FYI** I did it again. I started another AU fic when I have a whopping total of six fics that I am currently working on. I shouldn't have even thought about this but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Yeah, I know. That's always my excuse...
Dying Only Hurts the First Time
Ch.1
By: Lara Winner
"I hate this place."
Lying on his bed, Inuyasha Adachi counted the branching cracks that marred the ceiling. With his arms folded beneath his head and a sneaker clad foot bouncing absently, the seventeen-year-old was the epitome of boredom. One could almost pity the misery he exuded.
"Oi, I hate this town. I hate this stupid shrine. And I really hate that there?s never a fucking thing to do!" he hissed.
"That?s the fifth time you?ve said that tonight." Chimed a voice from across the room.
Inuyasha turned his glare on the dark haired boy. From his seat in the desk chair, Miroku Gensai was watching his petulant friend with a wry smile. Leaning back, legs stretched out and feet crossed at the ankles, Miroku smiled. "You really should cheer up. It?s not that bad."
Inuyasha begged to differ. It had been four months since his elder brother?s job had relocated them from the bustling heart of Tokyo to the quaint town of Edo, an hour drive from the city. What possessed Sesshomaru to buy a rundown shrine right smack in the middle of nowhere was still a mystery to Inuyasha but it was apparent that once his bother?s mind was made up there was no reasoning with the inu-youkai. Inuyasha was stuck in what may as well have been the boonies for all he cared.
At least Miroku had the advantage of having his own car, which Inuyasha did not. It was a good thing too because he knew that if it were not for Miroku?s weekend visits he would have gone insane from the lack of social interaction he?d suffered as of late. It seemed the people that lived in this sad excuse for a town were not exactly thrilled about the hanyou now in their midst.
"Feh. You try living with my dumb fuck bother in this hellhole that?s miles away from decent civilization and see how long you can stand it. I say a week and you?ll be ready to kill yourself."
"That?s because you are looking at this from entirely the wrong angle." Miroku laughed. "You know what you need?"
"Some rope and a chair?"
"No. You need a girl."
Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah right."
"I?m being serious Inuyasha. You?re sitting in a gold mine and you don?t even realize it. Let?s think about this for a moment. You live with your brother who is rarely home and, even if he were, couldn?t care less what you do or whom you do it with. As if that were not a welcomed stroke of luck you now live in a town filled with very delectable young women. Do you see where I?m heading with this?"
"Yup, right for an ass kicking from your girlfriend." Inuyasha growled. Speaking of? why wasn?t Sango back yet?
"I?m not talking about myself here, I?m talking about you and your pathetic existence. You are single with the means to "get some" if only you would put your mind to it." Miroku reasoned patiently.
Inuyasha opted for the safest answer he could manage. He ignored his friend and continued to count the spots of peeling paint above his head but the pervert would not be deterred.
"As your friend I can not in good faith let you miss this golden opportunity? unless you intend to die a virgin."
Inuyasha turned pink. "Who said I?m still a virgin?"
"I know these things." The boy answered with a dismissive shrug. "But if you must know the main give away is your constant puss face. Trust me, good sex can have more effective results than an overdose of Prozac."
"I agree with the overdose part. Got any Cyanide?"
"Focus Inuyasha, focus. You need to get laid. What did you think of that girl Sango works with? What was her name?.?"
"Yura?"
"That?s it. Yura. She was quite lovely. Nice big breasts, curvy hips, round ass?"
"Hell no! That psycho bitch cornered me with a comb and tried to brush my hair. She said something about wanting to play with it and she had this crazy look in her eyes?" Inuyasha shuddered. "No! No way in hell!"
"Well she was drunk that night." Miroku pointed out.
"I said no!"
"What about Kagura? I think you could learn to dig the whole dominatrix vibe. You might enjoy wearing a leash."
This time Inuyasha let out a snarl, abandoning his thorough examination of the ceiling to sit up and pin Miroku with a golden death glare. "This conversation is over. Unless you have something non-sexually oriented to say I suggest you shut the fuck up."
It was hardly a surprise when both boys lapsed into another round of easy silence. They remained that way until Inuyasha felt compelled to state for the record, "I really hate this place."
The sound of a slamming car door outside had both Inuyasha and Miroku perking up in an instant. A few moments later the front door creaked and a feminine voice reached them from downstairs. "Hey guys I?m back! I?ve got the movies!"
Inuyasha, with Miroku right on his heels, was the first to make it down to the living room and greeted the young girl waiting there with a half-hearted growl. "Damn bitch. Sure took you long enough. I was starting to think you got lost or something."
Sango Hosokaya cast the hanyou with a dark look, pointing to the apparent water droplets that stood out on her t-shirt and jeans. "I, out of the goodness of my heart mind you, go out in the rain to rent movies for you and this is the thanks I get?"
"Keh. You were gone three hours. This town is not that fucking big." He smiled when Miroku?s eyes narrowed.
"Where did you go, love?" The boy asked suspiciously.
Sango?s expression warned of retribution and Inuyasha chuckled. It was so easy to get the two riled up that sometimes he couldn?t help himself. Both being the jealous type, it was entertaining to watch them bait each other. To his disappointment, Sango wasn?t falling for it.
Giving Miroku a kiss on the cheek, she produced a plastic shopping bag from behind her back. With her chocolate eyes sparkling, she confessed, "Since the two of you are on a horror movie kick I got an idea. I?ve always wanted to do this. Since I?m too chicken shit to do it by myself and because this place has the perfect history for it? "she winked, "I bought this."
Out of the bag came a flat box that looked much like board game. Inuyasha blinked. "A ouiji board?"
Sango laughed. "Oh come on, you mean to tell me it never crossed your mind. This shrine is rumored to be haunted remember. We?ve gotta try this."
Inuyasha fought the urge to roll his eyes. How could he forget? It seemed everybody he came across was dying to know what it was like living in a haunted house.
At first Inuyasha had wondered why a shrine that was once family operated and open to the public was sold so cheaply on the market. Sure the place needed a little fixing up but that was nothing compared to how much property like this should have cost. But Sesshomaru had made a killing with this place and it wasn?t until the second week at his new high school that he figured out why.
The real-estate agent had seemingly forgot to mention the brutal murder that had taken place on the shrine grounds thirteen years ago. All it took was for his fellow classmates to learn that he was the new inhibitor of the Higurashi Shrine and the wild stories had started to fly.
Supposedly the place was haunted by the spirit of the young woman who was killed in the summer of ?91. The crime itself was high profile and the killer was caught and arrested. But after the horrible incident the Higurashi family sold the shrine and the place was having trouble keeping its following owners ever since. Claims of strange happenings would have the place abandoned after a few months.
Of course it was all a bunch of bullshit.
"You don?t really believe all that crap do you?" he scoffed.
Sango shrugged. "Why not? It is possible."
This time Inuyasha did roll his eyes. "Okay whatever you say."
"Besides," she countered, "I want to see for myself if anything happens. You are so stubborn that I wouldn?t put it past you to deny that this place is haunted even after you?ve seen the ghost face to face."
It was rather funny. Everybody knew there was no such things as ghosts. But if she was going to call his bluff he had no problem with it. After all, nothing was going to happen.
"I?m in," he smirked, "even though you?re only wasting your time."
Sango beamed happily and turned to her boyfriend. "And you?"
"Sure." Miroku agreed pleasantly.
Though he smiled placidly there was a sudden tenseness about the boy that caught Inuyasha?s attention. He sniffed the air once, then again and fought the urge to laugh out right. The scent of fear was subtle but unmistakable. Miroku was afraid.
This was going to be great.
****
The rain was coming down in a torrent that was banging against the windows loudly. Punctuated by the periodic crash of thunder and dancing streaks of lightening across the pitch-black sky, it was the perfect setting for the seance about to take place.
Little over an hour before and right when they were getting to best part of "The Ring" the electricity had suddenly gone out leaving the entire house and shrine grounds in complete darkness. Cursing up a storm and equipped with only a flickering lighter, Inuyasha was forced to stumble his way down to the basement and find the power box for the alternate generator. So far that was the only perk about living in the stupid shrine.
Once the power was restored to the main house and the movie completed, he had all to eagerly reminded Sango about the ouiji board and her little idea.
"I would think to get the best results we should probably do this as close as possible to where the girl died." He suggested.
"So which room do we do this in?" she asked, looking around the living room wearily.
"The girl wasn?t killed in the house." Inuyasha said softly, watching his friends closely for their reaction.
"She wasn?t? I thought they found her in the house?"Sango trailed off with a frown trying to remember what she?d heard.
"No. They found her body in the well house." He bit back a smirk as he added for good measure, "In pieces."
Both Miroku and Sango stared at him in growing horror, until the beginnings of a smile gave him away.
"You asshole! You had me going there. Especially after watching that movie." Sango fumed. "There is no way I?m going near a well for the rest of my life."
Miroku settled for a simple, "That was not funny."
For Inuyasha the innocent irony was only too perfect. No this couldn?t have worked out better if he?d planed it himself. "I hate to break it you but she was knocked off in the well house. I made up the rest but, then again, from the varying rumors I?ve heard I really don?t know how she died. So why don?t ask her and find out?"
Dead silence met his enthusiasm.
"Oh come on! Don?t be a fucking pussy! You are not bailing out on me now!"
Sango at least had the grace to look down with a blush, "Umm? I?m not so sure about this. I don?t think my heart can take much more excitement tonight."
"You guys really think something is going to happen?" he laughed in amazement.
Miroku frowned. "You should have respect for the dead Inuyasha. Restless sprits can harm you if you underestimate the threat they can possess."
"Do you realize how retarded you sound? I?ve lived here for over four months and I?ve have yet to hear, see, feel, or experience anything out of the ordinary. I just went down into the basement while it was in complete darkness and you didn?t hear me screaming like a bitch. Nothing is going to happen. There are no ghosts here. I?ll go in that stupid well house right now just to prove it to you. Now are you two going to runaway like cowards or are we going to have a little fun?"
It took another five minutes of persuading, or rather ego bashing, before his companions relented and the communing with sprits could commence. Each equipped with a flashlight, the three made their way across the grounds darting through the pouring rain to the small building that housed an ancient dry well.
They gathered on the stoop, huddling out of the rain as Inuyasha pulled out a key ring and set about unlocking the pad lock that kept the well sealed off from the outside world. Once both lock and key were safely tucked in his pocket, he slowly pushed the door aside and the resounding creak as the rusted hinges groaned was enough the make him wince as his ears pressed flat to his skull.
The first thing to cross Inuyasha mind as he stepped into the musty room was how small it was. The room itself was only twelve by twelve including the steps that led into the tiny space and there in the center, covered by a wooden board was the well. The square structure was only three to four feet high and roughly six feet across. All in all it wasn?t that impressive.
The second thing to cross Inuyasha mind was the faint scent of juniper berries. It was odd and out of place as it mingled with the stale aroma of rotting wood and pungent mold. But it was there floating through the space like fine thread, sweet and fresh.
Hesitantly he stepped forward, shining his flashlight around the room giving it a quick once over for any ghostly apparitions. Of course like he expected there was nothing to be found, just an old decrepit well and a hell of a lot of mold.
"I don?t know about you guys but I?m disappointed." He whined.
Sango shivered. "This place is really giving me the creeps."
"Same here." Came Miroku?s clipped reply.
Shaking his head at their pathetic nervousness, he led them further into the small room. Taking a seat on the packed earth that served as the floor, he set down the ouiji board and quickly readied it for use. Once everyone was as comfortable as they could be in such a tense atmosphere, he prompted, "So who?s gonna ask the first question."
Again silence.
"Fine I?ll go first." Making a production of it, he closed his eyes and wiggled his fingers over the triangular indicator. "So does the dead chick have a name?"
He cracked open one eye and waited.
Nothing.
"Will the two of you put your fingers on the damn pointer thingy. We?re supposed to channel our thoughts through it or some stupid shit like that. It?s not going to work if we sit here like dorks and stare at it." He snapped.
Reluctantly Sango and Miroku followed his orders looking none to happy about having to touch the game piece and Inuyasha almost growled in annoyance. On second thought Miroku looked a little pale. This just kept getting better and better, he snickered to himself.
"All right now lets try this again." Inuyasha closed his eyes once more for dramatic effect. "What is the name of the girl that died here?"
Still there was no movement and no sound beside the eerie melody of the rain. Curious to have some kind of weird encounter, Inuyasha was just about to open his mouth and goad the dead bitch when it happened.
Abruptly the game piece began to move shakily. Golden eyes snapped open only to widen in surprise as everyone lifted their fingers off the indicator but it continued to move by itself. It crept across the board, wobbling violently only to come to the letter K. Then it stopped.
What the fuck?
"Oh my God! Did you see that?" Sango squeaked softly as she drew in an unsteady breath.
"Gee, it was kind of hard to miss." He snapped as a prickle of unease poured down his spine. He determinedly brushed it off. "There?s a logical explanation like the ground isn?t level. There?s no need to freak out."
"You expect me to believe that Inuyasha?"
"Why not? Its possible" he said, throwing her words back at her.
"Even I could come up with a better explanation!"
He smirked. "Let me guess?. A ghost?"
"Yes."
"Just how fucking gullible are you?"
"Something moved that game piece and it sure wasn?t one of us!"
Before another retort could be made Miroku brought the mounting argument to a screeching halt. "Inuyasha there is a presence in here. Can?t you feel it?"
What started as mild unease quickly turned into wave of alarm as Inuyasha realized his friend was right. His youkai senses were picking up a change in the atmosphere as easily as if it could be physically seen. There was a lifeless aura of? of? something he?d never felt before and it was swirling about him, pulling on his youki. While the air inside the small well house remained as still as a tomb, the impression of an icy caress brushed against his forearms raising the skin with chill-bumps. It was giving him the sensation of being toyed with by something he couldn?t see.
Inuyasha didn?t like the feeling one bit.
The beginnings of a snarl formed in his chest but as he sucked in a breath to release the warning sound a thick fog of juniper filled his sensitive nose and he nearly choked. It was the same sweet fragrance he had smelled when they first walked in the well house. Only now it was so strong his eyes threatened to water and his head was spinning.
Where was the smell coming from?
It wasn?t soap or perfume, there were no chemicals to enhance the scent. It was natural and overpowering, like someone had shoved a bouquet of the shit right under his nose. It was making it difficult to draw a breath.
But suddenly breathing became the least of his concerns as another much fainter scent registered in his conscious and this time he froze, his stomach lurching painfully.
Blood.
There was no time for thought, no time to worry about his pride or the abject terror that suddenly filled his gut. He was ridding on instinct and it screamed that where there was blood there was death. It was a primitive reaction and every muscle in his body tensed to spring as he headed it.
Before Inuyasha realized he had moved, he was up the stairs and stumbling outside into the rain. There just wasn?t enough air, not when he was coughing and trying to breathe at the same time. As inane as it was, at that moment the crisp scent of rain had never smelled so good. He greedily drew in breath after breath willing the fuzzy feeling in his dead to dissipate. But his thoughts were a confused jumble and the pounding of his heart sounded like a drum echoing in his ears.
He didn?t even try to lift his head when a moment later he was joined by a trembling, teary-eyed Sango and a frightfully pale Miroku.
"Did you smell that shit?" He managed to wheeze.
Miroku shook his head, not daring to tear his eyes away from the dark depths well house. His protective hold on Sango?s waist tightened as she turned her head into his shoulder.
Even if he couldn?t smell it, Inuyasha would have felt the fear rolling of the girl.
"Get her inside the house. I?m gonna lock up out here." he barked, his composure returning with a vengeance and fueled by a growing spark of anger.
Wordlessly Miroku obeyed.
Inuyasha waited till they reached they house and he hard the soft click of the back door before turning his attention to the well house. The flashlights and the ouiji board were lying exactly where they were left and he cursed angrily knowing he would have to get them.
This was fucking ridiculous. He was wet. He was cranky. His head was pounding. And he really didn?t want to go back in there.
The little patience he had vanished. In the blink of an eye he was steaming mad and it was his saving grace.
Snarling like a rabid dog with his teeth bared and his claws ready, he stormed into the building, gathered the game and the flashlights and huffed back out almost wishing that something would try to fuck with him again. But whatever he thought he had felt before must have been his imagination because he didn?t need light to see that the well house was empty. There was absolutely nothing in there.
Since there was nothing to antagonize he did the next best thing and raged to himself, spouting a string of expletives that would put a seasoned sailor to shame. Closing the door to the well house with a bit more force than necessary, he secured the lock in place and then kicked the door for good measure.
The rain had already soaked through his clothes and plastered his sliver hair to his head. A little more water made no difference as he stalked to the house through the steady downpour. He cast one last dour look over his shoulder and reached out to open the back door, only to pause as his ears perked up.
Over the steady rhythm of the raindrops he swore he caught the sound of someone laughing.
A.N. ? Hmm? does the skeptic finally believe? And who is the dead girl? I've got a lot to answer next chapter. But since my other fics were started first I'll work on this one when I can. Yup, I'm going to finish this one too... sometime before I die.
