Monarchy by WAMM

Torrent

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the InuYasha cast. All this poor freshman owns is the story, plot, and the basic out line of the tale you are about to read.

Claimer- I own this story and all rights to its plot and general outline.

Author's Note- This is Samantha, aka Scram, Estel and Dúnedain_Ranger. I hope you all enjoy my stories but please do not copy any part of them and take it as your own... because that would be mean. Just kidding but seriously everyone can write you just have to find proper inspiration, and imagination. I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into writing these stories for your enjoyment, seriously I got a lot of paper cuts... no joke. I can only hope my countless hours will not disappoint. Without further adieu I present to you...

Monarchy

Chapter 1: Torrent

Year-1990

The clouds were slowly but surely taking up the skies. Their ominous grays and blacks covered the dusk skies like a second blanket covering that of night. The sunset still sinking, seen over the horizon and with its colors of orange and yellow, looked ethereal against the oncoming storm. As the clouds moved one could see stars come and go as if blinking to those below from their heavenly home up in the sky. Flashes of lightning and drum rolls of thunder, seen and heard in the distance, signaled the calm before the storm for the small seaside town.

Sailors and anglers had docked at port deciding that staying at home boarded up with their families was more important than risking their lives out in the restless sea. All of the shops, ports, and pubs closed to make sure no one tried to go out in this storm said to be the worst of all time. Every home, hotel, and barn had their windows and doors locked in anticipation for this natural phenomenon... except one.

A girl about seventeen was sitting on her windowsill with one leg hanging haphazardly out of her window, looking out towards the oncoming force of nature. Her silky black tresses were blowing about in the sudden gust wind, carrying the salty air that only the ocean can create. She was wearing a pair of gray sweat pants that fell loosely around her legs with 'Dorset' written across the butt, and a white tank top.

Her face looked soft and calm, her eyes closed and her head lolled back against the glass. She looked detached from the world; no one would have guessed that she was thinking about a hundred thoughts per second. Her body portrayed no hint of the fiery inferno that raged inside.

~ Why is it that old people never like me? I never did anything to them. Just because I'm young and beautiful doesn't mean they have to give me detention. I think they have an alliance against girls like me. Oh my god I'm so conceited, I need to get over myself. I wonder how far off this storm is. What was it grandpa taught me to do before he died? Oh yeah... ~ Her ice blue eyes open looking out into the clouds. A streak of lightning flashed off in the distance.

"One-one thousand, two-two thousand, three-three thousand, four-four," before she could finish a ground-shaking boom sounded in the distance for all to hear. "Ok that was four miles. Now," another flash, and she started counting, "one-one thousand, two-two thousand, three-three thousand," then there was another earth-shattering boom.

"Yes! It's getting closer. I love rain. Now what was I thinking?" she said to no one in particular, forgetting her rage.

"Kagome!" came a gruff voice from the other side of the oak door that led to her bedroom, "Mom says that she'll be delayed because of the storm."

"That's fine, are you still going to go to Tina's house? Better go before the storm starts!" Kagome asked her brother, Souta, while opening the heavy oak door.

Souta was nineteen. He had shaggy hair and hazel eyes. His body was muscular, but not ripped. He was the kind of person that you could trust with anything and everything, but not to trustworthy to get taken advantage of. He was also sincere but no pushover in any way. He was in a word compassionate; compassionate about everything and everyone around him.

"Yeah, I was just coming up to say goodbye. Are you sure you'll be fine home alone, they say that it's going to be a big one."

"I'll be fine. Gees it's not like you care anyway, just go and have a good time with your girlfriend," Kagome reassured her older sibling.

"Alright if you say so..."

"I do! Now go before the storm starts."

"Ok, bye Kags see you tomorrow."

"See ya later," she replied while closing the door and turning into her bedroom.

Her room was well in one word Kagome. She had decorated it herself. The walls had a mahogany cherry rail that went along the whole wall. The bottom half was a dark navy and the top was white. Her window on the west wall let her see the beautiful coast line and the gorgeous sunsets. It had navy curtains that looked like they had waves on them. Her window seat had dark purple and blue pillows. On the floor next to the window sat her stereo and collection of CDs and VHS tapes. Her room had hard wood flooring that matched her cherry rails and door.

Her bed was on the east wall. It had a dark purple comforter and dark green sheets. Her pillows were a mix between dark purples, greens, and blues. She had pictures everywhere on her walls. She had taken and developed most of them herself. A good number of them were of old friends before she moved. Some were of Souta and her when they were little, but little over half were of nature. Between sunsets and stars, birds and bees, even the caves and coves she had found on one of her many sailing adventures. Everything you could imagine adorned her walls through her pictures.

On her desk was her camera that her friends gave her before she moved to England four years ago. They told her to, in their exact worlds, and I quote, "take lots of pictures of the hot guys and send them back for us!" She also had her diary along with her scrapbook and a small television strewn about her desk.

Her connecting bathroom had black walls and black counter tops with glow in the dark paint splattered everywhere. Her shower had a massager head and a tub big enough for three grown people to sit in it comfortably.

The door at the far wall of her bathroom led to her darkroom. The darkroom also had black walls. The only light in it was a red lamp in the middle of the room. Wet negatives and photos hung up drying. The chemicals, put away neatly, sat on the metal shelves of the bookcase.

No sooner had Souta shut the front door and opened his umbrella a light shower started outside signaling the beginning of the storm.

"Well now that he's gone, I can finish my negatives." Kagome said in a sing song voice as she went through her bathroom. As she was passing the toilet and realized the seat was up.

"Damn it Souta, coming into my bathroom and using it when there's one down the hall. He didn't even have the courtesy to put the seat down." She fumed as she walked pass the offending toilet and into her darkroom.

Thirteen negatives later...

"Ok now to let those dry... I got to get something to eat, I'm starving."

As she went downstairs she nearly fell over a hump of fur, otherwise known as Shemp. After she regained her balance she looked back and into the bulldog's eyes with anger, but all he did was bark. With a slight laugh Kagome continued down the stairs and into the kitchen with Shemp in tow.

The Higurashi kitchen was huge. Complete with an island in the middle, a bar, a refrigerator, a walk in pantry, and a flat oven anyone may get a sneaking suspicion that they had their own personal chef at their beck and call, but you'd be mistaken. Mrs. Higurashi just liked to cook. In fact Kagome and Souta loved to cook to. It was a family affair.

"Well what do you want Shemp?" Kagome asked while rummaging through the fridge looking for something that she could eat with out cooking or that was microwavable friendly. It's not that she didn't enjoy cooking no in fact she loved cooking with a passion, it was just the in actuality that she was starving and she felt like she was going to faint if she didn't digest something in the next twenty minutes.

While scanning the fridge, it would normally be overflowing with food, but since Mrs. Higurashi hadn't been home for the past three weeks Souta and Kagome had yet to go grocery shopping. The virtually empty fridge only supplied a half gallon of milk, horse radish, sardines, and a carton of eggnog.

"When's the last time we had a carton of eggnog?" she asked as Shemp nudged his way into the fridge. Kagome shrugged and grabbed the container and opened it... only to find that it smelled like a decomposing body that the flies would drop dead around. At the first whiff of the ripe concoction she threw the carton and made a bee-line to the bathroom.

After she recovered she headed back down the stairs hungrier than ever. As she made her way into the kitchen she found that Shemp had already started snacking on the rank eggnog. Instead of trying to clean up the mess like she wanted to, she as an alternative headed for the pantry, knowing from experience never to get between a dog and his food.

The pantry was generally full of different canned foods, fresh from the gardens, or even freshly picked herbs and vegetables, but Kagome had no luck. All that was in the pantry was a crate full of ramen.

Taking a packet out of the crate, Kagome headed out of the small room and back into the kitchen where Shemp was still snacking happily on the ancient holiday sludge.

Kagome took her ramen packet over to the island while reading the directions on the back.

"I'm too lazy to cook this right now," she thought aloud as she read that the chicken flavored packet directions to herself, "not to mention that I'm too hungry to wait any longer." She added to her earlier statement as her stomach growled.

Now Kagome was the type of person that was kind and caring to all of her friends, and would stick up for anyone in a tight spot. She rarely ever held grudges; she envied by some, but loved by all. Her natural beauty and grace were one of her many qualities that made her stand out in a crowd, and she was defiantly independent. Another honorable quality about her is that she admitted if she was in the wrong instead of beating around the bush and lying to people's faces.

She was easily angered but could be easily calmed. She was the type of chick that didn't take shit from anyone, and when she had her mind set on a goal she was absolutely determined to get it done and get it done flawlessly. She was independent, defiant, and would try anything once... which brings us back to our story.

~What to do, what to do? Hmmm...~ Kagome thought as she was staring at the innocent packet of food on the countertop. ~Let's try this...~

She hopped down off of the barstool and walked over to the wooden cupboard. As she opened it she was careful not tot make it squeak, she hated when that happened. When it was finally open she grabbed a plate and went back over to her stool in the middle of the island.

Opening the packet of noodles she carefully emptied the contents onto the porcelain plate. Picking the flavor packet out of the noodles she tore along the tear here line, and put that next to the food on the plate. Gently breaking the noodles into four separate pieces she took one of them and put it on her tongue. After getting it damp enough she brought it back down to the plate and into the flavoring, letting the powder stick to the noodles before taking it back up to her mouth and taking a bite.

"You know... this isn't half bad," she mumbled through her half chewed food. Grabbing her plate and a glass of water she headed into the living room to watch the television.

Six packs of ramen and two movies later...

Kagome decided to turn the TV off and head to bed. After climbing up the winding stairs to the second floor she turned left and went into her bedroom. After changing into a pair of plaid boxers and a white tank top she went into her bathroom and finished her nightly ritual of brushing her teeth and washing her face rid of the previous day's dirt and grime.

Turning to walk out of the bathroom she realized that she still had yet to put the toilet seat down, but after a short debate she decided that she was too far away and to take care of it in the morning.

Walking back into her bedroom she realized the storm that had started as a summer drizzle was now a full blown downpour. She walked over to the window and looked out into the rolling sea. Kagome loved when it rained because when it rained she always thought of her father. Her dad had died four years after she had been born but she still remembered what he used to tell her.

"Anyone who thinks sunshine is pure happiness has never danced in the rain." Kagome repeated to her self thoughtfully.

As she opened the window a slight mist hit her face, she gave a wistful sigh before re-shutting her window and turning around and heading to her bed. Once she settled in her cocoon of purples, blues, and greens she closed her eyes and listened to the steady rhythm of the raindrops on the roof, falling into a blissful slumber.

Three hour later...

Waking up with a start, Kagome took in the all too familiar walls of her room. Letting her fast heart beat calm with the steady beat of the rain outside her window. Taking in a deep breath and letting her heart rate returned to normal she fell back down onto her pillows and tried to let sleep claim her. She would have succeeded to if it wasn't for a little sphere of light outside her window.

The white light on the other side of the glass flickered bright for a moment then dimmed, shinning right into her eyes. Kagome opened her eyes to see what the light keeping her from sleep was. She looked over to her window just in time to see the glowing orb disappear.

Now there was no way she could have gone back to sleep without knowing what that thing was outside the house. She threw back her covers and darted to the window. She watched the sphere of light float across her yard and behind the corner of the house. Kagome felt some sort of primitive urge to follow the floating circle of light.

She hurried through her room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt. As she ran down the stairs she nearly tripped over Shemp. Doing a quick 360° and sending the dog an angry glare she headed toward the back screen door.

She grabbed her green raincoat and a flashlight and headed out the door. She pulled on her coat and looked across the deserted yard. She looked left and right, but the mysterious blob was nowhere to be found.

She was about to give up her search and head back to bed when she saw the ball of light out of the corner of her eye, it swayed to and fro just inside the tree line. Kagome shut the door and sprinted to the forest behind her seaside home.

She ran threw the forest dodging tree limbs and troublesome roots. Every thing was going great except for the fact that every time she got close to the little light it would speed up ahead of her.

Kagome didn't know how long or how far she chased the little light, but she was starting to get tired and the rain felt like it was coming down harder and harder. She was about to turn back when the light came to a stop in the next clearing.

She sped up to try and catch it before it went off again. As she got closer to the clearing she could see two eerie figures out lined with a supernatural glow. It looked as though they were fighting. There was a man in white with silver hair and the other man had jet black hair and wore black. They looked like polar opposites, as different as day and night.

Kagome slowed down to a walk watching the apparitions duel it out. She took her eyes away from the scene to look where the orb had stopped. In its place was a little girl who looked like she was eight or nine years old. The little ghost girl had a pony tail on the side of her head; she had undoubtedly done it herself.

The little girl watched the battle intently then she turned her auburn eyes on Kagome. The small figure of the girl was looking right at her now. She started to say something but Kagome couldn't make it out. The little girl kept repeating it until Kagome barely make out what she was saying.

"Kagome, help us," as the gentle breeze brought the soft spoken words to Kagome's ears the wind picked up making her hair slap violently around face. Before Kagome could look away a bright light enveloped her and she heard a loud scream.

When she finally regained her senses she looked around the clearing. Everything looked normal, as in there were no spirits around the clearing .The only problem was that the once dreary and wet clearing that she first came into was now bright and rain free.

"What the...where the hell am I?" Kagome asked in a panic.