Looks like I really did have to wait 'til Monday to poste... I had trouble getting into my account yesterday.
animeluver911: Here's The next Chapter, sorry 'bout the wait!
kasandra16: Thank you for the compliment, but Be careful with the praise, my head might swell. And an author with a swelled head is a bad one. Then where would we be. I would be guilty of writing bad Fanfiction, a fate worse than death.
SilverStarWing: Back again I see! I promise the confrontation takes place in this chapter. Hope you haven't died yet!
inuyashabooklover5188: Perhaps I didn't clarify it well enough in the chapter, but Lee is about Souta's age, maybe younger. That puts him at about 8 or 9 years old, bit young for Kagome. Heck even Lee's brother is too young for her. I promise The Inuyasha/Kagome pairing is safe in this fic!
Akihanah: I know those two charages would be very serious in the states, but I don't know how they would go over in Tokyo, Japan... Which is where the story takes place. Besides, in my experience, misdemeaners dealing with children are not always taken to the police. And as for the bus stop... In a city full of people, Noticing the broken bus stop, reporting it, and actually blaming it on the correct person are three different things. None of which happen altogether promptly or at all (in the case of the last part). And Kagome never struck me as one to report property damage caused by minors. P.S. Minors in Japan include everybody under the age of 20, so Kagome's a minor for another few years.
Just a little Heads up, only ONE more Chapter people and its mostly just tieing up a few loose ends. It's been great hearing from you and I'm glad you all loved the story! Maybe I'll getting around to finishing my other one and poste it!
Because I am not a patient person: Inuyasha, the characters therein and the finals I failed because of, shall be sucked into my latest science project for safe keeping; a personal, portable, reversible blackhole that is pocket size for my convenience!
And so the journey continues!
Healing
Disappointing.
And a little disheartening.
That's how it felt waking up in that old well house alone. Kagome's scent was slowly fading in the air I breathed, signifying that she'd left some time ago.
Why hadn't I wakened? I suppose I shouldn't be overly surprised. I hadn't slept well in over a month. Before she left this last time I'd never realized just how hard it was to sleep when I couldn't smell her, couldn't see she was safe. And when I could finally fulfill those two criteria and she was already unconscious, I naturally slept like a baby.
It was frustrating. It was disgraceful. It was the way I always slept in Kagome's time. And Because of that, she'd managed to sneak off while I was imitating a blanket. Now that was embarrassing.
From the position of the books and my haori pillowing my head, it appeared I'd sprawled an arm across her lap pinning her to the chair. That and I must've rested my head on her thigh.
Damn my sleeping body! Damn her for still managing to sneak off!
I sighed, a sound Miroku had been complaining about for the last few weeks. Seems I'd somehow traded my characteristic "Feh!" for the more subdued dejected sigh. Gods, I'm pathetic!
I hauled myself off the floor and shrugged into the fire rat fur. The day would continue without me and I still had to convince Kagome I didn't hate her.
I walk outside, shaking the last of the sleep-fuzz from my brain and head straight for the house. I figured Kagome would most likely be there. Where else would she go? Or so I thought, come find out I was wrong.
The occupants of the house were just beginning to stir, it still being fairly early. Kagome's mom was in the kitchen.
Mrs. Higurashi was usually very good about making sure that all her family was well fed, and she'd long ago decided that I was a member of that family. I love her cooking. Don't get me wrong, I do love ramen and I love that Kagome makes sure to bring me lots of it, but I like other things too. I just never say anything to Kagome. I was afraid if I let on that I love other foods, Kagome might stop bringing me the ramen.
Actually to be totally honest, I was afraid Kagome would stop brining me (specifically) things period. I like that Kagome thinks enough of me to try to bring the ramen. I like that she thinks of me when she does that. And secretly I love arguing with her about it too.
Kagome is especially pretty when she's all fired up to argue. And I work very hard to make sure nearly all her arguments are with me. Hence why I get so angry over Kouga. Sure I get jealous over that Hobo guy, but it's worse with Kouga. Kagome's actually argued with Kouga, I've seen it. He knows how lovely she gets when she's truly focused on an argument. I suspect that's part of the reason he never accepts her refusals.
But I'd even put up with Kouga constantly nearby if Kagome would just come back with me, back to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou.
I heaved a big sigh and refocus on Kagome's mom in her neat, sunlit kitchen.
"Morning, Inuyasha," she greeted me with a tired smile. I guess Kagome's depression has affected her family quite a bit. I've never seen her mother look so old. "Did you get a chance to talk with Kagome?" she asked as she turned back to her cooking.
"No, she was asleep when I found her and gone when I woke up," I replied quietly.
Mrs. H. nodded, "She'll be back in a few hours. Kagome normally takes several tests on Sundays," she informed me matter-of-factually. I gave a start that she, thankfully, missed. I hadn't realized Kagome had actually left the shrine grounds. "You'll need to stay here until she's done, Inuyasha," Mrs. H. continued. "Kagome wouldn't appreciate the interruption. She'll be fine on her own."
Before I could suppress it, I let off a small growl. I didn't think Kagome would be fine without me. I'd seen what she looked like; Kagome was primed to break under the slightest bit of pressure.
Mrs. Higurashi forcefully moved me to a seat at her table and placed some food in front of me. "Eat," she ordered and I blinked at her. "Kagome needs a little time to herself, and the only time she gets it is on Sundays. Now you are going to wait until she comes home ready to talk to you on your own or I am going to call Sesshoumaru and he'll make you stay here. Understood?" I nodded slightly dumbfounded. I've never had Kagome's mom threaten me with my brother before. It was kind of creepy. "Good!" she smiled, "and while we're waiting you can get cleaned up." She turned around to greet a sleepy eyed Souta.
Good thing too. She missed the face I made at the mention of bathing. I was absolutely certain that all the cleaning these people did was likely to rub their skin plumb off. Just because it hadn't been proven yet didn't mean it wouldn't happen. It was that belief and the horribly flowery soaps they used here that created my firm distaste for bathing more than the necessary once every few months.
But I knew it was useless to argue with Kagome's mother about this. Hell she'd probably insist on washing my clothes too. Man I hated smelling like a bouquet!
While I was musing, I missed Souta's transition from being half asleep to fully awake when he realized I actually was sitting in the kitchen glaring at breakfast. If I had paid attention, I probably wouldn't have fallen to the floor when the boy immediately glomped onto me.
"Inuyasha! You're really here!" the boy squealed excitedly. "Did you come through the well? I thought Kagome sealed it? Why didn't you come sooner? Are you taking Kagome back? Have you defeated the bad guy yet..." Souta asked going a million miles a minute.
My ears were plastered to my skull and they still hurt from the sound of his childish curiosity.
"Souta!" Mrs. H. said sharply and thankfully the boy fell silent. Don't get me wrong, I love Kagome's family. It's just stressful being the center of their attention for long, and the grandfather hadn't even put in his appearance yet. "Let Inuyasha eat. Sit down and eat your breakfast before it gets cold." Mrs. Higurashi ordered sternly.
"Yes mom," the boy grumbled quietly under his breath for a few minutes before settling down to eat the meal before him.
The old man walked in quietly, bid everybody a lethargic good morning, picked up a cup of hot tea and departed from the room. I stared after him for a few minutes. Somehow I'd expected more of a "Be gone Demon" performance than just a good morning. It was a bit anticlimactic for him to just say "good morning" instead. Huh.
I watched mother and son interact over their meal in that warm kitchen and ached. I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to feel I had the right to be a part of this family breakfast. I wanted to know so far deep down the roots were undetectable that they would always be there for me no matter what I do. I wanted…
I shook my head slightly. I already had pieces of that. Intellectually I knew the Higurashis considered me a part of the family, but I also knew I wouldn't feel it until I had…
A wistful sigh escaped me as I mentally shook myself. That was a dream for another day. I wasn't even at a point where I could even ask for what I wanted. If I did, I couldn't know if Kagome accepted out of guilt or true feeling.
Right now, I just had to work on getting our relationship back to where it was before last month. That would all start with convincing Kagome I didn't hate her, and I never could.
Breakfast was cleared away and Souta headed out to a friend's house for the day. Kagome's mom promptly shoved me into the bathroom, divesting of most of my clothes in the process. It amazes me. I sometimes think Mrs. Higurashi must be part demon somehow because she almost always seems to successfully make me do things I'd rather not.
I sat in the water of their bath staring at the ceiling while the steam curled around me. I was familiar with how to use their facilities. Kagome had seen to that. The memory of her blushingly instructing me on modern bathing techniques plastered a smile on my face. Gods I miss her!
I sighed when the water started getting cold. I crawled out of the bath and dried off using one of the fluffy pieces of cloth Kagome likes to call a 'towel'. Sometime while I was in the bath, Mrs. H. had run off with the last of my clothing. In their place were a neatly folded pair of jeans that smelled vaguely of my brother. What was Kagome's mom doing with my brother's clothes? I shook my head, it was unimportant. At least the clothes didn't smell like flowers, I wrinkled my nose at the thought.
I got dressed and slowly left the confines of the bathroom. It felt strange walking around without something covering my chest and the pants didn't fit quite right, but it was temporary and I could live with it.
I headed for my favorite tree to wait for Kagome. One thing I've learned about the people who visit the shrine, they never look up. I never had to hide much when I was sitting in my tree. I'm truly grateful for that, there's nowhere else I feel more comfortable. Except maybe Kagome's room when she's in it. Or, like last night, when we're both near the well.
I watched the people come and go from the shrine for hours all my senses straining for the first hint of Kagome. Eventually I think I zoned out. Lost in memories or perhaps in thought, whatever it was, I wasn't really seeing what was taking place before me anymore. They didn't matter, those strangers.
Under normal circumstances, it isn't a good idea to ignore what's going on around me. Strangers are just the kind of people most likely to hurt you when you aren't looking. Despite that, it wasn't a stranger that knocked me out of my tree. No, that kind of evil can only be brought about by truly despicable half brothers. As if falling out of the tree wasn't enough.
"You're pathetic," Sesshoumaru chuckled at me.
"Shut up!" I growled back, sullenly glowering at the hard ground that broke my fall.
Sesshoumaru reached over and ruffled his hand through my hair the way I've seen Kagome do to Souta when she's teasing him. I was stunned. Since when did Sesshoumaru start acting like that? I watched his face lose some of its warmth at my reaction. "You always did take things too personally," he teased softly. He retracted his hand under my stare. "Mrs. Higurashi tells me you haven't had the chance to talk to Kagome yet. Whatever you do don't chicken out. You both deserve to get past this. I don't think either of you would survive if you don't. If you weren't hurting so bad because of this I never would've been able to sneak up on you and I am not blind to the danger to Kagome. If she does not start sleeping properly and eating like she used to , she won't even have to commit suicide. Some disease will catch her and there will be no chance to save her," Sesshoumaru sighed. "Humans are so fragile to begin with, but with Kagome in the weakened state she's sunk into…" he shook his head and looked away. "Just don't chicken out, like you often do in situations like this, and don't hold back, I assure you she feels as much about you as you do about her."
"Feh! What would you know?" I grumbled to hide my confusion.
Sesshoumaru smiled slightly, "I now what her mother tells me. I know what I saw all those years ago. I always thought Kagome was your mate for more reasons than the fact she was always with you. And after saying that, I'm going to say this. Don't ever hurt her. I have grown to see her much like I would a daughter or a younger sister, and I will protect her as I would if she truly was such a relation. Don't make me protect her from you, Inuyasha. It would be painful for all involved."
"Just what the hell have you been doing the last five hundred years? Hell-o, You're Sesshoumaru, hater of humans and me in general, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, the Ice Prince," I exclaimed. I guess I was teasing a little bit. I was still confused about his strange behavior.
"I suppose it could be that I missed you, little brother," Sesshoumaru chuckled. "or it could just be seeing you trying to wear my pants."
My face turned absolutely scarlet, I couldn't help it. I of course attempted to hit him. I missed as he sped for the house. "Get back here, you bastard!" I growled after his chuckling figure.
It was then that I smelled it, that scent that always gutted me with guilt. It was Kagome, and she was bleeding again. The scent came from the well house, so that's where I went silently cursing Sesshoumaru for distracting me enough to miss her arrival on the grounds.
I slid the door open quietly and padded into the old wooden building. Her back was to me as she lifted her ridiculously huge yellow bag on to the desk.
"Alright, where is it!" he muffled voice reached my ears. I could have listened to her grumble and complain all day for the rest of my life so long as she never left. "Aha!" Kagome yelled in triumph, "found it!" she placed what I recognized as her first aid kit on the desk beside the bag before she returned the back pack to the floor.
She opened the lid on the kit and I noticed the jagged cut on her elbow, the source of the blood smell. Kagome lifted some bandages and disinfectants out of the kit and prepared to doctor the wound herself.
"I'll do it," I spoke up. It would be faster and easier if she didn't have to do it herself.
She jumped in surprise before letting out the breath that had caught in her throat. Kagome closed her eyes and turned around. Her eyes opened slowly and for the first time, I saw the full effect this last month's separation had wrought upon her person.
There were dark rings under her eyes and her hair had lost some of its shine. Her hands, which had always been so delicate and small, looked brittle as they shook. But the worst of it, the worst change lay in my Kagome's eyes. The soulfully expressive orbs looked pained and lost. There was no light in them. Sesshoumaru was right. If I couldn't reach her, Kagome would be lost. My beautiful Kagome would fade into nothing.
I moved to her and took the bandages out of her hand before sitting her on the incredibly neat desk. I wanted to avoid the serious discussion until after her wound had been seen to. It was very likely we would forget it once the real conversation started. So I chose a fairly obvious topic of discussion since a silent Kagome scared me. I asked about the wound and how she'd managed to get it.
Kagome told me she'd helped a boy younger than Souta fight off a couple of bullies. That's my Kagome, no matter what her life was like, she would always stand up for what she perceived as right. It made protecting her difficult, but wanting to protect her was the easier for it.
I cleaned the wound and wrapped it tightly in clean gauze as I'd learned from watching Kagome patch up all the rest of us. She told me how she'd invited this "Lee" boy up to the shrine and that she needed to remember to inform her mother incase the boy came here when Kagome wasn't home. By then I had to step back, my excuse for touching gone. Time to start the fight for Kagome.
I thought I would have to be the one to start it, but Kagome beat me to it.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" she asked me softly.
I smiled gently, "I've come to take you home."
"But I am home."
I shook my head, "Kagome, you once told me that home is where the heart is. If your heart is here, why can't you smile?" She stared at me and shook her head. Time to try something different, "Kagome, why did you leave?"
Her eyes widened slightly at the question. Perhaps she was alarmed I asked, perhaps she was surprised and thought I would already know. I suppose I did know, but I wanted her to say it so I could prove just how silly it truly sounded.
She looked away finally and mumbled something I couldn't make out. "I'm sorry," I caught her chin as it turned, "I didn't catch that."
Kagome rewarded me with a glare that could melt metal. "I said," she began annoyed, "I killed Kikyou," her voice grew softer as if it only reluctantly came out.
"Yes, you did," she moved to retreat from my hold on her chin and I squeezed harder. "Yes, you killed Kikyou…" I paused to run my other hand through her hair soothingly," you killed her before I could." Kagome stopped struggling against me in shock. "What? Are you surprised?" I couldn't resist smirking at the look she gave me. "She hurt you, tried to kill you and I know it wasn't the first time."
"But I never-"
"Told me, I know." I interrupted her. "And I kind of know why, I just put two and two together. Will you forgive me for not seeing it sooner?"
Kagome blinked at me, I think she was surprised I was asking her to forgive me. Ever so slowly she began to smile as tears began to fall and choke her up. "Only if you'll forgive me."
I smiled roguishly back at her, "for what? Killing Kikyou? Feh! You just got her before I could! For defending me like a friend should?" I shook my head, "then you'd have to forgive me for saving you from all the demons after the shards. And I'll forgive you for thinking I would ever want you to leave if you'll forgive me for ever letting that thought anywhere near your head." By now she was crying in earnest and while I normally hate it when she cries, I knew she needed to let it all out before she could heal. "oh Kagome," I breathed in her scent as I dragged her into a big hug.
Several minutes of tear-filled silence filled the well house while I held and rocked her.
Kagome sniffled slightly and stepped back to look at me. The light was back in her eyes and her smile was brilliant. Looks like I fulfilled Mrs. H.'s wish. "Inuyasha," she sighted gently before really seeing what I looked like at that moment. "What are you wearing!" she started to giggle. Perhaps it was the relief she felt at knowing I didn't hate her, maybe it was the six inches of extra pant leg I was standing on, Whatever it was that made her laugh, it was good to hear her do it again.
"Your mom was being funny," I grumbled down at the jeans.
"Why didn't you just roll them up?"
"I wasn't planning to wear them that long," I answered. "I wouldn't be wearing them at all if your mom hadn't run off with my clothes."
Kagome shook her head with a smile, "c'mon lets go see if mom's done with your clothes. If nothing else, we can get you a shirt and eat some lunch. I'm starved!"
I had to grin at that, my Kagome was back and on the road to recovery. The day was looking up.