Author's Note:
Hi, again! After the positive feedback I received from my Anniversary one-shot, I decided to post the big fic that I've been working on for the last 2.5 years. I've been nervous to post it and I've only ever shared it with one lovely person. You know who you are! :) Anyway, I want to share this big piece my heart, and I hope you all enjoy it. I'll try to upload as much as I can. We'll see how much free-time I can find in my busy college schedule. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha story/characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi!
Chapter 1:
Breathe in, breathe out. My little mantra had been zooming through my brain all day. Well, more like every day for the last three years. Ever since the Bone Eater's Well had stopped working, I felt like there was this huge piece of me missing. I knew what it was: I hadn't seen him in so long.
Inuyasha.
Not a second goes by without his name running around in my mind. My arms ache to hold him close again, and my heart beats to the memory of his voice. Three years is too long to go without him, and every moment feels longer than the last.
The well draws me in as I approach it. I come here every day and think about what happened. The well hasn't worked, but I still come. It's my last connection to the Feudal Era and to Inuyasha.
As I walked in and stood in front of it, my thoughts began to race through my head. I've always thought that maybe the reason the well stopped working when the Shikon Jewel disappeared was because of the feelings I had when I finally returned from those three days in the darkness. My family had suffered and I'd felt terrible.
But I think I've realized where I need to be and it's not in this time period.
"Inuyasha," I murmured. "I want to be with you." I closed my eyes, wishing for one more chance to see him.
The cool breeze on my face took me by surprise.
My eyes shot open, and I looked down at the blue sky on the other side of the well.
"Kagome?" My mother walked into the shrine and came up behind me. "Are you okay?"
"Mom…" I began. She peered down into the well and saw the same sight. Her arms wrapped around me and she held me close. I turned to look into her eyes. Mom smiled sadly. "I understand, Kagome," she said. "You belong with him." I smiled bitter-sweetly back at her.
I ran inside and quickly threw some supplies into my old middle school backpack. Sota and Grandpa wished me luck when we exchanged our goodbyes. "Bye, nee-chan," Sota said. "Say hello to Inu-no-nii-chan for me." I promised I would, and with that, I left.
As if on autopilot, I ran back to the well and jumped into it as my excitement turned to memories. I remembered Inuyasha kissing me when he found me in the Meido; I had waited so long for that kiss. I remembered him holding me close as the Shikon Jewel disappeared. The smell of him disappeared from my clothes too soon after the connection was broken. Moments of fighting, laughing, and osuwari commands filled my heart with a newfound love for him. Any sort of worry eluded me because I knew nothing could come between us.
My feet planted on the stable ground at the bottom of the well and I breathed in the smell of the rich, musty soil. I smiled as the peaceful noises of the clearing that the well was located in filled my ears. I'm finally back. My heart started to race as I realized that I was about to see Inuyasha for the first time in three years.
I quickly climbed up the side of the well and hopped over the edge. In my excitement, my shoe flew off my foot and landed a few feet away. I rolled my eyes at myself and hurried to pick it up. As I leaned over to put the shoe back on, I heard footsteps behind me. A smile immediately filled my face. I could guess who it was.
The footsteps grew louder and then stopped. When I finally got my shoe back on, I looked up to see Inuyasha. He was only a mere ten feet away from me. His face looked intense; his eyes were suspicious as if he thought I was just a hallucination.
"Inuyasha," I said in a voice full of emotion. "I'm sorry. Were you waiting for me?" Inuyasha was quiet for a moment more and then he moved. He threw himself forward with his eyes never leaving mine. I heard a whisper of my name as he said it, and then he collided with me.
His arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he pulled me to him. I put my arms around his neck and buried my face in his haori. He held me so close that my feet came off the ground and I was completely supported by him. Everything felt like it was coming into place as I breathed in the familiar smell of him.
"I never stopped waiting for you," he murmured in my ear.
We stayed in each other's arms for a long time. When Inuyasha finally set me down, he kept me pulled close.
"Kagome," he said, his eyes locked on me. I felt his hands roam through my hair and his fingers trail across my face. His touch conveyed how much he'd missed me and how happy he was to have me back.
He looked so relieved and unbelievably amazed that, for a moment, all I could do was nod. "I'm here," I finally said. "I'm back." Inuyasha's hands finally settled on my cheeks as he smiled at me for the first time in three years.
"How?" he asked incredulously. "I mean, what did you...why did the well…" He suddenly stopped and shook his head. "I'm just in shock right now." Inuyasha's relief was evident, but he still seemed guarded as if this was only a dream. I laughed and slid my hands from his neck to his waist.
"I missed you so much," he said, growing serious. "I didn't know it was possible to miss
someone like that." I sighed. "Me, too," I replied. Inuyasha's thumbs stroked my cheeks. "Kagome..." I felt my smile fade as I heard his sudden somber tone.
Pain began to fill his eyes as he looked at me. "Don't leave," Inuyasha said. My eyes widened. "Please, Kagome," he continued. "Stay with me forever." I leaned up and gently brushed my lips against his cheek. "Forever, Inuyasha," I promised. "I'm not going anywhere."
Inuyasha's panicked eyes began to calm. Instead of fear, there was a different gleam in them. They told me exactly what he wanted to do. He leaned his head down so our foreheads were touching. As we closed our eyes and our lips almost touched, I heard a shout from behind us.
"Kagome!" I knew it was Shippo from the evident excitement in his voice. Inuyasha and I both jumped at the sudden noise. He quickly snuck a kiss on the top of my head before we pulled away from each other.
When I turned to see Shippo, I noticed Miroku, Sango, and three small children were with him, too. I could tell from the familiar features that the children were Miroku and Sango's. I smiled widely and waved to them. "Hi!" I called. "It's good to see you guys!"
As they made their way over to us, I turned to look at Inuyasha. His eyes still held an intense gleam, but I could see the peace in them. His hand found mine and our fingers laced together. We smiled at each other and began walking towards Miroku, Sango, and Shippo.
Once we reached the others, we all started talking a mile a minute. Inuyasha stayed quiet, though, with a content look on his face. His hold on my hand was tight, and I knew it would be a long time before either of us let go.
We all made our way to Kaede's house after we'd talked for a little while at the well. I noticed Rin was there and she greeted me. Inuyasha had told me as we were walking that Rin was practicing living with humans so she could choose if she wanted to choose a life in the village or go back to traveling with Sesshomaru. We all had a pretty good guess about what her answer would be.
Once everyone sat down and got settled, Miroku and Sango introduced me to their kids. The twins, Kohana and Hikari, were the most hyper girls I've ever met. The boy, Akio, was the opposite. He was the quietest newborn I'd ever encountered. As Sango passed him to me, Rin spoke up. "I helped deliver him," she said. I smiled at her. "You did a great job," I replied. "He's perfect." I glanced at Sango and we shared a private smile. As I held Akio, he looked up at me and gripped my finger.
"Sango-chan," I said. "I love your kids." Sango laughed. "They seem to like you, too," she replied. Miroku smiled evilly. "And they love their dog," he said, nodding at Inuyasha. I looked beside me at the now very irritated "dog." Inuyasha caught my gaze and his expression softened. "No, they just like to yank on my ears," he said. I smiled at Inuyasha as our eyes locked for a moment. The moment was broken when the word "ears" registered with the girls. As soon as it did, Kohana and Hikari ran over and tackled Inuyasha.
"Dang it, Miroku!" he yelled as the twins giggled and pulled his ears. I smiled and wished that I hadn't missed so much time with everyone. Sango looked at me and noticed my expression. She took my hand. "I'm glad you're back, Kagome-chan." I turned to her and smiled again. "So am I," I replied.
"I am surprised that ye were able to return, Kagome," Kaede said. I looked over at her. "I am, too," I replied honestly. Shippo tugged on my skirt. "What did you do to get back?" he asked. I felt a blush come over me as I remembered what I had been thinking when the well started working again. Inuyasha, I want to be with you.
I tried to force my blush away with a smile. "I think it was just time," I replied. "I went to the well every day that I was gone, and it hadn't seemed any different when I went today. Despite that, I felt like something had shifted and it looks like that was true." I smiled. Shippo settled himself in my lap. "It was lonely without you here," he said. I hugged him. "It was lonely in my time, too," I replied. "I'm glad to be back."
After about another hour of catching up on what I'd missed, Sango and Miroku said they needed to get back to their house and put the kids to bed. Before they walked out, Sango spoke up.
"Kagome-chan," she said. "How long will you be staying with us?" I smiled at her. "I'm here to stay," I replied. "I'm going to live here now." Sango smiled brightly back and everyone let out a collective cheer. Inuyasha took my hand again and I turned to look into his eyes. An understanding passed between us.
We would always be together.
When they were gone, Shippo began to yawn. He quickly fell asleep on my lap while Kaede filled me in on what had been happening with the other villagers.
As we were talking, I tried to stay focused on what Kaede was saying but it was pretty hard when Inuyasha was tracing small circles on my hand with his thumb. His touch was tender; that wasn't something I was used to from him. I was very aware of how close we had moved toward each other throughout the evening. It was almost as if were gravitating toward the other without even realizing it. I couldn't say I didn't like it.
Eventually, I lay Shippo on his futon and stood up. Inuyasha rose next to me and caught my eye. His hand brushed mine and I knew exactly what he was thinking.
"We're going for a walk," I told Kaede. "Good night."
With that, Inuyasha and I went out the door and headed to our spot.
To be continued...
I hope you all have enjoyed it so far! Please let me know if you like it...I'm really excited to share the rest! :)