About the continuations of this story I was going to post, I decided not to… The summaries give away part of the obvious ending! I need the permission of my lovely public before I post them.
With each review, give me permission, and I shall post them if everyone agrees.
Chapter 19: Regrets?Hanako stormed away wiping away her streaming tears. A lie. Everything about him had been a lie. But she had sure shown him, right? Vengeance, which one would expect to fill one up with such satisfaction, had left her with emptiness; grief. Her mind ventured the gap in her heart.
Sesshomaru watched her fade away into the shadows of the woods; her darkening presence going with it. Her hatred for him, that evil tension, had been almost tangible; so thick that he could have cut it with a knife. Hatred. She hated him. He knew many others who had lashed out at him all the same, but he found her anger most devastating. The last thing he wanted was for her to hate him. But he would still not go after her. That would seem too unlike him, and others would become suspicious of the things he had always hid so well…
He let his solemn facial expression take him over. He gaped at her for one last time, savoring every piece of her image that his eyes could possibly take in.
Hanako ripped down a branch that was in her pathway, slamming it to the ground. She trudged forward, just behind Inuyasha. He acknowledged her presence with great fanfare.
"I can't believe you did that!" he exclaimed with a wide smirk, "I've never seen him look more dumfounded about anything! You sure told him out to be a real idiot! You even cussed at him!" He patted her on the shoulder. Her eyes moved in his direction. "Nice job!" he laughed.
"I bet he feels terrible now…" Sango exclaimed along with him, "He looked almost insulted… like he actually cared about something for once!"
"I still think he's scary…" Shippo added, "How did you stand up to him?"
Hanako smiled weakly. "When you really know what your talking about… well… I guess you are driven to do things that you would not normally do…" she surmised. She knew herself. She knew she was shy and delicate, and had never cussed in her life. But somehow he had just made her so angry. There was something about him that made every emotion seem like twice as much the tension on her.
Miroku added silently, "He didn't really act as we are all used to seeing…"
Kagome, however, stayed dead quiet through all of the commotion. She did not think what Hanako did was really that funny or impressive at all. She did at first, but seeing Sesshomaru's reaction had shown her that there was something else underneath his actions. The hurt in his eyes had given it all away to her, something she never would have thought possible for the elder brother of Inuyasha. He had truly wanted her back, and had had his feelings hurt when Hanako had cursed him so. She knew that he had liked her. She wondered if maybe she liked him too? It seemed so odd, but possible.
"Where are we going, Lord Inuyasha?" Hanako asked.
"We are going to-"
"FIND MY BIKE!" Kagome shouted finally.
"Fine, whatever," Inuyasha remarked, "but I'm not helping."
"And why not? You lost it!"
"Yeah, but I'm not trying to find it! How about I just carry you instead?"
Hanako raised an eyebrow. Carry her?
"That's nice and all," Kagome began, "But my mom spent so much money on that one! I have to, have to, HAVE TO find it!"
"Then we'll come back for it or something… or think of how happy some kid will be once they find it or something stupid like that!"
"That's not the point! Do you understand anything! UGH!" she stamped her foot. "You are so IMMATURE!" she snarled as she stomped off in front of him, not wanting to look at him any longer.
"FINE THEN KAGOME WE'LL LOOK FOR THE DAMN THING!" Inuyasha shouted, "BUT DON'T BLAME ME WHEN WE CAN'T GET ALL OF THE SHIKON SHARDS!"
"FINE!"
Hanako felt a little uncomfortable and out of place when hearing them fight. Sango rolled her eyes.
"There they go again…" she commented.
"Another stupid little fight…" Miroku grumbled.
"Can't we all just get along?" Shippo asked sounding annoyed.
Hanako thought about their words…
Just another…stupid little fight…? She thought gravely…
"They'll get over it eventually," Sango said, "They always do…"
"I wish they'd just forget their differences," Miroku sighed.
"It's no ones fault. And yet they always place the blame. Kagome should not be so mad at Inuyasha about losing her bike I think."
Sango nodded. "It was a little while ago… but he should help look for it."
They all nodded in agreement. Hanako lowered her gaze.
"You saw your bike last when you came upon me, Kagome?" Hanako asked.
"No," Kagome sighed, "I left it near a tree," she began, glaring at Inuyasha, "but SOMEBODY thought it would be fun to try and ride it and got all angry and frustrated with it and left it out in the middle of nowhere and LOST it!" She crossed her arms. "I don't even know… Oh, it's gone isn't it?"
"You can always get another one…" Inuyasha mumbled.
"Well, if you don't know, then its pretty much gone, hm? Perhaps we should go elsewhere and maybe come back for it later, like Inuyasha suggested," Hanako said.
"No way!" Kagome exclaimed, "I'm not going ANYWHERE out of this forest until we find it!"
Everyone groaned.
Hanako sighed. It was strange, but still once more she missed home. She felt a small pang of regret of turning down Sesshomaru's offer…
She realized what she was thinking and shook it away. No. She hated him and would never forgive him for what he did. But still, she knew she had feelings for him, and now they were burning up inside of her. She had to get over them somehow. How could she possibly still like that bastard? She cringed at the thought of even being near him, and yet enjoyed it at the same time. She felt herself being torn. She hated and liked him all at the same time. But this she would never admit, even if it killed her. She sighed again.
"Kagome?" Hanako asked, determined to get this subject off her mind, "What is a bike anyway?"
"Some stupid metal cart thing," Inuyasha answered for her.
Kagome's temper flared. "It's something I use to travel with. A metal device I ride on."
"I've never heard of that before. Did you buy it at some trading post?"
"No, I brought it from home. And my radio too."
"Where is your home?"
Kagome sighed. "Let me explain…"
(…)
Rin stared at the ground. She could not think of anything else to say.
They had all been quiet for the past hour; Hanako's words running through their minds. Jaken pulled forward enough courage to speak.
"The nerve of that girl," he snarled, "insulting you so, Lord Sesshomaru! I am quite surprised you did not smack her back; only with much more force to knock her out! Why did you not m'lord? I am so shocked that she would ever speak so out of place! Its what they always say, y'know, the quiet ones are the ones to watch out for! Oh and the way she-"
"I do not feel like discussing the matter any longer, Jaken." Sesshomaru replied gravely. His entire conscious was already dwelling on the matter anyway.
Jaken became silent on command.
Rin tried to comfort Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru, I'm sure that Hanako-chan did not mean what she said. She really likes you…"
Sesshomaru stared at her. Jaken slapped his forehead.
"Rin!" he whispered quite loudly, "I told you never to say that again!"
Again? he thought curiously. He narrowed his eyes at the child. She had been gossiping about him and Hanako.
"Say what?" Rin asked, copying Jaken's ridiculous whisper.
"Do not speak of such foolish things, Rin" Sesshomaru said, becoming a bit nervous. Why would Rin think that? Had Hanako told her something and trusted her with that kind of secret? He wouldn't have particularly minded if she had felt that way…
But it was not possible. She despised him now. It pained him just to think of it…
Chika butt into their conversation. "I was impressed by that Hanako. She spoke the truth. Quite a brave and bold lass… not what I expected at all…"
They turned to stare at her.
"What?" she asked, "She stood up for herself. That's a good thing, right?"
Sesshomaru excused her rude actions. He was not in the mood to talk any longer. He quickened his pace to move further in front of them. He was so confused. He had never felt this way about anyone before.
(…)
Hanako stretched Kagome's bow. "So what you are telling me is…" she began, "You travel back and fourth through time? And that is how you have all of these confusing things that I do not understand?"
"Yes."
"Though a well?" She pondered how ridiculous it sounded.
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not even going to ask anymore…"
"That's good."
Hanako gazed the bow. "Are you good with the bow?"
"Yeah I guess…" Kagome said, "but not totally."
Hanako put the bow down.
"I am sorry we were unsuccessful in finding your bike," Hanako said apologetically.
"Whatever…" Kagome growled, "We will look again tomorrow I guess, It's getting late now…" She gazed up at the setting sun in the horizon. It would be dark soon.
"Will we be sleeping in that little house again?" Hanako asked.
"No. Do you mind sleeping on the ground?"
Of course she didn't. She had been all her life. She had never once been in an actual bed. "No not at all."
The sun set and soon all was dark. Everyone faded off to sleep; Kagome in a queer looking blue sleeping bag with Shippo at her side, Sango on a blanket, Miroku against a rock, and Inuyasha in an upward position. Hanako tried to make herself comfortable under a tree. She nestled into the tall grass, not caring if any of the bugs crawled into her hair. The ground was cold, and she was shivering. She lay on her side, deep in thought.
Is this how I shall spend the rest of my days? Feeling like an outsider?
She had always felt like the odd man out with these people. It was plain obvious that Inuyasha and Kagome liked each other, and so did Sango and Miroku. And then there was Shippo, too young to care, and then there was Hanako. She shivered again. She had joined the already close friends much too late, and they were all paired off, leaving her all on her own. She longed for someone who she could be with as well. This made her think of Sesshomaru, whom she hated…
She shivered again.
Sesshomaru…She closed her eyes.
…
She opened her eyes.
It was as if she had passed out in the middle of the night. She had only closed her eyes and at once had fallen asleep. The sun had not yet come up, so the world around her was still blanketed with a transparent darkness. She sat up. Warmth surrounded her. She rubbed her eyes to look at what it was that was so warm.
There, spread out on her, was a warm, soft blanket. She looked down at where her head was, and there was a small white pillow. Someone had tucked her into bed while she was asleep.
Who has done this? she wondered.