Sorry for the long time till update! I've been busy busy busy! First of all, in case anyone cares to know, August 22, 23, and 24 is the AnimeIowa Convention! Yeah! ^_^ And since I live in good ole' Minnesota, its just a hop, skip and a 3 hour drive there! *waves flag* Road Trip!!! Anyways, I was going to be Kagome or Sango for the costume contest, but then I realized that would involve either wearing a really short skirt, or spandex…O.o so I decided instead on Lina Inverse from the Slayers. And my friend and partner in crime Amori Malee is going as Fillia, also from the Slayers.
Also, I was very VERY depressed when I realized that they had taken Inu Yasha off of Adult Swim! I ranted and raved for about….2 minutes before I made up my mind, went online and bought the package deal from some site for the Japanese with English subtitles DVD's of Episodes 1-102… $200 tee hee ^_~ So that kept me busy for a couple of days. (12 hours a day of non-stop Inu! I…must…have…more!!!) And of course, I did receive my first set of "Creative Criticism" a.k.a flames, but that's ok…sniff sniff….I don't mind! =(
So…sorry for my ramblings…I don't own Inu Yasha! (just episodes 1-102 in nihongo!)
Shadows
Chapter 16: Saying Goodbye
"Um, hey Souta? Since when did you have dog ears?!?"
"Well, I dunno…they just appeared one day while you guys were gone." Souta put a finger to his chin, thinking of that day. "And after they appeared, the noises were really loud, and I guess I passed out, cause I had this strange dream about our father…but I never remembered him like I saw him there…" Souta trailed off, still thinking about his dreams.
"Could it be that when the spell over Kagome was broken, so did the one over Souta?" Miroku pondered and everyone else shrugged.
"Aye, I believe so," Kaede voiced as she stepped out of the hut as well. "I am glad to see that you are all right child. These two have been worried greatly about ye safety."
Kagome gave the older woman a happy smile, "Yes, I'm alright. I'm sorry for making everyone worry like that."
Kaede nodded and raised the curtain to the hut, "Well, let us not linger outside so long. Come inside, and I will make dinner."
*~*~*
After eating Kaede's meal, the group continued to sit around the fire and chat about what had happened over the last few days.
Shippo sat on Kagome's lap and Souta sat next to her. Through the whole conversation, she felt her eyes keep drifting to them. Finally, not being able to take it anymore, she reached over and rubbed them.
Souta's eyes went huge, "Hey, what are you....Oh that feels good! A little to the left!"
Kagome and everyone else giggled, while Inu Yasha's eyes went huge while he watched Souta begin to purr. Crossing his arms, he turned his head away from them, "Feh, come on. You're embarrassing to watch!"
Kagome stopped rubbing his ears and looked at him, "Inu Yasha! Are you jealous?"
Inu Yasha began to blush furiously, but before he could respond, Miroku grinned at him, "Yes, does the doggy woggy want his ears wubbed?"
A few minutes later, after the group had finished laughing and Miroku had picked himself up off the ground, Inu Yasha was still grumbling to himself from his usual spot by the door. Glancing around and seeing the others all either going to sleep, or getting ready to, Kagome slowly made her way over to him.
Smelling her near him, he opened his eyes to find hers staring at him only a few inches away. "Ah!" he yelped, surprised that she was able to sneak up on him so well. Then again, now she was part youkai.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you," She quietly mumbled out an apology.
"Feh, like you could really surprise me that much…"
Kagome sighed and moved from her knees to mimic his position, cross-legged. "Um…Inu Yasha, I have a favor to ask you."
Inu Yasha glanced at her now with interest. "A favor? What?"
"Well…" She began and looked over at where her brother lay. "Souta is new to all of this. I was wondering if you could, you know, train him to his new skills?" Kagome looked back to Inu Yasha with a pleading expression.
Inu Yasha looked into the girls eyes that were no longer the familiar brown he knew. Now they held a light blue-silver color that was almost foreign, yet so…beautiful that he almost felt like he could get lost in them. He slowly tore himself from them long enough to answer with a nod, then looked away when a faint blush rose to his cheeks.
'Why am I acting like this?!' Inu Yasha practically yelled at himself. 'I've already admitted that I love her, why the hell do I keep blushing and…' His mind stopped again as he looked back at that face that could hold his mind for hours. He noticed the tinge of pink that had risen to the girl's cheeks as well. 'Good! At least I'm not the only one blushing!'
Kagome watched the hanyou as he looked away, blushing, then slowly looked back at her again. God, how he made her breath stop. Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward, back onto her knees and into his arms. "Thank you…" she whispered quietly to him.
Inu Yasha blushed even more and then wrapped his arms around the girl. It felt so right, and it was right for her to be in his arms. They had admitted everything already to each other, right? Then why did he feel like his heart would pound right out of his chest? Trying to gain his composure, he quietly answered, "Feh"
Kagome giggled a little at the usual answer and leaned up, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Inu Yasha," she whispered up to him before removing herself from his arms and returning to her sleeping bag by the fire.
Inu Yasha watched her, feeling an odd feeling rush through his body as she lay down to sleep. This was a different feeling from one that he had ever experienced with Kikyo; it felt like there was flying around in his stomach and making his chest tighten. He had thought he had loved her, but now knew that what they had had was nothing compared to what he had now with Kagome. Try as he had in the past to push her away, she was always by his side, and always in his thoughts. 'Both are where she belongs' he thought to himself as he leaned against the wall to get some sleep but keep watch at the same time over the group.
*~*~*
Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she quickly took in her surroundings. She was no longer in Kaede's hut, but in a field somewhere. She had thought she had heard someone calling her name, and looked around for the source.
As she looked around, she finally spotted the source of the voice sitting on a rock nearby.
"Mom?" She called out and the woman looked up and smiled.
"Kagome! I'm so happy to see that you are well! Akemi was nice enough to help me visit you, so I could say goodbye…" Her mother trailed off as she looked behind Kagome. Turning, she was surprised to see Souta appearing behind her.
"Souta?! What are you doing in my dream?" Kagome asked, surprised.
Souta shrugged, "I dunno, I just kind of appeared I guess." He looked over at their mother. "Mom!" he yelled and ran into her arms.
"I'm so glad to see the both of you!" Ayame (Kagome and Souta's mother) wiped a tear away, and then motioned for Kagome to join their hug. Kagome ran into her mothers' arms and felt tears running over her cheeks.
"Don't cry for me dears. Where I am it's peaceful, and I am with your father and grandfather, as well as everyone else." Ayame smiled down at her children, then reached over and tweaked one of Souta's dog ears. "Those are so cute! I always wished you could have kept them after your father died. I guess that's why I was so happy to see Inu Yasha's ears!" She smiled happily.
"Ayame…we don't have much time left." A voice called out to them and Kagome looked behind her to see Akemi smiling at her with a sad look. "The sun will rise soon."
Ayame sniffled a little and squeezed her children a little tighter, "I will miss you both so much…just remember that I've always loved you and will always."
Souta wiped a tear away, "I love you too mama!"
Kagome tried to hug her tighter, closing her eyes "I love you too mama" she repeated Souta's sentiments.
She could feel her mother's body disappearing from her grasp no matter how hard she tried to hold on. Sobbing, she opened her eyes and saw that she was gone, as was Souta.
Turning around, she looked at Akemi who still had that sad smile on her face. "Kagome, this will be the last time I will be able to see you."
"What? Why? I thought you said you were training me, and-"
"I've trained you as much as I can." Akemi cut her off, "Now with your demon powers awakened, there is no longer anything more that I can do." She smiled again at her daughters face, trying to brighten again, "But, like Ayame said, she will always love and remember you, and I will do the same."
Kagome nodded slowly and reached out to hug the woman in parting. As she felt Akemi's arms go around her as well, she heard her whisper, "I may have not have had the chance to raise you as a mother, but I am as proud of you as if I had."
Waking slowly, Kagome opened her eyes to find them staring into a pair of golden ones filled with concern.
"Are you alright?" Inu Yasha questioned her, reaching to her face to wipe away the few tears that had slipped from her closed lids.
Kagome smiled at the touch and reached up to put her hand over his. "Yes…I just had to say goodbye."