The Mayu Flower
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from InuYasha.
Chapter 10: Many Breakings
The young miko didn't take notice as the blue light surrounded her or as the well's walls hardened or her feet touching the stiff and cold ground. Her breath was racked with sobs and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She was not even aware of when the tears had started to fall. 'His face...his eyes...I know what they mean now...' she thought, putting her hands over her eyes. 'I've abandoned him...left him when he needed me most...' In truth she did not know what she had done wrong, but her senses screamed that the stone-hearted InuYasha she had once loved and cared for more than anything had shed a tear because of her. All she knew was that the two of them had turned from each other and somewhere between there, the truth had slipped from her sight and spiralled into sorrow and regret.
Pulling her hands from her face, she looked up the well to the thatched roof above, her wet cheeks and eyes shining. 'He even came to get me...on the night of the new moon...I knew he wanted to tell me something important. His emotions are always stronger when he is human, but I...I turned him away. He'll never forgive me now...I can't ask him to and I probably wouldn't be able to accept it anyway.' She looked down at her fist and slowly curled the fingers back to reveal the pink glow of the jewel shard she had kept. 'Why did I keep this? It was so stupid and I can't even return it now...'
A strange anger swelled up inside her. It was not towards InuYasha or the jewel shard, but to herself. With a glare she cast it from her hand towards the ground while covering her eyes with her other hand in despair. As she did, she heard a light click. Removing her hand, she looked down.
The jewel shard had hit something, something she had not noticed until this moment. The glass pendant containing the red and white flower. It sparkled in the dim moonlight that shone through the open shrine doors. Her breath refused to come out as she slowly bent down. Lifting her hand, she cautiously touched the glass. The jewel shard lay beside it and glowed with a warm hue. 'He was staring at this just before he cried...what could it mean?'
"Kagome?" said a weak voice from outside.
In surprise, Kagome found herself gasping and snatching up the jewel shard and the pendant from the ground, clasping it to her heart. The voice called her name again and this time she recognized it as her mother's. Climbing up and out of the well, she slowly ascended the stairs and passed the doors of the shrine.
"Kagome, there you are. You had me so worried," her mother said with a slight worried frown on her face. A blanket was around her shoulders and it was then that Kagome realized how strangely cold it was. Bringing her hands to her arms, she bowed her head.
"Sorry, mom. I...I'm all right," she said quietly.
"Poor dear. You look so cold. Let's go inside and I'll make you some warm tea," replied her mother. She walked closer and put the blanket around Kagome's shoulders.
"Thanks, mom..."
In the Feudal Era...
"Any sign of him yet, Miroku?" yawns the kitsune child. His eyes are half closed as he wanders out of the hut. Miroku is sitting on a log just outside the hut, looking towards the forest. His face also shows fatigue, but he sits as straight as if the sun still blared down on them.
"Shippou, you should be asleep. InuYasha will turn up sooner or later, don't you worry," the monk replied, turning to face him.
"I can't sleep with Kagome and InuYasha mad at eachother like this. And with both of them gone, I feel so anxious. Are they all right, Miroku?" Shippou asked, rubbing his eyes with his little fists. "Will they ever come back?"
Miroku didn't answer right away. What could he tell the little kitsune child? That InuYasha and Kagome might never return? Of course not. "Don't worry, Shippou. They'll come back soon. Now you go back inside and get some sleep," he said softly. The kitsune child yawned and slowly nodded his head. He turned around and slowly made it back inside the hut.
Turning his head back towards the forest, Miroku grimaced sadly. What had occurred between InuYasha and Kagome to cause all of this? Kaede still stuck by her theory of the well, but it couldn't have been Kagome's friend alone to make her want to stay in her time. InuYasha had gone back to her before, but why was he suddenly avoiding them now? The houshi sighed heavily.
With InuYasha...
Thoughts crept into his mind, but the hanyou stubbornly forced them silent. He did not want to think...if he let his thoughts wander, then they would return to Kagome. He wanted to forget it all, forget Kagome's shocked face when he told her to go back to her time and never return. The jewel fragments in his fist dug into his flesh as a constant reminder. He had left Kaede's village far behind him. He had never gone back to the others to give them the jewel shards and tell them goodbye, as he had promised. He just couldn't face them. Tears were still present in his eyes, but by this time they refused to let go and run down his face as he had let that single tear do so. Had Kagome seen? He just couldn't bear to imagine she had. If anything, he wanted her to return to her time remembering him as a strong person unafraid to lose the things he cared about.
Time passed by and the sun steadily rose. Still the hanyou ran on, ignoring the fatigue that began to wash over him and the pain in his legs from running for so long. The scenery changed and villages flashed by him, but he took no notice. Soon he found himself in the midst of a forest. It's trees were thick and old, grey from age. Barely any had leaves left, and those that did had leaves of dull yellow or brown. The grass beneath his feet was dry and stabbing. Velvet blue gave away to a cold orange above him as the sun rose higher in the East.
Finally, his race slowed until it stopped completely. The dead wind pushed at his silver hair and red kimono. He brought his fist up to his face and opened his fingers to reveal the jewel shards. Once, long ago, he had wanted all the jewel shards to become a full-fledged demon to leave behind his mixed blood. Now the desire had gone old and dry, forgotten and unwanted.
A high smooth note filled the air. InuYasha looked up from his hand and caught the sight of the tail of a long white serpent that glided through the air. A soul-collector. He knew what it meant. Kikyou was near by, calling him to her. For the first time since he could remember, he felt no desire to chase after it and find its owner. The love he had once held dear for the undead priestess was gone, like his desire to become a full demon. His heart felt nothing for her, now that it's warmth for Kagome had been stolen away.
Ignoring the serpent, he forced his feet on to carry him away from this eerie forest. The high-pitched note of the soul-collector did not vanish though. It was following him. Soon, the sound of two others joined it. He wanted to run, flee from them and flee from the memory of Kikyou and her reincarnation, but his feet refused to change their pace.
"InuYasha, why do you not come to me? Usually you don't hesitate for even a second to find me if you see my soul-collectors near," said a cool female voice.
He stopped, but he did not turn around to face the woman.
"InuYasha?" the voice repeated. The sound of footsteps circled around him until the figure of the priestess came into view in the corner of his eye. He looked up at her and watched as the beautiful miko circled around him and stopped directly in his path to face him. Kikyou looked at him, seemingly taller than she really was. Her face showed no expression, no sadness or worry or happiness. Always the dead and pasty-white stare.
InuYasha kept his golden eyes on her, showing no compassion or happiness that his once-love stood in front of him.
Kikyou examined his face and suddenly a small smile appeared. "You poor fool. I see what has happened. Those jewel shards in your hand tell it all," she began. InuYasha unconsciously clenched his fist as if wishing to hide them from the miko's sight. "It seems our last meeting has had an affect on my reincarnation. If I am not mistaken, you two have shared an argument and finally you told her to return to her era and never return? Why else would you have the jewel shards?" Her smile seemed like a laughing sneer to InuYasha's eyes.
"Let me past, Kikyou," InuYasha said in a hard tone. A serious frown appeared on his face. He couldn't help but see Kagome through this woman and it angered him how she mocked her reincarnation like this.
"This is a side of you I have never seen, InuYasha. Why do you wish to leave me?" she asked with a stoic expression. InuYasha didn't answer. He darted his eyes away from her, past her to where he wanted to go. Kikyou's face darkened, but appeared almost distorted with the small smile she wore. "Ah, I understand now...you still love her, my pathetic reincarnation. Now that she has abandoned you, you cannot look at me without remembering her."
"Don't talk about Kagome like that!" InuYasha suddenly growled, returning his sharp eyes to her. "She...she's nothing like you at all!" After a moment, he pulled his gaze away from her again.
Softening her face, Kikyou made herself look gentle and innocent. "InuYasha," she said tenderly, "...don't you love me anymore? Once you promised to avenge me and you promised that your life was mine and mine was yours...have you forgotten all of that now?" She took a few steps towards him, the long forgotten loving gaze she had once caressed his soul with returning to the surface.
InuYasha remained silent, but he forced himself to look at her. He felt himself tense as she came closer. "None...none of that matters now, Kikyou..." he said, his expression not at all warm.
Kikyou now stood right in front of him. "I still love you, InuYasha. Why won't you return it?" she whispered softly, her eyes gleaming with beauty. She extended her arms to him as if wanting to embrace the hanyou.
At first InuYasha almost let himself consider accepting her desire, but all of a sudden, he saw Kagome infront of him, not Kikyou. Kagome's loving gaze stabbed at the reality that he would never see Kagome again. He could never hug her again or feel her presence around him. She was gone. Immediately InuYasha took a step back, rejecting Kikyou.
"No, Kikyou...I...I can't," he said calmly, keeping his eyes directly on hers. "I love Kagome now."
Kikyou's arms fell away from him and her lifeless eyes watched him with a twinge of confusion. Had her reincarnation truly entwined his soul so much as to make him forget about her? She did not want to accept it, she could not. Despite this, InuYasha's eyes dropped away from hers for the last time. She stood still as the hanyou she had once loved, killed, and loved again walk past her. Turning around, she watched as he continued on without a backward glance at her. His silver hair and red kimono soon vanished among the forest trees.
In Kagome's Time...
The next morning, Kagome awoke to a bright day while her world was still in darkness. Her cheeks were damp once more so she dried them with the edge of her blanket. Getting up, she stared at the window as if the sunshine mocked her. Sighing, she got out of her bed and went into the bathroom. After coming out, she dressed into her school uniform, stepped into her slippers, and descended the stairs. Passing into the kitchen, she saw her entire family sitting at the table eating breakfast.
"Good morning, dear," her mother said with a small smile as she held her cup of coffee in her hands. "Are you feeling good enough for school today?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Kagome replied, but without the smile. She took a seat beside Souta and began to eat her eggs and toast.
Her grandfather looked up from his newspaper with a frown. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Kagome's mother said, "Why don't I give you two a ride to school today? A nice break from walking all the time." She flashed a smile at her father who blinked in confusion but finally closed his mouth and returned to his newspaper.
"Thanks, mom," Kagome said tiredly. Souta looked at his sister worriedly, but said nothing.
After breakfast, Mrs. Higurashi drove both Souta and Kagome to their schools. Before she dropped off Kagome, she gave her a kiss on the cheek. "If you feel sick at all today, don't hesitate to call me and I'll come pick you up," she said with a warm motherly smile.
"Thanks, mom," she said again, thanking her not only for the offer, but for being so supportive. She closed the door to the car and watched as it sped off. Once it was gone from view, Kagome turned and began walking towards the school doors.
The day dragged on slowly and somehow Kagome managed to avoid her friends as well as Hojou, even when he spotted her from the other end of the hallway. Usually the four of them were like human super-glue, but perhaps her expression had some kind of affect on them, telling them she'd rather be alone. The classes went by and finally what had felt like a century, Kagome tore herself away from the school and began walking home.
"Kagome? You okay?" came a familiar voice. Turning around, Kagome found herself looking at Kinuto. His expression was worried as it had been for the last few days. He came up to walk beside her.
Kagome forced on a small smile and nodded. "Yes, I...I'm fine, Kinuto."
Kinuto frowned and diverted his eyes back to the sidewalk in front of them. "You've been really down for a while. Is something the matter?" When she didn't reply, Kinuto began to guess what the problem was. After a few moments of silence, he spoke his mind. "This is about that friend of yours...InuYasha, isn't it?"
Surprised that he had discovered what had been bothering her, Kagome stopped in her tracks. Kinuto did too after a second. She watched him with wide eyes, but they were sad and on the verge of tears. Dropping her gaze, she wondered what to say, but she didn't have to. Kinuto understood now. "Come on," he said quietly and circled an arm around her shoulders. The two continued their walk towards Kagome's house.
"I hurt him..." she whispered, her unblinking eyes staring at the ground.
"Who? InuYasha?" he asked, looking down at her.
Kagome nodded. "I...I don't know how, but I hurt him...he said...he said he wants me to stay in my own era, to never return to him...he said he doesn't care about me anymore, but...I don't think..." she couldn't finish her sentence. Tears were streaming down her face once more.
She looked so beautiful right now...but the sorrow in her voice and in her eyes was too much for him to bear. 'She loves him, it's so obvious,' he thought. The rest of the walk was in silence, but Kinuto's thoughts continued to tumble. By the time the two of them had reached the bottom of the stairs to the Higurashi grounds, Kinuto's expression had grown into a smile and his eyes were light as he watched Kagome.
Just before the young miko began ascending the steps, Kinuto caught her hand. She turned around to face him and found herself looking straight into his eyes, even though she did not want to. "Kagome, I have to tell you something," he said warmly.
Kagome blinked and wiped away some tears with the back of her free hand.
Watching her with loving and caring eyes, he took a deep breath before beginning. "Kagome, go and return to him..."
Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. "W-what?" she stuttered, disbelieving what she was hearing.
"You love him, I can see it in your eyes," he explained. "If I just let you stay with me, then it would simply be selfish. You love him more than I could possibly imagine loving you. I truly do care about you and I wish I could love you as much as you do for him, but I can see that your need is greater than mine." Still Kagome remained silent. "Kagome...if I let you stay with me, then you could never be able to forget about InuYasha and move on. From what you told me, it seems like he still loves you too. I want you to be happy, Kagome. It's clear he does too, but his is from a deeper love than I could ever give you. Return to him, Kagome, and love him with all your heart."
During his speech, Kagome's eyes had softened and a small undetected smile had grown onto her face. By the end of it, she felt her heart rejoicing. She found herself jumping into Kinuto in a warm hug and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Kinuto..." she said softly. "Thank you so much...you are the best friend I've every met..."
Kinuto broke the embrace and looked into her eyes with a laughing expression. His face glowed from happiness at seeing Kagome smile once more. "We'll still be friends Kagome and I'll always be here for you. Now you go back into your Feudal Japan and tell InuYasha how much you love him."
"I will, Kinuto. Th-thank you," Kagome replied, her heart soaring higher than it had in weeks. She tore away from Kinuto and raced up the stairs towards the shrine, listening to Kinuto's friendly laughter behind her.
Ta da! When you read the chapter title, I bet you thought it was gunna be a sad chapter, didn't ya? Well, ha! The best part is yet to come so please review and continuing reading! On and thanks for all of those brilliant reviews!
