AN: Well, this had a better turnout than expected. Considering the 'oh so original title and all'. I'm open for any better title suggestions...Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to J.Garibaldi! Congrats, for being the VERY FIRST REVIEWER of this lovely story. By the way, this story idea is all mine! If you see an idea like this elsewhere, I didn't copy it. Besides, by the end of this fic, I think you'll see this is very much an original idea. Kukukukuku...
Blueraingirl: I didn't know that second version of that quote existed (ok, maybe i did, but i forgot). Thanks for reminding me, though. I might put that quote into someone's vocab later on.
One Last Chance
by
Iris
**Went through the attic today,**
**Found a note you wrote packed away.**
Three years. Three freakin' years since he chose Kikyo over her. And she still couldn't get him out of her head. She pushed up the sleeves of her shirt and brought the scars into view. Two jagged slashes across both wrists. She could still remember the pain that had shot through her body seconds after she dropped the knife. But that physical pain had been nothing compared to the pain of a broken heart.
And her heart had yet to mend. She had tried so hard to get over him and one lousy reminder undid everything she had managed to heal.
And that same lousy reminder was the reason she was out here, contemplating her past and present while sitting on a park bench. You would think that the world would just leave her alone after planting that reminder, but nooooo, it was starting to thunder. Which meant rain. What a great way to bring down her already depressed mood.
Sighing, she pulled the sleeves of her red turtleneck back down and stood up. No use sitting out here and moping, while getting thoroughly soaked by rain, when she could do it inside her house. Stuffing her hands in her jean pockets, she began to plod towards the park entrance as a single raindrop splattered into the dirt before her.
You know what they say, don't you?
When it rains, it pours.
And oh how true that was. By the time she reached the entrance, she was soaked to the bone by an unrelenting downpour of rain. Another reason to think that the world hated her. Fall rain normally had a semblance of warmth. But not this one. This storm held the icy cold rain of pre-winter.
Just as she passed through the rusty iron park entrance, the rain increased. Now it was pounding at her head and back in an unmerciful wave of needles. Inwardly, she blackly cursed the heavens, only stopping when she remembered who had taught her those same cuss words. Choking on a sob, she splashed straight through a puddle and was a good foot away before she realized that she could have gone around it.
--flashback--
"FUCK!"
A ten-year-old hanyou gripped his bleeding hand with his second as he blackly cursed that innocently white sheet of paper in front of him. Beside him, a younger, raven-haired girl looked at him curiously.
"Ne, Inuyasha, what does that mean?"
--end flashback--
She was jerked out of her thoughts by a shout from behind her.
"Kagome-chan!"
Biting her lip, she stopped, instantly recognizing that voice. Sighing, she whirled around, a brilliant smile on her face. A smile to mask all the pain she felt.
"Ah, Kouga-kun! You shouldn't be out in the rain! You might catch a cold." she said cheerfully.
The wolf-youkai slid to a stop beside the shivering girl, "Ne, Kagome-chan, I don't think I should be the one worrying about catching a cold. Here, I don't really need this."
Kouga carefully draped his jacket over Kagome, a very boyfriendly gesture. Kagome couldn't help but smile weakly as he began to walk beside her. Kouga was always looking after her. Like that other boy she had dated a while back...what was his name? Oh yeah, Hojou. However, unlike Hojou, Kouga was not naive and certainly not dumb.
"Kagome-chan, what's wrong?" Kouga asked, throwing an arm over her shoulder and dragging her closer to himself.
--flashback--
"Kagome-chan, what's wrong?" Inuyasha questioned, his arm reaching out to snag Kagome and bring her closer.
--end flashback--
**And I started reliving the past,**
**When I saw his face.**
"Nothing's wrong, Kouga-kun." Kagome assured him, gently brushing away his arm and moving slightly away from him, "I'm fine, really."
"Okay, Kagome-chan." Kouga said, eyes narrowing slightly at Kagome's closed expression, "Just let me know if you need anything, all right?"
Kagome nodded and they continued their walk in silence.
He shouldn't be with her. Not when she couldn't fully love him back. She had to break it off with him. It wasn't fair for her to continue leading him on. It wasn't fair for him.
That was another realization she had come to in the park. That and she still wasn't over Inuyasha.
Unknowingly, she had stopped walking and now Kouga was in front of her, bending slightly so he could see her face.
"Ne, Kagome-chan, what's really wrong?" he whispered, "You're crying."
**Suddenly, to my surprise,**
**I felt a tear fall from my eyes.**
Of course he would notice. Even though his nose would never be as sensitive as Inuyasha's, he would still notice the difference between rain and tears. Inuyasha. It always came back to him, didn't it?
"Kagome-chan?"
"I'm sorry."
For the first time since Kouga had joined her, she met his eyes, more tears spilling down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry."
"What?" Kouga questioned, ice blue eyes filled with confusion, "There's nothing to be sorry for, Kagome-chan. You haven't done anything."
"Yes, I have." Kagome choked out, "I've been leading you on for a while now, I think. I'm sorry but I think we should stop seeing each other."
"N-nani?" Kouga sputtered as he jerked abruptly away, "What are you talking about, Kagome-chan?"
"We're over." Kagome whispered, avoiding his eyes.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No. It's not you, Kouga. It's...it's me."
Silently, she removed his jacket and handed it to him. He accepted it numbly, eyes still wide with shock.
"You're a great guy, Kouga. But I can't love you like that. I'm still in love with him."
And with that, she brushed past him and broke out into a run, leaving a stunned Kouga to ponder her words. Words that had revealed more than she imagined.
Behind her, the jacket slipped out of Kouga's grasp and hit the ground in a splatter of rainwater.
"Kagome..."
~...I can't love you...still in love with him...~
**The heart never forgets,**
**No the heart never forgets.**
Kagome slammed the door behind her and locked it before slumping to the floor in a sodden mess. Sobs shook her small frame as the reality of what just happened sunk in.
She was alone again.
She was always alone.
She was the odd one out. The one destined to remain alone forever.
And it was all his fault.
"Damn you, Inuyasha."
Another sob shook her frame as she buried her face in her arms.
"Damn you to hell."
**You can find someone,**
**And live your life,**
After what seemed like hours, she finally picked herself up and out of the puddle of water that had accumulated beneath and around her. Staggering slightly, she made her way up the stairs and into the cold, tiled bathroom.
Silent, she quickly peeled off her clothes and tossed them on the floor before stepping in the shower and turning it on full blast. It took several minutes before the numbness she had begun to feel dissipated and was replaced by warmth.
Twenty minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom, fully dressed. Halfway down the stairs, Kagome froze and turned halfway around to look at a second set of stairs that led to her attic. Hesitantly, she began to move up the stairs and came to a stop in front of the ones that led to the attic. The ones that led to the all the pain she thought she had put behind her.
And she had. Put the past, and the pain that came with it, behind her. Until now.
**Put an old memory out of your mind,**
**But the heart never forgets.**
Until something planted that god damned idea in her head. That idea that she had acted upon this morning. The idea to clean out her attic.
Kagome bit her lip as she nervously took a step towards the stairs. That was it. Step by step. One foot in front of another until she found herself in the damp and musty attic.
And right by the staircase was the trigger of all this pain. An innocent, pastel colored set of cards.
But they weren't just any cards, they were handmade cards. Cards made by him. Cards made by Inuyasha.
Trembling, she knelt beside the pile, not caring that she was getting dust on her clean jeans. Hands shaking, she picked up the card laying on the top of the pile.
This was the last card he had ever made for her. The last card before Kikyo.
It was pink. A faded pastel pink that had just faded more with age. It was a birthday card. For her 18th birthday. Smiling ever so slightly, Kagome brought the card to her face and sniffed searchingly, her smile widened when she found what she wanted. There was a faint rose smell that had come with the paper. But that wasn't what she had been sniffing for. She had been sniffing for that spicy, warm, comforting scent that screamed Inuyasha.
'Inuyasha.'
Kagome jerked away from the card and dropped it unceremoniously onto the rest of the cards. She couldn't be thinking of him, dammit. He was married for god's sake!
--flashback--
"Ah, Higurashi-sama, we've received some mail for you." the nurse said cheerfully, dropping a pristine white envelope in front of Kagome, "It was dropped off by a extremely charming young lady this morning."
Kagome numbly picked it up from her hospital bed, curious. She hadn't been expecting any mail. The nurse smiled encouragingly as Kagome slit open the envelope and pulled out the card inside.
You are cordially invited
to
the blessed union of
Sakira Kikyo
and
Saotome Inuyasha
Kagome flinched and dropped the envelope. It was Kikyo of course. Only Kikyo would do such a thing as to hunt her out and give her the envelope. Even when she was still in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt.
"Higurashi-sama?"
"Burn it." Kagome snapped bitterly, "Shred it. I don't care, just get rid of it!"
--end flashback--
Kagome stiffened at the memory and her eyes narrowed. Determined resolve filled her and she snatched up the cards and marched downstairs to her living room. Grimly, she tossed the cards onto a nearby table while she crouched in front of the fireplace and began to build a fire.
Satisfied that a fire was in the making, Kagome sat down gingerly on her couch and reached for the remote. One flick of a button and the TV in front of her blinked on. By chance, she recognized the movie that was currently playing on that channel.
It was her favorite. Their favorite.
How many time they saw it together, Kagome would never know. It seemed like every other night they watched that movie. Laughing in front of the TV with a bucket of popcorn.
**A face on a crowded street,**
**An old movie on T.V.,**
"Stop it, Kagome." she muttered, "Stop thinking about him."
Stiffening her resolve, Kagome picked up a card and tossed it into the fire. Acting as if that little action meant nothing to her was one of the hardest things Kagome had ever done.
"What's done is done." Kagome said, more to herself than aloud.
Well, you know what they say, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.'
And Kagome turned on the radio. So she couldn't watch TV, big deal. She had the radio. That was all she needed.
When it rains it pours.
My, how the world hated Kagome. Not only was the god blasted TV playing that movie. But the god blasted radio was playing that song. That song she had heard in his car on their first official date.
**A song on the radio**
**Can bring it all back.**
Chocolate brown eyes darted to the fire where one of the cards was beginning to smoke. Sighing, she darted forward and pulled the card out. When she finished beating the flames out of the paper, she eyed the charred paper sadly.
"Damn you, Inuyasha." she spat bitterly for the second time that day, "Damn you for choosing that bitch over me. Damn you for not even letting me live in peace. Damn you! DAMN HER! DAMN YOU BOTH TO HELL!"
Silence. Complete and utter silence except for the downpour of rain outside.
"Damn you..."
She whimpered and curled up into a ball on the sofa cushion, tears streaming down her face once more.
**Years roll by,**
**One by one,**
**All things change,**
'Why me?'
That thought echoed in her head. What had she ever done to deserve all this? Nothing, that's what. Okay, maybe not nothing, but she still hadn't done enough to deserve this!
'And I had sworn to never let a guy reduce me to something pathetic like this. And Inuyasha had sworn to beat up anyone that hurt me. How utterly ironic. The one that hurts me the most is him.'
"Inu...yasha..."
::beepbeep::beepbeep::beepbeep::
Kagome stiffened as the beeps resounded throughout the room.
::beepbeep::beepbeep::beepbeep::
Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her face with the back of her arm to erase all signs of tears.
::beepbeep::beepbeep::beeeeeeeeeep::
Hesitantly, she reached out to snag the dust-covered pager that rested on a nearby table. This was it. The last connection between Inuyasha and her. The one link she had faithfully kept all these years.
And now it was beeping. Timidly, she flicked open the screen, the green light illuminating her face for a brief moment. Twelve numbers flickered across the screen.
Ten for the phone number: 2027695407
Two for identification: 49...or IY for Inuyasha...
As if in a trance, she moved towards the kitchen to use the phone there.
2 0 2 7 6 9 5 4 0 7
The phone on the other side rang once. Twice. Three times. And then-
"Hello?"
**But there's always someone,**
**The heart never forgets,**
**No the heart never forgets.**
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha.
True love is hard to find, hard to hold onto, hard to forget. Everything about it is hard, but just thinking of the happy times erases them all.
-source unknown-
