InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reflections of Passion ❯ Helplessness [edited] ( Chapter 1 )

OMG! I just had this awesome idea! What if Kagome didn't meet Inuyasha through the well in her backyard, OR at her school in the present time, OR by some strange Inuyasha prince scenario? Curious? How is that possible?! An AU can't be THAT different, can it? ^_~ And when I say AU, I mean alternate universe… *cackle* Read and find out, minna!

Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own anyone outside of the original story line. It all belongs to Takahashi-sama!!! *sniffles and looks longingly at Inuyasha plushie* Though I wish I did…

~***~***~

Kagome's grandfather smiled as his grandchild blew out the candles on her cake, a large smile present on her young facial features. She sighed and looked up at him, "Jii-chan, aren't I a little old to be blowing out the candles on my birthday cake?"

Her grandfather chuckled and laid an old, knobby hand on her smoother one. "Of course not, child, you aren't too old to blow out your candles when you are seventeen years old. Only when you're my age are you too old."

Kagome's mother smiled at her daughter. "We both love you SO much!" she said, wrapping her daughter an enormous bear hug, not noticing the red-hot blush which flew across her daughter's face in humiliation.

Ryuka smiled kindly at her friend. "Hey, should I go get the presents?"

Kagome looked up at everyone, quirking an eyebrow at them as she took a seat at the picnic table. Her whole family was there, and all of her friends; here to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. "Presents? Awe, you guys..."

Souta smiled and waved his hand in the air, clapping his older sibling on the back as he grinned. "Come on, Kagome-nee-chan. You think I wouldn't give a present to my favorite sister?"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Okay, what do you want?" Souta took a minute to think about it, placing his hand on his chin in a thoughtful manner. "I'm your only sister, baka, so that little trick of yours doesn't work on me."

Sota laughed nervously, scratching his head sheepishly. "Oh, yeah... well, it's the thought that counts..."

Kagome sighed dejectedly and turned to face Ryuka as she came in with a pile of presents, setting them down on the table. "Here you go." Her friend said, smiling brightly.

The young teenager smiled up at her before reaching for the first present, from Souta. It was a buffet ticket to her favorite Chinese restaurant. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Arigatou, Souta."

He smiled goofily, giving Kagome a friendly pat on the back. "No problem, nee-chan." Kagome just smiled shakily in return as the next few gifts were passed her way, accepting them and thanking the giver.

Her mother gave her some CD's and a new boom box, while her best friend gave her a mini skirt and a cute blouse (even though the outfit was a little too skimpy for Kagome's liking), and she promptly thanked them. Her grandpa gave her a bow and some arrows, which she accepted gratefully, to everyone's mild surprise. Not many people at her party knew that she was into archery except Ryuka and her mother; and Kagome's boyfriend, of course.

Houjo, a boy in her class that continued to believe that Kagome was madly in love with him, gave her a foot massager and some lotion. Kagome's questioning look received his answer, "Well, when your Jii-chan told me that you had twisted your ankle because of that horrible foot mold that you developed…"

Kagome sent an annoyed look in her grandfather's direction, who shrugged and began to briskly sweep the patio. When she was away with her mother on a skiing trip, her grandfather had agreed to cover for them with an excuse, and so she could receive credit for the high school classes she missed that week. "Foot mold?" Kagome hissed under her breath, sending death glares at the elderly man vigorously sweeping behind her.

Her cousin, sitting separate from the group on a lawn chair not too far off, spoke up in a harsh tone, her brows lowered in contempt. "Foot mold? I had no idea you were so susceptible to such diseases, itoko."

Kagome flinched slightly but ignored her comment, thanking Houjo for his troubles getting the gift and sitting back down at the table. Ryuka, however, was not going to let her comment slide, and whirled to glower at her best friend's cousin. "Mou, it's Kagome-chan's birthday! Can't you be courteous to your cousin for one day of the year?"

Kikyou snorted and casually sat down on a chair, ignoring the party as she flipped through the pages of her magazine, a scowl written on her face. Kagome sighed and thanked the rest of her friends for their presents. Ever since Kikyou had broken up with her boyfriend, she had been so cruel to her. Of course, part of the fact that he broke up with her was to go out with some other girl; but it was still rude of her.

Finally, there was only one present left to unwrap. Tyoushi, her new boyfriend, smiled and handed Kagome a very small package, delight sparking into her dark chocolate eyes. "I have two presents for you, but this one is the bigger one." he whispered into her ear. Kagome unconventionally shivered as his warm breath brushed over her cheek, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips when he leaned forward and pressed a feather-light kiss to her temple. Kagome blushed and then turned her attention questioningly to the tiny package, before opening it, only to find a key nestled within its confines. She looked cynically at her boyfriend, her eyebrow quirked in inquiry. Tyoushi just smiled and took her hand, leading her around the side of the house, followed by the other curious party guests.

Kagome's eyes widened as she laid eyes on the brand new Beetle, or what she and her friends liked to call a "Bug", sitting in the driveway, the exact model and color she had wanted. She let out an arbitrary squeak of surprise and jumped up and down in joy, finally whirling to squeeze Tyoshi in a huge bear hug. "Domo arigatou gosaimasu!" she squealed into his shirt, Tyoushi blushing in mild embarrassment. As Kagome ran over to the car and admired its shiny lime green exterior, her mother began to explain to Tyoushi that giving her daughter a car was very expensive and that it wasn't necessary.

He brushed it off as Kagome pocketed the keys and gazed appreciatively at the automobile seeming to glimmer in its own, holy glow. "Don't worry about it, Higurashi-san, I make too much money for my own good. Besides," he whispered, leaning closer so Kagome wouldn't hear, "Souta told me she'd been looking at this one for a while, and really wanted something to test her newly acquired driving license." He shrugged and looked at his girlfriend again, smiling as she turned back to face him, her features radiant with delight. "I just wanted to see her happy on her seventeenth birthday."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled kindly at Tyoushi, who had wandered over to her daughter and was being covered in waves of thankful kisses. He could be so thoughtful when it came to others, especially when it came to Kagome. "Thank you for the generosity." she said in an almost wistful tone. He was the best thing that ever happened to Kagome, and she wasn't about to break down their relationship when it had been running so smoothly for the past five months.

"I still have one more present for you, Kag-chan." Tyoushi said, using her pet name and tickling her side teasingly, emitting a playful fit of laughter from her smiling lips.

"Another?" she inquired in between her short bursts of giggles. He nodded, placing a swift kiss on her forehead. "What is it?" she asked as another small bout curiosity welled up inside her, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him with idyllic eyes. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box, not wrapped, unlike the other gifts. It was a simple, plain maroon color, and had gold around the edges of the box. Peering closely, she noticed some gold lettering on the side of the box, automatically recognizing it as a type of English calligraphy. Kagome slowly reached out and opened the box, gasping as it revealed a small diamond necklace within its precincts. It was a silver choker on a loose chain, with one solitary, light, pinkish-purple crystal in the center, surrounded by small pearls carved into teeth. She stared at it, awestruck. "Su-sugoi... arigatou, Tyoushi-kun. Utsukushii..." she said slowly.

"Only as kirei as you, Kag-chan." Tyoushi said, smiling as a red tint spread across her cheeks and an embarrassed look overtook her features. "Do you want me to put it on?" Kagome nodded, allowing him to take it out of the box, the pinkish diamond glittering in the sun as he laid it around her neck. Kagome obediently turned and flipped her glossy, raven hair over her shoulder to give his hands better access to the back of her neck, Tyoushi locking the clasp into place. The necklace wasn't too flashy, but it fit her perfectly. The pale purple jewel in the necklace brought out the depth of her eyes, matching them perfectly in color, beauty, and intensity.

Kagome hugged him tightly, closing her eyes in contentment. This was who she was, and this was where she was supposed to be. This was where she belonged. "Arigatou, Tyoshi-kun."

He smiled softly and gave her a quick, affectionate peck on the cheek. "You're welcome, Kag-chan."

Jii-chan raised an eyebrow and smiled inwardly. 'I had a feeling that he didn't just buy her that car out of the goodness of his heart... He must really like my granddaughter...' he mused. Smiling in an old, wise way, he again thought to himself with a prudent smile, `I think there's more to that couple then they let on…' Jii-chan raised his voice before anyone had a chance to comment on the expensive gifts. "Everyone inside for refreshments!" he called. As Tyoushi passed him with his daughter leading, he nudged him, leaning as far forward as his aged limbs would allow and whispering, "We should talk after the party."

Tyoushi shot him a nervous glance, but calmed when he saw the shrewd smile on old man's face. It was just like Kagome's grandfather to scare the wits out of him, but Tyoushi had always been partial to the man's dry sense of humor.

"Otou-san!" Mrs. Higurashi called from the doorsteps, "You forgot to unlock the door again! Come here with the keys!"

Kagome's grandfather and Tyoushi made their way towards the screen door with the keys dangling from the old man's hand, when a bright light flashed across the mountains, picking up winds around the group of friends and momentarily blinding them. The group turned to look at the cause of the commotion, their eyes turning upwards towards the darkening sky. Out of the shadowed atmosphere, a ship slowly made its appearance from the obscurity and gradually descended upon the party. (a/n: and no, it is NOT a flying saucer)

Kagome turned to face the ship and her eyes widened, falling back from her formerly energized posture as a shaky hand made its way to cover her mouth. Tyoushi took a step in front of her, assuming his well-practiced Judo defensive stance as the black haired miko stood silently behind him. He reached back and squeezed her hand reassuringly as they stared at the ship, which declined and landed only a few feet away. Tyoushi narrowed his eyes as a set of steps slid out from the wall of the ship, some passengers emerging from the opening and paused at the top of the stairs. They flew out slowly and hovered a few inches off the ground, presenting a powerful impression as they made their way to the bottom of the steps.

The three visitors looked human like, their form and stature almost exactly alike. All three of them held some type of gun, or rather, weapons, in metallic-like holsters and wore reasonably snug, white leather suits. The women wore tight bodysuits, which were about the same style as a swimsuit, clinging securely to the upper body and loosely at the hips. They had black gloves that came up to their elbows, tightly clinging to their arms. Their black and maroon striped boots reached up a little past their knees, and a thick, black stripe, contrasting with a thin maroon stripe, swept around their waists.

The girl on the left was shorter and had white hair, accompanied by a pair of child-like, soulless eyes, while the one on the right had piercing red eyes and dark hair tied up high in a short ponytail. There was one man in the group, and his stood in between the two women, a nasty grin on his face. He wore a black bodysuit, which conveniently covered everything but his head and neck. His gloves and boots were silver instead of black, like the women, and he had a silver streak sweep diagonally across his suit. His dark purple eyes glowed as he looked at the group, and his long, black wavy hair whipped around his face. The man's eyes wandered to Kagome and Kikyou as he spoke, a long silver cape whipping around his form. "Ah, so you are the women…" he said, his deep, icy voice slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter.

Kagome's grandfather narrowed his eyes suspiciously and looked fiercely at the strangers. "What do you want?" spat Jii-chan, his hands holding onto some ofuda tucked neatly in his robes.

"We want those girls there. We will pay you handsomely for them, if necessary." he said flatly, regarding Kagome and Kikyou.

The old man snorted and narrowed his eyes. "You're not taking MY granddaughters, demon!" he said, whipping out his ofuda.

"Fighting, are we?" answered the man in a calm, chilling tone, finding the older man's defiance slightly humorous.

The old man glared in return. "We'll see who finds it funny after I send you to the next dimension, evil demon!" he roared, charging at the man and throwing out the magical scrolls. With one swift motion, the black haired man's hand shot out, slicing the paper in half, watching them flutter to the ground with an amused gaze. The old man grabbed more ofuda and threw them, watching in surprise as the scraps of paper merely bounced off of his form and descended lifelessly to the grass floor. The alien snorted and turned to the girl to his left, his eyebrows drawing in a more serious manner. "Kanna…"

"Yes, master." she replied in an impassive, infantile tone and pulled out a thin, white rod from the holster at her side. Waving her hand inattentively, the rod levitated for a moment before transforming into a small, circular mirror; Kanna's tiny, pale hands reaching out and clasping it in a loose grip. As soon as the old man's image was reflected in the mirror, a shudder ran through his body and his eyes rolled back into his head. He dropped to the ground and laid there, motionless; not even a twitch.

"Otou-san!" cried Kagome's mother, rushing over to her father, searching for his pulse, only feeling a faint beat under her trembling fingers. Souta ran over to his mother, a horrified expression written on his face as Mrs. Higurashi turned to him and whispered frantically, "Souta… go in the house and dial the emergency number I taught you! You remember right?"

Souta nodded weakly and replied in a strained tone, "Hai, Oka-san." The young boy's eyes lined with tears as he bolted for the door and rushed inside to call an ambulance.

Tyoushi frowned turned to the new creature, hissing in a disgusted tone, "You will pay for what you have done you monsters."

"Though I respect your courage, human, I'm afraid I'm on a tight schedule." the man said in a slightly jaded tone. "Kagura." He motioned towards the black-haired woman and stepped aside as the said woman made her way forward, a confidant grin present on her face.

Kagura pulled out a long fan from her holster and flicked it open, holding it up to her face and peering over the top with a pair of indulging, ruby eyes. "Knowledge of martial arts isn't going to help you now, I'm afraid." she mocked as she watched him flex his hands in preparation. A hideous smirk appeared on her scarlet lips, concealed expediently behind her fan. Reeling back, Kagura smirked as she cried out, "Ryuuja no Mai!" and thrust her arm forward, a collection of churning, thrashing winds releasing from the open fan. The whirlwinds propelled violently forward over the ground, brutally hitting Tyoushi full in the front, and sent him flying through the air to smash into the wall of the house, sliding down, immobile.

"TYOUSHI-KUN!!" Kagome cried and ran over to her boyfriend, dropping to the ground beside his fallen form and resting her hands worriedly over his form. "Tyoushi-kun! Daijobu?!"

The boy flinched and groaned, rolling to the side, his eyes scrunched tightly shut in pain as he clutched his stomach with a white knuckles. "It's okay, Tyoshi-kun! Just stay there! I'll go get help!" she cried, feeling tears begin prick the backs of her concerned, chocolate brown eyes.

Kikyou stood up stiffly, about to reach out for her cousin's set of bow and arrows, when a windblade sliced through the air and exploded inches from her hands, causing Kikyou to swiftly draw back her reaching fingers as if they had been burned in a pot of boiling water. Kikyou's eyes narrowed and she swerved around, glaring heatedly at Kagura. "You picked the wrong miko to mess with." she said, her voice eerily smooth and calm.

"Oh, really?" stated Kagura, smirking and flapping open her fan once more with the merest flick of her wrist. "You think you can beat me?"

The man laid a hand on the black haired Kagura's shoulder, causing her to send an annoyed glare over her shoulder in question. "Wait, Kagura. We want this one alive."

The black haired woman frowned and closed her fan with as insolent snap and irritated snort. "Fine."

Kikyou stepped forward and frowned, raising her hand, a composed expression lingering on her features. "Silence." she said, pointing a long, slender finger at the alien. Instantly, a crackling wave of bluish energy blew towards Kagura, who gasped in astonished disclosure. "What the…!"

Kanna evenly stepped in front of her and held up the mirror, which glowed slightly and absorbed the energy. Without another word, the white haired girl held up the mirror in the same fashion as when she fought the older man, reflecting Kikyou's image in its depths. Instantly, a white beam of light burst from Kikyou's body and was pulled into Kanna's mirror.

::Na-nani?!:: She thought frantically, ::My soul… is being taken from me?!:: Kikyou clasped her chest as her footing faltered. ::I… can't move any longer…:: The last of the light was immersed into the mirror, leaving behind only a pale glow around its frame as the miko pitched forward, collapsing to the ground.

The strange man and the two women shared a mocking laugh. "Pick her up and take her into the ship," he said icily, waving his hand at the body lying on the ground before sending an commanding glare towards the girl, "and return her soul once inside the cells, Kanna."

Suddenly, a wave of purifying energy swept over the grass and flew towards the group of aliens, leaving behind a brilliantly glowing trail. "Nande?!"

The three dodged smoothly to the side as the ground they had once inhabited exploded in a blinding white light. The aliens looked up to see a girl standing not too far off, clutching a bow in one hand and pulling out another arrow with the other. "You bastards! You won't… GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

The man stood up and frowned with interest. "This miko girl… has the power to purify, hn?" He raised his voice. "Who are you, girl?"

"SHUT UP! I owe you nothing!" she cried, not wasting her time and releasing another glowing arrow with surprising power.

The man watched calmly as the holy bullet blew closer, a grin slowly creeping across his face. "Kanna!"

Kanna glided effortlessly in front of the man and absorbed the shining arrow easily with her mirror, sighing in reprieve. Kagura opened her fan with an irritated frown and swung it in a circular motion over her head, before bringing it forcefully down in a sweeping arc.

A swirl of wind picked up Kagome and threw her bow and arrows out of reach, suspending the surprised teenager in mid air. Kagome screamed as the wind sliced tiny cuts all over her body, sending pain throughout her as little trickles of blood became apparent on her tingling skin. She twitched in agony, but managed to suppress most her screams. The man walked up to her and looked her over appreciatively, taking note of her finely toned muscles. Kagome didn't like how he looked at her body; it sent eerie chills down her spine every time his gaze swept over her. "Hmm, good. Very good. Nice stature, excellent physique, and I like your attitude. You will make an excellent Taunder, human."

Kagome tried desperately to fight against the wind that was holding her helplessly suspended, but all attempts proved futile. The man turned to the black haired girl; his amused expression dropping as he made his was back up the steps in one fluid motion. "Kagura, take her to the TST room and heal her wounds. Kanna, you take care of the other one. If the others put up any fight, then kill them." Before walking into the ship, he turned back, looking absently towards the picnic tables. "Actually, take that brown-haired girl as well, the one that's about sixteen. She's standing behind one of the chairs. Her psychic powers will be of some service to us."

They both bowed as he walked into the ship only raising their heads once he was gone from their line of vision. The one named Kagura turned to Kagome, an uninterested and bored tone lingering in her dark crimson eyes. Kagome took one last look at her family, who were all watching the proceedings with a quivering panic, feeling a twinge of pain deep inside her chest. Her eyes wandered to fall on the unconscious Tyoushi, a sad smile lingering on her lightly glossed lips. "Tyou…shi…kun." she whispered, feeling a solitary tear roll down her cheek as her vision swirled. "Gomen ne…"

Kagura sent an annoyed glare in Kagome's direction, which went unnoticed by the seventeen-year-old. Impassively, Kagura brought her hand swiftly down onto the back of Kagome's neck, and her world was surrounded in black.

~***~***~

You like? Sorry to leave you on such a cliffhanger, but I thought I'd leave you in suspense. Don't worry, next chapter will be out soon! Don't look at me like that! ^_^ Hehe… Review!