InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of a Thief ❯ Soldiers ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Tilimiel 
A boy’s life is destroyed in one fell swoop with an unexplained attack from a local lord's soldiers.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Angst / Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.21.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 132 | Status: Work In Progress
A boy’s life is destroyed in one fell swoop with an unexplained attack from a local lord's soldiers.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Angst / Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.21.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 132 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I own nothing InuYasha-related and make no profit from this fic.
-:- }|{ -:- Heart of a Thief -:- }|{ -:-
Chapter 1: Soldiers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Hurry up, Kuromu,” the dark haired adolescent shouted over his shoulder to his younger brother.
“You're going too fast, I can't!” the thirteen year old rebuked, panting as he pushed his tired legs in an attempt to keep up with his older brother's longer stride.
As the two reached the outskirts of their village and continued to race towards their home, the midday sun beat down on their gold-tanned skin and the almost identically colored dirt road. They came upon the village's usually busy marketplace and were met by an odd quiet. They paused, confused by the absence of the sounds from the normal hustle and bustle of the villagers. The boys looked up and down the rows of the vendors' stands and realized that it was almost deserted, finding only a few of the more elderly shopkeepers tending to their typical chores. The brothers jogged towards the closest shopkeeper, one they recognized as Old Man Kinshi. “Hello, Kouhai, Kuromu. I'm surprised you both are here. I thought out of anybody, you two would be sure to be at the town square by now,” the old man said as he noticed the boys approaching him, stopping his sweeping and leaning on the broom like a cane.
“The town square? Is that why there's nobody around?” Kuromu asked, taking another glance out to the market as if to make sure he hadn't missed where any crowd of people might have been previously hidden.
Kinshi nodded. “A whole horde of the local lord's soldiers came racing in here on horseback a bit ago and have been addressing the villagers in the town square ever since. I'd suppose they were making some plans about war, and that's why I stayed here instead of following everybody else. An old man like myself has no place on the battlefield. No sir, I'd only be causing trouble. Why, I'd guess it's been at least fifteen years since I last used a weapon and I doubt these old arms of mine could muster the strength to use one again…” he trailed off, sighing wistfully. “Besides, my hearing isn't what it used to be and I doubt I would be able to catch what they were saying. Why don't you boys go run down there and see what's going on. I do suppose I am just a little curious about what all this disruption's been about.”
“Alright. We'll go and check it out for you,” Kouhai said, looking to his brother who nodded in agreement.
“We'll be back when we can,” Kuromu finished.
“Thank you very much. See you later then, boys,” the old man said with a smile as the brothers started off in the direction of the town square.
-:- }|{ -:- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -:- }|{ -:-
“What do you think's going on?” Kuromu asked his brother as he scanned the streets for any signs of the supposed crowd of people.
“I'm not sure. I'd guess something like what Old Man Kinshi said, but I'm surprised that the lord would be sending his soldiers here. There are other, bigger villages with better fighters that would be useful in battle. If there was something so big going on that he'd need to recruit people from here, I would have thought that we'd have heard something about it by now.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right. But wouldn't you th- hey! Slow down!” the younger boy shouted in irritation as Kouhai began to speed ahead of him.
His brother laughed lightheartedly. “Is the little boy having trouble keeping up?” he asked teasingly.
“That's no fair! Just because you're older and taller doesn't mean you have the right to leave me behind,” Kuromu grumbled, glaring at his brother's smug grin.
“It's not my fault I got all the height in the family,” Kouhai said in mock defense.
Kuromu opened his mouth to retort when he ran into his brother. “Hey, why'd you stop right in front of me like that?” he complained.
But his brother gave no reply, only continuing to look straight ahead. As Kuromu followed his brother's gaze, he soon understood why. There were smears of blood across some of the houses and a few bodies lying in the street. “We have to move on from here,” his brother said in a dark whisper, picking up a swift jog in the direction of their home.
Kuromu's stomach tightened and he fought to keep down his breakfast as the stench of the bodies being heated by the noon sun reached his nostrils. He pinched his nose and sprinted ahead to try to catch up to his brother. As he came closer and closer to the town square, he began to hear the cries of the villagers and the sounds of agitated horses. Kuromu reached the end of the block of houses and stopped as he turned around the corner and faced the town square. Blood coated the street under the soldiers' horses' hooves as they clattered across the stone-paved ground after the villagers that had managed to elude the soldiers' weapons. “Brother!” came Kouhai's voice suddenly.
Kuromu turned around just in time to see a soldier changing at him, sword drawn. Kouhai grabbed his brother by the wrist, yanking him out of the path of the soldier, and dodged back between two houses where the horse couldn't follow. They backed away from the edge of the street, panting and trembling. Kouhai looked around and found a few boxes stacked against the outside of one of the houses. He climbed on top of them and was able to push himself up onto the house's roof. “What are you doing?!” demanded Kuromu, sure that his brother had gone crazy with the way he was practically advertising their hiding spot.
“I'm trying to see if there are any safe routes out of here,” Kouhai replied before scooting away from the edge and out of his brother's sight. He lay flat against the roof, not daring to stand up and become an even more obvious target, as he tried to locate the positions of the soldiers. He scanned the bloodied streets, tracking the movements of the warriors, trying to see if there was a pattern to them. He soon found that they were moving in a long line, only straying from their patrol path to slaughter any stray villagers who hadn't been killed during the initial strike, and he watched as them as they wound their way through the streets like a giant snake. He slipped down from the roof and back onto the boxes. But as he began to climb down from them, he unsteadied the pile and slipped as the stack of boxes toppled over.
Kuromu yelped as they boxes came down on top of him, a searing pain going through his arm as one of the larger boxes hit it. He looked up as he heard hoof beats nearing their spot between the houses. Kouhai scrambled to his feet and stack a few of the boxes to create a hiding place, but knew that he'd never get the boxes ready in time for the both of them. Making a quick decision, he shoved his brother back down behind the wall of boxes they had built up. “What are you doing?” Kuromu hissed.
“Just stay here. I'm too big to be hidden here but you're small enough,” he said as he added a few more boxes.
“What? Where are you- Kouhai!” he called, but before he could do anything to stop him, Kouhai leapt out from his hiding place just as the soldier came upon the entrance of the thin alley. “Run!” Kouhai yelled as he began to lead the soldier away from his brother.
“Kouhai!” Kuromu cried desperately as he ran from between the houses and out into the street.
But his brother was too preoccupied to notice the other boy's call to him. He jumped aside as the horse charged, ducking just in time to miss the swing of the soldier's sword. He sprinted backwards as the horse turned around, preparing for another attack as plumes of dust rose around it. He attempted to dodge the soldier's sword again when he tripped and fell backwards. “Brother! NO!” Kuromu screamed.
But it was too late. Kouhai cried out as the soldier flung his sword downward and impaled him through the chest. The world went quiet to Kuromu as he watched his brother's demise begin to unfold. His brother took in a few more raged breaths as the soldier dismounted and came to his side. Kouhai stared up with wide, glazed eyes as the soldier put his foot on his shoulder and pulled the sword from his hemorrhaging body, his back arching from the pain of the blade ripping through his flesh a second time. The soldier raised the sword high, sunlight glinting off the blade, before thrusting it down into his skull. Kuromu screamed as he watched his brother's murder, tears streaming from his eyes as he began gasping for air. He stumbled to the side and leaned against one of the building before emptying the contents of his stomach onto the ground. He stayed bent over for a moment, shaking violently as he began to feel lightheaded. He looked up and he saw the soldier climb atop his horse. Kuromu turned and forced himself to run as quickly as he could away from the soldier before he noticed where he was. He didn't even think about where he was running but soon found himself nearing the edge of the village. He glanced over his shoulder and didn't see the soldier. He slowed as he felt the beginnings of a sharp stitch in his side. He had almost reached the woods surrounding the village when suddenly the soldier reappeared from a side street, cutting off his only escape. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he watched his death galloping towards him.
He closed his eyes as he expected the deathblow to come. But it was replaced by the squeal of the soldier's horse as it fell to the ground. Kuromu opened his eyes to see the soldier trapped beneath his horse, the animal having been felled by a spear that could clearly be seen sticking out of one of its back legs. Kuromu looked around and saw the fleeting image of someone leaping off a nearby roof, retreating into the forest. “Wait!” he shouted, running after his mysterious savior.
He was panting heavily as he was soon swallowed up by the shadows of the woods, the feeling on the cool air trapped within the trees welcome on his hot skin. His muscles in his legs burned as he tried his best not to fall too far behind the person, though he soon realized that he couldn't keep up with the surprising agility they seemed to have even in the dense forest. He strained to hear the small sounds of the person running ahead of him and he tried to see where they were, but splotches of darkness began block his vision. A wave of dizziness struck him, and he was only able to stagger forward a little farther before he tripped over a tree root. He lay where he had fallen against the mossy forest floor, his head spinning and his body having finally given out from overexertion. He thought he heard someone jump to the ground nearby, but the ringing in his ears made it impossible to tell for sure. The dark splotches in his vision began to grow until finally his whole world faded into darkness.
-:- }|{ -:- Heart of a Thief -:- }|{ -:-
Chapter 1: Soldiers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Hurry up, Kuromu,” the dark haired adolescent shouted over his shoulder to his younger brother.
“You're going too fast, I can't!” the thirteen year old rebuked, panting as he pushed his tired legs in an attempt to keep up with his older brother's longer stride.
As the two reached the outskirts of their village and continued to race towards their home, the midday sun beat down on their gold-tanned skin and the almost identically colored dirt road. They came upon the village's usually busy marketplace and were met by an odd quiet. They paused, confused by the absence of the sounds from the normal hustle and bustle of the villagers. The boys looked up and down the rows of the vendors' stands and realized that it was almost deserted, finding only a few of the more elderly shopkeepers tending to their typical chores. The brothers jogged towards the closest shopkeeper, one they recognized as Old Man Kinshi. “Hello, Kouhai, Kuromu. I'm surprised you both are here. I thought out of anybody, you two would be sure to be at the town square by now,” the old man said as he noticed the boys approaching him, stopping his sweeping and leaning on the broom like a cane.
“The town square? Is that why there's nobody around?” Kuromu asked, taking another glance out to the market as if to make sure he hadn't missed where any crowd of people might have been previously hidden.
Kinshi nodded. “A whole horde of the local lord's soldiers came racing in here on horseback a bit ago and have been addressing the villagers in the town square ever since. I'd suppose they were making some plans about war, and that's why I stayed here instead of following everybody else. An old man like myself has no place on the battlefield. No sir, I'd only be causing trouble. Why, I'd guess it's been at least fifteen years since I last used a weapon and I doubt these old arms of mine could muster the strength to use one again…” he trailed off, sighing wistfully. “Besides, my hearing isn't what it used to be and I doubt I would be able to catch what they were saying. Why don't you boys go run down there and see what's going on. I do suppose I am just a little curious about what all this disruption's been about.”
“Alright. We'll go and check it out for you,” Kouhai said, looking to his brother who nodded in agreement.
“We'll be back when we can,” Kuromu finished.
“Thank you very much. See you later then, boys,” the old man said with a smile as the brothers started off in the direction of the town square.
-:- }|{ -:- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -:- }|{ -:-
“What do you think's going on?” Kuromu asked his brother as he scanned the streets for any signs of the supposed crowd of people.
“I'm not sure. I'd guess something like what Old Man Kinshi said, but I'm surprised that the lord would be sending his soldiers here. There are other, bigger villages with better fighters that would be useful in battle. If there was something so big going on that he'd need to recruit people from here, I would have thought that we'd have heard something about it by now.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right. But wouldn't you th- hey! Slow down!” the younger boy shouted in irritation as Kouhai began to speed ahead of him.
His brother laughed lightheartedly. “Is the little boy having trouble keeping up?” he asked teasingly.
“That's no fair! Just because you're older and taller doesn't mean you have the right to leave me behind,” Kuromu grumbled, glaring at his brother's smug grin.
“It's not my fault I got all the height in the family,” Kouhai said in mock defense.
Kuromu opened his mouth to retort when he ran into his brother. “Hey, why'd you stop right in front of me like that?” he complained.
But his brother gave no reply, only continuing to look straight ahead. As Kuromu followed his brother's gaze, he soon understood why. There were smears of blood across some of the houses and a few bodies lying in the street. “We have to move on from here,” his brother said in a dark whisper, picking up a swift jog in the direction of their home.
Kuromu's stomach tightened and he fought to keep down his breakfast as the stench of the bodies being heated by the noon sun reached his nostrils. He pinched his nose and sprinted ahead to try to catch up to his brother. As he came closer and closer to the town square, he began to hear the cries of the villagers and the sounds of agitated horses. Kuromu reached the end of the block of houses and stopped as he turned around the corner and faced the town square. Blood coated the street under the soldiers' horses' hooves as they clattered across the stone-paved ground after the villagers that had managed to elude the soldiers' weapons. “Brother!” came Kouhai's voice suddenly.
Kuromu turned around just in time to see a soldier changing at him, sword drawn. Kouhai grabbed his brother by the wrist, yanking him out of the path of the soldier, and dodged back between two houses where the horse couldn't follow. They backed away from the edge of the street, panting and trembling. Kouhai looked around and found a few boxes stacked against the outside of one of the houses. He climbed on top of them and was able to push himself up onto the house's roof. “What are you doing?!” demanded Kuromu, sure that his brother had gone crazy with the way he was practically advertising their hiding spot.
“I'm trying to see if there are any safe routes out of here,” Kouhai replied before scooting away from the edge and out of his brother's sight. He lay flat against the roof, not daring to stand up and become an even more obvious target, as he tried to locate the positions of the soldiers. He scanned the bloodied streets, tracking the movements of the warriors, trying to see if there was a pattern to them. He soon found that they were moving in a long line, only straying from their patrol path to slaughter any stray villagers who hadn't been killed during the initial strike, and he watched as them as they wound their way through the streets like a giant snake. He slipped down from the roof and back onto the boxes. But as he began to climb down from them, he unsteadied the pile and slipped as the stack of boxes toppled over.
Kuromu yelped as they boxes came down on top of him, a searing pain going through his arm as one of the larger boxes hit it. He looked up as he heard hoof beats nearing their spot between the houses. Kouhai scrambled to his feet and stack a few of the boxes to create a hiding place, but knew that he'd never get the boxes ready in time for the both of them. Making a quick decision, he shoved his brother back down behind the wall of boxes they had built up. “What are you doing?” Kuromu hissed.
“Just stay here. I'm too big to be hidden here but you're small enough,” he said as he added a few more boxes.
“What? Where are you- Kouhai!” he called, but before he could do anything to stop him, Kouhai leapt out from his hiding place just as the soldier came upon the entrance of the thin alley. “Run!” Kouhai yelled as he began to lead the soldier away from his brother.
“Kouhai!” Kuromu cried desperately as he ran from between the houses and out into the street.
But his brother was too preoccupied to notice the other boy's call to him. He jumped aside as the horse charged, ducking just in time to miss the swing of the soldier's sword. He sprinted backwards as the horse turned around, preparing for another attack as plumes of dust rose around it. He attempted to dodge the soldier's sword again when he tripped and fell backwards. “Brother! NO!” Kuromu screamed.
But it was too late. Kouhai cried out as the soldier flung his sword downward and impaled him through the chest. The world went quiet to Kuromu as he watched his brother's demise begin to unfold. His brother took in a few more raged breaths as the soldier dismounted and came to his side. Kouhai stared up with wide, glazed eyes as the soldier put his foot on his shoulder and pulled the sword from his hemorrhaging body, his back arching from the pain of the blade ripping through his flesh a second time. The soldier raised the sword high, sunlight glinting off the blade, before thrusting it down into his skull. Kuromu screamed as he watched his brother's murder, tears streaming from his eyes as he began gasping for air. He stumbled to the side and leaned against one of the building before emptying the contents of his stomach onto the ground. He stayed bent over for a moment, shaking violently as he began to feel lightheaded. He looked up and he saw the soldier climb atop his horse. Kuromu turned and forced himself to run as quickly as he could away from the soldier before he noticed where he was. He didn't even think about where he was running but soon found himself nearing the edge of the village. He glanced over his shoulder and didn't see the soldier. He slowed as he felt the beginnings of a sharp stitch in his side. He had almost reached the woods surrounding the village when suddenly the soldier reappeared from a side street, cutting off his only escape. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he watched his death galloping towards him.
He closed his eyes as he expected the deathblow to come. But it was replaced by the squeal of the soldier's horse as it fell to the ground. Kuromu opened his eyes to see the soldier trapped beneath his horse, the animal having been felled by a spear that could clearly be seen sticking out of one of its back legs. Kuromu looked around and saw the fleeting image of someone leaping off a nearby roof, retreating into the forest. “Wait!” he shouted, running after his mysterious savior.
He was panting heavily as he was soon swallowed up by the shadows of the woods, the feeling on the cool air trapped within the trees welcome on his hot skin. His muscles in his legs burned as he tried his best not to fall too far behind the person, though he soon realized that he couldn't keep up with the surprising agility they seemed to have even in the dense forest. He strained to hear the small sounds of the person running ahead of him and he tried to see where they were, but splotches of darkness began block his vision. A wave of dizziness struck him, and he was only able to stagger forward a little farther before he tripped over a tree root. He lay where he had fallen against the mossy forest floor, his head spinning and his body having finally given out from overexertion. He thought he heard someone jump to the ground nearby, but the ringing in his ears made it impossible to tell for sure. The dark splotches in his vision began to grow until finally his whole world faded into darkness.