Okay, I know this may sound a bit crazy, but I got really bored over the summer and thought of the idea while watching a western. I'm not particularly crazy about westerns, but doing one with the Inuyasha characters should be fun. This is my second fan fic and first AU. My first fic didn't have much success in being discovered, hopefully this one will and if you read this then maybe you would care to read my other one.
My other story is about 20 chapters long and so far all who have read it tell me it's great. I really have about 60 reviews for it but in an attempt to make it show up in the archives I took it down and re-posted it. If only I had left well enough alone. Crap. The people that did review for me before told me it was really good and I'd really like to think so too. If you like this one then I think you'll like the other as well.
Anyway, enough about me and my other story, on with this one. Hope you like this little product of my imagination so read, review and enjoy!
Mayu Kitsune
P.S.- I love reviews! They help me with my writing a lot so don't be afraid to tell me if I made a mistake though I would appreciate it if you did so politely. Also, I don't know you're reading if you don't review. I would be grateful to you if you would please take the time to tell me what you think as I have taken the time to write this for your enjoyment. THANK YOU!
Outlaw Inuyasha: An AU Inuyasha Western
Chapter one : An Unpleasant Homecoming
The sun shone down brightly in a cloudless sky as two travelers made their way down the trail. "Damn it's hot out here." Inuyasha grumbled from his horse, a mustang who also seemed to be feeling the heat.
"I wouldn't expect anything different from the desert in the middle of the day." his black-haired friend replied.
Inuyasha shot him a dirty look as his friend idly began screwing the top off a canteen. The irritated traveler turned his golden gaze back ahead of him. His mouth was parched! He was thirsty beyond all reason and this jerk had the gall to open a water canteen right in front of him! When Inuyasha looked back to his so-called friend, Miroku, he had turned the bottom of the container up, some of the water dribbling down his chin.
The thirsty traveler finally couldn't stand his parched dry mouth any longer, "Give me that." he growled, snatching the canteen.
"Hey!" Miroku protested as the white-haired man began guzzling down the rest of his precious water.
"Straw's cheaper." Inuyasha retorted, throwing the canteen back to Miroku once he was through..
He struggled to catch it, frowning upon noticing that it was empty, "Was that really necessary?"
"Stop your whining, you owe me remember?" Inuyasha stated more than asked, holding up his own canteen. It had a hole blown straight through it from a gunfight in a previous town.
Miroku laughed nervously, holding his hands up in his defense, "How was I to know she was married?"
"You coulda looked for a ring you lech!"
"I did!"
"Was that before or after her husband chased us around town with a shotgun?" Inuyasha growled, he hadn't been at all thrilled with the little episode. It hadn't helped him any that was for sure. "We were supposed to catch the train to Tumbleweed, but you had to go and screw that one up." he mumbled under his breath.
He was still thirsty, that little bit of water having barely done anything to satisfy his thirst but it would have to do for now. Thanks to Miroku they had overstayed their welcome and were forced to leave early. Maybe if he hadn't done that then they could have gotten supplies.
Now that he thought about it, this whole thing had started with bad luck! This always tended to happen when Inuyasha traveled towards his home town. He always dreaded the journey and dreaded the stay even more, too many bad memories for his liking.
The tops of buildings could now be seen poking up over the horizon. Inuyasha gave a bitter smile, "Home sweet home." he mused sarcastically. He began to turn towards his friend, "Hey Miroku-"
His sentence died prematurely as he glared at Miroku who was now drinking more water out of yet another canteen! "Where'd you get that?" Inuyasha demanded angrily.
Miroku froze before hastily trying to hide the water, "Get what?" he prompted innocently. He looked ahead of him, "Oh look, there's the town, I bet we could get more water there!" he said hastily, digging his heels into his horse's flanks and sending it into a gallop.
"Hey! Come back here you, you bastard!" Inuyasha shouted after him, sending his horse into a run as well.
It didn't seem to be of any use to chase the lecher at first, he had shot off so fast and was so far ahead already. His black hat had fallen off his head and was now dangling around his neck and blowing in the wind behind him. Despite the fact of his head start Inuyasha seemed to be gaining, that was until his horse decided that it had run enough.
The mustang slowed to a walk on its own decision.
"Wha- ? Hey! Who told you you could stop?" Inuyasha raged indignantly, hitting the horse in the flanks again with his spurs.
The horse turned it's head, giving the irate man a glare.
Inuyasha paused, did he just see that? He gave the animal an uneasy glance as it turned its head away from him. "Ah!" he suddenly cried out as the horse bucked him off. He landed hard on his back in the desert sand.
"What the. . . ?" he muttered as he began to pick himself up. He sat up just in time to see the horse galloping away. This was just great! The damn horse had an attitude! "Oh so now you decide to run!" Inuyasha shouted, getting to his feet and furiously beginning to brush himself off, "Stupid horse!"
He angrily kicked some dirt in the horse's direction. The only reply he got was a triumphant whinny from his less-than-faithful mustang as it ran off.
This was possibly the worst day of his life, and all because of where he was traveling. He began to storm off toward the town, his town of bad luck, Tumbleweed.
"Hey! We're still waitin' on them drinks over here! Hurry it up woman!" a customer called from one of the tables.
"It's coming!" an agitated female voice called back.
Kagome inwardly groaned as she fumbled to get the glasses filled and delivered to the impatient group of men. She had always hated this job, never wanted it either, but she had to take it. Money was in short supply and she too had to work to bring in a living, no matter how much she hated the job, she and her family needed the money.
All because it was her job didn't mean she had to like it though. Nearly all the customers they got in the place were nothing but pompous jerks, and drunk to top it all off. The men that had been yelling at her for the past few moments weren't even giving her enough time to get back behind the counter much less pour the drinks and travel back!
"Hurry it up!" the man's voice called again.
Kagome gritted her teeth, "Coming!" she shouted back, her aggravation making its presence known in her voice. She moodily picked up the tray and headed for the table
Those jerks had better be glad that she needed the pay or else she would've quit right then and there. The wages were pretty good considering that the saloon was a rather large place. They didn't just serve drinks but food as well, it was a pretty sturdy business just not what she had been looking for. She would have much preferred a job as a maid for the upper floor's rooms, but the position had already been taken.
She hastily set the drinks out on the table before turning and beginning to move hastily back behind the counter. Another customer had ordered food and it would be ready to take over to them any minute now.
"It's about time." one of the men commented before she could get too far away, "Try being a bit faster next time girl."
Kagome paused, turning to give the man a cold glare but offering no words in response. Oh how she would love to go off on him, curse him to hell and back, but that could mean a few different things. One of those things being losing her job.
"Kagome!" a voice called from the kitchen, "That order of dumplings is ready!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" Kagome replied to the cook as she walked over and retrieved the plate.
The man that had ordered them seemed to be decent, all except for the fact that he was obviously a seasoned gambler, having ordered the small bowl merely as a snack to get him through a card game.
She was beginning out to the man's table when someone else entered. She normally wouldn't have taken much notice if it hadn't been for the long silver hair and golden eyes. He was definitely a someone she had never seen before, though she had seen someone similar.
The young man had one of the worst scowls on his face and didn't look at all like he'd been having a good day. He wore a long sleeve red shirt, though the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and a vest of a dusty tan color. His pants were a darker brown, matching his hat and the bandana that was tied around his neck. His boots were the same color of the vest and had silver spurs on each one that clinked as he began to enter.
Perhaps the most noticeable thing he wore was the belt on which he wore two revolvers, definitely not cheap ones. The handle of one of them was a pearly white, an intricate design carved into it while the other was a bit more plain.
Kagome's eyes followed him as he stormed into the saloon towards the black-haired man playing cards and basking in the company of a few girls who had noticed the winnings he had worked up. He stopped right next to the gambler, crossing his arms and glaring down at him.
"Hello, Miroku." the irritated traveler growled through his teeth.
The one named Miroku froze before slowly turning his gaze from his cards, "Heh. . . oh, hi Inuyasha." he said with a nervous smile.
Inuyasha fisted the front of Miroku's shirt, dragging him to his feet by it and earning a few surprised gasps from the girls. "Sorry ladies, but me and my friend here have to talk, so if you'll excuse him for a second." Inuyasha stated, forcibly dragging a startled Miroku to the bar and setting him down on a stool, "I'm getting something and you're buying, got it?" he prompted.
"No problem." Miroku said, waving his hands in front of him in his defense.
Kagome inwardly groaned, yet another jerk. This was just great. She'd secretly thought that this Inuyasha person looked pretty nice, but he sure was Mr. Attitude. She let out an exasperated sigh, setting the dumplings down where Miroku had been sitting and beginning back towards the counter to wait for her next few orders.
"Hello boys, what can I get for ya?" the bartender asked.
Inuyasha didn't even hesitate, he already knew what he wanted. "Water." he replied simply.
The bartender looked a bit perplexed, "Water?" he echoed.
"Yeah, you gotta problem with it?" Inuyasha prompted a bit irritably.
"Oh, no. . .of course not, water coming right up." the bartender said hastily, hurrying off to fetch his order. Not too many people walked into a bar and ordered water.
Water? Well, it seems like he's got some sense. Kagome thought. Not too many men realized that those disgusting alcoholic drinks that they had acquired a taste for actually made them more thirsty. Maybe this guy wasn't all bad.
By the time the bartender got back with his water, Miroku had just left Inuyasha with the money he needed and gone back to his card game. Inuyasha seemed to have calmed down a bit already, just satisfied that he was getting what he wanted.
No sooner than the bartender sat the glass down than Inuyasha snatched it up, shoving the bartender the money and gulping down the water eagerly.
So much for manners. Kagome thought as she watched from a distance.
He didn't stop guzzling it down until he got to the middle of the glass. He paused for a moment, moving to a table by himself and sitting down, now idly sipping at it and letting it cool him off.
Kagome approached him after a moment, it was her job to wait on people after all. "Excuse me," she said as she came to a stop near him.
He looked up to her, setting his glass down on the table.
"Can I get you anything to eat?" she prompted.
"No, not hungry." Inuyasha replied, going back to his drink.
"Oh, well uh. . . My name's Kagome, just tell me if you need anything." she stated.
Inuyasha just gave her a nod acknowledging that he had heard her.
She headed back behind the counter again, it was coming time for her break anyway.
"Wow, you snatched up that table pretty fast." a voice said.
Kagome paused, looking back, "Oh, hi." she said to one of her waitress friends.
"So, you think he's pretty cute don't you?" another one of her friends prompted.
Kagome blushed, "What makes you think that?" she demanded.
The girls all laughed a bit, "C'mon, we've seen you, you've been watching him ever since he walked through the door." one of the stated.
Kagome gained a somewhat indignant expression, "That doesn't mean I think he's cute. Besides, he's too rough around the edges for me." she stated with a nod in the affirmative.
"I don't know," her one friend said, "he did just order water instead of one of those nasty drinks. He might not be all that bad."
Kagome just let out a sigh, they weren't going to leave her alone about this. They never did. Hopefully they wouldn't try to set her up on a date with this one like they did the last time.
Okay, so Hojo was a sweet guy and all, but in a fight she would have ended up defending him and not the other way around. This part of the country called for a guy that could protect someone, not that she liked to think that she needed someone to do that. She had been doing perfectly fine on her own.
Inuyasha continued to sip at his water, staring straight ahead and looking as though he were thinking about something. That girl, Kagome, she looked a lot like someone. He thought for a few moments more before it hit him. Kikyou, she looked nearly just like her.
This guy he was hunting down was one of a pair of brothers. His older brother had been killed already by none other than Inuyasha himself. Inuyasha's expression clouded over as he thought about it. It was his fondest and most hated memory.
Kikyou had been a doctor in another town. He had been hunting down a murderer by the name of Rodney Romera, only Romera had a few buddies. Inuyasha had gotten injured in a gunfight, barely having escaped with his life. Kikyou had helped him, tending to his injuries and hiding him from Romera and his gang.
It seemed to work, Inuyasha got better and Romera didn't even seem to have a clue. During that time he had also seemed to gain a soft spot for Kikyou. He even began to have thoughts about just giving up the whole bounty hunting deal of his and settling down with her, finding work elsewhere.
He had merely gone out to take a walk, clear his thoughts and think the whole thing through. He had begun back to tell her that he had his mind made up, he would stay with her. Even though he hadn't liked it that she kept him down the entire time he had been at her place, it was what had saved his life and made him closer to her.
When he had arrived back at her place he had gotten there just in time to find her dead. It could have only been the work of one person and he knew it. He didn't rest until Romera was dead, dead and buried along with a few members of his gang.
Now it seemed that Romera's younger brother was following in his footsteps, kidnapping, having his way with, and killing young women. The fact that he was Romera's brother had definitely interested Inuyasha and he had begun his pursuit without hesitation.
Inuyasha took another swig from his cup. Damn this town. It always brought back bad memories. Even if he wanted more water, he wasn't calling that Kagome back over, she looked too much like Kikyou.
Inuyasha flinched as he heard a voice behind him, "Will if it isn't Inuyasha, long time no see."
Oh, great. Just who Inuyasha wanted to see, Kouga. Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed in agitation as he closed his eyes and continued to sip at his water. He was obviously going to attempt ignoring Kouga as he stopped right next to him. This was all he needed.
"So, what chased you home this time?" Kouga prompted.
Inuyasha stood up from his chair, taking his glass with him, "Don't you have something better to do?" he asked.
Kouga hadn't even seemed to have heard him just standing in the way of him moving. He suddenly gave a questioning look to Inuyasha's cup, "What are you drinking?" he asked.
Inuyasha just looked more and more irritated the longer he stood there questioning him.
"Is that water? In a bar?" Kouga inquired.
"So what if it is? You gotta problem with it?" Inuyasha retorted, giving him a glare, "This isn't the day to mess with me Kouga, go bother someone else."
"Or you'll do what?" Kouga challenged.
"Or I'll do what." Inuyasha echoed with a scoff, beginning to turn before thinking better of it and sucker punching Kouga across the face. His punch sent Kouga careening across the table that Miroku and the other men had been playing poker on, scattering chips and things everywhere, the table turning over as he slid off the other end.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" one of the men growled.
Kouga ignored them as he picked himself back up, "Why you-!" he shouted.
"How's that for taking action you sorry bastard?" Inuyasha prompted, gulping down the last bit of water and setting the glass down on the table.
"You'll live to regret that!" Kouga growled as he lunged for the bounty hunter and the two came to more blows.
Oh great. Kagome thought. The place was full of drunks! There was only one thing that she knew would come out of this, a knock-down, drag-out, bar fight.
"Hey, stop fighting you two!" she yelled from behind the counter, throwing a rag at them but not daring to get in between them. She wanted to avoid a bar fight. Her attempt didn't work, it didn't seem like anything would. She could only stand by helplessly and watch as the saloon became a war zone.
Kagome's eyes widened as a glass came hurtling toward her. She didn't have enough time to move and avoid a major headache! She threw her arms up just before a sudden gunshot rang out and the glass shattered before it could complete it's collision course with her head.
Nearly everyone took note of the man now standing in the doorway and the fighting began to cease.
All except for Kouga and Inuyasha.
A pair of hard golden eyes focused on the two as they continued their fight. "Inuyasha." A deep calm voice said, though a bit of agitation could be sensed in the tone.
Inuyasha paused, he knew that voice.
Now even Kouga seemed to have second thoughts about fighting. He backed off, now standing a small distance away.
The man in the doorway had returned his revolver to it's holster and now began to calmly walk forward. Barely anyone spoke as the people cleared his path.
"I should have known you were the cause of this commotion though I was mistaken when I assumed you needed time to get drunk before starting a bar fight." the man said coolly.
Kagome watched with interest as he approached Inuyasha. She knew who he was, he was the sheriff.
He was dressed much like Inuyasha except that his shirt was mainly white with a red design across the shoulders. He also seemed to dress a bit neater too, the only thing sloppy about it being that his shirt cuffs were unbuttoned. He also carried two revolvers, the one on his right looking just like the one Inuyasha carried with the intricate carving on the handle.
It was obvious to see why he was the sheriff, the very air around him seemed to radiate his authority. He and Inuyasha had the same hair and eye color but acted so different, was it possible that they were related? They definitely seemed to know each other.
Inuyasha just glared at the man that approached him, "Well, hello to you too, Sesshomaru." he grumbled, "So did you come here just to chew me out?"
"No, I've come here to take you in for disturbing the peace in my town." Sesshomaru replied.
Inuyasha just scoffed, "I'd like to see you try."
His words only earned him a devilish smirk from Sesshomaru, "Who said that I was going to try?" he prompted, his tone still as cool as ever.
Inuyasha gave him a wary look. What did he mean by that?
Five Minutes Later. . .
A very disgruntled Inuyasha glared straight ahead at the cold steel bars that kept him in the sheriff's office. He hated this town. He had been sitting there for a few minutes too long already! When was that good-for-nothing womanizer ever going to show up to bail him out? So much for being able to count on a friend.
Sesshomaru sat at a desk not too far away. He was opening a letter that his deputy had handed to him just a few moments ago. His eyes had narrowed as soon as he saw the return address. That ignorant fool, when will he learn to take no for an answer? he thought as he took the letter out and began reading.
To Sesshomaru, sheriff of Tumbleweed,
As I have written many times over, I am interested in buying your town and the area around it as well. So far you have refused to accept my offer though this time I'm sure you may reconsider. What I am about to offer you is 250,000 dollars cash as well as the assurance that my people will make sure that the residents of your town find a new and better place to live if they should move away. If the business from this land proves to be profitable then more pay will be sent to you on a monthly basis. It would be in your best interest to take this, my final offer.
Sincerely,
Naraku
Final offer? Sesshomaru thought, raising an eyebrow, So it would seem that he has wised up, though I would have preferred he had done so much sooner.
He neatly folded the lette , putting it in another envelope before addressing it back to Naraku. Getting up and beginning out, he set his deputy in guard of the 'prisoner'. A small smirk drew it's way across his face as he seemed to find some kind of amusement in calling Inuyasha that. His prisoner, this had to have been a big hit to that brat's pride.
Without much more in the way of words be headed for the post office. He had long ago gotten fed up with writting and sending Naraku formal refusals. Sending his own offers back to him was a much easier and blunt way of refusing. It secretly gave Sesshomaru a great deal of satisfaction when he imagined the look on Naraku's face when he opened the envelope, expecting a reply and only finding the very letter he himself wrote instead. If only Sesshomaru could see it himself. It must be priceless.
Well, I really hope you enjoyed that and that I got everyone in character. Please tell me if I did something wrong, okay? Anyway, like I said before, if you like this then you may want to give my other story a shot, I have a few friends that absolutely love that one. Remember, I love reveiws! They let me know who is reading and what people think and feed back it an important part of improvement! So PLEASE REVIEW! If you do I'll be forever grateful and obligated to shove you out of the way of a renagade city bus someday!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
PREVIEW!
Chapter 2: A Fated Second Meeting
Inuyasha and Miroku Head back toward the Saloon after getting released from the sheriff's office, hoping to get a room to stay the night in. That's when they hear it, an ear-piercing scream. Without much hesitation, Inuyasha runs to investigate. What will he find when he gets there? Possibly the man he came looking for? So, will this be his opportunity to finish his job and get out of this miserable town or what?
ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVEIWS ARE NICE!
Mayu Kitsune
