Suzu- (grumble) Auuugghhh, I get embarrassed every time I read chapter 20…
Suzu- Hi readers! I'm really happy since I have about 130 reviews now, counting the ones from before! It's always nice to know that what you write is actually being read. Meanwhile, welcome to two of my former readers who I've lost touch with. I think you know who you are. Now, without further ado, let us commence!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Chapter 21
…………………
Kagome felt wonderful, being by Inuyasha again.
She felt exhilarated, overjoyed, elated, ecstatic; good enough to overcome anything! Right, you get the point.
Okay, one teensy problem. She was still stuck in a really humdrum building with whitewashed walls, i.e. the hospital, her prison, the place where they put Kagome 'cause they thought she was mental.
But now that Inuyasha was here, they could escape.
She finished picking up the last of the glass from the alarm clock/window incident. It was best to pick up any evidence of their being some abnormal events here in this drab little room. Inuyasha stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, indicating that he was ready.
Kagome turned around after depositing the pieces under the bed. Just the site of his white hair, golden eyes, and doggy ears took her breath away. She smiled and hugged the hanyou out of the blue; to be sure this was real, Kagome told herself. She burrowed her face into his sleeve.
"Kagome, you don't have to keep hugging me, you know. It's creeping me out." Inuyasha did his best to sound annoyed, but one look at his face and you would have known he was enjoying the attention.
Kagome laughed. "Your expression tells me a different story, Inuyasha."
"So, where are we going, Inuyasha? Could we visit the shrine first? I've got to check on them." Kagome put on a pleading look. "I've got to!"
The hanyou grumbled good-naturedly. "Feh, just get on my back. Anywhere, just as long as it's far away from this place. We're out of here." He smirked and motioned for her to climb on.
Kagome hoisted herself on, piggyback style, and shivered with anxiety. They were together again, they really were.
Slowly, the pair crept outside, and they were gone, riding on the wind under the starlit sky.
……………………………………………..
Another starlit sky blinked overhead in the Feudal Era. It was a damp and foggy night, and things were amiss at the little cottage by Inuyasha Forest.
"Houshi-sama!" Sango called out the window. "What's the matter out there?" Even though they were a married couple, Sango still hadn't given up her practice of calling Miroku 'Lord Monk'. Some would say it was habit, others would say it was a way to distance that roving pervert.
Miroku had sensed a demonic presence outside their home at the middle of the night, so he'd gone out to investigate. Sango couldn't help worrying about him, ever since he'd lost his main defense: the wind tunnel. She put on a light coat, slipped on her sandals, and walked out the door of the house and into the courtyard.
It was pretty dark and foggy outside, and a slight chill crept up her arms as she stepped out into the road to find three figures facing the monk. One of the figures had white hair, and gleaming amber eyes.
Sango took in a sharp breath. "Inuyasha?"
"No, but how fares my tempered little brother? Has he his little mate with him?" The voice was deep and stern, not Inuyasha's.
As the fog cleared up, Sango looked into the eyes of Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older, full demon brother. He was dressed in his usual expensive looking armor and garb. At his hip were two swords; the Tenseiga and Tokjin. Jaken, his servant (more like slave) stood by his lord with the two-headed staff. No mistaking who he was now.
Miroku stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"
"No need to be aggressive, monk. Let Rin explain. Rin, come."
Sango expected the same little girl whom Inuyasha and the rest of them had rescued to step out: a mere child of eight. Instead, a pretty girl of eleven, nearly twelve walked out from beneath Sesshomaru's shadow.
At first glance Rin appeared to be a docile young thing, but her eyes brimmed with spirit and innocence. It almost reminded Sango of Kagome. Rin's hair was brushed out and fell to her waist, and big brown eyes and full lips promised beauty in the years to come. She must have outworn her yellow and orange yukata, since she was dressed in a deep violet kimono.
Rin smiled in remembrance at Sango and Miroku. She ran over and bowed respectfully a few feet in front of them. "Sango! Houshi-sama! I have come to see Kagome-oneechan. I've even brought herbs and flowers." Rin straightened and looked around at the empty yard. "Where is she?"
Miroku sighed. "Something tells me that I have a lot of explaining to do." He glanced at the two youkais. "You better come too."
…………………………………………….
Inuyasha landed noiselessly in front of the Higurashi house and let Kagome climb off. Slowly, the two surveyed the area. The grass at the main entrance was still green, and the night air breezed through the trees and buds of flowers. Overhead, the moon shined brightly, luminous and showing signs of an upcoming new moon.
"Whoa, I'm glad that the house was unharmed by the fire." Kagome turned her head to look in the direction of the well! "No! Inuyasha, the Bone Eater's Well!" Kagome ran in the direction of the well, Inuyasha following. The shrine house was blackened, and a few of the shafts were creaking. Inside, the well was blackened and misshaped. Parts of it were starting to rub off.
Kagome touched the wood tentatively; afraid the structure would collapse right then and there. "No…no, please…no," she murmured softly.
Inuyasha looked at Kagome, his face struggling to remain passive. "I guess that ruins some plans. Kagome…it doesn't matter to…me." But it did matter, and they both knew it. How would Inuyasha live in this world, how could Kagome ever see the friends she'd made in the Sengoku Jidai now?
She stared at the well, unmoving. Finally, the girl said in an uneven voice, "Let's tell Mom and Gramps what I've decided to do."
The two walked into the house without a word. A pleasing aroma wafted from the windows. Kagome heard Inuyasha's stomach growl, and realized she was pretty hungry herself, not that it mattered anymore. Nothing really mattered now. "I guess they got home pretty late, too. Let's hope Sota's asleep, though." Kagome spoke, careful to keep her voice light. As soon as they were in, a blur knocked Inuyasha to the ground.
"Yo Inuyasha! Watcha doin' here?" The blur hugged Inuyasha tightly, and then grinned cheerfully, though dazzled by his own adrenaline. Sota turned to his sister and gave her a big glomp on the arm. "Sis! I'm glad you're home. What took you so long?"
Kagome's heart broke over her oblivious brother. "Sorry, Sota." She smiled weakly. She turned towards the kitchen, where her mom was calling her.
"Kagome! You're home, dear!" Kagome's mom came over and hugged her daughter. "And you brought Inuyasha! How wonderful, I'm making late night soumen (A/N: noodles)."
A figure walked into the room. "Kagome. I know you want to talk." The figure was dressed in his usual casual shrine keeper attire. Gramps looked weary, and nodded at Inuyasha to join them too. "Come to the living room. Sota, you go with your mother to help her with the soumen."
Kagome walked stiffly behind her grandfather as Inuyasha squeezed her hand. Slowly, they entered the dimly lit room and sat down on the couch.
"Kagome, did you see what happened to the well?" His aged voice questioned her sadly, hesitantly.
"Yes, Gramps," Kagome looked up, tears beginning to form, and wiped them away indignantly. "Please don't worry about us!" she hurried on, "Even if we stay in this era…" Kagome stopped when Gramps put up a hand.
"There is still time to go through."
Kagome had never heard her grandfather sound so sad and tired.
"Yes, the well will totally deteriorate in a short time, but it is still possible for you two to pass through it…" The old shrine keeper took a quivering breath. "…One last time."
Inuyasha's eyes went wide. "Nani? No…you don't have to…" The hanyou looked at the ground, cursing himself. Silence floated amidst the trio.
"Gramps…" Kagome hugged her grandfather, tears trailing down her face. "I'm sorry…I really am."
"I'm sorry too. Maybe I should just…" Inuyasha looked at the shrine keeper, who had so often tried to ward him off with sutras. Oh, why didn't he just do that now?
"No need to be sorry. Kagome, you belong in that other era now." The old man smiled a little. "I will be the only grandfather in history who has a granddaughter that crossed between times and completed the Shikon No Tama. It is a thing to be proud of."
"I'll make you proud, Gramps. I really will." Kagome sobbed silently in his lap, reminding herself of all those legends, all those stories that she never believed were real. Were those days just a hazy dream, or was this not reality. Would she wake up to find herself fourteen again, going to school, and having a normal life?
Now, she could be considered a legend herself.
…………………………………………………
The pale dawn mist circled around the shrine grounds. The sun cast a reddish hue, and blanketed the land in its warmth, promising a new day. One girl, a hanyou, an old man, and a woman stood at the Bone Eater's Well.
"Kagome…I love you, dear. Be safe. I would have begged you to stay under other circumstances, but I know you've found what every woman yearns for. Your father would have wanted his daughter to be happy, too." Kagome's mother kissed her daughter and cradled her close. Kagome hugged her mother back.
"W-when will we tell Sota?" Kagome forced back the chocking feeling in her throat.
"When he is ready, Kagome." The shrine keeper answered. "Maybe his intuition already tells him the truth. Sota is a good boy, he will understand. But now is the time for action, there is no need to hinder you two further. The well won't wait forever."
Pace by pace, girl and hanyou walked hand in hand, towards their future.
Step by step, their footsteps echoed on the sodden wood.
In the background, a woman's muffled sobs were heard.
Girl and hanyou stepped up to the well, and jumped.
Maybe it took only a second; maybe that second lasted all eternity. Inuyasha grasped Kagome's hand, offering her strength. Kagome's heart fluttered as the well shifted them through time. The last sound she heard from her native time, the present era, and the time she had left behind brushed her ear.
"A legend of a maiden who tamed a hanyou, purified the jewel, and traveled between ages. I will tell that legend to everyone I meet, Kagome, my only granddaughter…Kagome Higurashi…the girl who loved across time."
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Suzu- (sob sob) That's it for this chapter. It was mezzo length, but pretty important. This fanfiction's not done yet, though! Review and read the resolution, next time!
Suzu- Show a little love, review this fic! Who will be the 60th reviewer to be shown on the little number thingy?