Chapter 4-The Hidden Beast Within
Inuyasha and his friends traveled for a 3 days and in that time the others all got to know Kikyo a little better seeing her in whole new way as well as her with them. They now made their way through the tree filled terrain as they headed to the next potential jewel shard despite Kagome's refusal to help them find it. Fortunately, with the help of Kikyo's spiritual powers as well as her soul collectors they determined it was not far ahead of them and in the body of a dragon demon that was considered to be no older then that of a youngling. However, the dragon demons behavior from the jewel shard was according to the soul collector starting to become slightly erratic at best and highly unstable at worst. When they saw the demon youngling it was smashing right through the trees in front of it roaring its head off like crazy as if it were in pain. "So how do you all want to get the jewel shard from this demon before we get started?" said Inuyasha as he wanted this to be quick and painless as possible.
"The jewel shard is lodged right in the dragon's upper left arm joint however, this jewel shard in particular I now sense is slightly bigger then what you're use to finding in other demons Inuyasha. In fact I may have been mistaken before and there may be two jewel shards rather then one in the bone of the demon," said Kikyo as she could see the jewel shard now more clear since they were closer.
"Are you sure it's two Kikyo? For I know you could just want to see Inuyasha killed at the hands of the dragon and then you can leave us as you go to hell to meet him their," said Kagome trying to create a wedge between the two and cause distrust amongst them.
Perhaps it is you should return to your time little girl as you are clearly still a child and an underdeveloped one at that from your lack of power to see what I do," said Kikyo making her reincarnation's eyes fill up anger at those words.
"What would you know? You have wanted Inuyasha dead for sometime now even before yesterday. What better way for you to see him die, then against the enemy that would be the hands of a jewel shard crazed and possessed dragon demon?" said Kagome her anger not truly at the surface of her voice when she spoke, but it was clear that it was their even to Shippo, who was liking Kagome less and less as her future mother.
"Are we still talking about me or are you referring to yourself now...child?" said Kikyo knowing that would infuriate her reincarnation further as the girl had no control over her emotions like she did.
Before the argument between the two could continue any further they heard a very loud demonic scream and when they turned around they saw slightly scratched up in the face Inuyasha who was now covered in the dragon's blood with two jewel shards in his hands. 'What'd you know; Kikyo was right there was a second jewel shard next to the first in the elbow joint," said Inuyasha showing them his handy work with the dragon demon's arm on the ground next two half's of the dragon youngling split down the middle a good 20 feet long as that was the dragon length.
"Inuyasha...how did you kill the dragon demon so quickly? Even Kilala and I would have had trouble with the beast since it had a sacred jewel shard," said Sango as she soon now found Inuyasha's new found strength to be quite...attractive.
"I just did Sango. As for my increase in strength I think it started when Kikyo removed the rosary earlier that morning a few days ago. At least I think that's what it was anyway I'm not really sure," said Inuyasha looking at Kikyo for confirmation.
"Yes Inuyasha you are indeed correct. When I originally made the rosary it was designed to make sure I could stop you from hurting innocent lives. However, when I last spoke to Kaede about the rosary she told me she altered the subjugation beads to cut your strength in half in case what I had done was not enough to stop you. Since the time you have had the beads on you were only fighting at half-strength meaning that as the more you fought the stronger you became and now with the rosary itself now removed and destroyed you are now even stronger then before," said Kikyo smiling at Inuyasha, who at that moment was now blushing at the warm yet slightly affectionate smile getting silent yet still small glares from both Kilala and surprisingly from Sango too.
"Wait! Are you telling me Inuyasha could only fight at half-strength in all those battles that we have fought with Naraku and has gotten stronger slowly overtime?" said Kagome who was slightly scared at the power Inuyasha had that made him even more dangerous.
"What's wrong little girl? Scared of the big bad dog now that your collar and leash are broken and now more?" said Kikyo who received a glare from the girl that had no effect on the undead priestess.
"Shut up! It was your collar and leash to being with so you have no right to say anything on that subject without be criticized for making it. I just used it," said Kagome crossing her arms over her chest and giving out a "huff" as if she was right and Kikyo was the one that was wrong.
"I made have created it and I can at least admit I was ashamed to do so however, I was the one who removed it and destroyed it. As for you using it? All you did was abuse the power it had and now you're upset because you no longer have any control in Inuyasha's movements or actions. If you had any sense you foolish little girl you would have gone and removed the rosary long before I had the chance, "said Kikyo walking up to Inuyasha and began massaging the neck line where the necklace use to be as if there was a bruise their that no one else could see with her hand.
Inuyashas of course was in pure bliss at the way Kikyo's skilled demon killing hand was moving around his neck as she caressed it along where the rosary had pulled him into the earth so many times when Kagome had spoken one dreaded word..."sit" to him. Kilala and surprisingly Sango were silently fuming inside as they wanted to do that to Inuyasha for their own reasons as one was curiosity as to how it would feel while the other was to feel good against his skin. "As much as I enjoy this Kikyo we really have to be going," said Inuyasha as it took a great deal of will power to break out of his blissful state before he handed the jewel shards in his hands to Kikyo who took them without question before heading out ignoring the small chuckle Miroku gave while Shippo looked at the monk with a confused look on his face not understanding what the monk had seen that he did not.
Though for Shippo when it came to Miroku's past it was best that the little fox demon not see what the monk had or he would be mentally scarred for life even after he was mature enough to understand what the monk had been laughing about. 'Human beings are really strange. I don't think I'll ever understand them,' thought Shippo as he just sighed as he walked along ignoring Kagome's hatred filled glare at Kikyo who was next to Inuyasha with her arm wrapped around his.
Unbeknown to everyone in the group even Inuyasha himself...something sleeping within the half-demon was stirring in his mind. Something he had not let out in sometime since his fights with Goshinki, Sesshomorru, and the Moth demon back in that one village he helped save, but had slaughtered all those bandits in the process. It was his inner demon and with Inuyasha's new strength came the slow awakening of this beast as it had been dormant for far too long. It had been awake before in Inuyasha long before the rosary all those years ago as a child when his human mother died and his human side couldn't even comprehend the loss at such a level that was his loving mother. In fact if it wasn't for this demon of a beast that was Inuyasha demon birthright the human part of his mind would have been lost to the insanity after the impact of it all hit home. After all the human mind is such a frail and delicate thing compared to the demon side, which lacks hesitation and is more precise in its functioning of the body.
When the rosary was first put on Inuyasha the beast felt chains magically appeared as they bound him into a slowly submissive sleep aided by later by the Tetsuigia. He awoke again after that when demon sword that was Tetsuigia broke and was not in his hands or by his waist in the sheath when heavily injured. Now that the rosary had been removed and destroyed so were the mental chains and the sleepiness the chains produced that bound the beast. It was the reason he didn't' beast Sesshomorru after he slaughtered those human bandits and the horses they tried to escape in, but now that he was free. Well let's just say the growing possibilities of him being at the top of the demon food chain just went up...drastically in his side of the mind. 'Soon...very soon I will rise again in this body,' thought the demon side that was this beast as it stirred quietly awake as to not make his other half aware of his now his much awakened existence just yet.
For now it would watch every little thing that was slowly transpiring waiting for the right moment to arrive when it would appear and show its true power to world. While that was happening Inuyasha and the group met a much smaller yet familiar group of people they never thought they would see anytime soon. It was Inuyasha's older brother and Lord of the Western Lands Sesshomorru, his aid Jaken, the two headed dragon AhUn, and riding on AhUn was the little girl named Rin that had somehow convince Sesshomorru to take her in and protect her. "What are you doing here Inuyasha?" said Sesshomorru with a sheer look of disgust on his face that was as clear as sun on a cloudless day.
"Just passing through and it's really none of your business to begin with. What about you brother? Did you come here to kill me for Tetsuigia? Or are you just going out of your way to let me know you care about me?" Inuyasha sarcastically as he just looked at his older brother their eyes deadlocked on the other as if they were speaking into the others eyes.
Sesshomorru's narrowed noticeably as he sensed Inuyasha was somehow stronger then before as he saw a new found strength in Inuyasha's he knew was their, but all the other times it was always held back by something that was in his mind unnatural. At first he thought it was Inuyasha's human side as the thought of mixing demon and human blood together always made his stomach turn in knots multiple times. Now this feeling wasn't suppressed anymore. No! It wasn't suppressed anymore at all in fact if anything it was actually growing at a slow, but still graceful pace. "Normally your assumptions would have been correct Inuyasha when it came to me killing you for Tetsuigia however right now that s not the case. I'm actually here to see a shaman named Omen as he maybe able to regenerate my arm. An arm that YOU Inuyasha cut off outside our father's tomb when I transformed into my demon form," said Sesshomorru as he took out Tokijin and readied himself to attack Inuyasha as he needed forward to test Inuyasha's new found strength as to see just how far his little half-demon brother had progressed in his time with these ever pitiful humans and the weak demons that follow them.
At that moment Inuyasha's ever confident smile left him as his face was deathly serious and everyone felt the change in Inuyasha's mood as easily as one feels the change in the wind going from a breeze to a tornado. "It's not my fault our old man gave me his sword that you wanted as my inheritance. Considering that you exiled me and my mother when I was a child I'd say it was pretty could second place gift from the old dog wouldn't you agree," said Inuyasha releasing Tetsuigia from his sheath while walking forward his eyes blazing with that gold fire that was becoming more and more intimidating to the Lord of the Western Lands and he didn't like it.
Before they could get underway Rin jumped off AhUn and ran in-between the two demon brothers with her arms open all the way all the while facing Sesshomorru "Rin asks that Lord Sesshomorru not fight your brother. Brothers shouldn't fight like this as brothers are family and should be happy they have each other when they have no one else to turn to. If you fight your brother Lord Sesshomorru then Rin won't follow you anymore and go off on her own," said Rin definitely leaving everyone shocked that a little girl a human girl for that matter would have the courage to stand up to Sesshomorru whose was always cold as ice to humans and even less to half-demons, especially with Inuyasha included in that category.
Sesshomorru's face was at that current moment was unreadable even if you looked into his eyes you couldn't tell what he was thinking. He just stared at Rin's defiant eyes and form as she not once broke away from his amber golden demon ones as if she were trying to show him the truth to her words with her own eyes. "You are trying my patience Rin. You know I have a little patience when it comes to my brother and you are close to over taxing yourself with what little I have left. Did you actually mean it when you said you would leave me should I fight Inuyasha?" said Sesshomorru as his voice, face, and body were unreadable at that moment.
"Yes. Rin meant it and Rin will do it if Lord Sesshomorru attacks even once at his half-demon brother Inuyasha," said Rin raising her chin up slightly as proof that she would defy him if he even tried to advance pass her.
"ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!" yelled a voice out of the blue that seemed to come from the right of Rin, Inuyasha, and the others while left to Sesshomorru, Jaken, and AhUn.
They looked at the direction that the voice generated from and looked and saw nothing, but emptiness...until they realized that the nothingness that they originally was an illusion that was so powerful that it had fooled Sesshomorru's keen sense of sight. "Whose their? Show yourself!" said Sesshomorru readying Tokijin for battle while Inuyasha moved to shield Rin from harm with the broadness of Tetsuigia earning him a bow and nice "thank you" from the girl as she backed away and hid behind Inuyasha knowing he would in fact protect her if need be.
When the illusion finally dispelled itself they saw a strange hut like structure with strange symbols each different then the last all over it. There were two long poles with torches at he top of them that were near Inuyasha's height with fire and smoke coming out meaning that not only did the being's illusion fools the sense of sight, but that of smell as well of that of a demon. "As long as I say so there will be no fighting from anyone as long as you are here around or in my home. Is that understood?" said the figure in the home that was covered by light smoke and the shadows of the man's home.
"Are you the one known as Omen: The Mystical Shaman?" said Sesshomorru as he put Tokijin away as did Inuyasha, but rather reluctantly as he looked from the strange home to Rin who was scared of the man inside because of his booming voice and the powers he seemed to possess over the area.
"I am he you seek demon. I am Omen: The Mystical Shaman and am the outpost before you cross into the Valley of Death. State your business or move on and stop wasting my time and effort in creating this illusion," said Omen in a dark yet slight elderly like voice.
Sesshomorru looked at Inuyasha, then at Rin, and then back at the home before walking toward the structure. "My name is Sesshomorru Lord of the Western lands. Great shaman I request that you use your power to restore to me my left arm that I lost in a fight with my own brother," said Sesshomorru though from his tone of voice it sounded more like a demand then a request.
"Your request sounds more like a request Sesshomorru Lord of the Western Lands and normally I would grant such a request (Sesshomorru smirks). However, after what I have just witnessed between you, your brother, and the girl you travel with you do not deserve receive such a gift despite your 'request' for a restored arm. No. The one who intrigues me as well as the one I wish to see is you...Inuyasha," said Omen pointing towards Inuyasha with a slightly trembling shadowy finger.
"Me? Why me? And I never even told you my name so how do you no I'm Inuyasha and not someone else?" said Inuyasha his hand moved halfway to the hilt of his sword.
"I sense something in you half-demon. Something that I need t discuss with you about in private that the others should not hear," said Omen making Inuyasha curious as well as all the others wondering what in the world would the shaman want with Inuyasha that it would have to be a private matter.
Inuyasha decided to satisfy his curiosity as he walked over to the strange hut like house of a structure only to be stopped by a sudden weight on his pant leg, which he found to be Rin holding on to him for dear life. "Please don't go. Rin only safe now that you're here," said a clearly scared Rin that would have been humorous had the situation was currently not so...weird.
"I won't be going to far Rin. Why don't you go play with Shippo and Kilala over their, Sango, and Kikyo will watch over you, and by doing that we will make sure you have no reason to be afraid?" said Inuyasha hoping that would work and cheer the poor child up.
It seemed to have worked as Rin's eyes lit up like the stars at night as she ran over to Shippo and Kilala and started playing without a care in the world. 'Okay now down to business,' thought Inuyasha as he continued to walk into the hut, which once he stood in front of it looked much bigger then it looked originally.
Inuyasha entered the door less room only to have a long cloth cover it where he entered as he sat down legs crossed like Omen's legs were. When Inuyasha saw more of Omen he saw the shaman had on strange clothing with different animal symbols all over it. One was a fox, another a wolf, a cat, and dog to name a few of the symbols on the mans shirt while the mans face had wrinkles on it almost as many as Kaede meaning that Omen's age should be around Kaede's. "Thank you for accepting my invitation into my home Inuyasha as what I'm about to tell you must stay in this room and only should be revealed to the others if you absolutely trust that they will not try to betray you in the end," said Omen taking a handful of sand from a pile next to him and held it in his left hand while some of it fell out of the said hand while the right hand stayed unmoving as if it had yet to show a purpose to move.
"What would you want from me that you would call me in here and have me come in here to talk to you in secret? I don't know you and I don't trust you in whatever it is you may have to say to me," said Inuyasha trying to remain as calm as possible, but there was something going on in his head that he kept whispering to him and he didn't like it nor did he trust it.
"You can hear the call of the other side can't you Inuyasha? The call of dead that even now whispers to you strange things that you do not understand," said Omen as he then expanded his sand filled palm making the sand fall out more as his nearly closed eyes opened slightly.
"How do you know that?" said Inuyasha slightly worried that something was wrong with this situation and felt very uncomfortable.
"Because like you Inuyasha I can hear them, but unlike you I don't have the power to block them out as you do or rather...did. With the rosary gone and only your Tetsuigia by your waist the beast within you know all to well has awakened within you. You did not know up till now however, I can see it through my minds eye and through my power," said Omen opening his right hand raising it up ward to chest level out towards Inuyasha showing a blood red eye symbol on the palm while on the shaman's forehead appeared another eye, but a real one that now opened to its fullest glowing with a ocean like wave of blue and red with a shadowy eye center.
"What are you doing?" said Inuyasha suspiciously as Omen's right hand now open palm glowed red generating red lightning.
"Looking inside you to see just how far the beast has awakened within for once you loose your grip on Tetsuigia and are mortally wounded you will transform, but the way you did before hand. The rosary you once wore against your will stopped the full transformation you were supposed to go through. You have transformed on more then one occasion into meaning now that his time you will true demon form that will similar, but different to Sesshomorru demon form," said Omen as his eyes glowed white giving him that mystical look he already had only amplified several times.
"How will it be different? Will I hurt anyone? Will I kill anyone? Will I betray those who I hold dear that are my friends?" said Inuyasha worriedly as he would rather kill himself then have the beast in him kill them.
"Due to you being a half-demon you will have the power to stand upright on two legs as well as move on four. Your clothes will fortunately expand to match your body as that was one of their properties. The clothes you wear were designed by your father to adjust to the wearer to provide protection and support to the body should the wearer transform whether it was a half-demon or full fledged. Your body will be covered in pure white fur and your eyes will be red with the irises wreathed in flame as if you were the evil in itself that all holy men fear," said Omen noticing the demon blood in Inuyasha through his line of "sight" burning even more passionately within the half-demon's body.
"But will I kill anyone around me? Will I turn my friends and loved ones?" said Inuyasha getting aggravated that Omen was stirring away from his question.
Omen let in and out a deep breath and ALL of his eyes that were upon Inuyasha glowed more as if probing him for the answer he was seeking. "I sense the beast within you is dangerous Inuyasha and even I cannot tell what it will do if freed. It may be your purest blessing or be your darkest curse, but as long as your will and soul are strong you will be able to protect those you love with all your half-demon heart. Whether it's the strong willed demon slayer, the noble undead priestess, or the loyal fiery cat demon that seems to have taken a liking to you recently. Believe in yourself and you will not fall even if the beast is released from his cage you can control him if you desire to do," said Omen as his third eye closed, his right hand lowered, and his left hand shifted slightly at an angle to the left dumping the sand back into the pile he pulled it from.
"Is that all I have to do?" said Inuyasha not meaning to sound disrespectful if at all, but he had to know if that was all there was to it as he slowly got up from the ground.
"Yes. Just remember what I told you Inuyasha and should be fine," said Omen nodding his head towards Inuyasha who saw the cloth that draped the door role up allowing him to leave.
When Inuyasha came out he was immediately bombarded by everyone except Kagome and Sesshomorru about what went on in the strange home of the shaman though he never got a word in because they kept interrupting him. Kilala went up to Inuyasha and jumped up to him to his chest level making Inuyasha catch her in his muscled arms so she could snuggle into his chest. It was then that Inuyasha remembered Omen's words that Kilala really did like him more then just traveling companion or even a friend, but someone who loves him like a man loves a woman. Not only that, but Sango was acting that way as well towards him, as did Kikyo though Kikyo was already in love with him, but that was beside the point. "It seems Inuyasha you have quite the luck of the draw when it comes to attracting lovely ladies to your side," said Miroku laughing while Inuyasha and the others around him blushed in embarrassment.
Rin being the most naïve of them was clueless while Shippo finally understood what Miroku was chuckling about earlier about Inuyasha. "So that's why you were holding back laughter as you thought Inuyasha was going to be with Kikyo, Sango, and Kilala," said Shippo who realizing his mistake in blurting that out covered his mouth and ran for cover from the wrath of Inuyasha...behind Jaken.
Inuyasha however, just laughed his head off at Shippo's nature as it was to be expected from all their previous encounters. This time though it didn't matter anymore there was nothing to be angry about as it was the truth, but this was a truth you could actually be happy about. With him and Kagome it was a false truth that made him get angry because it made people think that their "relationship" was something that it was not. "Don't worry Shippo I'm not mad at you, but I will have to pummel the monk later for now we will be going to the Valley of Death," said Inuyasha all the while seeing the now all to happy expression Shippo's face and then to the paled and worried expression on Miroku's face for what he just said.
"What did Omen speak to you about Inuyasha? What was it that he had to speak with you in private about?" said Sesshomorru curious as to see a faint tint of demon energy now surrounding Inuyasha's body outline, but it was so hard to see that even he ha trouble seeing it.
"That's for me to know and for you two (points to Kagome and Sesshomorru) to never find out. Lets get out of here and head to the Valley of Death before we have to wait another day," said Inuyasha before planting a kiss on Sango, Kikyo, and then finally on Kilala earning a blush triplet out of the group before they took off with Rin on his upper back and right shoulder while he held Kilala gently with his left hand.
"Jaken were leaving," said Sesshomorru following Inuyasha with AhUn following its master not far behind him
"But my Lord what about the shaman?" said Jaken not full understanding his master's intentions for following his half-demon brother.
"Omen would have healed my arm if he thought I was worthy and he is too powerful to fight against so there is no point in trying to persuade him to do so otherwise. As for following Inuyasha there is something different about him that must be investigated in a very thorough manner," said Sesshomorru as he secretly wanted to watch over Rin even though he knew it was beneath him to even consider doing such a thing.
(Elsewhere...)
A little half-demon bat of a girl named Shiori was running for her life as her mother and the village she lived in was attack by cruel bandits. The type of bandits that were always enjoying pillaging villages just for fun not caring about the consequences of their actions. She had been running for two days now and only stopped to hide or find food to feed her malnourish body as it was hard to eat in the village. Even though Shiori had helped save the village from doom when Inuyasha and his friends had helped her in her time of need. 'I wish Inuyasha was here to protect me,' thought Shiori as she finally stopped for the day to rest and regain what strength could before heading out lost into the lands without her mother and now all alone.
(A/N: This chapter I think may have been weak I don't know I may have to re-edit this one, but I won't until you tell me what you guys think. I think it needs a little work, but not too much I don't know I kind of got lost in my writing and I hit a couple of writer's block walls along the way because I wanted to get this as perfect as possible. Okay everyone the voting polls are still open for now and I have some very interesting news I got another vote in for Sango making it a current tally of Kikyo 2, Sango 3, and Kilala is at 4 still. Getting awfully close as it won't be long before the poll closes. I think I will end the poll AFTER chapter 5 comes up. Keep on reviewing as you guys rock. I do kind of wish I had more reviews though. I'll get them later. Anyway keep it up.)
