InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Island of Dr. Onigumo ❯ Chapter 1

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

Lengthy Summary: In the world of the future, youkai are as mythological as the gods of ancient Rome. Due to the epic trauma of World War III, the rules and society have changed and new people have emerged.

On the island compound of Onigumo-Nakumaru Laboratories, a project that could lead to the next world war is being brought to new lights when a hybrid is discovered.

Dr. Higarashi Kagome is brought in to examine the hybrid, deemed "hanyou", and classify him as either canine or human and thus decide his fate. But this time she may become a little too attached to her research.

Takahashi Inuyasha wants revenge for the tortures his father suffered at Dr. Onigumo Naraku's hands and to finally expose the secret his mother died to keep.

Very loosely based on the movie and H.G. Wells novel, Island of Dr. Moreau.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. I also do not own Island of Dr. Moreau. The novel is the creation of H.G. Wells.

Author's Note: I'm uploading several of the stories that I've started and haven't been able to finish in the hopes that maybe a few critiques/comments can inspire me to finish and quit making new ones before I finish at least i one i of the one's I've already started...

TO: Higarashi Haruki, Chairman, Board of Scientific ReviewFROM: Dr. Naraku Onigumo, Onigumo-Nakumaru LaboratoriesDATE: August 14, 3056RE: Animal Testing and Gene Therapy

There has been a new and astounding development in my research that I believe yourself and the review board would be most interested in.

Last night, near midnight, an unknown intruder managed to break into my facility and attacked myself and several employees. The intruder, it appears, is the result of a small scandal that took place while my father was first beginning his successful research. Said scandal was only recently brought to my attention.

It seems the trespasser is a hybrid of one of my father’s creations. The first successful mutation of an akita into a human form, Y1284M, apparently became involved with an employee, Dr. Takahashi Izayoi. Upon discovery of the affair, Dr. Takahashi was released from her duties and the akita was put down. Unknown to my father, however, the doctor was with child.

I request a review of the said hybrid and an immediate decision on where the creature stands for characterization. In the event that he is found to be more animal than human, I would request the right to put him down. Otherwise, I will request that a formal report be filed and he be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for attempted murder.

ON/wk

Haruki unfolded the memo again and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose toward off a headache. He sat behind a large oak desk in his grandiose office. As a member of parliament as well as the chairman of the Scientific Review Board, it was his responsibility to deal with such problems, but he dreaded what was to come next.

The hybrid would have to be tested and evaluated for classification by the board and then his fate would have to be decided. Either way the creature was screwed.

What he couldn’t wrap his mind around was how a human and an akita could produce offspring. Or how a human could mate with an akita. It was beyond his comprehension, but then he also knew that Dr. Onigumo had made large strides in animal research and the mutation of human and animal DNA. Maybe such a thing was completely beyond reason.

Across from him a young woman with her dark hair pulled back in a French braid, sat patiently waiting for him to speak. She idly plucked at the hem of her black, knee-length skirt. Her legs were crossed and her foot swung slowly back and forth, one black high heel held on only by the toe.

He focused on her and smiled slightly. She was beautiful. The spitting image of her mother when he first met her and he wondered how she still managed to be single at twenty-three. But then, he also realized she was reserved and put her work ahead of any sort of social life. Dedication to her job was admirable and, admittedly, a trait acquired from himself, but she needed more than just a research lab to be happy.

And that’s why he dreaded what he was about to do. It would take months from her life, throwing herself totally into the project. She would think nothing of it, of course, but he…he worried for her.

“Kagome,” he started and then cleared his throat, standing up to go to a bookshelf where he took down a thick binder and handed it to her. She took it and started flipping through the pages while he finished speaking. “Dr. Onigumo has requested an examination of someone being held in his facility. I’ve spoken with you before about his research, ne?”

She looked up, slightly distracted. “Hai, you have. His father was able to successfully alter animal DNA by mutating it and joining it with human DNA to create what he called a test-tube youkai. Dr. Onigumo has been following his research in the hopes of perfecting it.”

She gave no outward sign of her distaste or distrust of the doctor’s work, but she failed to see the necessity of such experimentation. Youkai were nothing but legends, passed down from the ancients through stories told to young children to keep them from wandering too far from home less they be taken and eaten by an evil monster. What interest the Japanese government could possibly have in these mutations was beyond her comprehension.

“The world’s perfect soldiers, that’s what Onigumo calls them. The Japanese military is interested in these ‘youkai’ and their potential as weapons of war.” Haruki shook his head, removing his glasses so that he could rub his eyes. “Damn foolish if you ask me, but I haven’t been able to convince the rest of the senate or the review counsel. If we could find some sort of infraction, some misrepresentation on Onigumo’s part, we’d have a reason to shut him down, but he’s been very clever so far. All on-site evaluations have come up clean and his reports are on schedule every month and show no misuse of his grants or research.”

Kagome made a face, frowning as she sat forward, bracing her arms in her lap. “What about the genetics testing he’s doing? The medical research? It’s illegal to test on humans. If he’s encoding human DNA and other genetic material into these animals to get his youkai, then can’t they be classified as human, making his research illegal?”

He shook his head. “I’ve already tried that. We tested several of them and the results came back showing that while some human characteristics had shown up in their genetic make up, there wasn’t enough to call them human. No, the best way to dislodge him is through this new hybrid.”

“New hybrid?” She furrowed her brow in confusion. “What new hybrid?”

Haruki sat down again and replaced his glasses on his nose. “Flip to page 321 in that notebook. You’ll see the information regarding the first of the late Dr. Onigumo’s successful attempts.”

She did as instructed and was assaulted by the picture of a rather strange looking man. He was handsome even with all his oddness. Obviously tall, he wore a pair of black jogging pants and white tee-shirt. His hair was long, completely white, and pulled back in a ponytail that fell to just below his waist. His skin was tan, though she couldn’t tell whether it was naturally so or from being out in the sun. His features were strong and looked like they were almost cut from stone with two amazing golden eyes staring out at her. Tattooed over each cheek was one dark blue lightening bolt.

“Subject Y1284M: a/k/a ‘Inutaishou’” she read aloud, checking the statistics beneath the snapshot. “Akita specimen. Successful mutation on October 7, 3000. Put down on May 23, 3031. Reason: volatile behavior, danger to researchers.”

She looked up at her father with wide blue eyes. “Amazing! I’d never guess he was anything but human. I mean, of course his hair and eyes are odd colors, but lots of people use hair dye and contacts.”

Haruki nodded. “Hai, that’s why I wish to shut him down. He is violating the rules of ethical practice and, if he is successful in creating the world’s perfect soldier as he’s been bragging of doing, we could be facing world war four.”

She nodded solemnly. That thought hadn’t escaped her. After reading about and seeing pictures of the devastation caused by the last one, she was in no hurry to live such a war first hand. “Continue.”

“Behind those pages you’ll see outlines of his training, abilities, the vitamins and such used to keep him healthy, tests conducted on him and charts of his DNA structure and other genetic mutations. The scientist in charge of the day-to-day field study of Inutaishou was a Doctor Takahashi Izayoi, a young woman just out of medical school and entering her third year of training at Onigumo’s lab. Apparently, according to old employee records, she saw more than just a dog when she looked at him because they were caught some months later having an affair. That was in 3031. She was discharged and the akita was put down.

“A few nights ago, someone managed to breech Onigumo’s security and attempted to kill him and two of his employees. The trespasser claims to be Takahashi’s son - a child she had with Inutaishou.

“What I need you to do, Kagome, is to travel to Onigumo’s laboratory and examine this hybrid. He should be tested genetically, physically, mentally and emotionally. When you’ve concluded your tests, you will present the review board with a full report of your findings and whether or not he should be classified as human or canine.”

The girl cocked a brow and closed the book on her lap. “And if he’s found to be canine? What happens to him?”

Haruki seemed to shrivel in his chair. “He’ll suffer the same fate as any other malicious animal. He’ll be put to sleep.”

She couldn’t contain the gasp that flew from her mouth. “And if he’s human?”

“He’ll be tried for trespassing, breaking and entering of a federal building, assault and attempted murder. He’ll probably be facing life imprisonment.”

“So, either way he’s not got a chance, ne?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t seem right. What reason would he have to attack the facility? Does your report say?”

“He refuses to speak to anyone. You’ve certainly got your work cut out for you, Kagome.” They both stood and he walked around the desk so that he was standing in front of her. “Good luck, sweetheart.”

She smiled and hugged him, kissing his cheek. “Thanks daddy. I’ll see what I can do. Okay?”

The island where Onigumo the first had set up his laboratory was man made and had cost more than she could ever dream of earning in her life time. At that time there had been no federal funding for the projects which both Dr. Onigumo and Dr. Nakumaru, his now bedridden partner, planned to conduct and Kagome couldn’t help the eerie feeling that crept along her spine when she thought of all the ways they could have come up with such funds. The facility certainly wasn’t lacking in pomp and circumstance, that was for sure.

As her ferry approached the docks, she could see the tops of several buildings over the trees and the dock itself was more than she’d imagined. Three yachts were anchored by the wooden deck and a larger vessel was anchored just a little ways off the coast. Several large storage buildings flanked the shore and she could see people walking around carrying this and that or performing various tasks.

“What sort of security is there, Dr. Honda?” She questioned the man beside her. Onigumo had sent one of the younger residents to meet her at the ferry and show her through the compound. He was rather handsome: a foot or so taller than she with shoulder length black hair he pulled back in a tail. However, she’d learned quickly to keep him at arms length when, only two minutes into the ride, he had grabbed her bum. His cheek was still slightly red.

“The dock you see now is the only entrance into the compound. The rest of the shore and river bed is lined with rocks that jut up out of the water, preventing any boats from coming too close,” he answered, pointing to the waters in the distance. “There’s also security cameras set up every so many yards to monitor anyone dumb enough to wade ashore. The screens are watched by the tower guards at the other end of the dock. They’ve been given orders to shoot first and ask questions later, should anyone attempt to come on the island by any means other than the dock. Then there’s guards who patrol the dormitories and the training grounds. It’s a miracle anyone was able to get in.”

She nodded and looked back towards the shore just as the head of the ferry butted up against the wooden deck. Three men grabbed the line and aided her in stepping up and getting her footing. Miroku, her escort, chuckled. “You’ll get used to it in a minute. Do you want me to carry your bag?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not heavy, really, but thank you. Did you see the man who broke in? What’s he like?”

He fiddled with the hair in his ponytail. “He certainly didn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen and believe me, since working here, I’ve seen a lot.”

“If you want to keep your hand, you’ll keep it away from Dr. Higarashi,” another voice scolded from the beach. “Am I clear, Dr. Honda?”

Kagome looked up to see a young woman, a few years older than herself, dressed in black slacks, a pink shirt and white lab coat. Her brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she stood glaring at Miroku with crossed arms.

“Clear as crystal, dearest,” he replied, clasping both hands behind his back. “Dr. Higarashi, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Dr. Hitomi Sango, the most beautiful doctor in the compound. She and I will be working along with you in your study of the, ah, half breed.”

Kagome bowed politely. “Really, if we’re going to be working together, we should be on a first name basis, don’t you think? Call me Kagome, please. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Hitomi.”

“If I’m calling you Kagome, you’re gonna call me Sango,” she said, stepping between Miroku and Kagome. “You’ve already met Miroku, I see. Be careful around him, his hands have a tendency to wander.”

“I’ve noticed.” Kagome sent a glare around Sango to the young male who whistled innocently. “I was just asking Miroku if he saw the guy who broke in and attacked Dr. Onigumo. Did you?”

Sango nodded and led her towards a topless jeep parked on a dirt packed road. “We both did. The main facility is on the other side of the island, too far to walk,” she motioned Kagome to the front seat and took the driver's seat herself with Miroku in the back. “He came crashing through a window and jumped onto Dr. Onigumo, trying to choke him. When two of the residents tried to stop him, he attacked them. He knocked one back and into a table and clawed at the other one. At first we thought he had a knife, but after he was tranquilized, we realized his nails were as long and sharp as claws.”

“My father said he refuses to talk to anyone. How do you know he’s Dr. Takahashi’s son, then?” She questioned, glancing between them.

“Well, it was quite obvious he wasn’t human. Dr. Onigumo ordered him placed in a observation room and when he came too, he question him,” Miroku answered her. “The boy said that Takahashi Izayoi was his mother and accused Dr. Onigumo of killing her. If what they say is true and he is the offspring of an akita -“

“Miroku! Hush!” Sango slammed on the breaks, causing dust to fly up around them from the dirt road. She turned sharply in her seat, fuming at him. “Don’t say a word, Miroku. You know better.”

He sighed and sat back in his seat. “I apologize, Kagome. I nearly said to much.”

Sango nodded and pressed the gas, putting them in motion once more. Kagome simply turned and looked out over the trees to the various buildings that dotted the landscape. Obviously something was going on and none of them were able to talk about it.

“Those are the dormitories. The ones on the East side of the island are for the males and the ones to the West are the female. We keep them separated to keep them from mating in an uncontrolled environment. Dr. Onigumo says that we aren’t ready for that level of experimentation just yet. The buildings just past those are the school where they learn basic level reading and writing. The training grounds are past the school.” Sango glanced at her and smiled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you back there. It’s just, there are some things that we can’t talk about.”

Kagome nodded. “It’s alright, I understand. Let me ask this, then...what does he look like? I’ve been trying to create a mental picture since my father told me about him, but there’s no description in the files and I’m afraid my imagination may have gotten a little carried away. I keep expecting a living sphinx.”

Sango laughed and gunned the engine, bouncing them over the uneven path. Her hair flew over her shoulder and into her face and Kagome was glad she’d thought to braid hers. “If that’s what you were looking forward to, you’re gonna be disappointed. The only dog like feature on him is his ears. For someone with canine blood in them, he looks amazingly human.”

Miroku nodded and leaned forward, bracing his arms on the backs of their seats so that his head was between them. “You’ve seen the picture of his father? They’ve the same hair and eyes from what I can tell and other than his ears, which are actual dog ears atop his head, if you weren’t up close you wouldn’t know his heritage. Up close to him, however, you can see that he’s got fangs for canines and claws instead of nails - not sharp like a cats, but hard like a dogs toenail; destructive with enough power behind them, but not necessarily dangerous.”

“I’ve heard him growl,” Sango added taking a left turn that nearly dumped Kagome on the side of the road. The woman grabbed the edge of the jeep and braced her feet on the floorboard. “But he speaks just as plain as you and I when he chooses to. Of course, like we said, he’s only spoken to Dr. Onigumo and then only to threaten him for killing his mother.”

She put on brakes, causing the jeep to slide in the gravel and dirt in front of the laboratory building and Miroku nearly did a flip over the front seats. Kagome took a deep breath, pausing for a moment to thank the kamis she’d arrived safely before climbing out. Miroku offered her his hand for assistance and then grabbed her bags.

“Sango, my love, your driving is as exceptional as always,” he commented, secretly winking at Kagome.

His wife-to-be narrowed her eyes, sending a glare in his direction. “I got you here in one piece and on time, didn’t I?” She led them to the stairs and through the main doors.

Whereas the dormitories that they had passed were built in the old, traditional fashion with peeked roofs and clay shingles, the laboratory building was white stucco with large glass windows along the bottom floor and smaller ones on the subsequent floors all the way to the sixth which was practically one solid window all the way around.

“That’s Dr. Onigumo’s private study on the top floor. He likes to be able to look out over the compound. The labs and observation rooms are on the second through fifth floors. The containment and experimental rooms are on the sub-level floors, one through three,” Sango explained and pushed the up button on the elevator. “That’s where they’re keeping the...what would you call him? Creature sounds rude, but really, what is he?”

Kagome tried to tuck several loose strands of hair back behind her ears. The ride had undone some locks from her braid. “Well, in mythical legend the offspring of a human and youkai were called hanyou. Seeing as Dr. Onigumo claims his creations are lab-bred youkai, I would think hanyou would be an appropriate term.”

She nodded and Miroku held the elevator doors while the girls stepped in. “Well, sub-level three is where the hanyou is being kept and where we’ll be doing the majority of our work. We’ll head down there in a minute, but Dr. Onigumo wanted to talk to you first. That’s where we’re headed.”

The elevator doors opened with a ding and Kagome found herself walking into a spacious reception area with leather couches and two full walls of windows that overlooked the compound. She could just make out the tops of the dormitory buildings over the trees. A young woman with dark, black hair and a sour expression sat in front of a large, granite desk, her chin rested in her hand and she was focused on a computer. She looked up when they approached and pushed an intercom button.

“Higarashi Kagome is here.” She sounded bored out of her mind.

“Send her in, Kagura. Miroku, Sango, I assume you are there as well? If you’ll wait out there for Dr. Higarashi, she shouldn’t be but a moment. Then the three of you can get to work.”

Kagura jabbed her thumb in the direction of two wood doors and Kagome tried to dust some of the dirt off of her blue blouse before stepping in.

Dr. Onigumo Naraku was not what she had been expecting. He was tall and lean, young looking for his age although he was nearly as old as her father. His long, black hair was pulled back in a tail and fell in waves down to his knees. Instead of the uniform like lab coat, he wore khaki slacks and a blue-green striped dress shirt. She could see a khaki dress jacket folded over the edge of his desk chair, but Naraku himself was in the far corner of the room, computerized putter in hand.

“Welcome to my island, Kagome - it is alright if I call you Kagome? It’s such a lovely name.” He took a swing and then read the meter, grimacing at his score. "Well, I was never much of a golfer anyhow. So, Kagome, your father speaks very highly of you. He says that if anyone can help clear up this mess, it would be you. I hope that he’s right. I would like this nasty business settled as soon as possible.”

“I will certainly see what I can do, Dr. Onigumo - “

“Naraku, please. We’re all family here on this island. It’s why so many of us choose to reside here in the apartment complexes behind this office. In fact, there has been an apartment furnished and ready for you to use during your stay. You’ll be just down the hall from your associates, Sango and Miroku.”

Kagome bowed slightly. “Thank you for your trouble, Naraku-san. I have been speaking with both doctors and I suspect we’ll have a close working relationship.”

Naraku smiled at her, an expression that didn’t quite reach his eyes and ended up looking more menacing than reassuring. “I assume they’ve already filled you in on what details weren’t provided in my report. I apologize if I overlooked a few things, but I was in a hurry to get it to your father.”

“They have and, I have to say, that I’m very intrigued with what I’ve heard so far.”

“Wonderful. You’re probably anxious to get started, then, so I’ll let you get to it. Just remember that if you need anything, you’re welcome to call on me at any time.”

She smiled gently and bowed again. “Thank you for your considerations and it was a pleasure to meet you, Naraku-san. I will do my best to have this matter cleared up as quickly as possible.” He had already gone back to swinging the putter when she walked out to join the others.