InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Death's Wish ❯ Death's Torment ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

A/N: This is my first fanfic (on mediaminer.org). Enjoy this story, and keep in mind that even as I'm writing this author's note, I have no idea what the story will be about. The title is just... I don't know... but it seemed to fit. Don't worry; this story is NOT going to be full of angst. CARRY ON READING!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but I DO own this story, which isn't that much of an accomplishment...

PB

Death's Wish

Chapter 1

Death's Torment

PB

Wisps of pure white, cloudy gray and thick black decorated the stale, dank air; surrounding a tall and foreboding figure wearing a dark cowl that shadowed and deepened the many frown-lines encompassing his visage.

He held a long, rusted sword that glowed faintly, and his robe swayed with the movement of an unapparent wind. Suddenly, he lifted his hood from his face and shook his head wildly. His long, white locks flowed down his back, and two downy-soft ears were perched atop his head. He tossed his sword down and clasped his two hands. Slender claws met each other, and two sharp fangs hung over his bottom lip. He was an imposing personage to say the least.

Whispering softly, he said, "I, the acclaimed Death, now call all of the souls to unite above me."

All of the wisps came together at his head and rustled softly. A stray strand of hair found its way in front of one of his eyes. Coolly, he merely blew and the strand tucked itself back into his naturally wild mane.

He frowned... one had escaped his call... he could always tell when a soul was missing.

"I'm too young for this job, really I am... No-one would ever understand the nature of my perpetual torment." For, excluding his wizened golden eyes, shining amber in contrast with his dull surroundings, his façade of glowering adulthood didn't manage to hide all of the boyish exuberance that was being temporarily pushed aside. He hardly looked to be seventeen years. But what he lacked of in age, he made up for in sheer will and determination, with a healthy little dose of strength in addition to that.

The boy grasped the handle of his sword from the ground and slid it easily into its sheath, hidden deep in the folds of his magical robe.

He hated this part of the job, the cutting of the substantial essence that held the spirit to the body. But after that, came the soul guiding, in which he earned some peace and quiet.

(A/N: The souls being too afraid of their 'guide' to converse.)

And he had no doubt that this one in particular would be interesting, after all, he hadn't had a straggler in about fifty years. (A/N: Doesn't that number ring a bell?) And THAT one had taken a bit of him with her, although he never liked to admit it. But she was gone... if there was one thing he hated, it was betrayal. Ever since, he had sworn never to become familiar with the dead. He was quite content to order other immortals around and roam about randomly.

Starting at what he called a slow pace, but what others would have called quite rapid, he set out to get the stray half-dead person that he had no idea would change his life forever...

PB

Sunlight streamed through the filtered areas that broke through the darkness of the well. A few cherry-tinted petals from the sakura tree situated directly adjacent to the well drifted down the long, cool passage and landed gently on the nose of a girl. She breathed slightly and it fell to her side lazily.

She lay cramped on the floor of the well with her midnight-black hair fanned out behind her. Her lips were as pink as the cherry blossom alongside her, and her eyelashes were long and thick. Her almond-shaped eyes opened slowly to see, to her surprise, that she wasn't dead.

"I was really sure that that fall would be the death of me... But... I guess not. Time to get out of here now. But still, NOT EVEN A SCRATCH? Whatever, gratitude is good I guess..."

Mustering all of her strength, she stood upon her stiffened legs and dusted herself off as best she could. Scrabbling for a foothold, the girl realized that without some help, she would 'die' from hunger and thirst.

Calling out the first thing that came to her cluttered mind, she yelled, "Help!"

'Well, on retrospect, that wasn't a very smart thing to do. I fell down here in the first place because I was looking for everyone. That fire destroyed everything except the OUTSIDE of the shrine, and this stupid well! Wait a second...' Putting two and two together, she gasped. 'Oh...'

Flinging herself down again, she cried in dismay. Why, why had the gods vanquished everything that had breathed, lived, in the shrine yet left the external regions of the beautiful area intact?

With her family gone, she was desolate, but strangely, not as barren as she thought she might be...

'What's wrong with me? Am I just an implement for some larger force to cause devastation everywhere? First Eri, then Yuka... and now this.'

As she sat there, thoughts akimbo, she had no way of expecting the sudden flare of light that illuminated the well. The hard, packed earth beneath her was no longer so firm... instead, she could feel it liquefying as she started to slip down the alarmingly warm substance... and then... pure darkness, thickly pressing and clogging her pores... (A/N: I know that sounds unbelievably flaky, but... you know what I mean.) Then, peeling her eyes open, she witnessed something magnanimous... something amazing... something-oh, it was just a boy.

'But what a boy! Was it him that caused that-that blinding... darkness?'

He was handsome, she had to admit, and his piercing gold eyes, claws, and fangs, did nothing to obstruct the fact. He tapped his foot, and while the length and width of the well did nothing to compliment his stature and imposing height, she couldn't help but relish his nearness, yet at the same time cherish the space (although quite small) in between them.

Conflicting emotions welled up inside her, until she finally settled on curiosity and confusion. And also relief as she realized that the bottom of the well was solid and whole again. She looked to the boy for answers. But he spoke first.

"You don't seem too scared... what about the claws? The robe? The sword of death?" He pulled a rather worn out sword from his sheath and she had to clamp her mouth shut tightly to keep a scoff of contempt from escaping her dry lips. "You'll see it in its true form soon enough, so don't act so condescending."

"I'm not being condescending!"

"Fine... then how about...? Patronizing? Disdainful? Derisive? Aloof? Contemptuous? Maybe even-"

"Shut up! What the hell is your problem?" As the boy opened his mouth to speak, she continued. "That was a RHETORICAL question! Anyway, how did you get here?"

"I don't feel obliged to answer you. But you must answer one question for me. Name?"

"Not much of a question, but I don't feel obliged to answer you."

The boy took out his sword once more, and held it above his head. It shone with the absence of light, and grew to the size of her own body. It was gigantic. "Name?"
"Uh... Kagome, Higurashi Kagome..."

"Good." His sword returned to its size of yore. "Why aren't you falling into the depths of the spirit world?"

"DEPTHS? You mean I'm going to-to the other place...?"

"Hell no. A girl like you is too innocent... it's just the place where-wait a second... Shut up. Just answer me."

'She looks way too much like Kikyo... I'm getting... too comfortable.' Unwillingly, the boy was starting to remember her again. The cold, gray eyes; the long dark hair; the strong yet strangely dependant embrace...

He was brought back to the present by an exclamation from Kagome. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?" Then her eyes glazed over. "I'm dead...? So that fall did kill me..." She broke down. And to Inuyasha's consternation, she fell on his chest, sobbing strangely crystallized tears.

"Get a hold of yourself girl..." It took tremendous will power, but he shoved her off of him. He hated the sight of females shedding tears.

"I-I'm sorry... it's just... I'm dead?" She seemed to get a grip, because immediately she turned on him angrily. "GET A HOLD OF MYSELF? GET A-HOLD-OF MYSELF? ARE YOU RETARDED? Oh god... where's my family? Where's... wait a second. Who the hell are you? Why are you here? Are you the Grim Reaper? The Solemn Taker of Souls? The Life-Breaker? The-"

"I'd PREFER Death."

"But what's your name? Don't you have one? Uh... I'm sorry about the outburst... but... Uh, I guess you're not retarded? What's with the sword? I thought it would be a scythe."

"That's just a common misconception. It's called the Tetsusaiga. And my name is... none of your business. This is getting too personal." Where there had once been a smirk, there was now a morose and dour expression. There was a sullen look about him now, and no recognizable emotion showed on his brow.

'Okay, that was cold, but... it had to be done.'

"But-but-wait a second... I can't get through... could it be because I have unfinished business...?"

The boy turned from her and refused to speak. However his thoughts were many, and in motion. Could it be true?

"Please talk to me! I promise you it won't get personal! What's your name? Shouldn't the dead get at least SOME comfort?"

"Inuyasha." He blurted out quickly.

"What?"

"Inuyasha. My NAME is Inuyasha... happy now? Shut up, I'm thinking."

Kagome looked at the boy in front of her with newfound warmth. Promptly, she grew quiet. The close proximity between them was starting to get to her. Subconsciously, she backed away as much as possible.

Above them, wind had started to pick up, and a storm was beginning to commence. In relation to this, blossoms from gently swaying trees were floating down and alighting on the heads of Kagome and Inuyasha. The latter lightly flicked his hood and let his long, slivery hair flow down his back in cascading waves. And at the top, two white triangles poked out of his head.

Kagome gasped.

"Oh great, here come the screams and the name-calling. Go ahead."

Taking that as an open invitation, Kagome reached up to touch them. Caressing them lightly, she indulged herself in a little pat to each one, before pressing her arms to each side in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry...?"

"Don't touch my ears!"

'Damn! I was actually purring... That's just what Kikyo used to do... In fact... This must be her reincarnation. I'm sure of it... Her eyes are softer, and they're brown... and her hair's shorter... her face is also warmer, happier, more naïve. And Kikyo was basically the same age as I would be if I were mortal. This girl's a bit younger. Fifteen or sixteen. But, I can't deny that they look almost uncannily alike. Like twins.'

"Uh... sorry, it's just that they're so cuddly. Like a dog's. Wait a second... I've heard of people like you... are you-a demon? A dog demon? Inuyasha... dog demon. No, you can't be. Oh, wait, that's it. Grandpa taught me long ago... you're a half-demon."

Inuyasha's eyes glimmered with something under the surface, but then the 'something' was gone.

"You have no right."

"What? I have no right to do what?"

"To libel people."

"Libel?"

"You know... slander. Malign."

"I wasn't! I just understood what you are." Kagome knew at once that that was a mistake. "No! No, I meant WHO you are... I'm sorry..."

"Keh. Do what you want... Priestess."

"What?"

"Miko. You're a miko. I'm a youkai... a hanyou, is what I mean."

"No, but I'm not a priestess... although the great Kikyo was before me."

Inuyasha gasped. "Kikyo... You're her reincarnation."

"What? Oh, whatever... I wont even try to understand you... Mister Big-Vocabulary!"

"What? You don't know words like defamation? Vilification?" Her blank expression spoke louder that any words could have. "They're synonyms of the noun version of the word libel. Ugh... never mind. Stupid girl."

Ignoring her loud protests, he closed his eyes in contemplation and tucked his hands into his long sleeves. Opportunity and Fate were going to bite his head off if he didn't get this idiotic girl to pass into Limbo... And Fate could really pass an unfortunately literal punch. Sango was one violent woman, and Miroku, otherwise known as Opportunity would break loose from his mask of tranquil composure when incensed.

It was basically decided... Inuyasha would have to help the girl, then he could leave her in Limbo and let Naraku decide where she would go.

Turning and grabbing her by the waist, Inuyasha tensed his legs and jumped. Kagome took a few breaths, then opened her mouth in one long exhalation of sound that caused Inuyasha's sensitive ears to press back against his head.

He had just barely touched the rim of the well with his feet when he reached his hand up and clamped it over Kagome's mouth.

"Shut up next time, will you?

Kagome, standing tall, made a rather rude gesture that would have sent her mother on a rampage. Then, working her mouth delicately, she opened her mouth and gave a short, high-pitched shriek that sent his sense of hearing into overdrive. "Does that answer your question?" And the girl, although it seemed unbelievable, actually smirked.

"Look girl, if you want to stop being a total b-"

"Okay, that's it! I've had it with you and- and your high vocabulary! Instead of using it like a normal person, you use it to name insults. I haven't heard ONE good, big word!"

"Benevolent, benign-"

"Oh, shut up, will you? You're just bringing my bad side out! Either tell me how I can completely die so I can be rid of you, or leave me as a ghost to be fully depressed!" Catching sight of the expression that hung over and dominated the entirety of Inuyasha's face, Kagome quickly amended, "Well, it's better to be a depressed spirit than to be with you!"

Inuyasha let out a growl. 'Underworld! This girl is annoying... fine, I'll tell her."

"Okay, look... if you were truly right, than all we have to do (WITH as little bickering as possible) is examine Your Past and Your Present. Then, you can find out what's holding you back, and, for your own sake, I'll be able to send you to Limbo."

"For... my own sake? What happens if I don't get sent to Limbo? I suffer from- from heavy depression?"

Inuyasha tightened his fist; fifty years ago the very same thing had happened, but...

'I promised myself to never think of that again. Kikyo chose the wrong way out. I'll have to tell her at least PART of the truth.'

"Uh... well, let's put it this way, Kagome." Inuyasha paused as Kagome blinked once, then twice, and then promptly fell over. "What's wrong with you?"

"You- you actually used my name!"

"Does it matter? The precedence- the PRIORITY at hand is what will happen. Now will you let me actually answer you?" Kagome tilted her head slightly, and Inuyasha took that as a cue to continue. "Your soul will drift away, evaporate... and all that'll be left is-"

"An empty shell... right... okay... well what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Taking a firm hold on the half-dead girl's wrist, Death propelled her to the now magically restored Sunset Shrine. He turned to her, black robes rippling in the wind, and said, "Now, I'm just going to tell you this: don't make an attempt to communicate with your family. Don't."

"But why?"

"It would be breaking the rules."

"Hm... let's see... isn't THIS against the rules? Arguing with the dead? Taking me back and giving me a second chance? Although I appreciate it, thanks... I mean-"

"Keh. Leave me alone, girl. Maybe I'll just rethink this whole thing. Maybe I'll just let your soul gradually dissipate." For what seemed like the hundredth time, the insulted boy turned the other way and tapped his foot lightly on the earth beneath.

But Kagome was not to be dissuaded from her goal, which now was to give Inuyasha a piece of her mind... She grabbed a looslely hanging forelock of white hair and forced him to face her. "Look, dog boy-" Inuyasha sputtered indignantly, but all that came from this was another hard tug from the surprisingly strong hand that held him. "You are going to stop being so mean to me, otherwise I'll give you hell! And this is only a taste of what my bad side looks like!"

"Okay, okay... let's just get inside... try to talk to your stupid family if you want to, but be prepared to face the consequences." Inuyasha's voice, the girl was happy to see, suffered a loss of eloquence in its tone.

"Thank you. Care to lead me there?" And wrapping her arm around his, she strolled almost happily towards her destination.

Inuyasha, however, was having considerably less fun. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

There! I finished the first chapter! As a testament to whether you enjoyed that or not, could you please review? HAVE A HAPPY SUMMER, EVERYONE!