Hana cried… she cried and cried… Her throat was sore from her screaming out Inu's name… he couldn't be… this wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to stay with her forever… Damn it, she felt so useless right now… how could she call herself an elemental sorcerous when she couldn't even use her powers to save the man she loved so deeply?
Sniffling, Hana looked at her hand and stared at the star shaped sapphire that Inu had given her… How could she admire its beauty when the one that gave it to her was long gone?
"Inu… damn it, you promised that you would never fall in battle to scum…" Takai sobbed out… that was the promise that they had made when they were younger… the young man could still remember that day so clearly…
Inu and Takai sat on the roof of the school, Inu had just taken care of some bullies that were trying to beat up both of the boys. Though, Inu had easily taken care of those jerks. Sure, Takai normally didn't fight in those kinds of battles but this time, there was a problem…
There was a girl that those guys were trying to grab at if you get his drift.
Inu had managed to kick those assholes asses. Which, was a bit tougher than he had thought that it would be this time… for this time, Inu had to use part of his demon strength to beat them, though it was still an easy battle none the less… but it made Inu wonder how many battles he could do to keep his inhuman strength a secret… it didn't make sense to him, but sometimes, he felt like they only wanted to fight him to get a taste of his power… to get a taste of his strength first hand.
Shaking his head, Inu turned to his friend as Takai pulled out some of the box lunches from Inu's bag… this was pretty much normal by now. Takai preferred the lunches that Inu's mother made, so his mom made an extra lunch for Takai, and of course the young teen would go into his bag and take out his lunch box which would be purple while Inu's was red so they wouldn't get mixed up in the least.
Though, it would be nice if Takai gave Inu some kind of heads up before going into his bag, it was starting to get annoying by now. Sighing softly, Inu walked over to his bag and pulled out his lunch box after Takai had pulled out the one for him.
"So, what do you think is going to happen now Inu?" asked the young teen as he started to eat his lunch.
Inu just shrugged; he didn't really know what was going to happen… Looking over at his best friend, Inu noticed that Takai had at least a black eye and a few scratches on his face… A sure sign that he was in the middle of a fight…
A fight where he barley did anything…
Running his clawed hand through his hair, Inu sat down and started to eat his ramen… though, as he ate, he couldn't help but wonder why the fights were always getting tougher and tougher… Was it something about Inu that brought people to him to fight? If so, what was it? What could it possibly be?
Shaking his head, the young man kept on eating his meal… but then, he had thought of something… "Yo, Takai…"
"Yeah?"
"Let's make a promise…"
"What kind of promise? Don't tell me you're going to ask me out." laughed Takai, falling over onto his back as he stared at the look on his friend's face, which only served to piss off the young hanyou all the more.
"Dude that is just wrong, I like girls." Growled out Inu, narrowing is eyes into slits as he stared at his laughing friend. Shaking his head, Inu calmly said "I meant a promise that we won't let anyone beat us no matter what. No matter who the opponent is, we will never let them beat us. We will never fall to scum."
Takai stopped laughing and sat up with a nod. He liked that idea… there was no way that they were ever going to let anyone beat them. Ever! With that, Inu and Takai gave each other a high five that echoed through the entire school… only to be added with a yell of pain.
"Dude you broke my hand!"
"I'm sorry!"
Takai just couldn't believe it… their one promise had been broken… Inu had been defeated by his opponent and now… he was gone. There was no way that this can be happening, yet Inu's pale complexion was all the proof he needed to be told that he was gone. The young slayer slammed his fist into the ground, feeling like he had failed to keep Inu safe… they protected and helped each other for Inu was the only friend he had, as was Takai for Inu.
"Hana, we have to move his body somewhere safe."
"…"
It seemed that Hana was in shock… not that Takai could blame her… it was so easy to tell that she loved the half-demon despite what his bloodline was. Narrowing his eyes, Takai grabbed Inu's body and carried him on his back. They had to get out of there to keep Inu safe… it was the least that they could do for him…
Grabbing Hana's arm, Takai started to run as fast as he could. Hana had a little trouble trying to keep up, though she knew that they had to get out of there… least when she snapped out of her shock.
Takai ran as far and as fast as his legs would allow… he had to guess that they were at least twenty feet away from where the battle was taking place… that was a bit of a good thing for them for the time being. Gently setting Inu down on the grass, Takai stared at Inu's peaceful face…
If it wasn't for the hole in his chest, it looked like Inu was only sleeping… and having a peaceful dream at that.
But that wasn't the case, they knew that he was gone… there was no way that anyone could survive a blow to the chest like that… Rubbing his forehead, Takai didn't know what they are to do now… There was no way that they could keep carrying Inu's body like this… it would start to slow them down, but he also wouldn't just leave his best friend's body…
"I can't believe he's really gone…"
"I know… Inu was always so tough and never backed down from a battle… Whatever happened before must have prevented him from knowing any danger was near him… It must have tugged at his heart to have prevented that from happening." Takai whispered softly, looking over at the teary woman whom, his friend had fallen in love with; Takai wondered if there was anything that they could do for him… "Hana, can we do anything to help Inu?"
Hana could only shake her head. "No… those spells were lost to my family for a very long time. We don't know if the spells were real or not."
Takai cursed, this was just great! This was not what they needed right now… He would have to think of a better plan right about now…
Meanwhile…
Inu opened his eyes… blinking slowly, he wondered where he was… The world around him was nothing but darkness… where was he? Standing on his shaky feet, the young man tried to remember what had happened… Rubbing his forehead, the young man tried to think… tried to think on where he could be… but… he couldn't…
He didn't even remember his name…
Shaking his head, he wondered around… thinking that maybe this world would give him some answers… wherever this was…
AS he looked, he couldn't help but see strange places… a nice looking homey building… standing there was a woman with long black hair… beautiful brown eyes and a warm smile. Inu just stared at her… he knew her… he… he didn't know how but he knew her.
"… Mom…?" was the word that Inu thought of… was that really his mother? It would make some sense… he had her hair colouring… and her eyes… Looking down, he saw a pond… kneeling down in front of it, Inu tilted his head to the side… wondering why this pond was here… it wasn't before… Shaking his head, Inu poked the water, wanting to make sure that it was real…
As soon the tip of his finger hit the water, Inu heard something…
"Inu…"
Huh?
"Inuyasha…"
Inuyasha…? Was that his name? What kind of name was Inuyasha? He preferred…
"Inu… that's my name…"
"That is correct…"
Looking around, Inu wanted to know what was going on… who was that? Who was talking to him? But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find the source of the voice… it was as if he was talking to himself, rather than hearing a new voice… for the voice sounded like his own… no, not completely like his own, it was deeper and filled with a higher wisdom than his own…
"Who are you?" called out Inu as he looked around, trying to figure out just who this mystery man was.
"Why, I am a part of you Inu…"
Growling Inu rose to his feet and lifted a fist as if getting ready for a fight… or wanting a fight. "Just who the fuck are you damn it!" This was really starting to piss off the young hanyou; there was no way that he was going to let this… mystery man mess with his head! Narrowing his eyes, the young man kept on looking around for any source of the man… wanting to see why he was tormenting him like this!
"Now, now Inu… I only wish to speak to my grandson."
"Grandson?"
Looking at the fog that had surrounded the place, Inu noticed a figure coming out of it… It was a tall man with long hair pulled up in a high ponytail… Though, what had confused Inu the most was the face…
The man looked like an older version of Inu, and a more mature version of his father… wait… how did he know what his father looked like?
Looking at the man's outfit, it was an outfit that almost looked like his Uncle Sesshoumaru's kimono… wait a minute… he has an uncle? Shaking his head, he stared at the man, though he couldn't help but notice the armour he wore… it almost looked like Sesshoumaru's but, this had more metal plating… and the strange furry thing wasn't around his shoulder like Sesshoumaru's was… no, it hung past his shoulders almost like a cape… and finally, there were the blue stripes on his cheeks…
Those were the only differences between himself and this man…
But for some reason… he wasn't shocked or confused as to why he has silver hair and golden eyes that shined like the morning sun…
"Who are you?"
"I'm your grandfather." Said the man in a kind voice… Inu couldn't believe this… this man was his grandfather… wait… did he ever meet his grandfather before? He couldn't remember… his memories were still missing… the only thing he could remember… was his own name. "And your past life…"
Wait… past life… what did he mean by that? There was no way that this man could be his past life… if that were the case than this man had to be dead and… wait…
"Am I…?"
"Dead?"
"Yeah…"
"Yes and no…"
What did that mean? How can he be dead but at the same time not? That did NOT make any kind of sense to the young man in the least.
His grandfather on the other hand just chuckled softly as he walked over to his grandson. Snapping his fingers, two stumps appeared which allowed for the two of them to sit down. "Inu… do you know what you are?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think… does this appearance seem familiar to you at all?" said his grandfather… that had gotten Inu to think… he has seen his reflection but, for some reason it didn't seem right for him at all… Frowning, Inu tried to think… but no matter what he couldn't think… But he did want some answers…
"Where are we?"
"The border of the spirit world."
"The border?"
"Yes, you see… you were not meant to die yet Inu. You still had your whole life ahead of you but… the item you were protecting was stolen from you and you had lost your life… so to speak, in the process."
He tried to think… wait… he could faintly remember images…
A girl…
A boy…
A tall man who he knew had to be his father…
A short teenager with a tail…
Were these people important in his life? They had to be… why else would he see them in his mind… Shaking his head, Inu looked up at his grandfather once more as he asked "why can't I remember much?"
The man gave a sad smile as he said "it's because you died a violent death. You were meant to live a peaceful life with the one you love." Inu rubbed his forehead, trying to think on the people that had popped up into his mind… The boy… no, the teen… he remembered him… dark hair and blue sapphire eyes… a pervert…
His best friend Takai… he remembered him…
But who was the girl? Gritting his teeth, he tried to think on her… tried to focus on her…
"Don't push yourself Inu. You cannot remember all of them if you force yourself too. You will remember once you know who you are."
Inu looked up at his grandfather, what did he mean by that? He knew what he was… he was a human… wasn't he?
"Inu… your whole life you've wondered why you've had these powers… the powers that came from your heritage… the powers that course through your very veins… the blood of a demon, and a priestess."
"Demon? Priestess?"
"Yes, your mother was a priestess; your father was a half-demon that had turned into a demon while you were being conserved."
"Gross, that is something I did not want to hear."
His grandfather could only chuckle. Ah to be young and alive once more…
Inu just stared at his grandfather, wondering if there was more to be said… "Inu… you hold a power that has been long forgotten. You absorbed dark energy and purify it within your very body and unleash it. But you never learned how to control it. Every time you would absorb the energy, it would remain dark because you are not using your sacred powers."
He could remember that… every time he would suck in dark energy from people… but was always transformed because he held in too much of that negative energy… Shaking his head, Inu just stared at his grandfather, as if asking him to explain more about it… but was too afraid to ask… not that you could blame him… even while he was nothing but a soul, his grandfather still contained great and frightening power…
"You only wanted to fight… so because of that your own negative energy would mix causing it to grow till you would almost burst from the energy. If you want it to be pure… you need to think of something positive."
Think of something positive… what did he have to think about that would be positive? People hated him… people only wanted to be with him because he was powerful, strong… wait… He remembered someone… his friend Takai didn't care about his powers. He thought that his powers were amazing… he was the first one outside of his family to have accepted him for who he was…
Then… there was Hana… His face went red thinking about her… she… she looked at him with joy… she looked at him as if he was normal and not something else… how could he have forgotten about her? He… he loves her…
Rubbing his eyes, Inu felt like his heart was breaking… he remembered how he died… the Shikon was within his heart… and Naraku stole it pretending to be his father…
"Inu… what is true power…?"
Inu narrowed his eyes as he knew the answer… it wasn't just training… it wasn't about seeking power… it wasn't about destroying your enemies or destroying at all. No, it was nothing like that. It was… "the power to protect… the power to protect those you hold dear in your heart. It's about protecting those you love and who mean the world to you."
His grandfather couldn't help but smile… he had learned a lesson that took his two sons hundreds of years to learn. Chuckling, the older man rose to his feet and stared at his grandson… now, there was only his memories that he had to deal with… the only way to awaken… "Tell me Inu… who are you…?"
Inu blinked in confusion… staring up at his grandfather as he tried to think of the answer… no, he didn't have to think at all. For, the young man already knew that answer. Rising to his feet, Inu said "I am Inuyasha Higurashi, son of Inuyasha and Kagome, grandson of InuTashino the TaiYoukai of the West and, the protector of the Shikon no Tama!"
InuTashino smiled, he was impressed though what really made him smile was as Inu had said those words, his human body disappeared in a burst of light… and was replaced by his hanyou body… though his birthmarks were now coloured in… now, they were sapphire blue much like his own… Patting his grandson on the shoulder, he calmly said "you can go back now…"
"But… my heart was…"
"Yes, I know that it was removed… but do not worry Inu…"
"Why?"
InuTashino smiled before he explained the reason why… just why and how Inu was going to return…
Takai and Hana had grabbed a blanket and pulled it over Inu's body… least, up to his shoulders. It would protect his body while Takai went to help Inuyasha. As for Hana, she could easily create a barrier around herself to keep herself safe. Takai hasn't left yet, for he was preparing for battle.
"You sure you're going to be alright on your own Hana?" asked Takai for what felt like the hundredth time. Hana just nodded, she knew that it was risky to be by herself but at the moment, she didn't think that she could leave Inu yet… she wanted to stay with him for as long as possible before they were to bury him. It was the least she could do right?
"I'm sure Takai… Inuyasha and Shippou need you right now… not me. I can easy protect myself."
Nodding, Takai ran off, sword in hand…
Hana sighed softly, looking at her hand… staring at the necklace that Inu had given her… who would have known that he had made something so beautiful… he seemed like a rough and tough guy that would never make this kind of thing… but, it showed just how sensitive he could be despite hiding or wanting to hide it.
It made her wonder if they would meet in heaven… though, for some reason she had started to doubt it… that they would never meet up in heaven at all…
Sniffling, Hana started to cry softly in her hands… feeling that she had failed him… she never had a chance to tell him how she felt… he told her and… and she couldn't… She just couldn't tell him how she had felt. Right now, it felt like her heart was being crushed because she couldn't have told him about her love for him.
"Inu, I'm so sorry…" sobbed out the crying woman.
Suddenly, there was a groan…
Blinking in confusion, Hana looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from… it made her worry that it was a demon that had found them… that it smelt Inu's flesh and wanted to devour him. But, when she looked down… Hana thought that she saw his skin regaining some colour… but how was that possible? There was no way that he should have regained his colouring… (Not that she was complaining)
Slowly, Hana reached her hand out to Inu's neck… letting her last shred of hope to hang by a single thread…
She pressed two fingers onto his neck… trying to see if what she thought was really happening… that he was really coming back to her… Gulping, Hana waited for any sign of a pulse… she waited… and waited… But nothing… there wasn't a pulse… Hana felt that her world had crashed down on her once more. Her hope was ripped out of her when she failed to feel a pulse in Inu…
But, just before she removed her fingers… she felt it…
… Thump… thump… thump…
It couldn't be…
Thump… thump… thump…
She felt it… a small and weak pulse in the base of his neck… he was really coming back! Or, was this only a sign that he was getting weaker and weaker, as a way to torment her? Hana didn't want to think about it… that he was going to be forever out of her reach. She just wanted to be with him but…
Thump, thump, thump, thump
His pulse was… stronger? Staring at him with tear filled eyes; Hana didn't know what was going on… was he really coming back to her? Or was this a trick of her depressed state? She didn't know… and didn't care… it brought hope back into her life…
"Inu?" whispered Hana after removing her fingers from his neck… she just stared at him… as if waiting for a responds… to see if he had somehow returned to the world of the living. Though… right now it didn't seem like he was going to respond to her at all… maybe, just maybe it had been wishful thinking… that it was only in her head. That she wanted to have Inu so bad that she would have resulted in only thinking that he had regain a pulse… that he had somehow regain colour into his skin.
Just as she was about to turn her head away, unable to stare at Inu anymore… the most amazing thing had happened just then…
Inu's eyes had snapped open.