InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Past ❯ Chapter 19 ( Chapter 19 )

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

 

 

Lost in the Past, Chapter 19

 

 

Sesshomaru sat unmoving in the center of their bed, his eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

 

“What the hell?” said Inuyasha, sheathing Tetsusaiga as the blue glow from the time slip slowly dissipated. Kagome clutched his arm tightly, unable to see in the dark bedroom. “What are you doing here?” Inuyasha asked roughly. “Where's Shippo?”

 

Shippo chose that moment to rush through the bedroom door. “You're back!” Behind him, Junko, Valynne and Yusuke crowded the doorway. Junko switched on the light, making Kagome blink as her eyes adjusted.

 

Shippo's eyes widened as he took in the little family group. Inuyasha stood defiantly in the center, wearing the short pants and functional shirt that peasants usually wore in those days. Kagome had on a typical long skirt, blouse and apron, and her hair was tucked up under a kerchief she had tied around the front. Mayumi also had a little kerchief covering her hanyou ears, but the hair sticking out around it was dark! And Kazuki! The hanyou boy was dressed head to toe in a tight-fitting black slayer outfit, and his hair, what was visible underneath the wide black band he had tied over his ears, was as black as his sister's! They all smelled different, too. It made his stomach growl.

 

“So Tetsusaiga found you.” Sesshomaru spoke into the sudden quiet, and Inuyasha's ears swiveled back towards the bed. It was more or less true—Tetsusaiga had found him, not the other way around. In an instant, Sesshomaru was off the bed and crouched down in front of Kazuki.

 

“Where did you get that sword?” asked Sesshomaru.

 

Kazuki hesitated, unsure how to respond to this Uncle Sesshomau, when only hours ago he had run from the other Uncle Sesshomaru so he wouldn't discover it was Kazuki inside the slayer outfit. Inuyasha growled right back at his brother. “Back off,” he said. “Totosai made it for him.”

 

Sesshomaru grasped the sword, heedless of the smoke that rose from his hand as he did so. “I sense Tetsusaiga here.” Totosai must have used Tetsusaiga to forge the new sword for the hanyou child. Was it to control his youkai blood much as his father's sword once controlled Inuyasha's?

 

“Yeah, well, it's only temporary,” Inuyasha grudgingly explained. “Until he's older. Totosai only used Tetsusaiga as a starting point.”

 

“I see,” mused Sesshomaru, handing back the sword. He sniffed. “What have you got all over you?”

 

Kagome chuckled, and replied. “It's a solution of bean paste and water. It's even more effective than the curry powder, I think. Sango came up with it.”

 

“It fooled you,” Inuyasha added, glancing at Shippo to include him as well.

 

Sesshomaru frowned, trying to remember something. His gaze pierced Kazuki once more. “Ah, the slayer boy,” he finally said. “With the youkai sword. That was you. So. . .” his eyes focused inward. “you were there for the Naming Ceremony of Rin's twin sons?”

 

Kazuki relaxed. This Uncle Sesshomaru knew him, and he didn't have to be careful anymore. “Yeah, and we got to see baby Great great great Grandpa Eiji, and I met Daichi, and you were there, too, Uncle Shippo, but you didn't see me! I hid just like you taught me at Youkai School. And I got to go to Slayer School with Hiroshi! That was fun!”

 

“Slayer School?” asked Shippo. He racked his brain but, although he vaguely remembered attending the Naming Ceremony, he had no recollection of Kazuki, or even of a boy matching Kazuki's description. He must have taught the boy better than he thought!

 

“Ok, that's enough for tonight,” said Kagome. The time difference still worked; even though they had traveled five hundred years, they were now on the other side of the world and it was nearly dawn here. “First, a bath, and then bed,” she announced, herding her two children out of the room. The youkai in the hallway stepped out of their way.

 

“Oh, mom, do I have to?” whined Kazuki. “I'm not even tired!”

 

The others crowded into Inuyasha's bedroom, where Kagome had left her husband to fend off their questions all by himself. He still stood in the middle of the room, one hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt as if he might bolt at any moment.

 

Sesshomaru watched him, mildly disconcerted that he had not recognized his half-brother back then, when he most obviously had been at the slayer village during the Naming Ceremony. The infant Eiji, the second twin, was Kagome's ancestor. Perhaps that was the reason circumstances had conspired to bring them all back to the feudal age at that particular time? “How did you and Kagome get back?” he asked.

 

Inuyasha scowled. “Can we go outside or something?” he asked. “I don't really want to continue this conversation in my bedroom.”

 

Shippo and Junko exchanged knowing glances. It was a good thing they had left all the windows open. “Sure.” They led the way out to the deck. Valynne and Yusuke left to get everybody something to drink. It didn't look like they would be going back to sleep any time soon.

 

Inuyasha explained that the well had not suddenly activated on its own. He told them how he had found Tetsusaiga buried under the earth where the well had once been, and that was what must have activated the time slip again. Sesshomaru was vaguely disappointed; he had been half-hoping that the ancient youkai woman had been right, and his family somehow had the power to move through time on their own. But it seemed that the time-transcending power was fixed into an object—first, the well, then later, after Tetsusaiga had absorbed it, in the sword itself. “Go on,” he encouraged Inuyasha to continue.

 

Rin had been the one to find the sword that Kazuki had hidden, and she had placed it at the well site, thinking to honor Inuyasha. Sesshomaru let that pass, too, although it bothered him more than he let on that he had not noticed what had been going on right under his nose, so to speak. There must have been a reason for it, he concluded. It seemed the Sengoku Jidai was not yet done with his brother and his modern family. “And Kazuki's sword?” he prompted.

 

Inuyasha's cheeks reddened. “That. Miroku told me how careful Kazuki had been with Tetsusaiga, and how devastated he was when he thought he had lost it. He was upset because he thought I would be sad without Tetsusaiga.”

 

“You were,” commented Sesshomaru.

 

“Yeah, well,” Inuyasha continued. “He started practicing with a sword that belonged to one of the slayer kids, because he wanted to be just like me.” Inuyasha looked up, a half-smile quirking the corner of his lips. “Hard to believe, huh?”

 

Sesshomaru let that go as well. Inuyasha's insecurities were his own to conquer. “What happened next?”

 

“We got him his own sword. I tracked down old Totosai, and figured he'd want to use something of mine and maybe something of Kazuki's to craft him his own sword, but he said Kazuki's still too young. He took some shavings off of Tetsusaiga, and made a sword out of that for Kazuki. He told us to look him up when Kazuki's older and he'd see about making it more his own.” Inuyasha cocked his head to one side. “Funny thing is, I think he meant he wanted us to find him in this time. Is he still around? Do you know?”

 

Sesshomaru shook his head, but replied, “He's not dead, if that's what you mean. But he's become even more of a recluse. I haven't seen him in centuries.”

 

Shippo asked, “Does that mean Kazuki's sword has the same powers as Tetsusaiga?” That could be dangerous for a young boy.

 

“No, well, yeah, but Totosai said he can't use them until he learns how, kind of like I did,” Inuyasha replied. “I'm not worried about it.”

 

Just then, Yusuke came back out to the deck with Valynne, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks. Dawn was just beginning to lighten the forest below them. Inuyasha frowned as he noticed how close together the two youkai stood.

 

Sesshomaru's eyes gleamed as he said to Inuyasha, “That's because now you know Kazuki no longer needs Tetsusaiga. Isn't that why you took him to Totosai in the first place? So he'd leave your sword alone—or more accurately, so Tetsusaiga won't choose Kazuki as his wielder over you?”

 

Inuyasha stood, irritated. “No! That's not it at all!” He strode towards the sliding glass doors. “I'm going to take a shower,” he said as he stomped off.

 

Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

 

 

Inuyasha brought Tetsusaiga right into the bathroom with him, then he locked the door, something he never ordinarily did. He stopped short of taking the sword right into the shower, propping it up against the glass door until he was finished. He carried it out to his bedroom, wrinkling his nose at the lingering scent of Sesshomaru and the others, while he rummaged through his dresser drawers for something clean to wear, then hung Tetsusaiga carefully from the belt of his shorts and disappeared it from view. That wasn't why he had asked Totosai to make Kazuki his own sword. Was it? He shook his head vehemently, spattering water droplets all over the walls and the bedspread. No, he did it for Kazuki, because the boy deserved his own sword, and because he had earned it, taking care of his sister and Tetsusaiga all by himself. Feeling better about his reasoning, Inuyasha went back outside to join the others.

 

“Anyway, it was Mayumi who triggered the time slip,” he said defensively, taking up the conversation right where he had left it off, as if he hadn't been gone for the past fifteen minutes. That got everybody's attention. “And she ain't getting a sword for a long time!”

 

Kagome wandered outside, wondering where everyone had gone. The kids were clean and in their beds, although neither one of them was sleeping. Mayumi had objected to being placed back in her crib; they would have to see about getting her a big girl bed soon. They would need the crib for the new baby, anyway. She had scrubbed their hair several times, but the dye did not want to come out. Luckily, it was summer vacation. The color would just have to grow out, and she could cut their hair before school started. It didn't matter so much for Mayumi, but she missed the natural silvery white color which marked them as Inuyasha's children. Oh, well, in time it would grow back.

 

“Damn, Kagome, you reek!” her husband said. She noticed that he had showered. The others were too polite to say anything. She helped herself to an apple and plopped herself down on Inuyasha's lap. That'll teach him to insult her.

 

“So, did I miss anything?” she asked the group.

 

All of the youkai suddenly sat up straight in their chairs. As one, their heads turned towards the left side of the deck. After a moment, Kagome felt it too. A powerful youkai was approaching.

 

“Fenn!” Kagome's voice was warm. The new world youkai coalesced into human form and bowed to the assembled group. Shippo scowled as he drew up a chair and helped himself to a cup of tea.

 

“Welcome home,” Fenn said, the first one to say those words since they returned.

 

Inuyasha gave a brief nod. “Thanks. What brings you here?”

 

“Why, you, of course.”

 

Inuyasha didn't have time to ask Fenn how he had known they were back. Sesshomaru addressed the youkai instead. “Good. I need to speak with you. There are some things that must be done, now that Inuyasha and Kagome are back safely.”

 

Inuyasha glanced at his brother in surprise. Was that relief he heard in Sesshomaru's voice? Come to think of it, why was Sesshomaru here instead of in Japan where they had last seen him? He never did answer that question.

 

“Oh? And what would that be?”

 

Sesshomaru glanced at Shippo, who was still visibly stewing at Fenn's unexpected presence. “This involves you, too.” Shippo sat up.

 

“My idiot brother here apparently hasn't thought of it, but as far as the authorities know, he and his wife are still visiting Japan. They need to be `seen,' or more importantly, their papers do, leaving Japan and arriving back in the United States. You and Shippo are going to fly to Japan unnoticed by the humans, and then take their forms so that you can fly back using Inuyasha and Kagome's passports.”

 

“Japan. Mama!” cried Kagome, jumping off Inuyasha's lap. “I need to call her!”

 

“Take a shower while you're at it,” Inuyasha yelled after her.

 

“But why us? Why him?” asked Shippo.

 

“You are both masters of illusion,” explained Sesshomaru. “Fenn can make you both `disappear' for the trip over, can you not, Fenn?”

 

“I can do that,” Fenn said thoughtfully. “Sure, I'll do it. Sounds like fun.” He grinned at Shippo. “We can get to know each other better,” he added.

 

Shippo grumbled under his breath. “Fine,” he said aloud. It would be a good practice of his illusionary skills anyway. He yawned. “I'm glad you're back, Inuyasha,” he said. “I've been waiting to move into my new house. And I'm sure you'll want your own back to yourself. Let's go, people,” he said to Junko and Yusuke.

 

Valynne stood up, too. She followed after Yusuke, oblivious to Inuyasha's gaping mouth. He jumped up and went after her, catching up to them just as they reached the front door. “Where the hell do you think you're going?” he asked her, glaring at Yusuke at the same time.

 

Yusuke stepped closer to Valynne, although he gulped at the fierce expression on Inuyasha's face. He tipped Valynne's chin up and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Go back to your own room, Valynne,” he told her. “I'll call you later.”

 

She nodded, smiled uncertainly at Inuyasha, and scooted past him across the living room and up the stairs.

 

Yusuke held his ground, holding Inuyasha's angry gaze as the inu-youkai growled softly. “She's my girlfriend,” he said.

 

Inuyasha growled louder. “Shippo!” he yelled.