InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tainted ❯ Epilogue ( Epilogue )

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

Kagome held her son’s hand as she led him through the streets of ToonTown. It was his 7th birthday and they had decided to spend it in Disneyland. Inuyasha and Shiori had joined them along with Shippo, his mate, and two kits, and Koga.

So far, the day had been wonderful. They had visited several attractions and the little boy seemed to be having a blast. “Mommy, Mickey!” the little boy shouted as he pulled her towards Mickey’s house. She laughed as she allowed him to lead her towards the fake home. Shippo’s children joined them while the other adults decided to allow Kagome to handle the kids.

“Not fair!” she yelled through her chuckles as she disappeared into the house.

While waiting for the children and Kagome to emerge, Inuyasha suddenly straightened up and looked around. Koga and Shippo followed suit, looking around as though trying to spot whatever caught their noses.

Shiori placed a hand on Inuyasha’s arm. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Instead of answering her, he glanced at Koga and Shippo. “You two smell it?” he questioned.

Koga frowned. “I do, but I don’t see…”

“Look!” Shippo hissed as he pointed at a popcorn stand.

Waiting in line of the popcorn stand was a man wearing a blue polo and jeans. His black hair was tied close to his head. The two demons and the half demon watched the man, when he turned around, there was an audible sigh of relief from them.

Shippo’s mate glanced at him curiously. “Who was that?” she asked. “Or, better yet, who did you think it was?”

The fox demon shook his head and turned his attention to Koga and Inuyasha. “It’s not possible, is it? I mean, he’s dead. We saw him turn to ash and bone,” he inquired.

Koga shook his head but agreed with the kitsune. There was no way the man could be alive. It wouldn’t make any sense. “Then again, he did come back to life once,” the wolf pointed out.

“Yeah, but that was because of the jewel,” Inuyasha argued.

Shiori tugged on her boyfriend’s sleeve. “Who?!” she demanded.

The male hanyou gave a low growl as he whispered, “Bankotsu.”

Her eyes widened as she glanced over at the man who had now disappeared in the crowd. “Wasn’t he an evil man?” she asked.

Inuyasha nodded. “He was the leader of a mercenary group called the Band of Seven,” he explained. He sighed as he added, “He’s also the guy Kagome is still in love with.”

“Oh!” Shiori replied. “I’ve heard her talk about him, but she never says anything bad.”

Shippo’s mate nodded in agreement. “She speaks so wonderfully of him,” she said with a sigh. “You’d never know he did anything bad to her just from hearing her speak.”

Shippo scrunched his nose. “The guy did something to her head,” he sneered. “It’s like he brainwashed her or something. She was a different person before him, happier, livelier.”

“She was innocent,” Koga said as he glanced at Mickey’s house.  He watched as the kids came out. Kagome looked haggard, but content as she held her laughing son.

They continued through the park, finally coming to a stop to catch the evening parade. As they watched the lighted floats pass them by, Inuyasha noticed Kagome seemed distracted. Slipping away from Shiori, he stepped up beside his friend and asked in her ear, “What’s wrong?”

She gave a chuckle. “Nothing,” she told him. “I thought I saw somebody I knew, but it wasn’t… nothing.”

He nodded, but glanced at Koga. The wolf nodded slightly as he moved to stand next to her. Neither the hanyou nor the youkai wanted the girl to have a breakdown in the middle of Disneyland.

As the parade ended, the small group made their way towards the castle to watch the fireworks display. They set themselves up near one of the buildings and Koga leaned against the building and folded his arms, staying close enough to Kagome just in case something happened.

As the miko gave her son a bottle of water, the boy suddenly broke away from her and ran into the crowd, screaming, “Daddy!”

The three males were quick to follow him, though it was Koga who caught up to him first. The wolf skidded to a halt and held his arms out to stop the hanyou and fox as he gazed at the boy in shock. Kagome pushed passed the three men as she approached her son.

“Don’t you ever run away like that again!” she reprimanded as she grabbed the little boy’s arm. “You scared Mommy!”

“It’s alright, my little miko,” said a voice the miko had only heard in her dreams. “He’s safe now.”

Her heart missed a few beats and she held her breath as she gazed up at the man her son had run to. He wore a light green t-shirt and blue jean shorts, but there was no mistaken the long braided black hair. She slowly stood up as she made eye contact with him. Cobalt blue was the colour of his eyes. “Bankotsu,” she whispered with abated breath.

A smile spread across his face before he pulled her into an embrace and, in perfect timing with the fireworks, kissed her. His lips, his tongue, his face, his hair, his shoulders, his chest… all of these things were so familiar to her as she returned his kiss, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck. This had to be a dream, for there was no other explanation for it.

Koga growled. “Let go of her, you murderous bastard,” he snarled.

Bankotsu, whose eyes had been closed, opened his eyes and glared at the youkai. Very gently, he broke the kiss, but kept his hands on her waist. “What do you intend to do, wolf? You’re gonna start a fight in front of all these people, these children?”

“How are you here?” Shippo asked with a frown. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“You should go back to your grave, corpse,” the hanyou growled.

The mercenary rolled his eyes. “I’m not a corpse anymore, half breed,” he replied. “I’ve been given one last chance to make things right.”

He glanced down at the miko in his arms and then to the little boy who was hugging his leg. He gave another smile as he pried the boy off of his leg and bent down to look at him. His smile widened. “You look so much like your mother,” he told the boy. “How old are you now?”

“Seven,” the little boy answered as he held up seven fingers to show his father. “Today’s my birthday.”

Bankotsu’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “It is? Well, I guess that means we’ll have to get you a birthday present before the end of the evening,” he responded.

“Can I get a sword?” he asked. At Bankotsu’s nod the little boy’s eyes widened as he gave an open-mouthed smile. He then hugged the man around the neck. “Thank you, Daddy!”

Bankotsu moved to stand up, but the boy’s grip was tight, so the man lifted the boy up into the air with him. Holding his son with one arm, he glanced at the miko. Seeing her confused expression, he asked, “What is it?”

“Are you really alive?” she asked. At his nod, she inquired, “How?”

“Apparently gods do exist,” he told her. “This god named Hachiman took pity on me or something. There was talk about me returning so I could be with my wife and kid and protect you. Not sure what all of it’s about, but I’m here none the less.”

“Is this real?” she questioned. “I mean, is it permanent or are you going away again?”

He touched her cheek and wiped a tear from her eye. “From what I know, I think it’s permanent. I think it’s my last chance to make things right… If you’ll let me.”

It was a request, not a demand. She thought over what he had said. The gods were giving him one last chance to be the man he was meant to be. She still believed this was all a dream, though she prayed it wasn’t. As she gazed into those deep cobalt eyes, she found herself nodding in acceptance. If it was a dream, she prayed to never awaken.

He smiled again as he kissed her. The kiss lasted for mere seconds, though as the little boy tugged on his father’s braid. “Careful, Daddy, Mommy’s a girl,” he warned in all seriousness. “She could give you cooties.”

Bankotsu threw his head back in laughter before turning his attention to the boy. “I forgot to ask. What did your mother decide to name you?”

The little boy puffed out his chest as he proudly declared, “I’m Banryu!”