Faith in the Stars, For Our Fate is in Your Hands by Peach
The Great Summoner's War
Faith in the Stars, For Our Fate is in Your Hands
~I do not own Inuyasha. This story is purely fan made.
A/N: Ok, so this was a story I had started years ago and completely forgot that I had it until I came across one of my old flash drives. So when I came upon it last week I started reading through it and got inspired to pick it back up, of course I got a lot of rewriting to do but I got a pretty good plan for this. Don't worry, A Tale of Souls and Swords hasn't been forgotten and that story will take first priority but I need a side project to work on for when I find myself stuck with writer's block. So I will be working on this from time to time. A Tale of Souls and Swords should be updated by sometime next week at the latest. I am about 3/4 done with the next chapter so keep a look out on that as well.
This will be my first attempt at an AU story. Initially I had planned to use only Japanese mythology in this story but soon came to a slight problem and that being that youkai are a major part of Japanese mythology. lol So instead I will be using mythology from all over the world and will incorporate it into the story. Mythology facts will be listed at the bottom for those who are not familiar with them. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and feel free to review, they are much appreciated. :D
Chapter 1: The Great Summoner's War
"Mama, What is papa doing?" A little girl asked in a whisper to her mother as she peaked around the door, looking into her father's study. The woman glanced down at her seven year old daughter before looking to see what her husband was doing.
"He is researching, my dear." The woman told her in a soft whisper as she knelt next to her little girl. The little girl looked back at her mother in confusion. "What is researching?"
The woman gave out a small laugh before trying to come up with something her daughter would understand. "He is looking for something and hopefully one of those scrolls will have what he is looking for."
".... What is papa looking for?" The woman looked down thoughtfully before she spoke again.
"He is looking for answers." The little girl huffed and crossed her arms, her mother always did this to her when there was something she didn't want her or her brother to know about.
"Answers to what?" This time the question came out louder than a whisper and unintentionally grabbed her father's attention.
"To the secrets of the stars." The little girl's head whipped around to face her father as his deep voice answered her question this time. The little girl bashfully looked down at her feet, she hadn't meant to disturb her father. She just couldn't help herself, she hardly got to see her father anymore. When she looked back up at her father she saw him beckon her to come closer. Slowly the little girl shuffled her feet over to where his desk was. She watch as he scooted himself back to make some room and helped his daughter up to sit in his lap.
The little girl looked around her father's desk at all the scrolls and papers that were scattered about. Just as she was about to ask her next question she paused and a new question popped into her head. Reaching over to the right side of the desk, she grabbed a small wooden box but it wasn't the box that interested her in any way, it was what laid in the box that had her mesmerized. But just as she was about to reach in and pick one up, a loud racket made her jump and look over at the door.
A small boy, the same age as her, slowly picked himself up off the floor and rubbed his eyes sleepily before coming over to sit on his father's lap as well. The little girl rolled her eyes at the clumsy boy, her twin brother was always tripping over his own feet. Looking back down at the box, she couldn't help herself and had to ask. "Papa, What are these?"
Her father looked down into the box before smiling. "Those are what we call Star Stones." Looking back down at the box again, little girl looked at the small glowing stones in fascination.
"Father, what are Star Stones?" This time it was the little boy that asked as he leaned over to look at the stones with his sister. Their father looked at them in contemplation before asking them a question instead. "Have I ever told you two about the Great Summoner's War?" He watched as both his children shook their heads and decided to tell them a story.
"Well about a thousand years ago we humans were at war with the youkai. A war that had lasted for a hundred years. Youkai, as you two know, are very strong... Stronger than any human could ever wish to be and at the beginning all seemed lost for us. For there was no way we could win against such strong enemies." He paused as he heard his son and daughter gasp, both looking up at him in fear and confusion. "But then something happened, the gods decided that their first creations had an unfair advantage and so they decided to even the odds. They gave their second creations the gift of light. A light that gave them the strength to fight back but since their were more humans than youkai, they decided that only certain humans will be blessed with this new power....."
"Papa, we already know the story about how we became monks and mikos." The little girl whined, the story was becoming familiar to her now. She was sure that she heard this story before. "We want to know about the Star Stones."
"Well, I was getting to that, you just need to be a little patient. Would you like me to stop?" He watched as they both shook their heads no and laughed. "As I was saying, with this new power the humans started to fight back. No longer were they running in fear and soon an army of monks and mikos raised to defend there kind. Another hundred years of war passed and it started to look as if the war will never end. Both humans and youkai were taking heavy losses, the gods didn't know what else to do to stop this madness that the world had fallen into. They knew though that if the humans ever made even the tiniest slip that it would be over for the human race for the youkai would take full advantage of it. So after much contemplation, the gods decided to once again help their second creations but they made sure not to tip the scale too much in their favor for they didn't want their first creations to die out either. This new weapon had to be earned and only the strongest of monks and mikos could wield them. So one night, all of gods creations watched as a shower of small shooting stars came down from the heavens and hundreds of them landed all over the world. No one at the time knew what they were or what it meant but they all agreed that it had something to do with the gods. It wasn't until one day, fifty years later, that a woman by the name of Midoriko came upon a small glowing stone with a symbol etched into it. She had looked at the stone curiously and was startled when she could hear it start to whisper to her. Looking closely at the symbol she realized that it was actually a name and without another thought she whispered the name out loud. She watched in amazement as the blue stone glowed so bright that she had to cover her eyes and when it finally stopped she looked back down at her hand only to realize that the stone was gone. Puzzled, she looked around for it to see if she dropped it but found nothing. It wasn't until she heard a loud growl rumbling behind her that she noticed she was no longer alone. Slowly she turned around and came face to face with a massive blue and gold dragon, he was bigger than any youkai that she has ever seen before." The twins watched as their father reached forward and grabbed a glowing blue stone from inside the box to show the two the Japanese emblem that was etched into it.
"His name was Ryujin." The little ones gasped as they looked at the item in their father's hand. The little girl reached out and picked up the stone to look at it as her father began to tell more of the story.
"Ryujin told Midoriko that as long as her heart stayed true and pure, he would follow and help her kind overcome the war that her people were falling to. That together, they could bring peace back to the lands and both creations could finally live peacefully with each other. So together the two traveled, from North to South, East to West, collecting other Star Stones and pushing the Youkai Lords back with an army of other monks and mikos. It didn't take long for Midoriko to discover others that could summon the beasts that were trapped in these beautiful stones... And they decided to call themselves the Summoners. Soon the Youkai Lords had come to realize that they couldn't win against these giant beasts that the humans have gathered. Sensing their end coming near, the Lords had to make a decision, surrender or fight til the last one fell." Ken'ichi paused for slight dramatic effect and delighted when he heard his twins gasp, both eager to hear what would happen next.
"So did they surrendered Papa? They had to of because their are still youkai here today!" Ken'ichi chuckled softly, not surprised by his little girl's words. She had always shown early on that she was quick witted.
"Well... No, they didn't surrender, they were far too stubborn for that. But Midoriko wasn't going to let this war continue on any longer. So she called a meeting with the youkai lords to suggest a truce. A truce that still stands strong today." Ken'ichi smiled down at his children.
"What was the truce Father?" The little boy asked as his sister handed him the glowing blue star stone. Ken'ichi watched as his little girl looked down at the box before picking up a glowing red stone this time.
"That the summoners would pull back and stand down as long as the youkai lords agreed to their terms. Midoriko told the lords that the gods wanted their races to be at peace, so she purposed a truce, one where they all could work together. The summoners would be responsible for the human race and the youkai lords would rule over their own. But they would work together to accomplish this. Since their were 4 youkai lords, one for each territory, their would also be 4 summoner houses that would take care of the humans in those territories. The lords would get to choose the strongest house in their territory, which is what started the Great Summoner Tournament. So every 10 years all the summoner houses come together to compete to see who was the strongest and earned the right to rule next to the youkai lord of their territory." Ken'ichi finished with a small smile.
"Is that why you are always gone papa?" The little girl asked as she looked up at her father with a curious stare.
"Yes, sweetheart. The Higurashi House has been the ruling House of the West ever since Midoriko purposed the truce." Both children looked over at the doorway to look at their mother as she answered their question this time. A long moan like growl broke the small silence that over took the family and everyone turned their attention towards the other end of the study. They all watched as a golden color wolf stretched out his long lean body before fully standing up on all fours and looked over at the family. His sharp electrified eyes scanned the room a moment before he approached the father and two children.
"Father, did Raiju come from a star stone?" The little boy asked as he reached out to pet the wolf. He let out a giggle as the wolf turned to lick the boys face. The little girl went to reach out and pet the wolf as well, but stopped short when she saw small sparks of electricity run across the wolf's body.
"Yes, Raiju is my soul companion, every summoner has one. When a summoner first comes into their power, one particular star stone will reach out to the summoner by whispering to them. This stone will then become that summoners soul stone, and their very first star stone. Unlike the other star stones that the summoner will get, this companion will stay by their chosen summoner's side until the day they die." Ken'ichi told his children before glancing up to look at his wife.
A short scream broke the serene silence of the room. Ken'ichi snapped his head towards the window in his study before quickly standing up and setting his children down. Making his way over to the window that over looked the courtyard of the shrine. The light of the moon made it easy for him to see three of his servants dash to the right side where smoke began to bellow up and shroud everything. More screams followed and more people rushed around. The rush of movement caused the smoke to swirl and further expand. All the bodies of the people down below soon disappeared because of this, all accept one figure that slowly walked through it. Ken'ichi narrowed his eyes as he watched the silhouette. The figure started to become more and more clear with every step he took and when he finally breached through the smoke, Ken'ichi gritted his teeth. 'So the time has finally come.' He thought to himself as he locked eyes with the man staring up at him from the courtyard.
Ken'ichi swiftly turned away from the window and walked to his desk, collecting important items. Reaching for the box of star stones, he searched for the blue stone he told his children about, only to realize that his son still had it. Grabbing a small brown leather pouch, he poured the remaining star stones into it before turning to face Raiju and knelt down to one knee.
"The time has come old friend." He whispered to the lightning wolf, and with a nod of his head followed by a low whine, the family watched as a bright golden light consumed the canine. When the light finally disappeared, a golden star stone was left in his place. Ken'ichi reached out and picked up the stone before putting it in the bag with the others. Getting back up he grabbed a leather bound journal from his desk before he made his way over to his family, who was waiting by the doorway.
Sending a small smile to his children, he handed his little boy the pouch of star stones and took the glowing blue stone. Next he handed his little girl his leather journal and kissed them both on their forehead before telling them. "Take care of your mother for me, ok. Can you do that?" He watched as both his children nodded their heads as they looked at him in confusion. He gave them a reassuring smile before facing his wife, who already had tears in her eyes as she realized what was going on.
"Aoi, Take the children and get to the Western palace as fast as you can, don't stop for anything. Make sure you tell Lord Touga what has happened here." He told her softly and watched as she gave him a nod. Leaning forward, he gave his wife a quick kiss before ushering them all out the door. He watched as his wife rushed the children to the right, all the way down the hall before disappearing completely.
"My Lord, my Lord! We are under attack." Ken'ichi turned to face the fellow monk before nodding his head. "Make sure everyone gets out of here. completely clear the compound." The monk made a quick bow before running off to do as he was told. Ken'ichi turned left and made his way out of the shrine. It only took him a few minutes to navigate the halls and step out into the courtyard, facing the man that invaded his home.
-
Aoi ushered her little ones out of the shrine, trying her best to dodge the panic induced people that were doing their best to flee. Looking around frantically, she finally spotted the stables and quickly rushed her children towards it. The horses were in just as much of a panic as the humans were, most of them bucked around and were ramming their gates. Aoi ignored this though as they raced past all of them, her destination was located at the back of the stable. Finally reaching the last stall, Aoi looked to the right and spotted what she was looking for.
Letting go of the twin's hands, she walked up to the obsidian black, 8 legged horse. His eyes glowed a bright red as he looked down at Aoi. "We need to leave, and quickly. We have no time." The horse looked over at the children then back at Aoi before giving a nod and stomped his giant hove. Aoi turned to her children before picking them up one by one to set them on top of the horse, then climbed up herself before taking off.
They raced as fast as they could through the forest, climbing further and further up the deep slope of the mountain. Down below, the fires raged brightly as it consumed the shrine but it wasn't until a deep vibrating roar echoed throughout the area that Aoi finally paused and looked back. The small family looked on in frightening horror as a monstrous wolf appeared down below. His fur was a thick dark grey and he had eyes the color of murderous red. Even being as far away as they were, they could hear the clinking of broken chains as the creature walked forward, towering over the trees as they crunched underneath him as he made his way towards the burning shrine. It was only a quick second later when a blinding blue light flashed throughout the area before a giant blue and golden scaled dragon appeared on the other side of the shrine. Another deafening roar answered the opposing one, as the serpent's slick lean body coiled up in preparation to fight.
Everything stood silent, the tension in the air was almost suffocating and it felt like eternity had passed before the wolf finally made his move and lunged toward the dragon. Claws and teeth ripped into each other as they battled. The ground shook as they did a wild and haphazard dance, pouncing and dodging around each other. The family watched as the wolf's claws blazed with fire as he lunged for the dragon. As the serpent went to dodge left, the wolf quickly adjusted his direction to follow, finally succeeding in tackling the dragon. Both flew through the air, rapidly heading in the direction of the mountain.
Aoi's eyes widened as she watched the colossal giants heading their way. "Sleipnir, Run!" The horse in question wildly turned and began to race back up the mountain path. Unfortunately Sleipnir wasn't quick enough to get out of immediate area and as the serpent crashed into the side of the mountain, the shattering impact of the earth sent a shock wave of debre, causing him to stumble. Aoi almost lost her grip on her children, barely being able to keep all three of them on Sleipnir's back as he continued to race for safety, trying to dodge the claws of the wolf as he stuck down. But just as Sleipnir finally put enough distance between them and the fighting giants, a deep growl screeched out of the massive dragon's maws and immediately after a rain of lightning struck down. The bolts littered the area as it attempted to strick the wolf, but unfortunately a stray bolt struck too close to Sleipnir, causing him to lose his balance and dislodging the family from his back.
"Kagome!" Aoi's hold on her little girl loosened as they were thrown off, causing her to be flung to the left side as Aoi and her son were thrown to the right. Kagome cried out as she took a hard landing, her momentum caused her to keep rolling down the side off the path. She continued to slide another 20 feet down before coming to a sudden stop as she slammed into a large rock.
She laid there, motionless, for a good 5 minutes before the little girl attempted to move. Slowly she pushed herself up on all fours before looking around. Her mother and brother were nowhere to be seen so she called out to them. "Mama! Souta! Where are you?" Kagome waited for a minute and listened but couldn't hear anything over all the noise of the battle. Tears soon escaped her eyes, blurring her vision as she tried to search. Slowly she began to stand up but pain shot through her right ankle causing her to cry out and clutch at the rock for support. After another minute or two, she tried again. This time limping as she tried to climb back up to the path. But one small misstep caused the little girl to lose her balance, sending her backwards and this time, there was nothing to stop her fall.
-
The scent of smoke hung heavily in the air and the dense fog didn't help the Lord as he tried to figure what had exactly happened. By what he could smell, the destruction had happened hours ago but from here he was able to determine that it didn't take place in his territory. The tall male paused in step by the river that separated the North from the West and looked around. His long sapphire blue hair whipped around him as the wind played with it, violet orbs scanned the now quite forest, looking for something, looking for anything! A frown soon appeared as nothing stood out. Well now that he knew that his lands were safe, he could finally be on his way and head home. Just as the Northern youkai lord went to turn to head back the way he came, a small red glow caught his eye.
Lord Ryou slowly made his way towards the tiny glow and as he got closer he realized it was a small body that had washed up on the rivers bank. From what he could tell, the little thing was human... And female. Her bright red kimono was torn and muted due to the dirt that covered her. Blood clung to her but she was still breathing, just barely. Kneeling down, Lord Ryou carefully turned the small body over and the dim red glow got brighter. There, clutched in her tiny right hand was a star stone. 'So the little one isn't just any normal human.' He thought to himself as he looked her over once more. She wore nothing that told him of what House she belonged to but did have a leather journal tucked into her obi. After another moment of thought, Lord Ryou made his decision and carefully picked up the small broken body before heading home.
-
END OF CHAPTER 1
A/N: Thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
(MYTHOLOGY FACTS)
-Ryujin: Is a dragon king and is known to be a deity of the sea. -Japanese Mythology
-Raiju: Is the companion to Raijin (Thunder God). He is mostly depicted as a wolf. -Japanese Mythology
-Sleipnir: Is an 8 legged horse ridden by Odin (Father of gods/ Lightning God). It is said that Odin will sometimes rid Sleipnir to Hel.-Norse Mythology