I had a sudden serge of writing energy, so I seriously got this out in 2 hours. I hope you like it. Please tell me how I'm doing.
Chapter 10: Think of Me Fondly
All was quiet. With the exception of many restless crickets perched outside, not a sound could be heard. Not even the flowing of the gentle wind or the rustle of the grass in response. Lulled by the melodies of the crickets' chirps, everyone fell sound asleep in Kaede's hut and never questioned the silence. Unexpected yes, but welcomed it was for those who had faced so much chaos over the years.
Kaede's hut, although vastly improved from the original, was still in fact a hut: small and simple. It consisted of two rooms now, one kitchen and one bedroom, both of which served as storage time and time again. The group had become accustomed to sleeping close to each other, whether as a way of survival or as friends. It didn't matter to when which way or another.
Finally, something did move from within the mounds of bodies in slumber. He rose softly and swiftly, and his clothes could be heard slightly ruffling in response. His amber eyes gazed over everyone. As far as he could tell, they were all well and safe. Happy, he assumed… he hoped. The center of his soul came to rest upon the reincarnated miko from the future whom he was close to losing. It was in between her waking hours when she appeared most peaceful to him. He had seen her many times at night. A small smile curled onto her lips and a glow dancing lightly upon her skin.
The hanyou stepped over their bodies and took special care that the floor should not creek beneath him. When he was out of the way, he crouched beside the sleeping girl to gaze upon her once more. His mouth itched to ask the question in the dark, 'Are you sure about this,' but he dared not utter a sound. He knew what the voice would say. That he needed this more than he needed anything else.
Funny, up until now the hanyou assumed it was Kagome's wellbeing and happiness that meant most to him, yet the voice countered him quite well. That philosophy seemed to slowly die away within him. It became more and more clear that it was the hanyou himself who was responsible for her safety and happiness for the rest of his and her life. All convinced by a simple voice from nowhere.
When his hand grazed her own, his recoiled slightly, but soon fell back into her touch. Enchanted by the tingle of her skin, he reached out and grasped her palm with his. It was purely instinctive, and he shuttered to realize how stupid he might have looked if she had awoken now. Still, he wouldn't let go. 'Will you leave before I get back, Kagome? Did you just come back to spend one more night by my side? If you leave before I can see you…'
He sighed heavily. Whatever the future had in store for him, if he could keep her with him, he would do it in a heartbeat. He slowly rose off the floor, but clung to her wrist a bit longer. The light of his amber orbs never left her form as he took in the wonder that surpassed physical love. This could very well be the last time he could touch her again, and even the last time he could hear her peaceful breathing. The thought made him nauseous. His thumb gently ran over the edge of her wrist a few times as he memorized the smell, the feel, the glow of her. Then, he placed her hand on her stomach and removed his own. With nothing more to say or think, he leapt from the room into the outside world and took off for the other side of the valley.
Her dreams felt so warm when she was sleeping in the past. Like her imagination had been incubated in this paradise for her to wrap herself in upon return. Not many nightmares plagued her here, and if so they were short-lived. Despite this being a place of battle and pain, there were memories here she would hold close to her heart forever. When she woke by some unknown sound, she merely gazed at the full moon out the window, which cooed her pain and told her she made the right decision. Kagome sighed into her pillow, already missing her dreams.
It had not been an easy decision to make, nor a pleasant one. And there was so much to think about now, what with her relationship with Inuyasha, and his relationship with Kikyo. Given everything she had been through with Inuyasha and Kikyo, Kagome knew she could endure the pain of loss, because she already had many times before. The miko knew that she deserved to be at peace for all she had been through at her age. It was time to relax and embrace her life. At least, that was what Hojo had said to her. When Hojo came to mind, her mind went straight to Inuyasha. She found relief in the fact that he had not been there to witness their kissing, or to hear her final decision. He might not have cared, but he might have gone ballistic as well.
She turned in her sleeping bag to where the hanyou was supposed to be sitting up against a wall, but all she found was air. Her body shot straight up instinctively and she scanned the room for him. Nothing. 'Inuyasha?'
A harsh wind came through the window and sent chills up her body. Her hands clutched her blanket close to her chest, and in an instant, the sounds of her crickets faded away into nothing. Everything stood still and Kagome could feel the tremors within her chest growing faster and faster. The one thing she could hear that frightened her most was the song of light footsteps on the grass. She couldn't even move as she saw a shadow pass by the shaded window on the other side of the room. The shadow seemed to stop just as it hovered over her, and then moved on. In that simple movement, her soul was stolen. When her body ached to scream at the top of her lungs, all she could do was lightly whimper. She got to her feet quickly but quietly, and made her way to the door with bow and arrows in hand, along with her newfound security blanket. She opened the door and ventured outside.
Inuyasha's ears flicked under the contact of a few raindrops and he glared at the sky. How was it that it always seemed to rain when he didn't need it to, or whenever he was down. Was nature in tune with his feelings? Maybe he was more in tune to them than the other way around. But there was not much rain, and for that, he was grateful.
Inuyasha had been grateful for a lot of things, even if he refused to acknowledge it, and having Kagome in his life was no exception. He treasured things that were rare, and Kagome definitely was. Why else would she be coveted by Kouga and Hojo? Her beauty was rare, as well as her spirit, which he found to be the most wonderful aspect of her. She never gave into his attitude. Even Kikyo had receded to that, but not Kagome. He smiled as he remembered his sittings. As painful as they were, they reminded him why he cared so much for the girl. Sometimes he thought she would never know how much even those moments meant to him, how much she meant to him. How he would pray that he would mean as much to her as vise versa. Enough to forget about Hojo and Kouga and stay with him?
He sighed. How could he forget… Kikyo. He stopped in his tracks to think. Now that he so desperately needed to love Kagome for the rest of his days, could he really keep his promise to Kikyo? If he could not live without Kagome, would he not die with Kikyo? Endless questions after endless questions, none of them with answers. How shameful it would be to abandon the dead priestess who had died because of him. Inuyasha had already been a disgrace afterall. It was a miracle he had any pride left at all.
Strange that in the past day, he had thought nothing of the dead miko who was his first love. Then again, every day he thought less and less of her with Kagome around. Not like Kagome was taking Kikyo's place, but was filling some other hole within him, so that his focus came to her instead. The new situation with Kagome did not change his promise to Kikyo, but it did leave him to question how far he might go to keep that promise when his heart went elsewhere. So far, he hadn't a clue. By the end of this ordeal, he prayed that it would be clear to him who he should be with.
When the rain got a little harder, he reckoned he should take shelter for the night. Not out of weakness as the hanyou would insist, but because he could not find the smells of another village if the rain washed it away. He found a big tree to perch himself on, and he leaned his back against the hand bark which scraped against his skin. The branch too was rather rough, but it was the best he had. Before allowing himself to sleep, he reached under his haori and took out the locket he wore every day and every minute.
His eyes ran over the picture of the girl, who at the moment of the camera flash looked rather irritated, for she was yelling and her cheeks were flushed. Inuyasha smirked at this. She always possessed a special light when she was angry. He suspected he would get the same face when he returned from his trip, as well as a mouthful of sittings. The fire in her eyes never faltered no matter what state she was in, and it captured his soul once again. The corners of his lips tugged into a small smile. Satisfied with this, he closed the locket and put it back in his haori, close to his heart. He felt the loss of her face instantly and frowned slightly. The hanyou lay down on his stomach on the branch with two legs straddling each side and his arms folded to support his head. His ears flattened for no apparent reason that he could think of. He would not admit that he felt awfully lonely.
For a few moments, he called to the voice that had been talking to him, assuming that it was lurking just around the corner. It was raining and so Inuyasha would not be able to smell him at all. He always seemed to show up just as his nose was unusable. No doubt to keep himself hidden. But the voice never did answer back. Inuyasha shrugged. He must have had the night off.
The hanyou nuzzled his face into his arms and closed his eyes. As always, his thoughts drifted to none other than Kagome, and he became somber for but a moment. It felt like an eternity since he had been away from her, from anyone. After two years of having the team around, it became natural for him to need that comfort. As much as he denied it, a part of him did need all those weakling humans and that youkai runt. Especially on a human night, they were his only means of protection, even when he was supposed to be protecting them. Now although still hanyou, he was vulnerable. He let out a small grunt, 'This is going to be a long night.'
The cold clung to every inch of Kagome's body, making her feel naked in the night. She wrapped the blanket closer to her as well as her bow and arrows. The crickets had still paused their melody. No wind, no breath passed her ears, and it terrified her. "Wh-who's there?" She called.
Her voice slightly echoed against the wall of the hut. For a few moments, nothing happened, but she could faintly hear the sounds of grass, twigs, and leaves under someone's steps. Kagome turned, and turned, and turned, but could find no direction of where the noise was coming from. She let out a small whimper and opened her mouth to call for help, but her legs became paralyzed in the coldness that devoured her soul on the spot. She let out a breathy "Help", for her friends. Her frozen speech came out slightly louder at the P, which she tried to make louder with smacking sounds so that her comrades could hear. Still the footsteps continued.
Then, they stopped, and Kagome tensed completely. Was he preparing to pounce upon her? Her thoughts went straight to Inuyasha. Where was she? Was he hurt? Would he could to save her from whatever lurked out there in the forest? She felt no shikon shard, but she did feel an unearthly cold, and a consuming emptiness that she didn't know existed before. The air reeked of the wicked on this night. Something was not right.
When she heard a louder twig snap, and she knew it was from behind her, she turned and posed the arrow within the notch of her bow. All she was able to catch in her sight was a dark figure by the edge of the hut. Before she could even begin to take aim, the figure leapt out of her reach. She froze again. This form seemed taller than her, but that wasn't what caught her attention. For a moment perhaps, she saw two flashes of crimson.
When he escaped her aim, she looked around again for the culprit, ready to shoot. Her breathing turned into panting, but she still could not find the courage to yell for her friends, or Inuyasha. This creature was beckoning her to hold her tongue, to face him herself, and she actually felt like complying. Why this was, she did not know.
Finally, she spotted an unusual lump on the rooftop and stared at it for a moment. Sure enough, the dark figure rose to a standing position. She could not see so well in the night sky, but she saw long hair flowing in the wind, along with some baggy clothes. Along with that were two glowing eyes that pierced her very soul. For a few moments, all time stood still as she stared at him. The one thing that didn't sit right with her eyes at all was that all she could see was a shadow. But before she could investigate much, the figure was gone. She scanned the area for him again, and she could here a strange voice whispering, "I'll be back."
Her blood ran cold, "Inuyasha? But… that isn't your voice. Who else could be out here though?"
The pond was so calm it reflected the light of the moon perfectly and it became a window to another realm where the moon was its master. The trees too partook in this paradise. So did a few mountains as well. But the arrival of something new destroyed it, and the ripples distorted the images until they became one with their own worlds once again, never to return. A dark figure clothed in fur made its way along the edge of the water and stopped momentarily to gaze at its reflection. After a few moments, he spoke, "I know you're there. Come out."
But he would not come. He only spoke. "What do you want?"
"You disobeyed me. I told you not to go near the miko."
He finally emerged and approached, but kept within the protection of the night. "You can not expect me to deny my nature, can you… Naraku?"
"Blow this now and you and I will never get what we want. I desire her blood on your hands as well as mine, but you were created for another purpose. Remember your key to the miko: that Inuyasha. Without you poisoning his mind, your quest and mine will not be satisfied. I will satisfy your cravings if they suite me. If I don't kill the girl, you shall."
He pondered the devastation if he lost the privilege of such a task. "You would not deny me a kill, would you, master?"
"As my creation you are bound to me, and I shall do what pleases me at the time. Don't forget that until your transformation is complete, you can accomplish neither your goals nor mine."
His voice echoed lightly over the dark water, "I can not even mark out my prey with my own eyes then? She can be a feast for the eyes until that time has come."
"You risk too much. Don't forget what must be done," the baboon coat turned towards the darkness of the forest where his apprentice resided, "And don't forget your place."
The moon within the reflection of the water was still trembling as he left.
To be continued…
I couldn't forget our favorite villain now, could I? And this mysterious stalker…. Muhahaha… this is gonna be fun. Teehee! So tell me if this was a good chapter or not and what I can do to improve in the future it anything at all. Respond everyone!
InuyashaGal: Wow, bowing now. This is so awkward… no no. I didn't say stop. Hehe. And I'll be waiting for your story so don't worry. (hugs)
Random Reader: To say that I'm the best writer you've seen so far really makes me feel great. I want you to know that nothing could make me feel more special than that. Thank you. In terms of the voice, just wait…(hugs)
Jenn-silent breed: Something I'm gonna have so much fun with. You can't even see how giddy I am just thinking about it. Very proud of myself for thinking of it so quickly, cause it wasn't in my original story, but I made modifications to the whole story to accommodate for it. Hope it works out. (hugs)
Helikakileh: Small moments can only get bigger. Haha. And I will explain why Kagome did what she did next chapter, so stay tuned for that. (hugs)
Caline Daniels: Cuteness is my middle name… Hm, Kelly Cuteness? I'll take it! (hugs)
INUYASHALOVER45: OO Woah! That's awesome. Do I feel loved today. Updating a day early here so for what it's worth, your methods of persuasion are working. (hugs)
Jedi1K: Haha, I don't know about that, but this is Inuyasha. He's always stupid. That's why we love him. Teehee! (hugs)
FOO: Rad? There's a world I haven't heard in like 5 years. Thanks for being rad yourself. (hugs)
Trekker4life: If you're a trekker for life and a reader for life, then I will always be a writer for life. (hugs)
kawaiibritt: Glad to have your support, and welcome to my gooey lovey fic-ness. (hugs)
mooximxaxwhale: Aww, no one's ever hugged me back before. I like you. (hugs… again)
Lacey Beans: I'm glad you're willing to be patient with me, cause it's really hard to be patient with myself. Kinda weird when its harder to write during summer than during the school year, but since this is something that I really love, it's no chore. Thanks a bunch. (hugs)