Chapter 1.
The Girl who was Overcome
A piercing ring rang throughout the small plaza, high in octave, shrill, piercing, and impossible to ignore.
Impossible to locate too, as it seemed to be carrying through each street, bouncing off the buildings, and lingering in her ears.
It did not slow or change from its thunderous volume, it dug into your ear drum and refused to be dismissed.
So why was she the only one that was affected by it?
The only one who paused and took in the cloudy sky as the omen that it was.
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"Kagome?... Hey, Kagome!"
The raven-haired girl startled upon touching, jumping in her seat, she turned guilty-blue eyes towards her forgotten friends. The trio made quite the sight, tilting their head in almost the exact same way, and since none of them had changed out of their uniforms, they looked all that much alike.
Together they didn't stand out much as a group, other tables in the cafe could reflect their image. Just a group of friends, straight out of school, with only their varying uniforms to show the difference between each posse. They were the only seniors around, and as such their group carried a certain charm that had the younger groups casually sneaking glances.
Nothing out of line, and everything as it always was.
Blinking away the remaining fog and drowning out the sharp ring she could still hear, Kagome came back to the here and now. "I'm sorry, what were you guys saying?"
Her friends exchanged a look, one she recognized, because she could almost guess their next words.
"Are you feeling okay, Kagome-chan?" Ayumi, the worrier started, her wavy hair bouncing as she shuffled in her seat.
"Yeah, you're not re-lapsing, or whatever, right?" Yuka echoed her concern, studying her closely as though she would collapse any moment now.
Maybe if she didn't fit the bill, with her usual rosy complexion fading before them, and the cold sweat she could feel running down the side of her temple.
"Here. Let me feel your face." Eri didn't wait, reaching out across the round table that separated them, hand out to touch the skin of her cheek.
Kagome pulled away from her reach, laughing it off as the girl only tried harder.
"Cut it out you guys, I'm fine."
"You sure about that? You're not looking good." Eri's tries were finally stopped when Kagome snagged her wrist, keeping it from reaching its mark.
"Gee, thanks."
"She's just worried, we all are." Ayumi explained, afraid she had taken the rowdy girl at word value.
"Yeah, you've been doing so well. It's hard to imagine how sick you used to be, so try not push yourself so hard, okay?"
Looking between all their worried faces, Kagome felt both loved and raked with guilt. So that with a timid smile, she just sipped her iced coffee and allowed the conversation to move on.
Soon it was back to the latest gossip in the Drama department, and anxious chatter about their upcoming finals. Kagome laughed along with them, offering whatever she could in the conversation, even if her head wasn't entirely in it.
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Peeking back to where she could still hear the ringing, Kagome stopped piling her books back in her bag, staring off at the dipping sun. Before long the afternoon had dropped into late evening without them noticing, darkening the Tokyo skies as the night lights had yet to turn on.
"You coming, Kagome?"
The girls were already packed up, waiting for her with a bag in each hand, Kagome shook her head to drown out the ringing before continuing.
"Yep! Wait for me."
Catching up had been easy, keeping up was proving to be difficult.
Whether she meant to or not, Kagome would find herself dragging her feet, looking over her shoulder as though she would find something there each time she turned.
They hadn't made it down the block before Kagome felt the difference, it was nothing that anyone was saying or doing, but the sudden force she could sense at her back that tugged at her attention.
She could feel the push as though they were repelling magnets, every time she looked back, the force pushed her onward.
Warning her away.
Walking up the train station steps is when the final straw broke, seeing her friends taking route to the yellow line, the same ringing echoed down the street with pulsing force, stopping her mid-step.
The girl tightened her grip on the railing, shoulders tense and jaw tight, before relaxing with a long sigh.
"Hey, you know what guys. I think I left my test notes down at that coffee shop, I better get those before anyone takes them, I'll just catch up with you guys later."
"Just leave them there, Kagome. I can always give you a copy of mine." Eri suggested, being backed up by Yuka who motioned for them to keep going.
"Yeah, what's the big deal anyway? We've got weeks to prep before finals, why are you stressing out about it?"
"I know, but I'd still rather get my own notes, it won't take long."
Ayumi walked down the few steps that separated them, glancing anxiously down at her childhood friend, "Want me to go with you?"
Kagome forced on a smile, waving off her concern, "Nah, I'll be fine, I'll give you a call when I make it back."
The train's familiar ding of arrival sounded through the speakers, but it still took Eri to force Ayumi on, "Come on, Ayumi. We're going to miss the train."
She waved each of her friends off, promising to be careful, before turning back to the darkening streets.
"You better not be wrong about this, Higurashi."
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Kagome stopped to peer in on yet another local store, still she found the same thing; nothing.
Crossing the plaza, she could see objects littered about; books, coffee cups, even strollers. As though everyone had just collectively gotten up, abandoning whatever they were doing, no matter what that might have been.
Her arms tightened around her as the wind picked up, stinging her exposed flesh. The only source of heat she had came from her school's vest. The long white button up underneath was in fact very thin, practically useless against the abnormal chill in the air.
Of course, it was her poor legs that were left to brave the weather, with nothing more than her knee-length skirt and a pair of high socks.
She shivered, but oddly enough, not from the cold.
The town she grew up in, which had always been beaming with life, was completely empty.
No customers, no clerks, no 'end of workday' rush. Everywhere she looked was completely void of all life. It was like a scene from a horror film, the night dark and hallowed, roads vacant and abnormally silent. Even the light from the street signs gave an ominous glow, it mixed with the emptiness, and had each street stretching into the dark void.
Any sane person would have turned back and gone home.
It hardly seemed worth it anymore, the ringing had long since stopped, only to be replaced with this eerie density in the air. The longer she walked, the deeper into the city she emerged herself in, the emptier the roads became.
Until Kagome found herself walking down the abandoned streets, her mind blank as her feet kept their pace. As though her body was following an inexplicable force, some type of silent siren song that kept her at it, even when it led down darker paths.
She kept this slow walk until finally, the pull seemed to stop, just as suddenly as it hard started. Leaving her standing there, alone, and confused, somewhere in downtown Tokyo. For a moment the girl thought about turning back, letting abnormal public behavior and mysterious rings for a different day.
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At that instant a loud bang echoed off the buildings, sounding close to a roar with the way it seemed to gain volume the longer it went. Kagome shrunk in response, becoming acutely aware that she was indeed alone, in the dimming city, in an unfamiliar location.
'A gun shot?'
Suddenly she regretted turning down Ayumi's company, even if the girl would never have gone down the empty streets for as long as she had. Come to think of it, she should have brought Ayumi or Yuka, if only to have someone beat some sense into her.
Now seemed like a perfect time for someone to turn her around, force her to go back, and ignore whatever force was at work here.
A second bang rang shortly after the first, this time there was no room for second guessing; the sound that followed the deafening bang, it was a scream.
In a matter of seconds Kagome was running full speed through the empty streets, all rationality left in the spot she once occupied, following behind the dying echo of a scream. She tried telling herself that this was ridiculous, running aimlessly down the streets, chasing after something she wasn't even sure she heard.
Her legs hurt from exertion, and it was harder to catch her breath, still she did not stop...
There was a part of her that wanted to deny this urgency that had taken over, if only because it frightened her.
The night's chill pricked her arms and legs, her summer uniform doing little to keep her warm. The longer she ran, the less likely it seemed she was heading in the right direction. The surrounding buildings could've carried that voice from miles away, by the time she got there, there wouldn't be anything to find.
She could've been wrong about the scream, or about the direction in which it came all together, but there she went, a fool on the run.
Her stubborn heart refused to listen to reason; instead, it urged Kagome to lift her legs higher, run faster.
Regardless of how hopeless it seemed, she didn't dare slow down, it was as if that fleeting echo of a scream had latched itself into her mind, refusing to let her dismiss it as anything other than what it was... a cry for help.
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Kagome rounded the next corner, turning sharply, she skidded to a stop.
It was like a cloud of blue and purple swirling down from the sky, there was no other way to describe what she was seeing. As if someone had thrown something foul into a large fire, producing the thick-angry-fog that emitted downward into the alley.
Her legs seemed to take her there all on their own, heedless of the possible danger; before she knew it, Kagome stood in front of the alley opening, unable to stop herself from peering in.
Inconspicuous at first glance, but then there was something...
The air hung thicker; a feeling unknown to her began to fill her with a sense of demand. Close to an itch that needed attention, or more so like her whole body had been taken hostage, no longer listening to anything other than the rhythmic pull.
Helpless to the feelings that were pouring into her, she inched herself closer to the ally, slow to take each step. The light from the streets only stretched as far as the entryway, but Kagome kept going, staying close to the wall once the light began to fade several pitches darker.
When she began to catch faint noises, Kagome sunk lower to the ground, peeking her head around the corner ever so slightly.
That's when she first saw him.
A man leaning heavily against the wall, his breath visible in the chilly night, his face set in stone and barely lit by the flickers of a lone wall lamp. How could he look so beautiful, grimacing as he was, she wasn't sure she had the answer.
His jeans and gray t-shirt were stained a thick red, he groaned long and loud, the pain evident in his chiseled features.
When he moved his hand away from his stomach, she could piece together the story in front of her.
Even with the rising night, she could see the pool of blood seeping between his fingers, a gushing pulse that produced bright red liquid every time he exhaled.
Kagome nearly ran towards him, heart hammering away, as her gaze focused on the pain residing from his dark eyes.
Everything within her demanded a response to his pain. But before she could move a muscle, a chill ran through her; like someone had pulled the fire alarm inside of her, warning her of danger, at the same time, freezing her solid where she stood.
What was this feeling?...
A low chuckle had her backing away, but for the life of her, Kagome couldn't make out where it was coming from. The young man glared in front of him, like he was seeing something just outside her field of vision.
If she hadn't kept her eyes open, if she had just glanced away for a second, she might've believed the man had simply walked himself between them.
This was unlike anything she had ever seen before...
One second, he had been alone in the alley, a beautiful stranger in distress. The next; a tall imposing man seemed to materialize out of nowhere. He stood facing away from Kagome, his face partially hidden by the shadows, yet it was clear as day he was the cause of that unnatural chill.
His low laughter stopped her heart in place, forcing Kagome to snap her lips together to stay as silent and unnoticeable as possible. The young man on the wall only glared on, as if the pain was nothing short of an inconvenience, both completely unaware of her presence.
The new stranger moved his white trench coat, enough to where he could tuck his hands inside his pants pocket, the dark suit contrasting against the white from his coat, and the white from his fedora.
His white hat covered most of his face, all but that sinister smile she could just hardly make out.
Kagome could barely see his features, still she didn't dare try for a closer look, even if it meant she would have no description to give later. The fear that if she poked her head out too far, she'd be caught, kept her rooted in a crouched position on the floor.
Then the white-clad stranger spoke...
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"My, my, my... You made it pretty far out, not bad considering the poison running through your veins."
His voice was smooth, a complete contradiction with the menacing look set over his face.
"N-Naraku." The man on the wall grunted, just a gasped-out wheeze of words really, his pain was easy to feel. Yet this man still forced himself to move, shifting from his side to face the new stranger, giving Kagome a clear view of his tortured face.
She could admit to herself that he was very handsome, with thick brows and piercing eyes. But his twisted scowl made him look hard and unapproachable, not that she could blame him given his 'unique' situation.
Kagome might have thought this to be a mugging gone wrong, but even she could feel the hatred flowing between the two and knew better. Not to mention the dark stranger hadn't said but one word, yet the name was spoken with such contempt, there could be no mistaking the shared animosity.
"Shhh... You shouldn't talk, you're in bad shape Inuyasha."
His very being chilled her bones, she was reacting to the stranger in white like a gazelle might react to a lion. Her body bowed over with the urgency to run; but his eyes, the brown pain-filled eyes of the man against the wall kept her grounded.
"To think, you have always been such a thorn in my paw. To look at you as you are now, with that pained expression, it almost makes everything worth it."
"Damn y-you..."
"Damn me?" The man pulled an object from his coat, even in the darkness she could make out the shape, the jump in her pulse attesting to it. "No, No. Damn- you! You took everything from me; me? I'm just returning the favor."
"T-this won't do anything; you won't be able to stop him... You've lost Naraku, killing me won't take that back..."
"Ah... Inuyasha, still singing the same tune, even in your final hours. Ah well, it won't keep me from enjoying this."
The man flipped his long hair back, his hat pulling up with it, giving Kagome a first glance of his face. The darkness of those odd-purple eyes spoke of horrors she hoped to never know, the tremors raking down her body of their own free will warned her of this man and what he was capable of.
She needed to leave, get out while she still could, Kagome was nothing more than a lost high school girl with too much curiosity and not enough self-preservation. Kagome told herself this, forced herself to see the gravity of this situation and run away.
Then the man lifted the gun towards him...
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───
There it is, the first chapter of many to come.
I often can't tell if this is a good read or not, so please let me know what you think by dropping a review!
Have a great rest of your day, a great rest of your week, and always I hope to see you guys again next time.