Chapter Twenty-Two

The Sacred Tree

Kagome walked into the hospital cafeteria and saw Sara already seated at the corner table. She bought a sandwich and a drink and moved towards her, sitting down next to her.

Sara looked up from her plate and arched an eyebrow at the sight of her.

"Are you more cheerful today?"

Kagome sighed heavily.

"No, apparently not," Sara replied to herself, pursing her lips.

Kagome took a bite of her sandwich and glanced sideways at her.

"I don't know what I can do."

"You can't do much more, Kagome. You've already been back to the edge of the forest once and he didn't show up. He clearly doesn't want to see you."

Kagome hissed, warning her friend to keep her voice down.

"I can't just forget about him as Sango says. It's not that easy."

"Oh, Kagome," Sara smiled sadly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Do you still feel like you're in love with him?"

She averted her gaze, glancing absently around the tables where the doctors and nurses were eating.

After catching Inuyasha spying on her a couple of times, the last one in her room, and managing to talk to him a little... Kagome couldn't hate him any longer.

And she wasn't afraid of him either. Kagome was sure that he wouldn't be able to hurt her again, even though she still had many questions running through her mind all the time.

There were still a lot of doubts to clear up, and dreaming about Inuyasha every night didn't help at all.

The nightmares had changed and the demons no longer chased her through the forest as she tried to run for her life. Inuyasha always appeared in the distance, staring at her without saying a word, and vanished into thin air whenever she tried to get close.

"I haven't felt this bad since my father died. If you'd seen the way he looked at me, Sara... It broke my heart when he called himself a monster and disappeared."

"He probably didn't like you calling him that and he's hurt," her friend muttered with a shrug.

Kagome leaned her elbows on the table, hiding her face in her hands and sniffling.

"This sucks."

"Love sucks," Sara commented, patting her back as she laughed softly. "Ask Sango."

"At least Miroku is not a half-demon who wanted to murder her in cold blood," Kagome murmured under her breath, shaking her head.

Sara cocked her head to the side, sighing.

"You're right about that, but he is still like a pain in the arse."

They both laughed and Kagome leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of water.

"Miroku's a good guy at heart."

"Yeah, I know. How did you find your first week as an oncologist?" Sara asked, changing the subject.

Kagome's face lit up.

"It's wonderful, Sara. I'm learning so much, and I've only been here five days."

"The three years of preparation will go by so quickly, you'll see. I still can't believe I'm done and now I have a nursing contract with dozens of patients under my care," her friend smiled brightly.

Kagome smiled back.

"Dr Yoshida says we'll start taking care of patients in six months. I don't know if I'll feel ready then."

"You were born ready, Kagome," Sara replied, stroking her hand affectionately. "You're all about helping others."

Golden eyes flashed into her mind and Kagome felt a knot in her stomach.

"I can't always do it."

"You'll find a way," her friend murmured, brushing her cheek before standing up.

Kagome looked up into her eyes, biting her lower lip.

"What are you going to do? Will you go back to see that yōkai?" she asked in a whisper, making sure no one could hear them.

Kagome hadn't said anything to any of her friends about what Inuyasha had admitted. If she was his mate, she suspected Sara might be the other demon's mate.

her friend wrinkled her nose as she picked up her tray.

"What for? He made it very clear that he didn't want me to go back there."

Kagome snorted, crossing her arms.

"Inuyasha also said he'd never come back and he's been in town twice that we know of. He's probably been coming every night for weeks."

"You know Sesshomaru can't get out of there."

"But..."

"He's not like Inuyasha, Kagome. He's... dangerous. There was an aura around him that made my hair stand on end."

"Do you think he has killed humans?"

Sara nodded.

"And more than once," she muttered darkly, grimacing. "I wish I could ask Inuyasha about him."

Kagome choked and set her glass back down on the table, coughing.

"Do-do you want to talk to Inuyasha?"

Sara picked up her friend's tray and set both down on the bar, returning to her side and running a hand through her long dark hair.

"I don't know if I'll ever get the chance, but I'd love to."

Kagome got to her feet, staring at Sara with wide eyes.

"Do you think he's coming back?"

Sara entwined her arm in hers, walking to the exit door as she giggled.

"Come on, Kagome. Of course he's coming back, that dem..."

Kagome hissed, narrowing her eyes. Sara cleared her throat.

"That guy can't go long without seeing you," she continued, rolling her eyes. "He'll be back, but we don't know when."

"Be careful what you say when we're not alone," Kagome protested quietly.

"There was no one around. You worry too much," Sara commented, opening the door to the locker room.

Kagome grunted something under her breath and her friend chuckled, stepping in after her and heading for her lockers.

"On Monday we eat together at the same time, right?"

"Yes," Kagome agreed, folding her white coat before putting it away. "Although next month I'll have an afternoon shift."

"I'll ask them to change it for me, too," Sara said, shrugging one of her shoulders.

Kagome smiled, shaking her head.

Seeing her friend every day was the one thing that helped distract her from thinking about a certain white-haired half-demon she definitely wanted to see again.

Someone knocked on his door three times. Inuyasha growled without opening his eyes.

"Go away."

Another knock.

"Let me in, Inuyasha."

He wrinkled his nose at Shippo's voice.

"Go train, brat."

"I have a break now."

"Then go get something to eat."

"Open the door!"

Inuyasha growled louder, getting up from the bed with a pout. He opened the door and shot a hateful glare at the little fox yōkai.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Move," Shippo shoved him aside and entered the room.

He hopped onto the bed and set a small basket on the mattress. Inuyasha sighed and closed the door.

"You must be hungry," Shippo commented, opening the basket and showing him what was inside.

Inuyasha twisted his lips and sat on the edge of the mattress, picking up one of the apples and taking a bite without saying anything.

Shippo smiled.

"Are you going to train with me again?"

"I don't feel like it, runt."

"You've been cooped up here for almost a week now, Inuyasha," Shippo protested, crossing his arms. "You can't go on like this."

"Says who?" Inuyasha replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Your friend Shippo."

He sighed, flopping onto his back on the bed and covering his eyes with an arm.

"I just feel like being alone, that's all," he mumbled under his breath.

Shippo's face softened and he sat down beside him, crossing his legs.

"It's because of that human, isn't it?"

Inuyasha snorted.

"Shut up."

"You saw her and she told you not to go near her again. Is that it?"

"Not exactly," Inuyasha admitted in a whisper.

"Then what is it?"

Inuyasha moved his arm away, looking at Shippo out of the corner of his eye.

"She likes to ask a lot of questions, just like you."

"Did you talk to her?" Shippo asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"And what did she say at the end?"

"I don't know what she was going to say. I left before she could answer me."

"You left?"

Inuyasha's brow furrowed at the sound of his high-pitched voice. The last thing he needed was for the entire palace to hear about Kagome.

"Don't yell, Shippo."

The fox clicked his tongue, standing up.

"You can't do that! You have to talk to her, she is your mate after all."

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters, you fool!"

Inuyasha scowled and raised one of his fists. Shippo shrieked, jumping to the other side of the mattress and covering his head with both hands.

One corner of Inuyasha's lips curved upward and he reached down, picking up another fruit and biting it absently.

Shippo cleared his throat.

"I have an idea. Tell... tell Kagome to come. I'll go with you to the border and explain to her that you're not as bad as you seem," he proposed, cocking his head.

Inuyasha stared down at him for a few seconds and burst out laughing.

"You're very funny, brat," he said, shaking his head as he laughed. "That human will never set foot in this forest again, and that's the best she can do. I sincerely hope she never comes back."

His face had darkened with each word and his smile had faded. Shippo sighed, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"You don't lose anything by trying, Inuyasha. What's the worst that could happen?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he remembered Kagome's powers.

'I could end up dead.'

He picked up one of the puff pastries inside the basket, ate it in one bite, and shrugged.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," he murmured, walking to the door.

Shippo hopped down to the floor and followed him down the hall.

"Are you going out?"

"I think I could use some air," Inuyasha commented casually.

The fox smiled.

"I knew I'd talk you out of that room. See you tomorrow?"

Inuyasha grunted and Shippo's grin widened.

"See you, Inuyasha!" he shouted, running down the stairs at full speed.

Inuyasha descended the steps at a slow pace, his hands hidden inside his sleeves.

He crossed the courtyard of the palace and, looking to his right, saw his brother walking through one of the gardens. Sesshomaru's golden eyes and his mother's were on him instantly. They had both detected his scent.

Inukimi gave him a sneer and his brother bowed his head slightly in his direction in greeting. Mother and son looked away at the same time and continued walking through the gardens.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. That yōkai woman was the most unpleasant creature he had met in his entire existence, and she simply hated him for being born.

It was not his fault that his father had left her when he met his human mate.

Kagome's face flashed back into his mind and Inuyasha let out a long sigh, looking up at the sky.

It was covered in grey clouds and the smell of wet earth hung in the air. It would soon begin to rain.

Inuyasha pulled the hood of his red suit over his head and hurried out of the palace.

He had been thinking for days that he shouldn't have left like that, even if he had denied it in front of Shippo. He could still remember Kagome's voice calling out to him over and over as he walked through the forest, running away from her as fast as he could.

Inuyasha didn't want to hear her rejection again. He couldn't risk her telling him once more that she wanted him to disappear from her life.

But... What if that wasn't what she was going to say?

What if Kagome didn't want to take revenge on him by hurting him?

Inuyasha was used to all the demons he knew being cruel and evil, but she wasn't like that. Kagome had been kind and understanding from the beginning.

As he walked deeper into the forest, Inuyasha felt like he was himself again. Nature always made him feel alive, even when he was in a bad mood.

He made fists and continued walking through the woods, his ears flicking in every direction to make sure no yōkai with a fighting spirit crossed his path.

It would be okay to check one more time that Kagome was all right. And it would put his mind at ease.

It had just started to rain.

Kagome sighed as she heard the raindrops hitting her bedroom window.

Her first week at the hospital had been complicated and quite hard. Reading about the different types of cancer and their treatments was not the same as seeing it in real life.

The worst part was visiting the underage patients residing in the hospital while they received their doses of chemotherapy. Children should not have to suffer from such a disease, it was too cruel.

But she planned to help them. As soon as she could, she would join other doctors in researching new cures and discovering treatments with fewer side effects.

She would dedicate her whole life to it in honour of her father, as she had wanted to since his death.

Kagome looked back down at the book lying open on her desk, sighing as she turned a page.

She wanted to go over as much as she could before Monday so that she would be better prepared and not have so many questions.

The rest of her workmates who had just started like her were just as lost as she was, but Kagome wanted to get it right. She needed to, she couldn't fail.

Several hours passed and the sky grew even darker.

Buyo jumped into her bed when there was a loud peal of thunder outside, hiding under her pillow.

Kagome rolled her eyes and read on, shaking her head. She'd never met a cat as cowardly as her brother's.

Suddenly she felt something strange and her heart raced.

The strange feeling that had been pulling her into the forest had returned. She hadn't felt that magnetic pull towards the ancient trees for days, but now it had popped up again in the corner of her mind.

Kagome gasped as she felt it more strongly, looking up.

Inuyasha was getting closer.

She stood up with a start, approaching the window and scanning the courtyard with her gaze. The weather was very bad and no one was offering prayers.

Her mother and grandfather were out and her brother was still at school. She was alone, and his presence kept moving closer and closer.

Kagome bit her lower lip, trying to calm herself.

She shouldn't be afraid.

He wasn't going to hurt her and she knew it. He had had plenty of chances and he had done nothing.

She still didn't understand how she hadn't realised what she could feel inside the forest was a presence. Kagome hadn't thought that until she spoke to Sara about it.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she sensed Inuyasha moving near the temple courtyard.

Kagome froze, her gaze fixed on the trees outside her window.

She could sense him much more clearly since she had spoken to him at the edge of the forest. Now she knew exactly what it was.

His presence moved very slowly as if he was hopping from branch to branch, and finally stopped next to the sacred tree.

Kagome held her breath. She was still by the window, but she had not seen him cross the courtyard.

She fixed her gaze on the huge, thick-trunked tree near the stone steps. Her favourite tree, where she suspected Inuyasha was hiding among the branches.

Yes, she could feel his presence very close. He really was there.

Why had he come?

Kagome turned away from the glass, clenching her jaw. She waited a few minutes but the presence was still in the same place.

Inuyasha wasn't moving.

She took a deep breath and left her room, walking down the stairs and to the front door.

She couldn't stay inside the house and do nothing if she knew he was there, watching her under the rain.

Kagome turned the key with trembling hands and opened the door.

Water droplets fell like a curtain over the temple courtyard, forming puddles on the tiles. Everything was wet and the lights had not yet been turned on. The sun was probably setting.

She stood in the doorway and peeked her head out a little, looking up at the big tree.

She could only see the leaves, but something told her he was there.

"Inuyasha?"

Silence. All that she could hear were the raindrops hitting the ground.

Another clap of thunder rumbled through the clouds and Kagome winced, taking a step forward.

"I know you're there."

Either what was hidden wasn't Inuyasha, or he wasn't planning on letting himself be seen. Kagome pursed her lips, determined to press on a little longer.

There had to be a reason why he had come all the way to her house.

"Did you come to talk to me?"

No one replied.

Kagome sighed, wrapping both arms around her own body. It was rather chilly for summer that afternoon and she was wearing a tank top.

"I'm... I'm not leaving until I see you. I need to know I'm not losing my mind," she asked in a whisper, taking a step closer.

The rain began to fall on her, making her bangs stick to her forehead.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw movement among the leaves. A second later a red-clad figure jumped out, landing softly at the foot of the sacred tree.

Her mind went blank as he removed his hood with both hands, revealing his face.

It was Inuyasha. His long silver-white hair was also wet, as was his strange flame-red outfit. He wore a sword strapped around his waist and his arms hung on either side of his body.

His golden eyes were fixed on hers, unblinking.

"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, covering her mouth with a trembling hand.

He looked terrible, as if he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, and he wore a mask of indifference on his face. He was trying not to show any emotion, though his gaze softened at the sound of his name.

She heard him inhale very slowly, sighing through his nose.

"Kagome."

When I started writing this story I had the image of Kagome and Inuyasha staring at each other in the rain by the sacred tree in my mind. I can't believe we've already gotten this far! :)