Within The Shadow: Part Three ~ Darkness Beyond The Mirror

By Shigure-san

This is the third in a four-chain-story. I like this one second best I think, but warnings for Inuyasha's swearing, complete takeover of fluffyness and only slight behavior changes. Kagome is again, sometimes a crybaby, I like her best that way, it means Inuyasha gets to be all protective and yummy, (I love him, I love him! I LOVE HIM!) Anyway, I feel better after that. Please try not to put this one down because I'm quite proud of it, (it doesn't usually happen, I gave myself a complement! For that one brief moment I accepted that I can write!)

Readers of the other parts of this chain, your answer is still yes, if you want to know that my offer is still standing for the challenge I set you. If you read all the chapters of all parts of this chain, and leave a comment for most chapters, I will write you a request fic of anything you want, it can be a WAFF, Lemon, Yaoi, Yuri, Anything, it can even be a different anime. So get a readin' and get a reviewin' ppl ^.^

Disclaimer: You know already surely! Inuyasha and it's trademarks belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, SUNRISE and VIZ. The Fic title, the chapter titles, plot and extra characters (there are alot in this one) belong to me, so no stealing please

Dedicated to Faithful reviewers of Parts 1 and 2 of this chain

Please Enjoy!

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

The Half Blood Slayer

-One-

Darkness flowed throughout the forest. The moon that night was smothered in thick hoards of grey clouds, so that nothing was visible. Two figures shot through the forest, navigating between the trees, the smaller of the two crying out slightly in exhaustion. The oldest ran wildly, dragging the other after him by his arm, causing the smaller, light haired boy to stumble, hurtling into the dirt below their feet.

"Get up! Quick, Seo get up, he's coming!" demanded the older boy, seizing his little brother's arm roughly, trying to yank him upwards, failing. His heartbeat thudded in his ears. He was gaining on them…

"It's no use," the smaller of the two, Seo practically cried, "I can't run any more."

"If you don't want to die like the rest of them back there, get up!" Breathing laboured, a painful ache resonating in his sides from the running, the oldest regarded his brother with panic-stricken desperation. They had to get away, and they had to get away now. "Here," he insisted, swiftly lowering himself into a crouch, motioning for the boy to climb onto his back, "Get up." Scrambled to his feet obediently, Seo wrapped his arms round his older brother's neck, hugging his sides with his knees as he felt his brother stand effortlessly, darting into the throng of trees ahead of them.

That once dull ache that pained his sides brought him into a stagger, as he sped through the darkness, each moment growing more tired. Then the older boy stopped abruptly. He couldn't run any more, they had to hide.

He glanced rapidly around them for the highest tree. Dragging his brother over to it, his bones and muscles practically cried out in negation of the strain on his body, as he threw him into the lowest branch. "Hurry and climb as high as you can!" he whispered desperately. Watching his brother with uncertainty for a fleeting moment, the smallest boy climbed swiftly up the tree. The oldest of the brothers, jumped up into the tree and followed up after Seo. They sat in the tree's middle branches, cleverly hidden, the smallest boy was breathing hard, out of breath. His brother's calloused hands clamped tight over his mouth, as he heard something creeping about on the ground below…

A tall, hooded figure could be made out vaguely, stopping not far from their tree.

"Come, boys, come out, you are only stalling the inevitable," called the figure in a cool voice, slick with malevolence. The older boy glared at this creature angrily. If he had been alone he would have dropped down, and stood up for himself rather than lowering himself hiding, allowing this monster to trounce his family's name; but he had to take care of his brother… He had just watched his father, mother and any one else he had ever cared for perish under this monster's wrath, all trying to protect him and Seo. He was not about to let their deaths be in vain.

Looking to his brother, silent tears fell down Seo's face; it made Ryku wish he could cry, but no, he had to be the strong one or they would be caught…and killed.

"Come now boys, I grow tired of this game," cooed the creature again. But the boys did not move. Realising this strategy wasn't succeeding, the skulking shadow resolved himself to the most obvious way to draw the proud half-breeds from their hiding place. Knowing all of his victims for the half-demon's they were, along with the misplaced pride that coursed through the dirty blood in their veins, he knew they would not be able to suffer his taunting in silence for very long. "Indeed, if you will not come down, you are wiser than the rest of your pitful family. Your father, he confronted me, courageously told me to leave you, told me if I dared to come near you, I would pay the price; but your pathetic demon father has paid the price for me." Ryku closed his eyes in anger, determined not to let the taunts get to him.

The creature smiled evilly beneath its hood, "then there was your even more foolish mortal mother, though the species as it is, is not exactly known for its intelligence. She shed her mortal blood to save your cowardly, half-demon necks. I slaughtered your family, burning everything you have cherished to the ground, and you are too weak, too spineless to avenge them," then Ryku snapped, turning to his brother with a furious fire in his dark eyes.

"Stay here, no matter what happens, do not move," he ordered quietly, Seo shook his head violently.

"No Ryku, don't leave me here!" he whispered desperately, clinging to his brother's arm with a pleading look in his eyes. Ryku smiled reassuringly at his little brother, carefully pulling himself from his grip, and dropping down to the creature's side effortlessly.

"Ah…at last," muttered the creature smoothly as he landed, "'Ryku, son of the great Chyo'. Mind you he didn't seem that great when I ran him through." Ryku kept his cool, drawing from its sheath, a great silver sword, that rang with an ominous song in the darkness.

"You butchered my family, tore my father to shreds you malicious bastard, and so it shall be his sword that steals your last breath," Ryku threatened, slender fingers gripping the sword tight in his right hand. The creature grinned, and long, ghostly talons rising slowly, drawing back his hood. His face was pallid and wraithlike, though Ryku could see the pale-blue veins throbbing down his neck and the sides of his face, and knew he was alive. "What are you?" asked Ryku in a mix of fear in awe, an unstoppable quiver running through him.

"I am…your end filthy half-blood!" cursed the creature, lunging towards him. The blade in Ryku's grasp roared into action, slashing at the creature's flesh, a single stroke of blood oozing from the freshly inflicted gash.

"I shall cut you into tiny pieces," growled the boy under his breath, "whether I know your name and origins or not."

Blood seeped from every pore on the creature's flesh, surprising the attacking boy when he bled red, hooded robes torn, the sword practically relishing in his blood as it ripped into him. Then the man stood upright, facing Ryku with an wicked smile. In an enraged attempt to cut the smirk from that evil face, the boy swung at him again, eyes widening in suppressed fear as the demon seized the point of the sword.

"Will you?" he asked, pushed the sword backwards, so the solid hilt struck Ryku in the jaw, "will you really?" The boy hurtled backwards, crying out in agony.

"I am already beating the cold blood out of your heartless body!" Ryku screamed, charging at him again. The man grabbed his leg, shoving the half-demon backwards into the tree where Seo was hiding, the body of the tree trembling from the force.

"Foolish boy!" cursed the man, "this," he gestured to his injuries, passing his hand over his face, and the wounds and blood disappeared, "this is nothing. Your strength wavers pitifully under the shadow of my own power, though you are the stronger out of the two half-demons I have killed so far…"

"Two, but why? What do you want with us?" Ryku asked exhaustedly, stumbling to his feet unsteadily, his voice no longer carrying the confident, strong attitude he was known for.

"My mission boy, is to kill all creatures bearing a mix of human and demon blood, and lucky you, you're number three!" The man lunged forwards with his words, claws glistening in the darkness, ready to tear flesh and bone. Grasping his father's sword once more, Ryku plunged the sword up, and into the man's belly. That same, sinisterly sickening grimace crossed the demon's feature pulling the sword out of him fluently, and out of Ryku's hand.

Desperately trying to reach for it, Ryku scrambled for the blade, screaming in pure agony as the man seized his striving hand, twisting his wrist back roughly, a sickening snap resonating in the air. Ryku howled in pain, tears breaking free of his eyes. "Oh this doesn't look to good for our hero, no sword, no sword arm, no pitiful rescue aid, and no one to hear him scream," he twisted Ryku's arm again, and Ryku cried even more. "Where is your brother in any case? I should like to be the one to tell him that he is an only child at last."

"Burn in hell, you disgusting bastard!" yelled Ryku stubbornly through the pain, spitting in the man's face. Claws grasping the boy's throat, the man throwing his defenceless body round and into a tree, and plucking the sword of Ryku's father curiously from its resting place in the dirt.

"I will be sure to say your pathetic goodbyes to your brother for you…" were the last words that shuddered past the demon's cold lips, before plunging the blade through Ryku's heart. The boy's hazel eyes, widened, crimson blood seeping from his partly opened lips, as those paling eyes closed weakly – for the last time, the blood pouring from his heart as his father's sword was withdrawn.

"Now!" said the man in an at last sort of tone, turning carelessly away from Ryku's corpse, "Seo, why do you not come down?" he called in a false niceness. Seo closed his blue eyes tight, fighting the tears. But he was the quieter of the two boys, and was scared easily, the taunts would not make him move, and the man knew this. But the man also knew, this meant he could have some fun with Seo's demise…

The man uttered a shrill whistle, which seemed to carry on forever into the deathly silence of the forest, causing a foreboding shudder to rush down the mutely sobbing boy's spine. Then the sound ceased, and all fell silent again. But nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly, the ground shook, three gigantic black wolves crashing to their feet beside the demon, ravenous golden eyes scanning the dimness…but something was different, something made them dissimilar to ordinary wolves. Wings. Each of them bore two great, dark-feathered wings on their backs. Seo's eyes widened as he saw them, the ominous eyes practically staring into him. They knew where he was. "I have a friend in one of these trees," muttered the man to the wolves, the demonic canines inclining their heads slightly to look at him, as if understanding his words, "seek him out…and kill him."

The wolves leapt into the sky, and Seo jumped into the branches of the next tree. Luckily the trees were close together, and he jumped from tree to tree, until he was out of the sight of the man. Then he dropped to the ground, wincing as his legs groaned under the impact of the collision, scrambling to his feet clumsily, running as fast as he could into the depths of the forest. He dashed across the open meadow grounds, as quickly as he could for fear they would catch him. Hearing the beating of their massive wings above him, and the snarls they gave as they closed in on their prey. One of the winged beasts, descended upon him, but Seo rolled sideways out of the way, crawled a little ways, only venturing to his feet again when they swooped into the skies, making to circle and pounce once more. And he kept running. As Seo ran, he noticed there were less and less trees, then he stopped suddenly, he had reached the edge of a cliff. The wolves were descending upon him once more, he looked at the water far below, and he knew had only one choice. Seo closed his eyes, a deep breath shuddering into his lungs as he took the leap of faith off the cliff. His body braced itself for the impact of the water against his skin, or for the rocks to tear into his flesh. He waited for the water to come, but it didn't. Something grabbed him round the throat, and hung him there, far above the water below.

"That was very good boy," Seo opened his eyes, he expected to see the man there, holding his father's sword, stained with his brother's blood, ready to kill him with it next. There was a man, one with long silvery tresses, and crimson demonic crests adorning the sides of his face, white fur draped round his shoulder. Little did he know, this was Lord Sesshomaru…

Sesshomaru dragged the boy in, onto the ledge where he stood, and held him against the wall beside him as the wolves soared past the ledge, oblivious to them standing there, at what was seemingly nothing more than the face of a cliff, but what was the back entrance to a cave of some sorts, more than likely a demonic den, the boy's mind supplied. Seo turned round, and there beside him also, was a small black haired girl, younger than himself, (but only slightly). Eventually the wolves and their obsidian wings faded into the dark, stormy horizon and out of their sight, Sesshomaru emerging from the cliff-side and onto the ledge above, both of the children at his side. Seo stood before Sesshomaru, partly grateful, partly afraid. A soft bow was offered to the demon lord, causing a small smirk to play at the corners of his lips.

"Thank you ever so much, Sir, for saving me, but I find myself wondering who you are, and why you saved me." The demon lord looked at him oddly, surprised to be addressed in this manner by a half-demon whelp.

"This is Lord Sesshomaru," the child chimed in cheerily, "and I am Rin." Seo bowed to both Rin and Sesshomaru courteously, rousing a smile from the human girl, along with a small giggle. "He's funny," she said to Sesshomaru, who dropped his gaze to his young ward.

"Why is he funny to you?"

"Because he's just so polite, and small," she replied, still smiling warmly. Seo looked at her oddly, noting that he was taller than her despite her cheery comment. "He is so small for a half demon."

"How did you know?" the boy asked her, a little frantic.

"Because that is why the demon man is after you," answered Rin simply.

"What do you know of him?" Seo asked angrily, his small hands clenching into fists at his side.

"Nothing, it is simply common knowledge he has been making a habit of killing half-breeds as of late," replied Sesshomaru impassively. "I am glad you are grateful for my saving you, But we must depart now."

"That's fine. Thank you again, Sir. I have things to do," said Seo, as he dashed off into the forest, without so much as a second glance back at the demon lord and the girl.

He had not parted company with Sesshomaru and Rin long, when something grabbed him round the neck and pinning him to a tree. Undecipherable, hazy words sounded in his ears, as the boy dug his fingernails in the man's wrist to try and make him let go. But the man didn't, he held Seo up until his struggling ceased, and his eyes closed for the last time, just like his brother's.

TBC