InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wicked ❯ So Close, Yet So Far ( Chapter 29 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 29:  So Close, Yet so Far

Mattaki, now sitting at the well, was beginning to wonder what was taking so long, so he opened the link as wide as it would go.  What he found worried him, and he seriously considered jumping into the well himself and having it carry him to her side.

He had forged a theory last night, and had considered it for some small time – now might just be the time to test it out.  If the situation his mate had found herself in didn't resolve itself soon, he would.

Since the well was a magical construct, beings made up of magic could pass through it.  But he was also pretty sure that since the energy that fed the well was almost identical to Kagome's own, he would also be able to force it to his will, making it take him where he wanted to go.  Such a thing, though, was dangerous... an open portal to anywhere at all?  If the wrong demons were to get ahold if it, there would be problems.

However, he was also aware that the well had been sitting there for several eons, and hadn't been messed with, so perhaps it had some way to protect itself that he was unaware of.

That brings up questions, he thought.  Does this well have an awareness of its own?  It's certainly possible...

Eyeing it thoughtfully, he once more let his awareness of his mate tell him that things were, indeed, degenerating.  Right now, she was okay, but there was anxiety – he wouldn't interfere unless things got worse.  Then those villagers and the younger version of the old miko in the village would find out why it was not very smart to mess with what was his.

The moment he felt a thrill of fear and worry filter through the bond, he stood, and leaped down into the well, using his energies to take command of those in the well.  Forging a link between his powers, and his mate's powers through what the well contained, he forced the magic to his will, and before he knew it, he was in the same time she was – he could scent his sweet little mate right above him.

Leaping out of the well to drop into the midst of the chaos in the clearing, he snarled with rage at the sight of his little mate being held immobile by two village men.  Enraged, eyes flickering from gold to red, he completely ignored the shouts and screams from the rest of the group, his mind being taken up by the rage for the insult to his mate, his name.  Not to mention that they were touching what wasn't theirs to touch.

Advancing on them menacingly, he growled long and low – it was clearly a warning, and the two village men holding her down frantically let go and turned to run, leaving the clearing and the village miko to her doom.

The moment they let go, he was hovering over her, scenting her and visually searching to make sure she was not harmed.  Once he was assured that she was okay, he turned to the rest of those left in the clearing, and released his aura threateningly.

“You, miko, will let the woman go, turn around, and go back to your village,”  he got out, his voice still rough from his near transformation.  “It's either that, or I destroy it and you – your choice.”

The slightly younger version of Kaede stared at him for a moment, then looked at the woman that looked exactly like her sister had the day she had died.  “Ye say ye are my sister – yet I burned my sister's body and know that she is dead.  Ye say ye were given a second chance at life?  By who?”

“By me,”  Mattaki rumbled.  “Send your villagers away, and we will speak.”

Kaede weighed her options and nodded, turning to the villagers to impart her instructions.  “All of you may go home.  I will alert you all should you be needed again.”  Her statement ignored the fact that even if the three before her had malicious thoughts, she wouldn't have time to call for their aid before it was too late, anyway.  No point in making things worse, after all.

Reluctantly, the rest of the villagers walked away, disappearing into the trees.  Once they were alone, Mattaki spoke to Kagome.  “Mate, you and Kikyou should purify the well.  Once you do, you will be able to get through it again.”

He never moved his hard gaze from the village miko.  “What is it that you want to know, miko?  You think this all a trick, don't you?”  he asked, even as her gaze turned to the two at the well, their reiki pouring from them and dousing the well in pink and light violet.  

Raising shocked eyes to the daiyoukai, she stuttered out,  “Did ye not call the younger one 'mate'?”

He nodded.  “I did.”

“Is she a dark miko, then?”

He directed her to stand near the well and search Kagome's aura.  “Do you feel any darkness in my mate?”

Astounded, she shook her head, completely stunned by the girl's purity – it was like nothing she'd ever seen.  “How...?”

“Kagome's purity comes from her soul, not her virginity.  In fact, it is that way for all miko.  A miko's purity is not tied in any way to lying with a male, or not.  It is just foolish superstition that would have you believe that you cannot take a husband – or mate, as the case may be.”

She shook her head uncertainly, having a hard time giving up something she'd been taught all her life.  But it was hard to deny that the young miko in front of her purifying the well she was leaned against was still a miko, and not a dark one.  

“If I indeed must admit that this is my sister,”  she mumbled to herself, “then I will ask her what to think here.  This has been too strange a day already.”

They both watched the two miko purifying the well, until finally, they finished, and their reiki flowed back into their bodies.  Slumping just a bit with fatigue, Kagome sighed as her mate caught her.  She looked up and smiled at him.  “Thanks.  That was mildly tiring – Naraku used a great deal of malice when he sealed it.”  Her eyes lit up, then and she turned her head to look at Kaede and Kikyou eyeing each other uncertainly.

“Kaede-sama, I remember you mentioned wanting to know why you felt such a large degree of reiki being released a short time ago.” The elder miko nodded, and Kagome smiled.  “Then follow us, and we'll show you.  It's not bad.”

Mattaki quirked a questioning brow at her words, and she grinned.  “Come on – I guarantee you'll find a great deal of irony in this situation.”

Curiosity definitely engaged now, he followed Kagome as Kikyou and Kaede followed a bit behind.  She led them first to Inuyasha.  “This is where he was sealed for so long, Mattaki,”  she said quietly, and her mate, attention focused on his young son pinned to the tree, moved closer, regretting his death even more at the sight of the boy like that.

“Why does that youkai seem so saddened by Inuyasha's fate?”  Kaede asked Kikyou.  “It was only just for the crimes he committed against you and the village.”

Kikyou shook her head, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.  “No, Kaede.  He didn't.  We were both fooled, tricked into thinking the other had betrayed them.  The actual villain was Naraku – and we will show him to you in a few moments.  Inuyasha didn't break faith with me.  What fooled me was that it looked just like him.  We found out later that Naraku is a shape-shifter.  He simply wanted the Shikon no Tama.”

Kaede looked uneasy with that revelation.  “Ye are certain?  Ye know this Naraku is the cause of what happened that day?”

Kikyou nodded and wiped the tears from her face as Mattaki turned and moved towards them, answering Kaede's earlier question.  “The reason I am so interested in the sight is because Inuyasha is my youngest son.”

Blinking at that blunt statement, she looked wary at that information.  “Ye are not here for vengeance, are ye?”

He shook his head and gestured to his mate to show them what she considered so ironic.  With no further ado, she led them into the trees.  When Mattaki saw what was awaiting them, he grinned toothily, a predatory light in his eyes.

Kaede, on the other hand, was just stunned – again.   “This is the shapeshifter ye spoke of?”  she asked suspiciously.

“Yes.  He is a spider hanyou, and very devious.  He also lingers around the village, watching, hoping to find out where the Shikon no Tama went.”

A thoughtful expression took over Kaede's aged face at that.  “Ah... the evil feel to the forest at times then might be explained.  Perhaps I should put up wards to keep him from entering the village proper,”  she mused.

“That is probably a good idea, miko.  But if I were you, I would make them specific.  Instead of making them against youkai only, make it against anyone who would bring harm to the village.  That will also protect against bandits and the like, as well.”

“A ward to keep those with evil intent away,”  she said, brow furrowing.  “I never would have thought of that.  Are ye certain such a thing would work?”

Mattaki chuckled.  “Yes.  Human or no, there is as much darkness in their souls as there is in a youkai's, and reiki will react to that, no matter the race or species.  It's just that you miko and all those monks and priests have forgotten your past.  It was a fact once known by the general population, but now has it been forgotten.”

He sighed, then looked down at his mate as she stepped up to him and laid one slim hand on his arm.  “Are you ready to go back yet? I'd really like to go home and have a hot bath...”  she trailed off as a glazed look took over her face, and Mattaki almost face-planted at the wave of arousal that washed off of her.  

What the hell is she thinking about?  Without a thought, he tapped into her mind, and almost laughed aloud at what he'd found... So, she wanted a little fun in her bath?  He'd be more than willing to oblige her – over, and over, and over again.

Still, now was not the time, so he gathered his control, and stepped briskly back towards the well, followed by his mate, Kikyou, and Kaede.

When they arrived, Kikyou turned to look at Kaede with a smile.  “Don't worry, Kaede, we'll see each other again in a few years, and then I'll be back to stay.  I'll probably start taking over some of your responsibilities – I don't want you to fall apart,” she chuckled.

Kaede smiled tentatively back, then her face went slack, and she went limp, cradled in the big daiyoukai's arms.  Mattaki muttered something under his breath, and the he carried her over to a tree along the path to the village, and arranged her comfortably there.

He looked up at two almost identical looks of concern.  “She merely sleeps.  She will wake in one or two minutes, so we must make haste and leave this place.”

“But why did you do that?”  Kikyou asked, confused.

“Because I needed to erase her memories of us – we cannot have the timeline altered,”  he replied, and after a moment, Kikyou reluctantly nodded back.  "However, the things she learned today – the sutra, and the fact that a miko's purity lies in her soul, and not her virginity, she will remember.”

Kagome's eyes widened.  “That must be why Kaede was so much more understanding of things.  She didn't have a problem with a miko-hanyou or even youkai, relationship.  And why the village never got attacked by anything – not even maurading soldiers or bandits!”  she exclaimed even as they approached the well.

Kikyou nodded slowly, thinking about it.  “Hai, it makes sense now,”  she sighed. Shrugging her shoulders, she said,  “We can think of these things later – for now, let's go home.”

Mattaki gestured for Kikyou to go through first, and with a little bit of fear, she did, disappearing into the timewarp.  With that, Mattaki grabbed up his mate, and then also jumped into the well...

And they were finally back where they belonged.

-wWw-

No sooner had they landed back in the proper era than a frantic hanyou was before them, looking Kikyou over for injuries just as his father had done to Kagome when he'd arrived back in the past.

Kagome couldn't help but smile at his obvious and rather fussy concern over Kikyou – those two really hadn't had any time to figure themselves out, especially as Inuyasha had been dealing with his own angst over her and his father.

But hopefully, now that things were about to settle down, they could have that time.

Looking up at Mattaki, she said,  “I want to go home for a day or so – to just relax and take a nice long bath... or two,”  she chuckled.

Pulse beginning to pick up as he remembered what her thoughts earlier about a shared bath had been, he nodded.  “There is something I need to take care of, mate, and then we can go.  Wait here in the village – it will not take me long,”  he said, with a speaking glance at Inuyasha, who understood immediately.

“You too, Kikyou.  There's a lot we need to talk about, and we will, when I get back.”  Mystified, the two women glanced at each other in confusion, but when no answers were forthcoming, shrugged their questions off.  They'd find out what was up sooner or later.

“Fine, you secretive dog,”  Kagome said, waving him off as she and Kikyou started towards the village.  “You two go play, but do hurry up, please.”

Mattaki laughed at his little mate's overwhelming desire for a bath, and shaking his head at the foibles of women, he took ahold of Inuyasha as he had last night, and then formed his cloud and took off.

“Time to finally kill the bastard, is it?”  Inuyasha asked, not in the least surprised when his father nodded.  “Good!  It's about damn time, if you ask me.  He's been a pain in my rear for way too long as it is.”

“And not only yours, Inuyasha.  Your brother has a cause for vengeance, as well,”  Mattaki responded, not reacting to his son's sudden stiffening.  “Deal with it, Inuyasha – we are going to fetch your brother, and then we will all adjourn to the cave the insect is held in.  Then we will all take our vengeance as we send him into the afterlife.  And then the souls of those he tortured, raped and murdered will get their vengeance, as well.”

At mention of all those souls waiting, Inuyasha calmed, and laughed a little.  “I think it's only right, anyway, for them to get their revenge, too,”  he said.  I just wish I could know what they are going to do to him, ya know?”

Locked onto his eldest son's aura, Mattaki nodded.  “Although... I do have some information that you might find very amusing, in an ironic sort of way,”  he said, as his son took on an expression of interest.  “You know that Kikyou and Kagome both were sent back in time by Naraku.  He confronted them, while they were there – and Kagome sealed him to a tree.  He looked quite splendid there, if I do  say so myself,”  he said, enjoying the look of mirth on Inuyasha's face.

Laughing almost hysterically, Inuyasha almost lost his balance and fell – he would have had his father not had him in a strong hold.

“Oh,”  he choked out between bouts of laughter,  “I would have paid to see that!”

“The best part of the whole thing is that it was just a few feet away from where you were sealed.  Unfortunately, they couldn't leave him there forever, or it would entirely change the timeline – it would very likely mean you would have stayed pinned to the tree.”

At that, Inuyasha shuddered, not wanting to even think of a fate like that.  He had never been so glad to be free as he was right that moment.  Then something occurred to him, and he frowned.  “How'd they get him down and yet still escape?”

Mattaki shook his head.  “Kagome's got more tricks up her sleeve than any of us thought,”  he chuckled.  “The spell she created sealed him for a few days only – and wiped his memory of ever meeting them.  In that way, the present and future was not altered.”

Inuyasha nodded in understanding, even as he scowled slightly at the feel of his brother's aura as they began to descend to the ground.  His father didn't say anything, though he held a rather amused expression.  It seems it will take a great deal of time for these two to purge their dislike for each other.

Sesshoumaru stopped walking as soon as he felt his father's and brother's auras begin to overtake his, and waited patiently for them to arrive.  He had to admit, he was curious as to why his father, and hotheaded brother, were all of a sudden so close to each other when just a few days ago, he'd had to intervene to keep their sire from killing Inuyasha.

As soon as his father set down, Inuyasha's eyes were drawn to Rin, and he remembered what his father had told him about her.  It made his heart ache to know that she carried his mother's soul, and left him feeling like he'd had a hole punched through him.  It hurt in ways he couldn't even articulate, and tears actually filled his eyes as he watched the little girl smiling lovingly up at his brother.

Keh... I just wish I could see you one more time, mother, hug you one more time, and tell you that I love you.  I never got the chance to say goodbye, and it hurts that part of you is standing right in front of me... and I still can't reach you.

“So close, yet so far,”  he whispered, his whole being clenching in pained regret.

The poor hanyou was really sick of reincarnation and the unholy and painful situations it had put him in.  It seemed his life was just entertainment for the kami, and he was so, so tired of it.

He was shocked speechless, however, when Rin turned from her adoring smile at Sesshoumaru, and with suddenly wise, knowing eyes, whispered,  “It's okay, Inuyasha-sama.  She knows you loved her.”

Unable to say a word, he stared at the tiny child in utter bewilderment, not even noticing when Sesshoumaru ordered his little flunky to protect Rin and wait for his return.  His eyes were still plastered to her even as they once more lifted from the ground, and he continued to stare at her until he couldn't see her anymore.

He was completely unaware of his father's knowing gaze, or his brother's narrow-eyed one, his mind in too much turmoil to even care.

The trip was made in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts, though it didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination.

Inuyasha forcibly pulled his mind back from painful and morose thoughts, wanting to see his brother's face when he took in what their father had done to Naraku.

He wasn't disappointed, either.

Sesshoumaru came to a complete halt when he saw what was left of the pitiful spider that had tried to conquer Japan.

He studied the bloody mess for several minutes, then turned red-haloed eyes to his father and grinned, fangs glinting in the thin light of the cave.

“I'd forgotten just how terrible you could be to those that crossed you, father.  I find it a fitting end to this useless waste of flesh,”  he said, even as Naraku made a tiny sound, drawing all eyes back to him.

“S-so, all of y-you inu b-bastards are here to g-gloat?”  he rasped, his voice so damaged that if they hadn't had superior hearing, they wouldn't have been able to understand.

His crimson eyes widened in fear as he took note of the heightened youki in the cave, and noticed that all three males had lost their usual golden eyes, and now matched his own red eyes.

Cowering in fear, the spider knew his end had finally found him as the three Inu converged on him, all of hell's fires burning in their vermillion gazes.

-wWw-

A/N:  We'll get a nice little accounting of Naraku's death and the beginnings of his afterlife in the next chapter... and then this story will be winding down.  I think there's about three or four more chapters left.  And then I can start posting my other Inupapa/Kagome action/adventure/romance.

I wanted to thank all the readers and reviewers that have put this story at over six hundred reviews – most stories of this pairing don't get near that many, so I'm thrilled that people really enjoyed this, and took the time to let me know that they did.  When Wicked wraps up, I hope to see you all over in the next story!

Amber

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