Thing Are Not Always as They Seem
Chapter 1: Longing
Kagome looked out her window, her eyes resting on the moonlit Sacred Tree, and sighed deeply. It'd been nearly a week since she had returned to her own time to take the final exams for the semester, and the weight in her heart seemed to grow by the day. The girl nestled under the soft covers of her bed, and nestled her head into the pillow, closing her eyes. Almost instantly they popped back open.
"It's quiet here…but it's not the same…," she thought to herself, and sighed again. During her nights in the Feudal Era she would fall to sleep to the sounds of Shippo's slow rhythmic breathing as he nestled up beside her, and the faint hum of Kirara's purr. Kagome giggled as she thought of Inuyasha's snore, and then her heart sank again. Inuyasha…..how she missed him. On their last departure they had, yet again, had an argument about her leaving for such a long time, and of course, Inuyasha hadn't been agreeable. She thought of how angry he got every time she had to leave, and how, even though he made her SO angry at times, she knew in her heart that he didn't like being away from her any more than she liked being away from him. Or, at least, that's what she hoped. "Well, only a couple more days and then I can go back. Might as well get some sleep now," she said to herself, out loud.
Meanwhile in the Feudal Era….
The troubled hanyou starred into the opening of the well, frowning deeply. Sango and Miroku watched him from a distance, conversing quietly about their concern for their sorrowful friend. "He's been like this for days…," Sango whispered, sighing. Miroku nodded in agreement. "Yes…he has. I've never seen him quite this lost before." Sango sat on the ground, propping her elbows up on her knees, and leaning her chin into her hands. "He misses her, even though he won't admit it openly." Miroku nodded again, taking a seat beside Sango. "Indeed he does. It's romantic really….almost gives me that warm fuzzy feeling." Sango furrowed her brow, and shot the monk a dirty look, already sensing his next move to give her bum a squeeze. "Don't even think about it, you letch" she muttered, starring him down. Miroku feigned surprise and held his hands up so that they lay in her full sight. Sango shook her head at him, and then rose from her seat and began to approach Inuyasha, whom still sat starring into the well.
"Inuyasha?" she inquired carefully, not wanting to provoke the hanyou. In the last days while Kagome had been absent, he had been more temperamental than ever. His small white dog-ears twitched slightly, but he said nothing in response. "Inuyasha," Sango said more directly, still keeping her distance, "Perhaps you should at least go visit Kagome….I'm sure she would be very happy to see you." The hanyou shrugged his shoulders and let out a simple "Feh," in response. Sango took a few steps closer to the well, perching herself on the side opposite Inuyasha. "Really Inuyasha….I know she would be happy to see you… I'm sure she misses you as much as you miss her…" He raised his eyes to meet her, a look of questioning filling them. Sango smiled slightly and nodded, "Go to her Inuyasha.." The hanyou nodded, then jumping into the well, disappearing from the Demon Slayer's sight.
Back at the Hiragashi House…..
Kagome slumbered in her bed, but was plagued by dreams of her friends and the hanyou she loved so dearly. The dreams were pleasant, but each morning when she woke, she found herself to be sad because she missed them a good deal. As she tossed and turned in her bed, Inuyasha emerged from the well, and sprinted full force toward the house, jumping up the ledge of Kagome's open bedroom window. He shifted his eyes around the room until they finally rest upon her face. He felt his heart thump wildly in his chest as her scent entered his nostrils. Slowly and almost silently, he climbed through the window, and crouched by the side of her bed. The moonlight danced across her face, he smiled softly to himself. He fought the urge to take her into a loving embrace, but didn't want to disturb her slumber.
The hanyou sat cross-legged in front of her bed, watching her sleep for a long time. He wished to be near her, but at the same time he was also afraid of what might happen if she awoke while he was there. "I better go soon… I don't want to piss her off again and get sat on sight," he thought, grumbling to himself. He walked to the window, opening it wide, and turned to look at her again before he left. A gust of wind entered the room, sending a chill up Kagome's spine, rousing her from her sleep. She blinked repeatedly to clear her eyes, and suddenly noticed that her window stood wide open. She scrambled to her feet, moving to window to close it. As she glanced down, she caught sight of a silver mane and red haiori rushing toward the shrine. Her eyes widened and she quickly stuck her head out of the window, shouting loudly, "Inuyasha! Wait! Come back!!" But the figure disappeared into the temple, and she sighed heavily to herself. She sat on her bed, feeling her eyes well up with tears of disappointment. Inuyasha had come to see her, and she missed him by only seconds. The girl began to cry silently in frustration, tossing herself back onto her pillows.
Inuyasha stopped abruptly at the entrance of the well, his ears perked back in the direction from which he had just come. He had heard someone calling out…he heard is name. "Kagome?" he whispered to himself, excitedly. He ran backed out of the temple and hopped back up to her bedroom window. His eyes darted around and he found the girl with her face buried in the pillows, her crying muffled. "Kagome?" he said softly, entering the room. The girl raised her head quickly and looked back to the window. "Inuyasha?! Oh! You came back!" she said, rising quickly, and flinging her arms around his neck. Inuyasha, surprised by the elated greeting, braced himself on the windowsill as the crying girl clung to him. After a moment he smiled softly, drawing his arms around her. They stood for a long moment, locking one another into a silent, loving embrace. "C'mon now….what's with all that crying stuff?" he murmured softly, stroking her hair. He took her chin in his hand, raising her face so that their eyes met. The hanyou gazed into the dark brown eyes that he had looked into so many times before. It wasn't until this moment that he realized how much she meant to him.
Kagome smiled back at him, sniffling slightly. "Sorry… I was just upset because I thought I'd missed you…and well…." Inuyasha cocked his head, peering at the girl. "What is it, Kagome?" he asked tenderly. The softness in his voice made her melt, and she began to cry again. "Oh Inuyasha…I missed you…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as she buried her head in his chest. He smiled again, pulling her into him tighter, stroking her raven hair. "I missed you too, Kagome…" he whispered to her.
The two sat together on her bed, wrapped in each other's arms, and talked of the events that had taken place during their absence from each other. Kagome giggled as Inuyasha told her how many times Miroku had been smacked by Sango, and how Shippo ran from Kaede when she attempted to clean a cut that he had received while tossing rocks into the river. Without thinking, Kagome glanced at the clock and frowned. Sensing the change in her mood, Inuyasha sat up, "What is it Kagome?" She signed and motioned to the clock. " I have to be up for an exam in a few hours. Ugh….that's the LAST thing I want to think about right now…" Inuyasha frowned, but then nodded, "I should let you sleep. I'll see you in a few days….right?" Kagome smiled at him and nodded, "Most definitely." He smiled back at her, and then leaned in to kiss her softly. Kagome felt the heat rise up in her face as the hanyou's surprisingly soft lips pressed to hers. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss, leaning into him closely. "Mmmm…" she murmured softly.
When their kiss finally broke, Inuyasha rose from the bed, and stepped toward the window. "I'll meet you around sunrise then? At the well entrance?" he asked, hopefully. She didn't usually return until sunset, but he had hoped that she would come sooner than usual. She started to correct him, but then just nodded. "Yes, Inuyasha, I'll be there. And if I happen to be late…don't be afraid to come get me." She smiled at him and stepped toward him to hug him once more before he left. He embraced the girl, and kissed her quickly but softly, before jumping from the window and sprinting toward the temple. She watched him go with a sleepy eyed smile, and sighed happily. "He might piss me off sometimes, but boy do I love that hanyou." Kagome then returned to her bed, nestling deep in the covers, a faint smile remaining on her lips as she drifted off into slumber.
PREVIEW: Kagome returns to the Feudal Era hoping to have time to bask in her newfound closeness to Inuyasha, but the group quickly finds themselves faced with a battle, and surely just as always, Naraku is behind it. Kagome finds out that there's something about her bloodline that she was never aware of….are these just Miko powers she possesses? Or is there something else that she hasn't discovered?