Kiss and Tell
By Faery Pink Sparkle
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha
"You didn't have to be so mean to her!" the little fox argued. Shippo had been angered by Inuyasha's roughshod manner towards his friend, Kagome. And Shippo wasn't afraid to let the half-demon, half-human know how he felt… even if it only earned him a few blows to the head.
Kagome had returned to the past, even though Inuyasha had clearly told her not to. When she arrived in the village, Kagome had not received the warm welcome she deserved.
"Kagome dear, welcome back," Lady Kaede greeted after she recovered from her initial surprise. Shippo and Miroku had been overjoyed to see the young beauty again… If only the same could be said for Inuyasha.
"I hope you guys didn't miss me too much!" Kagome joked cheerfully, actually glad to back in feudal Japan.
" K- Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered softly to himself and his golden eyes flickered with emotion- longing perhaps? But his eyes hardened and became cold once more.
"Hi there, ready to go shard hunting?" Kagome asked Inuyasha.
His eyes flashed dangerously. "You stupid girl! Didn't I tell you to never come back here!" Inuyasha yelled harshly and almost stopped himself when he saw the hurt in Kagome's eyes. " We don't want you here, so you can just go back home! You don't belong here."
" Inuyasha!" Kaede scolded.
Kagome had expected a lecture for coming back, not outright rejection. It hurt. His words had upset her, but she wasn't going to let him have the last say. "Well it's nice to see you too!" Kagome retorted hotly, "Listen up dog-boy, you may not want me here, but you need me here and we both know it. How else are you going to find the jewel shards?"
"I'm sure we can manage. We've been doing just fine since you've been gone," Inuyasha replied coldly.
Shippo opened his mouth to scold Inuyasha, but was stopped by a hand to his mouth. Shippo looked up to see the monk shake his head. "It's best if we don't get involved," Miroku warned.
"You're a burden to us all. So do us all a favour and disappear," Inuyasha continued menacingly.
"Have ye no respect for a lady, Inuyasha!" Kaede exclaimed, shocked by his sudden hostility towards Kikyo's reincarnation.
" Shut it, you old hag! No one asked you!"
"Apologize, Inuyasha!" Kagome ordered, momentarily forgetting how he had been treating her to defend Kikyo's younger sister.
" Bite me," he muttered under his breath.
Knowing how stubborn Inuyasha was, Kagome knew this fight wasn't going to get them anywhere. "I've had it with the way you treat me, Inuyasha! After all the times I've helped you and saved your life, you're still as ungrateful as ever! And I certainly don't need to stay here and put up with you! I'm leaving!"
" Best idea you've ever had. So don't let me stop you."
" I won't, don't you worry."
"I wasn't."
Kagome glared at her "partner". It still shocked him to see how much she looked like Kikyo. He held her stare. He's not even going to try to stop me! Kagome realized in outrage. She turned on her heel and walked out in a huff.
"Good riddance!" Inuyasha called out after her.
Shippo was the first one to stand. "Kagome! Wait!" he cried out. He was about to run after her, but Inuyasha blocked his way.
"Don't even think about it," he warned and sharpened his claws for effect. Shippo gulped.
"Shippo's right you know," Miroku added. The three walked through the forest on their way to look for another shard.
"Did I ask for your opinion? I don't think so," Inuyasha snapped grumpily. "In fact, I don't think I even asked for you to come along."
Miroku only shrugged and continued walking. An awkward silence washed over the incomplete group. Inuyasha glanced back towards the direction of the Bone Eaters well. It was a good thirty-minute walk from where he was, but he could cut it down to roughly five minutes if he ran for all he was worth. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. The more jewel shards that were collected, the more dangerous it became for them. Especially for her. And he didn't want to put her life in any more danger than it already was. He couldn't protect her all the time. And the thought of her getting hurt because he couldn't protect her was unbearable. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. "It's for her own good," he whispered.
"Huh?" Miroku and Shippo said in unison and looked at him.
"It's for her own good," Inuyasha repeated, " And you both know I'm right."
Before Shippo could say anything in reply, Miroku answered for them, " We never said you were wrong. We just think that you could have handled matters in a… gentler manner."
"What he said," Shippo agreed.
Inuyasha just grumbled. But what the three of them didn't know was that they were being watched by a fourth person… and it wasn't Kagome.
"How dare he treat me like that! After all we've been through together! After all I've done for him!" Kagome exclaimed in frustration, " And now he's back to calling me 'stupid girl' too!" It had been roughly an hour since she left the village, but she still hadn't returned to the future. She had wandered aimlessly around the forest until she found her way back to where it all began- the Bone Eaters well. Now she just paced back and forth, unsure of what to do next. She knew she couldn't go and search for jewel shards on her own. That would be the same as committing suicide and she wasn't that stupid- regardless of what Inuyasha thought. She also knew that she wasn't going back to the village just so he could yell at her again. Besides, they probably left without me anyway, she thought with a frown. The more she thought about it, the more appealing it sounded to just go back home. " Then it's been decided, so long feudal Japan," Kagome confirmed with herself. At least a few more days away from this place will do us both some good, she thought as she readied herself for the jump to the future. "And hopefully when I come back, Inuyasha might have picked up some manners on his trip as well as another jewel shard," she said softly. " Well this is it."
" Kagome," a voice called her back.
It sounded like… but it couldn't be… Kagome turned around. " Inu- Inuyasha?" she asked in a confused tone. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, " If you're here to make sure that I go back, don't you worry, I was on my way before you rudely interrupted me."
" No, it's not that…It's…" he trailed off uncertainly. " I… I just wanted to…" he made his way towards the young girl and he easily closed off the gap between them. A shade of crimson began to taint her cheeks. What on earth is going on? First he's telling me that he wants me gone and now he is… he is... What is he doing now? "Are you… Are you feeling ok?" she asked him in a shaky voice.
" Kagome…" he whispered her name, his voice as soft as silk. Her heart skipped a beat and he reached out a hand to touch her face. She was about to push him away, but he pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers. His hand slid slowly down her cheek and rested itself at her neck. And he held her there in a lip lock. Kagome was taken off guard and had no idea what to do. This moment seemed to last forever. And that was when he released her and held her in a gentle embrace. Kagome was dazed. Her heart was beating so fast, it was like it wasn't beating at all.
"It's such a shame really," he whispered in her ear and gazed into her eyes.
"Wha-"
He smiled slyly. Kagome opened her mouth to yell at him, but in one swift movement, he slit her throat with his claws. He stepped back to admire his handiwork. Kagome gazed at him, stunned, her mouth agape. The world around her seemed to halt. Then blood began to flow. " Inu… yasha…" her world turned black and she fell back.
That was when he smelt it. Panic rose in him. He had to be mistaken. He sniffed the air again.
" Inuyasha?" Shippo queried.
But he couldn't risk it. Inuyasha ran. He ran towards her scent. The scent of her blood. Something was wrong, she was hurt. He hoped that his gut feeling was wrong, hoped he was dead wrong. I told her, I told her not to come back. But did she listen? No! Of course not! That stupid girl!… Kagome… Please be ok… Tears stung his eyes as the wind pushed against him. The fox and the monk stared after the silver haired demon.
Inuyasha reached the clearing. His eyes darted around. So intent he was on finding Kagome, he failed to see the imposter waiting in the tree.
" Damn!" he cursed. And then he saw it. Blood. It stained the outside of the Bone Eaters well. Fear filled his heart. Inuyasha made his way to the well, ready to jump in when he was stopped in his tracks.
" She was so good," a voice taunted, " She tasted so good."
Inuyasha turned and found himself face to face with… himself? Naraku! His mind screamed.
Naraku smirked at the sight of Inuyasha's confused expression, " I wasn't talking about the kiss, although the kiss was quite good. I was actually talking about the kill. The kill was really good." Naraku mocked his nemesis. " She didn't even scream. Just stared at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. But I suppose I didn't give her a chance to scream…"
Inuyasha was filled with emotion. Rage boiled within him. It was tinted with fear, confusion and loss. So he did the only thing he could do. He threatened and he fought. " When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna rip your throat out!"
Naraku laughed wickedly, " How ironic. That's exactly what I did to her! Great minds think alike." Without warning, Naraku disappeared and reappeared in a tree behind Inuyasha. Then Inuyasha felt a piercing pain in his shoulder. Blood. He cursed under his breath. He dug his own claws into his own wound and prepared to attack.
" Blades of Blood!" The attack hit. The branch fell. But there was no body. Inuyasha searched the trees around him, but nothing. The fight with Naraku kept his mind off the horrible truth about Kagome.
"It's too late. You're too late," a mocking voice surrounded him.
Inuyasha spun in circles, but Naraku wasn't there.
" One down, three to go. But I'll save the best for last."
Naraku's final words echoed in his mind. What now? What was going to happen now? For the first time in his life, Inuyasha felt truly lost. Involuntarily, he walked to the well and leaned over to look in. Hoping to see Kagome's sheepish face for being so reckless, but dreading to discover what was becoming clearer and clearer.
Blood. The well was splattered in blood. The reality of it all struck him like a blow. And his heart broke. Harsh despair began to tear him apart inside.
" Inuyasha?" a small voice asked. Shippo caught his breath after running all that way. His innocent eyes were filled with concern and confusion.
" Inuyasha?" Miroku repeated with more urgency.
The half-breed turned to face them and his companions looked at him expectantly. Inuyasha fell to his knees. Defeated.