Disclaimer: This tale occurs in the InuYasha universe of Rumiko Takahasi and mainly features Sesshomaru, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un. Inuyasha and his group do make a few guest appearances. All new characters belong to me and were creately solely for this story.

Date Written: 21 May 2007 – ongoing

From Deep Within

Chapter 1: The Penalty of Refusal

Tora gazed calmly at the armed soldiers that surrounded her, weapons already drawn. Her short hair danced about her solemn face in the gentle spring breeze. Both of her hands hung by her sides and her stance was one of indifference, but beneath the unconcerned exterior, she was prepared to strike.

"Lady Tora," the captain of the soldiers called to her in a deep, booming voice.

He sat astride a warhorse and his armor clanked noisely when he moved. He was not a young man but still in his prime. His weathered and scarred face had seen many battles, and there was no doubt that he was a powerful samurai.

"Lady Tora," he said as he leveled the young woman before him with an even gaze. "I have been ordered to bring you before my lord, Ura Kotoku."

"For what purpose does he have with one such as me?" Tora asked.

"Your fame has spread all over the countryside, and Lord Ura will give you anything that you desire if you would align yourself with him. Power, glory, or riches. He will pay you handsomely."

Tora looked down and touched the hilt of her katana with one finger, tracing the pommel thoughtfully. A small, disapproving smile appeared on her face. When she brought her head back up, her eyes were narrowed. Everything about the young woman seemed to have changed. While a moment before she had been calm and uninterested, there was now a presence of authority and danger about her.

"Tell your master that I do not fight for power, glory, or riches," she said sternly.

The samurai was silent for a moment. Then he spoke: "So the rumors are true. Lady Tora is nothing but a weak woman after all. We were mistaken if we believed that one such as you had the ability to aid my lord's army in battle."

The young woman threw her head back and laughed. Her melodic laughter carried on the air and seemed to echo in the woods around them, soft and mocking. Even the battlehardened soldiers felt uneasy with that sound ringing in their ears. Then the laughter stopped abruptly.

"You think that such insults will spur me to anger," Tora responded. "You waste my time. I do not fight as you do nor will I swear fidelity to a pathetic daimyo such as Ura Kotoku."

"Very well. You leave me no other choice. If you will not come willingly, then I have orders to bring you by force."

He raised a hand and signaled his men to attack and without hesitation, the men charged.

In a blink of an eye, Tora drew her katana from its sheath in her obi. She blocked the first blows and sliced through the men's armor effortlessly. Despite being outnumbered twenty to one, it was clear that her skill far surpassed any of the soldiers that came at her. She disabled them swiftly yet she avoided slaying them. Instead, the injured lay strewn on the ground or attempted to gather their weapons for a second attack. All the while, the samurai and his two subordinates remained mounted and watched the entire scene calmly.

Mere minutes after the order had been given, Tora stood in the center of a circle of bleeding and disarmed soldiers. The blade of her sword was red with blood, but she appeared to be completely unharmed despite wearing minimal armor. Her eyes were narrow and dark, her face emotionless, and her body poised for more action.

"My opinion of you has changed, Lady Tora," the samurai said. "You are, indeed, a powerful warrior. May I ask why you did not slay my men?"

"Unlike you, I do not fight to kill," Tora replied shortly.

"Then tell me, Lady Tora, what do you fight for?"

The young woman remained silent, and the samurai took a deep breath.

"I sadly regret that I must dispose of you then. It seems such a waste of talent and beauty."

With a signal from the subordinate on his right, more soldiers stepped out from the forest. Tora calmly watched them with her eyes as they approached. There were far too many for her to fight at once and no possible way to escape. She straightened, wiped the bloody blade of her katana on her kimono, and sheathed the weapon.

"Have you reconsidered?"

Tora looked at the samurai, and he saw in her eyes a mixture of defiance and sorrow.

"I have not."

"Very well."

The soldiers approached in unison, two or three rows deep, constricting the circle around her. The clanking of their armor and the smell of their sweat filled the air. Tora closed her eyes and waited. The men were ten feet away. Wait. Seven feet. Wait. Five feet. Wait. Three feet.

The sound of Tora's katana being drawn from its sheath rang loudly through the forest and was so quickly executed that the soldiers barely saw the blade. Despite being hard pressed on every side, the lady samurai moved like a whirlwind. Her blade danced here and there, blocking and striking with great speed and accuracy.

From his perspective on horseback, the samurai watched the woman move in what seemed a perfectly choreographed dance. Ten of his men fell. Then twenty. Then twenty-five. Still the soldiers attacked until an opening in Tora's defense was found. A blade sliced her arm and another struck her side causing a moment's hesitation in her movements.

Her katana was knocked from her hand, but she managed to avoid the next blow by resorting to ju-jutsu. Even without a weapon, she continued to defend herself well until another strike forced her to her knees. The soldiers halted and looked to their commander for instructions.

"Finish her," the samurai ordered stoically.

One man nodded and drew back his arm to stab Tora through the stomach. She knelt on the ground, one hand holding the wound in her side. With her eyes still closed, she anticipated the killing blow.

The deafening sound of two blades clashing mere inches from her caused Tora to opened her eyes. The soldier was falling to the ground, eyes wide with surprise. Tora could not help but notice that the center of his armor was completely melted away, exposing a fatal wound to the man's chest. Wounds made by claws.

A stranger attacked the soldiers with such speed that it was difficult to even see him. His first attacks took down five men in one strike, causing confusion among the rest. Some men backed away, terrified, while others struck out at the new enemy. The stranger dodged the soldiers' attacks with little effort and dispatched them just as easily. Within seconds, the only people left alive were the samurai and his two subordinates. The stranger stood calmly surrounded by the dead, and Tora turned her head to see the face of her savior.

He was unusually tall with silvery hair that hung loose to his knees. He wore mainland-styled armor over a white kimono with a red pattern on the collar and sleeves. A large spiked pauldron covered his left shoulder and a strange white fur was draped over the other. In his sash was tucked two different swords, and yet he had attacked the soldiers without drawing either weapon. But it was his face that surprised Tora and the men the most. The stranger had piercing golden eyes, a blue crescent on his forehead, and two stripes on either cheek.

The samurai and his subordinates were visibly shaken by his appearance, their faces drawn and their bodies frozen. Tora knew of no one who would cause veteran samurai to freeze in fear. The horses were also acting up, pulling on their reins and snorting anxiously.

"You... you... you are a yōkai!" the samurai choked out. The stranger said nothing, but continued to stare at the men. His face was completely unreadable. "Who... who... who are you?"

"I have no need to identify myself to those such as you," the stranger spoke with disdain dripping from every word.

Then without even a warning, he leaped at the three men with his right arm extended. Tora saw the sharp claws rip through each man's armor and they fell one by one from the horses. The horses balked at the presence of the daiyōkai and fled.

Tora's vision blurred. She had lost a great deal of blood from her injuries, and she doubled over. The pain was excruciating. The last thing she saw was the daiyōkai's ankle-boots approaching.