CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
*
"Inuyasha, you're acting even weirder than usual!" Kagome burst out. "What are you talking about? Why did you just kiss me? Because it sure didn't feel like you meant it."
"This." Inuyasha held up one fist.
Kagome felt sick as he opened his slim, clawed fingers. Her hand went to her blouse, right over her heart. I didn't feel him there, she thought. I never felt him take those away from me... is that why he did that? Is that why he... kissed me?
In his hand was the little jar of Shikon shards.
"Surprised?" Inuyasha said. He was smirking a little, as if her confusion was amusing him. His golden eyes were fixed on her face. But there was a coldness, a distant quality that Kagome had never seen there before. His smirk grew as he tossed the jar into the air and caught it smoothly. "Not bad, huh. I'm getting as good at that as Miroku."
The shock wore off, and anger replaced it. Kagome stumbled onto her knees. "You give those back to me!" she shouted.
"Oh, I don't think so, Kagome," Inuyasha said coolly, holding the jar over his head. "That kiss? You wanna know why I kissed you? Well, it just seemed right to thank you for this little favor. Without your eyes, I never would've found this many. But if jewel shards are that scarce, then maybe I can just find them myself."
Kagome drew back slightly, her eyes widening. Her heart was pounding like a trapped animal's. She started to speak again, then stopped. He can't mean... Inuyasha would never... she thought, wide-eyed.
Inuyasha held the jar up the light and studied the little shards. "Pretty, ain't they? I'll be getting my hands on Naraku's too. But not with you. Call me odd, but I just don't like sharing."
"W-why..." Kagome managed to stammer.
"Idiot. Doncha remember what I said to you when we first met?" Inuyasha said contemptuously.
Kagome sat back, thinking back to the first days she had spent with Inuyasha. His angry face then seemed to appear like a ghost in front of her, shouting that when the time came for him to take the jewel, he wouldn't have any mercy on her. Inuyasha... I thought you'd changed since then. I believed that you... no, this isn't possible, she thought.
"I can see you do remember," Inuyasha said, holding the jar lightly between his claws. "Too bad for you. I'm going on alone from here, to take the remainder of the jewel from Naraku. You've been helpful, but from here on you're just dead weight."
Kagome gasped. "But you said... you didn't want to use the jewel anymore."
"Feh. Maybe your ambitions die that quickly, but mine don't."
"Inuyasha... then... you never meant..."
"Not a word of it," the half-demon said loftily. "But I had to keep you happy, didn't I? If I hadn't kept your little ego salved all the time, you might've run off permanently. Now that your usefulness is up," he added, smiling coldly, "you're about as worthless as Kikyo once she'd lost the jewel." He turned and began walking away.
"Stop right there." There was a soft scrabbling noise as the human girl got to her feet. "Give me those shards back," Kagome said.
He turned around, staring at her as if he couldn't believe his ears. "What did you say to me?" he said slowly.
"I said give them back," Kagome said tensely. "Those aren't just your shards -- they belong to everyone. And I don't believe you've been lying all along. Something's wrong with you, Inuyasha -- you're not acting like yourself. What happened?"
"So you knew me?" Inuyasha said.
Then his face softened slightly, becoming the face of the boy she knew and cared about. He took a step toward Kagome; she took a step back. She flinched as his hand cupped her chin, so lightly that his skin barely brushed hers. "Let me show you how much you mean to me," he said huskily.
His hand flew up so fast that she didn't see it coming. She staggered back, her eyes watering from the blow. Pressing a hand to her stinging face, she stared up at Inuyasha's cold eyes. What happened to you? she thought. Who did this to you?
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha, you're acting even weirder than usual!" Kagome burst out. "What are you talking about? Why did you just kiss me? Because it sure didn't feel like you meant it."
"This." Inuyasha held up one fist.
Kagome felt sick as he opened his slim, clawed fingers. Her hand went to her blouse, right over her heart. I didn't feel him there, she thought. I never felt him take those away from me... is that why he did that? Is that why he... kissed me?
In his hand was the little jar of Shikon shards.
"Surprised?" Inuyasha said. He was smirking a little, as if her confusion was amusing him. His golden eyes were fixed on her face. But there was a coldness, a distant quality that Kagome had never seen there before. His smirk grew as he tossed the jar into the air and caught it smoothly. "Not bad, huh. I'm getting as good at that as Miroku."
The shock wore off, and anger replaced it. Kagome stumbled onto her knees. "You give those back to me!" she shouted.
"Oh, I don't think so, Kagome," Inuyasha said coolly, holding the jar over his head. "That kiss? You wanna know why I kissed you? Well, it just seemed right to thank you for this little favor. Without your eyes, I never would've found this many. But if jewel shards are that scarce, then maybe I can just find them myself."
Kagome drew back slightly, her eyes widening. Her heart was pounding like a trapped animal's. She started to speak again, then stopped. He can't mean... Inuyasha would never... she thought, wide-eyed.
Inuyasha held the jar up the light and studied the little shards. "Pretty, ain't they? I'll be getting my hands on Naraku's too. But not with you. Call me odd, but I just don't like sharing."
"W-why..." Kagome managed to stammer.
"Idiot. Doncha remember what I said to you when we first met?" Inuyasha said contemptuously.
Kagome sat back, thinking back to the first days she had spent with Inuyasha. His angry face then seemed to appear like a ghost in front of her, shouting that when the time came for him to take the jewel, he wouldn't have any mercy on her. Inuyasha... I thought you'd changed since then. I believed that you... no, this isn't possible, she thought.
"I can see you do remember," Inuyasha said, holding the jar lightly between his claws. "Too bad for you. I'm going on alone from here, to take the remainder of the jewel from Naraku. You've been helpful, but from here on you're just dead weight."
Kagome gasped. "But you said... you didn't want to use the jewel anymore."
"Feh. Maybe your ambitions die that quickly, but mine don't."
"Inuyasha... then... you never meant..."
"Not a word of it," the half-demon said loftily. "But I had to keep you happy, didn't I? If I hadn't kept your little ego salved all the time, you might've run off permanently. Now that your usefulness is up," he added, smiling coldly, "you're about as worthless as Kikyo once she'd lost the jewel." He turned and began walking away.
"Stop right there." There was a soft scrabbling noise as the human girl got to her feet. "Give me those shards back," Kagome said.
He turned around, staring at her as if he couldn't believe his ears. "What did you say to me?" he said slowly.
"I said give them back," Kagome said tensely. "Those aren't just your shards -- they belong to everyone. And I don't believe you've been lying all along. Something's wrong with you, Inuyasha -- you're not acting like yourself. What happened?"
"So you knew me?" Inuyasha said.
Then his face softened slightly, becoming the face of the boy she knew and cared about. He took a step toward Kagome; she took a step back. She flinched as his hand cupped her chin, so lightly that his skin barely brushed hers. "Let me show you how much you mean to me," he said huskily.
His hand flew up so fast that she didn't see it coming. She staggered back, her eyes watering from the blow. Pressing a hand to her stinging face, she stared up at Inuyasha's cold eyes. What happened to you? she thought. Who did this to you?
TO BE CONTINUED