InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Understandings ❯ After Sundown ( Chapter 1 )

Understanding

By KennaS

 

AN/ My last name isn't Takahashi and...you get the idea. Don't make me

kill you for stupidity. For those of you reading for the first time, I hope you like it. For those of you who are in the process of reading it already, I've made some major changes to the story and chapters. Please bear with me because I am not yet finished.

 

This story is rated “Young Adult” for its language and content. Don't come back

and say I didn't warn you.

 

 

Chapter 1: After Sundown

 

Kagome sat on the bank of the river watching the sun set. She had a punishment to dole out; Hisoka would die for his crimes. The High Counsel of Demons demanded it and tonight, she would enjoy her job like never before.

 

Hisoka was a demon who couldn't keep his hands to himself. He liked the ladies a little too much for his own good. He was good looking and he knew it and that in itself was a dangerous thing. He didn't like to be rejected. He hadn't been rejected often but when he was...You couldn't contain his lust. Hisoka was a rapist. He didn't rape like the others though. That was too easy for him. He was after something more.

 

You see, when a woman is taken by force, she can withdraw into herself and escape. But not with Hisoka. No. He went after their souls and the rape of a soul was the worst. The victim couldn't escape inside herself and that was the thrill Hisoka sought. The silent screaming. That's what got to him, what drove him. He dove in deep, slashing and cutting his way to the heart of the soul, never even having to touch her.

 

He never once soiled his hands with blood. It was done through the eyes. He looked deep into her terrified eyes and was drawn to the fear. Guided by it. Once there, he would twist it and turn it inside out until it burst in his hands, leaving the body an empty but living and breathing shell. He then turned them out on the streets and watched with humor as the broken shell was tossed about in the turmoil of every day life. He watched them die. That was the best part. He stuck around for hours to watch them. Oh how he loved it, and tonight he would claim his next victim.

 

It was almost time; Kagome stood and brushed herself off. She concentrated as her demon body shimmered with faint silver light. Her long dark hair, normally falling to her waist, shrank and turned a light shade of brown. Her extremely curvy figure shrank down until she looked 16. (He always did pick them young) The black leather outfit and boots reserved for the executioner of the High Demon Council shrank into a school uniform. She looked at her reflection in the water. She was ready.

 

Hisoka stood outside the library after dark waiting for his next victim, but he didn't have to wait long.

 

Kagome camouflaged her demon essence and walked out of the library doors and down the stairs. She could see him waiting patiently, at the bottom, for some one that interested him. Her heart skipped a beat. The council had warned her to be careful but she had no idea he would be THAT handsome. His good looks had taken the life of two of the better executioners that attempted to kill him before her. Too bad for him. She was the best. Her title coveted by all the exterminators below her. To call Kagome out meant the council was really pissed. She gave a slight smile as she passed by him. This would be fun. She was in need of a good workout.

 

Hisoka watched her. She was beautiful and she was the one. He straightened up to follow her from a distance, watching the way she walked, sent shivers down his spine. Oh yes, he would play with this one for hours before he crushed her soul.

 

Kagome felt him behind her. She felt his eyes on her back and shivered slightly. She hadn't been affected like this before. It was like he was casting a spell on her. The scary part was...she didn't seem to mind. Eager to get this done and over with she turned down an alley and slowed her pace.

 

Hisoka couldn't believe his luck. The beauty before him had just turned down a dead end alley and his body started to react with his excitement. As he rounded the corner he saw the girl slow down towards the back as she seemed to be looking for something. He smiled wickedly. She had no idea what she was about to find.

 

Kagome sensing he was near started looking for ways for him to escape. Satisfied when she found none, she slowly turned to him. He was coming down the alley towards her. Her heart stopped for a half of a beat, and then she got it under control. The spell had no power over the dangerous executioner. She was the best after all.

 

Hisoka watched her turn around and face him. Oh she was so beautiful. Yes he would definitely take his time with this one. He might even keep her alive to do it all over again.

 

“Are you lost young lady?” he smiled and asked sweetly.

 

“No sir. I know exactly where I Am.” looking into his eyes.

 

This time his heart skipped a beat. He thought she was beautiful before, but as she spoke her body shimmered and she returned to her normal form. Now she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He wanted her, and he wanted her to love him. `If she would love me, I would never touch another soul again!' he thought. But that thought came a split second too late.

 

She leaned pack and put a well placed kick to the center of his chest. She heard two ribs crack. He was a demon. It was going to take so much more than that to kill him. She didn't mind though. She did need the work out.

 

Hisoka's eyes widened as she broke his ribs. He felt his heart break when he realized she would never be his. That surprised him. He didn't know he would ever feel this way about a woman. Resolve flashed though his eyes. If she won, he would die but if he won, he would make her his. He stood up and winced at the pain, but ignored it to concentrate on his prize.

 

She sighed when he stood up. She could see what he was thinking and she wasn't too happy about it. `Just once, she thought, I wish I could find a good looking guy and not have to kill him.' She pondered this thought as she spun and kicked him in the head, effectively bringing him down. She landed in a crouching position to watch him. She was in a foul mood now and longer wanted to play. She stood and stepped over to him.

 

The last thing Hisoka heard was Kagome say “What a waste of a handsome body.” He had a smile upon his lips when she dealt the final blow.

 

Pulling out her phone she called the counsel. “He's done” she stated simply. She hung up the phone and sadly bent over to touch the body causing it to glow faintly. The other demons would be able to find it and it would be masked from human view now. `Why are they all always so bad' she asked herself. “Because you the best of the best, stupid. It's your job to track down the nasty ones and kill them.” she said out loud as she removed the stone pendant from around his neck.

 

She missed home. The thought of her homelands, Alden, was comforting

but now it seemed so far away. She was the most powerful demon on

Earth, aside from the Counsel members. The Big Demons had

finally gotten over the separate worlds thing and allowed humans and

demons to pass between the two. It was nice to come and visit here but

Kagome hadn't had a desire to stay. That is until some problem demons

popped up.

 

The rule was if you were going to pass through to Earth, the people

mustn't know who or what you were. That would cause a rush of

residents into Alden and the demon counsel of Earth didn't want that.

But that was not of Kagome's concerns. She was still here because, she

was found to have extraordinary powers. The High Counsel had sensed

the super powers, if you will, when she came through the portal. She

was summoned by the Counsel and was told of the problem demons and was

asked to be the head of an execution squad. How could she refuse? With

filth like Hisoka running around, she would never be able to enjoy

herself. And that's how she came to be here.

 

She was 125 years old and for the past 73 years, she lived on Earth.

Demons really didn't age, and for that she was grateful. She had

started to like her job after a few years and now she full out loved

it. There was nothing better than taking out a creep who liked to hurt

others. The weak humans needed protecting and she was their protector.

It was a satisfying job.

 

As she neared the palace where the high counsel members resided a red headed man ran out to meet her.

 

“Demoness Kagome, master Sesshomaru wishes an audience with you in his chambers!” the man gasped.

 

“Thank you, Shippo. Please inform him I will be there as soon as I clean up.”

 

“Yes, Demoness Kagome.” Bowing he turned and ran back to his master.

 

Kagome went to her chambers and began to clean up and she thought about her meeting with Sesshomaru. `I wonder what he could possibly want so soon after a job. I thought this one went very well.' She cleaned the blood off of the leather and polished it till it was shiny again.

 

She didn't like to wear it all the time. It made the other executioners nervous; she being the highest in rank was the only one to have a black uniform, the rest wore a dark gray. She didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable around her but they were anyway. Kagome just wasn't sure if it was the uniform or the fact that she could kill any one of them with a single blow that scared most of the others off.

 

Sighing she put her suit in the closet and opted for a dark blue dress. She still had to wear the darker colors but it didn't have to be black and it didn't have to be her uniform unless she was on a job or there was a special event or visitor to the palace. Standing in front of the mirror she examined herself carefully and wiped one last spot of blood off her face as she turned to go to Sesshomaru's chambers.

 

Sesshomaru was an over powering, breath taking presence, his broad shoulders and muscular arms told the story of many battles. His long silver hair hung down to his waist, eyes of the darkest liquid amber she had ever seen. His robes were the traditional white, blue and red of the High Counsel warrior. He was powerful, masculine, and sexy and had a strong aura about him that left others in awe, but he had one special characteristic. Sesshomaru the Great had puppy ears. Well that wasn't true....exactly.

 

Demons could change their natural features to look like what ever they wanted and Sesshomaru chose to have puppy ears, and if that in itself wasn't cute enough, they flopped over at the tip. He had chosen to have the ears because it helped him to remember to be kind. He kept them hidden when he was around others, but when it was just Kagome and himself, he let the spell down that hid them. Kagome had been the only one to ever see him with them because he wanted to make this woman smile, and she loved his little black and silver ears. However handsome and adorable he was, Sesshomaru was also powerful demon, only the King himself was stronger, and by a long shot at that. However, Sesshomaru was fine with this. What would he do with such power any way?

 

Kagome had made her way to Sesshomaru's chambers and was just about ready to knock when she heard his powerful voice call “Come in.”

 

She didn't ever think she would get used to him knowing where she was at all times. It was a part of having the job. She had to be connected to them incase she failed in her missions. Like she ever would. Still, they needed to know what had become of her and this was the way to do it. The Counsel would never step in; she would have to accept her fate as it came. Sadly the only thing the link served was to tell where to pick up her body.

 

She entered the massive room. His room was the greatest in the palace. Three times the size of her own and decorated to rival the heavens beauty. He liked to surround himself with beautiful things.

 

Bowing, “You wanted to see me, sir?”

 

“Yes.” He stated offering her a seat.

 

On the way by she couldn't help but to reach out and tug on an ear. He smiled, but only a small one; he was concerned for her, she could tell.

 

“I wanted to talk to you about tonight. I felt some sadness and anger from you. This isn't normal, well normal for you anyway.”

 

She thought about this for a moment. “I really don't know what you want me to say. I was sad about having to kill some one so handsome. It was a shame really. He was evil and he didn't deserve to live though. But right at the end I felt him...change,” she was at a loss for more words.

 

“What do you mean, change?” he questioned her gently

 

“Well...” she began. “I saw a resolve in his eyes; something that said that he was determined to never hurt another soul again. I'm not sure what it was, but I was sad because I knew I had to kill him anyway. And he was smiling when he died. Really, I mean, who smiles when they're about to die?” She looked down at her hands and fidgeted. It was awful facing Sesshomaru like this. How do you explain the feeling radiating off of some one when it really didn't have a name in the first place? Overwhelming sadness, regret, remorse, and a touch of lust; it was all those things rolled into one and at the same time, none of them at all.

 

Sesshomaru nodded as he stood up. He wasn't sure himself what had happened with her but he was going to be careful. This hadn't gone like the past kills but he didn't know how it was different. He could sense a storm brewing on the horizon and couldn't place where it was coming from. Somehow he had to help prevent an emotional explosion. He knew it was against the rules to interfere, but she was going to need some time to recover from this. He just hadn't decided what he was going to do quite yet.

 

“Are you feeling up to a walk, Kagome?”

 

“Sure.” she said standing and looking up at his ears longingly.

 

Smiling ever so slightly, he bent down so she could touch them once more before he covered them again. `That girl is going to drive me to insanity.' he thought as they walked out the door.

 

Kagome twirled, her cloak fanning out disturbing a small pile of fallen leaves. The garden air was crisp with the promise of snow. Fall was in full swing and a better part of the leaves had dropped giving the trees a skeletal look. This was one of Kagome's two favorite seasons, the Spring being the other. The nip in the Fall air till mid morning, warm jacketless afternoons and evenings by the fire were invigorating. Jogging in the fall with the crunch of leaves under foot made her almost giddy with excitement. Crunchy leaves meant that the Christmas season was approaching.

 

Kagome frowned at the thought of Christmas. She and her friends had become fascinated by the quaint Christmas traditions and had wanted to learn why the Westerners celebrated as they did. They had made plans to take their first vacation in fifty years to visit the United States this Christmas season and find out what made this holiday so special. Now, since Kagome was the only one left, it looked as if she wouldn't be going.

 

Sesshomaru looked in time to see Kagome wipe away a tear. He cleared his throat. “I am sorry for the loss of your friends. I really never did tell you that, the timing just never seemed right.”

 

Kagome sobbed, her head falling in her hands. Over the past week, she had been silent; bearing the weight of grief on her own and now she couldn't stand it anymore. Sesshomaru cursed and picked her up, carrying her to a near by bench. He settled down, Kagome cradled in his arms while she cried. He should have insisted that she take the time for herself.

 

He kissed the top of her head and rocked her as sob after miserable sob shook her body and tore through Sesshomaru's heart. Kagome needed a break and may he be damned if he couldn't find some way to give her that. Soon, the sobs stopped, turning instead to sniffles and a small, weak sigh came. He hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her eyes up to meet his, smiling as he wiped away the last of her tears. “Feel a little better now?” She nodded as she moved to get up then changed her mind and flung her arms around him burying her face in his neck.

 

He wrapped his arms around her as she whispered “Thank you.” Her breath caused a small, almost unnoticeable shiver through him. He nodded unable to speak. It was the times like this that caused him to be so over protective of her. Sesshomaru was amazed that some one could be as strong and deadly as she was and in these rare moments, as delicate as a lotus flower.

 

She sighed at the effort it took to remove her self from his lap. It had been a long time since she had felt that safe and loved. “Ready?”

 

“Only if you are.”

 

She chuckled. “Not really, but in my line of work, that could be deadly.” Sesshomaru shook his head, linked her arm in his and continued their walk through the garden.

 

She hadn't intended to stay with Sesshomaru for so long; she never did, but some how, when she was with him they never seemed to make it back early. Time lost itself when the two friends were together; he was just that easy to talk to. She did wish though, that his servant, Shippo, wouldn't follow them around everywhere. The red headed man never left his masters' side or so it would seem. It didn't matter anyway; he was always so quiet that she would soon forget he was there. That caused her to remember she needed to thank him for the privacy in the garden while she cried. He had respectfully retreated to just inside the doors so that he could be beckoned when called, but still allow the privacy she so obviously needed with Sesshomaru.

 

She stepped into her room and sighed. It had been a long day and she was ready for bed. Sleep escaped her however. She could only think of Hisoka. He, in the end, had been just as lonely as she is. His cure for it was soul crushing but she didn't have a cure for hers. She cried herself to sleep.

 

In his chambers Sesshomaru felt Kagome's pain and a single tear slid down his cheek.