Title: Sibling Rivalry
Genre: InuYasha
Sub-Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Author: Yohko no Gothika
Author's Note: We're rollin right over into the next one guys. Oh yeah, and I am aware I spelled something consistently wrong last chapter; "Buntsuki". That is how I originally intended it to be spelled. It shouldn't be a big deal, but whatever. Just so you people know I know. Oh, and another thing I've noticed is the title for the fic is already taken! Shimatta! Anywho, I'm going to want reviewers to cue the suggestions, eh? Now, onward to victory! Or the new chapter, whatever you choose to call it.
Disclaimer: InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Scroll 4 : Of Past and Present (or The Siblings Are Reunited, Part I)
"Smells...no...no way...ugh! I hate this future!" InuYasha couldn't get over it. It annoyed him to no end. It smelled...it smelled like her. He blanched, grimacing. What was making it smell like this? Who could possibly mimic that overwhelmingly familiar scent of love? The sweet, unbearable odor of trust and wet leaves that held so many precious memories? Why did he smell this, amongst the backdrop of concrete and demon blood and Kagome? He had known months ago, when Kaede told him, that he would never again know that scent. That it would always be faint whenever he did, worn away by half a century.
He would never see his sister again.
He dismissed it. It was a mistake. It had to be. His sister...was no longer in this world. For all he knew she could've long vanished from the next. But her smell...surely, it wouldn't be here. It had to be a mistake. He gave up trying to think over what could possibly awaken such an odor in this foul place, and put it out of his mind. There were more important things to worry over. Kagome, for instance. He sniffed for her, the scent like his sister's filling his nostrils once more. Damn! Why was it so pungent? He would never sniff Kagome out of it!
A coughing to his left made him aware that he had been relieved of this duty, as Kagome stood from the rubble, her hand over her mouth as she hacked into it. "InuYasha...you...idiot!" she sputtered through her coughing fit. "I told you...not !" Still breathing hard from coughing so much she brushed herself off indignantly, the dust billowing off of her dark green turtleneck and pink skirt.
"What are you talking about wench?! You could've been killed!" he shouted back in her direction, Tessaiga held lightly over his other shoulder. He had rushed here partially to help her, and she was SCOLDING him?! Who did she think she was, getting all in a huff over nothing?
"We were just fine until you came along!" she retorted, hands on her hips. "Without you we might've been alot better off, you pig-headed moron!"
He was about to respond, when something about what she had just said caught his attention. Her raised a skeptical brow. " 'We'? " That would mean there was more than one of her, right?
"Ah!" Kagome realized she'd been referring to both her and Dog-Girl. "Well...yeah. Um...you see...well..." This was going to be REALLY difficult to explain. But then, if she was going to explain it to anyone, this was probably the easiest it was going to get. She doubted a inu-hanyou girl hung from the ceiling would have much effect on InuYasha at all. In fact, he might be the best person to tell. He had been pinned to a tree for fifty years. It couldn't possibly weird him out that much that there were others with similar problems. She might as well try.
A large chunk of cement besides was shoved aside, and Dog-girl emerged from rubble. She stood and shook herself in a dog-like fashion, spattering cement dust all over the place. She stood up fully now, giving her head an experimental shake to see if she was even moderately clean. "Whew! Dusty." She gave a quick sneeze into her open palm. "Bleh, I be smelling that for months!" She flicked her ears, and then seemed to finally catch site of InuYasha. Her eyes widened substantially as did his, and they simply stared at each other for several moments, completely rigid and oblivious to Kagome's questioning glances between the two of them.
"Holy shit," Dog-Girl said, stumbling backwards but never once breaking their locked gazes. InuYasha's lip trembled beneath gritted teeth. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. This had to be an illusion or something. That it! It had to be the demon! It was mocking him, mocking his sister's body, pretending to be something that it wasn't. He clenched his jaw and fists more tightly in a rage. How dare that piece of scum...He would make it pay dearly for this. That thing would not fool him with such a disgustingly accurate replica of her.
"RAA!" he cried viciously, lunging for her, his claws extended. She yelped and ducked just in time and he crashed into the wall behind her. Unfazed, he rose and lunged for her once more, completely engulfed in fury and anguish. How dare they...!
The girl whipped around just in time to see him come at her again. Evil spirits! That demon had had more nerve than she'd thought! An illusion...this had to be a trick! But the smell...the voice...how was he doing this so convincingly? InuYasha had been gone...for a very long time. Her brother, her only, was dead. At the moment, it was all she could remember. But this girl...this girl brought memories back too. Memories of that day. Horrid memories...no! She couldn't let them fool her! This wasn't be her brother! It couldn't be! She had to fend him off, no matter how bad it felt. Her brother...her wonderful oniisan...
She dodged quickly, avoiding his blows once more, but caught him with a speedy elbow jab to the stomach, catching his wrist and flicking ever so slightly that he tumbled over it, flipping and crashing into the ground. Pleased with herself for catching him off gaurd she slashed downwards with claws but he caught her arm mid-swing and proceeded to fling her through the air towards the opposite wall. She squealed unpleasantly and jabbed her clawed fingers into the wooden, using them to screech to a hault before she hit it. The sound of her voice gave InuYasha's stomach an unpleasant jolt as he scrambled to his feet. It was mimicking her words as well? Ooh, he would make it pay.
She leapt into the air using her hand and he followed, voraciously wanting to hurt whatever was mocking him now. It was copying all of her move, her words, her body language, and it was intolerable. How dare it mock...mock her. She grabbed the collar of his robes and attempted to rip them away from his skin, but he yanked backward, hard, so that she lost her grip and flew over him, heading towards the ground below. She flipped, and both landed on their feet. He glared at her over his shoulder, and she glared back. How dare...how dare...
Kagome watched from where she stood against the wall near the elevator, absolutely mortified. "Omigod..." she whispered to herself. What was going on? One minute they couldn't take their eyes off one another, the next they were engaed in the battle of the century. She looked from one to the other, as the two exchanged thoroughly nasty looks.
What was going on?
-----
Sango stared into the late summer sunset, stroking a purring Kirara on her lap. She was worried. Shippo had told her of InuYasha's going to the past over a half-an-hour ago. It wasn't like him to stay in Kagome's time for so long. Very unsettling, really. To her right, Miroku slowly chewed an apple, propped against his staff, musing over the same thing. What was taking their hanyou friend so long to return from a "rescue mission" he had judged completely unimportant? In retrospect, trouble was usually the only thing that stalled him in Kagome's time. But then, what could they do? None of them could make the journey through the well. It was just a matter of time, they supposed, until they got word of what was going on, one way or another.
Shippo was the most distressed out of all of them. Had he been right? Was Kagome-chan really in danger? Ugh! Why hadn't that idiot InuYasha gotten up an done something about it sooner?! The fool! The young fow youkai chewed his bottom lip unpleasantly, hoping to all that were divine would be sure to get their Kagome back safe. He hated when she wasn't around. Over the years the two had journeyed about as comrades, she had become like an older sister to him. He could only hope that InuYasha would protect her, and that his oaf of a companion had reached her in time.
-----
InuYasha, however, was engaged in a fierce battle with a demon that was pretending to be his late sister.
He removed Tessaiga from its sheath, and swung it at her with great ferocity, only to find that he had slashed through air and she was headbutting him. He fell backwards, his forehead bruised only slightly, but recovered quickly and slashed again. She appeared on top his blade this time, glaring at him disgustedly before bringing her claws in a direct attack on his face. He ducked and she missed, going with him, and was thrown off balance. Taking an opporitunity, he dropped the sword and punched for her with his right fist, only to be met by the clap of skin on skin as she caught and countered with her opposaite hand. He caught it in the same fashion and they had finally come to an impass. Venomous electricity flowed between the two.
"Evil thing...!" she seethed through clenched teeth. "Pretending to be my brother!"
"I'm pretending?! You're pretending!"
"Liar!"
"Who's lying? Come off it! My sister died a long time ago! You can't fool me!" InuYasha yelled, his tone become less angry and more desperate.
"So did...my brother. You claim to be him, how can you be?! He was killed...by..."
There was an eerie silence as the two stared at each other, dumbstruck. "How...how can this be? You can't be him...he...you..." Dog-Girl was speechless and stuttering. There was no way...no way in hell...
InuYasha stared up at her. "Kaede told me...you died a year after..."
"Oh my god...InuYasha?" Both released their hold on one another and stood fully upright, staring in awe. "Can it...Is it really...oh my god! InuYasha!" She leapt forward and embraced him tightly around the waist, sending them both to the ground. Neither cared. He hugged her to him, not believe it but wanting it so badly to be true. "Oniisan! How is this?! How is it you're alive?!" she cried in his ear, nuzzling into his soft silver hair. "I saw you die...I saw Kikyo pin you to that tree! Can this be true?! Can you really be here, in my arms again?!" She was hysterical. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible. But if only it were true! If only this were really happening! The joy flooded her for the first time in ageless centuries. Her beloved oniisan...her wonderful oniisan...please let this be true!
He could feel her in his arms. "I know...I know...! And Kaede told me that you went mad! That you were killed in a rampage of your own doing, trying to get me free. By an arrow. Imouto...where have you been? I've missed you so much!" I've been alone for so long.
"I know...I..." She sighed. "It's a really long story. Yours too?"
"Yeah...but worth summarizing."