Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Inuyasha. No matter how much I dream that I do.
This is my absolute first fan fiction ever, so try not to be too harsh. I appreciate reviews, especially the ones that can help improve my writing. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.
The cold wind whistled in the night, like a ghost wailing it's sorrows.
Kagome shivered, even though she was underneath the thick blanket and snuggled deep into her sleeping bag. She looked over at the little fox kitsune laying next to her, one thumb popped into his mouth.
She smiled and pulled her body as gently and quietly as she could from the sleeping bag without waking the sleeping boy.
He twitched in his sleep and she froze, but he simply rolled over and continued sleeping.
She slipped the rest of the way out and wrapped her arms tightly around her body to keep herself warm.
For some reason she just couldn't get to sleep. It wasn't that she didn't want to. She was exhausted from running around the mountain peak, chasing after the demon crow that clutched a jewel shard in a large, clawed foot. But her body just wouldn't let her.
She looked up into the dark tree, where she caught a glimpse of silver. She sighed. Of course Inuyasha was still awake. He was always awake.
Normally, she would have gone over to him, but tonight she needed to be able to think. So she slunk around the tree, careful not to tread on the crunchy, dry leaves that littered the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was out of his seeing and hearing range.
She had stumbled upon a meadow that she hadn't noticed was here before. It was small, about the size of a pond. It was surrounded by a ring of trees, with a small opening that allowed for her to walk in to the secluded area. It was a beautiful meadow, with thick grass and bright flowers that seemed out of place with the night so dark.
Except here it wasn't dark. The stars were glittering brilliantly, brighter then she had ever seen, and the moon was glowing in the sky, it's bright face filled with dark craters.
Kagome let out a pleased gasp and walked to the center of the meadow. Flowers shimmered and swayed in the chilly wind. Kagome sank to the ground and tucked her arms behind her head to look up at the sky. The stars here shined much brighter then the one's back home. But in this meadow they were like tiny, golden jewels twinkling beautifully.
She was reminded of Inuyasha in this meadow, with the silvery moon and the golden stars. She remembered when she had first met him what a startling contrast it had been. She hadn't realized gold and silver were such beautiful compliments to each other.
She sighed wistfully. Even in a beautiful meadow like this, her thoughts drifted to Inuyasha. She'd already admitted to herself that, yes, she loved him, and that no, she couldn't make herself stop loving him, no matter how many times he left to run after Kikyo.
Thinking about Kikyo made Kagome feel like a pale imitation. Which really if she thought about, that's what she was. An imitation. A replacement. Someone easily disposed of now that the original was back in all her glory.
Kagome tried not to think such rude thoughts, because that wasn't her. She didn't let herself feel pitiful and useless and unloved. She told herself she was just happy to be here with Inuyasha. But lately her mind had been whirring and some of the gears had shifted.
She had realized one night, when sleep had evaded her, that, what if she hadn't looked so much like Kikyo? Would Inuyasha had even taken the time? Would he still be with her now? Or would she just be a forgotten memory, never to be seen again?
She didn't like to think of answers for questions like those, so she had always forced herself to stop. After all, she had decided to stay here. Even after Inuyasha had told her she needed to go back home, because he couldn't keep her safe with Kikyo around, she had refused and decided to stay. But that was back when she had been happy with just being near him. Now she wanted more. Was she being too selfish?
She sighed again, and sat up. She didn't feel like looking at the sky anymore, or laying in this beautiful meadow.
She had depressed herself. She dusted off the dirt that clung to her clothes and plucked a flower from the ground. It was bright pink, with golden dust speckled on top. It was so unusual and strange she wanted to keep it. Why would a flower like that grow here?
She looked around. There were a lot of unusual flowers that she hadn't noticed before. Bright silver and orange. Purple spotted with black dots and green with yellow edges.
She wondered briefly if she should tell the others about her strange discovery, but then realized that it was just flowers and they probably wouldn't be interested. After all, they saw flowers all the time. So instead she tucked the pink flower into her skirt pocket and ambled back through the tall trees that hid the meadow.
She almost screamed when she saw a dark shape jump from the trees to land on the ground 20 feet away her. She saw silver flash. Inuyasha. But what was he doing here?
She squinted, her eyes roaming the dark for any demons or disturbances. She saw dark shapes of trees and plants but no demons.
Then she saw the black shape appear from behind a tree, like a shadow. She saw the dragon-like creatures circling the trees and her throat locked. Of course. Kikyo was here. She looked hurt. Her body was held at an odd position and she was clutching her arm tightly to her body. She limped towards Inuyasha and he rushed forward to catch her before she fell to the ground.
They looked so perfect like that, Kikyo laying her head on his chest, his arms wrapped so tightly around her, that it made Kagome's chest squeeze painfully tight. How many times had she seen this, and every time she did it felt like a knife piercing it's way into her heart.
Her eyes were burning and her head was pounding, a sure sign she was about to cry.
Inuyasha's head suddenly snapped up from staring at Kikyo and he looked right where she was standing, crouched behind a thick tree. Did he see her?
She breathed with bated breath and didn't even dare to blink. Finally, his head lowered slowly until he was looking at Kikyo again.
"I thought I heard something." she heard him say to Kikyo. She knew she couldn't cry. He would smell the salt and know she was here. But she couldn't help it and a stray one leaked from her eye. She wiped at it quickly.
Kikyo and Inuyasha were talking in soft voices and kagome strained her ears to hear.
"……came out of nowhere. I first thought it was a stray demon, but it appeared to be a pet. A women came with it. Inuyasha, listen closely. It has a master. I couldn't get a glimpse of her face because it suddenly attacked me, but when she came, strange flowers started blooming. That's all I can say, for that is all I know."
"Kikyo, I don't care about the demon. We need to get you help. Come back to the rest spot with me. Kagome has all kind's of weird medicines from her time. We can heal you."
Even though she couldn't see, she could imagine Kikyo's face darkening at the mention of her name by the way her voice was suddenly ice cold.
"I need no assistance from her. I am fine Inuyasha." she pulled herself from his arms and stood, a little wobbly.
Inuyasha stood and made to grab her but she shook his hand off. Even though she couldn't see his face, Kagome knew he would be hurt.
"When you are ready to join me Inuyasha, I will be waiting. I only came here to warn you. Thank you for listening." she turned to go.
"Would you let me come with you?" he asked, barley a whisper.
Kagome let out a gagging sound, holding in a sob. Of course he would want to go with Kikyo. He loved Kikyo. Like he would never love her.
She just hadn't imagined he would cast them all aside so easily. Had he been wanting to go with her from the start? Why he had stayed so long with them then?
She tipped her head up to the sky, to keep her tears from falling out of her eyes. She suddenly felt weak, and her knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground. She curled in on herself and finally let herself cry, without caring that he would with no doubt hear her sobbing. She was sure even Miroku and Sango, a mile away, would hear her.
"Your companion has obviously been eavesdropping." Kikyo said, acridly. "You may want to check on her."
She saw Inuyasha's head snap towards where she was laying. "I… maybe I should." he said it as if he regretted having to. That thought only made her cry harder, until her body was shaking violently.
Blurry through her tears, Kagome saw Kikyo walk forward and reach a hand out to run down his cheek.
"If you wish to come with me you can. I have feelings for you that I have for no other Inuyasha."
"Kikyo, I…."
Kagome picked herself up from the ground only to fall again. She didn't want to hear this. She couldn't.
She pulled herself from the ground and this time was able to keep from falling.
She started to run, pushing herself as hard as she could to get away. She didn't know why. He wouldn't follow. The thought that she was so forgotten when Kikyo was around made her cry even harder and she was tripping over rocks and tree branches because of it.
She fell and skinned her knee and for a moment she wanted to stay on the ground, never to get back up. But she made herself and continued running. From behind her she heard a great crash, like trees falling loudly, followed by a magnificent roar.
A shout.
She stopped.
Was it the demon Kikyo had been talking about. Was Inuyasha in danger?
As much as she hated to go back, to see them together, she knew how stubborn he was and the only picture she could see was him lying in a pool of blood, his body broken. She stopped running and turned to go back.
Then she saw them. Strange flowers, pitch black. They're petals were like tentacles, reaching up to the sky, wrapping around each other, long and thin.
Kikyo had said the demon had a master. Someone who could cause unusual flowers to appear.
Kagome remembered the meadow. Odd flowers. That meant the demon was right behind Inuyasha. It could have snuck up, and attacked before he could pull out his sword.
Kagome forced herself to stay calm and made her legs move to where she heard the noise. She saw the strange flowers spew out something into the air, thick and powdery, as she ran by.
Then she was falling to the ground again, without knowing why. She felt the cold, hard dirt underneath her, but she couldn't move her hands to push herself into sitting position, or her legs to pick herself back up.
Then, as the light was being ripped away from her, to be replaced only by unfathomable darkness, she heard laughter, a high pitch giggle. The master had arrived.
The cool wind whistled in the night, bringing with it the smell of earth and flowers. Inuyasha sniffed, searching for the scent of a demon or someone who didn't belong out here. He only smelt the grass, and the leaves, and his companions.
He looked down, to make sure they were all still tucked into their sleeping bags. They were. He watched as kagome mumbled something in her sleep and tossed and turned in her sleeping bag, almost crushing the young kitsune beside her.
He sighed. Poor Kagome never got any good sleep these days. But then again, neither did he. He was always afraid something would appear the moment he let his guards down and snatch her away. He had to make sure she was protected. He had to make sure they were all protected.
He shifted in the tree, trying to find a more comfortable position, but found that when ever he moved the bark dug deeper into his back. So he stopped moving and leaned back.
From where he was sitting, he could see the stars perfectly. They were beautiful, tiny balls of glitter in the sky. His gaze flickered down to Kagome, to make sure she was still there. She was still sleeping, and her face looked more relaxed now. She had dark circles under her eyes, from the constant fighting and running, and then never getting any sleep.
Sometimes he wanted to send her home, to tell her she didn't belong here, because he was afraid of losing her. He didn't want to lose her like he did Kikyo. Every day he wondered if he had believed her, if they hadn't fought, if it would have been different. Would she still be alive, instead of a body made of dirt and bones? Would they be together? Would they have a family?
He hated thinking of having to punish his kids by forcing onto them the same treatment he had. He didn't want them to be filthy mutts like he was. And he certainly didn't want Kikyo to be so shamed as to have kids with him.
But the thought of having a family with a person he cared so much about was a tempting one. Was it still possible, even if she wasn't flesh?
He suddenly realized what exactly he was thinking and forced his mind to other places. He couldn't imagine what that would do to kagome, to see him running of for good with Kikyo, never to return to her. He knew he hurt her every time he went off. He knew he would be the cause of her leaving for good, or worse, her hating him. But whenever he saw Kikyo, his instincts took over and flew after her, like a lovesick puppy after it's owner. Maybe he did love Kikyo. The same way kagome loved him.
He sighed again and looked back up at the sky. White, dragon-like creatures circled the tree tops, calling to him in high pitched voices.
Kikyo.
In an instant he had jumped up from the tree and was bounding off into the woods, jumping from tree top to treetop, waiting for the flash of red and white that would signify Kikyo.
He was in such a rush running back to her, that he didn't notice the empty side of the sleeping bag, where Kagome had slipped away. And he never would, until it was too late.
His eyes searched through the darkness, trying to see Kikyo's dark form. He leapt from the tree and landed on the ground, sniffing, trying to catch her scent of bones and earth. Then he saw her emerge from behind a tree, silent as a shadow.
She was hurt. Her arm was bent at and odd angle and bleeding and she held it closely to her body, while she limped towards him. He face was scratched and bruised and her clothes were torn and dirty.
He saw before it happened her pitch forward and he grabbed her quickly before she fell.
"Kikyo, what happened? Are you okay. We need to get you help."
She looked so tired, and when she leaned her head into his chest, he didn't stop her.
"Inuyasha. It took me a long time to find you, but I am happy I did. I have to tell you something. You must listen closely. There is some kind of demon, the likes of which I have never seen before. I don't know where it came from, maybe it was suddenly just here, but it is dangerous Inuyasha."
Suddenly he heard something, like a sharp intake of breath, and his head snapped up to where he heard the noise. He squinted his eyes, searching the shadows for someone or something that could cause danger. He saw nothing. But he couldn't tame the feeling that something was there, and his hairs stood up on his arms, like tiny soldiers preparing for battle.
Slowly, he allowed himself to look back down at Kikyo, but kept his ears perked. "I thought I heard something." he whispered to her. She continued on without hearing.
"I was purifying a village where many had fallen ill when I heard rumbling from the forest. The demon suddenly burst from the forest, like it had came out of nowhere. I first thought it was a stray demon, but it appeared to be a pet. A women came with it. Inuyasha, listen closely. It has a master. I couldn't get a glimpse of her face because it suddenly attacked me, but when she came, strange flowers started blooming. That's all I can say, for that is all I know."
Inuyasha could see her cuts bleeding more and more, and her face was becoming pale and her breathing heavier.
"Kikyo, I don't care about the demon. We need to get you help. Come back to the rest spot with me. Kagome has all kind's of weird medicines from her time. We can heal you."
Her face hardened immediately and she no longer looked weak and frightened. Instead she looked like the old Kikyo, the cruel Kikyo. The Kikyo that had pined him to a tree for 50 years.
When she spoke, her voice was sharp shards of ice. "I need no assistance from her. I am fine Inuyasha." she stood then, as if to prove she was fine, but he could see her wobble and he reached out his hand to stable her. She shook it off.
His ears touched his head and he looked away so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes.
"When you are ready to join me Inuyasha, I will be waiting. I only came here to warn you. Thank you for listening."
She had her back to him, and her voice was still as cold as the wind that blew around them. He didn't want her to be angry. He wanted her to stay with him, not just now but forever.
"Would you let me come with you?" he asked softly. As soon as he said the words, he realized to the extent what he was asking. He could picture Miroku and Shippo trying desperately to protect Sango and Kagome from demons. Trying to save them. And in the process hurting himself.
Kagome would be hurt. This would hurt her more then anything else. He was betraying her. And he would never know if she was killed by a demon while he was gone, because he would never come back.
But it was too late to take his question back. If she answered yes, would he go? Really go, to leave them all behind?
Then he smelt salt and could hear someone fall the to the ground, crying heavily.
Kagome.
Damn. He hadn't wanted anyone to know. Especially not her. It looked like he was deserting them, casting them all aside. And as much as he hated to admit it, it's what he would be doing if he left.
"Your companion has obviously been eavesdropping." Kikyo said, acridly. "You may want to check on her."
He turned his head to search the darkness, to find her slumped form laying on the forest floor, her body tucked in on herself, her head buried in her arms. And he could still hear her crying. He felt like the worst kind of monster.
"I……maybe I should." he said, felling guilty for ever coming here, for putting kagome through so much pain.
Kikyo suddenly turned around and reached out her hand to stroke his cheek softly.
If you wish to come with me you can. I have feelings for you that I have for no other Inuyasha."
He froze. He hadn't expected her to say that. How could he answer? If he told her no she would leave, but he wouldn't be sure if she would ever come back. And if he said yes, he would be leaving Kagome, out here alone, crying and vulnerable.
Without deciding which path he was going to take he opened his mouth and said, "Kikyo, I…"
He never got to finish his sentence because he heard Kagome pick herself up and start running. He wanted to run after her to tell her he was sorry, but he couldn't because Kikyo was waiting for an answer.
He turned back to her and opened his mouth to speak again, his mouth dry and his heart hammering, when suddenly trees were uprooted from the ground viciously and a massive demon appeared, letting out a enormous roar.
Damn, he thought. The thing had appeared from behind them. Where had it come from. He looked past the beast and saw a tiny meadow surrounded by trees. In it were two things that made his heart stop. Strange, unusual flowers, and the fabric of Kagome's skirt. She was in danger.
He looked up at the immense beast standing before him. It was the biggest demon he had ever seen, towering many feet above the tops of the tallest trees. He guessed it had to be at least 300 ft tall. It was a giant scorpion demon, with bulky pinchers attached to his body and thousands of beady eyes. It's mouth was dripping acid, thick and green, and it burned holes in the ground where it dropped. And whipping dangerously over it's head was a thick tail, spewing poison, with a wicked barb at the top. A barb that could rip a person in half.
It suddenly whipped it's head around and he could see himself reflected a thousand times in it's small, black eyes.
"Die." it hissed, before whipping it's tail over it's head straight towards Inuyasha.
well, that was my first chapter of my first fanfic The Choices We Make. i hope you enjoyed it and the more reviews i get the sooner i'll update. thanks for reading. :)