Chapter One
An anguished cry echoed within the shrine that held the Bone Eater's Well. It pierced the serene night air and rebounded off the trees that encircled the well. Kagome slowly pulled herself from the depths of the well. Tears had left paths down her face which had dirt accumulating upon it. More threatened to spill from her emotional dam, blurring her vision. She turned after climbing out and prepared to leap into the depths of darkness once again. A hand on her shoulder stopped her. Tentatively the owner of the appendage spoke, "Please stop, come inside, you are going to hurt yourself."
"It doesn't matter! They could be dying right now, I have to go back no matter what!" Kagome replied.
"Kagome, please listen to reason, you are doing no good this way! You are only hurting yourself! At least take a break...for me....."
Reluctantly Kagome agreed to her mother's request. Ms. Higarashi led her daughter into the house and to the bathroom. "While you clean all that dirt off I want you to tell me what happened."
Kagome nodded in response.
After the tub had filled, Kagome shed her clothing and sank into the warm embrace of the water. A moment of silence passed before she began her tale.
"Shippo and I were sitting by the well this afternoon. Earlier in the week we had been attacked by Naraku, Inuyasha was still recuperating at Kaede's so we had decided to go on a walk. Shippo was asleep next to me so I never knew that Sesshoumaru was coming. Within an instant he was holding me in the air by my neck. I tried to scream for Inuyasha, but his grip was causing my windpipe to close. Inuyasha caught his scent though and came about a minute later. Sesshoumaru dropped me on the round so he could fight. He had an advantage because of Inuyasha's weakened state. The next thing I knew, Sesshoumaru threw Inuyasha at me as I stood to retrieve my bow. I moved out of the way, but the Shikon no Tama was blown sideways by my sudden movement. Inuyasha's claws caught onto it as he flew past. I was jerked off balance and fell backwards into the well. I heard the chain snap on the Shikon's necklace, then everything went black. I woke up on the floor of the shrine. Now I'm never going to see them again, I don't have the shards and Sesshoumaru probably killed them all!" with that last statement came a storm of tears. "I....I never got to tell Inuyasha how I felt about him!"
Ms. Higarashi handed her daughter a towel. Kagome pulled it around her and then embraced her mother, her body shaking with unrestrained sobs. She let her daughter's crying starting to slow down and decided now was a good time to talk. "This reminds me of a poem I read about.." she said softly. Kagome looked up at her and she continued.
"If I knew it would be the last time That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
And pray the Lord your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time
That I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and a kiss
And call you back for just one more.
If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would tape each word and action
And play them back throughout my days.
If I knew it would be the last time
I would spare an extra minute or two
To stop and say, "I love you,"
Instead of assuming you know I do.
So just in case tomorrow never comes,
And today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
And I hope we never will forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You'll surely regret the day
That you didn't take that extra time
For a smile, a hug or a kiss,
And you were too busy to grant someone
What turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them you love them very much, and
You'll always hold them dear.
Take time to say, "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's OK."
And if tomorrow never comes,
You'll have no regrets about today.
That poem is called "Tomorrow Never Comes" it's by Norma Cornett Marek."
Kagome felt the hurt within her lessen a little. "It was beautiful.." she murmured. "And true....so true....."
"You aren't the only one who has made that mistake,Kagome, but just being there for them was enough to tell them all that."
The weight that had settled on her heart was slowly being lifted. Kagome smiled a little, what her mother said was true. Loved ones never died, they existed in memory and in heart.
"Now get to bed, you have school tomorrow and your grandfather is out of illnesses again."
An anguished cry echoed within the shrine that held the Bone Eater's Well. It pierced the serene night air and rebounded off the trees that encircled the well. Kagome slowly pulled herself from the depths of the well. Tears had left paths down her face which had dirt accumulating upon it. More threatened to spill from her emotional dam, blurring her vision. She turned after climbing out and prepared to leap into the depths of darkness once again. A hand on her shoulder stopped her. Tentatively the owner of the appendage spoke, "Please stop, come inside, you are going to hurt yourself."
"It doesn't matter! They could be dying right now, I have to go back no matter what!" Kagome replied.
"Kagome, please listen to reason, you are doing no good this way! You are only hurting yourself! At least take a break...for me....."
Reluctantly Kagome agreed to her mother's request. Ms. Higarashi led her daughter into the house and to the bathroom. "While you clean all that dirt off I want you to tell me what happened."
Kagome nodded in response.
After the tub had filled, Kagome shed her clothing and sank into the warm embrace of the water. A moment of silence passed before she began her tale.
"Shippo and I were sitting by the well this afternoon. Earlier in the week we had been attacked by Naraku, Inuyasha was still recuperating at Kaede's so we had decided to go on a walk. Shippo was asleep next to me so I never knew that Sesshoumaru was coming. Within an instant he was holding me in the air by my neck. I tried to scream for Inuyasha, but his grip was causing my windpipe to close. Inuyasha caught his scent though and came about a minute later. Sesshoumaru dropped me on the round so he could fight. He had an advantage because of Inuyasha's weakened state. The next thing I knew, Sesshoumaru threw Inuyasha at me as I stood to retrieve my bow. I moved out of the way, but the Shikon no Tama was blown sideways by my sudden movement. Inuyasha's claws caught onto it as he flew past. I was jerked off balance and fell backwards into the well. I heard the chain snap on the Shikon's necklace, then everything went black. I woke up on the floor of the shrine. Now I'm never going to see them again, I don't have the shards and Sesshoumaru probably killed them all!" with that last statement came a storm of tears. "I....I never got to tell Inuyasha how I felt about him!"
Ms. Higarashi handed her daughter a towel. Kagome pulled it around her and then embraced her mother, her body shaking with unrestrained sobs. She let her daughter's crying starting to slow down and decided now was a good time to talk. "This reminds me of a poem I read about.." she said softly. Kagome looked up at her and she continued.
"If I knew it would be the last time That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
And pray the Lord your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time
That I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and a kiss
And call you back for just one more.
If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would tape each word and action
And play them back throughout my days.
If I knew it would be the last time
I would spare an extra minute or two
To stop and say, "I love you,"
Instead of assuming you know I do.
So just in case tomorrow never comes,
And today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
And I hope we never will forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You'll surely regret the day
That you didn't take that extra time
For a smile, a hug or a kiss,
And you were too busy to grant someone
What turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them you love them very much, and
You'll always hold them dear.
Take time to say, "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's OK."
And if tomorrow never comes,
You'll have no regrets about today.
That poem is called "Tomorrow Never Comes" it's by Norma Cornett Marek."
Kagome felt the hurt within her lessen a little. "It was beautiful.." she murmured. "And true....so true....."
"You aren't the only one who has made that mistake,Kagome, but just being there for them was enough to tell them all that."
The weight that had settled on her heart was slowly being lifted. Kagome smiled a little, what her mother said was true. Loved ones never died, they existed in memory and in heart.
"Now get to bed, you have school tomorrow and your grandfather is out of illnesses again."