The Simplest Things
By: dragonfly-rising
"A WHAT?!" Inuyasha exclaimed unnerved by the unfamiliar term Kagome had used to describe herself.
Kagome stared at him in what could only be described as disturbed perplexity. It was almost comical the way her eyebrows had disappeared under her bangs but he could not find it in himself to express his amusement over the facial expression at the moment.
"Child...there has been a change..." Kaede began haltingly.
Kagome's hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes grew wide, "Did Naraku steal your memories of me? How awful for you!"
Inuyasha allowed a small sound of frustration to escape him, "Not in us, in you!"
"Huh?" Again her eyebrows rose into her bangs.
"Please Inuyasha" Sango practically hissed as she strode past him and stepped up to Kagome.
Kagome gazed at her attentively her face the perfect example of innocent mystification. Sango smiled softly at her and took the girl's hands in her own. Sango took a deep steadying breath as she searched her mind for the words to help clear up Kagome's obvious puzzlement.
"Listen, something happened to you this afternoon while you were at the tree..."
"But nothing can happen to me there Sango, you know that. My guardian would never allow it." Kagome broke in.
Sango resisted the urge to squeeze Kagome's hands in frustration. It seemed like she was being simple-minded on purpose but Sango knew Kagome couldn't fake the change in her behavior and reasoned that it was something normal for this dryad creature Kagome claimed to be.
~ Spirits help us if that is true. ~ Sango thought.
"Just listen and don't interrupt okay?" Sango asked earnestly.
Kagome nodded hesitantly, "I'm sorry Sango"
Sango shook her head a little, a little unnerved by the apologetic look that had sprung to Kagome's face.
"You changed from a human to this...dryad. Inuyasha brought you here so that Kaede could help change you back" Sango stated simply.
Kagome stared at her wide-eyed wonder for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. Sango dropped the girl's hands and folded her arms across her chest.
"It isn't funny Kagome." Sango said bitingly.
Kagome's continuous mirth filled the air and for a moment Sango could have sworn that an answering ghostly laughter sprang up around Kaede's hut coming from all around them. Sango bit her lip and glanced back at the others. Inuyasha was nervously looking around, his ears twitching steadily in time with the strange laughter. Miroku simply shrugged at her. Kaede only had eyes for Kagome.
Slowly Kagome's laughter subsided, as did the echoing laughter. Kagome wiped tears of merriment from her eyes fixing Sango with a look that was kind but strangely pitying.
"I apologize Sango but for you to tell me I was human just this afternoon when I have been alive in the forest for hundreds of years as a dryad is just something that I can't except." Kagome explained sincerely.
Sango sighed heavily. It was not that she was completely unnerved by that haunting laughter that had been around them moments ago although she had to admit to herself that she was unnerved by it. It was that she could see the utter conviction in Kagome's eyes that Sango was mistaken. Miroku stepped up beside her.
"Allow me Sango, perhaps I can explain this better." Miroku pleaded softly.
There was a note of gentleness in Miroku's voice that Sango was unfamiliar with so she stared at him dubiously. Miroku waited patiently for her to come to her decision. Finally with many misgivings she nodded slowly, barely noticing that Inuyasha had walked up beside Miroku. Looking at both men she realized that they had something in mind that was not going to be gentle and barely held back a protest. If she could not get through to Kagome perhaps they could.
"Kagome do you remember when you first met Inuyasha?" Miroku asked the girl in his gently manner, looking directly at her.
Kagome blinked in surprise, "Yes of course I do."
"Can you tell me how it happened?" Miroku requested.
Now Kagome's brow furrowed slightly but she nodded, "His human love bound him to my guardian with a spell".
Sango did not miss that Inuyasha looked away from Kagome and stared at the ground, tension obvious in his shoulders and in the way his clawed hands curled into fists.
"How was he freed Kagome?" Miroku prompted.
With growing alarm rising on her face Kagome first looked at Inuyasha then back to Miroku her head shook slightly in negation. Miroku breathed deeply then reached out and placed his hands on Kagome's upper arms.
"Tell me Kagome how was Inuyasha free from the tree?" Miroku demanded forcefully.
"it's not possible" Kagome whispered to him.
"You know how it happened Kagome you have to say it. You know exactly how he was freed. Tell me." Miroku snapped.
Kagome's whole body shook violently and she wrenched herself from Miroku's grasp backing up against the tree she had earlier clung to in her relief to be outside. Kagome once again shook her head, almost desperately. If Sango had not seen the anguished look on Miroku's face she would have struck the monk for being cruel to the girl. Sango had always known of his deep friendship with Kagome and knew it was testing his limits for him to be as he was towards her.
"Say it Kagome. You remember...I can see it on your face." Inuyasha chimed in quietly.
Sango wondered what it cost the hanyou to force Kagome to relive something he himself was hard pressed to think of. Kagome's eyes snapped to Inuyasha's face her own drawn in denial and infinite sadness.
"I was watching over you.... I came to you out of the well...for fifty years I guarded your soul...I was from another time a human girl...you had been a part of me forever...I reached out in panic and touched the arrow that bound you...you were no longer a part of me..." She whispered disjointedly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Kagome..." Inuyasha whispered trying to stop her rambling.
"There has always been only you Inuyasha. You and I locked together over time and spell." Her face held remorse and longing.
"That's enough Kagome don't continue." Inuyasha pleaded in a choked voice.
"Only you Inuyasha and my guardian...I am a lie" Kagome whispered, heart felt agony apparent in her voice.
Sango felt tears well into her eyes. Listening to Kagome realize the truth was one of the most wrenching moments Sango had endured. Kagome looked to the ground, both her hands resting palm down on the tree she leaned against.
"I'm sorry...I was mistaken." Kagome uttered.
Sango opened her mouth to say something to the girl only to feel her jaw drop as Kagome seemed to fade into the tree and disappear.
By: dragonfly-rising
"A WHAT?!" Inuyasha exclaimed unnerved by the unfamiliar term Kagome had used to describe herself.
Kagome stared at him in what could only be described as disturbed perplexity. It was almost comical the way her eyebrows had disappeared under her bangs but he could not find it in himself to express his amusement over the facial expression at the moment.
"Child...there has been a change..." Kaede began haltingly.
Kagome's hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes grew wide, "Did Naraku steal your memories of me? How awful for you!"
Inuyasha allowed a small sound of frustration to escape him, "Not in us, in you!"
"Huh?" Again her eyebrows rose into her bangs.
"Please Inuyasha" Sango practically hissed as she strode past him and stepped up to Kagome.
Kagome gazed at her attentively her face the perfect example of innocent mystification. Sango smiled softly at her and took the girl's hands in her own. Sango took a deep steadying breath as she searched her mind for the words to help clear up Kagome's obvious puzzlement.
"Listen, something happened to you this afternoon while you were at the tree..."
"But nothing can happen to me there Sango, you know that. My guardian would never allow it." Kagome broke in.
Sango resisted the urge to squeeze Kagome's hands in frustration. It seemed like she was being simple-minded on purpose but Sango knew Kagome couldn't fake the change in her behavior and reasoned that it was something normal for this dryad creature Kagome claimed to be.
~ Spirits help us if that is true. ~ Sango thought.
"Just listen and don't interrupt okay?" Sango asked earnestly.
Kagome nodded hesitantly, "I'm sorry Sango"
Sango shook her head a little, a little unnerved by the apologetic look that had sprung to Kagome's face.
"You changed from a human to this...dryad. Inuyasha brought you here so that Kaede could help change you back" Sango stated simply.
Kagome stared at her wide-eyed wonder for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. Sango dropped the girl's hands and folded her arms across her chest.
"It isn't funny Kagome." Sango said bitingly.
Kagome's continuous mirth filled the air and for a moment Sango could have sworn that an answering ghostly laughter sprang up around Kaede's hut coming from all around them. Sango bit her lip and glanced back at the others. Inuyasha was nervously looking around, his ears twitching steadily in time with the strange laughter. Miroku simply shrugged at her. Kaede only had eyes for Kagome.
Slowly Kagome's laughter subsided, as did the echoing laughter. Kagome wiped tears of merriment from her eyes fixing Sango with a look that was kind but strangely pitying.
"I apologize Sango but for you to tell me I was human just this afternoon when I have been alive in the forest for hundreds of years as a dryad is just something that I can't except." Kagome explained sincerely.
Sango sighed heavily. It was not that she was completely unnerved by that haunting laughter that had been around them moments ago although she had to admit to herself that she was unnerved by it. It was that she could see the utter conviction in Kagome's eyes that Sango was mistaken. Miroku stepped up beside her.
"Allow me Sango, perhaps I can explain this better." Miroku pleaded softly.
There was a note of gentleness in Miroku's voice that Sango was unfamiliar with so she stared at him dubiously. Miroku waited patiently for her to come to her decision. Finally with many misgivings she nodded slowly, barely noticing that Inuyasha had walked up beside Miroku. Looking at both men she realized that they had something in mind that was not going to be gentle and barely held back a protest. If she could not get through to Kagome perhaps they could.
"Kagome do you remember when you first met Inuyasha?" Miroku asked the girl in his gently manner, looking directly at her.
Kagome blinked in surprise, "Yes of course I do."
"Can you tell me how it happened?" Miroku requested.
Now Kagome's brow furrowed slightly but she nodded, "His human love bound him to my guardian with a spell".
Sango did not miss that Inuyasha looked away from Kagome and stared at the ground, tension obvious in his shoulders and in the way his clawed hands curled into fists.
"How was he freed Kagome?" Miroku prompted.
With growing alarm rising on her face Kagome first looked at Inuyasha then back to Miroku her head shook slightly in negation. Miroku breathed deeply then reached out and placed his hands on Kagome's upper arms.
"Tell me Kagome how was Inuyasha free from the tree?" Miroku demanded forcefully.
"it's not possible" Kagome whispered to him.
"You know how it happened Kagome you have to say it. You know exactly how he was freed. Tell me." Miroku snapped.
Kagome's whole body shook violently and she wrenched herself from Miroku's grasp backing up against the tree she had earlier clung to in her relief to be outside. Kagome once again shook her head, almost desperately. If Sango had not seen the anguished look on Miroku's face she would have struck the monk for being cruel to the girl. Sango had always known of his deep friendship with Kagome and knew it was testing his limits for him to be as he was towards her.
"Say it Kagome. You remember...I can see it on your face." Inuyasha chimed in quietly.
Sango wondered what it cost the hanyou to force Kagome to relive something he himself was hard pressed to think of. Kagome's eyes snapped to Inuyasha's face her own drawn in denial and infinite sadness.
"I was watching over you.... I came to you out of the well...for fifty years I guarded your soul...I was from another time a human girl...you had been a part of me forever...I reached out in panic and touched the arrow that bound you...you were no longer a part of me..." She whispered disjointedly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Kagome..." Inuyasha whispered trying to stop her rambling.
"There has always been only you Inuyasha. You and I locked together over time and spell." Her face held remorse and longing.
"That's enough Kagome don't continue." Inuyasha pleaded in a choked voice.
"Only you Inuyasha and my guardian...I am a lie" Kagome whispered, heart felt agony apparent in her voice.
Sango felt tears well into her eyes. Listening to Kagome realize the truth was one of the most wrenching moments Sango had endured. Kagome looked to the ground, both her hands resting palm down on the tree she leaned against.
"I'm sorry...I was mistaken." Kagome uttered.
Sango opened her mouth to say something to the girl only to feel her jaw drop as Kagome seemed to fade into the tree and disappear.
