I do not own anything! Inuyasha and all respective characters, names, and stories belong to the owners of Inuyasha. I write this story purely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. Neither I nor anyone connected to me makes any profit from this story.
Ok guys! This is my very first fanfic! Please review and comment. I am an aspiring writer and I am using this story as an excercise to help improve my writing skills so any helpful critizism is welcome :) This story takes place in episode 2 of the anime, and I am taking some creative liberties here. Enjoy! [Chapter 2 coming soon]
How to Train Your Half Demon: A Sitting Tale
"Give me the jewel right now and I won't have to start sharpening my claws on you!"
Kagome blinked in disbelief, was this guy serious? She looked into the golden eyes, still aflame with the heat of battle, and saw not even the slightest hint of indecision. Oh he was serious alright, deadly serious.
Reflexively she clutched the glowing gem closer to her chest, taking a small step back as she searched for a way out of this new predicament. Kaede stepped in front of the frightened girl "Pay no heed to Inuyasha child". The priestess' words were of little comfort to Kagome as she looked once again into the fearsome eyes. A rumbled growl sent shivers down her spine as the red coated hanyou flexed his razor sharp claws, tensing his muscles to attack. "I hate having to wait, and I hate the smell of you!" His powerful rush was so swift her brain had only an instant to send her legs the simple message; RUN!
She turned, adrenaline fueling her desperate desire to escape this new menace. Velvety footsteps closed in behind her, faster than she had ever imagined possible. A gentle swish of cloth and an unnatural breeze were the only warnings that she was inches from death. Suddenly, Kagome felt the earth beneath her give as she tripped over a pile of dead bones from the late mistress centipede. Five claws slashed the air where her back had been a mere second before. The Half-demon twisted around and landed facing her, skidding to a stop on the clearing floor. A smug grin revealed keen white fangs glistening in the moonlight. "Want me to scratch your back?" he asked as he flexed the claws that had nearly ripped her in half, cracking the joints loudly in the still night air. Kagome struggled to rise from the dirt, her brain still registering the fact that this creature who moments before had saved all their lives was now trying to kill her.
Behind them the stunned villagers had mustered their wits and now aimed their bows at the hanyou. The arrows flew through the air straight towards Inuyasha. In a single swipe he swatted the deadly missiles, shattering them like so many toothpicks. Faster than Kagome's eyes could follow, he flashed into the air above the terrified attackers, slicing through two fully grown oaks as if they were made of silk. He alighted on one of the newly severed stumps as the men scrambled to evade the massive, falling trees.
"Feh! Who do you people think I am? Do you think you can hurt me like I hurt that Centipede?"
The remaining villagers who had not fled into the forest gathered around Lady Kaede, as if in hopes that she could provide some protection from the unstoppable half demon. With a determined sigh, the priestess reached into her kimono and withdrew a glittering rosary. "Somehow I knew that it would eventually come to this."
Kagome lurched to her feet, resolved to escape with the jewel while the half-demon was distracted. The pair of silver furred ears twitched as they caught the sound of Kagome's running footsteps. Inuyasha leapt into the air propelling his lean body from one tree to the next. "Prepare yourself human!"
Kagome's breath came in ragged gasps as she raced blindly out of the clearing. She could hear the half demon directly above her, and she threw herself to the ground once again, just barely in time to avoid being hit by those razor sharp claws. The blow missed her by inches and carved five deep ruts into the ground, sending the breathless girl flying and showering her with earth. Her head spun from the impact and she realized with horror that in falling she had lost her hold on the jewel!
Inuyasha landed deftly on a boulder not five feet from where Kagome lay. On the ground between them, the Shikon jewel rested where it had fallen. "Ha! Now it's mine." The half demon's eyes shone with desire as he prepared to claim the sacred gem. Before he could move, tiny balls of light shot towards him crackling through the air with vibrating energy.
As they settled around his neck, he could feel a strange force unlike any he had ever experienced, ripple through him. A string of violet beads intermixed with ivory claws, nestled against his chest, their glassy surface brushing the bare skin on the back of his neck. "What the heck are these?" He growled, momentarily taking his eyes off the bright gem and the ebony haired girl, still prostrate on the forest floor. Kaede and the villagers burst through the trees behind them. "Quickly Child" yelled the elderly priestess "Use the word of subjugation!"
Kagome could only stare at the woman in confusion. What in the world was she talking about? Seeing thatInuyasha was still temporarily distracted by the appearance of the strange rosary, Kagome crawled forward snatching up the jewel, and once again lunged to her feet. "What are you talking about Kaede? What word?" "It matters not; your word now has power to hold his spirit!" What? The woman was making no sense!
Lungs burning, Kagome willed herself to keep running. The trees came to a sudden end and the ground dropped sharply away in a deep ravine. Too late she realized the cliff's edge. The soft earth crumbled away beneath her and she fell head over heels down the steep bank, landing with a crash at the foot of a narrow wooden suspension bridge that spanned the width of the ravine. The impact sent the jewel onto the bridge where it rolled lazily to a stop on the worn planks.
The leaves overhead rustled gently as Inuyasha shot into the air above Kagome's head. A look of triumph lit his face as he sneered down at the small girl below him. "You subdue me?" He scoffed "How could you possibly overpower me when you can't even SIT UP?" Kagome thought frantically. A word to hold his spirit? But how am I supposed to know which one? Her eyes followed the half demon's graceful downward arc, his silver mane shimmering in the moonlight behind him. He landed soundlessly on the ancient bridge, ears flicking back to catch the elusive night sounds. Those ears, they looked just like a… That was it! Kagome mustered the last of her strength, and just as Inuyasha reached out to grasp the sacred jewel… Sit Boy!
Inuyasha felt a strange burning sensation and he looked down to see the rosary around his neck glowing with unmistakable power. Suddenly his whole body felt crushed under some unseen weight and he felt the rosary jerk downwards, pulling him face first into the rough wood of the bridge. The gentle night breeze carried the dying echoes of the crash out of the canyon, as Kagome tentatively stood up from where she had fallen "Well what do you know? It worked."
The half demon quickly pushed himself upright, grasping the beads in both hands. "What the heck is this thing?" He yelled as he pulled with all his might at the strange necklace. The rosary refused to budge. It glowed brightly with every attempt to remove it, and as Inuyasha tugged and fought he could feel the beads tugging back, as though they were attached to something deep within him. On the cliff above, Lady Kaede watched the struggling hanyou satisfied in her accomplishment of securing the enchanted rosary to his spirit. Now he could at least be kept in check.
"I am sorry Inuyasha, but even you lack the power to remove the rosary." The half demon snarled, sensing the amused irony behind the priestess' voice. "Oh yeah?" he leapt to his feet, "We'll see about that. I'd come up there and finish you off you worthless hag, if you didn't look half dead already!" Kaede nodded gently "Kagome, the word please." Smiling confidently Kagome pointed a slender finger directly at the startled hanyou "Sit Boy" The rosary blazed and Inuyasha was yanked face first back to the plank bridge. The abuse proved too much for the old structure. With a splintering crack the ancient wood gave way sending the yelling half demon down to the icy rushing water below.
Kagome walked the middle of the bridge and gently scooped up the glittering jewel. "Well that was easier than I thought. Wish I had said it sooner." There was no sign of the half demon. The current was so strong it had probably carried him at least a mile downstream by now. Gazing into the dark river she couldn't help but feel a small prick of worry. Would Inuyasha be alright after falling into that rushing water? Remembering the fight earlier, and how easily that centipede had died at his hands, she decided not to worry. It would take a lot more than a frigid dousing to hurt that guy.
Struggling back up the embankment, Kagome suddenly felt exhausted, she wasn't even sure if she could walk all the way back to the village. Kadede gently reached a weathered hand down to help her up the last few feet of the slope. "Come child, ye must be weary. We shall get ye back to the village for some rest." As the villagers walked the grateful Kagome in the direction of the village, Kaede glanced back at the empty river.
"I fear that ye shall not easily give up the hunt for the prize you so desire Inuyasha. Ye will return."
[Lousy place to stop I know, but reality beckons. The next chapter is purely from my imagination, no review. Oh and for readers with weak constitutions: The next few chapters will contain more "Sit Boy's" than are probably healthy :)]