Chapter 4: Recovering and Revealing
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but the storyline is mine.
Author's Note: I had some trouble uploading the last one, and ended up loading the non-spell checked version, so I apologize for the dumb spelling errors. Hope it didn't interfere with anyone's reading! And thank you to those who reviewed! It makes it a lot easier to keep writing the story with that kind of support. - ) Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! azami
Last time: She raised her tear-streaked face to him, and looked into his eyes, not speaking a word. He returned the stare, letting all of the emotion he felt at the moment show through in his gaze. "I was so afraid that something happened to you…" he whispered, whipping the tears from her face. They both felt the strong energy flowing between then as they stood there, locked in the others arms. Without another word, they began to walk back to the village, still in a partial embrace, to see to the condition of their friend.
Already miles away, Kikyo floated amongst her soul seekers, again in the direction of Naraku's castle. "This isn't over….now I will seek my true revenge…"
Three days and three nights had passed, and Kagome still lay unconscious. Kaede had been administering medicinal ointments and potions to return the injured young miko to health. Inuyasha stayed close by her side, leaving only to retrieve more herbs for Kaede, should she need them. On the third night, Inuyasha sat beside her, wiping the beads of sweat from her brow with a cool, damp cloth. She'd been having nightmares, and often cried out in her sleep at night. The fever had yet to break and Inuyasha cared about nothing, other than doing what he must to get Kagome well again.
He laid parallel to her, starring up at the ceiling. Inuyasha closed his eyes, and let his inner-most thoughts play a scene in his mind.
The Scene
Inuyasha and Kagome walked together along the ocean shore. The night was clear, the sky was a rolling sea of countless stars, and the air was fragrent with the faint smell of tigerlilies wafting in the breeze. They stopped at a log of driftwood, and sat upon it together. "You're quiet, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured, a hint of concern showing in her tone. The hanyou sighed, staring out at the sea. "All of my life, I've waited for something to happen that would make everything bette…make everything I lived through worthwhile. After my mother died, it felt like I would never come across another living being that would love me as she loved me…not even Kikyo could do that. She wanted to change me…and after everything that happened with her…I didn't think it would be possible for me to ever love someone again…" His voice dropped off, and then he took her hand in his. Kagome looked at him, smiling brightly, the love she felt shouting out to him through her gaze. "But you showed me how to love, Kagome," Inuyasha said, almost silently. "Most importantly…you taught me how to trust…and…well…Kagome…would you…be my mate?" The words slipped from his tongue, and hit her earns. She opened her lips to speak-
Inuyasha was jolted back to reality by the sound of Kagome's frantic cries. "Shhh…its alright…I'm here…" he cooed, stroking her hair. Kagome whimpered with what smelled like fear, and struggled with whatever it was that plagued her dreams. "C'mon Kagome, you can beat this," Inuyasha urged her, trying to sound confident, but his eyes showed the fear that tugged at his stomach again and again. "Besides, you hafta get better…you're almost done with that Skool thing….and we still need to defeat Naraku….and uh…we need you to do that…and…I still need to ask you what I've been waiting to ask you…" Kagome seemed to calm a bit at the sound of his voice and the gentle caresses he gave to her forehead. Inuyasha watched her sleep for some time, until her breathing fell back into a comfortable, rhythmic pattern, and then he laid to rest beside her. "I love you, Kagome," he whispered, and then fell to sleep.
Early the next morning, Inuyasha hurried to the river to fetch fresh water, and returned to the hut with much haste. He stirred the fire, and began to apply Kaede's salve to clean strips of cloth to apply to Kagome's still-red skin. As he began to lather her arm in the salve, she let out a small whimper. Inuyasha's brow furrowed; he was trying his best not to cause her any pain. "It's alright, Kagome. It's just me…you just lay there and let me take care of you," he said, as gently as possible. He watched her face relax and she murmured, " 'Kay," a slight smile drawn to her lips. Inuyasha's eyes widened, and he grinned. That was the first conscious sign of life he'd seen from her in the last four days. As he finished applying the salve, he felt a great deal more confident about Kagome's recovery.
When he emerged from the hut, he saw that Sango and Miroku were outside, sitting closely together on a log, their backs to him. "Huh?" he thought, scratching his head as he watched Miroku slip his arm around Sango, and she replied with a giggle, rather than the normal smack across the face. Inuyasha glanced back at the hut, and smirked to himself, knowing how much Kagome would gush over what he was witnessing. He approached quietly until he was right behind them. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, the smirk still on his lips. Sango jumped up from her seat, knocking Miroku backward off the log in the process, and faced Inuyasha. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed. Miroku lifted himself from the ground, rubbing the back of his head, and chuckling nervously. "Heyyy Inuyasha…we were just…" he began but was waved off by Inuyasha. "Ah, nevermind that," the hanyou scoffed, "I just wanted to tell you that Kagome responded to me this morning." Both of them gave wide smiles, and Inuyasha couldn't help but smile as well. "Oh, Inuyasha, that's great news!" Sango explained, breathing a sigh of relief. "Do you think I could go sit with her for awhile?" Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Someone should still be watching over her." Sango agreed whole-heartedly, and hurried off to the hut.
Inuyasha stood there, looking off into the distance, thinking about all of the events that had transpired in the recent days passed. All within four days he'd told Kikyo that they would never again be….he had told Kagome that it was her that he loved….and Kagome had almost died. What he didn't understand was who had attacked Kagome, and why. Inuyasha stood silently, thinking and mulling over the situation until something clicked. He thought back to when he'd last seen Kikyo.
FLASHBACK
She returned her eyes to him, and spoke again, "May I ask something of you now?" He met his eyes to hers, and nodded silently. " These last times we've met…you've seemed different toward me…." She studied him firmly, refusing to release him from her gaze until he answered. "Wh-what do you mean, Kikyo?" he sputtered, unsure of how to respond. She knew why he was different…she knew what had changed…she just had to hear him say it. And he knew that it was time for her to hear it. "Do you still love me, Inuyasha?" He stared at her, and the silence dragged on for what seemed like forever before he responded. "In some way, I will always love you, Kikyo…" he began, but as he spoke her heard a faint sound coming from the bushes bordering the clearing. He could smell nothing suspicious, so he shrugged it off and continued. "…but it's not like it was before…I feel that I owe you the peace you deserve, and I will do whatever I can to help you get that…but…I can't be with you like I was before."
There was a long pause before Kikyo spoke, and finally she raised her eyes to him again. "Is it that girl? Kagome? My reincarnation?" Inuyasha fidgeted slightly, and exhaled deeply before nodding in reply. "Do you love her?" Inuyasha looked at her for a long time, knowing that what he was about to say was going to change things for the rest of his life. "Yes. I love Kagome." With that, Kikyo began to ascend slowly into the air, her soul collectors swimming around her, wrapping her in a bright glow. "That was all I needed to hear, Inuyasha." She spoke barely above a whisper, and then vanished into the sky. Inuyasha didn't know what to make of her reaction, but now all he could think of was getting back to Kagome.
"That's all I needed to know, Inuyasha." Her words echoed through his head, and he remembered the look that had been on her face. At the time he hadn't been able to decipher the meaning of the looking…but now it all made sense to him. Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted by Miroku's voice. "Inuyasha, you seemed troubled. Is there anything of importance on your mind?" Inuyasha looked at Miroku, and then toward the hut. "Follow me. We've got to talk." Miroku followed until Inuyasha stopped, a distance away from where they'd been. "Why are we…," Miroku began, but he was stopped by Inuyasha raising his hand. "I wanted to get far enough away so that Kagome won't, by chance, overhear. This isn't something I want her to hear about while she's still so weak," Inuyasha said in a hushed tone. With that, Inuyasha rattled off his theory to Miroku.
Miroku furrowed his brow. "So you think Kikyo is responsible for the attack on Kagome? Though I barely know of her, it hardly seems like something she might do," he said, rubbing his chin. Inuyasha nodded in agreement, " Tell me about it. I know her better than anyone…well…knew her…" Miroku signed, "Well, the first thing we'll have to do is get a more detailed account of the incident from the girls, but that will have to wait until Kagome is well enough." Inuyasha nodded firmly. They then headed back to the village, being sure to keep their suspicions quiet until the time was right.
Inuyasha and Miroku returned to a semi-awake Kagome, sitting up talking with Sango. Inuyasha couldn't hide his happiness in seeing Kagome awake, and at least somewhat alert. He kneeled down beside her, and took her cheek into his hand, caressing it gently. "Hey there, sleepyhead. You had me worried…" She placed her hand on his and smiled warmly. Sango and Miroku took that as their cue to leave, and rushed out the door of the hut. "Inuyasha, I don't know what happened…" she then said, tears brimming her eyes. He could see the pain and weakness in her eyes, and felt a jolt of anger. He gazed at her, knowing how much he loved this woman, and his expression softened. Inuyasha took Kagome into his arms, cradling her in his lap, rocking gently to soothe her. "Shhh…don't worry about that now…" he murmured. She raised her face to him, and look deep into his eyes. "I love you, Inuyasha…" He stared at her for a moment, taking in the wealth of emotion that rushed through him as he heard her utter those words. "I love you, Kagome…"
He sat with her cradled in his lap until she fell to sleep again, this time resting more soundly than she had in days. As he held her, the contempt he now felt toward Kikyo built, his blood boiling. "I don't care what bond we're supposed to have, Kikyo," Inuyasha growled to himself, "You're not going to get away with this…."
Wuh-oh! Watch out Kikyo! Man…Inuyasha's pissed….will he forsake the tie he has to Kikyo, and seek revenge on her? Maybe Kikyo will be going to hell sooner than she thought…..Guess you'll have to read next time to find out! ;) Thanks for taking the time to read! Please review! ;) azami