InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love Ain't Forgotten Easily ❯ Explanations ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

A small shape bounced through the grass, eyes on the giant mansion before him.

I only hope that Master Inu-Yasha has moved on, and that is what his disappearance off the Ghost Monitor meant, he thought.

Wheezing with the strain, Myoga jumped up the stone steps and went to the door. Thankfully, there was a crack he could fit through and slip into the house.

***

Inu-Yasha strode down the hall; this morning when he had awoken, the…fantasies…had not bothered him. So he figured—and hoped—it was a one-day-only thing.

He saw Kagome further down, but didn't speak with her; it was still a little awkward.

He was crossing the front hall when a pain on the side of his neck caused him to stop and swat at it.

There was a small “Ugh” and a tiny little shape floated down.

Inu-Yasha caught it. No. It can't be… “Myoga?” he said, inspecting his hand.

“Master Inu-Yasha!” The flea puffed himself back up. “What has—” He suddenly realized where he was standing. “What has happened to you?! Why are you solid?”

“That's what I'd like to know.” Inu-Yasha set the flea on his shoulder.

“You mean you are unaware of why your physical body was suddenly returned to you?” Myoga fell off in shock, making the hanyou have to catch him again. “How? How is this possible?” The flea sat down, contemplating.

“I don't know, but maybe it had something to do with pulling Kagome fifty feet up a cliff the other day…it made me really tired.”

Myoga paused. “What did you say, Master Inu-Yasha?”

“I said, I pulled Kagome up off the cliff. I was more tired than I have been in years!”

“That would explain it then…”

“Explain what?!” Inu-Yasha was getting impatient.

“Why you're solid now.”

“And how is that?” Clearly annoyed with the tiny demon, the hanyou's eyebrow started to twitch spasmodically.

“You said fifty feet, correct? And how old is this Kagome girl?”

Twitch. “About sixteen, I guess. Why?” Another twitch.

“Well, that clears up everything!” Myoga stood. “You've exhausted your ghost power, and will now have to spend a year as a solid, living being.”

“A year?” Inu-Yasha stared at the speck. “Is that good or bad?”

“It all depends on how you look at it. It can be good, since you're alive once more, or it can be bad, seeing as you can now die.”

“Wouldn't I just become a ghost again?”

“Were you not listening, Master Inu-Yasha? Your ghost power is gone; it will take another year to gain it back fully. If you die within the next year…” Myoga gulped. “Your soul will go directly to the Void.”

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened; the Void was where souls whose fates hadn't been decided by the time of their deaths went. It was nothing, and the spirits there may as well have never existed. In his opinion, the Void was worse than Hell.

“However, Inu-Yasha, if you keep from dying, you will simply revert back to your original state as a trapped apparition.”

“Oh, joy.” Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. “Hundreds more years stuck in this stupid house with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company.”

“Well, if you could just find out how to move on—”

“What in the hell do you think I've been trying to do for the past five hundred years?!” the hanyou shouted, forgetting about the other occupants of the house. “I haven't just been sitting around, twiddling my gods-damned thumbs! But I don't know why I can't move on; the only regret in my life was that I couldn't stop Kikyo from killing herself!”

He heard a small gasp, and whirled around to see who was there.

Two sets of wide eyes stared at him from in front of the kitchen door, one green and the other blue-gray.

“Who are you talking to, Inu-Yasha?” Shippo asked. “Yourself?”

“Feh. No, I was actually talking to Myoga.”

“Who's Myoga?” The kitsune jumped down and went over to Inu-Yasha, peering up at the inu-hanyou. “Are you making up imaginary friends now?”

“Myoga is a flea, brat. See?” Inu-Yasha plucked said demon off his shoulder and dropped him onto Shippo's head. The fox yelped and batted at his hair as something bit him, eventually finding the source.

Kagome approached as Shippo squished the bug. “Why is he here?”

Inu-Yasha gave her the quick explanation, only including why Myoga was here, why he was solid and how long it would last. He left out everything about his past, but knew he would be attacked later for the rest of the information. Kagome wasn't stupid.

She knelt down to look at the flea. “How did you know he wasn't a ghost anymore?”

“Simple. He disappeared off the Ghost Monitor.”

“What's the Ghost Monitor?” Shippo was starting to get confused.

“What it sounds like, fox. It tells where the ghosts are, and alerts us when one of them disappears.”

“Who do you mean by `us'?” Kagome asked.

“Those like myself. We are the Keepers of Spirits.” Myoga drew himself up proudly as he said it. “We keep an eye on specters, such as Master Inu-Yasha's brother. When Inu-Yasha disappeared we thought he had passed on to the afterlife, but apparently not.”

Inu-Yasha has a brother? Shippo thought, glancing up at the hanyou. I'd hate to find out what that one's like.

“Inu-Yasha's brother?” Kagome echoed the kitsune's thoughts. “Who's that?”

“Half-brother,” Inu-Yasha corrected sourly. “If you were ever to meet him, he would be sure to remind you of that fact. He's full youkai. He'll also tell you that his name is not `Fluffy' or `bastard' as I put it, but Sesshoumaru.”

Kagome's eyes widened. “Sesshoumaru?” she croaked.

“Yeah. I knew he was dead, but didn't think he was a ghost.” He snorted. “I wonder what's keeping the bastard back.”

“But he…can't be a ghost…I just danced with him the other night…”

“What?!” Inu-Yasha and Shippo whirled toward her.

“I know, but…I was dancing with that creepy guy who brought Shippo back, and this other guy cut in. He looked a lot like you, Inu-Yasha, except he was older and more…I think the word would be emotionless. Also taller and better dressed.”

“Sounds like my brother, but he's dead.” The hanyou looked down at Shippo's hand, still holding the Keeper of Spirits. “Myoga?”

“Sesshoumaru is full youkai. His ghost power is different from yours, just like yours is different from normal human or youkai. He can become solid for a certain amount of time each day and is not limited to one spot.”

“Figures,” Inu-Yasha muttered under his breath. “Fine, Myoga. I know to keep myself alive, so you can leave now.” He turned and walked off down the hall.

After a few moments, he heard footsteps begin to echo his own. “What, wench?”

She remained behind him. Probably still embarrassed about yesterday…

“Inu-Yasha, why did…why did Kikyo kill herself?” Her words were hesitant, as if she knew it was a soft spot for him.

“Feh.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Her father had arranged a marriage for her and wasn't going to let her know until the wedding. She didn't want to do it.”

“So she killed herself on her wedding day?” Kagome sounded horrified. “How awful!”

“It wasn't on her wedding day.” Inu-Yasha's voice was soft, very unlike his normal tone. “It was a week beforehand.”

He heard the girl behind him stumble a bit, but keep moving. Both were just walking through the house with no real destination.

“How'd she find out?”

Inu-Yasha sighed, not believing that he was actually telling her this. “Her lover told her. Kikyo despised the man she was to marry. She said she would run away, but the lover, who was also a bodyguard of sorts, warned her not to. It was then she made the decision, and he knew what she was planning to do. Kikyo would rather die than marry, but as he ran after her, she thought up something else. She tried to convince him to marry her, but his obligations were to her father. When he mentioned her parent, her eyes darkened and she made her final decision right there. They loved each other, I daresay, but he wasn't quick enough. Kikyo threw herself off the cliff. Her lover died a week after that in the same fashion.” He omitted his name, hoping Kagome would not catch on.

“Inu-Yasha, you killed yourself?”

No such luck. He had to think fast. “It wasn't me, wench; it was someone I knew.”

“Don't lie to me.”

“I'm not lying, wench!” he snarled, turning to face her.

She stood a few feet away, her eyes filled with…sympathy? Inu-Yasha growled and backed away; he hated it when people pitied him.

“If you're not lying, then why did you die the same year as those two?”

He blinked. Damn. “People die, Kagome; I was killed.”

“By who?”

The wench is bound and determined to get this out of me, isn't she? “By someone who I thought was a friend.”

“What's the name of this person?”

Uh… “Akira Yoshida.”

“Liar.” Kagome narrowed her eyes. “Why do you feel regret over Kikyo's death?”

He growled again. “Fine, wench. You want to know? Okay, so I was Kikyo's secret lover, so I did tell her she was engaged, but it doesn't make her death my fault!”

“I didn't say that.” Kagome reached out and took his hand in her own. “She had a right to know she was getting married. She probably shouldn't have killed herself—no one should ever do that—but you did the right thing. You told the truth, and you tried to stop her. However, I do wonder…” She looked up at him. “Did you commit suicide?”

“I told you already, wench; no.”

“You can tell me.”

“I am telling you. I didn't throw myself off that cliff on purpose.” He stared down at her hand, noticing how small it was compared to his. “Kikyo's ghost came back from the dead, and she forced me off the cliff. She wanted me to come with her; her skin was so cold and slimy, though, like she—”

“Inu-Yasha?” Kagome stared at him with wide eyes. “How did you know what her skin felt like?”

“She grabbed me…” He hit himself in the head with the palm of his free hand. “Damn it! Five hundred years later, and I finally understand!”

“Huh?” She was now lost.

“Someone murdered me. That's why I'm stuck here.” His fangs were bared. “Now if I figure out who, I'll be able to move on.”

“Oh.” Poor Kagome managed to catch on. “But how are you going to solve a five-hundred-year-old murder? Most of the people from back then are dead now, and I don't know if there are good records from the 1500s.”

“That's where you're wrong, Kagome.” He smirked. “Lord Naraku Tsukino had the best historian and monk of the age, one Mir—”

“Inu-Yasha?” Kagome looked at the frozen hanyou. “What's wrong?”

“Lord Tsukino's historian was Miroku Kishimoto.” Inu-Yasha looked dumbfounded. “I knew I'd seen him before.”

“You don't mean the Miroku that came here the other night?” Kagome squeaked. He nodded. “But isn't he human? How can he live for hundreds of years?”

“I don't know. It would explain why he came after me, and how Sango knew my name without you telling her.”

“Are you sure they're not just descended from the people you knew?”

“What are the odds of a Miroku and Sango being married again, Kagome? Not to mention they looked exactly the same and identified me. Besides, I know that amulet; Sango always had it with her.”

“Do you want me to bring them here so we can ask properly?” The girl raised an eyebrow and started unconsciously running her fingers over his claws.

“No.” He sniffed the air. “They're already here.”

“Let's go then!” She turned and ran off down the hall, pulling a rather unenthusiastic former ghost behind her.

***

“Hello, Shippo.” Sango leaned down to pat the tyke's head. “Is your mother here?”

“My mother?” he repeated. “Who do you mean? Mrs. Higurashi?”

“Oh, I'm sorry! I thought your mother was Kagome.”

Shippo blinked. “Why? We don't look anything alike, and she's not really old enough to be my mom…”

“And, Sango, my darling, Shippo is kitsune. Kagome is human.” Miroku was stifling his laughter at the sight of Sango's crimson face.

“How'd you know?” The fuzzy little tail suddenly reappeared, and Sango blinked as tiny fangs showed. Shippo kicked off his shoes to allow his paws free. “Anyway, Kagome went off with Inu-Yasha.”

“Oh.” Miroku nodded, incurring a glare from Sango. “Not that! My love, I do believe you are starting to think like me!”

Two seconds later, the monk was out cold with a lump on his head.

“Baka houshi,” she muttered. “Anyhow, Shippo, do you think you could go find them for us? We need to have a talk—”

“With who?” A voice caused the two in the front hall to whirl around.

Kagome and Inu-Yasha stood there.

“There you two are.” Sango was reaching into her pocket when she froze, staring.

Both looked to see what had caught her attention. As if burned by hot coals, they released each other's hand.

“What the…?” Sango pulled out her amulet and stared at Inu-Yasha. She dropped it, waiting for him to disappear.

He didn't.

“What happened?” she croaked. “Why can I see him? How were you able to touch his hand?”

“Leave that to me!” A tiny black thing flew up from Shippo's hair and attached itself to Sango's cheek. She smacked on pure reflex, watching the flea float down to the ground. She knelt, staring at it.

Miroku awoke just in time to hear Myoga's explanation and to see an exceedingly solid hanyou lean over him.

“Awake now, Miroku?” he asked. The monk nodded, holding the side of his head. “Good. Now how about telling me why you two are still alive after five hundred years?”

“Inu-Yasha!” he heard Kagome admonish. “We agreed to do this subtly.”

“I prefer direct and to the point over beating around the bush.” Inu-Yasha turned back around. “Well? Miroku, Sango? Who's going to explain?”

The two humans exchanged a glance before Miroku sighed and turned to the hanyou. “I'll do it.

“Not too long after your death, Inu-Yasha, someone killed us. We weren't ghosts, but were sent instead to the…Void…” Miroku shuddered, and Inu-Yasha felt kind of sorry for him. “Apparently we didn't cease to exist, though; twenty-something years ago, we were born again. We looked unchanged, acted the same as before, and had our original names. When I met Sango, I was sixteen and she was fifteen. We recovered our memories of our past lives at that point, although we still don't know why we were brought back.” He pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his T-shirt and jeans. “I had no idea you had become a ghost until the other night, Inu-Yasha. Perhaps you're the reason.”

“Feh.” The hanyou shrugged. “Maybe. But I'm not exactly a ghost anymore, am I?”

“And, Inu-Yasha, there is one more thing I must tell you.”

“What?”

“Kikyo didn't really die.”

***

A/n: Sometimes info must be given…*sigh* So very little entertainment.