Inuyasha 1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

A young boy of about seven came bounding through the opening of the small hut he shared with his elderly grandmother. Lines of worry played about her face as she let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of the boy. "Kisho where have you been?", she scolded gently. "Night has fallen and there are many dangers that lurk in the darkness. You know how I worry so."

Kisho hung his head as he made his way to the sparse fire in the center of the room and sat down. "I'm sorry grandmother. I was playing in the woods outside the village, and I guess I lost track of the time."

His grandmother made her way to the opposite side of the fire and gingerly made her way to sit down on the floor. "Ah but to be that young and carefree once again." She handed him a bowl of stew. He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Aww grandmother, you aren't THAT old!" he stated firmly as he began to eat. She let loose a chuckle. "Oh child, you do bring this old one great joy! Someday you will make a fine husband to one of the village girls."

"Husband!", he choked. "I don't know what a husband is, but girls are gross! They're loud, they stink, and they always want me to play dolls with them."

The elderly woman looked at him with a playful brightness in her eyes. "But Kisho, am I not a girl too?" She sniffed around teasingly. "Am I in need of a bath as well?"

He looked at her thoughfully for a moment before he replied. "You are trying to trick me! You aren't a girl, you are my grandmother! You're different." he stated indignitely.

She looked him with seriously, but there was no mistaking the silent mirth in her eyes. "I guess you are right my little Kisho."

He yawned.

"You are tired little one, it is past your bedtime and it's time for you to be asleep." She arose and gathered their mats to pull closer to the fire.

"Aww but I'm not sleepy!", he struggled to get out between yawns.

She arranged his mat in front of the fire and began to settle him in for the night. "Hush child. The night is the time for the body to restore itself, and maybe the moon god Tsukiyomi no Mikoto will visit you tonight in your dreams."

He looked up at her in awe. "Do you really think so Grandmother?"

"Of course love." she said as she smoothed his hair back, and rose to go to her own mat. "Now sleep little one."

There was a brief pause before Kisho's voice could be heard.

"Grandmother?"

She sighed. "Yes?"

"Um can you please tell me a story? You know, one about the gods?", he asked sounding every bit of the seven-year-old child that he was.

'Will it put you to sleep child?"

"YES!", he sat up excitedly.

Shaking her head the grandmother turned and lowered herself once again to the mat where Kisho was.

"Such a precocious child you are. Alright, alright. One story Kisho, and then I mean it,", she looked at him. "Bedtime."

He looked at her solemnly. "Honest grandmother, I promise!"

She settled herself and got comfortable. "Hmmm let me think. . . . . . .Alright then I have one, and I don't believe I have told you this one before. It has been passed down from storyteller to storyteller, and now my dear grandson, I pass it down to you."

He could barely contain his excitement as he wiggled closer with anticipation.

Slowly she took a deep breath and began.

"It was the dawn of time. Before man ever took his first breath as a being capable of intelligent thought, there arose a great uprising in the heavenly realm. A battle whose outcome could spell the end of all life before it ever had a chance to begin. The great Kami's took sides. The powers of purity and light pitted against the conniving detriments of evil and darkness. The sounds of great clashes from mighty swords and howls of both pain and victory could be heard spanning the heavens, and blood weeped from the skies in a torrential downpour of misery and triumph, as each side fought to gain the final foothold to ensure their enemies defeat."

"For eons this massive war raged on, a virtual stalemate as the great titans of each side fought to consume the other, until at last there could be heard a great roar of defeat. A thundering voice pierced through the din. Takami- Musubi the sky god, and creator of living things shouted, "For your crimes against your bretheren, you Amatsu Mikaboshi, are sentenced to an existence in eternal banishment! Never again will your evil ways plague this realm. You are cast out!" With that, there was a great rumbling in the sky and a sound like a thousand screams echoed through the darkness as Amatsu felt himself being flung from the heavens with lightening speed. Down he fell raining curses upon the tyrants, spewing forth every imaginable obscinity as he plummeted to his fate. He closed his eyes and waited for impact, rage shaking his core more so than fear. He screamed revenge for this heinous crime of injustice, but no one would hear him. He hit the floor of his cell buried deep in the confines of the earth with a sickening thud, and then he knew no more."

"What happened then Grandmother? Did he bump his head? How long was he trapped there?", Kisho asked.

"Hold on little one, so many questions!", she looked at him and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Do you want to hear the rest of the story?"

"Please!", he almost shouted.

"Then no more questions until the end, okay?", she smiled.

Kisho brought his fingers to his lips and made like he was zipping them up.

She laughed. "Okay, now where was I? Oh yes . . . .High up above there was a long contemplative silence, as the gods listened to judgement being served out to one of their own. Some cringed, some hung their heads in pity, while others looked unabashedly as the once mighty god fell towards his prison. For a long moment after the gate crashed closed and sealed itself shut, no one said anything. Never before had anything of this magnitude occured. And many did not know what to think. Could the war that they had fought so long and hard for suddenly be over? The answer soon became clear. The war was over yes, but there were still the followers of Amatsu to be dealt with. Most had scattered upon seeing their fearless leader cut down, but there were still others cowering and hiding, begging for a forgiveness they knew they wouldn't recieve."

"Together the rest of the gods rounded up the traitorous few and sent them to follow in Amatsu's stead. A great shout of victory swelled throughout the heavenly realm, as the peace of the heavens was once again restored. The heavens had been cleansed of evil, and the balance of life once again moved towards prosperous times."

"Time moved on as it is often wont to do, and the memory of the great uprising moved from shuddering clarity, to distant past, and finally to mythical legend. The great gods of the heavens soon found themselves smiling favorably down upon a small planet and decided to create companions for themselves. And so came forth the Earth, it's creation, and all of it's splendor."

"And you and me too right?", Kisho asked.

"Of course!", she said with a smile as she hugged him close and continued.

"But deep below the soil of what would become the earth, in a pit on darkness, a masive rumbling could be heard as a sinister voice arose. "So I will wait . . decades, centuries, millenia. I will have what is rightfully mine. I will escape this Soko-No-Kuni. And then I will reek my vengance on both heaven and earth. You tyrants have become lax in your judgement by creating these pitiful mortals." The walls of his prison shook, but remained firmly in place as he pounded his mighty fists against the forged locks. "I will send my remnent to torment your pathetic playthings. My disciples will seek the vengance I crave until I break free of this pathetic dungeon, and ravage the precious earth that you hold so dear." he sneered. "You have not seen the last of me Takami- Musubi! I will make you kneel to me before your death," he roared. "And all will fall before the August Star of Heaven!"

"Grandmother, is that where demons come from?" Kisho looked up at her with imploring eyes.

"Yes little one. It is said that all demons are descended from Amatsu's remnant.", she replied.

Kisho shuddered a little and opened his mouth to ask another question, when all of a sudden there was a great crash outside the hut.The sounds of terrified voices could be heard, and he huddled petrified against his grandmother when the shout rang out. "DEMON!"

Time seemed to screech to a halt for little Kisho, but his grandmother forced him into action. "Kisho, you must flee! You must run away", yelled his frantic grandmother, as she tried to pry his fingers from around her waist. "Waste no time child, go now!" But Kisho refused to budge. "I can't! I can't! Please, not without you grandmother!", he screamed. "Come on, get up, we need to get out of here!" He tried to drag her closer to the door but to no avail.

"Kisho, go now! I am too old to flee," she cried as she sank back to the floor. "I would only slow us down! You must leave now, your life is at stake. Run to the next village!"

The walls of their humble hut began to shake with each thundering footstep the demon took through the village. The sounds of carnage and mayhem were almost deafening.

Kisho ran back to his grandmother and held her tight. Tears ran freely down his young face. "No grandmother. I will be strong and brave. I will not leave you."

The demon was almost upon their doorstep, and the grandmother knew then that any means of escape by now would be futile. The two sat huddled together on the floor mat, and she could do nothing but hold the child close and pray to the gods that somehow their lives might be spared. Slowly she rocked Kisho as he trembled. The room began to quake. Items fell from the shelves, and they watched in horror as the means of their meager living came crashing, shattering, and collasping onto the earthen floor.

She knew there was little to no hope now as she gathersKisho into her lap. "Look at me little one. No matter what happens, do not take your eyes away from mine." She tells him. "No matter what you hear, I want you only to listen to me. Can you do that?" He nods to her, unable to speak through his quiet sobs. His grandmother begins to sing softly as she rocks him back and forth. Slowly her voice gains momentum as she looks into the precious eyes of her only grandson.Kisho listens to her voice entranced by the soft music escaping from her lips, until he can no longer hear the heart wrenching screams of torment or the agonizing sounds of death coming from right outside their hut. He finds solace in his grandmother's arms as she tearfully croons to him. His sobs start to receede as his heart slowly finds peace in his grandmothers loving words. Reaching up, he gently wipes the tears from his grandmothers eyes. "I love you Grandmother." She holds him tighter and whispers into his ear. "I love you too my little Kisho." He closes his eyes, and lets his grandmother's song carry his thoughts to happier times.

He doesn't hear the sounds of the of the roof splinter and then give in under the tremedous pressure, nor does he hear the sickening rip of the walls being teared away. He does not see the hungry demon face glaring at them, licking it's grotesque lipsas it slowly descends upon it's meal.


	2. AFTERMATH

Chapter 1- Aftermath

A lone figure stood on the grassy plains. The moonlight cast an illuminating aura around the powerful taiyouki, as an unseen wind whipped the hair gently around his regale face. Golden iridescent eyes narrowed at the carnage that was unfolded around him, and a small breeze brought to him the smell of blood and destruction. Turning his back, he made a subtle motion with his head, that immediately brought his lowly servant scurrying to do his beck and call.

"My lord Sesshoumaru! What would you in your infinite wisdom ask of this lowly Jaken?"

Not sparing the toad a glance he replied, "Jaken, I want you to escort Rin and Ah-Uh back to the castle."

"H-ha-has something happened my lord?", he stammered. Jaken looked around fearfully from behind his staff of two heads.

Turning fully to face his curious servant, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "You were given an order, yet you are still standing here."

Though his voice was low and calm, Jaken felt ice form in his veins from the intensity of his master's gaze. He let loose a shiver.

Falling prostrate to the ground Jaken replied, "Yes my lord, this humble servant will gladly do as you requested. No task is too big for your most faithful servant. Consider it done!", he rambled on. "This Jaken would do anything for you Lord Sesshoumaru! I will fulfill my duty!" Getting lost in his proclamation, Jaken lifted his eyes off the ground to find the lord in question nowhere in sight. Hurriedly, he straightened himself and scampered rather ungracefully back to Ah-Uh to fulfill his so-called life's work.

"Master Jaken where is Lord Sesshoumaru going?", asked Rin as she sat atop Ah-Uh's back. She had seen the encounter between Jaken and Lord Sesshoumaru, and had to hide a grin at the sight of Jaken talking to thin air.

"Hush Rin! It is not your place to question my Lord's wishes! Such an insolent child!", scolded Jaken. "Lord Sesshoumaru obviously has something important to do and doesn't need a pesky human whelp meddling in his affairs!"

"Rin is sorry master Jaken.", replied a solemn Rin.

"You should be!", huffed the rather indignant toad. "Lord Sesshoumaru has instructed me to take you back to the castle, and I shall do so. Then I shall return and provide service at my master's side!" He puffed out his chest proudly.

Rin rolled her eyes at the toad's antics, as she reached out her hand to help pull him up onto Ah-Uh's back. Once situated, she leaned over and whispered in the dragon youkai's ear. The dragon gave a loud grunt and nodded it's two heads. With a final snort out of it's twin set of nostrils the youkai unfurled it's mighty wings, lifted into the sky, and headed back to the castle of the Western Lands.

Removing his thoughts from his imprudent servant to the issue at hand, Sesshoumaru began to make his way through the now decimated village. Smoke filled his delicate nose, and he wrinkled it in disgust. Though he could care less about the fate of the pitiful ningins who had inhabited the village, the fact that a demon dare invade his lands and wreak this kind of havoc without the thought of retribution was simply intolerable.

Slowly he strolled through the once prosperous village, his face showing no signs of emotion as his eyes took in the mutilated corpses of livestock and human alike strewn about like grotesque jig-saw pieces. Still burning embers fell to the ground around him, the wind shifting direction ever so slightly to blow the smoke in little tendrils around his feet. Though the ash and smog made seeing rather difficult, his superior vision picked out something on the ground a few feet in front of him. Bending down, he closely examined a scuffed footprint in the bloodied ground next to an ox hindquarter. Sniffing lightly, he tried to find the discernable scent of the demon who had tramped by here, but strangely he could find none. He raised an eyebrow. _'A demon that has no scent, perplexing indeed.' _

Expanding his acute senses to the surrounding area he detected a faint and fading heartbeat. Raising himself, he concentrated on the sound. It was coming from a large pile of debris not far from where he now stood. Placing his claws around the hilt of Toukijin, he prepared himself and walked towards the only sound of life present. Reaching the pile of debris, he could hear a small moaning coming from within. Cautiously, he moved his foot and kicked some of the rubble aside. What he found was a small broken and battered elderly ningin woman desperately in the throes of her last breaths.

He stared down at her, his face impassive. "You are dying, so tell me quickly what I need to know. Did you see this demon who attacked your village?"

The woman fought to catch a lungful of air. "I did see it." she wheezed. "But it was like no demon I had ever seen before."

"I have no time for games wench, explain yourself." he growled.

"My time on this earth is almost complete. There is something else. You must listen to what I have to say . . . ." She was interrupted by a strong hand grasping her throat. She was unmercifully yanked upwards into air, and Sesshoumaru flexed his claws until he felt tiny rivulets of blood soak his fingertips.

"Do not presume to tell this Sesshoumaru what to do." he stated. Releasing her throat, she fell back to the ground with a crack that told of additional internal injuries.

Gasping she clutched her side, as tears ran down her withered old cheeks. "I do not fear death youkai, by you or anyone else." She paused trying to pull air into her rapidly failing lungs. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, but let her continue.

She closed her eyes. "I fear something more powerful than even you can imagine. He is trying to come back. He is searching for the keys . . . . ."

"I grow weary of your impertinence ningin." Sesshoumaru replied with a warning growl. "Tell me of who you speak."

She reached up and tugged on the leather cord around her neck until it snapped. "You must take this." She held out the cord to him which had a small metallic sphere on the end. When he made no move to take it, she brought her pleading eyes up to his. "It needs to be kept safe from Him." When he still did not move to take it from her hand, she sighed. "If he finds the keys, everything is lost." She started to mumble incoherently as her breathing became wet with the sounds of blood-filled lungs. Sesshoumaru stood there listening to her as her heartbeat skipped around erratically. Her body started to spasm as it proceeded to shut down organ by organ, and with her last dying breath she looked up into the sky. "Kisho . . . . ."

Glancing down, Sesshoumaru studied the odd trinket resting in the old woman's hand. In a move very uncharacteristic of the demon prince, he reached down and plucked the sphere from the woman's grasp and tucked it inside his hakama. For some reason this ornament intrigued him. His mind puzzled over his recent actions, Sesshoumaru didn't notice the presence of someone moving in behind him, until a twig snapped.

Instinct kicking in, Sesshoumaru had the intruder on the ground with toukijin at his throat before the unfortunate could blink an eye.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Spare this Jaken, I beg of you!" pleaded the sobbing toad. "I did as you requested! Rin is safe at the castle, and I came back to make sure you did not need my assistance. Please forgive this unworthy one!"

Removing toukijin from the toad's throat, he placed it back into its sheath and turned his back on his terrified servant. "It is time to return." Jaken got to his feet shakily and hurried to catch up to his master who was already making strides back to the castle.

Back at the castle Jaken wondered what had taken over his lord and master. Since arriving he had locked himself in the library and had not come out. Rin had come bounding down as usual to greet Lord Sesshoumaru at the door, but he barely acknowledged her, so pre-occupied was he about the secret he kept tightly clasped in his claws. He just nodded at her as she stared up at him with adoring eyes, and went directly to the library.

Seeing as though Lord Sesshoumaru was indisposed, Rin decided to turn her attentions on a certain poor little toad. Smiling innocently she walked up to her unsuspecting victim. "Hey master Jak . ." she stopped mid-sentence and sniffed. Scrunching up her face she let loose a squeal. "EWWWW! Master Jaken, you smell like poopie! Rin doesn't want to play with you anymore!" Turning on her heel she ran back down the hall and into her room.

Jaken stood there perplexed. _'What was that confounded girl talking about?' _Cautiously he sniffed the air lightly and gulped. He had completely forgotten that in his terror of finding himself at the wrong end of his master's sword, he had indeed soiled himself. Sighing deeply, he turned to make his way to the baths. _'This just isn't my day.'_


	3. Rude Awakening

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the delay guys. First my computer decided to rebel, deleting all of chapter 2 so I had to re-write everything over. Then some people at work decided to up and quit, so I have been pulling doubles all over the place. And finally, a mad case of writer's block. sigh ah the joy's of being me. Special thanks goes out to reviewers who's constant prodding finally got me off my duff and writing again. Anyhoo, without further ado, here's chapter 2, enjoy! Hehehe I rhymed. Read and Review!

P.S. Um if your squeamish , don't read this chapter. Stop. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Graphic violence. Character death. You have been warned . . . .

Chapter 2 - Rude Awakening

"Kagome!" shouted Inuyasha.

Kagome whirled her head just in time to see a red blur rushing at her with inhuman speed. Inuyasha knocked Kagome out of the way, just as a massive tentacle pierced the ground where she had just been standing. The ground quaked with the force of its impact, throwing dirt and grass clumps into the air.

"Are you alright Kagome?" he asked quickly pulling her to her feet.

Slightly shaken, Kagome nodded. "Yes I think so." She ran a hand down the front of her uniform absentmindedly to remove the dirt.

"Stay put for a change, I can't concentrate if I have to rescue you all the time!" he shouted over his shoulder as he deflected another tentacle with Tessaiga.

She started to yell something back at him but was interrupted when he dashed back across the field in an attempt to draw Naraku's attention.

"Hey you miserable excuse of an asshole! Is that all you've got?" Inuyasha shouted as he raised his father's fang above his head to deliver another attack.

The sky was filled with poisonous miasma, the once lush field now stood decrepit and barren, and the earth itself seemed to quake and scream in agony as it was repeatedly torched and scarred from Naraku's tentacles and the searing blasts from Tessaiga.

The rag-tag group had been traveling for days in search of a rumor of the last free shard of the Shikon no Tama, only to find out it had been a false lead. Apparently some village headman had been boasting to his people that he possessed a shard, which upon closer inspection proved to be a well sharpened toenail clipping. It had been all Kagome could do to keep Inuyasha from shoving said toenail clipping up the headman's rear end.

The group had left the village extremely discouraged to say the least, and Inuyasha was just itching for a fight. And as luck would have it, he soon got his wish. They soon caught sight of some of Naraku's saimyoushou. Growling fiercely, Inuyasha tore off after them leaving his companions in a cloud of dust. By the time the rest finally caught up, Inuyasha was already deep in battle with Naraku.

Kagome scanned the field through the thick wafting fog of miasma hoping to catch a glimpse of her friends. Through the din she spotted Sango as she flew across the air on Kirara's back deflecting attacks from with her Hiraikotsu, while Miroku having lost the use of his Kazaana due to the presence of Naraku's poisonous insects, was holding his own with his staff and sutras. Kagome's heart started to race in panic when she couldn't spot Shippou right away. Searching franticly, she finally spotted a small red furry heap on the battlefield. Disregarding the immense danger to herself, she ran haphazardly over to where her beloved kit lay and fell to her knees gently cradling Shippou's still form into her arms. "Shippou! Can you hear me?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

When he did not answer, she began checking his body for signs of injury. His tiny fragile frame was marred with shallow cuts and numerous bruises, but none of which could account for the utter lack of life Shippou now possessed. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she finally noticed the intense amount of blood matting his hair and fur. Praying to every god she could think of, Kagome carefully turned the lifeless kit over in her arms. Her body became numb with shock as she discovered the source of the blood. Across the back of Shippou's tiny head, lay a six inch long deep laceration. The edges were rough with his crusted lifeblood, and it almost seemed to have a life of it's own as it pulsed with miasma slowly eating away the flesh surrounding it. Trembling, she turned him to face her once more, and slowly began to rock him. Her mind was blank, incoherent thoughts tumbling to the surface, none of which she cared to decipher. Numbness slowly spread throughout her very being. Her mind, unable to cope with the deep sense of loss she now felt, shut down. She couldn't feel anything, thoughts of the battle surrounding her fled, as she cradled her dead son in her arms.

She didn't know how long she lay there, nor did she care. Time meant nothing. Years, months, or maybe mere minutes passed, she couldn't tell. Self-preservation had lost all meaning to her, and she no longer had the presence of mind to feel danger or pain. Time slowed to a crawl, and everything seemed to be going in slow motion. She slowly pulled her gaze from Shippou's forever angelic face, and stared with vacant unseeing eyes at the carnage that lie all around her. Over in the distance, not even 5 feet from where she where she was, lay the battered body of Miroku. His lifeless eyes stared through her, his face was now perpetually sealed forever in a mask of pain and torment. His body was twisted painfully, and blood ran from a massive hole in his chest where he had been run through with his own staff. Looking past him, she now saw that Sango too had been cut down by Naraku's evil, in the form of a small boy. Her brother. She lay on her stomach, head turned away, with her brother's kusari-gama (sickle chain) protruding from her back. Having no more use for the boy, Naraku had finally ripped the shard from his back, leaving him dead and lifeless beside his beloved sister.

Still none of this seemed to matter to Kagome. It was simply as if she had given up and taken refuge deep in the recesses of her own mind. She could only stare blankly as she continued to rock back and forth. She turned her head in time to see Kirara's form crash to the ground, creating a small crater. At first glance she appeared to be unharmed, but upon further inspection it was apparent that her neck was twisted at an odd angle. A scream from her left prevented Kagome from dwelling on the neko-youkai's demise.

Whipping her head around, her vacant eyes focused on a young hanyou fighting valiantly with some sort of demonic spider. There was something about this hanyou that seemed familiar to Kagome. She felt somehow akin to him, almost as if she knew him personally. She watched as he tore through the demon spiders tentacles one by one only to have them grow back almost immediately. Something niggled at the back of her mind, but it was pushed back into the dark fathoms once more. She sat immobile on the ground, watching the scene as if it were some epic play unfolding before her very eyes. Her mind simply refused to make the connection. She watched the seemingly familiar hanyou scream his frustrations as he hacked and dodged his way through, trying to make his way to the spider. As for the spider himself, he seemed almost bored as he threw wave after wave of miasma at the young hanyou.

"Tsk tsk Inuyasha." he sneered. "How can one such as yourself ever hope to defeat the likes of me."

"Shut your face Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled back. "You are just scared, because you know that this time I am gonna kill you!"

At the hearing of Naraku's name, something deep inside Kagome clicked, and it all came rushing back to her. She knew where she was, she knew who she was. Time speeded back up, and the scenery popped back into focus with a shuddering clarity. Sights and smells flooded her brain, pushing back the fog. She looked around her and for the first time everything that had happened was finally registering in her befuddled mind. She began to shake. Anger, sadness, and disbelief flooded through her in a wave of perpetual torment as she gazed on the lifeless forms of her comrades. Pushing herself to her feet, she swiped a hand across her eyes to remove the angry tears gathered there. Rearing back her head she screamed to the heavens at the injustice of it all.

The two combatants paused in their fighting, slightly surprised to hear the young miko lash forth her fury and pent up anger in the most primal way possible. It was then at that most critical point, that Naraku chose to strike the unguarded hanyou.

Kagome lowered her head in time to see Naraku gather his tentacles and plunge them deep into Inuyasha's chest.

"INUYASHA!" she screamed. But it was too late. Blood deep and rich, spurted forth from his chest and mouth, and a look of total shock and horror flashed across his youthful features. All that could be heard was a muffled gurgling as his lips moved back and forth in a fruitless attempt to form words. Behind him, Kagome could hear a deep resonating chuckling, as Naraku twisted the tentacles further into Inuyasha's chest, bursting vital organs and sealing his final fate.

Throwing the hanyou from him, Naraku turned his attention to the little miko. "I really must thank you, you know. If you hadn't distracted the poor little fool with your incessant screaming, who knows how much longer this would've continued." he stated with a malicious gleam in his eyes.

Kagome's knees turned into jelly. This was all her fault! Her eyes strayed to the form of her best friend. "Oh Inuyasha" she breathed, her heart banging painfully in her chest as if it were trying to burst through. She refused to believe the sight in front of her. _'He couldn't be dead, it just not possible.'_

"Your hope is completely unnecessary I assure you." Naraku laughed. "He is quite dead."

Kagome could feel the numbness begin to take over again, but this time she shook it off. If her friends could meet their end with some dignity, then so could she. She raised her eyes to look Naraku directly in the face. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would not be walking away from this fight, but she was determined to take the evil hanyou spider with her and rid the world once and for all of his plague of darkness. Resigning herself, she pulled a single arrow from the sheath on her back and notched it in the bow. She raised her arms prepared to fire.

"Naraku!" she shouted. "Your reign of terror is over. Their deaths will not be in vain!"

Drawing back her arm, she put forth every shred of pain and hurt into it's pink righteous glow and released it into the air, praying that for once her aim would hold true. She watched with anticipation as it gracefully arced through the air, a beacon of light penetrating through the poisonous clouds of miasma, dissipating them instantly. Any tentacle that raised itself up against it, vaporized with the stench of burning flesh. Nothing would deter this solitary arrow from it's mission. Time once again seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched the arrow slowly move towards Naraku's heart, and she held her breath. Something pierced her side, but she took no notice of the pain, so intent was she on the arrow.

The arrow pierced Naraku's heart with a resonating thud, and she could hear him scream in pain. His body shattered into thousands of pieces and fell to the earth. Silence reigned, and Kagome didn't move for a few moment. Dare she believe it? Could it finally be over? Relief flooded through her. It was finally over. The demon that her friends sacrificed their lives over was finally dead. She did it! Slowly she sank to her knees, as the pain of her injury finally caught up to her. She was no fool, she knew it was a lethal blow, but that did not concern her. She knew she was going into shock, and she looked forward to the relief that death would provide. So many years of hunting and searching were at an end. So many times she watched innocent people die at Naraku's hands, but never again. She put her hand to her side, wincing slightly as it came away wet with blood. '_Another school uniform ruined_,' she thought ironically. '_Poor Mom, I'll never get to hear her scold me about them ever again.'_

As she became lost in her reverie, she failed to notice the rustling of the various remnants of Naraku's body. She snapped to attention with she heard him chuckle. "My poor disillusioned miko. You honestly thought that your one little arrow would kill me?"

She turned her head, willing it not to be true. Dread encased her, and she gulped. Her mouth went dry as she watched Naraku pull himself together. Wait. No not Naraku, something else. She got to her feet shakily, holding tightly to her side. "Wh-who are you?" she questioned, her voice unsteady. What stood before her was no longer the writhing mass of tentacles that made up Naraku. Instead it was a dashing young man who stood about six and a half feet tall, with jet black hair that reached to a trim waist. His face was accented by a blue stripe that stretched vertically from his right eyebrow over his eyelid, to just past his eye.

"Who am I?" he repeated as he brushed the dirt from his pristine clothes. "That's not what you should be most concerned about little one." Slowly he removed his focus from the condition of his clothes to the trembling woman in front of him. His powerful aura flashed dangerously around him. "Such desolate surroundings" he stated as he looked around. He snapped his fingers and the battleground around them vanished into thin air. In it's place stood a grassy clearing, surrounding them by a dense copse of trees. The once sunny skies had been replaced cloudless moonlight night, giving everything a surreal quality. Slowly he advanced towards her. "Now isn't that a little better?" he asked with a smirk. Kagome was dumbfounded. Words would not make their way to her mouth, as she stared with astonishment at what had just transpired.

"Where are we? Who are you? Where are all my friends? What have you done?" she asked when her mouth finally decided to cooperate. The sudden onslaught of questions seemed to catch the young man by surprise, but he waited with amusement until she was done before he answered. Walking behind her, he laid a hand on her shoulder. He could see the goosebumps begin to rise on the nape of her neck when his breath tickled her earlobe. The scent of her fear permeated the air, it was rich and decadent like a fine wine. He resisted the urge to run his tongue across the tiny goosebumps and taste her fear firsthand.

She was frightened, but could not bring her self to move. Everything about this man made her nerves set on edge. The magnitude and immensity of his aura paralyzed her limbs to where she could not move. Never before had she experienced an aura of this intensity in any demon or human she ever encountered in any of her travels. Not even Lord Sesshoumaru, the most powerful taiyouki in all of Japan, carried an aura this strong. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, and closed her eyes. She was so sure she was going to be devoured by him, killed or worse, that she was surprised when he released her shoulder and whispered one word in her ear.

"Run" he whispered as he released her from his grasp. At first he thought she was just going to stand there, but she surprised him by taking off suddenly into the surrounding forest. He stood there bringing his hand up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "Yes she will suit my needs very nicely."

Kagome ran for her life. Her side burning and screaming at her with every movement she made, but still she continued on fearful of his pursuit. She could feel his dark aura getting closer, and the woods around her went silent in apprehension of the impending danger. The darkness was almost complete deep inside the woods, and Kagome stumbled almost blindly around trying to make her way to safety. Brambles scratched and tore at her uniform, rocks and bushes tripped her, but still she rushed onward. She only fell once as her foot caught on the root of a tree that sent her sprawling to the hard-packed earth. Panting heavily, she tried to regain her footing only to find that her now injured ankle wouldn't support her weight. Cursing herself softly, she looked around fearfully for any signs of her pursuer. A branch snapped loudly in the silence off to her left. She began to tremble as sounds of someone approaching reached her ears. Rallying the last of her strength she began to crawl, dragging her injured foot behind her, searching desperately for any signs of shelter that might hide her.

The sound of laughter pierced through the darkness. The evilness laced within that sound was enough to shake Kagome to her very core. She started to get up to her feet again, her ankle be damned, when a solid presence blocked her path. She screamed . . . . .

. . . . . . . And woke up. Breathing heavily, it took a few moments for Kagome to catch her bearings. '_It was only a nightmare Higurashi' _she chastised to herself. Throughout her dream she had apparently struggled so much that her sleeping bag had twisted around her torso, leaving her almost immobile. The first thing she did was look around. No scary presence here. Her friends were safely sleeping around the fire. Shippou was peacefully snoring as he cuddled deep into Kirara's fur. Sango was twitching slightly in her sleep as she dreamt. As far as Miroku went, well he had cuddled closer to Sango in his sleep and had one hand gently placed on her rear. If Kagome's predictions were accurate, he would probably wake up with one heck of a headache in the morning. Scanning the treetops above, she located Inuyasha by the foot he had dangling over a branch. She was quite surprised she hadn't awoken him during her fitful slumber, but as of late he had been going non stop in the hunt for the jewel shards, so maybe it wasn't quite so surprising he had slept through it all.

She slowly stretched her muscles. She was still so tense. Sighing, she began the task of unraveling her sleeping bag from around her legs. Once finished, she lay her head back down and began to think about her most recent nightmare. She had been having them for months now, and they had been becoming more vivid and frightening as time went on. They were always the same, but this time was the first time she had ever encountered the dark haired man. Shivers went up and down her spine at the mere thought of his presence. Nope, that was something she never wanted to dream about again. Deciding she didn't want to think about him anymore, she decided to turn her thoughts to other more pleasant things. She fell asleep once more a few hours later, thinking about silver haired puppies.


	4. Shadow's Fall

A/N: Okay don't beat me, I know it's been a while. I have a definitive story plot for Dark Destiny, and as much as I'd love to, I am not gonna rush things. It's rather difficult to come up with new concepts and story plot ideas that haven't been run into the ground already, so bear with me pretty please. However should any of you have any suggestions, questions or comments, I would love to hear them. And as always, I humbly thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read. I love you all!

Chapter 3 - Shadow's Fall

"Awww Kagome do you have to cling so much? You're pulling out my fur!" Shippou yelped as he squirmed in Kagome's tight embrace. Breaking from her reverie, Kagome looked down for the first time and noticed Shippou's apparent discomfort. Releasing her death-grip on the small kitsune, she mumbled an apology as he bounded from her arms and ran ahead to hop up onto Miroku's shoulder. Turning around, the kitsune regarded her with a look of concern. Something just wasn't right. As a matter of fact, something hadn't been right with the young miko for days now. She had this far-away look in her eyes. Her face was pale, her once jubilant eyes had dark circles underneath, as a matter-of-fact her whole demeanor had changed. Whereas there had been a bubbly young girl full of excitement and life before, now resided a shallow shadow of her former self. She was quiet and withdrawn, barely speaking a word to anyone unless a question was directed towards her. To put it in a nutshell, she looked like hell. It was a rare occurrence indeed to get a ghost of a smile from the young miko nowadays, and even the normally obtuse Inuyasha had started to notice something was up.

He had approached her about it earlier that morning only to be met with half-hearted assurances that she was fine, well maybe a little tired. She had said she wasn't sleeping well, but he wasn't convinced. Especially since he hadn't been "Sat" in days, the only exception being when he teased and tortured Shippou. Well now come to think of it, she had been really attached to the little brat as of late. Obsessed was more the word. The only time she ever let him out of her sight was to bathe, and well, to answer the call of nature. Even then she always hurried back which was very unusual, because she was known far and wide as a woman who enjoyed her personal time in her baths. He had even tried to get a rise out of her by starting an argument, but she had only mumbled an absentminded "mmmhmmm" before dismissing him completely. This was certainly new. Deciding it wasn't worth it, he let it go. He just shook his head and walked away from her. Hoping that she would snap out of it pretty soon, he just wrote it off as that PMS thing that Kagome once told him about. Regardless, Inuyasha decided to head for the nearest village in hopes that a real bed and some down time would bring her back to herself. Gathering the group's supplies together, he announced his intentions to them all, but even that hadn't gotten a response from the brooding young girl. Sighing he shook his head, and the group broke camp. Worry niggled at Inuyasha's mind, but he pushed it away with determination. She would come around soon enough, he was sure of it.

Far up ahead the monk and the taijiya were deep in conversation about said miko. "I just cannot understand it Miroku." said Sango, her tone hushed to avoid being overheard. "Kagome has been acting so strange lately, and she won't open up to me at all."

"I agree. Lady Kagome's countenance has been rather sullen of late." he replied thoughtfully as they trudged along.

Sango took a glance behind her to see if Kagome had heard them, but her caution was in vain. The young girl had fallen behind again. Weariness marred her normally bright face, her brows drawn together as if she was deep in thought, and the only sound that could be heard from the strangely silent miko as she trudged along was the occasional yawn.

Sango slowed her pace to allow Kagome the chance to catch up. She reached out and gently grabbed Miroku's arm as a signal for him to slow down as well. When he looked at her and nodded his head in silent agreement, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Poor thing, she just looks so ragged!" She looked far ahead to where Inuyasha had stopped and was covertly sniffing the air. _'Just like a man' _she thought. _'Doesn't know where he's going, and STILL won't stop and ask for directions' _ She brought her attention back to Miroku when she realized she had missed what he had been saying to her. "I just bet HE had something to do with Kagome's condition!" she confided to him.

Shippou snorted atop his perch on Miroku's shoulder. "If I know Inuyasha he has everything to do with it."

Up ahead the hanyou in question twitched his ears. He had heard everything in their conversation, and he didn't like where it was going. He growled softly to himself and whipped his head around. "Will you guy shut the hell up!" he shouted. "When something happens I am always the first on everyone's shit list. For once I didn't do anything dammit!"

Shippou rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and gave the little kit a fierce look that sent Shippou scurrying behind Miroku's head for cover. Satisfied that he could still scare the crap out of the insolent pup, he mumbled "Feh whatever." and turned to walk on.

Meanwhile, Sango's brain was still working overtime trying in vain to figure out why her dearest friend had become so melancholy as of late. Even though Inuyasha may deny it, he's still the most probable candidate. After all, it wouldn't be the first time he put his foot in mouth where the little miko was concerned. Her face started to flush a little red at the thought of Inuyasha possibly being the one to upset her sister-like friend. _'Let's see how much sniffing he does when I shove that nose up his rear end'_ she thought with smug satisfaction. Other various violent images flashed forth throughout her mind, most of which consisted of the excruciating painful detachment of the hanyou's most valuable hanging appendages.

Miroku glanced over at Sango when it was becoming apparent that her nails were gripping his arm rather painfully. He was about to say something when he noticed that she was obviously distracted. He followed her gaze to where Inuyasha stood up ahead, and he could tell by the small sadistic smile on her lovely lips, that whatever his dear Sango was thinking about could not fare well for the poor unfortunate hanyou. Not being one to miss a prime opportunity to explore the pleasures of the flesh, he slowly lowered his palm to caress her firm yet supple backside. He had approximately two seconds of pure unadulterated pleasure before the most excruciating pain pounded through his poor skull. Wincing, he brought the offending hand up to massage the newest throbbing lump he now sported on his head. When his vision finally cleared, he raised his eyes and gave the red-faced Sango a mischievous lop-sided grin. It had definitely been worth it.

"Hentai!" she screamed. All thoughts of mutilating Inuyasha fled, and was replaced by Miroku taking his place.

"My apologies my dearest Sango, but I simply cannot help myself. Your body is truly blessed by the great Kami's above, and as a man of the cloth it is my duty to see to it that such holiness is treasured to the fullest extent." he replied to her with a straight face.

She was so angry she positively couldn't see straight. Giving the monk a glare that could turn milk sour, she huffed and stomped off to walk with Kagome. Shippou, who up until that time had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, just shook his head at Miroku. Deciding it would be safer to travel with Kirara for the remainder of their short sabbatical, he jumped onto the giant cat's back and promptly snuggled himself into her fur. Finding a rather comfortable spot, it wasn't long before he found himself dozing off.

It was twilight when Inuyasha and his band of weary travelers stopped at the gates to a small village. "Finally" Kagome groaned softly to herself as she reached down to take off her shoe. After removing the offending article she gently shook it to remove any loose pebbles that had managed to work their way in during the course of the day. She had been so preoccupied with thoughts of her reoccurring dream she knew she had been neglecting her friends. She did notice however that sometime during their travels today Sango had come to walk beside her. But by chance when she glanced up at the older girl, she could tell that Sango was definitely not in the mood for pleasant small talk. Well that suited her just fine, because neither was she. Kagome felt guilty for not opening up to her friends, but somehow the dream just wouldn't leave her alone. How was she supposed to explain it to them, when she didn't even understand it herself? Every time she closed her eyes, visions of that dark-haired man consumed her every thought. '_Who was he? Had she met him before? _She shook her head. No she would definitely remember a man like that. A man with that much danger and sensuality oozing from every pore would not be someone easily forgotten. But that left the question then, who was he? And more importantly, why was she being plagued with these disturbing dreams? Just thinking about the way his eerie luminescent violet eyes had fixed intently upon hers sent a cold shiver down her spine. A shiver of what? Terror mayhap? Or perhaps a slight tremor of anticipation? Whatever it was, Kagome knew for sure it was not something she wanted to delve into further. One thing was for certain though, he gave her the creeps. Shaking her head to clear the traces of the mystery man from her already befuddled mind, she turned her attention to the village they had arrived to. She was just so tired. A nice bath and a warm place to sleep were all that mattered. Maybe later she would talk to Miroku about her late-night hauntings. After all he was a holy man, maybe he might have some insights into her little predicament.

A couple of hours later the small group found themselves nice and snuggled in one of the village's nicest lodges, thanks to one of Miroku's cunning and oh so miraculous exorcisms. The master of the lodge had been so surprised and impressed by the young houshi's ability to detect the malevolent spirit that had been haunting his home for years without his knowledge that he insisted upon cooking a celebration banquet in honor of his newfound guests. After everyone had finished eating, they reclined on their bed mats and began to unwind for the night.

"You know one of these days someone's gonna catch onto your little game Miroku, and I ain't gonna be around to save your sorry ass.", grumbled Inuyasha as he picked his teeth with one of his claws.

Sango leaned back on her mat, and propped her head up with her hand. She stretched in languor. Being fed a nice meal and having a comfy bed to sleep in for the night had certainly dulled her earlier anger towards the too forward monk. Eh, who was she kidding. She could never stay mad at him for too long, and she knew it. She regarded him with a small smile. "Even though I am thankful that we are able to sleep inside and get a filling meal, I have to say, I don't exactly approve of your methods houshi."

Miroku sighed as he leaned back and rested his hands on his staff. He appeared to be deep in thought. He got the same lecture at every village they stopped at, and yet although his friends didn't approve of his ways, it was well worth it to have a roof over their heads for a change. Actually, he had hoped that the rich master had an equally rich and beautiful daughter he might get acquainted with, but alas such was not the case. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Bringing his thoughts from that land of buxom beauties back into the present, he contemplated his answer for a moment before replying. "Consider it not trickery my dearest Sango. For it was not my intent to trick, but to teach. An evil spirit could have very well been haunting his home, and now thanks to me he knows what to do about it. Besides, a man with such obvious wealth and good fortune, what could it hurt if he bestowed a little kindness on a few poor travelers?"

Inuyasha smirked and rolled over on his mat to face the wall. "You're so full of shit monk."

Shippou giggled as he snuggled closer to Kagome on their shared mat. "And how long did it take you to think that one up Miroku?"

Miroku grinned, trying desperately to feign innocence as he lay down fully with his hands tucked beneath his head. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're all talking about."

Sango raised herself slightly of her bed mat just enough to chuck one of her sandals at him. She watched with amusement as it found it's home upside Miroku's head with a hollow resounding thump. He groaned. She laughed. "Will you hush up and blow out the candle already? Some of us would like to get some sleep tonight!"

Kagome listened to their playful banter as she lay on her mat. It brought a small smile to her lips. Thank god some things never change. She tried to settle her thoughts as she snuggled Shippou closer to her body's warmth. She had tried to find time to talk to Miroku earlier, but unfortunately there never seemed to be ample time where he was alone. Inuyasha and Sango always made sure to keep close tabs on him whenever they entered a village. Lest his wandering eyes, or more importantly his wandering hands get him into trouble. Not to mention that the more she thought about it, the stupider it sounded. Who ever heard of being haunted by nightmares? Someone had once told her that the trick is, to be aware that you are dreaming during the nightmare and not only can you change the outcome of the dream but wake yourself up as well. Well she would just have to test out that theory now wouldn't she?

Finding herself a rather comfortable position on her mat, she repeated to herself 'It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a . . . .' Her voice trailed off as she slowly allowed the blessed relief of slumber to overtake her exhausted and overtaxed mind. Soon all that could be heard throughout the room were the soft snores of the occupants, and occasional mumbling from Shippou as he twitched in his sleep.

Kagome opened her eyes. She knew instantly she was back in her dream world. The field, the blood, the death, it was all there just as it had been many times before. She turned franticly. Naraku's evil laughter and the sounds of a thousand saimyoushou pounded through her skull. The sickly sweet stench of miasma permeated throughout the air, and quickly overcame all of her senses. There across the din lay her beloved Shippou. Nothing had changed!

"I want to wake up!" she screamed. "This is just a dream, this isn't real." she kept repeating to herself, as she took in the sights around her. She repeated her hopeful mantra praying that it would work. The sights and sounds continued to unfold around her as she watched the endless reel of her nightmare being played out before her very eyes. One by one her comrades fell to the evil that was Naraku. She became desperate, would nothing wake her from this horrid dream?

FLASH

She found herself running through the by now familiar forest. She knew she should stop, run the other way, but it seemed as though her legs had a will of their own, and nothing would keep them from their destination. Branches once again tore into her delicate skin, leaving rivulets of blood to make trails down her arms and legs only to fall to the forest floor below. She ran through the dense underbrush, her lungs laboring in protest with every breath she took. Somehow she desperately clung onto the hope that maybe, just maybe if she ran hard enough, or fast enough that somehow she just might get away. He was pursuing her, she knew this. She wasn't going to be make it, she knew this too. But that didn't stop her from trying her best to elude the inevitable. Once again her foot found the familiar tree root that always proved to be her undoing. She fell. Her eyes widened in panic, and her heart thumped wildly about in her chest. Then came the oh-so familiar sound she had been dreading. The simple snap of a twig. She tried to rally her strength for one final last ditch effort to escape, but to no avail. The man with no name.

He was here.

He had caught her.

And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was going to die.

She screamed.

And he chuckled.

There before her stood the object of her nightmares in all his splendorous glory. He stood tall and poised, his ebony hair sleek and cascading down his back. He was dressed in an elegant formal haori, navy blue with what appeared to be gold threaded dragons running down the sleeves. His hakama pants were jet black, and looked as though they were made to be of the finest silk. If she wasn't so terrified right now, she probably would have reached to touch them to see if they felt as soft as they looked.

However, that's not what captivated her attention. Violet eyes blazed at her from underneath midnight lashes, and she was unable to keep herself from being drawn in by the intensity of his gaze. His was the face of an angel, or demon, or perhaps a little of both. His skin was the color of fine porcelain, unlined, and un-aged. She found herself drawn to gaze at the delicate blue stripe that ran vertically across one of those piercing eyes. What should have been a mar on his perfect skin, only accentuated his unearthly beauty.

But there was a coldness in those eyes that petrified her. She trembled under his scrutiny, feeling chills run down her spine. She cowered there holding her injured ankle close to her body, unable to take her eyes away from the creature that was slowly walking toward her. Her every thought was consumed by that of escape, but her body refused to budge. Her limbs felt like they were encased in ice, and kami help her, she felt so very cold.

"Wh-who are you?" she pleaded softly. The words came out almost a whisper, and she was not surprised to see a cloud of vapor escape her lips with the effort. Trembling had long since worsened into uncontrollable shaking, as her body tried desperately to conserve whatever body heat it had left. So cold. So very cold.

He lowered himself on his haunches until they were face to face with each other. Slowly he reached down and hooked his finger under her chin. Looking down into her angelic face he replied "You can call me the Shadow Man."


End file.
