InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Love A Beast ❯ Once Upon A Time ( Chapter 1 )

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a handsome man, whose parents were very rich and powerful. However, he and the rest of his family had a dark secret. They were cursed to bear the form of demons, never to become human again unless they could break the spell. His parents forced him to stay in the manor, so that the humans in their village would never discover their secret. However, the man didn't want to spend his life hiding. He escaped from his home one night, content to have just a few more hours of freedom, after that he could accept his fate with a stoic face. However, that night that he was out, the man fell in love.

 

Chapter One

 

A tall pale figure stood in the attic of a large mansion, overlooking a seemingly normal forest. The figure looked menacing, with wildly vivid silver-colored hair splaying about his figure. He looked out of the window as a pitch-black night descended onto the world and kissed the skies. He was definitely not human, a monster, some called him. Fangs and claws graced his features, but they had never been stained with blood.

 

His mansion, as he called it, was still as beautiful as it had been the day it had been built, with one exception. The foyer was horribly destroyed; remnants of the battle that had taken place there long ago. The window in the attic was always left open, air blowing through harshly but wind that blew in the attic never left the monster feeling cold. He felt nothing, not anymore. Long ago, he lived freely in this territory, but now he was nothing more than a dark shadow watching from afar.

 

He knew that he should have been fine with these conditions.

 

He couldn't help the sinking feeling that appeared in his stomach when he thought about the past.

 

“... Kagura.”

 

The whisper that came from his mouth was not that of a monster.

(A/N: Foxgirl: Okay, bear with me people. It get's better, I promise)

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Everyone knew of the mansion behind Whisper forest. It wasn't a myth, or a legend. Plenty of people had seen its looming walls and frightening gargoyle statues. The reason why everyone was so fascinated by it was because no one had ever gone inside. The gate that sat locked at the front made sure of that. However, even before you reached the gate, there seemed to be some sort of unknown force protecting it. You couldn't go within ten feet of the gate without getting the oddest shivers down your spine and feeling a desperate urge to turn back.

 

Most people simply left it alone. There was no particular reason for anyone to be interested in it anyway, as the family who had once lived there died long ago.

 

At least, that was how the legend went.

-

“Kohaku! What are you doing? Come back!”

 

Rin hated wolves. She had ever since she was a little girl. Consequently, she also hated places where wolves could possibly roam. As a result, she didn't like wandering into Whisper forest without good reason. Especially in the middle of the night.

 

“Relax, Rin.” Kohaku assured his friend, turning around and facing her. “Nothing's going to get us.”

 

Rin crossed her arms stubbornly, standing just outside the entrance of the woods. “Kohaku I don't want to go in there! And you know that everyone says we're not supposed to anyways!” She told him, her voice sounding soft by the last word of her sentence. She hated displeasing her friends, but this was asking too much. “Please, let's just go home!”

 

Kohaku resisted the urge to chuckle. “Look, Rin. I'll hold your hand.” He walked over to her, grabbing her hand and all the while pulling her towards the forest. “It will be fine, see?”

 

Rin reluctantly allowed herself to be led into the forest, clasping Kohaku's hand as tight as she could. She knew that she really shouldn't be as scared as she was. She trusted Kohaku. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Though the sixteen year old couldn't help but feel a little reluctant. There was only a month left until summer was over, and not but an hour ago Kohaku had been standing outside her window, eagerly commanding her to follow him.

 

She had never expected him to bring her to the forest, with the excuse that he desperately wanted to see the fabled mansion that everyone seemed to avoid nowadays. Though the summer night was warm, she couldn't help the shivers that were crawling up her spine. It was so dark outside that the blackness seemed to engulf everything around her.

 

The two wandered through whisper forest, one clutching tightly to the other and one looking around in wonder. The forest certainly was beautiful, that couldn't be denied. At night, when darkness fell, it's beauty only seemed to intensify.

 

Just recently, Kohaku found that he had an unrelenting urge to find the mansion said to be behind Whisper Forest. He found it fascinating, that people knew so much about it and yet so little. The family who lived there died long ago. There deaths themselves, no one seemed to be sure of. The secret was what he wanted to know. Why didn't anyone ever go inside? Many had tried, yet none of them had succeeded in even stepping foot inside the gate. It was also said, that the mansion held another terrible secret. Some said that a terrible beast roamed the halls, never to be slain.

 

He heard a small scream behind him as Rin tripped over a root protruding out of the ground.

 

“You okay?” Kohaku asked, genuinely concerned as he helped her off the ground. She smiled at him, standing up with little difficulty.

 

“Yeah, I was just being clumsy-“

 

Her warm voice was cut off by the sound of growling from the underbrush. Kohaku turned his head toward the noise, suddenly beginning to walk faster.

 

He pulled Rin closer to him unconsciously, all the while continuing to walk, his shoes making soft crunch noises as he stepped on the leaves and twigs that had fallen from trees. They couldn't stop now.

 

The growling grew louder behind them and Rin shot Kohaku a terrified glance.

 

Wolves were scarce in the forest. There weren't many animals to begin with, so they were slowly dying out, starving to death.

 

Two humans would be more than sufficient to feed the last few that remained.

 

Rin screamed when the three wolves burst from their hiding places, chasing down her and Kohaku. The two ran as fast as their legs would carry them, but it wasn't fast enough. One of the wolves, now very close, lunged at Kohaku, attempting to sink its teeth into the tender flesh of his calf. He cried out, throwing himself forward to avoid the attack and in doing so, bashing his head against the root of a tree.

 

Rin turned around, screaming.

 

“Kohaku!”

 

He was unconscious.

 

It was then that the wolves seemed to take notice of her. The one who had almost bitten Kohaku lapped at the fur around his toothy maw, deciding that his first prey was already as good as dead. Now he just had to finish off the girl.

 

Rin's eyes widened in fright and she froze. Her body refused to move.

 

The wolf leaped towards her and she attempted to get out of the way, throwing herself backwards. It was too late. The wolf dragged its claws across her torso, scratching her from the top of her rib cage to her navel. The wound wasn't very deep, but she could feel the blood slowly seeping out of her body. She froze, faltering.

 

This was it.

 

She was going to die here.

 

She couldn't help but let out one last scream of fear as the wolf lunged for the last time.

 

((A/N: Foxgirl: ... man that sucked. I've gotta learn to put more content in my first chapters... but I can't help it! I'm just so eager to get to the story line!

Vixen: *shakes head in shame*

Foxgirl: Oh it's not like you've ever tried to write anything. Stupid alter ego.))

 

Before the snarling animal could reach her, however, it was batted away -as if it were nothing- by a clawed hand clad in a lavishly decorated sleeve. The wolf yelped in surprise, before falling to the ground unmoving. The other wolves glanced at their fallen comrade helplessly, before cautiously backing away into the bushes, breaking out into a sprint once they were sure the danger wouldn't follow.

 

Rin opened her eyes wide in shock.

 

She had been saved.

 

Saved by...?

 

She turned to look at her savior, only to let out a sharp gasp of surprise. There was no possible way that he could be human. His features were too unearthly, and to some he could be seen as immensely horrifying. (A/N: I'm trying to continue with the beast theme here, even though everyone knows that fluffy is smexier than... well, everyone. Except for maybe big Chrono. I can never decide between the two... /sigh/ but you know whatever. On with the tale!)

 

However, Rin only saw tragic beauty.

 

He was wearing regal clothing, as if he were of high standing. However, he looked centuries out of date for the time they came from. Long silver hair grew out of his skull in velvet waterfalls, cascading down his back and ending at mid-thigh. He bore the mark of a crescent moon in the middle of his fore head, colored in a dark purple. Lighter, magenta colored stripes rested upon his well-defined cheekbones, two streaks of color on each of his side, perfectly parallel with the other, beginning just in front of his ears and ending well before they reached his nose.

 

His eyes were what she found herself staring at the most, however. They were a deep amber color, almost golden in hue. She noticed that the intoxicating orbs seemed to be staring right at her.

 

“Kagura...” He whispered softly, taking a step towards her. She looked up at him curiously.

 

Who was this Kagura person?

 

Rin blinked slowly and when she looked for him again he was standing right in front of her, a small smile on his face.

 

She blanched, almost screaming and attempting to take a step back from this obviously delirious immortal... thing. She winced as she tried to move, the wound on her stomach making itself known. How was she going to explain this to her parents?

 

However she found her retreat blocked as the demon wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close. The other hand he placed gently under her chin, lifting her head up to meet his awaiting eyes.

 

“You have returned.”

 

His voice was smooth; it's tones running over her ears like soft velvet. Rin couldn't help but blushing profusely. They had just met and he made it sound like he had known her for years! Rin had to admit she was scared. He didn't appear to want to hurt her but... he was a demon. Or something like that. Honestly, she had never even thought that demons existed.

 

“I've... missed you.”

 

The raven- haired girl shook her head. This had to stop. She was probably bleeding all over her shirt, and she didn't even know this guy. She placed her hands to his chest to push him away. She felt very weak.

 

Just as she opened her mouth to tell this strange demon that she wasn't who he thought she was, he slammed his mouth against hers, effectively silencing her. Rin stood there for a moment, before gasping softly as he began to roll his lips against her unmoving ones, attempting to earn a response.

 

Then she suddenly snapped out of the dazed state he seemed to have put her in. She pushed out of the demon's grasp; falling to the ground once he released her.

 

“What are you doing!” She shouted at him, lightly placing a hand over her mouth.

 

Had he really just kissed her?

 

The man stared at her blankly, before something seemed to register in his mind. He looked at the ground, before looking away for a moment.

 

“I was... mistaken.” He said. Usually, in such situation, a person would be embarrassed or flustered or upset; this being simply seemed rather stoic. Though, Rin was sure she could see a faint tint of a blush on his cheeks.

 

“You are not Kagura.” The creature spoke again, this time facing her. His eyes narrowed a fraction and he pursed his lips almost imperceptibly. “Then why have you come to my forest?” He asked her coldly. His voice that had once seemed so pleasant now sounded harsh and cold. She simply looked up at him stupidly, unsure of how to respond. Who was this creature? Why did he claim to own the forest and why was he dressed so strangely? Suddenly she doubled over in pain, the feeling beginning to come in waves over her body. She bit her lip while she waited for the worst to subside.

 

“You are... hurt.”

 

She looked up at him, her eyes almost watering from the feeling. It was too much. Why hadn't it hurt this much before? Probably because she had been distracted by... other things. Her eyelashes lowered slowly, before she found herself blanking out, an even blacker dark than the night descending behind her lids.

 

She fell over, motionless. The last thing she heard before the blacked out completely were soft footsteps nearing her.

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Foxgirl: How was it? Should I continue? And no, Rin is not Kagura's reincarnation or anything. It's just been years since fluffy saw another human and he saw black hair and thought, Kagura! ...You'll understand why he kissed her later. I thought of this idea and was like... YES! So yeah.. I hoped you like it so far! And if you did.............. and if you did................................. Vixen! That's your cue!

 

Vixen: Hm? What? Oh! Uh, review please! They fill her with joy or some stupid crap like that.

 

Foxgirl: *sigh*