AN: Okay, so I think this is the last chapter. Hopefully, all your
questions will be answered......... and if they're not......... well, I
guess that's when you can start throwing the pies......... except for YOU,
Heather!......... *grin*......... And as sad and depressing as this fic
seems, I promise there's a happy ending! ~hEyKyRa13
demented-squrriel: DING DING DING DING DINGGGGGG!!!!!!
Mistress of the Wind: All shall be explained in this super long chapter......... well, technically its not all that long, but its much longer than the others......... at any rate, its more reading material for ya! ^-^'
It's been awesome reading all your reviews, and I really hope you all enjoy my last chapter.
***
An Unrelished Fate
Chapter 7
A Second Chance
***
Inuyasha.
Kagome sniffed, eyes red from crying. Taking one glance at the well, tears returned and she tucked her head back into her arms.
"Inuyasha."
Suddenly, she became aware of something on the back of her neck. Startled, Kagome slowly slid her fingers to the exposed skin, her fingertips brushing against something wet. She gasped.
"Kagome."
Eyes widening, Kagome jerked her head up. A head of smooth, silvery hair buried itself onto her shoulder, shaking as it emitted soft sobs.
For a moment, Kagome scolded herself. Her imaginary illusions have gone too far, this time. She couldn't bare it.
But when her sudden movement caused the head to shift, rolling around until a face could be seen, Kagome uttered another gasp. Slowly, the eyelids fluttered open to reveal a surprisingly familiar pair of golden amber hued eyes.
Kagome's own eyes swelled with even more tears. "Inuyasha?"
Stunned that he heard her speak his name, Inuyasha sat up and stared into Kagome's eyes, trying to determine whether it was recognition he saw in them, or it was just his own mind playing tricks on him.
"Are you......... real?" Kagome asked, her voice barely above a whisper, breathing becoming a labored task.
"I......... don't know," Inuyasha admitted, not sure if she could even hear him. So many things were happening at once, leaving the hanyou extremely confused.
Tentatively, he lifted a hand to his chest, stunned by the thumping he felt in response. The warmth that surged from fingertip to chest left a strange, tingling sensation from reuse. The same occurred when his hand was lifted to his own face, briefly feeling the passing of air as it crossed his open mouth.
Kagome watched as he glanced at his hand, disbelief washing over his features. For a split second, his tawny eyes flicked toward her own, and reflexively, his hand reached out for her face. Kagome held her breath, staring unwaveringly at his approaching fingers.
Half expecting his hand, and the rest of his body, to dissolve inches in front of her face, confirming her belief of him being an illusion, Kagome's breath was released abruptly when she felt his skin brush lightly against her own. Her lips hung slightly parted, her breath escaping her at uneven intervals. Her eyes were imprisoned within the confines of the hanyou's own intense gaze.
"You're......... alive?" she said softly, sure her voice was drowned out by the pounding of her heart against her chest. Despite her extreme efforts, another tear released itself, leaving a glistening trace of its path down her cheek.
Involuntarily, Inuyasha's hand tenderly brushed the falling tear away, lingering momentarily to trace his fingertip along the moistened path before cupping her cheek. His own cheeks stretched taught as he offered the girl a ghost of a smile.
"I guess."
"B-but," Kagome stammered, still not wanting to give in for fear that she still might be dreaming, "you're dead! I saw you! You went.........you chose to go......... with her......... Kikyo........."
"Kagome," he whispered hoarsely, brows furrowing as he brought his other hand to her open cheek, forcing her to look at him. The girl gasped when she discovered his normally hard, cold eyes glistening with tears. "Please forgive me."
"F-forgive you?" she stuttered, overwhelmed by his unabashed show of emotions. "Why?"
All at once, Inuyasha drew back his arms and, taking her with them, crushed her petite frame to his chest, burying his tear-strewn face into her shoulder. Caught off guard by the sudden blow, Kagome remained motionless as the hanyou's grip on her grew tighter and tighter, as if he was scared anything less would end with him losing her again.
Realizing the overwhelming strength of his forceful grasp, Inuyasha eased his hold, but refused to let go. Snaking his arms across her shoulders and around her waist, he pulled her upward and leaned his head closer to her ear.
"Forgive me for all the mistakes I've made," he said in a hushed voice. "I've made so many, and like the idiot I was, it took something as big as hell to make me finally realize the greatest mistake of all."
Kagome's heart began to race like lightening as the tension mounted, and he knew it. Patiently, he felt content to wait, reveling in her presence in his arms.
Kagome was speechless. She honestly didn't know what to say. Still reeling from his sudden rise from the dead, Inuyasha's candid words left her staggering. She was unaccustomed to the hanyou behaving so openly, especially about the feelings he had for so long kept guarded. And to express these feelings in both words and action so suddenly, such a concept was hardly imagined by her, and certainly not expected.
Realizing he was waiting for her to respond, Kagome opened her mouth, only to stutter childishly, "W-what w-was that?"
Inuyasha sighed, and slowly pulled away just enough so that he could look into her troubled eyes, hoping she understood and accepted the sincerity of his words.
"Fooling myself into thinking I could survive, even in death, without you."
Kagome inhaled steeply, eyes widening.
Can this really be Inuyasha? she marveled, finally starting to give in to the possibility that he wasn't a delusion.
"But Kikyo........."
"-has nothing more to do with me," Inuyasha replied calmly, sweeping a stray stand of ebony hair back behind her ear, studying her visage lovingly. "I followed Kikyo thinking it would satisfy the guilt I have carried with me for so many years. It took me so long- too long- to understand that she never held the place in my heart that you do, Kagome."
"Inuyasha, w-what are you s-saying?" she whispered, against her better senses stubbornly praying she wasn't about to imagine his words.
"Don't you know?" Inuyasha said, affectionately rubbing his thumb against her cheek. Tilting his head slightly to the left, refusing his eyes pardon to stray from her face, his timid smile metamorphosized into something more real. "Kagome......... I love you."
Kagome blinked once, then twice. At first, only the sound of her own heart hammering against her ears broke the silence. Then, as her tears emerged once again, this time they were accompanied by the creeping of her mouth into a beaming smile. For the first time that day, she finally believed that she wasn't dreaming.
In a sudden move that almost surprised Inuyasha himself, Kagome leaped forward, coiling her arms in a fierce hug around his neck, laughing joyously. After the initial shock, Inuyasha grinned and returned the embrace.
"I love you, too, Inuyasha."
Kagome wasn't the only one who was having difficulty accepting the reality of it all. Inuyasha could hardly believe Kagome was in his arms, telling him that she was his. He couldn't believe he was even alive again.
So this is happiness, he thought, filling his nostrils with her alluring scent. His clawed hands dug through her hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands slipping between his fingers. Her sculpted body pressed against his introduced a searing heat that burned along the surface of his skin. Satisfied with merely holding her close, knowing she wouldn't run away, brought about a novel sense of security and peace.
Kagome felt Inuyasha's ease and smiled, breathing in deeply. She loved him, and he loved her back. She didn't dare think this was all another fabrication of her imagination, all for the fear that she might be right. Instead, she felt content to dwell only on the miracle before her.
Inuyasha.
***
Epilogue
***
"So, Inuyasha. You have made your choice, I see."
The priestess refused to smile, but surprisingly felt no bitterness toward either the hanyou she had released, or her own reincarnation that had stole him from her. Perhaps it was the afterlife finally settling her long tormented soul.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched them, clinging to each other in an illusionary bliss. Finally, she slowly closed her eyes and turned, walking away from the lovers.
"I trust you to found in that girl what you failed to find in me, Inuyasha."
***end***
AN: IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!! THE FIRST REAL FIC (besides the *ahem* DBZ......... thing.........) I'VE EVER FINISHED!!!!!......... I'm actually really excited. This didn't turn out too bad......... especially for something that was only initially intended for an experiment. What do you guys think?
Well, my first Inuyasha fic over and done with......... what now? I still have "A Fairy Tale" to finish, although I assure you, it will never ever in a billion years be as quick in writing as this. But, I do have a possibility to work on for another Inuyasha story that's in some ways similar to this one, although not nearly as short, and not nearly as dramatic. I'll have to play around with the idea a little more.
But anyway, this is my farewell. Hope you all liked it!
~hEyKyRa13
And by the way, thanks to everyone for their replies! May it be known that they were always well appreciated!
demented-squrriel: DING DING DING DING DINGGGGGG!!!!!!
Mistress of the Wind: All shall be explained in this super long chapter......... well, technically its not all that long, but its much longer than the others......... at any rate, its more reading material for ya! ^-^'
It's been awesome reading all your reviews, and I really hope you all enjoy my last chapter.
***
An Unrelished Fate
Chapter 7
A Second Chance
***
Inuyasha.
Kagome sniffed, eyes red from crying. Taking one glance at the well, tears returned and she tucked her head back into her arms.
"Inuyasha."
Suddenly, she became aware of something on the back of her neck. Startled, Kagome slowly slid her fingers to the exposed skin, her fingertips brushing against something wet. She gasped.
"Kagome."
Eyes widening, Kagome jerked her head up. A head of smooth, silvery hair buried itself onto her shoulder, shaking as it emitted soft sobs.
For a moment, Kagome scolded herself. Her imaginary illusions have gone too far, this time. She couldn't bare it.
But when her sudden movement caused the head to shift, rolling around until a face could be seen, Kagome uttered another gasp. Slowly, the eyelids fluttered open to reveal a surprisingly familiar pair of golden amber hued eyes.
Kagome's own eyes swelled with even more tears. "Inuyasha?"
Stunned that he heard her speak his name, Inuyasha sat up and stared into Kagome's eyes, trying to determine whether it was recognition he saw in them, or it was just his own mind playing tricks on him.
"Are you......... real?" Kagome asked, her voice barely above a whisper, breathing becoming a labored task.
"I......... don't know," Inuyasha admitted, not sure if she could even hear him. So many things were happening at once, leaving the hanyou extremely confused.
Tentatively, he lifted a hand to his chest, stunned by the thumping he felt in response. The warmth that surged from fingertip to chest left a strange, tingling sensation from reuse. The same occurred when his hand was lifted to his own face, briefly feeling the passing of air as it crossed his open mouth.
Kagome watched as he glanced at his hand, disbelief washing over his features. For a split second, his tawny eyes flicked toward her own, and reflexively, his hand reached out for her face. Kagome held her breath, staring unwaveringly at his approaching fingers.
Half expecting his hand, and the rest of his body, to dissolve inches in front of her face, confirming her belief of him being an illusion, Kagome's breath was released abruptly when she felt his skin brush lightly against her own. Her lips hung slightly parted, her breath escaping her at uneven intervals. Her eyes were imprisoned within the confines of the hanyou's own intense gaze.
"You're......... alive?" she said softly, sure her voice was drowned out by the pounding of her heart against her chest. Despite her extreme efforts, another tear released itself, leaving a glistening trace of its path down her cheek.
Involuntarily, Inuyasha's hand tenderly brushed the falling tear away, lingering momentarily to trace his fingertip along the moistened path before cupping her cheek. His own cheeks stretched taught as he offered the girl a ghost of a smile.
"I guess."
"B-but," Kagome stammered, still not wanting to give in for fear that she still might be dreaming, "you're dead! I saw you! You went.........you chose to go......... with her......... Kikyo........."
"Kagome," he whispered hoarsely, brows furrowing as he brought his other hand to her open cheek, forcing her to look at him. The girl gasped when she discovered his normally hard, cold eyes glistening with tears. "Please forgive me."
"F-forgive you?" she stuttered, overwhelmed by his unabashed show of emotions. "Why?"
All at once, Inuyasha drew back his arms and, taking her with them, crushed her petite frame to his chest, burying his tear-strewn face into her shoulder. Caught off guard by the sudden blow, Kagome remained motionless as the hanyou's grip on her grew tighter and tighter, as if he was scared anything less would end with him losing her again.
Realizing the overwhelming strength of his forceful grasp, Inuyasha eased his hold, but refused to let go. Snaking his arms across her shoulders and around her waist, he pulled her upward and leaned his head closer to her ear.
"Forgive me for all the mistakes I've made," he said in a hushed voice. "I've made so many, and like the idiot I was, it took something as big as hell to make me finally realize the greatest mistake of all."
Kagome's heart began to race like lightening as the tension mounted, and he knew it. Patiently, he felt content to wait, reveling in her presence in his arms.
Kagome was speechless. She honestly didn't know what to say. Still reeling from his sudden rise from the dead, Inuyasha's candid words left her staggering. She was unaccustomed to the hanyou behaving so openly, especially about the feelings he had for so long kept guarded. And to express these feelings in both words and action so suddenly, such a concept was hardly imagined by her, and certainly not expected.
Realizing he was waiting for her to respond, Kagome opened her mouth, only to stutter childishly, "W-what w-was that?"
Inuyasha sighed, and slowly pulled away just enough so that he could look into her troubled eyes, hoping she understood and accepted the sincerity of his words.
"Fooling myself into thinking I could survive, even in death, without you."
Kagome inhaled steeply, eyes widening.
Can this really be Inuyasha? she marveled, finally starting to give in to the possibility that he wasn't a delusion.
"But Kikyo........."
"-has nothing more to do with me," Inuyasha replied calmly, sweeping a stray stand of ebony hair back behind her ear, studying her visage lovingly. "I followed Kikyo thinking it would satisfy the guilt I have carried with me for so many years. It took me so long- too long- to understand that she never held the place in my heart that you do, Kagome."
"Inuyasha, w-what are you s-saying?" she whispered, against her better senses stubbornly praying she wasn't about to imagine his words.
"Don't you know?" Inuyasha said, affectionately rubbing his thumb against her cheek. Tilting his head slightly to the left, refusing his eyes pardon to stray from her face, his timid smile metamorphosized into something more real. "Kagome......... I love you."
Kagome blinked once, then twice. At first, only the sound of her own heart hammering against her ears broke the silence. Then, as her tears emerged once again, this time they were accompanied by the creeping of her mouth into a beaming smile. For the first time that day, she finally believed that she wasn't dreaming.
In a sudden move that almost surprised Inuyasha himself, Kagome leaped forward, coiling her arms in a fierce hug around his neck, laughing joyously. After the initial shock, Inuyasha grinned and returned the embrace.
"I love you, too, Inuyasha."
Kagome wasn't the only one who was having difficulty accepting the reality of it all. Inuyasha could hardly believe Kagome was in his arms, telling him that she was his. He couldn't believe he was even alive again.
So this is happiness, he thought, filling his nostrils with her alluring scent. His clawed hands dug through her hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands slipping between his fingers. Her sculpted body pressed against his introduced a searing heat that burned along the surface of his skin. Satisfied with merely holding her close, knowing she wouldn't run away, brought about a novel sense of security and peace.
Kagome felt Inuyasha's ease and smiled, breathing in deeply. She loved him, and he loved her back. She didn't dare think this was all another fabrication of her imagination, all for the fear that she might be right. Instead, she felt content to dwell only on the miracle before her.
Inuyasha.
***
Epilogue
***
"So, Inuyasha. You have made your choice, I see."
The priestess refused to smile, but surprisingly felt no bitterness toward either the hanyou she had released, or her own reincarnation that had stole him from her. Perhaps it was the afterlife finally settling her long tormented soul.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched them, clinging to each other in an illusionary bliss. Finally, she slowly closed her eyes and turned, walking away from the lovers.
"I trust you to found in that girl what you failed to find in me, Inuyasha."
***end***
AN: IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!! THE FIRST REAL FIC (besides the *ahem* DBZ......... thing.........) I'VE EVER FINISHED!!!!!......... I'm actually really excited. This didn't turn out too bad......... especially for something that was only initially intended for an experiment. What do you guys think?
Well, my first Inuyasha fic over and done with......... what now? I still have "A Fairy Tale" to finish, although I assure you, it will never ever in a billion years be as quick in writing as this. But, I do have a possibility to work on for another Inuyasha story that's in some ways similar to this one, although not nearly as short, and not nearly as dramatic. I'll have to play around with the idea a little more.
But anyway, this is my farewell. Hope you all liked it!
~hEyKyRa13
And by the way, thanks to everyone for their replies! May it be known that they were always well appreciated!