InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ties That Bind ❯ Cataclysm ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.


Kagome grunted as she hefted her bag over the last step to the shrine, it was so heavy it almost dragged her to the floor with it. She'd been living in this shrine for more than sixteen years and she still wasn't completely used to the nearly one hundred step climb from the street. She left the yellow monstrosity by the stairs and walked to the side of the shrine where the family usually entered and exited the living quarters. Above the building she could see the vivid canopy of the Goshinboku.

The sacred natural monument came into her line of view completely, it's massive branches sprawled out toward the sun, basking in its soothing rays. It was such a beautiful landmark, one that anchored many generations of her family to the shrine. It swayed ever so slightly as she made her way to it, raining a few leaves at her arrival, almost as if to bid her welcome. She smiled gently, loving the pure beauty of the enormous tree that was so out of place in her large polluted city.

Kagome looked down and was surprised to see her father standing below it, hands in his pockets. His face was turned up and held the same expression she was sure was just on her own countenance. His eyes were far away, a small smile hinting at his lips. Many people had told her she'd always been her father's daughter, with his infectious smile, dark hair, and dancing blue eyes, and as she looked at him like that, she was had pressed to deny the claim.

She walked up to him and bumped his shoulder with hers, "Hey, old-man. Whatcha lookin' at?"

He looked down into his daughter's face and that hint of a smile broke out into a full fledged grin. "Hey, baby girl, when did you get home?" He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him in a side-hug.

She smiled over her old nick-name, her mother had told her he'd called her that from the day they'd found out on the sonogram she was going to be girl. "Just now, although, I should be the one asking you that. Did they let you off early today?"

He nodded, "Yeah, it's my reward for completing my case." Her father worked for the Bureau of Defense and Public Saftey as an investigator for youkai crimes involving human conspiracies.
It was sometimes a very dangerous job and one that kept him later than his family would have liked.

They both stood there lost in thought, admiring the Goshinboku in it's mid-afternoon glory.

Her father was the first to break the silence, "You know, Kagome, so many of my most treasured moments started under this tree."

Kagome glanced up into her father's face. He was young to be a father of a girl who's seventeenth birthday was only a few short months away. However she'd started to notice some fine-lines in his handsome face. "Like what?"

"Well, this was the spot I first saw your mother." He pointed to the side of the tree. "It was spring and she'd just moved here from Osaka. She'd come across this place by accident. Or so she tells me," He chuckled, alight with a special secret. "She was so pretty. I caught her looking straight up into the tree, little patches of sunlight dancing around her. And right then and there I fell for her."

Kagome laughed, "C'mon Dad! What movie did you steal that from?"

He shook his head seriously, "I didn't. I walked up to her without thinking and asked her out." A crack of laughter came from him, "I scared her so bad she ran!"

It was Kagome's turn to laugh, she could imagine a younger version of her mother, standing there stunned for about half a second before apologizing profusely and hightailing it out of there. "No you didn't!"

"Oh yes I did! I thought I'd never see her again when she turned up at my school. I hounded her for months before she finally relented to go on a date with me. And then almost five years later in our senior year of college I asked her to marry me under this tree."

A lump formed in Kagome's throat as she looked at her Dad, his face was so full of love for his mother in that moment it was hard to look at.

"And then," he started, "One night after a very long day at work, she pulled me out here. She told me she had something really important to tell me. She had this look on her face, and I couldn't tell if she was excited, nervous, or scared. It took her forever to finally speak and by then my stomach was all in knots." He looked sick remembering it.

"Then she told me she was pregnant with you. Gods, I was torn between this exhausting relief and overwhelming excitement." He pulled her in a little tighter. "A couple months later we were rushing into the emergency room for an early delivery. I waited in the same chair for twenty hours Kagome Higurashi."

Kagome gave him a sheepish smile, "Hey, don't blame me, I'm not the reason I'm here, now am I?" She gave her Dad a pointed look.

He chuckled, "Before I knew it they were pushing me into the room to see you and your Mama. She put this little pink bundle into my arms and from that moment on I knew I was going to love you with all I had. You opened your sleepy blue eyes and looked at me. Your Mama says you've had be wrapped around your little finger ever since. Probably do, too. You looked just like your Mama, even though everyone tells us you look like me." Haru pulled her into a big bear hug and propped his chin on her head.

Kagome had to fight back her tears after her dad finished. She cleared her throat and pulled away before she asked him, "Why the sudden sentiment Daddy?"

Haru didn't want to tell his daughter, that the case he'd just worked on involved the murder of a little girl who looked so much like Kagome. He shrugged instead, "I don't know why. Blame the tree I guess. It makes me mushy."

Kagome laughed and swatted her Dad's arm. "Mama said you've always been a big softy. Grandpa even said you used to bring home starving strays. He said you drove Grandma nuts with them."

"Yeah, who does that sound like?" He lifted his eyebrow at his daughter.

She shrugged and had the decency to blush prettily. She'd brought home quite a few aimless pets, one was curled up on the front porch fat and happy as they spoke.

"Hey, you lazy raggamuffins! What do you think you're doin' when your poor old Grandpa is doing all the housework?!" Grandpa was comming up the pathway shaking a rake in his hand. It was spring which meant besides the other duties of the shrine, the place had to be swept and raked. "My treasured grandson had the grace to come help me, unlike you two ungratefuls!"

"Sorry Dad! Why don't you go inside with Souta and Kagome and I will finish up before dinner?"

Kagome blanched. "What? Don't volunteer me!"

Haru laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair. "We've only got like thirty minutes until it done, help out your 'old-man', huh?" He elbowed her.

She sighed, "I'll get the other rake from the shed." She hated going into the well-house, which doubled as a shed. It was pitch-black with no windows or and power to put up a light fixture. It was the perfect setting for a horror movie.

Kagome ran over and pushed the creaking door wide open, sunlight flooded the small space, exposing the old brittle well in the middle of it. Kagome ignored the well completely, as it gave her chills. She turned her back to it and started to look for a decent rake to grab. All she saw was the short flat ones for garden--

A sound interrupted her search. Kagome's brow drew low over her eyes, she turned around and scanned the area. Everything was in it's original place... She blamed the noise on the old out-building, her Grandpa used to tell her it was the house 'settling'... whatever that meant.

And then she heard it again. Like a million heels clicking over wood floors in a rapid short motion. Kagome's heart beat sped up, letting her imagination run away from her. Fear made spotting the rake easy. Hurriedly she grabbed the lawn tool before making her way to the door with quick steps.

That's when she heard it, it was almost too faint to hear, a whisper of a word. Kagome stopped dead in her tracks and turned slowly, even though every inch of her screamed to leave. Curiosity always killed the cat, she knew, but she just couldn't walk away without rationalizing this...

"Shhhiikkon no Tamaaa..."

Kagome's eyes flared wide, she'd most definitely heard that. It was a ragged sound, evil, haunting. The clicking sound started again, winding up the well, she backed up involuntarily. The breath was robbed from her chest as she realized what was happening and whatever it was it was very, very real.

A bony hand gripped the edge of the well, shattering the wood in its grasp. "Give me... the Shikon no Tama...." It was an angry growl that rolled up over the edge.

Kagome didn't stick around to find out what the hell the Shikon no Tama was. She dropped the rake and ran towards the open door.

"Daddy! Help me!"

She burst out into the open air and started running without direction. She heard the thing slither up and out of the well, announcing it's presence by blowing the door off. She screamed as pieces of obliterated wood showered her. Her father coming toward her, a bow, easily the size of her cocked with an arrow.

"Kagome! Get down!"

Whether the order came too late or the youkai behind her was too fast she'd never know, but the next thing she did know she was staring into the blood red eyes of a demon. It was a woman, of sorts, she had six arms and the torso of a female, the rest of her was insect. Centipede to be exact. Her face was split in half, rows and rows of gleaming teeth greeted Kagome. Panic built up in the back of Kagome's throat, she was staring her own death in the face.

"Give me the Shikon no Tama!" Spittle flew out of it's mouth and sizzled against her skin.

"I-I don't have it! I don't know what it is!" She bit out, struggling against the painful grip she had on her. Her ribs were on the verge of breaking, unable to stand the incredible pressure.

The monster cackled at her, "Think you should con this Mistress? I can sense it on you little Miko, give it to me!"

Before Kagome could suck in enough breath the answer a bright indigo light shot passed Kagome and hit the youkai in the shoulder, a hairs breath from her head. The Mistress dropped Kagome, letting out a scream of agony. Kagome hit the ground hard, hearing a sickening pop as her ankle collapsed under her weight, she cried out. Incredibly pain shot up her leg, ignoring the wound she started looking around frantically. She spotted her dad heading in her immediate direction, and he was completely oblivious to the danger at his back. Dread hit Kagome's heart made it heavy with a sick anticipation.

"Daddy! Behind you!" Kagome screeched at him.

Haru turned in time to see one of the centipede's coils already in motion, aimed straight at his chest. He knew in that split second he'd never see his daughter in her wedding dress, never see his son win his championship game, never see his wife grow gray with age next to him. The tentacle split through him, pain radiated outward to the tips of his toes, knocking the breath from him. The beast recoiled, pulling it's appendage from his mutilated body and moved away from him, obviously considering him an eliminated threat.

Kagome's screams echoed off the shrine walls and into the night. She lifted herself up off the floor dragging her injured leg behind her. She could see him looking at her, his bloody hand stretched out toward her, fingers clawing at the air. Tears blurred her vision and all she could think about was getting to him, she didn't realize she was making the same mistake he'd just committed.

The grotesque creature howled it's rage, raking it's large hind end across the ground and pulling Kagome's legs out from under her with such force it flung her into the air. As she sailed through the air her brain registered a blur of color that shot passed her. Silver and Red.

It was her last coherent thought as her body made brutal contact with the concrete floor.

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So this is a complete revision! I was so highly dissapointed in myself for posting that other crap I took it down completely. I changed my boring discription and rewrote this chapter from scratch. To me this is much, much better. The plot remains the same, I just changed the format of this chapter. I know that this one is pretty depressing but it'll get better! Next we met Mr. Charming. ;]

P.S.
I still need a beta reeaaally bad.
So I guess I'm still taking aapplicationss. <3

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