Chapter 2: Your Scent
I opened my eyes. Taking a breath I stood, smoothing out my kimono. I turned to Sango's house and made a bow.
"Sango, please forgive me. It's too soon," I whispered, and then turned my back on her house and the road. I started walking, my head lowered to my chest, and my breath coming in slowly.
"What's she doing, Inu?" Shippou whispered to Inuyasha as they crouched behind the trees that lined the road on the left side.
"I don't know, Ship," he said, frowning.
She walked silently, not like Kagome normally would do. Her head was down and he could have sworn he smelt salt. Which would mean she was crying. But because of her hair, he couldn't see. He felt frustration rise in him, a feeling he hadn't felt since Shippou was ten and decided that camping was good idea, without Inuyasha.
They ran along the path, keeping up with the girl.
Finally, they reached the Go-shinboku tree. They froze at its base, as they realized the girl was going there. Shippou looked around for a hiding place and leapt to the top of a nearby tree. Inuyasha was frozen but then something snapped in him and he jumped for the tree's branches.
I stepped into the small clearing after following the road and then the path to the old tree.
With the darkness here, the place was eeriely quiet.
Remembering the zombie like creature from this afternoon, I looked around, but saw no one.
I moved to the base of the tree and touched its bark. It felt warm. I climbed up on one of its giant roots and looked and felt for the spot where the arrow had pinned Inuyasha for fifty years until I had lost him. I felt it, and sighed. I let my hand rest over it.
"Inuyasha."
The one word hung in the air. I felt a few tears rise in my eyes, but knew that if I never said goodbye to him, I'd never be truly over him.
"I know that I never told you everything. I know I lied to you, and ...subdued you so many times you must hate me beyong all reason. But please understand this now. I can't be here. I want to be here, my shikon tells me to stay, but all I can think about is you. I think of everything we use to do. It burns and bruises my heart that you may not remember me, may not believe I am who I say I am. I've mourned every minute that I wasn't here after that day you kissed me. Every day since that day, I had wanted to come back, but worried there wasn't a place for me here anymore. I worried that I would never be anything than a housewife back in my time...I worried selfishly," I said aloud, my head bent in prayer.
'Damn right you worried selfishly,' Inuyasha thought, peering down at the girl from his branch. Her scent wafted up to him, rich and strong. The vanilla almost overpowered the jasmine. It was a wonderful combination, one Inuyasha could never get over.
"I never thought in a million years that you would mourn for me. I never thought any of you would think twice of me never coming back. I never realized how much you all cared for me. I thought that my life would be better if I never came back," I said, feeling tears burning my eyes. They were angry tears. "But it wasn't. You cursed me without realizing it!" I shouted, raising a fist and looking up into the branches. I stopped, blinked and then let out a scream as I realized someone was staring down at me.
I backed off the tree and then promptly fainted.
Inuyasha couldn't believe what he had just heard. He was frozen, until he saw and heard the loud THUMP of the girl hitting the ground.
He jumped easily from the tree, landing in a crouch next to her. He sniffed her. Hm. It smelled definetly like Kagome. Shippou came down from his hiding spot as well.
"Is she...dead?" He asked, with wide-eyed innocence. Sometimes Inuyasha thought he was still seven years old.
"No. Not dead, just fainted," Inuyasha replied shortly.
"Shouldn't we try to wake her up?" Shippou replied, reaching out and poking the girl's arm with a finger.
I felt something poke me.
"Ow," I murmured, trying to move away from the poking thing.
"Don't poke her like that, you little brat!" somebody hissed.
"Don't pick on Shippou like that," I murmured and rolled onto my side.
The bickering immeadietly stopped.
I blinked a few times slowly and two shapes began to emerge from the darkness. I blinked again and I could see them clearly. And then I felt tears water in my eyes as I saw him. Inuyasha. Just as he was in my dream. I shut my eyes tightly again and shook my head, whimpering, "No, no...no...this is just another zombie attacking induced dream..."
I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me. "Come on Shippou...let's take her back to Sango's. She's in shock. You might want to send for Kaede-baba too."
And then blackness swallowed me again.
They all sat around the small fireplace in Sango's home.
Inuyasha leaned against the wall next to the girl's room, whose identity wasn't revealed just yet, but he was pretty sure it was Kagome, and stared blanky into the roaring flames.
Sango and Miroku sat on the cushioned futon across the room, hand in hand, and they said nothing, just kept their eyes downcast.
Shippou sat on the floor, sketching something on some of the rice paper he had made earlier in the week. His hands were stained with the malachite that he used for a pencil, but it would come off with a good half hour of scrubbing.
All was silent.
And then Kaede came out.
She leaned heavily on a cane, and her eyes looked weary, and even older than ever.
"So?" The group all said expectantly.
"So...Lady Kagome will be alright," Kaede said.
Sango and Miroku exchanged looks and then they nodded. Inuyasha huffed and Shippou simply smiled.
Kaede bowed her way out of the house, as quickly as her cane would allow.
"So. That's why you were having a slumber party?" Inuyasha snorted at Sango.
Sango flushed.
"I doubt it's even really her," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I doubt it's even really her," were the first words I awoke to.
I sat up quickly, my heart beating double time. That was Inuyasha's voice, I'd know it anywhere.
I got up from the futon bed and whisked across the floor, and standing just on the other side of the door, listened to their conversation.
"How could you even say that Inu?" Shippou said.
"First of all, she doesn't look the same and second of all, she died, remember!" Inuyasha yelled at his son.
"But her scent!"
"Yes, her scent. That girl in there is probably nothing more than a witch that brought down Kagome and bathed in her blood to make her into a beautiful young girl again!" Inuyasha yelled.
Everyone was stunned into silence.
I looked at the door, feeling tears rising in my eyes.
I knew it.
I knew that he wouldn't trust me. I knew he wouldn't believe in me. I felt the heartbreak begin all over again.
The mat that covered the door opened.
"Ah, so you're awake."
I turned my back to the speaker.
"Yes."
A hand snaked forward to touch my shoulder. I brushed it away.
"I'm fine, no need to worry about me. After all, I'm just an impostor, here to steal your heart and eat it."
Inuyasha blinked. "Um...okay?"
"First time you've ever been speechless," I said huffily. I turned around and faced him, and I felt my eyes burning. My miko magic, which I hadn't used in so long, was tingling at the tips of my finers. I was so tempted to zap him. But I didn't. Instead I glared at him, but took in him at the same time.
His haori was black, with a white under shirt. The prayer beads still sat around his neck, and I could feel their pulse, even from across the room. His eyes were shaded from his hair, which just barely brushed his shoulders now. His ears twitched. They were still there. He seemed older, more mature, but from what I had heard, his attitude hadn't changed.
"Sit boy."
THUMP!
"SIT,SIT,SIT,SIT!"
THUMP,THUMP,THUMP,THUMP!
I took a breath to calm myself and laughed a little at the sight of Inuyasha's face buried in a small hole in Sango's floor. Everyone stood at the door, wide-eyed and then the red haired teen began to laugh. Everyone else joined in, as I put fists on my hips and walked past them back outside. I looked up at the tree that sat in Sango's yard, and without thinking, began to climb it to its higher branches.
Inuyasha could not believe he had just been sat...by an impostor!
He couldn't move just yet.
But when he could, that girl had better watch out, he thought, gritting his teeth together. He heard his friends laughter and snarled more.
Finally, the spell broke and before you could say kazoo twice, he was outside, staring up at the girl who sat on one of the higher branches of the tree.
"Oi, bitch!" he called.
I looked down.
And then promptly flipped him off.
Inuyasha's jaw dropped down to the ground then gritted his teeth.
"Get the fuck down here! We need to talk! How the hell do you know my spell!" he yelled, stomping his foot like a child.
"You fucking moron! I'ts me, Kagome! Say it with me now, KA-GO-ME!" I screamed back, feeling fury rise up in me at his disbelief.
He snarled and crouched and then launched himself up at the tree. He landed almost gracefully next to me. He got in my face. I could smell him, his scent hadn't changed, he was so close. The smell of rain and forest was stronger now, but a new scent mingled in, which wasn't unpleasant. Sandalwood.
He sniffed me.
I screamed and slapped him, hard, across the face and then let myself fall from the tree.
I was falling fast, the branches whipping around my face. I screamed some more, and closed my eyes, praying for a miracle. Just before I hit the ground, I was caught.
I opened my eyes.
Inuyasha was still in the tree, his eyes menacing.
So if Inuyasha's in the tree, then who caught me? I thought as I turned my head to look into a pair of green eyes.
"Kagome-sama!" The boy's arms tightened around me as he let me down.
He stood maybe two heads taller than me, and he had long red hair, which was down in loose waves. He was handsome, this young teen. I hadn't noticed because of my anger before.
I smiled. "And who are you?"
The teen looked crestfallen. "It's me...Shippou...don't you remember me?"
I felt a rush of emotions.
It was my child.
My little lovely fox kit had grown into a teen without my guidance. He was wonderful. I ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Shippou, you've grown so much," I whispered hoarsely. I squeezed him tightly, looking up into his eyes. He was blushing.
I smiled at him, realizing how he might feel. He's probably feeling confused because though you are older than him, you're a female, a pretty one at that and he may feel some sort of crush towards you, a little voice said inside.
There was a soft thud from behind us.
I turned slowly.
Inuyasha was still crouched, his face to the ground.
It had hurt to see Shippou embrace the impostor.
He had to protect him, he was his son.
"Get away from my son, you fake," Inuyasha snarled, lowly and dangerously.
I stepped away from Shippou, crossing my arms over my chest.
"I'm not a fake, you moronic imbecile," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
He stood slowly, still looking at the ground. "Then tell me something to prove it."
I sniffed indignantly. "I already subdued you, doesn't that mean anything?"
Inuyasha shook his head.
I sighed. "Fine. Your father's tomb is in your right eye, a black pearl where your pupil should be," I said, uncrossing my arms and placing my hands on my hips. "That prove it? Or do you need more?"
Inuyasha looked at me. His eyes were red. He snarled. "Why did you leave me?"
And then he attacked.