InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Slayer of Nightmares ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

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(Author's notes are underlined here -- this is to make it easy to skip past 'em if you don't give a damn, I'm just feeling an urge to speak my piece here.)

This is a bit of a long-winded and grumpy response to a nasty private e-mail I received telling me, essentially, how dare I write a story where Inuyasha loved more than one woman. The writer felt this was impossible and way out of line with the facts of the Inuyasha universe. Only she said this not so politely. Actually, she demanded that I delete this story until I could, "fix it!" Obviously, she's a nut. And I'm probably baiting the nut here, but oh well ...

I thought I would put my thoughts on the matter out there this publicly because inuyoukai mating beliefs do seem to be a "fanon" vs. "canon" issue. And I have never been one to cow to "fanon" beliefs when writing fanfic.

I know it is fanon that inuyoukai would mate for life. It's repeated so often that it took me a bit to realize it wasn't canon ... I've read quite a few fics where Inuyasha bites Kagome and "marks" her, and then they're bound heart and soul for all eternity (possibly including all future lives) and then Kagome has a litter of puppies and they live happily ever after. If this is based on canon, somebody please correct me ... because the person e-mailing me couldn't cite an episode or chapter of manga when I asked her for it. (She said she "didn't have to.") And I don't think it is anywhere in canon ... I think the whole "mate for life and die when the mate dies" thing in Inuyasha fandom is just fan assumptions that have built up over the years until many fans think it HAS to be that way.

But anyway, PBBBBBBbbbbbbbbbbb! *insert rude noises* Here's my thoughts on the matter.

First off, Inuyasha clearly loves two women in canon. Granted, they're the same woman on some sort of weird metaphysical level, but both Kikyou and Kagome would probably beg to argue that point for all practical purposes. And he does love them both. The problem for him is in the choosing ... and he's not ready to make that choice on the show.

However, the most telling thing about inuyoukai mating practices is that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha have different mothers. They're half siblings. This implies that, just possibly, their father loved more than one woman ... or at least was mated to more than one ... either he cheated on "Sessmom", he divorced her, or he's a bigamist. Any of those three options is mutually exclusive with "mating for life with no exceptions" and it is a not-insignificant part of canon.

Also, finally, Inuyasha's half human. :-) And he has human emotions and feelings and develops human attachments to people. That's what makes him such a great character. He's the best of both worlds.

Anyway. Done venting. Thanks for putting up with this. On with the story.

(And to everyone who's sent me nice -- or at least well thought out -- comments, thank you also. I don't normally react this way to nasty comments from readers, but I thought this deserved to be addressed because it's a topic that bugs me a lot. And because I react rather twitchily to people insisting I can't write the stories I want to tell because my stories disagree with their world view.)

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"This Sesshomaru is amused," the demon informed her. "You are not what this Sesshomaru expected as the leader of men who could kill my brother."

Did he have to be so hot? Buffy shook her head, watching the demon lord. Even missing one arm, he was yummy, in an androgynous pretty-boy way. And she could see the striking resemblance to Inuyasha in the lines of his face -- though the resemblance ended there. They didn't even move the same way; Inuyasha was all ferocious energy and anger, and this guy was cool, suave lordliness.

He was very definitely not your typical yucky slimy demon.

Also, cave. Why did it have to be a cave? She hated caves. They smelled dank, the humidity made her hair frizz, and they reminded her of too many other battles. The whole ancient-temple theme in said cave was giving her an even worse case of deja vu. She'd seen buried ancient temples before, with the occasional variation of "buried ancient church" or "buried ancient shrine" or "buried military installation."

"Not men," she snorted, correcting his assumption about who she led. "Girls, mostly."

That earned her a curious half-smile from the creature. He said, with an odd tone, "Yes. Girls. The most dangerous creatures in the world."

"You got that right, buddy." Buffy tugged at the ropes restraining her wrists. Still no Slayer powers. "Imagine you'd know, though. You look like you want to be a girl yourself. Though, really, that fur thing of yours is so 1980's."

He narrowed his eyes at her. Score! She made a mental note that Lord Sesshy-whatsit was vain as hell and sensitive about his masculinity. Though all one had to do was look at him, really, to know about that.

Powerless, hands and feet tied, on the floor of an ancient temple buried deep within a cave, her mouth was the only weapon she had at the moment.

"You are an impertinent human. Do you know who I am?"

"Like, duh, I'm guessing your name is Cease-Homey-roo or something like that. Way with the third-person arrogance." She flipped her hair back over her shoulder.

"You dare to talk to me in such a tone." His eyes narrowed at her, and he folded his arms. She hoped he was regretting kidnapping her. Once she got her powers back, she was going to make him regret it even more.

"You know what? Your dialogue really sucks. It's like 'B movie classic' or something. Can't you think of anything to say that's not a rip-off a bad horror film?"

"Such insolence ..." he muttered, looking like he was perilously close to losing his composure, despite his earlier claim that she amused him. Given that she'd been sniping at him for the last three hours, ever since waking up in his underground-temple-cave-thing, she was actually a little impressed by his ability to remain cool and collected. Because she'd been trying to piss him off. "This Sesshomaru can see why my brother tried to kill you."

"Yeah, well, he's toast."

"This Sesshomaru cannot allow that." His words were soft, deadly dangerous, and acutely threatening. She shut her mouth, suddenly aware that she'd gone too far. There was a difference between razzing the Big Bad because it was fun and it gave her an edge, and truly pissing him off. Oops, she'd just stepped over the line.

"So Rover's your brother," she mused, concealing her real fear with a question, "Any other loving family members I ought to know about? You know, so I know if I ought to be watching my back after I Slay your pretty ass?"

"Loving? Hardly." His eyes were cold, implacable. She didn't understand his response, either, until he elaborated, "I vowed once that only I would kill Inuyasha. I will not let another take that privilege from me. Particularly a human girl."

"So you want me to tell Willow to lift the spell on Rover, is that it?" Buffy's eyes flashed dangerously. Inuyasha was violent and dangerous; this demon, she was rapidly concluding, was sociopathic and ... annoying. "So you can kill him?"

"In the time and the place of my choosing," he said, very calmly. "And no one else shall touch him."

"Milord!" A creature appeared in the subterranean temple's doorway. Buffy twitched. It was a frog with a beak. "Milord, there's trouble! The vampires you kicked out of this lair are trying to reclaim it!"

"You bet there's trouble," Buffy muttered. And there was more coming. Her friends would find her ... and then there will be hell to pay.

Sesshomaru gave her a dark look before sweeping out of the room. "Watch her," he told the frog-thing.

"So what are you?" Buffy asked, after a moment's contemplation of the creature. "His toady?"

It hissed. "Jaken thinks the pretty human girl doesn't know what trouble she's in."

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Willow regarded the hanyou with considerable wariness, and a little fascination, as she set up the summoning spell using the supplies Kagome had purchased plus a map purchased from the corner Circle K.

Inuyasha was crouched by the television in Kagome's apartment. He had his palms braced on the floor between his feet; in stance, he very much resembled the dog part of the dog-demon. The ears weren't helping his inhuman appearance; those amber eyes were uncanny, too. They were the almost same color as a vampire in game face, only he had that eye color all the time -- except when he was human in appearance, or full demon. She gathered he'd rather be hanyou than human, and nobody wanted him to manifest as a full demon including Inuyasha himself.

However ... well, Faith had been right when she'd observed he was hot. He wasn't exactly her type, but she couldn't fail but notice that he had a certain raw appeal ... It was his level of energy, Willow decided. And the whole bad-boy attitude. He was indisputably sexy -- not human, but close enough, and he was pure male.

Definitely! not her type. But she saw the appeal.

He met her gaze and she realized she'd been staring at him. Roughly, he demanded, "What?"

"N-nothing." She looked away.

"Keh."

Kagome was busy in the kitchen -- pouring soda for everyone into little plastic cups with ice, except for Inuyasha and Giles, who had both requested tea, and Spike, who wanted coffee. Willow idly wondered why the woman was playing hostess to them; they weren't friends. Wouldn't ever be friends, Willow hoped -- all earlier joking aside, Inuyasha gave her a serious case of the wiggins. She was afraid breaking Inuyasha's spell would turn out to be a mistake -- but there was Buffy. They had to rescue Buffy. Who was probably going to be pissed about the spell-breakage.

She was hoping and praying that she was making the right decision by releasing him.

Kagome passed out the drinks, then settled down next to Inuyasha. Willow glanced up from spell preps at that, noting how casual the young woman was around her demonic friend. She wasn't the slightest bit subservient -- and neither was the hanyou. They were friends, good friends, trusted friends. Lovers, Willow reminded herself, remembering Kagome's wisecrack earlier.

As Willow watched, Kagome said something low and apparently teasing to the hanyou, in Japanese. It earned her an un-amused look, a snort, and -- to Willow's astonishment, a very mild rebuke from him. "Speak English, woman, or they'll think we're plotting against them."

When Inuyasha said that, everyone in the room stared at them.

"What?" Inuyasha demanded, hunching his shoulders and glaring. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Andrew said something -- in Japanese. Both Inuyasha and Kagome gave him startled looks. He shrugged and added, in English, "Anime's much better when you understand what they're saying in the real Japanese. Dubs suck."

"You learned Japanese to watch cartoons?" Inuyasha said, incredulously.

"Not cartoons!" Andrew protested, with a little too much volume. "Works of art!" After a moment, he added, "Anyway, I'm really good with languages."

Inuyasha's ears had gone flat to his head in response to the volume of Andrew's voice. Kagome chuckled. "See dog-boy? Now they'll know I promised you a case of ramen after this is all over if you don't growl at anyone ... they know your secret weakness."

He gave the young Slayer a very dirty look, hunched up further, and muttered under his breath.

Amazing. She isn't the slightest bit afraid of teasing him. Even though it pisses him off. I think she likes picking on him. Whatever Willow had thought of Inuyasha before, she'd never pictured this. This creature killed Kennedy. I should hate him.

He met her eyes, then looked sharply away with a muttered word under his breath.

Kennedy had killed his mate of four and a half centuries, though. Willow's mind boggled at that kind of devotion. How long had she known Tara? Two years? And when Jonathon had killed her, she'd lost her mind for awhile. She'd hurt friends -- good friends -- Giles -- she'd very nearly destroyed the world, and if Xander hadn't ... hadn't had more guts than brains, she'd have done it, too.

Inuyasha had been married to the same woman four and a half centuries. Willow'd known plenty of marriages that didn't last a year. He had to have been incredibly devoted to her. And all he did was kill Kennedy after Kennedy killed Amelia, at least to start. Then we hunted him ... and he restrained himself to killing Slayers in retaliation for being hunted. But he's not hurt anyone else that I've heard of.

She shook her head, uneasy with the conclusions she was drawing. He's violent and he's dangerous -- but so are we. Is it possible everyone involved has fucked up in various ways?

She knew she'd have a hard time forgiving this creature for Kennedy's death. The anger threatened to rise whenever she thought about it. But now she was pissed at Kennedy too, for being stupid. And Buffy, too, for her role in the whole fiasco ... and at herself, for not investigating things earlier and more thoroughly, until they had escalated to this point.

Willow realized she was just stalling now, because she'd had the candles and the incense all set up for several minutes. Just as she became aware of that, the hanyou said, "Oi! Witch, you about done there?"

"Y-yeah. I need you to sit opposite me, though." She indicated the other side of the map.

"Why didn't you just say that?"

He rose, took three strides across the room, and plunked down opposite her, after casually sweeping his sword out of the way with one hand, so it trailed behind him. He'd changed into bright red and coarsely woven garb that looked like it was straight out of medieval Japan, and wore the sword with the easy of long, long familiarity.

Both the sword and his outfit were given off an aura of power. The sword, in particularly, was heavily enchanted. She thought it had multiple layers of magic on it, and it was tied to the hanyou's very soul -- she could sense the connection.

"Witch?" Inuyasha was holding his hand out. "Whenever you're ready."

Among the supplies that Kagome had purchased was a little silver ceremonial dagger. Willow picked it up, then reached out and took the half-demon's hand in hers. His fingers felt human, mostly -- they were warm, dry, callused. The proportions were human; his body temperature wasn't abnormal. They were not the cold hands of a vampire, certainly.

His claws weren't human, however -- they were hard as steel, cold to the touch, and wickedly sharp. She'd seen what those claws could do, and had also seen Kagome fearlessly take his hand and hold it even when he could have shredded her with one good swipe.

He lifted an eyebrow at her.

Staring, again.

"Sorry. This is weird. I feel like you should be some unreasonable monster," Willow confessed. "We've been hunting you so long. Never thought I'd be sitting down to work with you to save Buffy."

"Feh. Been called that a monster a few times in my life." Heavy sarcasm filled his words. And old buried hurts, she thought. "But you're realizing I'm not too different from you, aren't you now, wench?"

In more ways than you know, Rover, Willow thought. She turned his hand over, palm up, and said, "I only need a little drop of blood for this. I'm going to stick your index finger."

"Don't worry about hurting me," Inuyasha said, with what was definitely a smirk. "I'm pretty indestructible in this form. You want to damage me permanently, you got to do it when I'm human. But you've already figured that out, haven't you?"

She ignored the snark, gritted her teeth, and drove the point of the silver dagger into the tip of his finger. He didn't even flinch, though Kagome -- who was now standing behind him -- certainly did jump in sympathetic reaction. Inuyasha pulled his hand away, squeezed the wounded digit with his other hand, and dripped a good sized blot of blood onto the map.

The rest of the spell was very simple and basic. He was right in that blood called to blood -- and the blood of an inuyoukai had some remarkable properties; Inuyasha appeared to share a few of them despite his mixed heritage. She could feel his inherent powers as she wove the spell to locate Sesshomaru. The magic came easily, even for her, and very quickly, she'd located the demon lord's location on the map.

"Just a word of advice," Willow said, standing up. She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "You might want to be extra careful that you never let a vampire drink your blood."

"Why the hell would I do something stupid like that?"

"Just ... don't." Willow said, amazed at the power she'd picked up from him. "That would be a bad thing."