InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fang of the Father ❯ The Truth Revealed ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

LES: I promise that by the time this fic is over, Inuyasha will almost hate me as much as he hates Naraku!

Fans: (gasp!)

LES: As for the time line… err… Naraku is dead, and Kikyo is dead… again… for good! She's too much of a dead (literally) fish for Inuyasha! He needs someone with a little spirit! (glances pointedly at Kagome)

Kagome: (blush)

LES: But, when I started writing this, I had only read up to Vol. 34, because that was all that had been released in English. Since then, I have read a fan-translated version, and I wish that I had added more stuff. Oh well.

Chapter III: The Truth Revealed

Five minutes later, the rest of the gang decided it was time to have mercy on the poor hanyou.

Sango convinced Kagome to stop sitting Inuyasha before he reached Hell, and Miroku convinced Inuyasha to not tear out Kagome's spleen for sitting him so many times.

They were still so angry at each other that neither one seemed to want to physically contact the other, so it was up to Lady Kaede to take care of Inuyasha's numerous wounds.

“Ye really ought to know better by now, Inuyasha.” Kaede sighed heavily.

The hanyou looked worse for wear. His face and chest were bruised and cut, a testament to the punishment that could harm even his hanyou body. “I did nothing!” Inuyasha insisted angrily.

“You really are an idiot.” Shippo commented. This prompted Inuyasha to knock him a good one on his small head. “Ow!”

“So, Master Inuyasha, do you feel better now?” Myoga asked from the hanyou's neck.

“Get offa me.” Inuyasha growled, smacking the irritated spot on his neck. The smashed Flea Yokai hit the floor and he managed to re-inflate himself. “Do I look like I feel all right?”

“Well… ehm… of course not. But it really can't wait. I have some urgent news to deliver to Master Inuyasha!”

This perked Kagome's interest. Whenever Myoga had news, it always ended up being trouble. “What news?”

“Er… actually, it's just Inu-Yokai business.” Myoga said nervously.

“Listen, Myoga, I'm sure you remember better than me that I was disowned and banished by the Inu-Yokai clan.” Inuyasha hissed. “Their business has nothing to do with me.”

“Oh, but Master, that's just it! Their business is your business!” Myoga said.

“Why? Because I'm the old dog's son? That's Sesshomaru's job, remember?”

“Actually, it won't be for much longer.” Myoga said.

“Aw, great! Don't tell me something's happened to Sesshomaru!”

“It hasn't. And are you finally showing concern for your older brother?” Myoga asked.

“Half-brother.” Inuyasha corrected coldly. “And, no, I would just hate it if someone killed him before I did. Get to your point, Myoga.”

“You've never seen your Father's Will, have you?” Myoga asked.

“Why should I? All my old man left me was the Tetsusaiga and the fire rat robe that he gave my mother.”

“Here.” Myoga said, suddenly producing a glowing contract from nowhere. “Your father's Will.”

“Wow!” Sango gasped. “The actual Will of the Yokai Lord, Inutaisho! Where did you get it?”

Myoga puffed himself up proudly. “I was Master Inutaisho's retainer before he put me in Master Inuyasha's service. I've always had it.”

Inuyasha carefully took it and read through the articles. “It's nothin' special. Tenseiga to Sesshomaru, the Tetsusaiga to me, and the Lordship of the Western Lands to Sesshomaru. What's so great about it?”

“But, look, Inuyasha!” Kagome pointed at the Will from over his shoulder. “Scorch marks! Here and here!”

“True enough, Kagome.” Kaede said, also looking down at the Will. “A powerful Yokai blotted out the words of Inuyasha's Yokai father.”

“But what sort of Yokai is powerful enough to break the words of a powerful Yokai Lord like Inuyasha's father?” Miroku asked. “And why?”

“Not break, but cover up. I'll explain why later.” Myoga said. “This Yokai covered up Master Inutaisho's original intent, but the true meaning is still there, and I can recall the words perfect… as I wrote them. Out of the four witnesses of Master Inutaisho's true wish, only two are alive. Myself and the Demoness who did this.”

“Demoness?” Sango asked.

“Who were the others?” Kagome asked.

“Why, Master Inutaisho, of course, and Inuyasha's mother, Lady Izayoi.” Myoga said.

“So… what did it really say before this Demoness covered up my old man's words?” Inuyasha asked.

“As you can see, Master, only the first articles remain unchanged. The part that was changed concerned the true Lordship of the Western Lands.” Myoga said. “The original text read thus: And to the Lands of the West and my Lordship goes to my son… Inuyasha the hanyou.”

Everything in the hut went deathly silent. Everyone glanced at Inuyasha in surprise. There was no mistake with the wording. How my hanyou sons named Inuyasha did Master Inutaisho have? But their hanyou friend, Inuyasha, a Yokai Lord! It not only seemed far-fetched, but frankly impossible!

None were more shocked than Inuyasha himself. He, the banished hanyou, was actually the Lord of the Western Lands? “But… Sesshomaru's name is clearly on her in relationship to the Western Lands. This Demoness couldn't have done that!” Inuyasha read straight from the Will. “Sesshomaru shall be the Lord of the Western Lands…”

“Until Lord Inuyasha is old and mature enough to take his place by the standards of the Yokai.” Myoga finished. “That was covered too. You were hardly a few hours old when your father died and in no condition to rule. So your father designated Sesshomaru your steward.”

“Well… it seems clear to me that whoever did this wanted Sesshomaru to become the Lord of the Western Lands and not Inuyasha.” Miroku said.

“But… why? Why did my old man choose me and not Sesshomaru?” Inuyasha asked, shocked.

“Because, as a hanyou, you have something no Yokai could imitate.” Myoga said.

“What?”

“A human heart.” Myoga said plainly. “Master Inutaisho was deeply concerned about the future of the Yokai. He dreamed of a world where Yokai and humans could live in harmony, like the harmony he shared with Izayoi. He believed that a Yokai Lord with both human and Yokai blood could bind the Yokai and the human worlds together. That is why he wisely chose Master Inuyasha to lead the Western Lands to peace.”

“I'll bet that peace is the last thing on Inuyasha's mind.” Sango laughed.

“So, Myoga, who is this Demoness who covered all this up?” Miroku asked.

Myoga sighed. “Lady Shiori, Master Inutaisho's primary mate and Lord Sesshomaru's mother.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Feh! I should have known! Like bitch, like pup!”

“Now, Master Inuyasha, she is your father's primary mate. You should show some respect.” Myoga said. “Now, I would like to discuss the next part with Master Inuyasha alone, as it need only concern him for the moment.”

Inuyasha decided, wisely, to talk to Myoga alone. “Okay.” The Flea Yokai hitched a ride on his Master as they left the hut.

“Well… that explains a lot of things.” Miroku said.

“What do you mean? I'm so confused!” Kagome said.

“Haven't you ever noticed that Myoga calls Inuyasha `Master', just like the Yokai Lord Inutaisho? But he has never, once, called Sesshomaru Master. I should have realized that Myoga considered Inuyasha, not Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands.”

“Do you think Sesshomaru knows about this?” Shippo asked.

“It's hard to say, but it probably won't make a difference.” Kagome said. “I can't exactly imagine Sesshomaru stepping aside to let Inuyasha become the Lord of the Western Lands whether he knows his father's wishes or not.”

“I think you're right about that.” Sango admitted.

At the edge of the forest near the Bone Eater's Well, Inuyasha stopped. He sniffed the air, his sensitive dog ears swiveling in all directions. Finally, he spoke. “We're alone.”

“Very well. I will now speak to you of what your father meant by being mature by Yokai standards before you can claim your lands.”

“And who says I want to be a Yokai Lord?” Inuyasha demanded.

“But you must, Master Inuyasha! Once you become mature by Yokai standards, the powers that your father once wielded as a Yokai Lord will be granted to you.”

“So… what about this maturity thing?” Inuyasha asked. “Two hundred years old isn't enough, is it?”

“Master Inuyasha, age is only a small part of what determines maturity. That age is about a hundred and fifty, which you have surpassed, but you haven't become emotionally mature yet. Having been raised by a human mother for your young life, and then on your own for the rest of your childhood, I am not surprised that unaware of the Yokai's more obscure traditions.”

“What does that mean, `emotional maturity'?” Inuyasha asked.

“It means that you must become emotionally mature enough to seek and gain a mate of your own.”

“My—my mate?” Inuyasha gasped.

“Yes. And the time is nigh upon you, judging by your interest in the female creature.” Myoga said, giggling. That is, until Inuyasha smashed him.

“I have no interest in finding a mate what-so-ever!” Inuyasha growled. “As if any woman, human or Yokai, would consent to mate a hanyou.”

Myoga sighed as he unflatened himself. “Even though I am without a mate myself, I've come to see that in the area of women and true love, that your mate will love you no matter what.”

“Tell that to Kikyo!” Inuyasha growled, thinking back on his first tentative attempts at courtship. “She claimed to love me, but she secretly hated who and what I was!”

“I do not believe that Kagome feels that way about you.” Myoga said.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. “What? Who said anything about Kagome?”

Myoga laughed. “No matter how you try to hide it, Master Inuyasha, I know that you are smitten with the young miko.” (Translation: Priestess) Inuyasha blushed, a little shocked at Myoga's words.

Is it really that easy to see?

“Just a word of advice.” Myoga said. “Choose your mate before mating season comes, or your Yokai will choose a mate for you.”

“But… the Yokai mating season is only a few weeks away!” Inuyasha gasped.

“Then hurry.” Myoga said, hoping away. “We'll talk more later, Master Inuyasha!”

Inuyasha stood frozen where he was, staring into space. So… that's why I've suddenly taken interest in mating… my first Mating seasonis coming.

“Damnit!” Inuyasha swore. He had seen enough Yokai during Mating season to know that he'd likely lost complete control of his body to his Yokai side. Myoga was right. If he didn't choose a mate soon, his Yokai side would like emerge and choose for him. “Damn it all to Hell!” Inuyasha roared, stomping towards Kaede's village.

Down in the village, Kagome met Inuyasha. “Inuyasha! Are you… all… right?” She trailed off when he stalked past her without replying, a look of intense fury on his face and a threatening growl in his throat.

“What was that about?” Miroku asked, having witnessed the encounter for his hut's doorway. He addressed his words to his fiancée so that Kagome wouldn't hear him.

“Looks like its Miroku and Sango to the rescue.” Sango replied in an undertone. “You go find out what's up with Inuyasha, report to me, and I'll get Kagome to understand.”

“Um… why do we always have to get in their business?” Miroku asked.

Suddenly a dark aura surrounded Sango and she glared at him. “Just do it!”

Miroku ducked for cover. “Yes, ma'am!”

So, that's how Miroku found himself following after Inuyasha. He was only just starting to discover that when you are married, or even engaged, the male basically had no say what-so-ever.

Why do I always have to be the one to have heart-to-hearts with Inuyasha? Miroku asked himself.

He could almost hear Sango's voice. `Because Kagome is too emotionally involved with Inuyasha to talk reasonably to him without sitting him, Shippo is too young to understand these things, and if I talk to him, I'll just beat him up for being an idiot.'

“Oh. That's why.” Miroku sighed heavily. “I must have bad karma.”

Miroku walked along the edge of the forest, staring up into the lofty branches. He knew that the best way to find Inuyasha when he was in a mood was not to look around, but to look up.

Sure enough, the new spring greenery of a tall old tree was broken by a flash of unnatural red. Bingo!

“Inuyasha! Come down! I want to talk!” Miroku called up into the tree's branches.

Inuyasha, who had nearly been asleep, flicked his ears at the sudden loud noise, and he decided to ignore Miroku. “Feh.” He hissed, closing his eyes and going back to his doze.

Miroku sighed. Of course he's not going to make this easy, the stubborn fool. “What I wouldn't give to have the power to sit you like Kagome.”

At the word `sit', and on pure reflex, Inuyasha gripped onto the tree to try and stop his fall. He had been sitted from trees before, and had no wish to repeat the experience. A second later, he realized that he was in no danger because it was Miroku who said the dreaded `s'-word.

“Miroku! What have I said about saying `that word' around me!?!” Inuyasha yelled down at him.

“You know better, Inuyasha. The rosary beads of subjugation only activate when Kagome says sit. Surely you don't expect the rest of us to live without ever saying the word sit.” Miroku said. “Now, let us see how well Kagome has trained you. Sit, boy!” Inuyasha glared at him, as he always did when someone treated him like a dog. Train him?! “Shall I get Kagome to bring you down by force?”

In the face of such a threat, the hanyou decided that it would be better on his face if he came down himself. “Stop treating me like a dog.” Inuyasha growled as he descended the tree.

“But I seem to recall you playing `fetch' with Kagome.” Miroku said with an evil grin.

Inuyasha landed next to him and blushed from anger and embarrassment. “That was just one time! My instincts got the better of me!”

Miroku chuckled at the memory. After all, it was one of Inuyasha's most dog-like moments. “Listen, whether you believe it or not, I want to be serious. What did Myoga tell you? You were acting strangely when you came back.”

“You mean besides the fact that I am really the Lord of the Western Lands?” Inuyasha snorted.

“Well… yes.” Miroku said.

“Can't I deal with this on my own?” Inuyasha asked.

“Friends help each other. That's the way it is.” Miroku said.

Inuyasha sighed loudly and crouched down next to Miroku. He always did feel like he could talk to Miroku, man-to-man. He just hoped that the monk wouldn't put his lecherous spin on it. “Myoga said that I can't take the Lordship until I am fully mature by Yokai standards.”

Miroku knew enough about Yokai that he figured it out from there. “You mean that you have never… been affected by Mating season before?” Inuyasha blushed and nodded. “Ah! So you are a late-bloomer! A very late bloomer, actually, even for a hanyou… I was wondering why we've never had to deal with you trying to mate with every woman in sight.”

“It's not like I can help it!” Inuyasha growled. “The point is that in about one month, it'll be Mating season and if I haven't chosen a mate by then, the Yokai inside of me will choose instead.”

“Ah, Inuyasha. You are as blind as a bat.” Miroku laughed. “The answer is a simple one!”

“Simple?” Inuyasha demanded. “Do you think I'd be out here sulking if the answer was simple?”

“It is simple.” Miroku insisted. “Just ask Kagome to be your mate. Problem solved.”

“Kagome?!” Inuyasha demanded. “Kagome! No way! There's no way in hell that a miko like Kagome would accept a hanyou like me!”

“That is why you are as blind as a bat.” Miroku said. “Everyone else has seen how she looks at you.”

“But… she deserves better than a hanyou like me.”

“Ahh…Those are the words of a man in love.” Miroku said wisely. “I think that about Sango every day: she deserves better than a lecher like me.”

Inuyasha stared at the ground, a look of sorrow briefly crossing his features. “But… I don't want to be hurt again…”

Miroku sighed heavily. Kikyo again? “Inuyasha… even you should see by now that Kagome is not Kikyo. Kagome befriended and accepted what you are… a hanyou. She doesn't even shy away from your Yokai form, something I admit that even I cannot do. If I could call to your mind the time that wanna-be heavenly being, Kaguya sealed your human heart in that mirror…”

Inuyasha remembered, somewhat. He remembered seeing his Yokai self in the mirror and then the pain of his transformation. The next thing he remembered, he felt Kagome's lips against his own. That small anchor to the human world shattered the mirror and set free his human heart. She kissed me… but not me… the Yokai that I had become. She didn't shy away.

“I think it's time that I tell you what she yelled at you before she kissed you.” Miroku said. “Then you'll see just how different Kagome is from Kikyo. She yelled: `I love you as a half-demon, Inuyasha'.”

Inuyasha blinked in shock, but said nothing.

“Well, I got to go. I know you'll do the right thing with the information I've given you.” Miroku said, standing up and leaving Inuyasha to his thoughts.

LES: Um… do the Japanese believe in karma? Or is it an Indian thing?

Muse: You certainly have a bad habit of using words when you are not 100 percent sure of their appropriateness.

LES: (cries) I know! It's one of my worst weaknesses! I try to sound smart, but instead end up sounding dumb!