InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Feudal Fairytale: The Begining ❯ The Battle Raging Within... ( Prologue )

(A/N: When I use POV's, generally I don't have them in chronological order, but at the same time (Like in the prologue.). But every few I have some that are in separate minds and are happening in that order (Like ch. 1). Don't worry, it’ll be easy to tell the difference! ^_^)
"InuYasha! I sense two sacred jewel shards!” Kagome cried from the inuyoukai's back. Right in his ear. InuYasha growled. "And you can't keep your voice down?" He demanded, but smiling nonetheless. Kagome blushed. "Sorry. I forgot. None of my other friends have hearing like you…" She said quieter, trying not to hurt his ears. Then they both burst out laughing, loud and clear. Wow, Kagome has such a beautiful laugh! And she's- No. Stop thinking that! You belong to Kikyo! You loved her before you loved Kagome! You promised Kikyo your soul! You can’t get away from that! He was snapped out of his thoughts when he tripped over a rock, falling off the bridge they were just crossing. Kagome let out a shriek of fright, falling off InuYasha's back. "Kagome!" He shouted out. And she would have heard him, had his mouth not been under water. He fought though, not ready to let Kagome drown. But it was in vain. His head hit something hard, probably a stone. His eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness.
*Kagome's POV*
"Eeeek!" I cried, falling off of InuYasha's back. I was falling quickly toward to water, and probably an injury too. Pain spread throughout my body as I hit the water. I started sinking, even though I was fighting my way up. I saw some sort of shadow on the surface. Someone was swimming up there, and drawing closer. But not fast enough. I felt strong hands wrap around my waist, pulling me up. I looked down, as if to see the riverbed. I gasped, taking in water and letting the last of the oxygen in my system out. Under me I saw InuYasha, fighting against the current. But it was in vain, as his head slammed into a rock, successfully knocking him out. I looked away, up to the face of my rescuer. My vision was blurred, so all I saw was tan skin, big blue eyes, and long black hair in a ponytail. Before my savior even broke the surface, I passed out too.
*Kouga's POV*
I grabbed Kagome around the waist, pulling her to safety. Looking down, I noticed I had yet to save the InuYoukai she was traveling with. You're gonna have to wait, InuYasha. Kagome means much more to me than you do. My eyes strayed to Kagome's face, automatically making sure she was alright. She looked okay, aside from the whole half-drowned thing. Her eyes slipped closed, and she became limp. I broke the surface cursing. I pulled Kagome out of the water, laying her down in the grass a few feet away from the river. I turned, diving back into the water for InuYasha. I really didn't want to, but Kagome would be upset if I just left him there to die. Grudgingly I grabbed the mutt by the wrist, pushing off of the bottom. I angled my self so that I would end up near Kagome. After a minute of swimming, I broke the surface. As I laid InuYasha out on the grass, I looked over at Kagome, praying for any sign of life. As I stared at her, she stirred. Or more accurately, she shivered and coughed up the water that was blocking her airways. After a strait minute of coughing, she was still. Only her chest was moving, steadily rising and falling again. She was alive. I quickly stepped over InuYasha and crouched next to Kagome, putting my hand on her forehead, searching for a fever. She was a little warm, but that was to be expected. I gently patted her cheek, trying my best to sound calm. “Kagome, Kagome wake up. Kagome,” I whispered, hoping she would just open her eyes. After a minute of so I heard movement behind me. I turned to see InuYasha sitting up, coughing like mad. Noticing my chance, I walked up behind him. Once I reached him, I slapped him hard on the back. Very hard. He turned around, probably expecting an enemy, I just laughed. “Don’t worry mutt, It’s only me.” I paused, and then added, “On second thought, maybe you should worry. Kagome hasn’t woken up yet, so there’s one to stop me from tearing you limb from limb.” InuYasha looked around, eyes finally resting on the specified unconscious human. Then his eyes widened and he jumped up and landed next to her, clutching his head. “What? Are you still woozy mutt? Too bad for you.” My laughter was short lived though, because Kagome slowly opened her eyes and woke up.
*Kagome's POV*The first thing I saw when I awoke was white. Lots and lots of white. And a little bit of red too.
The first thing I heard was, “Kagome, are you alright? I’m so sorry! I tripped and we fell off the bridge and we both were knocked out and-” Eventually I got a headache and decided it was time to shut whoever this was up. I closed my eyes, and for some reason he shut up. Then he was louder than before.
“Kagome! Kagome, wake up! Wake up dammit!” It took me this long to realize it was InuYasha that was frantically apologizing to me. “That’s new,” I said quietly, smiling. “What?” I heard him say, clearly dumbfounded. I giggled, sitting up slowly and opening my eyes. He grabbed my shoulders, turning my towards him. “Kagome,” He started slowly, “Are you sure you’re all right?” I nodded.
“Yes, InuYasha, I’m fine. I’m just pointing out that you hardly ever apologize, that’s all.” I said. I heard something walk up behind me and I turned, nearly giving myself whiplash, to face Kouga. I gaped at him, not uttering a word.
I suppose he took that as in invitation to speak to InuYasha, He walked around me, crouching next to InuYasha. “You got lucky, mutt.” He said in a deadly-sounding whisper. With no other words he turned to me, kissed my hand, stood and left.
I felt InuYasha grab my arm and pull me up. Wordlessly he gestured for me to get on his back, which I did. In about a half hour, we had returned to Edo.
As InuYasha set me down I heard twig snap. I froze, feeling InuYasha stiffen next to me. I didn’t realize who had made the twig snap until InuYasha screamed his name loud enough to make me go deaf for a second.
"Sesshoumaru, you have no business here." Growled InuYasha, glaring at the demon in the shadows of the forest. Suddenly he turned. Then he screamed, "Kagome, get out of here! I'll take care of him!" He pointed away from his demonic half-brother. "Go!"
And so I did, running to the safety of the forest. I could only pray that InuYasha would make it out of this alive…
*Third point of view, based on Kouga*
Kouga was sure of the scent. He knew it so well, he could not be mistaken. He started running, smiling a bit. "Kagome will be okay this time." He assured himself, as he sped up a little. The last time he saw Kagome, she looked less-than-comfortable when he saved her. He hoped that this time she wouldn't be that way. He hated seeing her in pain, it broke his heart.The scent was stronger now, but there were a few others mixed in. There's InuYasha, that piece of crap. Let’s see… Also there's that fox demon, the demon slayer, the monk, and-wait-what's this? No, it couldn't be. He slowed to a dead halt, taking in a deep breath. Sesshoumaru. "Oh no! He'll tear InuYasha apart! If I'm not there in time Kagome'll be next!" He sprinted off on the direction of the scent, calling out, "Ginta! Hakku! Stay where you are and don't try to follow me! I don't want you guys getting hurt!" He heard what sounded vaguely like an affirmative. Good enough.He came to the edge of a clearing, stopping to see InuYasha and Sesshoumaru battling it out. For a moment he was tempted to join in, but then he heard a twig snap about 20 feet off. He turned to see Kagome with her back to a tree, shielding her from Sesshoumaru and InuYasha's view. Her eyes were closed and she was shaking very badly. Poor girl. She must be terrified. He instantly had the urge to move forward to comfort her. But he resisted it until he was sure InuYasha wasn't looking that way. Then Kouga moved a few feet in her direction, softly calling out her name. She shuddered a bit worse as she opened her eyes, clearly terrified. She seemed to be thinking something along the lines of "Oh, god, not another one!" Kouga shuddered as that particular thought passed through his head. No. She would never say something like that about me. Even if she doesn't love me, she doesn't hate me, I hope.... Again he shuddered, praying that she wouldn't run when he revealed himself. That would just add another boulder to his mountain of troubles."Kagome, it's alright, it's only me." He risked, trying to speak with a soothing voice. It seemed to work, because she appeared to calm a bit and called out, in a frightened whisper, even softer than him, "Kouga?" He looked back at the fight. Good, they're both still distracted. He walked into her field of vision. She jumped, letting out a squeal of fright. "Kouga? Is it really you?" She asked. He could tell that she could very well kill him with one of her arrows, so he decided to approach her slowly. But he still couldn't help himself and didn't stop until there were only a few inches between them. He took her hand and gave it a quick kiss then set it down gently. "How are you?" He asked, hoping she was alright. It worried him to see her so scared. She looked up into his eyes, clearly blinking back an ocean of feelings. "Kouga, I'm ok, it's InuYasha that's in danger." She said. She's really fighting a loosing battle with those tears. Apparently she thought so to, because she gave up and let them stream down her face. Kouga couldn't bear to see her so upset. He raised a hand and wiped the miniature river off her face. "Don't worry." He said, smile disappearing quickly. He closed his eyes. "I'll be right back, stay here." He said, turning away."Kouga! Wait!" She said, reaching out a hand. Kouga turned and waited a beat. Kagome whimpered, crying again. Then out of nowhere, she ran up and hugged him. "Please don't get hurt." She said in a terrified whisper. He gently raised a hand and lifted her chin so they were looking directly into each others eyes. Go on, tell her. You might never get another chance. Say it, now! He took a deep breath. "Kagome, should anything happen to me, I need to tell you something very important." Kagome's eyes glittered, as if she knew what was coming next. Very quickly, Kouga bent a bit and gently kissed Kagome on the lips. The sort that was only a simple touch, even though the feeling lingered, and, with this particular sign of affection, it also left a feeling of dread. As though it would never happen again...As he pulled away, he looked her in the eyes. His vision blurred momentarily, and he realized that he was actually crying. Kouga pulled Kagome into a gentle embrace, whispering the words, “I love you."Kouga turned and sprinted onward in the direction of the battle, only about 20 feet away. Blinking away tears, he stopped just out of their sight. From what he saw, InuYasha was doing rather well. But then Sesshouamru attacked with renewed vigor. He hit InuYasha again and again. Hey! I know that attack! Weaken your opponent and hit 'em while they're down. Kagome won't like that. He waited until Sesshouamru sent InuYasha flying. Wow, I don't envy you much right now, InuYasha. Sesshoumaru turned away then, probably allowing himself a moment of glory. Kouga took that chance and pulled out his sword, jumping up with as much strength as he could muster. Idiot. He was just nearing Sesshoumaru now, and then....
*Sesshoumaru's POV*
Sesshoumaru growled. It was too easy. His last battle with InuYasha had been very different. He had even blinded InuYasha (temporarily, of course.), and he had still lost! Maybe it was just bad luck, a fluke. That was it. 'Well,' Thought Sesshoumaru, sending another blow InuYasha's way. 'I had better make the best of my advanced abilities.' He struck again, sending InuYasha flying-far. He smirked, basking in the glory that would only last a few seconds.BAM!Out of nowhere, he was sliced across the back. Sesshoumaru turned, and saw, to his great surprise, Kouga, the wolf demon. Now bleeding profusely, he flicked his poison whip at Kouga. Who, though fast, was not quick enough to evade the deadly streak of poison energy. With a flash, it was done. And Sesshoumaru turned to walk away. But the expression he wore was not one of smug victory, but a grimace of pain. His knees buckled and he fell to all fours. And the next thing that he knew, he was on his side, and the world was fading around him. “Lord Sesshoumaru!" Screamed Rin, running from the safety of the woods. "Rin, wait!" Cried Jacken after her. "Rin, help me turn him over." Once they had succeeded in that, Rin looked at Sesshoumaru's non-moving face. His eyes were not closed all the way-he was still conscious, but only just. The world came into better focus, but the edges of his sight line were still blurred and dark. Sesshoumaru strained to keep his eyes open. He was vaguely aware of a voice. It seemed to be calling his name. It seemed very familiar. Sesshoumaru was sure he knew it, so very sure. A small girl appeared at his side, something was shining on her face. Rin! He realized. And that shine is Tears! Rin is crying for me! He smiled a bit, something he hadn't done in a long, long time. "Calm yourself Rin," He said, still sliming, but not as much. "I have suffered worse injuries." Then a thought occurred to him. He flexed each of his limbs in turn, making sure they were all still functional. Rin must have noticed this, because she then said, "Lord Sesshoumaru, why are you doing that?" He let out a soft chuckle, even though his smile had now faded away. "I am simply making sure I still have as many limbs as I did prior to the battle." He said, trying to keep the small girl from crying. Actually, by back hurts quite a lot. Is that where the wolf hit me? He didn't have a chance to ask though. He tried but his voice seemed to be hiding. Slowly and silently he passed out of consciousness.
*Setting Change*
*Miroku's POV*
Dragons, big fun! Hey Sango! Let's go fight a dragon for no real reason at all! Yeah! He stopped his ranting mind. Well, why does my head hurt? He thought curiously. Oh yeah, the dragon...It must have knocked me out! Which means-Oh no! I opened my eyes quickly, and tried to sit up. My head was straining to get off the ground when I realized that there was a weight on my chest. A girl, in her late teens, was on top of my torso. For a moment I was almost content, and then I realized she wasn't moving. I tried to raise myself further, to see her a bit better. She was garbed in a tight-fitting black outfit which had a slash down one leg. Something dark was slowly flowing out of the cut, but I could tend to that later. I moved my eyes toward her face and saw that her long black hair was in a ponytail, which was currently spread over her shoulders. After a moment of panicked thinking (Oh no! She's dead!), I realized that she was breathing. Thank Buddha! I thought, letting my head fall back a bit, relieved. Suddenly I snapped up my head, realization hitting me. "Sango!" I said, trying to get out from under her. Once I had, I grabbed her gently, and shook her a bit. Her eyes opened a little, but she seemed to still be out of it. I tried again, shaking her harder. She groaned a little, and opened her eyes the rest of the way.
*Sango's POV*
"Sango! Sango, are you alright?" I looked up. The world around me was a little fuzzy, with thousands of stars, lights, and spots dancing in front of my eyes. I saw Miroku next to me, a worried look on his face. I closed my eyes and pressed my hands to them. Other than that and a reasonably annoying pain in my leg, I was fine. "Yeah Miroku, I'm ok." I said slowly.
He looked at me for a long while. I turned to where he was looking, which was my leg and I realized that I was bleeding, badly. "Can you walk? We have to get out of here. Now." Miroku said urgently. I gingerly tried to sit up. Aside from a few stars and some spots, my vision was back. Miroku stood up, and looked down at me. "What?" I asked, hoping he wasn't thinking what I thought he was. He snapped his head towards mm face, saying quickly, "Nothing. Do you want me to help you up?" I looked him strait in the eyes, as if hoping to read his mind through them. Sighing, I extended my hand to him.
With very little effort, he pulled me up. "Can you walk?" he asked again. I tried to take a step and was, of course, unsuccessful. I shook my head, causing even more stars to appear.Once they faded, I noticed his hand disappear behind me. "Pervert." I muttered. For once, though, I was wrong. He crouched down a bit and picked me up. I gaped at him. "What?" He asked, a smile playing across his face. Now it was my turn, "Nothing." I said indignantly. He started to run, nearly as fast as InuYasha would have, had he been here. From what I knew, he was off down that well with Kagome. I was snapped back to reality when Miroku stopped abruptly. "Why did we-" I cut myself off. I heard the unmistakable sound of a very loud roar. A deep, threatening sound, like a thief would seem to a child. That sound, it seems familiar! Miroku swore, turning around. There seemed to be a mini-earthquake and another roar. I remember now! The dragon! He set me down on the nearest boulder. "Stay here," He looked over his shoulder, "Please." he added. He turned and ran to the sound. "Miroku, wait, I-" He stopped and shouted back, "Please Sango!" And, with that said, he started running to the source of the sound. "-can help." I finished in an annoyed tone. "Thanks for waiting." I muttered, moving to pull my legs up next to me. As soon as I did this I felt a stabbing pain pulse up my leg. "Ahh!" I gasped. My eyes were watering as I looked down. "Oh, right..." I muttered, tears streaming down my face. I used a bit of the strength I had left to rip off the sleeve of my slayers outfit. After a few minutes of tearing, stopping, and tearing again, I finally had enough fabric to make a decent bandage. I winced as I put it on. I tied it tightly, trying toI thought I heard a sort of buzzing sound, like a large bee or something like that. 'Maybe I'm Delusional...' I thought randomly. I let out a small chuckle and was instantly rewarded with another spasm of pain from my legs. I winced, holding the face until the pain stopped. I heard a slight jingling sound and turned to its source. As expected, Miroku was running back, grimacing, and bleeding from his arm, but alive. Suddenly, seemingly completely out of nowhere, pain erupted on my shoulder. I turned my head just in time to see a few oversized insects fly away. 'Saimyosho! I thought, following it's path with my eyes. Then, as my vision started to fade a bit, they crossed paths with a boy who looked about eleven, garbed in a short blue kimono. 'No!' I mentally screamed. With the little bit of sight I still had, I locked eyes with him. My throat seemed to swell a little, as it was very hard to force out the one word I needed to say. "Kohaku...." I said as clearly as possible. My vision faded and I felt my head hit hard stone. I was loosing consciousness fast, but I still somehow heard two voices shout something in perfect unison. "Sango!"
I felt a warm hand shaking my shoulder, but I didn’t have the energy to respond. I felt as if I was rising, but I don’t remember anything after that, because, after that I passed out.
*Miroku’s POV*
“Sango!” I cried, sprinting towards her. As I reached her I thought I saw a piece of blue fabric disappear behind a large boulder. But I would have time to worry about that later, I hoped. I put my hand on her shoulder and shook her, since it seemed to work before, but this time it didn’t. I picked her up with ease, and started back to Edo. This wouldn’t be easy to explain…