InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Every Heart ❯ Chapter 7

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

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha concept, story, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media. This is merely one girl’s dream of life after “The End.”


Miroku and Sango travelled at an unhurried pace, alternating between Hachi and Kirara as transportation. They stopped in a village each evening for rest; instead of Miroku performing a suspicious exorcism, Sango’s abilities were called to the villages’ defense. It seemed there were plenty of youkai again, and they were invading the human settlements with a vengeance.

“I hope Kagome is okay,” Sango remarked one evening as they bedded down. She had killed a bear youkai for the village headman, which earned them both his hospitality.

Miroku nodded in agreement. “Inuyasha probably has his hands full.”

At each settlement, they asked after Kohaku, but no one had seen nor heard of him. Sango was discouraged by the news, but tried not to let it show. When she was alone at night, she sometimes cried with frustration into Kirara’s fur.

The group arrived at Mushin’s temple four days after they left Kaede’s village. Miroku stopped to pay tribute to his father and grandfather at their crater graves before approaching the temple itself.

“Master Mushin?” he called, knocking on the doorframe.

“Miroku?!” came the stunned reply. Miroku and Sango entered the temple and saw the fat old monk lying on his side, a dish of sake in his hand. He hastened to stand as they approached, spilling first his dish, then his jug, in the process.

“Miroku, my boy, I never thought I’d see you again!” he cried, grabbing Miroku by the arms and giving him a bit of a shake. “I heard the news of Naraku’s defeat, but when you did not come, I feared the worst!”

Miroku chuckled. “I survived the battle. We all did.” He looked at his fiancée. “You remember Lady Sango, yes?”

Mushin’s swaying gaze swept from one to the other. “Ah, yes, of course! The fearless lady with the big boomerang.” He laughed before turning his attention back to Miroku. “So, my son, have you returned for good to the temple?”

“Not exactly,” Miroku stumbled, trying to pull away from his master’s death grip. “Lady Sango has agreed to bear me many children, and I have agreed to marry her.”

What a way to put it! Sango thought, irked.

Mushin laughed in earnest at that. “Oh really, my boy? I guess you’ve sown your wild oats, then? Maybe you already have an heir or two!”

Sango clenched her teeth, calling upon every fiber of her being not to slap Mushin.

“No, no, Master Mushin,” Miroku assured, trying desperately to change the subject before Sango exploded. “I’m here to see if you can do something about the wind tunnel scar.” He held out his hand, still covered by bandages as well as his glove.

“Hmm,” Mushin mused, unwrapping the wound with careful, if shaking, fingers. The wound had scarred over, but it was not healing as quickly as Miroku had hoped, even with Kagome’s fancy medicines. “Yes, perhaps I can stitch it up for you.”

“Thank you,” Miroku said, bowing slightly. “Then we will stay.”

Mushin clapped his hands. “This calls for a celebration! Let me fetch more wine.”

Miroku and Sango exchanged concerned looks as the older monk scuttled away. “Celebration?” Sango repeated. “And just how exactly do holy men ‘celebrate’?”

“A heh heh heh,” Miroku coughed. “Mushin is no ordinary monk…”

Inuyasha was worried, though he tried not to show it. He knew Kagome well enough to see through her stoic body language. She was upset, and that in turn upset him.

Ever since the first youkai attack during Rin’s training, Kagome’s whole countenance changed. Whereas before she was fearless, jumping into battle with little forethought to her own safety, now she hesitated. With good reason – she had no control over the jewel. And now, more and more demons were seeking them out and making a play for it.

Kagome wasn’t completely defenseless. She would aim her arrows as she always had, but she had little control over the jewel’s sealing powers. The white magic would always incapacitate her in the end – burning her, no matter how or where she wore the jewel.

Inuyasha saw the toll it took on her. He saw the worry creep into her eyes, the fear and weariness into the lines of her back and legs. When she thought no one was looking, her entire being crumbled, face in hands, shoulders slumped.

Every night, without fail, there was an attack on the village. Everyone pitched into the fight, from Shippo to Kaede to the villagers, but it wasn’t enough to deter the dogged ones. He heard the whispers of gossip among the village inhabitants, how some of them wanted Kagome and the jewel gone and their peace restored.

He knew she heard it, too. But she continued her strong façade in the presence of others. She continued to train Rin, but it took all of Kaede’s spiritual power and his might to keep trouble at bay during their sessions.
Inuyasha watched over her at all times. At night, when she lay restless on her futon, flanked by Shippo and Rin, he kept an especially close eye on her. He may have been in the minority, but he didn’t want her to leave.

Not without him, at least.

Kagome wasn’t surprised when she was jerked awake from a deep, if dreamless, sleep. She cracked her eyes open as her head filled with the sounds of the villagers bustling about. She could feel the youki that surrounded the village. It was very strong, stronger than any previous attack.

“Kagome, are you coming?” Shippo asked. He was watching the events outside from the door of the hut. “It looks bad out there.”

“Yes,” she replied, shoving her feet into her shoes. “Take Rin with you and keep her safe.”

She grabbed her bow and arrows and headed into the night. The sky was illuminated with countless minor youkai, all of them small and featureless. She quickly joined the fray, shooting her purified arrows at the great lot of them. Shippo and Rin had combined forces, his foxfire blinding the demons as Rin shot rather wildly into the air, her inexperience apparent. Kaede was helping the villagers, purifying the dead youkai along the way.

Inuyasha was suddenly at her side, his Tessaiga in its fully transformed state. “You feel that?” he murmured to her.

Kagome nodded. “Yeah. And there’s no way it’s coming from these lesser youkai.”

He grabbed her hand. “The others can take care of the small fry. We need to find the big one.”

“This way!” she replied, moving to the back of Kaede’s hut, towards the shrine on the hill at the edge of the village. Together, they climbed the steps to the top, where Kikyo’s remains rested. The youki was thick in the air there, almost suffocating.

“YAAAAAAAAHHH!” A guttural scream pierced the air, followed by the huge form of an ogre. It landed hard on the ground, sending shock waves through the earth.

“There!” Kagome cried, raising her bow. “Inuyasha, now!”

She shot an arrow at the demon and felt the accompanying power of Inuyasha’s wind scar. The light of the combined attack blinded them momentarily.

“Did we hit him?” Inuyasha wondered, short of breath from the force of his swing.

A maniacal laugh was the response. “I must be in the right place,” the ogre mocked, unharmed from the attack. “Is this her grave?”

Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome. “What are you talking about?”

“I seek the Shikon No Tama,” he announced as he began pawing at the ground. “I heard it rested with the priestess who last purified it. So I ask again, is this her grave?”

“Leave this place!” Inuyasha growled, pointing Tessaiga at the giant youkai. Kagome could feel pure anger radiating from him.

The ogre merely continued to laugh. “Yes, try your little act again, half-breed. I could use the help digging up her remains!”

Inuyasha growled again, tightening his grip on his sword.

“Don’t,” Kagome said, touching his shoulder as she circled around, coming to stand at his side again.

Inuyasha didn’t answer her. She knew he wouldn’t unleash another wind scar and risk desecrating Kikyo’s grave. He was frozen in place, an unwilling witness to this crime.

Protect him.

Kagome’s body pulsated as the unconscious command crossed her mind. She felt the jewel heat up against her skin, its power radiating through her chest and sweeping down her arms.

Protect him!

Kagome raised her bow and pulled the string back as hard as she could. Her hands were practically on fire, but she held her concentration, and fired. The arrow was alight with the jewel’s mysterious power, and it hit the ogre squarely in the shoulder, exploding on impact, shattering into a cloud of white magic.

The light snapped Inuyasha from his paralysis and he lunged forward, driving Tessaiga into the ogre’s belly. He cut through with a savage, angry stroke. The demon’s body disintegrated, leaving behind a broken wooden doll in the midst of Kikyo’s disturbed grave. “A golem?!” Inuyasha exclaimed, disbelieving. “What the hell?!”

A bloodcurdling scream caught his attention. He looked back, just in time to see Kagome collapse where she stood. Her face was contorted in agony and the jewel glowed like a bright pearl under her shirt.

“No!” he shouted, rushing to her side.

She was unconscious as he cradled her body, her arms hanging listlessly at her side.

“Kagome, are you okay?” he questioned, shaking her gently.

There was no answer.

Inuyasha was resolute. He allowed absolutely no one near Kagome’s unconscious body, going so far as to take her away from the village and its prying eyes. He carried her to the Sacred Tree as day broke, determined to keep her safe at all costs. He nestled into the leaves near the top, resting his back against the trunk and stretching his feet out in front of him. Kagome lay in his lap, her head at his shoulder, her legs swinging over his.

She regained consciousness sometime after the sun rose, though he didn’t realize it at first. He was clutching her close, almost in desperation at that point. Only when she mumbled against him and tried to lift an arm did he release his grip.

Her expression was troubled as she looked up at him. “In-inuyasha,” she tried, her voice thick with emotion.

Inuyasha pressed her close again. “Just rest for now,” he said firmly. His voice was flat, but his shoulders flagged with relief. She leaned against him again, her arms circling his waist, her face turned to his chest. He began to stroke her hair, his claws tracing long patterns against her scalp. He felt, rather than saw, tears trickle down her cheeks.

She sighed deeply. He brought a lock of her hair to his nose. Her scent was distressed, a noxious mix of fear…anxiety…longing…sadness…

“Inuya sha, I have to leave,” she finally choked out.

He swallowed convulsively, his ministrations with her hair coming to a complete stop.

“I can’t keep doing this,” she continued. “I can’t keep putting your life, and the lives of our friends, in danger.” The note of abject despair in her voice nearly broke his heart.

“I can protect you,” he replied, his arms slipping around her back and pulling her closer to him.

She curled into a ball in his lap, no mean feat considering their positions “But you can’t,” she whispered. “Until I can control the jewel and its powers, I am only making everyone’s lives miserable. No one is safe around me, and I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you because of me.” She brushed her tears away as she spoke.

“Kagome, I –”

“I’ve given this a lot of thought, Inuyasha. There’s no other way. I don’t want to leave, but the only way to protect the people I hold dear is to take the danger away. That means…going back to my time.” A sob escaped.

“Then let me go with you,” Inuyasha urged. The old fear and insecurity of being abandoned pricked at his spine, even as he tried to push the feelings away.

Kagome just shook her head. “You need to stay here and protect the others. Whatever came after us will come again.” She picked up the jewel, staring at it insolently. It was perfectly calm, exuding only a light barrier. Her body was back to normal, if a bit numb.

Inuyasha stared at it, too. “Why not just throw the jewel back through time?” he suggested.

Kagome sighed. “Because I am its keeper,” she replied glumly. She let it fall back against her chest.

He pressed a light kiss to her temple. “If I asked you to stay?”

He realizes there is no alternative, she thought, reaching up to stroke his cheek lightly.

He caught her hand. “At least let me give you this,” he said, pressing something into her palm.

She opened her fist and looked at the gift. It was a very small pouch, fashioned from a piece of his haori. The string that held it closed was from the bottom of one of his sleeves. Her heart skipped a beat and she closed her eyes, overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness.

“It’s for the jewel,” he said, demonstrating its use. “This way, when you wear it, you won’t be burned by it.”

Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispered, before arching up to kiss him. He seemed surprised at first, but wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. All that squirming about on his lap had brought other thoughts to the edge of his mind.

She pulled away and looked at him, her eyes searching his. She reached up and stroked his ears before letting her fingers twine through his silver hair. I love you, she thought. The words were at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t quite say them out loud.

She kissed him again, pressing him back against the trunk of the tree with the ferocity of her feelings. He responded in kind, urging her lips open, plunging his tongue into her mouth.

“Hurry back to me, Kagome,” he whispered as they drew apart. “I will wait for you.”