InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Captive Inu ❯ Chapter 1

[ A - All Readers ]

Lord Sesshomaru of the west walked a trail he'd walked countless times. He knew nearly every inch of his land as well as he knew his name. Following him was his young ward and retainer, as well as his pet dragon. The little girl was chattering away to no one in particular as she rode atop AhUn. Jaken trudged behind his lordship, rubbing his temples from the girl's incessant talking. Sesshomaru had learned to tune her out most times since her constant buzzing wreaked havoc on his overly sensitive ears.

 

Sesshomaru looked up. Past the trees he could see the rays of sunset as the sun hung low in the sky. It was time to settle in for the night. They'd reach his Western Palace tomorrow around midday. Although he didn't need the rest, he did take his young ward into consideration, something he'd never admit aloud. 

 

He stopped and spread his senses out, looking for a clearing. When he found one, he led his charges in that direction.

 

"Jaken," he said coolly. "There is a pond nearby. Fetch Rin some fish."

 

"Hai, milord!"

 

Rin dismounted AhUn and began collecting sticks for firewood, then strategically began the process of building a small fire. When Jaken returned with four fish, Sesshomaru coldly ordered him to watch over Rin. Then he left the clearing.

 

He went to the nearby pond he'd previously sent Jaken to, and knelt in the soft grass surrounding it. He cupped his hands to get water to drink. He stood up and narrowed his eyes at the sound of a twig snapping behind off to his side. He sent his aura out threateningly, telling others to stay away. A split second later, something slammed into him, so hard that he uncharacteristically fell on his bottom with something on top of him.

 

Angry that someone dared to attack him, much less knock him over, he shoved the being off and gracefully rose to his feet. He glared down at the other being as it jumped to its feet as well. "You dare attack me, boy? For that you will die." His claws began to glow green with his poison.

 

A single deep blue eye glared at him from under a thick tangle of black hair. The boy was filthy. Black smudges covered everywhere where his skin was supposed to be. His hair length was impossible to tell for it was dry and matted and caked with other mysterious muck, and was sticking up in random places. He was hunched over, though Sesshomaru suspected he was fairly tall, though slim.

 

Sesshomaru glared distastefully at the vermin, horrified that such filth had actually touched him. The boy turned his back on Sesshomaru, with the intent of running away, but Sesshomaru was having none of that. He used his poison whip to grab the boy. He slammed him against a nearby tree with enough force to break his bones, before dropping the boy in the pond. It wasn't a very deep pond, so the boy's face was only half submerged.

 

Sesshomaru took a step towards the boy. He paused when more footsteps approached rapidly. Seven rough looking youkai dressed as soldiers of some sort entered the area. They stopped upon seeing Sesshomaru. Their eyes, oddly void of any life, roamed the area, taking in the sight. The one who appeared to be the leader spoke in a low, hissing voice.

 

"We mean no harm, lord of the west. We only want the woman."

 

Sesshomaru quirked a brow and slanted a minute glance at what he'd thought was a boy, but gave no other expression. The boy was struggling to stand to his feet, all the while glaring at the men who'd just entered.

 

'Huh. He really was a woman', Sesshomaru thought with little interest.

 

Said "woman" shoved her hair out of her face. Half of her face was almost free of muck, revealing at least the shape of her face. Her chest rose and fell heavily, revealing breasts of a generous size. Her attire, what really looked to be old tattered rags covering her necessities, hung about her loosely. She was undoubtedly woman, though her physical appearance fooled others at first glance.

 

He turned his attention back to the men. "What need do you have of the woman?" He demanded impassively.

 

"With all do respect, my lord, it is none of your business."

 

"You trespassed in my territory," he said coolly. "You are in the west, in my lands. Everything is my business."

 

The men shared a look. "She belongs to our master," one answered reluctantly. "We are to return her to him at once."

 

The woman muttered something too low for Sesshomaru to hear. He noticed she was prepared to bolt and wrapped his whip around her again. She hissed in pain, but Sesshomaru ignored her. "Who is your master?"

 

Neither answered immediately. "It is forbidden to speak his name."

 

Sesshomaru shrugged nonchalantly. "She dared to attack me. She is now being taken into my custody. Tell your master if he would like her returned, he is welcomed to come get her himself."

 

Though their eyes were lifeless and their voices dead, something akin to shock entered one of their voices. "B-but he cannot-"

 

The leader elbowed him roughly, cutting him off. He glared at Sesshomaru. "My lord, we cannot return to our master without the woman. We will fight you if we must."

 

"Hn. Very well." He slammed the woman's head into a tree hard enough not to kill, but hard enough to render her unconscious. He dropped her, then faced his opponents. He cracked his knuckles, anticipating a good fight.

 

...

 

"Aahhh!" Her eyes flew wide open and she bolted upright as ice cold water soaked her body. Pain shot all throughout her body, the worst a pounding throb in her head. She stood in a shallow pond, the water barely reaching her ankles. She looked around frantically, her eyes landing on a white clad figure. She glared and bared her fangs at him, easily recognizing the son of a bitch who'd attacked her last night and just now dumped her in freezing water.

 

"You bastard!" She growled, her voice low and gravelly. Kami, it'd been so long since she'd actually used her voice. The sound was rough with years of unused.

 

The Daiyoukai glared right back at her, his face otherwise expressionless. He flared his youkai threateningly against her. She was not a coward, far from it in fact. However, she wasn't stupid. In her current condition she could hardly stand, much less fight someone as powerful as the Inu before her. The battle would be over before it even began. 

 

She turned her back on him, preparing to run. She'd barely taken a step when his poison whip wrapped around her again, stopping her. Gritting her teeth against the stinging poison, she allowed her own whip to come forth. She snapped it at him. He blocked it, something that might have been surprise flickering in his eyes before disappearing. He used his whip to once again slam her into a tree. She hit her head again, but not hard enough for her to lose consciousness.

 

She did, however, end up biting her tongue, causing blood to fill her mouth. She spit it out and inhaled sharply as the whip tightened enough to crack her ribs. She even felt one break. Breathing became a pain, but she forced herself to ignore it as she sent him a venomous look.

 

Between hissing breaths, she spoke: "You must...have...no...honor..." She gasped. "-to attack someone...too weak...to fight back."

 

His expression didn't change, but she could sense the change in his aura. His youkai flared angrily, and his whip tightened again. "If you think to goad me into freeing you, you are even more half witted than you look."

 

She stopped struggling, and bared her fangs at him. "Do what you want then. All I can do is warn you against the East."

 

That certainly got his attention. He stopped tightening his whip and walked to be face to face with her. "The East?"

 

She glared, saying nothing more. His scent grew impatient, and he roughly slammed her to the tree. "Answer me, wench."

 

She kept her mouth tightly shut. If he thought she was going to open up before him letting her go, he was sadly mistaken. She hadn't endured years of abuse by simply being submissive.

 

"What of the east?" He demanded again, shaking her. Her teeth rattled, but she still said nothing. His aura became even angrier, and he threw her to the ground. Before she could even try to get up, he kept her pinned there with a clawed hand at her throat. "Do not think I will not kill you, wench."

 

She glared up at him, seeing stars about his face. "Killing me will not get you the answers you seek."

 

His hand tightened painfully, his claws digging into the tender skin of her neck. She closed her eyes, knowing death hovered right above her. How cruel fate was. She had spent all those years in captivity, hardly ever seeing the light of day, and she'd finally escaped, only to die hours later at the hands of some stranger she'd accidentally ran into. 

 

Slowly his hand loosened, and he gracefully rose to his feet. She opened an eye, the one that wasn't covered by her wild hair, and looked up at him.

 

He was still glaring distastefully at her. His nose twitched so slightly it was near impossible to see. "You are an Inu," he said coldly.

 

She frowned. While she couldn't remember who she was, or even what her bloody name was, she did know what she was, at least. She didn't need that pointed out to her. "Hai, I am."

 

He sneered. "Inuyoukai and the dragons of the east have been enemies for ages. Yet, you came from the east."

 

She made a face. She knew almost nothing of youkai politics, mostly since she'd been trapped in that place for what seemed like an eternity. She had known, however, that the dragon population dominated the eastern lands of Japan. That didn't mean she'd exactly been a part of it.

 

"I assure you I've nothing to do with those...things," she said in disgust, years of hate showing in her tone.

 

"If I were to believe you, then why were you there in the first place?"

 

She bared her fangs again. "If you recall correctly I was running from the east."

 

"Hn. That does not answer my question."

 

She didn't answer for a few moments. It was too embarrassing to admit. But scenting his growing impatience, she sighed and glanced to the side. "I was taken," she said quietly. Of course, he'd heard it, thanks to his superior hearing.

 

"Taken," he said in disbelief. "As in kidnapped?"

 

She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw popped. Unwilling tears pricked the corner of her eyes, and she tried so hard to keep them back. One managed escape, however, but she viciously wiped it away. "Hai."

 

"And I am supposed to believe you?"

 

She turned a glare on him. "I don't care what you believe!" She snapped. "I don't know how it happened, or even why! All I remember is first waking up in a cold dark room what seemed like a millennium ago. I finally escaped just two days ago, and now here I am. Believe me, or not. That's your choice."

 

He was silent for a while, unnervingly so. His face gave away nothing. Even his aura seemed masked so it was impossible to tell what was going on in that pretty head of his. She took the time to reluctantly admire the bastard.

 

He held himself with an air of confidence, one that was annoyingly so. His long silver hair was like a river of silk flowing behind him. His amber eyes watched her thoughtfully, though his glare was firmly in place. Twin magenta stripes graced his cheeks, a visual sign of his noble birth. He was tall, and underneath his attire and armor she knew he was probably well-muscled. She knew she shouldn't be admiring him in such a way, but she couldn't help it. Even if he was likely to kill her and leave her there to rot, at least she could die seeing such a beautiful specimen.

 

"Do not think you will earn my pity, girl," he said finally, startling her.

 

She made a shocked sound, but her temper quickly rose. She jumped to her feet. Beautiful or not, his personality left very, very little to be desired. "I don't want your pity, you imbecile! I'm not a traitor, or spy, or whatever the bloody hell else. I don't know who I was, but I can assure you it was neither of those."

 

"Hn. It is easy to deny the truth." Before she could give an angry response, he continued. "However, I smell no lies coming from you. I will eventually determine the truth one way or another. In the meantime, you will be staying in the Western Palace, where you will remain until I decide what to do with you."

 

She sputtered. "Y-you ca... You cannot tell me what I am and am not going to do."

 

"I very well can," he said coolly. "You may come willingly or unwillingly, but you will come. I may also have to deal with your master in due time to negotiate your release."

 

She inhaled sharply, dark visions flashing before her eyes. "You...He is not my master! And please...please do not send me back with him. Please!"

 

He stared at her with emotionless eyes. If he knew half the things she'd suffered at that...thing's hands, surely he wouldn't be so heartless as to give her over to him.

 

With a "hn" he turned his back to her and began to walk away, clearly expecting her to follow. "Beggars are the lowest forms of life there are. Do not do it. And what I choose to do with you will depend on how much information you choose to share with me. We shall reach my home shortly after midday. I suggest you take that time to determine which of us you'd rather serve."

 

Distressed, she reluctantly trudged behind him. All she had to do was tell him the truth, right? To gain her freedom. Living in his home, regardless of what status, couldn't be half as bad as living in her former one.

 

She sighed in defeat. He'd no doubt ask about her life before the kidnapping. When she'd tell him she could remember almost nothing about her former life, he wouldn't believe her. How did one forget one's own name?

 

She rubbed her pounding temples, ignoring the hell that movement put on her broken ribs. 'My name,' she thought to herself. 'What is my name?'

 

She struggled to think, especially with the pounding still going on in her skull.

 

'Kagome.'

 

She jumped at the sound of the voice again. Heart racing, she looked around frantically, but could find no one other than the demon lord before her. It was the same voice that had spoken to her then night she'd escaped, when that weird pink bubble came from her chest. She'd thought she'd been imagining things, but here it was again.

 

'Kagome,' it said again.

 

'Um, hello?' She mentally called out tentatively. She immediately felt foolish for doing so, thinking she'd quite possibly gone mad.

 

'Kagome.'

 

'Why do you keep saying that? Who is Kagome?'

 

 

'Kagome. It is your name, my child. Kagome Higarashi.'