—Realizing Love—
--Chapter 9: Vote for Shitake!--
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"My boy . . . Come to me my boy . . ."
His eyes flickered open as he moved his hands to his eye rubbing the grit from the corners. He sat up slowly tucking his legs underneath him. He blinked opening his eyes to a green surrounding. "What the—"
Pine scent filled his nostrils; fresh wind blew through his strands of silver hair. He stared above him, the circle of trees looming over him surrounding him. "Where the hell am I?"
"My sweet child, come to me, my love . . ."
"Who is that?" he thought, pausing to listen to the melodic voice that echoed from around him, drawn by its soothing nature.
". . . My wonderful child"
He stepped down from the lumpy bed, leaving the sheets behind him and allowing his plaid pyjama's to fall to his ankles. Slowly, he stepped forward naturally on quivering feet feeling the light grass that matted the cool earth that chilled the souls of his feet. "I can . . .?"
He took another trembling step forward, followed by another and another, then feeling a sudden surge of excitement explode from somewhere deep inside him, he moved quicker taking longer and firmer strides. He took off through the forest, pushing aside stray branches that crossed his path, and jumped over every log and stone that appeared before him pumping his feet to move faster.
"I can walk!" he laughed with excitement, his mind racing with thousands of thoughts.
Sweat formed along his brow, under arms and around the ring of his collar, dribbling down the nape of his neck, and the front of his T-shirt. He panted, gulping mouthfuls of air, his chest rising and falling with each breath.
"My boy . . ."
He paused placing both hands on his knees, hearing the voice from somewhere around him. He jogged forward seeing light cutting through the trees as he continued straight on.
He broke free from the forest outline coming to a large river bank, blue crystal water licking at the sandy bank. "Water . . ." He moved stealthily to the water bank, dropping to his knees thirstily. Cupping both hands in front of him, he brought the cool, silky water to his lips drinking it down in measured sips.
" Come to me . . ."
"What is that?" he wondered sucking in a large mouthful of cool crisp morning air.
"My child . . ." the voice whispered to his left. He sat still on his knees, turning and staring directly into the hazel eyes of a tall woman with dark black hair and pink lips that directed a gentle calm smile his way.
He stood onto his toes, slowly and wearily; his eyes glaring into hers with an unfamiliar hatred. "Who are you?" he demanded, setting his feet shoulder width apart preparing himself for whatever was too come.
"My boy . . ." Standing at shoulder length she glided towards him suddenly as she wrapped her arms innocently around his neck leaning her head on his chest as she embraced him. "My InuYasha . . ."
He stared ahead stunned and wide-eyed, disbelieving what he saw, what he heard. "M-mother?" he whispered.
"My boy . . . my boy . . . I'm here . . ." she cooed running her fingers over his back. "My sweet, sweet son; I love you."
"Mother!" He wrapped his arms around her petite form crushing her pink kimono against his musty pyjamas; he gripped her tight, a lump thickening in his throat as he desperately tried not to cry.
"I missed you, my child." She pulled away slowly, lingering to look into his amber eyes happily. She stroked his cheek feeling his soft skin with her long fingers. "My . . . you look so much like him."
"Like who?" He released his arms from around her, taking her hand in his contentedly as she led him along the river bank.
"Your father," she replied simply, pulling him to keep up with her small slow steps.
He growled, stopping short and removing his hand from hers. "I look nothing like that bastard."
"Why so rash?" she swooned. She bent at the knees, clutching at his fingers she grabbed at his sides to pluck a honeysuckle from the ground.
"He left . . . he left me here alone," he replied turning his head away in shame as she tucked the purple flower behind her ear tossing her raven hair behind her shoulder.
She drew him back to her with a single finger, staring at him with a look he never seen before in anyone. "Everyone leaves my boy. I needed him here."
He was a small child again, shaking and pulling his mother's arm for attention, demanding eagerly. "He's here? Will I see him?"
"No . . . my boy, not yet . . ." She looked to the clear, blue sky, frowning momentarily, recalling. "You've been given the diary." She stated more as a question.
"How'd you know?" he quizzed confused, looking at her with puzzled eyes filled with wonder.
"Mother's know all." She replied with a smile, reaching and stroking his firm jaw.
"Fool." He cringed shaking the thought from his mind. "Kaede gave it to me."
She smiled, returning her gaze to the sky. "Kaede, I miss the old woman, such a company she was. And that niece of hers from her remarried father . . . Kikyo, sweet girl."
He turned his gaze downwards, his fists clenching at his sides, tears prickling the back of his eyelids. "Damn fool . . ."
"Such thoughts, my child . . ." She reached her hand forward stroking her fingers against his knuckles rubbing them against her cheek. "You mustn't think such thoughts, dear child. You are smart. People are here to help you, to guide you through out your life. You are still a child; you have much to learn of the world. You have friends to teach you."
"Kagome . . ." he looked at her, "She knows . . .?"
"You will love . . . you will laugh and cry many times in your life. It doesn't make you any different, InuYasha. You are you my love. You will always be you." She smiled bringing her hands to his face; cupping is cheeks and wiping her thumbs beneath his tired eyes. She gazed the sky, dropping her hands to her face crease forming across her brow. "My time has come sooner than I expected."
She turned, humming with the skylark that sat high in the bows of the tree, moving to its wide trunk placing her hand on the knot at the center.
"What does that mean?" He turned to look at her, moving to keep up fear gripping at his throat. "Mother . . .?"
"My time to leave you now," she smiled sadly turning to face the sun.
"No you just got here!" He shouted, taking her hand in his.
She smiled patting his cheek with her free hand. "It's time my dear . . . we will see each other again . . . promise . . ." her voice trailed off, as she closed her eyes allowing the wind to pick at her hair and dance in its silent music.
The ground quaked giving out beneath his weight sucking his feet, followed by his ankles into the murky earth. "Mother!" He moved to catch her flaying hand missing her by inches.
"Remember my son . . . many will come and many will go, but only one will stay and be true too you," her voice was drowned out as darkness overlapped him, the earth swallowing him dragging with under.
"What does that mean?!" he shouted, trying desperately to move towards her; her face disappearing into the darkness.
"Goodbye my son." Her voice carried out to him, drifting somewhere from inside the darkness. His fingers slipped as the world swallowed him whole. His ears rang, echoing and chanting her words, his eyes tracing her delicate and angelic face as darkness over came him. Soon there was nothing.
He sat there, listening hearing nothing but the beat of his own heart.
"Is he okay?"
"Who is that?" he wondered, trying to look to his left, his body feeling heavy as gravity denied his actions. He pictured the raven black hair and the soft complexion. "That voice . . .!"
"He'll be fine"
He envisioned the purple eyes and the fiery hair, her stubborn attitude and intelligent mind. "Ayamé . . .! Dr. Ayamé!" he yelled, his voice lost in the shadows he was surrounded by.
"I hope so . . ."
Her chocolate brown eyes and tender smile looked up at him from over her bare shoulder. He gulped at the thin air, his heart missing a beat. Her smooth walk and exotic features, he could see her stare at him as the shadows lifted placing him on a hilltop a starry night overhead.
She turned fully, walking in his direction. "InuYasha . . ." she whispered, drawing him to her like a poison.
She leaned onto him, staring at him with blank empty eyes, her fingers entangling themselves into his silver hair after stroking his warm cheek as his hands moved automatically to her hips moving her closer, pushing her into his chest. He parted his lips to breathe, her lips closer to his then ever. "Kikyo . . . you came back . . ." he breathed, closing her eyes breathing in her luscious wildflower scent.
Her lips pressed against his softly at first a moan slipping between her lips. His eyes widened at the realization, he stood paralyzed unable to move, his arms flat against the white sheets on the lumpy mattress. His eyes fluttered close as she deepened the kiss, her fingers tightening in his hair. He could feel moan erupt inside his chest, masking it quickly with some effort. Slowly she pulled away, her hair tumbling around his sides as she moved to whisper in his ear.
"InuYasha . . . I love you."
Fully awakened; he felt her presence leave the bed as she stood and moved across the room, he turned his head, opening his eyes to see her drop into the lumpy orange chair that was across from the bed.
"Kagome . . ." he hid his smile, darkness draping over his eyes as he tumbled into another exhausted slumber.
"My boy . . . my little boy . . ."
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"Here, I thought I asked Kaede to gather you some clothes just in case you needed some." She handed him the plastic bag Kaede had given her, dropping it into his lap.
"Thanks . . ." he stretched tossing the bag onto the floor next to the bed and turned to face her.
"Oh and um here," she handed him a little parcel watching him open it slowly. "I thought you'd like something to write in. It's the only one I couldn't find that wasn't to girly," she explained as he admired the velvet front of the diary.
He smiled, looking at her over the parallel lined pages. "It's excellent, thanks."
She shrugged, "No problem."
He placed it onto the table. "What have you being doing while I've been sleeping?" he rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms behind his head, dark circles having formed around his eyes.
"Just working on the booklet I'm supposed to do for history." She showed him the cover then looked at it herself, placing it back onto her crossed legs.
"Need any help?"
"If you don't mind," she scooted the chair closer to the bed, turning in a way for him to peer over her shoulder. "It says, name one of your favourite legends during the time of the Sengoku-Jidai and summarise it on the lines below."
He smiled, "The Legend of the Shikon no Tama."
"The legend of the Sacred Jewel . . ." she echoed with a frown, cocking her head and straightening her back against the orange cushion trying to recall. "Oh that's the one with the half demon and the priestess, isn't it?"
He nodded with a smile, "Yep."
"Only they never really said their names, did they?"
He shook, his head, opening his mouth to answer, "They were lost as the legend moved on."
She nodded, scribbling notes on the few lines provided, then closing her textbook and storing it away in her knapsack.
He turned his head away giving her her privacy catching sight of his booklet in the corner of his eye. "Kagome . . .?"
"Yeah?" She looked up at him, her chocolate brown eyes blinking at him innocently her hands fiddling over some loose papers.
"Do you remember anything of the half demon in that legend . . .?" he turned to face her, his eyes still on the booklet.
"All I remember is that both of his parents died and that he had become an outcast to both the human and the demon race until he met the priestess who watched over the sacred jewel,"
"You have my story right? Pass it to me," he held out his hand not waiting for a reply. Feeling the weight of the booklet in his arms, he flipped the pages scanning each word. "That's it!"
"What is?" she moved to sit on her knees looking into the booklet he scanned. "I have an idea only" his eyes dropped to her booklet.
She frowned questioning his gaze towards her studies, dawning on her. She dropped the notebook she had given him into his lap. "Go ahead; I'll be okay on my own for now."
He smiled apologetically opening the cover to the first page, burying his nose into the book after grabbing a pen from the nightstand scratching with fluent movements of his wrist onto the paper.
She nestled back into the chair, her knees pressed close against her chest as she held the pencil against the paper, writing in her practiced cursive with her right hand.
She peeked up at him as he extended his arm, shaking into the air, relaxing his hand back into place. She smiled, returning to her studies.
"Kagome?"
Moments had passed between them in a tender silence, after hearing her name. She glanced upwards as she sat up tucking her aching legs onto the floor. "Yeah?"
He looked at her, licking his dry lips with his small pink tongue. "Will you get me a glass of water?"
She smiled, nodding as she stood, stretching. "Not a problem." She walked out of the room slowly, looking down the hall.
He sighed watching her leave before returning to his book. He had only a few minutes, he closed his eyes leaning his head against the pillows that propped him up.
"What are you doing?" He looked at her with large eyes watching her turn towards him in her radiant beauty.
"I don't know why you keep writing in this thing," she gestured with the book, waving it in the air, "all it is is junk." She tossed the book onto his bed, moving skilfully beside him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, shimmying closer
He pulled her arms done from his neck, confused. "Kikyo, you're not supposed to look at that." He stared at her crossly standing straighter against the door frame.
She shrugged carelessly tossing a look at her fingers refusing to meet his eyes. "Its fine InuYasha I just wanted to see what you wrote about."
"But—"
He sighed again crossing his hands over his chest. Blue eyes erupted from the cloudiness of his mind surrounded by the darkly tanned face and rasp of black hair that tufted his bald, aging head. He pictured the classroom vaguely smelling of perfume and cologne from fellow classmates, freshly printed paper and dusty with remnants of chalk.
"Although it was tragic, I personally enjoyed the part where the mother died," Mr. Jinenji said solemnly, yet deeply enthused. "It was written exactly how I asked, with the compassion and feeling; almost as if the child and the mother were real. To have your reader in the position of being a character in the story Mr. Izayoi is a tremendous talent which is sought my most writers, yet never successfully done by many. You put me in the position of that child, Mr. Izayoi. How his life turned after his mother's death and how he was alone for the rest of his childhood knowing nothing of his father yet knowing he passed away when he was only a babe." he summarized his story with compassion with his own, his eyes brimming with an enthusiasm not once tearing away from his own amber hued eyes. "It wonders me how you came up with such an idea as exciting as this one?"
"I . . . uhh . . . don't know . . . it just came to me I guess," InuYasha lied, his eyes glancing to the sides. "Yes you do . . ."
"Well however you came up with such an idea I ask you to do so again, you are very talented at this and I encourage you to keep on writing," Mr. Jinenji recommended, shifting a pile of papers to the side of his desk.
"Yes Mr. Jinenji . . ." InuYasha replied then glanced at the clock. It read ten after three. "I'm already ten minutes late." " . . . Is that all, Mr. Jinenji? Because I have too-"
"Hold on, Mr. Izayoi, I have one more question. Have you given any thought to what we discussed before?" Mr. Jinenji asked his hands held together, kneading each other as he gazed at him.
He rotated his shoulders backwards and forth, feeling the sudden stiffness he had felt before. "Damn old teacher . . ." He glared at the ceiling, he turned his head peeking at the door looking for any signs of people close by. He pulled out his mother's diary pulling out a crumbled brochure into his hands from between the pages.
"Mr. Jinenji—I—"
"You've done it again dear boy, you've done it again. Another 'A'," He slapped the sheet of paper onto the desktop flatly, startling him. "Where does it come from my boy?" He stated, questioning him with intrigued blue eyes. He sat plopped himself into the desk in front of his straddling the chair to face him. "InuYasha, I have taught you for three full years. Now entering my grade twelve class, you surprise again with another exhilarating story I assigned for you to accomplish during the summer!"
He hopped up from the seat with a broad smile displaying his coffee stained teeth. "My boy, the ideas and the feeling you put into each word flows with every sentence you write." He shook his hands to emphasize. "You literally grab the reader in the mix of feelings and emotion and physically force them to continue reading with a feeble heart full of sorrow."
He stared at the teacher who danced with excitement wandering across the empty classroom, containing only him and the teacher, wondering curiously if the teacher had gone quite mad. "I–"
"Now now I'll get right to the point." He sat down once more straddling the chair, tossing the rasps of hair into his stylish comb over, his steel blue eyes taking on a serious demeanour. "You're in grade twelve," he began gripping his hands together in front of him, "a new year with less than a semester now until you move on to further your schooling for a prominent carrier that will set you for life, correct?"
He nodded his head wisps of silver hair tumbling over his shoulder continuously allowing him to continue curiously. "Yes sir."
"Good." He straightened his back standing once more moving to his desk with three long strides. "Then I have a proposal." He grabbed a folder, tossing onto his desk. "Open it."
Slowly with tingling fingers, he questioned himself if opening the folder would be good idea. "It wouldn't hurt to look . . ." He flipped the folder open met with a brochure of a tall cathedral-like school, coloured windows and a long filed of grass with many trees surrounding its structure. "What is it?"
"Mishawaka Amoco, commonly known as Amoco's School of Writing." He replied, sitting in the desk next close to his.
"No!" he marvelled opening the brochure scanning the many paragraphs contained inside in small computer typed writing.
"I am a good friends' with the principle located at Amoco's. We meet every Sunday to discuss current events and stories and such . . ." he waved his comments on. "Amazing school, I went there myself. Teachers, courses the history of past novelist that attended that school." He babbled dreamily closing his eyes in recognition. "The point: I want you to go."
He stared, eyes widening at the thought. "No." He recovered quickly stammering. "I can't . . .!"
"And why not?" Mr. Jinenji boomed loudly. "This is a school, for students with a passion to write and deserve a carrier that was set for them. The skills and the courses and studies you will learn from the teachers previously novelists' themselves who are there to educate you!"
"I—Mr. Jinenji—I . . . I can't . . ." He shook his head slowly closing the folder with a slight hesitation, glancing once more at the marvellous school. He turned his head away and shut it firmly standing to leave. "I have to go."
"Mr. Izayoi . . ." He watched him leave the happiness and excitement abandoning his eyes.
"Sorry Mr. Jinenji . . . it's not my thing," He lied standing to leave.
"At least think of it." He handed him the folder with heavy eyes, not saying a word more.
"I will," he promised accepting the folder and walking quickly out of the classroom.
He closed his eyes after awakening from the trance. He looked down at the book spotted with words line after line. He smiled in the dim light, looking out of the window in vain, never succeeding much like any other time. "I'm sorry Kagome."
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"Okay . . . I'm back," Kagome called as she entered through the wide door, holding the cold glass of water in both hands as she walked slowly towards him in measured steps. "InuYasha . . .?" She looked up to peer at him through her long black bangs as she set the glass down on the nightstand next to his bed.
He head lolled to the side sleepily as his soft snores echoed within the silent room. His bangs snuck onto his face hiding his tenderly closed eyes from view.
She smiled delicately stroking the frame of his face and cheek with her hand, noticing the notebook she had given him still held loosely in his hands.
She slipped the pad from his fingers curiously, cautious not to wake him; holding it to light she scanned the front page, reading the first two lines. "Yet to be titled . . ." she muttered to herself while flipping the front paper. She examined the writing style, drawn by the placement of the words sitting slowly back onto the lumpy chair.
"You like it?"
She jumped with a gasp staring at him fearfully her hands over her heart. "InuYasha . . .! I'm not snooping I just saw it in your hands—" she babbled, her heart pounding in her ears and her ribcage.
"Its fine," he interrupted, "Do you like it?" he demanded again, looking at her with big amber eyes.
"I didn't read anything yet, sorry, I just got back," she pardoned herself, handing him back the pad of lined paper. "I brought your water . . . !" she turned, handing him the tall glass the cubes of ice clinking against the sides.
He accepted the glass wrapping his lips around the white plastic straw and sucking its cool contents down his throat. "Thanks," he muttered handing her back the glass as she stood to leave.
"I'll see you tomorrow okay? I got to get home and make supper for myself and my friend," she explained hoisting her back onto her shoulders after setting the glass back in its place.
He smiled sadly inwardly, the feeling of lost seeping through him. "Sure," he shrugged carelessly forcing a smile, "thanks for coming."
"Not a problem, see you later!" she waved her hand back and forth as she walked out the door, a smile on her pretty lips.
She heard him shout "bye" after her as she glided down the plain hallway, passing the receptionist desk as she did so. "Bye Dr. Ryoumi!"
"Bye—"
"Ow damn it!" a familiar shout echoed from the hall, startling many nurses and patients who gazed down the hallway in curiosity from where she has come from.
"InuYasha!" Kagome shouted rushing back the direction she had come from. She forced herself through the door seeing InuYasha bellow in pain, clutching his left leg. "InuYasha, what's wrong?" she reached his side dropping the bag to the floor.
"Fuck!" he growled with a vicious snarl. "Something's in my leg!"
She moved to the end of the bed pulling back the sheets like she had seen the nurses do many times since she's arrived.
The words "Vote for Shitake!" stared at her surprising her. "My pin!" she exclaimed, subconsciously reaching for where she had originally placed it on her right side.
"What's going on?" Dr. Ayamé demanded, entering the room with long, thundering strides—followed by Dr. Ryoumi—and moved Kagome aside. She peered at his foot surgically examining it at many angles. "Dr. Ryoumi, come have a look at this." She stepped aside letting her take a quick look to access the situation. "What do you think?"
"It's pretty far in, I'd say," she analysed taking a step back resuming back into her place. "But he felt it for one; it doesn't look to have gone in far enough to hit the heel by all means."
She nodded in agreement landing her violet eyes on Kagome. "This yours Kagome?" she looked up, her soft face searching her eyes.
"Yes. I got it today. It must off fell off," she answered quickly looking periodically at InuYasha ashamed.
"Good," she replied nodding with a smile satisfaction. "InuYasha it's going to come out just as easily as it went in and maybe even hurt the same." She gripped his soul in her hands holding the larger part of the pin in her right hand.
"That's real comforting," he growled squeezing the mattress close to his hips, snarling in pain.
Ignoring his seething whispers, she jerked the pin in one smooth movement from the bottom of his foot, looking up as he exhaled with a hiss shaking his head vigorously as he did so.
"On a scale of one to five, five being a lot, how much did it hurt really?"
He blushed under the six set of eyes staring at him waiting for a response. "Four," he mumbled his blush reddening into a crimson.
"His recovery stage has taken half the time as assumed," Dr. Ryoumi whispered softly to Dr. Ayamé. "Should we run some tests?"
"Get some nurses and we'll do a full set of X-Rays done tonight," she ordered turning to look at InuYasha. "Seems your recovery has taken less time to heal as first predicted . . . it is possible you still might be able to walk."
"Really? InuYasha that's so great!" She hopped up and down on the spot clapping excitedly, jumping onto the bed and hugging InuYasha tightly across the shoulders.
He laughed hugging her close looking at her smile in return. "When do we go for testing?"
"Now." She replied, moving to dislocate the bars that clung to sides of the bed and setting them up to fence around him. "I'll be right back."
"Kagome?" He looked at her quickly smiling slightly. "Stay please?" He extended his hand to her, a look of need and security washing across his eyes momentarily.
"She'd understand." She assured herself. Smiling at him sweetly, she held his fingers in hers. "I'll be right here."
He smiled, wanting to say more to her as the doctors drove him from the room and away from her.
She followed them, turning the opposite way to the reception desk. "May I use the phone?" she pointed to black telephone next to her, as the doctor chatted mechanically into a phone behind the pearly wooden coloured desk. She nodded, not bothering to look up at Kagome, waving manicured hand in the air.
She pushed the tiny squares dialling home nervously, a tone buzzed in her ear as she leaned against the desk twirling the cord in her fingers. The answering machine cackled in her ear followed by a loud buzz sounded on the other side of the phone. "Hey Sango, it's me. I'm not coming home until late; InuYasha is having X-rays and asked me to stay for a while longer. Don't know how long it'll be, talk to you later. Bye." She dropped the phone onto the receiver, nodding to the desk clerk and walking back into the room.
She yawned stretching slightly as she sat back onto the lumpy chair. She sighed tiredly; blinking as she tried to keep her head still a light breeze of cool air nipped at her toes as she hugged her body close to stay warm. Her eyes closed slowly as sleep urged her to drift into a silent slumber. "InuYasha . . ."
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A/N: There it's finished, Chapter 9: Vote for Shitake! Yay! Oaky so I decided to change the name, shoot me. Next, Chapter ten: Wildfire! This one's for sure.
I'd like to thank:
Flaming-ninjas00
Catlover260; and,
Kasumi-kagome
For their wonderful reviews and your constructive criticism, I will definitely take it into consideration when I go to re-read it completely. I dedicate this chapter to you and all the faithful readers that continue to read Realizing Love!
And sadly, I add my final note:
I do not own any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated in it. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi; however, I do offer my thanks for making characters for people like me and other Fan-Fiction writers for us to 'play' with.
Soulless Lover,