InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of the Labyrinth ❯ Fire in the Night ( Chapter 2 )

*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha was glad Kagome didn't immediately follow, because nothing could have prepared him for the wave of sensations that hit him as he rounded the bend.

The light was the first thing to get him, the colours pink, orange, and yellow invading his eyes, making him stagger. Then his feet seemed to slip out from under him as solid footing gave way to moist, soft sand, that felt warm under his soles. He fell to his knees and sat there, on the sand, blinded and overwhelmed by what his other senses told him.

His ears could make out the crash of waves on the nearby shore, and sea birds cried out harshly, only to have their voices buffeted and stolen by the strong breeze that flew off the sea. It was indeed the sea, his nose told him that. The smell of salt was mixed in with decaying seaweed and scavenged fish. Still he breathed it in deeply, letting it's freshness clean out his system, relieving his lungs completely of stale the cave air.

For many seconds he sat there, maybe even minutes, kneeling in the sand, hands up, pressed against the tightly closed lids of his eyes. There was no escape, no release. Everything attacked him at once, from all sides, and he could do nothing to fight back. Probably he wanted to hide, to run back into his cave and be comfortable, safe, sure of his surroundings. He didn't though, he just sat there, unmoving, unthinking...

Slowly, slowly, he lowered his hands from his eyes. Still scrunching up his face in a reflex effort to lock out the light, he waited, patiently for the pain to stop. It took time, but he was patient. Finally, finally, he risked a squint, and the deep gold of his eyes met the pale rose blush of the sunset. He gasped.

Blinking furiously, he gazed out at the broad line of the horizon, unable to keep his eyes open, yet unwilling to let them close. It was so big, so free, and beautiful! The sun had just set, and the few clouds in the sky were still glowing like dying embers above the ocean. Deep crimson hues, pale yellows, turquoise and navy blues...stars. He took it all in, everything, as much as he could. He seemed lost in so much space, he felt so small...

Inuyasha almost jumped out of his skin as an unfamiliar cry rang out from behind him. In the same instant, an object streaked past him and made it's way directly down to the approaching tide line and stopped just at the waters edge. He watched in amazement as the figure, dressed in a simple, short white dress, began moving and spinning in a strange fashion. Kicking at the waves and jumping over the foam, it held it's arms out to the sky began spinning, spinning, spinning before falling softly to the gound and onto it's back. And always it made that strange noise, the one that was born from the belly, and rose up, spilling over parted lips and spewing out into the atmosphere around it. He'd completely forgotten about that noise, that sound, laughter...

Kagome rolled over from her back onto her stomach, and looked at him as he looked at her. She wasn't afraid now, and took her time observing the strange creature that sat before her. He seemed even thinner now, in the light, than he had back then, and his skin was so pale it made the bleached sand of the beach seem like ordinary dirt in comparison. Yet more interesting still, was the expression he wore on his face. Beneath all the scrunching and blinking, he seemed so unsure, so completely overwhelmed, it was impossible to imagine him as a threat to anybody. A boy really, she thought, he's just a boy, discovering the wonders of the world around him.

She smiled. When he did, she wanted to be right there beside him, watching his face as it leapt in joy, or scrunched when it was curious, or froze in awe, just like it was now. This would turn into a great adventure!

*~*~*~*~*

They chose to camp on the beach that night, to sort things out and think things through. Now that they were free, what were they supposed to do? Kagome had some sort of goal at least, and that was to find her family and hopefully take back the kingdom that was rightfully hers. As to where or how she would do this however, Kagome had no clue. She couldn't even be sure that her family was still alive out there, but she believed it all the same.

At least there was one thing she could count on for the moment. Inuyasha had agreed to go with her, if only for the lack of anything better to do. He couldn't very well go back to the castle, which had been his former home. Kagome had regrettably informed him of the death of his mother several years before, and as expected, the news hadn't been received well. Inuyasha seemed to get over it quickly though, maybe even a little too quickly for Kagome's belief, but she wasn't about to force him to reveal his feelings to her. They'd only just met after all.

That only left them with two big questions, where would they go, and how would they get there?

Kagome contemplated this in silence as she watched the crackling fire before her. She had managed to get it going using her tinder and flint, while Inuyasha had gone off to search out something edible. What he came back with wasn't even close to Kagome's opinion of food, however she ate it all the same. The seaweed was tough and salty, and Kagome had needed a good drink of fresh water from a nearby creek to force it down. Her face was sore at the end from all the grimacing and wincing she had done while devouring the stuff, but Inuyasha didn't seem to mind it at all. Not surprising. Kagome didn't even want to think about what he had survived on in the labyrinth. She decided that decent food would be the first thing she showed him once they got to a town.

She frowned again. That was another problem they would have to deal with shortly. How was she going to smuggle the half demon into town and allow him to pass as a regular peasant? Would the cranky half demon take kindly to a disguise, or was there another way? The only way to get on or off this island was by ship, how would he conceal himself in the hold of a crowded passenger ship? She sighed again and walked over to the creek for another drink of cold water, letting the cool of the night calm her hot skin and frazzled brain. She heard the sea crash behind her and looked up at the deep blue sky and the stars that studded it's infinite depths, trying to remember the last time she had slept underneath the stars. Probably never.

As she walked back to the fire, she noticed Inuyasha doing the same thing. He was sitting on the sand, cross legged with his back to the fire, shielding out the light that she guessed might still be harsh to his sensitive eyes. Silently, he watched the sea, taking in the stars, the moon and the horizon, all in one gaze. She couldn't see his face, but she could guess he was deep in thought too. Was he finding any answers to his questions? She decided to ask.

"Inuyasha, what are you thinking about?" she asked innocently.

The reply sounded slightly like a muffled bark and then, "None of your business..." was all he said. She could see him stiffen as he felt her gaze on him. Warily he craned his neck to glare at her out of the corner of his eye, suspicion and tension written all over his face. He didn't trust her behind his back.

Kagome sighed again, tiredly, and scooted over to his side, feeling aware of his overly large area of personal space. He continued to watch her through narrowed eyes, until she was in such a position that he could glance at her quickly without having to move his neck much to the side. This accomplished, all for his comfort, he turned his gaze back to the ocean and promptly ignored her again. Kagome began to feel herself become irritated, and to get even, she chose to ignore his ignorance. She would babble on about everything to him, hoping to annoy him as much as he was annoying her. Kagome could be very stubborn when she wanted to be.

"I was thinking we should head back to my home island." she decided suddenly. "Hopefully I can find someone there who knows where my family is, or at least in what direction they went."

There was a small pause as she waited for a reaction from her companion. All she got was the slightest tipping of the head in acknowledgement. He still didn't look at her. She rambled on. "Of course the first thing we have to do is get there, however I'm not sure how. We'll have to take a boat, that's for sure, but I don't have any money to pay for our passage, and sneaking onto just any ship could be risky. These sailor guys are pretty tough and..."

"Keh!"

She looked over at her companion in surprise. "Inuyasha?" His face was deadpan once again. She shrugged. Oh well.

"Either way, I can't sail, I never had to learn how, and those ships take several men to run them. We'll also need money for food and supplies. I think we could both do with a change of clothes and some simple cooking utensils. I'm not sure how we'll get it though. I don't really like the idea of stealing..."

She was interrupted once again by a forced cough that Kagome could have sworn was simply another "Keh" in disguise. There was a small pause as Kagome waited for him to continue. She didn't have to wait long.

"You're a real wimp y'know that?" was the sneer. Kagome was a bit taken aback, not because she was insulted, simply because he'd actually spoken. Inuyasha paused again, choosing his words, carefully thinking them over, trying to recall the proper pronunciation for each one. "These people...they betray your trust, take over your land, throw you into the labyrinth, and you don't want to steal from them? You're pathetic." He finished with disgust.

"What do you mean?" Kagome objected, "It isn't like they took things from me personally. It was the king who made that order to attack my city-state. Stealing from innocent citizens in exchange for what their ruler did wouldn't be fair..."

"Then steal it from their ruler? What's the problem?"

"W-w-what?" She stammered, her eyes to the ground. He was looking at her now, intently. "A-are you nuts? There are guards there, they'd kill us on sight..."

"Keh!" He scoffed at her again. "Who do you think I am? I could take on 50 of those losers any day!"

Kagome's eyebrows shot up, surprised. She stared at him. "Y-you could do that?"

There was an arrogant nod from the other side of the conversation. "Of Course!"

Kagome ignored this remark and set her brain into motion. They needed the money, and stealing it from the king would be about the only thing she could deem to be fair. If Inuyasha could do it, it would make things so much easier for them...

Her train of thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn that burst out of her unexpectedly. She covered her mouth, but couldn't help almost doubling over as fatigue took her. Inuyasha's ear twitched.

"Go to sleep." He commanded suddenly. Kagome looked up at him, surprised. Was he concerned for her?

"Damn weakling humans. Need to sleep every freaking night....Keh!"

Kagome smiled as she leaned down against the cold sand, resting her head in her arms. Ignoring his muttering, she found it slightly amusing how he used the word "Keh" every time he couldn't think of anything better to say. The waves washed against the shore in a never ending rhythm, and even though she felt slightly cold, exposed on the sand, the princess soon fell asleep.

*~*~*~*~*

The next day was spent pretty much in silence, sitting in the shade of the over hanging cliffs, and recuperating from the labyrinth. Kagome was tired. The moon last night had told her that it had been more than two months since her capture, and a three days since she had been lowered into the heart of the maze. Inuyasha was still adjusting. The sunlight was too much for his eyes, still accustomed to the neither light of the labyrinth. He kept them closed most of the day, slitting them open to take glances at the world around him. He seemed perfectly calm, annoyed and indifferent. Kagome wondered if she really could count on him to help her. He'd probably take off at the first opportunity that came up, she realised, some what regretfully. However she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

In the later part of the evening, they finally set off together, Inuyasha scrunching his face in distaste as he hauled her up the steep edge of the cliff by the scruff of the pathetic excuse for a dress that was her clothing. Kagome indignantly crawled up the rest of the way by herself, only somewhat in awe at the strength he seemed to possess for someone so thin. Then they were off, walking with the fading pink of the setting sun to their backs.

Inuyasha again set a very brisk pace and kept glancing back at Kagome, annoyance plastered all over his face. Her legs ached before too long, and the sand and grass got in her sandals, but she set her jaw and kept up. She wasn't going to be a wimp, she had no time for that. Besides, the way this jerk kept looking at her was making her mad. Did her think she was worthless, slowing him down? Jerk, she wasn't about to let him think that! So she doubled her pace and sped up, only to have him do the same, and then go faster, still looking annoyed. After about an hour of this, they arrived at the castle.

Inuyasha stopped a good distance from the outer walls and crouched behind some of the low shrubbery. The area around the castle had been clear cut, and archers were positioned on top of the battlements. Inuyasha turned to her.

"Stay here wench, I'll be back..."

"Wh...What? Wench! Listen you, My NAME'S KAmmmfff!"

"Shut up!" he snapped and glared at her.

She did not want to set the guards on alert, but continued glaring... "I'm not staying here, I'm coming with you!!" She hissed.

"Keh, and what can you do? Yell at them 'till their dead? You'll just slow me down!"

"I won't slow you down! I kept up with you all the...way...here?"

He was already gone, and Kagome forgot to finish her sentence as she watched him effortlessly sprint over the clearing and leap clear over the wall.

The guards never saw him.

Kagome sat alone under the night sky and pouted.

*~*~*~*~*

There, a cluster of barrels in a dark corner. Inuyasha leapt soundlessly behind them, and waited to get his bearings.

This place turned his gut, no doubt about it. Here, he could remember, he'd been teased, taunted, hit, picked on, and had stuff thrown at him. This blasted castle had been the place where it had all started. Here lived the people who had banished him, thrown him into that pit and sealed out the light.

And now, they were going to pay.

Darting from shadow to shadow, he quickly made his way over to the main courtyard. The lights were out, all was quiet. The only sound came from the clinking armour of the marching sentries. He spotted the treasury, standing alone at the northern end of the yard. As expected, it was heavily guarded, and the only way in was at the end a very long hall, with four men at each end.

Inuyasha knew this, it had been like this for ages. Even if someone managed to take down the guards and enter the treasury, by the time the thief escaped there would be a mob of armed men waiting for him at the end of the long tunnel. The archers would get him then, or the spears, or the swords. It was a good idea, and had worked very well so far, however, Inuyasha had a plan.

Not too far away from the treasury was the royal palace where the king resided. THAT was Inuyasha's real target. After ten years of living in a dark hole, eating nothing but wall slime and rats, listening to people fear and curse him, it was finally time for his revenge. An evil smirk spread across Inuyasha's face. His Mother wasn't here to stop him now, nothing was. The bastard was as good as dead.

*~*~*~*~*

It was bright, the king realised, bright and hot as he drifted into consciousness. Another scorcher of a day. Was it that late already? Had the slaves let him sleep in? Or maybe forgotten to close the curtains that night? Either way, he would beat them. There was no excuse for forgetting something trivial like that.

The king rolled over onto his back and took a deep breath. He coughed, Smoke? His eyes shot open.

The room was on fire, roaring and crackling as it consumed everything in the room, eating it's way up the tapestries on the wall, it's orange flames licking the wooden support beams on the roof. He coughed again. What in the world!!

He leapt out of bed and ran for the door, only to find it blocked by a heavy oak wardrobe.

Why? How?

No time to think. He pounded on the door. "Help! Help! Let me OUT!!"

Somebody would come, somebody would save him. After all, he was King!!

"Save you're breath old man, there's no one there. I made sure of that."

The King spun around to instantly realised this was a nightmare. It couldn't be real, the image before him, it was impossible. "No..."

"Oh yes, you bastard, yes." Gold eyes twinkled from under an inhuman head of silver hair, flashing orange in the light of the surrounding flames. "What, thought I was dead? Didn't think a boy could survive for ten years, alone in a hole, without light or air or FOOD!!" The sweat gleamed as it rolled off of it's bare torso, muscles bunches, claws ready. The king turned to the door.

"HELP! PLEASE SOMEBODY!! ANYBODY!!"

"ASSHOLE!!"

Before he could blink he was slammed against the wardrobe, before being spun around to face the thing, his step-son. Blood trickled into his eye from a cut, as claws gripped his throat.

"Don't you get it," Inuyasha hissed, "You're dead! No one can help you, no one can hear you, nothing."

There was silence, the roar of the flames seemed distant.

"How do YOU like it?"

He was flung to the bed, alive and dancing with flames and fire. It leapt onto his robes and clung there, even as he rolled over and off the other side. Pain hit him, surreal pain as his skin cracked and peeled back, bubbling from the heat, burning.

He screamed...

*~*~*~*~*

Outside the window on the roof, Inuyasha listened, waited, and then turned away. The sense of accomplishment lifted a weight off of his shoulders, but that was all. There was nothing more, no joy, no relief, no sense of satisfaction, just emptiness.

People were running now, some yelling to get water, others screaming, "It's the King, the King's room, the King!!" It was pathetic. Humans were pathetic. Most of the guards by the treasury had left their post by now, driven by fear or rushing to do some other person's half crazed bidding. He quickly knocked out the two that remained and entered the safe. Not that he needed to. Even if they yelled, no one would come.

Inside was strangely quiet. The gold sat there, stagnant, unmoving, uncaring that it's master had just been killed. Heartless stuff, gold. Inuyasha grabbed two sacks of it and made for the door. He walked, in plain sight, down the hall and out into the courtyard. People ran by oblivious. They wouldn't catch him, they were too stupid, everyone was stupid, the whole world...

Thud.

Pain lanced so unexpectedly through Inuyasha's shoulder he cried out in surprise. Twisting his neck, he saw an arrow embedded in his skin, piercing just above the left blade of his shoulder. He panicked, instincts taking over as he spun around, eyes wild...

He saw him.

Standing amidst the dancing flames and screaming people, holding a large longbow, calm and cool as ice.

"Naraku!?"

He notched another arrow and brought it up steadily, aiming at his heart...

Inuyasha fled, kicking in helmets as frantic guards crossed his path. Naraku, his older half-brother. The first son of the king, and of the mother he and Inuyasha shared.

Another arrow embedded itself in the ground at his side. He wanted to kill him too. Everyone wanted him dead. Some men were chasing him now, the guards had finally caught on.

Breathing ragged, he reached the wall and jumped, touching the top briefly to propel himself over and out of the castle. The hard ground rose up to meet him, and he stumbled slightly as the shock of impact caused the pain to spread out to his back and halfway down his arm. He dropped one bag of gold, and turned back to reach it just as two arrows simultaneously hit the ground where he would have been, had he kept running. He dashed, jumping and weaving, stumbling and panting hard. His lungs were on fire and his legs ached. The smell of seared flesh filled the air. He didn't know where he was going, his instincts told him to run, and run he did. Sprinting as fast as he could, he did not stop for at least ten minutes, when he collapsed on his stomach by a stream, and waited.

*~*~*~*~*

That was how Kagome found him. After watching for a long time, as flames appeared within the walls and people screamed, she had begun to fear the worst. Just when she had decided to leave her hiding place and see if it were possible to scale the castle walls, a figure had appeared. Darting over the high outer wall, Kagome saw him stumble, drop something, get shot at, dodge, and then take of like Hades himself was at his back. He ran by not twenty feet to her right, eyes wild, unseeing her. There was an arrow imbedded in his shoulder, and then he was gone.

She followed him, of course, running hard for several minutes until she was out of breath, and then just walking in a straight line until she had come upon him. He looked exhausted, sweat mixed in with blood as it trickled down his back. She stepped into the clearing, and stopped.

He was up like a shot, standing, hunched over, ready to fight. A fierce growl reverberated in his throat, and Kagome involuntarily took a step back. She waited a minute, while the panic left his eyes and his tired mind seem to flicker with some recognition before trying again.

"Inuyasha," she called gently, taking a step forward into the moonlit clearing. "Inuyasha, it's me."

A tense moment, a blink, a shake of the head, then, "Keh!" and he was up sitting cross legged in the branch of a tree. He didn't want to see her right now, didn't want to be around anyone, he winced as his shoulder throbbed yet again.

"Inuyasha?" He didn't answer. "Inuyasha you're hurt." more silence. She seemed to be getting frustrated, or was that desperation in her voice. "Inuyasha, you have to come down here so I can look at that wound. We have to get the arrow out and make sure it doesn't...get..."

She watched with wide eyes as he grasped the shaft in his right hand, and with one brutal yank, freed it from his back. He tossed the arrow down at her feet, shimmering darkly with a thick coat of blood.

"Inuyasha..." I was more of a whisper now, a whisper to herself. He wasn't listening, he just wanted to be left alone. Confused and worried, Kagome bit her lip, but realised there was nothing she could do. Painfully aware of the miserable person sitting above her, she curled up by the tree under him and soon fell asleep.

*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha awoke once again to find everything painfully bright. The night had given way to morning and sunshine, a shaft of which had parted through the dense leaves of the forest and was now shining directly in his eyes. Growling, he tried to turn away, only to find there was no place to turn to. Surprised, he fell, only to catch himself up on all fours before he hit the ground. A slight twinge shot through his shoulder, a reminder of the night before. Inuyasha glanced about in the more comfortable light in the shade and realised he was alone. The girl had gone.

Inuyasha scrunched up his face. It was no surprise of course. She was human, human's hated him. At least she had left the gold though...not that he could go and buy anything with it from a human's market...Keh.

Who needed them. If he wanted something, he'd steal it, and no one would be able to stop him, ha!

He stopped short as the bushes rustled and something approached. Had the guards of the castle finally pulled themselves together and gone to hunt for him? Not that it mattered, he would take them all....

"Inuyasha?"

He stopped growling and listened. That was no guards voice, that was...

"Inuyasha...you're awake."

...Kagome??

They stared at each other for an awkward moment.

"Ummmm, are you feeling any better?"

Feeling? "Keh! What do I look like? Some wimpy human?"

At least he was talking now, "Oh well." slight pause, "Here, I brought you something."

He scrunched his face as her hand vanished inside the large sack she was carrying and pulled out a package wrapped in cloth. ...The smell hit his nostrils and instantly made him drool...He swallowed as she thrust it into his hands.

"Go ahead, open it."

He didn't, of course, or well, not right away. First he glared at her, then at the package, and then back up at her again. Then he brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, thought, then sniffed it again...

"The taverna had some souvlaki left over," she was saying, "and I bought the bread and cheese in the market..."

He unwrapped it, yes he recognised this. This was food. She'd brought him food...?

He sniffed it once again to make sure it wasn't poisoned, and then, without warning, leapt back up into he tree and began to devour his meal with the ferocity of a wild dog. Kagome sighed.

"A thankyou would have been nice, " she muttered, but Inuyasha caught it. He humpfed and continued eating while Kagome continued to unpack her new, large bag full of stuff. She had changed, he saw. Now she was wearing a long green skirt and a plane, short sleeved white top. From her bag, she pulled out several pieces of material, some cloth strips, a jar, and several round oranges.

She picked up one of the pieces of cloth, a white one, and unfolded it. After a moment of contemplating, she glanced back up to the tree, where the sounds of eating had finally stopped, and called out, "Inuyasha, could you come down here for a moment? I want to see something."

Somehow, the meal had put Inuyasha into a much more agreeable mood. He leapt down with his hands crossed over his chest. "What do you want, wench." He spat. Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I just wanted to see if this fit you, you ungrateful jerk, now put it on." She tossed the white thing at him, and he caught it. Holding it up, he saw that it was a white shirt. Then something else came at him, he caught that too, red pants, like the pair he was wearing, only cleaner. Inuyasha stared at them for a moment.

"Well, aren't you going to try them on?"

"Keh" and he stared to walk towards some bushes for cover.

"Oh, wait. Just a minute!" He stopped again, and turned around. Annoying witch couldn't make up her mind. She leapt up and ran to him, dumping something else in his hand.

"These are for your shoulder, to make sure it doesn't get infected, alright?" She smiled brightly at him, and Inuyasha suddenly felt weird. Why was she doing this? Buying him food, getting him clothes, being all worried about his shoulder...what was with this girl.

He bent down lower to get a better look at her face. She didn't look like she was planning anything suspicious, and she didn't seem disgusted at his appearance, or by being this close to him...why?

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?"

She looked up at him with wide curious eyes and Inuyasha snapped back to himself.

"Keh!" he spun on his heel and headed off to go change.

*~*~*~*~*