Changing Wyrds
Chapter 14: Meetings and Partings
They looked down, all of them, on Hashiaku's blood-soaked, motionless figure.
"I guess we won," said Shippou.
"We did, that," answered Miroku. "At least, she did." Moto looked up.
"Moto," she said. "I'm Moto. Who are you?"
"Miroku. You handle that sword well, you know."
"I know." Kagome looked from one to the other and decided it might be better if they didn't exchange any more pleasantries just then.
"We should get cleaned up," she said. They did look pretty well beat up, on the whole. Inuyasha was a big soggy mess, as usual. Miroku, Shippou, and Kureru each sported dark bruises. Moto wasn't seriously injured, but had enough minor ills for the whole company. Kagome herself had a growing patch of blood where the sword had bitten into her arm. Until now she had been trying to ignore it, but the dull throb penetrated her entire body, making her nauseous and queasy.
"Yeah," someone agreed. Moto started out the door.
"Hey! Where're you going?" demanded Inuyasha.
"To get cleaned up. Coming or not?" They followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hoi, Inuyasha, come back here!" ordered Kagome, chasing him around the room with a peroxide-soaked cloth.
"No! That stuff stings!" he retorted.
"But you're hurt!"
"I feel better."
"Yeah right! That's what you always say!"
"I do!" he repeated.
"Actually, that should be true," Moto interjected softly. "Inuyasha was being poisoned; Hashiaku's venom only leaves his victims at his death. He should heal well enough on his own now." Kagome looked sheepish.
"Really?" Inuyasha nodded grouchily.
"Oh." She sat and began to dab her own arm with the cloth. "So, now what are you two going to do?" she asked, changing the subject. Kureru shrugged.
"Not many places I can go, which narrows down the possibilities quite a lot," he said.
"Not many villages like suddenly appearing youngsters at all, dog ears or no," added Moto. "We could probably find something in the middle of nowhere, and farm. That wouldn't bother anyone."
"But you don't want to, right?" said Kagome.
"Not really."
"Then--" she shot a glance at Inuyasha. He was pretending not to listen. "Why don't you come back with us?" Inuyasha sat bolt upright. "They're already used to magic and hanyou and girls with weapons. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
"Now look here-!" Inuyasha started.
"The village isn't yours, you know," reminded Miroku. Inuyasha glowered.
"Anyway, I don't know why you'd care. Kureru and Moto are perfectly nice people. So what do you think?" Kagome finished, addressing the pair.
"If it isn't a problem..." Kureru sounded doubtful.
"Don't be silly! Kaede loves you! And if Kaede has a good opinion of someone, so does the whole village." Kagome smiled.
"What about me?" asked Moto.
"Kaede also loves a girl who can handle a weapon," said Kagome. "She's one of them, after all. Trust me, she'll like you."
"Then we'll go," said Moto and Kureru simultaneously. Kagome grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So you decided to come back, did you?" said Kaede gruffly. "Good to see you're all more or less in one piece each."
"Why 'one piece each'? Why not just 'one piece'?" whispered Moto.
"There was this thing with a possessed Noh mask...bodies getting glued together. Tell you about it later," answered Kagome. Moto nodded.
"I see you brought Kureru, but who's this?" Kaede continued. Moto took a step forward.
"I'm Moto," she replied. "I also was kept under Hashiaku." Kaede raised her eyebrow.
"For the same purpose?" Moto's face shadowed. "Never mind. I understand. There will be none of that here. Except for the occasional youkai attack and Kagome and Inuyasha's fights, we're a fairly calm village, and we're all good people."
"You must be the only village that can say that," said Moto.
"We're just lucky," answered Kaede.
"Kaede-san, Kureru and Moto want to know if they can live here. It will be hard for them to find another village where hanyou are commonplace," explained Kagome.
"Of course you are welcome," Kaede addressed the two."You will sleep in my home tonight, and tomorrow we will see to your futures. Moto, child: now you are lucky, too."
"Thank you, Kaede-san." Kureru and Moto bowed.
"Not a problem. The unusual makes life more interesting, ne?" The old priestess smiled on their glowing faces. These children were certainly unusual, and she would have pulled out the last of her teeth with a fishook rather than turn them away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaede-san?" Kagome's voice drew her attention from the pot.
"Yes, child."
I have a question for you. About Hashiaku." Kagome looked thoughtful as she spoke. "He didn't disappear like youkai of his strength usually do. Do you know why?" Kaede shifted uncomfortably. She had some idea, and it wasn't an idea she liked.
"Well, I have heard of his kind before. The forfeit-taking demons, that is. I don't know if this is true for Hashiaku- it could simply be that they don't dissapate- but I have heard that those under the power of his kind can become his kind after a long service." Kagome stared.
"You mean...he might have been human once?"
"Possibly. From what I've been told, though, slaves change over more often if they're hanyou. Remember, this is mere speculation. I don't know that it is the reason," Kaede said. "Besides, if it is true, he may have been an evil man before he changed."
"Will Kureru change?" asked Kagome.
"No, no. It takes years longer, even if the person is hanyou. At least fifteen, I would think."
"So," said Kagome slowly, "if it did happen to Hashiaku, he would have had to be controlled like that for almost three times as long as Kureru-kun." She shivered. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even an evil man." She turned to leave.
"Kagome?"
"Yes?"
"What did you do with Hashiaku's body, if it didn't disappear?" Kagome turned her head to look squarely at Kaede.
"We left him where he fell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A man stood in a small room with sliding doors and battle-torn walls, looking down. He had always said he would live longer, no matter how his pet protested. And now...now it was proven. There was still some small satisfaction in being right, although it would have been better if he could have gloated. But then, what is the use of gloating at the dead? The most you will do is anger Death, and that is never a wise idea. And how would it feel to gloat and be taken by Death in turn? Foolish. An eternity of scorn.
So the man did not gloat, and would not have murmured his glee if he had felt any. He was quiet in his work, and quick. He lifted what had once been a firebrand of a pet, the most unbreakable creature since the moon first rose. Only time had broken him, this shell of what had once been such a brave being, such a fierce spirit. The man was sorry to see the young one gone forever. His kind was doomed to adore and despise the ones they cursed, and it was sometimes more love than hate.
Hashiaku had only managed fifty-six years on his own, years dwarfed next to the man's long life. He had hoped the boy would come back to him. But here he was, bloody and without breath, returned to no more than half a demon. He had always looked better in his birth-given form, the man thought. It was a pity...but no. There would be no sorrow, no wistfulness. There was nothing a demon could do about destiny or death, and one had written the other into the fate of this creature. It was meant to be that he would die, and so he was dead. Beyond that, there was only one thing to do, and the man would do it.
He slid the door shut on his way out, neither knowing nor caring that he would be the last to tread upon these grounds until all traces of the house had vanished beneath the forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kureru swiped his arm across his face with a grin.
"Look, Kagome," he ordered.
"I see," she said. And indeed she did. Where there had been none the week before, there stood a cottage, a memorial to the kindness of the entire village. It was full, too: Kureru and Moto had been offered gifts of furniture and goods, and their house now looked almost homelike.
The land in the back where they stood belonged to Kureru and Moto as well. It wasn't much, but it was land. Nothing could have made the two of them look prouder, Kagome thought.
Moto and Kaede appeared.
"Did you plant them?" asked Moto. Kureru nodded.
"Plant what?" said Kagome curiously.
"Oh, nothing. Just like to keep some things on hand. Habit, you know," Moto said. Kaede eyed her in amusement.
"Mysterious, aren't we?" she said wryly. Moto laughed.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. They're just not common, that's all."
"What's not common?" Inuyasha stood with them, Miroku and Shippou beside him.
"Aa, Inuyasha!" said Kagome with a smile. Kureru shot her a glance and exchanged one with Moto.
"What's not common?" the hanyou repeated, crossing his arms.
"Some of Moto's plants," Kagome told him.
"That's all?"
"That's all," she agreed.
"Aren't they sweet?" murmured Moto, just loudly enough that everyone could hear. Inuyasha turned red.
"What are you talking about?!"
"You," said Kureru. "And Kagome." Kagome's skin matched Inuyasha's as she blushed hotly.
"We aren't a 'they'," she said haltingly. "We-- I--"
"See, you call yourselves 'we'. So you must be a 'they'."
"But..." Everyone grinned wickedly.
"Don't keep arguing, Kagome-san," said Moto. "It's really better just to admit it and have a good time together." Kagome couldn't answer. She looked sidelong at Inuyasha, and he looked back at her the same way. They both turned crimson.
"It isn't like that!" they said.
"The two of you never will learn, will you?" sighed Kaede.
"They're better than when I met them," said Kureru. "Maybe they should hang around wonderful people like me more often."
"Yeah, so they'd realize how lucky they are they have each other instead," grumbled Moto.
"Cruelty!" he said with mock hurt. He looked at Inuyasha and Kagome, who had begun to quarrel harmlessly as Miroku and Shippou watched. Then he leaned over to Moto. "But I think they realize already."
"It's taken long enough," said Kaede with a snort.
"But you wanted them to figure it out, right?" asked Kureru.
"Oh, yes."
"Then it's not a bad ending, is it?" said Moto.
"No," said Kaede. "I don't believe it is."
~owari~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
A/N: THE END!!!!!!! Finally! I'm sorry I've been so slow. We've been moving, so...yeah. Hoping people will notice this is up. No one reviewed the last chapter. Since this is the last one, I sorta hope they will...yeah. Well, love to everyone who's been reading. Your encouragement is the only reason I didn't give up after the first few chapters. ^^ Special thanks to Lady Pyro, for her advice and many good reiews
Chapter 14: Meetings and Partings
They looked down, all of them, on Hashiaku's blood-soaked, motionless figure.
"I guess we won," said Shippou.
"We did, that," answered Miroku. "At least, she did." Moto looked up.
"Moto," she said. "I'm Moto. Who are you?"
"Miroku. You handle that sword well, you know."
"I know." Kagome looked from one to the other and decided it might be better if they didn't exchange any more pleasantries just then.
"We should get cleaned up," she said. They did look pretty well beat up, on the whole. Inuyasha was a big soggy mess, as usual. Miroku, Shippou, and Kureru each sported dark bruises. Moto wasn't seriously injured, but had enough minor ills for the whole company. Kagome herself had a growing patch of blood where the sword had bitten into her arm. Until now she had been trying to ignore it, but the dull throb penetrated her entire body, making her nauseous and queasy.
"Yeah," someone agreed. Moto started out the door.
"Hey! Where're you going?" demanded Inuyasha.
"To get cleaned up. Coming or not?" They followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hoi, Inuyasha, come back here!" ordered Kagome, chasing him around the room with a peroxide-soaked cloth.
"No! That stuff stings!" he retorted.
"But you're hurt!"
"I feel better."
"Yeah right! That's what you always say!"
"I do!" he repeated.
"Actually, that should be true," Moto interjected softly. "Inuyasha was being poisoned; Hashiaku's venom only leaves his victims at his death. He should heal well enough on his own now." Kagome looked sheepish.
"Really?" Inuyasha nodded grouchily.
"Oh." She sat and began to dab her own arm with the cloth. "So, now what are you two going to do?" she asked, changing the subject. Kureru shrugged.
"Not many places I can go, which narrows down the possibilities quite a lot," he said.
"Not many villages like suddenly appearing youngsters at all, dog ears or no," added Moto. "We could probably find something in the middle of nowhere, and farm. That wouldn't bother anyone."
"But you don't want to, right?" said Kagome.
"Not really."
"Then--" she shot a glance at Inuyasha. He was pretending not to listen. "Why don't you come back with us?" Inuyasha sat bolt upright. "They're already used to magic and hanyou and girls with weapons. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
"Now look here-!" Inuyasha started.
"The village isn't yours, you know," reminded Miroku. Inuyasha glowered.
"Anyway, I don't know why you'd care. Kureru and Moto are perfectly nice people. So what do you think?" Kagome finished, addressing the pair.
"If it isn't a problem..." Kureru sounded doubtful.
"Don't be silly! Kaede loves you! And if Kaede has a good opinion of someone, so does the whole village." Kagome smiled.
"What about me?" asked Moto.
"Kaede also loves a girl who can handle a weapon," said Kagome. "She's one of them, after all. Trust me, she'll like you."
"Then we'll go," said Moto and Kureru simultaneously. Kagome grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So you decided to come back, did you?" said Kaede gruffly. "Good to see you're all more or less in one piece each."
"Why 'one piece each'? Why not just 'one piece'?" whispered Moto.
"There was this thing with a possessed Noh mask...bodies getting glued together. Tell you about it later," answered Kagome. Moto nodded.
"I see you brought Kureru, but who's this?" Kaede continued. Moto took a step forward.
"I'm Moto," she replied. "I also was kept under Hashiaku." Kaede raised her eyebrow.
"For the same purpose?" Moto's face shadowed. "Never mind. I understand. There will be none of that here. Except for the occasional youkai attack and Kagome and Inuyasha's fights, we're a fairly calm village, and we're all good people."
"You must be the only village that can say that," said Moto.
"We're just lucky," answered Kaede.
"Kaede-san, Kureru and Moto want to know if they can live here. It will be hard for them to find another village where hanyou are commonplace," explained Kagome.
"Of course you are welcome," Kaede addressed the two."You will sleep in my home tonight, and tomorrow we will see to your futures. Moto, child: now you are lucky, too."
"Thank you, Kaede-san." Kureru and Moto bowed.
"Not a problem. The unusual makes life more interesting, ne?" The old priestess smiled on their glowing faces. These children were certainly unusual, and she would have pulled out the last of her teeth with a fishook rather than turn them away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaede-san?" Kagome's voice drew her attention from the pot.
"Yes, child."
I have a question for you. About Hashiaku." Kagome looked thoughtful as she spoke. "He didn't disappear like youkai of his strength usually do. Do you know why?" Kaede shifted uncomfortably. She had some idea, and it wasn't an idea she liked.
"Well, I have heard of his kind before. The forfeit-taking demons, that is. I don't know if this is true for Hashiaku- it could simply be that they don't dissapate- but I have heard that those under the power of his kind can become his kind after a long service." Kagome stared.
"You mean...he might have been human once?"
"Possibly. From what I've been told, though, slaves change over more often if they're hanyou. Remember, this is mere speculation. I don't know that it is the reason," Kaede said. "Besides, if it is true, he may have been an evil man before he changed."
"Will Kureru change?" asked Kagome.
"No, no. It takes years longer, even if the person is hanyou. At least fifteen, I would think."
"So," said Kagome slowly, "if it did happen to Hashiaku, he would have had to be controlled like that for almost three times as long as Kureru-kun." She shivered. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even an evil man." She turned to leave.
"Kagome?"
"Yes?"
"What did you do with Hashiaku's body, if it didn't disappear?" Kagome turned her head to look squarely at Kaede.
"We left him where he fell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A man stood in a small room with sliding doors and battle-torn walls, looking down. He had always said he would live longer, no matter how his pet protested. And now...now it was proven. There was still some small satisfaction in being right, although it would have been better if he could have gloated. But then, what is the use of gloating at the dead? The most you will do is anger Death, and that is never a wise idea. And how would it feel to gloat and be taken by Death in turn? Foolish. An eternity of scorn.
So the man did not gloat, and would not have murmured his glee if he had felt any. He was quiet in his work, and quick. He lifted what had once been a firebrand of a pet, the most unbreakable creature since the moon first rose. Only time had broken him, this shell of what had once been such a brave being, such a fierce spirit. The man was sorry to see the young one gone forever. His kind was doomed to adore and despise the ones they cursed, and it was sometimes more love than hate.
Hashiaku had only managed fifty-six years on his own, years dwarfed next to the man's long life. He had hoped the boy would come back to him. But here he was, bloody and without breath, returned to no more than half a demon. He had always looked better in his birth-given form, the man thought. It was a pity...but no. There would be no sorrow, no wistfulness. There was nothing a demon could do about destiny or death, and one had written the other into the fate of this creature. It was meant to be that he would die, and so he was dead. Beyond that, there was only one thing to do, and the man would do it.
He slid the door shut on his way out, neither knowing nor caring that he would be the last to tread upon these grounds until all traces of the house had vanished beneath the forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kureru swiped his arm across his face with a grin.
"Look, Kagome," he ordered.
"I see," she said. And indeed she did. Where there had been none the week before, there stood a cottage, a memorial to the kindness of the entire village. It was full, too: Kureru and Moto had been offered gifts of furniture and goods, and their house now looked almost homelike.
The land in the back where they stood belonged to Kureru and Moto as well. It wasn't much, but it was land. Nothing could have made the two of them look prouder, Kagome thought.
Moto and Kaede appeared.
"Did you plant them?" asked Moto. Kureru nodded.
"Plant what?" said Kagome curiously.
"Oh, nothing. Just like to keep some things on hand. Habit, you know," Moto said. Kaede eyed her in amusement.
"Mysterious, aren't we?" she said wryly. Moto laughed.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. They're just not common, that's all."
"What's not common?" Inuyasha stood with them, Miroku and Shippou beside him.
"Aa, Inuyasha!" said Kagome with a smile. Kureru shot her a glance and exchanged one with Moto.
"What's not common?" the hanyou repeated, crossing his arms.
"Some of Moto's plants," Kagome told him.
"That's all?"
"That's all," she agreed.
"Aren't they sweet?" murmured Moto, just loudly enough that everyone could hear. Inuyasha turned red.
"What are you talking about?!"
"You," said Kureru. "And Kagome." Kagome's skin matched Inuyasha's as she blushed hotly.
"We aren't a 'they'," she said haltingly. "We-- I--"
"See, you call yourselves 'we'. So you must be a 'they'."
"But..." Everyone grinned wickedly.
"Don't keep arguing, Kagome-san," said Moto. "It's really better just to admit it and have a good time together." Kagome couldn't answer. She looked sidelong at Inuyasha, and he looked back at her the same way. They both turned crimson.
"It isn't like that!" they said.
"The two of you never will learn, will you?" sighed Kaede.
"They're better than when I met them," said Kureru. "Maybe they should hang around wonderful people like me more often."
"Yeah, so they'd realize how lucky they are they have each other instead," grumbled Moto.
"Cruelty!" he said with mock hurt. He looked at Inuyasha and Kagome, who had begun to quarrel harmlessly as Miroku and Shippou watched. Then he leaned over to Moto. "But I think they realize already."
"It's taken long enough," said Kaede with a snort.
"But you wanted them to figure it out, right?" asked Kureru.
"Oh, yes."
"Then it's not a bad ending, is it?" said Moto.
"No," said Kaede. "I don't believe it is."
~owari~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
A/N: THE END!!!!!!! Finally! I'm sorry I've been so slow. We've been moving, so...yeah. Hoping people will notice this is up. No one reviewed the last chapter. Since this is the last one, I sorta hope they will...yeah. Well, love to everyone who's been reading. Your encouragement is the only reason I didn't give up after the first few chapters. ^^ Special thanks to Lady Pyro, for her advice and many good reiews