InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Consciousness ❯ Preparations ( Chapter 18 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Preparations


Sesshomaru’s travel weary soldiers set up a careful perimeter around Kaede’s hut and the edges of the forest. Sesshomaru moved in and out of the area making sure there weren’t any gaps in the area that something could slip through.

Inuyasha prowled the area while his brother and the team of warriors set up camp. He wasn’t used to this many people around in his personal space. He was uncomfortable with this many people crowding around Kaede’s hut. Kagome, Sango, Ayame, and Kagura were settled into Kaede’s hut, preparing a hearty meal. After their rapid continuous move here, they were all famished.

Kaede was adding ingredients into the pot, as the group of girls continued to cut up vegetables and rabbits. Inuyasha came in again, handing over several more skinned rabbits to the girls as Shippo popped in and out bringing vegetables from Kaede’s garden.

“Kagome, are ye going to your mother’s while ye are here?” Kaede asked, as she stirred the growing pots of stew.

“We are going to try,” Kagome answered. “After we eat, Inuyasha and I are going to the well.”

“It’ll be just fine Kagome” Sango added.

“I hope so,” she responded.

“Are ye worried that the well no longer works, Kagome?” Kaede stopped stirring and looked at her.

“There are concerns that once they become mates the well will no longer work,” Kagura spoke up for the first time. “There are some details in the prophecy that lead us to believe it will not work any longer.”

“Kagome, child, Are ye alright with that?” Kaede stopped and sat down in front of Kagome.

“I think so, Kaede. It’s strange. My worst fear was that someday I would have to choose between Inuyasha and my time and my family. Yet, now that I am faced with that decision, I really think I’m ok with it.”

“Ye do know that there will be more hardships for ye, if ye stay here; don’t ye my child?” Kaede asked softly.

“Yeah, I do,” she replied.

“Ye will always be welcome here,” Kaede sighed and turned back to the stew.

“Kagome, are you ok to try to make this trip home?” Sango asked.

“As long as Inuyasha is with me, I’ll be alright.” Kagome turned and looked at her friend.

“This will likely be my last trip home; are there any things you want Sango?”

“You’re worried about what I want?” Sango clicked her tongue. “Kagome, you need to worry about spending time with your family.”

“I know; I will. Yet, I know that there are things that I would like to have with me for the next however many years,” Kagome giggle. “I don’t think I can bring back that much Ramen though!”

The group of girls giggled as they imagined Inuyasha’s reaction when he came to the full realization that there would be no more Ramen. “I think you could have some rough years ahead of you, Kagome!” Ayame laughed. She knew that when all else failed to calm him down, Kagome usually waved Ramen under his nose, and he fell in line like a small errant child.

Inuyasha came in at that moment. He looked at the giggling group and just rolled his eyes. “Hey wench? What’s so funny?” he looked at Kagome.

The girls just began to laugh harder. Kagome was laughing so hard that there were tears in the corners of her eyes. “Nothing, Inuyasha, nothing,” Kagome gasped for air.

“Feh,” he growled at her. “You gonna snicker all day, or you gonna finish that meal so we can go?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll have food ready soon. Now, go on, let us finish.” Kagome shooed him out of the hut.
The group of women went back to work on the stew and slicing the bread Kaede had procured from one of the villagers. They chatted about the upcoming wedding plans and what Kagome wanted in the way of a wedding. They had all agreed that with the short notice that the wedding should be small and simple.

*****

“Sesshomaru, what the hell are you doing?” Inuyasha growled at his brother. Sesshomaru was traversing the area around the well and just grunted at his brother. Continuing to peruse the well and its surrounding area, Sesshomaru jumped up on the edge of the well, moving around the lip.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Inuyasha growled again.

“Tell me, little brother, you just jump into the well, and it takes you somewhere else?” Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at him.

“Gah! We’ve been over this before. You know how it works!” Inuyasha came up on the lip of the well, glaring at his brother.

Sesshomaru shifted his weight and jumped into the air.

“What the hell are you doing!” Inuyasha bellowed.

Sesshomaru lit on the ground at the bottom of the well. He looked up at his ranting brother and grunted.
Looking around at the bottom of the well, Sesshomaru noted the veritable grave yard of demon bones in the bottom of the well. The villagers had used the well for years to dump bones of slain demons. It was apparent that since the Miko had come though that activity had ceased.

Inuyasha growled at his brother. “Come up here! You don’t need to be nosing around down there!”

“Why don’t you come down, Inuyasha?” Sesshomaru taunted.

“Funny! Real funny, Bastard!” Inuyasha growled. He had almost fallen for it, had almost followed his brother down the well. He realized barely in time to stop himself, that he would possibly trigger the magic that sent them to the other side of the well.

“How long will you be gone?” Sesshomaru asked as he alit on the edge of the well again.

“She wants to spend the day. If I know her, she’ll want to spend the night, too,” Inuyasha sighed. He knew that this was possibly her last trip home, and he would be patient.

“At the latest?” Sesshomaru growled.

“We’ll be back after breakfast tomorrow.”

“Fine, make sure you are no later.” Sesshomaru stalked off toward the village.

Inuyasha slowly headed back to the village. He was lost in thought, trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past weeks. He had been raised in this era. He knew what to expect and what hardships lay ahead of them. He was worried that Kagome would suffer staying here. He worried that he couldn’t keep her safe. He knew it would be easy to leave her in her era, to destroy the well and leave her trapped there, in the future.

As he wandered into the edge of the village, Kagome came out of Kaede’s hut; she was flushed red with the heat of the morning fire. He stopped, staring at her. She was his life, his reason to still be here. She was everything he protected. Yet, he knew it was selfish to keep her here, trap her here.

Kagome walked toward him, a bowl of steaming stew in her hands. “Inuyasha, you should eat,” she held the bowl toward him.

“Whatever, wench, just don’t think you’re getting out of making me Ramen when we get back to your time,” he replied, taking the offered food.

Kagome giggled and headed back to the hut to get ready to go. Entering the hut, she turned toward Kaede.
“Kaede, we have no home here yet. I hate to ask this of you, but may we store some things from my time here?” Kagome blushed, as she asked. She hated asking Kaede to be put out any further.

Kaede chuckled looking at Kagome’s face, so full of innocence and apologetic. “Of course, ye may, child; for as long as ye need it, my home is yours.”

“Thank you so much Kaede!” Kagome beamed.

Inuyasha walked in at that moment.

“Hey! Wench! We going, or what?” he growled.

“Of course!” Kagome turned to look at her friends. “We will be back soon! We may need some help with goodies when I come back!”

“We will be waiting for you!” Sango got up giving Kagome a quick hug and pulling Shippo off her shoulder. “You’ll be staying right here until Kagome comes back,” she settled the little kit in her arms.

“Kagome! I’ll miss you!” Shippo said, looking at Kagome, afraid to say to much. He understood only too well what it meant to lose one’s parents. He knew that Kagome was very close to her mother, and it made his heart ache for her.

Kagome leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be back, little one.”

Inuyasha looked away, guilt filling his gut. He knew how much the kit loved her. He knew that if he trapped Kagome in the future, Shippo would never forgive him. Shippo was like a son to him. He could not bear the thought of how hurt he would be.

“Come on, wench! Let’s go,” Inuyasha turned away and stepped out of the hut. He waited for Kagome to catch up with him as he walked toward the well.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome looked at him. “You ok?”

“Yeah.”

As they approached the well, Sesshomaru was waiting for them. He approached Inuyasha and pulled him aside. “Don’t do anything stupid, Inuyasha.” Inuyasha looked up at his brother and growled a soft warning growl. Sesshomaru sneered in response. “Just be careful” was the parting shot from Sesshomaru as the pair jumped into the well.

Sesshomaru stood at the well’s edge, staring long after the blue magic of the time slip had disappeared.

*****

Inuyasha held onto Kagome as the time slip opened, and the pair slipped into the future. As they touched down in her time, he held onto her as he leapt out of the well. He stood there, at the well, in her time lost in thought, again. He looked around the well house, his eyes straining in the darkness, taking in every small detail, every crack and knot in the woods boards.

Kagome sighed; she knew that something was wrong. Inuyasha had been contemplative since they had made the decision to return to her time. Twisting in his arms, she looked up at his face, shadowed by the light creeping in through the cracks in the well house. “Inuyasha?” she breathed softly.

“Yeah?” he looked down at her.

“What is it? What is wrong?”

“Come on; let’s go find your mother,” Inuyasha tugged her toward the door.

Kagome let Inuyasha drag her out of the well house and toward her home. Half way across the courtyard, Kagome froze. She tugged hard on Inuyasha’s hand. “Stop!” she hissed.

He stopped and looked at her, her pupils dilated; she pulled her shoulders back, and a shiver ran through her. “Kagome?” he raised his head and began sniffing. He couldn’t smell anything here, the scent of the city temporarily overwhelming his nose. He could feel the current of her miko powers rise and swirl around them. He couldn’t find the source, what had triggered this response from her.

Kagome stood frozen. She had not sensed power that strong here, in her time, in a very long time. It pulled at her, wrapped around her. The jyakai that wrapped around her and tugged at her wasn’t threatening; it was incredibly strong though. Her miko senses flared. Something wanted her attention.

Kagome closed her eyes and stretched her senses, allowing her power to flow outward trying to find the source. She sent out a small burst of purifying energy into the area surrounding them, trying to clear the area of all the thoughts and feelings she was picking up, trying to isolate what was calling her.

Kagome’s eyes widened; her head snapped forward as she took a deep breath. She jerked her senses back and pulled in her energies. She knew who was calling for her.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha demanded, “what is it?”

“Nothing, I thought I felt something, that wasn’t there” she started back toward the house with the imprint of the youkai on her mind. She hadn’t been prepared to recognize the demon that had sent his jyakai her way.

Inuyasha grunted; he didn’t quite believe her because her powers had flared considerably, and she had searched for it and found it. Shrugging his shoulders, he figured it couldn’t be that dangerous, or she would have said something. As Kagome slipped into the house, she called out for her mother.

Mya came out of the kitchen, heading for the children. “Kagome! Inuyasha! I hadn’t expected to see you so soon!” She wrapped her arms around both children, pulling them close. She sighed the time had come.

“Mom!” Kagome exclaimed; she was bursting to tell her mother.

Mya grinned; she knew what was coming as she pulled the children into the kitchen and sat them at the table. Kagome was ready to explode; all the anxiety, happiness, fears, and joys that had been bottled up, came flying to the surface when she saw her mother.

Inuyasha grinned, he could feel the change in her; she was like a small child with a new toy. She could hardly control herself. He looked across the table at Mya; she knew, and he was just beginning to be aware of how much she knew. She was more aware of what was going on between the two of them and their future, than he was. It bothered him to think she knew what was in his head and what he was thinking.

Kagome giggled and jumped up to hug her mother again. “We’re getting married, Mama! We’re getting married!”

Mya looked at her daughter and smiled. “I figured something like this was coming!” she laughed softly. Her daughter looked ecstatic. She felt a measure of nostalgia flair up and tighten in her throat. She remembered a time like this in her own life, when Kagome’s father had asked her to marry him.

She looked over at Inuyasha, and she could see decision weighing heavily on his mind. She knew that the young man wanted to marry her daughter. She also knew, because of Sesshomaru, that Inuyasha would attempt once again to make decisions for Kagome that may not be the right ones. She knew that he loved Kagome, that he put her happiness and safety first. She also knew that this could potentially force him to make decisions that he thought were right but were horribly wrong for all of them. These decisions would be wrong for Kagome and wrong for him.

Souta burst into the room at that moment, jumping around Inuyasha, and going a mile a minute. Souta asked him questions about what they had been doing, what they were doing here, how long they were going to stay, and telling him about his new games.

Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the bouncing boy. “Stop,” he growled. Souta blinked at him, eyes round.

“Now, is there something you wanted to ask me?” Inuyasha said gruffly.

Souta started over, asking one question at a time and waiting for answers in between, as he dragged Inuyasha toward the living room. Kagome smiled at the two and assured Inuyasha she would make him some Ramen. Kagome busied herself, making Ramen for Inuyasha, talking to her mother about the wedding plans, and what she wanted to get done during the day, while she was here. Mya looked at Kagome and knew that she had other things on her mind.

“Kagome?” Mya turned her daughter toward her. “What else?” Kagome looked at her mother and giggled. Her mom knew only to well.

“I need to slip out for a few minutes; there is someone I need to see,” Kagome sighed; she didn’t know how she was going to get away from Inuyasha.

As Mya looked around the room, she thought she had heard her father go out very early this morning because she had heard deep, baritone voices in the courtyard this morning. She walked to the edge of the living room and back again. Souta had Inuyasha wrapped up in a game. She came back in the kitchen and looked at Kagome. “Go, now. When he comes looking for you, I will tell him I sent you out for me,” Mya giggled as she set out extra packages of Ramen. “I’ll keep him busy for a while.”

Kagome hugged her mother and slipped out the door. She darted down the long flight of stairs. Heading toward where the feeling had originally come from, Kagome had only gone about a block when she barreled head first into someone.

“In a hurry, my little miko?” a deep voice asked.

Kagome squeaked and swallowed hard as she looked up into a pair of glowing golden eyes. “Sesshomaru!” Kagome gasped. “I knew it!”

Sesshomaru chuckled and looked down on her face. It was like spring, the scent rolling off her: clean, clear and crisp. It had been so long since he had stood face to face with her, almost 500 years. He knew it would end different now. He could smell the strength and determination rolling off her.

Kagome raised an eyebrow and looked at him. He was laughing. “Laughing, dear brother, Is someone dead?” she looked at him.

“Not yet,” Sesshomaru quirked his lips. He knew time was limited before his idiot brother came looking for her. “Kagome, please, listen to me.” He pulled her into the park and set her down on the bench. Kagome looked at him and realized there were changes. She could see clearly through his disguise, but she could also see the disguise there. “Sesshomaru?”

He looked at her, “Kagome, please, understand; it has been centuries since I have been this close to you. We are walking a different time line right now. I hope to change that.”
“Centuries?” Kagome stiffened, immediately. That would mean they had not been near each other for a very long time.

Sesshomaru sighed, “Yes, Miko, a very long time.”

“Well? You wouldn’t be here, if it wasn’t important,” Kagome turned and caught sight of his shimmering disguise. As she did, the color drained out of her face. “It’s you!”

Sesshomaru looked at her; she knew. He sighed again. This was more complicated than he had expected. He lowered his head a touch and leaned near her ear. “Kagome, I promise. I’ll tell you the whole story later, but, yes, it’s me. You’re father was a very dear friend of mine.”

Kagome looked at him long and hard. So, Sesshomaru had been around all this time. He knew about her, her life, her hardships, and he knew what happened. She gasped; he knew how things turned out! She reached out and grasped his hand.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow and looked at her. She was always so familiar with him, oblivious even back then of his need to distance himself. He sighed. “No, Kagome, I don’t have all the answers. I only have one at the moment.”

“Listen and listen well, do not anger the half breed. Do not fight with him, and do not let him out of your sight tonight. Make sure he isn’t allowed in the well house without you.”

Kagome looked at him. “Oh, my! He had better not!” she screamed as the realization dawned on her! Sesshomaru thought Inuyasha might try to leave her here in the present. “I’ll sit him into next week!” Kagome jumped up anger racing through her.

“Miko! Slow down, he only thinks of what is best for you; unfortunately, he’s not intelligent enough to think the entire thing through. What you need to do is establish a barrier over the well, so he can not enter with out you. Do not confront him; he does not need to know you have seen me.”

Kagome stopped ranting long enough to realize that Sesshomaru was actually defending his brother. “What! You’re defending him?” Kagome began laughing. It was so strange, the Sesshomaru of the future, defending the half demon, half brother of the past. Time must have mellowed him.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. “Mellowed me?” he laughed again as her eyes went wide. “I see you finally have caught on; all thoughts are open to me, if I want them.”

“Now! Hurry back to the shrine, don’t let that half breed out of your sight, and make sure he can’t enter that well house with out you!” Sesshomaru pushed Kagome toward the street. “Go!” he turned and disappeared.





Disclaimer time: I don’t own Inuyasha or its characters.
That sole joy belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
I’ll let you know which ones I own as we go.