Peace is a wonderful thing. It's as beautiful as a soap bubble carried along in the warm hands of a summer breeze, delicate and colorful as its surface shines in the sunlight. But unfortunately, it can also be as short-lived as a bubble, for the slightest disturbance can cause it to pop. Or rather, to explode, as was the case on that particular evening. The group was taking a much-needed break from their travels, and staying, as they always did whenever they were passing through the area, in Lady Kaede's village.
It was right at sunset, though the brilliant blend of colors that normally splashed across the sky with the last moments of daylight were covered over by a thick layer of dark storm clouds; the same shroud of clouds that had chased them all afternoon as they made their way towards the village. The gentle scent of the coming rain entered the hut along with the wind that rattled the woven bamboo flap over the door, telling everyone gathered around the fire that it would soon burst free of the clouds to cleanse the land in a gentle shower.
Sango was sitting at the back of the room with Hiraikotsu lying on the ground in front of her so she could buff out the fresh scratches that marred its smooth surface. Every so often, she would lift her eyes from her work to shoot an icy glare at Miroku, but she never said a word. The monk bore a burning handprint on one cheek and a painfully throbbing lump on the top of his head; both sure signs that he had been up to his usual lecherous tricks. He smiled hopefully at her every time she looked his way, but each smile was only shot down by the daggers of her gaze, and he eventually gave up.
Kagome was settled close to the merrily crackling flames that danced in the center of the room, staring down at the pages of one of her textbooks and trying to comprehend the figures illuminated by the flickering light. Not with much luck, judging by the frustrated frown twisting her features. Back in her own era, summer vacation was finally in sight, but end-of-year exams still stood between her and freedom. Major tests like that were stressful for everyone, but it was doubly true for her with all the school she had missed. Shippo napped contentedly beside her, leaning against her backpack with Kirara curled into a ball and nestled beside him. Several of the treats that Kagome had brought back for the little kitsune were arranged in little piles on the floor around him, looking like little sentries in bright uniforms set to guard the two as they slept. Kagome smiled and stroked his rusty-haired head in a motherly way as he tossed restlessly, waiting a moment for him to quiet down before she went back to her studies. A cozy silence had settled over the room, but it lifted as quickly as a bird frightened from the foliage when someone finally spoke.
"I still can't believe you wanted to help that mangy hound." fumed the voice of the inu hanyou from the far end of the hut. His words brought a sigh from the lips of the miko, and again she tore her attention from the math book lying open in her lap to look back at him. Not that she had really been able to concentrate on her formulas anyway, with him staring holes into the back of her head for nearly all of the last hour. As usual, he had positioned himself close to the door so he could easily hear or smell if something was approaching and be the first outside to investigate. He was sitting cross-legged with his back up against the wall, hands folded into the sleeves of his flaming red haori with his heirloom blade sheathed and resting in the crook of one arm. His golden eyes were fixed firmly on her as he waited for her to answer, and by the fierce edge to his gaze, she could tell that his foul mood still hadn't lifted. She shifted uneasily, trying to get comfortable on the hard wooden floor.
"Well, what else was I supposed to do? He was hurt!" she told him, trying to keep her tone patient. It was hard, considering that they had been having this same argument on and off all afternoon. He scoffed in reply.
"Serves the idiot right, poking his damn nose in where it doesn't belong. That was our fight; I didn't need him butting in. You should have just left him there!"
"Inuyasha!"
"I'm serious! If he was stupid enough to walk into the middle of a battle, he deserved what he got!" he insisted stubbornly.
"He didn't just 'walk in', he saved me from that demon!"
"Yeah, 'cause he just happened to be in the area at that very second, right? What do you think he was doing around there in the first place? He was chasing after you again! Besides," he went on crossly, "I could have handled that on my own." Two pairs of eyes, one a deep mahogany and the other a bright blue, were darting from Kagome to Inuyasha in turn as they spoke. After a while, the monk and the taiji-ya exchanged a look and shook their heads before returning to what they had been doing before the argument broke out. Little spats like these were too common between the hanyou and priestess to be greatly interesting to them. Shippo, on the other hand, had cracked one bright eye open and was still watching, obviously waiting for the 'Osuwari' that always ended their fights in the future girl's favor.
Kagome felt the heat flare over her face as a tinge of pink inched across the crests of her cheeks. It would have been nice to have Inuyasha get so jealous, if it was really over her and not just because he despised Kouga.
"We both know that you wouldn't have gotten to me in time. You were fighting the other oni already, and I was out of arrows! Look…I don't see what the big deal is, Inuyasha; he's not such a bad guy." she murmured, lowering her eyes to the page to get on with her studying. Yeah, right. If she hadn't been able to concentrate before when things were at least somewhat calm, how was she expecting to now in the middle of an argument with a very disgruntled half-demon? She chanced a glance back at said half-demon. Sure enough, her words had added more fuel to the fires of his temper; she could almost see the flames leaping and crackling behind his eyes as his anger built.
"N-not such a—! What are you talking about?" he sputtered, gaping at her as though she had suddenly sprouted a second head. "He kidnapped you! Or did you forget about that?"
Another sigh from Kagome. "No, I didn't forget."
"And then he put you in the middle of his little war with those miserable birds! What about that?"
"No, Inuyasha."
"And you still think he's 'not such a bad guy'?" the hanyou demanded heatedly.
"Yes! It's true that he kidnapped me, but he still protected me!"
"Yeah, and you just miss all those pretty words of his, right?"
"It is nice to hear something other than 'stupid wench' for a change." She was looking at him pointedly.
"Fine!" he snapped back. "Why don't you go catch up with your wolf-boy, if you think he's so wonderful!"
SNAP.
Kagome had finally reached the end of her patience and slammed her math book closed. Everyone in the room jumped at the sudden noise and glanced at her, looking shocked. Even Inuyasha seemed surprised at her reaction, but he hitched his stubborn glare back immediately.
"Maybe I will! We all know that you'd be happier with Kikyou around, anyway!" She dragged her backpack out from under Shippo's head and began haphazardly throwing pencils, papers, clothes and everything else she had pulled out back inside, leaving the fox kit on the floor to stare at her along with everyone else.
"At least I wouldn't have to baby-sit her every waking minute, like someone I know!" he shot back, watching as the girl fumbled with a zipper that had gotten stuck. Finally she managed to wrench it the rest of the way closed and pulled the bag over her shoulders.
"Fine! I hope you enjoy your clay doll!" she hissed.
"I will! Have fun with your wolf!"
"Don't worry, I will!"
"Good!"
"Great!"
"GOODBYE!"
With that, the miko whirled around and whisked through the door, leaving her companions and old Kaede staring after her. As soon as she had vanished, all eyes turned back towards Inuyasha. His face was flushed with anger and he was glaring at the door. About thirty seconds passed between the time that the bamboo weaving finally stopped swinging and the moment that the hanyou suddenly sprang up and pushed it aside to step out into the night air. Miroku, Sango, and Kaede exchanged a knowing look as the mane of silvery hair whipped out of sight. Shippo was staring anxiously from one to the other, worry etched in every line of his youthful features.
"Do…do you think Kagome would really leave us?" he asked, a troubled look in his bright green eyes.
"Of course not." Miroku assured him. "We just need to let Inuyasha and Kagome work things out themselves. You'll see."
"That's right." Sango added, lifting her Hiraikotsu up slightly to examine its surface in the firelight. "The worst that can happen is that Kagome will return to her home beyond the well for a few days."
"I hope so…" The little kit didn't sound too convinced, but after a while he rolled over and shut his eyes again.
Kagome's furious strides soon carried her past the huts that stood at the edge of the village and towards the dark mouth of the forest. For several minutes, she didn't really seem to know or care where her feet were leading her; she just wanted to put as much distance as she could between herself and Inuyasha. But as she wandered a little deeper into the twisting maze of trees, she slowed her pace and gazed around. A cold wave of fear was rising in her chest, and it quickly extinguished her anger. The woods had never really frightened her before, though she couldn't remember ever walking through them by herself at night, particularly on a stormy evening such as this one. Wide honey-brown eyes swept about even faster as she came to a halt. Suddenly every branch that creaked in the wind was a bony arm reaching out to drag her into an oni's waiting jaws, and every shadow concealed a youkai that was just waiting for her to come close to its hiding spot. She quickly shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts and continued on.
Inuyasha stopped just outside the hut and raised his head to sniff the air. It only took a second to lock onto Kagome's familiar scent, and he was privately relieved to note that it was moving in the opposite direction of the mountains, back towards the dry well. He hadn't believed that she would actually go to find Kouga, of course, but for a wild moment he had been afraid she might. His golden eyes narrowed irritably as he set off after the scent of sakura petals and strawberries. It had paused for a brief moment, but now it was moving again.
Goosebumps were starting to dot the girl's legs, and she was getting a prickling sensation on the back of her neck; the unpleasant sensation of having someone watching you. She took a quick glance over her shoulder, expecting to see bulbous yellow eyes staring out from the inky blackness around her, but she couldn't pick out anything through the shadows. She swallowed nervously and picked up her pace again. So maybe there was nothing there, after all. But the feeling remained, and whether imagined or not, she just wanted to get back to the well as soon as possible and rid herself of this feeling of vulnerability.
The scent was moving farther away, and it was starting to pick up speed. He put on as much speed as he dared, hoping to stop Kagome before she jumped down the well. He could always follow her through, but he hoped he wouldn't have to. A frustrated growl tore from his throat as he bounded past trees and bushes. The hanyou was navigating mostly on a combination of memory, scent, and sound, since the darkness rendered vision useless. The only thing he had to see by was the occasional flash of lightning, darting across the sky in spidery lines.
A bright white flash lit the sky above, and by the light Kagome could see that the clearing where the well stood was just up ahead. Finally, she was on the home stretch. Low-hanging branches scratched at her face as she burst through and into the open space, but she didn't care anymore. She broke into a jog to cover the last few yards and sank down onto the well's weathered rim just as a low rumble of thunder rolled across the forest. She stared down into the dark depths for a long moment as she caught her breath. No…she didn't really want to go home again. She hadn't wanted to fight with Inuyasha, either. She was just tired of being treated as just a shard detector, and fought over like a toy whenever Kouga came around. 'He would never do that to Kikyou.' She thought dismally, turning around and sliding down to sit in the long grass that enfolded the well.
The hanyou skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. The girl's scent had stopped at the well, but it hadn't vanished into thin air. Good. At the cost of numerous scratches from overhanging branches and several near-collisions with tree trunks, he had at least managed to get there before she left for home. He strode towards her huddled figure as silently as a scarlet shadow. Sharp words formed on the tip of his tongue as he went, but they were quickly scattered by a slightly salty scent carried on the breeze. She was…crying? He swallowed and carefully moved a little closer. Now he was standing right in front of her, almost close enough to be able to count every tear dripping from her long lashes, but she still didn't seem to have noticed him.
Kagome was just trying to decide what she should do when another flash cast a bright light over the ground, and this time a long shadow fell across her lap. Her bloodshot eyes widened, and without thinking, she let out a piercing shriek.
Inuyasha yelped in pain and clapped his hands flat over the top of his head as the girl scrambled to her feet, still screaming.
"Stop screeching already, it's me!" he shouted over her yells, narrowly saving himself from being clobbered by her bookbag.
"Inu…yasha?" she asked hoarsely, squinting at the speaker. "What are you doing out here?"
The hanyou slowly lowered his hands, though both of his ears still felt like someone had shoved a red-hot needle through them. "What do you think?"
"I thought you were going to attack me! Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"Nevermind that. What the heck were you thinking anyway, coming out here alone?"
"Oh, yes. Kami-sama help us if something should happen to the shard-tracker!" she said coldly, turning away from him. The grass rustled slightly as he took a half-step closer.
"Baka! What if something had happened, and I hadn't followed you?"
"Why do you care? Didn't you just say you were tired of baby-sitting me all the time?" she asked, still not meeting his eyes. The grass rustled again, closer this time. The hanyou had gotten down on his knees and was watching her intently. She could feel his gaze on her, but she still didn't look around.
"I do care about you. Haven't you figured that out?"
Her breath caught in her throat at his words, and she could feel her heart starting to pound. Was he trying to say what she had always hoped he would say to her?
"You do?"
"Yes, I do."
She sat for a second, wishing that she could believe he was trying to say he loved her, but…something still plagued at her mind.
"What about Kikyou?" she asked with a faint trace of bitterness in her voice.
"Kagome…"
"You love her still…don't you?" The miko wasn't sure she really wanted to hear the answer, but she had to know for sure.
He sat in silence for a long moment, staring down at the ground. Kagome's hands tightened over the straps of the backpack in her lap, and she bit her lip nervously as she waited for his response. It seemed like hours to her before he finally spoke again.
"Yes. I don't think…I ever stopped loving her. Even after we were caught in Naraku's trap all those years ago, I still thought of her." He murmured.
So it was true. The older priestess held his affections, and she probably always would. No matter how much she wanted it, Kagome knew she could never compete against Kikyou for his love. But maybe it was better that way; she would rather have his whole heart, not just a torn half of it. Even so, she felt like a stone fist was closing around her own heart as he spoke.
"But you…you were the first person that I felt I could truly trust. You've never looked down on me for what I am. You…shed tears for me, you've always stayed by my side…" Kagome was finally looking at him, hanging on his every word as he continued. Maybe there was still hope, after all. The cold stone fingers were starting to loosen as her heart began a mad drumroll against her ribs. She could only hope that they wouldn't be tightened again by whatever he had to say.
Inuyasha drew a breath as she turned her head to face him. He seemed almost as shocked at the words coming from his mouth as she did. "I…I always feel so much freer, more relaxed when you're near me. I can't stand it…when you leave. Even if it's only for a day." He had lifted a hand to her face, and she could feel his claws scraping gently against her cheek as he brushed strands of her coal-black hair away. "Kagome, I love you."
She barely had time to process the last three words he had spoken before she felt warm lips brushing gently against her own. Suddenly it felt like one of those lightning bolts had decided to leap away from its path across the clouds to touch down on the ground where they sat; her mind was buzzing, and she could feel an electric surge running under her skin, making her entire body tingle. Almost as soon as it had started, the hanyou seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled away again. He moved back an inch, expecting her to yell at him, to call him a two-timer, to turn around and jump into the well and leave him behind. What else would she do? Surely she didn't think of him as anything more than a friend.
Her eyes opened as the evening air rushed in to fill the place where his lips had rested just a second before, and she placed a trembling hand on the side of his face.
"I love you, too. Ever since the day I first saw you." She whispered, smiling. His amber eyes went wideas she did the last thing he had ever thought she would: she leaned forward to place her lips back against his. A smile had stretched itself across his features as well by the time they finally broke apart, and he scooted across the grass to sit beside her and fold her into a tight embrace. They sat like that for a long while, neither speaking, simply content with the other's company as they watched the lightning dance across the clouds above. It was only when the rain finally began to fall that they spoke again.
"Guess we should head back before it starts pouring." Inuyasha murmured, rising. He took her backpack from her hands and extended the other hand to pull her to her feet as well.
"Guess so." She answered, taking his hand and standing up, brushing grass from her skirt. They broke into a run back along the path as the droplets started falling faster around them. Both of them were soaked to the bone by the time they arrived back at the hut, but Kagome was still smiling. His words were still ringing in her head, and she knew he meant what he had said. She knew that not even the fiercest storm could force them apart now. He would always be there to protect her, and she would always remain at his side.
♥
A/N: Okay, there you have it! The end of my first fanfiction. Thanks for taking the time out to read, and I hope you enjoyed it! I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about putting this up, seeing as it's the first story I've ever posted on a fanfic site, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting my first reviews and hearing your opinions