InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Scent of Memory ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Scent of Memory

By; Angel Waters

 

Chapter 1

 

“Koga! Slow down, I can't catch you!” Six-year-old Kagome laughed as she chased her best friend. “That's the point!” Koga knew his human friend couldn't catch him, but he loved to taunt her. Between the swings and under the little bridge: up the slide and around the jungle gym they went. “Kaggie! You know you'll never catch him, so come sit with us!” Miroku sat at the top of the jungle gym with a scowling Inuyasha. “Yeah, give up already!” Apparently he wasn't happy at the moment. “I can catch him! He can't run forever!” Kagome yelled back.

 

At that moment, a car's horn beeped. “Darn it.” The kids stopped running, and looked forlornly towards the parking lot where Kagome's father was. “I gotta go guys. Bye bye!” she gave Koga a quick hug and ran off towards her father - who was talking on his cell phone and didn't notice her appearance. “Yes Ms. Aki, I'll be right there. Yes, I know I'm late. I had to pick up the kid. Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes.” Hanging up his phone, he didn't even check to see if she was buckled in before speeding out of the parking lot. The ride was silent, Kagome's father seething to himself because the meeting would start without him. His supervisor would not be happy. But Kagome was use to this. It happened every time she was around her father.

 

Five minutes later they came to a stop in front of a large office building. Without a word Kenji Higurashi locked his car, and raced into the building. As he thought, the meeting had already begun. Excusing himself, he took a seat midway down the table. “Mr. Higurashi, didn't you say that you had to pick up your child?” Kenji looked up at the ancient face of Ms. Keade Aki. “I did. The girl's in the car.” Ms. Aki stood up slowly, silencing all conversation. “You left your daughter in your car?” she had to be hearing things. No parent would leave his or her child in the car on a day as hot as this one.

 

“Um, yeah.” Kenji looked uneasily around the table, each face a picture of disgust. “Mr. Higurashi, what is your daughter's name?” If her suspicions were correct -and they usually were- Kenji Higurashi didn't even know his own daughter's name. “Her name is….” He trailed off, not sure how to continue. “What does it matter? I'm here for a business meeting that has nothing to do with my kid. Can we continue before I get nauseous from these wolf demon's stench?”

 

How stupid could a human get? Half the table -and the rival business- was made up of wolf demons, and they jumped to their feet snarling. “Do you have a grudge against wolf demons, Mr. Higurashi?” Ms. Aki's voice was cold, and her old gray eyes burned with a fire rarely seen. Obviously not noticing the danger around him, Kenji went on. “Yes. They are not worthy of walking this Earth, let alone do business with us humans! They are cowards, the lot of them, and honor less.”

 

Keade Aki had seen some stupid humans in her life - but this guy took the prize! She didn't know if she had seen anyone reach this level of stupidity, ever. The wolf demons were having a hard time restraining themselves from attacking this man. The more levelheaded ones having to physically hold the more rash ones back. “Is there any particular reason for your hatred?”

 

Ms. Aki found herself shaking with contained rage. Even though she was human -and a Miko- the wolf demon tribe in the area had named her the godmother of their prince. Mr. Higurashi was just starting to notice the murderous glares from around the room, but ignored them in favor of preaching his view on wolf demons. “I don't need a reason for hating those mongrels.”

 

Kenji suddenly found himself thrown from his chair by a large, sophistically dressed, pissed off wolf demon. “Togure! Leave him to me.” Ms. Aki unfolded her old legs, and took a few teetering steps toward the down man. “I think it is time that Mr. Higurashi learned the meaning of being open minded.” Her crackled voice rang through the silent office. “Kenji Higurashi. There is one who needs your help. By changing this one into the thing you hate most, maybe you will see the importance in accepting the things around you.”

 

But Kenji didn't hear the last words, for he was already running out the door. Sprinting to his car, he threw himself behind the wheel, only to glance towards the passenger seat and scream.

 

*~*~*

 

Kagome struggled to breathe in the stuffy car. The heat was making her drowsy, and she dared not open the door in fear of her father's temper. Sighing, she concentrated on pulling air into her little lungs. It took all her strength to focus, so she didn't even feel the strange tingling radiating through her body.

 

But she did hear the scream.

 

In his passenger seat in the place of his daughter, sat a young wolf demon. Kenji could see her pointed ears, claw tipped fingers, and small fangs peaking out of her panting mouth. And if his eyes weren't deceiving him, a tail hung over the edge of the seat. “That witch turned my own flesh and blood into the spawn of those filthy wolves!” He screamed in anger, speeding out of the parking lot. Maybe his wife would know what to do with this beast. `

 

He raced home as fast as his car would allow, and stopped with a screech in the driveway. Kenji slammed his door and roughly grabbed his once daughter by the arm and dragged her up the long stairs to the top of the shrine. “Saya! Saya, get over here!” He bellowed once they stopped in the entry hall. A very pregnant Saya Higurashi came down the stairs at a fast walk. “What is it, Kenji?” It was then she caught sight of the creature her husband was holding tightly. “Kenji! Let go of it!”

 

Kagome turned frightened eyes on her mother. “Mommy? Did I do something bad? I'm sorry, Mommy!” She was so confused, why was her daddy holding her arm so tight? Why was everyone yelling? “What happened Kenji?” Saya blatantly ignored her terrified daughter. “That woman I had a business meeting with, Ms. Aki, asked questions about the kid and got mad for some reason or another, and placed a curse on our family! I ran out of there, and when I got to the car this is what I found!” He accented his words with a painful jerk of Kagome's arm.

 

“What should we do, Saya?” His wife paced slightly in front of then - still ignoring her daughter's sniffles. “We still have that old kennel we used for that guard dog we had a while back. Put it in there.” Kenji nodded his agreement, and forcefully dragged Kagome towards the basement. “No! I don't want to go in the cage! Mommy! Please don't do this Daddy!” but it was too late.

 

The basement was dark, only a tiny window in the far corner giving any light at all. The cage itself was steel and had a lock from the outside on it. Kagome quieted her sobs and sat back on the tattered blanket. `What did I do?' that question plagued her all night, as she tried to sleep on a thin blanket on a concrete floor. `What did I do?'

 

 

 

 

AN: I am not dead!!! But I probably will be when everyone finds out I started a new story without updating my others ^_^0. But never fear! Summer vacation is looming over us and I plan to update like crazy! Please bear with me! I love y'all!

 

~Angel Waters