Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Bring me to Life! I do own Toki and
Raia AND this story so don't steal it ^.^
Author's Update 12/8/03 TRIUMPH! I have finished editing all the existing chapters! However, I've lost the rest of my Inuyasha inspiration... Gomen!
An: Thank you, once again, to my wonderful friends for inspiration.
Chapter 4
Raia yawned and rested her hands on her knees, looking out over the fields from the hill. The sun had just disappeared from view, and everybody was bedding down. Raia knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, so she had come up onto the hill.
Songs that she loved to sing ricocheted around the inside of her head, and her eyes began to glaze over dreamily. The wind tossed her hair and she closed her eyes, feeling it bathe her tired eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she felt Inuyasha sit down next to her on the ground. She didn't say anything, but she put her hand on his.
Inuyasha looked at her with surprise and gazed into her eyes.
One song that Raia enjoyed popped into her mind right then and she began to sing in a dreamy, high, majestic voice. "How can you see into my eyes like open doors, leading you down into my core where I've become so numb? Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold until you find it there and lead it back home. Wake me up inside, wake me up inside, call my name and save me from the dark. Bid my blood to run before I come undone. Save the nothing I've become..."
Inuyasha was awed by the song and Raia's amazing voice. He was rather breathless. "Raia..."
Raia sighed and made movements to stand up, but Inuyasha pulled her back down. "I heard you talking to Toki today... You know, about me and everything..." He caught her gaze again. "You see, I'm not much of a romantic guy so this is hard for me. Kikyo was a mistake and I was a fool to hold onto her for so long. Kagome..." He trailed off.
Raia listened carefully, still aware that her hand was on Inuyasha's. "But you can't just forget about them... You have to consider Kagome's feelings."
"No."
Inuyasha and Raia jumped apart and turned to see Kagome. "What?"
"Inuyasha..." Tears were in Kagome's eyes. "I love you, Inuyasha, and I understand that love fades away... You can love whom you want, I don't care! Be who you want to be, I can't change anything!" She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked across the fields. "I suppose I could love Nailu..."
"WHAT?!" Raia exclaimed, jumping up. "Nailu? Where did you see him? What did he look like? Did he have a gem? Did he have short black hair?"
Inuyasha grasped Raia's arm and she tried to jerk away. Her family always came before romance. "Calm down!" Inuyasha pulled her back down into a sitting position.
"He's a traveler, so I don't know where he is right now. As for the gem? Yes, he had it. Nailu showed me everything... I hope to see him again... I could love him as a replacement for you, Inuyasha."
"Well I suppose there are two reasons to look for him now," Raia muttered. She felt restless.
Inuyasha took Raia's hand again. Raia looked up and noticed that his eyes were troubled.
"Well, I'm going to bed now. Good night." Kagome hurriedly walked back to the camp.
Raia moved closer to Inuyasha and put her arm around his back. "Inuyasha...?"
"What?" Inuyasha peered down, pleased to feel her body pressed up against him, but nervous all the same. He wondered if loving Raia really was the right thing.
"Will you ki-"
"Raaaaaia, Inuyaaaaaaaasha! Story time!" Shippo called.
"We'll pass, thanks!" Inuyasha called. He looked back at Raia, afraid to ask what she had just said. ~She wasn't going to ask me to kiss her, was she?~
"Anyway, I was saying... Will you kill that gigantic beetle over there? It's creeping me out." Raia pointed.
Inuyasha crumpled with relief and stuck his leg out, squashing the bug. "A tough girl like you is afraid of bugs?" he inquired skeptically.
"No, not afraid... I rather like bugs, but that one was a demon." She grinned when Inuyasha regarded her with surprise. "You're so handsome," she whispered, reaching up and tracing his jaw with a finger.
Inuyasha blinked, surprised again. "Raia!" He protested. He suddenly felt a tear drop onto his hand. "Raia, what's wrong?"
Raia stood up and faced away from him. "I can't love you."
"What?! Why?" Inuyasha leaped up. "You can love whomever you want!"
"No, Inuyasha... It's not that I CAN'T love you, it's more like I want you to be happy. Inuyasha, I can't give you anything! I'm just a poor girl looking for her lost family. Kagome, on the other hand-"
"What does this have to do with Kagome?" Inuyasha roared.
Raia dropped her eyes to the ground, still facing away from Inuyasha.
"She loves Nailu, doesn't she?!" Raia didn't respond. "Doesn't she?!"
"Inuyasha, the only reason she said she would love Nailu is because she wants to get her mind off of you. It has been nice, Inuyasha. I have felt love, yes, but... Kagome and you are meant to be together. It's destiny." (An: And I think people would kill me if Kagome and Inuyasha weren't together. Originally this was going to be Raia/Inuyasha, but I love Kagome/Inuyasha too much to break them apart!)
Inuyasha hugged Raia from behind. "But Raia..."
"Tell me the truth... Don't you love Kagome?" Raia bit her lip until it bled to keep from crying.
Inuyasha paused and thought for a moment. Flashes of the past flew before his eyes. "Yes, but... Raia I don't want to hurt you!"
Raia sighed and pulled away. "I don't feel pain. Besides, all you felt for me was sympathy." She turned and gently kissed Inuyasha on the cheek. Then she wandered back down the hill to the camp and got ready to sleep.
Inuyasha stood, stunned, on top of the hill. It had ended so quickly, but he knew it was for the better. Suddenly he had the strongest urge to see Kagome. 'She was right. Sympathy is a new emotion for me. I must have mistaken it for love.'
***
Kagome awoke early in the morning before everybody else and jumped when she saw Inuyasha lying next to her. His arm was wrapped around her waist protectively, and his ears were alert. "Inuyasha..? What happened to Raia?"
Inuyasha opened his eyes in a flash. "What?"
"What about Raia?"
Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his eyes. "She realized that we are meant to be together and said so."
Kagome smiled amusedly. "We're meant to be together?"
Inuyasha blushed furiously. "Of course not, I was just saying that!" He was being sarcastic, of course, but Kagome sat him anyway. He fell back asleep.
Kagome stared at his sleeping form and felt tears come to her eyes. "He's mine, mine, mine! And nobody will take him from me! Finally!" She leaned down and hugged him.
Looking around the camp, Kagome noticed Miroku lying on his back and snoring. Shippo had his tail wrapped around his small body. Raia was curled up in her blanket, and Toki wasn't there.
"Ohayo, Kagome-san." Toki greeted from behind her, adjusting the obi on her red kimono.
Kagome smiled. "Ohayo, how are you? Did you sleep well?"
"Fine, yes, thank you."
Kagome stoked the fire and began to cook some rice for breakfast.
And so another day of searching for the shikon no tama and Raia's parents ensued.
An: Writer's block! I couldn't finish the chapter! Oh well, I hope you're all glad that it turned out to be Kagome+Inuyasha!
Author's Update 12/8/03 TRIUMPH! I have finished editing all the existing chapters! However, I've lost the rest of my Inuyasha inspiration... Gomen!
An: Thank you, once again, to my wonderful friends for inspiration.
Chapter 4
Raia yawned and rested her hands on her knees, looking out over the fields from the hill. The sun had just disappeared from view, and everybody was bedding down. Raia knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, so she had come up onto the hill.
Songs that she loved to sing ricocheted around the inside of her head, and her eyes began to glaze over dreamily. The wind tossed her hair and she closed her eyes, feeling it bathe her tired eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she felt Inuyasha sit down next to her on the ground. She didn't say anything, but she put her hand on his.
Inuyasha looked at her with surprise and gazed into her eyes.
One song that Raia enjoyed popped into her mind right then and she began to sing in a dreamy, high, majestic voice. "How can you see into my eyes like open doors, leading you down into my core where I've become so numb? Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold until you find it there and lead it back home. Wake me up inside, wake me up inside, call my name and save me from the dark. Bid my blood to run before I come undone. Save the nothing I've become..."
Inuyasha was awed by the song and Raia's amazing voice. He was rather breathless. "Raia..."
Raia sighed and made movements to stand up, but Inuyasha pulled her back down. "I heard you talking to Toki today... You know, about me and everything..." He caught her gaze again. "You see, I'm not much of a romantic guy so this is hard for me. Kikyo was a mistake and I was a fool to hold onto her for so long. Kagome..." He trailed off.
Raia listened carefully, still aware that her hand was on Inuyasha's. "But you can't just forget about them... You have to consider Kagome's feelings."
"No."
Inuyasha and Raia jumped apart and turned to see Kagome. "What?"
"Inuyasha..." Tears were in Kagome's eyes. "I love you, Inuyasha, and I understand that love fades away... You can love whom you want, I don't care! Be who you want to be, I can't change anything!" She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked across the fields. "I suppose I could love Nailu..."
"WHAT?!" Raia exclaimed, jumping up. "Nailu? Where did you see him? What did he look like? Did he have a gem? Did he have short black hair?"
Inuyasha grasped Raia's arm and she tried to jerk away. Her family always came before romance. "Calm down!" Inuyasha pulled her back down into a sitting position.
"He's a traveler, so I don't know where he is right now. As for the gem? Yes, he had it. Nailu showed me everything... I hope to see him again... I could love him as a replacement for you, Inuyasha."
"Well I suppose there are two reasons to look for him now," Raia muttered. She felt restless.
Inuyasha took Raia's hand again. Raia looked up and noticed that his eyes were troubled.
"Well, I'm going to bed now. Good night." Kagome hurriedly walked back to the camp.
Raia moved closer to Inuyasha and put her arm around his back. "Inuyasha...?"
"What?" Inuyasha peered down, pleased to feel her body pressed up against him, but nervous all the same. He wondered if loving Raia really was the right thing.
"Will you ki-"
"Raaaaaia, Inuyaaaaaaaasha! Story time!" Shippo called.
"We'll pass, thanks!" Inuyasha called. He looked back at Raia, afraid to ask what she had just said. ~She wasn't going to ask me to kiss her, was she?~
"Anyway, I was saying... Will you kill that gigantic beetle over there? It's creeping me out." Raia pointed.
Inuyasha crumpled with relief and stuck his leg out, squashing the bug. "A tough girl like you is afraid of bugs?" he inquired skeptically.
"No, not afraid... I rather like bugs, but that one was a demon." She grinned when Inuyasha regarded her with surprise. "You're so handsome," she whispered, reaching up and tracing his jaw with a finger.
Inuyasha blinked, surprised again. "Raia!" He protested. He suddenly felt a tear drop onto his hand. "Raia, what's wrong?"
Raia stood up and faced away from him. "I can't love you."
"What?! Why?" Inuyasha leaped up. "You can love whomever you want!"
"No, Inuyasha... It's not that I CAN'T love you, it's more like I want you to be happy. Inuyasha, I can't give you anything! I'm just a poor girl looking for her lost family. Kagome, on the other hand-"
"What does this have to do with Kagome?" Inuyasha roared.
Raia dropped her eyes to the ground, still facing away from Inuyasha.
"She loves Nailu, doesn't she?!" Raia didn't respond. "Doesn't she?!"
"Inuyasha, the only reason she said she would love Nailu is because she wants to get her mind off of you. It has been nice, Inuyasha. I have felt love, yes, but... Kagome and you are meant to be together. It's destiny." (An: And I think people would kill me if Kagome and Inuyasha weren't together. Originally this was going to be Raia/Inuyasha, but I love Kagome/Inuyasha too much to break them apart!)
Inuyasha hugged Raia from behind. "But Raia..."
"Tell me the truth... Don't you love Kagome?" Raia bit her lip until it bled to keep from crying.
Inuyasha paused and thought for a moment. Flashes of the past flew before his eyes. "Yes, but... Raia I don't want to hurt you!"
Raia sighed and pulled away. "I don't feel pain. Besides, all you felt for me was sympathy." She turned and gently kissed Inuyasha on the cheek. Then she wandered back down the hill to the camp and got ready to sleep.
Inuyasha stood, stunned, on top of the hill. It had ended so quickly, but he knew it was for the better. Suddenly he had the strongest urge to see Kagome. 'She was right. Sympathy is a new emotion for me. I must have mistaken it for love.'
***
Kagome awoke early in the morning before everybody else and jumped when she saw Inuyasha lying next to her. His arm was wrapped around her waist protectively, and his ears were alert. "Inuyasha..? What happened to Raia?"
Inuyasha opened his eyes in a flash. "What?"
"What about Raia?"
Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his eyes. "She realized that we are meant to be together and said so."
Kagome smiled amusedly. "We're meant to be together?"
Inuyasha blushed furiously. "Of course not, I was just saying that!" He was being sarcastic, of course, but Kagome sat him anyway. He fell back asleep.
Kagome stared at his sleeping form and felt tears come to her eyes. "He's mine, mine, mine! And nobody will take him from me! Finally!" She leaned down and hugged him.
Looking around the camp, Kagome noticed Miroku lying on his back and snoring. Shippo had his tail wrapped around his small body. Raia was curled up in her blanket, and Toki wasn't there.
"Ohayo, Kagome-san." Toki greeted from behind her, adjusting the obi on her red kimono.
Kagome smiled. "Ohayo, how are you? Did you sleep well?"
"Fine, yes, thank you."
Kagome stoked the fire and began to cook some rice for breakfast.
And so another day of searching for the shikon no tama and Raia's parents ensued.
An: Writer's block! I couldn't finish the chapter! Oh well, I hope you're all glad that it turned out to be Kagome+Inuyasha!