Epiphany
By: AkaraUsagi
DISMLAIMER I do not own Inuyasha.
Kagome could see the hurt in his eyes; the pain he tried so hard to hide when he was with them. He really had been through a lot- he, a half-demon, fell in love with a priestess, and she fell in love with him. On the day they were to be together; the day he was supposed to use that sacred jewel to become full human for her; both were used against each other by the hideous monster named Naraku. Possessed by Naraku, they betrayed each other, and Inuyasha ended up pinned to the Goshinkbu tree for 50 years... that is, until Kagome came and freed him by accident. She was just an ordinary junior high school student until she fell down the well that sat on her family's property. It seemed that the well shot her 500 years into the past. There, she met Inuyasha- he mistook her for his former love at first, since she was her true reincarnation.
They both hated each other in the beginning. But, after Kagome mistakenly shattered the sacred jewel he now wanted to use to become full demon instead of full human, they were stuck together. He wanted the jewel, and she had shattered it- plus, being Kikyo's reincarnation allowed her to sense the location of a nearby fragment of the jewel. Forced to journey together, they ended up becoming friends; companions. Though never anythind more... She had fallen in love with Inuyasha, as had her reincarnation before her. The only difference was, the priestess Kikyo, his former love, was resurrected by an evil witch, and now Inuyasha chases after her as well as the shards. They now knew that it was Naraku who had betrayed them, not each other. Inuyasha can never forget about Kikyo, and she can never forget him. Even though she is the walking undead and seeks to drag him with her to the afterlife, he is willing to go with her.
"Yo, Kagome! Got any of that Ninja food left?" Kagome shook herself from her thoughts. Inuyasha could never love her anyways. She smiled weakly.
"Here, Inuyasha." she said as she tossed him the last cup of instant ramen she had from by backpack. "I'll get the water boiled, just give me a minute." Kagome walked slowly down to the nearby river and filled the pot with water, and quickly returned to camp, where the fire was still blazing. Setting the pot over the fire, they waited patiently until it boiled.
"Kagooommeeeeee, how much longer?" Inuyasha whined. Kagome sighed. He wasn't perfect, that was for sure... but then again, who was?
"Just a few more minutes Inuyasha." she smiled as she dumped the ramen into the boiling water. Within minutes the ramen finished cooking, and Kagome pured it into a small bowl. She handed it to Inuyasha along with some chopsticks. "There you go." Inuyasha began downing the ramen, and just like that, it was gone. "He doesn't even thank me fo-" Kagome began, her thoughts soon interrupted.
"Keh, thanks for the food, Kagome." Inuyasha grunted as he tossed the empty bowl into her bag along with the chopsticks.
"No problem, Inuyasha." She got up and looked at him. A strange look made its way across Inuyasha's face. Without a word, he stood up and looked to the west.
"She's here... I can smell it." he said as he sniffed the air. Just as he had thought, Kikyo's soul stealers could be seen a little ways to the west. Kagome frowned to herself.
"Even though she is dead he cannot forget about her. Every time she's near, he chases after her. So many times when he's gone our group is attacked, and when he barely makes it back in time to protect us, he tells me how sorry he is; that he'll never follow after her again. Somehow I always know he's lying to me. I just wish I could tell him how I feel and have it over with... but I don't know if I could take the rejection." Kagome thought to herself. She looked up, only to see that Inuyasha had already bolted through the forest to the west.
"Kagome..." Sango began to try to comfort her friend.
"No... I just... i'm fine, Sango, really. Why don't you go grab Shippou, Kirara and Miroku. We may as well head out to find shards. He'll be able to find us." Sango agreed, and took off to find the rest of their group.
After night had fallen, the group decided to make camp. Inuyasha hadn't come back yet, and it had everyone worried. Everyone had already fallen fast asleep except for Kagome. She decided to go around for a walk. She knew that there were small demons in the region, so she took Kirara with her. They were walking for about 10 minutes when Kagome heard voices, and ducked behind a tree, as did Kirara.
"Kikyo... Naraku betrayed us both... you know that..."
"Yes, Inuyasha, I do. But you know... It's still hard for me, because when you were possessed by him you killed me. It's hard to forget the look on your face; how satisfied you looked when you walked away with that jewel in your hand." Kikyo said, not a hint of emotion heard in her voice.
"Kikyo... i'm sorry that this happened to you... to us. Please, Kikyo. I just want you to be happy with me like you once were."
"Inuyasha, the only way for that to happen is for Naraku to die, and for you and I to drift away to the afterlife together."
"Then that's what we'll do!" Inuyasha yelped.
"What about your companions? You would willingly leave them behind?" Kikyo asked, hoping he would choose her.
"Yes. I... I will do anything, Kikyo."
"Good, good, Inuyasha. Even that girl; that copy of me that you seem to care so much for?" she said in disgust. Inuyasha paused. He cared for Kagome a great deal... but Kikyo was his love. He needed her. Besides, he knew Kagome would be fine without him... she had Kouga, that wolf demon to look after her.
"Y...Yes. Even her."
A solitary tear slid down Kagome's cheek. Both her and Kirara turned and walked back to camp.
"He loves her... enough to leave me behind without a second thought. What is he thinking? Kouga could never protect me like you could. Kouga gets too distracted and always leaves his comrades behind when he sees any trace of Naraku." Kagome thought, just as she hid behind a tree again to avoid Inuyasha who was heading back to camp. Thank heavens the wind was blowing the right way; Inuyasha couldn't smell her presence.
Kagome stood still until she was sure he was back at camp. She had placed blankets under her sleeping bag so that he wouldn't worry when he got back. She knew what she needed to do. She turned around and looked at Kikyo, who had begun to walk away. With the turn of her heel, she followed.