InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reach Out ❯ Chapter 1

Five-hundred years ago a young hanyou was pinned to a tree by his lover's arrow.

It began when a half human, half inu-youkai came across a young priestess. The two gradually earned each other's trust and eventually realized their aching love for one another. Their passion was short lived, as a third, jealous and malicious heart manipulated one into betraying the other. The couples' feelings for each other soon turned into those of hatred and revenge. In a final act of distress, the young priestess pinned the hanyou to a large tree while slowly falling into the darkness that was her death. However, she didn't kill the man who she once cherished. No one knew whether it was because of her weakened spiritual power or her lingering love for him.

For one hundred years people from all of Japan gathered around the tree and its boy with silver dog ears. They began to view him as a deity in his sculpted face and perfect physique. People brought him offerings and prayed to him while the oblivious hanyou slept against the rough bark that was his prison. However, one day the body vanished, leaving only an ordinary arrow and a scar on the sacred tree. Legends and rumors spawned about the mysterious disappearance and spread to distant lands. Some believed that he had dissolved into a mist in order to ascend to the heavens while others thought that he had awakened and began roaming Japan aimlessly in search of his lover, Kikyou. No one knew the true tale of the inu-hanyou, and as time passed he was remembered only as a mere story.

~~

The fog was thick and richly blanketed the distance before her as she walked. It covered the naked branches which reached upwards, as if begging for a warm and comforting ray of sunshine to kiss their dry and brittle limbs. As she continued, she noticed that green peaks of leaves were sprouting from the fertile soil, moistened by the fog. Oddly, there weren't any birds singing their morning hymn. Instead, the satisfying sound of wind blowing gently through her hair accompanied the young girl on her walk.

An occasional jogger would greet her with a friendly smile of acknowledgment. She would always smile back, often wondering what runners name was. However, she never asked, and would only nod back in recognition while continuing her trudge forward.

Kagome suddenly stopped outside an ordinary house in an ordinary, suburban neighborhood. She stood motionlessly and absorbed the scenery before her, trying to organize her feelings in the process. Her sweaty hands pulled at one another, trying to rid her of the increasing anxiety growing inside Kagome. A cold sweat started underneath her flannel shirt, only to be blown dry by the calming wind. The chill made her shiver uncomfortably as she inched towards the front door in uncertainty. She knocked softly, hoping that her meekness would give her a moment or two to regain her composure. However, that moment went by too fast.

“Hey,” a masculine figure gestured the girl inside. He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled arm towards him, making her stiff body collapse onto his chest. He began pecking at her collarbone while deeply inhaling the scent of her hair. His movements became more needy and desperate, reaching for the small buttons of her shirt. Kagome tried to push his determined hand away from her, but her signals were misinterpreted as that of passion and wanting. She arched her back, trying to inch herself away from his tight grip, but he only shoved her against the wall, slowly grinding himself against her.

“Hojo, stop!” she cried out in desperation. However, the male didn't hear her pleas and continued to pull at her jeans. Kagome began flopping around, trusting her body in all directions, trying to break free. Suddenly, her companions grip relaxed and his body stiffened. He looked up at the panicking girl and turned away while she melted to the ground. Her body felt like jelly, and a loud monotone sound rang in her head. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, and she chewed on the bottom of her ruby red lip. Her anxiety brought old habits that she thought she had long since overcome. Suppressing the urge to bite on her nails, Kagome leaned her head against the wall. “What now?” she asked.

“Doesn't matter, I'll drive you home.”

Their ride back was quiet and awkward. Kagome rested her head against the cool glass of Hojo's car, her mind still ringing. “I'm sorry.”

“I know.” Hojo said without turning his head.

“What happens now?”

“I think you need someone to hold you right now.”

“And that can't be you…”

Hojo looked at her, his face was emotionless, “No, it can't be me.”

“So I guess we're over.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“If you could change one thing in this whole thing… this whole relationship, what would change?” Kagome said as she rolled her head back, brushing her fingers through her hair.

“I would have been your friend.”

“Do you think we could still be friends?”

“No,” Hojo hesitated for a moment before continuing, “at least not right now. Not for a while.”

“Did you ever cheat on me?”

“Yes.”

Kagome turned her face away from him, digging her nails into her thighs. The pain seemed to ease the emotional distress that was manifesting within her. The car slowed down to a stop and Kagome hesitated for a moment, “So I guess this is goodbye.”

“Yeah,” Hojo replied, “this is goodbye.”

That day, Kagome sat in her room and cried.