My trip is over and I'm home again. I've been pretty busy as of late, two jobs and running back and forth to my college to finalize things for the first semester. Between all of that and hanging out with my friends, I have a lot less writing time. Though I'm trying as hard as I can to stick to updating around every 7-8 days.
For my reviewers, I answered most of you via e-mail (aside from Priestess-Midoriko, for some reason my computer froze every time I tried to get her e-mail address.).
A lot of common themes in the reviews...mainly that people aren't pleased with the carnage of chapter 5.
Here's afew things to remember: My story is going to be around 20 something chapters and should have 4- 5 story arcs. This chapter is the conclusion of the first story arc, so a minor happy ending is coming, with more good and bad news to come in later chapters. All non-kikyo main characters are doing just fine.
Without further adieu,
Don't Belong: A Demonic Rampage: Chapter 6: Farewell to a Life Long Lost
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Last Time on Inuyasha: Don't Belong: A Demonic Rampage: Chapter 5: Miroku, Sango, and Kagome found shelter in the caves of the wolf-demon tribe, as Kouga and his people prepared for a battle that could not be won. Despite their numbers and despite the barrier, the three companions and the wolf-demon tribe succumbed to an overpowering sense of fear and of fate. As result, tensions rose, especially between Miroku and Kouga. Kagome finally told Kouga that she didn't like him that way-like it would really change his demeanor.
Thwarted by Kagome and Miroku's barrier, Inuyasha slashed and kidnapped Sesshoumaru's traveling companion and future mate : Rin. Throwing her onto the sutras, Inuyasha was able to weaken the barrier enough to break. Sesshoumaru healed Rin with Tenseiga and told her to have Jaken gather enough food for one more person. Inuyasha's transformation had actually pleased the demon. Muttering about destiny and fate, Sesshoumaru ventured towards his brother's location.
Meanwhile, a simplistic beast driven on emotion struck the caves. Inuyasha attacked and quickly made short work of the wolf-demon tribe, Sango, and his rival-Kouga. Referring to Kouga as a thief and a criminal (for taking Kagome), Inuyasha dominated and was ready to finish the wolf.
Running between them, Kagome pleaded to Inuyasha and proclaimed her love to him. Forever stained by the sight of her riding on Kouga and by his own nagging insecurities , the demon could not understand anything beyond rage. Calling her a liar, Inuyasha struck Kagome and her then dead body leaned upon him. Her blood overloaded his senses and his sorrow cleansed his mind, driving him to become fully cognizant of his surroundings and of what he had done. Saying a last goodbye, Inuyasha snatched the jewel and the world went dark. When the light had returned, and a grieving demon was on his hands and knees-only able to say goodbye.
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Inuyasha: Don't Belong: A Demonic Rampage: Chapter 6-Farewell to a Life Long Lost
Surrounded by darkness as she opened her eyes, it was cold and damp-chills running along Kagome's trembling body. A look of terror adorned her face as she gasped for air, lungs suffocating her by their lack of action. The shock of the images flashing through her mind seemingly left her body stiff, almost frozen in time. Tears flowing down her beautiful cheeks, Kagome pounded the floor of the well with the palm of her hands. Almost as if she thought that she could force herself back into the feudal era. It was to no avail, somehow...for some reason, she couldn't return to the feudal era. Stretching her body, sprawled out across the floor of the well, she pressed her chest against the ground.
And Nothing happened.
'Why isn't this working?!? Why can't I go through the well?!?'
Frustrated by her traveling deficiency, Kagome sat upright once more. Her hand drifting towards her neck, only to realize that
"The jewel is gone!"
Fumbling through her pockets, frantically feeling the bottom of the well-Kagome searched the well and searched herself. The jewel was not to be found.
Frustrated yet again, she struck the wall of the well, infuriated by what had happened.
"Damn it! Where did the jewel go?!?"
Yeah, all that time with Inuyasha , he rubbed off on her quite a bit.
She was driven to return to the feudal era, despite the images that filled her mind. Images of the man she loved, admitting his feeling, only to slay her moments after. Blurs of motion so graphic, burned into her memory, she was able to recall it all. The feeling of being punctured, the feeling of death, the feeling of falling into his arms. Yet all she could think of, all she could do, was try to return and try to find him. All she wanted to do was help him, if only she knew how. If only she could reach him. Something had driven him away from her, and whatever it was caused him to change. If only she could know...she might still save him.
She moved and moved, searching everything near her. It was to no avail. Finally realizing that the jewel wasn't down there, Kagome sighed and began to climb out of the well, into her families shrine.
'Something's not right about any of this. Shouldn't I be dead? Shouldn't I have the jewel? There has to be an answer to this, there has to be.'
Soulessly stepping through the shrine, Kagome moved without her trademark energy, without her constant optimism. Viciously running rampant through her mind, the images of her fate and of his inadvertent profession. Torturing her, the fact that he revealed his feelings, and there was nothing she could do-that he was out of reach. Almost drawn there by the memories, Kagome stretched out her shirt and looked down upon her chest, attempting the see the scar that would result from such a fateful wound. Her eyes widened as she stared upon smooth and silky skin-without imperfection of any kind. There had been no mark, it was as if he never struck her.
However, her eyes saw much more than just that. As she peered down upon her upper body, something was noticeably wrong. Not only had her chest been smooth and pure, undisturbed by any means-but so had the rest of her body.
The scar from where the jewel left her body...it was gone.
The scars from being attacked by various demons that lined her abdomen...gone as well.
The hard and dead skin that had built up on the joints of her fingers from her use of the bow...they were just gone.
In shock, Kagome just stared, never had she been so disappointed by something that should have been great to see. Then again, it wasn't the scars that concerned her, rather where they came.
She bore no markings, she had no jewel- it was as if she had never actually been to the feudal era...and never met Inuyasha. She remembered waking up on the bottom of the well, could it have been...
'Could it have ALL been a dream!? Could it be that I've never even MET him!?'
"It can't be! It just can't be a dream!"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran toward the Sacred Tree, that once served as Inuyasha's binding. The marks were there, something was bound to the tree at one time. She knew that at least to be true. But as her eyes moved across the grounds, she discovered something else to her surprise. There was one of grandpa's old books on the feudal era and it's myths laying on the ground.
'It's one of grandpa's old books.'
Picking it up, she realized that the book had been ½ way through the chapter on Inuyasha.
Kagome froze as the realization swept over her. A feeling of deja vu, she had read that book, read that chapter before. Could it all have been the result of a book and an overactive imagination?
She was confused, she felt as if she had been there, as if she had been through so much. Yet,her body bore no proof of her adventures, and the circumstances were leading to the conclusion of a dream.
Drops of salty tears flowed down her face, wiping them and sniffling, Kagome had little more to say than
"It can't just have been a dream...and if it was, why is my mind so cruel?"
Closing her eyes, as tight as she could, Kagome tried to block out the world.
Time had passed and she could stand it no longer, she couldn't stay under the Sacred Tree her entire life, but part of her knew that she couldn't give up so quickly. She sprinted to her home, slamming the door as she flew past. Dashing through her kitchen, she had startled her mother and caused her to drop the contents of the meal she was preparing. The medley of clanging metal sang throughout their home, as the kitchen's utensils collided with the ground.
"Are you ok Kagome!?!"
"I just need to see something"
"Is something wrong !?!"
The words of Kagome's mother faded into the distance as Kagome scaled the stairs, her heart pounding as she approached her bedroom. For the bedroom would be the final test, the defining moment in defining reality. The items that lie within, would prove that her love was true and their absence would finalize her conclusions and consolidate her greatest fear...that Inuyasha was gone. And of course this would be even worse, because he would have always been gone-being just a dream.
She leapt onto her bed and leaned over the side. Looking to her night stand, she had seen what she so needed to see. A picture of Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Inuyasha, and herself aside the springs on a gentle starlit night. Relief swept over her, as her heart warmed at the realization.
But it was that moment that her heart sank and a pit began to grow in her stomach. She strolled into her bathroom and saw that little had changed. A framed picture of Inuyasha laid upon the floor within one of the several puddles of water that covered the entire area. The puddles had been formed by every drip to flow from Kagome's body as she suffered in the bathroom that fateful day...when his absence left her broken.
She grew uneasy as she recalled the events leading up to Inuyasha's transformation and to her untimely murder. She longed for his touch, for even another insult. She loved him in all of his forms, and her heart sank every time his callous voice rang through her ears. Every time she heard him..heard him call her
"Liar!!!!!!!!"
Her love could never be in questioned and it killed her to think that his last memory of her had been full of so much anger, that their goodbye had been so vile.
Kagome opened her window, almost as if she was waiting for him to leap through once more. She sat upon the windowsill and just stared out into the night. Observing the brilliant lights of the city, admiring the bright radiance of the stars, and focusing upon his favorite branch. The branch he would sit upon as he waited outside of her window, the branch they would sleep upon at night, as she dazed off in the warmth of his arms and the security of his lap.
Hours went by and it had gotten late. Reaching for her journal, she sat at her desk. She had opened it to the beginning and just read. Her emotions leapt from one to the next. Her state was variable, changing upon every page.
The humor of his stubborn nature.
The sorrow of when he would choose Kikyo over herself
The admiration as he fought so valiantly and fiercely.
The undying devotion that she showed him, as he did her.
The joy of when he would open himself up to her, of when he held her in sweet embrace.
The pity she would feel for him and his wretched childhood.
The fear of his demonic side robbing him of his soul...Robbing his soul, it was a warning once given to them. Yet she knew that it couldn't be true. He had been cold, he had been hurting, he called Kouga a thief, herself a liar. His attack seemed to be driven by the idea that she was no longer his.
"I was always yours."
Clutching her hands to her chest, Kagome sighed and took a deep breath. Flipping to the next blank page, grasping her pen, Kagome began to chronicle her latest...and last adventures in the feudal era.
Whispering every word to herself as she chronicled her last adventure with the stubborn ex-hanyou with her pen dancing across her pages, as if it were possessed by some kind of outside force. A bittersweet half smile formed across her face, and her eyes welled but would not tear. As she wrote and whispered....
It's hard to really explained what had happened, many events were beyond my reach. All I know is that something made Inuyasha believe that I didn't care, that I didn't love him with all my heart- I know that I did, and still do. I only wish that he could have known.
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself here, I suppose I'm having trouble writing down what I "believe" was my last adventure. I awoke on the floor of the well with memories of disaster and of pain. Of my death, and of Inuyasha finally letting me know (in his own way) that he cared for me. I've come to realize that there are no marks on my body to support this, and my other scars have faded as well, I don't know what could explain this. I have no jewel, and I have no transportation to the feudal era as result. I really hope that this all hasn't been some sort of diluted fantasy or illusion, that I'm going insane...though that's a better excuse than grandpa could ever come up with. If all else fails, I could always publish my tales. People don't just come up with stuff this unreal without it being something special.
She giggled to herself in the brevity of a peaceful moment. Her joke alleviated the pain and had given her the strength to continue onwards.
Well, I guess I'm going off of my subject, this is just too hard to say.
With him gone, and me sick and alone, all I could do Is worry about him. I know that he had a rough childhood, and that old bat certainly brought back something painful to remember. I understand that he left, and I understood why, but something felt different. It shouldn't have felt so wrong to let him go, and I'll never know why I felt like he was in danger. Maybe part of me sensed his transformation before even he did. Whatever it was, I could barely move without my mind moving towards him. My body ached and I felt horrible from my cold, but nothing seemed to matter if it didn't involve him. I wish I could have been like sleeping beauty, and just lie there frozen until he came to save me. Every moment awake and alone was torture, and I just wanted to fast forward time itself. I stayed in the shower for hours, I can't really explain why-habit of waiting it out until he would interrupt I guess. It wasn't until recently that I've begun to realize just how much I liked to purposely torture him and get on his nerves. I'm honestly starting to think were best together when we're angry. I felt an undescribable sense of danger and I knew something was wrong with Inuyasha, almost as if he had died. I barely made it to the well and when I arrived on the other side, I was too weak to properly climb.
It was weird, while I struggled to climb out and reach him, Kikyo's soul finally returned to me. I never knew why or how she died, though in hindsight I assume she was another of Inuyasha's victims as a demon. I felt stronger and energetic, my cold didn't fade, but I felt better and met with Sango and Miroku. We heard of an attacking demon fitting what could either be Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru's description. We found that Inuyasha had indeed struck. He was a demon and he could wield the tetsuiga. We formulated a strategy, though that was mostly Miroku, and we began traveling. I was too emotional and slowed us down, though in the end, I suppose I did the right thing. Whatever I did, somehow drove Miroku to profess his love to Sango. Seeing how they would die shortly after (they were hurt fatally in the final battle), it's nice to know there was one less piece of unfinished business for the two reluctant lovers.
Inuyasha attacked us, and his aura was as strong, if not stronger than Naraku's. He was a full demon, and he used the tetsuiga with a proficiency that I've never seen him display before. Yet during all the attacks, he never tried to hurt me. We met with Kouga's clan and retreated to their caves to prepare. Me and Miroku placed a barrier around the wolf-demon tribe's caves, hoping to provide some sort of first wave of defense. Kouga would never stop making passes at me, and on the travel there I had to ride on his back. This always drove Inuyasha nuts, and I kinda understand why. I told Kouga how I felt, and it didn't change much, though it did make me feel a lot better about things.
Inuyasha struck, the blades of blood was infused with energy, and in one swipe took out Miroku, Sango, and the wolf-demon tribe. Screaming that Kouga was a "thief" and a "criminal", Inuyasha had admitted his feelings through his possessive rage, he wanted me to be his and his alone. Inuyasha threw him around and was ready to kill him. Kouga's flirting seemed to had made Inuyasha believe that we were together. Inuyasha was always a lot dumber as a full demon.
As she mentioned the intelligence of the transformed hanyou, she heard what could only be described as a chuckle outside of her window.She quickly moved toward her window and saw that nothing was there. Easing back into her chair, Kagome continued her tale.
I knew that I was part of Inuyasha's motivation. I knew that if he had an idea of how much I cared for him that everything would have been better. But I was in Kouga's cave, trying to keep Inuyasha out, I had Kouga's scent all over me from the ride, If I was a demon, if I had those powerful senses, I would have deemed myself to be a liar too, I guess. I told Inuyasha that I lived for him, and he called me a liar-before striking me dead. I fell into his arms and I honestly, never felt more alive, than as I faded. There is no place I would rather my end be, than in the arms of the man I love.
I don't know why the jewel is gone, maybe he finally found something he wanted badly enough to wish for. Maybe he became the most powerful demon in the land and ruled with an iron fist, I would have loved to see how Sesshoumaru would deal with that. Maybe he wished everyone back to life. Then again, seeing how he killed them, I doubt that happened. It just feels horrible that someone I care for so much, took away so many other people that I cared for. Though I know that it wasn't really him, not all him at least. I kinda feel some blame too, I seemed to drive him and his attacks. Though maybe I'm just thinking with more ego than common sense. Not everything revolves around me (though in the feudal era, a lot more did than I would have liked). I don't really know what to say, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kaede, Kouga, even Rin and Sesshoumaru- I'll miss you all and a piece of my heart will always belong to you all.
This is so hard to say, I mean there is nothing to say after this. This is the end of my journeys.
I'm here, the modern era was my home once, and it will be forever more. There are no more swords (aside from cheap ripoff decorations in the marketplace), there are no more wars, the doctor has replaced the miko, and we have police taking the place of the demon-slayers...to an extent. More than anything...there are no more demons. I haven't sensed one in this era, and I doubt that I ever will. Something drove them to extinction, and while Inuyasha MAY have lived long enough to still be roaming this world, I know that he isn't. It kills me inside when I realize that I have to say this. The past is gone, the future is bare, my life is tied to my heart, and now both are broken. I don't know how I'll go on or what that I'll do, but I know that I have to say this. I know that I have to say goodbye Inuyasha. Goodbye my love. It would seem that our time together has ended, and that our journey has reached it's finale. It's over...it's all over.
"I wouldn't quite say that."
A voice had floated from her heart and into the wind. She followed the sound to her window and saw that there was a man, around the age of twenty or so. Sitting relaxed upon Inuyasha's favorite branch. A cocky grin fixed upon his face. Long flowing black locks of hair accented his deep and never ending eyesas he stared at her through the darkness. He was dressed from head to toe in a business suit that easily cost thousands of dollars. In his hands were a bouquet of vibrant red roses.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"
Kagome had no idea who this man in her window was. She panickedand ran to the other side of her room. She reached for her practice bow and was beginning to thread to bow.
"Get Away! Who Are you!?!"
A smug voice carried to her, vibrating through every fiber of her being.
"So quick to dismiss, when was the last time I told you that your such a stupid girl?"
Every sound that came from him ignited the rhythmic pounding of her heart, a fluttering sensation pulsating through her warming body. Her eyes, once welling, were now forcing complete tears.
In shock, unable to believe what was happening, she questioned and gasped
"Inu...."
Leaping across the room, and landing beside her, the man had swept Kagome off of her feet and held her close, with a firm, yet soft grip, he held her to him. Leaning in, and cutting her off mid-word, the man had pressed his lips against hers and kissed her with unrelenting passion. Their hands wandered, traveling up and down each other's backs, as they pulled each other tight, and let their hearts communicate in a way far more complex than any language could ever speak of, as their kiss deepened.
Breaking away in shock...and for air-Kagome stared into the man's eyes...so familiar to her, as she finished what she had tried to say before, as she gasped for air.
".......yasha?"
The man smirked and a "heh" escaped from his lips. A warm and gentle smile spread across his face. Bringing his hand to her face, the man gently brushed aside Kagome's hair off of her face. Leaning in and falling into her gorgeous eyes...
"Smart Girl."
He followed his words with yet another kiss, and they stayed like that for most of the night. For her it had been days, for him it had been centuries. There was much to be asked, and much to be told, but for the moment...nothing else mattered than the expression of love, between two people who have waited far too long.
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Chapter's over
Lots and Lots more to come.
Next chapter we'll find out how everyone wound up, why Sesshoumaru forgave him, what his wish was, and some shocking discoveries as to Inuyasha's current state.
Not to mention the start of my second story arc, which will mix current events and stories of the past. It'll focus on what exactly happened during the 500 or so years he has waited to be with Kagome.
Please review...and don't be too harsh here- I know the journal was like one big summary, but it was necessary.
