Chapter Text
There is smoke and fire, the sound of screaming and anguish. Though injured, a mate must save the other. It is their duty, the promise they took under a full moon.
It burns his eyes, heat clawing at his sun-kissed skin. The smog is thick enough to chew, his nose is in agony, as are his panicking lungs. He is drowning on land, the crackles screaming in his ears. Every breath is like inhaling knives; it burdens his bones with weight.
Touga pushed through, regardless of the unrelenting heat. The Inu Youkai are suited for colder weather, not this unbearing heat. Even so, a vow was made and will not get broken.
The revered demon crashed through melting wood, splinters becoming ash against his armour. Despite his impaired senses, Touga fought to find Izayoi, his saviour.
She saved his soul, his heart; he must rescue her kindness and compassion. A person like that comes once in an aeon; he refuses to lose her. He can't lose her, not after finally gaining peace.
The Daiyoukai finally reached the room of his beloved. The woman lay motionless, their son bawling in her cold arms. Fear pangs his mighty heart; a sword struck his dear Izzie down. Somebody did this to his chosen love, his soulmate.
He drew the artefact Tenseiga, feeling its divine and holy power course through him. With a silent plea from the gods themselves, the sword changed shape. The pommel twisted into a golden dragon, the guard like a crescent moon.
The blade itself became blacker than a shadow with a purple hue in the light; gold ingrained on the sides. The engraving of a dragon twisted and grew, shining like a freshly harvested pearl. There's a bone-like texture to the hilt, the cloth braided around the handle made from silver fur.
To his relief, Tenseiga revealed the gremlins of Naraka. He wasn't too late; he could save her.
With two strikes of the powerful item, they got banished from whence they came.
His dear coughed, poisoned air striking her lungs. The smoke will kill her again if he doesn't get her out of here. He removed Robe of the FireRat from his mokomoko, carefully covering her with it. The baby born whimpered and whined, terrified. Touga didn't have time to revel in the hanyou's birth. Two words alerted Touga to who tried to take her from him.
"She's here."
He re-sheathed Tenseiga, knowing what must get done.
"His name is Inuyasha," Touga said, his golden eyes sorrowful at his beloved. "Izayoi...You must survive. Live a long life. Live long and well with Inuyasha."
He isn't long for this world. He knows that his wounds from Ryūkotsusei are beyond his reach, and he has already passed ownership of Tenseiga. No other can use its unfathomable power.
It's the least that Touga can do for his failings. He should've done more, but he can do something this day.
The orchestrator to his heartache and pain made herself known. It's a battle that he won't win, but in dying, she will lose. He'll take everything with him to hell; she won't succeed in her monstrous desires. Touga failed in life; he won't do so in death.
So'unga pressed against Mibōjin, the blades sparking with demonic energy. The sword twisted, impaling him through the chest, her hand on his throat. As anticipated, she's siphoning his lifeforce, quickening the eventuality.
He knew she would do this someday; he prepared for it.
When the witch realised something was wrong, he grabbed her by the wrist. He poured his demonic power into her sword, smirking.
"What've you done!?" she howled, her hand beginning to burn.
"Making sure you can never have what you desire," Touga roared, sticking So'unga through her foot, keeping her there. "I'm breaking your curse..."
He's so sorry for not having done more sooner, Mari. He should've done more for him. He won't let this monster hurt his baby brother as she did to him.
"Impossible!"
"I'll see you in hell, wench..."
It was an odd experience, death. He didn't imagine experiencing it, but alas, it was inevitable. Death comes for all life; it'd have no meaning otherwise. He died at sixty-three, not even half the lifespan of an Inu Youkai. Knowing that he foiled the monster's plans granted him peace.
Finally, he stopped that parasite. Hopefully, his son would have his Okurimono back. Perhaps it'll give back the power she's stolen over the years, not just from him and Touga.
With any fortune, all will get their power back.
It's something that he desperately hoped for - too many suffered from the parasite he got arranged to marry.
Tessaiga will go to his hanyou son - it will subdue his uncontrollable demon instincts. He didn't have a plan for So'unga, sadly. Tenseiga will go to Sesshomaru. He's the only one that Touga trusts with such divinity. Nobody else, not even his little brother, Yaketsuku, can use that artefact.
It wasn't only Touga's choice; the living item desired him as its next owner as well. It vowed to protect him. Perhaps his son would discover the soul residing within the ancient blade?
He had faith, something he's lacked for so long. He's grateful to Izayoi for giving that back to him.
She revived him in a funny sense. She broke Inukimi's spell. He prays to Tsukuyomi that she can share that compassion with Inuyasha.
Something else happened, however. Touga did not go to either afterlife; he found himself in front of a stranger.
They had ethereal prismatic eyes, hair like smoke - a kind face with sinister power behind it. With a tap on Touga's forehead, he started falling. He didn't know where he was, only that he was plummeting like a comet.
He felt contact against the ground, smashing a breath into his lungs. He could still smell and taste smoke. His eyes are wide, confused, adrenaline shrieking throughout his entire body. It's as though he'd drowned and returned to the surface.
Where Mibōjin impaled his chest, it still hurts. Touga's confusion only grew as the sun beamed at him, but it was midnight a second ago. As pure air entered Touga's lungs, the taste of bone dust stung his tongue. His golden eyes noticed walls around him, deep and made of petrified earth.
He's in a well, isn't he?
It isn't the strangest place that Touga's awoken. However, Touga's confident that he died.
Mibōjin's mark is still on his chest!
Touga sat up, blinking several times. He felt his chest, finding perfect armour.
He lay there long enough for it to regenerate. Carefully, Touga dismantled part of his armour, checking his chest. There's a shard of something in Mibōjin's wound. He tried picking it out, but it's fused to his rib. He felt a pulse on his back, alerting him to So'unga.
The living sword reacted to his awakening, expressing joy and excitement. Tenseiga and Tessaiga aren't with him.
Touga jumped out of the well, trying to understand what happened.
He died; he knows that he died.
He passed through the veil of the mortal world; he shouldn't be here. Why was he in a well? Touga's will was clear to lay his body at the boneyard of Naraka; Tessaiga gets placed within his body.
Unfortunately, he died before he managed to forge a plan for So'unga. He thought of leaving it to Kichirou; Yaketsuku's temper wouldn't merge well with the blade of hell.
You must be calm when wielding such force. His baby brother is anything but levelheaded. Kichirou is the eldest, and he's more in control than Murasaki pretends to be.
"And who may ye be?" came an elderly woman with a single eye. Touga's nose is still full of the scent of smoke, but he knows this to be a priestess. "An Inu Youkai. It is rare indeed for one of ye to be here."
She isn't aggressive, which is good. Touga prefers to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
"My name is Touga no Taishō. I don't know how I came here," he said honestly and respectfully. Izayoi taught him how similar humans and demons are. "What land are we in, Priestess?"
He's been here before. However, the place looks too different and strange, like time has passed. He was at Izayoi's mansion a mere minute ago.
That's what he believes, at least. There's no telling how much time has passed since his demise.
"The western quadrant, Touga. Did ye come from the Bone Eater's Well?"
That well is eastern territory.
That's right, Touga battled Kagemori and the eastern panther youkai tribe here. He drove them from the west and slew that arrogant feline in this spot. Lady Oyuki dragged his carcass back to their lair. The east doesn't give up territory easily, so time must have passed.
Dragons are rather fond of their belongings.
"Apparently," he answered, perplexed. When he battled, the well existed for seven hundred human years. "How old is this well, Priestess?"
"It is a thousand years since its construction. Why do ye ask, Touga no Taishō?"
A thousand?
Touga's been dead for six years. Three hundred winters. Humans only live for a third of that.
Izayoi's gone. She's dead and has been for a long, long time. The woman that saved his soul is gone, and he wasn't there for her.
Is Inuyasha alive? Touga isn't sure about half-demon; they vary from individual to individual. From his experience, they age every twenty human years or so. Inuyasha should be around fifteen or sixteen if he's still alive. Inukimi no doubt tried ending his life.
Fuck, Yaketsuku!
His stupid little brother wasn't privy to Touga's plans. He was under the impression that Touga abandoned the family. Could he have hunted Izayoi down? It sounds like something he'd do.
"Because I died - to me, barely three minutes, but three hundred of your years have passed. I shouldn't be here; I didn't even die here."
The woman's remaining eye widened, equally as confused as Touga is.
So'unga cannot raise the dead, merely reanimate the bodies. It couldn't return him to the living world, and his son doesn't have the experience to use Tenseiga like that. It takes intense training to extend the window; there's a time limit to returning a soul.
At the start, you must be within an hour of the death. Touga's trained with it for years, and he barely got to a human week.
Even with six Inu years, his son wouldn't be at the level to bring someone back from three hundred years.
"I know not how ye live, Touga no Taishō, only that you're a peculiar demon. You're the third Inu I've ever met in my sixty years upon this earth. You may call me Kaede."
They're the same age, how funny.
"Thank you, Kaede. You can call me Touga; my full name is not necessary."
It's for formal greetings, but as far as everyone knows, he's dead. He sucked at being formal, anyway.
"Well them, Touga, now that ye are amongst the living, what do ye choose to do?"
He needs to find his pups.
He knows where most of them are, but Inuyasha?
There's no chance in Naraka that Yaketsuku would allow him in Gami. The stubborn asshole likely blames the pup for his demise.
Touga would die for any of his children.
"You have met two other Inu. Did you know their names?" He asked, hopeful.
"A pair of brothers like the heat of the day and cold of the night - one be a friend to man, the other be a mighty foe. They are Inuyasha and the western daimyo, Sesshomaru."
Both of his boys; they're still alive. This woman's met both of them!
Touga grinned, overjoyed. If Sesshomaru's the daimyo, then Inukimi's not in Gami - he'd have to be at least twenty-five before achieving it traditionally. His baby's free of that wicked woman's talons!
And Inuyasha, he's a friend to man, just as Izayoi knew he'd be.
"Ye are their father," the woman realised as Touga shed a tear of joy. "I do not know whether this is a good or ominous sign."
"Regardless of why I'm going to find my boys."
"I warn ye, Touga; they clash like the lightning that dances upon the sky. Each collision may very well be the last."
"Then I shall cease their collisions, Priestess Kaede. Not even death can impede the yearning for my pup's lives."
He can be the father he should've been long ago.
It's a second chance.
Another tear fell, one not of joy.
Izayoi is still lost.
Did she live long? She did live well?
There are many questions that Touga has. He wants to know if the other half of his heart lived. He wished that she passed with old age peacefully, that she didn't lose her compassion. She had a heart that could encompass the entirety of the world and beyond.
Touga wanted to scream, but where? To who? How can he be everything she believed him to be without being here?
With a breath, Izayoi could eliminate Inukimi's cruel worlds. That witch's power weakened when near Izayoi.
The furious dog punched down a tree, snarling and seething. Once again, the witch hurt his pup, and he couldn't do anything. If he left, she'd surely kill his boy - For all her curse hurts him, he couldn't live with himself if he died.
He looked at his hand, shaking with anger. The burns are slow to heal; they pulsate with heat and anger - It hurt viciously; he grew weary of its worsening effects.
The confusion in his son's eyes hurt more than any curse. Touga can't tell him what his witch of a mother did - he can't explain why he must be distant. If only he could tell his boy why he can't touch him, why he can't say his name. Even that would cause anguish.
And the more Touga loves him, the more power that Inukimi takes from him. What sort of father cannot stop such treachery?
"Are you alright?" came a soft voice.
Touga turned, hand on So'unga's hilt. It was a human woman, her clothing betraying her nobility. Do humans not possess guards for their nobles? He's well aware that they don't fight themselves, as confusing as that is.
"I am a demon. You should head the other way."
"If you want to kill me, you would've done so," she said, turning her gaze to his hand.
Touga didn't have a retort for that - It's true; he wasn't interested in killing her.
Contrary to human's beliefs, high demons prefer to avoid unnecessary conflict. It's the lower demons who're so pathetic they must prey on those who can't make a worthwhile hunt. The only reasons to attack humans are theft, murder, assault or food. It's not acceptable behaviour.
And yet, he stands by while the witch hurts his boy.
"Please, may I?" the woman asked, holding her hand to him.
Touga narrowed his golden eyes into her brown, searching for deceit. Curiously, he could smell no ulterior motive. She wasn't even a Priestess.
He smelled no reiki, no metal of weapons or armour - She is a mere woman in mere simple clothes, albeit a noble one woman. For all that Touga distrusts her, he's a curious man. Cautiously, Touga showed his hand to the feeble creature, searching for deception.
When a pale hand reached into her dress, he let out a deep growl, a warning. Instead of running away, she slowed her movements. The woman removed a pouch, taking out a salve and cloth.
Slowly, the strange woman soothed an oil into his aching hand. He stared, astonished by her actions. She carefully wrapped his hand in the cloth, showing no fear. She didn't smell of hate or terror, only concern.
A human worried for a demon - Touga never thought he'd live to see it.
"What is your name?" Touga asked, gently closing his claws around her smaller hand. It's soft and smooth, devoid of scarring. It's unusual; scars are a being's history.
It's their victories, their shames - their entire history as though their body is a scroll.
"Izayoi," she smiled, smelling of peach and honey. "Does your hand feel better?"
"Indeed, I am grateful - My name is Touga."
He couldn't make sense of her. What is this kindness? She gains nothing out of this exchange.
"Why do you not fear me, Izayoi?"
"You have a kind face," she answered, stinking of honesty. "I trust my instincts, be they human or demon. We're all people, aren't we?"
"People?"
"We have feelings, feel pain, defend those we love - isn't that what people are?"
He knew that Inukimi only felt spite and hate. Humans are beneath demons, but this one came to help. She risked her life to alleviate the pain his mate inflicted.
Izayoi doesn't know him or his history; she saw someone in pain. It's such selflessness; he's never experienced it before.
It warmed a shrivelled part of his heart that Inukimi had since crushed.
"You're a peculiar human."
"I take that as a compliment. Thank you, Mister Touga."
He wants to experience more of this person. How can a human have such kindness in their heart? What magic allows for it?
"Will I see you again?" he asked, stunned by her actions.
"I hope so. You have warm eyes. They remind me of summer mornings."
"I see a forest within yours."
"But they're brown, not green?"
"The green can only survive with the fortitude of the brown, Miss Izayoi."
He sounds like an idiot; he knows that. However, Touga's enamoured with this person. She blushed, thankful for his comment.
"Follow your heart, Mister Touga, and you will find me. I'd like to know more about you."
She lightly put his hand within hers. She can't hurt him, but she's so gentle anyway. She kissed his knuckle, a human gesture of something.
With a bow, the strange Izayoi walked away. He stood, petrified and stunned by the oddity.
Izayoi is such a beautiful and strange name. It's befitting an oddity that is the owner of such a name.
"I will meet you again," he promised to himself.
He wants to feel more of this kindness, this selfless compassion. It's a treasure he has to protect.
Touga fell in love with that woman at that moment; he didn't realise it until later.
His golden eyes burn with salty fluid, feeling it run down his face.
With her gone, it feels like a massive void within his soul. A part of him is gone, and he'll never get it back, an all-consuming ache.
Without Tenseiga, he's not capable of calling above; he can't check on her soul. Perhaps she's reincarnated? If so, Touga wishes the best for her. He wants her to be happy, to have what he couldn't provide her.
Unfortunately, his nose is still out of order. The smell of burning wood won't disappear.
However, Touga's ears work as well as ever. He could hear humans approaching, the jingle of their staffs, the ruffling of their sutras. They're most likely monks, nothing of consequence. Even a mighty Miko wouldn't be of worry to him.
So'unga pulsed, hungering for blood. Touga had no intention of feeding it this day. The blade of the netherworld will never starve; there will always be blood.
"Stop right there!" A monk demanded, causing Touga to pause. He turned to the human, visibly disinterested. "You are a demon."
"I have no quarrels with you. Leave me."
The monk and his entourage didn't listen. Touga observed as they tried to purify him; the attempts were fruitless. He didn't need to use his demonic energy to defend himself; his strength could withstand it. They're amateurs compared to those Touga and fought and fought alongside.
His lack of reaction seemed to infuriate them. That's an odd thing about humans that Izayoi never got to explain, and she never will.
She taught him empathy to humans; will he discard them now she is no more?
Instead of choosing to fight, Touga walked away. He must find his boys; he knows that at least two of them are alive.
Kichirou, Asahi, Murasaki, Yoshiro, Sesshomaru, Tomoe, and Inuyasha - please be safe. Yaketsuku, for as irritating as you are, please be alive. Touga misses his little brother, as annoying as he can be.
He was a man where Touga failed.
The monks' haven't finished. They circle him, trying to look intimidating, but it's laughable. They threw sutras all over his body, likely some new ritual. He cocked a brow, mildly curious in this technique. One monk, possibly the leader, imbedded his staff into the ground.
A ball of white and blue energy amassed, pink at the centre. With little concern, Touga allowed it to impact. The sutras on his body ignited, attempting to purify his demonic being.
Unfortunately, this process requires his demonic energy to flare. By flaring up, reiki can latch on, purifying from the inside out. By being calm and showing no indication of harm, reiki leaves you alone. Humans don't seem to have discovered this fact; they expect it to work every time.
It usually does; it takes time to learn to control your energy to such a degree.
Touga casually dusted off his armour, unimpressed by their attempt.
"You made an effort," Touga sighed, shaking his head. "Please be more cautious. Most Daiyoukai would kill you for that, more so the for lacklustre attempt than being any threat."
"You aren't going to kill us?"
"I'm on a journey to find my sons; I have better things to do. And besides, while you are an annoyance, you defend humans against lesser demons."
It's what Izayoi taught him.
He'd kill monks and priests and priestesses if they tried purifying him.
Izayoi talked to him from their point of view, how they were spiritual warriors. These people train to connect themselves to the gods to defend the defenceless. As lower demons are cowards and pick on meek humans, it's understandable that they have natural distrust.
She helped him realise how it's not as simple as he liked to believe. Demonic and holy energies are redundant without the other. Demons and humans are equally integral. They wouldn't be able to make hybrids if they weren't connected.
Izayoi was proof that humans and demons can be together as equals. Though he was more powerful, he did not have her mighty heart and vice versa.
Tessaiga requires a compassionate person to wield it; it reacts to protect those you love. It requires kindness and the yearning to defend to remove it from its place.
The seeking of power alone will cause it to reject the holder. Touga never wanted to fall back to Inukimi's garbage, hence why he made it that way.
Whenever he wanted to take power, Tessaiga would burn him. It'll do the same to Inuyasha if he wants power for the sake of it.
"We'll accept this as a lesson, stranger," the head monk said, holding out his hand to the demon. "You are the oddest demon I've ever met."
"I assure you, sir, that things will change," Touga said, accepting his grasp. "I'll be communicating with the daimyo - we should be alongside you instead of against you. The humans of the west shouldn't get excluded from protection."
"Though I doubt that, I'm curious to see. You've given me much to think about, stranger."
"Touga."
"I am Tsunenaga. I will remember this interaction going forward, odd Touga."
Satisfied, Touga took off into the sky.
He could've killed Tsunenaga and his men, but what would that achieve? It's unnecessary and a futile endeavour. Instead of being enemies, the light and dark should coexist. Demons and humans can do it; he's done it.
It's what Izayoi would fight for; she's who taught him the futility. He'll never forget her wisdom and kindness; he'll spread it far and wide.
Everyone will know how special that woman was. She'll always be alive in his aching heart.
Inuyasha, you're all that's left of her.