InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Goodbye To Romance ❯ I'm Free Again ( Chapter 2 )

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

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Inuyasha, or the characters within. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Entertainment.
Goodbye to Romance is a song by Ozzy Osbourne, so I don't even own that.
And the Cheese Man is the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

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A few hours later Inuyasha returned to his friends, in no better a mood than he was before.

“I found a cave not too far away. It'll have to do.” He growled out.

The others groaned. They had been traveling a long time in the heat, and didn't feel like moving for say, the next couple of days. “Why can't we just stay here? Or keep searching for a village? I hate sleeping in caves!” Shippo whined.

“Because a storm is coming, and we don't want to be sleeping under the trees when the thunder and lightning comes.” Inuyasha responded, obviously fed up already with the young demon.

“Exactly how far is this cave?” Sango asked. “It took so long for you to get back, did you spend all that time traveling to and from there?”

“Most of that time was me avoiding you because I'm pissed off. Now hurry up because I don't want to hear you bitching about getting wet or struck by lightning.” Inuyasha called back as he walked in the direction of the cave.

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Ten minutes later, they arrived at the promised cave. It was huge, at least as tall as a two story building, with many different paths and catacombs. One could get lost in it very easily.

“Wow,” Kagome marveled. “It's so big!”

“It used to belong to a pack of bears.” Inuyasha explained. As he took one of the paths. “You guys get your stuff set out, I'm going to double check that it's safe.”

“Hey, how's he supposed to find his way back?” Shippo wondered out loud.

“I'm sure he'll be fine. I've never known him to get lost before.” Sango answered. “Let's get a meal prepared, I'm starving. Do you have the special herb for Inuyasha?”

“Right here,” Kagome answered. “I'm not too sure about putting even more of this into his food, guys. What if too much of it at once hurts him?”

“He'll be fine. My people have experimented with this, it takes more than we have before it becomes a lethal dose.” Sango reassured. “The worst it'll do is put him into a deep sleep, and he'll be in a better mood tomorrow.”

“It really is for the best, Lady Kagome. You saw how he was today.” Miroku said, using his best, most convincing tone of voice.

“Fine, but I'm really uncomfortable with this,” Kagome muttered as she put about five times the amount of the herb she normally used into Inuyasha's ramen. Then she added another herb to mask the first's scent and taste. “There, it's done.”

Five minutes later Inuyasha returned, and sat down by the fire and began to eat his ramen. “The cave's secure. I even found sleeping quarters that'll make it impossible for demons to get at you without giving you time to run to safety.”

“We don't need all that,” Kagome said, “we have you watching over us after all.”

“Not tonight, you don't. I'm still mad as hell, and the more time I spend with you guys, the more likely it is I'll say something we all will regret.” He emptied his cup and threw it with the rest of their garbage. “Come on, I'll show you where you're sleeping.”

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Inuyasha was wandering down a dark hallway, wondering `this is strange, where is everyone?'

A voice rang out to his left, “about time you got here.” Inuyasha spun around to find the owner of the voice, a tall, pale man in a purple jacket and top hat. He was standing beside a car on a rail. “The car's been ready all night.”

“Who are you?” Inuyasha asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“I'm your tour guide for this dream. Now, I know, you've dreamed before and never had a tour guide, but this is a special one. Some people in the waking world have been or are about to be very naughty, and balance must be restored you see. And since you're at the center of it all, you get to have this life altering, and world changing dream. The kind that poets and inventors will and do, kill for. And all it took for you to get it was eating before bedtime. Now, step into the car, we've got so much time, and so little to see… Wait, no… Other way around. Now as you step into the vehicle, I must ask that you keep your hands and arms inside and attached to your body at all times. We'll be where we're going in just a jiffy… and we're there! End of the line, just go through that door.”

“What's in there?”

“A party.” The bombastic man replied. “A dream like this comes once in a lifetime, if you're lucky. A celebration is called for. Everyone you've ever met is in that room, including you. Don't be shy now, it's why you're here. I'll come for you when it's over.”

Inuyasha nervously turned the door knob and stepped inside. He was immediately accosted by Kagome and Sango. “Inuyasha, you made it! You must be so tired! Here, lie down,” they both gushed as they brought him to a bed, and laid him on it. Then they started strapping him down.

“Why are there straps?” Inuyasha asked, confused.

“So you can't move, of course. The one on your neck is no longer working as well as we'd hoped, so new measures have to be taken.” Kagome said, as if that explained everything.

“There, that's better. Now we can begin,” Miroku said tonelessly. He came up dressed in a smock and face mask. “Has the patient been prepped?”

”Oh yes, doctor.” Sango simpered, changing into a nurse's uniform.

“What are you doing? What's going on?” Inuyasha screamed, panicking.

Kagome gently answered, “you're broken. We're going to fix you.”

“Now shut up and let me do this,” Miroku scolded. “Damn, no time for anesthetic. Bone saw,” he called out, and Sango handed it to him. He cut off the top of Inuyasha's head. “Soap. Water.” This time Kagome handed him the requested tools.

“What do you need that stuff for?” Inuyasha asked, like a curious child.

Kagome patted him on the shoulder. “Your brain's dirty from all that brooding and thinking. It needs to be washed. We're all done, just rest here a bit.”

Miroku continued from where Kagome left off. “Now we must go prepare the bill. Does being our guard dog-slash-pack mule-slash-jester with a broken crown sound like a fair price? It's standard for this procedure.”

As he watched his doctors disappear, Inuyasha decided that he didn't like this place. “Like these straps can keep me down anyways,” he said to himself, as he broke the straps effortlessly. He rose to his feet, and almost fell forward, but was caught by a strong hand.

“You shouldn't be up after such surgery, little brother.” Sesshoumaru said sternly.

“I feel so light-headed.” Inuyasha complained woozily.

”That's to be expected since there's nothing in there.” Sesshoumaru mocked.

“Just once, I wish you wouldn't be such an asshole! It's a wonder that little girl can stand to be around you!” Inuyasha fumed.

“Get a cave you two!” Rin called out from the sidelines.

“Calm yourself, half-breed. This Sesshoumaru was simply referring to what your friends have done to you. Feel your head, it's completely hollow. Now, look over here, this is important. A new threat arises.” Sesshoumaru pointed to a couple of people who were standing proudly next to a Samurai.

“He's like a son to me! My greatest creauption!” Naraku beamed.

“I made him everything he is today!” Kouga boasted.

“He's coming for all our kind, little brother.” Sesshoumaru turned and was replaced by a small hanyou who looked like a smaller Inuyasha. “Beware, Inuyasha. The diamond dog's a poacher and he hides behind trees, hunt you to the ground he will.”

A balding man with glasses came up to him, brandishing a cheese slice. “This is not a toy.”

“Okay, that was strange.” Inuyasha said to himself, and turned to face Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango huddled around something. “Hey, what are you guys doing?”

“We're playing with your brain!” Shippo yelled enthusiastically, moving so Inuyasha could see the game they were playing. There was another Inuyasha chained to the floor in a sitting position, and the others were tossing his brain at it, trying to get it into the hollow skull.

“Stop that! My brain is not a toy!”

“I thought that was the cheese…” Kagome mused out loud. “Besides, we can't stop now, this game's been going on for months.” She tossed the brain, and got it in. “I guess the game's over now. I think your mother's over there. She wants to talk to you.”

Now Inuyasha was really confused. “Mother?”

The overly cheerful woman from his youth beamed at him. “Yes, son. It's me. Your father and I are coming home soon, so we want you to be prepared. There are some things you'll need, but I don't have the time to tell you what they are. There's a map inside of Mount Rishiri, it'll help get you prepared for everything that's about to come down on you. The scales are tipping, and it's time for you to right them.”

The tour guide returned. “It's time to wake up, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha's mother cried out, “WAIT!” She handed him his hoari. “Don't forget your humanity! You'll catch cold without it!”

The tour guide gave a little smirk. “Worthy advice indeed. Come now, great hero. You'll be seeing more of her soon enough. Now, you're going to feel very sick when you wake up. That's normal after what your friends have been doing to you. You might want to search the miko's bag, you'll see what I mean.”

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A lone warrior trudged his way through the night, toward his home village. It had been over two years since he had last laid eyes on his home and his wife and sons and daughters. He had roamed the country side, fighting in imperial armies, protecting his homeland, making a name for himself so that his family could live more comfortably. He was finally finished. This time he was coming home to stay. He wondered what had changed since he had last stopped in, his eldest was of courting age, had he found a girl? He was less than a day's journey away. It wouldn't be too long before he found out.

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Inuyasha woke with a start, then a pounding started in his head, and he felt the urge to throw up. `Ugh… What was that about? Why should I look in Kagome's bag? What a strange dream.'

He unsteadily rose to his feet, and stumbled over to the part of the cave where he had left his friends. “Where are they?” He asked himself. He found himself in front of Kagome's bag. “This is stupid,” he told himself, “that was just a crazy dream,' he resolved not to go snooping through the bag. `Then again, she might have something to make this headache go away.' So, telling himself that he was strictly looking for a headache remedy like the others had done countless times before, and not snooping, he dug into the bag. After a minute he found a small box and opened it, examining its contents He found a powder that Sango sometimes used to conceal scents, and wondered what Kagome was doing with that. Then he found a familiar looking herb.

“What's this?” He asked himself out loud. It was on the tip of his tongue. He sniffed it, seeing if that would jog his memory, and suddenly it all came into place. “Lethe's bramble. What's Kagome doing with that?” Suddenly parts of his dream came into his head, and the pieces fit into place. “Have they been using this on me?” He stood, ready to find his friends and confront them, when he heard their voices getting closer. First was Kagome's fretful voice.

“I told you guys putting all that stuff in his food was dangerous! He never sleeps this long! What if we've killed him?”

“Now, now, Lady Kagome. I'm sure he's perfectly fine. I just hope he doesn't figure out what's going on. He's sure to wonder why he's slept for almost a full day.” Came the calm voice of Miroku.

“Yeah!” Shippo piped up. “He'd be so mad if he knew what we were doing to him!”

Inuyasha fumed as his friends turned the corner and came face to face with him. “He already does,” he growled.

“Inuyasha! We were so worried!” Kagome cried out and ran to him.

Inuyasha stepped back out of her reach, trying to keep calm. “Stop right there Kagome. Care to explain why you're carrying around Lethe's bramble. And why I feel like a demon who's consumed too much of it?”

“I-I don't know what you're talking about.” Kagome answered.

“Yes Inuyasha. If you've partaken too much of a herb and feel ill, you shouldn't take it out on an innocent girl such as Kagome.” Miroku defended.

“And just what were you talking about just now? What would I be so mad about figuring out? That you've been putting something used to control and enslave demons into my food? Is that what you're worried about me finding out?” Inuyasha raged.

“It wasn't like that,” Sango explained. “We just want to calm you down a bit. To make you less wild.”

Inuyasha's eyes flashed red in anger. “You idiots! I'm not some stupid animal that you can tame! Kagome, wasn't it enough that you can smash my face into the ground whenever you feel like it? You felt you had to mess around with my head too? How long has this been going on?”

“Since that first fight with Sesshoumaru.” Kagome answered guiltily. “Kaede was concerned over your treatment of me, and suggested small amounts to calm you down and make you less dangerous, and easier to be around. That's all, I swear. I was never trying to control or enslave you!”

“All that time... How much of it was real Kagome? The helping people, the worrying about you four, the protecting, the feelings that have been developing… It was all the damn herb wasn't it? Hell, even my bad moods when you left, it wasn't me missing you at all! I made my own food then, it was the herb working its way out of my body! I've been nearly killing myself with guilt over you and Kikyo… All those sleepless nights… All over a damn plant! All because you wanted a lapdog.”

“No! That's not true!” Kagome protested, “I don't want you to be anybody's lapdog! I like you-“

“As long as you guys can pump me full of whatever you want!” Inuyasha finished for her. “I should have known better than to trust humans again! This is the last time.”

“What are you saying?” Kagome asked fearfully.

“I'm done with you guys.”

“Surely we can work this out, Inuyasha,” Miroku pleaded. “There's no sense throwing away perfectly good friendships over something like this!”

“There's no working this out. What you've done is unforgivable.” Inuyasha went to walk past the group, but they were blocking the exit. “Move or I'll kill you all where you stand.”

The others gulped, and parted to make a path for him. After a few minutes of silence, Kagome broke down crying. Sango reached down and patted her on the back, trying to reassure her. “Kagome, he kept the rosary. As long as he has that there's still hope that we'll be forgiven and he'll come back.”

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Finally, the warrior made it to his village. But something was wrong. Where were all the people? Why were all the huts deserted and uncared for? He explored the village until he found the mass grave site.

“What happened here?” He gasped.

“Wolves.” A silky voice cut through the night. The warrior turned and found a man dressed in a baboon cloak. “Demon wolves.”

“But, that doesn't make sense. We had the occasional problems, but nothing like this.” The man said desperately.

The baboon clad man put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and led him to a hut. “Step inside, I'll explain things as best I can, and maybe help you to avenge your people. The wolves have been allowed to run wild for far too long.”

“What is your name, friend?”

The baboon man chuckled, “I am called Naraku.”