"Inuyasha..."
The half-demon jolted awake, heart racing for a brief moment as he looked around. Same old hut, and no danger in sight. He relaxed, though his hand clutched Tessaiga tightly. He realized that he'd been daydreaming again.
Daydreaming of her again, and he could swear he'd truly heard her voice calling his name this time. It always happened though; no rhyme or reason, but every now and then, it was her voice - Kagome's voice - ringing in his ears. His dog ears twitched in mild frustration, but he slipped his cap on to hide them.
"Inuyasha?"
A few knocks on the door followed the sudden voice. Inuyasha wasn't startled by it; he recognized the old womanly voice. Dressed in a white tank top and baggy red pants, he fastened the Tessaiga to the belt around his waist and went to the door, opening it. A familiar elderly couple was waiting there, smiling at him.
"You got work for me to do today?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes locking with the box in the woman's hands. It was obvious; it was his job as a delivery man, after all. He didn't actually need them to tell him that.
"Yes, this is an important delivery that must be taken to a customer of ours immediately. Who better than you to take it?" The box was put in Inuyasha's hands, though he knew better than to look inside with his usual curiosity. Never ask questions, never look inside, and just make the delivery like you're told. He knew it well enough by now.
The old man handed Inuyasha a map, then pointed. "It's a city far down that way. We need you to take that package to the shop listed on the map. Drop it off and tell them that it's for the manager."
Inuyasha's face turned sour at the mention of a city. He was never overly fond of them; lots of sounds and hazards. It was too crazy for him, as he'd mellowed down as time went on. Without real danger near the little hut he lived in, he had no choice but to get used to it.
Well, that, and the fact that cities always reminded him of Kagome...
"You've got one of those weird computer things now, don't you?" he asked. "Can't you just send this through there?"
Sudden fits of laughter followed, and he immediately blushed in embarrassment. "W-what? What's so funny!?"
"It's nothing, Inuyasha," the old woman assured. "It's just odd for us to find someone young like you who has no inkling of how these computer contraptions work."
His expression faltered slightly. Right, they thought he was younger than they were. It wasn't the slightest bit true, but there was no way he could tell them that.
"Ahuh..." He straightened, examining the package in his hands. "And I can come right back after I deliver it?"
The couple nodded, though seemed confused as to why Inuyasha never liked delivering to cities. In fact, they always found his attitude and general mannerisms to be strange. To them, he didn't act like people 'his age', and though they felt lucky for finding someone who was willing to accept the small amount of payment that they gave for the job, it also perplexed them as to why he accepted it when he probably could've gotten any other job for much better pay.
Then again, he'd mentioned once or twice that they reminded him of another couple he knew a long time ago. He was a strange one.
Inuyasha turned away from the two, then dashed along the path, occasionally glancing back at the map he was given to make sure he knew where he was going. It'd been so long since he'd gone this way. In fact, he'd say it'd been decades.
Maybe even centuries...
He couldn't remember how long it'd been since he last saw their faces. Miroku, Sango, Kaede... even Shippo and Kirara's faces felt blurred in his mind.
Yet, Kagome's face, he couldn't forget. It never blurred or wavered. He knew her scent, her voice, her personality, down to the last detail, and it irritated him that he was unable to forget.
"She's not here," he muttered to himself sternly as he ran. Regardless of how many times he said it, he knew that wouldn't stop him from wanting her to be here, or wanting any of them to be here for that matter. Still, the fact of the matter was that none of them were, and he just had to suck it up and move on. It was annoying to him, these feelings, and part of him considered ditching Tessaiga and allowing him demon nature to take over his soul. Then he wouldn't feel this way.
Every time he thought about it though, he instantly regretted it. That's not what anyone would want, and removing his emotions wasn't worth potentially sacrificing all the people who would die in the process.
They wouldn't have a way to defend themselves anyway. As far as he could tell, though he didn't explore much, he was the strongest thing in this world, maybe even without Tessaiga. A full demon Inuyasha would be far too much to handle, and he hated himself at times for ever considering doing such things.
Eventually, he arrived at the city, mentally scoffing at the hustle and bustle. As he walked along the sidewalk, he watched cars pass by, the occasional dog sticking its head out the window to bark at him. He merely rolled his eyes, eyeing the shop title on the map so he knew what to look for. His nose was itching with all the scents surrounding the town, and his ears were flickering underneath his cap whenever car horns could be heard.
"Doggy-man!"
He didn't know why, but he stopped in his tracks. Was someone really talking to him, and with a weird name like that?
He felt a tug on his pant leg, then looked down to see a small girl staring back up at him, the widest of smiles on her face.
"I haven't seen you since you saved me! Do you still have your doggy ears?" She pointed. "Are they hiding under your hat again?"
Him? Save this girl? He couldn't remember saving anyone recently, but if he didn't, then how'd she know about his ears?
"You look older. Do doggy-men like you age quicker? Do you have a doggy family? Is—"
He quickly pulled away from her and started walking, both remembering his job and wanting to be away from the conversation. "I-I'm busy. I have to go."
"Aww..." She sounded disappointed. "O-okay. Bye, doggy-man!"
He was sure she was waving to him, but he couldn't bring himself to wave back. She felt familiar to him somehow - honestly, this whole city did - but any attempt to summon memories on the matter gave him a headache. He just wanted to deliver the package and leave as soon as possible.
The girl was right though; he hadn't looked in a mirror - mostly because he didn't own one - but he was probably on the last century of his life. He imagined he looked fairly older compared to the age he was back in the day, though it might've just been that he had to constantly work on his hair length to ensure it wouldn't get too long.
Inwardly, he wondered what Kagome would think if she saw him now. Did he look like a human who was 20? 40? He wasn't really sure.
Finally managing to put the girl out of his current train of thought, he found the shop he was looking for, heading inside and dropping off the package. He breathed a sigh of relief as he left, knowing he could head back. He was feeling way too familiar with this place, and he didn't like it.
Yet, somehow, his body locked when he tried to head back. His instincts were going crazy and telling him to keep walking in the other direction. Even he could admit that he was weird sometimes, but this kind of sensation? He hadn't felt anything like it, at least in a long time.
Nevertheless, he obeyed and started walking. The more he walked, the more he felt a creeping sense that he'd really been here. Maybe he had, but it would've been hundreds of years ago, right?
That's when he reached a long stairway, and his mind clicked. Was this... wasn't this where...?
The aching in his head got stronger and he felt hesitant, but he traversed the stairs. His nose wasn't as good as it used to be, but the scents hitting him were giving him a sense of déjà vu. There was no way she was here, he told himself in an attempt to avoid disappointment.
Scanning the area, he noticed the tree; the tree that he'd been struck to all that time ago. He went to it, resting his hand on the mark left there. Kikyo... even her face was fading to him, but that didn't make her any less important. If he'd known that he wouldn't see Kagome ever again after defeating Naraku, he would've wanted her to stay that much more. Then again, even if she had, her body wouldn't have lasted for so long. She would've been dead long before now, and he'd still wind up lonely.
"Inuyasha! You're really here?"
He stiffened - that voice felt familiar too - then turned around, seeing a woman approach him.
"U-uh, you're..." Her face, it had to be. "Kagome's mother?"
"Why do you look so shocked?" She seemed concerned; he probably looked like he'd seen a ghost. "It's only been three years, hasn't it? Yet, goodness, you look so much more mature! Did the well re-open to let you return? Kagome will be so happy to see you!"
His heart was pounding. Three years? The well? "W-wait, Kagome?"
"Inuyasha?"
That voice...
He immediately jerked his head over, and there she was. Three years older, but it was her without a doubt, looking like she had just exited the shrine where the well was. His mind was racing; centuries had passed since he'd last seen her. Did he really wind up in her time just by letting time flow around himself?
"K-Kagome?"
Tears came to her eyes, and she suddenly rushed at him, jumping at him in a hug. "Inuyasha!"
Without his robe of the fire rat, her warmth against his felt much more pronounced, and he knew it was real. Kagome was really here, with him. Or, rather, he was here with her.
"Kagome... it's been so long..."
She blinked, looking up at him to see his eyes watering. "I-Inu—"
A muffled squeak left her mouth as he locked her into a kiss, which she was quick to return. He knew it was sudden, but he needed her affection again; craved it like a lost puppy.
When he had pulled away, he was nearly out of breath, and Kagome looked like she was dazed.
"You seem unwell, Inuyasha," Kagome's mother told him, making Inuyasha blush at the realization that she'd been watching his affectionate display towards her daughter. "How about you come inside for dinner?"
"Uh..." He was still processing everything that'd happened, but his growling stomach was quick to remind him of his other priority. He nodded his head dully, and Kagome led him inside while her mother went off to prepare food.
"Aw, cool, Inuyasha's back!" Sota exclaimed once he was called down to the dinner table, seeing Inuyasha and Kagome sitting next to each other. He sat down to Inuyasha's other side, staring at his attire. "What's with the new duds though? You get them recently when you came out of the well?"
"I-I, uh..." He frowned. "I didn't come out of the well."
Sota was confused, then turned his head as his mom started setting the table. Inuyasha felt hungrier than ever, what with his mind being on an emotional rollercoaster and all.
"I'm sure Inuyasha has a lot to tell us about all the amazing adventures he went on," the woman said, taking a seat at the table and eating a bit of her food.
Her father nodded, pointing his fork at Inuyasha. "Indeed. So, tell us, Inuyasha; what hoops did you have to jump through this time?"
"Hoops?" Inuyasha inquired.
"Yeah," Sota said, "he means, like, what did you have to do to get back to this time?"
"Oh." Inuyasha was much calmer at this point, eyes moving up to stare at the ceiling. "I just... waited, I guess."
Kagome blinked, shocked at his oh-so-simple explanation. Knowing what that would mean, she chuckled nervously, hoping she wasn't right. "W-what do you mean?"
"I'm curious too," her mother said. "You just tell us all about what happened after Kagome left, okay?"
He paused, then gave a small nod, admitting to himself that it might be good to get this all out in the open. It was nice having someone who knew about his feudal era origins so he could talk about them.
"Well... Miroku and Sango got married, and they ended up having three kids. I helped Miroku with slaying demons for a long while. Shippo went off to complete his fox demon training, and Kohaku started visiting Totosai to get better weapons, becoming a great demon slayer. Sesshomaru had Rin stay in the village for a while, but she eventually went off with him. I didn't see them much after that, so I don't know what happened to them."
He grew silent for a moment.
"...Then, before long, Kaede died. Decades after that, Miroku and Sango did too." It was obvious that he was trying to get this part of the story out as quickly as possible. "I stuck around in the village for a while to watch over their family, but once their whole ''Uncle Inuyasha'' thing died off, I decided to leave. Kirara stayed with the family, but I still saw Shippo from time to time."
Kagome noticed that he was hesitating. "...And then what?"
He glanced over at her, then looked back down to his plate of food, taking a few bites before continuing. "...The Demon Purge."
"The Demon what?" Sota asked, clearly not understanding.
Inuyasha crossed his arms. "A circle of priestesses apparently joined forces to purge demons in one fell swoop; I don't know how many of them there were, but I just remember seeing a white flash of light rushing over the world. Then, just like that, no more demons. I guess I wasn't affected because I was half-demon. Maybe Jinenji and Shiori made it out okay too, but I don't know where they went or what they were up to."
Kagome saddened. "So, Shippo and Kirara..."
"I didn't see them again after that," he confirmed. "Once cities started being built, I moved away and tried to make a place for myself. Eventually, I got a job with this old couple and started making deliveries for them. That's it."
"...That's it?" Sota asked, seeming disappointed and having expected more excitement.
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Inuyasha questioned, sounding offended.
"You didn't make any friends?" Kagome inquired. "You were alone for so many centuries?"
"What do ya think!?" Inuyasha snapped back, glaring out her. "Making friends with demons wasn't an option, and any human I made friends with would just drop dead in a few decades and I'd be all alone again!"
Realizing he was getting too emotional and raising his voice at her, he calmed himself, going back to eating. He felt pretty pathetic.
"...Well!" Kagome's mother said, clapping her hands together. "You're certainly welcome here anytime, Inuyasha. You can stay in Kagome's room for the night, how does that sound?" She seemed well aware that they'd need some quality time together.
Inuyasha blushed, looking over at Kagome. "Is that all right with you?"
She nodded, though seemed sheepish as well. "Of course. It's no problem!"
As promised, once they were finished with dinner, Kagome led Inuyasha up to her room, sitting down with him in front of her bed. The air was still, though to Inuyasha, the memories were starting to feel fresh. It was a weird feeling, knowing he'd been here hundreds of years ago, yet it was still in the same condition because of the time jumping.
"...You're still wearing that?" Kagome questioned, pointing to the beads of subjugation around Inuyasha's neck. "Do they even still work?"
Inuyasha gave her a look. "What's that supposed to mean?" He shook his head regardless. "Their magic wore off when Kaede died. I can take it off whenever I want."
"And you didn't? Why not?" Kagome stared at him, but he avoided her gaze. "...Did you use it to remember me by~?"
"S-so what if I did!?" Inuyasha asked, clearly embarrassed. "It reminded me of you so I never took it off, okay?"
She blushed, surprised that Inuyasha would admit it. He was still a bit loud, but... clearly more mature. Not that it should be shocking, she supposed, since he was centuries older, but...
"Inuyasha?"
He stiffened at the sudden drop in her tone as she leaned against him. "Y-yeah, what?"
"You'll stay with me this time, won't you? Now that we're in the same time and everything, you can visit whenever you want." Her gaze dropped, wondering if maybe Inuyasha's kiss from earlier was just impulse. "...Unless I'm not important to you anymore—"
He had suddenly grasped her hand, causing her to inhale sharply as he firmly gazed into her.
"Don't be stupid! I never stopped thinking about you, not even for an instant!" He embraced her, so tightly that she was almost uncomfortable. "Of course I'll stay. You think I'd pass up an opportunity like this?"
Her gaze softened. Even now, she still meant so much to him? "I-Inuyasha..."
They pulled away to stare at each other, then shared another kiss, an unspoken "I love you" delivered through it.