InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ By The River of Shadowed Moments ❯ The Wall of Time ( Chapter 12 )

AN: Thank you for the beta job by Risa! I plan on having the last chapter out soon. I have about 1000 words written of it, and after I'm done with Harry Potter 7, I should be uploading it soon. Thanks for reading!

 

--

 

"Say goodnight not goodbye
You will never leave my heart behind
Like the path of a star
I'll be anywhere you are."

"Say Goodnight" by Beth Nielsen Chapman

 

By the River of Shadowed Moments

 

Chapter Twelve - The Wall of Time

 

Everyone was silent for a moment, and the brothers watched Kagome's body before Sango had nudged Inuyasha on the shoulder.

 

“She needs medicine,” Sango said, and Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement.

 

“You must take her back to her time,” Sesshoumaru stated to Inuyasha, his voice deep and still strong despite the current sadness. He locked eyes with his brother, and they both knew it was the right thing to do. Kagome's life teetered on the edge, and not only did she exhaust a lot of her energy and power, but she was also covered with bruises and stab wounds. She wouldn't last another night in the feudal era.

 

Inuyasha nodded, and he glanced one last time at the Shikon Jewel before sprinting toward the well. As the others tried to assess the injuries, Sesshoumaru watched Inuyasha in the distance toward the well. He felt a pang of jealousy stir in his blood, and he frowned realizing that Kagome may indeed die. If she came back from her own era alive and well, would she continue things with him as they were before? Intuition told him that their tryst was indeed over, and his brother, who could access both this world and hers, had more of a chance to be with her.

 

With that thought, Sesshoumaru continued to convince himself that he was not in love with her, nor was he the type of demon that fell in love. Within his true nature, he reserved his final thought of Kagome that he would indeed miss her.

Memories of her body fitting tightly against his and her soft breathy moans against his skin had stirred even more emotions within him. He would long for her terribly, and if he hoped to see her again, it would be a long arduous wait until that day came. The only thing he could do now while Kagome healed in her time was to respect her wishes. He picked up the incomplete glass ball that sunk at the bottom of the deep puddle and stared at it as the water dripped down his fingers.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin had chimed in. "Are you really going to keep the jewel for Kagome-chan?"

Everybody turned their attention to him, anxious for his answer. He gave them all a cool stare and said, "Of course, Rin. When the jewel is whole again, I will keep it for Kagome. I will return it when I see her again."

"What will you do with it until then?" Miroku asked, glancing at Kohaku. The boy bravely approached Sesshoumaru with a determined expression. He already knew what he must do.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kohaku and then turned to the monk to answer him. "I will take the completed jewel and hide it among my family castle. Since the castle is virtually hidden from most humans and demons, it will likely protect the jewel by its inherent fortified barriers."

"But the jewel isn't complete. There's still Kohaku's piece of the shard, and we'd need Kagome here to put the jewel together," Sango said. Miroku shook his head in disagreement next to her.

"Actually, Kaede could fuse the jewel together just as well. Now it's up to Kohaku on what he wants to do with his piece," Miroku replied. Sango gave her little brother a horrified look, for she knew all too well what his decision was going to be, no matter what the consequences.

In a defeated voice, she said, "Kohaku." And he turned to his sister with a resolute expression.

"I'm sorry, Aneue, but I must do this. It was always my fate," Kohaku stated. Sango ran to her brother and grabbed his shoulders.

"You don't have to do this, Kohaku. You can still live," Sango pleaded, but Kohaku wouldn't budge.

"I could live, but it wouldn't be really living. It would be a false life dependent upon the jewel," Kohaku explained. Sango leaned into him and hugged him tightly with tears falling down her face. He returned her embrace and held his sister lovingly.

"I need you, Kohaku. I don't want to lose you," she cried, and he rubbed soothing circles on her back. He sighed against her, whispering her name. As he held her, he reached for his back and looked up at Sesshoumaru. He nodded, and in a sharp motion, he dug his fingers into his back and pulled out the shard. His eyes went blank as his fingers drew the shard past his wound, and he collapsed in Sango's arms, lifeless and finally gone.

Sango wailed as her little brother died in her arms. Everyone looked onto the scene in silence, giving Sango the proper respect she deserved. The Shikon shard fell to the ground, a glint of sunlight reflecting off its tiny surface.

Rin suddenly ran over to the scene and hugged Kohaku from behind, sad that she was losing a friend. Miroku lifted up his hand and said a prayer, while Sango continued to cry, holding desperately onto her brother's body. Sesshoumaru looked upon the scene with indifference, his attention on the fallen jewel shard and his thoughts on Kagome. It wasn't as though he didn't acknowledge Kohaku's sacrifice; on the contrary, Kohaku had been a good friend to Rin, an ally, and a noble comrade against the fight with Naraku. Though, the boy had been already dead when he met him, and the undead miko had been right to value the remainder of his pure life in protecting the last fragment of the Shikon Jewel. And with the inevitable end of their battle, Kohaku's role had always been clear.

Rin had wiped the tears from her small face, and she bent down and picked up the last fragment of the jewel. She sauntered lightly over to Sesshoumaru's position, lifting her hand to offer him the last piece. Sesshoumaru bowed at her, taking the jewel and placing the fragment with the larger half in a pocket under his breastplate. Rin clung to his legs suddenly, sniffling as she watched the emotional scene between the slayer and her fallen brother.

"Goodbye, Kohaku-kun," Rin said against his legs. Sesshoumaru looked down at Rin and placed a sympathetic hand on her head.

"Jaken, Ah and Un, let us go to the old miko," Sesshoumaru said, wasting no time to complete the jewel. Miroku and Sango turned back to him, and as he proceeded to leave, Sango picked up her brother's body in her arms. She stood next to Miroku, who had picked up a wounded Shippou, and they glanced at each other before following Sesshoumaru back to the village.

--

Inuyasha held Kagome close as he leaped from the mouth of the well to the inside of Kagome's house. Her family was sitting down to dinner as he barged through, and desperately he pleaded with them to save Kagome's life.

"Please, she's been seriously wounded!" Inuyasha cried, and immediately her family was at her side with looks of horror on their faces.

"She's barely breathing!" her mother exclaimed, and Inuyasha looked down at her mournfully.

"There's a hospital just up the street," Kagome's grandfather informed him, and Inuyasha looked over his shoulder through the window to that direction.

"I'll go with you," Souta demanded, and Inuyasha nodded, bending his knees so Souta could ride on his back. Despite his waning strength, he still managed to carry both Kagome and Souta. The hanyou was now functioning on pure adrenaline. His only concern right now was saving Kagome's life.

"Go!" Kagome's mother said, and she watched as Inuyasha bounded out the door with Souta directing him. Her mother added, "We'll follow you and get there as soon as we can!"

--

Inuyasha didn't know what all these machines were that were hooked up to Kagome's unconscious body, but whatever they did, they were helping her survive.

It had been a close call, and any moment later, Kagome could have died. The doctors were astonished by Kagome's variety of injuries, and Inuyasha was thankful that Souta had come up with a quick story, explaining that his sister had been kidnapped and tortured by gang members and left on their doorstep. It sounded horrific, almost as horrendous as what truly occurred. The doctors bought it, and they immediately prepped Kagome for surgery.

Besides the deep gashes and stab wounds, parts of Kagome's body had serious burns, which would leave deep scarring even with the help of plastic surgery. She had lost a lot of blood from the wound in her stomach, and the doctors patched that injury up first before anything else.

When Kagome was finally stabilized, the hospital put her up in a recovery room, and the doctors had told her family that Kagome would be there for a long time since some her injuries had been near-fatal.

"I'm surprised that she even pulled through and is sleeping so soundly. She has a tough spirit." The doctor turned to the family sympathetically and said, "Anyone else would have been in a deep coma, or even dead."

Kagome's mother had thanked the doctor, and when visiting hours were open for non-family, Inuyasha immediately sprung into Kagome's room to check on her, vowing to stay by her side in her time of need.

"Kagome," he whispered with profound love. He had been so worried about her that he hadn't had time to really register that Naraku had finally been defeated. Their mission was finally over, and the feudal era was once again safe from Naraku. He only wished that Kagome was well enough to enjoy this victory with him.

He gave her a determined stare, watching her as she breathed on her own. The doctors had her hooked up to machines hours before, and they were astonished when Kagome started breathing despite her injuries, and thankfully, healing fast. When they said she had a 'strong spirit' Inuyasha knew they had no real idea about what kind of will Kagome really had. Her strong fighting spirit was one of the things Inuyasha loved about her, and he guessed it would be the same vitality that would help her heal faster.

"I will stay here with you until you wake up, Kagome," Inuyasha said softly, tracing a finger over her hand. "Then we can go back and enjoy this win with our friends, with each other."

He took Kagome's hand lightly in his, and he watched her as she began whimpering. Inuyasha stared with fascination as her lips began moving while she talked in her sleep. She made a pained expression which sent Inuyasha on his feet. He moved quickly to her side, and when he heard the words coming past her lips, his eyes widened and his heart fell.

"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered while sleeping, and although she only said it once, saying Sesshoumaru's name had echoed in his head like a mantra.

He walked backward and slumped in the chair, staring at Kagome with a furrowed brow. His face contorted in mild anger, but in his heart, he felt deep sorrow cut him like a knife.

'She loves him.'

The pained expression on Kagome's face was replaced by an angelic smile. Inuyasha watched her intensely, his lip quivering as he held back the tears, trying to be strong.

'She loves him the way I love her.' And saying it to himself held new meaning, and hearing his brother's name come from her lips made him realize the truth.

Kagome had fallen in love with Sesshoumaru, and even though she had vowed to stay by Inuyasha's side, they were only friends. In the beginning there was something, albeit juvenile and immature, there was something there, and Inuyasha was the one who hesitated. He was the one who couldn't see when she longed for him.

Could he really fault Sesshoumaru for coming to Kagome in her time of need? Sesshoumaru had problems of his own, and although he used the worst way to appeal to Kagome's good nature, something between them had gained fruition. Anger, jealousy and defeat were inutile and had no place among them. Of course, Inuyasha couldn't believe Sesshoumaru felt anything meaningful toward Kagome, a human no less, but it was certainly possible given the way he behaved toward her in their last battle.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome made a sudden moment, lifting up her hand in the air and calling Sesshoumaru's name again. As if in a daze, he stood up and walked toward the exit of the room. He took one backward glance at Kagome, and the pain all over his body only increased. He didn't want to leave her like this. She was hurt, vulnerable, and despite her calling out his brother's name, she was still his friend and he loved her.

Still, he didn't feel welcome. He didn't want to go, but when she woke up, what face would she long to see? He was sure it wouldn't be his.

Inuyasha inhaled a heavy draught of breath, and then he turned his heel and stood back at Kagome's side. He looked down at her, soaking up the image of her face inside his memories. He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips, and when she made a noise and smiled, he smiled in return, his eyes still brimming with sadness.

He took her hand, caressing her fingers before saying, "I have to go now, Kagome. I just want you do know that we won. We won because of you." His voice trailed off, and the words became stuck in his throat. He exhaled heavily again, and his voice became shaky. "I don't want to go, but I have to. I'm just glad you're alright, and even though you'd pound my head to a pulp if you were awake, you know I have to leave you." He paused, and he continued to stare at her, wondering if maybe it was better she wasn't awake. He cocked his head to her and said, "I know you love him, and I would only be a burden to you if I stayed in your time to be with you when you don't even want me. I wish every day that you still loved me, that I hadn't been a fool about Kikyou and treated you better.

"But we can't change things now, can we?" He paused again and looked out her hospital window. The heavens glowed from the skyline of lights, illuminating modern Tokyo as dusk fell into the night. Inuyasha turned back to Kagome's still form, squeezing her hand and releasing it. He said resolutely, "I have to go, Kagome. I'll miss you. I don't think we're going to see each other again, will we? You came and did what you had to do. You belong in this time, just as you always did."

Inuyasha bit his lip, and he watched Kagome sleep for a little while longer before he left. Kagome's mother knocked on the door, and he looked up to see her motioning him toward her. Soon, visiting hours were over and he had to leave. He stood up and gave Kagome one more kiss and walked slowly out the door, refusing to turn back and look at her.

'Goodbye Kagome. I'll always love you,' Inuyasha thought. And as he said his farewells to Kagome's family, he knew it was the last time he'd set foot in the modern era. An invisible energy was pulling him back to the Bone Eater's Well. Before he jumped back to his time, he took another look at Kagome's house, and he already felt a pang of longing in his heart. He'd never be able to see the place that felt and smelled like Kagome. He had his memories; he had her friendship; he had his love.

And that was all he could take. So he dropped a foot down the well, closed his eyes and felt one tear escape his eye as the magic pulled him back home.

--

Immediately when Inuyasha came back to the village, everyone noticed his distress and was anxious to hear an update on Kagome's condition. Right when he was about to open his mouth, Miroku pointed to the forest, and they all turned around to see a large burst of blue energy encompass the forest and then fall silent.

"That was in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well," Miroku mused. And Inuyasha bowed his head and looked to the ground.

"Yes, I bet the well doesn't work anymore. Kagome is back in her time safe and sound," he said in a low voice.

"Then she's alright! Kagome's alive?" Shippou asked excitedly, and Inuyasha nodded.

"She can't come back though. She's gone in her time and none of us can see her anymore," Inuyasha said sadly, watching their faces fall.

"At least she survived," Sango replied lightly. "I will miss Kagome-chan, but I understand she needs to be with her family."

"We were her family too, Sango," Miroku said, putting a comforting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. He shrugged it off and looked away dejectedly from his friends.

"Inuyasha, why didn't you stay with Kagome in her time?" Kaede asked hesitantly, worried for his obvious distress. "You must have wanted to."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha lashed at her, and then he shot a glare to his brother, who was watching the scene with interest. "She didn't want me, alright. She didn't choose me."

As he glared at his brother, the others looked at him with pity, and when Inuyasha started to stomp away to his hiding place in the forest, Sango outstretched her hand to make him stop.

"Inuyasha! We waited for you to come back to combine the jewel. We're going to make it complete," she said, and Inuyasha growled.

"I don't care about the jewel anymore. It doesn't belong to me, and I want to be left alone," Inuyasha said, turning his heel and sprinting toward the forest.

"Wait!" Sango exclaimed, but Miroku held her back.

"Don't, Sango-sama." Miroku looked to the direction Inuyasha ran, and he sighed. "We should give him some space. He's very hurt."

Sango nodded, still concerned for her friend. She stared at the patch of darkness in the forest where Inuyasha retreated, but Miroku put a hand on her shoulder to direct her to Kaede. Kaede held the pieces of the jewel, closing her hands around it. A pink glow filtered throughout the spaces between her fingers, and as she concentrated, she made a grunting noise and the glow soon disappeared. She opened her hand to show a completed, purified jewel, and she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Thank goodness Kagome purified the jewel before collapsing," Kaede said in a ragged breath. "I barely had the power to put it together." Then, the old miko paused and gave the jewel a peculiar look. She rolled the jewel around in her palm and brought it up to her face to inspect it closely. "Hrmm..."

"What is it, Kaede-sama?" Miroku asked, and everyone looked on curiously.

"The jewel is back together, but I'm no longer sensing any power coming from it." She turned to Miroku with a dumbfounded expression. "The jewel's power is dormant."

"Dormant? How can that be?" Shippou asked incredulously.

"Once I put it together, I got this sense of completion, yet the jewel did not expect me to be the one to piece it together. It's as like it reacted to my power and shut itself off." Kaede made a humming sound and lightly tweaked her jaw. "I think it has turned off its power because I am not the one it belongs to."

"So if it were given back to Kagome-sama, it'd be active?" Miroku asked.

"Maybe," Kaede answered immediately. "But for now, it's just another trinket. It may revive again someday, but I couldn't guess when." She sighed and then turned her attention to Sesshoumaru. "Nevertheless, it still needs a protector from demons that know if its origin, even if they could not sense it."

 Kaede walked toward Sesshoumaru, and she gave him a hard stare with her one eye.

"I do not like the idea of giving a powerful demon the Shikon Jewel, even if it isn't active," she said in a gruff voice. Sesshoumaru said nothing and let her continue. "However, Sango and Miroku tell me Kagome loved and trusted you, and that's good enough for me." She outstretched her hand, dropping the jewel in his readied palm before giving him another scrutinizing stare.

"It's up to you now, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kaede said. "Do well by Kagome's trust."

Sesshoumaru nodded to the miko and gripped the Shikon Jewel in his hand; he said no goodbyes and looked to the sky. His companions automatically stood behind him, and he made a motion to them to follow. "We're going."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" said Rin, and she and Jaken clung to Sesshoumaru's heirloom pelt as he started to levitate them in the sky. Clouds formed under his feet, and those still on the surface squinted their eyes and watched him depart. He made a lightening dash in the air, and the two-headed dragon followed behind as they took off toward the western fortress in the sky.

After Sesshoumaru was gone, Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara followed Kaede into her hut to discuss the battle. They prepared for a meal that night, as well as funeral rite for Kohaku's remains, which Sango wanted to export to her village to bury next to her family. After some time, Inuyasha finally returned from the forest, and he helped Sango and Miroku with Kohaku's funeral, barely saying a word. Everyone gave Inuyasha his space, and they were grateful he was even out in the open helping them, instead of dealing with his sadness alone.

With Kagome back in her own time, everyone felt the loneliness and sorrow of her absence. She was a true friend they would miss, a sister they would always cherish and was glad to know. The ache in Inuyasha's heart would not disappear so suddenly, but he would move on and live out his days with her memory always fresh in his heart. His friends, Sango, Miroku, Kaede, Shippou and Kirara would always be there for him, as he would in turn be there for them.

And they went on with their lives, looking back only slightly, putting heartache and loss behind them. One thing was for certain; no matter how many years passed by, they would always remember the kind girl from the future who had become their valuable ally and friend.

The girl who saved ancient Japan from a horrible fate.

TBC...