Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sensei.
Author notes: Sorry for taking so long, minna.... Gomen
Btw...I tried something new. I put Inuyasha's conversations when he's possessing Akira as bold....hope you guys don't mind.....:)
Chapter 4: Shikon No Tama
"Are you sure this will work, Miroku?" Akira mumbled, gesturing at all the ofudas lying haphazardly around his apartment.
"Trust me," Miroku patted his chest. "I got these from a reliable source."
Akira sighed. "It's not that I don't want to trust you, Miroku. It's just that I didn't expect that you can even DIY spirit summoning."
Sango sighed, pasting another ofuda in place. "I guess we are working on a tight budget here, aren't we?"
Miroku stared at Sango's behind and his hand automatically wandered. Sango instinctively slapped him. "Ouch." Miroku cried, rubbing his face.
"How dare you, you stupid lecher?" Sango cried. Akira sighed, some things would never change. "Come on guys, I didn't skip lectures to hear you two arguing alright?"
"Hey I skip lectures too. And I can't even catch up with my readings." Miroku added.
Sango retorted. "You don't need to go lectures, Miroku. You just fall asleep anyway."
Miroku grumbled. "Sango, you are supposed to side with me."
Akira laughed. All the ofudas were in place now. "Come on, we can get start now."
Kaede quickly pacify the panicking girl in front of her. "Calm down. Maybe I should not use that phrase. The spirit is Inuyasha, or at least, part of Inuyasha."
"Part of Inuyasha?" Kagome shrieked in a higher tone. "Which part? What part? He's divided into parts…Oh my goodness." Kagome started to fan herself to prevent herself from fainting.
"No no…no. I mean that spirit is Inuyasha's youkai half. That's the only explanation I can come up with. Inuyasha is a hanyou. His soul comprises of his human heart and youkai strength. That spirit might be his youkai soul. But I don't understand one thing; how can a soul be divided like this?" Kaede replied.
Kagome could felt a big headache forming. "If what you say is true, Kaede-bachan, then where is Inuyasha's human half?"
Kaede mused. "Most probably the human half is reincarnated already. And I think you know that person too."
Kagome stopped to think about it. "You mean Akira?" Suddenly all the puzzles seemed to fit. Akira looked a lot like Inuyasha, minus the coloring of the hair, eyes and claws, they could almost be twins.
"That boy might be Inuyasha's human half's reincarnation. But if it is so, then things are going to get very complicated." Kaede mused.
"Why?"
"Because only Inuyasha himself knows the full details of what happened in the past. The Inuyasha now most probably only remembered bits and portions of his life while Akira might have the key to the rest. But as long as the two portions of the soul remain separated, you might never know the full story of what really happened that fateful night."
"Is there anyway for us to merge their souls then?"
Kaede shook her head. "Not that I know of. This is such a rare case, that I can only speculate on the technical details. I believe it may have something to do with the way Inuyasha died; but since the spirit cannot remember, I guess we'll never know what really happened."
Kagome nodded. "I understand. I'll go and tell them about this. Thank you so much, Kaede-bachan."
"This is not gonna work." Akira grumbled, staring at Miroku. "We've been at it for three hours straight and there's nothing at all. Are you sure you got the right instructions?"
"Patience." Miroku chastised. "You need to have patience for such things."
"But that's what you've been saying for the past two and half hours." Sango yawned. "Honestly speaking, I don't think it's gonna work."
"You guys should have a little more faith in me." Miroku grumbled.
Suddenly, Akira slumped forward. When he lifted up his head, his eyes were glowing red although his hair remained black. Miroku and Sango however, does not seem surprise anymore.
"Gee, I cannot stand it anymore. Why can't you guys just get it through your thick skulls that little missy over there is Kikyou's reincarnation and stop trying to do futile things like this? It really irritates me, you know."
Sango sighed. "Not again. We are not going to have this argument again. You've been repeatedly taking over Akira's body for the past two hours saying the same thing over and over again. Aren't you tired of it?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "I am. But I'm also pretty tired of staring at you guys wasting your breath."
Akira, through his mental eye, could still see what was happening outside. He smiled inwardly. To tell the truth, he was the one who collaborated with Inuyasha to try and persuade them to give up. Because he just doesn't trust DIY jobs.
I don't care what Miroku says. I rather spend some money to hire someone reliable.
Suddenly, he felt a familiar dizziness sweeping through him. Is it a vision? He wondered as his eyes closed automatically.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a man rowing a boat, coupled with a woman's laughter.
"Damn it, Kikyou, don't tickle me." The man laughed. "I'm rowing us back to shore you know."
Akira's eyes widen. The man in front of him was Inuyasha. But he looked slightly different, younger, and more lively. His hair was neatly tied up in a loose ponytail, and he does not have purple stripes on his cheeks. Akira gasped when he noticed that the youkai's eyes were not crimson red but a soft hue of molten gold. He rowed the boat with expertise, wearing a red haori and hakama that seemed identical to that of the spirit's.
The woman, Akira decided, was beautiful. She looked a little like Kagome, but whereas Kagome was energetic and lively, this woman excludes an aura of calmness and serenity. Akira stared closer at the woman and froze.
It was the woman who shot him in his dreams.
Akira tried to fight away the panic in his heart. Suddenly the dreams seemed to make sense. Could they be dreams of Inuyasha's death? If so, why would he have those dreams? He didn't meet Inuyasha until yesterday, and those dreams started since two weeks ago. Something is still missing, a piece of the puzzle.
The woman embraced Inuyasha gently, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Inuyasha growled and kissed her on her lips. It was an intense kiss, like that kind you see on movies before the couples would make love. It made Akira blushed.
"I love you, Kikyou." Inuyasha proclaimed, gently tucking a stray strand of hair away from her face.
"I love you too, Inuyasha." Kikyou smiled, love shinning in her eyes. The sun was setting at that moment, casting a beautiful orange yellow glow on the surface of the lake and highlighting the couple. It looked like a picture from heaven, a scene of utopia.
"It's beginning, Kikyou." Inuyasha grumbled. "It's the new moon tonight."
Akira wondered what he meant, when suddenly he observed something strange. Inuyasha's hair started to darken, his claws shrinking, his ears disappearing. His eyes began to darken too, until they lose their molten shine.
And became pools of violet.
Akira froze in horror. In Kikyou's arms were a man, a man who looked like him, except for being older and the differences in dressing,
Kikyou smiled and hugged him tightly. "I'll always love you, whether you are a youkai, a hanyou, or a human."
When Akira opened his eyes again, he found his two friends staring at him in wonder.
"What happened?" Akira clutched his head.
"I dunno. You just suddenly blacked out." Sango supplied helpfully, helping him up.
"What did you see?" Miroku asked, passing Akira a cup of water. Akira took over the cup but said nothing. Inwardly he was trying to communicate with Inuyasha.
Inuyasha? Are you there?
Yah.
Did you see what I saw?
Yah.
Is it your doing?
Yah…no I mean no.
Yes or no?
No.
You sure?
Yah. I didn't even remember that scene until I saw it in your vision.
You mean you can turn human?
I don't know. I cannot remember.
You cannot remember your life before?
I can. But I can only remember roughly what happen. Some parts of my memories are a sketchy blank.
Why didn't you say so earlier?
I don't know. I just realize it when I saw that vision of yours.
You mean you don't remember doing that with Kikyou?
I might have. But I cannot remember. I cannot remember a lot of things.
Akira would have said something more, but Miroku shook him roughly to get his attention.
"What's wrong, Aki? Why are you spacing out?" Miroku asked, concern for him written all over his face.
Akira shook his head. Miroku continued. "So what did you see?"
Akira wasn't sure how to explain to his friends. "I don't know if I saw a vision or a memory. I saw Kikyou and Inuyasha together, they were very happy. And then…"
Just then, a familiar tune began to play. Akira, Sango and Miroku jumped out of their skin.
"Sorry, it's my cell phone." Miroku answered sheepishly while Akira glared at him. "Moshi moshi?" The conversation continued for a while before Miroku hanged up.
"It's Kagome. She wants to meet us now, at Ueno Park."
Ueno Park is a really big place, full of tourists wandering. Akira smiled as a girl accidentally stepped his toes before running away. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, they found the girl sitting at a small café.
"What took you guys so long?" she huffed, putting aside the magazine she had been reading.
"Sorry. It's all Akira's fault actually." Miroku smiled, pointing at the boy.
"Me?" Akira looked affronted but chose to say nothing.
Kagome smiled. "Anyway were you guys successful?"
The three shook their heads. Kagome looked dejected for a moment before smiling again. "Well, it's okay. This is what I learnt so far…."
After Kagome had finish relating her portion of her findings, Akira stood up stiffly, turning to walk away.
"Akira, where are you going?" Kagome shouted, earning a few curious glances from the nearby tourists.
Akira stopped. "I'm going away. This is too ridiculous. I don't believe I'm some reincarnation of hanyou whose soul got split into half." But even as these words leave his mouth, a part of him felt the truth in Kagome's words.
Suddenly, Akira bent down in agony. A mist appeared before him and he realized it was the spirit of Inuyasha, or at least, dubbed Youkai part of Inuyasha.
The youkai looked pissed off too. "I don't believe a fucking shit of what you just said, Kagome." Inuyasha glared at Akira. "I'm Inuyasha."
"We never said you are not." Sango answered, trying to act calm. Miroku thought that they were lucky people around thought they were talking to Akira. Otherwise they'll freak out at the sight of some teenagers talking to thin air.
Inuyasha and Akira looked at each other. "Maybe it has something to do with the way you….erm….passed away?" Miroku tried to suggest delicately.
"I don't remember." Inuyasha replied flatly.
Akira looked disturbed. "Actually…I think I might have an idea. But I'm not sure."
"What?" the three chorused. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Look, I didn't realize that my dreams were connected, okay?" Akira snapped. "It's really disturbing and I don't want to share about it unless necessary."
Inuyasha looked at Akira. "Dreams?"
"I've been having dreams recently." Akira started. "In them, I was running. Then someone shot me. And I died."
"That's all?" Sango, Miroku and Kagome asked simultaneously.
Akira shook his head. "No, that's not all. I didn't die immediately from the arrow. The arrow did something to me. After it hit me, I felt excruciating pain. It hurts so much, like my body is on fire."
Inuyasha looked disturbed. "I don't want to hear about this anymore."
Akira looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I understand how you feel. I don't want to talk about it either. But it might help in clearing up some mysteries. This case already has too many questions. We don't need more."
Inuyasha nodded. The two began sitting down again, Inuyasha occupying the empty chair besides Akira. The two of them had similar expressions, and could almost be mistaken as twins if not for their coloring and Inuyasha's ears.
"Then I remembered slumping forward and feeling surprise that my hair turned black. I don't know why I was so shocked. I saw my killer, and I asked her why she did this to me."
The three were enthralled by Akira's tale. "What did she say?"
"She said she loved him. That's why. I don't understand. I watched as she walked away, leaving me in the darkness. The only thing I felt was pain, physically and mentally and emotionally. Questions gnawed at my heart, threatening to drive me mad. After some time later, I wanted to pull the arrow out but before I could, I think I died."
Kagome looked visibly upset. "That's so horrible."
Inuyasha looked away. "My death was almost exactly the way you describe it. But I cannot remember the last part. The last thing I remembered was pain, before I lost consciousness."
"Why is there a difference?" Sango asked.
Kagome thought for a moment, before understanding shone in her eyes. "Oh my, it was the Hama no Ya isn't it?"
"What is a Hama no Ya?" the three asked.
"It's an arrow infused with spiritual energy of the miko designed to purify youkai. If Inuyasha is truly a hanyou, the purification won't kill him. But he'll most probably turn human. And if he's human….." Kagome trailed off uncertainly.
"He can't have survived with an arrow in his chest right?" Miroku concluded grimly, stealing a glance at Akira. Akira and Inuyasha looked at each other, their faces pale and ghastly.
"So we conclude Inuyasha actually died as a human?" Sango continued. "How come his soul will be split into two parts?"
Kagome bit her lower lips. "Maybe….I'm saying just maybe….that when Kikyou shot that arrow, it actually sealed the youkai portion of Inuyasha's soul onto that tree. That's why the Inuyasha now could only remember up till the part where he was shot. But the human portion of Inuyasha survived till the end, and since Inuyasha died as a human, his human soul departed and was reincarnated."
"Just how much of this is actually the truth?" Akira asked dully. "It's all speculations right?"
"But you must admit the facts do match right?" Kagome retorted. "You must be Inuyasha's reincarnation."
Akira looked at Kagome before snapping. "Then you are Kikyou's right? How could you just jump to conclusions so quickly?"
"The thing is that's the only plausible explanation." Kagome shouted. "Why are you so stubborn?"
Akira stood up. "I'm stubborn? Why don't you just put yourself in my shoes? How would you feel if someone suddenly tell you you are the reincarnation of a hanyou whose part of the soul is wandering around, unable to rest in peace? I am Yashagawa Akira, not Inuyasha. I don't want to be anybody's reincarnation."
Kagome stood up angrily too. "Then you think I want to be labeled as the reincarnation of a killer? If that's the cards the fates dealt us, we can't do a single thing about it. And denial is not going to help. If I'm really Kikyou's reincarnation, at least I can stand up and admit it. How about you? You can't even accept that fact."
Sango and Miroku also stood up, trying to calm down the quarreling couple. Inuyasha simply sat there, his face a stoic mask. Finally he spoke.
"I don't fucking care whose's whose reincarnation now. I just want to know one thing. I don't care about the rest."
Akira looked at Inuyasha before nodding. "You're right. The key question is, why did Kikyou kill Inuyasha? The rest of the problems can be secondary."
Miroku sighed in relief. "So we should concentrate on our task before hand right? But we are no closer to our aim than before."
Sango and Kagome sat down. Kagome looked peeved but calmed considerably. "Let's see. Kikyou killed Inuyasha and then some time later she died. Does anybody find it suspicious? Why would anyone want to kill Kikyou?" Sango asked, trying to analyze the case in her mind.
Kagome looked thoughtful. "Could it be she knows something and someone wants to silence her? Or she's holding something valuable and someone tried to steal it away from her?"
Inuyasha had a far away gaze on his face. "Shikon no Tama…"
To my darling reviewers:
DarklessVasion: You guessed right.....in one of your reviews.....
chibi-inuyasha-girl: Thanks..I aim to puzzle you.
Alasse Tiwele: I'm sorry about the grammatical errors....can't seem to drive them away
Eolande: thanks....
Sarcasm Girl8: thanks for reviewing
weee: please don't come after me....i'm scared now
Kayzer: thanks for reviewing for both stories....:)