This one took a while for me to write because I wasn't really sure exactly what i wanted to happen...but I'm extremely happy. Why, you ask? Here's the answer: I finally reached 50 reviews! YAY!
I would like to take this chance to thank every single one of my reviewers (literally) and here they are, in order of first reviewer to latest:
GodOfFlame101, inuaiko, MadeNew, Have Socks. Will Travel, KitKatAttack, Fire - Wolves, syfo, fluffyluver666, LolliBear06, rageoffire, SoNiia95, WindSorceress123, AngerManagementIssues, Samurai Fish, Lunamoon12, amori kuwabara, LolILoveInuYAsha, ChristinaAngel, H3110-KiTtY, Diamond369, inukag.lover19, October Addums, and sesshylovr.
You guys are so amazing. I probably wouldn't have had any encouragement (or reason) to keep going with the story if not for all of your wonderful reviews! Keep it up!
Okay, mushy moment over with, now onto the story!
Once again, I don't own Inuyasha.
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Chapter 11: Complete
Kagome was distraught. The first few hours of sitting in the hut with Miroku and Sango were extremely quiet, save for the monk's constant coughing.
When the miko couldn't stand the tense atmosphere--or the constant hacking--anymore, she stood up, startling the other two. "I'll go get you some water, Miroku," she said, suddenly surprised that no one had gotten him any before.
The real reason behind her leave was that Kagome had to escape. She felt utterly helpless in the fact that she could be helping Inuyasha, but instead she was just sitting around waiting for him to come back--if he came back. No, Kagome's conscience yelled, I can't think that way. He will return...him and Koga...they'll both be okay.
I'm so pitiful, she thought as she walked in the general direction of the stream running by Kaede's house, unaware that she was barely even moving at all. I should have insisted on going with Inuyasha, but he...he distracted me by kissing me instead...
Kagome shook her head sadly and sank to the her knees as she reached the creek, though she didn't even noticed where she was. The miko buried her face in her hands as tears spilled from her sorrow-filled eyes and fell onto the dirty ground beneath her. The village was completely dark around Kagome as she sat and wept for an immeasurable amount of time. She was only vaguely aware of the other noises in the night around her: the crickets chirping in the grass around the stream, the breeze blowing the leaves on the green trees--she couldn't focus on anything but the pain she felt as a result of the absence of her biggest lifeline.
"Inuyasha..." she muttered, feeling her heart clench painfully as she saw his gorgeous face in her mind. "Inu..."
Kagome jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning quickly around, the girl saw Sango sit down next to her, holding a plastic water bottle in her hands. The demon slayer wore a warm smile as she untwisted the cap of the bottle and dipped it in the clear stream.
The miko watched wordlessly as her friend retrieved the water, causing a ripple to break the mirror image of the moon and stars that were reflected from the black sky. Kagome opened her mouth to speak when she was done, but Sango beat her to it, grabbing the girl's hand. "Kagome, you know that Inuyasha will be safe," she said softly, seeing the blank look in the girl's usually bright and cheerful eyes. "He's never really lost a battle before, and he's definitely the strongest demon I've met..."
Kagome smiled at the demon slayer next to her, knowing that Sango was attempting to make her feel better but at the same time wishing that she wouldn't. "Sango...do you think that it'll be allright...if I go back to my time for the night?" she asked, immediately feeling guilty that she would leave her friends when she might be needed, but knowing that she wouldn't be able to stand being in the hut that constantly reminded her of a certain hanyou.
Sango nodded with undertanding. "Of course," she replied, giving Kagome's hand a quick squeeze before helping her up and releasing her hand. "Take as long as you need, and we'll tell Inuyasha where you are when he returns."
Kagome smiled apologetically again and gave the demon slayer a quick hug before turning and walking to the ancient well. I'm sorry Sango, Miroku, but I can't handle just...waiting...for Inuyasha to come back.
So as the young miko walked slowly down the path to the Bone Eater's Well, she distracted herself by trying to remember what day of the week it was. It had only been the previous night that she had returned to the Feudal Era after being, for lack of a better word, attacked by that stranger on the street, though Kagome felt like it had been much longer than that. It had been Monday when Kagome had gone to school and had the...eventful walk home, so it was now Tuesday (and would soon be Wednesday), she concluded as she stared at the sky.
"That means that I can go to school tomorrow," she muttered to herself, a bittersweet emotion running through her. School would distract her immensely, that she knew, but it was also depressing in itself. She never understood anything that was going on in her classes, considering everything that she had missed over the past year or so, but at least she was going to get to see her friends twice in such a short period of time.
So Kagome jumped down the well and climbed out on the other side, already feeling a huge amount of relief as she stared at the bright lights in her house. Everyone was still awake when she walked into the home, though Sota was about to go to bed, but they all stopped what they were doing when they noticed the mood Kagome was in.
She tried so very hard to just smile and converse pleasantly with her family while eating some left-overs from dinner that evening, but it was barely working. When she was about to break down again, Kagome excused herself and went up to her room so her family couldn't see her tears, and cried herself to sleep, hoping that her friends would at least be able to cheer her up...
Eri, Yuki, and Ayumi were, indeed, excited to see their friend after she had only been 'sick' for a single day with severe chicken pox, but they didn't cling to Kagome as much as they normally did on the days she was back. This probably had something to do with the fact that the girl wasn't talking nearly as much in school, didn't smile once, and just stared off into space for the whole day without any noticeable expression on her face.
The girls just ignored it at first, but had decided by the end of the day to just walk in silence with Kagome because of her lack of any contribution to the conversations her friends tried to make with her.
After walking around the city aimlessly for a while without Kagome speaking one word to any of the girls, Eri finally decided to say something. "Kagome, what's wrong?" she asked bluntly, recieving an elbow in her side from Ayumi.
Kagome turned to her friend, shocked, and plastered a big smile on her face. "Nothing's wrong," she said as they turned down a relatively empty street, walking slowly down the sidewalk.
"Yeah, right," Eri replied, grabbing Kagome's shoulder and forcing her to stop walking and face her friend. "You've been acting really depressed all day today. What's up?"
Kagome just shook her head and allowed her fake smile to falter a bit. "I'm just...stressed about school," she replied, hoping her friends bought the lie. "It's really confusing because of all the days I've missed."
Ayumi stepped up and smiled genuinely at her friend. "It'll be okay," she said reassuringly. "Plus, you already passed your high school entrance exam, so the rest of the year shouldn't matter too much!" Eri and Yuki both nodded in agreement.
Kagome breathed a silent sigh of relief that her friends didn't press her any further and continued walking, her friends following closely behind and chatting happily.
Despite everything that she was feeling at the moment, Kagome couldn't help but feel content. Her friends were her friends, no matter what was going on in the Feudal Era--she knew that for sure. And, though she might not be able to confide in them about, well, anything that really went on in her real life, they would always be able to cheer her up.
Kagome returned home that evening, well before dark this time, half-expecting to find Inuyasha waiting for her. When he wasn't there, though, the girl pushed the thought of him out of her mind and decided to hang out with her family instead.
For once, Kagome actually played Sota's video games with him, discussed various priestly duties with her grandfather, and helped her mother prepare and serve dinner while they talked about the latest gossip and news. The whole household was in a good mood, and Kagome was able to temporarily escape from the fear and guilt she had felt constantly brewing in her the whole day.
Her family chatted and ate dinner peacefully, and Kagome found herself laughing more than she had in a long time. I never really realized how much I miss my family while I'm in the Feudal Era, Kagome thought as she let her eyes sweep around the dinner table at each of her family members. I love them so much.
After dinner, Kagome helped her mother clear the table and wash the dishes, humming a random melody as they did so.
"Kagome, you seem to be really happy," her mother observed while she toweled off Sota's plate.
Kagome nodded. "Mmhmm," she replied as she placed the plate in the cupboard and started washing another one. "I'm just glad I get to be back with you guys again."
Her mother sighed and halted her washing to gaze suspiciously at her daughter. "Yes, but...Kagome, why are you back with us again?" she asked. "I mean, you're usually gone for weeks or even months at a time, but it was only one day this time..."
Kagome looked over at the woman, silently cursing her for being so observant. "I just decided that it would be nice to spend some time with you," she muttered, wishing her mom would just drop it.
Her mother was persistent, though, and was about to ask Kagome another question when someone bursted into the room. "Sis, Inuyasha's here!" Sota shouted as he ran over to the two women.
What? Kagome wondered, though she couldn't help but feel extremely relieved when the familiar silver-haired hanyou walked into the kitchen. Why...?
"Inuyasha..." she murmured, dropping the plate she had been working on cleaning into the sink, making a loud clattering noise. No one noticed, though, for their attention was drawn to the angry expression on the hanyou's face.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked through clenched teeth, obviously trying not to yell. "Alone?"
Kagome took the hint and lead the hanyou up into her room. For a moment neither of them talked, though the miko couldn't stop herself from smiling at Inuyasha. She didn't care what emotion was clearly being expressed on his face--just the fact that his face was there in front of her, unharmed, was enough to make her happy.
"I can't believe you would come back here," Inuyasha said, standing next to the closed door as he watched the girl sit down on her bed. "You...couldn't even wait for me with Sango and Miroku? What if they had been attacked?"
Kagome's cringed slightly at these words, knowing he was right, but opened her mouth to defend herself. "Inuyasha...I...couldn't bear to be back there when I wasn't even sure whether you would return or not," she whispered, her words barely even audible to her own ears. "I know I should've stayed, but...I just couldn't. I'm sorry," she mumbled pathetically.
Inuyasha sighed and sat down next to Kagome. "I was stupid to just leave like that," he admitted, looking down at his hands.
"Speaking of which--what happened?" asked Kagome, carefully watching his expression.
Inuyasha looked up into Kagome's dark chocolate ones and grinned triumphantly before quickly kissing her on the lips.
"Naraku's dead," he said simply after pulling away from the stunned girl.
"What?!" Kagome squealed, her mouth hanging open. "How?"
"That mangy wolf turned out to be useful after all..." Inuyasha muttered as the silly grin was still spread across his face. He laughed a little before diving into an explanation of what had happened in the past day. "We caught up with Naraku before he could get far, and...we fought. Sesshomaru must have caught on Naraku's scent, because he and Kohaku showed up to help. Naraku was completely defenseless with all of us attacking him at once, and, well, we won."
Kagome was still gaping at the hanyou, so he chuckled and put a finger on her jaw, closing her mouth for her. She giggled a little as she broke from the shock, but it was still hard to believe what she was hearing.
Inuyasha watched her delighted expression until he suddenly remembered something and reached into his kimono. He pulled something out, keeping his fist closed while he offered it to Kagome. Her brows came together in confusion, and Inuyasha smiled.
"This is yours now," he said, opening his hand.
Kagome gasped at that nearly complete Sacred Jewel on Inuyasha's palm, now knowing for sure that Naraku had to be dead. She stared at the thing they had spent the past year searching for, praying that this all wasn't just a dream. She tentatively pulled her own collection of shards out of the bottle that was hidden on a necklace under her shirt and placed them in her own palm.
"What about Koga's shards?" Kagome asked, looking up at Inuyasha again.
The hanyou laughed. "That idiot finally decided to give them up to me when I pounded him for the billionth time," he said, smiling. "Go ahead, take it." He pushed the jewel closer to Kagome, and she hesitantly grabbed the small orb.
As soon as she had both the Sacred Jewel and the remaining shards in her hand, a bright purple light filled the room. Kagome and Inuyasha both looked away for a moment, shielding their eyes, until the light died down and they took a look at the complete jewel now laying in Kagome's palm.
Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, tears in her eyes. "It's finally over..." she whispered through unmoving lips as she stared into the hanyou's golden eyes.
He smirked at the girl and cupped her cheek in one of his hands. "Don't think that means you're getting rid of me," he teased her, wrapping his other arm around her waist as he pulled her into another kiss.
Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, still clutching the Sacred Jewel tightly in one of her fists. "I love you," she whispered as soon as they pulled away, Kagome now having a few tears trickling down her cheeks.
Inuyasha laughed as he wiped the tears from her cheek. "I love you, Kagome," he replied, kissing her again.
Okay, people, it's not over yet (sigh), so don't freak out! (That would be one crappy ending...) I still have some more stuff (conflicts...hehehehe...) to write about, but I just thought I'd go ahead and start to wrap it up now. This chapter was really rushed, I know, and I apologize. But at least I finished it tonight so I get to put it up already!
I'm kinda in a bad mood, though, because i just CAN'T beat One (by Metallica) on hard on Guitar Hero. It's pissing me off.
Good night everyone. Review, please!