Ch. 1- A Seal Undone
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Story and OCs © Me
Inuyasha crawled on the ground, sniffing every inch of the forest floor so that he could track his son's scent. So far, he traced Ichiro's scent through here, as well as Tsukihime's and Roku's scents mixed together with his. Knowing that they must be nearby, Inuyasha stood up and looked around, his ears pricked up to pick up any kind of sound.
"Ichi!" he called out. "Ichiro, where are you?!"
No answer came, causing Inuyasha to sigh as he kept walking...but then he stopped as he felt a familiar stinging sensation on his neck, followed by a small sucking sound. He groaned, a look of annoyance on his face before he reached up and smacked his palm against his neck, then pulled his palm away, revealing none other than his flattened flea attendant, Myoga.
"Ugh..." he groaned as he regained his former shape. "I keep forgetting about that hand." He then looked up at his master. "Master Inuyasha! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"Well, Myoga," said Inuyasha. "What brings you all the way out here? I thought you were living with Old Man Totosai, these days."
"Well, I was in the neighborhood," Myoga began, "so I thought I'd drop by and have a bit of a drink for old time's sake."
"Hop off, flea," Inuyasha said as he flicked Myoga away. "I got better things to do than shoot the breeze. My son's out here with his friends when he should've been staying at home, helping his mother take care of the chores!"
"Ah, yes!" Myoga exclaimed as he hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "How is Kagome? Doing well, I hope, what with three children and one more on the way."
"She's pretty much reached the end of her pregnancy," Inuyasha said. "Shouldn't be too much longer, now, and meanwhile, my son still thinks he can run off and do whatever he pleases. Knowing him, he probably got himself in some kind of trouble, like he always does."
"Sounds like someone I know..." Myoga muttered.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha inquired, causing Myoga to gulp, nervously.
"Uh...n-nothing!" he answered. "But in all seriousness, sire...Ichiro is only 11 years old. He's still a child."
"He's also the oldest of my children," Inuyasha replied. "He needs to start being more responsible in case I'm not around."
"With all due respect, Master Inuyasha," Myoga began, "perhaps you're putting a bit of pressure on the young lad."
"Call it what you will," Inuyasha said, "but I'm bringing him home so I can teach him a lesson." He suddenly stopped in his tracks before he glanced over at a large opening in the ground. "...And I think I know where he went, too."
XXX
Ichiro, Roku, and Tsukihime all stared up at the man pinned to the cave wall with a claw piercing his chest. It almost looked like the claw had hit his heart...but it was aimed a bit lower than that. The man was clad in spiked armor, plus a pair of white hakama and what white hair with dark gray streaks, tied up in a topknot with pins, and he had a thin, silvery-white mustache with a matching beard, plus green stripes on his cheeks and two scars going down his left eye. Attached to his hip was a Dao saber, a typical weapon used by warriors from the mainland.
The children gaped at him, but he didn't even seem to acknowledge their presence. He didn't even so much as twitch or open an eye.
"Who's this guy?" asked Tsukihime.
"I don't know...but it's giving me the creeps," Roku answered.
"Is he...dead?" Ichiro asked as he grabbed his sword and raised it up, using the hilt to poke the man in the face...but there was no reaction.
"Can we please not play with dead bodies?" asked Roku. "Seriously, that's so disrespectful."
"Or maybe he's just sleeping," Tsukihime suggested.
"I highly doubt it," Roku said as he glanced up at the claw in the man's chest. "I mean...who can sleep with a giant claw piercing their chest?! And there's something off about it. Whoever left this claw here, they were obviously huge...and it's even strong enough to pierce through this guy's armor!"
"Yeah, you're right," Ichiro replied.
"Now, if you don't mind," Roku began, "how about we go home? Seriously, my parents are gonna be back soon and I'm gonna get in a lot of trouble...and for that matter, so are we." He then turned to go out the way they came in...until...
"Hey, Ichi," said Tsukihime as she pointed up at the claw. "I dare you to touch it!"
"Heh!" Ichiro smirked. "You're on!"
"D'OH!" Roku cried as he smacked his face against his palm. "Why do I bother?"
Ichiro strained as he stood up on the very tips of his toes, trying to reach up and touch the claw, but his fingers barely grazed the surface of it, causing him to groan.
"Oh, well, you tried," Roku shrugged. "Let's go."
"Hey, Roku, gimme a boost," Ichiro replied, causing the human boy to sigh.
"Why do I hang out with you guys?" he muttered as he crouched down, allowing Ichiro to climb up on his shoulders. "Ah! Ow! Easy!"
"Sorry," Ichiro replied as he reached his hand up toward the claw, once again. He grunted as he strained his arm to go up as far as it could...before he managed to place his palm against the gigantic nail.
"Ha!" Ichiro laughed. "I did it!"
Just then, out of nowhere, the claw suddenly flashed a bright light, causing the three children to shield their eyes.
"What the-?!" Ichiro questioned before he let out a yelp as Roku fell to the ground.
"Ouch...!" Roku groaned as he rubbed his head...but then, the ground began to tremble, causing the trio to gasp.
"Uh...I think it's time to go!" Tsukihime cried.
"That's the best idea you've had all day!" Roku yelled.
"RUN!" Ichiro shouted, and soon, the three bolted as fast as they could, scrambling toward the cave entrance while dodging falling rocks. Tsukihime gasped as she managed to jump out of the way of one that was about to fall to her right while Roku vaulted over one, but Ichiro ended up tripping on a stone while trying to keep up with his friends. What didn't help was that there was a rock about to fall right on his head!
"Oh, no!" Roku cried.
"Ichi, look out!" Tsukihime yelled while Ichiro braced himself...but then...
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"
In a flash, a red blur raced past Tsukihime and Roku, then slashed the rock into smithereens, causing Ichiro to look up and see his father, just in the nick of time.
"Dad!" he exclaimed, only for Inuyasha to grab him and hoist him under his armpit.
"Don't just sit there!" he shouted. "Come on!" With that, he soon dashed out of the cave, grabbing Roku and Tsukihime on the way out, dodging and smashing rocks as he went before he finally managed to jump out, just as one last boulder fell behind him, effectively blocking the entrance. While the kids panted, Inuyasha gently put them all down on the ground before crossing his arms, sternly.
"What were you three doing in there?!" he asked. "You're lucky I came along, or else you'd all be buried!"
"Uncle Inuyasha, it wasn't my idea!" Roku cried.
"Yeah, we were just out here, playing, and Ichi fell in the cave!" Tsukihime added.
"Right!" Ichiro nodded. "Oh! And Dad, you won't believe what we-"
"You!" Inuyasha interjected as his eyes fell on his eldest son. "I don't know what the hell kind of lie you told your mother, but you know you're supposed to be at home, helping her with looking after your brother and sister AND doing the chores! Did you even clean your room like I asked?!"
"Dad, I-" Ichiro started.
"I don't wanna hear it!" Inuyasha barked. "We're going home, right now!"
"Ugh..." Ichiro groaned as his ears drooped.
XXX
Sometime later, after Inuyasha had dropped Roku off at Miroku and Sango's house and Koga came to pick up Tsukihime (and Inuyasha telling him what had transpired during her visit so that she could be punished properly), the half-demon and his son soon arrived in front of their house, where they found Kagome waiting for them, along with Yamako and Sanka. As they got closer, Inuyasha glanced down at Ichiro, who had his eyes cast to the grass and his ears lowered, and seeing him like that always caused his father to feel just a slight tinge of guilt for being so harsh. It's been that way ever since the day after Ichiro and Tsukihime met. His son was always going off, getting into who knows what kind of mischief and he was just trying to look out for him.
Inuyasha sighed before he put his hand on Ichiro's shoulder, causing him to look up at his father.
"Ichi," Inuyasha said, "I don't mean to be so harsh with you, it's just...you're 11, now. You're gonna be in your teens before you know it."
"Then how come you have me stuck at home, doing boring things like chores and looking after my crybaby brother and my bossy sister?" Ichiro asked.
"Because your mother is gonna be having the baby any day, now," said Inuyasha, "and I might not be here when that happens. I need you to stay here and look after your mother for me because she needs lots of help, now. Your mother's only human and she can only do so much. I get that you wanna hang out with your friends every once in a while, and that's okay! But you have responsibilities, now. Remember what I said? When I'm not around, you're the man of the house."
"...Yeah, I remember," Ichiro replied as he looked down at the ground, once again, but then Inuyasha smiled as he put his hand on his shoulder.
"Promise me you'll stay at home, next time, okay?" Inuyasha asked.
"But Dad-" Ichiro said.
"Promise me," Inuyasha repeated, a bit more forcefully this time...and Ichiro sighed in resignation.
"...Okay," he said. "I promise."
"That's all I wanted to hear," Inuyasha replied before he gently ruffled his son's hair. "Who's my pal, huh?"
Ichiro didn't answer, but he did crack a small grin.
"Come on, who's my pal?" Inuyasha asked, again, causing his son to chuckle.
"Me," he said.
"That's right," Inuyasha said before he pulled Ichiro into a headlock. "Come here, you!" He proceeded to give Ichiro a noogie, causing him to laugh as he felt his father grind his knuckles into his skull. He soon broke free before he playfully tackled Inuyasha, who laughed as he collapsed on the ground with his son playfully nipping his ear, and soon after, Yamako and Sanka ran up and jumped onto their father, proceeding to tickle him, mercilessly alongside their big brother, and it wasn't long before Kagome was in a fit of laughter, herself.
"Oh, I love my life!" she exclaimed.
"AAH!" Inuyasha shrieked between his laughter. "H-hey! That's not fair! It's three against one! AHAHAHAHAHA! Kagome! Kagome, help! Call 'em off!"
"You're on your own, Mister Man!" Kagome called.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried. "Seriously, help me!"
Eventually, Kagome managed to call the kids inside for dinner, and after that, the family retired for a good night's rest...or so it seemed.
XXX
Deep in the forest, in the cave where Ichiro and his friends found the man pinned to the cave wall...the claw had vanished from the man's chest, leaving a sizeable hole. Then...he felt his heart pulsate and his fingers twitched, revealing long claws. He opened his mouth as his breath came out hot and steaming...revealing a set of sharp fangs.
Soon, he dropped down from the cave wall, staggering for a moment...but then, he slowly stood up and groaned as he rolled his shoulders, letting them pop. Then, he opened his eyes...revealing them to be a deep orange. They flashed as he let out a deep growl, then he placed his hand on the hilt of his Dao sword...and with a single swing, he destroyed the boulders blocking his way, as well as blowing up the rest of the cave.
This man was no man...he was a demon.
As he emerged from the cave, he stared up at the half-moon. His eyes glowed from its light before he placed his fingers on the scars that marred over his left brow all the way down to his cheek. He growled as he clenched his fists, his fangs bare for all to see.
"...Toga...don't think that this is over," he said. "You'll regret the day you betrayed me...!" He soon leaped off, soaring through the night sky...but this did not go unnoticed, for a certain flea demon had spotted him and gasped in horror.
"Oh, no...this can't be...!" Myoga whispered.
XXX
In a field far from Kaede's Village, a great battle was being fought between two armies of samurai warriors. Their cries thundered throughout the land as they charged at each other with spears, swords, and all other manner of weaponry. As the two armies clashed with each other, however, they noticed a mysterious figure flying through the air, causing them to pause in their battle.
Soon, the figure slowly floated down and landed between the two armies. The soldiers gasped as they backed away, yet they still grasped their weapons tightly. He looked to his left, then to his right...and then he walked onward. The soldiers glared at him, unknowing of what he wanted or why he was here, interrupting their battle.
"Who are you?" asked one of the soldiers...only for the demon to glare at them, causing them to gasp. Then, he flexed his claws, the air bubbles in his joints popping. Then, he thrust his hand forward...and tore the soldier's head clean off!
"AAAAAAH!" both armies screamed in horror as the young man's body fell to the ground, blood spilling from his headless corpse. As for the demon...he smirked as he licked the blood off his fingers, then he glared at his next victims...his orange eyes beginning to glow red.
"I am...Shiroizume," he whispered...before he lunged at the men...and soon, the only thing that was heard that night was the sound of agonized screams and flesh being torn apart.
Dun-dun-DUUUUUN!
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