Disclaimer: We both know I don’t own Inu-Yasha.
(But I do own Little Inu and his siblings). Got it?
A/N:
Yeah, evil cliffy last time I know. Once again, don’t threaten me. If I’m hurt,
I can’t write. And that means NOTHING gets finished, not this or even the
beloved OaL. Oh, and Sage in my author’s note last time: he’s just Sage. He’s
not Sage from Ronin Warriors, though he does look like him. I just happen to
like the name. You’ll learn more about him at another date as well as his
ladylove—and yes, her name is Mia, but that was not done intentionally. He’s my original character (nothing like Sage
from RW.) Oh, and ‘kukuku’ isn’t Naraku’s exclusive laugh. It’s sort of a
generic bad guy laugh in
Scroll
Seventeen: The Passionate
Inu-Yasha dove, lungful after
lungful of frigid air filling his chest cavity and harassing his face
ruthlessly. The voice had been Tsaku’s coming out of that putrid soul who’d
whisked Kagome off into the treacherous Fire Soul. Her screaming pierced his
eardrums more heartbreakingly than any other sound had before.
It was Kagome’s scream.
She was in danger…terrible danger.
And right now she was no more than a speck of
black, green, and white several meters lower than he.
“Watch over Kagome well,”
Little Inu said quietly, his gold eyes flickering to the girl below their tree
branch once. The gaze rested on Inu-Yasha, who peered back, attentive and
staid. “There will be very hard times in the battles and conquests ahead that…
“…she may lose her life.”
Inu-Yasha tried to shake away the admonitory memory
that raced across mind. Thinking of Kagome’s death was much too horrendous
to even consider, especially right now. I
will not let her die, he contemplated
resolutely, speeding faster as Kagome and Tsaku’s spirit disappeared into
the cavern.
The sacred waters glaringly
reflected the sun’s dying blaze along with the growing sapphire sheen from Fire
Soul as the half-demon passed over.
Miroku was right; Jumiyo’s barrier was quickly
vanishing.
That left the hanyou with very little time and a rising
sense of consternation.
“INU-YASHA!” Kagome continued to shriek from ahead
of him. Echo after echo of his name resonated off the tunnel walls in a feral
refrain.
“I’m coming, Kagome!” The dog-demon accelerated, sliding
around the corner, gradually gaining ground.
The shadows lifted as the torches lit in the specter’s
fiery wake. The luminosity still seemed tainted with some internal darkness,
mixing with the rising glow of the mountain itself, a battle of purity and
impurity. Dust continued to cloud his cerulean-tinted vision as the rumbling
of the ground made Inu-Yasha stagger slightly, though it didn’t stop him at
all even as hunks of rock crashed around him at a threatening immediacy.
He could see the spirit had wrapped flaming rings
about the girl’s body, carrying her away faster. He continued to bound after
them, until he reached another chamber. Fire Soul pulsed, the temperature
increasing and the tremors with it. Floating with Kagome in his grasp was
Tsaku’s spiral-flame spirit.
She struggled, but it was ineffectual. Her cobalt
eyes were widened in fear, and it was clear that, regardless if she said it
aloud or not, she was trying to call out to the hanyou.
Inu-Yasha snarled angrily. “Let her go, you sick fucker!”
It chuckled. “Not—so—soon,
whelp…. Just a bit longer and—you both will go---to the other world…together…“ it hissed ominously.
Fresh beads of sweat dotted the boy’s brow as he glowered,
the heat growing as terrible as it had in the pit. Before he could think out
his action, Inu-Yasha rushed forward, claws bared. “Sankon Tetsusou!” he shouted,
bringing his strike over the circles of fire. Instantly, his fingers were
scorched and he recoiled; the simple warmth Tsaku’s spirit was emanating was
unbearable. He hated to think of how badly it was affecting Kagome.
Then an earth-splitting chasm ran up the floor. It
fractured in numerous places, leaving the ground rutted.
Tsaku chortled more. “Jumiyo’s strength is spent, as is my worthless slave’s. They shall perish
as you and this girl shall.” Inu-Yasha growled but said nothing as his
hand involuntarily twitched to Tetsusaiga’s hilt. “Too much alike….”
First it was steam that rose up from the breaks, making
the air more vague and difficult to breathe, and the towers of fire followed
not long after. The inferno danced about the bare chamber, like a painting
of hell. Without warning, the whole place filled with a blinding light, making
Inu-Yasha cover his eyes with his sleeve.
Tsaku’s strident cry filled the hollow. “No! Not there…! My plan…!”
His spirit body coiled out of the walls of fire, straight
at Inu-Yasha’s face; the boy dodge just in time to watch a streak of whitish
light overtake the soul in a glowing heap. He would have sat and gawked at
the screaming evanescence if he hadn’t heard Kagome calling out to him. “I’m
coming!” Inu-Yasha dove uncaringly through the blazing wall, shielding his
face with the haori sleeve again. He landed in a roll and quickly got into
a crouch. Kagome sat only a few feet away from him on a patch free of flame.
She saw him, and, scrambling to her feet, hustled
over. She grabbed onto one of his arms as he stood, her eyes still wide in
the aftershock of terror.
“We have to get out of here!” the half-demon said
above the cacophony. He hunched over so she could hop on. “This place is going
to collapse.
She hesitated. “What about Jumiyo and Shiokki?” Kagome
asked earnestly.
He pivoted his head to look at her. “I haven’t a damned
clue where they are…” The floor gave a violent teeter, opening more spray
of flame and steam. “We really gotta get out of here.”
Nodding, even now tentative, Kagome climbed aboard
his back.
Just as Inu-Yasha pushed off, the ground completely
fell away, and a burst of air harshly set them aloft.
The detonation was so severe that the cavern walls
gave way, and the pair was thrown out with the stones; the sacred waters of
Fire Soul came into view, shimmering in its undisrupted serenity. They spun
as they hurtled downward; this point in time had begun to dawdle entirely
for them it seemed.
“Inu-Yasha…Kagome…thank you…”
“Huh?” The teenaged girl looked
up from the hanyou’s back, where her face had been planted, to see a smiling
Jumiyo. Appearing next to her was Shiokki, also looking very content.
“It’s alright,” Shiokki now said, placing an arm around Jumiyo. “Time is waiting for you.”
“That means it is safe for you stand,” finished Jumiyo, drawing
herself closer to her lover with a giggle. She laughed a little louder at
their dubious expression. “Come on,”
she melodiously coaxed, “it’s alright.
Go ahead.”
Gradually, Inu-Yasha and Kagome
stood side by side. The girl immediately grasped hold of the boy’s upper arm,
having caught a glance of the still waters beneath them. “Is…time frozen?”
she asked breathlessly, now spotting the speck that would be their friends
astride the stationary Kirara.
Nodding, Shiokki put a hand
on Jumiyo’s hip after circling his arm around her waist. “We wanted to thank you for reuniting us. After so many centuries, we
are finally able to continue on and pass to the next life, thanks to you and
your friends.”
“Inu-Yasha,” the pure maiden turned her gaze to the half-dog-demon,
“do take care of her. Your love for
one another is strong.”
“Uh…” He blushed over the bridge of his nose. He was
quiet for a bit, albeit aware of Jumiyo’s piercing green stare. “I will,”
he whispered softly. “I’ll protect her always….”
Kagome peered up at him gently,
fuddled.
“And you, Kagome,” the young woman said, now turning to the girl, “keep an eye on him. Men like him require a
lot of care and love and attention; you must be sure to help him grow easier
in his feelings, and confident of yours.” She bit her lip slightly, looking
at Inu-Yasha. “I will. I promise.”
“You two must trust each other. Love without trust is not love
at all, for that is no unconditional.” Shiokki smiled at them both. “We know you were worried about us, about what Tsaku said, but we took
him with us, and he; however was condemned to Hell.“
“So…you did die after all…” Inu-Yasha murmured, face
unreadable.
“I have no regrets now that I am with Jumiyo once more. That blast
that occurred would have killed you, yet we decided to intervene.”
“It was our last act as members of the living world.” Jumiyo held a steady gaze
with both of them, before stepping close to the hanyou and whispering in his
ear, “Your parents smile when they see
the man you are.”
Even though his jaw remained
firm, the expression in his gold pools told how glad he was. “Safe trip to
Nirvana then, eh?”
“Yes…”
Kagome came forward and hugged
each of them, feeling the coolness that was a spirit in transition from a
living body to a freed soul. “Goodbye. It’s good to know you’re happy again.”
They both smiled.
“Yes,” Shiokki whispered, “it is….”
Suddenly, they started to fall again, and Inu-Yasha
caught Kagome in the cradle of his arms. He turned her so she was not quite
parallel to him. The sounds of Kirara’s roar, Shippo’s frightened yelling,
and the rest could be heard as they tried to reach the couple before they
would get swallowed up by the water.
There was only a few seconds
fall left away, and the boy said, a smirk on his face, “Take a deep breath
and close your eyes.”
Then they crashed into the
sacred waters of Fire Soul.
~*~*~*~*
Miroku and Sango watched as the
pair broke the surface of the lake, jettisoning a tall spray of water. They
flew closer, praying that their friends were well. Skimming over the slow-paced
tarn, a few seconds passed before wet strands of silver and black hair bobbed
up, and the sound, gentler, of the surface being disrupted as the accompanist.
Reaching with his staff, Miroku
hauled Kagome, and then Inu-Yasha, onto Kirara’s back. “Are you two ok?”
They looked to each other for a
moment, communicating something very deep by gazes alone, before Kagome turned
to the monk and said, mellifluously, “We’re fine.”
~*~*~*~*
“So, Lady Jumiyo and Lord Shiokki
passed away in the blaze at the very end?” Kaede was asking, having listened
to the entire tale—the quest of Hakushinmu herbs.
The group had a much easier time
returning to the old lady priestess’s village in the late afternoon than when
they’d left originally—which hadn’t been too far from their adopted home—for
Fire Soul. Everyone had recuperated on the trip--the young dog-child had been
quiet, only waving little sparkles over certain places the passed over the
Eastern territories--, and a sense of ease had come over them; though the
calm was not without a lingering tension.
Kagome and Inu-Yasha had started
to stay a little closer to each other—nothing substantial—but closer together,
like while seated together at this very moment on the floor of Kaede’s hut.
Other than that, not much of their attitudes had changed. He still complained
about the shortage of ramen, while she had to explain that with an extra person
in the group, the noodle-ration had gone down a bit faster. Nonetheless, their
gazes did; however, loiter a little longer, a little sweeter, than before,
and for that Sango and Miroku were very relieved.
“Yeah, they died, but I think they
died without regrets,” replied Inu-Yasha. He leaned back on his right arm
a tad, catching a whiff of the soothing lavender from the girl beside him.
“After all…” he paused, sliding a slant-eyed glimpse to Kagome, “they trusted
each other.”
Grandmother Kaede nodded her head
once, grinding an herb with white petals with her pestle in her clay bowl.
“Then that” she said, pouring a touch more water into the small basin, “truly
is what made their love so profound.” Her one-eyed gaze slipped to the small,
dog-eared boy in the darkest corner of the room.
For a while now, she’d noticed, he was playing with
something in his hands; lamentably, with her poor eyesight she could not make
out what. Instead, the elder woman turned her attention to making the Hakushinmus
she had into an even, thin paste.
Little Inu had paid half of his attention to the conversation
going on, but he was too anxious to recall much of it. He turned the blue
pouch over in his palm again, feeling the sand-like powder through the fabric.
His mother had firmly instructed that he use it as soon as he had the springs
and their medicinal counterpart before he could use it.
It felt oddly heavy for being only powder, of what
he couldn’t remember, and the young dog-child’s insides were churning ill-fatedly.
What if this whole journey had been for naught?
What if the venom had run its course faster than expected?
What if Father was already…dead…?
Shaking his head vigorously, Little Inu bit at his
lower lip, peering at each member of the contingent fondly, yet it made his
heart ache and sink all the more. “Lady Kaede,” he called out softly.
“Aye, child?”
He chewed his lip a tad more; making a started face
when he felt his fang punctured it slightly. “A-are you finished yet?”
“Nearly. Have some patience, even now.” She gave him
an assuring, knowing look. “Your father sounds like he is strong willed. It
will take only a time longer.”
With a soft sigh, he leaned his back against the wall.
Memories of his family kept prancing throughout his brain, and all he yearned
for was to return to his home beyond the Bone-Eater’s Well. There were so
many things he wanted to see again, but mainly—his parents.
And, how ironic it was, he was sitting in the same
room with the two people that would one day be lovingly called “Momma” and
“Dad”…
“Little Inu?” Kaede inquired, getting the boy’s attention;
he glimpsed at her with a lethargic gaze, shoving the pouch into the chest
compartment of his haori. “I have finished with extracting the healing juices
and mashing the stems and petals. The cream is in this jar.”
He got to his feet leisurely, and walked over to the
old lady with even strides. Taking the earthenware container, fingering the
cork stopper, Little Inu smiled gratefully at her. “I really do appreciate
this, Grandmother Kaede.” Leaning forward, he hugged her.
She was only mildly surprised, but she returned the
embrace nonetheless, a half-smile on her weathered, careworn face. “Are you
going to return to your home now, child?”
Little Inu pulled away and glanced at Inu-Yasha and
Kagome. “Yes. I want to bring this to my father first thing.” He gestured
with a bob of his cesium-haired head at the aforementioned couple. “I need
to speak to you both separately. So…could you step outside for a minute so
I can say good-bye to everyone else first?”
“Why should—“ started Inu-Yasha
in half-annoyance.
“That’s fine,” Kagome kindly interrupted, earning
a ‘humph’ from the hanyou. “Come on, Inu-Yasha.” She got up and padded out
to the entryway of the hut, sliding her shoes on.
Snorting, he followed after her, tucking his arms
within his billowing sleeves. “Feh. Whatever, kid.”
Kagome watched the villagers go by, giving a friendly
“hello, Lady Kagome!” or a “Lady Kagome, would you please say a prayer for
my child?” She smiled and nodded at the customary happenings of the small
village she’d come to love as a second home. Not second in rank, just in order
of appearance.
She spied Inu-Yasha exit from the corner of her eye.
“Things sure have changed, huh?” she asked breezily.
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“…You know I’ve really come to love this place. The
Sengoku Jidai, I mean.”
One of the dog-demon’s ears tipped to the side. “How
come?”
“I found a lot of people I love and trust here. Having
to part from any of you…well, it’s a really scary thought.” She let the wind
touch her skin tenderly as she rather laughed. “Even though we both know who
Little Inu is…deep inside…it still is really awkward, isn’t it?”
Inu-Yasha took one of his clawed hands and grasped
hold of one of hers gently. “You’ll never leave me….” He paused, looking down.
Gradually, he allowed his gold pools to wash into her cobalt ones. “And that
makes me happier than anything else possibly could.”
Little Inu exited the hut, listening to the exchange
for a moment beforehand. “I’m ready.” He followed a few paces after them,
fine sand tumbling from his hand and catching into the wind and circulating
about the village.
~*~*~*~*
The threesome made their way through the
The only action of any importance was Little Inu slipping
in between Inu-Yasha and Kagome and joining hands with them as they passed
the Goshinboku. Neither the miko-in-training nor the gruff-dog-hanyou made
any objection—merely squeezed his minute, clawed hands.
The Bone-Eater’s Well came into view, and Little Inu
swallowed anxiously. With each step on the soft, familiar grasses, the surroundings
became more illusory. He closed his eyes, smelling the familiar scent of the
wood and stone of the well; the feel of the hands he held, one large and calloused
while the other was petite and silken, and the aromas of something ruggedly
wild mixed with quiet vibrancy , Little Inu almost thought he was strolling
with his parents again.
Still, the boy opened his eyes and reluctantly released
his grip on their hands—and his security—as he turned his back to the Bone-Gobbling
Well and faced them. “I know you both know that I’m…that I’m your youngest
son,” he said faintly, not able to bring his gaze past the hem of Kagome’s
skirt. “But, I wanted to let you know that…you’re great parents when you get
older, and you’ll be able to defeat Naraku and take care of Kikyo and….
“Sango and Miroku are my aunt and uncle” he continued
to ramble, now seeing the top of Tetsusaiga’s scabbard. “Their oldest kid,
Haku, is my best friend. You’ll like him, too.” Little Inu managed to bring
his little eyes up to the spot below Inu-Yasha’s chin. “And…we’ll be really
well-taken care of…and…
“I love you, Momma and Dad.”
His gold eyes shimmered with tears, but he kept his
gaze fixated on their faces resolutely even as his body trembled. Reaching
into the front of his haori, he retrieved the indigo pouch, dreading having
to use the last of its contents right then.
“I don’t want to do this, but Momma said that I have
to make you forget this whole thing,” he explained, wiping away his tears
with the back of his hand while they watched him wordlessly. “At least until
‘the time is right’ she said.” He poured the powder into his palm; it caught
the sunlight and glistered in faint tints of purples and blues. “Remember…trust
and love go hand in hand…”
Little Inu brought it level with his mouth, whispering,
“Daddy taught me that.” Then he blew the reminiscence-expunging dust at them.
Like everyone else at the village, Kagome and Inu-Yasha
fell asleep, falling into the grass.
Climbing over the lip of the well, only sparing a
quick, backwards glance, Little Inu vaulted inside. “See you in a few years.”
~*~*~*~*
A/N:
I’ve finished this…wow… I’ve actually finished something. I’m going to work on
the epilogue, so when you see this, both this and the epilogue will be out at
the same time.
Ja
ne,
~Moonlight
Shadow