InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ Revenge 1 - You Can Never Go Home Again ( Chapter 1 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Sequel to Shippo and the Magic Wand.

Canon Universe(s), Divergence into AU, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Angst, Drama, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, eventual MA content, Scifi.)

Summary: What once was lost, cannot be found...

Chapter Rating: PG.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. OCs are my own. I make no profit from this piece of fiction.

Author's Note: For those of you who read these things, I'd like to thank Quirkyslayer, who beta'd for me back in the late aughts. Without her help I might have never gotten as far as I did. And I'd also like to thank Ponygirl, who sent me random emails every year or so reminding me there was still at least one person hoping to eventually see an update (totally not guilt-tripping at all). Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed over the years. I like to think I wrote this story just because I wanted to write it, but I was also writing it for the people who were looking for some adventures to nom on. Until this fic is completed, please feel free to leave a review about anything that strikes your fancy. Every note is cherished (even the critical ones!), and some things that have been commented on have help nudged new ideas into existence.

This chapter was originally posted in 1/16/07.

Arc 1 - Revenge 1 - You Can Never Go Home Again

1500

I crouched in a leafless tree, staring out over the horizon as the sun rose for another day. It was a little colder in the mountains as the breeze pushed away the warmth of the summer sun, but the chill was an unimportant detail in my mind that day.

My most consuming thoughts were the unfounded worries I harbored for Kagome's welfare.

I mean, I knew that she hadn't even been born yet, and I had centuries before she would manage to find herself stuck in any kind of mischief... but with as often as Kagome got into trouble in either era, it was hard to put aside that nagging concern.

In fact, between warm memories of happy times we'd enjoyed and chilling recollections of dangerous situations we'd encountered, I thought about her so often that I suppose it wouldn't have mattered much whether I'd worried about anything else, because that would end up turning into another thought about the girl from the future.

I knew that eventually I'd start thinking of something other than her, but until that happened, I'd happily continue wondering about silly, random things, like why Kagome never did something to make that one lock of her hair stop sticking up.

Where was I?

...Oh yeah. The journey to my father's homeland had taken nearly three weeks – two of which had been terribly annoying, as Myoga spent countless hours reminiscing about everything that could possibly relate to something we'd passed.

About a week ago, though, a monstrous water creature had eyed my tail for breakfast and I ended up fighting for my life over a lake. I wasn't very surprised to hear the old flea squeak out mention of some terribly important errand he'd forgotten just before he vanished. I had to assume he escaped to safety before I took a plunge in that frigid lake, but only because he'd always managed to squeeze out of every tight circumstance we'd ever come across. It eventually took me a little more than an hour to escape the clutches of the water beast.

I hate to admit it now, but I didn't win that day. Water never has been my element. My foxfire couldn't do very much damage, as it kept getting doused by the damned thing constantly thrashing about looking for its opening to bite.

I sighed in annoyance, fingering the chunk missing from my too-short clothes. I needed to find something else to wear before I ended up running around the woods naked. (Don't get me wrong, though... I've discovered that that might not be such a terrible thing to see, judging by the response I've noticed from females that I've happened upon...) I knew that once I located the valley so deeply ingrained in my early memories, I'd be able to find something a little more durable, and preferably closer to my size.

I leapt to the north, ascending the slope and cresting the ridge well before noon. I paused and took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air as I stared hard toward the northwest and searched for an indication of any establishment. I knew I was near to my goal; I could feel it in my skin, just like the tickle of recognition I felt every time we approached Inuyasha's Forest. The faint, unique scent of clay and soil and familiar foliage on the breeze triggered warm memories of playing with cousins in the trees as our parents and grandparents talked and laughed with one another.

The tingle of apprehension and a thrill of homecoming filled my being as I sped down the slope and darted between trees. I'd finally spotted a familiar cluster of trees that marked the entrance to our valley, and I wasted no time rushing there. The wind whipped through my bangs and my lips curled into a gleeful smile as I pushed my speed to its limit.

I came to a dead stop at the edge of a deep gully. This portion of the forest was well-ingrained in my memories, and I knew if I looked down and to the left, I would find a shallow cave that I'd hidden in countless times. The trees were silent, save for the barest whisper of a breeze that trailed through the thin trees along the edge of the gully. I leapt down to the lower level and followed the path, slightly concerned at its overgrown state. 'Hasn't anyone been here recently?'

The unwelcome sensation of fear crawled up my spine and quickened my pace into a careful run. I remained focused on my surroundings, knowing that there should be some sign of life, like claw and burn marks from sparring or a toy left behind after a long day of play. My fear grew as I hurried toward the homes I knew should be there, but I had yet to pass anything that would indicate anyone lived nearby. Doubt flashed across my mind. What if I'd made a mistake during those three weeks of travel and had simply thought I'd recognized this place?

The uncertainty was banished from my thoughts as I froze between two thick trunks. I knew this clearing by heart, just as I knew where my favorite hiding spot would be from the edge of that gully. Not even twenty paces away was the entrance to the home of my father's parents, and all I could smell was the scent of forest. I stepped forward cautiously, hoping I wouldn't find something terrible hidden behind the weathered wooden door.

The door creaked open slowly and I glanced around the dusty interior. Shelves were lined with keepsakes just as they had been years ago, and there was even a meal still sitting upon the tabletop. But my hopes were irreparably dashed as I took note of the inch of dust coating everything. The meal had spoiled and shriveled so long ago that it was no longer recognizable.

There was not even the slightest trace of their scent in the abandoned home. The guest houses nearby were empty as well, with nothing living within the walls except a few spiders and mice.

The wind shifted and brought with it the taste of human, and I stilled to determine whether or not it was a potential threat. (Not that I'm afraid of humans or anything, but I've learned some can pack nasty surprises...) Within a few seconds I was darting toward the source. The elderly man had just stepped outside of a small hut less than a mile away from the clearing. A young, homely-looking girl hobbled closely behind him leaning on crutch for support. She chattered quietly about the beautiful sky as his aged face wrinkled into a smile.

I landed quietly in a crouch before the mismatched pair, unconcerned with the girl's gasp of fright. "Old man, do you know of the kitsune youkai that used to live in this valley?"

A moment passed in silence as the very forest seemed to hold its breath. He nodded in my direction; his milky-blind eyes spoke volumes of loss as the shadow of painful memories turned his crinkled smile into a deep frown. "They were very kind to our village. We lived peacefully."

"Where did they go?" I looked toward the girl halfway hidden behind him. To ask the two why they remained here, alone in this mere whisper of a village seemed too prying, and surely the stupidity of a crippled child and a blind old man would be beneath a strong youkai's notice... But I'd spent too many days with Kagome and her charitable heart to ignore their possible plight. "Why do you remain here with only that girl for your eyes?"

The old man turned slightly and followed a worn path to a rickety seat carved from wood. The young girl carefully helped him sit down, and he turned to stare with unseeing eyes at the place I still stood. "There was a dispute over territory some time ago. The mogura youkai of the eastern slope demanded control of this valley and free reign over its inhabitants."

'The moles? They lived underground and were just as peaceful and kind as we were...' I could remember one day that my grandmother told us about the mogura clan's matron. Their clan gave ours a gift of carved stones that glowed red as a token of peace and friendship between our families.

"The kitsune... they resisted the demands and tried to reason with the mogura. But they were outnumbered, and our meager human settlement was little help. It was..." The old man paused, emotional pain contorting his face. "It was a terrible massacre."

The old man's voice cracked with restrained tears, and I slid to rest upon a knee in disbelief. 'My family?' It was hard to believe that anyone in my family could have been so weak as to fall to a bunch of blind, dirt-digging vegetable munchers.

"A few survived. I do not know who managed to escape. I've been blind most of my life, and I think it was the only reason my life was spared," he muttered. "I stay to keep watch over the graves of my wife and son, who were not so fortunate that day... and I plead for vengeance."

To the eyes and ears of those two pitiful humans, I vanished. I leapt straight upwards without sound, barely touching on a thin branch with the tip of a toe before concealing myself amongst the thick leaves. I needed time to swallow the knot of misery that threatened to claw its way out of my throat, and I certainly didn't want to make myself look weak in front of them. I could hear the little girl below murmur in confusion that I'd disappeared.

I bit my lip and rubbed my hands across my face. I'd always thought my grandparents to be strong after their long lives and endless experiences, and to think they might have perished at the hands of...

My thoughts tripped over themselves as I remembered something I'd just seen, and I slipped back into my grandparents' home. There were plates set out for five people to eat, and the house had obviously been arranged for guests. My father's sister and her husband had a girl a little younger than I. They seemed more likely to be the mystery guests than did my uncle and his wife with their three boys.

I laughed to myself, morbidly relieved that it was very unlikely that every member on my father's side of the family had chosen that particular day to visit.

The little girl squealed in renewed fright as I reappeared before them, but the old man continued to sit with his sad expression as though he'd known I'd come right back for more information. "How long ago was this? Where did this happen?" I asked as any trace of politeness drained from my tone.

Once the disbelief and confusion had been overcome with some common sense and basic reasoning, I began to feel the sharp claws of a vengeful rage creep across my shoulders. I'd force the ones responsible for this horrible act to pay for their debts with their lives, or I would die trying. This was not a common dispute; it was vicious and cruel, for who kills women and children for territory and then never even uses said territory?

Together, the old man and the girl told me how to get to what remained of the battle that had happened nearly two years prior. I was astounded at the amount of damage that had been done to that mountainside. There were an unbelievable number of trees that had been uprooted and tossed around like plucked grass, and the rocks and earth were cut in jagged furrows that were too unnatural to have been anything but the evidence of battle. This kind of fight would have been very loud and ground shaking, catching a lot of attention from any creatures living nearby. The tears in the earth ran in several directions with a few leading off into the still-intact woods, so I had hope that the battle that had been waged did not end here, and perhaps it hadn't been a complete massacre if my uncle's family came to their aid.

If that were the case, then it was possible my uncle's family still lived to the north, and I shot away from the battlefield with an urgency I'd rarely felt before.

Once I'd arrived, my lungs seemed to collapse and refuse any air into my chest. I dropped to my knees to survey the more disturbing imagery of their den in ruin. It had collapsed upon itself and was impossible to enter. A few trees had been uprooted here too, leading in a line toward the den, so it looked as though it had been caused by the mogura as well.

My hands clenched over my thighs in determination as I stared out over the destruction. Without proof of their deaths, I refused to allow what little hope I had for the survival of my family to fizzle out.