Disclaimer: Yes, I am Rumiko Takahashi! Owner of Inuyasha! Bow to my power! Bwahahaha!! ::people with straight jackets approach:: Uh oh, I've got to go!
A/N: Hi peeps! Sorry I took awhile to update. I've been struck with a bit of writer's block. Anyway, last chapter, I made a mistake. I said that Kagome couldn't cry even though I made her cry in an earlier chapter (…chapter 3 I think). So just humor me okay? She is able to cry, I'll correct the last chapter… later…
Also, I REACHED 100 REVIEWS!! YAYAYAYAY! Thank you KamalaKali for being my 100th reviewer!! And thank you everyone else for reviewing!! Yay! Okay, now on to chapter eight.
Um, by the way, there's a bit of Inu/Kik "fluff" (::gags::) in the beginning of the chapter, just to warn you ^^
Ch. 8 Without You
"Inuyasha!" A perky, familiar voice hailed him.
He groaned. It had been two weeks since his father had issued his warning and he was in desperate need to see Kagome.
And the female that was currently skipping toward him was not helping.
"Inuyasha!" She called again. Kikyou smiled brightly as she approached him. She'd been ecstatic when she discovered Inuyasha no longer hung around that Kagome girl. It was true, she wasn't going to marry him until after the Curse but as long as he was by her side, she didn't care. She gave a romantic little sigh as she stopped in front of him, clasping his hands in hers lovingly. "Inuyasha, dear, didn't you hear me calling?"
Inuyasha gave a noncommittal grunt, looking elsewhere. She could tell his focus was somewhere else.
She sighed and used her hand to direct his attention back on her. "What's the matter, Inu? Don't you like me anymore?"
Inuyasha snorted and tore his hands away from hers, "Stupid, I never liked you in the first place."
Kikyou gave him a hurt look. She sniffled.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sighed, "Look…"
"Don't say anything, Inuyasha. I don't want to hear your excuses for breaking my heart." Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she looked at the ground.
"Wait… what?"
She sniffed again and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, as she began to leave. He could still hear her sniffs.
Inuyasha groaned. He absolutely hated it when he made women cry. What was the point of crying anyway? "Wait…" He sighed. "What can I do to make it up?" He said with about as much enthusiasm as a zombie.
Kikyou brightened immediately and grabbed his hands again. "Oh, Inuyasha, I would be happy if only just to be with you."
Inuyasha cringed. "Do you have to be all romantic all the time?"
"But we're going to be married!"
"…So?"
She frowned. "Come on, let's go for a walk in the garden." She tugged on his hands and he gave in with a sigh. Inwardly, she crowed in triumph.
They walked silently. He could tell Kikyou was itching to talk, but he didn't care much for her meaningless chatter. How did he ever get saddled with this useless bitch, anyway? All he wanted was Kagome… He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking things like that; he couldn't be thinking things like that. His father had made it clear that it wasn't allowed.
The smell of flowers graced his nose as he realized they had arrived at the garden. His heart clenched. The last time he had been here was with Kagome… She'd loved the garden dearly.
Flashback
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called to him from her seat on a jutting rock by the pond. Her bare feet were dipped in the water.
"What is it?" He asked. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed, basking in the sun's heat. It was such a nice day…
"Come here."
Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and obliged her. "What is it?" He repeated.
She had a smile on her face and she patted the part of the rock on her right, requesting for him to sit next to her, while she hid her other hand behind her back. He narrowed his eyes playfully. He knew she was up to something.
She grinned. When he sat down, she flicked off the hat that he was currently wearing, and placed on his head the crown of flowers she had been hiding behind her back.
He scowled and moved to take it off.
She slapped his hands, "Hey, don't take it off! It looks cute." She smiled.
That just made him scowl even more. "Flowers are too girly."
"They are not!" Kagome protested. She gestured to the garden. "Look at all of this! Just because it's beautiful doesn't mean it's girly." A strange smile crossed her face. "And they all have something that I envy very much."
Inuyasha scooted closer, "And what would that be?" He said softly.
She looked at him with that smile still on her face. "Life," she murmured.
Inuyasha didn't reply.
She gently stroked the petals of the crown. "I really don't know why I chose to become like this. I have to ask myself, was life so horrible that I would just throw it all away? What possible could have been so bad to just make me give it all up? Right now, I might be able to see, hear, and breath, but this isn't true living." She put a hand against her chest, "This chest of mine is but an empty cavity. I have no heart. And I'm not truly living."
"Kagome…" He took her free hand resting on the ground and laced his fingers through hers. "Call it what you want, but to me, you're more alive than almost anyone I've known. You genuinely care, and that's more than I can say for that fiancée of mine. Please stop thinking that you're not alive. As long as you're here, with me, it's all I'll ever care about."
Kagome gave him a grateful smile and squeezed his hand gently. "Thanks. Now keep that flower crown on, okay?"
End Flashback
"Inuyasha… Inuyasha!"
"Huh? What?" Inuyasha shook his head to clear it of his memories.
Kikyou peered at his face, "You were zoning out for a moment. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Great," she smiled, "Then I'll make a flower crown for you."
Inuyasha had to clench his teeth to suppress the growl that welled up in his throat. If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn Kikyou was trying to replace Kagome. And that infuriated him.
"No."
"No?" Kikyou repeated, cocking her head ever so slightly to the side.
"I don't want one." He clarified.
"But flowers are so beautiful and full of life! Don't tell me you don't want one just because it's girly."
Now he was almost positive she was imitating Kagome.
"No is no, bitch!" He spat. Angrily, he stomped away from the garden, leaving his wife-to-be by herself.
^_~
"Lord Sesshoumaru." A soft voice whispered to her lover in his study.
Said man looked up. Before him was his fiancée, Nazuna Toshiyama. She was a gentle and beautiful woman he met at one of his father's parties and he immediately felt guilty. A girl that he barely knew was making him forget everything they had had. Nazuna didn't deserve to be two-timed. "Hello, Nazuna. You're back I see. How was your trip?" He walked over to the woman to enfold her in his embrace.
"It was fine."
"How's your brother?" He asked her carefully.
She looked down, "He's still sick."
Sesshoumaru rested his hand lightly against her cheek to let her know she had his support and to request her to go on.
"He's a sickly pale color now. The doctors don't know what's wrong with him. He won't eat and he won't talk. I'm so worried." She collapsed in his arms and took comfort in the warmth of her fiancée.
"It'll be alright, you'll see." He told her.
"I hope so," she said softly. He kissed her lightly on the forehead.
The door opened, "Lord Sesshoumaru, I've brought you your din— " Rin stopped in mid-sentence. A surprised expression was on her face as she observed the couple before her. She bowed her head immediately, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't know I was interrupting something." She quickly set the platter of food on the dresser and departed.
"Who was that?" Nazuna asked.
"One of the servants of the Higurashi family. She serves me my meals." Sesshoumaru looked in the direction of the door. He almost felt like following after the girl, but he knew that would not go well. Around the palace, rumors traveled fast. Besides, his future wife needed him more than Rin did at the moment. The girl was just a servant after all. Nazuna was much more important.
He steered them to his bed and gently laid down on top of it with her. But even as he made love to his fiancée, the woman he loved, his mind still lingered on the sweet girl that served his meals.
What could this mean…?
Trouble, for sure.
^_~
Rin was still in shock when she'd made her way back to the kitchens. Sesshoumaru already had a lover? She felt something within her throb.
She had a strange feeling that it was her heart.
^_~
"Kagome?" Miroku knocked gently on the open door of her room.
She looked at him, "Yes?"
"What are you doing by yourself in here?"
She shrugged, "I have nowhere else to go."
Miroku sat down beside her on her queen sized bed, "Why is that?"
"I've been banned from seeing Inuyasha. I have nothing else to do."
Miroku slung an arm around her shoulders, "So you couldn't see me? You know I'm always happy to entertain." He grinned.
She couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks, Miroku."
"Where do you want to go?"
She shrugged again, "I don't really know, I don't really care."
"Then let's go to the garden."
Kagome beamed, "Okay."
Miroku looked at Kagome as they walked to the garden. She seemed happy now, even with those blank eyes of hers. He really had to wonder if they would really fool Naraku. He hoped to the gods they would not. He wouldn't be able to live if Kagome truly died, and he believed that Inuyasha wouldn't either. And now they were forbidden to see each other.
A fury that he had never known flared inside of him. He wanted to see Kagome happy and even the words of the king wouldn't stop him from making her smile again. If she wanted to see her love, then he wouldn't let anyone one get in the way of her happiness.
With a resolute nod, he steered Kagome in a different direction. Bewildered, she looked at him, "Where are we going?"
"To find Inuyasha." He answered.
"B-but I'm not allowed to!" She protested.
"I don't care."
"But— "
"I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy, Kagome, so shut up and help me look for Inuyasha."
She stopped walking for a moment. He turned to look back at her when she flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Miroku."
He smiled, "You're welcome. Now let's go find that big lug head, okay?"
A grin split Kagome's face, "Okay!"
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A/N: Hey all! Yes, I realize it was a really short chapter and I apologize! I'll try to update as soon as I can. I turns out that I will not be doing longer chapters with less updates or shorter chapters with more updates because not enough people took the poll. I'll just keep it how it is for now and try to update whenever I am inspired. At the moment, I am pressed for time and I have all these new ideas popping up in my head!
Please people! Check out my profile and take a look at the future ideas posted. Please vote in your reviews!! I'd like to know which ones interest you the most so I would really appreciate it if you would vote! Thanks!
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Review Responses~*~*~
ShiKOA: Oh, I'm so sorry! I know I'm a horrible updater and I'm terribly bad at writing long chapters. And this chapter is short too! I'm so sorry! I hope you can forgive me ::gives puppy dog eyes:: Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter!! Just for you, I'll try to update sooner this time!! (But don't quote me on that one LOL). Guardian Angel of ALL Anime: That's alright. Thankies for reviewing last chapter though! I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long -_-; ::sighs:: I really am bad at updating fast. Rebecca: Thanks, Rebecca! I would never forget about my stories. It seemed like it for NLA, but that was just a bad writer's block… A REALLY bad writer's block ^^ Thanks for reviewing! Ryuko1: Thank you for reviewing AND voting! Unfortunately, since people didn't vote enough, I decided just update whenever I can. I'm glad you're enjoying this story! I tried to make it as original as possible since it seems like most of my stories are parodies ^^ inutikidudez: Thank you for your review! I guess technically, you're my 100th reviewer, but Rebecca's review was doubled and so I don't really count that. But thank you so much for reviewing! I never imagined I'd get so many reviews for the story! Thank you! KamalaKali: Hello, Kamala! Thank you for being my 100th reviewer!! Yay!! ::sighs:: It's been another month since my last post. I feel so bad. The months just slip past though! I'm hoping that I'll get some updating done during spring break, but I'm not promising anything. Thank you for voting! You're only of the three people that did O_o Thank you so much for reviewing! 100, yay! LOL. au: Heehee, thank you! I'm glad to hear you like it! Hope you've enjoyed this latest chapter! Alana-star: Haha, thanks for the review! Your reviews are constant entertainment for me ^_^ Sorry there won't be an update soon for Dr. Do-Youkai. I don't really like where it's going and I have other stories to finish, but never fear! I'll finish it… eventually… black twilight hitokiri: Yay! My story's original! Thank you! Yes I know it takes me a long time to update… Sorry! But I'm glad you like it! Yotaka: Hmm… that is a good idea. I might just take up that idea, but not right now. ::sighs:: I hate high school… LOL. Thank you for reviewing and voting!