InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Between Darkness and Light ❯ Changes ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha, Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Between Darkness and Light

Chapter 2: Changes

By Cataluna

She waited patiently in the middle of a barren flat land. In her hands, she held two identical blades, and on her back was a crossbow. She stared at the horizon. The sun had refused to come out that day, not wanting to bear witness to the impending carnage and her possible defeat. She snorted. Even the gods, who had created her, had doubts about her victory.

The ground beneath her began to vibrate, but she stood firm. She was ready. She had been ready since her first fight against their kind, and perhaps since her birth into this world. She narrowed her eyes at the dark form of shadows speeding toward her.

They came at her quickly, carrying no weapons except for the fangs in their mouths and sharps nails at the end of their hands. The same wish and desire shone in each of their eyes, along with pure hatred. They did not want to simply kill her. They wanted to devour her, and make her to suffer.

She couldn't care less, for they were beneath her.

She didn't care about their hatred or the million of ways they wished for her death. She only cared for ridding her sight and the earth of their glowing eyes and sickening grins. It wasn't long before the blades in her hands were heavily coated with their blood. Heads rolled, limbs fell, and hot blood sprayed to her face. She fought with the power of Zeus, and the fury of Ares.

But it was too much, for their strength was in numbers. Her arms grew heavy, and her movements became sluggish. More came until all she could do was shut her eyes and wish for the end to come. She threw her head back and summoned the last of her strength.

There was light.

Then there was darkness.

Kagome gasped loudly, and jolted up from the softness of her pillow and the firmness of her mattress. Her nightgown stuck uncomfortably to her back, and wide eyes darted suspiciously around the room, while her mouth fell open to gulp for air. She pressed her hand tight against her heart to prevent it from bursting from her ribcage. She hugged her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut.

Her dream had ended but the nightmare continued.

She shuddered, and wiped her face, expecting to find a warm stickiness on her hand. The horrible images refused to fade. She could still see it, smell it. The scent of blood lingered on, overwhelming her senses. She gagged and ran stumbling into her bathroom.

~*~*~*~*~

She bent down to tie her shoes.

"Sis?" her brother called out from the sofa.

"Yea?"

"Where are you going?"

She blinked, her mind searching for an answer. She didn't really know where she was going, just that she needed to get out of here. She stared at her sneakers, "Just going out for a jog."

Souta got off the couch and stood against the opposite wall. He frowned at her running clothes and crossed his arms across his chest. "It's getting dark. The police want person to stay inside after dark… it's safer that way. Can't you wait till tomorrow morning to run?"

She bit her lips and thought momentarily at his suggestion. He had the right to be worried. No one went outside during the night anymore, and the sun had set. But it was too much; she couldn't stay inside any longer. She walked towards the door. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

He sighed wearily at her retreating form, and the opening and closing of the door.

~*~*~*~*~

She ran as fast as her body could take her, waiting for her lungs to burn and fatigue to come. She ran aimlessly, up one street and down another, concentrating only on the rhythmic pounding of her shoes.

It'd been a month already.

A month since the first of the many nightmares. Since then, her dreams had been filled with nothing but blood and gore. Each night was the same as the last. Terrible beings with sharp teeth and claws surrounded her from all sides until they were all she could see, all she could feel. Often times she would spend the remainder of the night waiting for the sun to rise and chase away her darkness.

She was afraid.

Afraid to sleep, afraid of what she was changing into, and the person she would become. She could feel herself changing, little by little, day by day. Every muscle in her body had been strengthening and tightening, giving her the athleticism and power she never thought she could process.

~Flashback~

With the lack of sleep, Kagome was on edge. It didn't help that Kouga was once again hitting on her, and calling her "his woman." Normally, she would politely remind him that they were not involved and walked away. This time, she didn't know what came over her. When he tried to put his arms around her, she practically lifted him into the air, and slammed him against the lockers. "I am NOT you fucking woman," she hissed, before releasing him.

Kouga, along with a dozen students gathered in the hall to witness this weekly fiasco, were shocked beyond belief at her strength. After all, Kouga was not a tiny man. Kagome couldn't believe what she had done either. She muttered a quick apology, and left quickly before she was confronted with questions.

~End Flashback~

She smiled bitterly. He had stopped bothering her. In fact, everyone at school had stopped bothering her. Rumors were spread; gossips were shared. Everywhere she went she could hear them whispering:

"I heard that she's on drugs…"

"No, she's in a gang."

"Kouga said that she's seeing a psychiatrist…"

"Did you see her tattoo?"

`If they only know…" The red phoenix on her right shoulder blade was not a tattoo; it had appeared without explanation overnight. Her nightmares had oddly coincided with the mysterious killings that had the entire police department baffled, and the residents of Tokyo running scared. Or that her body was preparing. But for what, and what was she changing into? Was she turning into the girl in her dream, a killing machine without mercy and emotions? `That would really give them something to talk about,' she thought bitterly.

She shook her head and continued, almost colliding with the old lady in her path. The elderly woman appeared to be in her sixties and had an eye patch over her right eye. She stood there with the support of a wooden cane in her left hand. Her gaze was sharp and penetrating, despite her old age and physical condition. "Excuse me," Kagome mumbled, attempting to move past her.

She blocked her path with her cane. "My name is Kaede. Please come with me, we have much to discuss."

~*~*~*~*~

Kagome looked at her watch; it was almost midnight. She was surprisingly calmed considering the fact that she was sitting on someone's tombstone, and alone with an old woman she had just met. She fiddled with the crossbow in her hand. It looked almost identical to the one she had used in her dream, except that this one was heavier and made of metal, or maybe she was just weaker. Kaede'd said that most slayers were expert archers. `Most slayers…'

Kaede was a watcher, her watcher to be exact, and she had been desperately searching everywhere for her since the death of the last slayer, Kikyo. Finally, someone understood what she was going through. The old woman knew about her nightmares, the mark of the phoenix, and the changes happening to her body. According to Kaede, she was the next slayer, destined to protect mankind from demons and vampires. The dreams were her calling, and the phoenix was her badge of honor.

She stole a glance at the old woman mediating beside her. Everything made perfect sense. Still, she couldn't believe she had let "her watcher" talk her into going to a cemetery so late at night, and carrying dangerous weapons. There must be other girls out there who were more suitable for this. She opened her mouth to tell her that this had to be some kind of mistake. But instead, a low moan escaped from her lips when a jolt of electricity suddenly pulsed through her body.

A blur ran toward her at full speed, knocking her flat on the ground. He grinned at her with a sickening smile, and pushed her neckline aside, lowering his mouth to her neck. He froze, and pulled back slowly to look at her, then at the arrow sticking out from his chest, before slumping forward. Her breathing grew rapid as she tried to maintain some sort of sanity. She closed her eyes and pushed his body off of her.

Kagome saw that another vampire was attacking her watcher. She moved to help her, but was pulled into a rough embrace. His claws dug deeply into her arms, while she tried to get loose. Her struggling only served to excite him further. "You're a pretty little thing," he stated in a matter of fact. "If you're good, I'll get him to turn you into one of us." She shuddered as he began to roughly kiss at her neck, bruising the delicate skin. She held her breath and waited.

He released his hold on her and she fell on her bottom. She lightly touched the cuts on her arms and stared at the blood on her blouse. She let out a sob at the dawning of a realization, and covered her face with her hands. `God, I could have been killed by th-that thing.' Angry words were exchanged and a brief struggle was heard from behind, ending with the painful howl from the creature. She didn't dare to look even at the sound of footsteps approaching.

He stopped in front of her, and cleared his throat. "You're alright?"

"Yes," she replied hesitantly, her voice sounding small and shaky. It wasn't the truth, but it was probably what he wanted to hear. She didn't think that she would ever be "alright" after this, but she wasn't about to burden her rescuer with her problems. She uncovered her face and looked up, "Thank yo-"

It took all her willpower to keep from gasping in surprise at the sight of the man scowling down at her. He was devastatingly handsome. Tall and muscular, dressed in a red silk shirt and a black leather jacket. His hair was usual, long and silver, filling her with envy. She ran a hand through her locks, wondering if his hair was as silky as it appeared to be. But the most beautiful thing about him was his eyes, his amber eyes. She had never seen anything like it. They seemed to burn and crackle with a life of their own.

"Oy, you're done looking?" he asked, a slight annoyance seeped through his face.

She looked down at her hands, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She had not realized she was staring. Moments passed before she had the courage to meet his eyes again. She raised her head, only to discover he was walking away. "Wait!"

He paused.

She stood up quickly, almost crumbling on her shaky knees. "My name is Kagome, what's yours?"

"Inuyasha," he replied without looking back at her, before continuing on his way.

Kagome watched with disappointment as he disappeared into the shadows. Spying a black velvet box in front of her feet, she picked it up and opened it. Inside, was a beautiful silver cross attached to rosary beads.

"Child, are you okay?" Kaede asked.

Kagome took the cross out and held it gently in her hands. "Yea." She stole another glance into his direction.