Inu-Yasha
A Feudal Fairy Tale


Disclaimer: This episode of Inu-Yasha is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1998-2003 Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. Inu-Yasha is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.


What's a Hanyou to Do?
Prologue


A young inu hanyou child of about six or so is walking happily through the forest near his house. His mother is gracefully walking alongside him, her beautiful smile never leaving her face. She is wearing an elegant kimono like she always does. The woman gazes down lovingly at her son, who is now chasing a butterfly. "Inu-Yasha," she calmly calls.

The young boy's dog-ears twitch at his name being called. Her stops chasing the butterfly and runs up to his mother. "Yes mother?"

"You seem to be in a very good mood today, may I ask why?"

"I'm always happy when I'm around you mother," comes his reply.

The woman looks surprised for a moment at his response, but suddenly smiles and pulls her son in for a warm embrace. "You truly are a blessing from heaven my dear Inu-Yasha." Though her child is still young, she began to teach him at a very early age and he is quite intelligent. Being part youkai has also blessed him with being more superior in strength, hearing, sight and smell than any ordinary human.

"Thank you mo..." the boy pauses as he both hears and smells something off. He pulls away from his mother and sniffs the air all around him.

"What is it Inu-Yasha?" the boy's mother questions.

"Youkai," comes his answer, "and a lot of them."

Before the woman can answer, the youkai Inu-Yasha was speaking of emerge from all around them. They are in all shapes and sizes and types. The boy and his mother are completely surrounded and by the looks of the youkai, they are not friendly. The hanyou goes into a defensive stance in front of his mother, baring his fangs and claws.

His mother suddenly yells out in pain and just before Inu-Yasha can turn around, a strong hand grabs his neck from behind and lifts him up off of the ground. He reaches up and tries to pull the hand off of him, but it has an iron grip and he is unable to free himself. Without warning, the hanyou is tossed away with incredible force.

He crashes hard into a large tree some distance away and quickly slides the rest of the way down. He groans loudly as his small body crumples onto the soft earth. Inu-Yasha just stands up when a shrill scream of pain causes his heart to skip a beat. He recognizes the voice. "MOTHER!" he screams as he runs as fast as his young hanyou legs can carry him.

When he makes it back a few minutes later, his blood runs cold at the scene in front of him. All the youkai have vanished. Now only a lone figure with long black hair remains, standing over his mother's broken and bloody body. "NNNNOOOOOOOOO!" he shrieks as he dashes to his mother.

The dark haired being chuckles evilly as he tosses the woman's outer kimono over his shoulder and leaps away. "I'll take this lovely garment as a souvenir," he mutters in a deep voice. He turns his face slightly and Inu- Yasha sees pale skin and red eyes before the man disappears.

The young hanyou is quickly on his knees and lifts his mother up in his arms. She is alive, but barely. Her inner kimono is soaked with blood and she has numerous cuts and gashes all throughout her body. The air is so thick with the scent of blood that a normal human can easily smell it. "Don't worry mother," Inu-Yasha says through tear soaked eyes. "I'm gonna take you to the hospital. They'll help you there." He begins to carry her back the way they originally came.

The boy's mother places a hand on the side of his cheek, stopping his progress. "Please..." she begins in a shaky voice, "do not waste your strength Inu-yasha. I will not survive my injuries."

"N...no, that's not true," the hanyou cries, though he knows it is by the amount of blood his mother has already lost. Her normally fair skin is also turning very pale. He places both of his hands on the one on his face. "Don't leave me mother. What will I do without you? I don't want to be alone."

Despite the tremendous amount of pain she is in, the boy's mother still manages to let out a small smile. "Oh you dear sweet thing. You will stay with your godparents, the Jawesaki's. Do you remember them?" He sniffs and nods lightly. "Good. They will take care of you for me. Be strong...my dear Inu-Yasha...and always remember...that I...will always...love...you..." she trails off as her life leaves her broken body.

The young hanyou stares blankly at his mother's body for several minutes, as if he is unsure if she is truly gone. Suddenly, drops of tears fall from his large golden eyes as the full truth finally sinks in. He pulls his mother in close and cries into her bloodied inner kimono while crying, "Mother."

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Four Years Later...

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A ten-year-old Inu-Yasha wakes up suddenly in the tree he is sleeping in. A small curse escapes his lips as he remembers the nightmare he just had, which has been plaguing him for the past four years. Shortly after his mother was killed, Inu-Yasha moved in with his godparents the Jawesaki's, who were very close friends with his mother. They are a kind family and welcomed him in with open arms into their house in the far north near the city of Aomori. Though they have let him live in their house and given him a bed to sleep in, the young inu hanyou chooses to spend most of his time outside and usually sleeps in the tree in their backyard. He only comes in for long periods of time when it is raining outside.

Because his mother had home schooled him his entire life, Inu-Yasha now has to go to school. If there is one thing he truly despises, it is school. The instructors teach at a very slow pace and the students act so...childish. Recess time is one that he loathed. The students run around and act foolishly and also scream at him, hurting his sensitive ears. They all know what he is, and like to tease and torment him any chance they get when an instructor isn't around. This is why he spends as much time as he can high up in trees so nobody can disturb him.

Inu-Yasha yawns loudly and looks around at the night sky. It is starting to lighten up on the eastern horizon, signifying that it is early in the morning. He sighs and continues to watch the eastern horizon and the slowly rising sun.

The hanyou wishes that he could have someone to talk to, someone who understands what he is going through. By being a hanyou, he isn't fully accepted in either human or youkai society. Too human to be a youkai and too youkai to be a human. After his mother was killed, he built up a lot of inner walls, blocking himself from exposing emotions to anyone around him. His godparents have leaned that it is useless to try to get him to open up and have allowed him his free space. His is thankful to them for that.

Some time later, the sun has fully risen and Inu-Yasha is off to school after having a quick breakfast. Another thing he dislikes about school is the uniform he has to wear. The long black shirt and pants are uncomfortable and restrict his movements. He would much rather wear the red fire rat haori he has had for as long as he can remember. The fabric, combined with a spell a kindly miko placed on it a long time ago, makes it so the haori grows as Inu-Yasha does. It is still very baggy and allows complete freedom of movement for him.

Inu-Yasha's godparents have offered to drive him to school in their car, but the young inu hanyou enjoys traveling there by foot. He feels a complete sense of freedom while he leaps from treetop to treetop. It is as if all of his troubles and worries stay on the ground.

While leaping over a local forest, Inu-Yasha's sensitive dog-ears pick up the sounds of a battle nearby. Curious, he changes his course towards the commotion. He enters a large clearing, where he sees two figures in black clothing, one large and the other small, battling a medium size kamakiri youkai. The larger figure is carrying a long spear and the smaller one is carrying a large boomerang like device that is about its height.

The hanyou watches intently as the youkai attacks the smaller figure, which shouts, "Boomerang Bone!" as it tosses the large boomerang. One of the kamakiri's large pincers is sliced off and it shrieks in pain. It advances at the smaller figure once more, only to have its head completely severed by the boomerang as it returns to its master. The small figure masterfully catches it, but is pushed back a few feet by the force of the boomerang.

The larger figure pats the smaller one on the shoulder and says, "Excellent job Sango. You exterminated that youkai like a true professional."

"Thank you father," the smaller figure replies in a high voice.

'So,' Inu-Yasha thinks in surprise, 'they are youkai exterminators and the smaller one is a female.' He shifts his position a bit, only to loose his footing and fall off of the tree. He lands with a loud 'thud' alerting the exterminators to his presence.

"Come out!" the large man demands, "we know someone is watching us!" Slowly and hesitantly, Inu-Yasha walks up to the two demon exterminators. The large man removes the metal mask covering his nose and mouth. He has short black hair, pulled back to make a very small ponytail. The young girl removes her mask as well, showing off her pretty face. Her long black hair is also pulled back into a ponytail, only this hers is much longer than her father's. "What were you doing?" the man questions.

Inu-Yasha crosses his arms and turns his head to the side. "I head some commotion over here and came to inspect. Obviously the two of you can take care of...WATCH OUT!" he finishes as he charges in between the two exterminators. The claws in his right hand elongate and he shouts, "Iron Reamer Soul Stealer!" as he slashes the second kamakiri youkai that just appeared next to the slain one into shreds. As if what he did was nothing, Inu-Yasha begins to walk off.

"I thank you for your help young hanyou," the father says the Inu-Yasha's retreating figure.

The hanyou pauses and crosses his arms once more. "Feh, don't worry about it. You probably would've killed it if I hadn't." He then leaps on top of the nearest tree and jumps away.

The elder exterminator scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, that hanyou is quite a skilled fighter. And if I'm not mistaken, he was wearing a school uniform."

A young Sango looks up at her father. "I like his ears, they're cute!"

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Inu-Yasha is sitting through another boring class. He sighs loudly, catching the entire class' attention. The instructor, however, continues to droll through the lesson. The hanyou shuffles uncomfortably in his seat. One other thing he dislikes about school is the fact that has to sit down in a chair all day. He would much rather sit on the floor or at least on top of his table, but the instructors complain that he is trying to make a scene and scold him for it.

As the class resumes its normal, boring pace, Inu-Yasha gazes out one of the open windows at the vast expanse of trees outside. The forest being directly next to the school is the only thing he likes about school. In fact, trees have always been a sort of haven for him. Whenever he is troubled by something or is in trouble, he just hides himself high up in a tree and relaxes.

He is just about to see what the instructor is yacking on about now when he notices a dark figure moving stealthily on top of the trees. The wind is blowing towards Inu-Yasha so he easily picks up its scent. It is a youkai definitely, but something about its scent seems...familiar.

Suddenly it hits him and his eyes go wide. 'No...' he thinks to himself, 'it...it can't be...' The young hanyou stands up out of his chair, once again catching the entire class' attention. This time, though, the instructor notices. "Inu-Yasha," he begins, "please take your seat."

"I can't. There's a youkai coming right here." He then leaps out of the open window and lands gracefully on the ground just as the dark figure emerges from the forest. He is wearing a baboon skin pelt of some kind, hiding his true face. "What do you want here?" Inu-Yasha asks in a firm voice.

"Kukuku," the mysterious figure responds in a deep voice. The hanyou's eyes widen even more as he recognizes the voice. "My Inu-Yasha, you have grown quite a bit in these last four years."

"Its you," Inu-Yasha hisses, his fists shaking with rage. "You're the one who KILLED MY MOTHER!" He screams out the last part as he lunges towards the evil youkai. "Iron Reamer Soul Stealer!" he screams as he slashes at the figure, though only hitting the baboon skin pelt.

The pelt is torn to shreds and falls off of the youkai. He backs up a few steps and smiles evilly. "You are faster than I expected but no matter. I, Naraku, will finish off what I should have done four years ago."

The young hanyou growls loudly. "Naraku, I will destroy you!" He is about to lunge again, when the youkai pulls out something that catches him by surprise.

It is Inu-Yasha's mother's kimono, the one she was wearing on the day she was killed. It is neatly folded and wrapped in a plastic bag. "Do you remember this half-breed?" Naraku questions, the evil smile never leaving his face. "I like to keep it on me at all times to remind myself on what a spectacular kill your disgusting mother was." He looks behind Inu-Yasha, where most of the school has now appeared. He frowns lightly. "Now I have to kill you and all of these weakling humans for seeing my true form."

The hanyou's entire body is shaking with an uncontrollable rage the entire time. "You will not kill another living being ever again. I will tear you to shreds!" He charges at Naraku, who pulls out his sword and blocks the attack.

For the next few minutes, the two are in a very heated battle. Inu-Yasha slashes at Naraku with his razor sharp claws with all of his might. Naraku blocks each swipe and make an occasional counterstrike here and there, which is blocked in turn. He quickly grows bored and grabs the hanyou's hands in mid swing and slashes him deeply across the chest with his sword.

Inu-Yasha plummets to the ground while holding his right hand over the deep wound. The students and staff of the school all cry out as he crashes with a sickening thud. Naraku, however, laughs with glee. "See? You are nothing to me, not even a worthy challenge. You should be glad though, for soon you will join your dead mother in hell!" He looks to the sky and cackles evilly.

The hanyou thinks it is all over when he hears a sweet, soothing voice deep inside of his head. 'Do not fear my Inu-Yasha. You can defeat him. You must believe in yourself.' He instantly recognizes the voice as his mother's. Her words give him a regenerated confidence. An idea suddenly springs into his head. He digs his right hand into the wound on his chest, covering it with blood. He pulls his hand out and sharp claws emerge from his hand. With a mighty swipe, Inu-Yasha yells out, "Claws of Blood!" as five daggers of his own blood go racing towards Naraku.

The youkai stops laughing and leaps away, but is caught by the tips of the blood blades on both of his legs. He screams out in pain and falls back down to the soft earth. This is the chance Inu-Yasha was waiting for. He leaps all the way to Naraku and stands over him. The youkai pulls out his sword and swings it at him, but the young hanyou anticipated this move and whacks the sword out of Naraku's hands.

He kneels down on one knee and begins to repeatedly punch and slash at Naraku. The youkai tries to get up, but Inu-Yasha is pushing down so he cannot escape. He then tries to grab one of the hanyou's arms, but has one of his sliced off in the process. 'No!' Naraku thinks. 'This was not supposed to happen!' He tries to do the one thing he likes to avoid to do, and transform into his kumo youkai form.

He is starting to when Inu-Yasha shouts, "I'm not letting you try to get away from me!" as he punches Naraku directly on the nose, forcing his head to smack onto the ground. The hanyou continues to slash and punch all over Naraku's body. Soon, his fists become a blur at the speed he is moving. A yell begins to come out of him, first low, but then it becomes louder and louder until he is screaming at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, Inu-Yasha stops, his chest heaving in and out and his breaths deep and ragged. The tears which he has been able to hold in all this time have begun to fall. Naraku, now a broken and bloody mess, moves slightly and in a flash, Inu-Yasha slashes his throat deeply. The youkai sputters out, "H...how can I...the great Naraku...be defeated by...by a mere hanyou boy?..." His body goes limp as he dies.

The young hanyou reaches inside of Naraku's clothing and pulls out his mother's kimono. He hugs it tightly and mutters out, "Mother." He then rears his head and screams out, through tear soaked eyes, "MMMOOOOOOOOOOTTTHHHEEERRRRRRRRRR!"


To be continued...

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Translations (in order of appearance):

Inu: dog
Hanyou: half-demon
Youkai: demon
Haori: Japanese formal coat
Miko: priestess
Kamakiri: praying mantis
Kumo: spider

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Author's notes: This is the start of my newest Inu-Yasha series. Right now it is a little sad and all, but I plan to lighten things up in later episodes. I'm going to skip forward a few years to where he's starting high school. I'll introduce some of the more common Inu-Yasha characters as well as one of my own creation (inspired by one of my friends who's a real sweetie) -- lighthawkdemon

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com