InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 500yrs to wait ❯ chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

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

blanket disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Inuyasha or any characters associated with the anime/manga. They are the property of Rumiko Takahahi.
"talking"
'thinking'


After meeting Kagome's family, they retired to the living room to talk. Things were a little tense at first, Inuyasha's dismissal of Kagome had put a damper on what should have been a joyous occasion.

Kagome tried her best not to take her hurt feelings out on her friends. 'It's not their fault that Inuyasha is a baka. They have waited along time to get to see me again, I'm not going to let Inuyasha ruin this.'

Clearing her throat Kagome decided to enjoy their time together, "So Sango, I take it you and Miroku finally figured out you liked one another."
Cough..."oh yes"....cough Sango got out between her tea as Miroku once again was wiping off someone's drink.
"Well Miroku, looks like your still on the receiving end huh?" Shippou asked calmly as he enjoyed Miroku's perpetual showers.
"Well....fill me in! I want to know everything!" Kagome happily squealed holding Sango's hands.
"Where would you like us to start?" Sango asked getting happier by the second, it was just like old times they use to share in the hot springs.
"I want to know it all, from the moment I left on!"
"That could take some time," Miroku explained.
"It's not like Inuyasha wants to see me so I got time." Kagome angerly remarked.

"Kagome it isn't like that," Sango tried.
"It is true Lady Kagome, while Inuyasha has grown and matured in many ways, emotionally when it comes to you, he never left the battlefield at the defeat of Naraku." Miroku sagely enlighten.
"Really?" Kagome wondered if Inuyasha was truely hurt by her disappearance then way didn't he come see her. 'I didn't really want to talk about Inuyasha.'

Kagome knew when she had materialized in the bottom of the well in her own era how she felt about loosing her friends, about loosing Inuyasha. 'Are you angery with me? Why won't you give me a chance?'

Sighing Kagome tried to redirect from talking about Inuyasha. "Give me the condensed version, what happened after I was taken away?" 'Maybe I can get some answers.'

Sad smiles answered her as her friends began to tell her the story of their lives after Naraku.

Flashback to the battlefield at the defeat of Naraku

Cries went out into the night from youkai, human and hanyou.

Kouga, Ginta and Hakaki just didn't seem to be able to understand what had happened or where Kagome had went. They kept sniffing around hoping to catch a sent of where she might have went.

Miroku held Sango, supporting her as she had now lost another person who had meant something to her. Sango had lost everyone, her village, her family, now Kagome. Kagome had been like a sister to her. Where alot of other women had looked at Sango strangly because she was a taiji-ya. Kagome had just seen another women, what she did was not who she was, that was what Kagome had told her. Now the only other women she had ever been close to was gone.

Miroku was not immune, silent tears trailed down his face. Kagome had seen passed his curse and his perverted ways. She had been one of the few who had seen that inside he was a decent person and had welcomed him to join them. 'She had done that for us all, seen past the surface to our very souls. We all found acceptance from her.'

Kirara comforted Shippou as best she could, the young fox youkai held tight to the neko as he cried. Kagome had looked out for him since he lost his father and now she was gone too. 'No more kind words, hugs or gifts. How will I survive with out her?'

The silence that had fell over them was shattered by the insane unhuman cries of their hanyou companion. Everyone stopped to stare at the inu hanyou, all thoughts of their own grief lost at the heart wrenching sight before them.

Inuyasha had dog walked himself, on his feet and hands, over to a large boulder on the battlefield. A familar yellow backpack in his mouth and a very dog like whimpering cry from his lips.

He had started slowly swaying, the side of his head hitting against the boulder, his eyes going vacant with a hint of the loss he felt in them. The swaying soon became banging and it was apparent to all from the blood coating the rock and coloring his hair that he was loosing his mind to the grief.

Sesshoumaru had been retrieving Rin from the cave when he heard his brother's cries, going out to see what had happened the mask he wore remained but, eyes widened at the sight that he observed.

In that moment the truth that Sesshoumaru had not wanted to face was there on that battlefield. 'While hanyou my half brother may be Chichi-ue's blood has bred true in him.'

Sesshoumaru went on to the battlefield towards his brother, 'no other being in Japan has been able to break him not even I but, the loss of his female had driven him into youkai madness but, how is this possible?'

There are two types of mates, ones taken to up ones standing in youkai courts and then those that ones blood chooses. The latter were mates of the soul and the hardest to loose.

When a mate was lost, especially a soul mate, the surviving youkai would often suffer from youkai madness, a horrible sickness of the mind and soul.

The madness was a grieving sickness that effected the mind and soul. It would strike a youkai during the first stages of grief, when one would have to come to terms with going on with life without ones mate.

Mates were very important to youkai's that took a mate for life. A mate was a partner, a companion to share all aspects of life with. A life that would go on until one was killed as youkai's were immortal. Without ones mate, especially a soul mate it left the remaining partner lost.

One did not have to be fully mated for the effects of the madness to happen, if they were soul mates and had integrated their lives together then it did not matter. For with a soul mate the act of mating was only another level to the communion they shared not the defining issue.

'Youkai madness is a pure youkai sickness, no hanyou has ever suffered the effects. Their vile human blood does not allow it.' Sesshoumaru thought stalking up to Inuyasha.

'Amazing he is only hanyou but, he has youkai maddness.' Sesshoumaru watched as his half brother continued to bash his head against the boulder.

At that moment Tenseiga, the sword of healing and his fathers gift to him pulsed. 'He is truely Chichi-ue's son, he has proved he's self to be worthy of recognition.' Sesshoumaru bowed his head slightly to his father's fang.

Reaching for Inuyasha he touched his hand to the pressure point on his neck causing him to blackout.

End flashback


"Wait! You're telling me that because Inuyasha was trying to beat his brains out, Sesshoumaru accepted him?" Kagome asked wide eyed.
"Yeah, like I said no other hanyou has ever had it. Hanyou's had always been immune because of their human blood." Shippou explained, "it was the final proof to Sesshoumaru that Inuyasha was worthy to be recognized as his brother. Inuyasha is a hanyou but, the strength of his youkai blood is stronger then any others had ever been."

"Poor Inuyasha, so I take it Sesshoumaru helped him recover?" Kagome asked holding her hands to her heart, all earlier anger forgotten, the thought of Inuyasha loosing his mind from grief hit her hard as tears collected in her eyes.

"Basically...." Sango said, "you see there really wasn't much that could be done. Sesshoumaru got us some berries that had a calming effect for him but, he had deal with it on his own. That and we had to help him find something to take care of."

"You see Kagome, being a hanyou with youkai madness was a first in youkai society," Miroku filled in, "it also worked against Inuyasha. The potion made from the berries Sesshoumaru gave us is a youkai potion, it was not made with hanyou's in mind. His human blood worked against the potion so the effects were not what they should have been."

"That and instead of you being gone for good he had to deal with the fact that he could see you again, he just had to wait." Shippou told her, "that was what was so hard, if you had died he could have went on with life but, being you just weren't born yet he was in limbo."

"Shippou!" Sango gasped looking at the fox youkai.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Shippou asked looking around, one look at Kagome told him he had just stuck his head up his ass.
"Oh Kagome, I'm sorry that didn't come out how I meant it." Shippou tried.

"It's okay Shippou," Kagome said as she wiped her tears, "it was the truth, right?" She asked with a sad smile. ' It's true, he is angery. He must hate me, I left him when he need me the most. He thought of me as so important to him he got sick.' A small sob came from Kagome as she tried to keep her self together . She closed her eyes, ' Oh, please Inuyasha. Just give me the chance to say I'm sorry...'

Kagome opened her eyes to find Shippou had came to wrap his arms around her. "Kagome, I didn't mean to make you cry. I just got caught up in it and it came out. Please don't cry, If you didn't mean so much to Inuyasha he never would have had the madness." He tried, "at least you know how much you mean to him right?"
"Sure Shippou, your right. It's really okay, let's just go on," Kagome told him returning his hug. ' I left him when he need me, I promised I wouldn't be like everyone else. It doesn't matter if it was the jewel or my choice, not in the end.'

"You guys said that you had to help him find something to take care of?" Kagome asked.
"That's where Kaeda and us came in and of course Kohaku and then later Rin." Shippou said returning to his seat.
"Kohaku? I thought he died before the battle started?"
"Rin pleaded with Sesshoumaru to revive him so he did." Shippou answered.
"Sango, that's great so where is he?" Kagome asked, glad to be talking about something happy.

"Sango?" Miroku grabbed her hand to lend support.
"It's alright Miroku," she said with a sad smile, "he went to his final rest over 400-years ago Kagome."
"What? Did he die before Inuyasha could get those talisments?" Kagome asked, 'Sango, to loose him again.'
"No...he didn't want the talisment...he loved Inuyasha like a brother but, he couldn't stand to touch anything that had youkai control on it after what Naraku had done to him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Inuyasha, he just couldn't deal with that and Inuyasha respected his choice. He grew up, had a family, grew old and died."
"Sango I'm sorry, that must have been so hard for you." Kagome went and hugged her friend.
'Kagome, always so worried about others,' Sango thought as she hugged her back. "It's okay Kagome, it was his choice and he had a good life, it's what I always hoped he would have."

Kagome went back to her seat, once again trying to redirect the conversation to something more happy she asked, "So Inuyasha took care of all of you guys?" ' So much for not wanting to talk about Inuyasha.'
"Eventually yes....at first we kind of took care of him." Shippou answered.

Flashback to days after the defeat of Naraku

Inuyasha laid on a futon in Kaeda's hut, he has a wet cloth on his head as well as several bandages on his wounds from the battle with Naraku. His friends surrounded him with their own array of bandages.

Kaeda begins to raise Inuyasha's head attempting to give him the potion made from the berries Sesshoumaru had brought with Inuyasha after Naraku's defeat and Kagome's loss.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha despairingly whispered.
"Nay child, it is I," Kaeda continued to work the potion down him, "ye must drink this, it will help calm you."

Swallowing down the rest of the drink Inuyasha asked, "I have to wait to see her again, right? That's what Sesshoumaru said."
"Yes Inuyasha that is correct." Kaeda agreed laying his head back on the futon.
"Alright, I'll try."

A few months later

"I don't want to be attacked." One village man says to another.
"The houshi and Lady Kaeda both promised he won't."
"He is a demon though, can we trust that he won't?"
"Well Lady Kaeda would not lie to us, so I think it's safe."

Commanding everyone's attention Miroku explained the plan. "Thank you all for coming. Now all we need is for you to pull this rope towards the river. We will deal with Inuyasha then."

"Are you certain monk that he won't attack us?" One of the village men asked.
"Please, since the Shikon wisked our Lady Kagome away Inuyasha has not even had the will to eat, Lady Kaeda has had to feed him by hand. We must force him to start moving again, if we don't he will die and if he does then this village will lose a powerful protector." Miroku answered. "If we could do this our selves we would but, its like pulling dead weight so we are unable to get him out of the hut without help."

An older man came forward grabbing the rope, "the houshi is right we must get our hanyou moving again and a bath is just what he needs! Now let's pull men!"

The men of the village grabbed the rope which in turn was tied to Inuyasha's waist. Inside the hut, in a corner, his back to the door he laid. The yellow backpack by his head.

Oh he knew what they had planned but, he just could not seem to find the will to give a damn. It had been two weeks since Kaeda had put her foot down and refused to do anything for him.

"I'm an old women Inuyasha and ye are not a babe. As long as I live ye are welcome to live with me but, if ye are going to survive to see Kagome again ye must start living again."

That had been the last time he had been forced feed or washed off. After a day or two he did start feeding himself but, that had been it. Now Kaeda had completely had it and was having him dragged to the river.

' What would Kagome say if she could see me?'

The dragging comensed, the whole village had turned out to watch the once proud hanyou be dragged like a common dog to the river to be bathed.
"I can't believe he's not attacking us for this." He heard one of the villagers say, ' feh, like I'd hurt a human, Kagome is human.' Inuyasha sadly thought.

Soon they were at the river and Miroku and Shippou had began to strip him and force wash him. "I can't believe I'm doing this," Inuyasha heard Miroku comment.

Down from his bath Kaeda and Sango were busy washing his clothes when Kaeda slipped and fell into the river. Inuyasha heard Sango's cries for help for the old women and the idea of loosing anyone else struck something in the hanyou, before anyone else could go to Kaeda's aid Inuyasha had lept away down the river, stark naked.

"What are you doing babaa? Trying to scare me to death." Inuyasha gruffly yelled as he got Kaeda out of the river.
Cough...cough..."I told ye I was an old women Inuyasha." The old priestess replied not looking at her rescuer.

Slipping back into the river to try and save his own modesty Inuyasha said, "well I didn't realize how pathetic you were."
"Such disrespect," Kaeda shook her head at him.

Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara arrived to lend assistance. "About time you guys got here, where the hell are my clothes?" Inuyasha yelled at them from the river.
"Up the river," Sango replied with a blush.
"I'll be right back," Inuyasha swam back up stream to gather his clothes, he was back quickly with his wet clothes on but, his haori and under shirt were not tied. Kneeling down and giving his back to the old women Inuyasha gruffly spoke again, "come babaa, let's get you home. Get on."

That day forward Inuyasha lived helping Kaeda, he and Shippou lived with her for the next two years till the evening Shippou returned from helping in the fields to find that old Kaeda had passed away.

End flashback

"I came in to find she had never gotten up. She had said she was tired that morning when I left with Kohaku. Inuyasha had decided to stay with her, he told her to stay in bed and rest." Shippou said as he tried to hold back his feelings, "she must have died early in the day cause the hut smelled of death but, there he sat, her head in his lap. His eyes were so cold, I almost thought I was looking at Sesshoumaru when I came in."

Kagome had gotten up and went to hug Shippou, he gladly took it and returned it with one of his own.

"When we finished with the burial Inuyasha told Miroku, Sango and Kohaku to take care of me. Then he left for a couple of months and when he returned he had the talisments, he said he'd be damned before he went through that again, if he had known how short humans lived he'd started looking long ago for the talisments." Shippou finished.

"Not long after that Sesshoumaru came around and asked Inuyasha to come to the Western Lands and take care of Rin. He was having trouble with youkai's trying to take the lands and he knew Jaken wasn't strong enough to protect Rin by himself." Sango told Kagome. "Inuyasha told him as long as his pack could come then he would. We didn't feel right at the village anymore after Kaeda passed away, especially with the talisments. So we figured it was better to be with Inuyasha."

"I bet that was interesting, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru in the same house?" Kagome tried to imagine the two staring acrossed the table at one another.

"Interesting is one word, let me tell you about me and Rin being raised by Inuyasha." Shippou smiled, this had been good times.







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