Time
Summary:
Time, it connects all things. It is inescapable, inevitable and unrelenting. It is as incontestable as the very stars in the skies, sometimes time can be your greatest ally and others your gravest fears. Time brought together two unlikely people, but will it also tear them apart? An Inuyasha/Kagome fan fiction. Read and Review please xxxx
Disclaimer:
Kaede: Mandie does not own ye or Inuyasha.
Mandie: You talk like a pirate. Be you Captain Jack Sparrow?
Kaede: -Pulls off mask and costume- Ar!
Mandie: Spongebob...?
Spongebob: Yeah!
Mandie: This is too weird... O.o
Last Chapter:
Kagome took the purple flower from Inuyasha and placed it in her glossy charcoal locks. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow at her as she twirled around on the spot.
"You'll get dizzy and I aint carrying you if you're gonna be sick all over me." Inuyasha smirked.
"Shut up!" Kagome laughed, "What do you think? Is it pretty?"
'More than you could ever know Kagome…' he thought to himself. "Come on lets go, you've got training to start."
"Really? Oh thank you Inuyasha!" Kagome squealed in delight, wrapping her arms around him gratefully.
"Don't think that I am gonna go easy on you…" Inuyasha said seriously, 'You're probably the last chance we've got to defeat him.' He thought gravely.
Chapter fourteen: In the Warmth of His Arms
Feudal Era, Noon
"Inuyasha…? Can I ask you a question?" Kagome asked timidly.
"What is it now?" Inuyasha replied impatiently, eyeing the miko as she wobbled unsteadily.
"Why are we standing over the water, balancing on a tiny log?" The priestess questioned, her voice rising to a squeak as she wobbled precariously close to the freezing cold water.
"Keh, you just answered your own question." The hanyou sneered.
"I did?"
"You need to learn to balance." Inuyasha mocked with a snigger.
Kagome threw the hanyou an angry look as she steadied herself on the beam. The gymnastics and martial arts classes she had taken so long ago were of little use on top of that thin, shaky beam of wood that separated her from the icy depths below. Inuyasha, on the other hand, stood perfectly poised on the log. The hanyou stood as though he were merely standing upon safe, flat land. What Kagome wouldn't have given to be on the ground, 'Stupid Inuyasha' she scorned to herself.
Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara all camouflaged themselves in the bushes, spying on the couple intent on witnessing their secret training sessions. Sango had separated herself from the infamous lecher Miroku; she knew all too well that her crouching form was too good a chance for the pervert to pass off. After Miroku asked her to bear his children, Sango at least expected the monk to calm his perverted ways. Yet there he was, the guy was pretty much drooling as he watched the young miko standing on that log. Sango sighed and shook her head in exasperation; the demon slayer had almost come to accept the houshi's lecherous ways.
Kagome took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. She had to focus; after all, it wasn't every day she got to spar with Inuyasha. The miko slowly opened her eyes and stared the hanyou straight in the eyes. Inuyasha looked extremely serious as he settled his muscular body into a fighting stance. Kagome carefully manoeuvred herself to meet Inuyasha's stance, concentrating on every movement he made. She could tell by the look depicted in his golden eyes, he was not lying when he said he wasn't going to go easy on her.
Inuyasha stared at the miko for a moment, things had suddenly gotten tense and he could see the determination shining through her eyes. The wind wisped past them, causing Kagome's hair to wisp in the current of air. Shining charcoal locks floated hauntingly around Kagome's face as she concentrated on her balance. Inuyasha couldn't help but gaze at the beautiful miko; she stood there wearing a figure hugging white tank top and light blue shorts that clung at her hips, Inuyasha thought she looked radiant. He shook off his thoughts and concentrated on the matter at hand, Kagome's training.
With one swift movement, the hanyou started the sparring match. Kagome's eyes widened at the sudden attack and she ducked just in time to avoid a highly aimed kick. She wobbled a little but stood back up with a blazing look in her eyes. Inuyasha just stared at her, ignorant of the miko's anger.
"That was aimed for my face!" Kagome cried out, feeling offended at his brutality toward her.
"I know that." Inuyasha replied nonchalantly, "Now you do it."
"Try to kick you?" Kagome squeaked in horror.
"Yeah, now quit yapping and do it already!" Inuyasha snapped impatiently.
Kagome nodded and tried to lift her leg, she started to violently sway off balance. Just as she toppled over the side, Inuyasha grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her back to the semi-safety of the log. The hanyou shook his head feeling exasperated at something that seemed trivial to Kagome.
"How the hell do you expect to keep balanced when your feet are all wrong, it was obvious you were gonna fall!" Inuyasha scowled, letting go of the unconfident girl.
"It was only my first try." Kagome said embarrassedly.
"You need to get the fact that you are on a log outta your mind. You are concentrating too much on the log and not enough on your self." Inuyasha said adopting a softer tone, realising he was being overly harsh.
"Okay, I will try." Kagome nodded.
"Your feet should be like mines." Inuyasha pointed out.
Kagome copied Inuyasha's feet placements and closed her eyes, trying to forget where she was stood. Slowly she raised her foot off the beam and stood like that for a moment. Inuyasha watched her carefully, she was much more poised that before. Kagome breathed out slowly and raised her leg a little higher and then straightened it out in front of her.
"Right, now try switching legs and then moving to the side." The hanyou said, still watching her every move. He looked on feeling slightly impressed as the miko did as he asked with little effort, he couldn't help but think she was quite a fast learner. "Right, now try to kick me."
Kagome nodded and kicked out at Inuyasha, he evaded her attack by pouncing backwards. His eyes fell upon the gleeful smile that had spread over Kagome's porcelain face; her eyes sparkled with triumph and exuberance. Inuyasha laughed a little,
"Why are you so happy?" He asked, the remnants of his laughter shone through his smile.
"I did it! Did you see me?" Kagome squealed in excitement.
"Yeah, it was only one kick though." Inuyasha smirked.
"So, I never even wobbled!" Kagome grinned then stuck her tongue out rebelliously.
Inuyasha shook his head and grinned.
"Well if you are that confident then we will move on." Inuyasha threw Kagome the katana that he had brought for her and unsheathed his Tetsussiaga, leaving untransformed.
"Eeep! Inuyasha I dunno about this…" Kagome gulped fearfully, this time she was definitely going to take the plunge.
Sango gaped at Inuyasha angrily. She knew fine and well that Kagome wasn't ready to use a sword. The demon slayer watched as Kagome and Inuyasha slowly started to practice sword fighting. She turned her mahogany eyes to meet the piercing cerulean blue that bore into her chest. Sango's eyes narrowed threateningly and she prodded the monk on the shoulder painfully. Miroku flinched and his eyes moved to settle on Sango's blazing orbs.
"Now now Sango, if you were to slap me, it would let Inuyasha know that we are watching him." Miroku said carefully, attempting to evade Sango's assault.
"If I catch you looking there one more time, I swear you will be wearing my handprint for many many years to come." Sango growled threateningly.
"Sango is scary when she is angry." Shippo said to Kirara, who mewed in response.
"So… Kagome is doing well isn't she?" Miroku said, trying to break the tension between Sango and himself.
"Yeah she is." Sango nodded, her eyes resting back upon the training session. "When I compare her to the girl I first met, I realise just how much she has grown in the last year."
"I agree, Kagome-chan has gotten much stronger." Miroku nodded in concurrence.
"It is kind of sad…" Sango sighed.
"How so?" Miroku asked feeling a little bewildered.
"She was dragged here; she was forced to become stronger because of Naraku. We all were." Sango replied, her eyes shone with sadness.
"It will be over soon Sango, all darkness must make way for light." The monk said softly, placing a consoling hand gently upon her shoulder.
Sango looked at him in shock and her features slowly melted into a grateful smile. Sometimes that lecherous monk knew just what to say to make her feel better.
"Thank you Miroku." Sango smiled, staring into those calm cobalt eyes, remembering all the reasons why she had accepted his proposal in the first place.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
A few hours had passed; Sango and the others had given up their spying and had retreated to Kaede's hut, becoming bored after a couple of hours. Meanwhile, the sword practice had progressed into a fully fledged sword fight. Kagome had gotten the hang of everything so quickly, Inuyasha was feeling extremely impressed with her determination. Kagome panted with exhaustion as she met Inuyasha's pre-empted Inuyasha's attacks and launched her own. Every bone in her body was aching from being so brutally tested. She fought on though, all that kept her body moving was the fire that burned deep within her, a fire that yearned for the destruction of Naraku.
Inuyasha could see that Kagome was getting exhausted and a pang of concern started to nag at his conscience. She had been training for several hours now and she was weak from the previous nights attack. He had to end the session and let her rest for a bit. With one powerful swing of his untransformed sword, he swiped the katana from Kagome's hands. She stumbled in shock at the sudden attack and fell into the water with a loud splash. Inuyasha cringed, waiting for the inevitable command. It never came,
"Kagome…?" He said a little anxiously. Then a smell hit his nose that sent him into a panic. He could smell Kagome's blood. "Kagome!"
Inuyasha jumped down into the water and swam over to the miko, whose head bobbed up and down in the water. She looked around at the hanyou, who wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her afloat. Kagome stared at him a little confusedly.
"Inuyasha what's wrong?" She asked in perplexity.
"You're bleeding." Inuyasha replied shortly, assuming that the fact was rather obvious.
"Yeah, I cut my hand. I am alright." The miko said, smiling in amusement.
"Keh, I didn't ask if you were alright wench." Inuyasha retaliated, though the red blush on his cheeks suggested that he had meant otherwise.
"We should get back up there." Kagome nodded towards the log that had acted as their balance beam.
"I think that you should take a break." Inuyasha replied, pulling them both onto the back of the small river.
"I am fine." Kagome answered rather bluntly.
"You are taking a break. You have been training for several hours now." Inuyasha ordered the miko.
"Oh so you think you can tell me what to do?" Kagome yelled, getting to her feet.
"I can tell you what I am not doing, I aint training with you until you get a rest." Inuyasha shouted angrily.
"Fine! I will train alone!" Kagome yelled back, meeting the hanyou's level.
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Inuyasha asked, lowering his voice.
"I am sick of being the one who needs saving, I want to be able to defend myself in this battle." Kagome sighed, "To do that, I need to push myself to the limits."
"You can't push yourself too hard." Inuyasha said gently, seeing the fortitude shine in her glimmering eyes.
"I am going to practice my archery. I will see you guys later." Kagome replied bluntly, she was so mad that Inuyasha thought she wasn't capable of hard work.
Inuyasha glared at the miko as she walked away from him, sometimes Kagome could be even more stubborn than he was. The hanyou waited until she was a little way from him and the followed the miko. He would be damned if she thought she was training out there alone, no matter how foul a mood she was in. Inuyasha followed Kagome into a small clearing in the woods, where he pounced into a tree where he could keep a close eye on her without being noticed.
Kagome drew an arrow from her quiver and prepared to fire it, she closed her eyes, summoning all the strength she had and manifesting it into the arrows power. Kagome pulled back the string and concentrated on a small knotted and gnarled tree, focusing specifically on a tiny notch on its bark. Kagome released the arrow and watched as its power grew whilst travelling through the air. Inuyasha watched the arrow in awe as its power seemed to expand and take over the whole clearing, its blinding light consuming all in its path. It obliterated its target and a few more trees that were situated behind it.
Inuyasha sat forward, so to get a better look at the devastation left in the arrows wake. It was immense, yet Kagome had a disappointed look over her beautiful face. The hanyou watched silently as Kagome tried arrow after arrow, never finding what she was looking for. Inuyasha noticed that with each new arrow, Kagome's strength was failing, with each new arrow, she pushed herself harder.
After many hours and several quivers full of arrows, the young miko paused and stood staring at the pathway her attacks had cleared through the forest and she sighed. 'Why can't I tap into the power I had last night?' she questioned inwardly, "What was so different last night?" she yelled in frustration, falling to her knees. Inuyasha made to jump down from the tree branch that had held him for numerous hours now. Just as he did, Kagome spoke again,
"It was because Inuyasha…" Kagome recalled, speaking to the skies in hope of more answers. "I was able to produce power like that because Inuyasha was about to be killed…"
"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, he felt every ounce of his being long for Kagome at that moment in time. She had told him that he was what brought that power out in her; he had brushed it off thinking she was too tired and was muttering. This time however, he knew her words came directly from her heart.
"If I try to remember how I felt last night, maybe I can do it again…" Kagome said quietly.
The miko stood up and drew her last arrow from its quiver. Kagome closed her eyes and thought of the last nights events. She thought of the consuming black and how Inuyasha had wrapped her in his haori to protect her from the biting coldness. She remembered how he had saved her and sacrificed himself and then of all that she loved about the hanyou, all the things she couldn't bear to live without. Kagome remembered his comforting embrace, their time upon the rooftop, and Inuyasha's confessions of jealously, the way his eyes seemed to mist over as he stared at her, the way he searched for her kiss in the fields of shadowed bloom. Most of all, she thought of all the times he had saved her life, all the times he had protected her from harm. She felt something move from deep within her soul, the hair on her neck stood on end and then she felt strong arms wrap around her body.
The dusk was interrupted by the white light that was being emitted from Kagome's arrow; everything shone and glittered under the silver white of the arrows powerful glow. Tears fell from Kagome's eyes as she slowly opened them, seeing the arms that held her so longingly, belonged to her silver haired protector, Inuyasha.
"Now release it." He whispered into Kagome's ear, sending shivers of electricity shooting down her spine.
Kagome pointed the arrow to the sky and released it into the purple veil of dusk. The purifying power lit up the skies, bathing them in its pure white radiance. It could be seen from many miles away as it shot high into the heavens.
A lone traveller diverted her attention to the powerful beam of miko energy. Kikyou stood high on a hillside, her soul collectors surrounding her. She could feel the immensity of power from the arrow from tens of miles away; the tragic priestess knew who had summoned such power at once. It was the same power she had felt in the early hours of the morning.
"So, that girl has finally mastered her miko powers." Kikyou said quietly to her youkai, then turning away to descend into the night.
Kagome smiled a little and turned to face Inuyasha. Her knees then gave way and she fell into Inuyasha's protective arms. The hanyou picked Kagome up into his arms. He felt her grasp his haori and nuzzle her face into his chest, slowly, Kagome closed her eyes,
"Inuyasha…"
"Yeah, what is it?" Inuyasha asked.
"Thank you." Kagome replied, "For protecting me and being my strength…"
Inuyasha's irises trembled a little as she whispered her thank you to him, "Kagome you should try to sleep." The hanyou replied gently.
Inuyasha looked down and realised that the exhausted miko had already fallen asleep, right there in his arms. Her adorable face was fixed on a smile and her coal black locks fell around her rosy pink cheeks. Inuyasha knew that she had used up every ounce of her energy and was now so exhausted that she could have slept anywhere. Yet what Inuyasha didn't realise, was that it was because Kagome had never felt safer or more comfortable with anyone in her whole life. That was the reason why she had fallen asleep, right there, in the warmth of his arms.
Yeah... she is blabbing again!
Sooooo... Yeah, sorry. Yet again my updatage is rather late. I do have excuses though, wanna hear?
-I lost my arms in a boating accident
-My dog ate my computer
-My Grams ate my computer
-My boss pinned me up and used me as a piniata(sp?)
-I blew the house up
-I blew myself up through overexertiveness.
Aye sooo, thems the breaks! Ha ha, no really, I had just as much bother writing this one as the last. I wonder why... mmmm... banana. Righto skipper, I have just started up a myspace specifically for my luffly reviewers to contact me. The url is as follows:
anyone would like to contact me, myspace is the way to do it! Just send me a wee message before you add so I know who you are. Just search for mandie harvey (under name) I am the black and white picture with the headline, "Kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever" and my display name is Lost in Your Eyes.
Okay diddles, thanks to all who reviewed!
fire-angel-of-death322: I am so sorry that I deprived you of chocolate for so long! I love chocolate, I especially love Reese's cups! Hope you enjoyed the latest! Lots of huggles and love!
Truebelle: I have a plan for everything my dear! Mwahahaha... O.o Lol, yeah Kagome and Inuyasha's plight makes good reading ne? Glad ya liked the last chapter and I love getting your reviews! Kisses!
Serenityrain2233: You know, I read the last chapter over before starting this and I actually felt sorry for Kouga! I need to tone down the meanie factor (oooh that should be a game show!). Aww, you love my stoway? -blushes- thankums! C'est tres sweet! huggles!
BlackParade: You feeling any better hun? Hope the advice (or whatever the hell that was) helped. I started up a myspace page, maybe we can chat there. Anyhooos thanks for the review my darling sweet pretty lady! -Huggles-Glomp- Mwah!
xcurlyinuyashax: Ha ha yesh you are weird! You are also rather entertaining! I really look forward to getting your reviews! Haha, Go Go Cheerio... classic! Well let me just say that you, my friend, are simply fabulous! I liked that line from chapter nine (am rhyming again) I found it kinda funny. Pee hee, Kiss me... no dont! Haaaa! xxxxxxxxxxx
Tifa Sohma: Oh woweee! You are very excitable arent you, you cute little button! I love the hyper peoples, they makes me smile! I really luff getting your pwetty reviews, they make me feel fuzzy. :o)
surfer.teen: Cuddly and threatening? That so is the way I am trying to do this! Brillianto! Hee I love you sugarbaby!
Hopeless Star Gazer: -Throws rock at 'peeps' Shuddap! She's with me! Pee hee, I hope that I do make you guys feel appreciated because you all mean the world to me. Your writing is very good hunni, stop putting yourself down! My friends dont actually know that I have posted these fictions. The one who does isnt allowed to read it! Yesh, I save that honour for you lovely people! Once again, thank you for the sweet review and I LOVE YOU:o)
Okay Dandy, I am offski, I have to work then I am hitting a nightclub! I am gonna wear my spongebob pants over my jeans... pee hee. Righto, so love ya'll very much and will catch you laters...xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Getting ma groove on baby!
Love
You
All
Mandie (Spongebob) Panties
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