Disclaimer: InuYasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
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Part Three-Chapter 26
Turmoil
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InuYasha rose slowly from a place of deep sleep to feel a cool cloth wiping his face. He was the most comfortable he could remember feeling in a really long while. Sunshine drifted in the window lazily to rest on his face, his cheeks, lips and eyes awash in the dizzying beams that spread to his chest until they hindered by the huge fluffy coverlet.
Soft pillows lay cushioning his head and he felt and smelled clean, instead of the stench that he knew he had begun to ferment. He felt something soft and warm sleeping curled in a ball next to him, yet it was far too small to be the one he wished it was, his nose told him it was the Kitsune.
Kitsune…Shippo…he had been sobbing on InuYasha's chest.
Had Sesshomaru been there also? …. Yes, he was…
He had howled so horribly and…and…he had tried to destroy Tensaiga. He burned his hand using Tessiaga…why was Sesshomaru trying to destroy Otou-sama's fang of heaven?
Otou-sama…..Okaa-chan…. Alpha….Beta…
He had seen them….
He had killed the human and the hanyou to stop the yokai…
He had been dead…
Kikyo….she was able to bring him back, but only one time she said…
He had been dead…
Kagome…she was still out there somewhere. The yokai said she was out there and didn't even know who he was, that she was probably out there fucking some human…
"I have to get…to Kagome…have to get to her…I need…her"
"You will soon little brother" the cloth wiped his face again. So nice, so soothing "You need to rest and regain your strength first."
"Alpha…are you alpha…?"
"Yes little brother, I am Alpha."
"Alpha and Beta….together…force to be reckoned with." Inuyasha locked his fingers of both hands together tightly and let them fall to his chest. "… need to find Kagome"
"Alpha will help you."
InuYasha fell back into the bliss of sleep again.
They had barely reached the hut and begun to pack his belongings when Kin heard the old man shuffling through the mat on the door.
"No need to knock Chai." Kin smirked in the old mans direction, his voice bitter.
"Kin, do you…" Ayame stopped in the middle of the room, realizing suddenly that they were no longer alone.
"I'll take care of it." Kin took the stack of clothes and Ayame quickly retreated from where she had come from.
"So, the rumor is true." Chai frowned at Kin "You mated the human hunter?"
"The Ookami stopped hunting humans three years ago when Prince Koga requested it of Ayame's grandfather, you know this Chai."
"So they said anyway."
"I've not heard of any humans killed by pack wolves since, only wild and a few random renegade yokai who disliked the decree by the high elder. Koga put an end to them soon after and there has been none since as I recall."
Kin turned from Chai and began to stuff his belongings into cloth bags once again.
"The hut has been destroyed, the work of a …"
"I destroyed the hut Chai."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"Kin-sama, I've come because…" He was cut off as Ayame came through from the other room with another arm full of clothing.
"Kin do you…" Ayame began "Forgive me, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's okay Ayame" Kin took the clothes and brushed his thumb gently over her cheek.
"Princess Ayame, would you mind leaving us for a time? There is a matter I wish to discuss with your….your…" Chai acted like he would rather vomit than say the word "With Kin."
"No, there is nothing you have to say to me that cannot be said in front of my MATE." Kin stressed the word harshly as he glared at Chai.
"It's no problem Kin…Really, I'll just take a walk, or sit outside."
Ayame had dashed out before Kin was able to stop her.
Kin leveled Chai with a glare "Now tell me old man, what is so important that you needed to offend my mate?"
Now Chai was angry too.
"How could you just go off and mate with the first…first yariman you run across! Was it so easy to just forget my Aya?"
"Chikushoume!" Kin's hands curled into fists and punched the wall behind the old man. "Do you forget YOUR Aya is the one who forgot ME? You removed me from your hut and told me to not return and now you come into mine and accuse me and insult my mate? KUTABARE hiretsukan!"
Chai sighed sadly "You're right, I did but Kin…Aya is missing."
"Missing? What do you mean?"
"A few days after you destroyed the hut and left, we woke to find her and many of her things gone."
"She left of her own will then" Kin snorted, shaking his head.
"You must find her and bring her home, you know she hasn't been right since Atotori…"
"Now you care about that? You didn't care when she was pushing me away because of it."
"Kin…you must help."
"Must? The only must here is that I must finish packing so my mate and I can return to her home in the mountains."
"Do you not even care?"
"You told me that Aya was no longer any of my concern did you not? Why should I concern myself now? She left on her own."
"What has that temee done to you?!"
Kin whirled on Chai and got in his face.
"FAKKU! Insult my mate again and I will release my wrath on you. I make my OWN choices! You yourself told me not to concern myself with matters involving Aya.
"I made a decision then to move on to the Western Lands on an Invitation from Lord Sesshomaru and Lord InuYasha. Instead I found the sweetest and gentlest creature that I have known in a long time and she accepted me. Tomorrow we will leave this village and forget it ever existed."
Kin let him go.
"Your Ojii would be quite ashamed of you. This is not how you were raised Kin, Dokueki no Shukun."
Kin rushed Chai and grabbed the front of his shirt roughly.
"YOU and AYA ordered me OUT! So, Now I am OUT! Now you come crawling here with your insults and want my help? You can not have both! Ojii would say the same, so do not delude yourself by thinking otherwise. I will not lift one finger to help you, now or ever! Now leave immediately!"
"Was it a lie when you said you loved her?" The old man shot back in fury
"One more word from you old man and I will release my venom on this village! Now get out!"
Chai turned brushing rudely past a shocked Ayame who had just returned.
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InuYasha felt pleasing warmth on his face and he blinked his eyes open to see the sunlight streaming in through the window. A slight tickle at his side alerted him to the kitsune's presence, hidden down under the covers, his cheek pressed against InuYasha's ribcage. Careful not to wake him, InuYasha shifted slightly and grimaced, wondering how long he had been laid out.
Now that he was fully conscious it all seemed like a puzzle, coming to him in bits and pieces a little bit at a time. The first thing he remembered was the one that he couldn't possibly forget.
He had died.
He remembered waking without Tessiaga and soon after the yokai took over his form. That became a pattern for his days, until the dream started coming, the dreams of Kagome.
It was the dreams that made him fear his yokai form, from then on it was a daily fight, until the day that he realized he had the power to control his heart, to make it stop at will by using his fear of hurting Kagome in his yokai form. It had been horrible. The things he had to picture the yokai doing to her…he shuddered again at the memory. Kami how he loved her! So much that he had remembered her….
InuYasha smiled, even with his memory blocked he hadn't been able to forget her, did that mean she was unable to forget him as well? He had to get out of this damn futon and find her.
He rolled over pushing himself up onto his elbow and swinging his feet to the floor, only to come face to face with Sesshomaru.
"Going somewhere little brother?"
"Uh..."
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Ayame stood quietly staring out the window at the rising sun. Kin slept peacefully on the futon behind her and she couldn't help being amazed that he could sleep at all considering all that had happened since they had come to his village.
"This isn't my village" he'd said, but Ayame knew better. Even if he had been raised in the demon village, it was common knowledge that the two villages had lived as one. Even if Ayame hadn't known, seeing the pain in Kin's eyes would have told her that the return here was taking its toll.
Before going to sleep Kin had made it perfectly clear that he wished to leave the minute he woke, usually around first light. Ayame couldn't blame him for wanting to put distance between them and Chai, the argument the night before had been terrible. Having been raised around humans, Kin was at heart a truly gentle yokai and hearing him threaten the village and the elder had been shocking to say the least.
Kin would of course say that he had been defending his mate, and that was true, but there was more to it and Ayame knew that all too well. As fond as she was of Kin, and as much as she didn't regret that they had mated, a part of her still longed for Koga, the mate of her heart. As surely as she knew this, she knew that a part of Kin longed for Aya, the mate of his heart, and always would.
It was ironic really, that it was through losing Koga that she was finally able to understand why he was unable to understand his need to always be there for Kagome. Suddenly it all made perfect, logical sense. When you love someone, that love never completely goes away, no matter how much time passes, it matures and mellows into a different kind of love. Something like friendship but deeper and more meaningful and like that love, the need to protect that person never leaves. Ayame knew that all too well, even though she was mated to another, she knew she would give her life for Koga without a second thought.
If she had learned anything by losing Koga, it was that she had to encourage Kin to follow his heart and search for Aya. If he didn't, they would both end up regretting it.
"Ayame…" Kin reached to her from the futon. "Morning." He pulled her to him, kissing her soundly and holding her tightly.
"Kin…"
"Hmmm?" he began kissing her neck and ear, reaching under the loose shirt he had given her to sleep in to caress her breasts.
"Uh…it can wait…"
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A long while later she lay resting her cheek on his chest.
"Kin…I think you should help Chai."
"Why?" He looked at her like she was half crazy
"It's the right thing to do."
"Ayame, how can you want to help him…after how rude he was to you?"
Ayame shrugged "It's not about punishing him though is it? It's not about me or even you. It's about Aya and making sure she's safe."
She looked at him and he smiled and kissed her, holding her close.
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"Going somewhere little brother?"
"Yeah, I'm going to find Kagome."
"This Sesshomaru thinks not."
"Stop me."
"InuYasha…Do you have any clothes? The miko has always stricken this Sesshomaru as rather shy. Considering that she has no memory, do you think it will be helpful for her condition to have a naked hanyou storming up to her demanding her attentions?"
"You stole my clothes didn't you?"
Sesshomaru smirked "Of course not, such antics are far below this Sesshomaru."
"You told Shippo to?"
"Correct."
InuYasha sighed and laid back in the bed. He reached under the coverlet and picked the kitsune up by the tail, waking him.
"InuYasha you're awake!"
InuYasha thumped him three times and tossed him out the window. He turned back around to Sesshomaru.
"Got anything to eat?"
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A note from CJ…
I am in the process of chapter 27 and I am wondering… …I've noticed a huge fall off in reviews the last few chapters and I was wondering if you guys are not liking the plotline of part three. If this is the case I would like to know so I can do a quick wrap up and reunite everyone and move on to something else. To be honest, I miss my reviews sniffle…I love reading them and I don't want to continue with this if you guys are not liking it. Even my faithful reviewers haven't reviewed lately so this give's me a bit of concern and I want more than anything to make you guys happy!
Now for some fun news! I have finally put together some of my artwork, strictly beginner amateur junky stuff…but you can find it at httptwo dot thing slashslash s135 dot photobucketdot com slash albums slash q125 slashmsfluffyfan
Just take out the underlined words and put in the proper symbols that this stupid editor won't allow me to just type in or the address is also available on my FanfictionDOTnet webpage.
There are also tons of pictures from Loss there!
Painters! If a picture catches your fancy and you would like to paint it, e-mail me for permission and I will be happy to send you an unlabled copy, and will post the finished product as part of the photo album, giving proper credit of course.
Hugs and Puppy Love,
CJ
Here's a preview of what I am working on…
Part Three-Chapter 27
Still Unnamed
Sesshomaru and InuYasha discuss the past while they begin the search for the others. First they return to the camp sight where everyone disappeared. What happened that night?
There will be a reunion!
Koga starts to question Aya.
Kin and Ayame leave the village.
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