Lauren: Ever notice how amazingly depressing war movies are? They make you love these awesome guys and characters and then...then they kill them off and it makes me cry! It's so sad! They rock but they die....*sniff* and of course they all have a wife, kids or a new baby or or something! I know it's true and it portrays beautiful stories of real heroes...but it's still sad. T_T Ah, any ways, you all wanted more fluff, so here it is! Enjoy it!
Jupiter's Light- I hope the guy replies to your question! I'm not really sure but I'm pretty sure it's the movie just split up into episodes and the bonus might be a little extra stuff or something. I really don't know.
Ryu- Hehe, thanks! Ah, sadly I didn't make any horribly funny misspellings this time. Good luck with your schoolwork and such. Ugh, I've got all this research I have to do...which I should be doing instead of writing...but no one has to know that!
T'laren- Maybe Inuyasha getting a hold of a cloning machine wouldn't be that bad of an idea ^_~. Expect more fighting scenes in the future! I'm not sure if I'm the greatest at writing them...but I'll try my best!
Sakura-son- Not a bad idea. Then everybody would be happy. You could even give a clone to Naraku! XD
Holly- I was going to make Kagome go on a date with Naraku since Kikyo had already arranged one but it would get too suspicious and I decided to leave it out for now and move on with the plot some. ^_^;; Maybe I'll write it as a side thing or filler in the future.
Raiye- Ah! NO! NOT THE PAPERS!! Tree's have feelings too! I hope this will hold you off for now!
Inuyasha-loves-Kagome- Aww...I feel so special! *hugs* Thank you! And you rock! I love your fics!
BJ- I happily accept any fan art! Feel free to send me any here: watergoddess415@cox.net I have a picture I drew of Kagome but I'm too lazy to scan it in right now. XD Maybe I will another time.
Tori- ^_^ I'm following your mothers advice! My fuzzy brain is finally getting clear so I can sort of think straight (if you call my normal thinking patterns straight that is...)
Chavi West-Wind- Thank you! V_V;; I feel sorry for what I put Kagome through also.
Jodie-chan- I put in more romantic moments! I hope you like them! Get ready for some sugary sap!
Aberuncate- Oh Oh! Klondike bar! I don't think I'd taste very good though. =)
Nekochan614- I tried to make this chapter longer and it is by my normal standards. It's two extra pages longer! Enjoy!
Dark Angel Himeko- I know what you mean about Kikyo though! In the Inuyasha show I get angry at her cause she always tries to ruin things but the woman has to have a different side to her, her past self that is.
~*~ Where Did You Go? ~*~
~By: Lauren~
-Chapter 17-
"Only Way"
Kagome sat at Inuyasha's kitchen table, slouched in one of his chairs while wearing the drawstring pants and loose shirt that he had put on her. She had a glass full of milk in front of her, held in her hands while she stared into the white liquid. A bored sigh escaped her lips as she sat the cup down, put her elbow on the table and leaned her chin in her hand. She wished Inuyasha were there at that moment but she knew he had returned to work. Her memory drifted back to when he had left...
Kagome stirred in her sleep, feeling a warm hand rousing her slightly by shaking her shoulders. Her blurry vision swam a tad before it finally came into focus and she stared into Inuyasha's golden orbs. Blushing, she pulled herself up and groggily got out of bed. As she tried to stand, her shaky legs gave out and she began to fall to the floor. Instantly, Inuyasha's strong arms caught her and held her up straight. By now, Kagome was wide-awake and blushing as red as a tomato.
"I've got work in a bit." His voice came out husky from obviously waking up only a little while ago also. He coughed, then spoke again. "I thought you might want to see this..." Supporting Kagome, he led her to the back of his apartment where there was a sliding glass door. Pulling it open, they both wandered out onto a small wooden balcony he had. There was a pair of plastic chairs and so they both sat down in them next to each other.
Kagome's breath caught in her throat. His balcony overlooked most of the city, along with a river that ran through it to the left. The night sky was a shade of deep blue but in the distance, golden rays of sunlight were beginning to peak out. Lights from the city glittered on the surface of the water, mingling with the reflection of the night sky and it almost seemed as if colorful bursts of flames swam amid the stars and the rising sun.
Inuyasha pointed outward to where the sun was rising. There was majestic colors of orange, blue, purple and yellows mixing in the sky like an oil painting. Faintly, very faintly, directly above the sun, was a thin ribbon of a rainbow streaked across the sky from the night's rain.
Occasionally, Inuyasha cast glances at Kagome, sitting there beside him with raven hair tumbling over her shoulders, eyes large and sparkling in the sunlight. Despite their recent fears, he couldn't help but think that she had never looked so beautiful.
Kagome was nervous. She didn't know why- she just was. Maybe it was because she was afraid this was all a dream- that she was really back in a cell and imagining Inuyasha being there with her. She sat there silently before she looked at Inuyasha and saw such a warm, joyful smile on his face, that Kagome couldn't bring herself to be nervous anymore. And what was there to be nervous about, any ways? This was a second chance; this was where they were meant to be- the happiness they were meant to possess. This was what all the pain and anguish and loneliness of the last time- and for the others, the last life- had been for. It had been for this, for sitting outside a cluttered apartment, sitting in a uncomfortable chair, Inuyasha's hand just nearly brushing hers, waiting for her to slip her hand in.
Finally, just as Inuyasha was tensing his muscles to get up and stretch, something warm slid into his palm. He turned to find Kagome gazing up at him, her lips bending into a warm, sweet smile, her fingers wrapped tightly around his own.
"Thank you..." She murmured. "Thank you...Inuyasha..."
With the warmth of her hand in his and the cool night breeze on his cheeks, Inuyasha could only nod.
Overhead, the fading stars gleamed like silvery spots of diamonds and he had a crazy thought that maybe, if he wished on them hard enough, time would stand still, and he would be able to live in this moment forever. He would always have the warmth of his lover's hand in his own, would always have the beautiful star-flecked river whispering by and the rising sun- he would always have the weary happiness of a long, perfect day about to begin, making him feel warm and heavy and sleepy at the same time.
All too soon, however, Kagome climbed to her feet and stretched her arms high above her head. "Ready to go?" She asked him. "Don't you have work in a tiny bit?"
He stared at her for a long moment, pondering all the possible answers- he wanted nothing more than to sit here for the rest of his life, still and warm and happy, and watch the river drift by. But, that...wasn't much of a life, was it?
A slow, genuine smile crept onto his lips, and with a creak of stiff joints, he stood up.
"I am." He said, and to his surprise, he meant it. "I'm ready."
Kagome smiled with joy, her body filling with the wonders of the morning. If only every single day could be like that....with Inuyasha...it would be perfect. She would be happy always.
Suddenly, a loud knock echoed through the apartment, causing Kagome to jump and nearly knock her milk over.
Someone was at the door.
Kagome didn't know what to do. What if Inuyasha had returned for something? But wouldn't he have had a key? What if it was the demon?
Either way, she had to answer the door, as much as she protested, she had to. What if someone needed her help? Gripping the metal doorknob so tight her knuckles turned white, she twisted it around until it clicked. Pulling the door open, her heart beating wildly, she stared into the face of a woman.
The woman looked to be about in her twenties and she had dark chocolate colored hair, so dark it almost appeared black. As strange as it sounded though, when she turned in the light, it seemed to almost shine yellow. She was tall and had milky skin.
"C-Can I help you?" Kagome stuttered. Who was she? What was she doing here? Strangely...Kagome felt as if she could trust this stranger.
"Yeah, I'm here to pick up Kirara for Sango. This is Inuyasha's apartment...right?" The girl asked, her voice light and full of life.
"Yeah, it is." Kagome muttered. "Come on in and I'll find Kirara. May I ask your name?"
The woman stepped inside, smiling politely. "It's Kirara."
"No, not the cat's name, YOUR name." Kagome gave the woman a strange look before she shut the door and began to search for the tabby cat.
"No- that's my name- Kirara." The woman- Kirara- explained, sighing. "Before I met Sango she had gotten this cat and named it Kirara. Then she met me and we discovered I had the same name as the cat but that was a while ago. Sango and I have known each other for forever it seems." She chuckled now.
Kagome nodded, raising a skeptical eyebrow. No wonder this woman seemed very familiar. It made sense that the demon Kirara had been reincarnated as a human for all of the help she was to them. Sango must have found the cat and named it Kirara because of the past...but then she had met the human Kirara, the actual reincarnation.
Kirara gave Kagome a confused look. "I get the strangest feeling I've met you before..."
Kagome laughed to herself. "I get that a lot." Kirara- the cat- jumped up on the table, sniffing at Kagome's milk.
"What are you doing at Inuyasha's apartment?" Kirara questioned, settling in one of the kitchen chairs.
"I'm an old friend, I'm just staying for a bit." Kagome replied, deciding she didn't feel like lying again. "May I ask why you're picking up Kirara from Inuyasha?"
Kirara nodded, smiling before she frowned at the question. "Well, Inuyasha and I switch between who watches the cat. He gets tired of the responsibility and plus, I LOVE animals, especially cats, so I offered to watch her sometimes." She paused. "Sango doesn't have the time to watch over Kirara because she's often too wrapped up in finding her brother or dating Miroku." She laughed. "I help her look for him a lot."
Kagome took in the information solemnly. "How'd...her brother disappear? What a-about her parents?"
Kirara explained Sango's situation, along with Inuyasha's, Shippo's and Miroku's since she knew the four so well. Their conversation went through many hours, filled with laughs and brimmed with a few tears. Finally, Kagome was done asking questions and Kirara was done with talking. By now, the two felt like they had known each other forever and were long lost friends, which was true on many different levels but only Kagome knew this.
Holding the cat close against her, Kirara got up and walked through the open apartment door. "I hope to see you again! I enjoyed talking with you!" And with that said, she waved and disappeared down the hallway.
Kagome closed the door and locked it before she turned, pressing her back up against the cold wood. She slowly sank down to the floor as Kirara's words swam around in her mind.
Sango's parents died. Her brother has been missing for a while.
Hiten and Manten murdered Shippo's parents. He's an orphan.
Inuyasha's mother died, he has a brother he always fights with and a father that doesn't pay much attention to him except for a phone call four times a year.
Miroku's father died from a wound he had received in his hand. It had healed but they didn't know it had been terribly infected until it was too late.
Every situation- somehow a like. Every second- filled with the same pain- even in a new life.
It was wrong, it was horrible, and it tore Kagome apart to hear this. Why couldn't they have a new, happy life? Then it dawned on her.
It was her fault that they suffered in this life too. If she had had more strength to purify the Shikon no Tama then this demon wouldn't be after them and ruining their lives. If she hadn't had tried to hold on to them so much, trying to keep a connection between the worlds by splitting the Shikon no Tama, they could have been leading happy lives with their families. She couldn't let this demon hurt her friends anymore. She couldn't let it damage their lives further. She had to stop it. She had to. It was her fault and she decided she couldn't let Inuyasha be hurt fighting it or anyone else.
Eventually, Kagome knew she had to stop these thoughts. If she kept listening to them...Reality was sand, slipping silently through her fingers, and she had a terrible, gnawing suspicion that if she thought much more of what Kirara had said, it would all slip away and she would lose everything.
Finding some unknown strength within her, Kagome rose and wandered out onto the balcony. She stood, leaning against the railing. By now, the moon was beginning to rise to its full glory as the sky darkened. Kagome winced at her heartache- she could feel the tears building up and her mind became another mess. Everything was moving too fast. She felt dizzy as memories of the previous week flooded her memory. It was too much. She didn't know if she could handle this alone. It was too much of a shock. It seemed hopeless. Endless. Painful.
Kagome tried to blink back the tears but they were beginning to fall as she wrapped her arms around herself. She began to shake, angry at her own inability to fix things. There was so much blame on her because she had been selfish. She wanted so badly to change things- to fix them but she felt as if there wasn't anything she could do.
The wind picked up, beating against her back as it sent her hair up in a fury but she froze when something fuzzy brushed against her cheek. Blinking in surprise, a mass of baby blue hindered her vision, for a soft blanket had been wrapped around her. She didn't need to turn around to know Inuyasha was standing behind her. Another gust of wind pushed against her and Kagome almost chuckled at her own stupidity.
She didn't have to face this alone.
Inuyasha was with her. He would always be with her and he would always walk through the darkness with her. As if reassuring her, she felt his warm, callused hands run down her arms overtop of the blanket.
"Kagome." He whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up against him.
Kagome closed her eyes and leaned against Inuyasha. Having him close was driving her mad. He could set her blood to racing or make her limbs weak or leave her tired and relaxed. Her mind seemed to be panicky, fighting for some kind of reassurance. Since when had she become this dependent on someone?
"Inuyasha...?" She whispered, her words torn away in the wind.
"Yea?" He replied, his chin on her shoulder so his words were uttered into her ear.
"You're...you're never going to....what I mean is...you'll never leave me...right?" Kagome nervously questioned him.
There was an earth shattering silence as Kagome felt her body tense up with fear. And then the next thing she felt were soft lips lightly pressing against hers. She didn't dare open her eyes, as Inuyasha tasted her sweet lips- she felt like she was falling. But it didn't matter, it was an adrenaline rush and she knew Inuyasha would always be there for her- on the way down and just before she hit the bottom. She shivered as he deepened the kiss but suddenly, he was gone. Kagome opened her eyes and gazed up at him in the moonlight.
"I'll be with you always Kagome...always." He whispered, sweeping her up into another wild kiss as he led her back inside.
~*~
Kagome awoke with a start as she jerked upward in her sleep. She felt Inuyasha's arms slip down from their weak hold on her shoulders.
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest as her breath came in raggedly. Untangling herself from the bed sheets and Inuyasha's limbs, she stumbled onto the floor before she stood up tall. She straightened her drawstring pants and pulled down on her shirt nervously as her fingers shook madly. Taking one fleeting glance at Inuyasha's peacefully sleeping face, she mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before she turned her back to him. Trying not to panic, she wandered through the pitch-black apartment, attempting not to run into anything.
He was here.
For her.
Kagome didn't know how she knew but she just did.
She should have been afraid, she thought as she walked calmly to the door. She should have been terrified. This demon...this enemy was here to kill her- it was here to take her life away and make her leave her friends, her loved ones...Inuyasha. Yet, try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but a dull, painful ache in her heart.
It had to be this way.
This was the only way.
~*~
Lauren: I know...I know....I AM SO EVIL! XD