InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Looking Through Demon Eyes ❯ Taijiya's Sorrow ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Hiya!! I'm a bit new to the storywriting business, so I might need some pointers as this story progresses. A beta is someone who is your partener in writing fanfictions, right? Well, I'm not saying I need one (though it would be nice, and I know you are all nice people) but some constructive reviews are just what I need!! Thanx!

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi beat me to it so,…InuYasha is hers…*sob*

Chapter 1: Taijiya's Sorrow

The sun was peaking its head over the hills of the horizon. The valley was filled with rays of light. It flooded over the rivers and lakes, causing them to sparkle. Over the deep wood that the villagers called InuYasha's Forest. And it flooded over the sleepy town that was just waking up for the morning hour chores.

The town was also being flooded with steely, maliced gazes, intent on causing destruction.

***

What stood before her brought Sango's stomach to her mouth. The village was strewn everywhere, in a mess of blood, dirt, pieces of houses, and bodies. As she stared at the gruesome scene, Sango felt a world of pity for the poor villagers.

Even though Naraku has been vanquished, it still seems that there is still evil like this running free, Sango thought, with terrible sorrow racing through her.

She sunk to her knees, feeling the pain of losing her own village. Her Father. Her Brother. Sango felt tears gather as she looked back into her past. Even though their enemy had been vanquished, Kohaku had still managed to stay under Naraku's spell.

“Kohaku!”

The memory hit her like a wall of bricks. Kohaku's sickle piercing her father's neck. Watching him fall. Seeing Kohaku come at her. The pain of feeling the arrows and her brother's weapon hitting her back. But even more, the pain of watching her brother being slain. He was one of the dearest people on the earth to her.

She cried out the name again, and again. Kohaku. She missed her brother. The tears flowed freely around her soft face, almost never ending. She curled up on the earth outside the village, homesick.

***

Cold eyes stared down at the tearstained demonslayer who lay curled up before him. Renkotsu smiled greedily to himself. It was pure luck that he had decided to come back. Bankotsu, Jakotsu, Ginkotsu, Suikotsu, and himself, had earlier disposed of the peaceful- looking village.

Naraku would give jewel shards for any member of that disgusting Inuyasha's group.

Renkotsu had thought long and hard about going behind his leader's back. But Renkotsu had convinced himself that Naraku's wishes were more threatening if they weren't done. He thought that Naraku's wrath would be much more sufficient than Bankotsu's. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to look good in Naraku's favor.

`Bring me the taijiya, monk, or miko, and I will reward you with power. That's what you want, isn't it Renkotsu? Power over your leader?' That was what Naraku had said to him.

It didn't always rest well with Renkotsu, betraying his leader and the rest of the Shichinintai. But lately he had been thinking. How come his great leader, Bankotsu hadn't been able to bring down the hanyou InuYasha with his first battle with him? Renkotsu was positive that if he had the power of more sacred jewel shards, he would be able to defeat Inuyasha. Then he would take over as the Shichinintai's Leader.

He stared down at the pretty girl down at his feet again. They thought that it was the end of Naraku with the one shot of that miko's arrow. Well, they were wrong. Naraku had a new plan storming.

It would begin with her.

***

Sango awoke with the strange sensation of her air supply being cut off. Her eyes snapped open. She couldn't breathe!

Sango was faced with the cold eyes of Renkotsu of the Band of Seven. His face was right up against her face, staring her down. Alarms were sending messages to her brain. They told her that if Sango didn't get air soon, she would suffocate.

“Don't worry, I won't let you die. You are much too special to Naraku for me to let that to happen.” The heartless voice rang out in the foggy morning air. Sango felt a shiver run down her back. That voice was void of all emotion.

He removed the cloth from her mouth and nose, allowing Sango to breathe.

Sango jumped up, not willing to be taken captive by the fire-breather. He had thought that Sango would sit there, gulping air.

Sango cursed her stupidity. She had left her Hiraikotsu and katana with Kirara. Well, her body was trained as a weapon. Why not use it?

Sango flew at the startled Renkotsu.

He had expected the demonslayer to be gasping for air after minutes of it being cut off. But, she was sprinting full-force at him, her fists ready. She didn't even have a weapon to strike him with. This would be easy.

As Sango came up close to him, she aimed a punch at his temple. Renkotsu blasted fire at her in return.

Sango fell, the fire and smoke overwhelming her senses. Black shadows invaded her eyes, blocking out all vision. She collapsed onto the dusty earth beneath her. Her face felt dry, searing hot and her nerves were in a frenzy. She could feel the pain of the massive burn on her face. Sango couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer.

When the smoke cleared, Renkotsu could see the taijiya. She was lying helpless on the ground, unconscious from the blast. The girl was lucky she was only burned. A scorch mark marred the right side of Sango's face. It would heal and probably not scar.

Renkotsu knelt beside the girl. He twisted her arms behind her back, and tied them tightly around her waist. He bent her knees and tied her ankles to her calves.

Renkotsu withdrew a curious metal band from his shirt. It shone with a special sheen. He slipped it around the demonslayer's slim neck, and almost automatically, the metal liquefied around her neck. It fastened its self around her neck, as if it had a will of its own. Sango struggled unconsciously for a moment. Something was intruding into her brain, almost telling her what to do. It was icy, commanding and forceful. It flowed into her mind like wild fire over a grassy plain. She writhed on the ground, trying to be rid of it.

Sango stopped struggling after a while. Whatever it was, it had won the battle over her brain for the moment.

Renkotsu slung the girl over his shoulder and none too gently. He made on into the mist, towards Naraku's new whereabouts. He would be pleased.

***

Sango was thrown unmercifully to the stone cold earth. Well, what did she expect?

“Well Sango, it's a pleasure seeing you again.”

If Sango had thought Renkotsu's voice was cold, then Naraku's voice was pure venom.

She looked up in contempt, wanting to spit in his face.

Blood dribbled from her mouth, from an earlier struggle with Renkotsu when she had regained consciousness. The scorch mark marring the side of her face ached and throbbed. It made her body feel nausea every time she moved. The dead skin crackled and stung when she touched it.

Sango stared, and met Naraku's eyes with a fierce bravery.

“Why are you here?! I thought Kagome and InuYasha killed you with an arrow and the Wind Scar?!” Sango said, the hate very obvious in her voice.

“Do you really think that it is really that easy to destroy me? I have other ways of coming back to the living.” Naraku hissed disdainfully.

“Now, what's that? A burn I see.” Naraku gripped Sango's hair and yanked her up to face him. Naraku reached behind him. He brought out a handful of dark-looking salve. Sango wasn't even sure if it was salve. Knowing Naraku, it wasn't. Sango almost gagged when she realized the colour. Blood. The colour was blood. There was no way she was letting him put that on her face.

Sango struggled in his grasp. She could barely wriggle. The miasma was strong around her. He was still clenching her hair, and it was sending waves of pain through Sango's scalp.

“Hold still!” Naraku growled. On that one word his eyes flared youkai red and the band around Sango's neck started to burn.

Her breathing became laboured, and Sango had no choice. She had to stay still in order to breathe. Sango was now finding it extremely hard not to scream, or to let out a cry. But she would not give in and let Naraku see her pain.

He began wiping the substance on her face.

`There was no way that that was for any healing purposes whatsoever' Sango thought frantically. Sango was now gasping heavily for air.

Naraku let her drop, and she couldn't stand the pain. Her body started to convulse, shiver outwardly. There was nothing she could do about it. The muck on Sango's face was like a painful itch, and she could do nothing about it. Sango couldn't move her neck to wipe it off. Her neck was so badly burned from the dreaded metal collar around her neck.

Tears were streaming from her eyes, the stinging and itching was so bad. Blood was running freely from her mouth and nose. Sango felt an ache in her body, spreading fast. Her legs were cramping, and the circulation was leaving the rope-bound ankles and wrists.

And so she lay there, face pressed into the dirt. Yet, Sango still had courage. Even if she didn't have the use of her body to show it.

`I will not lie here and take this!' Sango thought `I will not back down into my pain! I want to know how this evil bastard is still ALIVE!'

“Now what is it exactly that you plan to accomplish here Naraku? You know that I would give my life before I betrayed my friends!” Sango snarled.

“But Sango, you don't have to die. I need you to betray them for me. I need my revenge.”

The eerily serious voice echoed throughout what seemed to be a room they were in. Sango's fear paralyzed what little she could move.

She felt herself being kicked over onto her back, her face meeting Naraku's. His gleaming eyes bored into Sango's, not giving away any clue to what was going to happen. She closed her eyes not wanting to visualize what was coming. How would he get his revenge? Sango had a pretty good idea how.

She felt something wet, thick, seeping across her forehead. Sango opened her eyes. Immediately she looked up, and saw Naraku's hand, above her forehead, the hand dripping blood. She saw a knife in his other hand, so naturally Sango presumed Naraku had bled himself for a purpose.

Sango froze. The blood on her forehead was moving. The blood somehow managed to absorb itself into her skull. Sango gritted her teeth. It was painful! The substance almost seemed to have cracked her bone and intruded in on her self-conscious.

“Change” Naraku hissed under his breath.

The blood in her mind vanished. Sango almost sighed. It was gone.

A sharp contorting pain ripped through Sango's nails. She tried to twist through the ropes to see what was causing the pain.

They snapped. The ropes simply snapped and went limp in her hands. Sango looked around her. Without knowing it, a bright light had surrounded Sango. She ran her fingers through it, and it slipped though her fingers like thin fog. It would not let her pass.

She gasped. Her fingers! Her nails! They had changed! That was what the stinging was from. What now replaced Sango's ordinary nails were long, slender daggers, a weapon in its own.

Sango turned around, hoping to find an exit. As she turned, Sango caught a glimpse of her hair behind her. It was long. Her hair touched the back of her knees! Sango ran her newly proportioned fingers through it. It was silky smooth, clean, no signs of an earlier battle or sweat in it. Sango really couldn't tell what colour it was with the fog-like barrier surrounding her. But, she knew it had not stayed her own soft, chestnut brown colour.

What was happening to her? What was Naraku trying to do to her? First her fingers, now her hair? What the hell was going on?!

Sango let out a shriek. Her body had started to convulse. Her heartbeat resonated through her ears, her body.

Sango felt a strange sensation. Amid all the confusion within her body, Sango could sense something. Almost like something sharpening her abilities. Her eyesight got incredibly stronger, and it seemed as though she could see through the barrier. Naraku's chaotic scent almost overpowered her. Sango could sense the miasma around her, but it wasn't affecting her.

Her demonslayer skills. This was in what she had been taught about. But this only happened to…