InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reunion ❯ Chapter Thirty-five ( Chapter 35 )

 

Chapter Thirty-five

 

A/N: Hi, guys. I got the hamster running in my computer again. We'll see how long he can go this time before he breaks another leg. I'm afraid that I am going to have to get another computer, though. I don't know how many more paperclips I can use to keep it running! In the meantime, I'll write as long as this one holds up. Speaking of writing, it is time for me to get on with it. To Sakura82: Sorry that you found the Yukiho thing freaky, but the story is rated 'R'. I haven't done anything nearly as bad as some 'R' rated movies I've seen. I don't own Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha had his nose to the ground, confirming that they were on the right trail. He straightened up and took the lead, with Kagome, Sango, Miroku and Sesshoumaru following. "They're still headed toward the manor."

As they set out, Miroku attempted to make small talk with Sesshoumaru. "Eh ... Lord Sesshoumaru? I hope that you can forgive me my earlier behavior. If I had known that you were interested in the young hanyou woman I would never have asked her to bear me a child." 'At least not in your presence.' he thought, as he remembered the dark haired hanyou's beauty.

Sesshoumaru's face betrayed no emotion as he slowly turned his head to look at the monk who walked beside him. Miroku swallowed nervously and then Sesshoumaru slowly turned his gaze back towards the front. Without warning, he gave a short leap and landed next to Inuyasha. Inuyasha glanced at him and shrugged. His brother was a mystery to him, and probably always would be. 'At least we aren't trying to kill each other.' he thought. Inuyasha had no illusions. He knew that the chances of friendship with Sesshoumaru were remote. At best, they tolerated each other with a mutual respect for their fighting skills. 'But, it has been nice to have an older brother around.'

"Pay attention to your tracking." reproved the demon lord.

'I take it back!' "If you don't like the way I'm tracking, then why don't you do it?" snapped Inuyasha.

"Your tracking is acceptable. Your attention span is not."

grrr "Listen, you..."

"Inuyasha!" interrupted Kagome. "The longer you stand there arguing with your brother, the farther away Shippou and Rin are getting."

"My point exactly." Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha. "You allow yourself to be distracted too easily."

"And just what gives you the right to lecture me on my tracking skills? You didn't teach me how to track!"

"That is a mistake I am endeavouring to correct."

Inuyasha blinked. Did he just hear Sesshoumaru right? That sounded almost ... regretful. "What mistake? My tracking is just fine. I can find anything with my nose." He droppped to all fours to get nearer the scent.

"Do not do that."

"Do what!?"

"Do not crouch on the ground in that fashion. It gives you the appearance of a dog." Sesshoumaru drew himself up, proudly. "You are inu-youkai. That puts you above a mere dog. Behave in a manner that befits your station."

"I track better in this fashion." Inuyasha grated. "The scent is stronger near the ground."

"I am aware of that, little brother. However, it is not necessary for you to fall to the ground to follow the scent trail."

"Why do you give a damn about how it looks if I track in this fashion? I'm just a lowly hanyou."

"Hanyou, you may be. But the blood of our father flows in your veins. Respect that and behave in a manner befitting that blood."

At this point, Kagome decided that it was time to put an end to the bickering before it got out of hand. "Inuyasha. This is getting us no where. We have to find Shippou and Rin!"

grrr "Alright! Alright! Let's go!" Inuyasha growled as he stood up and sniffed the air then continued in the direction of the manor.

He didn't see the slight upturn of the corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth.

 

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Shippou sat on the floor and watched Yukiho prepare some tea for them to drink. He had resisted her efforts to get friendly with him. It wasn't that he thought she was dangerous, it was just that he didn't like the fact that she was trying to get Inuyasha away from mama-Kagome. She had been trying to be friendly with him, even offering that he sit in her lap while she told him stories of Inuyasha's youth, but it just didn't feel right.

Yukiho was feeling a little frustrated. She had been doing her best to try and win the affection of the little kitsune who had appeared in her chambers and had claimed to be Inuyasha's son. She had hoped to get him on her side and while he wasn't rude, it was obvious that he was ambivalent about her, at best. She looked at her daughter and felt a pang of envy. She hadn't had any problems making friends with the little girl who now sat in her lap.

Takara listened in rapt attention to the girl named Rin in her lap. Somehow, this felt right, as if this child had always been with her. She felt a sense of wholeness with this little girl that she normally didn't feel. Except when she was in the presence of a certain youkai lord. 'I feel complete around him, too.' That thought scared her. 'I don't even know him! Why does he affect me in that way?' She shook off the thought and refocused on Rin. The little girl was telling her about her lord's steed.

"Ah-Un is a two headed dragon horse that can fly. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if one head got mad at the other. They both have their own brains and each head has it's own personality. One likes to gulp it's food and the other eats it slow, one piece at a time. That's weird, don't you think?"

Takara smiled at Rin and gave her a small hug, resting her chin on top of Rin's head for a moment. "That does sound wierd, but they have had all their lives to get used to it." 'Kami-sama!' thought Takara. 'Why does this feel so right? I have only known this sweet child for a few minutes and I feel like I couldn't bear to be apart from her.' She took a deep breath and decided to broache the subject that the girl had mentioned earlier on. "Earlier you said that you had been with Lord Sesshoumaru since he had brought you back from the dead? Surely, you were not really dead?"

"Uh-huh, I was. Actually, I met him just before the wolves killed me and milord brought me back to life." Rin stated this matter of factly, as if discussing the weather. "I've followed him ever since."

Tears came to Takara's eyes. "Wolves killed you?" she asked in a broken whisper. Yukiho had stopped making tea to look at the child in horror. She had not thought that the child had meant what she said either.

"Yes." Rin grew thoughtful for a second. "I don't remember much of it except running from the wolves and one of them leaping at me to knock me down. I was very scared and I was trying to find milord. I knew that he would protect me. Everything went black and when I could see again, milord was standing over me with his sword in his hand." Rin smiled. "I've been with him ever since."

Rage replaced the horror that Takara had felt. She felt her claws bite into her hand as she clenched her fist, thinking of the attack on this child that she held. 'I'll kill them!' she thought, vicously. 'For hurting her, I'll kill every one of them!' Shaking slightly in reaction to the emotion she was feeling, she managed to keep her voice calm as she asked Rin, "What happened to the wolves?"

"Inuyasha killed them." announced Shippou, from were he sat.

"Inuyasha-sama did that?" Rin asked. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. Those were Kouga's wolves and when we first met Kouga, his wolves had just finished killing off an entire village. They attacked us and Inuyasha and Sango killed many of them."

"Who is this Kouga and were can I find him?" Takara asked in a low voice.

"Kouga was the prince of the wolf demon tribe. As to where you can find him ..." Shippou paused and grinned a little bit. "Hell would probably be a good place to start. He attacked us when he found out that Inuyasha and mama-Kagome were getting married. He tried to take mama-Kagome away. Inuyasha killed him."

"And he hurt you." Rin added. "I overheard Sango-chan and Miroku-sama talking about it. You nearly died."

Shippou shrugged and blushed. "It was nothing. I was just trying to protect my mom."

Rin climbed out of Takara's lap and went over to Shippou and hugged him. "I also heard that you were very brave."

Takara got up and came over to them. She crouched and put her arms around both of them. "It sounds like you are a very brave young man, worthy of being Inuyasha's son."

Shippou blushed even deeper than before. Then Rin's next statement nearly made him faint.

"Uh-huh. That's why he's my boyfriend."

Takara raised an eyebrow and smiled at the look on Shippou's face. "I see. And does he know this?"

Rin looked at Shippou and smiled at him. Suddenly, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "He does now."

And as the women laughed in delight at the look on his face, the stunned kitsune slowly fell over on his side.

 

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Inuyasha and company had made it to the manor. "What are those two up to?" he wondered, aloud.

"We'll find out when we find them." promised Kagome. "And it had better be good."

Inuyasha kept his face turned from Kagome so that she couldn't see his smirk. It was good to hear her ire raised at someone other than him!

"Indeed." stated Sesshoumaru. "If this is the type of behavior that the two of them are going to exhibit, I may have to forbid Rin from playing with your kitsune."

"You wouldn't?!" exclaimed Kagome. "That would break their hearts. They are very fond of each other."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. This woman had absolutely no fear of him and he admired that. "I believe that a short seperation from one another might prove useful in maintaining control over their more creative escapades."

"In other words, show them that we can keep them from seeing each other if they don't behave." Inuyasha grinned. "Not a bad thought. I'm surprised that you came up with it. You haven't struck me as being the fatherly type."

Inuyasha didn't expect the reaction his words brought. Sesshoumaru's face paled and went cold. With visible effort to maintain control, Sesshoumaru turned from his brother and began walking into the manor. He stopped at the entryway and looked back, his expression bleak. "Some of us have had our fatherhood stripped from us." He turned his face forward and walked into the manor, following the scents of the children.

Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku all looked at each other in something akin to shock. Inuyasha finally broke the silence. "Damn! He's lost a child!"

"And if he had a child ... "Kagome began.

"Then he had a mate." finished Sango.

"And that means he probably lost her , as well." concluded Miroku. "That .... explains much."

Inuyasha was staring at where his brother had vanished into the manor. "Let's go."

 

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They caught up with the demon lord in the garden. He had regained his composure and they wisely decided to refrain from mentioning what he had said. "They are following the scents of Takara, Yukiho, Inutaro and Daremo."

"Why, in the world, are they following them?" Kagome asked in puzzlement.

"To get answers." replied Miroku. "They are inquisitive children and we have not been telling them what is happening. Obviously, they decided to seek out answers to the questions that they have."

"Well, let's find them before they get answers that we don't want them to know."

As the group headed to the door that led to Yukiho's apartment in the manor, Lord Tanaka appeared before them. "I was told that you had been seen in the manor. What brings you into my home at this hour?"

"Sorry, Genki, I don't have time for twenty questions. Our kids ran away and came here. We think they have gone to see Yukiho and Takara about what has been going on."

"I see." Lord Tanaka drew himself up. "I was about to go see Yukiho. I will show you the way to her chambers." As Inuyasha began to protest, he continued. "You will need me to order Daremo to let you in. He is standing guard. As a matter of fact, with him standing guard, it is doubtful that the children entered Yukiho's rooms."

"Wanna bet? Shippou is a true kitsune pup and very clever. He figured out a way around Daremo or I'll eat my firerat hakama."

 

A/N: And another one is in the bag. I have had a couple of requests concerning what my novel is about. I have decided to include what I have written so far so that I may get your opinion. Please bear in mind that this is a rough draft and is NOT the finished product.

 

Prologue

 

When you hear the word 'vampire', what do you think of? Do you think of Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula? Or maybe you think of Lestat? Or maybe you think of Buffy. It doesn't matter though, does it. None of those vampires exist in reality. Everyone knows that vampires aren't real.

At least not the living dead type. But what about the living ones?

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about those strange people that dress in black, put in fake fangs, and drink blood. I guess they qualify as vampires, but they are not the ones I'm talking about. I'm talking about super strong, blood thirsty beings that can create others like themselves from a bite, if you survive. Creatures that have heightened senses, and that are very predatory. And you are the prey. Beings that want to chase you down for the sport of it and suck you dry.

You're thinking, "That's ridiculous! There is no such thing."

You're wrong.

They're out there.

I should know. I'm one of them. And this is my story.

 

Chapter One

 

The trouble with telling a story is that you don't always know where to begin. They say that the best place to begin a story is at the beginning. Okay. Which beginning? This sordid little tale has more than one. Actually, it's a moot point. Since I'm telling this story, I'll begin with where I come into it and we'll deal with the rest of the history as it becomes relevant.

I have been unconscionably rude. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wyatt Masters. My friends call me Wy. I am a high school biology and chemistry teacher. I am also the football coach, so I guess that I could be described as an athletic nerd. I am a twenty-six year old who has been married for a little over four years and loving it. I stand about six two and weigh in at two-thirty. I'm not in bad shape but could stand to lose a few pounds. What can I say, married life has that affect on most men. And I've sounded like a bad personels ad long enough. It's time to tell you about the vampires. And how I became one of them.

Vampires. The name chills your blood, doesn't it. I imagine that you are thinking of me as pasty faced and unable to stand the sun. Well, I am pale, but that is a matter of genetics. I was pale before I became a vampire. My family is Scotch-Irish. I inherited red hair and fair skin, so I crisp in the sun without benifit of being a vampire. And I'm rambling. But it's hard to talk about something that changes your life so much, especially when you didn't ask for it.

It's kind of like getting raped.

I don't mean to offend any people who have been raped, but that is the closest analogy that I can come up with. I was attacked and something was taken from me without my permission. Something deeply intimate. The difference is that it wasn't sex; it was my humanity.

Let me tell you about the attack. I had been pulling an all-nighter, grading midterms......

 

"Hey, babe!" I called from my desk.

A beautiful woman appeared in the doorway that led to the bedroom. She stood about five-five, with curly brown shoulder length hair and a body that wouldn't quit. She was wearing a short bathrobe and nothing else. She smiled at me and walked up until she was standing behind me. She leaned over my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek. "What's the matter, lover? You need another break from grading?"

I thought about my last break and grinned at her. I returned her kiss with a slight leer. "That would be nice, but I really wanted to ask you if you wanted anything. I think I'm going to make a snack run."

She pouted, playfully. "What?" She allowed her robe to fall open slightly, showing her cleavage. "You don't see anything here that you want to snack on?"

I growled at her and turned my chair until I could get my arm around her waist. I pulled her to me and kissed her with more passion. "That's not a snack. That's a full meal."

She returned the kiss with equal passion. As the kiss broke, I summoned up all my will power and gently pushed away from her with a groan. "I've got to get these papers graded and I need some fuel for that." I stood up with a sigh and stretched. "I'm going to run down to the store on the corner. You want anything?"

She pouted at me and stuck her tongue out. "I might as well have something since you aren't going to do anything." She paused as she thought about it. "Bring me some chocolate."

"Milk or bar?" playing our old game.

"Yes." came the old answer.

I snorted at her. "Alright, but don't blame me when you're bouncing of the walls later tonight."

"Oh, really?" She smiled at me, provacatively. "You mean you don't want to bounce me off the walls?"

I laughed and shook my head. Stepping up to her, I drew her in for a quick kiss. "Do you know that you are a sex maniac?" I teased.

"Takes one to know one." she shot back. "Now, hurry up and go! I want my chocolate and I want you to get done at a reasonable hour."

"Alright! Alright! I'm going!" I stopped at the door long enough to get another kiss. "I'll only be about thirty minutes." Famous last words.

You know, a thousand what if's have gone through my head since that night. Not a damn one of them has made a difference in what happened. I left our apartment and headed to the store, just like I had done dozens of times before. But this night was different. I wasn't any less alert than normal. I had no illusions of invulnerability. But, I was confident that I could handle most any trouble that came my way if I were mugged. I knew that most muggers only wanted money, so I was prepared to hand it over. After all, it was only money. I wasn't prepared for what happened.

It all started with a scream. I'll admit it, I have a white knight complex. It drives my wife nuts but I have this drive to help out damsels in distress. I have stopped boys from beating up girlfriends and men from beating up wives. I even stopped a frat brother from date raping a girl in college. Got me kicked out of the fraternity for attacking a brother but at least I stopped him. And my testimony got that particular frat house banned at that college. Anyway, I was on my way to the store when I heard a woman scream in an alley that is between my apartment and the store.

I know. It's pretty cliche' to have an attack happen in a dark alley. The trouble is that most cliche' are based in truth.

I ran into the alley and saw two figures in the darkness. I couldn't tell which was which in the gloom, but I had a pretty good idea that the figure holding the other figure against the wall with it's head buried in the others neck and chest was the guy and the figure being pushed against the wall, beating at the back of the other was the girl.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Let her go!" Sounds cliche' again, doesn't it. Fortunately, that is all that is needed to break up most attacks. Attackers don't usually like witnesses, so they run when one comes up. Unfortunately, it didn't work. The figure that I assumed to be the man's raised it's head and glared at me with a hissing snarl, then went back to the neck of the other figure.

 

A/N: As I said earlier, this is a rough draft and I would appreciate any comments or criticisms. I want to write something that people will want to read, so I need input from you guys as to what can be done to improve my writing. Thanks, Fyrloche.