Today's Lesson: How to plan a Vacation
Standard Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me, but to Rumiko Takahashi.
The sun seemed to rise quickly as Inuyasha felt the sunlight hit his face. For a moment the hanyou simply sat there, groaning slightly in discontentment. One eye opened groggily and he looked around. Upon seeing unfamiliar settings he let his other eye open as he gazed around. The realization as to where he was hitting him and he yawned.
'Did I fall asleep? Damn, I was beginning to worry for a minute...I wonder what Kagome is up to...'
He stood up on the branch he had dozed on and stretched as he leapt to Kagome's house, letting himself in. He immediately knew the way to her room and quietly walked inside. Upon entering, he saw the bed perfectly made, and Buyo lying contently on his side, only to turn to him and mow quietly. Inuyasha frowned as he looked around, looking for any sign of the girl still being there.
'Dammit, where the hell did she go now, I must have been more tired than I thought if I slept right through her getting past me.'
He sighed as he turned to Buyo and sat down on the side of Kagome's bed, tickling the small cat behind the ears. "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now." He was at a loss. Yet again, Kagome had managed to get past him and leave him behind. This was turning out to be a morning he wished he hadn't woken up for. His thoughts were about to stray deeper when he snapped to attention.
"Wait! Maybe she went home!" He was up in an instant as he bounded down the stairs and to the well. He leapt through without a moment's thought. The magic engulfed him as it always did, and then ceased. Upon reaching the ground he leapt up, only to look around and see the dark room of Kagome's well house. He frowned then turned to the well.
"What the hell?"
Once more he leapt down the well, and once again, the magic swirled around him and as he reached the ground, he looked up to see the familiar surrounding's of Kagome's time.
"Dammit! Is this thing broken or something?"
He leapt upwards and walked back into Kagome's house, sitting down with a hand to his head, thinking intently.
'What the hell is going on, if that well doesn't open, Kagome and I can't go home. That means that we will never be able to defeat Naraku. Wait! Naraku! What if this is his doing! What if Kagome left this morning and I'm stuck here alone!'
He continued to contemplate the possibilities of such a thing occurring, which soon had his blood boiling. He gathered himself up and walked outside. He sniffed the air lightly looking for Kagome's scent and where it lead to. Upon capturing her sweet smell, he followed it down the stairs to the front of her home. He sighed in relief upon realizing that this was a fresh trail, meaning she was still in this era. He then focused on the possibility of Naraku being here as well. With that, he raced down the street, leaping and bounding along buildings and anything else to move as quickly as possible.
'Dammit, don't let anything happen to her. Please let her be alright..'
~*~
Meanwhile, back in Sengoku Jidai, Miroku grinned at his handy work.
"Well, I think that will solve our little problem."
Shippou grinned at the well, Miroku's spells now covering its frame. He clapped his hands together and nodded.
"Alright Miroku!"
Sango just shook her head, holding Kirara to her chest. She turned to Miroku and smiled.
"I must admit it is a great way to keep them there Miroku, but for your sake, I hope they aren't too angry when they come back. Otherwise, I think we will have a show to watch between you and Inuyasha."
Miroku stopped his smile as the realization of what Sango said hit home causing the monk to cringe. He groaned his discontentment and then placed a hand on his face. "Well, I guess the deed is done. We can only wait to see what will happen. Besides Sango, it might be like Kaede-baba said. Perhaps the couple will be too overjoyed at their newfound love that they will leave us out of it."
Sango smiled with a look that he knew she was saying 'I hope so,' and she turned to walk back to the village, with Shippou trailing behind her, grinning like a fox that just did something very sly. Miroku turned once more to the well and then followed the group, silently praying that Inuyasha would return and not know what occurred that morning.
~*~
"Alright class, what did we learn today?"
The sounds of the classroom drowned out as Kagome stared blankly at Mrs. Takanishi, her math teacher. Her friends had all graduated on time, and Kagome was in her final year now. High school sure seemed to be a pain; it was all so much more complicated. Traveling back and forth through time AND making time to get through school had not been easy for the girl.
Her first year through time caused her to fail and she lost a semester. Her friends had tried helping her catch up but to no avail. She was almost twenty now and just now near the end of her high school career. Her biggest debate within herself was to attend college or not.
Kagome wanted a normal life, and a normal career, but what about Inuyasha and the others, could she really just abandon their campaign and stay within her own time to live a normal human beings life? She had gone to her mother for advice on the subject and received little relief. Her mother had just smiled and told her that whatever she decided, she would stand by her decision and be happy with it. Although it wasn't what she wanted to hear, Kagome had felt comforted that her mother was beside her no matter what.
'But I'm not normal..and besides, it was my fault the jewel broke to begin with. How could I just leave. Could I even do such a thing to him? Would he even care?'
Questions continued to race in her mind until the bell sounding interrupted them. She sighed and gathered her things, thankful that it was lunchtime.
'Well, three hours down, three more to go.'
As it was with her usual routine, she grabbed her things, put them in her pack, and then headed outside for lunch. The warm air hit her and she sighed as the sunlight seemed to find it's way to her, casting a golden glow around her.
'Ah, nothing like a nice day to cheer a person up.'
~*~
Inuyasha had tried hard to keep himself at a distance from the people, leaping from one rooftop to the next. It was hard catching Kagome's scent but he had managed, sneaking in and out of dark corners, and when someone did stare, he simply told them to buzz off. It wasn't long before he leapt into a tree, near a large building with people all around, wearing the same outfits that Inuyasha was used to seeing Kagome in. He was about to burst into the halls and ask for Kagome when an unsuspecting couple came to sit beneath the tree he was in. He could hear them giggling and talking to each other about something they called "class". Inuyasha just stared and then decided that perhaps this couple could help him. He leapt down from the tree and tapped the male on his shoulder, which immediately startled the two.
"Hey buddy, what the hell! What do you want?"
That was all it took before Inuyasha growled and lifted the boy off the ground, gritting his teeth as he did so.
"Listen ya little twirp, I'm looking for someone. Do you know Kagome?"
The boy squirmed as he realized he probably picked the wrong fight and shook his head.
"N-No, I d-d-don't. Can you p-please put me down now?"
Inuyasha was about to throw the boy when the girl who had been watching stepped in, shaking like a leaf.
"Wait, you mean Higurashi Kagome?"
Inuyasha stared at her and nodded. "Yeah, where is she?"
"Put my boyfriend down and I'll tell you.."
Inuyasha smirked, 'brave girl, but not brave enough..not like her..' He dropped the boy, who fell to the ground in a heap. Inuyasha looked to the girl as he clapped his hands together, as if cleaning them from a tiresome job.
"Alright, where is she?"
The girl rushed to the boy as he fell and held him as if checking for wounds before turning up to look at Inuyasha.
"She's usually alone over in the courtyard at this time of day.."
Inuyasha followed the gaze of the girl until she pointed over to a large clearing, surrounded by trees.
He left the two sitting there in a bedazzled state as he began making his way to where the girl had pointed. Sure enough, he could smell Kagome's scent flowing on the breeze. His eyes had a hard time focusing as he pushed some of the foliage away, as the sun beamed down brightly in this particular spot. Upon his vision focusing he was halted to a complete stop. There, in the center of everything, the trees, the sun, and even all the people that walked idly by, was Kagome. Her head was tilted slightly up, eyes closed so softly, and the sun seemed to be eating away at her, causing a golden shine to her already flawless skin.
'Thank the gods, she seems to be alright....'
His nose searched the air for the putrid smell of Naraku, but nothing but her scent caught his senses. His initial thought was lost as he continued to look at her.
'Kagome..you look so content..so beautiful..'
~*~
Kagome inhaled the fresh air, then allowed her eyes to open, staring out across the courtyard. As if she was a dream, there stood Inuyasha, gazing back at her with an unfamiliar gleam in his eyes.
'I must be dreaming..Inuyasha? Here? Now I know I need a vacation..'
She rubbed her eyes with her hands, as if wiping away the dream that she was determined was all in her head. Upon reopening her eyes once more, she peered out to the same spot across the yard, expecting him to be gone.
To her amazement, he was still there, staring ever so softly.
"Inu..Yasha?" Her voice was wary, as if she was unsure of herself as she now stared back at him. "Inuyasha, is that you?"
~*~
Inuyasha watched as she wiped her eyes when she saw him, no doubt unbelieving of his presence. He couldn't help but chuckle inside as he watched, feeling as if he had never laid eyes on her.
'Have I truly been so blind? And here I am, a demon with better vision then anyone, and still…I was blinded..'
The Hanyou was lost in thought as he stared, until the sound of her voice reached his ears, snapping him from his thoughts almost immediately. He shook his head, refocusing on that at hand and quickly closed the gap between them.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing here? And why did you come looking for me?"
Kagome watched his face change, the soft glow in his eyes, disappearing, as he looked her over as if looking for something. She saw his eyes change into a look of desperation and fear. She frowned as she finally stomped her foot, which forced him to look at her face once more.
"Hello! Are you in there?"
Inuyasha stopped looking her over to look at her once more, frowning at her sudden burst of annoyance.
"Dammit Kagome, of course I'm here, I was just making sure you were alright!"
His arms then folded across his chest as he growled, his state of mind changing to one of mild anger and a slight pain at the fact that she didn't seem to care much that he was there.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"
By now, Kagome had noticed all the people gathering around them, staring at the strange man in red clothes. Some snickered, while the other's just talked amongst themselves, wondering why someone would wear such a thing.
Kagome couldn't be more embarrassed, her cheeks heating up until they were bright red. She laughed nervously and grabbed Inuyasha's arm, pulling him away from the clearing and back behind the school, where it was private. This of course, caused Inuyasha to complain as to what the hell she was doing, but she ignored it for now. She shooed the people away, continuing her embarrassed laugh as she did so.
"Come on people, nothing to see..he's just..trying out for a play..yeah..a play..ehehe.."
Finally they reached the back of the school and Inuyasha yanked his arm away from her, growling as he looked at her.
"What the hell do you think your doing Kagome!"
She turned to him feverishly and gave him her own growl. "Inuyasha! What have I told you about coming out into the public dressed like that! People aren't used to seeing a guy with bright red clothes and dog ears on his head!"
Instinctively, Inuyasha's ears twitched at the comment and he brought his gaze up to try looking at them before returning his anger back to the girl in front of him.
"So this is the thanks I get! Here I am, coming to make sure everything was alright, to save your ass and you start lecturing me about coming out in public!"
His voice was in a loud growl now, and she pulled back from him a little as she saw his anger rising. His words then processed in her mind as he began to pace back and forth.
"Alright?…What do you mean? Everything is fine Inuyasha what are you talking about?"
Kagome stared at him now, her face pinched into one of pure confusion. She had thought he had come to retrieve her for the shards, not talk about saving her. Save her from what? Although it was flattering in a sense, she was still not exactly sure as to what was going on. She watched him continue to pace and she finally grabbed his arm, forcing him to jump out of whatever thoughts he was having, and turn to her. Her mind cleared, and her feeling of mild anger faded, replaced with concern and worry as she looked at him.
"Inuyasha, is everything ok? What's the matter?"
The Hanyou stopped moving as he turned to her and saw her look of worry. That was the look that could melt him in a minute, his anger began to subside as her touch seemed to turn into liquid fire on his skin. It was enough to kill any feeling of sadness, or anger, he couldn't stay upset with her when she looked like that. He sighed and shook his head.
"I don't know Kagome, I came back here to talk to you last night but I ended up falling asleep."
Kagome was definitely shocked at that one and she was about to speak when he cut her off.
"When I woke up this morning, I realized you were gone. I though maybe you had returned home so I jumped down the well to find you. But when my feet hit the ground, I was still here, in your time. I tried again, and got the same thing, so I worried that perhaps Naraku had put a spell on the well and I left to find you..to save you.."
His anger had subsided now as he stared at the ground, looking somewhat embarrassed now that he had raced over here for nothing. Kagome watched his downcast eyes, feeling a little regretful about harping on him the way she had. Her face soon changed into a soft smile and she let her arms wrap around his chest in a hug. This of course, caused Inuyasha to blush heavily and he turned his face away in hopes that the girl wouldn't see.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, thanks for coming to check on me. But as you can see, everything is fine."
The Hanyou stared at her out of the corner of his eye for a moment before he pulled away from her, gently easing her arms off of him.
'Dammit woman, don't you know what you do to me when your so close?'
"What do we do about the well Kagome? If Naraku has done something to it, then how do we get home? To the others?"
His eyes turned to her own as if searching for some sort of comfort. Kagome was confused for a moment before she realized that if the well was indeed broken, then how would Inuyasha cope at all? This wasn't his time, his home, and he sure enough wouldn't fit in here. It would be like his childhood all over again. At that thought, all she could feel was sadness.
"Come on Inuyasha, let's return home and see if we can't figure out what this is all about."
The girl grabbed his hand as if to pull him towards the house but Inuyasha didn't budge. He stood there, his fingers still laced with her own.
"Inuyasha?"
He turned to her before walking past her, only to come to kneel when he was directly in front of her.
"Come on Kagome, we don't have all day ya know. It'll be much faster if you just ride with me."
The girl seemed to protest at first but just sighed and did as she was told.
"But Inuyasha, what if someone see's us? They wouldn't understand.."
He chuckled in that arrogant way that she was accustomed to hearing from the man and he shook his head.
"Kagome, who really cares what anyone else thinks..besides, I'm way faster than any of these damned humans. I doubt they will even spot us.."
The girl smiled at him as her grip tightened around him as he leapt from the ground to the top of the school building, only to take off running and begin leaping from one roof to the next, off in the direction of Kagome's house.
~*~
It wasn't long before the two reached their destination and Inuyasha kneeled, placing Kagome gently on the ground. The girl walked over to the well house and peered down the well, staring at the bottom.
"Well, let's see if I can get through.."
Inuyasha grabbed her hand as she readied herself to leap and shook his head.
"Kagome..wait.."
The girl turned to him to see that look of worry cross his eyes once more.
"Inuyasha..?"
He shook his head and then turned to look at the well instead of meet her gaze.
"If you jump through, and get back home..what if it closes up for good, and I can't get through? I can't.."
His golden eyes turned to stare at the ground, having a look of pure embarrassment on them. He would never admit it out loud to anyone, but that thought scared him. To be stuck here, in a world that would never understand him..not like Kagome did. Not to mention, if she did cross over, he would never be able to see her again. That's what scared him the most.
Kagome smiled softly at him before squeezing his hand lightly and pulling him towards the well.
"Well then let's try together, ok? Whatever happens, we still have to try."
He turned to meet her eyes, feeling more confident as he did so and nodded silently to her as they made their way back towards the edge of the well. They looked at each other once more before leaping together, hand in hand, down the well. The magic that consumed the well soon engulfed the two and seemed to pick them up together, holding them in a tight embrace before it stopped altogether and they landed at the bottom of the well. Kagome and Inuyasha turned to look upwards, only to see that they were still in the modern era. Inuyasha sighed as he grabbed Kagome and leapt from the well. He put her down and began walking outside.
His spirits had altogether been shattered, not being able to get back to his rightful place in time. Not that he had any problem at all being in Kagome's time, with Kagome, but he had a promise to keep. Kikyo had died to protect the Shikon jewel; it was his sworn promise to her to kill the man who had ruined their lives. How was he supposed to honor that promise if he wasn't capable of going back through time?
Kagome watched as the hanyou seemed to spiral into a state of despair, walking over to the sacred tree and falling to the ground. His hands held his head as his elbows were propped against his knees. He looked as if the world had fallen apart at the seams, and she felt somewhat guilty for it all. After all, if she hadn't gotten so mad and jumped through the well, he would have never of followed her and they wouldn't have been in this predicament. She sighed as she made her way to him and knelt on the ground behind him, letting her arms wrap around him once more as she embraced him, her head lying on his shoulder.
"It's alright Inuyasha, I'm sure this is just a temporary thing. We have been crossing time for over four years now and Naraku has never found us, not once. Surely he hasn't made his way into this time, or found out that we were here and closed the well. Besides, even if that happened, Kaede-baba and the others would find a way to undo it…I know they will."
Her embrace seemed to help him somewhat as he leaned against her, his hands coming to wrap around her own as he sighed, still staring at the ground.
"I hope so Kagome, for both our sakes..If it doesn't..we won't ever be able to get home.."
Her body tensed as she thought, for the first time that day, what the word "home" really meant. She never really thought about it, it just seemed natural to call it as such. In all honesty, the word "home" had lost it's meaning when she was in her rightful time. She always longed to go back through the well and stay with Inuyasha an the others, that the thought of it not being there anymore started to upset her, and her hard exterior that was held up for Inuyasha slowly began to crumble. Tears began to well in her eyes at the thought of it being permanent and her never again seeing the beauty of the world back then or traveling across the land looking to destroy the evil of Naraku with her friends.
Inuyasha could smell her tears and he turned to her, pulling away from her embrace as her hands went to her eyes, hiding what he already knew. He grabbed her hands and brought her to him, hugging her gently as he sighed. She quietly wept in his arms as he held her to him, neither of them even acknowledging that they were embracing.
"Hey come on now Kagome, dammit this is no time to cry. I'm sure your right about it all, it must just be taking a vacation or something..."
Inuyasha whispered to her softly as she cried, trying to think of something to say that would make her feel better. 'Damn..now I've made her cry and I don't know how to make her stop..I hate when she's sad' His thoughts seemed to be interrupted as she snuggled into his chest deeper, her arms coming to wrap around his waist as if to be closer to him. It was then that it processed in his brain that she was in fact holding him, and it seemed as if she enjoyed it. Unfortunately, his mind started to stir into..other things.
'Dammit, I can't be thinking like that..not now! She's upset! I'm supposed to be thinking of how to make her happy! Not what would make me happy!'
He sat there for a moment, thinking intently on what to do before he smiled lightly, a risky idea coming to mind. 'But desperate times called for desperate measures right?' Besides, the only thing that was important right this minute was Kagome, not his embarrassment.
'To me it seems like me holding her makes her happy..At least she seems that way..'
Kagome's tears finally came to an end and she pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes dry. Inuyasha however, was not ready just yet to let her out of his embrace. So he shifted to where he sat behind her, his back against the sacred tree and pulled her to him, curling her in a protective ball against his broad frame. His arms wrapped around her to where she was covered mostly by the sleeves of his haori. He felt her tense up, and even could hear her whisper his name on the wind, questioning what exactly he was up to.
She felt him pull her to his chest and wrap around her in such a way that it made her feel safe. At first she sat there, stunned, confused, happy? She turned to look up at him, her eyes holding a look of pure confusion at his motions. She watched as he turned to look down at her, a brow cocked as he spoke.
"Does this..bother you Kagome? I could let you go if you wanted me to…?"
She stared at him in awe, and watched as his eyes started to fade into disappointment when she said nothing. His arms began to remove themselves from being around her before she frantically latched onto his chest, almost throwing herself at him in desperation. How could he think for one minute that she didn't enjoy this? She had waited for over four years to feel his embrace and now he wanted to pull away?
He seemed almost surprised when Kagome reacted when he went to remove himself from her. He stared down at her, only to watch her bury her head in his chest as her cheeks started to change color, like they always did when she got embarrassed. He smiled coyly and once more put his arms around her. He could feel her breath teasing his skin through his clothing and he growled ever so slightly, the sound reverberating through his chest and also, to Kagome.
Kagome could feel the sound rumbling through his chest, and instead of fear striking her, it did nothingbut seem to calm her down more. Such a sound was soft coming from the man she had grown to know so well. To her, the sound was of contentment and she sighed softly as she glanced up at him, her eyes trailing over the features of his face as his eyes closed with a peaceful look upon them. She smiled lightly when her gaze stopped on his lips and she found herself longing to feel the touch of them against her own.
'Wait a minute! Where did that come from! Kiss Inuyasha!'
Now she was sure she was as bright as a cherry and could even feel the heat coming from her cheeks. She prayed to whatever Gods lie above the heavens on hopes that the arrogant hanyou wouldn't discover exactly what it was that made her cheeks so merry.
Inuyasha was content just to be there in that moment with Kagome and for the first time, he felt more complete than he had in his entire life. His lips pulled back into a genuine smile and he turned to look down at the woman in his arms, only to see her cheeks more red than he had ever seen them. At first he was a little more than just confused, letting his eyes search her for any sign of distress.
'I wonder…'
Kagome had placed her hands over her cheeks, trying to disguise her embarrassment only to make it more obvious. She couldn't help but glance up at his face now, in question as to whether or not he knew she was blushing. When she glanced up the first time, she noticed him smiling, and not just any smile, but probably the most gorgeous and perfect smile that she had ever seen.
'Oh Gods, look at how gorgeous he is..Damn, and I can't help but to want to stare at him..'
She glanced back a second time, letting her eyes trail from his eyes, down his face, to rest on his lips. It wasn't more than a second but she turned to see the Hanyou now staring her in the face. She quickly turned her head to the ground and closed her eyes, as if realizing a bad dream.
Inuyasha held back his need to chuckle as he watched Kagome in her frantic state. He had seen where her eyes had stopped and for a moment there, she looked as if she were going to act on whatever thought it was that she was thinking.
'Well go on, you saw her. Take control!'
One half of him begged him to do so, yet the small part of him inside seemed to doubt that maybe he had seen it all wrong. It was as if time had stopped for the hanyou as he debated what he thought she wanted and what he knew would satisfy the constant urge he had whenever he was near her.
'I could be wrong, but even so. Why would she have given me such an object..or allowed me to embrace her so if she didn't want what I want?'
His thoughts trailed back to all those times the girl had been kind to him. How she would return after their petty arguments and capture him in a warm embrace, or allow her hand to hold his own. If that wasn't a sign of affection towards him, then dammit what was!
His instincts seemed to take over as he pushed his doubts aside, turning to look down at the girl even as he loosened his hold on her. As if on queue, Kagome frowned and turned to him, the color leaving her cheeks as she looked to him for answers.
"Inuyasha?"
He smiled as one hand came to rest on her cheek, cupping it ever so softly as his thumb traced a pattern just beneath her eye.
"Kagome…"
His voice was but a mere whisper and it sent chills down the girl. She wasn't sure exactly what all of this was about, but her body couldn't help at tremble at the contact. He was so gentle, yet those hands have killed more demons than she could count. She searched his eyes for some kind of answers as she stared at him.
'She's not pulling away..that must mean..'
All his thoughts, all his doubts, they all dissipated as his head dipped low, capturing her lips instantly in a gentle and warm embrace with his own.
'Wha..?'
At first Kagome went stiff under the contact, but as the hanyou had experienced, her body took over and immediately, her body curled at the warmth that spread through her at the touch of him. At first, she simple allowed her lips to move with his own, not sure exactly how it all worked. This caused him to move a little faster, as if the feelings inside him were to burst out at any minute. He almost seemed frantic for something from her, and she was determined to give it to him.
Without hesitation, she decided to deepen the kiss, her lips tugging at his own, battling for dominance even though she knew that he would lead them anywhere they decided to go. It wasn't long before a growl rose from him, primal, urgent, and yet completely gentle. Careful of his fangs against her, his tongue lashed out at her, causing her to gasp, allowing him access into a deeper part of her he hadn't known.
Her arms instinctively came to wrap around his neck, and his arms had clutched her to him as if she was his very lifeline. Her hand slid up his head, fingers attentively searching for what she desired. His ear swiveled at the touch as his growl deepened, causing her to become more brave with each passing moment. Her fingers softly stroked the ear like she always did when she teased him with her dog jokes. But this however, was not in a joking manner, nor did he take it as one.
It seemed like a lifetime before the two broke contact and stopped to stare at one another, heavily panting at the exhaustion of it all. The wind broke their silence, swiftly tussling their hair with its dance of joy. As it died down, Inuyasha smiled softly, reaching for her and she smiled back, only to fall back into his embrace willingly, and happy to do so. For a moment only, the two stayed that way, still looking at one another before Inuyasha smiled and nuzzled the nape of the girl's neck.
Kagome smiled softly then turned to him and lightly placed her lips upon his own, which led into yet another session of teasing back and forth with one another. Inuyasha was glad to oblige before he stopped and thought for a moment.
"Kagome..If the well is on vacation..then I think this is the perfect start of our own.."
Author's Notes
Well, what do ya think!
Hopefully you don't feel too disappointed by it,
and I don't feel like it was that much of a wait, ne?
Be sure to comment! Thanks for all those who
have taken the time to read my story as well
as comment and add me to their favorites!
It's an honor to serve my fellow Inuyasha fans!
^-^
Keep an eye out for chapter three,
I will be working on it probably within the
week or so. Hopefully I can get it out there
to you guys soon!