InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ghostly Ambition ❯ Fatal Encounter ( Prologue )

Ghostly Ambition

By: Darkless Vasion

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Warning - Stop right there if you haven't read the previous stories! This fic depends on the contents of `Tangled Ambition' and some of `Dumb Luck'. You can read this if you really want to, but you will understand it better with information you can obtain by reading the other two.

Also - Things are going to get a bit messy in this fic, so if you have squeamish tendencies, you might want keep some Pepto-Bismol on hand…just in case.

Dedication - I dedicate this story to Short Poet for her wonderfully enthusiastic reviews and her deep understanding of the written word and of the world. And for standing up with me against the `Kikyo Haters' out there! She has inspired me and I greatly appreciate all she has done.

Prologue

Setting: Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Era)

To the north of Kaede's village, there is a castle on a hillside overlooking a wide river with a good-sized village along its banks. Inside, the inhabitants await their new lord's arrival and the argument taking place in a shadowed hallway grows in volume…

"I don't care if the lamps won't stay lit! Open the shutters! There is plenty of light outside!" The angry man wearing richly embroidered robes waves his arms in agitation.

Three servants are kneeling before him with their foreheads touching the floor and the elder of them looks up briefly before looking down again, "We were warned to never enter-"

"That doesn't matter anymore!" He sighs and changes his tone, as if talking to a child, "He is dead and is no longer a concern here."

"But Master, there are strange things going on in there. I myself have heard sounds that should not be-"

The angry man stomps his slippered foot on the polished wood floor, "Did I not say that there is nothing to be afraid of?! Now, get in there and get everything cleared out!"

The servants don't move except to shake their heads fearfully.

"UGH!" He stomps again, "Cowards!" He points at the cringing men, not one of them daring to look up. "Each and every one of you!" He turns to the armed guard at his side and points into the dark room and demands, "Go in there, open the shutters and show these worthless worms that there is nothing to be afraid of!"

The warrior bows, "Hai, Sakutaro-sama." He enters and crosses to the heavily carved wooden shutters, unlatching them and raising them, letting in the morning light. The fine furnishings are in need of dusting but look otherwise well kept.

Sakutaro smiles snidely and kicks the nearest servant lightly, "See! Nothing!" They still won't enter and he sighs in disgust before entering the comfortable-looking room. He turns to look back at the kneeling men who watch avidly from the hallway and raises his arms. "Oooh…scary room!" He addresses the guard again, "Go into the inner room and open those shutters for these weak children."

The warrior bows again and immediately obeys. The heavy shutters are lifted and latched open, illuminating an almost bare room except for a small table and a heavy chest. The light reflects off of a huge collection of bladed weapons and tools hung on the wall around the doorway and dust motes float through the fresh air drifting in from the newly opened windows, pushing the stale smell out.

Sakutaro peers into the inner room with trepidation, remembering the previous occupant, then looks back at the three faces watching avidly and straightens his shoulders before stepping boldly through the second door and saying loudly, "How foolish to be afraid of a room." He glances around at the starkness of this room and turns to look back out the door, "There are worse things-eep!" He steps back squeamishly with wide eyes at the wickedly sharp blades hanging overhead and swallows. He clears his throat and looks at the still staring servants, "As I was saying; there are worse things to fear." He waves at them to come forward, "Now, get that room cleaned out right away!"

The three men look at each other uncomfortably and stand up, taking their time entering the main room, peering around the doorframe at the brightly-lit room as if the slightest noise would make them jump out of their skins.

Sakutaro rolls his eyes and turns back to examine this room a little more, avoiding the wall of blades, and points at the ironbound chest, greed overcoming him. "Kafu, open that!"

Kafu obediently walks over, studies the chest and looks back at Sakutaro, "It's locked."

"Then break it!" He sighs impatiently, crosses his arms and glances over his shoulder to gage the progress of those fools in the other room.

Kafu shrugs to himself and placidly kneels in front of the chest. Twisting the dangling lock does nothing so he draws his sword to pound on the ring with the butt of the hilt, snapping it with a few good whacks. He lays his sword down to grip the lid, raising it with protesting hinges that scream loudly at the unaccustomed movement. A horrible smell hits him in the face, making him gag and fall backwards to lie stunned on the floor.

Sakutaro drops his arms in shock, "Kafu!" He only takes a step forward when the felled man raises a hand to his face. He stops, feeling his heartbeat slow in relief; not a little jumpy himself. "Kafu? What is it?" His own squeamishness holding him back, he watches as the guard sits up with a slightly dazed look on his face. "Kafu?"

Kafu stares at his hands and then looks around the room before standing up, grabbing his sword as he straightens. He remains silent while he examines the blade of his own sword as if for the first time.

"Kafu - answer me; what happened?" Sakutaro waits impatiently and watches the guard lower his sword and finally turn to face him. "Well?"

Kafu walks toward the questioning man in the costly robes with a slight smile on his face.

Sakutaro frowns, "Kafu?" The cold look in the guard's eyes sends a shiver up his spine and his voice takes on a whining tone as he takes a step backwards, "Kafu?"

The servants in the main room look up at the shaky sound in time to watch Kafu's blade separate Sakutaro's head from his shoulders, the severed arteries spraying blood like a fountain as the body hits the floor. They take one last look at the viciously grinning guard and run screaming out of the room.

Kafu looks down at the pool of blood spreading across the floor to block the doorway with deep satisfaction. He quickly turns on his heel and returns to the open chest, wiping his blade on the leg of his pants prior to sheathing it. He kneels and rifles through the items inside, selecting a few and tucking them away inside his clothing before standing. Kafu turns to look at the opposite wall where a ring is set deep into the scarred wood and moves closer to search the woven mat below it on the floor, pulling free a few strands of long, black hair. He stares at the fine ebon sheen of them for a moment, smiling at some memory.

Knowing he has little time, he stands and moves towards the wide windows to sit on the edge. Swinging a leg over the sill, he catches a glimpse of the shocked look on Sakutaro's face and grins crookedly at the severed head lying several feet from its body. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that!" He spits at the lifeless head and slips out the window.

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