This is a repostingof my first fanfiction on The first time, it wasn't properly formatted.I also felt Miroku was out of character, and my villain wasn't as sympathetic. Hopefully, this will be better received. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyedwriting it. Enjoy!

Inuyasha

Blade of the Imprisoned Souls

PROLOGUE

The youth stared at the water blankly. His jaw hung open loose. On one arm, he watched his blood slowly drip from the fresh wound. His forearm had been torn open, but he made no move to change it. An acrid smell nearby pierced his nostrils, but he did not cry or cringe. It came from the ground, a foul, roasting pile laying there. In his other hand, an elegant katana blade, with a gold crafted hilt and a long serpent engraved on it, loosely hung from his hand. The sheath lay nearby discarded.

The boy had a defeated look. He seemed dizzy and disorientated. He was dressed in rags…all that he was allowed to wear as a slave. His skin was dirty and mottled. Old scrapes and bruises were all over him, and he looked as if he hadn't eaten or slept in ages. He stared at the water and at his own image as if he was an alien visitor. He took no notice of the dark woods that surrounded him, nor of the old stone shrine behind them. Paper spells that had been strung in front of it had been torn asunder, and were flung about to indicate that such happened in a hurry. The object that it had been guarding was gone, now inside the boy's hand. He continued to stare at the water, looking totally defeated. Tears slowly began to well in his eyes.

Perhaps he could claim that… No…he could not plead ignorance. He remembered everything. Much as he didn't want to, he did. And the memories replayed in his nightmares and throughout every dark day of his life… Nothing could change it now. It had seemed like a fantasy at the time, but it was different now. Now, he remembered clearly what he had done…the people he butchered.

"Mom…Dad…"

He bit his lip down and cried again. He was an outcast. No one would ever show him pity or mercy no matter where he went. They'd hunt him and kill him…and rightly so. He was a disgrace to the name Miko now. His hands were stained with too much blood to ever fire another arrow of purification again.

"My family's dead…" He spoke out loud, grim and defeated. "My tribe is dead…" After saying that, he slowly looked over himself. All the while, he could imagine the words "murderer" tattooed all over his body, written in the blood still staining him. Why had Naraku stopped with marking him with that hideous spider shape? Why not write that shape all over him, so that if he ever awakened he would know the truth forever? His life was over now. Why hadn't he remained Naraku's slave, and then faced death at the hands of some warrior who thought he was just destroying another one of his minions? Death was a blessing now…justice.

His eyes went to his wound.

"…And the rest of my blood deserves to mingle with this river." He continued in a quiet voice.

Yes…that would be best now… He deserved it, after all. He was a killer. One by one…he had stabbed his tribe in their sleep. He left his family for last. Oh, of course they were last…because Naraku knew they wouldn't kill him to save themselves or others. They'd let him disembowel him before that…and so he did. He didn't know anyone could do anything so heartless…especially not to those they loved. That demon…he was nothing more than a puppet to him. His life had been a plaything in the hands of them…just like his life meant nothing in any of their hands. Humans…they were their toys and nothing more. Their lives meant nothing to them. But they meant something to him. And so he mourned what he had done…

He didn't deserve to live. Just one slice across his wrist…and in a few minutes he could join the rest of his tribe…

…Sanhou…

The youth raised his head again, losing his look of defeat momentarily. Someone had called his name… But it came from within… Puzzlement drowned his sorry for a moment. Was Naraku still there? Still inside him? Instructing him to do some other monstrosity?

…Saphsaiga…

The youth turned his head down. No…that wasn't him. It was…this? The sword? Yes…it was the sword, calling to him again…just as it had called to him to use it to purge his body of that monster. He didn't know how or why…but at the time he hadn't argued. He had been too full of fear and terror. The sword could have been Naraku himself and he wouldn't have cared…

…not you…

The boy hesitated at that. "…Not me?" He asked. He paused at that. He thought it over for a moment. Not me… He inhaled deeply and thought a bit longer…and at last sighed and then shook his head. The pain was too great in him. The feeling of what he had done weighed down his soul. And yet…that voice was right. It wasn't his fault. He wanted to blame himself…because he was desperate to blame someone for this crime. But it wasn't him. He was a victim too…just like them. He had just been hated so much by others that he began to believe it really was him…

"…No…I…suppose it wasn't my fault…"

…Naraku…

The youth glared at the water, focusing and looking beyond it. As he did…he began to think anew. He began to feel a new sensation in himself. Of course…he should have felt this for the start. Why blame himself? The truth was, all of his anger should have been focused on the real criminal from the beginning. He need not feel the shame that belonged to that demon…

"Yes…it was his fault."

…them…

A fire of anger burst in his eyes as his anger began to grow. Them… Yes, them. His entire life he had been scared. His entire life he heard stories about how they fed on people…tortured them…cursed them…did all sorts of unspeakable wicked things to them. Drained their lives…imprisoned their souls… All they had ever brought him and his people were misery and pain. And now the worst of them had struck and had wiped out all but him. Them…

"No…it was their fault. All of them."

…arrogant…

"Yes…those damn devils." The youth hissed, his anger mounting now, beginning to dominate him. The sword understood…and it was becoming clearer to him as well. Why did his kind ever consort with them…when they did this?

"They think they rule us. They think humans are their playthings…"

…thieves…

"Raiders…"

…destroyers…

"Monsters…"

…rapists…

"Widowers…"

…orphaners…murderers…

The youth paused at that. His growing anger subsided for a moment, and he closed his eyes. Tears mounted within them, and one rolled down his cheek. It wasn't enough for that monster to do this to him…but to use him as his weapon. The sadness returned.

"…They took my family…my friends…" He lamented, his tone quivering and sobs beginning to choke him. "My home… We had been devoted to protecting the world from those demons…and they killed us as if we were nothing…" He paused a moment, crying a bit more. Tears ran down his cheeks. He began to sniffle.

But then…he reached up a hand and wiped his face clean. He shouldn't be sad about this either. No…there was only one emotion he would give them now. He seethed it from clenched teeth.

"…I hate them. I hate them all."

…vengeance…

The boy raised his head at that, his tears stopping. Surprise replaced his sadness. "Revenge?" He asked.

…justice…

The youth hesitated a moment at that. But then, he sighed and slowly shook his head, sadly. Of course, it couldn't be done. He was wasting his time with anger. "No…it's impossible."

…We can…

But the boy just shook his head. "No…even together, we're too weak. We aren't strong enough. We're just two."

…get more…become more…

The boy raised his head again at that. "More?" He asked. "Stronger? There's a way for me to become stronger? For us to become stronger?"

…Shikkon shards…

The youth narrowed his brows at that. "Shikkon shards?" He asked. He pondered over this a moment, but then shook his head. "No…no human can tolerate them. I can't control them."

…We can…

The youth hesitated again. He thought over this latest information for a brief moment. Then…he realized it might be true. Yes…already they were able to do this together…perhaps there was a way. He formed a small smile as hope came. "Yes…you're right. Together, we can. After all, it's because of you that I was able to purge Naraku from me in the first place."

…justice…

The boy smiled wider, and began to look up, his spirits lifting. "Yes, justice…for all humanity… For all those that ever suffered this pain."

…hero…regain respect…

He grinned even more. "That's right… They'll forgive me. They'll let me back. Indeed…it's the only way. It has to be. I…" He paused a moment, and brightened more as a new realization came to him. "I…I can make a new age! I can make an age of humans! A world without demons!" He paused for a moment at this, reveling in it. But then, he lowered his gaze and turned stern and cold again.

"Naraku must die. Him, and anyone else like him."

…leave…much work…

The boy continued to beam, his heart filled with hope again, for a few brief moments. But then, he readily nodded. "Yes, yes…we do have much work to do. It will take time. We haven't a moment to lose."

Immediately, Sanhou took off into the stream, splashing right through that into the other side. Then, he paused there, and suddenly turned back. He rushed back only to pluck up the sheath, and then turned and began to run back across the river and into the woods. This would be the start of his new life…

And the end of all that was youkai in the world.