InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In the Dark of Night ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I own my optical mouse! But sadly I do not own Inu Yasha.

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In the Dark of Night: Chapter 2

The chill of the cool autumn night was all to familiar to him. The young man in question, that walked down the dark street was all too used to nights like this.

For the last eight years he's been out like this every night searching, no hunting for the ones responsible for the tragic turn his life has taken.

'A few more blocks then I'm done for the night', he thought. His midnight black hair that hung loosely in a ponytail going down his back stopping at his waist gently took motion with the light breeze that picked up. 'Damn fall weather. Any other time of the year I wouldn't need this damn coat and gloves...then again the coat does make concealing weapons a hell of a lot easier.' The coat in question was a long black leather duster that once belonged to his late father, which was a gift from his late mother. In addition to that a blood red long sleeve silk shirt with a black wife-beater, loose black jeans and black combat boots completed the outfit. Oh and lets not forget the katana attached to his hip through a belt loop. (A/N: Ok, the slayers outfit is something Spike from BTVS would probably wear. Any ideas as to who it is yet?)

He's been skilled in combat with all forms of weapons, such as swordplay, advance archery training, quarterstaff techniques and a horde of other weapons, and various fighting techniques and martial arts since the age of thirteen.

Five blocks and a temperature drop of at least ten degrees later he decided that he'd done enough patrolling for the evening.

He'd gotten a so called 'tip' that a nest of vampires was held up in one of the less desirable neighborhoods in East Tokyo, so being the good slayer he was or attempted to be depending on how one looked at it (that latter much to the distaste of his grandparents who constantly told him that he must take his more seriously) spent the evening checking it out.

That 'tip' had been a load of bull, and he was not terribly happy about that, in fact he was down right pissed. He rounded the corner intent on taking a short cut home through the city alleyways. While most people wouldn't be caught dead, will not WILLINGLY DEAD, going through the alleys of Tokyo at three in the morning, he had no worries about what was or could be lurking in the shadows.

He was different.

He was the slayer.

And the minute he set foot in that alley he found the action he'd been looking for all night. Two demons were enclosing on a boy who looked no more than fifteen.

'Why in the hell is this kid in an alley this late at night?' He walked in the alley not trying to be quiet, not trying to not draw attention to himself, but just looking to vent some very pent up frustration and aggravation. These guys were going to make the perfect punching bags.

"Oi! Is this a private party or can anyone join the fun?" The demons turned their attention from the boy to face the man at the alley entrance.

"And who the hell would you be bastard?", said the tall, relatively good looking demon with his hair in a tied back braid.

"Heh, if you ask me Hiten, he looks like a little pansy," said the other demon who was fat and balding.

"Keh, I'll show you bastards who's a pansy." And so began the rumble. The would-be victim crawled into a corner and waited for the fray to end. He had no idea who the winner would be, but at the moment his money was on the demons. He hoped that eventually all three would be distracted long enough for him to make his escape unseen. He never got the opportunity though because as quickly as the fight started it was over with one man left standing.

The mystery man that saved his life.

He was standing over Hiten pulling his sword out of Hiten's chest.

"Oi kid." The boy in the corner looked up at his hero, his hair now knocked loose from its previous state, blood now staining his coat and boots. He turned to face the boy with reddish- brown hair and emerald green eyes that sparkled in the moonlight.

"You shouldn't be out late like this. Crazy shit goes on at night. Come on, I'll take you home."

"T-thanks for saving my life."

"Feh, no sweat. Now come on and lets get the hell outta here."

The boy bowed his head in sorrow and looked away from the stranger that saved him.

"I can't go home," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, "those guys you killed, they killed my parents and they were gonna kill me too. That's why I ran."

He looked at the boy and started to walk off. "Hey, you coming our what? Not like you can stay here in the alley ya know."

The boy perked up, his attitude now a little better, and his mood a bit more pleasant because he had a place to stay for the night.

"Hey what's your name?" he asked. Sure he was grateful that this stranger had saved him, but he didn't even know this guy's name.

The dark haired man turned to face him, his violet eyes now glimmering in the moonlight.

"My name? Trust me kid you won't wanna know it tomorrow, but I guess I should tell you anyway."

"That's not an answer..."

"I'm getting to that!"

"So what's your name already?" The green eyed boy was now just a bit more than annoyed. He sighed, "My name is Shippo."

"Inu Yasha. My name's Inu Yasha."

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Shippo woke up in a room very similar to the one he used to call home, but upon glancing around the room and fully waking up he remembered all the events of the night before.

He remembered his parent's deaths.

He remembered the things that almost killed him.

He remembered being rescued.

'Inu Yasha...'

Shippo frantically jumped outta bed in hopes of finding his savior and asking a few questions.

The one that stuck out most in his mind being what in the fucking hell is going on.

***

Inu Yasha sat in the kitchen of his small, yet quaint apartment located on the west end of Tokyo. He moved from the shrine he'd called home for most of his life that his grandparents lived at and ran right after his eighteenth birthday. It wasn't so much him wanting to move out, but more of a concern for their safety.

He didn't want the little family he had left dying needlessly.

It was bout three in the afternoon. He went to work a few hours after bring the boy he rescued, Shippo, home with him. Shippo had promptly passed out from shock the moment he stepped foot in the door and had been sleeping ever since.

"Not like he didn't need it though...' Inu thought.

He heard a shuffling coming from the room Shippo was supposed to be sleeping in, but as Inu's line of 'work' would dictate it never hurt to be too cautious. So he picked up his trusty switchblade, just to be safe, and went to check on Shippo.

***

Shippo on the other hand was just in awe of all the things around him. He had intended to find Inu Yasha to ask him questions, but was soon distracted by the numerous weapons that decorated the walls.

Hanging on the wall to the left of the bed was a number of broadswords, other katanas like Shippo had seen last night, daggers and knives. On the wall opposite that hung several crossbows all varying in size and two regular bows that hung with a quiver full of very sharp, deadly arrows.

'Whoa, this guy's got some major shit here...', Shippo thought and continued exploring the room. He stopped at a foot locker at the end of the bed. The lid was up on this beautiful indigo and silver trimmed trunk so he figured that it was ok to look inside. He found at least a dozen old scrolls, stacks of ofundas, the purpose of which he didn't see nor understand, at least fifteen wooden stakes and in the lid itself a very old and rather decrepit looking katana.

Shippo was so wrapped up in his discoveries that he didn't even hear the door open and the reason for his initial curiosity come in.

"Oi." Inu Yasha said in a none to amused voice, "didn't anyone ever tell you it's not polite to go through other people's stuff?"

Shippo turned to face his rescuer still grateful for his help, but still wanting to know one thing.

"How'd you do that?"

***

Inu and Shippo spent most of the afternoon recapping the events that unfolded the night before. Shippo had been out with friends earlier that night. When he came home he found the front door kicked in and the two demons, known now by Inu as the Thunder Brothers, standing over the corpses of his mother and father. The saw Shippo and he did the only thing he could think of and ran like hell.

And that's where Inu found him in the alley.

Shippo sat in silence for a few minutes before he started asking the questions that had been on his mind since his rescue from the alley.

"What were those guys anyway? They weren't human I know that for sure."

Inu reared back in the chair he was sitting in trying desperately to come up with the best way to explain things to this kid without scaring him shitless in the process.

'Keh, not like that's not gonna happen anyway. I have to tell this kid that his folks were killed by demons.' Inu was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Shippo staring at him.

"Hey you alright in there? I asked you what those guys were."

"Demons." Inu said in a voice barely above a whisper. Shippo stared at Inu almost in disbelief, but part of him knew that he was telling the truth. After all it would explain the claws, fangs and the horns. He sighed not quite sure what to think so he went back to his interrogation.

"So what are you exactly. I mean you've gotta be more than human right? Otherwise we'd both be lying dead in that alley."

Inu let out a slight chuckle. The bastards he got rid of last night didn't see his face, otherwise they would have known who he was from the start.

In demon circles the boy slayer was infamous.

"I'm the slayer."

***

After another round of questioning by Shippo, which included questions on the existence of demons and whether or not monster movie characters were real or not, Inu finally got around to ask Shippo about his living situation.

"My mom and dad were my only immediate family. My aunts and uncles were killed in a plane crash four years ago crossing the Pacific Ocean. My grandmother lives in the United States and the only other relative I have is a cousin. She lives in Kyoto."

Inu felt sorry for the kid. He knew the feeling of loss all to well.

"Alright runt. Here's the deal. You can stay here until I can get you to your cousin's. You'll be safe here, the apartment's protected by a mystical cloak so no demons can get in. There's food in the kitchen, stay away from the windows and for the love of kami don't touch the damn weapons. The last thing I need is to have to explain to a paramedic how you lost a finger or why there's an arrow poking out of your eye. I gotta go patrolling again tonight, but other than that make yourself comfortable."

Shippo looked at Inu, this young man who he thought couldn't be too much older than he was, and gave a sad smile. "Why are you being so nice to me? I barely know you..."

Inu stopped packing his gear for the evening and looked at Shippo. "I know what it's like to lose your family. Plus I have a kid brother about your age."

"Really where is he?"

Inu turned to Shippo, his eyes full of rage and said, "Demons kidnapped him after they killed our parents in front of us."

With that Inu left the apartment to go out for another night of hunting.

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I realize that the first chapter of this was rather confusing. I meant for it to be like that! Part of the twists I wanted to put into this story is that the things readers think aren't necessarily true. Most people thought the slayer was female. She was, then she died and her powers went to her SON. Now that I've reintroduced the major character hopefully some of the confusion has been cleared up. And before anyone asks yes Sess is Inu's little bro, I feel role reversal works here. And how the hell does Kagome fit into this? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see.

Until then read and review!

~*silverstarlight*~

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