~Sequel to "Tucked away in my heart forever"~
(Okay, this is the sequel to one of my other stories that I wrote about Inu-Yasha and Kagome. I just couldn't let the first story end where it did, so I'm continuing it, thanks to a suggestion from one of my reviewers! If you haven't read the first story, then go find it and read it!!! This story won't make much since if you don't know what happened in the first part!!! But if you think you have already predicted what happened in the beginning, then you sure go ahead and try to understand what everyone's talking about! 0.0*
Thanks for reading this message before you start actually on the story below this! ^.^)
(chibikagome1@yahoo.com)
~Chapter one~ A day and a night~
It was the morning after the incident with Kikyo. Sango and Miroku had managed to fight off most of the demons in the cave, and went looking for Inu-Yasha, and when they found him, he and Kagome were in each others arms, crying together. That had been hours before. Kirara flew through the breezy sky with Sango in the front, Miroku seated behind her, and Kagome and Inu-Yasha sitting together behind them both. No one had said anything, and Sango or Miroku had or wanted to question why Kagome and Inu-Yasha had been sobbing so harshly, in each others arms. The only thing they could think of was that they had both confessed their love, and had been through something horrid as well. Kirara came closer and closer to Kaede's village, but it seemed to take longer every time the giant cat took another bound farther through the air. Kagome held onto Inu-Yasha's kimono the whole way. Her ankle wasn't too badly burned from the hot chain of Kikyo's, but it still hurt her. Inu-Yasha couldn't help but worry about her small injury. He still couldn't believe even in his own mind that he had told Kagome of his true feelings for her, and had even kissed her in such a passionate way that it made him wonder if he'd ever feel that breathtaking emotion again. Kirara finally landed near Kaede's village, and Shippo came running to them quickly. Inu-Yasha helped Kagome down from Kirara's back just in time for Shippo to jump into his best friend's arms. "OH!!!! KAGOME!! I WAS SO WORRIED THAT I DIDN'T SLEEP AT ALL LAST NIGHT!!!" He screamed out. Kagome smiled weakly to her little fox friend, then put him down. Sango looked towards the village. "Come on. Let's get you to see Kaede and the village nurse about that ankle of yours, Kagome." She explained. Kagome nodded in reply, but as soon as she took one step, her ankle gave her splitting pain, and she almost fell over, but strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. Inu-Yasha starred down to her in worry. "In….Inu-Yasha?" She questioned in confusion to his sudden movement. He smiled to her in a small way, trying to be cheerful. "You're much too weak to be walking yet. I'll carry you." He explained as he scooped her up into his arms. Kagome blushed deeply. The group continued to walk to the village after that. Shippo sat on Miroku's shoulder and sighed. "I don't understand why Inu-Yasha's being so nice to Kagome all of a sudden!" He whispered into the mink's ear. Miroku turned to Shippo and grinned. "It's an adult thing. I'll explain it when you're a bit older." He stated. Shippo sighed once more. *I'm always gonna be too young! WHEN IN THE WORLD WILL I GET OLDER!!!!!????* He screamed in thought. As soon as the five companions, including the small cat Kirara, walked into Kaede's already busy looking town, she ran up in a slow way to Kagome's aid. "Kagome! Are yee alright!? Let me look at that ankle of yours!" She exclaimed. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo decided to go have some late breakfast while Kaede fixed up Kagome's ankle. Miroku had asked Inu-Yasha to come along, but he refused to leave Kagome's side. Kaede, through her old one eye, could tell that Inu-Yasha had dramatically changed in his attitude towards Kagome. He sat beside her in Kaede's hut while the old priestess wrapped a bandage around Kagome's burnt ankle. She looked towards Inu-Yasha in a questionable way. "So…did yee destroy my sister Kikyo? Or did she flee?" She wanted to know. Inu-Yasha shrugged. "Who knows! How should I! She was trying to pull Kagome down to hell with her, but suddenly, the chain that she was using to pull of Kagome's leg broke, and I was able to bring Kagome back to the top of the ledge. I didn't see Kikyo after that, and I haven't really thought about her until now!" He explained. Kagome starred at the ground. *Did Inu-Yasha really say all those things to me? Tat he…..loved me…..and didn't want me to leave him…and all that other stuff? Or was it all in my imagination? Had I dreamed that he….kissed me!?* She questioned her mind. Kaede slowly finished with her ankle, then sent her on her way. Inu-Yasha watched intensively as Kagome stood to her feet in a wobbly way, then stumbled over to the hut doorway. She walked out, and the door shut behind her. Kaede turned to Inu-Yasha quickly. "So…is it true? That your heart has changed? That yee have chosen Kagome….not Kikyo?" She wondered aloud. Inu-Yasha glared to her, then stood up quickly to follow Kagome. As he left the hut, Kaede smiled in his direction. *That's what I thought.* She stated in her head.
Inu-Yasha starred after Kagome. She was limping into the woods, with a rather confused look upon her face. Suddenly, she fell to her knees and met the ground. Inu-Yasha quickly ran up to her side. "Kagome! Are you alright?" He questioned. Kagome looked up from the ground to see Inu-Yasha standing over her, his hand held down to her level to help her up. His expression was of one she had never seen before on him…at least looking to her. It was a kind, and warm expression, and it said love in every bit of it. She put her hand into Inu-Yasha, he helped her to her feet again, then she pulled her hand away from his. He starred in surprise. "what's wrong?" He finally wanted to know. Kagome starred at him with confusion. He too was beginning to feel uneasy. "Why…..are you doing all this?" She finally uttered out. He starred in shock at her asking. "You……you…you know why…don't you?" He wondered aloud. She turned away from his eyes. "You chose Kikyo. You told me that yourself…..How could your love for her change all of a sudden to me!? HOW!?" He questioned. Inu-Yasha's thoughts spun. He had never even thought about that. Why did he not love Kikyo anymore?! He had forgotten the reason. Kagome went and sat down onto a bolder rock, resting her ankle. He starred over to her, trying to find the reason he had fallen in love with her. She looked up at him and starred into his eyes. In an instant, tears filled them, and ran down her cheeks. "You didn't love me…..so…why should that have changed?" She asked. Inu-Yasha suddenly found the reason why he cared for Kagome so much. It was because of….her. Only her. He loved everything about her…and that wasn't just her body. It was her heart, her spirit, her mind. He loved her down to the very pits of her being! It was her! How could he express that in the way he felt it in his heart though to her through words? How!? Kagome saw the look in his eyes just then as he thought of this. She knew that that look, said love. She didn't know what to say though. How could her most wanted dream come true…in just a matter of hours!!! HOW!!!??? She looked away from Inu-Yasha and stood up. "Maybe…..I should just go think about all this….I'm sorry…but it's kinda hard to consider…after I've pushed and pushed myself to ignore the pain that you gave me when you told me you had chosen Kikyo….but for now….tell me one thing." She began. Inu-Yasha starred, then nodded. "Yes?" Kagome looked back to him. She smiled weakly. "Did you really mean it though….everything that you said to me back in the cave?" She questioned. Inu-Yasha's fists tightened a bit, but then he reassured himself and nodded. "All of it…..I'm sorry. I made you wait so long for you to hear all that….." He stopped talking. Kagome stood and limped away, leaning against a tree from time to time. *I'll go rest and think for a while by the river. That's one of my favorite places around here, and I can really try to figure out what all Inu-Yasha had actually confessed to me in the cave last night.* She thought to herself as she left Inu-Yasha's point of view. Inu-Yasha starred after her. It suddenly accrued to his mind that….*What if….she doesn't care for me…the way I care about her!!!!!* He screamed in his head. He walked off into the forest in a sad way. That possibility…was…..likely! He could have starved Kagome's feelings and emotions for him too long…and the passion just faded away!!! That could have happened!! But he wouldn't know until later on. He did understand that it would take a while for Kagome to think things through. He had some thinking to do himself, although all he really wanted to do at that time was cuddle up to Kagome's body and be with her, just be with her. *These things take time. I can't rush Kagome. She'll come to me later on…..or…I'll come to her.*
~With Kagome~
Kagome wobbled up to the shore of the river. She finally found a place to sit in the grass to think. She pulled out her water bottle from her bag and drank a bit, then laid herself down onto the cool green, field. She let the sun fall down upon her face, and warm her still a bit shaken up body. She in spite of everything was still so shocked at what she remembered Inu-Yasha telling her in the cave. He had told her that he loved her. That he couldn't live without her. That he wouldn't let her die. He had pored his heart out to her. She herself had spilled out her emotions, but not as much as she had planned. It must have sounded pretty dull when she told Inu-Yasha that she loved him in that stunned voice of hers! She sighed deeply and reached down to hold her leg in between her hands. *I didn't know at first…but now that I look back on it…I can see that Inu-Yasha spoke the deepest truth when he told me he loved me. He truly doesn't love Kikyo anymore! He loves…..ME!!! I don't know why…or what he sees in me…but he loves me!!! That's all I can think of!! I can still hear the sound of his voice when he said those words to me!! Why, he even cried for me!! I'm starting to feel bad…cause I haven't even given a thank you after we returned here! I feel awful…* She thought sadly. She sat up again and starred down at the slowly moving water below the dirt bank. *He probably thinks I don't love him or something….but…I DO!!! I KNOW I DO!!! THAT'S NO LIE!! THEN WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO GET IT THROUGH MY HEAD THAT HE LOVES ME IN RETURN!!!???* She screamed in her mind. She dragged her yellow bag over by her side and pulled out her journal. She flipped to the last page that had words on it. She read silently to herself. Tears walled up into her eyes once she finished. *When I wrote all that stuff….I thought that Inu-Yasha cared nothing about me!! But now….HE DOES!!!!!!* She stated to her head. She looked back up the way she came. She smiled in such a blissful way that she almost couldn't stand to be that happy. She finally realized that he DID love her!! HE DID!!!! Kikyo wasn't seen in his eyes any longer! The only one he saw was HER!!!! She tried to stand up to go and find him, but found that she was much too tired to do so. She cursed herself a bit, then laid back down onto the cool grass. *That's right! I haven't slept in ages!!* She exclaimed in thought. She shoed away the remembering though and then managed to get to her feet. She limped off into the forest. *I'll sleep, once all this is settled! I certainly can't just wait around all day! This is more important then anything else it the whole universe!!! I have to tell Inu-Yasha….that I feel the same way about him as he does me. I can't have him getting the wrong idea!! THAT WOULD BE HORRIBLE!!* She stated in thought as she began to stumble through the woods, off to look for the one she loved.
~With Inu-Yasha~
Inu-Yasha walked through the forest all the way on the other side of Kaede's village. He sighed heavily and looked up ahead of him. One of his particular trees that5 he liked to hang around it stood a few yards away. He leaped up into it's branches and sighed once again. *Kagome…..what if….you don't feel the same way about me as I do you?! What will I do then?! I have no one else! I wouldn't even bother with Kikyo…because she's nothing more to me but just another person now. And I certainly can't just expect to find another girl that I'd love just as much as Kagome! No one could replace her any day! And besides….no woman would want to be with a half bread such as myself….* He paused his thoughts. He looked up to the sky above. It was just beginning to get dark as the evening crept over the world. His eyes starred, longing for the one he had finally found, but might not be able to have after all this time. His fists tightened and he looked to the ground below him now. "I….I can't see myself living without her. I….don't want to be alone anymore." He whispered to himself in a sorrow filled tone. He felt like wanting to cry. And not for any particular reason either! That was the first time he had even considered crying in a not so horrible state! It would have made since to cry on one of the times Kagome was about to die or something, but now was when his tears wanted to fall openly. It didn't take too long for night to descend upon the earth, and Inu-Yasha found himself alone in the darkness, without anyone.
~With Kagome~
Kagome knew that she would find Inu-Yasha if she just kept on looking, but it was already well past dark, and she almost couldn't see two feet in front of her eyes! She found a tree to lean up against and caught her breath. *Geez! And I thought that it couldn't get any darker! I'm getting some what scared…OH!!! LISTEN TO ME!! GETTING SCARED!!??? I'M PRACTICALLY A GROWN LADY!!!!* She screamed in thought, trying to reassure herself of the demons and other things that prowled at night around in the forest. After another moment or two of stumbling around in the dark, her feet hit a tree root and she tumbled down a small embankment. A little after her fall, she opened her eyes and looked about her. It was too dark to her senses to even tell what was sitting in front of her only two inches away! Then, the sudden pain of her ankle came to her as it had been hit through her fall. She held it tightly and brought her legs into her arms. *I'm so stupid. I'm probably lost, and am going to be eaten by something here soon! Plus I have the Shikon shards with me! A demon is sooner or later gonna find me!! I feel so alone….I feel so helpless……I feel small. I can't do anything right can I?* She cursed herself in thought. As she pushed her legs back onto the ground again, she looked off towards a small clearing ahead of her. She looked up and could see the moon shining through the branches. *Well, I could at least be smart and get into some light!* She stated in her mind as she moved closer to the clearing. Suddenly though, as she came into the open area, a tall tree stood in front of her, and up in that tree, sat no other then the figure of her beloved Inu-Yasha. It was true. He sat up in the branches looking as if he was sleeping. A smile crept over her lips as she starred up at him. Inu-Yasha hadn't noticed her arrival, but soon looked down and saw her starring back up at him with shimmering eyes. The moonlight seemed to hit her just right, and it brought out her emotions in her expression. He could see that she was in a bit of pain, but was more then happy to see him. She could, too, see his face, and could tell that he had been sobbing a bit. "Inu-Yasha…" She began. He starred down to her in such a loving way, that her heart lifted with bliss, making her ant to fall into his arms and never come out again. "I've been thinking….about you and me…..and I realized that for so long I had wanted to be by your side….and be loved by you as you loved Kikyo…but I made myself push away from you….cause I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I would never come between you and Kikyo. But then when you told me you loved me…and not Kikyo back in the cave, I remembered that your expression spoke the truth. You didn't lie when you told me that. Then I finally realized, that you loved ME! Not Kikyo. You just loved me. I knew that I loved you, and when I thought about how you must feel right now…thinking that I don't feel the same way about you…I gathered up my courage, and energy, and came looking for you. I almost got lost, but…..my heart will always know where you are. Your spirit leads me to you…and that's why I'm standing here right now." She finished. Inu-Yasha starred. She could see one last tear fall from his cheek to the ground before he leaped down to her side. He starred down into her brown eyes, as she did to his amber eyes. "I…I was afraid. I realized too, just the other night…that I loved you, and not Kikyo. It happened when I watched you sleep. You were having a bad dream, and when I put my hand over your cheek, you clamed. I realized that your heart was lost without me. I knew that you loved me in some way….but the love that I had for Kikyo pushed you away from me. I remembered my decision to be with Kikyo, but when I thought about it that night, I suddenly recalled her never looking at me the way you do…and I never saw Kikyo, as I see you now. I loved you more….no…you were the only one I loved. No one could surpass you. So I left the next morning after watching over you that night, and went off to find Kikyo…to tell her that there had been a mistake…that I didn't love her anymore…but she turned against me…and that's why she tried to pull you to hell instead of me. I was free from her trap and she needed some one else to help her lost soul go to the underworld. I don't know where she is now…but I don't really care. Al I care about is you! YOU!" He suddenly grabbed onto Kagome's shoulder and starred into her eyes deeper. She could see that he pleaded with her soul to stay with her forever. *He thinks I don't love him!!!!* He realized in thought. She shook her head slowly to him. "Inu-Yasha….stop." She began as she backed away from him. A look of fear entered his eyes. "No…I don't want to be alone anymore!!! DON'T LEAVE ME KAGOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He cried out. Kagome smiled in a way he had hoped she would. He starred in a speechless mood. Kagome slowly looked up to his eyes and her eyes filled with tears. She took one step forward, then ran to his arms with one long moment through it all. She brayed her face into his chest and sobbed. "I LOVE YOU INU-YASHA!!!!! NEVER THINK I DON'T!!! NEVER!!!! I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU!!!! I'M SORRY!!!! IT'S BEEN SO HARD TO REALIZE UNTIL NOW HOW YOU REALLY FELT!!!! BUT NOW I CAN SEE THAT YOU MEAN IT IN SUCH A DEEP WAY…AS I DO!!!! I WANT TO BE WITH YOU INU-YASHA!!! FOREVER!!! I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ALONE TOO, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE ANY LONGER!!!! PLEASE!!!! CAN I STAY WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She sobbed out. Inu-Yasha and her both fell to their knees. All he could do was hold her close to him for a long time. Listening to her heart beat fats, and her tears soak his kimono. He looked down to her. "Kagome…..I'll stay with you…if you stay with me." She looked up from her crying and nodded over and over again. They then starred into each others tear filled eyes. They had been lost in emotions and huntress for so long that it had taken this long for them to understand that they needed each other more then anything else! That they loved one another in such a way that can never be broken! Kagome and Inu-Yasha both felt that love. They felt that they had been searching for each other…and had found what they had had all along. They both leaned forward and kissed one another's lips passionately. They stayed like that for about 6 minutes, doing nothing but staying in that moment, trying to take in every second and freezing it into their hearts forever. When finally their lips parted, and they looked back into each others eyes once more, Inu-Yasha suddenly scooped Kagome up into his arms and leaped back up into the tree he had been in. He set her down and smiled in such a warm way that Kagome felt like dying then and there for all she cared, but she knew that he wouldn't let her die. He leaned up against the tree, and Kagome laid herself down onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm and safe from harm, and she was able to keep him warm as well. For about 5 minutes, nothing was said, and all that could be heard was the slow breathing of the two, then Kagome, not looking up from her warm position, but bringing her cheek up to Inu-Yasha's, she whispered, "My Inu-Yasha…..I'll always be with you….no matter what." And then fell asleep like that, not caring about anything else but him. Inu-Yasha didn't sleep very much that night. He was too breath taken at what had happened over that period of time. He could finally have the one he loved…and he didn't have to hide his feelings anymore! He was truly freed from his awful memories of Kikyo…and always regretting her death….and he for the first time knew what it felt like to be truly happy, drenched in his own love for Kagome, and hers. "Kagome…I'll always protect you…and keep you safe from anything that tries to take you away from me. I'll always love you for who you are…and never leave you behind…or forget about you if you ever leave me for a short time. I'll never leave you…ever. I'm always gonna be right by your side…so you don't have to worry about anything. I'm always here. Just look over your should, or beside you, and I'll be there…..watching over you….and never seeing anyone else…but you." He whispered to her tenderly. She hummed a bit in her sleep, as if she had heard all he had just said, and she did. Her mind was never too far away in her dreams to hear him speak to her. Never. The remainder of the night was warm and soft. Nothing could bother them again like Kikyo. Nothing could tear then apart like Naraku had done to Kikyo and Inu-Yasha, because this love was strong. It couldn't be fooled, even by magic. They would be by each others sides, for all of time.
(I hope you're liking it so far. I really don't know if I should keep going or not, so review me and tell me so. I wouldn't want to just keep going and going if it wasn't a good idea, if you know what I mean. Thanks! ^.^)
(chibikagome1@yahoo.com)