Author's note: If anyone wants to chat with me about my story, I'm also posted at Anime Chains Network under the name Saffire8, or you could IM me. I appreciate any and all feedback!
Disclaimer: *yawn. *
* * *
Kagome ignored the chatter about the table, eating her eggs in silence. Inuyasha sat next to her, glowering.
"You know, I chipped a tooth because of you," he ground out. Kagome glanced at him, a reluctant smile crossing her face.
"From when you went down the stairs?" The growl he gave her in response made her smile grow. "Well, you deserved it." She primly faced forward. "If you weren't such a jerk, it wouldn't have happened."
He growled again. "And if you didn't jump to conclusions, I wouldn't have had to be a jerk."
She gave him an incredulous look and lowered her voice, though no one else was listening to her. "I woke up with you in my bed! What was I supposed to think??"
He let out a hmph, a blush creeping over his face. "Feh. You're a moron."
Ishiyana, who sat across from them, looked over from his heated conversation with his mother. "What are you two talking about?"
They blushed.
Kagome waved her chopsticks dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing. Inuyasha's just spewing his normal babble, that's all."
"What do you mean, babble, you little bitch!"
"What did you just call me??"
"You heard me the first time!"
Souta glanced irritably over at them. "Could you cut that out? It's really annoying."
Scowling at each other, they subsided. Fixing a smile on her face, Kagome turned to Ishiyana.
"This breakfast is wonderful. Did your mother make it?"
He shook his head. "No, I did it. I couldn't get back to sleep after all the ruckus this morning, so I decided to at least occupy my time." He slanted a look at Inuyasha. Growling, Inuyasha tossed back some verbal daggers, commencing yet another fight at the breakfast table.
Kagome sighed and sipped some tea. While the boys argued, she compared them, and for the first time, she noticed the differences between them. True, Inuyasha had the mass of silver hair versus Ishiyana's much shorter black, but Ishiyana's face was also set in softer tones than Inuyasha's. Now that she looked at him, Ishiyana was actually a tad smaller than Inuyasha in height, but he was slightly more muscular. The boy simply lacked the commanding presence that Inuyasha had. Put them next to each other, and Inuyasha would appear bigger…and he'd probably have slugged Ishiyana by that point.
Smiling, she tuned back into their "conversation."
"You know, Dog Boy, you could've at least thanked me for putting you up in my home!"
"Hah! I could easily have found anywhere else to stay."
"Give me a break! If we left you alone in our era, you'd probably either be shot or in jail in a matter of days."
"As if you could survive in mine!"
"I could if I had a weapon! The only things you need in your era are a big ego and a big sword. In ours, you can't get anywhere without an education or some cash, and if you've got neither, you'd probably end up face down in the gutter!"
"You're saying you've had a harder life than me???"
"In some ways, yes!"
Incensed, Inuyasha jumped to his feet. A dark scowl ripping across his face, he grabbed Ishiyana by the shirtfront and put his face in the boy's. All chatter at the table stopped.
"You think you could live my life?? You think that you, with your pampered upbringing, could possibly understand what I've been through???" Inuyasha's grip tightened, and he lifted Ishiyana halfway out of his chair. For the first time, Ishiyana actually looked nervous.
"Well, I…"
"If you had to go through even a tenth of the misery I've faced, you'd probably slit your wrists." Scowling, Inuyasha shoved Ishiyana backwards. The boy hit his chair hard, but his momentum continued pulling him back.
Wham!
Ishiyana stared up in surprise as Inuyasha glared down at him.
"You just go on living your difficult life, you little wuss, but stay the hell out of mine." With that, Inuyasha stormed out of the room.
Everyone sat in silence. Slowly, Ishiyana picked himself off the floor, his face pale. Jeez, I thought he was going to kill me for a second there! He glanced up at the expression on Kagome's face, then guiltily looked away. Silent, he picked up his chair and rested against it.
"Ishiyana, you really shouldn't have—"
"I know." Ishiyana cut Kagome off, startling her into silence. He drummed his fingers on the back of his chair for a long moment, staring at the ground. Abruptly, he gave the chair a decisive tap and strode out of the room after Inuyasha.
Kagome frowned in worry and stood. I wonder what he's going to say?
"Kagome, dear, maybe you should let them be."
She glanced at her mother. "But, Mom, what if they really start fighting?"
She sighed into her tea. "They won't get better unless they work it out. Trust me, I can see the signs."
Reluctantly, Kagome seated herself, helping herself to some pickles and crunching worriedly.
* * *
Inuyasha stood at the window, arms in his sleeves, glowering. His ears tweaked backward at the sound of approaching footsteps. Growling, he tensed his shoulders.
"Get the hell away from me."
"…I'm sorry."
Blinking, Inuyasha turned to face Ishiyana. The other boy had a strange expression on his face, a mix of mild hostility, guilt, sorrow, and anger. Clenching his fists, Ishiyana glowered right back at Inuyasha. The other boy blinked. Is that how I look when I do that?
"Look, I…I shouldn't have implied that…that your life wasn't difficult, since I don't know a thing about it." He paused when Inuyasha snorted.
"Damn right, you shouldn't have."
Ishiyana scowled. "But, I was tired of listening to you act as though you're the only one who's suffered. Just because my era is different, it doesn't mean that I haven't had my own share of problems."
Inuyasha frowned. What the wuss was saying made sense, but…he just couldn't imagine having any real worries in a world where everything was so easily accessible. He turned away.
"Feh. You don't know what you're talking about."
"Then tell me what I don't know."
Inuyasha glanced at him, but the boy's expression had changed. He was gazing out the window, his face looking weary. Slowly, Ishiyana turned back to Inuyasha.
"I realized in there that I don't know a thing about you. I know nothing about your past, your ambitions…I only know that you claim to want to be a demon…and that you're in love with Kagome."
Inuyasha sputtered. "You…what?? How…? I never—"
Ishiyana smiled grimly. "It's obvious, Inuyasha. Despite the fact that you two fight all the time, I know that there's a strong bond between you. Heck, I could see it the first night I came through the well." He looked away. "I think the only person who doesn't know is Kagome herself."
"Well, I…she…"
Ishiyana closed his eyes. "Look, here's the deal. I'm sick of fighting with you, and I'm sure everyone else is, too. If only for Kagome's sake…" Turning, he extended a hand. "Let's call a truce."
Inuyasha blinked at him in shock. What's with this kid? Slowly, Inuyasha smiled.
"Yeah, fine. Whatever." He clasped the boy's hand in his own, a characteristic smirk crossing his face. "Just make sure you stay out of my way."
Ishiyana smiled. "Only if you stay out of mine."
* * *
Standing outside Ishiyana's front door, Kagome balanced her new bow in her hands and slung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder. Frowning, she turned to Inuyasha.
"Are you sure that my family's going to be ok if we leave them behind?"
He looked down at her, his eyebrows furrowing. "They should be. Naraku doesn't even know they're here." He bent over. "Climb on."
"You're not trying to leave without me, are you?"
The two glanced up at Ishiyana, who stood with a bemused smile on his face and a sword sheath in his hand. Frowning, Inuyasha checked his waist, but Tetsusaiga was nestled snugly against him.
"What the…" He looked up. "You're bringing a sword??"
Ishiyana smirked. "You're not the only one who can swordfight." He glanced down at it. "My father left this for me. It's from his martial arts days."
"Your father left it to you??"
A grim smile set upon Ishiyana's face. "It's only fair…since he's tried to kill me with it more than once."
Kagome stepped towards him. "Your father…tried to kill you?" She gasped. "The man in your nightmare! He said something about you being his son, and he attacked you!" Horrified, she looked down at the sword. "That's the one he did it with?"
"Yeah. I figure it suits the old man. He'll roll in his grave if I use his old sword." Grimly, he tucked the sword under his arm. "Well then. Shall we get going?"
Frowning, Inuyasha crouched again, letting both Kagome and Ishiyana climb onto his back. Kagome raised her eyebrows at the lack of complaint from either, but she said nothing.
With a grunt, Inuyasha took to the air. Sneezing, Ishiyana batted Inuyasha's hair aside.
"Jeez, Kagome, how do you deal with all this hair in your face all the time?"
She giggled, but Inuyasha scowled over his shoulder.
"Hey, Ishiyana. Think you can survive a fall from this height?"
"Think you'd survive Kagome if you dropped me?"
"Hmph."
"That's what I thought, too."
* * *
Sango blinked her eyes in the morning light and yawned. Sitting up slowly, she looked around the hut.
"Huh? Monk?" She saw no traces of him anywhere. "Where'd he go?"
Frowning, Sango rose to her feet and wandered outside. When a trio of giggling girls wandered by, she stopped them.
"Excuse me, but have you seen the monk?"
They glanced at each other, but only one decided to answer. "Yes. I believe he was headed into the woods. I think he said something about a bath."
Sango frowned. "Right. Thank you." Hefting Hiraikotsu onto her shoulder, she headed towards the stream. Why that perverted little…I'll bet he only went there to spy on some girls from the village.
She stormed through the trees, scowling furiously. I swear, if he's up to something… She stopped abruptly at the sound of splashing and hid behind a tree. Slowly, she peered around it.
"Eep!" Blushing, she turned around and pressed her back against the tree. In the stream, Miroku hummed softly, sloshing water over himself. He glanced up at the noise, but he soon shrugged and continued to wash.
Sango's face was on fire. I should leave. If I stay, I'm no better than him!
"What on earth am I going to do about her?"
She stilled. Miroku sighed audibly and sat down in the stream, idly scrubbing around the leather wrap on his right hand.
"I couldn't get a wink of sleep last night, knowing I was alone with her. Had I tried anything, though, I wouldn't be alive today." He sighed wistfully. "Such an opportunity, lost!"
Sango clenched her hands. I knew it. He WAS thinking perverted thoughts!
"Under any other circumstance, I'd have been all over her." He stilled. "What does it mean?"
He paused as if expecting an answer, but none came. He sighed again. "I've changed since I met her, I know that much. There's never been any one girl I actually obsessed about touching. I always either touched or regretted, but never this constant…need!"
Her face burned a darker red.
"What do you think it means? Am I losing it?"
No answer. Sango stiffened at the rustle of clothes as Miroku got dressed. She peered around the tree again, relieved (and a little disappointed, to her discomfort) to find him appropriately dressed. She watched as he laughed and leaned over.
"Well, thank you for listening." Sango blinked as she saw Miroku pat Kirara's head. So that's whom he was talking to!
Miroku picked up his staff. "Well now, should we head back?"
Gasping, Sango sprinted away from the tree. If he finds me here, I'll never live it down!
Miroku blinked at the sound of scuffing feet. Could it be…no. She would never… Perplexed, he wandered back to the village, Kirara at his heels. He looked down at her and smiled.
"But wouldn't it be something if she did?"
* * *
Ishiyana frowned as they approached Higurashi Shrine. The beautiful compound he remembered was even darker than before, clouded thick with miasma. This time, however, Ishiyana could distinctly make out several men moving about in the darkness.
"Who're they?"
Kagome glanced over at him. "We're not sure. It looks like Naraku's been hoarding people to make an army."
Ishiyana nodded. "Ok, yeah, makes sense. That's the sort of thing I figured he'd do." He glanced up at her and smiled when she raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm a history buff, remember?"
Shaking her head, she smiled. "I forgot about that. My question is, though…" She glanced at him. "Why on earth would he need one? He's always been strong enough on his own, and he can't possibly think that a bunch of ordinary humans could stop Inuyasha."
Her hand tightened involuntarily on his shoulder, causing a cocky smirk to spread across Inuyasha's face. Emboldened, he entered the conversation.
"Well, whatever the reason, I'll just have to take them out." He frowned. But still…taking on Naraku without the others is going to be tough. If the bastard gets away again… His expression iced over. No. I won't allow it.
Ishiyana frowned, but he didn't reply. Abruptly, the sword pulsed in his hand, a black aura pushing up at him. Eyebrows rising, he looked down at it.
Weird…it's never done that before.
Inuyasha took a final leap, launching himself from the bottom of the steps leading to her shrine.
"Kagome, the miasma!" he yelled. "Purify it with your arrow!"
Nodding, she fitted an arrow and pulled back, ignoring the twinge of pain in her arm. Please, work!
She fired.
FOOM!!
The arrow sliced through the air, decimating the poison vapors. Naraku's men went berserk, snatching up weapons as they ran.
"What the hell was that??"
"Who cares?? Find whoever shot it!!"
Inuyasha touched down in the midst of all the men. When the two piled off his back, he whipped out Tetsusaiga. Naraku's men turned and gawked at them.
Smirking, Inuyasha crouched. "I'd suggest leaving, if you want to live."
Several men blinked at him, then slowly, they started to laugh.
"Give us a break! You really think you can take us down, kiddies?"
One large man stepped forward, holding a gun out. "We don't have time for this." His eyes narrowed. "Kill them."
Kagome gasped. "He's got a jewel shard! Inuyasha, we have to—"
Hell broke loose.
Bullets ripped through the air towards them. Scowling, Inuyasha pulled Kagome against him. I don't know what those things are, but how much could they—GAH!!!
His eyes flew wide as bullets dug into him. "GODS, THAT HURTS!!" Heart pounding, he lifted Kagome into his arms, snagged Ishiyana by the collar of his shirt and leapt out of the heart of the battle. After two short jumps, he landed on the opposite side of the compound, quickly setting Kagome and Ishiyana down.
Kagome placed her hands on his chest. "Inuyasha, are you all right??"
He grimaced, touching a hand to the wounds on his back. "I'll live. What the hell were those things??"
"Guns. Lots of people have them." Ishiyana's cool voice made the two turn to face him. Ishiyana was frowning, staring at his sword. "Even you would be brought down by them after a while. Hell, even Naraku himself wouldn't be completely invulnerable." He smirked. "Maybe I should've grabbed a gun instead of this sword."
Kagome took a step towards him. "Ishiyana, are you all right? You don't sound like yourself."
He looked up at her, his eyes dark. "I think you two should find Naraku. I can take care of these guys."
Inuyasha snorted. "Are you nuts? There's no way you could—"
Ishiyana pulled out his sword.
Once freed, the black sword's aura pulsed wildly about it. Ishiyana's eyes became vacant, the aura seeping up his arm.
Kagome reached out to him, but a barrier sparked against her hand. Cradling it in her other hand, she called out for him.
"Ishiyana, what's happening?? Ishiyana!!"
* * *
Ishiyana felt himself falling, but the world had gone black. He opened his mouth to yell, but nothing came out.
What the…what's going on??
"Well. Long time no see."
Ishiyana gasped, and his fall suddenly stopped, though there was nothing under his feet. He looked around in the darkness. No…it couldn't be. There's no way!
Abruptly, a single light appeared before him. As he watched, the light turned red and grew, and grew…
"I've been waiting for you…son."
The red light solidified into the last person in the universe that Ishiyana wanted to see. His heart pounding in fear, Ishiyana clutched his fists.
"What…" his voice croaked, but at least it came out. He swallowed and tried again. "What are you doing here? You're dead!"
His father smirked, a shadow settling upon his face. "In a matter of speaking. I put my essence into this sword, knowing that eventually my idiot son would use it…" His smirk turned into a chilling grin. "And I would be set free."
"S-Set free?" Gritting his teeth, Ishiyana put up his fists. "No way in Hell am I letting you come back to life. You'll have to fight me first."
His father laughed. "Hell. Nice place. They didn't really want me, though."
Ishiyana snorted. "I'm not surprised. Look, I don't have time for this. I'm supposed to be fighting Naraku's men."
His father went still, shadows racing forward. "Naraku? You're going to face Naraku?"
Eyebrows furrowing, Ishiyana frowned. "Yeah, so what?"
Slowly, like poison seeping through the heart, a black scowl crossed his father's face. "Naraku. I remember him."
"Huh??"
"That bastard imprisoned me centuries ago. My soul rotted because of him!!"
"What the hell are you talking about??"
His father's scowl deepened. "You learn a lot when you're dead. My soul is that of the human who formed Naraku…and was forced into oblivion by him."
Ishiyana blinked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
A smirk. "You wouldn't. I learned another thing from being dead, however. You're that hanyou Inuyasha's reincarnation, aren't you?" At Ishiyana's shocked expression, the man laughed. "No wonder I could never stand you."
Ishiyana froze as the man walked forward (though on what, he didn't know). A dark ball of dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
"Ironically enough, it looks like I need you, boy."
Suddenly, the man's hand darted out and clasped Ishiyana's wrist. The boy gasped and writhed, years of terror at this man's hands racing to the front of his mind.
"L-Let me go!! Let me go!!!!" Panic welled up inside him. "LET ME GO!"
The man calmly gazed at his despised son. Slowly, Ishiyana's arm started to turn black, the darkness seeping in from the point of contact.
"You're going to help me, boy. You're going to destroy that Naraku to ensure my existence." His eyes narrowed. "And you're going to kill Inuyasha, just because I've hated him longer than I've hated you."
"W-What?? No way! Y-You can't make me—"
"Oh, I can make you do anything I want." He smiled. "You'll soon find out for yourself."
Ishiyana passed out.
* * *
"Ishiyana!! Ishiyana, snap out of it!"
Kagome's entreaties landed on deaf ears. Ishiyana remained immobile, his face darkening by the second. Even Inuyasha was starting to worry.
The half-demon unfolded his arms. "We don't have time to figure out what's wrong with him. Naraku's men are almost here." He lifted his sword, wincing at the pain in his back. "We'll have to fight without him."
"Don't even think about it."
Kagome and Inuyasha jumped at the deep voice that rumbled out of Ishiyana's throat. Slowly, the boy's free fist clenched, and he lifted the sword into a ready position.
"They're mine."
As if on cue, the men burst around the corner of the building.
"There they are! Shoot!"
Ishiyana smirked. "Shoot this!"
A dark aura erupted around him, and the boy leaped forward.
"GA-RAAAAHHH!!!"
"Yaaa!!"
As if possessed, Ishiyana attacked the crowd of men. His arms blurred as he sliced the guns in two with swipe after swipe. The smirk never fading from his face, Ishiyana back flipped over a charging trio of men, sliced them in the back, then vaulted over them and shoved them back into another group of men. A demonic laugh erupted from Ishiyana as he fought, stabbing several men and severely wounding several more.
Naraku's men started to back away. "He's insane!!"
The huge man stepped forward again. "For god's sake, it's just a kid! Just kill him!"
"He destroyed our guns!"
The man scowled. "Then I'll do it!" He lifted his arm as Ishiyana turned to face him. The boy sneered and raced forward…
BANG!
Everything stopped. Naraku's men froze, Kagome and Inuyasha's jaws dropped, and the compound fell into silence.
The huge man twitched, his gun dropping to the ground. Blood ran down his forehead.
"But…how…?"
Ishiyana stood three feet away, his sword arched high above his head. The barrier around the sword cracked and sizzled angrily. Slowly, the man dropped to his knees.
"He's…just a kid!"
The man collapsed, face down in the ground.
Ishiyana lowered his sword, straightening. He turned his head slowly to look at the remainder of Naraku's men. They backed away.
"That…that kid just deflected a bullet right back at him!" They looked at each other. "Let's get out of here!!"
Ishiyana stood rooted to the ground as then men disappeared. Slowly, he turned to face Kagome and Inuyasha.
"I…Ishiyana?" Kagome tightened her hold on Inuyasha's arm. In response, Inuyasha hefted the Tetsusaiga.
Ishiyana stepped towards them, but his eyes had gone completely black, including the whites of his eyes.
Inuyasha stepped protectively in front of Kagome. "You moron, that sword's possessed you! Let it go!!"
Ishiyana smirked. "Well done, Inuyasha. It would seem that you're not as dumb as I thought you were."
Inuyasha stilled. Wait a minute. That voice…it sounds like…Naraku?? "It can't be."
Ishiyana smirked. "I see you're beginning to figure it out. It's a pity…perhaps if you had told my son about Onigumo, you wouldn't have me on your hands."
"Told his son?" Kagome gasped. "Ishiyana's father…no way!"
Smirking, the boy turned away. "I'll deal with you later, Inuyasha. First, I have to take care of a little obstacle." He lifted his sword, then lowered it and frowned. "Something's wrong. Why can't I sense Naraku anywhere?"
Kagome looked around, a perplexed frown crossing over her face. Suddenly, she grabbed Inuyasha's arm.
"I-Inuyasha, he's not here!"
The hanyou slowly looked over at her.
"What are you saying?"
"Naraku! He's gone!!"