Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha, and all characters of the
Inuyasha series. I do not.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome was physically and emotionally exhausted. She had walked all night in her sorrow. But the sun was peering over the trees and Kagome collapsed to the ground. She had cried all of her tears, and she wasn't sure if the aches in her body were from sadness or from hunger.
'It's not like I didn't suspected this. From the very first time I found I had a piece of him, I thought about it not being real. After all, he's a cold blooded murderer and wants to kill Inuyasha. Why didn't I see it before?' She thought. But what was really shaking her was the sheer suddenness of it all. It was like she had woken up and realized it. Well, it wasn't any ordinary night. Kagome blushed under her tears.
*~*~*~Flash Back*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru ran his tongue over Kagome's breasts and laid her down on the bed. Slowly, she pushed him up.
"Sesshoumaru, be gentle. It's my first time." Kagome told him.
"I know." He said as he took her lips with his own. He began to strip himself, shredding part of his kimono in his haste.
*~*~*~End Flash Back~*~*~*~*~
'I don't want to think about that any more. I want to forget that. Forever. It wasn't real. My magic has been telling me that all along. No wonder I didn't panic about it anymore. Sesshoumaru is so calm, and with that piece of his soul, it made me calm too.' She thought.
A distant roll of thunder made her shudder and stare up. Though it was only a little after dawn, it wasn't bright enough. 'There must be a storm coming. Shit, shit, shit.' Kagome cursed. She lay down on the grass in a little ball and rocked herself into a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was mid morning when he awoke again, and the rest of the group was already up. He looked down to the spot of matted grass he had slept on, cursing the fact he wasn't strong enough to sleep in the trees.
"We're going to stay here until you can keep something down." Miroku told him from a distance. Inuyasha nodded solemnly. His ears picked up rolling thunder coming from the west, like a reminder of what lay there. He scowled.
"Shippo, come help me pick these raspberries. There are tons of them." Sango said. Miroku jumped up.
"Can I come?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his voice. Sango nodded reluctantly and led them out of the clearing. Inuyasha was left alone.
'There's nothing but the jewel to live for, and it's connected to the one thing I don't want to think about. Whenever I look at the jewel fragment I see her. Her flawless skin, beautiful smile, shiny hair. Her small hands and her bright eyes. Her laugh and her scent. Gods, that glorious scent, that beautiful smell.' He thought. It drove him crazy whenever he was near her.
In fact, he was breathing so deeply he thought he smelt her. That sweet scent, but so full of salty tears. His eyes snapped up, feeling drops of rain on his face. It began to downpour. Inuyasha got up as fast as he could and moved beneath an old willow tree that kept him mostly dry. Inuyasha cursed at the rain and leaned against the old willow.
'Damn it, I have to get over this. It's killing me. I have to snap out of it. Accept it.' He thought, glancing at his body. But after a moment, his head perked up. 'What was that? That smell? I know what that smells like, but am I hallucinating?' He thought again, trying to catch another bit of it. He inhaled deeply, and stood up. Even through the rain, the scent was unmistakable. He inhaled again. This time he picked up two smells from different directions. From the west came the nice one, and from the north came youkai. But the youkai could have been Naraku for all he cared. He walked west.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome looked up. 'Great. Rain. This is just what I need.' She thought. In a moment, she fell to the ground, as if in defeat.
"Fine! I give up!" She cried to no one, letting the tears seep from her eyes again. Kagome felt broken inside, not able to go back, and not able to go forward. Like she was stuck in time. 'What can I do? I don't know where to go. I told Inuyasha I would come back every now and then, but I really didn't. I could go home and get caught up on my school work, but I'm still a wreck.' She thought hopelessly. Kagome kept thinking about how she hadn't eaten, and her hair was unbrushed. About how mad her family would be at her, and about how angry Inuyasha would be with her.
Puddles began to form in the low valley she was sitting in. Looking at her clothes, she saw the colors bleeding into each other, the blue and red giving the skirt a purple tint. 'It can't get much worse.' Kagome thought. The thought brought back what her grandfather had told her.
"Kagome, no one's life is perfect. But when things are perfect, remember that they can and will only get worse." He had said. Kagome remembered what he had said after. "And when life is the worst it can be, it can only get better. It's a cycle." He said. Kagome stopped crying, thought the rain that fell in sheets all around her made this change undetectable.
Kagome frowned again. But this time instead of crying, a song came to her lips. She had heard it on the radio one time, and it had reminded her of Inuyasha.
"I'm sure that the heart I left behind, still lies hidden in the heart of the deep, deep forest." She began, not noticing the rustling in the bushes. "Exhausted, without the strength to search, people vanish into the infinite darkness." She continued. While she sang, she let the tears pour from her eyes. "If it's so small, I wonder if I can see it even now?" She sang louder.
A branch breaking on the side of the clearing jerked her back into reality. She looked up to see a flash of red. 'Could it be!? Did I really see him!?' She shouted inwardly. But the rain had slowed to a drizzle, and this time when Inuyasha stepped out from the brush, she was sure.
"Inuyasha!" She cried, running to him. Every step felt like an eternity. But Inuyasha began to run toward her, with the biggest smile she had ever seen.
"Kagome!" He screamed, finishing the stretch of distance between them. Inuyasha wasted no time in wrapping his warm arms around her. She did the same, taking in his musky forest scent. Inuyasha's embrace was beginning to crush her, but she didn't say a word. He moved his lips to her ear and whispered,
"I missed you." He said. Kagome began to cry again out of happiness.
"I missed you more." She told him. He gave a half-hearted laugh.
"Did not." He said with his beautiful smile.
"Did too." She told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Inuyasha?" She asked.
"What?" He said with serious concern in his voice.
"Don't let me go." She told him, falling to the ground. He caught her and laid her head across his lap. Kagome saw him searching her face.
"What happened?" He asked finally, concluding that there was something wrong with her. Kagome wrapped her arms around him again and began to shed tears. 'Should I tell him?' She asked herself.
"I was so happy, but then," She stopped, gasping for a breath in between sobs. "But then, I found out Sesshoumaru didn't really love me, because I had a piece of his soul. So I left him Inuyasha, I just left." She cried.
"What?" He asked in utter confusion. But Kagome offered no further explanation, soaking his haori more than before. "C'mon Kagome, let's get out of here and then you can tell me." He said. Kagome held to him as he picked her up and carried her out of the field. Kagome realized Inuyasha was showing her more compassion and tenderness than he had shown her in the entire time he had known her. She smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome was physically and emotionally exhausted. She had walked all night in her sorrow. But the sun was peering over the trees and Kagome collapsed to the ground. She had cried all of her tears, and she wasn't sure if the aches in her body were from sadness or from hunger.
'It's not like I didn't suspected this. From the very first time I found I had a piece of him, I thought about it not being real. After all, he's a cold blooded murderer and wants to kill Inuyasha. Why didn't I see it before?' She thought. But what was really shaking her was the sheer suddenness of it all. It was like she had woken up and realized it. Well, it wasn't any ordinary night. Kagome blushed under her tears.
*~*~*~Flash Back*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru ran his tongue over Kagome's breasts and laid her down on the bed. Slowly, she pushed him up.
"Sesshoumaru, be gentle. It's my first time." Kagome told him.
"I know." He said as he took her lips with his own. He began to strip himself, shredding part of his kimono in his haste.
*~*~*~End Flash Back~*~*~*~*~
'I don't want to think about that any more. I want to forget that. Forever. It wasn't real. My magic has been telling me that all along. No wonder I didn't panic about it anymore. Sesshoumaru is so calm, and with that piece of his soul, it made me calm too.' She thought.
A distant roll of thunder made her shudder and stare up. Though it was only a little after dawn, it wasn't bright enough. 'There must be a storm coming. Shit, shit, shit.' Kagome cursed. She lay down on the grass in a little ball and rocked herself into a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was mid morning when he awoke again, and the rest of the group was already up. He looked down to the spot of matted grass he had slept on, cursing the fact he wasn't strong enough to sleep in the trees.
"We're going to stay here until you can keep something down." Miroku told him from a distance. Inuyasha nodded solemnly. His ears picked up rolling thunder coming from the west, like a reminder of what lay there. He scowled.
"Shippo, come help me pick these raspberries. There are tons of them." Sango said. Miroku jumped up.
"Can I come?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his voice. Sango nodded reluctantly and led them out of the clearing. Inuyasha was left alone.
'There's nothing but the jewel to live for, and it's connected to the one thing I don't want to think about. Whenever I look at the jewel fragment I see her. Her flawless skin, beautiful smile, shiny hair. Her small hands and her bright eyes. Her laugh and her scent. Gods, that glorious scent, that beautiful smell.' He thought. It drove him crazy whenever he was near her.
In fact, he was breathing so deeply he thought he smelt her. That sweet scent, but so full of salty tears. His eyes snapped up, feeling drops of rain on his face. It began to downpour. Inuyasha got up as fast as he could and moved beneath an old willow tree that kept him mostly dry. Inuyasha cursed at the rain and leaned against the old willow.
'Damn it, I have to get over this. It's killing me. I have to snap out of it. Accept it.' He thought, glancing at his body. But after a moment, his head perked up. 'What was that? That smell? I know what that smells like, but am I hallucinating?' He thought again, trying to catch another bit of it. He inhaled deeply, and stood up. Even through the rain, the scent was unmistakable. He inhaled again. This time he picked up two smells from different directions. From the west came the nice one, and from the north came youkai. But the youkai could have been Naraku for all he cared. He walked west.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome looked up. 'Great. Rain. This is just what I need.' She thought. In a moment, she fell to the ground, as if in defeat.
"Fine! I give up!" She cried to no one, letting the tears seep from her eyes again. Kagome felt broken inside, not able to go back, and not able to go forward. Like she was stuck in time. 'What can I do? I don't know where to go. I told Inuyasha I would come back every now and then, but I really didn't. I could go home and get caught up on my school work, but I'm still a wreck.' She thought hopelessly. Kagome kept thinking about how she hadn't eaten, and her hair was unbrushed. About how mad her family would be at her, and about how angry Inuyasha would be with her.
Puddles began to form in the low valley she was sitting in. Looking at her clothes, she saw the colors bleeding into each other, the blue and red giving the skirt a purple tint. 'It can't get much worse.' Kagome thought. The thought brought back what her grandfather had told her.
"Kagome, no one's life is perfect. But when things are perfect, remember that they can and will only get worse." He had said. Kagome remembered what he had said after. "And when life is the worst it can be, it can only get better. It's a cycle." He said. Kagome stopped crying, thought the rain that fell in sheets all around her made this change undetectable.
Kagome frowned again. But this time instead of crying, a song came to her lips. She had heard it on the radio one time, and it had reminded her of Inuyasha.
"I'm sure that the heart I left behind, still lies hidden in the heart of the deep, deep forest." She began, not noticing the rustling in the bushes. "Exhausted, without the strength to search, people vanish into the infinite darkness." She continued. While she sang, she let the tears pour from her eyes. "If it's so small, I wonder if I can see it even now?" She sang louder.
A branch breaking on the side of the clearing jerked her back into reality. She looked up to see a flash of red. 'Could it be!? Did I really see him!?' She shouted inwardly. But the rain had slowed to a drizzle, and this time when Inuyasha stepped out from the brush, she was sure.
"Inuyasha!" She cried, running to him. Every step felt like an eternity. But Inuyasha began to run toward her, with the biggest smile she had ever seen.
"Kagome!" He screamed, finishing the stretch of distance between them. Inuyasha wasted no time in wrapping his warm arms around her. She did the same, taking in his musky forest scent. Inuyasha's embrace was beginning to crush her, but she didn't say a word. He moved his lips to her ear and whispered,
"I missed you." He said. Kagome began to cry again out of happiness.
"I missed you more." She told him. He gave a half-hearted laugh.
"Did not." He said with his beautiful smile.
"Did too." She told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Inuyasha?" She asked.
"What?" He said with serious concern in his voice.
"Don't let me go." She told him, falling to the ground. He caught her and laid her head across his lap. Kagome saw him searching her face.
"What happened?" He asked finally, concluding that there was something wrong with her. Kagome wrapped her arms around him again and began to shed tears. 'Should I tell him?' She asked herself.
"I was so happy, but then," She stopped, gasping for a breath in between sobs. "But then, I found out Sesshoumaru didn't really love me, because I had a piece of his soul. So I left him Inuyasha, I just left." She cried.
"What?" He asked in utter confusion. But Kagome offered no further explanation, soaking his haori more than before. "C'mon Kagome, let's get out of here and then you can tell me." He said. Kagome held to him as he picked her up and carried her out of the field. Kagome realized Inuyasha was showing her more compassion and tenderness than he had shown her in the entire time he had known her. She smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*