MysticalDreamer: ::dodges all the random objects thrown at her:: SORRY! I know it's been a while, so I'll make it short. I had troubles uploading and my computer was being stupid. The end. Here's the long awaited chapter two!
disclaimer: This one owns nothing
chapter two
Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open, as the sun danced across his eyes. He yawned, and was about to stand before realizing something heavy was in his lap. He looked down to see Kagome, sleeping peacefully. Then everything of the previous day came back, and a low and dangerous growl emitted from his throat.
Miroku opened an eye from across the room. "Awake?" he asked.
Inuyasha simply nodded. "I am gonna kill that bastard..." he said in a low voice.
Miroku raised an eyebrow. Inuyasha had forgotten; he still hadn't told Miroku or Sango what had happened. But he didn't intend too. That was going to be Kagome's decision, not his, and he would respect whatever she decided to do.
Sango gave off a pleasant yawn, apparently from having a good night's sleep. She looked between Inuyasha and Miroku, blinking a few times to get the sleep out of her eye. "Good Morning..." she said lightly, stretching her arms.
Miroku nodded, but Inuyasha said nothing.
Kagome stirred in his arms, and he instantly looked down at her. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, but her grip on Inuyasha's haori remained as tight as it had been since yesterday. She said nothing, except snuggle into his chest.
At this, Miroku raised an eyebrow again, questioningly. Inuyasha shook his head, and simply sat there.
Shippo shot up suddenly, startling Sango whom he was next to. She grinned, seeing his lazy eyes and patted his head. He yawned in a cute sort of way.
"Inuyasha..." whispered Kagome.
"You don't have to say anything..." he replied softly.
"Something tells me I should get some water," said Miroku, standing up. "Care to join me? Sango? Shippo?" he asked, pulling Sango to her feet.
Shippo mumbled something, and Miroku took this as a yes. He reached down and grabbed the kitsune by the tail, putting him on his shoulder. "We'll be back in a few minutes," said Miroku, opening the door and leading them out.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered again.
"You're safe Kagome..." he replied. "I will never let him near you again. I swear to the gods. I swear on my life."
"Arigatou..." she whispered.
I also swear.. I will kill him... I will kill that bastard if its the last thing I do... he thought as Kagome leaned in closer.
"Inuyasha...?"
"Eh?"
"What do I do?" she whispered.
Inuyasha sighed. "For now... nothing..."
"Nothing...?" she said softly. "If only... it was my time..."
Inuyasha rested his chin lightly on her head. "It's not... and I swear to you, that damned hanyou is as good as dead..."
"Please... don't tell anyone, please?"
"I won't. If that's what you want, I won't tell a soul. No one will ever know..."
"Thank you..."
They sat in silence after that, both unsure of what to say or do next.
Kagome sighed. "I should... get up soon..." she said suddenly. "After all... if I don't get back to normal soon, people will ask things... Things I don't want to answer..."
Inuyasha nodded. Slowly, Kagome slid off his lap and onto the solid ground. He got to his feet and held out his hand. "Wanna stand up?"
She nodded, reached out and took it. He pulled her to her feet, and she shook a bit. After all, this was her first time standing in a couple hours. She got used to it a bit later, and walked around a bit.
"I feel like making some ramen," she said. She walked over to her backpack and dug around for the noodle
"You sure?"
"Inuyasha," she said. "I just wanna get back to normal, and try to forget this ever happened. I want to erase it from my mind."
Inuyasha sighed. "How can you forget something so horrible?" he asked.
Kagome twitched a bit. "You think I want to remember?" she said. "You think I want to relive this? You think I want to announce to the world I was hurt and raped by the bastard Naraku?"
"Kagome..."
She broke out into tears again and sank to the floor. She hid her eyes, leaning her forehead on the ground. The tears flowed.
Inuyasha dashed over and put his arm around her back softly. "Kagome..."
"I can't report it..." she whispered. "I-I-"
She jumped up and leaned into Inuyasha. She cried harder, and he let her stay there. He wrapped both arms around her back.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered. "Please... don't ever leave me..."
He hugged her tighter. "I'm not a bastard like that," he said. "I swear I will protect you. I will never let you get hurt again."
She cried a bit more, and he let her sit there. He said nothing; he just let her cry her heart out once more. He didn't know what she had gone through, but he felt her pain, her hatred, her anger. He felt her sorrow.
His ears twitched. He sniffed a bit, then lightly moved Kagome. "They're back," he whispered. "You say you don't want anyone to know, then get up or they will suspect something, no doubt."
Kagome nodded and jumped to her feet. She wiped away her tears, and picked up a blanket to dry her face.
"Get the ramen," he said.
"Eh?"
"Start cooking it or they'll think you were crying," he explained. "With the ramen, they just might think you burned your finger or something."
She nodded and picked up the noodles she had dropped on the floor. She quickly set up the outdoor cooking thing she brought with her, and put the ramen on. Inuyasha walked over to the corner and sat down.
The door opened, and in came Miroku, Sango and Shippo. And somehow, Miroku ended up carrying all the water.
"Kagome-chan!" squealed Shippo. He zoomed over to her and hugged her.
"Oi, Shippo-chan!" she grinned. "Excited to see me?"
"Kagome! You were so sad yesterday!" he said, hugging her tightly.
"It was nothing Shippo-chan," she said. She smiled brightly, but Inuyasha could see the hurt behind her happy face.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," she smiled. "You want some ramen for breakfast?"
"Ramen for breakfast, Kagome-sama?" asked Miroku, walking over. He looked at her eyes and could see the redness in her eyes.
"I felt like something random!" she smiled. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked, looking around at everyone.
"Feh," said Inuyasha.
"I don't mind," said Sango. "It's an interesting change," she grinned.
"Kagome-sama, forgive me if I sound rude, but," started Miroku. "Why are your eyes all red, pray tell?"
"Oh!" she said, touching her face. "I spilt some hot water on my finger and it burnt a bit. That's all," she grinned.
"Ahh... perhaps some cold water on it will help?" asked Miroku, a slight grin on his face.
Two seconds later, he was soaking wet. Sango stood behind him as he twitched, holding an empty bucket.
"She said burnt not burned," she said angrily.
Kagome laughed. She was feeling a little better. At least that's what she kept telling herself.
From the corner, Inuyasha knew otherwise. She was still hurting, and would be for a long time. She couldn't hide these things from him.
He knew.
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Miroku sighed. He knew something was up. Kagome was not fine. She was troubled by something, something that only she and Inuyasha knew.
And this troubled Miroku.
He did not like to see a woman with too much on her mind. He sighed. "Kagome-sama.. what is ailing you?" he asked himself.
"Houshi-sama?"
"Eh?" he asked. He looked over to see Sango walking over towards him in his spot under the tree. "Sango!" he smiled.
"Don't get any ideas, lech," she snapped.
"Me?" he asked, looking bemused by the fact that she had accused him of lechery.
She rolled her eyes and leaned on the tree. "We both know Inuyasha and Kagome-chan are lying," she said.
"Ah... you've noticed too?" he asked, looking up at her.
"That scream when she was bathing was no ordinary scream," said Sango. She looked at the sky. "I've heard Kagome-chan cry before, but never like this. When she came back in Inuyasha's arms like that, my heart fell."
Miroku sighed. "I understand," he said. "Something is definitely being kept from us."
"I can't stand to see Kagome-chan hurting like that. She always speaks her mind, and you can tell if there's something on her mind," said Sango. "At least, I can."
"There could be a perfect reason for this secret," said Miroku. "However, they may not want to let us in on it for certain reasons."
"Huh?"
"What I mean is, " he started. "Perhaps that whatever happened to Kagome-sama is so horrendous, that they don't want to stir up memories."
"If that's true," said Sango, sinking to the ground and hugging her knees. "I want to help."
"The only way I can think to help her, is if we don't ask her about it."
"What?"
"I mean, let her come to us when she is ready. I do not wish to pry into her secrets. I'm a man of Buddha."
Sango snorted. "Man of Buddha? Should be 'Man of the Hentai Buddha' is more like it," she said, sarcastically.
"I am appalled, Sango-chan," said Miroku, looking a fake-ish hurt.
Sango rolled her eyes. "Let's just drop the subject of who you work for, and focus on the problem at hand."
"Indeed!" he replied brightly. "As I was saying..."
"Poor Kagome-chan... something really horrible must have happened to her..." she whispered, hugging her knees tighter. "It's just... There's a look in her eyes... It's almost like... death or something awfully close."
Miroku shook his head. "I noticed as well," he said. "I hate to say it, but I fear that whatever did happen to Kagome-sama will haunt her for the rest of her life. There's just this feeling you get around her at the moment... A feeling of some sort of pain..."
"Arrgh!" shouted Sango, jumping to her feet. "I want to help Kagome-chan!!" she wailed. "I can't stand it!"
Miroku sighed. "We can't do anything at the moment. We can't do anything until Kagome-sama is ready," he said.
Sango calmed down a bit. "I know..." she said. "I know..." she sighed. "And that is what's driving me crazy..."
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Inuyasha stared at the moon. It was a full one tonight, and it lit up the whole night sky. He sat in his usual perch, up in a tree. He sighed.
"One day.. one day, I will kill that bastard..." he said in a low and dangerous voice. His fists tightened. "He will pay..."
"Inuyasha?"
He looked down to see Kagome standing under the tree, with her arms behind her back. She smiled up at him.
He leaped out of the tree to face her. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she said softly. "It's just... Sota's birthday is in two days..."
"Your little brother who calls me a hero?"
"That's the one."
"You wanna go back?"
"I'd like to... for that and to just... get away from this era for a bit," said Kagome looking down. "It's not you..."
"It's okay, Kagome," said Inuyasha. "I understand. Go back. I'll be here when you return, I promise. And if you need me..."
Kagome nodded. "I know Inuyasha," she smiled. "I trust you."
Inuyasha cracked a tiny smile. There weren't many people who said those words to him. He looked into Kagome's eyes. "Thank you."
Kagome smiled a bit too, as best as she could. "I don't think... I'm going to say anything about this to anyone... Especially my mother..."
Inuyasha nodded. "Understood. My mouth is shut," he said.
Kagome didn't say anything; she appeared to be thinking. "Why don't... you come in two days... On Sota's birthday."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "You want me to come?"
Kagome nodded twice. "It would make Sota happy... and I want you there. There's going to be so many people enjoying themselves, and I don't wanna snap and burst into tears..."
Inuyasha nodded once. "I'll be there," he said. "I won't let you down."
She smiled at him again. "I know you won't," she leaned in and gave him a quick hug. "I should get back inside now. You're going to stay out here?"
Inuyasha nodded. "I'd feel better out here," he said. "G'night."
"'Night..." she said, turning around and walking back to the hut. He watched her retreating back, sensing the aura of sorrow and despair around her form. And he felt as if he could do nothing to soothe her pain.
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"Whaaaat?" asked Shippo, looking up at Kagome with large eyes. "You're leaving?"
She nodded. "Sota's birthday is coming up," she explained. "And I want to be there. Inuyasha will be coming with me, but not for a day or two."
"Wish your brother a happy birthday," said Sango warmly, the smile hiding hurt of her own. "From all of us."
Kagome nodded. "Of course!" she said. "He'll be happy to hear it. It would be great if you guys could come too, but I dunno what my mom would say..."
"It's all right, Kagome-chan," said Sango. "Don't worry about it."
"Shippo-chan," said Kagome, picking up the kitsune. "You are in charge of Miroku-sama, got it?"
Shippo nodded and saluted proudly. "You can count on me!"
"Am I not trusted at all?" groaned Miroku, shaking his head.
"When you learn to control that hand, then maybe," commented Inuyasha monotonously, carelessly. Kagome grinned.
In a little bit, Kagome had gathered all her things and was ready to travel to her other home. "Now guys, it will only be for a few days..." she said. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can!"
"Don't worry about it, Kagome-chan," said Sango. "You've been here for some time now. I'm sure your family is missing you."
"Oh, Sango," sighed Kagome.
She smiled. "Don't worry. I know what happened. I may not be over it, but I'm okay. Just go enjoy your brother's birthday."
Kagome smiled, a fake smile, but it was believed by everyone. Except for InuYasha. He knew, but said nothing. "Well then, I guess I'll head back now."
"Take care, Kagome-sama," said Miroku, bowing his head lightly. He muttered a small Buddhist prayer as well. Shippo gave his adoptive mother a quick hug before leaping onto Miroku's shoulder once more.
Then she was off, heading back to Kaede's village with InuYasha. They walked on in silence, sharing the dark secret between them.
After about a half an hour, Kagome had gotten onto InuYasha's back like she always had, and they picked up speed as they traveled on. Using this method of transportation, it only took them another twenty minutes to arrive at the village.
"Kagome my child?" came the elderly voice of Kaede. "Are ye back already?"
"Hello Kaede-san," smiled Kagome. "I'm back, but I'm going home for a little bit. My brother's birthday is coming up..."
"Ah, yes," said Kaede, nodding her head in understandment. "Give the little one my best wishes."
"Of course!" grinned the young girl. But it was still the fake grin that she kept plastered to her face, trying to pretend everything was fine. "I have to go though. I'll see you in a few days..."
"Good day, Kagome," said Kaede, waving as she and Inuyasha headed towards the well. Kagome walked a bit fast and paced herself somewhat in front of him.
The day was still bright, and the wind played with their hair, making it dance around them gracefully. Despite the cheeriness of the day, the aura of despair surrounded the duo. Upon nearing the well, Kagome stopped.
"Kagome?" asked Inuyasha, a bit concerned.
He heard a small sniffle and a squeak, before she sank to her knees. He was at her side in two seconds flat, with his hands on her shoulders, staring into her deep brown eyes, full of sadness, that splurted out crystalline tears.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered, leaning into him. "I don't know how long I can hold up... It's... it's tearing me apart..."
Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her softly, and pulled her closer. He rested his head lightly on her's and tried to stay calm, for her sake.
"Over and over..." she said in a voice, barely a whisper. "I keep seeing him... He covers my mouth... He... Oh gods..."
"Don't speak," he said softly. "Reliving this through words just makes it harder..."
"Goddammit Inuyasha..." she whispered. She clutched his haori tightly in her hands. "It's a never ending nightmare... and it's barely... even a day..."
Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He found himself rocking her softly back and forth, trying to calm her down. He felt her slowly regaining some strength, so he continued in his rocking.
"What... what am I going to do...?"
"Kagome..." he said in a soft voice. "I don't know what to say to comfort you. All I can think of doing is to hold you... like this. I am always here for you..."
"Thank you... Inuyasha..." she whispered.
"And I promise you..." said Inuyasha, sounding slightly more angered than before. "I will end the life of that bastard hanyou. He will... he will pay for what he has done..."
Kagome's tears began to slow down. She nodded solemnly, wanting Naraku to die just as much as he did. "I... hate... killing..."
"I don't care..." whispered Inuyasha. "I want to kill him. And I will."
"I hate killing..." she said again. "But... I want... Naraku to die..."
Inuyasha held her tighter. She was never going to forget this, even if Naraku did die. But perhaps his death would ease her pain. And that was why he vowed to kill the demon, no matter how long or how hard it was.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered. "Come with me to my time..."
"Eh?"
She tilted her head slightly to the side. "I don't think... I can handle it on my own..."
Inuyasha sighed. "What about your family?" he asked.
"They love you," she said with a small laugh. "And you know Sota will be thrilled to see you..."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me," he grumbled, making Kagome laugh a little again. He grinned. "See? A laugh," he said warmly. "Seeing your family will bring up your spirits. Having me around might remind you of ... everything."
Kagome sighed. "I guess..."
He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "I'll be here for you," he said. "How about I come tomorrow instead of two days from now?"
She nodded. "That would be better," she said.
"A day without the Sengoku-jidai will be best," said Inuyasha. "So I want you to go home, and don't give it one thought."
She nodded again. "You promise you'll come tomorrow though?" she asked, with pleading, hopeful eyes.
He nodded to her. "You have my word," he said. "Now go back to your era and have a good time. You can even tell Sota I said hello. Seeing him bounce around should bring up your spirits too."
She smiled. "Thank you," she said warmly. "Thank you so much, Inuyasha..."
He rested his head on her's once more.
"If it wasn't for you..." she whispered. "I think... I think I might die... Because it's so hard... hard to be strong..."
"Kagome..."
She sniffed. "You're like... my source of strength, Inuyasha..." she whispered into his haori.
He felt a pang go through him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it seemed to open something up inside him. He put a hand on the back of her head.
A few minutes passed in silence, before Kagome stirred. He looked at her as she pushed him away slightly.
"Eh?"
"I think I should head off now," she said, stumbling to her feet. Inuyasha followed suit and helped her up, getting to his feet before she did.
"Take care of yourself," said Inuyasha, not wanting to let her go. His claws slowly peeled away from her arm as she took a step towards the well.
"I'll see you tomorrow..." she said lightly, pulling her legs over the side of the well. He could only nod, as words failed to come to his mouth. She smiled a tiny grin at him, before vanishing down the well.
A minute or so passed, and Inuyasha found himself clutching his fists tightly. "How can she say that..." he said angrily to himself. "How can I be her source of strength?"
He fell to his knees and punched the ground, making a small dent. "After everything I've done to her... and I, the hanyou Inuyasha, am her source of strength?"
He look at the crystal blue skies, feeling the wind once again toy with his hair. "Kagome..." he whispered. "If only you knew... You are my source of strength..."
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MD: Tis all ::runs away:: No, I'm kidding. Once again, I'm sorry for the super long wait... My computer crashing and dying didn't really help either. It's not completely my fault! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Thank you all my reviewers! I love you all!
