Stolen

Chapter 11

(Present Day)

A dim flicker of morning light escaped through the open window, welcoming in fresh spring air and revealing the willows and cherry blossoms outside swaying in the light air. Kagome's eyes opened slowly, and flinching she realized of the aching pain up and down, her back and her neck. She sat up straight and found herself sitting against the door – why was she sleeping there?

She felt her hair with her right hand, grabbing a handful of it and it was damp at the tips, so were her clothes and her face. Still dazed, she stood up and started taking her wet clothes off, throwing them in all directions – first her jacket, then her shoes and so on. Had she been in the rain last night? And she had had the strangest dreams too? About meeting a stranger in the street.

After finding some clean, comfortable sweats, Kagome stretched, rubbing her neck and back before lying on the bed slowly but surely – feeling the luxurious comfort of just lying there and the blood in her body return. She racked her brains for an answer to what happened the night before – but it was still sealed away, with a lock and key. She thought blankly as she watched the lace curtains sway rhythmically before turning to the clock on her bedside table, almost checking for some assurance that she was now in reality.

6 o'clock - one more hour until she would have to get ready for school...

That was right. Yesterday, was Wednesday and she went to the library to study for a while... it was raining and she went home. She went home? A pang of headache stretched over the width of her skull, until she hissed and placed her hands on her hair as if to claw some out. It was so painful. Kagome curled into a ball in the hopes that the pain would go away.

There was somebody there? She knew and she was slowly remembering. The stranger? Or not?

Kagome got up and walked over to the bathroom, heading for the sink to splash some cold water on her face, maybe it could help. She knew it, there was someone? His face was slowly reappearing in her mind in short flashes.

She was walking, in the rain... and there was a boy. He was beautiful... with golden eyes.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome whispered loudly, turning off the tap and running back into the bedroom and to the door. He was the one – and now she remembered, he was there! But why? How come he just appeared last night – so many years after she had daydreamed of him returning to her. But why now?

Did he leave like she asked or was he waiting around all night like he normally used to do?

Kagome's hand hovered over the door handle, shaking and hesitant, she took a deep breath and hoped inside her heart that he was still there... or maybe it would be better if he was gone: after all that happened before. Why was there still this aching feeling? Like a tugging at her heart strings, making them hurt and succumb to something against her will.

She quickly turned the handle and stepped outside as if the door would burn down if she didn't go out fast enough. It was even brighter in the living room of the apartment, all the curtains hadn't been drawn last night, and now the light was inside the house. Lighting every shadow, every corner and for once Kagome felt exposed.

He wasn't here, at all. Neither standing, sitting or just anywhere in the room – he was gone again. Her heart sank, with a loud and final beat. He was the first to leave on that last summer's day, going away in that silver car after that short goodbye. Tears jerked in her eyes and threatened to fall, but years of practice taught her to hold them back and bite her lip. But she didn't stop looking over her apartment a second time. Her small, thudding footsteps were the only sounds keeping away the silence that killed her.

Half heartedly, she dragged her feet over to all the other rooms afterwards, her eyes confirming that indeed he had left as she had asked him.

"Stupid idiot!" She thought to herself, why did she have to ask him to do such things? She was so contradictory it was hard to tell what she really felt anymore. As she unconsciously went to the doorway to check of any mail, or even just the morning paper, she thought more to herself, "What happened to the three years of sadness and regret he left you with! And now you just broke down that barrier again... even after it took so long to build." She was somehow trying to return to daily routine, as if it could help her.

Kagome froze a metre from the door, and took a step back. Her eyes widened, but she was rooted to the ground, and couldn't leave the scene fast enough – her heart jump started back to life, and began running at a ridiculous speed.

"Inuyasha..." She whispered again, but almost inaudibly this time. There he was again, suddenly bringing up her hopes after being able to bring them down just as quickly a moment ago. He was there, just as damp as she found herself when she woke up, leaning against the front door. Inuyasha looked up just as she said his name, as if instinctively. His face was torn, and questioning.

When he realized the situation they were in, he abruptly stood up and walked over to her, so that she could feel both the radiation of warmth coming from his body and his breath. His hair spilled over his eyes and covered his face, and the streams of still remains of rain coming down his face. He was about to say something and place his hand on her face but changed his mind midway, and turned away from her, sighing. His usual action, if he ever got to convince himself that he didn't deserve something or such...

Kagome couldn't stop the barrier from falling, and it was like a wall higher than a mountain had suddenly crashed around her and she was free. Or still trapped? Unexpectedly, all her tears just came out; she didn't want him to see her face.

She made an attempt to walk quickly back into the other room, "Why didn't you just leave?" She managed to sob out with a cracked voice. But she wasn't fast enough and surely as he did the night before he grabbed her hand and intertwined his slender fingers with her own.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace, and Kagome remembered how every time such as this and how he would stiffen before relaxing again unconsciously. He didn't say anything, and Kagome didn't expect him to. He just let her cry whilst he took in a moment to remember what it felt like to have her in his arms, just for a second or two.

"Why didn't you just leave?" Kagome sobbed again, louder this time. Inuyasha pulled away, and walked back, so that he was leaning against the far wall. They felt the crave to be near again, and by the way Kagome outstretched her arms her contradictory nature resurfaced.

"I- I can't just leave... didn't you hear a single thing I said last night?" He replied, looking away from her eyes and at the ceiling, his golden eyes shimmering and he pulled a hand through his messy hair.

"I did hear." Kagome murmured, "But it's been three years! So why now, I waited for so long for you to do this, just reappear on my doorstep and everything would be the same! But I waited and you didn't come back – just when I was alright by myself, then you come back!" She said, raising her voice to almost a yell by the end of her speech. She quickly shut her mouth and put a hand over her lips, begging both for it to stay shut and for the tears to leave again.

Inuyasha was speechless, as he was, he stepped forward in a graceful glide and took her hand away from her mouth and placed it over his chest. She felt the fast, rhythm of his heart beating and as if instantly she calmed down. But her eyes met with his and were still intense burnings of fire as they met his icy glare.

"Well, after all that happened between us... I didn't quite know what to do. I was sure you would freak out and scream back then, but I don't know I got so. Urgh!" He half-screamed, almost defeated and sought to stroke his hand against her cheek to comfort himself. There was no change in that.

Before she could unleash anymore unwanted emotion, Kagome pulled back and walked away into the bedroom and began putting on clothes. The alarm rang, loud and beeping, thus shocking Inuyasha from his state of serenity. But he sat on the edge of the bed, just as she turned off the clock's alarm and he watched her hover across the room, packing her schoolbag and changing into some decent clothing.

It was nothing new to see her like this, because over the time they had spent together he had seen her do this every morning. Except now, she wasn't laughing and the look on her face was stern and withdrawn, like she had been suffering for so long. It was his doing... he knew it.

"Sorry... um, I've got to go." She said, suddenly breaking his train of thought. He looked up and she was already standing at the doorway with two shoulder bags and wearing jeans and a white shirt, her hair was messy but still beautiful. He gaped. How had she done that so quickly and without him noticing?

Kagome sighed after a while, "Well, I don't know what you're gonna do. But I'm leaving now."

She left him and walked away from the room, and Inuyasha heard the faint clinking of the keys in her left hand. He got up and followed silently, a half smile on his face. It was like take a leap back in time and having himself one more day in paradise. Kagome, knowing him well, was waiting for him outside in the sunshine, so that even her eyes and her hair shone brighter than he had ever seen them shine. He swept past her in one swift movement and waited a little down the street.

She shut and locked the door slowly; her mind racing with unknown thoughts and a soft breeze came and played with her hair, swishing it in all different direction gracefully. Kagome turned around and Inuyasha was staring out to a distance, as he did always when he was deep in thought. His hair too was flying around in the wind, but after a brief second or so, he swept up a hand and held up a handful of it so it didn't hit his face. For the first time in three years, Kagome saw his face and his eyes, so sad... and so tired.

She wasn't sure if he was going to follow her until school; however, there was a good chance. And he did.

Kagome carried on walking to school, the usual route for three years – taking in the scenery now that it was spring again, cherry blossoms and empty sunny streets for miles, the sound of crickets and birds singing in harmony. The boy she used to, still and will forever love... walking beside her, at an arm's reach. It was in some way a perfect place to be.

Before she knew it, even after walking at a slower pace, they arrived at the university much faster than expected. Kagome was about to say goodbye, but couldn't bare to say the word to him now. It would break her inside just that little bit more.

"Wait..." Inuyasha breathed out, taking a hold of her soft hand as she tried to escape him through a gate without saying a thing. She hadn't turned around yet but he knew that she was listening. Her breathing slowed after a little while, until both the sounds of their breaths where almost in synchronization.

"I love you... remember what I said." He continued after the silence ensued and balanced out evenly between them. Kagome stood still for another moment, before bowing her head and pulling herself away from his grasp more forcefully then she planned.

She began to walk forward, and not bother looking back for now. It was so confusing, so many feelings and dreams suddenly just came crashing down onto her and it felt like almost that her chest would break.

A familiar voice rang out again, and it almost felt like déjà vu, "Hey! Kagome!"

Kagome stopped in her tracks as a pink-eye shadowed girl approached her with a bright smile. She was just about to tell her something about her life or something that she usually wanted to talk about when she spotted the boy standing at a distance to them.

Kagome used this as a chance to carry on moving, "Keep walking!" She told herself as Sango took a step toward Inuyasha. Her face mirrored that of Kagome's when she first saw him the night before.

Kagome walked faster, so that she could get away quicker. Her eyes watered up, and all she wanted was to run into the bathroom and just let out the tears. His voice was stuck in her head, echoing over and over again, his last sentence.

As she walked into the half-empty courtyard full of falling cherry blossom petals, one last gush of a light kiss of breeze hit from the side, as if to whisper more torturing whispers into her ear as it threw her hair from side to side.

Why was he back? So suddenly?

After all this time, of nothing at all, what motive could he possibly have? And what about all the things they said to each other on that day? Did he still really love her? And did she love him?

"Inuyasha... I still love you..." Kagome whispered, hoping that both he could hear her courage to say it and thankful that he didn't hear that at all, before she hurriedly ran down the hallway and tried to black out her thoughts.

Her thoughts, of his voice, his face, and his eyes...

A/N : Well, hey there! Long time no see. Sorry, for the LONG absence but its been hell at home and school, so its so rare that I got myself some free time to write this. Actually I've been writing bits and pieces of this chapter for so long now... it might explain the length. But I thought of all the stories to update, this should be first because you guys desevre not to wait so long! Haha... I feel guilty.

There, I also took the criticism and just went back to present day already. So yeah, the break up still feels kinda cryptic and all.

You all know the drill, tell me what you think of it. So review, review galore!

& Of course, Thank you to those who have already reviewed, alerted or favorited, this or any previous story - you guys are killer awesome and I shall praise you forever. Thanks a lot. I will try to type my fingers for a new chapter soon! *Please don't be angry if I don't!

-Fallen11angel