Chapter Twenty
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ONWARD!
The next thing I know I'm on my hands and knees, starring down at the ground of the well in utter disbelief. It's dark, only a flickering of light coming from above me, the source being the torches light around the shelter that surrounded the present-day well.
He had shoved me down the well.
He had told me not to come back.
My throat closes up, eyes burning as I pound the ground with my fist, needing some sort of outlet for the hurt I felt raging in my chest. I do it again, and again, and again, until my hand is sore.
Why would he do this?! Why did he have to kiss me like that before throwing me away?!
In the back of my mind I reminded myself that he had done this out of care, out of wanting to protect me, but in the moment I was too angry and hurt to let myself be reasoned with. Not when I could still feel the warmth of his lips on mine, the firmness of his muscles pressed up against my curves…
A shudder of want runs down my spine, vexing me even further. Snarling I pound the ground with my fist once more, just for good measure, before slowly moving to stand. The ladder that had been here before was still hanging down the side, with a flashlight laying right at the bottom.
'Kagome…' I think to myself gratefully, walking over and grabbing it. Turning it on, I look around the well one more, before looking back down to the ground in determination. 'Maybe I can get through without the jewel shards? Kagome had!' I think to myself, before my eyes widen as I hear a familiar voice in my head.
'It's because of her sharing her soul with Kikyo. Kikyo's powers allowed her to pass through.' Mayumi explains, her voice sounding more like an echo. My brows furrowed in confusion.
'You sound so distant.'
'Being in the present time is difficult for me, and my powers are already nearly drained as it is. We'll lose contact soon enough.' She responds grimly. 'I'm afraid I don't have enough power left to let you through the well without the help of the Sacred Jewel.' My heart sinks with my spirit, hand quivering around the flashlight.
'So I'm stuck here? I'll never get to see Inuyasha, any of my friends, again?' I ask, but am met with a cold and resounding silence as Mayumi fades from my mind. "I can't get back." I gasp out loud, my chest suddenly feeling incredibly heavy. "I can't get back." I repeat, almost in a daze as my breath comes out harshly in short bursts. Darkness starts to invade my vision, unable to get a true breath in. "I-Inuyasha…"
"Yua?!" Kagome's surprised shout snaps me out of it, my vision suddenly clearing up as I take in a huge gasp of air. "Yua? What's wrong?!" She calls from above me in worry, and I look up, seeing her leaning over the edge of the well.
"I-I fell in…and I don't know if I can get back." I respond, giving the very short version of it all. Kagome's brows furrow as her brown eyes gaze at me with confusion.
"Why don't you come up, and we'll figure everything out?" She asks soothingly, extending her hand over the edge of the well towards me. My eyes focus on her hand, an anchor point for me to keep my emotions in check. Nodding, I move to the ladder, climbing up it slowly. When I reach her hand I take it firmly in my own, and she helps me up the last couple of rungs. Once I'm seated on the edge, I look over my shoulder down at the bottom of the well one last time.
I made it back once, and I will do it again.
Inuyasha's POV
With more effort than I cared to admit, I uprooted a good sized tree near the well, before shoving it down inside of it for good measure. Shippo, true to nature, comes out of nowhere and attaches himself to my leg.
"What are you doing, Inuyasha?! You're going to destroy the well!" Shippo exclaims nervously, before looking around curiously. "Speaking of which, where is Yua?" He asks, and I feel a prang of regret hit me hard in the chest, and using the hurt to help me push past my physical pain I shove the tree further down the well.
"I sent her home, for good." I reply firmly, Shippo's little face dropping in an admittedly heart-breaking expression.
"Y-you did what?" He gasps, tears actually welling up in his blue eyes.
'Yeah, how do you think I feel, buddy? I finally figure out I may even love her, and I have to send her away, maybe forever, for her own protection.' I think dryly as I look down at him with a frown, trying to keep my own sadness and regret from showing in my own eyes. I couldn't be weak.
Yua's life depended on it.
"STOP!" Shippo shouts desperately, pulling at my pant leg as I turn to shove the tree even deeper, the wooden edges of the well buckling under the weight. "She won't be able to come back through if you do that!"
"It's for her own good, Shippo. She's in too much danger here with Naraku after her as well." I explain, before grimacing as I feel the little tyke bite into my leg then. The little fucker was persistent, I'd give him that much.
And he was loyal.
I kick him off of me, being careful to not actually hurt the little guy, and he goes rolling away from me. Quickly recovering, Shippo stands and glares at me, rubbing at the side of his face where I had pressed my foot.
"Stop kidding yourself! She can handle it, and you need her just as much as the rest of us!" Shippo argues as I turn to face him, crossing my arms.
"I can't fight the way I want to, the way I need to, with her around." I tell him seriously, and I knew I was right. I held back, I was always distracted, thinking about making sure that I protected her. Without her here, I didn't have to worry about her fragile human form being crumples by some demon.
Or claimed by Naraku.
I could feel my blood boiling at that once more, hands clenching into fists that were hidden under the sleeves of my kimono. There was no way in hell I was letting him touch her, rape her.
And she would sure as fuck would not bear his child.
"Let's go, Shippo." I order, feeling my chest starting to tighten. I had to get away from here, quick, before I changed my mind and took the jewel shards with me back to her. I move around the fox demon as he crawls towards the well, sniffling.
"I'm not going anywhere. I hate you." Shippo bites out through his tears, and it hits me harder than I'd like to admit.
"Fine. Suit yourself." I mutter lowly, before continuing on my way. The well was close enough to the village, so I would hear if he ran into trouble before coming back. I'd give the fox demon a few hours, tops, long enough to gather himself at least.
"So you must have a plan, some sort of lead, if you've sent Yua back to her time." Miroku asks calmly, surprisingly taking what I had done in stride. Once I had returned to Kaede's hut, Miroku and Kaede both had launched on me, wondering where Yua was. Kaede had been less than impressed to hear what I had done, taking her leave almost directly after I had finished telling them. Miroku, however, had stayed. He had understood why I had done what I did, even though he clearly didn't like it at the same time.
"I'm not exactly the strategizing type. I take action." I explain, sighing heavily as my weariness starts to set in.
"I need you to work with me, Inuyasha." Miroku presses, frowning. "I need you to go back to when this all started. You mentioned that you fell into Naraku's trap fifty years ago in this very same village, correct?"
"Yeah." I answer simply, not really wanting to dwell on Mayumi too much in that moment. It hurt enough thinking about Yua. Her lips had been so soft…her body so warm and inviting when I had held her to me.
She had submitted to me, in a way that neither Kikyo, nor even Mayumi, ever had.
"So then, you've met Naraku in person, haven't you?" Miroku assumes, and I frown, shaking my head. The memory of Kikyo standing before me as I hold Mayumi, dying in my arms, flashes though my mind.
"Not exactly. I may have met him, but if I did he was disguised as Kikyo." I respond, looking away and down at my crossed legs. "I have no idea what he looks like."
"It makes no sense." Miroku sighs, leaning back against the wall behind him. "You don't know Naraku, and yet he despised you enough to disguise himself as Kikyo, to trick you both to your deaths. Could you have done something in the past to cause him to be embittered?" I scoff, rolling my eyes slightly.
"How do I know? I don't even know what he looks like, remember?" I snap, sighing heavily. I look towards the doorway, catching the familiar scent of Shippo as he comes in, head bowed. He refuses to look at either of us, going over to the far wall and sitting down, facing away.
"Hm. Well, one thing we do know is that Kikyo was a priestess. Perhaps it was she, and not you, that Naraku had a deep grudge against?" My eyes widen slightly at his thought, looking towards him. "It would make more sense."
"Kikyo was jealous of Mayumi. That's why she attacked us that day." I explain. "I stole the Jewel soon after to become a full demon just to spite Kikyo, and because I felt I had nothing left to be human for. In the fight when I first took the jewel I wounded her, fatally, without the need for the Sacred Jewel." Miroku frowns then, looking towards Inuyasha.
"What if the woman that you saw kill Mayumi wasn't Kikyo? What if it was Naraku? If she had a grudge against Mayumi, he would expect your reaction when she killed her, and that you would kill Kikyo yourself for revenge. Then he would swoop in and take the jewel for himself." Miroku theorizes, and I feel like a tidal wave was washing over me. I know the theory had crossed Yua's and mine's paths before, but to hear the monk, one that hardly even knew me, theorize such a thing almost made it seem even more possible that was exactly what may have happened.
Had Naraku orchestrated this entire thing? Was Kikyo really a victim in all this?
Yua's POV
The next morning I woke feeling worse than the day before. Maybe it was because when I opened my eyes I fully expected to be back in Kaede's hut, Inuyasha sleeping against the wall across from me.
Instead I'm greeted with the sight of Kagome, snoring in her tangled blankets.
Feeling shattered, I get out of bed and change into some normal clothes for the first time in the last couple of months. I find the clothes to be rather baggy on me, even more so than when I had been back during the fiasco with the Noh Mask. Going to the window, I look out towards the tree, the prang of longing hitting me harder than it had the last time I was here.
"You're submitting to me…"
A shiver rushes down my spine as I remember just how gravely his voice had been when he had said that. Distantly I hear Kagome getting up, obviously going about her morning routine to get ready for school. She leaves without a word after hesitating at the doorway to her room. Minutes pass it feels like as I watch her and Sota leave the house, heading down the steps from the Shrine together.
"Yua?" Aunt Miyu knocks before entering the room. When I don't turn to her, she gives a sad sigh. "Oh, Yua. Why don't we find something to distract you for a little bit?" She asks, and I blink in surprise as I turn to look at her curiously. "Let's go shopping. You obviously are in need of some new clothes."
Well…I suppose it did beat sitting around here and moping at the stupid tree.
Two hours later found us sitting on a bench in the park, eating at some ice cream that Aunt Miyu had promised would be a miracle cure for being down in the dumps.
She wasn't all wrong.
Overall, it had been great that she had taken me out and kept me busy, because it had taken my mind off of things. Now we were here, and silence hung over us, I couldn't help thinking how much Shippo would love to try ice cream sometime. One thing led to another, and soon enough my shoulders were slumping in defeat, and I was having trouble swallowing the ice cream past the lump in my throat.
"Did I ever tell you about how my husband and I had a rough patch early on in our years of dating?" Aunt Miyu suddenly speaks up, and I look to her slightly surprised. Shaking my head, she continues. "We were just heading into college when he had decided that he might have 'outgrown our relationship'. His words exactly." My eyes widen in shock.
"Really?" I ask dubiously, hardly imagining my Uncle, whom I could remember worshiping the very ground my Aunt walked on, could have said such a thing. Aunt Miyu smiles softly, nodding.
"We broke up for almost two whole years." She goes on with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes I look back on those two years as such a waste, especially now that he's gone." She adds, a sad look coming over her face. For a moment I felt insanely guilty. Here I am moping about a guy that I loved that was still technically alive, and Aunt Miyu was a widow to the love of her life. "But, if that break hadn't of happened, then Tai wouldn't have realized that the grass isn't always greener on the other side." She finishes dryly, and I couldn't help blinking in surprise. "I think the same will happen between yourself and this Inuyasha boy. He clearly cares for you, after all, you said last night he sent you back through the well for your protection. When he realizes he was wrong, or when he feels it is safe enough, he'll come back for you."
"Do you really think so?" I can't help asking in a small voice, for the first time today feeling genuinely hopeful. Aunt Miyu nods.
"And if he doesn't, then he is absolutely crazy for not coming back for a girl like you." Aunt Miyu adds sweetly, and I can't help feeling tears of appreciation burning at my eyes. She wraps her arm around my shoulders, hugging me into her side with a kind smile.
"Thank you for everything, Aunt Miyu." I murmur softly then, letting myself be pulled in to her.
"That's what Aunts are for, sweetheart."
Inuyasha's POV
I had found it difficult to get up the next morning, and it wasn't just because I was still in a good amount of pain. I had woken to look across Kaede's hut, only to see the place where Yua usually slept unoccupied. Everything from yesterday came slamming back to me in an instant, and I felt my chest constrict painfully.
'No, I can't let her come back. Not when she is in danger.' I stared at the spot she should have been, Miroku slowly rising as well. Shippo was gone again without a word, and his anger at me stung once more, but I also knew that I deserved it from the little brat. Yua had become like a Mother to him after all these months, and I had taken her away from him.
Away from me.
Kaede entered the hut with a bowl of water, and wordlessly came around to kneel behind me. Without needing to be told, I slip the shirt of both my fire-rat kimono and my white under-kimono from my shoulders. I hiss instantly as she applies the cold ointment on the skin of my back, the sour smell of it quickly overwhelming my nose. The old woman had barely spoken two words to me yesterday as well, but she wouldn't be helping me I suppose if she was still that angry with me.
"These injuries are serious. Ye won't be seeing any battles for some time yet." Kaede decides to inform me, and I feel my irritation rise easily. Way more easily than it had with the old lady before.
"It won't hold me back any longer than two or three days." I argue, Miroku going about to making the morning tea.
"Not surprising that ye would put on a brave face." Kaede quips, before smacking me against the back. I squeak in pain, surprised by her move, before letting out a yell I was unable to help with the building burn from where she had smacked me.
'That evil bitch! Trying to make a point!' I whimper inwardly. No doubt, that was also her shot at me for throwing Yua down the well. 'At least she's hopefully got it out of her system…' I think weakly, trying to hold in an unmanly whimper. "What was that for?" I can't help asking pathetically, but Kaede gives me a look with her one eye that says it all. I huff, slouching in defeat before I slowly pull my tops back on.
"I need to speak to ye about my sister." Kaede adds, and I frown, slowly turning to face the old woman. "I have put a lot of thought into this ever since my sister Kikyo was revived by the evil witch, Urasue." Miroku's head snaps up, his attention clearly on the elderly priestess now as well. "Kikyo had told me as well of your supposed meeting in the meadow, that ye had told her that ye would leave Mayumi to become human, and live a human life with her. Clearly that was not the case, and my sister was tricked by the one you now call Naraku." Kaede frowns, getting up and grabbing a cloth so she could remove the kettle from over the fire as the water boiled. She poured out four cups of steaming tea, the aroma thankfully taking over the stench from the ointment on my back. "Is it not strange, that this man who had disguised himself as ye could have made off with the jewel, and yet he did not? Instead he tricked ye into terrorizing the village, and pursuing the Sacred Jewel. Then, in the fight that killed my sister, you were bound to the tree by her sacred arrow." I frown at the memory, my hand raising up to the place that the arrow had pierced. It still often ached when I thought about it. "Was the trickster attempting to pit ye against one and other, or was it Kikyo who was the true object of his malice?"
"I had the same thought." Miroku spoke up after taking a sip from his tea, setting the cup down.
"I think he may have been trying to fill her heart with hatred and bitterness." Kaede continues after nodding at Miroku. I blink in surprise.
"What?" I can't help asking after finally getting my fire-rat kimono back over my shoulders.
"In Kikyo's possession the Sacred Jewel Of The Four Souls remained pure. But when her heart became tainted and hateful, the jewel also became so inside, and filled with a malevolent power." Kaede informs us, and my mouth falls open slightly.
"Then that was happening well before Naraku, back when I left her for Mayumi." I murmur in realization, Kaede nodding grimly.
"Aye, I believe that to be the case. She was so consumed with her jealousy and hatred of Mayumi…and at the time there was but a single person who had wished for the tainting of the Shikon no Tama." Kaede pauses dramatically, as per her nature as she slowly moves to stand, her tea forgotten. "Shall I take ye to the place where this man once resided?"
"Yes, please do." Miroku speaks up eagerly, and Kaede nods and leads us from her hut. The old lady leads us well away from the village, off of the beaten path and through a meadow.
"Kikyo had come to her own decision." Kaede speaks up as we walk through the chest deep grass.
"So she was harboring a thief?" I scoff, frowning deeply.
"Because she pitied him. He was unable to move on his own." Kaede explains, but I still can't seem to get on board. We come out of the grass to a hilly area, a cave directly in front of us made from the earth. A tree sat on top, no doubt it's roots holding the roof up still. "This is the cave. The man went by the name of Onigumo. He suffered from terrible burns, and his face was especially scarred. I know not if he fell from a cliff, or how he sustained his injuries, but both legs were broken." I frown, looking from the old woman and back to the cave curiously. "Yet, despite his severe wounds, Onigumo continued to endure. He did not move again, but he recovered his strength enough to be able to converse."
"And what did he speak to Kikyo about?" Miroku asks curiously, but there is a sharpness to his tone suggesting he was hoping this was leading somewhere.
"Kikyo never fully disclosed their conversations to me, however, I do know that his nature gradually emerged. I helped my sister on the days that I could, and when he was able to talk, he spoke to me. He asked about my sister most predominantly, and about the Sacred Jewel." Kaede frowns grimly, and my eyes widen in shock.
Was this story going where I think it was?
"He took joy in speaking about how he wished Kikyo's soul would corrupt the Jewel through her fear and anger. He was a sickened man." Kaede frowns, looking troubled. "Of course, I went straight to my sister and told her this. She insisted that I needed to pity the man, for he would never move from that spot again." Kaede pauses, sighing heavily. "It was only a year after that when Kikyo had bound ye to the tree with her arrow.
Several days later, when I went to visit Onigumo at the cave, I had found it had been burned out. Judging by what I saw, the flames must have been intense. Onigumo was unable to move, and would have perished in the cave." I feel my stomach drop slightly.
"Only he didn't." I supply, my voice wary. Kaede shakes her had.
"His bones were nowhere to be found. As a child, I had thought that they too must have gone up in flames." I frown at that, before looking back to the cave.
"What are you trying to get at, Kaede?" Miroku asks, his voice almost eager.
"I'm looking for Naraku, and Naraku is a demon, not a human." I argue, but even as I do I feel a sliver of doubt.
"Onigumo may have been evil, but he was human. A scourge to humanity." Kaede amends, her gaze troubled.
"Let's go inside and take a look." Miroku volunteers up, and I can't help but agree with him with my own curiosity getting to me. The three of us walk in together, stepping carefully down the slope of the cave that lead towards the bottom. Miroku stops suddenly, turning to the elderly priestess.
"Lady Kaede, look there." He points towards a spot just in front of us, untouched and smooth. I frown curiously, looking from the monk towards the space, before looking towards Kaede. "This site alone is free of moss or grass of any kind."
"Oh, this is the same place, the very site where Onigumo lay injured." Kaede replies in surprise. Miroku moves forward, kneeling and reaching towards the spot, before suddenly jerking to a stop and waving his staff over the area. My eyes widen in surprise, wondering what on earth was going on. Miroku scrambles to his feet, standing back with his arm protectively in front of him.
"I'm sensing the evil spirit of a demon!" Miroku cries out with urgency, and I feel my entire body stiffen. "An entity which was left behind here for decades!"
"Impossible." Kaede exclaims in disbelief.
"Could it be a human that left this foul spirit behind? Here, where even grass refuses to grow?" Miroku asks, sounding just as bewildered as the old woman. I feel electricity suddenly shoot through me, my heart racing as I just somehow know that what Miroku was feeling wasn't even remotely human.
"The spirit in here belongs to no human." I reply solemnly from just behind Miroku, my face set in a hard glare towards the spot where Onigumo had once rested. "It's definitely that of a demon."
"But if Onigumo was human, how could he have possessed the spirit of a demon?" Miroku asks, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he looks back down at the bald spot on the ground.
"HELP." Shippo's voice suddenly echoes from outside of the cave. "SOMEBODY, HELP ME!" I stiffen, turning sharply and racing out of the cave, claws at the ready as Miroku and Kaede follow behind. Stopping I'm shocked at what I see. A pack of wolves were chasing the small boy down. Without a second thought to my injuries I race forward, one hand grabbing Shippo up from where he had tripped on the ground and holding him protectively to my chest.
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" I force my demonic energy outwards from my claws, the attack second nature to me as it slices effectively through all the wild wolves. I land after cutting through them, wincing and quickly falling to one knee, but never once letting go of the shaking boy in my arms. The pain was intense, and ripped through my entire mid-section. I didn't need to see it to know I had reopened the wound that Sesshomaru had left me with.
"Are you in pain?" Shippo asks in worry as he leans back to look up at me, clearly forgetting his anger at me from yesterday in that moment. He pulls his little hand back, and I can see the blood covering his plan. "Inuyasha, you're bleeding!" He frets, but as I look up I realize we have bigger problems.
Much bigger.
"Might you be Inuyasha?" The large wolf demon, standing almost forty feet tall with abnormally large eyes, asks. He is covered in armor, clearly a warrior, but as the drool leaks down from his teeth I know he's a lower class demon at best. His brown fur was dulled, patchy, almost sickly looking.
"Depends on who's asking!" I shout back to him, ignoring the searing pain to stand with Shippo in my arms. A low class demon like this asshole would be nothing for me on a regular day. Today, though, I could be in trouble, but I also couldn't show it.
"I am Royakan! The guardian of Hell!" The monster growls out, and I pull Shippo more protectively into my chest at that.
"Royakan! Are ye not the gentle creature that guards the forest?" Kaede asks in surprise, and even I'm taken aback. This guy was supposed to be gentle? He looks half mad with the drool dripping from his jaws!
"That was before I was reborn!" Royakan proclaims loudly. "Inuyasha, I have come to slay you!" He points his finger at me, before leaning back as his chest expands. Shocked, I watch as another pack of wolves suddenly erupts from within, straight out of his mouth.
Hell, I guess I haven't seen everything!
I put Shippo down behind me, standing protectively in front of him. "Good luck is all that I can say!" I state, clenching my hands into fists. The wolves come at me, one or two at a time, and one after the other I swipe, killing them with ease. Despite the low effort needed, my whole upper body is burning in pain, and I can feel the weakness from blood loss.
I knew if I slowed down that I could actually be killed.
'How fucking embarrassing would that be? Killed by a bunch of lowly wolves.' I growl to myself in irritation at my weakened state. I scoop up Shippo, having to move to keep up, glancing over to see that Miroku was holding his own in front of Kaede.
"There is more where that came from!" Royakan shouts out, before spewing out dozens more. My eyes widen in disbelief, inwardly groaning.
Fuck, if Yua was here she could take out them all in one blast.
"There is only one choice!" Miroku exclaims, and I see out of the corner of my eye after slaying another wolf that he has grabbed at his prayer beads. He opens his hand before I have a chance to get out of range, and I just barely manage to hold my ground with Shippo as he gets rid of the last of the wolves. Turning towards us, he looks at me in particular with concern. He stops his Wind Tunnel, arm at the ready for more. "Inuyasha, this way!" He shouts, and I growl lowly in frustration.
There was no way in hell I was letting that monk protect me.
Royakan lets loose another dozen wolves and I take out all that come our way, Shippo moving up to my shoulder. They were surrounding us as I kneel down, needing a moment of reprieve.
"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Shippo asks in worry as he hangs onto my shoulder tightly. I growl lowly, feeling the intense need to ensure his safety washing over me once more. I couldn't be weak, not as his Alpha.
But there was no denying that I was in deep shit.
"My vision is starting to become blurry." I find myself admitting in my exhausted delirium. Miroku continuing with his Wind Tunnel nearby. I watch weakly as Miroku closes his hand, rushing forth towards Royakan to try and envelop him in his Wind Tunnel. He almost succeeds, before Royakan slams his fists down into the ground to create an effective diversion. When Miroku closes his hand once more, the demon is gone.
The next thing I know the old lady is running up to me, concern clear on her face as she kneels at my side. "Inuyasha, show me your wounds." I frown, pressing my hand more firmly against the now open hole in my stomach.
"Inuyasha, I sense that Naraku is near." My face hardens as I turn to look up at the monk sharply. "Most likely Royakan has a jewel fragment, and through it is being manipulated by Naraku."
"That would explain such a gentle creature turning evil." Kaede agrees solemnly. I, however, am stuck in my own thoughts.
'If Naraku is near we can finish this once and for all. Now.' I think to myself, swallowing heavily. 'And maybe, just maybe, I can go and get Yua, and she'll forgive me.' I wince and with a grunt slowly move to stand. 'The sooner we kill Naraku, the sooner I can bring her back home.'
"Inuyasha!" Kaede snaps in warning, and my entire world seems to wobble as my vision blurs even more.
"Naraku, where are you?! Come out and face me, one on one!" I find myself shouting out into the open field deliriously, nearly stumbling with each step. 'I'm going to kill you for the way you terrorize Yua, before you can hurt her any more!' My toe gets caught on some uneven ground, throwing me painfully down.
'I will find you, and I will rip you limb from limb.' Is my last thought before my world goes blissfully dark.
Yua's POV
"When he realizes he was wrong, or when he feels it is safe enough, he'll come back for you." Aunt Miyu's voice rings through my head, what she said yesterday having echoed there long into the night and the next morning. I had tried my best to distract myself again by helping Grandpa around the Shrine, but his overzealous attempt at trying to make me feel better had actually made me feel worse.
"That boy is an idiot, Yua. You can do so much better!"
"How dare that despicable man make my Granddaughter so upset?!"
"If he comes for you, I'll beat him to a pulp myself!"
That last one had admittedly made me laugh, and the responding grin my Grandfather gave made it clear he thought I was laughing at the thought of Inuyasha getting beaten. When, in reality, it was at the image I had conjured in my head of Inuyasha holding him back with a hand to my Grandpa's forehead as he tried to make punch after punch.
Sighing heavily I stare down at the bottom of the well now, not for the first time in the three days I had been back. What if my Aunt was wrong? What if Inuyasha had lied that this had all been for my own protection?
'Could it be that he was so disgusted with kissing me, that he had to make up some elaborate excuse to get rid of me for good?' The sharp sting of self doubt hits me, causing my chest to ache anew. 'He had seemed so into it though.' I blush as I can still clearly remember the feeling of his hands grabbing onto me, his body crushing me against the tree and leaving no option for escape.
Not that I had wanted to anyways.
"This is fucking ridiculous." I huff, before climbing over the edge of the well. "I need to at least try, instead of being worried about not being able to get back through." I think out loud to myself, before letting go of the edge of the well and falling on down. I land, hissing as the shock as it sends prickles of pain through my ankles and up my shins. Groaning, I flop back on my butt on the ground, leaning my back against the stone wall.
'Mayumi was right.' I frown as I lean my head back and close my eyes. 'I'm stuck here until Inuyasha comes to get me…if he ever does.'
I just hope he's recovering right now, and not being a stubborn ass.
Inuyasha's POV
"Let me out of here!" I shout out, kicking weakly against the now locked door. My amber eyes are narrowed, frustration only growing as Shippo uselessly chimes in.
"You're only wasting your time, Inuyasha." He states calmly, resting back against a roll of hay. "This hut is covered with sacred seals to keep the demons out, and you in." He needlessly explains as I continue to stubbornly kick at the door.
'Fucking monk! I'm going to kick his ass when I get out of here!' I snarl lowly to myself, giving an extra hard kick, just because I could.
Did I mention that they had actually tied my hands behind my back as well?
"I didn't need to be sealed inside!" I insist, glaring at the door as I kick at it again. "Open up!"
"Stop being such a stubborn ass." My eyes widen. I know that voice. Looking over my shoulder I'm shocked to see Yua sitting there, looking at me with an exhausted expression on her face. Her green eyes shone brightly in the low torchlight, filled with concern for me.
"Yua?" I question in disbelief, before shaking my head. No, she couldn't be here, I sent her back down the well to her time with no way to get back.
"I could lay with you if you want!" Her face morphs into a sarcastic smirk, green eyes suddenly turning blue. The high pitched falsetto laugh is a dead give away.
Shippo.
Ducking my head to hide the embarrassed blush at my reaction, I growl in annoyance. "Shippo, you creep!" I quickly flip around from the door, Shippo's illusion of Yua dispersing as he turns to try and get away.
He doesn't stand a chance.
"Don't you ever disguise yourself as her again!" My feet make contact with his ass multiple times in quick succession, only pulling back on my blows just slightly.
"I was only trying to cheer you up!" The little brat lies. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. The door behind me suddenly slides open, Miroku's slightly annoyed voice speaking up from above me.
"You've been knocking around this place for hours now." He states, frowning as he sees what's going on. I finally stop kicking at Shippo to turn and glare up towards the monk and Kaede.
"So hurry up and untie me!" I demand angrily. How the hell was I supposed to defeat Naraku like this?! Avenge Mayumi's death?
Bring Yua back home?
"No. The demons would get you, and the sealed hut would be meaningless." Miroku argues easily, and I roll over onto my stomach to face him more fully. I do my best not to wince at the pain that still raced through me at the move, but my wound was still better than it had been earlier this afternoon. I get my feet under me, crouching and launching myself at the monk in one fluid motion.
'I'll show him!' "Let me out of here!" My attack is cut short by that damn staff of his, pressing against my forehead and shoving me backwards to the ground once more. I can't help the pained grunt that leaves me as the monk crouches over me to keep me down.
"Kaede, please seal the door with the sacred enchantment." Miroku politely requests, the old woman nodding as she comes in and sits down crossed-legged in front of the doorway. She reached up, sliding the door closed and placing the seal over it.
"Consider it done." She replies simply, before turning towards me as Miroku finally lets me up, and even unties my hands. "You know what to do." I glare at her, but even I know enough not to go head to head with the stubborn old lady now. Sighing I struggle to sit up, growling and slapping away the monk's hand as he tries to help me. I manage to shrug off my kimono top, along with the under layer, before laying down on my stomach on the floor once more. Kaede moves over towards me, and moments later I can feel her healing ointment working on my wound.
'It's not as powerful as Yua's healing…but it still feels at least a little better.' I begrudgingly admit to myself, the pain lowering to a dull throb through my midsection.
"Your wounds aren't healed enough yet, Inuyasha." Miroku speaks up after several moments of silence. "I am inclined to want to rush after Naraku as well, but first you must recover from your injuries." I roll my eyes, even though I know he can't see it.
"He speaks the truth. Naraku's power is beyond comprehension. Isn't that precisely why ye banished Yua to her own world?" I feel the prang of loss deep in my chest, my hands tightening on my upper arms that laid crossed under my head. I can still feel the way her body had shivered at my touch, curved against my own…
The way she had just given in to me during that kiss.
Forcing back the heat that washed over me at the memory, I remain silent, unable to look any of them in the eyes. Shippo most of all. Hopefully now, though, he understood I hadn't done it to get rid of her. I had done it to protect her.
"We need you to recover quickly." Miroku presses on. "We need to face Naraku at our strongest, otherwise I fear that our fates will be short lived." Kaede finally finishes with her task of spreading the ointment, and I sit up slowly.
"Are you a man or a mouse?" I demand with irritation. "I'm prepared to fight Naraku here and now!" I insist stubbornly. What business did a human have telling me when I would be strong enough to take on that monster? Miroku doesn't look the least bit offended by me calling him out, and instead gives me an annoying smile.
"Lay your head down and get some much needed sleep, my good man." He says instead, and I feel my irritation flare up even more. I open my mouth to argue, but before I can, the monk pounces.
'That fucker is faster than he lets on.' I growl to myself as I feel his foot land on my ass, shoving me back down face first on the ground.
"Lie down!" Stomp. "Silence." Stomp. Stomp. "Sleep, rest!" Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. "How many times do I have to tell you?!" Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. It's not lost on me that this was exactly what I had been doing to Shippo when he had walked in.
"Careful! Ye will reopen his wound again!" Kaede insists, the stomping coming to a stop finally.
This was getting fucking ridiculous.
Hours later the moonlight was streaming through the window as I laid on the fire-rat layer of my kimono. I couldn't sleep, because every time I closed my eyes I saw her face, the expression of utter hurt and betrayal she had made when I had shoved her into the well.
"Inuyasha, are you awake?" Shippo's voice speaks up softly, sounding timid. I temper the small flare of annoyance I felt, choosing to lay with my back to him still so he wouldn't see the expression on my face.
"What is it?" I ask bluntly.
"I was thinking about Yua, and wondering if she misses us." Shippo replies innocently, and I can't help the growl that rumbles deep in my chest. Of course she did.
Right?
"You woke me up for that?" I snap lightly. "Forget about Yua, she's a thing of the past." Or the future, depending on how you think about it. As long as she is safe, that's all that matters.
I'm not about to let another woman I care for die.
Hours pass like this, and I fall in and out of a troubled sleep. Soon enough morning light was spilling through the window.
Accompanied with the shaking of the earth.
Shippo goes to the window, climbing up to see outside. "He's back, and he's bigger!" The brat's voice trembles, and I frown deeply, knowing by the scent that fills the hut exactly who he's talking about.
Royakan.
"Inuyasha?! Where is Inuyasha?!" The once gentle guardian growls out deeply, his voice octaves lower that it had been. I sit up, frowning deeply as I can feel the difference in Royakan's strength. It's increased ten-fold, and there was only one explanation for that. He must be in possession of another one of Naraku's jewel shards. Standing up behind Shippo, I look out the window, tucking Tessaiga into my belt. Miroku and Kaede are sitting in front of a barrier of their making, and clearly the power of the barrier has made this entire area invisible. Royakan could smell me, but he couldn't see any of us.
Suddenly a spear comes flying out of nowhere straight towards Kaede. I watch with narrowed eyes as Miroku moves, despite Kaede's protests, and blocks the spear with his staff. It effectively breaks the barrier they had set up, making the two visible at Royakan's feet. I snarl, banging my hand against the wall.
'They need to let me out of here so I can help! They're going to get themselves killed!' I think urgently, before my eyes widen as he screams my name again and leaps into the air. I draw Tessaiga, grabbing onto Shippo with my free arm and dodging out of the way of his fists as he lands on top of the hut. Slicing upwards at Royakan, it causes him to back off, allowing me time to land safely with Shippo.
"Thanks for releasing me from the hut my so called friends had locked me in." I comment pointedly, narrowing my eyes as the monk and the old hag as Shippo jumps down from my shoulder and rushes over to them.
"For your protection, I might add." Kaede points out dryly.
"Gratitude doesn't come naturally to him." Miroku adds in the same tone, but I hardly have time to reply as Royakan lets out a giant roar above me.
"I have heard enough!" He shouts angrily, throwing his fist forward towards me. I leap out of the way, my wound in my stomach pulling slightly as his hand digs into the earth instead.
"Let's get at it!" I exclaim, before bringing Tessaiga down towards his head. He stops it between his two large hands, my eyes widening in surprise before he throws me to the side like I'm a fucking rag doll.
"Inuyasha hasn't fully recovered yet!" I hear Miroku exclaim as I weakly turn to face Royakan from where I had landed. Reluctantly, I have to admit that the monk is right.
I'm no match for him now, not like this.
Suddenly I see a gleam of purple, horrified as I quickly see that it's the jewel fragment that had fallen out of my pocket. Royakan sees it almost immediately, running towards where it had landed feet away from me.
"It's a giant fragment of the Sacred Jewel! I shall have it for myself!" He shouts as he bounds towards it. I stand as quickly as I can, trying to reach it before him, but I can already tell I'm going to lose. In a flash a fluffy tail is seen, before Shippo dashes away with the fragment.
"Shippo!" I shout in genuine worry for the boy, Royakan quickly releasing his wolves to chase after him.
"Shippo, watch out! I'm going to use my Wind Tunnel!" Miroku shouts out, about to release it before the familiar buzzing noise of Naraku's insects could be heard. Looking over I snarl, seeing them hovering at the ready nearby.
"Figures." I mutter lowly, before looking back towards Shippo as he screams in fear, keeping a good distance between himself and the wolves. He wouldn't be able to manage that for much longer.
How the hell do we get ourselves out of this one?
Well there ya have it folks! The promised update for the ten reviews! Which you guys surpassed by like ten more basically hahaha. You are all amazing and I honestly hoped you enjoyed this early update! I will return as normal this weekend with another chapter, no later than Sunday evening! As always, please leave your thoughts, as I do enjoy hearing what you have to think and I appreciate the time and effort you put in to review!
Until later!
T.O.T.
