InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Heaven ❯ Family ( Chapter 17 )

Dark Heaven

 

Chapter 17

 

Family

 

“What manner of modifications are these?” Renkotsu turned as Hakudoshi ran a finger over the metal he was working on. He flipped up his welder's mask and gestured to the hulk of his brother leaning against the wall, watching but not moving, mostly because he possessed no limbs to move. Ginkotsu and Renkotsu had been very close, the two were master metallurgists, blacksmiths and electricians. When a fallen girder in a police raid had effectively sliced his torso in two, Renkotsu had spared no expense to research, develop and build his brother a new body of steel. The funding for such work had come from Hakudoshi, on the condition Renkotsu and his cybernetic brother give their services to him.

 

“With the war coming and all, I decided to forego a humanoid appearance,” Renkotsu explained, standing and walking to a lumpy object under a sheet. He flung the sheet back to reveal what may have been a golf cart in a former life, but now bore green and black steel and six all-terrain wheels. “I'm just welding together his left arm.” Renkotsu explained. Hakudoshi nodded and looked over the wheeled structure that was to become Ginkotsu's body.

 

“What type of weaponry will he be able to wield?” Hakudoshi asked, circling the cart.

 

“His left arm will house a gatling gun in his wrist. His right arm will feature multi-functional claws that can act as a hand, but also adjust form to suit other tasks. I'm also considering a retractable grappling hook,” Renkotsu explained, reaching under his workbench to grab a blueprint. Hakudoshi slipped a hand into his pocket and withdrew a small black device, about the size of a large coin. He squeezed the device, looked down at it and noted it's small, red glow, and slipped it into a crack in the cart. Renkotsu stood up and furled the blueprint over the body.

 

“How long and how much will this take?” Hakudoshi asked.

 

“A few days, and a few grand.” Renkotsu replied.

 

“For all your assurances that he is invincible, he spends more time in your workshop than in the battlefield,” Hakudoshi growled. “Both he and you are beginning to take their toll on me.” Renkotsu gulped. When he had poured his savings into saving Ginkotsu, Hakudoshi had come and offered him the money he needed, on the condition he retool his brother as a weapon. Renkotsu had had no choice but to accept. But if Hakudoshi backed out now…

 

“I promise, each time I redesign him a body, he becomes stronger. I just need time,” Renkotsu pleaded. Hakudoshi made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat.

 

“Time is something you are running out of, use it wisely,” He replied, turning and walking back to his study. He heard a beeping, and pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “Speak.”

 

“Greetings Master.” Hakudoshi smirked. Naraku, his most favored servant, if only for his naiveté. The human fool was far in over his head, but he was loyal if nothing else.

 

“What is happening Naraku?” Hakudoshi replied.

 

“I would like to revise the terms of my alliance with you. Certain circumstances have been set in motion to make my power greater, and thus I desire greater payment from you,” Naraku explained. Hakudoshi snorted. The arrogance of this human apparently knew no bounds. He thought he was important enough to make demands?

 

“And just why should consider giving you more? I promised you leadership of Haven, Naraku,” He said.

 

“True, but Midoriko has recently promised me that title when she passes on. It seems that your bargaining chip is void.” Hakudoshi could practically hear the smirk, and bit back the rage.

 

“Very well. What is it you desire?” He spat.

 

“Nothing complex. There is a renegade creature roaming my city, perhaps you've heard of her?”

 

“Ah, the so-called Angel who plays superhero in the night. She is a minor nuisance,” Hakudoshi replied.

 

“I want her killed,” Naraku said simply. Hakudoshi shrugged. The life of Angel was nothing to him one way or the other. True, she had killed Suikotsu, but the Shinchinintai as a whole were nothing to him, excess baggage to be killed when he didn't need them anymore.

 

“I'll call Kagemusha and order her death,” Hakudoshi replied, hanging up. He redialed and waited for an answer.

 

“Yes?” Kagemusha said, answering.

 

“Kagemusha, you have new orders. Contact Hunter, I want the Angel dead. Oh, and what was that reporter whore who was snooping around on Bankotsu?”

 

“Sango, sir. However, I have already taken liberties with her. I had Bankotsu send one of his brothers to handle the problem.”

 

“Excellent,” Hakudoshi sneered.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Kohaku, could you get that?” Nina Taijiya asked, stirring a pot of rice on the stove. Sango's younger brother groaned and paused his Playstation, getting to his feet and walking to the door of the apartment. He stood up on tip-toe and frowned, unlocking it and swinging it open.

 

“Hello?” Kohaku asked. A tall man in a black coat pushed his way past him and stood in the hallway of the apartment. His collar was pulled up impossibly far, and a hat with a large brim covered his face. He casually reached over and flicked off the lights, and Kohaku noticed he was wearing black leather gloves.

 

“Who is it?” Nina asked, looking around the doorframe. “Oh, hello. Can I help you?” The man kept his head low, but nodded.

 

“Where is the rest of your family?” He asked.

 

“I'd like to know who you are first,” Nina countered.

 

“Of course. Forgive me. I am here on behalf of the Council of Thirteen. You may call me Kyokotsu,” Kyokotu tipped his hat slightly. “Now please, answer my question it is of the utmost importance.” Nina nodded.

 

“My husband is resting in the den, my daughter works during the day,” She replied. Kyokotsu nodded.

 

“I'm afraid both your daughter, and as a consequence, your family is under investigation for conspiring against the Council and housing a known fugitive called Angel. You are all under arrest.” Nina gasped as Kyokotsu reached into his pocket.

 

“Please, if you'll just let me make a call, I can bring my daughter over right away and we can settle this,” She pleaded.

 

“I'm afraid that such a risk is one I cannot take,” Kyokotsu sighed. “In fact, your lives, even in confinement, also fall in that category.” Nina gasped as Kyokotsu produced a 9 mm from his pocket and fired thrice. Nina fell back on the kitchen floor, gasping and clutching a bloody pink blouse.

 

“No!” Kohaku screamed and slammed his fists into Kyokotsu's side.

 

“Such a need to protect the loved,” Kyokotsu slammed out a hand and hurled Kohaku across the room, the boy crashing through a lamp and lying limp on the ground. Kyokotsu turned and aimed at him, clicking back the hammer.

 

“Stay the fuck away from my son!” There was a loud bang, and Kyokotsu let out a cry as Shinji Taijiya fired a bullet into the back of his skull from the barrel of a 45 Magnum. The bullet hit the carpet and bounced slightly, rolling to hit the toe of Kohaku's sneaker. Kohaku screamed as Kyokotsu lurched forward, clutching his face as his hat tumbled to the ground. His eyes went wide as the man wiped off his face, blood splashing on the ground, along with something else.

 

Maggots.

 

Kohaku slowly backed up against a wall as the rotting, brown flesh of Kyokotsu's face contorted in anger, a finger poking around the hole in his head. He growled and turned around. Shinji stared in horror, but after a moment opened fire. Kyokotsu took a single step back as a second bullet neatly pieced his forehead, above his right eye. He blinked a few times and advanced down the hall, barely flinching as three more bullets impacted his chest.

 

“Such courage is admirable.” Kyokutso grabbed Shinji's wrist and twisted, seizing the gun in his hand and raising it to fire. “Futile, but admirable.” Shinji flew back along the hall, a bloody hole in the middle of his forehead. Kyokotsu dropped his gun and turned to Kohaku, his yellow teeth turning up in a grin as he stomped towards the boy. Kohaku grabbed the phone from a table and hit speed-dial.

 

“9-1-1, what's your emergency?” The dispatcher said on the other line. Kohaku stared at the corpse standing over him, and dropped the phone in shock. “Hello? Is something wrong?” The dispatcher asked.

 

The next sounds they heard was a loud snap, then a heavy thud.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“I was gonna interview the police chief Myoga on the funding issue. You want to take it?” Sango asked, getting up from her desk to get a new cup of coffee.

 

“Sorry, I'm seeing Inuyasha again tonight,” Kagome said, smiling slightly. Sango made a gagging sound, and Kagome gave her a look over her shoulder. The phone rang, and Kagome picked it up. “Hello?” She furrowed her brow and held the phone out to Sango. Sango took it.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Is this Sango Taijiya?” the voice asked.

 

“Yes, what is it?” Sango replied, sipping her coffee. Kagome turned to get a new package of printer paper from the filing cabinet, and she heard a loud thump. She spun around to see Sango slide off her desk limply and lay on the floor, staring blankly.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Sango sat silently on the steps of the stairs of her family's apartment, watching the police come and go with blank looks out of the corner of her eyes. Kagome stood beside her on the other side of the railing, not wanting to obstruct the police. Myoga came down the steps and put a hand on Sango's shoulder.

 

“It looks like a youkai attack,” He said. Sango made no indication she had heard, but nodded. “The bodies of your parents sustained bullet wounds and have been taken to the morgue. Your brother sustained severe neck and spinal wounds and is joining them.” Kagome thanked him, and Myoga nodded back. “In the meantime we've, um…finished, with the apartment. You're welcome to go up.” Sango's response was to stand up and slowly walk inside the complex, her face blank. She moved to the stairs and took them one at a time, moving past a duo of officers who were coming down. She pushed open the door to the apartment on the top floor and entered, locking the door behind her and hanging up her coat and slipping her shoes off.

 

Sango trudged down the hall to her father's study, noting the overturned lamp at the table near the entrance and the closed book on the desk with a bookmark about halfway through it. She turned and walked back to the kitchen, noting a pot of burnt rice that lay smoking on the now-off stove, before going back to the living room and looking at the TV display for Kohaku's Legacy of Kain game, still paused in the hero's task of impaling an enemy with a long staff. Sango slowly walked over, turned off the TV and system, then turned back and stood in the middle of the room.

 

Her knees gave out, and Sango collapsed to the floor, burying her face in her arm and crying. And crying. And crying.

 

And crying.