3. Blades of Blood

When Inuyasha awoke, he found in was night and he was starving. He was about to stand up and go look for his mother, but then he remembered. He wasn't going to see her anymore…

Shaking his head, he thought, Forget about her, she's a human that kept secrets from you. Important secrets.

Standing, he scented the air and went off in search for some kind of animal, to eat-and some wood. Fire was easy to make, so with wood, food, and a fire, Inuyasha would be able to eat!

Walking into the woods, he snatched branches off the first few trees and then took them back to his make shift camp. He piled them up and went to find leaves and twigs to begin a fire. Gathering a huge pile of leaves and quit a few twigs, he deposited them next to the branches. Next he gathered two strong, yet dead sticks. Digging a hole in one of them with his claw, he laid it down and shoved the second stick inside the hole.

Twisting his hands, he let the sticks rub together. And within seconds, smoke appeared and then a small fire. Inuyasha continued until there was a flicker the size of candle fire. He grabbed a pine needle and held it over the fire, it caught, curling it as it burned. Inuyasha grinned and laid it on the fire. He repeated this at least twenty times until the fire had grown and he threw a few leaves on it. When they caught, he put a few twigs and sticks.

The fire began to grown and he placed more and more twigs and sticks on it. Finally his fire was big enough to add a small branch, but they were all long, so Inuyasha stood up straight and went towards one. Though he was young, he was also very strong for one his age. Ten. He was ten.

Slicing the branch in two, he did this several times before they were in nest little logs. He gathered up two and stuck them on his fire and let them burn. Then he went down to the lake and waded through the freezing water until he reached a decent fishing spot. He stood there, like a rock, and waited for a fish or two to come by.

It was hard to see in the little light the moon gave him, but it was just enough so he could see a fish. When movement caught his eye, he struck out, flinging a fish from the water. He had caught one, but it was still alive. Closing his eyes with impatience, he cut its throat and went to his fire.

It was still burning nicely, but he added a few logs to it, and leaves, which made it burst up into flames. Nodding lightly, he stuck the fish on a stick and roasted it over the fire.

When it was done, he bit into it, and soon finished it.

Inuyasha stood up, adding even more feul to his fire and then, with deadly silence, crept back into the woods. On swift feet, he made his way back to the village. Though he had repeated it to himself five hundred times over, he was going to say good-bye to his mother! Being half-demon with his demonic speed, he reached the village within a matter of seconds.

At the edge, he found a group of people gathered around a blazing fire. It must be Kota's mother, the one I killed. He thought to himself before quietly making his way towards where he used to live, and where his mother still lived. He pulled back the curtain to find his mother, sitting with a sad, lonely look on her face. Inuyasha could tell she had been crying.

At the sound of the flapping of the house's doorway, she looked up and her face brightened. "Inuyasha!" she breathed. "I thought I'd lost you"

"Stop talking as if I'm dead!" he snapped, but his voice grew calmer as he spoke, "I came to say good-bye."

"Good-bye? But Inuyasha, why are you leaving?"

"Because I do not belong here. I'm different."

"Please stay, Inuyasha!" Ezioi begged.

"No mother, I'm an outcast now. The village hates me and will never allow me to stay, you know that!"

"Certainly not! Not after you killed the pest of a woman! But I'm saying we can leave this village, besides, I want to go back…"

"That woman insulted my father and so she deserved what she got!"

"Inuyasha…"

"Good-bye."

"But how will you live?"

"I have my demon powers to protect me and my own food source."

"But how can you live without any care in your life, any reason?"

"I still care for you."

"But Inuyasha, you don't understand! There's so much you don't know!"

"Good-bye." He repeated and then left as quickly as he had come.

When he got back to his clearing, Inuyasha put a few more leaves o the fire before climbing up a tree and then just sat there. Staring out into space, just thinking. After a while, his eyes closed and Inuyasha fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Inuyasha found that his fire had burned out and pieces of it were scattered. He scented the air and smelled Wolf Demon. Someone had visited him in the night without his knowing!

Jumping off the tree he scented the air. The smell was fresh! Growling, he yelled, "Come out and face me coward!"

Nothing, but the stirring of leaves in the trees. Immediantly Inuyasha slashed at the trees, cutting them like bread slices. Still nothing showed. "Are you to weak to fight me? Or maybe you're just scared!" he taunted.

"I am nor weak or scared, it is you who should be frightened!" came a reply, and then a blade swung past his head, narrowly missing him. "After all, you are a mere half-demon without a weapon!"

"I have a weapon you don't have, though! And even if I am half-demon, that's all I need to kill a weakling like you!"

Inuyasha swung out again, but instead of aiming for the wolf demon, he stabbed himself with his claws and drew out the dripping blood. "Blades of Blood!" he yelled.

The Wolf Demon was slashed by the attack, but most of it missed him. The demon's leaf hand was cut, but not through as it should have been. "Why you!" the demon roared, slicing the air, and his aim became true. But Inuyasha didn't feel anything as the sword smacked onto his right shoulder, the blade not even slicing through his fire rat robes.

"Looks like some has a blunt sword!" he taunted and stabbed at the demon, but again, he missed.

The demon grunt as he jerked away, but he came back, plunging his sword through Inuyasha's stomach. Inuyasha gave a gasp before falling to the ground, his eyes blank.

"Weak…" the demon muttered. He grabbed Inuyasha's hand and began dragging him to his camp. This half-demon was now his prisoner!

While Inuyasha was unconcusious, he saw things. He was older and he was yelling something. He couldn't hear, so he listened harder and heard the words, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

Blasts of yellow demon energy came from his claws, slicing easily through a huge demon, but Inuyasha couldn't tell what kind of demon it was. Just as he was about to get closer, he woke up.

Blinking, he noticed he was in the wolf-demon's camp. Grunting he tried to sit up, but someone had tied his hand together with tight and strong bindings. With his teeth bared, Inuyasha jerked at the robes with no avail.

He spotted a girl sewing some cloth nearby and he snarled at her, "Untie me you worthless wolf demon!"

"I cannot. Kahaki gave strict orders to keep you bound." The girl replied, not looking up.

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha growled. "Well when I get free, I'm going to kill you first!"

"Those bindings are strong," the girl aid, sticking the bone needle through her cloth, "besides, you are nothing more than a half-demon who is no where near strong enough to defeat me. Your Blades of Blood power isn't very strong, and besides your smart remarks, it seems that it is your only weapon."

"Oh yeah? Come and say that to my face and see what happens!"

"I already did." The girl sighed and then continued, not once glancing at him.

"Okay fine! I won't kill you if you let me go!"

"No can do, half-breed."

"Fine then, I'll have to get free myself!"

"Impossible." The girl muttered, still not looking at him.

Inuyasha grumbled about how he never wanted to see another wolf demon as long as he lived and then worked his claws on the ropes. Picking at the stings in the rope, he steadily broke through. "She thinks this can hold me?" he muttered to himself.

"Actually, yes I do."

Inuyasha growled once more before continuing his work. After about five minutes, he had gotten no where near close. "Ah this is taking way to long!" he yelled.

"Half-breed, you are to shut up before I slit your throat!" came a voice. Inuyasha recognized the voice as the demon he had fought, that had to be Kihaki.

"You ain't doin' nothin' to me cause I'm going to kill you first!" Inuyasha roared, his claws cutting through the bindings more efficiently. After about three second, the last string was pulled and Inuyasha broke free.

"So, you broke free? I'm impressed, but not by much, because now you have to battle me all over again, with that wound in your stomach."

"Huh? What wound?" Inuyasha didn't feel anything. "Wait, how long have I been out?"

"Um..a day."

"Well then, there ain't any wound there anymore!" Inuyasha sneered.

"Prepare for battle, half-breed!"

"My name is Inuyasha!" he snarled, trying to think of how to use Iron Reaver Soul Stealer. Maybe he should just think of the power. There! Inuyasha found the power in him, he could use it, he just knew it!

"Well, Inuyasha, you will face me right here and now, no sword this time, for that appeared to be too strong for you."

"Well then, is this too strong for you?" Inuyasha yelled, charging the wolf demon, claws raised. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

His claws cut through, a blast of yellow demonic energy coming forth and cutting through Kihaki's shoulder and down to his chest. Kihaki drew back in shock as blood gushed from his wounds, but it did not take him long to recovered.

"You will pay Inuyasha!" Kihaki snarled, slashing at him with his own claws, at his face. Inuyasha quickly raised his arm to shield himself and again, the fire rat robes protected him.

"Heh, you're weak! I need to stop wasting my strength on a low class demon such as yourself!" Inuyasha snarled, "Iron Reaver!"

That aim was more true than the last. This time his claws scored the demon's face, cutting from his cheek bone, to his throat, but Inuyasha did not kill him.

Kihaki grasped his face, falling tot he ground and lay there, but he was not dead. He looked up at Inuyasha, the pain clear in his eyes. His throat was slashed and he was bleeding heavily. He was going to die without attenchen to those wounds. "Kill me now Inuyasha!" he ordered.

Inuyasha just looked down at him, and then walked away. "You death will come another day. By my claws or by another demon's fangs I know not. But if your lucky, you'll die by my brother's." And then he left, going back to his camp site.