Ch. 3: Fathers and Sons
Darkness swirled around Inuyasha. Visions of Kagome haunted his dreams, as he heard Kojirou and Naraku taunt him. "Why couldn't you protect me?"
Inuyasha thrust his eyes open, and sat up in the bright light. He looked around as beads of sweat poured over his forehead. A potent stench kept him awake. "Ammonia..." he thought
"It's about time, brother. I was wondering if we should have taken you to the morgue," Sesshoumaru taunted.
"How long have I been out?" Inuyasha asked.
"It took us five days to pump out the poison from Kojirou's sword. Otherwise you'd have been out only a couple days, instead of a week."
"Poison?"
A kitsune voice answered his question. "Kojirou coats his sword with a potent toxin cultivated from the blowfish. That's why it only takes a few hits from his sword to take you out. If you weren't half demon and have such a resilient constitution, you would have been killed instantly."
Inuyasha looked around for the voice's origin, until he spotted a vaguely familiar face in the shadows. "Shippou, is that you? You've grown."
Shippou laughed, "It has been a long time."
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "you've gone from a short, pudgy runt to a short, scrawny runt." Inuyasha said grabbing Shippou's head and giving him noogies. Shippou preyed himself free, and fixed his hair as Inuyasha looked around.
"This isn't your tower, where are we?"
"China," Sesshoumaru replied. "We had to evacuate before Kojirou attacked the tower."
"Kojirou..." Inuyasha said remorsefully, "I couldn't beat him, and I wasn't able to save Kagome!" he punched a wall and it cracked under the force of the blow."
"I didn't expect you would," Sesshoumaru replied. "Kojirou is very strong. I wasn't even able to beat him." He turned to face Inuyasha. "To be honest, although I hate to admit it, you lasted longer than I did."
Inuyasha turned away. "I need her, I don't know if I can live without her."
Shippou walked up and put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "We'll get her back, I promise."
Inuyasha gathered himself, and looked at Shippou. "Where are we anyway?"
"My home, the temple of the Lin Kuei clan in China. After the last battle against Naraku, I wandered around until Sifu took me in."
"Sifu?"
"A Sifu is a teacher or master, if you would. In this case, my Sifu is also the Shr-Lin, or 'Grandmaster' of the Lin Kuei."
"Heh, so you're some sort of ninja now, is that it?"
"I guess you could put it that way. We're not exactly ninja, but we're similar. Anyway, now that you're awake, Sifu would like to speak with you. If you'll follow me." Shippou led Inuyasha down a long, torch filled hallway. Cauldrons of fire lined the middle of the hallway, giving it an eerie glow. They walked for what seemed an eternity, until they reached a large door with a dragon symbol. Two warriors stood in guard. Shippou motioned for Inuyasha to stay, then approached them. He said something in Chinese, and the two guards opened the door. He waved Inuyasha, and entered.
Inside was a circular, torch-lit chamber. Inuyasha looked straight ahead, at a darkened passageway, as light footsteps echoed into his ears. A woman entered the chamber, wearing a long, flowing, black kimono. Her face was almost like porcelain, and her hair looked like silken strands flowing freely behind her. Other than Kagome, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Shippou knelt to one knee, and bowed his head. Inuyasha decided it would be best to do the same.
She spoke in a soft voice, pleasing to the ears. "You may raise, Inuyasha."
"Excuse me," Inuyasha said trying his best to be polite. "I', here to see the Shr-Lin."
"I am she," the woman replied. "I know of your plight, Inuyasha. But I am unable to help."
"Then why the hell am I here? Kagome is...!"
"Just fine," she said. "As long as you have the Shikon no Tama, he dare not harm her."
"If you can't help me, then I'm just wasting my time."
"I may not be able to help you in your trials, but I know who can." She walked towards a cauldron in the middle of the room, and waved her hand over it. Images appeared inside the flames. "When you fought Naraku centuries ago, you had the help of several other warriors. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kouga."
"Yeah, but Sango and Miroku are dead, and I don't know where Kouga is. You're wasting my time!" Inuyasha replied.
"Sango and Miroku were reincarnated. Don't worry; they will cross your path. Your destinies are intertwined. As for Kouga, he too will cross your path when the time is right."
"Ok, so what am I supposed to do then?" the hanyou asked impatiently.
The Shr-Lin waved her hand over the fire again, and a new image appeared in it. A man with long red hair dressed in tattered rags and a huge sword. "This man is named Argyle. He has trained many of history's greatest warriors. He will aid you in your quest to defeat Kojirou."
Inuyasha looked at the fire. But as hard as he tried, he could not stop thinking about Kagome. Nor could she, as she stared into the fireplace facing her bed. A knock came at her door, and a strange man with long black hair entered.
"I hope you are comfortable." Kojirou said.
"Why are you treating me like this? Aren't I you're prisoner?"
"I am many things," he replied, "but I'm not a barbarian." Kojirou sat on the side of her bed, and noticed that she was looking at a painting hung over the fireplace. "My mother," he said, "I never met her. I was taken away from her when I was little. They trained me to be a fighting machine, to have no emotions. I guess they failed." A tear slid down the man's face.
Kagome looked down. Something about her looked familiar, as well as him. She looked again at the painting, and realized it. "His mother is...Kikyo?! It can't be! She's dead!" Kagome made sure not to show her surprise, and tried as best she could to make conversation. "What about your father?" she asked.
"He left before I was born. From what I was told, he was a great and powerful warrior, able to cut down legions of youkai with a single swipe of his blade. I believe you are very familiar with him."
"I do?" she said in amazement.
"Yes," he answered with a grin, "his name is Inuyasha."
Darkness swirled around Inuyasha. Visions of Kagome haunted his dreams, as he heard Kojirou and Naraku taunt him. "Why couldn't you protect me?"
Inuyasha thrust his eyes open, and sat up in the bright light. He looked around as beads of sweat poured over his forehead. A potent stench kept him awake. "Ammonia..." he thought
"It's about time, brother. I was wondering if we should have taken you to the morgue," Sesshoumaru taunted.
"How long have I been out?" Inuyasha asked.
"It took us five days to pump out the poison from Kojirou's sword. Otherwise you'd have been out only a couple days, instead of a week."
"Poison?"
A kitsune voice answered his question. "Kojirou coats his sword with a potent toxin cultivated from the blowfish. That's why it only takes a few hits from his sword to take you out. If you weren't half demon and have such a resilient constitution, you would have been killed instantly."
Inuyasha looked around for the voice's origin, until he spotted a vaguely familiar face in the shadows. "Shippou, is that you? You've grown."
Shippou laughed, "It has been a long time."
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "you've gone from a short, pudgy runt to a short, scrawny runt." Inuyasha said grabbing Shippou's head and giving him noogies. Shippou preyed himself free, and fixed his hair as Inuyasha looked around.
"This isn't your tower, where are we?"
"China," Sesshoumaru replied. "We had to evacuate before Kojirou attacked the tower."
"Kojirou..." Inuyasha said remorsefully, "I couldn't beat him, and I wasn't able to save Kagome!" he punched a wall and it cracked under the force of the blow."
"I didn't expect you would," Sesshoumaru replied. "Kojirou is very strong. I wasn't even able to beat him." He turned to face Inuyasha. "To be honest, although I hate to admit it, you lasted longer than I did."
Inuyasha turned away. "I need her, I don't know if I can live without her."
Shippou walked up and put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "We'll get her back, I promise."
Inuyasha gathered himself, and looked at Shippou. "Where are we anyway?"
"My home, the temple of the Lin Kuei clan in China. After the last battle against Naraku, I wandered around until Sifu took me in."
"Sifu?"
"A Sifu is a teacher or master, if you would. In this case, my Sifu is also the Shr-Lin, or 'Grandmaster' of the Lin Kuei."
"Heh, so you're some sort of ninja now, is that it?"
"I guess you could put it that way. We're not exactly ninja, but we're similar. Anyway, now that you're awake, Sifu would like to speak with you. If you'll follow me." Shippou led Inuyasha down a long, torch filled hallway. Cauldrons of fire lined the middle of the hallway, giving it an eerie glow. They walked for what seemed an eternity, until they reached a large door with a dragon symbol. Two warriors stood in guard. Shippou motioned for Inuyasha to stay, then approached them. He said something in Chinese, and the two guards opened the door. He waved Inuyasha, and entered.
Inside was a circular, torch-lit chamber. Inuyasha looked straight ahead, at a darkened passageway, as light footsteps echoed into his ears. A woman entered the chamber, wearing a long, flowing, black kimono. Her face was almost like porcelain, and her hair looked like silken strands flowing freely behind her. Other than Kagome, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Shippou knelt to one knee, and bowed his head. Inuyasha decided it would be best to do the same.
She spoke in a soft voice, pleasing to the ears. "You may raise, Inuyasha."
"Excuse me," Inuyasha said trying his best to be polite. "I', here to see the Shr-Lin."
"I am she," the woman replied. "I know of your plight, Inuyasha. But I am unable to help."
"Then why the hell am I here? Kagome is...!"
"Just fine," she said. "As long as you have the Shikon no Tama, he dare not harm her."
"If you can't help me, then I'm just wasting my time."
"I may not be able to help you in your trials, but I know who can." She walked towards a cauldron in the middle of the room, and waved her hand over it. Images appeared inside the flames. "When you fought Naraku centuries ago, you had the help of several other warriors. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kouga."
"Yeah, but Sango and Miroku are dead, and I don't know where Kouga is. You're wasting my time!" Inuyasha replied.
"Sango and Miroku were reincarnated. Don't worry; they will cross your path. Your destinies are intertwined. As for Kouga, he too will cross your path when the time is right."
"Ok, so what am I supposed to do then?" the hanyou asked impatiently.
The Shr-Lin waved her hand over the fire again, and a new image appeared in it. A man with long red hair dressed in tattered rags and a huge sword. "This man is named Argyle. He has trained many of history's greatest warriors. He will aid you in your quest to defeat Kojirou."
Inuyasha looked at the fire. But as hard as he tried, he could not stop thinking about Kagome. Nor could she, as she stared into the fireplace facing her bed. A knock came at her door, and a strange man with long black hair entered.
"I hope you are comfortable." Kojirou said.
"Why are you treating me like this? Aren't I you're prisoner?"
"I am many things," he replied, "but I'm not a barbarian." Kojirou sat on the side of her bed, and noticed that she was looking at a painting hung over the fireplace. "My mother," he said, "I never met her. I was taken away from her when I was little. They trained me to be a fighting machine, to have no emotions. I guess they failed." A tear slid down the man's face.
Kagome looked down. Something about her looked familiar, as well as him. She looked again at the painting, and realized it. "His mother is...Kikyo?! It can't be! She's dead!" Kagome made sure not to show her surprise, and tried as best she could to make conversation. "What about your father?" she asked.
"He left before I was born. From what I was told, he was a great and powerful warrior, able to cut down legions of youkai with a single swipe of his blade. I believe you are very familiar with him."
"I do?" she said in amazement.
"Yes," he answered with a grin, "his name is Inuyasha."