The Void by Hairann

Epilogue

AN: Hope you enjoy the last chapter for The Void.

Epilogue

“The day has finally arrived,” Inuyasha informed his resting companion as he watched the young girl in front of him searching for her lost pet. “Wake up or you will miss it,” he warned as he shook him awake, almost knowing him off of the branch he had been resting on. Far below them, the girl paused her search to glance up into the tree wondering what had caused the branches to shake as there was currently no wind blowing. Seeing nothing of interest, she went back to her search as the two men in the tree breathed a sigh of relief. “That was close,” Inuyasha whispered as he continued to watch the girl below them.

“What would happen if she was to spot us?” his companion wondered as he followed the girl's movements below with his eyes. Inuyasha remained silent, gesturing for him to do the same, as the girl continued to get closer to an old, rotting well house. As they watched in silence, they could feel the power rising up from the depth of the dried up well.

After a bright flash of light they could no longer feel the girl's presence in this time. “I'm not entirely sure, Inu-Takeshi, but Kagome has always said that if any of us ever met her in this time, that it might change the course of history and things that should have happened, needed to even, might be altered. She can never know we are here, we can not warn her of what is to come and there is no telling the damage we might do.”

“I do not understand, uncle, why would it be wrong to warn her of the things that go wrong? Such as telling her when her grandfather will die so she is able to spend more time with him. He died a natural death so it is not if mother could change it,” Inu-Takeshi insisted confused.

“You're right, she couldn't change the fact that he dies, but she could change the amount of time she spends with him and while this may sound like a good thing, there is no telling what she would not be in the past to do while she is here. What if she chooses the day she is meant to be sucked up into the void as a day to come home? You would never be born and as much as she would have loved to spend more time with him, she would never choose it over loosing you.

“Kagome has always made it very clear not to try and change what has already happened, there is no way to know if the out come would not be worse than what it already was.”

“But did mother not already change what was meant to be by going into the past herself?” Inu-Takeshi questioned and Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. It was a question he himself had asked her many times in their lives together.

“I can only tell you what your mother told me. That because it was not her choice nor doing that brought her into the past the first time, there was nothing she could do about it. By the time she realized she may be effecting history, she had already put in motion too many things that needed to be put right before she could leave forever. And she once told me that she believe she was meant to go back in time, because you will notice I am not pinned to the tree beneath us. There are only two people in this world that could have released me, your mother and Kikyou. If I wasn't still bound when she went back the first time, she said it meant that she was always meant to go back and release me.”

<hr>

“I remember this day as if it was just yesterday,” Inuyasha commented with a slight smile as he watched Kagome try repeatedly to jump into the well only to land on the bottom with a slight thud rather than being transported back in time. As they watched, Kagome finally gave up and climbed to the lid of the well one last time. Sitting beside the opening, Kagome glanced down into its depths as she began crying.

Beside him, Inuyasha could feel his nephew's eyes on him and knew what the unasked question on his mind was. “I had been worried that it was getting too dangerous for her to remain and sent her through the well without the jewel shards before blocking it with a large tree. Eventually Shippo dropped the chuck of jewel she had down into the well and it was able to go to her side on its own. She managed to come back after a while and boy was she pissed,” Inuyasha told him with a laugh as they watched Kagome make her way toward the house, grumbling about 'stupid demons' under her breath. Inuyasha silenced the laughter that threatened to spill from his lips as she passed beneath them.

“What happened when she returned to the past?” Inu-Takeshi wondered after hearing Kagome slam the front door as she stormed into the house.

“Same thing that always happened. Together we were able to stop the demon and afterwards she yelled at me for hours. It made my ears ring for a few days,” Inuyasha joked as he thought back on the memory with a smile.

<hr>

“You have come through the well again uncle,” Inu-Takeshi informed him as he gently shook his uncle awake. “Are you certain he can not detect us? He has looked right at us every time he has come through the well,” he mentioned yet again in worry.

“I am sure. Our scents are masked and we are hidden, he probably just gets the feeling he is being watched. Do not worry, if he decides to investigate we will be long gone before he ever gets close enough,” Inuyasha assured him before the bellowing of Kagome's grandfather could be heard coming from the house below. In the branches around them, the previously undisturbed birds scattered to the wind at the noise.

“I see I have just informed them of your existence,” Inuyasha explain with a cringe, remembering how the old man's voice had hurt his sensitive ears far worse than Kagome's ever did.

“Great-grandfather does not sound happy. Was he so displeased with my existence?” Inu-Takeshi whispered as they continued to wait.

“No, Inu-Takeshi, this had nothing to do with you yourself, simply that Kagome had not been married. Her grandfather had always been rather old fashion. What he was upset about was the fact that his only granddaughter, whom he had always hoped would follow his footsteps and become a shrine priestess, who, as far as he knew, wasn't even dating someone became pregnant,” Inuyasha explained. A moment later there was another loud scream from below.

“I just informed him that I was not the father,” Inuyasha continued to explain as Grandfather Higurashi's voice continued to bellow from the house below. “And now I have told him who your father is. Now wait for it,” Inuyasha joked with a smile as he pointed to the front door. After a few moments, the front door was thrown open followed closely by a flying Inuyasha. As the two in the tree glanced back at the doorway, they found the grandfather dusting off him hands. He glared at the younger Inuyasha for a few tense moments before heading back inside and slamming the door behind him.

“He blamed what happened on me, said I didn't do my job of protecting Kagome. When I cam back the next time, he had already calmed down and realized it was no one's fault and was anxious to meet his great-grandchild. Do not take his reaction to heart, none of this was ever about you. All at once he learned his granddaughter had become a woman, that at least for the time being she was unable to return to them and, I think, what scared him the most was that this was just another reason, in a long list, that Kagome might choose to stay permanently in the past.”

<hr>

Inuyasha and Inu-Takeshi watched as, a slightly older, Kagome paused in the doorway of the old well house to glance back at the shrine. Even from their position in the God Tree, they could easily spot the tears falling from her eyes. “Goodbye,” she whispered before turning and jumping into the dried up well for the last time.

“Twice I have born witness to her life and it still seems too short. But your mother lived one hell of a life. She experienced things people never could have dreamed of. She used to say that her life was like a work of fiction, things that she had only read in stories, she was living. And that she thanked the Kami everyday that she was able to be a part of it. Out of everything she accomplished in her life, she was most proud of you.

“I hope you know just how much she loved you. You were her entire world, her hope, her dreams. She wanted nothing more than to watch you grow into a good man and I know somewhere she is smiling down at you, knowing her greatest dream came true,” Inuyasha told him as he wrapped his arm around his nephew's shoulder and pulled him closer.

“Uncle I think it's time I be told the true. I know mother did not want you to tell me, saying it was up to him to do, but I think we can both agree that after almost 500 years, if he hasn't wanted to know me yet, he never will. But I have the right to know who my father is,” Inu-Takeshi insisted, not bothering to glance over at his uncle.

“I was wondering how long it would take before you couldn't stand not knowing. But Inu-Takeshi, me telling you will not change anything. Knowing who he is will not make him appear, but you are right, you have the right to know. You know how you have always considered me your uncle because Kagome and I were so close? That is not the only reason I am your uncle. Your father is my half-brother Sesshoumaru. He is a demon lord that ruled over the West.

“He is strong and fearless. And not even loosing one of his arms in a battle with me ever slowly him down. As much as I have hated him my whole life, he is not really a bad man. He is simply too set in his ways, too proud and stubborn to realize that even he makes mistakes. When I was born our father, the great dog-demon general, lost his life protecting my mother and me. My brother could only see it as a weakness. He felt that I was nothing more than a stain on our great blood line.

“He was still young when he took over the West and how he saw it was that our father thought I was more important than he was. He left my brother when he needed him only to lose his life at the hands of a human, when he had already been wounded in battle. My brother spent over 200 years thinking me nothing more than a bastard half-demon. And then he was sucked up into the void.

“His actions were no longer his own and when all was said and done, he felt he was forced to make the same mistake as our father. He had spent a good deal of his life hating me for what I am and I don't think his pride would allow him to change his mind. I may not condone his actions, but I understand them. I spent most of my life alone, not trusting anyone. Thinking friends would simply slow me down, that they weren't needed. It took a long time for me to change my ways and that was only because I had your mother in my life.

“I think if he had been around her more, she would have changed him too. I know that somewhere inside him, whether he knows it or not, your father loves you. You may not know it, but he had been there every step of the way. He has watched you grow from just out of sight since the day you were born. And you have met him once. Sesshoumaru was there the day your mother died.

“But it is getting late and I would like to visit her grave before we leave. If you'd like, I can tell you stories of your father on the way home,” Inuyasha told him before jumping of of the tree and making his way to the other side of the shrine, where hidden deep within the over growth was a single grave marker. Inu-Takeshi watched him go for a few moments before jumping down and following after him.

<hr>

Sesshoumaru watched from the shadows as the two men walked away from the grave before making his way over to it. Though the name was worn off with time, he knew who was buried there. He had been watching from the tree line when Inuyasha, Inu-Takeshi and Shippo had buried her all those years ago. Unable to think of anything to say, he merely stared down at the grave marker for a few minutes before turning and following after them. And as he had done for the last 500 years, Sesshoumaru watched his son's life from the side lines.

 <hr>

AN: I'm sure the main question on your minds at this moment is 'will there be a sequel?', answer: yes!. As far as time line goes, I can only tell you it will be after Mates. Though I have added a little preview below, it's only the summary, but at the moment I do not have any of it written and so can't give you anything else. I am still trying to come up with a name for this story and so far my best is 'the void continues' which just sucks, so if you have an idea leave a review or send me a message. If I use your title, you will get full credit, it will be posted on the first chapter, and the story will be dedicated to you. :)

I hope you enjoyed this story and if you do not like the ending, I'm sure you will be happier with the sequel. For those waiting on We are Mates, I still have to finish the last chapters of Warriors, just remember it will only have 24 chapters, it will end at 6:00AM.

Sneak Peak! Sequel summary:

It only took him 500 years, but Sesshoumaru finally understands that he chose the wrong path. Now he will do anything to change the course of history, including seeking the help of the most inconceivable of allies. Join him on his journey to set right his mistakes in hopes of dissolving the void within his own heart.

AN: As always I hope you enjoyed this story of mine and I am both happy and sad that it is over. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Happy reading everyone.

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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