InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Beginning of Darkness ❯ Chapter 8
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: SnowySilence 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.26.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 308 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.26.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 308 | Status: Work In Progress
Part 8
~*~*~
Kouga stared down at the spot of red in the snow. He glanced up and met Shippou’s eyes. It was Kiyoshi’s blood, their was no mistaking it.
“Did you find anything?” Inuyasha’s voice came at them, warning them of his approach.
Shippou stepped in front of Kouga, blocking the wolf from view as he kicked snow over the patch of blood. “No, we didn’t find anything. But they were here. Yesterday from the smell.”
“Oh, thank God.” Kagome said, her relief evident. “That means we’re getting close.” She smiled at her two demon friends. “Can you tell where they were heading?”
“It smells like they doubled backed the way they came. But I think I should tell you...” Kouga stopped. He didn’t want to mention that Kiyoshi was injured, but mentioning the fact that Sesshoumaru’s scent was heavy in the air would be just as bad.
“Tell us what?” Inuyasha looked at him. Kouga and Shippou weren’t telling them something. “Spit it out, so we can find them.”
Kouga sighed. “Sesshoumaru is in the area, or at least he was in this area at the same time the munchkins were.” He held up his hands to forestall any outbursts. “You can see there isn’t any sign of death and decay here, so don’t go getting all bent out of shape. The kids are fine as far as we can tell.”
Inuyasha scowled and turned his back, but not before Kouga and Shippou saw the stark terror in his eyes. They knew and understood his concerns when it came to his brother. It was the reason he never sent word to Sesshoumaru that he had nephews and nieces. Sesshoumaru despised Inuyasha for is human blood and even tried to kill him. He had wanted to protect his children from being killed by their uncle.
“Let’s get going. I want want to find them today.” Inuyasha said.
Kouga felt a pang of sympathy for Inuyasha, but didn’t show him. He’d take it as pity and emotions were running too high. He strode off in the direction the children’s scent led him. A few hours later, they spotted the mouth of a cave.
Kouga stared at it for a moment. “I think that we might have just found them.” He pointed to the cave entrance. “Their scent leads right into that cave, and their scent is all over this area, like they’ve been here a while.”
The four parents looked at each other, hope rising in their eyes. Quickly, they all entered the cave, looking about for any sign of their children. The only sign that the cave had been occupied was a small fire pit full of ashes. Disappointment hit them all hard.
“Inuyasha, tell me we’re going to find them soon. I can’t handle this much longer.” Kagome leaned into her husband, seeking his support.
Inuyasha sighed, hugging Kagome close to him, unable to get the words of comfort passed his lips. He looked over the top of her head and gazed at Sango and Miroku. They looked as defeated as he felt. Sango shed silent tears on Miroku’s shoulder as he held her tightly, his grief etching his ever-smiling face. Kohaku looked disappointed too, at not finding his nephews and niece. Shippou and Kouga stood quietly by, allowing the families the time to gather themselves before they set out to explore the area. The pain of not finding the children was just as sharp for them.
A soft murmur was the first sign that they were about to get visitors inside the cave. Soon, words were distinguishable, allowing shocked silence and joy to swamp the company.
“-be back soon. We don’t have to worry. He said so.”
“I know, but I can’t shake the feeling that we should leave. And don’t remind me about yesterday. I gave my word to him, and I’m going to keep it.”
Kiyoshi walked into the cave, his arms loaded with wood. Aiko was right behind him dragging the sled full of blankets and rabbits. Soon followed the troop of little children, laughing and playing. None of them noticed their parents standing in the shadows in the back of the cave.
Kiyoshi sighed and built a fire to begin cooking the rabbits, while Aiko helped the children stip off snow soaked clothes and made sure they were all covered with blankets when they all settled on the sled. Inuyasha and the others watched in awed silence as the children worked together. They let the sight of them all soak in, the relief and pride overwhelming.
“You know, it’s not so bad here. I know that you have a bad feeling, but maybe we should wait here. Think about it, we stay here and Mom and Dad might find us sooner. We haven’t stayed in one spot to let them find us.”
Kiyoshi scowled at his sister. “You know we can’t stay in one spot for too long. That demon will find us if we do. I won’t let him find us.”
Aiko sat down next to her brother and hugged him. “You are so brave, you know that? You remind me of Daddy.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I miss him.”
Kiyoshi squeezed his eyes shut. “I wish he were here. Mom and Dad would know what to do.”
Inuyasha stepped out of the shadows, tears swimming in his eyes. “Kiyoshi...”
Kiyoshi’s head snapped up, eyes wide with surprise. “Dad...?”
Aiko gasped and stood up looking at her father. “Daddy! Mom!” A delighted smiled crossed her face as she launched her self at her parents. She was soon followed by all the children as the collided with their parents, hugging and kissing them to show how happy they were that their parents were there.
Kagome cried and laughed as she hugged her children, trying to make sense out of what they were all saying. Inuyasha took over and allowed Kagome to go over to the sled and pick up Teito, who was calling out Mamma. Sango and Miroku were in the middle of their overjoyed children, hugging and kissing them, reassuring them that they were going to stay in the cave that night. Kohaku was soon tackled by the children, laughing as they knocked him to the ground. Aiko and Kiyoshi hugged Shippou and Kouga assuring them that they would have gone to the den if they thought it had been safe, which got them reprimanded for thinking about going any where else.
The chaos continued for a while longer as the children greeted all the adults, trying to tell them their favorite part of this adventure they had had, mentioning the hair style they had given “Uncle Sessy”, which had set Inuyasha laughing uproariously. Kiyoshi and Aiko stayed silent about telling the adults their side of events, allowing the younger kids to tell their parents all about it. They would tell them later about what had really happened.
It was nightfall soon enough. Inuyasha had suggested that they stay in the cave for the night, which every one had agreed. Miroku and Sango had their three kids sleeping between them, while Kouga, Shippou and Kohaku stationed themselves in strategic places around the camp. The triplets were laying to Inuyasha’s side, while Kiyoshi laid against his chest. Aiko laid against Kagome’s chest right next to Inuyasha and Kiyoshi. And Teito was laying on the opposite side of Kagome.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Kiyoshi?”
Kiyoshi hesitated. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t do a good job of taking care of everybody.”
“What are you talking about? You did a great job, Kiyoshi. I’m really proud of you.”
This wasn’t the response Kiyoshi was looking for. He bowed his head and turned away.
“Tell me what’s the matter.”
Kiyoshi sighed. “I couldn’t even protect them against Uncle Sesshoumaru. When he found us, I tried to get him away from the others, but he found me. I can hit my targets, Dad, you know that, but... but... I couldn’t hit him! I missed and instead, he caught me! And then yesterday I tried to take everyone and leave and that bear demon attacked us, nearly killing me and Aiko. If it weren’t for Uncle Sesshoumaru, we would be dead.” Kiyoshi turned around an looked at Inuyasha. “I failed at protecting everyone. I’m sorry.”
Inuyasha looked into Kiyoshi’s eyes and saw the how heavy his failure was to him. He looked around at Kagome and the rest of the adults, their hearts going out to the little boy. “Kiyoshi, You did a great job. You are still really young. I know when I was your age, I could barely take care of myself, let alone eight other kids. You should be proud of yourself, because you managed to keep everyone together and alive, with or without help. I’m very proud of you.” Inuyasha leaned over and kissed his son on the forehead. “Get some sleep, now. We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. Goodnight, Dad, Mom. Goodnight Aiko.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.” Kagome smiled lovingly at her son.
Aiko smiled at him. “Goodnight Kiyoshi. And don’t worry so much. You did a good job.”
Kiyoshi smiled at his sister, then snuggled into his father’s chest and drifted off to sleep. Inuyasha took the opportunity to just look over his children. He had missed them so much, and now that he had them back, he could hardly believe it.
After a while he became aware of eyes watching him. He looked up and at the mouth of the cave stood Sesshoumaru. When Sesshoumaru saw that Inuyasha had seen him, he turned around and exited the cave. Inuyasha carefully moved out from under Kiyoshi, careful not to disturb him, and walked out of the cave as well.
He faced Sesshoumaru, and just eyed his brother for a moment. “I don’t understand you. Why did you help them?”
“I needed a reason?”
“You always need a reason, Sesshoumaru. Why did you do it?”
“Rin.” He said simply. “She’s been a terrible influence on me, and I’ve grown soft. But you should take better care of your children, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha normally would have exploded at a comment like that, but instead he bowed his head. “Thank you.”
Sesshoumaru looked at his brother for a moment. “I should tell you, your son died yesterday.”
Inuyasha’s head snapped up. “What?”
Sesshoumaru frowned as if he couldn’t understand it either. “He left the cave when I said to stay inside. I went in search of them and found Aiko screaming at nothing. I saw nothing at all. But there are demons that can be invisible to other demons, so I followed your daughter’s eyes and sliced the air in front of her. Apparently, I killed whatever it was. But it was just air, Inuyasha. Even invisible demons have blood and bones. I should have felt the tug as I sliced through it. But it was just air. But that wasn’t the oddest part. Kiyoshi’s head had been caved in where he’d been struck. But again, I swear, there was nothing there.”
Inuyasha frowned. “This is getting very strange. Could it have been an illusion?”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t have been able to kill Kiyoshi. I had to use the Tenseiga to bring him back, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but before he could even make a sound, a scream echoed out of the cave.
~*~*~
^^;; Sorry. Again, this story was put on the back burner to get some other stories written. I hope I didn't wait too long to get it up.
Thank you all so kindly for the wonderful reviews!!!! ^____^ They are so very much apreciated. I Lub U Guyz!!!!
Christy
~*~*~
Kouga stared down at the spot of red in the snow. He glanced up and met Shippou’s eyes. It was Kiyoshi’s blood, their was no mistaking it.
“Did you find anything?” Inuyasha’s voice came at them, warning them of his approach.
Shippou stepped in front of Kouga, blocking the wolf from view as he kicked snow over the patch of blood. “No, we didn’t find anything. But they were here. Yesterday from the smell.”
“Oh, thank God.” Kagome said, her relief evident. “That means we’re getting close.” She smiled at her two demon friends. “Can you tell where they were heading?”
“It smells like they doubled backed the way they came. But I think I should tell you...” Kouga stopped. He didn’t want to mention that Kiyoshi was injured, but mentioning the fact that Sesshoumaru’s scent was heavy in the air would be just as bad.
“Tell us what?” Inuyasha looked at him. Kouga and Shippou weren’t telling them something. “Spit it out, so we can find them.”
Kouga sighed. “Sesshoumaru is in the area, or at least he was in this area at the same time the munchkins were.” He held up his hands to forestall any outbursts. “You can see there isn’t any sign of death and decay here, so don’t go getting all bent out of shape. The kids are fine as far as we can tell.”
Inuyasha scowled and turned his back, but not before Kouga and Shippou saw the stark terror in his eyes. They knew and understood his concerns when it came to his brother. It was the reason he never sent word to Sesshoumaru that he had nephews and nieces. Sesshoumaru despised Inuyasha for is human blood and even tried to kill him. He had wanted to protect his children from being killed by their uncle.
“Let’s get going. I want want to find them today.” Inuyasha said.
Kouga felt a pang of sympathy for Inuyasha, but didn’t show him. He’d take it as pity and emotions were running too high. He strode off in the direction the children’s scent led him. A few hours later, they spotted the mouth of a cave.
Kouga stared at it for a moment. “I think that we might have just found them.” He pointed to the cave entrance. “Their scent leads right into that cave, and their scent is all over this area, like they’ve been here a while.”
The four parents looked at each other, hope rising in their eyes. Quickly, they all entered the cave, looking about for any sign of their children. The only sign that the cave had been occupied was a small fire pit full of ashes. Disappointment hit them all hard.
“Inuyasha, tell me we’re going to find them soon. I can’t handle this much longer.” Kagome leaned into her husband, seeking his support.
Inuyasha sighed, hugging Kagome close to him, unable to get the words of comfort passed his lips. He looked over the top of her head and gazed at Sango and Miroku. They looked as defeated as he felt. Sango shed silent tears on Miroku’s shoulder as he held her tightly, his grief etching his ever-smiling face. Kohaku looked disappointed too, at not finding his nephews and niece. Shippou and Kouga stood quietly by, allowing the families the time to gather themselves before they set out to explore the area. The pain of not finding the children was just as sharp for them.
A soft murmur was the first sign that they were about to get visitors inside the cave. Soon, words were distinguishable, allowing shocked silence and joy to swamp the company.
“-be back soon. We don’t have to worry. He said so.”
“I know, but I can’t shake the feeling that we should leave. And don’t remind me about yesterday. I gave my word to him, and I’m going to keep it.”
Kiyoshi walked into the cave, his arms loaded with wood. Aiko was right behind him dragging the sled full of blankets and rabbits. Soon followed the troop of little children, laughing and playing. None of them noticed their parents standing in the shadows in the back of the cave.
Kiyoshi sighed and built a fire to begin cooking the rabbits, while Aiko helped the children stip off snow soaked clothes and made sure they were all covered with blankets when they all settled on the sled. Inuyasha and the others watched in awed silence as the children worked together. They let the sight of them all soak in, the relief and pride overwhelming.
“You know, it’s not so bad here. I know that you have a bad feeling, but maybe we should wait here. Think about it, we stay here and Mom and Dad might find us sooner. We haven’t stayed in one spot to let them find us.”
Kiyoshi scowled at his sister. “You know we can’t stay in one spot for too long. That demon will find us if we do. I won’t let him find us.”
Aiko sat down next to her brother and hugged him. “You are so brave, you know that? You remind me of Daddy.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I miss him.”
Kiyoshi squeezed his eyes shut. “I wish he were here. Mom and Dad would know what to do.”
Inuyasha stepped out of the shadows, tears swimming in his eyes. “Kiyoshi...”
Kiyoshi’s head snapped up, eyes wide with surprise. “Dad...?”
Aiko gasped and stood up looking at her father. “Daddy! Mom!” A delighted smiled crossed her face as she launched her self at her parents. She was soon followed by all the children as the collided with their parents, hugging and kissing them to show how happy they were that their parents were there.
Kagome cried and laughed as she hugged her children, trying to make sense out of what they were all saying. Inuyasha took over and allowed Kagome to go over to the sled and pick up Teito, who was calling out Mamma. Sango and Miroku were in the middle of their overjoyed children, hugging and kissing them, reassuring them that they were going to stay in the cave that night. Kohaku was soon tackled by the children, laughing as they knocked him to the ground. Aiko and Kiyoshi hugged Shippou and Kouga assuring them that they would have gone to the den if they thought it had been safe, which got them reprimanded for thinking about going any where else.
The chaos continued for a while longer as the children greeted all the adults, trying to tell them their favorite part of this adventure they had had, mentioning the hair style they had given “Uncle Sessy”, which had set Inuyasha laughing uproariously. Kiyoshi and Aiko stayed silent about telling the adults their side of events, allowing the younger kids to tell their parents all about it. They would tell them later about what had really happened.
It was nightfall soon enough. Inuyasha had suggested that they stay in the cave for the night, which every one had agreed. Miroku and Sango had their three kids sleeping between them, while Kouga, Shippou and Kohaku stationed themselves in strategic places around the camp. The triplets were laying to Inuyasha’s side, while Kiyoshi laid against his chest. Aiko laid against Kagome’s chest right next to Inuyasha and Kiyoshi. And Teito was laying on the opposite side of Kagome.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Kiyoshi?”
Kiyoshi hesitated. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t do a good job of taking care of everybody.”
“What are you talking about? You did a great job, Kiyoshi. I’m really proud of you.”
This wasn’t the response Kiyoshi was looking for. He bowed his head and turned away.
“Tell me what’s the matter.”
Kiyoshi sighed. “I couldn’t even protect them against Uncle Sesshoumaru. When he found us, I tried to get him away from the others, but he found me. I can hit my targets, Dad, you know that, but... but... I couldn’t hit him! I missed and instead, he caught me! And then yesterday I tried to take everyone and leave and that bear demon attacked us, nearly killing me and Aiko. If it weren’t for Uncle Sesshoumaru, we would be dead.” Kiyoshi turned around an looked at Inuyasha. “I failed at protecting everyone. I’m sorry.”
Inuyasha looked into Kiyoshi’s eyes and saw the how heavy his failure was to him. He looked around at Kagome and the rest of the adults, their hearts going out to the little boy. “Kiyoshi, You did a great job. You are still really young. I know when I was your age, I could barely take care of myself, let alone eight other kids. You should be proud of yourself, because you managed to keep everyone together and alive, with or without help. I’m very proud of you.” Inuyasha leaned over and kissed his son on the forehead. “Get some sleep, now. We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. Goodnight, Dad, Mom. Goodnight Aiko.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.” Kagome smiled lovingly at her son.
Aiko smiled at him. “Goodnight Kiyoshi. And don’t worry so much. You did a good job.”
Kiyoshi smiled at his sister, then snuggled into his father’s chest and drifted off to sleep. Inuyasha took the opportunity to just look over his children. He had missed them so much, and now that he had them back, he could hardly believe it.
After a while he became aware of eyes watching him. He looked up and at the mouth of the cave stood Sesshoumaru. When Sesshoumaru saw that Inuyasha had seen him, he turned around and exited the cave. Inuyasha carefully moved out from under Kiyoshi, careful not to disturb him, and walked out of the cave as well.
He faced Sesshoumaru, and just eyed his brother for a moment. “I don’t understand you. Why did you help them?”
“I needed a reason?”
“You always need a reason, Sesshoumaru. Why did you do it?”
“Rin.” He said simply. “She’s been a terrible influence on me, and I’ve grown soft. But you should take better care of your children, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha normally would have exploded at a comment like that, but instead he bowed his head. “Thank you.”
Sesshoumaru looked at his brother for a moment. “I should tell you, your son died yesterday.”
Inuyasha’s head snapped up. “What?”
Sesshoumaru frowned as if he couldn’t understand it either. “He left the cave when I said to stay inside. I went in search of them and found Aiko screaming at nothing. I saw nothing at all. But there are demons that can be invisible to other demons, so I followed your daughter’s eyes and sliced the air in front of her. Apparently, I killed whatever it was. But it was just air, Inuyasha. Even invisible demons have blood and bones. I should have felt the tug as I sliced through it. But it was just air. But that wasn’t the oddest part. Kiyoshi’s head had been caved in where he’d been struck. But again, I swear, there was nothing there.”
Inuyasha frowned. “This is getting very strange. Could it have been an illusion?”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t have been able to kill Kiyoshi. I had to use the Tenseiga to bring him back, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but before he could even make a sound, a scream echoed out of the cave.
~*~*~
^^;; Sorry. Again, this story was put on the back burner to get some other stories written. I hope I didn't wait too long to get it up.
Thank you all so kindly for the wonderful reviews!!!! ^____^ They are so very much apreciated. I Lub U Guyz!!!!
Christy