Whispers Behind Rice Paper Walls by hikari hime

Prologue

[u]Whispers Behind Rice Paper Walls

By Hikari Hime[/u]

Disclaimer: Inuyasha, the characters, story and settings, are Rumiko Takahashi sensei's. Only the plot line and the possible Original Characters are my own. This disclaimer counts for the whole fanfiction, which for I make no earthly profit, albeit the pleasure to write and to entertain you all.

Warning: This is what I call a naughty dark fic. It will feature my usual emotional style, plus angst, wickedness, sexual encounters, rape, torture, violence, betrayal, character's death... and loads of frustration and headaches for our favourite couple. The rating is there for a reason. If you are under the age of 18, please do not read this story. Please do consider that I would never condone the act of raping or torture, but I describe it in details here. You have been warned.

Spoiler alerts: This happens several months after the conclusion of the manga, the last chapter have been released not long ago and... Well, let's say there are things in this chapter that I had to take advantage of. -evil giggles- If you only know of the anime, or if you don't have access to the scans, please keep in mind that I follow the canon by heart. (I know, this pairing is far from canon... whatever... lol)

Beta reader: My eternal gratitude goes to my beta reader, MamaSama. She's nudging my muse with little fragments of gold from time to time, making my already over-active imagination to flood with ideas. Blame her for the blooming of numerous frivolous situations, including beer, kilts, and shapely Daiyoukais. Hum.

Plea of the writer: Please do remember that, even if my beta is close to perfect, my first language is not English. This is not an excuse for the possible mistakes you may encounter in this fic, but just my own way to ask for your help. If you notice any spelling or grammatical failure, feel free to precise where it is and I will edit the text as soon as possible. I will not heed useless or anonymous flames, but I will always appreciate a constructive criticism.

[u]Prologue:[/u]

A frown marred his aristocratic features. He was still far away from the little village of Edo, but he could already smell the acrid stench of burning flesh and see the dark smoke rising from the destroyed huts. Something had gone horribly wrong in his absence and, even if he didn't lose his ever frigid countenance at the sight, he felt his innards clench with dread.

Rin.

Where was she? Was she injured? Was she still alive?

Cursing the day he had deemed it necessary to leave his ward in the care of the elder Miko, he flew as fast as possible towards his goal, ignoring the distressed croaks of his retainer behind him.

What greeted him when he landed was as close as possible to what the warlord encountered when crossing a battlefield. Entrails and limbs were littered all over the bloodied ground, baring to the eye of the stoic onlooker the whiteness of bones and the dark serpents of intestines obscenely protruding from the villagers' abdomens. Children were frozen in a silent cry as their mothers had been violated and beheaded in front of their innocent, and now unseeing, eyes.

Sesshoumaru neared some of the closest corpses, his purpose being to identify the culprit who had exacted these abominations. He bent over an unidentifiable pile of guts and mangled flesh, and gritted his teeth at the stench of decay and bodily fluids.

Three days. This was the first thought that crossed his ever logical mind. Youkai. This was the second. This one sent a shiver of rage through his body.

And then, among the reek of rotting, fear and death, he detected the faint smell of jasmine blossoms.

Rin.

Unbeknownst to him, his heart rate sped up as his body shot like a bullet through the devastated human settlement.

The first thing he perceived was the mangled corpse of the little Miko. Kagome, the Shikon Miko, his brother's bride-to-be. She was the most courageous woman he had ever laid eyes on, after Rin of course. The unnatural angle of her back could not be mistaken for anything close to normal human anatomy, as was the inordinate amount of her blood soaking her clothes and the dirt around her. However, a more girlish being would have shrieked when a whimper escaped the dead body.

The youkai lifted an eyebrow in silent inquiry instead, and pushed her none too gently to the side with the tip of his booted foot. What he saw made him draw a sharp breath, as under the young woman was Rin, covered in dried fluids, terrorised, but alive.

The Miko, Kagome, had protected her until her very last heart beat.

Kneeling carefully near his distressed little girl, he put his clawed hand on her head gently, so as not to startle her. She shrieked with horror, her eyes still glazed with the atrocities she had encountered. When she saw who was by her side, she nearly tackled him, jumping into his lap eagerly. Fisting his haori in a white-knuckled grip, she soaked the silken fabric with tears of relief, mumbling incoherently between two soul searing sobs.

Unable to comprehend the traumatised child, Sesshoumaru decided to wait until she recovered a semblance of sanity before making any decisions. He sat there, the soon-to-be woman clinging to his form as if he were a life line. He gazed coldly at the cadaver of the woman who had once defeated one of his fiercest enemies, and who had, in her most recent act of selfless bravery, protected Rin with her lifeless body.

Where the hell was Inuyasha, leaving his future wife unprotected barely a month before the wedding? Where were her companions, the kit, monk, and taijiya? Where was Kohaku? He had spotted the now deceased old miko, but not the others.

When Rin awoke from her shock-induced state, her first thought was for Kagome.

"Sesshoumaru sama? Where is Kagome?" She asked, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"She died, Rin." He answered, his tone softer than usual.

"Could you bring her back, Sesshoumaru sama?" She pleaded, tears brimming at the corner of her reddened eyes.

"I can try." He grunted, standing with the child still in the crook of his left arm.

Unsheathing Tenseiga, his eyes became hooded as he searched for the minions of hell that were probably hovering above the young woman's lifeless body. Unexpectedly, relief flooded in him as he spotted them and slaughtered them with a clean swipe of the Sword of Heavens. However, before he could put back the katana into its sheath, it glowed brightly with an unhindered blue aura and pulsed once, sending a bolt of azure youki into the already tremendously big soul of the now revived girl.

A little surprised, his stoic mask firmly in place, he put the weapon back at his hip and looked down at his former ally as her cerulean eyes opened to the world of the living.

"Onii san?" She asked, slightly startled and intimidated by his closeness.

He frowned. He had made it clear on many occasions that he hated this title she insisted on calling him. The death glare never unsettled her, as her gaze travelled to his left side, where his hand still rested on the hilt of the healing sword.

She beamed sheepishly at him, gratitude coating her very aura.

"Thank you for helping me, Sesshoumaru sama." She said softly, her head bobbing in a deferential and uncharacteristic bow.

Lifting an elegant brow at the unusual respect of his rightful title, he assessed her state of awareness. She didn't seem to be as dazed as Rin had been, so she might be helpful in explaining the previous events.

"Explain." He intoned with a wide sweep of his arm towards the surroundings to precede his curt inquiry.

"Inuyasha and the others had to go away to exterminate a youkai threat two weeks of travelling from here. They had been gone for two days when we were attacked, mostly by humanoid looking youkais. They were trained warriors, and Kaede and I were alone to protect the village... We never stood a chance. I barely had time to cover Rin with my blood and scent before I passed out. The poor thing was so frightened, she kept shouting about wolves and hell hounds, I think she fainted only a few minutes before me. I think... Sesshoumaru, I don't know if I'm right, but I think they were inuyoukai. They showed pack behaviour, like wolves would, but I don't know such a wolf tribe, and I'm sure I'd be able to recognise most of them. Some of them even had silver hair, like you and Inuyasha..." She trailed off when she noticed the thoughtful look on his usually expressionless features.

"Jaken." The youkai called.

"Yes My Lord?" The retainer looked at him expectantly.

"Go find Inuyasha and report these events to him. Tell him the Miko is to stay at the Western palace until I deem it unnecessary."

"Hum..." The young woman interrupted him. "Don't I have anything to say in the matter? I want to give the villagers a proper burial." Her lips were pursed in a thin line, her jaws set with determination.

"What is more important? Tending to the dead or protecting the living? In the absence of your future husband, I am honour bound to ensure your safety. This said, I can take care of it with you willing or not. Be assured that this Sesshoumaru does not care if he has to tie you with a rope for you to comply to his demands. Now, Kagome, take hold of my tail and hang on tightly, we will fly to the home of my mother this instant."

"Your mother? I thought it was you the Lord of the West." She looked puzzled, not even registering that she just had been threatened to be trussed up.

"Indeed. But she takes care of the affairs of the lands while I keep it safe. Now, miko, prepare yourself, my patience is wearing thin" He growled.

Muttering under her breath about self centred males and their overgrown egos, she all but dived in the soft fur the Daiyoukai presented her with, revelling at the warm feeling it procured, reminding her of the first time she had fled with the inu youkai, in the belly of Naraku.

And, with a still shivering child in his arms and a moody miko grasping his tail, he took off, questioning his own sanity at bringing two human females in the youkai compound.

His mother was undoubtedly going to grant him one of her numerous ironic rants about how he looked more and more like his father.

He snorted silently to himself. Whatever, nobody would hurt what was his, and that was all that mattered. His pack would be safe, and he wanted to use the miko for his own purposes. She was a crafty woman, and he knew that she would be well suited for what he envisioned, youkai or not.

He gritted his teeth inwardly. There was one thing that he despised more than idiocy, and it was betrayal. Whoever was stupid enough to try and foment a mutiny against him would pay for it dearly.

His most treasured possession cradled against his chest, the Daiyoukai of the West began to form a wicked plan in this tortured mind of his, involving retribution, death, dismemberment, and the innocent miko currently hugging his tail fiercely.

------

This will be an "unregular" fic, as I don't want to hinder the rhythm of my other stories outings. My muse can be very insistent when she has an idea, and I couldn't even write another chapter for WDBM... so I had to get this one out of my system before resuming my usual writing.

I don't know when I'll update this, it will depend on the feedback I assume, but even though I think I will indulge in it as often as my muse bothers me, don't flame if I don't continue it on a regular basis.

Please tell me what you thought about the prologue, and beware of the rating of this fic, I won't tell you again, but don't read if you're too young. Please.

Dewa mata ^_^