InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Another Opens... ❯ The Partings ( Chapter 23 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Namiyo11 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.27.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 213 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.27.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 213 | Status: Completed
Chapter 23- The Partings
No, I do not own Inuyasha. Yotogi’s mine, though!
Recap: Inuyasha and Kagome settle matters at last. With, of course...a few harsh words. Sesshomaru has reversed their mating ranks-and let them find out on their own. What happens now? Read on!
To no one’s surprise, the newly married couple spent the day in their rooms.
Meanwhile, a little human girl and a fox kit played in the gardens in the afternoon as Sesshomaru and Yotogi sat on the Lord’s sun porch, drinking sake.
“So. Your new and former packsecond are mates, old friend,” Yotogi chuckled.
“Indeed,” Sesshomaru sipped his sake, settled comfortably on his porch.
“I will be taking my people home soon. With all settled here and the wolves in disarray, we must again stake our claim to the lands,” the dark haired Inu noted.
“As expected. I suppose you will be assiduous in your rebuilding,” Sesshomaru nodded.
“Of course. Lady Kagome having so generously offered the Clan’s aid, we will take advantage of it. I have a few improvements in mind.”
“As expected.” Sesshomaru agreed, not thrilled-but amused.
“Come now, you are troubled,” Yotogi peered at him.
“I have much to do. We do not know what form the wolf tribe’s response will take. The Panthers are in disarray, but that is subject to change. Mortals still war with one another and impinge our interests, and the earthquake has left much to rebuild. You know this, Yotogi.”
“But now you will face them with your kin beside you to assist in these things. More help then you expected, I daresay. It was a kind act you performed, bringing them back together, Sesshomaru.”
“Was it? I was merely carrying our my original intent from the day I decided to adopt her.”
“As you say,” Yotogi chuckled, and there was a slight smirk.
“In all things, I merely do what I see must be done,” Sesshomaru said.
“Your Lord Father would be pleased.”
“He would have great admiration for her daring.” That had been Father’s problem. He found daring too appealing...Izayoi had been a daring woman in her way.
“I doubt another of the Clan would have done as she did. The other reason you adopted her, is it not? Her mind-she does not think as we do. With her cleverness and his strength tamed to your hand, no one will be able to assail you.”
“They are a most effective pair.”
“But your brother? Can he truly be trusted to make the Clan’s interests his own?”
“Kagome is unquestionably loyal to me-and through her, so too is Inuyasha. Even if he may not realize this yet.” the Lord of the Inu shook his head at the hold Kagome had on his brother and vice versa.
If she were still a Priestess...he would suspect magic bound them together. Such mad, unreasoning love for another was beyond his understanding. Hanyou-so very emotional and strange. Even with all the power and position he, Sesshomaru, had granted Kagome, the favor shown her and her place here won and secure...she would have eventually died of pining for a mere outcast if Inuyasha had not returned for her. But then, she had turned a selfish, feral child into a warrior with few peers, a leader, just with her gentleness to his younger sibling. Until he had her at his side, he had not truly understood how much strength she could give to another.
“Sneaky bastard.” Only Yotogi and his own brother could call him that-and live.
“Of course. I am here, am I not?” Sesshomaru answered. Both Lords chuckled and drank.
***
It was the next morning that Inuyasha finally emerged from the rooms he shared with his mate. After bathing and eating, he stretched out in the sun in the gardens, sighing in sheer relaxed happiness. Until a pissed off red haired bundle pounced on his head!
“Inuyasha! Finally!” Shippo.
“Hey, Shippo. Good job helping to distract the wolves. I heard what you did there, pretty brave for a runt,” he answered. A clawed hand plucked him off of his head and dropped the kit absently in front of him. But the kitsune scowled, tail twitching.
“About time you showed back up! I had to look after her and Sango while you ran off with Miroku, you know!” Shippo barked, and the hanyou scowled, good mood fading. It might be true, that he’d run off, but that was between him and Kagome, it was no one else‘s business.
“So, where were you then? Didn’t see you here looking after them. In fact, from what I heard, you ran off to the old hag. Some looking after,” Inuyasha sniped.
“Sesshomaru ran me off! She left us for him,” Shippo pouted, arms folded. It wasn’t hard to figure out why his elder brother would not let him stay near.
“Sesshomaru didn’t care for your lip, did he? About time somebody taught you some manners, runt!”
“He’s rotten. So,” Shippo’s eyes lit up, “when do we leave?”
“Leave? You going somewhere, kid?” Inuyasha asked, confused.
“Of course! Now that you’ve got Kagome back, we can get out of here and go back home to the village and not ever have to see him again,” Shippo’s pleased announcement didn’t quite have the result he expected.
There was a long pause.
“She and I are home, kid.” At that, the fox looked bewildered.
“No! That‘s not how it’s supposed to be!”
“What did you think was going to happen, Shippo?”
“Well...I thought, you know. You’re supposed to take her away from him!” Shippo explained. He had helped to get her to come back and have things be like they were. To have Kagome be like she was-and everything would be good again. Shippo was a youkai-but a child one. He didn’t really believe Inuyasha would let Sesshomaru stay anywhere near his mate. Packbond or not. The hanyou had run away when she’d been adopted, after all.
“No,” Inuyasha shook his head. “Kagome and I have things to do here, Shippo. It’s hard to explain, but this is where we have to stay. We have duties. These people...” he tried, but the outraged fox wasn’t having any of it.
“That’s not right! You hate Sesshomaru! He hates you! He made Kagome stay with him, he’s evil and so is his worthless Clan-OW!” The smack he got for that was a lot harder than the ones he was used to receiving from Inuyasha. It was hard enough to send him flying into a bush with a crash.
“How dare you! Never say that again,” Inuyasha warned with a low, warning growl that made the kit’s jaw drop. There were stunned tears in Shippo’s eyes as he got to his feet. Not from the blow, but from the hanyou’s expression. Fury. Unadorned fury. Shippo froze, he looked like Kagome had-no...not his Kagome, but Lady Kagome. The one he didn’t know. The kitsune looked into the hard eyes of Lord Inuyasha, Packsecond of the premier pack of the Clan...and shivered.
Sesshomaru had turned Inuyasha too.
As for the hanyou, he realized what he’d just done, and was stunned. Instinct had said to act...for the insult offered to his Clan. He’d barely managed not to use his claws. Shippo was a smartass, but this time he’d gone way too far. Sesshomaru was a lot of things. But he was a Clan Lord, and deserving of respect, as was the Clan Kagome and himself now belonged to. Bastards, yes-but his bastards now.
Before he had a chance to say anything, Shippo ran off. Inuyasha rose to follow, and hesitated, not knowing what to say. Poor kid. The hanyou knew what he had to have thought. That Kagome and himself would leave here and go back to living at Kaede’s. But it wasn’t going to happen. Inuyasha would build her a new lair in his territory, to have a home of their own-but they were needed here.
This...was where they belonged. But Shippo didn’t. Not if he couldn’t understand that they had kin and people who relied on them now. From the moment he had executed that Captain, Inuyasha had been changing. That act had been the first step on the path of taking his place among them. He wasn’t comfortable with it, but it was the payment owed for his Kagome‘s hand. It was the long deferred sense of duty bred into him by both halves of his blood, noble born on both sides.
“Damn it,” he said, wishing something would be easy for once. Inuyasha rose and went to find Kagome. He needed her right then, to tell him he was right to feel this way.
***
“It is as I told you, Shippo. Kagome and now Inuyasha are his packmates. They and Sesshomaru will not part from one another,” Kaede reminded the kit as she packed. Her village needed her. Truth be told, she was uncomfortable here, surrounded by youkai who were equally ill at ease with her presence. They showed her courtesy, but she, a Priestess, did not belong in a youkai stronghold.
“But Grandmother Kaede, they hate each other-all they used to do is fight! And that evil old Inu hates me, he’ll never let me stay with Kagome.”
“Perhaps he would have been more welcoming if you had shown courtesy to him. No noble likes to be spoken to as you did to Sesshomaru. All of us, even Inuyasha, tried to teach you better than that-but you chose to ignore matters. Do not deceive yourself, Shippo, you have been unfailingly rude to him, and by extension to them. If you were older-you might have had to pay a greater price for it then being told you had to apologize and behave,” she noted, folding her things into a scarf to travel.
“I said worse stuff to Inuyasha all the time!” the kit protested.
“Inuyasha was much more forgiving under that gruff manner. You stepped over the bounds of courtesy with him more than once as well-and were punished for it as I recall.”
“But they’re supposed to look after me! They promised I could stay with them until I had a place to go and could look after myself!”
“You have one, do you not?” Kaede asked, eyes searching, and the kit squirmed. The old Priestess had been good to him, after all.
“But I can’t take care of myself! I’m still just a kid!”
“True. But Shippo, you are expecting things to be as before. That cannot be. Until you can accept that they have changed, you cannot and will not be able to be close to them. And that-well. That would be very unfortunate, little one, to throw away people who’ve cared for you out of stubbornness.”
“It’s not fair. Sango and Miroku haven’t changed!” At that, Kaede paused and turned as she knelt. She set a hand gently on Shippo’s shoulder.
“Haven’t they? I know it seems unfair. But one thing you will discover as you grow is that people change. At times, even families move apart and walk different paths.”
“I still don’t like it,” he frowned.
“No more than anyone else does,” she told him gently, and turned brisk. “Now, collect your things, if you are coming with me, that is. Hochi has offered us a ride back to the village as he takes Mushin back to his Temple, and I intend to take him up on it,” Kaede told him-and he nodded, going to do as she asked.
***
That evening, the Inu made farewells to the High Monk, the Priestess, and a subdued one to Shippo. What was harder-was that Miroku and Sango were leaving too. It was time, really, they had their own life to start. Sesshomaru gave his formal thanks to them for their assistance, and it was accepted easily.
“We’ll be staying in Kaede’s village mostly. So-we’ll see each other,” Sango said as the two women smiled at each other, bright eyed. Even knowing that they did have to part eventually-it was hard.
“If you ever need us, you know where to find us,” Kagome said, and Inuyasha nodded behind her. He hated goodbyes, and the monk merely grinned at him, understanding.
“We will,” Sango smiled.
“I’ll bring you some candy when I come back from visiting my family, Shippo,” Kagome offered, smiling as she held his hands in hers-and he just looked away.
“Don’t do me any favors,” he answered. She let go of his hands and stiffened as both of her packmates glared. Kagome managed a smile, though, as she rose and hugged Kaede.
“I don’t know how to thank you both. Be careful, though. We don’t know what the wolves will do.”
“We’ll be fine, Kagome,” Kaede answered.
“Keh. You’re too tough an old hag to do anything else but hang on-and on,” Inuyasha snorted, and the Priestess smiled.
“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she answered with a sigh.
“Come on, Kirara,“ Sango asked. The neko, back on her feet at last, transformed. The monk and tajiya mounted and took off, Hochi transforming and taking to the air as well with his passengers. The hanyou watched them go, and held hands. Sesshomaru just turned away.
“Come. We have much to do,” he said, and they followed. He was right. There was a great deal to do. Dokueki to clear out. The wolves and panthers to sort, and the Clan to run...besides, in a few days, it was the new moon again and Kagome had to go tell her family she had gotten married. Twice.
Author’s notes-Alrighty. Short chapter, I’ll grant you! But I wanted it to be Shippo-centered, and the little rodent wasn’t being overly cooperative. Possibly because of what I have planned for him later. Won’t say what, but fair warning, Shippo fans will not be thrilled. Thanks for Reading.-Namiyo
No, I do not own Inuyasha. Yotogi’s mine, though!
Recap: Inuyasha and Kagome settle matters at last. With, of course...a few harsh words. Sesshomaru has reversed their mating ranks-and let them find out on their own. What happens now? Read on!
To no one’s surprise, the newly married couple spent the day in their rooms.
Meanwhile, a little human girl and a fox kit played in the gardens in the afternoon as Sesshomaru and Yotogi sat on the Lord’s sun porch, drinking sake.
“So. Your new and former packsecond are mates, old friend,” Yotogi chuckled.
“Indeed,” Sesshomaru sipped his sake, settled comfortably on his porch.
“I will be taking my people home soon. With all settled here and the wolves in disarray, we must again stake our claim to the lands,” the dark haired Inu noted.
“As expected. I suppose you will be assiduous in your rebuilding,” Sesshomaru nodded.
“Of course. Lady Kagome having so generously offered the Clan’s aid, we will take advantage of it. I have a few improvements in mind.”
“As expected.” Sesshomaru agreed, not thrilled-but amused.
“Come now, you are troubled,” Yotogi peered at him.
“I have much to do. We do not know what form the wolf tribe’s response will take. The Panthers are in disarray, but that is subject to change. Mortals still war with one another and impinge our interests, and the earthquake has left much to rebuild. You know this, Yotogi.”
“But now you will face them with your kin beside you to assist in these things. More help then you expected, I daresay. It was a kind act you performed, bringing them back together, Sesshomaru.”
“Was it? I was merely carrying our my original intent from the day I decided to adopt her.”
“As you say,” Yotogi chuckled, and there was a slight smirk.
“In all things, I merely do what I see must be done,” Sesshomaru said.
“Your Lord Father would be pleased.”
“He would have great admiration for her daring.” That had been Father’s problem. He found daring too appealing...Izayoi had been a daring woman in her way.
“I doubt another of the Clan would have done as she did. The other reason you adopted her, is it not? Her mind-she does not think as we do. With her cleverness and his strength tamed to your hand, no one will be able to assail you.”
“They are a most effective pair.”
“But your brother? Can he truly be trusted to make the Clan’s interests his own?”
“Kagome is unquestionably loyal to me-and through her, so too is Inuyasha. Even if he may not realize this yet.” the Lord of the Inu shook his head at the hold Kagome had on his brother and vice versa.
If she were still a Priestess...he would suspect magic bound them together. Such mad, unreasoning love for another was beyond his understanding. Hanyou-so very emotional and strange. Even with all the power and position he, Sesshomaru, had granted Kagome, the favor shown her and her place here won and secure...she would have eventually died of pining for a mere outcast if Inuyasha had not returned for her. But then, she had turned a selfish, feral child into a warrior with few peers, a leader, just with her gentleness to his younger sibling. Until he had her at his side, he had not truly understood how much strength she could give to another.
“Sneaky bastard.” Only Yotogi and his own brother could call him that-and live.
“Of course. I am here, am I not?” Sesshomaru answered. Both Lords chuckled and drank.
***
It was the next morning that Inuyasha finally emerged from the rooms he shared with his mate. After bathing and eating, he stretched out in the sun in the gardens, sighing in sheer relaxed happiness. Until a pissed off red haired bundle pounced on his head!
“Inuyasha! Finally!” Shippo.
“Hey, Shippo. Good job helping to distract the wolves. I heard what you did there, pretty brave for a runt,” he answered. A clawed hand plucked him off of his head and dropped the kit absently in front of him. But the kitsune scowled, tail twitching.
“About time you showed back up! I had to look after her and Sango while you ran off with Miroku, you know!” Shippo barked, and the hanyou scowled, good mood fading. It might be true, that he’d run off, but that was between him and Kagome, it was no one else‘s business.
“So, where were you then? Didn’t see you here looking after them. In fact, from what I heard, you ran off to the old hag. Some looking after,” Inuyasha sniped.
“Sesshomaru ran me off! She left us for him,” Shippo pouted, arms folded. It wasn’t hard to figure out why his elder brother would not let him stay near.
“Sesshomaru didn’t care for your lip, did he? About time somebody taught you some manners, runt!”
“He’s rotten. So,” Shippo’s eyes lit up, “when do we leave?”
“Leave? You going somewhere, kid?” Inuyasha asked, confused.
“Of course! Now that you’ve got Kagome back, we can get out of here and go back home to the village and not ever have to see him again,” Shippo’s pleased announcement didn’t quite have the result he expected.
There was a long pause.
“She and I are home, kid.” At that, the fox looked bewildered.
“No! That‘s not how it’s supposed to be!”
“What did you think was going to happen, Shippo?”
“Well...I thought, you know. You’re supposed to take her away from him!” Shippo explained. He had helped to get her to come back and have things be like they were. To have Kagome be like she was-and everything would be good again. Shippo was a youkai-but a child one. He didn’t really believe Inuyasha would let Sesshomaru stay anywhere near his mate. Packbond or not. The hanyou had run away when she’d been adopted, after all.
“No,” Inuyasha shook his head. “Kagome and I have things to do here, Shippo. It’s hard to explain, but this is where we have to stay. We have duties. These people...” he tried, but the outraged fox wasn’t having any of it.
“That’s not right! You hate Sesshomaru! He hates you! He made Kagome stay with him, he’s evil and so is his worthless Clan-OW!” The smack he got for that was a lot harder than the ones he was used to receiving from Inuyasha. It was hard enough to send him flying into a bush with a crash.
“How dare you! Never say that again,” Inuyasha warned with a low, warning growl that made the kit’s jaw drop. There were stunned tears in Shippo’s eyes as he got to his feet. Not from the blow, but from the hanyou’s expression. Fury. Unadorned fury. Shippo froze, he looked like Kagome had-no...not his Kagome, but Lady Kagome. The one he didn’t know. The kitsune looked into the hard eyes of Lord Inuyasha, Packsecond of the premier pack of the Clan...and shivered.
Sesshomaru had turned Inuyasha too.
As for the hanyou, he realized what he’d just done, and was stunned. Instinct had said to act...for the insult offered to his Clan. He’d barely managed not to use his claws. Shippo was a smartass, but this time he’d gone way too far. Sesshomaru was a lot of things. But he was a Clan Lord, and deserving of respect, as was the Clan Kagome and himself now belonged to. Bastards, yes-but his bastards now.
Before he had a chance to say anything, Shippo ran off. Inuyasha rose to follow, and hesitated, not knowing what to say. Poor kid. The hanyou knew what he had to have thought. That Kagome and himself would leave here and go back to living at Kaede’s. But it wasn’t going to happen. Inuyasha would build her a new lair in his territory, to have a home of their own-but they were needed here.
This...was where they belonged. But Shippo didn’t. Not if he couldn’t understand that they had kin and people who relied on them now. From the moment he had executed that Captain, Inuyasha had been changing. That act had been the first step on the path of taking his place among them. He wasn’t comfortable with it, but it was the payment owed for his Kagome‘s hand. It was the long deferred sense of duty bred into him by both halves of his blood, noble born on both sides.
“Damn it,” he said, wishing something would be easy for once. Inuyasha rose and went to find Kagome. He needed her right then, to tell him he was right to feel this way.
***
“It is as I told you, Shippo. Kagome and now Inuyasha are his packmates. They and Sesshomaru will not part from one another,” Kaede reminded the kit as she packed. Her village needed her. Truth be told, she was uncomfortable here, surrounded by youkai who were equally ill at ease with her presence. They showed her courtesy, but she, a Priestess, did not belong in a youkai stronghold.
“But Grandmother Kaede, they hate each other-all they used to do is fight! And that evil old Inu hates me, he’ll never let me stay with Kagome.”
“Perhaps he would have been more welcoming if you had shown courtesy to him. No noble likes to be spoken to as you did to Sesshomaru. All of us, even Inuyasha, tried to teach you better than that-but you chose to ignore matters. Do not deceive yourself, Shippo, you have been unfailingly rude to him, and by extension to them. If you were older-you might have had to pay a greater price for it then being told you had to apologize and behave,” she noted, folding her things into a scarf to travel.
“I said worse stuff to Inuyasha all the time!” the kit protested.
“Inuyasha was much more forgiving under that gruff manner. You stepped over the bounds of courtesy with him more than once as well-and were punished for it as I recall.”
“But they’re supposed to look after me! They promised I could stay with them until I had a place to go and could look after myself!”
“You have one, do you not?” Kaede asked, eyes searching, and the kit squirmed. The old Priestess had been good to him, after all.
“But I can’t take care of myself! I’m still just a kid!”
“True. But Shippo, you are expecting things to be as before. That cannot be. Until you can accept that they have changed, you cannot and will not be able to be close to them. And that-well. That would be very unfortunate, little one, to throw away people who’ve cared for you out of stubbornness.”
“It’s not fair. Sango and Miroku haven’t changed!” At that, Kaede paused and turned as she knelt. She set a hand gently on Shippo’s shoulder.
“Haven’t they? I know it seems unfair. But one thing you will discover as you grow is that people change. At times, even families move apart and walk different paths.”
“I still don’t like it,” he frowned.
“No more than anyone else does,” she told him gently, and turned brisk. “Now, collect your things, if you are coming with me, that is. Hochi has offered us a ride back to the village as he takes Mushin back to his Temple, and I intend to take him up on it,” Kaede told him-and he nodded, going to do as she asked.
***
That evening, the Inu made farewells to the High Monk, the Priestess, and a subdued one to Shippo. What was harder-was that Miroku and Sango were leaving too. It was time, really, they had their own life to start. Sesshomaru gave his formal thanks to them for their assistance, and it was accepted easily.
“We’ll be staying in Kaede’s village mostly. So-we’ll see each other,” Sango said as the two women smiled at each other, bright eyed. Even knowing that they did have to part eventually-it was hard.
“If you ever need us, you know where to find us,” Kagome said, and Inuyasha nodded behind her. He hated goodbyes, and the monk merely grinned at him, understanding.
“We will,” Sango smiled.
“I’ll bring you some candy when I come back from visiting my family, Shippo,” Kagome offered, smiling as she held his hands in hers-and he just looked away.
“Don’t do me any favors,” he answered. She let go of his hands and stiffened as both of her packmates glared. Kagome managed a smile, though, as she rose and hugged Kaede.
“I don’t know how to thank you both. Be careful, though. We don’t know what the wolves will do.”
“We’ll be fine, Kagome,” Kaede answered.
“Keh. You’re too tough an old hag to do anything else but hang on-and on,” Inuyasha snorted, and the Priestess smiled.
“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she answered with a sigh.
“Come on, Kirara,“ Sango asked. The neko, back on her feet at last, transformed. The monk and tajiya mounted and took off, Hochi transforming and taking to the air as well with his passengers. The hanyou watched them go, and held hands. Sesshomaru just turned away.
“Come. We have much to do,” he said, and they followed. He was right. There was a great deal to do. Dokueki to clear out. The wolves and panthers to sort, and the Clan to run...besides, in a few days, it was the new moon again and Kagome had to go tell her family she had gotten married. Twice.
Author’s notes-Alrighty. Short chapter, I’ll grant you! But I wanted it to be Shippo-centered, and the little rodent wasn’t being overly cooperative. Possibly because of what I have planned for him later. Won’t say what, but fair warning, Shippo fans will not be thrilled. Thanks for Reading.-Namiyo