Disclaimer:
I do not own Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale, Clash of the Titans (2010), or any of the associated characters or universes. They belong to Sunrise, Legendary Pictures, Warner Brothers, Rumiko Takahashi and Greek Mythology.
Summary:
In a world of darkness where man and demons clash for supremacy, a child is born of both races that embodies their best, and worst, attributes. Is he the savior meant to bring back faith in humanity and demons alike? Or will he tear down the entire world in his grief and his rage? Rated PG-13 for action violence and some mild cursing.
The very oldest stories ever told are written in the stars, set as constellations that will forever tell the greatest of deeds for millennia to come. Stories of time before men and gods, when great demons ruled the Earth. And Magatsuhi, the greatest of them all, ruled over them all.
The elder demons were powerful, but their reign was ended by the rise of their own sons: Inutaisho, Choro, and Naraku. Who would go on to become the great demon lords.
Many years the three brothers spent in secret, gaining power, forging weapons, and preparing for war. But it was not yet enough. Inutaisho convinced his brother, Naraku, to create a beast so strong that they could defeat their parents, the elder demons. And from his own flesh, Naraku gave birth to an unspeakable horror.
Ryukoytsei. The Dragon of Doom.
With this mighty beast at their side and weapons in their hands, the war was swiftly over. Magatsuhi was cast down and his sons became the new demon rulers of the world.
Inutaisho became King of the Heavens.
Choro... Master of the Seas.
And Naraku, tricked by Inutaisho, was left to rule the Underworld as its Lord, in darkness and in despair.
It was Inutaisho who then drew man together, protecting them and guiding them, and man's prayers fed the Demons' power and immortality as they were worshipped like Gods. But in time, mankind grew restless and bold. They begun to question their Gods and finally began to rise up against them.
Into this world of chaos and bloodshed, a child was born. A boy who would change everything. On the night of the new moon, he was born.
Inuyasha.
That night, the campfire burned low. A storm was building on the horizon, as lightning flashed and thunder crashed. It shook little Inuyasha down to the bones, and he held a hand over his heart as he watched the storm play out, feeling a connection to it he could not put into words. Only a boy of seven, he watched the heavens for answers to his questions, unable to find them from anyone else. The same questions all boys needed to answer at some point or another in their lives.
Who am I?
His mother and father watched him from the fire, exchanging a look, knowing their son had been in a mood of late, angry and tense, lashing out quickly and just as quick to apologize for his frustrations. Laying a hand over his wife's belly, the boys father suspected he knew what troubled young Inuyasha. He stepped away from the warmth of the campfire for a moment, making his way to the boy's side.
"What is it, son?" his father asked, settling down into a seat beside him.
The young, white-haired boy didn't raise his head, and his dog ears were low and flat, a tell-tail sign of his unhappiness. "I will have a brother or a sister soon," he said.
And like that, everything became crystal clear. It wasn't easy for a child not bound to you by blood to understand the love a family shared, questions and confusion would always be there, but family love would never depart or diminish from something so simple as that.
"You think we're gonna love this child differently than the way we love you..." his father said kindly. "But we won't.
"But this child will be yours. And me... I'm no one's son," he lamented.
The older man shook his head, throwing an arm around the boy. "That's not true. I'm your father, Inuyasha. Izayoi is your mother, and you'll always be our son."
Inuyasha lifted his head, gazing up at him with golden eyes watery with unshed tears.
"The bond between us, is much more than flesh and bone. But the love we have for you, it's that love that Kings and Demons fight over."
He nodded, though in truth, Inuyasha wasn't sure he understood.
"I never understood the Fates, I'm just a fisherman... I probably wasn't meant to," his father added with a shrug. "But even I don't question that you were saved for a reason, Inuyasha. And someday, that reason, is gonna take you far away from here. On adventures unlike anything you could even imagine."
He smiled down at his son, and Inuyasha managed a tiny smile in return. The lightning flashed overhead once more, illuminating the small family.
"But not tonight. It's late and you should get to bed, or your mother'll worry."
Pouting, the pale-haired child obediently slid off his rock and headed back to the home he shared with his mother and father. Tonight he would have no bad dreams, no more fears of waking up to find them gone, to find himself abandoned, unwanted, unloved.
Tonight his dreams would be pleasant and peaceful.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" his father called out, feeling his grip already starting to slip. The winds were very strong today, and the rope slick.
"You're getting old, pops," Inuyasha said with a grin, grabbing the rope tight in one hand and pulling it down, as the older man made his way to the nets.
Twelve years had passed. Inuyasha had grown tall and strong. Though lean of figure, his body held strength not readily apparent in his slight frame. His features were handsome and striking, particularly when he smiled, though of late he more often wore a frown or a snarl, showcasing canine teeth sharp as a dogs. He retained the golden eyes and flowing white hair of his youth, a permanent reminder of who he was and what he was. Though in truth, he'd long since ceased to care.
He was a fisherman, and the son of Izayoi. That was all that mattered.
"Izayoi! Izayoi!" his father cried. "Help me with the net!"
Between the two of them, they hauled it up, but when it finally cleared the deck, they saw the interwoven strands were empty of naught but more saltwater. Not a single fish caught, for all their efforts. The entire day had been like that.
As had the last day, and the one before it, and so on for nearly a week now. The last time they'd caught something it had been a morsel barely worth keeping around as supper. Throwing his hands up in disgust, Inuyasha's father cursed the heavens above for their lack of bounty. "To whom do we direct our gratitude for this glorious bounty?" he asked sarcastically.
"Spare us, please," Izayoi pleaded gently, ushering her younger son to her side. Inuyasha's little brother Sota watched silently as the parents continued their quarrel. Or rather, their father continued his quarrel with the air as if addressing the demon lords.
"To whom do we thank?! Choro?! Inutaisho?!"
"Thank the men who provoked them," Izayoi replied evenly.
He clearly disagreed, still caught up in his rant. "They crushed my island, they put a plague on yours. They take from us what they want and give only when they feel like it. We are little better than slaves," he lamented.
"The Demon Lords have guided us and protected us since time eternal," Izayoi pointed out. "They have protected our lives. Given us the tools and skills to build civilization. For that, we should always strive to be thankful."
"I'm tired of being thankful for scraps," he said, thumping down on his backside as the boat listed back and forth. "I am a fisherman, Inuyasha is a fisherman, and they've even taken that away from us. What we are. And still they want us to love them anyway."
Inuyasha had to concede, his old man had a very valid point. Not that it would do them much good. The demon lords ruled, their might was unquestionable and unparalleled. Rising against them or provoking their wrath would only make things worse in the long run.
His dad evidently disagreed. "One day, somebody's gonna have to make a stand. One day somebody's gonna have to say enough."
Hoping he lived long enough to see that day, Inuyasha went back to his work, casting out the nets in the hope they could catch one more thing before they had to return home.
Inuyasha could not sleep that night. There was a thunderstorm on the horizon. The thunder rattled in his bones, the lightning seemed to flash behind his eyes. Though as of yet no rain fell upon them, he could not sleep. He paced the decks instead like a nervous animal, pacing back and forth, shoulders hunched and hackles up.
"Just like the day you came to me," came a voice, and Inuyasha turned. His old man was there, watching him. Approaching him to rest a hand on his shoulder. And like always, it calmed the shaking, made him almost forget about the storm. "The storm brought me right to you," he reminisced.
For a moment the two men stood side by side, watching the horizon. Thinking of the past and the future alike.
"I know you have questions, son," he said, sighing. "I truly wish I had the answers."
Inuyasha turned to him, and managed a smile. "It's fine, dad. I have everything I need right here."
And that was just the right thing to say, it seemed. His old man could not have looked prouder.
"Good night, son," he said, descending back into the ship. Inuyasha almost joined him, but turned to watch a particularly bright flash of lightning on the horizon. A frown creased his brow as he waited for the thunder to follow. The storm was coming closer... and it promised to be a big one.
With their nets still empty the next day, the small family had little choice but to return home. As they did, they passed close to the coastline of Edo, the fair winds guiding them along the rocky beaches at a suitable distance. And it was there that they saw the great statue of Inutaisho.
The Great Dog Demon, the King of the Heavens.
His statue was carved of stone and stood nearly fifty feet in height, dwarfing all but the largest ships who came across the inlet. A sword was held up in his clawed hand, raised high and ready to be smote upon the enemy. In the statue's stone features were captured Inutaisho's majesty and his ferocity, but also his wisdom and his love. It was truly the image of a great demon.
For all intensive purposes, a God.
As their ship approached closer, however, Inuyasha and his family saw a worrisome sight. The statue was teetering, caught in the pull of gravity. Men were at the base of the great stone feet, with ropes and pickaxes, chipping away at the granite ankles until the entire thing came crashing down over the Cliffside, splashing right into the water and shattering.
Fortunately, they were well enough away from the sudden swells to weather them. Even so, Inuyasha grabbed Sota and held dearly onto the boy to ensure he wasn't swept away as their ship rocked against the waves. Cheers erupted from the cliffside by the soldiers who'd defiled the statue, roaring in good spirits at their defiance. Inuyasha glared up at their carelessness and stupidity. Pick a fight if you want to, he thought, but don't endanger us in your stupidity.
"What have they done?" Izayoi asked, aghast at the implications.
"Declared war," was the reply. "The war against the Demons."
Stormclouds were gathering thickly overhead, blotting out the sun and casting a horrible shadow over the land. The soldiers cheering was quickly drowned out by the rumble of thunder. The waters were starting to churn as well. Dark shapes slipped beneath them as Inuyasha and his family watched. Not fish... not even sharks. Something far, far worse was swimming underneath them. Again Inuyasha tightened his grip protectively on Sota, casting a glance over at his parents.
Then suddenly, darkness erupted out of the waters. Lesser demons of every shape and size, long tentacles and bat-like wings, gaping eyes and drooling mouths. They flew over the ship and then descended upon the soldiers en masse, biting and clawing and stinging. Shouts and cries replaced their cheers as they grabbed at weapons and fought for their lives.
"Let's get out of here," Inuyasha said, reaching for the ropes and gently pushing Sota over to the middle of the deck with his mother.
"No," the father commanded. "Do nothing."
His eyes did not leave the bloody display above, and Inuyasha lifted his own view to watch.
The soldiers did their best to battle but they were men trained to fight in formation, against other men, not unearthly creatures such as these. Many were bit or raked with poisoned fangs and claws, others were dragged screaming into the sky, only to be dropped onto the cold rocks below. Inuyasha could only watch in horror, aghast at the carnage. He wished he could help, but against such monsters as these, what could anyone hope to do?
Finally, the demons seemed to have finished off the soldiers, flitting through the air in chaotic patterns, ducking and weaving in and out amongst one another. As they did, they seemed to collide in the skies above. Melding and merging together, flowing into shadowy darkness until that darkness erupted outwards in a wave of ashes and dark flame. A man floated amidst those shadows, a man with a wicked look on his pale face.
No, not a man, Inuyasha realized. A demon.
The demon hurled himself forward, his body like a great meteor of shadows, and he smashed into their boat and tore it asunder in seconds. Inuyasha was knocked off his feet and sent flying through the air, only to crash into the water seconds later. He struck head first, so hard and fast he blacked out instantly. Darkness enfolded him as the cold waters and broken remains of their ship became the tomb for his family.
Inuyasha, however... lived...
Meanwhile, another battle raged, with words instead of weapons raised in heated conflict. High up atop of the mountains, in the Heavens, the Demon Lords had gathered to discuss this latest affront against them. Everyone seemed to be speaking at once, shouting to be heard. Snarls and roars of protest added to the layers of noise until almost nothing could be made out properly.
"Inutaisho, you must bring an end to this!"
"They attacked our temples!"
"Now they dared to disgrace Inutaisho's image!"
"They dare to mock us!"
"They must suffer for this!"
"We cannot act in haste!"
"We could reach out to them!"
"An accommodation could be made, a truce!"
"NO!"
Down came the great demon kings fist, smashing the arm of his throne. The sound echoed through the hallway of the other demon rulers, silencing them. Inutaisho spoke then. "I protected them. Nurtured them. Guided them. And they reward my love... our love... with defiance?! There will be no truce! None!" he barked.
"Finally, some rage from you."
A new voice slithered into the chambers, as all eyes went from their lord Inutaisho to the far end of the chamber, to a single spot shrouded in shadows. One rarely occupied by its owner, who stood before them now.
"How long has it been? How long brother? Since you've seen my face?" he asked, as the shadows faded to reveal him.
Clad in spiky bone armor, the new demon in their midst cut an imposing figure. Tall, dark-haired, pale of feature with inhuman red eyes and a wicked grin on his face. His features were noble and aristocratic, like all the gathered demons, but on this one they seemed pale and whitewashed as a corpse recently buried.
"Naraku," Inutaisho greeted warily.
The dark demon dipped his head. "Endless years, I've watched from the Underworld," he said. "I saw your wrath tempered with love. You aided them for one reason, so their prayers would fuel our power and our immortality."
That part they all knew. What was Naraku driving at?
"But you love them too well. They grow strong, and now, I am forced to rise because we are all threatened."
"What do you want, brother?" Inutaisho asked, hoping Naraku would get to the point.
"Let me loose upon them," Naraku demanded, stepping up in front of his elder brother. "To torment and destroy. They will pray again, and you will bathed in their awe and fear. And we will grow strong again."
Naturally, the idea was met with protest. Not because of what it was, but who was voicing it. "He belongs in the Underworld, not here," said Taigomaru.
"You do not tell me where I belong," Naraku countered smoothly, eyeing the bat demon with a terrible glare.
Choro, known as the Sea-Wolf, found himself nodding in agreement with his youngest sibling. "Inutaisho, our brother speaks the truth. Hear him."
That seemed to be enough to make up the great demon kings mind. "Go, do what you will."
One last feeble attempt was made to sway his decision, by the tiniest and most miniature amongst them. "My King, we need the mortals," Myoga said from his perch on Inutaisho's shoulder.
"No, Myoga," he smoothly replied. "Naraku is right. Their insolence must have a price. Like children, they need to be reminded of the order of things. Set an example brother."
His decree echoed through the Heavens as Inutasho made his will known.
"Turn them on each other."
Authors Notes:
Please leave a review if you enjoyed.
I am honestly shocked and appalled nobody has thought to do this before, it seemed like the most perfectly natural thing to me. At least, in the context of the Clash of the Titans remake in 2010. A smidgen of tweaking and it could well have been an Inuyasha live-action film. Much as I wish I could've presented this entire thing animated, hopefully this story will serve as a suitable substitute in the meantime. As it is, it's only a while before someone is liable to try and make a live action film series about Inuyasha anyway, given how many anime have been coming to the big screen in recent years.