A/N: Like I said before, inspiration has just been hitting me in the face these past few weeks! It's amazing and invigorating. I hope you like the new chapter.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Inuyasha. The shelter wouldn't let me keep him, said he was reserved to someone named Rumiko Takahashi. Whatever.
Chapter 21: Only a matter of time
-Please, she prayed, wondering if anything or anyone was hearing. Don't let it end this way!-
The ground was nearing much more quickly now; there was no hope for them. Kagome closed her eyes to take the impact that was sure to come.
But the hit never came.
"Kagome!"
Inuyasha's exclamation snapped her eyes open. She almost screamed when she saw the ground, just a few feet under them, but they were not on it at all. She glanced around and saw the glimmer of some sphere around them. A couple of seconds later, she could see the energy that pulsed around them. What was this?
As soon as Kagome began to think this, the sphere around them burst, almost like a bubble and the couple fell in heap onto the floor. She held onto Inuyasha, for a second just so happy that they were still alive and not flat pancakes splattered on the floor. Suddenly, they heard a roar around them and glanced up to see half the rebellion's army running towards them, fear and worry plastered on their faces.
"Kagome, Inuyasha!" Midoriko was the first one there, dropping to her knees and touching them, almost as if she expected them to disappear in a cloud of smoke. "Are you guys alright?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha glanced at Kagome, who looked at him with wide eyes. "Just . . . shaken up."
"Kagome,"Sango was the second to get there, Ayame not far behind. "What happened?"
"I—I don't know," She said truthfully, shaking her head. Inuyasha stood up, carefully bringing Kagome up with him.
"Everyone get out the way," Midoriko ordered. "Give aid to the wounded, bury the dead and report once all soldiers are at the ready!"
"Yes, ma'am!" came the unanimous shout of the other soldiers. Even as they said this, though, their eyes remained glued to the two valiant soldiers that were miraculously alive.
Midoriko was joined by Sango and Ayame, including Inuyasha's two friends, Miroku and Kouga. They spoke a bit to Inuyasha, but Kagome didn't bother to listen. Everything was still so surreal to her. Nothing seemed like it should have happened, but how had they avoided from falling the ground like that? Nothing made sense to the shell-shocked girl who wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to keep herself together.
It was once inside that they saw the extent of the damage caused by the bombs that had been dropped. Entire sections had been destroyed, leaving only open dirt, and some had been completely wiped out. Kagome could see the debris, still feel the smoke in the air from the fires that had not yet been put out. She was afraid to think how many people had died in the attacks. Suddenly, a person came into mind, someone Kagome had not seen at all during the course of the attack.
"Rin!" Kagome whispered to herself. She stopped, making her company pause. "Rin!" She shouted, breaking out into a run, desperately looking around for said girl. "Where is she?"
"Kagome, hold on!" Midoriko ran after her, pulling her hands together and speaking to her as if she were a child."Calm down, Kagome."
"Calm down?" Kagome shouted, something bordering on hysteria. "You want me to calm down when Rin could be dead?" She shouted, frantic and hysterical.
"She's fine!" Midoriko held Kagome tightly. "We were able to get her and Kaede into the bomb shelter. It was made to withstand the effects of an atomic bomb, so I'm sure she's fine."
Kagome stared at as Midoriko restrained her hands. She closed her eyes and the tears came, unbidden and in torrents. Sobs racked through her whole body as she cried out. It was just too much to bear. Everything was coming down on her too quickly and she couldn't keep up. She just wanted to curl up, sleep and wake up to find that this was all a bad dream, that she hadn't almost died, that the rebellion hadn't lost so many soldiers, that all was still well.
Her legs became weak and Inuyasha caught her as she fell. She gripped his shirt, which was stained with blood and had slashed from where the enemy had tried to injure him, like a life-line, taking in the feeling of the warmth he radiated. She felt like she had come home and she knew that this was place where she belonged; in his arms. Her tears subsided and she became quiet.
And then she fell into a world of numbness.
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"She fainted," Inuyasha said, carrying Kagome in his arms while the group kept walking the broken halls of the Rebellion's HQ.
"Take her to her room, if it wasn't destroyed." Midoriko commanded, sounding tired all of a sudden. The loss of some of her soldiers broke her; the loss of her base crippled her. But no matter what, the Rebellion would always look to her for guidance and so she had to be strong, for them if not for herself.
She walked behind Inuyasha, watching as Kagome breathed slowly. It was quite remarkable what she had seen her do, but she still felt that it had all been an allusion. She also felt responsible once again for Kagome's near-death experience. She had sent them up there, having not thought through the whole process. She hadn't assessed her situation with sincerity and it had resulted in the almost decimation of the fighters that her army most looked up to.
It turned out that Kagome's room had been destroyed in the bombing, so they resolved to check Inuyasha's room down the hall. His room, while only being doors down, had not suffered anything major. He laid her down on his bed and was reminded of before, when she had another near-death experience albeit not the same kind, which seemed like years instead of just weeks.
"So what," Inuyasha stood up, sighing. "do we do now?"
All heads turned to Midoriko who was still deep in thought at the scene that kept replaying in her mind. "I have no clue at the moment." She sighed heavily as if there was a tremendous weight on her shoulders. "I'm still trying to wrap my head on what just happened."
Inuyasha knew that she was referring to them. "Frankly, it's mind boggling." He shook his head, almost as if asserting his claim. "One minute we were falling and the next we're hovering above the ground."
"Well, couldn't that have been Kagome's power?" Sango threw out the idea that had been tossing in her head since they had entered the Head quarters.
Midoriko nodded, thinking it as very logical. "I think that was exactly it."
"Maybe she did it without realizing what she had done," Ayame suggested, voicing her own thought processes. "She didn't seem to understand what had happened either."
"A self-preserving instinct?" Miroku asked, glancing at Ayame. "Is that what you're saying?"
She nodded. "Wouldn't it make sense?"
Kouga shrugged. "Your body does go into flight or fight mode when you're in danger." He half-smiled. "Who knew she'd take the 'flight' thing literally."
"Inuyasha, did you see how it happened?" Midoriko asked, glancing at Inuyasha who was currently processing all this information.
"Yeah," he nodded. "But it all happened so quick . . ." He grew quiet, trying to find his words. "The sphere appeared when she closed her eyes, as if she was wishing for something very much."
"Her powers reacted to her will," Midoriko realized. "and it created a barrier before you could hit the ground." She glanced at Kagome. "Her powers is consistent in reacting with her feelings. It surely saved the both of you today."
Inuyasha sat down at the edge of the bed, head in his hands. Midoriko signaled to the others to bolt—knowing Inuyasha needed some time on his own—and followed them out the room, grabbing the door knob to close the door.
"Holler if you need anything," Midoriko called, the door closing with a soft thud.
Inuyasha stayed there, only turning around to glance at Kagome. He had almost lost her once again, back there. He thanked the gods that she had her powers and wondered what Kagome would think when he'd tell her. Exhausted physically and mentally, he laid down near Kagome and fell into a deep sleep, holding her hand in his—afraid that if he let go, she might not be there when she woke up.
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"Did you see the smaller airship that flew off as the bigger airship blew up?" Sango asked Midoriko. The thought had been bothering her for a while now, but she hadn't wanted to say it in front of Inuyasha. Now, she couldn't keep silent.
"Yes," Midoriko sighed. "From what I gather, I'm sure it was Kikyo once again. Naraku is more of a spectator than a player and she would've been the perfect person to send."
"He disgusts me," Sango fumed, her hands curling into fists. "Watching people die . . . how can he get a kick out of that?"
"Sango," Ayame touched her friend's arm, knowing she was getting carried away. "There will always be people like him in this world. Our job is to give them what they deserve."
Sango nodded, feeling just a bit better. She walked up to Miroku, who in turn put an arm around her shoulder, holding her close as they walked to the infirmary, where their help would surely be needed.
Kouga put an arm around Ayame's waist, which made her feel better, but she couldn't help but sigh.
"What's wrong, Ayame?" Kouga asked, not liking the face his woman had on.
"It's just. . ." she sighed, almost in tears. "Everything seems to happen to Kagome and Inuyasha. They have to deal with the brunt of the blow all the time . . ." She sounded teary, trailing off. "I just wish things could be better for them."
Kouga sighed. "I understand how you feel, but they're strong." He kissed the top of Ayame's head slightly, which made her look up and smile bit. "You'll see."
She nodded, letting him pull her towards the infirmary where no doubt Sango and Miroku were headed.
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Kagome woke up, her eyes snapping open from the pleasant dream she was having. It was in the dream that she realized everything was just to perfect, too happy. That's when she woke up to find her hand intertwined with Inuyasha's, his sleeping figure next to her. She stroked his face lightly, remembering the kiss they had not 24 hours before. Inuyasha was so precious to her that she didn't know what she would do without him, without his kisses, without her other half.
Rin's father was dredged up from the back of her mind when she remembered how close to death she had been. He had said that if she died again, that would be the end of it. No second chances or choices to go back. Hot tears pricked her eyes as she curled into Inuyasha; how could she ever leave this man behind?
"Kagome?" Inuyasha opened his eyes, the smell of tears filling his nostrils. He had woken up when he heard her move slightly, but he laid there, eyes closed and rock still as she stroked his face. He found that he liked a lot, even in his half-asleep state. "What's wrong?"
Those words sent Kagome over the edge. Her tears came in waves again, but this time there were no sobs to be heard, just endless tears poured onto the pillows as Kagome cried. Sitting up, he held her close. It hurt that he couldn't do much more than that at the moment. After a while, the tears stopped and she started to breath normally again, a good sign if he knew anything about girls crying.
"Inuyasha," She pulled back just enough to see him. He had to admit that even with red, puffy eyes, she was still as beautiful as ever. "We're in your room, right?"
"Yeah," He nodded, not knowing where she was going with that question.
"Do you remember the last time we were here?"
"When you had that incident with the experiment." Oh, he remembered that day for sure.
Kagome nodded and kept going. "Do you remember what you said to me when I asked you to sleep with me?"
"I think I said," Inuyasha thought back, bringing the memory of the conversation to the forefront of his mind. "that you could ask for anything. Why the sudden memory relapse?"
"I wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
With determination in her eyes, she pulled him closer and whispered, "Kiss me," before she brought her lips to his.
Certainly, this caught Inuyasha off-guard. Kagome did have a reputation of starting things, if Inuyasha could remember right, but this kiss was something different. Of course, his response was to kiss back, but for something an alarm was going off in his mind. What was going on?
Her kisses began to slow and became deeper, riddled with passion. Gently, almost to the point where even Inuyasha didn't notice it, she started to push him back against the wall. Inuyasha felt the contact he made with the wall, barely noting it as Kagome filled his senses. Still, the alarm in his mind made him backtrack in his head. It's just like the last time . . . he thought. What's going on? He repeated the same thought from before.
Inuyasha only pulled back when Kagome's hands started to move to the buttons of his shirt, trying to undo them. This was way off. Kagome had never been so daring, not even when she had instigated the kiss. Either she really wanted this bad or she something else was bothering her.
"Kagome," He half-whispered, half moaned. He was still trying to reign himself in from the way she made him feel when they were this close. He breathed in deeply through the nose to clear his thoughts. "This isn't like you. At all."
Kagome sighed and hung her head in shame, leaning into his chest for comfort. "I know it isn't." She clutched fist-fulls of his shirt. "But . . . what if we never have another chance again? What if this is all we have left?" She shuddered at the thought. "You saw what almost happened back there!" She voiced desperately. "I . . . I'm afraid that I'll lose you again."
Inuyasha understood all too well what Kagome was trying to say. He had been thinking the same things recently and it seemed it contaminated Kagome as well. He put his arms around her, stroking her hair gently. He tried to put his thoughts and feelings into his words.
"Kagome, I know how you feel. Every time you're in danger, the same thoughts run through my mind. Is she okay? Will she be alright? Those types of thoughts fill up my day, even if nothing's happened. I feel at the edge most of the time because of this war, but I don't want you to think that we won't make it." Inuyasha held her tighter. "I promise that once this is over, we can be together. And actually . . ."
He suddenly let go of Kagome, making her feel very lonely, but she watched him as he searched for something in his drawers. He came back with something in his hand, but before she could even think of asking him what it was, he pulled her from the bed. She stood up, and looked at him with confusion.
Inuyasha tried to explain himself. "I was thinking of doing this after everything was all settled, but I think it's high time to tell you what I want for my happy ending."
Kagome was still confused as Inuyasha got down on his knee, opening the little box he had hidden in his hand to reveal a diamond ring, fairly simple really, but nonetheless the simplicity of it was what made it beautiful. The ring was a medium size, nestled in a border of smaller diamonds. The band was gold from what she could tell.
She glanced at the Inuyasha, at the ring and back again. "Inuyasha?"
He continued with his purpose. "Kagome, we've been through so many things together, good and bad. I love you more than anything in the world, more than my own life." He smiled wide when he saw the beginnings of a smile on Kagome's face, signaling to him that she was understanding the situation. "I want you to be by my side, be my love, be my queen." He paused, letting everything he had said sink in for a second. "Will you, Kagome, do me the most wonderful honor of becoming my wife?"
Kagome nearly burst in tears of joy as Inuyasha asked this question. She thought is was obvious what her answer would be, but she voiced it anyway.
"Yes," She smiled like a lucky lottery winner. "Yes!"
Inuyasha stood up, gathering her into his arms and spinning her around the room. He held her close, laughing from pure delight. "After this is over, we can get married and do whatever we want. You'll never leave my side then."
"Forever." Kagome nodded, melting into his arms.
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Kikyo landed the smaller airship she had escaped in as best as she could onto the landing pad of one of Naraku's private airlines. The mission had gone bad; she had wanted to return to Naraku as a victor, not a sore loser, when in reality she really was just that. Naraku would be angry at her more than ever. She had gone off on her own, with no orders to attack the Rebellion's underground HQ, wanting to take matters into her own hands.
To her utter disappointment, though, Kagome had actually landed a blow on her. Either she was losing her touch, or Kagome was getting stronger. She guessed the second after witnessing some of the blows she dealt onto the monsters she had taken. What concerned her most was the power Kagome possessed. She had never seen the likes of it anywhere, but she was sure that Naraku had something to do with it.
Exiting the airship, she saw men that had come to escort her to Naraku. Kikyo sighed, letting the men take her as they pushed her into one of the large black limousines Naraku owned. The ride to his office was silent and Kikyo wondered what Naraku would do once she got there. She had ruined his plans of watching them come to him and she had taken the rejects from the labs. He'd have her head for it. They arrived to the building, got out and walked up the steps of the skyscraper building. The elevator ride was just as silent as the way there.
"Kikyo," Naraku called, once she entered the room. His glare was cold enough to freeze the sun. "You went after them." He stated it this way because he never questioned his information. He always was a step ahead of his enemies.
Kikyo stared back with equal force. "Yes sir, I did."
"Even when I had made it blatantly clear that we would do nothing until they came to us?"
"I was just trying to help—"
"I never asked for help!" Naraku bellowed, up from his seat and standing over his desk. He had never been this angry before. "You are nothing to be able to help me! I created you." He fumed. "Don't forget that." He moved away from his desk to stand in front of her, arms crossed. "You took some of the lab experiments as well."
"Yes."
Naraku's hand traveled across Kikyo's face. She did not recoil from the slap nor from the pain, willing herself not to show him any weakness. He was right. She was nothing, nothing at all.
"If you disobey my order again, I won't be so lenient on you." Naraku pushed her to the guards. "Take her to her apartment and keep watch until I call for her."
The gaurds nodded, each taking one arm on each side of Kikyo escorting her out of the room.
Naraku was beside himself in anger. His plan had been ruined because of the foolishness of this girl. He threw the few things he had on his desk onto the floor. He had to right this somehow, but he couldn't think of anything. Midoriko probably thought he had purposely sent Kikyo to destroy their base. It made Naraku look pathetic, like he was planning on attacking them only after sustaining very heavy damage. He wanted them to be on their highest level—only because he wanted to see them fall hard when they realized not even their best could defeat his army.
Resolved, he sat down and began typing a letter of cease-fire, explaining the idiocy of his creation, Kikyo. He would let them have some time before coming together and battling to the death. And although his plan was ruined, he could see something rise up from the ashes. He quickly sent the email to the leader of the Rebellion and leaned back into his seat.
It was only a matter of time now.
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A/N: Review!