Lauren: Hey! Wow, I'm getting this one out a bit earlier than normal. See, things have been coming along slower than normal because it was slightly hard writing out the whole climax of the story. I had to get everything figured out and put in there perfectly, but now that it is over with, the last few chapters should hopefully be done sooner, as long as I don't get backed up with homework. Again, thank you for all of your support! Is it just me or are my author's notes getting shorter every chapter? Haha, I don't know! Oh and as you read through, maybe you'll notice I made a reference back to Chapter 1- Visitations.
LOOK!!! I GOT MY FIRST PIECE OF FANART EVER!! It's from the very talented MaboroshiTsuki (http:// www. fanfiction.net/ profile. php?userid= 263517 )
Please go check it out because it's very good! Here's the link (remember, remove the spaces): http:// www. geocities.com/ watergoddess415 /fanarttome
If anyone else would care to send me fanart, I'd be happy to post it on the page above. You can send it to me here: watergoddess415@cox.net Thanks!
Asilin Kheldarson- Yes we should! We want more toys! Wow, you're comment on a good morning led me to write a Fushigi Yuugi piece about good bye. Thanks!
Dincht Girl- He's cute with black and silver hair! Hmm, Sango and Miroku are already a couple in this fic, but I'll for sure have some fluff for them somewhere. Also, Kagome is old enough to adopt if she wants to. I don't remember what I said her exact age in this fic is but she is at least 18 / 19 / 20 if not a bit more possibly. –shrugs- If I get up off of my lazy butt, I'll try to calculate it all out.
Like-anyother- I LOVE the song "Concrete Angel" and I totally agree with you about "At The Beginning", that song really fits them.
Nytshad- Aw very cute Kirara story! And yes, Ayame is the wolf girl who shows up later claiming to be Kouga's fiancée. He did promise to marry her a long time ago when they were younger, under a 'moon's rainbow' but when she finds him later on, he pretends he doesn't remember. He does this because he wants revenge on Naraku for killing his clan and he doesn't know if he'll make it out alive, so he plays dumb because he doesn't want to hurt her. T_T It's so sweet- I love that episode. It's somewhere in the 80's I think
Himeko- Sorry to hear about your cat! I hope she's okay! I haven't read "Lord of the Flies" yet but I am going to have to in a few weeks. Ugh, I don't want to!
ying_fa- Yes, it is very overwhelming. It really shocks me how much support I get, I love it, but I always feel bad/guilty if I take long updating! XD I just try my best.
The Weasley- Thank you! –glomp- One day I want to write a book. I'm thinking about hopefully taking up a career as a novelist or journalist of the sort when I'm older. It will be a lot of work but I want to do it! And you guys help give me more determination!
~*~ Where Did You Go? ~*~
~By: Lauren~
-Chapter 32-
"He Sprouted Dog-ears, Isn't the Weather Nice Today?"
"I'm so hungry…I could eat a horse or even an elephant!" Kagome moaned, pushing herself weakly up in bed. Inuyasha jumped to his feet, carefully arranging her pillow to lean against the backboard of the bed, so that she could comfortably sit upward against it. For some reason, he avoided touching her.
"Slow down and take it easy. You haven't really eaten much since you've been asleep. We managed to get you to drink some water but that was mainly it." Inuyasha replied, shifting uneasily. For some reason, there seemed to be an odd tension between the two, as if they both were straining to keep up the conversation. What would happen if silence enveloped them?
After sitting uncomfortably like this for a moment, they each opened their mouths to speak.
"Ah-" They both muttered.
"Sorry, you go ahead first." Inuyasha grinned politely for once, nodding at Kagome.
"No, it's okay, you go first." Kagome answered, holding back a sigh. Why was Inuyasha being so… nice to her? Even when he was arranging her pillow for her, it was as if he was afraid to touch her, like she would break with any contact. She wasn't a glass doll.
"Keh, go ahead Kagome." Inuyasha snorted, causing some of the tension to drain slightly. Good. At least he was acting semi-normal.
"Well…" She shifted, fidgeting as she suddenly found the bed sheets interesting. "D-Did… I purify the Shikon no Tama…completely? Did my wish come true…? Is Daemon gone…? Is Darkness and Light in balance now…?"
Inuyasha nodded, his lips forming a tiny smile. "Yeah, you purified it. You kicked major ass out there. Everything is in order and Daemon's gone forever now." He chuckled and more of the tension drained. "But, are you sure you're okay? You really…scared me out there…" He trailed off, his voice disappearing in a whisper.
"I'm fine." Kagome gently whispered back to him, "I told you I could do it." Leaning forward, she rested her hand tenderly on top of his, giving it a light squeeze.
Finally, Inuyasha dove forward, pulling Kagome into a tight, gentle embrace. He leaned against the side of the bed, both of his warm, strong arms holding onto Kagome, afraid to let go. "I…I thought I was going to lose you…" He choked out, trying not to break down, which was a hard task to do. A hot teardrop broke through his barriers and it slowly made its way down his cheek until it was soaked up into Kagome's shirt.
Kagome's expression went from surprised to a softened look of understanding. Like a mother would do to a frightened child, she soothingly ran her fingers through his hair, rubbing his back while he clung onto her. "I'm sorry I scared you like that…but it's all right now…everything is over…"
Before Inuyasha could react though, a bounding ball of orange hair jumped onto the bed, causing it to shake as Shippo wiggled between the two, attaching himself to Kagome affectionately.
"I thought I heard someone talking!! You're okay! You're awake!!" Shippo squealed happily with joy, clinging onto Kagome's shirt in her stomach area while he nuzzled against her.
Smiling down at the boy, she tousled his hair playfully. "You were so brave back there Shippo!" She exclaiming, giggling quietly as he beamed up at her.
"Guess what Kagome!" He cried with excitement, nearly bouncing up and down again. "Guess what! Guess what!"
"What?" Kagome laughed at his antics, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"Everybody is gaining their memory back!! Even more now!! Bit by bit! It's coming to everybody in fragments and it's coming slowly, but at least they're remembering!" Shippo grinned proudly at being the first to tell her the big news.
Kagome blinked, the deal she had made with the higher-beings finally returning to her memory. They had promised to return the memories to her friends. At least they had held up their part of the bargain, although she wasn't quite sure whether this was a good thing or not- the returning memories, that is. Well, it wasn't like there was much else she could do, and besides, her friends wanted the memories back.
"Kagome! You're awake!!" The familiar voice of Sango exclaimed and before she could even reply, Kagome was pulled into a bone-crushing hug, which was then followed by one from Miroku.
"I'm glad you're okay now." The former-monk smiled warmly, giving Kagome a wink.
She nodded, "Me too. Thanks for everything you guys." Kagome beamed up at them, before she suddenly realized something.
Inuyasha was still in his hanyou form.
Noticing the raven-haired girl looking at his dog-ears, Inuyasha shrugged, figuring out what she was probably thinking. "I can't change back Kagome. The Shikon no Tama was purified and it disappeared…I don't have anything to seal my demon blood away with temporarily. Oh and speaking of the rings…" Digging into his pocket, he pulled out something in his hand. Opening it up, two golden rings sat next to each other in his palm.
"How…?" Kagome muttered, picking one up and turning it in the air, noting how it glittered beautifully and was identical to their previous rings, yet it didn't have the pinkish glow from before.
"Kouga found them in the garden when he was cleaning it up and Shippo was able to nab them for me when he went in for a session. I guess when the Shikon halves joined it still left behind most of the gold band from the rings. I got them fixed up for you." Taking her creamy white hand in his, he carefully slid her ring onto her ring finger. He smiled, sliding his own onto his finger. "I got mine resized too, so it fits now."
Kagome blushed, smiling back at him bashfully. Somehow, she felt as if she had fallen in love with him all over again, complete with the butterflies that filled her stomach. "Wait a minute…" She trailed off, giving the group a quizzical look. "If Shippo went to the clinic, then did you go to work looking like that…?" She pointed at Inuyasha's hanyou features.
"Keh, no! He got assigned to a new doctor since I've been gone so much. Hmph, I'm surprised they haven't even fired me yet." Inuyasha sat back in a chair, crossing his arms while Sango and Miroku looked thoughtful in the background.
"What are we going to do about this?" Miroku pointed to the hanyou features just as Kagome had previously done.
"I don't know, maybe no one will notice?" Inuyasha smirked, shrugging innocently, which was a feat in itself to pull.
Kagome smirked, clearing her throat, musing, "I mean, Naraku or Kouga ain't gonna notice! It's like, "Hey, look, Inuyasha's eye color changed! He dyed his hair white-silver too! Plus, he's conveniently sprouted dog-ears and claws! That'll keep the patients here, oh by the way, isn't the weather nice today?" Her squeaky, high-pitched voice finished mocking him.
Everybody in the room grew silent, giving Kagome an odd look.
"Did you knock your head when you fell?" Inuyasha questioned, making a banging motion with his head and his hand.
"NO!" She snorted indignantly, crossing her arms and turning her head away stubbornly. She stared out of the glass window, her eyes following the intricate design of tree branches and their green leaves. The sky was a soft, stunning shade of light blue while a few billowy clouds floated past lazily. As she stared out there, the others began to worry a bit at her silence, for they were afraid they had offended her. Kagome gasped, spinning around again so that she faced her friends while declaring, "I REMEMBER!!"
But her gasp caused them all to jump back, surprised at her sudden outburst.
"Give me a frickin' heart attack why don't you!" Inuyasha huffed, clutching at his chest.
She ignored his comment. "While I was asleep…I was dreaming…" Kagome muttered, "And I was remembering things too…the higher voices talked to me for a bit. They wanted to congratulate us and tell us that things will be in order now for a very, very long time. I remember now though!"
"Remember what?" Sango's eyes widened with interest.
"Well, if you guys remember, back in the feudal era, Inuyasha had to wear a rosary around his neck. It was a subduing spell for every time I said 'Sit'" Kagome smirked as Inuyasha visibly flinched as she said the "S" word. "Any ways, before the well was sealed, I removed the necklace from him. I kept it with me and brought it over to my world and, as you all know, the well was sealed after that. But to the whole point of this conversation, the voices told me that if Inuyasha wears the rosary, it will subdue and seal away his demon blood, since the Shikon no Tama is gone now. Then he'll return to his human appearance and everything. So he only has to wear it and he'll be human, but if he takes it off, he'll return to hanyou form and if you ask me, that might come in handy. Luckily this time though, he can remove the rosary if he wants. I don't have to be the one to take it off." Kagome finished, brushing her hands together proudly.
"That's wonderful!" Sango declared, amazed at how perfect everything was working out. Kagome had made her wish, the Shikon no Tama was purified and gone, Inuyasha had a way to return to his human form, Kagome and Inuyasha could settle down now….
"But one problem…" Kagome frowned, her brows creasing in worry.
…Maybe Sango had spoken too soon…
"The rosary is in my room…at my house…" She sighed, "You know…the shrine…with Mom and Souta…" Just the thought of returning home caused a throbbing headache to form.
"So…?" Shippo peered up at her in confusion.
Kagome shook her head, looking down at the boy as she blushed from embarrassment at what she was about to say. "That means I have to go back home to get it. I haven't been to the shrine in years. I haven't seen my mother in forever. In fact, the last time I saw her, I had to be sedated…because I tried to attack her through the glass…" She let out a bitter chuckle, memories of that 'visitation' returning. "I wouldn't mind seeing how Souta is doing though." Kagome thought to herself.
"It can't be that bad…to return home…?" Miroku gave her a questioning look but that disappeared as he received a dark glare from her. "Okay…maybe it is…" He muttered.
"But what will we do if we can't get the rosary? Inuyasha can't just stay like this…" Sango spoke up. "Kagome, if you can beat Daemon and purify the Shikon no Tama, then you can for sure stand up to your mother."
Kagome rolled her eyes, looking over at her friend. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. But…either way…I have to try, right? If not for myself, then for Inuyasha."
Everybody nodded as silence filled the air, golden sunlight cascading into the room and dancing across the white bed sheets.
"Well, I think I'll go whip up some food for you Kagome." Miroku smiled, pulling Sango along after him by her arm.
"Don't eat it! His cooking is terrible!" Sango joked, trailing after him. She stopped, looking over at Shippo. "Hey, come on! Give the two a little private time!" Laughing at the way the two blushed, Shippo bounced out of the room along with Sango, who shut the door quietly behind her.
Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. "Don't worry, you can stand up to her." He stated firmly. "I believe in you."
"Yeah, I know." Kagome nodded, content. "Thanks." With that said, Inuyasha crawl next to her on the bed, the two cuddling close to enjoy just being together.
~*~
"Oh gosh…I can't do this…" Kagome walked down the side of a busy street, approaching the entrance to the shrine that was enshrouded by green bushes and yellow flowers before she turned around and headed away from it again.
Inuyasha grabbed onto her shoulders, stopping her before she could try to run away. "Yes, you can." He stared into her eyes, scowling, a black baseball cap pulled down over his dog-ears.
"I can't! She hates me! She'll send me back to the clinic when she sees me out! I just…I can't go back in there! There are too many memories I don't want to think about there." She wiggled in his grasp, punching at him lightly while a lingering smile graced Inuyasha's lips. For a brief moment, Kagome forget about her challenging task and smiled back softly, sidestepping people that were rushing by. Then, a thought struck her.
The crowd was still there, but they were no longer alone.
Looking up at Inuyasha, Kagome let out her breath before inhaling deeply. "Okay…let's go get this over with…"
~*~
Kikyo grumbled as she poked her food with her chopsticks. Glancing over at Souta, whom was happily munching away, she growled angrily, glaring at his cheerful mood.
The boy felt her eyes burning into him and so he turned, looking back at her with an equally furious glare.
Kikyo glowered, making a face at him.
"Moooooooooooooom!!! Kagome's being scary again!! MAKE HER STOOOOPPP!!" Souta cried, yelling at his mother who was busy in the kitchen.
"Kagome, STOP SCARING YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!" She yelled out to her supposed 'daughter'. Ever since the girl had arrived, she knew something was up. This was not her Kagome and yet, there was nothing she could do to figure out where her real daughter was. Whatever was going on, she wished it would stop soon.
Kikyo sunk into her chair, wishing that she could be ANYWHERE but HERE.
Suddenly, there came a timid knock from the front door.
Kikyo lunged at her chance to get away from the family for at least a few seconds. "I've got it!" She called, hopping up to her feet and dashing to the door. Sliding it open, her jaw dropped as she saw whom it was.
Kagome and Inuyasha both wore equally shocked expressions. "K-Kikyo…?" She stuttered, letting out her breath. At least her mom hadn't been the one to answer the door.
"THANK GOD IT'S YOU!" Kikyo cried out in joy, for once a huge smile breaking wide across her face. "I'm going to go, now that you're back and everything. See you!!!" She shot back in the house quickly, grabbing a few of her things before she bounded out the door and down the street. The whole she was muttering under her breath, "I'm free! I'm free! I'm finally free!"
Giving each other a perplexed look, Inuyasha and Kagome both turned back to the open doorway, not quite sure what to do now or how to respond to what they had just witnessed. Maybe Kikyo needed a trip back to the nut house…
"Kagome dear, who's at the door?" A quiet voice called down the hallway before a shadowed figure abruptly appeared in the doorway. It was her mother, still as tall as her daughter with curly chocolate brown-black hair that was now streaked with some gray while a few wrinkles graced her face.
"Hi…mom…" Kagome muttered nervously, lifting her hand in the air to give her a feeble wave. "I'm back…?" She forced a smile on her face; waiting for whatever reaction her mother would have in store for her.