InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse ❯ Damage Control ( Chapter 19 )

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

 

Warning: Rather coarse language alert…Not sure yet if Bankotsu, et al, will put in an appearance in my AU…heck, I'm still working up to Koga's debut!

 

The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse

Chapter Nineteen: Damage Control

 

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Present Day

 

Kagome thought that Shimano seemed a little down; he certainly wasn't his usual spunky self when she popped her head over the counter at the Armoury, a big grin on her face.

 

“Good morning, Sensei!”

 

He peered over at her, then shoved a bag of gummi bears her way. “Hullo, Higurashi. Did you have a look at the new duds we sent to your house last week?”

 

“The leathers? Yeah…they're amazing, and funnily enough, exactly what I need. Hey, do you know what kind of hide they're made from?”

 

He shrugged non-commitally, and popped a few more candies in his mouth. “You'll be receiving an email for the Moon-Viewing Festival, Higurashi. It'll probably be in late October, when the astronomers can predict a nice fat orange harvest moon. It will be on only a few days notice, and it is only for the evening, so stay alert for that.”

 

Kagome helped herself to the bag. “Thanks, sensei…late October? I can schedule for that…hey, are there any festivals around here that don't involve the moon?”

 

Shimano grinned, showing a piece of red stuck to his teeth. “There are a few coming up that don't…you'll have to really behave yourself, though, because they are full-on, full-dress court occasions. Well…? I assume you have a wish list for me, and you're not just hanging around here because I'm incredibly good looking…?”

 

She snorted and passed over the note. He perused it, raising his eyebrows. “Loads of medical supplies, Higurashi…have you approved your private war with the Foreign Ministry? Come on over and give me a hand…” Kagome hopped onto and over the gleaming counter, and helped to pull together all of her requests. Shimano was mostly silent as they worked; she missed his easy chatter. After twenty minutes, her requisition was ready. “I'll have this shipped to your house this afternoon, Higurashi. If you'll excuse me, I have a luncheon meeting in Lord Sessaki's office to attend…catch you next time, okay?”

 

Kagome nodded and swung over the counter again, landing with grace instead of a spill this time, and strode up the corridor towards the entrance. He sure wasn't himself… outside, she noticed Yashita's bike in his parking stall; for the briefest moment, she contemplated leaving him a note, then decided against it. He'd been very distant the morning after the New Moon Festival…it made it easier, since she'd thrown her lot in with Inuyasha. Better to let sleeping dogs lie…

 

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Shimano leaned over the counter, watching Kagome's departure. Once he was sure she wasn't coming back, he cupped his hand around his mouth and called down the corridor. “It's all clear…you can come out now, ya big wuss.” Lord Kogashu's office door banged open, and he and Yashita came up the hallway to the counter. Shimano fixed both of them with a ferocious glare. “I really didn't appreciate having to face her alone, you two sorry excuses for demons…you especially, Koga, since she hasn't had the pleasure of your acquaintance yet…” He jerked his thumb at Yashita. “Did you have to hold his hand or something?”

 

Yashita scowled darkly at the younger sensei. “No, he didn't hold my hand, runt…I just can't deal with seeing her right now…I'm so wound up that I know my concealing spell will be buggered if she just looks at me the wrong way!”

 

Kogashu smirked. “Don't you mean if she looks at you the right way, mutt-face? How you ever managed to convince her to mate with you in the first place, I'll never know. What dumb-ass thing has the pup done now, that you hid in my office like a scared cat?”

 

Shimano answered. “He blocked the well and kept her out for three days… he was injured from a fight with his brother, and then Naraku sicced Royakan on him. I nearly got eaten by a demonic wolf…we were damn lucky Kagome found her way back in time.”

 

Kogashu looked thoughtful for a moment, then addressed no one in particular, “If I knew that my annoying younger self was off the scene for at least three days, I think I'd be paying a visit to my lady because there would be no danger of interruption…”

 

“Yeah, well, you're not me…lucky for Kagome, you flea-ridden wolf.”

 

“If you're already such a mess after two months of this, you'll be in no shape to kick any ass when all this winds down. Maybe you ought to go on stress leave or something…” Kogashu blocked the punch easily, and lightly smacked Yashita in the chest. “Come on, lover-boy…lets go down to the kendo room, and I'll let you chase me around for a while…you need something to take your mind off of this. We have a new draft of recruits arriving in less than a week for the Fall session…you need to be on top of your game, bucko.”

 

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Kagome enjoyed a pleasant lunch with her mother, updating her on the latest activities she and `her boys' had been engaged in (carefully edited in places, of course), then decided on a really hot bath and a nap until the supplies arrived around dinner time. When she was awakened by her mother to sign the way bill, Sota was home and helped her to carry the boxes to the well enclosure, ready to be tossed through when she was ready. Her mom made yakitori for dinner; Kagome was well-fed, armoured and ready to head back, when Mrs. Higurashi loaded her with several containers of sushi and a bag of rice to take for Kaede. Almost as an afterthought, she popped a box of chocolate-covered biscuits into one of the bags for Shippo. Kagome grinned. “Thanks, mom…the little guy really appreciates the sweets you send for him. I'll be gone for a few weeks, I expect…I'll be back to check on the dates for the Moon-Viewing Festival at the end of October.”

 

“Try to come home before that, dear, and bring Inuyasha with you. I haven't seen him for a while…such a delightful young man, and what a healthy appetite…” Kagome laughed, and headed out the door for the well.

 

Her scream rattled the windows in the house a few moments later.

 

Mrs. Higurashi and Sota flew out the door, in time to meet an ashen-faced girl staggering back out and down the steps of the well enclosure, tears streaming down her face. “Dear! What on earth…?”

 

Kagome collapsed in a sobbing heap. “I-i-it's… oh, mom! T-t-the w-w-well h-has c-cl-closed! I-I c-can't g-get back!” Mrs. Higurashi knelt and hugged her daughter tightly, while her whole body shook from the shock and her tears. Sota reached down and stroked his sister's hair, making soothing noises. They stayed that way for a long time, until Kagome could be persuaded to come back in the house and lie down for a while.

 

Sota looked at his mother when they came down to the kitchen, leaving Kagome alone in her room. “What do you suppose happened, mom? Why can't she go back?”

 

“I'm not sure, dear…she'll have to try again tomorrow morning. I think she's very surprised that it wouldn't let her through…she's never had to consider what would happen if she had to stay here for the rest of her life.”

 

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Sengoku Jidai

 

Kaede puffed slightly; Miroku gave her his arm. Inuyasha trailed along behind, his wound throbbing, and his chest hurting. They finally came to a hill, with a small cave opening two-thirds of the way up the face. “This is the place…let us climb up, and I will show ye where I believe Naraku was born.”

 

They cautiously poked their heads into the narrow entrance. It was dank, and smelled faintly of lingering smoke and dead things. Kaede trundled right in; Miroku shrugged, and followed. Inuyasha hesitated; the smell really put him off, but finally, he too, ducked his head and entered. The cave floor sloped downwards to a small chamber. Kaede stopped just in front of a part of the floor completely bare of any vegetation. Miroku stepped down beside her, then recoiled. “Kaede-sama…there is a strong demonic presence here…we should not tarry.”

 

The aged miko did not appear to hear him. “Yes, this is the place… Fifty years ago, my sister Kikyo found a wounded man in this cave. He was horribly burned, and both of his legs were broken. He could not be moved, so she came every day and tended him. When she could not be here, she sent me in her stead. He was a bandit, from a far province, named Onigumo. I did not care for him; he had an aura of great evil around him.”

 

“Naraku is a demon, old hag…what could a human have to do with him?” Inuyasha interrupted.

 

Kaede favoured him with a piercing glare. “One day, when I was tending him alone, he spoke to me, asking whether my sister was the one who protected the Shikon Jewel. He was rapturous at the thought of the Jewel, and my sister, being defiled by hatred and malice. His words terrified me; I ran from him, and told Kikyo directly what he had said. She told me to pity him, that he would never leave that cave alive, and that his words were merely ramblings of a dying brain. Shortly after that, a day or two at most, Inuyasha was pinned to the Goshinboku, and Kikyo was ashes. I returned to this place a week later, to find Onigumo gone, and the smell of spilled blood and torn flesh still very strong.”

 

Miroku gazed at the roughly man-sized and -shaped patch of bare earth at Kaede's feet, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I have heard that where great evil has been released, living things will not grow for decades later…Kaede-sama, do you believe that this Onigumo may have given himself to a demon in trade for mobility and life?”

 

Her one eye sharpened as she looked at him. “Ye are a quick one, monk…yes, I believe that the demon Naraku was born of Onigumo right here in this cave. It is too much of a coincidence, that he vanished at the same time as my sister and Inuyasha died.”

 

“That would make Naraku a hanyou…and have a reason to desire the Jewel, just as you do, Inuyasha…to become a full demon. Naraku has no grudge against you…rather, it was against Kikyo-sama, and you were just a means to an end. It surely did not work out the way he planned, as the Jewel was burned with her body and he did not have access to its powers.”

 

Kaede shivered suddenly. “Let us go…my old bones do not like this dampness…” Miroku gripped her arm, and she leaned on it as they came up the incline to the silent hanyou. Inuyasha's golden eyes were veiled; he didn't like the thought that this Onigumo had twisted desires towards Kikyo…did Naraku also have those same desires to defile the miko, the way the Jewel had been defiled? He also shivered, glad at that moment that Kagome was as far away from this place as possible…

 

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Present Day

 

Kagome sat on the lip of the well the next afternoon, her legs dangling over into the darkness, chewing her lip to the point of blood. She closed her eyes, and wished really hard, then pushed herself into thin air. She landed, hard, on the dirt floor of the bottom. Damn…

 

She climbed back up the ladder, and sat on the edge. Twentieth time lucky? Same result. She hoisted herself over the lip, and flopped listlessly down on the planking, wrapping her arms around her knees. She felt sick to her stomach, and put her head down until the sensation passed. Last night had been the worst she'd ever experienced. She'd cried and raged alternately, and slept fitfully. Dreams where Inuyasha was dying, or already dead, kept her from anything restful; she'd awakened haggard and exhausted. Mrs. Higurashi had refused to let her try again until she'd eaten something, at least; the food was dust in her mouth.

 

What the hell was she going to do?

 

Sighing, Kagome pushed herself upright, and began trailing up the stairs, unbuckling her armour. Out of habit, she patted the pocket where the shards were kept…and stopped dead in shock. Trembling, she tore the pocket open, and fished inside it with her fingers. Nothing. The shards were gone. Suddenly, everything crystallized, as she stood in the musty well enclosure, halfway up the stairs to the door. She'd become so used to having the shards next to her skin, that she didn't even sense them any more…but where the hell were they?

 

Inuyasha.

 

The bastard wanted to make sure she couldn't return through the well…but why?

 

He had some major explaining to do…if she didn't kill him first, that is.

 

That thought powered her up the rest of the stairs in two giant strides; then she halted, knees buckling, and grabbed onto the doorframe to catch herself.

 

He's not … dead, is he?

You'd know…your heart would tell you…

But why did he send me away? He needs me…

Maybe he wasn't thinking straight…the poison may have addled him..

He'll be addled for sure when I get my hands on him!

 

Swearing, she punched the wooden timber of the doorframe; the pain made her dance a bit and swear some more as she nursed her injured knuckles. Glaring poisonously at the ancient wood as she passed it, she jumped down the three stairs outside and stormed off to the house. Maybe she ought to use this interlude to clean out her closet…or something.

 

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Kagome avoided the well for the rest of the day, sitting in her room and reading. She found that nothing was sticking, as her thoughts kept turning to the hanyou. She kept twisting the bracelet of braided silver hair around and around her wrist, trying to find comfort in the one tangible thing she had of him. Her anger would flare, and then profound sadness would litter her floor with damp tissues. Getting up, she'd pace around like a caged animal before trying to concentrate again. The book was finally thrown across the room.

 

“I fucking well give up!”

 

Mrs. Higurashi poked her head around the door, just in time to see the book smack into the wall and hear Kagome's outburst. “Dear! And that was a new book, too…”

 

“Sorry, mom…I just can't believe that he would do this to me…”

 

“I don't believe that he did it with malice aforethought, dear.”

 

Kagome snapped her eyes at her mother, disbelief radiating. “Huh? Malice a…what? The fact is, I'm locked out of the well…”

 

“Kagome, did it ever occur to you that Inuyasha may have wished to protect you, and saw this as the only way to accomplish his goal?”

 

Kagome slumped. “I doubt it, mom, but you can go to bat for him all you want…”

 

“I do believe in him, Kagome…he cares for you very, very deeply…”

 

“Not enough to let me stay with him…”

 

“Well, aren't we in a funk? Doesn't he want to have you for his mate?”

 

“Pretty hard to make good on that when we're five centuries apart…”

 

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Sengoku Jidai

 

The small hut resounded with the thump of pounding feet, the entire frame shaking. Inside, Shippo watched as Inuyasha, firmly tied up, tried to furiously kick his way out of the structure. “Ya might as well give it up, dog-breath…you've been sealed in here with enough sutras to restrain Naraku himself…”

 

“Fuck! Let me out, you bastards…I've got work to do!”

 

“You're not going anywhere until your wound is healed. The houshi and Kaede-baba are sure that Naraku will try something else while you're injured, so you might as well sit tight and concentrate on healing…”

 

“Dammit all to hell!”

 

“Knock it off, Inuyasha!” The kit nailed him in the head with a well-aimed bucket, then stood over him, glowering. “I want you to get better as fast as you can, so Kagome can come back…if you don't do that, I'll never forgive you for sending her away.”

 

The hanyou turned away from the kit. “I won't forgive myself, either, Shippo…do you think I really wanted to do that? I had no choice…I don't want to see her die.”

 

“No choice, huh? Maybe she'll make the choice to go out with that Yashita guy, since you're not there to remind her what a great catch you are…”

 

“That's just fucking nasty, you little prick.”

 

Shippo shrugged. “I calls it the way I sees it…if you'd just told her why you were afraid for her, she probably would have told you how dumb that was, and she could be here right now looking after you…you looked pretty contented with her head on your shoulder the other night at the inn. Instead, you're tied up in the outbuilding and I'm stuck keeping you company…and we can't even play cards.”

 

The door creaked open; Inuyasha tried a clumsy lunge, but was thrown back by Miroku's foot slamming into his chest. The monk entered, closely followed by Kaede, carrying a pot of salve and a hank of bandages. The old miko re-sealed the door with a sutra, and turned to the glowering hanyou. “Ye will not heal at all, if ye will not rest, Inuyasha. Ye know better than all of us that Naraku is not to be trifled with…”

 

“I'll take Naraku on now! I don't care…he's got to be destroyed! Every minute we spend here, he could be collecting more shards and becoming stronger…” Miroku whacked him with the business end of his staff, and then sat on his legs while Kaede untied his wrists to gain access to the bandages.

 

“Stop thrashing, Inuyasha. We will not allow thee out until thee are healed…all of our lives depend on ye and the Tetsusaiga…we also wish to have Kagome-sama returned to us as soon as possible.” The hanyou grunted, and subsided. Kaede anointed his wound, noticing with satisfaction that the skin had closed over on both sides of his torso. When he was let up, Inuyasha started a coughing jag; bloodied sputum decorated his hand at the end of it. Kaede regarded him with a beady eye. “Thy brother's venom is still within thy body, Inuyasha…thy recovery is a few days away, at least.”

 

“Keh!” was all the hanyou could think of saying, as he wiped the gunk onto a handful of straw, and allowed Kaede to bind his wounds up again with bandages. Miroko and Kaede took their leave, resealing the door.

 

Shippo pouted in the corner. “What do you think Kagome's doing right now, Inuyasha?”

 

“Forget about her, runt…she may not come back at all.”

 

“Are you totally stupid, dog-breath? Kagome loves you…she's probably trying to dig her way through the well right now…while thinking up ways to creatively dismember you.”

 

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Present Day

 

“Where are you off to, mutt-face?”

 

Yashita grimly pulled on his gloves and helmet while his bike idled noisily in the courtyard, briefly ignoring Kogashu's question. Just before taking off, he looked the other man right in the eyes. “Damage control…”

 

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Kagome wasn't exactly trying to dig through the well; she was actively contemplating dropping a grenade down it to see if she could blast it open. The only problem was explaining her need for a grenade to the Armoury; she hadn't solved that little wrinkle yet. Maybe an armour-piercing shell would be better…

 

A severe lack of sleep was the main cause of her trying out these wild schemes as she sat in her mother's sunny kitchen. She had paced all night, and was going from overly concerned to frantic. Mrs. Higurashi bounced a spoon off the breakfast table. Kagome jumped, and looked up, dazed. “Kagome, eat your breakfast; you'll make yourself sick, and then won't be able to go when the well opens again…wake up!” The girl sighed, and stirred the rice around her bowl listlessly; realizing her mother had that fire-breathing-dragon look in her eye, she hastily ate the rest of her meal.

 

After breakfast, Kagome showered, and then fidgeted for an hour or so, fighting the urge to go try the well one more time. Finally, she decided to go for a ride on her motorcycle to clear her head and get away from the shrine for a while. She changed into her leathers, and clomped through the house. “Mom, I'm going for a ride…be back in a bit. If Inuyasha shows up…”

 

“Yes, dear…are you sure you're in the right frame of mind to go out on your bike? You are a little distracted, you know…”

 

“Yes, mom, but if I stay here, I'll go freakin' nuts!”

 

She hesitated out in the courtyard; one more time wouldn't hurt… Running up the stairs, then jumping down to the well took a matter of moments. Taking a deep breath, she swung over the side…and landed on the dirt floor. Shit.

 

Kagome was at the top of the well enclosure stairs, sliding the door shut, when she heard the whine of a racing engine entering the gate to the shrine grounds. Spinning around, she froze as she watched a familiar silver bike and its black clad rider rumble up the incline and cross the courtyard to the bottom of the stairs. The bike was turned off, and Yashita flipped up his visor.

 

“ `Morning, Kagome…I came to see if you wanted to go for a ride; you must be a mind reader, because you're already in your leathers…”

 

Her mouth opened and closed; she made a helpless gesture at the doors behind her, then came down the stairs towards him. His heart went out to her; the dark circles under her grey eyes and the pinched look of her usually clear features told of the stress she was under. Mentally he cursed himself. How could he have been such a fool? He reached out a gloved hand and cupped her cheek. “Why don't you go get your helmet and gloves, Kagome…I'll do the driving…you're really in no condition to pilot a bike in traffic, okay?”

 

Mute, she nodded, and started for the shed, but changed direction and disappeared into the house. “Mom, Yashita's here…I'm going for a ride with him, all right?” Mrs. Higurashi saw the defeated look in Kagome's eyes, and just nodded her assent. Kagome turned and left; Mrs. Higurashi watched through the window as the silver bike rolled alongside her daughter, its rider pausing briefly to wave to her as they passed. Kagome retrieved her helmet and gloves from the shed, and slid onto the saddle behind Yashita. He waited until she was ready and had wrapped her arms around him before gently accelerating down the access road.

 

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Kagome pressed herself against Yashita's broad back, as the tears poured down her cheeks and dripped from under her helmet onto his leather jacket. She wasn't sure why she was still crying; maybe from exhaustion? She just held on tight to him, like he was an anchor, and let the tears flow.

 

For his part, Yashita could sense the misery radiating out from her slim form; it was all he could do not to pull the bike over, and drag her into his arms to hold her tightly and tell her everything. Only the thought of what Sessaki would do to him stopped him from acting on his impulse. He gritted his teeth, and instead took them on a route that would lead to a park with a distant view of Tokyo Bay. Kagome needed a shoulder to cry on, and someone to hold her while she did it, and it might as well be him.

 

 

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Sengoku Jidai

 

Shippo hung around the window grating, studying the cloud patterns and sniffing worriedly. Inuyasha looked up from where he was slouched against the wall, passing the time by thinking about a certain dark-haired, grey-eyed young woman. “What's up, runt?”

 

“Not sure…as my dad would have said, an ill wind is blowing.” The hanyou sprang up beside the kit, and sniffed as well.

 

“Something isn't right…what are the old hag and Miroku doing down there?”

 

“They've set up a barrier! Inuyasha…what is that?!”

 

A monstrous wolf-like creature, wearing armour, waddled towards the seated miko and monk. It was slavering sheets of drool; the ground was shaking under its strides. Its glowing red eyes flickered this way and that; verdant strings of greenery flowed over its head and shoulders. “That's Royakan, runt…wonder who gave him the extreme makeover…”

 

 

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Present Day

 

Yashita rolled the bike to a stop next to the curb, and put down the kickstand. He waited for Kagome to dismount, and then swung off himself. The girl was slow to pull off her helmet; he didn't mind, because he had to concentrate on his concealing spell before he removed his. Finally, she tugged it off, her dark hair swirling around her shoulders. He swallowed hard, and carefully followed suit.

 

Her grey eyes were sombre; he couldn't stop himself from stroking her cheek. “Hey, what's the matter, pretty girl?” She smiled a little, and he tucked her hand under his arm while guiding her to a nearby bench. He pulled her down beside him, and waited for her to speak. Kagome began twisting the hem of her jacket in her fingers, a sure sign of stress. Yashita carefully slung his arm around her shoulders, and was heartened when she leaned into him a little, but her fingers didn't stop worrying the leather.

 

She swallowed, hesitated, but decided to spill. “I'm really, really worried about Inuyasha…”

 

“What happened?” He gently rubbed her shoulder…man, she was tense.

 

“H-he had a vicious fight with his older brother, and was hurt really bad.”

 

“How `bad' is bad?”

 

“Severe internal injuries, and he lost a lot of blood…”

 

“Sounds like his brother's a bit of a homicidal maniac…how long ago?”

 

“Three days…and I- we haven't heard from him at all…”

 

Tears started then; he pulled her closer and hugged her tightly, resting his cheek on her hair, surreptitiously inhaling her scent. This was going to kill him, trying to sound like this was all new… “Do you have any idea of where he might be?” Her head bobbed up and down. “Would you like some help looking for him?”

 

Kagome pulled away slightly, rubbing at her eyes with the palms of her hands before she looked at him. Even puffy-eyed and red-cheeked, she still was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She smiled a little crookedly. “It isn't a place you'd be welcomed, Yash, but thanks for the offer. I can't go to him until he lets me know he's ready to see me again…it's the waiting that's killing me, not knowing if he's okay or not.”

 

“I see…looks like that girlfriend of his turned out to be…you.”

 

She flushed a brighter shade. “N-not exactly…but he means a lot to me, Yash; I won't lie to you. I-I'm sorry…”

 

Great. Now she felt guilty over him. Just load it on her, Yashita…

 

“It's okay, Kagome…really, it is.” He tugged her back and kissed her temple. “Promise me you'll come to me if you need any help, over anything at all, okay?”

 

She smiled softly at something. “Shimano said the same thing, not long ago…thank you, Yash…you don't know how much I appreciate you being here for me…” A large lump lodged itself in his throat…damn, he wanted to wrap himself around her and protect her from the pup…and it was only going to get worse.

 

Kagome had just gently slid her hand over his, when she suddenly doubled over, gasping, clutching at her chest. “Kagome! What's wrong?” She clawed at the collar of her jacket; dropping to his knees in front of her, Yashita caught her face in his hands. “Kagome?” He knew that Royakan had landed his first hit, and he had to get her back to the shrine, fast.

 

She finally met his eyes, her own huge as she struggled for breath. Her hand clamped over his forearm in a grip of steel. “Something…bad…Inuyasha…”

 

He stood, pulling her up with him, and wrapped his arms around her while her body spasmed. When she could straighten, and breathe relatively normally, he handed her the helmet and gloves, and picked up his own, then took her arm and pulled her towards the bike. “Let's get you back home…can you hold onto me all right?” She nodded, and pulled on her helmet as the engine roared to life, sliding on behind him and holding onto him like her own life depended on it.

 

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Yashita had barely rolled to a stop in the courtyard, when Kagome was off the seat and running for the house, hair flying, helmet bouncing across the ground. He pulled off his own helmet. She skidded to a halt, and ran back to him. Throwing her arms around him, she gave him a fierce hug and a kiss on the cheek, then bolted again, scooping the helmet on the move.

 

She was back out the door in minutes, not bothering to change out of her bright red leathers. She had the quiver in place on her back, and paused for a moment halfway up the well enclosure stairs, knotting the obi and shoving the katana through it. She bounded up the last couple of stairs, flung the door open and disappeared inside. He shook his head, and was in the process of pulling his helmet back on, when a voice spoke next to his ear.

 

“It must be hard, letting her go back to all that.”

 

He nearly jumped out of his leathers, and twisted to see Mrs. Higurashi's soft smile. She patted his arm soothingly. “This is an improvement…normally, if I surprised you like this, you'd be either halfway up the Goshinboku, or I'd be in intensive care.”

 

Yashita's jaw was nearly on his lap as he stared at her. She chuckled, before reaching over to gently tilt his mouth closed. “Sota's at school, and Ojii-chan is visiting relatives…why don't you let me have a look at you, Inuyasha?”

 

His mouth gone very dry, he just looked helplessly at her. She cocked her head on one side, smiling expectantly. Taking a deep breath, for the first time in around two centuries, he dropped his concealing spell in broad daylight. Mrs. Higurashi beamed, and reached up to gently tweak his fuzzy ear. “Much better, dear…Kagome used to come home from the Academy wondering `how someone that good-looking could be so grumpy'.”

 

“H-how did you know?”

 

“I well remember the fuss caused by a very handsome long-haired young man who came to the hospital when Kagome was born. All the nurses were hoping he was my brother, so perhaps I would pass on their phone numbers…”

 

He smiled shyly. “I couldn't believe that she was finally here…I just wanted to see her with my own eyes…”

 

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. “She was a beautiful baby, wasn't she? It wasn't until Graduation Day, when I saw you again, and apparently unaged, that I began putting two and two together. You are very eye-catching, even in `human' form, you know. Finally, when you picked Kagome up for your date… I was positive it was you. The children were the only ones who knew my love for sugared lychees and ginger…my late husband used to buy them for me on our anniversary.”

 

“Higurashi-san…I don't know what to say…”

 

“All formal, all of a sudden? It's okaa-san to you, Inuyasha, and always will be.” He smiled affectionately at this quiet little woman with the steel trap for a brain. Like her daughter, she had an amazing equanimity of mind when it came to demons appearing in her life. “Tell me, Inuyasha, if you are here, and older…did the quest for the Shikon Jewel not end well?”

 

He stuttered, and was stricken for a moment. “We don't know, okaa-san. The well sealed itself, with us on one side five hundred years in the past, and Kagome on the other…I hope, for all our sakes, alive.”

 

She nodded thoughtfully. “Well, it obviously won't do for your younger self to run into you, so you will have to remain `Yashita', I suppose… is your brother here also?” He nodded before he thought about it, and then winced. She caught the look. “Ah, my little revelation could cause some fuss, could it?”

 

“You have no idea…he's led the planning for the last five centuries. As a trained warrior himself, he very quickly realized that she had very specialized training already when she came through the well, and as we came closer to the time when she would be born, he put us all to work to make sure that it would happen for her. He's the reason why Kagome was accepted into the Academy; he'd infiltrated the founding committee around a hundred years ago to make sure.”

 

“Hmmm…kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

She suddenly grinned at him. “You haven't said a single `Keh' or referred to her as a `wench' or `bitch' once, Inuyasha…is this the new and improved version?”

 

“I think I'd totally blow my cover, as shaky as it is, if I let that slip in her vicinity. It's hard enough to keep a lid on my youkai, so she can't sense it.”

 

“You do realize she's going to kill you when all this is over…she could hardly move sometimes, from the training you put her through. You seemed to be especially tough on her…am I right?”

 

“Yeah, I drove her harder than any of them, because I wanted her to survive and be truly mine, finally.”

 

Mrs. Higurashi gave him an arch smile. “Does she become your mate, Inuyasha?”

 

He squirmed. “Yes, but…it isn't for a while yet… “

 

“I can imagine how difficult it must have been for you, interacting with her on a daily basis at the Academy…I understand now why you had that hissy fit when she briefly dated that upperclassman.”

 

“It was so hard for me to see her every day, to watch how she developed into this amazing woman and not be able to claim her as mine.…”

 

“I suspected after the first month of you coming through the well that your intentions towards her were a bit more personal than just shard collecting…oh, my, that means you have to wait for your younger self to…oh, goodness!” She was truly appalled at the implications, and patted his arm again.

 

He grinned. “I try not to think about it…”

 

“Do you have time for some tea, son-in-law?”

 

“Actually, I shouldn't, okaa-san… Kagome and the pup are going to come back through the well within an hour or so…and Kagome will need to see a doctor.” Mrs. Higurashi's eyes grew very big; he patted her shoulder. “It isn't life-threatening…actually, bring her to the infirmary at the Academy…I'll make arrangements for her to be seen there. Don't bring the pup, though…that would just make things way too complicated. I'm going to be raked over the coals as it is…”

 

“Would it help if I spoke to your brother…Sesshomaru, wasn't it?”

 

“It's Lord Sessaki now, and no, it wouldn't help…he won't kill me because the new session starts in a few days, and he couldn't replace me that fast…”

 

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