A TALE FROM THE PAST
by Kittymui-
CHAPTER XVIII
Kagome's eyes fluttered open with the sun on her face. She blinked and waited for her vision to sharpen before slowly pushing herself up. It was then that she noticed that her upper arm was bandaged underneath her thin white sleeve. 'W-what happened...?' she wondered and just when some images began to form in her head, a soft voice made her snap out of it.
"Kagome?"
She turned to the voice and found Bankotsu sitting against the wall not very far away from her. He had taken off his armor and limb protectors and was only wearing his white haori and hakama. His eyes were hazy and unfocused but unmistakably pointed at her direction.
He held his forefinger against his lips, signaling that she should keep her voice as low as possible and pointed at something behind her.
Kagome followed the direction of his finger until she saw Sango sleeping on the floor at the other end of the house. At the sight of Kirara, who was sleeping next to her mistress, she suddenly remembered what had happened and turned back to Bankotsu. "How is she?" she whispered.
"She's fine. She's got a sprained ankle and some bruises, that's all," he replied reassuringly as he got up and made his way towards her.
Kagome wanted to let out a relieved sigh, but a sudden wave of fatigue forced her to yawn instead. "How long have I slept?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"From the moment you fainted...I think about nine hours."
Kagome noticed the tired look on his face as he sat down next to her. "And you?" she asked with a worried tone.
"To be honest with you, I barely slept," he responded casually. "But don't worry, I'm okay."
"No you're not," she scowled. "You should be exhausted of the fight...why didn't you sl-"
Her sentence stopped halfway when Bankotsu suddenly pulled her into his arms.
The sudden embrace startled Kagome. "B-Bankotsu?"
"I swore to protect you. You promised that you would go back to the house...why did you break your promise?" he said with a slightly raised voice. "Why did you come back...why didn't you let me keep my promise?"
Kagome tried to pull back but realized that his grip was too firm. "I killed the demon, didn't I? Despite my inexperience with archery," she said while struggling. "The arrow-"
"Stop that!" he cut her off angrily, which made her quit her movements. "You could have gotten hurt back there, why can't you realize that! You..." His voice noticeably weakened and became frustrated as he continued. "...you could have...died..."
Kagome became silent as the frustration in his voice overshadowed her will to argue and she placed a hand on the arm that was looped around her waist. "I ended up unharmed...didn't I?" she told him with a softer voice.
Though they were words of comfort, they only made his embrace tighter than before.
.-.-.
While Kagome was asleep, Bankotsu just couldn't forget about what happened back in the forest. The scene where the lizard threw his blade towards her kept replaying in his mind and every time he thought about it, his palms became sweaty and his heart began to beat like hell. He just couldn't help but think that had he been delayed by several seconds, the girl would probably have died or severely injured. Those possible seconds kept tormenting his mind and interrupting a good rest for the past hours.
He let out a heavy sigh as he placed his chin on top of her head. Strangely enough, holding her like this seemed to be the remedy for easing his mind.
After he calmed down a bit, he finally parted his lips to speak.
"When we both landed on the floor...for a moment...I thought I was too late..." His voice faltered at the end of the sentence and he swallowed hard. "I don't ever want to experience that again..."
Silence fell between the two until the girl in his arms started to shift. Bankotsu was surprised when he felt her wrapping her arms around him and hugging him back.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, placing her head against his chest. "I didn't mean to scare you like that...but I just couldn't leave you...and let you fight alone..."
"Why?" he asked, suddenly feeling very disappointed. "Don't you trust me?"
She pulled back a little and shook her head. "I do trust you," she whispered. " I knew without doubt that you would be able to rescue Sango."
Bankotsu became more confused by the second. "Then why?"
"I was afraid..."
He raised a brow. "Of what?"
"I-I don't know..."
Bankotsu suppressed a grunt of frustration, but the word 'upset' was written all over his face. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, because he didn't understand one bit of what the girl was trying to say. Just when he was about to let go of her, her hands suddenly clasped onto his haori to stop him.
"I didn't mean to confuse you like this...but...I...with you...being held by you this way give me a strange feeling from within..." she explained hastily, trying her best to make sense. "It's something I've never felt before...that's why I'm not sure what it is...but in some way...it makes me feel safe. I don't know when I started to like this feeling, but now that I've found it...I don't want to lose it..."
He knew she was looking at him as he could practically feel her eyes on him and he knew she was expecting a response, but the truth is, he was too surprised to respond. She was confessing her feelings to him, feelings that he had so determinedly decided to suppress before.
"When you left without a word that day..." she suddenly continued. "...it felt as if someone had torn something away from me inside...and when you told me to leave yesterday...I felt the same pain and became afraid...afraid that you might leave again after you've saved Sango...or-"
"Shhh..." he hushed her gently and ran a hand through her silky hair to calm her. "I understand Kagome...you don't have to say anything anymore..."
He knew what she was talking about. What she felt back then was somehow equivalent to the strange feeling that made him wait on that same day. The emptiness that consumed his heart when he thought of leaving her, the relief and joy that overflowed his mind when she came for him despite her injury and the fear that tormented him when that blade was flying towards her. As much as he wanted to say that he completely understood what that all meant, he had to admit that it was all new to him as well. Until now, he didn't really have the time or chance to ponder about such complicated feelings. All that mattered were the missions and the means to survival.
As an assassin, he was always well prepared and ready for all sorts of situations and when enough information was gathered, he would act swiftly, accurately and mercilessly. But right now, he felt as if he had lost all those experience and knowledge. It was all too sudden and he knew he had to figure it out. He just hoped that she wouldn't demand an answer right now.
.-.-.
Kagome didn't know what he had meant by that nor did she know what he would do, but no matter what the answer would be, she would wait patiently. Although she wasn't sure if he truly understood, she was still very happy that he listened to her despite his frustration.
Aside from reuniting with her family, being with Bankotsu was something she wished for more than anything else. If only she knew what he was thinking right now.
Suddenly, the sound of a clearing throat made her snap out of it. She turned to the sound, only to find Sango fully awake and looking at them. "S-Sango!" she gasped.
She and Bankotsu flinched and immediately created some distance between them. Kagome shifted some strand behind her ears and peeked at Bankotsu out of the corner of her eyes. When she saw the red color on his cheeks, she began to blush as well and averted her gaze.
The taijiya yawned and sat up. "It's quite hard not to wake up with the two of you talking that loud..." she complained.
Kagome turned to look at Bankotsu when he stood up. "Uhm...I think I'll go outside to get some fresh air," he excused himself and left the two of them alone in the house.
She watched him close the door behind him and quickly scooted over the floor to Sango. "When did you start listening?" she asked nervously.
"Euh...I guess that would be from the moment I heard you calling his name..." she responded dully.
Kagome widened her eyes. "What!" 'Oh my God...she followed our conversation from the very beginning...!' she thought shocked. She was so embarrassed that she could practically sink into the floor right now. If there was a hole nearby, she would definitely hide herself in it.
"Geez Kagome, get a hold of yourself," Sango's voice cut off her thoughts.
Kagome shook of the uneasiness and turned to her.
"What? Something on my face?"
She took a closer look at Sango's face. "You aren't...angry...?"
The taijiya folded her arms together. "Well now that you ask...I wasn't too fond at the sight of him holding you close to him like that, but I guess I'll let it slide this time..."
Kagome blushed and let her gaze fall down to her knees.
"Do you know what you're doing Kagome?" Sango asked with a serious tone.
Kagome tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't tell me that you didn't realize what is happening to you," she said disbelievingly, but refrained herself from exclaiming the next sentence out loud. "Kagome, you're falling in love with an assassin."
Startled by her guardian's statement, Kagome widened her eyes in puzzlement.
"You knew it would be dangerous, yet you still decided to injure yourself by jumping off of Kirara's back in order to join Bankotsu in battle. You refused to run away when he told you to. Instead of that, you stayed and nearly got yourself killed," she retold her the situation. "If you don't feel anything for him, I would think that you're crazy."
This sent the Kagome into thoughts. Maybe she was in love with the man, but the question is...would her feelings be returned? She realized sadly that it was no use thinking about it and turned back to Sango. "I doubt that my feelings would be returned though..." she smiled awkwardly. "He once told me that he would leave once he has recovered."
"Then why did you choose to tell him about your feelings?" Sango asked.
"I was thinking..." she began. "...that I'd never find out if I didn't take the first step...that's why I decided to tell him."
"I see."
Kagome furrowed her brows together when she noticed something unusual in Sango's tone of speech. "Is it just me or did you sound less disgusted when you were talking about Bankotsu?" she asked.
The question took the taijiya by surprise and she averted her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just tired, that's all."
"Be honest to me Sango," Kagome commanded.
Sango rolled her eyes annoyed, but with a princess ordering her, she had no choice but to obey. "I'm still angry at him for what he did to you, if that's what you're asking."
Kagome narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You know what I'm talking about."
"All right! All right!" Sango gave up. "I admit it...I was too hasty in making prejudgments about him."
"Why do you say that?"
"The expression on his face when he was running towards you told me that he was determined to save you from the flying blade, even if it would cost his life," she told her. "For an assassin, I guess he also knows how to save people instead of killing them."
"Of course he does, he's also human," Kagome reasoned.
Sango dropped her face and took a deep breath. "I blamed him for the deaths of all those villagers the lizard killed," she confessed after a moment of silence.
Kagome widened her eyes in disbelief. "Why?"
"The demon was sealed inside the mountain until he decided to break it," the taijiya explained. "A lot of villagers were killed because of that."
"He was only venting his anger back then," she defended. "He didn't know there was a demon inside the mountain."
"I know Kagome," she said with a voice full of guilt. "I thought would feel better after blaming someone for it, but the sorrowful expression on his face told me I was wrong."
Kagome's eyes softened as she placed a hand on hers. "He saved your life Sango, despite the things you said or thought of him. He's the reason that we can talk like this today. Knowing this...can you no persuade a part of you to forgive him?"
"I...don't know..." Sango hesitated. "...it'll only be a small part you know..."
Kagome smiled. "A small part will do..."
"I don't intend to forgive him completely, mind you," she argued, eventually forming a small smile on her lips. "but...for your sake...I will try to get along."
Kagome returned a smile. "Thank you."
A hush fell between the princess and her guardian.
"You...care a lot for him...don't you?" Sango asked after a while.
"I do."
"Are you sure about this? He doesn't know about your...true identity...does he?"
Kagome shook her head. "There's no need for him to know."
The taijiya was surprised to hear this. "But what if you're summoned back?"
"What if I'll never be summoned back?" she reasoned. "Besides, I don't even know how he feels about me. If he really cares for me, then it wouldn't be because of my identity, would it? It's better left unsaid."
"You sound like you've lost all hope to be able to return to the fortress again."
Kagome turned to her and smiled sadly. "You're wrong Sango. I've never lost that hope. Even today, I keep hoping that I would be able to see my family again, but it's just too uncertain..."
"But don't worry...I'm sure I'll be able to make the correct decisions when the time comes," she added confidently.
"If you say so," her guardian sighed. "Just remember that I'll always support you whatever you decide, okay?"
She nodded. "Thank you."
"Instead of thanking me, why don't you check up on him?" Sango suggested. "I think he's getting lonely out there on his own."
Kagome smiled. "I'll do that."
.-.-. meanwhile .-.-.
"Prepare yourself, I'm going to get serious this time."
Inuyasha smirked. "I thought you'd never say that."
His eyes were fixed on the tall silver-haired demon that was standing calmly from across him. When he suddenly disappeared out of his vision, he quickly readied himself to repel any incoming attacks.
Adrenaline shot through his body as he sensed a presence to his left and he raised a claw to counterattack.
"Too slow," a stern voice said from an unknown direction.
Before the hanyou could even apprehend the whereabouts of his opponent, he was already sent flying to the other side of the clearing.
"Arck!" he cried as he wiped out over the dirt with his face down.
He quickly pushed himself up and jumped into a fighting stance again. "Heh! I thought you said you were getting serious..." he scoffed.
"Your arrogance doesn't suit your capabilities," Sesshoumaru commented flatly. "You still have a long way to go before you qualify as my sparring partner."
Inuyasha scowled and flexed his claws. "Shut up and attack!"
But the full-blooded demon didn't move an inch.
"I said-"
"Silence!" his brother snarled, which surprised Inuyasha.
He raised a brow when Sesshoumaru turned to another direction and slightly bowed.
"What brings you here?" he heard him say.
"Your ability to sense your surroundings never cease to amaze me Sesshoumaru, just like your father."
The voice came from behind the trees and Inuyasha quickly ran to his brother's side.
"H-haha-ue!" he said wide-eyed when his mother walked into the clearing. "What are you doing here?"
"At first I thought I could watch you two spar, but I guess Sesshoumaru will only allow Kagome to do so," she teased, shifting her gaze between the brothers. Her expression turned serious. "I came to tell you that a messenger came this morning, saying that you're father will be returning within the next couple of days."
"I understand," Sesshoumaru responded with a firm nod.
"You still insist...on bringing back Kagome?" she asked hesitatingly.
"Of course we do!" Inuyasha interrupted, turning to his brother. "Right aniue?"
"Are you still having those dreams?" the dog demon asked out of the blue.
"Well yes, thank you..." his mother nodded. "They've stopped ever since summer arrived."
For a moment, rustling leaves was all they could hear.
"By the way..." she began. "...it's going to be your birthday soon Sesshoumaru, isn't it? Do you have any particular requests or wishes?"
"Mother," Sesshoumaru spoke coldly. "I do not wish to speak about this."
"I understand," she said, slightly disappointed. "But your father and I think it's time for you to choose your future mate with whom you'll rule over this land with."
The demon closed his eyes. "I have yet to come across a demoness that is worthy of becoming my mate."
"A demoness huh?" his mother murmured softly.
"Forgive me mother," he apologized with a polite bow. "I didn't mean to-"
"Hey I know!" Inuyasha suddenly cut him off. "Why don't you just wish for Kagome's safety?"
Both adults were dumbfounded by the young hanyou, but a smile formed on their mother's lips while Sesshoumaru put up a scowl.
"I will not wish for something that foolish Inuyasha," the full-blooded demon stated sternly.
Inuyasha dropped his face, but was surprised when Sesshoumaru held up his clawed hand to his eyes.
"I will keep Kagome safe with these claws of mine."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Darn, I really need to punish my muses...they really bug me when they don't cooperate with me. I'm sorry for the late update. I just can't seem to concentrate on the chapters. I hope this one turned out well. Please review after reading okay? Thanks!
Greets,
Kittymui
.-.-
'Italic': thoughts
"...": spoken words
-.-.-.-: time gap
-CAPSLOCKED WORDS-: noises
.-.-
Next chapter: Chapter 19
.-
InuTaisho's coming back and we'll see what he's going to decide. In the meantime, Bankotsu will try to figure out what he'll do about Kagome's confession. Be sure to look forward to the next chapter!
.-
Vocabulary:
taijiya: exterminator
haha-ue: a respectful way to refer to your mother
aniue: a respectful way to refer to an older brother
.-.-
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
Amunett: Thanks! I'll try to update sooner!
inuyashagurl1490: Thank you :). Hope you liked the chapter!
Wake-Robin: Thanks! I'm not really enjoying the internship but I'll try to make the best of it hehehe.
C4n4di4n-G1r1535: Thanks for reviewing!
darkenedmoonlightflame: Thank you very much! I'm glad you think that way!
Duzzie: Hahaha I sure hope the story isn't somewhat of a mystery in a negative way :). Kagome's going to get better with her bow and arrows but Kagome won't be getting her original powers back, that I can tell you. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
sessywuver: Thank you!
aNiMaAyAnGeL: Haha I'm happy I chose the Bankotsu/Kagome pairing for this story, it seems to be very appropriate :). I wish Bankotsu was my husband...sigh...
Skitzoflame: Yup! She never does hehehe, that's how she melted Sesshoumaru and Bankotsu's hearts!
blackrose113: Yeah, I have to agree with you with that. Thanks for reviewing!
lady-joker: Hahaha it will be soon, don't worry :). Hmm like some story? I wonder which one...
xxprincess-sakuraxx: Thanks for telling me that! Bankotsu blind? He will be able to see in a couple of chapters, but not when Kagome's around unfortunately...sorry ;).
Moon-n-Universe-Goddess: Thank you! I will!
sesshomaruobsessed: Thanks thanks! I will try to update sooner.
Sirayme: Don't worry, amazing is written like that :). Actually I'm using fanfiction to ease my mind from my internship, the fact that I update later than usual proves that I'm having trouble combining the two activities hehehe.
Fluffy'sbabe: Hahaha the things you're expecting are really coming in the following chapters, be sure to read them okay? Thanks for reviewing!
Inukamisashi: Really long time no review! How have you been doing? Glad you liked the chapter!
MadMood: Woah! Please spare me!
susie202: Hahaha, I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks!
Nine-Tailed-Fire-Fox: Thank you very much! Yup, what we're reading is what Bankotsu present time is reading and we'll be turning back to the present time when he finishes reading it :). Bankotsu in the past won't be seeing the drawing I'm afraid, you'll find why out soon enough hehehe. Hmm how many more chapters? I think it will take another 5-7 chapters before the book ends. Kagome's birthday is mid-autumn. I hope I've cleared all the questions :).
BelleDayNight: I've been having a hard time reviewing some days ago too, it must be some problem at or something. Thanks for reviewing despite the failed attempts :) I appreciate that! I guess this chapter answered your question right?
Posted: 5 June 2005
Last Edited: 5 June 2005
Spelling check: YES
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters of it. And I do not own whatever elements of this story that seem familiar and had already been used by other creative individuals before. But... I do own the idea of mixing all of these elements together into a new story!