InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Her Own World ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Her Own World

 

Chapter Four

 

Kagome couldn't help but stare as she was dumped unceremoniously on the leaf litter. She'd been brought to some kind of nesting grounds, as far as she could tell; there were other youkai running around the clearing, scampering on and over the rocks by the lakeside. She could see a few children and their mothers huddled up by a large rocky formation, with several tunnels leading inwards. Everyone in the area was watching them cautiously, tilting their heads up to scent the air.

 

Are they inu, or neko? Kagome wondered silently, remembering the ears of the youkai that had carried her. They could have, in all honestly, been either. Definitely inu… she thought to herself, hearing barking and snarling from behind her. Not even sparing a glance behind him, the youkai with silver hair who didn't have koinu ears swept ahead of them and disappeared inside one of the tunnels.

 

Being pulled up by her forearm in a rough grip, she was marched into what looked like the main entrance, the guards on either side glancing at her with mild curiosity. Looking around frantically, she noted that the youkai were somewhat advanced, though not as advanced as her own people. The tunnels inside the large formation were almost like a town; she could see many youkai going about their daily business - whatever it was - and occasionally glancing at her, wrinkling their noses a little. There were what appeared to be doors over some of the offshoots, leading Kagome to the conclusion that they were most likely private dwellings.

 

She was marched toward the, as far as she could tell, largest cavern in the complex. There were torches burning on either side of the room, held up by what looked like hollows hewn into the rock. Being pushed into the centre of the room and crumbling to her knees, Kagome found herself trembling once again - had she ever truly stopped? - as all eyes landed on her, a few upper lips curling back in snarls that seemed to be directed at her.

 

Another snarl from behind her seemed to quieten the chamber, as the tall youkai with the silver hair and crescent moon crossed the chamber in five long strides. Kagome's lip found purchase under her teeth as she gnawed on it, lowering her eyes to stare at the, somehow smooth, floor. She was attempting to manoeuvre herself so that she were sitting on her ankles, in the traditional Japanese fashion, when she heard; “Stand up, girl.”

 

Looking up to her left, she saw the one that had gone from man to beast in a matter of seconds that morning. Not even looking at her, his attention instead fixed on the dominating figure in the front of the chamber, he growled “Stand up!” once more, his ears the only part of him moving, as he fixed them on her before plastering them to his head at the other youkai's snarl. The one next to her game a soft whimper and flinched.

 

A low growl reverberated through the area, before the youkai next to Kagome started speaking, finally looking at her. “You listen, girl; I'm gonna translate, and if we don't like what we hear, you ain't gonna be leavin' any time soon. Got it?” Hesitantly, Kagome nodded. Another set of growls sounded from before them. “Right. The youkai in the front is Sesshoumaru; he's the alpha of the pack.”

 

Kagome nodded, being familiar with the term `alpha male'. “He says that he didn't want it to come to this, but the humans left us no choice. We've been driven out of our original dens, our lands have been destroyed, and many of our pack have been slain by the warriors you call `taijiya'.” Inuyasha paused while, Kagome realised, the other youkai was speaking. She hadn't initially thought that the odd combinations of barking, growling, snarling, and whines she had been hearing were actually speech.

 

“He says that, when humans first appeared on our shores, we did not resist them making homes on the coast. We appreciate that all beings need homes, and we allowed them to make theirs on the borders of our territory.” He continued. “Between the inuyoukai, the kitsuneyoukai, and the nekoyoukai, we protected the humans against the man-eating beasts such as lower lizard youkai and sea monsters that sought to siege the human dens at night. But, when the humans saw us, we became hunted.”

 

Kagome nodded slowly, absorbing this. She had no reason to believe them, but pretended to. What she didn't know was that her scent was lined with distrust, made even more pungent with the scent of fear and tears that laced the air around her. She was so close to crying, but refused to show it. “For no reason at all, the humans sent warriors out to kill us. We were smoked out of our dens; many of our pups and bitches were killed. We lost half of our pack to the humans, and had to pick up strays from other inuyoukai packs scattered around to fortify our ranks. We've been hiding our existence here, in the woods, until the alpha of the humans came.”

 

“Me?” Kagome asked softly.

 

The youkai nodded, translating the alpha's next words. “If you were a male, we would have killed you and driven off the invaders, since we do not believe in attacking when a pack does not have a leader. But, since you are a bitch, we have had to curb our strategy. We will keep you here until you agree to remove your pack from our lands.” He said slowly. “The sooner you remove them, the sooner you can leave. What say you?”

 

“I-I'm sorry,” Kagome looked at the floor, trembling all over as she held herself tighter, “but it's not my decision to make.” This was translated.

 

Kagome was very aware of the fact that the youkai that surrounded her could easily tear her to shreds. Holding her breath, she released it after a few moments, trying to calm her pounding heart. She was comforted by the fact that these beasts couldn't tell how she was feeling; though, she remembered, they had superior senses. Was it possible that they could hear the frantic beating of her heart? The slight increase of her breath rate? She remembered that they were inu. Could they smell her fear?

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

“She says she's sorry, but it ain't up to her.” Inuyasha said in the native tongue, roughly translating the human alpha's words. Muttering broke out amongst the inu about lies and such, but Sesshoumaru's next words silenced the hall once more.

 

“Remind her that she will not be returned to her pack if she does not agree to our terms.”

 

A pause while Inuyasha spoke with the human. “She still says she can't do anything. And, she said, even if they were to leave, apparently they thought inuyoukai were extinct and destroyed the old dens for resources. She says the scars on the land are deep, and the damage is irreversible.” More muttering broke out, talking about disrespectful creatures and how they'd like to wring a few necks. Sesshoumaru threw a glare around the room.

 

“Very well.” Sesshoumaru paused, locking his eyes with the cautious human. “You will take her to the cell that has been prepared in your den. I shall send clothing and nourishment for the human, and I expect you back down here to venture out with the hunting party, as per usual.”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, grasping the arm of the human woman again. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. I'll be back down as soon as I change.”

 

Marching the human down the corridors of the dens, Inuyasha was subject to many jeers and sly comments. Throwing a warning growl at them, most fell silent, respecting the beta of the pack - even if he were just a hanyou. The ones that ignored the warnings suddenly found themselves at the mercy of a very nervous group of inuyoukai who did not want their ruling family disrespected. Their mouths were stuffed with spare scraps of cotton, their arms twisted behind their backs, their heads hit with various fists and weapons until they shut up.

 

“Inuyasha!”

 

Grumbling his frustrations, he turned toward the mate of the delta male. The female hierarchy of the pack was different to the male, and neither side crossed. The mate of the omega male could easily be the alpha female, depending on how firm a hand she took with the other bitches and children. Inuyasha did not pretend to understand, and nor did he really care to. All he knew was that the males did their bit, and the females did theirs.

 

“I was told this one was brought with the human.” She held up the still unconscious kitsune. “What do you want me to do with him?”

 

Ignoring the human woman's cry of `Shippou-chan!', Inuyasha shrugged. “I don't know. Chuck him in with the pups, I suppose. Its up to the head bitch. Not my problem.”

 

Dismissing the female, Inuyasha continued outside with the human woman in his grip. Switching over to the human language, he said “You're to be kept up here until Sesshoumaru decides what to do with you.” as he threw her over his shoulder and leapt toward the topmost level, flattening his ears at her scream. As soon as his feet had a good grip on the ground, he set her on he feet once more, grabbing her elbow and dragging her into one of the two caverns.

 

Kagome managed to get a quick look around the chamber, noting a straw and cloth nest-like bed in the centre, which looked remarkably warm compared to the rest of the cavern, a roughly hewn, low wooden table in one corner, with what looked like an old, tacky cushion placed in front. There was a fire pit on the northern wall, which was burning brightly with a warm glow that did nothing but repulse Kagome at the present moment. It looked like a section of the strangely thin roof of the cave had been worn away directly above, most likely by youkai attacks, to let smoke out, almost like a chimney.

 

All of this was only just barely available for her to see, as a door was wrenched open in the back of the youkai den, and Kagome was thrown in. Losing her balance, she crumbled to her knees once more, looking up at the youkai that had brought her. Sneering at her, he said “There's a basin of clean drinking water in the den over there, with a cup and plate. Someone's coming up with clothes and food for you soon and will probably light you a fire. Until then, I suggest you keep quiet, bitch.”

 

Turning his back to leave her, Kagome found herself desperately crying, “Wait! Youkai!” He stopped, but didn't turn toward her. A slight twitching of his ears indicated that he was listening. “W-who lives in here?” She asked, sweeping her eyes around the portion of the cave that wasn't enclosed.

 

He seemed to ignore her, making his way over to the chair, which was draped in garments similar to his own. Kagome was mortified when he suddenly began to strip right in front of her, quickly covering her eyes and looking away. “You humans don't know shit. Can't you even recognise a hanyou when you see one, you stupid woman?” He barked toward her back. “I live here. You're gonna call me `Inuyasha', got that? My mother didn't name me for no reason.”

 

“Y-yes, Inuyasha.” Kagome squeaked, still afraid to turn around. She could hear footsteps leading away from her, and bark, and then nothing. Carefully, she lowered her hands and peeked behind her. He had gone. Hugging herself as she leant against the wall of the cave, she allowed herself to tremble and shed a few tears. A soft yip at the front of the cave drew her attention.

 

Standing at the front of the cave were three of the most beautiful little girls she had ever seen. Large, liquid brown eyes blinked over at her curiously as soft yellow curls bounced around their shoulders; it was obvious that they were sisters. In one girl's arms was a bundle of cloth and, in the arms of another girl, something wrapped in a large palm leaf. Padding over to the cell, the last child blinked as the human girl scrambled away from her. Setting their cargo on the floor, the three girls pushed open the door and brought everything in, setting them down in front of her.

 

Kagome reached out and grabbed a hold of the cloth; a simple yukata, the colour of grass, and a dark blue obi. Clutching them to her chest, she nervously eyed the girls to see what else they would do. A small hair cord was deposited at her feet as one of the little girls padded over to the fire pit in the corner of the cell, poking around the pile of firewood that had already been set in there. Watching cautiously, Kagome barely suppressed a gasp as the child managed to slowly build up a good-sized fire, casting the dim cell into light. As the package in the palm leaf was deposited on a small table, similar to the hanyou's, the three little girls ran out of the cell, closing it behind.

 

Kagome watched as they ran out of sight, before slowly setting the yukata aside, crawling over to the fire pit. Peering into the depths, she reached forward to feel the heat, accidentally putting her hand a little too close to the blaze. “Ow!” She cried, placing the abused fingers in her mouth to soothe the burn with her tongue. Refusing to cry, she dragged herself back to the table, sitting up and reaching for the leaf. Unwrapping it, her stomach lurched. Within was a small hare, already skinned and gutted, oozing blood and skewered onto a metal bar. Placing a hand over her mouth so that she would not throw up the dinner of fish the previous night, she guessed that she was meant to cook it herself.

 

Gingerly picking up the metal, being careful not to get any of the blood on her fingers, she took it over to the fire and fixed it on the brackets that held up cooking pots. She was amazed at how human-like this dwelling was, putting it down to the hanyou's human parent. Surely the presence of a more technologically advanced creature would have had at least some impact on the beast-like tribe she was among. She saw the evidence in front of her.

 

Finally allowing herself to think, Kagome wrapped her arms around herself and finally allowed herself to cry while her crude lunch cooked. It was hopeless, she thought to herself; utterly, utterly hopeless.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Sango was not among the taijiya that had set out that morning to search for the Princess, and it was just as well.

 

The nekomata had woken, and had taken to siting on Sango's shoulder, wherever she went. In her private quarters, Sango did not mind; in fact, she kind of enjoyed the attention. But when she was trying to leave the feline in the relative safety of the taijiya quarters, where Miroku had placed charms to hide the neko's youki from Kikyou, she simply would not budge.

 

“Wait here for me.” Sango was saying softly to the cat, her red, jewel-like eyes peered up at her as he set her down on the ground once more. “I'll be back soon, I promise.” A happy mew came from the cat as she perched herself on Sango's shoulder again.

 

“Kirara!”

 

Sango's eyes widened as she turned to look at the youkai on her shoulder. She had no idea where the name had come from, but the cat had taken to purring and rubbing her forehead against Sango's neck. “You… like the name?” She whispered, reaching up to pat her. Kirara mewed again, jumping down and walking toward the door, twitching her tails impatiently. “I don't think that's such a good idea.” Sango said softly. “There are people in this Palace that will try to hurt you. Its safer to stay in here.”

 

A short hiss came from the feline as Sango made to move her back. Affronted, Sango finally gave in, holding her arms out for the nekomata to jump into. Purring happily, she did just that, snuggling into Sango's warmth as the taijiya brusquely made her way to the Palace gates, trying to avoid Kikyou. Fortunately for Sango, the miko had retired to the dungeons to inspect a suspected breakout the night previously, and was so overwhelmed with youki that she did not notice the signature of the nekomata.

 

“Are you sure it was wise to bring the neko out here?” Miroku questioned when she met him at the gate. The two of them had decided to take a day or two to question witnesses to the kidnapping before taking a small squad of their own to scour the forest. Less people could move with more stealth, and therefore had more of a chance of sneaking up on an enemy; not that Sango didn't think that the youkai would have more than likely gotten to their nesting grounds already.

 

Looking down at the kitten-like creature that blinked up at her with large, bright eyes, she sighed. “She simply would not be left behind.” She shrugged as she absently scratched her behind the ear.

 

“I see.” Miroku eyed the cat curiously. “Have you bestowed her with a name?”

 

“Kirara.”

 

Miroku looked down at the cat, blinking. “Kirara…” he rolled it around on his tongue, “…it seems most suiting.” He reached out to gently stroke the nekomata. “I suppose she has some kind of special powers, but we shall have to wait to see. Do you intend to keep her?”

 

“She seems reluctant to leave me.”

 

Miroku allowed a small smile as they began to walk into town. “You know, there are others that are reluctant to leave you, my dear Sango.”

 

CRACK!

 

“Hentai!”

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Kikyou rubbed her temples as she ascended the staircase from the dungeons. Even for a miko as powerful as her, the immense amount of youki in the cells below was overwhelming. There were o many youkai, with so much ill-will, that the power in the air was almost palpable.

 

Frowning, Kikyou ran over the facts in her head. An important prisoner had escaped. An ookamiyoukai bitch had escaped the dungeons; she had learned that a small child had been threatened by male youkai to remove the ofuda that she and Miroku had placed on the doors. Kikyou had sensed that the youki in the ookami female was strong, meaning she was a backbone member of their tribe. Taking the strong would mean that the tribe would weaken, leaving them more vulnerable to the taijiya.

 

Without the bitch in custody, the pack would likely gain in strength. Kikyou had yet to discover the location of their den; but, as soon as she did, she would send taijiya there with false suspicions that it was that clan that had kidnapped the Princess. Once it was revealed that they were, in fact, not the clan that had taken their `beloved' Princess, it would be too late and Kikyou would merely state that perhaps she had been mistaken, and send them off after the next clan.

 

Truth be told, Kikyou knew what species had taken Kagome. They were most definitely inu. She had been taught at the very beginning to recognise the sounds that each kind of youkai made; she was not mistaken. However, she had been under the impression that the native inuyoukai had become extinct shortly after humans had begun to hunt them. She would have never guessed that there were enough to rebuild the clan and siege the village.

 

Though he knew the species, Kikyou had no desire to have their Princess retuned to them. Besides, even if she did want her returned, she did not know where their nests were to retrieve her. She could not sense much youki besides that of the dungeons in the immediate vicinity. She knew that there were other nesting grounds somewhat nearby, but could not sense them as anything more than a tickle against her aura. She was not overly concerned at the present time, knowing that she and a few select warriors could easily put them out of commission.

 

Frowning as she reached her chambers, she thought of her next duty; informing the Emperor of Japan that his daughter had been lost to youkai. She was not exactly relishing the thought of having angry correspondence with the Emperor and his wife; or Souta-ooji-sama, for that matter. She was trying to think of a way to phrase the letter that did not paint herself in a bad light, that made Miroku look unreliable, and made it sound as if Kagome were truly dead.

 

Like Sango, Kikyou did not believe that the Princess was truly dead. She had reached the same conclusion with the same facts; if the inuyoukai had wanted the Princess dead, she would have been buried in the Palace Graveyard already. She held no doubt that the Princess was alive in some disgusting youkai nest, likely under guard or, perhaps, being forced to submit to the will of some fat youkai alpha male. Shuddering at the thought that not even she would wish on the Princess, Kikyou sat at her desk and picked up her quill.

 

Pulling a sheet of writing parchment toward her, Kikyou began to pen her letter to the Emperor.

 

Ten'noo-sama,

 

It is my sad duty to report to you the loss of your most beloved daughter, Kagome-hime, to the youkai of the surrounding lands. During the night of the new moon in the first month of summer, youkai attacked our humble village, distracting Miroku-houshi-sama in order to crumble the spiritual barrier placed over the coronation site.

 

Kagome-hime was taken alive, though we hold not much hope for her. The youkai were vicious; casualties are not yet known at this time. In an attempt to locate and rescue Kagome-hime, I have personally sent a squadron of taijiya to hunt down the youkai before it is too late. At this time, we have not had any news. It is as if the beasts that snatched her simply disappeared into the night.

 

We shall not cease searching the forests until we have found Kagome-hime. Living or not, she shall be returned to us, I swear it to you.

 

My most humble apologies and sympathies;

 

Watanabe Kikyou,

 

High Miko of Shikon

 

Satisfied with the wording of her letter, she reread it once more. Setting it aside for the ink to dry, she began burning a candle for the wax seal. Once there was sufficient wax, and the ink had dried she folded the parchment, wrote the destination on the front, and sealed it at the back. Standing with the letter in her hand, she swept out of the room to find the courier to take the letter to the homeland.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Inuyasha returned to his den at dusk. That day's hunt had been fairly successful; several boars and rabbits for both food and skins was not a bad day. The catches were down below, being cleaned and skinned and bled out for food the next day. The hides would be strung out in the sun, and then used to create blankets and clothing for the pups when they were dry. While the adult inuyoukai could weave cloth, they did not allow the pups to wear it. Their rough-and-tumble games would easily tear the fine cotton to shreds.

 

Taking off his bloodstained haori after he put his dinner of dear thigh on the fire to cook, Inuyasha tossed it in the corner of the den to be washed the next day. It was likely that Sesshoumaru would have him take the human out to bathe - she stunk of all kinds of unpleasant perfumes and oils that displeased their sensitive noses - so he would do it then. Hell, even if he were not ordered to do it, he'd make her bathe, he decided, his nose twitching as he sneezed. The perfumes on the human had already permeated the den.

 

Sparing a glance at the cell, he noted the hare that had been given to her for her lunch was well and truly cooked; it was all but falling off the bone. There was more than enough for her dinner there; the carcass looked as if she had barely picked at it. Sniffing at the air, filtering out the scent of deer blood and cooking meat, he picked up on her scent coming from within the shadows of her mini-den.

 

Opening the door to he cell, he stepped in to see what she was up to. She had curled up in the bedding that she'd been provided, and had quite clearly cried herself to sleep. He could still smell the salt that clung to the straw beneath her, even though her face was buried in her new yukata. Sighing in half annoyance, half nostalgia, he picked up the plate that had been left for her to use beside the fresh water basin, and took it out into the main area of the cell. Taking the hare off the fire, he pulled it off the metal rod and put the tender carcass on it. Leaving it on the table that had been left for her use, he added a few small logs to the fire, stoking it to make them catch.

 

Stepping out of the cell, Inuyasha's nose wrinkled up. He wasn't used to having a human female in his care; the last time he'd been responsible for a human woman was when his mother was alive, shortly after his father had perished - excluding Rin, of course. Izayoi had been old and frail at the time, yet she was still gentle and loving. Perhaps he was getting too soft.

 

He couldn't help it. The way the girl had looked, curled up and crying into her clothing, looked just like his mother after his father's passing. She had curled up with her face in her mate's clothing and cried herself to sleep every night, until her age finally overcame her. Inuyasha would always love and miss his mother, but the more he thought about it, the more he realised that it was a blessing in disguise that she had been taken from this world. She was no longer in suffering, longing for his father, and Inuyasha was able to breathe and mourn for both his parents, since he had not been given the chance to grieve for his dead father when he was busy with his living mother.

 

That day had been more than fifty years ago, he thought to himself, staring into his own fire. Sometimes he got lonely, though he would deny it to everyone else. He and his mother had been close; his father had been closer to Sesshoumaru, since he was to be his successor, but always made sure that his second son didn't feel any less valued. However, he had shared a special bond with his mother; they had both been the only two in the pack to feel any extreme emotions, though Inuyasha tried to hide them. She had always been the one that he could trust to confide in. Now he really had no one.

 

A small shuffling in the back of the den caught his attention. The girl had roused, and was now sitting at her low table, staring at him with something akin to awe. He flustered under her gaze, and huffed, turning away to stare at the fire again. Smelling her embarrassment and fear waft over to him as he heard the rustle as she stood and took her food to her bedding, he relaxed his posture and stared at his hands. He couldn't help but feel that they were making a terrible mistake in taking this approach. If the woman really had no say in the affairs of her people, being merely a figurehead - something his mother had explained to him that humans sometimes did - then they were putting her through hell for nothing.

 

Shaking the thought free, he mentally slapped himself. He wasn't allowed to be soft; not anymore. This was the future of his people that he was thinking about! He had to be ready to treat others badly for the good of his pack. The pack came before everything else, he told himself, and he had to be willing to risk all for his people.

 

Even as he tried to convince himself this, a small voice in the back of his head nagged that he was doing the wrong thing. The people he was trying to help… he was not truly one of them. Their blood was not the same. They were all born of demon heritage. He was not. He had human blood flowing in his veins, also, making him somewhat kin to the girl locked up in the back of his den.

 

She was his people, too.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Kagome picked at her meal, not really hungry. It had been left to roast slowly all day, basically, while she had slept. Sheer terror had kept her from sleeping the night before, but her exhaustion had caught up with her shortly after the young girls had left. She had crawled into the cave at the bottom of her cell and wept, clutching the new clothing to her like a lifeline. It was something that, while it was not from her home, she was familiar with. That thought had allowed her to drift off into a light sleep, to be woken by the shuffling around outside her cell.

 

Merely picking at her dinner, she sighed. She really wasn't hungry. Just the thought of what the meat had looked like when it was first delivered to her was enough to make her sick. Even smelling the cooking meat from outside of the cell did not appeal to her. Putting the food down on the side of the straw bedding, she curled up into a ball once more and cried in her anger, frustration, and her fear. Only after she had exhausted herself once more did she fall asleep.

 

Much to the relief of the hanyou who sat on the other side of the cave wall.