InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tears of the Dead ❯ Prologue: Thump in the Night ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Tears of the Dead

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, if I did that bitch Kikyou would die and STAY dead.

Authors Note: By the time you start reading this then my story will be complete, having decided to do the smart thing for once and write the story in it's entirety before I post it on ff.net for obvious reasons.

As for the brief summary…read the prologue and see if you can't figure it out for yourself.

Prologue: Thump in the Night

Crash!

The window shattered as a body was thrown through it, shards of broken glass stained with blood littered the floor and the body lay still amidst the chaos. The body, a human female, twitched and slowly sat up, her aching muscles moaning in protest as she rose to her feet, preparing herself for whatever came next.

The woman glared out the window, vision blurred with the crimson color of her own blood, long dark bangs shrouding her eyes from view. She clutched her right arm protectively with her left hand, trying to stem the flow of blood blossoming from a previous wound - a wound that had shredded her flesh straight to the bone in four, even strokes.

She stumbled for a moment, painfully reaching down to retrieve the weapon at her feet, a crossbow, and stood upright, aiming her arrow carefully at the shattered remains of the window, clearly awaiting her foe. A feral growl met her ears and she squinted through the darkness, searching for her adversary. She stumbled backwards, leaning against the wall to steady herself, as something came through the window, the crunching of shattered glass announcing its arrival.

The woman looked up and out through the window, noting that the full harvest moon hung low in the sky, a clear mark that the night was soon coming to an end and she was almost free. She looked back at her adversary, a perfectly white dog (or was it a wolf?) and took aim, carefully pointing her silver-tipped arrow straight at the dog's heart. The dog snarled at her viciously and dug its claws into the wooden floorboards, long ropes of saliva hanging from sharp, yellowed fangs. The woman squeezed her eyes shut, salty tears streaming down her blood soaked face as she clutched the trigger, feeling the gears of the crossbow tighten beneath her fingers. She heard a whoosh and a sickening, wet sort of thump, alerting her to the fact that her arrow had been released - right into the dog's heart.

There was a yelp and a whimper of pain before the woman heard a soft thump and the old house (the long abandoned home of the old mortuary keeper) became still. She kept her eyes closed tight for another moment, fearing to look, before she slowly opened them and turned her head to fix her gaze on what was sure to be gruesome scene.

The white dog lay slain, curled up in a pool of its own crimson blood. Unbidden, and unnoticed, a small gasp escaped her lips at the sight and she turned away, squeezing her eyes shut again. She slid down the wall and brought her knees up to her chest, hiding her face as she began to shake with silent sobs. She gripped her weapon in a tight fist, hearing the wood and metal creak under her fingers as she held it in a vice grip. She looked up, face wet from blood and tears, and looked towards the dog, still laying motionless in its own blood, bathed in innocent moonlight. Her lip trembled but she stood up anyway, fighting the tears stinging at the back of her eyes, and hobbled over to the dog - leaving her crossbow behind.

She knelt down next to it and pulled it into her lap, stroking the soft fur of its face lovingly, the blood on her fingers staining the snow-white hair a diluted shade of crimson. She ran her hand over its face, trailing her fingers over his pointed ears, rubbing the tips fondly, unable to suppress a small, bitter smile as tears, once again, threatened to overwhelm her.

She looked outside noting a faint pink tinge glowing softly on the horizon as bitter thoughts of fate ran through her mind. She fingered the silver cross around her neck nervously as she watched the sun rise, unaware of the sudden movement in her lap…

The sun peaked over the horizon, the moon slowly disappearing over the other side of the world, bringing forth the new day in a golden shimmer of sunlight.

"Sister Kikyou!" a young girl of about sixteen called frantically, long dark hair rippling about her in the wind, having forgotten to put it up for the first time since she was a small child. The girl picked up the hindering skirts of her sleeping kimono and ran through the graveyard, the heavy material of her attire weighing her down as she leapt over destroyed gravestones "Sister Kikyou!"

"She is nowhere to be found!" a man, one of the local villagers, from behind her shouted. The girl turned and fixed the man with a glare.

"She's around here somewhere, she must be found! Keep searching!" she ordered, turning back around to continue her search "Sister Kikyou! Where are ye?!"

"Look!" another man yelled, pointing to something in the distance. The girl turned so that she could follow his gaze and her eyes landed on an old, dilapidated house perched upon a high, grassy hill. The front room window was shattered, leaving a big gaping wound on the face of the house.

"Everyone, get your weapons ready!" the girl ordered, picking up her, now tattered, skirts so that her small, skinny legs could carry her easier across the graveyard. She sprinted for the hill, leaping over obstacles in her path, and ran up its slopes, still slippery from last night's dew.

She made her way to the top of the hill, covered in cuts and bruises, and hobbled her way over to the shattered window. She gingerly stepped over the shards of glass in her way, her damp house slippers being very little protection, and looked inside.

"IYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"That sounded like Lady Kaede!" one of the villagers said, slightly alarmed.

"Don't stop now!" another one reminded him, pushing him up the hill with one hand, clutching his spear in the other "Pick up the pace, men!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Right!" they all grunted, picking up their own weapons of choice as they began to jog up the hill.

"Lady Kaede!" the second man, who was obviously some kind of leader, shouted in surprise, running to her side. Kaede was slumped to the ground, moaning

"Kikyou…sister Kikyou…" she muttered, face scrunching up in anguish as tears started to stream silently from her closed eyelids.

"Captain, look!" the man holding Kaede looked up to where one of his soldiers was pointing, shock washing over his usually reserved face.

"What…the…" the color drained from his face and his arms went limp, dropping the unconscious girl into his lap. Kaede moaned and rolled off his lap and onto the dew drenched ground, still unconscious, while the men all stared in disgust and horror of the carnage inside.

The house, having been abandoned many years back, was in disrepair with peeling wallpaper and loose woodwork. The furniture, all abandoned with the house, was covered with white sheets to protect them from dust, though after all this time it did little to help. The fireplace was blackened on the inside and the hearth was covered in soot, crumbling logs resting in the center.

But the horrifying thing about this situation wasn't the décor, it was what currently inhabited this house. Up against the far wall leaned a boy. His black hair was cropped short, though his bangs hung low over his eyes, and he appeared to be completely nude. His chest was heaving up and down - he was sobbing - and there was blood flowing freely down the right side of his chest and arm, staining the almost pure white of his skin an angry red color. He clutched something tightly in his arms, something half hidden in shadow, and his tears ran red down his face as he sobbed brokenly.

"H-hold it right there…" the captain said warily, holding his sword out before him in a protective fashion. The boy's sobs subsided instantly and his head lifted, dark bangs still hiding his eyes from view. The crimson tears had dripped from his face, down his neck to mingle with the blood on his chest and arm.

"It's too late…" the boy muttered, new tears flowing into the old as he spoke.

"Wh-wha?" the captain questioned, looking down to the bundle in his arms. When he saw what the boy was holding, his blood ran cold.

"Captain! Captain! What happened in - " one of the captain's deputies had just arrived, the rest of the small squad steps behind him, but stopped when the scene before him sunk in. "Oh…God…" he gasped "Mistress Kikyou!"

The girl they had been searching for was now found, dead, in the arms of this mysterious boy. He had been caught red handed - literally.

Her eyes were open and glassy, the sharp bluish-gray color now dulled to almost black and her skin was deathly white. Her clothes, pant and vest ensemble made out of durable black leather, was sodden with blood and her shirt, already a bright crimson, clung wetly to her form, violent, erratic tears across her shoulder where a set of three deep gashes could be found. Her dark, waist-length hair clung to the sides of her face and to the boy who had one of his hands buried deeply into her midnight locks, the other clamped tightly around her neck in some naieve attempt to save her.

The only color left on her skin was red. Red from her own blood, red from her killers tears, red from that deep gash in her throat…

"Hold still, you bastard!" the deputy shouted, holding up his sword as well, motioning for the rest to do the same. The boy visibly flinched, tightening his hold on Kikyou's still form, blood still somehow gushing from the gaping wound on her neck between his fingers. He lifted his head all the way now and looked desperately to all the men in the room.

"I couldn't save her…I couldn't…" he said disparingly, the bloody tears on his face still dripping from his chin onto the girl in his arms, staining her face as well. His violet eyes shone desperately, the whites of his eyes washed red with his own blood.

The captain continued to stare at them, his sword dropped to his side, as his deputies swarmed around him in an attempt to capture the killer before he could flee. "Stand down." He commanded, stepping through the crowd of men so that he could face the boy himself.

"B-but, Captain!" the first deputy protested, slowly dropping his sword with the rest. The captain ignored him and stood so that he was towering over the boy.

"It's over." He promised. The boy closed his eyes and lowered his head again, shaking his head in understanding as he slowly released his victim, placing her gently on the floor at the captain's feet.

"Tell her…I'm sorry." The boy muttered, never looking up from the spot on the floor.

"I will." The captain assured him, nodding to his deputies to take him away.

Authors Note: Umm…I put a lot of effort into this thing so you'd BETTER like it!!! *waves fist around threateningly*

Oi, j/k…tell me what you think and, if you have any, make sure your criticism is CONSTRUCTIVE. If I find even ONE review/flame that says "Your fucking story sucks…" I'll scream.

I swear I will.

Review Corner:

Alice: Wow, you're really…thorough. The criticism really helped, tho, you're a real pal, Alice. I can use this.

Cacat-angel: You can have this and the first chapter for the site, Wei-chan. You'll be the first EVER to host this story…you should be proud!

Katie-sama: Ah, my inspiration…Be thankful, damnit, I'm writing this story for YOU, yanno! And I'll TRY and give Kikyou more credit…no promises, tho.

Neko-sama: You're welcome for the cut 'n paste thing.

Ruth: Umm…thanks for the support, I guess…

Suchan: Gah, you gush more than the Hoover Dam…I suppose that's a good sign, tho. Thanks a bunchies, Suchan!

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