InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tears of the Dead ❯ Chapter 1: Taiju ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Tears of the Dead

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha…if I did, Kikyou would die and STAY dead!

Authors Notes: speed ahead about fifty years into the future…

Chapter One: Taiju

"Fish! Fresh fish!"

"Spices! Garlic! Pepper root! Ginger!"

"Jewelry! Cheap jewelry!"

"Knives! Guns! Imported from Europe!"

A young girl politely declined these and other offers as she made her way through the crowded, noisy streets of Kyoto, Japan. She slowly made her way through the city, her pale pink kimono limiting any quick movements she might have made. She smiled sweetly at each merchant, passing them all as quickly as she could on her way away from the bustling city.

She arrived at the edge of the city, panting slightly from her not-so-quick getaway. She paused for a moment against someone's house and righted herself, straightening her kimono and tightening the tie that held back her dark, wavy hair. She huffily blew a strand of her hair out of her bluish-gray eyes, tucking it behind her ear with her finger, and continued on her way, book clutched securely in her hands.

She picked one of the less traveled roads, passing a few stray farmers along her way, and watched with faint interest as the homes became less frequent and all other signs of humanity faded away completely. She breathed a sigh of relief and stopped, lifting her face to the clear blue sky as a cooling breeze swirled the dust around her, her pale pink kimono whipping around her ankles. She took another deep breath and stepped off the path and into the field, noting with vague interest that the grass reached above her knees and that she forged a track as she made her way across the plateau.

After making her way across the field she entered a small patch of woods where she crossed a creek and climbed over rocks. She struggled over her last rock before reaching another plateau where her face immediately lightened with a smile. In the middle of the field was what she sought; a large oak tree with branches that stretched to the sky.

She breathed in a breath of homecoming, noting how the air up here seemed to be even fresher than that of the air only a few feet below her, and started her final trek towards her destination. She stopped before the tree and smiled up at it fondly before automatically reaching behind her head to free her dark brown locks from their imprisonment, allowing her hair to fall over her shoulders in a wavy rush.

"Sorry I haven't been able to come to see you lately." She smiled up at the tree "Mother has been bedridden for weeks…she finally gave birth last Sunday. It was a boy." She relayed before walking forward and falling deftly to the ground, landing squarely in her favorite spot between the roots.

She stretched luxuriously, dropping her book down by her side. Beneath her moth-eaten kimono, a kimono which was grayed with age and several inches too short, her prepubescent body was thin and her ribs were visible through her flesh, her sexuality a mere blush upon her body. She leaned against the tree and looked up at it, smiling naievely at it's branches.

"His name is Souta. I already have my work cut out for me…he has cholera [1]and won't stop crying!" she complained, though anyone could tell that she wasn't seriously perplexed. "What do you think, Taiju-kun?" [2] she asked, staring expectantly at the trunk of the tree.

Pinned to the trunk, hovering merely inches above her head, was a boy. He was frozen in time, never changing, never aging and his body was held tightly to the trunk by thick vines that stemmed from the tree itself. His body shone brilliantly from the tree, clothed in a magnificent red kimono, which was slightly tattered from years of weather.

The girl smiled up at him from where she sat on the ground, her oddly blue eyes alight with naieve curiosity. She leaned back against the trunk, facing forward once more as she clutched the book in her lap "Papa seems really happy about it…Souta, I mean." She said, casting her eyes up towards the sky "He always wanted a boy."

A breeze blew across the field, the grass swaying fitfully due to the disturbance, the longer blades barely tickling the bottoms of the boys feet from where he hung. He didn't say anything (as if he could) but the girl smiled all the same, taking his silence as some gesture of sympathy.

She sighed, "Thank you," and turned to the book in her lap, opening it to the proper page. "We're going to read a new one tonight. Would you like that, Taiju-kun?" she questioned, looking to the immobile boy for confirmation. Giggling at his lack of answer she said "Very well, the usual it is."

She licked her bony left index finger and flipped to the page she wanted, staring down at the words casually and unnecessarily, knowing the words all by heart. Her blue eyes scanned the page, taking in the old, worn pages of her all-time favorite book. She smiled at the old smudge marks from where her fingers had smeared the print.

"Once upon a time,

~*~

"…the end." The girl yawned, raising one of her small hands to cover her mouth. The book long since had been tossed to the side and lay cushioned on a tuft of grass to her right. She stopped yawning and turned half-lidded eyes to her silent companion who remained stonily in place, as usual.

She smiled at his prone figure for a moment and turned her lazy gaze to the horizon in the west where the sun was a mere sliver over the rugged landscape. The few clouds that were in the sky were highlighted in orange and pink brilliance, easily showing up against the quickly darkening sky. A few stars were already out and the moon had started to rise from the east, dully glowing in the ebbing light of the sun.

"I should probably get home." She mused to her companion, a little disheartened, as always, when he remained silent. She sighed and slumped her shoulders, closing her eyes for a moment. She opened them again in a lazy stupor "You're my only friend, Taiju-kun." She said dully as she watched the last of the suns light disappear over the horizon "The girls don't like me because I'm too shy and quiet and the boys never even look at me. They think I'm too plain."

Her eyes lowered to the hands in her lap sullenly, small tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She sniffled quietly and furiously rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, standing up to block out the boy's unseeing gaze. She wandered to the edge of the small cliff she occupied, squinting her eyes as the last rays of sunlight disappeared from view and the moon continued its assent into the sky.

She turned to him with a forced smile and skipped up to him in a would-be usual fashion "I have to go now." She said quietly, unable to hide the small quiver in her voice. She slowed her pace as she approached him, stopping a mere foot away from the base of the tree. She stared at him for a moment, deliberating what to do as a small blush crept across her cheeks.

Finally deciding on action, she crept forward meekly and placed her foot firmly on one of the trees many roots, bracing herself with her hands against the trunk as she hoisted her small frame upwards. She placed her other foot on a second root and pulled her entire body up so that her eyes were level with the boys chin. She moved her hands slowly from the trunk of the tree and gripped the red fabric of his kimono, steadying herself. She blinked at him meekly for a moment before arching up onto her tiptoes, eyes still wide open in embarrassed terror, and pressed her fine, prepubescent lips to his, allowing her eyes to close to the feather-light contact.

She pulled back after a moments hesitation, eyes closed and cheeks flushed in blissful, girlish happiness. She lowered her feet down to their normal flat position on the roots, still clutching to the boy's kimono for balance. She lowered her face as well, opening her eyes, sparkling with happiness, as soon as they were level with his chest again.

"I have to go." She said again, unable to suppress the smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "Father will need my help sweeping the shrine before bed…I'll come tomorrow."

She turned her glowing eyes to his face again, recoiling in shock when his gaze met hers.

~*~

"What be that?" an old woman cried, dropping the bushel of silver-tipped arrows she carried in her arms. Her one eye, weakened with age, roved around the trees around her, looking for the source to the scream she had just heard. "Something is not right…" she concluded, forgetting the arrows as she dashed through the trees.

Her joints were not what they used to be, stiff and complaining as she jogged through the dense foliage of the forest she had called her home for many, many years. Though she was aged and her body protested, her legs carried her swiftly across the landscape, her only real hindrance the long pant legs that swamped her feet. She lifted them off the ground to allow her easier movement and quickened her pace.

"I feel something ominous in the back of my mind." She said to herself, breaking free of the trees and coming to a plain just along the fringes of the forest. "I fear I may be too late."

~*~

The girl screamed and stumbled backwards, flailing her arms around wildly in an attempt to regain her balance. She plummeted towards the ground below, eyes shut tightly in preparation for impact, but it never came.

The girl felt the material at the front of her kimono stretch and become taut, jerking to a stop just before her feet slipped from the root she was perched on. She opened her eyes slowly and warily looked up to find a large, mannish hand clutched in her kimono. She gulped and followed the hand to an arm, to a shoulder and finally to the head of the boy holding her. He peered at her curiously through deep, purple eyes, surveying her face with apparent interest. His mouth was pulled into a light, pensive frown and his hair fell into his face, shadowing it ominously.

"Kikyou?" he questioned, his voice cracking slightly from lack of use. His tone was puzzled, but hopeful, and he continued to look her over carefully. The girl gulped and shivered under his scrutiny, wildly scratching at the hand holding her still.

"Let me go!" she cried, twisting every which way in an attempt to extricate herself from his iron grasp. The boy's frown deepened and he pulled her up against him by her kimono harshly.

"Stop squirming." He ordered, taking advantage of the close proximity to look over her even more closely. The girl's eyes widened with fear and shock as his face slowly dipped toward hers, his purple eyes watching hers avidly. He allowed his eyes to rove over her one more time before taking his other hand, his right one, and bringing it up to her face, stroking her cheek almost lovingly. "Kikyou…" he whispered again, removing his hand from her face so that he could loop his arm around her waist and pull her more comfortably against him, burying his face in her tangled black hair.

She whimpered as she felt his nose press into her dark locks, roving over her skull in a gentle massage as he let his olfactory senses take over. He tightened both arms around her, holding her to him as if he had found something he thought had been long since lost. He pressed his cheek to her hair and buried his nose into her neck, nuzzling her affectionately just below her left ear.

"T-Taiju-kun…" she squeaked uncertainly, unsure of how to address him since she had never known his proper name. She felt him tense instantly at the name and his soft ministrations to her neck halted.

He pulled his face away from her slowly and stared back into her face curiously, pushing her back a bit by her shoulders so that he could take a better look. The girl shuddered under his intense gaze and tried to pull away again. He gripped her shoulders tightly, almost painfully, and held her in place.

"You're not her…" he muttered finally, realization dawning on him. The relief she'd sensed from him earlier vanished and she saw the small muscles in his face relax almost imperceptibly with disappointment and, maybe, a bit of sadness.

"W-who?" she couldn't stop herself from asking. His face suddenly screwed up with rage and he pushed her violently away from him so that she stumbled away from him, landing hard on the ground below "Ow!" she cried, glaring up at him "What was that for?"

"Deceiving wench!" he growled, bristling at her. The girl frowned distastefully at him, bristling as well. She clamored to her feet and placed her hands on her hips, like she'd seen her mother do, and opened her mouth to scold him when--

"Aiiiiie!" she screeched as two arms encircled her waist and she was pulled violently off the ground, soaring high into the air before faltering slightly and landing on a high tree branch. The owner of the arms pulled her tightly against them and growled in her ear

"I'll bet you taste good…" she shuddered when she felt a long, wet tongue on her neck as her tormenter punctuated his remark.

"Let me go!" she screamed, struggling to get away. She could hear the distant yells and cursing from the boy below and could feel him struggling against the trunk of the tree. If the sharp shivering and violent tremors were any indication, his strength was terrible. She felt her captors head leave from her shoulder and could practically see, in her minds eye, the smirk that accompanied the movement.

"Your friend has a very extended vocabulary." She could feel his neck craning to see down the trunk of the tree as he spoke. The girl listened for a moment and flinched at the steady cursing coming from the base of the tree on her behalf.

"You fucking coward! Get your ass back down here right now!" he screamed, a violent tremor following his challenge.

"Come up and get her if you're so fond of her!" her captor sneered. The girl craned her neck to get a look at him while he was occupied with the boy below and her pupils constricted in fear when she noticed two, glimmering fangs extending over his lower lip.

"Why you -- " the boy strained and the tree shook harder "Come down here, you wimpy wolf!" he screeched.

"Bite me, Dog-turd!" her captor countered.

"Believe me, if given the chance - " but his words were cut off with a quick swish and a loud howl as the girls captor quickly released her, sending her sprawling off the tree branch. She reached out quickly and gripped the branch with her thin, pale hands and held on for dear life, screaming with panic. She could hear the boy below her curse louder and felt the tremmoring of the tree subside as the boy stopped struggling for fear of making her fall.

"Child!" she heard another, aged voice call "Child! Hold tightly to yon tree! I shall help thee if thee would just hold on!" the voice promised. The girl peeked over her shoulder and stared down at the ground where a wizened old woman stood, arguing with the boy below her. The old woman bore a crossbow, the arrow missing from its former position.

"Hurry!" she pleaded, feeling her fingers slipping with each passing moment. She squealed in terror as her fingers slipped further, causing the argument below her to halt.

"Child!" she heard the old woman scream.

"Help!" the girl pleaded tearfully, reaffirming her grip only to slip more "I can't hold on much longer!"

"Just remove the arrow!" she heard the boy shout. She glanced down to the activity on the ground again and found that he was addressing the old woman "Remove the arrow and I'll go save her!"

"Nay!" the old woman insisted.

"What, you think that you can go up there and save her yourself? Don't make me laugh, old woman!" the boy scoffed.

"Nay! I shall never release thee from thy prison!"

"Just - "

"Excuse me!" the girl interrupted, drawing their attention back to her "Couldn't we argue about this later and save me?"

The boy looked at her a moment and returned his gaze to the old woman "Just take the arrow out! She's going to fall if you don't!"

"Oh, really!" the girl huffed, wishing desperately that she could cross her arms in her annoyance. She watched them argue a moment longer before she screamed in agony.

"Shut up, both of you!" her captor was back and he was lifting her back onto the branch by her long, ebony hair.

"Ah! Let me go!" she screamed, kicking her feet frantically. The two near the ground both yelled to her, pleading with her captor to release her. She opened her eyes, which were squinted in pain, to look at the man that held her. He looked madder than a hornet and his fangs glittered dangerously in the moonlight. His pupils were constricted and his eyes were pale and golden while his hair, pulled back into a tight ponytail, was stark white. She felt claws bite into her scalp and a strange, eerie revelation dawned on her.

"Y-You're one of them, aren't you? You're one of those wolf creatures that my papa told me about!" she accused. He flicked his enraged golden gaze to hers and sneered

"And you, my little woman, are fresh meat." He smirked as her eyes widened with fear and she gulped audibly.

"P-please don't k-kill me…" she whimpered. He sneered at her and yanked her up by her hair, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"I won't kill you. Not just yet." He promised. "I have other uses for you first."

"You bastard!"** she heard the boy scream and felt the tree shake again, seemingly with his rage. Her golden-eyed captor looked down and frowned at him.

~*~

Just for you, Neko-sama. *grin*

Now back to your regularly scheduled reading!

~*~

"Shut up! I'll be down for you and the old wench in a minute!" he threatened, turning back to Kagome "You'll pay, bitch, for what that old bitty did to me." He snarled. The girl suddenly noticed a thick stream of blood flowing down his other arm and followed it up to his bare shoulder where a broken arrow shaft protruded from a sizzling, blackened wound.

"Y-you're hurt…" she gasped, the pain from her scalp becoming quite overwhelming.

"Perceptive little bitch, aren't you?" he snarled sarcastically, wincing at a sharp stabbing pain in his shoulder.

"P-put me down and…and I'll help you." she promised, sucking air through her clenched teeth at the own sharp pains caused by her tormentors grip on her hair.

"How could you help me?"

"I…I'll pull it out. It must be painful…" she noted as he visibly winced again. He glared at her.

"Why should I? You'll just try to escape…"

"To where?" it was a valid question. Where could she escape from? They must have been at least fifty feet off the ground.

The wolf seemed to ponder this a moment as he looked down from the branch they perched on. Finally deciding, he placed her down lightly on the branch and released her hair. She stumbled a moment, gripping onto the trunk for support, before standing erect again, rubbing her sore scalp.

"Well?" her captor snarled again, extending his shoulder to her.

The girl glanced at the shoulder and winced herself. The wound looked very deep and the sight of all that blood was making her woozy…

"Come on! I haven't got all night, wench!" he growled. The girl tore her eyes away from the wound and gulped.

"S-sit down." She commanded, squatting next to the trunk herself lest she fall. The wolf snorted but sank down next to her, letting his injured shoulder face her. The girl tore her eyes away from his face and stared back at the wound. Oh, so much blood…

"Hurry up!" he hissed as a sharp, searing pain began to spread through his arm, beginning at his shoulder "Take it out! Take it out!" he screeched as the pain spread further, now cutting through his chest like a hot knife through butter.

"Okay! Okay!" the girl said frantically, gripping the broken arrow shaft with both hands. She began to tug, wiggling it slightly to loosen it, but couldn't pull it from his flesh. The wolf howled in pain and crimson liquid began to spill from his eyes down his cheeks.

"Stop! Stop!" he screeched, trying to swat her away with his free hand. He pressed his clawed hand to her chest and pushed her back violently, sending her crashing into the tree trunk. She heard the boy below her howl with protest as she slammed against the tree, crying out in pain as her shoulder connected painfully.

The wolf backed away from her, cradling his injured shoulder and lapping gingerly at the blood that was coagulating there. Crimson streaks stained his face, which was as pale as a sheet, and the whites of his eyes were stained pink while the golden corneas were constricted in obvious pain. She watched him a moment, ignoring the distant shouts from the boy and old woman below, strangely sympathetic.

"Come here." She demanded gently, shakily getting onto her knees and extending a hand to him. He pulled out of her reach, cradling his injured shoulder protectively.

"Stay back!" he demanded, crimson drops still spilling down his cheeks. The girl gave him a look of annoyance and reached out towards him again.

"Come on. I'm just trying to help you." she insisted, crawling towards him cautiously.

"Why would you want to help me?" he countered, edging away from her.

"Because…because if I help you, maybe you'll let me go." She answered truthfully. She reached out again, still cautiously crawling towards him, teetering on the edge of the branch dangerously.

"When did we make that arrangement?" he snarled, but remained where he was.

"We didn't." she admitted, drawing ever closer to him. The wolf narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, pulling his shoulder further away from her searching hand. She sighed "Come on…let me help you. You must be in terrible pain."

"Nay, child!" the old woman's voice rose above the branches and the two perched in the tree glanced down at her and the boy, who was glaring dangerously at the wolf "He is dangerous! Run while thee still can!"

"Shut up, old wench!" the wolf barked "I say whether she can leave or not!"

"Run, you stupid wench!" the boy agreed, turning to the old woman angrily "Quick! Remove the arrow and I'll go up and save her!"

"Nay!" the old woman shook her head as their argument resumed.

"Just - "

"Shut UP!" the wolf screamed, reaching out with his good arm to grab the girl about the neck and pull her towards him, pulling her back against him as he held her tightly around the throat with his arm. "Shut up or the girl dies!" the argument halted once more as the two on the ground watched the activity above them with concern.

"Nay! Don't hurt the girl!" the old woman pleaded.

"Shut up, old woman, or she will die!" he insisted, holding his claws against the girls throat. The girl fought the urge to gulp as the wolf's claws bit her skin painfully. She gripped his wrist with both hands, gently tugging on his hand.

"Please," she begged "let me go and I can help you…I can feel you trembling with pain." She said, noting how his chest shivered and convulsed beneath her. She glanced up at his face and noticed sweat mingling with the crimson tears on his cheeks and the fevered look in his eyes. He looked back at her, pondering a moment, before releasing his hold.

"Make it quick…" he said, desperation forcing him to extend his shoulder to her again "And be careful, or I will slit your throat." He threatened. The girl nodded and turned back around, gripping the arrow shaft again tightly in both hands as she began to tug.

The wolf howled in pain once more, the crimson tears sprouting more profusely from his eyes. The girl ignored his pleas for her to stop and tugged harder, strangely intent on helping him.

She placed one small foot against his chest and tugged that way, feeling the arrowhead loosen in his flesh. With a strained scream of her own, she gave one final yank and the arrow came free with a burst of light and blood, sending the girl sprawling backwards against the trunk, the bloody arrow clutched tightly in her hands.

She panted against the tree for a moment, catching her breath, and looked down triumphantly at the arrow in her hand. She quirked an eyebrow in confusion as the last tiny shimmers of light fled up to her fingertips and faded into the night around her, fluttering out of her frail fingers like fireflies. They danced around her for a moment and disappeared into the night, reflecting in her blue-gray eyes for only a moment before they were gone forever. She stared at her hands for a few moments after they were gone, frowning thoughtfully at her hands, until she was jerked back to reality with an unpleasant bang.

"That's better…" a cold voice drawled. The girl looked up to see the wolf flexing his arm and shoulder experimentally, triumphantly gazing at his now uninjured shoulder, the only testimony to his previously wounded shoulder an inch of scorched flesh. He flicked his golden gaze to her and his smirk widened.

"Y-you said you'd let me go…" the girl reminded him meekly, shrinking against the tree.

"Again, when did we come to that arrangement?" his smirk widened as she scrambled uncertainly to her feet, holding the arrow out in front of her offensively. "No, I have someone who is very interested in you. I can't let you go."

"B-but I have to go home! My family will worry about me!" she argued, her stomach clenching with ice cold fear.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about your family." He said, his eyes narrowing with glee "Take a look." He nodded towards the eastern horizon where it glowed bright orange. The girls eyes widened with terror.

"NO!" she screamed, dropping the arrow to her side as she turned to look out towards the carnage that was Kyoto.

"So you needn't worry about being late for dinner." The wolf snarled maliciously as crystal tears sprang to the girls eyes.

"You jerk!" she cried, whipping around to face him. "I helped you!"

"It's not my fault you're dull-witted." He drawled, flexing his claws dangerously "Now hold still and I'll make this quick." He said as he lunged at her. The girl screamed and, before she knew what she was doing, she brought the arrow up and slashed it at him, scratching him across the chest. The wolf howled in agony as his flesh burned where she had scraped him, clutching at his new wound angrily.

But, before he could even attempt to attack her again, she stumbled and fell. She screamed as she plummeted towards the earth, reaching out for the branch that was quickly disappearing into the darkness. She landed, surprisingly, on her feet before crumpling to the ground, her ankle broken.

"Girl! Girl!" a frantic voice cried as she felt strong hands on her shoulder. She looked up through tear filled eyes to see the old woman standing over her, concern clear in her wrinkled face. She only had one eye and the girl couldn't help but flinch. "Child, are ye alright?" she asked, hauling the girl to her feet.

"I-I think so." The girl looked up to the branch she had previously been on to see the wolf still struggling with his new injury. She looked down to the arrow in her hand, wondering how such a weapon could cause so much agony for him.

"Girl!" another voice beckoned her. She looked up to see the boy, still pinned securely to the tree, watching her with vague fascination "Did that wimpy wolf hurt you?" he demanded.

"No…" she said cautiously, looking him over from a distance. She could see his chest depress with a sigh of relief as the screaming above them stopped suddenly.

"WENCH!" the wolf cried, leaping from his perch to a lower limb, looking around.

"Quick!" the boy yelled, grabbing her attention. His arms were opened wide and it was clear what he wanted her to do. "Come here!" he ordered as the wolf spotted her, cold rage glittering in his eyes as he leapt once more.

"Nay, child!" the old woman cautioned, but the girl had already wrenched herself from her grasp and was running towards the boy, limping slightly on her broken ankle.

"Hurry up!" the boy yelled as the wolf landed on the ground, grinding his fangs together dangerously. The girl quickened her pace but tripped on a stray root, falling face first just before the tree. The wolf pounced on her.

"Stupid wench!" he barked, flipping her onto her back so that he could straddle her waist, pinning her arms above her head. The girls blue-gray eyes widened with fear and her pupils contracted as his face loomed closer to hers, a snarl clear on his lips "How dare you?"

"Please…get off me…" she whined "I helped you…You were in pain…"

"It's your own stupid fault." He growled coldly, making her flinch.

"Oi! Get your fucking hands off her, you wimpy wolf!" the boy screeched, struggling against the tree again. They both ignored him, however, and the wolf continued.

"If Naraku wasn't so interested in you, I would have already killed you. It's your lucky night, bitch." He spat coldly. The girls eyes narrowed angrily and she brought her knee up, placing it painfully in his groin. He shrieked in pain again and grabbed at his offended privates as she quickly scurried out of his grasp once more, running straight into the arms of the awaiting boy.

She leapt from the ground, onto the root and into the boy's arms, feeling them close around her protectively. He pulled her close against his chest, shielding her from the wolfs view. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in his neck, allowing the protective feeling to wash over her.

"Oi," he whispered "Can you pull out this arrow?"

The girl blinked open her eyes and glared at him incredulously "Is that all you wanted to protect me for?" she accused.

"No!" he barked, glaring back "I need you to pull this arrow out! I can't move from this spot until you do!"

"Why should I care? You're just a jerk who fondled me and then pushed me away!"

"Fine then, but he's getting up and he looks angry. While we're sitting ducks here, simply waiting for him to slaughter us." He said, nodding towards the wolf who was shakily getting to his feet, angrier than ever. The girl gulped and tore her eyes away from him, turning to face the boy again.

"All…all right, but I can't run." She reminded him, glancing down at her broken ankle.

"You don't need to." He assured her as she gingerly reached her hand up to grasp the arrow shaft.

"Nay, child!" the old woman called from a distance as the wolf shook off his injury and prepared to strike again "Do not release the InuYasha!" the girl paused a moment, glancing back at the boy who was glaring angrily at the old woman.

"Do you want to die, old bag?" he accused "Either she releases me or we all die!"

The girl debated with herself a moment, deciding between impending doom, the now charging wolf, and the seemingly safe arms of the boy.

What a tough choice.

"Live again, InuYasha!" she yelled, giving the arrow one sharp tug before it, too, came out in a spurt of blood and light. The boy gave a triumphant whoop and his body exploded with bright, bluish light. The girl watched with horror as white flooded from the roots of his hair to the tips and fangs quickly replaced the canines in his mouth. Claws bit into her skin as his transformation was complete and she realized with startling horror that she had jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

"Yes!" he crowed, bursting free of the roots and vines that held him, sending the girl sprawling to the ground below just as the other wolf pounced. The boy smirked, his fangs glittering dangerously in the moonlight, and he cracked his knuckles, sending a fist smashing into the other wolf. The first wolf went sprawling backwards as well, landing only feet from the girl who quickly backed away as the boy leapt from the tree.

He pounced on the first wolf and they started scratching and biting at each other, both eager to get the upper hand. The first wolf threw the boy off and rolled onto his feet, crouching into a fighting stance. The boy smirked at him and his own golden eyes narrowed dangerously as they circled each other.

"You're a beta…" the first wolf accused the second. The boy only smirked.

"Better'n choosing to be this way." he countered. The girl looked between them, wondering what the difference was. Until she saw them…poking out of the boys white hair, were two triangular dog ears.

"Dog-turd."

"Wimpy wolf."

"Bastard."

"Coward."

"Die!" the first wolf screamed, lunging at the second again. The girl watched in horrified fascination for a minute before the old woman jerked her to her feet, running her towards the forest.

"Quickly, child!" she insisted, dragging her into the dense foliage as the fighting continued behind them.

They ran for a great distance until the girl stumbled and fell, panting on her hands and knees. The old woman turned and regarded her with her one eye, panic rising in her voice.

"Quickly, child! We must leave the forest of InuYasha and return to yon home before it be too late!"

"I…I can't…" the girl panted, clutching at a stitch in her side as the fighting behind them grew louder as they closed in proximity.

"You must!" the old woman shouted, pulling her to her feet again "Thee can rest later, we must return to yon home before it be too late!"

"But - " the girl tried to protest but was tugged along quickly, stumbling over rocks and small roots as she was pulled along behind the old woman.

They made it out of the forest and to the fringes of the city without incident, the screaming of women and crying of children growing louder as they reached the crest of a hill. At the top of the hill, they paused and looked down at the carnage, the girls eyes widening with horror.

Kyoto was ablaze in a surreal orange glow. Mothers grabbed up their children and ran frantically away from their homes, towards the outskirts of the city. Men passed buckets to one another in vain attempts to put out the blaze, faces and hands blackened with soot and ash as the city-dwellers ran for cover around them. The market place was no more, the thatched roofs and flamable merchandise having gone up quickly in the flames.

The girl had never seen anything so horrible in her entire life.

"N-no…" she faltered, sinking down onto her knees, unable to tear her eyes away from the carnage below. The old woman, too, was watching the horror unfold, her face set in an angry glare. The girl searched the city below, looking desperately for any sign of her family.

She saw them. Her mother and her younger brother running with the rest of the mothers and children to safety. Her mother had her hair down and it was whipping around her as she turned, searching for something, clutching her baby brother to her breast.

"Kagome!" she heard her mother cry "Kagome!"

"Mama!" the girl yelled from the hill, but she didn't hear her "Mama!" she yelled again, sprinting down the hill against the urges of the old woman behind her "Mama! I'm here! I'm here, Mama!"

She ran down the hill, towards the burning city, as her mother turned and looked straight at her, her eyes sparkling with relief "Kagome!" she yelled joyfully, pushing through the crowds towards her daughter "Kagome! You're safe!" she was crying.

"Mama!" the girl cried as well, leaping into her arms and hugging both her mother and younger brother tightly "I'm so scared! What happened?"

"Wolves!" her mother shouted, pushing the girl back so that she could look her over "Kagome, where have you been? I've been worried sick that you were killed somewhere!"

"I was at my spot, Mama! I'm fine!" she said, brushing her mothers hands away and dragging her away further from the burning city to where the old woman was waiting, opening her arms to them as they rushed up the hill with the other families.

"Child! You should not do that!" the old woman scolded, pulling them all up onto the crest of the hill. Souta was crying in his mothers arms who shushed him quietly, worriedly looking back towards the city.

"Mama," the girl suddenly questioned, fear dripping into her voice "where's Papa?"

Her mother bit her lip, refusing to face her as her voice trembled out an answer "He…he's helping…in the city." She choked.

"Papa!" the girl cried, attempting to run back to the blaze, only to be caught by the old woman who held her tight in a fierce grip.

"Nay, child! Ye shall not go back to yon carnage!"

"Let me go!" the girl screamed, squirming once again to get out of an oppressive grip.

"Nay!"

"Kagome, no!" her mother yelled as the girl finally managed to struggle free of the old woman's grip, racing down the hill once more, pushing her way through the milling crowds before anyone could stop her.

"Son of a bitch!" a voice suddenly screeched as two figures appeared from the forest, punching and kicking each other violently. The crowd gathered on the hill turned to watch the two fight, gasping when they realized that the two fighters were both the very creatures that they feared.

"Wolf!" someone cried as the panic crowd began to run the opposite direction, back towards the city.

A wolf with white dog-ears landed right by the old woman, snarling and bleeding profusely as the second landed near him, also snarling and bleeding.

"Fucking dog-turd!" the second one barked, flicking his white ponytail over his shoulder. The one with the dog-ears cracked his knuckles, flexing his claws dangerously, as the other one lunged, tackling him. They struggled for a few moments before the one with the dog-ears flipped his opponent over, gripping him around the throat in a chokehold.

"Wimpy wolf!" he screeched, watching the wolf underneath him struggle pitifully. His movements became sluggish as the lack of oxygen to his brain began to affect his senses. Finally, his motions stopped all together and he slumped, unconscious, to the ground. The wolf with the dog-ears ceased his choking and withdrew, struggling to his feet shakily, his chest heaving with exertion.

He flicked his gaze to the old woman, glaring at her questioningly "Where's the girl?" he demanded. The old woman sighed, slumping her shoulders as she gestured toward the city.

"She ran to save her father not a moment ago." She answered, aware of the dog-eared wolfs golden eyes opening wide with rage.

"WHAT?"

~*~

"Papa!" the girl cried tearfully, pushing through the rushing crowds in the burning city of Kyoto "Papa! Papa, where are you?" She was met only with the frantic yelling of the milling crowds around her, none of the voices familiar.

She searched with her eyes, every so often yelling out her fathers name in hopes that he would hear her and come running. She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she desperately searched for him, blue-gray eyes finally landing on a familiar face.

"Mr. Fujita!" she cried, running towards the bemused looking shopkeeper that was staring wistfully at his ruined business. He blinked and turned around, spotting the girl right away.

"Kagome!" he said, startled "Kagome, you should get out of the city, quickly!" he scolded, trying to shuffle her back towards the edge of the city. The girl shook him off and turned back to face him.

"Mr. Fujita!" she exclaimed "Have you seen my father? I can't find him!"

"Kagome, you should really - "

"Mr. Fujita!" she pleaded, a hint of whining entering her voice "Tell me where Papa is!"

"He…he's trying to put out the fire. Over at your house."

"Thank you!" the girl cried, rushing from her neighbor to go find him, ignoring him as he yelled after her.

She skidded around the corner, bumping into no less than three people in her way as she made it to her house where a small crowd of men was gathered, each passing buckets to one another and beating at stray flames with wet sacks.

"Papa!" she yelled, spotting a familiar man at the edge of the crowd. He turned and his eyes widened with surprise

"Kagome!" he yelled, running towards her lest she come closer to the flames "Kagome, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with your mother?"

"I came to find you!" she yelled happily, throwing her arms around his neck, forcing him to fall forward slightly.

"Kagome!" he yelled, pulling her away "You should be out of town! Where's your mother?"

"She's up on the hill, just out of town." She reported, her smile never faltering "She and Souta are safe…I've come to bring you to them!"

"But - " he was cut off as the roof of their home suddenly collapsed, sending all the men running away from the scattered flames. The girls father sighed and wiped his blackened brow in frustration, his mouth curled into a deep frown. He turned and regarded his daughter "Kagome, you shouldn't have come."

The girls smile faltered very little "I was worried about you…Mama was too. If Souta could understand what was going on, I'm sure he would have been worried too."

"Kagome…" he sighed, fighting a smile that tugged on his lips. His blue-gray eyes sparkled in the firelight and his shoulder length black hair was slicked back with sweat, pulled from its usual neat top knot.

"Lets go, Papa." She whined, tugging on his hand. He looked towards their ruined home and sighed again, watching the men scatter and scurry away in hopes of putting out someone else's ruined dreams.

"I should stay and help…" he insisted reluctantly.

"No, you need to come with me, Mama and Souta. We need you more than them. What would we ever do without you?"

He smiled down at her in spite of himself, taking one last look around the ruined city "Well, I suppose…I should take you back, at the very least." He said, taking her hand as he let her lead him toward the edge of the city.

"Wolf!" someone yelled, their voice cut off by a sharp scream. The girl and her father whipped around in time to see a pack of wolves, their golden eyes glimmering and their silvery hair shining, run into the crowd, slaughtering innocent victims without thought.

"Come on!" her father yelled, gripping her hand tightly as he tugged her towards the edge of the city once more, fleeing from the new carnage behind them.

"Ah!" the girl squealed, her ankle crumpling beneath her. Her father stopped and turned, watching as his daughter struggled on the ground, clutching her ankle painfully "My…my ankle…" she moaned, flinching as sharp pains assaulted her ankle and lower leg.

"Kagome!" he said, worriedly picking her up off the ground, carrying her bridal style "Come on." he grunted, shifting her weight so he could run easier as the wolves came ever closer behind them.

"And where are you going?" a cold voice yipped excitedly from behind them, pushing them both to the ground face first. The girls father pushed himself off her, still shielding her body with his, and turned to face one of the wolves, who was grinning down at him maliciously, his fangs protruding dangerously over his lower lip.

Despite her fathers efforts, the wolf noticed her presence and smirked, violently pulling her father off of her and throwing him to the side, despite his protests. He picked the girl up by the throat, allowing his eyes to scan her body hungrily.

"What do we have here?" he snarled, squeezing her neck tightly. The girl gasped for breath, scratching at his hands fruitlessly as the city around her started going dark.

She vaguely heard someone shouting to her, probably her father, and her new captor curse violently before her world went black.

~*~

"Papa…" the girl moaned, her eyes fluttering unconsciously as she teetered between sleep and wakefulness. Her brow was sweaty and there were salty tracks streaming from her eyes, left by the tears that had previously been shed. Her mind was clouded but the fuzziness was quickly fading, the clarity of consciousness lifting her out of the dense fog that she was swamped in.

The girl lifted her heavy eyelids, blue-gray irises peeking out from beneath her lashes as she fought to stay conscious. She blinked and squinted at the bright sunlight, rolling over onto her side to find relief from the blinding light. She rolled over onto her side only to have her cheek pressed uncomfortably to stone and gravel, scraping the soft skin of her cheek painfully. Her eyes shot open and she sat up.

"Papa?" she questioned, the memories of the previous nights events quickly flooding back into her mind. She looked around at the crumbling buildings and homes, the hollowed out windows of the ruined establishments watching her like the empty eye sockets of a skull. "Papa!" she screamed, her voice echoing around the square.

She got up onto her knees, unable to stand because of the pain in her swelled ankle. She peered around the square, looking into the faces of all the dead and mangled around her, recognizing none.

Her gaze finally landed on a slain wolf, the wolf that had rendered her unconscious the night before. His throat had been torn out violently and his body had been tossed away as his eyes clouded over in death. She tore her eyes away from this gruesome sight, her gaze landing on something even more terrifying.

In the corner of the square, only a hundred yards or so away, a young boy with dark hair hunched over a mans body. His eyes were shielded by thick bangs and his shoulders were hunched, his bloodstained hands lay motionless by his sides. The man before him was covered in blood as well; his own blood. His eyes were open and staring, the blue-gray irises clouded over in death, seeing nothing as they stared into the morning sunlight. His throat was torn as well and his blood blossomed around him, coating both himself and the boy in a thick layer of the sanguine liquid. The girls heart clenched in ice-cold fear.

It was her father.

"NO!" she screamed, finding her voice. The boy looked up, his purple eyes obviously shocked to find her alive. She got to her feet, ignoring the throbbing in her injured ankle, as she ran toward them, her torn and stained kimono hindering her dash.

The boy got to his feet as she approached, stepping away from the body uneasily. She got there and dropped to her knees, ignoring the boy's presence.

"Papa! Papa!" she screamed, shaking him as tears sprang to her eyes "Papa! Papa, get up! Papa!"

The boy watched her in silence while she pleaded with the dead. Pleaded to ears that would never hear, begged eyes that would never see. Not anymore.

"Papa!" she cried, burying her face into her dead fathers chest "Papa…" she whimpered, allowing herself to break down completely.

The boy lowered his head, unable to watch her any longer. His again dark hair fell around his shoulders and shielded his eyes from view, now violet once more. His transformation had faded with the morning light as had the rest of the wolves, who then fled to safety.

"It was you." her voice brought him back to reality, and he looked up to meet her gaze. Her blue-gray eyes, which she had gotten from her father, he'd noted, were narrowed with rage and hurt as she stumbled to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You killed him!"

"I - "

"You bastard!" she screeched, launching herself at him, pounding her tiny fists on his chest "You killed him! You murdered my father!"

"Wait, I didn't - "

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed, pulling away from him long enough to reach into her kimono and pull out the arrow that she'd stashed there last night "You god damn son of a bitch!"

He backed up at the sight of the arrow, holding his hands up defensively "Hey! Stop that!" he yelled, backing away from her uneasily, somehow afraid of the weapon she clutched in her tiny, fragile hands. He looked at the head, noting how tarnished it was through the thick, dry coating of blood that stained its surface…

"How could you…?" she asked, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. The boy was about to answer, to defend himself, when a voice interrupted him.

"Child! Child!"

The girl looked up to see the old woman running towards her, waving her crossbow frantically. The girl turned back to the boy, but he was gone!

"Child!" the old woman stopped before her, catching her breath "Child! Ye should not be here!" she scolded. The girl stared at her blankly before dropping to her knees, allowing the broken arrow to fall from her limp hand. "Child!" the old woman bent worriedly, checking for ailments.

"He…he killed him…" she whimpered. The old woman glanced to the man by their sides, and shook her head. She looked back up at the girl and asked

"Who, child? Who killed this man?"

"Taiju-kun…Taiju-kun killed my father." She answered dully, silent tears still streaming from her eyes, her shoulders shaking lightly.

"Ye mean InuYasha?" the old woman questioned. The girl nodded. The old woman sighed "Aye, I warned ye not to release the InuYasha."

"He killed him…" the girl continued to mutter, somehow feeling very cold. The old woman looked her over carefully, almost thoughtfully, and asked

"Are ye going to try and avenge thy fathers death?"

"Yes!" the girl said, vengefully getting to her feet only to fall back to the ground because of her ankle. The old woman nodded pensively and turned her back on the girl.

"What would ye say if I told ye that I could help ye in thy quest?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. The girl's eyes glittered and she grabbed the hem of the old woman's kimono.

"How? I'll do anything! Just tell me how!"

"First, tell me ye name." The old woman demanded.

"Kagome." The girl answered "Higurashi Kagome."

"Well, Kagome," the old woman smiled "my name is Kaede, and I am ye new sensei."

 Authors Notes: Ummm…my head hurts. I've been writing this chapter since about 6:30…it's just turned 11 now. I tired…I think I go to bed now. Ummm…yeah. Bed sounds good…*dazedly wanders off to bed*

Review Corner:

Footnotes:

[1] What Kagome really means here is "Cholic," another disease that gives babies some form of insomnia where they cry the night away. Being 12-13 she doesn't really know the difference. "Cholera" is actually another disease that, if I remember correctly, is spread in poor communities where there is a large hygiene deficiency. You can find the germs/particles floating around in human feces.

[2] According to my online Japanese dictionary, "Taiju" means "big tree" so, thus, Kagome has dubbed InuYasha "big tree boy." She named him when she was about 6-8 years old thus she didn't really have much imagination with names.