By Maroon Goddess
Sitting there, dumb-founded that the fabric was still in one piece --- torn, but in one piece. She slowly draped it over her shoulders and snuggled up to the stained over-shirt that belonged to the one she loved.
The young miko got up dizzily, and pushed open the flap that served as a door. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou looked up, puzzled as to weather or not the young woman was better. She didn't spare a glance at them as she took off towards the missing hanyou's forest.
Once into the forest she took off into a sprint; rushing past bushes, scraping her legs until they bled, nearly tripping over roots and other large forest-growth. Stopping at the base of the Tree of the Gods, she looked up into it's mossy branches. She felt a pang in her heart, seeing no-one in the branches, as she usually did. The young woman grimaced.
'What did you expect, for him to be up there? You really are the most idiotic person…ever…' She thought to herself as she touched the hole in the trunk of the tree, where he used to stay… where she first met him. She pulled herself onto the lowest hanging branch with a wince that reminded her that she had hurt her wrist in the process of inflicting pain upon the hut. But, she still continued on, continued to climb until she got to the highest branch that would hold human weight.
So many images, memories, scenes…replaying in her mind like a never-ending movie. She almost wished they would stop, but just couldn't get them out of her mind, but didn't bother to fall asleep, for the confines of dormancy wouldn't be enough to keep him out of her mind. So, she waited; though she didn't know what she was waiting for, there was nothing else to preoccupy herself with; so, she waited, until the end of the world, maybe, or until her death, until something happened that would bring her out of her semi-coma that some would call her life. To her, her life had ended when InuYasha's had.
She had nothing with ought him, he vindicated her, gave her a reason to live, a reason wake up each morning with a smile. Her reason to keep going back in time five-hundred years. Her reason to go to school, so that she would be educated, because no-one wants an incoherent wife--'There I go again, wishing, longing for something that could never happen. Even if Kikyou hadn't been resurrected, he'd still love her, I'd still have no chance whatsoever. He deserves better than me, I have nothing to give to him. I'm nothing.'
The tears came again, two fat one's rolled down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes, letting them fall, trying to find some form of comfort in her misery. Kagome heard Shippou yell something incoherent in the distance, on the edges of the forest.
She ignored him completely, mind closed to any care of what could be so great that Shippou had to annoy every damned thing in the village. She sighed, there she went again. She really was a bitch. He was young, not annoying.
Another set of plump tears ran down her cheeks. She heard the leaves rustle, but didn't open her eyes. That was, until she felt a balmy finger slide up her cheek, up to her eye, removing the tear before it reached her lips. She slowly opened her eyes.
Time crawled to a slow, as she watched the man that she though was lost forever lick her tear off his finger. The hanyou turned his gaze towards her, and stared intensely into her eyes. Her shallow breathing stopped. She couldn't move. She was stuck in place. InuYasha raised an eyebrow at her, she looked like she had stopped functioning, she just stared at him with wide eyes, shoulders and back rigid. After a few moments of staring at each other, InuYasha realized that the miko was not going to move from her place, so he would have to instead.
He extended his hand to place at the base of her neck, and shifted so he faced her, sitting on the tree limb. Slowly, he bent down until his lips captured her tear-stained ones. He shut his eyes and deepened the kiss. He changed positions, and hovered over her, knees bent, one on the branch, the other bent under his chest so his foot was planted on the tree limb. Putting everything into the kiss, heart and soul, he put his finger under her chin and pulled her deeper, beckoning her to return the action. Finally realizing what was going on, Kagome closed her eyes and pushed off the tree, wrapping her arms around his neck. InuYasha smiled against her lips.
All too soon, he pulled away from her lips and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, a strange purr-like sound coming from deep inside his throat. Kagome tightened her grip on his neck, and sucked in shuddering breaths. Finally getting the courage to talk, the confused miko found her voice, "I-InuYasha. . . wh-what happened? Where have you been? A-are you alright?" she questioned, hoping that all his answers were positive. She felt him smile and suckle on the skin on the crook of her neck. Her eyes drooped a little, enjoying the pleasure he brought to her. He pulled away a moment later and stared into her half-opened eyes. She was the most beautiful person in the world, now and five-hundred years later, even with a red nose and tear stained cheeks.
"It's okay, I'm here, s-so. . . no more crying, okay?" he soothed as he stroked her cheek, cheeks flushing, Kagome's tears trailing down her cheeks again, stuttering because he wasn't used to being so. . . loving. She smiled when he bent down to lap the tears off her face.
"InuYasha. . . wh-what happened? If you were alive, th-then why the hell didn't you come back right away? You had me worried sick!" she glared daggers at him for all the pain he caused her.
"Got knocked out," he said as he gruffly lifted her and shifted so eh sat on the branch with his back against the tree. He laid the miko in his lap and wrapped his arms around her lower belly, snuggling her against his chest. She gasped softly and blushed at his immediate move. She relaxed when she heard his rumbling noise, and she felt the confines of sleep drag her under.
InuYasha held her tighter as he smelled her fall asleep, and felt her slump as he looked out over the horizon, and he watched the sunrise, watched the colors change from dark and mysterious, traits that the night held, to light and pure, a hint of pink at the edges. . . Until he fell asleep, Kagome soundless in his arms.
Miroku snapped another twig in half and threw it into the dying fire as she watched Sango out of the corner of his eyes, brushing out her abused hair, sitting on the log next to him but not close. She hadn't gotten a chance to yet after the fight with Naraku, because she had been too preoccupied with Kagome's episode and with helping everyone's wounds. She was so beautiful, to him. She was everything and yet he didn't know if he was anything in her eyes.
Her eyes shifted from the blazing fire into the houshi's sparkling purple eyes, so mysterious, so sensual, she could be lost in them forever, if he just didn't have to smirk that goddamned grin that came from seeing her blush when she realized what she was doing, what he was doing to her. . .
"Houshi. . ." she said as the blush that kissed her cheeks grew steadily brighter, and his grin grew steadily wider. Slowly, he scooted towards her, and she stifled a gasp when he cupped her cheek.
"Sango . . .I h---" her gasp interrupted him, as she stared over his shoulder. Holding in a heavy sigh, he turned to look at what she saw. Floating above the tree line, were four glowing Shini-dama-chuu, bobbing in and out of the trees. They were closer than they thought, both humans supposed, when Kikyou unexpectedly walked out of the trees, bow in hands, looking icily at the two that sat on the log. Miroku stood before Sango protectively.
She saw the fear that was masked under their glares, and scoffed.
"I have no need for you two, do not look like I am about to harm you. . . Where is InuYasha?" she asked, her icy, dead voice slicing the tender feeling in the air of the dewy morning.
Miroku winced at the question, and Sango look as if she were about to cry. Miroku was the one to speak, "He's. . . not here, Kikyou, and it would do you no good to continue to search for him, because. . .we defeated Naraku, and. . ." Miroku trailed off again, and Kikyou's expression changed from cold, icy bitchiness, to. . .hurt.
"I see," was all she said as she averted her eyes, shining with tears, as she motioned for her shini-dama-chuu lifted her into the air and she disappeared into the morning light.