Disclaimer: Nope don't own 'em.
A/N: This has to be quick b/c I'm supposed to be in bed and if my dad catches me awake he'll likely kill me (or take te computer away, almost the same thing you know...) so I'm just going to say that this entire chapter is hints and clues. I think in particular the conversation that I "expose" between Taikokajin and another inuyoukai is revealing. After this I'm sure you'll have your opinion as to whether you trust her or not...and the tracks that whatever the thing was that left them behind was, well...I'll give you this clue, aside from my love of biology I also have a desperate passion for ancient animal life, mammals in particular. Chances are no one reading this will have a clue what kind of critter I'm talking about...and you won't till I reveal it of course (grins!) but on with the story, right? (Notes of Blah: Taikokajin (Taiko-Kajin) means "Pink Beauty." according to the online dictionary I found in Japanese. Shimofuri means "Gray." Lastly, if I don't update for a LONG time like this most recent week, check my profile, I'm keeping that updated with news...)
The Tracks of a Demon
A grayish-black dog-like form slipped through the trees. Nose to the ground it sniffled, hot on a trail. The tongue that came lolling out of the side of its mouth was long, covered in sticky, slimy saliva, and alarmingly, not pink. It was instead gray and dappled black, without a spot of pink anywhere on the dripping muscle.
When the beast looked up from its scent trail its ears were triangular and pointed, exactly like a wolf's. But it was no wolf…
The creature's eyes were a deep shade of brown, like the brown of the earth after the rain has come. But unlike the eyes of the white dog that had passed through the village nearby Inuyasha's estate a day before, this creature didn't portray a gentle expression of amusement. Rather the beast looked angry and flighty at once, as if it wanted to run away for fear of injury, but wanted to stay just to lurk and haunt the mortals of the village with its menacing presence.
It was big, a little smaller than a horse. About as tall as the average man's shoulders. Villagers who caught sight of it cried out that a wolf demon had descended on their village, likely looking for the ghostly white dog demon that had passed through the day before. Two canine demons or deities in one day were too much for them to see as coincidence. The two specters had something to do with one another, certainly.
But the creature they'd seen was not a wolf demon, or even a wolf god…it wasn't a wolf at all.
At first glance any mortal would've made the same mistake. The beast looked too much like a big wolf to be anything else in their eyes...but had they gotten a clearer view the villagers would've noted that the beast had a longer, narrower tail than a typical wolf. Its tail looked almost like a cat's. And the head was too big and too blocky to fit on a wolf—it looked more like it belonged on a bear.
Frightened off by the villagers in the day the beast slipped away, head and nose locked to the ground, sniffling along, searching…
He was following the scent of a dog demon…
Later in the afternoon the beast stumbled onto Inuyasha's estate and carefully circled the wall, scenting the perimeter. Once or twice it paused, considering leaping over the wall or testing the wall's strength…but each time it passed the thought by and continued on its way. By sunset the beast had seemingly grown bored and it vanished into the wilderness, likely never to be seen again.
Or so everyone hoped…
Taikokajin opened her eyes, her ears whispering to her of another youkai's presence. Jumping to her paws she looked around the sleeping forest, her ears cocked attentively, her pink eyes wide and alert, and her lips withdrawn slightly from her jaws to expose her large and powerful fangs in warning. Whatever it was that had stumbled upon her resting place would regret it…she let loose with an audible growl, a deep rumbling made in warning by the transformed inuyoukai clan.
Slowly, from the brush ahead of her, another dog demon appeared, also fully transformed. It was a male, larger and bulkier than Taikokajin…and also, unlike the clearly albino female, this male was a rich gray. When it lifted its head to show Taikokajin its face the male's cheeks were clearly streaked with three turquoise youkai markings. The male's markings were identical to Taikokajin's.
Seeing this Taikokajin stopped growling and her posture relaxed. Her lips lowered, hiding the deadly fangs. Both inuyoukai stepped forward and nuzzled each other affectionately. A mortal watching would've noted that although it was significantly larger, the male dog demon lowered his muzzle to meet Taikokajin's submissively. It was he that licked her muzzle warmly, greeting her. She was superior to him.
They pulled apart for a moment and there was a flickering light from both—and then in place of the beasts of before, two demons stood, in human form. One was a woman, tall and proud, wearing a simple white kimono with a black obi. Her name was embroidered into the fabrics, about the hems and through the middle of the obi. She was pink-eyed and her skin was as white as the untouched snow in the clearing.
The other form was a man, slightly taller and bulkier than the woman, but also slightly younger—his face retained some smooth baby fat in his cheeks. His hair was darker than the pink-eyed Taikokajin's by far. Hers was almost white, almost transparent while the young man's was darker, almost blue, like moonlight reflected from the snow at midnight. When he lifted his eyes to take in his female companion the Inuyoukai's eyes were gray. His kimono was gray-green with yellow embroidered into the hems, collar, and sleeves. The obi was cream-colored, almost yellow as well.
Taikokajin spoke first, her soft, motherly voice uncharacteristically sharp and demanding, "What news do you bring me, Shimofuri?"
The male, Shimofuri, started to walk closer to her, the turquoise streaks on his cheeks rippled with a slow frown that infected his face. The snow crunched beneath his feet noisily. "I have met with the furui, mother." He dipped his head slightly, closing his gray eyes. "You were right about them. They have been taking hanyous from our clan for centuries…"
"I know that!" Taikokajin hissed. She stilled her rage for a moment and looked away from Shimofuri. Her pink eyes closed, "What of Tsukiyume?"
Shimofuri lowered his gaze; "She lives."
Taikokajin's form visibly shuddered, her breathing could be heard to be ragged even by a mortal. Her son narrowed his eyes unpleasantly as he watched his mother's obvious relief. "Tell me, mother…" he began, directing his gray eyes toward the white snow, away from his mother's emotion, "What of Inutaisho's son? What of his human mate? Are there hanyous?"
Taikokajin looked back at her son, her shaking ceased immediately, her stony countenance resumed. "The Lord Inutaisho was a crafty youkai." She chuckled sardonically, "He was more mysterious than you or I or anyone else inside our clan thought he could be."
Shimofuri crossed the distance between himself and his mother swiftly, his expression was almost angry. "What is it then, mother? Tell me what you have learned…"
"The Lord Inutaisho had two sons…"
Shimofuri stopped where he was, still a good five feet of his mother. All expression had left his face; his eyes were a little wider than usual. "Two? But the clan would've known of another son…did a family rivalry erupt? Did Sesshomaru kill the other son?" he frowned suddenly, but killed the outward motion on his face immediately after and demanded instead, "What relevance is this, mother?"
She smiled, confidingly. "It is more relevant than you could even begin to dream of, Shimofuri…"
"Then what is it?" he snarled, irritated. His mother had always been more of a diplomat, which was why he'd never make a decent ruler—he didn't have the patience for it like she did, he was too much like his father had been.
"The other son is named Inu-Yasha. You have heard of him." it was more of a statement than a question, and Shimofuri stared at her, stunned, although he didn't let the emotion reach his face.
"Yes, I have heard the name—most of Japan has! The Inuyasha that woke and slaughtered the sleeping dragon Ryokotsusei, (A/N: little spoiler I guess if you don't know Inutaisho died fighting that demon, managing only to subdue it with a fang. Inuyasha came along and killed it later, but I don't know how to spell it, that's as best as I can do…I just hope everyone knows who I'm talking about (grins) sorry!) that stopped the great moth demon, Menomaru, (That was his name right? Inuyasha the first movie's bad guy?) that destroyed Kaguya's grip on time? The Inuyasha that reassembled the Shikon Jewel, and that killed the troublesome shape shifting Naraku? That Inuyasha?" Shimofuri demanded, glaring at his mother with narrow, angry eyes, "How do legends and mysterious warriors have anything to do with our situation now?"
"I just told you how, Shimofuri—Inu-Yasha is Inutaisho's second born son."
Shimofuri threw Taikokajin a dangerous glare, "I don't believe you mother." He growled, disgusted with her, "How could you let Sesshomaru tell you such a blatant lie! You know how unfriendly he has been since the Panther demon wars…"
"Why won't you believe, Shimofuri?" Taikokajin asked, her face and eyes were almost amused at her son's clear irritation and outrage, a smile played at the edges of her lips, "Haven't you ever wondered at those legends, haven't you ever wondered where the strange Inu-Yasha came from? They say he's a hanyou…"
The young gray-eyed inuyoukai stared at his mother, knowing full well by her expression that there was something he hadn't noticed, something that made him into a fool in her eyes. He sneered, "No, I have never truly believed all of those legends. A half-demon could never be so powerful. And as far as this Inuyasha's origins—if I had to think of it I would say he was an inuyoukai from the continent, from across the sea."
"Yes, that is plausible, my son…" Taikokajin nodded, appearing to approve of him, and the younger youkai bristled under her motherly judgment. He restrained his growling to be able to hear her explanation, "But I believe it is wrong. Sesshomaru told me where to find this Inu-Yasha, and he was telling the truth—their scents are exactly alike. They couldn't be anything except brothers, even if they are only half-brothers."
Shimofuri shook his head, unable to believe his mother's story, "No, Inutaisho couldn't have hidden such a thing from the clan—Sesshomaru would've told us…and at any rate, mother, it's impossible—the hanyou in the legends was too young to be a pup of Inutaisho's."
"Sesshomaru said Inuyasha was under a spell for fifty years, pinned to a tree by a priestess's arrow. That is how he can be Sesshomaru's sibling and still be so young." She smirked at her son then, "And he is a hanyou…I have scented it…"
"You've seen him mother?" Shimofuri eyed her almost warily.
"No, he was not at home…but I am sure that he will be back…"
There was a silence between mother and son. Finally Shimofuri asked, "What will you do, mother? What would you have me do? A male hanyou in Inutaisho's line, inside our clan…" he looked to his mother carefully, his lips pursed, "You know what this could mean…"
Taikokajin's facial features changed, growing tight. The lines around her eyes and mouth suddenly made her look old and tired. Shimofuri looked away from her, recognizing his mother's desperation and despising it. Inuyoukais were so fiercely loyal and determined…it sometimes led straight to their undoing. He feared for his mother, but was resolved to follow her to the depths of hell if she commanded it. He waited for her order.
"I know what it could mean…" in her thoughts she whispered, 'Civil war.' The clans had been at peace for a long, long time. If she were to shatter it, how would her name be remembered? But already the decision had been made. Her hands tightened, balling into fists with determination. She looked to Shimofuri, her face hard, "Do the furui know of Inuyasha?"
"They likely do…but if they don't know of his relation to our clan, he is of no importance to them…but if they do know that he is an inuyoukai from Inutaisho's line…" he let the possibility drag out into nothingness, knowing Taikokajin would put two and two together on her own.
His mother's pink eyes burned straight into his own gray ones, "Then we will have to secure the hanyou as soon as possible…will the furui negotiate with you?"
Shimofuri smirked, genuinely amused by his mother's question, "Will he have a choice?"
"Then it's final." She nodded sternly, her pink eyes never leaving him, "I will watch for the hanyou's return—you shall track the furui. Tell him of Inuyasha's existence…" her eyes glazed over with an unreadable emotion, some sort of distance, she was thinking of something else, "I will deal with this Inuyasha…"
Shimofuri felt a brief but intense and rather hated pang of worry for her. "Mother," he spoke quietly, allowing some feeling into his voice.
She looked to him, blinked once, and took a step back from him, "What is it?"
"Be careful…this Inuyasha has more legends circulating about him than even Inutaisho…"
Taikokajin turned her back on her son; her face was cold, without emotion. "Don't worry for me, Shimofuri. Worry for Yume…" she smirked then, quietly, to herself, "Besides, my son, this hanyou Inuyasha has settled down now, he has a mate and a very young pup. As long as I do not offend those two he won't see a threat coming."
With that Taikokajin walked away several paces and—with a flicker and flash of a bright light—her human form vanished and in its place a massive dog stood, growling quietly. As Shimofuri watched his mother dashed away, kicking up the hardened snow in her wake.
Although even her scent was fast dissipating, Shimofuri could still hear her last words inside his mind, and they made his body stiffen with doubt. "…This hanyou Inuyasha has settled down now, he has a mate and a very young pup." How could that be? Only female hanyous could successfully take mates and reproduce…what made the infamous Inuyasha any different?
Sesshomaru hates the clan…I can't help but think that he's set my mother up for failure…perhaps I will force the truth from him…
Shimofuri closed his eyes for a brief moment and then his body began to glow a bluish-gray, his demonic energy swarming over his human form, changing his features…and when it dissipated there was a second massive dog, but unlike the albino female of before this one was covered in gray fur, sleek and healthy and young. When he opened his eyes triumphantly and looked to the sky above a piercing cry rang through the air, shivering and rippling through his body…his mother was saying goodbye in the predator's tongue.
All the earth's blessings to you, mother. Shimofuri thought worriedly, praying that his mother wasn't making a mistake…
He lifted his sleek gray muzzle toward the sky and let loose with his own song. It soared high, straight toward the distant stars.
Miroku stared down at the crusty snow at the gates to the estate, frowning. At his side Mayuko was still as a stone, watching Miroku's expressions and movements as if he were a god. Her whole frame could be seen to shake upon close examination.
The monk rose from his bent over position, his eyebrows were knitted together over his nose. "You didn't happen to see the thing that left these prints, did you?" he asked the housekeeper, one hand brushing his chin absently.
The frightened woman shook her head, "No, no…" she shook her head, half-whimpering apologetically. "But I came and got you, sir, the moment that I saw them…"
Miroku silenced her gently with a dismissive wave of one hand, "It's all right, Mayuko, you've nothing to be sorry for or ashamed of…"
The housekeeper swallowed nervously and leaned closer to the monk, her eyes flicking between the strange marks in the snow at their feet and Miroku's expression of deep concentration. "Do you know what sort of beast left them? Was it a…demon? Was it…could it have been the demon that you and Lady Sango met yesterday? The one claiming to be related to Lord Inuyasha?"
Miroku sighed, thoroughly frustrated. "Mayuko," he pursed his lips and shook his head, "I have never seen a print like this in all my years wandering." He reached for her hand and knelt to the ground, pulling her with him. He pointed to the snow, at the mark. "Do you see the toes and the claws?" he asked, patiently.
She nodded, "Yes, sir…it looks like the print of a big dog to me, or maybe a cat…it's certainly not a hoof print, or anything left by a human…"
"Yes, Mayuko, at first glance I'd say the same too…but look more closely at it. Shippo leaves the same sort of prints in the snow, but not quite like this one."
"Shippo-chan's prints are a lot smaller, Miroku-sama." Mayuko pointed out the obvious. The marks in the snow before them were perhaps as much as a foot across, maybe a little more. A wolf's prints could be as much as six inches across but it was clear to Miroku that these couldn't be wolf prints.
"Yes, I know…but what I'm saying is that this isn't a print left by any animal we know of…or at least, of it was, I'd say it was deformed."
"Why?" Mayuko asked, confused.
Miroku took hold of her hand, pursing his lips in concentration. He guided it to the surface of the snow, placing her fingers into what would've been the toes of the animal. "Count the indentations with me, Mayuko." He asked, looking to her carefully, "One," her fingers brushed the valley of one of the print's toes, "Two," another, "Three, four…" he carried her fingers over to the last indentation in the snow, the smallest and shallowest of them all, "Five." He let go of her fingers. "Did you see anything strange about that, Mayuko?"
The housekeeper paused, staring at the huge print. It was just like a paw print, one that little Shippo's feet left when he played in the snow…she assumed that dog demons left the same sort of footprints as Shippo. The dogs that crossed through the village left the same footprints too, as did the cats that hunted rats about the dwellings. And somehow this footprint wasn't like those marks…it had the same look, the central pad of the animal's foot pressing into the ground and then the individual toes radiating around it…suddenly realization dawned on her and Mayuko covered her mouth with her hands in shock.
She looked to Miroku. "This isn't a dog's print! Or a cat's or a fox's…the toes…"
Miroku nodded, "Yes, there are five of them, not four like there should be."
"Could the dog demon have left these?" Mayuko asked, quietly.
Miroku sighed. "Honestly I don't know about dog demon's feet." But he looked to Mayuko darkly, his eyes holding an ominous hunch, "All I know is that Shippo is a kitsune youkai, and he leaves footprints that are just like a fox's. I would assume that a dog demon's foot prints would be the same as a dog's."
"And these aren't…" Mayuko finished slowly, frowning, "What could've made it then?"
Miroku looked away from her and toward the village, and then toward the forest, dark and mysterious, withholding all of its secrets. A shiver traced its way up and down his spine. "I don't know…" Inuyasha, hurry and come home… "Let's go inside Mayuko. It's cold out here, this footprint isn't going to run away from us any time soon…we'll let Inuyasha see it when he gets back…"
The housekeeper and the monk hurried inside, shutting the huge gate behind them with conviction. As night settled on Feudal Japan, Miroku, Sango, Mayuko, Shippo and the children blew out the candles reluctantly and drifted away into sleep…
Outside the estate's walls, a creature emerged from the forest. It glowed bright white in the moonlight. Slinking along the wall, the white beast sniffed quietly over the ground a few times until it reached a clear footprint in the crusty snow—a five-toed footprint. Slowly the white dog growled to itself, the pearly teeth gleaming in the darkness.
It hurried back into the depths of the forest a short time later, its pink eyes shining red in the white light of the moon.
Endnote: WHEEE! Over 100 reviews! I don't have the time to go through each one tonight (or rather this morning as it's SO late that it's Saturday now rather than Friday night!) so I'll just answer anything big real quick: Silvercrystal Yes, I have heard of the punnet square, but I can't even begin to do the crosses with the demon/human 1/2demon/full human traits, so instead I worked off the one account of the hybrids passing on uneven distributions of their genes...it captured my imagination so I HAD to use it...next time I'll do it so that it makes more sense and the baby is more human than demon...no dog ears. I also know (but think of it as something more akin to a nightmare that I've been trying to forget!) of a punnet square that does (instead of four mixtures) something like 16 mixes...(dies horrible death)...but my entire class failed that test in Adv Biology...(sighs)...lady kjerston of the western I thought of having him be horrified, b/c to someone of that time it'd probably seem unnatural, and I'm sure Inuyasha (as well as Koinu) could probably smell the difference between formula and the genuine article...but I decided to drop that idea, I mean, he's gotta respect the fact that it's hard enough for women when it's a NORMAL baby involved, but Koinu will have bloody FANGS! So as of yet there's been no discussion...The Moonless Night Thank you! Love all of your ideas, and you're right, bottle feeding never worked out for my mom either. Taikokajin, as far as I see currently, doesn't really care much about the mortals involved here, unless they're mated to an inuyoukai or inuhanyou of her clan. So I think that it's okay to breathe a sigh of relief for Miroku and Sango for now...inuyasha'sbabe07 action in what way? Chances are it's coming in multiple forms...I have intrigue in this chappie, but no battling yet...fanfiction1 hehe, I love your enthusiasm, and all the "Never having kids," comments...(nods) weight gain bad, but you know the true goal, the purpose of "life," isn't education or careers or anything like that, it's parenthood and families. That's why I like writing this sort of thing b/c it's what I believe in at the end, I always find it touching...
Well that's it for tonight (er...this morning)...Next chapter is all mush...(winks) that's action of a different type now...((groans) I've been hanging around with lecherous guys too long, my very own Miroku, except I'm just not his Sango, he just WISHES I was...)
