InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten ❯ The Devil's Incarnation ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/maga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.

 

195 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards

 

Chapter Four: The Devil's Incarnation

 

What many fail to realize is just because Sagara has no battle instinct doesn't mean he can't fight. He actually is one of the best. He can read his opponents as well as a master and exploit their weaknesses. He just can't do it in the midst of battle making a stranger the most dangerous opponent he could face. The only reason why he used others to do his dirty work for him was because his goals demanded discretion.

-Inuyasha

 

Yahiko watched as Kaoru stepped away from his peers. So far, the three days of observation had turned up nothing. The murder had shaken the capital and, despite the clan's best efforts to the contrary, word had leaked out that the tenko were furious and out for blood. Naturally, everyone was now on their best behavior, including the Shogun.

 

`We're never going to find anything this way,' thought Yahiko in disgust. `The ones responsible are aware that we're looking for them and so are trying to behave like honest, upstanding citizens. Everyone else is guilty of only thinking poorly about our princess but that guilt is causing them to behave properly too so everyone is acting the same. I can't tell who's guilty and who only feels guilty!'

 

He slammed the side of his fist against the wall he leaned against and growled frustration. `At this rate, the only way we'll be able to figure out who sent those men is when they attack Inuyasha!'

 

Yahiko looked up again just in time to see Sagara go down the same street as Kaoru. `We were told to be discreet, what is he doing following Kaoru so openly?' Suspicious at his cousin's actions, Yahiko trailed after, though, cautiously so as to alert neither Sagara nor Kaoru.

 

Sagara caught up to Kaoru and said softly, “You botched that pretty badly, didn't you?”

 

“What are you talking about?” hissed Kaoru.

 

Sagara smiled and said, “You should be grateful I silenced that survivor or else Jounochi would know it was you who hired those men.”

 

Kaoru jerked but didn't stop walking. Sweat began to form on his brow and he glanced around. “This is not the place for such talk. Your clan is all over the place sniffing for leads!”

 

“Heh! Indeed, they are,” said Sagara, but remained unconcerned. “They have been paying special attention to you ever since Inuyasha told Jounochi about your hanyou comment.”

 

The nobleman paled. “I thought you said they don't care about Inuyasha, only about what Izayoi wants!” he said in a harsh whisper.

 

“It is because they know that Inuyasha was the attackers' true objective,” stated Sagara, his smile never fading. “It was your hirelings who failed to perform. If they had done their jobs correctly then none of this would be happening.”

 

Yahiko cursed silently as he continued to follow them to the outskirts of the city. `I can't hear a single word they're saying. Sagara looks like this is just an everyday conversation, but Kaoru… He looks like he's staring at the executioner already. What is Sagara doing? Is he trying to find the employer by talking to people?' He saw them turn down an alley and quickened his pace while still refraining from making noise.

 

Sagara exited the alley and turned down another street. He was aware that his grandfather had sent people out to watch Kaoru. Even though his wind magic told him no one was following, he decided it never hurt to use caution. They had just turned down another alley when Kaoru stopped suddenly.

 

“What's wrong?” Sagara asked as he turned around.

 

Yahiko stopped at the entryway to the alley the pair had disappeared into. He'd almost lost him when they started dodging in and out of alleys, but his earth magic not only allowed him to walk without sound, it allowed him to sense where people were. Closing his eyes, he determined Sagara and Kaoru had stopped moving. They were also close, only a few feet into the alley. He could now hear what they were saying.

 

“Why did you kill the survivor? Why are telling me Jounochi has focused his search on me? What will you gain from aiding me?” demanded Kaoru as he backed away from Sagara. Yahiko jerked in surprise and horror. He couldn't believe what he just heard.

 

“Your silence,” replied Sagara, his smile remained, but its aura became dark.

 

“Silence?” Kaoru's question echoed Yahiko's thoughts.

 

“Yes, you see, the truth is we of the tenko clan are very fond of our hanyou population,” replied Sagara, reaching into his kimono.

 

“But you just said…!” started Kaoru then he looked at the empty alley and heard the quietness of the surrounding area. “No!”

 

Yahiko felt his blood freeze; he knew what was going to happen next. Not feeling anyway generous toward the murderer and knowing he was in danger too, he began to slip away from the alley entrance. `I have to get back to Uncle Jounochi and tell him about Sagara!'

 

“It seems the time has come for the clan to dance once more to the bitter song of Yin and Yang.”

 

`I have to tell him that Sagara is the Yin Elder Katsuya warned us about!' he thought. He couldn't run or else Sagara would hear him, so he moved at a fast walk hoping to get around the corner before Sagara entered the street.

 

“I really do wish you had killed Inuyasha, but I can get him later,” said Sagara, still smiling as he pulled out a dagger. “You're just a liability now. Die!”

 

Kaoru drew his sword, but Sagara ducked beneath the blade and plunged the dagger into Kaoru's heart. The man gasped and crumpled, the sword falling to the ground. Sagara bent over and wiped his blade clean on Kaoru's blue kimono.

 

“Such fools, you all are so easy to manipulate. I just say what you want to hear and you'll happily dance to my dark tune,” he said as he walked out into the street. He glanced up and saw a shadow vanish around a corner. Shocked, he listened carefully but still heard nothing.

 

`Am I hallucinating or…?' He ran toward the alley; he had to make sure no one was there.

 

Yahiko sensed Sagara's rapid approach. `Damn, I thought I made it!' He looked forward; he would only make it to the next corner if he ran. `But if I run, he'll hear me.' He felt Sagara's closing presence and bolted. `It doesn't matter; he already knows I'm here!'

 

Panic shot Sagara's blood with ice when he heard the running footstep from within the alley. `Someone is there! It has to be an earth tenko! They're the only ones I can't hear when they're walking!' He summoned his wind magic to send him flying across the ground. `He saw! That's why he's running away from me. I must kill him!'

 

`Damn it! He's off the ground!' Yahiko cursed mentally. He whirled around the corner and fled down the street.

 

Sagara zipped through the alley and whipped around the corner. `Damn! It's Yahiko! But I have no choice. If I don't kill him, the entire clan will descend on me!' He took out his fan and hurled wind blades at the retreating earth tenko's back.

 

Yahiko felt the change in the wind. He dropped to his knee and punched the ground. The earth behind him shot up as a column, the wind blades smashed into it and vanished, the column shattered. `No choice but to fight,' thought Yahiko as he stood and turned to face his opponent.

 

Sagara opened his fan into a full circle and threw it at the earth tenko. Yahiko stomped the ground and another column of earth rose to shield him from the attack. A second stomp sent Sagara leaping into the air to avoid being impaled by the earth spikes at his feet. The wind tenko's fan sliced through the column and scent Yahiko ducking for cover. It came back around and slashed Yahiko's right shoulder.

 

Bleeding profusely but still determined, Yahiko ducked down and swung his hands along the ground then turned them up. More earth spikes shot into the air after the flying tenko. They gripped Sagara's ankle then sank back into the earth. Sagara slammed into the ground. He barely got off the ground before another spike could spear his unprotected torso.

 

Furious, Sagara sent a spear of whirling wind at Yahiko then threw his dagger. Yahiko raised a wall of rock against the assault. The wind spear smashed into the wall, but Sagara twitched his fingers and the dagger flew around the barrier. Yahiko saw it pass and thought it a miss. He raised his hands and more earth spikes flew up to drag Sagara down. This time they held on after he hit the ground. Yahiko moved to deliver the final blow and caught Sagara smiling.

 

White-hot pain exploded in his back and his chest erupted in blood, flesh, and bone. He caught one last glimpse of the dagger flying in a sideways arc to Sagara's hand before death claimed him.

 

Sagara stood up as the earth spikes crumbled from his legs, no longer animated by Yahiko's power they returned to their true state. `He almost had me,' he thought, panting. `Another second and it would have been all over. Too bad he had to sacrifice force in order to restrain me. The blow only slowed the dagger; it didn't disrupt my control over it.' Then he saw through the settling dust cloud someone, a woman, staring at him in horror.

 

Yuki.

 

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Next chapter: To Wed Power…

Kaiyoshinju returns after being away for many years. She discovers Noriko who wants to marry Sesshomaru for own ambitions, and that is one thing the dragon hanyou cannot tolerate!

 

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Finally, I've added another chapter to this story. I was very pleased with the battle scene in this one, even though it is showing influence from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” in the way Yahiko fought.

 

Prepare to scream because I have some bad news for you.

In the next chapter we are flying back some four centuries to Sesshomaru so the cliffhanger doesn't get relieved for another chapter. Get used to it, until after the brothers meet there is going to be this type of switching and all of Inuyasha's chapters are going to be high action and cliffhangers.

Those of you who are reading New Dawn, my apologies, but that one has hit another road block. I don't know how to write the next chapter. I have to show Sesshomaru slowly working his way from lone ranger to army soldier and, as you can imagine, that is going to be extremely difficult. Not to mention I have to keep up his new found insanity. So it may be a while before there is an update to that story. Very sorry!

A Princess Among Wolves has found new life and is getting some long overdo attention. Good news for me, bad news for those reading my other works.

I've entered my final semester of my college career. This means Senior Project and being a science major that means quite a bit of field work and research. Also, my Ecology class has its own separate project that demands lots of time and work. I am also applying for internships and trying to schedule my GRE test. So there isn't going to much time to spare for writing especially as we approach May.

 

The good news is that I have the early years of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha roughly mapped out now so it shouldn't take too much longer to get another chapter up. *says this while crossing fingers* Please remember that time is an issue and this is just a hobby to be done in my free time.

 

Other news includes a sudden idea that may interest you so I am looking for your opinion.

I don't know why but I wondered if I could write a story starring the priestess who started it all. No, not Kikyo! Midoriko. Those who have read the manga know how she died was strangely similar to what happened to Kikyo suggesting the jewel was telling its story over again. I wondered how far the jewel's story was being retold using new characters and thought I might write the whole story of Midoriko. Interested?

Is an idea that I have expressed in my bio. It would be an alternate universe of Inuyasha. I know AU's are not always popular and it takes a rare talent to really pull it off. This one would still be medieval Japan except the yokai are lords, humans are servants and there is no such thing as hanyou (I'm trying a tactic where I agree with rules of speciation). I think it would be fun. However, such a story would give more attention to Sango. Everyone would be in the story, eventually, and would appear, at first, as you are used to them. Really, the only ones who change appearance are Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha, in the anime, he's a hanyou, but in this story he's a young full yokai and so will Kagome. Naraku and his ilk would also be inuyokai and not their various demons selves but his nature and appearance would remain as you expected. The rough idea of the story is Naraku is trying to take the rich lands of the young lord Sesshomaru for himself and he is willing to use any tactics available, including causing Inuyasha to vanish without a trace. Part of the story will be Inuyasha and Sango's journey to get back and along the way they meet various characters. Still trying to iron out the details.

 

Now on to everyone's favorite part of author comments. The recognition and gratitude section!

*does happy dance* I got a comment on this! I got two comments!

 

Tyashaay14: I hope the date at the beginning of the entry will help tell you when everything is happening. Right, now the story is switching between Sesshomaru's past youth and Inuyasha's. Everyone knows Sesshomaru had his own mother, but no one knows who she was or what she was like. This is my take on this mystery woman. However, she lived and died long before Izayoi entered the picture.

 

jade pendent: I'm going to try to update sooner. Hopefully, the before mentioned chapter mapping will bring them out faster.