The characters of Inuyasha (manga and anime) belong to Takahashi-san


The Journey Home – Chapter Fifty Six

Shippou skidded to a halt, and then darted behind a tree to hide from the others. The run had caused his breaths to come out in ragged intervals, not from exertion, but from something even he was unwilling to admit out loud. It was a name he could not give to describe it, but it made him feel cold inside, almost like pain. The kitsune hadn't spoken much ever since Inuyasha had reappeared. Every time he tried to open his mouth, something always stopped him, and he would be left much too embarrassed to speak at all, especially when Sango's brother was there, an annoyance if he ever knew one.

Crouching down to hug his knees, Shippou's first thought, though reluctantly, was to question why the hanyou, after years of absence, chose to reappear now. It was a cold way of thinking, he knew this, and he knew that if he tried to ask Inuyasha such a question—

He stopped himself before his mind could complete that thought.

Shippou was at a loss on what to do. The one person, who they drove out of their lives and memories because he was the cause of Kagome's disappearance, was now back, with the miko, though things were far from the normality of their previous lives. Being blessed with an excellent memory, was more than enough for him to remember the unfortunate events leading up to this very day. It was not difficult for him to recall – for memories of the worst kind were always remembered first – the day when they first discovered the Bone Eater's well destroyed, to the point of being unrepairable, and the miko from the strange world called the future was gone. They knew the culprit; he was standing right there in front of them, smiling. But before they could catch him, he had vanished into the forest. And when they saw him again the next day, they accused him of treachery. A year later, he too was never seen again.

How angry Shippou was from that day onwards. Hate was all he saw whenever he caught even a glimpse of bright red cloth flowing across his eyes while walking past merchants or passersby. Yet on other days, Miroku or Sango would see him sitting alone on the roof of their dwelling, his head bent over, and a few drops of water falling from his face.

I don't know... I don't know anymore...

Whenever he was alone, this was the very thought which ran through his mind. His hatred had never lasted forever; it had faded somewhat, but it had left something missing, like a void, and with more questions about the past life which he would have rather left alone.

Inuyasha's betrayal seemed so unbelievable, so violent in nature that Shippou sometimes felt he had imagined the whole thing, a nightmare refusing to allow him to wake up. How many times had he wished for everything to have been a dream, to suddenly wake up and find everything was back to normal?

Shippou sighed heavily. He looked behind him and saw them starting the preparations for breakfast. Normal...? Nothing's normal now...

"Are they bothering you, runt?" Kouga asked, stepping out from behind the trees.

"What? Oh it's you. You're still here?" Shippou replied, hiding his face from the ookami. Right now he did not want anyone's company, and yet, he had wanted to talk to someone who was – for lack of a better word – impartial to the whole situation.

"Yeah, I want to keep an eye on him." His blue eyes illuminated fiercely against the dark shadows of the trees looming above them. Likewise, his mood was as much the same as before, and he for one, was not afraid to voice it. "I still don't like it. After all these years, who knows what he is really like now? Kagome's playing a dangerous game by staying with him."

"It doesn't look like she's that bothered about it."

"Maybe..." Kouga didn't sound so convinced.

"You're just jealous, I bet. I've never seen someone so... so loyal, to someone like him. I think, not even he can believe it. I never understood why, the things he puts her through... you know? We all gave up, but she never did."

"And that bothers you?"

Shippou simply turned his head and refused to answer, but Kouga had already known what he was thinking. The ookami sat down and ran a hand through his dark hair. Finally he spoke in a low voice, for the apprehension that someone, or something was listening to his every word. Not that he ever cared about such things, but there was something strange in the air, an aura that made his senses edgy, "Then don't let it bother you." The silence told him that Shippou was surprised by this, and if anything else, a little worried.

"I think," he tried to explain, relaxing his position against the tree, "inukkoro there, wouldn't like it if you guys kept worrying so much. He's the kind of guy that doesn't take pity too well."

"What are you trying to say?" it was all he was willing to voice out without giving in to the sudden urge to...to... Claws pricked at his skin as he clenched his fists, the smell of blood tickling irritably at his nose.

"Angry?" Kouga remarked with a sneer. "Whatever, just think about what I've said, okay?" Standing up and brushing the dust off from his fur that formed part of his clothing, he prepared to leave, but a minute sound echoed into his ears, causing his whole body to stiffen. He heard it again, the creak of wood under strain, similar to that of a bow and arrow about to be used.

"Hey, where are you going?" Shippou called out, jumping to his feet to follow the ookami.

It was a short distance before Shippou was roughly caught on the shoulder by Kouga, an indication to stop.

And then he saw it.

A group of houshi and one miko stood some distance from them, their backs facing them and unmoving, their attentions directed at something in the distance. Moving to a better position so that he could see what the strange group were looking at, the kitsune's heart almost stopped when he saw the miko, bow and arrow aimed, at their group, yet hesitating to fire, thankfully enough. For those brief seconds, his feet were frozen, his eyes merely watching in horror of that sharp pointed arrow being aimed for their camp. Aiming... aiming—

—At Kagome.

A shiver went down his spine, but he promptly recovered as a sudden rush of adrenalin forced his feet to move, and he ran to them, leaping forward to push the miko to one side, just managing to knock her off balance, preventing her from reaching her target. That was close...

"Another animal, I see."

Quickly, Shippou looked behind him and was startled to see an image of an elderly man staring back at him, mockingly. There was something about his eyes, his deep black eyes that seemed to penetrate his very soul, a power which called to him, teasingly, making his blood run cold. Despite his fear, Shippou found himself getting angry. He hated being mocked, and so from the inside of his coat, he grabbed a few laughing mushrooms and threw them at his face, smiling in grim satisfaction as the mushrooms bounced madly on his face and head.

"Come on, Shippou!" Kouga called out, punching one of the houshi unconscious and avoiding an attack from another. They ran back to their camp, hoping that no one was hurt from the miko's misfiring arrow. No one was, but that didn't mean that a certain miko was very happy about, especially when the shot had hit the cup of ramen Inuyasha was holding as he was about to eat the hot noodles. The contents from the cup splashed onto the ground, leaving the hanyou much too surprised to react at the mere thought of having just lost his breakfast.

Kagome, who found his reaction to this attack on his person somewhat lacking, she pushed it out of her mind, grabbing her quiver and bow, and swiftly aiming it in the direction the previous arrow was shot. Something's not right, I can feel it...

In the distance she saw a person walking towards them, then a face, and it was then her feeling of ill ease became more apparent. He came closer still; an elderly man dressed in dark robes, a symbol of his profession, though there was something about his aura that she did not like.

"What do you want with us?" Kagome asked, finding that she had not yet relaxed the aim of the arrow towards him.

The man seemed to remember himself and bowed his head, politely making his introduction to the group. He then pointed to the hanyou, who by now was looking at him with a peculiar expression, yet the miko could not tell exactly what he was thinking as he looked at the man. "I see that he is here, that thing. I must thank you for doing such a... great service for me." He smiled.

Miroku sprang up and jumped in front to face the houshi, his hands clutching tightly on his shakujou. Narrowing his eyes, he whispered in warning. "Get out," but even as he said it, he could feel his brow starting to become moist with sweat. The other man noticed it as well, and he leaned forward, his aura giving a sudden chill throughout Miroku's body.

"Don't be so harsh to one who is from the same profession as you." He continued, his voice smooth, dangerous, quite unlike someone who lived by the peaceful teachings of Buddha. "I will forgive you; you and your companions probably don't know who I am. But perhaps you would know of the task I had sent to you by one of my followers, Naoko and Hisato. You do remember, don't you? Or have you... forgotten?"

Kagome looked from the man, to Miroku, and then back again while wondering what was transpiring between them. The presence of this man unnerved them, she knew that much, but when he mentioned some task he'd previously given to them by one of his followers, the change of colour on their faces indicated to her that she should not let go of her weapon just yet. "What's this all about, Sango-chan?" she whispered, unconsciously stepping back towards the hanyou.

The woman slayer could only look back, her voice having failed her when she was hit by a realisation.

"Sango-chan...?"

"Get him out of here," she warned, and then turned to the houshi, saying, "You must be mistaken. This isn't the person you are seeking. He's not a youkai."

"You are the ones who are mistaken. Youkai or not, he is the one I have been searching for, and you have been kind enough to search and capture him for me, the keeper of the Shikon no Tama. You don't know how long it has taken me to find him." He laughed quietly, as if he had told a joke. "How did you do it, befriend him? I must say, you have done a very good job, gaining his trust. He is weak that way, with those human emotions of his."

"Katashi-sama," Miroku asked suspiciously, "you talk as if you know Inuyasha."

"Perhaps..." he smirked.

Miroku punched him hard in the mouth causing the elderly man to collapse backwards. There was something about his face he did not like, especially when that smirk appeared, stretching his features, like some horrid nightmare. Or more like a bad memory. He then turned around, and saw Kagome standing still, her arms lax yet trembling for reasons he already knew.

"Don't come any closer, or I swear I'll shoot."

"You don't mean that, do you, Kagome?" Kouga tried to say, taking a step towards the miko.

She replied by shooting an arrow near his feet. "This is your fault. If you hadn't chased him away, and said all those things to him..." The bow quivered in her hand. "And now you come back, only to collude with this man to hunt him down again. I can't forgive you for that. I can't! This is your entire fault!"

"Don't you think we know that?!" Sango shouted fiercely, forcing her hand down to prevent her from accidently firing at them. "We know that." She said again, this time more calmly. "We know that."

Silently, Inuyasha stood up, having heard what Katashi had said before he collapsed unconscious to the ground. His words echoed loudly in his head, and from these words came memories, memories of the past he thought were just another vague image of his life as a hanyou. It's just like before. That's the only reason why they came back, a voice laughed.

I won't let them..., and just as silently, he slipped away, ever thankful that they were still distracted by their quarrelling.

"Please, listen to us." The slayer pleaded. "We didn't know we were for hunting him. The houshi only said we were supposed to find some youkai who had the jewel in his possession. He never said anything about a hanyou."

"No, I don't want to listen. You never listened to him, why should I? We're leaving, Inuyasha." Reaching behind her to take his hand, she was shocked to find that he was not there, in fact he had vanished. "Let me go, Sango-chan!" She cried out when she was seized by the arm. "I have to find him."

"No."

"What?"

"WE have to find him. Right now he could be anywhere in this forest. Where do you plan to start looking first?"

She stared at the woman slayer with indignation, but soon it passed away with a heavy sigh, and she eventually agreed for their assistance, finding out much later just how vast the forest was, which meant that Inuyasha, if she knew from experience, would use the trees as his hiding place, choosing to remain hidden if need be.

Moments later, after the group had left for their search, Katashi stood up, rubbing his cheek in irritation, and wincing as he stretched the muscles in his neck. He cursed his misfortune, but more for the fact that his old, weak body was starting to fail him. A sneer appeared on his lips, which grew more sinister as he saw his group of loyal followers coming to his side to see if he had been injured.

"Find him," he said darkly with a wave of his hand, "I will not let him escape." And with that, they scattered into smaller groups in search for their elusive target.


"Can't you smell him anywhere?" The familiar question flew into Kouga's ears, much like the way a fly refused to annoy someone else. At least Kagome had an excuse; she was worried about the hanyou after all, even though he had run away, like a coward. Scrunching his nose to sniff the air for his half-dog odour, the ookami was increasingly becoming aggravated when he could not even detect a small trace of his scent. He tried to open his mouth to protest, only to shut it again when Kagome refused even one word from him.

"That fucking arsehole," he breathed out.

"What was that?" Kagome asked.

He laughed nervously, smiling, "Nothing," then turned away to sniff the air again, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself.

Minutes passed as Kagome continued to look around her surroundings while trying to sense his aura, for she had a feeling that he was somewhere nearby, watching her every move. There was some relief when she saw Sango and Miroku return from their search, however just as quickly; her hopes were gone when they too, could not find the hanyou. She wondered if it was a better idea if she had gone on alone, that perhaps if she did, he would eventually make an appearance. But then what? She mused, kicking a few rocks in frustration. It was plain enough that he was somewhat, fearful, on the discovery that he had been a hunted man, by his own friends, and had only run away because he felt he had no other choice. The only choice he had, even back then, when they would not listen to his reasons. Except now, Inuyasha was the one refusing to listen, while the others were actually trying to find him – she could tell as much by the worried look on their faces – which would have been simple enough, if it were not for the other group of spiritual people who had their sights on the hanyou, or more importantly, the dreaded Shikon no Tama.


"They seem fairly worried about you, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said, his cold, golden eyes glancing at the group for a mere second. "Was it really necessary to run away from them?" He looked at him when he heard no answer and contemplated pulling one of his ears to gain his attention. The urge passed.

"This is a matter which does not concern them."

"Indeed. Although I doubt that miko of yours would follow that same logic."

"Yes, it is harder with her around." Inuyasha said, yet his voice was not the same.

In the slightest of movements, Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at this change of persona, and his lips curled into distaste when he saw the faint, pinkish glow coming from under his haori. If there was anything he had learnt of the powers of the Shikon no Tama, it was to never trust such powers, particularly when it was having adverse affects on the owner. "Inuyasha, stop it." He hissed sharply as to not betray their hiding place from the others. The hanyou whipped his head back in response, and for one fleeting moment, the tai-youkai saw something in his eyes which reminded him of his brother from long ago, those same defiant eyes that always provided the source of his annoyances and frustrations, whenever he had the fortune of any dealings with the hanyou.

A rustling noise broke his concentrations, and they both looked up, shock not one of the first words to describe the creature that was staring back at them, its fangs clearly showing, in a grin or snarl, it was difficult to tell. Before they had a chance to react, Kirara jumped from the branch, using her large weight to propel the descent, landed with every grace of a cat, and then promptly snared Inuyasha's collar with her teeth, dragging him as she leapt swiftly off again into the dense trees of the forest. Soon he heard the obvious sounds of feet running towards him, and quickly hid behind one of the larger trees to avoid detection. Not that he had to, Sesshoumaru hid from no one, but that did not mean he did not want to complicate things by making an appearance to them. And so he stood patiently, watching the woman slayer appear first, pointing in the direction where the neko had bounded off, then talking in hushed tones to the miko, who was attempting not to look discouraged.

Sesshoumaru left without a sound.


Inside the borders of the youkai-taijiya village stood a few huts, most in good condition, solidly built and clean, and yet it gave the impression it had lost all life. With no inhabitants to live in the village, it looked lonely, abandoned by the world outside its perimeter.

Except for one of the larger huts, where it was obvious someone had taken residence. Two hands appeared through one of the windows, holding a small, pale yellow neko. It meowed softly as the person dropped Kirara to the ground, only to gasp in surprise when she jumped up to the window ledge, then again to land on Inuyasha's shoulder, meowing triumphantly when the hanyou decided to give up trying to throw the neko out the window.

"Why won't you go away?" he asked.

Kirara nuzzled his cheek.

Inuyasha sighed, pretending not to notice the soft, warm fur against his skin, the warmth reminding him of Kagome whenever she held him. Warily he looked out the window, but saw nothing to alert his attentions, and heard nothing which would indicate an intruder. Turning around, he observed the interior of the house, finally realising that Kirara had brought him into Miroku and Sango's home. The little neko made a sound as she landed neatly on the wooden floor, padding towards the room adjoining the living room, and stopped beside a small low table. Inuyasha bent over, seeing a few books and a sheaf of paper piled neatly to one side of the table. Picking one of the books up, he eyed the cover which had Shippou's name written on the white strip of paper, and began slowly flicking through it, noticing that every page contained mostly of drawings and small watercolour paintings of people, objects, and a few landscapes. As his fingers were about to turn to the last page, he stopped, sensing that someone was in the same room. He reached for his dagger, his eyes focussed on one of the corners of the room.

"No use trying to hide." He said softly, readying his aim.

No one answered.

He threw the sharp dagger where it landed with a thud, piercing the floor.

Immediately, a puff of smoke appeared, revealing a kitsune. He trembled in the corner, his green eyes unable to look anywhere else but at the hanyou's eyes, the amber colour darkening as he neared him.

"You knew I was here?" He asked.

"Of course," Inuyasha replied, grabbing onto his wrist to pull the kitsune to his feet. "It was amazing that you managed to stay disguised for so long. Did you do all these?"

It was an innocent enough question, yet it left Shippou feeling a little awkward, even more so when he saw the hanyou was about to flip to the last page of his sketchbook. He hastily snatched it away, holding it to his chest. "You can't see that one. It's... not that good." And to his surprise, Inuyasha did not press him further, as his eyes were already glancing around the room, walking around, slowly, deliberately, though the floorboards didn't squeak under his weight. A sense of timidness came over Shippou while he watched him move around the house. It felt almost unreal seeing him, the same person, and yet, not the same person he knew from when he was a much smaller kitsune. There was dullness in his eyes, and that somehow stabbed at him, and he clutched the sheet of paper closer to his chest.

"It has been such a long time." Inuyasha began quietly, touching the flowers that had dried up in the small vase on the table. "You've grown up, so much. I almost did not recognise you."

A long silence passed, where the only sound he could hear was his own breathing. He never knew how such simple words, could affect him so much, that he couldn't find a proper way to answer him without letting go of his emotions. In the end, he finally spoke, however his voice came out as a whisper, and Shippou feared that Inuyasha had not heard him.

"No, I haven't grown up. I haven't grown up at all. I won't lie to you. I hated you. You were always treating her badly. You were never nice to anyone. And I was happy when you went away; I never had to see you again.

"Then you came back and..., and..." Shippou bit his lip. "I swear, Inuyasha, we didn't know it was you. They just came one day asking for aid. To track down a youkai that had the jewel, a youkai who had killed hundreds just for one piece, and then fled in disguise whenever he pleased just to avoid capture. At first we thought it was Naraku, or someone like him. We never knew it was you. You couldn't... I... I... Y-you have to believe us! You have to!"

"Why?" Inuyasha asked monotonously, and the room filled with an unearthly stillness once more. "What is the point? One day, you and everyone else would look back to this day, as a dream."

"What are you talking about?!" the kitsune exclaimed loudly, dropping the page on to the floor. "How can you say that? This... this can never be a dream!" He stepped back in fright, realising with his own words he was saying exactly what he wanted to wish for, for everything to be but a bad dream. How did he...?

Shippou shook his head, his gaze falling on to the page that lay in front of his feet. Gingerly, he picked it up and looked at the brush strokes of ink colouring the page, then at the figures smiling back at him.

"Here," and gave the picture to the hanyou, which he took, with a little hesitation.

"It has everyone in it." He said after a while. "You're very talented."

"Yeah... I guess so." A small smile appeared on his face, but it soon disappeared when a sound alerted them to someone trespassing on the grounds. Running to the window, the kitsune spied through the wooden bars, and saw a dark figure walking towards their hut. The colour of his robes, and the sneer on his face were enough for Shippou to whirl around and dash to the living room. He fell to his knees, running his fingers along the floorboards, finally catching the niche of the trap door. "Look, we can hide in here, and we have tunnels we can use to escape."

"Shippou-san..."

"Come on, please. Believe me."

"Believe you...?" Inuyasha repeated, his eyes turning black. And without another word, the hanyou pushed him roughly into the hole, shut the trapdoor and sealed the edges with his ofuda. He could hear the kitsune shout out in anger and his fist pounding against the door, but he ignored Shippou's protests, and sat on the trapdoor with a thud, effectively silencing the noise. He remained in the same spot, motionless, staring at the front door with a blank expression.

The door moved slightly, gradually revealing the bright light of the outside world. A man walked through the doorway, silhouetted by the light, and stopped in front of the hanyou.

"Hello, Inuyasha."

He looked up at the old man.

"Hello, Naraku."


Sorry I haven't updated for a long time... Hope you like it!