InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inevitable ❯ Restoration ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this oneshot… especially for the one who makes the answer to the question `Who would help a hanyou?' seem rather obvious in hindsight. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

 

A Debt of Gratitude: Fenikkusuken, I would have gotten in into the most embarrassing tangle of grammatical peevishness if you hadn't gotten me out of trouble. Thank you for salvaging my misbegotten prose. I think I've juuuust about gotten it out of my system. Yup. Got my giggles. I'll behave now. ::wink::

 

This oneshot was originally posted to Live Journal on September 24, 2007.

 

Restoration

 

oOo

 

Inuyasha covered the ground at a frantic pace, heart racing as he considered his meager options. Kaede's is too far. He needed help now, but his chances of convincing a village to let him see their healer… Who would help a hanyou? A growl of frustration pushed back the rising gorge of panic, clearing his mind. There had to be something he could do, somewhere he could turn, someone he could… A fleeting recollection halted his scrambling thoughts, and he almost stumbled as the wash of relief left him weak-kneed. Pulling himself together, Inuyasha altered his course, running with renewed determination. There was hope, but he needed to reach it in time.

 

oOo

 

He crashed into the open, breathless with exertion as he scanned the wide clearing. It was the same as he remembered—gentle slopes, neat rows, and a weathered shack. Inuyasha adjusted his precious burden, hurrying towards the lone figure who was bent over the fresh-tilled soil, hoe in hand. This had to be the right thing to do, the right place to come. Panting heavily, the hanyou thrust his worry-pinched face upwards, meeting startled blue eyes with a desperate demand. “Please,” he rasped out, swallowing painfully before he could continue. “Please, you have to help her. I think she's dying.”

 

Wordlessly, the towering horse hanyou turned his eyes to the young woman cradled in Inuyasha's arms. Brow furrowing in immediate concern, his large hand trembled slightly as he hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder. “Kagome,” he breathed in reverent disbelief.

 

Inuyasha resisted the urge to pull the young woman away from Jinenji. His voice cracked with emotion as he searched the uma-hanyou's face, “She's been sick… a fever. Can you help her?”

 

Slowly, thoughtfully, Jinenji moved his fingertips from Kagome's shoulder to Inuyasha's. “I can try,” he promised gently. Dropping the hoe unceremoniously to the ground, he cut across the rows of herbs towards the small shack that stood in the midst of his field.

 

Head bowed, Inuyasha followed. “Hang on, Kagome,” he whispered as he tucked her under his chin. “Stay with me.”

 

oOo

 

Inuyasha glanced around the empty hut, moving quickly to the sleeping mats piled in the corner. The single room was filled with strange smells, and the hanyou's eyes sought out their source. Bundles of herbs, roots, and strips of bark were suspended from slats near the ceiling. In one corner, sheaves of dried grasses added their sweetness to the more pungent odors of medicinal plants. Turning his attention back to the bedding, he kicked a mattress open and crouched beside it, gently lowering Kagome and trying to make her comfortable.

 

With a surreptitious glance to see if Jinenji was watching, Inuyasha leaned down and rested his forehead against Kagome's. Her skin was unnaturally dry, and she radiated too much heat. This was so frustrating, facing an enemy he couldn't engage. The fever was attacking her, hurting her, and all he could do was stand by and watch it happen. Unable to fight, he'd decided to find someone who could. That's the next best thing, isn't it? A few hasty words of explanation were all the others received before he'd snatched up Kagome and run off. She'd grown weaker and more listless with every passing hour, finally losing consciousness.

 

Inuyasha closed his eyes, concentrating. Though he no longer held her in his arms, he clung to Kagome with every fiber of his being—her scent, her heartbeat, her presence. He needed them desperately. The chant that had accompanied his steps all day began anew, giving his harried thoughts a semblance of order as they wove his hopes into a simple prayer. Stay with me; please stay with me. Stay with me; please stay with me. When he realized he was nuzzling her temple, he pulled back guiltily, swallowing past the tightness in his throat. With miserable eyes, he followed the uma-hanyou's methodical movements as he reached for ingredients from among his stores. “Can I do something?” Inuyasha asked in a subdued voice.

 

Jinenji paused, nodded, and gestured towards a bucket by the door. “Some water?”

 

The inu-hanyou hesitated, reluctant to leave Kagome's side but grateful for the opportunity to help. He shouldered the wooden pail, and casting one last glance at the young woman's still form, followed his nose towards the scent of water.

 

oOo

 

“Where's your mother?” he thought to ask later. The uma-hanyou was bent over his tools, patiently manipulating them with large fingers as he cut another batch of pungent leaves into fine strips.

 

“Ma died.”

 

For hours they had bathed Kagome's face and limbs with an herbal infusion, breaking the tense silence in the solitary hut with the slosh and patter of water droplets. Jinenji had provided a tepid, medicinal tea, which Inuyasha coaxed past her parched lips. “The villagers treating you okay?” There was the barest hint of a threat underlying Inuyasha's tone.

 

“Yes,” the horse hanyou said simply.

 

The clean, sharp smells of Jinenji's cure filled the hut with an overpowering astringency that made his nose prickle, but Inuyasha didn't mind. Not one bit. Kagome's fever had finally broken, and although she had yet to wake, when the uma-hanyou had last examined her, he had smiled. “That's good,” Inuyasha replied gruffly.

 

“You should rest,” Jinenji suggested softly, risking a glance at the smaller male. When the clear, blue eyes, which always managed to look startled, met flashing gold, the uma-hanyou lowered his gaze submissively.

 

Inuyasha frowned at Jinenji's behavior. He knew Kagome liked the big hanyou's gentle nature, but it irked him that Jinenji was such a pushover. The guy was strong, powerful too; he shouldn't be cringing and cowering. It made Inuyasha feel like a bully, and that didn't set well. He'd had enough of bullying as a child; they both had, judging by the scars that criss-crossed Jinenji's sun-browned skin. The uma-hanyou's hunching shoulders had nothing to do with the low ceiling, and the inu-hanyou sighed. “You don't have to do that, you know.” Jinenji's head came up, puzzlement in his gaze, and Inuyasha unconsciously softened his gruff tones. “This is your hut; I came to you for help.” He waved a hand towards Kagome, who slept quietly now. “I'm grateful.”

 

“Sorry,” Jinenji murmured, ducking his head.

 

Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief, but held his tongue. Hopeless. He watched as his host continued preparations for another batch of the tea he'd made earlier, grinding the ingredients into a fine powder with careful strokes. Jinenji was slow in word and deed, but the confidence with which he handled his medicines pointed to an innate competence. The guy was smart—probably a whole lot smarter than he let on. “Who taught you to do that?” Inuyasha asked, curious.

 

“Some I learned from Ma; some I just know,” Jinenji replied, his deep voice soft. He gave Inuyasha a shy glance, then confided, “My father—he was a healer. That's how he met Ma; he helped her when she was hurt.”

 

The inu-hanyou's ears pricked forward, catching the note of pride in the other hanyou's voice. “So you're like your father,” Inuyasha mused. Jinenji nodded, a flush of pleasure tinting his cheeks at the perceived compliment. “Did you know him?”

 

“Not really,” Jinenji admitted. “He left this field, the plants, for Ma and me.” He tipped his head curiously at his visitor. “Did you know your father?” he asked in a voice barely over a whisper.

 

Inuyasha shifted awkwardly. It felt like they were trading secrets, one hanyou to another. “No. He died. I've heard some stories, though; he was a great general. My father left me something too, though.” He patted Tetsusaiga's hilt, his own fierce pride dancing through expressive eyes. “It was his.”

 

Jinenji nodded thoughtfully, then ventured an observation. “Your father was a warrior, and he left you his sword. My father was a healer, and he left me this field.” Inuyasha's grip on Tetsusaiga's sheath tightened as he nodded, wondering where Jinenji was going. “They're things that were important to our fathers. Maybe that means we were important to them, too?” It was impossible to miss the hopefulness in the hanyou's words.

 

“You might have something, there,” admitted Inuyasha quietly, settling his father's fang against his shoulder as his eyes strayed back to Kagome. It was a nice thought.

 

oOo

 

All through the next day, he watched him watch her, fascinated. The inu-hanyou didn't seem any better with words than he was; they'd hardly spoken while they worked together to heal Kagome. Inuyasha didn't need words, though. As Jinenji unobtrusively followed his movements, the inu-hanyou proved the depths of his affection in myriad small ways. He hovered protectively at Kagome's side, golden eyes transfixed by her face. When he thought Jinenji wasn't looking, or when he seemed to have forgotten the uma-hanyou's presence altogether, Inuyasha would brush his knuckles across her cheek or let his claws slip through the hair that spilled across the floor.

 

Kagome was different, special. Jinenji remembered the day his life had been changed by her arrival in their small village. Bright eyes, brisk words, breezy smile—she hadn't been fazed by his bulk or his bashfulness. Looking back, it still seemed a miracle. She had never flinched away from him simply because of what he was. She'd been more interested in finding out who he was, and had spent an entire afternoon chattering away at him. Painfully shy and completely tongue-tied, he'd marveled at his good fortune. Kagome had given him his first taste of acceptance. There had been others since then, few and far between, but enough to prove that there would always be some who saw him as a person, not a monster.

 

Jinenji could not bring himself to begrudge Inuyasha his place at Kagome's side, enviable though it might be. It was rare for any hanyou to find a family willing to betroth a daughter to a half-breed. The few hanyou Ma knew of had lived as they did, on the fringes. The fact that such an exceptional young woman had attached herself to a hanyou was mind-boggling. Kagome had talked about it some the last time she was here. She said that they traveled together, that they were on a quest, and that Inuyasha was her protector. Despite her offhand descriptions, it had all sounded like a grand adventure to Jinenji, and he admired her for her unique courage.

 

The horse hanyou risked a peek at the others. Inuyasha had captured one of Kagome's hands and it lay nestled between his own as he traced slow circles into her palm with his thumb. They were not mates; he could tell that much. They will be one day, though, judging by his behavior. Against all the odds granted him by his mixed birth, this hanyou had found someone to love. This hanyou had a chance at complete happiness. Jinenji straightened a bit, squaring his shoulders at the thought. He had played a part in securing that promising future for Inuyasha—Inuyasha and Kagome—and it made him proud.

 

There was a soft shuffling sound from the corner, and Jinenji turned again to see if he was needed. He was not. The other hanyou's concern for Kagome had been working steadily to offset his self-consciousness. Apparently, he felt the need for more contact with the young woman, for Inuyasha changed their positions so that her head was cushioned on his lap. Jinenji eyed the weary inu-hanyou with concern; he needed rest, despite his stubborn refusal to take some. Instead, he was looking earnestly into Kagome's face, fingertips stroking the hair back from her forehead has he murmured softly. The uma-hanyou's ears twitched, and he caught a few words. Inuyasha was calling to Kagome, pleading with her to open her eyes—and she did. A flutter of lashes, a furrow of concentration, and bleary eyes blinked uncertainly before focusing on the face above her. “Inuyasha,” she whispered.

 

“Hey,” he said with a wobbly smile. “You had me worried, Kagome.”

 

The woman stirred restlessly, turning her face so the comforting roughness of his fire-rat brushed her cheek. Jinenji though she might be asleep, but Kagome hummed softly and looked back up into the inu-hanyou's face. “Inuyasha?”

 

“Yeah,” he replied seriously, searching her face anxiously.

 

“You smell nice.” With a sleepy smirk at her dumbfounded protector, Kagome closed her eyes and drifted off again.

 

oOo

 

End Note: This oneshot was written in conjunction with the Live Journal community iyfic(underscore)contest and their theme for Week 114—Help. It also fulfills two fic requests that I received. One from Fenikkusuken, for an Inu/Kag `reverse lap scenario'; and one from Resmiranda, who wanted to see Jinenji `get some love'. 2,065 words.