A/N: There's a splash of Hojou/Inuyasha in this chapter n-n (loves that coupling as much as this one) That portion of the fic, you could say... can be stuck back into another fic I should be posting: Serendipity. These two stories are almost sister stories because references are made back and forth, you just have to notice. X3
Chapter Four - Running From The Past
In and out of consciousness Mirouku slipped during the entire ride back, with only a fool's luck to keep him alive. Between the village massacre site and the castle itself, Sesshoumaru had been groped numerous times in numerous areas and lost first kisses to the monk. 'That's what I get for riding Ah-Un.'
The demon lord leapt down after the creature had landed just outside the castle walls, human over his shoulder, and stormed up the long walk. "Rin!"
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the girl squeaked breathlessly, exhausted from keeping up with his long, angry strides.
"I want you and Jaken to find herbs that will stop the poison's current flow. Boil them. Bring them."
"Hai..." Rin stopped, taking deep breaths. "Sesshoumaru-sama..." She leaned forward, hands pressed to her thighs. "Jaken-sama..." she whined.
Sesshoumaru opened the door to his room and quickly deposited the dusky-haired monk on the grand bed. That shook Mirouku back to his senses and he rolled over with a groan and chuckle. He pushed himself to his knees and looked around until his blurry gaze landed on the regal youkai. The human laughed, placing his hands in his lap. "Sesshoumaru."
Mirouku had been poisoned before, but never had he felt such a side effect. "Sesshoumaru," the monk whined. He stumbled a bit then pitched forward, laughing.
'He's like a drunk.' The lord dumped the man he'd caught back onto the bed, not expecting to be pulled down with him. Mirouku smiled and uncurled his fingers from the edge of the chest armor. "Sesshou...ma... Ah... Ah!"
Golden eyes narrowed as the body under him panted then cried out, right arm shuddering. Sesshoumaru stood, taking a step away from the bed. "Rin!" he yelled.
"Jaken-sama. Rin hears Sesshoumaru-sama calling. Hurry!" The frog squawked as he tried not to trip while carrying the tray of tea. Rin skipped ahead, humming to herself.
Sesshoumaru kept the human from tearing the rosary from his arm, while using his own body to keep him still.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin and Jaken called.
"Enter."
Rin grunted and groaned as she pushed open the door, gasping as she spotted the pained monk. "Jaken-sama, the tea!" The lackey youkai scurried to the bed, holding up the tray. Sesshoumaru glared at him. "Rin will do it!" the girl exclaimed, climbing onto the bed and bouncing her way over. She took the cup Jaken had poured and placed it to Mirouku's lips. The silver-haired youkai lifted the dusky head so the man could swallow the warm liquid, his lower body pinning both of the human's arms. Once the cup was emptied, Rin sat back, cup balanced in her lap, and waited.
Mirouku's face contorted into a grimace and his eyes slowly opened to find three faces staring down at him. "God... I'm having a recurring nightmare." With a sigh, he slipped away, lost to his subconscious thoughts that would manifest into dreams—or nightmares.
Sesshoumaru scoffed and eased himself from the monk, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Leave," he ordered his servant and the child. Jaken was just as weak as Rin in closing the large door, but it clanged shut and the Western lord pressed his claw over the left side of his face. 'Why...? Why?! Why do I go through all this trouble? His life means nothing to me.' He looked back as he felt the heat rising from the close body and exhaled deeply in what could be thought of as a sigh. 'Hopefully the remaining fever breaks and we can leave here tomorrow.'
Mirouku shifted, tugging at the neck of his robes. Sesshoumaru stood and set about the task of getting the human undressed. Completely nude—save for the dressing of his right arm—Mirouku shivered and the youkai growled, "First you're hot, now you're cold. Make up your mind and tell me what you want!"
The dark-haired monk moaned and rolled over. "Sesshou... maru..."
Considering the reply null and void because of the poison-induced fever, Sesshoumaru undid his armor and set it on the floor. He placed the two swords between himself and the pale form he took a seat next to. Mirouku whimpered and reached for the fur to wrap himself in. The youkai pulled it away, curving it around his waist.
"Nnn! Sesshoumaru... cold..."
Sesshoumaru bared his fangs and turned to smother the human, but stopped his actions: Mirouku was curled into a fetal position and shivering. 'Pathetic.' The lord draped the fur over the lithe frame and scoffed as the human purred at the warming sensation. He sat with his back against the large headboard and closed his eyes. Sesshoumaru stiffened as the other body he shared the bed with pulled on the fur while also rolling over enough to climb atop him. With his claw tearing at the covers of the bed, he noted that it was going to be a long night.
"Anko!"
The brunette smothered her giggles as she hid behind the large boulder.
"Anko!" Kagome dropped her arms with a frustrated sigh, looking around the thin forest. "Inuyasha!" she yelled.
Anko gasped and sprinted from behind the rock, sleeves billowing as she ran.
"Keh. Just like Kagome."
She gave a peal of laughter as she scooped up. "Onii-chan!"
"Inuyasha!" the hanyou corrected in a growl. He entered the clearing where everyone waited and deposited the child next to Kagome, only to have her latch onto the string of his kimono sleeve. "Anko," Inuyasha groaned. The girl giggled, violet eyes bright and sparkling.
As Kagome had predicted, Anko had refused to leave the hanyou's side after she'd woken up. Kaede had given her a black hakama to wear with a white kimono top, and Kagome had down her lengthy ebony locks up in a loose bun, wisps of hair framing her flushed face.
Inuyasha snorted and placed his free hand on his hip. "Iko," he ordered. Shippo grinned, snickering softly, stopping at the hanyou's death-faring glare. Anko smiled, her energy waning, and waited, watching as Kirara transformed. She looked towards the reincarnated miko, feeling as though she had taken something important from her, but received a warm smile.
"You know what to do," Inuyasha grunted to the girl, drawing her attention back to himself while tugging his sleeve free. The brunette climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. The white-haired half demon started off with the feline mononoke following, keeping the pace simple for the child's sake.
"Onii-chan, where are we going now?" Amko sighed.
"Where have you been going?"
"To... the south?" the child murmured.
"There's your answer."
Anko pouted, but closed her eyes against the evening's dusky sky, resting her head on Inuyasha's shoulder.
‡‡‡
"Check that house."
The door opened and the silhouette of a young boy was shown, small sickle attached to a chain in his hands.
"Kill anyone that resists," the woman ordered.
"Just kill everyone," a more childish boy's voice stated in an amused fashion. "Naraku has no need for them."
‡‡‡
Inuyasha looked over his shoulder as the girl was startled awake, her breath coming in short pants. They had stopped for the night and were setting up camp while he kept a short watch. He swung her around, holding her in his left arm. Anko shivered in spite of the night air and looked p at the half-demon with forlorn violet orbs that brightened instantly as the child realized where she was. "Onii-chan."
Inuyasha smirked.
"Inuyasha!"
Both turned towards Kagome's voice to see the taijiya and fox starting a fire. "Anko-chan needs time to relax," the Higurashi girl informed them.
"No, I don't."
"You do," the dog-eared boy growled.
She shrieked as the hanyou ground his fist into her head, swatting at it. "No! No, no—"
"You're going to sleep," Inuyasha ordered.
"But..." Anko's eyes grew large with unshed tears and her bottom lip trembled. She hugged the hanyou tightly, sobbing loudly. Inuyasha snorted and pried her off, pushing her in Kagome's direction. The child's face grew large and rounded as she held her breath, pale features turning red. She never lasted more than a minute and was always giddy once her temper tantrum was through.
Shippo and Anko chatted nonstop about their likes and dislikes; the fox's one dislike was Inuyasha. The girl folded her legs beneath her as she sat up. "Onii-chan is great," she giggled. "He's so strong and fearless. And he cares about everyone."
"Except me," Shippo quipped, crossing his arms. He glared at the hanyou's back then turned back as Anko's giggling increased.
"Onii-chan cares for everyone except the bad people," she commented.
"Like Naraku."
Violet eyes glazed over and Anko fisted her hands in her lap.
‡‡‡
"Kagura-sama."
The woman created from Naraku stared into the house. Her eyes narrowed at the askew door as she crossed her arms, cupping them at the elbows. "Let's go. Naraku's waiting for our return. He has somewhere else for us to travel to."
Anko watched from the side room, hugging her trembling frame. 'Mother... Father...' She looked down and stepped back with a gasp as flowing blood seeped into her hiding place. "N—No!"
‡‡‡
"Anko-chan."
The brunette flew from her rising memories, inhaling and exhaling deeply in a rhythmic pattern. She glanced at the hanyou's frown across the clearing then back at Kagome and the food she offered. Anko smiled broadly, taking the box. "Thank you," she laughed.
The reincarnated miko smiled and straightened up, heading back to Inuyasha and Sango. "What do you think?" she asked, placing her back against the rough bark of the tree they stood under.
"She got quiet after Shippo said Naraku's name," Sango pointed out. "Maybe she remembered something important."
Inuyasha had not torn his eyes away from the girl since Kagome had given her the food. The way she reminded him of himself was unshakable—and not just their resemblances on the night of a new moon; the depth of her troubled eyes; her false bravado that kept her going. Their personas were identical.
"Inuyasha," Kagome called, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Wha?" the hanyou snapped, keeping the child in sight.
"You're just as bad as Anko-chan," she sighed.
The white-haired half-demon smirked to himself, but snorted and closed his eyes. "Maybe," he mumbled. 'Maybe that's why I find it comforting to hear her voice and laughter.' "Anko!" he yelled out suddenly.
"Hai?" the girl gasped, startled.
"Come on," the hanyou sighed, holding out a claw. Anko grunted as she came to her feet, excusing herself to Shippo, then rushed over. Inuyasha laughed softly as he lifted her onto his shoulder, fangs visible. He kept her in place with his arm and strolled by Sango and Kagome with talk of the child helping him keep watch for the night.
"Kirara," Anko giggled, leaning back.
"Oi, oi!" Inuyasha cautioned. The twin-tailed mononoke mewled and jumped into the girl's arms. Anko continued giggling as she hung upside-down from the dog demon's shoulder and waved back to the laughing Kagome.
"See you tomorrow," Sango added with a smile. Kagome sighed and unconsciously placed a hand over her heart.
"We're getting no where fast," Kagome sighed as she ran her fingers over the remains of a village that seemed to once prosper.
Inuyasha and Anko had returned for the other three members of the party the following morning so they could continue their search for Naraku or information relating to him in order to get back the missing monk. Their search brought them to the path the Sesshoumaru-gumi had intended to take.
"Sesshoumaru was here," Inuyasha snarled, stepping on a dried-out youkai remain.
Sango knelt and traced her fingers over a smoothed portion of soil. "So was Houshi-sama," she whispered.
The hanyou stared in the direction he knew his brother's castle was located then turned away to acknowledge the tug on his kimono. He stared down at the child. "Onii-chan, what are you doing?" she questioned softly. "It's creepy out here."
"But the sun's up, Anko," Kagome reminded.
The child pouted. "There's... no. Onii-chan!" she gasped. Inuyasha had lifted her onto his shoulder once more.
Sango stood with a sigh, "We should keep moving. There's nothing left that would be useful to us."
"Hai!" Anko agreed, one of the hanyou's ears squeezed between her fingers.
Kagome watched the boy's flustered expression and assumed—with a hidden devious grin—that the area had become more sensitive with his growing relationship. 'Ah!' Her eyes became bright and wide with an idea and she made her way through mononoke debris toward the blushing half-demon. She leaned up to the free triangular ear, whispering.
Golden eyes widened to a moderate size and a fanged grin split his face. "Kagome, that's a great idea," he laughed.
"I know," the girl smiled proudly.
"Anko," Inuyasha started. "Hold on tight."
"Un!"
He stalled and sweatdropped as the grip to his ear increased. "Oi, brat..." he grumbled. "I didn't mean there." Kagome and Anko giggled, the older brunette waving as the white-haired half-demon took to the air.
"Where's he going?" Shippo muttered from the taijiya's shoulder.
"He's giving her a day away from all the death," Kagome sighed. "And we can try to track Naraku as best as possible, to make it easier for him when he returns."
"Hmm," Sango murmured.
§§§
"Onii-chan. Where's this?" Anko whimpered and wrapped her arms around the hanyou's neck, staring around the dark, present-day Higurashi well shrine. Inuyasha grunted as he leapt across to the doors. He used the hand not around the child to open the doors, and stepped out into modern Tokyo. Violet eyes widened to an impossible size and the girl's scream reverberated through the large trees surrounding the temple.
Kagome's mother and grandfather rushed outside to see what the problem was. They relaxed at the sight of the kimono-clad hanyou. What rose questions was the sobbing brunette in his arms.
"You're not supposed to be crying," Inuyasha was hissing to the child. "You're supposed to be surprised."
The woman gasped, hand to her mouth. "Is that... Kagome?"
"No," Inuyasha spat. "But she did suggest I bring her here." Anko kept her face buried in the fire rat cloth, refusing to be pried away. "I'm taking her to Hojou," the boy continued.
"I can look after her," Kagome's mother cooed. Inuyasha grabbed the back of Anko's kimono top and pulled her free, scowling at the dark red splotches her tears left on his clothes.
Staring at the woman and old man, Anko hiccuped then started fresh tears. "Onii-chan... onii-chan!"
"'Onii-chan'?" the old man mumbled. "You?" He pointed at the bright-eyed half-demon.
"Aa," Inuyasha sighed, settling the girl back against his chest. "To Hojou's then." He gave himself a running start across the temple grounds before clearing the trees. The woman waved until he was out of sight, smiling.
Hojou would be at school for another ten minutes, but he knew to always leave the back window slightly ajar. Inuyasha climbed through after opening it and stood solidly on the wooden floor, placing Anko down. She hadn't stopped crying enoough to listen to what he had to say, but she would now.
"Oi! Anko! Would I let something bad happen to you?" he muttered.
Stopping to shake her head, Anko finally settled down, rubbing her fists against her eyes to clear them of tears. "Where... where are we?"
"Kagome's world."
"Kagome's?" she gasped. "She has her own world?"
"Something like that," the hanyou grunted as he dropped onto Hojou's bed.
The child skipped over while staring around curiously, and climbed up beside him. "Who's Hojou?"
'She hears everything while pretending not to.' Inuyasha smirked. "A human," was his reply. Anko pouted, cheeks expanding, and started pouding on the dog-eared boy's chest with tiny fists of frustration.
Several minutes later, Hojou came back from school to find his bed occupied by two feudal era figures, both fast asleep. 'Is that... Kagome?' With the things he'd been told, it was no far from impossible for his friend to literally return to her childhood years.
"Onii-chan..." The smaller figure took Inuyasha claw into her hand, hugging it close as she continued to sleep.
"Inuyasha," Hojou whispered as he stepped out of his shoes. The white-furred ears twitched and weary amber eyes opened. The hanyou started sitting up, but paused as Anko's hold tightened. He yawned and pulled her into his lap.
"She was the sole survivor of a massacre," he offered in explanation to the human boy. "She hasn't let go of me since that day we saved her."
"Poor thing." Hojou sat on the other side of the girl, brushing back her hair. He looked up and caught the hanyou's gaze. Inuyasha leaned over, only to have his advances thwarted by Anko's abrupt sitting up.
"Hungry," she whimpered.
"Brat..." Inuyasha snarled.
"Onii-chan, were you going to kiss?"
Hojou laughed, a blush covering his cheeks, and hand behind his head in a sheepish fashion. "Do you ever sleep?" the demon growled, grounding his free fist into her head.
"Waaah! Onii-chan!" She pulled away and clung to Hojou.
"This is why I brought her to you," the golden-eyed boy sighed, tilting his head.
"Hmm. What's you name?" the brown-haired student asked, placing her up on her knees so they were both at eye-level.
"Anko," she replied, tilting her head with as mile.
"I'm Hojou."
"Onii-chan!"
He laughed in good humor. Inuyasha smirked then placed his claw over the girl's eyes, leaning over her head. Hojou met him halfway and they shared a passionate kiss that proved how much they'd missed each other. The human raised his hands to cover the child's ears as he moaned softly, Inuyasha's lips trailing down his neck, fangs nipping teasingly.
"Onii-chan," Anko whined, one hand clasping one of the hanyou's clawed fingers; the other tugged at one of the hands over her ears.
"Can she stay at the Higurashi temple?" Hojou whispered huskily. Inuyasha gave a short bark of laughter and fell back onto the bed, taking the child with him. Anko squealed, waving her arms. The human male studied the pair and smiled wistfully, eyes misting over. 'Inuyasha.'
§§§
Anko waved to Hojou, thanking him for a day of fun and the bag of toys. He returned the action and she climbed onto Inuyasha's back so they could start the journey back to the shrine that would lead them home. "Onii-chan is nice," she commented.
"Aa. He is," the white-haired half-demon murmured with a lazy grin. He sprang from a tree onto the cement tiles and ran to the well shrine, throwing open the doors. His golden eyes narrowed and he leaped into the well connecting the two different eras.
Anko buried her head in the soft red cloth, closing her eyes. 'I don't want to come back.'
Inuyasha perched himself on the edge of the Bone-Eater's Well. "Anko."
"Hai?"
"I need you to tell me what happened that day."
"No," she whimpered, shaking her head.
"Anko."
"No!"
He pulled her into his arms, sighing as he hugged her. "No..." Anko sniffled, entwining her fingers in his kimono and sections of white hair that fell forward.
"It's better to face your past than run away from it," the hanyou muttered. He scoffed softly at the lie he'd spoken aloud. The taijiya, miko, and fox child were the only ones looking to the future.
The brunette raised his head slowly, violet eyes shimmering with tears, and decided facing her past now would be better for her in the future. "Naraku..." She cringed at the name she'd spoken. "I heard the woman tell the boy their next stop... was a temple."
Inuyasha grinned and ruffled her hair. It had long since fallen out of the bun Kagome had made. "Good girl. Thank you."
Anko nodded, smiling, and took the claw. "Let's go find Kagome and the others," she suggested.
"Hai, hai."
With the hanyou's tracking skills, they found themselves back at the village, Anko running into Kaede's hut as soon as she was set down; she wanted to show everyone her new gifts. Inuyasha strolled in at a more leisurely pace, hands behind his head. "Kaebe-baba," he muttered. "I need you to watch Anko."
Violet eyes widened and the child dropped what she'd been showing Shippo to run back to her saviour. "Onii-chan... what are you saying?"
"Sorry," Inuyasha mumbled softly. "Bangs shadowing her eyes. "But you'll be safer here."
"No... No!" Anko cried, falling to her knees. "Inu... Inuyasha..." Amber eyes widened as she spook his name. "I hate you, Inuyasha!" the girl yelled, glaring up at him.
The boy smirked. "Everyone usually does. Make sure she doesn't leave," he reminded the old miko. Kaede nodded, hands folded behind her back.
Kagome walked up and reached out to place a hand on the child's shoulder. "Anko—" Anko slapped the hand away and stormed off into the corner, sitting and hugging her knees to her chest. The archer sighed and stepped outside, Sango and Shippo following.
"See ya soon, Anko," Inuyasha said with a grin. The girl's shoulders hunched up to her ears as she tried to ignore him, determined to hold onto her anger. He sighed and nodded at the woman before heading out after the others. Anko whimpered and sniffled, rubbing an arm over her face. 'You better come back, onii-chan.'