Guess wut guys! I have illustrations! YUP! You can go to the two links below to see my illustrations of this fanfic-yes yes, they are a bit blurry-but webcams are horrible so bear with me! At least you can get a general idea of Kagome's new look. (their a bit fuzzy-but i don't have a scanner and I did the best i could w/ my webcam)
http://www.fanart-central.net/pictures.php?pid=67892
http://www.fanart-central.net/pictures.php?pid=67905
Chapter 15
When Kagome and Sango had returned from their bath, Kagome noticed Inuyasha looking at her strangely-she wasn't sure what to make of it. She went about her daily chores, grabbing a small woven basket and holding it against her hip with her hand she pushed aside her beaded doorway and took into the forest to gather herbs. 'I can't believe I let my supplies become so low...I've been so careless lately...' Kagome inwardly scowlded herself, shaking her head as she began to walk toward the outskirts of the village. Inuyasha watched her leaving, deciding he was going to poke around the village to find out more about what went on while he was dead before confronting Kagome on it. Shippo, of course-quite curious as to why Inuyasha didn't follow Kagome-began to follow Inuyasha around.
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Kagome wore a small smile while walking into a clearing about a mile into the forest. She kneeled into the tall grasses and began picking roots and colored flowers from the small field, humming a small tune that her mother always sang while doing chores. She missed her homelife, her family, and her school friends-but she chose to give that up a long time ago, and she rarely regretted the choice. She knew her mother would understand if she didn't come back & she visited the well occasionally to remind herself of home.
Soon, Kagome's pleasant thoughts of her past were interrupted. A light breeze blanketed the field, pushing aside her longer bangs and the small tresses that fell from the loose braid she wore in her raven hair. Kagome laid her basket aside in dismay, standing up to face the Lord of the western lands who had slipped in unannounced. Both forms stared at each other, the sun highlighting Kagome's figure, while shadows enshrouded Sesshomaru at the edge of the forest. Kagome blinked-wearing an expressionless, yet soft tone to her brown hues, while Sesshomaru held an unreadable gaze across his ember pools.
Kagome finally bent down, picking up her basket to her side and then looking back to Sesshomaru with a soft voice. "Is there something you needed Sesshomaru..." Sesshomaru faulted into a slightly genuine smile. "Kagome...I came to see if you were alright-Rin is quite worried about you..." With that, a certain young girl ran up to Kagome, who layed her basket on the ground and grabbed the girl in her arms as if it were her own child.
"Kagome-chan! Fluffy said you weren't well and that you were hurt! Are you better now?" Rin's innocent eyes searched through Kagome's smile. "Of course Rin, I'm sorry I worried you...I'm really fine now..." Rin's smile flooded over, hugging Kagome tightly. "C'mon...you can help me gather herbs..." Kagome comforted the child, taking her hand lightly and leading her to a spot in the field. Sesshomaru hovered nearby, quietly watching the two as Rin picked herbs and Kagome told her the uses for it and let her place it in the basket.
As the sun began to sink lower beyond the horizon, Kagome took Rin to where Sesshomaru waited patiently. "I will see you again soon milady Kagome?" Rin's innocent tone made Kagome smile in pleasure. "Of course Rin...you are welcome in the village anytime..." Kagome's voice took to it's own naturally sweet and kind self, making her face soften and her heart along with it. Rin giggled with a happy yell, then hurried to her lord's side as they began to walk away-waving to Kagome cheerfully.
As soon as the two were out of sight, Kagome felt an eager saddness approaching her heart-she longed to be this lighthearted all the time-but things weren't so simple as Rin made them out to be. Kagome's life weighed her thoughts down constantly with regrets, bitter distrust, and a simple longing for love. But she made efforts to try to remember the time that seemed too long ago on the way back to the village. She walked in a dispondent and distant spirit-trying to remember how she kept everything together before Inuyasha died.
Kagome quickly gave up at the sight of her village at dusk. "I suppose it's because things are harder to put back together once they've fallen apart-back then I only had to keep things from cracking...now it's completely broken..." "But even shattered things can be replaced..." Kagome was startled by a silky voice from behind. "Sesshomaru...what do you think you are doing here-this village is off limits..." Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow at her suspiciously. Kagome shook her head in annoyance, looking to the ground before taking a breath and looking into his eyes. "What do you want?"
-------
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was having no luck trying to pry information about the past from anyone. All his answers either came up empty or they were left with "ask Kagome" which was exactly what he didn't want to do. Shippo, who had followed Inuyasha around all afternoon, finally confronted Inuyasha on this.
"Inuyasha! Why don't you ask Kagome already! None of us are going to tell you about Sesshomaru and Kagome...so why don't you just ask her!?!" Inuyasha, obviously annoyed, grabbed Shippo's tail, holding him up to face him. "If I wanted to ask Kagome-I WOULD!" Shippo crossed his arms, shaking his head to himself. "I never did understand you guys..." Inuyasha promptly threw the kitsune into a hut wall, leaving a lump on his head.
Kagome was soon back inside her dark hut, rethinking what had happened with Sesshomaru only minutes before. "Why would he say such a thing...it's impossible..." Kagome, obviously disturbed to some extent, leaned against a dark corner of the hut as a dim-dusky light shown through the window. "I don't understand what he means..." Kagome sank down into a sitting postition on the floor, placing her elbows on her knees and placing her head in her hands. She sighed heavily-trying to clear her thoughts. "I don't understand anything anymore..."
Kagome sat there for awhile, light fading faster, until it was almost completely black, except for the small traces of moonlight peeking into the hut. Kagome smiled to herself. "Night already...guess I should go check on Sango and everyone...they might be worried..." Kagome pulled herself up, removing her braid and letting her hair flow out in loosened tendrals. She made her way to Sango's hut, putting her thoughts behind her as she became herself again-or what everyone wanted her to be.
Sango smiled, happily greeting her friend as she walked through the doorway. "Kagome...where have you been all day?" Kohaku looked over from sharpening his weapon, smiling contently. "Just around..." Kagome wasn't in the mood to lie to her friends, so she settled on a vague answer. Kohaku continued sharpening his weapon as he spoke to Kagome. "Sango says she will be able to hunt with us some nights soon! Won't it be fun to have everyone out hunting together again?" The excitement in the boy's voice lifted Kagome's spirits.
"Hai, it will be wonderful..." Sango looked back to Kagome from tending her son. "Kaede agreed to watch the baby when we hunt...I can't wait to help you slay demons again..." Kagome clearly saw the fire in Sango's eyes-she recognized it from the old days. Kagome sighed heavily. 'Just being around my friends...it helps so much, it helps me to forget...I feel the same way as I always have-they make me so happy again, it's strange, but familiar..."
Kagome looked to the door as Shippo, Miroku, and Inuyasha came in, discussing something. Shippo walked in, innocently talking to Inuyasha in his know-it-all tone. "But Inuyasha...I thought you wanted to know!?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes, huffing up as he crossed his arms and sat down by the doorway. Shippo, upon seeing Kagome, ran into her open arms with a brilliant smile. Kagome blinked. "Wanted to know what? What's going on..." Kagome noticed the strange look Inuyasha gave her, the few times he actually glanced her way-it was familiar, but she couldn't remember what this look was for.
'Kikyo! That was it...Inuyasha gave me that look everytime he saw Kikyo...but...' Kagome looked downward a moment, before hearing Inuyasha's answer and glancing back into his innocently occupied eyes. "Huh...it's none of your business..." Inuyasha huffed out, annoyed by her attempt to gain information. "Oh Really? Is that so..." Kagome got a sneaky smile across her lips. "Sit." Inuyasha went face down, kissing dirt in the hut with a loud outcry, followed by an outburst of objections.
Everyone else looked on in amazement at how closely they came to actually having one of their usual arguments-Sango could only smile peacefully at her friends. Inuyasha on the other hand, kept rattling off at Kagome, who payed no attention, accept when she slipped out the three-lettered word every few moments during his outbursts. Kagome giggled slightly, shaking her head at Inuyasha. "What is it? What's so funny?!" "Nothing...but it is your own fault-you did demand to have that back ya know! And why you put it around your neck I couldn't tell..." "Well how was I suppose to know it still worked!!??" Inuyasha began to tug on the rosary fiercely, but the spell kept it in place. "Of course it still works..." Kagome rolled her eyes at his ignorance. "Sit." And with that, Kagome stepped over Inuyasha's body. "Night Sango, Night Miroku! Cya Inuyasha...C'mon Shippo!" Shippo jumped over Inuyasha's body as well, following the cheerful Kagome, pausing at the door. "Ya know Inuyasha, she IS right...why would you put that back on? Night Guys!" Inuyasha gave a low growl in his throat as Shippo hopped out the door after Kagome.
Inuyasha mumbled unhappily to himself in annoyance before taking outside and into a tree. Kagome and Shippo slept contently in Kagome's hut, while Kohaku slept in Sango and Miroku's hut. Sango and Miroku stayed awake a bit longer, the youkai exterminator in the monk's lap, his arms folded around her caringly as they stared at their sleeping son in Sango's arms. They whispered quietly about the argument between Inuyasha and Kagome, before laying it to rest, Miroku kissing the top of Sango's head gently and leading her off to bed after putting their son to sleep.
ยป--------------------
I hope you liked the chappy! I really appreciate all the reviews I'm getting. I try to take all your advice, or at least in bits n pieces-to make it a little better to read, and I don't consider it a flame if you try to tell me something that I might do better. So don't worry if you put a lil advice in ur review-I like to hear what u think, it lets me know u have opinions! Hai, I'm trying to make my chappies a lil more frequent and longer, but I've had alot going on-so I'm trying to get better, but I usually like to give u a short chappy so I don't have to keep you waiting since a long chappy takes a bit more time to write. So keep the reviews(and advice) coming for each chappy! I enjoy hearing ur comments! THX! R&R
http://www.fanart-central.net/pictures.php?pid=67892
http://www.fanart-central.net/pictures.php?pid=67905
Chapter 15
When Kagome and Sango had returned from their bath, Kagome noticed Inuyasha looking at her strangely-she wasn't sure what to make of it. She went about her daily chores, grabbing a small woven basket and holding it against her hip with her hand she pushed aside her beaded doorway and took into the forest to gather herbs. 'I can't believe I let my supplies become so low...I've been so careless lately...' Kagome inwardly scowlded herself, shaking her head as she began to walk toward the outskirts of the village. Inuyasha watched her leaving, deciding he was going to poke around the village to find out more about what went on while he was dead before confronting Kagome on it. Shippo, of course-quite curious as to why Inuyasha didn't follow Kagome-began to follow Inuyasha around.
----
Kagome wore a small smile while walking into a clearing about a mile into the forest. She kneeled into the tall grasses and began picking roots and colored flowers from the small field, humming a small tune that her mother always sang while doing chores. She missed her homelife, her family, and her school friends-but she chose to give that up a long time ago, and she rarely regretted the choice. She knew her mother would understand if she didn't come back & she visited the well occasionally to remind herself of home.
Soon, Kagome's pleasant thoughts of her past were interrupted. A light breeze blanketed the field, pushing aside her longer bangs and the small tresses that fell from the loose braid she wore in her raven hair. Kagome laid her basket aside in dismay, standing up to face the Lord of the western lands who had slipped in unannounced. Both forms stared at each other, the sun highlighting Kagome's figure, while shadows enshrouded Sesshomaru at the edge of the forest. Kagome blinked-wearing an expressionless, yet soft tone to her brown hues, while Sesshomaru held an unreadable gaze across his ember pools.
Kagome finally bent down, picking up her basket to her side and then looking back to Sesshomaru with a soft voice. "Is there something you needed Sesshomaru..." Sesshomaru faulted into a slightly genuine smile. "Kagome...I came to see if you were alright-Rin is quite worried about you..." With that, a certain young girl ran up to Kagome, who layed her basket on the ground and grabbed the girl in her arms as if it were her own child.
"Kagome-chan! Fluffy said you weren't well and that you were hurt! Are you better now?" Rin's innocent eyes searched through Kagome's smile. "Of course Rin, I'm sorry I worried you...I'm really fine now..." Rin's smile flooded over, hugging Kagome tightly. "C'mon...you can help me gather herbs..." Kagome comforted the child, taking her hand lightly and leading her to a spot in the field. Sesshomaru hovered nearby, quietly watching the two as Rin picked herbs and Kagome told her the uses for it and let her place it in the basket.
As the sun began to sink lower beyond the horizon, Kagome took Rin to where Sesshomaru waited patiently. "I will see you again soon milady Kagome?" Rin's innocent tone made Kagome smile in pleasure. "Of course Rin...you are welcome in the village anytime..." Kagome's voice took to it's own naturally sweet and kind self, making her face soften and her heart along with it. Rin giggled with a happy yell, then hurried to her lord's side as they began to walk away-waving to Kagome cheerfully.
As soon as the two were out of sight, Kagome felt an eager saddness approaching her heart-she longed to be this lighthearted all the time-but things weren't so simple as Rin made them out to be. Kagome's life weighed her thoughts down constantly with regrets, bitter distrust, and a simple longing for love. But she made efforts to try to remember the time that seemed too long ago on the way back to the village. She walked in a dispondent and distant spirit-trying to remember how she kept everything together before Inuyasha died.
Kagome quickly gave up at the sight of her village at dusk. "I suppose it's because things are harder to put back together once they've fallen apart-back then I only had to keep things from cracking...now it's completely broken..." "But even shattered things can be replaced..." Kagome was startled by a silky voice from behind. "Sesshomaru...what do you think you are doing here-this village is off limits..." Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow at her suspiciously. Kagome shook her head in annoyance, looking to the ground before taking a breath and looking into his eyes. "What do you want?"
-------
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was having no luck trying to pry information about the past from anyone. All his answers either came up empty or they were left with "ask Kagome" which was exactly what he didn't want to do. Shippo, who had followed Inuyasha around all afternoon, finally confronted Inuyasha on this.
"Inuyasha! Why don't you ask Kagome already! None of us are going to tell you about Sesshomaru and Kagome...so why don't you just ask her!?!" Inuyasha, obviously annoyed, grabbed Shippo's tail, holding him up to face him. "If I wanted to ask Kagome-I WOULD!" Shippo crossed his arms, shaking his head to himself. "I never did understand you guys..." Inuyasha promptly threw the kitsune into a hut wall, leaving a lump on his head.
Kagome was soon back inside her dark hut, rethinking what had happened with Sesshomaru only minutes before. "Why would he say such a thing...it's impossible..." Kagome, obviously disturbed to some extent, leaned against a dark corner of the hut as a dim-dusky light shown through the window. "I don't understand what he means..." Kagome sank down into a sitting postition on the floor, placing her elbows on her knees and placing her head in her hands. She sighed heavily-trying to clear her thoughts. "I don't understand anything anymore..."
Kagome sat there for awhile, light fading faster, until it was almost completely black, except for the small traces of moonlight peeking into the hut. Kagome smiled to herself. "Night already...guess I should go check on Sango and everyone...they might be worried..." Kagome pulled herself up, removing her braid and letting her hair flow out in loosened tendrals. She made her way to Sango's hut, putting her thoughts behind her as she became herself again-or what everyone wanted her to be.
Sango smiled, happily greeting her friend as she walked through the doorway. "Kagome...where have you been all day?" Kohaku looked over from sharpening his weapon, smiling contently. "Just around..." Kagome wasn't in the mood to lie to her friends, so she settled on a vague answer. Kohaku continued sharpening his weapon as he spoke to Kagome. "Sango says she will be able to hunt with us some nights soon! Won't it be fun to have everyone out hunting together again?" The excitement in the boy's voice lifted Kagome's spirits.
"Hai, it will be wonderful..." Sango looked back to Kagome from tending her son. "Kaede agreed to watch the baby when we hunt...I can't wait to help you slay demons again..." Kagome clearly saw the fire in Sango's eyes-she recognized it from the old days. Kagome sighed heavily. 'Just being around my friends...it helps so much, it helps me to forget...I feel the same way as I always have-they make me so happy again, it's strange, but familiar..."
Kagome looked to the door as Shippo, Miroku, and Inuyasha came in, discussing something. Shippo walked in, innocently talking to Inuyasha in his know-it-all tone. "But Inuyasha...I thought you wanted to know!?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes, huffing up as he crossed his arms and sat down by the doorway. Shippo, upon seeing Kagome, ran into her open arms with a brilliant smile. Kagome blinked. "Wanted to know what? What's going on..." Kagome noticed the strange look Inuyasha gave her, the few times he actually glanced her way-it was familiar, but she couldn't remember what this look was for.
'Kikyo! That was it...Inuyasha gave me that look everytime he saw Kikyo...but...' Kagome looked downward a moment, before hearing Inuyasha's answer and glancing back into his innocently occupied eyes. "Huh...it's none of your business..." Inuyasha huffed out, annoyed by her attempt to gain information. "Oh Really? Is that so..." Kagome got a sneaky smile across her lips. "Sit." Inuyasha went face down, kissing dirt in the hut with a loud outcry, followed by an outburst of objections.
Everyone else looked on in amazement at how closely they came to actually having one of their usual arguments-Sango could only smile peacefully at her friends. Inuyasha on the other hand, kept rattling off at Kagome, who payed no attention, accept when she slipped out the three-lettered word every few moments during his outbursts. Kagome giggled slightly, shaking her head at Inuyasha. "What is it? What's so funny?!" "Nothing...but it is your own fault-you did demand to have that back ya know! And why you put it around your neck I couldn't tell..." "Well how was I suppose to know it still worked!!??" Inuyasha began to tug on the rosary fiercely, but the spell kept it in place. "Of course it still works..." Kagome rolled her eyes at his ignorance. "Sit." And with that, Kagome stepped over Inuyasha's body. "Night Sango, Night Miroku! Cya Inuyasha...C'mon Shippo!" Shippo jumped over Inuyasha's body as well, following the cheerful Kagome, pausing at the door. "Ya know Inuyasha, she IS right...why would you put that back on? Night Guys!" Inuyasha gave a low growl in his throat as Shippo hopped out the door after Kagome.
Inuyasha mumbled unhappily to himself in annoyance before taking outside and into a tree. Kagome and Shippo slept contently in Kagome's hut, while Kohaku slept in Sango and Miroku's hut. Sango and Miroku stayed awake a bit longer, the youkai exterminator in the monk's lap, his arms folded around her caringly as they stared at their sleeping son in Sango's arms. They whispered quietly about the argument between Inuyasha and Kagome, before laying it to rest, Miroku kissing the top of Sango's head gently and leading her off to bed after putting their son to sleep.
ยป--------------------
I hope you liked the chappy! I really appreciate all the reviews I'm getting. I try to take all your advice, or at least in bits n pieces-to make it a little better to read, and I don't consider it a flame if you try to tell me something that I might do better. So don't worry if you put a lil advice in ur review-I like to hear what u think, it lets me know u have opinions! Hai, I'm trying to make my chappies a lil more frequent and longer, but I've had alot going on-so I'm trying to get better, but I usually like to give u a short chappy so I don't have to keep you waiting since a long chappy takes a bit more time to write. So keep the reviews(and advice) coming for each chappy! I enjoy hearing ur comments! THX! R&R