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"In the words of a broken heart,
It's just emotion that's taken me over,
Caught up in sorrow, lost in my soul,
But if you don't come back,
Come home to me, darling,
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to hold me tight,
Don't you know there's nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight,
Goodnight, goodnight"
- Emotion by Destiny's Child
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Chapter 19- There Will Come Soft Rains
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'DAMN HIM!'
Kagura took another shot of vodka, slowly falling into the extreme lightheaded feeling that was being drunk. It was what she always did before she had to do something that was against her morals. The lightheaded feeling gave her only a slight relief this time. Everything else was guilt.
He'd been so nice to her, by his standards at least. He'd given her a job, let her keep it despite all the bullshit she'd done to him, plus the fact he hadn't degraded her after telling him about her relation to Naraku.
She'd replay the scene over and over in her head. Naraku had told her when and how to do it, just to make sure she didn't screw up like last time, even gave her an alibi, but she knew he wasn't that nice. He wouldn't have cared about her going to jail unless he wanted her to keep doing jobs for him. She hadn't really expected him to tell the truth, anyway. He would always lie to her, just like he did her mother.
Kagura looked around, suddenly realizing where her feet had taken her. She suddenly felt that emptiness in her life that had always been there. She gave a small sigh, and walked inside.
It was rather peaceful, considering the situation it reminded people of. The graves were clean, the pathway made of smooth stones. 'Two lefts and a right, two lefts and a right...'
She stepped up to the grave, studying the engraving, it was exactly as she remembered. It was small, but sufficient, considering the fact that they almost didn't have enough money to buy her a grave, if she hadn't had a few friends who didn't abandon her when they found out.
"Did you love him, mother?" Kagura asked, "did he treat you well? Did he buy you nice things? Did he tell you he loved you? Why did you believe him?"
She kneeled down, her hand resting on the headstone. "You took the easy way out."
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"I don't have a mommy."
"Well, what about your foster mother?"
"She's not my mommy. I don't have a mommy! My foster mom's just gonna send me back like the others..."
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"All those Mother's Days, all those Christmases, all those birthdays, all the things you missed," she whispered. 'I promised myself I wouldn't be like you, I PROMISED I wouldn't be strung along by him.'
Kagura looked up from the headstone, suddenly realizing it had started raining. She looked at her clothes. She wasn't wet...
"Are you going to stay here all day?"
Her head shot around. He stood behind her, holding a large black umbrella over the both of them. "Sesshoumaru? What are you doing here?"
He motioned towards Rin, who was setting a bouquet of flowers on a grave a few ways down. "We're visiting her parents. Now let's go or you'll be late for work."
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"Oh my God, Kagome," Sango said, clutching her best friend, "I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too, Sango," Kagome said, wiping the tears from her eyes as they separated. Miroku came from behind the bar, giving Kagome a warm, friendly embrace.
"Remember us," he said softly.
"Believe me, I will," Kagome replied, "you know this is the first time you've hugged me without trying to grope me."
"Well if you insist-"
"Miroku!"
"I'm just kidding!"
They pulled apart, Miroku giving her one of his lopsided grins. She smiled. She would miss that. "Shippo..."
"Kagome!" the little kitsune squealed, lunging into her arms, "you're gonna be a big star!"
"I hope so," Kagome whispered, resting her chin atop of his head. She turned to Inuyasha. Kagome frowned as he turned away from her.
"Well, I've got to go and pack," Kagome concluded, making her way to the doorway. She turned again, memorizing every inch of everything. No, she would never forget this place. She slowly walked out.
Inuyasha finally looked up, his face unreadable. Hurriedly, slapping his fee on the bar, he hurried out, going after her.
"Do you think he's going to convince her to stay?" Sango asked.
"I'm not sure," Miroku replied, "Inuyasha's a lot of things, but not gluttonous."
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"Kagome."She stopped. She knew she would have to talk to him eventually, but despite how much she had expected it, she wasn't prepared, she wasn't ready. He wasn't carrying an umbrella, letting the water run through his hair. He looked so beautiful. 'Come on, Kagome, this is it. You have to make peace with him.'
"Kyoto, huh?"
"Yeah, Kakera records."
"How long are you going to be there?"
"At least a year. I'm really going to miss Tokyo. And I wanted to give you this," Kagome handed him a small envelope from her pocket, "they're the pictures we took when we went to that amusment park." 'When we were dating.'
"I... I'm really going to miss you Kagome," Inuyasha replied.
She smiled. "I'm going to miss you too, Inuyasha."
Kagome was taken by suprise as she felt herself pulled into his warm embrace. The umbrella she had been holding over her head lay forgotten on the sidewalk. He clung to her, breathing in her scent. She laid her head against his chest, her eyes slowly welling with dormant tears. The memories came to her again, along with the emotions she had tried so hard to supress. No matter how hard she had tried to see the reality, all she could see was him. Because she loved him. But he was promised to someone else.
With all her will, she pushed away, snatching up the umbrella from the ground, hurriedly walking away. She couldn't look at him again.
"I love you, Kagome."
The tears she had tried to supress were now running down her face, hidden by the fresh rainwater that now soaked her to the bone. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"I know, Inuyasha... I know."
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Kagura looked at the bottle of poison in her sweaty palms, the bright orange liquid waited patiently inside it, the glass reflecting her face, as if asking; 'What's it going to be?' She had tried to put it off, but it was either now or never as his dinner cooked in the pot in front of her.
'I promised I wouldn't be strung along by him...' she said to herself as she emptied the bottle, 'and I won't.'
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There are two chapters left. They will both probably be longer than most of the chapters I've written, mostly because they resolve everything. And no, this is not the last of Inuyasha and Kagome, far from.Next chapter will be up in a few days.