Disclaimer: Despite several fantasies to the contrary, I do not own
Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Ok, I know it's been forever. I hope you all are still want to read my story. I almost wrote you all an author's note the other day explaining why I had been so long away from writing, but I decided against it. I know how disappointing it is to think there is a new chapter to read, only to find the author yammering about how sorry they are that they haven't updated in so long. Those of you who were kind enough to write and ask, I thank for your concern and for lending me an ear. Your sympathy is greatly appreciated. But I won't bore everyone with my troubles. I know you all came here to read a story, not my woes.
As it is, this is a very short (but eventful) chapter. I can almost guarantee that I will revise it at least once, but I am posting anyway, because I have kept you all waiting for too long. I will try to update soon, but my finals are killing me. I really had no business writing this chapter before Friday, but my brain needed an exercise break!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Always My Hero
"KA-GOM-AAAAAAAAAAY!" Inuyasha flashed toward the girl's plummeting body, and caught her mid-air before touching down onto the rocky riverbed.
She smiled at him, "My hero!"
"IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" Still holding her, he began to sniff her all over for injuries. He could smell her blood, and it didn't take too long to find the torn flesh of her thighs.
Kagome was struggling, trying to escape his iron grasp. "Inuyasha! Thank you, I'm fine. Please let me go!"
"You're hurt." He was examining the gashes, noting that the punctures were deep, but the cuts seemed to be fairly shallow. If she were hanyou, they would heal in no time. 'But she's not a hanyou; she's human.' At least she was no longer actively bleeding.
"Yes, yes, I know that! Kaede can fix me up after we're done. But, please, you have to let me go now!" She finally succeeded in wriggling out of his grasp.
He sighed. "Ok, you stay here. I have to go after that jewel! In his hands, I can't even imagine what will happen, especially if he gives it to Naraku! Honesty, wench! What were you thinking?"
Kagome was readying her bow. She shot him a sad, slightly hurt expression. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. He'll be back any time now. Trust me." She raised her bow, arrow in place. "Now, please be quiet. I need to concentrate."
As if on cue, they heard a rumble just over the cliff, "YOU BITCH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING? YOU TRICKED ME!" Waving the bauble, it appeared in the sky from over the cliff edge. The only resemblance it now bore to Inuyasha was a few white hairs clinging to ripped and torn red cloth, hanging off its body. The demon that appeared over them was large, bulging, with scaly black skin and angry glowing red eyes. Smoke seemed to pour from his ears as he rumbled.
Inuyasha prepared to strike when he heard Kagome hiss, "No, Inuyasha! Stay out of the way!" He stared at her in surprise. A look of fierce concentration marked her beautiful features, and a halo of white light surrounded her and her weapon.
Then it all happened in the flash of a second. As soon as the demon was within range, she let the arrow fly. It flew through the air with deadly speed, glowing with an eerie bright light. When it found it's target, the demon let out a howl of anger, then exploded into thousands of pieces, which caught fire and rained through the sky in a grotesque fireworks display.
As the charred bits hit the ground, so did the jewel the demon had taken from Kagome before pushing her over the cliff. Inuyasha, completely stunned by the entire display, composed himself enough to bend over and pick up the fallen charm. He turned it over in his hands, and then looked up and frowned questioningly at Kagome.
She grinned at him and unzipped her jacket enough to reveal the real jewel, still hanging safely around her neck. He gaped at her.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Inuyasha! I trust you. Why don't you trust me?"
He was still staring, "I...I do! I...where did this thing..."
"I told you I had to help Mom out at the Shrine gift shop yesterday. I told some tourists about the jewel, and they all wanted to buy a replica. Go figure!" She paused to let out a huge yawn. "Excuse me! Anyway, one of the charms was chipped, so I stuck it in my pocket, thinking that we'd have to send it back to the manufacturer. I guess they won't take it back now!" she joked, noting the charred beads and string. She yawned again, this time even deeper than the first one.
"Oh, wow, I can't believe how tired I suddenly am." Her eyes started to close sleepily, and her knees began to buckle. Inuyasha dove to catch her in his arms before she hit the ground.
"KAGOME!"
Kagome, feeling the warmth of his body, snuggled into his chest and let out a sigh of contentment. A small smile crossed Inuyasha's face as he realized she was merely asleep. 'Using her Miko powers must have exhausted her, since she hasn't really used them before today." He smiled, gazing down at the lovely girl in his arms, and sat down on the shore of the river. He knew he should get back to the others and let them know what had happened, but he wanted to just sit for a few minutes, watching the last bit of orange and yellow disappear on the horizon, and enjoying the feeling of this sleeping angel in his arms.
'She trusts me. She accepts me for what and who I am.' He tenderly stroked a stray tendril of raven hair from her cheek. 'Will she stay with me?' He sighed and pulled her closer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inuyasha finally decided it was time to head back to the village. Kagome was still sleeping soundly, and he would have liked to sit and hold her all night, but her wounds needed tending. He had her cradled close to him, as if she were the most precious bundle in the world. Every once in a while, she would stir and sigh, but other than that, she showed no signs of waking.
The hanyou was considering that perhaps he should take Kagome home through the well to sleep in her own bed. After Kaede had taken care of her wounds, of course. He still didn't trust all those strange bottles Kagome carried around with her. Suddenly, his ears perked up, and he listened intently.
There was a rustle in the brush, and then Kikyou was standing before him, bow raised, arrow aimed straight at Kagome.
"Kikyou!"
The priestess said nothing. She just stood there, her weapon trained at the sleeping girl in Inuyasha's arms.
"Kikyou," he said warily, " You know I can't let you do that."
In answer, Kikyou lifted her gaze to Inuyasha, eyes daring him to stop her.
"Please," he begged quietly, "Please Kikyou, don't make me do this."
Again, she said nothing, but instead pulled the bow string back a little further.
"KIKYOU!" Before he knew what happened, he had unsheathed Tetsusiaga, leapt out of the line of fire, and brought the transformed katana down to sever the dead miko's head cleanly from her shoulders.
The hanyou watched in anguish and horror as her body crumpled to the ground, her head dropping with a ghastly thud beside it. Immediately, a ghostly procession of wispy white souls escaped from her slain corpse, swirling in a whirlwind over her, before separating and flying off into the night sky. A small ball of greenish light shot out and hovered over Kagome's chest, seeming to seek entrance, but unable to accomplish it. After a few moments, his sensitive nose become aware of a putrid stench as the green seemed to burn away from the light into a tiny column of smoke, and leaving a pure white light. The white light immediately disappeared, and Kagome's unconscious body gave a violent shudder.
As the green smoke curled up and disappeared into the atmosphere, Inuyasha heard a voice. Kikyou's voice. Not the one he had been hearing since she was resurrected, angry and full of hate, but the one from long ago; kind and sweet. "Finally! I'm finally free!" the voice seemed to wrap itself around his head, speaking directly into his ears. "Thank you, Inuyasha, for setting me free." When the light disappeared, the voice was gone.
He looked down where Kikyou's remains had been, but there was only a pile of ash and dirt.
Inuyasha stroked Kagome's face with concern, "Oi, Kagome, are you ok?"
"Mmmmmmmmm." Was her only answer, but it was enough to reassure the hanyou that she was still there. He laid her gently on the ground, taking off his fire-rat fur coat and folding it into a pad to pillow her head. He then took the blouse that Kikyou had been wearing, and carefully scooped her remains into it, using it as a make-shift pouch. When he completed this task, and tied it tightly to keep the contents from escaping, he tucked the pouch into his belt. He wrapped Kagome in his coat, cradled her against him once more, and made the rest of his journey back to Kaede's hut.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
All the way back to the village, Inuyasha tried to sort out his feelings about what had just happened. He knew he should feel a little guilty, and he would have, if he hadn't heard that voice. He knew in his heart that Kikyou was finally where she was supposed to be, and it wasn't hell. He thought about her being suspended in that body borne of evil, and suddenly his guilt hit him full force. If he hadn't been so selfish before, if he had listened to Kaede in the first place, he could have released her long ago and saved her, Kagome, and himself from a lot of pain.
He looked once again upon the sleeping figure, so contently nestled against his body. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm a fool as well as a jerk." But even as he berated himself, he couldn't help the small bit of joy that bubbled up inside of him as he realized that he was finally free to offer himself to her completely. He could give himself with no reservations, no guilt, no confusion.
"But will you want me when I offer?" He voiced his thoughts out loud.
Kagome gave a stir and opened her eyes, blinking up at him. "Inuyasha! What happened?"
He grunted at her, hoping she hadn't heard his musing. "One minute, you were yawning, and the next you were asleep! I caught you."
She smiled sleepily, "Of course you did. You always do." She gave a little giggle, "My big, strong hero." She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He flushed with pleasure, "Feh! You're the one who killed the demon!" he pouted a little. "I didn't get to be the hero today."
She yawned. "Of course you were. You caught me when I fell, just like I knew you would. Without you and your speed and strength, the plan wouldn't have worked." Another yawn, "You're always my hero." As an afterthough, "Gods! I'm so sleepy!"
Feeling her arms around him, he thought he might burst with happiness. "I think using your miko powers wore you out." He said quietly. "I'm want Kaede see to your injuries, and then I'm going to take you home to sleep in your own bed." 'Maybe I can stay and get an early start on work tomorrow, since I missed a whole day. Then again, I guess it won't matter if she still won't take me...'
"Thank you , Inuyasha." A chill wind blew around them, and she tried to burrow closer to him. He tightened his hold.
"Inuyasha?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you be my date to my prom?"
It was dark and Kagome's head was pillowed on the hanyou's shoulder. Which was a shame because if she could have seen his face, she would have seen the biggest grin that had graced his features since he was a small pup. "I'll check my calendar, but I think I can fit you in."
Kagome probably would have whapped him on the arm for his answer, but she was already asleep again, at ease in the safety of his arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok, as I said, I will try to get out the next chapter soon, but finals are killing me. I guess it depends on how many people ask (order) me to. Shallow, I know, but reviews really motivate me. What can I say? I love hearing from you all!
Oh, and I feel that out of concern for you, my dear, devoted readers, I owe you this warning for the next chapter: FLUFF ALERT! MAJOR WAFFINESS! EVEN MORE THAN WHAT YOU HAVE READ SO FAR. SO... I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU COME ARMED WITH TOOTHBRUSH, DENTAL FLOSS, AND MAYBE A FEW POTATO CHIPS (for the salt) TO COUNTERACT THE SUGAR. THANK YOU.
Ok, I know it's been forever. I hope you all are still want to read my story. I almost wrote you all an author's note the other day explaining why I had been so long away from writing, but I decided against it. I know how disappointing it is to think there is a new chapter to read, only to find the author yammering about how sorry they are that they haven't updated in so long. Those of you who were kind enough to write and ask, I thank for your concern and for lending me an ear. Your sympathy is greatly appreciated. But I won't bore everyone with my troubles. I know you all came here to read a story, not my woes.
As it is, this is a very short (but eventful) chapter. I can almost guarantee that I will revise it at least once, but I am posting anyway, because I have kept you all waiting for too long. I will try to update soon, but my finals are killing me. I really had no business writing this chapter before Friday, but my brain needed an exercise break!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Always My Hero
"KA-GOM-AAAAAAAAAAY!" Inuyasha flashed toward the girl's plummeting body, and caught her mid-air before touching down onto the rocky riverbed.
She smiled at him, "My hero!"
"IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" Still holding her, he began to sniff her all over for injuries. He could smell her blood, and it didn't take too long to find the torn flesh of her thighs.
Kagome was struggling, trying to escape his iron grasp. "Inuyasha! Thank you, I'm fine. Please let me go!"
"You're hurt." He was examining the gashes, noting that the punctures were deep, but the cuts seemed to be fairly shallow. If she were hanyou, they would heal in no time. 'But she's not a hanyou; she's human.' At least she was no longer actively bleeding.
"Yes, yes, I know that! Kaede can fix me up after we're done. But, please, you have to let me go now!" She finally succeeded in wriggling out of his grasp.
He sighed. "Ok, you stay here. I have to go after that jewel! In his hands, I can't even imagine what will happen, especially if he gives it to Naraku! Honesty, wench! What were you thinking?"
Kagome was readying her bow. She shot him a sad, slightly hurt expression. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. He'll be back any time now. Trust me." She raised her bow, arrow in place. "Now, please be quiet. I need to concentrate."
As if on cue, they heard a rumble just over the cliff, "YOU BITCH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING? YOU TRICKED ME!" Waving the bauble, it appeared in the sky from over the cliff edge. The only resemblance it now bore to Inuyasha was a few white hairs clinging to ripped and torn red cloth, hanging off its body. The demon that appeared over them was large, bulging, with scaly black skin and angry glowing red eyes. Smoke seemed to pour from his ears as he rumbled.
Inuyasha prepared to strike when he heard Kagome hiss, "No, Inuyasha! Stay out of the way!" He stared at her in surprise. A look of fierce concentration marked her beautiful features, and a halo of white light surrounded her and her weapon.
Then it all happened in the flash of a second. As soon as the demon was within range, she let the arrow fly. It flew through the air with deadly speed, glowing with an eerie bright light. When it found it's target, the demon let out a howl of anger, then exploded into thousands of pieces, which caught fire and rained through the sky in a grotesque fireworks display.
As the charred bits hit the ground, so did the jewel the demon had taken from Kagome before pushing her over the cliff. Inuyasha, completely stunned by the entire display, composed himself enough to bend over and pick up the fallen charm. He turned it over in his hands, and then looked up and frowned questioningly at Kagome.
She grinned at him and unzipped her jacket enough to reveal the real jewel, still hanging safely around her neck. He gaped at her.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Inuyasha! I trust you. Why don't you trust me?"
He was still staring, "I...I do! I...where did this thing..."
"I told you I had to help Mom out at the Shrine gift shop yesterday. I told some tourists about the jewel, and they all wanted to buy a replica. Go figure!" She paused to let out a huge yawn. "Excuse me! Anyway, one of the charms was chipped, so I stuck it in my pocket, thinking that we'd have to send it back to the manufacturer. I guess they won't take it back now!" she joked, noting the charred beads and string. She yawned again, this time even deeper than the first one.
"Oh, wow, I can't believe how tired I suddenly am." Her eyes started to close sleepily, and her knees began to buckle. Inuyasha dove to catch her in his arms before she hit the ground.
"KAGOME!"
Kagome, feeling the warmth of his body, snuggled into his chest and let out a sigh of contentment. A small smile crossed Inuyasha's face as he realized she was merely asleep. 'Using her Miko powers must have exhausted her, since she hasn't really used them before today." He smiled, gazing down at the lovely girl in his arms, and sat down on the shore of the river. He knew he should get back to the others and let them know what had happened, but he wanted to just sit for a few minutes, watching the last bit of orange and yellow disappear on the horizon, and enjoying the feeling of this sleeping angel in his arms.
'She trusts me. She accepts me for what and who I am.' He tenderly stroked a stray tendril of raven hair from her cheek. 'Will she stay with me?' He sighed and pulled her closer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inuyasha finally decided it was time to head back to the village. Kagome was still sleeping soundly, and he would have liked to sit and hold her all night, but her wounds needed tending. He had her cradled close to him, as if she were the most precious bundle in the world. Every once in a while, she would stir and sigh, but other than that, she showed no signs of waking.
The hanyou was considering that perhaps he should take Kagome home through the well to sleep in her own bed. After Kaede had taken care of her wounds, of course. He still didn't trust all those strange bottles Kagome carried around with her. Suddenly, his ears perked up, and he listened intently.
There was a rustle in the brush, and then Kikyou was standing before him, bow raised, arrow aimed straight at Kagome.
"Kikyou!"
The priestess said nothing. She just stood there, her weapon trained at the sleeping girl in Inuyasha's arms.
"Kikyou," he said warily, " You know I can't let you do that."
In answer, Kikyou lifted her gaze to Inuyasha, eyes daring him to stop her.
"Please," he begged quietly, "Please Kikyou, don't make me do this."
Again, she said nothing, but instead pulled the bow string back a little further.
"KIKYOU!" Before he knew what happened, he had unsheathed Tetsusiaga, leapt out of the line of fire, and brought the transformed katana down to sever the dead miko's head cleanly from her shoulders.
The hanyou watched in anguish and horror as her body crumpled to the ground, her head dropping with a ghastly thud beside it. Immediately, a ghostly procession of wispy white souls escaped from her slain corpse, swirling in a whirlwind over her, before separating and flying off into the night sky. A small ball of greenish light shot out and hovered over Kagome's chest, seeming to seek entrance, but unable to accomplish it. After a few moments, his sensitive nose become aware of a putrid stench as the green seemed to burn away from the light into a tiny column of smoke, and leaving a pure white light. The white light immediately disappeared, and Kagome's unconscious body gave a violent shudder.
As the green smoke curled up and disappeared into the atmosphere, Inuyasha heard a voice. Kikyou's voice. Not the one he had been hearing since she was resurrected, angry and full of hate, but the one from long ago; kind and sweet. "Finally! I'm finally free!" the voice seemed to wrap itself around his head, speaking directly into his ears. "Thank you, Inuyasha, for setting me free." When the light disappeared, the voice was gone.
He looked down where Kikyou's remains had been, but there was only a pile of ash and dirt.
Inuyasha stroked Kagome's face with concern, "Oi, Kagome, are you ok?"
"Mmmmmmmmm." Was her only answer, but it was enough to reassure the hanyou that she was still there. He laid her gently on the ground, taking off his fire-rat fur coat and folding it into a pad to pillow her head. He then took the blouse that Kikyou had been wearing, and carefully scooped her remains into it, using it as a make-shift pouch. When he completed this task, and tied it tightly to keep the contents from escaping, he tucked the pouch into his belt. He wrapped Kagome in his coat, cradled her against him once more, and made the rest of his journey back to Kaede's hut.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
All the way back to the village, Inuyasha tried to sort out his feelings about what had just happened. He knew he should feel a little guilty, and he would have, if he hadn't heard that voice. He knew in his heart that Kikyou was finally where she was supposed to be, and it wasn't hell. He thought about her being suspended in that body borne of evil, and suddenly his guilt hit him full force. If he hadn't been so selfish before, if he had listened to Kaede in the first place, he could have released her long ago and saved her, Kagome, and himself from a lot of pain.
He looked once again upon the sleeping figure, so contently nestled against his body. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm a fool as well as a jerk." But even as he berated himself, he couldn't help the small bit of joy that bubbled up inside of him as he realized that he was finally free to offer himself to her completely. He could give himself with no reservations, no guilt, no confusion.
"But will you want me when I offer?" He voiced his thoughts out loud.
Kagome gave a stir and opened her eyes, blinking up at him. "Inuyasha! What happened?"
He grunted at her, hoping she hadn't heard his musing. "One minute, you were yawning, and the next you were asleep! I caught you."
She smiled sleepily, "Of course you did. You always do." She gave a little giggle, "My big, strong hero." She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He flushed with pleasure, "Feh! You're the one who killed the demon!" he pouted a little. "I didn't get to be the hero today."
She yawned. "Of course you were. You caught me when I fell, just like I knew you would. Without you and your speed and strength, the plan wouldn't have worked." Another yawn, "You're always my hero." As an afterthough, "Gods! I'm so sleepy!"
Feeling her arms around him, he thought he might burst with happiness. "I think using your miko powers wore you out." He said quietly. "I'm want Kaede see to your injuries, and then I'm going to take you home to sleep in your own bed." 'Maybe I can stay and get an early start on work tomorrow, since I missed a whole day. Then again, I guess it won't matter if she still won't take me...'
"Thank you , Inuyasha." A chill wind blew around them, and she tried to burrow closer to him. He tightened his hold.
"Inuyasha?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you be my date to my prom?"
It was dark and Kagome's head was pillowed on the hanyou's shoulder. Which was a shame because if she could have seen his face, she would have seen the biggest grin that had graced his features since he was a small pup. "I'll check my calendar, but I think I can fit you in."
Kagome probably would have whapped him on the arm for his answer, but she was already asleep again, at ease in the safety of his arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok, as I said, I will try to get out the next chapter soon, but finals are killing me. I guess it depends on how many people ask (order) me to. Shallow, I know, but reviews really motivate me. What can I say? I love hearing from you all!
Oh, and I feel that out of concern for you, my dear, devoted readers, I owe you this warning for the next chapter: FLUFF ALERT! MAJOR WAFFINESS! EVEN MORE THAN WHAT YOU HAVE READ SO FAR. SO... I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU COME ARMED WITH TOOTHBRUSH, DENTAL FLOSS, AND MAYBE A FEW POTATO CHIPS (for the salt) TO COUNTERACT THE SUGAR. THANK YOU.