InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Entrapment: A 21st Century Adventure ❯ End of a Journey ( Chapter 16 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.08.2011 | Updated On: 12.09.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 11.0K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.08.2011 | Updated On: 12.09.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 11.0K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
End of a Journey
Inuyasha roused with the sudden surge of his youki, grinning softly at the pleasant sensation of his body returning to normal. In his sleep-muddled mind, he idly wondered why he had fallen asleep in the first place, since he almost always stayed awake on his human nights. But whatever the reason, he was far too comfortable to get up now, and inhaled a deep breath in preparation for dozing off again. Or at least, he tried to.
His lungs had barely filled to approximately a third of their capacity before the frantic messages sent by his nasal receptors hit his brain like electric shocks. He bolted upright, coughing with the sudden expulsion of all the air from his lungs. There was no mistaking those scents, or the fact that he was naked. And as his awareness returned, along with his memory, Inuyasha gazed up at the ceiling with a look of dumbfounded amazement.
Ho. Ly. Shit.
His first thought was that he had dreamt the whole thing. But that didn’t explain his nudity or what his sense of smell was telling him. No, his recollections were real; he could recall with absolute clarity every moan, touch, and shred of sensation. He had really made love with Kagome last night.
He fought against the foolish grin threatening to break out over his features. He didn’t feel nearly as good about this now as he had last night, when he had been practically drowning in human emotion. That was probably putting it a bit too strongly, but it was unlikely that things would have gone that far had he been hanyou. For him, being human was similar to being full-youkai; he didn’t spend much time in either state and had trouble controlling himself in both.
He heard and felt Kagome shift beside him, and snapped his head to look at her. But she was still asleep, and he heaved a sigh of relief, glad that his movements had not woken her. The last thing he needed was to have to face her before he’d had time to collect his thoughts. He did notice that the she had displaced the sheets enough at some point to reveal that she had changed clothes, apparently before falling asleep. She now wore her typical nighttime ensemble of late, a t-shirt and underwear. He stared for a moment, then shook his head and scolded himself for it as he hastily covered her up. Being a horndog was part of what had gotten him into this mess in the first place.
And it was a mess. How could it not be? Two people as stubborn as he and Kagome, with as complicated a relationship as they possessed, didn’t just have sex without any lasting ramifications. It had been so easy last night to believe that they could encapsulate this one night, and then move on with their lives with little or no change. But that was fantasy, not reality. How would this affect their friendship? He couldn’t see how it could possibly go back to the way it was. And even if it could, there were still a thousand and one other reasons their glorified one night stand was a mistake: Naraku, Kikyou, and his inability to determine his own feelings to name a few.
He gasped as another possibility came to him, a potentially catastrophic problem that he hadn’t considered the night before. He leaned over and sniffed Kagome furiously, relaxing slightly when she didn’t smell fertile. He nearly collapsed with relief as he remembered that her monthly bleeding roughly coincided with the new moon, usually taking place a little thereafter. It was far too late in her cycle for her to conceive.
But still, why the hell hadn’t he thought of that last night? Especially when a pregnancy had the potential to ruin their relationship and totally derail the mission? He knew why: one, he was a horndog, and two, his human emotions had gotten the better of him. It was as if his typical emotional constipation had been completely reversed so that he was floundering in feeling and sentiment. Again, he was putting it too strongly; he had after all managed to resist Kagome at first, when he thought her proposal wasn’t fair to her. Hell, he still didn’t think it was. Kagome had all but said she disagreed, but she was dead wrong. Sleeping with her and then asking to be ‘just friends’ again made him feel like a complete sleaze.
But there was nothing for it; he was no closer to declaring his love for her than he had been last night. His feelings for her had not changed; he still cared for her deeply. But was it love? And if so, could he act upon it while still honoring his other responsibilities? The answers to these questions eluded him as they always had. His heart and mind couldn’t seem to agree on anything.
And that was the problem. Because even though he could think all day about how last night was a mistake, it didn’t feel like one. Looking back on it now, joining with her in body and soul still felt so right, even though he couldn’t give her his heart. As if in her arms was exactly where he was supposed to be, and loving her was what he was meant to do. It had been magical, simply mag—
Wait a minute. It had been magical for him, but what about for Kagome? Inuyasha’s face twisted into a dark scowl as he went over their lovemaking again. He remembered thinking vaguely that he should be making more of an effort to make her first time pleasurable, but his mind hadn’t really been working properly at the time, a consequence of being buried in her velvet depths. He also remembered going from kissing to sex in what seemed like no time at all. In fact, Kagome had been forced to slow him down manually with a kiss before he’d started rutting her like an animal. Yes, he had definitely rushed things, and he hadn’t thought about Kagome nearly enough. In short, he’d been a pretty lousy lover.
Son of a bitch!
Armed with yet another reason to be disgusted with himself, Inuyasha stood up and stomped off to the bathroom. Maybe a scalding hot shower would make him feel better.
It didn’t, but he was at least able to remove the layer of dried sweat clinging to his skin. He now understood perfectly well why Kagome had showered last night. A sense of foreboding flashed across his mind, as the darkest corner of his being conjured another reason for why Kagome might have washed immediately after their lovemaking. Had she felt dirty, not so much in the physical sense, but psychologically? Had this been like the time he killed those bandits, when he’d felt the blood on his hands for days, even after the smell had disappeared? He looked down at his hands, noticing the claws adorning his fingertips. Had she blanched when she remembered what he was, revolted by the act of sharing her body with a sub-human?
He shook his head violently. That was the old him talking, the part of him still lingering in the past, in all the years of loneliness and rejection before Kikyou. And Kagome wasn’t like that. She had always accepted him for what he was; the fact that he was hanyou didn’t matter to her. Still, as much as he wanted to tell himself with absolute certainty that their making love on his human night was merely the result of hitting on a one-in-thirty chance, he couldn’t. It was easy to preach pure ideals, like peace and nonviolence, only to exact bloody revenge when a loved one was harmed. Perhaps it was the same with Kagome and her professed view that being hanyou didn’t make him any less suitable as a man.
He shook his head again, less vigorously this time. He didn’t think Kagome’s opinion of him had changed, but he still couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility. Spending any more time pondering would do no good, however; right now he needed to get himself as ready as possible to face what was surely going to be an awkward morning. Making sure she was still asleep, he dressed in fresh clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over with his elbows on his knees. Then, he turned his mind back to contemplation. What the hell was he going to say to her? Should he say anything, or let her make the first move? What should he not say to avoid hurting her feelings?
It was awhile later when Inuyasha noticed the absence of Kagome’s steady and even breathing behind him. Straightening his back like a board, he hesitantly turned to face her. He found her gazing at him, an unreadable expression on her features, and got the distinct impression that she had been watching him silently for some time. And suddenly all the vague ideas and half-plans he’d constructed for this moment flew from his mind; he could only stare dumbfounded at her.
Kagome, on the other hand, could see exactly what Inuyasha was feeling; in his surprise he had forgotten to conceal his emotions as she had done. He thought last night was a mistake. She nodded sagely. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting; in fact, she hadn’t really thought about anything except the moment. Not the morning after, and especially not the possibility of getting pregnant, an omission she now scolded herself for. Fortunately, there would be no repercussions along those lines, thought she wouldn’t be completely relieved until her period arrived, hopefully in a day or two. Before last night, she had never comprehended how two people could be so irresponsible as to produce an unwanted child before marriage. Now, she understood completely.
But apparently her lover did not think that oversight was the only reason last night was a mistake. So…why wasn’t she crying right now? Why wasn’t she trying to hold back tears? Maybe it was because of the warmth bubbling inside her at the memory of what they had done. And what a wonderful memory it was. She had given her virginity to the man she loved. Even if Inuyasha chose to go to hell with Kikyou, she would at least have that one memory to cherish above all others. A vision swam into her mind—his face as he gazed at her, almost lovingly. He hadn’t thought it was a mistake while kissing her senseless or finding sweet release inside her. Now, the same objections which he had voiced initially had probably risen again. That was the reason behind his sudden remorse, not because his feelings for her had changed. And she saw fear in his eyes, bordering on panic, most likely for the continued vitality of their friendship.
But that worry was groundless, as far as she was concerned. So what if they made a mistake? They had erred in the past and recovered. This situation was unique, but she had no doubt their friendship was strong enough to survive, especially when both of them desperately wanted it to. If necessary, they could silently agree never to talk about last night again. Perhaps things could never truly go back to the way they had been yesterday afternoon, but was that a deal-breaker? Their relationship had been constantly changing ever since the day they met, and it had only brought them closer. There was no way she was going to let this wonderful gift he’d given her set them back.
But how to convince Inuyasha of that? With a start she realized that she had been staring at him for a long time. He was no longer looking at her, but was instead grimacing as his amber orbs burned a hole in the mattress. He looked like he wanted to say something, so Kagome waited with bated breath for him to break the silence.
“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
For not being able to tell you what you want to hear. For taking advantage of your love when I can give you nothing in return. For being a shitty lover. For—
“It’s okay,” Kagome replied softly. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
She meant every word. She had known what she was getting into last night. She had been aware of his inability to return her love, and cognizant of his continuing obligations to Kikyou. She would hold none of that against him now.
Inuyasha’s eyes flicked up to hers, widening at the truth and love shining in her expression. Then he spun around and returned to the position she had found him in upon waking. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she would guess that they had tears in them.
Deciding more than mere words were needed, Kagome rolled out of bed, slipped on a clean pair of jeans, and moved cautiously around the mattress. She seated herself next to Inuyasha, encouraged that he did not shy away. When she reached for his hand, he let her take it. She squeezed, silently imploring him to look at her. When he did, she saw a faint redness in his eyes that made her heart ache. She rested their joined hands on her knee, trying to convey what he needed to come to terms with so badly.
Looking at her, Inuyasha so desperately wanted to believe that she truly held nothing against him, that the strength of their friendship would not waver no matter what. So he did. Kagome’s very soul was bared to him in her chocolate depths; she loved him so much that she would let him go if it made him happy. Cascading waves of humility and gratitude brought more tears to his eyes, and he clenched them shut. Kagome exerted more pressure on his hand in support, and he squeezed tightly before relaxing. In that moment, a silent agreement was reached. No matter what happened, no matter what mistakes they made in the past or future, they would always be friends.
He felt Kagome nestle against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Overcome with relief, he slumped against her, leaning his head on top of hers. And somehow, each of them felt as close to the other as they had making love the previous evening. They remained like that for a long time, both enjoying the presence of the other and coming to terms with the fact that this could be the last time they held each other. Finally, Kagome stood with a reluctant sigh.
“We’d better get going soon. The hotel might charge us extra if we stay past checkout.”
“Keh. Let ‘em try.”
Kagome grinned, but nevertheless proceeded to pack up what little needed to be packed. Then she took out the last of the ninja food; it wasn’t ideal for breakfast, but it would be better than empty stomachs. Neither of them had eaten since lunch yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, it did not take them long to polish off the remaining provisions, and before Kagome knew it they had checked out and were standing on the sidewalk outside the hotel.
“Where to now?” Inuyasha asked.
“Well, I think the shrine is that way,” she replied, pointing in a southeasterly direction, “but I can’t be sure.”
“You don’t know how to get there? So what’s the plan, get lost and wander around for half the day?”
“No! I mean…”
“Tell me you at least bought a map of the city.”
“…”
“Ugh,” Inuyasha groaned, smacking his forehead. “And now we’re broke, so we can’t buy one.”
“Hey!” Kagome yelled indignantly. “I can’t think of everything. Did you make sure we knew how to get there? Did you tell me to buy a map of Tokyo?”
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, but made no further comment. Kagome was glad he had let up, but she knew this was mostly on her. She had been the unofficial navigator, and had now failed in that role. She was just about to mutter a reluctant apology when Inuyasha spoke.
“It’s fine. We’ll find it another way,” he said with a slight smirk, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the nearest alleyway. She resisted, memories of last night invading her mind. She could smell her attacker’s breath again, feel the blade of his knife press into her skin. Her hand shot to the bandage on her neck out of reflex, as the cruel sensation of utter helplessness settled upon her.
“Kagome.”
She snapped back to reality at the sound of Inuyasha’s voice. Blinking, she saw him standing there, gazing at her with a fierce intensity in his eyes. And she felt foolish; of course she was safe. Inuyasha was with her. She closed the distance between them and allowed him to lead her, side-by-side, to the alley. But as the panic receded and her rational mind began to function again, she thought of another reason to resist this course of action.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea, Inuyasha.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because if you were them, having seen that news report and knowing what you’re capable of, wouldn’t you expect us to use the rooftops?”
Inuyasha scowled, obviously seeing her point and not liking it. “If the alternative is walking around down here where we can’t see shit, then I’ll take my chances. We’re screwed anyway if we can’t find the shrine.”
He was right about that, but Kagome knew using the rooftops too much would be reckless. Still, she thought she had a compromise that would satisfy everybody.
“How about this? We’ll go up until we see the shrine or some place I recognize, and then we’ll go on foot from there.”
Inuyasha thought about it for a moment, then nodded. That was probably the best course of action, balancing between efficiency and stealth. Seeing his agreement, Kagome emptied out their bags and put everything essential into hers. Not being encumbered by any bags would be ideal, but there were some things they needed in the feudal era, like Inuyasha’s fire-rat robes and Tetsusaiga. She also stowed her school uniform, urged on by some unnatural attachment to it. Inuyasha snorted in amusement but didn’t say anything. The rest of the clothing and other articles they left in the alley. No matter how their attempt today turned out, they no longer needed anything from her world except the clothes on their bodies.
Ready, Kagome slid the pack onto her shoulders and climbed on Inuyasha’s back. She held on for the ride as he leapt up to the top of the adjacent building, then launched them forward over the rooftops. She let out a small cry of pure elation, and she could almost see Inuyasha smirk as he quickened his pace. To anyone looking up from below, they would appear as nothing more than a dark blur flashing overhead. Kagome forced herself to scan their surroundings, heedless of the wind lashing her face or the tears gathering in her eyes. She did not ask Inuyasha to slow down; there was safety in speed. After a few minutes, she spied several buildings she recognized in rapid succession, the last the most familiar of all.
“There’s the school!” she cried, happier than ever to see it. Inuyasha skidded to a halt, causing her to press closely against his back at the sudden deceleration. He let her down, and she wobbled for a moment. The adrenaline inspired by their flight was responsible for her slight panting, but it was something else entirely which caused her cheeks to darken.
“S-so we walk from here?” Inuyasha stuttered, not facing her. Kagome belatedly wondered if being carried by him was ever going to be the same again. Probably not, she realized. But their heightened awareness of physical contact wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was just awkward. And if there was anything they’d had plenty of practice dealing with since they met, it was awkwardness.
“Yep!” Kagome replied brightly as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. She strode over to the edge of the roof and peered down into the alley. Good, it’s deserted—
“Kyah!” she screamed as she suddenly found herself plummeting into said alley. And though she knew she had been scooped up in strong hanyou arms, her eyes snapped reflexively shut and her hands latched onto his shirt. It took her a moment after impact to open her eyes again, only to find Inuyasha wearing a positively devilish smirk, his amber orbs laughing at her.
“Don’t do that!” she yelled, unclenching her fists and smacking him on the chest.
Chuckling, he put her down. “I can’t believe I can still make you scream after all this time.”
Kagome’s jaw dropped slightly at the possible sexual connotation of that statement, but Inuyasha obviously hadn’t meant anything like that by it. And she wasn’t about to let him find out the direction her mind had immediately gone in if she could help it.
“Hmph,” she grunted, crossing her arms over her chest. “You try getting tossed around by some brute without any warning, and see if you can keep quiet.”
“Keh. Better a brute than a sissy.”
“Jerk.”
Inuyasha let their verbal sparring match end there. It was honestly nice to have a casual argument with her again, but if they pushed it any further it might not stay so laid back. And he definitely didn’t want a real fight. Apparently Kagome didn’t either, for she grabbed his hand and led him onto the sidewalk. He peered sideways at her as she walked, smiling at her easy grin. The anxiety would undoubtedly build as they got closer to the shrine, but for right now, they were both content.
He was right about the anxiety. But though Kagome’s face showed nervousness, her brow was furrowed in deep thought. She seemed to be thinking their approach through carefully, while he focused on their surroundings, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Finally, when they were perhaps three-quarters of the way to the shrine, she pulled him out of the normal flow of pedestrian traffic and turned to face him.
“Kagome, what’s wr—?”
“I think we should split up here, Inuyasha.”
Said hanyou’s eye twitched. “Come again?” he growled, wanting to make sure he had heard her correctly before allowing his hair to spontaneously combust.
“Not like that,” Kagome hastily amended, sensing his hostility to the idea. “What I meant was that I’d walk maybe five or ten arm-lengths in front of you.”
“Why the hell would we do that?!” Inuyasha demanded, managing to keep his voice down. At least she wasn’t proposing what he had initially feared.
“Well, they’re looking for a young man and a young woman together, right? If we’re each alone, then it makes it less likely they’ll spot us on the street.”
“It also makes it less likely that I’ll be able to save your ass as if you get it into trouble!”
“There’ll be less chance of trouble in the first place!”
Inuyasha broke off with a grimace. His protective instincts hated to admit it, but she was right. Their disguises were good, but not unbeatable. Kagome had not changed her appearance much, only her clothes. At first glance, she looked like any of the dozens or hundreds of other young women in this area of the city. But put her with a man who matched his general description, and she might warrant a closer look. That was something they definitely didn’t want.
“Dammit…”
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha,” she said, smiling sincerely. “I know you’ll watch my back.”
“K-keh!” he muttered hotly. “I still don’t see why we’re doing this.”
“Don’t you? It’s too risky to go up on a roof, but we need to at least scope out the place a little. I’ll stay facing forward, and you look up at the shrine and see what you can see.”
Inuyasha growled again, disliking being ordered around almost as much as he disliked this plan.
“Try to stay with the normal flow of traffic so as not to draw attention,” Kagome continued, heedless of his irritation.
“I got it.”
“And when you’re looking at the shrine, try to do it nonchal—”
“I said I got it, wench!”
Kagome jolted as if she had been slapped, and for a moment her eyes shone with hurt.
“Fine,” she said softly. “Let’s go, then.” With that, she turned and rejoined the flow of pedestrian traffic.
Inuyasha felt the heavy weight of shame come down upon him. She was only trying to make sure you didn’t give us away, baka. And you just had to lose your temper, and call her ‘wench’…
“Fuck!” he swore under his breath. He definitely owed her an apology, but there was no time for that now. Kagome was already the required distance from him, and if he didn’t get a move on she would leave him behind. She would not look behind her; from here, they had to act as though they were total strangers.
He found that surprisingly easy to do. He took Kagome’s advice about blending in with other pedestrians, and he was sure he looked like just another single guy walking on the sidewalk. Only his eyes gave him away; they were alternately glued to his miko companion and darting in every direction from which an attack could possibly come towards her. He was paying so much attention to her that he almost forgot the entire purpose of this little walk-by. But just before reaching the entrance to the shrine, he remembered to turn his head as casually as possible and gaze up at the stairs with a mask of indifference.
As expected, the entrance was barricaded off with signs telling people the shrine was closed for some fake reason. From his position across the street, he really couldn’t see a whole lot; the overhanging branches cut off his angle so he could only glimpse some of the steps. Or rather, that’s all a human would be able to see. But his eyes were made of sharper stuff, and he set them to peering through the trees, at the spaces around the hundreds of shifting leaves blocking his view. Something at the top of the steps caught his attention, something slightly out-of-place, the coloring not quite right with the foliage or the backdrop. It was a man, crouching with a gun held at the ready, his attention on the stairs descending from his position.
Inuyasha returned his gaze to the woman in front of him, resisting the urge to quicken his pace. It was as they feared; the shrine was being watched, by men armed well enough to take him down. But there had been no sudden movements from the guard at the top of the steps; he had seemed quite bored, in fact. That probably meant he and Kagome had not been spotted yet. The element of surprise should still be in their favor.
Kagome kept walking down the same road a substantial distance past the shrine before turning off onto a quiet side street. She was waiting for him when he turned the corner.
“So, what did you see?” she asked anxiously. He told her about the gunman, and she sighed in resignation. “Well, that’s no surprise, I guess. So what do we do now?”
“We’ll go through the woods,” Inuyasha replied, referring to the small forested area surrounding the shrine. Kagome seemed surprised at his quick response, but he’d had plenty of opportunity to strategize about this on the journey to Tokyo. She had probably been thinking the same thing, but had wanted to get his opinion first.
“Agreed,” she replied just as quickly, confirming that suspicion.
“It’s the best cover,” he said warningly, “and they know it. They’ll have something waiting for us.”
She nodded, knowing that it was time to relinquish the reins and let Inuyasha take the lead from here.
“Well, come on,” he said. “We’ll go separately again. Cross the street and head back on the other side. When you get to the corner right before the trees start, stop and look around, like you’re taking a break. I’ll pass you, and if I think we should keep going, I’ll give you a nod. If that’s the case, follow me and we’ll head into the woods. If I shake my head, cross the street and get the hell out of there. Got it?”
“Got it,” Kagome answered, moving to set off. His hand on her wrist stopped her. Her heart had already been beating rather rapidly because of the stress of the situation, but the look in his eyes sent a different kind of adrenaline surging through her veins. His gaze was guarded, some of his old defenses squarely in place, but even they couldn’t mask the crushing amount of fear and worry in his amber orbs. None of it was for his own sake.
“Be careful,” he told her, his low voice quivering slightly. All Kagome could manage was a nod. She so badly wanted to lean in and kiss him, even if it was only a peck on the cheek. But that would only complicate things, and the last thing they needed right now was another complication. Besides, it would go against the silent agreement they had reached this morning. If either of them was going to initiate anything more intimate than a hug, it had to be Inuyasha. Otherwise it would just be her trying to influence his decision. He had given her last night, and now she had to let him make his own, free choice.
Suddenly she noticed Inuyasha staring at her with a perplexed expression, a question on the tip of his tongue. But she was not prepared to tell him why she suddenly looked so sad, so she spun on her heel and started up the sidewalk again following a married couple with a little boy in tow.
Inuyasha watched her go, confused at the sudden turn of her mood, but somehow knowing that it was his fault. It usually is, where Kagome’s concerned. Telling that annoying voice in his head to shove it, he set off in her wake. She did exactly what he had told her to do, and she did it as if she’d had practice in this sort of thing before. Not for the first time since being captured by Yoshida’s gang, he was quietly impressed.
As they made their way back toward the shrine, on the same side of the street this time, he tried to find any reason to call off their attempt. But there was nothing, no suspicious movements from fellow pedestrians, nor heads hastily hidden of people watching them from rooftops. And as the forest came into view, he could see no sign that anyone knew they were coming. So when he reached the corner and passed Kagome, who was doing an admirable job of pretending to wistfully enjoy the beautiful day, he gave her a small nod. Finally, they were committed. There would be no going back.
Fortunately, the city had been lax in preening this little oasis of green in the middle of Tokyo. The trees pressed outward as if rebelling against the steel and asphalt which kept them from expanding their realm. Some branches hung so low over the sidewalk that the tallest pedestrians had to duck as they passed. But it was one overgrown bush, straying onto the sidewalk so that the humans had to converge slightly to pass it, that really intrigued Inuyasha.
He quickened his pace, moving to the rear of a group of about ten people stuck behind a trio of gabbing, inconsiderate teenagers moseying down the sidewalk three abreast. He sensed more people pressing in behind him, like a line of cars piling up behind a slow driver. Soon Kagome would be caught up as well. It was an aggravation for the people around him, but perfect cover for their entry into the woods. When he reached the bush, he turned sideways to avoid it, but instead of righting himself and continuing on, he darted around the side of the bush and ducked behind it. The man behind him had been busy negotiating the plant himself, so he hadn’t seen anything. The woman on his side hadn’t even noticed his departure as another male body filled his space in the human queue. It was a clean break.
But Inuyasha wasn’t patting himself on the back just yet. He crept toward the sidewalk in a crouch, prepared to grab Kagome and yank her over as she passed. Again she surprised him, however. Though she hadn’t been able to see his movements over the people in front of her, she must have realized his course of action upon seeing the bush, for she ducked around the side of it as well. Though perhaps a little less gracefully than he had done it, as she was unable to regain her balance in time to avoid plowing into him and winding up sprawled across his lap. The woman behind her turned her head, saw their compromising position, and scowled darkly before snapping around and marching stiffly off with her chin held high. He could guess what the old prude thought they were doing in the bushes.
Kagome made to scramble off of him but he held her still, motioning for her to be quiet. Then he allowed her to slowly disentangle herself from him, both of them flushing hotly all the while. Finally, he rose to his feet and led her on a stooped, creeping trek deeper into the trees. He couldn’t help but wince at how loud her footsteps were, even though she was trying to be quiet. She was wearing hard boots, and didn’t have years of practice at sneaking silently through forests while hunting. Perhaps he would have to—
Kagome nearly cried out as Inuyasha’s hand lashed out and thumped her none to gently on the shoulder, sending her stumbling back a few paces. She glared at him while rubbing the abused skin, but his attention was riveted on the ground where her next footstep would have landed. She stared for a few seconds but didn’t see anything, so she tapped him on the shoulder and raised her arms in a very ‘what the hell?’ look. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, jabbing his finger forcefully at the ground. She followed it with her gaze, and after a moment, gasped softly and leaned down for a closer look.
It was a tripwire, a clear line stretched taut across the ground at a height of a few inches. It would most certainly register being stepped on or walked into, and was probably designed to snap in the latter instance so as not to alert the intruder that he had been detected. How on earth had Inuyasha seen it? She peered up at him in wonder, conveying that inquiry with her eyes.
He shrugged. He had spent his whole life in forests just like this one; it was easy to spot unnatural, manmade features. And he was sure this was not the last little defensive measure the mercenaries waiting for them at the shrine had implemented. Kagome wasn’t going to like it, but he absolutely could not allow her to proceed any further on foot. He was right about her initial reaction when he knelt down meaningfully before her, but she assented easily enough. It was a good decision, she decided as she marveled at how quiet Inuyasha’s footfalls were, even with her extra weight on his back. His bare feet were like a tiger’s, slinking almost soundlessly through the underbrush and defying the logic that a large creature could not move that stealthily.
There were several more tripwires, including two which were accompanied by lines at torso height, obviously meant to catch intruders savvy enough to avoid the ground lines. For these Kagome had to flatten herself to Inuyasha’s back, since leaping over the wires would make too much noise even with the hanyou’s covert skills. At last, the ground began to slope upwards, and before long the blue sky poked through the break in the canopy signaling the position of the shrine just ahead. Here Inuyasha stopped, setting Kagome down behind a large tree. It was too risky to simply blitz the well house; they needed to create some sort of distraction. Even a small delay to the guns being aimed at them could be the difference between success and failure. But how could they generate a suitable diversion? The only things they had on them were their clothes and the contents of Kagome’s bag—
Gripped by sudden inspiration, Inuyasha motioned vigorously for Kagome to give him the bag. When she complied, he removed Tetsusaiga and his fire-rat robes. The sword he handed back to her; the haori he began tying to the bag almost as if he was trying to dress it. Kagome realized what he was doing before he finished, grabbing his arm and shaking her head while mouthing ‘you need those.’ Inuyasha brushed her off with a dismissive gesture. Yes, he would miss his beloved armour, which had kept him safe since he was a child, but he had to think about the future. And if they got captured here, there would be no future for either of them. If he thought giving up Tetsusaiga would increase their chances of success, he would do so without hesitation. But the bright red robes, the same outfit he had worn that fateful day at the skyscraper in front of the cameras, would certainly do.
Kagome obviously understood his reasoning, but she objected again when he made to tie the hakama to the bottom of the bag. And again he rebuffed her. This little Inu-dummy had to look vaguely humanoid as it soared across the sky; otherwise, even human eyes would not be fooled long enough to make a difference. After tying Tetsusaiga to his left hip, Inuyasha located a good-sized rock and dropped it into the bag before zipping it shut. He glanced at Kagome, silently asking if she was ready. She wore her reservations on her sleeve, but she nodded nonetheless. The clothes were his, and if he wanted to sacrifice them, she had no right to stop him. Especially when she had not been able to come up with a better idea.
She gazed anxiously into his eyes. It was time; they were about to make their do or die, all or nothing attempt. And this time, when the urge to kiss him arose, she did not deny it. Screw complicating things; if they were destined to fail, she wanted to make sure she felt his lips one more time before meeting death. Inuyasha did not hesitate in the slightest, returning her kiss with gentle pressure. There was none of the lustful passion of the previous evening, but the chaste lip lock was a virtual rhapsody of emotion. Their thoughts converged. If this is it, we’ve had a hell of a ride. There were no regrets.
Kagome pulled away, taking a moment to stare into his eyes just to experience the incomparable golden glow once more. She smiled at the devotion she saw there, the abject wonder of a man who still couldn’t believe a girl had fallen so completely for him. Buoyed by her warm kiss, her beautiful face lit by a stunning smile, Inuyasha suddenly felt invincible. With a last, lingering glance, he turned his back on her. Kagome remounted, finding one of his hands with her own as she wrapped the other around his neck. And so Inuyasha stood proudly, a real treasure in one hand, and a bag with a rock and some old clothes in the other.
Then, the moment was over. Inuyasha settled into a combat stance, coiling his legs into armed springs. Kagome sensed the change and clutched him tightly. After one final deep, calming breath, he charged forward two steps and heaved the rock-laden bag into the sky.
Immediately the tranquility of the shrine was shattered; shouts went up, and the spits of rifles filled the air. Then the shouting resumed, the voices now taking on an edge of panic as the gunmen realized the ruse.
“Look!” one of them yelled. “Over by the—”
The rest of the cry was drowned out by a deafening explosion, as pieces of wood flew in every direction. The once pristine well house was torn to shreds by rippling waves of youkai energy, courtesy of Tetsusaiga’s Kaze no Kizu. The well itself only managed to survive because of its lower elevation. Leaping down into the hole-turned-crater, Inuyasha smirked at the feeble seal the humans had placed over the time portal—a solid steel plate bolted to the top of the well. But there was nothing covering the sides of the structure, and even if there was, it wouldn’t have made any difference. Tetsusaiga sliced through the wood easily, shaving off the top six inches of the well like a katana splitting a melon.
He had just raised his foot to kick the severed cross-section away when he felt a sharp prick in his right arm. He swore, knowing it would do no good to swat the dart away; the damage was already done. As his vision swam, he lashed out with his foot, luckily hitting his intended target. But it was all he could do to stumble forward as his mind shut down, and he passed out in mid-fall.
“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried, managing to partially break his fall by locking her legs. She saw the dart now; he was only sedated, and they were so close! Inuyasha was slumped over the well, his torso resting on the now jagged wood. She grabbed his feet, and with a mighty heave, flipped him over so he plummeted into the void head first.
“Don’t move!” ordered a male voice, but she ignored him. If he wanted to shoot her, he could go right ahead. But she was not stopping for anybody. She dove in head first, dreading the prick of a dart in her skin or the crack of a near miss impacting the wood.
But neither came, which made no sense to her at all. Why would Yoshida’s men care whether they killed her with a potent sedative designed for hanyou? Perhaps the weapon had jammed, or the gunman hadn’t been able to reload it in time. But the most surprising thing of all, reaching her ears just before the blue light enveloped her, was a feminine voice, desperately crying her name.
It was not her mother. It was a trick, or her imagination, but it was absolutely, undeniably not her mother. Because that would make the least sense of anything. Convinced, she closed her eyes and let the pull of time take her.
It was a purely reflexive cry, Mrs. Higurashi realized after the fact. Her daughter’s feet had already disappeared into the well by the time she managed to rush outside. Still, the blue light signaling Kagome’s departure did not appear until a fraction of a second after she had completed the last syllable, so maybe her daughter had heard her.
It was with mixed feelings that she stood there staring at the ruins of what had once been the well house, coming to terms with the reality that Kagome was gone. Perhaps forever. On the one hand, her daughter was safe. On the other, she was in an unreachable place. That fleeting glance of Kagome’s boot-clad foot might have been the last Mrs. Higurashi would ever see of her.
Still, she managed to hold back her tears, for it was not only sadness and loss which filled her. There was happiness too, a gratitude toward whatever Kami had led Kagome—and Inuyasha—to safety on the other side of the well. They were in the hanyou’s world now, and whatever dangers were present there, both of them were far more capable of dealing with them than the perils of modern Japan. They had survived this long, after all.
Mrs. Higurashi decided right then and there, despite her heavy heart, that it was for the best if Kagome never returned to her home world. Although, this time wasn’t really her home anymore, was it? Her daughter would never be happy unless Inuyasha was by her side. She smiled fondly as she thought of the man who might one day become her son-in-law. He was closed off and awkward at times, yet honorable to a fault, and she knew he cared deeply for her daughter. Call it mother’s intuition, but Mrs. Higurashi was quite confident they would end up together one day. Their mutual stubbornness worked both ways; it had kept them from growing close, but it would also prevent them from moving too far apart.
She suddenly frowned. If she was right, then technically Kagome and Inuyasha were already married, and probably already had children. Well actually, if one wanted to be truly technical about it, they were both already dead. Even hanyou couldn’t live five hundred years, could they? Hundreds upon hundreds of descendants would also be deceased, as the youkai blood sustaining Inuyasha diluted over successive generations. Mrs. Higurashi suppressed a shiver, disturbed by the thought of being an ancestor of thousands of people who were already dead.
But all that was speculation, really. And it wasn’t the only way to think about the time paradox. The well linked the modern era to a very specific point in the past, almost as if two universes were existing on parallel planes simultaneously. So she could imagine what Kagome was doing right now, as in a few seconds after she had fallen into the other plane. In a year or two she could wonder if Inuyasha and her daughter had finally gotten together, and whether Kagome was pregnant with their first child. She could dream about what her grandchildren looked like, and the stories Kagome told them about her world, and their ‘Obaa-san’ who loved them very much even though she had never met them. Above all, she could think of her daughter with a smile.
“Dammit, what the hell happened out here?!”
The enraged shout from right behind her startled her out of her musings. It was Miyake, striding briskly onto the grounds and glaring at her men, some of whom were just picking themselves off the pavement. Mrs. Higurashi shook her head and turned to go back inside. She didn’t need to listen to Miyake berating her subordinates, and she was sure that Naicho would maintain its presence here, at least until it became apparent that Kagome did not plan on returning. She would, however, be putting in a rather strongly worded request to have the government fix the well house once the Deputy Chief’s temper had cooled.
She laughed, then descended into a fit of giggles as joyful mirth bubbled over. Kami, it was great to be back. An enormous weight lifted from her shoulders; she had gotten Inuyasha home, where he would not be caged and treated as a science experiment. Of course, there were dangers here, but shifty, cowardly Naraku now seemed like a pushover compared to Yoshida. All the other worries lurking in the back of her mind could wait until tomorrow; for now, she just wanted to revel in bliss.
“Kagome!”
That excited shout signaled the end of her peace, but Kagome found that she didn’t mind at all. She gladly opened her arms for Shippou as he barreled into her, clutching her so tightly, as if he feared she was going to vanish again. She held him as he sniffled a few times, telling him how much she had missed him.
“I m-m-missed you too, Kagome,” he said as he pulled away, bright green eyes tinted with moisture. Kagome ruffled his hair, truly touched. He must have been coming here every day to wait for me—us. As if reading her mind, Shippou finally noticed the hanyou lying unconscious next to her.
“What’s wrong with Inuyasha?” he demanded, and Kagome was satisfied to hear a note of genuine concern in his tone. The boys didn’t always get along, but they did care about each other.
“He’s fine, Shippou-chan. He’s just sleeping.”
“Wake up, baka!” the fox yelled, before realizing his mistake and scurrying to hide behind Kagome’s shoulder.
The miko chuckled. “Relax, Shippou-chan, he won’t wake up any time soon. He’s been tranquilized.” When the only reaction she got was a blank stare, she tried to think of a different way to explain it. “I guess you could say he got hit by a sleeping spell.”
“Ohhhh,” Shippou replied in understanding. “Who did that to him? And why is his hair black? Why is he dressed like that? Why are you dressed like that? Why were you guys gone for so lo—”
“It’s a long story, Shippou-chan,” Kagome cut him off gently. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back to the village, okay?”
Shippou nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly, so Kagome decided to give his pride a little boost to take his mind off the wait.
“Shippou-chan, I’d like to get Inuyasha out of this well, but there’s no way I can haul him out by myself. Do you think you could go get Miroku-sama and Sango-chan for me?”
The fox kit’s little chest did puff up as anticipated, but his words were not what Kagome expected. “No need!” he declared smugly. “I’ll get you out!”
Before Kagome could protest, he had transformed into his pink balloon form with an audible pop. But he had obviously not thought this through, as his swelling body filled the closed space completely and plunged his friends into pitch darkness.
“Shippou-chan!” Kagome cried in between giggles. “This will never work!”
“Yes it will,” he croaked. “Give me your hand and grab Inuyasha. I’ll pull you out!”
Still doubting the feasibility of this plan, but wanting to humor the child, Kagome did as she was told. Shippou began grunting and groaning, struggling to free himself from the constrictive confines of the well. And just before Kagome was going to gently tell him to give it up…
“Kyah!” she shrieked as Shippou broke free, pulling her up with him into the light. He tossed her and Inuyasha into the air, then streaked underneath and caught them. Kagome’s laughter resumed as she bounced to a landing on top of Shippou’s head, Inuyasha listlessly doing the same beside her.
“Wow, Shippou-chan! I’m surprised you can handle catching us in this form,” she exclaimed gleefully, recalling the time his transformation had failed catastrophically that night in Togenkyo. “You must be getting stronger.”
She swore Shippou turned a darker shade of pink at the praise. But he did begin moving rather quickly—and low to the ground—toward the village. Apparently he was still not confident in his ability to maintain the transformation for long with two people on his head. Kagome felt her spirits rise even more as Kaede’s hut came into view. Kirara was outside chasing butterflies, but she couldn’t see Miroku or Sango. But Shippou at least thought they were inside.
“Miroku! Sango!” he called. “Look who I brought!”
The sound of hasty footsteps heralded the appearance of the monk and slayer, followed a few moments later by Kaede herself. As they gazed up at her in joy and wonder, Kagome felt as though her smile would be permanently affixed to her face. And as she slid down Shippou’s back into Sango’s embrace, she realized that she was home.
When Sango finally pulled away, both of them had tears in their eyes. Kagome hugged Miroku as well, who for once was a gentleman. Lastly, she embraced Kaede, who seemed surprised but touched by the show of affection. Meanwhile, Kirara had transformed into her large form and grabbed Inuyasha by the back of his shirt, lowering him gently to the ground and allowing Shippou to pop back to his normal form and reclaim his position on Kagome’s shoulder. The miko had a feeling the young fox was not going to want to let her out of his sight for awhile.
The reunion concluded, the group of friends simply stared at each other for a few moments. Miroku and Sango seemed unable to speak, though perhaps they were merely having difficulty choosing one of the dozens of questions swirling around in their minds to start with. Kagome decided to break the silence and solve that dilemma.
“Let’s go inside,” she said happily. “It’s a long story.”
Relating said tale took the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon. It was, understandably, an emotional roller-coaster for her friends, but Kagome refused to censor anything so as not to cheapen what she and Inuyasha had gone through. Pretty much the only thing she omitted was the previous evening; she was definitely not ready to let her friends know about that yet. She knew Inuyasha would appreciate her discretion.
When Miroku and Sango were finished asking their questions, the discussion moved to what the monk and slayer had been doing in the feudal era while she and Inuyasha were gone. Sango reluctantly confessed that they had planned to leave the morning after the next full moon, and that she had in fact wanted to set out much earlier—that very morning, even. The slayer obviously thought Kagome would be upset, but the miko understood. It wasn’t lack of faith that had fueled Sango’s desire to continue with the mission, but the goals of saving innocent lives and moving on with their own. She was just thrilled her friends had waited as long as they had.
It was nearly dusk by the time the group of companions finished catching up. Kaede served dinner, which Kagome devoured hungrily; she had not had a truly square meal since their stay at the ryokan. And neither had Inuyasha, which was perhaps the reason for his sudden stirring. His nose twitched a mile a minute as he sat up holding his head. Kagome was surprised that he had awoken today, having expected the sedative to be more effective. Maybe his body had started to develop a resistance to it, or maybe it really was the smell of food and an empty stomach which had done the trick.
“Ugh,” he groaned, blearily blinking his eyes open. He gazed at all of them blankly for a moment before clarity and awareness returned to his vision.
He shot Kagome a victorious smirk. “Made it, huh?”
“Yep,” she replied, grinning back.
“Pass me some fuckin’ grub, would you?” he grumbled, lying back down with his hand on his forehead. The other five occupants of the hut shook their heads, but all were glad to see him acting like his old self, though the ‘sleeping spell’ was obviously still affecting him.
Only when Inuyasha was done eating did Miroku dare to ask him to fill in the gaps in Kagome’s story, like how he had been captured and his experiences during captivity. It took a hard glare from the miko to get him to say anything more than ‘mind your own damn business, bouzu,’ but he did start to reluctantly relate events from his perspective. To everyone’s surprise, he actually got into the tale, seeming to enjoy being the center of attention as his friends hung on his every word.
He was in the middle of telling about how he had valiantly rescued Kagome during his escape—after almost complimenting her cleverness at getting to the warehouse in the first place—when it happened. A strange glow seeped through the cracks in the door, casting an ominous light on the walls. Inuyasha broke off mid-syllable, his nostrils flaring. His expression hardened as he realized what his companions had already sensed. This was no normal youkai outside; it was one of Kikyou’s shinidamachu.
Miroku sighed heavily, dreading the confession he had to make. This had become a nightly occurrence, one he had forgotten about in the excitement of Inuyasha and Kagome’s return. He wished he had remembered, but it probably would have made no difference. Even given prior warning, the reminder of Kikyou’s presence would still have sucked all the joy out of the room.
“Kikyou-sama has been waiting in your forest for about half a lunar cycle, Inuyasha.”
The hanyou frowned, seemingly torn. He glared at the doorway, as if willing the shinidamachu to vanish into thin air. No such luck. His obvious aversion to going to Kikyou now did not raise Kagome’s sunken spirits very much, however; she was sure he only had a problem with the timing, both in relation to the fun they were having now, and their activities the previous evening. Kagome certainly wanted to tell him not to go, but couldn’t. He had to make his own decision. And for that reason, she chanted a mantra inside her head. Don’t look at me. Just go. Don’t look at me. Just—dammit! Not only had he met her gaze, but he had done it looking like a lost puppy. Didn’t he realize that he didn’t need her permission? Didn’t he realize that she couldn’t give him the excuse he was looking for?!
“Just go,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
Surprised, Inuyasha barely managed a response. “B-but—”
“I said go!” Kagome yelled, pointing to the door with an accusing finger.
Inuyasha’s expression darkened, and he stormed out with a tremendous scowl on his face. Kagome slumped her shoulders, adding guilt to the baffling array of emotions she was currently feeling.
So much for reveling in bliss.
**Edited 12/9/11 – corrected inconsistency; cycles of the moon in the two time periods now match. Thanks, Ravyn!
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End of a Journey
Inuyasha roused with the sudden surge of his youki, grinning softly at the pleasant sensation of his body returning to normal. In his sleep-muddled mind, he idly wondered why he had fallen asleep in the first place, since he almost always stayed awake on his human nights. But whatever the reason, he was far too comfortable to get up now, and inhaled a deep breath in preparation for dozing off again. Or at least, he tried to.
His lungs had barely filled to approximately a third of their capacity before the frantic messages sent by his nasal receptors hit his brain like electric shocks. He bolted upright, coughing with the sudden expulsion of all the air from his lungs. There was no mistaking those scents, or the fact that he was naked. And as his awareness returned, along with his memory, Inuyasha gazed up at the ceiling with a look of dumbfounded amazement.
Ho. Ly. Shit.
His first thought was that he had dreamt the whole thing. But that didn’t explain his nudity or what his sense of smell was telling him. No, his recollections were real; he could recall with absolute clarity every moan, touch, and shred of sensation. He had really made love with Kagome last night.
He fought against the foolish grin threatening to break out over his features. He didn’t feel nearly as good about this now as he had last night, when he had been practically drowning in human emotion. That was probably putting it a bit too strongly, but it was unlikely that things would have gone that far had he been hanyou. For him, being human was similar to being full-youkai; he didn’t spend much time in either state and had trouble controlling himself in both.
He heard and felt Kagome shift beside him, and snapped his head to look at her. But she was still asleep, and he heaved a sigh of relief, glad that his movements had not woken her. The last thing he needed was to have to face her before he’d had time to collect his thoughts. He did notice that the she had displaced the sheets enough at some point to reveal that she had changed clothes, apparently before falling asleep. She now wore her typical nighttime ensemble of late, a t-shirt and underwear. He stared for a moment, then shook his head and scolded himself for it as he hastily covered her up. Being a horndog was part of what had gotten him into this mess in the first place.
And it was a mess. How could it not be? Two people as stubborn as he and Kagome, with as complicated a relationship as they possessed, didn’t just have sex without any lasting ramifications. It had been so easy last night to believe that they could encapsulate this one night, and then move on with their lives with little or no change. But that was fantasy, not reality. How would this affect their friendship? He couldn’t see how it could possibly go back to the way it was. And even if it could, there were still a thousand and one other reasons their glorified one night stand was a mistake: Naraku, Kikyou, and his inability to determine his own feelings to name a few.
He gasped as another possibility came to him, a potentially catastrophic problem that he hadn’t considered the night before. He leaned over and sniffed Kagome furiously, relaxing slightly when she didn’t smell fertile. He nearly collapsed with relief as he remembered that her monthly bleeding roughly coincided with the new moon, usually taking place a little thereafter. It was far too late in her cycle for her to conceive.
But still, why the hell hadn’t he thought of that last night? Especially when a pregnancy had the potential to ruin their relationship and totally derail the mission? He knew why: one, he was a horndog, and two, his human emotions had gotten the better of him. It was as if his typical emotional constipation had been completely reversed so that he was floundering in feeling and sentiment. Again, he was putting it too strongly; he had after all managed to resist Kagome at first, when he thought her proposal wasn’t fair to her. Hell, he still didn’t think it was. Kagome had all but said she disagreed, but she was dead wrong. Sleeping with her and then asking to be ‘just friends’ again made him feel like a complete sleaze.
But there was nothing for it; he was no closer to declaring his love for her than he had been last night. His feelings for her had not changed; he still cared for her deeply. But was it love? And if so, could he act upon it while still honoring his other responsibilities? The answers to these questions eluded him as they always had. His heart and mind couldn’t seem to agree on anything.
And that was the problem. Because even though he could think all day about how last night was a mistake, it didn’t feel like one. Looking back on it now, joining with her in body and soul still felt so right, even though he couldn’t give her his heart. As if in her arms was exactly where he was supposed to be, and loving her was what he was meant to do. It had been magical, simply mag—
Wait a minute. It had been magical for him, but what about for Kagome? Inuyasha’s face twisted into a dark scowl as he went over their lovemaking again. He remembered thinking vaguely that he should be making more of an effort to make her first time pleasurable, but his mind hadn’t really been working properly at the time, a consequence of being buried in her velvet depths. He also remembered going from kissing to sex in what seemed like no time at all. In fact, Kagome had been forced to slow him down manually with a kiss before he’d started rutting her like an animal. Yes, he had definitely rushed things, and he hadn’t thought about Kagome nearly enough. In short, he’d been a pretty lousy lover.
Son of a bitch!
Armed with yet another reason to be disgusted with himself, Inuyasha stood up and stomped off to the bathroom. Maybe a scalding hot shower would make him feel better.
It didn’t, but he was at least able to remove the layer of dried sweat clinging to his skin. He now understood perfectly well why Kagome had showered last night. A sense of foreboding flashed across his mind, as the darkest corner of his being conjured another reason for why Kagome might have washed immediately after their lovemaking. Had she felt dirty, not so much in the physical sense, but psychologically? Had this been like the time he killed those bandits, when he’d felt the blood on his hands for days, even after the smell had disappeared? He looked down at his hands, noticing the claws adorning his fingertips. Had she blanched when she remembered what he was, revolted by the act of sharing her body with a sub-human?
He shook his head violently. That was the old him talking, the part of him still lingering in the past, in all the years of loneliness and rejection before Kikyou. And Kagome wasn’t like that. She had always accepted him for what he was; the fact that he was hanyou didn’t matter to her. Still, as much as he wanted to tell himself with absolute certainty that their making love on his human night was merely the result of hitting on a one-in-thirty chance, he couldn’t. It was easy to preach pure ideals, like peace and nonviolence, only to exact bloody revenge when a loved one was harmed. Perhaps it was the same with Kagome and her professed view that being hanyou didn’t make him any less suitable as a man.
He shook his head again, less vigorously this time. He didn’t think Kagome’s opinion of him had changed, but he still couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility. Spending any more time pondering would do no good, however; right now he needed to get himself as ready as possible to face what was surely going to be an awkward morning. Making sure she was still asleep, he dressed in fresh clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over with his elbows on his knees. Then, he turned his mind back to contemplation. What the hell was he going to say to her? Should he say anything, or let her make the first move? What should he not say to avoid hurting her feelings?
It was awhile later when Inuyasha noticed the absence of Kagome’s steady and even breathing behind him. Straightening his back like a board, he hesitantly turned to face her. He found her gazing at him, an unreadable expression on her features, and got the distinct impression that she had been watching him silently for some time. And suddenly all the vague ideas and half-plans he’d constructed for this moment flew from his mind; he could only stare dumbfounded at her.
Kagome, on the other hand, could see exactly what Inuyasha was feeling; in his surprise he had forgotten to conceal his emotions as she had done. He thought last night was a mistake. She nodded sagely. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting; in fact, she hadn’t really thought about anything except the moment. Not the morning after, and especially not the possibility of getting pregnant, an omission she now scolded herself for. Fortunately, there would be no repercussions along those lines, thought she wouldn’t be completely relieved until her period arrived, hopefully in a day or two. Before last night, she had never comprehended how two people could be so irresponsible as to produce an unwanted child before marriage. Now, she understood completely.
But apparently her lover did not think that oversight was the only reason last night was a mistake. So…why wasn’t she crying right now? Why wasn’t she trying to hold back tears? Maybe it was because of the warmth bubbling inside her at the memory of what they had done. And what a wonderful memory it was. She had given her virginity to the man she loved. Even if Inuyasha chose to go to hell with Kikyou, she would at least have that one memory to cherish above all others. A vision swam into her mind—his face as he gazed at her, almost lovingly. He hadn’t thought it was a mistake while kissing her senseless or finding sweet release inside her. Now, the same objections which he had voiced initially had probably risen again. That was the reason behind his sudden remorse, not because his feelings for her had changed. And she saw fear in his eyes, bordering on panic, most likely for the continued vitality of their friendship.
But that worry was groundless, as far as she was concerned. So what if they made a mistake? They had erred in the past and recovered. This situation was unique, but she had no doubt their friendship was strong enough to survive, especially when both of them desperately wanted it to. If necessary, they could silently agree never to talk about last night again. Perhaps things could never truly go back to the way they had been yesterday afternoon, but was that a deal-breaker? Their relationship had been constantly changing ever since the day they met, and it had only brought them closer. There was no way she was going to let this wonderful gift he’d given her set them back.
But how to convince Inuyasha of that? With a start she realized that she had been staring at him for a long time. He was no longer looking at her, but was instead grimacing as his amber orbs burned a hole in the mattress. He looked like he wanted to say something, so Kagome waited with bated breath for him to break the silence.
“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
For not being able to tell you what you want to hear. For taking advantage of your love when I can give you nothing in return. For being a shitty lover. For—
“It’s okay,” Kagome replied softly. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
She meant every word. She had known what she was getting into last night. She had been aware of his inability to return her love, and cognizant of his continuing obligations to Kikyou. She would hold none of that against him now.
Inuyasha’s eyes flicked up to hers, widening at the truth and love shining in her expression. Then he spun around and returned to the position she had found him in upon waking. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she would guess that they had tears in them.
Deciding more than mere words were needed, Kagome rolled out of bed, slipped on a clean pair of jeans, and moved cautiously around the mattress. She seated herself next to Inuyasha, encouraged that he did not shy away. When she reached for his hand, he let her take it. She squeezed, silently imploring him to look at her. When he did, she saw a faint redness in his eyes that made her heart ache. She rested their joined hands on her knee, trying to convey what he needed to come to terms with so badly.
Looking at her, Inuyasha so desperately wanted to believe that she truly held nothing against him, that the strength of their friendship would not waver no matter what. So he did. Kagome’s very soul was bared to him in her chocolate depths; she loved him so much that she would let him go if it made him happy. Cascading waves of humility and gratitude brought more tears to his eyes, and he clenched them shut. Kagome exerted more pressure on his hand in support, and he squeezed tightly before relaxing. In that moment, a silent agreement was reached. No matter what happened, no matter what mistakes they made in the past or future, they would always be friends.
He felt Kagome nestle against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Overcome with relief, he slumped against her, leaning his head on top of hers. And somehow, each of them felt as close to the other as they had making love the previous evening. They remained like that for a long time, both enjoying the presence of the other and coming to terms with the fact that this could be the last time they held each other. Finally, Kagome stood with a reluctant sigh.
“We’d better get going soon. The hotel might charge us extra if we stay past checkout.”
“Keh. Let ‘em try.”
Kagome grinned, but nevertheless proceeded to pack up what little needed to be packed. Then she took out the last of the ninja food; it wasn’t ideal for breakfast, but it would be better than empty stomachs. Neither of them had eaten since lunch yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, it did not take them long to polish off the remaining provisions, and before Kagome knew it they had checked out and were standing on the sidewalk outside the hotel.
“Where to now?” Inuyasha asked.
“Well, I think the shrine is that way,” she replied, pointing in a southeasterly direction, “but I can’t be sure.”
“You don’t know how to get there? So what’s the plan, get lost and wander around for half the day?”
“No! I mean…”
“Tell me you at least bought a map of the city.”
“…”
“Ugh,” Inuyasha groaned, smacking his forehead. “And now we’re broke, so we can’t buy one.”
“Hey!” Kagome yelled indignantly. “I can’t think of everything. Did you make sure we knew how to get there? Did you tell me to buy a map of Tokyo?”
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, but made no further comment. Kagome was glad he had let up, but she knew this was mostly on her. She had been the unofficial navigator, and had now failed in that role. She was just about to mutter a reluctant apology when Inuyasha spoke.
“It’s fine. We’ll find it another way,” he said with a slight smirk, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the nearest alleyway. She resisted, memories of last night invading her mind. She could smell her attacker’s breath again, feel the blade of his knife press into her skin. Her hand shot to the bandage on her neck out of reflex, as the cruel sensation of utter helplessness settled upon her.
“Kagome.”
She snapped back to reality at the sound of Inuyasha’s voice. Blinking, she saw him standing there, gazing at her with a fierce intensity in his eyes. And she felt foolish; of course she was safe. Inuyasha was with her. She closed the distance between them and allowed him to lead her, side-by-side, to the alley. But as the panic receded and her rational mind began to function again, she thought of another reason to resist this course of action.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea, Inuyasha.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because if you were them, having seen that news report and knowing what you’re capable of, wouldn’t you expect us to use the rooftops?”
Inuyasha scowled, obviously seeing her point and not liking it. “If the alternative is walking around down here where we can’t see shit, then I’ll take my chances. We’re screwed anyway if we can’t find the shrine.”
He was right about that, but Kagome knew using the rooftops too much would be reckless. Still, she thought she had a compromise that would satisfy everybody.
“How about this? We’ll go up until we see the shrine or some place I recognize, and then we’ll go on foot from there.”
Inuyasha thought about it for a moment, then nodded. That was probably the best course of action, balancing between efficiency and stealth. Seeing his agreement, Kagome emptied out their bags and put everything essential into hers. Not being encumbered by any bags would be ideal, but there were some things they needed in the feudal era, like Inuyasha’s fire-rat robes and Tetsusaiga. She also stowed her school uniform, urged on by some unnatural attachment to it. Inuyasha snorted in amusement but didn’t say anything. The rest of the clothing and other articles they left in the alley. No matter how their attempt today turned out, they no longer needed anything from her world except the clothes on their bodies.
Ready, Kagome slid the pack onto her shoulders and climbed on Inuyasha’s back. She held on for the ride as he leapt up to the top of the adjacent building, then launched them forward over the rooftops. She let out a small cry of pure elation, and she could almost see Inuyasha smirk as he quickened his pace. To anyone looking up from below, they would appear as nothing more than a dark blur flashing overhead. Kagome forced herself to scan their surroundings, heedless of the wind lashing her face or the tears gathering in her eyes. She did not ask Inuyasha to slow down; there was safety in speed. After a few minutes, she spied several buildings she recognized in rapid succession, the last the most familiar of all.
“There’s the school!” she cried, happier than ever to see it. Inuyasha skidded to a halt, causing her to press closely against his back at the sudden deceleration. He let her down, and she wobbled for a moment. The adrenaline inspired by their flight was responsible for her slight panting, but it was something else entirely which caused her cheeks to darken.
“S-so we walk from here?” Inuyasha stuttered, not facing her. Kagome belatedly wondered if being carried by him was ever going to be the same again. Probably not, she realized. But their heightened awareness of physical contact wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was just awkward. And if there was anything they’d had plenty of practice dealing with since they met, it was awkwardness.
“Yep!” Kagome replied brightly as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. She strode over to the edge of the roof and peered down into the alley. Good, it’s deserted—
“Kyah!” she screamed as she suddenly found herself plummeting into said alley. And though she knew she had been scooped up in strong hanyou arms, her eyes snapped reflexively shut and her hands latched onto his shirt. It took her a moment after impact to open her eyes again, only to find Inuyasha wearing a positively devilish smirk, his amber orbs laughing at her.
“Don’t do that!” she yelled, unclenching her fists and smacking him on the chest.
Chuckling, he put her down. “I can’t believe I can still make you scream after all this time.”
Kagome’s jaw dropped slightly at the possible sexual connotation of that statement, but Inuyasha obviously hadn’t meant anything like that by it. And she wasn’t about to let him find out the direction her mind had immediately gone in if she could help it.
“Hmph,” she grunted, crossing her arms over her chest. “You try getting tossed around by some brute without any warning, and see if you can keep quiet.”
“Keh. Better a brute than a sissy.”
“Jerk.”
Inuyasha let their verbal sparring match end there. It was honestly nice to have a casual argument with her again, but if they pushed it any further it might not stay so laid back. And he definitely didn’t want a real fight. Apparently Kagome didn’t either, for she grabbed his hand and led him onto the sidewalk. He peered sideways at her as she walked, smiling at her easy grin. The anxiety would undoubtedly build as they got closer to the shrine, but for right now, they were both content.
He was right about the anxiety. But though Kagome’s face showed nervousness, her brow was furrowed in deep thought. She seemed to be thinking their approach through carefully, while he focused on their surroundings, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Finally, when they were perhaps three-quarters of the way to the shrine, she pulled him out of the normal flow of pedestrian traffic and turned to face him.
“Kagome, what’s wr—?”
“I think we should split up here, Inuyasha.”
Said hanyou’s eye twitched. “Come again?” he growled, wanting to make sure he had heard her correctly before allowing his hair to spontaneously combust.
“Not like that,” Kagome hastily amended, sensing his hostility to the idea. “What I meant was that I’d walk maybe five or ten arm-lengths in front of you.”
“Why the hell would we do that?!” Inuyasha demanded, managing to keep his voice down. At least she wasn’t proposing what he had initially feared.
“Well, they’re looking for a young man and a young woman together, right? If we’re each alone, then it makes it less likely they’ll spot us on the street.”
“It also makes it less likely that I’ll be able to save your ass as if you get it into trouble!”
“There’ll be less chance of trouble in the first place!”
Inuyasha broke off with a grimace. His protective instincts hated to admit it, but she was right. Their disguises were good, but not unbeatable. Kagome had not changed her appearance much, only her clothes. At first glance, she looked like any of the dozens or hundreds of other young women in this area of the city. But put her with a man who matched his general description, and she might warrant a closer look. That was something they definitely didn’t want.
“Dammit…”
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha,” she said, smiling sincerely. “I know you’ll watch my back.”
“K-keh!” he muttered hotly. “I still don’t see why we’re doing this.”
“Don’t you? It’s too risky to go up on a roof, but we need to at least scope out the place a little. I’ll stay facing forward, and you look up at the shrine and see what you can see.”
Inuyasha growled again, disliking being ordered around almost as much as he disliked this plan.
“Try to stay with the normal flow of traffic so as not to draw attention,” Kagome continued, heedless of his irritation.
“I got it.”
“And when you’re looking at the shrine, try to do it nonchal—”
“I said I got it, wench!”
Kagome jolted as if she had been slapped, and for a moment her eyes shone with hurt.
“Fine,” she said softly. “Let’s go, then.” With that, she turned and rejoined the flow of pedestrian traffic.
Inuyasha felt the heavy weight of shame come down upon him. She was only trying to make sure you didn’t give us away, baka. And you just had to lose your temper, and call her ‘wench’…
“Fuck!” he swore under his breath. He definitely owed her an apology, but there was no time for that now. Kagome was already the required distance from him, and if he didn’t get a move on she would leave him behind. She would not look behind her; from here, they had to act as though they were total strangers.
He found that surprisingly easy to do. He took Kagome’s advice about blending in with other pedestrians, and he was sure he looked like just another single guy walking on the sidewalk. Only his eyes gave him away; they were alternately glued to his miko companion and darting in every direction from which an attack could possibly come towards her. He was paying so much attention to her that he almost forgot the entire purpose of this little walk-by. But just before reaching the entrance to the shrine, he remembered to turn his head as casually as possible and gaze up at the stairs with a mask of indifference.
As expected, the entrance was barricaded off with signs telling people the shrine was closed for some fake reason. From his position across the street, he really couldn’t see a whole lot; the overhanging branches cut off his angle so he could only glimpse some of the steps. Or rather, that’s all a human would be able to see. But his eyes were made of sharper stuff, and he set them to peering through the trees, at the spaces around the hundreds of shifting leaves blocking his view. Something at the top of the steps caught his attention, something slightly out-of-place, the coloring not quite right with the foliage or the backdrop. It was a man, crouching with a gun held at the ready, his attention on the stairs descending from his position.
Inuyasha returned his gaze to the woman in front of him, resisting the urge to quicken his pace. It was as they feared; the shrine was being watched, by men armed well enough to take him down. But there had been no sudden movements from the guard at the top of the steps; he had seemed quite bored, in fact. That probably meant he and Kagome had not been spotted yet. The element of surprise should still be in their favor.
Kagome kept walking down the same road a substantial distance past the shrine before turning off onto a quiet side street. She was waiting for him when he turned the corner.
“So, what did you see?” she asked anxiously. He told her about the gunman, and she sighed in resignation. “Well, that’s no surprise, I guess. So what do we do now?”
“We’ll go through the woods,” Inuyasha replied, referring to the small forested area surrounding the shrine. Kagome seemed surprised at his quick response, but he’d had plenty of opportunity to strategize about this on the journey to Tokyo. She had probably been thinking the same thing, but had wanted to get his opinion first.
“Agreed,” she replied just as quickly, confirming that suspicion.
“It’s the best cover,” he said warningly, “and they know it. They’ll have something waiting for us.”
She nodded, knowing that it was time to relinquish the reins and let Inuyasha take the lead from here.
“Well, come on,” he said. “We’ll go separately again. Cross the street and head back on the other side. When you get to the corner right before the trees start, stop and look around, like you’re taking a break. I’ll pass you, and if I think we should keep going, I’ll give you a nod. If that’s the case, follow me and we’ll head into the woods. If I shake my head, cross the street and get the hell out of there. Got it?”
“Got it,” Kagome answered, moving to set off. His hand on her wrist stopped her. Her heart had already been beating rather rapidly because of the stress of the situation, but the look in his eyes sent a different kind of adrenaline surging through her veins. His gaze was guarded, some of his old defenses squarely in place, but even they couldn’t mask the crushing amount of fear and worry in his amber orbs. None of it was for his own sake.
“Be careful,” he told her, his low voice quivering slightly. All Kagome could manage was a nod. She so badly wanted to lean in and kiss him, even if it was only a peck on the cheek. But that would only complicate things, and the last thing they needed right now was another complication. Besides, it would go against the silent agreement they had reached this morning. If either of them was going to initiate anything more intimate than a hug, it had to be Inuyasha. Otherwise it would just be her trying to influence his decision. He had given her last night, and now she had to let him make his own, free choice.
Suddenly she noticed Inuyasha staring at her with a perplexed expression, a question on the tip of his tongue. But she was not prepared to tell him why she suddenly looked so sad, so she spun on her heel and started up the sidewalk again following a married couple with a little boy in tow.
Inuyasha watched her go, confused at the sudden turn of her mood, but somehow knowing that it was his fault. It usually is, where Kagome’s concerned. Telling that annoying voice in his head to shove it, he set off in her wake. She did exactly what he had told her to do, and she did it as if she’d had practice in this sort of thing before. Not for the first time since being captured by Yoshida’s gang, he was quietly impressed.
As they made their way back toward the shrine, on the same side of the street this time, he tried to find any reason to call off their attempt. But there was nothing, no suspicious movements from fellow pedestrians, nor heads hastily hidden of people watching them from rooftops. And as the forest came into view, he could see no sign that anyone knew they were coming. So when he reached the corner and passed Kagome, who was doing an admirable job of pretending to wistfully enjoy the beautiful day, he gave her a small nod. Finally, they were committed. There would be no going back.
Fortunately, the city had been lax in preening this little oasis of green in the middle of Tokyo. The trees pressed outward as if rebelling against the steel and asphalt which kept them from expanding their realm. Some branches hung so low over the sidewalk that the tallest pedestrians had to duck as they passed. But it was one overgrown bush, straying onto the sidewalk so that the humans had to converge slightly to pass it, that really intrigued Inuyasha.
He quickened his pace, moving to the rear of a group of about ten people stuck behind a trio of gabbing, inconsiderate teenagers moseying down the sidewalk three abreast. He sensed more people pressing in behind him, like a line of cars piling up behind a slow driver. Soon Kagome would be caught up as well. It was an aggravation for the people around him, but perfect cover for their entry into the woods. When he reached the bush, he turned sideways to avoid it, but instead of righting himself and continuing on, he darted around the side of the bush and ducked behind it. The man behind him had been busy negotiating the plant himself, so he hadn’t seen anything. The woman on his side hadn’t even noticed his departure as another male body filled his space in the human queue. It was a clean break.
But Inuyasha wasn’t patting himself on the back just yet. He crept toward the sidewalk in a crouch, prepared to grab Kagome and yank her over as she passed. Again she surprised him, however. Though she hadn’t been able to see his movements over the people in front of her, she must have realized his course of action upon seeing the bush, for she ducked around the side of it as well. Though perhaps a little less gracefully than he had done it, as she was unable to regain her balance in time to avoid plowing into him and winding up sprawled across his lap. The woman behind her turned her head, saw their compromising position, and scowled darkly before snapping around and marching stiffly off with her chin held high. He could guess what the old prude thought they were doing in the bushes.
Kagome made to scramble off of him but he held her still, motioning for her to be quiet. Then he allowed her to slowly disentangle herself from him, both of them flushing hotly all the while. Finally, he rose to his feet and led her on a stooped, creeping trek deeper into the trees. He couldn’t help but wince at how loud her footsteps were, even though she was trying to be quiet. She was wearing hard boots, and didn’t have years of practice at sneaking silently through forests while hunting. Perhaps he would have to—
Kagome nearly cried out as Inuyasha’s hand lashed out and thumped her none to gently on the shoulder, sending her stumbling back a few paces. She glared at him while rubbing the abused skin, but his attention was riveted on the ground where her next footstep would have landed. She stared for a few seconds but didn’t see anything, so she tapped him on the shoulder and raised her arms in a very ‘what the hell?’ look. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, jabbing his finger forcefully at the ground. She followed it with her gaze, and after a moment, gasped softly and leaned down for a closer look.
It was a tripwire, a clear line stretched taut across the ground at a height of a few inches. It would most certainly register being stepped on or walked into, and was probably designed to snap in the latter instance so as not to alert the intruder that he had been detected. How on earth had Inuyasha seen it? She peered up at him in wonder, conveying that inquiry with her eyes.
He shrugged. He had spent his whole life in forests just like this one; it was easy to spot unnatural, manmade features. And he was sure this was not the last little defensive measure the mercenaries waiting for them at the shrine had implemented. Kagome wasn’t going to like it, but he absolutely could not allow her to proceed any further on foot. He was right about her initial reaction when he knelt down meaningfully before her, but she assented easily enough. It was a good decision, she decided as she marveled at how quiet Inuyasha’s footfalls were, even with her extra weight on his back. His bare feet were like a tiger’s, slinking almost soundlessly through the underbrush and defying the logic that a large creature could not move that stealthily.
There were several more tripwires, including two which were accompanied by lines at torso height, obviously meant to catch intruders savvy enough to avoid the ground lines. For these Kagome had to flatten herself to Inuyasha’s back, since leaping over the wires would make too much noise even with the hanyou’s covert skills. At last, the ground began to slope upwards, and before long the blue sky poked through the break in the canopy signaling the position of the shrine just ahead. Here Inuyasha stopped, setting Kagome down behind a large tree. It was too risky to simply blitz the well house; they needed to create some sort of distraction. Even a small delay to the guns being aimed at them could be the difference between success and failure. But how could they generate a suitable diversion? The only things they had on them were their clothes and the contents of Kagome’s bag—
Gripped by sudden inspiration, Inuyasha motioned vigorously for Kagome to give him the bag. When she complied, he removed Tetsusaiga and his fire-rat robes. The sword he handed back to her; the haori he began tying to the bag almost as if he was trying to dress it. Kagome realized what he was doing before he finished, grabbing his arm and shaking her head while mouthing ‘you need those.’ Inuyasha brushed her off with a dismissive gesture. Yes, he would miss his beloved armour, which had kept him safe since he was a child, but he had to think about the future. And if they got captured here, there would be no future for either of them. If he thought giving up Tetsusaiga would increase their chances of success, he would do so without hesitation. But the bright red robes, the same outfit he had worn that fateful day at the skyscraper in front of the cameras, would certainly do.
Kagome obviously understood his reasoning, but she objected again when he made to tie the hakama to the bottom of the bag. And again he rebuffed her. This little Inu-dummy had to look vaguely humanoid as it soared across the sky; otherwise, even human eyes would not be fooled long enough to make a difference. After tying Tetsusaiga to his left hip, Inuyasha located a good-sized rock and dropped it into the bag before zipping it shut. He glanced at Kagome, silently asking if she was ready. She wore her reservations on her sleeve, but she nodded nonetheless. The clothes were his, and if he wanted to sacrifice them, she had no right to stop him. Especially when she had not been able to come up with a better idea.
She gazed anxiously into his eyes. It was time; they were about to make their do or die, all or nothing attempt. And this time, when the urge to kiss him arose, she did not deny it. Screw complicating things; if they were destined to fail, she wanted to make sure she felt his lips one more time before meeting death. Inuyasha did not hesitate in the slightest, returning her kiss with gentle pressure. There was none of the lustful passion of the previous evening, but the chaste lip lock was a virtual rhapsody of emotion. Their thoughts converged. If this is it, we’ve had a hell of a ride. There were no regrets.
Kagome pulled away, taking a moment to stare into his eyes just to experience the incomparable golden glow once more. She smiled at the devotion she saw there, the abject wonder of a man who still couldn’t believe a girl had fallen so completely for him. Buoyed by her warm kiss, her beautiful face lit by a stunning smile, Inuyasha suddenly felt invincible. With a last, lingering glance, he turned his back on her. Kagome remounted, finding one of his hands with her own as she wrapped the other around his neck. And so Inuyasha stood proudly, a real treasure in one hand, and a bag with a rock and some old clothes in the other.
Then, the moment was over. Inuyasha settled into a combat stance, coiling his legs into armed springs. Kagome sensed the change and clutched him tightly. After one final deep, calming breath, he charged forward two steps and heaved the rock-laden bag into the sky.
Immediately the tranquility of the shrine was shattered; shouts went up, and the spits of rifles filled the air. Then the shouting resumed, the voices now taking on an edge of panic as the gunmen realized the ruse.
“Look!” one of them yelled. “Over by the—”
The rest of the cry was drowned out by a deafening explosion, as pieces of wood flew in every direction. The once pristine well house was torn to shreds by rippling waves of youkai energy, courtesy of Tetsusaiga’s Kaze no Kizu. The well itself only managed to survive because of its lower elevation. Leaping down into the hole-turned-crater, Inuyasha smirked at the feeble seal the humans had placed over the time portal—a solid steel plate bolted to the top of the well. But there was nothing covering the sides of the structure, and even if there was, it wouldn’t have made any difference. Tetsusaiga sliced through the wood easily, shaving off the top six inches of the well like a katana splitting a melon.
He had just raised his foot to kick the severed cross-section away when he felt a sharp prick in his right arm. He swore, knowing it would do no good to swat the dart away; the damage was already done. As his vision swam, he lashed out with his foot, luckily hitting his intended target. But it was all he could do to stumble forward as his mind shut down, and he passed out in mid-fall.
“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried, managing to partially break his fall by locking her legs. She saw the dart now; he was only sedated, and they were so close! Inuyasha was slumped over the well, his torso resting on the now jagged wood. She grabbed his feet, and with a mighty heave, flipped him over so he plummeted into the void head first.
“Don’t move!” ordered a male voice, but she ignored him. If he wanted to shoot her, he could go right ahead. But she was not stopping for anybody. She dove in head first, dreading the prick of a dart in her skin or the crack of a near miss impacting the wood.
But neither came, which made no sense to her at all. Why would Yoshida’s men care whether they killed her with a potent sedative designed for hanyou? Perhaps the weapon had jammed, or the gunman hadn’t been able to reload it in time. But the most surprising thing of all, reaching her ears just before the blue light enveloped her, was a feminine voice, desperately crying her name.
It was not her mother. It was a trick, or her imagination, but it was absolutely, undeniably not her mother. Because that would make the least sense of anything. Convinced, she closed her eyes and let the pull of time take her.
* * *
“Kagome!”It was a purely reflexive cry, Mrs. Higurashi realized after the fact. Her daughter’s feet had already disappeared into the well by the time she managed to rush outside. Still, the blue light signaling Kagome’s departure did not appear until a fraction of a second after she had completed the last syllable, so maybe her daughter had heard her.
It was with mixed feelings that she stood there staring at the ruins of what had once been the well house, coming to terms with the reality that Kagome was gone. Perhaps forever. On the one hand, her daughter was safe. On the other, she was in an unreachable place. That fleeting glance of Kagome’s boot-clad foot might have been the last Mrs. Higurashi would ever see of her.
Still, she managed to hold back her tears, for it was not only sadness and loss which filled her. There was happiness too, a gratitude toward whatever Kami had led Kagome—and Inuyasha—to safety on the other side of the well. They were in the hanyou’s world now, and whatever dangers were present there, both of them were far more capable of dealing with them than the perils of modern Japan. They had survived this long, after all.
Mrs. Higurashi decided right then and there, despite her heavy heart, that it was for the best if Kagome never returned to her home world. Although, this time wasn’t really her home anymore, was it? Her daughter would never be happy unless Inuyasha was by her side. She smiled fondly as she thought of the man who might one day become her son-in-law. He was closed off and awkward at times, yet honorable to a fault, and she knew he cared deeply for her daughter. Call it mother’s intuition, but Mrs. Higurashi was quite confident they would end up together one day. Their mutual stubbornness worked both ways; it had kept them from growing close, but it would also prevent them from moving too far apart.
She suddenly frowned. If she was right, then technically Kagome and Inuyasha were already married, and probably already had children. Well actually, if one wanted to be truly technical about it, they were both already dead. Even hanyou couldn’t live five hundred years, could they? Hundreds upon hundreds of descendants would also be deceased, as the youkai blood sustaining Inuyasha diluted over successive generations. Mrs. Higurashi suppressed a shiver, disturbed by the thought of being an ancestor of thousands of people who were already dead.
But all that was speculation, really. And it wasn’t the only way to think about the time paradox. The well linked the modern era to a very specific point in the past, almost as if two universes were existing on parallel planes simultaneously. So she could imagine what Kagome was doing right now, as in a few seconds after she had fallen into the other plane. In a year or two she could wonder if Inuyasha and her daughter had finally gotten together, and whether Kagome was pregnant with their first child. She could dream about what her grandchildren looked like, and the stories Kagome told them about her world, and their ‘Obaa-san’ who loved them very much even though she had never met them. Above all, she could think of her daughter with a smile.
“Dammit, what the hell happened out here?!”
The enraged shout from right behind her startled her out of her musings. It was Miyake, striding briskly onto the grounds and glaring at her men, some of whom were just picking themselves off the pavement. Mrs. Higurashi shook her head and turned to go back inside. She didn’t need to listen to Miyake berating her subordinates, and she was sure that Naicho would maintain its presence here, at least until it became apparent that Kagome did not plan on returning. She would, however, be putting in a rather strongly worded request to have the government fix the well house once the Deputy Chief’s temper had cooled.
* * *
The first thing Kagome heard was the pleasant chirping of songbirds. Her lips parting in an impossibly wide grin, she rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes. An absolutely gorgeous blue sky greeted her, with not a single cloud visible from her limited vantage point. It was as if the feudal era was welcoming her back. She laughed, then descended into a fit of giggles as joyful mirth bubbled over. Kami, it was great to be back. An enormous weight lifted from her shoulders; she had gotten Inuyasha home, where he would not be caged and treated as a science experiment. Of course, there were dangers here, but shifty, cowardly Naraku now seemed like a pushover compared to Yoshida. All the other worries lurking in the back of her mind could wait until tomorrow; for now, she just wanted to revel in bliss.
“Kagome!”
That excited shout signaled the end of her peace, but Kagome found that she didn’t mind at all. She gladly opened her arms for Shippou as he barreled into her, clutching her so tightly, as if he feared she was going to vanish again. She held him as he sniffled a few times, telling him how much she had missed him.
“I m-m-missed you too, Kagome,” he said as he pulled away, bright green eyes tinted with moisture. Kagome ruffled his hair, truly touched. He must have been coming here every day to wait for me—us. As if reading her mind, Shippou finally noticed the hanyou lying unconscious next to her.
“What’s wrong with Inuyasha?” he demanded, and Kagome was satisfied to hear a note of genuine concern in his tone. The boys didn’t always get along, but they did care about each other.
“He’s fine, Shippou-chan. He’s just sleeping.”
“Wake up, baka!” the fox yelled, before realizing his mistake and scurrying to hide behind Kagome’s shoulder.
The miko chuckled. “Relax, Shippou-chan, he won’t wake up any time soon. He’s been tranquilized.” When the only reaction she got was a blank stare, she tried to think of a different way to explain it. “I guess you could say he got hit by a sleeping spell.”
“Ohhhh,” Shippou replied in understanding. “Who did that to him? And why is his hair black? Why is he dressed like that? Why are you dressed like that? Why were you guys gone for so lo—”
“It’s a long story, Shippou-chan,” Kagome cut him off gently. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back to the village, okay?”
Shippou nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly, so Kagome decided to give his pride a little boost to take his mind off the wait.
“Shippou-chan, I’d like to get Inuyasha out of this well, but there’s no way I can haul him out by myself. Do you think you could go get Miroku-sama and Sango-chan for me?”
The fox kit’s little chest did puff up as anticipated, but his words were not what Kagome expected. “No need!” he declared smugly. “I’ll get you out!”
Before Kagome could protest, he had transformed into his pink balloon form with an audible pop. But he had obviously not thought this through, as his swelling body filled the closed space completely and plunged his friends into pitch darkness.
“Shippou-chan!” Kagome cried in between giggles. “This will never work!”
“Yes it will,” he croaked. “Give me your hand and grab Inuyasha. I’ll pull you out!”
Still doubting the feasibility of this plan, but wanting to humor the child, Kagome did as she was told. Shippou began grunting and groaning, struggling to free himself from the constrictive confines of the well. And just before Kagome was going to gently tell him to give it up…
“Kyah!” she shrieked as Shippou broke free, pulling her up with him into the light. He tossed her and Inuyasha into the air, then streaked underneath and caught them. Kagome’s laughter resumed as she bounced to a landing on top of Shippou’s head, Inuyasha listlessly doing the same beside her.
“Wow, Shippou-chan! I’m surprised you can handle catching us in this form,” she exclaimed gleefully, recalling the time his transformation had failed catastrophically that night in Togenkyo. “You must be getting stronger.”
She swore Shippou turned a darker shade of pink at the praise. But he did begin moving rather quickly—and low to the ground—toward the village. Apparently he was still not confident in his ability to maintain the transformation for long with two people on his head. Kagome felt her spirits rise even more as Kaede’s hut came into view. Kirara was outside chasing butterflies, but she couldn’t see Miroku or Sango. But Shippou at least thought they were inside.
“Miroku! Sango!” he called. “Look who I brought!”
The sound of hasty footsteps heralded the appearance of the monk and slayer, followed a few moments later by Kaede herself. As they gazed up at her in joy and wonder, Kagome felt as though her smile would be permanently affixed to her face. And as she slid down Shippou’s back into Sango’s embrace, she realized that she was home.
When Sango finally pulled away, both of them had tears in their eyes. Kagome hugged Miroku as well, who for once was a gentleman. Lastly, she embraced Kaede, who seemed surprised but touched by the show of affection. Meanwhile, Kirara had transformed into her large form and grabbed Inuyasha by the back of his shirt, lowering him gently to the ground and allowing Shippou to pop back to his normal form and reclaim his position on Kagome’s shoulder. The miko had a feeling the young fox was not going to want to let her out of his sight for awhile.
The reunion concluded, the group of friends simply stared at each other for a few moments. Miroku and Sango seemed unable to speak, though perhaps they were merely having difficulty choosing one of the dozens of questions swirling around in their minds to start with. Kagome decided to break the silence and solve that dilemma.
“Let’s go inside,” she said happily. “It’s a long story.”
Relating said tale took the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon. It was, understandably, an emotional roller-coaster for her friends, but Kagome refused to censor anything so as not to cheapen what she and Inuyasha had gone through. Pretty much the only thing she omitted was the previous evening; she was definitely not ready to let her friends know about that yet. She knew Inuyasha would appreciate her discretion.
When Miroku and Sango were finished asking their questions, the discussion moved to what the monk and slayer had been doing in the feudal era while she and Inuyasha were gone. Sango reluctantly confessed that they had planned to leave the morning after the next full moon, and that she had in fact wanted to set out much earlier—that very morning, even. The slayer obviously thought Kagome would be upset, but the miko understood. It wasn’t lack of faith that had fueled Sango’s desire to continue with the mission, but the goals of saving innocent lives and moving on with their own. She was just thrilled her friends had waited as long as they had.
It was nearly dusk by the time the group of companions finished catching up. Kaede served dinner, which Kagome devoured hungrily; she had not had a truly square meal since their stay at the ryokan. And neither had Inuyasha, which was perhaps the reason for his sudden stirring. His nose twitched a mile a minute as he sat up holding his head. Kagome was surprised that he had awoken today, having expected the sedative to be more effective. Maybe his body had started to develop a resistance to it, or maybe it really was the smell of food and an empty stomach which had done the trick.
“Ugh,” he groaned, blearily blinking his eyes open. He gazed at all of them blankly for a moment before clarity and awareness returned to his vision.
He shot Kagome a victorious smirk. “Made it, huh?”
“Yep,” she replied, grinning back.
“Pass me some fuckin’ grub, would you?” he grumbled, lying back down with his hand on his forehead. The other five occupants of the hut shook their heads, but all were glad to see him acting like his old self, though the ‘sleeping spell’ was obviously still affecting him.
Only when Inuyasha was done eating did Miroku dare to ask him to fill in the gaps in Kagome’s story, like how he had been captured and his experiences during captivity. It took a hard glare from the miko to get him to say anything more than ‘mind your own damn business, bouzu,’ but he did start to reluctantly relate events from his perspective. To everyone’s surprise, he actually got into the tale, seeming to enjoy being the center of attention as his friends hung on his every word.
He was in the middle of telling about how he had valiantly rescued Kagome during his escape—after almost complimenting her cleverness at getting to the warehouse in the first place—when it happened. A strange glow seeped through the cracks in the door, casting an ominous light on the walls. Inuyasha broke off mid-syllable, his nostrils flaring. His expression hardened as he realized what his companions had already sensed. This was no normal youkai outside; it was one of Kikyou’s shinidamachu.
Miroku sighed heavily, dreading the confession he had to make. This had become a nightly occurrence, one he had forgotten about in the excitement of Inuyasha and Kagome’s return. He wished he had remembered, but it probably would have made no difference. Even given prior warning, the reminder of Kikyou’s presence would still have sucked all the joy out of the room.
“Kikyou-sama has been waiting in your forest for about half a lunar cycle, Inuyasha.”
The hanyou frowned, seemingly torn. He glared at the doorway, as if willing the shinidamachu to vanish into thin air. No such luck. His obvious aversion to going to Kikyou now did not raise Kagome’s sunken spirits very much, however; she was sure he only had a problem with the timing, both in relation to the fun they were having now, and their activities the previous evening. Kagome certainly wanted to tell him not to go, but couldn’t. He had to make his own decision. And for that reason, she chanted a mantra inside her head. Don’t look at me. Just go. Don’t look at me. Just—dammit! Not only had he met her gaze, but he had done it looking like a lost puppy. Didn’t he realize that he didn’t need her permission? Didn’t he realize that she couldn’t give him the excuse he was looking for?!
“Just go,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
Surprised, Inuyasha barely managed a response. “B-but—”
“I said go!” Kagome yelled, pointing to the door with an accusing finger.
Inuyasha’s expression darkened, and he stormed out with a tremendous scowl on his face. Kagome slumped her shoulders, adding guilt to the baffling array of emotions she was currently feeling.
So much for reveling in bliss.
**Edited 12/9/11 – corrected inconsistency; cycles of the moon in the two time periods now match. Thanks, Ravyn!
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