InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Fateful Encounter ❯ Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

 

Chapter 2

 

Habit brought her awake a little before dawn. She roused and made herself a strong cup of tea. It helped her to wake in the morning, and filled her belly to start the day strong.

 

She tried to sort her through her tasks for the day, but she was too distracted.

 

Calm down, Kagome. Try to think through this. Don't let your emotions overwhelm you.

 

She pinched her nose and rubbed her temples.

 

What are his intentions? Sometimes he seemed like he was about to proposition me, but then he would be hostile to humans. It doesn't make sense. I feel like I'm missing something about him, something that would make him make a lot more sense.

 

She turned her head sharply when she heard movement in the village. Today is the day we repair the leak in the rice paddy, isn't it? I suppose I should get up now and go help.

 

She quickly straightened her hair and her clothing, coming out of the hut to fully stand up and pull her kimono smooth. She quickly made her way through the village and up past the beginning of the rice paddies. The village's paddies went up in ledges into the hillside, and the particular one to repair was up a good distance. She could see that several farmers were already there, waiting for more people to come.

 

It took her only a few minutes to get there, and then she stood off to the side, ignoring and being ignored by the other villagers. The sun was clear of the mountains when everyone was there. The day was looking to be another hot one, and she hoped that the work would be done before the sun was high in the sky, so that she wouldn't sweat through her kimono, as it was hard for her to bathe and she had no other kimono to change into. She had owned one other kimono, but it had either been taken or burned with her home. She had no idea how she would get another set of clothes, since the village was relatively poor and no one would give her any clothing.

 

The headman called for attention, and gave directions. Kagome followed behind some other women. It turned out they were going to clear out one of the irrigation ditches as well as repair the paddy, and Kagome wanted to be in the shade during the hot day.

 

She spent several hours pulling reeds and branches out of the ditch and piling them a ways away. To her dismay, she felt sweat developing at her hairline and underarms and trickling down her neck and legs. She wiped insistently at her forehead, feeling dirt smear on her face. She sighed. It's hopeless. I guess I should try to take a bath tonight in the stream.

 

The stream ran by her old home as well as through the village, and by her home there was a wide space in the stream, concealed by trees. She could trek up there later.

 

And hope I don't run into another youkai.

 

She shuddered. Maybe I could try to bathe closer to the village. Maybe there's a better place just upstream that's still out of sight.

 

She knocked herself in the forehead. Baka! I was never afraid of the forest before, especially never when I lived up in the mountains. I shouldn't be afraid now just because I ran into a giant spider. I didn't get attacked all my life until now, so the chances are pretty slim that anything will happen again.

 

Confidence, Kagome, confidence!

 

She jumped with renewed vigor. “I am confident!” she said out loud, laughing. Quickly she looked around for anyone who would have seen her, and when she didn't see anyone she giggled quietly and went back to hauling debris.

 

They finished a little after the sun passed its high point, and Kagome returned to her hut. She checked on her drying herbs, and took down the ones that were done and stored them. She thought about getting more, but didn't want to go out into the heat. Later she would trade the herbs for rice and other things that she needed in the village. Though many of them didn't like her, they still appreciated the medical aid that the herbs provided, and they provided her with enough to live on.

 

I need to get tea later. She noted to herself, checking her stores. She decided to nap to get out of the heat of the afternoon.

 

When she woke only a little time had passed judging from the sun, but it was still hot. After a while children came, and she brewed tea for them. Soon the sun was going down, and she made dinner for herself, bidding the children farewell.

 

She began to grow nervous. Throughout the day she had tried not to think about whether he would return that night, but she couldn't distract herself as it grew dark.

 

Kagome sat fidgeting on her mat. She didn't know what time it was, but it was late. The moon was high, and it was getting harder to keep her eyes open. She poked her head out and scanned the forest yet again. No sign of silver and red.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Kagome wearily made her bed. It had been four days since she saw him last.

 

I guess I made him mad enough that he won't come back, she thought somewhat sadly. He had been interesting, and had talked to her, even though he was rude when he did so. Anything different from normal life would be good, but now he was gone, and there wasn't much she could do about it.

 

She lay down on her mat and sprawled out. Her long hair twined out around her head, and she played with it, twining the strands around her fingers. Her hair was curlier than normal, and she loved it. Most of the villagers had straight and unkempt hair, but her hair was wavy. She was almost certain that it had come from her mother, because she'd also had the same hair, which she had kept securely bound in a bun underneath her head cloth.

 

Shuffling drew her attention outside. Figuring it was just an animal, she decided to let it be and wait until it left. The shuffling drew nearer, and she realized with a start that it was heading straight for her.

 

She sat up quickly, heart pounding, and flew to the side of the door. She was afraid to go outside, but she also didn't want to not see what was out there.

 

Courage, Kagome, courage!

 

She sucked in breath and ran outside. She looked around, but saw nothing. She circled her hut at a distance, and still there was nothing, not even a rat.

 

She was exceedingly puzzled, and annoyed that it had freaked her out as much as it had. Cautiously she returned to her hut, rushing through the entryway to settle down again on her mat. The noise still confused her, but it could be some village boys making a nuisance of themselves, or something like that. Or maybe the wind was making her hear things. Either way, it was nothing to worry about.

 

Kagome breathed deeply a few times to calm her racing heart, and then curled up to try and sleep some before the sun rose.

 

A little ways away, crouched on a tree branch, a solitary figure listened to the sounds of her settling down and waited until her breathing deepened into sleep before making its way off into the dark of the forest.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

The normally peaceful, bustling activity of the village the next morning came to a sudden halt with the sound of rapid hoof beats approaching from the road coming from the mountains. Since messengers from the imperial capital always came from the other direction, the group approaching could be bearing no imperial decree, and were most likely dangerous. The villagers responded in kind by scurrying their children and valuables as well out of sight as possible.

 

The danger manifested itself as a scruffy group of about twenty-five armed and mounted men who strode right into the village like it was their own property. The village headman and some of the elders worried their hands and glanced at each other nervously as the leader, an especially tall brute bearing a long halberd, strutted about the village proper.

 

“Well, it's a dump, but what can ya expect, eh?” He chortled, and then kicked over a farming tool that had been left by its frightened owner in the road. He finally turned to inspect the village heads, and after measuring them up and discovering that they appeared to be quite open to a little persuasion, casually loosed his halberd from its carrier and jauntily approached them.

 

“From now we will use this village as a supply point,” he declared authoritatively to the trembling assembly of older men. “Right now we need three barrels of rice and all the sake you've got in this puny town. We'll make our camp around the headman's house.”

 

The residents of the village could only tremble at these pronouncements, and thought they could not spare any extra food they lost no time in procuring the demanded items. There was also a very flurried discussion between the headman and some of the elders that resulted in a woman with a questionable reputation who lived near the edge of town being summoned to entertain the bandit group in order to stem the tide of inevitable lust.

 

The village remained more or less on lockdown the whole day, with no farmers visiting their fields or going about chores aside from those associated with the demands of the invaders.

 

Of this Kagome remained perfectly unaware until she returned to the village in the mid-afternoon, as she had gone into the mountain early in the morning to search for herbs and other materials of which she had begun to run short. The lack of activity in the fields and the village road made her nervous, and that caution led her to sneak into the village through the underbrush, and provided her with an opportunity to witness the captors firsthand.

 

The sake had been produced earlier in the day, and to say that they were tipsy would be an understatement. Most of the villagers were out of sight, the few very unfortunate ones who were tending to the demands of the warriors clearly wished to be out of sight as well.

 

As it was Kagome was unable to get back to her hut while staying out of sight, so she slunk back into the underbrush to watch the warriors more closely from a position of greater safety. She soon was able to pick out the leader, who had not been into the alcohol to the extent of many of his men. He still watched the villagers and the surroundings with more or less clear vision, and the look in his eyes worried Kagome. His eyes were hard and his expression sharp, a combination which did not bode well for the village residents. The woman who lived on the outer edge of the village cavorted with the normal soldiers, while the leader scanned the area in a bored manner.

 

Kagome felt a cold chill go down her spine. In order to keep the peace with all the drunken, armed, and most likely violent outsiders, there would probably be a necessity for female sacrifice in order to keep the peace, as one woman certainly wouldn't be enough for all of the gathered men. All the other girls of around the right age in the village had fathers or husbands to defend them, which left Kagome with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 

In her mind she entertained a brief fantasy that Inuyasha, who still had yet to put in an appearance after storming off, would come in and defend her, but she quickly shook her head. The headman would most likely come for her tonight, or maybe the next at the very latest.

 

Crouched in the dirt, she allowed herself several moments of mourning. If her family had still been alive, both her distance from the village and her grandfather could have defended her. But now she had no protector, and was soon going to be in desperate need of one.

 

I could hide. She thought quickly. Hide in the forest, and wait for them to leave. But no, she checked herself; the village might cast me out for hiding from what they would call my duty. They would say that I have no prospects anyway.

 

Since she was thinking so deeply, she didn't notice the heavy footfalls approaching her hiding place. By the time she did notice, it was only to gape in horror as the leader grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the concealing foliage.

 

“Well well, look what we have here,” he chuckled, his eyes holding a dark gleam. “Thinking of hiding from us, were ya?”

 

Kagome spent only a moment gaping, and then decided to fight back. “Let go of me!” she cried, wrenching at her arm.

 

He tightened his grip to the point where the tips of her fingers became numb, and dragged her into the camp. He abruptly released her and let her fall onto her bottom, while several of the drunken men began to eye her appreciatively.

 

“Where've you bin hidin', pretty girl?” One of the drunker men slurred, making an attempt to get to his feet, which ended with him on the ground on his side, confused about his lack of ability to balance himself properly. Another of the men, quite a bit more sober, straightened the front of his loose billowing shirt, all the while his eyes never leaving her form. He glanced at the leader, who slowly nodded, and then her gained a predatory gleam.

 

“You're a sweet thing, you know that?” he purred, picking up his knife and proceeding to stalk her.

 

More than a little nervous, Kagome eyed her surroundings, only to discover that the sober men had boxed her in, and the drunk ones formed enough obstacles that escape would not be easy.

 

The man managed to grab hold of her arm and pointed the knife threateningly at her. “You'll be good for me, right girlie?” he smirked, taking in her frightened expression with excited eyes. At that moment Kagome saw past his shoulder into one of the huts, the home of her mother's friend who had taken her in for a few days after her family's murder. Her mother's friend and her husband were both visible inside the doorway, mostly hidden from sight, making no apparent attempt to defend her. Kagome was crushed. They were her last possible defense in the village, but if they gave way then she was truly alone.

 

Her jaw hardened. I'm not going to sit here quietly and take this! Even if they kill me for the impertinence at least I will uphold my own honor!

 

Kagome waited until the man had moved the knife away in order to get a better grip on her to strike him at his weakest point. She successfully hit her target, and he dropped like a stone, howling at the mistreatment. She managed to duck the first man who tried to grab her, but was struck in the back by someone and then a second later punched in the cheek. Dropping to her knees, the world spun and started to go black as they struck at her.

 

The leader, who had watched impassively the whole time, called the men to a halt. Kagome barely heard his commands through the pounding in her ears, though she noticed when the men began to pull away from her. She woke up enough to catch the tail end of what he was saying.

 

“—sure got hit hard, ya bastard. I'll break her for yeh, and let ya have a go after I'm done wit' her. Have to wait till the wench wakes up tho', because otherwise there ain't no sport.” He said it jestingly, but she knew that he meant no joke. She decided the best thing she could do was pretend to be unconscious, because then they just might leave her be, and give her enough time to escape.

 

The gods apparently decided to smile on her that day, and the bandits left her be. Her second blessing came in the form of one of the elders, who came to ask that they be allowed to move her prone body off of the main road. The request was granted, though she realized her luck was limited since she was dropped off in her own little hut and left there alone, and not taken somewhere where there was the chance of food or someone to look at her injuries. However, since she was finally out of sight she was able to sit up and gently treat them herself. There was very little she could do beyond assessing in the dim light of her little hovel, since she had at best a dipperful of water, and no food.

 

Her head was pounding, and that made it very difficult to focus on her escape plan. She found herself leaning her forehead against the cool earthen wall to ease the ache, and then she knew no more.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

When she woke, it was to the sound of a frantic whine, like the sound a dog would make. Confused, since the village dogs didn't usually come into her hovel, she attempted to open her eyes, only to realize that one was swollen shut and that even though the other opened, it was dark out, with no lights lit nearby. The dim sounds of merrymaking came to her ears, and she realized that it must be around dinnertime, or maybe a little after. The whining continued, and she weakly tried to push the canine out of her home.

 

“Go home!” she grumbled weakly, sick with fear at what would likely come in a few hours and completely out of patience.

 

The whining stopped, though the flesh she made contact with didn't feel furry. On the contrary, it felt like cloth, worn cloth, but man-made all the same. She tried again to open her eyes and see who or what it was that was in her home, but it was far to dim for her one good eye. As she adjusted to the light she found that she could make out a figure, a male figure, crouching over her as she was slumped in a corner. The profile of his hair didn't match any of the village men, and though her first thought was to scream at this invasion by one of the warriors, she remembered that none of them had had a wild mane that fell over their shoulders and back. Only one person that she knew of sported such looks.

 

Surprised, she wet her throat, and croaked “Inuyasha?”

 

A callused hand gently lifted her hair from her face. It was dark, but it seemed like he could see her, because he was very gentle with her wounds as he inspected each of the visible ones. His hand settled gently on her forehead, his fingers just resting uncomfortably on her blackened left eye. She winced, and he moved his fingers immediately.

 

Soft growling filled her hut. He was evidently trying to be quiet, but was displeased.

 

Kagome started a bit. He really does care, she thought to herself, softening towards him, while also trying to harden herself with that fact that he would leave her for days without a word, and unprotected at a vulnerable time.

 

A conversation started up just up the road from her little hut, and that made both of them tense.

 

“Why'd the boss hafta make us come get some broad when we was in the middle of eating?” one voice complained.

 

“As long as we git to hear `er scream I don't give a shit,” rasped the man she had first kicked. “I hope he takes his fuckin' time on the broad.”

 

They had drawn almost to her door when a whirlwind of red and silver took them both off their feet and into the fishpond. The commotion drew the attention of the rest of the men, and those who were able to stand grabbed their weapons and did so, though it was only about half of the number. They were knocked down with stunning speed, their weapons destroyed, and then the silver haired dog hanyou squarely faced the leader, who had picked up his halberd and was still showing signs of sobriety.

 

Kagome only witnessed part of their battle, since it took her a minute or two to get up and drag herself out of her hut and up the road to where she could see. She got there in time to see the hanyou take the halberd in a slashing arc across his chest, which ripped a scream from her throat. He seemed to twitch at the sound, and then threw himself forward, tearing open the leader's right arm while flinging him across the open area in the center of the village. At that moment Kagome tried to stand and run to him, though she was not quite sure what for. As she rose, one of the cast aside men picked up a discarded weapon and managed to smash her across the head with it. She saw nothing after that.