Chapter 1: When father meets Son
I was already late and I could hear the school bus puling away from the curve. I rushed through the door and out through the front gates.
"Hey, stop, wait up I am here," I yelled as the bus turn the corner and disappeared into the city traffic. The bus didn't stop but kept going. I could run and try to catch it; I was the fastest person on the track team, but that meant showing up to school hot and sweaty. And they would only send me home to change, so there was no point in chasing down the bus. "Great, mom's going to kill me."
I stood there looking out at the street and sign, how was I going to explain missing the bus for the third time this week. I usually am a night owl, who has no trouble getting up, but lately I having these weird dreams that I can't explain.
"Man, I need to get the head examine," I mummer. For the last three weeks, since I turn fifteen he had been having these weird dreams about going back through time to the warring states ages. Not that I mind these dreams, history happened to be my best subject. I was a certified history buff, which my friends were constantly teasing me about. I really couldn't explain it but I have always had felt this connection to that area.
"Miss the bus again, Akira," said a man passing on my right.
I turned and smiled showing a pair of very sharp canines. My dentist never understood how a person could have such sharp teeth.
"Trying to make the Genius Book of World Records for the most time to miss a school bus in a single week."
I could hear Dr. Mygoa chuckled a little, and shake his head. He had lived next door to us since mother and I moved in here when I was three. He was the head of the history department at the local university, and specialized in the warring area. His house was full of cool antiques and other things. If I wasn't hanging out with my friends, I was over his house.
"I would give you a ride, but my car is in the shop," he said.
I hate imposing on him and his kindness, but that last two times he had really save my butt by driving me to school. Mom still found out, but at least I didn't have to deal with detention on top of her yelling.
"That's cool," I said. "I think I will go hide at the temple for a while," I said starting to head down the block to the temple that had been in my family care for hundreds of years.
"Hey, Akira, come by after school, I have something you might want to see," he said.
I turned back and faced him. "Cool, I'll be there."
I could only guess what he had, last time it was this really cool Samurai helmet that someone had found. It was old and rusty, but the real thing. The person had sent it to Dr. Mygoa to have it examined and cleaned up before that person put it on display. Doc even let me put on for a couple of seconds.
I could feel the energy the helmet had stored for almost two hundred years wrap itself around my head, and pulled me to another time and place. No more was I in modern Japan, but now was a Samurai battling evil and saving pretty girls.
I opened the gate and stepped inside the temple grounds. The winter months were fast leaving and soon the courtyard would be alive with flowers and people.
"Hello," I said quietly. I didn't want Aunt Miya, to know I was here. I know that my uncle would cover me, but Miya felt it was her duty to make sure that even though I was born out of wedlock that I don't become the disgrace she thought my mother was. Forget that my mother is a leading doctor in her field, she stills a disgrace because of me.
I walk around the garden towards one of the shrine as quiet as I can. As a child I had played in this courtyard many of times, and still love it. It was quiet and calm, and made the best place to play some of my favorite childhood make believe games with my friends.
I turned around to look at the place and ran smack into Uncle Sota.
"Akira?" he said giving me a hug. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be in school."
"Would have loved to, but I miss the bus, I was wondering if you could give me a ride," I said.
He shook his head. "You really need to stop that late night partying you do," he said.
"Can't disappoint the ladies," I said.
"Help me find Buyo, and you got yourself a deal. The damn thing is due at the vet in an hour."
Buyo is this older then dirt cat that must have come to with this place, when my great great ancestor inherited the place. She is nothing but a walking tub of lard that wouldn't leave you alone, unless you muttered the three letter word, vet.
"I'll go this way, you go that way." I said pushing my bag and gym bag up onto my shoulders. The quicker we get this done, the quicker I can get to school. I couldn't afford to be late, today was a big track meet and how would it look if their star athlete were in detention.
I walked around the back heading towards the one place I know my uncle wouldn't check, the bone eaters well.
The place creeps me out too. As a child I, friends and I would only go into this place on dares.
I opened the door, and walked in; making sure that I left it opened. Last thing I need is for me to get locked in here.
The place was dark, and smelled of this funk that I could began to explain. In the center was this old dry out well that had at least a hundred of old parchments all over and a lid nail down.
"Here kitty, kitty," I said. "Come on your old fat lard, I need to get to school soon."
Boyu jumped up onto the well and sat there licking herself.
"Hey there lard," I said. The cat stopped licking herself and looked at me. I knew for some old reason it was going to bullet. I could smell the fear, which for some reason it excited me.
I jumped at it, but only landed on the boards. The damn cat on the other hand was on the other side of the building. How did that fat thing every get over there I couldn't begin to guess, it went against all the laws of physics and fat there were.
"You're not going to get away from me that easy," I said and stood up. I took a step towards that thing.
Crack.
I looked down as a small crack formed on the boards. This didn't look good; I needed to get off as quick as possible.
CRACK!
I felt my self-slip through the boards and down into the darkness. I screamed, or at least I thought I scream. If sound came out or not, I don't know.
I felt the ground and then blank out. My last thought was I am going to kill that cat when I get my hand on it.
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When I woke up there was a gentle warm light shinning through the top. I picked myself up, checking to see if I broke any bones. Everything, except a bunch of scratches seemed to be in perfect place. My hands were pretty scratched up and the nails were back to the way they were around this time of the day. My nails grow at an alarming rate; I usually have to clip them twice a day with these very heavy-duty wire clippers. I decided not to worry about the nails right now and started to look for a way to get out of here. There was a bunch of vines hanging down the one side that looked sturdy enough for me to use them. I have always loved climb trees, since I was little and was always getting into trouble for climbing them at school.
It didn't take me much time to get up the well's wall, probable less if I didn't have my bags with me. But it meant that later I would have to go back for them, if I had left them.
"OK Cat if your there," I said getting to the top. "You are soooooo."
I looked around me in awe not believing what I was seeing. Gone where the building that housed the well, gone were the stone and dirt floors and replaced by a clearing in a forest.
"Me thinks I hit myself harder then I thought," I said blinking twice. But the blinking did little good. There I was in the middle of a forest looking out at the trees and watching night fast approached. I really didn't want to spend the evening in the well, but I definitely didn't want to spend it in the forest too.
I haled myself over the well and looked around, trying to figure out where the hell I was. I definitely wasn't in Kansas or Tokuyo anymore.
"Stop, Youkai!"
I turned to see a bunch of men dressed up in reenactment costumes with torches and other weird weapons staring up at me.
"Cool," I whispered. I didn't know where I was but if I had come to some town's reenactments then I could live with that. "Let me guess the battle of Waki," I said. The clothing and the style of armor were about right, like I said I was a history buff.
"Waki?" the guy up on horse looked at his friends.
"Me think it's some sort of enchantment, they said a youkai guards this village," said his friends.
"Ok, funs over," I said. "Hey can anyone tell me where we are."
"You aren't going anywhere wyrm, but I will show you the tip of my sword."
Boy where these guys good, they weren't even getting out of character for a moment.
The one drew his sword and swatted his horse butt with it, sending the horse into a gallop.
A just watching him thinking he would stop at anytime, but halfway towards me I was starting to really rethink this whole reenactment thing. I started to back away from the guy a little, but tripped over something and fell backwards.
One moment the man was about to crack his sword over me, The next he was laying next to me, split in two. His body laid in an unnatural position, with the blood seeping through the shaved in half armor.
Whatever had cut him, landed on his feet facing the rest of the reenactors.
His face turned to look at me, and I caught for a second the bloodthirsty golden eyes before he turned back around.
"You are fucking pathetic," that thing spat. "First you think you can come onto my lands and attack my people, then you have the audacity to think that fucking thing is me."
"We will have that jewel!" said one of the men. Was the guy nuts, there were about forty of them and only one of him.
"Then come and get it," he said.
The man rushed him and the thing pulled out a sword and leveled them to nothing, like he was swatting flies. He was like one of those super heroes that you read in mangas or even Bruce Lee.
"Come back when you have something more worth my time," he said.
I just sat there not knowing what to do. The thing turned and walked back towards me. The sword stopped glowing as he put it back into his shield. I tried to get up, but my feet wouldn't do what my brain was saying.
The thing crouched down and looked at me. He looked more human now then he did a moment ago. He was a medium size person with silver hair and gold eyes. He had no ears, but on top of his head were two white dog or cat like ears, that twitched every couple of moments. But struck me odd was the shape of the face and the eyes, minus the hair and the ears we could pass as twins.
He lean forwards and took a sniff of me, then again and again. He stopped for a moment before narrowing his eyes and looking at me.
"Who the fuck are you," he growled.
"Akira Higurashi," I said trying to hid the fear that I was feeling. This guy had just level about a dozen man in one blow, I could only begin to guess what he could do to me if give half the chance.
"Where is she?" he demands.
"Where is who?"
"Kagome, I can smell her," he said standing up. He walked a little from me trying to take in some more smells. I sat there watching him, trying to figure out how he knows mother.
He came back to me and smelled me again, which was making me really uncomfortable. "You carry her scent boy," he said, then stopped for a moment and titled his head to the right. He reminded me of Botan's dog when you make a strange sound, the one that says that he is trying to figure out something.
"Your not all human?" he said and got up and walked a little away from me.
He turned back towards me, this time looking down at me, I knew at that moment I was going to kiss my life goodbye for good. "Kagome is your mother," he said, stating the fact. I wanted to ask him how did he know but all I could do was shake my head.
"It can't be," he said shaking his head and then turning back to me. "But there it is, staring me in the face. Tell me, boy who is your father."
"Your guess is good as mine. I never knew him and mother doesn't speak about him at all," I said looking down. I have given up ever hoping to know who my father was. My mother and her family just don't talk about it, and there is nothing at the temple or at my house that would be a clue on who he is. "Your not going to kill her are you," I asked.
He looked angry, but what I couldn't figure out is why he was angry. Did he know my father or my mother? Was he mad at her because she had a son, but then how did she know him?
I looked quickly at him, as he sat there staring at the well. It couldn't be, I mean he had to be a little older then I was right now. There was no way in hell that this thing could have sired me. But his eyes said different. I had amber eyes, and once my mother did let it slip that I had my father's eyes. It was the reason why I never got contacts, because that was the only link I had with a guy that I didn't even know his name. "This is impossible," I said quickly getting up. "I mean you're practically my age." This was getting to weird even for me.
"I am a lot older then you think," he said.
"Like how old." I don't know where the courage was coming from, a moment ago I was threatening to go in my pants because I was so scarred and now I was yelling at him.
"About a hundred years old."
About a hundred?! I didn't know if I believe him on not, but still to think that someone had lived that long.
"But still it is impossible," I said. "There is no way in world that I am… that you are… that we are…"
"You're my son," he said calmly and got up.
"NO, NO, NO" I said. "This is all a bad dream, tomorrow I am going to wake up, get up, and miss the school bus, like I always do. And some sort of guy who just killed forty man, and looks like what would happen if a dog and a human had sex, it is not my…"
"Father," he snarled. I didn't mean to make him all offensive about it, but this was freaking me out too much. "Surprised?"
"More like shocked, my father is some sort of freak that just killed twenty people and looks like what would happen if a human and a dog had sex."
He quickly grabs me and pinned me to the nearest thing, which happen to be a tree.
"Let's get something fucking straight, pup!" he snarled. "Like it or not, what ever flows through my vines also flows through yours."
I looked at him and his nails, then down at mine. They had reached the full length. I slowly brought them up to his hand and study them. We had the same exact nails, but they weren't nails, they were claws.
"What am I," I whispered to him. I knew there were things different about me then other people. I knew I was a lot stronger then any one else my age, that I never got sick, that my sense of hearing and smell were more acute then most, and my teeth were more sharper then anyone else. I was the only person I knew to wear reading glasses because I get bad headache if I don't. I was more graceful on my feet, and seemed to have the aerodynamics of a cat, but for some reason I could always could convinced myself I was normal. Or until now, when the truth was staring me in the face.
He releases me and I stumble forward.
"Your one-fourth youkai," he said.
"You're a youkai?" I said surprised. I wasn't sure why I was surprise, it was the only way I could explain it.
"Do I look full blooded youkai," he said.
"I don't know, I never seen one before," I yelled. The first time in my life I have met my father, and I am having an arguing match to see who isn't handling this the best. "You know what forget you, forget this," I said and stomped the wrong way.
"Hey Pup," he said. "If you want to go home, the well is that way," he said pointing the opposite direction I was going.
I turned and walked back towards the well, I climbed onto it and sat down, getting ready to push myself out of this crazy dream, then stopped. I looked down at it and ran my fingers through my hair. I could feel the two longer bangs that had been dyed blue, their texture was different the rest of my black hair.
I heard something come up next to me and sit down.
"She lied to me," I said as the realization of it finally hit me. Those abilities weren't from talent, but blood. My nails growing faster then other people, my sharp teeth, I was never sick. It was all from him, my father.
"She did it to protect you," he said.
"Protect me from what," I asked not looking him in the eye.
"What I went through."
He got up and started to walk away. I looked at him and then back at the well. I could list all the reason why I should jump in: a madder then hell track coach, mom will be worried, Doc and what he has for me. But one reason seemed to weigh out all my reason for jumping in. All my life I wanted to know whom my father is, and now I had the chance.
"Hey wait up!" I yelled swinging my legs over the side and ran towards him.
