Author's note: Hello, everybody! Finally I have the next chapter ready for you guys! Man, this took a while to write! I've been quite busy with school the past week...
Oh, well... enough with my complaining. It's a bit longer chapter this time. Hope you don't mind and I hope you find it to your liking^^
Inspiration music this time was the songs "I was here" by Beyoncè.
Enjoy!
Disclaiming: :
I do not own Inuyasha nor its characters. It all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi!
Chapter 7: Out in the open
Kagome laid under her already too warm covers, her eyes staring at the dark ceiling above her. The day had passed faster than to her liking, and now she found it hard to fall asleep. After "sleeping" for nearly three days straight, how was she supposed to now? Besides she couldn't even if she wanted to. Too much was summing inside her head.
What had really happened that night? That question still laid unsolved as they had parted earlier today. But putting the dark demon aside, she just couldn't get that voice outside of her head. 'I clearly heard it. As clear as my own thoughts' she blinked slightly, the dryness were starting to hurt her eyes. 'Like someone was screaming from inside my head...'
She tiredly shook her head and signed. But how was that possible? Her head rolled slightly to the side, eyes falling on the mysterious white bow in the corner of the room. Miroku and Sango had offered her to spend the night at their house, but she had kindly declined it. She didn't want to penetrate their private life, and besides she needed space to clear her head. Kaede had thankfully granted her a smaller hut on the outskirts of the village, which nobody used at the moment. It was cozy and small, just her size.
The bow was leaning up against the wooden wall, no sign of life coming from it. She sighed once more before sitting up in her bed 'What did I expect?'
She took a deep breath 'Well, I'm not getting much sleep anyways. Might as well go for a walk' she slid out of her bed, her feet meeting the coldness of the floor, but she found it comforting at the moment. She headed for her clothes which laid neatly folded on the chair by the entrance. She had to remind herself to place them closer to her bed next time, in case of emergency.
After dressing herself she headed for the straw curtains covering the opening, but halted for a moment as her eyes fell back to her bow. After confirming something with herself she went over and picked up both the bow and arrows before exiting the hut. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
She couldn't shake of this feeling of them being played with. The grip around her bow tightened greatly as she made her way through the village, faster than she first had intended. Her so called "calming walk" failed greatly as it now turned into more like a sprint.
But after a while she halted as her eyes lifted to the glowing sky above her. The stars were beautiful as they shimmered in all sort of strength and sizes. She closed her eyes for a second as she let the cool breeze breathe through her raven hair. She breathed softly as she took it all in, before slowly opening her eyes once more.
Her ears captured movement in the leaves above and her eyes went to the tree beside her. She noticed how the leaves quickly pulled together, and she didn't fail to get a glimpse of the silver tips disappearing inside the bushes. She couldn't help but laugh, he had never been any good at hiding, had he?
"You can come down now, Inuyasha" she laughed softly as his head popped up from within the green leafs, a guilty look painted on his face. He gracefully jumped down beside her, his ears slightly lowered. "I didn't mean to spy on you, Kagome... I saw you leave your hut earlier, and wondered if something happened... When I was about to call out to you, you suddenly halted. I didn't want to frighten you so I hid myself..." he mumbled silently as he faced the ground below them, glancing up at her every now and then as he spoke.
Kagome stared at him for a second before her light laughter filled the air, causing a slight blush to form in his cheeks. "D-don't laugh! I was worried about you, you know?" he stuttered as his ears pointed skywards again.
She let her eyes fall to his warm golden ones as her hand traveled to his face. "Yeah, I know. Sorry for laughing at you." He simply stared down at her, slightly blinking "But Inuyasha, how in the world can you possible frighten me after all we have been through?" she smiled softly at the confusion in his eyes. She soon felt his warm hand cover her own as his eyes softened slightly.
"You cold?" he softly spoke as his thumb graced the top of her hand, running circles over it. "A bit, but I'm fine. I needed the fresh air." she smiled back up at him, but she couldn't help the beat speeding up inside her chest.
She felt him remove his hand and watched as he started to remove his haori. "I-Inuyasha, you don't have to do tha-" "It's ok, Kagome. I'm always warm, remember? Besides I don't want you to get a cold" he interrupted her as he completely removed the red coat and slid it behind her body in one swift movement, before slipping it over her shoulders.
She felt the warmth from it immediately start to slip past her own clothes and softly grace her skin, causing the awaited goose-bumps to raise. She brought her free hand up to slightly grasp it, preventing it from slide of her shoulders, her other hand kept her bow in place. She felt how a different kind of warmth found its way to her face. Nope, she still wasn't used to this.
His scent filled her senses as the warmth of his haori started to make her comfortable. She slowly glanced up at him and noticed him staring at her. She quickly cleared her throat and thanked him.
He nodded as his eyes fell back to the road before them. "Want to take a walk with me?" He spoke as he glanced back at her over his shoulder. She smiled softly "I'd love to"
They walked in silence for a moment, only the stars keeping them company. It had been so long since she last wore his red haori, it almost brought back tears in her eyes. She had finally come to accept the dream she now lived in. It couldn't be more. It couldn't be less. She was really back. And the one walking beside her now was not a shadow, nor a memory. She slightly closed her eyes, taking in the moment. Treasuring it.
After a while Inuyasha decided to break the silence as he lightly cleared his throat "You couldn't sleep? That's why you went out this late?" he asked as his eyes met hers.
She stared at him for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm tired. After all I haven't done anything else but sleep these past three days, so it's not like I need any." her eyes swept back to the sky above them. Another silence followed as they appeared to have halted.
"Want to talk about it?" he huskily asked her as he gently placed one of his hands on her shoulder. She glanced over at him and saw his eyes grow more stern for a moment. "It's nothing really. Just slightly confused"
"Yeah, no wonder..." he breathed softly as his own eyes joined the sky above them. The wind swept past them in one swift motion, and she had to really hold on to his haori for a slight moment to not have it escape. The wind gave away as a shadow covered her face. As she looked up Inuyasha's back came into view.
He gave signal for her to get on and she blinked slightly. "I want to show you something..." he mumbled as he crouched down to make it easier for her to climb on. She hesitated for a second, but soon brought her arms around his neck and leaned into his body. She felt his own arms slide beneath her as they supported her weight before he rose to his feet once more.
The wind brushed past her face as they made their way through the forest. She had no idea where he lead her, but to be honest she didn't mind. She simply enjoyed the presence of him. She had really missed these moments the most. The closeness of his body to her own, his silent breathing. No words were needed. She leaned her head against his shoulder as she gave a soft sigh.
How she had made it through those hash three years was still a mystery to her. But her family had been really supportive, and brought her up so many times. Even in the darkest times. It made her believe, or rather gain a small flicker of hope that she'd one day return to the feudal era... to him.
The dark bushes swept past her eyes as the clearing came into view. Inuyasha continued past the forest, clearly knowing where he was headed. She had never been in these tracts before, and lifted her head once more to get a better view over his shoulder. She blinked slightly, the wind drying her eyes as she tried to focus them on something further on, but it was no use. It was still too dark for her to make out anything, she knew it was different for Inuyasha though.
Before she knew it, they were heading upwards as Inuyasha jumped up a hillside, taking three great stones in one jump. He suddenly halted and gave signal for her to climb down. She did what was asked and slid of his back, her feet softly planted into the soft grass below her. She lightly glanced around, but it was only forest as long as her eyes could reach. She blinked slightly before her eyes went back to Inuyasha. He must have noticed this as he gave a more amused smile before reaching for her hand.
"Close your eyes" he whispered as his fingers wrapped gently around it. Still a bit confused she did as he asked and let her eyelids slide down, darkness replacing the already lacing light source. She felt him pull her arm slightly forward as he started to lead her up the hillside. "Watch your steps, some of these stones are quite unstable" his voice felt so much closer now that she only had to rely on her hearing and the warm hand wrapped around hers. She was surprised of how calm she felt. The sky could fall down at this very moment and she couldn't have felt more safe.
She felt him let go of her hand and the sudden safety disappeared like a breath of the wind. "You can open them now, Kagome." he voiced as he appeared to have taken place beside her. Slightly she started to open her eyes, one at a time. The sight before completely left her breath taken.
She was surprised she hadn't noticed the beautiful scent earlier. It now filled her senses as her eyes widened. Before her laid a great white field, glowing in the moonlight. She couldn't find words as she started to step forward like she was in an trance. She barely heard his silent steps as he moved in to stand beside her once more.
White flowers as far as her eyes could reach swayed softly in the wind. Small spheres of light floated in the air above them, their glow fading only to lighten back up again. Fireflies in all of the rainbows color. As if Inuyasha had read her mind he spoke "Moon flowers. They only bloom in the light of the moon and closes as soon as it vanishes" he explained as he smiled slightly.
"I... use to come here when I need to clear my head." he silently spoke, she noticed him halt slightly as he spoke. Like he was choosing his words carefully. "I can see why. This is beautiful, Inuyasha" she still was overwhelmed by the sight before her.
"Naming their child after you wasn't the only thing they did to honor you, you know?" he spoke as he glanced over at her. She stared at him for a second as she tried to digest what he had just said.
"What do you mean?" she asked as she studied him intensely for answers. He only smiled before turning his eyes back to the flower field.
"Miroku and I traveled to a village in the north once. We had heard about the recent attacks there and did what we could to help. As a payment for the deed we did, an older man gave us a bag of seeds. Miroku tried to explain that he only was interested in rice from their village, which he had already received, but the man kept on insisting to take it for saving his granddaughter. We saw no other solution but to accept the offer, and the man kept bowing his head to us as we left the village."
"Once we arrived home, Miroku handed the bag to Sango and asked if she knew what kinds of seed it was. She had opened the bag without a question and picked up one handful. She studied the small seeds in her hand for quite some time, her eyes widening as she kept mumbling to herself. She suddenly started to ask us where we had found them. Miroku had told her about the older man and how he had kept insisting." Inuyasha smiled at the remembrance before he continued.
"And to say it like she did "Did he give these to you just like that? Do you have any ideas how rare these are?!" You should have seen Miroku's face that night. It was hilarious" he laughed as he shook his head.
"Sango thought the flowers resembled you, so she asked if it was ok for her to plant them. After all it was a shame to just leave such beauty hidden from the open, her words precisely" he cleared his throat for a second as if remembering something, but he soon shook his head.
"Since they needed the moon to bloom, we had to find an area where the moon always shone. Everyone spent every second of their free time planting the seeds here."
Kagome stared wide eyed at the glowing field before her, tears starting to burn her eyes. "I can't believe you all did this for me..." she whispered as the wind blew through her hair.
"Sango was still carrying the twins in her womb at that time, you know. We tried to hold her back and make her rest, but she kept insisting on finishing the field. Even I was worried for her safety, considering her being as strong as she is." Inuyasha shook his head in awe.
"I have to thank her in the morning." Kagome smiled as she dried the escaped tear from her cheek. "And thank you, Inuyasha. For showing this to me" He glanced over at her and smiled.
She closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. The cool air filling her lungs. "I... I heard this voice inside my head" she spoke as her eyes fell back on glowing flowers. She felt him shift beside her "Voice? On the night of the attack?" his voice held something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but she slightly nodded before she spoke once more.
"I still haven't told anyone about it. I thought I might have been imagining it all, besides there is more important things to be concerned about." she paused slightly as she glanced over at him. His face was hard to read in the dark. She simply smiled before her eyes lifted to the sky above them. "A voice as clear as my own thoughts. I know this sounds strange but I think... I believe it was the bow trying to communicate with me. It has already proved to not be an ordinary bow anyways" she shook her head as she brought her hand tiredly up to her face. She started pressing her throbbing temple as her mind drifted off to that night.
'Shot!' the voice still echoed inside her head. Over and over. She pressed harder as the throbbing increased in strength, growing more and more painful each passing second. She felt her eyes start to close. 'Who... are you?' the throbbing still increasing.
Every time she had tried to focus on the voice alone, this summing kept building up until she had no other choice to let it slip. She had tried over and over since she entered her small hut for the night. She still hadn't progressed.
Suddenly she felt her hand being pulled to the side, as warm hands cupped her cheeks. She opened her eyes and a pair of glowing golden spheres met her own. Inuyasha was now blocking the view as he had stepped in front of her. "Are you in pain?" his voice were barely a whisper as his thumbs stroked her cheeks. That's when she noticed the coldness in her face. She brought her own hand up to it, the tips of her fingers coming in contact with the moistness. She removed her hand and stared down at it, her fingers glittering in the moonlight "What?"
'Why am I crying? And why didn't I notice before now?' She suddenly remembered Inuyasha and quickly started to brush them away as she put on a smile. "What has come over me? Maybe I'm more tired than I thought." she tried to laugh it off, but she could still feel his eyes on her. "It's nothing, Inuyasha. I'm fine. Sorry for spoiling the mood" she smiled up at him.
"You sure about that? You're not the kind of person who would just cry for nothing, Kagome." he huskily spoke, his eyes growing more concerned. "Don't worry about it. It just a slight headache. I guess my body still hasn't regained its former strength." she assured him once more and lightly stroked his hand. "Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine now"
He stared intensely at her for a few more seconds before slightly nodding and let his hands fall only to linger on her shoulders. Was it just her or did his face feel closer all of the sudden?
"Kagome? Inuyasha? Is that you?" A voice from behind them pulled her out of her trance as she turned her head in the direction of it. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the figure down below. "Ayame? What are you doing out here so late?" she called down to her. She heard Inuyasha mumble something under his breath as he removed his hands, but it drowned beneath Ayame's reply "I was about to ask the same. Me and Kouga were just out to catch some night snacks" she grinned widely as she lifted a pair of rabbits above her head. Kagome simply smiled down at her before noticing the darker figure heading towards them.
Kouga soon joined in beside Ayame as his own eyes traveled up to the hill where the pair of them stood. "Good evening Kagome. You're as beautiful as ever"
"Hello, Kouga. You find the forest appropriate for your hunting?" Kagome laughed as she moved slightly closer to Inuyasha, her hand traveled over to his sleeve, making sure the pair below them didn't notice. She felt him shift beneath her touch and for a second she could have sworn he had stared her down.
"Of course, Kagome. This forest really swarms of life. It's been a long time since we have seen as much rabbits in one place" He grinned up at her as he placed his hands proudly into his sides. She spotted the four grate rabbits hanging from his belt. She couldn't help but laugh. "Glad to see that you thrive in this area. Just feel like you're home, and if you need anything just ask, ok?"
"Don't worry, Kagome. He always loose his reason when he hunts. I'll try to keep him in check so that he don't take down the whole forest with him!" Ayame called back up at her, earning a puppy growl from Kouga. "I don't lose control! I'm just exited!"
Everyone started laughing, including Inuyasha which shocked Kagome slightly, but even Inuyasha enjoyed a good laughter when he felt like it. "You heading back to the village then?" Kagome asked.
"Nah, we find it easier to sleep in the forest were we belong, but we will see you guys in the morning." Kouga called back up to them and Kagome nodded slightly. "If you say so, but you are always welcome if you change your mind"
"We really appreciate that, Kagome. Talk with you in the morning then" Ayame smiled before they both headed back towards the forest.
Kagome lightly shook her head as she laughed sincerely, her eyes traveling back to Inuyasha. "They really are something, aren't they?"
Inuyasha laughed slightly as he too shook his head. "That's one way to describe them." He shifted slightly as he pointed in the direction of the village. "You want to head back then? The sun will set in a few hours. You might want to get some sleep before the day starts"
She had been so lost in the now that the thought of returning never crossed her mind. She tiredly sighed as she stretched her arms high above her head. "I guess you right. It's a shame though. This view is to die for" Inuyasha laughed slightly at this. "I know how you feel. The day is always calling. I'm just glad it's different now" he smiled slightly as his eyes fell to the slight horizon before them, the first signs of the sun starting to show over the mountains.
"Different? How so?" she asked as she followed his eyes to the red horizon. She felt his hand wrap around hers as it tightened slightly. "You are here now" he spoke as he smiled over at her. She smiled back up at him and nodded, her eyes glistening in the light of the sun.
"Well then, lets head back. I have a feeling Sango will kill me for taking your precious sleep away" He said as he let go of her hand, only to guide his own underneath her knees, the other grabbing her shoulder as he swept her of the ground and into his arms. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Kagome laughed as she brought her hands around his neck for support. "Hold on tight. This will tickle a bit" He grinned down at her before leaping out off the cliff.
The wind blew her hair wildly upwards as she tightened her grip around his neck, laughter slipping past her lips. He gracefully landed on the ground below, but her laughter still lingered in the air. "I'll never get used to that feeling! I don't get how you manage to do that all the time" she dried her tears as she tried to silence her laughter. "Well, I'm not like you, remember. Besides it's a part of me so it comes as easy as breathing" he smiled gently down at her.
Her smile faded slightly as her hand traveled up to his face, lightly brushing his hair to the side to reveille the scar on his forehead. "You never told me how you got this scar." she mumbled as her fingers traced the uneven line without directly touching it.
She felt him stiffen slightly beneath her touch, but soon relaxed his shoulders. "To be frank, I don't remember..." he whispered as he gently put her down. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked at him questioningly. He stared down at her a long moment before he took a deep breath, as if to prepare himself for what was to come.
"I was walking through the village one day when I suddenly heard... screams in the direction of the bone eaters well. I quickly ran to check it out but no matter where I searched I couldn't find... the person screaming." he closed his eyes at the remembrance as a pained expression found its way to his face.
"I only remember a blackout, and when I came too, Tessaiga laid loosely beside me. I felt this stiffness in my face and discovered the solidified blood. As I tried to sit up a great pain shoot through my head." he paused as he clenched his jaw.
Kagome's eyes widened "So you mean... You were attacked?" she asked as worry crept up on her. "I don't know, really... I told Miroku about it, and he was just as surprised as I was" Inuyasha spoke his eyes still closed.
"When did this happen?" Kagome asked, her eyes glued on his face. "About three mounts ago, I think" his voice trailed off as he was lost in thoughts. A silence fell upon them before Kagome dared to speak again."But Inuyasha, how come you got a scar? You don't usually get them, do you?"
He didn't answer at first so she thought that he maybe hadn't heard her. As she was about to ask again, Inuyasha spoke. "I asked myself the same question over and over, but I still can't come up with a solution... It's so stupid really... How could I let something like that happen to me so easily?" he mumbled under his breath as his hand traveled to his face, covering it with the hand.
She stared at him for a moment, sadness filling her eyes. She couldn't possible begin to imagine how he was feeling. Pride had always been a great part of him and how he was, even though that had changed as they traveled together in the past. This was something that had marked him for life, and he didn't remember how it happened.
"Could it be... that you were set up in some way, Inuyasha?" Kagome carefully asked as she laid a comforting hand above his. She felt him stiffen underneath her once more and looked up from within his hand. "You said you heard a scream, but you couldn't find the owner right? Isn't that a bit strange? You should have been able to smell that person, right?" he let down his hand only to wrap around hers and bring it down with his.
"You..." he whispered, his now saddened eyes held hers firmly. "What?" she asked and felt his grip around her hand tighten. "It was you. The voice... That terrible scream... It was you" his voice cracked in the end as she felt her body being pulled against him. The usual warm and strong arms were shaking against her body as they wrapped around her tightly.
Her eyes widened as it all came sinking in on her. He had been set up to believe she was in danger, to drag him out from the village. Why she still was uncertain of, but could it have anything to do with the attack three days ago? Was they connected in any way?
She let her arms wrap around his waist as her hands found their way to his back, tucking into his haori. "Inuyasha, nothing happened to me. I'm here now, am I not?" she whispered as she hugged him tighter. His head buried itself into her shoulder, his silver hair tickling her face slightly. "Inuyasha, listen to me" she tried as she gave an attempt to look at his face, but he only dug his head further into her hair, no signs of wanting to let her go.
She felt so lost. How was she supposed to make him listen to her? She tilted her head slightly sideward, his silver ear coming into view. She found no other solution so she blew into it. The reaction was immediate as his head shoot up, one of his hands letting go of her as it flew up to cover his ear. Not anybody would have noticed, but Kagome did. They barely lingered on his lashes for a faint second before he quickly blinked them away. "What did you do th-!"
She had done the first thing that came to her mind. Her hands had went up to his face as she tiptoed, his face closing in before the darkness. Her lips planted on his.
Omg, I can't believe I ended it here! Sorry guys, but I have to leave some for the next chapter too.
Trust me I really wanted to continue this, but I just can't in this chapter! XD
I wanted to put a bit more focus on Inuyasha and Kagome in this chapter, like you most likely noticed. I hope you liked it. I'm sorry if you find something hard to understand. I'm quite tired at the moment, so I might have written something that doesn't make sense! XD
I don't know when I'll be able to publish the next chapter since the main project in school starts from tomorrow on, and I won't be done with it before somewhere in May. Hopefully I'll be able to publish before that, but I don't know. See you next time! :D
