The Scent of Despair
Written by Catrina Winner
Author's Note: Hey, would you look at that? This chapter didn't take three and a half years to come out! Yes! That's a good sign, right? Anywhoosis, please PLEASE review – it makes me bright and happy and shiny. I hope none of you are getting too depressed about the recent developments. Happy ending, happy ending!! By the way, since school has started again (and my classes are… well, insane… I may not have as much time to write. But check my profile and add yourself to my mailing list at catwinner@earthlink.net and I'll keep you guys updated on the next chapter's progress!
And an oh-so-special thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter. This chapter is dedicated to all of you who took a moment to click an' type. Thanks!
Please review and definitely enjoy!
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Chapter Twenty-Three
IMPORTANT: For the next few chapters, the Sengoku Jidai timeline is accelerated several days. Like, three or four or something. Kagome's time and the Sengoku Jidai in this chapter (and the next one Inuyasha is in) are NOT THE SAME. Sengoku Jidai is AHEAD for the next two Inuyasha-centered chapters…
His eyes glittered from the last traces of sunlight leaking away from the lake. Villagers were all around him in the woods, laughing, cheering. Of course, they could be happy. They had everything they wanted. Even if it had cost him everything he cared about.
Inuyasha stared towards the stars. Kaede would be by soon, pretending to be cheerful as she told him how the potion was coming along. A sentence or two, then she'd be off, rushing back to a place she could be happy with the generations of humans. No one wanted to be around the sulky hanyou.
Wind curled around his hunched form. His golden eyes sparked as he heard the crunching of dirt approaching him downwind. Must be Kaede… he thought to himself. A moment later the old woman rounded the bend with a sigh, scuffing slowly across the pebbles beneath her feet. She nodded curtly at Inuyasha and settled herself next to him with a grunt. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow; she had rarely come so close to him since the day Kagome had vanished through the well.
The old woman cleared her throat roughly and glanced up at the brooding hanyou. "Well, Inuyasha, it's done," she said, rather softly. Inuyasha leapt to his feet and stared at her with wide-open eyes. He looked more alert than he had in days, but the look in his eyes was a terrible one, a mingle of dread and longing, something Kaede had never seen in anyone before, much less Inuyasha. He was staring at her with a piercing gaze that made her sigh again and pull herself to her feet.
"That herb that was missing from the mixture, Inuyasha, was an integral part," Kaede said quickly, in answer to his stare. The hanyou's ears twitched backwards.
"So? What's that hafta do with anything?" he demanded in a gruff voice. Kaede looked back towards the village and pointed to the area he had just leapt up from. Very slowly, Inuyasha sat back down, his golden eyes still sparking and locked onto Kaede's face.
"I know you'll be upset, Inuyasha, but there is nothing that can be done. Now," she took a deep breath and began her explanation.
The villagers no longer laughed when they saw them coming. In fact, many of them stopped what they were doing altogether and stared. Miroku and Sango trailed slowly behind Kaede, their eyes downcast, watching the dust their feet stirred up. Even Shippo was reserved, clinging to Sango's clothing and not saying much. The old woman shooed the younger children from her path, none of the usual warmth in her gaze.
The four of them emerged in the woods. This area was opposite from the well, the village acting as a divider between the two halves of the forest. In front of them loomed a large building, the wood a few feet thick and magic shimmering around it brightly. Inuyasha was slumped against one of its sides, staring off into the distance at something that only he could see. There was something pitiful sparkling in his gaze. It was too painful to look at, so Miroku clutched Sango's hand and turned his eyes from the hanyou.
"So, this is it, huh?" Inuyasha's voice, gruff with something the three could not quite understand, questioned them. Kaede nodded and Inuyasha snorted with a bit of disgust. "Not much for the next 400 years, is it? Will it even hold itself up that long?" Kaede turned away.
"Yes, Inuyasha," Miroku answered for her. "We're already know that the future holds many new materials that we couldn't even dream of now. We'll be adding on to your… your home as soon as we can."
"Fine," the hanyou answered, ending the conversation. He jumped to the roof and landed with a dull thump. "Woman, do you still have the item?"
"We have it now, Inuyasha," Sango answered, accepting Miroku's hand as he helped her on the roof next to them. Kaede came into sight a moment later, puffing and a bit overly red in the face. At Inuyasha's questioning glance, Sango continued. "We'll be passing it and the instructions down through our family generations… I hope we can change this future for your sake," she finished quietly.
"Hurry up!" Inuyasha suddenly snarled and whirled away from them. He tossed the Tetsusaiga at Miroku with a look that told Miroku there would be great pain to come if anything happened to it and then leapt down the open gap on the flat rooftop. A few curious villagers had gathered now around the large hut, so curious that even Kaede's shooing waves and scowls would not deter them. Finally, the old woman turned, slowly, and tossed something down to Inuyasha.
"Is your demon blood fighting?" she asked and the hanyou snarled something at her in return. "Very well," Kaede answered. "Just drink that; all of it, and let it take over you." The hanyou, his eyes now tinged with red, looked up at his four companions with a play of emotion on his face he had never before allowed them to see.
"I would wait forever for Kagome, four hundred years is next to nothing," he said hoarsely and swallowed the brownish mixture. His eyes dulled, then were taken almost completely by the glowing red that was one of the trademarks of his nature. "Close the hatch, idiots, and finish your magic!" he snarled and Miroku leapt back, slamming down the heavy wooden area that all but sealed Inuyasha from the rest of the world.
The four of them inched down the ladder again, Miroku's blood chilling as he heard an unearthly howl from inside the hut. Kaede pulled them all away from the wood and muttered something. Sango and Shippo turned away, tears present in both of their eyes, and tried (though it was futile) to force the townspeople away from the area.
Kaede and Miroku joined them a moment later, looking drained, but the old woman drew herself to her entire short height and waved a hand in the air, commanding silence from the remaining villagers.
"This ground will be sacred ground from now on. No one will step upon it unless they are direct descendents of Miroku and Sango," a pause and she gestured at the two standing closely together. "There's no need to gape, I don't want any of you to step foot on this land again. Warn your children of it. The less people around, the less of a chance he'll give under the call for blood."
With this, she swept past the villagers, hobbling away, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo following as closely as they dared. Miroku couldn't help but pause for a moment and turn his gaze back on the hut.
It was glowing with strong magic now, a light, shimmering blue. That spell would remain in place for just under four hundred years. The missing ingredient in the potion was going to cause many problems, but Miroku refused to allow his mind to linger on those thoughts.
Inuyasha, my family will bring you back to Kagome. He clenched the fist where the Kazaana had recently been removed. Whatever it takes, we owe you that much. And then he turned to catch up to his companions, his heart weighed down with sorrow.
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Yes! Massive sucking! Sorry. That was a terrible chapter and so short! *hides* Well, if you could review, I'd be grateful! Really! Also, Shattered, my Escaflowne fic, is finally updated, if you want to check that out… Other then that… Review please?
If you would like to be on a mailing list for when I update Scent of Despair, e-mail me at catwinner@earthlink.net and I'll put you on mine, okay? Thanks!