{ Akaro, I answered your many questions over email ^^;
Everyone – first off, thank you all once again!! 51 reviews, 11 members have me on their favorites list, and 13 on author alert! -tear- I.. I can't tell you how amazing and wonderful this is to me. I never dreamed I would get so many reviews for this story. Thanks just don't seem enough.
And to those that are wanting / expecting Kagome to get her memories back soon.. I'm sorry to disappoint you! She probably won't get her memories back as such any time in the near future, though it will explain nearly everything sooner and she'll regain a lot of her old relationships with everyone. Erm.. yeah..
This chapter is horrible, I warn you in advance. I wrote this up quickly just so I could say I updated. School is keeping me sooo busy, I can't seem to find time to actually sit and write at leisure. I'll try and get a good / long chapter up soon! And things should start picking up some time soon.. really! }
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Chapter 5 – promise
By Jamethiel1
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"Two years.." she murmured, glancing back at the duo. "So how long have I been away from here?" It just didn't make sense, how could she have been here and in a coma? It wasn't possible, unless this really was some dreamland, real only in her mind. But she refused to believe that. She felt whole here.. if this turned out to only be a dream..
"Eight days," Sango spoke after a quick mental tally. That was it; only eight days? How did eight days account for the response Inuyasha had given upon seeing her, how did that measure into a time that they thought she would never return? Had she really been here enough that a week would seem such a long time, or was there something else? Sango continued on, oblivious to the questions bombarding her. "The last time we saw you-"
"Wait!" Kagome interrupted, holding up a hand as she smiled wryly. Sango looked slightly puzzled, but stopped mid-sentence and waited for Kagome to explain. "I'd rather remember things for myself. That way I'll know all this is real, and that I'm not just making myself believe it is."
Sango and Miroku nodded, silently agreeing to her request. "Thanks." It wasn't that she wouldn't believe them, just that she didn't want any of her memories to be false. She wanted to make sure she was truly remembering her time here, if ever she would regain her memories of this place. Her eyes wandered once again to the door, and she found herself standing before she even realized she was moving. Neither Miroku nor Sango made to stop her as she moved to leave; it must be weird for them as well, having someone they've known for years suddenly not know them.
Stepping outside, she blinked against the sun, seeing it was probably about midday. Then she glanced around, searching for something: a certain dog-eared boy. Though she didn't see him, she wasn't about to give up the search that easily. Beginning to walk, she allowed herself to go without any destination in mind, trusting that she would find him eventually. Kagome surveyed the scenery as she passed, taking in its beauty at the same time she was trying to spark any sort of recognition within her. Yet the only thing that stayed with her was this feeling of rightness, that she was supposed to be here. Other than that, this was all new to her. I did hear correctly, she thought as she continued to scan her surroundings, this really isn't my time. I.. I've come to the past? Why is that thought so easy to accept?
Kagome's attention was taken from her thoughts as she spotted Inuyasha ahead. He was sitting upon the boughs of a tree that rested just outside the village, leaned against the truck with his eyes closed, brows furrowed. If Kagome was surprised she had found him so easily, she didn't let it show. Instead she approached further, craning her neck upward as she watched him. She would have thought he was sleeping if it were not for his troubled expression; as it was, he seemed to be deep in thought. "Inuyasha?" she called tentatively, yet he didn't stir, didn't give any signs of hearing. "Inuyasha!" she tried again, louder this time.
"What is it?" he mumbled, and Kagome jumped slightly at the unexpected reply; he still hadn't moved a muscle.
"I.." she paused, unsure what to say. She hadn't really come here for a reason, she had just felt she should. "I wanted to say I'm sorry.."
Now he did move, and he opened his eyes slightly, amber eyes peering down at her. Then he turned away again, crossing his arms over his chest, "There's nothing to be sorry for."
"It's just.. you seem upset. I wish I could remember.. I really do.." she felt tears welling in her eyes, but she blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. Kagome didn't know what was worse: not having memories of him and this place, or knowing she was hurting him by not having those memories. Actually, she did know what was worse. For some reason, she felt she would take on anything, any amount of pain, if Inuyasha was happy.
"Why'd you come back?" he asked, tone void of emotion. "If you can't even remember us, how'd you know how to come back?"
Kagome turned her gaze to the ground, unable to look at him least she did succumb to the tears. "I.. I'm not sure. I felt like something was missing, and everything led me here.."
There was silence for a moment, enough that she lifted her eyes again, to find that Inuyasha was already watching her. "You shouldn't have come," he spoke, voice still emotionless, eyes hard.
"Wh-what!?" she exclaimed, taking a step back as she gaped openly at him. She knew he had been glad when she first arrived here; she had seen that look! Why was he saying this now? Why did she feel like yelling, like crying? Why was he able to do this to her?
"You heard me. You shouldn't have come back."
She forced the tears down, and felt a spark of anger answer her summons instead. "Well, I am here," she replied, "I don't know what your problem is, but you could at least act happy to see me! I might not remember you, but with how you're acting, I'm not sure I even want to!"
Kagome watched a few emotions flicker across his features, so swiftly that she was unable to identify any of them, before an anger of his own settled there. "That's fine with me! I didn't ask you to come back, so don't act like I should be jumping for joy! Go back home for all I care, wench!"
Kagome glared up at him, hands balling into fists as anger overcame the sympathy and hurt she had felt previously. Why did he have to be like that? She literally shook as she tried to think of some way to reply that would express the rage she was feeling. As she watched him, however, she saw that a hint of fear had entered his eyes. As soon as she had visibly shown her anger, he looked as though he was afraid of her; bracing himself as if she would strike him. As much as she might have liked to at that moment, he was up a tree, what was he expecting her to do? "You can stop acting as if I'm going to hit you!" she yelled at him, anger still intact. "Unless you came down here, there's not much I could do anyway! What's your problem?"
He just stared down at her, still tensed as if afraid she was going to do something to him. Then a look of realization came over him, and perhaps even a hint of a smile. What the heck..? He leapt down from his perch in the tree, landing safely upon the earth and eyeing her. The smile was gone, though a knowing look still remained. "You really don't remember anything, do you?" he asked needlessly, and Kagome rolled her eyes to emphasize the point. "Then," Inuyasha brought his hand up to his neck, fingering the rosary that hung there, "you don't remember what this is for?"
"That's what I've been saying: I don't remember anything."
Then he was suddenly beside her, movement too fast for her to register completely. She turned her gaze to him, and he placed his hands upon her arms, pushing her back gently until he had backed her against the tree. Her eyes widened at the same time her heart started pounding. What was he doing? "Promise me something?" he asked, voice soft as he continued to hold her, much too close for comfort as she had no way to retreat. At this point, she wasn't sure she wanted to.
"What?" she wanted to know, unable to keep the suspicion from her voice. She couldn't figure him out; one moment he was yelling at her, the next he was doing something like this..
Again he raised a clawed hand to the beads about his neck, "Promise you won't ask the others about this, that you'll wait to remember on your own."
Kagome looked to the rosary, wondering what could be so special about it. Maybe it was something she had given him, or at least something shared between the two of them. The others had said they were close, and Inuyasha certainly was acting as if it were an intimate secret. She now felt even more uncomfortable, pressed against the tree with him standing not even a step from her. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure it must be audible to him, and she couldn't help the faint flush that crept upon her cheeks. So she closed her eyes, trying not to think about him and the touch of his flesh on her arm, and nodded. "Okay. I won't ask them," she spoke, wishing he'd back off, and yet not wanting him to at the same time.
"Promise?" he repeated, apparently this was something important to him.
"I promise."
"Good," he pulled her into an embrace, releasing her so quickly it left her wondering if he even had hugged her. Yet her dazed mind, her pounding heart argued that it definitely had happened. "You're right, you are here. I just.." he trailed off, and Kagome waited patiently for him to continue. It sounded as if he were going to apologize, or at least explain why he had acted like he had. "You'll remember everything eventually, Kagome," he stated instead, to the disappointment of Kagome. "And when you do.. please just remember what I said earlier."
"What? That I shouldn't have come back?" she questioned sarcastically.
"Yes," he replied simply as he turned sad eyes to her. Then he started back towards the village, leaving a stunned Kagome to watch his retreating figure. What had that meant? Shaking her head against the confusion, she jogged to catch up with him, trying to ignore the foreboding feeling in her heart.
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End of Chapter 5
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{ Told you it was horrible xP Review please! They might motivate me enough to forget my homework and work on this instead ;) And I really want to thank those who have been reviewing each chapter, and there are quite a few of you! -glompz- Makes me feel special ^^;;
Just edited a few things: missing words, repeated phrases. If you see things like that, please point them out so I can fix them }