The Life After

7/1/06

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the characters of Inuyasha. I do not own Naraku, Inutaisho, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Jakken, Rin, or Ah-Un. I also do not own Ayame, the Elder, or Kouga. Nor do I own the lunar rainbow promise. I do not own Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, or Shippo. I do not own Kohaku, Hachi, Kaede, or Kikyo or ANY of the characters or happenings from Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi is the wonderful creator and owner of said characters, manga, and show. I do not make money off of her characters or this story. Anything that is not owned by her is still owned by the people who own the Inuyasha show and movies. I give them credit for their work as well. I do not make money off of their ideas or episodes. This Disclaimer applies to this and all following chapters.

Author's Note: I learned something new today; unfortunately it's a SPOILER. In fact this paragraph right here, under Author's Note, is a SPOILER, too. So if you're worried just ignore this and pretend that everything in the following chapter was all just stuff I made up. If you've already seen the whole tv series, then don't worry about it. Read away. It was a spoiler in earlier chapters, too, when I said what Inuyasha did with the jewel…but you know…he didn't do it the way I thought he had. It only lasted for a short time, whereas I thought he used the jewel to do it and that was the end of it….oops? So I was wrong, unfortunately I just had to delve deeper into the spoiler, to find this out. So it's pretty much completely ruined for me. I really don't know if I can just tell you not to read part of this so as not to read the spoiler. I guess it's mostly just the first paragraph…still….I dunno. I guess the only way not to ruin it would be to say that I just made it up, but that's not true. . . and I have this nasty disclaimer thing to deal with. lol. *sighs* Well, I deeply hope I haven't ruined anything for anyone. Well, Shen's not doing so hot, is he? *shakes head* He's awful stubborn though, got to give him that much. Poor Sesshoumaru, I feel so bad for him. He STILL doesn't know about Ukiyomaru. Anyway, ENJOY! Ooh! One more thing. I figure that Riki is going to call Ukiyomaru Uki. So they'll be Uki and Riki. That interested me, so I looked up what Uki means. It means "signs of rain". Which absolutely amuses me! I love that name! But only Riki calls him that. Everyone else says his whole name.

Thanks: Thanks only to Sorceressofthenight, who is my only reviewer this time. I might not have posted this chapter today, if I hadn't received any reviews. I would've been too depressed. So thank you so much, for letting me know that you want me to keep writing! But you're right, I just couldn't give Kouga the satisfaction, it belongs alone to Sesshoumaru. Kouga didn't even know why they were fighting. lol. And, very true, Shen would make a TERRIBLE Elder. He'd probably end up killing the whole pack. Anyway, thanks again for being so faithful in reviewing! ^.^ *hugs* I hope you like this chapter.

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The sky was dark, the only light coming from the stars. There was no moon out that night. Inuyasha leaned back peacefully against the wall of the hut. Since he had first found the Jewel of Four Souls, he had been thinking about using it to turn into a full demon. However, after defeating Naraku and recovering all of the jewel shards, he had been thinking slightly differently. Kagome did not like him as a full demon; she liked him as he was. That was enough to change his mind, but he still did not like being weak on the night of the new moon. His first and only experience of being purified had changed his mind. When the shard he had placed in the Tetsusaiga became purified, so had he. It made sense, since the Tetsusaiga controlled his demon side. However, when they had recovered the Jewel, he had told Kagome his idea. She agreed immediately. So he had used it to purify himself. Now he sat with a purple jagged stripe on each cheek, and his eyes lined with black. No longer did he lose his control in a demonic rage, nor did he turn human on the night of the new moon. He smiled cheerfully, proud, once again, of his decision. Riki was not so lucky.

The little human sulked in the corner, near a window. It wasn't fair. His dad didn't have to be human anymore, so why did he? Kagome brought him over a bowl of ramen. Riki pushed it away. He wasn't hungry.

“Don't be sad,” Kagome smiled, “Even in your human form, you still have all the priest powers.” It was true. They had found out a short while ago that Riki had the same purification and other powers that Kagome did. She had promised him that when he turned four she would teach him how to shoot purification arrows. Riki sighed miserably. Even if he wasn't completely weak, he was still a human. “Being a human isn't THAT bad, is it?” Kagome said, looking a little hurt.

“I guess not,” Riki twirled the black hair from his ponytail around one finger, blinking his little brown eyes up at the moonless sky.

“Think about it this way, Kid,” Inuyasha yawned, “That little Ukiyomaru won't have any powers on his human night.”

“That's true. I guess I'll just have to watch out for him, won't I?” Riki pondered this, suddenly feeling a lot more powerful in that state.

“You really like Ukiyomaru, don't you?” Kagome smiled, ruffling his hair.

“He's practically my brother! I've gotta take care of him,” the boy shook his head, like it was something that should be obvious to everyone.

“I'm proud of you, Riki. That's really nice of you.” Riki looked up at his father, his human eyes wide. His father rarely stated things like that so bluntly. “Now get some sleep, Bud. Tomorrow's your birthday, and your mom's got a promise to keep.” Riki had completely forgotten about his birthday and the promise; he dove into his sheets, smiling.


“How long have we been fighting, Jakken?”

“Six months, m'lord.”

“Only six, Jakken?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And how many villages have we saved?”

“Permanently or for a time, m'lord?”

“Permanently would be nice, but the answer to that is zero. For a time, Jakken.”

“All of them, my lord. Most of them at least three times.”

“But the demons keep coming back, don't they?”

“Yes, m'lord.”

“No matter what we do?”

“Yes, m'lord.”

“Even though the villages are constantly being protected by every demon under my rule?”

“Yes, m'lord.”

There was a pause.

“Jakken?”

“Yes, m'lord?”

“WHO IS BEHIND THIS?!”

“I-I don't know, m'lord.”

Sesshoumaru shook his head. His hair was matted, deep bags rested under his eyes, and his clothes were stained almost completely red with blood. None of the blood was his own, nor had Jakken been injured. The fact remained that, despite that the demons were easy to kill; they were countless in numbers. His heart was so broken that he could not even remember it ever being whole. At the same time, he never had a spare moment to think about it. In the silences between villages, he and Jakken constantly discussed their hopeless situation. Every conversation ended as this one had: with Sesshoumaru shaking his head. There was no time for anything else. He was tired. Jakken was tired. Every demon ally he had was tired. Every human in every village he ruled over was tired. He was dog-tired, pardon the pun. He hadn't slept in months. He hadn't bathed in months. He hardly had time to eat or drink. He certainly did not have time to go looking for the bastard behind the attacks. There was nothing he could do; nothing but fight.

“Are you ready, Jakken?”

“No, m'lord.”

“Nor am I. Let's go.”

“Yes, m'lord. To the ends of the earth, I will fight by your side.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome, my lord.”

“Very good.”

There was no moon that night. No light to help them see the enemy. Not that it mattered. They didn't have to see to know the situation was hopeless.

“Very good,” he said again.

“Yes, m'lord,” the voice sounded uncertain.

“It's not good at all, is it?”

“N-no, m'lord. Not really.”

“Very good.”


Rin rocked the three-month-old Ukiyomaru in her arms. They had discovered after his first month that his human night was the night of the half moon. It suited him, as did most things. However, tonight there was no moon in the sky. The half demon blinked his little brown dog eyes up at her. He rarely ever cried now, almost constantly silent, just taking in all of his surroundings. He would be wise like his father. Rin absolutely adored him. She had not forgotten her mate for a moment, but she was certain he had forgotten her. He hadn't even searched for her, and it had been a year since she left the castle. She missed him terribly, but loved life in the village. Riki was a great help with Ukiyomaru. Kagome, Sango, and Ayame were always ready to give her tips, and Kagome had given her a hut of her own. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga often brought her food. Although Ayame and Kouga only visited occasionally, as their home was in the north. The babe sucked at her breast, his tiny claws clinging to her skin. She had the feeling that he probably possessed the same poison as the lord. However, he never showed any signs of it. Her only guess was that he had no desire to hurt anyone in the village. Already he seemed to understand his own strength and ability to kill, not to mention he contained these things with immense intelligence. The babe's silver hair glinted against her skin. “My darling child,” Rin sighed, “I only hope you will not be too sad about your father. Although I rather think you will understand. Though, if you are to be his only child…I wonder what the lord would do about you being his sole heir.”


Kouga raced through the forests in his whirlwind, on his way to return to Ayame. The Elder had asked him to travel through the north and visit the other wolf tribes under his rule. Kouga had agreed, happy to be of some help to his grandfather-in-law. Now, however, he was longing for his wife, and he whisked as fast as his jewel shards would carry him across the Northern Lands. All of a sudden, a figure appeared on the path in front of him. It took him a minute to comprehend this. Usually creatures steered clear of the giant tornado sweeping across the land. Why would someone deliberately step in his path? When he finally registered the thought, he dug his heels into the ground. Dirt flew up everywhere, leaving huge welts behind him. The person seemed to fly towards him, as Kouga tried his hardest to stop. When he finally did stop, his nose was inches from the man who now stood before him. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Kouga screamed at the green eyes, which were glaring into his own blue ones.

“Oh, I'm fine, thank you. It's you who's got problems.”

“What the fuck?!” Kouga stepped back, his feet throbbing from the friction they had just been put under. The man was clearly a wolf demon from the north, his white tail wagged excitedly. His blonde ponytail hung over his shoulder, and he brushed it behind his back with a wave. “Who the hell are you?” a growl rose in Kouga's throat. This stupid wolf boy thought he could just jump in front of the wolf prince and then talk to him like that? He had another thing coming. Kouga's jewel shards shone brightly, in a light that only Kagome could have seen, as he prepared to fight.

“My name is Shen, and you would do well to remember it, Pup.”

“Did I do something to you in some past life to piss you off? Cause I ain't never met you before, and you've got some beef with me…but I'm quite ready to kill you now. So don't worry, you'll get your fight.” Kouga balled his fists and pulled back an arm, preparing to punch.

“You've done me a great wrong, Princey! I WILL be Elder!!!” Shen met Kouga's punch exactly, and their knuckles met gracefully. “Besides,” the white wolf added, “You're married to that worthless wolf bitch.”

“Don't you talk about Ayame like that! I'LL KILL YOU!” Kouga's leg arced up and came crashing down on Shen's forehead.

Any normal wolf, Shen could have easily dodged. He was a master of fighting and weapons. He had been unable to even see Kouga's movement, however, and was thrown off guard. As he went crashing face first into the ground, he hissed, “What are you?!”

“I've got sacred jewel shards in my legs. So don't even think you can beat me. You might've been able to apologize and back out five minutes ago, but now I'm going to kill you,” Kouga punched one hand into his other.

“Jewel shards? I thought those were just a myth. No matter, I'll still kill you. Defeating the mutt will be of no use, if I don't have you out of my way,” Shen pushed himself up, and shook the dirt off of his fur.

“What, you've got something against Inuyasha, too?” Kouga was very confused, but kind of glad to be defeating one of Inuyasha's enemies. That way he could hold it over the dog's head. They had grown closer, but that didn't mean they didn't still love to mess with each other.

“Who?” So much for that idea. Shen rolled his eyes, “Stop wasting time! Bring it, Mongrel!”

“Oh, it's brung!. . .Brung? Brought! It's brought!” Kouga struck first, but was easily blocked by Shen. He quickly learned that the weapons master could counter any of his fist attacks. At the same time, it took every ounce of Shen's concentration just to dodge any kicks he threw. It wasn't very long before Shen was on his knees and drenched in bruises and broken bones.

“Bastard!” Shen hissed again, spitting blood, “Without those stupid jewel shards, I would have beaten you!”

“Too bad for you I have 'em, then,” Kouga's foot was pressed against Shen's back. It would have taken the tiniest push on Kouga's part to knock Shen down again. “Now you better get the hell out of here. If I EVER see you again, I will kill you. I don't want you anywhere near my pack or my wife!”

“You're not Elder, yet. I'll find some other way,” the second the words left Shen's mouth, he felt a near breaking force come down on his back. He spit out dust and dirt miserably. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, as Kouga took off in a burst of wind. Shen did not need to be told that this was the second time his life had been spared. It didn't matter, he may not have been as strong as Kouga or Sesshoumaru, but he had more cunning. The dog demon lord was being worn down. Another year and a half, and the dog would be too weak to move. Sesshoumaru would die at his hands. Perhaps this was as much cheating as he thought Kouga's jewel shards were, but he did not care. He would do whatever it took to take over the pack.