Fruits Basket Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inuyasha Basket ❯ Chapter Twenty-Six: Hypnosis ( Chapter 26 )

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

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hypnosis

It happened slowly, it seemed, but it really all happened at once. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. A flash lit the area for a brief second, bathing Yuki, Hatori, Shigure, and Akito in a white light.

Akito felt like he was slipping dangerously over the edge of something unknown, falling into uncharted depths. The only existence was the blinding nothingness. First, white, then the white was swallowed by the blackness of unconsciousness. Akito crumpled to the ground slowly, as if being assisted by the gods in his descent to the ground.

Hatori had told the others to wait for the flash of light. He handed over Akito to Shigure. Shigure knew what to do. He glanced over his shoulder, in the direction he had last seen Miroku go, wondering about all the little “maybes” in life. He took a deep breath and, Akito's limp form in his arms, hopped over the edge of the well. The other Sohmas and Tohru came running. They had to do this as quickly as possible. Hatori was to be the only one still here when the others were having their memories erased. The idea was that it prevented prolonged goodbyes and heartache. It also gave them more time. They only had an hour before Akito woke up, and then he would start asking questions—and Hatori didn't feel right about erasing the god's memory over and over again just to keep him asleep.

The idea was probably true anyway. It was best to do something hard on the heart in the middle of a crisis, so that one did not have the time to dwell on it.

Yuki was the next one down the well. He did not look back. It would be too painful if he happened to see her, or hear her. Even if he just saw her friends, to know that he would forget that Sango ever existed within the hour… It was just too much right now. But he also knew that he couldn't stay here. He didn't belong here. They should simply leave them all be.

Momiji made it there next and leaped over the side of the well. He had no regrets. He knew what it would be like to have someone's memory of him erased. He knew how much it hurt to know that. But he also knew that he wouldn't feel that hurt for much longer. Besides, Rin had her own life here—like everyone else. But she had accepted him even with the curse. Hatori was probably right—just to be accepted by someone else was probably more than anyone cursed by the Juunishi could ever hope for. It was enough—for now.

Haru looked off where Kagome had last been seen, then hurtled downward. He had said his goodbyes to Kagome earlier. They both knew the consequences of trying to be together, even if it were possible in their time, which it was not. It hurt too. It hurt that she couldn't be beside him anymore. He also felt a loss at losing this world—a world where they were not such outcasts. At least it existed. At least it was once here.

Kyou paused, only to listen to the sound of the battle. He twitched his ear, and could just make out Inuyasha's rather harsh, uneducated voice that seemed to perfectly correspond with his personality. He sighed and leaped downwards. It was silly anyway. Being with a guy, for one thing, was weird. Being with a hanyou guy was even weirder, and just to add a bit more weirdness, being with a guy who was five hundred years in the past was as weird as it gets. Maybe it would be best if everyone just forgot. It wouldn't matter in an hour or so anyway, though. He wouldn't remember.

Tohru had smiled one last time to Akitoki. Desperately, he leaned forward, pulling her back and kissed her softly. She froze, then blushed, but didn't know what to say or do. “Go now, Tohru-san,” he urged. She nodded, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze, then turned and ran for the well. She jumped down into it. The others had gone, and so she wasn't so frightened. But, leaving everyone like this—she just didn't like it. It reminded her of when she had almost moved out of the Shigure's house. She felt like she was losing a piece of her. And, Hatori erasing her memory kind of frightened her as well. But she knew that Hatori was her friend, and so, he wouldn't erase any more than was necessary. She knew that he wanted her to remember, and stay with them. So, her memories of Yuki and Kyou were safe. But her memories of this world would be forever lost to her.

Ayame was the only one who had walked—either because he was genuinely not physically apt for a lot of sprinting like the younger Sohmas were, or because he was stalling. Perhaps it was a combination of the two. Either way, it earned him one last look at Sesshoumaru, who had just came leaping out of the forest, hauling with him a half-dead, very pulverized-looking Naraku. Inuyasha was close behind him, and so were the others. The two silver-haired bishies shared a regretful, mutual look, then Ayame, too, disappeared down the well.

Naraku was only somewhat conscious, so thus was fairly pliable. But probably not for too much longer. Sesshoumaru pulled him to Hatori. Hatori touched his fingertips to Naraku's forehead. Another white flash lit the area, and Naraku fainted. Sesshoumaru dropped him like a deadweight. That wouldn't do. Before Hatori left, he would have to put Naraku somewhere else. But he would do this on his own.

“Which of you would like to be first?” he asked flatly.

There were no volunteers. He had suspected that. Kirara stepped forward. Yes, the youkai could communicate to other youkai, so he should erase her memory. He touched the furry forehead. Kirara fainted abruptly. Shippou was next. Sango stepped forward, looking down. She looked so upset that Yuki was gone, heartbroken.

His own heart ached for her. He touched her forehead and she fell. Miroku caught her and gently laid her down. He was next. He fell beside her. Kagome was the next victim.

Jaken and Rin had been taken care of earlier, as well as AhUn, and the village. Sesshoumaru's group had gone to a place farther away, sat down in appropriate areas, and then allowed Hatori to erase their memories. For them, it would be like waking up from a nap.

That left only two more. He looked around for the brothers, then found them both by the well, looking down it. It was strange. They both shared pained expressions, but had different ways of bearing it. Sesshoumaru looked like a picturesque mourning angel. Inuyasha couldn't look more human when he was upset like this. The strangest thing about it, though, was that they were near each other and were not arguing or trying to kill each other. Most likely, because it made little difference. The end result would only be the same.

Hatori stepped up to them. Neither moved. They knew what was coming. How could they not?

Inuyasha happened to be standing closer to Hatori. He touched his forehead. Inuyasha held up a finger, gesturing for one more moment. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It doesn't really seem fair, does it? To know someone, and then forget that they ever existed?” So, Inuyasha wasn't going to try to fight or run away. That was good.

Hatori was a bit worried that the youkai lord might try to flee with his memories intact, or try to kill him. But he didn't.

Instead, Sesshoumaru, Prince of the West, merely stared down in the well intently. “For once, I agree with you, little brother.”

Inuyasha looked up at him. Hatori's hand fell away. “That's the first time.”

Sesshoumaru nodded.

“Probably the last too.”
He nodded again.

“And neither of us will even remember it.”

Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha. “It is regrettable, is it not?” He looked back at the well. “Perhaps I was wrong, Inuyasha. You are not as worthless or repulsive as I once thought, and you should have Tessaiga; you need it.”

Inuyasha smiled crookedly. “Wish I could remember you saying that.”

“If you could remember, I would never have said it.”

He looked down the well. “Well, I… You're not as big of a jackass as I thought you were either. So, I was… wrong about you, too.”

When he looked up again, he took a step back in surprise. Sesshoumaru was smiling, and the smile touched his eyes, but his golden orbs were also full of sadness and regret for the lost snake.

Inuyasha looked at Hatori. “It's time now, huh?”

“Yes,” Hatori said.

“All right.” He gave a nod, signaling that it was all right now. Hatori touched his forehead again and released his power. Inuyasha fell to the earth, unconscious.

Sesshoumaru's smile had faded away upon gazing into the well again. He said nothing when Hatori touched the crescent moon marking on his forehead. Hatori paused, but Sesshoumaru truly had nothing to say. So, Hatori released his power. Sesshoumaru collapsed, falling with an alien sort of grace. Hatori had some work to do now, and he had to do it quickly.

He rearranged the unconscious people so that it looked more natural. Inuyasha and his group, he carried one by one into the forest, quickly, powered by the blood of the dragon that was so potent in this world. Sesshoumaru was a bit heavier, because of his armor, but he pulled him onto the other side of the forest, dragging him in a bit deeper, ever careful of the white clothing. With Naraku, he just sort of drug him a little ways away and dropped him, then went back to the well.

He had purposefully avoided the place they had left Kikyou. But he had to agree with everyone else. It truly wasn't fair.

He passed through the well to his time.

Kagome's family's memories were easy enough to erase quickly. The others were piled into the car, crowded and waiting. Hatori drove like a madman to the Sohma Estate, just barely getting Akito into his bed with Shigure's help before Akito woke up. He left Shigure with Akito, who would give him a well-delivered lie. It was easiest to erase Momiji's memory first, followed by the others who lived at the Estate. Shigure, Yuki, Tohru, and Kyou would be last.

He could say that he was away on a personal vacation during all this time. The others would understand; he needed it. It wasn't very believable, but they would have no choice but to believe. If they didn't, they would face the consequence of hypnosis.