Chapter 10
Authors note: Hey you guys! I know it's been a really, really long time since you've gotten a chapter from me. So I decided that you all will be getting a one-shot, as well as a new chapter. So please accept my humble apologies and don't throw any shoes at my head...
Here ya go!
Kagome opened her eyes for what seemed to be the one-hundredth time that night...
It seemed that she just couldn't sleep, either due to her lack of activity, or her depression. She tossed and turned nightly now; it had been getting worse each day. Even her family couldn't make any sense of it...
They all just watched her, by way of living their lives, not able to do anything to help her, nor harm her. When she would meet their gazes, she would politely look away.
She couldn't help but feel guilty for something, although, for the life of her she couldn't figure out what.
She sat up, eyeing the window and listening for any sounds. Her mother and brother had gone to dinner, along with shippo. Leaving Kagome with Kilala for protection. The small fire cat slept next to her, purring contentedly. But the thing that worried kagome, was the fact, that they still hadn't come back, and that it was one' o'clock in the morning.
As she had only a few times before, she pulled on her robe and climbed out of bed, knowing at once where she was headed. Her place of refuge, Inuyasha's statue.
Kilala looked up from her spot on kagomes's bed, mewling in worry for her human companion. The miko turned and smiled at her,
"Don't worry kilala, I'll be right back."
Her lies had begun to become more and more obvious, she knew... But her life was fake enough, that it meant nothing to her, to lie.
Besides the fact that it wouldn't do her any harm to just step outside for a little while, would it?
She continued on her way out of her bedroom door, ignoring the further warnings of the small cat demon.
The wind was blowing, playing with her hair almost violently as she made her way toward the sacred tree.
Kagome doubted that she should have even crawled out of bed, much less leave the house; but now that she was on her way, she might as well continue on.
But as she closed her eyes to take in the pungent scent of the trees and the grasses, she saw in her mind, two eyes, that seemed to be closed.
"Now is the time..."
Gasping, she turned to where she thought the voice was coming from, but saw no one. The sky was only subject to small bursts of light that looked too similar to lightning to be a threat.
"H-hello?" Her heart was pounding in her chest, and as she turned back to her path, she felt something pierce her stomach. She squeaked and looked down, seeing a small blotch of blood begin to stain her white bed shirt. It spread, until it covered half of her stomach.
"Oh no..." As soon as she had uttered the words, she began feeling similar slashes being directed at other parts of her body. And as the pain set in, she clutched her bloody stomach in contained agony.
All she knew, was that she HAD to get away from whatever was attacking her, and the only place she could think of now, was her refuge.
She stumbled down the path, tripping over the roots of the bushes and falling the rest of the way to the statues feet. As the slashes seemed to stop, she heard Kilala and saw the angry flash of red that usually meant that she was transforming. Soon, the fire cat was roaring and slashing at things that seemed invisible to kagome.
She started to get up, placing her blood-strewn hands in the statues hands, bringing herself to her knees. But as she opened her eyes, she began to see something, making her gasp in shock.
The cold rock, was no longer cold...
For what blood he once pursued to killNow he is chained to with every breath
That blood will free him from his sill
Only to call on him from death to life
He will only be her destined will.
The poem from sango's letter brought itself to attention in her mind, as she watched what she thought she would never see.
The gray flesh of the figure seemed to glow bright yellow, as the stone that seemed to shape the haori, simply fell away, like rocks. Kagome scooted away, wondering desperately if this was a trick, if her beloved statue was being destroyed because of her.
A small blue barrier formed around her and the glowing statue, keeping anyone else from entering the area.
Suddenly, blood fell from the statue, ensuing a low groan that sounded familiar. And before she knew it, kagome saw the statue move. It fell forward, breaking its sullen position, falling flat on its stomach.
It was too much to hope, kagome didn't want to let her heart believe that... She didn't want to be hurt again... but she couldn't help herself.
Hesitantly, she reached forward, as the yellow glow began to subside. She lightly touched the bare shoulder of the figure, gasping as she saw it move at her touch.
"Kago-me...?" She gasped in shock, as two golden eyes, filled with pain and sorrow, and grief, penetrated hers.
"Inuyasha...? Is... that you?" She felt like crying. This... this was the real thing.
This man, who looked up into her eyes, and had his own tears forming in his eyes, he was Inuyasha.
He wasn't a dream, a thought, or an enemy... He was just him, no fakers that wanted to encourage her or hurt her. This... was the man that she loved. And so... She allowed her heart to believe.
As best as she could, out of pure instinct, she reached forward, inching close to him.
The look on his face was pure disbelief, as well as pure joy, pure relief, and as she lifted him so that his upper body was in her embrace, he began to cry.
He buried his head into her chest, taking in her calming scent as he wept. She ran her hands through his long silver hair, not caring that he seemed to be naked. She only cared that he was there, coughing out blood and weeping for what she understood was gone.
His whole world was gone, except for her, and only he understood how much he really appreciated that she was still by his side, after 500 years.
The barrier that had formed around them began to become weaker, and soon disappeared altogether; allowing the fire cat to gracefully come in, and nudge kagome's bloody arm. The girl looked up, nodding to the cat demon. She gently used all of her strength, through her tears, to lift him to his feet and onto Kilala's back. Kagome ignored her wounds, and concentrated on inuyasha, and trying to get him back to the house. She walked beside kilala, holding onto the extra fur on her back. She noticed inuyasha silently watching her from where he was on kilala's back. His clawed hand gently held onto hers in a protective gesture. She smiled softly at him, and she felt his hand tighten around hers.
At that moment, as she walked beside her dead friend's fire cat, watching a broken half demon who she knew would never truly love her; and felt pain that was almost unbearable, she felt...
Happy. She could find nothing negative in her heart, and for once, there was emotion in Inuyasha's eyes, that she could hardly understand and read, but still made her smile.
And she knew, that she didn't have to say anything, for the things between them at that time had to go unspoken.
Before she knew it, they were at her bedroom door, and her time to think was cut short.
She immediately opened her door, deciding, that she would tend inuyasha's wounds there. While Kilala gently rolled him off of her back and onto the bead, kagome grabbed for her trusty yellow backpack, aiming to find the old bandages.
It felt so familiar, she thought as she unraveled the gauze-like bandage, to do these things. Her fingers moved fast by experience, as if remembering her time in the warring states era as well.
Inuyasha still wouldn't close his eyes, she noted, he insisted, in his stubborn way, that he would watch her. She saw in his eyes that this was how he wanted it to be.
"Kagome..." She threw a blanket over the lower half of his body and began to work on his chest.
"Yes... Inuyasha?" Her work was slow and for inuyasha's sake, she was painstakingly careful.
"You're hurt too."
"Yeah... I'll take care of that after I'm sure that you'll be okay."
Before she could continue, she felt a clawed hand on her arm as he tried to sit up. She tried to stop him and yelped as her stomach pulsed in pain from her sudden lurch against the bed. She held her side in pain, trying not to make any noise to show weakness.
"Let me try my hand at this." Even though he was hurting from all of the welts along his chest and arms, he lifted her up, between his legs.
"Inuyasha?" He was silent, as he reached for the roll of gauze that she had dropped on the floor. Without a word, he lifted he shirt gently off of the bloody wound on her stomach, rolling it so that it hung just below her breasts. She blushed and tried to shrink away, but he held her close.
"Just let me do this kagome, then you can do what you want." She was surprised at the choked emotion in his voice that seemed like a mix between anger and shame. Was he implying, that she would want nothing to do with him afterwards...?
He gently wrapped it around her abdomen, careful not to irritate the wound more than it already was. Soon enough, he had moved on to the other parts of her body that hadn't been as severely cut.
"Inuyasha..." He looked up now, searching her eyes and growling to himself. He handed her the roll of gauze, now almost used up, and let go of her so that she could move freely.
Kagome sighed, trying not to let herself investigate his problem, whatever it was. She should have been happy that he was back from a 500-year torture chamber, but for now...
She wasn't...
Authors note: Alright you lucky readers you! Inuyasha is back! And there's already a problem between them. Oi... this could take a while. Well, I did this in thanks for all of you guys who have been waiting for these long four weeks. Okay then, so leave me some feedback on this chapter!
By no means is the story over, I'd like to remind you guys that this is probably going to be a 20 story.
Alright then, toodles til next time!