Chapter 3:...And the Great Devil
"So Ash, I always knew something about you was different, but a Demon...?" Moe Higurashi says as she looks over the boy that had been helping her daughter for most of her school life. She saw the boy and two girls come up the stairs toward their apartment and noticed her two daughters on their backs; naturally she let them inside to tend to the girls and of course followed this up with her questions. Towa's father, Sōta Higurashi, also had his own sets of questions naturally and Ash was not in the business of bending others' trust in him with lies.
"Yes; sorry that you're only finding out now." He says simply. Truthfully he didn't know what to say in this situation other than that. "Although I at least know that you, Mister Higurashi, knew as much when we first met." He says looking at Sōta.
The man chuckled as his wife turned to him. "You knew? How?" She asks, confused.
"Well..."
/Flashback, 3 Years Ago\\
Sōta was on his way to pick up Towa from middle school. He had a fun day planned for his family, so he was coming to grab her instead of letting her simply walk home as she normally did. He pulled up to the school and began to wait; but when he saw his daughter come out of the school he witnessed as she went toward the nearby park instead of his car. Confused, the father decided to follow her carefully. He pulled into the parking lot for the park and saw as his daughter walked up to a group of three boys who stood there waiting for her.
"Give back that boy's money!" She said to them. Sōta knew of her fighting with other students, but he also knew why as she explained it clearly to her father after he was called to the school about it.
"Ha! As if we'd do that. We're gonna use it to go get some games, and there's nothing you can do about it, now buzz off." The 'leader' said as he gave an ugly smirk like a cliche villain would.
Towa put her fists up and got ready to fight, making the three boys tense up and put their own fists up. "Try it girl" one with braces said in a nasally voice accompanied by a lisp "there's three of us, and only one of you."
"Hahaha yeah" the last one, kinda dopey sounding, said "plus we are all green belts in karate so you don't stand a chance!" He said proudly.
Sōta was about to step out of his car and go in there to break this up, but he stopped at the sound of a fifth voice.
"Hey hey, three on one is a little much no?" A male voice says as a then 13 year old Ash walked up to the group. "Wait, that you Towa? What's going on here?" He asks seeing his junior that he had just left not even four months ago for advanced grade placement into high school.
"Uhhhh...Ash! What are you doing here?" She stutters as she sweats a bit at the sight of her senior. He had been a strict person, but she appreciated the way he helped her. 'Tough love' and all that was his main way of imparting knowledge onto his underclassmen.
Ash looks unimpressed by the blatant attempt to change the subject. "I was going for a walk when I noticed the little get together over here. It so happens my junior might be in a bit of trouble." He turns to the other three. "Seriously? Three on one and you thought those odds were in your favor Towa?" He asks her.
She scratches the back of her head a bit. Sōta couldn't hear what they said to each other next, they began whispering now. He figured maybe Ash was attempting to get her to leave but was surprised when that was not the case: they were whispering strategy. The two of them sprung into action and beat down the three boys, getting the money back for the boy who was there in question. Sōta had seen and even experienced his fair share of fights, but what he felt from Ash was something like when his sister and that white haired man, Inuyash, came over to this side of the well. The feel of a demon...
Ash was a nice person; he's known him for as long as Towa had been under him in grade. Ash had come to his house, met his wife, helped them around, and even made sure to help Towa to study and pass her classes. He had felt the entire time something was different about the boy, yet not once did he feel evil intent. He sighed and smirked as Towa noticed his car and slowly walked over while Ash went out to return the money. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'll just keep this to myself." He said to himself as he unlocked the doors and began to leave with his daughter.
/Present\\
"So that's basically it. I've had such experience with that side of the world when I was a kid." Sōta says.
His wife sighs and shakes her head. "Honestly...so Towa is asleep right now right?" She asks.
"She said she was tired; it's understandable." Sōta said as Ash nodded.
"Indeed." The demon said as he looked to the room she was occupying. "But just to be safe you all should watch yourselves. No telling what may happen next."
Mei, who was sitting next to Ash, looked at him in shock. "So there could be more of those scary things?" She asks.
Ash chuckles. "No, the ones that live today are either like me and don't wanna stand out too much, or are in their own homes. They're far away from you guys." He reassured the young girl.
"That reminds me" Sōta says "you described to us the Between, but why hasn't Towa been pulled in there before?" He asks.
Ash starts to think for a second. "Well it could be because she doesn't have enough power to catch their fancy; I have two other ideas about it but I can't be sure. " He says. Sōta and Moe gesture for him to continue. "My ideas are that either they don't care about half breeds still, and feel dragging her in would be bad; or...because I'm here. I am always dragged in by them, it wouldn't be a stretch to say they are more focused on me than anything else they may fine. I am near Great Demon status as the new girls say."
Sōta nods at this, taking it in as suddenly Moroha opens the bathroom door and enters the living room, stark naked with just a towel around her shoulder. "Ahhh! That was fantastic! I've never had hot water splashed over me like that before!" She says as Moe covers Sōta's eyes and Mei covers Ash's.
Moe smiles and nods to Moroha. "Yes, well it is really late so why not go turn in for the night?" She asks. Moroha agrees and walks to the room she would share with Towa and Setsuna that night as the two girls uncover the boys' eyes.
"Mother says that girl might be Kagome's daughter." Sōta says to Moe who beams in response.
"She might be a relative? Then it's fine if they stay here for a few days!" She says getting a nod from Sōta. Mei smiles and mentions having three older sisters now before heading to bed herself, while Ash looks down thinking.
"Well if they shall be staying here, I'll be on my way." He nods to the two. He holds out his hand as he walks, making the Yamato fly into it. "I will make sure nothing happens to you all during the night. But...you know she will likely wish to go with them right?" He turns, asking Sōta.
The man nods with a sad look. "I knew eventually she would want to. Now she has people directly liked to her past in her room sleeping near her. I knew this day would come...it still doesn't mean I was prepared for it. If she wishes to go with them I will not stop her, but...may I ask you a favor Ash?" He asks.
The demon smirks. "Wanna ask a demon a favor?" He asks Sōta back, facing him once more. "Shoot."
"If they do go back...can I ask you to...accompany her?" Sōta asks.
Ash is taken aback by this while Mei nods and finishes for her husband. "Adopted she may be, she still is our daughter. We want her to be safe, always. I can't think of anyone better to go with them. Can you do this for us?"
Ash thinks again before nodding. "I'll go. You have yourself a deal; who knows, it could be fun." He says shrugging and stepping outside.
Sōta rubs his eyes and leans back. "At least she'll be safe, knowing he's with them eases my worries a lot." He says.
Mei chuckles. "Yes, but I know why else you wanted him to go. So she had a friend with her...although with how she looks at him I'm sure you also know what she feels."
Sōta nods. "Yep. Hard not to, after all it's almost like how we started off. But while that is a reason the major one is to keep them safe. I trust Ash to do so. I know for a fact, the reason she hasn't been tormented in this era has to be because of him. He makes sure nothing from that Between place bothers her."
With Ash he continues walking down the hall of the apartment when suddenly the elevator is blocked and distortions start to appear. He sighs, knowing they'd come now that two other demon blood holders were present with Towa. "Fine, I'll do this all night if I have to!" He says drawing Yamato and rushing at the demons.
He stayed there all night; he made his way down the hotel, through the floors by stairs, through the lobby and even all the way out to the street. Various demons showed up this time with the power shift, from the basic skin-looking ones with folded faces and stitches to scarecrow like creatures, to even big metal ones with saws for hands that had furnaces in their stomachs. By the time he had made it to the street he was feeling a small bit of fatigue. The Between started to shift and he was finally let out back into his own world. No one was paying attention and it was still night, so he went on his way. He knew with the Yamato's power he could easily just cut the Between open and leave if he so wanted, but that wasn't an option- it left Towa, and the two others now, at risk. He just made a promise to protect them, he was going to keep it.
/A Few Days Later\\
Ash was tired. He was moving slower and was dragging his feet as he sat near the apartment that housed a portion of the Higurashi family. "Damn...they didn't give it a rest." He said as he leaned back and looked at the sky. His vision was blocked suddenly when Moroha leaned over him smirking.
"Hi Great Demon!" She said, chuckling at his tired appearance. "You ready again?" She asks him.
Ash slowly groans as he sits up and stands. "As ready as ever. Also don't call me that, my name is Ash; what were we doing today?" He asks her. He had been showing the two displaced girls around the area and explaining the era as best he could to them whenever he wasn't stuck in the Between.
Ash looked at his phone and in his notes, he planned the day out properly. "We'll be headed to the mall. Setsuna is with Mrs.Higurashi and Towa is in school." He told her.
They went along there day, Moroha amazed at the giant shopping center while zipping around and ask about everything. Ash allowed her an allowance of sorts sos he could buy some things, which the first part of that was a yellow bag to carry everything she wanted to get in. Ash chuckled at her energy but slowly sulked as his wallet cried to him.
By the time they left her bag was ginormous and Ash was mad with himself. He allowed the pouting face to get to him many times and this was punishment for him. "Well you got a lot of what you wanted, we might as well start heading back." He told her. She nods smiling while eating some candy, but they both stopped when the world was distorting.
"Damn it, again already?" He asked out loud as they were pulled into the Between. He noticed Moroha with him this time. "So they dragged you in? But you're only a quarter demon." He said confused.
"Oh well, I guess they want anything." She said putting the bag down and pulling out her sword. "Kurikaramaru wants to taste some modern demon blood!...not yours though, you scare me too much." She says sideways glancing at him.
"Oi, I'm perfectly normal." He said as the demons started walking towards them.
Moroha smirked and charged with Ash. "Yeah right!"
She sliced open one of the stitched up flesh ones, ducking below another's unfocused wild swing of an arm. Ash dashed forward through a crowd of them slicing all of them down with ease while he summoned swords to cover his back. "These guys are the easy ones. Keep a lookout though, they only get more annoying from here." He tells her.
She scoffs running forward and just having fun with it. "Oh please! These guys are easy!" She said before bumping into something sturdier. She looked up and saw something even Ash hadn't seen before: it was humanoid in shape but wore armor. It had a lance in one hand and used its wings as a shield in the other and was taller than the girl. "Uuuhhhhh...hi?" She offers weakly before it tried to slash at her. Ash dashed in and blocked with his scabbard redirecting the lance and slashed at the demon, grabbing the girl and jumping back as it held where he cut on the armor.
"I told you." He chided her as they skidded to a stop and she was let go.
"What is that?!" She asks, standing up and pointing her sword toward it.
Ash looked it over; he felt the demonic power in the armor but...it felt off. Artificial almost. "That's not a resident of the Between; it doesn't feel like the demonic power is it's own. That...I believe that's something from Hell proper." He says as the creature swings its lance to the side as if to say 'come'.
The two didn't get a chance as it charged with its wings at the two. They jump to the side, the lance penetrating the ground where Ash once stood as it turns to him. It quickly launched up toward him, thrusting the lance. Ash quickly pulled Yamato up and blocked the attack with the tip of the lance hitting the flat of the Yamato. He went up a bit more before skidding to the ground.
The storied demon was about to attack again when both demons heard Moroha attack next. "Crimson Dragon Wave!" She yelled out as the energy she shot at the demon took the shape of a red dragon, hitting into its back making it go to the floor. "Like that!?" She yelled again as Ash looked it over. He quickly stabbed into where he felt the demonic power coming from and watched as it stopped moving now.
Opening it up he discovered there to be nothing within, and where he stabbed was a seal holding the demonic aura. "I thought so...they're making artificial demons." He said, surprising Moroha.
"What!? Why would they do that!?" She asks kicking some of the armor away from her.
Ash looked over the seal some more before dropping that armor piece as well. "I can make a guess that the demon families are dying out and have finally wished to stop fighting one another. With most demons living here in the Between being low ranking pure demons, the higher up ones probably thought to attack slowly the Between and gather their auras for this...they're trying to repopulate faster." He said after seeing Moroha's confused look.
They exited the Between and continued forward hiding their weapons in Moroha's oversized bag. "What a weird era." Moroha said as they kept going. "In my time they'd just...well you know. And people could become demons too if they strayed to evil too much. But to have demons creating artificial demons using their own kind is...wow." She said in disbelief.
Ash nodded. "Indeed. It doesn't bode well for this era, I say in a few more generations they could possibly perfect this method. When we go back to yours and help with this thing Setsuna has going on I need to come back here and insure they can't be a threat to humanity." He says. He knew about the Dream Butterfly situation she was in and could understand Towa wanting to help. She was that kind of person after all, but this was also her sister so the feelings were tenfold.
Moroha bumped Ash a bit. "Hey hey, why do you care anyway?" She asks him. "I mean sure you live here, but you could easily go to the Between and conquer it for yourself. You could be a prince or king. Plus that sword of yours is no joke...I feel like it's citing me just by looking at it too long." She says remembering the Yamato and how sharp it was.
Ash chuckled. He recalled his time in that fantasy game world; his friends there before he came here. "Well...I have a secret if you can keep it." He says to her. He has wanted to talk to someone, anyone about his situation. No one ever would have believed him; but Moroha and Setsuna...they are in a similar of just barely different situation right? They'd understand. "Like you and Setsuna...I come from a different place." He tells her, making her look at him in shock.
"Wow really!? Are you from the future or something then!?" She asks.
Ash shakes his head chuckling. "No. Nor am I from the past. You see...I'm from a different world entirely if you can believe that." He says. She looks at him intently and he continues. "Before coming here I was dying. But something pulled me here, and healed me as well. It made me younger but I kept all my abilities and powers from there. Before I knew it I was a demon stuck in a nearly supernaturally empty world." He told her. Of course he bent the details a bit here and there but that was for his own good. He didn't want to hold onto that place anymore because just like the chances of going back to his first reality, going back to that one was absolutely zero.
He did die after all. Twice now.
"So why tell me?" Moroha asks as she puts her hands behind her head and walks alongside him.
"You and Setsuna are both from a different world, so to speak. I finally have someone who knows what that's like. Oh and to answer your question, I don't want to be a prince or a king. In my old world I was already a Duke of Hell, it's not all that it cracks up to be." He says making the young quarter-demon pause in her tracks as he continues, chuckling. She stared at his back with saucer eyes and mouth wide.
She shook her head and slapped her cheeks before quickly catching up to him. "You were a Duke of Hell!?" She asks.
Ash throws his head back and laughs as they continue to go forward with her pestering him about everything that came to that former role. Their next stop was finally the Higurashi family shrine where Moroha has something to reveal to everyone.
A few hours later they had the necessary people gathered; the two time traveling girls Moroha and Setsuna, along with Towa and her family. They had Moroha start and she informed them of a demon named Root Hear who was attached to the tree within the shrine itself, and he could allow them back to the feudal age. Towa was adamant on going just as they thought she would be, her sister wanting her to promise they'd all come back safely.
Sōta stepped forward and hugged Towa. "Please be safe...who am I kidding, you'll probably get into some hijinks of some kind. That's why I asked for a favor." He said looking at Ash who was sitting on the ground.
He waved his hand at the three girls and Sōta who's attention was all on him now. "Sup." He said simply as he kicked up and walked over to the tree. "Are you all ready to head out?" He asks.
Towa looks to her father confused. "You asked Ash to come along?" She asks.
Sōta nodded. "Yes, he can protect you" he looked at the other girls "and even you two as well. I want to be sure you're safe and I know he can keep you safe."
Ash smirked and shrugged. "It sounds fun. Let's get a move on, we're burning daylight." He said.
Moroha stepped forward to present her offer of the three, as she called them, Rainbow Pearls. Ash took a good look at the item in her shell case as Towa attempted to talk him out of going to no success. She walked up with Setsuan to prove all three's existence. Her's was in her left eye while Setsuna's was in her right. The wind started to pick up as power built in the tree and it began to glow as a rainbow of color shot out from the leaves.
"All right, I shall let you pass!" A voice said as a portal was opened near its base for the four. Ash didn't think twice and jumped in, followed by Moroha and Setsuan while Towa gave a last goodbye to her family.
Ash looked around at the rainbow 'tunnel' he was passing through. All three girls ended up beside him as they floated forward. "So you guys are actually giving this thing those pearls?"
Moroha snorts a laugh at this. "As if! I'm not giving it anything and if it tries to take them we can just kill it!" She says.
Suddenly the rainbow turned to white as a flash blinded all four of them. Ash opened his eyes to see he was now alone. He pulled the Yamato to his hand and looked around. "Great. Towa! Moroha! Setsuna!" He calls out, seeing no sign of them and hearing no peep of their presence. "Dammit. Guess I gotta move on." He says walking forward. He noticed the tree-like roots around him. He touched it and could feel the demon attached to the tree. It wasn't particularly strong, but it had the power to pull and push them through time so it was getting power from somewhere.
"Why do you keep fighting?" A female voice suddenly rings out and echoes through the cavern. Ash looks around and sees a ball of light floating at a cave-like entrance. It floated into it and went out of sight, prompting the demon to sigh. He followed after it and kept an eye on his footing, finding the path to be uneven. "In your first life you fought a terminal disease that overtook you." The same female voice said as memories flash through his head of him being skinny to the bone, laying in bed and pale on life support as his heart meter flatlined.
Ash but his lip as he started to walk with a purpose.
"You were reincarnated, a half devil. You fought and fought and fought for a world not your own; got corrupted by that world's devil king." Memories of his time 'split', as A and Atrial, sparked to life as he was forced to fight his friends before nearly dying, but being able to combine them once again saved him. "You found love and prosperity there...but still died." The images of him under the crushed castle and his former friends pulling him out burned his vision making him night his lip harder and clench his hands.
He started to walk faster, blood going down his chin now.
"Now here you stand. Your third life; still fighting for a cause not your own." The woman said as Ash quickly unsheathed Yamato and turned, pointing the tip at a woman dressed like an old fashioned shrine maiden. She had black hair and pale skin, and merely stared at the tip of the katana. "When will you rest? When will it be the last time?" She asks, the specter also figure walking a circle around him as he kept the tip trained on her. "When will you lay down your arms...and rest? You've lost your humanity, you've lost your love, and your friends. How much more can you take?"
Ash's glare hardens. "As much as is needed." He says. The woman chuckles and shakes her head at him.
"You remind me of someone I once knew...long, long ago. He was a stubborn fool just as you are."
Ash roles his eyes. "You may think that, but it's about more than stubbornness. It's about protecting what I care for." He says matching her pace now. "I made a promise to people I trust in this life. I will protect those three regardless of how many more fights I have to be in. If it's one, ten, or even one hundred thousand more: I will keep fighting till I can no longer fight."
The woman stops making him stop as well. She stares into his eyes as if to search for any hint of self doubt in him. To see if he truly believes his words. When she saw none she nodded and turned her back to him. "You are powerful. The three half demon princesses can not feel it, but you are a Great Demon, not on the cusp of becoming one. There are only five who are as powerful as you who still live in the time you are being taken to: the two you will have the most trouble with are known as Kirinmaru, and Sesshōmaru...the latter being two sisters' father." That statement makes Ash's eyes widen slightly as she turns back to him. "I request the same thing of you that I requested from the three princesses: I ask you to slay these two demons. With the path they walk now time itself will tear and be shredded, causing both eras to cross over even more extremely then simple back and forth travel."
Ash thinks about the request, never lowering Yamato as he moles it over in his head. "I assume...they denied this request?" He asks, getting a nod. "Then I guess I will play devil's advocate." He says not paying any mind to the irony of that saying coming from him. He lowers the Yamato finally, and nods to the woman. "I will slay them both. How powerful are they? What should I expect?" He asks.
The woman smiles and closes her eyes. "Thank you for seeing reason. With enough time you will be on par with them. The issue lies in finding them and dealing with their versatility. I cannot help you with this." Suddenly the area shook as the demon who had to be known as Root Head screamed out in pain. "I will send you back now that Root Head has been dealt with. Be careful Great Demon, you will attract a lot of attention." She says.
Ash stops her by raising a hand. "No need." He says slicing the Yamato through the air. A portal suddenly opened, the other end being the intended destination of the past as the tree was a gateway between them. "And stop calling me a demon. I am a Great Devil." He says stepping through.
The Spirit of the Tree of Ages chuckled as the portal closed. "Indeed." It said, disappearing.
On the other side of the tunnel with the three girls they celebrated defeating Root Head, an old woman and a man being present for their arrival. Towa looked around and noticed the missing male of the group. "Where's Ash?" She asks, making Moroha and Setsuna look around as well. The portal he cut open appeared next to them and he stepped out, filling the area with the smell of brimstone. The two humans were immediately put into high alert, and demon hunters within the village all rushed to the spot they felt the power and smell coming from.
"What a warm welcome." He says.
Across the land of Feudal Japan creatures far and wide felt the new Great Devil appear. None felt it more so than five people: Rion, Zero, Sesshōmaru's mother, Sesshōmaru himself, and Kirinmaru.
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Reviews:
Guest on April 12th- I did think about this, but after the episode where they show Setsuna already has her demon side mostly sealed away I feel it wouldn't be easy to write in. Demon-Human hybrids work so much differently in Inuyasha and Yashahime then DMC that it would be more of a hinderance I feel. But who knows, when season 2 comes out we may be able to see it.
Guest on April 10th- See this was my thought process to! Yes the Jewel and the pearls are powerful, but the caveat is basically we see anything and everything use their power. The Yamato on the other hand can only truly be wielded by six people at BEST- four in my head because I don't know much about Rion and Zero.
Shadow55- here ya go
Guest on February 17th- yes that's what I was doing. Now first season is over, now I write more since testing the waters.
Visitor on January 15th- yes. Here you go.
Gry24- Thanks for stoping by to let me take it a bit! Hope to continue to entertain.
heart- Thanks! The episode I'm most looking forward to is our boy Miroku. Believe it or not I haven't actually finished watching the anime just got up to the episode where Moroha goes to challenge her old trainer.
Guest on December 25th (Jesus it took forever)- here, view more.
Thanks for leaving reviews and reading! Hope to see y'all around more!