{ x. Complications Galore .x }
x.| Chapter Eleven: Cure? |.x
"Oh, God! Oh, God!" Kagome fretted while she covered her mouth and paced about as little as she could in the bottom of the well, her hazels intently locked on the falling sky above her. Sky, not roof, sky, not wood, sky, not… she felt her breath shallow and quicken as her hands slid down to grab her shirt.
"Kagome, come on," Inuyasha requested as he dropped the shikon in his jean pocket to pick her up and leap out of the well, "let's go back down and see if it works before we freak out."
"OK, OK," she muttered as she covered her eyes and nodded, "go ahead."
With a nod he placed one foot upon the rim of the well, his golden gaze couldn't help but move from the panic-stricken woman in his arms to the forest, his shouldered sagged before he took a breath and jumped back down. To his love's horror, though, they landed at the bottom with a thud. She didn't have to pry her hands away from her eyes to know that meant they weren't wooshing through the blue wonder-world back to her era. Back to where her baby was…
"Inuyasha," she gently cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his shoulder with her eyes tightly sealed shut, "Inuyasha… Mizuki…"
"I know," he mumbled as soothingly as he could as he knelt down just a bit so he could rise up once more to land on the ground just outside of the well. "Let's just go to Kaede's village for tonight, we'll figure stuff out tomorrow."
"No! No! We have to go back tonight!" She protested briskly as she pulled herself away and even tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp, "put me down! Inuyasha! Now!"
"Stop it, Kagome!" He growled while he tried his best to keep her in his arms even though she kicked and pushed his face away, "stop it!"
"We need to go back! I've never been away from Mizuki for an entire night! What if she can't sleep if I don't tuck her in!? Besides, everyone will worry! They don't know where we are! Put me down!"
"The well's not working! Let's just give it a night, if it's not working tomorrow we'll worry about it then." He barked back, but instead of getting a legitimate answer from the terror torn woman he just felt a lock of his silver tresses tugged, "damn it, Kagome! I'm going to just drop you if you don't stop that!"
"Drop me, see if I care!" Much to her surprise, though, he did just that. She landed on the ground with a far harder thump then she had expected, too, "ouch," she whined.
"I warned you," he muttered as he reluctantly held out his hand for her but instead she just knocked it away and grabbed onto the well, "Kagome—"
"What if the well doesn't open up again, huh?" She snapped before she glared over at him, "what if it's another six years? Huh? No! Inuyasha, I can't… I can't do that to Mizuki… I can't…"
Originally, he had every intention of keeping their bickering going but her glare had given way to teary eyes and quivering lips so he simply couldn't instead he pressed his lips together and forced her hands from the wooden well, "Kagome—"
"Uncle Inuyasha!" A unison of gleeful voices shouted before he felt a bump upon both of his legs, "you're back!"
Automatically his stare shifted down to the two little girls that were pinned to his legs, "Ayane, Ayano, long time no see."
"Daddy!" One of them cried out as she turned her attention towards the forest.
"Inuyasha is home!" The other completed.
"With a lady!"
"Is that so?" An all too memorable man mused as he walked their way, another child lagging by his side. "Kagome-sama! We knew Inuyasha had gone down the well, we were hoping he was with you."
Her hazels were barely off the stun of the twins that grasped to Inuyasha's jeans when she heard Miroku's footsteps then his voice, another child by his side, "Miroku…"
"Ayane, Ayano, leave Inuyasha alone, please," he requested as he waved the two away but neither listened and their father's concentration was already upon the maiden from the future, "I'm sure you have probably already figured this out but these are my daughters, Ayane is in the blue, Ayano in the green, and this is my eldest son, Minoru."
"They… are beautiful," she assured weakly, honestly, they were precious, but it only made her heart pang more. She had never been away from Mizuki for more than just a few hours, how could she go an entire night?
"Thank you," he replied with a prideful smile, "how have you been, Kagome-sama?"
"I need go home," she mumbled as her pleading eyes migrated back to the oddly silent hanyou, "I really do…"
"I can't magically make the well open up again," he retorted, he had wished and prayed for that power for six long years, though. "Let's just go to the village for one night. Tomorrow, you can freak out if the well won't open, alright? It's only been a few months since it opened up so I could—"
"It wasn't just a few! Do you know how important the first few months of a child's life are?! It's when parental bonds are established!" She sped as she turned back to the well, "Mizuki is—!"
"That's it," he gripped silently to himself as he hurled Kagome over his shoulder, "we're going to the village.'
"Inuyasha, stop!" She squealed, kicking and pounding her hands and feet around as he started towards the village.
"Daddy," Ayane pouted as she grabbed onto his robes and looked up, "what are they doing?"
"I'm not exactly sure…" he replied with puzzlement spewed across his face but, then again, that was just like them. Correction, when he heard a shout of 'sit' and a thud, that was just like them, he couldn't help but smile at the bickering scene before him. "That lady is Kagome-sama," he explained as he bent down to his children's height, "she's very important to Inuyasha and very nice woman, a good friend of mine and your mother's."
"Is she important to uncle like mommy is to you?" Ayano inquired.
"Very good, Ayano, that's exactly it," Miroku praised as he patted his daughter on the back, "now let's go home, mommy is going to be very excited to see her friend."
..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x...
"Again?" Inuyasha awed with a cocked brow and a shifting sunlight stare that lingered on a not-yet-plump mother, "really?"
"What's that supposed to mean, Inuyasha?" Sango snipped back with a fiery glare, "five is a fine number."
"That's a lot of children," Kagome murmured to herself as she bounced a child on her lap.
"We want a big family," Miroku chuckled.
The hanyou just couldn't grasp that, five children? Four pregnancies? Why would someone want to go through that, do that? That was a lot of little mouths to feed but their father was quiet the charming con man and his demon warding spells were widely acclaimed and often in high demand so they always had food and plenty of clothes... so he supposed, why not?
"Stop staring at me like that, Inuyasha," Sango demanded with a dull look to match his confound expression, "now."
"Right," he mumbled as his eyes gradually drifted from the already moody expecting mother to the finally calmed Kagome. All it took was her spewing her story out in a rather incoherent panic but, apparently, Sango was able to understand and sooth her long lost friend. Really, what was the key to it was setting her youngest son of about eighteen months upon her friend's lap. Material instincts kicked in then and she slowly found her senses as she cooed and awed at the adorable, chubby, baby boy.
"Your hut is still empty," Miroku meekly caught the hanyou's attention, "there is plenty of room for the two of you."
"Good," he muttered back.
"Aren't you cute?" Kagome wooed as she held him closer to kiss him upon the head, "Masao is such a perfect name for you."
"We try," Sango gloated, "you look worn, Kagome-chan, you should go to bed. Tomorrow, we can catch up some more over breakfast and then see you off to the well, how does that sound?"
Swiftly her brows flexed together as her gaze wandered to her friend, she hated, hated to leave them so soon—if the well works, that is—but she couldn't leave her baby unattended to any longer than need be. Yes, she was certain her mother was taking the more pristine care of her granddaughter but… to be parted from her baby was like yanking out a piece of her heart and leaving a big, brewing, abyss open in her chest to suck away all the joy and replace it was constant anxiety—was Mizuki alright? Was she sleeping well? Was she eating properly or spitting up too much of her food? There was too much to worry about… she had to be with her little girl, more than anything. Mizuki was her responsibility, her daughter, hers… she had to be with her, she just did.
It was tough to be pried away from the cuddly Masao and hug her friends goodnight but it had to happen before Inuyasha could take her hand and lead her to the hut right next door. Some dust had collected but otherwise it was fine, he rolled out a futon while she aimlessly stared out into the sky.
"Kagome," he softly said, "I have to go get another futon—"
"Why?" She whispered while she slowly let her hazels move to him, nothing but the open window and full moon lit the hut. It was perfect, really, his hair glimmered, his orbs gleamed, her fair skin illuminated, "do you really think that now we'll stop sleeping together?"
She had a point, but that wasn't what his mind was lingering on, it was her surreal look—peaceful?—as she walked over to him, lifting a few of her slender, ideal, fingers up to brush his hair aside. They were so close, he could hear, feel, his own heart flutter and hasten in speed as he felt her breath against his lips. Lips… hers were the focus of his steadfast stare. They were thin, natural, and alluring—completely. So he leaned forward but stopped just before they met. His hesitation only meant that she had to be the one to close the space, which she was more than willing to do.
His hands hovered over his hips before he gave up and clamped down to pull her to him, parting her lips all the while so their kiss could deepen. Faultlessly she replied by wrapping her arms around his neck to press her body to him—it was the first time in who knows how long that they'd be alone, really, alone so how could she pass up the opportunity? Their tongues twisted together before she tugged on his lower lip and sucked upon it, instantly giving him a sensual shiver. One that didn't get by her, it just made her lips curl as she resisted a little giggle.
"Inuyasha…" she murmured softly when she slid her hands down his arms to lightly grasp his hands and pull them away so she could lead him to the futon.
Her playful smile—one he'd never before—only made his heart bump-bump all the more. He was nearly breathless as she knelt down on the futon, her eyes locked as she tugged on his hands to do the same, little by little he did the same until her lips came crashing back onto his.
His entity was on fire as he pushed her down on the futon to rummage his hands about her, just as she did to him, their lips merged until one broke away just enough to suck or nibble here or there. She pushed him away only to have him pull his shirt off and discard it to the ground then just as quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to yank him back to her. Who would have thought the sweet and innocent Kagome would be the dominate one? She knew what she was doing more than him, she was skilled where he was mediocre at best, but it was fine. The passion was there, that was all that mattered in the end.
He had always known her skin was soft but when his lips left hers to explore every bit of her neck it only reinforced what he had already known. What he had never realized were the petite noises she'd make when he did anything she enjoyed, those would forever be imbedded in his memories as his body seemed to take on a mind of its own. Almost animalistic instincts kicked in as he began to rub his to hers.
"Inuyasha," she moaned right into his ear, whatever desire had began to form only bulged at that, while she turned her head towards his a little more, so her lips were brushing against his fuzzy, perky, tangles, "I love you."
He stopped, completely, everything, his eyes shot open, "Kagome…?"
"I do," she whispered once more as he pulled away just enough to look down at her smiling face, "I really do. I always have."
"I know," he heard himself saying—he didn't know why that was the first thing to come to mind. He really did, though; she was the one to tell him all those years ago. He had been mute, all that had happened in between there and here was his fault, he couldn't say anything back then and he wouldn't make that mistake again. "I love you, too."
Her smile only grew as she pulled him down to kiss him once more and just as quickly picked up where they had left off at. Honestly, she had no intention whatsoever of everything leading to all their clothes being discarded. It was not a good idea, she knew it in the back of her head, but she did not stop to lament over all the possibilities as they unified for the night in mingling moans of throbbing pleasure.
..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X...
"Good morning," she whispered so gently with a smile to match as she looked down at the barely awake equally nude man beside her.
"Morning," he muttered back while he whipped the sleep away from his eyes, her position was all too alluring for him, she was lying with her stomach down but propped up on her elbows, not even bothering to try and cover herself but, then again, why should she? A smirk slid across his lips when he recalled all that they had done the night before.
"How did you sleep?" She inquired while her fingers began to play up his chest as she tilted her head to the side so her ebony waves could cascade down her shoulders.
"Fine, and you?" he retorted just as he snatched her hand up to rearrange them so he was on top of her and his eyes were the one looking down into hers.
"Decent," for only a little while, then the dread that she had felt the day before returned, "Inuyasha…"
"I know, we gotta go to the well today," he assured, "I can hear that Sango and Miroku are awake already. We can head over any time."
"Good, then let's go now," she sped much to his dismay as she pushed him off to find her clothes, he doubted he'd ever seen someone get dressed so quickly before she sprinted out of the hut. He hadn't even bothered to push off the covers by the time she was gone.
Once he was dressed, in the modern clothes he had come in, he had to pause at the door to take one last, long, look at his hut. Kagome meant the future… being part of her life meant his had to be located there, too. He knew that, he accepted that, but that didn't make a tiny bit of regret leave his heavy heart as he walked away.
..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x...
So, surprise-surprise! The well didn't work. I had the sneaking, terrible, suspicion that that would be the case as Inuyasha took me down it, together, tightly in his arms. If one of us went down alone it would probably work, that damn thing just loves to separate people from those who are most precious to them. For six years it tore Inuyasha away from me, did it really intend to take my Mizuki from me now?
Gods… I couldn't take that, I miss her every moment of every day that passed by without the well working. We checked it three times a day—at the very least. Sango sympathized with me deeply; I don't know what I would do without her. She understands the motherly need to be with your child every second of the day. There is just this dread that lingers, that suffocates you, whenever your child is out of your sight and it cannot be cured until you see your baby, hold her, kiss her… I just want to know she's alright.
I can't lose her… the first few months are the most precious. I would die if I was absent for her first steps, her first words, her first…
Doting over Ayane and Ayano—it took a while but I can finally tell them apart—Minoru, and Masao is all that keeps my heart in piece. That and, of course, Inuyasha. It killed him to watch me fretting over all that could be going wrong on the other side of the well. One day, seven days after we had arrived, I finally asked what I'm sure he thought I was too ignorant or self-observed to ever ask… but the truth of it is, I've always been too scared.
"Inuyasha," I meekly began on one of our many walks to the place we first met.
"Huh?" He inquired with loose attention at best as his golden gaze moved up the tree to the spot he used to be pinned to. The kimono he was forced to wear while we were there wasn't fitting—in my opinion. It was normal but not his classic red one, which was on the other side of the well, and I didn't feel right anymore in the miko wardrobe I donned on thanks to Kaede.
"What do you want?"
"Huh?" he repeated as his eyes snapped to me and brow rose up.
"What do you want?"
"What are… we talking about?"
"I've never asked you what you want to do, stay here or… go to the future. I've never asked you where you want to live… Inuyasha, what do you want? Please tell me, don't say what you think I want to hear," I begged and saw realization strike him as his gaze softened on me only to return to the tree.
"Honestly… I don't know. You're world is so confusing, I'll never understand it… I understand mine. I like here… I feel useless in yours."
Translation, here, he didn't want to live in the future but… as much as I love him, and I do, really, Mizuki comes first to me. She always will, from the moment she was born to the day I die, Mizuki will always rank number one on my list. That doesn't mean Inuyasha is any less important to me, it's just… Mizuki is my baby, my daughter, my world.
All of it.
You see, that's why… even for Inuyasha, I could never and would never be able to live in the feudal era again. I could never live without Mizuki and I could never raise her here, or any child I might have. It simply wouldn't be in their best interest. In my era, education is fabulous, and medicine is far more advanced. Life is just generally better, so much better. Not to mention, Mizuki, as a girl, would have an easier time growing up in my world. After all, this is the warring states era and woman's right really aren't advanced even if Miroku and Inuyasha think of us as equals not everyone does or would bother to try.
Moreover, I could never live with myself if Mizuki died from the flu or some other ailment that is curable in my world. It's not about me anymore and never will be again, it's about Mizuki.
Everything is.
..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X...
"Inuyasha," Kagome coaxed as she pulled her knees closer to her chest as she rested her back more against the hut's wall, her hazels fixated up at the clear sky, "I have to ask…"
He hated it when she started things like that, it meant he was sure to not like whatever was to come next, but he still had to inquire or else she'd just sit there waiting for him to say it, "what?"
"Did you ever learn anything about that curse?"
He cringed at that, when she was pregnant she didn't ask, then Mizuki became her total focus, so he was actually surprised that it took her two weeks in the feudal era to build up the courage to ask. "I… didn't."
"I didn't think so," she sighed as she rested her chin upon her raised knees, "do you think we should worry about that…?"
"Nope," really, just because some random psychic read their auras or whatever didn't seem like a sensible thing to waste worry over, not in his opinion at least.
"I still do," she murmured all the same with another sigh.
"May I ask what you two are talking about?" Miroku requested as he walked around the corner of his home with Masao in arm, "I couldn't help but hear something about a curse?"
"It's nothing," Inuyasha grunted as he folded his arms to his chest and shut his eyes defiantly.
Kagome just shook her head at that as she reached out to take Masao from Miroku as he sat down next to her, "we came across this strange psychic lady, she said that there's a curse on our souls… that every time we find each other, no matter in what life, one of us will…" her eyes lingered on the innocent child in her arms for a moment before she decided he wouldn't understand what she was really saying, "die. I think that explains a lot… like what happened to Isao and Kikyou—"
"I think she was just vague enough that you could pretty much have it explain a lot of situations," Inuyasha retorted.
"Nothing is ever dull with you two, is it?" Miroku frowned as his violet eyes shifted over to his twins that were playing about with a few other girls from around the village, "if it helps, I might—"
"Don't encourage her, Miroku," Inuyasha warned with a growl.
"Shush, Inuyasha," Kagome snapped softly only because Masao was in her arms or else her tone would match the acidic glare she gave him.
"I know a mystic, she's owed me a favor for quiet sometime now, I could direct you to her, if you tell her it will settle our debt I am sure she will help you," Miroku offered.
"Really?" She chimed, "how will she be able to help? Do you think she will be able to remove the curse?"
"If it even exists," Inuyasha muttered to himself and was once again lucky that Masao was there or else he just knew he would have either gotten sat or slapped for that.
"Well, she will be able to tell you if it exists," Miroku explained as he slowly pried his eyes from the giggle girls to the gleaming one beside him, "and if it does; she may be able to help. I came across her while I was exorcising an inn right after the twins birth, she is very powerful but one of her enchantments backfired and well," he chuckled lightly, "let's say it took a lot of persuasion on my part for the village head not to… exorcises her."
"If she's so powerful why couldn't she get out of trouble on her own?" Inuyasha gripped.
"It goes against her morals to harm humans with her gift."
"Will you tell us how to find her? Maybe she'll even know how to get the well to work, oh, Inuyasha, wouldn't that be great?" Kagome awed as she turned her hopeful hazels to him, really, if only she had not looked so optimistic and exited he might have been able to deny her but… instead with a sigh he gave in.
..x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x.O.x...
"I feel like I'm in high school again," Kagome almost laughed with her eyes closed so that she could feel the wind in her face all the more.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha muttered back without letting it get in the way of his constant, quick leaps.
"It just kinda reminds me of back when we were searching for the shikon shards," she elaborated with a wide smile as she shifted her arms to lightly wrap them around his neck, "it's nice, it's nostalgic… sometimes, I miss the adventure of those days."
"Me, too," he mumbled too low for her to catch while she rested her head against his shoulder. A whole day had gone by in the pursuit for the truth and it would take at least another two to reach the location Miroku had told them his in-debt mystic resided in. The sun was just about to set and, to him, there was no need to rush so he convinced her it was time to stop for the night and after they ate the food they had packed for their trip they wound up in upon a thick, strong branch high in a tree, his back to the bark as he held her in his arms. It was apparently the perfect location to watch the sun set, or at least, so said Kagome.
"I have to admit," she whispered as she relaxed more into his embrace, "it's very uncomfortable to sit on hard wood like this."
"Stop your complaining," he grumbled back, "you are the one that wanted to come up here."
"I suppose," she mused with a small smile as she nuzzled her head below his chin and shut her eyes, "I miss Mizuki."
She always said that, at least five times a day, always in the same hush, the same apologetic tone, as if it was wrong to keep burdening him with the knowledge. If when she didn't say it he knew she did, two weeks apart from her daughter was visibly hurting her, it was all he could do to try and take her mind off of it even if it was just for a moment or two here and there, so he tightened his embrace on her and rubbed his nose into her hair to inhale her sweet scent and he shut his eyes as well to mutter, "I know, so do I."
That was always the key to lighten her heart, if only for a moment, to know that he missed her, too… it made her happy, she couldn't help it. She wanted him to love Mizuki.
"I love you," she assured in a tranquil tone and, as always, she heard his declaration back, "I love you, too."
To be able to finally say it, openly, to each other after so long… so many years, so many trials and tribulations, if only for a moment the world seemed perfect.
Until reality came crashing down, that was… and the truth was, noting was certain, not even their happiness. At any given moment it could be shattered, in a day or two they could be torn apart by centuries again, or worse… death.
..X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X.o.X...
"It doesn't make sense to me," Kagome gawked as she rearranged her white garment and brushed her wet locks off her shoulder, "it's like magic."
"What is?" Inuyasha inquired with a cocked brow as he looked down at the kneeling girl who had the oddest look on her face as she stared up at him.
"Your hair is dry, isn't it?"
"So…?"
"Is it like a demon trick or something? Because you are a hanyou, does your hair mystically dry quicker? We didn't leave the hot spring too long ago and now I'm sure your—"
"Would you stop kidding around already? Break times over, let's keep going," he ordered with a nod of his head as he held out his hand for her. If she wanted to linger on the hot spring he might not be able to focus too well, nothing extremely intimate occurred between them, just an occasional kiss as the cleaned up, much to his disappointment, that was. He had ever known her deeply one night, their first night, since then nothing so intense had occurred.
"I'm not joking; it's not fair, I'm jealous. I wish my hair dried that quickly," she assured as he pulled her to her feet, right away her hands left his so they could run through his truly dry silver strands, "it's amazing."
It was still the small things in life that could win such an adorable awe out of her, he was only a man, half human, half animistic demon that called for him to have her, he couldn't help himself when she was so close, he did it without thinking—he just leaned forward to press his lips to hers. His tongue parted hers as he pulled her to him.
"What happened to breaks over?" She gasped when they broke apart for air.
"I take it back," he muttered as he pushed her against the closet tree to start his assault all over again. First her lips, her neck, then with a few flicks of his wrist her hakama fell to the ground as his other hand worked to undo the strings so her garment would open for him. She must have had her mind in the same place, because her hands worked to undo his clothes, too, and just as quickly his hakama fell to the ground as he pushed her against the tree more, molding her bosom in his hand as their lips joined and tongues intertwined. His blood was boiling for her, his loins burning, and it was all going so well until she pushed him away and caught her breath to say the worst word, "wait."
He, too, stopped to catch his breath to look over her red, flustered, face as she avoided his eyes while she bit her bottom lip, "what, Kagome?"
"I… we can't, it's not that I don't want to, I do," she assured, "it's just… I can't risk getting pregnant."
While it might have been a sensible desire, he couldn't help but feel insulted as he pried himself promptly away to pull up his and rescuer his hakama. He even turned his back to her so he could sulk over it, "whatever, fine."
"Inuyasha—"
"I get it," he snapped, "get dressed, let's go."
"Inuyasha—"
"I get it, Kagome," he gripped again as he glared over to her, "now get dressed." He didn't even linger by her as she did so, instead he walked out of the lightly forest area to sit upon the hill top.
Yes, she knew that it might hurt his feelings to hear it but… that was why she couldn't let her desires get the best of her. The first night was a hasty, hazy, mistake that she could have stopped but just… couldn't, at the same time. If from then she became pregnant, so be it, but she didn't think she was. It was the perfect time in her cycle to have 'safe-sex', so she was hoping that was true.
"Inuyasha…" she started again as she walked up to him, she had to cup his face to get him to look at her. The look she received wasn't a very friendly one so she leaned down to kiss him upon the forehead and, just as she thought, it relaxed him just enough so that he would actually listen to her. "It's not that I don't want to have your child, you know that, right? It's just that I don't want to have your child now. Later would be better. Right now," hopefully, "I have to take care of Mizuki and it would be hard to tend to a baby and be pregnant. However," she smiled as she knelt down next to him, "when Mizuki is two… who knows? All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you which means I would be happy to have a family with you," she couldn't help but add, "just, preferably, not one the size that Sango and Miroku have."
She'd… have a family with him, children, with him, he tried his best not to show how much that warmed his heart, how much he wanted that future, too. For the moment, his pride told him not to give up that easily, so he tried to keep his voice steady as he grunted an, "alright," and pulled her onto his back so they could continue their journey. They were so close and only had to travel midway up a mountain to locate the mystic's home.
"You can't stay mad at me," Kagome teased as she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, "tell me you're not mad.'
"Whatever," he muttered back.
"I love you," she pouted before kissing him once, twice, thrice on the cheek, her pout quickly shifted into a smile when she noticed he had to bit his lips together to keep from grinning, "Inuyasha," she whispered, "you can't stay mad at me, you love me too much."
It took only one more kiss upon his cheek before he couldn't deny that anymore and gave up on trying to keep his smirk from surfacing, "fine, whatever."
"Say you aren't mad," she requested in a playful whisper.
"I can't stay mad at you," he admitted just as he landed in front of a humble hut.
"Good," she chimed when he let her slid off his back, "do you think this is the place?"
"I don't know," he shrugged back right as the door opened to reveal an ever so attractive, long, raven haired maiden in a far too elegant of kimono for such a hut. They both simply exchanged an odd look before their stares returned to the woman, if that was her, they could easily see why Miroku might have been so eager to help her. Though, he was a loyal husband, he still couldn't help himself around beautiful woman.
"Houshi-sama sent you two," the woman stated simply as she waved them in, "I hate to be in debt to someone, I'm glad I can finally say that we are even."
"I guess this is the right place," Kagome mumbled to Inuyasha before she walked in first, all that was in the place was a place for the fire, a pot, a futon, and a little table which the mystic knelt at. She assumed the nod of the head meant for the two to knee across from her so they did, "we're—"
"I know," she assured as she lifted her hand, "and let me say, that you two are very much cursed. Wait," she sped when she saw the dread that instantly appeared upon Kagome's face and the anger on the hanyou's, "that being said, it no longer concerns you two."
"That the hell's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha growled, "either we are cursed or we aren't, stupid freakin' mystics—"
"Inuyasha," Kagome muttered after she elbowed him in the side to shut him up, "please continue."
"You are soul mates that are never meant to be, as you are already aware. You will always be brought together, in every life you live, only to be torn away when your love is at its peak. I cannot say how such a powerful curse was placed on either of you, but I can tell it is a long lasting one, you have experienced it many times over…"
"Is… is there… a way to break it?" Kagome stuttered while one of her hands quickly found Inuyasha's to clench as tightly as she could.
"There is no need, you two already have found a way around it," the woman explained with a nod, "while your souls are meant to be, you two aren't. Hanyou, you were meant for the miko, and you," she glanced to Kagome, "your husband. You two have already experienced the curse; it has already played out in your lives. You lost your husband and you the miko you loved. By playing with time, by bending it to your whims, you have overcome a curse you did not even know existed, congratulations."
Her tone was something akin to mocking, as if she thought they stupid for not knowing of the curse, as if she thought it was purely by dumb luck that they had overcome it. "Are you sure? Inuyasha and I will be fine? This curse… it won't tear us apart?"
The women simply shock her head in retaliation.
"Let me get this straight…" Inuyasha grumbled, "Kikyou and me were torn apart because of this curse… and Kagome and Isao were torn apart by this curse… and since we have already had this curse take away our 'soul mates' once it won't do it again?"
"Essentially, yes, I guarantee it on my reputation," she asserted.
"I'm so relieved," Kagome muttered as she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, "thank you so much."
"This was a useless trip," Inuyasha muttered to himself only to be elbowed once more by Kagome, "whatever, thanks, I guess."
"I'm sorry he's just really rude," Kagome apologized with a bow of her head as she rose to her feet and headed towards the door, Inuyasha was more than ready to follow her out and pick her up to take her down the mountain side.
"Isn't this great news, Inuyasha?" Kagome gleamed as she wrapped her arms once more around his neck and again kissed him upon the cheek, "I'm so happy!"
"I can tell," he retorted.
"You don't seem very happy…"
He didn't necessarily believe in the curse to start out with, if it was fake, wouldn't it have just been easy for that mystic chick to say it was yet void upon them? That way she didn't actually have to do anything and could say that her and 'Houshi-sama' were even, but he knew that Kagome's world was generally a optimistic place even if tragedy struck it time and time again, "yeah, I'm happy."
"Inuyasha, stop! We have to go back," Kagome cried out as she hit him lightly.
"What?" He swiftly did as she said, at least the stop part, and almost lost his balance in the process.
"We forgot to ask her about the well, we have to go back!"
"That's right!" He had completely forgotten, maybe she could be helpful after all, so he turned on his heels and began to hope back up. Of course, it was just their luck that once he landed in the very spot that he was sure they had just been it was completely vacant… not even the hut.
"This was…"
"Yeah… goddamn mystic, physics, whatever," he grunted.
"Amen to that," Kagome groaned back as she rested her forehead upon his shoulder. Really, why did they have to disappear right when they might turn out to be useful?
What terrible luck, it was almost curse, really.
A/N: It's been so long since I've updated this story, sorry, but I wasn't aware it was in such high demand until I put that poll on my profile. That's why reviewing is helpful *hint*
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this belated chapter. Hopefully it won't take me over a month to update this story. I just have to say, I had to remind myself over and over again that this is a T rated story while I was writing this chapter. It was hard a times but I managed... anyway, thanks for reading.