The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell

Edit: 1/16/2014 - I never forgot about this story. I just kept losing my files. Every time I started up a new chapter I would have a computer crash, lose my thumb drive or some how delete everything I worked on. Hopefully I am not jinxing my self by starting again. So again I have gone over my chapters and made edits that I will be uploading. Along with new chapters. That is right I actually wrote NEW Chapters that will start coming out no later than Saturday.

So here I go again. This is an Inuyasha fanfic with a Sesshoumaru and Kagome pairing. Meaning this is AU. You may notice each chapter has a lyric from a David Bowie song. This is because I was inspired to write this story all those years ago while listening to his new CD at the time. I do this because I can. Cross your fingers I don't lose anything.

TPTAGTH- Chapter 1
5:15 The Angels Have Gone

"I'm changing trains
This little town
Let me down
This foreign rain
Brings me down" –David Bowie

"Sesshoumaru! I know you're out there! Show yourself." Inuyasha's body shook with rage as he stood in the middle of a clearing in the forest. To a bystander it would have appeared the hanyou was yelling at the heavens but the boy knew better. Somewhere amongst the canopy of leafs sat his pompous half brother.

Inuyasha had tracked Sesshoumaru across the countryside for almost a day. He chased him down by catching whiff's of his scent, always just a few minutes behind. The young boy knew his older brother was toying with him hoping he would tire of the game. When it became apparent to Sesshoumaru Inuyasha planned to hunt him down he settled by a field on the slim chance the younger brother might take the hint he did not want to be disturbed and give up.

It is in this field, surrounded by the fragrant blossoms of the plum trees, that Inuyasha has begun hysterically calling for him. The poor half demons cries are howls against an empty sky. However, Sesshoumaru is indifferent to his half brothers plight letting the mournful wail fall on deaf ears.

Sesshoumaru watched indifferent as Inuyasha ran helplessly from one point to another from his spot in a nearby tree. The incessant baying was beginning to give him a headache and he wished the mutt would leave. He had no patience for the whelp today.

Inuyasha stopped at another tree that was not Sesshoumaru's then leapt to the next.

"Idiot can't even find me he's so troubled." Sesshoumaru murmured under his breath, trying in vain to ease the headache forming in the back of his skull. For the life of him he'll never understand how he wound up with such a dense creature for a sibling.

"Sesshoumaru please…"

It was the please that caught Sesshoumaru of guard. The one simple word, so unexpected, was enough to gain his full attention. Inuyasha after all is an ill-mannered ruffian, for him to use the word please meant he was desperate. Curious as to the cause of Inuyasha's distress Sesshoumaru decided to show himself.

Jumping from his perch he gracefully landed a few feet away.

"Speak half breed." Sesshoumaru grunted with mild annoyance.

Inuyasha turned around to face his brother. He tried to speak but could not find the breath necessary and was horse from hours of calling for the damnable Yukai. Which may have been a blessing since Inuyasha wanted to rebuke him for wasting his time.

But time was too precious at the moment to have it squandered by petty words and harsh exchanges.

Taking a deep breath Inuyasha managed to spit out what he needed to say. "I need your help."

"What do you think this Sesshoumaru will do for you?"

"Kagome's dead."

The shoji screen to a temple on the out skirts of Keade's village flung aside with such force the rest of the room quaked. Sango and Miroku had remained with Kagome's dead body when a grief stricken Inuyasha had bolted from the scene. They had not seen him in two days and were beginning to worry about what to do. It was improper to leave their friends body lying around without the proper burial rights but they knew she would have wanted to be buried by her family. Only they did not know if they could return her to her time. So the two were forced to wait in miserable silence until Inuyasha or time forced them to make a decision.

Quickly the two sprang from their positions by their friend's side ready to assault the intruder. Rage at the sudden outburst replacing sorrow. Neither had ever dreamed someone could be so uncouth as to disturb the dead. They stopped however when they saw the form of Sesshoumaru enter closely followed by Inuyasha.

Paying no attention to the humans in his way Sesshoumaru walked over to the matt where the priestess laid.

Sango who had been weeping for the last couple of days irately grabbed the sleeve of Inuyasha as he passed. "What is he doing here?" She hissed. The demon slayer doubted the Western Lord would pay his respects to a dead miko.

"Shut up." Inuyasha said with no conviction in his voice as he shook the hand of Sango off him so he could stand beside his brother.

Seeing her body attended to brought the reality of the situation crashing against Inuyasha's heart. Somehow, her death seemed more genuine now in the temple than when he had found her by the side of the road.

Outside every passing breeze had been a possible breath. The pale listless glow of her cheeks just a trick of the light. As if she would just suddenly open her eyes and he'd realize he had envisioned these things.

Except her eyes still refused to open.

Inuyasha hated himself because this was twice he had let someone important down and he hated himself for the reason that he was so selfish he could only think of how it made him feel.

Sesshoumaru ignored the hanyou's grief, disgusted at how a member of his family could allow themselves to become so attached to a mortal. As he examined the deceased miko he realized he had met her during his travels, could smell her a mile away, but now he could not recall what she looked like without being dead. It was eerie he decided as he scrutinized her form.

Kagome laid on the finest tatami matt her friends could find. She had been dressed by Sango in a white kimono and obi, the bloody garments already burned, and her body had been washed in pungent oils. Her lackluster hair was tenderly combed from her face but left to pool around her shoulders. Covering her was a thin gauzy shroud. Sesshoumaru could just make out the outline of her jaw.

"Yes your report was true. The miko is very much dead. I still do not see why I've been called here."

"You can help her. Bring her back with your Tenseiga." Inuyasha said through clenched teeth. He tried to control his anger at Sesshoumaru's comment by reminding himself it would not be wise to upset the one person in all the world who might still be able to save his friend.

"She's dead. Move on." Sesshoumaru said with a flick of his wrist as if to brush something away.

"Why you…" Inuyasha moved forward to strike. He would not move on, not until he knew he had done everything to help Kagome.

Quickly Sango grabbed Inuyasha's arm to hold him in place. If what he said was true and Sesshoumaru could bring Kagome back it was better to work this out peacefully rather than resorting to violence.

Sango's red grief stricken eyes searched the demon before her. Maybe deep down behind the cruel, heartless, malevolent façade Sesshoumaru had some kind of compassion. Sango hoped with all her heart.

"Kagome didn't deserve this." She began to tear at the retelling of Kagome's death.

"Thugs calling themselves nobles where harassing some children. She ran over to stop them. When her back was turned they cut her down." Sango felt the arm of Miroku wrap around her waist and began to sob against his shoulder.

"Why did you not protect her Inuyasha?" There was no reproach in Sesshoumaru's tone only idle curiosity, but Inuyasha's ears went back.

"I just wasn't there ok." Inuyasha felt exceptionally guilty without having Sesshoumaru point out his failing.

"Now you need this one to fix your mistake."

"Please, why else come here just to walk away." The monk spoke still trying to comfort Sango.

Yes why had he come? Sesshoumaru felt the tenseiga hum with life by his side. He had felt it a day ago also. The miko's soul was calling to it begging to be alive. That is why he had come; the sword had compelled him too.

Not one to disobey an order even from a sword Sesshoumaru drew the tenseiga and brought it down across Kagome's body. The three friends ran to stop him but had been to slow stopping abruptly when they saw the result. All bystanders marveled how it had cut threw her only to leave her untouched.

A moment passed and Kagome did not stir. No shift between worlds occurred as it had with Rin…Puzzled by the lack of results Sesshoumaru concluded there was only one reason this would happen.

"Monk. Did you say a sutra for the dead girl?"

"Yes, when we found her by the side of the road." Startled out of his care of Sango Miroku was confused as to why this mattered.

"It would have been beneficial to have known that before I wasted my time. I can only restore the souls still on earth." Irate by their stupidity Sesshoumaru began to head for the door. Over his shoulder he added, in case they were too dense, "The girl has crossed over, she's in hell now."

"Kagome would never be there." Inuyasha whimpered in his sleeve like a scolded puppy. He could not bring himself to face the new grief that came with the knowledge of Kagome suffering in hell.

"You know as well as I Inuyasha only very devout, very heroic monks or warriors are allowed automatic entrance into paradise. As kind and courageous as your miko was not even she can escape Lord Emma-o's court. I suggest you start saying prayers for her. Who knows if you pray enough she may be released to paradise early."

Sesshoumaru knew he was upsetting his brother. He could tell by the trembling of Inuyasha's hands. They shook like a leaf against the wind. It was only a matter of time before, like the leaf, Inuyasha would snap and Sesshoumaru was happy enough to give him that extra push over the edge.

"That's the problem with loving mortals they die too quickly."

"You selfish, cold hearted bastard!" Replacing his grief with anger Inuyasha struck his brother in the back of the head with his fist. Sesshoumaru just considered the act to be a minor annoyance. It did not have the strength or fighting spirit it had in the past to even be considered a threat.

Nevertheless, Inyuasha was not letting him go that easy. Gripping his collar he spun Sesshoumaru around to face him. He held on so tightly his knuckles turned white out of fear of letting go, as if Sesshoumaru might somehow disappear.

The trembling of his body found its way into Inuyasha's throat. "She was my friend and I let her down. I promised her family she'd be safe." Inuyasha held on tighter as if the pressure alone could convey the importance of his words.

"Next time make promises you can keep." Seeing his half-brother reduced to such a pathetic, whimpering dog made Sesshoumaru feel pity for just a moment. Placing his only hand – courtesy of the one before him – on tokijin he wondered if he should alleviate the feeble mutt's sorrow by sending him to join his miko. "Apart from traveling into hell to find her soul, she's gone."

For a time the two stood like statues in the temple. Inuyasha seemed to be mulling something over in his mind. He dropped his head letting concentration lines crease his brow. Whatever it was had his wheels turning.

When he spoke, his words came out distant and bitter.

"We can't go to hell. Mortals, even half demons like me are not welcome. But you can."

"I have no desire to save her." Tired of placating his brother's emotions Sesshoumaru wiped his hand down his haori, as if brushing off dust, to dislodge Inuyasha's tangled fingers from his person.

"I hate the idea of you saving her too. If it was up to me you'd never go near her but you're the only one here who can gain entrance."

Inuyasha looked up determination etched into every line of his body. He decided then and there Sesshoumaru was going to get Kagome back even if he had to toss him into the underworld himself. A look of nausea swept across his face as he swallowed hard pushing back his pride.

"I'm begging you, as a brother, save my friend."

Sesshoumaru slowly closed his eyes forcing the headache creeping against his skull away. The air around him stunk of death. People died every day. What made her so special to escape the plight of all mortals?

What had made Rin so special? His conscience asked.

That was easy; Rin's had been a needless death, no threat to anyone, unable to defend herself he reasoned.

In the back of his mind he thought wasn't the same true for the priestess? She had been no threat to the nobles and like cowards they killed her from behind. Those kinds of men tarnished the name and status of what a noble was. All the things Sesshoumaru held close, honor, integrity, nobility, was sullied because of waste like them.

Beside him the tenseiga hummed again. This time the vibration was stronger than before.

So the girls dead…but not dead.

Tenseiga only hummed when a soul was nearby, but since she was most certainly in hell that meant she had the power to reach through worlds, and her spirit was demanding his help.

How irksome he sighed, thinking about the complications of having a dead miko haunt him.

"What is in it for me?" Sesshoumaru asked dully, looking around.

"I should have guessed." Inuyasha spat out.

"Bring her back and I'll give you the Tessaiga."

"I no longer have an interest in your weapon."

"Then what the hell do you want?"

Sesshoumaru thought long and hard on his response. At the moment he wanted for nothing, needed nothing. Therefore, he decided to plan for the future. "A request, to be granted at a later time of my choosing."

"Deal." Inuyasha bit out, knowing how this would come back to bite him. Yet it was worth it, even if his brother asked for his life. It was worth it if it saved Kagome.

Now on the outskirts of Lord Emma-o's court Sesshoumaru reflected he should have asked for more.