AN: Well, this has got to be the darkest story I've ever written. I always thought since I'm a naturally dizzy sort of person I'd write dizzy sort of fics – or at least ones that were feel-good. Was never into the angst scene… But I'm allowed to change my mind, right?
I know a long time ago in one of my other fics I said I would one day write a sad ending. I still don't like sad endings… but I promise that I will one day do a tear jerker (or what I hope will be a tear jerker) and that day may be soon. And people keep asking whether or not Inuyasha will get better. I can't tell you that! It'll spoil the story for you! But I can say he's about to get a whole lot worse… sorry…
And as requested, here is the site that has all of my fics in the fan fiction section. And I mean all of them. Including the revenge one, the get ahead one and the shadow one. (I can't remember the names – how bad is that?!)
http: //www. angelfire.com /anime4/fallin g02/hom e.html
(ignore the spaces, for some reason the address doesn't show up otherwise)
Good site for all your Inu/Kag needs ^_^ As well as Sango/Miroku
Life Exchange
Chapter 5
Reasons for Revenge
4 years earlier… (ish)
It was unbelievable how easy it was to get lost on the way to Inaki. One moment he was walking down the road from a hamlet on the coast near the Sand bridge, and the next he was… well… he didn't know where he was…
Everywhere looked the same. The trees rose up on either side of the beaten down road. Sometimes he was travelling down between valleys, sometimes he was moving round the curbs of low mountains and hills. That was the countryside for you… nothing but hills and trees with the occasional scattering of villages.
It didn't help matters that he had to ride a stolen horse… one with a will of its own it seemed.
"Turn left." He jerked the reins as they approached a fork in the road. The horse turned its head left, but its body was moving right. He cleared his throat and tugged harder. "Left – turn left, you ass-inine excuse for a horse! Left!"
They went right.
He turned in the saddle and looked at the fork that was slowly disappearing around the corner. "So this was how I got lost…" he refused to acknowledge that it may have been his fault in any way.
He turned back to face the path ahead, glowering at the brown gelding. "Your mother was a mule." He said flatly. The horse just whinnied softly and, if possible, started to walk on the bumpier side of the road.
It was unbelievable… he was the ruler of the South and he couldn't have get a dumb animal to obey him. If it had been one of the palace stallions, then there wouldn't have been a problem. He would have been in Inaki in three days flat. But no. He would not permit himself to walk in the dirt like the average peasant and had to have a ride, no matter how unruly.
Well this is what he got for stealing a horse from a bunch of traders.
Was that a sign post? He snapped his attention on the old decaying post that was half fallen over, covered in ivy and had its sign hanging by one nail alone, also covered by a few large leafs of ivy.
"Left!" he yanked the reins again, trying to steer towards the post. "Hey – are you listening to me?! I said turn left!"
The horse finally started to totter left, towards the side of the road where the sign post rested.
"Ok – stop moving left now… stop or you'll crash into the trees!" he leant right to balance out the weight. Or to just make sure, that if they crashed into the trees, he wouldn't be the first to go down.
The horse stopped at the last moment and stood patiently, acting like the doting mount he wasn't. With a growl, the doting mount's rider unsheathed his sword and leant down to poke aside the ivy leaves that covered the sign. He angled his head to read the upside down sign. "Welcome… to… Kozushima-mura…" he looked up quickly. "Kozushima?!"
He looked straight ahead up the road.
"Where the hell is that?!"
He look up and down the road, peered through the trees and sat back down with a stumped expression. Still no clue…
"Well!" he exclaimed and spurned the horse on. "Perhaps we should just keep going until we hit somewhere familiar?"
They carried on for the rest of the day. Passing through another valley and stopping by a fast flowing river to get some refreshment. At one point he began to realise how hungry he was becoming… but until a new ride came along, horse meat wasn't going to be on the menu.
The sun was beginning to sink towards the western horizon when he finally admitted defeat. He hadn't a clue where he was. It seemed there wasn't a village for miles around, so he couldn't ask any locals where Inaki might be. Even if there were locals they would probably take one look at his white hair and funny ears and run screaming for the lives.
That's what the former owners of this horse had done.
"Maybe we should head back." He sighed to the horse and himself. Though by now he had completely forgotten the way he had come.
"Come on… turn right… turn around…" he pulled the reins hard and waited patiently for the horse to slowly turn in a circle to face the way they had come. "Walk on…"
The horse took a few steps… only to suddenly be brought to an abrupt halt by his rider. Gripping the reins in one hand, he lifted himself out of the saddle slightly to try and get a better view.
It looked like a castle on the side of a mountain. He hadn't seen it before because the trees had blocked his view… but there it was, as loud as day.
A vital landmark…
"Which castle though…?" he wondered aloud, narrowing his eyes.
Actually, taking a better look, he could see that it was no longer an active outpost. The walls and roof was dilapidated, the windows smashed, and an abandoned courtyards beside the castle provided no evidence of anyone currently there.
It was old… meaning it probably wasn't even on the maps anymore. The warlord governing the castle had probably been defeated by another lord, and was now lordless. There were obvious signs of a battle around the castle… trees had been slashed to pieces, and now the rotting stumps and logs lay strewn around here and there.
Even if it wasn't active, it still might give him a clue as to where Inaki was…
"Come on." He dismounted the gelding and grabbed the reins to drag the horse with him as he took off into the trees, heading down the slope towards the old castle.
His path took him down to a narrow brook that ran through the dense trees, then up the other side, up the other mountain, towards the building. When he reached it, he was only further disappointed.
The name plate and flags had all been burnt to cinders and the ashes had long since blown away in the wind.
"Perfect." He tied the horse's reins to a post in the old courtyard and decided to take a look around inside anyway.
That proved fruitless, and it wasn't long before he was back and nosing around the battle ground around the palace. A few broken weapons like swords and spears lay here and there, half imbedded in the ground. He found a couple of arrow heads, but nothing much more interesting.
What would have been cool would have been if he'd found some skeletons… dead bodies… something interesting. Besides. If he'd found some sort of body… he may have just found his local to ask for directions.
He turned towards the trees and stopped, frowning as he noticed something unusual about the rock arrangements. Seven large boulders lay in a neat row, just before the trees started. Curiosity spurred him forward, and he walked around them until he realised what they were.
Grave markers. Worn faceless with time, weathered by nature. There were a few characters etched into the rock, but it was hard to read. Crouching down he traced a few characters.
"Kotsu… bones?" he frowned as he looked at each marker in turn. All seemed to be titled with words or names ending in 'kotsu'. He made out one name… Suikotsu… sleeping bones?
"Strange name…" he stood up thoughtfully. Well, sounded like he'd just stumbled upon the seven dwarves resting place. Either way, he'd just found his locals.
Unsheathing the sword on his left hip he felt it hum with a strange power. He took a few moments absorbing the power flowing and rippling around his hands, up his arms. He held the sword in a ready position as his eyes scanned the seven graves.
Many little imp like creatures could now be seen sitting lazily around the graves, scratching their leathery little hides and blinking up at him brightly. Though some were yawning… he figured they'd been sitting around the graves for quite some time. Either way, they were all still vulnerable to Tenseiga.
Without much trouble, he swung the sword a few times, cutting down the small pallbearers in a couple of swift efficient strokes. From an outside point of view it would have looked like he was merely cutting at thin air, occasionally scraping the burial soil.
When he was done banishing the little sprites, he sat down on a fallen log and sheathed the blade back in its scabbard and folded his arms to wait. Unfortunately, these people had died quite some time ago… and now it would take a while to revive their bodies back to their former glory.
He crossed his legs, uncrossed his legs… picked at his claws for a few minutes and then began scratching his name in the dirt. That didn't take long. It was only one character in total. Bah… might as well write the whole name…
A scratching noise distracted him and he looked up at the graves, realising someone was beginning to rise at last. He gave up spelling his name and stood up, folding his eyes and tried to pretending he wasn't carrying two tones of steel swords around his middle.
Amazingly he succeeded.
The middle grave started to crumble and cave in slightly. He watched expectantly, until finally a hand emerged from the earth, flailing slightly to try and get some leverage out of the grave. With a sigh he leant down and gripped the hand firmly, pulling with a firm pressure. After a few moments of resistance, the rest of the earth crumbled and the inhabitant of the grave sat up, coughing stale air out of his lungs and greedily gasping the fresh oxygen in. Taking a few moments to recover, he then looked up at the hand clasping his own…
Claws…?
With a jerk the dead man pulled his hand back and turned a heated glare to the man standing above him. He was tutting and looking at him with pity. "To die so young… how tragic."
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Your saviour. No need to thank me." Was the dry reply.
"No… who are you?"
"Subjects call me Lord Inu. Friends call me Inutessai Higahi-Murayami Hinode Akikawe…" he counted the name off on his fingers behind his back, making sure he didn't miss anything out… "I'm sure there's a Miyake in there somewhere…"
"Inu Youkai…" Bankotsu said slowly, eyes narrowing. "From the island no doubt?"
"I rule the island actually." Lord Inu tried not to look too cocky saying that. "Now I revived you for a reason. I need directions."
"Do you?" Bankotsu began to stand shakily, brushing off the old earth from his elaborate armour. "Well I don't help Inu Youkai. You saved the wrong man."
"Well I'm sure I could always ask one of your friends here." Lord Inu cast an eye to the stirring graves around them.
"Not without my permission they won't."
"I won't have this a wasted effort. You will tell me the way to Inaki." Lord Inu's hand went to rest lightly on the hilt of his other sword, Tessaiga.
"Beg me to." Bankotsu folded his arms with a sneer. Behind him he heard a few gasps and groans as the other six members of his group began to force their way out of their graves.
"We're alive!" Jakotsu popped up with a surprised expression. "And we stink."
"What time is it…?" Mukotsu scratched his head sleepily.
Bankotsu raised an eyebrow at Lord Inu. "You're gonna regret rising the Shichinin-tai, Inu Youkai."
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Lord Inu remained unimpressed. Until he caught sight of the last human to rise from the largest grave. He must have been the size of a… of a huge tree? "Shit…"
"Kyoukotsu." Bankotsu turned and started walking away. "Squish the Youkai and lets get back to business."
Lord Inu didn't waste any time unsheathing Tessaiga and transforming it whilst his swung towards the abnormally large 'human'. The blast of razor sharp winds lashed out, eradicating the man in one rush. Bankotsu whipped around just in time to see the remaining whips of light swallow up Mukotsu and Ginkotsu. The remaining four Shichinin-tai looked on in shock.
"Unbelievable…" Renkotsu wondered aloud.
"Now. I'll say it again." Lord Inu rested the tip of Tessaiga on the ground and leaned on it like a staff. "Where is Inaki? I need to find the warlord to pick up the Shikon no Tama leant to him by a miko. It's for my heartbroken son if you must know."
"Bull. You're too young to have a son." Bankotsu snapped.
"On the contrary, I'm older than I look." A lot older. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, so you better tell me quickly before I…" he glanced towards Suikotsu, the bemused looking human doctor. "…slicken the deal as it were."
"Fine." Bankotsu said through gritted teeth. "Kill him. Suikotsu's as useful as a metal staff in a thunder storm."
"No offence or anything." Jakotsu told the doctor behind his hand.
"Ok." Lord Inu lifted Tessaiga and pointed it towards Jakotsu instead. "If you don't tell me where Inaki is then the guy with the lipstick gets it."
Jakotsu froze, eyeing the sword warily… unfortunately he seemed to have left Jakotsutou in his grave. Same went for Bankotsu… who quickly stepped between the path of Tessaiga and his comrade. "The last time I was alive, Inaki was five miles east of here." He jerked his chin towards the mountain to their left. "Over that ridge, in the valley."
Lord Inu watched him for a moment before smiling and sheathing Tessaiga harmlessly. "See? Wasn't that hard was it?" he turned and headed back to his gelding to untie the reins and pull himself onto its back. He smiled mildly to the remaining fuming members of the Shichinin-tai as he passed. "Good day."
Bankotsu watched him leave angrily. The second time they'd been bested by an Inu Youkai… Something had to be done.
"He killed them with one swing?" Renkotsu had mooched over and was turning over the shredded remains of their three comrades. "Powerful sword. Powerful man."
"It's nothing." Bankotsu bit back. "If I had Banryuu on me it would have been a fair fight."
"Where'd Suikotsu go?" Jakotsu asked, looking around absently for the missing man.
"Who cares?" Renkotsu reached into the graves and pulled up the curved scabbard of Jakotsu's sword, and tossed it to it's owner. He would have done the same for Banryuu… but it was a very big sword.
Bankotsu retrieved it himself and glowered as he slung it over his back. "Inu Youkai…" he spat. "Scum."
"Who do you think killed us then?" Jakotsu chirped, moving near to Renkotsu to look at the remains of Kyoukotsu, Ginkotsu and Mukotsu. "The dark miko that was in this castle?"
"Undoubtedly, she's the only one with the power to kill us." Renkotsu glanced at the dilapidated castle. "Obviously she hasn't been here for some time."
"We'll find her." Bankotsu interrupted.
"And kill her?" Jakotsu smirked evilly.
"No. We tell her about the Shikon no Tama and that Inu Youkai." Bankotsu spoke whilst the plan still formed in his mind. "If we tell her about the jewel of four souls, she'll want its power. She'll attack lord Inu and hopefully kill him. Whilst in the process, we can only hope it will lead to her destruction as well."
^_^
How dead on had his prediction been? After a few years he'd returned to the Youkai island, to see if all was… as it had been… and had been delighted to find that bastard Lord Inu had been killed off by the dark miko, whilst the miko herself had been destroyed by Lord Inu's 'heartbroken' son.
It hadn't been hard to find a position in the army, and work his way up to captain of the force in a matter of days after his skills had been noticed. This was the final stage of his revenge.
The only thing that got on Bankotsu's nerves was the fact that the heartbroken Inuyasha seemed to be picking up well after his father, and was managing to hold the island together… well half of it at least. What would have been more satisfying for Bankotsu, would have been to see all Inu Youkai screwed after Lord Inu's demise. It didn't seem to be happening alone. So Bankotsu was there to just help things along.
Besides, the island held the key to reviving his lost comrades… but he had yet to find out just how. In the meantime it would be fun to just get ultimate control, kill all the royal blood and ties to nobility, then leave them all to rot without leaders…
Or set up a democracy without leaders. Either way, the Inu Youkai were in for a struggle.
Bankotsu looked up as he felt Jakotsu's shadow fall over him on the sand. "What are you thinking about?" the young man asked, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.
Bankotsu didn't answer for a moment before he smiled slowly. "I have a little mission for you."
"Oh?" Jakotsu crouched down, eager as ever to please.
"Go to the north and tell Suikotsu I have a little mission for him too… and get Renkotsu. We need his writing skills."
^_^
"I'm worried…" Kagome said slowly as she kept a watchful eye on Fushi running through the grass ahead of her and Sango.
"I'm worried too…" Sango agreed. "I haven't seen Miroku in a while… perhaps the seamstress decided to get her revenge for being woken up too early?"
"I'm serious." Kagome sighed at her. "About Inuyasha."
Sango pulled a frown. "I know… I heard about what happened to that spy… broken nose and a few missing fangs… he's ok now though."
"Don't you think it's a little odd?" Kagome glanced across at her friend who was balancing her youngest daughter on her hip as they walked along the bank of the lake. "Inuyasha isn't normally so out of control to beat someone up like that."
"Stressed." Sango shrugged as if that would explain it all.
"And he came on to me last night…" Kagome said slowly, blushing when she heard Sango gasp at her. "I went to ask if he was… you know… and then he… with his… and then he got mad… because… you know… then kicked me out. See? He's acting strange…"
"I'd say you were the strange one." Sango hefted Reiko slightly. "Is that why you didn't turn up to breakfast this morning? You're avoiding him."
"Did he notice I wasn't there?"
Sango shook her head and Kagome sighed. "I've been having these dreams as well… nightmares actually." She stared dully at the grass before her as they strolled. "They're always the same. It's Inuyasha, he's insane, and he's taken over the Northern Kingdom. It always takes place in the Northern palace, and it always ends up in him killing me in cruel and unusual ways."
"Ouch." Sango winced. "Maybe you should borrow one of Miroku's dreamcatchers?"
"I doubt that would help." Kagome bit her lip and voiced her fear after a moment. "I'm worried that they might actually be… small premonitions."
"Excuse me?" Sango frowned at her.
"He seems to be becoming more like my dream version of Inuyasha every day. He's getting wilder… more unpredictable… In my dream he cut his hair – and last night he said he was thinking of doing the same."
"But… it's just a dream right?" Sango asked hesitantly. "I mean – you don't do premonitions, right? You can see what's happened in the past with those little flash visions of yours… but you don't see the future…"
"But what if I do? What if my dreams look into the future now?" Kagome rung her hands. "My powers were always constantly developing because I hang around here too much where Kikyo died… what if seeing the future in my sleep is a new power… in an abstract sort of way?"
"I'd say you're stressing over nothing." Sango shook her head firmly, almost as though if she refused to believe it, it wouldn't be true. "I don't believe Inuyasha would harm you or take over the North. They're just dreams."
"But they must mean something…" Kagome sighed.
"Don't look now." Sango suddenly said, making Kagome look naturally at what she saw. Kagome gulped audibly when she saw Inuyasha crouched on the bank of the lake up ahead, talking to Fushi.
"What are you doing?" Fushi asked, looking over Inuyasha's shoulder to see what he was seeing.
"Looking at the lake." He said in an amazingly patient tone.
"Why?"
"Because I need to think."
"Why?"
"Because I have a lot in my mind right now."
"Why?"
"Because I'm very busy."
"Why?"
"Because I'm the King."
"Why?"
"Because I'm the heir of the former King."
"Why?"
"Because I'm his son."
"Why?"
"Because he's my father."
"Why?"
"Because he had me."
"Why?"
"Because he had sex with my mother."
"Had what?"
Sango's loud voice cut in before he could continue. "Inuyasha! Don't you dare soil his innocent pure mind!"
"Innocent?" he snorted as he straightened. Sango came forward and pulled Fushi away with by the hand.
"I believe some words should be kept from children at this age." She admonished.
"Yeah, like 'why'." he folded his arms. "I'm telling you Sango, Fushi's word torture is enough to make anyone go insane."
A soft gasp escaped Kagome and they both glanced across at her… she quickly whipped about to face the lake instead. Sango shifted Reiko uneasily whilst a slow smile spread on Inuyasha's face. Eventually it was Sango who broke the tense pause. "I'll… go back to the palace. Reiko needs feeding I reckon."
"Why?" Was Fushi's little question as he was dragged off.
Kagome stood like a stiff wooden plank as she heard the sounds of mother and son departing. She knew Inuyasha was still there… though it was very quiet, but she could feel his eyes boring holes into the back of her head. Eventually the silence was too much for her to handle and she turned. "I have to go back now and see if-"
She gave a startled jump when she realised Inuyasha was standing directly behind her. She tottered back a few steps, dangerously close to the water's edge, before stopping and casting her eyes to the ground between them.
"You didn't come to breakfast." He stated evenly.
"I wasn't hungry." She said quietly.
"Of course you were. You were just avoiding me."
"I slept in late, I'm sorry." She tried again, risking a glance up to meet his eyes, but quickly regretted it.
Just like the dream… she didn't feel she knew the boy standing in front of her… It hurt. She wanted him back to normal… she wanted the Inuyasha she knew to come back.
"Well, I suppose I can forgive you for that." He shrugged reasonably, and for a moment, he sounded normal and casual. "I mean, I would have slept in too if it hadn't been for the ballad of little cherubs that came sailing into my room through the window at the crack of dawn singing 'Akimo, Amara and Akiho went a sailing'. Awful racket. Tone-deaf, every one of them."
Kagome stared at him.
He laughed at her expression. "Don't look so surprised. You think I'm crazy too don't you?"
Kagome's mouth worked, but no words could be formed.
"Don't worry." He chucked her chin with a caustic smile. "I'm insane, not delusion. Can't you take a joke?"
"This isn't funny. I'm worried about you." She began nervously.
"You shouldn't be." He laughed and turned to head towards the palace, lifting his arms and yelling at the top of his lungs to the skies. "Because it doesn't matter!! It doesn't mean anything!!"
Kagome flinched at his words. He stopped and turned back, expression level again. "But…" he started towards her again.
"But what?" Kagome edged back slightly, aware that she would back straight into the lake at this rate.
He stopped before her and touched her cheek with an overly tender touch. "I'll always protect you. Even from myself." But somehow his tone had sounded more threatening than it had comforting. She forced herself to step aside and out of his reach.
"Well. Looks like the moody bitch of the mood swings rubbed off of Sango and onto you, didn't it?" he said lightly, clicking his tongue and deliberately brushing past her heavily as he started to mooch back to the palace gates. "I'll see you at supper… so long as no cherubs kidnap you like they promised. I wouldn't believe them if I were you. But you might want to keep a look out just in case."
Kagome sank to the floor as she watched him depart, her heart slowly, silently breaking within her chest.
How had this happened…?
AN: Next chapter – 'Casualties of War'