InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Wild West and the Gang of Four Souls ❯ A history lesson of sorts ( Chapter 7 )

(This chapter is kind of short and harder to read because there is less spacing, I'm just happy I got it done. It gives a lot of back round stuff that will be pretty important later and most of it isn't really that cheery, so expect that. If it is at all confusing, review and tell me about it so I can change any problems.)

(Revision- Fixing grammar and switching around dates. For anyone following the story it is now only six years ago that everything happened.)

(Last Time)

When I was very young, and until six years ago learning about the Black Spider Gang, and its two major rivals, was like learning how to read or how to fight, it was that big of a part in a ranger's life…

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The Black Spiders were the outlaw leaders of the West. The symbol of the gang that marked the back of all members' necks was one that struck terror in people's hearts. Nothing that went down illegally, from small robberies to murder, without their approval and any one who crossed them seemed to end up dead shortly after. Only two groups were ever able to rival the strength of the gang, the Inu Tribe and the Miko family.

The Black Spiders were known for their ruthless tactics and back handed deception. They had no morals, no sense of justice, and no loyalties. Being a member of the Black Spiders gave you no more protection from the gang than someone would have being disassociated with them. The gang had no problem in killing one of its own. As long as it benefited the leader any act was in the right.

The leader of the Black Spiders is, to this day, unknown. Neither his name nor appearance was ever learned by someone who lived for more than the next few minutes after the knowledge was gained by them. The most widely said thing about him was that no one crossed him and lived to speak of it. The man was the symbolic devil of the West and the only things he desired were power and the symbol of that power, the Shikon- no-Tama

For years the power struggle between the Inu Tribe, Miko Family, and Black Spider gang, was at an eerie and unsettling balance. You could trust no one, for chances were that person might be in league with one of the groups. The assassination of Inutaisho fourteen years ago, however, threw the balance to the wind. It started power struggle that would result in one group's temporary downfall and the complete annihilation of the other two.

It was widely reported that Inutaisho was killed by an insider of his tribe, and though this was true factually, the stink of conspiracy and bribery over the incident was so that no one could truly say it was an insider job. The Inu Tribe openly blamed the death on Inutaisho himself, saying that it was his weakness that led to his ultimate down fall, but this was far from the truth. The Black Spider Gang undoubtedly had a web spun around more than one high ranking member of the Inu Tribe, and it was these betrayers that murdered the chief. Unfortunately for those who had let greed over take them, Inutaisho's son was neither stupid to what had happened, nor forgiving to those who strayed in loyalty from the tribe. Over the next few years while Sesshomaru worked to gain control and establish unquestionable power in the tribe, those who had received money for the death of Inutaisho were sure to only enjoy it in death.

During the four years following the assassination of Inutaisho, both the Black Spider Gang and the Miko family grew substantially in power. With the stalemate of power broken, terror reigned and security was a pipe dream. There was a constant battle between two groups. To truly understand the conflict that occurred it is necessary to know as much about the Miko family as the Black Spider Gang.

The Miko family controlled almost every aspect of town life, commerce, money, and pretty much anything you would view as civilized aspects of the West. They had their fingers in everything, from ranching to railroads, and schools to governments. It is truly amazing how a kindly donation can swing things to your favor, but it is equally amazing to see how quickly things swing to your favor when intimidation is also in play. The Miko family, though not always moral or legal, knew how to get things done their way.

The family as a whole did consist of a number of second and third cousins, but the core of the family, the so called royalty of the West, was not very large. It consisted of the old patriarch of the family, his two children, one son and one daughter, and three grandchildren, a girl from his son and a girl and a boy from his daughter. These six people were seldom heard from or seen, and they lived greatly in seclusion. What was known about them was through the servants of their extensive ranch, where the family spent most of their time.

The head of the Miko family referred to solely as Master outside the family, was a harsh and ingenious man. He was always extremely careful about who he trusted and the safety of his family. Many said that his concern for their safety ran along the lines of paranoia, but few would ever say their opinions out loud. It was him who forced all of his children and grandchildren to under go rigorous training both intellectually and physically in hopes that they would all be able to defend themselves. This training was extremely impressive, and the two granddaughters, in particular, were said to have had remarkable talent in both marksmanship and riding.

Besides these facts, almost nothing was known about the actual family. What was widely known about was the Miko family fortune, and in particular the ownership of the single most valuable jewel known to man, the Shikon no Tama. It was originally found by the grandmother of the current patriarch, Midoriko, and was worn and protected by her till her death. Since its discovery the jewel was often used as the symbol of the Miko family and it eventually came to stand for all the power and wealth the family had. After the death of Midoriko, the exact location of the jewel was never disclosed, and since the family's destruction it is thought to be gone forever.

It was six years ago, that all of the stalemates, back stabbings, and conflicts between the groups disappeared. It was ten years ago that the entire Miko family and Black Spider Gang met for the inevitable last showdown, one that neither would survive.

Little is known about the hot summer night that the two groups clashed. It had been an unbearably hot summer, and with the heat seemingly approaching a breaking point, it seemed as though nature was reflecting the tension felt among people. Everyone knew it was coming. They could see it, like the way you can see black thunder clouds coming from miles away before a desert storm hits. But no matter how anticipated it was, no one expected the results that were found the morning after.

When the rangers arrived at the sight of the ranch, the ground was still moist from the storm that had hit a few hours before dawn. The water from the thunder storm had carried ash all the way to the road, so even if you hadn't seen the flames light up the sky the night before, you would have known that something had happened. Every house on the property was a charred mess. If the thunder storm hadn't hit when it did, it was doubtful that the fire would have been out by morning or even still contained with in the ranch. Moist black soot was gathered in mounds where the water had left it, often times this was around the bodies of those not living anymore.

The death at the ranch was insurmountable and no survivors were ever found to be questioned. No one that investigated what happened would ever be able to forget it. Every known top dog in the Black Spiders and the patriarch and his two children were found, but since the fire had done so much damage it was not surprising that grandchildren could not be found. Small traces of Black Spider activity popped up here and there directly after the incident, but even those soon vanished without proper leadership. The much envied wealth of the Miko family also disappeared with out a trace for no one knew where it was hidden, and the enviable jewel of the West, the Shikon no Tama, disappeared with the wealth and eventually became something of a legend.

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