Author's Notes: After a long haitus, I'm finally back with the third chapter of Yakusoku no Kokoro! You see, school really does have a purpose. ;) The "/" around text that's supposed to be italicized still stands for this chapter.
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Yakusoku no Kokoro, Chapter 3: All Over Again
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Kagome skidded to a halt in front of Kaede's hut, her tires throwing up dirt as she slid across the hard-packed ground. She hopped off her bike and let it crash against the wall. Kaede, who was inside, heard the bike falling against her hut and poked her head out through the reed curtain that served as her door.
"Kagome!" she exclaimed, surprised to see the white and green schoolgirl fuku that stood Kagome apart from any other girl Kaede knew. She hadn't seen that fuku in almost four months, and she was starting to miss it. Actually, she had already been missing it; and Kagome, and Inuyasha, and the others. She still didn't know the horrible fate that had befallen the other four so many months ago.
Kagome turned around when she heard her name called. "Kaede," she said breathlessly, trying not to cry at the sight of the old woman's face. She had always considered Kaede a part of the group- the only one left, besides herself- and the way the woman's head stuck out her door reminded Kaome of Inuyasha. "Kaede, I need to tell you something."
Kaede stepped out of her hut and pushed back the reed curtain. She motioned for Kagome to go inside and said, "Come in. We'll talk in here." She smiled at Kagome as the girl walked past, and Kagome smiled back, despite the tears forming in her eyes. Once they were both inside, they sat across from each other on opposite sides of the fire ring in the center of the hut. A fire was going inside the ring and a pot was sitting over top it; Kaede was cooking dinner when the crash of Kagome's bike interrupted her. The two women were silent as Kaede finished her cooking and ladled out enough soup for both of them.
After Kaede took several spoonfuls of her soup, she left the spoon in her bowl and looked up again at Kagome. The girl was just staring into her bowl; she hadn't even taken a sip yet. Whatever Kagome wanted to tell the older woman was weighing heavily on her mind. Kaede set her bowl aside. "Would you like to tell me now?" she asked.
Kagome sighed and also set her bowl down. "I don't know if you know already, but," she took a deep breath, "Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou... everyone's dead."
Kaede gasped. She brought her right hand to her mouth, which hung open in shock. "When- when did this happen?"
"Four months ago. Between us and Naraku, we had gathered all the shards of the shikon jewel. Naraku agreed to come out and fight us himself, but only because he thought- no, had- developed a technique that would give himself an advantage over us. He took over Inuyasha's mind and had him kill Shippou first, then Miroku, and then Sango. I tried to kill Naraku with one of my arrows, but Inuyasha took the hit for him. It... I decapitated him and killed him. In the end, I managed to kill Naraku, but it doesn't matter anymore... the others are still dead."
Kagome sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes with the left sleeve of her fuku. She was not about to let herself cry again; she had to be strong- for herself, and for those who had died. She didn't think she had any more tears left anyway. "I left the shikon jewel, the completed shikon jewel, at the battlefield. I didn't want it then. Did you, by any chance, pick it up? It wasn't there."
As soon as Kaede started shaking her head, Kagome felt her mind shatter. It was almost as if Inuyasha had died all over again. /Why did I let myself get so happy over the possibility that Kaede would have found it before anything else did? It really wasn't possible at all. I think my eyes are starting to burn.../
"NO!" She shouted it; maybe it would have more effect on herself out loud than in her mind, because the latter sure wasn't working. "I won't cry!" But even has she said that, she felt herself breaking down into tears as Inuyasha's lost voice echoed from her memories.
/"I promise, Kagome. I won't die."/
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Read and review. We authors always like to get praises, and sometimes even constructive criticism. So bring it on! :D We don't like to get unconstructive criticism though, Mom's husband!
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Yakusoku no Kokoro, Chapter 3: All Over Again
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Kagome skidded to a halt in front of Kaede's hut, her tires throwing up dirt as she slid across the hard-packed ground. She hopped off her bike and let it crash against the wall. Kaede, who was inside, heard the bike falling against her hut and poked her head out through the reed curtain that served as her door.
"Kagome!" she exclaimed, surprised to see the white and green schoolgirl fuku that stood Kagome apart from any other girl Kaede knew. She hadn't seen that fuku in almost four months, and she was starting to miss it. Actually, she had already been missing it; and Kagome, and Inuyasha, and the others. She still didn't know the horrible fate that had befallen the other four so many months ago.
Kagome turned around when she heard her name called. "Kaede," she said breathlessly, trying not to cry at the sight of the old woman's face. She had always considered Kaede a part of the group- the only one left, besides herself- and the way the woman's head stuck out her door reminded Kaome of Inuyasha. "Kaede, I need to tell you something."
Kaede stepped out of her hut and pushed back the reed curtain. She motioned for Kagome to go inside and said, "Come in. We'll talk in here." She smiled at Kagome as the girl walked past, and Kagome smiled back, despite the tears forming in her eyes. Once they were both inside, they sat across from each other on opposite sides of the fire ring in the center of the hut. A fire was going inside the ring and a pot was sitting over top it; Kaede was cooking dinner when the crash of Kagome's bike interrupted her. The two women were silent as Kaede finished her cooking and ladled out enough soup for both of them.
After Kaede took several spoonfuls of her soup, she left the spoon in her bowl and looked up again at Kagome. The girl was just staring into her bowl; she hadn't even taken a sip yet. Whatever Kagome wanted to tell the older woman was weighing heavily on her mind. Kaede set her bowl aside. "Would you like to tell me now?" she asked.
Kagome sighed and also set her bowl down. "I don't know if you know already, but," she took a deep breath, "Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou... everyone's dead."
Kaede gasped. She brought her right hand to her mouth, which hung open in shock. "When- when did this happen?"
"Four months ago. Between us and Naraku, we had gathered all the shards of the shikon jewel. Naraku agreed to come out and fight us himself, but only because he thought- no, had- developed a technique that would give himself an advantage over us. He took over Inuyasha's mind and had him kill Shippou first, then Miroku, and then Sango. I tried to kill Naraku with one of my arrows, but Inuyasha took the hit for him. It... I decapitated him and killed him. In the end, I managed to kill Naraku, but it doesn't matter anymore... the others are still dead."
Kagome sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes with the left sleeve of her fuku. She was not about to let herself cry again; she had to be strong- for herself, and for those who had died. She didn't think she had any more tears left anyway. "I left the shikon jewel, the completed shikon jewel, at the battlefield. I didn't want it then. Did you, by any chance, pick it up? It wasn't there."
As soon as Kaede started shaking her head, Kagome felt her mind shatter. It was almost as if Inuyasha had died all over again. /Why did I let myself get so happy over the possibility that Kaede would have found it before anything else did? It really wasn't possible at all. I think my eyes are starting to burn.../
"NO!" She shouted it; maybe it would have more effect on herself out loud than in her mind, because the latter sure wasn't working. "I won't cry!" But even has she said that, she felt herself breaking down into tears as Inuyasha's lost voice echoed from her memories.
/"I promise, Kagome. I won't die."/
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Read and review. We authors always like to get praises, and sometimes even constructive criticism. So bring it on! :D We don't like to get unconstructive criticism though, Mom's husband!