The Rift between Passion and Wrath
By Tallgeese (AKA Steven the great.)
That's the title…. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! For the sake of my ego!
Disclaimer: Steven played no role in the creation of Inu Yasha, nor does he claim ownership, in whole or in part, of the franchise described therein. But to be honest, if you didn't know that before I told you, I'd like you to say so…. I'll greatly enjoy a laugh at your expense.
Notes from the author: This story sorta came to me out of the blue, and I've never written IY fan fiction before. For all of you who aren't familiar with my style, when writing fan fictions I seldom give character descriptions, as it's typically a given that a person reading anime fan fiction has already seen the anime and therefore has some idea of what the characters look like. If you find this a bit obtuse or if it detracts from you enjoyment, write a review to that effect and I'll go ahead and change my style, but I won't be very happy about it. :(
The Final note I want to make before I begin is that, for the sake of making the work enjoyable to fans of the dear old series, I've only added two characters to the original cast. I put a lot of thought into both of their personalities… so tell me what you think of them (one won't appear until chapter 3). There's a lot of descriptive stuff in the beginning… but it'll wear off, it always does.
There! I'm done talking ;D
Chapter 1:
The killer from the modern age
It was probably a beautiful day. Yes, he doubted very much that such a fact could be contested. It was the middle of summer, after all. A time that seemed so magical in nature that for children it passed like a fleeting dream. He wondered lazily whether the wind was carrying the scents of the flowers and trees, whether the colors of petals and leaves mixed in a vertigo pattern with the sounds of chirping birds and running water. It was a vivid illusion, so strong that if he were to close his eyes he could see it all perfectly: A melody of sensations contained under a canopy of azure blue and illuminated by the rays of the new day sun!
Clara wasn't ordinarily the type of person to think in such a way, however, his current setting was so abysmal that he found his mind desperately seeking to escape into his imagined refuge. He stifled a laugh as he inhaled another breath, the air thick with the stench of demonic poison. Over his head, the sky was a foreboding shade of crimson-purple. Every so often the clap of thunder would escort a wild bolt of lightning to the ground, a fitting accompaniment to the black clouds, which swallowed every bit of light the sun might attempt to push through. This isn't to say that Clara was completely uncomfortable, for indeed though he had to admit the place felt unnatural, it was at the same time appealing in a gothic sort of way. This was the Miasma of the demon Naraku.
Ah yes, Naraku. He quickly put an end to his musings as he turned to face his host.
"It's just a waste of my rather brutal disposition is all! I'm rather partial to the whole murder, rape, pillage scene- I'm not just a thief, as I'm sure you're aware." Clara pitched this in his usual, confident voice, running a hand through his long black hair and focusing his icy blue eyes on Naraku; trying to decipher his thoughts from beneath the thick baboon pelt that masked his features. After the silence became unbearable again he let his attention wander to the other people who stood in the courtyard. To Naraku's left was a tall, lean woman. If his memory served him her name was Kagura. Her features were quite exquisite, however, the thing about her he found the most intriguing was the intense look in her eyes.
She'd be fun to play with, he thought with an inward smile. She seemed the type to struggle; oh how he loved it when they fought back!
On Naraku's right stood Kanna, a diminutive spook whose pallor was as unnerving as her constant blank expression. Everything about her offended Clara's senses, and he tried to avoid thinking about her whenever he could avoid it.
Finally, Naraku spoke. His voice was deep and commanding, at once drawing the focus of the room to him:
"You misunderstand. While it's true my primary interest is the shards of the Shikon no tama possessed by their group, they are as a whole becoming much more difficult for me to ignore. If you felt the inclination to kill any of them, especially the half-demon known as Inu Yasha, I will only naturally see fit to reward you for the trouble." Oh! How Clara loved Naraku's voice! He was truly a demon after his own heart, and it suddenly ceased to be a wonder that Clara felt such a strong affinity for him.
"There now, you see?" He replied cheerfully. "What a reasonable fellow you are! I'm at a loss as to why so many people hate you! Yes, yes, as a matter of fact I'm possessed with the strangest desire to give you a hug, but at the moment I'm more bloodthirsty than affectionate, so maybe later!" Clara gave a regal bow before turning to leave, cracking Kagura a maleficent grin as he began to walk away.
"Do you honestly trust him?" Kagura inquired of Naraku shortly after Clara's exit. He gave her an all-knowing grin, standing from his seat.
"What need is there for me to trust him? As a human being with the spiritual fortitude necessary to withstand my miasma, he will obviously be of great use to me. Let him try to do my bidding, I stand to lose nothing with his failure, just as I can only profit should he find success. There is no need for trust in such a relationship." He turned to face her. This was how he lived his life, manipulating others to work toward his own ends. He attained deep satisfaction in twisting the will of those who succumbed to his charisma, turning them into obedient pawns while keeping ignorant of his true ambitions.
"In any case, aren't you the person I should be suspicious of?" He said this with a laugh, a sound that echoed through the tawdry air. To this, Kagura could bring herself to say nothing. His words were too true for her to even feel contempt.
The morning found Shippo running as fast as his stature would allow. With great vigor he darted through the bushes, laughing innocently as he closed the distance to Kaede's village. It had been a long week, but Kagome was finally coming back! His sprint became all the more fervent as he spotted the outlines of his friends, standing in front of the disused shack they made a habit to stay in when they weren't traveling. The majority of them greeted him with smiles when he finally came to a halting stop before them.
"Is she here yet? Is Kagome here?" He queried excitedly.
"If she were, do you think we'd still be here?" Came Inu Yasha's grumpy reply. He stomped one of his feet down in frustration. "I'm done sitting idly by with Naraku's scent the strongest it's been in months." With a laugh, Shippo walked up to him.
"If you ask me, you're just upset that it's been a whole week since you last saw Kagome." He said this with a smile, but no sooner had the words escaped his lips than did Inu Yasha's fist slam into his head.
"Kids shouldn't talk about things they don't understand." He hissed.
"Now, now Inu Yasha, it's not wise to curse a chance to rest before a battle. It's not as though we'll be any good against Naraku exhausted." Came the vainly optimistic voice of Miroku. "Though I can't deny I understand how you feel! It's bad karma to restrain yourself when you have the impulse to do something-Wouldn't you agree, Sango?" The young demon slayer jerked up in surprise at hearing her name, a slight blush crossing her face.
"E-excuse me?"
"Come now, surely you can relate to the feeling! Having a deep passion burning in your heart that remains trapped by your sense of restraint. It can seem an unbearable burden!" He ran his hand down the small of her back as he said this, letting it come to rest at her buttocks. Her reaction was instantaneous; she quickly turned and pressed a violent slap against his cheek.
"Who didn't see that one coming?" Remarked Shippo with a sigh. He could have sworn he saw a smile cross Sango's face for a moment before she had made the slap, though why it happened was beyond him. He had remembered Miroku telling him once about the many faces a woman possessed, and he figured that must have been one of them. At any rate he was just a kid, and saw no need to try to understand adult matters.
W-wait, does anyone else sense the presence of a demon?" Miroku said hastily, raising a hand to deter Sango from hitting him again.
"Yeah," Inu Yasha said with a smile, jerking his head in the direction of the forest and loosening his sword from its scabbard with his thumb.
"Wow! She's a pretty one!" Clara exclaimed, his eyes focused on Sango. He sat behind the largest tree he could find this close to the village. "But geez, that boomerang thing is huge. She must have a lot of upper body strength. Oh well, I gotta admit I've never attacked a woman with that particular endowment before, but I'll try anything once! Hey, Kazewakka!"
At the sound of his name, an enormous lizard demon surfaced from where he had been lying deep beneath the earth. He took a violent breath of air as he jerked the remainder of his body from the soil, finally standing before Clara a full thirty feet long.
"None of the people below possess the fragments that Naraku seeks." He said in the booming voice one would expect from a creature of his size.
"Seriously? So there's no need to fight them?" Clara asked, more curious than disappointed. "So then, where's the jewel thing?" The giant lizard jerked his head to the west.
"I was told to check near a well in that direction."
"Of course you were! Well then, I'll head in that direction."
"They have become aware of our presence up here."
"That was fast…. Oh well, shall we go say hello first, then?"
"Indeed, I shall devour them all in a matter of moments."
"A matter of moments? That's so tactless my large, grotesque fellow. I happen to believe that it's nothing short of a travesty to hastily murder a woman. It should be handled delicately, like the piece of art it is." The lizard paid no mind to this comment, and began charging down the hill.
"So they're gonna come to us first, huh?" Declared Inu Yasha as Clara and Kazewakka came to a stop before their group, gasping for air. Clara eventually recomposed himself, and promptly stood erect.
"Um-yes, hello. Sorry, I was always sorta bad with introductions. Um, my name is Servi. Yes, it's Servi Claracucio, but I prefer to be called Clara… even though it's really feminine sounding, and this is Kazewakkamaru," He paused for a moment, as though trying to think of the proper way to introduce him. "My very large friend!"
"I don't care who you are. What the hell do you want?" Inu Yasha retorted in his usual foul spirit. He seemed oblivious the mixture of anxiety and foreboding that were now thickly laced in the air.
"That demon is possessed of a strange aura." Miroku whispered, leaning toward Sango.
"I know. I feel it too." She replied.
"I'm rather glad you brought that up, my very rude, half-demon amigo!" Clara continued in a rehearsed fashion. "See, my demon pal over here is going to make his best effort to fight the lot of you, and while you're busy killing him I intend to be running in the direction of some well looking for some kinda diamond or something." This explanation was rather disquieting to Kazewakka, who turned around in surprise.
"So you intend to have me die here while you return to Naraku in triumph?" At the sound of Naraku's name Inu Yasha's eyes lit up.
"So you two are working for-" He began, but before he could finish Clara spoke up.
"Did I say that? I don't think so! You don't HAVE to die; it would just be damn convenient for me if you did! Honestly, where's your team spirit?"
"Ah! So you're selfish as well as overly hasty?" Kazewakka seethed.
"They're not very loyal to one another, are they?" Shippo asked simply.
"Overly hasty? That's so very offensive I shall have to try to forget you said it!" Clara was fully furious now.
"Offensive? 'Some kinda diamond or something'? Oh, pardon me! It's clear by your choice of wording that you've put a great deal of thought into this plan!" Kazewakka replied disdainfully.
"Now you insult my sophisticated manor of speech? Fine! I hope you die! There, see what you just made me say? I just wished for the death of my comrade, that makes me look like such a jerk!" Clara roared.
"It's hard to take them seriously." Said Sango, narrowing her eyes.
"Fine we'll use your plan, but you'd better believe I'll be the one doing all the killing!" It was Kazewakka's turn to speak.
"Okie-Dokie then! We're agreed, I'll be running light a frightened bunny toward some sorta well in the west now!" As he finished the sentence he began to walk off.
"So Kagome's your target then? If it's a fight you want I'm your man!" Inu Yasha declare, drawing his tetsusaiga (if I spelled it wrong just correct me), which instantly swelled to several times its original size.
"That's a big sword you got there…" Clara said distantly. "Are you compensating for something?" He then burst out laughing, an action which continued until he was on the ground clutching his sides. Everyone else simply exchanged nervous glances. Suddenly becoming aware of the silence Clara eventually stood up, once again perturbed.
"Nothing? Not even a chuckle?" He said bitterly. "That's the reason I hate feudal Japan, no one can catch my lewd sexual innuendo. I'll be leaving now." He darted into the woods and out of sight just as Kazewakka charged Inu Yasha's group.
The end of chapter one
Final note: You probably noticed that the first half of this story was very different from the latter half. The reason for this is simple…. I began writing this at three o'clock in the morning, when I started on the second half it was five, and I'd consumed three pots of coffee. It is VERY hard to stay serious when you drink that much coffee on an empty stomach. Therefore, I ask that you approach this first chapter with kid-gloves, as the story I have outlined is actually pretty serious…. Well, take care.