((Kora! ^-^ I just wanted to say that this chappie is dedicated to all of
my loyal fans out there. Thank you all so very, very much for reviewing my
story! *hugs* It really encourages me on my down days, those days when my
brain is all *BLAH* and I can't think of anything kind of days. Sometimes I
even look at the reviews to see if anyone had any suggestions for the
story. Once again, I am greatly honored to be entertaining such fine
people. *bows*
So... *winks* this is for all of you devoted fans out there! ^_~ Give yourselves a round of applause!))
Chapter Eleven: "What's Happened to Me?"
The rays of the sun rising over the distant hills pierced through the darkness that had consumed the past night. A small zephyr blew across the field, sending ash and debris to be scattered amongst the remaining dead plant life.
Shippou gave a relieved smile and disobediently ran past Kaede towards the embracing couple. "Kagome!!!" he squealed in that familiar excited tone of voice. The kitsune vaulted into the air and landed right beside them in another instant. "Kagome!" he repeated her name from excitement and for recognition. He could barely see her due to InuYasha cuddling her so tightly against him; he couldn't tell if she had heard him or not.
"Ah! Shippou-chan!" Kagome eventually turned her head and gazed with a smile towards her fox-child companion.
Shippou stood firm in his spot. His eyes blinked several times in amazement, his usually unstoppable mouth suddenly at a loss for words. It had been the maiden's two beautiful eyes that had put him in a trace; where two brown eyes should have been, two golden yellow orbs now lay. The kitsune's mouth hung open slightly.
Kagome continued to smile, though now she lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "Shippou-chan, what's the matter?" she moved an arm from InuYasha's chest and reached out to him, "Aren't you glad to see me?"
A hand containing long, sharp, and deadly claws seemed to shoot out, in search of him, through Shippou's child eyes. Kagome or not, his body suddenly tensed. Instinctively, he began to move to the side of the oncoming claws.
And not a moment too soon. While he shifted quickly to move out of the way, the maiden's claws managed to barely graze the side of Shippou's left cheek. The kitsune gave a small gasp. His eyes grew wide once more. Time seemed frozen for a brief moment, as if waiting for him to exhale. He swiftly landed a foot or more away from Kagome's hand.
"Shippou..?" Kagome seemed even more puzzled as to why he had moved away from her embrace. When her eyes turned to look at him, she inhaled sharply in a gasp. Blood was trickling at a steady flow down the young child's cheek to his chin. A drop or two now fell upon the dry ground to be immediately soaked up by the parched soil. Though her nails had scarcely come across, it had been enough to cleanly cut his skin.
And that was when she realized it. "M.. my nails," she slowly held up two shaking hands, for now she had begun to quiver in bewilderment and worry, "..no.... they....they aren't nails. Can't be.... they're long like.. like.... InuYasha's." She turned her head upwards to meet InuYasha's gaze as she spoke his name.
Kagome's entire body began to shake. She quivered in horror as she gazed deeply into InuYasha's mirror-like eyes..... only to see an image of a complete stranger. "I-Inu..Y-Yasha.." her voice trembled. In his eyes she could see the composition of a young woman. A woman with long silver locks. A woman with fangs for teeth. A woman with long, sharpened claws and canine-like ears. A woman.... With golden eyes that matched his own.
"InuYasha.... What.... What's happened to me?!"
The hanyou felt his bowls turn inside out. He felt sick all over, his hands becoming clammy and his own body trembling now. "Kagome.." the word came out as a feeble whisper. With that one question, he felt his entire world come crashing down. The tremble in her voice; the quiver of her frail body; but, worst of all..... worst of all, the look she gave him. That look might as well have been a rusty dagger sent into his gut. It was killing him inside. As she continued to gaze into his eyes, he knew that he had failed her, and that was more than anything that he could take.
"Kagome, I-" the hanyou was cut off short by the small voice of the flea, Miyoga.
"Lady, Kagome!" Miyoga's voice rang out merrily as if there were nothing wrong. InuYasha slowly closed his mouth, almost comforted by the fact that he no longer had the right to speak. "I'm so relieved to see that you're alive!! For a moment there, I thought that we had truly lost.." he slowly glanced from left to right, taking notice of the two solemn faces before him, "..you."
The flea gazed up into Kagome's eyes; but, the maiden seemed to have paid little or no regards to the tiny being that had disrupted the conversation. Her eyes were fixed upon InuYasha's, the look upon her face an unmoving, confused, worried and frightened, and unknowing expression. InuYasha continued to stare right back at her, also paying little heed to the small flea man. His face yielded a look of guilt, worry, and helplessness.
Miyoga saw the exchange of expression in their gazes. He gave a small sweatdrop from uneasiness but knew deep down that it was his duty to inform the twenty-first century girl about her new feudal era, demon- like modifications. The flea then hastily pounced. He hopped along until he had reached Kagome's leg then began to leap up and down in order to get her attention and avert her eyes from InuYasha's.
"Kagome! Milady, I believe I speak on behalf of us all when I say that we are very relieved and very fortunate to have you with us once again. When we thought you may have slipped past our grasp and into the next world, we were all grieved.... none more so than our beloved Lord InuYasha. He above all grieved and mourned over your death."
The white hared maiden turned her gaze back towards the hanyou. "..InuYasha.." she whispered almost inaudibly.
The small flea continued. "And so, milady, when I told him of a way to save you.." Miyoga looked down and sighed shamefully, "he was all too eager to listen.."
"Kagome," InuYasha interrupted, "I would have done anything to save you- even if it meant sacrificing my own life for yours!" The hanyou's eyes narrowed, "Don't you get it?! You stupid girl!!!" he moved forward and abruptly took her hand in his. Within another instant he had forcefully pulled the maiden into his arms in a deep embrace. Miyoga leapt to the side to keep from being crushed by the couple.
The white haired hanyou woman gasped somewhat at the unexpected move. However, when she found herself facing the comfort and sanctuary of his chest, when his warmth surrounded her, when his entire essence alerted the rest of her new canine senses- his scent filling her nose, his heart beat tingling her ears, his breath sending goosebumps along her skin, when all of this was occurring within that single moment.... She knew that this was right where she was supposed to be. She had forced herself to return from the dead to be reunited with this one man, and it was with him where she would remain.
InuYasha closed his eyes and remained quiet for some time, his body silently shaking against hers in gentle yet powerful terms. "..you stupid girl...." he whispered gently into her new dog ears, "....I love you...." His eyes opened, but instead of gazing at the woman in his arms, he stared out into space. Time had stopped for him. He didn't care if anybody was watching, at that moment he didn't care if he was thought weak, he didn't even care if Kagome rejected....
He knew this emotion from long ago; back from when Kikyo had taught him. Just because it had remained dormant in his heart did not mean that it was not there. And he had failed Kikyo, he had failed Kagome and allowed her to almost die once, he had failed her in the fact that she was now a hanyou and that she would have to suffer through a life just like his own..... but he would NOT fail her now!
"Kagome," he ran his fingers through her long and silken white locks. "..I know that I'm no good when it comes t.... to showing my affections all the time," his eyes narrowed softly again, "and I know that I sometimes get too tempered. I'm prideful, a jerk, a selfish pig, and a stubborn @ss to say the least, but..... but...."
Her eyes became moist, and Kagome found herself gripping onto his kimono tightly. "InuYasha.." She tucked back her dog ears surprisingly then squeezed her eyes tightly against one another.
"..What's.... what's going to happen to me?" she whispered after a while had past.
"I don't know.." InuYasha gazed up into the morning sky, watching as a flock of geese flew above his head. He was trying to hide the slight pain within his eyes. Kagome had unknowingly gripped him so tightly that it had sent her claws into his skin.
"I don't know...." He held onto her tighter before briefly kissing her forehead.
So... *winks* this is for all of you devoted fans out there! ^_~ Give yourselves a round of applause!))
Chapter Eleven: "What's Happened to Me?"
The rays of the sun rising over the distant hills pierced through the darkness that had consumed the past night. A small zephyr blew across the field, sending ash and debris to be scattered amongst the remaining dead plant life.
Shippou gave a relieved smile and disobediently ran past Kaede towards the embracing couple. "Kagome!!!" he squealed in that familiar excited tone of voice. The kitsune vaulted into the air and landed right beside them in another instant. "Kagome!" he repeated her name from excitement and for recognition. He could barely see her due to InuYasha cuddling her so tightly against him; he couldn't tell if she had heard him or not.
"Ah! Shippou-chan!" Kagome eventually turned her head and gazed with a smile towards her fox-child companion.
Shippou stood firm in his spot. His eyes blinked several times in amazement, his usually unstoppable mouth suddenly at a loss for words. It had been the maiden's two beautiful eyes that had put him in a trace; where two brown eyes should have been, two golden yellow orbs now lay. The kitsune's mouth hung open slightly.
Kagome continued to smile, though now she lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "Shippou-chan, what's the matter?" she moved an arm from InuYasha's chest and reached out to him, "Aren't you glad to see me?"
A hand containing long, sharp, and deadly claws seemed to shoot out, in search of him, through Shippou's child eyes. Kagome or not, his body suddenly tensed. Instinctively, he began to move to the side of the oncoming claws.
And not a moment too soon. While he shifted quickly to move out of the way, the maiden's claws managed to barely graze the side of Shippou's left cheek. The kitsune gave a small gasp. His eyes grew wide once more. Time seemed frozen for a brief moment, as if waiting for him to exhale. He swiftly landed a foot or more away from Kagome's hand.
"Shippou..?" Kagome seemed even more puzzled as to why he had moved away from her embrace. When her eyes turned to look at him, she inhaled sharply in a gasp. Blood was trickling at a steady flow down the young child's cheek to his chin. A drop or two now fell upon the dry ground to be immediately soaked up by the parched soil. Though her nails had scarcely come across, it had been enough to cleanly cut his skin.
And that was when she realized it. "M.. my nails," she slowly held up two shaking hands, for now she had begun to quiver in bewilderment and worry, "..no.... they....they aren't nails. Can't be.... they're long like.. like.... InuYasha's." She turned her head upwards to meet InuYasha's gaze as she spoke his name.
Kagome's entire body began to shake. She quivered in horror as she gazed deeply into InuYasha's mirror-like eyes..... only to see an image of a complete stranger. "I-Inu..Y-Yasha.." her voice trembled. In his eyes she could see the composition of a young woman. A woman with long silver locks. A woman with fangs for teeth. A woman with long, sharpened claws and canine-like ears. A woman.... With golden eyes that matched his own.
"InuYasha.... What.... What's happened to me?!"
The hanyou felt his bowls turn inside out. He felt sick all over, his hands becoming clammy and his own body trembling now. "Kagome.." the word came out as a feeble whisper. With that one question, he felt his entire world come crashing down. The tremble in her voice; the quiver of her frail body; but, worst of all..... worst of all, the look she gave him. That look might as well have been a rusty dagger sent into his gut. It was killing him inside. As she continued to gaze into his eyes, he knew that he had failed her, and that was more than anything that he could take.
"Kagome, I-" the hanyou was cut off short by the small voice of the flea, Miyoga.
"Lady, Kagome!" Miyoga's voice rang out merrily as if there were nothing wrong. InuYasha slowly closed his mouth, almost comforted by the fact that he no longer had the right to speak. "I'm so relieved to see that you're alive!! For a moment there, I thought that we had truly lost.." he slowly glanced from left to right, taking notice of the two solemn faces before him, "..you."
The flea gazed up into Kagome's eyes; but, the maiden seemed to have paid little or no regards to the tiny being that had disrupted the conversation. Her eyes were fixed upon InuYasha's, the look upon her face an unmoving, confused, worried and frightened, and unknowing expression. InuYasha continued to stare right back at her, also paying little heed to the small flea man. His face yielded a look of guilt, worry, and helplessness.
Miyoga saw the exchange of expression in their gazes. He gave a small sweatdrop from uneasiness but knew deep down that it was his duty to inform the twenty-first century girl about her new feudal era, demon- like modifications. The flea then hastily pounced. He hopped along until he had reached Kagome's leg then began to leap up and down in order to get her attention and avert her eyes from InuYasha's.
"Kagome! Milady, I believe I speak on behalf of us all when I say that we are very relieved and very fortunate to have you with us once again. When we thought you may have slipped past our grasp and into the next world, we were all grieved.... none more so than our beloved Lord InuYasha. He above all grieved and mourned over your death."
The white hared maiden turned her gaze back towards the hanyou. "..InuYasha.." she whispered almost inaudibly.
The small flea continued. "And so, milady, when I told him of a way to save you.." Miyoga looked down and sighed shamefully, "he was all too eager to listen.."
"Kagome," InuYasha interrupted, "I would have done anything to save you- even if it meant sacrificing my own life for yours!" The hanyou's eyes narrowed, "Don't you get it?! You stupid girl!!!" he moved forward and abruptly took her hand in his. Within another instant he had forcefully pulled the maiden into his arms in a deep embrace. Miyoga leapt to the side to keep from being crushed by the couple.
The white haired hanyou woman gasped somewhat at the unexpected move. However, when she found herself facing the comfort and sanctuary of his chest, when his warmth surrounded her, when his entire essence alerted the rest of her new canine senses- his scent filling her nose, his heart beat tingling her ears, his breath sending goosebumps along her skin, when all of this was occurring within that single moment.... She knew that this was right where she was supposed to be. She had forced herself to return from the dead to be reunited with this one man, and it was with him where she would remain.
InuYasha closed his eyes and remained quiet for some time, his body silently shaking against hers in gentle yet powerful terms. "..you stupid girl...." he whispered gently into her new dog ears, "....I love you...." His eyes opened, but instead of gazing at the woman in his arms, he stared out into space. Time had stopped for him. He didn't care if anybody was watching, at that moment he didn't care if he was thought weak, he didn't even care if Kagome rejected....
He knew this emotion from long ago; back from when Kikyo had taught him. Just because it had remained dormant in his heart did not mean that it was not there. And he had failed Kikyo, he had failed Kagome and allowed her to almost die once, he had failed her in the fact that she was now a hanyou and that she would have to suffer through a life just like his own..... but he would NOT fail her now!
"Kagome," he ran his fingers through her long and silken white locks. "..I know that I'm no good when it comes t.... to showing my affections all the time," his eyes narrowed softly again, "and I know that I sometimes get too tempered. I'm prideful, a jerk, a selfish pig, and a stubborn @ss to say the least, but..... but...."
Her eyes became moist, and Kagome found herself gripping onto his kimono tightly. "InuYasha.." She tucked back her dog ears surprisingly then squeezed her eyes tightly against one another.
"..What's.... what's going to happen to me?" she whispered after a while had past.
"I don't know.." InuYasha gazed up into the morning sky, watching as a flock of geese flew above his head. He was trying to hide the slight pain within his eyes. Kagome had unknowingly gripped him so tightly that it had sent her claws into his skin.
"I don't know...." He held onto her tighter before briefly kissing her forehead.