InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Slave's Tale ❯ One Secret To Save Them All ( Chapter 4 )

Summary: for five hundred years, demons have ruled. All humans are slaves...Until one woman sought to change it.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me, *sigh* Oh well.

A Slave's Tale

Chapter 4-One Secret To Save Them All

Up on the second story of the palace, Sesshomaru gazed down at the human slaves piling into at least seven vans. They were heading to that human music dance club. He couldn't believe his father actually gave them permission to do something like this. After obtaining information from his loyal retainer Jaken, who had told him that the humans had done this without a cent from the Youkai. They found an old building, worked with the electric systems, found old large speakers and stereo systems and repairing them to form what these humans now call the Wild Cat club. 'What an idiotic name for such a place', Sesshomaru thought.

What struck the demon odd was that Kouga and a few of his soldiers, plus Sesshomaru's half brother Inuyasha were also attending. Why would they go to a place full of slaves? Then the idea struck him that those two fools were because they were lusting after human slaves. He would have rolled his eyes if it weren't for the ki of Kagura standing behind him.

"Would you like to explain what exactly happened this afternoon?" She said with a hint of bitterness.

Turning around, Sesshomaru lifted an elegant brow. "I needed a female body and you were there." He saw her eyes narrow.

"How dare you treat me in such a fashion!" She glared hard.

"How dare I? My dear Kagura you forget your place." Sesshomaru said coldly. "You are female and that is exactly what you are used for. So you should start getting used to it." He turned to walk away from the enraged female. "This conversation is over."

Kagura kept in a growl, "Oh no, this conversation is far from over." She said quietly to herself.

Looking out the window Sesshomaru had just been standing next to, Kagura saw the vans start to pull along the driveway and head out the two very large iron gates towards the city. 'Stupid humans,' she thought to herself

The first van pulled up to the curb of the dark Wild Cat club; the front passenger side door opened and Kagome jumped out. In her hands was a brass key ring and she went to the front doors and slipped the key into the key hole and unlocked the doors. Inuyasha, Sango, Hojo and a boy named Keiichi also got out of the van, the other vehicles went around to the back of the club and parked in the available spaces. Where the humans immediately started piling out and headed for the doors in the front. They were only the first batch of humans to arrive at the club, it was their duty to open and set up the evening's events.

After the power switch had been turned on, loud music and bright colorful lights immediately filled the room and other humans from all over the city started arriving. Two of Kouga's soldiers stood in what looked like business suits acting as bouncers at the front entrance of the club, they were the ones to allow the humans and other helpful Youkai in.

Inside the club, Kouga led the first wave of about fifty humans into a back room where his two best friends and soldiers, Ginta and Hikkaku lifted the heavy iron door in the floor. Hikkaku flipped on the light switch near the top of the stairs that led downwards. The humans followed after Kouga where he took out a ring of keys of his very own from his pocket and unlocked another iron door, he pushed it open and they stepped inside another room. Ginta and Hikkaku waited until the last human had found their way down the stairs and into the room before following themselves.

Kouga pulled the generator cord and a loud wurrrrr could be heard, which turned on a whole bunch of bright lights. What lay before them was the room the size of basketball court. There was a very long wooden table at the very front of the room holding many kinds of weapons. Seven of the humans, five males and two females ran straight across the very large room to yet another door, there was a special key pad on the wall next to the door where one of them punched in the number and lettered code. This door was different it was stainless steel and lifted upward instead of opening outward. The seven humans then entered the room, the door left open for anyone to come in and see their progress. This room was filled with computers and other mechanical devices, technology was all around them, and the seven humans got to work.

Kikyou patted Kagome on the shoulder, "I'll go first and then you, then send in Miroku and anyone else with similar family backgrounds."

"You're going to give your blood now?" Kagome asked and saw her cousin nod. "I have to go through my training exercises first that might take awhile."

Nodding, Kikyou agreed that these humans were first for a few hours of the night to work on their skills. "I'll have Taka make an announcement up into the main room about having people with similar backgrounds come down and give their blood."

"I'll come in when I can." Kagome said with a smile and Kikyou smiled back turning around heading for the tech room.

Kouga waited as each of the humans grabbed a wooden boken and got into four straight lines. "Now, give me one hundred strokes and count them out loud, begin." He crossed his arms over his chest standing at the front of the room as he watched and listened as the humans began counting out loud with each stroke they took. Ginta and Hikkaku were in the exact same position as Kouga, watching and listening to the humans.

Miroku decided to take a peek on the evening's events and made his way down the stairs. He found the first wave of humans, now battling it out with each other. He saw Kagome standing in front of Kouga with a real katana. He watched for a moment.

"Attack me." Kouga said.

Kagome narrowed her eyes and started forward in a run, her blade coming in contact with Kouga's with a loud clang.

"Your footwork is sloppy." He said and he kicked her feet out from underneath her and she fell to the hard floor, Kouga brought the blade down on her but she blocked pushing him back hard. Where he spun around and aimed for her head, she ducked down and used her free fist to punch him hard in the stomach. He was caught off guard and stumbled back a little. "You know that won't work all the time, what if I was wearing armor?"

Kagome nodded, "I know that it won't always work, but not every Youkai will have armor." She reasoned bringing up the blade to once again clash with his.

"I noticed when you hit Miroku this morning that you hit him a bit too hard, and he actually flew across the room, you don't want the other Youkai to notice anything different about you or the other humans. You are supposed to be weak, remember?" Kouga said trying to jab his elbow into her shoulder but she jumped back in time before the hit.

"I didn't realize how hard I hit him; I don't know my own strength I guess."

"Yeah?" Kouga growled angry that she could do something that foolish without realizing it. "Well get an idea, because one wrong move and this whole operation will be discovered and you'll all be killed on the spot."

With a firm nod, Kagome jumped at him her katana ready to slice at any body part she saw, but Kouga blocked her assault and flipped her on her back.

"Pay attention, you can do better." Kouga reprimanded.

Miroku sighed, glad that Kouga was not his coach in all of this, he continued through the training facility towards the tech room. He stepped inside and saw Kikyou sitting in a large lounge chair with a needle in her arm, a tube was connected to the end of the tube to another glass jar where her blood was flowing into it. Miroku cringed; he always hated giving blood.

"Oh you're just in time." Keiichi replied setting up another station for Miroku.

Miroku walked over to the computers and glanced at the screens. "Have you made any progress?"

"Oh indeed," Taka announced with a smile. "Check it out." She grabbed Miroku by the arm and brought him over to the stations, she pointed to the drip system, which seemed to be separating blood.

"What is this?"

Gyotsu grinned and pulled off his safety goggles. "We have managed to separate the spiritual powers from the blood." He pointed to the large glass container of bright pink liquid and Miroku looked at it whistling with awe.

"Well look at that, what are you going to do with it now?"

"We started testing it and if we coat anything with this and use it on a Youkai it will cause a temporary paralysis according to how much you use. We still haven't worked out all the kinks yet."

Miroku was confused. "Who have you tested this on?"

"We tested it on Lord Inuyasha, he wasn't too happy when we surprised him." Taka giggled.

He rolled his eyes, "I take it he lets you test it on him willingly?"

"No, but we tell him its part of his training and that he needs to suck it up if he's going to help us." Gyotsu answered.

"What happens if you kill him, on accident?"

"We won't, because he is only half Youkai, so he has a stronger resistance to the formula."

Miroku put a finger to his chin. "So you don't have any actual results, because you have not tested it on a full Youkai yet."

"Well when we get a full Youkai, then we will run the tests. But at the moment we have to make do with what we have." Keiichi said patting the chair for Miroku to sit down. "We keep watching the Youkai closely for a guinea pig, I'm sure we will obtain one soon enough."

With a groan, Miroku sat down in the seat next to Kikyou. "I really hate doing this, I think my blood should stay in my body."

Kikyou watched him out of the corner of her eye. "Pathetic, you're afraid of a loosing a little blood?"

"Excuse me, we all can't be brave like you, you know?" Miroku looked away from her towards the gray wall, then when he was sure she wasn't watching him, he took another glance back at Kikyou thinking to himself that she sure is cute when she's acting all superior.

Feeling exhausted, Kagome sat on a wooden bench nursing a water bottle, there was a towel around her neck and sweat was caked onto her forehead, her dark tresses clung to her. She watched as Kouga came towards her with a smile on his face, he stepped over the bench and took a chair behind her, with a sigh he leaned close resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I wasn't too hard on you, was I?" He asked her, and she turned her head looking at him.

"Not at all." She felt one arm circle around her waist and pull her back a little, so her back was resting against his chest. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't like hurting you," Kouga said, moving her damp hair away from her neck, and giving her shoulder a tiny kiss. "But we have to put all our feelings aside in these training sessions, I would rather you think I was an unbearable tyrant than have you end up dead."

Kagome smiled. "I know that, I would be worried if you didn't work this hard on me." She turned around and faced him.

Kouga took the towel off of her shoulder and draped it over her head. "You seem distracted today, you aren't performing the moves up to your normal standards."

"I will do much better next week, I promise." She held the water bottle up to her lips to take a drink when Kouga took it from her. After removing the towel from off her head, he sprayed some of the water onto her and she gasped and sputtered, wiping the water from her face.

"You looked hot." He grinned.

"Now that was mean." She poked him in the stomach playfully and he enveloped her in his strong embrace, she leaned against him with her cheek resting against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

Sango came running down the stairs with a paper bag in her hands, she took one look at Kagome and Kouga and rolled her eyes. "Get a room you two."

Kagome's arched a brow, "Look who's talking."

"Whatever." She approached the group who were all resting from their training session. "You'll all never believe what I have here. I was spy-er passing my Lord Inutaisho's study when I heard him talking to his son about Lord Naraku's stay tomorrow."

"Was that before or after we saw you going into Inuyasha's room?" Miroku said from the doorway of the tech room.

"Before." Sango blurted out without really thinking and then flushed bright red. "What? Huh? Get your mind out of the gutter Miroku. Anyway I continued to snoop and I went down to the laundry and found this." From the bag she pulled out a beaded and sparkle skimpy costume, there was just enough material to cover over the breasts and the loins and rear end.

"Gah!" Kagome shouted, "Have they lost their minds, we can't wear something like this." She jumped up taking the costume from Sango, looking at in disgust. "This is so degrading and disgusting, Lord Inutaisho has never made us stoop this low into wearing something so…so. Ugh I can't even think of the right word." Kagome noticed that there was no material to keep the costume on their hips, it was a string of beads.

Miroku snickered from the doorway and walked over to the group. "Aww you girls don't want to wear something like that, I feel so sorry for you. No…please don't look at our beautiful bodies." He started laughing, and Sango merely arched a brow.

"You think it's funny do you?" She grinned going back into the bag, pulling out a loin cloth, with a beaded sun on the front and on the rear flaps. "This is what you get to wear."

Miroku suddenly paled and it was not so funny anymore. "Ack! You can't be serious."

"Oh this is very serious." Sango said. "But not to worry for other slave men and women, these are only warn by the food serving slaves at tomorrow nights dinner."

"Wait…that's me!" Kagome shouted, as did Ayumi.

"Why are we even wearing such atrocities?" Yuka asked while looking at the skimpy costume.

Sango took the costume back from Yuka and stuck it in the bag. "Because, Lord Naraku has a human fetish. Not like the Youkai we are in service to mind you, but one that he'll take any human that strikes his fancy, he has bizarre tastes when it comes to bedding down with females."

All the slaves looked at each other and hoped that it wasn't one of them that would be selected.

******

It was late Wednesday afternoon, the slaves were preparing for Lord Naraku's arrival. The dinning room table was set with a fine red table cloth and they used the best crystal table settings. Yellow daises, white lilies and blood red roses adorned three spots in middle of the table in fancy crystal vases.

A voice talking on the loud speaker interrupted the pleasant conversations of the slaves and Youkai inside the palace.

"Everyone, please report to the receiving room, his Lordship Naraku Onigumo has arrived. Thank you." And the voice went silent.

The slaves scrambled to get to the receiving room, which was painted a light blue, with fresh white carpet and dark blue velvet curtains that hung over the arch. All the slaves were on one side of the room with their heads bowed, the Youkai were on the other, their heads held straight. Lord Inutaisho was standing with a guard at his back.

Two men in heavy armor carrying katanas at their sides and broadswords strapped to their backs came through the archway first and stood aside as Naraku came through, he was dressed in all black, wearing a cape made of the finest silk, his boots were created of genuine alligator leather. Long dark hair framed his face and was pulled back and held with a rubber band at the base of his neck, his face was slender his mysterious, calculating eyes seemed to pierce one's soul. He was definitely a good looking man, but he was giving off a cold aura, a feeling that made a few of the slaves in the crowd shiver with discomfort.

Walking behind Naraku were four beautiful women, two humans and two Youkai, their heads were bowed and they did not look around in any direction.

Naraku approached Inutaisho and bowed respectfully, just as Inutaisho did the same in return.

"Lord Naraku, welcome to my home." Inutaisho bowed again, "I hope you will have a pleasant stay."

Nodding once, Naraku glanced around taking in the view of the slaves and the Youkai. He then moved his attention back to Inutaisho. "Thank you for allowing me the privilege of staying in your beautiful home, Lord Inutaisho."

Inutaisho nodded and put his arm around Naraku's shoulders, "Come we shall feast and then tomorrow I will show you what you came to see." He led Naraku through the doors that led into the entry way from the left. The Youkai followed after Naraku and the slaves were last to leave the receiving room.

In the grand dining hall, Naraku was seated on Inutaisho's right side, which was reserved for the most important of demons. "Inutaisho, I have heard rumors that you have been a little lax with your slaves, that you give them liberties and let them lead lives outside of your servitude."

"That is true, they have some liberties, they do their work well when they are happy."

Naraku nodded, "It was also rumored that you have some of the most beautiful slaves and Youkai in residence here."

Inutaisho smirked, "That is also true, it is my nature to be surrounded by beautiful possessions and Youkai."

Inside the kitchen, Yuka had opened the double doors a crack and looked out, listening to what was being said. Ayumi looked over from the tray with the plates of the roast pheasant at Yuka. "So what's going on out there?"

"They are talking about beauty in the slaves and Youkai, I don't much like the look of Lord Naraku, he scares me."

"I got this weird vibe from him myself." Kagome said pouring champagne from the bottle into decanters.

Hojo was pouring red wine from bottles into decanters as well, "I think he is supposed to strike fear into everyone; That's how he maintains his rule over all." Hojo was part of the espionage; the intelligence group of slaves that would find out secrets and tell it to the head of the entire organization; Kaede Kunji. "What we haven't figured out is what keeps him in power over the other Youkai and humans."

"Are those two human women that he is with part of the intelligence group?" Miroku asked. While standing rather uncomfortably in his loin cloth with its beaded sun on the front and on the rear.

Hojo nodded, he too was uncomfortable in their costume but he didn't show it at all, he was taught not to show any of his emotions while serving for the cause. "Yes, those two humans names are Setsuna and Jun, they are in deep undercover."

"Well they seem to fit the profile of what Lord Naraku is looking for in female, they are the most beautiful humans I have ever seen," Kagome said.

Miroku grinned. "Ah Kagome, you're quite fetching yourself you know," he said placing a hand on her rear. He watched as she turned sharply at him. "Take your hand off my person unless you'd like to be eating glass." She gestured to the champagne decanter.

Taking his hand off her rear, "Oh I'd much rather like to be eating your-" Miroku was cut off by Hojo slamming his palm over his mouth muffling that last bit of what he was saying.

"You really are one nasty pervert, aren't you Miroku?" Hojo said removing his hand from Miroku's face.

Miroku just grinned. "Of course I am."

Kikyou came up the stairs from the slave quarters. "All right no more fooling around, everyone get out there and lets get this horrid evening over with." She felt really uncomfortable in these scraps of material, she looked over at her cousin who she too could see was really upset about it. Especially when Miroku couldn't keep his hands to himself. Kikyou rolled her eyes and took a glance at Miroku, he was staring at her she could make out a tiny blush caressing his cheeks. Hmm that has never happened before. She just hoped that this evening went well, without any problems.

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Well that's it for chapter 4, stay tuned for chapter 5. Now as I am working on several fanfictions at the same time this is the order of when they will be updated. *Clears throat* First update will be It Takes Two, second update will be A Slave's Tale, third update is my Inu/Ranma1/2 crossover, Big Trouble in Sengoku Jidia. So that means the next one to be updated will be the Inu/Ranma fic. This doesn't exactly tell you when I will be making updates, since I'm trying to write my novel to publish. But I'll get them out as soon as possible. Thanks everyone for the reviews, I really do appreciate them. ^_^

Thanks again,

Ryoko Blue