Chapter 3 - Demon Heir

::The Second Inuyasha Chapter::

"Well, we're here"
"Wow." Kagome gaped. "This place is a palace!"
"Only fitting for a warlord" Moroku agreed. "Seems awfully bright and extravagant for a demon."
Inuyasha inspected the ivory doors with the dragons carved along the sides. "I bet you anything he wasn't the one who designed it."
"The dragon." Garlyle ran up and looked at the carving along the side. "Incredible! Just like."
"Wait, first, Kagome." Inuyasha turned to the girl. "Are there any shards of the Jewel here?"
Kagome closed her eyes. A moment later, she popped them back open. "Y. Yeah, there's one."
"Well, then, it's settled" Inuyasha walked up to the middle of the doors and put his hand on them, giving them a push.
Instead of the door opening, the dragons along the side seemed to twitch. A moment later, the long brown dragons were snaking out of the wood. Everybody backed up a bit, and Shippo ran to hide back in Kagome's bike. Garlyle hid himself quickly behind Inuyasha.
"What business do you have here?" one of the twin dragons demanded in a horse voice.
"We're here for the Shikon Jewel fragment!" Inuyasha cried out.
"Why are you after the master's fragment?" the other dragon demanded.
"It's none of your business" Inuyasha shouted.
"Wrong answer" they both chimed in at the same time, before shooting towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha dived, revealing Garlyle.
"Gaah!" Garlyle shouted, bracing himself for impact.
The dragons froze in mid-air. "Garlyle? Is that you?"
"Y. Yeah" Garlyle nodded quickly. "It is me."
"Why did you hide? Your father has missed you" one demanded.
"I. I'm sorry" Garlyle shook his head.
"You look unlike yourself. Are you sure you are Garlyle?" the other demanded.
"Yes, yes I am" Garlyle nodded.
"Then what is the name of our leader?" the dragon demanded.
"Human or dragon?" Garlyle asked curiously, raising his eyebrow.
The two dragons exchanged half a glance. "Dragon."
"Ceres" Garlyle responded.
"Welcome home, sir Garlyle" the two dragons slid back into the wood, and the two large doors swung open.
Inside was a large courtyard. A tall beautiful fountain, carved in the shape of a dragon, was the focus of it, though long green vines and beautiful gardens of roses adorned the perimeter. Kagome smiled happily.
"It's so pretty here." she gaped.
"This cannot truly be the home of a demon." Moroku wondered.
". This can't be the right place." Shippo had come back. "I was always told it was dark and scary and."
"Oh, the inside is, believe me" a tall woman stepped out of the bushes to the side. Her hair was pure white, just like that of Inuyasha, and it flowed freely down her back. She was dressed in a beautifully adorned pink kimono. Her eyes shone a beautiful blue, and she looked perfectly human, except for the pointed, sharp ears. As Garlyle had discovered, this was the mark of a demon. She really didn't look all that different from Inuyasha.
"And how exactly did you get in here?" she put her hands on her hip, inspecting the group. She stiffened a bit on sight of Inuyasha and Shippo. "Demons too? I thought the dragons would have kept all the intruders out!"
"Well." Garlyle began, but was stopped instantly as the gaze of the woman fell upon him.
"Garlyle!? It's you!" she ran over, happily, and picked him up from under his arms. Garlyle was surprised at how strong she was. She hugged him tight, then put him back down. "What are you doing back here so early? Your father and your brother. and their men. there's been no word of them!"
"Umm." Garlyle shook his head. Okay, Garlyle, think fast, he thought to himself. Better come up with something quick.
"I'm not sure what happened." Garlyle shook his head. "I can't remember much, mother."
"Amnesia?" Garlyle's mother gaped. "Oh, you poor dear, let's get you inside. I might have a spell to help you!"
Before Garlyle or anybody else could protest, she was walking away.
"Just like in the locket." Kagome muttered. "She's beautiful."
"Oh, and do invite your friends in" Garlyle's mother called back to him. "It would be rude to keep them waiting."
"She certainly is a fine specimen" Moroku smiled.
"What do you mean, in the locket? My mother doesn't really look like." Garlyle took out the locket and flipped it open.
His insides jumped.
The picture had changed. It was no longer the family he knew. Instead, there was his mother, at least, in this reality. Garlyle's father, standing towering over him, was a tall figure with black hair that spiked out backwards and something like ceremonial battle dress, a painted white dragon across the front.. Garlyle himself, instead of his normal leather jacket and pants, was clothed in a silver headband, something like blue chain mail, and a pair of rugged black pants. And his younger brother still had his shining blue hair, although it was tied back into a single long ponytail. He was clothed in the same kind of clothing as Garlyle.
All of them, for what could be seen, had the pointed ears of demons. Even more prominent then the natural slight 'point' that Garlyle's ears had.
"The picture. it changed." Garlyle muttered. "I. This barely even looks like me."
"Strange." Kagome muttered. "Just another one of the mysteries of this place."
Garlyle shuddered to think of what kind of strange magic was affecting him right now. A painting was usually a permanent thing. Back in Avel, there was one magician who could make pictures come to life. but that was it.
"So that woman's your mother, huh?" Moroku asked.
"Yes. Her name is Aurora" Garlyle smiled.
Leaning down, Moroku whispered in Garlyle's ear. "Your mom is hot."
Garlyle gave Moroku a sharp glare. "Mess with my mother, and so help me god."
Something in Garlyle's glare caused Moroku to back up. "Okay, whatever. Let's just get the fragment and get out of here" Inuyasha muttered.

* * * * *

"Here, have a drink, son." Aurora placed the cup of light tea in front of Garlyle and the others. "And all of you, help yourself." she sat next to Garlyle.
Quickly, but not very noticeably, Garlyle shifted his head so his chestnut hair would cover his ears. He hopes his mother hadn't noticed yet.
"This place is quite beautiful, not unlike any of the demons I've known before" Kagome pointed out.
"Oh, thank you" Aurora smiled. "Deeper in though, Aruve won't let me work my magic. It's very drear and dark."
Shippo took a light drink of his tea. "Somehow, you don't seem like you're real. I mean, this place." he muttered aloud. "This place looks like something out of a fairy tale. Not the hideout of a demon warlord!"
"Oh, you fox demons do here a lot" Aurora smiled.
"How'd you know I was a.?"
"The tail" Aurora smiled.
Garlyle nearly spat. He hadn't noticed it before for some reason. Shippo had a bushy tail, just like that of a fox. He had to withhold his urge to shout, or he might give himself away.
Inuyasha was tensing up; Garlyle could sense it, watching him from across the table. "Something on your mind, Inuyasha?" Moroku asked. Obviously he had sensed it too.
"I want to see the shard of the Shikon Jewel" Inuyasha demanded.
"Of course, but finish your tea first" Aurora politely cued in, finishing her cup.
Inuyasha drank deep. "There, I'm done"
There was a thud, and Kagome had fallen off of her chair, asleep.
"What!?" Inuyasha gaped.
"Oh my." Moroku muttered, his eyelids droopy. He fell over.
"I don't feel weird" Shippo shrugged.
"What is this?" Inuyasha demanded, standing up.
"Oh, it's a special brew" Aurora smiled. "It puts non-demons to sleep. Demons don't feel a single possible effect."
Garlyle stumbled as he tried to stand up, his eyelids growing heavy. Yet, he still didn't feel totally sleepy. Just slightly tired.
"What?" Aurora caught his stumble, inspecting him. "Garlyle. are you sure you're okay.?" she brushed back his hair.
Garlyle braced for impact, as Aurora gasped.
"You. You're not Garlyle!" she cried out.
"No, wait!" Garlyle cried out. "I am Garlyle. But just not quite like you think."
"You had better have a damn good explanation, child!" Aurora suddenly seemed to loom over him.
"I suppose I have to say it sometime." Garlyle sighed. "Inuyasha, if you would care to move the others out of the room, and yourself with them. Shippo, you go too."
"Right" Shippo nodded, hoping off his chair, as Inuyasha dragged the others away. Once the room was clear, Garlyle shut the doors, and tried to help her understand the 'dimension theory'. Garlyle thought he heard a door opening at one point, but not seeing any change immediately, passed it off as suspicion.
"Oh. so. you are my son. kinda." Aurora smiled faintly. "But only slightly."
"Something like that" Garlyle responded. "I'm just a different version of your son."
"So, why are you here?" Aurora asked.
"In my dimension. my family is all dead." Garlyle breathed out. "All my friends. and those who took care of me. I barely escaped."
"So why come here?" Aurora asked.
"I. I don't know" Garlyle responded. "I didn't choose where I wanted to go. I just kinda went."
"Well, we have to find a way to get you back home" Aurora thought. "You can't stay here! You're only human! If the real Garlyle or anybody else came back, you'd be."
"So dead, that you have no idea"
Garlyle froze. He had heard his own voice. He spun, and saw that indeed one of the doors had been opened.
Standing there, watching him with a cruel glare in his eyes, was himself, in the battle armor just like he had been in the painting in the locket.
"I told you I'd come back, mother" the demon-Garlyle responded, walking past the other Garlyle. "So, who exactly are you, imposter?"
"I'm you!" Garlyle-other cried out. "Or, something like that."
"You must be one of the doppelganger demons that escaped!" Garlyle- demon growled, reaching backwards. A blade of energy formed in his hands.
"Run!" Aurora cried.
Like a bolt of lightning, Garlyle did one thing he had had lots of practice with. He ran, taking off down the way he had come. Quickly, he slid open the door and ran through. There was no sign of Inuyasha or his friends. They probably had gone to find their jewel.
As Garlyle turned, he felt a hot blast of energy tear at the ground behind him. He dived for cover, and saw a red inferno shower around the corner he had just come from. A moment later, it died out, and there wasn't even the slightest mark of damage on the walls, as if the fire had not touched it.
"W. what?" Garlyle wondered aloud, slightly scared. Were the walls enchanted, or were his other self's magic just illusion. Garlyle didn't want to take a risk.
"Why are you running? You pretty much have his power."
"Not in this world, I don't!" Garlyle answered back to himself. He shot down the hallway, emerging into the courtyard.
"Wrong move!" Garlyle gaped, as he came to a screeching halt, to see his father and several humanoid demons standing at the doors, just having entered.
"Garlyle, why are you out of uniform!?" Aruve demanded.
Garlyle jumped in his skin. "I."
"He's not me, father. Destroy him" demon-Garlyle hissed.
"What? Damn, never thought a doppelganger would get this close to home! Die!" Aruve shouted, moving his hand back. Instead of a sword, snakes of red energy floated around his hand.
Then he punched forward, palm open. Garlyle dived, as a huge red burst of dragon-shaped energy flew past him. Just as it hit the walls, it disappeared.
"Dragon magic." Garlyle muttered. "He. Ceres, can you help me?"
"Why?"
"Because if you don't, it could cause you real trouble as well!"
"Very well."
"I can fight too!" Garlyle shouted, raising his hand forward. The rest came naturally to him, though he had never done it before. "White Dragon Soul!"
Garlyle gave a punch similar to the way Aruve had done it. Except instead of a red dragon, out shot a burst of shining white energy. Garlyle knew it wouldn't hurt Aruve.
It surprisingly did. Aruve stumbled back a bit, his clothes dirtied. "Damn! Commander Syiolen! Where are you?"
One man, probably the tallest of the bunch, stared over at Garlyle. "I. I don't believe it! Don't attack him!"
Aruve and Demon-Garlyle withheld their attacks. "What?"
"My other self's experiment worked!" Syiolen laughed.
"Syiolen!" Mortal-Garlyle cried out, running over. "Am I glad to see you! Send me back home!"
"I can't do it" Syiolen shook his head. "But you can't stay here. Besides, you need to pass on this success to my other selves!"
"But why can't I.?"
"Once you leave a dimension, it's very hard to return to it" Syiolen shook his head. "Maybe if you can find all the others, we can pool our powers to send you back to your world."
"It makes no real sense." Garlyle admitted, "But. I guess I don't really have any other choice. Any clues on where I'm going next?"
"If you can get him out of here," Aruve called over to Syiolen, "Do it. I command you. I will not have an imposter in my palace!"
"Oh dear." Syiolen sighed. "Very well. I'm sorry, but I have to send you away right away."
"Alright." Garlyle nodded. "Perhaps somewhere else I will be better off then here."
Syiolen smiled. "Very well. Garlyle, you may not like where I'm about to send you."
"Why? I will not have Rue chasing after me there, will I?"
"Perhaps Rue is minor compared to other threats." Syiolen responded, before slamming his hand onto Garlyle's chest.
Garlyle felt a strange energy, just like he had when he had entered the portal. Then, everything hazed out of view.