The Darkness in Kagome's Heart

Chapter 9: Secret Told

Kagome's eyes fluttered open the following day. As her vision focused, she found herself lying in her bed as the sun's rays flitted softly through the window. Feeling pressure by her knees, she glanced up to see Inuyasha staring out the window. The young woman blinked, not sure if she could belive it was him, remembering shooting the fatal arrow towards his chest.

"Inu ... yasha?" she asked in disbelief. His ears twitched at the sound of her voice. He jumped to her side, careful not to hurt her. Kagome felt weak, as if she had been a victim of a violent accident. She had no strength to move her limbs and was barely able to form words.

Her beloved looked into her eyes, his face drawn in concern. "Kagome ... are you alright?" he asked, cupping her face with his hand.

"I'm fine ..." she replied, wincing from the pain. Her eyes flashed with fear as she glanced around for the Sacred Jewel fragment. "The jewel ..." He dug around in his kimono, pulling out the desired object. No longer did darkness dwell in the pink sphere. Only purity shined from within.

Kagome smiled, but confusion dwindled on her features. "When you destroyed Naraku, the jewel became pure again. It could sense your pure heart after to became unconscious." Inuyasha explained the happening after she had blacked out. Things had been quiet around the house as everyone continued their daily activities, aware of Kagome's condition. The half-demon hadn't left her side, however.

He helped her as she struggled into a sitting position. "But how ... how are you alive. My arrow struck your heart. It should have ..." Her sentence trailed off, unable to speak the next words.

"Feh, if you think one measly arrow could kill me, you've got another thing comming." She smiled at his stubborn attitude. "When the jewel purified, the arrow purified as well. It healed the wound and disappeared."

Just then, the door opened slowly as Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi poked their heads into the room. They glanced over at the couple. "Oh good! You're awake!" Yuka exclaimed as she shuffled over to Kagome's bed.

Ayumi followed after her. "I told you I heard voices," she whispered to Eri.

Kagome's eyes widened with fear, realizing Inuyasha's ears were exposed. His eyes flashed with concern at her facial expression. "What's the matter, Kagome?"

She shakily pointed at the half-demon's head. His ears twitched at the attention and he smirked. Her eyes flared with anger. Their secret had been revealed and he was smiling?

The three girls sat on her bed, surrounding her, as Inuyasha retreated to the window.

"Don't worry," Yuka said with a wave of her hand. "We know all about it."

"Uh ... all about what?" Kagome asked, swallowing hard. A sheepish grin blessed her lips. Do they mean Inuyasha?

Eri shook her head, giggling at the young priestess's reaction. "Your mom told us everything. Man, I had a headache after that story." The girls exchanged knowing glances, recalling the conversation they had with Kagome's mother; finding out about the feudal ear, Kagome being a priestess, and all about the well. It was definitly a lot to swallow, but somehow they managed. "One thing she couldn't tell us, is why you kept something like that from us."

An image came to the injured woman's mind, remembering her friends hunched over Inuyasha's body after he had been struck with her arrow. Oh yeah ... that's right, they were there. She seemed lost in thought as her friends gazed upon her, waiting for a response.

When it didn't seem as though she would answer, Ayumi took it into her own hands. "Hello? Earth to Kagome! Are you in there?" The young priestess was snapped back to reality.

"Well ... I guess I thought you wouldn't believe me. I didn't believe it myself at first." The trio exchanged knowing looks.

"So this is why you're never at school?" Yuka interrogated. Kagome studied her hands as they lay in her lap.

"Yeah ... that's why I always looked perfectly normal when I did come to school." She brought her eyes to glance at her friends' expressions.

"Wait until Hojo hears about this!" Eri chuckled.

"No! You can't tell him!" Kagome blurted out, startling them. "I mean ... I didn't tell you guys, why do you think I would let Hojo know? He'll never understand. Besides, I don't even like him." Her eyes stole a fleeting glance at the half-demon sitting atop her window sill.

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi exchanged a glance. They looked over at Inuyasha before abruptly huddling around their friend. "So, who's the girl Inuyasha always leaves you for?" they whispered, eagerly waiting for a response. Kagome's face became alarmed. Her hands flew up and tried to cover their mouths.

"Shh!" the young priestess hushed them. She pointed to her head, reminding them of Inuyasha's sensitive ears. They studied her a moment before recognition dawned on each of their faces. The students giggled, moving away from the close proximity to their friend. Kagome blushed, refusing to look at her star crossed lover.

The trio left her bed. "Well, Kagome. It was nice catching up, but you need to rest," Yuka said in a motherly tone as they began to walk out the door.

"Hope you feel better soon!" Eri added with a smile.

"See you in school Kagome!" Ayumi's voice trailed behind as her figure disappeared from view.

Inuyasha shot Kagome a questioning glance. "What was that about?" he asked as their gazes finally met.

"Nothing!" the young woman responded a little too quickly. "Nothing at all!"

He studied her, suspicion flashing in his amber orbs. "Get some rest, Kagome," he grunted, laying the matter to rest. She nodded her head and slipped under the covers once more. The last picture she saw in her mind before she fell asleep was Inuyasha sitting on the edge of her window. His gaze set out towards the setting sun, his eyes sparlking with the last rays of sunlight. Thank you, Inuyasha ...


You don't know how sorry I am for making you wait SO long! I planned to update ages ago, but I got sidetracked with the holidays. Christmas takes a lot out of you. lol. I wanted to update sooner, but I wanted to rewrite the previous chapter before I posted this one up. Don't ask me why, I think I'm OCD with it or something. Anyways, I hope you liked it and I'll post up the epilogue in a few days. Promise! Please review!

Yeah, I know, a short chapter. But it pretty much ends the story. I'll post up the epilogue in a few days, so you won't have to wait too long for it. Sorry I made you wait so long and I hope you liked it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!