Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The plot and some characters belongs to me!
Full Summary: The ancient country of Japan was divided into four lands; the land of Yomi, Ando, Furyoku, and Lutaru. Kagome is a simple maid in the land of Ando. She serves her master and best friend Sango, and her life is perfect, even in this time of war. That is, until the prince of Lutaru comes to make things official. As some bonds grow stronger and others break, dark secrets will be revealed... the secrets of Hell itself.
Hope you like it!
Darker Than Night
-Prologue-
The big room was dark and hollow. The light shining through the windows wasn't enough to brighten the king's room. The only thing visible was the symbol above the throne; the symbol of the Lutaru land.
It was a huge dragon. With its wings spread out and its head drawn back to roar, it almost seemed like a picture. The stones at its feet were just as detailed as its gray scales, and the dragon's blue eyes were as cold as ice. This painting was the original one; the one which gave birth to the more simple, the most known symbols.
The shadows on the floor were motionless. Soldiers stood as still as the walls themselves. Only two shadows moved; those of the king and prince.
"What are you saying?" the prince demanded in outrage. His long black braid fell to his hips and the purple star on his forehead shone in the small light the walls could offer. "I can't leave here, especially not when our kingdom is at war with the land of Yomi!"
"You must and you will," the emperor replied calmly. "Now that the land of Yomi has allies in the land of Furyoku, we have no other choice. I have already sent a letter to the king of Ando. You will take the men you need and leave tomorow night."
"No way!" He hand was now curled into a fist. "This is my land! I can't leave here! Send another to go in my place! Take Hiten, or-"
"Bankotsu!" The emperor's voice boomed in the room. "Do not go agaisnt my orders! You are not a child anymore, you see sense in what I'm saying! The enemy cannot get their hands on our treasure, you understand that!"
The teenager did not answer. The king sighed and continued, "In our last Gathering, Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Naraku were standing rather close to each other."
"You don't need to remind me," Bankotsu growled. "I want them to go back to arguing all the time."
"So do I. But some times are hard, and some alliances must be formed for the best. Borders must be crossed for food, and when you have more soldiers to hunt, you gather more prey. However... these days, prey is scattered everywhere. There is only one reason why they can form an alliance... Ando has to know about this."
"But why must I go? Why can't you send someone else?"
"It is a sign of trust," the emperor said. "If we send in the prince himself, they know we can trust our lives to them, and that they can rely on us."
The prince inwardly groaned. "He had everything planned, didn't he?" "I'm guessing I'm going to be staying there for a month of two?"
"After two Gatherings, you may return."
His eyes widened. "Three months? Are you kidding me? I can't stay there for that long!"
"The land of Ando is like any other clan. Only, they are more compasionnate about others. And I've heard there were many young women there," the king teased.
In other circumstances, Bankotsu would smirk, thinking of the beautiful women the land of Ando had that Lutaru didn't. But of course, this was not the case. "Ando is a land completly out of my league! I'm betting you I won't last a week, and you'll find my body dumped into a well."
"If the emperor of Ando heard you say that, he really would dump you in a well. You know that they aren't cruel. Nothing changes the fact that you are leaving. Choose your men. Leave tomorow night. That is all," the emperor dissmissed his son.
Bankotsu tried to find something to convince his father to let him stay, to send someone else. But he couldn't find anything. And arguing with the king was never a good idea.
The sound of feet heading to the door echoed in the room. He slit the door open and walked out. Before closing it behind him, he asked, "Is becoming allies with a clan really a good idea? For both the people and treasure?"
The emperor sighed. "To protect your people, you must sometimes make sacrifices. Even if that sacrifice means the loss of the lives of your allies. But above protecting your people, saving your greatest strength comes first. Lose it, and we're all doomed."
Bankotsu slit the door shut.
~O*O~
Chapter 1: Attack
In a bright room, two girls were walking around the whole place, opening and closing closets, and asking each other for things. Accessories flew all about, kimonos were scattered all around the floor, and the colors of the rainbow were painted on the walls.
Kagome and Sango stopped moving and looked at each other. They bursted out laughing at their appearances.
Their hair was ruined from the things they tried, and their faces were shining of all colors because of the makeup they smudged on. Sango laughed because of how ridiculous her best friend looked like in those regular clothes and ruined makeup. Kagome laughed because she had never seen her master look so terrible with her hair ruined.
"Here," Sango said as she reached for a paper flower in Kagome's hair. "Let me get that for you."
Her friend shook her hand away. "You shouldn't be doing all of this for me. I should be the one preparing you."
She shook her head. "Now don't say that. I'm doing this because you deserve it. You were my best friend since we were ten, and I still don't understand why my father decided to keep you as my servant. It's just not right."
"Come on, you know why," Kagome said as she folded a kimono. "I came here as a stranger, and it just so happened that we became best friends. It's going take another few years before I'm finally free."
Her master sighed. "I suppose you're right... Oh!" She bent down and grabbed a purple kimono. "How would this look like on you?"
Kagome obversed it well. Then, she shook her hand as if she were dissmissing it. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not planning on matching Miroku's clothes, even if we are both servants of the prince and princess of Ando."
Sango laughed. "Good point. Knowing him, he'd take something purple again."
"Let's just hope Kohaku can convince him into wearing something else tonight. But I doubt Miroku's going to listen," said Kagome as she rolled her eyes.
"Did I hear my name?" Miroku opened the door. The second he saw the room, his eyes were wide like a fishe's. "Whoa. Did you have a party and forgot to invite me?"
"We wouldn't forget to invite you, we wouldn't invite you," Kagome said.
Sango giggled. Then, turnning to her brother's servant, she said, "Don't worry, I'm sure she's just joking."
"I was half joking," Kagome thought. Her friend continued, "Now, monk, please leave us be, we need to choose what we're going to wear tonight. And you can't be here to see it. I'll send Kirara after you if you do."
The kitten, hiding in the closet, jumped out at the mention of her name. She looked up at Miroku and mewed innocently. But everyone in the room knew how vicious the cat could get if she got big.
Miroku swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course. But if you're going to change, you'll need to do it quick."
Kagome tilted her head in question. "Why?" She looked outside. "There's still a lot of light. I heard that this 'special event' is going to happen tonight. We've still got time."
He seemed just as confused as her. "You don't know what the event is?"
Sango shook her head. "Father didn't tell me anything about it, so Kagome doesn't know what's going on either. We were told this morning that we are to be in our best dress, and that was it. Do you know?"
Miroku nodded. "You see... the prince of Lutaru is coming here."
The girls' eyes widened. "Bankotsu?" Sango asked in dismay. "Why would he come here? Especially in this time of war..." She was suddenly very alarmed. "Are they coming for an attack?"
"If it was an attack, your father wouldn't ask you to look your best, now would he?" Miroku teased. "No, I think it has something to do with buisness. Something that we probably shouldn't know of until the next hour."
Kagome blinked. "The next hour...? Isn't it... tonight?"
The monk was apprehensive. "Things have changed... you see-"
"Is everyone ready yet?" A woman with short hair barged in and cut Miroku off. Her too, when she saw the room, was speachless. "Oh my. Did a demon come in a ruin your room?"
"The only demon here is Kirara and she has enough sense to keep everything clean," Kagome giggled. "Yes, Miss Naoko, what is it?"
Naoko was the one who took care of Kagome when she arrived. The poor woman lost her first child to a demon, and her second died of illness. Kagome was like a gift from heaven. She raised her like her own daughter and taught her everything she knew.
Of course, even if her adopted child was sixteen, she'd still see her as a baby.
She gasped as her eyes landed on the two girls. "What are you two doing? Your hair! Your face! Oh, dear, what am I going to do with you children? And you have to be ready in an hour...! Oh..."
Immediatly, she got to work. She shooed Miroku out. "You, monk, go to the emperor and tell him everything is under control. Everything will be fine, we'll be right... on... time..."
They could all tell how nervous the lady was, and the monk was out in a second. As soon as he was out, Naoko was already grabbing the kimonos on the floor, cleaning the room and washing the girl's faces. She worked as if she were a demon.
Of course, what more would you expect from the woman who raised Kagome?
In forty-five minutes, she was done. The girls had to wear ten kimonos before finally deciding. Sango wore a blue kimono with golden and very detailed flowers at its feet. Kagome's dress was green with sakura blossoms.
Since Sango was the princess, of course she had to look better than anyone else.
On their way to the emperor's room, Miroku and Kohaku joined them. At the door, a woman in fancy clothing scowled at them. "Where have you been?" she scolded. "Naoko, Kagome, Miroku! I see you have chosen your attire well. But couldn't you have chosen something... less showy? And Sango's hair! Oh dear, you should've worn something other than that golden flower! Naoko, weren't there any blue accessories? This does not fit her at all! And Kohaku, you must keep shoulders straight when you face your father. Oh, you still need to watch your manners!"
Naoko, Miroku, and Kagome bowed their heads as a sign of respect. "Yes, Lady Hamada."
That sign of respect towards her was nothing more than a sign of 'Burn in Hell when you die, please'.
Lady Hamada was the head of one of the welthiest families in Ando. She somehow managed to get the emperor to let her stay here, as if she were a queen. It wasn't like the king fell for her or anything... In fact, nobody knew why she was staying with them. But either way, she still held power over the servants, and held almost as much power as the prince and princess.
She had such a rotten attitude that if you didn't please her at first, she'll remain bitter towards you for the rest of your life. Literally. A kind yet poor servant died of illness months ago, and Hamada didn't shed a tear. All because that servant was late at most mettings. Nobody's ever seen her good side, if she had one.
Ever since then, the whole household have been hating her. They've even nicknamed her 'Naraku's woman'. Her own slaves quit and left for their village, so she didn't have anyone to boss around. So she bossed the rest of the servants around to pass the time. It was as if she thought she was the queen herself, she even acted like Kohaku and Sango's mother.
Let her try to get married to the emperor. The witch would never be as beautiful and as sweet as the original queen.
"Lady Hamada, please, we look perfect. There isn't any need to mistreat my servants," she said as she tried to hide the biterness in her tone.
The woman sighed. "Noticing the errors these three have comitted will not change anything now. Quickly, we must head downstairs to the entrance. Naoko, you will remain stay with us in case... We need you for something."
After walking many stairs, they arrived at the main gate. Kagome wasn't the only one surprised when the first thing they saw was grey smoke from the forest.
"Is the forest on fire?" Miroku asked in alarm.
The emperor, a little further from them, slowly shook his head. "This smoke is grey, not black like a forest fire's. And look up."
A flash of blue light appeared from the smokes, and disappeared a second later. A moment later, two lights appeared side by side. One green, and one yellow. They were taken in by the smoke as faster than the blue light.
Kagome looked at the grey smoke, wishing for something else to appear. But the blue, green, and yellow light continued to reappear and disappear, just as they did the first time.
"Oh no," her voice was merely a whisper.
War cannons always shot grey smoke. Each clan had a specific color; Ando's was red, Lutaru's was blue, Furyoku's was green, and Yomi's was yellow. Those colors would be shot out into the smoke to show who was at war.
Most times, only one spark showed after another. But this time, it was two. Which only meant one thing...
"A battle..." Kohaku said as he stood next to his father. "The Lutarus agaisnt..." He trailed off and looked at his father in horror, waiting for his thoughts to be confirmed.
The emperor nodded, his eyes serious. "They're against the land of Furyoku and Yomi."
"That means total destruction of the Lutaru clan!" Sango exclaimed. "They can't be foolish enough to demolish the royal temple...!"
"Ever since Lord Naraku has taken over Yomi, nothing's been going right," Miroku said.
"This is why I have called you earlier," the emperor said as he turned to everyone. "The land of Anso has officially become Lutaru's allies." Before any of them could ask why, he explained, "Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Naraku have joined forces. The Lutaru clan knows why, and for both clans to survive, we must do the same.
"Lord Hokotsu sent me a letter saying that he'd send his son, Bankotsu, here to share information about why Yomi and Furyoku would possibly come together. This is also a great sign of trust. The prince was to arrive tonight with a few of his men, and they were to stay here for four months."
He glanced sadly at the sky. "Apparently, it seems that Furyoku and Yomi have reacted before any of us could."
Everyone remained silent, until Kagome asked, "What can we do...?"
The emperor sighed. "Our troops would arrive too late if I were to send them now. All we can do now is wait for survivors." His eyes were serious again, and he ordered, "Naoko, I want you to get all doctors and priestess ready."
The woman nodded quickly and ran off into the temple.
He turned to his children and assistants. "You four. Get your weapons ready. Tell Koga the wolf demon and Toran the panther demon to gather their troops. As soon as that's done, join me back here."
"Father, you said it was useless to try to send help," Kohaku told his father.
The emperor shook his head. "Members of the clan of Lutaru would try to come here, but so will the enemy. They don't seem to want anyone to survive. When you see survivors of the Lutaru clan, accompany them just till here. The enemy may be right behind them, and they'll need someone to watch their backs."
He told Miroku, "Go get Koga and Toran, quick! Get ready!"
In five minutes, all of them were at the main enterance. Koga and Toran were standing in front, since they were the leaders. Kagome and Sango already explained to them what the situation was, so they knew what to do.
Sango was riding on Kirara, her huge boomerang in hand. Kohaku stood right next to her, his own huge weapon with him. Miroku had his staff, and Kagome had her bow. All were ready for battle.
Naoko ran up to the king, huffing and puffing to gather some air. "The... medical station... is... getting ready, sir!"
He nodded to her and announced loudly, to the croud in front of him, "Do not let the enemy enter Ando, for this will be their next target! Kill the invaders on sight, and save every single member of Lutaru you can find!"
The cry of war sounded like one, and in an instant, everyone was in the forest, either searching by sky or on ground.
Since Koga was the fastest, he found a Lutaru soldier in a minute. It took him another minute to bring the soldier back to the temple, and take off. "That Koga never cesses to amaze me," Naoko said as she watched him run away in a gust of wind.
The emperor nodded. "You'd think he'd be in the Furyoku clan for his speed and agility..."
"Apparently, dogs and wolves don't go very well together, do they?" Naoko asked with a snicker.
~O*O~
Bankotsu swung his Banryuu to a Yomi soldier's head, and to another. The smell of blood was infuriating him. He could only see red, partly because of the scar right above his star tattoo on his forehead and because of the fire.
Bodies of his comrades and his enemies covered the red grass. Some of them suffocated because of the smoke, and some died at the hands of their enemies.
He spotted a bolt of lighting from the corner of his eye and jumped away. When he turned around, a Furyoku soldier was burned to a crisp. "Damn it, Hiten!" he yelled to the thunder demon in the sky. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"
"Sorry 'bout that!" Hiten gritted through his teeth as a cannon ball flew right past him. He cringed, and held his wounded shoulder. "Bankotsu, you have to get going! Leave us here, you're supposed to get to Ando, remember?"
"Don't remind me!" the prince shouted as he dodged a blue-haired man's spear, and he shoved his halberd right into his back. The man was dead in an instant. "I'm not leaving here!"
"For the love of God, Bankotsu!" Jakotsu growled as he jumped next to him. "You have to get going! They're after the treasure, we can't afford to lose it, you know that!"
"I know that too!"
"Then go!" Hiten yelled through the grey smoke. "Go, and we'll follow right after! The Andos know there's a war, they've seen the signal, so they're ready to help!"
"Is that so?" A cool and soft voice spoke from the smoke. "Then where are their troops?"
Bankotsu froze, and turned around slowly. Oh, he could never forget that voice. It brought so much hatred, so much fury into his mind... The shape was getting clearer and clearer, and the rage inside grew stronger at every step. He growled coldly, "You..."
"Forget him!" Jakotsu said. "Go! NOW!"
The prince glared at the man standing in front of him. He didn't move. But then, a cry woke him up from everything. He turned around to see his father battling some of the strongest soldiers of the enemy clan. He recognized Kagura and Hakudoshi from the clan of Yomi. "Father!"
"He'll be fine!" Suikotsu yelled as he blocked what Bankotsu was seeing. "You're the next ruler of the kingdom, you have to live!"
"And as the next ruler of the kingdom, I intend on staying here, fighting with my comrades!"
"You leave us no other choice, sir."
Bankotsu turned around to see a flash of blue, but it was too late. A huge gust of wind covered his sight, and he was in the sky in seconds, transported by the wind, and was heading straight for the forest.
When he looked back, he yelled, "Ryura, you idiioooot!"
The dragon demon smirked. "We'll be right behind you! You get to safety first!" And he charged into battle with his Thunder Blade and Wind Blade.
Bankotsu wanted to swear all the words Buddah would even gasp at, but he was already getting further and further away from Lutaru. From his comrades and family...
He landed on the ground with a big thud, and immediatly wanted to turn around and get back to the battle, but he knew he'd arrive too late. One last time, he yelled to the sky, "Ryura, You FUCKING idiot! You'd better come back alive, every single one of you!"
Finally, he turned around and ran to the temple of Ando. He didn't even bother to check if he crossed the border or not. He only hoped that those people of Ando really did send help.
Only after a long time of walking did he realize that his right arm was cut, and that it was burning from the inside. "Poison. Just what I need right now."He knew that if he didn't hurry, he'd have to suffer the consenquences, whatever they were.
He heard a noise coming from behind him and froze. "Great. Someone else to deal with. JUST WHAT I NEED. Does God hate me?"
His right arm was injured, so he couldn't move it around much. With any luck, the enemy wouldn't have a weapon, and he'd die in a single blow. But apparently, he didn't have any luck.
The one who made the sound was a cat demon of Yomi - he could tell from the dark clothes he could see and from the shiny fangs -, and it pounced on him with its shiny claws.
Bankotsu dodged it with ease and prepared his Banryuu.
A single glance at the young teenager was enough to bring a huge grin on the demon's face. "Ah, so it is the prince of Lutaru, I see. If I bring your body to Lord Naraku, I will certainly be well rewarded."
"And if I bring your body to my dad, I'm sure he'll make carpets out of your fur!" he replied with a smirk.
With a growl, the cat demon pounced at him again, this time, aiming for his injured arm. Bankotsu jumped to the side and slashed the demon's sides. It roared in pain, and whipped around, its eyes flamming with rage. Blood dripped from its sides, and the prince of Lutaru was sure he must have broken, or at least slashed off, a rib.
He pointed his halberd at the demon, daring him to come closer. It dared.
The large cat started circling him slowly, then faster and faster. Bankotsu watched it closely. All of a sudden, the demon bursted at slashed his face. It went back to going round and round again.
He brought his hand up to his cheek, and found blood dripping from the wound. He clenched his teeth and growled at the demon. "No one... messes with the face. This face is royal, you hear me?"
The cat went at him again, but this time, he was ready. He slashed its arm off when it tried to aim for the royal face again. It roared and landed on the ground with a loud 'BOOM', and lay whimpering in pain.
Bankotsu stood over it, Banryuu pointing at its heart. "Any last words?"
The demon glared at the prince with pure hatred in its eyes, and spoke as it tried to keep breathing. "You just wait... Lord Naraku... will kill you... He will win... He will rule..."
He didn't wait for it to finish. As the halberd thrusted into the heart, a ripping noise was heard. Bankotsu snorted, drew his halberd back, and said in a monotone voice, "He will blablabla. Naraku isn't God, he'll never have my life."
He stared at the body in disgust and turned around. "Your fur isn't even worth making something out of. It's stained with Naraku. I don't need something so revolting."
When he looked at his halberd, he sighed. He almost sounded childish when he whined, "Great. Now I have to clean you again. And with all this blood, it's going to be hard."
He took one step forward, and that's what it took for him to cringe. "Move, you stupid body. Move! I can't stay here forever."
It was at times like these he wished he was born a demon like Hiten or Ryura.
For once, his body listened to him, and he continued moving. When he looked back at the sky, the smoke was starting to disappear. The battle was ending.
He couldn't imagine who was alive and who was dead. Was Jakotsu dead? What about his father? Did he live through it? Did some of his comrades already reach Ando?
He looked up at the sky in front of him and saw the tip of a temple. "No doubt about it, it's Ando's temple."
When he heard another sound, he inwardly groaned. An enemy couldn't have followed him all the way through, could it? What was with the Furyoku and Yomi soldiers?
He braced himself and waited for the enemy to show up. But no, it stopped moving.
He pointed his halberd to the hidden adversary, and he heard the sound of a string being pulled back. "Wielding a bow, huh? This should be easy."
And he shot himself and his sword forward.
First off, for the land names, I got them by searching Google and Wiki. They're in japanese, so if you are japanese, and I have offended you by mistranslating these names or by even using them as clan names... Forgive me D: Here they are, with their color;
Ando = Peace/Stable (Red) - Note: Real clan name
Lutaru = Stone Dragon (Blue) - Note: Name of a dragon
Furyoku = Wind Power (Green)
Yami = Darkness (Yellow)
For Hokotsu... I'm not a japanese expert, nor do I have the patience to try to find another name that ends with 'kotsu' on the internet, so I just took random letters, and voila. Hokotsu is born.
For those who find Ryura sounding familiar, he was in Inuyasha Movie 4, the blue-hair-braided dude :)
Plz Review~! Because I think I'll be updating once every two weeks, or even longer than that... but please, just continue reading!
~FoxRain7~