The One by Sorrows Amaranth

Darkness Spreads

AN: An angsty piece with dark scenes. This story is rated MA for a reason so go away if you're too young to read it. There is rape in this chapter and the section will be marked. Please d not read if you're not kay with this.

Prologue

            Down in the underworld a corpse sat on her throne. Up in the heavens a king sat upon his own throne. The corpse plotted vengeance on the king and all he held dear. She would share this death and darkness with all of them. She would reclaim her place and enjoy the show. She was aware there were two the king had given favor to, to who were chosen to stand in her way. They will suffer above all others. Izanami sat back watching as her plan unfolded.

Chapter 1

Two beings stood in the center of a forest clearing. It was a sea of vibrant white, blue, and pink flowers cocooned in a range of verdant shrubs and the warm brown bark of trees. It was absolutely beautiful. The beauty of places such as this was just one of the reasons being trapped in this time had been easier for the priestess standing there to bare. It was too bad she and her companion could not take notice of this fantasy land.

His dog eyes stared into her twin pools of despair contemplating their depths. There was a deep pain that blackened those eyes that he secretly loved. He had never told her of his feelings for her. It had been his plan to do so tonight but now, he may never get that chance. Why? Within him -- his beast whimpered.

“Just go,” Kagome whispered and yet the sound pained his ears as if it were a banshee’s wail they had heard. “Just walk away,” again her words made him wish he were deaf. Something was wrong here. If Sesshomaru had not been there for the final battle, he would have sworn Naraku was attempting some twisted repeat of the past.

“Kagome…” He could not stop the slight whine that entered his voice. How could she be standing there strong and dignified? He was supposed to be the stoic regal taiyoukai, unfazed by anything. He was supposed to be baring himself, his very heart and everything he was to her in that moment in a way that stayed true to his image and still made her melt. She was not melting and he was dying.

“No Sesshomaru,” she commanded and then turned and walked away. The image of his goddess standing in the clearing with silver light shining down on her was the last thing Sesshomaru saw of her. Her raven hair reflecting the silver of the moon, her form perfect for breeding his pups as he had spent countless hours imagining silhouetted in a common woman’s sleeping yukata unfit for her as she stood regally showing no signs of being anything less than a kami. Sesshomaru fled then unable to bare her rejection any longer. His blood boiled and even as a blood rage began to take over, tears leaked from his eyes. The great and terrible Lord Sesshomaru was crying for the first time that he could remember and as he cried, blood was shed and lives were lost.

Back at the edge of the clearing Kagome let her composure fall. She could barely breathe through the sobs that racked her small body. Turning her eyes to the spot where he had last stood Kagome brought that last image of him to mind. Kami! This was the right thing to do but she could already feel the destruction being rained down upon her head. She never would have thought that she would have been in this position. It was so bittersweet, letting go of the one she loved, for his own good.

Looking around the clearing she could no longer bear to stand its beauty. She took an arrow and poured everything she was feeling at the moment, into it. There was her shame for letting it go on as long as she did and hurting him; her anger at the kamis for her lot in life; and her grief, the same grief he expressed, but she did not show him, her grief of a love lost. She set her sights on the place he once stood hoping to burn it from the face of the Earth hardly feeling the sensation of the arrows tip bursting into flames under the heat of her emotions before she let it fly. Watching as the fire spread and the clearing caught fire Kagome felt as if her very soul were nothing more than a burning stone. It would forever burn never withering away no matter how hot it became. She turned and walked away leaving the brightly burning clearing behind her and into the shadows of the forest she went.

Sesshomaru arrived in his fortress scaring all there into hiding. Servants dropped rags, dishes, linens, whatever they were holding, all was cast aside in favor of self-preservation. Even Rin was fearful of approaching him, choosing to remain frozen on a garden bench rather than running to him like she usually did and seeing this made Sesshomaru realize that it was possible for him to hurt more. To see the only other person he cared for turn away from him shredded that last bit of light he had in his heart. He felt ready to implode despite having taken the edge off his blood rage in his slaughtering that night. Only Jaken was foolish enough to break the silence that had fallen over the palace. He thoughtlessly ran up behind Lord Sesshomaru as fast as his feet would carry him.

“Milord! Milord,” he squawked completely oblivious to the red eyed inuyoukai’s rage. “Milord! Your attended has arrived!” Sesshomaru snapped clawing at Jaken until the toads screams had died down. It was barely enough to even take an edge off, only the scent of fear that now permeated the air took the edge off. Every servant and guard in the palace was truly fearful then. No matter how irritated their lord had ever gotten at his vassal, no matter how angered he had become he never truly harmed the toad. Now they wondered if the toad was even living.

Sesshomaru’s beast was in control now and he could only think of destruction. As he strode through the palace walls following a scent that did not belong not a creature stirred as the air became oppressive. When he reached his grand hall he found exactly what it was Jaken had been attempting to tell him. There sitting in the seat he had had prepared for Kagome sat the bitch that had dared name herself his intended.

She was the most beautiful inuyoukai he had ever seen. Long hair like moonlight, skin like alabaster, and eyes like the greenest emeralds made her glow. He knew Kimika’s family had bred her specifically to become ruling lady of the west one day. He had been a mere pup still wet behind the ears when the demoness began to seek his favor she herself barely even able to walk yet. From birth she had been trained and from birth he had despised her.

“Sesshomaru,” the sultry voice wrapped around his head. Only Kagome was ever meant to be so familiar with him and now she may never be so again. The seat the bitch sat in was an exact replica of his own for only Kagome could ever be his equal. Sesshomaru snarled as he snatched Kimika off the seat and tossed her down from the dais. She landed in a heap on her knees. It was not until the vacated seat became nothing more than another memory to torture the wretched lord did he turn back to the demoness.

Whatever her plan had been before clearly no longer mattered to her. Sesshomaru found the form of a submissive woman greeting his eyes. Behind in the air delicate spine arched so her torso pressed to the marble floor Kimika had her head tilted silver hair to the side to expose the fragile column of her neck. She was in the proper receiving position and yet Sesshomaru could only snarl in rage. He took a step forward intent on destroying the woman when he was hit by the scent of her heat. From then on he would remember nothing more.

He would not recall brutality with which he took her his instincts too close to the surface to resist the call. He would not recall his heart of stone turning to ashes with every powerful thrust. The sounds of a female in ecstasy and a male losing his soul would be lost to his memory. Not even knotting with Kimika as the most mournful cry the Earth had ever heard tore from his throat would be left for Sesshomaru to recall. And perhaps it was for the best.

Elsewhere Kagome neared the village that she would call home. She had stiffened her resolve as she strode through the night. She would remain priestess here until the end of her days. Firm as she was in this decision she could not bring herself to take those last steps to sealing her fate.

“Lady Kagome.” A voice slurred her name drawing her attention to the one who had spoken it. She took in the face of one of her would be suitors. She seemed to have a penchant for attracting the attention of bad matches for herself in this era. In the village alone countless men had asked both Inuyasha and Kaede for her hand, some more persistent then others. The men of the Himura clan however were the worst. It was as if they played some game amongst themselves each of the three brothers taking turns in attempting to win her.

They were constantly rejected and rather than being deterred they merely pressed harder. It was only because of Kagome that Inuyasha had not yet become more violent in deterring the men. Taking in the sight of Jiro’s drunkenness made her wish her hanyou friend were there with her. There was something wrong with the look in his eyes. She tried to convince herself it was merely her dark emotions making the man out to be sinister but she could barely ignore the sense of foreboding. She was at a disadvantage since her powers would not harm a human nor would they defend her against one.

(Warning: Rape ahead.)

“Good evening, Himura-san. I must be getting back now,” Kagome was as polite as possible, resisting the urge to take off running. She only took a step forward before he grabbed her upper arm.

“Kaaaaaagome,” he slirred. Kagome tried her best to free herself from his hold but he was surprisingly strong considering his drunkenness. Jiro took a quick gulp of sake to finish off the bottle before tossing it aside. Now with his other hand free he grabbed her other arm in a bruising grip.

“Himur…”

Jiro cut her off slurring out a sentence. “Now koishii, there is no need for formality between us. As my wife, you’ll be free to have all that you wish so long as I have your love.” With that he pressed forward ignoring her grunts and struggles to give a sloppy kiss. Kagome gagged at the smell of alcohol on his breath and he took the opportunity to force his tongue into her mouth. Kagome could feel his length pressing into her and felt a rush of fear and righteous anger. She bit his tongue and smashed his foot with one of hers.

Adrenaline rushing through her veins Kagome took off. She managed to get to the edge of the forest before Jiro’s hand shot out from the darkness. The man was unsteady sending them both tumbling down the hill the forest crested on. They came to a stop with Jiro landing on Kagome knocking the air from her. Her right shoulder was sore and she could feel a tingle running up and down the length of her arm. Before she could move however Jiro hulled her up by her hair only to smack her back down. Dazed Kagome tasted blood when he struck her again for good measure.

As she laid there trying to get her bearings he tore her yukata off of her. Then came the pain and she screamed. Jiro ignored her struggles taking satisfaction in her pain as he moved within her. “Keh, guess you really weren’t a beast’s whore,” he grunted. “Too bad for those mutts. You’re mine now.” In her struggling Kagome scratched his face and Jiro had enough. He grabbed her arms holding them above her head. Kagome did not know how long it was until he shuddered above her.

Jiro removed himself from her and stood leaving her sprawled on the ground. “You’re mine now. I’ll let you get cleaned up as a reward for being such a good fuck. Maybe next time if you behave I’ll even let you get off.” It felt like hours later that Inuyasha found her covered in blood from the waist down with bruises all over. The worst of the bruises were on her face which stared up blankly at the night sky.

(It's over.)

“Kagome!” Hearing her names Kagome began to sob. These were the sobs of a dying soul. Inuyasha was at a loss for what to do. He pulled off his fire rat robe, but as the moment his hand reached out to cover her in it she began to scream. Kagome struggled hysterically crying and screaming. At the rate she was going he worried she would seriously hurt herself. One failing leg nearly got him in his crotch. There’s no other way. “Sorry Kagome,” he heaved a heavy sigh as he knocked her unconscious. Taking in the scent of the crime Inuyasha vowed revenge.

He carried her back to the village and into Kaede’s hut. There he woke the old woman to see to his friend. When Kaede lifted questioning eyes to him he could only look away grimly. As the old woman inspected the young miko the scent of disbelieving horror filled the hut.

“Inuyasha,” her old voice rasped. “This… this cannot be…”

“That bastard Jiro did this to her,” he snarled jolting Sango and Miroku awake. Through the haze of sleep they took in the nightmare unfolding around them.

“Are ye sure?” Her tone was grave as she went about cleaning Kagome.

“I can smell it. His scent and the smell of her fear are all over the place. He raped her Kaede. He raped her in the middle of the fucking woods!” He heard gasps and realized too late that Sango and Miroku were listening. He watched as Sango looked at Kagome’s unconscious form in horror and then at Kaede silently hoping for the elderly woman to deny it. When it became clear that there was no denial coming she broke done and sobbed in Miroku’s arms. Inuyasha left the hut becoming too much for him.

That night Sango, Miroku, and Kaede did not sleep as they watched over Kagome. In the dark dead of night they could hear the pitiful screams of her attacker as Inuyasha avenged her.

In her sleep, Kagome had no peace. The face of her love melting to give way to Jiro’s face. Moonlight hair became oily black hair as twin suns became mocking pools of mud.

(‘_’)

Izanagi bore witness to the darkness spreading across the Earth. Nami, what are you doing now?

*Kimika: Japanese girl name meaning excellent emperor

*Jiro: Japanese boy name meaning second son