Chapter 2
'Inuyasha and Kagome were gone for a long time' Sango thought as she sat on a bench out front of Kaede's hut, polishing her boomerang, hiraikotsu. She glanced to Miroku who sat next to her, arms crossed. "Where did Inuyasha and Kagome go?" she asked the monk. Miroku shrugged and opened his eyes and turned his head lazily to Sango.
"I know Kagome is at the river, Inuyasha, I dunno, maybe he went to go peek?" Next thing he saw were stars in front of her eyes.
"Pervert.." Sango said as she shook her hand. She placed her boomerang against the wall. She noticed a shadow in front of her and looked up. "Oh my gods.. Kagome! Inuyasha! What happened!" She and Miroku jumped up and motioned them into the hut. Inuyasha didn't say a word. He put her down on the sleeping mat, placing the last shard on her chest.
"She was attacked by Kikyo. Kagome killed her." This brought a gasp from Sango. "I'm going back to get her remains. go find Kaede, tell her to meet me by the shrine." and with that he walked out, leaving a stunned demon exterminator and monk behind.
Shippo ran back to the village after playing with some of the villager children, flowers in hand. He smiled as he saw Inuyasha and started to run towards him. "Inuyasha, you're back! Where's Kagome! I picked some flowers for her and.." he stopped mid-sentence when he realized that the half demon wasn't even acknowledging him. "Hey! Inuyasha!" Shippo jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder and tugged at his ear, "What gives?" Inuyasha didn't answer but just took the little fox cub off his shoulder and placed him on the ground.
"Leave me alone, Shippo." Inuyasha muttered as he walked into the forest towards the river. How could it end like this? His balled fists tight. He finally reached Kikyo's body. His eyes stung, but he knew he couldn't cry. Kagome had a legitimate reason for killing Kikyo. The Kikyo that laid on the ground was not the same Kikyo that he knew a little over fifty years ago. His body shuddered as he forced himself to hold back tears as he lifted the body and ran back to the village. A growl rose in his chest as he gripped the remains in his arms. He didn't want to blame Kagome for this, but he did. His heart felt like it was torn to shreds. No. He couldn't blame Kagome, he couldn't. He was relieved when he finally made it to the shrine and seeing Kaede.
"Thankyou, Inuyasha." Kaede said as the hanyou placed Kikyo's remains on the ground in front of her burial site. It took all his strength to let her go. He stayed on the ground, on one knee blinking his eyes rapidly, refusing to let tears fall as he stared at the dead clay body. This had to happen. Sooner or later it had to happen. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "She can finally be at peace." He heard her say. He closed his eyes, sighed, and stood up, his bangs hiding his eyes.
"But at what cost?" he whispered. His body trembled slightly. The day's events flashing through his mind's eye.
"Inuyasha, we have discussed this before." Said the older miko. "The villagers will help me bury her. You should go check on Kagome."
Inuyasha lowered his head and then slowly shook it. "I can't see her right now." He sighed and straightened up. "I want to help with the burial anyway." Kaede nodded and motioned the village men to start.
Kagome woke up to a pounding headache. She didn't even bother to make a move to sit up, instead, she placed a finger on her forehead and felt a bandage that was wrapped around her head. She furrowed her brows and traced the bandage to the back of her head, where she felt a damp spot. 'Oh right.' She looked herself over and felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. 'Oh yea, the shoulder too..' as she noticed the sling her left arm was in. She put her free arm behind her and proceeded to push herself up. She looked around the hut and blinked a couple of times to rid the dizziness. She looked down to her legs and saw Shippo curled up and sound asleep. She smiled as she gently petted his head. He yawned loudly and rolled over onto his back.
"Yay! You're up!" Shippo exclaimed as he hugged her. Kagome flinched slightly and put on a small smile. She patted his head and looked around the room. "Inuyasha is up by the shrine, if that's who you're looking for. They just finished burying Kikyo an hour ago." young fox demon whispered. Kagome gently placed Shippo on the floor next to her and slowly stood up.
"I need to see him, I'll be right back, Shippo."
Kagome made her way up the steps to the shrine. A number of outcomes went through her head as she made her way up the endless steps. He could yell at her saying he didn't want to see her anymore while throwing her down the well and sealing. He could tell her that it wasn't her fault, or, he could say nothing. The third scared her the most. Living in doubt. She finally reached the top of the stairs and saw him, back hunched over, face in his hands. Her heart broke at the sight. Guilt tearing through her soul. She slowly walked up to him, and froze not more than four feet away when he spoke.
"You should be resting back in the hut." Inuyasha said. The gruffness and pain that dripped from his voice twisted her heart even more.
"I had to see you." She whispered.
Inuyasha stood up and turned around and before he even realized what he was doing, gathered her into his arms. "I'm so sorry Kagome." He whispered into her hair. She hugged him back gently with her free arm.
"I'm the one who should be apologizing."
Inuyasha pulled away and held her shoulders gently. Kagome gasped slightly as she saw his cheeks stained with tears from earlier. Inuyasha tried his hardest to fight back the unusual feeling to cry as he quietly spoke. "No, you shouldn't be. This had to happen, it was out of self defense." He finally gathered the courage to look into her eyes, but quickly looked away as he remembered how much the girls look alike. The blame against Kagome started to come around again in Inuyasha's mind. He sighed and quickly pushed the thought away and sat down. Kagome sat down next to him. She didn't know what to say after that, so she just kept silent, along with Inuyasha. Deep down, she knew, a part of him blamed her, and that feeling killed her heart.
'Inuyasha and Kagome were gone for a long time' Sango thought as she sat on a bench out front of Kaede's hut, polishing her boomerang, hiraikotsu. She glanced to Miroku who sat next to her, arms crossed. "Where did Inuyasha and Kagome go?" she asked the monk. Miroku shrugged and opened his eyes and turned his head lazily to Sango.
"I know Kagome is at the river, Inuyasha, I dunno, maybe he went to go peek?" Next thing he saw were stars in front of her eyes.
"Pervert.." Sango said as she shook her hand. She placed her boomerang against the wall. She noticed a shadow in front of her and looked up. "Oh my gods.. Kagome! Inuyasha! What happened!" She and Miroku jumped up and motioned them into the hut. Inuyasha didn't say a word. He put her down on the sleeping mat, placing the last shard on her chest.
"She was attacked by Kikyo. Kagome killed her." This brought a gasp from Sango. "I'm going back to get her remains. go find Kaede, tell her to meet me by the shrine." and with that he walked out, leaving a stunned demon exterminator and monk behind.
Shippo ran back to the village after playing with some of the villager children, flowers in hand. He smiled as he saw Inuyasha and started to run towards him. "Inuyasha, you're back! Where's Kagome! I picked some flowers for her and.." he stopped mid-sentence when he realized that the half demon wasn't even acknowledging him. "Hey! Inuyasha!" Shippo jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder and tugged at his ear, "What gives?" Inuyasha didn't answer but just took the little fox cub off his shoulder and placed him on the ground.
"Leave me alone, Shippo." Inuyasha muttered as he walked into the forest towards the river. How could it end like this? His balled fists tight. He finally reached Kikyo's body. His eyes stung, but he knew he couldn't cry. Kagome had a legitimate reason for killing Kikyo. The Kikyo that laid on the ground was not the same Kikyo that he knew a little over fifty years ago. His body shuddered as he forced himself to hold back tears as he lifted the body and ran back to the village. A growl rose in his chest as he gripped the remains in his arms. He didn't want to blame Kagome for this, but he did. His heart felt like it was torn to shreds. No. He couldn't blame Kagome, he couldn't. He was relieved when he finally made it to the shrine and seeing Kaede.
"Thankyou, Inuyasha." Kaede said as the hanyou placed Kikyo's remains on the ground in front of her burial site. It took all his strength to let her go. He stayed on the ground, on one knee blinking his eyes rapidly, refusing to let tears fall as he stared at the dead clay body. This had to happen. Sooner or later it had to happen. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "She can finally be at peace." He heard her say. He closed his eyes, sighed, and stood up, his bangs hiding his eyes.
"But at what cost?" he whispered. His body trembled slightly. The day's events flashing through his mind's eye.
"Inuyasha, we have discussed this before." Said the older miko. "The villagers will help me bury her. You should go check on Kagome."
Inuyasha lowered his head and then slowly shook it. "I can't see her right now." He sighed and straightened up. "I want to help with the burial anyway." Kaede nodded and motioned the village men to start.
Kagome woke up to a pounding headache. She didn't even bother to make a move to sit up, instead, she placed a finger on her forehead and felt a bandage that was wrapped around her head. She furrowed her brows and traced the bandage to the back of her head, where she felt a damp spot. 'Oh right.' She looked herself over and felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. 'Oh yea, the shoulder too..' as she noticed the sling her left arm was in. She put her free arm behind her and proceeded to push herself up. She looked around the hut and blinked a couple of times to rid the dizziness. She looked down to her legs and saw Shippo curled up and sound asleep. She smiled as she gently petted his head. He yawned loudly and rolled over onto his back.
"Yay! You're up!" Shippo exclaimed as he hugged her. Kagome flinched slightly and put on a small smile. She patted his head and looked around the room. "Inuyasha is up by the shrine, if that's who you're looking for. They just finished burying Kikyo an hour ago." young fox demon whispered. Kagome gently placed Shippo on the floor next to her and slowly stood up.
"I need to see him, I'll be right back, Shippo."
Kagome made her way up the steps to the shrine. A number of outcomes went through her head as she made her way up the endless steps. He could yell at her saying he didn't want to see her anymore while throwing her down the well and sealing. He could tell her that it wasn't her fault, or, he could say nothing. The third scared her the most. Living in doubt. She finally reached the top of the stairs and saw him, back hunched over, face in his hands. Her heart broke at the sight. Guilt tearing through her soul. She slowly walked up to him, and froze not more than four feet away when he spoke.
"You should be resting back in the hut." Inuyasha said. The gruffness and pain that dripped from his voice twisted her heart even more.
"I had to see you." She whispered.
Inuyasha stood up and turned around and before he even realized what he was doing, gathered her into his arms. "I'm so sorry Kagome." He whispered into her hair. She hugged him back gently with her free arm.
"I'm the one who should be apologizing."
Inuyasha pulled away and held her shoulders gently. Kagome gasped slightly as she saw his cheeks stained with tears from earlier. Inuyasha tried his hardest to fight back the unusual feeling to cry as he quietly spoke. "No, you shouldn't be. This had to happen, it was out of self defense." He finally gathered the courage to look into her eyes, but quickly looked away as he remembered how much the girls look alike. The blame against Kagome started to come around again in Inuyasha's mind. He sighed and quickly pushed the thought away and sat down. Kagome sat down next to him. She didn't know what to say after that, so she just kept silent, along with Inuyasha. Deep down, she knew, a part of him blamed her, and that feeling killed her heart.
