Ok here we go...My first fanfic...wrote this before I watched the rest of the anime..bear that in mind as you read..Don't be shy, tell me what you think. I'm a big girl, I can take it! Please read and review...Enjoy!
Disclaimer...Unfortunately..I am not Rumiko Takahashi in disguise, so Inuyasha, not one delectiable piece of him, belongs to me...sigh
Chapter One: Longing
Laying in her bed, Kagome sighs. "I should go back, but Inuyasha asked me to wait until he comes for me." She closes her eyes, then sits up. "It's been four days since he made that promise, and he still hasn't come for me!" Rising, she gathers her books and prepares toleave for school. She picks up the small, red pouch and removes the Shikon no Tama. A small smile plays across her lips as she remembers the last words that she and Inuyasha shared before parting...
"Please, Inuyasha! Don't send me away!"
"Kagome.." A saddness filled his golden amber eyes, "..take the Shikon no Tama and return to your era."
"But I want to stay here..with you!" Kagome was desperate. Something didn't feel right. He was hiding something from her.
"As long as it is with you, in your time, I know it will be safe. And so will you. Wait there until I return for you."
"But..."
"No, Kagome - don't argue with me. I must.." Inuyasha closed his eyes, sighed, then continued, "I need to know that you are safe," he whispered. Lifting a hand towards her, he gently stroked her face. "I will return for you. I promise."
Inuyasha brought her close and held her tightly to him. A warm breeze wrapped them gently in it's embrace, while the shade of the Sacred Tree protected them in it's sturdy limbs from the outside world. A single tear escaped Kagome's eye and ran a dewy trail down her cheek until it met his cheek.
"Don't cry, Kagome... I can't handle it when you cry. It breaks my heart." Gently, he removed the tear with a kiss.
"Then don't make me leave you. That breaks my heart." Kagome withdrew from his arms and sat back against the trunk of the tree, looking out into the forest. "Inuyasha, the only place that I feel safe is with you. That's where I want to be...where I need to be!" She hung her head and whispered, "Always."
"Kagome, don't you think I feel the same way?" Frustrated, Inuyasha forced her to look at him. "It's just not possible. Our worlds, they cannot exist together. They are too different. You have a family, a life in your time. I can't expect you to give that up. And there is just no place for a half demon like me there." Again, that strange saddness came to his eyes. "And this era is just too dangerous for you. So please, Kagome, take the jewel and return home. I will come for you." He pulled Kagome to her feet, then jumped to the ground with her.
"Ok, Inuyasha. I'll go home." She still felt uneasy, but there was no point arguing. Kagome took his hand and together they walked through the forest in silence, each lost in thier own thoughts. When they reached the Bone Eater's Well, she turned to Inuyasha. Kagome lept into his outstretched arms and clung to him as though her very life depended on him. "I love you, Inuyasha!" she cried. "Promise me one more time that you will come to me."
Inuyasha held her more tightly to him, feeling their heartbeats merge into a singular beat. "Kagome," he whispered into her ear, "I promise. I can't live for very long without my heart." He kissed her then, savoring the feel of her lips, feather soft against his...her breath, caressing his cheek, the summer breeze, warm and subtle against his skin. The salt of her tears. "No more tears, Kagome. Go now...and wait for me."
Kagome mustered a brave, if watery, smile for him. "I'll wait for you, Inuyasha. I'll wait forever." Kagome gathered her pack and placed it over her shoulders. She sat on the ledge of the well and swung her legs over the side. Looking back at Inuyasha, hoping it wasn't for the last time, she smiled. "But you better come back for me soon!" Then she slipped into the well, and back to her own time...
Kagome placed the jewel back into the pouch, then put it in her pack. "Please come back for me soon, Inuyasha," she whispered. Kagome gathered her pack and went downstairs to join her family for breakfast.
"Good morning Kagome!" Sota greeted her. "I can't believe you're still here. This is the longest you've ever been home in months."
"Yeah, Sota," she replied. "Now that we have the jewel back, and whole again, I guess I can stay here for a little while. When they need me there, Inuyasha will come get me."
"Well," Grandpa laughed,"I guess that will give me some time to think up all kinds of new illnesses for you!" Kagome simply glared at him.
"I think it's nice having Kagome home for a few days," Mama injected cheerfully. Placing a plate of food in front of her daughter, Mama smiled and said, "Maybe after school we could go shopping."
"That would be great, Mama! I'm running a little low on first aid supplies, and.."
"I meant shopping for you, Kagome. You know, some Mother/Daughter bonding."
"Oh," Kagome replied sheepishly. "That would be fun, Mama."
When breakfast was finished, Kagome and Sota both left to walk to school. As she walked past the building that housed the well, her footsteps slowed. "Why haven't you come, Inuyasha?"
"Did you say something, Kagome?" Sota asked.
"Huh? Ah..no... nothing." Kagome raced ahead. "Come on slowpoke...Let's get going!"
As she neared her school, Kagome caught sight of her friends. Waving to them, she quickly caught up to where they were waiting for her.
"Hey Kagome!" they called. "Wow, this must be some kind of record! Kagome Higurashi attends school four days in a row!"
"How are things going with that jealous boyfriend of yours?"
Kagome smiled, remembering the kiss they shared. "Things are going ok between us."
"So when do we get to meet this guy, hmm?"
"Uh, I don't know," she hedged. "We usually just hang around where he lives."
"He's not still trying to cheat on you is he? I mean, is he still in love with his ex?"
Kagome sighed. She didn't even want to think about Kikyo. After everything she and Inuyasha had been through, that was the one thing he couldn't seem to overcome. "I really don't know. We haven't really seen her, so it hasn't been an issue lately. Listen, I really wanna hit the library before classes start, so I'll see you later, okay." Kagome dashed off before they could reply. She loved her friends, but she would much rather be in the other side of the well.
"Inuyasha, I'm still uncertain about this plan of yours," Miroku stated, frowning at his friend. He,Sango, a sleeping Shippo, and Inuyasha were all sitting around the fire, camped out by the Bone Eater's Well. "It doesn't sound very safe."
"Miroku's right," Sango said, flashing a grin at the suprised monk. "Drawing Kikyo here, I don't believe that's very wise."
"Dammit! I don't care if it's not safe or wise. Kikyo is the only thing left standing between me and Kagome that I can actually do something about!"
"But do you honestly think that you can kill her?" Sango asked. "You loved her once..."
"I didn't say it would be easy. I've thought this thing through.."
"For once..." Shippo chimed in.
Inuyasha simply glared at the kitsune. "Yeah, Shippo, for once." Looking back at Sango, he continued, "I did love her, Sango. Part of me still does. But the Kikyo I loved died 50 years ago. The Kikyo that walks this earth now is just a shell of clay and bones. She only retains a piece of the soul that was stolen from Kagome."
"And what about Kagome? Do you love her, or do you think you love her just because she retains part of the soul that once belonged to Kikyo?" she pondered to him out loud. Sango truly cared for both Kagome and Inuyasha. She felt they belonged together. But she did not want Kagome to be hurt.
Sango's question irritated Inuyasha, simply because he had asked himself the same questions. "I love Kagome because she is Kagome, and because she is also a part of Kikyo. I never belileved in fate before I met Kagome. She drives me crazy, makes me laugh, heals my wounds inside and out." He stood, releasing a long, calming breath. He stared at the well, and the darkness melted away to clear blue skies. There he saw Kagome, laughing, trying to make him smile. Then the scene changed, she was worried, frightened because he was wounded, his blood on her clothes. Shifting again, she was angry, frustrated about something he said. She shouted, he was slammed face-first to the ground. Then the sky dimmed to the violet hues of twilight, they were embracing, she was crying because he was making her return home. They kissed. Then she was gone.
Turning back to the group, he said, "I will travel to her time tomorrow. Just before sunset. That is when I want you two to seek out Kikyo. Bring her here to this very spot the following morning."
"But Inuyasha," a shocked Miroku protested,"tomorrow is..."
"I know what tomorrow is - that's why I'm going. Let's get some sleep." Inuyasha looked down at the sleeping kitsune snuggled in Sangos lap. "Don't tell Shippo any of this until I am gone." Inuyasha jumped onto a tree limb and watched as Sango lay Shippo on the ground and settled herself beside him. Kilala curled into a ball above her head, ears twitching at the sounds of the night.
Miroku sat watching the flames in the fire, lost in thought, until he was assured Sango was asleep. "Inuyasha?" he called softly.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"There is something I need to ask you."
"What?"
Miroku glanced again at Sango, who murmered something in her sleep. "Not here...let's walk."
Inuyasha let out an impatient sigh, then deftly lept from his perch. They walked in silence over to the well. Miroku looked at Inuyasha. "I am concerned for Sango."
"Sango's fine," was all Inuyasha said.
"No, no. You misunderstand me. I wish to be with Sango."
"So? What's the problem?"
"I am unsure how long I will have in this life. I don't wish for her to be alone."
"You really are an idiot, Miroku." Inuyasha scoffed.
Miroku was taken aback. "What? Why?"
"Because you are blind!" he shouted. "You can't see how much she loves you? Kagome guessed it months ago...hell, even I have seen it! Sango is just afraid you won't be faithful to her."
"She does?" Miroku was astounded. He knew Sango cared for him. But love? Then why...
Inuyasha sighed, interupting Miroku's inner musings. "Listen Miroku, one thing I have learned is if you care for someone, show them today. In all the battles we have seen, In could have died in any one of them...or worse, Kagome could have died. Most times the only thing that kept me going was Kagome. It took me too long to realize that I loved her. Even longer to realize she loved me. Don't waste precious time. One or all of us could die in battle. Would you rather die without knowing her love...or let her die with never knowing yours?" Inuyasha studied his friend. This was the first time they had ever talked like this. No pride, no insults, just honesty.
Mirouku stopped walking, turning his eyes toward the stars above. "No," he answered seriously.
Inuyasha smiled. "Then don't worry about how little or how much time you have. Enjoy every moment you have.." Inuyasha began walking again, adding bitterly, "At least you two can be together without complication."
"You are right, Inuyasha. Thank you." Seeing that they had come full circle and were about to reach the camp, Miroku placed a hand on his friends shoulder, stopping their slow pace once again. "And Inuyasha..."
"What?"
"Things will work out between you and Kagome. The Gods of Fate would not have brought your souls together otherwise."
"Feh!" Inuyasha started off again, distancing himself from Miroku. Over his shoulder he said, "I hope so, Miroku. Good night."
Jumping onto a tree limb, Inuyasha turned his gaze to the well across the clearing. "Tomorrow, Kagome. Tomorrow I will be with you."
You are all probably wondering when Inuyasha got so wise...That's what the love of a good woman(not Kagome...ME!) can do...afterall, it's my world now...I'm just letting you use it! lol REVIEW!