InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Heart's Battle ❯ Part One: A New Friend ( Chapter 1 )

The Heart's Battle

Part One: A New Friend

As the sun rose higher in the early morning sky, one could plainly see that it was a day of joy. Battles would be won, making the elders cry with great happiness; children would not be harmed by the ever-vile demons; crops would be picked freshly-- with no interference from the evil creatures that roamed the world beside them.

It was truly a good sign.

Many years ago, back when the elders of the village had been but youthful adults, a great war had boiled up.... Creatures called youkai believed that they were the 'superior' species... and attempted to prove it.

However, the 'weak' humans put up more of a fight than the youkai had first expected. The battled raged on, taking place anywhere and everywhere. One year went by: the ningen army started recruiting women and teens; two years: the demons became desperate and began hunting down any ningen whilst they slept; soon... years that no one longed to count passed... and the war still raged on-- a stalemate, you could say.

But, recently, a certain rumor has been flying to the ears of many: there was a hanyou out there... somewhere. Neither side knew where it was... and, strangely, it never came out to choose a side. Why, you ask, would it have to choose a side?

Why... it is a piece of both sides, dear readers. In fact... this hanyou may be the key to the battle's end. If only they could find it....

Or rather... him....

~*~

The village was like any other; it had small, mediocre shacks, a well for water (the stream itself was a little too close to youkai territory), and a variety of crops and fields. Men and women walked among one another, some picking the vegetables and other edibles, others merely walking for a sense of doing something.

It wasn't a large village, either. Its neighbor, which was nearly a day or two away (if one ran), was five times its size! And yet... that didn't matter in the least to the villagers. They were content; they lived, breathed, and felt generally happy.

However... at one point or another, their thoughts drifted to the ones out near the battlefield. As much as they hoped and prayed and begged... they had not been chosen to fight, be it some weakness or illness that made them incapable of that type of action. They longed to be there, fighting beside their brothers and sisters... yet knew that their kin were glad that only they were experiencing that hell.

A small group of children ran around, laughing lightly and kicking a tattered ball to one another. They had not a care in the world... and the adults tried to keep it that way; the children would be braver and stronger if they did not know of the details in full, like when the war first started. Among them, two girls frolicked-- although both seemed a little impatient. Both had long, silky black hair (one was growing hers quite longer, though) and brilliant eyes: one with a shadowy bluish-grey, the other with deep brown. Their likeness was not just coincidence, either... they were twins.

Before the game went on-- a boy had clumsily knocked the round plaything under the henhouse-- a high-pitched sob echoed the place; all the children stopped poking the boy and looked to the twins. All that could be read on the two youngsters' faces... was joy.

Their newest sibling had arrived!

The sisters swiftly ran to their home, the one with longer hair snatching up a young girl playing absentmindedly in the dirt. Neither girl could hold in their excitement (while the little one was merely confused). Was it a girl? Would they have yet another sister? Or would the repeating finally come to an end? A brother? Oh, how they wished for a brother! Yes, having a sister was great and all, but... they wanted a brother! Someone they could pester, yet play games with at the same time (both girls equally enjoyed running and playing). Without a moment to spare, they bolted into the hut, door cover swishing soundly behind them.

"Mama!"

They... had heard? The woman smiled and held her newborn babe close to her. Her doctor and support nodded their heads and made an exit; the doctor patted the children's heads before he left. Once alone with her babies, she motioned for them to come closer.

What... was it? Ooh, she just had to know! Pushing her shoulder length hair behind her, the eight-year-old peered at the baby. Her mouth gaped slightly as she whispered, "A... a boy!"

"A boy?" questioned the other, still struggling to hold up their younger sister-- she weighed a lot more than before! Before jumping around and celebrating, she decided to make sure: "Is Kagome right, mama?"

Once again, the mother smiled. "Yes... you have a brother," she murmured with a weak nod.

Okay... the question was clarified-- NOW they could prance around and party! "We've got a brother! We've got a brother!" they chanted in very high singsong voices, twirling in small circles. No... they weren't that happy. Not at all!

Kagome stopped and turned to her twin. Grinning evilly, she stated, "Now that Papa has a son, Kikyou, he may forget that you're here!" In all truth, Kikyou was a daddy's girl; she did everything he liked and always clung to his side. She claimed that, one day, she would go and fight alongside her father!

"He shall not!" the other hissed... right before going into a laughing spree. The two could never argue-- it wasn't their nature. Many people often said that they were special-- blessed, even, by the gods above.

The young child in Kikyou's arms reached out toward their mother. She seemed... to be interested in her new brother as well!

"I think Kaede wants to know what his name is!" Kagome mused, chuckling inwardly as her twin struggled to hold the babe. At times Kaede could be a handful-- especially with her one eye damaged. Behind it was a tale that no one enjoyed talking about, thus was never mentioned.

The mother closed her eyes, humming softly to herself as she cradled her baby. "Souta...," she rasped, tiredness taking over. "Yes... his name will be Souta...."

~*~

It was nearing the evening and, like their normal ritual, the children from the village had begun a new game. It was a strange one to them, but the twins had made it up-- it couldn't have been that bad!

The girls' mother had fallen asleep after a while, and they'd left Kaede at a neighbor's place. Right then, their mother needed her rest. It wasn't easy raising three children, and she just received one more! Poor woman!

"Pass it to me, Mitsuka!"

"Hah-- I'll stop you, Juni!"

"ACK! Watch where you're kickin', Hirou!"

They went on like that for a while; kicking, passing, scoring... hurting. Well, that was what a game was about, right? Just as long as no one cheated! If one did, and they were caught... off they would go!

Kagome was so into the game-- her eyes followed the ball's every movement. When it came close, or even passed her, she would dart after it. She was fast, too. Almost as fast as her sister, although they often fought over that little claim. So... it wasn't obvious that when the red sphere flew past her like a falcon with legs instead of wings she would run after it... with her eyes onlyon the ball.

Kikyou, ever the observant one, saw where the path of the ball headed; she was also aware that her sister was not paying attention. "Kagome!" she cried, racing after her twin. "Look up-- the cliff!"

Huh? The... cliff?! The black-haired child slid her gaze up a few notches... then let out a gasp of fear. She... she couldn't stop in time! Her legs were too into the running motion to stop! In that instant... everything seemed to happen so slowly....

Her feet made contact with air; her entire body flew forward... and down; pain flew through her as she tumbled down the hill (which, by the way, had stones and tree roots protruding from it everywhere!). For a moment she couldn't see, couldn't hear... couldn't think. Then, everything clicked: her whole body hurt like nothing she'd ever experienced before; burning... her arm felt like it was burning! When she studied herself, she noticed the strange way her left arm was twisted. Fear flooded her.

Was she trapped? Her arm-- it was broken, she knew it! And... she was in the woods.... The woods where youkai were supposed to live. God... she wanted to cry just then!

"K-Kagome? Please answer!"

Wha... wait. That was.... The girl couldn't hold her tears in anymore. With a cracked voice, she leaned her head back so as to look up at her twin and cried, "I'm still here!" She could barely move... and it was killing her; she wasn't the kind of person who could stay in one spot all day and do nothing! But... right now, she was afraid to move.

Thank the gods.... Kikyou glanced to the others worriedly; they nodded and waited for her to finish. "We," she called down, "will go get help! Just... stay awake, okay?" If she were to fall asleep....

"I'll... I'll be alright!" Kagome reassured her sister weakly, moving her head slowly back to the position she had once had it at. This mori was dark... and dank... and scary. She just wanted to go home! Her mother... she didn't want her mama to worry-- she was still tired from the baby! Would she really want to lose a child the same day she gave birth to a new one?

The black haired girl closed her eyes and sniffled. What about... what about the youkai? Would they find her and slaughter her before she was saved? She... she didn't want to die. Even though her papa had claimed that it was a brave thing to look death in the eye... she wasn't sure if she could do it. Her father was the leader of the mighty ningen army! Of course he was brave! But she... she was a pitiful child.... One who--

"Oi, what're you doin'?"

Who...? The girl lifted her eyes to the voice... only to start shaking with fear. It... it was a youkai-- his ears gave him away! Even though he looked young (around her age) she was almost positive that he was fairly strong. Not that long ago, she learned that the youkai had begun to use their children in their battles as well! No... not now... she didn't.... Kagome shrunk back, hiding her face and sobbing weakly.

Stupid human girl.... Must've fallen while playing or something. "Ya know... I could tear you to shreds, ningen...," he growled, taking a step forward. Heh... he was only a pup; and he was already making death threats? Mou! But... her actions surprised him.

The child curled up into a sobbing ball, minding her hurting arm, and muttered, "D... do want you want...." After that was rasped, she began to bawl even louder than before! The youkai boy groaned, ears twisting insanely. Snapped he:

"Wench-- I was only joking!"

She... she didn't believe him! Youkai were evil-- they lied all the time! She had no right to believe what one said! As his footsteps started up again and came closer to her, she cringed and kept her eyes jammed shut. Here it came.... Death, she assumed, was inevitable... so she waited....

Nothing.

A light touch to her right arm made her wince. Maybe he was going to kill her slowly.... She then heard a variety of words she wasn't accustomed to, intertwined with "baka" here and there. What...? Was he... was he NOT going to hurt her...?

Muttering to himself, the lad suddenly ripped the sleeve off of the girl's muddied outfit. Studying the wound, he scoffed. What a waste... it wasn't even broken! He reached out for her shoulder... then growled as she pulled away. "Listen, you!" He wasn't in the mood to put up with a stubborn little witch! It wasn't like he was used to talking to anyone, anyway! The angry child went on: "I am just trying to fix your freakin' arm, dammit!"

Trying... to fix her arm...? But.... "It's... broken," she replied haughtily. How could he fix a broken arm?

"It's not broken. You just popped your shoulder out of place, baka!" He glared at her for a moment, golden eyes mixing with deep rainy-day eyes... then retreated, spitting a small "keh." Stupid girl was trying to confuse him, wasn't she?! With an attempt to NOT let his anger out on her, he gently snatched her arm and studied it closer.

"Stop squirming," he warned, preparing to snap the bone back into its socket. "I might mess up if you do...." He chuckled when he saw her face go white; she instantly went limp. Alright... he could do this! Yeah-- he'd done it to himself enough times! Before he started, he reached over and picked up a semi-thick looking stick. He shoved it in her mouth, eyes clearly telling her not to ask. Then... he made his move.

A sharp CRAK came from her shoulder, and the girl cried out, teeth clenching down on the piece of wood the boy had offered. She was now rather grateful she had it in her mouth.... As he pulled away... Kagome noticed that her arm still hurt like crazy! "What... did you do?!" she demanded.

Didn't she get it? "I fixed your arm... baka." Kid of few words, eh? While she gave him icy looks, he merely ripped a small part of his kimono sleeve and tied it where the dislocation had taken place. It needed time to rest, and she shouldn't move it much because it would possibly pop out again. "If you don't believe me... try moving it," he offered, wondering if he had to take her up to the top or not. Maybe someone would be there to get her by then... or maybe not. Really, he wasn't used to too much contact with a ningen... especially injured, stubborn ones.

Like that would work! It wouldn't move before so why would it...? She stopped her thoughts and watched as her shoulder and arm actually moved lightly; the elbow was bending pretty well! With an expression that could only be determined as shock, she looked up to the youkai boy. Some distant part of her mind wondered if he really was a youkai. Maybe... maybe some youkai were different.... "Than--"

Kagome never got to finish-- the boy had scooped her into his arms and was making his way up the ditch. Within but a few moments, the two were in the grass that belonged to her village. She could hear some cries and conversations; she knew not where her friends were, but guessed that they were not far. How long... had it been since they left? Perhaps everything just seemed to happen so slow.

"Keh.... I might as well leave, now," the white haired boy snarled. Humans... were not his favorite species. Even though this one seemed okay... there were others who wanted to kill him.... He bent down, ready to set the girl down easily. She already seemed to be hurt pretty bad.... Weak humans....

He was leaving...? But... oh, yeah.... Her village would probably try to kill him. Before he could let go of her, she leaned forward and gave his nose a quick peck; this startled her savior, and she giggled as he turned a violent shade of red. With a small smile, she whispered: "Thank you...."

No one... had ever.... "Keh," he scoffed, setting her down and jumping to a nearby tree. Stupid girl....

"Matte!" she cried, looking at him with sad eyes. She... she wanted to meet him again.... Asked she, "What's... your name?"

Huh...? Someone wanted to know his name? The boy looked away for a moment, not sure whether to answer or run away. In the end... her eyes got to him. "Inuyasha...."

Inu... yasha? It was sort of kawaii, actually! It matched his ears! "I'll see you again, Inuyasha," she vowed, waving with her right hand as he turned his back to her. "You can count on that!"

"Oi, wench!" he hissed, back still turned. Like hell! She could look for him all she wanted-- she'd never find him! But... maybe he wanted to be found.... Maybe... all he needed was a friend. "I still don't know... your name...."

Well... it most certainly wasn't 'wench!' With a brisk giggle, she answered, "It's Kagome!" She watched his ears perk up, catching her name in their nets; he nodded his head quickly and took off into the trees. The girl smiled. She'd made a new friend-- a secret friend! One... that seemed so lonely. Was he truly alone? Did he not have a family out there? She could only guess....

"KAGOME!"

The child glanced over to see a whole herd of villagers come running toward her, arms waving and eyes tearing. They surrounded the injured girl with so many questions, like, "How did you get up here?" and, "How do you feel? Do you need to visit the doctor right now?" Kagome nodded weakly and grinned to her friends.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kikyou asked worriedly, studying her twin's beaten-up look and bandaged arm... which made her a little curious. Who, exactly, bandaged that arm...? And how did she get back up the hill? She was half tempted to ask, but didn't. Right now, getting her sister home and to bed was her top priority.

Groaning softly out of pain as some person from the picked her up, she replied, "I'm... fine." She wasn't about to tell them of her latest adventure... nor of her new friend. As her eyes closed, and she fell asleep... she silently promised Inuyasha one thing (although he probably couldn't hear it):

She wouldn't tell anyone about the youkai living in the mori.... Not even her sister....

~*~

A/N: Finally! I've been working on this story for a while! I wanted to post it some time ago, but had been unable to due to problems. Anyway, I have the next two chapters typed, but I really need to fix them up. I usually post a few things at once, so it might take a few days for the next update. Anyway, I really hope you guys like this! PLEASE REVIEW! And, yes, it will get better! In fact, there will be fighting scenes in later chapters! ^^ Well, I'm off! Ja matta, minna!- Angel-Chan