InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ You Darkness... ❯ Chapter 28 - A Trail of Bones that Lead to Change! ( Chapter 28 )

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

You Darkness
by Vyncent


**This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content and rape! You are WARNED**

Parts of this dark, and sinister fic, will NOT be posted to FanFiction.net...
It is being posted to AdultFanFiction. net and MediaMiner. org

If you do not like such content, then please be advised that this fic may not be appealing to you. Please do not read this if such content is offensive to you.

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Way to rock folks. You have all be so super great with your reviews. Two of my three fic's, 'You Darkness...' and 'Unworthy One', have been nominated for Best Drama by the Inuyasha Fan Guild. The third one, 'The Beast Awakens...', would have been nominated, except that it was published in the wrong quarter. Woo Hoo!

Remember, keep the reviews coming. The more reviews the more often that new chapters will be posted. Thank you all so very much for your encouragement.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.

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Chapter 28 - A Trail of Bones that Lead to Change!


Them! Back just inside the darkness! It was not that they were hiding, because they truly were not. It was not that they feared him, because they did not. They just simply were there.

Through his confusion, the male could tell that they were there, but not really who or what they were. They eyes that glowed in the dim light of a nearby campfire, would stare at him, glare at him, and then silently close, leaving seamless darkness in its wake.

Taking a moment to look around him, the male found the reason for the discomfort he had felt while he was lying prone in his bindings. He was lying on a floor that was covered in bones. More bones than he had thought it possible for there to be in one place. Large, small, long, short, whole, broken, sharp as a razor, and smooth as glass. There were all kinds of bones here.

He had noticed the nearby campfire, and heard the odd noises that seemed to surround him. Looking up, he saw nothing. Just featureless darkness that seemed to go on forever. A featureless darkness that was broken by those glowing, red, heated eyes.

The occasional sniff, a quiet whine, the scrap of what sounded like claws on bones, seemed to fuel the slowly growing fear within him. He could hear something, like a body shifting a bit here and there, and even hear what sounded like panting. But other than that there was no word spoken and the silence was deafening in its heated intensity.

Just as he didn't think he could take the silence anymore, almost ready to scream just to hear a sound, there was the sound of something striking against something else. With the noise there came light. Torches actually. Several. Enough that the area he was in, was fully lit up. Just as the light had given him hope, it sank with the view before him.

Surrounding him in a circle, were at least twelve ookami. That was frightening enough, for a male who had not left his home in so long that he could not remember when he had last gone out. But what really set his nerves on edge, were the twelve ningen like figures that were just behind the ookami.

But these beings had claws and pointed ears. Were those fangs on that one over there? And what was that look in their eyes? Hunger?

He could feel the cold sweat of fear as it began to collect on his skin. For a moment it nearly overwhelmed him, and he began to struggle against his bindings. He was still bound by the restraints placed on him by the Youkai Lord from the night before, the wires already covered in the blood from one of his own victims was now cutting into his flesh. The fresh scent of blood filled the surrounding space and along with the smell of fear, exciting the ookami and the youkai, as well.

As they began to pace around what could obviously be seen as a moderate size cavern, the ookami whined to their youkai kin, and a couple howled with the urge to begin the chase that he knew was coming. A scratch and a bark from his ookami youkai brethren calmed him somewhat, and he patiently sat back down to watch the prey now laying before them.

After a short spell, the male stopped struggling and lay still once more. Once he had, one of the ningen-like beings stepped forward.

"You have been brought here to receive judgment for crimes you have committed and be given punishment in kind for those crimes," said the tall, dark haired, confident being.

"We are the Ookami Youkai, and these," he pointed to the ookami around them, "are our brothers and sisters. They are here to help see that your punishment is carried out."

"Know that I know who you are. But here, you are no one. You have no name, you have no identity, and no one cares what happens to you. Well, almost no one," the creature before him smiled, and he was now sure that he saw fangs. As he watched the male before him, he noticed that his eyes seemed to be changing colour. They were a startling cerulean blue when he had first seen them, but they appeared to be getting red. A deep blood ruby red, and the sight edged his fear all the higher for seeing. Especially when he noticed that the other figures in the room were showing the same blood red eyes.

"You committed a crime, witnessed by one of our own, against one of our own. You have committed a vile and evil crime against not only her, but to others as well," continued the figure before him. "But we have sworn a promise that honour demands we keep." He paused briefly.

"We have promised that your death would not come at our hands. Though we know that death is something you more than deserve, I, Kouga, Prince of the Ookami Tribe, have learned from his Lordship that there are better methods," said Kouga to the male, an evil gleam clearly showing in his eyes. "We therefore have chosen, to follow the advice of the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands. We choose to 'make you live'. For each of your acts of violence against our sister, you will pay dearly. You will pay in pain and in blood. Know this, before you see the end of your days, whenever that comes to be, you will know the two things that you gave to her the most. You will know her terror and the pain."

With that two more of the beings...youkai, in the room came forward and they grabbed the male roughly under the arms. They dragged him to his feet, and in short order had the wire bindings cut and removed. They removed his gag as well, and then threw him across the cavern over the bones.

He had trouble standing up, his legs had gone numb from being tied so long, and with every move he cut his skin because of the sharp fragments of bone on the floor beneath him. Grimacing in pain and fright, he looked around. Before him was a dark space. From the slight breeze that drifted through it, he believed it to be a door, possibly to the outside world. He was not sure, however, and the fear of what had happened last night when he had been faced with a dark opening kept him rooted to the spot he now stood in.

It was what was behind him, however that finally drove him forward and into that opening. The growling was what had caught his attention first, despite the fear, or rather encouraging his fear. Twelve ookami came stalking towards him, but the most frightful thing of all, were the twelve pair of glowing, blood ruby red eyes that were fixed upon him and as the light in the cavern began to fade, he saw their fangs and knew that they were thirsty for his blood.

The knowing lent him wings and enough courage to turn and face the darkness before him. He ran then, ran in fear, ran in almost mind numbing terror. He ran through that opening, down a short corridor and out into a lighter darkness. Again, the sight before him only added to his fear and surprise. It seemed to be a night for it.

The first thing that caught his attention, was the huge mountain of bones. 'There must be a billion of them,' he thought, as his eye roamed up the huge pile. As his sight got to the top of the pile, he began to notice that on either side of the pile were shear rock walls. From where he stood, they appeared to be totally unscalable, and yet even as he looked he could see more and more youkai leaping from what must have been small assorted caves all around the ravine.

The moonlight was coming from behind and well above him. He didn't turn that way, as he didn't want to see what he knew was chasing him. He faced directly in front of him, and began racing up the pile of bones. His fear lent him the strength to make the climb. He fell until he could not count how many times, he scrabbled on all fours when he was not on his feet. He pulled himself over the bones, when his hands were the only thing working. His feet bled freely, his arms and chest covered in cuts, scratches and gouges from the broken bone shards that he stepped on, fell on, or scrapped against in his terror and desire to get away from the horror coming up behind him.

He could hear them, and knew that there were more of them. When he slowed his ascent, he would get the feeling of hot breath on his heels, and the nip of a bite from one of the ookami chasing him. The damage was never enough to endanger him, at least not from wounds inflicted by his chasers. No, all the damage his body received, was by his own hands, his own efforts, his own fear.

It seemed like forever, especially when for every ten steps he fought upward, he would fall and slide back another five. But he finally crested the enormous pile of bones. In his fear, he didn't at first see what lay before him, but as he fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his mind cleared enough to see what lay ahead.

Just as on either side, and he was sure also behind him, he faced a shear rock cliff. It had no obvious means for climbing, but he realized that even if it had, he could not have climbed it. Before him, at the top of the cliff, laying in calm repose, was the largest and most frightening inu that he had ever seen. It was more than huge. It easily would have covered more than half of the 'Nightwalkers' Graveyard'. He barely noticed in his fear the blue crescent moon centered above the eyes, and the maroon stripes on either side of its muzzle.

What unnerved the male even more, was that the great beast was looking right at him. It was not a look of a typical inu. No, this was way more frightening, because this was the look of intelligence. It was a look of utter calm, and confidence. A look that spoke of the terror that was to come, and the delight that would be felt to see the male before him shaking in fear.

His breath caught in his throat and he lost his balance from the top of the mound of bones, rolling to the bottom. But Fate was with him this one time, as his fall kept him going in the same direction that he had been headed, and a little luck found him at yet another dark opening. This one he took without hesitation, and soon stumbled, staggered and ran his way through it. At first it was dark, and he could still feel the bones cutting into his raw and bleeding feet. His jeans were torn, and cut in many places, and blood soaked.

But he ignored what he was vaguely aware of, and paid no attention to what he had no idea of. All that mattered was that he had to get away. Far away. Away for this nightmare that his own imagination could never had envisioned.

He barely noticed when he was no longer stepping on bones, and he paid no heed to when the ground became firm soil. He just ran. Soon he came to the end of the tunnel he had entered and without stopping raced into the night. He caught the sounds and shadows of the passing ookami and the youkai, as they raced beside him. They were enjoying their sport. As all ookami, the chase was more than half of the thrill of a hunt, and this was a most enjoyable one. At least it was for the ookami and their youkai brethren.

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Back on the cliff a brief flash heralded the transformation of the Great Lord of the West turning back into his humanoid form. Nearby stood the proud figure of the of the Prince of the Ookami Youkai, who turned and bowed to the Lord standing next to him.

"Just keep him to the path we spoke of," said Sesshomaru. "The old witch has everything ready and once she is done, other....arrangements...have been made."

"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama," spoke Kouga. "If I may...what arrangements have you made?"

"The old baba specializes in certain kinds of potions. One of her most prized ones...alters the individual in surprising ways. Much of the changes are according to the personality of the individual. He will live, he will know her pain and her terror," spoke the Taiyoukai. "But he will find himself faced with a quite different 'life' to the one he has become accustomed."

"Such a potion must have come at a high price," said Kouga.

"Normally, you would be quite correct," spoke the Youkai Lord. "However, the witch doesn't agree to make a potion such as this without good reason, or at least a reason that she finds suitable. I...'showed'...her my reasons. She only required two things. A drop of my blood, and some of his. She was more than eager to assist us, especially when she became aware that this filth's victim was the Miko."

"She knows Kagome then?" asked the Youkai Prince.

"Only by reputation," said Sesshomaru. "My brother's name, and the names of those who travel with him, has become....very well known...especially as the group that finally defeated Naraku. The Miko's name is almost spoken with reverence in most places these days and already there are those who seek to take pilgrimage to my brother's forest to visit the village in which they all reside. They speak of visiting the shrine, but it is obvious that their intent is to see the Miko."

Hearing the young Prince laugh at this, Sesshomaru leveled his coldest glare at the ookami.

"Forgive me, Sesshomaru," he spoke after he calmed. "But knowing what I do of Kagome, she is not one to take well to others worshipping at her feet. This sudden reputation is bound to have a few....interesting moments..."

The stoic Lord, nodded his understanding as both youkai turned and headed towards the on going chase.

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He was exhausted. Exhausted and more frightened than he had ever known possible. To one who had never known fear, or discomfort, or a hard day of anything other than immersing himself in carnal pleasures and perverted pastimes, this was all new.

He should not be suffering in this way. He was strong, powerful, and deserving of the pleasures that he chose. 'This has to all just be a nightmare. Yeah, just a nightmare,' he thought. 'Soon I will awaken and all will be back to normal. He could relieve his usual sexual frustrations upon whatever 'toy' or 'toys' were currently in his possession, and his day would be right again.'

Yet, he knew that was never going to happen. He knew that this was more than just a nightmare. This was a reality that in his wildest imagination, he could have never come up with.

He knew that the moon was high, and the stars a glitter. But the dense forest growth around him, made that knowledge moot. It was so dark under this forest canopy that except for the occasional glitter of moonlight through the leaves wavering in the nighttime breeze, he could not see even his own hand in front of his face.

Right now, he didn't think he really wanted to see those hands either, nor his feet or his chest. He could feel the slivers of every shard of bone that had pierced his flesh, and the blood that trickled down his skin. He could only assume that the reason he was even still on his feet, was because he was too scared to sit down. He knew that if he did, they would get him.

So he kept moving. If he fell, he crawled until he could get back to his feet. His breath came shorter and shorter. He felt each breath catch in his side, as he welcomed the precious bit of air he could get.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a glitter of light appeared ahead. A glitter that persisted and continued to get nearer and nearer. It was a spot of golden light in the deepest shadows of the night, and it drew him like a moth to a flame. His pained feet, leaving behind a trail of blood, his cut hands dripping trails of their own, the stitch in his side from running, all the pain was for now ignored with the promise of relief offered by that was spark of light.

Like a man crawling to fresh water after a week in the desert, he moved unrelentingly towards his salvation. His one hope, glowing in the dark, offering sanctuary to a dying soul. It grew larger and larger, closer and closer. He could hear the soft whisper of hope that accompanied that light. He didn't know when it had begun, nor did he care. All that mattered was that light which promised rest, peace, safety.

He hardly noticed when he stumbled into a small clearing. A small stream crossed it to one side, and a small hut resided next to it. The accommodations were at once unfamiliar, and seemed over primitive to the male. But at that moment, he would have settled for a leanto, as long as he could eat, drink and rest.

He could barely see straight, between the loss of blood, the exhaustion, and the unfamiliar pain. He thought he could make out a old hunched figure approaching him. At first he feared it might be one of those who chased him. But when she reached out and ran a cooling hand across his fevered brow, he sighed in relief and let himself collapse where he stood.

He must have passed out, although he could not be sure. All he knew was that he awoke to find it still dark, but he was resting on a soft pallet of some kind, the stars and moon still glittering above. An old onna noticed his wakefulness, and carefully lifted him up and brought a mug of something to his lips. It tasted bitter, but with the first sip he felt a warmth spread throughout his body, and before he knew it, he had finished the full mug of horrid tasting liquid.

"Good!" said the old baba. "Very good. That will help your fever, and your pain young one. You must have had a rough night to have gotten all these cuts, and scrapes. Such a fine young man, too. What could have brought you out in the night? Especially alone with all the youkai wandering this night."

What did she mean, youkai? Those were myths! They could not be real. But wait, was that what those things were that had been chasing him? And that great inu! Surely that could not have been real. It had to have just been a figment of his fevered imagination. The only places that he had ever heard of such beings was in the stories of the old Daitoku at the Higurashi Shrine, and the ancient history books back when he went to school.

Where were all the buildings? Where were the roads, cars, planes, buses...? Where were all the lights? None of this made any sense. It had to all just be a nightmare.

"Here you go, young one. Eat this," said the old onna. She had a bowl of soup in her hands, and once again helped him to eat. He was so tired, and felt so weak and totally confused. He let her feed him, moving his mouth and swallowing almost automatically. He barely noticed the soup, missing the same bitter taste that he had tasted in the mug but moments ago. Just as with the mug of liquid, the warmth rushed through his body, making him feel strange, but desiring more of the nourishment nonetheless.

Just as with the mug, he devoured the bowl of soup, and almost regretted when it was gone. He could feel himself drift into a realm of darkness that called to him, and beckoned him to give in to the shadows that lay within. Moments later, the old woman, sat back, wiped her hands as though she had just touched the most vile thing ever to grace the face of the earth.

Her job was done. With the chant of a small spell, her task as promised to the Great Lord of the Western Lands, was complete. Now all that was left was to wait. It would take two days for the spell and the potion to work their magic and the change to be complete. It would be her best work ever, and most of the changes were almost eagerly provided by the male himself. Yes, this would be a work of art, and the Lord of the Southern Lands would indeed be pleased with his new gift.

None of this was noticed by the slumbering figure lying near the stream, as the night passed quietly into day. As the sun rose, and the moon faded from view, a small beam of golden light passed for just a moment through the canopy overhead, and briefly kissed the forehead of the fevered male. It was at that moment that the changes began, slowly at first, but nonetheless noticeable.

The old witch sat nearby watching as her masterpiece of craftwork began, and as it slowly progressed, she nodded in satisfaction. This male's lowly life was only just beginning. And she was proud to have been a part of its beginning, for he would learn first hand what his actions were like.



Dictionary

Baba - Old Woman, Witch, Shit, Bullshit
Baka - Idiot
Chikushou - Damn
Daitoku - Priest
Fukurou - Owl
Gokuraku-chou - Paradise birds
Hanyou - Half Demon
Higurashi-daitoku - Roughly: Priest Higurashi...I have chosen to use this instead of a name, as no name is ever cited in either the anime or the manga. Kagome's grandfather, and name used by those not of the family.
Higurashi-nisou - Roughly: Priestess Higurashi...I have chosen to use this instead of a name, as no name is ever cited in either the anime or the manga. Kagome's mother, and name used by those not of the family.
Hinba - Mare
Houshi - Monk
Inu - Dog
Joshi - Women
Kinmouno shishi - Golden-haired Lion
Kitsune - Fox Demon
Kobura - Cobra
Koruto - Colt
Miko - Shrine Maiden
Neko - Cat
Nisou - Priestess
Ojii-san - Grandfather
Ojika - Stag
Okaa-san - Mother
Onna - Woman
Ookami - Wolf
Osuuma - Stallion
Oushi - Bull
Red Dragon - Ru-doragon
Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively
Shika - Deer
Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards
Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls
Shishi - Lion
Taijiya - Demon Exterminator
Taiyoukai - Demon Lord
Youkai - Demon

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