***A/n : Thanks for the old reviewers and new reviewers! These last few days haven't been too interesting...Enjoy! :P
*Disclaimer : I am the owner of...a growling stomach that won't shut the hell up in social studies class while I'm taking a quiz. And a fic that happened to originate in Kagome's social studies class. Huh. Anyways, I don't own Inuyasha.
One Day in Social Studies Class...
Chapter 10 : Thoughts of a Fallen Man
Gentle breezes blew on the tall grass, swirling it along with its majestic dance while the sun shown its brightest through the cloudless sky. A day like no other: young girls were frolicking along in the wind while picking flowers, young boys ran around and played tag, mothers were out without a concern for their children, and fathers were happily at work harvesting the rice paddies. Peace settled over the village, and it had become nothing but second nature. No demons, no fighting, no bloodshed. Life was just life.
The leaves of the Goshinboku swayed as well, but its branches were left empty of the troubles, woes, and sorrows. In fact, one day not long ago, the bringer of such emotion ceased his pondering thoughts, his worries, his pain. It was silent now, left unaffected by its human counterpart; though, it noted its absence. One doesn't spend over fifty years with another only to forget about the time. Even if they do, there are still reminders that dwell behind: an arrow hole, a bit of dried blood, stabbing claw marks left from frustrating times. All of it. All of it was there to remind one of the scars of the past.
Vines enveloped its outside, though no dare go into the Bone Eater's well. That pleasure was reserved for the remains of the damned and nothing else ever crossed its wake.
An old miko sat in her hut thinking of the times not a year ago yet and of the chaos it wrought, the pain inflicted, and somehow the peace it brought. No, she shook her head, it wasn't the fault of time; it was that of the Sacred Jewel and the evil hanyou, Naraku. Now they were long gone and they haven't met her sight since...Sighing, she drew back her thoughts to the present matter at hand: brewing a cure for an elder's grandchild.
A young fox, who had grown rapidly in body and mind, sat on the top of the hill with his fire-cat friend looking down at the water. They were just waiting to see something appear there: a proposal, a sit, anything to keep their minds at bay. Images of the past appeared before their eyes, and wishes of their becoming tangeble would never come true. Instead, in their place, they saw their own reflections in the still waters below. Winter had not yet come around, but yet they waited with great anticipation of the day the land would be crossed and they once again, would meet.
Rolling some dough, a young mother smiled at her children while her husband swung through the door and kissed her cheek.
Looking down upon these happy, albeit solemn, scenes, his mind chose to see something new.
* * *
His love came running towards him with sparkling eyes while his own traced her now-rounding frame. Meeting in an embrace, he twirled her playfully with a grin on his face and they began to dance to no music. They continued on like that for eternity it seemed, but he had never experienced such a serene moment in his life...
* * *
Chasing each other, four children and a fire-cat darted back and forth through the meadow while their parents sat back, talking of old times. Kagome leaned back into her husband and he loosely wrapped his arms around her; meanwhile, Sango sat on Miroku's lap as he carefully ran his fingers across her protruding stomach.
They weren't constantly searching for anything; the jewel was destoryed. Absolutely nothing prevented them from settling down and having a couple of kids. Though he missed the thrill of the battlefield (as he had lived his entire life fighting), he enjoyed the peace away from it. Occasionally, he'd have go slay a demon outside the village, but one swipe and it was usually dead. No big deal.
It was all too good to be true.
* * *
You're right, it is all too good to be true, he mused to himself now that he was in the midst of sheer darkness.
There was no sense of body, no sense of depth. Whether he was alive or dead, he didn't know. Either way, he felt like he was floating, drifting away from his body. The pain was gone; that, or it it was so great that he had grown to ignore it.
Heaven or Hell? Where will I go? Where will I be taken? Am I in Purgatory? That must be it, Heaven isn't for those as contaminated as I am, but Hell apparently won't even take me. I am nothing...That is why I am no where.
I'm left here in the solitude, I won't even be able to see Kagome and the others again...alive or dead. I'll just rot in this existence until I, like my surroundings, am nothing!
"Ahhh!" he screamed to himself, unsure of whether anyone was there to hear.
For a brief moment, he let himself slip away from this nothingness, and found another situation to view.
* * *
"Inuyasha," he heard Kagome crooning his name. "Inuyasha," she repeated with a despairing tone.
His eyes fluttered opened only to see the woman he loved. Jolting upright, he rested his forehead on her shoulder to breathe her scent. No graveyard soil, just Kagome...
"I thought you were dead..." he sighed a breath of relief.
"I didn't think you were going to wake up..." she croaked out seconds before her tears spilled over onto his shoulder and down his back.
"Kagome, please don't cry for me..." he whined. "What happened? How'd you survive? All that blood...What about Sango and Miroku?"
Unknown to the hanyou, her face contorted into a questioning expression. "What do you think happened?"
Why would she ask this question? Does she not know what happened? "We were fighting Naraku, right?" His voice exhibited his confusion.
Ignoring the searing pain in his midsection, he turned to look at Kagome's left hand, and saw that there was no ring present. Had he not given it to her yet? Was all of it just a dream? A nightmare?
"Inuyasha, what's wrong? And you shouldn't even be moving...Come on, lay back down...Whatever you saw, it was all a dream...We're all here; Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Kaede are all in the other room. You're probably a bit addled by the snake poison. I'm glad we came when we did, or else you might have died..." Her voice shook on the last word, and her hand eased him down on the futon.
This isn't right...
End of Chapter 10
***A/n : You've read, so please review! I know it's short, but only one more chapter should be around this length...Then it'll get longer. I'm really not sure what to write right here. Ohh, I got it! Am I nuts, or do the majority of memorable romantic/unromantic moments take place while the two in the situation are at the bottom of some grassy hill while the others are at the top in earshot? I'd appreciate it if you guys could answer in your review!
~Mitz