InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dangerous Faith ❯ Epilogue: 5 Years Later ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. In other words, I don't own and I make no money from this.

Author Note: This was originally posted to Inuyasha Fanfiction on June 4, 2012 for oneshot #15 Future. It won 2nd place. It originally came in at 1498 words and other than a few minor edits it has remained mostly unchanged.

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“Great job Jomei,” Inuyasha clapped his oldest child on the back as they headed back to camp with their catches. Jomei grinned proudly at his father as he hefted the large boar higher.

“Thanks Papa.”

“Come on, let's get these back to your mother and sister so we can eat before turning in. Got another long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

They returned to an amused Kagome and a scowling Izayoi. “Why did I have to wait here Papa?” she pouted at him. “I can hunt too.”

Jomei raised his eyebrows at her. “But Izayoi, I thought you didn't want to get blood all over your clothes like last time?” he said innocently before tossing his catch at her. “Here, I already cleaned it for you, all you have to do is cook it.”

Izayoi scowled at him. “Cook it yourself!” she snapped and tossed it back at him.

He caught it and laughed. “I caught it, remember, so it's your turn to cook it. Just like Mama's been teaching you.”

Kagome interrupted before things could continue. “That's enough you two. Come on Izayoi, I'll help you.”

Izayoi shot one more glare at her older brother before following her mother. “Still don't see why I have to do this,” she grumbled. “He should have stayed to cook while I went hunting. Bet I would have caught something even bigger.”

Kagome shook her head exasperatedly. “Hush now Izayoi, this is big enough for all of us. I bet we'll barely finish it as it is. Besides, this is something you need to learn. How else will you take care of your husband and family one day?”

Izayoi flushed. “Mama! I'm too young to worry about any of that now.”

Kagome exchanged an amused look with her husband behind her daughter's back. “Oh, you never know. Besides, what will happen if you find yourself on the road like your father and I did years ago?”

“Feh! I'll catch the food and whoever else is there will cook it!”

“Cut it out Izayoi,” Jomei teased his sister. “This is women's work and you know it. Catching the food is the job of men and cooking it is the job of women.”

Izayoi turned and growled at him. “I'm just as good as you are, maybe even better!”

Inuyasha chuckled from his seat beneath a tree as he listened to his children argue. Some things would never change. He jerked upright, hand going to Tessaiga's hilt as his hearing picked up approaching footsteps. He nodded in approval as his children quieted and tensed, Kagome reaching for her bow and arrows at their actions. His eyes narrowed at how the sound of so many approaching and he moved to better see the road.

But while he could now see the men approaching, they could also see him and they halted. His ears pricked forward, picking up their murmurs about his appearance. The murmurs increased in intensity as they spotted his children, and he shot them an irritated look as they stepped forward out of the cover of the trees. Why could his family never stay put and let him protect them? His attention was drawn again to the group before them as one figure made his way to the front of the crowd. His eyes widened.

“So we meet again,” Ungai's voice was calm as he regarded the family before him and his followers. “I trust that you and your family have been well?”

“What do you want?” Inuyasha asked, remembering his previous run-ins with this priest.

Kagome joined her husband, placing a calming hand on his arm. “There's no reason to be rude, Inuyasha,” she lightly scolded him. “Ungai-sama.” She gave him a nod of greeting.

He chuckled lightly. “Oh, there is no need to scold your husband. He is right to be suspicious after our last meetings.” Ungai locked eyes with the older hanyou. “I mean you and your family no harm. We are merely passing through the area.”

Inuyasha scowled at the priest. “Oh really,” he scoffed. “And what, or who, are you hunting this time?”

“Those days are behind me, and have been since our last encounter. After our last meeting, I went on a journey of reflection and discovery, meeting many interesting people. And not all were human. I learned a great deal on that journey, including that being human does not automatically make one good and being non-human does not automatically make one evil. I learned the lesson of how unwavering faith in one's own beliefs and choices could be dangerous, that I need to constantly reflect on my actions. And I owe this lesson to you.”

Inuyasha slowly removed his hand from Tessaiga as the old priest spoke. None of the newcomers made any gesture of violence and he sensed only curiosity from them, no sign of malice or ill-intent. “Feh.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome smiled at the priest as her children moved closer. Jomei frowned. “I remember you, you wanted to hurt my family! You called my mother bad names.” He growled.

Inuyasha shot his son a look and pushed himself in front of his family in case any of the men decided to take action against what could be considered an aggressive move. But though several shifted uneasily, none made any move to attack.

“Yes, and I apologize once more for that. I was mistaken in my beliefs.”

“Well, I'm glad to hear that you have learned from your mistakes Ungai-sama. Does this mean that you no longer hunt youkai?” Kagome asked, curious about how far this change had gone.

“Well, we no longer go looking for them. We instead travel across the countryside, preaching peace and understanding. However, when we come across a bad situation we do try to help out. If it is a youkai attacking the humans, we try to see if the problem can be settled peacefully, though regretfully, that does not happen often and we usually have to purify them.” He paused as the three hanyou growled. “It is not unlike the exterminations you perform that I have heard tell of. As I said, we only act when we can not negotiate.”

Inuyasha glared at him. “And what if the problem isn't the youkai?”

“Inuyasha!”

“No, he is right.” Ungai nodded at him. “We have encountered situations where the youkai were merely trying to survive and it was the ignorant and scared villagers who were at fault. In those situations we try to negotiate a peace between the two parties, and should that fail, we help the youkai find a new place to settle.”

“I am very happy to hear that,” Kagome told him, keeping a hand on Inuyasha's arm in warning. “We were just about to eat, would you like to join us?” She ignored Inuyasha's look as she continued to watch Ungai's face.

“Thank you, but no. We are expected in a village just down the road.” Ungai bowed his head to them. “Enjoy your meal and may you remain safe on your own journey.” With that he turned and walked away with his followers.

Inuyasha watched them leave. Once the last of them had passed out of sight he turned to his wife. “Why did you invite them to eat? The boar's big but not that big.”

“It was the polite thing to do. Besides, I had a feeling he would turn us down. Still, it's nice to see that he really has changed.” She clapped her hands once and turned to her family. “Now let's go eat, we've still got a long way to go tomorrow to get to Totosai-ojiisan.”

Her children perked up at that. “Yeah, I can't wait to see what my sword looks like,” Jomei spoke up excitedly.

“Me too,” Izayoi piped up.

“Feh, you're a girl. Girls don't use swords. Betcha he turned your fang into something really girly.”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Knock it off!” Inuyasha growled warningly at the two, not wanting to listen to another such argument after the recent meeting.

Kagome merely smiled in bemusement as she resumed cooking the food. They had had their doubts about Ungai all of those years ago. She was glad to see that they had been wrong, though she never would have pictured the meeting they just had. But then, who could predict what the future would bring?

As her children started arguing once more, she smiled again. She might not be able to predict the future of most things, but when it came to her family she could predict that things would never be boring. That was one thing she had absolute faith in.