Inuyasha Regashi
The lullaby and the night.
The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon sky. Larks chirped happily and squirrels scurried here and there. Itaru sat in the sacred tree, napping contently but still acutely aware. The air was so clean and fresh. He could hear a nearby creek streaming down the slope of the countryside. He listened to the village that bustled with activity. Markets were open, men were working the fields, women were tending to their children and their chores and the children tended to themselves in their games.
Nothing that Itaru could think of could interrupt such a beautiful, tranquil day. Even in these warring states, there were times when even the warlords would take a rest and put their minds at ease. Itaru could hear something approaching him in the forest. He perked up his ears and sniffed the air discreetly. It was his father.
"Itaru!"
He sat up on his perch in the tree and looked down at his father, who was holding a familiar sword in his hands.
"Hey pa!"
Itaru jumped down in front of his father and reached out for the sword. "Did Totosai fix it?" Itaru said.
"Yeah, he did. Now it will work even when you are human." Itaru's father said.
"That's so cool! This is great, pa! I can't wait to try it!"
"Well you won't need to. I thought perhaps we could continue where we left off."
"Oh yeah, we were training when uncle asked you to help him in another war."
"i just hope you haven't forgotten anything while I was gone!" Itaru's father said, drawing his sword.
"Oh no! I haven't forgotten a thing! If mother hasn't told you already, I've been training with uncle and godfather all while you were gone!"
"well, actions will speak louder than your words!" Itaru's father said, charging at his son, posed to strike.
Itaru blocked his father's attack and shoved it away.
"Hey son, perhaps I'll tell you this later, but you have something that I don't; something that can easily defeat me!"
"Really?" Itaru said excitedly.
Itaru's father took his son's distraction at his praise as an opportunity to strike him again. His sword came in contact with him and slammed him into a tree.
"Remember, son: never take an enemy's flattery seriously. Most of the time, its to stroke your ego so your head will become inflated. And when you get too cocky, that's when you get sloppy. Pride always comes before a fall." Itaru's father instructed.
"So you mean…there is no secret ability that I have and you don't?" Itaru said, picking himself up.
"Oh there is, but I took that as a learning opportunity so you wouldn't forget it next time. Like I said, I will tell you later." Itaru's father said.
"Oh…."
Not far away, Meimei and her mother were picking herbs in the meadow nearby. Meimei held the basket for her mother to put the herbs in. Meimei watched carefully and imprinted every smell and sight of the plants.
"And this is good for indigestion!" Meimei's mother said, placing the leafy plant into the basket.
"Mama, how did you learn all of these plants and their uses?" Meimei asked.
"Well the old priestess that was here before me taught me; And our good friend Jinenji. Do you remember him?"
"Hmmm…oh! You mean the big demon with the big eyes?" Meimei asked.
"That's the one!" Meimei's mother confirmed.
"You sure do know a lot of stuff. Like that complicated arithmetic stuff. Did the old priestess teach you that too?"
"Oh no! I learned all that back home! It took me many years to learn all of that, I had to be tutored for almost thirteen years of my life."
"Thirteen years of being tutored? How could you stand it!"
"It's a custom where I come from. All of the children were expected to get an education."
"Wow, you must have been a princess!"
"Oh no, not a princess. I was just an ordinary girl."
"Hmmm…." Meimei watched as her beautiful mother picked the plants one by one. 'Wow, mama sure is pretty. I hope that someday, I can be as pretty and as smart as her…"
Itaru was still training with his father until suddenly everything around him turned black. He watched as his father disappeared before him.
"WAIT…WAIT! WHATS HAPPENING! WHERE DID MY FATHER GO?"
The landscape reappeared, not as the tranquil peace that it was, instead it was the village engulfed in a feral inferno. He watched his mother and father run ahead of him deeper into the burning village. "RUN, ITARU, RUN!" Itaru's father shouted.
"WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING! WHATS GOING ON?"
"ITARU! PLEASE! GET AWAY FROM HERE!" Itaru's mother screamed.
"TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"
"THERE'S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! YOU NEED TO GO NOW! Itaru's mother exclaimed.
" BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?"
"ITARU! STOP ASKING QUESTIONS AND –"
Itaru's father was cut off by a slashing sound. His father's face drew to a blank as a red line appeared on his neck. His head flew off and his wife stood in shock beside him, shrieking in horror. Her scream was intensified when another cut was made to her midsection. She was cut in half.
"MOTHER! FATHER! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Itaru heard a chorus of sinister laughter.
"Hahahaha! That's for killing us, you filthy half breed!"
"Yes, now that we have our revenge, we can do what we intended to do when we were first alive!" said the voices.
"Itaru!" Meimei shouted.
"Meimei! No! get away from here!"
But his warning came all too late. A figure behind him with eyes glowing red raised a sickle above her head. The figure brought it down to stab her skull.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
…..
Inuyasha and the gang were sitting together by a fire late at night, dressing their wounds. Kagome provided her bandages and ointment for the cuts on their bodies. When she was done, they all looked nearly like mummies.
"Well, that's the last of them! It took two and a half bottles of antiseptic ointment to cover all of our cuts!" Kagome declared.
"And that bunch of healing herbs that Jinenji gave us. Thank you immensely Kagome." Sango said tightening her bandages.
"Inuyasha, you're okay right?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah im okay. My demonic powers have returned. My wounds should heal on their own now." Inuyasha said.
"Well that's a relief." Kagome said. she looked over to where Itaru and Meimei were laying side by side.
"They have been out for hours. You would think they would have woken up by now. And their powers haven't returned either." Sango said.
"You're right. But I suppose that the amount of both spiritual and demonic power that was released, this is to be expected. All we can do is wait." Miroku said.
They all sat silently for a moment until they heard a small moan. "ughh. I have the worst migrane. What happened?" Shippo muttered.
"Oh! Well Shippo's awake!" kagome said
"meeeeeeeeewwww" Kilala cried weakly
"And Kilala too. The blast of purified energy must have really sucked the life out of them. It's a miracle that they weren't killed." Miroku said.
"Where's Meimei and Itaru?" Shippo asked.
"They're over there." Kagome pointed. They two were out cold, still in their human forms.
They all sat silently around the fire. Inuyasha sat still with his eyes closed, but made a face of disgust and slapped his nose. They all looked up at the sudden motion and saw something big and brown on Inuyasha's hand.
"Old man Myoga. What brings you here?" Inuyasha said.
"Well, I came to ask an important question. I was flying over this area earlier today, minding my own business, when suddenly a great wave of demonic energy hit me! it was in the form of pure heat and it was quite hot, let me tell you. But then after that, there was a great blast of light that reached into the sky! I had no idea where the blast had come from! I suspected that it might have been you, Kagome, but your powers are not that strong."
"Hey!" Kagome exclaimed.
"But I rethought my hypothesis, and thought perhaps it was Inuyasha. But he has no spiritual powers. I had no idea what it was! So I thought perhaps you had an idea what it was, master Inuyasha."
"Yeah, we know. it was Meimei." Inuyasha said.
"Meimei? I don't think I've met her." Myoga said.
"She's over there. Naraku tricked her into trying to take Koga's shikon jewel shards, but his plan was foiled so he put her under a spell! She had no idea what she was doing until her brother Itaru was impaled throught the stomach. Then it seemed like she broke the spell. After that, she just lost it!" Kagome said.
"Hmmm. Impressive. But she's only human, how could she possibly conjure demonic power herself?" Myoga asked.
"Meimei and her brother seem to be hanyous with exceptionally high spiritual powers. It is probably because one of their parent s was a priest…" Miroku explained
"but even that's up for debate! We don't know who their parents are! Itaru's sword reacts to tetsusaiga much like tenseiga does. Which brings me to the question: Myoga, did my old man leave an additional sword that was forged from his fang? And did my old man have more than one mistress?" Inuyasha asked.
"Hmmm…additional swords? Other than the So'unga, there are no additional weapons that your father carried with him…as for having another mistress, your father may have strayed away from the lady of the west once, but he was no whoremonger; even though she was a bitch—in every literal sense of the Sesshomaru gets that from her….." myoga said under his breath.
"It's gotta be! no other sword would react to tetsusaiga like that unless there was another sword forged by his fang!" Inuyasha said.
"Hmmm…perhaps there was another mistress. The master was kind of secretive his last few years of his life…" Myoga jumped over to Itaru and landed on his nose. "There's only one way to find out…" Myoga stuck his sucker into Itaru's cheek and started sampling on his blood.
"But it still doesn't make sense for Meimei. It doesn't add up…." Sango said.
Myoga withdrew his sucker and had a scrutinizing face.
"Well?" they all said.
"You father's blood is there, no doubt about that. But it is quite diluted…"
"Huh? Diluted? What do you mean?" Kagome said.
"It almost tastes like a sip of weak sake. Unsatisfying and bland."
"so there is some of my old man's blood there?"
"yes, there is no mistaking it. But I taste more human than demon. It's almost as if he is only…."
"Only what?" they all said.
"It seems to me that this boy is only—" *SLAP!* Itaru slapped the little insect on his cheek.
"Huh? A mosquito?" Itaru mumbled.
Itaru looked at his hand. 'Myoga?' Itaru thought
"Itaru! You're awake!" Shippo said crawling into her lap.
"Yeah… where's Meimei?" Itaru asked. He looked beside him and saw his little sister, still unconscious.
He picked up her limp body and held it close to him. He buried his face in her now black hair.
'Meimei….if only I wasn't so selfish…all I was worried about was getting the tetsusaiga. But I totally forgot about you…' Itaru thought regretfully.
"Itaru…" Kagome began.
"I let Meimei get into this. I should not have let her alone…I should have gone with her…"
"Itaru, what's done is done. You can't go back and change it." Sango said.
"but I let my sister down! I can't forgive myself for that!" Itaru said, his eyes welling up. Sango went over and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Believe me Itaru. I know all too well what you are going through. Putting your little sister under his spell and making you turn on him is the exact same despicable thing he did to me and my brother Kohaku. There was nothing you could do.'
"But if I was watching her closer, even if she was going to relieve herself , I should have gone with her!"
"There's no way you would have known that, Itaru. Things like that happen, Itaru." Miroku said.
"But…that still doesn't change the fact that…"
Mmmmnnnhhhh
Itaru looked down on his little sister and saw her face grimace.
"Itaru…"
"Meimei!"
The little girl opened her brown eyes. The sparkle had gone out of them, she was weak and tired. She could barely move. "Itaru…imp so sorry…I didn't mean to hurt anyone…"
"No Meimei! It's not your fault, its mine! All mine!"
"no its not, if I hadn't have gone to the potty earlier, you all would have not been hurt…" Meimei mumbled.
"Meimei, you dummy! Stop talking like that! That's ridiculous!" Itaru shouted.
"That too…if I wasn't so stupid and didn't believe that Naraku was my friend, none of this would have happened…you're right big brother, I am a dummy."
"No no no! I take that back, Meimei! You're not stupid, you're not a dummy, you're not anything! I didn't mean any of it, Meimei!"
Meimei only sighed and closed her eyes.
"What are you talking about, big brother…you're right about everything…" Meimei whispered. She sighed a heavy sigh and lay still in his arms.
"Meimei…? Meimei? MEIMEI!"
The group watched the scene in front of them. Sango felt tears come to her eyes. It was like the tragedy of her and her brother Kohaku all over again. But this was even worse, they were but children. Sango tightened her hands in a fist, 'damn you, Naraku…damn you to hell! You vile, sinister, disgusting villain! We will kill you. Even if we all have do die to do it!'
Itaru stood up and walked away into the forest. His eyes were filled with intense hurt and sorrow. "Itaru! Where are you going?" Kagome asked.
"Please. We just need some time alone…" Itaru muttered.
They watched Itaru stalk away. Inuyasha only sat with his eyes closed. Myoga popped up and leaped onto Kagome's knee.
"sigh…the fate of a hanyou is a tragic one. Each and every day, their lives are a gamble between life and death. A hanyou never knows when his final day will be…" myoga said.
"But Inuyasha never has to worry about that! Inuyasha is strong enough to defend himself; and besides he has us!"
"you don't understand. The blood of a hanyou is always fighting for control for its body. The spiritual blood of one is of course weaker than the demonic side. For master Inuyasha, his only problem is that his soul will be devoured by his demon side…however, master Inuyasha will keep living…" myoga said.
"What are you getting at, Myoga?" Miroku asked.
"Itaru and Meimei are the son and daughter of a powerful demon and a powerful priestess, this is a dangerous combination. The struggle between the demonic and spiritual powers is even more fierce. But in their case, their blood with the spiritual powers will prove to be more powerful. Eventually, the purifying qualities of their human blood will eradicate the demon blood, and when that happens their hearts will simply stop beating…" Myoga said.
"What?" they all said.
"Yes, it is true. The fate of self-destruction is destined for all hanyous. And if there isn't an equal balance in both their demon and human sides, they will in one way or another, die. That is why for some, killing hanyous at birth is a gesture of mercy." Myoga informed. "it is my conclusion, that the moment that Meimei released that amount of demonic and spiritual energy sped up the process…"
"That's terrible!" Kagome said. she, with Shippo in her arms, got up and ran after Itaru and Meimei.
"But what really disturbs me is the ratio of demon blood in Itaru…it seems that Itaru is only a qua—" SQUISH!
Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha followed after Kagome into the dark forest. They found Kagome, Shippo, Itaru and Meimei sitting by a cliff. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, but it was bright enough to illuminate the night casting a bluish glow over everything. Itaru looked blankly up into the sky. His little sister looked up towards her big brother, a slight smile crossing her face.
"Big brother…"
"shhhh…don't speak Meimei."
"But I just wanted to ask something of you…"
"What is it?"
"Do you remember the lullaby…?"
"Yeah…?"
"Could…could you sing it for me? it always made me happy…"
"Yeah of course…"
Meimei closed her eyes and sat back in her big brother's embrace.
Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story,
Faith, hope and glory.
Hold to the truth in your heart,
If we hold on together,
I know our dreams will never die.
Dreams see us through to forever.
Where clouds roll by,
For you and I.
Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha found where the four had gone. They stood in the trees observing the scene secretly.
"Itaru is over there." Miroku whispered.
"And so is Kagome and Shippo." Said Sango.
"It looks like Itaru is singing to Meimei." Miroku said.
"A lullaby to comfort her…that is so sweet of him…" Sango said. "What do you think, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha only stood there, listening intently to the lullaby.
"I should have known to ask him…" Sango mumbled.
Souls in the wind,
Must learn how to bend;
Seek out a star.
Hold on to the end.
Valley, mountain,
There is a fountain.
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying,
Someone is praying;
Please let us come home to stay
If we hold on together,
I know our dreams will never die;
Dreams see us through to forever.
Where clouds roll by,
For you and I.
'That lullaby…I-I-I know that lullaby!' Inuyasha said.
"Master Inuyasha, whats the matter?" myoga asked.
Inuyasha didn't answer. Staring intently at them. 'It-it can't be!"
When we are out there in the dark,
We'll dream about the sun.
In the dark we'll feel the light,
Warm our hearts, everyone.
Kagome and Shippo joined in the melody.
"If we hold on together,
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever"
"As high as souls can fly,
The clouds roll by," Meimei muttered.
"For you and I." Inuyasha whispered. Inuyasha turned to run away. Myoga fell off of his shoulder and landed on the ground.
"What's gotten into him?" Sango said.
"I don't know…" Miroku said.
The two walked toward the group of four and up to Itaru and a sleeping Meimei.
"She's asleep!" Miroku whispered.
"That was a beautiful lullaby! Where did you learn it?" Sango asked.
"My father sung it to Meimei when she was younger…she would never go to sleep without it…"
"Your father sang that to her?" Kagome asked.
"Your father must have been a good musician!" Miroku said.
"He didn't make it up, he says that our grandmother used to sing that to him too." Itaru said.
"Hey, where's Inuyasha?" Kagome said.
"Yeah where did he go?" Shippo said.
"Wait! Inuyasha was here?" Itaru exclaimed.
"Yeah he was standing next to us listening to your lullaby. And then he ran away!" Sango said.
"Myoga, do you have any idea why he would have just taken off like that?" Kagome asked.
"I do not know. But he seemed quite shocked at something…" Myoga said.
Itaru stared downward, sweating in fear. 'Oh no! Inuyasha heard the lullaby! Inuyasha will know for sure now! Itaru looked down at the leaves. They were almost completely dried and dead. 'not that I had any more time anyways…"
…..
Inuyasha had run away deep in the forest. He rested on top of a rock in the middle of a clearing . he sat on top of it and thought of what he had heard.
'There's no mistake…that was the same lullaby that my mother used to sing to me! but how…?'
Suddenly, Inuyasha took a whiff of the air and picked up an all too familiar scent.
'heh, just what I need…'
Emerging from the forest came Sesshomaru in his usual cold silence. He stared straight at Inuyasha and he stared back.
"Inuyasha."
"Sesshomaru…" Inuyasha began. "I have some questions for you."
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