Author's Note: WHAT?! 400 REVIEWS? NO WAY YOU GUYS, YOU ARE FUCKING AWESOME. Here we go, here we go, here we gooooo~
I would like to add a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported me and sent me words of kindness after hearing of my dog passing last week. I am very grateful for everyone's reaction when finding out that I would be unable to update as I normally do, and I can't thank all of you enough for the encouragement and help while I had to deal with an incredibly difficult situation. I could never be more grateful than I am at this moment towards all of you.
Beta: Penthesileia
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to AzianCutieMiyan for being my 400th reviewer! Thank you so much for continuing to return and to review, AzianCutieMiyan! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction fifteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.
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Chapter 29: Farewell
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Kagome
"It is not a good idea."
Kagome watched the dancing flames in the fireplace, the hushed whispers of her companions floating through the air and reaching her ears. They thought she was asleep, but she had gotten to a point where she couldn't stand Kaede's hovering, and since getting up and walking outside at this point was impossible, she did the next best thing. She faked it. Curled on her side, cocooned in a blanket, she kept her breathing even and slow.
Kaede would never have allowed her to hear the argument she was having with Inuyasha otherwise.
"We've already wasted too much time," Inuyasha growled. "You're assuming that Kikyou isn't already out collecting shards herself. She knows what we can do with them. We have to get to them first."
"You will kill her if you keep such a pace. Let her rest. Just a few more days."
"It can't be a few more days. She's healing already, she'll be fine. Besides, it's not like she'll be walking. Going at that pace even without being injured would be painfully slow."
Kagome rolled her eyes. Jackass. It wasn't her fault she didn't have magical transporting powers, or heightened youkai abilities. Besides, she thought, wrapping the blanket more tightly around her, he's the one that needs me. Not the other way around.
She was okay with the idea of leaving tomorrow night. She understood that waiting around for Sango and Hojou to wake up wouldn't help anything, and it wasn't like they weren't safe out here, hidden away in Kaede's large, cozy hut. But she couldn't deny the fact that she was scared. She had been nervous previously, but… That was before the Spider youkai.
She couldn't close her eyes without seeing it towering over her, poison dripping from its clicking mandible, insect legs reaching out to gouge her.
She had seriously thought she was going to die, and she could think of nothing more terrifying than losing the use of her legs or her eyes. Both were unimaginable, and she had lived in that very possible reality for a few, short moments.
She tried to suppress a shiver. Failed.
"Just promise me you'll be gentle with her." Kaede was saying.
"Keh. She ain't glass. Tonight should have proved that more than anything."
"She's a child."
"Not this crap again."
Kagome pushed the blanket up over her ears, pressing her hands against them to drown out their conversation. She didn't want to hear them talking about her anymore. She just wanted to sleep.
But she was afraid to close her eyes.
The flames danced in front of her, heating her face. She watched the movement as if in a trance, actively trying to force her thoughts in a more calm direction. She was tired. Her leg ached. She just wanted to be at home, in her bed, drifting off after finishing her homework. Anywhere but where she was. Anybody's life from her own.
She tried to sleep.
It wasn't happening.
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The fire had died down to crackling embers. Kaede had gone to sleep hours ago, retreating into her own bedroom. Inuyasha had stayed seated in the chair behind Kagome during his argument with Kaede, moving only when Kaede closed her bedroom door. Kagome stayed still, trying to figure out what he was doing as she heard him start to move around. Trying to get more comfortable, maybe? Surprise hit her when she heard him move towards the bookshelf, the familiar sound of pages turning reaching her ears. He was reading a book.
He didn't seem like the reading type.
She tried not to think about what kind of books interested him, but failed. She was just so curious. Did he read serious-type stuff? Biographies or history or science journals? Or was he a fiction reader? Fantasy and sci-fi or action? Fantasy didn't seem reasonable for him. His whole life was a fantasy story, with magic and youkai and living for years and years and years… She stored the new information she'd learned about him away to bring up at a later time, hopefully after he was less cross with her.
Maybe they'd be able to chat about Harry Potter?
She suppressed a giggle as he turned the pages.
That had also been hours ago, and while she'd felt comfort in the simple normalcy of his actions, it still didn't lull her to sleep. Eventually Inuyasha dozed off, and she was alone again with her thoughts.
They drifted back to Sango and Hojou.
The only thing that made her upset about leaving tomorrow was that Kaede and Inuyasha both seemed to be against the idea of her saying goodbye to her friends. It was if they thought it would traumatize her, which was ridiculous, because she'd been traumatized already. So why not add to the whole experience? Why not make it count?
Slowly she lifted the blankets from over her head and turned to peek over her shoulder.
He was sitting in the worn, comfy armchair, one leg thrown over a big, curly armrest. He was pressed into the corner, his head supported by his shoulder and the back of the chair. Eyes closed, breathing even. His ears were still atop his head, if not a bit slanted. Relaxed. The book he'd been reading was split open and laid out on his chest.
She wasn't going to get another chance.
She sat up, inch by inch, her eyes glued to him for any signs that he could hear her. Slowly she pushed the blanket back, unwrapping it from around her feet. Her leg was a dull red now, her thigh an almost healthy shade of pink. Could she stand on it?
She pushed herself up, her good leg taking the weight, and pressed her injured foot onto the floor. She grimaced as pins and needles spread through her leg, a sign the feeling was coming back. It wasn't exactly painful, but it probably would be eventually once her nerve endings recovered.
She couldn't walk on it as well as she'd hoped, but she was able to limp, and that was enough. She moved as quietly as possible, using the wall and bookshelf to help her along. Every other second she froze, watching the hanyou for signs that he'd heard her.
He was still. A gorgeous statue, almost too perfect to be real. She caught herself staring for far too long multiple times. Stop it, she scolded. You can't keep getting distracted by him. How the hell are you going to complete the jewel if you can't be near him without drooling? ...She didn't want to think about the issue with Hojou either. It was a complicated mess that she hadn't had time to sort through yet. She had to keep pushing it down, She would deal with it when she had the time. Now was not the time.
It took ages to make her way down the hall. Once she was out of sight of the hanyou her heart began to hammer. At every step, she was sure he'd heard her. At every moment she was sure he was coming for her.
She reached her hand out and gripped the handle of the forbidden room, breathing deep before twisting.
It opened with a click.
"What are you doing?"
She jumped and pressed a hand to her chest. "Ohmygod, Inuyasha" she breathed all at once. "You scared me."
"I asked you what you're doing." He repeated, arms crossed over his chest. There was no filtered moonlight in the hallway, she could only make out the edge of his form, a dark outline of a shape she'd come to know well.
She huffed, crossing her arms herself. "I'm seeing my friends."
He slipped by her, positioning himself between her and the door. "No." He said.
"What is your problem?" She whispered, not wanting to wake Kaede. She knew they would gang up on her. "I'm keeping my promise, I'm helping you out. Just let me see them."
"I'm not letting you see your stupid little boyfriend who tried to turn me in."
She tried to stomp her foot but winced in pain as soon as she moved it, muffling a scream. "Listen," she said through grit teeth. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm not worried about Hojou, he's… He's always been kind to me. But Sango... I've known her for a long time, okay? She has always been there for me, we have history. I don't want to go without at least seeing her one more time."
"She tried to turn me in too."
"Inuyasha!" She hissed.
"You'll see her when we've collected the shards and get back."
"And what if I don't? What if we come across a youkai that has a bunch of shards, and it's too strong for you and it kills me? Then how will I see her?"
He chuckled. It was low and dark, and it made Kagome shiver. "There is no 'too strong for me,'" He said.
"You are not the strongest thing in the world."
"I'm the strongest youkai." The amusement was evident in his voice.
She felt an ache in her chest. He was being so stubborn, and she didn't think she'd be able to convince him. The idea that she might not ever get to see her best friend again was devastating. She needed to apologize, even if Sango couldn't really hear it, even if she never woke up again. Kagome tried to suppress the trembling of her jaw, tried to blink back the water that gathered in her eyes as she glared angrily up at Inuyasha. She felt her lip jut out despite her efforts, felt a tear slip down her cheek. She angrily rubbed at her eyes with her hand, wiping the traitorous tear away. She hated it, that her emotions were so out of her control. She hated it.
"Wh-what are you doing?" He asked.
"Nothing." She replied, wiping at her cheeks.
"Stop it." He said.
"Stop what?"
"Stop crying."
She wanted to punch him. "I'm not crying."
"You are. Stop it!"
"You stop it!" She argued back. "Let me see my friends!"
He paused in the darkness, his outline solid and unyielding. And she knew then it was hopeless. She wasn't going to win, especially with her injured leg. It didn't matter what she did or what she said, she was helpless in this situation, just as she'd been helpless when attacked by the spider youkai, just as she'd been helpless when this whole thing started. She knew it didn't matter. She did.
Which is why she was so shocked when he uncrossed his arms and stepped off to the side.
"Fine," he said, his voice tight. "But no more crying after this. I can't stand your blubbering."
"You're such a jerk," she grumbled, reaching out once more to grip onto the door handle. She pushed it open, squinting into the dark room.
"You can't touch them. You'll undo all the work Kaede and I have done." He reached out and wrapped his hands around her arm, his grip tight. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he muttered before releasing her. His eyes followed her as she limped inside.
She shut the door behind her.
It was dark. Darker than the hallway had been. Darker than the meadow outside. She felt around the wall for a light switch and found nothing. "Great," she huffed as quietly as possible. She didn't want Inuyasha hearing anything with those ears of his. She imagined he would probably get some sort of twisted amusement out of it.
The only source of light in the room came from behind the curtains, backlit by the moon. She moved around the edge, keeping one hand on the wall to guide her way. She was surprised that the wall never ran into a corner. It was one giant circle. Finally reaching the curtain, she pulled the cord. It slipped up silently, pale light flooding the room.
There they lay, side-by-side. Eyes closed, faces pale. Still. Like death.
Kagome's hands trembled. She inched towards them until she stood at their feet, then dropped to her knees. Her fingers came up to cup over her mouth, trying to force back the wail she felt coming from deep inside. Her eyes blurred, the tears dripping heavily onto the wooden floor.
"I…" She whispered, trying to hold it together. "I'm so sorry…." She brought her arms down to wrap around her stomach in an attempt to rid herself of the pain that had settled there. It hurt. It hurt seeing them. She wanted to reach out and touch each face, to make sure that they were still alive. The urge was overwhelming. Her hand moved towards Sango, reaching for her cheek. If she could just touch her… If she could just get that proof that she was still alive…
She froze, her fingers shaking. What had Inuyasha warned her of, other than the fact that it was a terrible idea for her to see her friends in such a state? It was so simple, such an easy rule to follow.
You can't touch them, he had said.
You can't touch them.
Such a simple rule, yet the hardest thing she could think possible at this moment. Slowly, she pulled her hand away. She bowed, her forehead touching cold, hard wood. Tears ran down her face, collecting at the tip of her nose before falling onto the floor.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again. She didn't know what else to say. Everything up until this point was Kagome's fault. She had dragged Sango back with her to the museum. She had allowed Sango to try and fight Inuyasha, despite knowing what he was.
Inhuman.
She had led Hojou on, too worried about what she might lose if he knew the things she had done to betray him, too selfish to stop and think that she would be shoving him into the midst of all the chaos happening around her.
She had allowed her friends to step into Kikyou's line of sight. And why? How was her own family any more precious than the lives of her friends? How was sacrificing their lives in any way acceptable? And Kohaku…
Kagome released it all, bowing there on the floor. The sobs overtook and wracked her body, it was too much to hold in. It hurt. Sango had always been there for her, down to the very last moments. She felt like such a terrible friend in comparison. It was all her fault.
Everything was her fault.
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"I have packed everything that you will need for this trip," Kaede said. She dropped the large yellow bag at Kagome's feet. Inuyasha's mirror was strapped to the back, behind the shoulder straps, and her quiver and bow stuck out from the top. It was stuffed to the brim, too full for its size.
"There are clothes, healing herbs, emergency rations, and tea." Kaede continued. There was a sadness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. "Make sure you drink the tea every morning and every night. Promise me you will."
Kagome nodded, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. They stood on the porch, the night having just fallen moments ago. She felt like she'd been crying far too often lately, as if she were a leaky faucet. "I promise," she said.
"And your archery. Continue to practice daily. Two hundred if you can."
She nodded again, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. She had been with Kaede only a short while, but the old woman had taken her in, had watched over her, taught her how to better rely on herself. It was hard to put into words all the things that Kaede had done for her. Simply saying thank you did not seem like enough to pay her back.
Kagome bowed deeply. She felt her hair fall over her shoulders. She stayed there, letting everything she felt pour out of her, hoping Kaede understood. Hands tenderly touched her shoulders. Kaede guided her upright before pulling her in for a hug.
"I do not know if you are truly a reincarnation of my sister, or if you are born under an unlucky star, growing with the jewel inside you. But no matter. To this old woman, you are family. You are a daughter to me." Her arms tightened. "Be safe, child. Return when you are done so that I may be at peace again."
Kaede smelled of pine and earth, like the forest after a rainstorm. Kagome inhaled deeply. Nodded. "For everything," she said, "I can never repay your kindness."
They parted, and Kagome picked up her pack and hauled it over her shoulders, wincing as the added weight made her leg ache. Inuyasha's mirror rested sturdy between the pack and her shoulders. She turned and limped her way towards the edge of the forest, where Inuyasha stood. His arms hung at his side, the bright red cloth of his fire rat coat standing out against the dark backdrop.
He had practically salivated when Kaede pulled the old, musty coat from the back of her closet. Kagome had watched, wide-eyed and shocked as he ripped the coat from Kaede's hands, his smile bigger than she'd ever seen before. She didn't understand what the big deal was, it was just a coat, and honestly, kind of ugly. It looked wrong, paired with the modern jeans hanging on his hips. When she had asked Kaede about it, she just smiled and told her to ask Inuyasha.
But no way was she going to do that, at least not yet. Not when he was still so obviously mad at her.
Inuyasha stayed silent as Kagome reached him, and continued to say nothing as he turned and headed into the forest.
She took in a shaky breath, knowing there was no going back from this. She wasn't quite prepared, but then, would she ever be? ...The answer was a resounding 'no.'
She took a step into the darkness. Hesitated. Turned to look for Kaede's comforting gaze one last time.
But she was gone.
"What are you waiting for?" His voice drifted through the trees and his hand reached out to grip her wrist, tugging her gently along behind him. She stepped gingerly, well aware of the roots and rocks ready and willing to trip her up. Just like they had tripped her the day before.
She shivered, remembering the spider youkai bearing down upon her, his eyes blinking in a bloodlusted fever. The cold was suddenly colder. She shivered.
"You scared of the dark?" He asked.
I'm scared of what's in the dark, she thought, trying to make him out. She couldn't see him at all, it was like his hand at her wrist dissolved into a wall of nothingness. She could tell him her thoughts, sure, but she'd shown him enough weakness over the past few days. "I'm not scared," she replied, then let out a yelp of surprise as he jerked her towards him. In one fluid movement he slipped his hands under her knees, lifting her onto his back.
"Hey, I said I'm not scared!" She repeated, pushing against his shoulders. It only caused him to squeeze her legs tighter against his sides.
"Shut up." He growled, "we won't get anywhere if I let you walk. You're slow, even for a human."
Jerk! She lifted her arm up to cuff him on the ear, but stopped mid-air. Her fingers curled into a fist before placing it back onto his shoulder. She counted to ten slowly in her head. They were seconds into their journey and he was already starting to drive her crazy.
She couldn't let him get to her. She had to remain calm and mature. Hitting him over the head for being an ass was not calm or mature at all. Plus, he still hated her, and hitting him wasn't going to change his attitude. And she wanted his attitude to change. Badley.
"Hang on." He mumbled as he crouched down, letting go of her legs. Kagome's stomach lurched into her throat when he jumped, and she gasped when his body jerked to the side. She clenched her thighs together, hanging on for dear life. It was different than before, when he had taken her onto his back and jumped up into the sky. This time the stars were hidden by the canopy of leaves, and the smooth leaping gave way to catching branches and avoiding giant trees.
Plus, without the moonlight, it was pitch black, giving her no warning when their direction changed.
Her eyes squeezed shut, arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, knees pressing into his sides, hanging on for dear life. It was like the wooden roller coaster at a local amusement park, the one that had been built when it first opened a hundred years ago.
"Would you relax?" He asked. "I'm not going to kill us."
She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. "How… How can you see where you're going?" She hated how shaky her voice sounded. She tried to loosen her grip a bit.
"Keh, I'm hanyou, our eyes can see almost perfectly in the dark."
"I- I can't see anything!" She cried as she was jerked to the side again.
He sighed, heavy and loud, before they started to ascend. Seconds later they broke through the canopy.
"There," he said. "Better?
Slowly Kagome opened her eyes. His hair was tangled and wild, and she could see it. She could see his back and her arms and his ears. She could see the treetops below them. Her gaze lifted up, up, up, into the deep, never-ending night sky. Here, the stars didn't just dot the sky, they littered it. It looked as if one of the gods had taken a handful of glitter and tossed it up, sparkling and twinkling and dashing, white trails popping up behind them and fading away just as quickly as they appeared.
"Oh," she breathed. Anything else she could have said sounded so lame in this moment.
"Those are the stars I remember," Inuyasha said, his hands back under her knees. "Not the pathetic ones back at your idiot friend's house."
"I always forget just how many there really are," she said, ignoring his jab, too dazzled by the display of such raw nature before her eyes.
Inuyasha said nothing for a long time. Was he just as dazzled as she was? Just as awed at how big the sky truly was?
He breathed in deep and let it out slow, his shoulders slumping just a bit. "I never forgot." He said. "All those years in my youth sleeping under them, they were like a blanket to me. Then, all those years trapped… Every time she let me out into the night I desperately tried to memorize each one. Impossible, huh?"
Kagome didn't dare answer. He was always so locked up inside himself, always such a mystery to her. She was kind of shocked he was revealing something so intimate about himself.
"Yeah," he answered his own question, "impossible. But I tried. I tried to memorize them and at the same time tried to forget that they were constantly changing. They're no longer the same stars they were back home."
"Ah, well," she started, unable to help herself, "some of them aren't. But some of them are."
"Hm,"
She wished she could see his expression, but it was hidden behind his hair. She wanted to know more. And this could be a chance to get him to open up a bit. "Inuyasha… Do you recognize any? Or any patterns in them?"
He paused. "Yeah."
"Can you point them out for me?" She held her breath. For a moment she thought he might actually do it. His hand moved slightly under her knee. But then his grip tightened, and he shook his head, as if getting rid of unwanted thoughts.
"We're wasting time." He said. "We need to hurry. I didn't bring you up here just to look at the stars."
Kagome bit at her lip. Shoot. She'd been so close. He was slipping through her fingers. "What else did you come up here for?" She asked.
"Pull out the shard."
She did as she was told, reaching under the collar of her shirt and pulling out the small glass bottle attached to the silver chain that sat around her neck. She lifted it up to her line of sight. It still shone that pretty pale color, although not as bright as it had been when Inuyasha had first plucked it from the youkai flesh.
"Do you feel the pull to it that Kaede was talking about?"
She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her. "Yes."
"Okay, put it away and concentrate on that same feeling, but in the distance. Can you do it?"
"I'll try." She said, dropping the vial back under her shirt and gazing out around her. The canopy of trees spread out as far in every direction as she could see. Dark mountains rose up in the distance, and the faint twinkle of made-made lights dotted the bases around them.
It took a bit at first. She closed her eyes again and tried to bury down the pull she felt for the shard in her necklace, tried to separate it from….
There. Straight ahead and off to the right a bit. It was faint, but it was there, calling out to her. She raised her hand, pointing out towards where she knew their next destination lay. "That way." She said.
"You sure?"
She scoffed. "Of course I'm sure!"
"I mean, you've never done this before. How can you know?"
She was going to cuff him, she swore it. But she pushed the impulse down. "I just know, okay? Can't you just trust me a little?"
His head whipped around, his eyes glaring at her over his shoulder. They looked pale in the starlight. "Of course I don't trust you."
Ugh, the urge to roll her eyes was almost overwhelming. She didn't, though. "Well then what the hell are we doing out here? Take me back to Kaede and take her instead!"
"Keh!" He scoffed. "That old hag can't feel the shards, she thought you were just as crazy as I did when you told me it was in the spider youkai." He frowned. "Besides, whether I like it or not, you're the only one who can get me out of my cage, so I'm stuck with you."
"Argh!" She dug her fingers into his shoulder, willing them to inflict at least a little pain. "You are such a jerk!"
"Whatever you say."
"I do say! Jerk! JERK!" She stuck her tongue out at him. But he only shook his head and looked back to the direction she had pointed him in.
"I'll stay close to the top of the trees where you can see better. I don't want you screaming and blubbering in my ear because it's kind of dark down there."
Her anger spiked again. He was so confusing. Did he care about her or not? Was he mad at her or not? He was insulting her one moment and doing things that seemed like he actually cared about her the next. What was his deal?
"Does it feel like we'll get there before daybreak?" He asked, oblivious to her animosity as he dropped back down under the canopy. He kept true to his word and stayed as high in the treetops as possible. It was still hard for her to see, but at least now she had a few seconds warning before a sudden change in direction.
"I don't know how to tell."
He didn't answer, but he did speed up. Kagome gripped tighter onto his shoulders and pressed her face into his back, watching the trees whip by in a blur of green and brown. It went on forever, under the branches, swiftly ducking, swinging, jumping.
Soon, the moonlight began to fade, dropping lower and lower behind the horizon. Kagome felt her stomach drop as Inuyasha quickly descended deeper into the forest, escaping the first glow of daybreak. She was relieved to find she could now see a little better under the thick foliage. It wasn't much, but it was enough.
"How much farther?" He asked.
She paused, concentrating. It felt close-ish, but she was still unsure of the exact distance. It sucked that her abilities didn't come easier to her. Inuyasha should have allowed her to spend more time with Kaede, honing her newfound abilities. A sigh escaped her lips, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I don't know for sure. But we're closer than we were."
He grunted, slowing his movements down, ears twitching every few seconds. His head tipped down as his eyes raked across the forest floor.
What was he looking for? She wanted to ask, but didn't think she'd get anything other than another grunt. And what was the point of that?
He stopped, ears pointed towards a single spot. She felt his back expand and contract in quick, rapid succession. Curious, she peeked over his shoulder.
...Oh. He was sniffing.
She bit her lip, holding in the snicker that threatened to escape. Sniffing. Like a dog. She wanted to ruffle his hair, like she would an actual canine, but he would probably find it demeaning.
His sniffing continued, his ears pointed. Kagome stayed as quiet and still as possible, until he huffed and dropped down onto the floor. It was a small clearing, much smaller than the clearing that spread out in front of Kaede's house. The ground was mostly dirt, dampened by the greenery surrounding it. Moss covered the roots that broke through the ground, and twigs and dead branches were scattered about.
"This will do," he said, allowing Kagome to slip from his back. "Can you see?"
She nodded. "We're sleeping here?"
"Yeah, is that a problem?"
"No, I just… No." She didn't want to complain, but if she was being honest, sleeping in such a place skeeved her out a little. She imagined a swarm of bugs crawling up her legs and shivered. She didn't want to be a burden, though. She had to suck it up.
"We've got a good hour until the light reaches us down here," he muttered. "Let's set up camp. After we eat I'll take a look at your leg." He started to pace around the edge of the clearing, gathering up the twigs and branches for a fire.
Kagome fidgeted, suddenly nervous. Sunlight meant Inuyasha would be thrust back into the mirror again, and that meant, come nightfall, she would have to kiss him out.
She hadn't kissed him in what seemed like forever. The last time had been in front of the shrine steps, up against the haori gate. She felt heat spread across her face, and she quickly looked down at her feet. The feel of his hands in her hair, the hard lines of his chest pressed against her fingers, his lips, his eyes, his arms…
No, no, no, no! she berated herself. Don't think about it! Don't think! But it was there, playing out behind her eyes. She squeezed her legs together, fighting off the pool of heat that gathered there. She prayed that sensitive dog nose wouldn't give her away.
Besides, the fight they'd had afterwards had been somewhat brutal. After that, after turning him over to Kikyou, even though she truly hadn't meant to do it, how could she kiss him again?
How could she?
She watched Inuyasha discretely through her lashes as he attempted to start a fire. She would have to just not think about it until she had to do it. She couldn't help the panicked thought that he might reject her, even though she knew he wouldn't - his longing to be outside the mirror was too great.
But still, she couldn't help but imagine him turning up his nose at her as she pressed her lips against his mirror.
Inuyasha was having a hard time getting the fire started. He cursed and threw rocks and sticks against the surrounding trees as each attempt failed. The corner of Kagome's mouth quirked up into a smile at his mini tantrum. She slipped the straps of her pack from her shoulders and opened the flap to dig through the contents. Surely, Kaede would have packed…. Ah-ha! A lighter!
She walked over to Inuyasha, dodging a stick as it flew past her knees. She knelt in front of him and rolled her eyes before holding up the modern lighting contraption. She smiled as his eyes widened, then narrowed. He swiped it from her hand, almost too fast to see.
The fire caught hold of the leaves and twigs, spreading quickly onto the thicker branches.
No, she wouldn't worry about the kiss she would inevitably have to inflict upon him. For now, she would concentrate on the fire and their dinner and sleep.
She'd worry about kissing him tomorrow.
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As always, I would love to hear what you think, any comments or crits are welcome. And for those of you unaware, I keep a tumblr blog for my readers. Just about how the writing is going, updates and extras, as well as daily life stuff that keeps me from writing. Check it out if you'd like, just search for SugarRos Fanfiction. You can also follow the tags Youkai in the Mirror or YITM for updates related to this fic! :)
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