InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Past ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

Lost in the Past, Chapter 5

 

 

Kagome held Inuyasha's hand all the way from the airport to her mother's house. Sesshomaru hadn't said a word, only glanced pointedly at the empty place on Inuyasha's hip where Tetsusaiga should have been. Inuyasha flushed, his whole body tensing in preparation for fight or flight, Kagome wasn't sure which.

 

Mama was waiting at the door when Sesshomaru's car drove up. She enveloped both Kagome and Inuyasha in a hug before inviting them all inside. Sesshomaru caught Inuyasha's glance and murmured, “I'll see you in the morning.”

 

Mama paused in surprise. “Don't you want to go right on to the well?” she asked.

 

“Tomorrow,” Sesshomaru replied. “I will see it tomorrow.”

 

Both Kagome and her mother gazed after Sesshomaru as he drove away. Inuyasha picked up the bags and moved towards the open door. “He doesn't think the well is gonna work,” he said over his shoulder. Neither did he, but he was here, wasn't he?

 

After they were settled in Kagome's old room, Inuyasha and Kagome did go down to the well house. Kagome concentrated, trying to feel anything at all, while Inuyasha leaned against the wall. Her spiritual powers lit up the space in a blaze that physically hurt, but still Inuyasha didn't move. She tried for over an hour. Inuyasha could have saved her the trouble, but she had to at least try. Hell, he was half-hoping she was right and the well would suddenly flare to life again.

 

When Kagome's eyes filled with the inevitable tears, Inuyasha jumped down to where she sat in the dirt at the bottom of the well and held her. “Tomorrow we talk to Sesshomaru,” he said, to give her some hope. “He has a few ideas.”

 

Kagome sobbed. “But you don't understand. I've been through this before. I don't know if I can do it again.”

 

Inuyasha realized she meant when he had been trapped when the well was first destroyed on the other side. He had eventually freed himself because Tetsusaiga had taken the well's power. But now Tetsusaiga was gone, too.

 

“The kids will be ok,” he said, trying to comfort her.

 

“I know that.” Kagome pushed herself up and wiped her eyes. “I just want to see them again, while they're still my babies.”

 

Inuyasha smiled to himself, thinking how Kazuki would react to being called a baby. “We'll get them back,” he promised.

 

She laughed shakily. “Look at us, we're taking turns falling apart! I guess it's better than both of us losing it at the same time.”

 

“You're my foundation, Kagome,” murmured Inuyasha. He gathered her in his arms and jumped up out of the well.

 

“And you're mine,” she murmured back. “Let's not ever lose sight of that.”

 

 

 

Kazuki knew just where he had to go. Unfortunately, he had to adjust his speed to that of Uncle Miroku and Hiroshi who, while faster than most humans, were still slower than a youkai. “Come on,” he urged them, stopping yet again so they could catch up.

 

As they crossed a main road, they bumped into a caravan of human travelers, refugees, by the looks of them. Miroku held up a hand so the boys would stop. “Greetings, fellow travelers,” he said with an ingratiating smile.

 

The self-styled leader of the bedraggled group eyed Miroku suspiciously. “And who might you be?”

 

“We are demon slayers—me and my sons,” Miroku gestured towards the boys, who looked more or less the same age. “And you?”

 

“Demon slayers, eh?” asked the man, ignoring Miroku's question. “I haven't seen any signs of demons.” He shifted his glance back and forth between the three of them, and let his gaze linger longest on Kazuki.

 

“Oh, I assure you they are closer than you think,” replied Miroku drily.

 

Kazuki fidgeted, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. He wanted to be on his way.

 

“What's wrong with that one?” The leader pointed at Kazuki. “He doesn't look right. What's wrong with his eyes?”

 

“Who? Kazuki?” Miroku pulled the man aside and whispered in his ear. “Don't say anything in front of the boy. He's sensitive about his looks.” Miroku sighed dramatically. “Don't worry, it's not contagious—he was born that way. But he's our precious boy and we love him just the same.”

 

Under his scarf, Kazuki's ears twitched rapidly as he heard every last word. Uncle Miroku walked back over to him and put his arm around Kazuki's shoulders, at the same time turning him away from the onlookers. “Play along,” he whispered softly, knowing that Kazuki would hear him. “Are you ready to go, son?” he asked out loud.

 

Kazuki gritted his teeth and smiled. “Yes, father,” he replied.

 

“Well, we're off to slay more demons! Come on, boys!” Miroku waved at the travelers and bounded off into the bushes on the other side of the road, with Hiroshi and Kazuki right behind him.

 

“That went well,” Miroku commented after they had put some distance between themselves and the suspicious travelers. Not that the travelers would have ventured off the road in any case, but it was always better to be safe. “Kazuki, you passed as human. That's good to know.”

 

Kazuki wasn't sure he liked how Uncle Miroku phrased that. He frowned.

 

“Oh, don't worry about it,” advised Hiroshi. “It means you get to go anywhere, not like my other youkai friend, Daichi. He has to hide whenever there are humans about.”

 

“Daichi?”

 

Miroku stepped in. He didn't think it would be a good idea for Daichi and Kazuki to meet. They both had keen senses of smell, and what was more, Daichi's father, Koga, had a very sharp sense of smell indeed, and he might notice something odd about Kazuki's scent that was best kept secret. “Let's go,” he said abruptly, effectively ending the boys' conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

“What do you mean, falling apart?” Inuyasha asked her later. “I'm not falling apart.”

 

“Of course not, dear,” Kagome said. They sat side by side in the living room with her family, fielding questions about what, exactly, had happened to their children. They had both calmed down, realizing there wasn't much else they could do at the moment.

 

“Will they be safe?” her mother asked. “They're only children.”

 

“Hanyou children, mama,” replied Kagome. “I know Kazuki will protect his sister.”

 

“He'll take her to Miroku and Sango,” affirmed Inuyasha.

 

Kagome nodded. It wasn't their safety that she was worried about—well, it was, a little. Hanyou or no, they were still vulnerable in a world filled with dangerous youkai and humans who believed enough to have real power. But since Kazuki hadn't immediately returned using the power of the sword, he would have tried to get to the slayer village. That was where they went every time they visited. A horrible thought occurred to her. “Inuyasha, you don't think they would have gone to Kaede's village, do you?”

 

“Nah, Kazuki knows better than that.” Too many people in Kaede's village might figure out who they were. They had drummed it into Kazuki's head on each visit that they must avoid the nearer village at all costs. However, Inuyasha also thought Kazuki knew better than to fool with Tetsusaiga again, too. Unless Tetsusaiga chose Kazuki. Unless Tetsusaiga no longer found him worthy. Inuyasha shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think of those things.

 

“Miroku will figure it out,” he added. Miroku was good at stuff like that. And he knew the secret of the sword. He probably would be sending the kids back any minute. “Did you call Shippo?” he asked suddenly.

 

“Yes, and no,” replied Kagome. “They're not there.”

 

Mama gave them their space. She didn't hound them with questions or accusing stares, and in some ways that made Inuyasha feel even worse. By the time Sesshomaru returned the following morning, Inuyasha was itching to take it out on someone.

 

“Just say it already,” he growled, after they had all trooped out to the well again and determined it hadn't started working overnight. “I messed up.”

 

Sesshomaru halted and stared at Inuyasha. “You did not just `mess up,' as you put it. You lost your sword and your children. Taking responsibility for your failure is not enough. Even Tetsusaiga has rejected you.”

 

“That's not fair, Sesshomaru,” protested Kagome, laying a hand on Inuyasha's arm to restrain him. “Inuyasha didn't do anything wrong. He didn't want to have to hide Tetsusaiga from Kazuki. He taught him not to touch it.”

 

“Evidently not well enough,” replied Sesshomaru. “Just whose sword is it, Inuyasha? Yours? Or your son's?”

 

Inuyasha bristled at Sesshomaru's words, although he thought they were probably true. He wouldn't give his brother the satisfaction, however. “Mine,” he growled, as he launched himself through the air at Sesshomaru.

 

Sesshomaru stepped back, not even bothering to draw his own weapon, and straight-armed Inuyasha, bouncing him back, before he curled his own hands and let the poison gather at the tips of his claws. “Come,” he taunted, crouching slightly.

 

Inuyasha immediately sprang back, claws extended, ready for blood. Kagome's family watched, horrified at the savagery of the youkai brothers. Kagome tried to intervene, but Inuyasha threw back one arm to hold her off. “Stay out of it, Kagome,” he warned.

 

Kagome quickly ushered her family back indoors. She trusted Inuyasha not to let it go too far; she also trusted Sesshomaru, this modern-day Sesshomaru. They probably both needed to vent their frustrations.

 

The brothers went at it for a good ten minutes, both scoring numerous cuts to the other's extremities that left them each bleeding and panting. Kagome cautiously returned to see them sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily. “Finished?” she asked.

 

Inuyasha nodded, and glanced at Sesshomaru, who grunted. “Sesshomaru's going to contact some of his sources,” he told her. “There may be another way.”

 

Kagome moved to tend to Inuyasha's wounds, but he shrugged her off. “Let me keep these,” he told her. “I deserved `em.”

 

Kagome turned to Sesshomaru with a questioning look. He grunted again. “I'm fine,” he said.

 

 

 

Kazuki retraced his steps back towards the place he had left the sword, following his own scent. The trouble was, he had marked so many other places in an effort to throw the youkai who were following them off his track, that the trail doubled and tripled around itself. He found the stream where he had hidden Tetsusaiga at the spot where his scent disappeared. He had traversed the stream for quite a distance to hide his scent. It had worked a little too well.

 

He jumped into the water and sniffed along the bank. The cave should be around here somewhere, shouldn't it? He just wasn't sure how far down the stream he had traveled. On the bank, Uncle Miroku called out to him. “What's the problem, Kazuki?”

 

Kazuki halted, dismayed, and turned worried eyes up towards his uncle. “I can't find Tetsusaiga,” he said.