InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha ❯ Heading Home ( Chapter 15 )

Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha

Part 15

The next morning everyone was up bright and early. They packed up all of their gear and checked out of the Moby Dick Motel.

"I'm gonna miss this place." Shippo looked back at the motel as they were leaving.

"Me too." said Sango. "But no matter how much we'll miss this place, there's still no place like home."

It was a tight squeeze inside of the taxi cab to the airport. The foot space was occupied by everyone's luggage. Miroku's staff and Sango's Hiraikotsu were laid across the squished laps in the backseat. Shippo was the only one who comfortably considering he got to sit on the unoccupied part of Kagome's lap.

After a long ride, they reached the airport. Inu Yasha and Chikara were a little weary at the sight of so many policemen. Chikara dug into her bag and pulled out two floppy baseball caps and a pair of shades. She handed one of the caps to Inu Yasha.

"I can't wear this." he said. "It doesn't have any holes for my ears."

"That's the point." Chikara replied as she handed the shades to Shippo. "If they see your ears, they're going to get suspicious. We'll have to cover them."

"But I can't hear a damn thing if they're covered!" Inu Yasha protested.

"Hey, it's a small price to pay to get us back home without any hassle."

Inu Yasha grumbled, but he put the cap on. Nothing could've spelled out 'I'm uncomfortable' more accurately than the look on his face. He twitched his ears, trying to shift them more easily, but to no avail. Chikara, who had to do the same thing, was not fairing much better.

"Can you guys hear anything with those on?" Shippo grinned.

"Yeah," Chikara groaned. "but not much."

"Are you going to ride with us, Chikara?" Kagome checked her watch. "Or are you gonna do like last time and…"

"I'll walk with you all to the gate." the young girl tried adjusting her cap. "Then we'll have to say goodbye for good."

That last line caught Kagome by surprise. She had hoped to be able to see her daughter from the future again, but figured that it was probably better for her not to return. It wasn't good to know too much about your own future, and knowing your own child personally before she was born was more than too much!

"I understand." Kagome stared down at the floor. "But let me just tell you now that I'm going to miss you very much."

"I'm going to miss you too." Chikara's mahogany-yellow eyes watered up with tears. She wiped her tears away and recomposed herself. "I know when I go back to my time, you'll be there waiting for me, but it's just not the same."

Chikara peeked over at Inu Yasha. He was still fussing with his cap. Miroku was trying to help while Sango and Shippo laughed warmly. Only when he finally gave up did he notice the young girl watching him. He remained silent.

"Let's get going." she picked up some luggage and headed for the gate.

The others followed her. Kagome looked up at Inu Yasha, who was walking right alongside her. His eyes were focused ahead of him, but Kagome could tell he was deep in thought. She decided to start a conversation.

"Inu Yasha." she said softly.

"Yeah?" he responded, having his trance broken.

"You know," she continued. "once we get to the gate, Chikara's going to be leaving us."

"Huh?!" he shot a glance at Kagome.

"That's right." Kagome said softly. "She's going back home to stay."

Inu Yasha looked as though he was going to say something, but didn't. Instead, he watched sadly as they approached their destined gate. This would be it. This was good-bye.

"Hold it!" Chikara stopped abruptly.

The group held its breath and looked all around. Unable to use her ears, the young girl sniffed the air carefully.

"What is it?" Sango whispered loudly.

Chikara growled uneasily. Something wasn't right, she knew it. She could smell trouble coming their way. She could smell-

"HHHIIIIIIIIIIYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" a demonic scream pierced the humdrum of the airport.

"MOVE!" Chikara yelled as she leapt clear of an incoming attack. The others made it out of the way just in time. When they looked up, a familiar face was glaring back at them.

"Zankokumaru!" Shippo cried.

Sure enough. Sesshoumaru's son stood there, grinning smugly. He was wielding a very long blade, which glowed with a deep red aura.

"If you think you're leaving this country alive," he glared. "you've got another thing coming!"

"Baka!" Chikara snarled. "Of all the places to pick a fight! Are you insane?"

Zankokumaru looked around at all the gawking people and smiled. He could use them to his advantage if needed to.

"Actually," he smirked. "you should be calling me a genius. If I don't get what I want, I'll kill everyone!"

"EVERYONE! CLEAR THE AREA!" Kagome yelled in English.

Immediately, the crowds began running in all directions. Not having understood a word of English, Zankokumaru was unable to stop her in time. He growled, infuriated.

"ENOUGH!" he brandished his blade and took a swipe at the fleeing crowds. His blade would have wiped them out if the Tetsusaiga hadn't blocked it.

"Give up, mongrel, and give me what is mine!" he snarled.

"Sure thing!" Inu Yasha smirked. "One good thrashing coming up!"

The crowds of people continued to flee, stopping only occasionally to catch a glimpse of the fight. Chikara and Sango hurried the people along while Shippo and Miroku scanned the area. In no time, policemen were rushing their way.

"Kagome!" called Shippo.

"The soldiers are coming!" said Miroku.

"We have to take this fight elsewhere!"

"Where can we go??" Kagome glanced at the two warriors. Inu Yasha was pushing Zankokumaru back, but he younger demon continued to hold his own. Neither was going to move unless they needed to.

"FREEZE!" yelled an officer.

Inu Yasha and Zankokumaru took one more swipe at one another before noticing they were surrounded. They looked around, contemplating what course of action to take next. Inu Yasha lowered the Tetsusaiga, but kept it poised in case his opponent tried anything. Zankokumaru appeared disgusted at first, but grinned devilishly a moment later.

"Hmph!" the younger demon snorted. "Here's an annoying turn of events! A bunch of stupid soldiers think they're scaring me. They should know better than to disrespect me!"

"That sword looks familiar…" Sango squinted so that she could see Zankokumaru's blade a little better. "When have I heard of a weapon like that?"

"Drop your weapons!" another officer cocked his gun. "Now!"

Sensing what the police were saying, Inu Yasha cautiously sheathed the Tetsusaiga and put his hands up. Zankokumaru found it to be a riot.

"Baka na hanyou!" he laughed. "You would submit to these weak, human mortals? How dare you even be remotely related to me!"

"Drop your weapon!" the officer repeated. Seeing some cooperation from Inu Yasha, the policemen aimed their weapons at Zankokumaru.

"Don't be stupid, whelp!" Inu Yasha growled. "You may be able to survive that kind of wound, but it hurts like hell!"

"Quiet, mongrel!" the other demon snapped. "I don't take advice from the likes of you!"

"Oh no!" Sango gasped suddenly. The aura around Zankokumaru's sword was glowing brighter. "Inu Yasha! Look out!"

Inu Yasha ducked down just in the nick of time. Before anyone could move, Zankokumaru had gripped his blade and swung it in a complete circle around him, splattering blood everywhere and mortally wounding most of the police. Tetsusaiga was out again and pulsing with life. The two demons clashed blades once again, now with an even greater ferocity than before.

Standing back up, Kagome and the others brushed themselves off and tried to assist the surviving officers.

"How did you know, Sango?" Miroku aided a policeman to his feet.

"Now I remember where I've heard of that sword!" the taijiya dragged another officer to safety. "That blade is called the Murasame. It's the evil counterpart to the Masamune. According to legend, if you set it in a stream when the cherry blossoms fall, it will cut every petal that passes, and when the wielder is about to use it, it glows brighter. That's how I knew when to duck."

"You mean… it's a real sword??" Kagome blinked.

"Of course!" Sango nodded. "Why wouldn't it be?"

The fight raged on, the banging and clanging of metal ringing in everyone's ears. Zankokumaru could see that he was getting nowhere. Every stroke he dealt, Inu Yasha countered it. There had to be another way to get through that hanyou's defenses…

That's when he eyed Kagome. Blocking another blow, Zankokumaru leapt out of range and right at Kagome. He was coming down from above, intending to cut her in two.

"KAGOME!" Inu Yasha screamed.

"TOO LATE, HANYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zankokumaru snarled.

"KAGOME! DUCK!"

*CLANG-ANG-ANG-ANG!!!….*

When Kagome opened her eyes, she found herself still very much alive. Her hand stung from a fresh little slice in her skin. Looking up, she saw the Tetsusaiga impaled into the pillar beside her just above her head. The Murasame had been blocked by it. Zankokumaru stood above her, thoroughly perplexed.

"Why you… little bi-" he growled.

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Inu Yasha hoisted him up in the air by his neck and glared murderously at him. The Murasame fell lifeless to the ground.

"It's one thing when you come right after me," he bared his fangs aggressively, a brief flicker of red glinting in his eyes. "but to threaten my mate… you're going to die for this!"

Inu Yasha pricked his claws into his captive's neck, drawing blood that trickled down onto the white fabric of the yukata. Zankokumaru attempted to pry himself free, but to no avail.

"If you… kill… me…" the snobby demon uttered. "my father… will pick his teeth with your bones!…"

Infuriated, Inu Yasha threw him on the ground and pulled Tetsusaiga from the pillar. He held the whelp to the floor with his foot and poised his sword to kill him quickly.

"Otou-sama?" Chikara's voice uttered softly.

Inu Yasha looked over his shoulder at the girl. She moved over to him slowly and put her hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Inu Yasha's voice was low, but annoyed.

"Don't kill him." she shook her head.

"WHAT!!??" yelled everyone.

"Are you crazy???" Inu Yasha glared at her, shock spilled all over his expression. "If he had killed Kagome, you-"

"Never would have been born?" she finished for him. "Is that what you were going to say? Are you finally going to acknowledge who I am in your own mind now?"

"I never said that!"

"But you were going to!"

"I was not!"

"FINE! BE THAT WAY!" Chikara drew her arm as though she was going to slap Inu Yasha right across the face. Instead, her hand came down and belted Zankokumaru, rendering him unconscious.

"What's the big deal, Inu Yasha?" Sango stood up from the person she'd been tending to. "We all know she's your daughter by Kagome. Why can't you accept that?"

Inu Yasha glanced from face to face, searching for escape from this predicament. Kagome gave him some refuge. He stared down at Zankokumaru on the floor. His long bangs covered his eyes.

"I don't want her hurt…" he muttered lowly.

"Huh?" Miroku and Sango blinked.

"I understand now…" Chikara nodded her head.

The hanyou lifted his head slightly, just enough to peek out from under his silvery hair at the girl. She was watching him, looking directly into his eyes as if to say that she really did understand. How could she not? His blood was pumping through her veins.

"What is it?" Miroku inquired.

"I'll tell you later." Kagome replied.

Chikara moved forward and gestured for Inu Yasha to step aside. She drew from her pocket what looked like a remote control and pointed it ahead of her. When she pressed a button, a portal appeared, sparkling with the same colors as the Bone-Eater's Well. She turned around and faced the group.

"I have to go now." she said sadly. "This is where we say good-bye."

Reluctantly, everyone came forward, one at a time, to bid her farewell. Kagome and Inu Yasha were the last in line. Chikara looked at them as though she was going to break into tears at any moment.

"I'm going to miss you…" Kagome sniffled.

"I'm gonna miss you too!" Chikara hugged her young mother tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I guess… I'll see you in the future…" Kagome tried to smile, but tears were streaming down her face.

"You will," Chikara wiped her eyes. "I promise you will…"

She turned toward the portal and the hanyou standing beside it. Slowly, Chikara stepped up to him and stared at him.

"I'm leaving now, Otou-sama." she said sadly. "I'll miss you."

Inu Yasha curled the dog-eared girl into his arms and hugged her warmly. Her ears twitched, astounded by this emotional gesture.

"And I will miss you, my little girl…" he whispered in her ear. Inu Yasha felt her arms hug him tighter before she eventually let go.

Despite her small size, Chikara picked up the still-unconscious Zankokumaru and dragged him over to the portal door. She moved to throw him in, but was stopped by a firm hand on her wrist.

"Why are you taking him with you?" Inu Yasha narrowed his eyes.

"If he has to die," she explained. "it's going to be in my time. I can't leave anything behind. Your memories will be the only things remaining."

The hanyou nodded reluctantly. Chikara tossed Zankokumaru into the portal and glanced back one last time at her friends and future family.

"Sayonara, minna!" she waved, gazing at everyone. "Otou-sama, Okaa-san,…"

She paused when her eyes fell on Shippo. A warm, broad grinned spread across her face as she winked to the little fox boy. "See you later, Shippo!" her eyes twinkled as she leapt into the portal. As soon as she had gone through, the portal closed.

A moment of still silence passed before everyone's gaze fell on Shippo. The fox demon, despite his confusion, blushed lightly. A low growl was heard from the back of a certain hanyou's throat. Before Shippo could scramble away, Inu Yasha grabbed him by the tail and held him eye to eye.

"Whaaaa! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LEMME GO!" the fox protested.

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome scolded. "What are you doing?"

"Don't even think about it, fox." Inu Yasha growled.

"Ahhh!!" Shippo squirmed, unable to get to an instant Jizo statue. "What're you pickin' on me for? I didn't do anything this time!"

"You know what I'm talking about, brat!" the dog demon poked at the wriggling creature in his grasp. "I saw the way she was looking at you!"

"Aw, leave me alone!!" Shippo whined. "I really don't know what you're talking about!!!"

"What are you-?" it finally clicked in Kagome's mind and she understood what was going on. "OSUWARI!"

*BOOM!*

"Aw, damn it!" Inu Yasha grumbled as Shippo slipped from his grasp.

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome shook her head. "Of all things!"

The look on her face was serious, but not for long. Kagome broke into laughter and the others joined in. Inu Yasha lay on the floor, tapping his claws against the pavement agitatedly, but then shrugged his shoulders and smiled. So what if he was already a little protective of his daughter-to-be?!

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Epilogue

After a long trip, Inu Yasha and company arrived home safe and sound. They changed back into their normal attire, then hopped back into the Bone-Eater's Well. Poor Kaede had her hands and ears full of stories and adventures from the other side of the futuristic world. She laughed and fixed supper as they chatted far into the night.

No sooner had they arrived than Inu Yasha was back up in the branches of his favorite tree. On his way up, he had made certain that those were HIS claw marks in the bark of the tree and no one else's. His soft snoring could be heard down below, catching Kagome's attention. When everyone else was asleep, he awoke and hopped down to see her.

"We had quite the adventure now, didn't we?" she smiled.

"Feh!" he pretended not to care. "We got what we went for."

Kagome looked down at the ground, hoping that Inu Yasha had not gone back to his old ways. He tilted her chin up and gazed into her eyes.

"We went to get a Shikon shard," he whispered sweetly. "and came back with a lot more."

Ever so gently, he pulled her soft, warm body into his embrace. Their eyes never left one another, not even for a second.

"I love you, Inu Yasha." she said softly.

"And I love you…" he brought her face to his and kissed her sweetly into the night.

THE END

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It's finally done! How did you guys/gals like this? Good? Bad? Too fluffy? Not mushy enough? Let me know what you think! I hope this story was worth your while!