The Sacred Trees

a/n : I think I am not going to explain too much plot wise.. but set after Naraku is destroyed with a different ending from the point of Kagome disappearing. No Kagome bashing (unfortunately) well maybe a smidgen, this follows Inuyasha with a connection that he has in the anime and manga that is not really explored. Also trying to answer how the Yokai could have lost supremacy on Kagome's world in a couple of hundred years. Lemons later chapters, most likely Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha. Objections, suggestions and ideas welcome, Anyway please read and review, if you think its worth continuing.

THE SACRED TREES - CHAPTER 1

"Trapped in his body memories flashed in his mind...."

He was a child, 8 in terms of human years an infant in youkai years,.. and his mother was dead. They were chasing him and he ran, stumbling across the road, the puppy ran, ears twitching. The smell of smoke filling his nose, choking him. The sounds of humans crying for his death, echoed in his ears. Deafening him. And the tears in his eyes burned, blinding him.

His mother was dead, and the dam holding the hatred of the world from the little half demon broke, drowning him in in its sickening miasma. He ran past the fields, barbed wire cutting tender skin not protected by the red robe. Stones hit him when ever he slowed, he saw the edge of the forest and ran to in. Ningen were afraid of the demons in the forest, and the half demon raised by humans, was afraid as well. But there was no choice he ran into the darkness, they followed him, but the child had no fear of getting lost, he ran without hesitation. Tripping, falling, picking himself up and running.
He slipped and fell, he could hear them coming, He hurt so bad.

Then he saw the exposed roots of a giant tree that formed a hallow. He crawled in vines slithered behind him obscuring the entrance. The little inu-hanyou curled in a ball, and waited for the merciless hand to grab him, and drag him to hell. But it did not happen, hidden in the heart of the aged tree, its vines too thick for the larger humans to even pass through, the child found safety.
As the hours passed, the humans left and the child was safe.. he could sleep.

Hunger woke him, and he slowly crawled out of his safe haven. Tears dry on his face, he pressed his face to the bark of the aged tree, thanking it for saving him.


"Time flowed.. in the dream state he was trapped in ...."

As that tiny child he had made his way through the forest, till he found a stream, and drank deeply. He tried to catch fish but failed. His nose scented berries.. not the best food for a half demon, but it was all the child could manage. He made his way to the bush and stuffed his face.

The nature of berries is to draw creatures to feast on the bounty, and it was the nature of the predator to feast on the bounty drawn by berries as well.
Inuyasha engrossed in the berries would have ended his life that day if not for his hunger. He saw a berry deep in the brush, he bent to get it, stretching out and overbalanced, just as claws racked the spot he was last standing in. The puppy scrambled deeper into the berry bush, its long thorns giving protection while digging deep into soft skin.

The boar yokai seeking to make the child its lunch hesitated as it sought to avoid the thorns. The pup didn't hesitate, plunging through the bushes he kept a hairs breath ahead of the deadly claws. He ran into the forest, his smaller frame meeting less resistance than the boar Yokai. Inuyasha could feel the heat of the boar on his back, in desperation he leapt up catching the branch of a big tree he pulled himself up into it, as the tusk pierced though his foot. He screamed in pain, his fingers bled as he hung on and pulled himself up to the safety of the branches. Ignoring the pain he climbed higher, leaving a trail of blood behind. The child finally sat cradled in the higher branches of the tree, he was weak, and tired; he fainted from exhaustion.

When he came too he was still safely sitting in the branches of the tree. He could see, hear and smell the boar yokai below him.

He was in pain, he was hungry, he was alone and he was scared.
The small dog demon raised his head and sent out a desperate howl.
Humans miles away heard the howl. It sent shivers down their spine, and they closed their doors to hide from the strange sound.

Demons heard the howl, lower demons, licked their lips at the thought of easy prey. Higher demons felt a sense of loss and sadness but as they had no connection to it, even the more sympathetic demon who may have helped was not close enough to pin-point the location of the howls. The one who may have found the caller was far away to the West, far beyond the distance the sounds could carry. But even in his sleep a Daiyoukai was haunted by an urgency and a nagging guilt that he could not explain and so choose to arrogantly ignore.

The young half demon, howled and howled – it was an instinctual cry for help. The child howled, for hours on end.. and none that would help, came. No one cared for his tears, no one eased his fears. He howled until his voice gave out, and he crumpled on the branch, his eyes burning, as the last tears he would shed for himself seeped out into the branch of the tree.

Canines were pack animals and for one so young to have no pack was unheard of before this.

Inuyasha understood, they didn't care, he was nothing.. no one, and he swore he would be someone someday.. he would survive and he would show them that he was strong. Someday.

That is if he didn't starve, then he saw it, the top branched of the tree, were heavy with fruit. It did not strike him that he had not noticed earlier, but he stretched out and took the food offered freely by the trees. For a week he stayed in that tree.. eating its abundant fruit, getting stronger, sleeping safe and allowing his wounds to heal.
By the time he came down.. the demon was long gone.. eaten by another hungry demon drawn to the area by the howls.
***

Even in dreams he had no wish to linger on such memories, and he allowed his mind to drift to the future, the sacred tree Goshinboku. Had been his home for 50 years, trapped in it, there had been no fear, no pain, no hate. He had slept safely in its shade, its enormous vised cradling his inert body. Connecting him though time, giving him shelter and salvation, Goshinboku had been his true home for most of his life, his blood and mingled with the sap of the tree of life, of time, and the sap had mized equally with his blood. Inuyasha loved trees. He always had..

Other memories, of battles, of losses, friends, enemies flashed though his mind... Sesshamaru and his father, Kikiyo, saving Kohaku's life, Sesshoumaru saving Rin, Miroku and Sango supporting each other, going into Naraku's body, Ginshinboku allowing him to connect with his friends regardless of the magics used against him, controlling his demon side despite being possessed by Magatshuii, killing Naruku and then jumping into the Shikon Gem, and saving Kagome. He had let nothing stand in his way of saving everyone, saving his friends.
***


The beings surrounding the near-death half demon, were satisfied with their prodding into his memories. Though they had brought him to them across time and space, they had need to judge his worth in flesh. And having judged him worthy, the area pulsed as a slow but steady warm green light spread from them into the figure lying unmoving on the forest floor.

But this was not for free... and as he was healed, the gentle power of the ones healing him, opened pathways in his mind and forever more would influence the half demons' destiny.

As he healed the half demons mind drifted again to the most recent events..

Kagome had been saved, she had gone back to her world with her parents. At first they had celebrated, Sesshamaru returned to the West and had ignored him completely - that had hurt, but life went on. Miroku and Sango's wedding were the highlights of the celebrations. Then on Inuyashas's human night a week and a half after their victory, it had happened.

Alone in a secluded hurt, pain radiated through his body. And the stubborn human refused to cry out.

In the morning they had found the half demon transformed back but writhing in pain. The poison had sunk deep while he was human, and now attacked his body faster then its ability to heal. Shippo and Kilala had found him and rushed him to Kaede. She deduced that it was the last bit of maliciousness from the Shikon Jewel, they had poisoned Inuyasha while he had fought them inside the Jewel and the poison by attacking on his human night ensured that they could not catch it when it began. Also none of the more powerful Youkai were around to assist, It would take more then 7 days just to reach Sesshoumaru and the hanyou did not have that time.. The flea had arrived but even he tried in vain, the poison had gone beyond the blood entering his organs, the flea's potion did manage to slow the poison but that was all it did.

Inuyasha was dying. And none of them had the ability to save him.

“Would Kagome's medicines save him.” Shippo asked he wept next to the still body of his adoptive father. They were all silent, it was possible, but the extent of the poison made it doubtful.
“We should take him to the well. If we really cant do anything (sob.. sob) I think he would want to be by the well.” Shippo insisted. He couldn't stand seeing Inuyasha in a small hut trapped like this, he knew the hanyou would want to breathe his last in a more natural setting.
“That might be for the best.” Kaede said softly.. her heart was breaking, and she felt old, the half demon meant so much to her.. and now when they should be happy they were watching him die. Fate could be so cruel.

There were no arguments Kilala carried Inuyasha carefully, strapped on a stretcher on her back. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kaede, Kohaku and the flea made a sad procession to the well. As they passed Goshinboku, the tree of time pulsed. They all felt it and froze.

“What was that?” Sango asked.
“Its Goshinboku. Bring Inuyasha to it quickly.” Miroku said seeing the spiritual energy in the Ancient tree.

The tree pulsed again and when they rested Inuyasha beneath the sacred tree, the wind swirled and whispered. “To save him.. will you be willing to lose him from this time forever? To use the Well and seal it for good.” The words were whispers in the wind.
“Yes,” Shippo was the first to speak.. “If it saves him it is not a sacrifice. If he gets to go to Kagome's time that is even better.” The little Kitsune said his voice thick with tears.
“No.” The wind whispered. “If he is to be saved in this manner, his destiny will not be his own. And she must make the sacrifice as well.”

The tree pulsed again, and a mist formed around them all.. They saw Kagome, she was standing by the tree in a different season, she was crying and surround by humans in strange clothes with tanned skin. Across time she had sensed Inuyasha's dying and had been trying and failing to return. Then strange people had arrived and given her an unbearable proposition.

They could save Inuyasha but there was a price, the price was the connection that she shared with the half-demon, the love would become the love of a brother and sister, as nothing could touch the love. But the physical attraction, the chemistry between the two, the physical desire to touch between them would die.

They did not explain who and what they were, they made the proposition and left it to the weeping girl to decide. Kagome's whole family were in tears, but there was no real choice. Through time and space.. they heard Kagome's reply. “Save him!”

The mist disappeared and the wind whispered a final time, “Take him to the well with his sword, place him inside. Know that for those willing to sacrifice and do much, MUCH is expected.” The Great Trees vines moved in the wind caressing the young half-demon.. and the wind died.

They took the comatose hanyou to the well, and placed him inside with the Tessaiga, as soon as they got out the well it pulsed, light shot out and the half demon disappeared from the feudal era.

Far to the West the Daiyoukai walking with Rin and Jaken, stumbled as a part of his soul was suddenly ripped from him. Eyes bleeding red, without a thought he rose to the air and flew to the East, but he already knew, he was too late, his howl was lost in the winds as he sped to the Forest of Inuyasha.

--tbc--??

Well what do you think? Should I continue? Please review.