InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ In Pursuit of the Green Dragon ❯ Dangerous Passage ( Chapter 16 )

Tokyo, May, 1925

"And where, exactly, do you think you'll be going, Alphonse-kun?" Ikeda asked crisply.

Kagome, who had been too absorbed in reading Inuyasha's missive to notice anyone entering the well house, jumped guiltily.

Glancing up, she saw Ikeda scowling down at them from the top of the stairs leading down to the well. "And just what are the two of you doing in here? I thought I had been perfectly clear—"

Great-uncle Souta arrived at that moment, panting a little, as if he'd been running across the shrine grounds.

"Brother sent us a note through the portal," Al said, ignoring Ikeda's second question. He held up the paper. "He's found a way to reopen the well, and he says that he's confirmed the presence of the dragon on the other end. He wants us to come and help capture it."

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Ikeda said, sarcastically, but Kagome thought the policeman looked relieved at the news. "But how do I know that you'll return here, once you've found the dragon?"

Kagome saw Al blink. "Um…"

Ikeda smirked. There was an uncomfortable silence, that stretched out until Souta cleared his throat.

"What if--if I go with them?" Souta asked, quietly, breaking the tense silence. "You know I will return, because you have—that is, because my brothers are here."

"And if you don't come back?" Ikeda's lip curled. "What then, Professor Higurashi?"

"Then you'll know I died in the attempt," Souta answered, looking down at his shoes. "In that case, I beg you not to punish my brothers for my failure."

Ikeda paused, and Kagome could see the wheels turning behind those cold eyes.

"I'll promise no such thing," he said. "But I'll take you up on your offer to watch over Elric-san and Alphonse-kun. So I suggest you not die, Professor. And don't come back without the dragon, either."

Souta exhaled, his mouth drawn into a determined line. "I won't fail."

"Good." Ikeda smiled, his thin lips stretching as if unaccustomed to the expression. "Now, go gather up whatever supplies you'll need, and meet back here at 11:45 a.m."

"We'll pack some extra supplies for you, Kagome-san," Al said eagerly.

She nodded, feeling light and hopeful for the first time in days. The well was still operational! She wouldn't be stuck here forever…

As she turned to go with Al, Ikeda's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Not so fast, Higurashi-san—if that's who you really are," he sneered. "You're not going anywhere."

He wouldn't! "W-what?" she managed to say, tugging against Ikeda's painful grip. "But I have to go! I have to!"

Looking over Ikeda's shoulder, Kagome saw that both Great-uncle Souta and Al had come to a halt. Souta was frowning, looking like he wanted to protest but didn't dare.

Al was wearing the same stubborn expression she had seen this morning.

"She's coming with us," he said flatly.

Ikeda's hold tightened further on her wrist, and she grimaced in pain. He was going to leave bruises.

Al frowned, his glance darting between the two of them. He spoke again, his tone conciliatory this time.

"I mean," he spread his hands in a pleading gesture. "We need her, and would appreciate your assistance in this matter, Ikeda-san."

"You need her? And what do you think she can do for you?" Ikeda sneered, his fingers still digging into Kagome's skin.

Should I tell him about the shards?

Al met her gaze, and gave a minute shake of his head. Unfortunately, Ikeda saw him, too.

"Whatever's going here…perhaps questioning this girl in custody will finally give me some answers, eh?" Ikeda asked.

Kagome froze. If she was arrested, she'd be searched. And Ikeda would be sure to confiscate the jewel shards.

She looked to Al again, in mute appeal. He looked like he was thinking furiously, but it didn't seem he had any new arguments to make.

Aid arrived from an unexpected source.

"Ikeda-san, I believe that Alphonse-kun is referring to the research that I've been conducting in the shrine's archives over the past few days," Great-uncle Souta said, politely. "And I've come to think that the key to opening the portal in the well is spiritual power."

"Spiritual power? That's not what I expected to hear from a scientist of your caliber, Professor Higurashi." Ikeda's sneer deepened.

Souta seemed unfazed by Ikeda's skepticism. "Well, it was not my first guess," he murmured, his attitude still scrupulously polite and deferential. "But after eliminated all the other possible factors, I was forced to consider it seriously."

"Oh, really?" Ikeda still seemed unconvinced, but at the same time, he was listening to Souta.

Kagome held her breath, and hoped with all her might.

"Indeed. You will recall it was Kagome's presence in the well that permitted the portal to open the first time."

"I don't see how a mere girl could have affected things," Ikeda countered.

Souta shrugged. "It seems unlikely," he agreed, "But isn't it odd that all of Alphonse-kun's subsequent attempts to activate the well have been failures? We were careful to duplicate all—or almost all-- of the original conditions. The only variable in this equation that I can ascertain is Kagome. When she was here, the portal opened. After she was barred from approaching the well, the portal remained closed."

Ikeda frowned. "Well, if it's spiritual power that opens the well, then your presence should suffice," he said. "After all, you are the head priest here, are you not? And my colleagues tell me that you were able to seal the dragon."

"You do me the honor of overestimating my humble talents," Souta murmured, with a polite half-bow. "I fear that my powers alone are insufficient to open the well without the assistance of my cousin. Her spiritual powers dwarf mine, I assure you."

Ikeda's frown stayed firmly in place. "And why didn't you tell me any of this before, Professor? I thought I had made it clear how I dislike when people withhold information from me."

"I'm very sorry, Ikeda-san."

Kagome blinked. Had Souta really winked at her, just before bowing deeply in apology?

"But I wasn't certain until this morning, when I came across an old account of events in…in the Warring States era, when one of this shrine's miko disappeared in the well, and returned three days later with a powerful artifact thought lost centuries before." Souta straightened up from his bow. "I truly believe that we will need Kagome-san's presence to return here, once we have captured the dragons. I therefore humbly ask your permission for her to accompany us."

"Hn." Ikeda finally loosened his hold on Kagome's wrist, leaving behind a dull ache. "Very well. Let's see if the well really opens at noon, with the girl here. But if I find you've been lying to me…"

"It's not a lie," Kagome said, desperately, resisting the impulse to reach inside her blouse and clutch the vial of shards for reassurance.

oo0oo

Ikeda reluctantly issued Kagome an empty military knapsack, and had one of the policemen escort her to the storeroom where they had stashed the supplies for the Elric brothers' abortive expedition to the past.

She didn't really think she needed anything, especially, since her own backpack had gone with Inuyasha, but it would look suspicious if she didn't pack supplies appropriate for a camping trip.

She sighed, looking around at the assortment of unappetizing military rations stacked on the floor: tins of rice mixed with barley, canned fish, canned vegetables, pickled vegetables, miso paste, and powdered green tea.

After being spoiled with cup-ramen, potato chips, and other packaged snacks from her own time, Kagome imagined that Shippo—and probably Inuyasha, too—would turn his nose up at this inferior fare.

On the other hand, she had never known Inuyasha to refuse a meal, no matter how humble…and Grandmother Kaede might find the pickled vegetables useful for flavoring meals, and at least the canned tuna would be a change from the usual grilled fish. They could use both of those items as fillings for onigiri while they were traveling in pursuit of the dragon…

Acutely aware of the policeman watching her every move, Kagome quickly gathered what she estimated was about a week's worth of rations. The knapsack, now filled to bulging with tins, and topped with a military bedroll, was almost too heavy to lift.

If only Inuyasha were here, he'd carry it for her, grumbling but still chivalrous in his own rough way.

Soon…I'll be seeing him soon, Kagome thought, struggling to heft it. She managed to get the straps over her shoulders and, staggering a bit, brought it over to the well-house.

Alphonse and Souta's packs were already sitting next to the well, and Kagome dropped hers next to theirs with a heavy thump.

And then, there was nothing to do but wait for the hour or so that remained until noon.

oo0oo

Promptly at noon, with all of them arrayed anxiously around the rim of the well, it began to glow an unearthly blue.

"I knew you could do it, Brother!" said Al, mostly to himself, ashamed to admit that he had been just a little doubtful, after all of his own failures in trying to reactivate the array.

He had barely managed to swing over the side when the blue glow began to gutter and fade.

Al shouted, "No! Brother, wait—I'm coming!" and began scrambling down the rope ladder.

After the first couple of steps, his feet abandoned the rungs entirely and he simply slid down the rest of the way, ignoring the painful rope-burns to the palms of his hands.

"BROTHER!"

oo0oo

The Bone-Eater's Well, 16th-century Japan

The blue light from the transmutation circle was lapping away at Inuyasha, burning like youkai venom. He felt like his skin was dissolving, leaving only painfully-exposed muscle and bone.

He swayed unsteadily, trying to keep his palms planted on the lines as Edward had directed him, but black spots were drifting across his vision. It was taking all of his strength just to keep balanced on his hands and knees.

He had lost feeling his arms in his arms soon after Edward activated the circle, and the fiery coldness was sending now tendrils through his chest.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" He could barely hear Ed's question over the roar and rush in his ears. "Can you keep the gate open long enough for Al and Kagome to pass through?"

Yes! Inuyasha wanted to snarl, but couldn't spare the strength for words.

His hair hung in limp, sweat-soaked strands in his eyes, and despite the blurriness of his vision, he saw that it had turned the color of crow's feathers.

This is bad.

The well was spinning around him now in slow, dizzying revolutions, and there was a great whooshing, like a strong wind, in his ears.

Kagome! Where are you, Kagome?

He was giving the hungry blue light everything he had.

But it wasn't enough.

It wasn't enough, and he had nothing left to give.

His heart faltered in his chest, squeezing breath as if he had been punched by an ogre, and his numb elbows collapsed beneath him.

"Inuyasha!" Edward's shout sounded very far away.

Kagome, I'm sorry.

oo0oo

Kagome and Souta followed Alphonse as quickly as they could, but it was too late. By the time Kagome reached the bottom of the well, the glow had died away entirely.

"NO!" Al shouted. "Brother, damn it, try again! We're here! We're here now!"

Several heartbeats passed, but the elaborate pattern traced into the hard-packed dirt remained lifeless chalk. Al slammed his fist against the rough stones of the well-shaft. "Damn it!"

"Al-kun," whispered Kagome, his anguished expression driving away the last of her lingering annoyance with him.

"Well, what's the problem now?" Ikeda called down. "I thought the girl knew how to open the well!"

"Just a moment!" Kagome answered, a little desperately.

She bent over the pattern, careful to avoid disrupting the fragile lines and arcs of white powder, and felt the jewel shards pulse.

"Al-kun!" she said again, this time urgently. "Can you reactivate the transmutation circle?" she asked, stumbling a little over the unfamiliar terms. "I have the jewel shards."

He blinked at her, startled out of his frustration. She reached down her neckline, and brought up the vial.

She could see him thinking, hard, and then his expression relaxed into a smile. He nodded. "Can you direct the energy of the shards?"

"I think so," she said. They were growing somehow warmer, and the pulse of energy was strengthening, pulling an answering heartbeat from the ground beneath her feet. "What should I do?"

"Put your hands here—" he pointed at a place on the outer circle marked with a Zodiac symbol, "—and here. When I start the transmutation, I want you to push the energy into the pattern, for as long as you can. If you can do that, I can direct it, and open a gate to where Brother and your friends are."

"How can I help?" Great-uncle Souta asked. He was standing pressed against the side of the well.

Al spared him a quick glance. "Just follow us if we manage to open the gate."

Great-uncle Souta nodded tensely.

Al turned his attention back to Kagome, who was crouching, her hands on the place he had directed. "All right…ready, steady…GO!"

Kagome drew a deep breath, and pushed, the same way she pushed when she fired purifying arrows. The vial of shards hanging between her breasts grew hot, and she felt power pouring down her arms in a great rush. It felt like the first time she had used her power, to fend off Mistress Centipede.

Beneath her palms, the chalked lines and symbols began to glow, faintly at first, but strengthening with rose-colored light, until the floor of the well was ablaze.

For a long moment, nothing further happened. Then Kagome felt the familiar, welcome weightlessness of the time-slip opening, and an indescribable feeling of relief buoyed her.

"It's working!" she told the others.

And then they were falling through the time-slip, sprinkled with stars and writhing curtains of energy. Kagome looked around for her companions. Al hung in space below her and to the right, and he was peering around with a keenly-interested expression. Above her, Souta was doing the same, though his hands were gripping the straps of his backpack with white-knuckled intensity.

The ground resolidified beneath Kagome's feet, and she took an involuntary step forward, staggering a little under the weight of her knapsack.

She looked up, first, and saw a square of blue sky, framed by vines. Made it!

"Brother!" she heard Al exclaim behind her, as the heavy sacks of supplies dropped to the floor of the well with a clunk. "I'm so glad to see you again, but what have you done?"

"I don't think he's dead," answered a husky voice that spoke Japanese with the same odd accent as Alphonse. "He's a tough bastard."

Kagome whirled around in the narrow space, and found herself nose-to-nose with a stranger.

The first thing she noticed were his eyes, which were as golden as Inuyasha's, but without the slitted pupils of a youkai. The second thing she noticed was that he wasn't much taller than she was. His hair was a brighter shade of gold than Al's, and long enough to be pulled into a ponytail.

"You must be Edward-san," Kagome began.

Then she caught sight of a familiar red garment on the ground behind Edward, and she forgot the rest of what she wanted to say.

It was Inuyasha, sprawled unmoving in a tangle of long black hair and red sleeves.

Black hair…? But it was broad daylight and at least a week before the night of the new moon!

All courtesy forgotten, she pushed past Al-kun's brother, and fell to her knees next to Inuyasha's horribly still form.

He was definitely in human form, his puppy ears gone, and his face sickly-pale and sweaty under the tan.

Oh, no! She collapsed to her knees next to him, and pulled his head into her lap, feeling under his jaw for a pulse.

His skin, normally warm even on the coldest days, was clammy and cool. And he was completely limp as she maneuvered his head into her lap, and probed carefully along the length of his exposed throat. At first, her hands trembling, she couldn't feel anything.

Ah, gods, is he dead?

Then she felt it. A faint throb under her fingertips…a pulse.

Not dead! Not dead, thank goodness.

She took a shaky breath, feeling tears of relief stinging her eyes, and brushed the long strands of soft black hair out of his face, letting her hand linger on his cold cheek. He had long dark lashes, and looked very young without his customary scowl.

Inuyasha's eyelids fluttered at the caress. "K-Kagome?" His voice was the merest breath of a whisper.

"I'm here," she said. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I missed you. But I'm here now."

"You came back." He turned his head slowly, to where her hand still rested on his face. She felt the light press of his lips and a puff of breath against her palm, and then, before she could quite register that he had kissed her hand, he relaxed back into unconsciousness,

Kagome curled her hand around the lingering imprint of his mouth, and held it over her heart. Her other hand resting protectively on Inuyasha's shoulder, she glared up at Edward. "What happened to him? Why is he…like this?"

Edward's mouth tightened, and he jammed his hands in his trouser pockets, looking uncomfortable. "Um, well, we had to open the well somehow," he began in a defensive tone. "So, Inuyasha agreed to power the transmutation—"

"Brother! You didn't! " Al said in a shocked voice, coming to stand next to Edward. " A living being to power a transmutation…? Of all the irresponsible things you've ever done…!"

"It was the only way! Believe me, I tried everything else," Edward protested. "He agreed, even though I told him it was dangerous." Then his defiance faded, and regret clouded the golden eyes. "I'm sorry…Kagome, was it? He talked about you a lot. Said he was willing to do anything to get you back."

Kagome told herself, quite sternly, that she wasn't going to cry. Instead, she stroked Inuyasha's face, his hair.

"I—I would have done the same for him," she said.

She wasn't ready to forgive Al's brother quite yet, not until she was sure that Inuyasha would be okay, but she did understand.

She looked up, and saw Al watching her and Inuyasha, a devastated look on his face. But now was not the time to feel bad. She had a more pressing problem at hand.

She looked around the crowded confines of the well, and saw that Great-uncle Souta had made it through safely, as well. He stood pressed against the wall of the well's reservoir, gazing upwards at the vines and open sky. He was gaping a little.

Okay, so there were three young men, plus herself. It could be done.

"We have to get Inuyasha out of this well," she told them. "Hurry!"