InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fortune's Favour ❯ PART ONE ( Chapter 1 )

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

By: mspotts

~Fortune's Favour~

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PART ONE

“...And here are your fortunes.” The waitress announced calmly, placing the basket of cookies in the centre of the black round table. Three hands reached towards the straw container with an eagerness that was palpable even in the alcohol-soaked atmosphere of the crowded restaurant, allowing the server to walk away, her job done. A fourth hand, more diffident than the rest, picked out the final fortune wrapped in glossy red plastic, and opened it slowly.

“Damn it!” Yuka cried, slamming her hand on the table in annoyance, “Why do I always get the shitty ones?” she crumpled the paper into a small ball and chucked it over her shoulder. “Like I give a damn about achieving inner peace...” she grumbled under her breath.

Eri smiled, contentedly. “Mine says I'll be rich within a year - but only if I can reorganise my life in two months. That's simple enough, isn't it? I can do that, right? Guys?” Her face scrunched up when she realised that none of her friends were actually listening to her.

Kagome quickly scanned over the writing, digesting the words with bitter contempt. Figures. She sighed, and pushed the wrapping paper over with the other rubbish, ignoring the biscuit inside.

“What does yours say, Kagome?” Eri asked, peering over her shoulder at the tiny scrap of white paper held between her fingers.

She moved away. “Oh, it's nothing really.” Kagome attempted to dissuade her, and then moments later had to dodge when one of Yuka's finely lacquered hands almost snatched it out of her grip. “Hey! Honestly, guys, it's nothing special. Why do you want to see so badly, anyway?”

“Iff itt'sss noott speeciaall, then whyy are yooou hiidding it fromm us?” Ayumi slurred as she spoke, the contents of her glass sloshing wildly with each movement. Not usually one to drink, the brief sips of alcohol she'd already consumed had driven her into a state of near incoherency. “C'mon Kagoome. Lemmme seeeee.”

She hesitated. “Er…”

True, she wondered to herself. Why was she hiding it? It was just a fortune, for goodness' sake, nothing particularly precious. Nor was it destined to become true in any case, so why was she making it into a big deal?

She sighed. “Here,” and handed it into the eagerly waiting grasp of her friends.

They were so inebriated that it took them nearly a full minute to read the simply worded text, and when they did, their collective cry was so loud it could have brought the whole building down upon them.

“You're having a passionate affair!” Eri shrieked, her eyes popping wide open. “I can't believe you didn't tell us!”

“It doesn't say she is having a passionate affair, you dumbass.” Yuka, the least affected of the three, corrected her. “It says she will have one. And look,” she pointed at the paper, her sharp red nail highlighting one word in particular. “It says it's going to be an extremely passionate `love' affair.” She declared. “So basically, it won't be just great sex - she'll be in love too.”

“You guys-” Kagome tried to cut in but her words fell on deaf ears.

“Oooh. That's exciting, Kagome!” Eri squealed. “I wish I was having a crazy love affair with some sexy guy. I bet he's a complete dreamboat.”

“And rich,” Yuka chipped in.

“Yeah, and I bet she'll go off and marry him - God, I'm so jealous!”

“Heyyy!” Ayumi finally managed to string some words together. “Caaann I beee a brriddeessmmaaid??”

“I'll be one too!”

“Well, then I'm maid of honour,” Yuka decided firmly. “And wedding planner, as well.”

“Hey hold on!” Kagome couldn't stop the nervous laughter from leaving her lips. “I haven't even met this guy yet and you guys are already planning my wedding?” Not that she even believed for a second that her supposed husband was even out there, but there seemed no point in disputing that fact now.

Eri looked affronted that she could even doubt her word. “Of course you'll meet him, Kagome!” She cried. “And he'll be gorgeous and completely loaded.”

“Not to mention good in bed,” Yuka added, grinning madly.

“Um, yeah…” Kagome was done trying to make them see sense. If they wanted to believe in the so-called mystic powers of a Chinese fortune cookie then she'd let them. All she wanted now was for this night to end so she could go home. Soon.

“I propose a toast!” Eri yelled suddenly, and the others jumped. Several diners in the vicinity turned their heads around at the sudden noise. “To Higurashi Kagome, and her mysterious hunk fiancé - may they live happily ever after!” She raised her hand high in the air and the glass trembled fiercely within her grip.

“CHEERS!”

The three girls clinked glasses over the polished wooden table, oblivious to Kagome cringing in the corner. “To Kagome!”

And they drank.

By the time Kagome got home she was exhausted, a bit tipsy and more than a little bit pissed off. My first free night in a month and I had to spend it like that! She groaned out loud and shrugged off her coat, dropping her keys on the kitchen table. When she'd arrived at home the day before all she'd been planning to do was rest, read and enjoy her one and only day of normalcy in a period of unending fighting. Eri's call later that evening had been completely unexpected, and she'd almost refused - guilt for ignoring her friends for months on end had prompted her to reconsider the invitation, and so she'd gone along willingly. Eurgh. She shook her head. My mistake. It didn't matter how much they begged her next time, she thought, moving towards the kitchen door. She would never be going on one of their stupid outings again. Period.

Suddenly bright light flickered on all around her, illuminating the sparsely decorated furniture in the large room. She blinked. Her hand had been less than an inch away from the switch.

“You're back. Finally.”

Inuyasha's gruff voice settled the sudden anxiousness that had sprung up in that moment, and at the same time, unease filtered into her belly. Was he sick? She wondered immediately, taking a step towards him. His voice sounded odd.

“What are you doing here, Inuyasha?” she frowned. “I thought you said I could have a day or two to rest-”

“That doesn't matter now.” He cut her off abruptly. He seemed strained, the clipped words springing from his mouth with barely concealed effort. “Listen, we've gotta get back to the others - something's happened.” His jaw tightened in a way she wasn't used to; heavy bangs lowering to partially obscure his face.

She didn't even bother asking him what he was doing in her house at two a.m. in the morning. Her eyes widened and all traces of fatigue disappeared in that instant. “What is it?” she asked worriedly, her brow puckering with concern. “Is everyone okay? Sango, Miroku-”

“There's no time for that!” he snapped harshly, taking a firm grip on her shoulders and shaking her roughly. “We hafta go now!”

She stared at him in shock, taking in the wildness of his glowing amber eyes. “I-Inuyasha-?” she questioned hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

Blankness took over his pale face, freezing his expression for a long second, before awareness slowly returned to him. His features softened at the hurt look she gave him and then he continued, avoiding her eyes. “Sorry,” he mumbled, almost inaudibly. He took a deep breath and then met her stunned gaze. “Look, I'll explain everything later, okay? But this is important, we need to go.”

“Alright.” Kagome knew she could trust him, no matter how strangely he was behaving. Inuyasha would never hurt her, of that she was sure.

He nodded. “Let's go.”

She consented without further struggle and allowed him to drag her back out of her house and towards the ancient well. Kagome said nothing. She was too worried about the plight of her friends to care much about his rough handling, and besides, it was painfully clear that something terrible must have happened for him to be acting this way. But what? She wondered. The possibilities listed endlessly in her mind. It seemed almost too surreal to believe - she'd been barely gone a day and already disaster had struck? She shook her head incredulously. And she thought she'd been the danger magnet! Apparently, they had no problem finding danger without her.

She fretted silently, images whirling in distant focus within her mind. She wished there was a way they could move faster; if the others were in trouble she wanted to be there as quickly as possible, to do what little she could.

But then again, she couldn't stop herself from thinking, why would they need her help anyway? Everyone knew she wasn't exactly the most proficient member of their little team. Sure, she'd learnt some stuff, a few spells here, a bit of purification there. But her knowledge was still purely basic. What help could she offer them?

Unless… She hitched in a fearful breath as terror gripped her soul. Naraku.

It was common knowledge that they needed a priestess if they were ever to defeat the twisted hanyou, Naraku, and she was the only one available. All of the others were either too inexperienced, too old or they were already dead. Or the living dead, she added bitterly. Kagome shook her head in frustration; thinking of Kikyo was almost certain to sour her mood, and really she had far more important things to worry about right now. Anxiety gripped her once again as she thought of her friends in peril, and she made a conscious effort to banish them, concentrating instead on what was going on around her.

Inuyasha had released her arm once they were at the well's rim and then fitted her securely onto his back. Her hands were fixed in what must have surely been an uncomfortable hold around his neck, but yet he said nothing. Panic shot through her system. If Inuyasha was even beyond petty grumbling, then things must be seriously bad.

He didn't hesitate as he jumped into the well, and the magical blue mist swathed both their forms. On the other side, all was unnaturally still; the very air seemed filled with a near palpable strain that was tense - on edge. She couldn't see very clearly either; her mortal eyes were made useless in the eerie pitch night surrounding them. Then her grip tightened on Inuyasha as he began to run.

He was fast, so fast that the ground beneath them became an indistinguishable blur beneath his feet, grey morphing into black beyond the scope of her wearied eyes. God, I'm so tired. She could feel her eyelids getting heavier and heavier, urging her to force them shut. One after the other they drooped, and she felt her senses dimming, and her jumbled thoughts convolute into one single entity. A dream.

When she awoke it was still dark, although it was marginally lighter than before. Gradually her eyes began to adjust and she realized that they must have been travelling for quite a long time now. She frowned sleepily, her body aching from having to sleep in such an uncomfortable position for so long. Where are we? She shifted to get a look around. The terrain was unrecognisable. Her eyebrows lowered in confusion. Huh? That didn't make any sense. They definitely should have reached Kaede's village by now. In fact…she sat upright, the grogginess fleeing her body as awareness finally took hold.

“Inuyasha?” her heart rate sped up when he didn't answer, her body already morphing itself into panic-mode. “Inuyasha, say something! Where are we?”

“Stop it!” he growled at her. His grip tightened on her thighs, holding her firmly in place. “Stop moving! I can't run if you're moving about like that, so just keep still. We're nearly there anyways.”

“Nearly where?” She returned. He ignored her, and she slumped back down again onto his body, her arms draping over his shoulders. What in the world was going on? Kagome wondered. She wasn't quite sure what to think. She knew she could trust Inuyasha implicitly. There was no question of that. He was her protector, her guardian, the one who rescued her in times of need. She had no need for worries with him around.

But…

Somehow that didn't stop her from feeling that something was very, very wrong with the situation. More so than she'd previously thought. He's acting so strange...like a different person from the Inuyasha I know. It had been years since he'd last spoken to her so gruffly - without any real regard for her feelings at all. It was unnerving. She wanted, no she needed to find out what was going on.

As if he could sense her growing resolve, he shifted, quickly jolting her so that she nearly lost her balance. “Crap!...Inuyasha!” He was silent while she glared at him, and then, in a brief spark of meanness, she gave two sharp tugs on his ears. He grunted - the ears were a particularly sensitive spot - but made no further move to retaliate. Kagome sighed. This was going nowhere.

Eventually, Inuyasha skidded to a halt.

“We're here.” He lowered her down gently and then took a careful step back, mindful of the surrounding brush.

Kagome blinked with shock. Here? There was nothing here. Just some stones and trees and dirt. She looked around again to check if she had missed anything at first glance. Nope. Still nothing. Not even a single hut to account for any signs of life besides their own. Narrowing her eyes at Inuyasha, she swerved on her heel to face him, irritated to find that he had drawn further back into the shadows so that his face was hidden from view. Her previous uncertainty flamed into righteous fury. This has gone on long enough, she thought angrily. I'm going to get some answers now!

“Where are the others, Inuyasha?” She bit out.

The silence that greeted her was eerily, deathly still. It felt like a foreshadowing of coming horrors.

“Look,” she cried, desperate now. “I don't understand what's happening Inuyasha! Are we in danger? And where are the others? You need to explain …”

“I-I can't…” his voice came out strangled.

Fear pricked at her neck. “What do you mean `you can't'? Why not?”

In answer he stepped forward slowly, each dragging movement allowing more beams of light to traverse across his skin. Parallel strips of gold highlighted his stern features; the light making known to her the sharp angles and contours of his face. But wait... Something wasn't quite right with the picture. Frowning, she peered closer. Gradually she saw the deep dark bags under his eyes, the crimson tint to his irises, the fierce magenta stripes…

“No!” She gasped and leaped back instinctively, finally seeing the real difference in a face she knew so well. “Wha- what happened, Inuyasha? Y-You're a demon?!” She stuttered with disbelief. Her heart was beating at twice its usual rate, and she could already feel a panicked flush rising to her cheeks. Her gaze flicked towards the rosary beads at his neck and she mentally prepared herself to say the words.

Inuyasha looked pained. “No,” he ground out, “But I-”

A voice filtered in from the surrounding woodland. "Inuyasha."

The call was like the whisper of the blowing wind, and yet it remained unearthly, unnatural. He stopped and looked towards the sound, body filled with sudden tension. Kagome watched as, as if in a trance, he took two steps away from her - his gaze never wavering from that spot within the trees - and then keened, a high whining pitch made from the back of his throat. He began to pant, fingers scraping his arms as if something pricked him beneath the skin, and then in a movement too fast for her to place, he had swerved around to face her, eyes blood-red and manic with need.

"Listen to me, Kagome!" His voice was panicked, crimson eyes glowing wildly. "No matter what I say or do, you can't trust me, ok? Don't follow me, and stay as far away from me as you can!" His pupils were constricting; the tiny tremors that had taken over his body was now a full-blown convulsion.

"What?" She was stunned. He wasn't making any sense.

"Find him!" He snarled. "You gotta forget about me, Kagome and figure out a way to get to him..." Inuyasha groaned. He locked his jaw tightly, fists shaking from the pain.

Still she persisted. "'Find him'? Find who? And why? Inuyasha, I don't get it, you want me to-"

"Just go!" He roared.

For a moment, she simply stared at him in disbelief. Growling, Inuyasha shoved her forward with his hand, sharp claws extended. She felt the bite of his nails prick through her shirt and into her skin, and she gave a muffled cry.

"Go." The dark order was her final warning, and with a sudden jerk she stumbled into action.

Go, go, go!

Her brain was in knots. Although she told her legs to move it took a few seconds for her limbs to actually comply. Eyes wide, she ran quickly, tripping every so often on the rocks and stones than lay on her path, hastiness making her clumsy. It was still dark and the partial light she'd been granted in the clearing had long since disappeared. With every forward step, her chest heaved painfully and she had to blink, cool tears sliding down the soft roundness of her cheeks. From behind her she heard a distant snarl; the savage howl of a beast. Kagome shivered and forced herself to move onwards faster, taking her further and further away from the nightmarish scene she'd just departed.

How long she ran for she couldn't tell, but eventually she stopped at the sound of running water. A brook. Panting, she sat down to rest, and leaned her head back on a large boulder. Her lungs ached and her mouth was dry and sore - it had been a long time since she'd felt this weary. With a sigh, she stretched her legs out so that they too could relax. Her eyelids flickered - her body was sore, exhausted and begging for relief, but she ignored it. She knew she wasn't yet safe. Not safe yet, no.

And like a premonition, she suddenly felt that she was no longer alone.

“Who's there?” She called out, trying to keep her voice steady. “Show yourself!”

Her words fell like hard pebbles into a shallow pool. Kagome gulped inwardly, very conscious of her bedraggled, unprotected state. She could sense that someone was watching her, lurking in the shadows like a predator waiting for the right moment to seize his prey. The thought brought a shifting of unease to fill her lower belly. This is crazy, she thought, crouching defensively by the water's edge. I'm vulnerable and exposed- literally an easy target for any demon. So whydon't they just get it over with?

Then, out of nowhere, a burst of power flared up in the vicinity, igniting the ground and causing a score of birds to quickly leave their nests. Kagome shuddered. It felt wild and primitive, like the natural energy of a beast. A raw, untamed animal. She knew at once then that she was dealing with a monster, a demon of extraordinary power. It also became clear to her that she would not leave this place alive. And so it ends…

Resigned to her fate, she gathered her courage and looked up.

Right into the eyes of Sesshoumaru.

END OF PART ONE