InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Story of our Lives ❯ Justify ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Sango moaned in agony. She couldn’t remember how long she had been there, hanging on the wall, but it felt like an eternity. She could often hear Naraku’s malicious laughter due to what she assumed was his scheming.

Sango slowly turned her head – her neck stiff and pained – and glanced at Miroku and Shippou through the corner of her eye. Shippou still hang limply, lazily swinging back and forth in his one chain, while Miroku rubbed the back of his neck, having to extend it for his hand to reach.

“Miroku,” Sango whispered hoarsely. “How long have we been here?”

Miroku didn’t move his head, instead rolled his eyes to the corner. “A few days, perhaps three.”

Sango sighed, coughing from the dryness in her throat. Why were they here? Certainly, if Naraku wanted them dead, they would be so by now. However, Naraku could be drawing someone out – InuYasha most likely – so he could kill him. Sango mulled these thoughts over in her head. When she looked up, a young, pale-faced girl stood in the doorway, holding a mirror.

“Kanna,” she heard Kagura call out. “What are you doing?”

The girl called Kanna did not say a word, merely turned and walked away.

Sango felt a lone tear slip down her cheek. Despite her will to be strong no matter what, she could feel hope slipping from her grasp bit by bit.








Kagome slapped on the last of her seals. Before she had left, she had borrowed a book from Kaede about demonic seals. As much as Kagome would have liked to ‘sit’ InuYasha to hell, she figured that keeping him trapped in the well would be better and less bothersome.

Kagome sighed and placed her hands on her hips. It was finally over. She didn’t have to worry about missing school, or about finding all the jewel shards, or even Kouga.

She left the well house, stopping to take in the beauty of the warm spring day. The flowers planted by the God Tree were in full bloom and were gently swaying in the breeze. Kagome’s eyes went to the tree and her heart ached, but only for a moment.

‘I shouldn’t be thinking about that!’ she berated herself. ‘I should go study, or else I won’t get into a good high school…’

Kagome turned away from the God Tree and walked to house. Times were going to change massively, weren’t they? She had a hard time fathoming what life would be like without seeing her friends on a regular basis. Why would it be so hard? Kagome had spent the majority of her life without knowing InuYasha. So why it was difficult to remember what life had been like before was a mystery to her.

Kagome entered her room and closed the door. Looking around, she realized it had been a while since she had truly cleaned her room. Her closet overran with uniforms not hung on hangers, and shoes stacked sloppily on top of one another. Her desk piled high with homework still yet to be completed. To keep herself from slipping into thoughts of InuYasha once more, Kagome immediately immersed herself in cleaning her room, resolved not to miss a corner.








InuYasha landed at the bottom of the well deftly. Glancing around, he noticed his surroundings were darker than usual. He looked up and saw more darkness.

‘That’s weird…’ he thought as he grasped the rope ladder and pulled himself up. Upon reaching the top, InuYasha saw the well was closed.

“That stupid little wench…” he muttered as he drew back his fist to punch the wood. At contact, a pink-ish light erupted from the lid and InuYasha nearly lost his grip on the rope. His eyes widened and his brows knitted together, deep creases in his forehead. Extending his finger, InuYasha tapped the lid again. He got the same reaction. Whatever was keeping the lid closed was unyielding.

Anyone could have prognosticated what would have happened next, but InuYasha didn’t know the meaning of insanity, so, letting out a yell, he hit the lid with great force – enough to knock him down and back through the well to his time.


‘Damn…You really are an idiot, aren’t you?’ the youkai’s voice, steeped in disappointment, said. An irate InuYasha chose to say nothing, only staring at from where he came.


‘I really am an idiot.’







Sesshoumaru still stood by the well, resolved to wait until something – or someone – surfaced. It was then he felt it. The ominous feeling he got when he was about to be attacked. He turned quickly, surveying his surroundings in a sweeping glance. Nothing there.

‘Strange…’

Still, the feeling remained. The hairs on the back of Sesshoumaru’s neck bristled; something was there, but damned if he knew what. He could catch no trace of its scent or its location. Suddenly, it was there. He knew it. He could feel it, where it was. Looking up, Sesshoumaru saw a black shadow closing in on him. Before he was able to react, the shadow landed atop him, crushing him to the ground. Sesshoumaru felt he could not breathe, as if something of great weight were crushing him. His hands felt the obstruction to push it off. The familiar shape brought an inward sigh. The weight suddenly lifted significantly, and Sesshoumaru felt his blood rushing again.

“Sneak attack!” Hana giggled, planting her hands on Sesshoumaru’s shoulders.

“I think you should lay off the sweets for now, Hana,” he said in a dry tone.

Hana drew in a sharp breath and feigned irritation. “How could you say that, Sesshoumaru? After being gone so long, I thought you’d miss me. Where’s the love?”

Sesshoumaru grasped her shoulders lightly and sat up, Hana sliding into his lap. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Sesshoumaru felt awkward somehow, sitting there stiffly with a melted girl draped around him. He scooted back gracefully and leaned against the well, making sure to keep a distance so as not to squash Hana’s legs. He glanced at her head, her little ears twitching at the slightest noise. A tiny smile graced his face when he reached out to flick her ear. In return, Hana dragged her face nose-to-nose with his, her eyes sending out a death glare.

“Remember what I’m sitting on, puppy, and just what pain I can inflict.”

He raised an eyebrow. “As if you could bring yourself to hurt me.”

She looked away, muttering, “It could happen…”

“Where is your sword?” he asked suddenly.

“Oh! It’s right here!” Hana held out her open palm – and her sword appeared almost instantly. A leather sling attached to each end of the scabbard.

“How does it rest on your hip with a sling like that?” Sesshoumaru inquired.

She slipped the sling over her head, the sword resting on her back. “It doesn’t, see? It’s more comfortable this way.”

“Such a strange girl…”

Hana caught his lips in a kiss. Sesshoumaru’s hands, which were resting on her hips, ran under her tunic across her heated flesh. Hana’s hand intertwined in his hair, the other one pulling at his haori. The farther up her back he went, the tighter her grip became. Her kiss became more fervent, as if she were afraid this were nothing but a dream and it would all disappear. Sesshoumaru chuckled into the kiss, but it was half-stifled when Hana deepened the kiss upon hearing it. It felt like Hana would never let go, given her iron – like grip on him, but she stopped instantly when she heard InuYasha’s voice from the bottom of the well.

Sesshoumaru gently pushed her head back. Her lips had still been connected with his, her eyes open wide with shock. He stood up – Hana standing up as well – and turned around. InuYasha shot out of the well and landed deftly on the ground beside it.


“I…InuYasha…” Hana said, giving panicked glances at Sesshoumaru. “What’s…what’s wrong? What were you doing down there?”

InuYasha’s head was down, his bangs covering his eyes. The downward twist on his lips gave away his anger. He said nothing as he started walking into the trees. His fists balled and his footsteps crunched the grass, forceful enough to keep it down.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and looked at Hana, who stood with her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes downcast.

“Didn’t see that coming…,” she muttered. She took off into the trees after him less than a moment after.









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“ ;So do you have everything ready?”

“Almost. They haven’t arrived yet. If they don’t come though, they obviously don’t care about their precious friends.”

Naraku sat gazing at the intimidating figure sitting across from him. A deal had been struck up at the prospect of killing a specific half-demon, and the outcome looked very promising. Naraku would not receive a reward for helping the demon; the death of that brat was payment enough, and he couldn’t wait until he received it.

“We’ll initiate the plan as soon as they arrive. Don’t you dare fail me, Naraku. It’s extremely important this plan is seen all the way through.”

With those parting words, the demon stood, massively tall and solid, and walked toward the door.

“Do not worry; everything will go as according to your plan.” A cruel twist appeared on Naraku’s lips. “I will not fail you, Kyoshi-sama.”








Silence filled the entire forest. Nothing moved, nothing made a single sound. The normally chipper animals of the forest seemed scared at the black aura radiating off the young hanyou as he ran past tree after tree.

‘She can’t possibly be serious this time, can she?’ InuYasha wondered, feeling the hot tears stinging the edge of his eyes. ‘Why would she want to leave? I don’t understand it; what did I do wrong?’

He didn’t know how long he’d been running, but he stopped when he broke out of the trees and onto a small cliff. The horizon was streaked with colors of red, pink and orange as the sun began to set. InuYasha sank down on the edge of the cliff and let his shoulders fall in defeat as a sigh escaped him. He didn’t think he was that depressed until he heard a rustling in the leaves – and he realized he didn’t care what came out, enemy or not.

Hana walked solemnly out of the trees and sat down beside him. She crossed her ankles and folded her hands in her lap.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

InuYasha looked at him, puzzled. “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No,” she whispered. “I did. I came back with the shards and I didn’t even realize it. I could’ve stopped her.”

“No, that still wouldn’t have worked. She obviously doesn’t want to be here anymore. Forcing her to come back would only make it worse.”

“How can you say that?” Hana demanded, offended at his words. “You love her!” Her eyes slowly widened as the wheels of assumption turned in her head. “Why, I bet it was your fault she left! You did something to upset her, didn’t you? Answer me!”

InuYasha tucked his head down, and mumbled only perceptible to Hana’s ear, “I may have…kissed her.”

Hana pulled back in surprise at his words. “Why, if you kissed her, then she should be happy, right? I mean, she knows you love her, correct? You don’t have any other women hanging around that might sway her thinking?”

InuYasha didn’t answer. He only blushed and looked away.

“Oh, hell no, Inuyasha! You can’t have another woman she could feel intimidated by! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

He raised a fist. “Oi, what they hell do you mean what’s wrong with me? Nothing’s wrong with me so stop yelling!”

“It’s that priestess Kikyou, isn’t it? I’m right aren’t I?”

InuYasha’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “How did you know about Kikyou?”

Hana flicked his head. “I read your mind, or what’s left of it. I can’t believe you’re still hanging on to someone who’s dead. She might still be walking this earth, but believe you me, she’s as dead as dead can get,” she heaved a sigh and looked down at her hands. “Even if you’re the one who caused the death, however accidental or not…you have to get over it. You can’t let it eat you away. I mean, I…”

InuYasha looked up with renewed interest. “You what? What did you do?”

Hana stared blankly at the orange sun sinking below the darkening horizon. “That’s not important. We’re not talking about me; we’re talking about your seriously messed-up love triangle.”

“No, really,” he persisted. “How are you supposed to make me understand what you’re trying to say if you don’t have a story to relate to me with?”

Hana looked up in bewilderment. “What is this, LifeTime?”

InuYasha’s mouth was open, ready to say something more, but stopped. “Wait, what?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind, just something I saw on Kagome’s box.”

He nodded understandingly. “Oh.”

Moments of silence followed that utterance. Hana gazed hard at the setting sun and the swirling colors around it. The skies had cleared a few hours after Kyoshi left, and the dominant red in the sky promised good weather the following day.

“So…what are you going to do?” Hana broke the heavy silence.

InuYasha’s brows knitted in thought. “I…I don’t know. I can’t just forget Kikyou, but…I don’t want to lose Kagome.”

Hana cast her eyes downward at his words. It was painful for her to hear his words of confusion and pain. In an effort to lighten her and his mood, she chuckled and said, “Necrophilia’s a little sick, you know.”

InuYasha kept his eyes down, the crease in his brow deepening. She sighed, her attempt at humor shot down. So, instead of humor, she tried something more serious.

“We need to go after them, InuYasha.”

The hanyou gazed at her quizzically. “Go after who?”

Hana spoke after a moment. “Your friends, InuYasha, we need to find them.”

InuYasha scrambled to his feet. All thoughts of Kagome disappeared when he remembered his friends in need of rescue.

“Come one, Hana,” he commanded. “Let’s go get that bastard of yours and go.”

Hana stood up, any traces of doubt or worry completely wiped away. Still, InuYasha felt like it was there below the surface, as if she knew something she wasn’t telling him.

‘Feh, it’s probably just about Kagome.’ he rationalized. ‘If it’s really that important, she’d tell me.’

Even as he comforted himself with those words, in the back of his mind he knew it wasn’t that simple.

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A soul collector landed lightly on Kikyou’s hand, feeding her the soul it held. InuYasha’s aura grew stronger with each step; she was almost there. However, she could sense the girl he with which he traveled.

‘Damn, it’s pointless if she is not there.’ she felt angered by the failure. Stopping, she picked up a menacing aura. It felt oppressive and forceful against her as the owner drew near. Pulling out her bow, she loosely knocked an arrow, ready for what would face her. What revealed itself, however, surprised her, and only made her more cautious.

“Hello,” a wicked voice spoke. “I assume you are the dead priestess Kikyou.”

Kikyou narrowed her eyes at his words. “Who are you?”

A twisted chuckle made its way to her ears. “I will tell you that in due time. First, though, I must know if you will follow me, help me. You see, there’s a certain hanyou I wish to exterminate, but it will be a very trying ordeal, which is why I am in need of you expertise.”

Kikyou raised one eyebrow. “My…expertise?”

“Yes,” the voice replied. “I have seen you can gather souls from my observations. I am curious to see if you can control them as well, use them to your advantage.”

“I have never tried to do something like you say, nor have I ever had a reason to try. Are you implying that I could, perhaps, create an army of souls?”

The evil voice chuckled again. “Yes, actually, that is exactly what I’m implying.”

Skepticism must have showed, because the voice said, “Come now, don’t you wish to finally rid the world of that wretched hanyou?”

Resolve slowly formed inside Kikyou. “Yes…I believe that I do. If I follow you, where will we go?”

She could see it. A mouth full of teeth exposed itself in a smile through the shadows. “Where many restless souls go to wander: the Forest of Life and Death.”

Kikyou’s eye widened slightly at his words. That forest was forbidden to enter, unless you wished to die. ‘I suppose that’s why he wants me.’ she thought.

The voice continued. “I suppose I can stop that “construction” on the forest, now.”

She gazed hard at the trees, eyes ridden with panic. “Construction? You are not to touch that forest!”

“Oh? I did not know it was forbidden.”

“That much is obvious, you fool.”

The voice grew irritated. “You think me a fool, do you? Well, perhaps your services are not needed then.”

Kikyou advanced a step, the arrow falling from the bow. “No, I wish to help. However, you absolutely cannot disturb the souls in that forest.”
“Why not? You are going to make an army of them and kill the hanyou.”

She narrowed her eyes at his words. “…Fine.” she reluctantly agreed.

The voice sounded light again. “Ah, good. Follow me then, priestess.”

Kikyou walked into forest, knowing only that she would finally be able to kill InuYasha, whether he wanted to die or not.

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A/N:

Ahh, nothing like the sweet smell of an update! All right, so there's some minor changes in Chapter 8, as I hope you have already noticed. Now, I know my last excuse was a new puppy, but my excuse this time is that this is just a "when I feel like it" updating system. The chapter gets done when it's done, pokey? Good. Now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^