Echoes
An Inuyasha Elseworlds Fic
Inuyasha and related characters copyright Rumiko Takahashi, and Shonen Sunday
Comics, and Viz Comics.
Part of this story was inspired by events in "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by the
Queen of Swords [www.queenofswords.com/inufics.htm]
Assuming you've read up to at least volume 5 [the latest one available from Viz] or else
there will be spoilers. As I have not read all of the translations this story is not meant to
follow the plotline of the manga exactly.
Warning: Violence and language.
"I will wait for you
Like I promised I would do
Although it brings me pain"
-- "Wishful Thinking", Amanda Marshall
The past:
"The last piece!" Kagome cried and pointed to the shard in the pendant of Kikyo.
"Inuyasha...she's got the last piece!"
He was growling and gripping the Tetsusaiga. "That belongs to Kagome and me!
Give it here!"
Kikyo laughed coldly. "If you want it, Inuyasha, then come and get it."
Inuyasha charged her. The Testsusaiga raised...
Kagome knew that it wouldn't harm a human, but it would it hurt Kikyo with her soul
brought back from hell?
It sliced through the air and cut into her body of clay that had been baked in Urasue's
enchanted kiln. Inuyasha grabbed the last shard of the jewel and turned back to Kagome.
"We've done it! We..." he stopped, "why are you looking at me like that?"
"You said 'we'," Kagome flushed. "Quick let's put the last piece on the jewel!"
Gently, carefully she placed the shard with the others. It glowed and the jewel formed.
It glowed softly and they stared at it.
"At last..." he whispered, hunger shining in those golden eyes.
Kagome's heart caught. "What are you going to wish for, Inuyasha?"
He looked at her. "You...want me to have the wish?"
She nodded. "We did this for you, didn't we?"
He looked down. "Kagome..."
She pushed the jewel into his hands.
"Kagome," he whispered and then smiled at her, "there's really only one thing I can
wish for..." he held onto the jewel. "I wish to be human so we can be together..."
Kagome gasped. She'd suspected, but he'd said it finally. He wanted them to be
together! The jewel glowed and his fangs, claws, and ears disappeared. His hair became
black and his pupils became rounded as any humans are.
She began to cry, and tears of joy spilled down her cheeks. There was still so many
things that they'd have to work out but right now wasn’t the time to think of it.
She looked into his eyes and knew he was thinking the same thing, then suddenly they
went wide in shock and his mouth open as he cried in pained.
The arrow had pierced his heart straight and true, he fell to his knees, hands clutching
at the wound. A wound that would not have killed a youkai, but was fatal to a human.
Kikyo stood there, how Kagome had no idea. "I have my revenge," the witch spoke,
"death to you, Inuyasha, and to I...and we will finally be together in hell..."
"NO!" Kagome screamed and fell to her knees beside him. "Inuyasha! No! Not now!
Not now!"
He gasped and looked over at Kikyo. "You...you...frickin' bitch!"
Kikyo laughed, choking. "And the sweetest thing is that with all our karma,
Inuyasha...we'll never make it back out of hell...We'll be together...forever..."
"Shut up, bitch!" He yelled.
Kagome tried to calm him. "Inuyasha, no, shhh...it's all right. You're not going to
die."
He stared up at her. "But I am...stupid girl. ...That's what humans do...they die. And
then they're reborn... Karma or no karma I’ll find a way back to you, Kagome.
Somehow...I promise I will..."
She cried softly. "No, you can't die!"
"Keep...the jewel with you so...you can remember..." he moaned softly. "Kagome...can
I lay...my head in your lap?"
She sobbed quietly, and put his head in her lap. The action took her back to the first
night of the new moon she'd spent with him. The first time that the youkai magic in his
blood had ceased to flow and he had been almost human.
"Are...you thinking...about the time...with the spiders..." he asked.
She nodded. "You told me you didn't remember."
"I lied." he closed his eyes and smiled a tiny half smile. "Kagome...you smell so
good..."
She wiped a tear. "You told me that then too."
He didn't reply.
"Inu... Inuyasha?"
His breath had stopped. Kagome slid him off her lap, and searched for a pulse, finding
none. She even tried to pull out the arrow, and it came out with a bloody wrench. She
lay her head on his chest and wept.
It was a long time before Shippou and Kaede found her.
The present. Japan:
Kagome awoke crying again, she must have fallen asleep at her desk. It had been that
dream. She'd watched as Kikyo's arrow pierced Inuyasha's heart and the two of them had
tumbled to the ground.
Kagome looked over at the jewel on her desk. She'd been keeping it because she didn't
know what else to do with it. Inuyasha had just finished having his wish to become fully
human granted when the arrow had cut him down.
She balled her fists and wept. It had been over four hundred years ago...and nearly a
year since her last visit down that well to the Warring States Age. She'd just finished her
third year at koutougakkou. Graduation had just been a few days ago, and despite her
absences she had managed to pass with very good grades.
In fact, she'd been offered to go on the Tokyo 2000 Exchange to America, and it was a
great opportunity for her.
I still miss him, she thought. He'd only been human for that brief moment, but he'd
smiled at her, and taken her hand and then just before the jewel could fade away…
Kagome burst into tears again. Why did this karma still follow her?
Alex gagged and heaved, beginning another moment of worshiping the porcelain god.
"Hang over?" his roommate asked, sweetly.
He gasped, catching his breath, and slowly raised his head to look at her. "Really, Jenn,
you should know better than that. I'm way beyond that amateurish self-destructive
behavior. I'm a professional."
She put a hand over her heart in a fake-wounded gestured. "Alex, you hurt me so."
She wrinkled her nose. "Don't tell me you're sick...God, just don't give it to me."
"Once again, we thank you for your never-ending concern for my well-being," Alex
muttered, sarcastically. "What do you want, Jenn?"
"The exchange thing," she shrugged. "Did you think about it? I need an answer."
"Jenn, the way I feel right now, I don't even think I'll be alive in two weeks."
"Ha, ha. Once again I thrill to your comedic stylings, Alex. But seriously, I think this
would be a good thing." Jenn leaned against the door frame, her over-sized t-shirt
hanging midway to her knees.
He slowly got up off the floor and after flushing the toilet, went to the sink, splashing
cold water on his face and rinsing out his mouth. "Explain to me again how going to
Japan for two weeks can be a good career move."
"Look, Alex, not only would it be a good chance to expand our horizons...I mean think
about it, how often are you going to be offered a chance to travel overseas?" She paused.
"Besides, a lot of people go over to Asia and Europe for experience and then come back
to make it big in North America."
"Jenn, you're the only one in the band who even speaks Japanese," he told her.
"Besides, Mack hates Asians, and how would Tyler manage to swing two weeks off from
his job?"
Jenn frowned. "Look, Alex, if you want something bad enough, you *make* it
happen, right? Isn't that what you're always saying?"
"I never said I wanted to go to Japan."
"Alex, the Tokyo 2000 exchange is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. For two weeks we
show a student from Japan around here, and then for the next two weeks we follow them
around in Japan." Jenn paused. "Two weeks is plenty of time to find someone to listen
to us. Anything English is really hot over in Asia. We could try to plug the new song."
"English or not," He put toothpaste on his toothbrush. "They'll tell us the same thing
that the guys here do, that they don't want to her some nobody group sing covers of
popular songs."
"That's why you have to get out of this slump and write a song!"
"Dontchoo think I've tried?" Alex asked, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He spat
the toothpaste into the sink and then looked back at Jenn. "I don't get why you just won't
let this drop."
Jenn shrugged. "Maybe it's because I've already signed us all up."
His mouth dropped open. "Jenn..."
"How you could have done something so stupid without even askin' us?" Mack
demanded. "I can't believe this!"
Tyler looked equally unimpressed. "Jenn, this was very irresponsible of you. You
know I need to give at least three weeks notice to get time off from my job."
"Whoa, you have three weeks," Jenn protested. "Like, I told Alex, the students don't
come for another week and we don't leave for another three."
"But, wouldn't we have had to sign a consent form?" Tyler persisted. "And wouldn't
your mom have said something to Alex about it by now, Jenn?"
"Alex willingly signed the consent form," Jenn smiled. "In fact, you all did. When I
got you to sign those papers for me."
"Alex said that was legal stuff for the band."
"That's what I told him it was. I mean, what kind of idiot doesn't read something
before he signs it?"
"Yo, Alex, you wanna say something in your defense?" Mack asked, glaring at Alex.
Alex continued to tune his guitar, calmly ignoring the threatening way Mack was
slamming his fist into his palm. "What is done, is done. Look at it as an adventure."
"You sound like you're backing up Jenn on this," Tyler muttered.
"I'm warming to the idea," he replied. "Besides, a whole month with some cute Asian
chicks could be just what you need, Ty. Gettin' some might put your tight ass in a better
mood."
"I'm the one who needs a mood adjustment?" Tyler glared. "Gee, I was unaware that I
was the one in slump."
"So I was a little worried about graduating," Alex shrugged, "so what?"
"Dude, your mood didn't end when we graduated," Mack told him. "And now you're
letting Jenn pull this sh--"
Alex yelped suddenly and grabbed at his chest, his guitar slipping to the ground with a
chest.
"You okay?" Jenn asked, running over to him. "What is it?"
Alex pushed her away. "It's just heart burn. Just a little pain in my chest. It just took
me by surprise, that's all."
Jenn gave him a doubtful look. "Let's call it quits for today, and try to practice again
tomorrow. Alex isn't feeling well, and besides you guys need to notify the right people
about your absence in a few weeks."
Mack glared at her. "I hate Asians, you know."
"You and the Klan, baby," Jenn replied, sticking out her tongue. "Damn racist."
Mack glared at her, grabbed his drumsticks and stomped out. Tyler calmly picked up
his bass guitar. "All things aside, Jenn, this might be fun. But I wish you hadn't been so
sneaky about it." He shook his head. "Alex, lay off the booze, buddy, and go get some
sleep. You look like shit."
Alex smiled weakly. "Call me later, we'll talk about how to win Mack over."
Tyler nodded and walked out of the garage. Jenn walked over to Alex. "What's going
on, Alex? You're never sick. Never, and I don't think heartburn could make you yell like
that."
"It's nothing," he muttered, rubbing his chest.
"Bullshit. It's something."
Alex glared at her. "Fine. I felt like I'd had something sharp jabbed into my ribcage.
Happy?"