InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purgatory & Innocence ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter one



The sun had not quite risen when Kagome had awakened. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Her body still desired more sleep then she had given it, but she knew this would be her only chance to slip away unnoticed. Kagome stood up quietly and crept away from Inuyasha and the others. Watching them carefully for signs of movement, she gathered her belongings that she had prepared just the night previous. She didn't want to awaken anyone when she left for home, so she moved around the room as silent as the sun rising. She knew Inuyasha would never allow her to leave without him. This was her one and only chance to slip away without him following her. Too many times, Inuyasha had stopped her from going, or went with her, to her time. This time, she was calling all the shots, even if it meant that she had to be sneaky about it.


Thoughts of Kikyou and Inuyasha began to flood her mind once again. She placed her hands over her eyes as if she were in great pain. *Come on Kagome, get a grip on yourself.* She lowered her hands and stared blankly at the doorway. *I really need to get away for a short while.*

*He'll never know I was gone.* She told herself. *Maybe I'll have enough time to take a bath as well? Ahhhh...a bath...AND SHAMPOO! Not to mention...hot water!*

Kagome smiled and held back a small giggle, when she noticed Miroku extending his hands into the air. *That pervert is trying to violate some poor unsuspecting female, I'm sure. Maybe she'll slap him good like Sango does. Hmmm...perhaps it is Sango?*No sooner did the thought run across her mind, Miroku immediately brought his hand up to the side of his face to rub away something that, by the look on his face, told her it must have been very painful to him. Kagome jokingly snubbed her nose up at him and folded her arms in front of her. *Serves you right for being such a pervert.* She covered her mouth to prevent herself from laughing aloud.

She glanced back at Inuyasha with a glint in her eye, like that of a child when sneaking behind their parents back doing something mischeivious. *He'll never know. It's not like I'll be gone very long anyhow.*

Soundlessly, she left Kaede's hut, and that is not an easy task since Inuyasha had the hearing of a dog. She was mildly surprised that Inuyasha hadn't awakened, but she could only assume that it was because he had finally come to trust all of them with his secrets as well as his life. He could rest quietly without worry that he would be attacked in his sleep or during that time of the month when he was at his most vulnerable. Kagome smiled at that thought and continued on her way back home.

Her smile quickly changed into a slight frown. *I wish I didn't have to sneak away for some time alone.* She groaned. *I need a bath sooooo...bad! It's too bad I won't be able to stay longer. I would love to take a nap in a 'real bed' and I really should try to study a little bit too. I'm already so far behind. If I keep this up, I'll never make it to high school.*

The wind whisped around her, sending a small chill up her back and arms. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to bring them warmth, but it gave her little comfort. She set her backpack down and rummaged through it to find her black parka. *It's a good thing my mother thinks of these things.* The warmth from her jacket eased the chill just enough.

The air had become much cooler in a matter of minutes. Even though she had noticed the coolness of the air, she didn't think anything odd of it. Her mind was cluttered with a mental list of things she needed to do and things she needed to bring back. So, a little sudden drop in temperature didn't phase her in the least. At least it didn't seem suspicious to her.

The well was finally in view. Her last few steps became more of a jog then a walk. She approached the well and placed her backpack on the edge. She sat on the ledge of the wall and took a deep breath.

"Ok. Ten minutes...maybe thirty. Alright, an hour tops!"

Her voice was still sleep. It sounded a bit choppy and rough from the lack of speaking through the night. She cleared her throat once and laughed at the sound of her own voice. "Why Kagome, what a lovely singing voice you have there." Kagome giggled.

She scanned the forest to confirm Inuyasha hadn't followed her, but for some reason she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Yet, Inuyasha was no where in sight. *Hmmm...I guess I'm being too paranoid.*

She swung her legs over the lip of the well, ready to leap, but before she could lunge off of the wall she felt a hand on her shoulder. With great speed, she was pulled away from the well and dropped onto the hard earth. Kagome closed her eyes and rubbed her backside to ease the pain.

"OWWW! You jerk! Why did you have to be so rou...gh...?" Kagome stopped her rampage instantly. She had expected the figure glaring down at her to be Inuyasha, but to her surprise...it wasn't. In a whisper of a voice she spoke, "Sesshoumaru?" He stared at the young miko unblinking. She could only peer back at him looking quite dumbfounded.

"Why are you here?" His voice, both calm yet dangerous, rose to ears like that of an unwelcomed fist in the face. She could feel her cheeks becoming hot and obviously red from embarrassment.

She had just scolded Sesshoumaru. *Sure, I thought it was Inuyasha, but I screamed at him none-the-less. I mean really, how was I suppose to know it was him and not Inuyasha? There's no way that I could have known that.* Kagome busied herself with her thoughts while the demon lord studied her carefully. Kagome was so distracted with her thoughts that she didn't bother to respond to his question. Her avoidance of a response made him become quite impatient.

"BAKA! Why are you here?" He surveyed the area for her companions. "Where in that half-wit brother of mine and why isn't he here protecting you as usual?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

Kagome focused on Sesshoumaru's every word this time and became angered instantly. Without fear, she stood up, brushed the dust from her uniform and began to rant.

"I don't need Inuyasha's protection to go for a walk. As for why I am here...that is none of your b...!"

Sesshoumaru clentched her cheekbones with his fingers. He squeezed harder as he leaned in, to speak to her.

"Do not talk to me like you do that worthless HANYOU! This Sesshoumaru has no tolerance for such behavior and disrespect. Now, I will only ask you this one more time. Why are you here?"

Kagome felt her heart beat once again. She had sworn she felt her heart stop beating the moment he'd placed his hand on her face. She swallowed with a bit of difficulty and tried to muster up the courage to speak. Sesshoumaru freed her from his tight grip, lowered his hand to his side, and stepped back away from her, allowing her to speak.

"Watch you words very carefully miko, for they may very well be your last."

*Yep, you heard it correctly, Kagome. That was definately a threat.* She could still feel his hand on her face even though he had removed it. *What is his problem?*

She attempted to explain her presence at the well, but found herself studdering every word she spoke. "I...I...I'm he...herrre...be..becaa..." *Calm down Kagome, you sound like a babbling idiot! Don't let him know you're afraid. Don't let him know you're afraid. Don't let him know you're afraid. Oh...who am I kidding? I'm terrified and he knows it!* "I was on my way home, if you really must know." She said flatly.

He walked over to the well and peered into its black depths. "You live in this well?" He turned towards her and stared at her disbelieving.

"Well, no...not really." She wasn't sure how to answer that question, but at least she didn't lie.

"Explain."


*Nooooooo! You can't be satisfied with a simple answer! No...you want DETAILS!!! AHHH! All I wanted this morning was a BATH!*

She nervously picked up her backpack that had fallen to the ground when he jerked her away from the well. "Look, I doubt you'll believe me, but here it goes. It's not so much as a WHERE I come from, but more like a WHEN." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her sarcasm. A deep growl escaped his throat. "I'm from the furture. Five hundred years into your furture, to be exact. I live here...on this land, but in a different time."

He watched her as she spoke, and pace back and forth. She tried to explain something that seemed impossible, at least for humans. Very little of her rantings made sense to him. *From the future? That does explain some of her strange manorisms and offers some explaination as to why she insists on wearing such scanty clothes.* He observed her closely as she continued to speak.

"For reasons unknown to me, at the time, I possessed the Shikon No Tama. I was born with the jewel inside of my body, but I didn't know that I had it until Lady Centipede brought me here, to your time. That was........on my 15th birthday." Kagome stared off into to distance. *It seems like only yesterday when I came here and met Inuyasha.*

She stood before him in silent thought. He watched her features as her irritation faded into a warm comforting smile. He had to admit, her smile was pleasing. She looked so innocent at that moment. *From the future?* He looked down at the well once more. "This is the passage to your time?"


The memories of Inuyasha and Kagome's first meeting was interrupted by the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. She was stunned by the fact that he seemed so interested in her for some reason. *Why would he possibly want to know this?*


"Well...yes. It is."

He looked up to see Kagome approaching him. The closer she came to him...the more nervous she felt, but she was just as curious as he was now. He watched her every movement. She was so graceful. *How does a human have so much power to walk between two different worlds, control a mutt like Inuyasha and yet she's not a demon?* Kagome paused a short distance from him. *How is this possible?*

"Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru-sama. I really need to leave so that I can get back before Inuyasha and the others awaken. I didn't tell them that I was going home today and they'll be worried if I don't return before they awake. And...not to mention how angry Inuyasha will be if he finds out that I left without telling him first."

*Foolish woman. If he is your protector...you should obey and do as you are told.* He narrowed his eyes at her once again. "It's not my concern whether you are protected or not, or even if Inuyasha becomes enraged with you. I am finished with my questions, for now, so you may leave."

*WHAT AN ARROGANT POMPUS...ASS!* "Men!" She growled to herself. She watched as Sesshoumaru walked quietly into the forest without looking back. *What was that all about?*

She shrugged off the feeling of anger towards the demon lord and concentrated on going home. She climbed onto the side of the well once again, glancing behind her to make sure he had gone. *Now...HOME!* With her final thoughts, she lept into the well, vanishing before her feet met with the earth beneath her.

He observed her every move from the depths of the forest as she jumped from the wall of the well, making not a sound on the ground below. "Humph!" In an instant, he too was gone.



~*~


A small figure stood quietly watching Sesshoumaru and Kagome as they spoke. It listened to their every word. A broad grin crossed its face when Kagome spoke of the well and the Shikon Jewel. *My master will be pleased with me.* The creature suddenly shot behind a tree when it noticed Kagome staring off into the forest. *I don't think she saw me.* The creature peered from behind the tree and listened to the remainder of their conversation from there. It didn't want to alert them of its presence. *Master was right. She will be perfect.* It wasn't long until he heard Kagome grumble something under her breath. Then, he saw Sesshoumaru turn his back to her and leave. *Sesshoumaru, you will pay the highest price of them all.* The creature grinned devilishly. It watched as Sesshoumaru glanced back to watch Kagome leap into the well.


"Humph!" Sesshoumaru walked passed the creature as if he hadn't noticed its presence.


The creature scurried over to the well quickly, hoping to find a way to reach the young miko. When it saw only an empty well, it lept to the bottom to observe it more closely. "I know she fell into the well, but where did she go? Where is she?!!"


Sesshoumaru jumped into the well like the wind, grabbed the creature with a tight grip around its throat and back out of the well. The creature met with two very menacing golden orbs.


"Who are you?" Sesshoumaru demanded.


The creature only grinned. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on its throat.


Smuggly the creature glared back at Sesshoumaru. Through gritted teeth it replied. "I am a messenger."


"What message do you hold for me?"


"Not yet, Lord Sesshoumaru. No, I will not tell you just yet." The creature laughed manically, then vanished from Sesshoumaru's grip in a puff of smoke.


"Humph. What a bother."


Sesshoumaru turned from the well and headed back into the forest. By the time he returned to his camp, the sun had risen. Rin and Jaken were awake and arguing with one another. Jaken caught a glimpse of his master from the corner of his eye and immediately set off towards him.


"My Lord! My Lord! She did it! Not me! I tried to stop her, but she insisted on doing it!" Jaken scurried beind Sesshoumaru as he slowly approached the campsite. "See Sesshoumaru-sama?! What a disgrace!"