InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Genesis ❯ Two ( Chapter 2 )

 

 

The first thing he realized was that his head was killing him. The second was that he wasn't where he should be; uh, so to speak. He wasn't in the time he was supposed to be. But then again, that hadn't stopped this from happening before. One year, ten years, a thousand years, it was all the same. He absently realized that he was lying down and raised his head slightly, opening one eye to look around. He was lying on a park bench in what was, most assuredly, not his era. He quickly did a check to make sure he still had the essentials; hands, fingers, toes, legs and such. One could never be sure about those things in his situation.

Swinging himself to an uneasy sitting position he cradled his head in his hands and tried to remember the last time this had happened and how it had went.

“Let's see… Explosions, swords, stupid emperors, near-death experiences, life-saving and headaches.”

He groaned and stood, taking some deep breaths. Before coughing the air right back out. He sniffed the air and made a face showing clear disgust. This place smells like crap, he thought as he took a few steps before remembering to check his weaponry. Every time he came anew, the Gods gave him a new arsenal of toys. Last millennia's feature had been a pretty spiffy sword. Oh, how he had liked that sword. The corner of his lips turned up into a smirk, and he started searching for a weapon.

When he checked his waist and felt something lumpy, cold and certainly not soft, he paused and looked down. He had three gun holsters attached to a wide black leather strap that hung low on his waist. Two of them seemed to be in unison and he guessed that they were probably a set. Drawing one of them as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he fingered a .22 black semi-automatic and gave it a test in aiming. Satisfied, he drew the one on his left hip and held them out, getting the feel of the weapons. Next he checked the holster behind the semi-automatic on his right hip, and pulled out a shiny silver .44 Magnum. He smiled. Well at least they were keeping up with the times.

He holstered the guns and hid them under the jacket, he just noticed, that he was wearing. Shrugging off his apparel, for it had never really bothered him before, he set off to find that piece of nasty who was probably already terrorizing this world. Er, the future. Whatever.

He hadn't so much as left the edge of the park when he noticed that something had already happened. His instincts were in tune with the creature's actions and the effects they had, so it wasn't a surprise when he felt that rush of cold seep into his veins. He shrugged it off and, with a roll of his head, he continued walking through the entranced crowds.

When he had been walking for a few minutes, he stopped and realized he wasn't going to get anywhere. He needed to find it and it was most likely going to come to him. It always had. So he set himself up in the middle of the road and crossed his arms. It wouldn't be long before it was on him, and he had already prepared himself for the usual; and the unexpected, just in case.

But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. A brilliant column of light shot out of the ground and into the sky, parting the darkened clouds above. He stood there staring, before it suddenly clicked to him that he had to move. Fast.

“Shit!”

He took off at a fast pace towards the light, as a deafening scream echoed across the continent.

 

 

~~

 

 

When he had finally reached the beam of light, he had come around the corner, pistols drawn, aiming at the source. But instead it had gone shooting past him with a shriek of pain. Blinking, he had looked back but it was already gone, leaving him to the thing within the light. He had been so sure that the creature had been the cause…

So now he was left with the decision of what to do. He hesitantly moved forward, guns poised. The closer he came, the better he could see, and the better he could see, the less weary he felt. In the middle of the circle was a girl. She was on her side, her legs curled under her. As he neared her, he slowly put his guns away and crouched beside her, looking at her with great interest. From the looks of her, it seemed like she'd gone through hell.

When he reached out to touch her, the light shocked him. It was if there was a barrier around her. It must've gotten too close, he thought with a smirk. He tried again, knowing that the object would recognize him. Sure enough it did, and the barrier went down, the light retreating back and the clouds covering the gaping hole. He looked upon her with a mix of pity and curiosity. He pitied her for getting caught up in this, but then again he was curious as to why she had been exempted.

Shrugging, he lifted the stone off the ground and slid it into an interior pocket of his jacket. When he went to find the necklace it took him a few minutes to notice it was around her neck. He raised an eyebrow. Now that was new. Tossing a shoulder in a gesture of disregard, her lifted her head and tried to undo the clasp.

But it wouldn't come off. He braced her more firmly against his knee, as he switched to a kneeling position, freeing both hands for the task. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the clasp off. He slapped his hands on his thighs, in the process dislodging the girl and he had to catch her before her head fell and broke on a piece of nearby concrete. He raised his eyes as if saying `Why me?' and then picked her up, standing. The dust wafted off her in waves and he wrinkled his nose. First thing when she woke up was a bath. He threw her over his shoulder headfirst, and took off to find shelter.

Twenty minutes later he located a currently empty townhouse far away from the wreckage and out of the creature's sights. Kicking open the door, he closed it behind them and locked it, carrying her into what seemed to be a living room. Lowering her onto a couch, he looked around for a sink and washed his hands when he found one. Drying them absently on a towel, he frowned slightly. Tossing it on the counter, he walked around to a chair opposite where she was lying, his eyes following her the entire way.

When he had seen the light, he had thought that it could have only meant one thing; that the creature had found the Source before he had located it, and that it would be near impossible to kill it now, that the fight may have already been over. Usually it would come after him first, since he was the only obstacle that stood between it and the Source, but it seems it had regenerated more closely this time. A bad streak of luck, he mused. But then this girl came into the picture. Never had a human been exempted from the trance-like state the world had been placed into so he could do his job. This was a first for him and considering how many times he'd had to do this it was quite shocking. He still didn't know what it meant that the necklace had reacted to her, never mind the Orb.

He sighed and made himself comfortable in this stranger's apartment. Knowing the circumstances, the owner wouldn't be back for oh, about two weeks. Everything would have to wait until she was awake.

 

 

^_^

 

 

Everything was muddled into a big blob of black. When she tried to open her eyes, at first she didn't want to. It was like they were glued together, and she didn't want to wake to the horrible sight she'd seen before. So she was understandably nervous and frightened. She forced one eye open and was met with a quaint green and blue flower patterning. Like one she would find on an older, worn out couch. In fact, her aching head felt like it was resting on something rather soft. That roused her and she opened both her eyes.

She was in an apartment. She didn't know how, but she was, and it was quite spacey. Her eyes took in a small side table across the room, and a TV that was to her left. Behind her she could hear the steady drip of a leaky faucet, so she assumed that was the kitchen. As she looked around, she noticed chairs, plants, and magazines…

Then she saw that she wasn't alone. Someone was sitting in a chair in front of her, but to the right a bit. He was wearing boots, the lace-up kind, and they were black. They came up to mid-shin, where they met a pair of black denim jeans. As she trailed her eyes up further, she saw a black T-shirt under a lengthy leather jacket that she guessed reached to about his knees. She almost gasped when she saw his hair. It was white, the color of the snow, and she had never seen anything like it. It was long, probably down to the small of his back, and long bangs framed the side of his face. And on top of that mop of hair were a pair of ears. Dog-ears. She suppressed a sound that would've been a mix of glee and horror. But she did shuffle a bit in her surprise, and that drew his attention to her.

When his eyes met hers she didn't dare try and describe the emotions she felt and saw. His eyes were amber like the setting sun, and held incredible depth. A light layer of lashes framed them, and she felt that as he watched her, he was waiting, deciding, calculating. Those eyes seemed to pierce her very soul. Then she noticed that his arm was moving in a circular motion, and that he was spinning the trigger of a gun around his finger.

She screamed and sprang off the couch to the other side, causing him to jump to his feet in a rush. She slumped down the other side, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She suddenly became very aware of the fact that something was wrong, and she was in an apartment with a dog-eared psycho with a gun. She swallowed, and tried to speak without letting her voice crack.

“Who are you?” she called out, half-expecting him not to answer.

“Damn, it's not like I'm going to eat you for dinner!” came his not-so-amused response.

“Who are you?!” she called again, this time panic more evident in her voice.

That seemed to calm him and she heard him sigh, and the sound of a cushion giving out to weight. She didn't move, though. In her mind she was already calculating possible escape routes, glancing around the kitchen for weapons and a window or door.

“I think you should come out from behind that couch,” he said, his voice bored.

“No chance,” she replied, some of her courage returning to her.

“Look, I don't have time for games because there's a creature who can be best described as a spawn of the devil out there,” he said, and the way he said it was if he was trying to be tolerant with a little child. “And I need to get rid of it.”

She took a deep breath as those red eyes filled her mind. She tentatively tried to reach up to grab the back of the couch but as she lifted her left arm, pain went shooting up through her shoulder to her fingertips, down to her toes and back into her shoulder. She gasped in pain and clutched the appendage to her side. Now that the rush of blood and adrenaline had worn off, she realized that she was hurt. Swallowing her pride, she tried her best to move into a kneeling position.

“I'm… I need help.”

She heard him stand and could hear the soft padding of his footsteps as he rounded the couch. He knelt in front of her and she did her best to avoid those piercing eyes. She watched as he evaluated the injury, wincing when he hit a particularly sore spot.

“It's dislocated,” he grunted, as he moved it to the proper angle for realignment.

Kagome, sensing what he was going to do, prepared herself and gave him a go ahead. He gave a small nod, and then told her he was going to count to three. She nodded.

“1…-”

There was an audible pop as he gave her elbow a push and set the bone back in place. She blinked and then let out a scream of pain, cradling her arm to her body. When she could think straight he was already standing and lifting her off the ground with her good arm. He sat her on the couch and she gave him a death glare. He didn't seem to notice.

“So, how did you manage to do that?” he asked.

She looked away and shuddered. Her eyes were downcast when she spoke. “That… thing… wanted something I had and it came at me. It stepped on my shoulder when it was on me.”

He nodded, obviously understanding more than her.

All of a sudden she was sick of not knowing what was going on. There was something big here and she had become involved and, whether she liked it or not, she doubted it'd be over with any time soon.

“I want to know what's going on. Who are you? Where are we? Why is everybody acting like zombies? What is that thing, and why is it here?”

He held up a hand to stop her flow of questions. “I'm InuYasha. We're in an apartment. Because they're not an exception like you and are in a trance. It's a messenger of evil and it's been here for two million years.”

She began to nod but then cut herself short. “Okay. Start from the beginning.”

He cocked his head in a way that showed he agreed and would talk.

“Two million and one years ago there was peace on Earth. The harmony and tranquility that that peace inspired was what fueled life. We were without reason for war and fights. Everyone had an equal share, an equal lot of land, equal status. Simplicity was the key; everyone co-operated and we were prosperous.

“Though, like everything else, we were quickly introduced to progress. With progress came money and a makeshift economy. Greed was born, and men and women scrambled to get their hands on as much money as they could. Then jealousy, envy, disdain and eventually hatred. Hatred so deep that there were fights lasting weeks, months.

“Over the course of a year we had gone from prosperous to dysfunctional, and the Gods were furious. In order for us to repent, they drew a creature from hell. A creature that fed on our greed, on our hatred for everyone and everything. It drew on our emotions and as it did, it became stronger. We were so consumed in our own lives that we didn't know what was happening before it was too late. We had been on the verge of war and the hatred was so fresh that the creature grew out of control, beyond the hand of the Gods.

“In order to save what they held dear, the Gods created a messenger to rid the world of the creature. He was the key to the salvation of Earth. With the power of the Gods in his hands, he rid the Earth of the creature and the people, with their negative emotions drained, started over at the beginning.”

“But if the Gods could rid the creature with a messenger, why couldn't they destroy it by themselves?”

“The Gods were beings set apart from humans, and creatures in hell just the same. It was impossible for them to touch it, likewise with the creature. They needed to give their power to a Godly figure, but at the same time, they needed someone who had the flesh, blood and emotions of a human.”

Kagome nodded. “So that's where you come in.”

He smiled, but it was empty. “Yep, that's me. I've been stuck here for over two million years.”

She winced. “So every time we grow corrupt enough that the creature returns, you come with it to destroy it?”

“Yes and no.” He paused. “It's impossible to destroy it forever. As long as humans have emotions there will be greed, jealousy and hatred. Your people were on the verge of another World War, on the nuclear scale. The emotions being emitted were more than strong enough to awaken it from its slumber.”

When she thought about it, it was very depressing. Confined to ridding a creature that appeared through matters you couldn't help for all eternity. It must be lonely, she thought, and when she looked at him her emotions were in her eyes. He saw it and looked away.

“Don't give me that face. It's not that bad really. Hero stuff, you know,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.

She didn't buy it. “But we never know you were even here.”

For a second she saw an emotion she couldn't name flash through his eyes, but it was gone as quick as it was there. When he looked back, he was hiding under a mask.

“The green orb you saw is the key to the Gods' power. They couldn't give their power directly to someone with a human heart for fear that he too would be corrupted and attempt to drive the world under his rule. When the creature appears, the orb appears. When the creature is gone, the orb is gone as well.”

She nodded. That seemed to make sense. “What about the necklace?”

He smiled. “That's mine, and I'd appreciate it if you'd give it back.”

Her eyes widened a bit and she nodded hastily, reaching around the back of the necklace for the clasp. He left arm was stiff, but the pain was fading fast and she brought it up to help. But when she tried to open it, the catch wouldn't release. She glanced up at him and offered an apologetic look as she continued to fumble with the clasp. When she was thoroughly convinced it wouldn't come off, she looked up to see him tapping his foot, his hand stretched out to her with an impatient look on his face.

“It won't come off,” she told him, not sure what his reaction would be.

He sighed, as if he had expected her to say that. Inside he was reeling. The necklace had never been attached to anyone other than himself. There were no answers he could find, for the first time in his life, and he felt frustrated and helpless. He had always known what was to happen. Either way his thoughts were cut short as his keen ears picked up the sound of tortured metal.

Springing to action, he grabbed the girl across from him and tossed her onto his back.

“Hold on!”

He sprinted to the bedroom of the apartment and jumped out the double-windows. Kagome was sure they were going to die; they were on the seventh floor by the looks of it. But as they descended she held on to him with her right arm with all her might and for some reason, she felt safe. She somehow knew that he would protect her.

The sound of shattering metal and concrete, along with the horrible screech of twisting metal reached her ears and she turned her head to see half a car sticking out of the wall of the apartment they were just in. In the same spot that the living room would've been, the gas in the car ignited and there was an explosion. No one moved, she knew, but her heart was racing. Less than six seconds ago, they had been sitting there in that living room, and she wouldn't have known what hit them.

When they landed, her body shook slightly but she held tight. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he was supporting them with his hands. She was breathing deep, scared out of her wits and he seemed to be looking for something. When his head stopped moving, she looked towards where he was facing, and she locked onto those horrible red eyes that had haunted her since this morning. They were telling her things, she knew.

They said kill.