A/N: Ok, this story is almost over, I think about two more chapters are left. Hey, I told you it was a short story. I just wanted to say thank you again to those of you who are reviewing, and even to those who are just reading. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Oh and to give credit where it goes, I got the Bone Eater's Well scene from the Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi website. What a wonderful site!
Disclaimer: Do I really have to? *Sigh* Ok, here goes. Inuyasha does not belong to me but to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi. Happy?
Unearthing Love Again
CHAPTER 4: Returning Memories
Inuyasha ran to the well and jumped through. He needed to be alone, he didn't want anyone to see his tears, his weak moment. Inuyasha ran to the Goshinboku, the god tree, his tree. Inuyasha thought miserably, 'Just because I don't have a claim on Kagome doesn't mean it doesn't hurt'. Inuyasha leapt onto a high branch of the god tree. There he brought his knees up to his chest and circled his arms around his knees. He buried his face into his knees and in the safety of the tree; Inuyasha let his painful tears fall freely.
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Kagome's thoughts were a mess all day Saturday. Not only did she wake up late but also when she tried to help her mom cook breakfast, she ended up burning the food. Then she tried to wash the dishes but she ended up breaking a dish and deeply cutting herself, not to mention putting the wrong kind of soap in the dishwasher. The kitchen was covered in water and soap bubbles. Kagome was almost in tears from frusdtration, and decided to go clean up her cut beofer cleaning uop this mess. She decided to just wrap it up in a dish towel and clean up the kitchen first. By the time she finished cleaning up the kitchen, her cut was completely healed. 'Huh…? Weird…' She was definetly freaked out about that; normal people don't heal that quickly… She knew it must be related to her eyes. She decided she would deal with it later.
The frustrated girl sighed and decided the laundry was probably the best thing she could do and that there wasn't much of a possibility it could go wrong. Why did she have to jinx herself? She filled the machine with the liquid soap and turned it on. The machine started to shake violently and jump across the floor. Smoke began to come from all the openings of the shaking mass. Kagome brought her hands over her head and jumped out of the room just in time to hear a small explosion. 'Nothing could go worse today!'Kagome thought to herself as she checked on the exploded machine. 'At least the clothes got washed?' She opened the cover to find some of the clothing articles had been bleached a black-brown-purplish color. Of course she had to have been washing black clothing.
"Ahhh! That's it! I give up!" Kagome threw her hands up in the air and stormed out of the laundry room just to see her mother rushing up to her.
"What was that? I heard an explosion! Are you ok?" The caring look her mother gave Kagome almost made her cry. Mrs. Higurashi looked over her daughter's body checking for any injuries. When she was satisfied she had not gotten hurt, she let go of her daughter. Kagome sniffled and held back her tears.
"I don't think I'll be doing any chores today Mama, if it's ok with you?" Kagome hoped her mother could understand even without Kagome having to explain. Kagome herself couldn't quite comprehend why she was so out of it. Mrs. Higurashi gave her daughter a smile and a quick hug.
"Of course, you go take a nap, and I'll wake you when it's time to eat. I'll make it light so you can still eat on your date tonight." Then with that Mrs. Higurashi hurried into the laundry room to see if she could fix anything in the small, exploded room.
'Uhhh… date…' Kagome thought all stressed out. Not even that made her feel better. She walked up to her room and collapsed on her bed. She cried quietly until she felt she could cry no more. She thought of how much her mother loved her and she smiled. Then she thought of Inuyasha and seeing that tear fall down his cheek. That thought sent a sob choking through her entire body. Kagome finally sat up and took a deep breath. At that moment Buyo chose to come strolling through the door. 'I'm such an Idiot! If someone were here they would have heard me cry. Good thing Souta is at a friends and Jii-chan is at the store buying groceries. I hope Mama is outside or something and didn't hear me crying.' Kagome got up and closed the door. She went back to sit on her bed and Buyo contently sat in her lap, purring softly. Then a sort of trance overcame Kagome, Buyo had triggered something in the back of her head. She was as still as a statue as the memory came flooding back to her…
**~Flashback~**
Kagome is going to school but stops in front of the Bone Eater's Well Shrine. Souta was standing in the doorway.
"Huh? Souta." Kagome asked
"Nee-chan." Kagome walked up to Souta and looks in the shrine.
"You shouldn't play in the shrine."
"But Buyo is…" Started Souta. Kagome finished his sentence.
"Inside the concealed well?" Kagome and Souta look into the shrine past the steps, to the well covered with boards.
"Buyo---." Souta said.
"Why don't you go down?" asked Kagome. Souta crouched and continued to gaze at the well.
"This place feels kinda creepy..." Souta trailed off.
"Wha--t's frightening you, aren't you a man?" Kagome said shaky but mockingly. They both looked in at the well again because they both heard a scraping noise. Souta looked scared and jumped behind Kagome, who turned to look at him.
"So-someone's there---." Souta said frightened.
"That's because of the cat, isn't it?" Kagome said it to reassure herself more then to reassure Souta. Again they heard the scrape noise. Kagome started to walk down the steps. "Damn it…" The scraping noise still continued. 'The sound…is coming from inside the well…? Couldn't be…' Kagome felt something rub against her leg and she shrieked. "Kyaaa!" Kagome looked down only to find Buyo purring and rubbing against her leg. She then turned to look at Souta.
"A~~~~That scared me. Don't shout so loudly."
"Hey you…" Kagome was talking to Buyo and ignoring Souta, she bent down to pick up Buyo in her arms. Kagome looked back at Souta. Souta looked surprised. Souta was looking past Kagome at the boards on the well with the sealing charms. The boards were rotating a little.
"Ne…Nee-cha…" Souta was looking surprised and concerned. Then the well burst open. Out came the torso of a woman with long black hair, vacant eyes with small pupils and two black dots above each eye, and with six arms. Two hands wrap around Kagome's neck and two more take her right arm. Kagome is pulled back, and lets go of Buyo as the image of her brother melted away into purple nothingness.
**~End of Flashback~**
Kagome returned from her trance to find she was in her room with Buyo in her lap. Buyo triggered her memory. 'Inuyasha…that was how I was lead to meet Inuyasha…' Kagome put Buyo down and collapsed into her bed, exhausted from the memory she just remembered. Kagome fell into a deep, troubled sleep. Her dreams were tatters of memories floating around in her head.
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Kagome awoke to find it evening. She quickly got out of bed and mentally thanked her mom for not waking her. She got dressed just in time to hear knocking on her door. She heard her mother greeting Hojo and she quickly went down the stairs. Her mother left the two of them to talk, respecting their privacy. Again Kagome mentally thanked her mother.
"Ah, Higurashi, ready to go?" asked Hojo.
"Ah, well. Actually Hojo-kun. I really need to do something today, so I can't go out tonight. I'm really sorry." Kagome explained rather quickly.
"Oh…ok. I understand. We'll just do it another time. You aren't sick again are you?" Kagome smiled at his caring.
"No, I just really need to do something." Hojo nodded with understanding. Kagome reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Ok! I guess I'll see you later! Have a good night." Hojo smiled widely and blushed, waved vigorously and left. He was always so positive. If only Inuyasha was like that more often. Kagome closed the door and walked back up to her room. Then it hit her. She repeated what she had just thought. 'If only Inuyasha was like that more often.' Kagome fell on her knees as all of her memories flooded back to her. All of them returned. Memories of her friends, of her adventures, and of her love… Inuyasha! Not Hojo! She realized why Inuyasha had looked so sad and why her heart bothered her so much. She loved Inuyasha, her Inuyasha. And she had hurt him. Whether or not the stubborn hanyou admitted it, she knew he cared for her. 'I have to talk to him now!' Kagome ran out her door and through her living room. She ran wildly through her front door to the well. Kagome threw open the shrine doors and practically flew through the well.
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"Jii-chan? What's wrong with Kagome?" Souta asked his grandpa when he saw the strange crazy girl run through the house. She didn't know she had left a watching audience that consisted of her mother, grandfather, and brother when she raced out the house.
"Who knows, who understands women, they are all weird. If you keep a fresh leaf at the foot of your bed, it will save you from their strange unnatural ways." He replied with a closed eye nod of his head. Kagome's mother just gave them both a cold stare. They both shrank and hid behind their food.
A/N: Ah, I love it when guys get scared of women, it's so funny! Thanks for the love people!
