InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of the Night ❯ Night V: Significance ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Kurai Mori 
Sometimes we all need a reason to keep on living.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai / Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 08.26.2008 | Updated On: 06.03.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Work In Progress
Sometimes we all need a reason to keep on living.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai / Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 08.26.2008 | Updated On: 06.03.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Work In Progress
Title: Night V: Significance
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha or Yuu Yuu Hakusho. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while Yuu Yuu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Shounen. No profit or money of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.
Warning(s): Spoilers for the end of InuYasha; Angst
They did not know it was because of the silent watcher she had gained a few nights ago. Though he had been found out, he still continued to follow her at night, and she suspected he was staying in the Goshinboku at times. Her goal for each night was to try and coax him out of the trees he so favored. Partly because of her memories of Inuyasha, though that was fading fast in the face of his carmine depths that proved to her that her adventures in the Sengoku Jidai had been real and not some incredible dream her imagination had concocted. Those carmine eyes were the proof of his youkai blood, and his youkai blood was the proof she needed to remind herself that youkai existed. She needed that proof and reassurance more than anything. More than that, she wanted to be able to touch him again and cement that truth into her mind and heart.
Also, it was not like just anyone could claim they touched a youkai and lived to tell the tale. Though she did not consider him a youkai in the sense that most would and, probably, did. He was a youkai by birth, just as she was a human by birth; they could not change the fact of their species. She could not see a difference between human and youkai: both breathed the same air and bled the same blood. Both held dreams, wishes, hopes and desires; they could laugh and cry. The only difference she had ever noticed was that one lived for millennia while the other lived for just a handful of decades. One could know all there was to know while the other could know how to savor life. It was almost impossible to relish everything that made life, life when one had centuries of life to live.
He simply was a creature of a different world as she was more than certain he saw the world through different eyes than she, but he was not a bloodthirsty one like many would think. Sure, he had killed a youkai in front of her in a disgusting way (though she had seen far bloodier and nastier battles), but he had not killed her. There was nothing stopping him from taking his sword and killing her, and he was fast enough that he could do so before she would even notice. As it stood, she was still breathing and functioning. Though there were some days she wished she were not.
He was proof that youkai still existed, and if youkai still existed, then why had Inuyasha, Shippou, Kouga, or even Sesshoumaru not come to find her? As depressing as all her answers to that question were, it still did not change the fact that she believed them to be dead. Why else would they have not come for her? If they were dead, then sometimes when her line of thinking became too dark, she wished she could be as well. She had not even been able to say goodbye to them.
The lazy modern life she now had was once all she had wanted, and now it was all she wished she could leave behind. Death was looking like a tempting offer to reclaim that life she had once lived, especially if all her dear friends were as well. It was nothing more than the start of a very different and new adventure, one that might even let her be with those she loved. Though she could never do or bring herself to do it as she still held out hope that they were alive, and there was no way she could deprive Souta of his sister. He had been through enough just by waiting and hoping for her to return home.
Yet life would be so much more bearable if she could use the well...
Her eyes narrowed at the sidewalk in front of her as she thought about that object. It had been her way to the past when it had first dragged her through its depths around a year ago. She had been so caught up in her new normal that she had never tried going through it since her return.
Hope welled up deep in her heart. Perhaps the well had not closed and everyone was waiting for her to return! It was that hope that took over her body and gave her feet wings as she ran back to the shrine and up its many steps to the small shrine around the well. She slammed open the door and barely felt her feet touch its steps, coming to a halt only when she crashed into the rim of the well. Without a second thought, she jumped over the edge into the calliginous depths with practiced ease. She wanted to feel the initial excitement as the well's welcoming magic enveloped her, bringing her to the time of her friends and a soft landing. It had always been such a rush to feel the warmth of magic surrounding her body causing her every nerve to stand on end as the adrenaline of free-falling coursed through her veins.
Her hope died a crushing death. No magic sparked around her; time did not turn back to take her to a time of bloodshed and truth and friends. As soon as her feet crashed into the hard-packed earth, she crumpled under the painful weight of not only broken hope, but a broken heart. The well was closed off... There would be no more adventure. Never again was she to see Sango, or watch out for Miroku, or hold Shippou. Never again would she see Inuyasha...
The first sob tore its way out of her mouth before she covered it with one of her dirty hands. She could not care that her uniform was filthy, nor that she had probably sprained an ankle, nor that her other hand was clutching her thigh painfully.
"You humans are all alike. Whenever life doesn't go your way, you see the easiest way out."
Kagome looked up through the unnatural darkness of the small shrine to see carmine eyes made darker from the lack of light. She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to clear them of tears to see him better. His smooth, pale face held an ugly sneer and told her just what he thought of her and her species. She looked back down at the ground beneath her to attempt to hide how she wiped at her eyes and nose, unknowing that she was smearing dirt and dust across her cheeks instead. She would bet he had never cried in his life, and found it rather unfair.
"Yeah, well, we can't all be like you youkai who like to pretend they don't have feelings." Bitter tears and a broken hope made her voice and words sound harsh and just as cruel as his words.
She sniffled as she felt the full weight of his glare on the top of her head. It was not like she had meant to say what she did, it had just come out. She was more than certain he would be angry if she tried to apologize, so she did not. If there was one thing she had learned from spending time around youkai similar to him, it was the weight they placed on words and meanings. Just as she knew it was not the words he was angry at, but the fact that she had dared to talk back to him in such a manner.
In the silence that had fallen around them, it was easy to hear him move. His black clothes rustled against the edge of the well, and she heard the hilt of his sword clank against it. Yet she was still startled when she felt his rough, hot hand grip her arm and begin to drag her out of the well. Her head snapped up only to find she could not think as she stared into his carmine eyes that revealed so little and hid so much. All she could see was annoyance and curiosity, and she wished she knew what had caused the latter. He did not even grunt as he hoisted her over the edge and set her on her feet; she figured she weighed nothing when compared to the strength he had to have.
She knew that tomorrow morning she would wake with throbbing legs and a bruised arm, but she found she could not dredge up enough desire to care. Instead she found all her attention focused on the strange youkai in front of her. That was the second time he had helped her, and she could not figure it out. Did he not realize the significance of what he had done?
He pulled her out of the shrine and into the courtyard, only then did he release her from his bruising grip. "Next time you live up to the stupidity of your species, I'll kill you." He disappeared from view as his last words faded into the night's embrace. Yet she knew he was most likely nestled within the branches of Goshinboku as he had been earlier in the night and the nights before.
Kagome had to give a small rueful smile at what he had said. She knew he would do as he said; it held the air of a promise. She looked forward to not giving him that reason, now that she had something new to focus on. Him.
Not wanting to head back inside and to even more reminders that it was not the past just yet, she sat down at the base of Goshinboku and drew her knees to her chest. "I'll remember that," she said.
They sat together in peaceful solitude for a while longer. Words had no meaning as the pre-dawn dusk disappearing before them spoke enough. As the dawn bathed them in its primary colors of mauve and lavender, a sense of tranquility settled into Kagome. It seemed only the dawn was willing to part with its peace to grace their lives with halcyon days after their lurid pasts.
Word count: 1881
Edited: 3 June 2010
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha or Yuu Yuu Hakusho. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while Yuu Yuu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Shounen. No profit or money of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.
Warning(s): Spoilers for the end of InuYasha; Angst
- - - - - - - -
Kagome's days began to mesh together again, blurring past her with little significance. She woke up in the mornings and went through the motions without remembering doing them, then she went off to school and doodled in her notebooks instead of taking all the notes she could, and she would still have her moments of where she would space out as her mind wandered. She knew that had Inuyasha or Sango been around, they would have scolded her in their own ways for not paying attention to her surroundings. Somehow, that made it all the worse. Her friends and family still watched her with worry on their faces, but she could tell they were relieved at some change she had undergone. She could tell that they wanted to ask her what had changed to make her seem even the tiniest bit happier, but they always changed their minds at the last second. Kagome guessed that they did not want to ruin whatever was going on with their questions. She did not know it was because of the soft, peacefully sad yet accepting smile that would grace her face whenever she spaced out.They did not know it was because of the silent watcher she had gained a few nights ago. Though he had been found out, he still continued to follow her at night, and she suspected he was staying in the Goshinboku at times. Her goal for each night was to try and coax him out of the trees he so favored. Partly because of her memories of Inuyasha, though that was fading fast in the face of his carmine depths that proved to her that her adventures in the Sengoku Jidai had been real and not some incredible dream her imagination had concocted. Those carmine eyes were the proof of his youkai blood, and his youkai blood was the proof she needed to remind herself that youkai existed. She needed that proof and reassurance more than anything. More than that, she wanted to be able to touch him again and cement that truth into her mind and heart.
Also, it was not like just anyone could claim they touched a youkai and lived to tell the tale. Though she did not consider him a youkai in the sense that most would and, probably, did. He was a youkai by birth, just as she was a human by birth; they could not change the fact of their species. She could not see a difference between human and youkai: both breathed the same air and bled the same blood. Both held dreams, wishes, hopes and desires; they could laugh and cry. The only difference she had ever noticed was that one lived for millennia while the other lived for just a handful of decades. One could know all there was to know while the other could know how to savor life. It was almost impossible to relish everything that made life, life when one had centuries of life to live.
He simply was a creature of a different world as she was more than certain he saw the world through different eyes than she, but he was not a bloodthirsty one like many would think. Sure, he had killed a youkai in front of her in a disgusting way (though she had seen far bloodier and nastier battles), but he had not killed her. There was nothing stopping him from taking his sword and killing her, and he was fast enough that he could do so before she would even notice. As it stood, she was still breathing and functioning. Though there were some days she wished she were not.
He was proof that youkai still existed, and if youkai still existed, then why had Inuyasha, Shippou, Kouga, or even Sesshoumaru not come to find her? As depressing as all her answers to that question were, it still did not change the fact that she believed them to be dead. Why else would they have not come for her? If they were dead, then sometimes when her line of thinking became too dark, she wished she could be as well. She had not even been able to say goodbye to them.
The lazy modern life she now had was once all she had wanted, and now it was all she wished she could leave behind. Death was looking like a tempting offer to reclaim that life she had once lived, especially if all her dear friends were as well. It was nothing more than the start of a very different and new adventure, one that might even let her be with those she loved. Though she could never do or bring herself to do it as she still held out hope that they were alive, and there was no way she could deprive Souta of his sister. He had been through enough just by waiting and hoping for her to return home.
Yet life would be so much more bearable if she could use the well...
Her eyes narrowed at the sidewalk in front of her as she thought about that object. It had been her way to the past when it had first dragged her through its depths around a year ago. She had been so caught up in her new normal that she had never tried going through it since her return.
Hope welled up deep in her heart. Perhaps the well had not closed and everyone was waiting for her to return! It was that hope that took over her body and gave her feet wings as she ran back to the shrine and up its many steps to the small shrine around the well. She slammed open the door and barely felt her feet touch its steps, coming to a halt only when she crashed into the rim of the well. Without a second thought, she jumped over the edge into the calliginous depths with practiced ease. She wanted to feel the initial excitement as the well's welcoming magic enveloped her, bringing her to the time of her friends and a soft landing. It had always been such a rush to feel the warmth of magic surrounding her body causing her every nerve to stand on end as the adrenaline of free-falling coursed through her veins.
Her hope died a crushing death. No magic sparked around her; time did not turn back to take her to a time of bloodshed and truth and friends. As soon as her feet crashed into the hard-packed earth, she crumpled under the painful weight of not only broken hope, but a broken heart. The well was closed off... There would be no more adventure. Never again was she to see Sango, or watch out for Miroku, or hold Shippou. Never again would she see Inuyasha...
The first sob tore its way out of her mouth before she covered it with one of her dirty hands. She could not care that her uniform was filthy, nor that she had probably sprained an ankle, nor that her other hand was clutching her thigh painfully.
"You humans are all alike. Whenever life doesn't go your way, you see the easiest way out."
Kagome looked up through the unnatural darkness of the small shrine to see carmine eyes made darker from the lack of light. She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to clear them of tears to see him better. His smooth, pale face held an ugly sneer and told her just what he thought of her and her species. She looked back down at the ground beneath her to attempt to hide how she wiped at her eyes and nose, unknowing that she was smearing dirt and dust across her cheeks instead. She would bet he had never cried in his life, and found it rather unfair.
"Yeah, well, we can't all be like you youkai who like to pretend they don't have feelings." Bitter tears and a broken hope made her voice and words sound harsh and just as cruel as his words.
She sniffled as she felt the full weight of his glare on the top of her head. It was not like she had meant to say what she did, it had just come out. She was more than certain he would be angry if she tried to apologize, so she did not. If there was one thing she had learned from spending time around youkai similar to him, it was the weight they placed on words and meanings. Just as she knew it was not the words he was angry at, but the fact that she had dared to talk back to him in such a manner.
In the silence that had fallen around them, it was easy to hear him move. His black clothes rustled against the edge of the well, and she heard the hilt of his sword clank against it. Yet she was still startled when she felt his rough, hot hand grip her arm and begin to drag her out of the well. Her head snapped up only to find she could not think as she stared into his carmine eyes that revealed so little and hid so much. All she could see was annoyance and curiosity, and she wished she knew what had caused the latter. He did not even grunt as he hoisted her over the edge and set her on her feet; she figured she weighed nothing when compared to the strength he had to have.
She knew that tomorrow morning she would wake with throbbing legs and a bruised arm, but she found she could not dredge up enough desire to care. Instead she found all her attention focused on the strange youkai in front of her. That was the second time he had helped her, and she could not figure it out. Did he not realize the significance of what he had done?
He pulled her out of the shrine and into the courtyard, only then did he release her from his bruising grip. "Next time you live up to the stupidity of your species, I'll kill you." He disappeared from view as his last words faded into the night's embrace. Yet she knew he was most likely nestled within the branches of Goshinboku as he had been earlier in the night and the nights before.
Kagome had to give a small rueful smile at what he had said. She knew he would do as he said; it held the air of a promise. She looked forward to not giving him that reason, now that she had something new to focus on. Him.
Not wanting to head back inside and to even more reminders that it was not the past just yet, she sat down at the base of Goshinboku and drew her knees to her chest. "I'll remember that," she said.
They sat together in peaceful solitude for a while longer. Words had no meaning as the pre-dawn dusk disappearing before them spoke enough. As the dawn bathed them in its primary colors of mauve and lavender, a sense of tranquility settled into Kagome. It seemed only the dawn was willing to part with its peace to grace their lives with halcyon days after their lurid pasts.
- - - - - - - -
A version of this chapter was posted to the livejournal community 30_Nights for their theme #007: First sunlight after the darkness.Word count: 1881
Edited: 3 June 2010