Insanity is Hereditary… by Danyealle-sama

Chapter 1

Insanity is Hereditary…

…You Get It from Your Older Brother

By: Danyealle-sama

Though it pains me to admit such a thing… I don’t own Inuyasha nor do I make any form of profit off this exercise in weirdness.

Dedication:

  To Sugar0o; who spent one very long night with me as I tried to work out the basics for this whole thing, letting me bounce the plot and ideas off of her.  Thanks r0ozilla!  I appreciate it more than you know!

~Danyealle

Special A.N., please read!

I would like to note that this story was first published on January 9th, 2011 and I had the outline/concept of it for more than a year before that.  In the beginning I was taking the concept of something I knew, Japan is prone to earthquakes, some very large, and using that as the base to kick off the silliness.  When I started it I had no idea that the ‘big one’ would hit Japan while I was writing it.  I just want to say that I am in no way, shape or form making a joke or light of what happened in Japan on March 11, 2011 in this story.  I, like almost everyone else that has witnessed what has happened to the Japanese people, am profoundly moved by the extent of the tragedy and my heart and thoughts go out to those suffering because of an act of Mother Nature.  Their suffering and the tragedy of what has happened is not something that I would ever make light of or joke about in a story.  Please keep that in mind when reading this.

Also, I would like to suggest that, if you have the funds, a donation to an organization that is providing relief in all kinds of ways would be helpful.  RedCross.org and WorldVet.org are just two of the many non-profits that are doing wonderful work for those involved, both animal and human, and are in need of funds for such things.

Thanks

Danyealle

Chapter 1:

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.

~Lemony Snicket

With Jaken trailing along behind him talking non-stop, Sesshomaru was heading back towards the Fortress after a meeting at the palace of the Southern Lord.  It had been one of the quarterly ‘get togethers’ for the four reigning youkai lords of Japan to ensure that all ran smoothly and that nothing got out of hand, resulting in armed conflict among their lands.  Since, at least for the youkai, it was a time of relative peace and cooperation among those in the ruling class, it wasn’t any big deal, resulting in mostly relaxation, gossip and other distractions. Though he hated such functions and wasn’t one for socializing, if he hadn’t attended it would have been seen as a slight by the West against the Southern Lord, not something he wanted and would result in issues he didn’t feel like dealing with.

Though he could have easily ridden back on Ah-Un or used his cloud to get to the Fortress quickly, he wanted to walk it for various reasons. Mostly, it had to do with giving him time to think about the whole business with Inuyasha and Tetsusaiga without the distractions that came with being at the Fortress.  Several times now he had been denied in his efforts to get his father’s fang, knowledge that didn’t set well with him as anyone would expect.  In his mind, it was a failing on his end, something that he was not going to allow to continue and would be rectified as quickly as he could manage.  He would be getting that sword, it was just a matter of coming up with a way to do it that would ensure success was all. 

Finding a plan to do such a thing, however, was the rub.  Since, to this point, by force hadn’t worked, he felt that something new was needed.  But, just what that was, he didn’t know.  He was the type of being that was up front and took what he wanted by brute force or cunning, not having to resort to subterfuge or other lowly forms of coercion.  By now, he realized that he was going to have to go about this in a way he probably wouldn’t like as he couldn’t see another armed confrontation with the boy resulting in any kind of different outcome.  Since the events had transpired, Inuyasha had actually grown stronger and was better able to wield the katana, making such a thing harder now than it was in the past.  That meant new plans had to be formed and paths taken that would ensure that he was triumphant.

Tuning out Jaken’s incessant patter, he thought about the situation as they traveled close to one of the port cities along the coast not far from the hanyou’s base at Edo.  Though the thought flitted across his mind to make a short detour to see if the whelp and his pack were in residence, he decided against it.  When the next confrontation with the boy happened, he wanted to have a plan firmly in place to deal with him, not just pop up with nothing in mind.

Lost in thought, he kept moving towards home when he stopped, feeling something odd.  Scanning around, he tried to figure out what it was that he was sensing. Though he didn’t think it was anything that he need be concerned with, he wanted to know before moving along once more.  Quickly, he was able to determine that it was miko powers that had triggered it.  No, this wasn’t an unusual thing to sense.  After all, there were many priestesses all over Japan.  But the power of the one he felt was a curiosity to him.  Honing in on the feeling as best he could, he tried to determine where it was coming from and if he could recognize the signature of it since most had their own defining one like youkai did with their powers.  Quickly, he was able to manage both, eyes narrowing at what he was able to determine.  It was the miko that traveled with Inuyasha, the little slip of a girl that had pulled his father’s fang then had given it to the boy.  Not only that, if that wasn’t enough to set him off, she had the audacity to fire her sacred arrows at him during one of the battles with the boy.  It wasn’t as though arrows containing the holy powers of a mere miko could harm him, no matter how powerful, it was the principal of the whole thing.  One did not do such a thing to the great and terrible Lord Sesshomaru without consequence.  Revenge would be his at some point and she would pay, that he vowed.

Dismissing the whole thing, he once more started walking, ignoring Jaken’s questions about the delay when a plan began to form, stopping him in his tracks once again. An evil grin, the kind that any being that had ever crossed him had learned to fear, spreading across his face, he ordered Jaken, voice low, deadly and smooth as the finest silk, “Mount Ah-Un and follow.  But stay well back and out of sight.”  Without waiting for the confirmation from his vassal that he heard and would obey, he took off in the direction he was feeling the miko, scanning for the hanyou and the rest of their pack as all the pieces fell into place.  The sword would be his before the day was out, he was now confident of that.

xXx

Brushing a lock of her wavy, unruly hair off her forehead, Kagome puffed out a breath as she took out of her pack the things that were going to be needed for supper.  She had, already, started the fire with the little wood that they had found and was getting ready to do the same with at least part of the supper, ramen of course, before the rest returned.  Looking around the cave that Inuyasha had insisted they stay in for the night since the sky looked ominous and as though it were going to rain, she was happy to note that she could see every inch of it aside from the small alcove that was in the back, though some of the corners and crags were in deep shadows.  From that direction, she could hear the running water from the small stream that flowed in it, emptying into a hole on the floor from what she had observed when she checked it out earlier.  ‘Well, at least we don’t have to worry about lugging water.  That’s one good thing I guess,’ she thought to herself as she went about the basic preparations.  But, somewhere inside her, there was a sense of deep foreboding though she couldn’t figure out why or what was causing it.

Really, she would admit, she didn’t like the idea of staying in caves for several reasons ranging from the fact that they could feel claustrophobic to the dancing shadows the fire seemed to illuminate when the night fell, all of which did seem silly to her most times.  Well, when she wasn’t in one that is.  Though she understood the reasons why they were here and the reason Inuyasha had insisted upon it, she couldn’t shake the whole thing.  It was her thought that once he and the rest came back then the fire was going better, lighting things up more, most of what she was feeling would dissipate.  At least she hoped it would. 

After she finished preparing as much as she could, Kagome took her sleeping bag out of the pack then sat on it, wrapping her arms around her legs.  Foot tapping against the hard packed earth that was the floor of the cave, she glanced around it nervously.  There were timbers along the walls and part of the ceiling on the side of it that was nearest the door but none where she was sitting, on the opposite side, telling her this had been used by humans at some point for something, though she had no idea what since it was just the one room other than the small part where the stream was.  A home of some sort, maybe?  A hideout for bandits?  She didn’t know.   Looking up, she saw the small opening above where the fire was built.  It was her hope that most of the smoke would drift upwards and out the opening so it didn’t get too smoky inside when the fire was going good and they were cooking.  Through that small opening, something that only Shippo would probably be able to squeeze through, and it looked like even that would be a tight fit, she could see that the grey clouds were swirling, darker than they were before, making her sigh. She really didn’t like this, not at all, and that foreboding feeling was growing worse with each passing second.  Something that was really bothering her by this point.

Eyes once more turning to the entrance, she hugged herself tighter as she wished one of the others would show up.  A quick glance down at her side confirmed that her bow and quiver were there in case she needed them but that didn’t alleviate the anxiety she was feeling.  Sure, if push came to shove, she could hold someone, or something, off until Inuyasha or one of the others came back but she didn’t want to be put in that position if she could at all help it.  Sighing morosely, she tried to ‘will’ one of the others to show back up so she wasn’t alone anymore.  That would make her feel better, putting her more at ease.  After all, there was strength in numbers.  At this point, Inuyasha was off hunting to see if he couldn’t find some fresh meat for them, Shippo and Miroku were trying to find more wood and Sango had to take care of some personal business then was going to go with Kirara to a clutch of berries they had passed to pick some.  None of them were supposed to be gone long but, by this point, it felt like an eternity since they had left.

Taking the long stick sitting by the fire, she poked at the burning wood to make sure it was still going strong when her head cocked to the side and brow furrowed.  Something had caught her attention but she wasn’t sure what it was.  Concentrating, she didn’t seem to be able to hear anything and was about to chide herself for being a scaredy-cat when her eyes widened.  Hearing nothing was a very accurate phrase for what the issue was; there was no noise coming from outside at all.  The birds had stopped singing and even the insects had fallen silent.  Oh, this wasn’t a good sign and she knew it! 

Grabbing her bow and quiver, she moved, timidly, towards the entrance, intent on peering out to see what the problem was, if there was one that is.  Maybe it was the storm?  Was it getting ready to start?  That could cause such a thing, she thought, the insects and birds going for cover.  At least she hoped that’s what it was!  The other possibilities that came to mind weren’t good. 

Just as she was stepping a foot onto the side of the cave with the timbers and entrance, she stopped cold, eyes widening, at the figure that filled the entrance to the cave.  Shivering at the strong, malevolent aura that surrounded him, she clutched her bow tighter and began to reach for an arrow when she stammered out, “Sesshomaru!”

xXx

Eyes narrowing at the wench who was trying to nock an arrow in her bow, the mighty daiyoukai let out an amused snort.  Did she really think she could do any kind of harm to his person with such a feeble weapon and powers?  After all, he wasn’t like most other youkai; miko powers didn’t affect him though they felt unpleasant. 

Stepping into the cave, scanning to ensure that she was alone, though he knew where the rest of the pack was and that he had time to do what he wanted, he then glowered at the little slip of a girl before snarling out, “Miko….”

Stiffening her spine, Kagome glared back at him, ignoring how her insides clenched in fear.  She knew what Sesshomaru was capable of and that he had no qualms about killing her if he took it in mind to do so.  After all, he had tried that a couple times in the past, nearly succeeding the first one.  Nocking the arrow in her bow, she pointed it at him then said, voice as tough as she could make it, “What do you want, Sesshomaru?  Inuyasha isn’t here!  I would suggest you leave before he comes back!”

“I know the hanyou isn’t here,” he replied smoothly.  “In fact, I know where he is right at this very moment.  It’s not him I’m here for, it’s you.”

Feeling her heart start to pound so hard she was sure that it was going to jump out of her chest, Kagome did her best to not let it show.  “Whatever you’re thinking, you can just forget it, buster!” She shot back, pulling back the bow string, arrow aimed right for his heart. “You take one step closer and I’ll scream for Inuyasha!  He’ll send you home with your tail between your legs, again!”

Growling, eyes flashing, at the reminder of the defeats he had been handed by the hanyou and her goading about it, he took another step in her direction.  “Girl, I should remind you that you are in no position to take on such a tone of bravado!  Your arrows are useless against this Sesshomaru as I have proven in the past.  I would suggest that you use a tone containing the proper amount of respect when you address me lest you make what is coming all the worse on yourself.”

Though terrified, knowing any confrontation with him was going to end up with her seriously hurt, if not dead, Kagome wasn’t about to let it show. Standing there, not budging as his menacing form drew closer, she spit out, thankful there was no quiver in her voice when she did, “I’m warning you!  Not another step or I’ll shoot!”

Showing his inhuman speed, the daiyoukai moved over to her and had the bow out of her hands, tossed to the floor, and her firmly in his grip before she could even blink.  Smug, he held her tightly then said, voice deadly, “Now, let’s see just how much Inuyasha cares about you.  He’s going to have a decision to make; you or Tetsusaiga.”

Squirming around, kicking and trying to pummel him with her fists, Kagome screamed in his ear, the best she could anyway, knowing with his keen, sensitive hearing that it would bother him, “Let me go, you creep!  I’m not something you can barter with, jerk!”

Holding her tightly so she didn’t manage to free herself, trying to keep from getting kicked or hit, wincing internally at the audial assault, he snarled loudly, “Cease, woman!  This foolishness will get you no where except hurt.”  Lowering his voice, tone deadly, he imparted, “If you don’t, I’m going to have to do something unpleasant to ensure that it stops.”

Though she was terrified of what this sadistic, evil male could come up with, there was no way that Kagome was just going to become a meek, willing victim to any of this.  If he wanted to go through with this plan, she was going to fight him every step of the way.  Screaming for Inuyasha at the top of her lungs, she did her level best to pummel and kick the daiyoukai everywhere she could connect.  If she was going to pay for this, she was going to make it worth it and ensure that she got in a few good licks of her own before the retribution.

Gripping her tightly with the one arm, Sesshomaru growled and snarled, trying to dodge her blows while cursing Inuyasha, once more, for cutting off his other arm.  As it was, he wasn’t able to do much to stop the assault on his person if he kept ahold of her.  Nor did he want to put her down and go about it that way.  In doing so, that would give her a chance of getting away, something he didn’t want.  Instead, he decided to hold onto her the best he could and get out of the cave before the hanyou came running to her rescue.  A fight in an area this small wasn’t what he wanted and would lead to issues.  No, he wanted to be out in the open when the boy showed up.  He would have more room to maneuver that way.

Clutching her as tightly as he could, hoping that it hurt her somewhat so that she calmed down and became more passive, he began to move towards the entrance, snarling as he did.  One of her kicks had landed right in the fleshy part of his inner thigh, something that hurt more than he cared to admit.  Whatever that strange footwear she had on was, it was hard and hurt when it connected.  “Enough, miko!”  He roared, giving her a squeeze that he was certain was painful.

Letting out a yelp of pain when he squeezed her hard enough that her ribs hurt, seeming to make it to where she couldn’t breathe, Kagome then did the only thing that she could think of, knowing she had really angered him, brought her knee up and nailed him right between the legs as hard as she could, hoping that would give her a chance to escape.

Stunned by her action, the daiyoukai dropped her, clutching his crotch and groaning then, lifting his head, his eyes flashed red and he glared at her.  Oh, before this was over, she was going to pay for that.  “You, woman, are dead,” he spat out, straightening up, refusing to let her know how badly that had hurt or show that it had any effect.

Backing away, gulping to catch her breath, Kagome kept an eye on the advancing daiyoukai.  She was, she knew, now in a life or death situation.  It was time for her ‘hail Mary’ play, running like hell!  Taking off towards the entrance of the cave, making sure she skirted around him, she screamed at the top of her lungs for Inuyasha.

 xXx

Quiet as a mouse, Inuyasha crept closer to the two rabbits he had been stalking, eyes locked on the creatures.  They were nice and plump so they would make a great dinner for all of them.  Sure, he could just unleash the Iron Reaver Soul Stealer and he would get them but that had the chance of ripping them to shreds.  No, going about it this way was for the best.  Besides, he thought this was good practice that could hone some skills he might need in the future.

Just as he was about to pounce, Kagome’s screams rent the air.  Spooked, the two rabbits took off into the underbrush, leaving him cursing.  Spinning around, he was about to let loose a string of expletives directed at the miko when he noticed the tone of her voice.  This wasn’t her being foolish or trying to irritate him, something was wrong and she was in trouble. 

Galvanized, he took off as fast as he could back towards the cave.  “I’m coming, Kagome!  Hang on!”  He shouted, hoping she would hear him.

xXx

Trying to keep out of the daiyoukai’s grasp, Kagome was heading toward the mouth of the cave at top speed when his arm slipped around her then hauled her up off the ground.  Screaming again, once more kicking and fighting for all she was worth, she struggled against his grip, terrified and pissed at the same time.  “Let me go, Sesshomaru, you big jerk!”

Clutching her squirming form tightly against him, the daiyoukai snarled, “I will ensure that you feel a great deal of agony before I kill you, slowly, for what you have done, miko!”

Giving him a good elbow in the ribs where his armor didn’t cover, she snarled back, “Give your best shot, creep!  I’m going to fight you every step of the way!”

Growling at her stubborn streak, Sesshomaru was about to respond with a vivid description of the tortures he planned to put her through when he heard Inuyasha’s voice.  Smirking, knowing the hanyou was on the way to rescue her, he decided to wait to give her a preview of her death until later.  Crushing her to his body, hoping that would hamper her attacks at least a little, he hauled her towards the entrance of the cave, eyes alight at the thought of the fight that was coming with the whelp.

Gasping for air in his iron grip, Kagome struggled the best she could but knew she didn’t have another chance at escape.  However, that didn’t mean she was going to make it easy for him.  Scratching, clawing, kicking, screaming and howling the best she could, she fought to get out of his grip, bellowing for Inuyasha or anyone else that might hear, for help.

Once more cursing the hanyou for the loss of his other arm, Sesshomaru began to issue dire threats of dismemberment at the squirming onna while hauling her towards the entrance.  Never in his life had he met a being so small that could fight like she did.  She was actually making it hard for him to accomplish what he wanted, something unthinkable.  Pondering ways to make her unconscious, he listened for the approach of the boy but stopped when his internal warning system sounded the alarm.  Standing still, ears cocked for anything odd, he tried to determine what could have set it off but sensed nothing but the approach of the hanyou.  A foreboding feeling overcoming him, something that happened so rarely he was stunned by it, he felt the imperative need to get out of the cave as quickly as he could. 

Though unnerved by his stopping and sensing something was really wrong, Kagome renewed her attempts at freedom.  Figuring the kicking thing had worked once, she tried it again, landing blows wherever she could manage.  Suddenly, there was a loud roaring sound, like that of a freight train passing close and a massive jolt that almost knocked the daiyoukai off his feet followed by a tremendous shaking that seemed to make the walls ripple, dust falling from the ceiling.  Eyes widening as the shaking went on and on, she screamed, “Earthquake,” before lowering her head and wrapping her arms over the back of her neck to protect it from falling debris.

Trying to stay on his feet as the floor beneath him rolled and shook, Sesshomaru held tightly to the miko, not wanting to lose his prize.  Knowing this was a tremor like ones he had felt in the past, he hurried towards the entrance, not wanting to be in the cave if rocks started crashing to the floor.  Though he had experienced such a thing in the past, he was certain that this time it was far more powerful, thus deadly, even for him.  Being out in the open was the safest.  That he fully planned to accomplish.

Just as he was a few meters from the opening, the floor seemed to buck and roll more strongly than before, throwing him off his feet.  Though he knew, for his own safety, he should let go of the girl then make his way to the outside, he didn’t.  Instead, he kept hold of her, inching along the madly rolling floor.  Hearing cracks and creaks from above, he tried to hurry, certain that was a signal that something was being jarred loose.  When the rocks began to rain down around them, he finally let go of the miko, intent on getting to the entrance as fast as he could but, suddenly, there was an intense cracking noise before he felt a sharp pain in his head as he was rendered unconscious.

A.N.-

Yup, I’m back! 

For updates, you can sign up for either my yahoo group or twitter.  Both links are on my profile.

Hope you enjoy another strange and weird trip I have planned!

~Danyealle