no-tama nearly in his grasp, every being in existence would tremble before him.
His sick, twisted mind delighted in the notion. A lone image plagued his thoughts then, one of Kagome trembling, begging him, on hands and knees like a bitch, doused in the blood of both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.
Groaning, he rose; hands settling on the windowsill as he inhaled the fetid air that surrounded his palace. Large, purple clouds of toxic poison billowed around the high peeked structures that made up his home, coiling up them like vast, venomous serpents.
This new location was an obvious one for someone such as himself to vacate, though he did not loose an ounce of sleep over it. Who was there for him to fear, Sesshomaru? The idea was laughable at the moment. The silly dog was too busy scouring the countryside for the little miko. He would have no worries when it came to that arrogant inu. Inuyasha was too weak and feeble minded to pose a threat. And Kagome, well, she was preoccupied collecting the final shards for him. All was falling into place nicely.
The earth itself seemed to sense the disturbance, for many of her children sought protection in their trees and burrows and caves. The birds ceased their merry chirping, deer and wild pigs finding shelter in grottos and caverns. Though the sun still shone, something about that day seemed uncertain, as though the sky would crowd with black clouds at any moment.
He could see it now, the very foundation of the planet crumbling as he took his place as ruler of this pitiful world. The air would grow dense and heavy, the shining face of the sun shrouded by the veil of shadow that would accompany him.
In the dead silence of his domain, a loud, maniacal laugh echoed across the charred, naked hills. Judgment day would soon be at hand.
There is a quick peek at what Naraku is up to people. He's sitting on his sexy ass, doing nothing but waiting… as usual.
It's amazing that someone who sits around so much can maintain such a superb physique. I mean seriously. Who does diddly-squat and ends up with abs and pecs like that? Maybe we all have it backwards, people. Perhaps exercise isn't the answer. By God that's it! No wonder I haven't been losing weight, I've been doing it all backwards! Now I just need to buy a pint of ice cream, gorge, and sit on my butt! I'll be ten pounds lighter in no time! Ha, ha… yeah right… I wish. Stupid anime characters and their perfect bodies… grr.
Review! La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!