Sephiroth; :waves hello to the readers and gestures for them to be quiet :whispers: Hey, you guys. The author's feeling a little under the weather at the moment so I'm trying to help her out.
Author; :groans and rolls over in bed:
Sephiroth: Yah. As you can see, she's sick, but she's still doing her best to get her fanfiction typed and updated. Such a dedicated girl. :places a cool cloth on the author's forehead: Sweety, there's some people here to see you.
Author; :turns her head and smiles weakly at the readers: Hi. :sneezes into a Kleenex: I'm glad you guys are here. I caught a weird flu/virus thingy but I got up and finished off this long over due chapter anyway. Sephiroth has been taking care of me, but for some reason I keep waking up naked.
Sephiroth; :smiles innocently:
Author: Anyway, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I think they're the only things that are stopping me from flopping back into bed and sleeping. I guess I should probably comment on them and what-not. Before I start I wanted to say that I'm glad you have all come to a mutual consensus that Kikyo should die. I've never seen so much swearing. :covers her virgin eyes: Anywho, on with the commenting:P
Mr. Flames – I just have to inform you that your review made me laugh. The part where you said "Kikyo should be shot with a silver bullet. Yes, I'm fully aware that silver bullets kill vampires and I am also aware the Kikyo isn't a vampire, but still, she should be shot…." is funny because I don't think you realized that silver bullets actually kill werewolves, not vampires. :laughs hysterically: Thank you for the laugh though. I still say it's cheating to make your review longer by saying the word EVIL fifty million times, but I take it anyway. :P Yes, you are insane and I'm not answering any of your questions that will probably answer themselves with time anyway and then you wouldn't read any of the new updates because you'd already know what happens so ha! Yes. I'm not telling. :sticks out her tongue: Anyway, thanks for the long (even if you cheated) review and I hope to see another one after this chapter. :D
Sesshy81 – I don't know if Inuyasha will get off his lazy pitiful ass and rescue anyone. The only way to tell will be to……read the chapter:P Sorry, just bugging you. Heeheehee, you said the bitch word. :covers her mouth: Oops. :hands you Kikyo: Here you go. Kill, maim, and destroy. Thank you for your very enraged and heartfelt review. Hopefully this chapter will make you happier…..or it might not…… :huggles: Either way, thank you for the review!
Kagome lover 2009 – I'm curious. What does the 2009 stand for? Just wondering. Awww, you think my story is sweet. :smiles and gives you chocolate: Heeheehee. You said the bitch word too. :covers mouth again: Oops. :P I can't reveal what will happen in the future but if you keep bugging me enough then what you want will probably happen. No guaranties. I hoping for them to be together as much as you are. :huggles: Thankies for the awesome review!
RavenC – I know what you mean. It was just as sad writing them as it probably was for you to read. But since you think the story is amazing I shall give you a free Inu plushie :hands you plushie: He's so cute! And since you told me to continue, I shall. :huggles: Here's me continuing and thanking you for your review. ;) Hope to hear more from you again!
some guy – Awesome name! Wish I'd thought of it. Except mine would be 'some girl'. :P I can't promise that there will be horrible Kikyo suffering, but I'll try my best to fulfill your wishes. Much thanks for your review. And huggles for you too.
kougamustdie – Awww. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not much of a Kouga hater but I am a 'Kagome not being with Inuyasha' hater so the story will probably work itself out…..unless of course Inuyasha gives up on Kagome and Kouga gets Kagome to fall in love with him…… :grins evilly: Sorry, I'll play nice. Thank for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter more then the last one.
Jamie – Yay! I like being all over the place! Randomness rocks! I believe it's called angst in fanfiction world though. As long as you love it though, I won't change a thing. Keep in mind though, Kikyo didn't want to kill Kagome, she just wanted to make Inuyasha suffer. It's all part of her master plan…. :rubs hands together: Mwahahaha:ahem: Anyway, I'm going insane so I will leave you will huggles and a tasty chocolate bunny for the road. Taa-taa til next chapter and thank you for the wonderful review. :D
inuGIRL - :grins: Ahhh, finally, someone appreciates the goodness of a disturbing lemon :blushes and looks at the ground in embarrassment: Your crazy. My fic can't be one of the best you've read unless you haven't read a whole lot of fics. :P I'm starting to go over to the dark side. (I'm reading lots of Harry Potter fics instead of Inuyasha) :gasp: And to answer your question, authors are constantly worried that their stories are bad because we all have a scared little child inside of us who (besides wanting to eat LOTS of ice cream) is terrified of rejection. The last thing I want is to get a nasty review. It's very discouraging and we're constantly on the alert for potential flamers who may not like our stores. Thank you for your kind review. :huggles: And I must continue on now so I can eventually get to the fic. :P Til next chapter.
dawn-miko - :grins: The kids are great. Or they will be once they pop out. ;) Still a couple more months to go. More then that actually, it's only been about four. Anyway, you can beat down and severely injure Kikyo and then we can all celebrate and eat ice cream! Yayayayayay:hands you a machete: Good hunting and thanks for your fantabulous review. :D (Don't forget the huggles!)
Candace – I forgive you for the late review! A late review is better then no review at all. :breaks into song: I can see clearly now, the rain is gone :ahem: Just glad the last chapter cleared some things up for you. I'd tell you what I'm planning to do but what fun would be if you knew how things were going to turn out. Wait a minute….you aren't one of those people that reads the last page of a book to see if you want to read it, are you:frowns suspiciously: lol Anyway, (wow I said that a lot don't I?) thanks for the dedicated reviews that continue every chapter and I hope to see another one soon! Enjoy. :D
Sephiroth; :feeds author chicken noodle soup: Stop fighting! You have to eat!
Author; :clamps mouth shut tighter: Mmm mmm. :shakes her head no:
Sephiroth; :sighs in exasperation and flings the spoon across the room: Fine! If you aren't going to eat your dinner then we're starting this chapter without you saying to.
Author; :eyes widen in disbelief: You wouldn't!
Sephiroth: Watch me.
THISISTHESTUPIDLINEDIVIDINGTHEFICANDTHEAUTHORSNOTESThree more weeks had passed by with no sign of Kagome. Inuyasha hadn't quite given up hope, but the future looked bleak. Standing at the outskirts of the village, Inuyasha watched the sun rising and thought of all the mean, nasty things he had ever said to Kagome and all the things he would say and do to make up for it if he could just see her again. He had barely slept since Kikyo had taken her and he had a feeling that this was exactly how Kikyo wanted him to feel. Anxious. Hurt. Exhausted.
Afraid.
Would he ever see her again? Kagome would still be happy and safe at home if it weren't for him. What would her family think if she never came home? She'd already been gone for months and her mother was probably panicking and scared.
A very groggy Shippo stumbled over to the spot where he stood and Inuyasha scooped him up, hugging him gently as he stared off at the path Kagome had disappeared down. There was an empty void inside of him without her, as though someone had carved out the part of his heart that belonged to her. Alerted by a sudden flickering movement at the edge of the trees, Inuyasha set Shippo on the ground and crept towards the spot where he had seen it.
"Wait here," he whispered to Shippo, seeing the kitsune start to follow. He approached the trees stealthily and peered through a bush, seeing nothing but a pale lump on the ground. There were no scents in the air and no sign of movement so he crawled towards the lump, gasping in surprise when a demon darted out from behind him and rushed away like there was a fire burning after it. The creature had no scent!
Growling, Inuyasha tried not to think about what else might be lurking in the bushes that he wasn't able to sense and continued forward, prodding the lump. It seemed to be something covered a large white cloth. With a gentle tug, he pulled the cloth off and paled at what lay before him. The still body was all too familiar even though he couldn't see its face.
He rolled it over with trembling fingers so it was facing him. Deathly white skin stood out against the raven coloured hair that spilled across the lifeless face. "No," he choked, not believing what was in front of his eyes, "NO!" Leaning over the body, he felt for a heartbeat. Nothing. He held his ear to the mouth. Nothing. It couldn't be true! It was a trick!
"Kagome! NO!" he cried, gathering the leaden body in his arms and brushing back the hair from her face. There was no colour in her cheeks and her brown eyes were glazed and unseeing.
Dead.
A scream of pure rage and sorrow escaped Inuyasha's lips and echoed for miles along the forest. "Kagome. Kagome, no!" he sobbed, repeating her name as if it would bring her back from the dead. Tears poured down his face and he began rocking back and forth with her in his arms. Why her! Dammit, why her! Take me instead! Let this innocent, beautiful woman continue living! Burying his face in Kagome's cold neck, Inuyasha sobbed helplessly and rocked faster.
Hours later, Miroku and Sango found him like that, still rocking and crying and murmuring to himself. Kagome's body was sprawled at a strange angle in his arms and her head fell forward and back again as he rocked. Sango let out a cry of horror and recoiled in fear, forcing herself to stop staring at the dead eyes facing their way. She felt frozen, like in a dream. This has to be a dream, she thought desperately, just a bad dream. Kagome is still alive. She has to be! Miroku approached the sobbing hanyou and kneeled down in front of him, tears of his own beginning to roll down his cheeks at the sight of Kagome like that. What had happened to their dear friend? He could remember all too well her happy smile, not too long ago, as she played with Shippo and the way Inuyasha brightened up anytime he was near her. He had to get Inuyasha away from the body. It would do him more harm then good to stay with her like this. It was just so hard to accept that she's really gone.
Kagome's gone.
"Inuyasha?" he managed to get out, "Inuyasha, give the body to me." Suddenly becoming defensive, Inuyasha snarled and his eyes glinted dangerously.
"Mine!" he growled, tightening his grip on the limp form, "Mine! You can't have her! She'll be fine! She just needs some sleep!" He started rocking again and his tone became weak and desperate. "She just needs sleep." Sango came over next to Miroku and wiped the tears off her cheeks quickly, putting on her warrior face.
"Inuyasha, we need to take Kagome back to the village. You're going to hurt her if you stay out here." Saying such horrible lies to Inuyasha's face made Sango feel lower then dirt, but she was relieved when he struggled to his feet, still cradling Kagome's body. Miroku went to one side of Inuyasha and Sango to the other and they gently guided him back into the village. People cringed away from them when they saw what was in Inuyasha's arms. Sango couldn't stop the tears from coming as they walked towards Kaede's hut and she felt Miroku's hand on her back. She had thought that things couldn't get any worse, but she couldn't have been more wrong.
:-
A demon scurried over to where a tall black haired woman was waiting for him. It bowed slightly at her feet and smiled maliciously. "It is done, mistress. The mutt believes it is her."
"Good," Kikyo nodded with satisfaction, "I hope he suffers agonizing heartbreak every waking moment for the rest of his days. Then maybe he will understand my pain." Handing the demon a small package, she watched it running off with a smirk spreading across her lips. Inuyasha was getting what he deserved at long last.
:-
Koga nuzzled deeper into the soft furs of his bed, trying to ignore the annoying pain in his back. It got worse as the minutes passed by and he finally sat up, snarling in annoyance. "WHO THE HELL-" He caught himself, seeing Kagome sitting patiently beside Akari, who was poking him repeatedly with her claws.
"Wakey wakey, prince," Akari laughed, "enough drooling on your pillow. Kagome is done with breakfast and wishes to be shown around the forest."
"You know how to do that without me," Koga muttered, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Akari's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Yes, but then we couldn't have woken you up." Rolling his eyes, Koga stood and stretched out his stiff muscles. When he looked down, Kagome's smile surprised him so much that he almost fell over. It was the first time he'd seen her smile in almost three weeks. "Good morning," he smiled back at her, offering her a hand. Kagome accepted and let him pull her up.
"Akari said we're going hunting today."
"Did she now?" Koga asked with a raised eyebrow. "And how did she expect to go without permission?" Akari smiled sweetly and stood as well, draping her tail around Koga's waist.
"I also told her you would take us and show us the waterfall on the way. She knows you can't resist those eyes of hers. Go on. Look at her and say no." Koga felt heat rising up his cheeks as he glanced over at Kagome's soft brown eyes. He couldn't say much of anything when he looked in those eyes and Akari knew it.
"I...well...um...I think that..." Akari smirked with satisfaction.
"Well then, let's go oh articulate one."
"As you wish, oh annoying one," Koga sighed, surrendering to them since he knew he could never win. He was supposed to be in charge, but Akari often outsmarted him. He didn't mind it, so long as they were in private. She knew better then to show him up in front of the others. It would make him seem like a weak leader and Akari would never do that to him.
It was surprising to see Kagome in such a pleasant mood. She had refused to come out of the cave for the entire first week because she was embarrassed that she continually burst into tears. Eventually, Akari and Ryo had managed to lure her out and had taken her under their wing. She seemed almost content to be looked after by the female wolf youkai and they, in turn, were becoming very fond of her. Sasuke especially loved her and was always playing with her hair and gossiping about whatever it was that young women gossiped about. Kagome fit right in.
Despite all their efforts, he knew she was having a hard time forgetting Inuyasha. He had warned everyone not to bring up anything to do with the mutt and threatened the males to back off. Tai had seemed especially interested in "getting to know" the pretty girl and had been quite annoyed with Koga's warnings.
Akari led them out of the cave, Koga still lost in thought, and stopped when someone called her name. "Akari!" Sai called, gesturing at her, "I need to speak with you." Akari waved to show she'd be there in just a moment and turned to Koga.
"You won't mind taking Kagome on her trip without me, will you? Good. Thanks Koga," Akari said without giving Koga a chance to speak. "I'll see you two later." Koga gritted his teeth as Akari ran over to Sai, who smiled shyly and began talking as they walked away.
"Bloody woman," Koga muttered, forgetting Kagome's presence momentarily.
"It's all right," Kagome assured him quietly, "Akari really likes him. I'm happy he's finally gotten the courage to speak with her." She watched Koga look at her with surprise, as though he had forgotten she was there. "And I don't mind if just you take me for a walk." Nodding carefully, Koga scratched the back of his head and looked out towards the trees. She doesn't mind if it's just me! Kagome was still looking at him intently and he blushed, clearing his throat.
"Well, um, would you like to go then?"
"All right," she agreed, following Koga into the dense forest. They walked in silence for quite some time, neither knowing what to say. Koga wanted to say so many things, but he knew it wasn't the right time or place for it. Kagome studied the wolf youkai as they walked, wondering what he was thinking about. His brown eyes studied the ground intensely and bits of his long ponytail kept wandering in front of his eyes.
She found herself thinking about Koga so she wouldn't have to think about Inuyasha. Even just his name brought a sharp pain to her heart. Instead of dwelling on the pain, she had decided to pretend it never happened. If she tried hard enough, she could make it seem like Inuyasha had just been a dream; Or a nightmare. She knew that letting the stupid hanyou affect her life was just letting him have his way and hurt her more. She wasn't going to let him steal her happiness just because he stole her heart and broke it. She was going to get through this.
"Here we are," Koga's voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. She looked up towards the spot Koga had stopped and gasped. Trying to take everything in at once, Kagome stepped closer to the cascading water that sparkled out of a naturally formed break in the rock high above them. It all spilled down into a sparkling pool of crystal water that was half shaded by a few large trees growing around it.
"Wow," was all she managed to say as she knelt down at the shoreline, gazing out over the water.
"I thought you'd like it here," Koga smiled, sitting next to her. The water reflected light from the sun and caused patterns to dance along Kagome's face. He was so entranced that he couldn't help but stare at her. Luckily Kagome was too busy watching the waterfall to notice his adoration. "How are you feeling?" he questioned gently, watching her run her fingers through the clear water.
"Sad," Kagome sighed truthfully, "but better. It helps having you here." She smiled over at Koga, who seemed relieved that she was recovering, even if it was slowly. She leaned a little too far over the water edge and suddenly fell in with a loud splash.
"Kagome!" Koga yelped, jumping up to help her. She spluttered to the surface and grinned up at him. The evil grin didn't register at first and he held out his hand to help her out of the water.
"Thanks," Kagome smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling. Koga wasn't expecting the strong tug and fell in beside her. As he came to the surface he glared at the laughing girl who had pulled him in.
"That, was mean," he pouted, trying to regain some dignity. Kagome was laughing so hard he was surprised she could stay above the water.
"You should've seen your face!" she cackled, grabbing onto his arm to keep from sinking, "priceless!" Glowering, Koga kicked his feet and swam for the shore, Kagome still holding on. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned on his upper back, still laughing. It seemed to be infectious and Koga started chuckling even though he didn't find being soaking wet amusing in the least. Straining only a little, Koga pulled them both up onto the dry land and flopped onto his side, wondering how to un-attach Kagome from his shoulders. She let go on her own and stood up, still giggling.
"I didn't know that you don't like water, Koga," she commented as he shook off and wrung out his furs with a sour expression on his face. He squeezed more water out of his hair.
"Well, now you do."
"The more you're in it, the more you'll like it," Kagome said firmly, smiling evilly at him once again.
"Huh?" Before he had a chance to react, Kagome had pushed him back into the water and begun laughing again. That's it! he growled to himself, kicking to the shore and lunging for Kagome. She yelped when he jumped her, ignoring her protests and struggles, and jumped back into the water again still holing her. They both surfaced and Kagome splashed water at Koga's grinning face.
"Jerk!" she laughed, almost to the point of enjoying herself. Koga grabbed her around the waist and pulled her out deeper towards the waterfall.
"I'm not quite a jerk yet," he smirked, shoving her under the falling water and swimming for his life. Managing to escape from the torrent of water, Kagome swam after Koga, murderous intents on her mind. She caught up with him just as he was climbing out of the water and tackled him to the ground, getting them both covered in mud.
Wrestling her into submission, Koga laughed triumphantly and held Kagome pinned to the ground. "Now what are you going to do?" Koga grinned, knowing he had won. Her cheeks went slightly red and he realized Kagome was pressed between his body and the ground. Laughing nervously, he jumped up and brushed some of the wet mud from his chest. "Maybe we should save the hunting lessons for another day," he commented, coughing slightly to try and hide his awkwardness. Kagome got up slowly, still watching him with a slight smile.
"And what am I, the prey?" Not knowing how to reply, Koga shrugged and turned in the direction of the caves. No sound but the birds disturbed the silence for a while and Kagome finally stepped up beside the blushing youkai.
"Let's head back. It's a little chilly just standing here."
"All right," he nodded, starting off at a brisk walk. Kagome caught up with him and slipped her hand into his.
"Thank you," she smiled, leaning on his shoulder, "for being there for me. You're a good friend." Koga's face fell a little. Friend. And that's all I'll ever be. The day was getting warmer as they walked and Kagome noticed the sounds of the wolf youkais up ahead. "Sounds like we are almost there," she noted, glancing over at Koga's thoughtful expression. "I'm going to go check in on Akari and Ryo. They wanted to see about something when we got back. Akari would've told me what it was all about but she didn't come with us." With a carefree shrug, Kagome gave Koga a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried off to find the females.
"See you later, Koga," she called over her shoulder. Koga touched a hand to his cheek and sighed. If only she felt the same.
Kagome spotted Ryo lounging with Akari near the entrance to the females' caves and headed their way. "How was your walk?" Akari smiled knowingly, eyeing Kagome's wet, muddy clothing.
"I fell in the water," she blushed, "and Koga had to get me out."
Ryo rolled her eyes. "Right...you "fell"..."
Shaking her head Kagome sat down next to them. "I did. Now stop teasing me. Shouldn't Akari share what happened with Sai that made her unavailable to walk with us?" Akari blushed and smiled at the same time, refusing to meet Ryo's accusing stare.
"You went off with Sai and didn't tell me the juicy details!" Ryo asked in a hurt tone.
"Oh, leave me alone," Akari laughed, "we only talked." Kagome and Ryo exchanged looks, but didn't comment.
"Well, anyway, we found something that we thought would look nice on you, Kagome," Ryo stated, "and it would definitely catch Koga's attention." Kagome leaned back against the rock wall with a sigh.
"I don't need anymore attention from him. I've already got enough as it is."
"With time, you'll learn to enjoy it," Akari teased with a grin. "Now come on. We've got work to do." The two wolf youkai dragged a protesting Kagome into the caves, Sasuke joining them and smiling just as evilly.
Koga was going over battle plans with a group of males, taking suggestions for how to deal with flying enemies, when he suddenly realized that they weren't attention to him anymore. He followed their line of sight with his eyes and his gaze fell upon a beautiful woman in a form fitting, deep red kimono with a golden dragon that flared up the thigh. Her hair was twisted up into a bun, with strands purposely left down, framing her delicate face.
"Kagome?" Koga uttered, completely dumbfounded. He could practically feel the lust radiating from the males in front of him and sharply ordered them to keep their minds on the task at hand. Sai was the only one who didn't seem interested, but he probably only had Akari on his mind. Grumbling and muttering, the rest turned back to Koga who continued his lecture, a little more flustered then he had been before. No one noticed Tai slip out of the group on his own.
THISISTHESTUPIDLINEDIVIDINGTHEFICANDTHEAUTHORSNOTESAuthor; :sits calmly in bed, watching tv:
Sephiroth; :gently nursing his wounds: You didn't have to go psycho on me for starting the chapter! Geez woman! That hurt!
Author: It's your own fault.
Sephiroth: Is not.
Doorbell: Ring ring.
Sephiroth; :answers door and frowns at salesman: What do you want?
Salesdude: Wazzup ma homedogs? How would you like to own your very own brand new camel? Watch out, they spit.
Sephiroth: No thanks. :slams door in his face:
Author: Who was it?
Door: Knock knock.
Sephiroth: Just a sec. :opens door and smiles at the beautiful young woman on the door step:
Sexy lady: Hello. :smiles seductively: Can I interest you in a five million dollar penny?
Sephiroth:staring: Hell yes!
Author: Shut the door! It's cold!
Sephiroth; :grabs the penny and slams the door in the woman's face: Look what I got! It's shiny:grins:
Author; :shakes her head: I'm sick, remember? You're supposed to be taking care of me. I'm calling in a replacement :waves her author wand and Allan Rickman appears: Oops. :waves it again and he disappears and a big bowl of lime sherbet takes his place:
Sephiroth: The hell? You're replacing me with a frozen dessert?
Author: Damn straight. :ignores him and begins talking to her new limey friend:
Sephiroth: Well, she's officially lost it.
Author; :holds up the bowl: Limey says thank you everyone for your awesome reviews. And I know you all hate me still for ending it and creating such a short chapter so I apologize. Hopefully Tai will sneak out the group to do something good, not something horrible like…..hurt Kagome. :clears throat quickly: Poor Inuyasha. He never gets a break.
Sesshoumaru: Watcha doing?
Inuyasha; :leans back on a couch, eating a Kitkat: I'm having a break. Chillaxing.
Sesshoumaru: Well, what were you doing?
Inuyasha: Nothing, as usual.
Sesshoumaru: So if you weren't doing anything, then how do you know that you're taking a break?
Inuyasha: Cause I'm eating a Kitkat!
Sesshoumaru: Dude. That's totally awesome :grabs the Kitkat and runs:
Inuyasha: Hey!
Author: See? No break for him. :P Anyway, random insanity aside, thanks for your guys' awesomeness and I'll see you all next chapter:D (Don't forget to review!)