Chapter 9
Broken Hearts Need Time to Heal
"You WHAT?!?!"
"I already told you, houshi. I'm leaving tomorrow to be with Kikyo... and I intend on taking the Shikon no Tama with me."
Miroku put his hands on his hips. "Why?" he asked. "Why are you leaving us like this? Kikyo has shown up many times, Inuyasha-chan. Why was this time so different for the miko to convince you to go with her?"
The hanyou mumbled something under his breath and bowed his head down so his eyes were hidden in shadow.
The houshi shook his head and just walked away; the rings on his staff clinking.
Inuyasha turned around to go the other way, and bumped into Sango, Shippou, and Kirarra. They were all glaring at him.
"So you've heard." He commented dryly.
Instead of answering him, the three just brushed past, following Miroku.
Inuyasha sighed sadly and walked in the other direction, to just be alone.
The leaves on the path crunched under the hanyou's feet as he mindlessly wandered around the forest. The sun, by now, had set, and he could smell dinner. However, the hanyou knew that it would be best to avoid his friends right then... it would probably be safer too!
As he was guided by the light of the moon, Inuyasha made his way through the familiar woods, until...
There it was- the one thing in the whole world that meant the most to him- that held the most sentimentality- the Goshinboku tree.
Inuyasha walked over to it slowly. I had been a while since he had been there... and as he approached, a strange feeling of calmness drifted over him.
He sat down at the base of the tree and leaned his head against it, closing his eyes.
"So I see you've found me again."
Inuyasha nearly leapt out of his skin when he heard that familiar voice call to him. Looking to the other side of the tree, he spotted Kagome.
Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her school uniform was slightly torn. Her neck was starting to bruise from where Kikyo had gripped it, and there was a hole ripped in her sleeve where the arrow had been.
The hanyou knew he had to say something... anything. So he did.
"Kagome, I-"
"Just leave me alone."
"But-"
"I'm not talking to you."
"Kagome?"
"WHAT?!"
"I'm sorry."
Kagome, even though seething from her anger and hurt, softened a little when she heard what he had said.
"You might be sorry, but that's not gunna change what I heard and saw, is it?"
Inuyasha looked at the ground. "No, guess not..."
"What is it about Kikyo that makes her so irresistible?"
"WHAT?"
"You heard me. I know you love Kikyo, Inuyasha... so what are your reasons then? You must have some..."
Inuyasha blushed. What the hell was he supposed to tell her? So he adapted to the situation the Inuyasha way.
"It's none of your damn business."
Kagome crossed her arms. "Oh really? Well then fine. What if I go hook up with Kouga then?"
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" he cried. "KOUGA?! But... why?!"
Kagome glared at him. "It's none of your damn business."
The hanyou sighed and shook his head; defeated by his own comeback.
Kagome still had not once looked at Inuyasha. She wouldn't be able to stay mad at him if she looked into his eyes... his deep, golden eyes...
Inuyasha was in a slight panic. He had to make up with Kagome, and he had to do it fast... The last thing he wanted to do was end a good friendship with a bad fight.
Friendship.
The word stuck out in Inuyasha's mind. Was that all they were? Just friends? It was so weird to think about Kagome like that, but he never wanted to admit it... so what would you call someone who's more than a best friend, but not your lover?
They're your soul mate, that's what. Came the little voice inside Inuyasha's head.
The hanyou cocked his head at the thought. Was Kagome his soul mate?
Meanwhile, the mortal was rambling on about how pissed off she had been at Kikyo. When she saw Inuyasha wasn't listening, she frowned.
"You don't even care."
"What?" The hanyou jumped; startled by the abrupt outburst.
Kagome just looked at him and her bottom lip quivered.
Inuyasha winced inwardly when Kagome's eyes filled with tears. Why was it that he always made the poor girl cry?!
"Kagome, don't cry..."
Kagome glared at him. "Don't cry? Don't cry?! I have every RIGHT to cry! After what I had to see?! You and Kikyo just practically made out right in front of me! What the hell was I supposed to do? Just shrug and look away as that bitch of a miko stole you away from me?! You have no idea what that's like, Inuyasha! And I'm starting to think that you don't even care! It didn't bother you, did it?! You were with Kikyo; how could I forget?!" At this point, her voice grew quieter and more controlled.
"The miko makes up for her evilness with her beauty, so I guess that's all ok to you... as long as you're with your soul mate, then I really have no right to try and stop you, or talk you out of it... I'm just Kagome the stupid girl, Kagome the weak mortal... and my personal favorite, Kikyo's reincarnation! And I guess that's all I'll ever be!"
At this point, Inuyasha was so shocked by Kagome's words that he couldn't even talk. So, in the heat of the moment, the hanyou totally and completely snapped out of character. He grasped Kagome's shoulders roughly, leaned in... and kissed her!
Kagome thought her heart had stopped beating the second she felt her lips against Inuyasha's. After so long... many lonely nights had paid off... and one of her dearest and wildest dreams had come true.
However, it was all too wonderful for Kagome. In fact, it seemed too good to be true...
As they parted, Inuyasha gazed into Kagome's eyes. Hers were full of surprise... and some other emotion.... the hanyou did not know what it was, exactly, but he was about to find out...
Kagome snapped out of her "trance", raised her hand... and slapped Inuyasha hard across the face!
The hanyou almost fell backwards from the force of the hard hit. He steadied himself and sat back in shock; one hand laying behind him on the ground to support his weight, and the other rested on his sore cheek where Kagome had struck him.
The mortal was shaking and she slid away from Inuyasha. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she cried.
Inuyasha gulped, trying to regain use of his voice.
"K-Kagome..."
"NO! How could you do this to me?! You make me think you might like me, and then totally betray me to be with Kikyo... and then you come back to me and screw around with my emotions and feelings!"
The hanyou gasped. Kagome was taking it all the wrong way.
"How can you just kiss me like that?! Do you really think that I have no feelings?! Do you think that you can just USE me like a pet?!"
Inuyasha removed the hand from his cheek and reached out to Kagome.
"No!" he exclaimed. "You've got it all wrong, Kagome! My actions were..."
"The easiest method to fixing your problem with me and Kikyo... can't choose just one, so why not pick both, right? Don't act like I'm so stupid... I heard you a long time ago when you were talking about that with Miroku and Shippou, remember?"
Inuyasha was speechless as Kagome rose to her feet and turned to leave. However, before she walked away, she stared down at the hanyou with sad eyes.
"I thought you might have really cared for me, Inuyasha." She said. "But I guess I was wrong to think that you would actually choose me over Kikyo."
Kagome suddenly tossed the Shikon no Tama at the hanyou. "Here. Take the stupid jewel. I don't have any use for it anymore... so just keep it- you got your way after all."
With that, she started to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Have a nice life with Kikyo! I'm sure she'll like it when you use the Shikon no Tama to turn into a human for her!"
Inuyasha stared after her, his mind and body frozen; the Shikon no Tama in his hand. When she was out of sight and back at the campsite with Sango, Shippou, Miroku, and Kirarra, the hanyou was able to recover. He just let himself fell backwards onto the ground and looked up into the sky in despair. He had finally revealed his feelings for Kagome... and she had rejected him.
"How did it go so wrong?!" he cried out to the stars.
But to his dismay, even they seemed to dim at the sound of his voice. The world was against him, he knew... so Inuyasha climbed up into the Goshinboku tree with the jewel and sat there all night long, spending the last night he would have with his friends- alone.
"You WHAT?!?!"
"I already told you, houshi. I'm leaving tomorrow to be with Kikyo... and I intend on taking the Shikon no Tama with me."
Miroku put his hands on his hips. "Why?" he asked. "Why are you leaving us like this? Kikyo has shown up many times, Inuyasha-chan. Why was this time so different for the miko to convince you to go with her?"
The hanyou mumbled something under his breath and bowed his head down so his eyes were hidden in shadow.
The houshi shook his head and just walked away; the rings on his staff clinking.
Inuyasha turned around to go the other way, and bumped into Sango, Shippou, and Kirarra. They were all glaring at him.
"So you've heard." He commented dryly.
Instead of answering him, the three just brushed past, following Miroku.
Inuyasha sighed sadly and walked in the other direction, to just be alone.
The leaves on the path crunched under the hanyou's feet as he mindlessly wandered around the forest. The sun, by now, had set, and he could smell dinner. However, the hanyou knew that it would be best to avoid his friends right then... it would probably be safer too!
As he was guided by the light of the moon, Inuyasha made his way through the familiar woods, until...
There it was- the one thing in the whole world that meant the most to him- that held the most sentimentality- the Goshinboku tree.
Inuyasha walked over to it slowly. I had been a while since he had been there... and as he approached, a strange feeling of calmness drifted over him.
He sat down at the base of the tree and leaned his head against it, closing his eyes.
"So I see you've found me again."
Inuyasha nearly leapt out of his skin when he heard that familiar voice call to him. Looking to the other side of the tree, he spotted Kagome.
Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her school uniform was slightly torn. Her neck was starting to bruise from where Kikyo had gripped it, and there was a hole ripped in her sleeve where the arrow had been.
The hanyou knew he had to say something... anything. So he did.
"Kagome, I-"
"Just leave me alone."
"But-"
"I'm not talking to you."
"Kagome?"
"WHAT?!"
"I'm sorry."
Kagome, even though seething from her anger and hurt, softened a little when she heard what he had said.
"You might be sorry, but that's not gunna change what I heard and saw, is it?"
Inuyasha looked at the ground. "No, guess not..."
"What is it about Kikyo that makes her so irresistible?"
"WHAT?"
"You heard me. I know you love Kikyo, Inuyasha... so what are your reasons then? You must have some..."
Inuyasha blushed. What the hell was he supposed to tell her? So he adapted to the situation the Inuyasha way.
"It's none of your damn business."
Kagome crossed her arms. "Oh really? Well then fine. What if I go hook up with Kouga then?"
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" he cried. "KOUGA?! But... why?!"
Kagome glared at him. "It's none of your damn business."
The hanyou sighed and shook his head; defeated by his own comeback.
Kagome still had not once looked at Inuyasha. She wouldn't be able to stay mad at him if she looked into his eyes... his deep, golden eyes...
Inuyasha was in a slight panic. He had to make up with Kagome, and he had to do it fast... The last thing he wanted to do was end a good friendship with a bad fight.
Friendship.
The word stuck out in Inuyasha's mind. Was that all they were? Just friends? It was so weird to think about Kagome like that, but he never wanted to admit it... so what would you call someone who's more than a best friend, but not your lover?
They're your soul mate, that's what. Came the little voice inside Inuyasha's head.
The hanyou cocked his head at the thought. Was Kagome his soul mate?
Meanwhile, the mortal was rambling on about how pissed off she had been at Kikyo. When she saw Inuyasha wasn't listening, she frowned.
"You don't even care."
"What?" The hanyou jumped; startled by the abrupt outburst.
Kagome just looked at him and her bottom lip quivered.
Inuyasha winced inwardly when Kagome's eyes filled with tears. Why was it that he always made the poor girl cry?!
"Kagome, don't cry..."
Kagome glared at him. "Don't cry? Don't cry?! I have every RIGHT to cry! After what I had to see?! You and Kikyo just practically made out right in front of me! What the hell was I supposed to do? Just shrug and look away as that bitch of a miko stole you away from me?! You have no idea what that's like, Inuyasha! And I'm starting to think that you don't even care! It didn't bother you, did it?! You were with Kikyo; how could I forget?!" At this point, her voice grew quieter and more controlled.
"The miko makes up for her evilness with her beauty, so I guess that's all ok to you... as long as you're with your soul mate, then I really have no right to try and stop you, or talk you out of it... I'm just Kagome the stupid girl, Kagome the weak mortal... and my personal favorite, Kikyo's reincarnation! And I guess that's all I'll ever be!"
At this point, Inuyasha was so shocked by Kagome's words that he couldn't even talk. So, in the heat of the moment, the hanyou totally and completely snapped out of character. He grasped Kagome's shoulders roughly, leaned in... and kissed her!
Kagome thought her heart had stopped beating the second she felt her lips against Inuyasha's. After so long... many lonely nights had paid off... and one of her dearest and wildest dreams had come true.
However, it was all too wonderful for Kagome. In fact, it seemed too good to be true...
As they parted, Inuyasha gazed into Kagome's eyes. Hers were full of surprise... and some other emotion.... the hanyou did not know what it was, exactly, but he was about to find out...
Kagome snapped out of her "trance", raised her hand... and slapped Inuyasha hard across the face!
The hanyou almost fell backwards from the force of the hard hit. He steadied himself and sat back in shock; one hand laying behind him on the ground to support his weight, and the other rested on his sore cheek where Kagome had struck him.
The mortal was shaking and she slid away from Inuyasha. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she cried.
Inuyasha gulped, trying to regain use of his voice.
"K-Kagome..."
"NO! How could you do this to me?! You make me think you might like me, and then totally betray me to be with Kikyo... and then you come back to me and screw around with my emotions and feelings!"
The hanyou gasped. Kagome was taking it all the wrong way.
"How can you just kiss me like that?! Do you really think that I have no feelings?! Do you think that you can just USE me like a pet?!"
Inuyasha removed the hand from his cheek and reached out to Kagome.
"No!" he exclaimed. "You've got it all wrong, Kagome! My actions were..."
"The easiest method to fixing your problem with me and Kikyo... can't choose just one, so why not pick both, right? Don't act like I'm so stupid... I heard you a long time ago when you were talking about that with Miroku and Shippou, remember?"
Inuyasha was speechless as Kagome rose to her feet and turned to leave. However, before she walked away, she stared down at the hanyou with sad eyes.
"I thought you might have really cared for me, Inuyasha." She said. "But I guess I was wrong to think that you would actually choose me over Kikyo."
Kagome suddenly tossed the Shikon no Tama at the hanyou. "Here. Take the stupid jewel. I don't have any use for it anymore... so just keep it- you got your way after all."
With that, she started to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Have a nice life with Kikyo! I'm sure she'll like it when you use the Shikon no Tama to turn into a human for her!"
Inuyasha stared after her, his mind and body frozen; the Shikon no Tama in his hand. When she was out of sight and back at the campsite with Sango, Shippou, Miroku, and Kirarra, the hanyou was able to recover. He just let himself fell backwards onto the ground and looked up into the sky in despair. He had finally revealed his feelings for Kagome... and she had rejected him.
"How did it go so wrong?!" he cried out to the stars.
But to his dismay, even they seemed to dim at the sound of his voice. The world was against him, he knew... so Inuyasha climbed up into the Goshinboku tree with the jewel and sat there all night long, spending the last night he would have with his friends- alone.