InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely ❯ 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

 

 

Kagome Higurashi tapped the toes of her shoes against the floor. They were heavy and a bit big, but she was sure she could break them in. Heaven knows when she'll be needed back in the Feudal Era. But today, she was walking to school like a normal girl, starting a normal school year. As she passed the various buildings and waved to her fellow pedestrians she couldn't help but feel exhilarated. She always felt excided about going back to school, starting a whole new year. Even if she was acting like a normal teenager today, she knew that she would have to fall in her more serious mode after she settled into her new school routine. Sometimes living a double life sucked, she thought, but smothered the frown that began to shape on her mouth.

 

 

She rounded another corner and spotted one of her friends crossing the street. With a smile, Kagome hurried her steps and waved her arm to get her attention.

 

 

“Hey, Ayumi!” She called out. Her friend didn't seem to hear her. Kagome saw that she had a blank expression on her usually bright face. She looked like she was in deep thought about something, upset really. Ayumi merged with the other people in Kagome's sidewalk, and she quickened her steps to almost a trot to catch up with her.

 

 

“Ayumi?” She touched her shoulder and her friend jumped, looking behind her. Kagome offered and apologetic smile and the tension that Ayumi was wrapped in, lessened.

 

 

“Oh, Kagome.” She flushed and the two friends slowed their steps.

 

 

“How was your summer?” She asked. Ayumi forced a smile and Kagome's smile faltered. What was wrong with her? Something dark and troubling rolled off her friend. Kagome looked away when Ayumi looked at her. It was almost like her friend knew what Kagome was thinking. It was a new gift to her really. The more she used her priestess power, the more…I don't know…sensitive she became? Like reading someone's feeling by just looking at them. She didn't use it often. To her, it kind of felt like she was intruding. She didn't know how she would react if someone read her feelings.

 

 

“Fine, yours?” Kagome shrugged. She wasn't about to tell her that she spent the majority of her summer 500 years in the past with a half demon, perverted monk and a demon slayer searching for the evil Naraku before he destroyed man-kind.

 

 

“Fun, busy.” She admitted and shifted her yellow bag pack.

 

 

“How's your boyfriend?” She asked as the entered the school gates. Kagome almost choked. Stupid Inuyasha, he almost made her miss the first day of school. He took the group way off their plan and she had to `sit' him a couple of times before she made it to the well. No matter how many times she told him how important school was, he still didn't get it through his thick mind. She was lucky enough to pass to this year! Kagome heard Ayumi snort.

 

 

“Another fight?” She asked as the hiked up the stairs. Kagome flushed. She was off in her own world, she didn't see Ayumi studying her so intently.

 

 

“Something like that.” She muttered, not really wanting to talk about it. Another dark expression passed across Ayumi's face, but before Kagome could ask, Eri and Yuka greeted them.

 

 

“Hey guys!” Eri called to them and the friends all hugged. Kagome missed them. She had been friends with all three of them since preschool, and before the whole being sucked in the well thing, they never spent a day apart without seeing one another or talking on the phone.

 

 

“Oh my god you guys, you wouldn't believe the summer I had. See, me and my family went to the beach…” Yuka began gushing, but Kagome muted her out, and noticed that Ayumi was muting her out as well. Her attention was drawn away from them, lost in whatever was bothering her. Kagome hesitated to ask. She didn't want to pry into her life if Ayumi didn't want to share. If she wanted to tell her about whatever was bothering her, she would have said something to her already. Kagome was a little sad she couldn't help her. The bell rang, and the girls separated to their respective classes.

Surprisingly, she and Ayumi shared their first class. They settle next to one another as the students began to take things out of their bagpacks. The teacher entered.

 

 

“Good morning!” She exclaimed jubilantly and wrote her name on the white board.

 

 

“Before we get started, I'm going to do something a little differently this year. Everyone from this row, look to your right.” Kagome did so and stared at Ayumi small smile. “Say hello to your partners for the year.” The teacher exclaimed. Kagome raised a brow and turned back to the teacher. “For the rest of the year, we are going to work on group activities. You and your partners will be responsible for the assignments you're assigned, how well you do on your test and so forth. If someone is absent, it's up to you to get with your partner and see what you've missed.” Well, good thing she had understanding friends, because she was going to be gone for a while. The rest of the day proceeded uneventfully and by lunch time, Kagome was already tired.

 

 

XOXO

 

 

Ayumi neatly organized her papers in her folder, categorizing them from most important to miscellaneous. She liked school, usually, because it was easy for her. She like the challenges of her test, the deadlines of major assignment, and always met them. She was one of the top students in the entire school. And she worked hard to stay there. She thought that once she started her new school year the things from her summer would disappear from her mind. But it seemed no matter how she busied herself, the dark cloud she acquired never broke above her head. She didn't like being depressed. Most of her life, she had no reason. And why would she? She had a good family, wealthy in money and love. She had great friends. Eri, Yuka and Kagome were like her sisters, and she had school. A good life right? It was, until she knew the truth…

 

 

Hurt bubbled in her chest and she shoved her folder back into her bag pack. After they told her, she felt so lost, a feeling that she didn't belong…no, she wouldn't think about that. It was her last class and she had to catch Kagome before she escaped back home. She was glad that she had Kagome as a partner this year. There was nothing better that being with your friends, working with them to achieve a goal. But on the other hand, Kagome missed a lot of days last year, and without her help Kagome would have failed the year. She had to make sure her frail friend stayed healthy, because no matter how much she loved her, she didn't want her grades to suffer.

 

 

Ayumi walked quickly outside the school building, searching for her. Eri and Yuka waved to her, but left the opposite way. Where was Kagome? She wanted to talk to her…there! She saw her friend walking quietly beside Hojo. Ayumi suspected that Eri and Yuka probably pointed him to Kagome's direction. Couldn't they see that she had no place in her heart for the poor guy? She was so wrapped up with her boyfriend…what was his name again? She forgot, Kagome didn't really mention his name to them. She caught up with the two and linked her arm with Kagome's. Surprised, Kagome glanced to her side. Ayumi smiled at her relief and she took her queue to intervene and save her from another date offer.

 

 

“Sorry Hojo, but I need to steal her away from you.” She pulled her quickly and Hojo was about to protest, but Ayumi smiled. “She'll call you.” She said and that seemed to satisfy him.

 

 

“I will?” Kagome whispered to her and Ayumi sent her a look.

 

 

“It's a phone call. If he sees more into that, then I'll smack some sense into him.” She said with a laugh. Kagome smiled in humor.

 

 

“So, partner, we have an assignment due the end of this week. When is a good time to get together?” Ayumi asked her. Kagome was thoughtful. She could see Kagome thinking hard.

 

 

“Maybe in three days?” She offered. Ayumi was taking back… that would leave only two days, including today to work on it. What was so important that she had to wait three days to do a simple assignment?

 

 

“Two?” Ayumi offered. Hopefully she would agree…

 

 

“Uh…I'll have to call you.” Kagome said after a pause. Ayumi frowned. She supposed she could do it in three days. She worked pretty well under pressure. “I need to go.” Kagome said and crossed the street. “I'll call you!” She yelled as she was taken away by the sea of pedestrians. Ayumi sighed and turned to walk home, but remembered that her parents changed their phone number and she had yet to give it out to her friends. She turned back and hurried to Kagome's house, before she made it home. As she entered the wooded shrine, she looked despairingly up at the stairs. There were so many of them…how could Kagome walk up and down these things everyday? When she reached the courtyard, a huge tree loomed in her sight, shielded by a small fence with charms hanging from the branches. That tree was supposed to be really important for some reason, Ayumi forgot why.

 

 

Kagome's house was not to far away and she was just about to knock on the door when she caught a flash of yellow, disappearing behind a small wooden door. Ayumi never noticed that before. But then again, she never really visited Kagome's house before.

 

 

“Kagome?” She called out hesitantly and slid the wooded door open. It was dark, but she walked in anyways. At the bottom of the stairs, she saw an old stone well. Confused, Ayumi looked around, but there was nothing in this room but the well. So where did Kagome disappear to? She warily approached the well and peered down into it. The fine hairs on her arms stood up and her ears faintly heard a strange whispering. It was like the well was trying to tell her something. Did Kagome go into the well? Was it deep, maybe there was some kind of secret room down there or something? Her curiosity had her inching closer and closer to the strange well. In the back of her mind, something screamed to stay away. But…Ayumi took a deep, claming breath and lifted one leg over the rim of the well, and then the other until she sat on the edge. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, and her hands shook, but her resolve didn't. She wanted to see where Kagome went.

 

 

She slid off the edge and sailed through the air. Swirling colors of purple and blue swam in from of her and Ayumi stifled a startled scream. She landed at the bottom on all fours. Her breaths were ragged and she shook from shock of what actually happened. She closed her eyes, tightly, willing her self to calm down, calm down and when she opened her eyes, she stared right into the empty sockets of an old, yellow skull. She screamed and scrambled away from it, backing into the wall of the well. Her hands brushed against something and she spun, ready to defend her self if needed, but she saw a wooden and twine ladder. Without a second though, she climbed it, out of the well. She jumped from the rim of the well, and landed on lush green grass. Bewildered, she looked around her and saw only trees and bushes, like a forest. Kagome's house wasn't there, nor the stones of the shrine she was at a minute ago. She scrambled to her feet, letting her bag pack fall to the ground. What happened, where was she? She peered back into the well and then looked around her.

 

 

“A portal?” She asked herself and popped her thumb nail, thinking hard, trying to face what she was looking at right now. It was a well fanned battle inside of her. She was scared, but she was curious, all at the same time. She needed to find Kagome…she would explain things to her.

 

 

She left her bag pack next to the well and started down a worn path. The grass was crushed along the way, telling her that someone was here not to long ago. Maybe Kagome wasn't to far off? She pushed though the hanging branches and saw the same hulking tree she saw earlier at Kagome's family shrine. The wheels in her head began working. So it was the same tree, and she suspected, the same well, so it was the same place? Only, there was no buildings…yet.

 

 

Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a group of men in the distance. She ducked behind a tree and peeked out ever so slightly, looking in wonder at the way they were dressed and their hair styles. Feudal era… She cursed, then gasped and put a hand over mouth, looking around guiltily to see if anyone heard her. She waited until the men had gone and then slinked back into the forest, following the indented grass. But they soon ended and she sighed in defeat.

 

 

She closed her eyes, telling herself to pull herself together when she heard someone scream in the distance. Snapping her eyes open, she turned to the sound and began running. The screams grew louder and louder and she burst through a clearing just as she was tackled by a little girl. Her head hit the tree, with the child on top of her. She was crying and shaking and Ayumi peered down at her and was about to ask a question when the child let out a frightened wail and buried her face in her shirt. Three men with bows and a spear stalked toward them. They had wicked smiles on their dirty faces, and Ayumi didn't have to guess what they were up to. She clutched the child close to her, moving her behind her back, to protect her. How she was going to do it was a mystery to her. The men eyed her, in her strange clothing. In the face of danger, one would think that she would be scared beyond belief. After all, she had no experience in fighting, and she couldn't tolerate any kind of pain. But she was calm, rational even. She calculated what would happen, and what she would do when it happened.

 

 

“Girl, climb up that tree and close your eyes.” She told the child. She felt her hesitate, but soon, she stopped clinging to the back of her skirt. She heard shuffling. The men exchanged glances.

 

 

“She's young.” One observed, and their eyes greedily ran down her body. Disgusted by that fact, she stood in a ready pose.

 

 

“All the better.” One told the other thickly and he was the first to move. He aimed his spear, and charged, in a second, her leg kicked out and caught the bottom of the spear, jerking his arms up, and then she kicked him hard in the side. Her foot stung on impact, and as the spear came back down, she grabbed it and yanked it from his hands. Turning, she faced his surprised look and with a smile, she pierced him in the chest, the hardest part of his torso, just so she can feel the tip of the blade crack his bone and penetrate his lung. His heart was beating so hard, blood spurted over her and he fell to his knees. She yanked the spear from his chest, and turned her eyes on his party who looked in horror at the sight.

 

 

Their hands shook as they mounted their bow string with an arrow and shot. She twisted the spear in from of her like a fan, blocking the arrows. It took time for them to take another arrow from their quivers, but she was faster, catapulting the spear into the closest man. He fell to the floor, dead, and she moved faster that she ever imagined, her hands like claws. Her fingers wrapped around the vulnerable neck of the man and shoved him hard against a tree. The back of his head hit against the bark, and blood ran from the crown of his head, down his, oily, dirty face. She smelled fear, musky and cold roll off him in waves. How she knew it was fear, she didn't know, but it pleased her. Her eyes narrowed.

 

 

“Maybe you and your friends should think twice before coming after a helpless girl.” She hissed at him, her fingers digging even deeper in his neck. He choked, his face growing blue from the lack of air. But she didn't let go, she watched him fade in and out of consciousness. Wanting him to suffer…wanting to watch him take his last breath. Something so dark entered her, a feeling so foreign, but so familiar. A feeling she had forgotten about, until now. The forest was silent, so silent, she could hear the wind blowing, and someone sobbing. With a cry, she let the man drop. She had temporarily forgotten about the little girl, hiding in the tree. How much did she see? Her hands trembled as she looked at the bloodied bodies around her. A sick feeling over took her and she leaned over and gagged, smelling the copper of the blood hit her. She stood silently by herself. What had she done? Where did she get that feeling from? It was like, as soon as she knew she would have to hurt them, anger took over and she did more that she originally thought he would. She killed someone…she killed…

 

 

Ayumi forced herself to look away from the dead men to the trees. The little girl held on to the trunk of the tree, her eyes tightly closed. Ayumi's heat melted at the sight. Someone was probably looking for her.

 

 

“Girl, you can come down now.” She said as softly as she could. The girl opened her eyes. Luckily, Ayumi was on the other side of the tree, so the girl didn't have to see the gore. She held out her hands, and the girl hesitated, but soon climbed down. She crouched down and gently wiped the tears from the cheek of the little girl.

 

 

“Girl…”

 

 

“Rin.” She sniffed. Ayumi smiled.

 

 

“Rin, is someone looking for you?” She asked. The girl shrugged.

 

 

“Jaken is supposed to be watching me. I was hungry, so I went to see if I could find something to eat.” She said, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her orange and white kimono.

 

 

“Where is Jaken now?” she asked as she stood, taking the little girls hand. Rin looked around her, trying to see where she was and shrugged again.

 

 

“I don't remember.” She said and Ayumi smiled in understanding.

 

 

XOXO

 

 

Kagome had her head buried in a book, so when Inuyasha stopped, she accidentally ran into his back. Miroku and Sango paused as well, sensing something was amiss as well. Inuyasha's nose twitched and his hand went to the hilt of his sword.

 

 

“What is it?” Kagome asked him.

 

 

“Blood. Human blood. Its not to far off.” He said solemnly. Kagome looked around her.

 

 

“A demon?” She asked cautiously, closing her book gently. She really didn't want to deal with a renegade demon right now. Why can't things just stay calm for one day? Inuyasha sniffed again. He wasn't so sure. It felt like a demon, but then again, it could have been a human who killed.

 

 

“Shall we go see then?” Miroku asked, shifting his staff from one had to another. Inuyasha debated on whether or not to go. He didn't want to waste his time if it was a human, but if it was a demon, he wanted to know what kind. Why it killed the humans.

 

 

“Let's go.” He said and Kagome quickly put her book in her bag and climbed on his back. She tightened her hold on him as he jumped in the air. It didn't take long for them to reach the place, because it was a little ways from the well. She didn't fell a jewel shard…yet. But it was serious enough to catch Inuyasha's attention. They landed amidst the scene and Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's back. There were two men dead at their feet and another unconscious next to a tree. Kiaira landed and Sango and Miroku climbed off.

 

 

“Who could have done this?” Sango asked, stepping from the group and crouching next to the unconscious man. She tried to shake him awake, but he was really out of it. Inuyasha's nose caught the wind change and a smell he knew invaded him nostril.

 

 

“Sesshomaru.” He hissed and ran to it. Maybe he knew who did this.

 

 

“Inuyasha! Wait for us!” Kagome called and ran after him. She knew Sesshomaru didn't have anything to do with this. He didn't care for human, unless they got in his way. But who could have killed those men? The rest of the group caught up with the half demon. He had stopped when he saw Sesshomaru and Jaken. Sesshomaru gave them a disinterested look. Kagome frowned. Why was he here anyways? Sesshomaru didn't step foot in Inuyasha's forest for any reason. To lower himself to walk the ground that was named after his brother.

 

 

“Rin!” Jaken ignored them also, scampering around the forest calling out the girl's name. Kagome became alert. They were looking for Rin? The small human girl that traveled with them?

 

 

“Lose the brat did you?” Inuyasha sneered and leaned carelessly against a tree. He could smell the girl here, and so did his half brother. Really, it surprised him to know that his brother actually cared for a human child. Hypocrite, he thought humans were below his arrogant brother. Inuyasha thought with a smirk.

 

 

“Sesshomaru!” A small little voice cried out in surprise and burst through the forest foliage. Well, he found her. Kagome thought as little Rin skidded to a stop in front of him.

 

 

“Rin! Where were you? To cause such annoyance to Lord Sesshomaru! You should be ashamed of yourself!” The ugly toad demon, Jaken, yelled at the girl. Rin looked at him with the same disinterest Sesshomaru was showing.

 

 

“Rin! Wait!” Another person came to the small gathering and the group stilled at stared at the newcomer. Kagome choked on her surprise.

 

 

“Ayumi?” She asked in a shocked voice, pushing past Inuyasha who placed himself in front of her protectively. Ayumi's attention turned from Rin to Kagome.

 

 

“Kagome!” She cried in relief and Kagome hugged her friend. How the heck did she get here? Only she and Inuyasha could pass through the well. But somehow Ayumi did. She must be so confused!

 

 

Inuyasha watched in confusion as Kagome embraced the girl. Sango and Miroku shared muttered thoughts amongst themselves. She was dressed in the same clothes as Kagome with long, wavy hair. And it was her scent that he smelled at the scene. How could a girl like her kill those men who were easily twice the size as her? But she had, because he could smell their blood on her clothes and on her skin. And something else. His nose wasn't as sharp as a full demons was, but he could smell the faint smell of a demon, and not just any demon. He looked from the two friends to Sesshomaru who stood quietly to the side. He studied him under his lashed, noticing how still his brother stood. If anyone else was looking at him, they would have seen the same expressionless look he always had, but Inuyasha was looking at him. Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowed and his nose flared. His attention wasn't on the arguing Rin and Jaken, but on Kagome's friend. He was studying her intently. When he realized that Inuyasha was watching him, he turned and walked away.

 

 

“Wait! Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken and Rin stopped their fighting and ran after him. Interested by that look, Inuyasha made a mental note to talk to the old flea demon. But in the meantime, he had to know how this girl got through the well.

 

 

He turned to their conversation which already in progress. “What had happened? Do you know who killed those men?” Kagome asked. Ayumi looked away, a fleeting look of pain and guilt crossed her young face. “Ayumi?” Kagome prodded gently. The girl refused to answer.

 

 

“She did.” Inuyasha answered for her and Ayumi covered her face with her hand. Shocked, Kagome looked from Inuyasha to Ayumi, worriedly.

 

 

“Inuyasha! How could you be so sure?” Sango asked him, saying what Kagome wanted to say. Annoyed at their mistrust, he folded his arms, his hands disappearing in the sleeves of his robe.

 

 

“Keh, I can smell their blood on her that's how.” He shot at her and Kagome flinched. She always trusted Inuyasha's senses. But how could…she had to hear it from Ayumi herself.

 

 

“Ayumi?” She asked again. Her friend's hands fell from her face and she gazed into her friends troubled eyes.

 

 

“I don't know how it happened. I was looking for you and then I heard Rin screaming and there was these men trying to kill her and before I knew it, I had killed two of them…” She said in a rush, tears coming to her eyes. “I would have killed the last one. I had my hands on him, on his throat and I could feel his life seeping out…” She stared at her had, her memory making her tears stop. Another look in her eyes caught Inuyasha off guard. She was remembering the thrill of the kill, the thrill of the knowledge that she held his life in her hands. Blood lust, he knew that feeling well. His demon blood took over him more than once. He knew the thirst for blood. But, only demons felt that way.

 

 

“But you didn't kill him.” Miroku spoke up, bringing her out of her dark thoughts. Ayumi stared at the monk. Her eyes were almost vacant as she returned his gaze.

 

 

“I heard Rin sobbing in the background and it stopped me. It was the only thing that stopped me.” She said in a worried whisper. Kagome stared openmouthed at her friend. They all stood in silence. It was Sango that broke the silence.

 

 

“Its getting late. Let's go visit Kaede for the night.” She said and they all silently agreed. Kagome stayed in the back with Ayumi as they made their way to the village. She resisted the temptation to read Ayumi's feelings, but her quiet friend seemed so lost right now. So fragile that if anyone even touched her she would shatter. She didn't know why Ayumi had those feelings, but it seemed Inuyasha did. But the very thought that Ayumi could be a demon was so ludicrous, so unlikely, Kagome didn't know what to believe. Even Inuyasha couldn't tell.

 

 

Kagome always knew that there were demons in her time. Hidden away, blending in with everyone else. She never actually knew of any, but her priestess powers could sense them. Sense their powers, even in their weakened state. In this time, demons ran rampant, and prided themselves better than humans, but in the future it was humans that outnumbered demons. Somewhere along the timeline, Demons were knocked from the top of the food chain. Something caused them to go into hiding, made them forsake their powers, their beastly natures and become like humans. Kagome sneaked a look at Ayumi who was now, looking around the forest in curiosity.

 

 

Maybe Ayumi was…part demon and didn't even know it. Maybe…

 

 

“Hey Kagome, quit daydreaming and help Sango gather some fire wood.” Her inquisitive thoughts were interrupted by Inuyasha's rude barking. Kagome's head shot around and pierced him with a dangerous look.

 

 

“Is that an order?” She asked him sweetly, her legs apart, hand on her hips. Inuyasha's golden eyes riveted to the beads around his neck briefly, but turned.

 

 

“Of course not.” He said quickly, but then paused and Kagome waited for him to say something more, the word `sit' begging to be released from her lip the instant he said something mean, or condescending. “Just thought you would want to set up camp so you and your friend could talk.” He said and entered the old priestess hut to see if she was there.

 

 

Kagome's hands dropped from her hips and she stared in shock at him. That was playing dirty! Ayumi must have known what had passed between them, because she giggled.

 

 

“That was a good save.” Miroku commented sagely with his lips unturned in a rather proud smile. Kagome stood there for a moment, but then turned to help gather wood for the pit in Kaede's hut. All three girls stacked the wood in a neat pile outside the hut just as the old priestess greeted them from where ever she was at earlier. When she saw Ayumi she took a long look, before entering her hut. Ayumi gave Kagome a questioning look, but she just smiled in assurance and they entered the hut.