InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos is his Middle Name ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Kill. Murder. Slaughter. His life was one massacre after another. Killing was his one purpose in life. It was the only thing he knew. Yet as he gazed out his barred window he couldn’t help but wish it weren’t. His mind flashed onto a picture of the woman who he’d spared. He’d never let anyone else escape. Not even when they begged for their lives. So why had he left her alive? So what if she’d cried? He’d seen tons of tears before and none of them had ever effected him.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. No, the worst part was that he couldn’t seem to get her out of his head. He thought about her constantly. Ever since she’d tried to touch him in the woods, she’d never left his mind. She was driving him insane. He could remember every detail about her. The way her emotions played on her face, the delicious smell of her scent, how her lips had looked so inviting . . . He remembered all of it.

Just what was it exactly that make him respond to her this way? It frustrated him to no end. Why hadn’t he been able to kill her? She hadn’t even begged for her life! This was his purpose. The one thing he knew how to do well and with one pitiful look from that human girl he felt like the monster deep down he knew he was.

He let out a sigh that had build up in his chest. His thoughts were getting depressing again. It had been two weeks since he’d seen the girl and yet she was still fresh on his mind. He had tried everything he could think of to get her out of his head, but every attempt had been in vain. He stood up and paced his small domain. He took each step with care, forcing himself to concentrate on walking.

One step, two step, three step . . . Urgh! Her face was still there! It took all of his strength not to go and track her down the last time he was sent to massacre a village and he didn’t think it was going to get any easier. Maybe he should give in and track her down. Find her, have his way with her, and then kill her. Maybe if he went through with this seemingly easy plan he could get her off his mind.

But as he imagined the girl pale and limp his body flinched from the image. Why was he so opposed to seeing this one human dead? Had she really made such an impression on him that he didn’t have the will to kill her? The very thought scared him.

Fear. How he hated the emotion. A angry growl rumbled in his chest as he brought his fist back and released his frustration against the stone wall. Little loose stones fell to the ground caused by the vibration. He let out a sigh as he weakly laid his head against the wall and halfheartedly pounded against it with the bottom of his fist. What was he going to do?

His ears twitched as he heard footsteps nearing his confinement. The only time anyone came to visit him was to send him out to kill. So it wasn’t a surprise to him when the man who condemned him to this life walked into his prison. He peered at the man who walked in and then looked back down at ground. He already knew what he wanted.

The man chuckled. “Half-breed, why do you look so down?” When he didn’t answered the man chucked again. “Well, I’ve got just the thing to lift your spirits.” The half demon didn’t even look over when the man paused. “There’s a village right off the coast that I’d like you to visit. Seems they’re getting picky about the raise in their taxes I issued last week. I’d like you to go and change their minds. . . . Permanently.”

The demon showed no sign that he had heard what his master had said, instead he lifted his head to look out his barred window again. “You will leave at sundown and return in three days time.” And with that said, the man left. The half demon let out a sigh. Another killing spree. He shouldn’t feel culpable. After all, it was his purpose in life. Had been his purpose in life for a little over seventeen years now. But as he pictured the girl’s face again a tiny part of him, that he feared was starting to grow, didn’t want this life anymore.

However, he really didn’t have a say in the matter. His life had been planned out for him since he had been a child. He had been a prisoner for a long time. Since the day his mother was killed.

His mother. He couldn’t even remember what she looked like or what her soothing voice sounded like. The only sound he could remember of her was the shrill cry she let out right before she was murdered. The haunting sound never left his memory nor the image of her body dropping to the floor.

He glared down at his claws. Would she despise the thing he had become? He tightened his hands into fists, sinking his nails into his palms and watched as his blood pool around his talons. He would spill more innocent blood tonight. Hear more screams and cries for help. Watch people beg for their lives. And he would show no mercy. He would spare not one life.

The picture of the girl flashed in his mind again. He had spared her life. For reasons unknown to him. She was making him weak and he didn’t appreciate it. He had to do something about her. He would not be tormented by one insignificant human any longer. He had three days to himself. He would track her down and . . . What? Kill her? What he should have done to begin with. He couldn’t picture himself slaying her. So what would he do when he found her? He couldn’t bring her back here. She wouldn’t last long. Not with the sick bastard that was his master.

He exhaled slightly as he accepted the fact that he would never see the girl again. He would just have to live with another memory haunting him for the rest of his days. He looked out the window and realized that it was getting close to sunset. He sat and watched as he started the process of locking up his emotions. They were useless when he had a job to do and only got in his way. As each emotion was pushed to the back of his mind, he felt his features become blank.

He had been so busy clearing his sentiments that he had failed to hear the footsteps and the rattling of keys as the guard unlocked his door. He made his way out of the cell and eventually out of the castle. Once out in the fresh air, he took off at top speed toward the village that would soon be filled with terror.

It only took a few hours to get there and it was well past dust. Many of the villagers had already gone inside and gone to bed, but there was still some late night wanderers. They would be the first to die. Slowing his run to a walk, he calmly walked up behind the unsuspecting man, probably walking home for the night. He must of sensed that someone was behind him because he looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened at the sight he saw and was about to let out a yell, but the monster was faster. It slit the man’s throat and watched as he fell to the ground to quickly bleed to death. It then made its way faster through the village slicing through anything in its way. Soon the fires that had once kept the villagers’ home’s warm spread throughout the small town. It slashed though the sides of huts and killed the occupants inside.

When the shock of what was happening to them finally wore off, the villagers began to defend themselves and started to fight back. It chuckled darkly to itself. As if they had a chance at succeeding. It deflected the arrow they shot and crushed the blades they swung at it. It soon killed the people who attacked him only leaving the defenseless ones to deal with. The night of horror would soon end. With no survivors.

It ransacked the rest of the still standing huts and slaughtered the people inside. Mostly women and children. When it arrived at the last hut there was a woman holding a crying baby to her chest with tears streaming down her face. She looked up at her killer and let out a distressed cry. “Please. Don’t do this.”

A memory of his mother came to mind and he hesitated. He looked at the woman with some recognition, but only briefly before he pushed his emotions back once one. It raised his claws again and swiped the woman in half. Successfully killing her and the infant in one blow. He hadn’t realized that he had squeezed his eyes shut unlit he had to force them open. He quickly looked away from the now lifeless woman and child and fled the hut. The night was silent except for the crackling of the fires around him. It was over. At least for now.

Without even looking at his handiwork, he escaped to the nearby forest.

Kagome stretched into the morning sun. Enjoying the feel of it as it warmed her skin. How she loved the sun. Everything about it thrilled her. She let out a laugh as she twirled around like she had when she was a little girl.

“Kagome, breakfast is ready.” Sango called as Kagome stopped twirling. She shook her head as she watched the younger woman make her way over to them. For the last week they had been traveling and Kagome had turned out to be nothing but a godsend. She’d help Sango when she began to slow and carried most of the load when she got tired. Sango was very grateful to Kagome, but she sometimes couldn’t help but think that maybe Kagome got more than she bargained for when she told them she was coming with them.

Kagome sat down next to Sango and across from Miroku. “So what are we having?” she asked cheerfully.

“You’re always so cheerful in the morning Kagome. I’d hate to think of what our state of minds would be like if you hadn’t tagged along.” Miroku chuckled as he passed her a steaming bowl of rice. It was the only thing left they had to eat. They’d have to stock up in the next village.

Kagome smiled and thanked him for the rice. “I just love being outdoors. It’s so beautiful out here and I can’t wait till we reach the coast.” Kagome eyes filled with excitement. “When do you think we’ll get there?”

Sango laughed at Kagome’s giddiness. “Kagome you remind me of a child sometimes.” Kagome playfully scowled at her.

“I can’t help it. You have no idea how long I’ve been cooped up in one place. I’ve never traveled before.” She paused as she looked at her surroundings. “It’s so exciting to see new places.”

“I think we’ll come across the coast before noon today.“ Miroku wiped away some of the excess rice off his lips as he spoke. Kagome‘s eye‘s lit up with anticipation. “I can only hope our good fortune stays that way as we see more of the country. I’m starting to feel as if our good luck is shifting.”

Kagome didn’t respond. She too was hoping they never came across anything horrific. Though the odds of never coming across it were slim. It was the point of their journey after all. Still she wished they’d at least have a little more time to enjoy themselves before they had to get down to business.

“I’ve been feeling the same way, Miroku.” Sango replied. “It seems like we’ve gone too long without anything happening.” Kagome looked from Sango to Miroku, who nodded in agreement. She let out a sigh. How she hated to see their contentment end.

After finishing their breakfast, they quickly packed up their belongings and started on their way. Their pace was steady and what little conversation they had was mostly about their surroundings. After walking for a couple of hours, Sango began to tire. Kagome took the load she was carrying so she wouldn’t over exert herself. “Miroku let’s take a short break. I think Sango’s back is bothering her.”

“No, that’s alright. I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.” Sango disagreed, but Miroku was already placing his stuff on the ground.

“Come now Sango, I wouldn’t mind the rest either.” He sat next to his belongings and then winked at Kagome when Sango moved to take her things from her. She smiled in return. It was their way of getting Sango to rest. She’d never admit when she was tired so Kagome and Miroku took it among themselves to initiate the breaks.

Sango took a seat on the ground next to Miroku and let out a sigh. “How much further do you think the coast is?”

Kagome soon joined them. “I hope it’s close.”

“It should be only an hour walk from here.” He rummaged through his bag a moment before pulling out a bottle of water. He took a swig then passed it to Sango. She thanked him and then took a drink herself. Screwing the cap back on she then passed it to Kagome.

“An hour?” Kagome said as she accepted the drink. “That’s not that long.”

“No it’s not too bad. Like I said before. We’ll make it there before noon.” Kagome took a quick drink and then handed it to Miroku, who put it back in his bag. “I guess we should keep moving.” Kagome nodded then got up to go help Sango stand. She didn’t accept the help at first, but when she staggered she didn’t do anything to prevent Kagome from helping her.

As the hour passed, Kagome could feel the excitement pumping through her veins. She couldn’t wait to get that first glimpse of the ocean. To feel the fresh breeze on her face. She had to force herself not to walk any faster than she already was. “Kagome!” Miroku called from a couple of steps behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him. “It should be right over this hill!”

“Kay!” she called back before she took off at a run up the side of the steep hill only to stop dead in her tracks. Miroku had been right about the ocean, but the magnificence of the water was not what caught her eye. It was almost déjà vu for her. Running up the hill to spot a destroyed village. The only difference was the neighboring ocean. The breeze swept through her hair as she turned her sight away from the destruction.

“Kagome is everything alright?” Sango asked as she and Miroku came to stand beside her. Sango’s intake of breath was Kagome’s indication that she saw the village. She also heard Miroku’s almost silent prayers.

As he brought his hand down from prayer, he looked over at the two women and sighed. “Let’s go see if there’s any survivors.” They nodded and then made their way down the hill. It took them another hour to sort through all the corpses only to come up empty handed. There were no survivors this round.

Kagome looked around the nearly totaled town with saddened eyes. He had done this. She was sure of it and she knew that Sango and Miroku were sure of it as well. Her mother had been right. This senseless killing had to stop, but she wasn’t about to go and kill the person who had done this. It would only add to the already high death count.

She watched as Miroku lined the bodies to prepare them for their burials. How many more would have to suffer before this would all be over with? Did he even regret what he did? Did the endless killing sprees keep him up at night? She wanted to confront him. To see if what she had saw that day in the woods had actually happened. To make sure her imagination hadn’t made it up.

She let out a sigh and was about to go over and help Miroku bury the dead when she heard someone running. At first she thought she hadn’t heard right, but as she listened closely she heard the grass crinkling under fast footfalls. She was on the verge of turning around and finding out who was traveling at such a speed when the sound stopped. Though she could feel the presence right behind her, the feeling of unknown raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Finally deciding it was time to turn around, she preceded to do so slowly.

She gasped when she came face to face with the very man who had destroyed the village. Though unlike last time, his eyes were not vacant. They held a certain curiosity and the more she stared into them, the more she found herself being pulled into a trace.

“Kagome what are--” Miroku cut himself off as he noticed who she was standing in front of. His eyes clouded with hate as he stared at the monster who had taken so many lives. “Beast! Don’t you dare lay a hand on her!” He reached into his robe and pulled out three sutras.

The man looked over at the monk and growled menacingly when he saw that he was approaching them. The monk hesitated as he tried to think of a better way of advancing. The man looked back down at the girl who had plagued his thoughts and brought his hand up to wipe a stray hair out of her face. The girl shivered at his touch causing him to smirk.

“I said not to touch her!” Miroku looked like he was about to fire a sutra at him, but Kagome stopped him.

“Miroku don’t. Please.” Kagome pleaded causing Miroku to stop in his tracks in confusion.

“Kagome, please be careful. You don’t know what this thing is capable of!” Sango shouted from her spot a few feet behind Miroku.

But she did know. She had seen the same destruction as Sango had, but she also knew that he wouldn’t hurt her. He had had his chance two weeks ago. She licked her dry lips as she reached out a hand to touch his face. He watched her hand with a guarded expression. As her hand gently stroked his cheek, his eyes widened in amazement. No one had ever touched him like that. With no sign of a threat. He cautiously took the hand that was still on his face and held it tenderly in his. His eyes never left hers as he did the action, but he could tell that she was confused as to way he had stopped her. He brought her hand up to his lips and very softly kissed her knuckles.

“Kagome!” Miroku fired a sutra at the beast only to miss due to him jumping out of the way with Kagome in his arms. An enraged growl rumbled in his chest as Kagome’s eyes widened. “You let her go you demon!” He sent another one his way only to miss again.

Kagome could tell that the man holding her was getting furious. So she gripped his shirt tighter as she spoke. “Please don’t hurt them.”

He looked down at the girl, took in her pleading eyes and then growled one more time at the offending monk before he took off from the scene. Carrying a shocked Kagome with him.

“No! Kagome!” Miroku shouted after them. He felt Sango run up beside him with horrified eyes. What were they going to do now?