Title: Carry Me Home
Rating: PG-13 and R for violence and occasional sexual implications
Summary: Inuyasha's been wounded and is trapped in a sleep in which visions of a life he doesn't remember plague him. A life in which he was not a small child running from humans to become a nervous young man in love with a miko, but something else completely.
Disclaimer: Copyright for Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and the author does not write for profit
Author(ess): bluefuzzyelf
Chapter Two
Sango was the first awake. She sat up and glanced around, her eyes falling on a most enchanting sight.
Inuyasha, still unconscious, was laying still beneath Hakura's fingers. Hakura herself sat at his side, the sunlight falling on her brilliant hair and creating a blinding vision of white and red. Her white outfit was glowing, and Inuyasha, if one looked close enough, was levitating a few inches off the floor.
Sango got up and shook Miroku awake. He mumbled something about fish and rolled over. She shook him harder.
He sat up. "Sango?" he asked, his eyes falling on her, "what do you want?"
She pointed. Miroku blinked. "He's floating."
Sango nodded. Miroku got up and woke Kagome, who promptly freaked out.
"Oh my god, why's he floating in midair! What's going on?" Miroku attempted to stop her when she rushed over to the two youkai, but he didn't really need to. About three feet away, Kagome yelped and sat down abruptly.
"Kagome?" cried two voices in unison.
"I'm okay, I think. It's just, there's this barrier that's not letting me through."
"It won't let a miko through?" asked Sango, surprised.
"Hmm.what about a youkai? Shippou!"
The kitsune in question squeaked. "Um, yes?"
"Don't act so surprised, I knew you were awake. Could you see if you can walk past the barrier?"
"Erm, sure." Shippou took a few tentative steps towards the barrier, then a few more, and a few more, until he was standing right next to Inuyasha.
"Okay, come back now." Shippou turned and leaped into Kagome's arms, who hugged him briefly then said, "What's going on? Why can't we get through?"
Miroku shrugged. "It is my guess that Hakura has erected that barrier to keep out everything human. I do not know her reasoning, nor her mind."
The three humans made breakfast and rolled up their bedclothes in silence. Kagome was doing her History homework when she felt it. Miroku had been meditating.
Kagome turned quickly. "Shards!" she hissed. Sango tensed. Miroku had already stood and was ready with ofuda.
"How many?' Sango asked out of the corner of her mouth.
"Two." Kagome strung her bow and nocked an arrow.
The three made a line in front of the house, each dropping into a battle stance. Kagome was half expecting Kouga, but was not in the least the most surprised when they saw who was carrying the shards.
A tall youkai with tawny hair came jogging through the line of trees and pulled up short at the sight of three humans very obviously ready to do battle with him.
Sango blinked, Kagome nearly dropped her bow, and Miroku raised an eyebrow in consternation.
Bright green gold eyes looked at each human in turn. The youkai seemed a little puzzled and raised a hand to scratch his ear. "Hello," he said at last. "Who are you?"
"We should be the ones asking that question."
"Not really. This is my territory, not yours. Unless you've taken it over in," the youkai glanced at the sky, "five hours."
Miroku shook his head. "No, we have not."
"Oh good." The youkai visibly relaxed. "If you had, I would've had to fight you, and I'm really not in the mood."
This time Kagome really did drop her bow. She picked it back up quickly. The youkai smiled indulgently.
"Could you let me through now?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"What? Why?"
Sango cleared her throat. "Because we do not know you or your intentions."
"Well, no worries, I just came to see Hakura."
"I am afraid we still cannot let you pass." Miroku threaded his ofuda through his fingers. Sango raised her hiraikotsu and Kagome aimed.
The youkai sighed and settled into a battle stance himself, claws raised and fangs bared.
"Stand down."
The quiet voice from behind them threw the humans off and the youkai in front of them brightened. "Hakura! There you are."
Hakura smiled. "Yes, here I am. Hiro is my friend," she addressed the humans, "and is no threat to you. I'm sorry you had to deal with him."
Hiro pouted. "You make me sound like a child!"
Hakura tried not to smile. "You are. Now, everyone come inside."
To Kagome's disappointment, Inuyasha was not awake but still out cold, his forehead wrinkled in a frown. Hiro sauntered dangerously close to the sleeping hanyou and sniffed a bit.
"Huh," he woofed, a bit like a dog. He sat down gracefully and crossed his legs. "Do you have it?" he asked Hakura abruptly, his genial face hardening. Hakura nodded and took a nondescript brown bottle from a shelf over her head. She handed it to her friend. He bowed his head low, bringing her hand to his head.
"Thank you."
"A favor for an old friend needs no thanks."
Hiro tucked the bottle safely into his jacket and sat back. Hakura also sank to the ground.
"I am sorry if I worried you earlier," she said to her guests, "but I was working on your companion. There is something about him that resists my healing. Humans tend to distract me while I'm working."
Kagome nodded and bit her lip. "Will he be okay?"
Hakura placed a piercing gaze upon the young girl. "I do not know." Kagome closed her eyes.
"We have another matter on our hands Kagome." Miroku's voice brought Kagome back to reality.
"Yes. Hiro-san, you carry shards of the Shikon jewel. We require their return."
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who are you to claim the jewel?"
"I am its guardian."
"Fine job you're doing. It's in hundred of pieces." Hakura laid a hand on Hiro's shoulder and her calmed. "I will not hand them over to you, but neither will I hand them over to one who would do evil with them. That will have to do for you."
Sango's eyes glimmered. "Do not underestimate us. We will fight for them if need be." Her hand tightened on the strap of her boomerang. Miroku shook his head minutely at her and she reluctantly brought her hand down. "Fine. But we will find you when the time comes. And the shards will be ours."
Kagome had remained silent and was holding the jar of shards around her neck. She desperately hoped that Naraku wouldn't get to Hiro before they did.
Hiro decided to stay for a while, wanting to know more about the little group that currently resided with Hakura, and found a friend in Sango, of all people. He was genuinely interested in the taijiya trade, and gleaned every bit of information he could from Sango, who chattered on excitedly with more energy than any of them had ever seen. Miroku was distinctly disgruntled.
Kagome often sneaked in to visit Inuyasha and more than once found him thrashing in the throes of some awful dream. Hakura never said anything to her when she found Kagome there, just gave her something to do, perhaps understanding the girl's sense of helplessness. Kagome tried to soothe her hanyou as best she could, barely able to stand the soft whimpers coming from his mouth. She was sent away sometimes so Hakura could work undisturbed and it was those times when she was most on edge. Her friends learned not to bother her when she had that look in her eyes.
Everyday she prayed for Inuyasha's safety.
A large arena, the ground hot under his bare feet. Distant sounds of cheering and the slow grind of gates opening. He could feel the cool hilt of a sword in his palm, the weight of armor on his chest. His ears twitched and a comforting hand slipped into his. The gates opened fully.
Hakura leaned over Inuyasha and tried to smooth away the deep ruts between his eyebrows. His entire body was tense, as if ready for battle.
What is it you dream of? she thought. His only response was a twitch in his sword hand.
"They call him The Beast. They say he's invincible, he and that group of his. He commands loyalty, he does. Incredible with a sword."
Inuyasha growled and twitched again. Hakura laid a palm on his head and concentrated.
She stared at him with big brown eyes. She nodded at him, responding to what he had just said and pulled her hair up with a string of leather.
"Tash."
"Alitash"
The murmured name caught Hakura's attention. She stared at the hanyou's features for a moment and made a little mental note to ask Hiro to dig up anything he could on this Alitash person. It wasn't like it was a terribly common name.
It turned out that Hiro did not need to dig up anything on Alitash. His eyes went wide as she asked him about it.
"Yes, I've heard of her, and so has everyone other youkai in the Eastern Lands. She's an arena fighter, a panther youkai from the Black Lands."
"An arena fighter?"
"Aa. Some in the Eastern Lands still practice the barbaric tradition of watching slaves fight to the death. It is entertainment. Alitash is the most loved by the people, and the longest lived of any slave in the rings. Some say she is waiting for someone to rescue her."
Hakura stared at the ground, the ramifications of this new information slowly sinking in.
"Thank you, my old friend."
"It is no problem. But why do you ask for her?"
Hakura stood. "Because I believe I have found her rescuer."
"Inuyasha."
He stopped, his hand on the strap of his crude armor. Her hand was pale as marble as she laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't get yourself killed. We'd miss you."
He turned to her, his gold eyes soft as he only let them get for two people.
"I won't get killed. I have things to do before I die. So don't worry."
She smiled up at him, her hand on her sword.
"I never do."
Inuyasha couldn't make sense of these moments captured in time, fragments of a memory buried deep and reluctant to rise to the surface of his mind. He saw things that never happened, people he never knew, feelings he'd never felt.
Inuyasha tossed and turned upon his futon, trapped in a dream of mists and forgetfulness.
