InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Living Weapons ❯ Paths Dividing ( Chapter 1 )

Living Weapons

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Company; they belong to Viz and Rumiko Takahashi. This is a completely fictional work and any relation to events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

 

Summary: Four tools of gods - healing, destruction, wisdom, and control - are reborn on earth with no memory, but retaining their skills. At their inevitable meeting, which path will they choose?

 

Chapter One: Born Apart

 

They say time flies. If it does, it flies on wings of death. But who am I to say such things? It has been so long, centuries, even millennia, since I was even remotely a human on earth. A half-demon-child, who spent his days hiding from humanity, fighting to survive in a world of survival of the fittest, then I, met her. She was the only thing that ever accepted me. And then she, Kikyou, killed me. She shot me straight through the heart, as I welcomed her with open arms. I was willing to make myself human for her, and yet she killed me. Bitch. She told me that Naraku had told her that I was about to kill her. So she killed me first. Now the gods (daughters and sons of bitches, all of them) have given me a second chance. A chance to right the wrong done to me, to begin anew. I am strong now, stronger than any mere mortal. I am the weapon of the gods, born for destruction. I am Inuyasha, and I have been given new life. I will destroy those who came to kill me.

 

Time can heal all wounds except those of the heart. But those have already been healed. He said he loved me. And I believed him. Kouga. That was his name. He gave me so many gifts, but then, he said he smelled another male on me. He told me he was a demon, a youkai, and he said I had been unfaithful. With Hojou. But I hadn't. Hojou was nothing more than a friend to me. But he didn't believe me. He pierced me through the heart with nothing more than his bare hands. Before I died, he told me that it was Naraku that had told him to come to me. I forgive him, now. I know what he must have felt. So my gods have given me a chance to heal the world. To make people understand what I understand, that love is the only thing that truly matters. I am pure, more so than any person should be. I am the servant of the gods, and I will heal the world. I am Kagome, and I will heal those who came to hurt me.

 

I was a monk in a past life. A monk who died of an accursed whole in his hand, leading to the dark abysses of the netherworld. Because of this, I had to learn many things. Also because of this, I had to kill. I used to wonder, what would have happened if I had lived without this curse, which Naraku laid upon me? Who would I be? But I have learned better, now. I know that this curse is part of that which I am, and I could not be me without them. So I became a priest. I traveled the lands, hunting for demons to purify. To cleanse the world of. Do not think I was heartless. Never. I am Miroku, and I have been given a second chance to share what I have learned with the world.

 

My village was killed, and I was the only survivor. I swore vengeance on the man who killed my family and friends, Naraku. He was the bane of my existence, and I lived only to kill him, and avenge my loved ones. I traveled the land with my only companion, a neko-youkai I had named Kirara and trained from her birth. She was my only companion, my only friend. We died together, my friend and I. Though I was from a village of slayers, Naraku was too strong for me. I lived alone. I died along. I am Sango, and I will teach the world of the control that my family taught me. I will teach them how to love. How to hate. How to care. When to share. When to hide. I will teach them control.

 

 

“Look, darling, this is the cutest birth announcement ever, `Inuyasha Takahashi, born October 31, 1992.' Can we have one like this when we have our baby? It even has a picture of the baby! And proud parents: Izayoi and InuTaisho.” Across the breakfast table a thin man stared at his very pregnant wife. “Do you know how dangerous that is? But then, that is a very prominent family.” “But our child deserves one of these cute birth announcements: Kagome Higurashi, born December 25, 2006. Proud parents: Miako and Aki Higurashi. I can just picture it!” “Don't you think… they look really sad?” “What do you mean, they look sad?” “Never mind, it's probably just me.”

 

A little boy screamed in the night as a dark abyss opened in his hand, already sucking in everything within a few feet of him. His mother cried silent tears, as she watched her son gain the curse that his father had almost died of. Seconds later, the same sword that had pierced her husband's chest pierced through her own. The little boy was shipped off to a shrine, to live with a priest, until he reached the age of eighteen.

 

“Honey, Kirara ran off again. Why don't you go look for her? Remember you weapons!” A magenta-eyed little girl with hair of the deepest chestnut ran off after the two-tailed cat, chasing it through the woods. Behind her, her mother burst into tears, before squaring her shoulders proudly and picking up her own weapon, a massive sword that any other woman would be unable to carry. But not her, no. Maya would defend her daughter - and her home - to the death.

 

Izayoi hugged her son to her chest. At three years old, he was already far more developed than most human eight-year-olds. This, however, led to problems, since he didn't mature at the speed of full-blooded youkai either. Her InuTaisho, Lord of the Western Lands, had died defending their territory. Of course the paparazzi had blown it all way out of proportion. How was she to explain that how he had died, especially when it was at the hands of the ruthless Naraku Onigumi, who had scarred even his fast-healing demon body beyond recognizing?

What was worse was that he had come from crying today. Her precious little boy had come home crying because a hawk-demon had picked on him. She still remember his pitiful little voice, crying out to her, asking her, “Okaa-san, what's a hanyou? Do youkai h-a-t-e me because I'm a hanyou?” She had cried for him, she was still crying for him. Why did he have to be born into a world with so much hate? The humans hated him because he was a half-breed demon, and the youkai hated him for weakening the youkai bloodlines.

We met on a moonlit night. I was walking out alone at the park, and then this ookami-youkai jumped me! I was so scared. Then he appeared. Long, pale, hair blowing gently in the wind. One would think that would be feminine, but on him - it was paradise on earth. He took out a big sword, absolutely huge, and he chopped them up with one magnificent swing! He was my hero. And he told me something. He said, “I have been searching for you all my life, and now I have found you, and I won't let you get away from me.” I was scared at first, but then I looked at him, and his eyes were just so gentle, and so I left with him. We eloped, I was twenty and he was one thousand and twenty, but that didn't matter to us. He was supposed to take care of me all my life, and he tried, he really tried. But in the end, thousands of youkai and humans were just too much for one person, even the Inu no Taisho, Lord of the Western Lands.

Her hands patted and soothed the small hanyou. “My darling, it's all alright. Mommy will protect you.” A few leftover tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and her voice broke, “Mommy will always protect you.”

 

A little girl giggled as she raced into her mother's waiting car. “Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a miko!” Hiding her shock at this rather abrupt revelation, Miako simply smiled gently at her exuberant kindergarten daughter and said, “Why this sudden decision?” Most parents could never ask a question phrased like this to their children, which was why Miako counted herself exceptionally lucky. At the age of six, little Kagome already had the intelligence - though not the nature and worldliness - of some adults. Still a little naïveté, I see. Kagome bubbled happily, “Because Ms. Kikyou came to talk to us today! She tested me, and she said I was exceptionally strong.” Miako simply laughed. Kikyou probably just wanted her little girl to be happy. There's no way my darling little girl could be a miko. She had nothing against mikos, but they were… unwelcome in society. No one would go out of their way to protect a known miko. However, that didn't stop them from begging those same mikos for protective spells, healing, and simple charms. There was no life for a miko, unless she kept her powers hidden. Houshis, on the other hand. Those were far more welcome, though still not exactly acceptable or decent. Those poor things. She didn't want that life for her little darling.

 

“Houshi-sama? Why did my parents leave me?” The houshi he was addressing stood and looked at Miroku in shock. “Never think that! Your parents didn't leave you. They are still here, just invisible. But they are still watching you. Never forget, your parents love you more than anything else.” “Do they?” The eight-year-old stared at the sky, and whispered, “I love you too, mommy, daddy.”

 

An eighteen-year-old Inuyasha crouched numbly in a huge Sakura tree on his mother's backyard, watching his mother's house burn to the ground. Soon he would comprehend it all, and soon he would mourn the death of his mother, but not yet. Now, he was simply watching, taking everything in. The taste of the air: smoke, undertones of poison, and the Sakura tree he was perched in, sweat, and, above all, the scent of his mother's burnt flesh. He heard the sounds of men walking below him, searching for the hanyou child who had forced their hand. He saw everything, smelled everything, and heard everything, as if it were a movie. Turning away, he made decisions while his mind was still completely cold and calculating: He would finish college, and finish his life. And then he would come back to kill those bastards.

 

Sixteen-year-old Kagome sat in the classroom of her school, a lovely twelfth-grader. Hair so deep an ebony it glinted blue and red sparks and eyes of the darkest blue set her aside from her classmates and friends. Her hair flew in graceful waves down to her mid-back, and perfect features without a single blemish adorned her face. Long, graceful fingers were currently balancing a sharpened pencil, while her full lips revealed white teeth chewing gently upon a sucker. Glancing up occasionally, the high school senior proceeded to take notes on the college courses she wished to take. A bell clanged loudly, startling her out of her reverie. Without glancing at her fellow classmates - all older than her and far, she thought, smarter - she hurried out of the classroom in a daze, mentally reviewing for her quiz the next class, which taught advanced Biology of humans, in preparation for her medical training. She was majoring as a nursing and defense miko at the Shikon University. Not a very well known school, but she had chosen it over Stanford and Harvard, who had also offered.

 

Sixteen-year-old Sango Mitsuki glared at the offending boy, daring him to make another move. Her muscles bunched and moved, as her graceful, strong form lounged, giving away not a single hint but those beautiful glaring eyes, of her anger, no, her fury. Her mother had loved her, which was why she had sent her away. Not because she did not love her, and that boy deserved to die for the slur to her mother's honor. She knew what the boys of the school said - that she was a heartless bitch. That wasn't true. She had a heart, which hurt and loved like any other. She merely could contain what she felt much better. Having trained since the age of six, she knew exactly what she could do, and what she could not do. And beating this upstart up was definitely something she could do. Raucous laughter intruded on her thoughts, as the leader continued to malign her mother. Leaping out faster than the human eye could follow; Sango punched the boy directly on the cheek, kneed his groin, and punched his stomach all in one swift motion. Looking back, she the casually walked until she was out of sight, then ran as fast as human legs allowed until she returned to the school, where Kirara was waiting. Today was the day that she was leaving for college, and nothing would deter her.

 

Miroku Houshi leaned back into his chair, blocking out the rest of his teacher's speech. S-U, as it was referred to, was a good college - but that didn't mean that the teachers weren't horribly boring. He needed a nap. As a lowly sophomore, he could do nothing but take notes all day, then study them all night, and repeat the process. He hadn't even had time to take to… what was her name again? Amy? Alyssa? Eleanor? Whatever it was, she had probably forgotten him by now… and he couldn't stand the thought of that. At least he had landed the spot of being counselor to some of the incoming freshmen. He wondered whether there would be any hot chicks in his group…

 

Glossary:

Okaa-san - mother

Hanyou - human/demon hybrid

Youkai - demon

Ookami-youkai - Wolf demon

Miko - woman with spiritual powers

Houshi - man with spiritual powers

Inu-youkai - dog demon

Neko-youkai - cat youkai