Chapter One: Death and Discovery
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
o - o - o - o - o
His mother was ill, or at least Inuyasha thought that was what was wrong. He was too young to comprehend that she was anything more than sick like he had seen others around the estate from time to time when they suffered from an illness like a cough or a sniffly nose.
She had grown weak and could no longer move without aid. At first, she would lose her breath quickly on their walks around the estate or into the woods to gather herbs and other fauna. As the days became colder, it was as if her strength were being leached from her. He could do nothing to help her get from place to place. While he was strong for his age, he was not yet tall enough to be of much assistance to help her move around easily. He was quick, though, and could fetch any item she requested.
Her family, a wealthy daimyo and landowner, refused to venture near the rooms they shared, and the servants- what was left of them - would not venture near while Inuyasha was around. He did his best to care for her during those final days, but a small child could only do so much.
Before she had become too weak to walk, she had taught him how to make some medicine, and now he would venture out alone to find the herbs necessary to make the medicinal draught for his ailing mother. It would have been easier to go and buy the medicine needed to make his mother better, but that cost money. Even if he had money, no one would sell to him because of what he was. Part demon, part human and not fitting into either world. He looked the part with unnatural silver hair and a pair of white dog ears standing on top of his tiny head. Anyone with eyes could tell what he was.
A half-breed. Hanyou. Kasu. Those were some of the choice words he heard the servants or family members say under their breaths when they dared to venture close enough, which was not very often, but Inuyasha's hearing was better than anyone he knew, so he often heard things that people thought he could not hear. He remembered telling his mother what he had heard them saying, but she would only reassure him that he was none of those things, and then the offending servant would be careful not to come within yards of them for days.
Today, his mother slept. He could hear the shallow breaths that she took in slumber, and he glanced at her face, covered in a sheen of sweat. She would be in pain today; he could tell now. He knew he should hurry before she woke in agony without him by her side. She said her suffering was only worse when he was off without her, where she could not protect him from her callous relatives and bigoted servants.
It was still early; the birds had yet to start their morning songs, and the shuffling feet of the few servants that remained at the impoverished estate had not begun. It was the perfect time for little Inuyasha to venture out unseen. He had a couple of hours before the daily routines would start to be carried out.
Woe would be him if he were caught without his mother. On a good day, all the servants or odd relatives would do was speak about him under their breath to each other and throw things at him when he was not looking. On a bad day, they would not wait until his back was turned, and he was lucky if it was only a tiny, stray pebble. His tormentors had taken to carrying large items, such as rotten fruit, with them at all times for the opportunity to catch him alone. He knew he was unwelcome, but now he felt a new anxiety pulling at him...that he was on borrowed time.
He quickly stole out into the wooded area near the estate, searching for the herbs his mother had shown him. They seemed to ease her pain, so she did not make those loud, awful noises. He couldn't stand when she did that. She would always apologize after one of her fits, which made Inuyasha feel even worse. All she did anymore was sleep and moan in pain. Even one as young as he could tell that her end was near. It frightened him to think of it too much.
Now that he knew where to look, he had gotten better at finding the herbs. He often wondered if he could collect and sell any excess herbs to the locals and use the income to bring a healer to his mother, but he quickly shook the thought from his mind. Not only would everyone refuse to buy from him, but they would also refuse to see his mother because of him.
Inuyasha was quick for his age—plenty of time for him to avoid the people who despised him—being part demon assisted in his speed at retrieving the medicinal herbs and allowed him to return within an hour of his departure.
He hastily prepared the draught as he had been taught with the tools he had pilfered from around the daimyo estate. He planned to return them after he finished using them. 'He was not a thief! He was not a thief! He was not a thief!', he'd chant to himself. No one was using these particular tools. He had found them in odd places, forgotten by their original owners.
A movement outside the room he and his mother shared captured his attention. Footsteps came to their door, and they paused outside. He listened closely to hear what they wanted.
"Izayoi-sama," called the voice from outside the room. Inuyasha looked over at his mother's still form. She did not stir. "Izayoi-sama," the voice called again, getting louder. When there was no response from inside the room, the servant or relative - he did not know which - left to carry about his business.
Inuyasha shuffled over to his mother's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful now that he hated trying to wake her. He whispered and nudged her, but she still did not move. He laid his hand upon hers only to draw his back quickly. Cold! Why would she be so cold? She usually would burn with fever or feel warm to the touch, but never cold. He nudged her again, but she still wouldn't respond. Finally, he started to feel a little frantic. Why won't she wake up?
"Mama?" he called, still shaking her arm, but she would not rise. He could feel wet warmth run down his cheeks. Maybe she was just cold and needed him to warm her up. So he curled up beside her and clutched at her still form.
That was how they found him days later. Each morning, the voice would call out to his mother, and usually, when she did not respond, they went on their way. This likely happened because Inuyasha was so diligent in caring for her, and they were forbidden to enter the room without her permission. She still had that much authority as the daimyo's only daughter-a princess in her own right. However, Izayoi had been ill for a while now, and these last few days, she had kept to her rooms. But it had been days since she or her spawn had been seen, and the staff knew her time was near, reporting her movements - or lack thereof - to her family.
Inuyasha could hear the door slip open and the murmurs of those who stood to gaze in. "Such a shame," one said. "What about her bastard?" the other asked. "It's almost sad the way he clutches onto her. Probably was the one who killed her," another voice said spitefully.
Inuyasha only clutched his mother tighter, fresh tears streaming down his face. It's not that he didn't know what death was. He did know. He wasn't stupid! His mother had taught him many things. But the thought of living in a cruel world where his mother did not exist was too hard to bear.
Usually, his mother's family would stay away from him, but he could hear them draw closer. He suddenly felt a sharp poke in the back. Most likely from the broomstick wielded by a servant; a weapon they were fond of brandashing at him but never brave enough to use against him, until now.
"Let go you little curr. She's dead no thanks to you," the servant said.
A woman's voice could be heard next. "We can finally rid ourselves of the burden Izayoi placed on us."
Inuyasha felt the prodding in his back again. Each time harder than the last. He clutched harder, refusing to let servant gave up being nice, shoved the broomstick between Inuyasha and his mother, and tried to wedge them apart. "Let go, you stupid, little bastard, she's dead!"
When wedging did not work, the servant resorted to beating him with the broomstick. It worked well enough that Inuyasha let go of his mother and tried to protect himself from the onslaught of blows. He was chased into a corner of the room while his mother's body was removed.
Once the room had cleared, the servant began to usher Inuyasha outside, swatting him with the broom anytime he moved slowly.
"Off with you now," the servant said after leading Inuyasha to the edge of the family's property.
Inuyasha was stunned. "Wha?" he squeaked.
"You heard me. Off with you," the servant said with a swish of the broom for emphasis.
"But," he began and took a step forward...a step within the broomstick's reach, and he was immediately cracked on the head.
"Get! You dog!" the servant swung the broom again, but Inuyasha fell back before it could connect.
Inuyasha sat, stunned as the servant walked back to the house, turning around every once in a while and yelling for Inuyasha to go away. He tried several times to get close and see his mother one last time but was run off time and time again. He watched as his mother's family proceeded with her burial.
He cried, not so silently, as they buried her with as little ceremony possible. They were obligated to do that much, but now they were free of her and the shame she had brought upon them.
o - o - o - o - o
It was nightfall and growing colder when he felt it was safe to venture on the grounds, close enough to the grave where his mother lay. He had seen other people lay tribute to their departed loved ones, but he had nothing to give. He had been chased off with only the clothes on his back and not allowed to bring any of his mother's things. He had been too frightened to think about grabbing a keepsake anyway.
He felt a sharp pain in his leg and turned around. The same servant had returned and was now pelting him with rocks. "I told you to get, you little rabid curr!" Inuyasha quickly jumped away, out of reach from the servant's range.
He was run off several times after he was caught visiting his mother's grave that first night. The servants had taken note that the small nuisance lingered on the outskirts of the property fand had set up one of their more cantankerous members to dissuade Inuyasha from stepping foot on the property. Only after lingering for several days and fighting the gnawing pain in the pit where his stomach should be did Inuyasha finally give up his attempts to acces his mother's resting site.
Another problem presented itself. He had nowhere to go. His mother's home was all he had ever known. He had never even been to the small village that butted up against the west side of the property. His mother had not been ashamed of him, no, but kept him close to where she knew she could keep him safe. She often told him he should be proud of who he was but never let him leave the property or the secluded woods that encircled the area. It would not be long before he discovered why.
Inuyasha tried visiting the village, but he was received there more poorly than his mother's family. They either screamed or tried to kill him. Likely his mother's family had forewarned the villagers that he would be hanging around and urged them to drive him as far away as possible.
The town was his best chance for immediate survival. He did not know how to hunt, but he was fast, and he could pilfer food before he was caught. 'He was not a thief!' he still thought to himself. 'No one will feed me anymore now that mother is gone. How else am I to eat?' he rationalized.
During one of these attempts to grab a bite to eat, he met the Stranger. Everyone was a stranger to him, but Inuyasha had heard the man referred to as the Stranger by other villagers. He wondered how the man who lived in the village could be a stranger to his neighbors.
One day Inuyasha was trying to scavenge when he heard a "pssst." He quickly jumped away, like a startled animal. Then he heard a low chuckle, "Hey there, hungry boy?"
He peeked out from where he had tried to hide and saw the Stranger motioning him over. He'd fallen for this trick before and gotten a couple of lumps from some of the more malicious villagers. He stayed put but ready to bolt.
The man had crouched down and waved for Inuyasha. "Come on boy, I won't hurt ya. You look hungry. Come this way," the Stranger beckoned.
Still, Inuyasha stayed quiet, hopeful that the man would go away.
The Stranger raised to his full height and turned to leave but called over his shoulder, "Ok, but I've got a nice bit of pottage that I don't mind sharing if you change yer mind." He left Inuyasha to ponder his words and walked away.
Inuyasha felt his stomach grumble at the thought of cooked food and not trash or cold leftovers he had taken from here and there. It wouldn't hurt to follow the Stranger at a distance to check things out.
He watched from the shadows as the Stranger went home and quietly followed. The Stranger lived on the outskirts of the small village. Inuyasha remembered seeing it and wondering who lived away from the village's safety. It wasn't unheard of for pillagers or demons to raid villages, so only cast-offs or indigent people typically lived away from the village bounds.
Inuyasha watched as the Stranger went about his way and set to making his pottage. He had not noticed that the Stranger had a string of fish slung over his shoulder and was now preparing his catch. Inuyasha watched for over an hour as the man prepared a meal. Once it was done, the man set a bowl for himself and a bowl for someone else. Where could the other person be? Did the man have a wife or child? The man turned and leaned out his open door.
"Hungry?" he called. He couldn't see Inuyasha, but he must have known he was there. "Change yer mind, did you?"
Inuyasha slowly came out of his hiding place, hesitant for the blow that always followed this trickery from the villagers, who were more hateful of what he was than scared. But his stomach and nose compelled him to trust the man enough to expose himself to possible mockery, if not a beating. But none came.
He slowly made his way inside the man's modest home. He took a step forward, and the Stranger patiently smiled and waved him inside. It looked warm inside, and the food smelled delicious. "Go on," the man said. "Eat up."
Inuyasha still felt distrustful of the man, but the other villagers never smiled at him. Only his mother had ever smiled at him. By his innocent logic, the stranger must be good.
He picked up the bowl but was stopped when the stranger's smile disappeared. "You may eat, but dogs eat on the floor." Perplexed, Inuyasha hesitantly sat the bowl on the floor. He looked from the bowl to the man whose smile had reappeared. "Yes, that's right," he said, pleased.
His mother would be appalled, and he felt horribly humiliated, but his stomach won. That and the pleased expression on the stranger's face gave him a sense of elation. He got down on all fours and began to devour what had been laid in front of him. As he ate, the man came over and patted his head. "Good boy," he said.
Inuyasha felt something new that he could not describe and beamed at the attention he had never received from anyone but his mother. There was no disdain or revulsion from this stranger.
Once Inuyasha had finished the bowl, he looked hesitantly at the man. The man smiled at him again. "What's yer name, boy?" the Stranger asked.
"Inuyasha," he responded, hesitantly.
"Hmm. I'll just call you Inu for short," the man said, his smile never leaving his face. The name 'Inu' seemed wrong. His mother had always told him that she loved his name because his father had given it to him. But he did not want to upset this kind man who had fed him when no one else would. Inuyasha made to leave, wanting to stay within his welcome, but was stopped.
"Where are you going Inu? I don't mind if you stay here. I'm sure you can be of some use, being a half-breed and all," the stranger asked. The man scratched his chin and nodded at Inu in approval. Inu's heart lifted at the prospect of a home and someone who would be kind to him. "Yes, I am sure we can get along just fine," the man said.
Inu watched as the man set up a pallet by the entrance of his abode. "You will sleep here," the man said. Inuyasha looked hesitantly at the pallet. "Well," the man motioned, "Go on." He moved over to the pallet that had been made for him.
"Sit," the man instructed. Inu sat.
"Lie down," the man said. Inu laid down.
"Good boy," the man said.
The man watched Inuyasha through the corner of his eye as he cleaned up and readied himself for sleep. Once he was done, he walked and stood over the small hanyou before kneeling and patting him on the head.
Inu tried to raise his head slightly, but the man gently pushed his head back down. "What shall I call you?" Inu asked tentatively.
"Bosu...you can call me Bosu," the man said. He reached over and patted Inuyasha's head again. "Good boy."
o - o - o - o - o
Many years had passed, and life has flourished for the one who proclaimed himself 'Bosu'. He had finally found the edge he needed, which came in the form of a small hanyou child. Who would have thought?
Bosu had overheard a story about a beautiful lady - a daimyo's daughter - and how a powerful dog demon seduced her; beggetting a halfbreed child and then disappearing just as quick as he came. News of royal trysts weren't unheard of, and rumors of demons forcing themselves on common woman were even more common. However, a daiyokai seducing a mortal woman?! The most powerful, god-like beings, if not gods in human form, debasing themselves with a human? Nobility or not, the two were like water and oil, existing together but never mixing. That story was very, very interesting and worth investigating. It was quite the gossip and gossip had the tendency to have a ripple effect.
Bosu was quite taken with the story, so he packed up his meager belongings and traveled to the rumored town to see if it was true. It took many days, but he finally caught a glimpse of the half-demon child. He couldn't put a finger on why he was so intrigued by the story or why he felt drawn to see if it was true, but when he saw the child with his mother, an idea formed. The woman looked pale and worn, though she put on a lively enough appearance for her child. The man could tell this was just a mask to cover her pain. He had seen this sickness before and knew the woman was not long for this world. So, he decided to plan and wait until the time was right.
The child played into his hand just as he had expected. Having been mistreated all his life by everyone aside from his mother, it was not difficult to gain his trust. And with that, their relationship flourished. He trained the child that he had dubbed 'Inu' as a loyal enforcer. At first, with kindness, and later, when the kindness had played out its usefulness, with subjugation.
In the early days, he sought a priest to create a collar for him. Every dog needed to be leashed so that it could be adequately trained. The same was true for Inu. A collar had been crafted to which the priest advised that all Bosu had to do was utter an incantation, and the demon would be subjugated. Bosu placed the collar on Inu's neck, patting his head as he did so. "Good boy," he said. The collar had come in handy in the boy's training.
Bosu had accumulated much since he had lured the hanyou into his home. Now, years later, he was one of the area's most feared and respected men in the province. No one knew how Bosu had amassed his notoriety, but his rivals had heard tell of the Bosu's dog.
Rumors suggested that Bosu would unleash his dog upon any who crossed or displeased him, but no one had ever seen such a dog. That was because Bosu never left any witnesses.
Today was such a day that Bosu had to utilize his most prized tool.
A young lord had moved into the area; the lord had been named daimyo and granted the land where Bosu had begun his syndicate. Bosu had a nice set up for himself. While he did not own land officially, those that did allowed him control or turned a blind eye to his transgressions out of fear.
The new daimyo was young, naive, arrogant and about to make a big mistake. As soon as he'd been established, he'd begun enforcing his claim by evicting locals with plans to build a small fortress for himself. Unfortunately, the land was where Bosu has established his residence and Bosu was comfortable. He was already treated as offered "protection" to the locals and was given tribute in the form of anything he could ever ask for, and he had no mind to move.
He had brokered a meeting with the young lord but the young man was haughty and high-handed, refusing any terms but his own. At first, the lord had declined meeting with Bosu, but he had been told it would be in his best interests to meet with the local man. The young lord conceded and finally opted to meet with this vassal, assuming he could meet and strip away whatever air of superiority Bosu had accrued.
Bosu offered his terms one last time. He had tried to be cordial, or as cordial as anyone who is used to getting their way could be. It had not gone well.
"Are you threatening me, peasant?" the lord had asked.
Bosu sighed, "As I said before, I do not make idle threats." The lord had brought a small envoy with him to treat with Bosu, which was either an insult or a compliment depending on how one looked at it. Clearly, this show of power was done to intimidate Bosu, though he had an ace up his sleeve.
Part of amassing his wealth and status had relied on his discretion, meaning that the fewer people who knew of Inu, the better his odds were of retaining all he had gained.
Bosu whistled, and a figure appeared from the shadows. The figure had long silver hair and stepped close to his master, waiting for instruction. Bosu whispered into Inu's ear, and the silver-haired man looked impassively forward.
The young lord staggered back into the arms of one of his envoys, taken aback by the sight of a demon-or something close to it. He began to stutter something, but it was too late, and Inu strode purposely forward to eliminate the threat to his master.
Once his task was complete, he walked back to his master and knelt. Bosu stroked Inu's blood-soaked head. "Good boy," he said.