Oofie: "Well. I've gotten a review that says, and I quote, 'MAKE KIKYO DIE!'"
Inuyasha: "I don't get it… why do people hate Kikyo so much?"
Oofie: "Lot's of people hate her because they think she's a bitch. But not me, I hate her because… SHE STOLE MY FAVORITE JAPANESE NAME!"
Inuyasha & Kagome: "You like the name Kikyo?"
Oofie: "No. I like the name Kyo."
Inuyasha: "Oh…"
Kagome: "That's a guy's name…"
Oofie: "Anyway, lets bring out our guest… Hitomi-chan!"
Hitomi: "Hello."
Kagome: "Oh dear god… you brought my brother's girlfriend in as a guest?"
Oofie: "Well, I couldn't think of a better person for this chapter since… ya know… I don't wanna use Kikyo yet…"
Inuyasha & Kagome: "YOU'RE GONNA BRING KIKYO HERE?"
Inuyasha: "When?"
Kagome: "…"
Hitomi: "Who's Kikyo?"
Oofie: "She was kind of Inuyasha's first love… but I have no idea what he saw in her…"
Hitomi: "Is she that bad?"
Oofie: "Maybe not in his opinion… But you're probably a better girlfriend to Souta then Kikyo is to Inuyasha. Anyway, we need to get this party started! Hitomi-chan?
Hitomi: "Oofie-nee does not own me or Souta, or whoever else! By the way, what did Souta say about me?"
Oofie: "Uh… we gotta start now… I'll tell you later…"
Chapter 15: Till Death Do We Part
"Souta-kun!" Hitomi yelled as she burst into the living room.
Souta looked up from his video game just in time to see his girlfriend pounce on him, pushing them both off the couch and onto the floor.
"Hitomi-chan I'm happy to see you but… you're sitting on my stomach," Souta said, gasping for breath after getting the wind knocked out of him.
"Sorry!" she said, getting off. "What were you doing before I got here?"
"Uh… Playing video games. It was getting kinda boring though 'cause… you know… you weren't here," Souta said, blushing.
"Oh. My. God." Souta closed his eyes and hoped he really wasn't hearing his sister's voice. "Souta-kun I knew you were hot for this girl but… wow…"
"Onee-chan…" Souta groaned. Please, Kagome-nee don't embarrass me!
"That's your sister Souta-kun?" Hitomi asked from behind him. She was trying to see her but Souta was doing something Inuyasha would call 'guarding his bitch from danger'.
"Yup, that's me! Souta… move you're in the way," she said while pushing him onto the couch. She walked a half circle around Hitomi and looked her up and down for a minute. "Okay! I approve!" she said, clapping her hands together.
"Good grief…" Souta muttered under his breath, then he felt something pick him up by his collar. Oh god, not now! Not now!
"Souta, you gonna play me in… Oh. I thought I smelled a girl down here," Inuyasha said, spotting poor Hitomi. He looked back at Souta, "So this is your woman?"
"Uh…. Y-yeah… heh heh," Souta responded nervously.
"Okay so… you're goin' on a… what's it called Kagome?"
"A date."
"Yeah, that. You're goin' on one of those now?"
"Um… yeah… what's it to you?" Souta asked. He was getting a bit bold because he didn't want to look weak in front of his girlfriend. Oh Souta… how sweet… in your own little way I guess…
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, "Ain't nothin' to me, squirt."
"Good. Put me down now," Souta said, adding a little "please?" to it that only Inuyasha would hear.
The silver haired teen put the now confident boy down on the floor. (By the way he's wearing a hat to conceal his ears.)
Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and dragged him into the kitchen, "Come on, I'll make you some lunch."
Hitomi stared at the door the couple disappeared through, "Who was that guy… with the silver hair?"
"Oh, he's my sister's boyfriend."
"He's kind of… cute…"
"WHAT?"
Hitomi giggled. "Don't worry Souta-kun! I think you're cuter than he is," she said blushing.
Souta laughed a little nervously, "Y-You do?"
She nodded happily, "Of course! I've never really understood why girls like older men anyway…"
"Oh… Well you wanna go get some ice cream? Then go to the park or somethin'?" the boy asked, scratching the back of his neck.
Hitomi nodded. "Yup! Let's go!" she exclaimed, as she pulled Souta out the door by his arm.
Mrs. Higurashi came back downstairs just in time to see them off. "Have fun you two! Souta-kun! Be back in a couple hours!" she yelled after them, opening the kitchen door.
But behind the door, Kagome and Inuyasha had been eavesdropping on the young couple, so when Mrs. Higurashi had opened it, Kagome fell down and broke her crown, and Inuyasha came tumbling after.
"Oh my, were you two spying? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" came the scolding tone of which belonged to Mrs. Higurashi. "I also know that you two followed Souta to the park when he confessed he liked Hitomi-chan too. Have you no shame?"
Inuyasha stood, rubbed his aching head, and then pulled Kagome off the floor. "Mama, can I help it if I care so much for my brother that I even go to the point of stalking him on occasion just to make sure he isn't hurt in any way?"
"Well," her mother said in a contemplative manor. "When you put it that way, it sounds a lot better. But never the less, you two should give Souta his privacy!" And with that she made her way into the kitchen to start on lunch.
"Your mom's got a point. We can't keep followin' Souta around like this. Plus I kinda wanna get back to my own life soon…" Inuyasha said with a small yawn.
"You have a life? And you didn't even tell me? Your own lover? How cruel!"
"It's kinda funny, you're insulting my life and yet, you are my life. It's like you're insulting yourself," Inuyasha commented.
"That was a lame comeback Inuyasha…" Kagome said when she walked up the stairs to her room.
"Damn… my life sucks…"
"Still not good enough."
"Correction, my life sucks dick…"
"…"
"…Mine to be exact."
"OSUWARI!"
Miroku sat on a hillside overlooking the village that lay before him. Complicated thoughts danced around in his head and a contemplative look shone on his face. He was thinking hard about the predicament they were all in.
"Houshi-sama?" said Sango's voice as it traveled to his ears from down hill.
Miroku opened his eyes and blinked at the figure approaching him, "Sango love, weren't you helping Kaede?"
"We finished tending to the old woman already, and I decided to come see you."
Miroku smiled and patted the grass next to him with his hand. Sango complied with his silent request and sat next to him. "Sango, I was thinking, what is going to happen when Inuyasha and Kagome-sama return? When they learn the news about Kikyo-sama, things may become…"
"Complicated? I know. But I see nothing we can do about it, so stop worrying about it," she replied as she lay her head on his shoulder. She was very confident on her knowledge of the odd couple's love for each other.
An arm snaked around his dearest, and this time it was not going south. Instead it rested on her shoulders. "Yes but you fail to see it, love. Not only am I talking about the emotional conflict that will definitely ensue, I also speak of the damage this could do to not just them, but all of us. Possibly physical damage."
Sango looked confused, "What do you mean?"
"Think about it Sango. Kikyo is a painful subject for Inuyasha. Eventually he is going to have to deal with her, especially now that she's collecting jewel shards. Their past together might fog his judgement of her and she could indeed do him physical harm. Possibly kill him."
"But she wouldn't! Even if she did once think that he betrayed her he was still her first love! She couldn't do that, nothing human could…"
"Nothing human? Let us not forget that Kikyo-sama is among the living dead, therefore has nothing to lose."
"But she has thoughts, feelings, guilt…"
"Yes, she does feel, she does think, and from time to time she might feel guilt. But love can do things to a person, living or dead, which no other thing could do. And let us also remember that Kikyo-sama's train of thought is hard to read. We could think that we know everything there is to know when it comes to her and yet know nothing at all. Even Inuyasha himself has these moments."
"Houshi-sama, we need Inuyasha. To kill Naraku, we need him. And not just that. He's like family now. We're all like family. If he dies then…"
"Sango love," he interrupted. "I'm sorry. I've made you worry," he said as he hung his head.
"Miroku, don't worry about it. I'd rather know everything and worry my heart out then know nothing and be carefree," she said with a smile into the crook of his neck.
"You sound especially optimistic."
"That's how you sound everyday."
"Really? I do? That must be faintly annoying."
"Just faintly?"
"Okay, maybe exceedingly annoying."
"It is irritating," the girl commented as she dug her face deeper into the crook of his neck. "But it's one of many reasons I've fallen so deeply in love with you."
He laughed a bit before saying, "That's truly romantic. Now I'm sure I'm rubbing off on you."
"Get over yourself."
"Yes, love."
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"
"Oh come on Inuyasha it's not gonna hurt! I swear!"
"NO!"
"INUYASHA GET BACK HERE!"
"NO!"
"INUYASHA!"
"NO!"
"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY?"
"NO!"
"Oh dear, Grandpa when do you think this is going to stop?"
"Never."
"Oh."
"Come. Let's go get something to eat."
"Yes Grandpa." And with that the two oldest Higurashi residents were gone. But of course the house was not completely empty…
"COME HERE!"
"NO!"
Well, if you can't figure out what's been happening so far, which I don't blame you for because I haven't told you yet, here is the 411. Kagome came to the conclusion that Inuyasha had gotten over his cold because he had stopped coughing, sneezing, and etc. Now, Inuyasha was overjoyed at this news, but then Kagome wanted to make sure he was indeed over his cold. She thought that the easiest way to do that would be to take his temperature. But her grandfather decided to be an ass and tell Inuyasha that it was an anal thermometer, and that Kagome was going to stick it somewhere where the sun don't shine. Needless to say, the hanyou was scared out of his wits, and who wouldn't be I ask you? I mean from his viewpoint she was trying to rape him with a freaking thermometer…
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE AFRAID OF A STUPID THERMOMETER!" A very annoyed miko hollered as she chased Inuyasha around the couch in her living room.
"I'M NOT SCARED OF NOTHIN!" the hanyou retaliated while he dodged her once more.
"Then get over here so I can take your temperature," Kagome replied smugly.
"NO!"
"YOU BABY!"
"WENCH!"
"JERK!"
"BITCH!"
"You…you…" Kagome said as she struggled for a comeback. Then her eyes narrowed and she smirked. "SCAREDY CAT!"
Inuyasha, who was very proud of his heritage that consisted of brave dog demons, looked horror stricken at the insult. "Take. That. Back."
She shook her head innocently, "No."
Inuyasha growled low in his throat. "Take it back."
"Nuh uh."
Inuyasha jumped over the couch and pinned Kagome to the wall behind her. "TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK!"
"NO!" Kagome screamed in defiance.
"IF YOU DON'T TAKE IT BACK I SWEAR I'LL…" Inuyasha started to scream, but unfortunately for him, Kagome was smart and when he had his mouth open she shoved the thermometer into it.
Kagome scratched that place behind his ears and he involuntarily started to make a sound that was caught between a purr and a growl. She giggled, "That's a good puppy wuppy!"
Inuyasha scowled at the woman he loved, and said as best as he could with a thermometer in his mouth, "Don't call me no puppy wuppy. Cause I'm not! And you still gotta take it back."
Kagome turned back around to face the hanyou then put her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his chest, "Okay, I take it back. You are the biggest, bravest, strongest, and most handsome dog I have ever laid eyes on." She smiled sweetly and looked up at his cocky smirk, "Better?"
"Much."
"Good." She plucked the thermometer out of his mouth to find that he was at a normal temperature. "Great! You're fine! Now let's get the stuff and get back to the feudal era."
Inuyasha leaped out of the well and landed with a soft thud on the grass. He set Kagome down and sniffed the area around them. It seemed safe so he took the girls hand and led her down to the village.
The pair made it back to Kaede's hut with ease, and found their companions eating a quiet dinner.
"Oi, Sango, any food left for us?" Inuyasha said in a casual voice as he sat down.
"Yes, there is some in the pot."
Inuyasha would have normally reached for the pot sitting over the low fire, but noticed that Sango's voice had an upsetting tone to it. He looked over Miroku and Sango, ignoring Shippo who was obviously oblivious to whatever was going on.
The boy nodded, silently agreeing to waiting till after the kitsune was sleeping to discuss what ever it was that troubled them both so much. Then he sat back so Kagome could get herself enough to eat before he fed himself.
The silence was almost unbearable. The hanyou's ears twitched at the slow breathing coming from the smallest of his companions before he uttered an annoyed keh and began the conversation.
"Okay, so what the hell is up? You two have been quiet and as unusual as this sounds, it's starting to bug me."
"Kaede-babaa gave us some more information on some jewel shards yesterday," Sango started.
"Great! Now we can get back to collectin' 'em!" the hanyou replied.
"Yes, we could. But there's something you two should know…"
"What's there to know? We find the shards, we kill the demons, we take the shards, what don't we know already?" Inuyasha said impatiently.
"It's a matter of who has the shards of the jewel, not that we can't find them," Miroku started up again.
"Well? Who has 'em? Naraku?" Inuyasha said. He was starting to get annoyed.
"No, he doesn't have them."
"Kagome?" Miroku and Sango both asked in unison.
The miko's expression stayed indifferent. "It's not possible for us to be dealing with Naraku when everyone looks so sullen. Normally you can feel everyone eager to fight, but…"
"Kagome what are you…?" Inuyasha tried asking but was cut off by her words once more.
"It's her isn't it. She's got the jewel shards."
"Yes… I'm afraid you're right Kagome-sama."
"Who are you talking about…"
"That's not all. What is it? The looks on your faces give it away."
"Kaede also says that she's been collecting them herself. We don't know why, but Miroku has and idea," Sango said.
"Yes, I have a small theory. I think that she may be helping Naraku…"
"Naraku. What could she possibly gain from helping Naraku." Inuyasha winced at Kagome's words. Not that they were hurtful, hell he was still trying to figure out who they were talking about, but the emotionless look on her face and the indifference in her words were very uncharacteristic.
"That's something I've been asking myself, Kagome-sama."
"Wait, anybody mind tellin' me who it is we're dealin' with here?"
"You haven't figured it out yet?" Sango asked the hanyou in disbelief.
"Wouldn't be askin' if I did."
"Well… the one collecting the shards is…" But Sango was cut off as Kagome quickly stood and nudged the hanyou beside her.
"I think we should go for a walk!" she said with fake happiness.
"A walk? Yeah, we'll take one, just let Sango finish what she was sayin'."
"No, we should go now. If we wait then it'll be to cold," she explained, tugging on his sleeve with a bit more force.
"What's the difference if we wait a couple more seconds? If you just let her say then we won't waste anymore time and… and…" And he was at a lose for words. The look on her face clearly told him that he didn't have a choice in whether or not he was going on that walk now, or later. So he simply nodded and stood, then opened the door for her and followed her outside.
After a few minutes of silent walking, Inuyasha found his voice again and tried to start a conversation. "So… It's pretty warm out here huh?" The girl beside him stayed silent. "I think it'll get colder in a bit though, the sun's goin' down." Again, he didn't get an answer, so he tried once more. "Maybe we should go back and get you something to put on?"
"I'm fine."
"…No, you're not."
"I'm fine Inuyasha, I'm not cold at all."
The hanyou stopped and grabbed her wrist, then spoke in a soft voice, openly displaying his concern, "I wasn't talkin' about your temperature."
"I'm fine Inuyasha, just don't worry about…" the girl said as she turned her head, but Inuyasha pulled her face back towards him with one clawed finger pressed against her chin. "…me."
"No."
"No?"
"No. Don't go around tellin' me not to worry. I can't not worry, I care too much not to worry damn it. Can't you see that?"
"Inuyasha…"
"That's why you're not tellin' me. You're not sure of yourself. I can see it. I know you all call me blind and dense but I'm not that thickheaded." He searched her chocolate orbs in search of confirmation, and once he found it he looked shocked, as if he hadn't predicted it a moment before hand. "You… you don't trust me."
"I…"
"You don't trust me. You don't believe in me. No, it's not me… it's…"
"The way you feel. I don't trust… the way you feel about…"
"About what? About you? I love you Kagome! I thought you understood that! How can you not trust my feelings for you?"
"I do trust the way you feel about me!"
"Then what feelings don't you trust?"
"The ones you have for Kikyo!"
"K-Kikyo…?"
"Yes, Kikyo!" the miko yelled, her anger leaking out through her eyes in the form of tears. "The love of your life! The reason you live! The reason you'll leave! The reason… the reason you'll die…"
"Kagome, don't cry…"
"How can I help myself? The one man I've ever loved is going to eventually leave me! I can't stop crying!"
"Kagome…"
"I… I can't do this…" the miko said, starting to turn away from him.
The silver-haired boy grabbed her shoulders and faced her towards him once more. "Kagome! Listen to me! I refuse to leave you! Ever! I don't care if the only way for us to get those shards is for me to go with Kikyo. I won't do it!" He declared, pulling the girl into his arms and stroking her hair with long clawed fingers, "I want to stay by your side and I'll do anything to stay there as long as you want me there… Kagome I love you too much to leave you, and I don't ever want you to think otherwise, okay?"
The girl relaxed into his arms and closed her eyes before frowning and looking back up at him, "But what about Kikyo?"
"What about her? Yeah, it's true that I fell for her a long time ago but we barely knew each other back then. It was a love based on something that wasn't even there in the first place."
"Yeah but you still loved her…"
"Kagome, lot's of people fall in love with people that aren't right for them. I was just lucky enough to have found the right one afterwards. And besides, the feelings I felt with Kikyo are squat compared to what I'm feeling right now with you. Here, look," he said, taking her hand into his own and slipping it into his kimono to lay flat on his chest. "Do you feel that? Can you feel how fast my heart's beating right now? It's so damn loud you could probably hear it from miles away, 'cause I know it's poundin' loud in my ears right now."
The girl smiled as Inuyasha wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb, "So I'm guessing that I don't need to tell you that Kikyo's the one collecting shards."
"And I'm guessing that your guess was right. I mean, it was so hard to figure out with the way you were jealous of her and everything…"
"I wasn't jealous!"
"Kagome, you just lied through your teeth."
"I'm not jealous! I swear!"
"Good. Because Kikyo doesn't even compare to you in my eyes anyway."
"Inuyasha, we're practically twins… we look just alike, how can you not compare us?"
"I don't know, maybe I don't base my relationships on looks alone. Ever thought of that? Personality wise, you outshine Kikyo any day. But, then again that's my opinion. You might just be a shity person, and I wouldn't know it cause I'm what that monk would call 'blinded by love'."
"You always know just what to say, don't you?"
"Yup, don't you just love me?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do."
Kagome: "That was corny."
Inuyasha: "You know what?"
Oofie: sigh "No, but I'm sure you're gonna inform me."
Inuyasha: "I liked this chapter."
Kagome & Oofie: "NANI?"
Inuyasha: "Nani? Is that so wrong?"
Kagome: "You've just… never liked the story to much before."
Oofie: "Yeah… and I think that was a compliment towards me since I kind of wrote it…"
Hitomi: "Why do you like it so much?"
Kagome: sweatdrop "I forgot she was here…"
Inuyasha: "I liked my character in this one."
Kagome: "Let me guess. You liked it when the story Inuyasha told the story Kagome that she sucked his dick?"
Inuyasha: "Actually… I liked my character in the end. I'll admit that he was a freakin' pansy, but he was a cool pansy."
Oofie: "Riiiiiight… Anyway I want to apologize to everyone who has read my fic and wanted more but I never updated. I was having like a crisis type thing in my life and school was killer and my mom need help caring for my baby sister and… well you get the idea. My point is that I didn't have the time to finish this chapter. But I hoped you liked this one. Not as long as it could be but I'm gonna update a lot this week to make up for all the time I wasted. I think I would have finished the story by now if I could have kept updating."
Inuyasha: "Yeah, but you didn't! So it doesn't matter anyway now does it? No. I didn't think so."
Kagome: "What happened to the Inuyasha that was just starting to appreciate Oofie-chan?"
Inuyasha: "He evaporated. Now wench, do you have any ramen around here? I want some so start makin' it."
Oofie: "Heh, watch this Hitomi-chan…"
Hitomi: "Um…"
Kagome: "OSUWARI!"
Inuyasha: eats serious dirt
Oofie: "And so the saga continues…"
Hitomi: "That can't be healthy."
Oofie: "Hey Hitomi-chan, wanna go get some ice cream?"
Hitomi: "Sure!"
Oofie & Hitomi: walk off to Baskin Robins "Later Gaiters!"