InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Manipulating the Beast Within ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I will admit that I have plagiarized from textbooks before. However, the chances of me copying from a hit manga and succeeding without getting caught are none. That said-don't steal my plot. I shall be extremely aggravated.

Author's Note:

New story out, complete summary below. I realize that it's a bit different than the main one, but it gives you a bit more background, doesn't it?

Summary: In modern times, not all can control their demonic sides. While rare, hanyous that have survived are often victims of strange, almost new personalities that take over. The demonic blood that speaks has to be controlled, and while mikos can harness it, it is best if the hanyou learns to manage it himself. Inuyasha, a prime example, is being manipulated by Naraku to do his evil deeds. Kikyo, his girlfriend and Naraku's step-sister, is naïve enough to help. When his father despairs of his son ever learning control, they have to resort to the infamous doctor named Kagome Higurashi.

For some reason, I have very little faith in any of my first chapters. They're all very badly written. Prologues do help though, and although this one is very short, there's a lot being hinted at. See if you can read between the lines.

It shouldn't be too hard, seeing as I've outdone myself and put way too many connections in. Enjoy-and share your enjoyment by reviewing, as always.

~*8*~

Manipulating the Beast Within

Prologue

Hospitals are such sad places. The joy of birth and new life can be marred by the despair of those still living. A hospital is a place of death, a place of death and mourning more often than it is delight.

"Kagome, Souta just passed to the other side." Whispered her mother, coming out of the still swinging door. The dry-eyed 10 year old nodded, and went to her brother's body. Placing her hands over his cold ones, she closed her eyes and let two tears drop, one from each dark brown eye. They slowly fell onto his that would never open again.

She guided them to her target carefully, blinking back others that threatened to come as well. It wouldn't do for her to shed more at this time.

A pure, very light pink glow appeared around his body and hers before she fell back, gesturing that she was finished. If one had been watching, they would have seen the red line leading from her forehead to his.

"Souta, I'll miss you. Try and keep our channel open, I want to be able to talk to you sometime. I'll deal with the price later." She said in farewell, walking to her mother. They embraced, sharing in the other's sorrow. Her mother frowned when she felt how fatigued her daughter was, and knew that she had done something unnatural.

Casting one last look at the flat line on the monitor, she closed the door. It would be the last time she could look upon his physical face.

They drove home, back to the empty apartment. Ms. Higurashi had already made plans for them to move back to Japan, where they had been living before they moved to the United States. Her grandfather had stayed behind to maintain the family shrine, and would pick them up at the airport.

The only reason why they had stopped by was to take one last check. As they walked through the rooms, a small conversation was struck up.

"Kagome, got everything? When we get on the airplane, I'm going to have to stay with his body. Can you manage?" her mother asked softly. Kagome nodded, and answered seriously,

"There's going to be demons, aren't there. Japan has so many demons. Why can't we stay here?"

"Kagome, you know why. Besides, your miko powers should be more than enough to fend them all off." Sighed her mother, knowing that Kagome was only saying the words by rote.

The mattress had been thrown out, so they locked up the apartment after taking one last glance and stayed at a hotel. Kagome was glad that they had separate beds, she needed thinking space. Souta had been so young, only a few years old. The wisdom he had possessed was probably the only thing that had made her so fond of her forbidden brother.

The next day, they hired a taxi to drive them to the airport. Ms. Higurashi went to Souta casket, and Kagome took a seat in the middle class. She felt like suffocating; there were so many demons around. Their auras mixed and merged, and made for a disturbing blend of colors. Kagome tried to turn off her vision, but only succeeded in making it worse. Instead, she removed her outer jacket in an attempt to get more air into her system.

One greasy man took a look at her and began leering. She let out a tiny flash of the power that she had mastered so long ago, and the man scuttled away. The power faded, and she smiled contentedly. Kagome hadn't lost her touch.

There wasn't much trouble after that. She was careful not to reveal how powerful she actually was, which would blow her cover. It would be best if they thought her only a simple girl, with only a little bit of power.

But if she had mastered it, why wasn't she able to keep the ones she loved alive? She should have been able to keep it at bay for much longer…why hadn't she been able to keep him with her longer?

That's when she decided, right on the spot.

"I'm going to be a therapist." She tested the words to see how they sounded.

The hanyou next to her scoffed and shifted uneasily. Kagome glared, and the pink aura around her was enough to make the teenage girl request another seat. The stewardess also paled at the anger and determination in the girl's eyes, and quickly accommodated the passenger. Kagome also glared after the flight attendant when she threw several nervous glances over her shoulder.

Kagome sighed after they had left. She put her bag on the aisle seat and sat in the window one. Maybe she had been too extreme, but the idea was tenuous enough to fail if she didn't believe hard enough, right from the start.

But one step at a time. Japan was nearing, and she would have to begin her training all over again. Now that she had a focus, all of her intelligence could be put to good use.

~*8*~

Chapter One

Eight years later…

"Inuyasha, stay for dinner tonight." A girl in her late teens pleaded, tugging at the arm of a stiff hanyou. His demonic heritage was evident in the small dog ears that poked out of his long silver head and the sharp claws at the end of his fingers.

"Kikyo, not tonight. Father says that he needs me and Sesshomaru to go to this dinner, to uphold the family appearance. Mother already made all the preparations." He answered, pulling her hand gently off his forearm. Her smile faded, and she answered,

"If you must Inuyasha. Maybe some other time? Naraku hired a new cook; she's very wonderful. Even Onigumo liked her first meal, and she said that it wasn't very fancy." She said, coldly still trying to persuade him.

"Alright Kikyo, I'll call you sometime." Kikyo turned and opened the door, not looking back. Inuyasha did, however, when he reached the gates. She lived in a large house, almost into the mansion class. He lived in a similarly wealthy household, but his family had gotten their money decently. It was probably just his imagination and coincidence, but their house was cloaked in dark colors. Inuyasha thought it might have something to do with the leaking of evilness.

Inutashio, his father, was a successful banker, and his mother, Izayoi, a good doctor. Inuyasha didn't know why he was attracted to Kikyo; she was his complete polar opposite. Her step-father, Onigumo, put up a thin appearance of being a lawyer for criminals, but everyone knew he operated a black market business, dealing in the flesh.

Her step-brother, Naraku, had become corrupted, but that was to be expected. With the atmosphere and everything around him, it was inevitable. Even so, there was an inner drive of hatred that drove him, and he had turned into the person he was today willingly.

Kikyo wasn't related to either of them, but her mother, in a fit of madness, had bound herself to Onigumo in marriage. She had mysteriously disappeared soon after, probably murdered and lying somewhere.

That had been true seventeen years ago.

After her mother had disappeared, Kikyo had withdrawn into herself. A young child of one year, she had somehow managed to preserve her sanity in spite of all that her step-family threw at her. Inuyasha believed that he had been the first person that she had told her sad past to, and that had even been with all sorts of promises that had to be made first.

And, in spite of all they had done to her, she still loved them. Not for the first time, he shuddered recalling the conversation that he had never brought up again. It had taken place before he knew of the true personalities of her only family. Their outer faces, smooth and pleasant, people you thought you would like to know.

"Kikyo, would you like to go out for tonight?" Inuyasha invited simply, hands resting lightly on the wheel. Her eyes grew guarded, darkened, and she refused, a tremor in her voice.

"Why not?"

"Naraku said that he was having some friends over tonight, and that he wanted me to help him be the hostess. Onigumo also has some women over and he wants me to help them around the house."

Inuyasha nodded, and accepted the explanation, strange as it sounded. Dropping her off at the front gate, she put her hand on the door but didn't open it.

"Kikyo, is something wrong?"

"I'm going to hurt tomorrow. Don't bother calling me." She said quickly, turning to leave. Inuyasha looked horrified, and pulled her back in the car.

"Are they going to abuse you?" he asked gently, not daring to elaborate more. There had been times when Kikyo had returned to their dates with barely hidden bruises, but since she said she took martial arts, he had assumed that it was from that. Never before had she confessed to…

Kikyo looked away again, and nodded minutely.

"Leave with me, I can take you away!" Inuyasha urged. The week before, his father had presented an idea of moving to China for a few years, to mingle with the customers he had there. Kikyo could go with them, no one would mind.

"I can't."

"They abuse you! Why would you want to stay?! What's forcing you to stay with the people who hurt you!" he had yelled uncontrollably. "Is it some threat they made?" The hanyou knew he was being too overprotective, but his heart was refusing to back down from protecting the one he loved.

"I love them. I can't leave them, even if I could, they're my only hope of survival." She had said hopelessly. That's when Inuyasha got it into his head to force her to go away with him. Pulling her back in again, he tried to make her stay.

At first, he merely thought that he wasn't using his full strength, as she resisted him easily, even being three years younger and only fourteen. When she twirled around and glared, a light blue glow around her, he knew, even before she pushed with her power-that she was a miko.

The hanyou shook his head again unwisely, being in the middle of traffic. Now that he thought back on it, it was doubtful that his family would accept it anyway. Since he had sworn to keep all her secrets, they wouldn't know the reason why anyway. As it is, his father thought him strange enough for hating his girlfriend's practical family.

Mikos were said to have despised the cross-breeding of human and demon, but Kikyo seemed to love him anyway. Her power was superior to all people who wielded white magic that he knew of. Her mother had not been as powerful, but still had been beautiful and sought after. It ran in the family.

But the miko, who had been called "Gina Hazashi" had been said to have possessed extraordinary grace and knowledge. She shouldn't have succumbed to Onigumo that easily. In the end, it seemed to have ended in her demise.

Shaking his head again, he pulled into the driveway of his home. Sesshomaru's black limo was already there, and evidence of his adopted daughter Rin was all over the place. She had left her books on the back seat, and the window had been rolled down a little. Sighing, he went in and climbed directly to his room.

Gina Hazashi, a famous name to remember. She had purified all four quarters of the Shikon no Tama, and had split them further to protect the power from lying in the hands of any one person. Kikyo had received one eighth, to protect for all time. With Naraku aware of it, Inuyasha wasn't sure how much longer it would stay pure. Of course, once it got sullied she could always cleanse it, but there was a bit of doubt as to her knowledge in those areas.

He tripped over Rin. She looked up innocently, and attached herself to his leg, still lying on the ground. Her hair was messed up, but she still looked adorable.

"Uncle Inuyasha! You're back! Did you bring that nice lady with you again?" Inuyasha picked her up with a grunt and walked to Sesshomaru's room.

"No, she's got things to do, and so have we. Sesshomaru, you bringing your daughter with you tonight?"

Sesshomaru eyed him coolly. Flushing, Inuyasha set Rin down, and she ran to his half-brother. Clinging to his knees, she smiled.

"It is none of your business, but since father wishes you to enter with Rin, yes. The seating plans are on that table." He said, gesturing to the folded paper on his dresser. A small green toad scuttled and intercepted it.

"Milord Sesshomaru, these are the classified plans for the expansion of your company, not the seating chart." He squeaked, waving the papers wildly. The dog demon looked slightly annoyed and answered,

"Jaken, that's the seating chart." While the toad protested and spluttered, Inuyasha plucked them from his hand.

"Jaken, this is the seating chart." He confirmed, looking amused. Jaken subsided, and glared at Rin, who giggled guiltily.

He scanned it quickly, and knew enough to know that his father and mother would be sitting at the head, as usual, and he and Sesshomaru would be in the middle of the table. Rin would sit on the left of him, and on his right, someone named "Ms. Higurashi."

Sesshomaru would be sitting next to a woman called Kagura Wind, and the other side would be occupied by…Onigumo.

"Sesshomaru, you know who you're sitting next to?" he asked cautiously.

"Your girlfriend's father, I believe. One of the more notorious womanizers." His half-brother replied casually, throwing suits on his bed. "Don't worry; I won't be picking up any bad habits from him. You should watch out for the Higurashi woman, she's a miko as well. Don't irritate her." He added, giving one of his more unusual warnings.

"She's a miko like Kikyo's mother?!" Inuyasha incredulously considered the coincidences. Mikos were growing rarer and rarer, and those that would interact with youkai willingly were even more sought-after. He couldn't think of a single reason why she would be sitting next to him, and not to someone more important.

"You've got your wench on your mind." Sesshomaru replied, settling on a light blue shirt. "Get out of my room, and take the toad with you."

Obeying, he closed the door and booted the unfortunate demon down the stairs. Jaken sounded like a squeaky toy when he hit the bottom.

"Crappy food, gay people, smiling freaks…what wonderful incentives to go tonight." He grumbled, trying to get his mind in order.

~*8*~

"Rin, stay next to me when we get out, okay?"

"Yes uncle Inuyasha. When are we eating? Rin is hungry." She answered cutely, holding her stomach. She immediately grabbed onto the door handle as soon as she could without ruining her effect. Rin was terrified of traveling without Sesshomaru, and unluckily for her, her adopted father had chosen to arrive later.

"Soon." He answered, tired as well of waiting. The valet took the car and he walked in. Immediately young ladies swamped him, fluttering over his clothes and looks.

"Why Inuyasha, where did you get that shirt? You must shop where my brother does, have you heard of…"

"No, his shoes are nothing like that…"

"My father had a tie similar to that before…"

The chattering went on and on.

Sighing, he took Rin by the hand and pushed through them. They never believed anything he said, and he had stopped trying to tell them that he wasn't available.

"Uncle Inuyasha that was fun!" exclaimed Rin, clapping her hands as she climbed into the white fabric covered chair.

"I'm happy that you think so." Inuyasha answered, a bit of sarcasm entering his voice. Rin didn't notice, and instead began drawing pictures on the tablecloth. She always had a black crayon with her for a reason.

The hanyou silently replaced the fabric with a piece of paper, and Rin went on undisturbed.

Their family had arrived a little earlier than the rest of the guests as was proper, so there was time before Kagura and Onigumo arrived. She was wearing a red and white one strapped gown, and heels that made her lean on his arm slightly. Her walk, while slightly wobbly, was still poised.

She whispered into her escort's ear and he sat down without a fuss, immediately beginning to flirt with the attractive woman next to him. Sesshomaru didn't spare her a glance, instead taking out his pen and jotting some notes down.

"Does the Lord of the Western Lands not feel like speaking?" she asked, leaning so that he had to look at her face.

"Western half of the company, which has nothing to do with lands." He corrected, beginning to form his first impression of the demoness. It wasn't a nice one.

"But lands sound so much better than half, don't you agree?" Kagura asked, tilting her head and placing her hand on his shoulder. He removed it gently.

"Whatever you are attempting to do, you may stop. It will not work on a youkai of my class. Stay with your Onigumo, whore, and do not think that you are on my level." Sesshomaru replied coldly, eyeing her in anger. Few women still attempted to touch him after what he had done to the last woman. Evidently, this Kagura had not heard of his dislike of the girly sides of women.

"Is it wrong for a woman who came with an escort to speak to an attractive man?!" she retorted angrily. Her earrings swung with force, tinkling, and Onigumo looked over. Slightly shaking his head, it was a signal for her to drop her seductive air.

"When the man is me, yes." He responded. "Being referred to as a `man' does not impress me very much. I am a demon, and all would do to remember it."

"I am your equal in more ways than you know." The words did nothing to improve Sesshomaru's temper, and he ignored her for the rest of the evening. Kagura did likewise, and did nothing to hide her angry aura from the eyes of all present. Both youkai were bristling at the arrangements, each finding minutes things about the other to be picky about.

If Onigumo had planned something for Sesshomaru and Kagura, it had failed before it had taken flight.

"Are you Inuyasha?" a soft voice asked the half-asleep hanyou. He shook himself awake, and nodded. The older woman smiled and sat down, settling herself.

"How long have you been waiting?" Inuyasha looked down at his silver watch.

"About 45 minutes. Rin's already asleep, as you can see." He ventured, still not sure how to act around the miko.

"Calm down, I won't bite. I've got nothing against hanyous." She reassured him. Inuyasha frowned, and replied,

"And I've got nothing against mikos. Why aren't you like the rest?"

"I've never been like the rest." She answered quietly, and turned away. The indication that she wanted to stop talking alerted the hanyou to his father's seat. It remained unoccupied, but even as he watched, the grand Taiyouki sat down. He murmured to his wife, smiled at Inuyasha and nodded at Sesshomaru before standing again.

"May I have your attention please?" All silenced at his quiet, but commanding voice.

"I see that we've all arrived at last." The guests chuckled with their host. "You all already know why I'm having this dinner in the first place, so the speeches will be made at the end. I suggest you keep your wits about you and go easy on the wine." He eyed several heavy drinkers, who all raised their full glasses to him.

"Rin wants food." Moaned his niece petulantly, looking out of the corner of her eye to see if he had noticed. He sighed, and motioned a waiter over. The rest of what he said was lost in the murmur of voices that erupted after the conclusive sounding warning.

`It's going to be a long night.'

~*8*~

`This hanyou, he is surprisingly honest with me. I have never gotten a companion who could ask me so blatantly my feelings. To be a miko can be a curse sometime, and I have never met a fully developed on without the standard prejudices. Standard…they've always been passed, mother to daughter.

`Only luck made me so perceptive.' Ms. Higurashi smiled, thinking that she was getting too arrogant. A look at the flustered hanyou next to her returned her back to her thoughts.

`My daughter wasn't taught how to handle hanyous by purifying them. It should be enough to start a new way of thinking, shouldn't it?

They all look so happy, so full and content. The bastard Onigumo-with that new woman already, he needs to be killed.' A dark look passed over her face. Inuyasha looked over, as did most of the table. It wasn't every day that a miko's aura turned several shades blacker.

"Are you alright? You're drawing some attention…" Inuyasha trailed off as he realized what the object of her hatred was. "Okay then, continue. I suggest you hide your aura or something though…" once again, his voice faded away as the power of her eyes was focused on him.

Confronted with the ever-changing blend of neutral browns, he backed off and let her pick her own fight.

`Interesting. It seems like the hanyou has at least half a brain. Knows when to talk and when not to, but under that naïve exterior lays a cunning man. And under the cunning man, a heart.'

She smiled reassuringly at Inuyasha.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I apologize; I usually don't get irked too much." He nodded slowly, believing her because of Onigumo, if nothing else.

The subject seemingly hadn't noticed any of the turmoil that was beginning to build up. The pleasant, polite conversations turned to muted whispers, done behind elegantly gloved and manicured hands.

"You've stirred the fat asses up." He commented dryly.

"Uncle Inuyasha used a bad word!" Rin laughed after seeing her uncle whip his head back and forth a few times before realizing that she had awoken. Also seeing that Rin was no longer sleeping, Ms. Higurashi leaned over and said quietly,

"Rin, maybe you should go tell your father that we should go to the speeches, before people start dozing off." Rin ran happily to Sesshomaru, who, after hours of giving and receiving the cold shoulder, was quite delighted to see her.

Inuyasha looked at the miko with more respect. She had shown more cunning then he would have thought; looking only like a woman with a kind heart. Perhaps she hid her political skills behind her innocent front.

Sesshomaru, having received her message, nodded curtly in their direction and continued to Inutashio. Carefully avoiding his step-mother, he whispered into the demon's ear.

"Attention please. It is now about-" looking at his watch, he determined it to be about- "twelve-thirty, and while this is early for some of you, others have children to get back to. I'm afraid that my family will have to spoil the fun, and skip the dance. However, if you make it quick, we can stay for some compliments." Inutashio said tiredly, barely masking the fatigue behind humor.

Luckily, not too many wanted to speak, probably preferring to wait until after the Taiyouki had left.

~*8*~

`Hm...let's have a look in this file.' Naraku hummed to himself as he tapped keys on his laptop. He was hacking into a…not hackable database.

`Inuyasha Taiyouki…this is quite interesting. I believe it's too good to keep to myself. My darling sister must learn of this.'

Kikyo was already in bed when Naraku opened the door. She sat up instantly, the hand behind her back already radiating with a blue glow. It didn't disappear when Naraku held his empty hands up.

"What do you want? Onigumo will be back soon. Why don't you continue waiting up for him?" she sneered.

"Nothing, my dear. Only to tell you not to plan anything for tomorrow. It's time we talked over your future. And, quite possibly-your relationship with that Inuyasha Taiyouki. You see, there is something you should know about him."

~*8*~