InuYasha Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Not Your Normal 9 to 5 ❯ The Long Journey Home ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14: The Long Road Home

 

Lennex was aware of a few things after he had been rescued from death by his friends. He felt them land on the ground and then he felt himself eased onto said ground as gently as could be. He felt horrible still from the effects of the miasma and after a few more moments of blurry consciousness, his body finally shut down and Lennex fell into unconsciousness.

 

The next time he awoke, he was feeling much much better. The sky was just turning pink, signaling that the sun was setting after a long days travel through the sky. He heard the sounds of forest and noticed that there were trees all around.

 

"How are you feeling?" a voice asked from behind. He slowly sat up and turned to face Kagome. She was kneeling on the ground behind another man who was injured, busily wrapping a bandage around his chest. Lennex noticed to dark blotches on the gauze, one from the shards that used to be imbedded in his skin, the other from an arrow wound. Lennex observed Kalin's face, and took note that the cruelness was gone from it. What was left was pain and despair. Lennex was pretty sure it wasn't from the injuries either. He glanced down at his own body and saw his shoulder was wrapped, covering the wound made by Naraku's hand.

 

He was definitely not classifying demons as weaker anymore. They may not have the same powers he possessed, but they were definitely not weak. Not when one of them was so easily able to take him down when he was a Super Sayjin. He tried rolling his shoulder and winced a bit at the pain. He noticed that his body had stopped feeling as sick as it did on the cliff. He quickly took a quick assessment of his powers. The wall was back in place trying to hinder his use of his energy, but with a little concentration Lennex was able to break it down again. Just to make sure he raised his good hand and fired a lower powered blast into the ground. Those around the campsite jumped a little at the small explosion.

 

He took note of Inuyasha, whose back was up against a tree, his sword sheathed and propped against his shoulder. He looked a little battle scared but his demon body was healing much faster then the humans around him. Sango and Miroku sat beside each other around the small fire that was cooking what looked to be the night's dinner. Each was bandaged in different places but all in all they looked all right. Most notable was the burns on Miroku's hand and the wrap around Sango's calf. Shippo he noted was standing by the fire, eyes closed, in another training trance. He smiled when he noticed that every so often, Inuyasha would stare at the fox for a little bit out of the corner of his eyes.

 

He turned back to Kagome and her patient. Kalin's face had registered shock at Lennex's power display but quickly fell to misery again and let his head hang. Kagome gave him a look of pity as she finished off wrapping the fresh bandage and shook her head. She stood up and walked over to check Lennex's bandage.

 

"What happed while I was out?" he asked her.

 

As she started to unwrap his bandage preparing to put a fresh set on, she told him how they had received company in the forms of Sesshomaru and Koga in the small valley. Sesshomaru had taken one look at the valley and turned away, slowly waking back in the direction he had come from Since Naraku was no longer around, and he had no reason to be there. Even the insults that Inuyasha had thrown at him didn't make him stay to teach his half brother a lesson. Then the wolf showed up and Inuyasha and Koga went through their normal routine. Koga immediately started fawning over Kagome, claiming her yet again as his woman, and Inuyasha kept renouncing the claim.

 

"I swear the two of them act like little boys." she said as she started to roll the gauze over his shoulder. Lennex chuckled and wished he was awake when it happened. He asked Kagome what had happened to him while he was out.

 

"I wrapped your wound and then purified you of the miasma. Naraku's little poison gas is lethal, but I'm getting pretty good at getting rid of it. We then decided to get back under the cover of the forest before treating the others wounds and set up camp here."

 

Lennex nodded and then looked at Kalin. "And what's your story?" he asked, startling the other fighter.

 

"What does it matter," Kalin replied softly, no longer sounding like the man he had been under the jewel shards influence. "I've committed crimes against innocents. Killed hundreds of them with a power I thought would benefit mankind. Instead I destroyed what I was once trying to protect."

 

Lennex heard the words and new this man would probably live like this the rest of his life, and the way he was feeling, his life may not be that long. It was fact that back in these days, suicide was considered an honorable way out of facing a bad situation. Lennex wanted to prevent that.

 

"The power is neither good nor bad. It's the intentions behind the power that matters. Most of what you did was not really you, but the thing that Naraku had turned you into. That doesn't wash the blood from your hands, but it's not as bad as you may think. Your one real crime was taking a crutch to increase your power. You're on the road to becoming a very powerful warrior. This time make sure the power is your own. Your still alive, make up for your past deeds and do something good with your life."

 

The little speech brought a little light back into Kalin's eyes as he pondered the words. Miroku came over to the injured fighter and sat down to talk about the teachings of Buddha on forgiveness and retribution. For once the monk was being a monk, and not the lecher he was famed for. Kagome smiled at Lennex as she finished the bandaged and stood up, offering her hand to help him up. He gladly took it and together walked over towards the fire to leave the two men alone for a bit, the smell of the cooking food beckoning them.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

It was some time later, as the sun had long since set that Kalin and Miroku joined them again. Kalin looked a little more like a normal person, but Lennex could see the ghosts behind his eyes. He had a lot to do before he forgave himself it looked.

 

"So what did you decide to do?" Lennex questioned.

 

Kalin looked up at the group and spoke.

 

"I have a lot to make up for, but thanks to the guidance of this monk, and of your words," Kalin said motioning to Lennex. "I am going to get back to my training. I plan on making myself even more of a hermit then I was before. I know of a little chain of islands that would be perfect for solitude. I am going to become a strong warrior like you on my own. Someday, maybe we can have a rematch against each other."

 

Lennex nodded his head in agreement, not having it in his heart to tell the man that he probably wouldn't be in this time for much longer. He hoped anyways. It had been almost a week since falling through and starting on this little journey and he wasn't sure if Bulma had figured anything out yet or not.

 

"I don't plan to take anyone that hasn't passed a few tests as my apprentices either," Kalin continued, breaking Lennex from his thoughts. "I plan to make these tests some of the most foolish tests I can think of. If they are serious about training, they will do whatever it takes, and that will show me they are honest about their desire to learn." Kalin nodded to himself, agreeing more and more with the decision he was making.

 

Lennex thought it sounded like a good plan, but there were a few questions he wanted to ask, however, Miroku beat him to the punch with a question of his own.

 

"And how will we know you have succeeded in your goals, Master Kalin." the monk asked.

 

Kalin looked a little startled at the master comment but frowned once more at the question. He looked up after a moment of contemplation and responded to the question.

 

"When you hear of the Kame Senin style of martial arts, you will know I have succeeded."

 

Lennex, who had just taken a bite out of a piece of jerky he had stored in one of his capsules, started to choke, for when he had heard the words he inhaled sharply causing the piece of dried meat to get stuck in his throat. After a little back pounding Lennex was able to clear his passage way and looked at Kalin wide eyed. He forced himself to look away from the man, not wanting him to wonder why the words had troubled him so much. For troubled him they had.

 

It made perfect sense now. Why the techniques he had learned from Goku had never seemed to work against Kalin. Why Kalin was able to summon the Kamehameha wave that Goku and any of the other's who trained under Master Roshi were able to use. The style these moves belonged to was in fact the Kame Senin style. And Lennex was sitting across from the man who would create and master the style. who would teach an apprentice, who would teach Master Roshi's master, who would then in turn go down the line till the secrets of this fighting style wound up in Goku's hands.

 

If he had killed Kalin, his timeline would have changed drastically. He was suddenly very homesick for his time. He didn't want to chance anything like this again.

 

The rest continued talking, not noticing the discomfort of their new friend, and after a while they started to turn in. Tomorrow would be the start of their journey home.

 

0-0-0-0

 

They awoke the next morning early and Kagome went to start checking the bandages of the wounded. Lennex stopped her as he pulled something from his belt. It was a small green bean which he place on a rock. With a tightly focused Ki beam, he split the bean into four pieces, giving three of them away to Sango, Miroku, and Kalin. He explained that this was the bean he went after, and that even though it was only a quarter piece, since the injuries they each possessed wasn't so bad, it should heal them up completely.

 

Each of them downed their piece and looked surprised to find themselves feeling much better then before. Sango was able to walk with her full weight on her leg now, and Miroku found his hand was free from the burns. Lennex and Kalin's injuries were almost fully healed, but the flesh was still very tender. Kalin thanked these people again and started out to complete his destiny. Lennex shook his head again at the irony of it all.

 

"Come on, let's get back to the village, and see what's been happening since we have been gone." Inuyasha commanded. Sango and Miroku mounted the transformed Kirara, and Kagome jumped on Inuyasha's back. Shippo jumping up on her shoulder as was customary. They looked at Lennex and he smiled, slowly floating up into the air a few feet. Inuyasha took off at a fast pace and Kirara moved to follow him from the air. Lennex took off after them pulling even with Kirara and waving at the fire cat's passengers who looked at little wide eyed. They were still not used to their friend flying.

 

They traveled for a short distance until they came to the village on the other side of the forest. The villagers were happy to hear that the threat Kalin had presented to them was no longer there. They left the village quickly after they arrived and continued on home. The journey should only take them a day or two at the most now that they didn't have to hunt for the shards. During the first day after passing some other settlements of humans, they learned of some demon attacks in the area. Not one to let people suffer, Kagome had convinced Inuyasha to help out.

 

Lennex had to laugh because the convincing was done mostly with a few sit commands, and Inuyasha finally found it in his heart to help. Lennex helped out where he could, but preferred to watch his friends at work in their own element. He could tell this was no where near their first fight together as they played on each others strengths during the fight with this unnamed demon. He was pleased to see Shippo finding a niche in their fight, no longer the side line player anymore. Lennex grinned as he dove in to attack an opening the demon had presented.

 

0-0-0-0

 

On their journey home, they had been waylaid by a few more demon encounters. Apparently the shards Kagome had around her neck proved to be a beacon for trouble. Lennex, as anxious as he was to get back and find out what was going on, didn't so much mind being able to get to know these people better. The trip back took them a full extra day more then it should, and they were just cresting the last hill before the village Inuyasha and the rest considered home as the sun started dipping down towards the horizon. The village was a welcome site, but everyone could tell that there were more people in the village then there should be. As they entered the village, they were people all around cheering them as the came closer. They finally saw Kaede who stood next to the daughter and her father, the village elder, that they had saved just before fighting Kalin.

 

"Welcome home my friends" Kaede said as they stopped in front of her. "These people brought news to everyone about your deeds. The people of the lost villages that survived, and those that were saved by your actions decided to come here to celebrate your victory."

 

Inuyasha looked a little baffled. Usually people didn't want to celebrate anything with him, but his friends smiled at the prospect of a little down time. He noticed the village had been decorated for the event, paper lanterns strung out between the huts and the village square had an abundance of people severing food and drink. There was dancing going on, the music provided by a few villagers that had instruments to play.

 

Lennex threw his arm around Inuyasha's shoulders and grinned ear to ear. "Let's have us a party!" he crowed.

 

0-0-0-0

 

It was dark once again and Lennex found himself on the sidelines of the village square. The impromptu party had been underway for some time now, and didn't show any signs of slowing. The group of adventures had been seated at a table set especially for them and they ate and drank their fill, people coming up to them and thanking them for their kindness and courage in stopping the man who had destroyed so much. Those from the devastated villages thanked them for their deeds of burying their dead. Others were from the villages that Inuyasha's group had helped repair after Kalin had been there. The little band, as Lennex had started to refer to them was playing some pretty upbeat tunes and his friends decided dancing was in order.

 

It was now that Lennex was watching his friends from the side. Inuyasha and Kagome looked a bit awkward with the dance. They both appeared to know the steps, but the proximity towards each other was making them clumsy and missing a few steps. The smiles on their faces however showed they were enjoying the fun regardless. Miroku and Sango however looked as if they had been dancing together for years. Their steps were flawless and fluid as they twirled through the steps, gazing into each others eyes. Lennex shook his head as Sango's smile tightened a little bit and a loud crack was heard. When people looked, their hands were still joined, but the monk sported a new handprint on his cheek, his other hand once again resting on Sango's waist, instead of lower where it had been. By Lennex's count that was about the sixth attempt in the last couple of hours.

 

He noticed Shippo entertaining the younger girls with his tricks, which now sported a bit more flare since he was using his fox fire in more controlled ways. Kirara, in her kitten form stayed close to the young demon, almost like a watchful mother.

 

He was extremely happy that his friends were enjoying themselves, instead of risking their lives for once. He took a slow drink from the tankard that he had picked up before retreating to sit and watch the fun. It wasn't Sake, but it definitely packed a punch. It was apparently a local brew that the villagers loved. He had to admit it was pretty good. He caught the eyes of two pretty village girls as they started to approach him and he shook his head at their advance. This wasn't the first time he had to shoot down a few romantic gestures tonight.

 

"Ye seem to be quite popular tonight with the village women." the wizened voice of Kaede said as she approached him from behind. He glanced at her and took another drink, waiting for the obvious question. He didn't wait long.

 

"I wonder why you're not out there with any of the ladies that have asked you."

 

Lennex downed the rest of the brew before replying. "Right now those girls have visions of things I cant give them running through their heads, whether those dreams are of long term or just through the end of tonight. I have someone at home, that quite frankly; I'm starting to miss a lot."

 

Kaede nodded after hearing the words. Love, it seemed, was always present with the young. She looked over Lennex's head and then back down at him. "Well it looks as if you have another admirer, I will leave you be." She said as she slowly walked away, Lennex sighed as he heard the footsteps stop just behind him. He looked at the bottom of the empty tankard and wished it was full again. Ah well, alcohol never solved anything.

 

"Look, the answer is no, I have someone back in my homeland waiting for me, and I can't betray her trust like that, even with a simple dance or anything like that, I'm sorry." He said without looking back. The voice that replied back to him caused him to drop the empty cup.

 

"Well I'm certainly glad that I can trust you even when you're in another time. Its always reassuring to know your man is faithful." Bra replied.

 

Lennex whipped around to see Bra standing behind him, in a very fancy kimono. She was likely to be mistaken for royalty dressed up like that, but he didn't care at that moment. He went to her and threw his arms around her, kissing her soundly. When it was time to breathe again he pulled away smiling at her.

 

"How did you get here?" he asked. She giggled leaning into him again, resting her head on his shoulder, enjoying the close contact.

 

"My mother is a genius remember?" she responded as if that explained everything. He laughed at that, and asked for a more of a detailed explanation.

 

"Fine fine, if you want to hear about that boring stuff instead of talking to me," she said winking and stepping back, pulling her kimono open a little bit, revealing a white belt wrapping around her lean stomach. There were a few lights and controls on the front. "We determined that the XO-12257 material, while able to generate a lot of power, if exposed to a large surge generates a time field. While harmless on its own, if you come in contact with something that can move through time, viola, time travel. Mom thinks this stuff is what her future counterpart used to fuel my future brother's time machine. It created the field to enter the time stream, then the machine did the actually travel. You however just used an already stable wormhole in time. Also," she said pulling a small hypo device. "We found that the material can have certain effects on Ki energy. Papa was not happy about testing that theory out."

 

Lennex felt her press the hypo up to his arm and felt the device inject something into him. Almost immediately all sense of the invisible wall was gone, his powers were now truly his own again. He looked down at Bra and motioned to her midriff.

 

"And the belt?" he asked.

 

It takes the XO and applies a charge to it creating the field. Then I just jumped down the well and I was in a forest. I went back and mom started making a few more of the belts. One for you of course, and some for your friends, the ones that aren't able to pass through."

 

Lennex grinned pulling Bra in for another kiss before waving his friends over. He was sure they would be happy by the news that the three non time travelers would be able to accompany Kagome and Inuyasha.

 

"Wait till you meet my new friends." Lennex said with a smile. Lennex introduced her to each of his new friends and her bubbly personality made her an instant hit with each of them. Especially Miroku. The monk after shaking hands inched closer to her and whispered in her ear his now infamous line. Lennex shook his head as Bra just laughed in the monks face. Sango however had a different reaction. She grabbed the Monk by the scruff of his robes and hauled him off to have a talk.

 

Bra turned to the rest. "Is he always that forward?"

 

"You have no idea." Inuyasha replied followed by Shippo's declaration that Miroku was in fact an idiot. Bra linked her arm around Lennex's and looked at Kagome

 

"There's a party going on, how about we join it!" she said pulling Lennex towards the dancing villagers. Kagome grinned and grabbed a reluctant half demon and followed them.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

The party lasted until the early hours of the morning and after a lengthy discussion, Miroku and Sango had rejoined the rest. They had danced until they couldn't stand anymore and finally went back to Kaede's to sleep. The next morning found the group trekking towards the well. The time had come for Lennex to go home. They arrived at the well and Bra gave Kagome the three belts made for Miroku, Sango, and Shippo. Since Kirara was so small, all Sango had to do was hold onto her to let her pass. She showed her how to turn them on and off and the other little items on the control panel and then handed Lennex his belt. Lennex strapped it on as he spoke to his friends.

 

"I will have Bulma put together a supply box for you guys, so you can have more medical aid and food supplies to take along on these journeys. I will see if she can't get some shelters for you also."

 

"That would be great, your ice box contraption held many wonderful foods." Miroku said, thinking about the monstrous sandwich he once made.

 

Lennex smiled and shook the Monks hand and then Sango's “Its good to see a women warrior this far in the past. Don't let these guys bully you around." he said winking at the Demon exterminator.

 

He looked at Kagome and Inuyasha and thanked them for finding him in the well and taking care of him the time he was here. He advised them he was very grateful that he had not have woken up by himself in the past. He then moved to Shippo.

 

"Keep up the training, my friend. I'll check up on your progress from time to time, I hope to find you have learned some new tricks." he said. The fox kit nodded and replied

 

"I will, Inuyasha said he was going to teach me a few things about my demon powers."

 

Inuyasha sputtered as color rose to his cheeks now that everyone was looking at him. "I said I might teach you a thing or to if you weren't such a pest. Nothing definite." he shouted. The group laughed knowing the words were just a front.

 

Lennex and Bra stepped up to the well and powered on the belts. A faint hum could be heard now that they were on. Bra kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. "Say goodbye to your friends, but don't take to long. I want to welcome you home proper." and then she was gone disappearing in the well. The words sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine as he turned to his friends.

 

"It's been a pleasure to meet you all," he said looking at each of them again, "If there is anything you guys need, supplies or help, don't be afraid to ask. I know a few people that are always willing to help friends of friends' out." he finished grinning.

 

He waved and turned around, ready to jump into the well.

 

"Keh, well you remember that if 'you' need any help, were right here." Inuyasha replied, his arms across his chest. Eyes closed with a superior look on his face. Lennex chuckled at the proud demon and got ready to drop into the well.

 

"Good bye my friends, I'll miss you." he said and then stopped, Inuyasha's words triggering something in his mind. He slowly turned around to stare at the half demon.

 

"Actually, Inuyasha, I do have a favor to ask."