Love and War
Disclaimer: I do not own, or make any money from, the stories of Inuyasha.
All Inuyasha characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise and Viz
All original characters belong to me.
Chapter Ten
Jii-Chan
"Ooohhh ... Kagome ... yesss ... it feels so ... gooood. YESSS ...Oh Kami ... I'm getting close ... please ... faster ... harder ..."
"YEOOOOOWWW! GODDAMN IT!"
SLAM!!
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! MAMA! DADDY THREW ME AGAINST THE WALL!"
"INUYASHA!"
"DON'T SIT ME, WOMAN! IT'S HIS FAULT! HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO JUMP ON SOMEONE WITH HIS FUCKING CLAWS OUT!"
Kagome entered the bedroom, carrying a whimpering Kai, "Where did he lan ... OWWWWW!", she winced when she saw Inuyasha rubbing his enlarged, bleeding member, "Ok, Kai, I'm gonna side with your father on this one.", she said to the child as she walked out of the room.
Inuyasha sat on the floor, his head in his hands, "FUCK! It was just a fucking dream!", he mumbled, "Goddamn dream!"
Examining the claw marks, he determined they were superficial. Standing up, he threw on his clothes and exited the bedroom. He sat down at the table,
"I wish you had woken me up.", he complained, rubbing his eyes.
"I'm sorry. After all the work you did yesterday, I figured you needed the sleep.", Kagome explained.
Inuyasha's gaze settled on Kai, "Come here, boy."
Kai walked slowly over to his father,
"I sorry daddy. I just wanted to play.", Kai said to him, his head down.
Inuyasha picked up his youngest son and cradled him,
"You won't do that anymore, will you?", Inuyasha asked him.
Kai shook his head, "Uh unh."
"Good. I'm sorry for what I did. Are you ok?"
Inuyasha hugged the boy tight and kissed the top of his head,
"Go play.", he told his son.
"Inuyasha?", Kagome started.
"What?"
"It's been two months since we've come here. The villagers are pretty much settled. I think we need to investigate Nishimura further. Maybe even ..."
"Look ... I've told you before ... for right now the demons can handle Nishimura ..."
"But ..."
"But, nothing. It's almost winter. Miroku and me are the only men in this village. I refuse to have any more villagers die on my watch. Especially women and children. And you ... you are not only nursing Shiori but also those two human kids. There are no other nursing mothers here. I'm not dragging three suckling babies into battle. And, as for going back to your era ... the same thing applies. We have no idea if the pups can go through the well. And as long as you are nursing ..."
"I get the point.", she sighed in defeat.
He got up and pulled her close to him, his chest to her back. He wrapped his hands around her waist,
"I know you're worried about Kohaku. You know I've taken Kirara out almost every morning searching for his scent. Nishimura is covering a very large amount of ground. Kohaku could be anywhere. And, don't forget, Sesshoumaru is involved in this too, even if he pretends not to be. If he finds Kohaku, he won't let anything happen to him."
"I know what you're saying, Inuyasha. But, like you also said, it's almost winter ..."
"And how long was Kohaku on his own with Naraku? He's a trained demon slayer which means he's trained to survive in the winter. He'll be fine. Unlike me.", Inuyasha smirked into her hair.
"Whaddya mean?"
He pressed his hips into her backside,
"Whaddya mean what do I mean? Whaddya think, wench? You ain't holding up your end of the bargain on the wifely duties here.", he complained, rubbing his hips harder against her.
Kagome smiled a sly smile, "Well, sorry! You've been coming to bed so late ... I've been asleep ... so wake me up if you're so desperate."
Inuyasha groaned, "That's just it, I feel guilty if I wake you up. You're tired, too."
"Then stop your moaning and groaning."
He tightened his grip around her and buried his head in her hair, inhaling its sweet scent, "Ok, how about now? The kids are busy ..."
Kagome turned around in his arms and kissed him deeply,
"I'll take that as a yes.", he said to her, when she broke the kiss.
--
Nishimura paced his horse back and forth along the snow covered ground,
"Ashikawa!", he called to his general.
"Yes, my lord?", the general responded, riding up beside him.
"How are we doing?"
"Your flags are flying over the Eastern Lands. The demons have all escaped to a place where no human can reach them, my lord."
"What do you mean exactly, where no human can reach them? I want the demons detsroyed!"
"My lord, there are certain places where no human can tread. These are known as demon grounds. Should a human step foot onto it ... they would be destroyed instantly."
Nishimura appeared lost in thought, "We must find a way to infiltrate those areas. I will not be satisfied until I destroy all the demons!"
"But, my lord, you have the Eastern prefectures. Kyoto will surely notice your strength. And soon, you will win in the West."
"That's not good enough.", Nishimura turned his steed to leave, "Have your men bring me some girls."
Ashikawa nodded, "Would you like some sake, my lord?"
"Sake? That tasteless crap you call alcohol? No, Ashikawa, don't bother. I have my own liquor."
"Yes, my lord."
--
Sesshoumaru surveyed the damage of the land under the control of the Mori clan,
"So, it has begun.", he said quietly.
"My lord?", queried Jaken.
"My lord, we have visitors.", Rin advised him.
Sesshoumaru eyed the group of demons rushing up the hill,
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"
The demons bowed to the daiyoukai,
"We plead with you. Please help us destroy the ningens that are attacking the villages. It is not only the humans they are after. They are hell-bent on killing all demons!", said one of the demons.
"If you cannot destroy the humans then run and hide yourselves on demon grounds. They cannot follow you there.", Sesshoumaru advised them in a condescending voice.
"But, my lord, they threaten to take over your father's lands ..."
"These are no longer the lands of my father. They are my lands now. I will take care of them. Eventually."
Sesshoumaru turned and walked away. Jaken and Rin just stared at his retreating back,
'What is up with Lord Sesshoumaru?', thought Jaken.
'Lord Sesshoumaru ... what has you so concerned?', thought Rin, who then urged Ah-Un and Jaken, "Let's go, Master Jaken. We don't want to get left behind"
'I can feel it. My powers ... are not whole. What is causing this?', thought Sesshoumaru.
--
Kohaku sat down by the fire to get warm,
"They'll continue making us fight into the deep winter.", complained another young soldier, "The lord doesn't care about us. Only about capturing land."
"If we start dieing off, he'll have to care.", answered Kohaku, "Without us, he doesn't have an army."
"There's more where we came from.", muttered an older man, "All he needs to do is raid more villages.'
Kohaku stared at the flickering flames,
'Sister. Rin. I hope you are all right. I'll get back to you. I promise.'
--
Late one cold winter night, the army that had Kohaku, attacked a village near the western lands,
"GATHER ALL THE MEN AND BOYS AS WELL AS THE UNMARRIED WOMEN!", the captain ordered, "THEN TAKE ALL THE VALUABLES AND BURN THE HOUSES!"
The army did as they were told, some with more zest than others. Kohaku burst through a front door to find an older woman huddling with a young girl,
"Please. Do not take my daughter away. She is all I have left.", the woman pleaded with him.
Kohaku stared at the young girl. She reminded him of Rin. He gulped hard. He heard the captain shouting orders outside. He knew the penalty for disobeying was death. He looked out the window. The hut was surrounded on three sides by trees. He made his decision,
"Come with me.", he urged.
The mother grabbed the girl's arm and followed him. Kohaku slashed his weapon at the rear of the hut, creating an opening,
"C'mon. We don't have much time."
He led them out into the forest. Finding a small thicket, he told them,
"Stay here. I'll be back for you later tonight."
The woman nodded and held her daughter tightly.
Kohaku ran back to the village and re-entered the hut. He grabbed what looked valuable and set the hut ablaze before rejoing the army.
Near dawn, after the army returned from their raid, Kohaku started to leave the encampment,
"Hey! Where are you going?", shouted one of the senior samurai,
"I have to go to the bathroom ... is that alright? With the way my farts stink I don't want to do it here.", Kohaku informed him.
"Eww ... go ahead. Get outta here.", the samurai told him.
Kohaku entered the forest and found his way back to the burned out village. He made his way back to the thicket. He was glad to see the woman and her daughter were still there and unhurt,
"Come on. I know a cave where you can stay.", he urged them.
The woman and her daughter followed Kohaku to a small clearing. On the other side of the clearing was a small cave. He took them inside,
"It's a comfortable temperature in here. It's cool but, warmer than in the snow. I'll bring you some firewood and some food. Just wait here."
Kohaku hurried back with firewood, kindling and some food that he had managed to sneak away from the encampment,
"I am so grateful to you, young man.", the woman said, tears in her eyes.
"As am I.", agreed her daughter.
"My name is Ima.", the older woman told him, "And, this is my daughter, Nara.", the woman nodded towards the young girl.
"My name is Kohaku.", he introduced himself, "You just stay here. When I can, I'll bring you supplies."
"All right. Thank you very much, Kohaku."
Kohaku nodded and then left, returning quickly to camp. Approaching the camp silently, he saw that everyone was asleep. He moved in and resumed his spot. Thankfully, it seemed, no one had noticed his long absence.
Throughout the bitter winter, Kohaku continued to take supplies to the two women when he could. The army had settled in the region for the winter, providing him ample opportunity to provide for them. Using his demon slayer trained stealth, he hunted game and secured dry wood. He also managed to grab garments from other raided villages. The women were extremely grateful for his help ... and Kohaku found himself thinking more about young Nara and less about Rin. He began teaching the girl how to hunt, build a fire, and care for herself and her mother.
One night, in early spring, Kohaku arrived,
"The army is moving out tomorrow. I won't be able to assist you anymore, Nara."
"Oh, Kohaku, I'm scared.", Nara ran into his arms and sobbed.
Kohaku hugged her, tightly, "It'll be alright. I taught you everything you need to know. There's an old town just south of here. It was abandoned a long time ago. But, there's houses there. You should be able to repair one to live in. The forest surrounding it is full of game and there is a stream and a lake nearby. You should do well there."
"Will you come see us? Please?", Nara begged him.
Kohaku hugged her tighter, "Yes. When I can, I will come and see you."
"Thank you, Kohaku.", Nara said softly.
'Rin.', Kohaku thought to himself, 'I'm so confused right now.'
--
Miroku leaned on a fence overlooking the pasture. Inuyasha walked up to him, leaned his back against the fence, propping his elbows on the fence. He leaned his head back, allowing the sun rays to warm his face,
"Now that spring is here, things should go easier on the villagers.", Miroku stated.
"Yea. At least that asshole's armies didn't kill all the livestock in the area. We were able to gather quite a lot of animals over the winter.", Inuyasha agreed.
"Buddha will provide.", Miroku spoke.
"Buddha hell!", Inuyasha stared at the monk, "It was MY nose that found them and MY strength that brought them here."
"Watch what you say, Inuyasha. We don't need the wrath of the gods or Buddha at a time like this."
"PFFT! Whatever. Either way, we have plenty of meat in the town. And the women are planting all the seeds we were able to recover. Wild vegetables will be sprouting soon. We'll gather them and that should take care of all the villagers for a while."
"Yes. Even with the newcomers we took in over the winter.", Miroku agreed.
"More old people. What we need are some younger people to work the land. These old fogies can't do it all."
Miroku changed the subject, "So, have you decided?"
"Huh? Decided what?"
"Kagome said she felt she needed to go back to her era to try to get some answers. Are you going to go?", Miroku expanded his question.
Inuyasha sighed, as he turned around and leaned on the fence,
"Yea. It's our only option. We know that Nishimura has a time portal from somewhere. Kagome's positive about that. But, that's all we know. She believes if she goes back to her era she might be able to find something out."
"When are you going to go?"
"Soon. Kagome's weaned the two human babies. Shiori's the only one nursing right now. I don't like it, but, technically, she can be weaned and fed gruel. We may have no choice. If we don't start getting some answers who knows what's gonna happen."
"I agree."
--
Nishimura entered the main chamber room,
"Update me!", he commanded.
"The armies are moving into position in the West. It seems that the western lords have joined their forces together. We have a major battle on our hands, my lord.",
Nishimura moved closer to the man,
"What is your name?", he asked the man.
"Arashi Shozo, my lord.", the man gulped out.
"You are the captain of this army?", Nishimura continued to question him.
The man grew visably nervous, "Yes, my lord."
"You are the one who was on duty the night the monk escaped. And, now you tell me your army cannot handle the warlords of the west without reinforcements?"
"Well, you see, my lord ..."
"You obviously are not fit for command. You will be replaced immediately. GUARDS! Take this idiot away from me."
"But ... my lord ... I have served you well ...", Arashi pleaded, as the samurai dragged him away.
"FOOL!", Nishimura muttered.
Later that day, Nishimura sat down for supper with some of his samurai. Four samurai wheeled in a huge, iron tub shaped like a bull.
"Ahh, my friends. More entertainment for this evening's meal.", Nishimura said.
The gathered samurais shifted uncomfortably. They hated their nightly entertainment of torture, but, none disobeyed, lest they be subjected to the devices themselves.
"This, my friends, is called the Brazen Bull. It is filled with oil ... I prefer oil over water as it cooks better. Bring the prisoners in, please.", Nishimura ordered.
The samurais did as they were told, leading in three men. Some of the samurais gasped when they say Captain Arashi amongst the prisoners. Nishimura ordered the men placed in the bull and a fire lit underneath. As the anguished screams of the men being boiled alive filled the room, Nishimura merely smiled and ate his meal.
--
Kirara landed with a quiet thump on the ground beside the Bone Eaters Well. Sango, Miroku and Shippou hopped off. Inuyasha landed beside Kirara and let Kagome off his back,
"Please take care of the children.", Kagome looked at her friends.
"Don't worry, Kagome. They'll be fine.", Sango assured her.
Inuyasha took Kagome's hand,
"Let's get this over with.", he said, jumping on the lip of the well.
"Bye you guys.", Shippou said, as they disappeared into the well.
'I hope you find something out.', Miroku thought.
--
Inuyasha and Kagome landed softly at the bottom of the well. Inuyasha looked up,
"HMPH! They've closed the well up.", he noticed.
Kagome looked up, "Oh great."
"PFFT. As if that'll stop us.", he said, preparing to leap.
"Inuyasha! Wait! Don't ...", Kagome started to say, as Inuyasha broke through the wooden cover, "make so much noise."
"C'mon Kagome.", he lifted her out.
At Kagome's urging, they waited for a few moments to make sure no one came to investigate the noise from the well house. When Inuyasha determined that there was no one around, the exited the small building. Kagome looked around. It appeared nothing had changed since their last visit. Inuyasha started to head to the steps,
"Wait, Inuyasha."
"What?"
"These clothes. We need to change our clothes. That way we don't stand out."
"And, what do you propose we do?"
"Over there.", she pointed out to a house next door, "They have wash on the line. Let's see if what they have will fit us."
"You're gonna steal ...?"
"No. More like ... borrow. Now, let's get over this fence."
Inuyasha made sure that the area was clear before jumping over the fence with Kagome. Kagome started searching through the clothes. She found a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that she was sure would fit Inuyasha,
"Here. Take off that fire rat and put this on."
"Here?"
"Uh ... yea. No one's around, right?"
As Inuyasha grudgingly changed clothes, Kagome found an outfit that looked like it would fit her. She took it off the line and faced Inuyasha, who was red in the face and grumbling,
"How the fuck does this ..."
Kagome tried hard not to burst into fits of laughter,
"Inuyasha. You're putting your head through the sleeve ..."
"Huh? Oh ... like this?", he asked.
"That's better. And, the string part of the waistband? That goes in the front."
Inuyasha removed the pants and turned it around, "Like this?"
"Yup."
"Stupid modern clothes."
Kagome shook her head. She removed her kimono and dressed herself in the skirt and blouse that she had found,
"Hmm. A little short ...", she said.
"HMPH! Like that should bother you. Look at the kimono you used to wear to that school of yours."
"Hmm. True. Well, let's put our clothes in the well house. Then we'll head to the library."
They headed back to the well house and Kagome laid the clothes inside. Walking out, she saw Inuyasha kneeling,
"Inuyasha?"
"Get on. I'm not taking any chances. We'll take the high road."
"Ok.", she agreed, as she climbed on.
As Inuyasha leapt from building to building in the direction that Kagome told him, he asked her,
"So, what is this library place?"
"They have all kinds of books. I want to look up history books. I need to see if I can find out when history really began to change."
Kagome spotted the church that the soldier had described,
"That's not a church! That's a cathedral!", she exlaimed.
"There's a difference?", Inuyasha asked when he landed in an alleyway.
"Just in size mainly.", she replied.
They walked out to the street,
"There it is.", Kagome said, pointing across the street.
They walked across the street and entered the huge building. Kagome noticed a directory. Spying the computer room, she decided to go there first. She spent the better part of the morning looking at history archives on the internet. Nothing looked familiar to her. Something inside her told her to look for old newspapers. She went up to the desk,
"Do you have old newpapers on file?"
"Yes, we do. On microfilm. What years do you want?", the librarian asked her.
"Let's start with 1900 to the present."
The librarian got up and opened up a drawer. She pulled out 4 boxes,
"Here you are. 1900 to 1925, then 1926 to 1950 and then 1951 to 1975 and finally, 1976 to 2000. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. You can use the machine right there in the corner."
"Thank you.", Kagome said, heading over to the machine and sitting down. Inuyasha stayed right beside her,
"Thank goodness for microfiche.", Kagome said.
"Micro - what?", asked Inuyasha.
"Never mind.", she said, as she began looking through the papers.
As she went through the first 25 years, Kagome noticed alot of articles about the Japanese military might. The first thing that caught her attention,
"WHAT? Japan wasn't involved in World War I ... let alone victorious."
She loaded the next 25 years. It didn't take very long until the next major change showed up,
"World War II was won by the Japanese. Hiroshima and Nagasaki didn't happen."
The more she read, the more she was shocked,
"Japan is a major world power? Along with Great Britain? And the United States doesn't exist ... it's only referenced as Great Britain North America. I see nothing about Canada, Mexico, or the United States in any of these papers."
Kagome didn't realize how much time had passed until the librarian came over,
"It's nearly closing time. I need you to return them to the desk, miss."
"Uh, yea, sure ... let me just finish this one thing.", Kagome pleaded gently.
"Ok. 5 more minutes.", the librarian said, as she walked away.
Kagome was getting ready to close everything out when a picture caught her eye,
"Jii-chan!", she whispered softly.
Inuyasha peered over her shoulder,
"What's the old man doing in the picture?"
"This says that Higurashi Nakamura was committed to St. Barnabas Asylum for the Criminally Insane! It says he was committed last year."
Kagome closed out everything and packed it all up. Returning the microfiche to the desk, she asked the librarian,
"Ma'am, how do I get to St. Barnabas for the Criminally Insane?"
The librarian eyed her suspiciously,
"Why do you want to know that?"
"It's none of your business, wench! Where the hell is it?", Inuyasha pushed.
"HMPH! It's in the Shibuya-Ku ward. 1-24-17 Jinan, Shibuya-Ku."
"Thank you!", Kagome said, pulling Inuyasha's hand, "Let's go!"
Kagome directed Inuyasha in the direction of the Shibuya-Ku ward,
"At least they didn't change Tokyo addresses.", she said, thankfully.
Arriving in the ward, she directed Inuyasha to the Jinan district. It didn't long after that to find the building. Kagome stared at the huge, nondescript, gray fortress. She felt herself shudder,
'Jii-chan.'
They entered the bulding. In the lobby was a woman dressed in military clothes. She eyed the couple warily,
"May I assist you?"
"Yes.", Kagome answered, "I need to see Higurashi, please."
"Are you a relative?"
"Yes, I am."
"He doesn't normally get visitors.", the woman advised her.
"Well, he has one today!", said Inuyasha, "Where is he?"
She stood up, "Follow me. Shizo, watch the desk.", she ordered a male attendant.
Kagome and Inuyasha followed the woman down the hall. Inuyasha whispered to Kagome,
"What if he doesn't recognize you?"
"I'll deal with that when it happens.", she whispered back.
"It's down that hall.", the woman stated, "Room 34."
"Thank you.", Kagome said, pulling Inuyasha by the hand.
They found the room and looked inside. It was barren except for a chair, a table and a bed. The window, up high on the wall, had bars covering it. The room was dingy and depressing. Kagome walked in slowly,
"Jii-chan?", she called out to the figure in the bed.
The old man turned over and stared. Then his eyes grew wide,
"KAGOME!!"