InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Simple and Clean ❯ We're Not In Tokyo Anymore ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (though contrary to popular belief, I do own his ears), nor do I own any of the Bob Marley song that is included in this chapter (Random fact: when Bob Marley died, they found more than 100 species of lice in his dreadlocks… ewww). Read on:

 

Recap:

 

Poking at the opening, she found to her surprise, that it grew larger. Soon, found herself looking over what seemed to be a village. There were clusters of small huts on the outskirts of a large forest, which went on all the way to the horizon. Before she knew what was happening, she felt herself falling. Her mind shut down completely and she lost all consciousness long before she neared the ground. The girl and her companions landed in a grassy meadow bordered by trees.

Smiling to herself, the spirit Midoriko watched over their sleeping forms, propping herself against an old well. Sleep my children, for a great many trials lie ahead when you wake.

 

Chapter 20

 

We're Not In Tokyo Anymore

 

Miroku woke to the sound of a bird whistling an eerie tune high above him. As his eyes cleared, he looked around, trying to remember where on earth he was. He was, as it happened, in the middle of a meadow, the trees surrounding it casting a dappled effect on the cool grass. It almost seemed like a dream-world; a place untouched by technology, people and the modern world. The only thing that seemed to suggest a human presence was an old well, but it looked as though it had not been used for a very long time. This world was pure and fragile and magical.

Then the memories came flooding back to him: Midoriko, the Jewel, and strangely enough, a recollection of falling. He shook his head, and put a hand to his forehead in an attempt to connect all of those memories to what was happening to him now. He glanced around himself again, looking closer at his surroundings. He looked at his own clothes, puzzled. He was wearing a deep blue robe of a monk. Glancing around he saw that he wasn't the only one who's clothes were different.

A few feet away from him, his six companions lay sleeping peacefully. His eyes softened as they fell on Sango. Her mouth was turned down slightly, though she didn't seem troubled, and her lips were parted somewhat. She had a simple yukata on, though he saw black fabric peaking out from underneath the clothing. He reached out a hand and stroked her face with the back of his hand, relishing the warmth and softness of her skin.

She stirred slightly, and he pulled is hand away as her eyes fluttered open. Groaning, she sat up, putting a hand to her throbbing head. Slumping back down to the grass, she squinted up through the branches of the overlying trees, letting her eyes adjust to the light. She turned her head slightly, wrinkling her nose as the grass tickled her cheek. Opening her eyes wider, she looked at the man sitting upright next to her.

She smiled slightly, “Hey.” He grinned back at her, offering a hand to help her up to a sitting position. “I'm guessing you have more of an idea of where we are than I do?” Sango shrugged, throwing her head back and taking a deep breath. She savored the musty smell of the forest, amazed at the pureness of the air; much different than Tokyo air. “All I know is that we are definitely not in Tokyo anymore.”

Miroku surveyed the others attire. Rin and Sesshomaru's clothing seemed almost exactly the same, though a little old fashioned. Kikyo wore the white haori and red pants of a priestess and Koga had an interesting costume of what looked like a combination of animal skins and feudal armor. It was a little hard to look at, because it was almost as short, maybe even shorter, than Kagome's own skirt. Speaking of the girl, she was the only one who's costume hadn't changed. She was still in her school uniform, her skirt riding up slightly on her well shaped-

The two's talk was cut short as the others began to stir. Koga was helping a dishelved looking Kikyo to her feet as Rin bounced on Sesshomaru's stomach, singing, “Rise up this morning, smile at the rising sun, three little birds sit by my doorstep, singing sweet songs of melodies pure and true… singing this is my message to you-u-u…” The designer finally had to physically lift the girl off of him to get up. They were all very interested in their new attire as well.

The group discovered that not only did they have new garments, but were also equipped with weapons. Sango had a large bone boomerang, Kikyo and Kagome each had a bow and quiver of arrows, Sesshomaru two large swords strapped to his waist, and Miroku a staff. Rin and Koga were the only ones without weapons, but the young doctor swore he felt stronger. Rin demonstrated her new strength on Koga's leg.

The only one not awake was Kagome. It didn't look as though she would be waking anytime soon either.

* * *

Inuyasha hopped decisively down from his perch on the tree branch. He probably shouldn't be hanging around anymore, judging by how the stranger had reacted to his new ears. Besides his new senses, Inuyasha had found that his clothes had changed. He was now dressed in a red haori and pants, which didn't fit quit as comfortably as his usual jeans and t-shirt. He had come to the conclusion that there was something unnatural going on. It had taken him long enough. Though he was enjoying his new senses, he could tell that they were certainly not human.

Now Inuyasha wasn't the superstitious type. In fact, he didn't believe in anything at all, and definitely not magic. But there seemed to be no logical explanation for the fact that he had ended up in what he now believed to be feudal Japan. He almost expected a fake wall to fall down, and all of his friends jump out to yell “surprise!”, but as minutes passed, it became more and more clear that this, whatever it was, wasn't a joke.

Sheltering himself in the shadows of a large tree, Inuyasha watched curiously as his ears picked up the sound of many more footsteps. His nose was throbbing and by the smell of it, the man had brought more than a dozen men back with him. Inuyasha cringed as the smell of burning tar and wood met his nose at full blast. Blocking out the stench, he lifted his head slightly out from behind the tree to catch sight of his pursuers. There were indeed about a dozen men, carrying torches. They were all clothed in feudal garments, and their ages ranged from about twelve to fifty years old.

Sliding down to seat himself on the leafy ground under the tree, he tried to make as little noise as possible. He didn't have to worry, the villagers (for that was who he assumed they were) were making so much of a hullabaloo that they probably wouldn't notice if he ran out and did a tap dance for them. Sighing softly, he steeled himself for a long wait on the hard ground. He knew his butt was going to be sore after this experience.

“-Are you sure it was a demon?” Inuyasha heard a skeptical voice ask.

“Yes!” Another voice countered. Inuyasha assumed that this was the man who had spotted him, “I saw it with my own eyes-cat ears! Cat ears I tell you!” Inuyasha was silently fuming. Cat ears? He knew somehow that whatever he had become, it didn't have anything to do with those things. He sniffed as he fingered his dog ears, staring holes in the tree in front of him.

* * *

A stranger watched the mismatched group from the future through a mirror, amused. He laughed slightly, motioning a pale young girl to take wipe the mirror of the image. She finished erasing the mirror and now stared blankly at the stranger. “What will you do now?” She asked, her voice bland and without emotion. The man smiled peculiarly, his eyes glinting. He reached a hand beneath his robe to touch the scar splayed across his back. “Let's leave them be for now. Kanna, show me Inuyasha, I would like to know how he is faring.” The girl nodded and held the mirror up for the man to see as a young man with silver hair and dog ears hop down from a scraggly tree on the outskirts of a forest and a village.

* * *

The seven young men and women made their way through the forest, following the smells of wood smoke to what they hoped was a human habitation. They were unaware of the danger that loomed, their reflections upon the pale girl's mirror. It was easy going, except for the fact that Kagome was unconscious. This meant that the men in the party switched off holding her while the women carried the weapons that the men couldn't carry.

As the sun dipped below the trees, and the shadows began to lengthen, an opening in the trees appeared ahead of them. Rin ran ahead of the others, her excitement getting the better of her. She was almost to the edge of the trees when she tripped, letting out a startled cry. Sesshomaru, hearing her cry, sped up instinctively, his eyes searching the shadows for the girl. When he had awoken, his senses seemed inhumanly in tune with the world around him. He could sense the girl before he saw her.

The young girl looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the colors of the sunset. She was positioned on her backside, hands and knees dirtied by her fall. Sesshomaru's eyes darted to the thing that had tripped her. Except that it wasn't a thing. It was a person, and not just any person. His familiar silver hair shone in the dying light, dog-like ears flicking even in sleep. His eyes were closed, his breathing deep and steady. He should have known. Inuyasha could sleep just about anywhere, regardless.

Sesshomaru kicked his half-brother slightly, to no avail. He hadn't expected the young man to wake up. As the others caught up with him, he examined Inuyasha's new ears. So, he thought, It must be from our father. Though I won't pass up the chance to call his mother a dog-that should be interesting. Kikyo was the first to step up behind him. “Inuyasha,” She whispered under her breath, a surprised tone showed through her usually emotionless demeanor, “How?” Sesshomaru heard a gasp from Sango as she also caught sight of the sleeping young man.

“What the-?” Koga's voice was almost disgusted, though in it's own way relieved. It was better to have the guy alive and annoying than dead. The companions, in a quick assessment of the situation at hand, decided it was better to put the village on hold for a while and make up camp on the edge of the forest. You never knew how people in these parts reacted to guys with dog ears, or for that matter, strangers.

Kikyo immediately took the leadership position and set everyone to a task. Koga, with his newfound speed and strength would collect firewood. Miroku, who had once been a boy scout (before he was kicked out for lighting his leader's tent on fire), set to work on the fire, while Sango and Rin went to find a water source. Sesshomaru was assigned the task of guarding the campsite, though he passed most of the time playing snake on his cell phone. Kikyo on the other hand, made herself useful by using her skills in archery, learned while still in high school, to bring back a pheasant and a large rabbit to cook on the now happily crackling fire.

Kagome still showed no signs of waking, her mind dreaming of another world. A world where they should have been, yet were not.

* * *

To clear some things up:

In the first part of this story, Inuyasha supposedly had “dog ears”. These were actually fake. It didn't seem too clear because all that was mentioned of it was a random thought about how Kagome thought that the ears were probably fake. Also, when Kagome makes him put that hat on to cover his ears; she is just assuming that they don't come off. Trust me, Inuyasha secretly loved wearing that hat… ^^ Sorry that was so confusing!

The views about a certain furry animal that meows expressed by Inuyasha in this chapter do NOT reflect the authors own opinions… I love kitties!

Review Responses:

evil person who's actually reviewing: The chapters only seemed short because the one before them was abnormally long. Ha! I win… Anyways, you are really confusing me because in your first review you said: Sabriel is really a guy! (Am I creeping you out yet?) and your newest one you said: Sabriel is a girl that looks like a guy. Get my drift? Anywho, the reason Midoriko's warnings are so hard to decipher is because… drum roll please… I wanted to make them that way! *Goes off laughing hysterically* I am such an evil person…

Esha aka Kouga_Lover_3056 (forgot to sign in): You are sooo sweet! You deserve a medal of honor or something…Trust me, writing improves with time. As an example, look at my older fic “Demon Song”. On second thought-don't- it sucks. >.<;;;

Kittencutie: Wow, thank you so much! There's nothing like an excessive amount of exclamation mark to make a writer update!