Chapter 30Useless Journey

Chapter 30 - Useless Journey

"Miroku, let's go already," InuYasha shouted impatiently. Kagome was standing
nearby, watching him, and it was making him nervous the way her eyes were
panicked. She wasn't speaking though, although she must be as worried as
Sango was about them leaving. He didn't want to look at her, so he avoided
her eyes, which he was sure were probably filling with tears. Instead he
looked at Miroku, watching as he kissed his four-month-old daughter,
Adriana, goodbye. InuYasha had already said a painful goodbye to his
six-month-old twins, Arekusso and Sakura. He had told himself he was going
to make them safe, and that he would return, because the thought of not
returning was just too painful to even imagine.

"I'll be back soon Kagome," InuYasha said, turning towards her for a final
farewell. She just nodded, and her pained expression almost convinced InuYasha
not to go.

"I have to go. Naraku is close by and I can't let him get any
closer to the new life we've built. We have to take care of him now," InuYasha
said out loud, but mostly to assure himself that he was going for a purpose,
and to convince himself that it was a necessity he go.

"I understand, just be careful," Kagome said softly. She leaned into InuYasha and
closed her eyes. She stood for a long minute just breathing him in, and
trying to memorize the feel of his arms around her. It made her relax
enough so that when InuYasha and Miroku finally did leave she saw them off with a
smile. At first InuYasha and Miroku traveled fast, barely speaking to each other in their
hurry to get where they were going so they could get home faster. At night
they would talk, but their conversations weren't important. Somehow no
matter what they started talking about the discussion always brought them to
the topic of home.

"We'll be back before you know it Miroku," InuYasha said. "I don't plan on anyone
getting killed, except Naraku." Miroku didn't look up, despite InuYasha's try at
cheering up the quiet atmosphere. How was it that the group had traveled so
much and had faced so many demons, but they had never felt as down as they
did now? The answer was painfully obvious. When Kagome was with him InuYasha
didn't feel like any demon was too hard, or no journey too far. But now
Kagome was at the village, days away. He had always taken her optimism and
cheerfulness for granted, but now he realized what a blessing they had
always been. What he wouldn't do to hear her voice now.

"I thought we had killed him before. How could he possibly be alive?"
Miroku said. InuYasha shrugged, wondering the same things. It was impossible
that after the beating Naraku had taken he could still be alive. Maybe he
was immortal.

"You know my wind tunnel never returned though," Miroku mused. "Maybe
there's been a mistake."

"There's no mistake," InuYasha snapped back. Miroku sighed at his tone.

"Just as we were getting our lives straight this has to go and happen. Just
when you think you can finally be happy it slips through your fingers,"
Miroku said quietly. InuYasha looked away, not knowing how to reply. It was
true that these past few months away from everyone had been the best of his
life. He hadn't had to go off fighting demons for stupid villages who'd
rather see him die in the fight. Miroku had become happy too. The birth of
his daughter had made him grow up. Maybe he realized that he wouldn't want
anyone acting the way he had acted towards women targeted at his daughter.InuYasha wondered if he should have gone alone. Without his wind tunnel Miroku
wouldn't be much help, plus he needed more rest than InuYasha. The journey would
probably be faster without him. But when InuYasha had decided to go Miroku had
insisted on coming with him. Even Sango had wanted to come along, but there
was no way Miroku was allowing that. He smiled at the thought of Sango
throwing her boomerang with one hand and holding a baby in the other. His
friends were the bravest people he had ever met, or maybe they were just the
craziest.

Without Miroku, Sango, and especially Kagome life would have been so
different. He couldn't even imagine a future without them. He had so much
to be thankful for, and so much to fight for.Each day they got closer to Naraku's scent, and each day InuYasha grew more determined to end this fight between them once and for all. When they finally managed to catch up with Naraku it had been a week since they had left. InuYasha walked up to Naraku, his eyes widening at the sight of his deadly foe. He drew his sword as he approached. Miroku stood much farther back,
waiting while InuYasha investigated. InuYasha crept closer, waiting for Naraku to
notice him, but the demon didn't move. Could this be a trap?

"I think he's already dead," InuYasha said, his tone filled with amazement. As he
had moved within meters of Naraku he had expected him to rise up and strike,
or at least to realize that it was just a fake, a demon puppet. But this
was the real Naraku, and he wasn't moving because he was already dead.

"Late as usual, InuYasha," a familiar voice sent InuYasha spinning around. Sesshomaru
stood a few feet away. InuYasha had been so absorbed in Naraku he hadn't even
realized his older brother was there. "If you had come sooner you could
have saved me the trouble." His tone was mocking and it filled InuYasha with
rage. How was it that Sesshomaru always knew the exact thing to say that
would piss him off?

"InuYasha, we didn't come here to fight Sesshomaru," Miroku pointed out. While InuYasha was feeling disappointed at learning he wouldn't get to fight Naraku, Miroku
was feeling relieved. He didn't want InuYasha to get hurt fighting his own
brother.

"Yeah," InuYasha said, turning reluctantly away from Sesshomaru. "Let me just
make sure he's dead this time."

"You don't have to check. When I do something I do it right," Sesshomaru
said. InuYasha ignored him, checking the body over anyway. But Sesshomaru was
right. Naraku was certainly dead.

"I guess this was all for nothing then," InuYasha concluded shrugging his
shoulders. "We might as well head back." He turned to go but Sesshomaru
spoke up.

"InuYasha, I wouldn't let my guard down just yet. Something's going on. Naraku
was too easy. He didn't resort to any tricks, he just attacked straight on,
even though it was clear he was losing," Sesshomaru said.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" InuYasha asked.

"Naraku is famous for escaping when he's close to death. Why would he stay
this time?" Miroku asked, catching on. InuYasha couldn't believe what he was
hearing.

"It was as if he were a zombie, or a demon puppet himself. He was only a
shell of his former self," Sesshomaru said.

"Do you think someone was controlling Naraku?" Miroku asked.

"It would have to be pretty strong," InuYasha put in, not liking where the
conversation was going.

"But if some demon were controlling Naraku what would they be hoping to
gain? So far we've only heard of Naraku killing Kouga. And judging from
his direction it looks like he was coming after you next. Have any enemies
Sesshomaru?" Miroku asked.

"Most likely too many to remember," InuYasha muttered.

"It wasn't me he was targeting. It was a girl traveling with me," Sesshomaru said.

"Do you mean the human girl?" Miroku asked. InuYasha still found it hard to
believe that Sesshomaru would allow a human to travel with him; especially
since the reason Sesshomaru despised InuYasha was because of his human blood.

"No it was a demon," Sesshomaru said.

"Did she know Naraku?" InuYasha asked.

"I don't think so," Sesshomaru said. "Whatever this guy is after it was just a heads up that worse things are on their way. I'd keep an eye out if I were you."

"Sesshomaru, why are you warning me like this?" InuYasha asked, simply curious.
He thought Sesshomaru would be thrilled to have him in so much danger, so
why the cryptic warning.

"Let's just say I want to take the Tetsuiga from you myself. I don't want
anyone to kill you before I get the chance to," Sesshomaru said. He walked
away, feeling he had done his duty towards his brother. If InuYasha was foolish
enough to get killed, now it was his own business. InuYasha and Miroku watched him walk away in silence.

"Could there really be a demon more powerful than Naraku?" InuYasha asked.

"Hey, we don't have to worry about that now. Let's get home!" Miroku said
happily, clapping his hand on InuYasha's back, thankful at avoiding a fight. InuYasha nodded, trying not to think of what evil could be next. Maybe if he had known the person controlling Naraku wasn't a demon, but a mere human, he wouldn't have worried. But he had no way of knowing that.