InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Next Best Thing ❯ Chapter 11: Potions and Discoveries ( Chapter 11 )

Also, I could've ended this a long time ago, and I could quickly end it anytime I wanted, but I've chosen to go more in depth with the characters and (hopefully) an explanation of the "end" with Naraku, the Shikon no Tama and Kikyou. So please be patient, and let me know your comments and/or criticism anytime...

The disclaimer. Inuyasha and all its related characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko and all the other companies that own them these days.

Miroku returned home from picking some herbs and flowers to find Sango, Kagome and Inuyasha all outside, carefully reading the instructions for the bond potion. Also, Yumemi and Shinhaku were playing off to the side, but not far enough away to escape Sango's view, Miroku noted to himself.

"Well, I found them." He laid the herbs and flowers out on the piece of cloth Sango had laid out for that specific purpose.

Sango checked over them. "Let's see...you have the rosemary, carnations, nightshade, orchids and demon's fang. Okay," Sango muttered as she looked at the list of ingredients, "with Kaede's old supplies of ground dove feathers, cinnamon, dew drops and our fresh strawberry paste we might just have everything that we need."

Inuyasha scratched his head in slight confusion. "Ya think this is really gonna work? I mean look at the ingredients...more like something you'd use for potpourri."

"Inuyasha! Kaede wouldn't write it down unless she knew it'd work. Have a little faith. We still have to add melon juice and honey to it. That's wouldn't exactly smell nice if left out for a long period of time, right?" Kagome prodded Inuyasha in the side. Sometimes she wasn't sure about him. He lived in this time period where they practiced this kind of thing all the time whereas Kagome, who lived in an era were this kind of stuff was thought to be ridiculous, had about ninety-percent faith in what they were doing. They had been working hard all afternoon, and Kagome hoped it would work.

"Alright. I'll just get outta yer way then." Inuyasha stepped back and leaned against Kaede's old home as he placed his hand inside his sleeves.

Sango went on as if she hadn't heard Inuyasha in the first place. "'kay, Miroku, you wanna get that big kettle from inside the house? I think it's about time to start mixing everything together."

Miroku nodded before disappearing into the house. Sango turned towards Kagome and Inuyasha. "Now, all we need is a hair from each of you."

Kagome pulled out one of her hairs without hesitation. Sango took it and looked to Inuyasha. He was hesitating.

"Inuyasha? What's a matter?" Kagome asked.

"Er, well...I don't like," Here Inuyasha's voice softened to almost a whisper, "having my hair yanked."

Kagome smiled at him. "It's good to know your weaknesses." She quickly yanked a hair from Inuyasha's head. She was almost grinning at him now. "You never know when it may come in handy."

"Why you..." Inuyasha grabbed for Kagome and missed. He was about to try again, having fallen for her wiles, when Sango interrupted the pair. "Now you two, I need your help. You can frolic in the forest after everything's done and everyone's saved."

The situation with Sakura instantly flooded Kagome's mind once again. "You're right. How can we help?"

Sakura had spent the afternoon with Rin and Rin had showed her all of the special places she had discovered over the years. She had told Sakura that sometimes you just wanted to get away and be by yourself, and that's what these kinds of places were for.

What Rin hadn't told Sakura was what had been on her mind. The words Sakura had said over lunch kept echoing through Rin's head. She decided that she needed to find out a little bit more of what Sakura had been talking about earlier.

"Hey, Sakura?"

"Hm?" Sakura looked up from a rose she had been about to pick.

"Well, I have a question for you. I know that you only met your father for the first time a few days ago...there's actually a lot I know about your parents. But, well, my question is this: you said that you missed your mom a lot, and really wanted to see her, right?" She saw Sakura nod and went on, "Is it the same for Inuyasha too? I mean you know more about Lord Sesshoumaru than him..."

Sakura stood up straight. "Well, the first time I met him, I wasn't scared of him at all. There was something about him that made me think that I've known him a long time. And I know that my mommy missed him a lot. I saw her sometimes...she looked so sad. That's why I wanna go back and have everyone be together. To be a family."

She then realized something. Rin really didn't have a family. "Rin, I wanna let you know that you and me are family. We can be sisters, okay? You'll never be lonely then!"

Rin couldn't help but smile at the big grin on Sakura's face. But then again Rin knew that she was on dangerous ground; thinking about things that Lord Sesshoumaru wouldn't approve of.

"Sakura, thanks." Rin half-turned away from the little girl. "I almost forgot! I need to go and do something for Lord Sesshoumaru! You can look around all you want. You remember the way, right?" Sakura nodded. "Okay, remember to be at Lord Sesshoumaru's door for dinner. If you're late...well, bye!"

Rin hurried away without another glance. Sakura had offered her greatest wish, apart from gaining Lord Sesshoumaru's love, and that was a family. She had never had any real brothers or sisters, and she would love to be Sakura's big sister, but...she couldn't turn against Sesshoumaru. Rin walked quickly into the depths of the castle, trying to figure out what she was going to do...

The sky was nearly filled with stars as Kagome and Inuyasha sat together, just outside Sango and Miroku's hut. The potion needed to simmer for a while, and Sango had told the pair to go rest outside a bit. Inuyasha and Kagome had listened, and Kagome sat leaning against Inuyasha's shoulder while he had his arm around her. Their two bodies gave off enough heat to chase away the cool spring evening.

"Hey, Kagome?"

"Hmm?"

"After ya get Sakura back, you said that ya wanted me to stay with you. But..."

The question caught Kagome's attention. She sat up and looked into Inuyasha's eyes. "Yes, I said that. What're you trying to ask?"

Inuyasha waved his free hand in front of him in defense. "Don't get the wrong idea! I wanna be with ya more than anythin', but where, or more rightly, when...?"

Kagome relaxed a little before thinking about the answer. She really hadn't thought too much about it herself. "Well, I don't know. I wouldn't mind staying her with all of you guys, but then Sakura might miss her family and wouldn't get the education she should have. But if the Bone-Eater's Well works, then I know I'd like to stay here and visit back home. I've missed being here over the last five years...but..."

"But what?"

"I suppose I'll leave the decision up to Sakura. I don't want her to be unhappy." Kagome laid her head this time on Inuyasha's chest.

"That's a good decision. Don't worry Kagome, we'll see her soon. And then all three of us will try the well out together. That way we won't hafta be separated again."

Inuyasha had just started to run his fingers through Kagome's hair when he heard a noise. He became alert and voiced rather loudly, "Who's there? I can hear ya."

He had just recognized the scent when a small creature came flying out of the bushes and into Kagome's lap. "KAAAGOOOOMEEEEE!"

It took Kagome a moment to register everything that had just happened before she looked at what was now sitting in her lap. "Shippou!"

She gave him a hug while he said, "Kagome! You went away for so long! I thought I'd never see you again!"

He took a few steps back, out of Kagome's lap, so he could look at her and Inuyasha as he spoke. "But when I picked up your scent, I had to come as fast as I could! I was confused at first because I smelled your scent, and then it disappeared. But then it came back again..."

Kagome was still smiling. "Well, a lot has happened since I've come back..."

And she began to tell him her story of all that had happened since she had arrived back in the Sengoku Jidai.

Inside the hut Sango was stirring the simmering potion again. After she put the ladle back down on the floor, she walked over to Miroku. He was finishing up a story to Shinhaku and Yumemi before they went to bed.

"And so the demon was able to defeat the monster who had broke his sword in two, even though he was still unsure of how to control his true-demon side."

In a sleepy voice Yumemi asked her father, "So, does he figure out how to do that?"

"And does he find a way to always be good? So he doesn't hurt his friends?" Shinhaku tried to fight back a yawn after he asked his question.

If it were left up to Shinhaku and Yumemi, Miroku would always be telling stories. Of course what Miroku didn't reveal was that the stories he told were simply adventures he had had with Inuyasha and everyone else. But he saw from the corner of his eye that Sango not only wanted the children to go to bed, but that she also wanted to talk to him. Ever since the twins had been born the couple had only been able to talk freely at night when their children were alseep.

"Yumemi, Shinhaku, you know it's time for bed. So, off we go." He took one child under each arm and with much difficulty managed to get them into bed and quieted down within five minutes. After he was pretty sure that the children were nearly asleep, Miroku blew out the candle and shut the door. He headed back towards the living area and saw Sango stirring the bond potion again. The firelight enhanced her beauty even more, and Miroku stood there simply admiring his wife until she turned around.

"Miroku? What're you staring at? Are the twins asleep?" Sango laid the ladle down and waited to hear what her husband would say in reply.

Miroku smiled. "Of course they're asleep. And yes, I was staring at you. Do you know how beautiful you are?"

Sango blushed deeply. She loved it when Miroku told her things like that, but she knew that she needed to talk to him about more important things.

At that moment Miroku walked up to her and stroked the side of her face. "Hmmm, you know, if all of this works out, we should maybe ask Inuyasha and Kagome to watch the twins. We haven't had a little time to ourselves in a really long time..."

Sango fought the urge to kiss him, and took his hand from her face, and squeezed it tightly with her own hand. "I agree. For now, love, I need to talk to you."

"What about?" Miroku had no intention of letting go of Sango's hand as they talked.

"Well, how're we gonna be able to help Inuyasha and Kagome after they've gone into Sesshoumaru's domain? I can't just stand around and do nothing..."

"Don't worry, Sango. I am going to try and keep in contact with them as much as I can while they are inside the barrier. Besides, if they get to Sesshoumaru and weaken him, the barrier will weaken. Then we could go inside as well to help them. We just need to ask someone to watch the kids tomorrow."

Sango sighed. These thoughts weren't the only thoughts in her head at the moment. She had a secret she normally would be more than happy to tell her husband, but in order to help her friends she needed to keep it a little longer. If Miroku knew that Sango was finally pregnant again he wouldn't let her leave the house, let alone go inside Sesshoumaru's domain. Putting these thoughts aside she concentrated again on the conversation she was having with Miroku. "Well, I'll ask one of the closest neighbors from the village. Miyagi should be free, I think."

Before the couple could finish their conversation, the front door burst open.

"Shippou!" Sango was the first to speak as she saw their old friend and companion enter the house before Inuyasha and Kagome followed him in.

"Sango! Miroku! It's been nearly a year! Sorry I didn't visit sooner..."

"No, don't worry about it! Come in, come in." Sango ushered him inside the house, and motioned for them all to sit around the fire.

The potion continued to boil as the five companions from all those years ago sat together once again and started to tell each other about all they had missed.
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January 2002
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