"Higurashi" by Jezunya
Chapter 4
I don't own Inuyasha. Feh.
** ** ** ** **
Meisai blipped back into existence with a sigh. The stream of time was always cold, but it had seemed almost icy as she'd returned. She landed softly on the cool marble floor of the reception hall, her leathery panther paws making no noise as they touched down. With another sigh, she blurred her form, shifting from the sphinx-like shape to the more preferred humanoid body.
"Meisai! Get in here!"
Meisai winced, her mistress's voice echoing off the black marble walls of the palace, scraping against her eardrums in a very unpleasant manner. Another sigh, almost a yawn this time, followed as she reached back and untied her long, glossy, black hair. "I'm coming," she called back, procrastinating as much as possible by slowly working any kinks out of her hair with her claws.
"Now, Meisai!!"
"Coming, coming, jeez…" Meisai turned her attention to her silky tail, twirling the end around her fingers as she began to slowly make her way to the throne room.
Marudashi lay sprawled across her throne, staring up at the vaulted ceiling in exasperation, her tail twitching impatiently. "What took you so long?" she snapped, sitting up to glare at the other fox girl.
Meisai knelt down in front of her mistress before answering the question. "The Child was not alone."
"So?"
"The Inu youkai was there."
"The Inu youkai..?" Marudashi tapped a slim finger against her lips, looking back up at the ceiling. "I thought we got rid of him a long time ago. He hasn't been resurrected, has he..?"
"No, Mistress," Meisai replied seriously. "I meant his son was there. Not the White Lord himself."
Marudashi blinked at her. "His son..? Now that's odd. I had no idea Sesshoumaru was a part of this whole mess…"
"No, Mistress," Meisai said again, her patience quickly waning. "Not Sesshoumaru. His brother, the second-born, Inuyasha."
Marudashi looked back at her sharply. "Inuyasha? That foul-mouthed half-breed?" She blinked in astonishment as Meisai nodded, then looked away, shaking her head. "No. No, you must be mistaken. He's dead."
"Not anymore, Mistress," Meisai countered. "He lives again, brought back into the world of the living by the Child's own hand."
"'Brought back'..? He was reborn then?"
Meisai shook her head, trying not to glare at her queen. "Resurrected. You know of his death at the hands of the miko Kikyou thirty-five years before the Child's birth. The Child is thought by many to be the reincarnation of Kikyou – who died the same day as Inuyasha – mainly because he awakened when she neared him, drawing his soul back into his body and then releasing him from the miko's entrapment spell."
Marudashi nodded thoughtfully, her finger still tapping against her lips. "'Sleep a' fifty, then by thy love awake,'" she mused, repeating the familiar line to herself. It had never made sense before, as many of the lines of prophesy regarding the half-demon didn't, but now it was all too clear. She scowled and slammed a fist down on the armrest of her throne. "Damn it all! I hate it when things go according to plan! Especially when it's not my plan they're going by!" she grumped, hatred for the old prophesies springing anew. She continued to seethe for a moment, before drawing a long breath and regaining her composure. "No matter. He won't cause problems for us. And if he tries to, simply squash him like the bug he is."
"Mistress," Meisai began uncertainly. "He did kill Gisou. And it seems without much trouble either."
Marudashi snorted. "Gisou was a fool. We're almost better off without that brainless idiot," she said with a flip of her shoulder-length black hair, ignoring the way Meisai's face darkened at the comment. "However," she said, looking pointedly at the younger girl kneeling before her, "I did not overlook the fact that you returned without the Child. Perhaps seeking vengeance for your brother's death will inspire you to work harder." She smiled sweetly down at Meisai, who was staring determinedly at her reflection in the polished marble floor and visibly shaking from carefully contained rage. "Now go," she said, her smile fading. Meisai nodded and climbed to her feet, making her way back to the reception hall.
"And remember, Meisai: I don't want to see you back here unless you have the Child!" Marudashi called after her, the threat sugar-coated, yet still holding the same deadly promise.
Meisai grimaced to herself and stepped back through the portal, traveling away from the palace and back through the stream of time to medieval Japan.
***
"Hey, has anyone seen Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, stepping into the hut where the others sat eating their evening meal. He looked around, saw that the future girl was not present, and with a soft huff, exited again. Where was that girl? He glared at passersby, stalking down the street and out toward his forest.
"Inuyasha!" The dog-demon stopped at the sound of his name and turned to see Miroku jogging after him.
"Nani?" he asked, sounding annoyed, as the other man skidded to a stop beside him and paused to catch his breath.
"I… think I have… seen Kagome-sama…" Miroku panted.
"What? Where?" Inuyasha turned to face him fully, his interest piqued.
"Over near the rice fields," the monk replied, finally getting his breathing back under control. Inuyasha didn't even bother thanking him as he started hurrying in that direction. Miroku caught the dog-demon's arm as he passed, and Inuyasha paused to glare at him.
"What?" he asked, sounding really irritable now.
"You haven't asked her yet, have you?" Miroku said quietly, making more of a statement than a question.
Inuyasha was immediately uncertain and contrite. He looked at the ground, scuffling his feet nervously. "N-no… Not yet," he mumbled.
"You do plan on going through with it, don't you?" Miroku prodded, craning his head slightly to catch the other man's eyes.
"O-of course!" Inuyasha looked up sharply, angry that Miroku would even hint that he wasn't going to ask Kagome. "It's just," he continued, looking away again, once more unsure. "What if… What if she says no..?" He chewed his lip, finding his feet amazingly interesting, before a sudden thought came to him and he looked back up, looking absolutely terrified. "What if she says yes?!" he yelped, grabbing the monk's arms.
Miroku blinked, then laughed outright. "If she says yes, you'll be one of the luckiest men in the whole world!" he laughed, wrapping an arm around the hanyou's shoulders and steering him back towards the village. Inuyasha glared at the laughing monk and shrugged his arm off his shoulders. Miroku grinned at him, "You know, you've really got nothing to worry about."
Inuyasha sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know… It's just… I don't know if I'm ready for this. I mean, marriage…" His sigh was edged with a hint of a growl this time. "I don't even know if she feels the same way I do."
Miroku glanced at him, giving him an odd look, but didn't comment. After a moment, he said slowly, "Well, there is one sure way to find out." He nodded toward the village and Inuyasha followed his gaze to the rice fields that lay beyond. "Go to her," Miroku urged quietly, watching the dog-demon's profile.
Inuyasha nodded once and took off to go find his future bride.
***
Kagome looked up from watching the sunset, a sound in the brush around her catching her attention. A moment later Inuyasha stepped out of the foliage, and Kagome relaxed, glad that it was only him.
"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly, padding over to her.
"H-hai, Inuyasha?" There was something about the way he said her name, the way he was looking at her, that made her nervous…
Inuyasha sat down cross-legged on the grass near her, not meeting her inquiring gaze. "There was, um, something I wanted to… to talk to you about…" He stared down at the soft grass in front of him. What was he supposed to do? Should he just blurt out that he wanted to marry her? Should he try to be eloquent and debonair, like Miroku? Should he ask her to marry him first, then give her the ring? The ring first, then ask her? Should he pull out the ring while he was asking her? He glared down at the grass, a bit peeved that it was not helping his situation at all.
"Inuyasha?"
He looked back up, meeting Kagome's curious blue gaze.
"Are you alright?" she asked, tilting her head cutely.
"Uh…" he replied intelligently. Say something, idiot! "Um, actually, I wanted to ask you, um…" he stammered, looking away and blushing slightly.
"Yes?" Kagome prodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
He was going to ask her. Now. He'd do it right now. Inuyasha took a deep breath, looked up into her face, and…
…his mind went blank.
"Uh…" he searched around with his eyes, looking for something – anything – to say. His gaze landed on something sitting in the girl's lap. "What's that?" he blurted, his mouth moving faster than his brain.
Kagome blinked. "What..? Oh! This!" She held up the paper envelope a bit sheepishly. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while. It's a letter from my mom."
Inuyasha stared at the letter. There was something written on the front. His reading skills were definitely not the best, and he peered at the paper, trying to remember where he'd seen those characters before.
Hi…
He was vaguely aware that Kagome had continued talking, and that she was saying something about a man being at her house.
Gu…
The man had introduced himself as "Jikkou," and he'd given her the news about her family.
Higu…
He'd said he was some sort of manager.
Ra…
That he'd been in charge of their money and property.
Higura…
He'd delivered the letter to her after telling her what happened.
Shi…
Higurashi.
"Higurashi..?" Inuyasha said quietly. He blinked and sat back in surprise. Higurashi?
"What?" Kagome asked, pausing in her story.
"Higurashi," Inuyasha repeated. The rest of the characters came easier, being simple hiragana. "Higurashi…Kagome…"
Kagome blinked, feeling slightly confused. "Eh..?" She noticed where he was looking and smiled in understanding. "Oh! Yes, Higurashi. Higurashi Kagome. That's my name," she smiled.
Inuyasha didn't return the smile. His eyes slid from the envelope up to her face. "You're a Higurashi?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet.
Kagome drew back slightly. "Inuyasha..?" she asked uncertainly. He was looking at her like he'd been betrayed or something…
"Higurashi… Your name's Higurashi?" he asked again urgently, as though dreading the answer he was asking for. Kagome nodded mutely, confused and a little frightened by this sudden change. He seemed so angry all of a sudden, so intense… Inuyasha closed his eyes as if in pain, swallowed audibly, then stood without another word. He began marching away, avoiding her eyes the entire time.
"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome cried, standing and following after him. He paused, but did not turn around to face her. "Wasn't… Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me about?" she asked. Why had he gotten so upset all of a sudden..?
"There was," Inuyasha replied, his voice barely more than a growl.
Kagome took a hopeful step toward him. "Then… Don't you still want to talk about it?"
The dog-demon seemed to be holding his breath, as if he were considering something. "No," he growled after a moment. "Just forget about it." And he sprinted away in a flash of red and white.
"Inuyasha!" she yelled after him, but he was already gone. Kagome's shoulders sagged and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Why was he so angry at her? She looked back at the western horizon, a tear slipping down her cheek, reflecting the red light of the sunset. She curled up on the ground and cried, feeling confused and alone.
***
Inuyasha pulled his arm back to make another swing at the tree he'd chosen to vent his anger and frustration. Why?! Why, why, WHY?! Why did she have to be a fucking Higurashi?! He swung at the tree, taking a significant chunk out of the trunk with his claws. Another slash made the tree start to sway, and a wild roundhouse kick sent it toppling over. The wooden giant hit the ground with a sickening crack, taking down several smaller trees with it. Inuyasha didn't even pause in his violent tirade, moving deeper into the forest and lashing out at everything around him.
When he couldn't even think straight enough to hit anything, he settled for simply screaming every profanity and curse he had ever heard. Finally, even that required too much thought, and he fell silent, just breathing heavily through clenched teeth. He glanced around at his surroundings, noting that he was deep into the forest, probably several miles from the village. He flopped down on a fallen log, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands.
Why? He thought again. Why did things like this always happen to him? "Damnit…" he growled, "I was about to ask her to marry me and everything…" He squeezed his eyes shut, a pin-point headache starting in the center of his forehead.
"M-my Lord..?" a tiny, hesitant voice asked from his shoulder.
"Myouga," Inuyasha said, acknowledging the flea-youkai.
"My Lord, what has upset you so? Has something happened?" the tiny demon asked, bouncing over to the dog-demon's knee so he could see his master's face.
Inuyasha chuckled bitterly. "Oh, yeah, something's happened alright." He let out a long breath, tilting his head back to look up at the intertwining branches above him. "Y'know, Myouga-jiji, sometimes I think the Fates are laughing at me. You know I've been meaning to ask Kagome to be my wife for some time now, right?" he asked, looking back down at his retainer. Myouga nodded, and he continued. "I decided I was going to ask her today. I was this close, Myouga! This close!" he said, holding up his thumb and first finger, barely a few millimeters apart.
"But..?" the old youkai prompted, fearing he already knew the cause of his master's rage. "She did not refuse you, did she?"
The dog-demon chuckled again. "No, no… That probably wouldn't have been nearly as bad… Or it would have been worse, depending on how you look at it… Did you know Kagome was a Higurashi?" he asked abruptly, suddenly serious again.
Myouga nearly fell of his knee. "W-what?" he asked, placing one tiny hand on his chest. He was getting too old for shocks like this!
"Kagome is of the Higurashi clan," Inuyasha said, leaning back on his elbows and grinning like the cat that got the cream. His grin wilted though, when he looked down at the flea. "Did you know?"
"I had no idea…" Myouga answered honestly. His mind was racing, piecing together shards of information into something that actually made sense. It couldn't be… "My Lord," he said, looking back up at the young dog-demon, and sounding very business-like. "Do you remember the agreement made between your Lord Father and Lord Higurashi? The pact they both signed to stop the fighting between their people?"
Inuyasha snorted in disgust, but nodded. "I'm supposed to marry the first girl born to the Higurashi line." Something clicked in his head, something he'd read long ago finally surfacing in his memory. "The 'Daughter of the Sunset.'" At Myouga's nod, he began to protest. "Wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me that Kagome, who's from like four hundred years in the future, is supposedly the first girl born since the treaty was signed?! I knew that family had a hard time producing daughters, but this is just ridiculous!"
"Well…" Myouga said folding his two lower arms, while one upper arm scratched his round head. "Lady Kagome may have grown up in the future, but I believe she may actually from this time."
"What?!" Inuyasha demanded, snatching up his little advisor and holding him in front of his face.
"Sixteen years ago, a child was born to the Higurashi royal family! A girl child!" Myouga gasped, struggling in his master's crushing grip.
"So? What's that got to do with Kagome?" Inuyasha growled, slightly tightening his hold on the flea.
"The child… was named… Kagome…"
Inuyasha released him, watching the tiny youkai flutter to the ground with wide eyes. "W-what are you saying..? It's gotta be a coincidence… She couldn't possibly…" Inuyasha mumbled, his words and thoughts tumbling over each other.
"The young Hime was kidnapped when she was barely a week old," Myouga continued, re-inflating himself. "She was brought all the way here, to Musashi's domain, before the samurai sent by Lord Higurashi caught the ninja carrying her. They shot him, right off his horse, and the babe slipped from his arms just as he passed an old dried well. The samurai feared she had been killed when no cries came, but when they looked down into the well, the princess was gone."
"She fell down the Bone-Eater's Well," Inuyasha said in disbelief.
Myouga nodded. "And was then no doubt found on the other side and taken in by the people there. They raised her, and she lived there, but when the time came, she was drawn back here, to her real home."
As crazy as it sounded, what the old bug was saying made sense to Inuyasha. But something was bothering him, something didn't quite fit. "Why was she kidnapped in the first place?" he asked, peering down at the flea.
"She was a princess, the Higurashis' only daughter," Myouga shrugged. "It could have been for ransom, blackmail, an attempt to start another war… Any number of reasons." He silently hoped that would satisfy his Lord's curiosity.
"Hmm…" Inuyasha leaned back again, scowling up at the roof of the forest. "Kagome… does she know about any of this?" he asked after a moment, not moving his eyes from the tree tops.
"I'm… not sure. I doubt it though. It's not as if she's had any contact with her family in this era."
"Hm," Inuyasha said again. He looked around the forest, just noticing how dark it had gotten. I should get back to the village, he thought, listening to the sounds of night creatures coming out to inhabit his forest. He stood and started back the way he had come, following the scent trail he'd left on his way out, Myouga hopping obediently along behind him.
** ** ** ** **
Woohoooooo!!!!!!!! Done!!! Finally DONE!!!!!! Well, with this chapter, at least. ^-^; Sorry to just leave off there (yeah, I know, this chapter doesn't have the best ending in the world), but if I kept writing, it would have just gotten longer and longer and longer and then this thing never would have gotten posted and… yeah.
Also, about Kagome and when she "curled up on the ground and cried, feeling confused and alone." Chocho-imouto-chan said it sounded sort of sappy or like Kagome was a big crybaby or something, so I wanted to say something about that. First off, we all know Kagome's no crybaby. But it's been two months, three tops, since her family was killed. During the first month, she was like a zombie, a living dead person. She was depressed, she didn't care about her life, she would have just wasted away …if Inuyasha hadn't been taking care of her. I'm serious, go read Ch. 3 again. Inuyasha watched over her, made sure she ate, and brought her back to the village each evening to sleep. He was like a sort of "life-line" for Kagome, although his efforts only seemed to pay off after he saved her from that first Kurotsune attack (who, in case you didn't catch it, was Gisou, the person Meisai and Marudashi were talking about.) That event shocked Kagome out of her mega-depression, but then she became sort of emotionally dependant on Inuyasha, like as long as he was happy life was good. *scratches head* I guess the best way to show what I mean is to direct you to Teresa's "Love To Hate You," which is about Kouga/Kagura, and is an awesome fic, even for die-hard Inu/Kag fans like myself. ^-^ I guess Kagura is a good example of what I'm trying to describe here, although Kagome's case of centering on one person isn't quite as bad, since she's got the others and all the villagers around her, but her world still sort of revolves around Inuyasha. So, when she thinks he's mad at her (by the way, don't worry, Inu-chan's not that dense. He's not actually mad at her, but just really pissed at the situation in general), she just closes up again, and basically regresses back to where she was a month or two ago. So… yeah. You get it.
Eeew.. the notes are almost as long as the fic this time…
Review please!!
Glossary:
Hai – yes
hanyou – half-demon (Inu-chan!! ^-^)
Hime – princess, nobleman's daughter
Hiragana – the simplest of the three Japanese alphabets (Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana), which is the firm used for writing Kagome's name
-jiji – rude way of saying "old man" or "geezer"
miko – Shinto priestess/shrine girl
nani? – "What?"
-sama – honorific name suffix, used to show respect or a distant relationship
youkai – demon, monster, etc…