Author's Notes: The beginning dream sequence is a little ctirus-y. You've been warned.
I don't own Inuyasha. Only my imagination.
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Here's the alphebetized Japanese list of words I've used, so if you don't know a particular word, here's the place to look. n_n It will change from chapter to chapter, though. A word repeated in another chapter will still be included. -noddles-
Aa - Yeah
Demo - But
Ecchi - Pervert
Youkai - Demon
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Shattered Eternity
Chapter Four
So Much More
"Hey, what's that?"
"Just a camp."
"Hey..there's some girls there!"
"Lookit that one, she's got some kind of giant bow."
"Better not mess with her."
"The other one isn't armed.."
The two men snaked their way into the camp, seizing the dark-haired girl, who woke slowly from her slumber.
"Hn..?" she muttered. "What's going--!?!" She gasped, finding herself being carried away by two ugly, hideous men. "INUYASHA~~!"
The men sneered and laughed at her. "Your little pet gonna come save ya?"
She kicked the man in the shin. "Let go of me!"
His grip loosened, and she started to run, but stumbled. The other man grabbed her arm. "INUYA--!" He clamped his hand over her mouth and they carried her further from the camp, which was long lost to her sight.
They reached a clearing, and the men threw her down, smirking lecherously at her. She quivered with fear. "She doesn't look like she's from around here."
"I hear foreign women taste good."
Her eyes widened and she screamed when they began tearing at her clothes. She found then roughly touching her, bruising sensitive flesh. She recoiled, and recieved a hard slap to her face. "Bitch! You're going to do what I tell you or.."
She continued to struggle, but the men kept delivering blows to her face, to her chest, to her stomach, to her legs..She was rather winded when the first one took her. She screamed and sobbed. Where was Inuyasha..hadn't he promised to protect her?
Her eyes opened slightly when she heard an enraged battle cry from not far off. Even as sluggish as their minds were, the men knew to stay much longer meant they'd be hunted down by whatever was approaching so fast. They disappeared into the forest, leaving her exposed and beaten on the forest floor.
Inu...yasha...
~~
"Kagome...?"
"Inu...yasha?"
The next minute seemed to last for hours, when Kagome suddenly realized she'd been caught. She whirled around and ducked to her chin in the water, unable to look him in the eye. Behind her, she heard the splash of the water as he waded out to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked her in a pained voice.
"N-nothing," she lied. "Please..go away.."
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "No," he said, almost forcefully. "Something's wrong and you won't tell me what it is."
"Something's wrong?!" she turned around to tell him off. "Do you not know what happened to me back there? Do you know how much it hurt me then, and how much is hurts me now!?!"
"You think I haven't seen you suffer!?!" he snapped back. "I see how much you hurt. I saw how you cried and there was nothing I could do to help. Don't you think it hurt me?!" Kagome's eyes widened at him. He continued, in a softer tone, not meeting her eyes. "Don't you know it hurts when I see you suffering like that, and there is nothing I can do?"
She turned away from him and said quietly, "I'm fine now. I just want to be alone."
He grabbed her by the arm and forced her around to face him. His brilliant amber eyes shone with anger and an endless concern. "No you're not." He touched a still-bleeding cut. "What's this? I saw you do it. You hurt yourself and you meant to."
"You don't understand," she shouted in his face. "I don't have anyone..." Inuyasha couldn't hear what else she was saying. Her words stabbed through his heart like a cold, merciless knife. I don't have anyone...Hadn't he made it clear that he wanted to protect her? That he cared for her? What about Shippou, Miroku, Sango, Kaede? What about her family on the other side of the well. "...can't go back and face my family and friends. You act like you care, but your mind and heart are always elsewhere.."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "My heart and mind are elsewhere?" he demanded. "My heart and mind are here." He pulled her to him in a tight hug. Kagome was stunned and speechless. Pink creeped onto her cheeks. Inuyasha's voice quieted to a hushed whisper. "I don't go a day not worrying about you. If we're not fighting some youkai, I'm wondering what Naraku is planning or what Sesshoumaru is planning." He rested his cheek on her soft, damp hair.
"Demo...Kikyou..."
Inuyasha closed his eyes. "I loved her," he said quietly. "And I still do." Kagome turned to turn away, but Inuyasha held her fast. He looked down at her face, into her eyes. "A while ago, I promised Kikyou I would die for her. She died because of me, so I thought owed her my life. But that was before I realized that..gods..Kagome, I love you. I guess I've loved you for a long time. You're nothing like Kikyou. She was always serious and you're so light-hearted. And I've come to the decision that I won't want to die. There is too much to live for." He lowered his face closer to hers. "Without you, I wouldn't have all these friends. I wouldn't be so happy..."
"Inuyasha..." She threw her arms around his neck, closing the distance between them. She kissed him, and he kissed back, so sweet and so gentle. She loved him with every fiber of her being, and wanted to stay by his side for as long as she lived.
~~
"If they're going to take a bath together, why is he still wearing his clothes?" Shippou asked, appearing from no where.
Sango and Miroku jumped at his sudden appearance. The three spies watched as they yelled at each other. They couldn't quite make out what the two were saying. When Inuyasha turned Kagome around and hugged her, Miroku buried Shippou's head into the ground. "Children should not watch this."
"Shh," Sango hissed. "I think he's going to tell her."
"Tell her what?" Shippou demanded, voice muffled. He managed to get a quick look in time to see them kiss. "Yuck! He's kissing her!"
The three watched, transfixed by what they were seeing. Sango grabbed Miroku's starting-to-inch-towards-her hand and dug her nails into it, warning him of future punishment if he continued.
"It's about time he made up his mind," Kaede whispered from behind them.
~~
Days later, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kaede all conveniantly had things to do, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone for the first time since that night where they confessed their hearts to each other. (A/N: No they aren't doing that, you ecchis!) They were in Kagome's room, laying on her futon. (A/N: No, I swear they aren't!) She rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder, gazing at him. "Ne, Inuyasha?"
"Hn?"
"You remember how you used to say when the Shikon no Tama is complete, you'd use it to become a youkai?"
"Aa.."
"What about now?"
Inuyasha took a minute to think before answering. "No, I wouldn't use it to become a youkai." He hugged her closer. "My only wish would be to be human and to live with you forever.." Kagome smiled, blushing faintly, and snuggled closer to him, giving him a light peck on the cheek. The two dozed off in each other's arms.
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Author's Notes: Aw, wasn't that cute? I apologize for my lil notes at the near-end. I'm too much of a smartass for my own good. n_n;; This was the last chapter, but I will write an epilogue. You enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. n___n
No, the epilogue will NOT be a lemon. ;;
