After a long night of silent travel they had arrived at the great dog demons domain it was about four in the morning and as the great demons son and the quarter demon following him landed at the front door of the castle they both heard the familiar voice of the great demon himself.
" so you have finally returned, I knew you would need my help again one day." Inu no Taisho spoke from behind them as they all stood in the courtyard of the enormous castle.
" understand one thing, I do not need the help of anyone in fact I could cut you down where you stand Inu no Taisho, I simply choose to ally myself with you because it will help to achieve my goal." Hatake spoke sternly staring his mentor straight in the eyes. Sesshomaru watched in awe as he had never seen someone disrespect his father in such a manor as this.
" hm, it seems nothing has changed about you still as arrogant as always for such a little boy." Inu no Taisho spoke with somewhat of a chuckle. " anyway let us go somewhere more private and discuss what you have each learned and see what we know about our common goal." he motioned for them to enter as the castle doors slowly creaked open. Just as Sagara took a step forward to enter the castle a snow flake fell before his face.
" ill catch up to you guys in a minute it seems we have a little bit of company." he spoke in a whisper.
" agreed you may take care of this Sesshomaru come with me and debrief your mission there's many things we must discuss." Inu no Taisho spoke as he turned and entered the castle his son following closely glancing over his shoulder at the strange man he had brought back with him.
" show your self I know your there." Sagara spoke loudly to ensure the intruder could hear him. snow had now begun to fall heavily from the sky and the air chilled all was silent except for the sound of light foot steps approaching. From around a tree a challenger emerged. Sagara was surprised to see the petite woman that silently approached him carrying a katana on her side, the energy he had sensed was very great and absolutely couldn't belong to this little girl. She was very tiny in size with soft pale white skin medium length black hair and soft violet eyes. Once completely in view she stared Sagara up and down noting his odd appearance.
" you must be the one who killed all of my brothers men." the women spoke in a soft tone.
" and what exactly makes you jump to that conclusion?" Sagara wondered with a small smirk on his face.
" you walk around with the stench of death lingering over you as though you were the reaper himself." she spoke again as she watched the reactions of the man before her attempting to judge the type of character he was.
" hm, well that isn't a very nice way to say hello, especially after you followed me all the way here, who are you and what exactly is it that you want women I have much to do and your wasting my time." Sagara grew impatient allowing his temper to flare a little bit at the woman's remark.
" my name is Rukia Kurisuchi you killed my brothers men and you aim to kill my brother that is why I am here." Rukia spoke in a stern voice offended that this man saw her as a waste of his time.
" oh, well that changes everything Miss Rukia excuse me for not realizing sooner, my name is Hatake of the lightning, and I am the one who has cut down well over thirty of your brothers soldiers and I plan to continue until he himself is dead." Sagara spoke coldly watching the women to interpret her reaction the girl smiled before drawing her sword. Her blade shined and sparkled as though it were a crystal gleaming in the sunlight, a cold frost over took the area and the heavy snow seemed to pick up even more, dawn was approaching and the moonlight was slowly fading the sky still black was slowly brightening from the rising sun.
" lets see what you have boy." Rukia stated as she stood ready for battle. Sagara drew his sword and without hesitation launched at the girl who he was now face to face with as their swords crossed with an amused smirk on his face. His speed surprised the girl and took her off guard she was barley able to keep up with any movement he made but regardless they crossed blades continuously dancing threw the trees surrounding the castle in an intense battle. Finally coming to a small clearing they stopped Rukia stood breathing heavily in the middle of the field barley able to continue standing she was so exhausted. Sagara on the other hand stood just a couple of feet away his sword hanging over one shoulder as he patiently waited for his opponent to catch her breath he seemed very amused at the fight this little girl put up. " why do you wait for me what kind of ignorant asshole are you!" Rukia shouted feeling pitiful as she watched the man with an amused smirk waiting patiently for her to make another move.
" to see the extent of your power." Sagara smiled at the enraged look on the girls face.
" you want to see the extent of my power fine prepare to die!" the enraged girl screamed as she held out her sword, she quietly mumbled something Sagara couldn't quite make out before her sword sparkled and she launched another attack spikes of ice instantly began to emerge from the ground and surrounding area as though being born of thin air it seemed they emerged in accordance with her will forcing Sagara to move certain ways as she lunged at him again. With the sound of steel clashing ringing threw the area she forced him right where she wanted him backed into a corner she made a move for her final blow he had no where left to run she stabbed at his undefended body just as dawn broke threw and began to illuminate the sky. To her great surprise he vanished in a flash. Rukia quickly turned around when she heard the strange sound of lightning crackling she watched in horror as her opponent walked towards her his sword glowing blue and vibrating with power, for the first time she noticed his intense eyes before she realized what had happened those eyes were centimeters from her own their noses touched. She noticed their lips not even an inch away from each other she stared at the mans intense eyes she hadn't noticed how handsome he was until now, she couldn't help but think these things as she stood there defenseless.
" its over." he whispered his amused smirk growing even larger at the look of surprise that over came her beautiful violet eyes. In a flash he was gone and was behind her roughly smacking the girl in the back of the head with the handle of his sword catching her in one arm as she fell to the ground unconscious. He quickly threw the small girl over his shoulder and jumped threw the trees back to the castle as the sun took over the sky. Sagara landed on a second floor balcony where Sesshomaru had been waiting watching the battle unfold from above.
" that was some show, you can put the girl down in the room right threw those doors." Sesshomaru motioned to the only door on the balcony. " this will be your room for now just make sure to monitor her at all times never let her out of your sight." he explained.
" easy enough." Sagara nodded as he reemerged from the room leaving the door open so he could keep one eye on the girl that now lay in the bed residing in the room. "so what did your father have to say about all this?" Sagara questioned Sesshomaru.
" not much he told me we should sit still and wait here for a few days while he learns as much as possible about what is going to happen in Kyoto and that we shouldn't act just yet, also i'm sure that girl has some useful information." Sesshomaru motioned to Rukia. " he also told me to give you this." Sesshomaru handed him an old beat up story book with no printed title or author. " he said you should read that." and with that Sesshomaru walked back threw the room and out into the hall of the castle. Sagara looked at the book confused. No one had ever taught him how to read or write before.. he walked into his room shutting the door behind him he pulled a chair up to the side of the sleeping girl placing his book on the night stand he took in her appearance. She seemed peaceful compared to the angry girl he had just been fighting with she was calm and seemed to be at rest her beautiful black bangs hiding parts of her face. Then he noticed the small lump that had grown on the back of her head where he had hit her he couldn't help but feel a little bad for the girl. He leaned back in his chair and patiently waited for her to awake so he could ask her some questions. A couple of hours had gone by and she still hadn't woken up it was now mid afternoon and Sagara's patients had worn thin. He picked up the book and began flipping threw the pages trying to understand what the words on them meant, when he couldn't figure it out he tossed the book across the room in frustration it fell and landed open on a page with a distinctive picture. Just then the body of the girl next to him rustled a little and she turned over snuggling the blankets up to her chin. Her violet eyes fluttered open and she jumped into a sitting position startled by the company of Sagara staring at her curiously from the bedside. She pulled the blankets up to cover her chest before she noticed she was still fully dressed and then recalled the events of the night before. Sagara waited patiently as he stared at the girl curiously.
" what the fuck are you staring at creep." Rukia spoke in a harsh tone as she turned her back on him.
" clearly I was staring at you bitch, I've been waiting for hours for you to wake up." Sagara replied in a similar annoyed tone. The girl swiftly turned around and slapped him harshly across the face, looking into his memorizing eyes as her facial expressions went from an angry surprised face to a soft and seemingly shy look. His anger from the slap quickly dissipated as his eyes met her large violet pools and he quickly became lost in her gaze.
" that is no way to speak to a lady." Rukia whispered as she blushed.
" well that is no way for a lady to speak." Sagara replied back smirking now the red hand print glowing on his face. " your sword is on the dresser your welcome to leave when ever you like, but I have a few questions first." Sagara began.
" wait you said i'm welcome to leave...why would you take me prisoner just to let me go?" Rukia wondered dumbfounded by what he had just said to her.
" prisoner? I simply defeated you in battle and had some questions for you I do not intend to hold you against your will." Sagara spoke honorably.
" ok. Well ill compromise I will agree to answer all of your questions if you agree to answer mine." Rukia demanded folding her arms as she stared at Sagara waiting for a reply.
" fine, first what were you doing here last night." Sagara questioned.
" I was following you after I saw you kill those men." Rukia answered honestly.
" why follow me." Sagara asked.
" I wanted to know who you were and see how strong you really were." Rukia whispered now looking down into her fidgeting hands.
"did your brother send you." Sagara wondered.
" no..." Rukia answered allowing herself to trail off. " my turn!" she suddenly looked up and stared directly into his eyes. This made him feel weird no one ever looked at him this way except his mother no one had ever dared look him in the eyes even Inu no Taisho avoided eye contact with him when ever possible. Sagara nodded in approval for her to continue with her questions. " why didn't you kill me last night." she wondered.
Sagara smirked. " the way you looked at me reminded me of someone I once knew, and when I found out who you were I decided you might be useful and have some answers for me." Sagara spoke truthfully.
" so why did you toy with me why didn't you defeat me right away.." Rukia had been wondering this since she had awoken continuing to recall the embarrassing moment right before her defeat where their lips were so close all she could remember was wanting to push up and kiss him in that intense moment before everything went black and she woke up here this caused her to blush furiously.
" I wanted to see how strong you were." Sagara replied chuckling as he scratched his head looking at her as though that was obvious.
" ok..." she said still blushing. " why do you hate my brother and wish to kill him?" she questioned with a serious look over taking her shy one.
His face also grew serious when he heard the question he had been expecting. " two years ago, under the order of your brother twenty men came to my small home in the woods where I lived with my mother, they had been given orders to kill us both, no man with such cowardice morals should be aloud to live, all because his vile men attempted to violate my mother and I cut them down he sent a small army to kill us both because of your brother my mother died, and I killed every single one of his men that was there." Sagara answered in a low deep tone.
" what is your name?" Rukia asked with a sad look staring deep into the lonely eyes of the man at her side.
" Hatake of the light..." Sagara began to speak but was interrupted.
" no your real name." Rukia asked again.
" how did you know?" Sagara smirked.
" I have spent much time studying the stories of the legendary Hatake of the lightning and I've come to realize it is impossible that you could be the original your recent appearances have brought up a lot of talk of the name and I thoroughly looked into it, so who are you really?" Rukia questioned.
" my name is Sagara Taisho." he spoke proudly. Rukia held out her hand as though to greet him. Sagara hesitantly took her hand in his and shook it.
" hello Sagara Taisho i'm Rukia Kurisuchi and i'm going to help you kill my brother." she spoke cheerfully with a wide smirk spreading across her face at the puzzled look that over came Sagara.
" I don't understand, I thought you came here last night to kill me for killing his men?" Sagara asked confused at the girls motives.
" actually it was the exact opposite, I've been trying to kill that twisted bastard for years but i'm just not strong enough.." she lowered her head. For two years now I've heard rumors of a ruthless killer who goes by the name Hatake of the lightning. I've been searching for you for sometime and when I finally found you barging in on a meeting organized by my brother and his men I watched and saw what you did and I was impressed, but I needed to see the extent of your power that's why I followed you here." Rukia explained.
" fair enough." Sagara nodded in understanding. " but why do you want to kill your brother?" he questioned.
" my brother is a sick twisted killer he allows his soldiers to kill women and children and innocent people and will participate himself if he feels like it and someone has to stop him!" Rukia shouted. " you could have killed a lot of innocent people last night if I hadn't saved them.." she whispered. " the only way I will agree to help you is if you promise to not hurt or endanger the lives of innocent people, if you do then your no better then he is." she spoke strongly with confidence in her voice. Sagara looked at her curiously and thought for a moment.
" your right, and your help would be most valuable I agree no more innocent people can be put in harms way." Sagara nodded in approval to this new rule. Rukia smiled.
" good now why did you throw that book?" she wondered staring at the book that lay on the floor before quickly jumping out of bed and running to it when she noticed the picture on the open page. She stared at the page for a moment and then stared deeply into Sagara's eyes then back at the book. This caused him to blush he was unsure of what she was doing and was slightly embarrassed.
" well the lord of this castle Inu no Taisho gave me that to read." he started off. " but I don't know how to read." he finished looking down embarrassed at his lack of education.
" wait were in Inu no Taisho's castle?" Rukia questioned. " and he gave you this?" she began to sound very excited.
" yes." Sagara looked at her curiously.
" I will read it to you." Rukia smiled when she saw Sagara's beautiful orange eyes lite up.
" thank you Rukia I would like that very much." Sagara smiled at the petite girl who sat on the bed in front of him and began reading the book. " Rukia thanks for not laughing at me." Sagara struggled to thank her as she read, she stopped for a second.
" its ok Sagara really." Rukia whispered with a smile spreading across her face as she continued reading the book. The book told a story of a long forgotten people. Demons of elements stories that dated back to the beginning of time, skipping ahead threw descriptions and stories of many different demons Rukia located the page she had seen before the one with the picture of the Sharingan eye. Along side the picture was a short tale of a lost civilization of ancient dog demons. Specific to these demons was the blood line trait of the Sharingan eye the visual prowess of a god. Many other tribes coveted and feared this power which caused many wars for the fierce tribe of warriors. Throughout the years and many battles the number of able users of this ability dwindled and eventually faded away and although the power has long since been gone for over three thousand years it is said that many of its secrets still lie with the remaining full blooded dog demon tribe. Many demon tribes perceived these bearers of the Sharingan eye to be gods. Lord Shen-sui Kurisuchi first human ruler of a united Japan foretold that the return of the Sharingan was surely a sign of judgment and the earth would be reborn anew. " that's all it says." Rukia whispered.
" that doesn't make sense." Sagara looked even more confused.
" well maybe I can help explain a little bit more." Rukia began. "when I worked for my brother he once became worried about the return of the Sharingan, so he had me learn everything I could about it now I couldn't find out much but what I do know is that since the time this book was printed until now there has only ever been two recorded appearances of the Sharingan. The first was over two thousand years old when the great Hatake Taisho appeared and liberated all the lands of japan from the tyranny of the wolf clans. The other was just a couple of years ago when one of my brothers men reported a small child with strange eyes and unrivaled skill with a sword, he told a story of a blood thirsty demon child. I instantly knew him and his men had been judged by the Sharingan and that soon all of us would meet its judgment I attempted to convince my brother to dismiss it as a hoax but even against my advice he sent a large group of men to find and kill the child. Needless to say none of those men were ever heard from again this worried my brother so he himself with his best group of fighters dispatched to the location me included. When we arrived all that was left was blood and graves, they had all been judged." Rukia spoke softly. " but i'm sure you know about all of that better then I do.." she added.
" that was the day I took you, Sagara." Inu no Taisho spoke as he leaned in the door way of the room.
" I remember." Sagara spoke in a low tone staring up at Inu no Taisho who had intruded.
" I have some bad news, Byakuya has moved his invasion of the country up early this morning he invaded Kyoto and took over all the capital buildings and surrounding military bases.
" were out of time.." Rukia spoke softly.
" not exactly." Inu no Taisho replied earning a confused look from both Rukia and Sagara. " Sesshomaru was dispatched minutes after I received the news hes going to gather all of our followers and they will meet here at my castle in five days. We will have an army to fight back with." Inu no Taisho explained.
" you don't understand its not enough my brothers resources are near endless." Rukia spoke in a low depressed tone as she looked down at her hands.
" if you wish to sit out Rukia then so be it but I will stand and fight until me or Byakuya Kurisuchi is dead." Sagara answered standing up. " whats the plan Inu no Taisho I assume you have one." Sagara questioned.
" naturally, you will train for the next five days and master the Sharingan and you will be our secret weapon." the tall white haired demon lord explained.
" that's not long enough!" Rukia yelled frustrated at their stubbornness.
" she may be right I don't know if I can master it that quickly I barley know anything about it." Sagara questioned this plan.
" actually you know more then you think, the first day I met you I watched you use one of the three great powers of the Mangekyō called Tsukuyomi and also from the way Sesshomaru described what you did to that man the other night I would say that was also Tsukuyomi am I right?" Inu no Taisho questioned. Sagara just nodded.
" but what about the other two he hasn't even begun to use or figure those out how can he do it in five days!" Rukia questioned In disbelief. " Amaterasu and Susanoo are the two most legendary abilities dating back to the beginning of time how is he supposed to unlock their secrets in just five days." Sagara watched confused as the two bickered before him.
" you knew more about the Sharingan then you were going to tell him about, that is interesting." Inu no Taisho said to himself out loud. " anyway I know a place where he can get five years of training in just five days."
" It seems all of the legends are true after all you dog demons really are gods." Rukia started at the two astonished.
" I have a question." Sagara spoke up causing both to look at him. " you said the Sharingan is a trait specific to Inu no Taisho heritage you both speak of the dog demons but then why me i'm not a demon my mother was a human." Sagara questioned slightly angry knowing that there are things being hidden from him.
" well I guess its time I explain it all to you then. Along time ago I fought a great battle against a fierce demon I believe I told you this the day I met you. Well your father was the true victor of that battle he saved my life and defeated the demon when I awoke three days later in that house you and your mother lived in he explained everything that had happened. Your fathers name was Jeff Taisho and you resemble him as though you were one in the same. He told me that some how the demon had ripped him threw space and time and pulled him backwards in time to this era so that they could fight. But the real shock came when he told me that he was my son, he wouldn't give me much information besides giving me strict instructions on what to do as soon as he was born. But I do know he was a half demon and definitely a descendant of mine. That was the first time I saw the power of the Sharingan he mastered its power right before my eyes in the middle of battle. When he first arrived he was an extraordinarily powerful demon although his presence felt evil and dark he seemed to control his power well and battled the monster that was before us with everything he had. When that wasn't enough he underwent a strange change that turned his hair blue and his eyes matched your own. His power exploded and reached heights until then I never thought were possible. He destroyed the demon using the first real attack I ever taught you Sagara." Inu no Taisho paused.
" the lightning blade." Sagara mumbled
" yes, and to fully answer your question you are most definitely a demon in fact your one quarter dog demon and also you are my grandson." Inu no Taisho stopped, letting everything sink in. Rukia just stared back and forth between the two amazed by the story.
" tell me what happened to my father." Sagara demanded.
" well, about a week after I had woken up from the battle he used an ancient tree that he had said opened his eyes during the previous fight and its power aloud him to jump forward in time i'm assuming back to where he had come from. I stood with your mother until I was healed and just as I was ready to depart on my way home I sensed that she was carrying a child and that it would belong to my son so I stood with her until the day you were born I gave you the name you carry." Inu no Taisho spoke remembering the joy that day brought him.
" that's some family history you have." Rukia pitched in.
" you understand nothing women, when I first encountered his father I thought he was the demon of legend who had come to reshape this world. But I knew the day that you were born Sagara. That you were the one you will lead the world to freedom from these oppressive tyrants who all seek to rule everything in sight."
" aren't you one of those tyrants Mr. Lord of western japan?" Sagara questioned.
" actually i'm more of a protector I defend my people but I do not push laws and regulations upon them I let my people live peacefully and only keep this one castle and piece of land that has been passed down threw my family for generations." Inu no Taisho explained.
" take me to where I can train." Sagara ordered determination filling his eyes he had come to a decision and he chose to follow his heart and to do this he knew he must get stronger.
" very well then let us go we have already wasted to much time." Inu no Taisho spoke and turned he began walking down the hall and Sagara followed. Rukia also stood and began to follow them.
" where do you think your going." Inu no Taisho stopped and questioned the girl.
" I wish to become stronger to I want to help fight." Rukia replied sternly.
" hm." was all Inu no Taisho replied before continuing the marched low into the castle down into the the arena that had seen many battles over thousands of years. They walked to the far wall of the arena where Inu no Taisho placed his hand flat against the wall in the center of a weird symbol with a long furious looking dragon carved around it. Suddenly the wall opened revealing a strange room they all entered.