The Bond of Silver and Gold
Chapter 4: Weep Not For the Memories
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters, plot, or storyline. I only own my fan-made character and her story.
"Hey!" it just hit her suddenly, "Chelsea! Why don't you try going home with me?" asked Kagome.
"You think I could?" wondered Chelsea.
"Well if you're really from modern times I would think you should be able to. I have to go back and get more medicine and food, so why don'tcha come along?" answered Kagome.
"I guess it's worth a try…" murmured Chelsea. Could she really go home?
"Where do you think you're going?" grimaced Inuyasha in disapproval.
"It hit me that Chelsea and I are from the same time. So if that's true she should be able to pass through the well with me. I need to go back home for supplies anyway." Kagome flipped her backpack onto her shoulder as she spoke.
"But… if Chelsea can travel to your time Kagome then…" Shippo started to say.
"She'll be able to go back home to her foreign country correct?" asked Miroku.
Inuyasha's ears perked up even if he was turned away in one of his pouting fits.
"I never thought about that…" whispered Kagome glancing over at Chelsea.
"I could really go home and see mom and dad again?" thought Chelsea, "My friends… school, my job…"
"Feh," pouted Inuyasha, "if you have a way of getting her home safely then do it. Just make sure you hurry back Kagome."
Chelsea's chest started to hurt hearing Inuyasha's words. She had grown so attached to all of them, could she really just say goodbye like none of it mattered? "Inuyasha…" whispered Chelsea almost breathlessly.
"Well, let's get going I guess…" said Kagome, feeling guilty now. She didn't think of the fact that this might be the last time they were ever all together again.
Shippo started to cry, "Chelsea, I'm gonna miss you," whined the fox child.
Chelsea swooped Shippo up in her arms and snuggled him gently, "I'll miss you too Shippo," the two had grown fairly close in their time together. Shippo almost found himself having feelings for the girl.
"We're all going to miss you," nodded Sango.
"Come on you guys, lighten up. She's finally going to go home where it's safe. No more tears," said Inuyasha without any emotion, "I'm gonna miss her… but she's been through hell and back… I don't want her to suffer anymore… I want her to smile more, to laugh… I want her to be happy… there's no way she could be happy here." Without another word Inuyasha decided he needed sometime alone.
As Chelsea and Kagome made their way to the well, Chelsea reflected on the time she had spent here. There were so many bad, troubling memories… but with this band of friends, the wounds started to heal. She finally felt she had something dependable, but now… it hurt so badly to just abruptly walk away from it all.
Standing atop the rim of the well Kagome turned to Chelsea, "Ready?"
Chelsea looked over her shoulder one last time, trying to remember the sights, sounds, and smells of this place, for she may never return here again. Taking a deep breath, she took Kagome's hand, and nodded. As the two fell down the well a great light engulfed them and when they emerged from the well, they were in the Higurashi shrine.
"I made it… I'm… home," thought Chelsea.
Back in Feudal Japan, at the Bone Eater's Well sat Inuyasha staring down inside the mouth of the well, "Well," he mumbled, "I guess she's gone…" her eyes continued to say in his mind. Feeling pain swelling inside his chest, his bangs shadowed his eyes, and he disappeared into the trees.
"Sota, grandpa! I'm home! Mom?" called out Kagome, coming into her house with Chelsea close behind her. Kagome kicked off her shoes and came into the kitchen where she found her mother preparing a meal, "Hi mom, can you set another plate at the table?"
"Welcome home dear," smiled Kagome's mother. Turning to Chelsea she was stunned for a moment, "who's your new friend?"
"This is Chelsea, she's from America… it's a long story. I'll explain later," half smiled Kagome sweating.
"Well alright," grinned her mother returning back to her cooking.
"Come on, let's go upstairs to my room," said Kagome as she raced up the stairs. Slowly Chelsea followed behind her.
"Thank you for dinner," said Chelsea to Kagome's mom. Though it was sincere, Chelsea seemed quite sad.
"Woah," commented Sota, "American girls sure are hot."
"Oh Sota what am I going to do with you?" giggled his mother.
"Wonder how Kagome met up with her…" mumbled grandpa reading a newspaper.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough," answered her mother.
Kagome flopped down on her bed and smiled, "I love coming home."
Chelsea slid down to the floor and stared at the wall quietly.
"What's the matter? You've been acting so sad since the moment we got here," asked Kagome with concern.
"I guess I'm just… lost. What do I do now?" murmured Chelsea, hugging her knees.
"After we eat dinner you can come shopping with me. I could always use an extra set of hands," answered Kagome trying to cheer her up.
"Well, what about after that?" replied Chelsea.
"You can stay the night here. You can even bunk in my bed. I don't mind," said Kagome, sitting down on the floor beside her now.
"Do you think… I should call my parents?" asked Chelsea breathlessly.
"Well, they're probably really worried about you… don't you want to go home?" asked Kagome.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out…" thought Chelsea, "Inuyasha… have you already forgotten about me? Did I ever even really matter?"
"Inuyasha," prodded Shippo, poking the half demon in the nose, "What's the matter?"
"Buzz off," growled Inuyasha, "I'm not in the mood."
"It would seem that Inuyasha had grown quite attached to Chelsea and now that he probably will never see her again, he's upset." Miroku observed.
"Shut up Miroku okay? It's not like that!" Inuyasha's temper was skyrocketing.
"Of course I can't say I blame you," shrugged Miroku, "With eyes like that, hair more beautiful than any other's I've seen, and not to mention her curves… yeah, she can leave quite the impression…" and that's the last thing he could spit out before Sango smacked him in the back of the head.
Inuyasha growled and turned his head away. Miroku was such a pervert. She was so much more than that.
"Tell me something Inuyasha, did anything happen in the cave between you two?" wondered Miroku.
"What do you mean?" asked Inuyasha flatly.
"Well you know—" started Miroku before he was slapped again.
"Just ignore him," smiled Sango.
The girls had made it through the market and were now taking turns using the bathtub. Chelsea insisted Kagome go first. She felt like she was invading her space by taking her bed, but no matter how many times she said she could sleep on the floor Kagome simply wouldn't take no for an answer. When it was Chelsea's turn to take a bath she laid in the hot, steaming abyss for thirty minutes just lost in thought. When she came into Kagome's room with a pair of Kagome's PJ shorts and a big t-shirt she limply fell on the bed.
"I'll be right back, I'm gonna go say goodnight to my family," said Kagome. By the time she returned, Chelsea was far away in dreamland. Kagome had never seen her look so relaxed, and yet it looked like—she had been crying, "it's okay Chelsea, you'll be home soon, you'll see."
"I have to see her, if only one last time. I hope I'm not too late," thought Inuyasha sneaking across Kagome's yard. Leaping up on her windowsill, he peaked inside to see Kagome resting on the floor and Chelsea curled up in a fetal position on her bed, "she looks so peaceful and yet… so sad…" Inuyasha quietly opened the window and snuck in. Noticing her shivering, Inuyasha covered Chelsea with the blanket she must have kicked off sometime in the night. He could smell the fragrance of flowers in her hair with soft silk and peaches scent across her pale porcelain skin. Her hair was flung everywhere, like crashing waves of the restless sea. What was he doing here? Why did he need to see her? It's like he couldn't remove her from his mind. He just needed to know she was okay, that was all. Disappearing into the night before he was noticed, Kagome swore she thought she heard Inuyasha come in the room that night… why was her window open?
The next morning, Chelsea stirred to find Kagome removed from her place on the floor. Coming down the stairs, she went into the kitchen and found Kagome with a smile, "Good morning Chelsea," she offered her some eggs for breakfast, "I had an idea last night. Why don't I take you on a tour of Tokyo and have a girls' day out together?"
"Would that be okay? Doesn't Inuyasha want you to go back?" asked Chelsea.
"It's fine. He needs to learn patience anyway," said Kagome, seeming irritated at him, "Oh! By the way, your clothes are in the wash, my mom decided to clean them for you."
"She didn't have to do that," blushed Chelsea.
"Don't worry about it. You can wear one of my outfits for the day," nodded Kagome.
"But Kagome, you're shorter and smaller than me," said Chelsea feeling guilty.
"We'll find something, don't worry." Kagome said with faith. Chelsea was taller than Kagome, about 3 or 4 inches taller. Kagome would never admit it aloud, but she envied the girl's hourglass figure and beautiful eyes. It was no wonder the boys were so attracted to her.
When Kagome went scouting in her wardrobe for something Chelsea could wear, she pulled out a light blue plaid skirt and dark blue shirt. Chelsea stared at the skirt, "I'm not really made for skirts Kagome."
"It's all I have. Come on, it'll look great on you." Kagome had to pester Chelsea quite a few more times before she finally gave in and put the outfit on, though Kagome regretted it now. Her long legs looked longer against the skirt and that shirt made her chest size all the more noticeable, "I'm jealous," whined Kagome admittedly.
"You shouldn't be, you're very cute Kagome…" said Chelsea with a sigh. She hated her figure, "Maybe your cup size isn't as big as mine, but the way I see it, girls like you, they know when I guy really likes them for who they are. Do you think Miroku cares more about my chest or what's under it? So many times guys have just tried to use me because of this body… I hate it. It's more of a curse if you want to know the truth." Chelsea sat down on Kagome's bed, seeming saddened, "Don't ever feel unattractive. I think you're beautiful. I'd kill to have your thickness of hair," she smiled jokingly, though it was very true.
"Thanks Chelsea, that's really sweet of you," replied Kagome, realizing just how uncomfortable Chelsea was in her own skin. Standing up she seemed empowered, "Let's go! We'll get you some outfits you're actually comfortable in." she laughed.
The girls traveled from store to store, stopping to grab a bite to eat at WacDonald's and ice cream for dessert. Kagome felt so comfortable with Chelsea. It was nice to have a friend she could talk about her feudal friends with, and her understand. As they walked home, they both felt the weight of reality on their shoulders. Chelsea needed to call her parents when they got back to the house.
"I had a really good time today Kagome. Tokyo is simply beautiful… I wish I lived here." Chelsea sighed.
Kagome was quiet for a time, "Please keep in touch, when you go back I mean. I'm sure Inuyasha will want to know how you're doing."
"If you ever want to come to the states and bunk with me I can show you around. I live in a small town, but it might be fun," shrugged the American girl, "and you said Inuyasha can pass through the well right? So if you can trust him on a plane, bring him too."
Kagome felt her heart drop at the idea of Inuyasha on a plane. He'd be such a handful, she was better off shoving him into a pet carrier and making him ride with the cargo than listening to his complaining the whole plane ride, "I'll be sure to visit, but I don't know if Inuyasha is mature enough for a plane just yet." She giggled.
When they came into the house Kagome raced upstairs to put together her supplies. She was heading back to the feudal era tonight. Chelsea pressed all of her new clothes into a duffle bag she bought and found herself sighing a lot. She felt so sad. When Kagome came bounding down the steps with her yellow backpack fully loaded the two exchanged a look where they both knew what the other was thinking, "You can stay here until you have arrangements to leave okay? Mom said it was alright," said Kagome quietly.
Chelsea held out her arms and hugged her friend tightly. She would miss Kagome a lot. Being an only child, it felt like she finally had a sister, "When you come back between trips you better call. I'll leave my phone number." She instructed.
"Deal," said Kagome, hugging her back. Both hating goodbyes, Kagome offered her one last smile, and left the house before she started tearing up.
Chelsea stared at the phone. All she needed to do was make one phone call, so why was it so hard?
"Kagome?" called her mom, and Chelsea looked over into the kitchen, "Kagome?"
"Sorry Mrs. Higurashi, you just missed her," replied Chelsea.
"Oh no, she left the ramen you guys bought yesterday. It's Inuyasha's favorite… oh well… maybe she'll come back for it," Mrs. Higurashi went back to her cleaning in the kitchen, readying it for meal preparations.
"Inuyasha…" whispered Chelsea. Seeing him in her mind, watching his hair drift in the wind, taking one last glance at her over his shoulder and then walking away. He disappeared without a trace.
Grabbing the phone immediately Chelsea dialed her home phone number, area code and all. It rang, rang, rang, rang, "Hello, you've reached Deborah and Curtis, please leave a message after the beep, and we'll get right back to you."
The voice mail… "Mom, it's me Chelsea. Look, it's really hard to explain, but I'm okay. Where I am right now, there's some people who need my help and… I need them. I promise I'll be home eventually, but I really need to stay here for now. I love you and dad, and I'll call again the next chance I get. Don't worry about me," click, she hung up. Racing into the kitchen Chelsea snagged the bag of ramen, and grabbed her duffle bag in the hallway.
"You going back?" asked Mrs. Higurashi.
"Yes, ma'am. Thanks for letting me stay," said Chelsea racing out of the door, "Inuyasha, you remember me, don't you?" with each step, her thoughts were tripping over each other, "I could never forget you. Never in a million years," step, step, "And how could I? You, you amaze me Inuyasha," jump, plunging into the depths of the well, "Please, don't leave me behind…"
"Oh no," whined Kagome digging through her bag.
"What's wrong?" asked Inuyasha with a raised eyebrow.
"I-uh… forgot the ramen," said Kagome starting to sweat.
"Are you serious?" boomed Inuyasha.
"I've got it!" cried Chelsea, running up to them.
"Chelsea!" shouted Shippo.
"She's back!" smiled Sango.
"She's in a skirt!" drooled Miroku.
"Chelsea…" mumbled Inuyasha.
Throwing her dufflebag and bag of ramen to the ground as she ran she tackled Inuyasha into an embrace, she started tearing up, "I missed you… Inuyasha," she whispered breathlessly.
Inuyasha's eyes started to shimmer, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be headed home?" he asked.
"Can't this be my home for a while?" wondered Chelsea, looking up at him, teary-eyed.
A small smile of relief appeared on Inuyasha's face, "Of course, if you want it to be…" he hugged her back, pulling her as close as he possibly could, "Maybe I wasn't ready to let go of her either… not just yet."
"Inuyasha, you're happy too aren't you?" thought Kagome, "You and Chelsea, you understand each other. You're both uncomfortable in your own skin, people judge you based on how you look, and you're both so introverted," a weary smile appeared on her face, "I'm glad she decided to stay too…"
The review button was pressed on the voice mail, and the sound of Chelsea's faraway voice sounded all so close and clear. Tears filled her mother's eyes, when her father walked in, seeming flabbergasted at the sound, "It's Chelsea…" murmured her mother.
"But how can that be…?" wondered her dad, totally confused, "ever since the accident, she's been in a coma for nearly two months now…"
Author's notes: Dun, dun, dun..! And some a piece of her past is revealed. What kind of accident did Chelsea get in? How can she be in a hospital and also be bunking with Inuyasha and his friends? And why did she travel back to feudal Japan of all places? Who knows… but more will be revealed as time goes on. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you at the next one. =]