Amehana: Hello people. How you looking, girls? SO GOOD!
I am so sorry for not updating in so long! I really am. I don't know what came over me but whatever it was it was bad. My friend told me that my story had been deleted from the archives! GASP. I will do my best to fix that ASAP. I promise. Thank you for sticking with me.
"Fubuki hodo "As the storm rages
Chika yori soe ba Our drawing closer
Atataka shi" Keeps us warm"
–Japanese Haiku
Chapter XX– The Showing Of Scars
The rays of sunlight crept through the blinds in small bursts of yellow, creating an orange-red haze inside Kagome's closed eyelids.
When she finally blinked her eyes open, she didn't know where she was at first. Then the sleepiness began to where off, and she remembered; the new moon, coming home, Inuyasha.
She almost giggled. The restored hanyou girl rolled over and smiled at the way the soft light of morning made the boy next to her look so innocent, sleeping at her side as he was. He was so cute…especially his ears…
And suddenly, Kagome screamed. Her hand immediately went to her mouth to cut it off, but Inuyasha, of course, awoke with a start. Drawing in a fast breath and opening his eyes, he sprung out of his previous position and sat up. His hands, claws restored, went to the hilt of Tetsusaiga, all of which came as a second nature.
However, he immediately calmed down when he realized that there was no threat, either that or the scream that had woken him was aimed at some invisible enemy, not likely. Inuyasha sighed tiredly and leaned back against Kagome's wall, all defenses dropped.
"What was that for?" he growled while rubbing his delicate ears. But the addressed wasn't even paying attention to him. She had jumped up on her knees and was studying her alarm clock, staring at the numbers with unbelieving eyes.
"It's, like, seven-thirty!" she exclaimed in jumble of words.
"You can tell time, congratulations." he replied slyly.
"No!" Kagome snapped back at him, "We were supposed to be gone hours ago." With that she was about to get off the bed, but she was stopped short by Inuyasha's next question:
"Why?"
Her actions ceased as if time had froze, "Um…" he had caught her there, "Because…"
The girl stood, well, she meant to stand, actually, but she didn't get that far. Because two clawed hands firmly, but gently still, took hold of her waist. "I don't think so." were the words she heard before Inuyasha pulled her back towards him and then skillfully pushed her down onto her back, pinning her down on the bed. (A/N: heh, kinky)
Kagome glared up at him, "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, his hands on her wrists, his body poised above hers in what could look like a very questionable arrangement.
"I should ask you the same question," he returned, smiling at her with a light in his eyes; his restraining hands relaxed a little "What are so afraid of?"
"Nothing!" Kagome almost yelled.
"Prove it.", Inuyasha smirked.
Suddenly Kagome freed her arms and then had her claws fixed threateningly Inuyasha's neck. "How about I kill you instead?" the inu-oni growled through clenched teeth.
His genuine smile never faded. "You wouldn't."
"Are you saying I can't?"
"No, I'm saying you won't."
Kagome stared at him for a moment, and then her anger faded. Her body relaxed and her hands dropped to her sides. The miko looked away, suddenly finding the wall next to her bed very interesting.
Inuyasha sighed, moved from the repressing pose and leaned against the same wall that was so capturing Kagome's attention.
"What are you scared of, Kagome?" he repeated softly.
The girl sighed, the sound heavy with dejection. She sat up and leaned against the wall that the head of her bed was pushed against. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees like she always did when she wanted simply fall into herself, away from the world.
The demoness still didn't meet her cohort's concerned eyes. "I just…" she began and then stopped there as if it were painful to speak, "What if, what if they don't…accept me? What if they don't accept me as a…half-demon?" her voice was quavering.
"Who?" Inuyasha asked.
"My family!" the girl shot back, finally locking eyes with him, "Mom, and Sota, and Ji-chan…they don't know about this, they're not used to this! They all live in a civilized world of protection and regularity, they haven't seen the things that we've seen. They…they wouldn't understand…" Her silver-blue eyes were now completely filled with pain.
"Kagome" Inuyasha breathed in unrestrained sympathy. He moved closer to her, "Why wouldn't they accept you? It's not like you're a different person…you've just changed on the outside…that's all."
"I don't know…" Kagome moaned, looking away "But, like Grandpa, he doesn't like you for being a half-demon" in mid-sentence she gasped and blushed a little at her own words.
"Sorry…" she muttered, facing Inuyasha again.
To her surprise, he smiled "I don't care. It's not like I hadn't noticed. It's kind of funny the way he's always glaring at me and stuff."
Kagome giggled, "Yeah, it is isn't it?" she smiled, the mood lightening a little. Inuyasha reached over to her and lovingly brushed a loose lock of hair out of her face.
"Kagome, they're your family…I don't know what that is…" the look in her eyes darkened a little; she hadn't thought of it that way. "I don't have a family" Inuyasha stopped and allowed a small smile to illuminate his face. "Well, except you." She smiled back.
He continued, gazing into her eyes. "But you can't just desert them because you're afraid…and you know that…"
How did he do that? She thought as she studied him. How could read her thoughts like they were written on paper? The girl slowly nodded. She sighed in a mix of emotion. "Yeah…you're right…"
"Mom?"
"In the kitchen, love." Mrs. Higurashi answered in a yell, "You and Inuyasha come down here for breakfast." the woman commanded in that motherly way of hers.
Outside of the room, in the hallway, Kagome gulped and didn't reply at first. Her voice was shaky as she forced herself to say, "Um…there's something I have to tell you …"
Mrs. Higurashi didn't pause from her cooking, "Okay, dear."
The girl gulped once again. Kagome looked behind her to Inuyasha, who was standing there, as cool as ever, with an amused little smile on his face. She looked at him nervously, with the words 'I don't want to do this!' clearly etched on her face.
He smiled even more, and in one spilt second he had nudged her into the kitchen with his head in a very inu-like fashion. Eyes closed tightly, hands wringing each other, and with the nervous fists pressing against the top of her kimono-dress, Kagome stumbled into the room.
She didn't see the look on her mother's face, but she did hear the frying pan hit the stovetop burner with a harsh clang, and the heart-wrenching gasp. Not to mention her Ji-chan's distressed cry, and Sota's "whoa!" and a crash as his chair hit the floor. (A/N: don't tell me that they sit on the floor I know that, but they're in the kitchen, not the more formal dining room). The sounds however, forced her to open her eyes.
Sota got to her first. "Kagome, what happened, you look SO COOL!" he yelled, practically jumping up and down.
"Well" Kagome's hand went to the back of her head in nervousness. "To make long story short, the Shikon No Tama had too much…uh…evil and it needed to get rid of some, so I, kinda volunteered my body…" A small sweat drop formed on her head as her arms fell back to her side.
"Kakkoi!" cool Her little brother exclaimed. "So you're a demon, now?"
"Only half!" Kagome corrected.
"Just like oniisan…" Sota breathed in awe.
"Uh, yeah." the miko replied, turned around half way to see her Inuyasha leaning casually in the doorway, that same cocky smile on his face.
"You have claws!" Sota cried blissfully, Kagome gave the "Duh, my stupid younger sibling" look, but that didn't put a damper on his spirits. "Do you have fangs too?"
Kagome smiled almost involuntarily, flashing her white incisors.
"Okay, son let the mother through." Mrs. Higurashi said calmly while she gently moved Sota aside so that she could get through.
The woman studied her daughter for a long moment, too long for Kagome. "I knew you were hiding something…" Mrs. Higurashi commented. When she looked back into her apprehensive daughter's face, she smiled. "But this certainly is a surprise." her eyes were laughing.
Kagome's shoulders relaxed and she couldn't stop herself from smiling back as relief flooded over her.
"You look very pretty." her mother said softly.
Kagome threw her arms around her. Mrs. Higurashi looked startled by the sudden display of affection, but she held her child back all the same, grinning at the hanyou boy behind Kagome.
When they pulled Mrs. Higurashi placed her hands on each of Kagome's shoulders. "You're taller than I am!" she cried.
Kagome smiled. Then her eyes went from her mother's face to the Grandfather's as he appeared at his daughter's side. His eyes were terribly critical when his time came to survey Kagome. "So, how did this happen again?"
"The Shikon Jewel, Ji-chan, the thing I've been hunting after for, like, forever…" he nodded, stoned face, Kagome continued, Inuyasha could tell she was getting nervous again, "Well, we got all the pieces back together but it had become too impure and Midoriko –the priestess trapped inside– said that someone had to take some of the evil…or else it would escape into the world…"
Kagome's grandfather cocked a bushy eyebrow " 'someone'?"
Kagome sighed, now that the anxiety was gone, she was getting annoyed in a very teenager girl sort of way instead, "I was the only one who could do it, Ji-chan." She explained as calmly as possible. Kagome knew if he asked too many questions and picked her apart then she might break down and cry. She may have had a defense but it was very fragile.
The old man didn't look satisfied. In fact his eyes flashed over to the half-demon boy who was still leaning on the opening to their kitchen, arms crossed over his chest. The accusation in Grandpa's eyes was "And why didn't you do something about this?"
Inuyasha just smirked (no surprise there) rather than comment. So Kagome's family was going to cope with her change, he complied, but her grandfather blamed him for it, which was just fine with him.
"Kagome, can I touch your ears?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, her voice like a little girls'. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, 'here we go again'.
"Uh…" Kagome said as she unconsciously took a step backwards.
"They're really sensitive" Inuyasha finished for her. Kagome shot him an appreciative glance.
"Oh, okay." was Mrs. Higurashi's ambiguous reply. She didn't look disappointed at all as her shining eyes flitted to her daughter and then to Inuyasha, full of knowing. "Well" she said, changing the subject and clapping her hands together. "I'll bet everyone's hungry!"
"If they're still fighting then I'm turning around." Sango muttered, her brown eyes narrowing in a sort of glare.
"Running away from our problems, are we?" Miroku replied cleverly, his staff jingled with each step he took.
"Yes." Sango answered without hesitation. "Care to join me?"
"Absolutely."
They entered a clearing in the bright green forest in which they were walking, a particular wood that was relatively close to their house, just in time to see Inuyasha and Kagome, fighting. Physically, that is.
Smack! Kagome pinned the boy on the ground her knees clamped on either side of his hips, rendering him unable to move. Both half-demons were growling deeply in their throats at each other, fangs bared and all.
Just when the demoness thought she had the upper hand in the match, Inuyasha caught her off guard when he lithely wrapped his leg around the front of her waist and pushed her to the ground with his strength.
Kagome's back hit the dirt and Inuyasha's was over her, smirking at his win. She narrowed her eyes and prepared to counter, when she heard the familiar voice of a formerly absent friend.
"Okay, I'm leaving." Came the clipped resolution.
For the first time the two inuyoukai's noticed that they had an audience. "Sango-chan! Miroku-sama!" Kagome cried and jumped up to her feet, (as Inuyasha had backed away from her).
The slayer turned around, "Kagome-chan, why can't you two just get along?" her tone was worn out.
The girl stopped in her tracks, confused. She glanced at Inuyasha as he walked up to her side; he shrugged.
"Oh!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed in epiphany, "You mean, iie, Inuyasha and I aren't fighting anymore! We were just training." She gestured to the clearing around them.
Then Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. "Really." Inuyasha reassured them.
"Prove it." Sango said curtly.
"Um…how?" Kagome said flatly.
"Start making out." the monk in the group suggested without reserve. Sango hit his arm. "Ouch…" he whined while rubbing the spot.
Inuyasha and Kagome blushed in unison. Sango couldn't stop from laughing at them; it was strange that such an odd suggestion would elicit such embarrassment in the unruly pair, but who knew what changes had lapsed since she had been gone? Kagome would surely have to fill her in, and Kagome wouldn't be the only one with stories to tell. Anything was possible.
"Okay, we believe you". The slayer decided for both the monk and herself, knowing, somehow that he agreed. That was one of the perks of recently tied bond between them. She walked over to Kagome and embraced her, "I'm glad." she said to the inu-onis when she had pulled away.
"Okarinasai, both of you" Kagome said, looking to Miroku and then Sango. They bowed their heads towards her slightly, as was custom as well as habit.
"Well!" Miroku said suddenly uppity, "We need to go unpack our things". Sango nodded and joined him as he dismissed himself and started to walk in the opposite direction. She turned to wave at Kagome as they walked away and then disappeared into the thick woods on the pathway to the house.
Kagome stared at where they had dispersed. "They're…different…" she said, thinking out loud.
Next to her, the demon nodded. "Yeah…"
"They seem to be getting along better themselves…"
"Yeah, but it's something else too…"
"Yeah…"
Silence. Then Inuyasha's golden eyes widened, he kind of swayed to the side. "Holy shit" he said, breathless.
"What?" Kagome asked, looking at him intently. She hated not understanding something.
There was this mischievous glitter in his amber eyes when he looked at her. "They're scents are mixed together, but only slightly, so it was only a few days ago…"
Kagome cocked a thin black eyebrow at him questioningly.
"Or maybe a few nights ago I should say…"
Kagome gasped, then she was thrown into fit of giggles, "Oh my gods!!" Then she giggled some more leaning onto her companion's shoulder for support, and then Inuyasha gradually started laughing too at the absurdity of it all. 'Sango better give me all the gory details,' she thought privately, 'Or I'm going to kill her.'
The wind softly disturbed the slender leaves if the great tree. The dark green foliage laden with its lavender blossoms swayed back and forth against the royal blue of the night sky.
Kagome sighed and closed her silver-blue eyes. No wonder Inuyasha was always in a tree; they were quite peaceful.
The inuyoukai leaned against the tree's brown trunk. The branch on which she stood was so thick that it could have easily held three other people along with her and still feel no burden.
This was one of the things that she loved about the Sengoku Jidai; the landscape was untouched and un-ruined by human hands, and the trees were allowed to grow and grow. Trees so ancient they whispered their stories when the breeze brushed against them. You just had to listen.
Kagome was alone, but not for long. Inuyasha's scent reached her just before he did.
She opened her eyes to see him standing some feet away from her on the branch.
"Oi." he said, his hair catching the moonlight, and his clothes dark red in the night.
"Oi." Kagome echoed.
He walked over to her, the casually took up a place beside her, leaning on the wrinkly bark of the tree trunk. "Samishi?" lonely
"Yeah, a little." Kagome replied, turning her head toward, her dark hair a cushion against the abrasive wood.
She smiled slightly, he smiled slightly back, but then he looked ahead to the long stretch of branch in front of then. Kagome mirrored his actions, having nothing else to do.
Seconds passed in silence.
Then a shadow of regret passed over Kagome's face, and it was so dark that the sadness in her eyes was visible in the even in the present darkness of night. She looked down to avoid Inuyasha's eyes. "Something's wrong, Inuyasha."
As she had anticipated, he looked at her. "What do you mean?" his voice was movingly calm.
"I mean…" Kagome searched for the right words and looked up to the night sky as if the blue curtain would supply them. "Something's coming…something's going to happen…" Her eyelids lowered slightly as if threatening the unknown fear itself. "…Something bad."
The wind blew gently once more…
"…So you feel it too" was Inuyasha's unexpected, yet stoic reply, as his eyes fixed on the branch below him.
Kagome didn't look at him; for some reason that made her sad. "Then you knew?" Kagome asked quietly. The night gale stirred her locks of hair gently.
The boy sighed exasperatedly and pushed himself off the tree trunk; away from Kagome's side.
She watched him with hurt eyes he walked out across the thick branch, perhaps trying to get away. He sighed again and stopped walking to slowly come to face with the night sky, barely visible with the many leaves in the tree in which they were standing. "Yeah" he answered.
Kagome blinked, trying to remain indifferent. "Since when?"
"Since…" his reply was lost for a moment.
She saw his countenance relax slightly. Then he looked at her sideways, his eyes were smiling softly. "Ever since before…that night when…when I tried to get you to leave."
'The night I learned the truth' Kagome's mind added. She met his eyes and nodded once.
Temporarily, she decided to answer the burning question in her mind. For some reason it took a toll on her body, and she slid down to sit down on the branch. She let her legs dangled playfully off its side as she stared down to the ground far below her fearlessly. "Inuyasha…why did you give up your plan that night?"
He smiled nostalgically without really meaning to. "Well, I actually started out trying to finish it that night."
Her head snapped towards him in confusion. In reply he walked to her side and joined her, sitting on the branch also. "I wanted you to leave that night because this threat that you have just sensed has been haunting me for awhile." He looked down to his bare feet as he continued. "I wanted you to be gone before it hit."
The inu-oni titled his head up and out towards the heavens, "Guess it all was worthless in the end…"
Kagome didn't try to deny that, "But why did you give up?" she pursed, not looking at him.
Her ears more than easily picked up his deep sigh. Without even looking at him see knew he had closed his eyes to try and block the pain.
Inuyasha opened them. "Kagome, I want to protect you, I want to you be safe…" Suddenly his sadness broke with a light laugh, one that made her look at him curiously. "I didn't know why when I first met you…but I know why now…"
He looked down at his lap again and spoke softly, "You only protect the things you cherish…"
Kagome smiled lovingly.
"And…" Inuyasha continued, "When Naraku was dead I guess I decided that if you didn't have to stay here, then you shouldn't risk your life needlessly, but you would never say that yourself, so I…" he broke off.
The half-demon boy didn't need to explain the next part for Kagome to understand– it was when he decided to get her to hate him…
His painful silence broke. "Little did I know, you like being here. I always thought you thought of coming as here as a burden, something you had to do in order to get it over with…"
"I did at first," Kagome confessed. He looked at her over his shoulder. "But…" She scooted closer to him, "Things grow on you".
His golden eyes locked with her blue ones, "Just because something grows on you doesn't make it any better," he pointed out legitimately.
Kagome smiled warmly. "This is different."
Inuyasha looked away. Then he felt her arms slip around his idle one as she embraced him. "I promise this is different." she whispered.
He gave in to trusting her. Inuyasha rested his head on hers, which was leaning on his shoulder.
…It hurts to always have to be honest with the one that you love –Brand New…
"Hey, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked placidly. She pulled away slightly to look into his face.
"Nani?"
"Didn't you consider the fact that I could learn to fight with this?" The girl extended a clawed hand in front of both of them as an example of her hanyou powers. "Then you wouldn't have to protect me as much…"
"Yes, I did…" he explained. "But…I thought that if you eventually purified the jewel then you would use it to change back into a normal human."
Kagome leaned on his shoulder once more. "I see… but, you know, even if that was possible, I wouldn't change back".
One of the kawaii white ears on his head twitched, his eyes were disbelieving as they fell into hers. "Why not?"
"Because." she smiled weakly and avoided his gaze by looking out into the night, "Ever since I discovered this place I haven't really felt like myself…"
He was about to ask what she meant when she answered him. "Almost everyone says I'm Kikyo the first time they see me…I know I'm not, but after awhile it started to get hard to deny…but now…I feel…whole, as if this change has made me more…me"
Inuyasha continued to stare at her while she spilled her guts, "I mean, I don't look like her that much anymore, and a demon can't exactly be a miko can she? I feel…like I've got my own soul…or something."
She looked down, suddenly blushing slightly. "Sorry, I'm not making any sense…"
Inuyasha shook his head. "Iie, you're making perfect sense, the way your body is does have an effect on your soul…"
Spontaneously possessed by guilt he pulled her closer. She held him back.
"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel inferior to her, Kagome…I don't think that way, I've never thought that way…I hope you know that." He whispered, filled with emotion.
She didn't reply but held him tighter, and that was better than words. After a long while she allowed her eyes to close. "Inuyasha" she whispered "This thing that we've been fearing, I think I know what it is…"
He buried his face in her dark, soft hair. "Please don't say it…" he begged in a whisper.
Owari Chapter Nijū
Amehana's note: sigh despite my terribly busy schedule I've been writing a lot lately, and it's so nice. I love writing, it's the bestest!
My story got deleted! DELETED! Why? Why would anyone do this to me? I am going to take an optimistic stance on this & say it was because of technical difficulties or the fact that I hadn't updated in a long time. I lost my beautiful summary & was forced to rewrite it but I do believe I've got everything else. I hope all my adoring fans will come running back to me and forgive me for neglecting my story. I love you all!
I suppose then, I have nothing else to say except this:
Review or you will be fangoriusly devoured by a gelatinous monster!