A/N: I have to admit these few chapters have been highly inspired by graphic novels 3 + 4. Not exactly sure how, though, except that they make sense in my mind. PLEASE review – it's one of the only reasons I keep writing. All private comments to: animeangel2007@yahoo.com.
Summary: Feh. Hard to explain. Just continued from the last chapter. I guess this is more for my enjoyment than anyone else's because no one reviewed. ;-; ::sad.:: You guys perk up and review, and I promise to write more.
Rating: PG (PG-13 later?)
FOR ALL FUTURE REFERENCE – I DO NOT OWN INU-YASHA, KAGOME, SOTA, SHIPPO, MIROKU, SANGO, SESSHO-MARU OR MYOGA! IT ALL BELONGS TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI!!!! *sob*
11/26/02
CHAPTER 2Kagome was tucking Sota into his bed. She kissed his forehead, and turned off the light.
"Kagome?" his voice echoed in the hush.
"What?" Kagome giggled. Sota sat up in his bed.
"Could you plug in the night light?" She sighed, and reluctantly plugged it in. The glow was a soft orange, comforting and warm. Kagome looked at it grimly; she had hated being afraid of the dark. When she was younger, it had been her greatest fear. Every night, she would hear loud thumps inside her ear, like the beat of a drum. She would run into her parents' room, shrieking and howling, sobbing dramatically. It was all quite a scene. Her parents… well, they were never entirely pleased with their beauty sleep interruptions.
She kissed her brother again, and shut the door. The lock clicked. Kagome gripped the doorknob, and tried to twist it; it wouldn't open! She became a bit worried and bit her lip, especially from all her experience with demons. The flesh mask had come after her because she had the shards in a bottle on her desk. Kagome punched the door, praying it would work.
"Owwww," she whined, rubbing her now sore and red knuckles. She kicked it. Again, the door wouldn't budge. Kagome slipped her hand inside her pajama pocket. The shards were gone! She assumed she must've dropped them inside Sota's room – but she couldn't get in. Exasperated by this point, she ran downstairs and set the ladder against the house, trying to climb in the window. Inside, a creature was drifting through the air: a demon.
Suddenly, she got afraid; Inuyasha wouldn't be there to save her this time. He was trapped somewhere in the feudal ages, and most likely, perfectly happy about it. Of course, she was only worried about the safety of Sota for the moment, and punched the glass.
"God, why can't these things work?!" she grumbled angrily. Kagome gulped, and motioned to her frightened brother. As usual, he was sitting in his bed, looking curiously at the demon, as though innocent of everything that had ever happened. Hopefully, he would snap out of his frozen stiff state, and unlock the window. She tapped the glass with her sharp fingernail, over and over again, trying to drive the demon's attention away from Sota.
The demon opened its eyes: pale green, and alas, they were only thin slits on each side of his head. Multiple arms dangled from every direction, branching off like a tree's limbs. It blended in perfectly with the darkness, and was a pitch-black color. Slender in it's build, it resembled a serpent in Kagome's eyes, the type she had always read about. It would be difficult to defeat, and unlike some demons, was very agile and fit. She watched it's movements through the window, aggravation growing inside her chest.
She was sick of being helpless. When she had been with Inuyasha, all he had called her was useless and pathetic. Kagome knew her time was running out and that the regular circumstances did not apply anymore – and she didn't care to follow rules. She ran to her grandfather's study, where she found a huge text book laid on his desk.
Clutter surrounded her immediately, and a couple of papers fell from high shelves. She flicked the light switch and dug through every scrap of information she could find. She needed to release Inuyasha, even if he would be mad at her for the remainder of her life. Or even if she had a remainder after this adventure was over.
~
He stamped his foot hard into the ground. Grumbling, Inuyasha jumped to the mouth of the well. His once-beautiful outfit was now completely covered in mud and dirt. It was caked dry, and plant parts were stuck in his silver hair.
God, Kagome. He thought to himself and shivered. If you never wanted me to touch you again, you could've just told me! Inuyasha's mind turned the situation over and over – again and again. There was only one way to see it: Kagome hated him with every shred of flesh in her body.
The body he had wished so much to hold tight to his chest. To kiss on cool winter nights, and feel every inch of. A pang hit him painfully in the chest. His body fumed at her ignorance of him. The loss of his Kagome was too painful to bear.
~
Kagome's grandfather sat up in bed. He walked to his study room and opened the oak door. Carefully, so it wouldn't squeak.
"Kagome!" he cried. She jumped back in surprise at her grandfather's voice. Of all things, she hadn't expected him to wake up. She had done everything in her power so that it wouldn't happen.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he hollered in agony. All of his neatly organized clutter had now been scattered everywhere possible across the span of the room. He ran around, quickly picking up papers and putting them in there 'organized' place.
"I-I…" Kagome's voice faltered. She looked down at the carpet. Her cheeks became a rusty red and tears watered in her eyes, waiting in anticipation to fall down her chin and splatter on her grandfather's desk.
"I need Inuyasha to come back," she said finally, lifting her face to meet her grandfather's steady gaze. Her tone was firm, not questioning and not obeying – it was an order. She gulped.
"Fine. The spell's right there…" her grandfather said, shrugging. He pointed to a large volume on the shelves. "I don't want to control you… Go ahead, yes, take it… It's the right one, don't worry…" Kagome looked at her grandfather in surprise, and in her astonishment, ran to his frail body and hugged it close to her.
"Ohhh, thank you, Grandpa!" she wailed, tears trickling in happiness. "I promise you won't regret it!" Her grandfather mumbled something about that never being possible after she dashed out of the room and to the well.
~
Kagome breathed hard as her trembling fingers ran along the lines of ancient text. She closed her eyes and recited them. When she opened them again, the boulder was gone. Her eyes leaked tears of delight. Without further adieu, she jumped down the well.
~
Inuyasha sat in a boiling hot bathtub, soaking in all of its warmth. She didn't love him, that much was confirmed. If he couldn't just ignore her, he'd move onward and court other girls. Still, in his mind, he wondered if any woman could be as wonderful as Kagome. His eyes remained shut in concentration.
He heard the door to the bathroom slam. He opened his honey-golden eyes in a sharp reflex. Before him stood an embarrassed Kagome in her pajamas.
"Ooops…" she giggled. "Sorry, Inu-kun…" She left the room as quickly as she had entered. He could still hear the tapping of her foot as she waited for him to finish. Inuyasha blinked in amazement, and dried himself. He found a fresh pair of clothes, and looked at her innocently.
~
"Aren't you going to scream at me?" Kagome asked patiently. "About how much you want to kill me?" He shook his head. His hair was now tousled and cascaded down his back, two large strands in front of his ears. Inuyasha winced at her last comments.
"No, I'm not." He paused. "Why did you block the well, though?" Maturity rang through his voice, and Kagome was utterly shocked. The previous Inuyasha she knew would've beaten her to a pulp and then asked a couple of questions – all getting the same importance and attention.
"I didn't," she countered truthfully. "My grandfather did." Inuyasha's eyebrows rose.
"C'mere, wench," Inuyasha said, opening his arms to her. She obeyed respectfully and silently. "Are you P.M.S.-ing or something??? Or have I just had a dream?" Kagome gasped, enraged.
"HOW DARE YOU!!!" she screamed at him. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN!!!" Kagome thought of her average argument with Inuyasha, and agreed this one should be just the same.
"SIT!!!" Kagome yelled. "SIT DOWN NOW, BOY!!!" Inuyasha's body was flung to the ground in an invisible force. The crash woke the entire village and when the dust had cleared, Inuyasha's eyes were spinning out of control. He looked up at her, rubbing his sore head.
"Owww…" he whined, still rubbing his head. "You should know by now that I notice every change in your scent…" She blushed a weak crimson, not wanting to know what he meant. Nosiness took over.
"What?" she asked, suddenly intimidated.
"I said that I notice every change in your scent." A faint shiver went through Kagome's body, and it wasn't one of shock. She had known Inuyasha could smell her, what with his brilliant nose, but that he could tell when she… Kagome didn't want to think about it; it was too embarrassing. Inside her gut, she felt a warm, tingly feeling – one that she hadn't felt for a long while.
"Inu…" Kagome murmured softly. "I thought you said my scent was more of a stench…" She fidgeted with her fingers nervously.
"Ahmmm… You don't want to know, Kagome…" he muttered, now embarrassed and scratching the back of his silky head. Suddenly, she threw her arms around him, her eyes closed. Her voice muffled against his robe, she weep in his arms.
"I'm so sorry for not coming back sooner, Inuyasha!" she sniveled, tears ebbing from the corners of her eyes again. She wrinkled her nose, sniffing. "I didn't know how to open the well, I swear it!" He stroked her fragrant black hair and smoothed it softly. Inuyasha shushed her when his slender finger touched her peachy lips.