Edited: 7/19/2011
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Dashed Hopes
Chapter Nineteen: Home Again
Everything seemed surreal as Inuyasha leaned over the ledge, looking down at the small dark spot so far below. There were flashing red lights as well, indicating that the police had finally made it—only minutes too late to do anything.
The idea that Naraku was finally gone made him want to smile, but a sharp tug in his chest reminded him that things were perfect. They were so much less than perfect that it was horrifying. When Inuyasha glanced around, his eyes landed on the small pink jewel laying in the gravel at his feet; he remembered with sudden clarity just why he shouldn't be so happy with the way things had ended.
Kagome.
"Kagome!" he shouted, his chest aching as the idea of her gone hit him full force.
He didn't have long to wallow, however, because a distant—but very irritated voice—shouted up at him.
"Hey, you idiot!"
Inuyasha blinked, wondering if he'd actually lost it. He swore he could actually hear Kago—
Having gotten no response, the person tried again just a bit louder. "Inuyasha, you jackass! Help me up or I swear I'll hurt you until you cry!"
Cautiously, he made his way over to the ledge and peered downward, trying to keep a good head on his shoulders at the dizzying sight.
"Inuyasha?" a young woman cried frantically looking back up at him.
Just out of sight below the edge, Kagome was steadying herself with her toes on a two-inch wide ledge while her fingers were wrapped around a bit of decorative molding in a stranglehold. Her knuckles were white with the effort, and she was shaking badly.
"You little bitch!" Inuyasha yelled down to her, his voice awed. "You scared the crap out of me!" He scowled in her direction, realizing just how worried and upset he'd been when he believed she'd plummeted to a blood death—he had felt it even through the shock caused by the situation. He reached down and grabbed her by both wrists, yanking her quickly to the roof to leave no time to freak her out anymore than she already was.
Kagome stood pale and almost hyperventilating in front of him as he eyed her up and down to make sure she was unharmed. When their eyes finally met, Inuyasha felt like he'd swallowed a swarm of angry, energetic butterflies. Before he could identify what exactly he was feeling, Kagome slapped him sharply across the face.
"What was that for?" he demanded, putting his hand to his cheek. It was rather ridiculous considering the shape he was in after a brutal fight with a man as strong as Naraku.
Kagome scrunched up her nose to keep from yelling at the wide-eyed man. "You idiot! It took you long enough to pull me back up. I could have— would have..." she trailed off and began to nibble her bottom lip, trying hard not to cry.
With a sigh, Inuyasha took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, pulling it tight around her. "You're shivering," he told her quietly, chucking her on the chin affectionately.
She promptly burst into tears.
Without hesitation, Inuyasha tucked her into his arms and held her close, stroking her hair in an inane attempt to soothe her. Kagome melted into the hug, repeatedly promising that she'd be nicer to him from now on and she was so very sorry about slapping him.
"It's alright. Everything's alright," he whispered. "I might have deserved it."
"Might have?" she echoed incredulously. "You definitely deserved it!" her face appeared and she gently wiped the tears away with her thumbs.
Keeping a comforting and strong arm around her slim shoulders, he guided her to the roof's door.
Right before they got to the stairwell, several cops decked out in bulletproof vests burst through the doorway with their guns aimed at chest level. They struck a pose, pointing their handguns and rifles in seemingly random directions, looking almost threatening. As though his life depended on it, a young policeman slunk over to the jewel, looking everywhere as though expecting something to jump out and attack. Using a gloved hand, he slipped the item into a thin manila folder.
Kagome leaned heavily into Inuyasha's side, not trusting her legs to hold her, and they continued past the officers. An aging detective, mouth set in a grim line, met them at the top of the stairs and led them down without a word.
Once they reached the lobby, two uniformed men directed them towards an idling squad car with instructions to go to the station and deliver their official statement.
"You look like crap," one man said, almost managing to sound sympathetic, "But you both seem to be walking alright. You can wait until later for the hospital, right?"
Inuyasha nodded.
"Here," the detective demanded roughly as he prepared to duck Kagome into the back seat like he would a criminal.
"I'll do it," Inuyasha snarled and gently handed Kagome into the back before climbing in behind her.
Outside, just within view, Kagome noticed a lump on the cold concrete as the car drove past. The sheet stretched over top was stained with blood and other questionable liquids.
"Naraku," Kagome breathed, her eyes wide.
"Don't look at it," Inuyasha muttered, pulling her head down into his shoulder to shield her eyes. He averted his own gaze, instead watching the passing scenery as they drew closer to the police station.
An hour later as the two waited in the interrogation room, Inuyasha studied Kagome's very serious profile. Her eyes seemed almost empty as she watched the air in front of her, her lips thinned into a frown.
He decided not to interrupt her thoughts.
Instead, he examined his own ideas and conclusions about the situation. With no more Naraku, there wasn't any threat back in Kyoto, which meant there were no more ties keeping Kagome in Tokyo—
Except for her new friendships.
Then again, Kagome had friends and family back home as well.
Inuyasha felt like slamming an angry fist into the nearby wall to vent his frustration. A dark part of him expected Kagome to leave them. Before, he'd been fine—happy even—with just Sango and Miroku. However, he wasn't as thickheaded as some people took him for; he'd noticed how close his two best friends had become. Without Kagome, he felt like his position in the group had changed. He'd practically be a third wheel in his own group.
Of course he was happy for them. Sango and Miroku would be good together—and it had taken them so long to realize it. Inuyasha was certain that if he were ever falling in love or someone was falling in love with him, he'd know it immediately.
Then again, if nothing else had been proved by Kagome and Naraku's situation, it was now obvious that love and relationships were complicated subjects.
Without Naraku, would he and Kagome have anything left to talk about? Before now, the best thing Inuyasha had going for him with Kagome was how he'd listen to her talk about her situation, comfort her when it became too much. That was gone now. Granted, they had just been through a difficult experience that might lead to a stronger friendship.
Inuyasha leaned back in his chair, ignoring the look the on-duty cop watching them was giving him.
It was taking an agonizingly long time for the detective to show up. He'd insisted they needed to be questioned while their memory was still fresh. Inuyasha's first instinct had been to argue, but Kagome had agreed quietly almost immediately.
Distracted by his thoughts, Inuyasha didn't notice Kagome's hand creeping towards him until her fingers wrapped around his own. She gave him a reassuring squeeze, and he fought to hide his smile.
"I have come to a decision," the old detective, dubbed 'The Billy Goat' in Inuyasha's mind, told the two in front of him while clasping his hands in a very serious pose.
Inuyasha snorted rudely. "Took you long eno— ow! Kagome!"
Kagome, who had just elbowed him in his side to keep him quiet, turned her full attention to the cop. "Yes?"
"With your eyewitness accounts, in addition to reports from a few eagle-eyed pedestrians on the street below, it has been determined that Naraku was at the ledge alone when he went over and that he was not pushed."
"So…?" Inuyasha said, drawing the word out slowly.
"So we can't arrest you for Naraku's murder. Even if you had shoved him, I doubt you, Mr. Youkai, could have gotten into a lot of trouble. For one, he was a murderer and a thief; for another, it was clearly self-defense that caused you to fight him in the first place. When Naraku shoved Ms. Higurashi off the ledge, you were also attacking him in her self-defense."
"Well that's fantastic news," Inuyasha snapped snidely. "Can we go now?"
"Don't sound like such a child," Kagome scolded.
"Yes, you may go, but I need to be able to reach you, Ms. Higurashi, for further questioning."
Kagome nodded dutifully before she got to her feet, waiting for Inuyasha to follow her. "Goodbye, Detective Yagi!" she called over her shoulder with a small wave.
Inuyasha snickered, because the old man's last name actually meant "goat."
They left the interrogation room and were guided to the front of the station by a uniformed officer. When they walked into the lobby, they were immediately confronted.
"Kagome!" Sango shouted, lurching away from Miroku—who had his arm wrapped around her waist—and racing towards her friends. The two women embraced as Sango tutted sympathetically under her breath.
Miroku approached and wrapped the two in a hug close to his chest. "She was worried," he said, nodding towards Sango.
"So were you!" the brunette retorted practically. They shared a small, secret smile.
"How'd you know to find us here?" Inuyasha demanded, always the blunt one, as he came to stand next to the group.
"Some woman called us and told us we might want to show up here," Sango explained, looking confused.
"A woman…?" Kagome raised an eyebrow as her questioning voice trailed off.
"I bet it was that red-eyed woman," Inuyasha announced, snapping his fingers with realization.
"What red-eyed woman?" Miroku asked, looking very interested. Sango slid him an exasperated look.
"Red-eyed?" Kagome repeated thoughtfully. "Oh, I bet that was Kagura. I really owe her… It took me awhile, but I finally figured it out. Kagura called me the morning, right before I walked in on the murders, and tried to warn me to stay away. I didn't listen. Obviously."
The others knew better than to comment on this.
Kagome yawned and hit it behind her hand. "I'm ready to head home and get some sleep," she said drowsily. "I think I just suffered an adrenaline crash."
"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed. "You look like shit."
Aggravated, Kagome huffed and grabbed Sango's purse, slamming it into Inuyasha's gut. She then stormed out of the station, Sango and Miroku at her heels—laughing.
"What'd I say?" Inuyasha wondered aloud as he followed, slowly, behind.
Once they were all in Miroku's car—both Inuyasha's and the one that Kagome borrowed from Sango were still in the parking lot by the Inutaisho Company—Kagome shifted restlessly in the back seat.
"What is it, Kagome?" Sango asked, looking over at her.
"Did Kagura say anything about what would happen to her?"
Miroku frowned slightly from the driver's seat. "Before hanging up, she mentioned something about Mexico."
Kagome turned wide eyes on the other three passengers. "Mexico," she echoed.
From the front seat, Inuyasha twisted around and sent her a supportive look. "She'll be fine, Kagome. Don't worry about her."
Instead of sounding reassured, Kagome surprised them all by scoffing. "Why Mexico? Personally, I would have chosen France or Spain."
"Kagome?" Sango said, sounding surprised and confused. "You've actually thoughtabout where you'd go if you were on the run from the cops?"
To their relief, Kagome giggled tiredly. "I was kidding! …Mostly."
The next day, Kagome, Souta, Shippou, and Inuyasha were relaxing in the living room. All three males were talking excitedly about the night before while Kagome looked on, wondering if she should be disturbed.
"Oh! Oh!"
"Yes, Souta?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk, calling on them as though they were in a classroom.
"Was there whistling while he was falling—?"
"—And did he go splat when he hit the street?" Shippou quickly added. Both boys peered up at the man with wide, curious eyes.
Inuyasha chuckled darkly. "It was more like a squish sound."
Kagome groaned, feeling a headache brewing at her temples. Bring on the aspirin, she thought. Standing up, she padded out of the room and away from the discussion on sound effects of her ex's death.
She was stopped before she reached the doorway, however, when a small voice asked, "Um… Kagome?"
She glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Is he really gone?"
"Yeah, Souta, he's really gone."
The day had been pretty boring long before the family and guests gathered in the kitchen for dinner. Kagome and Inuyasha had slept in due to exhaustion while Sesshoumaru had left to help the detective with his investigation. The older Mr. Youkai knew someone needed to chaperone the police as they wandered around the Inutaisho Company building looking for evidence.
In his absence, Sango and Miroku, along with Kohaku, had come by to keep everything under control.
Now everyone, even the dog, was sitting down to an uncomfortably silent dinner.
Kagome shifted on her stool for the umpteenth time, which caused the two males eating on either side of her, Inuyasha and Souta, to eye her warily. She'd been awfully quiet since she'd woken up, constantly starring off into space as though a heavy question was plaguing her mind.
Gently clearing her throat again, the woman glanced around at the others assembled at the table.
"Mama?"
"Yeah, Shippou?"
"You're not eating your oden; can I have it?" the redheaded child asked innocently.
Considering oden was Kagome's favorite dish in the entire world, everyone was exceptionally worried. "Sure, I guess," Kagome said vaguely, pushing the bowl towards her adopted son.
"Er… Kagome?"
"Yes, Souta?"
"Can I have your rice cakes?"
"Go ahead," Kagome offered, waving dismissively at her plate.
By this time, Kagome had her head propped up on one hand and was watching the air with disinterest.
"Kagome—?"
"Yes, Miroku, you can have my sake."
"Thanks!"
Kagome hummed noncommittally.
"Ms. Higurashi, may I be granted the permission to have—?"
"Okay, that's it!" Inuyasha snapped, slamming his hands down hard on the table. Everyone turned to look at him. "What is she? A buffet table?"
"A table? Not with that figure..." Miroku joked with a eyebrow waggle, and Sango elbowed him in the ribs.
"Inuyasha? You can have my rice pudding if you want," Kagome told him.
"...Thanks."
Nibbling her lip, Kagome glanced at the chatting people surrounding her.
"Um… guys?" Her quiet voice, surprisingly, grabbed everyone's attention. "I've been thinking…" She turned to glance wistfully out the window.
"Yes?" Sango prodded, eyebrow arched.
But one person wasn't watching Kagome.
His eyes was glaring at his fists in his lap.
It was coming…
Inuyasha knew what to expect.
Kagome was going to say those three words, and then disappear forever, and life would go back to normal… As normal as it could get excluding a great secretary, best friend, mother figure, and grade-A arguer.
And for once, Inuyasha was right.
"I'm going home."
Next Chapter: The Sunset Shrine
