InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou no kokoro no naka de; Within the Heart of the Half-Demon ❯ Revenge Against His Sons ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. is © Rumiko Takahashi

 

A/N: Sorry for the extremely long delay in the update. I'm tellin ya, I'm just so busy. Grah!!! And even after all this time, I've only got a short chapter to bring you. I'm telling you, I just don't have much time to write right now!! It makes me sad. And I've also been doing a lot of reading…a habit that I've picked up recently. So along with school and stuff, that's been taking up much of my time. Anyway, here's more info and stuff about the past. I like it, I hope you do too. Enjoy!!

 

Radish: Thank you for the review! Yes, well…what you said…I agree. I suppose her reaction in chapter 16, seemingly vengeful, was to seek him out and bring -er - justice kinda…Anyway, she's upset over the fact that he killed her, and more details on the whole story will be revealed as the story progresses, and she is also under the impression that he stole the Shikon Jewel from the kingdom after she died, which gives her even more reason to believe that he's not such a good person. Don't worry though, because you will find out soon that she is not really seeking him out so much for revenge as she is for the Jewel and for simply answers. Her view on the events that are happening and that have happened shifts in this story much like it does in the series. Anyway, I thank you for pointing it out…and as more details are revealed throughout the story, I hope it answers your questions…or in this case…insanely good analyzing. Thank you.

 

 

jade_pendant: Thank you for the review! Uh…yeah. I forgot to add the translation when I posted that last chapter!! Oops, oh well. Here it is:

 

Maybe everyone, for the sake of protecting love, maybe everyone needs something to believe in…

 

 

Miss BinKy: Thank you for your review! I'm very glad you like my fanfic so much. I do agree…I wish more of my readers would review…but thank you for yours!!!

 

 

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åŠã‚ˆã† 㮠心ã®ä¸­ã§; Within the Heart of the Half-Demon

 

Chapter 20

 

Revenge Against His Sons

 

 

 

“They say he had two sons.”

 

“Two sons? I thought he only had one.”

 

“Well, the second one is rumored to have been born by a human, making him a hanyou.”

 

“A great youkai like Inutaisho…fathering a half-breed! What a shame.”

 

“What about the full-breed son? What does he think of his brother.”

 

“Hates him. Then again, who doesn't?”

 

“The elder son is said to possess a great amount of power like his father had.”

 

“Does he live around here, do you think?”

 

“I don't know. I suppose if his father was such a legend in the West then he would not be quick to leave it.”

 

“I believe he's still a small child.”

 

“Hey bar-tender! Another shot.”

 

“Dude, you've had enough.”

 

“Go screw yourself.”

 

“A small child? He live with the humans or youkai?”

 

“In the kingdom - don't they all live together?”

 

“Hm…I guess.”

 

“He lives with his human mother.”

 

“After birthing a hanyou she's still alive?”

 

“Apparently.”

 

“Thought someone woulda killed her off…”

 

“If not, at least kill the hanyou boy.”

 

“Seems like humans around the castle are more tolerant of youkai. Had that happened out here in the boonies, I can guarantee you they would have been killed long ago.”

 

“The human woman must hold some kind of importance if she lives in the village around the castle.”

 

“I hear she was a member of court until she birthed the hanyou child. She excused herself from King Higurashi's palace and moved just outside of it. I also hear that she's quite a beauty.”

 

“Well if Inutaisho fell for her…”

 

The door to the tavern swung wildly open, a raggedy looking man stumbling in. The three men who had been talking casually looked up in surprise at the new guest. His clothes could hardly be called such, torn and ripped in many places. He did, however, wear a strangely large breastplate, a small katana sheathed around his waist, resting loosely on his left side. His long black hair was as shabby as his clothes were, one arm wrapped in a bandage. The men did not break their gazes from the stranger as he limped to the bar, resting forward on his elbows. He glanced down at the three of them and they quickly looked away. His eyes were cold and threatening.

 

One of the three men cleared his throat, taking another sip of his beer. “Anyway, as I was saying…”

 

“So this older son…the pure youkai one…I think I've heard of him. Strange name…what is it?” he snapped his fingers quickly, trying to remember.

 

“Starts with an `S' I think.”

 

The stranger who had come in received his drink taking a light sip, listening to the other's conversation while staring straight ahead at a poster of a nearly-naked lady over the ice machine.

 

“Se…Sessh…something like that. I don't remember.”

 

“That Inutaisho sure had a strange way of naming his kids.”

 

The stranger slammed his drink down to the bar causing the three men to look at him questioningly. He stared ahead blankly, and not turning his gaze he muttered, “Did you say Inutaisho?”

 

The men exchanged frightened glances with each other before one spoke up. “Yes. Inutaisho…the great dog demon.”

 

The stranger smirked, his posture relaxing just a bit, and he dropped his gaze to the bar top. “Is the old dog still living? Thought he woulda croaked by now.”

 

Perplexed, the shortest man replied, “He…did die. A few years back I believe. In a battle.”

 

“So he finally found someone who could whip his butt?” the stranger asked, taking another sip of his drink.

 

In the late youkai's defense, one of the men stood up, facing the stranger. “Inutaisho was one of the greatest youkai of all time! He even defeated the one known as the Great Youkai in an attempt to get the Shikon Jewel out of his hands!”

 

The stranger smirked again. “The Shikon no Tama…so you've heard of it as well?”

 

“Who hasn't?”

 

The stranger fell silent for a few minutes, the other three men too afraid to speak about anything else around the weirdo. After taking another sip of his drink, the stranger turned to men who were silently trying to plot a way to escape this guy's presence. He gave them a suspiciously authentic smile. “I do believe I have forgotten my manners,” he said, standing and walking toward them. “My name is Naraku.”

 

The largest man used all his courage and held out his hand to Naraku's and shook it. “Takeda,” he said solidly, releasing Naraku's hand as soon as his introduction was over. “This is Muotoko and Taromaru,” Takeda said, waving a hand to each of the men. Nodding their head slightly, they acknowledged Naraku's presence.

 

“So, what is this you gentlemen are saying of Inutaisho?”

 

“You seem to have no respect for him,” Taromaru snapped. “What do you want to know?”

 

Naraku smiled. “I met him once.”

 

The three men gasped silently, leaning forward to better hear Naraku's story. “You met Inutaisho?”

 

“And spoke with him. Nice…long conversation,” Naraku said with a smile.

 

“What was he like??”

 

“Did he say something to you that made you dislike him so much?”

 

“He was…” Naraku paused for a moment, taking a drink. He seemed to be thinking, trying to remember exactly what Inutaisho had been like. The battle with him had been… “Strong. He was incredibly strong.”

 

“Well, that is fairly well known, Naraku-san,” Takeda said with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Did you ever fight the old dog?” Naraku asked sarcastically.

 

There was a pause as the three men exchanged glances again.

 

“Did you?”

 

With another smile, Naraku ignored the question and said, “So what is this you say about his sons? Did he really have children?”

 

“Two…” Takeda said with a slight nod. “I'm sorry…but we need to be leaving.” He stood up, unable to take anymore of Naraku's presence. The other two men followed his lead, standing up. With a bow of his head, Takeda began walking toward the exit of the tavern. Taromaru and Muotoko following.

 

“Wait,” Naraku objected, standing up also. “His two sons…do you know where they reside? I have some business I would like to take up with them.”

 

Doubting his intentions, they all turned back around and faced him again. Takeda resisted the urge to shudder. “I believe they still reside around the castle, sir,” he said simply, taking another quick bow and walking out swiftly.

 

Naraku smirked at their apparent eagerness to leave him with as little information as possible. The smirk not leaving his face, he sat back down at the bar casually and finished his drink, handing the bartender a few spare coins he held in one of his tattered pockets, enough to cover the charge of the beer. Without another word, he left the tavern as shifty as he had entered.

 

“So the dog demon had sons…wonderful,” he said to himself as he walked away from the bar. “Old Inutaisho may have died before I could exact my revenge on him…revenge for defeating me and stealing the Shikon no Tama…I could not find him before he died, so now I will kill his sons in order to make myself stronger. One day I will possess the sacred jewel again. And then I will be so strong that no one, no one in the entire country will be able to stop me.”

 

…

 

And that's how it began.

 

Thinking back on it, Naraku almost laughed. How stupid he had been back then. He had no idea how complicated revenge would become. He looked over at the breastplate he had laid on the ground next to him, thinking back on his battle with Inutaisho…how humiliated he had been…and how badly he wanted revenge. It seemed now he had more than one reason to end the inu youkais' lives.

 

After his encounter with the men at the tavern, Naraku had left the rural lands of the kingdom and entered the palace with the intention of seeking out Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. He was a little disappointed when Inuyasha turned out to be just a kid…and a hanyou no less. He would not satisfy for revenge on Inutaisho. But Sesshomaru…that was another matter. He was as strong and majestic in every way as the late Inutaisho had been. He was also of noble blood, and served as a courtier. Getting to him at a level where he could kill the dog would be difficult, but in the end, Naraku decided, it would be worth the effort.

 

Once inside the kingdom, however, Naraku met the lady Kikyou. She was only a young teenager at the time, but as a priestess-in-training, and one of the most powerful around, her strength could come in handy in his schemes. He became involved with the court, something he had originally planned to do to get near Sesshomaru, but it seemed his intentions had shifted somewhat. Within the palace, he quickly rose to the top of the ladder as he continuously impressed the king with his power and fake friendliness. He was appointed the King's Advisor less than a year after he had entered the kingdom.

 

He had a way with his attitude and his words that got him places like that.

 

While trying to work his way into Kikyou's heart, his quest for Sesshomaru's life became almost a side-project. It was not long, however, until he realized that murdering a courtier would not be an easy task to get away with and live to tell about it, especially when that courtier was one of the king's highest ranked and most well liked. It was just around that time that Inuyasha, the poor child, went on a slaughtering rampage through the village, giving the conniving Naraku an excellent idea.

 

Using his limited youkai powers, he caused many more demon disturbances around the kingdom. Youkai that had been long in hiding began coming out and reeking havoc on nearby villages. Word of the attacks reached the king, who was greatly disturbed. Naraku, of course, was right at the king's side with a proposal to end the youkai problems instantly.

 

After having the youkai exiled from the kingdom, Naraku was no longer concerned with getting to Sesshomaru…Kikyou was first on his mind.

 

…

 

After pursuing the aspiring priestess's affections for many months, the King's Advisor was having to resort to more creative techniques of winning her. He could not understand why the beautiful eighteen-year-old was so very single…and why she would not surrender to him. He was, after all, rich, powerful and attractive.

 

Late one evening, Naraku made his way toward the old Kaede-sama's house near the Youkai no Mori. He had the intentions of seeking out Kikyou and taking her into the village on a date, perhaps. Dinner? What exactly did priestesses like to do with men? He was wondering these things on his way down the path to her house. The sun had just set the moment he arrived within sight of the old place. There was still enough light provided by the sky that he had no trouble seeing the front door to the house open.

 

`Did she see me coming?' A fleeting thought.

 

Naraku opened his mouth to call out to the girl as she stood on her porch, looking into the forest from the looks of it, but he stopped himself as he caught the scent of…someone else. He was standing upwind from the forest, and something was approaching them. His immediate thought was to leap out and protect Kikyou from what ever demon was coming, but the sound of her voice stopped his thoughts.

 

“Inuyasha??” she called out, looking hopeful.

 

Naraku leaned behind a tree and watched as a silver-haired hanyou appeared from through the forest, a loving smile on his face. He stared at the half-breed in bewilderment, knowing that he looked familiar. It took a few minutes to place him as the scraggily hanyou who had had his memory erased all those years ago. By the time he remembered, Inuyasha had Kikyou in his arms and they were both laughing. Kaede then appeared from the old house, greeting the hanyou warmly.

 

Naraku snickered at the scene that was unfolding before him. His woman in the arms of Inuyasha! That half-breed! That…half demon! The thought then occurred to him…this was all against the law. He almost smiled with satisfaction, and probably would have if he was not still burning with anger, that he had caught this little affair of Inuyasha and Kikyou's. As fast as he had discovered it, he was sure he would end it.

 

Like a dying coal, his hate for Inutaisho and his sons was rekindled. He would have to put his lust for Kikyou aside as he worked to end the lives of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha…his plan to break the two lovers apart could not fail.

 

Little did he know that his attempt at severing their relationship would end in Kikyou's death.

 

…

 

Naraku leaned his head heavy against the tree's bark. He had already lost Kikyou…he could not fail at ending Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's lives. Letting out a sigh, he looked up to the sky. It would be morning soon. It was to be a busy next few days. He wondered for a passing moment where Kikyou was…how the dead girl was planning on getting at Inuyasha. He had no doubt she had enough anger in her system that it would come in handy for him. And Inuyasha's pathetic friends…had they reached the hanyou yet? An image of Sesshomaru's face came to Naraku's mind, making him nauseous. Was he headed for Inuyasha as well yet? He was almost angry at himself for asking Sesshomaru's aid in bringing Inuyasha down. He had no doubt in his mind that he could have defeated Inuyasha alone, but with Sesshomaru on his side, killing him after this whole ordeal was over with would be much easier.

 

“I should probably not underestimate Sesshomaru's power…he is, after all, Inutaisho's son. But that is why he is on my side. I shalln't have to fight him in order to kill him. Even the slightest trust on his part will be his down fall.”

 

He closed his eyes, and breathed hard, concentrating his energy on the numerous demon parts that surrounded him. His night of weakness was about to be over…then he would be ready to fight until both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were dead. Trying his best to keep his demonic aura down to a minimum, he completed his body, and the area surrounding him was empty of youkai parst once again.

 

With a smile, he rose to his feet. The fist of the sun's light was peaking over the horizon in the east. He moved his arms, assuring that they still worked correctly. Smiling in satisfaction, he strode off into the trees to watch his plans unfold bit by bit. It would be another two days before he faced Inuyasha, anyway.

 

The old breastplate lay on the ground where he had left it. One of the straps moved slightly in the morning wind. Leaves, dead and withered, fell from the trees above, slowly covering the armor until the outward evidence of its existence was erased completely.