InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Compelled By Love ❯ A Turn for the Worst ( Chapter 4 )

Compelled by Love

By: Jazmin Turner

Chapter Four:

A Turn for the Worst

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Anyone can be a father. It takes a special person to be a dad.

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"Twelve years hasn't changed your beauty a bit. You are still stunning!" Noburo said, wriggling his eyebrows, while handing Queen Higurashi a rose. She batted it away.

"Cheap flattery and gifts won't work. Not this time," she said stubbornly, acting just as Kagome would in her situation.

"But honey," Noburo whined.

"Kagome sure seemed upset about something yesterday; do you have something to do with it?" The Queen shot her husband a slanted look.

"Of course I do! She wanted to go to some stupid banquet with a hormonal teenage boy named Inu…Inuyappa…Inutrasha…And I told her that I will not allow her to get pregnant at such a young and tender age!" Noburo slammed his fist into his palm to prove a point. "I'm still good at the whole dad thing, aren't I?"

"Oh Noburo! How could you!?" His smirk vanished.

"What?"

"Kagome has a big crush on Inuyasha and he was taken away from her a few weeks ago. She has been so depressed without him and it hurts to see her like this!"

"Big crush? On him? That just justifies my decision! She would give into his desires if she is in love with him."

"But you don't even know the boy! He's a real sweetie and gentlemen. He'd never take advantage of Kagome - he likes her, too! How could you judge someone you don't even know?" Noburo opened his mouth to protest.

"Well I was being a dad…dads don't think when their precious children are in trouble…erm…"

"But you've been gone for twelve years Noburo! Twelve years! I'm beginning to regret my decision to let you back in the castle," she added, mumbling inaudibly under her breath. "You probably crushed her heart when you said no! I have to go and talk to her!"

She rushed off urgently, pale magenta skirts swirling around her slim body as she worked hard to keep up a steady, ladylike trot without falling flat on her face.

"Stupid girl! Everything was fine until she came along!" he growled furiously. "But crushed her heart, huh? Good."

***

Kagome thought she sure was lucky to be a hanyou. If not, that awful bruise would have burdened her for another few days and questions and suspicions would be aroused. She unconsciously ran a clawed hand over her now healed skin as she turned the page in her diary. The loud scratching sounds of her quill on the rough parchment filled the room.

Guess what? After 12 freaking years my father just decides to show up on the doorstep! And Mama lets him in the castle! I mean…how dumbis that? He obviously doesn't care about us and his story, on how he was actually killed, was so fake I thought I would gag. The only good thing about yesterday was that I got a letter from Inuyasha! Can you believe it? He wants me to come to a banquet that he's having at his house. We would have been able to dance for hours and hours and we would have kissed and cuddled and then maybe I could have told him how I actually feel about him. But Noburo said no. And when I protested he slapped me! He honest-to-god slapped me! And hard too! I just know he is not my father. I can sense it. Hanyou instinct is rarely wrong, especially canine hanyous.

His scent seems like a normal human's and I can't string together any evidence to make Mama throw him out of the castle! I just know he's going to ruin my life, Mama's life, he's going to ruin my relationship with Inuyasha, and, most importantly, he's going to destroy everything we've worked hard for to help the Higurashi Kingdom! I hate him!

With an irritated growl Kagome crumpled the piece of parchment up into a ball and tossed it into the dark, messy confines of her bedroom.

There was a soft rap on the door.

"May I come in?"

Kagome ignored the alluring urge to say 'no' and start devising ways to kill Noburo slowly and painfully, but she yelled, "Whatever" with a sigh of resignation.

Queen Higurashi opened the door with a loud creak and poked her head through the crack to peer somewhat owlishly at her daughter, who was currently sulking at her desk.

"Are you okay honey?" Kagome bit the inside of her cheek to curb all of the insults that she could have thrown at her mother. It was her fault Noburo had sprung back into their lives. It was her fault that she'd probably never get to see or talk to Inuyasha again. It was her fault she got slapped!

But all she did was draw blood from her sharp fangs cutting into her sensitive flesh and groan as the disgusting, metallic taste filled her mouth. Having the super sharp senses of a hanyou had it's downsides as well as advantages…

"Fine, Mom." Queen Higurashi slipped into the room and sat rather timidly on her Kagome's bed. It gave a loud, agonizing squawk of protest. The hanyou sighed and picked up her quill and started writing. The headline was: The Top 10 Ways to Kill Noburo.

Give him to a pack of hungry, human-eating demons Leave him out in the woods to starve Boot him off a cliff Poison his wine Shoot him with a musket Break every bone in his body Hit him with an arrow Throw him back into the woods Run him through with Inu's sword Rip him to shreds

I've only had to deal with him for two days, and I'm already sharpening my claws, Kagome thought idly, smirking as she looked down at her nails, which did, in fact, seem sharper. She ran a hand through her hopelessly disheveled hair and shot her mother a wry look.

"Kagome…I know that you probably hate me for letting Noburo back into the castle," Got that damn right. "But you've got to see it from my point of view!"

"What point of view?" Kagome blinked stupidly as she stared at the corner of her desk, which was tipped in metal. She slid one of her claws along it, and it made a loud, irritating grating sound, but it made the tips of her claws much sharper.

"Well…" Queen Higurashi wrung a handful of her magenta skirt in her small, pale hands. "Well…Imagine if Inuyasha left you. I know that you know you love him. Very much. Imagine if you knew him longer, for years and years. And you two were King and Queen of the Higurashi-Yoshitomi Kingdom. You then had a beautiful daughter, but Inuyasha had to go to war. And he never came back." The Queen paused in her analogy to let out a loud, wet sniffle. She wiped her eyes and continued. "You thought he was dead and your daughter grew and grew. She was the most gorgeous, wonderful, yet extremely wild girl that you have ever known, but you loved her all the same. You wished that she had a manly influence. And then Inuyasha walks back through that door. Looking almost as handsome as he did all those many, many years ago. His story may seem phony, but you know for a fact that this is the man that you have come to know and love. You cannot refuse him. Because he is a part of you."

There was the long, high-pitched grating sound of Kagome's claw on metal before she stood up, her chair falling on its back in her haste.

"It's not the same! Inuyasha would never leave me for 12 years!" she yelled suddenly. Queen Higurashi stared at her for some time, mouth agape, before hopping to her feet as well.

"But honey - you are so young - he is so young. Things happen."

"Don't you understand? HE WOULDN'T LEAVE ME! He might not love me, but Inuyasha wouldn't abandon me for twelve years and just show up on my doorstep, acting as if he was never gone in the first place! He's not a jerk like Noburo!"

"Don't you dare say that about your father, young lady! Don't you dare! He helped make you!"

"Then I wish I'd never been born! I can't believe I'm related to that stinking piece of trash! I can't believe I have some of his personality traits! Mom, don't you get it? He's treacherous!"

"Your father would never betray us, nor our Kingdom, Kagome! Don't you understand?"

"NO!"

"Don't you dare speak to me like that, Kagome! You are grounded, you hear? Grounded!"

"Who cares! It's better than spending time with him!" The angered girl stooped down to fix her fallen chair.

"Kagome!"

"I'm leaving!" Kagome turned to go.

"GET BACK HERE!"

Kagome whipped around and slammed her balled fist down so hard on the table that ripples of thick fissures erupted from the wood and spread like a flaming wildfire. Queen Higurashi gasped, tears in her eyes.

"K…Kagome."

The same wild feeling that Kagome had felt during her furious fight with Noburo awakened. She gasped, going rigid, as the cold, freezing and ice cold seeped into her bones, freezing her. Her rage escalated, consuming her, carrying her away. Darkness coated her hazy vision and her mother's voice began to grow farther and farther away. Kagome felt pain, extreme pain, coursing through her veins and it seemed as if she would never be happy again. Her head began to pound, faster and faster, harder…It made her knees buckle and her body screamed with protest as she tried to fight off unconscious.

What's happening to me? HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!

But she clung to her sanity by a thread. It snapped.

HELP!!! PLEASE!

"HELP!" the words exploded, unrestrained, from her cold, pale lips. With her mother's feather light touch on her shoulder, the feeling dulled. Warmth began to overcome the darkness she felt in her heart. Slowly, but surely, piece by piece, Kagome became herself again, but the pain was still raw and fresh.

She felt her mother's fingers digging into her flesh and her shrill screams faded away into darkness. And all she knew was a world of black.

***

"My distraction has succeeded!" Urasue chuckled, an impish smile splitting her worn face. The enormous Higurashi Castle was now in plan view and she could practically taste her victory. Delicious and bittersweet. Her distraction didn't fail and now with everyone focused on it, she could move in and steal Kikyou's remains without much interference.

After a few more long minutes of struggling through the dense, prickly foliage, Urasue made it to the castle gates, created from pure, cold iron, the twirling turrets practically brushing the pewter gray clouds above. With a bored yawn, Urasue pressed her wrinkled hands, adored with glittering bangles and overly large rings, against the iron and muttered a few dark words under her breath. There was a huge, creaking sound that split the choking silence and the gate fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Urasue could sense Kikyou's ashes close by. It was a shame that the miko had died - she would have been more powerful if she had been alive, but she would just have to make due. Waddling quickly on her fat, stumpy legs, Urasue made her way over to Kikyou's gravesite.

"Hey you there!" She turned and her already bulging eyes widened. A mere cluster of ten, bumbling guards rushed over to her, swords drawn, eyes narrowed.

"Hello gentlemen. What can I do for you?"

"Don't give us a reason to slit your throat!" The first guard with curly red hair pressed the cool metal of his blade against Urasue's throat. The spectator swallowed harshly, her throat bobbing.

"What do you want with the Higurashi Kingdom?"

"I am just an old woman, my boys. You would kill me?" She looked at them pleadingly, but the redhead never withdrew is weapon.

"Yes, for Queen Higurashi, we'd do anything!" Urasue let out a low, raspy chuckle.

"Even give up your lives?"

"Yes."

"Oh." With uncharacteristic speed, Urasue grabbed the blade pointed at her throat and chanted a few ancient spells under her breath. A large crack slowly made its way up the sword, smaller fissures stemming from it, until the blade shattered and sprayed everyone with shards of metal. The redhead gulped and wiped blood from his mouth.

"You!"

The man clutched her robes, but withdrew his hand suddenly. The other guards looked at him and gasped - his hand was coated with flames! Digging through her pockets, Urasue blew fiery red dust on the yelling men and said, "Combustion." They exploded into flames.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the redhead screeched.

Urasue shook her head.

"Fools!" She continued walking and finally made it to Kikyou's gravesite, an arch, taller than the old woman herself spread five feet high and five feet long, over a clutter of wilting or dead flowers, obviously very old tributes from grieving family members. Urasue knocked them to the side, stuck her arm into the ground, and pulled out a handful of ashes. She cackled wildly. "YES! YES! YES! The treasured remnants of the dead miko!"

Urasue turned to leave, but not before smirking up at the castle, knowing for a fact, that the people inside knew nothing of her plans, her victory, nor her spy and distraction planted within.

She made a hurried bow and grinned.

"Thank you Noburo. You will be greatly rewarded for your services."

***

"I don't know what's wrong with Kagome!" Queen Higurashi muttered, running her hand through her dark hair splashed with white. "We were fighting one moment and the next…"

Noburo caught her wrist.

"Fighting? Our daughter was fighting with you?" The Queen nodded.

"But it's a teenage thing, a mere phase she's going through. Or maybe it's hormones. She's very sensitive about her relationship with Inuyasha. It's was my fault, I shouldn't have brought him up." She pulled herself from Noburo's numbing grasp and massaged her sore wrist.

He rubbed his whiskery chin, falling deep in thought.

"It seems….it seems as if all of your hardships are centered on that stupid boy! That's why I think he should be eliminated from Kagome's life."

Queen Higurashi groaned in annoyance. But she returned her attention to her daughter, who was currently tucked away in her bed, eyes closed as she breathed in deeply, black haired streaked with bands of silver fanned out over her pillow. She stroked Kagome's adorable, fuzzy ears and they twitched lightly.

"If we took Inuyasha away from Kagome, she'd be depressed! I could never make my daughter unhappy on purpose," Queen Higurashi said firmly as she tweaked Kagome's ears.

"But Koi," Noburo protested loudly. "We have to! This boy, Inu…whatever - could cause major problems in this family and Kingdom!" Koi stood up and put her fisted hands on her hips.

"No! I said no! I may have let you back into my life, but you are not going to run it!"

"I wasn't trying to," he muttered.

"Why don't you stay and see if she wakes up. I have some important matters to attend to." She stomped out of the room.

"It seems that our relationship is failing because of you!" Noburo snarled, glaring at Kagome with his tiny, milky eyes. "You should be eliminated." In an instant, he had his thick, scarred hands wrapped around Kagome's neck. She squirmed violently, all of the color falling from her face.

Her eyes popped open and she gasped. Noburo was trying to choke her! Her head was pounding furiously, her throat was burning, and everything was becoming white…she couldn't see… He suddenly removed his hands and glared at her. Kagome massaged her throat, coughing loudly, gasping for air, like a fish out of water.

"It's your fault!" he screamed. As soon as Kagome regained her composure, she leapt from her bed and slammed a fist into his stomach. Noburo looked at her, unfazed. Her punch didn't hurt him? Most people would have been on the floor by now, writhing in pain. Kagome tried again, but before her fist could make contact with him, he caught her hand. "Stupid girl!"

He began to squeeze with demon like strength and she could feel her circulation stopping. Noburo increased his pressure and grinned maliciously when he heard the loud crack of her bones. She forced the salty tears to remain in her eyes, no matter how much it burned.

Noburo was no ordinary human or even a human for that matter. She may have been extremely strong, but she was no match for a full demon alone. Was Noburo a demon? Was that why everything about him was strange? Her hand screamed in pain as Noburo cracked a few more bones.

"No more," she whimpered. He grinned annoyingly, showing off his nasty yellow teeth. "No more!" Noburo released her hand. She would just have to forget about her loses if she still wanted to have two hands that worked. Kagome let out a puppy like whine as she examined her hand, which was now sporting several bruises, and she was certain Noburo had fractured a few bones.

She was positive now. He was definitely not her father. And once she figured out a way to defeat him, he was going down!

Her nasty thoughts were cut short when Noburo began speak.

"Stupid, foolish girl. You may have the strength of a hanyou, but I have the strength of a full demon. And I think it's time you gave me some kind of apology."

"No!"

"I guess your mother will have to know that you attacked me."

"You were trying to kill me! You conniving little motherfu-"

"Foul language will not be accepted in this castle, Kagome."

"I'll never say sorry to you! I'd rather die first!"

"Oh no, my little Kagome. I have something much better for you to do."

"What?" she ground out.

"I want you to write a little letter to someone."

"Who?"

"Why, none other than Inuyasha!"

"Huh?"

Noburo was definitely planning something. And Kagome was positive it wasn't good.

***

"You're going to marry him."

"What!" Kagome cried. "Are you freaking serious?"

Noburo smiled.

"Yes."

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"I thought you'd be happy."

"I will not marry I guy I don't know! I haven't even seen his face! I don't know what his personality is like, either. I'll be miserable! You can't make me!"

"You're just mad because he isn't Inuyasha." A flush formed on Kagome's cheeks. But she covered it up by inspecting her bruised hand.

Noburo had really done a number on her. The only reason she had agreed to talk to him was because he threatened to tell her mother that she had attacked him. 'But you attacked me first!' she had protested. But Noburo was a good liar with a firm resolve. She just couldn't faze him. At least for now.

Kagome folded her arms over her chest, glaring at her father.

"No means no! He could be abusive for all I know! Or possessive! Or a rapist! Arranged marriages suck and you can't make me marry…make me marry this Kouga guy!" Kagome snapped stubbornly, honey brown eyes flaming.

"You will!"

"You expect me to care about you when you were gone for 12 years? You expect me to respect you? You can't just come back and act as if nothing ever happened, and start making orders and abusing people the moment you step in the door!"

"I can. I've done it, haven't I?" a smug smile lit up his scarred face.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Kagome screeched. "I didn't do a single thing to you and you just decide it would be fairly amusing to slap me, try to choke me, crush my hand, AND force me to marry a stupid wolf!!" For one thing, Kagome knew this man wasn't her father. She knew that he wasn't human. And she definitely knew that she shouldn't be tucked away in a tiny room in the part of the castle that no one but the maids went to.

And no one would hear her scream…

Kagome shook the negative thoughts from her head and sighed. I truly am an idiot.

"You will do as I say," Noburo purred, in an absolutely lethal voice. He looked at her, like a cat who was about to pounce on its prey. Kagome cocked an eyebrow.

"What in the world gave you that idea?"

"You really love your little friend, Sangho, is it?"

"Sango!"

"She could slip and have an accident…and no one would be any the wiser."

"What are you saying?"

"I'll kill Sangho if you don't agree to marry the wolf prince, Kouga."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh wouldn't I?" Fear squeezed in around Kagome's heart. She swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat, and used the hand that wasn't bashed black and blue to clutch her queasy stomach.

But I don't love this Kouga person! I know I'm in love with Inuyasha! But Noburo will kill Sango…I know he will! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! A growl emanated from her throat, deep, low, and dangerous. A tick formed in her left eye and she balled her undamaged hand into a fist.

She growled again and launched herself on him, her good fist aimed at his chest, but he intercepted her. Noburo growled, in a very demonic way, and began to squeeze her fist again. Kagome let out a strangled howl and struggled fruitlessly to get free. Her "father" began to crush her hand painfully, until she gave a whimper of protest and he felt (and heard) some of her bones crack.

"Violence is not the answer, little Kagome. Now agree." He increased his pressure.

Tears began to stream down her face. Now her neck was bruised and both hands were crushed. Oh lucky her! Her so called father was an abusive nutjob with a temper and amazing strength the match.

Her ears were ringing and the pain in her hand became unbearable. She whimpered again.

Now let's survey her options.

Number One: She could bear the pain, make Noburo give up, and have Sango killed

Number Two: She could beg for mercy, have him release her, and have Sango killed

Or Three: She could tell him to stop and say yes. That way her sanity, last bit of undamaged body, and Sango would be saved.

I care about Sango more than my own well being. I'm doing this for her, Kagome thought. And I'll just try to figure a way out of it when the time comes.

"Alright!" she hollered. "I'll do it!"

Noburo released her hand slowly and grinned.

"Excellent. Ah ah ah! No running away just yet. I have just one little thing for you to do."

"What!" she screeched.

"Watch your temper! Not sit down." Putting his abusive hands on the small of her back, he led Kagome to a little dilapidated chair and slammed down a bottle of ink, a scrap of parchment, and a quill.

"What's this for?"

"Tell Inuyasha that you no longer love him!" Kagome craned her neck to look at him - his face was stern. She gasped.

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because it's not true! I don't want him to hate me!"

"Sango's life is in your hands. You can keep her alive or cut her life short, it's your choice." Kagome knew she was in love with Inuyasha, but she could never betray her best friend for a boy, no matter what.

She lowered her tear stained face and gripped the quill so hard that it almost broke, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand.

"O-Okay," she choked out.

"Dear Inuyasha. I am no longer in love with you. I have found someone bigger, better, stronger, and much more handsome to be with." He paused to make sure that she was writing it down. "I don't want to go to your low class banquet and hang out with you ever again. I hate you! I am getting married in two months-" Kagome froze.

"TWO MONTHS!"

"Continue. I am getting married in two months and I hope to never see you again. Sincerely, Kagome."

"I won't sign this piece of trash! It'll break his heart!"

"We can't have him pursuing you while you are engaged to someone else." Kagome ground her teeth so hard that she was in danger of dulling her canines.

"You are well aware that I hate you, right?"

"Yes. Very aware. But who gives a damn?" he chuckled.

"No! I won't do it!" Kagome suddenly felt the biting cold feel of sharp metal against her jugular vein.

"Do it, or else. You'll die as well as Sango."

Kagome gulped, tears streaming down her face in thick, watery bands. Letting out another sniff, she shakily signed the named "Kagome" in her messy scroll.