InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ August and Everything After ❯ Here's the problem... ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer- I do not own Inu Yasha.

Authors Note: Thanks for your positive review, Crimson Demon Keiri. Much appreciated. Kokunotsu, thank you for your review as well. I was a little worried about using God and the Devil, but I decided to go out on a limb, hey why not. I agree that Kagome being Angel of the Wind is a little odd, but otherwise she wouldn't fit into the story later on. You'll see, it'll all come together. And don't worry, Sango, Shippo and Miroku will all show up later on. The Guardian Angels don't play too big of a part in the overall story, so I didn't want to waste those characters on them. I just want to remind you all that this isn't the traditional Heaven and Hell you read about in the Bible. This is my own personal world. Enjoy and REVIEW!!!

There was nothing worse than social events, in this world or any other. Some people enjoyed them. Crazy people like Inu Yasha's half-brother, Sesshoumaru, for instance. Inu Yasha, on the other hand, despised having to mingle and complement, to have to talk polite business with the most hated demons in the underworld, knowing that all the while, you were being watched, scrutinized and under constant observation. The tension was thick. One false move and someone could end up dead tonight. Preferably not him.

There had been an event earlier that day that had split the demonic community in half. A high-ranking demon named Naraku had been put on trial. As there was no real justice in Hell, the trial was just a formality. Everyone knew that Naraku was to be sentenced to eternity on Earth, stripped of his demonic powers. It wasn't the sentence that anyone objected to, it was the crime. Naraku had been banished for killing an Angel. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, if he had killed the Angel on Earth, where demons and Angels were free from rules. But he hadn't. He had killed her on the bridge between Heaven and Hell. This was strictly forbidden. But Naraku was a member of a group of extremists who called themselves The Elders. The Elders claimed to be the oldest of all the demons, except for the Devil, of course. They claimed to be the original fallen Angels that had followed the Devil down to Hell. They also believed in the complete supremacy of the demonic race. Supporters of The Elders believed that the killing of the Angel was legal. They believed that Naraku should be applauded for his efforts to prove the supremacy of all demons.

This of course was ridiculous. To upset the balance of good and evil in the world would be disastrous. If the demons took over, who would they fight? They would turn on themselves, and in that event, destroy all of existence. This wouldn't be good for either Angels or demons. Essentially, the demons needed the Angels to exist. Only Inu Yasha and the royals could see this. It was only the royal family who had been born with the unique ability to see both sides of the coin. All other demons could only see that demons were better than Angels.

Sighing, Inu Yasha accepted a glass of wine from a passing servant. The servant waddled past, followed by his charmed tray, floating after him. It was pitiful. No one else could see just how desperate the situation was. Inu Yasha strolled out to the gardens. Deadly Nightshade, his sister, Rin's, favorite, grew in shadowy clumps. He made his way to a standing of death trees. Each tree was impregnated with the soul of a truly terrible human. The trees were forever in pain, and moaned as the wind shook them. He was pretty sure that Vlad the Impaler was somewhere in this grove. He sat down on a bench carved completely out of onyx. The polished surface reflected the light from the little lantern demons, small winged creatures that glowed from the inside. They floated gently on the stiff breezes, winds stolen from Heaven.

The wind spirits were in bondage, slaves to the masters of the night. The same was true with the fire, earth, and water spirits in Hell. The very firmament felt tired and lifeless. Inu Yasha sometimes wondered what it must be like in Heaven, a place where the spirits did their jobs willingly, happily. He could only imagine it might be something like Earth, except the Earth spirits seemed in a hurry to get their jobs done and return to Heaven. In Heaven, he imagined, the spirits of the elements went about their business slowly, leisurely, enjoying every moment of their existence.

He sometimes hated Hell. He hated the death, the destruction, the pain. Every once in a while, he longed for the simplicity of the Earth he had lived in for such a short time as a young boy. His mother had been a human. She had loved him and protected him from the men who thought he was evil. `They were right.' he thought ruefully, neatly beheading a poisonous hemlock blossom. His mother died protecting him. He had been born during the early days of the earth. Ancient Japan. His brother thought him inferior, mainly because he was half human, but also because he was so much younger. Sesshoumaru had been born at the dawning of time.

Immediately following his mother's death, his father, the Devil, took him down to live with him in Hell. A few centuries later, his sister Rin was born. Rin, that little demon whom he so cherished. But even now at only six centuries old, she was showing a macabre interest in death. One of her favorite past times was to go to Earth and feed small animals large quantities of poisonous plants, watching in grotesque fascination as they died violently, foaming at the mouth. That beautiful little girl, with her midnight black hair and black eyes, as deep as endless wells, the same little girl who laughed and clapped when he did his ditzy Angel impression, that little girl, was a demon through and through. She had no conscience, no guilt. The Earth was hers to play with and she didn't have to feel bad about anything she did or didn't do. Lucky kid.

He was still wrestling with his conscience over killing that demon on the bridge. His demon instincts had taken over and he had killed him, but now his human conscience was making him pay for his brash actions. Guilt flooded through him. It was true, the demon had broken the law and his punishment was death, but Inu Yasha wasn't the Devil, he didn't have the right to carry out that sentence.

As usual, Inu Yasha brushed his conscience aside. That little voice reprimanding him was silenced, for now anyway. The best way to live in Hell is to be soulless. Unfortunately, along with a conscience, Inu Yasha had also inherited a soul from his human mother. So he pretended. He faked it. He acted like all the other demons, bloodthirsty and unforgiving. Maybe he had tried too hard, because he now had a reputation for causing pain. He was called the ruthless brother. Sesshoumaru didn't like to get his claws dirty. He preferred quiet killings. Inu Yasha couldn't control his instincts, and most of his killings were quite public, and quite bloody so everyone knew of them. Ah, it's just as well. No one messed with him now. No one teased or tormented like they had on Earth. He had convinced himself that Hell was better.

In the quiet gardens of a Heavenly palace, the newest Guardian Angel stood. Joyful wind spirits swirled around her in a jubilant dance. They had a new mistress! One who didn't make them do terrible things. Should they tell her what their old mistress had made them do? They whispered to themselves. Bad things could happen if she doesn't know! Let's tell! One of the smallest wind spirits, a breeze really, wafted down to land on her mistress's creamy white shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she leaned down and whispered in her mistress's ear.

Kagome's eyes grew huge. Had she heard right? Kikyo was on Earth? She quickly caught the little breeze and brought it close to her face. "How? How did this happen?!" The little breeze hung its head and softly told her. "You did it?! I…I don't understand!" A gust floated towards them and told her everything, about Kikyo still being the Guardian Angel of the Wind when she had cast her spell. The winds had been forced to obey her will. "So you carried her to Earth." All the winds nodded solemnly. "I must talk to God. I must get there as soon as possible. Please carry me." The winds, guilty over what had happened, jumped to aid their mistress. In no time at all, Kagome was deposited outside God's home.

Inside the homely little cottage, a figure sat hunched over a small desk covered in papers. When the figure turned to see who had entered the dwelling, he/she/it smiled.

Most that saw God's face were confused and perhaps a little frightened. God's face moved constantly, reflecting the faces of all the people on Earth. The eyes of a little girl in Guam, the nose of a construction worker in New York, the mouth of an old shrine keeper in Japan, and so on. The Angels had always referred to God as He, because that was what He was called in the scriptures, but in reality, God was everyone and no one. In truth, God was androgynous, but was still female and male. God was, and still is, the personification of mystery.

"Sir! Kikyo is"

"I already know." He said. God's voice was a voice of the masses. Ever shifting, like His face, His voice roared and whispered alternately. Lesser Angels had to fight to refrain from covering their ears.

"Sir," said Kagome cautiously, "what do you propose we do?"

"Stop her, of course. Kikyo is filled with vengeance." God shook His head sadly. "She will stop at nothing to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting world." Kagome paused for a moment. Who would risk their lives to confront Kikyo? The names of Angels she knew flashed in quick succession through her head. She couldn't let these dear friends hurt themselves for something that was entirely her fault.

"Sir, I will stop her." God sighed tiredly.

"I knew you'd say that. All right then, you leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! Kikyo could have destroyed the Earth be then!"

"She won't. Tomorrow is the first day of Pentecost. She will start then, when the winds have control, for truly, she knows only the winds."

Each element had a part of the year in which they held the greatest power. The winds had Pentecost, fire had Advent, water had Lent and Earth had the Saint's Days.

Resigned, Kagome bid God farewell and returned to her home to prepare for her journey to Earth.

A bandy-legged servant interrupted Inu Yasha's silent reverie. "Milord! Your brother wishes to speak with you, the matter is urgent."

"Tell him to fuck off." Inu Yasha was not in the mood to be charitable.

"But… Milord!"

"Tell him now!" he roared. So what if the servant was killed for bringing bad news, not his problem.

Sure enough, a different servant approached him to inform him of his brother's reply.

"Milord, your brother said that if you do not come, he will personally see to it that you are executed…painfully." Growling, Inu Yasha stood and walked towards his brother's quarters.

As soon as he arrived at the elaborately decorated villa, he was joined by one of his chief advisors, Miroku.

"My Lord, your brother really has his temper up. Tread lightly." Inu Yasha merely grunted. Entering the brightly lit parlor, Inu Yasha was greeted by the sight of all the most important demons, including his father, sitting at a table, talking in low voices. His father. The Devil wore power like a mantle. Comfortable with his supremacy, he reeked of the stuff. His face was that of a middle aged handsomely stoic man. But his eyes, his eyes were the clue that told you that this creature was pure evil. The Devil's eyes had no whites. They were black, abnormally black all around. Looking into those dark pits, a demon could lose his sanity, Inu Yasha knew, he had seen it happen many times before.

Interrupting the precarious silence, Inu Yasha spoke. "What seems to be the terrible problem?"

"We have been deceived." The Devil spoke with the stolen voice of a smooth talking man. "The demon known as Naraku is not a demon at all, but a creature known as a Free Magic Spirit. He is bound by no rules and no restrictions. He has escaped. We have reason to believe he is on Earth. We must stop him, or it could mean the destruction of us all."

"Why is this a problem? I thought we didn't care what happens to Earth."

"Normally, it wouldn't be," Inu Yasha's brother, Sesshoumaru spoke now, "but Naraku is after a holy object called The Orranis. The Orranis holds the power to destroy anything remotely related to religion, leaving this dimension completely vulnerable to the Free Magic Spirits. We cannot let this happen."

"So," began Inu Yasha, "what are we going to do about it?" All eyes turned to him. Finally, the Devil spoke.

"You will stop him, with the aid of an Angel."

"A WHAT?! YOU'RE NOT STICKING ME WITH SOME DITZY ANGEL! WHY AN ANGEL?"

"Naraku has joined forces with an expelled Angel named Kikyo. She has a vengeance against God. Only anther Angel can stop her. God is sending her sister, Kagome."

Inu Yasha never thought he'd see the day. Demons and Angels working together to save all existence. He just hoped he wouldn't have to stand some wimpy Angel for very long.