InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ phases ❯ Words Aren't Always necessary ( Chapter 11 )

Ch.11

Words Aren't Always necessary

The sun had yet to rise, leaving the demon to stand in a cold, dark silence. His gaze transfixed to two small headstones as he ignored the chilling breeze. His feet carried him closer his heart heavy as he placed a hand on the newest of the two cold stones. It was hard for most demons to understand the concept of mortality. Even for him with all the sadness and loss he had experienced early on his life, he still did not fully comprehend how short a human's life really was.

In the silence of early morning he watched as his breath fanned out in a warm haze, remembering his first love and the short time they had spent together. He remembered Kaede, the kid sister of his beloved, he could never imagine how much even she would come to mean to him. A fifty year sleep and only a year of confiding and depending on the old woman had molded a special place for her, even in such a short amount of time.

He listened to the faint sounds carried on the wind as the village below began to wake with the first signs of morning. He closed his eyes as he let his hand fall away from the stone. Was this the only thing that awaited him? Losing every person who ever mattered to him, watching as the years would steal away more and more of his precious happiness? Was this to be all he would have left of Kagome in the end, a cold stone for him to stand and mourn over for centuries to come?

'I am an even bigger fool than I think myself to be.' The demon leaned down as he reached into his haori. "I'm sorry I don't have any flowers to offer you right now. I hope what I do have, you will accept." He leaned forward tying a small cord around the first stone then moving to do the same for the second. "I know they aren't much but I figured they would last longer than real flowers anyways."

He stood silently, brushing the dirt from his knees before bowing softly. "Kaede...Kikyo...Thank you." The silence was broken by the wind's mournful howl as he turned and made his way down the small path. The sun lazily peaked up over the small hills as it signaled a beginning to another day. He wandered through the sleepy village as he made his way back to the warmth of Sango and Miroku's hut. His eyes fell on the tiny hut that once provided a safe haven for him and his friends.

The emptiness of the old hut only added to his melancholy. Was there a reason, other than nostalgia, that the old woman's hut still stood? 'There's no point in asking pointless questions. It doesn't matter anymore either way.'

Inuyasha made his way to the hut, quietly moving aside the reed mat, stilling as he saw the youngest of Miroku's daughters standing just in front of the door. "Why are you out here by yourself? It's cold, you should still be in your bed." The little girl whimpered softly as he made his way into the small main room only to be stopped again by the tiny girl as she wrapped her arms around one of his legs.

"Please don't leave, inu-ojisan." He couldn't help the confusion as the girl gripped harder, tears trailing down her face. "What are you sad for? You only just met me." Inuyasha waited silently as the little girl smushed her face into the red fabric of his hakama. "You are a strange kid, you know that?"

He gently pulled the small girl from his leg as he leaned down to face her. "What's your name, girl?" The tiny girl sniffled as she looked up smiling softly. "My momma and papa named me after my obasan. I'm Kagome." Inuyasha couldn't help the small smile that formed, the girl's declaration reminding him of her namesake. "You know what...I think it suits you...Kagome."

The youkai lost his train of thought as he heard his name being called from across the room, watching as Sango and Miroku made their way into the small room. "Inuyasha, do you think you could help carry in some wood for the fire?" He nodded softly as he rolled up his sleeves and made his way out the door with Miroku.

The two walked side by side listening as their footsteps crunched the frozen grass below. "You have made quite an impression on them, Inuyasha, especially the little one." Miroku watched as Inuyasha nodded. "I used to think I understood how fast life went for humans...I realize now...I really had no idea."

Miroku bowed his head at his friend's words. "Things change, my friend...for humans and demons. There is no good in wishing you can change the things you can't." Inuyasha sighed inwardly. He knew there was no point, that his regret would do nothing to change the way things played out or the years he spent away, but he couldn't help the anger he felt for his ignorance. He had finally found people to love, a glimpse of what a family was and he had missed out on so much when he threw it away.

'I know I can't change the past...but I can change what happens now." The two made quick work of filling their arms with dry wood, making their way back to the warmth of the small hut. Inuyasha couldn't help the small grin that formed as a pair of tiny hands grabbed onto his leg, looking down to see the tiny Kagome clinging to him, a bright smile adorning her small face.

The silence of morning didn't last long as the rest of their children flooded into the small room, once again filling it with laughter. Inuyasha listened as the children took turns telling odd stories and watching as Kagome showed off her special talent in the form of a poorly executed somersault.

Inuyasha sat silently, watching from his place beside the warm fire. Watching as his old friend chased his small children around the room as they carried on their daily duties. He could feel the happiness radiating from them all like a beacon of light signaling 'home' to all around them. Where a great sadness had once marked Sango's face the joy of motherhood had replaced ten fold.

Allowing her to move past the pain of losing her entire family...her entire village and blanketing herself within the love and protection of her family. And the monk...he could no longer see that darkness that lied behind his smile. The darkness of awaiting certain death at the hand of a generation's old family curse. His smile, his happiness was pure now. He no longer smiled to cover up the fear that lay just beneath the surface.

His friends...they had made a life, they had moved on past the ugliness that had woven the fabric of their lives together. Not allowing the darkness of their pasts to tear away at their future. 'This is what I wanted...To have a family, to have happiness.' He turned softly as a tiny weight fell gently onto his crossed leg, finding the small child fast asleep.

"I'm sorry about that, Inuyasha. Our youngest possesses the ability to sleep anywhere." Sango looked on in awe as Inuyasha sat still. No trace of the emotional aversion she had expected as he left the child to snuggle closer. A quiet peace fell over the room as the old friends sat in silence, Miroku and Sango watching as their old friend leaned his head against the wooden wall, closing his eyes, finding the idea of a cat nap to be quite appealing.

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Miroku and Inuyasha sat on the wooden deck, watching as the clear blue sky began to fade into night, bursting into shades of orange, red and pink as the sun slowly died away. Miroku sat still, holding a small pipe to his lips, watching as his demon counterpart used the time to sharpen one of the two swords that adorned his waist.

He turned his gaze back to the setting sun, remembering the contentment that he could once sense from his friend, an aura of happiness that had been replaced by the rot of regret. There was a place in his heart that suffered for his friends, for both of them. They were the ones that showed him the true power of things left unsaid, what sadness it could bring.

He caught the sound of laughter as the softness of his wife's voice emanated from within the wooden walls as she told their children the story of how the two had met. He bowed his head listening to the happiness of his family, the sound of a whetstone hitting a blade ringing in the background.

They may have been the ones to show him what pain could lay ahead, but they also gave him the happiness he had now. If not for them he would not be here listening to his children's laughter, he may not even 'be' at all.

"Inuyasha, Why did you come? You never said outright..." Clawed hands stilled, forgetting its goal and the blade altogether, letting it fall gently into his lap. Miroku kept his eyes on the horizon, slowly letting his head fall back to rest on the wall behind him. He cleared his throat, holding his pipe in his hand. "You came for her...didn't you, Inuyasha?"

He didn't need a reply or even to see his face, like always, his friend's silence showed him what his words could not. "Like I said...I realize now just how much I overestimated my time." It was easy to miss but the tiny crack in his friend's voice had him turning to him, amazed as he saw through the tiniest of cracks in his friend's façade. Seeing a glimpse of what lay beneath, only if for a moment. "I don't want to be left with nothing but a stone!...Not Kagome...not her."

"I know, my friend." The two sat in silence, watching as the moon finally began to rise, taking place of its sister the sun. Inuyasha looked up into the night sky, watching as the stars shined bright adding their light to the lonely night sky. "Well, I think I would prefer my warm bed to the cold night air. What about you, my friend?" Inuyasha turned to see his friend smiling brightly, his heart lightening at the knowledge that regardless of how long it took for him to realize, he had still forgiven him and so had Sango and though he may not have had the chance to say goodbye to one loved one he now had six new ones to help fill the emptiness in his heart.

"Yeah, I'll be in soon." Miroku nodded, leaving his friend to the silence of the night. Inuyasha stood gracefully, breathing deeply the cold night air before sheathing his sword and staring out over the village. He couldn't help but want the life his friends had, to wonder what would have happened if he hadn't run away like a coward. To make his own small family. His golden eyes roamed the huts littering the village, smiling as he landed on Kaede's old home once again.

He didn't really care why the small hut stood only that it did, grateful to see it sitting there in the moonlight reminding him how much his life had changed. "That's where it all started...that tiny shack."

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Inuyasha moved silently through the quiet room, listening to the even breathing and soft heartbeats of the people in the rooms around him. He fastened the heavy armor in place covering his fire rat in polished metal and forearms in a black and white painted leather. He pulled his long silver hair into a high ponytail before throwing his moko-moko across his right shoulder, marking him as one of the heirs to the late Inu no taisho.

He placed the small bundle Sango had given him inside his haori before making his way out of the small room he stayed and into the one that lay across from his. He weaved through the small bodies that covered the floor, kneeling down beside the littlest one, gently poking her awake. "Kagome, I want you to have this...ok?" Inuyasha watched as the tired girl nodded sleepily. "I left something for all of you, can you make sure everyone gets theirs?"

Inuyasha ruffled the small girls hair before she fell back down beneath the covers. "Good girl." Inuyasha stood, making his way back out of the room before he heard a tiny whisper. "Are you leaving now, inu-ojisan?"

"Yes, I am."

"You better come back, ok?" Inuyasha shook his head and smiled at the little girl. "I will, I promise."

The demon made his way out, mourning the loss of the warmth the small house provided. "Inuyasha." The inu stood still, listening as the footsteps of his friend rang through the night. "So soon?" Inuyasha nodded before turning towards his friend. "I have something I need to finish."

"Take this...Inuyasha." Miroku handed his friend a tiny piece of paper. "I don't know exactly where she is...but I know she wants to see you. I hope this helps." Inuyasha watched as his old friend turned and made his way back inside the warm home. "Goodbye, my friend. I wish you the best of luck."

Inuyasha nodded before pushing off into the pre dawn sky, getting only as far as Goshinboku before opening the tiny parchment. "You will find her in the west." He couldn't help the smile that formed as his heart began to race. His feet shot off Goshinboku's sturdy branches, launching him into the moonlight as pushed his body to go faster. 'Thank you, my friend.'

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Father and son walked steadily up the hill. Miyatsu grew quiet as he came closer to the small stone markers, looking closely as he saw the small cord tied securely around the headstones. "Papa, look!" Mirkou made his way silently to stand beside his son, reaching out and letting his fingers graze the carved wood that hung from Kaede's stone. "It looks like your ojisan left something for these two as well, son." Miyatsu moved closer, gingerly reaching out and examining the wooden trinket that adorned the older of the two stones. "He left them flowers, Papa?"

"He did, son." Miroku handed Miyatsu a small stick of incense to place before the older stone as he placed one before Kaede's, leaving the tow with a msall prayer before slowly turning to make their way back home. With Inuyasha, he had learned more often than not, words weren't necessary. The carved bellflower and maple leaf that adorned the stones said more than his friend ever could.

A.N.

Just want to clear up from the previous chapter. Sango knows where Kagome is but doesn't want to tell Inuyasha because she feels like it is Kagome's choice to make and she doesn't feel like she should give him the information so he can go 'guns a blazin'. Miroku understands how his wife feels but he also realizes how much they both need each other so he gives him as much information as he knows.

Kaede- maple

Kikyo-chinesebellflower