Never Lose Hope
A/N: This is my first Inuyasha fanfic so please be gentle with the reviews. Flames are discouraged but constructive comments as I call them are welcomed. I don't think I'm good at writing but who knows maybe you think different. Oh and a little notice: at the end of every chapter/prologue there is a little summary of the next chapter and a little poll of what you want to happen. Hope you enjoy. Now read on.
Summary: Kagome is now home after a fight with Inuyasha. Annoyed by everybody's comments about saying sorry, Inuyasha goes on yet another one of his journeys into the forest and bumps into Kikyo. Kikyo seems more distant than usual. Is she hiding something? Inuyasha wonders this as he asks her about what's going on.
Pairings: Inuyasha/Kikyo, Miroku/Sango, Sesshomaru/Rin (she's older), Koga/Ayame
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha but sadly I don't. This goes for all chapters.
Prologue
Inuyasha sat perched on a tree branch. Below him Sango, Miroku, and Shippo all yelled at him. Inuyasha's eyes stood closed but his eyebrows twitched in fury.
"Will you shut up already with this Kagome stuff? It's getting annoying!" the silver haired hanyo yelled at the people/demons below.
"It's not our fault you got into a fight with Kagome. Since you did it you should fix it!" Shippo yelled back at Inuyasha.
"I'm not going through the well and getting her. If you want her back you gotta wait til she comes back herself," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath.
"Every fight with Kagome always ends with him going to get her back," Sango said as she sipped some tea. "What was this one about Miroku? I lost track."
"I believe it was about Lady Kikyo again. Inuyasha met up with her and Kagome once again saw them," Miroku replied as he too drank some tea.
"Kikyo," Inuyasha whispered and wondered what she was doing at this time. Why does everybody always show up at our encounters? Something always goes wrong. That prevents me from telling you my feeling towards you and this whole journey for revenge, Inuyasha thought.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha I'm talking to you!" Shippo yelled in anger as he snapped Inuyasha out of his thoughts.
"I'm sick and tired of all your complaining. I'm leaving," Inuyasha mumbled and jumped from the tree branch. He ran off into the forest and when he felt nobody was in sight, he started to walk.
"Inuyasha do this, Inuyasha do that. That's all they ever say," Inuyasha muttered to himself.
A soul skimmer floated above him and disappeared into the distance. Many other followed with souls in their possession.
"Kikyo," he whispered and followed the soul skimmers. "These should lead me to you."
After a few seconds of running, Inuyasha spotted a blue light surrounding a woman who looked as if she had been thrown on the tree branches.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha cried and ran towards the woman who was in fact Kikyo.
Kikyo's body hung over the multiple tree branches. Her head hung from one and her arms and legs another. Her body was the only part of her that was neatly placed on a range of two branches.
Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and weak but consistent. She was indeed unconscious.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha yelled once again. He grabbed Kikyo's stiff shoulders and shook them frantically.
Her deep chocolate brown eyes slightly opened. Her black hair hung over her cracked open eyes which made it hard for Kikyo to make out the person in front of her.
"Kikyo," Inuyasha sighed in relief. I thought you were dead; Inuyasha thought and then gave Kikyo a cold glare. "What are you thinking? Why are you out here?"
"Inu…yasha," Kikyo whispered. She recognized him only because of his voice.
"Kikyo why are you here?" Inuyasha asked once more.
"Shhhh stay quiet. Your words hurt my ears," Kikyo said softly as she slightly covered her ears.
"Why are you here," Inuyasha asked again but in a whisper. He was very persistent.
Kikyo tried to sit up on the branch but a sharp pain in her shoulder kept her down. She sighed and opened her eyes fully then moved the hair from her face.
"Are you okay?" Inuyasha yelled when he saw her wince.
"I'm fine do not worry about me. I do not need your pity," Kikyo said coldly.
"Fine just tell me what you're doing here," Inuyasha said and jumped on a tree branch at the same level as the one Kikyo was on.
"Naraku," Kikyo whispered.
"Naraku? What did he do to you Kikyo? Is he is the reason you are in so much pain?" Inuyasha shot out questions at the injured Kikyo.
Kikyo stood silent. Her face and eyes showed no emotion at first. Now there were hints of pain, worry, and concern.
"I guess this is another thing you won't tell me," Inuyasha mumbled. She's hiding something I can tell.
Ayame sat at the lake's edge and thought about Koga. I know I'm not stupid. I know he remembers the promise he made to me, Ayame thought.
"He claims he doesn't remember but I can tell. He remembers what happened but…but he doesn't want me to know that he remembers," Ayame whispered and looked up at the now setting sun.
Koga ran through a forest but stopped to admire the beauty of the setting sun. "Ayame," he whispered.
"Koga wait up!" two voices called in the distance.
"Why do you insist I remember that promise I made? Can't you just move on with your life?" Koga asked the sky as if it was Ayame. "I don't want to remember because I'm afraid that if we marry, I will hurt you in many ways. Please Ayame just forget about it. I don't want to love anybody after what happened to me. I even gave up Kagome."
