Chapter III:
Kagome paced back and forth in the hallway. "The nerve of him!" she shouted, "I have never met a more stubborn jerk in my life! It's hard to believe he even said those things in the first place!"
She stopped pacing. I wonder if that's the reason that he was being so defensive. Did he really mean what he said? Does he care for me or does he not want me to ever return to the feudal era?
She slowly walked back up stairs. She knocked on her room door.
"Inuyasha? Can I come in?" Why am I asking? It's my room! She opened the door. Inuyasha was still sitting in the same spot, but he wasn't scowling. She sat down in front of him.
After a few moments of staring at each other, Inuyasha finally said calmly, "I didn't mean it."
"What didn't you mean?"
"I didn't mean I never wanted you to return to the feudal era. I- er...we do need you."
"Thanks, Inuyasha." Her eyes began to water.
"Why are you crying?"
I don't know. What's wrong with me?
"I already apologized. What else do you want from me? I—"
"Why does everything have to deal with you? Why can't I be crying just because I want to?" sobbed Kagome.
"I never said you were crying over me!" snapped Inuyasha.
Kagome hugged Inuyasha. "That was awful what you said to me. Even if you didn't mean it," she sobbed into his clothing.
What is she doing?
"Ka- Kagome, I'm sorry," he said softly. He put his arms around her, "I'm sorry."
He hugged me back. Kagome closed her eyes. His body was warm and soft.
"Kagome...I...I do care about you. And I am concerned about what happens to you. You mean the world to me."
"I...I do? Then why do you always sound so mad at me?"
"Because telling you my feelings would make me seem weak. How can I protect you and the others if I'm wrapped in my feelings?"
"I..." Kagome said slowly, "I care about you, too, Inuyasha." She looked up at him. Her heart was pounding.
"Let me care for you?" he whispered. He kissed her.
"Always, Inuyasha," she said.
As Inuyasha kissed her again, she lifted her head off of her geometry book.
"What?" she said confused. "Was I dreaming?"
She got up and opened her window.
But it was so real. She laid on her head and closed her eyes.
Then there was a tap on her window.
"Inu- oh..." it was just the wind blowing harshly on the window. She looked at her alarm clock. She chuckled to herself.
"This is what happened in my dream!" she said suddenly. She got up and sat at her desk. Okay, what happened next? Oh yea Souta—
There was a knock on her door.
"Big sis? Are you busy?" asked Souta.
"N- No, Souta. Come in." What's going on? "Souta, are you going to ask me to go to the park with you tomorrow?"
Souta looked at her puzzled. "Yes. How did you know that?"
"I- I don't know how. Something's happening. But, anyway, I'll go to the park with you tomorrow and tell you all about what I've done in the Feudal Era. But now I have to study. I have a test on Monday."
Souta smiled widely. "Great!" Souta ran out of her bedroom with Kagome's cat following close behind.
This is crazy! What happened next? Oh, Inuyasha is going to be at my window. But, I didn't close it this time. So he'll probably just come up behind me.
Kagome felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped.
"Didn't mean to scare you," said Inuyasha.
"I'm okay," she replied, clutching her chest, "Listen Inuyasha. I had this dream a little while ago and everything that happened in it is happening right now. The taps on the window, Souta inviting me to the park, me laying on my bed, EVERYTHING!"
Inuyasha gave her the same puzzled look that Souta did. "What are you talking about? Listen you have to come back—"
"Before you change into a human," Kagome finished his sentence, "I know. But in my dream, we didn't make it back down the well in time so you had to stay here and..."
"And what?" said Inuyasha even more puzzled, "How do you know all this?"
"Don't you listen? I told you. This was all in my dream!" said Kagome growing more agitated at the fact the neither he nor Souta believed her.
"Look I don't understand all of this, but all I know is that you have to come back now."
Maybe we'll make it this time. She grabbed the shards and jumped on his back. "Yes, I trust you."
He leaped out of the window and ran at inhuman speed to the bone-eaters well. He leaped into it ... and crashed with a THUD!
"Hey miss smarty-pants, if you knew this was going to happen, then why didn't you stop me?" he growled.
Kagome whacked on his head. "I did you jerk! Now come on, you're gonna change in a few seconds and it'll be better if we're outta here."
Inuyasha leapt up a little less than gracefully and let Kagome off his back. Gradually, his claws pulled back into his fingers. His long gray hair turned a silky black- violet. His sharp fangs dulled into normal teeth. His soft ears formed into human ears.
When the transformation was complete, Kagome said, "The others will be okay. They don't always need you to protect them. They're not completely defenseless."
"Stupid moon," he hissed silently.
"Okay, if I remember this correctly, we go inside, I make you some noodles, we argue, and then..." Kagome stopped suddenly.
"And then what?" Inuyasha asked.
Should I tell him that he kissed me? I mean he said he cared for me so there's no need to tell him...
"I...I...I forgot," she decided, "but I'll probably remember later."
"Well do you at least remember the last thing that happened before you woke up?"
"Umm... Let's go inside," she said as she walked into the house. She walked inside the kitchen, "I'll make you some Ramen and you can wait for me in my room. I shouldn't be too long."
Inuyasha watched her until she was out of sight. This whole thing is crazy. Did Kagome really see the future? And what is she not telling me? He walked up the stairs and into her bedroom. He looked around and reached for the ticking object on her nightstand. What did she call this thing? As soon as he touched it, it began to ring loudly. He fumbled with it until it fell to the ground and broke.
He'll get mad at me if I listen to him while he's in my room, so I'll go back before he says anything. She hurried up the stairs, careful not to spill the food that she held. She knocked on the door.
"Here, Inuyasha. Your food is ready," she said.
"He took the bowl from her, sat on the floor, and began to eat. Kagome sat on the bed and watched him. Her heart fluttered.
"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha said with a mouth full of noodles.
"Huh? Oh... nothing." She answered.
He swallowed, "Kagome, what are you not telling me?"
"Me? Nothing. Nothing at all," she chuckled nervously, "Why do you ask?"
Inuyasha swallowed another mouthful of noodles, "Well, every time you start to tell me about your dream, you drift of before the end. And now you're looking at me funny."
Am I? There's no way around it. I have to tell him... I will tell him...
Kagome looked down.
"Kagome, what happens at the end of your dream, just before you wake up? Do I die or something?"
"No, that's not it. It's nothing awful, I guess," she said slowly.
"Then what Kagome? Why don't you just tell me?" If it's not awful and no one dies why can't she just...wait... Does she know...? "What did I say in your dream?"
"Well, when we were arguing, you said that it was easier to find shards when I'm there to sense them and then I said si- sorry. Then you said that I should never come back because I've been nothing but a pain in the ass since I get there."
"That was kind of harsh," he commented.
"And so I said...to..."she hesitated, "I said to tell everyone good-bye forever because I was never coming back."
"Are you sure?" he said, "That doesn't sound much like me."
"Well, I guess it won't happen now. Instead of talking to you, I'm suppose to be yelling. And you did break my clock, but I didn't overhear you..." she stopped.
"Over- overhear me? Saying what?" he asked.
"You- you said that you had to tell me something..."
"What else did you hear?" he asked quietly.
"It doesn't matter now. Technically it never happened because I came in before you could say it," she smiled weakly, "Besides, you said you didn't mean it anyway so what's the point?"
"Well, can I at least know what I said...or didn't say...or was going to say. This is so confusing!"
"Fine, you wanna know what you said?" she yelled.
"Yes, Kagome!" he yelled back.
"You said that you wanted to tell me the truth about how you felt," she said quickly, "You wanted to tell me that you couldn't live without me, then I came in, gave you your food, we argued, I stormed out, came back in, cried, you kissed me, and told me that you wanted to care for me. There, satisfied?" She crossed her arms and waited for his reaction.
After several long moments of silence, Inuyasha finally smiled and said, "Some dream. A bit unrealistic if you ask me."
"Why?" she glared.
"No offense or anything, but it just sounds like what it is. A dream. Besides, even if I did care about you, why would I tell you? It would make everything too complicated. How can I fight the way I want and find jewel shards if I'm wrapped up in my feelings?" he stated matter-of-factly, "And I wouldn't have kissed you," he added.
"Fine! Then finish your food, turn back into a normal jerk, and go back to the feudal era! As for me, I have a geometry test to study for and I'm not going to fail! I'll have to go to summer school if I do!" She got up and sat at her desk.
Inuyasha looked at her. "Kagome, I didn't mean it like that."
Don't start crying! Don't start crying, you idiot! You can't let him see you cry! Suck it up! Don't let him see you cry.
Inuyasha stood up and walked up to her. What do I say now?
"I know it was just a dream, but..." she said quietly, "everything was happening the exact same way, Souta inviting me to the park, the taps on the window, everything. Maybe it was just a coincidence."
"Or maybe it wasn't," said Inuyasha. "I mean maybe the last part was just a dream."
"It's not important," she said. Why the heck am I crying? I hope he can't see me.
"Kagome, why are you crying? I already apologized. What else do you want from me? I—"
"Why does everything have to be about you? Why can't I cry just because I want to?" sobbed Kagome.
"I never said you were crying over me," snapped Inuyasha.
Kagome stood in front of Inuyasha. She hugged him, "I didn't expect you to do anything, you know," she sobbed, "maybe I shouldn't have told you."
"Ka- Kagome," he put his arms around her. Kagome closed her eyes. His body felt warm and soft. I won't tell you that I care about you, Kagome. I just can't do that. Not now.
End of Chapter III
Kagome paced back and forth in the hallway. "The nerve of him!" she shouted, "I have never met a more stubborn jerk in my life! It's hard to believe he even said those things in the first place!"
She stopped pacing. I wonder if that's the reason that he was being so defensive. Did he really mean what he said? Does he care for me or does he not want me to ever return to the feudal era?
She slowly walked back up stairs. She knocked on her room door.
"Inuyasha? Can I come in?" Why am I asking? It's my room! She opened the door. Inuyasha was still sitting in the same spot, but he wasn't scowling. She sat down in front of him.
After a few moments of staring at each other, Inuyasha finally said calmly, "I didn't mean it."
"What didn't you mean?"
"I didn't mean I never wanted you to return to the feudal era. I- er...we do need you."
"Thanks, Inuyasha." Her eyes began to water.
"Why are you crying?"
I don't know. What's wrong with me?
"I already apologized. What else do you want from me? I—"
"Why does everything have to deal with you? Why can't I be crying just because I want to?" sobbed Kagome.
"I never said you were crying over me!" snapped Inuyasha.
Kagome hugged Inuyasha. "That was awful what you said to me. Even if you didn't mean it," she sobbed into his clothing.
What is she doing?
"Ka- Kagome, I'm sorry," he said softly. He put his arms around her, "I'm sorry."
He hugged me back. Kagome closed her eyes. His body was warm and soft.
"Kagome...I...I do care about you. And I am concerned about what happens to you. You mean the world to me."
"I...I do? Then why do you always sound so mad at me?"
"Because telling you my feelings would make me seem weak. How can I protect you and the others if I'm wrapped in my feelings?"
"I..." Kagome said slowly, "I care about you, too, Inuyasha." She looked up at him. Her heart was pounding.
"Let me care for you?" he whispered. He kissed her.
"Always, Inuyasha," she said.
As Inuyasha kissed her again, she lifted her head off of her geometry book.
"What?" she said confused. "Was I dreaming?"
She got up and opened her window.
But it was so real. She laid on her head and closed her eyes.
Then there was a tap on her window.
"Inu- oh..." it was just the wind blowing harshly on the window. She looked at her alarm clock. She chuckled to herself.
"This is what happened in my dream!" she said suddenly. She got up and sat at her desk. Okay, what happened next? Oh yea Souta—
There was a knock on her door.
"Big sis? Are you busy?" asked Souta.
"N- No, Souta. Come in." What's going on? "Souta, are you going to ask me to go to the park with you tomorrow?"
Souta looked at her puzzled. "Yes. How did you know that?"
"I- I don't know how. Something's happening. But, anyway, I'll go to the park with you tomorrow and tell you all about what I've done in the Feudal Era. But now I have to study. I have a test on Monday."
Souta smiled widely. "Great!" Souta ran out of her bedroom with Kagome's cat following close behind.
This is crazy! What happened next? Oh, Inuyasha is going to be at my window. But, I didn't close it this time. So he'll probably just come up behind me.
Kagome felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped.
"Didn't mean to scare you," said Inuyasha.
"I'm okay," she replied, clutching her chest, "Listen Inuyasha. I had this dream a little while ago and everything that happened in it is happening right now. The taps on the window, Souta inviting me to the park, me laying on my bed, EVERYTHING!"
Inuyasha gave her the same puzzled look that Souta did. "What are you talking about? Listen you have to come back—"
"Before you change into a human," Kagome finished his sentence, "I know. But in my dream, we didn't make it back down the well in time so you had to stay here and..."
"And what?" said Inuyasha even more puzzled, "How do you know all this?"
"Don't you listen? I told you. This was all in my dream!" said Kagome growing more agitated at the fact the neither he nor Souta believed her.
"Look I don't understand all of this, but all I know is that you have to come back now."
Maybe we'll make it this time. She grabbed the shards and jumped on his back. "Yes, I trust you."
He leaped out of the window and ran at inhuman speed to the bone-eaters well. He leaped into it ... and crashed with a THUD!
"Hey miss smarty-pants, if you knew this was going to happen, then why didn't you stop me?" he growled.
Kagome whacked on his head. "I did you jerk! Now come on, you're gonna change in a few seconds and it'll be better if we're outta here."
Inuyasha leapt up a little less than gracefully and let Kagome off his back. Gradually, his claws pulled back into his fingers. His long gray hair turned a silky black- violet. His sharp fangs dulled into normal teeth. His soft ears formed into human ears.
When the transformation was complete, Kagome said, "The others will be okay. They don't always need you to protect them. They're not completely defenseless."
"Stupid moon," he hissed silently.
"Okay, if I remember this correctly, we go inside, I make you some noodles, we argue, and then..." Kagome stopped suddenly.
"And then what?" Inuyasha asked.
Should I tell him that he kissed me? I mean he said he cared for me so there's no need to tell him...
"I...I...I forgot," she decided, "but I'll probably remember later."
"Well do you at least remember the last thing that happened before you woke up?"
"Umm... Let's go inside," she said as she walked into the house. She walked inside the kitchen, "I'll make you some Ramen and you can wait for me in my room. I shouldn't be too long."
Inuyasha watched her until she was out of sight. This whole thing is crazy. Did Kagome really see the future? And what is she not telling me? He walked up the stairs and into her bedroom. He looked around and reached for the ticking object on her nightstand. What did she call this thing? As soon as he touched it, it began to ring loudly. He fumbled with it until it fell to the ground and broke.
He'll get mad at me if I listen to him while he's in my room, so I'll go back before he says anything. She hurried up the stairs, careful not to spill the food that she held. She knocked on the door.
"Here, Inuyasha. Your food is ready," she said.
"He took the bowl from her, sat on the floor, and began to eat. Kagome sat on the bed and watched him. Her heart fluttered.
"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha said with a mouth full of noodles.
"Huh? Oh... nothing." She answered.
He swallowed, "Kagome, what are you not telling me?"
"Me? Nothing. Nothing at all," she chuckled nervously, "Why do you ask?"
Inuyasha swallowed another mouthful of noodles, "Well, every time you start to tell me about your dream, you drift of before the end. And now you're looking at me funny."
Am I? There's no way around it. I have to tell him... I will tell him...
Kagome looked down.
"Kagome, what happens at the end of your dream, just before you wake up? Do I die or something?"
"No, that's not it. It's nothing awful, I guess," she said slowly.
"Then what Kagome? Why don't you just tell me?" If it's not awful and no one dies why can't she just...wait... Does she know...? "What did I say in your dream?"
"Well, when we were arguing, you said that it was easier to find shards when I'm there to sense them and then I said si- sorry. Then you said that I should never come back because I've been nothing but a pain in the ass since I get there."
"That was kind of harsh," he commented.
"And so I said...to..."she hesitated, "I said to tell everyone good-bye forever because I was never coming back."
"Are you sure?" he said, "That doesn't sound much like me."
"Well, I guess it won't happen now. Instead of talking to you, I'm suppose to be yelling. And you did break my clock, but I didn't overhear you..." she stopped.
"Over- overhear me? Saying what?" he asked.
"You- you said that you had to tell me something..."
"What else did you hear?" he asked quietly.
"It doesn't matter now. Technically it never happened because I came in before you could say it," she smiled weakly, "Besides, you said you didn't mean it anyway so what's the point?"
"Well, can I at least know what I said...or didn't say...or was going to say. This is so confusing!"
"Fine, you wanna know what you said?" she yelled.
"Yes, Kagome!" he yelled back.
"You said that you wanted to tell me the truth about how you felt," she said quickly, "You wanted to tell me that you couldn't live without me, then I came in, gave you your food, we argued, I stormed out, came back in, cried, you kissed me, and told me that you wanted to care for me. There, satisfied?" She crossed her arms and waited for his reaction.
After several long moments of silence, Inuyasha finally smiled and said, "Some dream. A bit unrealistic if you ask me."
"Why?" she glared.
"No offense or anything, but it just sounds like what it is. A dream. Besides, even if I did care about you, why would I tell you? It would make everything too complicated. How can I fight the way I want and find jewel shards if I'm wrapped up in my feelings?" he stated matter-of-factly, "And I wouldn't have kissed you," he added.
"Fine! Then finish your food, turn back into a normal jerk, and go back to the feudal era! As for me, I have a geometry test to study for and I'm not going to fail! I'll have to go to summer school if I do!" She got up and sat at her desk.
Inuyasha looked at her. "Kagome, I didn't mean it like that."
Don't start crying! Don't start crying, you idiot! You can't let him see you cry! Suck it up! Don't let him see you cry.
Inuyasha stood up and walked up to her. What do I say now?
"I know it was just a dream, but..." she said quietly, "everything was happening the exact same way, Souta inviting me to the park, the taps on the window, everything. Maybe it was just a coincidence."
"Or maybe it wasn't," said Inuyasha. "I mean maybe the last part was just a dream."
"It's not important," she said. Why the heck am I crying? I hope he can't see me.
"Kagome, why are you crying? I already apologized. What else do you want from me? I—"
"Why does everything have to be about you? Why can't I cry just because I want to?" sobbed Kagome.
"I never said you were crying over me," snapped Inuyasha.
Kagome stood in front of Inuyasha. She hugged him, "I didn't expect you to do anything, you know," she sobbed, "maybe I shouldn't have told you."
"Ka- Kagome," he put his arms around her. Kagome closed her eyes. His body felt warm and soft. I won't tell you that I care about you, Kagome. I just can't do that. Not now.
End of Chapter III