CHAPTER TWO
.
This isn't possible, Inuyasha thought dazedly. But it was slowly dawning on him that it was. Kagome... gone.
Like a sleepwalker, he slowly turned and began walking in the direction of Kaede's village. He didn't know what he was going to say to the others when he got there. The idea of Kagome just suddenly leaving them... leaving HIM...
And he didn't know what he was going to do from now on...
.
"So I suppose this is true," Miroku said quietly.
Inuyasha flinched at the monk's voice. He had been crouching in the corner of Kaede's hut ever since returning from the well. He had come back slowly, with her note still crumpled in one hand, and the jar of shards clutched tightly in the other. He hadn't been able to read it out loud, so he thrust it at Miroku and said tightly, "Here. You read it to 'em."
A stunned silence fell over the group. Kaede, Miroku, Sango and Shippo all stared at one another. Their expressions ranged from sadness to shock, disbelief and outright misery.
Miroku carefully folded the note. "I see," he said heavily. "So... Kagome has decided to stay in her own time. For good."
"But why?" Sango asked. Kirara, sitting on her mistress's knee, mewed plaintively and looked up at Miroku.
"She didn't say," Miroku said quietly. "But I can only think of one possible reason for her sudden departure." He glanced over at the huddled, red-clad figure in the corner.
Suddenly Shippo sprang up and started pounding his tiny fists against the back of Inuyasha's head. "You big stupid jerk!" he shouted shrilly. "This is all your fault! You made Kagome mad so she'd leave! If you weren't so interested in Kikyo, Kagome never would've gone away!"
To the surprise of the others, Inuyasha didn't lash out at Shippo. Instead, he just hunched further over and stared dully out the door. He didn't even seem to notice the kitsune's enraged attacks. Miroku deftly pulled Shippo away, got him to let go of Inuyasha's long silver hair, and then gave him a small rag to dry his eyes with. "Shippo," he said quietly, "we don't know that for sure."
Shippo blew his nose loudly. "But Kagome wouldn't leave unless she was mad at Inuyasha," he said faintly. "She almost left for good before, remember?"
"I remember. But I doubt you can make Inuyasha feel any worse than he already does," Miroku said.
The monk glanced over at the silent half-demon. "Inuyasha, was Kagome upset with you when she left?"
"No."
"Nothing?"
"Nothin' worth remembering."
"Well, if she wasn't mad, then why would she go?" Sango asked.
Miroku pondered it for a moment. "Perhaps she's fallen in love with someone on the other side of the well," he said finally. "That might explain why she would want to spend all her time there."
Inuyasha flinched again. He already felt as if someone had stuck a knife in his chest. Now Miroku was giving the blade a few sharp twists. "She wouldn't do that," he said thickly. "She... said..."
He fell silent, and began to wonder. Kagome had told him that she wanted to stay near him no matter what. Why had she suddenly left them behind? Left HIM behind? Didn't he... matter at all to her anymore?
Inuyasha slipped a hand into his clothing, and closed his fingers over the little jar of shards.
Had he upset Kagome with his continued involvement with Kikyo? He had told her why he couldn't just leave his onetime love behind -- he owed her so much, for everything Kikyo had lost because of him. And even though Kagome had said she understood, it obviously ticked her off whenever he went to see Kikyo.
Has she had enough? he thought suddenly. Has she decided that she doesn't want to be near me after all... because of all that? It was the doubt itself that was tearing him apart.
"Inuyasha must've done something to make her mad," Shippo said sulkily.
"That is the only thing I can think of," Miroku said solemnly, folding his arms. "And Inuyasha, if Kagome returned the shards to you... that means that her mind is made up. Irrevocably."
Inuyasha could feel a tight, hot pain forming in his chest. No, he thought, gripping the little bottle. This can't be all there is... this can't be... Kagome... why did you leave me? If I only understood why...
He heard a rustling as old Kaede rose from the fireplace. The old woman sat down beside him, and said in a low voice, "Inuyasha, I know that ye are more upset than ye will let on."
Inuyasha didn't react to her at all. But he was listening.
"Kagome is not a flighty girl, and she does not make decisions like this lightly. If she has made the choice to remain in her own time, then she has made it after much thought." Kaede paused, her one eye narrowed in thought. "But that does not explain why."
She looked at the young half-demon's expressionless face. "Inuyasha, ye will be tormented by the question of why she has left, until ye go and see her. If only for a short time." Her lined face seemed to droop. "And then, when ye have your answer, presumably ye will know what to say then. And whether it would be better for Kagome to leave her where she is."
Shippo sniffled again.
Inuyasha shoved the jar back into his clothes. "Enough bawling," he said roughly, getting to his feet. "If Kagome doesn't want to be with us anymore, then she doesn't have to. I'm not forcing her. We're leaving in the morning, without her."
He stormed out of Kaede's house.
Shippo looked as if he were going to explode with rage. But Miroku put a hand on his small shoulder. "That means," the monk said quietly, "that Inuyasha is going through the well tonight..."
TO BE CONTINUED
.
This isn't possible, Inuyasha thought dazedly. But it was slowly dawning on him that it was. Kagome... gone.
Like a sleepwalker, he slowly turned and began walking in the direction of Kaede's village. He didn't know what he was going to say to the others when he got there. The idea of Kagome just suddenly leaving them... leaving HIM...
And he didn't know what he was going to do from now on...
.
"So I suppose this is true," Miroku said quietly.
Inuyasha flinched at the monk's voice. He had been crouching in the corner of Kaede's hut ever since returning from the well. He had come back slowly, with her note still crumpled in one hand, and the jar of shards clutched tightly in the other. He hadn't been able to read it out loud, so he thrust it at Miroku and said tightly, "Here. You read it to 'em."
A stunned silence fell over the group. Kaede, Miroku, Sango and Shippo all stared at one another. Their expressions ranged from sadness to shock, disbelief and outright misery.
Miroku carefully folded the note. "I see," he said heavily. "So... Kagome has decided to stay in her own time. For good."
"But why?" Sango asked. Kirara, sitting on her mistress's knee, mewed plaintively and looked up at Miroku.
"She didn't say," Miroku said quietly. "But I can only think of one possible reason for her sudden departure." He glanced over at the huddled, red-clad figure in the corner.
Suddenly Shippo sprang up and started pounding his tiny fists against the back of Inuyasha's head. "You big stupid jerk!" he shouted shrilly. "This is all your fault! You made Kagome mad so she'd leave! If you weren't so interested in Kikyo, Kagome never would've gone away!"
To the surprise of the others, Inuyasha didn't lash out at Shippo. Instead, he just hunched further over and stared dully out the door. He didn't even seem to notice the kitsune's enraged attacks. Miroku deftly pulled Shippo away, got him to let go of Inuyasha's long silver hair, and then gave him a small rag to dry his eyes with. "Shippo," he said quietly, "we don't know that for sure."
Shippo blew his nose loudly. "But Kagome wouldn't leave unless she was mad at Inuyasha," he said faintly. "She almost left for good before, remember?"
"I remember. But I doubt you can make Inuyasha feel any worse than he already does," Miroku said.
The monk glanced over at the silent half-demon. "Inuyasha, was Kagome upset with you when she left?"
"No."
"Nothing?"
"Nothin' worth remembering."
"Well, if she wasn't mad, then why would she go?" Sango asked.
Miroku pondered it for a moment. "Perhaps she's fallen in love with someone on the other side of the well," he said finally. "That might explain why she would want to spend all her time there."
Inuyasha flinched again. He already felt as if someone had stuck a knife in his chest. Now Miroku was giving the blade a few sharp twists. "She wouldn't do that," he said thickly. "She... said..."
He fell silent, and began to wonder. Kagome had told him that she wanted to stay near him no matter what. Why had she suddenly left them behind? Left HIM behind? Didn't he... matter at all to her anymore?
Inuyasha slipped a hand into his clothing, and closed his fingers over the little jar of shards.
Had he upset Kagome with his continued involvement with Kikyo? He had told her why he couldn't just leave his onetime love behind -- he owed her so much, for everything Kikyo had lost because of him. And even though Kagome had said she understood, it obviously ticked her off whenever he went to see Kikyo.
Has she had enough? he thought suddenly. Has she decided that she doesn't want to be near me after all... because of all that? It was the doubt itself that was tearing him apart.
"Inuyasha must've done something to make her mad," Shippo said sulkily.
"That is the only thing I can think of," Miroku said solemnly, folding his arms. "And Inuyasha, if Kagome returned the shards to you... that means that her mind is made up. Irrevocably."
Inuyasha could feel a tight, hot pain forming in his chest. No, he thought, gripping the little bottle. This can't be all there is... this can't be... Kagome... why did you leave me? If I only understood why...
He heard a rustling as old Kaede rose from the fireplace. The old woman sat down beside him, and said in a low voice, "Inuyasha, I know that ye are more upset than ye will let on."
Inuyasha didn't react to her at all. But he was listening.
"Kagome is not a flighty girl, and she does not make decisions like this lightly. If she has made the choice to remain in her own time, then she has made it after much thought." Kaede paused, her one eye narrowed in thought. "But that does not explain why."
She looked at the young half-demon's expressionless face. "Inuyasha, ye will be tormented by the question of why she has left, until ye go and see her. If only for a short time." Her lined face seemed to droop. "And then, when ye have your answer, presumably ye will know what to say then. And whether it would be better for Kagome to leave her where she is."
Shippo sniffled again.
Inuyasha shoved the jar back into his clothes. "Enough bawling," he said roughly, getting to his feet. "If Kagome doesn't want to be with us anymore, then she doesn't have to. I'm not forcing her. We're leaving in the morning, without her."
He stormed out of Kaede's house.
Shippo looked as if he were going to explode with rage. But Miroku put a hand on his small shoulder. "That means," the monk said quietly, "that Inuyasha is going through the well tonight..."
TO BE CONTINUED