THE LEAST OF US
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DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha © and all recognizable characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi. Attack on Titans/ Shingeki no Kyojin © and all recognizable characters were created by Hajime Isayama. Everything else is from yours truly.
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SUMMARY:
"I don't know…I never have. I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So, choose for yourself whichever decision you will regret the least." Levi x Kagome x Sesshoumaru
RATING: M
THE LEAST OF US
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1
The World Is An Unfair Place
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The world is an unfair place.
At least that's what she was always told.
Looking around her – from the overly decorated women whose elaborate makeup belied their sallow complexion and hollow smiles to the leering eyes of men who stared at the women and men as if they were less than the dust on their feet to the suffocating aroma of incense designed to hide the stench of drugs and sex – Kagome could believe that what she was told was true.
If the world was fair, would her father – a man whose image she now has difficulty remembering – have been killed while protecting his family?
If the world was just, would her beautiful mother – a woman whose once great beauty eroded slowly within the confines of the walls of this disgusting existence – be forced to sell her body or risk losing the only family she had left?
If the world was good, her baby brother – the result of a forced coupling bought with a few gold coins only two years after her mother was threatened into this lifestyle– instead of being a source of happiness would only add to the burden that her mother must manage alone?
5 years have passed since she and her mother were smuggled deep into the Underground District and sold to thugs who thought their Asian bloodline a valuable source. She had been only two at the time and Kagome believed that at the very least, her young age allowed her to forget about what her life used to be.
She couldn't even remember what the sky looked like anymore. Since she could remember, the only thing that she saw when she looked up from the ruins that made up this district was the stalagmites that hung unforgivingly from the ceiling of the cave.
"Sir, can you spare a coin?" a small voice pleaded.
An all-too familiar scene appeared in front of Kagome as she spotted a child who was probably younger than her 7-year-old self. The child was small and thin, his pale hair muddied, his clothes soiled and weathered. He stood in front of a man who looked well off. Well off for someone in this district at least, Kagome thought mockingly.
"Sorry, kid. Don't got nothing to spare," the man roughly responded, side-stepping the kid. The man remained silent walking forwards, his eye pointedly away from the child that was dogging his footsteps.
"Please sir!"
Kagome stopped and watched. The child rushed forwards in front of the man – who Kagome noticed had more than a few coins clinking happily in his pockets – and knelt before him.
"What the hell? Get out of my way kid. Told you I got nothing for you!" An angry flush spread through the man's face as the child grabbed the edge of his pants.
"Please. Just one coin-"
Don't beg.
Why are you kneeling?
Don't you have any dignity left?
Don't you know how pathetic you look right now?
Stop begging –
"I said fuck off!"
The kid yelped as the man callously kicked him away, his body rolling into a fetal position. "Damn annoying orphans," the man muttered. Disgusted, Kagome watched as the man readjusted his bag strap, not sparing even a glance at the kid as he resumed walking. She glanced at the kid and saw what appeared to be his younger sister toddle closer to him. She helped him sit up, her chubby fingers brushing his hair from his face.
"Tsk."
She walked back around a corner and waited for the man to reach her. Slouching her shoulders, she adjusted her hair effectively hiding her face. She waited as the man's footsteps grew closer and as he neared the corner, she pushed forward, colliding her body with his.
"What the hell?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry sir." Kagome said softly, her blue eyes widened almost innocently. "I didn't see you. It was my fault. Sorry to get your shirt dirty." Kagome put on an apologetic look as she patted his clothes, apologizing profusely.
"Tsk. Alright, alright!" He swatted her hands away, muttering about some damn kids as he walked away.
"Sorry again…" Kagome called out, a smirk growing on her face, "bastard." She grinned as she pocketed the coins that she had deftly pick-pocketed from the cranky goon. He probably wouldn't even notice his pants were lighter until he got back to wherever hole he managed to crawl out from. Serves him right, selfish inconsiderate bastard. Kagome walked towards the kid and his sister, her steps feeling a lot lighter.
"Here are some coins," she muttered, crouching down. Kagome felt a bit uncomfortable at the glitter that shone in both of their eyes as they looked up at her.
"Thanks nee-chan!" the boy exclaimed, his hand gripping the coins tightly.
"Don't mention it," Kagome mumbled, "actually yeah, please don't mention it. I'll probably get arrested or something." She rubbed the back of her head, grimacing at the idea of the Military Police barging into the brothel and taking her away in handcuffs.
The two kids laughed and thanked her once again before running off.
Palming the coins in her pocket, Kagome smiled as she imagined the amount of bread and vegetables that she could probably buy. Seeing an open bread vendor, she sauntered off and managed to buy 3 pieces of fresh bread: one for her, one for her mother, and one for Souta. Nice!
Her mother had always instructed for her to return to the brothel before it got too late but since it was only the afternoon, Kagome just continued to wander into the other parts of the district, mapping the buildings and passageways in her mind for future…endeavors. Before long, the light from the surface dimmed and only the few working lanterns scattered in the street provided the only means for light.
Damn it, she thought grimly. She could practically hear her mother scolding her for staying out at night again. She had gone out far longer and farther than she had expected. And now it was already dark outside.
When it's night, the freaks come and play.
Unfortunately for her, the brothel – even now refusing to call it her home though she had been staying there for the past five years – was located at the center of one of the shadiest – and that was saying something – part of the district. Her footsteps quickened and her body tensed as she felt the stares of the men, the majority of whom were perpetually drunk or high on something or other, on her body.
Something wasn't right.
Kagome paused. The red light district was always packed with people and she could feel them brush past her as they walked and hurried by but she froze, her eyes darting sideways. Her heart beat rapidly and her breath quickened as something inside of her told her that something was seriously wrong. She turned a corner but she still felt that damning stare on her back.
She turned another corner.
Chills slowly danced across her spine when she saw a shadow looming over her. She tightened her fist and prepared to go into a mad sprint all the way to the brothel if she had to. But before she could even lift a foot, a strong grip wrapped around her upper arm.
"Wha-!"
Kagome was quickly turned around forcing her to stare up at a relatively young-looking man. The man's eyes were half-lidded with a smile on his face, his shaggy brown hair uncut and unkempt. He tilted his head, opening his eyes to stare at her, his light brown orbs clashing with her wide blue eyes.
"Aw, such a pretty little thing you are," he murmured, that disgusting simpering smile still on his face. He bent forward and sniffed her hair. His action caused her to recoil as the stench of alcohol practically rolled off of him.
He was going to hurt her! With that thought, Kagome tried to struggle but his grip only tightened and when she was going to yell out, he quickly maneuvered her so her back was to him and his hand covered her mouth tightly.
Why wasn't anyone helping!?
Her shrieks came out muffled as she fought against his hold while he walked towards the nearest alleyway. She could see the sympathetic looks from the other people that were around them but no one tried to help her.
They looked away.
They turned their backs on her.
They weren't going to help her.
They weren't going to help her.
Panicked and half-hysterical, Kagome bit into the man's palm, tasting a rush of blood and hearing a yowl as he threw her tiny body in the alley. She let out a pained whimper as her back collided forcefully with the garbage dump.
"Some-" she coughed as she struggled to get up, "somebody help me!"
She yelped and fell on her stomach as the man gripped her foot and dragged her towards him.
"Somebody help me!" she shrieked out as the man continued to drag her towards him, her hands clawing in a pointless attempt to get away from him. "Help me!"
"Shut up you little bitch," the man growled out, using one hand to pin her arms over her head. "I'm going to have so much fun with you."
No one's coming to help me…
I'm sorry mother…
I should have listened…
I should have come home earlier…
Kagome felt tears leak out of her eyes and her struggling ceased as the man used his knee to separate her legs. "Someone please help," she whimpered out as the man trailed hot kisses down her neck, the stench of alcohol and the nearby garbage making her stomach turn and she felt the urge to vomit. She
"Please help me," she cried out, her voice hoarse from her earlier screaming. She choked back a sob as she felt the man's breath quicken in excitement as his dirty hands struggle to unbutton her pants.
She was going to die here…
She was going to lose her life here…
Nobody would even see here…
Who would miss her?
Her mom?
Her brother?
Would the Military Police even see her body?
She turned her head to the side, tears continued to fall freely from her face, agonized whimpers coming from her mouth. Her eyes fell on the 3 pieces of bread that she had bought only hours ago. They were broken and covered in grime and muck.
Who would eat them now?
She tried to struggle again as the monster – because how can a human being even imagine doing this to another person – lifted her shirt, rubbing his hands on her stomach and going upwards.
"So soft," he muttered, forcing her head to face upwards as he trailed his wet sloppy tongue down her neck.
Would this really be her tomb? Kagome thought almost brokenly, her blue eyes vacantly seeing the dark cave ceiling.
Would she really die here? Before she could even see the blue sky?
She had been too naïve.
She had seen men like this before. The men that frequented the brothel that her mother and the other women worked. Men that had long since left any essence of morality behind. Her mother had tried to warn her. But she had been stupid. She had thought that because she was a child, that they wouldn't harm her – not like this.
The world is an unfair place.
But she was wrong.
The world is an unfair place.
Apparently, there were people out there that were so depraved – so lost in their own darkness – that they would harm children.
The world is an unfair place.
He unpinned her arms but Kagome's body remained slack, her eyes continuing to stare blankly at the ceiling.
The world is an unfair place.
She could faintly hear the bustle and commotion of the people – the people that refused to help her – as they went about their own meaningless lives.
The world is an unfair place.
She felt the man lean back taking in her tear-stained face and the poor state of her shirt and unbuttoned pants.
The world is an unfair place.
She heard him shift around and the distinct sound of him unbuckling his belt. She briefly looked up and saw a smirk on his face as he thought he had won. There was no look or remorse or apology of his face at all. She felt his hand on her pants and as he tried to shift it down-
The world is an unfair place.
The world is an unfair place.
The world is an unfair place.
The world is an unfair place.
The world is an unfair place.
"NO!" Kagome screamed out, "No! No! No! No! No!"
The man jerked in surprise at her sudden moves and her wild swinging.
"What the fuck?!" He tried to gain control of her small body as her fists started swinging.
"I won't die here, you monster!" Kagome spit out, her former blank blue eyes now raging. She grabbed a nearby broken bottle shard that was lying near her head, and plunged it straight through his eye, feeling the spurt of blood as it rained down on her.
"You crazy little bitch!" the man spat out as he moved to pin down her arms again, his legs securely on top of hers.
"Somebody help me!" Kagome screamed out again, moving her arms wildly to prevent him from fully immobilizing her again. "Help me!"
This is what a monster looks like, Kagome thought as the man's face twisted as he rained down curses at her.
"I'm going to make you regret that!" he roared out. Kagome winced and prepared herself as the man raised his fists as if to beat her.
But before he could do so, his whole body was forcefully removed from her.
"What the-"
Breath shaken, Kagome quickly shifted her pants and sat up. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. The man was on his knees a few feet in front of her, his eyes shaking in fear; there was a much smaller man behind him, his narrow eyes cold and calculating, his blade positioned perfectly by the monster's neck, a trail of blood dropping where the blade met his flesh.
Despite what she had just gone through, Kagome couldn't help but feel a sense of vindictive pleasure at seeing the monster quake in fear, seeing the blood from his wounded eye trail down, the sweat profusely streaming down his muddy face.
Sobered up, the man's eyes shifted rapidly from left to right, his breath coming in quick pants, his face pale.
Though she didn't know it at the time, Kagome would come to realize that she would see this look on many faces in the years to come.
She would see this look on strangers.
She would see this look on friends.
The look of someone who knows that they only have moments to live before they die.
"Please, I don't want to di-"
"Shut the fuck up, you disgusting piece of shit," the man calmly said before cleanly slicing the other man's neck.
"Ugh."
Kagome looked up and saw that the man had a look of disgust on his face as he took a napkin from his pocket and wiped down his dagger.
"So disgusting. Cleaned this yesterday and now it's all dirty again. Piece of shit," he muttered, saying the last part with a definite kick to the corpse lying by his feet.
And just like that it was over. Whether from relief or from a state of shock, Kagome plopped down, her whole body shaking.
She didn't die.
She was still alive.
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NEXT TIME
"What is it kid?"
"It's not 'kid', it's Kagome."
"Okay, that's nice," he said in a patronizing tone.
"…"
"…"
"And your name is?"
"Does it matter?" he answered uninterestedly. He stopped when Kagome stood in front of him, a defiant look on her face as she stared right into his eyes.
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