Fragment
Chapter Fourteen
A/N(part one): Technically, chapter fourteen is the second half of chapter thirteen. However, we're just going to refer to this as chapter fourteen because it's just easier that way. It's all semantics, right? Anyhow…enjoy!
Kagome awoke feeling rested and refreshed. Her body was finally clear of any illness and she felt strong and healthy. In Sapporo it seemed as if the past hard, lonely sixteen years of her life had melted away, replaced by a hope for a happy, golden future.
It felt good to be in a new city, to see new sights and see new people. The sun was vibrant and warm in the cloudless azure sky and it felt like a new chapter of her life had begun. It was almost as if she had woken up a new person. Her past was finally behind her and her future held promise.
Naraku (or anyone sent by Naraku, like that pesky wolf, Kouga) hadn't reared his ugly head in weeks and Sapporo was a energetic, effervescent city full of life. The days were filled with a pleasant, calm routine and the nights were loud, bustling, and exciting.
Miroku and Sango were keeping Kagome busy during the day by quizzing her on her parentage, heritage, and everything in-between (just because Inuyasha was convinced Kagome was the real Kagome didn't mean the Empress would be). During the night, Kagome got a break from her studies and Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha would enjoy a night on the town.
Shippou thought he was living the high life and Kagome couldn't disagree. Every night for the past few weeks they had either been to a movie, a play, a concert, or had been out to dinner or generally explored the vast, intriguing city. The two runaways had never had so much fun in their lives.
Tonight, they were heading to a carnival and Inuyasha had never seen someone so enthused about what he considered to be a lame money-trap.
"Seriously, Kagome, it's not that much fun. The food is unhealthy, though I have to admit it's good. The rides are pretty lame and the games are rigged."
Sango rapped Inuyasha in the back of the head with the newspaper she'd been reading. "Let her be, Inuyasha. Don't be a kill joy this early in the evening."
Inuyasha glared back at the tall brunette but held his tongue, in no hurry to encourage the formidable temper Sango was capable of.
"I agree with Sango. Try to enjoy yourself tonight, Inuyasha. You've been in a bad mood since we got here."
"Yeah, just because you're miserable doesn't mean you have to make everyone around you just as miserable." Shippou interjected, giving the hanyou a cross look.
"Why, you little -"
"Shippou, don't be so disrespectful towards Inuyasha." Kagome told the little boy in a firm tone, earning shocked looks from everyone. Usually, she was disciplining Inuyasha - but never the young fox. Shippou looked bewildered while Inuyasha smiled at the kit evilly.
Kagome was oblivious as she assembled an outfit from her meager wardrobe and rushed to comb her hair into shiny, glossy submission. Sango watched the younger girl with amusement, allowing her to borrow her makeup. Kagome had never had much access or opportunity to use make-up so she happily, if not somewhat clumsily, applied it eagerly.
Sango had taught her how to apply eye-liner in different ways, how to use mascara without letting it clump her eyelashes, and had taught her how to apply blush and foundation in a perfect consistency. By the end of the makeup tutorial Kagome was practically worshiping Sango.
"You're like the big sister I never had." Kagome gushed, missing the way Sango's eyes clouded with emotion. It took everything Sango had not to grab Kagome by her shoulders and confess everything.
'I'm so sorry, Kagome.' Sango thought, wordless sorrow flowing through her. 'I'm sorry for all the lies.'
The young woman found herself in doubt, wondering if it was really worth it. She had a sinking suspicion that they would live to regret lying to Kagome. As if sensing her distress, Miroku approached behind her and placed a gentle, platonic hand on her shoulder, rousing her from her thoughts.
Sango gave him a curt nod and Miroku smiled softly his dark blue eyes soft and somehow filled with understanding. The brunette gifted him with a shaky smile and quickly finished getting ready.
While Miroku and Sango were distracted, Inuyasha, who had been ready before everyone, passed by Kagome who was spreading a thin coating of pale pink eye shadow over her lids. Inuyasha glanced at the vast assortment of brushes and other utensils the girls had used on themselves and pulled a face. Kagome met his gaze briefly in the mirror as he passed by.
"You don't even need to use that shit." He remarked casually, his voice gruff, before vanishing around the corner.
Kagome froze and starred after him blankly. "Did he just compliment me?" Kagome wondered out loud, earning a look from Shippou.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing." Kagome smiled distractedly, shrugging it off. But when she looked in the mirror she noticed a blush stained her cheeks that had absolutely nothing to do with cosmetics.
Two hours into the carnival they had sampled nearly all the delicious, un-nutritious snacks that carnivals were famous for world round: Candy Apples, funnel cake, hot dogs, noodles, board walk fries, and assorted candies. All of which Shippou promptly vomited after riding a ride that basically consisted of nothing more than spinning in circles. Upside down circles, fast circles, slow circles, sideways circles, reverse-direction circles; Shippou suddenly found himself hating anything round.
Miroku, feeling guilty, since it had been his idea to ride the 'Octopus' volunteered to take Shippou to the bathroom to clean him up.
"Are you sure, Miroku? I don't mind taking him." Kagome said as she fretted over the dizzy child.
"Oh, it's not a problem at all Kagome-sama." Miroku grinned, carefree, as he picked the nauseous fox kit up.
Sango gave Kagome's shoulder a comforting pat. "I'll go with them, don't worry, Shippou will be fine once he gets over the vertigo. I know the perfect remedy." She smiled personably. "You and Inuyasha go have fun. We'll meet up with you in a little while.
"Well, okay." Kagome finally acquiesced.
"Don't worry about it. The runt will be fine." Inuyasha said, clasping his fingers behind his head.
Kagome eyed the moody hanyou, wondering why he was always in a sour mood whenever they went out.
The sight of the giant Ferris wheel, all lit up against the inky night sky, immediately caught her attention,
"Oh, Inuyasha, look! Let's go ride the Ferris wheel." The excited girl grabbed his hand and began eagerly pulling him in the direction of the giant wheel.
Inuyasha sighed loudly and allowed himself to be guided, soothing himself with thoughts of the Shikon Jewel. 'Not much longer till I have that damn jewel in my grasp.'
He hadn't missed the stares he'd been receiving all night, though he was quite used to them. He'd been getting them his entire life.
It wasn't too bad with the humans, most of the time. Most humans simply assumed he was a youkai, not knowing the difference right off the bat. The true youkai, however, knew him for exactly what he was: A half breed. Luckily, no one had bothered to confront him. Probably because most of the carnivals patrons were families with young children. No one wanted to make a scene.
It really wasn't the youkai giving Inuyasha a problem this time. It was the humans, who simply assumed Kagome was a young woman running around with youkai. In a group it was less conspicuous, innocent really, but now that Kagome was holding his hand people were making assumptions and Inuyasha did not miss the disapproving, scandalized stares Kagome was receiving.
Kagome, on the other hand, was completely oblivious. When they reached the short line for the Ferris wheel, Inuyasha gently untangled their laced fingers, noticing the temporary look of dismay that crossed Kagome's pretty face. When she noticed him starring she smiled warmly. "I'm so excited. I've always wanted to ride one of these."
Inuyasha chuckled wryly. "You're not missing much. This thing doesn't really look all that safe, by the way. I wouldn't trust anything that can be assembled and disassembled in a day."
The raven haired girl just smiled blindingly. "I'm not worried. Besides, if something happens I know you'll be there."
Her words cut him to the quick, her pure undiluted trust nearly broke his heart.
"Fuck." Inuyasha muttered under his breath, earning glares from nearby parents with young children.
"Ooh, we're next." Kagome clapped her hands excitedly.
"Doesn't take much to please you, does it?" Inuyasha asked with good natured sarcasm.
Kagome ignored him and led the way onto their car. Once inside, the park employee closed their door securely and told them to remain seated at all times.
There were two bench-style seats in the car, which was designed to look like a hot air balloon, parallel to one another. Inuyasha was slightly surprised when Kagome sat down quite close to him.
Her dark eyes were shining, her ebony hair was tossed over one shoulder. Her dress was a flattering pink with thin straps and it bared her long legs. Inuyasha noticed the way the teenaged boy operating the ride eyed her long, shapely legs and he had to resist the urge to growl.
'God, this girl is starting to get under my skin.' Inuyasha thought with a sinking feeling.
After a few moments the ride started and they slowly began to ascend. Kagome was leaning towards the window, her face alight with wonder. "Wow, you can see for miles."
"Keh!" Inuyasha leaned back in his seat, clasping his fingers behind his head. He watched Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She was just a stupid, careless, naive, accident prone girl who annoyed him to no end…but she was also brave, loyal, and kind despite the bad luck she procured in her short sixteen years of life. And he'd been thinking about her nonstop. He worried about her, felt protective over her and he was beginning to wonder if it wasn't just because she was his key to the Shikon.
When she smiled at him, his pulse increased. When she touched him, he felt electrified. When she was sad, he was sad and when she was happy it was hard for him to not be happy in her presence. Her scent was tantalizing, mesmerizing to the point of distraction and she was even starting to invade his dreams.
Quite frankly, she scared the fucking hell out of him and he'd only known her less than a year. It would be weeks, perhaps months before they could procure a meeting with the Empress. How much longer could he take in Kagome's presence. Worse, how would he react once she was out of his life?
He'd let his emotions rule him once and the outcome had not been a good one.
There was a little nagging voice in the back of his mind reminding him that she was Kikyou's little sister. He hadn't been driven this crazy over anyone since Kikyou - and in fact - his obsession over this girl was beginning to surpass even his feelings for the eldest Higurashi girl.
He bared his teeth, catching himself before he allowed his thoughts to go too far.
Inuyasha sighed heavily, unaware that his emotions were splayed over his tense face until Kagome pressed a warm, gentle hand on his knee and he felt like he'd stuck his finger in an electric socket.
"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome inquired, her caramel eyes softening with concern.
It felt like her hand was burning the skin beneath the denim of his jeans.
"Keh! I'm fine. Just thinking, is all." He turned his head and she removed her hand much to his relief.
"Wanna' talk about it?" Kagome asked in her friendly, falsetto voice.
Inuyasha rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand as if trying to stave off a headache. "Not really."
Thankfully, in Inuyasha's opinion, the ride suddenly halted and distracted the raven haired beauty. Kagome lost her train of thought and snapped her attention back to the window. They had stopped at the peak of the ride, as high off the ground as possible.
Inuyasha eyed the crescent moon and calculated how much time he had left until the new moon. The only good thing about Kagome knowing about his time of the month, so to speak, was that she helped cover for him and as far as Inuyasha could tell she hadn't told a soul.
"What's going on?" Kagome asked, a slight quiver in her voice.
"Calm down, it looks like they're just doing a little maintenance."
"Now?" She asked shrilly.
"Looks that way. Guess we'll be stuck up here a little longer than we thought."
Inuyasha looked over at the girl next to him, noting how nervous she suddenly looked.
"Don't worry, I'm here remember?" He'd meant it as a joke, but his words actually seemed to calm her fears.
She smiled, flashing pearly teeth. "Right."
The wind was picking up, rocking their car gently back in fourth. Kagome found no comfort in the motion and instinctively moved closer to Inuyasha, pressing against him.
"What, you scared of heights?" Inuyasha joked, trying to hid his blush.
Kagome smiled nervously. "A little," She admitted shyly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Inuyasha was beginning to hate it when she did that. It made him feel like his blood was on fire.
"Stupid girl." He said, but Kagome noticed their was no malice in his tone. If anything there was an uncharacteristic tenderness in his eyes. Or at least he looked more personable than usual.
The duo sat in companionable silence, each trying to ignore how their heartbeats increased at their close proximity. Inuyasha's mind drifted back to the night he and Kagome had sat on the upper deck of the ship, casually holding hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world. If only life was really that simple…
Without thinking, or even understanding how it had happened, he suddenly found Kagome's small, fragile hand in his own. It made him feel warm, happy, accepted…
"Hey, Inuyasha." Kagome said in a tone that made him weary of the rest of her sentence.
"Could you…I mean, would you…" Kagome stumbled over her words.
"Spit it out, will you?"
"Will you tell me about my family?" Kagome bit her lip and glanced up at him hopefully.
"All we've been teaching you these past few months is about your family."
"I want to know what they were really like. From your perspective."
She sounded so damn hopeful Inuyasha could only sigh and comply. It was getting harder and harder to say no to her.
"Fine." He raked his memory, drifting back to the past with relative ease.
"Your mother is a lot like you. Kind, trusting, fair." He almost said beautiful but quickly caught himself. "I never once saw her in a foul mood or ever heard her say anything bad about anyone. Your father was more of the silent sturdy type, at least in public. But he lit up around his kids. He was so damn happy when Souta was born. He loved his daughters more than anything in the world but you could tell he was pleased to have a son."
"My little brother." Kagome murmured, barely more than a whisper.
"He was a sweet kid. Better manners then me."
Kagome giggled, resting her head on his shoulder as she listened. "He was always smiling, always ready to play. He was forever trying to get me to play with him; he had a penchant for soccer." Inuyasha chuckled sadly. "He could barely run and he was already talking about becoming a professional. Everyone doted on him, loved him."
"What about my sister?" Kagome asked gently.
There was a long pregnant pause that made Kagome hold her breath.
"Kikyou was quiet. She was silent, always listening. And smart, too. She excelled at everything. She loved kids, especially you and Souta. She was very kind, honest, and in many ways she was a lot like you. But you're also extremely different too. She smiled rarely. Kikyou always had this sad aura about her, like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Because she was the first in line for the crown she held herself to these ridiculously high standards."
Inuyasha paused, lost deep in thought. "We used to spend a lot of time together. We had an understanding, but no one could find out so out time together was kind of brief and stressful. She didn't want people to know she was friends with a hanyou."
"That's terrible." Kagome whispered.
"It was for the best. For everyone involved. It would have been dishonorable for the family."
Kagome frowned. "That's so stupid."
"Trust me, it would have made it even more difficult for Kikyou. That's why…" Inuyasha took a shuddering, painful breath. He didn't know why he was spilling his guts to Kagome like this, but it felt unspeakably good to have someone to talk to.
"That's why Kikyou was going to give me the Shikon Jewel."
Kagome's eyes widened and Inuyasha felt her tense against him. "Why?" She asked, near breathless.
"I was going to use it to become human."
Kagome's heart skipped a beat. "But…I thought you wanted to become a full demon?"
"If I were human…then Kikyou and I would have been able to be together."
Kagome had been holding back hot tears, but now they spilled slowly down the curve of her cheeks. "Were you in love with her?"
"I don't know. We never really had a chance, between time, society, and Naraku. But I would have done anything for her." He answered honestly, feeling a huge weight lift from his chest even as the memories pained him. Then he realized Kagome was crying and moved, alarmed, so he could face her.
He grabbed her gently by the chin and tilted her downward face to meet his gaze. "Shit, I'm sorry Kagome."
"No, you have nothing to be sorry for." She smiled weakly through her tears.
"Then why in the hell are you crying?"
"I just wish everything had turned out differently." Kagome sniffed. "I wish I could remember my past, I wish Naraku hadn't attacked my family. I wish the world wasn't so screwed up that you and Kikyou had to hide your relationship."
Inuyasha watched her, unaware of what to do, until Kagome suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, crying quietly into the crook of his neck. "It's not fair."
"Life ain't ever fair." Inuyasha sighed, awkwardly rubbing her back.
Kagome pulled back so she could look at the bewildered golden-eyed boy. "I like you just the way are. You shouldn't have to change. Human, youkai, or hanyou. There's nothing wrong with you." She said defiantly. "Please, don't ever feel like you have to change who you are."
Truly speechless for the first time in his life, Inuyasha simply leaned down and kissed a lone tear off of her cheek.
Kagome froze, doe eyed and breathless.
"You're so naïve." Inuyasha gave her a wry, lopsided smile. 'But I like you that way.'
Quick, unprecedented movement caught them both off guard as the ride began moving again. Kagome stifled a startled shriek as the car descended.
"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, which made Kagome laugh. She wiped her wet face with the back of her hand and smiled affectionately at Inuyasha as they stepped down off of the ride.
Before the two had a chance to talk again, the rest of their rag-tag group joined them.
"Kagome!" Shippou cried joyously as they approached, jumping from Sango's arms to Kagome.
"Are you feeling better, Shippou-chan?" Kagome pressed her forehead gently to the child's, smiling maternally.
"Much better. Sango gave me some hot tea with honey." Shippou grinned and jumped down to prove how well he was feeling.
"What kind of demon are you, Shippou? I can't believe you got motion sickness." Inuyasha teased.
"Hey, I'm still just a kid." Shippou glared defiantly up at the older boy.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't eat so much shit."
"You at just as much as I did!"
"Yeah, but you didn't see me puking it up all over the place, now did you?"
"Kagome, Inuyasha's being mean!"
Kanna watched with dull eyes as Naraku bared his teeth, nearly drawing blood from his lip. A low, simmering growl was caught deep in his throat.
"Enough!" He hissed, making a wide sweeping motion with his arm.
Kanna lowered her mirror, the glass surface become reflective of its surroundings once again.
Kagura watched, a bored expression drawn across her aristocratic features, as Naraku seethed about the Higurashi girl for he umpteenth time. He was bitter and furious about the young woman waltzing around Sapporo having the time of her life while he was growing weaker and weaker. As many youkai as he consumed, as much innocent blood as he stole away in the night, his strength was still waning.
"Soon." He promised, his harsh voice echoing in the dark, empty room. "Soon, I'll pay Kagome a personal visit."
That caught Kagura's attention. "You're leaving?" The ruby-eyed woman asked, trying to hide the shock evident in her tone. 'Naraku is actually going to do is own dirty work?'
Naraku showed Kagura a small wooden statue that resembled a man. Strands of his own dark tresses were wrapped around the figure.
"In a sense." Naraku grinned evilly, his eyes hard and merciless. "We'll just see how precious little Kagome survives this."
Kagura felt her shock fade, the bored expression slipping back into place.
'Of course, a golem. I should have known Naraku wouldn't actually put himself in any danger. What a coward.' Kagura felt hate for her captor bubble up inside of her and she barely suppressed a hiss of pure rage.
"I suppose," was all she said, through gritted teeth.
Three roller coaster rides, six candy apples, and two large stuffed animals later, the gang found their way back to their hotel room.
"What the hell are we supposed to do with these?" Inuyasha complained, gesturing towards the oversized pink elephant and the even larger panda bear.
"I put an awful lot of effort into winning those for Sango and Kagome-sama. Show some respect, will you?" Miroku defended his hard-won bounty.
"They're huge! Not to mention pointless. They're just taking up space." Inuyasha argued further.
"I'm sure we can find some place for them." Sango shrugged, secretly partial to the adorable, overly stuffed Panda.
Shippou was hanging off of the elephant as if it were alive. "Yeah, I think they're cool!"
Out on the terrace, Kagome laughed softly to herself, amused at her friends antics. She was enjoying the warm night, still reveling in the glow of the evening. She had stuffed herself full of delecious food, ridden so many rides she'd lost count, shared a Ferris wheel ride with Inuyasha, played with Sango and Shippou in the arcade until they had a mass of tickets, and cheered as Miroku tried his hand at the supposedly rigged carnival games. It had been a wonderful night.
She watched her friends with a small, distracted smile. Somewhere along the line, these people had become her family.
She touched her fingers to her cheek where Inuyasha's lips had once touched her. The skin was still tingling pleasantly and her heart had never really settled down. Her gaze locked onto the golden-eyed boy arguing back and fourth with Miroku. What had Inuyasha become to her? That rude, arrogant boy with a wild temper and a foul mouth. The boy who had saved her life at the risk of his own so many times she'd nearly lost count.
With her heart fluttering in her chest like a bird with a broken wing, Kagome thought she knew exactly what Inuyasha had become to her. The knowledge was beautiful and painful inside her heart. Kagome was so deep in thought, so lost in the feeling of falling in love for the first time, she never noticed Sango watching her.
Sango watched Kagome watching Inuyasha, a rosy blush tainting her pale complexion. Her dark eyes were wide, full of affection and innocent wonder, and those eyes were locked on Inuyasha and Inuyasha alone. One hand was reaching up to touch her cheek as if remembering a past caress.
Understanding filled Sango the same way light fills a room when you flick the power switch.
Sorrow crept into her eyes when Kagome turned away and Inuyasha started to watch the raven haired girl through the glass with an expression that conveyed more than words ever would.
'Oh my God.' Sango dropped her gaze, wishing she'd never noticed a thing.
'They look like they're in… love. How could this have happened? Don't they know any better?' Pity welled in her pretty, deep mahogany eyes as the knowledge fisted in her gut.
How could the two people who could never be together have fallen for each other so hopelessly? They could ruin everything, even their own lives.
A/N: Wow, this whole updating on a regular basis thing feels pretty good. It helps that I had this half-written beforehand. Thanks again for reading! The reviews are so nice and inspiring - thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate the time, guys!
Gift me with more reviews and I'll try and get the next chapter out just as quickly! Fair warning, the next chapter is going to be a big one. Trust me on this - SO much is going to happen. Think of chapter fourteen as the calm before the storm, so to speak. According to my outline there are only THREE more chapters to go! *faints*