Inuyasha felt his heart stop when he lay eyes on his father. Although he had grown up not knowing him, he had seen photos of the man, so he always knew what he looked like. Even without the pictures, he was sure he would have known, for it was as if he could actually just sense it. Instead of the modern clothes he wore in the pictures he had, his father was dressed in a white kimono with blue and a black chest plate. He also had spiky shoulder pouldrons and forearm guards. A sword with a big round white orb at the pommel adorned his hip.
Beside him, Kagome stood silently, staring at the strange man that had appeared out of nowhere, who was now slowly striding their way. Everything about him exuded power and strength. The resemblance between this man and Inuyasha was quite strong. His long hair was a bit more white than Inuyasha's, and up in a ponytail rather, and he had the same sparkling golden eyes. The biggest difference, aside from their ears, was a jagged purple stripes on each cheek, and he had a more square jawline. As he drew close, they realized he was also a few inches taller than Inuyasha, who was almost six foot himself. There was no doubt in her mind that this was his father, Inu no Taisho, or Toga, as Inuyasha had told her he preferred to go by the shorter name in modern times.
At a total loss for words, Inuyasha just stared at the man who would become his father in a few centuries from now. He felt like the biggest fool on earth before such a great man. What could he even say to him? Any and all ideas he had come up with had been completely forgotten.
Inu no Taisho's eyes narrowed as he approached the frozen pair, his nose twitching slightly as he took in their scents. He remained silent himself, as he closed in on the duo, circling them slowly, as his sharp gold eyes took in every detail of the oddly dressed hanyou and the young female that clung to his side. Kagome felt a bit unnerved just standing there, as he deeply scrutinized both of them. When he circled around in front of her, her eyes widened when they met his sharp gold ones, for she felt they were about to pierce her very soul right about now.
Still silent, Inuyasha managed to hold his father's gaze when the elder youkai moved on to pause directly in front of him, staring long and hard. Pursing his lips, Inu no Taisho remained just as quiet for several long moments. "How very interesting," he commented at last, his voice a bit terse.
Inuyasha fidgeted a bit as he tried to think of something to say. "What's very interesting?"
"You," Inu no Taisho responded. His face had tightened a bit and was currently hard to read. "Both of you. Girl, a mere human as yourself should not have been able to pass through the fog that disguises this place. And as for you, we have never met you before, yet we are clearly of the same bloodline. There is no mistaking that." He discreetly sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes, as he continued to study Inuyasha hard. He was equally confused and curious. "But we don't just share the same bloodline, we are closely related. Very closely related. You are mine, yet I know I did not accidentally sire you without my knowledge, for I have never lain with a human mortal before, as mildly interesting as they may be. How is this even possible?"
"Well…it's a long story," Inuyasha lamented. He was going to have a good bit of explaining to do, and wasn't quite sure the best way to go about it. "But yes. You are my father." He stared into the golden eyes that resembled his own, although they were a little darker, with more bronze around the center. Although five hundred years younger here than in the pictures he had, his father looked exactly the same.
Inu no Taisho turned to walk away and glanced over his shoulder. "Then I suppose we better find somewhere a little more suitable for long conversation. Follow me. Both of you." The three of them walked into a gaping hole at the bottom of the armor, where it was emerging from the ground. Glints of metal shone through the various weeds and vines that covered it. The inside of the skeleton was mostly rocky and barren, for very little light made it in.
Kagome stuck close to Inuyasha, for she felt as if there were eyes watching her from all over, even though it appeared that it was only the three of them. When the wind whistled in through the bones and cracks of the armor, she swore that she heard voices. Perhaps the skeleton was haunted, which made sense, since it was a dead body that they were walking through. The very idea made her shiver, and she was only half aware that she had reached for Inuyasha's hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
When Kagome had grabbed his hand, Inuyasha had been a little startled, but he then sensed the nervousness radiating from her, so she figured she just needed the comfort. There was a definite, strong presence here, he could sense it. Most likely it was The Great Fang himself, and not just another random spirit taking up residence in his skeletal remains.
Inu no Taisho leapt up to one of the lower ribs and proceeded to zoom from bone to bone, making his way up the skeleton. "Guess we're going up to the skull," Inuyasha commented, as he knelt down to let Kagome jump on his back. With a few long jumps, he made it to the collarbone and then leapt up through the jaws. Taking a moment to make sure Kagome was hanging on securely to his back, he carefully climbed out an eye socket to get to the top of the skull.
Up on top, on the vast gently rounded crown of the skull, Inu no Taisho had stopped, gazing out across the horizon for a moment before turning around to eye the two strangers. "Now, apparent son of mine, perhaps it is best if we start with formalities. However, I take it there is no need to introduce myself," he asked, raising a brow.
"I suppose not. My name is Inuyasha," he nodded with a slight bow.
"And my name is Kagome. I'm Inuyasha's friend," Kagome chimed in, giving him the same courtesies.
Inu no Taisho nodded back at them and dropped down to take a seat on the surface of the skull, the other two quickly following suit.
"So, um, how did you have Myoga set out to summon us here, if you obviously haven't been aware of my existence here in the first place?" Inuyasha blurted out quickly. That question had been foremost in his mind for a while now.
"I didn't send Myoga out to summon the two of you, specifically," Inu no Taisho replied. "I had merely sent him out on a mission to sniff out those who may be of use to me, those who might interest me." He paused and let out a short chuckle. "I had no idea that he would be sending an unknown son of mine my way. That was the last thing I had been expecting. Which brings us back to why we came up here. Now tell me the tale of how you two came to be here," his father commanded, as he studied the strange couple while he spoke.
Inuyasha relayed the events of the past three weeks, starting with how they were in the shed at Kagome's shrine on her twenty-first birthday. His father listened intently, his face solemn and hard to read. "So you came all the way from the future. That is not something that has ever been known to happen before, but I suppose there is a first time for everything. How far in the future did you come from? You in particular dress rather oddly."
Inuyasha smirked. "Well, this is normal in my time. About five hundred years in the future."
Beside him, Kagome felt rather glad that she was currently dressed modestly in her feudal age kimono, although her jean clad legs were visible and clashed oddly with the top half of her ensemble.
Inu no Taisho raised a brow at that. "I imagine much else has changed, in that amount of time, then. I don't need to know just how much though, for I suppose I'll see for myself, soon enough." He paused, quietly musing over the tales of their adventure in his mind for several long minutes. It seemed like it should be too far-fetched to actually be the truth, but he knew that it wasn't just some tall tale.
"Agreed, I think it's best to avoid talking about anything that isn't present day," Inuyasha replied hastily. He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, just from his timeline crossing his father's so unnaturally, but it couldn't be helped apparently. Perhaps in retrospect it hadn't been wise to come here after all, but what was done was done. "Earlier you said you were looking for people who might be of use to you, and apparently we fit the bill, so I'm wondering what exactly you were wanting from us?"
"I think the flea Myoga was mostly interested in me though, for some strange reason," Kagome chimed in. "He said I have some sort of strange power, so I assume that is what makes me useful in your opinion?"
Inu no Taisho turned his attention to the girl, eyeing her over once again. She was young, and quite pretty for a human, he had to admit. "What can you do with this strange power of yours?"
Kagome shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea. I didn't even know I had any sort of powers, not until I ended up in this time. Apparently my powers are what helped me survive the centipede demon attack, so other than that, I don't know what to say."
"Then you better figure out what your own powers are, and that is something only you will be able to do, by yourself. Most likely your powers may be dormant, but there must be some way to draw them out of you. If Myoga found your blood so interesting, they must be valuable then. Most likely that is also what allowed you to gain access to this sacred tomb," Inu no Taisho informed her. "It would be most wise to figure out what they are, and soon. With the Sacred Jewel having been brought back, war is imminent."
"You're not the first to mention this jewel," Inuyasha informed his father, frowning a bit as he recalled the vague bits of information he had gotten from Kaede on the subject. "What's the deal with this thing, anyway? I just heard it caused a lot of deaths and then it vanished somehow. Why does this damn jewel have to cause so many problems?"
"Well, given that you come from five hundred years in the future, I suppose the tale has become lost through the ages," Inu no Taisho mused. "The Shikon Jewel, or the Jewel of the Four Souls, is a powerful jewel that grants immense power to whoever has possession of it. It enhances the demonic energy of any youkai that possesses it, making them larger, stronger, faster, far more deadlier. So this jewel is greatly desired amongst demons, and to a lesser extent, humans as well. It has been said to have been around for at least two hundred years, but has always been guarded by the most powerful of the miko. Many demons have tried to take possession of this jewel, and have failed. From what I've heard, the last miko that was guarding it nearly lost the jewel to a powerful demon known as Naraku, and nearly lost her life as well. She managed to vanquish the jewel at the time, but it seems not permanently."
"That last miko would have been Kikyo, then," Inuyasha frowned, as he put the pieces together from what his father just now told him, along with Kaede's information from a couple of weeks earlier.
"So if this jewel is so coveted by demons, and you're a demon, have you tried to take possession of the jewel?" Kagome dared to question. "Or are you hoping to attempt to take possession of it this time around, now that the jewel is back?" She was a bit afraid of his answer, but she had to know. It worried her that he was planning to use the two of them for his own personal gain somehow.
Inu no Taisho merely hmphed at that. "No. I have no interest in this jewel. As a daiyoukai, I have too much pride in my own strength and abilities to want to resort to being powered up by some fancy bauble. The jewel may have the ability to give one a ridiculous amount of power, but at the cost of losing one's soul in the process, for the jewel becomes tainted by demonic energy. I have no interest in being reduced to some mindless creature."
"That's a relief," Kagome nodded. "And more respectable that way. However, if you're not seeking this jewel out to use for yourself, then you wouldn't need us to try and hunt down the pieces on your behalf, which is what I had been assuming might be the reason you were looking to obtain useful people."
"Correct. I'm not looking to collect all of the pieces of this jewel so I can use it for my own personal gain. Rather, I am seeking out ways to put an end to this madness, for once and for all this time. I rather enjoy this world we live in, and I'd like to keep it that way. With all of the wars as of late, the shattered jewel is only going to add far more fuel to the fire, as even a piece of it will allow one to increase their own strength. I fear it will be even more catastrophic this time, because of that, and as Lord of the Western Lands, I have my hands full protecting my lands and people. I've heard whispers that Naraku has broken free of his seal and will no doubt attempt to seek the jewel out once again. With additional powerful allies, surely Naraku can be defeated for good, this time."
Inuyasha frowned a bit at that. "So we're the allies then, and you want us to go to war with you against this Naraku guy."
"Wait, what?" Kagome exclaimed, sitting upright as Inu no Taisho nodded in response. "You want us to join a way and help defeat some bad demon? We aren't exactly cut out for this sort of thing. Well, maybe Inuyasha might stand a fighting chance, but not me. I'm no warrior, never been much of a fighter at all, and I don't even know what it's like to live simply, like the villagers here do. This isn't our world, well, not the world we are familiar with, I should say."
Inu no Taisho shot her a hard look. "This is your world now. You're here, aren't you?"
Kagome opened and closed her mouth, for she technically couldn't argue with that. Currently they were stuck here with no ideas on how to make it back to the future. "What happens if we just hang low and sit this out? I mean, he does get killed regardless, otherwise we never would have been born. Right? Why should we get involved in your war? We aren't from here!" She was suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the entire ordeal and quite stressed. How she missed her old life, of shopping, school, and hanging with her friends.
Inu no Taisho regarded her somberly. "You are part of this war too, simply for being here and by bringing the jewel back. If you were to just sit back and allow Naraku to carry on with his plans, then complete destruction is certain and we are all doomed. Not just those of us in this era, but the future as well. If Naraku was to be successful, you world as you know it will most likely never exist. The decisions you make now can change the future. Your loved ones may never exist, or your future may be one filled with angst and suffering. Naraku must not be successful in collecting all the shards to complete the jewel. I assure you he is not the only demon after those shards as well, but he is the worst of them."
"So we have to run around collecting these shards so the bad guys don't get them, and kill the main bad guy, in order to save ourselves and our future," Inuyasha sighed. "I suppose we are doing it for ourselves just as much as we are doing it for you."
"Correct," his father nodded.
Inuyasha groaned to himself. If only he and Kagome had never gone into that shed and fallen down the damn well. "So we have a big fight on our hands then, don't we? How strong are all these various demons anyway? Will they be as hard to defeat as that centipede one was? That thing put up a hell of a fight."
"You had trouble with a centipede demon?" Inu no Taisho asked incredulously, unable to hold back the surprised snort upon hearing that. "Those are nothing but pathetic two-bit demon. No son of mine should have the least bit of trouble killing one of those."
"Well, apparently I did," Inuyasha grumbled back at him. "Fighting's not exactly the sort of thing I've done a lot of, you know?"
Inu no Taisho scoffed at that. "We might need to see what you're capable of then, boy. Why don't you take your woman down below and find a safe space for her to stay, and then I'll put you to the test." With that, the elder dog demon lightly leapt to his feet and disappeared off the rounded edge of the skull, his fur cape flowing out behind him.
"He thinks I'm your woman?" Kagome couldn't help but grin a bit at Inuyasha. Just as she was in the process of pushing herself up to her feet, she found herself being scooped up bridal style, and then airborne as Inuyasha took a flying leap.
"Guess so," was all he could say. Although she wasn't actually his woman, she was the closest he ever had. It would be an outright lie if he had tried to say he hadn't felt a pang of longing when his father spoke that assumption. Perhaps one day he may become so lucky.
As Inuyasha leapt down off of the skull, Kagome let out a surprised squeal and threw an arm around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. She hadn't expected him to try and make it to the ground in one huge leap, resulting in the sensation of her heart lurching into her throat. The way she suddenly clung to him made him laugh a bit. "I'm not going to drop you ever, I swear," he told her in response, as his ears picked up a few muffled words.
After setting her down along the inner edge of the tomb, Inuyasha turned to try and catch a glimpse of where his father had gone off too. He was nearby. "So, what exactly are we—" In the blink of an eye, he found himself being knocked clean onto his back.
"Lesson one, don't let or keep you guard down," Inu no Taisho told him crossly. He was a little surprised that he had knocked his son over that easily, for he hadn't even moved at full speed. Clearly he had his work cut out for him. He cast a glance at Kagome, who had dropped down to his son's side, observing her fuss over him for a moment. "I would advise you to stay clear for the time being. He'll be fine, just had the wind knocked out of him a bit. Get up, boy."
"You're not going to hurt him too badly, are you?" Kagome couldn't help herself ask him worriedly.
Inu no Taisho cast her a sidelong glance. "I'll be as hard on him as I need to. Right now he's just a boy, and he needs to learn to fight like a man. Otherwise he's as good as dead, and that'll happen sooner than later. There's only one way to get stronger, and I suppose I'll have to do whatever it takes. So stand back and keep out of our way."
Kagome meekly backed away per the elder demon's request, unable to help but worry a bit as she watched Inuyasha get himself up, only to be knocked backwards once again, a stream of cursing escaping his mouth as he slammed into the dirt floor.
"I would see if you are able to attack back, but looks like you can't even defend yourself long enough to attempt to do so in the first place," Inu no Taisho told him. He rushed in from the side, sending Inuyasha hurtling off to the left. "You leave yourself wide open. Pay attention and use your senses."
"What the hell do you think I'm trying to do?" Inuyasha coughed, as he landed with one knee and hand on the ground. Before he had the chance to make it back to his feet, he was knocked flat to his other side.
"Not much of anything, from the looks of it," his father retorted. "Get up."
Inuyasha just growled and got to his feet, preparing for another attack. He had always thought of himself as fast, but he didn't hold a candle to his father. Time after time, he found himself unable to dodge the incoming attacks. It frustrated him to no end, and he was having a hard time keeping his temper in check. His father's strength was impressive, and he knew he was going easy on him. That made it all the more maddening. Was he really that pathetic?
At long last, Inu no Taisho finally let up. "That's enough for one day. We will sleep here. Training will continue in the morning. I will go hunt you something to eat so that you can regain your strength and energy," Inu no Taisho told them, before turning tail to disappear into the woods. Even he was a little concerned at the state his son was in, but he knew he would heal quickly, thanks to his demon blood.
With his father gone, Inuyasha winced and groaned as he sat on the ground, leaning against a smooth boulder. Kagome was at his side in an instant. "Are you going to be ok?" she asked him worriedly, for she had seen the tail end of the beating he had gotten. He had hit the dust a lot, for his black shirt was now gray and tan. Numerous scrapes marred his handsome face.
"Maybe," Inuyasha let out a weak laugh. "Fuck that hurt. Wondering if I cracked a rib."
Kagome's eyes widened and she immediately tugged at his shirt. "Let me see how badly you're hurt."
Inuyasha just shook his head. "It's fine. I'll be ok by morning I'm sure."
"I'm not taking no for an answer," Kagome narrowed her eyes with determination. "Let me see where you got hurt." Her tone made Inuyasha give her a bit of a wide-eyed look, and he obliged by briefly pulling his shirt up, giving her no more than a quick glance at his bruised ribs, but it was long enough for to gasp over the extent of the damage. "You're hurt way too badly," she frowned deeply, as he let out a strangled cry when she touched his side.
"It's fine," Inuyasha winced, for he was trying not to show her just how much pain he was actually in.
Kagome grabbed his forearm and stared hard at him. Why did men have to be so stubborn? She could tell he was in agony, as he wasn't able to hide it as successfully as he thought he could. It wasn't just his ribs that had been injured, he was covered with small cuts and bruises all over his arms as well. That funny feeling deep in her gut had returned, the same one that she felt when she had been attempting to practice her archery skills. Except it was stronger now, and she could tell it wasn't just nerves at possessing the ability to kill something with her own two hands. Maybe…
"Listen here, Mr. Tough Guy, lay down and take your shirt off," she commanded him. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I want to try something."
"Wouldn't I have to take my shirt off before laying down?" he smirked at her, which just earned himself a glare. "I'm telling you, you don't need to try anything. I'll heal…just takes a little time."
Kagome shot him a haughty look. "I am not taking no for an answer. I know full well you can heal, but perhaps I can do something to help you heal a little faster, or at least just make you feel a little better. Maybe I can't do anything at all, but I won't know until I actually try. Your father said that I have to figure out some way to unleash whatever powers I have, so let me just try something. That funny feeling came back, and I think it's trying to tell me something. You got to practice fighting, so now you need to let me practice whatever the hell it is that I may be able to do."
Inuyasha gazed back at her, a bit awed by the determination flashing in her blue eyes. How could he keep saying no to her? She was a powerful little wench. "Alright," he sighed. Pushing himself away from the rock, he scooted closer to her, so that she could access his back as well. He really was in a good bit of pain right now, and secretly hoped that she would be able to take some of it away, even if he wasn't going to outright say so.
Happy that she won that argument, Kagome grinned to herself and started tugging on his shirt to get him to remove it. She could tell he was moving stiffly, and favoring his left arm and shoulder as well. Her eyes widened as he was fully shirtless this time, revealing the bruising was far more extensive than she had originally realized. A sharp pang radiated deep in her gut as her eyes roamed his badly bruised flesh, making her desire to take his pain away intensify. To get a better look, she grabbed all of his hair and shoved it over his right shoulder to keep it out of the way.
Inuyasha shivered a bit when he felt her fingers trail across his tender flesh. They were cool at first, but then started to grow steadily warmer. Unnaturally warmer, he thought, after a couple minutes had passed by. "What's going on back there?" he asked, only to feel the warmth instantly fade.
"Shhhh," Kagome hissed loudly, before laughing. "I'm trying to concentrate here. I think I actually did something! I could feel this weird warmth start to come out of my hands. Do you feel any better yet?" She had discovered that as long as she willfully yearned to heal all of his wounds, that weird sensation of hers seemed to flow steadily from her core.
"I just felt your hands get crazy warm pretty quick. Think you need to do it a bit longer before I actually feel different," Inuyasha told her. Keeping his mouth shut so as not to break her concentration, he sat there and closed his eyes, focusing on the warmth of her hands as she placed her palms on his side and back once again. It felt very soothing and his entire body began to relax.
That was how Inu no Taisho found them, when he returned from the hunt, a small boar draped over his shoulder. His son was sitting on the ground without his strange top on, his head hanging a bit, while Kagome knelt behind him, her eyes closed and her hands on his back, a soft pink glow coming from her palms. He simply observed them for a minute before quietly speaking. "So, it appears that somebody has made progress today, at least. I was curious as to what she may be capable of, but those healing powers make sense, given how she survived the centipede. Now, come do what you want with this boar for dinner. You're going to need a lot of energy tomorrow."
A partially healed Inuyasha sighed and got to his feet, grabbing the boar to bring it over to where he could start a campfire and gut and cook their dinner. Inu no Taisho accepted the cooked meat his son offered him, and decided it wasn't all that bad, although he still preferred it raw.
A thunderstorm suddenly began to roll in, large rain droplets falling while the wind picked up, causing the fire to flare. Fortunately they were just about done eating, so Inuyasha put the fire out and grabbed the last chunk of good meat to save for later. Since they were all sleeping inside the bottom of the skeleton for shelter, he slunk off to the other side after dinner, just so his son could have some privacy with his female.
A/N: Last chapter had a few comments on the giant skeleton grave being Inuyasha's father. Daddy had to be alive in modern times in order to father our favorite hanyou (who is 23 in this version of the story) so he couldn't have already been dead in feudal times haha. I did keep the design of Inu no Taisho's grave in this story but instead of it being him, I made it their first ancestor. Had to come up with a name so I went with The Great Fang, but I don't know how you would say that in Japanese. Toga means Fighting Fang, and Inu no Taisho means Great Dog General. So I guess their first ancestor in this story had a combination of the two names Inuyasha's father is known as.
I was a little hesitant to even include Inu no Taisho in the story at all, but figured what the hell. A great youkai such as himself was bound to cross paths with Inuyasha at some point.