InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Road to Remembrance ❯ The Talking Portrait ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Inuyasha looked at the large black mansion infront of him and wondered how the hell people hadn't notice this. It had been three days since Inuyasha met the strange, cloaked man; finding Berchin had been easy, but finding the Black Estate had been easier. The building was perched on a large hill overlooking the village below it. It was, at the moment, a magestic site in the forground of the setting sun, but it's massive size had gone unnoticed by the people below it. Inuyasha looked around confused as the people of Berchin went about their business, not one looking at the Black Estate.
The find almost seemed too easy for something that was supposedly unheard of by anyone in scottland. He needed confirmation.
"Excuse me, sir," Inuyasha said, stopping one elderly villager on his way home for the evening, "Is that the Black estate?" He pointed to said building.
The man looked to where Inuyasha pointed before looking at Inuyasha as if he were an idiot and walking away. Inuyasha blinked at the wierd reaction. Something was very wierd here.
"Hey you!" he called to a couple of little girls. Their identical brown hair and blue eyes gave them away as sisters, "What do you see up there," he asked, pointing at the hill again.
"An old well," the older one answered, giving him the same odd look the old man did before.
"A well?"
"yes."
"Up on that hill?"
"yes."
"That one?"
"Yes sir, it's just a well."
"You don't see a big mansion right there?"
"No, just a well."
Inuyasha straitened up and looked at the mansion once more. Perhaps it was an illusion of some sort? If so, then why could only he see it? A spell perhaps? Inuyasha thought back to what the strange man said.
"The muggles might not know of it, but the Blacks rule the wizarding populace with an iron fist in these here parts...non-magic folk...If yeh really are worthy of finding it, then yeh can't miss it."
It must have been a spell! It meant magic, thats what. Maybe these people couldn't see it because they were muggles. Did that mean he wasn't a muggle? Apparently he was worthy so he must have had some type of magic in him.
"Thanks," Inuyasha grumbled to the girls before heading towards what he hoped had the answers to all his questions.
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Kagome smiled, and she had good reason to. She was seventeen, halfway through her junior year, and oficially the most popular girl in school. Her compaticion, _____, recently moved a few towns over, leaving her with the title of most popular. Her life was good at the moment. She had given up on trying to get through the well months ago and had finally moved on with her life. She managed to pick up her grades to the point of being on high honors every term and had been going steady with Hojo for about eight months now. She had even begun looking at colleges. Did I mention her life was good at the moment? But no matter how good things looked, there was always a part of her that was slightly depressed about the way she and Inuyasha had parted. She mostly blamed herself and her rashness for the whole ordeal.

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The Black estate didn't look nearly as majestic up close as it did at a distance. The widows were broken and clouded by dirt, the wood was dying under the effects of weather and bugs, and the whole place reeked of decay and musk. Inuyasha approached the door, taking notice of a giant snake head for a knocker, and slowly pulled it open. It opened about halfway before breaking off its hinges and pulling off into Inuyasha's hand with a loud, echoing clang. Inuyasha cringed and looked around before remembering that no one could see it. he dropped the door and stepped into the house.

"No, no Inuyasha! You need to add the salamander tails before the dragon wood shavings, not after. And make sure to stir it three times counterclockwise immediately after or you'll get a skin shrinking potion instead of a wart curing one," Julian Black instrusted his only grandchild, watching proudly as the five year old boy did exactly as he said. The half demon had a few charms placed on him so the fumes would not aggrivate his delacate senses.
"You catch on fast. You have your grandfather,s wit, I can tell you that."
The young Inuyasha grinned at the praise, his tiny, fuzzy years twitching excitedly.
"Am I really going to have a bit party?" he asked as he carefully added more lungwart, turning the potion into a successful pea-green.
"Of course! It's not everyday a young man turns six, now is it? Let's get this potion in a flask so we can add it to the medical ward. Well done, my boy, I couldn't have done it better myself. Healer McShay will be most pleased."
Inuyasha giggled, "So can I learn the special magic when I'm older?"
Julian looked down at Inuyasha and smiled kindly, "I've told you before, not until your atleast as tall as me. Give it another decade and we'll see."
Inuyasha pouted, "but what if I get as tall as you when I'm six?"
Julian laughed heartily and lifted Inuyasha in the air, tossing him, "you just think of everything, don't you? You little smart ass."
Inuyasha squealed, delighted.
"I'll tell you what; you keep doing good in your studies and maybe i'll bump up that particular lesson."
"Promise?" Inuyasha asked, holding up a tiny pinkie.
"Promise." Julian answered, taking the offered pinkie with his own.

Inuyasha gasped and grabbed his head.

"Inuyasha, hold still!" Izayio scolded as she grabbed the ansti child by the wrist and dragged him back to her.
"But mother--! The magic itches!" He wined, glowering at the dolled up human reflection in the window.
"Oh posh," she replied sternly, brushing his long black hair into a low ponytail, "That is the most ridiculous thing i've heard from you yet. Magic does not itch. Now stop complaining; you need this glamour charm if you want to go to the party."
"Of course I'm going--it's my birthday party!" Inuyasha argued, "And magic does too itch."
Izayoi hid a smile.
"Your grandfather does like to show you off," she said, "There's going to be alot of people here so I want you to act like the little gentleman I know you are."
"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha muttered. "Mom, do we have to go home tomorrow? Why can't we just live here? Everyone is nice to me here..."
Izayoi sighed, and the usual depressed expression made it back to her face, "Oh honey, you know I would stay here for you in a heartbeat, but it's just too dangerous. Uncle Magnus has been getting very...mean lately. He could try to hurt you."
"Are brother's supposed to hate each other?" Inuyasha asked, looking thoughtful.
"No! Why would you ask that?" Izayoi replied, quite startled.
"It's just...Grandfather and Uncle Magnus hate each other, and Sessomaru hates me. Should I hate him back?"
Izayoi could have died at the saddened, innocent expression on her son's cherubic face.
"No baby, you should never hate anybody, especially family. You need to forgive people. While hate is a very strong and powerful emotion, forgiveness is even more powerful. Remember this: Anybody can hate, but it takes true strength to forgive someone."
Inuyasha nodded solomly.
"That's my good boy. Now go down there and see grandpa"

He stumbled to his knees on the marble, dusty floor.

Inuyasha was exhausted. He had been dancing with young girls his age, sneaking sips of spiked drinks, and enduring hundreds of people pinching his cheek and saying how handsome he was or how much he looked like his grandfather. He even overheard a few people trying to arrange marriages between him and their daughters with his grandfather. He stomped over to a chair and sat down.
"Tired already?" Inuyasha looked up into his grandfather's warm violet eyes.
"Grandfather, you're not going to marry me off to those girls are you?" Inuyasha asked worridly. It was, at the moment, the most troubling thing on his young mind.
Julian laughed and sat down next to the boy.
"No, why, do you want me to? All of them in one package, eh?"
"Ew, gross! No way!"
Julian barked out another laugh and rubbed Inuyasha on the back.
"I'm sure you'll be changing your mind soon enough."
Inuyasha scrunched up his little nose and shook his head, "I don't think so. But I have a question about the special magic you promised to teach me-"
"-you just don't give up do you?" Julian chuckled.
Inuyasha ignored him."What is it called? You never told me."
Julian sighed.
"I really don't think that's such a good idea. It's a really special kind and if certain people knew you'd be learning it there would be trouble."
"Please!" Inuyasha begged, "I won't tell anyone! I promise--I have no one to tell! And it is my birthday afterall. Pleeeeaaase."
Inuyasha made the cutest puppy face he could muster, which was pretty good for lacking the doggy ears.
Julian caved.
"Oh alright, you little beggar. But you mustn't tell anyone," Inuyasha nodded earnestly before his grandfather leaned in and whispered, "Blood-"
A loud bang and a sudden flash of green light drowned out whatever Julian was about to say.

Inuyasha was panting, waiting for more, but it never came. Slowly he lifted himself to his feet.
"What the hell was that," he gasped. He knew those memories. They took place in this very house...
Inuyasha looked up at the great marble hall and long staircases, and in his imagination the dust began to clear away. Inuyasha took a few steps foreward. He could see the intricates designs hand painted on the walls; his grandfather had always liked muggle work...
The white, marble hand railing down the stairs that he always slid down...the maid had slapped his hand once for that...
And there were the sculpted statues of gargoyles...inuyasha had blown the head off of one when he stole his grandfather's wand one time...
"Who goes there?"
Inuyasha snapped out of his trance to realise he was breathing rather fast. He looked around for the source of the voice. There was noone at the door, and the windows were all boarded up.
"Hello?" Inuyasha asked, his voice echoing fantasticaly around the deserted hall.
"I said who goes there, damn it! It's not like my neck moves anymore."
Inuyasha's ears twitched. The voice was coming from somewhere on the second floor. forgoing all caution/carefulness inuyasha took one graceful jump to reach the second landing.
"Hello?" he asked again.
"I'm right infront of you my boy..." came a dull voice. Inuyasha looked at the portrait staring down at him and jumped backwards. It was him.
well... maybe if he was a human about twenty years older and had a goatee, but still...
"My word... can it... is it really you?"
The portrait had spoken.
"Ahh!" Inuyasha cried out, stumbling backwards even farther.
"Inuyasha, my boy! you've come back to us! All these years I've been waiting!" The man in the portrait cried joyfully.
"You-you're talking!" Inuyasha managed to gasp out. The portrait lost all of its previous excitement and raised a fine, dark eyebrow.
"Never mind, my Inuyasha was much smarter than that."
"You're talking and you're insulting me..." Inuyasha said, going from shock to awe.
The man sighed.
"I told your mother not to take you to that god-awful land. Ingrates, the lot of them. And look where its gotten you now. You would have flourished in your home land. You were the brightest pupil I ever had you know. Especially in potions...how I miss those days."
"Home land?" Inuyasha asked, deciding that he'd done wierder things than have conversations with a talking portrait, "I was born in Japan."
"No you ignoramous. You were born here in Scotland. And you would have lived here too if it weren't for that blasted brother of mine causing trouble. Your mother told me of the hardships you had to endure even with her around. God knows how you survived without her..."
Inuyasha suddenly recognized the voice. He knew that face; not as his own but as...
"Wait...Julian?"
"There was a time when you used to call me grandfather," The man replied nostalgicaly/reminicently.
"Grandfather..." Inuyasha said quietly, "So you sent me the letter then?"
Julian sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "When I was alive, yes."
"What do you mean when? Oh yes, you're dead aren't you? Why the hell are you talking anyway?"
"You really have gone daft haven't you? Your a wizard you idiot boy. Of course you can only use magic on your human nights, but a wizard nonetheless. Us Blacks are one of the most purest and noble lines of wizardry. You should be proud."
"A wizard? magic???" Inuyasha squeaked out. Why couldn't he have known this when he was helpless on the new moon in Japan? "Was my mother a wizard?"
"No she was a witch. A squib actually. Happens to the best of families, nothing to be ashamed of. She was a brilliant woman all her own."
"A squib...thats someone of magical inheritance that can't do magic, right?" Inuyasha didn't even know where that came from, the definition just popped into his head like he had known it all along.
"Yes, very good, now that we have that cleared up--what the bloody hell took you so long to get here? Magnus has practically taken over all of wizarding England," Julian said looking cross.
"Well I'm sorry," Inuyasha said sarcasticaly, "I was too busy trying to survive in Japan. And then there was that small incident where I was sealed to a tree for fifty years."
"Sealed to a... I don't want to know. Knowing our family it probably had something to do with a woman. I just figured that you would have tried to come here sooner, you loved it so much."
"I'm sure I would have, if I could remember anything."
"Are you telling me you don't remeber anything?"
"Not of Scotland. Before I got this letter all I knew was Japan. I couldn't even remember how mother died. Its wierd, ever since I came here I've been remembering more and more of this place."
"Wonderful! We'll have you back to normal in no time! Its been so lonely on this wall all these years, watching my home decay," Julian trialed off sadly.
"So, you want to tell me what happened? What happened to this place and what is Magnus's problem. And why the hell is everyone dead?"
Julian sighed, "Very well, I'll tell you, though I hate to relive it. In the mean time, go down to the dungeons and bring up some potion supplies. I'd like to see what you remember."
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Yay! we're getting somewhere now!
My ass really hurts right now becuase I've been sitting on a wooden bleacher bench with my laptop for too hours half watching a Jersey cow show. Yes! Of the the cows just freaked out and dragged a small child halfway across the showring!