DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This author has no financial or non-financial relation nor do they possess any right to "Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale" franchise. Full ownership of all characters is the sole intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 11
While the Cat's Away
It was rapidly becoming clear, in the few weeks since Kagome's brush with illness, that Inuyasha had lost all control of his journey through the past. Or present. Whichever. Point was that nothing was the same, which was both good and bad. One it supported the theory that this hot mess would end differently. On the other hand, though, some things were far worse than he could ever imagine. For example, apparently Kagome's medicine played a huge part in her recovery the first go around. Those tiny little capsules worked unnatural magic on her fever and somehow suppressed the grating mucus filled hacking that the miko devolved into by the end of the first night. As much as he wanted to give credit to the medicine his mother taught him how to make for her quick recovery, it was clear that the concoction only pushed her over the edge last time because this time that potion had been as useless as tits on a boar. All in all, however, Inuyasha's strangely oppressive brand of love had gotten Kagome through the worst of it. There had been a moment though, a fleeting unwanted moment one night when Kagome's fever got terrifyingly high, when the thought of death crept into the half-demon's mind. Luckily the panic inducing thought came and left quickly. If anything, that unwanted blip in his thought processes made him double down his efforts with a ferocity hitherto unimaginable. No unnecessary movement was permitted and the movement that was necessary was monitored heavily. The one and only time Kagome had sat him in many, many months was when he insisted he carry her while she went to the bathroom. How that would've worked the miko had no idea but whatever Inuyasha had been thinking was rejected wholeheartedly much to his ire.
Despite the terrifying (to him) hacking and fever and chills and all things bad, Kagome kept insisting she was doing alright and that he was overreacting which made him look back on all his previous injuries with new eyes. Maybe, just maybe, she hadn't been ridiculous when she fretted over him and told him to sit still. Ultimately, however, it didn't matter what was ridiculous and what wasn't because Kagome recovered completely and this past week had mercifully been uneventful. No battles. No triggering events. Just calm, peaceful, aimless wandering. As such, Inuyasha felt somewhat more at ease with the differences in the timeline - mainly because nothing else had gone differently at all and there'd been no concerns raised which helped immeasurably. Unbeknownst to Inuyasha, there was a reason the monk didn't dare voice so much as an innocent observation out loud. Kagome had promised Miroku - through a series of written notes which had since been burned - that she'd talk to Sango about him and report back in exchange for him not mentioning Naraku for two weeks.
But that pact was hard to follow when Inuyasha himself brought up the topic. Technically though, Miroku hadn't initiated the off-handed comment about not missing having to deal with Naraku's incarnations. Kagura especially was not missed by the half-demon although she did prove useful towards the end once she'd turned on Naraku.
"Know who else I don't miss?" Inuyasha commented with a satisfied hum while he poked at the campfire, "Koga. Don't miss him at all."
"You must admit he was useful at times," Miroku chided gently before taking a sip of his tea and furrowing his brow, "He was most helpful when we faced the Infant if I'm not mistaken."
"Helpful and useful ain't the same thing and I don't think he was either," Inuyasha sniffed pointedly, "Besides, I've got a good thing going here. I don't need that mangy wolf messing things up and giving me competition again. She already wants me to be taller and Koga's got a good head on me so..."
Miroku coughed lightly in an attempt to cover up the choked laugh that escaped him at Inuyasha's admission. Unfortunately, Inuyasha recognized the noise for what it was and gave the monk a side-eyed glare.
"You got something you wanna say monk?" Inuyasha hissed as he narrowed his large amber eyes in silent challenge and Miroku quickly shook his head.
"I was simply wondering whether he remembers these events as well…"
"Naraku or Koga?" Inuyasha asked wearily.
"Koga," Miroku offered uneasily before deciding to lean into this loophole in the miko's conditions and throw caution to the wind, "Do you not think it strange that we have encountered very few of our old allies and foes?"
"Honestly I try not thinking about it," Inuyasha admitted softly after a long moment, "I did…at first but…but Kagome says that this time is different and she's right. There's no point worrying that things aren't happening the same way."
Miroku made to grin but recovered quickly.
"It never ceases to amaze how much you've grown," the monk hummed playfully, "Admitting that…"
"Yeah, well, ten years will do that," Inuyasha spat harshly and Miroku's amusement immediately faded.
"Of course," he mumbled in response as his eyes softened in sympathy. His dear friend had confided in him some of the things that had transpired during his decade of solitude. Many admissions were to be kept in strictest of confidence. Snapshots of what was clearly the lowest point in the half-demon's life. Other admissions had been surprising and made it clear that Inuyasha was much more observant than the monk would have ever believed. He'd buried them by the Sacred Tree. Meticulously - from the sound of it - made headstones he'd thought best reflected their contributions to the poor survivor's life. Gifts had been routinely placed on the graves or other significant locations were always thoughtful and timely around events he knew had transpired. There was incense placed at the crater by Mushin's temple. Flowers placed on the graves at the demon slayer village. Kagome always received something on her birthday – which how Inuyasha managed to keep track seemed like a mystery until the half-demon admitted that he kept her school calendar and just adjusted it as time went on. Something thoughtful was, of course, left with the others on the the anniversary of Kagome's birth. Gold. Toys. Knives.
It all made the monk feel like a terrible friend honestly but perhaps he could make up for the deficit during this second chance he'd been given.
"Have you made much headway with Kagome?" Miroku changed the subject, "Any nuptials to look forward to?"
"Things are good..."
"So I've noticed," the monk hummed encouragingly as he cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure they weren't going to be interrupted, "Come now. Do tell. Are you betrothed and simply waiting for the opportune moment to announce it or...?"
"We aren't..."
Inuyasha let out a long sigh and scratched his nose.
"I haven't asked her yet. And we haven't done much," he admitted sheepishly as he glanced towards where the girls had gone off to bathe, "But…but we've talked about…stuff."
"Have you now?" Miroku asked curiously as he straightened up and leaned forward, "Such as?"
"A while back she asked me where we'll stay after this is over," Inuyasha offered as a faint blush bloomed across his nose, "Said she thought it'd be nice to live by the well or the Sacred Tree."
"Why not ask her to marry you then? It's clear she would say yes," Miroku prodded and Inuyasha's face subtly crumpled in pain.
"Its not that I don't want to. Its just that, right now, we don't know how…" he paused to clear his throat and amended, "I'm just waiting for a good time. She'd want it to be special or some bullshit."
Pointedly ignoring what he knew his friend was about to say, Miroku nodded sympathetically as his blue eyes flicked towards his own hand.
"I'm certain any proposal you make will be special in her eyes," Miroku offered gently, "There are worse things than marrying a woman you love who loves you just as fiercely. You deserve happiness. By all accounts you have earned it."
Inuyasha scowled as he muttered almost hatefully, "Can't settle down when bastard might still be out there. Not until we know he's gone."
"Naraku's absence is noticeable," the monk opined knowingly as he lowered his cup into his lap, "The jewel is almost complete and yet not one attack. Not one encounter. Not even so much as a rumor. Perhaps whomever sent us here dealt with him."
"Sango says she saw him so he's still around somewhere," Inuyasha pointed out earning a relieved sigh that thankfully was missed, "Maybe he's the one who caused all of this. Who sent us back…"
"Perhaps," Miroku replied slowly, "But doubtful."
Lifting the cup, the monk took a long sip as he furrowed his brow and stared off into the distance. Pulling the cup back, he made a small curious sound before looking at the half-demon idly tracing his the curves of his palm – his mind obviously a thousand miles away.
"Who survived? Other than yourself and Sesshomaru," Miroku asked quietly and Inuyasha let out a long sigh.
"Lets see. Koga did but he ended up dying about seven, maybe eight years later when he refused to bow down to Naraku like an idiot. Don't know what he thought would happen," Inuyasha huffed before shaking his head and continuing, "Soten and Shiori were doing fine last time I saw them, you know, back then but I doubt…"
"We encountered those two once, why would they do such a thing?" Miroku pointed out and Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"I'm just saying that's how far removed we've gotta go to find someone who might give a shit," the half-demon clipped, "Everyone that would've cared what happened to us is dead. Or was dead. Whatever you want to call it. Point is no one cared…"
"Someone we never met yet then. Someone who wanted to prevent Naraku getting the jewel," Miroku offered and Inuyasha shook his head.
"Then we'd all remember. Not just you and me," Inuyasha huffed in frustration, "Maybe…maybe the jewel thought Naraku was an asshole and decided it could do better."
"Are you suggesting the jewel wished on itself?" Miroku asked curiously and the half-demon shrugged before glancing at his friend with a weary glare.
"Any particular reason we're talking 'bout this?"
"I believe you initiated this discussion. Besides, the others are bathing and this is a prime opportunity to discuss things that would otherwise require an explanation."
Inuyasha scowled.
"There are no answers. None of this makes sense. For all we know, we're all walking back into a slaughter and…and…" his voice cracked and with a shuddering breath, he got to his feet, "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm going on a run."
As he watched Inuyasha rush into the tree line, Miroku knew that his usual teasing needed to be kept to a minimum after dinner. It had become very clear very quickly how to tell his friend was anxious. Well, more so than usual in any case. The old Inuyasha would snap at everyone and be overall unpleasant. Now he sought out Kagome – pulling her into his lap and resting his chin on her shoulder or atop her head. Either that or he'd crawl into the sleeping bag when he thought everyone was asleep only to vacate shortly before dawn. It had initially taken some getting used to but anymore it just made the monk extremely jealous. Despite being nothing but the perfect gentleman, Sango still didn't seem interested. She was aloof and distant. After several months it was clear they were friends but nothing more and truth be told, his palms were beginning to itch. The slayer was worth the discomfort, obviously, but Inuyasha was doing so well while he was failing miserably at achieving his own happy ending.
A happy ending which was now further out of reach since the deal he'd made with the miko had just gone up in flames. Kagome was many wonderful things but she did tend to hold a grudge...
"He's just so religious Kagome-chan," Sango huffed as she slid down into the water and gave her friend a pleading look, "Always meditating. Praying. And aside from his first advances, he barely does anything even remotely inappropriate."
Kagome had to bite her lip to keep from laughing before finally managing, "Would you like Miroku better if he grabbed you more often?"
"No?" the slayer sighed as she sat up slightly, "He's just so proper and I'm not proper. I'm a demon slayer. A female demon slayer."
"Okay he's not that proper. You have to admit he's very good at scamming people," Kagome tried – thinking it was a very odd thing to argue as a positive, "We've stayed at an inn at least once every week."
"Again, weeks, months, years don't have the same meaning to me as they do to you," Sango teased as she avoided responding to that statement, "And all that means is he is a walking contradiction."
"That's fair."
For a moment, the girls were silent.
"Just admit you think he's cute," Kagome teased, "Don't lie to me. I've noticed you staring."
The slayer huffed miserably before dunking under the water. Bemused smile playing on her lips, Kagome watched as Sango stayed under for probably an unhealthy amount of time. From what Inuyasha had told her, Miroku used to be very hands on and asked literally every woman of 'breeding' age to have his kid. The change in his behavior obviously arose from the poor man's belief that this new him was what Sango wanted. Which clearly wasn't true.
Maybe an intervention was warranted. The question was whether she could get Inuyasha to do it or whether she should just do it herself.
"He is good looking," Sango admitted begrudgingly once she popped out of the water with a very flushed face, "But…but looks aren't everything and I don't like how he acts around me. I want someone who thinks of me as an equal. Miroku...Miroku doesn't take me seriously at all. How could I marry someone who doesn't respect me?"
"Well, if you had to describe your perfect husband, what would you say?" Kagome asked curiously and Sango clearly put some serious thought into whatever she was going to say.
"Someone that understands the importance of family," the slayer began slowly, "Who isn't intimidated by me. Active. Intelligent."
Nodding, Kagome gestured for the slayer to continue but Sango merely stopped and shook her head.
"Just because Miroku is the only available man in our group doesn't mean I have to marry him Kagome-chan," Sango finally huffed, "He's too boring. Too traditional."
"So…what can he do to be more interesting?" the miko tried – struggling not to laugh out right, "In theory?"
"I'm not telling you because you'll go straight to Inuyasha and those two will come up with some half-brained idea," Sango replied defensively.
"Guilty as charged," the miko admitted sheepishly, "But come on, Miroku isn't boring."
"I want someone who doesn't treat me like a delicate little flower," Sango met the miko half-way, "Miroku is too old fashioned. Inuyasha argues with you. Treats you like an equal. Miroku acts like he's afraid I might break."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"For example," Sango tried to clarify, "The other day I wanted someone to spar and he declined. I ended up sparring with Inuyasha."
"And you pinned him down. I remember. It was beautiful," Kagome laughed at the highlight of that particular day. Inuyasha had been so upset he'd stormed off and pouted in a tree for the rest of the evening.
"Maybe Miroku knows you need more of a challenge. He's not exactly a hand-to-hand combat type of guy and that's what you excel at," the miko offered and Sango sighed.
"Its more than that. He…he always insists on pouring my tea or…or plating my food," she complained, "Offers to carry my weapons. And he talks to me differently than he speaks to you and Inuyasha. Always defers and agrees with whatever I say."
"I think he's trying to be considerate. That thing weighs a ton," Kagome snorted and Sango gave her friend a withering glare.
"I want someone who thinks I won't break. That's all," Sango huffed, "After Inuyasha I'm the best warrior and you all know that. What makes Miroku think…"
"Okay, okay, so Inuyasha told me that…well in the past future before times," Kagome tried awkwardly as she made a face, "That Miroku was quote unquote a pervert..."
"Other than that first day, Miroku has done nothing to…"
"Let me finish," Kagome interrupted, "So, in theory, maybe Miroku thinks you want him to act like this. Thinks you'll like him if he acted like you're a…um…"
"Delicate flower?" Sango supplied acidly and Kagome sighed.
"I'm trying to say I think he's trying too hard to be something he's not," the miko pointed out, "But you might not like how he used to be either. Inuyasha won't tell me whether you two got together or not after all. Maybe you just don't like him and that's that. After all, he's been with us for about three months now and you still..."
Sango scoffed and cut the miko off.
"Have Inuyasha do his thing and let me find out for myself. I can't stand Miroku now so he can only improve."
"Be careful what you wish for," Kagome teased playfully. Sango simply stuck out her tongue in reply.
The daiyoukai smiled softly as he gently ran his fingertips through his daughter's hair while she slept atop his mokomoko. It seemed like a mystical fairytale that he had been reunited with her. A dream. A gift. One hundred years had changed him greatly. A hundred years filled with fear and regret and grief. As much as he cared for her, as much as he knew she loved him, he'd be distant and cold. Cruel even at times. While he knew…he knew Rin was aware that he cared for her on some level, whether she knew the depth of his affection, his love, for her was something that had ate away at him. Nothing had been worth losing her. He would have gladly traded away his life if it meant she lived. Would've done anything…
But there was nothing that could be done. He'd tried – oh had he tried – to do something, anything to bring her back but eventually her flesh melted away. Her corpse decayed until there was nothing but bones and they too began crumpling into dust.
So far his plan to not antagonize Naraku, to not bring attention to himself, appeared to be working. It was entirely possible that Rin's death could be avoided and she could live a long, happy human life. Eventually she would be gone and he accepted that. He did. But at least, it wouldn't be a death filled with pain and agony. Naraku had made sure that she suffered. Not to punish her but to torture a sworn enemy. There had been nothing he could do. Nothing to stop the pain from the miasma the bastard had injected her with. Inuyasha hadn't been punished in that way and the daiyoukai hated him for being granted that mercy. That miko's death had been relatively quick. His friend's death relatively quick. Rin…Rin suffered for weeks afterwards and there had been nothing to alleviate her suffering.
Sesshomaru leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. This time would be different. There was no point in dwelling on the past when it had been set right again.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I…"
"Be quiet," the daiyoukai ordered in his infuriatingly emotionless tone.
The kappa fretted for a moment as he tried to see whatever he was supposed to have seen. And then those beady little eyes landed on the sleeping urchin.
"My apologies, my Lord," Jakken whispered nervously, "I was unaware Lady Rin was sleeping."
"What is it you want?" Sesshomaru sighed heavily and the little man shifted anxiously before bowing low.
"I received word that a demon who controls the power of the wind has requested an audience," the kappa murmured almost inaudibly, "Should I extend an invitation?"
The daiyoukai raised a single brow at the asinine and bizarre question. First of all, since when did anyone request an audience with him? More importantly, why was one of Naraku's minions seeking him out? He hadn't encountered Naraku or any of his spawn since he'd been returned to this time nor had he given them any reason to even notice his presence. It was suspicious and he had no intention of putting Rin at risk. Despite his best efforts, however, it would seem the inevitable had finally caught up with him.
Naraku was seeking him out. Or rather Kagura was. The daiyoukai knew...he knew Kagura had been watching over his descent into madness. Even in death, in her existence as the wind, sometimes he could've sworn...
But any inkling he had felt in the century he'd struggled was probably just the effects of insanity. It was highly unlikely the wind sorceress was involved in Rin's return or his own knowledge of events as they had transpired. Undoubtedly she was still at Naraku's bidding and, as such, was still very much a threat. Meeting with Kagura was a risk he would rather not take.
"Say nothing. This Sesshomaru has no interest in such a meeting," the daiyoukai replied quietly, "Now be quiet."
"Yes m'lord," the kappa mumbled as he bowed before immediately slapping his hand across his mouth.
A fair distance away from the campsite, but not far enough for him to be out of sensory range, Inuyasha sunk down against a tree with his hands cupped over his mouth and nose. Breath shaky, heart racing, it was all he could do to close his eyes and stay upright. Miroku meant well. Inuyasha knew he did and just wanted some answers but the problem was that there were no answers. There were no guarantees. Tomorrow the half-demon could be right back to the same exact hell he'd been in for the past decade….
And he couldn't go back. He couldn't do that again. Especially with how well things were going with Kagome. It was already dangerous that he was allowing himself to rely so heavily on her and the worst part was that he couldn't stop. Way back when he already relied upon her, he'd needed her but this…this was a different animal entirely. He couldn't sleep without her. Couldn't make it more than a few hours without seeking some type of physical contact. The only reason he hadn't gone to find her and was out here by himself panicking like a whiny little bitch was because she was bathing and he didn't enjoy pain if he could avoid it.
Raising his hands to cover his eyes, Inuyasha tried to stay calm. By himself. Because that had always worked great. Honestly, that conversation shouldn't've bothered him that much but it'd already been eating at his sanity that there hadn't been any sign of Naraku. Where was the slimy little bastard? What was the evil prick even doing with his life? Every single battle they'd had was all out of order. Each encounter they'd had noticeably different. Shiori for example. They'd arrived way too late to prevent her from becoming a slave to her grandfather but in the end, it'd worked out. They'd saved her. He'd gotten his sword ability. Good for him. Great. Wow. That stupid ink incident happened just last month but a whole bunch of people died that shouldn't've. About a week after that sobering encounter, Tsubaki showed up and was a pain in the ass for different reasons than last time. Another change for the worse. Naraku suspiciously wasn't involved but she'd still been a bitch to fight. Literally and figuratively. If he thought dealing with Kagome being cursed was hard last time, he'd been so wrong it wasn't even funny. Shook like a leaf for a solid week afterwards every time he let go of his miko which thankfully she didn't want anyway so the moments there wasn't contact was rare but then Kagome got sick and yeah, she'd gotten better but still...
There'd been no sign of Sesshomaru. No Band of Seven. No Koga. No chicken fire woman thing or portal to the underworld. Which seemed important. The crystal skull guy was down there wasn't he? How else was he supposed to get adamant barrage? And at some point wasn't he supposed to fight that dragon and meet the dish rag? How exactly did he get dragon scale Tessaiga? Shouldn't that have happened already? That seemed like an important thing he shouldn't skip. As much as Inuyasha wanted to blame the decade for his poor memory and confusion, Miroku knew something was off and kept asking questions...
In any case, for all his dumb ass knew, tomorrow it'd all be over and hopefully Naraku kill him along with everyone else this time.
The air felt like it was getting thin and the ringing in his ears definitely wasn't helping him stop shaking like a leaf. He couldn't go back to the others like this. They needed him to be strong. To be calm. They needed him to protect them. They needed him to do better this time. But how was he supposed to do that when he couldn't even handle a stupid theoretical conversation? Going back now would only make them worry for no god damn reason. They'd think something was going wrong and when actually everything was going reasonably well. It was just…just…
How long he sat there – knees pulled up to his chest and breathing into his hands Inuyasha wasn't entirely sure but what he did register was a pair of soft warm hands pulling his own away from his pale, clammy face.
"Hey," Kagome cooed softly as she knelt down before him with a reassuring yet concerned smile on her face, "Dinner's ready. Do you want to head back?"
"I'm fine. Just...just have a headache is all," Inuyasha blurted hoarsely and Kagome nodded.
"Oh I'm sorry. Just wondering whether you're hungry," she promised – although that confident statement didn't quite reach her eyes as she ran her thumb over his right palm. For a moment she seemed to be mulling over something before she smiled.
"You know I do need to ask you something. I have a test in a few days. I was going to head back tomorrow but I'd really like to get some extra studying in," she began slowly, "Would it be alright if I went back tonight? I'd need you to take me though."
Inuyasha furrowed his brow before glancing up at the sky. Night had already fallen – which meant he'd been out here way longer than he realized – and they were a fair distance away from the well. He'd need to run until morning to get there.
"Maybe…maybe you should take Kilala," he began awkwardly, "Its...its too far to run...I think..."
Kagome's eye twitched before she cleared her throat and tried again, "But you always come with me. We can both take Kilala if you think it'd be too far."
Nodding weakly in understanding, Inuyasha unsteadily got to his feet and gave her a somewhat concerned look.
"Is it…is it that calc…calculus thing you've been working on?" he asked somewhat shakily– silently praying he didn't just make a fool out of himself – but mercifully, Kagome nodded as she intertwined her fingers with his.
"Oh yeah. It's the worst," she groaned as she began walking back to camp and Inuyasha followed after her, "I just really want to make sure I pass this test. I'm so sorry to be dragging you all the way home on such short notice. I would've asked earlier but…"
"Don't worry about it. It's not a problem," Inuyasha interrupted hoarser than he would've liked, "You need to pass this one or else you fail that class, right?"
"Exactly," the miko hummed as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "Thank you so much. I've been really worried about it and I didn't know how to ask."
"You don't need my permission to go home Kagome," Inuyasha grumbled.
"I like to get it anyway," she replied honestly as she grinned over her shoulder, "Because then you'll come with me."
The half-demon blushed slightly at that.
"Oh, you want to know something funny?" Kagome asked after a moment of companionable silence, "Get this. Sango thinks Miroku is boring."
"What?"
Kagome's lips twitched upwards at the amusement in his voice.
"She said he's too religious and too proper," she explained and Inuyasha began snickering as she continued, "And she thinks he treats her like a 'delicate flower'."
"Oh, that's going to kill him," Inuyasha chuckled as he quickened his sluggish pace to walk next to her, "He can't win. She doesn't like him no matter what he does."
"I don't know about that. She did say he's cute…"
Their entertaining speculation continued as they came nearer to camp and - aside from a silently mouthed 'don't leave me with him' and a 'sorry he's having a bad day' between one very judgmental angry glare which earned a guilt cringe - no one had any issue with the pair taking off towards the well.