Fruits Basket Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inuyasha Basket ❯ Chapter Twenty-Two: Peaceful Acceptance ( Chapter 22 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I own neither of these animes/mangas. Property to their brilliant owners… which is not me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

PeacefulAcceptance

Hatori sighed and looked down. It felt like the entire world had gone to hell—again. He was doing to everyone else what Akito had forced him to do to himself. He would have to take away the ones from the past's memory first, and then, once they arrived in their own time, their memories. Perhaps once they got the main house. They would all faint afterwards, so they might as well be somewhere others are. He would have to erase Kagome's mother, grandfather, and brother's memories as well.

He had never had to erase another Sohma's memory, but this was for their own good. They wouldn't try to go back here that way, and they could move on easily with their lives. He just had to invent a reason for them to suddenly all wake up at the Sohma residence.

That didn't make what he was really doing easy, though. It never was.

He glanced at Kikyou. Would it even work on someone who was dead? Hard to say for certain. The most difficult ones, though, would definitely be Akito and Naraku. Everyone was a little nervous about this—Yuki most of all.

They had almost lost Ayame today, too. Nobody wanted to think about it, but it was true. This world was so dangerous. They had to get out of here as soon as they could—before anything irreparable happened.

“It's all right. Just give them some to think about it, and they'll understand,” Kikyou said softly.

Somehow, her words were comforting to Hatori. “Some of them might. I don't think Kyou or Ayame will.” Luckily, Ayame obeyed Hatori rather well, and Yuki could just throw Kyou down the well.

“I don't think they will be too troublesome,” she commented.

He nodded. “I agree.” He turned to look at her. “How do you think tomorrow will go?”

She put her hand on one of his, seeing that he needed the comfort. “I believe that we will win.”

It was comforting to know that she believed this—very comforting. It was more of a relief to Hatori than he had thought it would be. Perhaps, he just really needed to know that someone believed this was so—and it meant something when she said it. He covered her hand with his. “Thank you, Kikyou-san.”

Kikyou sat up a little straighter, turning her head away. For some reason, she felt a bit embarrassed. “It is nothing… Hatori-san.”

“It's something to me,” he said. She looked back at him. The moment happened like something as unavoidable as gravity. Maybe it was strange, for a lot of different reasons; Hatori would be leaving soon, Kikyou was dead, she wouldn't remember him. But it could also be why it happened. The idea of being alone again—that was truly unbearable. And so, fate would have it that they kissed each other softly, tentatively. Both of them were a little afraid. They had given their hearts before, and it had ended in sorrow both times. They were beginning this relationship doomed from the start, with that idea in the forefront of their minds.

And yet… It happened anyway. There was no avoiding it. One could not run from such a moment as this. And, even though every instinct and painful memory protested, the kiss happened anyway.

They looked away again, neither one really prepared for this, and just a bit frightened of the prospects it could mean.

Momiji came into the dark building with Shippou. Ayame and Sesshoumaru were asleep, and that guy Akitoki was in here too. But no one else was. Rather than think about it, the two sleepy kids decided to slip off into the dreamworld.

Jaken and AhUn stayed as far away from the village as was acceptable by Sesshoumaru's standards. Rin considered going over there to sleep, but the prospect of blankets and a futon sounded infinitely better. But she didn't know where to go. She found Kaede's hut. The old woman was still awake, grinding herbs.

“Where is Sesshoumaru-sama?” Rin wondered.

“Ye best leave them alone, child. I believe your lord be asleep.”

Rin smiled at that thought. Sesshoumaru needed to sleep more often, in her opinion. The guy was an insomniac or something—not that Rin would know the meaning of that word. “Where is he? Did he go somewhere, or—“
“Rin?”

At first, at the flat, joyless, monotone voice, she thought it might be Sesshoumaru, but also knew that it was not. She turned around. Who else would speak like that? Ah, Hatori. Rin bowed. “Yes?”

“Are you looking for Sesshoumaru?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

“Come with me.”

She followed the dragon to the hut. He made a motion to be quiet. She nodded. He opened the reed door enough to let the moonlight in. Sure enough, there was Momiji, Akitoki, Shippou, and two silver-haired bishies near the back, snuggled up next to each other. Rin couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Sesshoumaru was fast asleep, and how often did she get to see that?

“He's all right, Rin. The women's hut is—“ Rin had already walked inside. She climbed in between Ayame and Sesshoumaru. Ayame didn't move, but Sesshoumaru opened one eye. He watched Rin climb in, then his eye slid closed. Imagine that. A prideful, arrogant, jackass sort of guy like that who was so protective of that little girl—and Ayame.

Hatori sighed deeply, another guilty feeling plaguing him. At least Kikyou didn't hate him for this. There were still several extra beds. He took one as far apart from the others as he could manage and tried to go to sleep.