Hey guys! I got this chapter out as soon as I could. It had to be good though because. *Deep breath* It's the last one. Yah that's right my one shot finshed on chapter 6. My little baby. It's hard to let go, I love this story so much. But it had to happen.
Anyway I hope you enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned Inuyasha. It would not be half as good as it is now. And you all wouldn't like it. So that would be bad.
***
Kagome shook her head lightly trying to dispel the unhappy thoughts of last week. It was in the past; she needed to move on.
She glanced down at her knees. They were still bruised, scabbed over, and they still hurt. She made a face at them, sticking her bottom lip out and pouting. She reached down and touched them lightly.
After a few seconds she turned her attention back to the problem on hand. To jump into the well or not. She glanced over the edge of the well as she contemplated her options.
If she jumped in she'd be setting herself up for possible disappointment. She didn't want another jumping episode to happen. She didn't want to make her mom cry again.
But, if she didn't jump in then she would never know. And she knew it would nag at the corner of her mind for the rest of her life.
And.
He had made it through to see her. If the well worked for him then why couldn't it work for her.
Well…what could it hurt… to jump in once?
She stood and glanced around the well house, making sure this time no one would be there to see her jump into the old well, incase it didn't work.
Carefully she moved to place both legs over the rim of the well. She scooted herself around slightly until she was sitting comfortably on the edge with her feet dangling. Her toes tingled slightly at the feeling of being hung over such a deep whole. Her hands gripped the side of the well as she leaned forward, her hair draping her face.
This is it.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes ready to let go and take the consequences of her actions.
"Kagome!"
She tightened her hands grip on the well stopping her fall as she snapped her eyes open. She turned around quickly to she her mother standing in the doorway with a worried look on her face. The sun was just starting to raise off in the distance lighting the sky a light gray color. Making her slightly silhouetted.
"Mama I.."
She had no clue what she was going to tell her mom. She had promised she wouldn't try and jump in the well again and with the way she was sitting she couldn't make up an excuse to prove other wise.
Her mother was wearing a light pink robe that she wrapped tightly around her body as she walked down the stairs toward Kagome. It wasn't even cold out but Kagome could see her gripping the robe so tightly her knuckles were white.
"How. How many times have you jumped in already?"
She swallowed loudly as she walked even closer to her daughter. This was becoming too much to take. It killed her to see Kagome like this, mopping, crying, screaming, waiting for a man who was never going to come. She feared Kagome had lost her mind.
She thought it was getting better after the well incident. For a few days she seemed almost happier, even went to school on Friday. During those few days she at least faked a smile well enough to fool Souta and Grandpa, probably even some of her classmates. But the afternoon she found her screaming at the God Tree had brought back the reality that it wasn't over yet.
When she saw her earlier tonight lying under the great tree she wanted to leave her there. It was warm; she'd be okay out there. But when she walked back into her own room she couldn't just lay in bed and go back to sleep. She had walked quietly back into Kagome's disastrous room and watched her through her window. She watched her lay under the tree, stand and walk toward the house, turn when the wind picked up. But when she saw her walked into the well house it took all her will not to jump up and run after her.
Instead she sat there on the edge of her daughters windowsill hoping she would come right back out. The time passed so slowly for her that it was hard to stay there. But when the clock beeped telling her that it was five in the morning she couldn't take it anymore. She had to go and get her daughter. She had been in there long enough.
Now she stood in front of her beautiful child who sat on the well looking guilty and scared. What was she going to do with her?
After a long pause where Kagome noticed her mother seemed to be deep in thought she cleared her throat and answered her mother question; telling her that she hadn't jump in at all, yet.
Kagome's mother looked hard into her eyes before breathing a sigh of relief and taking hold of Kagome's arm gently.
"Come on then. We can have an early breakfast."
Kagome's stomach lurched. Partly because her mother had mentioned food but it was mostly because her mother was trying to take her away from the well. When all she wanted to do is jump in.
Kagome's mother turned around, still gripping her daughter's wrist, expecting Kagome to follow. Kagome didn't move. Her mother turned around slightly confused and tugged on her wrist lightly.
"Come on Kagome. I'll make eggs."
Kagome looked at her mother than at her feet dangling in the well.
"Mama, I just want to try once. Just once."
She whispered it quietly but her mother heard every word nonetheless. Her grasp tightened a little on her wrist and took a step toward her.
"Kagome, it won't work. You don't need to hurt yourself again."
Kagome swallowed audibly before speaking. "I know. It's just I have this feeling, this small hopeful feeling that it will work this time, you know. And it feels really good. So, I just want to try once. Just to make sure."
Kagome lifted her head and smiled at her mother.
Her mother dropped her wrist and brought a hand to her own mouth. She had smiled a true and happy smile. It wasn't fake or sad. It was hopeful. Innocent.
She took a step back. "Go ahead."
Kagome's smile stretched and she turned back to the well.
"Just, if it doesn't work please don't, hurt yourself again. Okay?"
Kagome listened to her mother's words and nodded her head without even turning around. She didn't want to think about what would happen if it didn't work. She just wanted to focus on the small amount of hope there was.
"It will work."
She whispered it quietly, almost to quiet for her mother to hear, as she closed her eyes and let go. Letting herself fall into the depth of the ancient well.
Her mother dashed forward as Kagome let go and looked over the edge and at the bottom. Only she didn't see a bottom. The entire well had filled with an eerie blue glow for a few seconds before returning to normal. Kagome was nowhere in sight.
She dropped to her knees and started to cry. But this time her tears streaming down her cheeks were of happiness for her daughter. She had made it through the well.
It was all up to Inuyasha now.
***
The weightless feeling that came every time Kagome would jump through time in the past filled her whole body as she traveled through the blue magic. The small amount on hope she had began to bubble and grow. She didn't dare open her eyes though.
After a few seconds she came to a soft landing on her hands and knees. When she felt the ground beneath her hands and legs she let out a long breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding.
Did it?… Should I?
Kagome carefully opened her eyes and look at her hands. It was brighter now, the grayish glow from the raising sun starting to bring life back into the color of her skin and dirt around her.
She glanced up at the lighting sky and squealed in delight.
This is impossible; it has to be a dream.
She reached down and pinched herself lightly on the arm. Her smile got bigger when she felt the pain.
Okay so maybe it's not.
She stood quickly and looked up at the top of the well. Since there was no Inuyasha scowling down at her she'd have to climb up herself. No problem.
Her mood was almost ecstatic. She couldn't climb fast enough. First thing she was going to do was find Inuyasha and apologies. Then she could go see Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Keade. She smiled widely.
The sounds of different birds, bugs, and shifting branches filled her ears as she climbed the many vines along the inside of the well. She pulled herself over the edge when she reached the top and landed softly on the ground. She looked down and wriggled her toes in the cool grass, wet from the morning dew.
But when she looked up in front of her she was shocked at what she found. Trees, underbrush, flowers, even a few small animals, were all fallen. She glanced around her, there didn't seem to be too much damage any other place, only a few other large trees down. But the path of destruction right in front of her was easily the most obvious, zigzagging it's way into the woods.
Inuyasha!
Thoughts of a large demon attacking him filled her mind and she took off, without second thought, down the disastrous path.
She stepped lightly but quickly over broken branches and small trees. The larger trees that lay in her path she had to climb over or run around. But after only a few minuets of following the tree covered path she realized it abruptly ended.
And she found herself standing right in front of the God Tree.
Confused she looked around and even up into the branches. She walked closer and tried to search the branches closer but the early morning light made it hard for her to see clearly into the deep foliage.
She walked around the back of the giant tree still keeping her eyes in the branches. She had this feeling that Inuyasha was there. She just had to find him.
A warm morning's breeze blew past her twisting her nightshirt a little to high on her body. Kagome pulled it back down over her bottom remembering her state of dress. She looked down at herself, dirty bare feet, a worn thin yellow nightshirt, her hair was probably a mess.
She thought about it for a bit then shrugged it off and continued her search, Inuyasha wouldn't care.
As she walked around the far side on the tree her eyes caught onto a hint of red. She backed up a little and took a deep breath. There sat Inuyasha, on one of the lower branches. He was slouched down against the tree trunk, his chin to his chest and hair over his eyes. She couldn't quite see his face but she knew anyway that he was sleeping.
She wanted to shout up to him but now that she stood there, looking at him, she couldn't. It was like before. Her throat was tightening up, going dry. Making it almost painful to swallow.
All she could do was stand there, staring at him. With the wind moving around her softly, the sun raising in the distance, the birds waking up, and him sleeping soundly.
***
A soft warm breeze wrapped around his body filling him with an unmistakable presence. The indescribable scent that he could pick up miles away curled and enfolded in his hair, filling his every breath.
He opened his amber eyes slowly, the smell of her tugging at the edges of his sleep. He lazily glanced down at the blurry ground not really knowing what he was looking for right away. His sleep filled eyes locked on the silhouette of someone standing below him and he blinked. Was that person supposed to be there? He couldn't remember.
He knew he had just had the weirdest dream but he couldn't quite remember that either. Just that it was…weird. He couldn't even remember the last time he woke up this confused.
He blinked again to try and clear his vision so he could better make out the person's features.
Long black hair. Short pale yellow dress. Long legs. Beautiful face. Wonderful scent.
"K-Kagome." He whispered, barely able to believe it. He sat straight up as their eyes locked and his breath caught in his throat.
How did she sneak up on me? Do I know her scent well enough that it doesn't register? ….Well yah, duh. But, why is she here? Wasn't she mad at me? What's going on?
He couldn't believe it. She had forgiven him. Whatever he had done to make her cry, make her angry, make her not want him. Whatever it had been. She came back.
She hadn't moved on with her life.
She had returned.
She had returned to him.
A large smile spread across his face as he looked down at her.
"Kagome!"
Only seeing a blur of red and sliver she had no time to brace for his crushing impact. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, burying his nose into her hair and neck and inhaling deeply. He held onto her tightly, repeating over and over how glad he was she returned.
She smiled widely and wrapped her own arms tightly around him, smashing her body to his even more. Tears of joy fell from her eyes and soaked into his haori.
Inuyasha picked her up and spun around out of pure joy, practically laughing out loud. He stopped spinning and pressed his forehead against hers. His breathing came out in slight pants as the energy of the moment died down and he stared at her closed eyes. He watched as tears slid down from behind closed eyes and rolled down each cheek.
He leaded forward slightly and pressed his lips against her nose lightly before drawling back. He wasn't sure what had made him do that or why he felt he had to, but, he just did.
Her eyes shot open in surprise when she felt his warm lips against her skin. Her gaze went directly to his amber eyes and she found that she couldn't look away.
They were so full of happiness, his eyes. And she wasn't sure why. Could it really be because she had made it through the well? She remembered his eyes from the time she had seen him before, that brief moment in the well house a few days ago. His eyes had looked so happy before she spoke.
She hadn't meant to. She didn't mean to send him away. Her words had came out all wrong.
She wanted desperately to tell him this. But she found herself to scared to speak, to afraid to make the same mistake twice. So she just held onto his robe tightly. To afraid to let go.
Staring deeply into his eyes. To scared to look away.
"Kagome." He tried to draw her closer, and as impossible as it seemed she sunk into him more. They were so close now, so tightly packed against one an other. But they didn't register the possible awkwardness of the situation. It was just how they wanted it to be.
"I have so much I have to explain for. I-I did so many things wrong."
Kagome looked into his eyes and saw the regret and sorrow as he spoke. She could tell, she knew already what he was going to say. And she knew how hard to would be for him to say it. She didn't feel like putting him, or her, through anymore pain remembering the past month.
A type of courage she didn't know she had bubbled up inside of her and she leaned forward, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his.
She pulled back as quickly as she had moved forward, making the kiss very chaste.
Inuyasha froze ending his little speech short. He was staring at Kagome completely surprised; cheeks tinted pink and lips still parted somewhat form her little kiss.
"I've done things wrong to you know. And I've already forgiven you. You don't need to apologies."
She smiled slightly as she spoke, cheeks tinted a little red at the boldness of her prior actions.
Her words barely passed into Inuyasha's thoughts though. His head was spinning and a light airy feeling was filling his stomach. For some reason now he couldn't look away from her lips. They looked so beautiful, pink and moist, and it didn't help that she kept licking them absentmindedly.
But he rolled her words over in his head despite his slight distraction and all of a sudden he found himself wanting to do many things a once.
He wanted to tell her that he disagreed with her statement that she had done wrong too. He didn't feel that was right at all. How could someone as innocent as Kagome do wrong.
And he wanted to apologies anyway. He felt like he needed to. That it would somehow make everything he had done wrong a little better. If he was lucky.
He also wanted to jump for joy that she forgave him. His kind Kagome had forgiven him.
But instead of doing any of the options he wanted to do he chose another. One he didn't think about at all.
He leaned forward and pressed his own lips against hers. And for the first few seconds the kiss was soft and sweet, very gentle. But then Kagome leaned into it more it became harder and more passionate.
It was everything they needed. It did more than any amount of talking, hugging, crying, or yelling they could ever do.
It started the healing of both of their broken hearts. A healing that would take more kisses to finish.
But that was something that could be done.
A warm breeze wrapped around both of them, almost holding them together, before moving on toward the orange and pink of the raising sun. Whispering to itself.
"You can take it all away. This pain you gave to me."
***
Fin.
I'm all about the happy endings. I'd love to hear your comments on the whole story. Or just this chapter. I don't care.
Love ya all.
Mayu-chan
