InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Miko Malice ❯ Prologue: The Missing Outcast ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions, among others.

 

Prologue: The Missing Outcast

 

The house was turned upside down, the surrounding forest searched with a fine-toothed comb, but nothing had been found.

 

Lady Higurashi was furious.

 

Furious and worried sick.

 

Even in her distressed state, Lady Midori Higurashi was beautiful in a way that only an immortal youkai could be. Her long black hair hung loosely bound in a braid, fastened in a partial loop by a tiny pin. Emerald green eyes blazed out at the world, matching the starburst in the center of the Lady's forehead. The long dress she wore matched her eyes and demonic markings, swishing at her slightest movement.

 

Her husband was currently away from the manor performing a blessing ceremony in a far away village, and Lady Higurashi was trapped with what she considered to be her horrid step daughter, and with the crisis of her eldest birth daughter had been missing for over a week.

 

Where is she? Where could my little Kagome be?

 

Pacing her study with slow and determined steps, she tried to keep the wave of worry from over taking her. Kagome was her first child. Little Kikyou had already been around from her husband's first marriage, but the girl had always been distrustful of Midori. Perhaps the fact Lady Higurashi was a full youkai had had something to do with the young miko's fear, but Midori had never shown anything but kindness to her stepdaughter.

 

Her sensitive youkai hearing picked up the sounds of feet coming up the stairs and moments later there was a heavy hand banging on her door. Waiting a beat so she wouldn't seem over eager (though she was) Lady Higurashi opened the door to find the small group of men she had sent out hours before. She had her suspicions, but without evidence she couldn't act. Now it appeared her lackeys might have something for her.

 

“My Lady,” the troop's leader Kane bowed. “We have found something. I'm not sure if it would justify your notions concerning Lady Kikyou, but if you are correct then I am deeply worried for Lady Kagome's safety.”

 

The demoness snarled and paled. “What did you find?”

 

Kane wasted no time; his Lady was far from patient when her daughter was in danger. Pulling out a tiny, seemingly harmless velvet bag, the guard dumped its contents out onto his palm before handing it over to his mistress. “Silence root. In the Lady Kikyou's quarters.” Turning the gray little root over in Midori's hand, Kane showed where the root's thin, papery sheath had been sliced through to remove a large lump of the soft center. “And it looks as though someone has recently consumed some—a fairly large dose. You know as well as I do, my Lady, that with the right spells such a dose of this could be nearly permanent.”

 

Midori closed her palm around the root and when she opened her fingers, it was gone. Turning away from the group of men she fought to regain control over her features, her youkai pride refusing to allow her to show emotion even at a time like this.

 

“I see,” she murmured. Straightening, she turned back to the men, giving her orders: “Have Lady Kikyou sequestered in her chambers and the moment my husband returns, have him brought to me.”

 

Her men nodded, and left the lady youkai to her own thoughts.

 

She had always known her stepdaughter had an ill will toward herself and her young hanyou daughter: Kikyou hated youkai. Midori was sure that what had been a natural biased laid out in her childhood by her own mother was greatly strengthened when the young girl's father taken a youkai as his bride.

 

But this was too much. Her sweet, sweet little Kagome was missing—seemingly taken in the night.

 

Alright, “little” was not the best description for her daughter. She was almost grown, though to the powerful youkai Kagome would always be her baby girl.

 

At first, Lady Higurashi had not wanted to believe ill of Kikyou, but since Kagome's disappearance, her step daughter had avoided her more than usual, lurking in the shadows when they passed in the corridors and reeking a great deal of guilt—though not without a hint of smugness.

 

Could Kikyou have done such a thing to her half sister?

 

She would have needed help, but in a household where there were many who hated youkai, it would not have been difficult for her to find aid.

 

There was no reason for Kikyou to have Silence Root in her room. While far from harmful, what the root did do was temporarily—even with a miniscule dose—disable the vocal cords. However, with the right spells the effects of the Silence Root could be prolonged until the charm was removed.

 

Whose idea was it to marry into a family of bloody mikos? Baka, baka, baka!

 

Another banging on her study's door pulled Lady Higurashi back to the present. Before she could take a step toward the entrance, the door swung open and Lord Higurashi hurried in.

 

“I got here as soon as I could,” Deshi breathed as he rushed to his wife's side. He stood in front of her, cautiously reaching out to grasp her elbows. As a priest he could feel her youkai fluctuate with anger and pain; he did not want to do anything that would exacerbate her mood.

 

“I know you did,” Midori sighed. Her face was impassive, and only a glint in her eye told Lord Higurashi that she was happy to see him. “But Kagome has been gone for weeks now and I can't smell her or sense her and then Kane found…” The Lady trailed off, unsure of how exactly to tell her husband the next words she needed to say. I must have spent too long among humans to be so weak. Never before would I have thought twice on such a matter before. Before I married Deshi.

 

“Kane found what, Midori?”

 

It had to be said if Kagome was ever to be found. “Kane found this,” she pulled out the Silence Root from where she had stashed it up her sleeve. “In Kikyou's quarters,” she finished in a hushed whisper.

 

Deshi looked down at the root that had been placed in his hands. His already worried features deepened, his face taking on a sickly gray color. “You don't think?”

 

Lady Higurashi sucked in a deep breath, thinking of a way to gently tell her husband her thoughts. “I don't know what to think. I know what my senses tell me—that Kikyou smells of guilt around me—but I still can't to believe that she would do something like this. Kagome is her sister. But then Kane found this. What am I supposed to believe?”

The Lord nodded. “Call for Kikyou.”

 

Midori quietly crossed the room to ring the bell. A minute later, Kane rapped at the door and was told to fetch the Lady Kikyou. It was not long, when the sound of footfalls and squabbling could be heard coming up the hall.

 

A fiercely angry Kikyou was shoved into her stepmother's study. Kane followed behind her only far enough inform his mistress and master that he would be waiting their orders in the hall, prior to closing the door to give the happy family privacy.

 

“What is the meaning to this?” Kikyou demanded. Her arms crossed haughtily over her chest, her face flushed with anger. She did not try to hide her ire for her stepmother.

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” Lord Higurashi answered, waving the Silence Root in front of Kikyou's face. He suddenly appeared very tired to Midori. He was attempting to be strong, but clearly he was more strained over this than she had previously believed.

 

Kikyou gapped at her father. “What is that horrible thing? Get it away from me!”

 

“Kikyou.” Lord Higurashi said in steady tones. “This is very serious. Your sister is missing and we found this in your room. Did you have anything to do with Kagome's disappearance?”

 

Kikyou kept her eyes coyly to the ground. “Of course not, father. I know nothing about the hanyou.” She paused to glare at Midori. “And once again, it is not my sister.”

 

Lady Higurashi had had enough. Reaching a hand behind her, Midori pulled out the hairpin that held her braid to the back of head. For a moment, it was only a hairpin—silver and thin with a sunburst that matched the one on her forehead capping the blunt end. Then, with the power of her youkai pulsing through it, the pin because first a wand and then a staff sparking with the power of Midori's anger and wrath.

 

Giving the staff a twirl, Midori moved in on her stepdaughter, before either the priest or priestess had a chance to move. With a hard downward stroke, she was searing Kikyou's skirts. Cursing her miss, Midori grabbed up her staff so she held it with both hands, parallel to the floor. Charging the young miko, she had her pinned to the wall with the rod across her rib cage. Kikyou cried out at the impact of the blow and the burning heat radiating out of the weapon.

 

“What did you do with Kagome?” Midori snarled, her ironclad composure broken for the moment beyond repair.

 

Kikyou was afraid, but she still had her pride. “Fine,” she sneered. “I did it. I got rid of the little abomination. Honestly, what are you going to do to me? She's not even human!”

 

This time, Lord Higurashi was ready to physically restrain his wife. Not wanting two dead daughters, he had to stop her before she harmed Kikyou. Deshi managed to pry her burning staff away from Midori, purifying it so that it returned to being nothing more than a hairpin. Which he promptly pocketed.

 

Once he had Midori calmed, Deshi turned back to his daughter, completely unable to hide his fury. He might save her from her blood lusting stepmother, but that did not mean she would go away completely unscathed for her actions. “Where is Kagome?”

 

Kikyou snorted, but still afraid her stepmother might come after with her claws, she thought it wise to answer. “I honestly can't stay. The last I saw her, she was being carted off into youkai territory.”

 

“And why would she be going there?”

 

“I gave her to some passing slave traders.”

 

Midori was at Kikyou's throat yet again. This time her green eyes blazing, her claws and fangs bared and elongated.

 

Lord Higurashi barely had to time to react. Chanting a mild spell of purification, he subdued his wife by gently laying his fingers on the back of her neck, thus saving Kikyou.

 

Nonetheless he was not quite sure he had made the right decision.

 

The proud youkai fell back into his arms out cold, and Deshi scooped her up carrying her out of the room and away from his miko daughter.

 

Things were not going as he had planned.

 

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A/N: Yeah, I know I'm not completely done with “Marriage of Convenience” yet (if you read that), but I had to start working on this story before my brain exploded. If you do read “Marriage” the epilogue is about half way done.

 

This is just the prologue to lay some back-story, and I promise Kagome and Inuyasha will be in the next chapter.

 

Hope you guys enjoy.