Hello all! Another OMC fic by yours truly, this one revolving around Sesshomaru and an OMC... Maybe. I'mma play this one by ear, so give me your opinions! ;) Hope you guys enjoy it, please leave comments! :D
"Japanese", Thoughts in Japanese, "English", Thoughts in English, "Russian", /Thoughts in Russian/. Some of what my OMC says in a Japanese sentence will actually be Russian and not understood by other characters, such words will be typed out phonetically with a translation in (these) at the end of the sentence. Words used regularly in chapters will be asterisked and explained in an Author's Note at the end of the chapter.
Let's begin.
The day had started normal enough for Ivan Seltov, well, as normal as a day in Japan can be for a Russian/Japanese male just getting in touch with his oriental roots. Not to mention the language issues he had... It was one that created daily hazards for him, at least as far as conversation went. You see, up until his parent's recent, not to mention strange, deaths, they had all lived together in mother Russia. Ivan had been taking classes in America, mostly English and computer/business classes so he could go to work with his father one day. As it turned out, all the math and texts he hated so much saved his life, for surely if he hadn't been in another country he too would have died in that accident. Now he was stranded in Japan, living with his grandmother. Now there was an odd duck, always going on about how their family was descended from demons and he needed to be prepared for the inevitable, how evil never stays buried. It brought him back to his childhood, when his mother would have her babysit him for weeks or even months at a time while she and his father worked. The elderly Watsuro woman put him through intense and bizarre training, everything from meditation to walking over flaming rocks, always going on about his duty and how glad she was to have a grandchild with such potential. One day, after a particularly harsh session while his parents were gone, he asked his father about why he had to go through all that training rather than play with other children. In an outrage, he had declared the 'crazy old bat' would never go near his son again.
Years had passed, and now, here he was again.
There were no other relatives to speak of, at least that had been willing to take in an eighteen year old male with spirit and a strong sense of self. His grandmother, however, had been thrilled at the prospect of having her 'darling Vanya' back. Vanya. That was a name only she and his mother had called him by. His only real friend here, an overly helpful male named Hojo, calls him by his true name of Ivan. All others, teachers, fellow students, anyone, called him one of three things: The respectful surname of "Seltov", the polite "Gaikoku-Jin" meaning foreigner, or the more prickly "Gaijin" meaning alien. He didn't have many friends or acquaintances to speak of, though he really couldn't blame the locals for that. Hell, the only reason he suspected his underclassman Hojo of being his friend was he was so busy pining for a girl named Kagome who was always sick with this, that, or the other, that he just didn't notice how much he stood out, in looks and attitude.
He was a good deal taller than the other males his age, with a wiry yet surprisingly sturdy build. His grandmother had instilled a need to be fit into him, and Ivan lived by it quite well, no trace of fat and beautifully muscled. Other markers of his looks made him stand out, dark emerald green eyes, tanned skin, and light, short brown hair with bangs that went down to his chin, covering his eyes whenever he wished it. "Those eyes are fierce, gives me the creeps", that was what he'd been told or heard muttered behind his back often enough, usually accompanied by a pitiful "I know, and he never smiles!" It pissed him off to hear people say things like that, but it wasn't anything he could help. In fact, he embraced how he looked different, which brought us to the next thing that drew looks from the more mild populace: His clothing. Choosing to stick with what he wanted no matter what, whenever he wasn't in the painfully mandated school uniform that he dearly loathed, he had a favorite outfit he wore just about everywhere for any and every occasion.
This involved a black leather vest with silver studs on the flared collar, belted black fingerless gloves with gold, white, and bright red splatters of paint on them, a short-sleeved shirt under the vest that had a strange tie-dyesque blending of the colors navy blue, silver, dark red, and ivory white. Black skin tight jeans that appeared to be large patches sewn together with a black belt with silver studs, boot cut of course to show off his black steel toe boots that he was very proud of. Bringing it all together were his silver dual "snake bite" piercings on his bottom lip, not to mention two silver earrings on one ear (one lobe), and one on the other, thin and stylized gold trimmed brown goggles with rusty copper colored lenses, and a studded black dog collar complete with a tag, an on this tag stamped in Russian was "Слуга человек", or phonetically written "Sluga Chelovek". It meant "Servant of Man", something that his grandmother had called him day in and day out everyday during their time together.
It was a funny thing to think about, being called a "Servant of Man" and spending hours on end meditating because of a superstitious old woman's stories. Sitting out alone in the park after dark, not really feeling a need to go anywhere and he would be damned before letting someone force him to go, he reflected on her words of wisdom, or were they insanity? It was hard to tell in this strange land.
Flashback...
"Ivan, the Watsuros have always been loyal soldiers of our Masters. First warlords, then shoguns, even the emperor himself! Then we found Kaosu no Chikara, literally the Power of Chaos, a force of darkness, evil, oblivion, anything dark and sinister, and we used that for the good of mankind. They say fight fire with fire, and we did just that! We used the power of evil to banish demons from the world, it gave us unimaginable sway and prestige among humanity." She had preened with her words, looking proud and fulfilled, only to have been scoffed at by her son-in-law, even her daughter.
"If you all have such strange, wondrous powers, why are you living in a one bedroom apartment in the slums? Why not make something of yourself?" Her serene, or scattered, gaze met his with a thin line replacing her smile.
"Because, you unbelieving oaf, once the demons were slain or forced to lay dormant, the power lifted from our veins to rejoin the Void." The old woman nodded her head affirmatively, crossing her arms. Ivan, then a young and curious, coughed shyly to gain her attention, her irritation melting away as she regarded her grandson. "Yes, Vanya, dear?"
"Um, why could our family use this power? Why not some other human, or a demon?" His grandma Miyu seemed pleased with his question, petting him affectionately while chuckling over his naïveté.
"Perhaps a demon could, though the way to draw out the power of Chaos is a difficult road for it would require several items and a suitable catalyst. For humans it is impossible altogether, but we, the Watsuro clan..." She leaned down, winking and putting a finger to her mouth with a toothless grin. "We are descended from a powerful demon, Shadōu~ōkā, the Shadow Walker. He mated with a powerful priestess, Shiori Watsuro, and thus our line was born. Her drive to protect the world from evil was passed on to her child, Shindara Watsuro, and he possessed both unfathomable darkness and unyielding light. Because of his drive, his justice, and his blood, the way to Chaos was opened. Even the Father of the fabled Dog Demon Clan surrendered complete loyalty and obedience to the Watsuro name, and that of all his descendants, in honor of his power and conviction." Her face again grew serious, and she held both of the young boy's shoulders to ensure he was paying attention. "Vanya, he eventually died in his quest. You must always remember that while he demolished all in his path as a Sword of Darkness, he was always first and foremost a Servant of Man. Someday your powers may awaken, and the Void will be unbearable, the Chaos tempting, but you must be absolute in the quest. Always be a Servant of Man, and never forget your own justice."
.../Flashback.
"Servant of Man..." He sighed, leaning back on the bench and closing his eyes, trying to wrap his mind around whatever his concept of 'Justice' really was. His mother had been an equalist, believed in a world where everyone was equal and depended on one another. No wars, no violence, just peace and love every day until the end of time. His father had been a believer in meritocracy, where those who had value and talent to society flourished and those who had none were cut away, like chaff from wheat. A real dog eat dog world where the strong lived and the weak died. His grandmother had always said the world was stained with evil, going all the way back to the first moment a human gave into sin and created darkness in the world. Her idea was to erase everything, go back to the beginning and cut away evil before it could fester and grow. As for Ivan, well, he dreamed of a world of true freedom, where you could do what you wanted when you wanted, with no guilt or regrets. /A place where humans could be human, and the world would be what you made of it./
"...A world where absolute freedom rings true, now there is a strange quest for a descendant of Light and Darkness. A strange quest for a Watsuro indeed."
Ivan nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the lyrical voice speak above him, eyes shooting open to meet strange fiery red orbs set in a pale face and framed by bright orange hair that hung down all the way to the bench from the head hovering over the human while the other stood stoically. He shot up from the bench and turned, hands instinctively reaching forward to thwart an assault, though the fact the other wasn't attacking wasn't realized until after he'd posed like an idiot. He blushed faintly, then scoffed before straightening, hands roughly shoved into his pockets to hide the fact that they'd been shaking. "Yebat, chelovek? Do you Japanese always sneak up on people?" (The fuck, man?) /...Not to mention overhearing something that I hadn't meant to speak aloud.../ The man in question chuckled then, face looking apologetic but smiling all the same. It was then that he noticed what the man really looked like.
He was lankly, thin, and obscenely tall, making even the intimidating Ivan feel small. He was wearing long brown and torn robes with a cowl, hiding most of that fiery mane, though it looked as if two ears or horns were poking up from the top. It made Ivan squirm, uneasy about what he was looking at, which only got worse when he saw what the man was holding. It was a guitar, or something like a guitar, with a more box like shape though still curved at the bottom, with kanji written on it. Ivan had no idea what it was, as he'd been slacking in his studies of his new language. It also seemed a bit small for a guitar, sort of like an altered koto. Something about it... His eyes glazed as he gazed at the object, and it felt like every cell in his body was coming alive for the first time. He licked his lips, cracked his neck, and shuddered as he started to get more used to the odd feeling. The odd male noticed, tapping the object with a laugh to draw him out of his trance state.
"So you like my instrument? You are intuitive, well suited for the heir of the Watsuro Clan. It is Jikan Bendā, the Time Bender." Ivan nodded slowly, forcing his eyes off the ominous object and back to the taller male, narrowing his emerald orbs.
"You speak Russian?"
"I have a creator's knowledge of all things, all tongues, to speak one and change between languages is about as much trouble for me..." He chuckled, waving a hand towards the empty air around them, back towards the busier parts of the city. "...As standing out in this demonless place is for you. Son of Light, Heir to Darkness, do you not feel empty here? Without purpose?" Okay, now this guy was starting to piss Ivan off, and not just because of how smart he said he was, how presumptuous he was in regards to the Russian's feelings...
...It was because he was right.
"...Life is finding purpose. Anything I don't have, I can get." The man nodded thoughtfully, smile widening, though his eyes betrayed a deeper sense of pity. That pity bit at Ivan, made him want to scream.
"Child of Chaos, you are correct. For any human, life is about finding your purpose and quelling any sense of loss with the gain of greater things. But you are no human, Descendant of the Shadow Walker, and an inhuman in a world of humans is doomed to naught but a life as an empty shell. You know this to be true. You are alone, save the Lady Miyu Watsuro, your wise grandmother." A pause, to allow his words to sink in, then he continued. "My Jikan Bendā, even I, do not belong here either. We are of another space, another realm. And you've never felt so alive and at home than when you saw us. You are made for a world of demons, and there is one that needs you. An evil is brewing in the Feudal Era, and you must stop it. It is your duty. It is your justice." Ivan just stared for a moment, then growled. Then that growl gave way to a scoff. Then that scoff gave way to an incredulous chuckle. Then that chuckle brought out full waves of laughter, something that initially seemed to shock then annoy the mysterious man before him.
"'My' justice? My grandmother's maybe, but not mine. I have no justice, just as I have no power. The Feudal Era? Are you insane? I want nor need nothing of another time, all I need is now and the future. The past is meaningless." The fiery haired male paused, then sighed, shaking his head before moving around the bench closer to the male. Ivan backed up in response, not sure what the other might do. The strange apparition then stood, spread his legs to stand in a more sturdy pose as his fingers moved into place on the instrument, this Time Bender.
"I had hoped you would come of your own volition... That is truly a shame, Servant of Man, but I did not come here to take no for an answer." He then began to play the odd object, strumming slow and with purpose as his voice lifted in musical hums, as if warming up for something. At first, the Russian wasn't sure what to make of what was happening, but then the air around them grew deadly still, almost as if everything was waiting. Then everything around them froze as well, birds, squirrels, the few people that were a ways off living their own lives. That didn't fully register with Seltov, as he wasn't about to admit that all this talk of demons and his ancestry was true, because it wasn't, it wasn't, there was no such thing as demons, no such thing as magic, no... Then a bright green magic circle appeared under his feet, keeping him from moving away, and he began to panic.
"W-wait! Please! You can't do this, what... Stop it! What the hell are you doing, you monster?"
The man only smiled, eyes sympathetic but gleaming with satisfaction, as his fingers moved faster along the chords, the tune picking up volume and pace, twisting the air around them until everything was gone, there was nothing but complete blackness surrounding him, his victim, and the magic circle. Then he began to sing, unfortunately it was in Japanese, so Ivan was unable to grasp what was being said.
"In a land, a foreign place, shall the Child be thrown
Through a journey of vengeance, trials and betrayals, shall pain be known
No way shall be clear, no words without twist, no way to know where to go
Be strong, Son of Light, and find allies who already know
Seek out evil, destroy all the foes, and never give up your true ideal
Be wary of kind eyes and tender touches, for you cannot know what is real
Your one true path, your dearest of friends, shall be the one on which you must hold
Be wary, Heir to Darkness, that you do not leave until your feelings to him are told
For once it is gone, never again, will such a friend, a lover, ever be found
And once alone, never again, will you ever find joy that is not bound
Be strong, Bringer of Void, and do not pass your chance with he to be intimately lain
For if you are weak, if it slips away, it will not be long before love for love's sake is slain
Heir of Shadōu~ōkā, Child of Shiori Watsuro, your time is here, in the past
It is my fondest wish for you to bring about peace for all that will last
Good luck, Sword of Darkness, Servant of Man, I shall be watching over you
Heed my words and seek that path which is true
Hope is fleeting, love is dying
You must focus on surviving."
Ivan heard every word, but somehow didn't, it was funny how language barriers worked sometimes... He caught stray words, foreign, a journey, betrayal, pain, vengeance, darkness, and... Love? Where the hell did that fit into anything? His head was swimming, and suddenly he was surrounded by stars and the man was nowhere to be found. His chest started heaving as he suddenly felt like he was falling, faster than he'd ever fallen or even ran before, faster than any car he'd ridden in. Then, the stars disappeared, giving way to a bright and sunny sky. Relief washed over him, then horror as he looked down and saw a harsh looking patch of green coming at him-or was he coming at is?-far faster than what could possibly be safe. He let out an unshy cry of distress as he landed, hard, taking a moment to see whether or not he was alive. "Uh..." He looked over himself, blinked, then laughed, thoroughly excited. "I-I'm alive! Yes! Hah, that landing was softer than I thought it would-" Then he heard a snarl, and something shift beneath him. His eyes went wide as saucers as he pieced together why his landing had been so soft... He'd landed right on some unsuspecting local. "Vot derʹmo! (Oh shit!) S-sorry! Sorry!" The Russian hopped off of the poor soul, glad he at least knew that basic Japanese. He helped the oddly small person up, only to have them slap his hand away with a harsh bark of foreign words.
"You damn fool, are you trying to kill me?" The little man huffed, going on, but Ivan wasn't sure what to say other than a constant string of 'Sorry, I'm sorry, forgive me'. "Sorry nothing, you impertinent little human! My master, the great Lord Sesshomaru, shall kill you where you stand for such an injustice!" He turned then, revealing to the tall Russian that he was... A small green toad angrily waving around a two-headed stick. Ivan blinked a few times, jaw going slack at the creature, who took a step back from the odd look on the human's face, not to mention his oddly intimidating build and clothing. "W-well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Correction, a small humanoid green talking toad wearing clothes angrily waving around a two-headed stick. At the question, Ivan did the only thing that seemed to come naturally to him at that moment as nothing but shock, confusion, and a sense of loss filled his system.
"!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, whether out of fear or rage or hurt, he wasn't sure. No translation was needed, and the demon began to run in circles as he started screaming himself, definitely out of fear and urgency.
"L-Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Save me, this human has gone insane!" Then the little thing straightened, composed himself while the other also calmed down, then immediately waved the stick with purpose. "Vile beast, taste the power of the Staff of Two Heads!" Then, out of the elderly man face's mouth, came freakin' fire! FIRE! In any normal circumstances, Ivan would have freaked out all over again, but... Just like with that instrument, the impending death by the hands of a demon...It had to be a demon, right? ...Made him feel alive again. Every cell awoke, his eyes glazed from green to red, skin became pale, hair shifted from light brown to dark red with golden and black streaks, and a distinctly demonic red and black aura blazed to life around him as with all of his power, all of his focus, was on how this could not be happening, he couldn't die, he had to survive, he had to...
"NO!" He cried out, arms going out in front of him protectively, and instantly a protective dome of blue energy covered the frazzled male, pushing aside the fire until the green thing ceased his assault, staring with a fearful awe. Ivan, by this point, was beyond words and fear. The aura, this power... Everything his grandmother had ever said to him was true, was coming to life... Red eyes glowed with a fiery light, and he hovered above the ground as fangs grew in his mouth and his nails grew into claws.
"Don't come any closer! My Lord Sesshomaru is surely on his way!" The Russian didn't understand, nor care, all he needed to know was there was a demon before him, and it needed to be slaughtered, like all agents of evil. The Russian raised a hand, waving it so a dark cloud formed and morphed into an energy ball.
"Begone." With merely a flick of his hand, the ball hurled towards the green thing, who ran away as fast as his little legs could go. "Tch, troublesome pest." Again, despite every ball thrown, the creature scuttled, crying and yelling for this Sesshomaru creature. It was trying the Heir of Darkness' patience. Both hands went up, forming not a ball this time but a scythe, and he went higher into the air before beginning his descent to finally fell the beast. "I am the Sword of Darkness, I shall slaughter all demons in my path." The newly formed demon killer was almost there, had almost killed him, then out of nowhere...
"Master Jaken!" A voice, a human voice, whose owner was a little girl who ran in front of of toad, face scared but determined, arms spread wide in defense of the creature. For a moment, Ivan didn't stop. Didn't even think to. As he hurtled towards the pair, prepared to swing, he heard the tag on his collar clink, then the lighter part of him, the true one, not his Shadow Walker blood, took hold. He was a Servant of Man, and this girl wanted him to stop. His scythe dissipated as he landed before them on one knee, looming over the little girl as they locked eyes. "Stop attacking Master Jaken!" A long pause, with a powerful stare from such a small girl, and cowering sobs coming from the green one's throat. Ivan's Japanese was limited, but he did understand one word she had spoken.
"Stop?" He spoke slowly, aura still working and hands out, fingers wide, ready to conjure another weapon. She crossed her arms sternly, then nodded her head with a stiff jerk.
"Yes, stop." And with that word, or command rather, the Watsuro Heir slowly gave way to just Ivan once again. His hair shifted from the three colors back to simple light brown, his skin darkened to it's normal tan, eyes went back to green, and the fearsome aura he'd displayed disappeared entirely. With a satisfied sigh of relief, the little girl slumped, then laughed and pinched his cheeks, and began muttering a mile a minute, so fast that he couldn't keep up but thankfully as a child her Japanese wasn't as complex as older citizens would be so he could understand. "Gosh, that was scary, Mister! All that dark fire and weapons and Master Jaken was screaming so loud, I'm surprised Lord Sesshomaru didn't come out!" She then took a step back, this 'Jaken' quickly climbed to his feet and kept himself behind her, wringing the staff in his hands as the little girl wrinkled her nose. "Your clothes are funny." Ivan chuckled, nodding his head as he stood, straightening his vest out, sliding his goggles from his head down so they hung loose on his neck. He supposed, if this really was the Feudal Era like the strange one had been prattling on about, leather and jeans and studs would look weird.
"Well I wouldn't look as cute as you in a kimono, no?" She laughed then and fearlessly took his hand and began to pull him along. Jaken was not amused.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing, you mad child? He tried to kill me! Hello?" Ivan ignored the words entirely as the green one spoke eloquently and complex as well as quickly, making understanding his words impossible. The little girl, it seemed, didn't pay him any attention either.
"I'm Rin." She smiled brightly, so much so that the Russian had no choice but to answer back.
"I'm Ivan, or Vanya if you like nicknames." Her eyes danced at the offer of a nickname, nodding vigorously before pointing to herself while pulling him along towards the woods.
"Ooo! You can call me little sister!" They both laughed, and walked, with little green Jaken trailing behind, grumbling and moaning about how Sesshomaru again. The name was starting to grate on his nerves, though it did flow off the tongue nicely. "Come here, big brother Vanya! I wanna show you our camp!" Whenever she said something he didn't understand, he just nodded dumbly and kept walking... That is until someone landed in front of them suddenly, breaking branches before landing with a loud thud that left dents in the ground, then stood before them.
This was a pale, tall man with an obvious build under fine clothes, a white haori without a shirt underneath, and black hakama, complete with black cloth vanguards on his hands and a black patch over one eye brandishing an impressive looking sword. He would look human by all accounts, though his hair was stark white, ears were pointed, with yellow eyes with cat-like slits, red facial markings, and impressive canines that were showed off by his toothy smirk.
"Hn, when I smelt his scent so thick in the air here, I assumed he would be here as well. No matter..." He chuckled, then spun his sword around in his hands before crouching, posing with his clawed fingertip barely touching the tip of the sword while holding it above his head. "...I had heard he was traveling with a pathetic gremlin and a human girl. Killing the two of you ought to bring that wretch out." He licked his lips, eyeing the three dangerously. "Go on, call for your Master. I grow tired of searching for the filthy, human tainted mutt." Ivan couldn't follow what was being said, as again an adult's sentences and a child's were worlds apart, but if it didn't seem threatening from the other's posture, the reaction of the green one only proved it was thus.
"How dare you insult my great lord, you fiend? Sesshomaru could fell you in one moment!" The green one looked up at him, roughly slapping the Russian's leg before barking harshly at him while pointing to the demon. "Human, you're powerful, kill this wretch so the Lord doesn't have to sully his hands!" ...Not to mention if the Lord is too far away to notice, like when this 'Vanya' cretin attacked me... At Ivan's blank look, apparently not understanding, Jaken looked to Rin, who stared up at her new brother with a timid smile, giving the other demon a fearful look.
"B-big brother, can you fight him...?" In truth, the Russian wasn't sure. That moment, there was so much fear, and denial, but having the other two with him relaxed him, took away the fear... And there was no guarantee he could tap into whatever power he had before the other managed to kill him or one of the others.
"...I'd rather not." The creature laughed then, before charging ahead, sword held high with a fierce and wild look in his eyes.
"I'm not giving you a choice, slave of Sesshomaru, the False Master of the Western Lands!"