Chapter Thirty Nine
On the Horizon
Disclaimer: Even though I don't own InuYasha, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
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Kagome paused in the doorway of the dining hall, carrying one of her second set of twins with Sesshomaru and the other twin beside her. She blinked a few times just to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing. The image presented to her reminded her that the previous day did, indeed, happen.
Mitsukai was sitting at the grand table in a pair of soft pink pajamas that Kagome had leant her and she had been quite pleased to find paw prints randomly placed all over the fabric. Her hair was still slightly messy from her previous night's sleep but it didn't seem to bother the girl in the slightest. She shovelled pancakes topped with berries and real maple syrup into her mouth, munching happily, her approval of the tastiest meal she had ever eaten clearly displayed on her face.
While most of the eyes were set on the girl before them, many young sets of eyes were set on the much smaller figures that sat upon the table, munching on berries and little bits of pancake. Two golden ones and three brown ones watched the fairies with interest, ignoring their own meals that had been set out in front of them.
"FAIRIES!!" The word was shouted like a battle cry and all five children clambered up onto the table, making a beeline for the two magical figures. Saori and Ume instantly dropped their berries and flew as fast as their wings could take them, desperately trying to shake their pursuers and flying directly towards Kagome and Sesshomaru. Despite the commotion, Mitsukai simply lifted her plate out of trampling way and continued to eat her delicious breakfast.
The children, however, could not be easily swayed from their goal as the five of them ran head on for the lord and lady of the castle, proceeding to run a few circles around the pair, chasing the frightened fairies. As the group made their way back towards the table, the parents of the children acted together as if they had been rehearsing it.
InuYasha grabbed his two, Takara grabbed Haku and Sango grabbed one of her and Miroku's two children while Miroku snatched up the other, all five children being settled into their chairs again. The fairies paused and cautiously made their way back to their mistress, settling down on her shoulders.
Saori put a hand to her chest lightly, attempting to catch her breath while her younger counterpart hid in the girl's golden tresses. "Goodness … you would think that they had never seen a fairy before. What poorly behaved children!" Mitsukai laughed lightly, handing a piece of strawberry to the ruffled fairy.
"They're only kids, Saori and family." The fairy just shook her head, gratefully taking the piece of strawberry that was offered. "But they chase us, Mii-Chan." The younger fairy, Ume, whined from her hair. Mitsukai smiled at her, gently rubbing her head with a fingertip. "They're still only kids, Ume."
"Ume is a kid, too!" The tiny girl squeaked out and Mitsukai could only sigh. It was going to be an even longer day than yesterday was.
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Kasei stood proud on the castle roof, wearing the same outfit that his father, his sword in its sheath at his side. His chocolate brown orbs were closed and he had lifted his nose to the on coming wind. His senses tingled as he could see the dark, almost black clouds that held much snow and hear the trees groan as the cold began creeping up on them. Something else was in the air, something he couldn't name but it smelt … evil. Not that evil had a smell exactly but the strange scent lingered in his mind and rested heavily onto his body, almost making him want to growl but he held it back.
A silver dog ear swivelled as he heard footsteps and dark blue eyes settled onto the figure of her mate as long brown tresses moved silently with every step. Ai couldn't believe how much Kasei had adapted to the role of future Lord of the West and now, if it wasn't for the obvious lack of markings and the dog ears then if one saw him from the back, they would believe they were seeing the current Lord of the West. Stepping up to stand beside him, Ai took in the grand landscape that had been lain out before them.
The two were silent for a long while until a whimper reached their ears. Kasei turned to his beautiful mate who was holding a bundle wrapped in a warm brown wool blanket. Another whimper could be heard and the bundle squirmed lightly as a smile reached Kasei's face.
Taking the bundle from his mate, the future taiyoukai moved part of the blanket, exposing the blue eyes and long silky silver hair of his son. "Takakau." Kasei called softly, stilling the infant as he looked up at his father. After a few minutes of father and son looking at each other, Kasei gathered him close, squeezing his eyes shut. This could be the last time he saw this son … and Ai, his beautiful mate.
Many floors below them, InuYasha sat in front of a fire place in his and his mate's room, watching his two girls color. He turned his clawed hand and laced his fingers with those of his mate, Yuri, worry beginning to bubble up inside him at the very real possibility that he could never be with his mate and children again. InuYasha sighed quietly, desperately trying to shake the feeling of impending doom.
Yuri smiled softly at her mate, taking his hand and placing it on her swollen stomach when their pup kicked. Green eyes looked into golden ones and she gave his hand a squeeze before looking to their two previous children. "Ran, Miki." She called as two purple heads with identical golden eyes looked up at them. The two girls scampered over to their parents and were set between the two adults. They looked at each other before looking at each of their parents, wondering just what was going on in their home.
"Girls, I … have to go away for a little while." InuYasha told them quietly, surprisingly earning the twins' attention. "I don't know when I'll be coming back so you two need to help your mother out, especially with the new pup comes." They nodded and InuYasha's heart broke but he forced himself to smile. If he didn't make it back then he wanted the last memory his girl's had of him to be a happy one, one where he was smiling, possibly for the last time.
On the other side of the castle, Sango had just finished putting on her old demon slayer uniform and now had her Hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder. The demon slayer looked into the eyes of her oldest son, Aki and then her oldest daughter, Cho and hugged them both not one of the three able to say anything as they were all fully aware that this could be the last time the two teenagers saw their parents alive.
"If anything happens, I want you two to take good care of Daichi and Akemi." Sango said quietly, her voice wavering as tears pricked her eyelids. Cho and Aki nodded solemnly as they watched their mother crouch down to their little brother and sister. Sango smiled sadly, the thought of leaving her babies and possibly never seeing them again tore at her but she still smiled. "I want you two to be good for your big brother and sister while we're away, okay? Promise?" The younger two looked at each other and then nodded. They didn't know what was going on but they could tell that it wasn't good.
Takara smiled as she crouched down in front of her adopted son, Haku who was desperately trying to hold back his sobs even as tears streamed down his cheeks. Gently, she placed a hand on his head, her own heart breaking. This was the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her whole life.
"Come now, Haku, dry your tears. You have to be strong for the younger kids. Can you do that for me?" Haku's breath hitched and his shoulders heaved as he sniffled several times, wiping away his tears with both hands, finally managing a nod. Takara's smile faded and she gathered the boy up, fighting back tears of her own as she held onto the sobbing child. Unlike the rest of the kids, Haku knew that he may never see his adopted mother again.
Setting him down, Takara smiled again and kissed the top of his head. "Be a good boy until I come back and remember that I love you." Rising to her feet, she hugged her mother, easily smelling the salt of her tears. "Be safe. I love you." Kagome whispered as she released her daughter and went to comfort Haku with the infant that her daughter had adopted such a short time ago in her arms.
Kagome looked into the golden eyes of her mate just before he turned, leading her towards the main gate where everyone was waiting. She turned her eyes onto the blue eyes of the newest time travelling arrival and hugged her as well. Mitsukai smiled sadly, her hand lingering in Kagome's for a moment.
"Good bye, Grandma, I hope we'll meet again." With that final statement, the golden haired girl jogged lightly to catch up with the two departing figures heading for the gates. "Do you think that we'll be able to see everyone again?" Ume asked from Mitsukai's shoulder. The golden haired girl was silent for a while before she smiled. "Yeah, we'll see everyone again."
At least … I hope so, Mitsukai thought as she looked at the darkening sky that loomed over them and the castle that was slowly getting smaller as they started their journey, a journey which none of them may ever return from.
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Golden eyes opened slowly and they looked around the dark room, adjusting to the darkness with each passing second until he could make out a figure standing against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
"So you're finally awake." A deep, silky smooth voice said. Katsu shivered at the sound of the voice and stared hard at the figure but despite his efforts, he could only make out the outline of a baboon mask and pelt.
"Wh-who are you?" Katsu asked as he peered into the darkness. A low chuckle reached his ears and he had to fight back the panic that bubbled up in him at the sound of that laugh. A familiar scent wafted to his nose and his golden eyes widened. "Kin! Where's Kin?! What have you done to her?!" He demanded, jumping to his feet.
That same dark chuckle had him taking a step back and he watched as the figure moved his hand out from his baboon pelt. The light shifted and Katsu couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips at the sight of his golden haired friend. She had a collar around her neck attached to a thick chain and her golden amber eyes were dull and lifeless as she just sat next to the figure in a baboon pelt.
"What have you done to Kin, you bastard?!" Katsu demanded. Again, the dark chuckle reached his ears and he growled this time, lunging at him only to hit a barrier and be thrown across the room. Pain coursed through his small body as he pushed himself up off the floor.
The dark chuckle turned out into a full out laugh as he gently pet Kin's hair. "Patience, puppy, patience." With another wave of his hand, Kin's eyes returned to normal and the girl blinked, looking around. Her eyes widened at the scent that reached her nose and she looked at Katsu, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. She flinched when he lunged towards her but was sent flying backwards again. To her horror, he didn't jump right back onto his feet like usual and she instantly knew that he was injured.
"Katsu!" She cried out, taking off towards him. Kin stopped in her tracks, screaming in pain as the chain vibrated, sending what looked like sparks of electricity that wrapped around her body. The chain ceased its vibration and Kin slumped to the floor, her body limp and unmoving.
Katsu's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he rushed to her side, gently picking up her limp body and holding it against his. "Kin." He whispered, his eyes searching for any kind of movement.
Slowly Kin's eyes fluttered open and Katsu let out a sigh of relief and he couldn't help himself as he hugged her to his body. "What … are you doing here?" She asked him quietly, her voice hoarse. Katsu smiled at her softly, running a clawed hand through her golden hair.
"I came to save you." Kin's eyes widened as she stared into the golden ones that she had fallen so in love with. After a moment, she looked away, pushing herself away from him and to her feet.
"I don't need you to save me, half breed." She spat out, watching his eyes fill with confusion and hurt. The words she spoke to him hurt her just as much as much as it hurt him. Fighting the urge to just give in and apologize, Kin turned her back to him so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes.
"Kin … what are you saying?" Katsu asked in a whisper, his heart constricting at her painful words. He gently put a hand on her shoulder, only to have it slapped away. "I'm saying that I don't need help from some pathetic half demon that can't even protect himself." Kin told him, her eyes hard as she fought her inward battle.
"Why are you saying those things? I thought we were friends." We are friends, she thought with bitter sadness, but if I don't do this then Master will hurt you because he hurts everyone I care about.
"Well then you thought wrong. Now, get the hell out of my way, half demon." Kin ground out, shoving him aside and walking out of the dark room, through the open door, followed by her master as he laughed at the boy's pain.
"Well done, my pet, well done. You really cut him down." He said as a hand gently pet her hair, his laughter making her want to throw up. Kin stole a glance at the broken hanyou, her ears and her heart falling as she obediently followed the evil man she called Master.
I'm sorry, Katsu. I'm so sorry …
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Black hair cascaded down his back and his pale features were highlighted by the days pale sun, red eyes looking into a mirror held by a girl wearing white, her eyes dark and completely void of life contrasting with her white hair and flower.
A deep purple glow emanated from the open palm of the deathly pale man and he chuckled low, the glow beginning to get stronger. "You are calling out to your other half, aren't you? Well, do not fret, you will be whole once again and then I shall absorb you. Once you and I are one, my precious, I will be the strongest being in all of Japan." He watched the image of the famous Inu brothers with the demon slayer, monk and the annoying little fox kit that was all grown up. Curiosity filled him as he spotted what could only be Sesshomaru's offspring and what looked to be an older version of his little pet.
"Look, my pet." He crooned as he yanked on the chain, bringing Kin to his lap. "It is you in the mirror." His fingers raked through the young girl's hair and she had to suppress a shiver as she felt his tongue on her ear. "I will take her for my bride." He declared, his hand moving through Kin's golden locks, his mouth close enough to her ear that she could feel his hot breath on her.
"Kagura." He called to the darkness. A demon woman with jet black hair, holding a fan appeared before them. The man before her released the collar that was a round the girl's neck and she watched him with hatred burning in her red eyes.
"Take her and have the girls welcome our guests." Kagura nodded once, picking up Kin by the back of her clothes with ease. "Yes, Master Oujou."
InuYasha had to stop in his tracks and cover his nose with his sleeve, coughing a few times. Looking around, he saw that the others weren't doing much better. Suddenly, he heard a shriek and spun around to look at Sango and Miroku, his eyes widening as he stared in disbelief.
"Miroku! Your hand!" Sango exclaimed, fear filling her body as the wind began picking up. Miroku looked down at his right hand, his body beginning to shake as a black void began forming in the palm.
InuYasha growled and shifted the girl that was on his back and grabbed Sango, digging Tetsaiga firmly into the ground and holding on for dear life, the wind whipping his clothes and hair around violently.
"Miroku! Close your hand! Put the beads on your hand!" InuYasha ordered. Miroku strained, holding his wrist as he desperately trying to comply. Precious minutes ticked by as the hole only got bigger and it was slowly beginning to drag everyone towards the hole that threatened to engulf the entire party.
Mitsukai had to grit her teeth against the fierce wind and her knuckles were turning white because she was hanging onto InuYasha so tightly. "This wasn't suppose to happen!" Saori shouted. "We're going to get sucked in, Mii-Chan!" Ume cried in terror, clinging to the girl's hair. The little fairy's grip loosened and she shrieked as the winds began carrying her towards Miroku's Wind Tunnel.
"Gotcha!" Mitsukai shouted, bringing her hand that enclosed the tiny fairy to her body. Ume looked up and spotted the chain that was around Mitsukai's neck.
"The chain! Mii-Chan, you can use the chain!" The girl blinked and her hand went to the necklace that she had gotten for her birthday and ripped it off her neck with a quick snap, holding it up to Saori.
"Enchant it!" The fairy looked at the necklace with wide eyes. "But that was a birthday present from your mother!" She cried, only to have it shoved at her again.
"I don't care! Do it, Saori! We don't have much time and Miroku can't do it on his own!" Saori looked at the necklace, hesitation clear on her face. "DO IT!" Mitsukai commanded and Saori nodded, putting her tiny hands on the necklace. Her lips moved but no one could hear what she was saying. Finally, the fairy looked up and nodded at the girl. "It's ready." Mitsukai nodded and brought herself up to InuYasha's ears.
"I can close it but I need you to get me more to the side otherwise I'll be sucked in right away!" InuYasha glanced back at the girl, obviously thinking she was crazy. "Are you crazy kid?! You'll get yourself killed!"
Mitsukai grinned. "Trust me! I can do this!" Seeing as she wasn't going to back down, InuYasha only shook his head, slowly beginning to move, straining his muscles against the pull of the Wind Tunnel.
"If I don't make it then tell everyone that I say good bye!" Mitsukai shouted just as she released her grasp on the half demon. InuYasha's eyes went large and he went to grab her hand again and swore when he had to hold onto Tetsaiga or be pulled in.
"I thought you said you could do this!" He shouted to her retreating figure. Mitsukai only smiled before turning her attention to her task at hand. She quickly angled her body and managed to curb her direction, landing next to Miroku. Not wasting any time, she reached out and wrapped the necklace over his hand.
Finally, the fierce winds of the Wind Tunnel were gone and Mitsukai fell to her knees, grabbing her uncle just as he dropped to the ground, handing him over to her aunt as soon as she rushed over. Breathing hard, she put a hand over her heart, willing it to calm down, smiling when her two Fairy Guardians cheered happily.
Looking over everyone, Mitsukai let out a sigh of relief just before a fist came down sharply on her head.
"What'd you do that for, you big meanie?!" She demanded, looking up at a very angry red clad half demon. InuYasha's eye twitched and he couldn't help but growl at her. "What the HELL were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself sucked in!! Are you like messed in the head or something?!" Mitsukai glared at him but didn't respond. She knew that what she did was risky but it was the only way that could have saved everyone, especially Miroku.
Takara brushed her kimono off and rose to her feet, picking up the sack that she had been carrying. "Let's set up camp for tonight. I imagine that Miroku not only needs to rest after that but we should think of another plan of attack. Now, we need to set up a parameter that will be safe enough for us to spend the night. InuYasha, take the girl with the death wish with you to collect fire wood. Father and Kasei will set up the parameter while Shippo and I will stay here with Sango and Miroku to prevent any further dangers from infiltrating the barrier I will set up."
Mitsukai blinked at her aunt's figure and a shiver ran down her spine when her golden eyes rested on her. InuYasha looked over his niece and decided not to argue about having to be the one to collect firewood, he really didn't want to give her any reason to do something to him that he would regret or possibly not live to tell.
"C'mon, kid, let's go." Mitsukai blinked and then ran after him, annoyance filling her. "Hey! I'm not a kid! You take that back, InuYasha!" Shippo watched the two depart, believing more than he had ever believed that she really was his daughter. The fox demon turned sat down next to Sango who was still holding Miroku and sighed lightly. He turned his head just as his adopted father and brother left to follow his sister's order then his green orbs fell on the girl herself, with her mother's hair and dog ears swivelling about to detect any movement.
She somehow inherited Kagome's priestess powers and it was in harmony with her demon blood. He watched her pull out a sutra and put it on a stick, roughly shoving the stick with the sutra on it into the ground. Magic tingled across his senses as the barrier was erected around them. He watched her closely, spotting the faint telltale signs of strain and sadness on her features and even in her posture and a smile spread out on his face. There was no doubt about it, she was her father's daughter.
"Shippo." Hearing his voice pulled the fox demon from his thoughts and he looked into her golden orbs that, if you knew how to look, held so much sadness and fear. He could tell that she was barely holding herself together, probably by the thought that she had to be the leader of their group, especially since her mother wasn't there.
Getting up silently, his fox tail moved as he walked towards the girl and reached out, drawing her to him, offering her comfort without words and she took it, she took the comfort without words.
"I'm so scared." She whispered, the statement going unheard by human ears as not to worry the two that were in their presence. Shippo just nodded and patted her hair gently. "I know." He told her, equally as quietly. There were no tears shed, she was stronger than that, but though there were no physical tears, the pain and the fear rolled down the girl in waves and he smiled. Takara - she was the perfect balance between Kagome and Sesshomaru.
The two stayed like that until they heard arguing and they parted to see the newest and probably strangest member of their group walking with everyone's favourite hanyou, both carrying an armload of sticks. "I said I was sorry! It just slipped out, okay?!" Mitsukai shouted. InuYasha growled at her.
"Man, you're even more annoying than Kagome! Just shut your trap already!" InuYasha countered. Takara sighed but couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips and Shippo just shook his head. Every time he was convinced that the girl was, indeed, his daughter from the future, something like this would happen and he couldn't help but think of Kagome.
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Once everything had been taken care of, the group sat around the fire, bowls of thick stew in the laps of everyone excluding the fallen monk that hadn't woken up since the ordeal. It was quiet as Sango drizzled the liquid from the stew down Miroku's throat in an attempt to get some nourishment into his body. The events of the day that would soon be upon them was weighing heavily on everyone's mind. Even the usual noisy and rowdy Guardian Fairies were silent as they ate from Mitsukai's bowl.
"Taijiya." Sesshomaru called, looking over the fire and at the demon slayer. Sango looked from her husband to Sesshomaru, meeting his gaze. "That was the monk's Wind Tunnel, correct?" She nodded. "Was not the curse lifted when Naraku was destroyed?" His answer was a nod. "Then why should we be plighted with this curse again? It has been my knowledge that Naraku is still quite dead."
"Of course he's dead! I killed him myself!" InuYasha stated with a huff, turning his attention to his meal. "Besides, he would've showed his ugly head sooner than this."
"I agree with InuYasha but … didn't Kagura show up at the castle a while back?" Shippo asked. "Shouldn't Kagura been destroyed as well since she was born of Naraku? She was also there at the final battle, was she not?" The group fell silent once again.
"Where are we headed, anyways?" A quiet voice asked and all eyes fell on Sango. She looked around at everyone when she didn't receive an answer. "So we've just been wandering around all day?"
"Not necessarily." A voice said from Mitsukai's shoulder. Everyone turned to the fairy known as Saori as she appeared to be thinking. "What the hell do you mean by that?" InuYasha demanded, earning the fairy's glare.
"Well, Mitsukai can-"
"Saori!" The girl with the golden hair cut in loudly. "Don't tell them that! They already know too much and we've already disrupted this time way too much as it is!" The fairy stared at the girl, seemingly unaffected by the girl's outburst.
"Don't tell us what?" Sesshomaru asked, sending a shiver down her spine. She smiled, trying to be unaffected by the glare she was receiving and gave a nervous laugh. "It's nothing, really. It's just that I can-"
"Mii-Chan can sense jewel shards!" Ume put in happily, flying just out in front of the girl that was under so much scrutiny at the moment. "It's because Mii-Chan and Kagome-Chan share the same soul. She also has many priestess powers which include Sacred Arrows. This is also because Mii-Chan's mama is a priestess of very special heritage that can be dated almost 500 more years from this time."
"Ume! I'm going to strangle you! No, better yet, I'll flush you down the toilet!" Mitsukai growled, grabbing the tiny fairy. She paused in the strangulation of the tiny fairy in her hands as she felt many eyes on her. Looking up, she came face to face with InuYasha's very angry face.
Laughing nervously, Mitsukai backed up only to run into an equally pissed off demon lord. "You call something like that 'nothing', ya lying wench?" InuYasha asked, cracking his knuckles. The girl swallowed dryly at the anger blazing clearly in the half demons eyes and held up her hands in defence though she had a sneaky suspicion that if the half demon so decided to attack, she probably wouldn't be able to do anything.
"Sit boy!" Everyone paused, their murderous intent vanishing as a certain raven haired girl set down before them, riding on a two tailed cat much like Kirara only the majority of it's fur was black. Mitsukai seized the moment of distraction and quickly hid behind the older girl.
"Honestly, InuYasha, can't you be a little nicer to her?" Kagome asked in an annoyed tone. Sesshomaru stood, dumb founded as he looked upon his mate. "Kagome, what are you …?" He trailed off, unsure of what he was going to demand to know first; why she was there or what the hell she was wearing.
Kagome smiled and spun around. "Isn't it cool? Even after all these years and five kids later, my school uniform still fits." Sesshomaru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Kagome, what in God's name are you doing here and why are you wearing such an atrocious outfit?" The taiyoukai asked, slightly wearily. Kagome put her hands on her hips, annoyance obvious in her entire posture.
"My outfit isn't atrocious! I happen to like it." She crossed her arms, facing away from them. Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "And the reason as to why you're here would be, what, exactly?"
"Well, I couldn't exactly let you guys fight on your own, could I?" Kagome asked with a completely straight face. Sesshomaru rubbed his temples lightly. He loved his mate, loved her more than anything he had ever loved before in his life but there were sometimes when he just wanted to lock her up at home.
"Kagome, I told you to stay at the castle. You just had pups and it's far too dangerous for you to be out here right now." Sesshomaru said slowly. "You could have been hurt on your way here, as well." He added. Kagome smiled at that.
"Oh, I don't think so. After all, I have my very own body guard." She held out a hand and Toga stepped forward, grinning just as much as his mate was. Sesshomaru sighed heavily. Picking his battles was part of what had kept him alive this long and his instincts were telling him quite clearly that he was not going to win this one, no matter what he said.
"And don't worry about who's guarding the castle." Kagome told him with a smile and something told Sesshomaru that he wasn't going to be very pleased with his mate's protection arrangements. "I called in a few favours." She said, grinning like a cat that just ate the canary. Sesshomaru held up a hand.
"I don't want to know, Kagome, I really don't want to know." The group fell into silence as they sat around the fire, now plus two members. That was, until a certain wolf showed up. Sesshomaru looked at his mate, desperately trying to tune out the argument that was conspiring between his brother and the wolf.
Kagome smiled sheepishly. "I thought that we might need a little more help and since Kouga helped us with the final battle with Naraku, I thought he could be an asset for us right now." Sesshomaru's glare could freeze an ocean but, as always, Kagome was completely immune and just kept smiling. After a few minutes, the demon lord just sighed again.
Mitsukai and her two Fairy Guardians watched the exchange between everyone with curiosity, especially with the arrival of three new members, finding the argument between InuYasha and Kouga quite interesting. "I wonder what they're fighting about." Saori murmured, two heads nodding in agreement. "He doesn't look much different now then he does in the future, don't you think?" Mitsukai asked, earning nods from the two fairies that were perched on her shoulders.
"Minus the fur, though." Saori commented.
"And the armour." Ume added.
"Of course his hair is a lot shorter." Mitsukai put in.
Kouga paused in his heated "discussion" he was having with InuYasha and he looked over at the girl with the golden hair. In an instant he was before her and he took her hands in his, staring into her eyes. "You will be my woman."
Mitsukai blinked a few times, processing what he had just said before InuYasha came up and whacked him hard over the head. "You idiot! You already have a mate!"
Kouga twitched lightly, his hands covering the lump on his head before he jumped up, getting face to face with InuYasha yet again. The group only sighed as the pair continued to yell obscenities at each other. A groan caught everyone's attention and they turned to Sango and Miroku, who sat up with help from Sango.
"You could wake the dead with all the noise you two are making." Miroku muttered. Sango smiled and hugged him with tears in her eyes. "Miroku, you're awake." Kagome blinked, going over to the pair, looking at Miroku's hand.
"Are those … prayer breads on your hand, Miroku?" The monk paused in his griping and looked at his hand, the memories of what happened coming back to him. "They're not exactly prayer beads but something similar." A voice beside Kagome said. Three eyes rested on the older of the two Guardian Fairies as she began explaining.
"According to information I have gathered, even though Naraku is dead, the monk's Wind Tunnel suddenly appeared again. Since it has been quite some time since the evil hanyou's demise, it is expected that the monk would no longer require that prayer beads be around his hand because the Wind Tunnel no longer existed. However, it reappeared as soon as we arrived here and the monk could not control it without prayer beads. We … improvised in that aspect."
Kagome looked at the beads that wrapped around her friend's hand and then to the fairy. "So, where did they come from?" Saori motioned to Mitsukai with her hand. "They were a gift from her mother on her fifteenth birthday." Kagome looked to the girl and Mitsukai just smiled.
"It looks like a regular necklace." Kagome said thoughtfully and Saori nodded. "They were, until I enchanted them, thus enabling them to seal the Wind Tunnel. Unfortunately, it took a great toll on the monk's body and he had been unconscious until just now." Kagome looked at the fairy, studying her for a moment before smiling.
"I had no idea that fairies could do those sort of things." The girl admitted.
"Fairies can do TONS of things!" Ume put in with a smile, flying over to float in front of Kagome's face. "Lots and lots of things! We're only Guardian Fairies so our power is limited to protecting but other fairies can to anything from making the trees grow to, well, anything." Kagome smiled at the energetic little fairy, she certainly was a little ball of sunshine.
"What sort of things can you two do?" Kagome asked, her eyes shifting between the two fairies. Ume smiled and held out her hand, a wand appearing in her hand. It was rather small, though it looked like a berry with two leaves where attached to the handle and a gold star was in the centre of a pink circle, two angel wings on opposite sides of the star.
Everyone that could see it blinked curiously at the small wand and Ume turned to Mitsukai who nodded. "Hop, step, jump!" Four white wings appeared on the girl, one for each limb and then she shot into the night sky, higher than even Sesshomaru himself could jump. The group gasped as Mitsukai became a dot in the sky and then dived towards them. Kagome, Sango and Miroku seemed particularly impressed as they had a close up view of the girl that was now floating before them.
"Saori doesn't like using her powers unless it's really needed. She says that if you use it so carelessly then it's just an abuse of power but this is fun!" Kagome laughed at the small fairy's enthusiasm. "What else can you do?" Kagome asked, now even more curious as to see what kind of power the two held.
"That's enough." A voice said, causing everyone to look at the current demon lord. "Tomorrow will be a long and tiring day and we should all be well rested for it." Kagome smiled and got to her feet. "You're right." Going into her yellow backpack that she still had, she pulled sleeping bags out for everyone.
Soon everyone was settled, the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. Mitsukai looked around the group, noting that mostly everyone was sleeping. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kagome sleeping peacefully in the lap of the most feared demon in all of Japan and with his arms around her small frame protectively, it just looked precious.
Sango and Miroku were snuggled against each other with Kirara between them, Shippo was laying on a sleeping bag next to Kasei, InuYasha was leaning up against a tree, surprisingly next to Kouga, Takara was cuddled on a sleeping bag with the other two tailed cat and Toga … was hunkered against a tree only just half a stone's throw away. With an inward sigh, Mitsukai shifted to her back, placing her hands underneath her head as she looked to the moon.
A soft murmur brought her eyes down to the two sleeping fairies that were nestled together on her chest and she couldn't help but smile. At that moment, it was so peaceful, so quiet and so serene, you would never be able to tell that the last battle was just on the horizon. Mitsukai's smile fell at the thought and she looked to the night sky again, hoping to find some reassurance.
True, she had been so excited to fall down the well in her time but now, laying here with all these different times combining, she wondered if maybe it had been the right decision to seek them out. With her being here, it could seriously jeopardize the future and not just her future, but the future of everyone and everything. Mitsukai squeezed her eyes shut, quickly squelching that thought and taking long, deep breaths. Looking up at the moon again, she slowly smiled, shifting her Guardian Fairies to the sleeping bag she was using and rolled to her side.
Everything happens for a reason, she decided, closing her eyes. With a final sigh, Mitsukai from a thousand years into the future, allowed herself to fall asleep.
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A/N: Happy Halloween everyone!
Wow, this is my longest chapter yet! A whole 16 pages! Why is it so long, you ask? Well, this is one of the final chapters of this fanfic. Yes, I know, it's sad but it's true.
Don't worry though, if I get enough reviews requesting it, I'll probably write a sequel.
There were many characters, if not all of them, that were included in this chapter. How did you like the first glimpse of Kasei's son? What a cutie, huh?
I don't think I told anyone this but I have to have a certain kind of music playing in order to get the words to flow properly for the scene so practically all day I was listening to some really heavy, evil music, lol.
By the way, Kasei's son's name means 'fighter'. I looked it up and everything (even though I do that with all the names I use for my characters). And we finally have a name for the evil guy! Hooray! It means 'death' (suits him perfectly, don't you think?).
Next chapter will be the final battle and, I warn you all now, I am going to kill someone. Can any of you guess who it is? -evil laugh- Ah, I love being evil, it's so much fun. However, I am still not mean enough to bring Naraku back although you might be thinking otherwise once you get to this part, I assure you that Naraku is still very much dead.
Now, I would very much like to thank:
Fabulous Georgina
G2fan
For their reviews on chapter 38 (the beginning of the end!).
Until next time!
Later Days!