Disclaimer is the same as in the prologue.
Author's note at the end.
"Borrowed Time" - Chapter Three: The Power of Sisters . . . an interlude
The rain had stopped and Inuyasha stood over the hole that had summoned him there. He looked down at the short length of wood that had been taken from the sacred well he knew so intimately. Kagome's well.
What must they be thinking? In the blink of an eye, he vanished, brought to this strange land to fight in an impossible war. It would be so easy to go back. Just one step and he would leave this insanity behind him. Were they looking for him? Did they worry? Did she miss him?
The piece of wood had cracks in it, old ones made long ago by a great force being pressed against it. The hanyou nudged the board with his foot.
"You probably shouldn't touch that," a soft voice called out to him form the house. The young girl approached him with an uncertainty that she hid behind her smile and her casual tone of voice. "I don't know a lot about magic wells but if you want to be able to go back, maybe you should just leave it like it is."
Without turning to face her he asked stiffly, "Did your sister send you?"
"No, I just--" Dawn began and suddenly she frowned. "How did you know she's my sister?"
"Your scent," Inuyasha answered matter-of-factly. "You smell like her . . . but different."
She nodded, hugging her arms around herself to ward off a sudden chill. "Without the Slayerness," she said. Her voice softened with a hint of disappointment. "I get that a lot. . . .Are you coming in?"
The hanyou shook his head. "I don't like the dark mood in there."
Dawn smirked at his observation of her friends. "Yeah, we get like this about this time of year." When he turned his furrowed brow towards her she sighed and said, "It's complicated."
Inuyasha looked away from her again. His thoughts were heavy. He wanted to go home but jumping back down the well seemed too much like running away. "Tetsuo said I would give them hope," he told her. "If it was hope they wanted, they shouldn't have summoned me."
"Buffy doesn't know you," Dawn said in a voice that had suddenly become strong. "She didn't ask for you by name. She asked for help. She asked for strength. This monk came and dug a well and you came out. I don't know what you can do but you're here." The force of her words turned his attention to her. This girl, who knew nothing of him, threw all of her faith in him. He suddenly remembered another demon-slayer with a wide-eyed little sister. If only he had trusted . . .
Dawn reached out and touched his arm. "You could have turned your back on us but you didn't," she told him. "There's a lot of hope in that."
For a moment his expression softened. Something she said must have reached him but then he turned away, crouching down by the old, weathered board. His arm slipped lightly out of her grasp, almost like she never touched him at all.
Dawn peered over his shoulder to the board. He traced the cracks with the tip of his claw.
"It looks broken," she said quietly.
"It is," he replied.
She shrugged. "It's pretty old."
"Time didn't do this," the hanyou said. "I did." He thought of the day he pushed her down the well. He had sent her to another world to keep her safe. This time she was safer in his world.
* * *
Spike looked out the window to the two in the darkened backyard. A sense of protectiveness began to rise in him. "I should break that up," he remarked.
"Don't trouble yourself," Tetsuo said, watching the same scene that discomforted the vampire. He was not surprised that Dawn would seek out Inuyasha. Her sister's attention was so focused on the potentials that she felt displaced. She wanted to make a connection. Unfortunately her attention would be unrequited. "He is too dense to see that as you do," he explained. "Even if he did, his heart is already occupied."
TBC
Author's Note: I know this is short but it's just an interlude. Read on to the next chapter.
Chapter Four: "Broken Things" - Battle time and things don't go as planned but then again, when do they?.
Author's note at the end.
"Borrowed Time" - Chapter Three: The Power of Sisters . . . an interlude
The rain had stopped and Inuyasha stood over the hole that had summoned him there. He looked down at the short length of wood that had been taken from the sacred well he knew so intimately. Kagome's well.
What must they be thinking? In the blink of an eye, he vanished, brought to this strange land to fight in an impossible war. It would be so easy to go back. Just one step and he would leave this insanity behind him. Were they looking for him? Did they worry? Did she miss him?
The piece of wood had cracks in it, old ones made long ago by a great force being pressed against it. The hanyou nudged the board with his foot.
"You probably shouldn't touch that," a soft voice called out to him form the house. The young girl approached him with an uncertainty that she hid behind her smile and her casual tone of voice. "I don't know a lot about magic wells but if you want to be able to go back, maybe you should just leave it like it is."
Without turning to face her he asked stiffly, "Did your sister send you?"
"No, I just--" Dawn began and suddenly she frowned. "How did you know she's my sister?"
"Your scent," Inuyasha answered matter-of-factly. "You smell like her . . . but different."
She nodded, hugging her arms around herself to ward off a sudden chill. "Without the Slayerness," she said. Her voice softened with a hint of disappointment. "I get that a lot. . . .Are you coming in?"
The hanyou shook his head. "I don't like the dark mood in there."
Dawn smirked at his observation of her friends. "Yeah, we get like this about this time of year." When he turned his furrowed brow towards her she sighed and said, "It's complicated."
Inuyasha looked away from her again. His thoughts were heavy. He wanted to go home but jumping back down the well seemed too much like running away. "Tetsuo said I would give them hope," he told her. "If it was hope they wanted, they shouldn't have summoned me."
"Buffy doesn't know you," Dawn said in a voice that had suddenly become strong. "She didn't ask for you by name. She asked for help. She asked for strength. This monk came and dug a well and you came out. I don't know what you can do but you're here." The force of her words turned his attention to her. This girl, who knew nothing of him, threw all of her faith in him. He suddenly remembered another demon-slayer with a wide-eyed little sister. If only he had trusted . . .
Dawn reached out and touched his arm. "You could have turned your back on us but you didn't," she told him. "There's a lot of hope in that."
For a moment his expression softened. Something she said must have reached him but then he turned away, crouching down by the old, weathered board. His arm slipped lightly out of her grasp, almost like she never touched him at all.
Dawn peered over his shoulder to the board. He traced the cracks with the tip of his claw.
"It looks broken," she said quietly.
"It is," he replied.
She shrugged. "It's pretty old."
"Time didn't do this," the hanyou said. "I did." He thought of the day he pushed her down the well. He had sent her to another world to keep her safe. This time she was safer in his world.
* * *
Spike looked out the window to the two in the darkened backyard. A sense of protectiveness began to rise in him. "I should break that up," he remarked.
"Don't trouble yourself," Tetsuo said, watching the same scene that discomforted the vampire. He was not surprised that Dawn would seek out Inuyasha. Her sister's attention was so focused on the potentials that she felt displaced. She wanted to make a connection. Unfortunately her attention would be unrequited. "He is too dense to see that as you do," he explained. "Even if he did, his heart is already occupied."
TBC
Author's Note: I know this is short but it's just an interlude. Read on to the next chapter.
Chapter Four: "Broken Things" - Battle time and things don't go as planned but then again, when do they?.