Chapter 2

False Hopes and a vengeful Heart

It was already dim morning by the time Inuyasha reached his old residence. It was a two story building, below was his old barber shop, and the top floor was where he and his beautiful family stayed for a home. He looked at how different it was become since the last time he saw it. The years weren't particularly good to it. Brick falling in some areas of the building, and the second floor of the residence seemed completely deserted. He looked at the name of the shop that once read, "Mr. Hanyou's Barber Shop," and saw that it was replaced with, "Kikyo's Meat Pies".

Inuyasha casually walked across the street avoiding oncoming carriages. He entered the shop, and looked around. It has indeed changed. His barber chair and shop atmosphere were gone, and was replaced with restaurant tables and chairs. A warm oven in the corner of the room that made the place warm from the winter cold outside. He heard a chopping sound from the front of the room and he focused his attention on a woman who was cutting up some dough it seemed. She did not seem very happy, in fact, it looked like she was going to pass out from boredom.

She was an attractive woman, wearing a gown that was black lace, along with a few beading patterns around the neck line. Her dark maroon corset adding a little color, and pressed her breasts up, letting them heave up and down with her steady breathing. She had long black hair that she kept up in a rather messy due, but pretty curls dangled in random places framing her womanly face. Inuyasha let the door close behind him and the woman looked up quickly at the man that has entered her little shop. Her chocolate brown eyes twinkled with excitement with a customer finally!

"A customer!" she gasped and stabbed her knife into the cutting bored letting it protrude from the piece of wood. She quickly rushed to inuyasha and dragged him inside. "Wait! What's your rush? What's your hurry? You gave me such a—Fright I thought you was a ghost! Half a minute can'tcher? Sit, Sit ye down SIT!" The woman pushed the confused glaring Inuyasha down in the nearest seat. Then she proceeded back to her working courters and began making more dough.

"All I meant was that haven't seen a customer for weeks! Did you come here for a pie Sir? Do forgive me if my heads a little vague," She spotted a random cock roach scuttling across her dough, and she quickly smashed it with her hand. "Ugh! What was that? But you'd think we had the plague—From the way that people—Keep avoiding," She saw Inuyasha try to get up from his seat to leave, and Kikyo picked up her knife and pointed it him, motioning for him to sit back down, "No you don't! Heaven knows I try, Sir! But there's no one comes in even to inhale! Right you are Sir, would you like a drop of Ale?

Mind you I can hardly blame them; these are probably the worst pies in London!" Inuyasha watched Kikyo fill a pie with the vilest looking slop he has ever seen. "I know why nobody cares to take them—I should know, I make them! But good? No. The worst pies in London—if you care to take a bite?" Kikyo handed Inuyasha a pie. Inuyasha looked at it and carefully picked it up, and slowly brought it to his mouth. He bit into it and, if he knew anything that was going to kill him at any moment, it was going to be this if he continued to eat this meat pie. He closed his eyes and held back his vomit.

"Is that just disgusting?" Inuyasha spit out the condiments in his mouth onto the floor when Kikyo turned around. "You have to concede it. It's nothing, but crusting here drink this, you'll need it, the worst pies in London!" Kikyo gave Inuyasha a mug of Ale and he accepted it letting the liquid enter his mouth…only to see that he forced himself to dribble the Ale back into the mug, it tasted like spit and rotten vegetables! "This wench is trying to kill me!!" Inuyasha thought to himself. "And no wonder with the price of meat, what it is when you get it! Never thought I'd live to see the day men'd think it was treat find poor—Animals—what are dying in the street! Mrs. Mooney has a pie shop! Does her business but I notice something weird, lately all her neighbor's cats have disappeared!

"Have to hand it to her—what I calls enterprise—Popin pussy's into pies! Wouldn't do in my shop! Just the thought of its enough to make you sick! And I'm telling you them pussy's cats is quick!" Inuyasha sat there and watched Kikyo make more of those horrific pies (wondering if he should stop her for the sake of the rest of the human population) and listened to her ramble. "No denying times is hard Sir—even harder than the worst pies in London. Only lard and nothing more—is that just revolting? All greasy and gritty, it looks like it's molting, and tastes like—well pity a woman alone, with limited wind, and the worst pies in London! Ah Sir…times is hard…times is hard!"

Kikyo slumped at her working table holding her head up with her hand. Inuyasha rose from the table and walked over to her. "Come let's sit down and have a chat shall we?" Kikyo said and wondered off into the back room. Inuyasha followed slowly behind her, and found himself in a little sitting area with some sitting chairs and sofas. Along with a fire roaring in the old brick fireplace. "You know there's a room over this shop. If times are so hard, you should rent it out to someone…that should bring in a little something." Kikyo fixed a little area for him to rest and made a gesture toward him to sit down.

Inuyasha did so, and watched the woman look up at the roof and take her seat next to him. "Up there? Oh no! Nobody will go near it. People think it's haunted."

"Haunted?" asked Inuyasha, as he pictured his family once again. "Where are they? What has happened to them? Where is my Kagome? My daughter!?"

"Yea, you see many years ago something happened up there…something not very nice."

Inuyasha looked at Kikyo, his features becoming frightened. "What happened…?"

"There was a barber and his wife, and he was beautiful. A proper artist with a knife, but they transported him for life…and he was beautiful." Kikyo looked at the man sitting in front of her, could he be the man named Inu Hanyou? She softly continued, "Hanyou his name was…Inu Hanyou…"

"What was his crime?" Inuyasha asked, his voice became stoic, but it was only because he was holding back the pain.

"Foolishness," Kikyo replied. "He had this wife you see, pretty little thing, silly little nit, had a chance for the moon on a string…Poor thing, Poor thing." Kikyo could remember her, her poor soul weeping everyday; while still having to take care of her little one. "There was this judge you see? Wanted her like mad, everyday he sent her a flower. But did she come down from her tower? Sat up there and sulked by the hour. Poor Fool…Ah but there was worse yet to come, poor thing." Inuyasha could hardly believe his ears that dirty judge was trying to get his hands on his family…HIS!? But then kikyo's voice took him out of his deep thought, as she continued to tell the story of his poor precious Kagome.

"The Beadle calls on her all polite. Poor thing, poor thing. The Judge, he tells her, is all contrite, he blames himself for her dreadful plight, she must come straight to his house tonight! Poor thing Poor thing! Of course when she goes there, poor thing poor thing, they're having this ball all in masks! There's no one she knows there poor dear, poor thing, she wonders tormented and drinks, poor thing, the judge has repented, she thinks poor thing. "Oh where is Judge Naraku?" she asks.

Oh he was there alright—only not so contrite! She wasn't no match for such craft, you see? And everyone thought it so droll. They figured she had to be daft, you see, so everyone stood there and laughed you see, Poor soul! Poor thing!"

"NOOO!!!" Inuyasha screamed and stood up from his chair. His forehead creased with sadness. "Would no one…have mercy on her…?"

Kikyo stared in amazement at the man. "So it is you…Inu Hanyou…"

Inuyasha glared down at her and growled, "No. No Hanyou anymore. It's Yasha now, Inuyasha." His eyes began to glisten from the tears of his pain. "Where's Kagome…? Where is my wife?" He asked softly, almost in a whisper.

"She poisoned herself…arsenic, from the pharmacy down the corner. I tried to stop, but she wouldn't listen to me." Kikyo said softly as she witnessed the man breaking down before her very eyes.

"And he's got your daughter." Kikyo said mournfully.

"He…Judge Naraku?" Inuyasha said his eyes glazing over with rage. He took off his coat and tossed it onto the loveseat next to him.

"Adopted her…like his own." Kikyo replied, feeling his anger fill the small sitting courters.

"Fifteen years…sweating in a living hell on a false charge. Fifteen years dreaming, I might come home to a wife and child."

Kikyo stood from her seat and slowly walked over to the angered man. "Well, I can't say the years have been particularly kind to you Mr. Inuyasha."

"Please, just Inuyasha," He corrected, "and trust me…he will have his revenge."