Labyrinth

 

            Loosely base on the movie starring David Bowie. 

             Cast:

                        Inuyasha as the Goblin King

                        Kagome as herself (the main character of the movie)

                        Souta as himself (main character’s little brother)                  

 

Prologue: Because You Wished It

            “Arrrrgggghhhh!  I HATE you Souta!” Kagome yelled the moment the door shut behind her mother.

Souta looked up quizzically from the game he was playing, “What are you shouting at me for? It’s not like I asked you to stay home and baby-sit me.”  He had returned his attention to the game before he even finished speaking and Kagome found the beeps and other electronic sound effects rather irritating given her current mood.

“That is so not the point!” she said angrily, marching to stand in front of him and grabbing the game.  Souta made a weak sound of protest, but she steamrolled right over him, “The point,” she expounded, “is that if mom hadn’t asked me to stay and watch you while she went out I could be at the movies with Eri and Yuka instead of stuck here with nothing to do!  I swear sometimes I think life would be so much easier if you had never been born! I wish you would just GO AWAY!!!”

            Souta, who had been attempting to grab his game back from his older sister, but was finding it difficult as she was waving her arms emphatically as she spoke, suddenly stopped cold.  His mouth gaped and when Kagome looked down at him she saw his eyes darken with anger just a moment and then they were shimmering almost as though he were about to cry.

            She almost apologized, but she decided it really was his fault anyway.

            Their gazes locked for long, tense, moments and then Souta suddenly jumped up off the couch and pushed past her without a word.  She heard his feet stomping rapidly up the stairs and then the sound of his door slamming shut.  Looking down at the game still in her hand she felt bad, but she wasn’t about to apologize to the little twerp.  After all, he had ruined her evening.

            Kagome tossed the gameboy on the end table and reached down to pick up her favorite novel.  She settled into the couch and found her place in the beloved book.  The third time through the first paragraph she tossed it down with a sigh of frustration.

            Okay.  Maybe she had been a little harsh with Souta.  He hadn’t asked their mother to go out tonight.  And he certainly hadn’t asked to be born. But… that wasn’t the point.  Was it?

            Trying to shove away the guilt nagging in the back of her mind Kagome grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV.  TV was always good for not thinking – that was why teachers hated it so much, and why kids loved it so much.  Alcohol for the underage, Kagome thought humorlessly.  But after a few minutes it became obvious that even television wasn’t going to numb her guilty thoughts.  It was too quiet upstairs.  She was beginning to worry a little.

            Sighing, Kagome clicked off the TV before setting down the remote.

            “Souta?” her first call was tentative as she slowly made her way up the stairs.  She was trying as hard as she could to make her movements soundless, straining to hear any noise from the second story.

            There wasn’t any.

            “Souta?”  This time her call was a bit louder and colored with a bit of fear. “Souta, this isn’t funny!” she practically shouted, reaching the door of his room and knocking hard.  There was no answer so she pushed it open.

            He wasn’t inside. 

            Kagome’s heart almost stopped.  He was hiding right?  Of course he was just hiding.  She had hurt his feelings and he was getting back at her.  That was it.  It had to be.

            “Souta,” she stepped inside his room and started poking around, “Souta, I’m sorry, alright!  Now please just come out.”

            Not a whisper of movement, not the sound of a breath.  Fear, real and alive, gripped Kagome’s throat.  What if he had done something stupid?  She threw a glance at the window and was relieved to find it still locked.  At least he hadn’t gone outside.

            “I didn’t mean it, Souta! You know I didn’t mean it.  I was just mad at mom.  That’s no excuse though.  I’m sorry.  Just please, please come back!”  She sniffed, dismayed to find tears running down her cheeks.  She swiped at them, but wasn’t able to stop them.  “Please, Souta.” She whispered sinking onto his bed and hugging her knees to herself, burying her face in them.  “Just be here.” She whispered.

            “You mean you want him back?  After all the trouble I went through to get rid of him.” A distinct snort, “Now that’s gratitude for ya.” The voice, half amused half irritated, seemed to come from everywhere at once and yet from a distance.

Kagome jumped, because she had been certain she was alone.  She looked around for the source of the disembodied voice, but could see no one.  Fairly certain her fear had turned her crazy, but desperate all the same, Kagome answered.  “Yes!  Yes, I want him back!  What did you do with him?”

            “Exactly what you asked.” The voice had dropped about an octave, now low and husky, almost intimate, as if the speaker cared for her in some way.  But why would someone who cared for her take her brother?

            “What are you talking about?” her gaze frantically darted around the room.  That time the voice had sounded so close, as though it were right beside her.  She glanced toward the window once more.

            “You wished that he would go away.” This time she was certain the speaker was right beside her. Whirling toward the sound she let out a startled yelp.  Sitting on the edge of the bed right beside her was a man.

            Well, sort of a man.

            He had long white hair and golden eyes, and it looked as though he had claws instead of nails, but his most noticeable feature was a pair of furry dog ears perched atop his head.  One of those ears twitched with annoyance.

            “Oi!  Would you knock that off, wench.  My ears are sensitive you know.” That yelp had been killer on his doggie ears.

            “Sorry- sorry.” Kagome whispered, eyes raking over him as if trying to figure out if he were real.  Slowly her hand reached out to touch his arm.  Finding her fingers contact with hard flesh she shrieked and hastily pulled back, almost toppling off the bed with the sudden movement.

            “Ow!  I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do that anymore.” He snapped, reaching a hand up to rub the offended appendage even as he steadied her with the other.

            Kagome gave a weak nod, her eyes wide with fright.  “Y-you’re real.  Wh- who are you?” she whispered, “what are you? What are you doing here?  What did you do with my brother!?” each question was a little louder and came a little faster as her sluggish thoughts became lucid and then frantic.

            “You gonna stop so I can answer any of those?” the stranger asked, and Kagome would have taken issue with the sarcasm in his tone if she hadn’t been so absolutely afraid.  “My name is Inuyasha, I’m the goblin king, I’m half human and half inu-youkai, I’m here because I want to be, and I did with your brother exactly what you wished to be done.”  Her eyes widened at the implication and she shuddered as he leaned closer to stare in her eyes, “I made him go away.”

            The look in his eyes was strange, not at all what she would have expected.  It was as if this man knew her … as if he had feelings for her, but Kagome didn’t have time to dwell on that as his final words sunk in.

            “You what!?”  She forgot about his ears again and he threw her a sullen look which she ignored.  “Where is he you – you freak!”

            He bristled, “I’m not gonna talk to you if you’re going to be insulting.” He said testily, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from her.

            Realizing that upsetting him would only keep her further from reaching Souta, Kagome forced herself to calm down.  Finally she spoke in the most mature voice she could muster, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you names.  But – what did you mean when you said you made him go away?”

            He relaxed a little, shrugging, “Just what it sounds like.  I made him go away.”

            Kagome had to fight the urge to scream at him again, but she managed to remain calm, “Where did you take him?”

            “To my home.  He won’t bother you ever again.”

            “But, why?” she was starting to get exasperated, he wasn’t making any sense!

            He turned to face her, and her breath caught at the look in his eyes.  Tenderly he reached a clawed hand to trace down her cheek and then along her jaw before whispering his answer.  “Because you wished it…”