OMG guys I am so sorry!!!!!! This chapter is way way way late. Sorry again. I must tell you though the reason it took so long was about 2 weeks ago I sat down and started writing the chapter and I did it all in practically one sitting. It was 6 pages! 6 beautiful wonderful pages that took me about 3 hours to write. And when I was almost finshed, bam, computer error. I was so mad, I cried. I was stupid and didn't save. *sigh* such is life. (I swear the computer sits and waits for the right moment to do that kinda crap to you.) But let me tell you after that happening to a 3 page Anatomy paper, a poem for composition and a beautiful story you learn to save every 3 lines. (which of course assures that nothing will even happen *grr*) But that's the reason.
I haven't really had the urge to sit down and rewrite something I've already written (and I was kinda busy/lazy) until now. I know this is a little short but I wanna go to bed now and I promise (I swear) that the rest of what was in this chapter will be out by Monday. Okay? Okay!
Now on with my favorite chapter! (despite having to be rewritten)
Disclaimer: No, I don't own him. And unless I win the lottery I probably never will. (Probably not even then too.)
***
A whisper on the wind. A voice in the shadows.
The breeze danced skillfully in the warm nights air. Swirling and skipping through her dark black hair, willing it to come dance in the moonlight. She brought her hand up and stilled her wild hair gently, ending it's fun.
Slowly she lifted her eyes from the ground and up the tree before her. Its giant leaves played gracefully with the lively wind making the dappled moonlight run back and forth across the ground.
There was something in the air tonight. Something different about breeze. She could almost feel him.
His playful laughter in her hair made her lean toward the jovial sound. His calloused fingers gently drying the tears from her cheeks had her eyes closed in a second. His strong arms encircling her frail figure made her forget about the bitter coldness of being alone. His warm whispers against her neck my her shiver in delight.
She almost tricked herself into believing he was really there. Almost, until she relaxed completely and tried to lean into the warmth and security she thought was holding her. The breeze backed away and let her fall.
She collapsed to the ground startled. The sudden awareness of being along filled her up inside. She cried out softly, a quite moan of protest against the pain of being alone again.
After a few moments she carefully lifted herself forward, propping her knees up in front of her and wrapping her arms around them.
She glanced down by her feet.
One, two, four, eight.
She stopped counting.
A group of stringless and broken beads that lay there strewn across the ground. Unfixable, broken beyond repair, the magic far since gone.
They were the reason she had crumpled to the ground in the first place. When she came upon the scene and she saw the prayer beads shattered across the damp earth she had fallen.
It was the last thing I had of you. The very last thing.
She felt a ball build up inside of her. So big, and so very painful.
Until, it just left.
Her expression gradually changed to that of uncaring as she stared at the beads. Slowly she weld up the her heart with the bricks made of pain. Protecting it and shielding it from anymore arrows that could possibly come its way. By the time she finshed only a tiny hint of sadness remained in her eyes.
She figured she should protect herself now. Since…he could now longer do it.
She reached down and picked up a small bead and a sliver tooth. She cradled them in her hand for a moment before she placed them in a small pocket in the front of her large sleeping shirt.
Gracefully she stood and dusted herself off. She glanced one last time at the God Tree, her gaze lingering on the scar for a second before she turned and walked away.
She walked slowly, cautiously away from the tree and toward to house. She was painfully aware of every tug on her hair by the wind, the way it seemed to push against her. The way her muscles seemed not to want to walk a step further.
But she continued on.
"Kagome."
The wind wept her name, tearful and heart wrenching, and she stopped. She glanced around and even spun but no one was near.
She gave a fleeting look to the well house which was only a few feet away and quickly drew her eyes away. Its door was still wide open, the way she had left it after that terrible moment.
The wind grew still.
Every sense in her body turned itself on high. Something was wrong, she could tell, but she didn't know what.
Suddenly she didn't want to protect herself anymore. Suddenly she just wanted to be locked away safe in her room tucked tightly under her covers.
Or tightly in his arms.
She took a deep breath and lifted her foot to take a step toward the kitchen door.
The wind shifted quickly and violently, blowing her hair wildly around her and pushing her a step towards the well house instead. She swiftly regained her senses and braced herself against the sudden fast moving wind.
She glanced around trying to see out of the mass of her own hair that had wrapped itself so intently around her face. Her nightshirt bound and twisted itself up her stomach as she lifted her hands to free her face.
W-what's going on?
The trees that surrounded the shrine moaned and cried out as the winded pushed against its strong trunks.
Her eyes darted around the area scanning for something, anything, that could logical give a reason for this. Her gaze stopped on the creaking door of the shack that held the ancient well. It seemed reasonable, the wind was heading straight for it, the well had to be the cause of this strangeness.
The wind slowed down in a second leaving her to regain her balance again. She stumbled slightly and blinked.
It was the pace of a gentle summers breeze now.
"…Please…"
Her heart skipped a beat. That voice, the same one she had heard call her name. It was a sad, tearful voice of what she might of said was a woman. The voice seemed full of pain, loss, and, maybe, hope.
She tried to call out to the sad wind. Comfort it somehow, in someway. But, when she opened her mouth no words came out, not a thought connected.
"Go now…It's nearly over."
The breeze pleaded with her, whispering quietly in her ear.
She closed her eyes and felt the presence on the wind behind her, around her, inside of her, everywhere. But it was different then before.
Everything she had felt before while under the tree was different now.
The playful laughter that had teased her hair was now the sad and hopeful whispers of woman made of wind. The calloused fingers she had felt dry her tears became the soft delicate hands pulling gently on her chin. And the strong arms that had encircled her before giving her security and warmth converted to the powerful arms pushing at her back.
She became positive, in that single second, that while under the sacred tree she might had felt Inuyasha's presence but this time it was completely different.
It was strange.
She was scared out of her mind yet, for some reason, felt a compelling need to help this voice. And it was that reason that she stayed where she was and didn't run for the safety of her room and blankets.
She quickly gathered her nerve as she prepared to speak to invisible voice. When she spoke her voice came out stronger than she expected, almost sounding fearless except for maybe the first note.
"W-Who are you. What do you mean 'it's nearly over'?…What's going on?"
She waited. Stiffly standing still, muscles tense as she strained to hear the silence.
The wind answered quietly pushing slightly at her back and stirring the leaves and debris on the ground around in circles.
She watched as a small white plastic bag accompanied by a few dead leaves twisted and danced in front of her before heading straight toward the well. Chills ran up her back as she watched the small bag climb the stairs gracefully before falling out of her view into the well house.
She wasn't even sure how she should of reacted to that. The bag was out of sight and the wind grew still. After a second there was no wind, magic or not at her back.
Her eyes remained wide and unblinking and she stared at the dark doorway of the hut that housed the ancient well.
No, there was no more magic in the air around her now. It was all in the well house.
