Childhood Remix

Disclaimer: This is an "Inuyasha" fanfiction. I have not stolen the idea and I have not taken claim to the show. It has not now nor has it ever been mine. Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Shattered jewel equals shattered love

"Wow, a priestess took her own soul out?" Kagome asked in bewilderment.

"Yes, Midoriko was a selfless person. She gave everything to save the world, and she thought that this happening would only affect her, and she didn't know that the Shikon no Tama would cause demonic power, or even human power to increase," Miyatsu explained to the couple.

"So, this thing, it actually causes more bad than good?" Inuyasha asked only half listening.

"Yes, though I have no idea what the black orb from your eye is…"

"Well… maybe Kikyou would know…"

Kagome snapped her eyes over to Inuyasha before snorting, folding her arms over her chest, and looking away.

"Or, maybe I know," they heard a deep, male voice state.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha snarled.

"Yes, little brother, I can assure you I had no idea what it was, but I have way to prove what it might be," the youkai said as he walked into view.

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Inuyasha sneered.

"Move." Sesshomaru stepped forward and shoved Inuyasha making the hanyou lose his balance and drop both the Shikon no Tama and the black pearl. Inuyasha looked up just in time to see his elder brother picking them both up. "What is this?" Sesshomaru asked peering at the Shikon no Tama curiously.

"Waa!" Jaken shouted as he felt the Staff of Two Heads turn within his hands. "Wh-what is going on mi lord!" he asked in fright as it turned again, this time facing the Taiyoukai.

"Acting strange…" Sesshomaru thought aloud before snatching the staff from his minion's hand. He dropped both the gems to the ground and as he brought the staff closer to the black pearl, the staff seemed to warm and pulse. "So, there it is. The proof," the youkai said as he showed a small smile and his eyes glinted to Inuyasha. "Proof you could not figure out, half breed. Would like to come and see the man who died because of you?"

"…You're crazy." Inuyasha said matter-of-factly.

"Suit yourself. Jaken!" Sesshomaru called as he dropped the staff onto the small pearl and the head of the old man laughed wickedly. A deep purple light immediately enveloped the Taiyoukai, and in front of the group, a black portal formed. "Stay here or come, it does not matter which you choose, but the least you can do is pay respects to the man you killed," Sesshomaru spat in a monotone before stepping into the portal and disappearing before everyone's eyes.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the portal. "Keh," he snorted before turning to walk away. That's when he noticed a certain girl missing. "Kago-?"

"Where are yougoing?" the voice behind him called. Once again, the hanyou faced the portal, only to see the young miko climbing into the abyss in front of them.

"Oi! Where are you going!" Inuyasha called before hastily following her. "Don't you have any idea what you're getting into!" Inuyasha yelled as he sped up in order to catch her.

"Not really, but for what I've seen, there's no way your brother can be up to any good," Kagome called back before letting out a startled cry. Inuyasha didn't have time to wonder before he was dropped airborne. "Oof," Inuyasha grunted as he hit hard against a bird of only bones.

"Wh-where are we?" Kagome asked from another bird.

"Haven't the slightest idea, why don't you tell me?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Why would I know?" his love asked incredulously.

"Oh? You mean you didn't know where this headed before you went gallivanting off to Kami knows what! Really? Maybe that's why I didn't want you going!"

"You never once said that you didn't want me going!"

"You didn't give me any time! Plus, it was certainly implied! Why don't you get your head out of the clouds and take a reality check! You're not safe everywhere in the world; you're not safe anywhere in the world, so stop trying to put yourself in your high shoes, and actually think before you act!"

"Ha! What a thing to say coming from Mr. Fly-right-into-battle!"

"Well at least I don't stick my nose where it doesn't belong!"

"Well! If that isn't the most absurd… listen here you ungrateful, self- !" Kagome's scream is what cut her off, the shock off being dropped off the bird that had so gratefully caught her in the first place keeping her from noticing the comfy-looking piece of bone that hit hard against her form. "Ow…" she muttered painfully before hearing a dull thud! sounding off next to her. She turned to her right to see her splattered lover. "Humph! Serves you right!" she chided.

She awaited his snide comeback, but silence was all that filled the air. "…Whoa…" Inuyasha remarked as he finally saw what had caught them.

"What?" Kagome asked before following his gaze. Before her, was a large skeletal form of what appeared to be… a dog? she thought before looking back to her right. She looked pointedly at his ears.

"I… guess this must be… him," Inuyasha stated, paying slim attention to the miko.

"Him? You sound like you've heard too many ghost stories," Kagome giggled.

"No, it's… really him," Inuyasha said a little louder before scrambling to his feet. "Father," he breathed.

"… Father? You're joking, right?"

The hanyou sent a steaming glare her way. "No. What else could this be?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about sasquatch? Sure looks big enough if you ask me…"

"No. This is father. This is he. It has to be him." "Stay here or come, it does not matter which you choose, but the least you can do is pay respects to the man you killed," Inuyasha could almost hear his brother speaking those same words in his head. "It's my fault…"

"What?"

Inuyasha glanced over at the miko beauty. "C'mon, let's go," he changed the subject as he helped her to her feet and kneeled down. "Get on my back; it'll be easier for you to get in there."

Kagome hesitated a moment before slowly climbing onto his back. Inuyasha immediately jumped into action… and straight into the mouth of the beast before them.

A few leaps later, and Inuyasha was face-to-face with his brother. "Ah, so you did decide to ask for father's forgiveness," the elder youkai taunted.

"Ha!" Inuyasha spat. "You wish! Just what the hell are you here for anyway?" he sneered more than asked.

"You do not know? Hm, then you truly are blind."

"What was that, you two-faced son of a bitch?"

"Jealous?" Sesshomaru joked with a tension that unsettled Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, maybe it's this?" Kagome called from behind the Taiyoukai.

Sesshomaru whirled around to see Kagome inspecting a piece of scrap metal stuck in a golden slab. He retained a growl from erupting, and thankfully his annoying pest of a brother did not catch the almost slip-up.

"What could Sesshomaru do with a sword like that? You could barely call it a sword the way it is!" Inuyasha called back as his scratchy voice echoed.

Sesshomaru let a small smirk show at his brother's ignorance. He did well to hide his burnt hand from Inuyasha, but it didn't really matter. The young, and weak, strength of the hanyou couldn't possibly do anything against the mighty fang.

"I don't know, but…" Kagome muttered to herself, though Inuyasha could still hear her. Sesshomaru watched as she put a single hand around the hilt and pulled. He snorted and was about to turn away before he heard a click that made him show a true emotion: surprise.

He swiveled back to his original position to see the young miko studying the sword still… only this time, out of its golden sheath. What the hell! Sesshomaru let the shock hide under a smirk.

"This Sesshomaru will not take lightly to the help of a mortal, however, help from the dead, is quite intriguing…" Sesshomaru said the preamble just jiffies before he was at Kagome's side. She squeaked and took a step back, putting the sword in front of her for protection. Sesshomaru chuckled darkly before wrenching the Tessaiga from her grip. "Foolish bitch," he muttered before shoving her hard out of the way.

Though Inuyasha could see the strange sword's power trying to harm his brother, he could see no reaction in the elder's eyes. The hanyou's eyes grew wide as the lanky sword in his brother's hand grew into a magnificent fang. He watched in pure astonishment as his brother laughed and wielded the object with pride. Inuyasha snapped out of his stupor and clenched his claws. "You'll pay for hurting Kagome like that," he sneered.

His brother, still wild with amusement and accomplishment, chuckled. "Yes, little brother, we'll fight, but not here. Come with me to the outside world, and we'll have our fight there." Then, without further word, Sesshomaru leapt from his father's grave.

Inuyasha waited a moment before bolting to Kagome's side. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice dripping with angst.

Kagome stirred a bit as Inuyasha helped her into a sitting position. "Wh-where's Sesshomaru?" she asked as she steadied herself to a first crouching, the standing position. Her eyes were still foggy, but they had a spark to them that let Inuyasha know that she would, indeed, by fine.

"Outside. C'mon, we have to hurry, before the portal closes," the hanyou finished before helping Kagome onto his back. With a few great leaps, they were back on another bird and into the black abyss from which they came.

The two landed outside with a gentle thud that was much less damage making than the original fall. The portal above them shrunk into a marble shaped blob before falling back into Inuyasha's right eye. He blinked a few times before looking around. There, a few paces away, he saw his brother ogling at the new weapon in his possession. The hanyou noticed right away that the Taiyoukai was not actually holding the sword. Not only that, but he could clearly smell the elder brother's blood and the stench of burnt flesh.

"New sword a bit too much for you?" Inuyasha mocked.

"Nothing is too much for this Sesshomaru. Now then, get the girl out of the way, or face the fact that if she dies, it is not my fault."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes before turning to Kagome. "Go. Hide. I don't want you getting caught up in this."

"No way," the miko began defiantly. "I'm not letting you fight this guy alone; you might really need me at some point. There's no way I'm going to hide like some frightened little girl!" she hissed.

"Don't you get it? You hiding would help me. It would give me one less thing to have to worry about, okay?" Inuyasha whispered back.

Kagome thought about without being too convinced.

"I grow impatient. Do you intend on keeping this Sesshomaru waiting any longer? I did not think so," Sesshomaru stated simply.

At that, Kagome sighed, her eyes still hard and defiant. "Fine, I'll stay hidden, but at the first sign of trouble, I'm coming out to help!" she said and then "humphed" before turning on her heels and stocking away. Inuyasha sighed thankfully and turned back to his brother.

"There. You didn't have to wait long. Now then, what is it you wanted to show me?" Inuyasha asked trying to buy himself more time. The power of his brother was increasing steadily and he was sure it had something to do with his new addition. He didn't like the aura around that thing, and he doubted he stood a chance. Well, if all else failed, he'd just have to give it his all and never give up. After all, Kagome's life was at stake!

"Nothing but the true power of the father we happen to share. A father so powerful he could've had anything in the entire world, but instead gave it all up for you and that foolish mortal mother of yours."

"Yeah, yeah, I got all that. Are you talking about that sword? Because it looks like it doesn't exactly like you."

"It is probably a spell father put on it, but nonetheless, it does not affect me and even if it did, I could still use it to defeat you. You, my dear, dear, brother, are about to be defeated by a sword that was supposedly yours!" the Taiyoukai growled out before slashing down the sparking fang. Before Inuyasha could blink, there was a streak of light cutting into him. It was so sharp; he didn't feel the pain before he did the blood. However, the pain did come, in searing bolts that matched the crimson of his blood draining from his body. The hanyou fell to his knees and desperately thought of a way to defeat his brother.

Nothing came.

He saw all of his life: the village, his mother dying, meeting Myouga, Kagome, Kikyou, all of it. All the way up to his fight with Mistress Centipede.

Mistress Centipede…

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. That's it! He frantically looked around before spotting the other black jewel he had found earlier that day. He scrambled for it as he heard his brother chuckle again.

"You're making this too easy, little brother," Sesshomaru derided before lifting Tessaiga once again.

Inuyasha picked the jewel up, squeezed his eyes shut, and swallowed the thing just as he saw that other demon do. The hanyou nearly spit it back up and it scraped down his throat, but the discomfort didn't last long. He felt surge after surge of power as he saw another slash from the sword his brother was interested in… and that was the last thing he remembered.

Inuyasha's eyes opened. Blood red with blue irises. He looked past his purple stained cheeks to see that annoying demon raise that fucking sword again. Damn him if he was going to let that thing hit him again. This time he saw it, the swirl of red from him, and the swirl of indigo from his brother. Their auras crackled against one another to make a slice in the middle of the air. That was where the sword would cut. He moved before the youkai even had enough time to make the swing and easily dodged the flash attack this time. Inuyasha landed with a thud to the left of the youkai.

It turned. Surprise crossed the thing's features before turning back to an emotionless countenance. The threatening beast went to strike again. Inuyasha dodged easily, but was clipped on the shoulder.

Blood. The smell was fresh. New. Delicious. No, no, Inuyasha was not a vampire. Delicious in a way that made him want to spill every drop from every living creature within radius.

He would spill it all.

The youkai smirked at the crimson blossom that bloomed against his tanned skin. Inuyasha hated that smirk. Needed to get rid of it. Would get rid of it.

"You are not yourself."

It speaks? The beast spoke to Inuyasha. Why couldn't he understand what it said? He knew the language, heard the words, but it didn't matter.

His response was more growl than words.

"I will not kill you unless you know who is killing you. Do you know who I am, half-breed?"

It spoke again. Inuyasha understood a few things in that sentence. Kill. Half-breed. But… what did those things mean? Nothing, Inuyasha decided.

Another growl for a response.

"Clearly not. I will come by another time when you are not using artificial strength."

The words just got longer, more complicated. How do you talk again? There was something he needed to do… kill? No. Something else. What was it? Does it matter? No. Not anymore. The only thing that mattered anymore was the beast that was going to die soon. But what was going on? It is turning away? Not from Inuyasha, it won't!

Another growl immersed. Growling. That's good. That he could understand, so why did the youkai not stop? Why does he keep moving away when they had yet to finish the battle? Inuyasha didn't know why, but it bothered him. Before he could blink, however, the beast was gone.

Where would he get the blood he so desired to shed now?

Sniff. There! He could smell it all right. He growled and faced the direction the scent came from. Crouching in the corner. Another beast ready to attack. Inuyasha could tell it would harm him, because it was walking toward him, it was challenging him.

"Inuyasha…?" it called. More things he didn't understand. This beast's voice was different, softer, and more high-pitched.

Why did he not know the strange mutterings she relayed? Inu…yasha? Was that his name? if so, how could this thing know it?

Kagome.

The thought came to him unwillingly. Where had that come from? What did it mean? Was that this thing's name? Nonetheless, he didn't like how this she-beast was making him feel.

Die.

She must die. He'd wait for her to come. Imitate her words and toy with her. Make her trust him.

"Not… Inuyasha. Using… artificial strength," he muttered softly using only words he had heard others say.

Not sure of what he said, Inuyasha waited for her reaction. After he saw her expression soften, he was satisfied that he had conveyed the right message.

"It's okay, we can fix that," she continued.

More words. He did not like it. This was all so familiar, so why couldn't he remember? This thing must die. Then all his problems would go away. No more words. Just blood.

Just as he went to raise a clawed hand against this thing called Kagome, he felt something sting against his back. Forget the pain. Move on. Kill her. Then he felt more than heard it crack. Something inside him shattered. All small black slivers of the artificial strength he had borrowed.

The Shikon no Tama.

He howled as the pieces flung themselves through his stomach, muscle, skin. Out into the open they flew, scattering in all different directions, leaving him in a bloody tatter of flesh.

Blood.

"Kikyou!" Kagome called as she watched the massacre with tears in her eyes. She watched Inuyasha fall in a bloodied heap to the ground. She dragged her eyes away from the barely discernable hanyou to see her sister holding a bow. "What have you done!"

"He was using something wicked. No good could come out of it, so I had to shatter it," Kikyou explained in a monotone that conveyed just how little she cared about what shattering it did to the hanyou.

Kagome gave her sister a glare to smite as she crouched in front of her love. "Hang in there, Inuyasha, just hang in there!" she sobbed.

Though it was too late, the hanyou's world had already gone black.

**4:15 in the morning and I finally finished this thing. I had a strange epiphany of what I was going to write at, like, 3:00. Weird. Well anyway, thank you for not losing hope in me continuing. School's out now, so I should be able to continue more regularly. I hope I do anyway. Check out my other stories if you haven't already, and please review. 'Til next time!**