Chapter One
Desire.
It coursed through his veins, urging him on. Thick underbrush
forcefully parted as he raced past it, a blur upon the scenery. Where he
was going, not even he knew.
His speed caused the wind to whip throughout his silver fur as he
continued on. His golden eyes filled with material lust. He needed to this
and he needed to do this now.
Youko's pace exceeded what he thought was possible, and still he
managed to increase it as the need for larceny grew. This was why he was a
thief. It was his destiny. Nothing he couldn've done would have been able
to prevent his mischievious nature from crime. Fate would not have it any
other way.
The startlingly beautiful fox pressed onward through the forest. He
had no idea where he was. His instincts were crying out to him though.
Telling him that there was something precious. Something beautiful.
Something valuable to steal.
It was a call he couldn't resist.
Nothing he had ever done had compared to the thrill that he felt in
the middle of a job. Knowing that it was night. That he was not alone. That
death lurked around every corner. That one wrong move could end everything
that he had ever known, but one right one could bring him the happiness
that nothing else could. Knowing that everything depended on his next
course of action - or lack of one...
It sent the adrenaline through his veins.
Youko could feel his body tiring. He had been running all night.
Gradually the kitsune relented in his merciless pace. His spirit screamed
in protest. It was always a problem to have a restless soul that was
confined in a semi mortal body. Especially when the body was quickly
approaching its limits and the spirit was dying to continue, knowing that
its goal was almost reached.
Youko panted heavily. His limbs pleading with his mind for a rest. It
seemed that they had been doing so for hours. Finally his sould relented.
Knowing that he could go no farther the kitsune dropped his haunches to the
ground in a mixture of relief and disappointment. Shuddering in exhaustion
the mystical looking creature emersed itself in a phospherous glow,
morphing into a humanoid figure.
If anyone had been watching they would have immediately been
overwhelmed by the man, or rather youkai, that now stood before them. In
place of the magnificent kitsune stood a creature of etheral splendor. The
eyes that originally seemed brilliant appeared dim when compared to the
molten amber color they now possessed. His silver tresses hung past his
waist, stirring gently in the slight breeze. Upon his head sat his ears,
unchanged, still complete with their silken fur. His complexion was only
slightly tanned, a sign that he spent most of his outdoor time wrapped in
the blanket of darkness known as night.
The Youkai's chisled body was unclothed, leaving him in all his glory
before any fortunate enough to stumble upon him. His figure was made of
lean muscle, shrouding him in irresistable sex appeal. The fantasic animal
that he had once been was almost nothing compared to this god of men.
Never breaking the hushed silence that had fallen over the forest,
Youko Kurama padded softly over the mossy ground. As he moved he untied a
bulky pouch from around his neck and opened it. Inside were garments of the
purest white, made from the finest silk that money could buy, or in his
case, one could streal. The material was as smooth as a newborn kitten and
it slid soundlessly over his skin. The garments being placed over his body
were in the form of a knee length tunic and a hakama. There was also a
thick strip to be used as belt.
As soon as he was dressed, Youko leapt into a nearby tree, coming to
rest effortlessly on a secure branch. He could smell lower youkai nearby
and would perfer to not be disturbed in his rest. Right now he was unable
to mask himself enitrely without the risk that he would be too drained to
defend himself should the need arise.
He settled himself on the limb, resting his back against the solid
trunk of the tree, and without another moments hesitation, closed his eyes
in a resting, light, sleep.
****************************************************
"Inuyasha...?"
A whisper called through the forest with an almost haunted quality to
it. It seemed to hang in the air as it awaited a response, breaking the
unearthly lull that rested there. The reply never came.
Dried leaves crackled underfoot and underbrush rustled as a young
woman entered a clearing. Her face was filled with emotion:
Worry.
Fear.
Confusion.
Obviously lost, the raven haired beauty sighed audibly and walked
timidly to the western edge of the clearing. For a moment her features
betrayed a desperate fatigue, but the appearence was quickly replaced with
a thoughtful frown. Kagome turned around, her sapphire eyes somewhat
withdrawn as she unknowningly bit her bottom lip in concentration. A small
hand combed through her ebony locks as she gracefully sat to the ground.
Absently she played with a button on her slightly damp school blouse
which was dirty and torn. She wore a green skirt that was not in much
better condition. The day had been rough and draining. Her eyes began to
droop as the last few hours caught up with her.
They had been out shard hunting. The demon in possession of a piece
of the precious jewel had been more powerful than they had anitcipated.
Inuyasha was having a difficult time defeating his oppenent as he couldn't
release his kaze no kizu attack, due to the proximity of his companions.
Sango and Miroku were fighting from the air upon Kiarara's back, but they
were not much help themselves as Miroku's kazaana was useless for the same
reason Inuyasha's wind attack was and Sango's hiraikotsu could not
penetrate the monster youkai's armor.
The only one really having any luck was Kagome. She was releasing her
purifying arrows as fast as she could, each one destroying a portion of the
almost invincible plating that covered the demon and giving Inuyasha
openings in which to attack. Shippo had fortunately been left at Kaede's
that day, making one less distraction for the friends fighting.
The battle had raged on for hours. The shard was just above the
bottom of the youkai's sternum. An area that he had very well protected.
With its aid he would quickly recover after each attack while his oppenents
grew weaker. The determined humans and hanyou prolonged their stamina
though, using their exhaustion somehow as fuel.
Finally Inuyasha had managed to get the shard from the beast.
Immediately after the hostile youkai's life had been abruptly terminated by
the Tetsusaiga and the battle weary comrades had stumbled a little ways
away.
Too tired to walk all the way to the village, Inuyasha and Miroku had
started a fire while Kagome fetched water and Sango set up camp. After a
hearty meal of Ramen, they had all laid down to go to sleep. Sango was too
tired to even pay heed to Miroku's encroaching presence. Kagome recalled
laughing to herself as she thought of the wake up that the monk would
recieve.
Kagome remembered being woken in the middle of he night by the rain
that began to pour down upon them. They had all rushed to seek cover from
the shower that was quickly turning into a torrential downpour. Inuyasha
had said something about a cave and raced ahead to clear out any youkai
that were in it. The miko had been temporarily forgotten by Miroku and
Sango when Kiarara, violently protesting the moisture, had transformed into
her smaller self and buried herself in the recesses of the monk's robes.
They had only been a few yards ahead of her. Kagome had run after
them, shielding her face against the painful needles of water rushing from
the sky. She had not been watching the ground, choosing instead to keep her
eyes on her friends ahead of her. 'Why didn't Inuyasha bring me with him?'
she had thought, but decided that most likely he had sensed multiple youkai
in their future shelter and had not wanted her to get hurt.
It was while she was pondering over this that she had fallen. Her
sharp cry had been cut short as her tired body came into rough contact with
the forest floor. It never reached her companions ears. Come to think of it
she wasn't sure that Miroku and Sango had even known that she was there.
Most likely they had assumed that Inuyasha had carried her on ahead like he
normally did. Either way, when Kagome had lifted her head, they were gone.
Thus she had come to be in the clearing she was now. She had wandered
aimlessly through the night, calling out in vain for her hanyou friend to
find her. She knew that the rain drowned his sense of smell and by the time
it let up, it would have washed away her scent. She had probably ventured a
few miles or so from where she had last seen her friends. The sun was just
beginning to peek from its cloudy bed, bringing the first signs of dawn to
wash away the night.
Kagome shivered slightly from her still damp clothes. The rain had
let up about three hours ago, but she was not completely dry yet. If it
wasn't for her modesty, she would have stripped the offending garments off
a while ago. As it was though...She had no idea if their was anyone around.
She was too tired to make any effort to sense for youkai.
Licking her slightly chapped lips, Kagome's sapphire eyes darted
around the clearing. There was some moss covering the ground, making it a
little softer than usual, and there were no signs of youkai having been
there. All in all it was a reasonable place to rest. Not that it would have
mattered if it wasn't. The young woman was almost certain that she would
not have been able to continue her futile searching had the clearing proven
unacceptable. She would most likely have just lain right down and collapsed
into blissful, elusive, slumber.
"Sleep..." she murmered as her eyes fell shut. The word itself
conveyed peace and comfort to her worn body. Without another second wasted,
she fell to her side, asleep before her head ever hit the mossy forest
floor.
***************************************************
"KAGOME!" A gruff voice shouted, scaring away any wildlife that had
once been within a three mile radius of the area. An inu demon with sliver
hair that cascaded to his waist rushed by. All that was visible of him to a
passer by was a red blur of his haori and hakamas. His amber eyes had a bit
of a frantic look to them, as if he was cornered with no escape. The panic
shown in them did not reach the rest of his face, which was set in a deep
frown.
"Kagome-sama!" called a deep and somewhat sensual voice from the sky.
Above the hanyou flew a firecat with two passengers. One of them was a
young man, dressed in the robes of a monk, a golden staff in one hand. He
had cropped balck hair which was pulled back in a pigtail with a few random
strands escaping their binding. His face was handsome with dark violet eyes
that were currently clouded with concern.
In front of him was a young woman, about his age, dressed in the skin
tight unifrom of a tajiya. Her brown orbs scanned the ground below her
methodically, with a touch a anxiety that she tried to mask from the
others. Her dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, streaming behind her
as Kiarara flew foward into the wind.
They had been searching for Kagome since the night before when she
had failed to show up at the cave Inuyasha had secured. The skies had cried
themselves dry hours ago, but still their was no sign of the miko who they
called their friend. Miroku could see Inuyasha below and flinched slightly
as he thought about what would happen to him if they didn't find Kagome.
Last night Inuyasha had been furious. He had left Kagome with the
monk and tajiya so that she wouldn't get hurt. Due to Kiarara's natural
objection to wetness, they had not noticed her. They had instead assumed
that Inuyasha had carried her on his back as was usual for him in those
kinds of situations. They had arrived at the cave just as the hanyou
finshed dragging the corpses of a few slain demons out of their comandeered
shelter. It was then that they first noticed Kagome's absence.
Inuyasha had tried to all but kill Miroku, blaming the monk for
Kagome's disappearence. Instead of resting as they had all hoped to do,
they were dragged onto a relentless quest to find their missing comrade.
The search had only managed to further irritate the hanyou though because
the water drowned his scent of smell while at the same time destroying any
trace of Kagome that they might have hoped to find.
They had no idea where to begin.
They had no way of knowing whether she had gotten lost, kidnapped, or
even killed.
Inuyasha and Sango simulataneously, but unaware of the other doing
so. They didn't even know if they were going in the right direction.
'Please let Kagome be alright...' the demon exterminator prayed to
Kami silently.
The comrades could only hope that they were on the right trail...
'Kagome! Wench, what happened to you!' Inuyasha screamed in his head
as he took a moment to search for her scent again. Growling ferally in
frustration he took off, heading deeper and deeper into the forest.
There was no sign of her yet.
**************************************
Leaves rusting...
Twigs snapping....
Did lower demons ever learn?
Youko stirred from his light, but rejuvenating slumber to the
indiscreet sounds of youkais trying to sneak up on him. Trying being the
key word there. Rolling his eyes he sighed to himself. They obviously had
no idea who they were dealing with.
With one graceful leap, the kitusne landed on the ground before them.
Without paying them even one glance, he stood tall, rising above most of
their pathetic heads. With deliberate slowness he turned around, showing
them his back and his silver tail twitching in annoyance.
The leader of the lower demons, a wolf with scars and mutilations
covering every inch of his body, growled ferally at the extreme insult. By
turning his back upon them, Youko had wordlessly expressed his disdain and
opinion of the their weakness and insignifigance. It was an indignity that
could NOT be ignored.
Unfortunately for the group of youkai, accepting the challenge would
cost them their worthless lives. For Youko Kurama on the other hand, it was
a bit of morning sport.
Hiding any emotion that he could have displayed behind a mask of
boredom, Youko began to walk gracefully away, knowing that any minute his
path would be obscured by a fuming demon who demanded acknowledgement. He
didn't have long to wait.
The wolf demon wasted not a moment to attack. As soon as he the
mysterious youkai walking away, his eyes had bled crimson. That bastard was
walking away from HIM! HIM! Obviously the fool had no idea who he was
dealing with. The wolf sneered, his fangs showing. Well he would just have
to show him wouldn't he?
Youko had overestimated his newest opponents severely. He had thought
that they were demon enough to fight him face to face. His earlier mask was
shattered when he sensed someone aiming for his back. Only the lowest of
cowards attacked a man or youkai from behind. He could not contain the
fierce growl that ripped from his throat as he spun, just in time, to block
the asshole who dared to break the honor code.
Youko stumbled back, a little surprised at the strength of the
attack. First he had overestimated them, now he was underestimating them.
Was he still half asleep. The kitsune resisted the demanding urge to shake
his head as if to clear it from whatever stupor he was in. He would never
grant this adversary the privelege of seeing his confusion.
The wolf youkai jumped back, snarling as he frothed rabidly at the
mouth. His eyes were burning scarlet, his body trembling in rage. 'That
kitsune is supposed to be DEAD!' his mind screamed as he risked a glance to
his wrist, where a shikon shard was embedded. 'That thing is supposed to
empower me! Why isn't it working!' The wolf was too ignorant to realize
that the shard had, in fact, increased his power tenfold.
He was just way out of his league.
Youko watched the wolf carefully. He had acquired over the years, the
ability to read even the most secretive of creatures and had perfected it
to a T. Now the youkai was frustrated. He kept glancing at his wrist. Youko
cocked his head to the side absently as he pondered what could be so
important in the wolf's forearm, that it would distract him from a death
match with an opponent that obviously vastly outskilled him. The fox wasn't
insulted by this, just curious.
Curiousity didn't just kill the cat you know.
It was the greatest weakness of the world's most notorious thief.
The need to know and understand everything.
Youko's thoughts were rudely interupted as the wolf charged at him
again.
"You shall feel the wrath of Maoko! Master of the Shikon!" Shouted
the youkai as he ran toward the kitsune, claws unsheathed. Youko froze
inwardly.
'Shikon? As in the shikon jewel?' he thought. His spirit was crying
out in joy. This was what it had been searching for the previous night. The
Shikon Jewel, one of the most priceless and powerful items ever known to
man and youkai alike. It would grant any wish and possessing it gave
infinite power as well as immortality. It was a treasure that many would
die for. Youko HAD to have it.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, the foxes body took care of
the battle. Effortlessly he dodged and attacked the so called 'Master of
the Shikon.' Fluid in his motions like water, he nimbly leapt and spun,
dealing out imperceptible blows to his enemy that would not be felt for a
few minutes more.
Spirit and body suddenly reunited and Youko find himself staring
possessively at Maoko's right wrist. The wolf caught and followed his
stare, paling visibly when he realized what the material lust in the
kitsune's eyes was directed at.
Without hesitation, or even a shudder or thought at his actions,
Youko sliced Maoko's forearm, catching the bloody appendage before it
reached the ground. The wolf youkai howled in pain, clutching his severed
limb as blood spurt freely forth, covering both he and Youko Kurama in a
sleek covering.
Paying no head to the red fluid that was irriating his nose as well
as his skin, Youko turned the body part over in his hand. Carefully, with
one claw, he made a deep vertical slit in the wrist and stuck two of his
fingers in. Maoko, watching this, howled once again as if he could feel the
pain from the foxes actions.
He was only just beginning to feel how the shard had affected him. As
he fell to the ground it seemed that his very soul was being sucked into
the earth, leaving his almost lifeless body completely drained of energy
before he was dead. His last visions were of that son of a bitch pulling
the pink shard from his divorced hand and staring at it curiously. Absently
he felt his comrades coming over, prodding at his broken body, which was
now feeling Youko's previous attacks. Maoko had not even known that he had
been hit.
He was in too much pain to cry out. Death was coming on swift wings.
He let his heavy lids fall, and faded away, not to missed by any soul,
living or past.
Youko could feel the heated stares on his body. Deciding that he was
no longer interested in playing with the other children, the youkai
summoned his rose whip with a flick of his wrist. One more flick and they
were gone, dismembered bodies littering the bloodstained forest floor. But
it was no longer his concern.
No.
Now he had a piece of the infamous Shikon jewel. He wasn't an idiot.
He knew that it was only a small fragment of a greater whole. And that fed
his curiousity.
How had the Jewel shattered?
Who had shards now?
Smiling softly to himself he began to walk away, ignoring the blood
that spurted uncomfortably between his toes as his feet pushed on different
organs and limbs. This was a mystery that he was more than willing to
solve. For the first time in a long time, Youko was looking forward to
something.
He disappeared into the forest, leaving that same silence to shroud
the wood behind him. Even splattered in gore and blood, he maintained that
sex appeal.