Lessons Learned
Author Shortey 83
Chapter 27 Lessons Lost and Forgotten
Disclaimer: I do NOT own InuYasha or Skyrim.
Story Start:
Takara wasn't sure what it was that woke her up; the pounding in her head, the hard plastic surrounding her mouth and nose, or the annoying beeping and whirring from machinery that seemed to be all around her.
What happened? She wondered. Where am I?
Cracking her eyes open the bright glare of florescent lights loomed overhead, and a track with curtains hanging from it circled overhead.
A hospital? How did I get here?
"Takara?" Her dad's voice came from nearby. "Sweetie, can you hear me?"
She moved her head slightly to the side, in the direction her father's voice was coming from until his worry lined face came into view. Something was different about him though. There seemed to be more grey hair creeping into his dark hair, lines of worry seemed to be permanently ingrained in his forehead.
Too tired to speak and feeling heavily drugged, Takara nodded slightly feeling horrible as a few tears slipped from her dad's eyes. The only time she had seen them before was after her mom had passed away.
What happened? Why is he so upset?
Takara tried to think back to how she had made it to the hospital, but everything was fuzzy. She remembered her dad talking about her visiting the local shrines... for something? Even that seemed wrong. Her family had never been particularly religious, so why had he sent her to them? She could feel the drugs beginning to wear off and sensation was beginning to return to her arms. It took her a moment to get her coordination down, but eventually she was able to reach up and pulled the oxygen mask away from her face.
"What happened, Dad?" She croaked, her throat tight and dry from the constant inflow of air.
"I don't know, Takara. What happened? Where have you been?" He asked, reaching forward to grab her hand that was closest to him, his gaze expectant.
"I went to visit the local shrines like you asked for... something, but I don't remember what."
She didn't know what she expected his reaction to be, but shock wasn't the main thing.
"Takara, Sweetie, you've been missing for over a year."
It was Takara's turn to be shocked. She couldn't have been gone for that long. "A year? I don't understand. I was at one of the shrines with Kaos and then..."
She couldn't finish her sentence because she couldn't remember where she had been or what she had even be doing there. Beside her, one of the machines began to beep faster and her head began to hurt. It wasn't long before a nurse accompanied by a doctor interrupted their discussion.
The doctor advised her father to put a pause on the interrogation, stating that wherever she had been, other than a few bumps, bruises and scars, she was in very good health.
"It's not good to overwhelm her in this condition. She did suffer a concussion when she fell." The doctor warned. "Give her time to settle in and recuperate then her missing memories should return. Trying to force her to remember won't do anything but hurt the process."
Takara was grateful for the doctor's advice, but she had a feeling that once she was deemed 'recovered' she was going to experience the modern-day Spanish Inquisition from her dad and older brothers. With a sigh, she turned her attention to the doctors and began to answer their questions, dreading the moment the doctors okayed her for her dad's turn at questioning.
It had been several weeks since Takara had disappeared and Sesshomaru could feel that his rage had yet to disappear. He had left Jaken in charge of the mansion while he went to search for his mate. To make matters worse, Rin was absolutely devastated. When he had told her that Takara was missing, she threw herself at him, tears falling from her eyes as she begged Sesshomaru to find her.
Even Takara's pet seemed to be much more melancholy. He would only eat if Rin took him something but then only a small bite at a time. Even Ayako and the Villagers were distraught that their lady was missing. It was only a matter of time before they had organized themselves, sending pairs out of the village to search for her in all directions.
That had surprised him to no end. The humans had followed through with their promise to go out and search for her, packing their belongings for their long trips.
It went without saying that Sesshomaru himself had set out to look for her. He could feel once she had regained consciousness and something about these things seemed off. He could feel her anxiousness and confusion through their bond. Then there was his demon. For the past few months he had been used to taking in her scent and now as her scent began to fade it was getting more and more restless. It was not safe for him to remain in the village for fear of the slightest incident sending him into a rage.
Even InuYasha and his friends had been attempting to help, teaming up with the dragon Yolheimin to search far and wide, but no matter how they searched, Takara was nowhere to be found.
Most surprising of all was his father's return. Part of him felt his old desires boiling to the surface, a desire to prove that he was the stronger of the two of them, but even stronger was the pull to find his mate. He could feel her still through their bond, but not being able to hold her was driving him mad because as the days went by, he could feel her confusion morphing into a depressed loneliness and her optimism turning into despair.
At times, when he felt her emotions growing particularly strong, he would transform without warning as his beast's desire to feel that connection to her overwhelmed his reason. It was like it had become dependent on her presence, and that thought disturbed him as much as it entertained him. In such a short time, Takara had wrapped it and him around her fingers and he had been powerless to stop it.
His father hadn't said much to him, but he had said that he would also search for his mate. Perhaps once she had been located, Sesshomaru would settle the argument between who was more powerful.
As he sat on a hilltop, transformed into his true self to allow the scents in the wind to wash over him, longing for even a hint of Takara's scent, he could feel her as she drifted off to sleep, the feeling of loneliness growing more and more. His inner demon's longing turned vocal as he howled his frustration at their separation, but he was determined to bring her home.
Kagome and InuYasha watched Sesshomaru from a safe distance. He was already difficult to reason with since Takara had disappeared but transformed, InuYasha was sure that a fight would break out between the two of them. Mostly they kept an eye on him to try and prevent him from rampaging against innocent humans, but even then, they weren't sure they could do much to stop him.
"I wish we could find her, InuYasha," Kagome said, clutching at her kimono close to her heart. "Seeing Sesshomaru like this is horrible."
"Yeah," InuYasha reluctantly agreed. "Not to mention if we don't find her soon, his demon side could take over and really run wild."
"It is a valid concern."
Both InuYasha and Kagome jumped in surprise, turning to find his father, Tōga, behind them. Before either of them could say anything else, he continued. "Sesshomaru's demon has imprinted strongly on his female. I have never seen such a strong bond between two especially considering that she is not demon. However, Sesshomaru has told me that wherever she is, she is confused and sad. His instincts are telling him to go to her and comfort her, but the frustration of not being able to find her is only going to make things worse."
That thought didn't sit well with any of them.
"I have searched everywhere and have found no trace of her, not even scents of her family or anyone whose scent is close to hers."
Kagome's head snapped up in his direction at that statement. An idea forming.
"What is it, Kagome?" InuYasha asked.
"InuYasha, maybe that's the problem." She told him, his and Tōga's attention on her. "Maybe we've been looking for where she is."
"Yeah, and?"
"Maybe we should be looking for when she is."
It seemed her husband had caught on while his father remained somewhat in the dark. "You don't think she ended up back in your world, do you?"
Kagome nodded. "It makes sense. Yolheimin said that the words of power Sahloknir used meant 'Go', 'Living', and 'World'. Perhaps the lack of specificity between those words sent her to a different time. Then again, the shout used to take them to the border of the afterlife didn't specify time either."
"But time flows differently there," InuYasha finished. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Do you think that we can cross back through the well to look for her?"
"It's worth a shot." Kagome agreed.
"Through the well?" Tōga questioned, but there wasn't time to waste.
"I don't have time to explain," Kagome said as she climbed on InuYasha's back. "Please keep an eye on Sesshomaru for us. I'll explain everything if/when we get back."
Without waiting for his response, InuYasha raced off back in the direction of their home and to the Bone Eater's Well.
Much to Takara's surprise, her family had done as the doctor had suggested and not pressed her for information, for the most part. Her brother, Hachiro, the youngest of her eight brothers, was up to his usual antics which involved anything to make her feel bad.
While she got along with her other siblings, there had always been a feeling of dislike between the two of them. Hate is more like she had thought on numerous occasions, but despite her brother being an ass to her, it wasn't right to hate family... was it?
For as long as she could remember, Hachiro had always had it out for her; instigating fights, lying to their dad about her or just getting her into trouble whenever the opportunity presented itself. Eventually their father had come around and began to see through Hachiro's deceptions, but it still hurt Takara's feelings. She always tried to be nice, but no matter what she did it never seemed to be enough for him.
Even now, as she made her way around the house, trying to piece things back together and figure out what had happened to her, her sibling rival kept poking the bear.
"I can't believe you're gone for an entire year with absolutely nothing to show for it."
Takara did her best to ignore him, but he just couldn't seem to shut his mouth.
"So, I think it's either you do remember and don't want to admit you failed with whatever you were trying to do and had to come crawling back, or you don't remember and don't want to try to fill in the blanks."
"Or," Takara sighed for the umpteenth time, "I really don't remember what happened and no matter how hard I try, nothing seems to fit."
"Pfft," he brushed her reasoning aside as he walked away. "As usual, you have an excuse for everything."
Needless to say, just trying to sit down and eat breakfast in the same room as Hachiro was a chore. Just dealing with him made her stomach turn. She really did try to remember what had happened, but it was just like there was a gap in her memory. She knew she was forgetting something, something important, but every time she tried to pull up those memories lately, she began to feel ill.
She had managed to take a few bites of her rice before the stress of remembering seemed to get the better of her and she rushed to the bathroom before she could lose her breakfast in the kitchen.
Better not think about it She thought as she brushed her teeth. All this stress has got my stomach twisted up. Better take it easy today.
As she headed up to her room, to take a nap she knocked on the door to her dad's office and peeked inside. He looked up from his computer, pausing from his work to see what she needed. "What is it, Takara?" he asked. "Did you remember something?"
Takara shook her head. "Unfortunately, not. I'm not feeling very well, so I'm going to lay down for a nap."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just think I've been trying too hard to remember what happened in my missing time. My stomach is upset." She explained, placing a hand on her stomach for emphasis.
"Alright," her dad acknowledged as he replaced his headset. "Just let me know if you need anything."
With a nod, Takara shut the door and proceeded down the hall to her bedroom. As she lay in her bed, she tried not to push herself to try to remember anything and yet, she could only feel that something was missing. She turned on her side and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep and eventually began to drift off until she absentmindedly reached forward only to grab air.
The thought hit her like a ton of bricks.
Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, a bit too quickly and felt the room spin. It's not what I'm missing, but it's more like who I'm missing.
As the realization hit her so did another wave of nausea as she stumbled out of her room and down to the hall bathroom, loosing what little was left in her stomach.
Pounding on the door came from behind her as she wiped her mouth. "Takara?" her father asked, "What's wrong? Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," she answered, battling down another wave of nausea. "I just think I'm close to remembering something and it's not sitting well with me."
"Maybe we should take you to the doctor."
"I'm fine, dad. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I'll go in for a checkup."
Silence answered her for a moment before he finally acknowledged her suggestion and went back to his office. What is with me? She thought to herself as she brushed her teeth again, spitting her toothpaste out only to pause bent over and braced against the sink and stare at her reflection.
Her skin didn't have much more of a tan than she remembered and other than the bags under her eyes from where she hadn't been sleeping well, she didn't appear to have any signs of trauma. Even the place where she had hit her head had healed, leaving only a scar that was just visable at her hair line.
Maybe I'll just take a bath to settle my nerves and relax.
She filled the tub, putting in a few drops of lavender oils to the steaming water, swirling it around with her hand before she undressed. Starring into the mirror, she couldn't help but to try and piece together what could have happened to her during the time that was missing. The bruises that had been fading as she was released from the hospital had long since faded, but there were scars that she couldn't explain. The first was on her forearm, a long jagged looking scar that the doctor said resembled a burn. Takara had never been one to play with fire, but perhaps she had done some irresponsible things during the gaps in her memory. Maybe she hadn't been herself.
She pulled her long, dark hair over her right shoulder, moving it out of the way so she could examine the scar on the left more closely. It's more like several scars. She thought as she leaned closer to the mirror to examine the spot from a different angle. There were what looked to be four large puncture marks, two of them close to her collar bone and two a few inches behind them. Needle wounds my ass, she thought as she remembered what the doctor had said. Those are bite marks. Maybe I took a trip to Transylvania. Surrounding those puncture marks were several smaller ones, along with a few small scars a fraction of an inch long that were much lighter. Almost like something's teeth scraped me there.
Straightening her back, she took a long look at her reflection. The doctor said that her memory could be missing for numerous reasons; anything from her bump on the head to a stressful event blocking the memory away. There was no way to tell why it had happened or even when/if she would regain those memories, but part of her hoped that she would.
As her own blue eyes stared back at her from the mirror, she tried to deduce what had happened. Her scars didn't tell her much, either she had been attacked by a wild animal at some point or Dracula had failed in his attempt to make her his newest dark mistress. She almost laughed at that thought, but she didn't want to give her family any reason to barge in on her. After another quick glance in the mirror, Takara turned away and stepped into the tub, finally allowing herself to sink into the warm water.
She wrapped her hair in a towel to keep it from getting wet and attempted to clear her mind, but the nagging feeling that she was missing...something?... Someone?... kept sneaking into her mind.
The soak wasn't helping as much as she had thought it would to soothe her stomach, but at least she wasn't heaving anymore. It did bring to her attention the slight ache in her chest. Usually her breasts were a little tender just before her period-
Takara's eyes snapped open and she sat up in the tub, water sloshing over the edge from her quick movements. She thought back to her hospital visit and counted the weeks since she had been home.
6 weeks. She thought, counting and then recounting several more times. I've been home for 6 weeks and I haven't got my period yet. Slowly, as not to overwhelm herself, Takara climbed out of the tub and drained the water. She quickly dried herself off and looked in the mirror once more. True, her bra had been just a little bit tighter than she remembered, but she had just thought she had gained weight.
Get it together, Takara. She coached herself. You're not pregnant. Your hormones are just acting funny because of the stress. She took a deep, relaxing breath to calm her nerves. Besides, you have to have sex to get pregnant and you...
She paused.
And you have no idea if you have or haven't BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FREAKING REMEMBER!
With a sigh, Takara wrapped her towel around her, propped her elbows up on the sink and placed her face in her hands. "This is just great..." she groaned. Better not tell dad. She thought. He'll freak out.
As if on cue, a knock came from the other side of the door. "Takara?" It was her dad again. "You alright in there?"
"Yeah, I guess." she answered back before he could panic. "I think it would be best if I went to the doctor just in case in the morning."
"Is something the matter?" His voice sounded worried.
"No, I just think I've got a stomach bug or something. The way my luck's been, I don't want to take any chances." Her explanation seemed to work, and her father agreed to take her first thing in the morning, the downside was that he had already promised he would be right there with her. At least she had the rest of the night to figure out a reason to keep him out of the room.
InuYasha and Kagome stood at the edge of the well, both of them almost too scared to think about what could happen if the well didn't work as intended. "You think we should both try?" InuYasha finally asked, placing a foot on the well.
Kagome thought for a minute before she answered. "I think you would have to. Japan is so big, I don't think I would be able to find her on my own, but..."
InuYasha waited a moment for her to continue her thought, but she hesitated. "But what, Kagome?"
"Wouldn't Sesshomaru be able to find her faster?"
"Well, yeah he would, but can you imagine how many people could get hurt with him in his current state?"
"I guess you're right," she sighed, hoping on her husband's back. "Let's just hope this works. I don't know if it will help things, InuYasha, but please try and want to find Takara. Maybe that will help us make it through the well."
Knowing they were hoping against hope that the well would let them cross back over to Kagome's time, InuYasha and Kagome leapt into the well. InuYasha braced for the hard impact at the bottom of the well, but beyond all belief, he opened his eyes to find the two of them drifting through the purple light until he lightly touched down at the bottom of the well.
Both of them paused, unsure if the well had truly worked, but after a few car horns rang out in the distance, both of them celebrated. "We made it!"
InuYasha hoped out of the well and set Kagome down on shaky legs. While he knew she was happy with him in his world, he knew that she longed to see her family too; now she could.
Their reunion had been full of laughs and tears, but InuYasha reminded his wife why they had come back, and the urgency with which they needed to find Takara.
"Do either of you know where she lives?" Kagome asked her family. Her mom, shaking her head no, but her grandfather spoke up. "I don't, but maybe I would've if her car hadn't been stolen from in front of the shrine."
"Stolen?"
"Yeah," Sota answered for him. " The same day she fell through the well, a group of high school delinquents stole her car. None of them admitted where they found it parked and that's the only reason the police never came here looking for her."
"Man, that's kind of a lucky break."
"But the good news is, we were both in the same school for a while. She was a few grades above me, but I kind of have a general idea where her house is."
InuYasha nodded, "It's as good of a place as any to start."
With a local map in hand, Kagome and InuYasha took off from her childhood home in search of their missing friend.