InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Past ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

Lost in the Past, Chapter 10

 

 

Inuyasha stormed into the house, so mad he couldn't see straight. He marched right into the bathroom, flinging off pieces of clothing as he went. Kagome, hiding a smile, picked them up as she followed along behind him, thinking of how this could have turned out if things were different.

 

The trip up north had been a bust. They had found the shrine which housed the sacred jar, and even Inuyasha could tell there was nothing `sacred' about it. The thing had about as much power as that old man's `antique' sugar bowls back in the States. Kagome confirmed it as she touched it, cleansing it of the slight taint that it did harbor. Maybe it had once belonged to a time-traveling youkai, if there was such a creature, besides Fenn and possibly himself, but now it was just an inert piece of pottery.

 

The worst part was getting to the thing in the first place. The dilapidated shrine was half-buried in the hillside and Inuyasha had to dig it out, while his brother and the youkai who had told them of its existence stood on the sidelines and watched. If he'd had Tetsusaiga, he could have blasted the damn mountain open, but that wasn't an option, so he had to use his claws. Apparently the shrine had collapsed into the hillside due to water seepage over many years. That, and a fine accumulation of animal waste from the small creatures who had sheltered there, turned the ground into a muddy mess. A final blast of Inuyasha's claws had him falling head-first into the detritus of the last hundred years. The object in question, the jar, was somewhere underneath all the muck, and Sesshomaru's eyes gleamed suspiciously as he watched Inuyasha scrabble through it to find the jar.

 

His jeans were ruined. Even Kagome wouldn't come near him at first because he smelled. He'd had to leave the jar and walk a few feet away for her to render her miko opinion on its value as a sacred object. She carefully wiped it down before touching it, not that he blamed her; it was crusted in mud and worse. As soon as she proclaimed it powerless, he grabbed her, ignoring his startled brother, and transformed into spirit, carrying Kagome along with him as he rushed towards her mother's house in Tokyo. At least he didn't smell this way. He didn't care what Sesshomaru thought. On the way here, Sesshomaru had been adamant that he could not use any youkai powers at all, so they took the human way, by train and then by car. Now Inuyasha couldn't stand his own scent enough to take the same way back. What was Sesshomaru going to do about it anyway? Disown him? Good.

 

All Inuyasha wanted right now was a hot shower to wash the stench off himself. Kagome could use one, too. She'd gotten some of the smell on her when he picked her up.

 

By the time he reached the bath area, he had stripped off all his clothes and Kagome dumped them into the washer along with her own soiled garments. She hadn't gotten it as bad as Inuyasha, but she knew his sensitive nose wouldn't be able to tolerate the slightest whiff of the muddy scent on her later. The scent would be imprinted on his brain as another failure more than anything else. It wasn't true, she knew, but he would see it that way. Kagome scrubbed the dirt off Inuyasha and then off herself. Thankfully, no one else was at home. They hadn't even stopped by her room for fresh clothes.

 

“Ready?” she asked him, rinsing the both of them one last time. She'd set the tub water running so they could have a quick soak. It felt funny, being so intimate with Inuyasha when the kids were lost on the other side. But she needed this; they both did. Kagome laid her head back against Inuyasha's chest and let the water relax her. Nature did the rest. No matter how tense Inuyasha got, there were some things that never changed.

 

She smiled as she got out of the tub first and wrapped a towel around herself. “Wait here,” she told Inuyasha. “I'll go up to the room and get us some clothes.”

 

Inuyasha sank back into the water, a satisfied smile on his lips. It had been a while. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the tub while he waited for Kagome to return.

 

“Inuyasha!”

 

Kagome ran back into the bathroom, half-dressed and clutching a blouse to her chest. Immediately, Inuyasha sprang up, showering water everywhere. “What's wrong?”

 

“I felt it—the well,” she stammered. “Just like before, when I thought I felt you. . . . Inuyasha, we have to go to the well. Now!” She rushed back out of the room.

 

She wasn't making any sense. “Damn!” Inuyasha muttered, grabbing the first thing he could find. It was a silky white bathrobe that belonged to her mother. He wrapped it around himself as he ran after Kagome.

 

The well in this time was intact. It just didn't function as a time portal anymore. Kagome had entered the well house and had started down the ladder to the bottom level when Inuyasha caught up to her. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked, angry that she had gone ahead without waiting for him.

 

“The well, I think it's working!” Kagome said, wonder in her voice.

 

“That's what I mean!” Inuyasha argued. She shouldn't have taken the chance of being separated from him if the well was working again. The well was working again? The well was working again! He could be mad at Kagome later. “Well, come on, what are we waiting for?” he asked, grabbing her around the waist and jumping down the rest of the way to the bottom.

 

Despite Kagome's words, he didn't really expect anything to happen. But the time slip wrapped around them, turning everything blue. They ended up in the meadow where the well had originally stood in the Sengoku Jidai, both glowing faintly blue in the late afternoon sun.

 

Inuyasha immediately bent down and clawed away the earth by his feet. “Tetsusaiga!” he shouted. “I knew it!”

 

Kagome hurriedly finished dressing and stared at Inuyasha. “What are you wearing?” she asked.

 

“Tetsusaiga, Tetsusaiga, Tetsusaiga,” Inuyasha crooned to his sword, unwrapping it from a cloth which smelled faintly like the girl Rin. He didn't have time to think about that now. Quickly he unsheathed the sword and watched it transform for him into a great fang. Relief washed over him as the sword transformed. Tetsusaiga was still his! The sword hadn't rejected him. He grinned triumphantly.

 

“Tetsusaiga must have triggered the time slip,” Kagome reasoned. “But where are the kids?”

 

The kids. Inuyasha sobered instantly. Tetsusaiga, where are Kazuki and Mayumi? Why aren't you with them? He froze, and raised his head in the air. “We have to get out of here,” he said to Kagome. “We'll find them, don't worry, now that I have Tetsusaiga back.”

 

“But shouldn't we look around here first?”

 

“Later. Let's go.” He transformed into spirit, not wanting anyone to spot his Great Dog form in this era. He'd scented Sesshomaru heading this way fast. Damn. He probably shouldn't have drawn Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru must have sensed it. Damn. His only hope now was speed. With luck he'd make it to the slayer village before Sesshomaru could trace him, and get something to disguise their scents, and something decent to wear. Hopefully, the kids would be there, too.

 

 

 

Sango couldn't find the sword anywhere. She'd surreptitiously dropped hints to the villagers, trying to find out if any of them had recently `found' an old sword, but not one of them knew what she was talking about. She couldn't be too specific; Sesshomaru was still here, and his hearing was all too sharp.

 

So she remained in the village, helping Rin to get settled and take care of two babies instead of just the one she had been expecting.

 

“Where's the little girl?” Rin asked, when Sango returned alone.

 

“I gave her to Miroku. He accompanied me here before I knew you were having the babies,” Sango explained, fibbing a little. “I wouldn't have brought her with me if I had known.” That was the truth. “He's taking care of her, along with Hiroshi and another boy from our village who came with us, too.” There, that would save trouble later if any of the villagers spotted Miroku and the kids out in the forest.

 

Kohaku had finally returned, and he was thrilled to be the father of two sons. “Lord Sesshomaru,” he had asked. “Will you do us the honor of naming our sons?”

 

Rin was pleased. She thought of Sesshomaru as a father. However, Sesshomaru's reply startled Sango.

 

“I will,” he said solemnly. “We shall hold the Naming Ceremony at Midoriko's cave, one week from today.” He caught the shocked expression on Sango's face, and asked, “Is that not what your people do?”

 

“Of course, Lord Sesshomaru,” she answered hastily. “I was not aware that you knew about Midoriko or our family's special traditions. We usually hold the ceremony after a month, though.”

 

“Rin has told me all about Midoriko—and your traditions,” he told her. “And one week suits my needs. Is that acceptable to you?”

 

Sango nodded. “Of course,” she said again, bowing. She wondered what sort of names Sesshomaru would bestow upon her little nephews. She hoped they would be human names, since the children were human.

 

Suddenly Sesshomaru sniffed the air, casting off his human seeming with that one instinctive act. His eyes widened. “Tetsusaiga,” he murmured.

 

This was not good. Sango snatched one of the babies out of Rin's arms and thrust it at Sesshomaru. He either had to hold it or let it fall to the ground. He took the baby, and appeared to come to his senses, for he shook all over, like a dog, and then blinked. His eyes focused on the child in his arms, then they turned towards Sango and narrowed slightly.

 

“I—er—Rin thought you should have some practice holding the baby,” Sango blurted, hoping to distract him.

 

Sesshomaru let himself be distracted. He must have been mistaken. Tetsusaiga was lost several years ago when Inuyasha destroyed that well on the outskirts of the village. Sesshomaru frowned. That was the direction that he had sensed. “Here.” He handed the baby back to Sango with a look that brooked no arguments. Then he took to the air in the direction of the old well.

 

Rin, of all people, had a panicked look on her face. She gave the other child to Kohaku and took off running after Sesshomaru. Brother and sister glanced at each other, both wondering what was going on, then followed with the babies in their arms.

 

Sesshomaru stood in the center of the old clearing where the well used to be. Sango's heart sank. This was the spot where Inuyasha and his family always appeared when they traveled back from their time using Tetsusaiga. She glanced at Rin, who was looking with dismay at the disturbed grass right by Sesshomaru's feet, and suddenly Sango knew who had found the sword. Rin must have stumbled across Tetsusaiga and hidden it here. But why? Sango caught Rin's eye and slowly shook her head. Rin's mouth opened in surprise, but she nodded and stepped back, taking the baby from Sango.

 

“I'll talk to you later,” Sango told her. Obviously, the sword wasn't there now. Had Kazuki snuck back against their instructions and retrieved it already? He would have been able to track it to this spot. There was only one way to find out. She would have to go home. Hopefully it was Kazuki who took the sword. He could use it to go back to his era. He and his sister needed to be out of there before Sesshomaru came to the slayer's village with Kohaku and Rin and the new babies for the Naming Ceremony. There was no way their disguise would hold up to Sesshomaru's scrutiny.

 

Sesshomaru held up a fluttering cloth. “Rin. Why is this here?”

 

Rin blushed. “It's my shawl, Lord Sesshomaru,” she admitted. “I buried it out here to mark this spot as a memorial to Lord Inuyasha. I was hoping some day we could build a shrine here.” She made no mention of Tetsusaiga.

 

Sango smiled. Inuyasha's tale that they would build a shrine over this spot looked like it might just come true.

 

Sesshomaru grunted, and walked away.