InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome, Born of Fire ❯ Prologue ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

She was bound at her wrists and ankles, tied to a stake in the middle of a reasonably empty field. Idly, she realized that she faced her cardinal direction. She couldn't look at the man who'd trussed her up as she was but she could hear the call of her sisters. They were afraid.

She opened her mouth and a strange cry left it. It sounded like the scream of a bird, but a large bird. She was very promptly slapped across the face. She met the cold red eyes of the man who was trying to use them.

“Now, now, my dear. I can't have you invoking the wrath of Suzaku upon me.” The man sneered, now tell me where your symbol is. But the will of the gods, I invoke thee tell me the truth!”

The girl panted, then smiled. “You shall never find my symbol. The shikon no tama will forever be lost to you.” Her voice sounded odd, like the crackle of fire. “In a few minutes the sun sets and we will return to our housings. You may be able to torture the earth, the water, the air...” Behind her blue eyes, one could see the fires of Suzaku burning brightly. “But you cannot torture the answer out of the fire.”

The man lifted a knife to her throat, his eyes burning furiously. “TELL ME!”

The girl's eyes focused on the horizon. She began to chant softly in a forgotten language, hearing her sisters beginning to chant as well. Their voices rose in a chorus to the gods, ending in a keening wail as each element surrounded it's child. “Take us back to where we were born from, to wait for they who shall use us for the purpose of good, not evil...” She lifted her face to the sky, feeling the fire caressing her skin like an old lover, and a faint smile turned up her cheeks. She met the man's gaze. “You have failed, Naraku...” She whispered, and then the sun dipped below the horizon.

Just like that, the four stakes were left bare and the man before them screamed in fury. His prize was lost.

“WHAT?!” The game control went flying across the room and shattered upon impact with the wall. It was the third this week.

The young man watched his friend with amused violet eyes. He didn't speak as he stood, finding a well used pair of scissors laying on the desk in his friends room. He took the pair to the package of a brand new controller, shaking his head. This was not uncommon. When his friend lost his temper, whatever he was holding was promptly thrown against the wall. Usually he went through about three a month, but this had been a very bad week for his game controllers. He glanced at his friend, who was on the phone with his now ex-girlfriend Kikyou.

“What the hell do you mean, you can't take this anymore?!” Inuyasha snarled into the phone, and Miroku heard the girl respond.

“Inuyasha, it's just not working out...you can't give me what I need-”

Miroku winced as Inuyasha's voice rose even louder. It was very obvious that the hanyou was going to have a very sore throat later tonight.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I buy you every fucking thing you ask for!” The girl said something in a whiny tone and Inuyasha's face darkened. “You know what, you're right, Kikyou. This isn't working out.” He snarled in a dangerous sounding voice. Without another word, he hung up the phone on the girl.

Miroku winced, pointing at the playstation controller. “Want me to get that?”

Inuyasha flopped face down on his bed. He didn't say anything, he just turned his face away from his friend.

The boy nodded, going and getting the dustpan. He was familiar enough with the Fushizawa house that he knew where everything was. It helped that he avoided his own house like the plague. His step-father was a drunk, and without his mother around anymore, he was an easy target for the man's alcohol induced rages.

When he reentered his best friends room, he found it in the same state when he left it, but sans one hanyou. Miroku paused the game they'd been playing and cleaned up the controller, knowing full well where Inuyasha had gone. He deposited the destroyed piece of electronics in the trash, them moved towards the kitchen, not surprised to find Inuyasha leaning over a HUGE bowl of ramen noodles. “Bad week, my friend.” Miroku said softly, getting himself a smaller bowl and sitting across from him.

“It's total bullshit. She fucking dumped me because I got grounded. It's her own damn fault I got grounded to begin with!” He snarled. He tightened his grip on his chopsticks before forcibly relaxing his hand so he didn't break his mother's favorites. He set them down and leaned back on his stool. “Stupid bitch...”

“Relax, Inuyasha. Plenty of fish in the sea, I always say.”

Inuyasha looked at his friend and sighed softly. It had been the week from hell. His report card came and when his brother saw D's in two of his classes, he'd flipped out, saying that he obviously was spending too much time outside the apartment to do homework, and that he wasn't aloud outside for recreational activities. The reason he'd been staying out so much was because his girlfriend was fucking demanding. “I need a cigarette...”

The other boy looked at him in concern. “I thought you quit that?”

“I did...” He stood up, finding a carton of his brothers on top of the refrigerator. “But I've been thinking of starting again...”

“If Sesshoumaru catches you stealing his fags, he's gonna kill you.”

“I'd like to see the fluffy asshole try.” Inuyasha stepped out onto the balcony, looking at the city from his bird's eye view. He pulled out his antique lighter and gave it a few good flicks, trying to light it. No flame caught. He snarled softly, trying a few more times. A flame finally caught, and the wind put it out seconds before Inuyasha managed to get the cigarette to it. Just then, clouds filled the sky and the patter of rain began.

“I think mother nature is trying to tell you something.” Miroku said, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and tossing it off the balcony.

Inuyasha scoffed. “Mother nature needs to mind her own fucking business...” He grumbled, walking back inside, pocketing the old lighter. “It probably needs a new flint or something. I'll pick one up after school tomorrow.”

“Before work?”

“What other free time to I have?” He grumbled. “Oh, that's right, nothing but. I'm grounded and Kikyou dumped me, so I have nothing BUT free time...” The hanyou walked back to his room and flopped down onto his bed.

Miroku shrugged from the doorway. “Hey, you always complained that Kikyou took up too much of your time. At least your free to do whatever you want now. She can't tell you 'it's unbefit' or 'you're too good for that loser friend of yours'.” Miroku grinned at Inuyasha, knowing it was one of the causes of most of their arguments.

“You're not a loser, Miroku and you know it.” Inuyasha said evenly. He sat up and grabbed the fresh controller, plugging it into his playstation. “Come on, where were we?”

Miroku grinned, grabbing his controller as well.

Naraku felt the strange shift of the wind and glanced away from the lovely young girl on his arm, raising his eyes to the heaven. The scent of ozone was heavy in the air.

“What's wrong, Naraku?” The girl on his arm asked, a brilliant diamond necklace gracing her pale neck.

“Nothing, my dear, nothing at all.” He smiled, leading her through the entrance of the hotel, then up to their room.

Less than an hour later, he left alone, a bright diamond necklace in his grasp, his hand covered in blood. He climbed into his car and placed a seal around the necklace, then gave the jewel in the middle a gentle rub. A wicked smile turned up the corner of his lips when wind whipped through the car and a girl appeared beside him, wearing pale blue and white garments. “Ah, Kagura...it has been awhile.

The girl's eyes landed on him and fear choked her throat. “Naraku...” She whispered fearfully.

AN: This is a trial to see what people think of the idea. I'll probably post a few more chapters of this, and if it goes well, I'll plan the rest. To those of you who use this story to wonder what happened to others, I'm working on it. I just have a lot of plot bunnies recently, and it's better to set them free than cage them and get writers block.