Disclaimer: Hmm… what was I going to say again? Oh yeah, Inuyasha and co. doesn't belong to me. ::double take:: Wait they don't ?! NOOO!!
Ok this chapter took longer than I expected to get out, and it's a bit shorter than I expected as well. Sorry! But thank you for all the reviews! 21 reviews! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH! I love all of you! Please keep on reviewing!
This chapter is pretty angsty and please read through the whole chapter before you do something harmful to me. ::hides underneath the bed covers:: Enjoy!
Ch. 5Kagome woke to the smell of freshly made coffee and pancakes. Her eyes watered as she yawned and she blinked sleepily, "Well, this is a change," she murmured as she looked up at Inuyasha, who stood next to her tray of food, proudly, "Usually, I get up first to make you breakfast." She smiled.
She took the offered cup of coffee and sipped it slowly, self-consciously running a hand through her disheveled hair under his intense gaze. She picked up the plate of pancakes, positive she wouldn't be able to eat it all. Cutting the stack neatly in quarters, she sampled his cooking and was surprised to find, despite the slightly burnt look, they were quite good.
After eating about half her pancakes and finishing her coffee she spoke o Inuyasha, knowing without having to look that he was still staring at her, "Did you eat, yet?"
He shook his head.
She turned her head to him and frowned, "Why not?"
"Because I was making your breakfast," he growled, annoyed.
Kagome too this the wrong way and her eyes lowered in guilt. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly.
"Wha-? What are you apologizing for, wench? I just took too long making it. Plus I'm not even hungry." He said, confused to why she would put the blame on herself. He settled for the fact that she was crazy.
"Thank you for the breakfast, Inuyasha. It was really sweet of you," Kagome thanked him.
"Just don't get hurt again. You weak humans take too long to heal." He winced inwardly at his own words and half expected her to start yelling at him or crying, but she just smiled and nodded her head. He shook his head lightly in wonder. It had been a month since he found her in that alleyway, yet he still couldn't understand her. She always stayed so happy. Perhaps it was all a mask to cover her sorrow, but if that was true, she was damn good at hiding her true feelings. Maybe she forgot she had amnesia, he mused.
"Inuyasha?"
"What?"
"Could we… go to the store again?" Kagome asked hesitantly.
"What?" He glared at her annoyed, "We just went yesterday."
"Yeah, but it you remember, we didn't bring anything back," she said dryly.
"No. We'll just eat Ramen." He turned away.
"Please, Inuyasha? I can still make you instant noodles like I promised."
"I can make my own instant noodles," he sniffed.
"Please, please, please?" Kagome pleaded.
"Fine!" Inuyasha snapped a bit harsher than he intended, "We'll go. Just stop groveling already!" The moment 'groveling' left his lips, Kagome clutched her head and let out a short scream, dropping to her knees. Inuyasha was by her side instantly.
"What's wrong?" He asked gently.
"I'm… remembering," was all she could say. A flood of memories came rushing to her mind, toppling the dam she had unconsciously put up to keep them away. She tried to push the memories away, but like a stick against a raging ocean, they couldn't be stopped and she began to remember what happened at that fire and more. She remembered all of it.
~ Flashback ~
She took a deep breath. The smell of spring was in the air. It was a lovely May after noon and she couldn't be happier as she strolled home, passing various shops and stores. As she passed the dark alley between the antique shop and the candy store, she heard an almost whimpering sound. Curious, she walked in cautiously. The sound came louder and sounded more like a man. Tiptoeing through the darkness with a guiding hand on the wall, she snuck toward the odd noises. At the corner of the antique shop on her right, she turned the corner and saw a faint light up ahead. The sounds continued to issue forth from that direction.
After a few more steps, Kagome could see two shadowy figures illuminated by a flashlight. She crept within hearing distance and crouched behind a trashcan. The figures were both men and one, whom she couldn't recognize, was standing looking down intimidatingly on the second man. The second man was on his hands and knees pleadingly before the first. Kagome was barely able to muffle her gasp. The second man was Kouga!
"Please," Kouga begged, "Please, Lord Naraku! Please spare me! I admit, I was weak! I wasn't able to do as I promised. I've grown too close to her. Please! I promise I'll do better, just give me another chance!" He grabbed onto the bottom of the first man's pants.
"Release me," Naraku said coldly, with narrowed eyes, "You disgust me, Kouga. You are a weak and groveling fool, and I should do away with you for that, but I will give you a second chance nevertheless. But be warned, this is the only time you will receive any kind of mercy from me. Don't fail me again." He finished, still using that same monotonous tone of voice.
"Yes, yes, Lord Naraku. I understand. Thank you, thank you so much…" Kouga continued to prostrate himself before Naraku, bowing like a worshiper repeatedly and offered various ways of expressing his gratitude, his voice fading away from Kagome's ears.
She fell back noiselessly in shock and shook her head in denial, not wanting to believe what her eyes told her. She loved Kouga, and she admired his confidence and his ability to help keep her head up high. The Kouga she knew would never bow to anyone. The Kouga she knew was always there as a shoulder to lean against, always there to help her out. But this blundering buffoon was in no way similar to the Kouga she knew and loved. She backed away as quickly and quietly as possible out of their range of sight. Rising to her feet, she turned abruptly, and ran. She ran away from the pleading Kouga, and she ran away from the cold-hearted Naraku. Kagome tried, she really did, but running away from her problems seemed to be the only solution she could ever come to.
~ End Flashback ~
~ Flashback ~
Smoke. It filled her senses and clogged her lungs with every breath she drew. It was everywhere. And so was the fire. Flames licked at the wooden beams of her house. One by one they fell, blocking her exits. The intense heat made her skin feel raw and exposed. She heard herself struggling for breath and for some reason, all the drills that had been taught to her about fire safety escaped her mind. Her hands flew up to her throat as she struggled to breath. Sparks of fire flew around her in a lethal dance almost tauntingly. She fell to her knees and felt herself slowly suffocate.
Suddenly, her mother burst through the flames, landing at Kagome's feet. Her clothes and hair were singed and burnt marks covered her body. "Kagome," she gasped, "you have to get out of here. Please get out of here! The door… the door's right over there. You… you have to live! I'll get the door open and you have to get away from here. Get far away! You still have you entire life ahead of you." She smiled calmly and swayed a bit as she stood up, "I love you, Kagome. I love you so much, and I don't plan on seeing you in the afterlife for a long while yet. Good bye… my daughter."
She gave her a peck on the cheek and rushed at the door and suddenly, her objective registered in Kagome's mind. "Mother!" She screamed and tried to reach out and stop her, but her arms seemed strangely lethargic and unresponsive to her brain. Her mother threw herself at the flaming door and uttered not a single cry of pain as the flames swallowed her up. She was dead before she hit the ground.
"MOTHER!!" Kagome cried again in a heart-wrenching wail. She blundered out the opened door and onto the porch, where her mother's body lay. "Mother!" She sobbed, clutching pitifully at her mother's clothes, wishing she would get up and tell her that every thing was okay.
"Oh my god, what happened here?" She heard a sarcastic voice say and she looked up. Her voice left her as she stared at the man in front of her. It was Kouga… and he was holding a dripping can of gasoline.
"You…" Kagome stared in disbelief, "you did this?!" She was about to lunge at him and wrap her fingers around his neck, but a beam fell from the porch shade and trapped her legs. She let out a cry of pain and fisted her hands, her bangs covering her eyes. "Kouga… why? Why did you do this?! What did I do to you? I only loved you. I loved you with all my heart and soul. Is that such a crime?! Tell me!" She yelled at him, lifting her face and letting the tears stream down.
Kouga continued to smirk at her as he replied, "It was either my life or yours, Kag. Nothing personal. I just value my life more than yours. But for what it's worth," he said before turning to leave, "I'll tell you this, I did like you, even it I didn't love you. Goodbye, Kagome."
"Kouga… KOUGA! I loved you! I loved you! Don't you dare turn away, Kouga! You're a MURDERER!" She screamed at his retreating back. Above her, another beam dislodged and fell on her head, knocking her out, but not before a pink light flared to life around her body.
~ End Flashback ~
"No… NOOOO!" Kagome screamed, still clutching her head. "My family! My family!" She sobbed, tears traveling in rivulets down her face. She rocked back and forth, crying as if in physical pain.
Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly, "Kagome, snap out of it!"
"Let me go!" She yelled at him and ripped herself out of his grasp, ignoring the pain from her wounds. She stumbled to her feet and bolted from the room. Kagome wrenched the door open and dashed to the stairs, practically throwing herself down the flights of stairs in her attempt to get outside. Once in the fresh air, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, adrenaline pumping through her veins. After her energy had drained and she could run no more, she collapsed underneath the shade of a tree nearby. Burying her face in the grass and pounding the ground with her fists, she cried and cried and cried. Tears flowed from her eyes, like blood from a wound, from which she had an endless supply.
Inuyasha watched in confusion as Kagome wept. It broke his heart to hear those sobs that seemed to rip out from her throat. Gently, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her clumsily, not sure of what to do. Kagome flung her arms around his neck and hid her face in his shoulder. Tears continued to rack her body and they soaked into Inuyasha's shirt, but he didn't mind. All her wanted was to stop whatever was causing Kagome so much pain. Gradually, the sobs subsided and she pulled away from him a bit.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Inuyasha asked her gently.
"It was Kouga. He betrayed out family and started the fire," she said quietly. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying for so long.
Kouga, that bastard, he's gonna die, Inuyasha thought and ground his teeth inwardly. He would have stopped and thought about how his inner thoughts had teeth, but now wasn't the time. Kagome collapsed back into his arms and Inuyasha realized that she was in need of his support and definitely not the time for petty thoughts. One arm held her waist while the other stroked her hair gently. Kagome relaxed in his embrace and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. She leaned against his shoulder and breathed in his woodsy scent. He smelled like the forest, wild and yet also a gentle fragrance. Neither said a word, both understanding each other without using any form of communication. And as they held each other in their arms it seemed as if time itself had stopped.
~*~*~*~*~
Kagome came back from the park behind the apartment complex. She needed sometime along to mull over her thoughts, and Inuyasha had suggested to perfect spot. She almost smiled at the thought of him. Almost. She hadn't smiled once since she regained her memories. She thought it would be disrespectful to her family as she mourned their loss. But what would she do? Kouga left no evidence that it had been him that started the fire and if he were suspected, he would deny it with his eloquent tongue.
She sighed and opened the front door, surprised to find the room empty. "Inuyasha?" Kagome called out. No one answered. Where was Inuyasha? He never leaves before telling me, she thought. "Inuyasha, if this is some kind of sick joke, it's not funny! Come out this instant!" She shouted. She entered his bedroom and looked around. No one was there.
The door shut quietly behind her. She turned around slowly. What she saw made the blood run out of her face. There, held up by twin swords cutting into his shoulders, was Inuyasha's dead body. Kagome stared at it dumbly, refusing to understand what was before her. But suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks and she screamed. She screamed and she screamed and she screamed, at the top of her lungs and with all of her might, hoping it would wake Inuyasha from the dead, but his body continued to hang lifelessly. His once full-of-life amber eyes were glazed over in death. One sword penetrated his body over the heart and the other two pierced at the flesh slightly below the shoulders. Three rivers of blood flowed down his body. And Kagome continued to scream. She screamed until she was hoarse, but even through that, she screamed and she screamed and she screamed.
"INUYASHA!!"
~*~*~*~*~
Kagome jerked up from her bed and screamed again, but this time, in the waking world. Her terrified cry sent Inuyasha running to her room, prepared for battle.
When he saw that there was nothing wrong, he turned to Kagome, "What's wrong, Kagome?" He saw her rocking on the bed back and forth again, with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and hiding her face.
"Gods, it was only a dream, it was only a dream," she chanted over and over. Inuyasha sat down on her bed and tried to get a look at her face. Kagome lifted her eyes above her knees and saw Inuyasha's amber ones, filled with concern. With a choked cry, she lunged at him and hugged him tightly, "Oh, Inuyasha! I had a horrible nightmare! You were hanging on your door dead and… and …" She burst into tears.
Kagome pulled back, wiped away the tears with her pajama shirt sleeve, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, for waking you up. It was just a dream, but… could you stay with me tonight?"
Inuyasha nodded understandingly and slid under the covers with her. She nestled in his arms and gave a long sigh. She finally felt safe. She looked to the top of his head and watched as his ears flicked, trying to detect any noises. Giving into temptation, she lifted her hand and stroked one of the triangular ears. Inuyasha stiffened in shock, but her ministrations soothed him and he began to relax. Kagome placed her thumb on the inside of the ear and her other four fingers on the outside and rubbed, feeling the soft, silky texture of the fine hairs sliding against her fingers. Inuyasha's chest rumbled as he purred. Inuyasha purrs? Kagome stopped rubbing in surprise and almost laughed. Inuyasha pushed his head against her hand, she began stroking again.
"Thank you, Inuyasha, for being there for me and for being such a good friend," Kagome said softly. She placed a feather light kiss on his cheek and drifted off to sleep. Inuyasha lay speechless. She had kissed him! He felt confused with his feelings, not sure what to think. All of his emotions were tumbling around inside of him. But at the same time he thought, Wait… only a friend? before sleep claimed him.
~*~*~
Review Responses~*~*~
Tenseiga: Thank you! And don't worry about expressing your opinion, I'd like to hear what others have to say, but Kouga has a big role in this story. I think I'm gonna kill him off though… Personally, I don't hate him but he's the perfect character for this role. It was either him or Hojo, and I don't see Hojo as a villain. Thank you so much for your compliments! I am proud! And even if your brother is hot headed I'll look forward to his review. Don't forget to review for this chapter!
Amanda: I don't know about excellent but thank you! That means a lot to me! I hope two days is considered A.S.A.P to you!
lazydoll06: I'm so glad! You love my story?! ::starts crying:: By the way, Kagome is 18, it's in chapter 2, in the flashback. My story is going on your fav list? Geez is there any other way to say thank you? I feel like I'm repeating myself (which I am) so you'll have to settle with gracias and xie xie ni!
Lord-Hiei: Oh, thank you so much! I'm sooo glad you think my story is great. Do you know how happy I am right now? I about to start crying. I love your comments!
lilchickidy0six: Thank you! ::sobs:: Thank you!
Relena Peace: I'm so happy you like it!
lindy*girl: Haha, I don't like Kikyo either, Kouga's ok but I don't like him that much. Why do you think I made him a bad guy in this story? Anyone who gets in the way of Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship must die! Ok I'm exaggerating but you get the point. Read and review! Leomae108: Oh, good, I didn't want to be held responsible for making you go crazy! LOL. And no I don't like Kikyo. I hate her! I thought she was okay before she died but now… ::shudders:: I was thinking about bringing her back, but I might not, it might make the plot too complicated. And I wasn't thinking about Sesshoumaru kidnapping Kagome, but… oops I said too much there =) slayer chik: Thank you! Well, here's the next chapter and I've already started working on chapter 6!moonlight: Thank you! You're right, Inuyasha is becoming too kind too fast. I have to do something about that. Hmmm… If you have any suggestions don't hesitate to let me know! LOL. Yeah, I have to make Inuyasha get Kagome mad. After she gained her memories, I won't make Kagome so infuriatingly sweet anymore. She'll be normal now. I appreciate your constructive criticism, I'm sure it'll help me in future chapters. Thanks!
h.v: Thank you! I'm glad you approve. Yes, Inuyasha and Kagome are going to be together. I'm sorry I didn't mention it in the summary, I was just trying to hint it, you know?
ArtemisMoon: I'm so glad so many people are reading and reviewing! Um… do I want to know how many personalities you have? LOL. I'll take your advice and try to go deeper into Inuyasha's thoughts as soon as an opportunity presents itself. Thanks for your review!
babybunny01: OMG! THANK YOU! That means so very much to me! ::sniff:: And since you've been so nice, I think I'll give you some secrets to my writing technique so listen up! Ok, first, some of the important things in my opinion are: grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. You have to have high vocabulary for details (I suggest a thesaurus). Grammar is VERY important, so check your story on Microsoft Word or something first. And it really bugs me when someone spells something wrong, so spelling is also important. One other thing that makes a story sound better is that you MUST have the story in the same tense. In other words, either write it in present or past tense. For example: She stared at the window and was surprised (past), OR She stares at the window and is surprised (present), BUT NOT She stared at the window and is surprised. And the last thing is, is that you have to have fun! Enjoy writing your story and with these tips, I guarantee a successful story. See ya!