InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ghostly Ambition ❯ Violation ( Chapter 1 )

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.

Chapter One: Violation

Kagome climbs out of Bone-eater's well straining under the weight of her stuffed backpack, its worn yellow sides bulging as she drops it onto the ground. She sits back on the well's rim with a sigh, `I should've waited for InuYasha…' and stretches her arms over her head, feeling her abused shoulders protest, `…it would've been much easier.' She looks up over the treetops at the bright blue sky and closes her eyes to breathe deeply of the green smell of the forest without the taint of modern pollution. `At least I can leave most of it at Kaede's.'

She opens her eyes and jerks back in surprise at the strange man standing not two feet away right in front of her with one hand resting on the handle of the short blade hanging at his side, his clothing and scant armor are dirty and show signs of wear. It's unnerving how his eyes are staring fixedly at her, `I didn't hear anything!' She quickly looks about with her heart speeding up. "Wh-who are you?"

He grins crookedly at her and she can almost hear alarms going off in her head urging her to run. With the well at her back, she makes to move sideways and he reaches out lightning fast, grabbing her right wrist. She gasps as he yanks her forward against his body with her arm twisted up behind her, his other hand quickly covering her mouth.

Her eyes widen in fear and anger as she stares up at him. Her free hand claws at the one stifling her and she begins kicking hard at his legs. He forces her right arm up painfully with a ruthless look on his face, letting her know that he would easily break it. She stills with a moan of defeat.

He smiles in delight, "Ah…there's my Little Bird."

`Little Bird?!?!" Her eyes widen even more and he lifts her off her feet, the pain in her arm holding her immobile as he carries her towards the trees in the opposite direction of the village. The only sounds are the gaily-chirping birds overhead, the stranger's deep breathing and Kagome's muffled attempts to call for help.

`This can't be happening!' Her thoughts spin in helpless circles and extreme panic, `Oh God…Somebody help me!!' She watches trees pass as they move deeper into the forest and one thought is foremost, `INUYASHA!!' Her mental screams go no farther than her own mind what with the man's hand smashed over her mouth. She shudders with each indrawn breath, completely helpless.

"Be patient Little Bird." Her eyes snap back to his and he winks at her, "You can scream all you want to shortly." He tightens his grip in her wrist and she grimaces with pain. "In fact…I want you to."

Tears blur her vision and she looses track of the minutes as she tries to calm herself and think around her fear. When he suddenly sets her down on her feet while still maintaining his hold, her eyes fly open and she watches him look around at the densely enclosed clearing.

He nods to himself, "This will do." He roughly pushes her to the ground, still holding onto her right wrist and grabbing her left as she gasps for air.

"NO!" Kagome struggles to get away but is overpowered by his greater strength. "PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!"

He pins her left arm under his knee and looks down at her with amusement, "Why?" His tone sounds mildly curious as he draws the wicked looking short blade, "It'll only hurt for a moment."

Stark, raving fear rips a scream from her, echoing throughout the forest and silencing the birds. They scatter madly away, abandoning their perches amid the staccato flapping of wings.

He chuckles, forcing her right hand around the weapon's hilt with his vice-like grip keeping it there and she looks up at him in shock. His fanatical gaze traps hers as he forces the lethally sharp tip of the short blade to swing around, her hand still on the hilt under his.

The stranger's grin turns wild and disbelief sears through her as he plunges the blade deep into his own heart, the final throbbing beats vibrating up its length noticeably to her hand. The heat of his blood bathing their joined hands jolts her out of her stunned silence and she begins to scream, yanking desperately on her hand held tightly in his death grip. His weight on her left arm keeps her from rolling away as his limp form topples onto hers and she can feel the hot blood soaking through her clothes. Her screams turn hysterical, quickly dwindling to animal-like whimpers as her mind shuts down.

----------

InuYasha is at the well staring at the yellow backpack with a frown, the smell of fear sending his adrenaline rushing just as the sound of screams reach him. "Shit!" His head comes up, zeroing in on the sound and his movements are blurred with the swiftness of his response. Each terror-filled scream spurs him faster, a red and white streak rushing at break-neck speed through the trees with fear gripping his heart. "Kagome!!"

The sickly-sweet smell of blood hits him like a wall when he bursts into the clearing and he quickly shoves the large man off of the traumatized girl, having to forcibly remove the man's hand from around hers before he can push the corpse completely away.

"Kagome." He makes a swift glance around to make sure there is no further threat before he kneels next to her, horrified to see her covered in blood and the blank expression on her face as she continues to shake, making distressed sounds and staring sightlessly at the sky. He pries the weapon from her hand and tosses it away in disgust, only a small part of him relieved that none of the blood-scent is hers.

He slips an arm under her to raise her to a sitting position with her head resting against his shoulder, feeling her body shiver with each gasping breath. Her continuous whimpering is tearing him apart and he strokes her cheek with his free hand. "Kagome," brushing her hair back he continues to call her name, "Kagome!"

Her wide eyes eventually flutter, blinking away the gray haze that had clouded her vision and she swallows painfully, her throat raw and mouth dry. She slowly focuses on golden eyes looking at her with deep concern, his voice calling her back and she whispers, "Inu…Yasha?"

He says her name under his breath with a wealth of emotion and crushes her to him in relief, his heart pounding against hers and giving a silent thank you to the powers-that-be for sparing her. He leans back and she looks up at him in confusion, "What happened?"

He frowns at her worriedly, "You don't know?"

"I-" her thoughts are blank and she raises her hand to rub her forehead and is startled at the still-wet blood covering it. She stares at it and begins to shake again, seeing in her mind the blood gushing over her. She tosses her head jerkily, "NO!" Mindless panic hits her and she starts pushing to get away, "LET ME GO!!"

He releases her in shock and she rolls to her hands and knees, gasping desperately for air, and sees the man's dead body lying on its back only a few feet away. Her eyes lock on the dark, wet stain with bile rising to the back of her throat. Her stomach begins to spasm uncontrollably, emptying itself until she is reduced to dry heaves and shaking weakly in reaction.

"Kagome…"

She quickly wipes her mouth on her sleeve in embarrassment. A warm hand comes to rest lightly on her back. -Disgusting-- She gives a slight jerk and sits back on her heels, avoiding the mess and determined to not look at the dead man again.

"Kagome?"

She turns toward InuYasha with haunted eyes and flings her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as sobs rattle her slender body. He sits back with his arms wrapped securely around her and lets her cry, rocking gently with his eyes scanning the quiet forest.

----------------------

"Kaede-baba!!"

Shippo and the old Miko look up at the hanyou's bellow as he enters her hut carrying the young girl. Kaede's single eye widens at all the blood and she staggers to her feet, "Kagome!"

InuYasha starts to release her legs so she can stand, but her grip around his neck changes his mind and he kneels with her still in his arms, feeling just as reluctant to let go.

The kitsune's mouth drops in shock and his tail twitches furiously. His high-pitched squeak sounds strangled, unable to form words, and he bounces over to where InuYasha is kneeling. One tiny hand reaches out to grab a handful of her green skirt, needing contact.

InuYasha watches big fat tears roll down Shippo's face and says gruffly, "It's not her blood-" he feels her flinch and he sighs, giving her a slight squeeze in apology.

Kaede rests a hand on the girl's shoulder and Shippo sniffs hard, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He tugs at her skirt, "K-ka…Kagome?"

--Ah…the kit-- Her breath hitches and she slowly turns her head to look down at him. Her eyes are puffy and shadowed but at his concerned look, she manages a weak smile. "I'm ok…Shippo-chan," she loosens her grip around InuYasha's neck and turns to see the old woman kneeling near. "I'm not…hurt."

`Not visibly anyway…' InuYasha's thoughts are dark as he reluctantly lets Kagome move away, repressing the urge to snatch her back to him where he can know she's safe. The bruised look in her eyes makes him want to howl and he abruptly stands up, needing to do…something, anything…needing out! He turns for the door and Kagome's anxious voice calling his name stops him. He looks back at her, secure that she is in good hands, "I'll be right back." The flap covering the door is flung aside and he's gone.

Kaede promises herself to get what happened out of the turbulent hanyou later, deeming that the young girl could use a good dose of calm practicality for now. "Come, Kagome." She pushes up from her arthritic knees and puts a helping hand under the girl's arm, feeling the slight tremors still racking her. "Let's get you cleaned up."

---------------------------

`Damn!' InuYasha kicks dirt at the bloody corpse and turns his back on it, his frown fierce as he looks around the small clearing again. Except for the trail leading back to the well, there are no other tracks. `Who was he?' His eyes slide back to the dead man. There are no markings on his minimal armor and no weapons beyond the blood-encrusted tanto. `Probably just a runaway soldier…but…' He follows the man's trail back to the well once more and from there to the edge of the trees where the tracks disappear. `I don't like it.' He casts about for any traces of where the man came from and finds nothing. `There's something not right…'

The smell of Kagome's fear is still strong here and he covers his face with his sleeve, anger building with his frustration. Hating the smell, hating it's reminding him of just how late he had been. He walks back to the well and the discarded yellow backpack, still leaning where Kagome had left it. He picks it up and hitches it over his shoulder with irritatedly abrupt movements, turning toward the well-traveled path back to the village. `Shit…he could've-` his head comes up and his eyes widen. `No…' he drops the pack and practically throws himself on all fours, sticking his nose close to the ground and inhaling deeply, ignoring the acrid fear-stench and concentrating on what should be there…but isn't. `No scent!' He follows the marks of the man's passing to the trees and back to the well just to be sure. He finally sits back on his heels, staring blankly at the slight impression of a foot in front of him with a sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. `He had no scent!'

---------------------------

"Are ye sure InuYasha?" Kaede frowns up at him, the bright sunlight reflecting off of his silvery-white hair making her squint.

He looks down at the yellow backpack he had set down just outside the hut, his arms crossed and speaking softly so the girl inside wouldn't hear. "Ah, there's no mistake." He glances at the simple hut to make sure they were not overheard, "He had no scent. And there are only two that I know of that have that talent. Kanna…and…" He hesitates, not wanting to say that hated man's name.

Kaede nods in understanding, "One by Naraku's design and the other a clever ruse." She sighs, "I like this not at all. It seems too odd to me that two men come here with the same trick for it to just be a coincidence." She scans the tree line, hearing the distant laughter of children engaged in a game of some sort, and shakes her head slowly, "Could they be connected?"

He sighs with deep disgust, still able to smell the dirt under his claws from digging a quick grave, "No way of telling. There were no clues anywhere and I can't question a corpse." He slants a look at the gray-haired old Miko, "Did she say anything about what happened?"

"Nay, very quiet." Her careworn face scrunches up with worry, "Too quiet." She sighs clasping her hands behind her back, "But I suppose that's to be expected."

The door covering twitches and the kitsune bounces out followed closely by Kagome. InuYasha drops his arms, always startled by how much she looks like Kikyo whenever she dons those borrowed clothes, the impression made even stronger with her slightly sad expression. She looks at him then turns her eyes away self-consciously, brushing at the red hakama. He swallows and takes a step forward, "Kagome…are you…?"

She gives a rapid nod, glancing up before bowing her head and staring at the dirt. Shippo grabs onto the red material looking up at her and she gives him a tiny smile. "I'm all right." She raises her head to look at InuYasha and Kaede, looking more like herself, "Really."

InuYasha grunts in reply and recrosses his arms.

Kagome feels a calmness at his blunt ways; so normal…so familiar. --Where are they?--She blinks and looks around, finally noticing the absence of the Monk and Taijiya. "Where are Sango and Miroku?"

Kaede faces her, "They went to a village to the south that is having trouble with kinezumi-youkai."

Kagome looks surprised, "Squirrel Youkai?" --An image of a grayish rodent the size of a large dog with long teeth, bushy tail and cunning yellow eyes leaping from a tall tree flashes in her mind.-- She blinks it away and listens.

InuYasha takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax, "Ah. Pesky more than dangerous. There is a nest of them too close to the village and they've been plundering the food stores and scaring the people." He gives a slight shrug as if to say, `not worth my time'.

Kaede nods, "Sango and the Houshi should be more than adequate to deal with the situation."

"Oh." Kagome tilts her head to the side, "When will they be back?"

"Well…actually," InuYasha looks uncomfortable and shares a glance with the old Miko, "They knew you were coming back today, so…they were going to wait for us to catch up with them so we could continue searching from there."

Again, "Oh." Kagome looks down, sees her pack and reaches for it, dragging it closer. She opens it and removes a few heavy books and other extra things, setting them next to the hut's wall; things she had planned on leaving to lighten the load.

InuYasha frowns at her, "What are you doing?"

Kagome whispers something to Shippo and he nods before dashing back inside the hut. She straightens while slipping the backpack's straps over her shoulders and looking in the tall hanyou's direction but not at him, "Shouldn't we get going if they're expecting us?"

His frown deepens, "I thought…aren't you…wouldn't you rather stay-?"

"I'm fine." Her firm words would be more convincing if she wasn't avoiding looking at him.

Shippo stumbles back through the doorway carrying Kagome's new bow and dragging the quiver full of arrows. Kaede watches her take them from the kitsune with a frown of her own, "Are ye sure child?"

Kagome straightens and slings her weapon in its accustomed place. --Very good.--Nodding determinedly she repeats, "I'm fine." Her gaze is finally aimed at InuYasha, "Shall we go?"

--------

Kaede watches until they are out of sight and shakes her head with a sigh. "Nay…" she turns to pick up the short stack of brightly colored textbooks left in her keeping, touching the smooth cover of the topmost one and tracing the strange letters. "…I like it not."

------------------------------------------

Author's Note - This particular pair of scenes kept me awake on two different nights until I wrote them down. The Prologue was bad enough, but the first chapter actually nagged at me for 2 hours before I gave up, crawled out of my comfortable bed and stayed up till 4am. My villain is a very persistent fellow. Thankfully, he will be purged and bother me no longer. I hope you despise him as much as I do.

------------------

Please Review!

Thank you, Darkless