InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Deep Woods ❯ Chapter 15
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Silly1 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Fantasy / Romance | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 06.03.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 293 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Drama / Fantasy / Romance | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 06.03.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 293 | Status: Completed
In Deep Woods, Chapter 15: Closure
First, some much needed energy. Any living organism would do, but there was something about humans that made them irresistible. Perhaps it was their awareness of their own mortality, or possibly their unique ability to alter their own destinies, which made their fragility so delectable. The future was an open book to humankind. Fenn popped in on the night scene in his favorite city, and put all the popular vampire myths to shame. He didn’t kill the girl he left with, however. He hadn’t killed in a very long time.
So he was not completely satisfied when he stumbled out of the tiny apartment she shared with two roommates, leaving not only his recent conquest but also her roommates passed out in their respective rooms. They would wake up groggy with the coming night, and think nothing much of it. Their lifestyle meshed perfectly with Fenn’s appetites.
Now, to find Trace. Fenn focused his energies and sought out that spark which had once resonated inside of himself. Ah, there he was!
Trace studied him carefully. “I see you finally escaped,” he murmured, sliding out of the bed he shared with Megumi so that he could talk to Fenn without disturbing her. “You seem—recovered.”
Fenn watched Trace skirt around him with some amusement. “I wouldn’t mind a little more,” he admitted, enjoying the alarm on the other youkai’s face.
“Wouldn’t we all.” Fenn and Trace shared a moment of understanding before Trace’s voice hardened. “Why are you here?”
“To offer you one last chance at freedom,” Fenn replied. “Go now, leave Megumi behind and let her heal. She will get over you eventually, now that she has her heart back. You owe her that much.”
Trace frowned, hearing the intent behind the words. “If I wanted to leave, I would be gone,” he said roughly. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Fenn nodded, satisfied, but he added one last warning. “If you stay, I cannot protect you. You could die this time, for real.”
Trace laughed softly. “I thought so,” he said. “Now I understand why you limit yourself to one time period when you have the whole of eternity to choose from. You love the unpredictability. Tell me, if this hadn’t turned out the way you wanted it, would you have gone back?”
Fenn shrugged. “As you say, I love the unpredictability of seeing what will happen next. Choose well, my offspring. You are more mortal than I now. There is a real danger you could lose eternity to mortality’s seduction.”
It was Trace’s turn to shrug. “I’ll take my chances,” he said with a faint smile, glancing once towards the darkened bedroom where Megumi slept, oblivious to the fate that might have taken her lover away from her.
Fenn left as dawn lightened the night sky to a pale pink. He wondered what Shippo was up to at this time of the morning. Shippo was always good for some light entertainment.
It turned out the kitsune was up and about, and none too pleased to see Fenn. “Whatsa matter? You run out of victims so soon?”
Fenn grinned widely. “Shippo, you know I’m reformed,” he said.
“Yeah, right—I heard about what you did, letting Trace out of his prison. Wait until Inuyasha finds out.” The little kitsune was looking forward to it.
“He already knows,” Fenn replied, relishing how Shippo’s eyes widened at the news.
“That’s not possible—I thought—“ Shippo paused, scratching his head.
“Go ahead, give him a call,” Fenn suggested, waiting while Shippo dug out his holo-phone and pressed the pad. Nothing happened. Fenn smiled in satisfaction. That meant Inuyasha was on his way, probably somewhere over the Pacific by now, not having the ability to travel across space like Fenn did. Although that was debatable. Inuyasha’s line were stronger than they knew, including Inuyasha himself.
Shippo scowled and snapped the phone shut. “He’s not answering,” he muttered, casting Fenn a suspicious glance. “Why do I think you knew that would happen?”
Fenn laughed. “You give me more credit than I deserve,” he replied cryptically, walking away and leaving the bewildered kitsune staring after him. Fenn thought he might have time for a few hours’ sleep in his favorite swamp before things got really interesting. Time. He smiled to himself. All things came to pass given enough time.
Trace pressed his lips to Megumi’s brow, and drew the covers over her. “Sleep a little longer,” he whispered as she stirred, warm and pliant in the early morning. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?” Megumi’s eyes opened and she reached for him, but Trace stepped back, smiling regretfully.
“I have a few things I have to take care of,” he told her. “It’s all right. Go back to sleep.” He waited while Megumi smiled, not fully awake yet, and settled back with a sigh into the pillows. I love you, he thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. Before he could change his mind, he popped out.
Dealing with Megumi’s family had been rough. He still hated them, or thought he did, but how could he, when she obviously cared for them so much? Kazuki was an honorable man, once he got over his anger issues, and Mayumi—Mayumi had taught him what it meant to be human, for all that she tried so hard to be purely youkai. He doubted she ever even realized it. They were all willing to reserve judgment on him, because Megumi loved him. Even Daichi, the full youkai, had been corrupted by the humanity in them. Trace could have lied to them all, and wreaked such havoc on Inuyasha’s descendants that there would literally be no future left for them. It’s what he had wanted, once.
Trace materialized deep within Inuyasha’s woods, in a place that had meaning to both himself and Inuyasha’s clan. The petrified remains of an ancient youkai, looking like nothing more than a jumbled pile of rocks, rose out of the middle of a noxious swamp. That had been Trace’s physical form at one time, when Fenn, his master and his creator, had tried to reabsorb him and wipe him out of existence. However, Trace had been strong enough, then, to abandon physical form and escape, through time and space, knowing his creator would not follow. He doubted he could escape so easily now. His essence was bound in the physical, although he could still abandon form for short periods of time. Time. He was bound up in time, whether he willed it or not. That’s what association with Inuyasha’s brood had done to him. Trace smiled ruefully. It wasn’t so bad.
Well, he would face fate squarely. What happened, happened. He didn’t care so much for himself; he only hoped Megumi wouldn’t mourn for too long if he was destroyed.
“I found you.”
A sharp point pressed against Trace’s throat, nicking the skin. Immediately, Trace felt the drain on his spirit essence. He did not resist. His eyes met the golden eyes of his nemesis, unflinching. He wondered if the vengeful youkai in front of him realized that he was absorbing Trace’s essence into himself through Tetsusaiga. Probably not.
After a while, the pressure eased, and Inuyasha moved Tetsusaiga a hair’s breadth away. “I can kill you now,” Inuyasha said conversationally. “Tell me why I shouldn’t.”
Trace gave a short laugh. “I can’t,” he said.
“Why don’t you run? You’re good at that,” Inuyasha pointed out.
“No, I’m done with running.”
“What if I put you back inside your cage?” Inuyasha asked. “Fenn never should have let you out.”
Trace shook his head. “Go ahead and kill me,” he said. “I won’t go back.”
Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and took a seat on the soggy ground, motioning for Trace to do the same. Trace sat, too, unconsciously drawing in life from the nearby foliage to replace what Tetsusaiga had stolen. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow, but refrained from commenting. They sat like that, contemplating the smelly pond, until Inuyasha finally spoke. “Kagome will have my head if I destroy you,” he said. “Tell me something. Do you love Megumi?”
“I do.” Trace spoke softly. It might be too little, too late, but it was the truth.
“And you will take care of her like she deserves to be taken care of?”
“For the rest of my life,” Trace affirmed.
Inuyasha raised his other brow. That was a long time. “You know you’re getting the rest of us along with Megumi. It’s a package deal.”
Trace allowed himself to hope. He gave a small smile. “I’m beginning to realize that,” he said.
“I can still kill you. Any time.”
“I know.”
Inuyasha stood up, wiping futilely at his backside, which was now damp and covered with mud. “Then I won’t kill you right this minute.” He looked piercingly at Trace through his shaggy bangs. “Have you given any thought as to what you’re going to do now?”
“Do?” Trace looked surprised.
“Do. Like a job. You can’t expect to support Megumi on energy.” Inuyasha glanced disparagingly at the shriveled vegetation all around them.
“Uh, I don’t know. I never thought about it,” Trace said. Did this mean Inuyasha had accepted him? He wasn’t entirely sure what to think.
“Then it’s settled. You’ll come and work for me. In Japan. Where I can keep an eye on you. Megumi can come, too.” He glared. “You’d better make it official if you’re going to live together.”
Trace stared at him, but Inuyasha gave him no time to argue. “I’ll see you back at the house,” he said, letting himself go incorporeal. It wasn’t the instantaneous transmission that Trace and his kind were capable of, but Inuyasha in spirit form was incredibly swifter than his physical form. It gave Trace hope—he didn’t have to be youkai or human, one or the other, any more than Inuyasha or his brood were. He could be both. With an elated grin, Trace disappeared, willing himself to go to Megumi.
“No, don’t get up,” he whispered in her ear, popping noiselessly into bed beside her. “There’s no hurry.” Vaguely, outside, he could hear stirring, and somewhere he felt Fenn’s presence nearby, but he put it out of his mind. This was his time, his and Megumi’s.
Not long after, Inuyasha let his physical form coalesce on the upper deck of the house he had designed when he and Kagome had first been married. He had returned briefly to the airport where he had left Kagome, and taken her on his back to his mountain, filling her in as they flew, invisible, through the early afternoon air. Her approval was a solid warmth against his senses. He wasn’t convinced he had done the right thing, but time would tell.
Fenn was already soaking in the hot tub, a completely irrelevant drink in his upraised hand. “Come on in, the water’s fine!” he called to his two friends, smiling widely.
“You! You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you!” Inuyasha accused, but he shrugged out of his outer clothes and took his usual place in the hot tub. Kagome came out a few minutes later, dressed in a modest bathing suit which only served to accentuate her trim figure. She had a drink in each hand.
“Shh,” she said with a conspiratorial smile. “They’re still sleeping in there!”
Inuyasha sniffed, then frowned. “They’re not—“ he began. Kagome shoved a glass into his hand and lifted it up to his mouth.
“Try this,” she said, smiling even more brightly. “It’s good.” She nodded to Fenn. “I’ve missed this—just relaxing with good friends. We have to do it more often, don’t you agree, Inuyasha?”
Inuyasha sputtered, choking on the sip he hadn’t expected to take. Then he relaxed, and a slow grin crossed his face. “Yeah,” he said.
THE END
Author’s Note: Okay, I’ve gotten that one out of my system. Hope you enjoyed it. I think that’s it for a while, but now I’m sort of intrigued at what type of youkai Kazuki and Misty’s children are. Never say never…….
Converting /tmp/phpL77pkf to /dev/stdout
First, some much needed energy. Any living organism would do, but there was something about humans that made them irresistible. Perhaps it was their awareness of their own mortality, or possibly their unique ability to alter their own destinies, which made their fragility so delectable. The future was an open book to humankind. Fenn popped in on the night scene in his favorite city, and put all the popular vampire myths to shame. He didn’t kill the girl he left with, however. He hadn’t killed in a very long time.
So he was not completely satisfied when he stumbled out of the tiny apartment she shared with two roommates, leaving not only his recent conquest but also her roommates passed out in their respective rooms. They would wake up groggy with the coming night, and think nothing much of it. Their lifestyle meshed perfectly with Fenn’s appetites.
Now, to find Trace. Fenn focused his energies and sought out that spark which had once resonated inside of himself. Ah, there he was!
Trace studied him carefully. “I see you finally escaped,” he murmured, sliding out of the bed he shared with Megumi so that he could talk to Fenn without disturbing her. “You seem—recovered.”
Fenn watched Trace skirt around him with some amusement. “I wouldn’t mind a little more,” he admitted, enjoying the alarm on the other youkai’s face.
“Wouldn’t we all.” Fenn and Trace shared a moment of understanding before Trace’s voice hardened. “Why are you here?”
“To offer you one last chance at freedom,” Fenn replied. “Go now, leave Megumi behind and let her heal. She will get over you eventually, now that she has her heart back. You owe her that much.”
Trace frowned, hearing the intent behind the words. “If I wanted to leave, I would be gone,” he said roughly. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Fenn nodded, satisfied, but he added one last warning. “If you stay, I cannot protect you. You could die this time, for real.”
Trace laughed softly. “I thought so,” he said. “Now I understand why you limit yourself to one time period when you have the whole of eternity to choose from. You love the unpredictability. Tell me, if this hadn’t turned out the way you wanted it, would you have gone back?”
Fenn shrugged. “As you say, I love the unpredictability of seeing what will happen next. Choose well, my offspring. You are more mortal than I now. There is a real danger you could lose eternity to mortality’s seduction.”
It was Trace’s turn to shrug. “I’ll take my chances,” he said with a faint smile, glancing once towards the darkened bedroom where Megumi slept, oblivious to the fate that might have taken her lover away from her.
Fenn left as dawn lightened the night sky to a pale pink. He wondered what Shippo was up to at this time of the morning. Shippo was always good for some light entertainment.
It turned out the kitsune was up and about, and none too pleased to see Fenn. “Whatsa matter? You run out of victims so soon?”
Fenn grinned widely. “Shippo, you know I’m reformed,” he said.
“Yeah, right—I heard about what you did, letting Trace out of his prison. Wait until Inuyasha finds out.” The little kitsune was looking forward to it.
“He already knows,” Fenn replied, relishing how Shippo’s eyes widened at the news.
“That’s not possible—I thought—“ Shippo paused, scratching his head.
“Go ahead, give him a call,” Fenn suggested, waiting while Shippo dug out his holo-phone and pressed the pad. Nothing happened. Fenn smiled in satisfaction. That meant Inuyasha was on his way, probably somewhere over the Pacific by now, not having the ability to travel across space like Fenn did. Although that was debatable. Inuyasha’s line were stronger than they knew, including Inuyasha himself.
Shippo scowled and snapped the phone shut. “He’s not answering,” he muttered, casting Fenn a suspicious glance. “Why do I think you knew that would happen?”
Fenn laughed. “You give me more credit than I deserve,” he replied cryptically, walking away and leaving the bewildered kitsune staring after him. Fenn thought he might have time for a few hours’ sleep in his favorite swamp before things got really interesting. Time. He smiled to himself. All things came to pass given enough time.
Trace pressed his lips to Megumi’s brow, and drew the covers over her. “Sleep a little longer,” he whispered as she stirred, warm and pliant in the early morning. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?” Megumi’s eyes opened and she reached for him, but Trace stepped back, smiling regretfully.
“I have a few things I have to take care of,” he told her. “It’s all right. Go back to sleep.” He waited while Megumi smiled, not fully awake yet, and settled back with a sigh into the pillows. I love you, he thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. Before he could change his mind, he popped out.
Dealing with Megumi’s family had been rough. He still hated them, or thought he did, but how could he, when she obviously cared for them so much? Kazuki was an honorable man, once he got over his anger issues, and Mayumi—Mayumi had taught him what it meant to be human, for all that she tried so hard to be purely youkai. He doubted she ever even realized it. They were all willing to reserve judgment on him, because Megumi loved him. Even Daichi, the full youkai, had been corrupted by the humanity in them. Trace could have lied to them all, and wreaked such havoc on Inuyasha’s descendants that there would literally be no future left for them. It’s what he had wanted, once.
Trace materialized deep within Inuyasha’s woods, in a place that had meaning to both himself and Inuyasha’s clan. The petrified remains of an ancient youkai, looking like nothing more than a jumbled pile of rocks, rose out of the middle of a noxious swamp. That had been Trace’s physical form at one time, when Fenn, his master and his creator, had tried to reabsorb him and wipe him out of existence. However, Trace had been strong enough, then, to abandon physical form and escape, through time and space, knowing his creator would not follow. He doubted he could escape so easily now. His essence was bound in the physical, although he could still abandon form for short periods of time. Time. He was bound up in time, whether he willed it or not. That’s what association with Inuyasha’s brood had done to him. Trace smiled ruefully. It wasn’t so bad.
Well, he would face fate squarely. What happened, happened. He didn’t care so much for himself; he only hoped Megumi wouldn’t mourn for too long if he was destroyed.
“I found you.”
A sharp point pressed against Trace’s throat, nicking the skin. Immediately, Trace felt the drain on his spirit essence. He did not resist. His eyes met the golden eyes of his nemesis, unflinching. He wondered if the vengeful youkai in front of him realized that he was absorbing Trace’s essence into himself through Tetsusaiga. Probably not.
After a while, the pressure eased, and Inuyasha moved Tetsusaiga a hair’s breadth away. “I can kill you now,” Inuyasha said conversationally. “Tell me why I shouldn’t.”
Trace gave a short laugh. “I can’t,” he said.
“Why don’t you run? You’re good at that,” Inuyasha pointed out.
“No, I’m done with running.”
“What if I put you back inside your cage?” Inuyasha asked. “Fenn never should have let you out.”
Trace shook his head. “Go ahead and kill me,” he said. “I won’t go back.”
Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and took a seat on the soggy ground, motioning for Trace to do the same. Trace sat, too, unconsciously drawing in life from the nearby foliage to replace what Tetsusaiga had stolen. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow, but refrained from commenting. They sat like that, contemplating the smelly pond, until Inuyasha finally spoke. “Kagome will have my head if I destroy you,” he said. “Tell me something. Do you love Megumi?”
“I do.” Trace spoke softly. It might be too little, too late, but it was the truth.
“And you will take care of her like she deserves to be taken care of?”
“For the rest of my life,” Trace affirmed.
Inuyasha raised his other brow. That was a long time. “You know you’re getting the rest of us along with Megumi. It’s a package deal.”
Trace allowed himself to hope. He gave a small smile. “I’m beginning to realize that,” he said.
“I can still kill you. Any time.”
“I know.”
Inuyasha stood up, wiping futilely at his backside, which was now damp and covered with mud. “Then I won’t kill you right this minute.” He looked piercingly at Trace through his shaggy bangs. “Have you given any thought as to what you’re going to do now?”
“Do?” Trace looked surprised.
“Do. Like a job. You can’t expect to support Megumi on energy.” Inuyasha glanced disparagingly at the shriveled vegetation all around them.
“Uh, I don’t know. I never thought about it,” Trace said. Did this mean Inuyasha had accepted him? He wasn’t entirely sure what to think.
“Then it’s settled. You’ll come and work for me. In Japan. Where I can keep an eye on you. Megumi can come, too.” He glared. “You’d better make it official if you’re going to live together.”
Trace stared at him, but Inuyasha gave him no time to argue. “I’ll see you back at the house,” he said, letting himself go incorporeal. It wasn’t the instantaneous transmission that Trace and his kind were capable of, but Inuyasha in spirit form was incredibly swifter than his physical form. It gave Trace hope—he didn’t have to be youkai or human, one or the other, any more than Inuyasha or his brood were. He could be both. With an elated grin, Trace disappeared, willing himself to go to Megumi.
“No, don’t get up,” he whispered in her ear, popping noiselessly into bed beside her. “There’s no hurry.” Vaguely, outside, he could hear stirring, and somewhere he felt Fenn’s presence nearby, but he put it out of his mind. This was his time, his and Megumi’s.
Not long after, Inuyasha let his physical form coalesce on the upper deck of the house he had designed when he and Kagome had first been married. He had returned briefly to the airport where he had left Kagome, and taken her on his back to his mountain, filling her in as they flew, invisible, through the early afternoon air. Her approval was a solid warmth against his senses. He wasn’t convinced he had done the right thing, but time would tell.
Fenn was already soaking in the hot tub, a completely irrelevant drink in his upraised hand. “Come on in, the water’s fine!” he called to his two friends, smiling widely.
“You! You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you!” Inuyasha accused, but he shrugged out of his outer clothes and took his usual place in the hot tub. Kagome came out a few minutes later, dressed in a modest bathing suit which only served to accentuate her trim figure. She had a drink in each hand.
“Shh,” she said with a conspiratorial smile. “They’re still sleeping in there!”
Inuyasha sniffed, then frowned. “They’re not—“ he began. Kagome shoved a glass into his hand and lifted it up to his mouth.
“Try this,” she said, smiling even more brightly. “It’s good.” She nodded to Fenn. “I’ve missed this—just relaxing with good friends. We have to do it more often, don’t you agree, Inuyasha?”
Inuyasha sputtered, choking on the sip he hadn’t expected to take. Then he relaxed, and a slow grin crossed his face. “Yeah,” he said.
THE END
Author’s Note: Okay, I’ve gotten that one out of my system. Hope you enjoyed it. I think that’s it for a while, but now I’m sort of intrigued at what type of youkai Kazuki and Misty’s children are. Never say never…….
Converting /tmp/phpL77pkf to /dev/stdout