Freak Attraction, an Inuyasha AU

*Set in Meiji Era Japan, 1887

Chapter One, The Wrong Circus

She really should have known this would be a bad idea - she had known in fact, but something in the excited faces of her friends had pushed back her better judgement and made her give in. It wasn't every day a girl turned 17 after all, and her friends only wanted to celebrate - even if it meant skipping school in the process.

"You guys, I don't know about this. If we're caught out of class -"

"Oh Kagome, just relax and enjoy your day!" Yuka's usual fiery attitude was not to be dissuaded, no matter how convincing the argument.

"How can you say that? What if someone sees us?"

The ever supportive Eri surprised Kagome by saying "Anyone who sees us will be there for the same reason we are - they'd be just as guilty!"

The smooth justification almost rolled right over Kagome, but she caught the flaw in her friends plan, pointing out "But we're in uniforms! Everyone will be able to tell that we should be in school! We'll be caught for sure!" She gestured to herself with the long sleeves of her striped green kimono which was tucked into short hakama in a darker shade of green, a black heeled shoe kicking out for affect.

"Well we can't risk going home and changing or we'll miss it! Besides, for all anyone knows, we could be on break!"

"Yuka's right, Kagome! And besides - it's your birthday! What's wrong with a little excitement on your special day?"

Kagome turned to Ayumi with startled eyes. Her sweet, studious friend was telling her that it was a good idea to skip class to go to the circus? Well… if Ayumi was alright with it, and the other two were so excited, maybe she was overreacting. Still - classes were mandatory. The Meiji government had instituted compulsory education, and the towns themselves paid for the upkeep of the schools. If they were caught….

"Just so we all know, I'm not taking the fault for this."

"Of course not! Now come on Kagome, we have to leave now if we want to make it before the show starts!"

The circus had been set up on the edge of the Tokyo suburb where their school was located, which meant a good hour long walk at their pace; and the distance was trying Kagome's resolve. She could only hope that being at a show on the edge of town should keep them from unwanted attention, and the hordes of people that were sure to be there to witness a real foreign circus should help to offer some camouflage.

Despite her reservations, Kagome couldn't help but feel some excitement - she'd never been to a circus before, and she had only heard stories of the marvels and wonders which acrobats and artists performed in those arenas. And to go to a real Italian circus was a luxury in and of itself. Chiarini's circus had been traveling Japan for a while now, and when the act finally made its way to Tokyo, there was no shortage of hype. Advertisements were posted around the town square with all sorts of exciting depictions. The acts ranged from lion-taming to horseback-riding to aerial feats and human acrobatics. And for many, the novelty of seeing foreigners was an attraction all its own. Kagome couldn't deny that she had been intrigued by the tales she had heard, and with the looming prospect of seeing these dreams come to life before her eyes… well, maybe she hadn't been protesting the trip quite as firmly as she should have.

It was already late afternoon by the time the girls set off, and the sky was a vibrant orange, a slight breeze adding a chill to the air. They had been walking for quite some time, chatting happily about classes and fashion and boys, and just as Kagome was wondering if they'd gotten lost, in the nearing distance she saw the dark forms of a crowd of people, moving together as they headed towards a large park where the circus had been set up.

She could just see the peaks of the tent as they crested a slight hill and came out on more level ground. It - it was huge! There were so many people! Old, young, rich, poor, all sorts had come out to see the foreigners perform.

And the nearer they came to the structure, the less Kagome worried about missing a bit of instruction. She was a good student. She'd catch up.

"Ah! I don't believe it! Look who's here!"

At Eri's shocked outburst, Kagome followed her gaze through the sea of bustles, suits, and kimonos to see -

"It's Hojo!"

For a moment Kagome wondered why on Earth one of her classmates would be here when she knew he was missing class too, but before she could wonder any more, he was heading towards them, having heard Eri's outburst.

"Happy Birthday Higurashi! I'm glad you all made it here alright!"

And Kagome had thought she couldn't be more surprised. "Hojo, what are you doing here? And how'd you know it was my birthday?"

His confused look matched hers as he answered "I'm here to celebrate your birthday of course! I admit I was a little nervous about this idea when Yuka first told me about it, but now that we're all here, I think this will be a lot of fun!"

Yuka actually had the gall to smirk at her as Kagome turned a furious look on the girl. While Yuka had been her good friend for many years and was loyal to a fault, she had also been shamelessly trying to play match-maker for Kagome since they'd met, convinced it was the best thing for her despite not having a beau herself.

But there was no helping it at this point. Now that they were all in violation of truancy, they had no choice but to stay together.

And with any luck, Hojo would be able to talk them out of trouble if they were caught. People listened to boys.

They were coming upon the outer gates of the encampment - Kagome could see the large, painted wood sign for "Chiarini's Astounding Circus", beyond which were numerous stalls selling wares to patrons, as well as small attractions such as magician's tricks and exotic animals.

She was fascinated!

But then something on the wall caught her eye.

It seemed people had posted signs for the various stalls and attractions she had glimpsed, hoping to whet the palette of the visitors, and no doubt convince them to spare some precious pocket change. Slowly, steadily, not even realizing where her feet were taking her, Kagome began drifting away from her friends as they entered the circus plaza. Her group passed under the arch without even noticing she had become separated from them.

But neither had she noticed, as she had stopped in front of the posters - in front of one poster in particular. The block-printed advertisement looked as official as all the rest on the wall, but there was an element to these circus acts that stood out in stark contrast to the rest.

Monsters – that was the only word Kagome could think of to describe the creatures she saw on the page.

Monsters and demons.

Toad-like creatures balancing with parasols on large balls, Oni spouting plumes of fire from their hideous mouths, a giant, two-tailed tiger facing off against a lone woman, flaming horses with blood-red eyes jumping enormous walls….

'Just what kind of show are they trying to advertise?'

Kagome had grown up the daughter of a Shinto shrine-keeper. Although her father was no longer around, her proud and respectable (if somewhat senile) grandfather had been head of her family's shrine for years. She had heard about demons her whole life. But she was also a modern girl, taught in a formal school and everything. Her grandfather was just a product of his times, and the idea of demons and monsters was a just a ploy used by the old shogunate and samurai to keep the peasants in line!

So what was this circus doing, advertising these demons as if they were a real live exhibit!?

The illustrations seemed so grotesque, so outrageous, but… but there was something in their portraiture that was… alive. As if the artist had really seen these creatures.

Her eyes kept being drawn to one figure in particular - a snarling, wild-looking beast, who seemed to be basically human in form, but could not be mistaken for a normal man. For one, his long, untamed mane of hair was painted a sickly off-white, pointed, dog-like ears sitting atop the tangled mess, and to add to the canine look, he was on all fours, hunched over, nose nearly to the ground, as he seemed to growl from the page, long fangs hanging over his lips and sharpened claws raised and ready to tear apart flesh. The eyes of the image were the most unsettling - bright yellow, with slit pupils, wide and glaring with murderous intent.

She had never seen such terrifying, demonic eyes. And even though it was just an image, Kagome couldn't help but shiver.

"See something you like?"

Kagome gasped and spun around.

How long had he been standing there?

"I- I'm sorry?"

The man next to her shrugged his long black ponytail over his shoulder, a teasing gleam in his eye as he said "Oh, no, forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you! But I couldn't help but notice you seem to have taken an interest in our circus."

'Our… circus?' "So… are you a part of this circus?"

He sure didn't look Italian, but he was wearing a short coat, as many Japanese workers did. He gestured vaguely towards the fence, saying "I see your friends have already gone in - oh don't worry!" He added quickly at the panicked look in her eyes as she whipped her head back to the entrance, "They know what they're doing. They've gone to a lot of trouble to plan this surprise for your birthday, and I'm here to make sure you get the best surprise possible."

"You - you know it's my birthday? You talked to my friends?" Just who was this person?

"Of course! What wonderful friends you have, going to all this trouble to make your day special - I was, so to say, the go-between for them and making arrangements with the ringmaster. Now come with me - I'll take you backstage, for your surprise!"

He was a smooth-talker, but a little too smooth. There was something slightly off about his manner, and Kagome felt herself far from trusting him. But… he seemed to have an intricate knowledge of what her friends had planned, and if they had really set up something for her birthday… well, she didn't want to disappoint them - not after they'd already done so much. She hadn't expected them to go to any great lengths, but then, they had surprised her with the whole 'Hojo' thing, so maybe….

Hesitantly she made to follow after the stranger, asking almost as an afterthought "I'm sorry - what was your name?"

He cast a winning smile over his shoulder at her, but it only made her uncomfortable. "The name's Byakuya. I'm a magician of sorts at this circus - an illusionist."

"Illusionist?" She had no frame of reference from which to make even the shakiest conclusion as to what that was.

Seeming to sense her confusion, Byakuya laughed softly, saying "Oh, you'll be seeing my act soon enough. Follow me - we'll go around back to avoid the crowds."

They walked around the outside of the fence and came up alongside the circus tent.

Kagome hadn't thought the tent was this huge though.

They seemed to be walking for miles - she could have sworn the sun had moved a considerable distance since they'd started. But the fence just extended further and further and the tent stayed to their right as they walked, so she figured they would reach the back eventually.

And she kept walking.

And walking.

It was strange - although the path never appeared to alter or vary, she could have sworn they walked uphill, then downhill, and over rough patches of earth, and none of it made any sense.

And the tame city park was quickly turning into a wild, overgrown wood.

She would have asked Byakuya what was going on, but he had said nothing to hint at anything out of the ordinary, and she wondered if she was simply going crazy: he would most likely think she was.

Just as Kagome was gathering her nerves to open her mouth, the tent beside them changed in color. It may have been only a trick of the late afternoon light, but it seemed to be much darker than it had been before - much more menacing looking. And then they passed it, the fence continuing, and Kagome could hear the noise from beyond the fence increase. There was something different about the sounds though. Where before there had been strange music brought from across the sea, played by tinny, whiny instruments she hadn't heard before, her ears were now met with the eerie whistle of Japanese flutes and the dissonance of stringed instruments.

The crowds back here seemed to be louder too. 'Wait… crowds? Why are there crowds at the back?' Now they were rounding the fence, the large, black tent still visible to their right, before turning at an entrance -

And coming face to face with a large, carved wooden sign for "The Spider's Web".

This was not the circus her friends had entered.

Kagome reeled, her eyes wide, and spinning on her heel she turned back towards the gap in the fence through which she had entered - only to face a solid, gapless wall.

"Wh-what's going on? Where are we? What happened to the circus?!"

Byakuya met her fierce and worried glare with a smile that was almost conniving.

"What are you talking about, Kagome? You're at the circus!"

She shook slightly as she backed away, though her glare never budged. She should have known better than to trust this… this creep! This circus magician!

'Magician… illusionist… oh no, I've been tricked!'

Kagome's head whipped round in all directions as she looked desperately for an escape. Seeing none and weighing her remaining options, she turned and fled further into the circus grounds. 'Maybe if I can get far enough away from him, this… spell or illusion or trick or whatever it is will go away!'

She missed Byakuya's approving smile as he watched her disappear among the stalls.

For a while Kagome just ran, following the path of least resistance as she weaved among the booths and patrons who were wandering the grounds. Flashes of color and shoulders and fabrics brushed past her as she pressed forward, wanting nothing more than to distance herself from the trickster who had brought her here.

Her run was suddenly halted by the tall wooden fence she had followed earlier. She skidded to a halt, staring up at it, panting, and then turned to gain her bearings and see if she had gone far enough.

All previous thoughts and concerns were lost as she got a good, long look at just what she had been running through.

There were stalls and booths and cages set up in rows between the outside cloth of the black circus tent and the wall where she had entered, and all around her were the strangest patrons she had ever seen. They weren't human - couldn't be human! Some were human in form, but their gaits, their very auras, were so very different than a human, that no one would have ever made the mistake. Others were so physically different than humans that Kagome's first thought was that surely these things were puppets or costumes, because no living creature could really look like that.

There was a takoyaki booth run by a goblin-like man, his big round, yellow eyes leering at the pretty, ethereal ladies with pointed ears and eyes like jade, walking the lanes with parasols and kimonos dripping in jewels. She was quick to realize that the 'fur pelts' attached to the ladies' kimonos were in fact tails. Twitching, swaying, auburn tails. Across from that booth, a squat, fish-like creature in a yukata shouted out to entice passersby to try their hand at catching what looked to be newts, his own webbed hand beckoning. An array of cages further inside held even more appalling creatures, snarling and snapping at the intrigued glances of those who stopped to see. Kagome swore she saw something like a Kappa in one cage.

All of these sights and sounds were starting to make Kagome nauseous, the total improbability of her situation making her stomach churn and her head spin, and she swooned on the spot, falling slightly back against the wall. Her movement drew the attention of a few patrons close by, and she was paralyzed by the leering, hungry looks in their eyes.

It struck her that she was a lone human in the midst of man-eating monsters.

She ran.

Around the back of the circus tent, between crates and boxes and even more cages, dodging workers in black happi coats and skirting tented carts, she ran until her legs burned and her heart pounded in her ears. Just how big was this circus anyways?

It was dusk, and the thick shadows cast by the high walls and towering central tent were making it difficult for Kagome to tell where she was. How far was she from the entrance? From the outer wall even? She couldn't tell if there were even other people around anymore. Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, and she couldn't deny it: she was scared.

Slowly, she edged around a few large crates, feeling along the wood surfaces to guide her in the growing dark. The sky had turned plum as the sun dipped behind the mountains in the west, and Kagome could see a path of light ahead of her where the dying rays had managed to sneak a path through the rows. She hurried towards the light, hoping to find something - anything - that could help her escape this nightmare. But there were only more boxes, and a few large, metal cages; she couldn't tell whether they were empty or not.

Kagome crept into the half-illuminated alley, hoping at the very least to find another lit path, but as she approached the cages, she became aware of a few things: For one, there was a distinct, unpleasant smell in the air - where before she had smelled the oil of sizzling foods and musky smell of a large gathering of people, now the air was thick with the smell of what could only be described as… wet dog. And more important than the new, musky smell, was the sound of ragged… breathing? Or was it growling? The strange sensory information seemed to come from a cage off to her left, which before had seemed empty, but now Kagome thought she could make out a bulky shape near the front.

Maybe it was the lateness of the day, maybe it was the shock of everything she had seen thus far, maybe it was the pain she could hear as whatever-it-was drew each breath - whatever the reason, Kagome approached the cage.

It wasn't terribly wide or deep, but the low roof and proximity to other crates cast deep shadows that shrouded whatever lay inside in blackness. But there was still enough light for Kagome to make out something near the front. Something… furry.

A fluffy mass of dirty white fur spread out against the bars of the cage, some of it spilling over the edges of the table on which it sat, raising the bottom of the cage to about chest-level with Kagome. Atop this fur were two white, triangular ears, which drooped against the white mane of the creature's head.

'Dog ears...' Kagome thought, entranced, 'but this is the strangest dog I've ever seen! It's fur is so long… and those noises it keeps making… it sounds like it's in pain.' She had never had a dog, and had never particularly cared for one, but the anxious growling breaths were starting to get to her, and she found herself wanting to comfort the poor thing. It sounded scared, and in her current situation, she couldn't help but empathize.

The need to help this poor animal moved her to reach her hands through the bars to lightly brush her fingers against the surprisingly soft ears, gently petting and massaging them in a soothing manner.

It was a few seconds after she touched those ears that the growling sound stopped, but before she could feel satisfaction at easing the pitiful creature's pain, her world was turned upside down once again that night as the supposed dog's head shot up to reveal an irate human face with glowing, yellow eyes.

Kagome's heart leapt into her throat and she nearly choked on her gasping breath as those eyes met hers.

She tried to retract her hands, but she was too slow: her wrists were locked in a vice-like grip before she even saw the thing move.

The yellow eyes narrowed dangerously, and she caught the glint of teeth as the caged beast snarled at her.

"Get… offa me."

She was stunned beyond words.

Their eyes locked; his stare full of indignant wrath, her own a mix of fear and morbid curiosity.

'What on earth….'

What she had previously thought to be fur, she could now see was just long, matted white hair, though the dog ears were every bit as real as they had seemed before.

'How?'

The face was masculine and defined, but a little too thin - sunken eyes and hallow cheeks told her it wasn't supposed to be so bony. The hands still grasping her wrists seemed bony as well, but they were obviously far from weak - she wondered how such delicate-seeming hands could hold such power. It was then she noticed the sharp, talon-like claws at the end of each finger, and any thoughts that these hands could be 'delicate' quickly flew out of her mind. She could see his bare arms in the purple twilight, and despite the grime and dirt on them, the muscles and sinew were pronounced.

Her gaze was caught again by the yellow eyes, and she suddenly remembered having seen them before.

'That's right! On that circus poster! But….'

It wasn't an exact match. The eyes on the poster were that of an animal. These eyes though… they were full of fire, and despite the inhuman brightness of the yellow… there was a whole sea of human emotions being tossed around in them.

Kagome simply didn't know what to think.

The dog-man released her wrists, practically flinging her arms away through the bars, and she couldn't help but take a few steps back as he rose up on his elbows, back arching to lift himself off his resting place on the floor. There was a clanking sound of metal, and his head jerked a bit, before his eyes rose once again to meet hers.

It was then that she saw the chains.

There were large shackles on his wrists, connected to the floor by chains less than a foot in length each, and another slightly longer chain reached up to a thick metal collar around his throat, preventing him from lifting his head any higher than two feet off the ground, making it impossible for him to do any more than crouch like an animal.

The sight of these restraints caused a wholly unexpected flare of emotions in the girl. She felt pity over his short leash, anger that someone could do this to another person, fear over what might have motivated such drastic actions, and an overwhelming compassion for what she saw in those yellow eyes. He was trapped. He wanted out. He couldn't get out by himself. There was something in those eyes that told her he'd already tried and failed. He was angry, he was hurt, he was tired… and he was still looking at her.

And he was much closer than before.

Without even realizing it, she had drawn closer to his cage, trying to see him better in the failing light. Or perhaps she was just trying to see deeper into his eyes. Realizing what she was doing, Kagome flinched, drawing back and away from him, refocusing on his face.

His expression was less angry than it had been, but now it was wary, and full of deep distrust. Kagome wasn't sure why, but that look of distrust was… upsetting. Didn't he realize she wasn't going to hurt him?

'Of course he doesn't!' She thought suddenly, wanting to slap herself for her oversight, 'I haven't done a single thing but gasp and cower since he first woke up!' Leaning slightly to ensure eye contact and steeling her resolve, she softly but clearly said "I'm sorry."

The dog-man's eyes went wide, but his face scrunched in a frown all the same.

Why did he look angry again? Perhaps he was confused. "For waking you up I mean. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

He continued to stare at her, his look incredulous. She barely heard as he ground out under his breath "...The hell?"

Kagome almost felt the urge to laugh at the less-than-informative statement, but her confusion overpowered the feeling. "Wh-what? I'm sorry, alright? Isn't that what you want?"

From the way he was looking at her, she was starting to suspect she'd grown another head or something.

"What I wa… what I want? The hell kinda question… just who the hell are you?"

His face nudged towards the bars suddenly as she watched him sniff the air in a distinctly dog-like manner, his nose twitching as he took each breath.

"You're just a plain-old human… what are you doin' in this hell-hole?"

His questions were lost in her indignation at his labeling.

"A plain old… just who do you think you are? And what do you mean - of course I'm human! What else would I be?"

He looked at her skeptically, but his face changed as he sensed the sincerity in her words.

"What I'm sayin' is 'what's a human doin' wandering around a demon's circus when it's not even feedin' night?' "

Kagome's mouth gaped as she processed the words 'demon' and 'feeding night', and her brain promptly shut itself off. She slumped to her knees, eyes lost in the dark around her, heart racing as her previously forgotten anxiety and fear suddenly doubled.

"You… you mean… those things I saw, were…."

"Demons?" He supplied helpfully, though not without sarcasm.

She sat in the dirt, trying to piece together the jumbled mess that night had become. Her friends were at the Italian circus with Hojo, and by now they must have noticed her absence. But what could they do? Where could they look? She was sure that Byakuya had caught her in some sort of illusion on the way to where she was now, and she knew she wouldn't be able to find her way back, nor would anyone else find her. So now she was stuck at a 'demon's circus', though what that fully meant she wasn't sure, and that Byakuya person knew she was here; she had already been seen by who knows how many of those strange circus-goers, and now… now she was having a (rather strained) conversation with a half-dog, half-man, whose ears she had been caught grabbing.

She couldn't even pretend it was a dream, because she could still feel the dog-man's clawed grip, and the ache in her chest from running.

So… this was all real… it was all really happening.

Now… now she had to figure out what to do about it all.

She lifted her head slightly, peering up at the dog-man, who was still watching her, his face pressed against the metal bars. The slight tilt of his head and inquisitive eyes made him look like a curious puppy, and suddenly Kagome found a question burning her mind.

"Are… are you a demon too?"

He didn't speak at first, his eyes hardening as he continued to look at her, as if trying to decide how to answer. Finally, he grunted dismissively and said curtly "What do you think?"

She paused, then said, her voice soft and hesitant "... I'm not sure."

His eyebrow quirked up in confusion as he responded "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean… sure, you have dog ears, and claws, and… your eyes are sort of… but… I don't know, you just don't seem like the demons I saw before. You just seem a lot more… human."

He scoffed at her words, but his head dropped, his eyes staring at the ground as he growled out "You don't know what you're talking about."

But Kagome couldn't help think that somehow… she'd been right. 'Can a person be both? Human… and demon?' She was straining to see him now in the soft light of the moon above them, but she couldn't miss the shimmer in his silvery hair as his head suddenly shot up, eyes wide, ears swiveling round at something she couldn't hear.

"Dammit… here they come."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she whipped her head around frantically, springing to her feet again as she tried to see whatever it was he was sensing.

"What do you mean? What's coming?"

He didn't answer, only turned his head to grab at the corner of a ratty cloth with his teeth, pulling it so that he could reach it with his shackled hands. Before Kagome could react he had shoved a dirty, smelly blanket through the bars at her, snapping "Hurry and put that over you, and go hide in the corner." She picked up the scrap of cloth with the tips of her fingers, eyeing it distastefully. Her look amended to something sympathetic when she realized this was probably all he had to keep warm.

"Just do it! They'll smell you otherwise and find you in no time!"

The idea of 'they' and being 'found' was enough to persuade her, and with a slight nod, she threw the moth eaten thing over her head and ran off to the end of the makeshift alley where the boxes enclosed in a dead-end.

She missed the relieved look in the dog-boy's eyes as he watched her go.

Kagome sat shrouded in the dark, the blanket covering her from head to toe in a dingy canopy, as she listened to the silence and tried to keep her breathing and beating heart silent. Minutes seemed to pass, and she began to wonder if it had been a false alarm, when suddenly she heard voices – snarling, sinister voices drawing closer and closer to their row of crates.

The voices grew louder, and she began to make out words - words which chilled her to the bone.

"Hurry it up boys, the crowds are waitin'!"

"Yeah, that worm-charmer didn't quite do the job as well as they would have liked!"

"Well what does he expect when the visitors are the ones what get possessed?"

"Ha! Serves them right! The foxes sure seemed to enjoy it though! Love mischief, they do!"

"Personally, I'm waitin' to see the demon-tamer later on. Maybe she'll slip up and get eaten this time around!"

"I dunno why Master Naraku lets humans like her and that washed-up monk be a part of the show anyways. What good's a human - 'cept for a snack!"

The voices broke into howling laughter which sent shivers through Kagome's bones. Suddenly she was very glad for her camouflage, no matter how bad it smelled. She heard the heavy footfalls of whoever it was that had been talking as they walked through the opening in the line of boxes, mere yards away, but she didn't dare move the blanket to take a peek.

She probably wouldn't have wanted to see them anyways.

One of them laughed mockingly in a deep voice as he approached, calling out "Speaking of humans, I wonder if half-breeds taste nearly as good!"

A second, more youthful but altogether menacing voice chuckled darkly, responding "Probably taste like dirt. Isn't that right, Half-breed?"

"Ha! Wake up Half-breed! It's show time!" A third voice squealed, the sound pinched and grating on Kagome's ears.

"Yeah, look lively, or we'll make you!"

The younger voice broke into a triumphant crow, which was followed by a sparking, sizzling sound, and Kagome's heart seized as she heard the rough cry of the dog-man, cut off abruptly as he tried to hold in the pain.

The laughter started up again, but was broken by a wild snarl and the sound of chains clanking.

"Whoa! Now now, none of that, pup! Or Master Naraku will really give you something to whine about!"

The were some scraping and creaking noises like stiff wheels being put into use, along with various directions of "Hold this" and "pull that" and "watch that he can't reach you".

At last they seemed to be moving away, the sound of wheels rolling in the dirt underlying the continuous taunting.

"Hey Hiten, how much you wanna bet they throw rotten fruit at him again?"

The younger voice laughed in response, saying "Are you kidding me? I'm hopin' for rocks this time!"

"Maybe after the show they'll let him out so we can have a go at him!"

The laughter faded as the group traveled farther and farther away, but Kagome didn't move for a long while after. She sat still as stone, horrified at the conversation she had heard. But her fear was no longer for herself. They obviously couldn't tell she was here. No, the fear pooling in her heart now was for the poor man in the cage, and the fate that awaited him. 'Half-breed' they had called him. Half what? Why did they seem to hate him so much? Why… why were they hurting him?

Suddenly the image of those soulful yellow eyes flashed before her in the dark, and unbidden tears welled as she remembered the pain behind them. This wasn't anything new for him, she realized. This was his life.

No one deserved this kind of life.

Anger swelled in her at the injustice of it all. So what if they were demons? That didn't mean they should get away with this.

She couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

She wouldn't have those yellow eyes haunting her conscience.

With determination she stood up, draping his gifted blanket like a hood over her hair and shoulders, and strode off into the shadows after those hateful voices.

*Author's Note:

Yikes I've been working on this for a while….

I've been talking about this story for a while on my tumblr (I'm under the same username there that I am here) and I've posted a lot of concept art and teasers and stuff up there, so if you're interested and waiting for the next chapter, please go check it out! ;)

If you want some extra background, this is set apprx. 1887-ish, during the Meiji Restoration period of Japan's history, when Japan was rapidly changing, and foreign things like circuses and bustles were all the rage.

I strongly encourage you to look it up, cuz it's a very interesting history!

As always, thanks so much for reading, and keep an eye out for the next chapter!