A Demon's Heart
An Inu-Yasha Fanfiction story
By: Patrick Nguyen Huu
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kagome/Inu-Yasha, Sango/Miroku, Kagura/OC
Summary: There is a mysterious figure who is after the incomplete Shikon Jewel, and thus after Kagome's life. Somehow, the well has started working for most people and youkai. A mystery protector appears and fights alongside Inu-Yasha, Miroku, and Sango to protect Kagume, always vanishing immediately after the battle. He turns out to have a history with one of them – and Kagura...
Author's Notes: I wrote this while I got bored in a friend's apartment over the holidays and kept reading Inu-Yasha. Please R&R!
Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, so pleaso don't sue me! Though I wish they belonged to me (don't we all *wink*). I'm working on it, though.
Translations: (in order of appeareance)
Hanyou: half-demon, half-human
Tayji-ya: Demon hunter/huntress
Miko: Priestess
Osuwari: "Sit"
Youkai: Demon
Shikon no Tama: Jewel of the Four Souls
Katana: Traditional Japanese longsword
Wakizashi: Traditional Japanese short version of the Katana
Tadaima: "I'm home", traditional greeting when you return
Haori: Top part of a kimono, the outer jacket
Kimono: Traditional Japanese robe
Sakura: Cherry blossom
Eien Ryoko: Literally, "Eternal Wanderer"
Youki: Demonic energy
Kuso: "Dammit"
Tetsusaiga: Literally, "Iron Pulverizing Fang", Inu-Yasha's sword
Saya: The sheath of the Katana
Bakuryuu: The ultimate attack of the Tetsusaiga. Inu-Yasha directs his youki
into the blade, making it lighter and faster, also allowing him to use
the Kaze no Kizu at will.
Dójó: "Compassion", the name of Ryoko's katana.
Jíhí: "Mercy", the name of Ryoko's wakizashi.
Oji(-san): Uncle
Go-Shinboku: The God Tree
Kaji no Ha: "Blade of Fire", Ryoko's attack
Fuujin no Mai: "Dance of the Windblades", Kagura's attack
Kaze no Kizu: "Wound of the Wind", Inu-Yasha's wind attack. He channels
energy into the Tetsusaiga and releases it in a blast of wind
energy in form of a bunch of large windblasts
Hono no Kabe: "Wall of Flame", Ryoko's attack. It is a wall of purifying magical
fire.
Seijakou no Kabe: "Silence Wall". Ryoko's defense. An energy wall.
Daijobu da: "Are you all right?"
Saishou no Hakai: "Ultimate Destruction", last resort attack, and one of the
most powerful spells. Destroys everything in a on-thousand-foot radius, including the caster.
Aishiteru: "I love you".
Chapter One: Future's Enemy
A dark robed figure deep in a cavern in the Sengoku Jidai – the Warring States Era, or Feudal Japan – chanted. Magical energy began building around the figure, and pulsed. It swirled into a vortex as the figure continued to chant in an ancient language long forgotten.
The energy began streaming into shape, crystallizing into a portal, then shattering like a mirror. With a final incantation and flash of light, the spell ended.
The well is open. Now go, and get what is mine...It was a mere thought, but it was enough to set plans into motion.
The fight was over. Battered and bloodied they were, but it was over, and they had gained another of the shards of the sacred Shikon Jewel. They were one step closer to ending their quest that had begun years ago. "I just hope that bastard stays dead this time," a young man grumbled. The demon had resurrected itself several times in a row, until they had pinpointed the shard that kept it alive.
Inu-Yasha, the silver haired hanyou, hefted his trusty sword from where it stuck impaled in the ground and resheathed it. His distinctive amber-colored eyes quickly surveyed the battlefield. Kirara, Sango's pet cat-demon, was crawling around and pulling on a kitsune tail that poked out from under a tree trunk. The dog-demon chuckled. The kitsune had probably hidden there as the battle got furious. Speaking of Sango...he glanced around quickly, then spotted Miroku helping her to her feet. The lecherous monk was leaning on his staff, but he seemed, for once, not intent on touching the woman in...inappropriate spots. That is, until Sango's indignified yell rang throughout the clearing. Inu-Yasha didn't even turn at the resounding slap that put an undignified end to Miroku's attempt at groping the tayji-ya.
The the hanyou frowned. Where the hell was Kagome? He'd lost track of the girl during the fight, but had assumed she had been able to defend herself from the demon's attacks. He looked around the battlefield once more. When he didn't see her, he started to worriedly look around again until he spotted a glimpse of her white school uniform in the high grass. He ran over to her. Sango attempted to follow him, but Miroku restrained her. Inu-Yasha probably wouldn't like an audience when he took care of the reincarnated miko.
"Kagome? Kagome!" The hanyou was shaking the teenage girl lightly until she groaned. He noticed a dark crimson stain on her side as he carefully lifted her off the ground, easing one arm under her knees and the other behind her neck. "Come on, Kagome." As she began to stir, he let out a quiet, relieved sigh. "About time you woke up, wench." He stood her on the ground again. It was then she smiled slightly. Uh-oh. That does not bode well, Inu-Yasha thought.
"Inu-Yasha?" She murmured.
"Yes?"
"Osuwari."
SLAM! The hanyou crashed headfirst into the ground, pulled by the prayer beads around his neck. The downed hanyou let out a barrage of curses that made Miroku and Sango perk up, even from afar. The priest grinned slightly and decided to file some of it away for eventual future use.
"What was that for?" Inu-Yasha shot at the miko before lifting himself back up to his feet. She smiled weakly at him. "For dropping me like that." He snorted and picked her up again, then walked back to the others, despite her loud protests. With her slung over his shoulder, she didn't see the grin on his face as he carried her back to their friends.
The six of them sat around the fireplace in Kaede's hut, eating dinner. Kagome thought now would be a good thing to bring up the issue she had wanted to discuss with them. She cleared her throat. "Uh, folks?" She saw she had their attention. "I'm going home for a few days." Inu-Yasha shot to his feet. "You're not!" Kagome sighed. "Inu-Yasha, I've got tests, and I need to study." The hanyou grumbled. "You're not leaving. We can't waste time in finding the shards."
"When are you leaving, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked. The other girl glanced over at the taiji-ya. "Tomorrow." She didn't say more, and Inu-Yasha retreated into a corner, mumbling to himself. One by one, they went to sleep that night. When Kagome laid down, she noticed Inu-Yasha was quietly watching her. And he kept watching her through the night, his mind in turmoil.
She'd be leaving. Again. He didn't like it when she left. He felt so...incomplete. Strangely, he couldn't fathom why he would feel that way, and now he tried to sort out his feelings for her. He frowned as he thought back, to all the times he'd fought with her or talked to her.
The times she had nearly gotten killed. His mind wandered back to the battle with Kaguya, the moon princess who'd broken her seal. Kagome had been nearly killed by her very own arrow, catching the purifying blow before it hit him. "Why did you do something so reckless?" He'd asked her. A small smile tugged as her lips as she replied as she fell. "Don't you always do reckless things for me?" He'd felt so lost then, when he'd thought she would die. No, lost didn't even begin to cover it, it felt more like...fear and despair.
Just hours later she'd been holding on to him in a death grip, trying to keep him from transforming into a full-fledged youkai at the hands of Kaguya herself. She'd brought him back with a kiss...He let out a deep breath as he remembered it. Somehow, it had felt right. And every time she left, a part of him shuddered in the unfounded fear that she wouldn't come back – that she would find some human and forget about all of them. He snorted, his defiance resurfacing. Well, if the wench wanted to leave, then, by all means.
The half-demon shuddered at the thought. No...that was wrong. He wanted her here, by his side, he realized. Though he'd never admit it to anyone else, she'd managed to break down all of his carefully erected barriers after Kikyo betrayed him. He was astounded that she'd even put up with him till now. He knew that once they'd completed the jewel, she'd want to go home. Once they had the Shikon no Tama complete, she'd wait for him to ask it to fulfill his deepest wish.
His deepest wish...
The more he thought about it, the less he liked his old wish to become a full youkai. He'd experienced what it was like to be one, both when he turned into one when he lost the Tetsusaiga, and by Kaguya's spell. Kagome's words returned to him..."I like you as a hanyou, Inu-Yasha..." He sighed. When she asked him, he wouldn't even have an answer for her. What was his deepest wish now?
For his friends to be happy? For Miroku and Sango to finally realize they were meant to be together? For Sesshoumaru to stop trying to kill him over the Tetsusaiga? For Kagome to be happy? His mind was a furious whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, until the tired hanyou succumbed to sleep.
At one other place, another person couldn't sleep. She stopped her walk as she saw a figure leaning against a tree in front of her. Her right hand unconsiously went to her fighting fan. "Don't bother, Kagura. I'm not here to fight you."
"Who are you?"
"Just...someone. I came to make you an offer." The shadow replied. Kagura was by now pretty sure it was a man. "What kind of offer?" She asked as she stepped closer. The moonlight cast eerie shadows on the ground as she approached the stranger.
"You wish to be free of Naraku, don't you?"
The woman shook her head. "Nothing can free me of my servitude to him until he's dead."
"There is a way." That got her interest.
"What way?"
The figure lifted his head and turned to look at her. Shoulder-length black hair drawn back in a ponytail framed the stranger's face, but Kagura's gaze settled on his dark green eyes. "There is a way to break the bond between you and Naraku, if you are willing to...form another bond."
The lady of the wind grimaced. "Switch from serving one bastard to the other? No thanks." She had disobeyed Naraku once, because she didn't like being bossed around by that bastard. The consequences hadn't been too...pretty. The stranger gave a light laugh. "Not a bond like that. The connection between you and Naraku is a magical one," Kagura snorted at this obvious statement. The man contiuned, unperturbed. "But if there is a conflict between two bonds, the stronger one will prevail, while the other is broken, and Naraku will no longer have control over you."
Kagura arched an eyebrow. "Then tell me, what kind of spell is stronger than my loyalty to Naraku?" He chuckled. "There is only one, really." Uh-oh. Kagura could see where this was going. "Uh, marriage?" She asked. The man nodded. "Not here, but in another time, as well," he added. Kagure considered her options. She'd finally be able to leave that bastard Naraku's services, but at what cost? She'd have to marry a complete stranger, follow him to kami-sama knew where, and who knew what he'd want of her.
"Where's the catch?" Kagura demanded.
"There is none."
"There has to be something you want to gain out of this," Kagura told him. "Why would you offer something like this, surely not out of the goodness of your heart." She heard the man chuckle again.
"There is no catch, and there is nothing I want of you."
Kagura glanced at the man again. "Then who are you? Are you with that half-breed Inu-Yasha? I'd at least like to know the name of the person who offered me my freedom."
The man stepped out of the shadows completely. She could see he was clad in a dark green haori and white shirt. The kimono he wore was also dark green, and she could barely make out the sakura pattern on it. He was carrying a katana on his left, but unconventionally carried the wakizashi on his right side, instead of with the katana. "I'm not with Inu-Yasha. I'm just a...traveller. My name is Eien Ryoko." He smiled slightly. "I've been wandering this area for some time, and I couldn't help but notice Naraku and Inu-Yasha battling for the shards of the Shikon no Tama."
Kagura nodded. "I...need time to think about this."
Ryoko nodded as well. "Take your time – just don't take too long. Eventually, Naraku will find out." With that he faded back into the shadows. Kagura blinked. Did he just vanish like that? She shook her head. No, she was probably imagining things.
"WAAAAAH! Don't leave me, Kagome!" Shippo wailed. "Don't go!" She smiled sadly down at the kitsune, and patted him on the head. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a week, and Miroku and Sango will take good care of you, ne?" The addressed couple nodded vigorously. The schoolgirl caught Sango in a hug. "See you later, Sango-chan. I'll miss you." The other woman smiled. "Do take care, Kagome-chan."
Miroku nodded his assent. "Lady Kagome, do hurry back. I look forward to the day when you grace us with your presence again. Oh, and – will you bear my child?" He winked and grinned at her. "PERVERT!" Sango and Kagome shouted as both girls banged his head. Kagome grinned back, and leaned in to whisper, "Maybe you should stop asking women, or you'll make Sango jealous." The monk blushed at that.
The group retreated a distance away, and then there was only one person left. She looked over to where Inu-Yasha stood tall, the sun at his back, silver hair floating around in the gentle breeze, framing his face. The more she thought about it, the more he looked like one of those heroes from ancient legends to her. He quickly crossed the remaining distance between them, and stopped within arm's reach.
Her gaze wandered into his amber eyes. Kagome was surprised at what she found in them – she had expected the concealed hurt, the gruffness, maybe even anger at her leaving. What she found besides that seemed so foreign to her hanyou friend that it took her a moment to realize that she was really seeing it. Sadness and...something else were in his eyes.
Inu-Yasha stood before her, before the girl who'd been a friend, and then somehow become something more. He'd never thought of it this way, but he realized what he felt. Why Miroku acts towards Sango the way he does...and why I act towards her the way I do. But I still have a duty towards Kikyo...and she won't be truly happy here. She can't love me. He took a deep breath. "You can't go."
"Why not?" She glanced up at him. "Because...because..." the hanyou struggled for words. "Because you can't leave! I won't let you!" She sighed. "I'll be back in a week, Inu-Yasha. It's not as if I'm going to be gone forever." The hanyou crossed his arms. "We can't waste more time looking for the shards, not while we have an advantage over Naraku."
"Inu-Yasha, it's not as if Naraku will take over the world in one week. He's not that fast." The girl began to get angry. Why was he always putting up a fight when she had to leave? She would have loved to stay, but she needed to go back to her family and friends, and she needed to continue her schooling. "Look, Inu-Yasha, I need to take these tests."
"You're always taking tests, what is so important about them?" the half-demon huffed. "Everything! They're my future! Tell me, Inu-Yasha, what am I going to do when we're done looking for the shards? I need to be able to do something in my world!" she yelled. "They're more important than these stupid shards!"
"Well, you broke them in the first place!"
"And I said I'd be back!"
"You're staying!"
"I'm leaving, Inu-Yasha!" she screamed.
"No, you're not!"
"YES!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
"YOU'RE STAYING!"
"I'M GOING HOME, INU-YASHA!"
"FINE! SEE IF I CARE!"
Kagome sighed. This was one stubborn hanyou. "Inu-Yasha, let me go." He didn't step aside. "Osuwari," she said. "Osuwari. Osuwari. Osuwari. OSUWARI!" Kagome yelled. The hanyou was slammed into the ground until there was an Inu-Yasha shaped hole in the ground before her. She stepped over it. "I'll be back in a week," she told him before she jumped into the well.
Kagome pulled herself out of the well. She sighed and hauled her oversize backpack into the house. "Tadaima!" she shouted. "Onee-san!" Kagome's little brother, Souta ran up to her. "You're back! Did you bring Inu-Yasha?" Kagome glared at him. "No. But knowing him, he'll be showing up in a few days."
"I would hope so. You to make such a nice-" Kagome blushed and clamped her hands over her grandfather's mouth. "Mmmhpff!" He grinned and pried her off. "Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if he showed up anytime soon." Kagome sighed. She walked up to her room and tossed her backpack on her bed, and took out a math book.
Now is the time...Get me the Shikon no Tama, a figure hidden in the shadows hissed. A thin, parted, snakelike tounged flashed through the air as the telepathic command was transmitted, and the figure watched as its accomplices moved through the well to the other world.
The time has come to take my revenge. The hiss echoed in the dark cavern. Soon, the Jewel of the Four Souls would be in its hands...
"Why do we have to learn math, anyway? I'd like to find out who invented it, and shoot him," Kagome muttered as she walked home from school. For a moment she thought she felt a youki, but shook her head. She was in her time, and there weren't any youkai in her time. She kept walking through the park, wishing for once she were back in the Sengoku Jidai era, uncaring about math and English, and school in general, when she tripped on something.
Glancing down, she saw it was the root of a tree. She kept walking, not noticing the dark figure that lurked behind the treeline. What Kagome did notice was when something jumped in front of her, blocking her path. "What do you wa-" she froze when she looked up and saw a youkai blocking her way. A pretty ugly one, too, she thought as she took in its gnarled limbs and scarred face.
"Give me the shards!" It demanded, it's tentacles sprouting and reaching for her. Kagome ducked and turned around to run, but a second youkai had taken up position behind her, preventing her from escaping. How did they get here? They can't have gotten through the well, can they? She felt a tentacle grasp her arm, and tried to tug away from it, and screamed. "INU-YASHA!"
The hanyou was sitting on a tree branch, sulking. Kagome had been gone for...a day and a half now, and he couldn't stand it. He'd given up pacing when Kaede had kicked him out of her hut for wearing out the flooring, and Sango and Miroku had told him to go after her. So, he sat in a tree, and sulked.
Opening his eyes, he decided to go after the girl. "Feh. I'll drag that wench back here kicking and screaming, if I have to." He jumped out of the tree, and ran for the well. He felt the magical energy surrounding him, and glanced up at the roof of the well house. Dragging himself out, he walked over to the tree that stood in front of her window and jumped up on a branch. Kagome wasn't in her room.
He pried open the window and took in her scent. She was probably at that thing she called "school". He decided to follow her trail and left for the city. He stopped right in the middle of a street, causing a taxi to swerve around him and bombard him with curses when he picked up a newer trail of her scent.
INU-YASHA! He blinked. Did he just hear that? It had sounded like Kagome's voice, but she wasn't anywhere near him. INU-YASHA! He heard it again. It was Kagome's voice, and she sounded like she was in trouble. "Stupid woman, can't keep out of trouble." He started to run.
The tentacles wrapped around her legs and arms, pinning them behind her. One tentacle encircled her neck, and started to contract. "INU-YASHA!" Kagome choked out. "Give me the shards," the youkai demanded again. "INU-" Kagome's cry cut off as the tentacled continued choking her. "That half-breed won't be able to help you this time."
Despite the lack of air, Kagome kept struggling, hoping that through some miracle, the hanyou would appear and save her. She knew it was impossible – he was back in Sengoku Jidai, and wouldn't be coming for her for a week. He was probably still mad at her for the "sit"s he had received, anyway.
"Cry all you will, your precious Inu-Yasha won't be here to save you," the youkai laughed. Kagome was on the verge of blacking out, when she heard something on the edge of her consciousness. She heard the youkai give a startled cry, and drop her. Looking up and gasping for air, she saw a man in a dark green coat dodging one of the youkai's blows, his katana dripping with the youkai's blood.
The stranger seemed to dance around the blows effortlessly, then coutered with his blade, driving it deep into the youkai, and clipping off tentacles. The second youkai behind her turned towards the new threat, and send three of its tentacles flying, intending to impale its attacker.
The man turned halfway, drew a second blade, and sliced off one of the tentacles before somersaulting out, and landing a few feet away. He whirled around and launched himself back into the fight.
Two minutes later, it was over. Chunks of youkai flesh lay strewn around and dissolved to dust. Kagome tried to stand up, but she collapsed back to the ground. The man stood there in the middle of the park, then seemed to perk up. He sheathed his weapons and left, his long dark green cloak fluttering in the wind.
Fools! The figure snarled. Two against one – how dare they fail! Still, he hadn't anticipated the interference from that stranger. Clearly, he didn't belong in that other world. The figure was sure the stranger belonged into his time, his world. Still, he had the aura of a warrior. He would have to look out for that one in the future.
This is becoming increasingly interesting, it thought. That one may well be a powerful adversary, maybe even powerful enough to destroy my spell.
Inu-Yasha arrived at a dead run. He glanced around and spotted Kagome lying on the ground, catching her breath. He ran over to her side, and helped her up. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "No. I don't know what happened, suddenly two youkai jumped me, demanding the shards." The hanyou glanced around. "I don't see any youkai." He sniffed the air. "But I can smell traces of them. What happened?" Kagome leaned against him. "There was this guy – just as the youkai was about to choke me, he jumped in and killed them, then he left."
Kuso! I was too late! Inu-Yasha mentally swore. If he'd just came a minute earlier...There was nothing that could be done about that now. "Come one. Let's get you home," he grunted, lifting her up and leaping into the air. As they arrived at the shrine, he leapt through her room's window, and gently stood her down. He took her chin in his hand and examined her throat.
Kagome flinched slightly as she felt his gaze on her throat. The hanyou could see it was bruised and swollen, but no major damage done. "Good. You were lucky, you don't need to go to one of you hoss-pi-tals," he noted, then the look in his eyes softened. "Kagome, I'm sorry I was too late. If that stranger hadn't come..."
"I would have had to hung on a little longer," the girl grinned. She saw him quickly cover up the guilty and sad look in his eyes. "Feh. How did the youkai get here, anyway?" Kagome shook her head. "I don't know. First I thought they were from this time, but it doesn't make any sense. They must have come through the well."
"They can't! It's impossible." She shrugged. "Maybe not anymore. Who knows?" Inu-Yasha grunted. "Who do you think that guy is?"
"I have no idea. I could barely sense him, so I'm sure he's no normal human, but I don't know anything else." Again, the hanyou grunted. "That's it. I'm staying here." "What??" Kagome shouted. "You heard me. I'm staying here until you come back. I won't let you get attacked again."
Sighing, Kagome relented to the half-demon.