Author's note: Wow a triple update! Has that ever been done before? Lmao I have a lot of spare time eh?
Chapter 5: Trails of Tear Drops
Kagome walked straight outside and into the newly fallen snow. Breathing in the freshness in the air she sighed happily. It had been two weeks since the incident with Inu Yasha and a full two months now that she had been living at the castle. And though she longed to see her family again, she was not completely unhappy where she was. All the servants had been extremely kind to her. But there was still one thing she had not taken care of, finding out Inu Yasha's secret. 'oh well' Kagome thought 'I will figure it out, I'm nothing if not determined to. But that will have to wait until after I take advantage of the first snow fall!' She ran to one of the many steep hills that surrounded the castle and looked down. She stood silently; thinking for a moment, then ran to the castle.
"Oh good morning Lady Kagome" Miroku said as Kagome dashed inside.
"Hey Miroku!" Kagome said, grabbing him as she continued running down the hall "have you seen Sango?"
"She's by the kitchen" Miroku said as he was jostled around by Kagome's running "What exactly is it you're doing?"
"I'm going to show you how we have fun in the snow back home" Kagome laughed as she ran to the kitchen.
The two of them dashed down many halls and corridors until they finally came to the kitchen doors. Kagome threw them open "Sango!" she called out.
"Lady Kagome?" Sango said in surprise "what are you doing up so early?"
"No time for that now" Kagome said, scooping up Sango and running out the door "Do you guys have anything long and flat that someone could sit on?"
Suddenly a large baking sheet slid in front of their feet. "This will do" Kagome said picking it up "Arigato to the person who gave it to us" she shouted to the silence as she ran back to the entrance of the castle.
As soon as they had left, the person responsible for giving them the baking sheet stepped out from the shadows. "Master Inu Yasha were ye the one who gave the sheet to them?" Kaede asked from the kitchen. Inu Yasha just nodded as he followed them at a safe distance.
"Any chance you know what's going on?" Sango said to Miroku as she too was jostled around as Kagome ran out the doors and into the snow covered court yard. Miroku just shrugged as Kagome suddenly stopped by the steep hill and set the dizzy clock and candelabra down on the snow. She laid the baking sheet on the snow and picked up her two friends and sat them down on the sheet then sat on it herself. "Uh…Lady Kagome?" Sango said as she looked down the hill "what are we doing"
"I used to do this back home" Kagome said smiling "It's called tobogganing"
Kagome began to push the sheet closer to the edge of the hill "I think I want to get off" Miroku said as he began to grasp the concept. But Kagome grabbed onto both him and Sango tightly and continued to push them. Sango's eyes widened as they went over the edge and began to slide down at incredible speed. She screamed and covered her eyes but noticed that Kagome was laughing hysterically and shouting with joy as they slid. Sango sat up slowly and felt the wind against her face. For a moment, she imagined herself as a human, her hair blowing in the wind and the cold nipping at her nose. She immediately grew happy and lifted her hands into the air, sensing the fun in the danger. She looked over to Miroku who seemed to be in deep thought as well 'probably imagining himself as a human too' she thought as she too shouted out in joy with Kagome. Miroku was indeed imagining himself as a human again. Letting the rushing sound of the wind flood through his ears he felt his heart pounding in content anxiety and happiness. Miroku then climbed onto Kagome's shoulder, lifted his arms, ( a/n: or would it be candle sticks?) and shouted with joy. Soon the sheet came to a halt and the three of them were thrown off. They lay in the snow for a moment, just laughing and remembering the ride.
"See?" Kagome said between fits of laughter "wasn't that fun?"
"Can we do it again?" Sango said happily sitting up.
"Of course" Kagome said as she stood and picked up Miroku, Sango, and the baking sheet. Slowly, they made their way up the hill. Soon, they had once again reached the top. Kagome put her foot on one of the ice rocks to lift herself up the hill but slipped suddenly. She almost slid down the hill once again but was saved by a strong hand. She looked up to see who had grabbed her and thank them. But to her surprise, it was Inu Yasha who had saved her once again. "Thanks" she said smiling as he pulled her up.
"What were you doing?" Inu Yasha said in an angry but calm voice.
"Tobogganing" Kagome explained with a smile "want to try?"
Inu Yasha looked uncertain, as though he had expected her to be angry with him. Kagome figured he was still upset about the incident the two weeks before. He had been depressed ever since and always expected Kagome to despise him. Kagome felt bad for him and grabbed his arm. Pulling him toward the baking sheet, she sat down and pulled him down behind her. She pushed herself up against him and wrapped his arms around her waist. Inu Yasha blushed madly at this point and looked away. "Hold on to me okay?" Kagome said as Inu Yasha meekly nodded and she pushed off.
"Have fun Master Inu Yasha" Miroku shouted as they went over the edge.
The two of them slid down the hill even faster than when it had been Kagome, Miroku, and Sango. Kagome yelled out with happiness and lifted her hands up in the air. Inu Yasha, who was frightened out of his mind, grew worried when Kagome lifted her arms and feared she would be thrown off. He grabbed her tighter around the waist to keep her from falling. Kagome noticed his tightened grip and blushed slightly "It's ok" she told him, taking his hands from her waist and making him lift them as well "even if you get thrown off, the snow is soft enough to break your fall" Inu Yasha let Kagome lift his arms in the air reluctantly at first, then happily as he felt the wind blow his hair back behind him and the sound of Kagome's musical laugh flood through his ears. Soon they had reached the bottom of the hill and were thrown into the snow. Kagome laid there for a moment, just laughing and enjoying the snow. Even Inu Yasha was beginning to laugh for the first time since Kagome had known him. Miroku and Sango watched from above as Kagome and Inu Yasha lay there together, laughing and enjoying each other's company. "I think it's working" Miroku said with hope "my candle's are starting to die down already"
Sango just laughed and pushed Miroku playfully into the snow "that just because the wax is melting stupid" Miroku laughed and threw some snow at Sango, which landed in her face and sent her into a nearby snow bank.
Now it was Kagome and Inu Yasha's turn to observe their friends' romance. "Awww" Kagome cooed "isn't that cute"
"They're throwing snow at each other" Inu Yasha said confused "you think that's cute?"
Kagome sighed and nodded "it's the start of a new love, I can tell"
But her sentiment was interrupted by a large snowball hitting her on the shoulder. Kagome turned to look at Inu Yasha, who was smiling broadly and held another snowball up high. "Still think it's cute?" he laughed as he threw it straight at her. Kagome laughed and ducked as the snowball flew over her.
He prepared to throw yet another one at her but this time Kagome was ready with one of her own. "Yup!" she yelled happily as the snowball landed right on his arm. He laughed and started running toward her, snowball at the ready. She ran away as fast as she could, giggling uncontrollably. Inu Yasha tackled her and they fell, sliding down the hill together. When they stopped, Inu Yasha noticed Kagome doing something weird with her arms and legs in the snow. Figuring that this was some other weird custom at her home, he did the same. Simultaneously, they stood to look at their creations. "Look" Kagome said pointing to hers "it's a snow angel" she giggled her melodious giggle and looked at Inu Yasha. He was looking at his own and seemed depressed and almost angry. Kagome too looked at Inu Yasha's snow angel and immediately understood. His snow "angel" looked more like a snow devil. "oh…Inu Yasha…" she said softly.
"Mine's no snow angel" he growled as he walked away "it's a snow monster…just like me"
"Inu Yasha wait…" Kagome started to say.
But Inu Yasha suddenly turned and went right in her face, snarling and angry "get inside…" he growled.
"But…"Kagome tried to say "Inu Yasha…"
"NOW!" Inu Yasha yelled and stalked away.
Kagome sighed and looked down in acknowledgement 'just when I thought I'd finally reached him' she thought as she trudged up the hill behind him. Sango and Miroku were still playing together when Inu Yasha and Kagome reached the top of the hill. Sensing Inu Yasha's anger they quickly stopped. "M-master?" Miroku said slowly, stepping in front of him "what's wrong"
"Out of the way!!" Inu Yasha snarled, kicking him fiercely aside.
"Miroku!" Kagome yelled, running to the candelabra's side. Gingerly she scooped him up in her arms "Are you okay?"
"GET INSIDE WENCH!!!" Inu Yasha yelled to Kagome, annoyed at her defiance.
Kagome stood and walked over to him, an angered look on her face "No!" she said firmly "you have no right to control my actions, or anybody's for that matter" She stamped her foot in the snow "your lucky your servants are even willing to serve you after what you do to them. Miroku was just trying to help and you kicked him aside!" Tears brimmed Kagome's eyes as she gave Inu Yasha a swift slap "and don't ever call me a wench! Just because your feelings are hurt doesn't mean you can mistreat your friends!" The tears dripped down her face "Everything isn't always happening to you, you know. You're not the only one with problems! Look at me; I haven't seen my father or my family for over two months! But do I start insulting you and hurting your feelings? No! Your no monster Inu Yasha, you're just heartless like one" With that said, Kagome scooped up Sango and Miroku and ran into the castle, leaving a trail of tear drops in the snow behind her.
Inu Yasha once again felt as though Kagome had kicked him hard in the stomach. 'damn it!' he yelled in his mind 'why is it only she can do that to me! I'm so confused.'
Your no monster Inu Yasha, you're just heartless like one! The whole scene kept replaying in Inu Yasha's mind over and over again. It hurt to have someone be so brutally honest toward him. His servants had always been so afraid of him they had always told him what he wanted to hear. But Kagome had no shame in speaking her mind. It was odd, she was deathly afraid of the wolves but she wasn't afraid of him, a tall, burly, ferocious, beast. In some ways it made him feel good that there was someone in his life that didn't cower at his very shadow, but in others it made him feel a little intimidated.
"I-Inu Yasha?" said a timid and easily recognizable voice "can I come in?"
Inu Yasha merely grunted in reply as Kagome stepped through the door. "I just thought I should see how you're doing" she said as she sat beside him.
"You act as though nothing's wrong" Inu Yasha said calmly as Kagome looked away from him as though she were ashamed. He turned to her and lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes "I'm sorry" he said "you're right…about everything"
"Huh?" Kagome said in surprise "I thought I should be the one saying sorry. I never should have had such a big outburst when you were hurt, I wasn't helping any"
"But you did help me" Inu Yasha said with a painful smile "you're right, I'm not the only one with problems"
Kagome nodded, returning the pained smile "But just so you know" she said throwing her arms around him in an embrace "You're not a monster, and you're not a beast either, and if people could just take the time to get to know you and see past your appearance, I know they'd think so too"
Inu Yasha returned the hug and allowed the painful tears he'd held back for so long flow freely down his face "Arigato" he said simply. But that was all Kagome needed to hear, she knew that she had reached him somehow, gotten into his thoughts, his heart. He had finally opened his heart to her, and she was one step closer to discovering the secret he kept locked away beyond her reach.
Ayame and Rin were walking through the marketplace, doing all the shopping that Kagome had once done for her father. "Has he come out of his room yet?" Ayame asked Rin as they walked.
"Not since the incident" Rin said sadly. They were, of course, referring to the fact that the beast had taken Kagome from them. Ayame returned the sad glance as they continued down the path. They stopped in front of the book shop, Kagome's favourite store in the whole market. Tears ran down their cheeks as they remembered the times when they had been busily shopping and Kagome had insisted on stopping here. In fact, the whole town seemed a little gloomier since Kagome's disappearance. "Even though she was the oddball" Rin said "she was the life of this town"
"Even Koga's seems depressed" Ayame said, pointing to the saddened Koga who sat by the mirror, but wasn't even doing a handsome check! "You know something's wrong when Koga's sitting by a mirror and acting indifferent." Rin forced a laugh as the two girls walked past him and headed home.
When they had arrived home, they immediately went up to Kagome's father's room to see how he was doing. "How are you Mr. Higurashi?" Rin said as she replaced the cold cloth lying on his forehead with a fresh one.
"Has Kagome come home yet?" Mr. Higurashi asked in reply.
Rin and Ayame exchanged glances and shook their heads "Not yet sir" Ayame said gently, the both of them knew what would happen next.
"Then I'm not feeling any better" he said sadly "I won't feel better until she's home."
"Didn't you try asking the village for help?" Rin asked.
"I did!" Mr. Higurashi fumed "But they wouldn't believe me, I'm just crazy old Higurashi to them!"
"Well, I suppose it is hard to believe that Miss Kagome was taken by an actual beast" Ayame said calmly.
Kagome's father sighed "I suppose, but that doesn't help me get my daughter back."
"Some beast took her?" Koga asked Ginta disbelievingly.
"That's what Higurashi's been telling the whole village." Ginta nodded.
"You're kidding" Koga said "call me crazy, but I thought there were no such thing as monsters."
"So did I" said Ginta "but the crackpot would never lie about something like this, not about Kagome."
"True, true" Koga said, stroking his chin in thought "I've got it!"
"What?" Ginta questioned.
"I bet Kagome's deathly afraid of this beast" Koga said "and, if I save her from it, I can almost guarantee she'll be so indebted to me she'd have to marry me!"
"Yeah I guess" Ginta said slowly "But I heard that Miss Kagome chose to stay with the beast."
"Yeah to save her crazy old father" Koga laughed "she'd do anything for that dingbat."
"Even so" Ginta stated practically "How are you going to save her if you don't even know where she is? And what if she already fell in love with him or something?"
"Oh come on!" Koga said "Kagome? In love with a beast? You've got to be joking! And as for the location, we'll just find out from Kagome's dad." (a/n: isn't it weird how the henchmen always end up being right?)
"We will?" Ginta said.
"No you're right" Koga smiled "you will."
Knock, knock. Rin ran to answer the door. "Oh, Ginta" she said, opening the door wider for him to come in.
"Hey Rin" Ginta smiled "Is Mr. Higurashi home?"
"He's upstairs" Rin said, pointing the way "just go straight up, his rooms at the very top."
"Thanks" Ginta said, going up the stairs.
"I warn you though" Rin called up to him "he's been feeling very depressed since Kagome disappeared."
Ginta just continued up the stairs until he came to the very top. He slowly turned the knob on the door to Mr. Higurashi's room. "Mr. Higurashi?"
Mr. Higurashi looked at Ginta as he entered the room. "Ginta?" he said, slowly sitting up, "what are you doing here?"
Ginta sat down by the old man's bed and sighed "it's about the beast"
Mr. Higurashi's eyes opened wide…
Author's note: Yes! Another one done! Oh, and if anyone who's reading this story is also reading my other story Love Conquers All, I will be update really soon, I would have updated sooner but I almost lost the floppy disk with the next chapter! ; aren't I smart?