Chapter 38
Kagome had slipped off the lip of the well, fallen into the darkness and hit bottom- landing on her feet in a crouching position. Just as she was about to stand- the earth beneath her moved, then disappeared, and she found herself surrounded by the same familair beauty of glittering lights- and the peaceful sensation as though she was falling into the sky itself. But when the peace melted away and she found herself gently touching the ground again- she felt an overwhelming anxiety. 'What if...I really am home? What if they left or- something happened- ...What if they aren't here-..and ....What am I going to say if they are?' She sighed, finally realizing that Inuyasha had appeared next to her. She gave him a quick smile as she looked up- only to see that the sky had disappeared under what seemed to be the well-house roof.
He smirked slightly, sensing her tension as she stared aimlessly into the void space above. "Well...What are we waiting for?" She sighed slightly, biting her lip. "Think we made it?" He crossed his arms with a reassuring confidence and the cocky arrogance she learned to tolerate. "Only one way to find out..." He took her hand and leaped up strongly, pulling them both out and onto the lip of the well, where they looked around to see what seemed like the exact same well house she left. Without another word she walked up the steps and pulled the door aside- stepping out into the sunlight and taking a look around. The birds were eating by the sacred tree-just as they always did on days like this, and everything seemed to be almost perfectly frozen- as though time had stopped and refused to go on without her.
She took another step or two down the small well house stairs as Inuyasha waited against the doorway of the small temple- watching her contently with his arms folded in his haori. He was so occupied he didn't hear the footsteps nearby until they were about 10 feet away, then his ears twitched as he turned- seeing a young boy, about a foot or two shorter than himself- reading a book intently as he carried his soccer ball in the other hand. Finally- the boy looked up with a sudden stop, his mouth falling open as he tried to find his voice. "Inu- ... Inu..yasha?" It came out like a breathe of astonishment as he stared in utter surprise at the figure before him- then caught the second figure from the corner of his eye.
Kagome heard his voice and immediately turned on a heel- her raven hair whipping in the sunlight as her brown hues took in every inch of the young boy before them- her heart skipping a beat with every moment as her breathe slipped away. He looked over the girl- dropping both the book and ball in amazement as he smiled widely. "Kagome..." He ran as fast as he could until he reached her warm embrace, her eyes brimming with tears as she took him in her arms. "Souta! I've missed you so much!" They pulled apart as she looked him over, happily smiling as wide as she could with small laughs. "Look how tall you are!" He rolled his eyes as he laughed. "Of course Kagome, It's been over a year....where have you been?! You look so different!" He smiled as he looked her over- Inuyasha watching the display with a small sigh. 'I can't help but wonder...will she even want to leave again?' Again- he sighed, trying to pull his thoughts away from such things as he watched the scene unfold.
Soon- Kagome's mother and grandpa found out about her arrival, and it was basically more of the same as Inuyasha would say. Kagome's mother came around the corner with Souta's soccerball in hand- looking it over a moment as she called for her son to retrieve it curiously. "Souta dear, your ball -" In an instant she forgot every word she was ready to say and dropped the ball in the same fashion- only to let it roll off just as before. Inuyasha smiled inwardly as the happy reunion took place, then he followed Kagome into the house when Mrs. Higurashi invited him in, then listened to the chatter that went on for hours about Kagome's disappearance- she explained most everything that had happened- then her mother explained how things at home had been while Inuyasha simply teased the cat. Her mother was so happy she cried a few times. "Kagome dear...it's not that I worried about you so much- I knew everything would be fine, and you would come back when you got the chance, its just that we all missed you..." Kagome was all smiles as she spent time with her family, apologizing to her mother several times for her absence- then helping her mother cook dinner and sitting down with Inuyasha and her family to eat and talk.
After dinner- her mother eventually got around to asking Kagome those curious questions that were burning deep within her mind, but she had waited until Souta took Inuyasha out into the yard to play with the soccerball and grandpa had left to tend to the shrine- now she was alone with Kagome, cleaning the kitchen. She smiled a bit as Kagome dried some dishes. "What?" Kagome looked at her mother's glance questioningly. "Nothing...I just like to see you happy...and you and Inuyasha do look so happy together..." Kagome smiled, rolling her eyes as she continued to put dishes away. "Mom...you make it sound like we're married..." She laughed slightly at her daughter. "Well- is that so hard to imagine? I mean- you do love him... don't you?" Kagome thought a moment, wondering what her mother wanted her to say- blushing slightly at her mother's bluntness. "Mom-" Her sentence faded out, as her mother gently sighed, giving her a warm look as she pushed Kagome's bangs aside. "Kagome dear...I know you can't stay here- your heart just isn't home here anymore, but we will always love each other...so take good care of Inuyasha and your friends- and come visit us often...bring the grandkids..." She winked with a growing smile as they gave a short hug. Kagome rolled her eyes, laughing under her breath at her mother's funny way of having a serious conversation, but a small sweatdrop was surely to be seen as she thought of herself having children.
Later that evening- Kagome decided not to spend the night at her home, especially since they hadn't told anyone where they were going earlier. She said goodbye to everyone and promised to visit soon. She finally went out to the well house with a light-heartedness that she hadn't had in quite some time. She smiled gently as she entered the small room, closing the door to the dim room and looking over to see a troubled Inuyasha sitting on the lip of the well. She walked over as he lifted his head and stood up, she gently put both feet over the well and sat there for a moment. "Inuyasha...let's go home..." He was slightly suprised to hear those words- and was about to protest that she should stay with her family a few days before she shook her head and continued. "...it was wonderful- being able to come back here again...now I can come back and visit them every few weeks- so ...take me home Inuyasha...where I belong." He smiled slightly, jumping into the well with her & returning to their former time.
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By the time they came back to the feudal era, the sliver of a moon was beginning to rise in the growing darkness and stars were appearing by the dozens in the navy blue sky.Kagome sealed the well off again- just to be sure demons wouldn't travel back and forth- then they walked back to the village slowly, talking about nothing particular along the way. "Look at the moon Inuyasha...tommorrow is your human night...right?" He huffed, rolling his eyes slightly. "Yeah- thanks for reminding me..." His tone was rough, but Kagome just laughed slightly as they came up to the silent village- the small huts below them were quiet in the silky darkness as they paused by the edge of the forest. She sighed slightly. "Arigato Inuyasha...." Inuyasha looked over curiously, raising a brow. "For what?" She smiled. "For today..." And with that she simply walked toward the village, making her way to her hut and disappearing inside.
Inuyasha eventually made his way to his tree branch, his thoughts replaying to tommorrow night- when all his demon natures would leave him and he would be weak. He sighed, loathing the immense human emotions that overwhelmed him when he was human. Sometimes- on nights like this that reminded him so much of the familiar days before his 'death', he would almost forget that Naraku and Kikyo, along with alot of his problems, were dead. It was hard to imagine they had all truly been killed in that finally battle that he gave his life in. But it was true- Naraku was dead and Kikyo was at peace...without him- she was gone and he had come back, he had truly done what he said he was going to do- follow her in death, even though it was not his choice...but thinking back on it now- he wasn't sure he would have followed her if he knew what it was going to do to Kagome. 'No...I wouldn't have gone...I would never put Kagome through that if I had a choice to stay and protect her...'
His thoughts played on as his honey hues followed Kagome's sleek figure coming out of the hut and making her way to Sango's hut nearby- pulling back the beaded doorway with a smile as light from the blaze within flooded out, pushing back the darkness as she stepped in- he could hear the greetings they gave her as her figure bathed in the lighted doorway and the door closed behind her, then she began to talk about different things- including her trip home.
Hours later, Inuyasha saw Kagome leaving the hut with a sleeping kitsune in her arms, heading for her own bed. She walked in the dim room as Inuyasha watched her carefully put the child to bed and then crawl under her own blankets. She quickly fell asleep, as did Inuyasha eventually.
Deep in the night, hours before daybreak- Kagome shot up from her sleep. Covered in a cold sweat and panting for air heavily she stared into the darkness aimlessly- frozen in the humid night air as she collected her thoughts and tried to slow her racing heart. Finally, she relaxed her face into her hand in front of her- leaning forward as exhaustion rushed over her. Dreams of demons and battles often plagued her mind in horrible visions- this was the burden of being protector of the Shikon No Tama...she had yet to figure out a way to rid the world of it. Using it to turn Inuyasha human wasn't an option to her- since she had no desire to change him- and she had yet to figure out any good use for it otherwise. Finally, she realized there was no going back to sleep for awhile- so she crawled out of her futon and pulled on a black kimono, then quietly walked barefoot up to the shrine that held the Shikon jewel most of the time. She didn't bother to grab her weapons- and if she did happen to be attacked, she wouldn't be completely defenseless against most demons.
Climbing a few stairs, but what seemed to be an endless amount, she finally reached the top- finding herself infront of the small shrine. She slid back the door, staring into the smoky darkness within as a small glow from the sacred jewel caught her eye. The sky above her was dark- sometime that night a storm started rolling in- and it was approaching quickly, hushed thunder could be heard on the horizon, and small streaks of lightening lit the area momentarily. As she began to step in, lightening cut through the skies in a massive flash, revealing a figure within the smoke. It startled Kagome- the vibrant golden orbs that seemed to glow in the flash of white light, then disappear into the darkness. She stepped back slightly- another flash of lightening tore through the skies as the storm came closer, but this time there was no figure- nothing to explain the unusual shadow she had just seen. She stood there another moment, but nothing- rain suddenly began to come down from the sky, like a wave breaking on the sand- flooding down in sheets to drench Kagome's unflinching form. She sighed, her hair sticking to her face in wet laces as she pulled her arms close and stepped into the confines of the shrine- looking around with an uneasiness, but convincing herself she had imagined it.
She sat in the corner- surrounded by darkness, all except for the pale glow of the sacred jewel in the middle of the room. The quiet stillness surrounded her like the four dark walls on each side- she watched as the bright lightening and humming thunder became a repetitive lull- like a soft heartbeat. Next thing she knew, she was waking up from a deep sleep. She roused to find that she had nodded off for a few moments. The rain was still softly beating on the ground as she pulled herself to her feet with a sigh, annoyed that she had fallen asleep when she intended to go straight back to her hut. 'Inuyasha will be looking for me...I should get back before he worries....'
She leaned against the doorway, looking out into the deep forest as she listened to the quiet sound of rain hitting the rooftop. The drops reminded her of those nights at home when she would lay in her room at night- everything silent and dark with the window open- all you could hear was the soft dripping of rain on the window sill. She simply smiled at such memories now- she could remember things such as this and know she could return there anytime she pleased. The smell of the fresh water was soothing and the chill of the air was refreshing- and finally she refused to stay confined to this darkness any longer. Something about the night called to her-pulling her into the forest.
She walked through the drizzling rain, her eyes fixed on the ground, soaked with rain so that clear puddles and small streams were drenching her barefeet and splashing her ankles. Her raven hair was hanging loosely with water consuming it as parts of it clung to her face in laces and hung heavily down her back. She was almost back to the village as her eyes stared into water dispondently- rippling outward around her feet, until suddenly her eyes caught something that snapped her thoughts back to the present.
She noticed a change in the water, it was faintly becoming tainted- something was running in with the soaked ground and turning the puddles a crimson color around her feet. It seemed to be diluted, but as her eyes lifted, it grew darker up ahead- but she was no longer interested, for she had realized what was happening. The edge of the forest was lighted with the dim glow of the fire that was burning brightly just ahead of her- and when she came to the treeline, she could clearly see the entire village- it was in ruin- burning down before her. Her voice was gone as her throat grew dry with disbelief, but what scared her most of all- was the silence....no screams could be heard- no one running for help or calling out..just the crackle of the fire that was destroying her village.
She broke out in a run, passing hut after hut- the ground covered in blood of those fallen, crimson splashing up around her- eventually dripping from her face until she finally stopped, near the middle of the village. A figure was standing before her- shadows engulfing him as flames roared in the background. Her eyes blurred with tears as she spotted what seemed to be the reminents of the final battle for her village. Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, Kirara, Kaede, and even Shippo all lay scattered about in pools of blood. Her eyes, now flooding with tears, were desperately searching for Inuyasha- but also burning- burning with the desire to destroy this demon that had lay waste to her village. She lifted her gaze to the shadow before her, rain still pouring from the skies as she caught sight of something silver. She ran to Inuyasha- but he too was drenched in blood- his eyes were lifeless and his hair soaked with blood. "...it...it- it isn't true- ...it wasn't suppose to be this way...I CAN'T BE ALONE AGAIN!" Her face was beginning to wash clean of the blood- but she was sure the ground would be tainted forever.
"INUYASHA..." Kagome's body jolted forward as she awoke from her nightmares, still sitting in the small shrine where she had originally fallen asleep.She was confused, horrified, and relieved all at the same time & her body was shaking with the pace of her heart-immediately she rushed out the door and into the rain. She wasted no time getting back to the village- but it seemed as though it was taking too long. She pumped her legs harder, going as fast as she could- breathing uncontrollably as cold drops of rain stung her face like icy needles. Finally, she came to the edge of the forest- and the village was alright...Inuyasha was walking out of the her hut when he spotted her. He wasn't even able to ask her anything before she ran into his chest, throwing her arms around him violently and burying her face there.
He was a bit confused as he embraced her comfortingly. "Kagome...whats going on? Where have you been...you're soaking wet..." She smiled slightly, her eyes brimming with tears that weren't so noticeable through the rain. "It's alright Inuyasha...everything is fine..." Her scent, however, told him otherwise. "You're shaking...tell me what happened..." She pulled away slightly as he gave her a questioning look, but as he started to ask her something- she pulled his lips into a kiss, letting the rain wash the last of her tears away.
The next morning- Inuyasha still hadn't got any answers, but he figured it wasn't important at the moment. He stood by the doorway, watching Kagome sleep soundly. He planned on asking her about last night when she woke up- but he knew for the moment, she need her rest- she probly hadn't gotten too much of it the night before.
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Again, really sorry for the slow updates- but I have had a really hectic schedule and not too mcuh computer time...plus I was debating on different things in this chappy...so I hope you enjoyed it, and it won't be the last- but don't expect 3 updates a week, they might be more like 1 every week or two...anyway, I'm trying to find more time in my schedule- so bare with me...R&R!
Arigato- Thanks; Thank you
ano- er, ummm
Haimu- home
Gomen ne- sorry
Futon- bed