A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update! -bows down frantically
I really hope this chapter, (which is longer, i guess) would compensate. :P Kidding, I'm working on the next chapter now and things are getting more complicated and confusing. Well, I hope to clear things up, and all. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter, and review! (:
/ I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters. -sobs-
Chapter Eleven
Kagome found herself at the foot of the bone eater's well, clutching tightly to the bottle containing the full shikon jewel. She immediately grabbed one of the vines that led to the top of the well, and climbed up as fast as she could.
She met the fresh green grass patch when she climbed out of the well. It's been awhile, Kagome thought. She scanned around, and saw Inuyasha loitering near the entrance of the Inuyasha Forest.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, hoping to get his attention.
He whipped around, and saw Kagome climbing out of the well, and approached her, with a look of shock and surprise. He stumbled, as he tried to get to her and his eyes widened with disbelief.
"Kagome... the well... I..." He tried to find words to describe his excessive flow of thoughts.
"Inuyasha! Are you alright?"
Inuyasha noticed that she looked worried, and was clutching to the jewel in a small bottle. He pointed uncertainly to it and asked, "What.. is that?"
"Some... sacred jewel... Well, we have to be quiet." Kagome replied, as she afraid that some lingering demon would appear to snatch away the jewel and create another mishap again.
Inuyasha was not convinced, totally and asked, "Where are we?"
Kagome inhaled sharply, as she was still afraid to trigger the fury once again in Inuyasha. She looked away and grabbed his arm, "I think we should just go back..."
"No.." He wrenched his arm away from Kagome's grip. "I want to explore for a little while.." He turned instantly and walked into the Inuyasha Forest. Kagome hissed in frustration and tagged behind, trying her very best to persuade him to go back to their time, but the stubborn and adventurous Inuyasha insisted on exploring the Feudal Era.
Kagome rushed in after Inuyasha and followed behind closely. She looked at the back of him, and felt really weird, as she wondered why Inuyasha, from her time could actually pass through the barrier and get into the Feudal Era. Her mind was full of these thoughts and theories but she stopped suddenly. She felt a very suspicious movement behind her in the wild bushes under the thick forest canopy. The bushes moved, as though something was lurking behind them, observing their every move. A cold chill wind blew past them, and the leaves rustled creepily in the wind. Kagome gripped even tighter to the shikon jewel and swallowed hard. This feeling felt very familiar.
Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down, as Inuyasha turned around to look as Kagome. His eyes widened in shock and pure terror as he leaped in front, as if to push Kagome away from something.
Kagome turned around, and saw a very hideous looking demon that looked very similar to the woman she encountered in the well. The hideous female demon with numerous hands. She snarled and ordered for the shikon jewel from Kagome.
Inuyasha fell onto Kagome and both of them hit the ground with great impact, as Inuyasha's face were already pale white. "What the hell is going on?"
Kagome ignored his question and pushed him away from her and stood up, facing the demon. "I don't have what you want." Her hands slipped into her hidden pocket in her skirt as she thought silently to herself, you won't get it so easily.
"Stupid wrench. Do you think I'll be fooled? I can sense it coming from you.." She lurched in front and aimed right at Kagome. Her long skinny arms whipped in front of Kagome as she jumped quickly out of her reach.
"Inuyasha, move away!" Kagome yelled, as Inuyasha stood there helplessly, staring incredulously at the demon.
Instantly upon hearing the name Inuyasha, the demon focused on him and studied him from top to toe, and commented, "So. You're the famous hanyou, Inuyasha? I thought you died."
"Keh, what are you talking about. I'm not anything close to a hanyou."
The demon smirked, "Well, so that means it'll be easier for me to get rid of you." Her eyes moved to Kagome, "and that wrench." With that, she aimed at Inuyasha , and surprisingly, he jumped away from her and landed on a safe spot.
Kagome stood there and stared at Inuyasha in awe. Suddenly, she felt a strong grip wrenching her and felt her feet lift up from the ground. She managed to turn around, and saw the demon holding her in her claws.
"Now, give me the jewel, and you won't die that painfully."
Kagome gave a hard kick on the demon''s face and stuck out her tongue, "NO. And let me down!"
"Since you want it that way..." The demon released her grip and Kagome fell onto the hard forest ground with a loud and sickening thud. Kagome felt her arms crushed in the process and pain shot through her arm right through her entire body.
"Enjoyed that? Now, let's try that again..."
Kagome looked up, and was too weak to even move an inch. She saw stones of a variety of sizes aiming for the demon. She glanced behind and saw Inuyasha frantically throwing rocks into the demon's direction.
"You stupid fool. Do you think you can defeat me by stones?" She inched closer to Inuyasha and raised her hands, ready to strike. She paused for a moment, and put her hand down. "I shall deal with that wrench first."
Kagome stared at the demon approaching and tried to move away desperately from her, the demon struck down again and it successfully ripped through Kagome's clothes, nearly causing great injury to her back. Kagome's felt numb as her back burned and she gave a small sob.
Inuyasha was still trying to help by moving closer and throwing rocks at the demon.
"How dare you hurt Kagome, get this!" He threw more stones that he found on the floor.
The demon grabbed the shikon jewel that flew out from her skirt and started smirking, "Yes, I beat Naraku to this. I'm the most powerful demon in the world!" She looked down at Kagome, "And now, I shall kill you first."
Kagome shut her eyes tightly, anticipating the blow as she knew her life would be over in a matter of a few seconds. She wished so much Inuyasha would be right by her side, she would give anything...
"GET AWAY!"
A loud shriek was heard and a blinding light shot through the entire forest. Kagome took great pains to open her eyes, and she only saw a familiar shadow approaching her. She reached out her hands, but everything went black that instant.
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"Kagome. Kagome."
She felt someone touching her arms gently, and her eyelids fluttered open weakly. She saw a blur figure came into focus. Inuyasha.
"You're awake...thank goodness." Inuyasha exclaimed, his face full of relief.
"Who.. saved us?" Kagome asked, as she tried to sit up.
"A woman, with a bow and arrow. Well, she has one powerful arrow, I must say." Inuyasha replied, scratching his head in the process. "Kagome, you haven't answered my question.."
Just then, Kaede entered the hut and saw Kagome lying on the floor. She kneeled down beside her and with a face full of concern, she said, "Kagome, you're finally back."
"Kaede!"Kagome glanced up, her eyes full of gratitude and relief, "Thank you so much for saving our lives! I really don't know what I'd do... I didn't have my bow and arrows with me... I.."
"Its okay, Kagome. I sensed your presence here, and danger, too. I got the jewel with me. Here." She handed the jewel to Kagome, "Please keep it safe."
Kagome nodded and lay down as Kaede motioned her to lie back down. Inuyasha pointed to Kaede and asked Kagome, "Who's she.."
"My name is Kaede. I'm.. a priestess, here."
"Wow, you sure have great fashion sense."
Kagome glared at Inuyasha and cleared her throat, "Sorry, Kaede, he just does not know what he's saying..." Inuyasha threw a very dirty look at her and snapped, "Well, where the heck are we anyway!"
"You are... " Kaede peered carefully at Inuyasha, her eyes literally closing into slits.
"Kaede, well.. I think he's..."
"Inuyasha...?" Kaede cut Kagome's sentence abruptly, as Inuyasha rolled his eyes again.
"What's with him, again? Maybe..." He paused for a moment, "It was because my supposedly mother named me after an ancestor, whose name was Inuyasha too. But, I don't even know who the heck he is!" He stared at the two mikos and waited for their response to his abrupt claim. "Well, I just... don't think that I'm him.. "
He shuffled uncomfortably on the floor and looked really uncertain of his statement. It seemed that something was bothering him, Kagome noticed.
"But.. how could it be? You could actually arrive here... which shows, you aren't normal, you know." Kagome reasoned with him.
"There's a huge possibility you're Inuyasha's reincarnation." Kaede spoke, seriously. Kagome was silently cheering, Right On! I knew it since I first laid eyes on him. Her eyelids became heavier as she felt herself going to sleep. "Kagome, I guess you're still drowsy after consuming the herbal potion I've brewed for you. Why don't you just rest for the day. Your injury are quite serious."
"Its okay, really.I want to hear what you have to say..." Kagome tried to prop herself against the wall.
"You're not going to start this again, aren't you. Okay, maybe I've seen THE so called Inuyasha picture, who looks really weird, and some other visions which I could not explain..."
"What visions?" Kaede questioned.
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows, "It.. it was nothing, really.Sometimes... I feel weird around Kagome, and I do unexplainable things.. And that sacred tree near Kagome's house..." He paused and pondered for a moment, "Well, perhaps things are really getting weird...but, keh. I don't believe in such things. It's crap!" He laughed to himself, and stared at Kaede and Kagome who did not seem to show any facial emotions.
"Inuyasha... this is not a laughing matter. To be reborned into Kagome's time, and be reunited with her, is something that is too coincidental. And what you have experienced all these while, were Inuyasha's emotions from the past. You look like him, excluding his hanyou traits, and being able to travel 500 years ago. Unless you are indeed Inuyasha's reincarnation, could you please provide a reasonable explanation for all these happenings?" Kaede asked.
Inuyasha looked confused and frustrated all of a sudden. Kagome imagined a pair of small little white dog ears on his head, and was very sure that at that moment, his ears would have drooped in dismay. How much she missed those moments...
"I.. dont' know. I really don't know..." Inuyasha looked away, out of the hut's door and into the distance. I do not know why, but since I laid eyes on Kagome, my heart just naturally starts to beat faster. And it was as though, my instincts were that she was the first priority above everything, including my life. He looked at Kagome, and felt the blood slowly rising to his face. Sometimes, I was on the verge on spilling everything to her, even though I only met her. Am I really?
Inuyasha looked at Kaede, his face surprisingly full of determination and said, "Kaede, I.. need to ask you something. And, tell you something too." He looked at Kagome, who was staring at him still, "In private."
Kaede stood up gracefully, even though she was ageing. "Very well then." She lifted the bamboo blinds and motioned Inuyasha to step out of the hut. She glanced back at Kagome and with a voice that resembled very much of a concerned mother, she said, "Rest well Kagome. Rest assured that I'll settle things as soon as I can."
Kagome nodded and slowly lay down, at the same time noticing that Inuyasha gave her a weird glance before proceeding out of the hut. Deep down inside, she was sure that he is indeed the Inuyasha she once loved and always will...
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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. It kind of explains most of the recent happenings, and questioned the plots again. I'm quite sure the next chapter would be juicy. :P
Again, I'm really sorry for the REALLY LATE update. And by the way, my prelim examination results were... clears throat not as expected. ):
Still, stay tuned for the next chapter!
What will Inuyasha tell Kaede? And would anything progress between the Inuyasha from Kagome's time and herself?
Please review and suggest what you would like to see in the upcoming chapters. They will really help me escape from the dreaded writer's block. Really.