&&&&&&&
Kagome's heart was heavy.
She had not seen her friends for three days now (well, her Feudal-era friends, anyway) and she missed them greatly. And that hanyou. Well, he now knew how she felt about him.
She was in love. She no longer denied it to herself, especially now that she had expressed her desire to Inu-Yasha that he hold a place in his life for her.
'I didn't realize that it would be this difficult.' She mused as she loaded the clothes washer.
When her mother initially asked her to go with her to Yokohama, she didn't want to. She had been swimming in those new and wonderful feelings and had wanted to get back to the object of her affection as soon as she could. She had only come back to get supplies and quickly catch up on her school work.
"It's all right, Kagome. I understand." Her mother had continued to pack her suitcase, her face slightly crestfallen.
It struck Kagome then how selfish she had become. Her mother had done everything for her without question. Had kept a wonderful home together for so many years without her father. Had kept food in her stomach and clothes on her back. Was raising Sota more and more on her own now that Kagome was either at school here, or off to the past. Grandfather was doing his best, but he was spending so much time at the shrine. Shopping. Cleaning. Mending. Cooking. Consoling. All the things Kagome took for granted when she filled her backpack with first-aid, snacks, and other supplies before jumping down the well, sometimes without so much as a glance back.
Wasn't her mom a person, too? Didn't she have feelings, hopes and dreams? What about the things she was afraid of?
Kagome had been stuck, like so many teenagers, in the groove of the "that's what parents are supposed to do" argument without even realizing it. It startled her that over the past three months, she couldn't recall she and her mom spending any significant time together.
She swallowed hard, trying to force the guilt down.
"Mom, I'm sorry. Of course I'll go with you."
"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do, Kagome."
"No, mom. It's your sister, after all. I...I should have realized." She walked to her mom and embraced her.
"I'm sorry."
"Kagome. I almost hate to say this, but I'm so glad you're coming with me. I hate to travel alone."
"You won't have to. I'll go pack."
As she recalled that conversation, she realized that as glad as she was to spend the time with her mom, it still hurt to be away from her love for this long.
And he WAS her love. Even if he still hadn't admitted to her that she was HIS love.
Her aunt was improving. Hopefully they wouldn't be needed much longer.
&&&&&&&
The suns rays in pencil-thin shafts were the first things he noticed as he reappeared in the bottom of the bone-eater's well, back in the feudal era. Inu-Yasha winced from going from almost total darkness to its opposite. He rubbed his eyes, especially his right eye, the one Sesshomaru removed their father's tomb from. He never told anyone that he still suffered ill effects from the removal of the black pearl, especially depth perception, and extreme sensitivity during bright sunlight.
'Whatever.'
The less anyone knew of his weaknesses, the better. From the angle of the sun's rays he could tell it was past noon. Gathering his bearings, he took a deep breath.
"Ugh!"
The stench of maggot activity on the rotting remnants of animals which had fallen into the well and died assaulted his senses and reminded him to hold his breath until he got out of there. With one leap, he was outside near the rim of the well. He crouched and cautiously looked around for friend or foe. A warm breeze blew a fragrance of newly opened chrysanthemums through the air. He inhaled deeply, hoping to forget the vile odors of a moment ago. A slight panic jolted through him as he remembered Kagome's clothing. Finding that it remained where he had hidden it, he breathed a sigh of relief. He still clutched Sota's device in his other hand. In two hops, he secured himself on a sturdy branch in one of the trees on the edge of the clearing, about thirty feet above ground.
Sitting on the branch, and now somewhat under the cover of the canopy, he surveyed the area again for any signs of movement other than animal or insect. Satisfied that he was alone, he placed the i-Pod down momentarily, and brought the article of clothing out into the open. He unfolded it and studied it for a moment, feeling the soft cotton yield under his fingertips. He brought it to his face and inhaled, the traces of Kagome's scent triggering emotional responses in his brain.
"Kagome."
His heart seized up in his chest. Blood rushed to his face, turning his cheeks a deeper hued red. His hands slightly trembled as he choked down a sob.
"Arrrrrrgh!"
Anger supplanted yearning.
'Damn her. Look at me, some great demon I am. I'm a basket case. How did she do this to me? How the hell did she get under my skin like this? She's turning me into an idiot. I don't need her! Stupid shard-hound wench!'
He threw the clothing to the ground, watching it float down as wisps of wind caught it, making it flutter this way and that. As it floated farther and farther away from him, out of his control, the metaphor struck him like a bolt from the sky. Without thinking, he leapt from the branch after it, hoping to catch it before it hit the ground. He realized in mid-flight, and to his dismay, that his leap had dislodged the i-Pod from its place on the branch. It, too, was now falling to the ground.
'Sota!'
Inu-Yasha never planned on keeping Sota's music thing. He had only wanted to study it some more, and perhaps listen to the enchantment that emanated from it once again. He wanted to ask Kaede about it. He would satisfy himself that he was making a bigger deal out of it than was warranted and then give it back to the kid.
It was falling fast.
He angled himself and snatched the clothing out of the air. Gauging his distance from the ground, he figured he would land, then leap instantaneously and get the thing before it hit the ground.
He landed.
He leaped.
He missed.
The i-Pod hit the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces.
&&&&&&&
Kagome's heart was heavy.
She had not seen her friends for three days now (well, her Feudal-era friends, anyway) and she missed them greatly. And that hanyou. Well, he now knew how she felt about him.
She was in love. She no longer denied it to herself, especially now that she had expressed her desire to Inu-Yasha that he hold a place in his life for her.
'I didn't realize that it would be this difficult.' She mused as she loaded the clothes washer.
When her mother initially asked her to go with her to Yokohama, she didn't want to. She had been swimming in those new and wonderful feelings and had wanted to get back to the object of her affection as soon as she could. She had only come back to get supplies and quickly catch up on her school work.
"It's all right, Kagome. I understand." Her mother had continued to pack her suitcase, her face slightly crestfallen.
It struck Kagome then how selfish she had become. Her mother had done everything for her without question. Had kept a wonderful home together for so many years without her father. Had kept food in her stomach and clothes on her back. Was raising Sota more and more on her own now that Kagome was either at school here, or off to the past. Grandfather was doing his best, but he was spending so much time at the shrine. Shopping. Cleaning. Mending. Cooking. Consoling. All the things Kagome took for granted when she filled her backpack with first-aid, snacks, and other supplies before jumping down the well, sometimes without so much as a glance back.
Wasn't her mom a person, too? Didn't she have feelings, hopes and dreams? What about the things she was afraid of?
Kagome had been stuck, like so many teenagers, in the groove of the "that's what parents are supposed to do" argument without even realizing it. It startled her that over the past three months, she couldn't recall she and her mom spending any significant time together.
She swallowed hard, trying to force the guilt down.
"Mom, I'm sorry. Of course I'll go with you."
"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do, Kagome."
"No, mom. It's your sister, after all. I...I should have realized." She walked to her mom and embraced her.
"I'm sorry."
"Kagome. I almost hate to say this, but I'm so glad you're coming with me. I hate to travel alone."
"You won't have to. I'll go pack."
As she recalled that conversation, she realized that as glad as she was to spend the time with her mom, it still hurt to be away from her love for this long.
And he WAS her love. Even if he still hadn't admitted to her that she was HIS love.
Her aunt was improving. Hopefully they wouldn't be needed much longer.
&&&&&&&
The suns rays in pencil-thin shafts were the first things he noticed as he reappeared in the bottom of the bone-eater's well, back in the feudal era. Inu-Yasha winced from going from almost total darkness to its opposite. He rubbed his eyes, especially his right eye, the one Sesshomaru removed their father's tomb from. He never told anyone that he still suffered ill effects from the removal of the black pearl, especially depth perception, and extreme sensitivity during bright sunlight.
'Whatever.'
The less anyone knew of his weaknesses, the better. From the angle of the sun's rays he could tell it was past noon. Gathering his bearings, he took a deep breath.
"Ugh!"
The stench of maggot activity on the rotting remnants of animals which had fallen into the well and died assaulted his senses and reminded him to hold his breath until he got out of there. With one leap, he was outside near the rim of the well. He crouched and cautiously looked around for friend or foe. A warm breeze blew a fragrance of newly opened chrysanthemums through the air. He inhaled deeply, hoping to forget the vile odors of a moment ago. A slight panic jolted through him as he remembered Kagome's clothing. Finding that it remained where he had hidden it, he breathed a sigh of relief. He still clutched Sota's device in his other hand. In two hops, he secured himself on a sturdy branch in one of the trees on the edge of the clearing, about thirty feet above ground.
Sitting on the branch, and now somewhat under the cover of the canopy, he surveyed the area again for any signs of movement other than animal or insect. Satisfied that he was alone, he placed the i-Pod down momentarily, and brought the article of clothing out into the open. He unfolded it and studied it for a moment, feeling the soft cotton yield under his fingertips. He brought it to his face and inhaled, the traces of Kagome's scent triggering emotional responses in his brain.
"Kagome."
His heart seized up in his chest. Blood rushed to his face, turning his cheeks a deeper hued red. His hands slightly trembled as he choked down a sob.
"Arrrrrrgh!"
Anger supplanted yearning.
'Damn her. Look at me, some great demon I am. I'm a basket case. How did she do this to me? How the hell did she get under my skin like this? She's turning me into an idiot. I don't need her! Stupid shard-hound wench!'
He threw the clothing to the ground, watching it float down as wisps of wind caught it, making it flutter this way and that. As it floated farther and farther away from him, out of his control, the metaphor struck him like a bolt from the sky. Without thinking, he leapt from the branch after it, hoping to catch it before it hit the ground. He realized in mid-flight, and to his dismay, that his leap had dislodged the i-Pod from its place on the branch. It, too, was now falling to the ground.
'Sota!'
Inu-Yasha never planned on keeping Sota's music thing. He had only wanted to study it some more, and perhaps listen to the enchantment that emanated from it once again. He wanted to ask Kaede about it. He would satisfy himself that he was making a bigger deal out of it than was warranted and then give it back to the kid.
It was falling fast.
He angled himself and snatched the clothing out of the air. Gauging his distance from the ground, he figured he would land, then leap instantaneously and get the thing before it hit the ground.
He landed.
He leaped.
He missed.
The i-Pod hit the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces.
&&&&&&&