InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Overcoming the Past ❯ Making a Stand for Friendship ( Chapter 15 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and Co. (But I do own Nika, Yukio, Katsuga, Hana, Reiha, Yukino, and Tsukino ^_~.)

'…' Indicates thoughts.

"…" Indicates words.

"Overcoming the Past"

Chapter 15: Making a Stand for Friendship

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Inuyasha sat idly by the dry well, a bored scowl gracing his features. The shard hunt had come to a plateau and the group had given up all hope of getting passed it without Kagome's help. There were no rumors of shards anywhere and Sango and Miroku had left to help a neighboring village rebuild their temple, which had been destroyed by a giant serpent. Inuyasha was left behind to sit around like a lazy bum. Sighing in exasperation, Inuyasha stood and strolled leisurely over to the village, hoping to get a free meal from Kaede. When he arrived at the village, he noticed that none of the villagers were in the fields working but gathered around the center of the market. Curiosity getting the better of him, Inuyasha shoved his way through the crowed of gawking humans and found himself staring in disbelief at the scene before him. Kaede, the village elders, and a powerful taiyoukai were discussing something that his inhuman ears could barely pick up.

"I have heard rumors that the hanyou Inuyasha currently resides in this human village. Is this so, miko?"

"Inuyasha? Yes, he is staying in our village right now, milord. He is most likely by the dry well in Inuyasha forest brooding like a child," came Kaede's hoarse voice. The taiyoukai nodded and began to walk in his direction. It was then that Inuyasha noticed the taiyoukai's tails and familiar markings, so very similar to Sesshoumaru's. The older dog demon froze when he saw Inuyasha, and Inuyasha stared in disbelief at his father, who had been declared deceased almost fifty years ago.

"Inuyasha… you are he?" The taiyoukai's eyes were cold and questioning. Inuyasha nodded dumbly and suddenly realized to whom he was speaking.

"Wait! What the hell?!" he shouted. "Aren't you supposed to be dead, old man? And if you're here… doesn't that mean Sesshoumaru is going to inherit the western lands real soon? Shit! I've gotta warn Kagome! She'll be defenseless against that old hag and those crazy bitches she calls friends!" With that, he took off toward the western lands like a bat out of hell, leaving his father, Kaede, and the rest of the village staring after him in disbelief. Kaede was the first to recover, being quite used to Inuyasha's rash and abnormal outbursts.

"Lord Sasaki, would you care for some jasmine tea? It does wonders for headaches," she said gruffly, turning to look at the regal demon with unspoken pity. He just glared at her silently. "I'll take that as a yes." She walked slowly over to her hut and began to make the tea, not bothering to pull out a sitting pillow for the youkai who had followed her. "You and your sons are a lot alike, Lord Inutaisho," she began, using his formal ruling title instead of his name. He watched her coldly, not sure whether or not what she said was meant as an insult or compliment. "You are all very proud youkai. I suppose you have a right to be, though, ne? It seems that your sons have created masks to where to cover their weakness, or what we would call emotion." Inutaisho stared at her, his eyes saddening at her words. For the first time, he spoke to the aged priestess as an equal.

"I suppose you are referring to Sesshoumaru more than Inuyasha… yes, your are quite right about him. He began to withdraw when he was a small boy, and I can only shudder at the thought of what he must be like now. Inuyasha, however, is not as bad. He shows his emotions, but guards his heart. He has always been like that, and thinking he was betrayed by that human priestess didn't help the matter."

"Actually, Inuyasha no longer guards his heart the way you speak of. Kagome was able to break down the barriers around his heart and draw him out. She freed him… and now she is with his brother, Sesshoumaru." Inutaisho stared at her, suddenly very guarded and cynical.

"Who is this 'Kagome' girl that you speak so highly of? First Inuyasha mentions her while in a state of panic and now you." Kaede sighed.

"Kagome is the reincarnation of my elder sister, Kikyou, who pinned Inuyasha to the Goshinboku. She comes from a land that is beyond the reach of any travelers and was born with the Shikon no Tama inside her body. When she arrived here, she was forced to release Inuyasha from his eternal slumber. They accidentally shattered the jewel and began a search to retrieve every lat shard…" she proceeded to tell the entire story of Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Naraku, and the Sacred Jewel that binds them. Inutaisho listened carefully to each word that came out of Kaede's mouth. "One night, Inuyasha and Kikyou's doll completed their mating ritual while Kagome was silently watching nearby. After that, I have no idea what happened to her, except that Inuyasha had gone to 'rescue' hr from Sesshoumaru's 'evil clutches' and came back with only a shattered ego and broken heart." Inutaisho silently accepted the new information and took a slow sip of the tea that was handed to him.

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Sesshoumaru slowly stalked down the hallway with a scowl marring his beautiful features. It was dinnertime and he was not looking forward to another visit with his grandmother and Yukino. When he entered, he saw his grandmother talking to Kagome and resisted the urge to growl, knowing his protective attitude would not help the poor human. He took a seat at the head of the table.

"So…Kagome, was it?" Kagome nodded politely when one of Reiha's friends began to question her. "What is your relation to young Sesshoumaru? How did you end up here?" Kagome hesitated before answering as honestly as she felt she could.

"I was hurt and lost in the Western Woods and Sesshoumaru-sama showed compassion on me." Her answer was short and simple, and vague enough to avoid saying anything that could be used against her.

"I see." The middle-aged woman paused for a moment to look at Reiha, who was in deep conversation with Yukino and one of the other elderly that had accompanied her. "It is nice to meet you, Kagome-san. I am Tsukino, Reiha's younger sister." Kagome was surprised by the lady's kind demeanor and smiled radiantly at her.

"It is an honor to meet you too, Tsukino-sama," she said softly. After talking with Tsukino for a few moments, Kagome had decided that she really liked the older woman, and that she was a lot like Hana, whom she had very much liked. She stole a quick glance at Sesshoumaru, who was being harassed by Reiha. She began to listen to their conversation, and the rest of the table had fallen quiet as well.

"And now you accept humans as honored guests, treating them as equals, while you show no respect to your family and elders? You are a disgrace to this family, Sesshoumaru! If I had know that Yumi would give birth to such a shameful child, I would have killed you before you were born and the world would be a better place. You disgust me!" Sesshoumaru just glared at her, carefully hiding his emotions behind the mask he wears only when engaged in battle. "You and your father are so much alike it's sickening! Oh! If only you had never been born! Lord only knows how much the rest of your family and I regret your birth…"

"That's not true! None of it!" Kagome found herself shouting. "Sesshoumaru-sama is not weak! Emotion doesn't make you weak; it is what strengthens you! Hatred and power are indeed able to destroy lives and happiness, but compassion and love can restore what was lost and allow life to begin anew! I know for a fact that it is easier to shatter something than to put the pieces back together, and Sesshoumaru does an exceptional job at repairing what was once broken!" The entire table was deathly silent; no one dared reply lest they anger the girl farther, or worse, anger Reiha. Then, Nika stood proudly, followed closely by Yukio.

"I agree with her wholeheartedly," Yukio stated calmly, and Nika nodded in agreement. "Even if you disagree, Reiha-sama, you must remember whose home you are in. Sesshoumaru is to be shown due respect as master of this castle and of these lands." Sesshoumaru stood suddenly and slammed his wine goblet down on the table, shocking everyone within hearing range.

"This Sesshoumaru has lost his appetite." He stated before turning to leave, only to be abruptly stopped by Kagome's gentle grip on his sleeve as he passed by her. He spared her a quick and indifferent glance, which she seemed to completely ignore.

"Are you alright, milord?" she inquired formally, knowing that she could not treat him as an equal while amongst such a crowd. He remained silent, not even gracing her with a last glance, and continued walking when she released his haori sleeve. As he reached the door, he was once again delayed in his escape, but this time by the shrill voice of Jaken, his servant, who as in a state of panic.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama! Your half brother is here at the castle demanding to see the wench," he announced with a loud shriek. Sesshoumaru glared at the toad youkai with disdain for calling Kagome a wench, but decided it could be dealt with later.

"I am well aware of that, Jaken. You may allow him inside. Have a place set for him at the table across from Kagome (which was next to Reiha, his grandmother ^_^)." The toad scurried about to fulfill his master's orders. Table was set and Inuyasha entered in a frenzy of fear and worry while being dragged t his seat across from the girl he came to see. He noticed Reiha and gulped before turning nervously to Kagome, but remained silent, unwilling to break the tense silence that had fallen over the dinner table.

"Hi Inuyasha! It's good to see you. Try some of this; it's really good," she exclaimed in a chipper voice, holding up a platter of food. Inuyasha didn't spare the food a glance, but watched her with his ears flattened to his head. She just sat there with a smile plastered to her face.

"Kagome…" he mumbled, his voice barely audible. She just smiled at the hanyou, a big, forced smile that clearly took a lot of strength to keep up. "We need you to come back… I…I need you to come back." Her smile fell away and was replaced with a miserable frown. Her eyes were the worst part. They displayed how she truly felt: Broken. She solemnly shook her head in a negative response.

"I can't Inuyasha. I'm sorry if you can't find the shards…but I am not ready." Inuyasha frowned at her, feeling his anger building.

"When will you be ready?! How long do you plan to stay here? It won't be long before you outstay your welcome!"

"When that happens…" she began uncertainly. Yukio spoke up for her then.

"Then she can stay with me," he exclaimed. "After all, what kind of friend, or suitor for that matter, would I be if I could stand to watch Kagome-san be thrown out with nowhere to go?" Nika smiled and agreed with him.

"Yeah, Kagome would stay with us if she ever got sick of this place! I sure as hell know that Sesshoumaru isn't going to get sick of her any time soon! I don't see how anyone could," she added enthusiastically. "So don't say that Kagome doesn't have friends that actually care about her, hanyou. Just because you used and mistreated Kagome doesn't mean that we will make this same mistake," Kagome smiled at them gratefully, overjoyed to know how much she meant to them.

"Kagome, it is your responsibility to recover the Shikon Jewel shards… you were the one to shatter them after all-"

"Yes, and someday, when I am ready, I will finish what I started. It is my duty and my destiny. I am not one to ignore or abandon such things…but I have another duty to perform here and until I do that, I cannot return to you and the others. Your presence only slows me down now Inuyasha," she took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "Please leave and don't come back." Inuyasha stared at her incredulously. Sesshoumaru stepped into the room when he sensed possible trouble.

"Well, Inuyasha, you heard her. Leave and do not return," he commanded, his voice dark and solemn. Inuyasha didn't move and Sesshoumaru approached him, watching as the occupants of the table all stared at him in fear. He knew that his presence commanded such fear and wordless obedience, but he really couldn't care less about that now.

"Why? Father will be here soon enough and I want to be here to see your lands stripped away from you."

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