Summary: When does a simple blow to the head lead to Inuyasha's life completely flipped around? When it's Naraku that takes him in… Slightly AUish. (Small details are off)
Disclaimer: Inuyasha? Mine? Yeah, right. I wish.
Rating: PG-13 (language, violence, possible sexual tensions, etc—you know…the fun stuff in life)
Category: General/Drama, with some angst thrown in for the heck of it.
Reviews: Heck yeah! No flames please.
A/N: Okay, I realize this particular plot point (amnesia) has been done before, but I highly doubt it's been done quite like this… (If there's any good amnesia stories within the Inuyasha fic-dom, feel free to tell me of them—I'd be interested to see how others have tackled the topic.) I have to warn you, Inuyasha (whenever his fine self decides to show up) will be OOC for most, if not all, of this story, considering the stuff I'm gonna do to him. Evil laughter fills the air, while RaptorChicky does the Dr. Evil pinky finger It might be a little dark in spots (when compared to my previous works, anyway), and Inuyasha will be doing things he normally wouldn't even consider doing. (That should give you a hint as to how much poopy will be hitting the fan…)
I'll shut up now…
Seeds of Doubt RaptorChicky (formally known as Liza2)Chapter 1
"Kagome, stay here!"
"But—"
"No! I will not allow my woman to be drawn into battle with this hound! Stay put!" Kouga dashed off, leaving Kagome coughing and waving away the dust he stirred up in his departure.
"Dammit, Kouga-kun!" hissed the miko, stamping her foot petulantly. "You guys need me for this one!" But she remained where Kouga had ordered her to stay, fearing that she would anger the ookami if she followed. The wolf was really starting to grate on her nerves: the clinginess, the overprotectiveness, and the complete lack of a clue that Kagome didn't want his protection. She wanted Inuyasha's protection, but the hanyou wasn't there, just like he hadn't been there for her in the past 36 and a half days…
Thirty-six and half days ago was the group's fight with a shard-amped oni and the last day they'd seen Inuyasha; Shippo and Kirara followed the dog demon's trail, only to find the end in the middle of a wide open meadow, accompanied by the faint scent of his blood and another that made the two youkai shudder. And thus started the 36 ½ days of searching and inquiries, both of which turned up nothing of their hanyou companion. They'd asked Kouga and his pack for their help and even went so far as to ask Sesshoumaru if he'd seen his half brother. Nothing from those two resources. It was like Inuyasha had gone 'poof' and vanished from the face of the planet.
And Kouga had taken full advantage of the inu-hanyou's absence, reestablishing his claim on Kagome and nearly killing her with all the attention he gave her. Kagome couldn't work up the guts to tell the wolf off—she needed his help and didn't want to drive him completely away.
Two weeks ago, the little group was detoured from their search for Inuyasha: stories were coming from the northwest of a very powerful inu-youkai wreaking havoc on all human settlements in the area. This demon was causing so much death and destruction within the three weeks since his first attack, that people dubbed him the "Shiroshi," the White Death, the white referring to the gleaming white fur of the youkai's true form. There were also stories of this Shiroshi utilizing a Shikon no kakera and that he was seeking out more. It was a tough choice, it felt like they were abandoning Inuyasha, but Kagome and the others agreed that the Shiroshi needed to be stopped.
And now, almost five weeks after the Shiroshi's first appearance, they had finally caught up to him and he was the "hound" Kouga had referred to. Miroku and Sango, with Kirara, had already left, leaving Kagome to quibble with Kouga.
Bringing us back to now…
Kagome fretted, wanting to go along with the strong pull of a Shikon shard that came from the same direction Sango and the others had run off to, but that shard didn't belong to Kouga—the Shiroshi was packing the power of a Shikon. Doubts sprang up in her mind like crabgrass. Maybe Kouga-kun's right. It could be too dangerous. We made Shippo stay behind for that very reason. And I haven't been fighting like I used to…when Inuyasha was around…
The sounds of a battle joined acted like weed killer and any doubt withered and died.
"Forget this!" Tightening her fingers around the smooth wood of her short bow, Kagome dashed off toward the fight.
Upon entering what was left of the village, Kagome found herself surrounded by smoke, glowing embers, and dying flames. The miko grimaced at the random puddles of dark red on the ground, the splashes of red on walls that hadn't been knocked down or burned down, and certain things that made her glad that she wasn't that good at identifying human anatomy. Up ahead, through the lung clogging smoke, she could make out one figure on the ground, poised with something long and skinny—Miroku. There was another, larger figure hovering in the air overhead—Sango astride Kirara. Kagome frowned. Why are they just standi—
The wind shifted hard enough to remove most of the smoke blocking the girl's view and, as she pulled a ebony strand of hair away from her face, she saw why the hoshi and taiji-ya were remaining motionless: two inuka youkai in their rather large, fear-inspiring, four-legged forms. The white one was obviously the Shiroshi, and the other one was—
"Kouga-kun…?" Kagome whispered in awe.
She'd never seen the ookami's true form and she couldn't help but stare. He was big, not nearly as big as Sesshoumaru, but a lot meaner and more feral looking. Instead of the classic black and silver of a typical wolf, Kouga was black with dark brown markings; a light beige colored his muzzle and throat, along with all of his undersides. Right now, his somewhat ragged-looking ears were pinned back, the thick brownish-black fur on his ruff was bristling, his long white fangs were bared, and his eyes were a glowing blood red.
Kagome shivered—Kouga's eyes reminded her of Inuyasha when he was trapped within a youkai blood induced rage. She could do nothing right now, only watch; the two demons were darting about, snapping at each other, and there was no clear shot of the Shiroshi. She came along side Miroku and waited; he didn't glance in her direction, but did lay his gauntleted hand on her shoulder. Their side was not fairing well. Kouga was using his increased speed, but his white opponent was much quicker, dodging the wolf's lunges, while landing a bite or scratch on Kouga's flanks, legs, or neck.
"He's merely toying with Kouga…" Miroku murmured. His hand slipped into his robes and came out with a number of ofudas, in anticipation of the opening that would come.
At the monk's remark, Kagome focused a little closer on the fight. Was it just her, or was the large white dog moving in an almost…languid manner? And were his eyes not as consumed by blood lust like Kouga's? He's enjoying this…
Growling, Kouga crouched low, and then sprang forward, attempting to tackle the white dog—it didn't work. The larger youkai ducked off to the side, but his paws barely touched the ground when he disappeared in a white blur and Kouga suddenly found himself knocked to the ground, a snarling dog looming over him.
All onlookers gasped. This inu youkai was fast, very fast. Maybe even faster than Sesshoumaru, they all thought worriedly.
The two youkai tussled, each trying to acquire and keep a superior position, all the while trying to bite and claw each other. Again, Kouga was not doing well, and the Shiroshi was back to toying with his lupine opponent. Their fight took them out of the village and into the forest—the three humans followed—and trees that had seen countless decades slip by found themselves knocked down by the demons. Kagome cringed when a high-pitched howl abruptly tore out of Kouga's throat—the dog demon had quit playing and had clamped his jaws on one of the wolf's forelimbs, crushing it, while his claws raked bloody paths across Kouga's chest and abdomen. The pain brought the wolf a sudden surge of strength and he jerked away, limping on three limbs and trailing blood as he managed to put some distance between him and the Shiroshi before weakness overtook him and forced him onto his side.
A pink tongue darted out and Kouga's blood disappeared from the Shiroshi's muzzle, returning it to a pristine white. Head held low, and lips pulled back to reveal lethal-looking fangs, the dog demon slunk toward the weakened wolf, ready to deliver the final bite.
Kagome shrieked, "NO!!" Her hand whisked an arrow out of her quiver and nocked it, ready to fire.
Sango beat her to the punch though, her Hirakoutsu slicing through the air by the time Kagome started to aim. The boomerang's intended target saw the attack coming and flattened himself to the trampled and bloody grass, letting the weapon sail harmlessly overhead; Sango cursed quietly and watched her weapon lop the tops off a number of tree before turning back. A louder curse came out of her when the Shiroshi, who'd also been tracing the Hirakoutsu's path, jumped up and snatched the boomerang from the air with his mouth. Swinging his great head around to glare up at the taiji-ya, the doggy version of a smirk came to the youkai's mouth before his jaw muscles tensed and he proceeded to snap the seven-foot long weapon into three pieces. The two ends fell and lodged their tips into the soil and the middle was spit out like a cherry pit.
Sango could do nothing but gawk slack-jawed at the demon. He'd broken Hirakoutsu! She'd never thought that was possible. Crack, yes; break, no.
"Not good, not good…" Miroku glanced down at the ofudas in his hand and promptly put them away—the inu youkai would dart out of their path with no problem. But there was one thing not even this speedy demon could run from… "Sango!"
The taiji-ya understood his intent and directed Kirara to land beside him—the fire-cat would not be able to resist the monk's Void. Miroku tugged the rosary from his cursed hand and unleashed his Kazaana, but to everyone's dismay, it didn't work—when the large white dog felt the Void's pull, he dug his claws in and hunkered down, not budging an inch to the winds that tried to dislodge him. With a growl of frustration, the hoshi finally closed off his Air Void.
The Shiroshi stood to his full height, and grinned, and attacked.
A moment hadn't even passed when the youkai actually yipped and skidded to halt, his front paws sliding out from under him, leaving his haunches high in the air as a glowing arrow whistled right over him—Kagome's arrow. The crimson faded from his eyes, and for the first time, he looked at the miko with eyes the same color as dark honey.
Kagome readied another arrow and aimed. "St- Stay back!" she hollered. Inuyasha, where are you? I really need your help right now. She wasn't sure, but could've sworn that the demon rolled its eyes at her. Jerk! You're really gonna get it now!
He did stay away, but didn't retreat either. The dog started to circle the little group, forcing them to put their backs to each other, and examined the three humans and one demon that had the nerve to attack him.
As he circled, Kagome wondered if she was allowed to think of him as a magnificent creature. To an impartial observer, one whose life wasn't being threatened, the dog demon was an impressive sight. Kagome had thought Sesshoumaru was big, but the Shiroshi was bigger, at least 20 feet, maybe even 25 feet, at the withers. His thick, shiny coat was indeed white, almost pale silver, and it covered a lean, sinewy body that moved more like a cat than a dog. Unlike the taiyoukai, this inuyoukai lacked a tail, and his ears were perked, like a German shepherd or a huskie's; also, he bore no markings on his cheeks or brow and the only thing that stood out was a rather large Shikon no kakera twinkling in his forehead.
After a few laps, he stopped and shook his head, as if in disbelief. There was a shift in youki, and the demon started to shrink and in seconds the Shiroshi had taken a more human form, standing up from his crouched position. Though his back was turned to them the three humans could pick out a number of features. They were a little surprised at his height—they figured he would've been taller than Sesshoumaru, but he was actually a little bit shorter. (Apparently, demon size did not directly translate toward human size.) His long silvery hair, except for a forelock on each side of his face, was secured at the nape of his neck, and it tickled the backs of his knees. Instead of light colored clothing, like Sesshoumaru, the Shiroshi favored dark clothing: black sashinuki, and a dark royal blue haori that had a complex web-like pattern sewn into the fine silk with black thread. It was all covered by a black, sleeveless overcoat that was cut millimeters from the ground, almost making it appear like he was floating—the wind caught the overcoat's tails, causing them to snap quietly, the only sound that could be heard in the desolated village. The afternoon light glinted off the silver gauntlets he wore on his forearms; they covered the backs of his hands as well and they had an intricate pattern etched into them that was very similar to the pattern stitched into the haori.
The Shiroshi's shoulders shook a little as a low chuckle was heard. "A miko…" he growled quietly. "Of course…" He brought up his hand, knuckles cracking as he flexed his claws. "Do you really think you can beat me, little girl?" he continued, his voice low and raspy.
Kagome bristled at the "little girl" remark.
"I could show you what I did to the last miko who took a shot at me—it didn't end very well for her." His knuckles cracked again. "Or better yet…" The hand that had been cracking moved to his left side and withdrew the sword hidden by the overcoat.
In unison, the hoshi, miko, and taiji-ya drew in a sharp breath. The Shiroshi's battered katana…it looked exactly like the—
"This might be fun too…" The blade in his hand flashed and transformed, morphing into a five-foot long blade, but it was not the silver, smooth edged piece of metal the others were expecting; instead, the blade was black and serrated—a wicked-looking piece of weaponry. "What do you think?" Turning on his heel, the white-haired youkai finally faced the little group, a taunting smirk on his mouth.
They gasped, their eyes wide; even Kirara's growl caught in her throat. Kagome's knees grew weak and she nearly dropped her bow. To her, the Shiroshi's identity was unmistakable. The ears were different, now like a true youkai's, his voice a little bit lower, his features sharpened to more demon-like angles, and a single dark red stripe marked each cheek, but Kagome would recognize the individual in front of her anywhere.
Four little syllables slipped out of the stunned miko: "Inuyasha…?"
Making Japanese E-Z 4 U!
Inuku=canine, as in the Canidae (Dog) Family
Sashinuki=basically, they're what the Fluffy-chan wears on his lower half (I wanted a sleeker look for the character, so I figured that would be better done with the sakinuki than billowy hakama.)
Holy hentai hoshis, Batman!! If that ain't a cliffie, I don't know what is… *grins* Fear not, gentle readers, but I will not abandon this and leave everyone going: "WTF?!?!?!!" (Though I hope that's the reaction people had when they finished this chapter…:-P) I will explain…eventually. Might need some…encouragement in that department… *grins evilly* Seeing as most of you readers are probably like me (no $$$), I'll gladly take your reviews as encouragement, so hit that button on the bottom left! I know you want to…
Recommended reading: Author-chan's "A Blank Slate" Great spin on the whole "I remember nothing" premise—wonderful character interactions!
Also, thank you SailorSolara for beta reading this first chap for me! :D