InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Buffy the Youkai Slayer ❯ Parting Words ( Chapter 7 )

7. Parting Words

Tokyo, present day

When Buffy woke up again, the sun was much lower in the sky, and the vicious headache had subsided to a faint throb behind her eyes.

Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen, but Kagome was sitting at her desk, her back to Buffy. Open books were scattered over the desktop, and she was scribbling furiously away.

Buffy pushed herself up from the pink bed, and swung her legs over the edge. A little blearily, she ventured, "Hello?"

The Japanese coming from her mouth felt weird, as if an invisible United Nations simultaneous-translator had taken up residence in her skull, and the words actually coming from her mouth were a foreign-language echo of her thoughts--which were still in English, as far as she could tell.

"You're finally awake!" Kagome put down her pen and turned around. "Are you feeling better, Buffy-kun?"

"Much," Buffy assured her, with a wry grin. "Was I out a long time?"

She ran her fingers through her tousled hair. I bet I totally have bed-head.

"It's nearly dinnertime. Oh, and Minamide-sempai came. He was a little upset that you didn't wait for him before putting on that headband."

"Oh, well, it probably would have freaked him out. It freaked me out." Buffy sighed, and rubbed her temples. "What are you working on?"

"I have an essay due tomorrow," Kagome grumbled. "At least it's History, which has become my best subject."

"I'll bet," Buffy said, getting to her feet. Her backpack was standing against Kagome's closet doors, and the futon was nowhere in sight.

"I figured that if I could finish writing it before we left, Souta could turn it in for me." She looked back down at the book in front of her, and Buffy caught a glimpse of a samurai. "It's hard when the books get things wrong about the Warring States era, though," Kagome continued. "I can't argue with the teacher, even when I know something is a lie."

"Isn't there a saying about how the victors always get to write the history books, or something?" Buffy said. "Speaking of history, where's your medieval dog-demon friend?"

"I kicked him out of the house," Kagome said, her lips thinning. "He wouldn't let me study. I think he's helping Gramps and Souta clear away the...remains...from the courtyard." Her nose wrinkled.

"Better him than me," Buffy agreed. "When will we be leaving, Kagome?"

"After dinner. If I get this essay finished."

"I'd better sort through my stuff, then," Buffy said, taking the hint.

* * *

When they reached the remains of the well-house, Buffy saw that most of the broken boards had been cleared away and stacked in a haphazard pile. Little more than the gray-tiled roof, the back wall, and the frame remained in the aftermath of the bug-demon attacks.

As she followed Kagome across the courtyard, Inuyasha's silver head came into view as he climbed the steps out of the well-house's sunken interior. He was carrying three or four splintered planks under one arm. The shredded remains of a window frame hung around his wrist, the oiled paper torn and flapping forlornly as he reached the top of the stairs and flung the debris onto the pile.

"That's the last of it," he told Grandpa Higurashi, dusting splinters from his palms. "Those damn youkai really messed things up. It's lucky the well's still okay."

Kagome waved at him, and for a moment there, it looked like he might actually smile. Then he caught sight of Buffy, and the familiar scowl returned.

"Miss Summers!" Buffy heard Koji's voice behind her. She turned, and saw him coming in her direction. He was pushing a blue mountain bike.

"Miss Summers, how are you feeling? Are you all right?"

"I'm feeling just fine, but thank you for asking," she replied, in Japanese.

It was worth it just to see his look of delighted surprise. "So, it really worked," he said, grinning. "I didn't really believe it...oh, and this is for you."

He pushed the bike forward, and she took it by the handlebars. "Um, thank you very much."

Puzzled, she examined it. It looked brand-new, and had been outfitted with a large sports water bottle, a tire repair kit, and a sturdy metal rack over the back fender.

He took pity on her, "Higurashi-san told me that Kagome took her bicycle through the well a few months ago."

"It's been very useful for traveling through the countryside," Kagome added. "It allows me to keep up with Inuyasha and Kirara."

"Because you walk so slowly, even when I'm carrying your sack of food and books," said Inuyasha. He came over to stand by Kagome. "Are you going to bring some of those noodle things? I like those."

"Already packed," she told him. "And I'm bringing strawberry lollipops for Shippou."

"Eh, that brat," said Inuyasha. "You'll spoil him,"

"So, does that mean I'm spoiling you by bringing ramen and potato chips every time I come through the well?" Kagome put her hands on her hips, but her tone was teasing rather than annoyed. It sounded like she'd had this conversation with Inuyasha before.

"That's diff--"

"Kirara?" interrupted Buffy.

Kagome gave a little smile. "She belongs to Sango-chan. You'll see."

She turned to Koji. "Minamide-sempai, we'll be eating dinner very soon. Would you please join us?"

* * *

Dinner was teriyaki beef this time, with rice and stir-fried vegetables, and it was delicious.

But both Kagome and her mother seemed to lose their appetites when Koji began to speculate about what might be waiting for them on the other side of the well-portal.

"This Naraku," he pondered. "You say that he's able to control other youkai?"

Buffy caught Kagome's pleading look, and intervened.

"I'm not really worried," she told Koji, aware that Mrs. Higurashi was hanging on every word. "I mean, it's not like an impending apocalypse or anything. To be honest, I'm more nervous about the lack of running water and electricity in the sixteenth century than I am of this Naraku guy."

Kagome caught the clue and ran with it. "Nothing but cold baths in streams and lakes, unless we happen to camp near a hot spring," she reported, glumly.

"And then you've always got that pervert monk lurking in the bushes," Inuyasha added.

He winced as Kagome kicked him, hard, under the table.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed, but said nothing beyond offering him another helping of the teriyaki beef.

Really, she's practically force-feeding the three of us, Buffy thought. Are they, like, having a famine in the Warring States era? Is there something that Koji's not telling me?

Mrs. Higurashi served mochi for dessert. What looked like multi-colored truffles dusted with powdered sugar turned out to be chewy and mostly tasteless balls of rice dough.

Buffy finished the one she had bitten into, and pushed her remaining portion over to Inuyasha.

He gave her a suspicious look. He had already gobbled his with every evidence of enjoyment, and the table in front of him was littered with the empty paper wrappers.

"Really, it's okay," she whispered. "If you like them, that is."

He didn't need a second invitation.

Of course, he didn't thank her, either, but she felt virtuous about having made the first move to thaw relations between them. Hey, we might even be on speaking terms before we get to the big showdown with Naraku!

* * *

After dinner, they all tramped back over to the well-house. Buffy's new bike was already parked on the sunken floor next to the well itself, and her backpack stood nearby. The seals had been removed, along with the well-cover, and the open shaft was a square of darkness.

Mrs. Higurashi, who had been stoic so far about Kagome's departure to dangers unknown, betrayed the depth of her anxiety by giving Kagome a long hug farewell. Her eyes looked awfully shiny when she finally released her daughter.

With a pang, Buffy remembered how her own Mom had tried to hide her worry whenever Buffy went out patrolling for vampires.

I'm glad she never knew about the second time I died, she thought. And Kagome doesn't seem to have any superpowers...if I was her Mom, I'd probably lock her in her room.

* * *

Her mother's unspoken anxiety settled like a heavy lump in Kagome's stomach. She knew Mama was concerned whenever she traveled through the well, but the actual dangers had never been discussed--until now.

Kagome longed to reassure her mother, but didn't know where to begin. Mama, being Mama, would never actually say anything about how she was feeling. It was left to Kagome to interpret the unspoken fear behind the special dessert, the lingering looks across the dinner table, the good-bye hug that lasted a little too long.

She allowed Mama to give her a fierce hug, then Inuyasha surprised her.

He walked over to where they were standing, and Kagome felt his hand settle on her shoulder. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, and addressed Mama:

"I'll protect Kagome with my life," he said, gruffly. "And I'll bring her safely home to you when we've completed our task. I swear this to you on--on my honor," he finished, looking a little embarrassed.

Kagome felt her cheeks heat at the combination of his words and his lingering touch--he really cares!--and saw tears well up in Mama's eyes.

Then, to her vast astonishment, Mama embraced him, too.

He stood there, eyes wide, his cheeks flushing bright red, arms held stiffly at his sides, as her mother put both arms around his waist and held him close.

"Please keep yourself safe, as well," she said, her voice a little muffled by the front of his haori. "You have been a good friend to Kagome, and it would make me sad if anything happened to you, Inuyasha. I know your mother would say the same thing, if she were here."

Inuyasha swallowed hard. He closed his eyes, and returned the embrace at last, briefly resting his cheek against Mama's hair. Then he cleared his throat and gently but firmly disentangled himself.

* * *

He looks completely gobsmacked, thought Buffy.

And Kagome was staring at her mother with an expression nearly identical to his. I guess hugging isn't big in Japan.

Inuyasha opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words emerged.

Finally, he said, roughly, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine,"

Grabbing Buffy's bike and hoisting to his shoulder, he spun on his bare heel and strode away, his long hair rippling like a silver banner behind him.

Tears were rolling down Mrs. Higurashi's cheeks as he disappeared down the well with the bike. She pulled out a Kleenex and dabbed rapidly at her face.

By the time Inuyasha returned a few minutes later, she was standing against the single remaining wall, looking completely composed again.

Then it was time to activate the Portal Key. As Koji unfolded the letter Giles had sent, Buffy drew out the small, jeweled sphere from her backpack.

She cupped it in her right hand. It felt strangely warm, and she swore she could hear it hum. She pressed three of the jewels as Giles had instructed, and the sphere opened like a music box, revealing an empty compartment.

Kagome pulled up the container of Shikon-no-Tama shards that hung from a cord around her neck, and Buffy caught her first glimpse of the jewel she had heard so much about these past couple of days.

They're pink. Figures.

Kagome uncorked the small bottle, and shook one of the fragments onto her palm. She handed it to Buffy, who put it in the sphere's compartment. She closed the sphere, and the humming grew louder.

As Koji began to read the Latin spell in Giles's letter, the sphere started to pulse with the same blue aura emitted by the well.

Buffy hoped this meant that they would all end up in the same time--and place--on the other side of the well.

"Good luck, Summers-san," said Koji, folding the letter and handing it to her. "When you're ready to return, just put something from the present in the compartment, and recite the spell."

"Good luck, sis!" Kagome's brother said. "Don't be a jerk to big brother Inuyasha!"

"What do you mean?" Kagome snapped as Inuyasha smirked.

Grandpa Higurashi intoned a short blessing.

"Are we finally ready to go?" growled Inuyasha when Grandpa finished his prayer with a shake from what looked like a shredded-paper pom-pom.

He strode to the well, and stood waiting for them, arms akimbo.

An enormous canvas rucksack bulging with books, junk food, and at least ten Cup O'Noodles stood next to Buffy's backpack. She wondered on earth Kagome was going to be able to lift it.

Even with her Slayer strength, Buffy herself had spent an hour trying to lighten her pack by leaving behind everything she possibly could. The blow-dryer had been a no-brainer. Ditching her Sephora eyeliner and foundation had been a more difficult decision.

With the air of long habit, Inuyasha picked up Kagome's pack with one hand as if it were weightless, and swung it over to the wooden lip of the well.

Aha, thought Buffy. There's hope for him yet.

He gave her a sidelong look, as if reading her mind, picked up her backpack as well, and plonked it down next to Kagome's.

"Thank--" Buffy started to say, but he had already disappeared down the well, taking the packs with him. A few seconds later, the well glowed the blue that signaled "incoming", and Buffy picked up her naginata. Just in case.

But it was only Inuyasha, making a return trip.

Then, the three of them--Buffy, Inuyasha, and Kagome--climbed over the lip of the well. Buffy saw a long ladder leaning up against the inside of the stone-lined shaft, and wondered who was going to climb down first.

* * *

As it turned out, there wasn't any climbing involved.

She heard Inuyasha say, "Let's go!" and felt him grab the back of her t-shirt. He jumped, taking her and Kagome with him.

Then they were falling...falling...falling...through an endless night filled with stars.

There was no sound, no feeling of wind rushing past her. Only the sharp pressure of Inuyasha's claws against the back of her neck reassured her that she hadn't been separated from the others.

Then the darkness was gone, and Buffy was aware that she was standing on solid ground once again. She was at the bottom of the stone-lined well. The two packs stood nearby, near the bleached ribcage of what looked like a really big snake.

It didn't work, she thought, disappointed. Then she heard birdsong, and looked up to see blue sky at the top of the shaft.

"What are you waiting for? Climb," ordered Inuyasha, releasing his hold on her shirt.

Kagome had already grabbed the thick vines growing down into the well, and was climbing up, bracing herself with toeholds in the rough-cut stones.

And in a miniskirt, too. Buffy could see her panties--pink, of course--and noticed that Inuyasha was looking, too. His mouth was open.

Wonder if Kagome does that on purpose? Buffy put the Portal Key in her pocket, and poked him. "After you."

* * *

Even carrying both packs, Inuyasha reached the top of the well before Buffy did. Of course, he did it using one of his incredible gravity-defying leaps, and bypassing the vines entirely.

Show-off, thought Buffy, panting a little as she reached the top of the well, and pulled herself up.

The well on this side of the portal was located in a forest meadow. Except for the birdsong, it was incredibly quiet. No hum of traffic, growl of airplanes, or honking. The deep silence felt like it was pressing on her eardrums.

"KAGOMEEEEE!" A little kid came running across the clearing, bounded into Kagome's arms, and nuzzled against her neck. "You were gone for such a long time! We kept seeing demons go into the well--Sango killed a lot of them, and Miroku, too, but they just kept coming and coming! I was so worried!"

This must be Shippou, the baby fox demon. Kagome had been spot-on in describing him as really cute. He was dressed in pants, a shirt and a vest, and he had a human face, thick auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail, and the most adorable little fox-paws emerging from his loose trousers.

Like Inuyasha, he had fangs, but on Shippo, the effect was adorable rather than feral.

Kagome was stroking him, making soothing noises as he curled against her neck, holding her tightly. Buffy noticed that he had a very bushy tail.

I wonder if Inuyasha has a tail? She didn't think he'd take kindly to being asked.

"It's okay, Shippou, it's okay." Kagome rocked him in her arms. "Inuyasha was there to protect me. And I made a new friend, too."

Shippo, a little calmer now, finally raised his head and looked around.

"Her?" He pointed at Buffy with one tiny, paw-like hand.

"Yes," said Kagome. "This is Buffy, a youkai slayer."

"Hello," said Buffy.

He walked over to her and inspected her with a very solemn expression. "You have funny-colored hair. And green eyes. Are you a hanyou, like Inuyasha?"

Oh, so the dog-boy's only half-demon! Buffy shook her head. "I'm human, but I'm not Japanese. I'm from California, which is, uh, across the ocean from here."

"Kari-funya? I've never heard of it." He blinked a couple of times, as if thinking it over, then said: "If Kagome says you're okay, then you're okay. You can stay."

Buffy couldn't help laughing. "Thanks, kiddo."

Shippou jumped up on Inuyasha's shoulder next. "Did Kagome's mother cook steak for you this time?"

His nose wrinkled suddenly. He leaned over, stuck his face in Inuyasha's hair, and took a deep sniff.

"You smell like fruit--just like Kagome's hair!" exclaimed Shippou. "Did you two finally bathe together?"

Inuyasha blushed--twice in one day!--and Buffy couldn't help laughing. She heard Kagome giggling as well.

Inuyasha growled and viciously backhanded the little kitsune off his shoulder. Shippou hit the ground with a thump. Before he could scramble away, Inuyasha grabbed him by the tail and lifted him.

"You little brat!" He smacked Shippou, hard, on the head, and the fox-cub screeched.

"Stop whining. You asked for it!" Inuyasha raised his hand again--only to find his arm wrenched up behind his back.

"You're such a jerk!" said Buffy, as he tried and failed to break her grip.

"He hurt me!" wailed Shippou.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said, in a warning tone.

"But he asked for it!" Inuyasha protested, but Kagome was already raising her hand to him. Uh-oh.

"You're in trouble, now!" Shippou called gleefully.

"Osuwari!"

Buffy released her hold on Inuyasha just in time.

In the next instant, the hanyou boy lay face-down at her feet, and the air was filled with the sharp fragrance of crushed grass.

"Kagome," said Buffy. "That has got to be the best move, EVER."

Author's Note: Wow...I'm overwhelmed at all the wonderful reviews. Thank you, everyone! I'm just so inspired! Next chapter: Buffy meets Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and of course, Kaede.