AN: Alright, this fic is inspired by a fic I read just a few minutes ago on atsui.org. That fic is called May We Never Meet Again by Sorceress Fantasia. If you are going to read that, please note that it is a pure Gundam Wing fic and yaoi at that. The pairing is mild 1x2x1. Thanks for reading this note and enjoy this fic.
Lost to Me
by
Iris
By the time he woke up, her trail was already dead.
Around him was the blood bathed battlefield that had been Naraku's last stand against them. He was alone. The smell of dried blood swamped his senses and he felt the sudden urge to scrub himself raw in an effort to purify himself. A shrill wind whistled through the stone and dirt courtyard, bringing the desolate song of a nightingale to his ever sensitive ears.
He moved silently through the castle with a skill that could only be developed after several years of practice. There was nothing. Faded feelings of miasma clung to a few rooms but besides that, there was nothing. No scents. No sounds. No one.
He then moved back to the courtyard. Four bodies lay in the dirt. One of them was Naraku. The others were his companions. Each silent in death. Painstakingly, he straightened their bruised and battered bodies before moving them one by one outside of the castle. No one deserved to remain there. No one but Naraku.
For one mile he carried their dead weights. One mile until the feel of Naraku was completely gone. And only then did he dig their graves one by one with his bare hands. Hands that had been stained with blood over the years. Reverently, he placed their bodies into the shallow holes, covering them up with packed dirt to keep animals from desecrating their bodies. One sparse bundle of flowers was placed on each dark mound of earth and he murmured a quiet prayer for each departed soul.
But one was missing. He could only guess what had happened to her. But he wouldn't, couldn't, lose her if she was still alive. And so, he began his journey.
First, he traveled to Kaede's, maybe she had gone there where she knew something, where she knew people. But she was not there and the old priestess's shadowed eyes followed his retreating form as he walked on.
Step by step, week by week, month by month, year by year, he walked on. Visiting old haunts, searching new places. He offered his services to villagers in exchange for any tidbit of information that he could get. Had anyone seen her? Had anyone sheltered her?
But the answer was always no. And he always walked on.
No one held an answer for him. No one could tell him what he needed to know. And so he walked on.
He was back where he had started. At the village. Kaede had died. The well had cracked. The people had changed. The children no longer pointed in awe as he passed by, always moving silently, moving gracefully. Parents no longer bent down and said softly, "Look. He's a hero." Instead they ignored him; he was just another stranger in this constantly changing place.
But one person approached him. A youth with eyes wise beyond her years. Ragged black hair hung in mismatched clumps and dirt clung to her knees like a second skin.
He stopped in the road as the girl approached him, wondering if the girl walked towards him because of a dare or some other childish prank.
"I know where you can find her."
Immediately, his attention was on the war orphan. After all, no lead could be too small. He had followed plenty of empty leads and none had reaped anything.
"She works in a village nearby. It's in the woods. You wouldn't have come across it before." the girl smiled seriously, "You'll have to be discreet. She's precious."
She gave him detailed instructions on how to get there. He nodded, thanked her, and left.
It took weeks to reach the village. Weeks of climbing, hiking, and swimming. When he finally reached the tucked away haven, he saw nothing.
There was no movement at all. The village was dead and he turned to leave.
Until he heard that tinkling laughter that he had grown to know just a few years ago. He followed the sound to a small glade where he stopped to look into the clearing.
And there she was. Beautiful as ever with waves of dark brown hair tumbling down her back. She was surrounded by a flock of laughing children that frolicked and played about her. As if drawn by a magnet, he moved towards her and the sea of children parted and faded from his attention.
And all that was left was her.
"May I help you?"
Her melodious voice rang in his ears and his heart fell at her lack of recognition.
Her name fell from his lips and she frowned at him. Again, there was no spark of recognition.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone by that name." her dark eyes stared at him as she spoke, "My name is Rei."
His heart broke and he turned away. Moving once more from the clearing, he heard her call him back but he did not respond. He could not respond. She didn't know him anymore.
He gave himself one last glimpse of her, her confused face burning itself into his mind along with all the other pictures of her that were stored there.
She was lost to him. And he could never have her back.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha.
PS: I would like to point out that I did not make any specific references to any characters. The male in this story could have been either Miroku or Inu-Yasha, just as the girl could have been Kagome or Sango. The only characters that are specifically dead from the battle are Shippou and Naraku.