InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Exchange ❯ New Moon ( Chapter 18 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: RozeFire 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.03.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.03.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 1.6K | Status: Completed
AN: Sorry about 28 Days - that's going to be on hold for a while since I have to sort out a minor dilemma in the ploy - don't worry, I haven't written myself into a corner just yet, but I haven't completely finished planning it, and I'm just wondering how to work things through...
Anyway, because I need to sort out the plot a bit - I might not update 28 days until I finish this fic (Sorry!) So since so many people were asking, I thought I should tell you what's going on (sometimes I feel you only review this one to nag me about the other one)
Anyway... towards the end of this chapter might be some mild violence - but the rating is still PG-13. Well, considering Lord of the Rings is much more graphic and only has a 12A rating... I guess it's ok. ^_^;;
Soul Exchange
New Moon
< br>
Kagome had been riding so hard and so fast in order to keep Miroku in sight, that she didn't have to worry about being caught out in the middle of the sand bridge as the tide rose again. She cleared the sands and burst onto the beach well before the first morning rays peeked over the horizon. It was strange... she still couldn't see in colour yet - and she couldn't even see the horse she rode on (a slightly unnerving experience).
She'd never had a vision last as long as this before, which for once, she was glad for. If her normal vision returned then she'd lose sight of Miroku... and if that happened then she'd be stranded without any idea where he would be.
She didn't dare take her eyes off him in case she lost sight of him... and under her breath she kept wishing he would turn around a little more so she could see his face. Too bad his horse was faster than hers... otherwise she would have overtaken him and taken a good long hard look at Fushi's father.
But the closest she got to a glimpse of his face was when he turned his head slightly to the left at some sound she couldn't really hear... but that slight movement hadn't told her much. So she just planned, for now, to follow him as far down this dirt track road as possible until her vision ended.
^_^
"Lady Inu?" Sango rapped gently on the door to the Queen's chamber. "Lady Inu, please let me in."
"Don't waste your time tending me, Sango." A quiet voice called back. "I release you from your duties. You can go home... go back to the mainland if you wish..."
Sango frowned. She had no intention of going anywhere. She wouldn't leave even if she'd been ordered to. "No, milady... I want to stay here - let me come in."
"Sango..." Came an exasperated sigh.
Sango didn't wait for any permission, she slid the door open and entered without invitation. At once her gaze fell on the bed and she stopped to watch the Queen for a moment where she lay on her stomach, head resting on her crossed forearms. Well... at least she wasn't crying anymore. Sango slowly slid the door closed behind her before carefully picking her way towards the bed where she sat down beside the Queen.
It was a long time before either of them spoke. "The palace seems quiet today, Sango..."
"Yes, milady..."
"Is everyone still in grief...?" The Queen sighed and closed her eyes. "Or have they all left the palace for war?"
Sango pulled at her own fingers nervously. "They've left."
"And Inuyasha...?"
"He's leading them." Sango smiled weakly, knowing only one thing would cheer her up now. "He's taken the throne from you... you don't have to worry anymore."
"I'm proud." The Queen managed a smile even weaker than Sango's. "But I still have to worry. It's the new moon tonight..."
"The battle may be over by then." Sango said, voicing Inuyasha's own confidence.
"Wars are never settled in under a day." Lady Inu whispered, repeating Sango's words to Inuyasha's confidence. "How long do you suppose a human would last in a battle of demons...?"
The young woman swallowed hard and looked down at her lap. She didn't want to voice her answer to that question...
^_^
I t was getting close to midday by the time she reached the town Miroku seemed to be heading (have headed??) for. She began to hear the sounds of normal town life that seemed to be emanating from her own present location rather than the vision.
Quickly, Kagome drew to a halt. If she went on through that town she wouldn't be able to see where SHE was going and would undoubtedly bump into someone or something. Instead she just stayed on the road and watched Miroku like an eagle as he slowed down and rode through the town plaque square. She had to crane her neck a little, and wished again that he would just turn around for once...
But he dismounted, tied his horse to a post and went inside one of the buildings, all without turning back to look the way he had come. And abruptly the vision ended.
Colour snapped into her focus and suddenly the village was filled with different people and animals with different items on sale in the market stalls. The buildings were all still there, so the building Miroku had gone into was still there. She half reckoned he would still be in there.
With a sigh of frustration she carried on through the town and tied her gelding to the very same post as Miroku, before turning to enter the building. Perhaps they would know who Miroku was... if not where he was.
But upon entering she could only sigh again. It was a bar, of sorts. A very humble one at that. No doubt dozens of travellers like Miroku passed through this place every day... the chances of someone remembering him were slim.
Just then Kagome noticed that the bar had gone very quiet all of a sudden. She glanced around to see every pair of eyes on her... she guessed they didn't get many women around this bar.
"Um... hi..." Kagome gave a tiny wave. "Uh... are any of you in any chance called Miroku?"
Every hand shot up.
Yeah right... Kagome smiled and tried again. "No... I mean a Miroku... young... about eighteen, nineteen... about yay high..." she raised her hand to roughly meet his height.
Every hand still continued to wave at her.
"Oh forget it..." Kagome turned and started to walk out, only a voice stopped her just as she started to exit the door.
"You're looking for Miroku Houshi ain't you?" A stout man behind the counter said without looking up from his money counting.
"Possibly."
"The skinny rat with the hair tied back?" the guy looked up. Kagome reckoned any man beside that guy looked like a skinny rat. "The lecherous loser with the 'generous' and 'helpful' and 'polite' manners?"
Kagome blinked at him as he enunciated the words in a sarcastic way. That sure sounded like Sango's description. "Yeah... I think so."
"You think so, huh?" the guy went back to counting. "He'll be on the other side of the village 'helping' the tenants of the largest house in the area. And that's only if you're lucky - he travels around so much it's hard to catch him and to tell him he needs to pay his tab. Butt-face..."
Kagome assumed the butt-face was Miroku, not herself, and smiled with relief that she had a larger chance of finding him. "Thanks!" she ran out to fetch her horse to go find the largest house in the area.
A few moments after she'd left the building, Miroku wandered in, glancing over his shoulder at the attractive young girl that had just haplessly barged past him outside. "Who was that Mushin?"
"One of the girls auditioned for the gentlemen's entertainer." Mushin winked suspiciously.
"No, really - who was that?" she looked far too familiar for his taste.
"Some girl..." Mushin shrugged. "She was asking for you - I sent her on a wild goose chase."
"Why?" Miroku frowned as he leaned on the counter.
Mushin blinked at him in surprise. "You told me you weren't interested in girls any more."
"Well - she was obviously eager to find me - doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?!" he had half a mind to go after her and find out why she was so familiar.
"Let it go... she's probably one of your old one night stands back to tell you she's having your baby." Mushin went back to counting his winnings, cradling a flask of sake under his arm. "It would be a shame to let her down now that you've turned gay on us..."
Miroku gasped with annoyance and gave the old man a shove as he came around the back of the counter. "I'm not gay, I'm just not interested!"
"Yeah... of course you're not gay..." Mushin said patronisingly before growling. "Oh now you made me lose count!"
While the old man huffed Miroku discreetly sneaked a couple of Mon from the money pile into his pockets. "You can turn in now Uncle, I'll take over for the rest of the day."
"You sure?"
"Why not? You looked tired and bloated - been at the sake too much? No need to answer - just you lay down in the back and I'll take care of everything." Miroku smiled.
Mushin stared at him. "I don't trust you Miroku... no offence or anything."
"None taken." Miroku shrugged. "Take your money with you if you want to make sure I don't nick any. I don't need it anyway, I'm off North tonight, gonna trade with one of the lords up there."
"Right, right..." Mushin scrabbled to pull his money into his pouch and headed off into the back, but not before giving Miroku a shrewd suspicious glare.
Miroku rolled his eyes as soon as he was out of the room and began checking the counter and the surrounding area for coins that Mushin might have dropped by accident.
He found three. What a sucker...
^_^
It must have been closing in on mid-afternoon and Kagome could have sworn she'd circled the town at least three times. She'd found the largest house, but they'd said that Miroku hadn't 'helped' them in months.
So she'd finally come to a last resort, and asked random people on the street. "Excuse me-"
"Not now, girl!" the man she'd tried to stop hurried right past.
Kagome huffed and tried to look for someone more promising. She spotted a group of teenage girls milling between the market stalls. She headed towards them, dragging the gelding in her wake. "Excuse me - would you happen to know anyone name Miroku Houshi?"
"Miroku Houshi?" one girl raised an eyebrow.
"What you want with him?" another asked.
At least they seemed to know him. "I'm here to tell him he has a son."
All five girls either swung around to face her or nearly slipped over. "What?!" they all chorused. "How the hell did you manage to slip past the net?!"
Kagome took a slightly nervous step back. "I'm not the mother..."
The lead girl scoffed and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "No of course not... you're not his taste at all..." Should Kagome be offended? "Well... I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that... you'll find him in the bar our father's always go to. He's always in there with Mushin, the tender."
"The... the bar at the entrance of the town?" Kagome asked slowly.
"Of course. What other scruffy bar do you see around here?"
Kagome gripped the reins tighter and tried to contain her anger. The old git behind the counter had sent her off in the wrong direction... either he'd been drinking too much or he'd been trying to delude her. "Thank you." She muttered tightly and headed back the way she had come.
This was ridiculous... every passing minute counted - she didn't need to be sent on wild chases like this. She needed to find Miroku and then be back at the bridge by night fall - the new moon! She needed to see Inuyasha... and soon...
Kagome jerkily tied the reins around the same post outside the bar and stomped back inside. This time she scanned the whole room of men sitting beside their tables drinking slowly from small cups of tea or sake.
"Which one of you is Miroku?"
Once more every hand shot up.
"The real Miroku!"
The hands remained up.
"I'm carrying his child!"
Every hand promptly dropped and the men suddenly looked all very busy and interested in their cups. Kagome looked around the room. Not one man's hand still remained up... and none looked particularly like the rider that she'd been watching for most of the night.
Kagome sighed miserably and slowly walked to the counter, vaguely interesting in finding the old man and finding out where Miroku really was. She didn't see him around, and so leaned over the counter to see if he was unconscious on the floor behind it.
Nope... but there was a nice big silver Mon coin on that shelf down there. Well... no one was looking... and she was kinda short of cash... she quickly snatched it up and straightened... only to come face to face with a young man who now stood behind the previously vacated counter. She stared... and he stared...
"You gonna buy something with that?" he asked.
Kagome quickly did a physical check of the young man... violet eyes... black hair that fell just below his chin and a lean body. She sighed... close... but he looked slightly taller than the Miroku she'd seen.
Feeling sheepish she pushed the coin across the counter towards him. "You dropped this I guess..."
"That's very honest of you..." for a moment she thought he was going to let her keep it. But no... he took it back. "You gonna buy with anything else?"
"I'm a little short..." Kagome sighed.
"Tell you what... I'll give you some water. That's free. You can get it anywhere."
"Thanks."
He got the drink and set it down before her. "Anything else?"
"Wouldn't happen to have a Miroku behind that counter too?" Kagome asked hopefully as she sipped her water.
"Might have." Miroku's eyes twinkled with amusement. "What would you want with a devilish rake like him?"
"Oh... just to had another person onto my growing list of problems..."
"You have problems. Everyone has problems. What do you want with this particular guy?" he asked, leaning on the counter.
Kagome was too easily falling into the roll of miserable person talking to the easy listening bar tender scenario. But why not? It wasn't like this guy was ever going to see her again.
"It doesn't matter..." she said at last. "I don't even know why I'm bothering helping other people when I should be trying to help myself."
"With what?"
"Major crisis." Kagome rested her cheek on her palm. "I got involved with the wrong sort of people... and now I just seem to end up hurting the people I care most about."
"How?"
"Oh you know... the old - betraying the friendship and trust thing..." Kagome ran her finger around the edge of her cup. "There's this guy - a nice cute guy. I liked him... but when he found out about one of the people I'd managed to mess myself up with then he kinda... tried to punch a hole in my face - and then ordered my execution."
"Sounds like a lord." Only lords could really only order executions.
"He's more than that now I suppose." Kagome sighed. "And I feel ten times more guilty because he was betrayed like this before he ever met me... I'm the bad guy here..."
Miroku watched a small frown pucker her brow. "I think he'll die tonight..." she whispered, too softly for Miroku to hear.
"Sorry?"
"Nothing." Kagome brightened slightly, forcing a smile out. "So... you break the hearts of people you love too?"
"I don't know." He shrugged.
"I know this girl..." Kagome sighed, looking down at the counter. "She was in love with this guy... and then he left her with a baby to look after. And he hasn't come back yet."
"Aren't men bastards?"
"Yeah..." Kagome took another sip of her water. "Well... I better be going, I have to be back by the coast by night fall so I can go see Inuyasha and Sango and tell them I'm really sorry and that I didn't find Miroku and that I hope Inuyasha's ok as a human tonight..."
"Alright. Bye now." Miroku waved.
Suddenly he froze. Wait... he recognised those names... "Hey!"
Kagome glanced back at him. "Yes?"
"You know Sango and Inuyasha?" Miroku came around the counter to stand before her.
"You too...?" She blinked up at his face, fixing her gaze on his eyes... oh, hang on... those were... just like Fushi's eyes. "You!" she took a step back, staring at him in surprise.
She suddenly snapped her wits about her and clawed a small leather tie that hung around her wrist and forcefully grabbed him.
"Hey!" he protested as she went for his hair.
"Don't struggle - just hold still!" she hurriedly pushed his hair back and tied it with the leather thong. When she was done she stepped back and examined her handiwork. It was messy because she'd been in such a rush... but... it was spooky... "Turn around." She had to physically move him since he was still half in a state of shock. "Oh my god! You're him! You're the guy I was following - you're Miroku!"
"You were following me?" Now he was just slightly scared. "Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Oh - I'm Kagome!" she bowed hastily, grinning like a lunatic. "I can't believe I found you - Sango will be so pleased, I just know it!"
"You've met Sango?" Miroku suddenly stepped forward seriously. "Are you for real? How do you know her - you must know a way to get back onto that island then!"
"Of course I do." Kagome was a little surprised he didn't know himself. "The sand bridge rises tonight..."
"The bridge?" He stared at her. "You can forecast when it rises? How?!"
"Because..." Kagome was quickly pulling the pieces together. He'd never gone back to that island because basically, he hadn't known how to. "Every full moon... three nights a month."
"Curses!" Miroku grimaced. "I thought it was random..."
"Wow... you stayed on that island for weeks and you never knew that..." Kagome struggled to suppress a small smile.
"Yeah... anyway - how's Sango? Have you seen her recently? Is she well? I she still beautiful?"
He was so much more charming that Kouga... Kagome felt a little pang of happiness for Sango. She'd found such a keeper! She somehow doubted that Kouga would have cared about her health... she'd heard that he barely ever asked to see her when he went to the palace... or even ask about her for that matter.
"She's doing fine - she's just glowing with beauty." Well, not recently, but she had been known to have a cheerful glow in the past. "Fushi's keeping her great company."
"Fushi?" Miroku's tone suddenly turned icy. "Who the hell's Fushi? What's he doing with Sango?"
"Wha - he's-" Kagome stopped herself abruptly. Oh yeah... he didn't even know he was a father yet. She melted into a warm smile at being the one to break the news. She could help at least one person nowadays. "No need for jealousy... Fushi's your son."
Miroku's facial expression didn't change for quite some time. But when it did...
Kagome thought it was priceless.
^_^
"F ucking - bastards!"
Inuyasha kicked angrily with both feet from his position in the saddle as three Northern warriors went for him all at once and tried to pull him off his horse. They soon found themselves sprawled on the ground, and quickly trampled by the tide of densely fighting Youkai around them.
Inuyasha urged the horse to shove its way through the thickets of soldiers, not caring if he pushed his own men out of the way - though he cared even less that he trampled Sesshomaru's men.
An arrow shot from the sea of moving bodies and glance across Inuyasha's cheek, tearing a line from his ear to the bridge of his nose and across. That had been lucky... it could have hit him square in the ear. Inuyasha's hand snapped out before the arrow had the chance to spin away, and grabbed the shaft. He turned angrily to locate the source and saw the warrior staring at him, probably looking ready to lose his dinner.
Despite the jostling that unsettled his horse, Inuyasha threw the arrow straight, with as much force as possible towards the attacker. He didn't waste his time to see if the arrow had hit... he still had to find Sesshomaru.
It was getting harder to endure... they'd been at this for hours... and it looked like there was no end in sight. Half the forces were no longer fighting, and now lay blanketing the ground covered in mud... it was hard to determine the dead from messy lumps of clay.
It was even harder for Inuyasha however... being on a horse was an advantage in one way... but a disadvantage in another being that everyone could easily pick him out of the crowd. And once they spotted him... the north were ruthless in their efforts to strike a death blow on him. They targeted him because he was weaker... because he was the kind... and once he was dead the war would be over.
If he could just find Sesshomaru and destroy him... it would be over...
Suddenly a heavy force slammed into his side, throwing him clean off the horse and into the fray of fighting beside him. A stray weapon slashed his side as he fell against battling opponents, and was quickly pushed to the ground. Inuyasha was vaguely aware of his horse running away... forcing a path through the warriors and leaving him behind.
"Shit..." Inuyasha gripped his injured side and rose defiantly, angrily looking around for the attacker. He saw no one that stood out... and so turned back to fighting on foot instead.
It was a change of pace... but it was more difficult to watch his back now. And it was hard to manoeuvre such a sword in such a small space without risking hitting his own men.
"Bastard child!" a Northern warrior swung his sword heavy against Inuyasha's, jarring the hilt painfully in his hand.
There was nothing for it... Inuyasha twisted around with difficulty and swung the sword with a cry against his opponents shoulder, but only succeeded in crashing noisily against the metal armour.
"Fool." The man sneered and drew back to trust his sword at Inuyasha. Well... he would have if Inuyasha hadn't thrust first, tearing the man a nice new hole for his stomach.
Once the man was down Inuyasha turned and angrily scanned the living sea around him... trying to pick out the tall Inu Youkai on the bay horse... he needed to find his brother... but throughout the duration of the fight... he hadn't even caught a glimpse.
Inuyasha uneasily glanced west and spotted the sun was slowly edging its way down to the horizon. He had to find his brother before it set otherwise the battle would be lost.
"Stupid... fucking... asshole... bastard..." Inuyasha growled as he angrily shoved his way through the men, tossing aside the ones who tried to ambush or attack him. He was on a sole mission... he couldn't afford to get distracted.
Where was he?!
Inuyasha's eyes left the scene of the battle around him and glanced towards the trees. His gaze froze on Sesshomaru... he was still stood there in all his magnificent glory, watching the fight below him on the rising slope he was on.
"Bastard...!" Inuyasha grunted as he quickly began pushing his way even more forcefully towards his brother. It took a while, but eventually he staggered free of the writhing mass of warriors and started to storm towards his brother, trying to hide his limp.
He clenched Tessaiga angrily beside him, waiting to just swing it at his older brother without any warning the moment he reached him. Not that such a rusty blade would do much.
"Oh look... you're still alive..." Sesshomaru smirked as he saw Inuyasha staggering towards him.
Sesshomaru must have been the only man in the entire meadow that wasn't by now covered in mud and blood. The chances were he hadn't even touched his sword this time.
"You'll pay for this." Inuyasha seethed, speeding up until he was charging. He half snarled, half yelled as he swung his blade with the most intense hatred he'd felt in a long time.
The blade in his hand sliced an arcing curve in the air, leaving a glowing trail that suddenly irrupted into a storming wind, racing straight for Sesshomaru.
For one brief moment, the older brother looked mildly impressed, before smirking and unsheathing his own sword in one smooth motion. The wind deflected off him harmlessly enough. "Dear little Urami seems to be missing something here..."
Inuyasha was surprised at what he'd just done... but he didn't have the time to stand there and gawk. Whatever he had done had just failed... so better not waste time and think about it. At least now the sword was transformed, and now he was certain he could waste Sesshomaru.
"You will PAY for all these deaths, asshole!" Inuyasha swung his sword again as he reached his brother, clashing it with Sesshomaru's blade.
The blow jarred them both, but Sesshomaru barely let it show. Inuyasha tried to swing the other way, but found it blocked. He feinted and dived behind his brother, trying to strike from behind, but it was blocked.
"Stop blocking and fight me!" Inuyasha raged.
Sesshomaru smirked and suddenly swung his blade at amazing speed towards Inuyasha. The younger brother had barely the time to block it... and the force of the blow sent him flying backwards, landing him on his back with a graze along his arm.
"You really are such a pathetic little brat." Sesshomaru stalked towards him as he struggled to stand again. "You're good to last this long in such a long battle... but you're no way near my level. You'd need a hundred years to beat me... and even then I wouldn't care to wager that you'd succeed."
"Bastard!" Inuyasha swung out carelessly. He really had no real experience with handling a sword in this kind of form. He was exhausted mentally and physically... and the only thing really driving him on was adrenaline, and the dire need to defeat his brother.
All those reasons put together was making him careless, and Sesshomaru easily evaded his strike, as well as raking his poison claws across Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha cried out in pain, but carried on trying to land a blow.
"Give it up... you're not fit to be king here... to be defeated this easily..." Sesshomaru smashed a fist against his forehead, and Inuyasha felt something crack, making lights explode behind his eyes. Inuyasha refused to go down easily though. He swung with all his strength and clashed with Sesshomaru's sword between them.
Then the sun set.
Tessaiga slid back into its original, dull form, surprising Sesshomaru so much he stepped back, pulling the pressure off.
Inuyasha felt a wave of pain crash through his body and he dropped to his as Tessaiga fell from his numb fingers. Sesshomaru was smiling smugly again as he realised Inuyasha was done for. Though... he didn't expect for Inuyasha's hair to slowly change from white to black, spreading from his roots down to the tips of his blood matted hair.
The ears shifted from a perk upright position, to end up as fleshy useless flaps on either side of his head, really only useful for tucking the hair behind. He suddenly groaned and clasped his hands to his cracked skull, trying painfully, to hold it together so it wouldn't shatter. The pain was almost unbearable now.
Sesshomaru stared at him neutrally, seeing Inuyasha's hands, now clawless, start to seep with blood from his head. No doubt his face had changed.
"Looks like another little girl has been telling me fibs too..." he said quietly. "Stand up Inuyasha."
Inuyasha didn't hear him.
Sesshomaru reached down and pulled him up by his shirt, amazingly, Inuyasha refused to cry out in pain. Though his hands dropped away from his head and the pain was clearly etched and riddled across his face.
"You're pathetic..." Sesshomaru said cruelly. "No King should bear a weakness like this... you're an insult to our bloodline."
Inuyasha opened his mouth, trying to speak, but only managed to cough some blood up.
"What?" Sesshomaru held him stiffly aloft.
"Ka..."
"Last requests?" Sesshomaru smirked.
Inuyasha kept his eyes clenched in pain. He wanted no requests... he didn't give a shit about a noble death... if he was dead would he care? No... he just wanted to remember someone at his moment of death... and carry on that memory for the rest of his afterlife, if such a thing existed.
"...K'gome..." he managed to gasp out, barely audible and unrecognisable. Sesshomaru didn't understand him.
"Gibberish." He discerned it as. He carried on holding Inuyasha up with one hand, and pulled his sword back in the other, ready to run him through... right through the heart.
But he paused slightly before making the final blow.
It was short lived... a heavy arrow shaft shot from the battle below and slammed into Inuyasha's back with such force it protruded from his chest, inches from piercing Sesshomaru's armour. Inuyasha was dead before he even hit the ground...
< br>
AN: Very sorry......... Next chapter 'Our Reunion' But whose reunion?
Anyway, because I need to sort out the plot a bit - I might not update 28 days until I finish this fic (Sorry!) So since so many people were asking, I thought I should tell you what's going on (sometimes I feel you only review this one to nag me about the other one)
Anyway... towards the end of this chapter might be some mild violence - but the rating is still PG-13. Well, considering Lord of the Rings is much more graphic and only has a 12A rating... I guess it's ok. ^_^;;
Soul Exchange
New Moon
< br>
Kagome had been riding so hard and so fast in order to keep Miroku in sight, that she didn't have to worry about being caught out in the middle of the sand bridge as the tide rose again. She cleared the sands and burst onto the beach well before the first morning rays peeked over the horizon. It was strange... she still couldn't see in colour yet - and she couldn't even see the horse she rode on (a slightly unnerving experience).
She'd never had a vision last as long as this before, which for once, she was glad for. If her normal vision returned then she'd lose sight of Miroku... and if that happened then she'd be stranded without any idea where he would be.
She didn't dare take her eyes off him in case she lost sight of him... and under her breath she kept wishing he would turn around a little more so she could see his face. Too bad his horse was faster than hers... otherwise she would have overtaken him and taken a good long hard look at Fushi's father.
But the closest she got to a glimpse of his face was when he turned his head slightly to the left at some sound she couldn't really hear... but that slight movement hadn't told her much. So she just planned, for now, to follow him as far down this dirt track road as possible until her vision ended.
^_^
"Lady Inu?" Sango rapped gently on the door to the Queen's chamber. "Lady Inu, please let me in."
"Don't waste your time tending me, Sango." A quiet voice called back. "I release you from your duties. You can go home... go back to the mainland if you wish..."
Sango frowned. She had no intention of going anywhere. She wouldn't leave even if she'd been ordered to. "No, milady... I want to stay here - let me come in."
"Sango..." Came an exasperated sigh.
Sango didn't wait for any permission, she slid the door open and entered without invitation. At once her gaze fell on the bed and she stopped to watch the Queen for a moment where she lay on her stomach, head resting on her crossed forearms. Well... at least she wasn't crying anymore. Sango slowly slid the door closed behind her before carefully picking her way towards the bed where she sat down beside the Queen.
It was a long time before either of them spoke. "The palace seems quiet today, Sango..."
"Yes, milady..."
"Is everyone still in grief...?" The Queen sighed and closed her eyes. "Or have they all left the palace for war?"
Sango pulled at her own fingers nervously. "They've left."
"And Inuyasha...?"
"He's leading them." Sango smiled weakly, knowing only one thing would cheer her up now. "He's taken the throne from you... you don't have to worry anymore."
"I'm proud." The Queen managed a smile even weaker than Sango's. "But I still have to worry. It's the new moon tonight..."
"The battle may be over by then." Sango said, voicing Inuyasha's own confidence.
"Wars are never settled in under a day." Lady Inu whispered, repeating Sango's words to Inuyasha's confidence. "How long do you suppose a human would last in a battle of demons...?"
The young woman swallowed hard and looked down at her lap. She didn't want to voice her answer to that question...
^_^
I t was getting close to midday by the time she reached the town Miroku seemed to be heading (have headed??) for. She began to hear the sounds of normal town life that seemed to be emanating from her own present location rather than the vision.
Quickly, Kagome drew to a halt. If she went on through that town she wouldn't be able to see where SHE was going and would undoubtedly bump into someone or something. Instead she just stayed on the road and watched Miroku like an eagle as he slowed down and rode through the town plaque square. She had to crane her neck a little, and wished again that he would just turn around for once...
But he dismounted, tied his horse to a post and went inside one of the buildings, all without turning back to look the way he had come. And abruptly the vision ended.
Colour snapped into her focus and suddenly the village was filled with different people and animals with different items on sale in the market stalls. The buildings were all still there, so the building Miroku had gone into was still there. She half reckoned he would still be in there.
With a sigh of frustration she carried on through the town and tied her gelding to the very same post as Miroku, before turning to enter the building. Perhaps they would know who Miroku was... if not where he was.
But upon entering she could only sigh again. It was a bar, of sorts. A very humble one at that. No doubt dozens of travellers like Miroku passed through this place every day... the chances of someone remembering him were slim.
Just then Kagome noticed that the bar had gone very quiet all of a sudden. She glanced around to see every pair of eyes on her... she guessed they didn't get many women around this bar.
"Um... hi..." Kagome gave a tiny wave. "Uh... are any of you in any chance called Miroku?"
Every hand shot up.
Yeah right... Kagome smiled and tried again. "No... I mean a Miroku... young... about eighteen, nineteen... about yay high..." she raised her hand to roughly meet his height.
Every hand still continued to wave at her.
"Oh forget it..." Kagome turned and started to walk out, only a voice stopped her just as she started to exit the door.
"You're looking for Miroku Houshi ain't you?" A stout man behind the counter said without looking up from his money counting.
"Possibly."
"The skinny rat with the hair tied back?" the guy looked up. Kagome reckoned any man beside that guy looked like a skinny rat. "The lecherous loser with the 'generous' and 'helpful' and 'polite' manners?"
Kagome blinked at him as he enunciated the words in a sarcastic way. That sure sounded like Sango's description. "Yeah... I think so."
"You think so, huh?" the guy went back to counting. "He'll be on the other side of the village 'helping' the tenants of the largest house in the area. And that's only if you're lucky - he travels around so much it's hard to catch him and to tell him he needs to pay his tab. Butt-face..."
Kagome assumed the butt-face was Miroku, not herself, and smiled with relief that she had a larger chance of finding him. "Thanks!" she ran out to fetch her horse to go find the largest house in the area.
A few moments after she'd left the building, Miroku wandered in, glancing over his shoulder at the attractive young girl that had just haplessly barged past him outside. "Who was that Mushin?"
"One of the girls auditioned for the gentlemen's entertainer." Mushin winked suspiciously.
"No, really - who was that?" she looked far too familiar for his taste.
"Some girl..." Mushin shrugged. "She was asking for you - I sent her on a wild goose chase."
"Why?" Miroku frowned as he leaned on the counter.
Mushin blinked at him in surprise. "You told me you weren't interested in girls any more."
"Well - she was obviously eager to find me - doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?!" he had half a mind to go after her and find out why she was so familiar.
"Let it go... she's probably one of your old one night stands back to tell you she's having your baby." Mushin went back to counting his winnings, cradling a flask of sake under his arm. "It would be a shame to let her down now that you've turned gay on us..."
Miroku gasped with annoyance and gave the old man a shove as he came around the back of the counter. "I'm not gay, I'm just not interested!"
"Yeah... of course you're not gay..." Mushin said patronisingly before growling. "Oh now you made me lose count!"
While the old man huffed Miroku discreetly sneaked a couple of Mon from the money pile into his pockets. "You can turn in now Uncle, I'll take over for the rest of the day."
"You sure?"
"Why not? You looked tired and bloated - been at the sake too much? No need to answer - just you lay down in the back and I'll take care of everything." Miroku smiled.
Mushin stared at him. "I don't trust you Miroku... no offence or anything."
"None taken." Miroku shrugged. "Take your money with you if you want to make sure I don't nick any. I don't need it anyway, I'm off North tonight, gonna trade with one of the lords up there."
"Right, right..." Mushin scrabbled to pull his money into his pouch and headed off into the back, but not before giving Miroku a shrewd suspicious glare.
Miroku rolled his eyes as soon as he was out of the room and began checking the counter and the surrounding area for coins that Mushin might have dropped by accident.
He found three. What a sucker...
^_^
It must have been closing in on mid-afternoon and Kagome could have sworn she'd circled the town at least three times. She'd found the largest house, but they'd said that Miroku hadn't 'helped' them in months.
So she'd finally come to a last resort, and asked random people on the street. "Excuse me-"
"Not now, girl!" the man she'd tried to stop hurried right past.
Kagome huffed and tried to look for someone more promising. She spotted a group of teenage girls milling between the market stalls. She headed towards them, dragging the gelding in her wake. "Excuse me - would you happen to know anyone name Miroku Houshi?"
"Miroku Houshi?" one girl raised an eyebrow.
"What you want with him?" another asked.
At least they seemed to know him. "I'm here to tell him he has a son."
All five girls either swung around to face her or nearly slipped over. "What?!" they all chorused. "How the hell did you manage to slip past the net?!"
Kagome took a slightly nervous step back. "I'm not the mother..."
The lead girl scoffed and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "No of course not... you're not his taste at all..." Should Kagome be offended? "Well... I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that... you'll find him in the bar our father's always go to. He's always in there with Mushin, the tender."
"The... the bar at the entrance of the town?" Kagome asked slowly.
"Of course. What other scruffy bar do you see around here?"
Kagome gripped the reins tighter and tried to contain her anger. The old git behind the counter had sent her off in the wrong direction... either he'd been drinking too much or he'd been trying to delude her. "Thank you." She muttered tightly and headed back the way she had come.
This was ridiculous... every passing minute counted - she didn't need to be sent on wild chases like this. She needed to find Miroku and then be back at the bridge by night fall - the new moon! She needed to see Inuyasha... and soon...
Kagome jerkily tied the reins around the same post outside the bar and stomped back inside. This time she scanned the whole room of men sitting beside their tables drinking slowly from small cups of tea or sake.
"Which one of you is Miroku?"
Once more every hand shot up.
"The real Miroku!"
The hands remained up.
"I'm carrying his child!"
Every hand promptly dropped and the men suddenly looked all very busy and interested in their cups. Kagome looked around the room. Not one man's hand still remained up... and none looked particularly like the rider that she'd been watching for most of the night.
Kagome sighed miserably and slowly walked to the counter, vaguely interesting in finding the old man and finding out where Miroku really was. She didn't see him around, and so leaned over the counter to see if he was unconscious on the floor behind it.
Nope... but there was a nice big silver Mon coin on that shelf down there. Well... no one was looking... and she was kinda short of cash... she quickly snatched it up and straightened... only to come face to face with a young man who now stood behind the previously vacated counter. She stared... and he stared...
"You gonna buy something with that?" he asked.
Kagome quickly did a physical check of the young man... violet eyes... black hair that fell just below his chin and a lean body. She sighed... close... but he looked slightly taller than the Miroku she'd seen.
Feeling sheepish she pushed the coin across the counter towards him. "You dropped this I guess..."
"That's very honest of you..." for a moment she thought he was going to let her keep it. But no... he took it back. "You gonna buy with anything else?"
"I'm a little short..." Kagome sighed.
"Tell you what... I'll give you some water. That's free. You can get it anywhere."
"Thanks."
He got the drink and set it down before her. "Anything else?"
"Wouldn't happen to have a Miroku behind that counter too?" Kagome asked hopefully as she sipped her water.
"Might have." Miroku's eyes twinkled with amusement. "What would you want with a devilish rake like him?"
"Oh... just to had another person onto my growing list of problems..."
"You have problems. Everyone has problems. What do you want with this particular guy?" he asked, leaning on the counter.
Kagome was too easily falling into the roll of miserable person talking to the easy listening bar tender scenario. But why not? It wasn't like this guy was ever going to see her again.
"It doesn't matter..." she said at last. "I don't even know why I'm bothering helping other people when I should be trying to help myself."
"With what?"
"Major crisis." Kagome rested her cheek on her palm. "I got involved with the wrong sort of people... and now I just seem to end up hurting the people I care most about."
"How?"
"Oh you know... the old - betraying the friendship and trust thing..." Kagome ran her finger around the edge of her cup. "There's this guy - a nice cute guy. I liked him... but when he found out about one of the people I'd managed to mess myself up with then he kinda... tried to punch a hole in my face - and then ordered my execution."
"Sounds like a lord." Only lords could really only order executions.
"He's more than that now I suppose." Kagome sighed. "And I feel ten times more guilty because he was betrayed like this before he ever met me... I'm the bad guy here..."
Miroku watched a small frown pucker her brow. "I think he'll die tonight..." she whispered, too softly for Miroku to hear.
"Sorry?"
"Nothing." Kagome brightened slightly, forcing a smile out. "So... you break the hearts of people you love too?"
"I don't know." He shrugged.
"I know this girl..." Kagome sighed, looking down at the counter. "She was in love with this guy... and then he left her with a baby to look after. And he hasn't come back yet."
"Aren't men bastards?"
"Yeah..." Kagome took another sip of her water. "Well... I better be going, I have to be back by the coast by night fall so I can go see Inuyasha and Sango and tell them I'm really sorry and that I didn't find Miroku and that I hope Inuyasha's ok as a human tonight..."
"Alright. Bye now." Miroku waved.
Suddenly he froze. Wait... he recognised those names... "Hey!"
Kagome glanced back at him. "Yes?"
"You know Sango and Inuyasha?" Miroku came around the counter to stand before her.
"You too...?" She blinked up at his face, fixing her gaze on his eyes... oh, hang on... those were... just like Fushi's eyes. "You!" she took a step back, staring at him in surprise.
She suddenly snapped her wits about her and clawed a small leather tie that hung around her wrist and forcefully grabbed him.
"Hey!" he protested as she went for his hair.
"Don't struggle - just hold still!" she hurriedly pushed his hair back and tied it with the leather thong. When she was done she stepped back and examined her handiwork. It was messy because she'd been in such a rush... but... it was spooky... "Turn around." She had to physically move him since he was still half in a state of shock. "Oh my god! You're him! You're the guy I was following - you're Miroku!"
"You were following me?" Now he was just slightly scared. "Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Oh - I'm Kagome!" she bowed hastily, grinning like a lunatic. "I can't believe I found you - Sango will be so pleased, I just know it!"
"You've met Sango?" Miroku suddenly stepped forward seriously. "Are you for real? How do you know her - you must know a way to get back onto that island then!"
"Of course I do." Kagome was a little surprised he didn't know himself. "The sand bridge rises tonight..."
"The bridge?" He stared at her. "You can forecast when it rises? How?!"
"Because..." Kagome was quickly pulling the pieces together. He'd never gone back to that island because basically, he hadn't known how to. "Every full moon... three nights a month."
"Curses!" Miroku grimaced. "I thought it was random..."
"Wow... you stayed on that island for weeks and you never knew that..." Kagome struggled to suppress a small smile.
"Yeah... anyway - how's Sango? Have you seen her recently? Is she well? I she still beautiful?"
He was so much more charming that Kouga... Kagome felt a little pang of happiness for Sango. She'd found such a keeper! She somehow doubted that Kouga would have cared about her health... she'd heard that he barely ever asked to see her when he went to the palace... or even ask about her for that matter.
"She's doing fine - she's just glowing with beauty." Well, not recently, but she had been known to have a cheerful glow in the past. "Fushi's keeping her great company."
"Fushi?" Miroku's tone suddenly turned icy. "Who the hell's Fushi? What's he doing with Sango?"
"Wha - he's-" Kagome stopped herself abruptly. Oh yeah... he didn't even know he was a father yet. She melted into a warm smile at being the one to break the news. She could help at least one person nowadays. "No need for jealousy... Fushi's your son."
Miroku's facial expression didn't change for quite some time. But when it did...
Kagome thought it was priceless.
^_^
"F ucking - bastards!"
Inuyasha kicked angrily with both feet from his position in the saddle as three Northern warriors went for him all at once and tried to pull him off his horse. They soon found themselves sprawled on the ground, and quickly trampled by the tide of densely fighting Youkai around them.
Inuyasha urged the horse to shove its way through the thickets of soldiers, not caring if he pushed his own men out of the way - though he cared even less that he trampled Sesshomaru's men.
An arrow shot from the sea of moving bodies and glance across Inuyasha's cheek, tearing a line from his ear to the bridge of his nose and across. That had been lucky... it could have hit him square in the ear. Inuyasha's hand snapped out before the arrow had the chance to spin away, and grabbed the shaft. He turned angrily to locate the source and saw the warrior staring at him, probably looking ready to lose his dinner.
Despite the jostling that unsettled his horse, Inuyasha threw the arrow straight, with as much force as possible towards the attacker. He didn't waste his time to see if the arrow had hit... he still had to find Sesshomaru.
It was getting harder to endure... they'd been at this for hours... and it looked like there was no end in sight. Half the forces were no longer fighting, and now lay blanketing the ground covered in mud... it was hard to determine the dead from messy lumps of clay.
It was even harder for Inuyasha however... being on a horse was an advantage in one way... but a disadvantage in another being that everyone could easily pick him out of the crowd. And once they spotted him... the north were ruthless in their efforts to strike a death blow on him. They targeted him because he was weaker... because he was the kind... and once he was dead the war would be over.
If he could just find Sesshomaru and destroy him... it would be over...
Suddenly a heavy force slammed into his side, throwing him clean off the horse and into the fray of fighting beside him. A stray weapon slashed his side as he fell against battling opponents, and was quickly pushed to the ground. Inuyasha was vaguely aware of his horse running away... forcing a path through the warriors and leaving him behind.
"Shit..." Inuyasha gripped his injured side and rose defiantly, angrily looking around for the attacker. He saw no one that stood out... and so turned back to fighting on foot instead.
It was a change of pace... but it was more difficult to watch his back now. And it was hard to manoeuvre such a sword in such a small space without risking hitting his own men.
"Bastard child!" a Northern warrior swung his sword heavy against Inuyasha's, jarring the hilt painfully in his hand.
There was nothing for it... Inuyasha twisted around with difficulty and swung the sword with a cry against his opponents shoulder, but only succeeded in crashing noisily against the metal armour.
"Fool." The man sneered and drew back to trust his sword at Inuyasha. Well... he would have if Inuyasha hadn't thrust first, tearing the man a nice new hole for his stomach.
Once the man was down Inuyasha turned and angrily scanned the living sea around him... trying to pick out the tall Inu Youkai on the bay horse... he needed to find his brother... but throughout the duration of the fight... he hadn't even caught a glimpse.
Inuyasha uneasily glanced west and spotted the sun was slowly edging its way down to the horizon. He had to find his brother before it set otherwise the battle would be lost.
"Stupid... fucking... asshole... bastard..." Inuyasha growled as he angrily shoved his way through the men, tossing aside the ones who tried to ambush or attack him. He was on a sole mission... he couldn't afford to get distracted.
Where was he?!
Inuyasha's eyes left the scene of the battle around him and glanced towards the trees. His gaze froze on Sesshomaru... he was still stood there in all his magnificent glory, watching the fight below him on the rising slope he was on.
"Bastard...!" Inuyasha grunted as he quickly began pushing his way even more forcefully towards his brother. It took a while, but eventually he staggered free of the writhing mass of warriors and started to storm towards his brother, trying to hide his limp.
He clenched Tessaiga angrily beside him, waiting to just swing it at his older brother without any warning the moment he reached him. Not that such a rusty blade would do much.
"Oh look... you're still alive..." Sesshomaru smirked as he saw Inuyasha staggering towards him.
Sesshomaru must have been the only man in the entire meadow that wasn't by now covered in mud and blood. The chances were he hadn't even touched his sword this time.
"You'll pay for this." Inuyasha seethed, speeding up until he was charging. He half snarled, half yelled as he swung his blade with the most intense hatred he'd felt in a long time.
The blade in his hand sliced an arcing curve in the air, leaving a glowing trail that suddenly irrupted into a storming wind, racing straight for Sesshomaru.
For one brief moment, the older brother looked mildly impressed, before smirking and unsheathing his own sword in one smooth motion. The wind deflected off him harmlessly enough. "Dear little Urami seems to be missing something here..."
Inuyasha was surprised at what he'd just done... but he didn't have the time to stand there and gawk. Whatever he had done had just failed... so better not waste time and think about it. At least now the sword was transformed, and now he was certain he could waste Sesshomaru.
"You will PAY for all these deaths, asshole!" Inuyasha swung his sword again as he reached his brother, clashing it with Sesshomaru's blade.
The blow jarred them both, but Sesshomaru barely let it show. Inuyasha tried to swing the other way, but found it blocked. He feinted and dived behind his brother, trying to strike from behind, but it was blocked.
"Stop blocking and fight me!" Inuyasha raged.
Sesshomaru smirked and suddenly swung his blade at amazing speed towards Inuyasha. The younger brother had barely the time to block it... and the force of the blow sent him flying backwards, landing him on his back with a graze along his arm.
"You really are such a pathetic little brat." Sesshomaru stalked towards him as he struggled to stand again. "You're good to last this long in such a long battle... but you're no way near my level. You'd need a hundred years to beat me... and even then I wouldn't care to wager that you'd succeed."
"Bastard!" Inuyasha swung out carelessly. He really had no real experience with handling a sword in this kind of form. He was exhausted mentally and physically... and the only thing really driving him on was adrenaline, and the dire need to defeat his brother.
All those reasons put together was making him careless, and Sesshomaru easily evaded his strike, as well as raking his poison claws across Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha cried out in pain, but carried on trying to land a blow.
"Give it up... you're not fit to be king here... to be defeated this easily..." Sesshomaru smashed a fist against his forehead, and Inuyasha felt something crack, making lights explode behind his eyes. Inuyasha refused to go down easily though. He swung with all his strength and clashed with Sesshomaru's sword between them.
Then the sun set.
Tessaiga slid back into its original, dull form, surprising Sesshomaru so much he stepped back, pulling the pressure off.
Inuyasha felt a wave of pain crash through his body and he dropped to his as Tessaiga fell from his numb fingers. Sesshomaru was smiling smugly again as he realised Inuyasha was done for. Though... he didn't expect for Inuyasha's hair to slowly change from white to black, spreading from his roots down to the tips of his blood matted hair.
The ears shifted from a perk upright position, to end up as fleshy useless flaps on either side of his head, really only useful for tucking the hair behind. He suddenly groaned and clasped his hands to his cracked skull, trying painfully, to hold it together so it wouldn't shatter. The pain was almost unbearable now.
Sesshomaru stared at him neutrally, seeing Inuyasha's hands, now clawless, start to seep with blood from his head. No doubt his face had changed.
"Looks like another little girl has been telling me fibs too..." he said quietly. "Stand up Inuyasha."
Inuyasha didn't hear him.
Sesshomaru reached down and pulled him up by his shirt, amazingly, Inuyasha refused to cry out in pain. Though his hands dropped away from his head and the pain was clearly etched and riddled across his face.
"You're pathetic..." Sesshomaru said cruelly. "No King should bear a weakness like this... you're an insult to our bloodline."
Inuyasha opened his mouth, trying to speak, but only managed to cough some blood up.
"What?" Sesshomaru held him stiffly aloft.
"Ka..."
"Last requests?" Sesshomaru smirked.
Inuyasha kept his eyes clenched in pain. He wanted no requests... he didn't give a shit about a noble death... if he was dead would he care? No... he just wanted to remember someone at his moment of death... and carry on that memory for the rest of his afterlife, if such a thing existed.
"...K'gome..." he managed to gasp out, barely audible and unrecognisable. Sesshomaru didn't understand him.
"Gibberish." He discerned it as. He carried on holding Inuyasha up with one hand, and pulled his sword back in the other, ready to run him through... right through the heart.
But he paused slightly before making the final blow.
It was short lived... a heavy arrow shaft shot from the battle below and slammed into Inuyasha's back with such force it protruded from his chest, inches from piercing Sesshomaru's armour. Inuyasha was dead before he even hit the ground...
< br>
AN: Very sorry......... Next chapter 'Our Reunion' But whose reunion?