InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Synthetic Twilight ❯ XII ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Emilo pulled the top off of a barrel and dipped a large mug into it. "Ah, no water nearby, what to do?" he said shrugging.
Inuyasha gave his friend a dour look, "We're floating in a bay, and there's no water nearby?"
"Too salty, no good for making brandywine, ah well." he took a swig. "Want some?" he said, holding the mug out to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha shook his head, "No thanks, I've got to haul up the last of the cargo up, it's supposed to be arriving within the hour. You keep drinking out of that and we won't have any left to sell."
Emilo laughed, "Who'd miss it? It's no sherry, que fina!" He sat down and propped his feet up on a table, "It was nice of you to take Bull's job off of his hands so he could go sight-seeing with Lina, what'd you get out of the deal?"
Inuyasha grinned inwardly, Bigger food portions. "Nothing, it was nice to finally see Bull get his girl." he said laughing, refering to Bull's two month-long campaign to woo the young woman. "I'm on to you, ox! Yer tryin' to get me thrown off for sure!" he remembered her saying the first time Bull had presented her with a flower he'd picked in India. "Anyway, what are you doing hanging around the ship? Shouldn't you be off somewhere, rendering some town-girl the target of gossip for the next few years?"
Emilo waved his hand dismissively, "I'm too tired for Ling-ling and her sisters tonight." He rubbed his left arm tenderly, "Besides, their mother has a wicked backhand when wielding a cane- and I'd rather not spend an hour being chased by a squawking old woman again- it ruins the afterglow."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "One of these days, someone's going to catch you with something sharp, what would Captain Fernam do then?"
"Say 'good ridance' and make you his new first mate." Emilo laughed at his imitation of the captain. "So I hear you're taking off in the next port for a few weeks, going to see a girl of your own?"
Inyasha looked away, "No, I don't have anyone like that anymore."
"Shame. I'll let you in on a secret," Emilo said, dipping his empty mug into the barrel. "I wasn't always the prolific womanizer you see standing before you today!"
"You don't say," Inuyasha said dryly, Emilo was already tipsy.
"I do say! And with that a story," he paused, taking a long draught from the mug. "You see, that Emilo had a woman, just one, that he intended to make his wife. But he had no money, no way to support her and the legion of children he planned to have. So off he goes, se fue!, and joins a merchant ship to make some money. Doña Future Wife begged him to stay, she says, 'Emilo, do not go. We can live in the moutains, off of the land, money is not necessary there'. But I, Emilo," he said pointing at himself, his thick accent slurring heavily, "knew nothing of mountains or living off lands. He only knew of stone avenues and bread appearing on shop stalls in the market. He wanted to see his Doña in bright-colored dresses, adorned with pearls. Emilo worked hard for Capt'n Fernam, hustling in the streets, selling our wares for as high as he dared, he came to eventually live for this life. He stopped by two times a year to bring his Future Wife gifts from his travels, promising that soon, soon they'd be together as he had planned. With every visit Future Wife became more despondent until one visit- she was not there. Emilo begged her mama to tell him where his Future Wife had gone, and she had reluctantly done so." Emilo frowned at his empty mug and dipped it back into the barrel. So this is why he rarely drinks, Inuyasha thought as he watched Emilo's sluggish movements. "Don't give me that look, this stuff, it is el gato's work. Just a little bit is the same as a full glass of wine."
Inuyasha inclined his head, the caramel liquor was meant to be a wine, but the water was removed to save weight on ships. "I didn't say anything. Weren't you in the middle of telling a story?"
"Oh, right." Emilo said, remembering where he was. "So Emilo followed his Doña mama's directions toward Navarra, through thick forrests, crossing a river or two until he came to the base of a mountain where a small farmhouse stood. There in the window he saw his Future Wife fat with child stiring a pot of lentils over a hearth. He found the husband attending four lambs in a shed behind the house, when he made to confront the man, he found he could not. Future Wife's husband offered Emilo a flask of water and asked if he wished to stay for the dinner his Doña was preparing. Emilo thrust the packages that he had brought for Future Wife into her husand's hands and ran back the way he had come, toward the sanctity of the ship that had become his home. Emilo imagined that as soon as he took off, Future Wife's husband showed her the packages inside, because as the farmhouse shrunk in the distance, he could hear his Doña calling his name but he could not stop running away. He had waited too long to decide, could not or would not decide- your narrator is not sure anymore- to leave his rich life for his Future Wife in the hills. In the end, his beautiful Future Wife made the decision without him. My Magdalena did not wait for me..." he trailed off sadly.
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, I saved her, I saved my Kagome. He swallowed thickly, "Was there a moral to this story?"
"Isn't there always?" Emilo asked, bleary-eyed, but he did not say anything further. Stumbling over to a bucket that sat in the corner of the room, he retched. "Don't tell anyone you saw this," he said between heaves.
Inuyasha shook his head as he walked to the door, "I won't, get cleaned up or everyone will know without me having to say anything."
"I told you that story because you've a look about you that said you needed to hear it."
Inuyasha opened the door, "Was it a true story?" he said looking back at the man.
"Every word. Now go and do something about that cargo or you'll have Bull out there all night."
Inuyasha nodded and closed the door behind him.

Inuyasha sat on the railing, staring at the full moon hanging low on the horizon. "We push our luck on this ship." Fernam had told him. "One day we really will reach the edge of this world and we will not be able to turn back, I fear God would strike us down if we dared." On nights like these, where you could not distinguish the sea from the skyline, it was a reasonable fear. His ears flicked back at the sound of a few crew members singing gayly below deck, "... in the trousers she kissed me, and I only bought her one round!" they howled. On the docks, he could hear Bull speaking with Lina, "I want to marry you." he blurted out in the middle of her ranting about the small size of the ducks she had bought to cook for the crew the next night. She let out a small gasp and laughed, "W-well we'd 'ave to ask for ma's permission and..."
Inuyasha flicked his ears forward and drowned out the noise with the help of the water lapping against the hull of the ship. "...he could hear his Doña calling his name but he could not stop running away." He could almost hear Kagome's voice, shaky and hoarse with her cries, "Please, don't do this, Inuyasha."
His ears drooped, everything he did, he did with Kagome's best interests in mind. He was her protector, and he was saving her from the hardships she'd have if she stayed with him, in this time- far away from the comforts she deserved.

Kikyo gazed at the small, pink jewel in her hand forlornly, "Send my reincarnation home."
Inuyasha bristled, "No, Kikyo, she wants to be here."
"When I had the jewel burned with my body, I meant to take it away from this world so that it would not curse another's life as it had mine. I know you love the girl," she said sadly.
Inuyasha blushed, "I care for you both." he said lamely.
"The light she holds, if you wish for it to be extinguished, the jewel will surely do this. She will become chained to it as I am, and it will destroy her spirit. If she stays- that will be her fate. How much do you love her?"
"A great deal," he said thickly.
"Then save her from this life, send her home." she said as she began to walk in the direction of the Bone-eater's Well. "I will seal the well after her passage, at least one of us will be spared."

Inuyasha gripped Tetsusaiga tightly, he was not like Emilo in his story. He didn't run away from Kagome and he had no hesitation in his decision to send her home- he was just looking for a good place to die. He sighed, I am running away. He had a lot more in common with the ship's first mate than he thought.

Kagome lay in the tall grass of the field outside of the demonslayer's village. She had laid in this field for two hours, awash in the silver glow of the full moon, listening to the same song on repeat.

Travel the world
Traverse the skies
Your home is here
Within my heart
And for the first time
I feel as though I am reborn

Tears leaked down the sides of her face, I can't keep doing this to myself. He isn't going to come for me, I have to move on with my life. Kouga had come earlier today, and as promised, Kagome made her "world-famous" fried eels for her family. Afterwards, they went for a walk together, alone. It felt too perfect, Kouga was attentive, funny, and sensitive. They had sat on the bank of a small stream that ran near the village and talked about everything and nothing at the same time. And when he leaned in to kiss her- she wanted to, she really did- but she just couldn't. "Kouga, wait. I-I can't, not yet. If we go too fast with this, it wouldn't be fair for either of us."
Kouga brushed the hair from her face tenderly, "Mutt-face never deserved you," he murmured and kissed her forehead instead. "Kagome, if I have the slightest chance to win you, I'll do whatever it takes. If you need more time, I'll wait for you."
Kagome rested her forehead against his, "I'm sorry, Kouga-kun."
Kouga smiled, "Don't apologize, I'm here for you."

Who wouldn't be the one you love?
Who wouldn't stand inside your love?
And for the first time
I'm telling you how much I need and bleed for
Your every move and waking sound

Kagome wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed. The words he said, the way he said them- it was how she'd always held Inuyasha in her dreams.



AN: I didn't think I'd be doing anything remotely song-ficish in this, but there it is.
The first song that the crew is singing is "Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced" by the Dropkick Murphys.
The second song that Kagome is listening to is "Stand Inside Your Love" by the Smashing Pumpkins, I wasn't going to put it in here, but it's been stuck in my head for the past two days. >_<
'Que fina'- how good/how fine!
'Se fue'- He left
'el gato'- the devil
Thanks for reading!
I do not own any of the characters from the manga/anime Inuyasha.