Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to the Inuyasha series or any of its characters. However, if it were possible, I would like to borrow Inuyasha, just to pet his ears.
"…" – speech
'…' – thoughts
--- - change in scenery or time
--
-- Previously, on The Sealed Garden:
-It was either everybody or himself.
The monk sighed.
He really didn't have a choice, now did he?-
--
Chapter TWENTY-ONE:
Riddled Feelings
--
Kagome was lost.
She had left the others, phasing over to the Land between Life and Death… only to discover that it was a lot larger than she'd initially anticipated. It was an easy matter getting here, since all she had to do, was to let her mind wander. Once she no longer thought about staying in the physical world, she no longer did, and was teleported instantly to the other world.
But this arrangement proved to be no more helpful than being in the physical world.
The Land was supposedly theoretical. It was small, and at the same time, large. It existed, and at the same time, didn't. Time did not exist in this land, but it simultaneously ticked away in the physical world. Just as there the laws of physic applied to the physical world, they played a large part here, too.
The supernatural powers that a spirit had in the physical world could not be used here.
The Land between Life and Death is to lost souls, as the physical world is to the living.
In other words, the Land between Life and Death had no definitive size, was questionable in existence, and apparently did not exist within the proximity of Time.
Supposedly, the Land between Life and Death mirrored the desired resting-place of the soul, creating the perfect utopia for a lost spirit. Whatever object the soul wanted, provided it wasn't another soul, it could have in this paradise of sorts (Check the note at the end of the story if confused). However, although the place did create a perfect imitation of what was non-spiritual, it wasn't able to make copies of the souls of others.
In other words, you had the perfect world.
Just nobody real to share it with.
Kagome had once been dropped here, five centuries ago. She'd existed happily in the peacefulness of her persoanl dream world, but after a while, had grown weary of it. Just as all lost soul do, she'd become wearied by the loneliness of it all, and desired for something more real; something that was actually real. And then, by her own free will, Kagome had left Utopia, choosing to drop in on the mortal world and watch over its proceedings.
Time after time again, the girl had returned to the Land for brief visits, to leave her melancholy thoughts behind for a while. Here, she could forget all her troubles and rest in peaceful oblivion for a while. However, she never stayed there for long, choosing to suffer in the world in which she once lived, rather than to enjoy a false happiness in a dream world.
Lost souls often ventured into the Land as a means of escape.
But this time, Kagome wasn't in this place seeking sanctuary.
No, she was searching for Inuyasha.
Now, creating one's own utopia was a piece of cake, but finding somebody in the Land between Life and Death was an entirely different matter, as the girl soon learned. There wasn't a directory she could check; nor was there a place where all the 'new ghosts' went.
In fact, never before, had Kagome ever encountered another spirit in this world.
"What did I get myself into?" She groaned softly to herself, rubbing her forehead.
At the moment, the one thing she wanted the most was to be able to find Inuyasha. She wanted to see his face; his gorgeous eyes… even that annoyingly cocky smirk. She desired to know that he was safe; to know that he wasn't suffering in some pit somewhere.
And even though most of her just wanted to know Inuyasha was okay, there was a tiny part of her, whose reasons for seeing the half-demon were far more selfish. She wanted to see him to quell the ache in her heart. She wanted for him to reassure her; to comfort her.
That same small part of her actually held high anticipation to find him, knowing that he would be the same as her.
Because that meant that she would be able to indulge in her…
Kagome shook her head, throwing the thought out of her mind.
She couldn't think like that.
At least… not until she found him first.
However, that would prove to be a difficult task, as the girl was currently standing in a field that seemed to stretch on and on for eternity. It was occasionally dotted with tall trees, and a lake bubbled just beside her feet. Normally, this would have been the perfect setting for a good session of thinking, but Kagome's mind was on things far from just thinking.
"How am I supposed to find him?" She looked around desperately, hoping that, maybe, there would be an 'exit' sign pointing her in the right direction.
But of course, there was nothing.
A sudden idea lit up in her mind. Kagome paused, thinking about the possibility, before deciding to act upon it. She closed her eyes tightly and thought of another scene…
…and when Kagome opened them, she no longer found herself in the field, but standing on a long, sandy stretch of beach. The small waves rippled gently, tossing on to the sand. There was a cluster of rocks sitting just to her right. However, this proved to be no big improvement, as this seascape stretched on well beyond her eyesight. Except for the change in scenery, there were no differences from this place, to the other.
"Oh, for the love of…" She stomped her foot in frustration. "This is not what I wanted!"
Moving to the nearest boulder, the girl sat down hard upon it. Frustration dotted her expression; a crease lined her forehead. For a few moments, Kagome just sat there, her disappointment evident on her expression. She was deep in thought, searching for something- anything that would help her locate the half-demon.
She bit her lower lip, worry tearing away at her mind. Tears started to gather at the corners of her eyes, but Kagome blinked them away rapidly, refusing to let them fall. Soon, however, her disappointment fell away to a feeling of resentment, as a pout grew on her face. And the resentment bubbled away, soon turning to anger at not having the one thing she wanted.
Her expression considerably darker than it had been before, Kagome hopped off the boulder and stood firmly on the sand. As if mirroring her emotions, the waves of the sea were now high and rather violent, throwing themselves over each other.
"Inuyasha!" Her eyes were screwed shut, and her voice echoed across the Land. "Get over here right now!" Kagome fisted her hands and held them tightly at her side. Her shoulders were clenched, her form tight and slightly shaking.
Breathing hard and deeply, the woman slowly opened her eyes, the catastrophic ball of feeligns having been lifted off her chest. It felt a lot better, actually, having released her emotions.
Now, she could concentrate on the task at hand.
But before another idea even had the time to edge into her mind, Kagome found her world swirling.
Quite literally.
Azure eyes widening in astonishment, the girl cocked her head to the side and waved her hand in front of her, almost as if trying to feel the changes happening. Her surroundings were disintegrating, whirling in a dizzying mass of confusion. But as much as she wanted to make her head stop spinning, Kagome found she didn't have the will to close her eyes. She continued to watch, wide eyed, when everything just seemed to disappear.
It vanished.
Just like that.
The woman was now standing in a mass of white.
Kagome was frozen, afraid of taking even a step forward in fear of falling into an eternity of nothing. She moved her gaze around her, afraid to do anything else that might trigger something drastic.
But it was soon enough that the world began to swirl again, with particles of colour bleeding into the white expanse. She felt a nauseating dizziness again, and put a hand to her cheek. Her eyes closed and she grimaced, wishing whatever that was happening to stop.
And stop it did.
It took a while before girl became aware of the fact that her world had become stable again. After a few more moments, she deemed it save enough to open her eyes.
Peeking out of the corner of one eye, Kagome took notice that she seemed to have been shifted into a forest of sorts. This certainly hadn't been what she'd been expecting. In fact, she'd never imagined a place quite like the wildness of this forest.
At any case, here, she was, surrounded by coniferous trees of all sorts, most of them towering well over her. And now, she was more lost than ever, not even knowing how the bloody hell she'd arrived in a place such as this in the first place.
"Great… not only is my real world going wrong… now my paradise is screwing up too…" Kagome muttered darkly to herself, her gaze straying around her. "Where am I?" She turned around, the feeling of absolute hopelessness clouding over her again. "Now what?"
The woman walked forwards, taking in the dense woodland that surrounded her, and immediately, she knew that it would be a difficult task indeed, to navigate through his forest. Wherever she turned, the forest ahead seemed to be the same pattern of trees.
The immensity of her task suddenly fell upon her like a ton of bricks, and unable to hold it all in, Kagome sunk to her knees. Her shoulders hunched, and every aspect of her stance spoke of a defeated spirit. She'd tried to find him, but it seemed as though she'd only made things worse. The girl sniffled quietly, now absolutely miserable. Her bangs hung around her eyes, as a tear dripped down her cheek, to hit the earthen ground.
"Hey… Are you—W-why are you crying?"
Her tears abruptly stopped in a startled gasp, as Kagome recognised the presence behind her. She stiffened, almost unwilling to believe what her senses told her. The girl held her tongue, afraid that saying anything would undo what had happened.
Confused by her silence, the person crouched down beside her and placed two hands firmly on her shoulders. "Turn around, will you? I don't want to talk to your back."
And with that, the hands turned her gently but irresistibly, so that she was soon staring into something red.
Wait… 'Red'?
Sufficiently confused, Kagome blinked and tried to make sense of what she was seeing. It only occurred to her to look up after a few silent seconds, and look up she did. Slowly, her eyes travelled upwards, taking in the continuous plane of red fabric, before it abruptly ended in a V-shaped neckline.
"Jeesh, what's wrong with you, woman?"
Kagome was afraid to look anymore upwards, unwilling to take the chance that maybe, this wasn't real; that the person wasn't who she hoped to be. But she wasn't given the choice of staying scared, for a hand moved impatiently from her shoulder, nudging under her chin, and roughly forcing her to look up.
With widened eyes, the girl stared into the face of the one she'd missed for so long. Her breath escaped her in a long sigh, as she took in the scowling face of the hanyou she'd been looking for. His amber eyes burned into hers with an intensity that made her feel breathless with excitement. Her eyes darted up to focus on the twitching dog-ears before retreating to the face.
Timidly, Kagome reached out and poked Inuyasha's chest with a finger.
"You're real…" She breathed quietly. Her head cocked to the side. "And your clothing's different."
He stared at her, completely befuddled. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The girl blinked up at him, face blank.
And then, without any warning whatsoever, Kagome threw herself at him. Even more so confused and now slightly embarrassed, the half-demon just barely caught the girl, falling back onto his rear in the process.
"H-hey! What do you…" He looked nervous around, arms spread out at awkward angles. "What are you doing?" He glanced down at the top of her head when he received no answer, and clumsily patted her back. "St… err… There's nothing to cry for, so stop it!"
She shook her head into his chest, as a she mumbled a few words into his chest.
He frowned. "You were worried? What the hell for?"
Kagome moved back and glared balefully at him. "I thought you were-" she hiccoughed. "-gone forever." She sniffled.
"You were?" Inuyasha scratched his neck slowly, embarrassed. "You shouldn't have cared… it was stupid… emotional…" But despite his weak admonition, the hanyou couldn't help but feel gratified at the revelation that she really did care.
The woman didn't seem to notice the blush on his cheeks, as she went on. "And I yelled at you too." She stared despondently at the ground. "I said things I didn't mean…" Her gaze turned up to his face. "And look at what happened to you!"
The half-demon's gaze turned incredulous. "You think I died 'cause of what you said?"
She shrugged. "Not really, but you did die, and that shouldn't have happened either." Kagome's look suddenly turned stern, and her voice was firm when she next spoke. "And that's why we're going back right now."
Very surprised by the sudden change of attitude, Inuyasha leaned backwards. "What?" Sufficient to say, that hadn't been what he'd been expecting, nor hoping for her to say.
The girl pointed a finger at him. "We are going back right now, and your brother's going to heal you." Her gaze was meaningful and absolute.
"Is that what you came for?" A frown crossed his face, as Inuyasha abruptly stood up, turning his back to Kagome. "That's it?"
She looked up at his back. "What are you talking about? Were you expecting something else?"
"You just want be back so I can… be brought back to life?" His words sounded very strange indeed to the girl's ears.
"Of course!" Kagome sprung to her feet as well, notably confused. "What's the matter with you?"
"I don't want to go back!" He spun his head around angrily. "What is there for me? For a halfling like me?" After glaring into the miko's eyes for a moment, Inuyasha turned again and began to walk away from her.
She stayed still for a moment, staring after him in astonishment. "What do you mean?" Kagome caught up to the hanyou, but he turned his face away. "You have to go back! Why would you want to stay here? It's stupidity!" She shook her head. "Inuyasha, listen to me!"
But he continued to ignore her.
And her anger began to bubble.
"You ingrate!" Kagome stopped in her tracks, placing her feet apart firmly. "You have this opportunity to live again, and you shoot it down like this?" Her shaking voice began to rise in volume. "Do you know what it's like to be like this? Do you have any idea how boring it gets? How lonely?" Her voice trembled, and she broke off, swallowing thickly. She could feel a knife twisting in her heart, and struggled to keep the pain inside.
The girl took in a deep, calming breath, regaining her rattled composure. She closed her eyes and, not seeing that Inuyasha had stopped in his tracks, turned around.
"You know what?" She threw up her hands. "I give up." Slowly, she began to walk away, not wanting to feel the pain in her chest again. "I give up with reasoning with you. You want to stay here?" Kagome let her breath out sadly. "Go ahead. I'm tired of dealing with you." She struggled to push away the rush of sadness. "I can't take anymore more of this."
Common sense told her that it would be easier to just fade away to another scene, but for a reason unknown to Kagome, she continued to walk through the world in which she had found the half-demon.
"Wait…" The one word broke through the suffocating silence.
She hesitated for a second, but hearing nothing else, continued to walk.
"Stop… Please?"
Betraying her words, Kagome stopped walking, her eyes glued to the tree in front of her. She could barely manage herself to breathe, let alone respond. She felt him coming from behind and tensed. But she felt as he stopped just three paces short, and so she let her shoulders relax again.
The girl could feel his doubt, which was made all the clearer when he spoke to her. "You're tired… of me?"
His depressed tone was almost too much for her, as the miko felt her heart clench painfully. But still, she made no movement, staying as still as the trees around her. She wanted; no, needed to hear him say something that she could use to quell the uncertainty battling within her.
Ever since meeting Inuyasha, Kagome had experienced highs and lows like nothing she'd ever had. She'd felt the thrill of love and the anguish of loss. Now, the two emotions tore away at her, demanding her to make a decision: to be with him, or to reject him.
The miko felt him approach her slowly, and forced herself to remain calm. Her still form was deceptive of the thudding of her heart. Kagome felt almost sure that the hanyou could hear the rapid beat of her heart against her chest. She shivered from the anticipation of what he was going to say- at what he was going to do.
And all of a sudden, Kagome felt herself enclosed in a case of warmth. Her eyes widened in shock at the contact, and her brain seemed to shut down. Whatever reaction she'd expected from him, none of them came even close to this. None of her thoughts were coherent, except for the repeating cry of 'He's holding me?'
The girl fought the urge to lean against him, but lost and allowed herself to fall into his arms. She felt him bend his neck, leaning his face close to her right shoulder.
"Don't leave me." His breath was warm against her ear. She shivered again, though this time, for an entirely different reason. The half-demon nuzzled the side of her neck in a puppy-like fashion, begging for her consent. "…Please?"
"I…" Kagome broke off, biting her lip. She was almost hesitant in giving her answer, but in the end, knew what it had to be. After all, how could she refuse this to him, when it was what she, herself, truly wanted? "I… won't." Her voice was barely above that of a whisper, but the gentle squeeze of his arms around her waist proved that he'd heard.
Inuyasha drew her closer, for once allowing the softer side of his nature to show. His eyes were closed as the hanyou drew in the sweet scent of the woman he loved.
The girl sighed, smiling slightly at how light she felt now. The great weight had been lifted off her chest. She closed her eyes and placed her hands on his, gently rubbing them.
For so long, she'd longed for this.
To feel his body, his warmth.
To be able to hold him and to know that he really, truly needed her.
And that it was all coming true at this one moment was almost too much for her to comprehend. The feelings swirling within her created a powerful euphoria that Kagome wanted to last forever. So she let her mind go blank, and just enjoyed the bliss that encompassed her soul. For once since her death, she felt completely at peace with herself and the world.
The two stood like that for what seemed like an eternity. But eventually, the girl felt the gentle pushes around her waist as Inuyasha urged her to turn around. Kagome sighed and let herself to be turned, releasing her hold on his hands.
Facing him, she looking up into his golden eyes and saw a softness that definitely hadn't been there during their first meeting. They stayed like that for a second, gazing at each other in silence, before she felt his arms tightening again, and with a quiet smile, wrapped her arms around his torso. Kagome rested her head on his chest and sighed again, happily. She felt the weight of Inuyaha's head on hers and hugged him tightly, not wanting for him ever to leave again.
Inuyasha drew her closer, for once allowing the softer side of his nature to show. His eyes were closed as the hanyou drew in the sweet scent of the woman he loved.
Even though they'd only met a few weeks ago, it felt as though they'd known each other for their entire lives. It was as if, up until that moment that they'd met, each person had been missing a part of their soul, and had finally regained it upon meeting the other.
The soft sigh of the gentle breeze blew around them. The forest was quiet, and the atmosphere seemed almost to tingle with approval. The sweet tinkling of far-off wind chimes reached the couple's ears, but they paid no heed to it, too much absorbed in their own little world.
Kagome suddenly noticed as his grip slackened slightly, and moved back, raising her head to smile into his face. "I won't ever leave you. Not if I can help it."
The half-demon gazed at her with a hint of sternness in his expression. "I'm holding you to that."
She nodded wordlessly, expression serene. But then, a flash of doubt crossed her face. She reached up and grabbed some of the material of his red-haori. "But you have to promise me something." A sense of urgency pressed into her tone.
Inuyasha frowned, caution awakened. "What?" He looked at her warningly, daring her to say something he wouldn't like.
The woman bit her lip as she stared at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I want…" She paused, thinking for words. "I want… you to be healed-"
"No!" The hanyou had jerked back as soon as the words had left her lips, but her grip in his shirt kept him from moving too far away. He glared at her, angry at the very idea she was proposing. "I don't want to… live!" It suddenly occurred to him the absurdity of his statement, but Inuyasha brushed it away.
"Listen!" Kagome shook her head swiftly, desperate for him to hear what she had to say. "Inuyasha, please?" She tugged at his haori earnestly. "Just listen, please?"
The hanyou allowed his gaze to stray back to the girl. But he realised too late, that had he wanted to keep his resolve in the matter, he shouldn't have looked at her at all, for as soon as his eyes met hers, Inuyasha knew that he could deny her nothing. He sighed discretely. "Fine… What?"
The woman smiled at him, though he stared back flatly.
"I know you don't want to… to leave me." Kagome began slowly, seriously. "But, please, come back with me, and let your brother heal you?"
Inuyasha frowned in curiosity. "Why? He asked partly to buy time, and partly to satisfy his need to know. "Why do you want me to live so damned badly?"
"Because." She thought for a moment. "Because… Just because." She smiled at him as the answer flowing into her mind. "Because I want the best for you. Because I don't want to be trapped like I am." The smiled widened. "Because, because, because."
The hanyou crossed his arms. "That doesn't count. Give me a real reason." Doubt entered his face. "Do you not want me here?"
"Yes!"
He raised his eyebrow at her.
She frowned, thinking more deeply of the question. "I mean, no! No, I want you here, but…" Kagome struggled for the right words to describe her feelings. "But…"
"But?"
"But…" The woman lowered her eyes for a moment. "Well, look at it this way…" She looked up at him. "If there was some way for me to be alive again, wouldn't you want me to… to live?" Kagome smiled slightly. "Suppose our roles were reversed. What would you do?"
Inuyasha began to say something, but broke off mid-word. A frown crossed his face, as the hanyou realised just how conflicting the feelings were inside of the girl. He realised that, had he been in her position, he would have urged her to be healed, just as she was doing to him. Although his desire would have been for her to be with him, he would have been willing to make the sacrifice of losing her, just so she could be secure.
A sigh tore from his lips.
And she grinned at him, certain that she'd finally gotten through to him. "So you get it?"
"Yeah…"
"And you'll do it?"
"I…" He paused before agreeing, his gaze sharpening onto her face. He cleared his throat. "Only if you promise me something."
Kagome raised her eyebrow, a little weary of what he was about to demand. "What?"
"Actually… promise me a few things."
She sighed and repeated herself. "What?"
Inuyasha crossed his arms. "That I don't have to go back right now."
The woman smiled. "Done."
"We get to stay here for a while."
"Sure."
A wicked grin lit his face. "I get to play a trick on the others before I get… 'healed'."
She hesitated, more doubtful of this one. "… I guess…"
"And…" His expression turned serious again. "And, you have to promise that we'll try and find a way to bring you back, too."
Kagome staggered backwards, shocked by his proposition. "Wh-what?!" She stared at him, completely bewildered. "But… How…?"
Inuyasha stared at her sternly. "I mean it. If I have to go back, then I'm going to try and get you back, too." His expression turned most stubborn. "And don't you dare try and change my mind."
"But…" For a moment, the girl was left speechless. "But…" She shook her head. "Do you realise how long I've been dead?"
"Five hundred years." He shrugged. "But there's gotta be some way to bring you back, right?" He sighed. "Anyway, let's just drop it now, eh?"
Kagome seemed to want to do anything but dropping the topic, but she gave in with a resigned sigh. "Fine."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
An almost childish smile lit his face. "Good."
The hanyou then grabbed Kagome's arm lightly, pulling her to the foot of a tall maple tree. He sat down, cross-legged, and gave her a meaningful look.
A slight, bemused grin spread across her face, and the girl plopped onto the ground next to him. She shuffled over, until she was leaning on him, her head rested lightly against his upper arm.
"Is this okay?" She gazed at him with wide eyes, a slight blush staining her cheeks.
He grunted lightly, hesitating briefly before drawing an arm around her. Responding to her curious, questioning, slightly embarrassed look, he retorted, "It's cold." His gaze shifted around them. "And besides, it's not as if anyone's going to see."
Kagome thought about it for a moment and found that it made perfect sense that the only time Inuyasha would actually be sensitive, would be when there was nobody else to see it. She pouted slightly.
Noticing it, the half-demon raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you now?"
She searched around for an excuse and tugged lightly on his clothes. "Where did you get these?" He was wearing a pair of hakama, not unlike her own, of a deep red colour. His haori was also similar to hers, with the wide sleeves, only they matched his pants in colour. Under the jacket, the half-demon had a cream coloured under-shirt of sorts.
"I was wearing them when I woke up." He shrugged. "They're actually kind of comfortable."
She cocked her head to the side. "Is the great Inuyasha actually talking about clothes?" Kagome teased him lightly.
He stuck his tongue out in a rather childish fashion. "Shut up."
The girl rested her head on the side of his chest. For a moment, they rested in silence, but something was eating at the edge of her mind. Her curiosity had to be satisfied, and so she asked the question.
"You were human." Her eyes flickered up.
Inuyasha stiffened a little, before relaxing. "Yeah…" He looked down. "It was the new moon."
"You turn human on the night of the new moon?" Kagome blinked at him. "Why?"
"You're a priestess, shouldn't you know?" His tone was just a little sharp, but then he softened it. "Every half-demon has a night of weakness." Inuyasha shrugged, trying, but failing, to seem careless. "I guess mine just happened to fall on the new moon."
The girl thought for a moment, not noticing his slight fidgeting.
It seemed that the silence was a little too much for the hanyou, however. "Well?"
She looked up with wide eyes. "What?"
He looked away, slightly embarrassed at the outburst. "Well… what do you think? Is it weak?"
Kagome shrugged. "It's not weak." She gave him a stern look. "You shouldn't beat yourself up just because you're a hanyou, you know." She took his hand, squeezing it slightly. "I like you just the way you are, and actually, I…" A blush spread across the girl's cheeks, and she trailed off.
Raising his eyebrows, Inuyasha glanced down again. "You what?" He shook her slightly when she avoided his gaze. "What? Tell me!"
"I…" Squaring her shoulders, the miko looked straight into his eyes. "And I think you're cute as a human too."
His eyes widened.
She turned away, face extremely red.
After a few moments of silence the half-demon nudged her gently again, encouraging her to return her gaze to him. "You think I'm…" He cleared his throat. "That I'm… cute?"
"Yeah…"
"Well… uuhh…" Inuyasha looked around. "Really?
Kagome shot him a disparaging look.
"Oh. Well I guess that's okay…" he scratched his head, embarrassed.
Slightly disappointed, the girl prodded him. "Okay? It's okay?"
The half-demon got the hint that she wanted him to say something. He just didn't know what. "What else is there?"
She 'hmphed', crossing her arms. "Nothing."
Panicking, Inuyasha looked around for something to would get rid of the pout on her lips. "Well… I- uh…"
She looked up at him silently, a little amused by the expression on his face.
"I think…" And then the answer suddenly came to the half-demon. "And I think you're cute too!" He blurted it out.
Kagome stared at him flatly. "That's nice."
He frowned. "'Nice'? What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "Nothing." The girl hid a smile, enjoying the game she was playing on the panicking hanyou. "It's nothing."
Inuyasha glared at her in irritation. "What else do you want me to say?"
The girl gave him a look. "As long as you mean it."
"But I do!" The half-demon tightened his arm around her waist. "I do mean it!"
"What do you mean?"
"I think you're beautiful."
Kagome bit her lip to keep from laughing at the distressed look on his face; it was just so cute to see Inuyasha so worked up over such a small matter. "I thought you thought I was cute."
The hanyou suddenly frowned as he caught the slight twitching of her lips. A suspicious look stole across his face, but it smoothed away, to be replaced by a slight smirk.
He bent down and nuzzled her neck. "I think you're beautiful. Happy?"
The girl shuddered, her heart skipping a beat from his rough tone. "Yes."
Inuyasha grinned as he noticed the slight spike in her scent.
And then he moved back. "Good."
Kagome turned her head up, pouting at him as she realised he'd been teasing her. "Jerk."
Her only response from the smug hanyou, was a smirk.
Review Responses:
-- cool-chick-rae
Re: How cruel. I wanna know what happens to Inuyasha! I am also curious as to when Kagome finds her body and the jewel, and I can't remember if we ever found out how Kagome died. There were those journal things but was her actual way of dying in there? If it was please refresh my memory. Thanks.
Ahh… this only goes to show how spare my updates are… -.-;; Well, yes, Kagome's death is explained in the story. Hints of it are in Chapter 4, but Naraku tells the full story, in Chapter 14/15. ;) It's a little long to explain here, so I implore you to skim over those chapters for the answer to your questions. :)
--
Many Thanks To:humble-bumble
Dark-Magician-41 –Hey, nice to see you again! And Rei still hasn't gotten rid of the violent, tendencies, has she? ;)
Elfin Kagome
WhiteDloud –Die from curiosity? Of course… not… ::nervous glance::
sapphire pink
Mini Nicka
SilverStarWing
NefCanuck –Thanks! XD
Lily Thorne
animemistress419
remix69-er
M.M
Sarcasm Girl8
Do a DAMN GOOGLE SEARCH
Tanwen-Whitefire
AnimeAngelz
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Midnight echo
Silver Hanyou1
Kamako –I don't deserve your pocky… I updated so late… :(
Sumeragi Kousei
ILOVEINUS589
shiroryu of the moon
The Land between Life and Death:
Something I completely made up, this is basically an alternate universe that lost souls can go to when they feel like it. In it, they are able to create their own fantasy world, but they cannot incorporate any other souls within it. In other words, there will/should be no souls sharing the same world with another.
In this world, the laws of physics apply to its inhabitants. Supernatural powers are disabled here.
--Many, many apologies for the extra-delayed update! . I had writer's block for most parts in the beginning of the story, and when I finally got the ideas flowing, my teachers decided to pile a ton of work on my shoulders… -.-;; Also, if you're interested, I've edited many of my old oneshots. Most of the changes are minor, but I've added a fair amount of content in others.
I highly suggest, that if you don't have author alerts, and are tired of checking on my bio every few days for an update, that you subscribe to my notify list(s). I have one for this story, as well as one for any, and all of my works. Check the bio for the correct links, please. )
In any case, I hope you enjoyed the Inuyasha/Kagome exclusive and fluff in this chapter, as well as a teeny, tiny touch of citrus-y tones. ;)
Till next time…
Ja!—