Chapter 34-Bittersweet Reunion
The irksome humming and beeping of the noisy machines had Inuyasha clamping his ears to his head. Glaring at the insufferable machine he contemplated throwing it out the window. But his desire vanished as he realized that the strange machine was currently connected to his mate keeping her alive.
Clear bags full of a strange smelling liquid hung next to his sleeping lover. Tubes ran from the bag and into a needle which was injected into her wrist. Inuyasha growled lowly at the thought of anyone having to harm his mate in order for her to be well.
But that's what those strange healers had reassured him as he tried to rip the infernal tubes that were attached to the pale woman that did not resemble his Kagome.
This woman was too frail looking, and her skin was so sallow, not the usual rosy hue that Kagome's cheeks were.
A soft hand brushed his shoulder. He turned with solemn eyes to look at Kagome's mother. Her chocolate brown eyes, so much like her daughters regarded with a warm gaze.
"She will be fine." Miya's soft voice reassured him, though Inuyasha thought he saw a glimmer of uncertainty behind her eyes.
He chose not to respond and only turned to stare at the beeping monitor once more. But he did take Miya's hand in his and squeezed it softly.
Her reassurance did him no real good. She shouldn't even be in this foul smelling place with all these machines hooked up to her, pumping Buddha knows what into her.
They had been on their way home. He had been dashing through the sun bathed streets of Tokyo, Kagome slung on his back. She had been laughing, telling him how excited she was to be heading back to the feudal era soon, how the wish on the jewel could be made, now that there was no threat, and various other things she chattered on about. Her melodious voice rang out, causing warmth to bloom in his chest. He had quickened his speed with a joyful leap.
Inuyasha had picked up her heart beat as it steadily began to slow. Her laughter died down. She became limp upon his back. He had immediately halted, and taken her unconscious form into his arms, abruptly shaking her and screaming her name.
There was no answer. He noticed at once that her face had gone a ghostly pale and her pulse beat weakly under her soft throat. Not knowing what else to do, Inuyasha had all but barreled down the pedestrians in a desperate effort to return to the Higurashi Shrine.
Miya had been much calmer about then he had. She had seen the state of her daughter and immediately called an ambulance.
A loud, wailing metal contraption with bright flashing lights had screeched to a stop at the bottom of the shrine. Men in uniform had bustled out of the metal beast's insides and had quickly taken Kagome from him and proceeded to load her onto a strange looking futon that rolled on wheels.
Inuyasha had snarled at the men who put Kagome into the metal beast. What were they planning to do, sacrifice her to this strange rumbling demon?!
It was Miya who had calmed his temper down to a simmering tolerance. She explained to him that Kagome was ill, and that these people needed to take her to a hopsical, whatever that was.
Miya further explained that a hospital was a place where hurt and sick people go in order to get better. And this strange screaming beast was intended to take Kagome there in a hurry.
"We will follow them in a taxi Inuyasha." She told him soothingly.
She had left a note for the old man and the kid and then they had quickly departed.
And here they were, hours later in a small room within the hospital. Inuyasha had demanded to know what was wrong with Kagome. A small round man in a white coat sweated under the half demon's burning gaze while stumbling over his words in an effort to explain.
"Ms. Higurashi has suffered multiple injuries, severe post dramatic shock, and a possible concussion to the temporal lobe in her brain."
Inuyasha did not understand half of what the man said, but guessed that none of it was a good thing if Kagome remained unconscious.
"We have been pumping her with fluids in order to keep her body dehydrated. She is also on a steady drip of morphine in order for her body to tolerate the pain."
The doctor and Miya left the room to give him some privacy and to discuss more medical terms that Inuyasha did not understand.
The half demon grunted in response to the man's jumble. He stared at the lifeless woman that lie limp against the pristine sheets. Padding across the sleek tiled floor, he sat in the chair beside her bed.
Taking her limp hand in his, he noted how cold it was. Pressing his lips softly to it, he leaned in close. Brushing her ebony bangs away, he crouched beside her ear.
"I'm here." He whispered throatily. "I'm here for you, and I'm not leaving. Not now, nor ever. You have pried your way into my life, Kagome. Even when I refused your company and deliberately hurt you."
He paused, looking out the window at the setting sun. It cast its brilliant array of iridescent colors across the land. Inuyasha became bathed in it as the glittering band filtered through the window and fell upon him in buttery waves. His eyes caught the sunlight and were illuminated and became pools of wavering gold speckled with tawny flecks. Surrounded by thick lashes he turned his smoldering look back to his mate.
"You refused to back down. Your fierce protectiveness for me set me off guard. I suppose that's why I tried so hard to push you away. I was not used to having someone so close, someone who actually cared for me."
He thrust a hand into his robe and withdrew the purified jewel. "It's amazing. Even after everything we have been through you remained by my side." He gazed at the jewels incomparable beauty.
They had worked so hard towards this. So much suffering and loss and occurred. He scowled as he recalled his selfish reason for obtaining the jewel. He continued to stare at the small pink sphere pinched between his thumb and forefinger.
"Maybe that's why you captured my heart" he continued on hoarsely. He continued to stare at the jewel through blurry eyes. Maybe it was all of the momentum built up from the day's events. Or perhaps it was years of pent up emotion. Maybe it was the fact that he was staring at the very thing he had been craving for over fifty years, and now it no longer mattered. Whatever it was Inuyasha felt a sudden wetness on his cheeks. Hastily he scrubbed at his face, erasing any tear tracks.
"Believe it or not Kagome; you have given my heart a home. There was a time when I closed my heart off to anyone, too afraid to be hurt again. Then you came along and brought with you a whole lot of complications. You and your kindness, your understanding and compassion for others floored me. You were a human, just a stupid girl whose body had housed the jewel. A reincarnation from a past I wished to burry. I wasn't supposed to love you. But I just couldn't help myself."
He stroked her pitch colored tresses with the utmost tenderness. "Come back to me koi. I need you. Who else would convince me to submit to such a human tradition as marriage? It's your fault you know." Here his voice cracked unexpectedly, his last words coming out in a ragged tone.
"It's your fault, you made me love you." He whispered. Gazing at her, he noticed how shallow her breathing was. Her chest rose up and down in a stuttering, weakened rhythm. Bruises dotted her thin arms. She looked like hell, no doubt from the fight with Yamashi.
Getting up from his chair he carefully maneuvered around the various tubes that were connected to her body. Taking her limp form in his arms, he shifted her slightly over so that he could climb into the narrow hospital bed. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her gently to him. Tucking his chin on top of her head, he rocked her tenderly.
"My mother used to do this for me when I was scared or upset. It always helped me calm down. Well right now I'm scared Kagome. I have no idea what you're feeling, if you're even feeling anything at all. But I will rock you all the same."
He brushed his lips against her forehead before eventually closing his eyes to the world.
That was how the doctor and Miya found them when they returned some time later.
"I need to check on Ms. Higurashi's current state." The man informed Miya, while staring at the two figures tangled within the bed.
Miya nodded while never taking her eyes off her daughter as she lay in the arms of her husband to be. She quietly approached the sleeping hanyou.
"Inuyasha." A gentle voice easily probed him from his light sleep.
His eyes flickered open, and for a fraction of a second he thought he was looking at Kagome. But his vision soon came into focus and he realized it was only Miya, whom resembled her daughter quite similarly.
"The doctor needs to check on Kagome." She informed him with a gentle pat to the shoulder.
He only nodded, swinging his feet over the side of the bed, his bare feet slapping against the slick linoleum.
A shrill, drawn out beep had his eyes snapping to stare at the monitor. It had flat lined. Suddenly everything happened all at once. The doctor had snatched a phone from its place on the wall. His fingers flew over the buttons. He barked into the phone, and mere seconds later a team came bustling into the room.
Inuyasha was hustled into the hall, where he was left to stare through the small window at all of the scrambling people crowded around Kagome.
They were all shouting things at once, their voices jumbling amongst all the chaos.
"She's not responding!"
"Make way for the defibrillator!"
"Ready! Clear!"
Kagome's body seemed to jump of its own accord. The doctor placed the paddles to her chest again.
"Clear!"
Her body was wretched from the bed once more by the electric shock.
The machine hummed to life beeping in a timed rhythm.
"Good! She is stabilizing."
Inuyasha felt his heart thrumming in his chest. Somehow, for reasons he could not explain, this made the entire situation worse. It was the horrifying fact that he had nearly lost her. Again.
He felt the rhythmic pulse from under his clothes. The jewel knew of her condition. It reacted to its protector with a burning resilience. He could feel the aura radiating. It was too much to bear.
"Inuyasha?" A soft voice wafted through his mental breakdown.
He looked into the soulful eyes of Miya Higurashi. She stood there, a head shorter than him, looking so small, yet determined.
"Will you be all right?"
He pulled the jewel where it sat, nestled within his clothes. Staring at the glowing orb with a profound gaze he turned to her.
"I will be."
He took off down the corridor, dodging nurses and rolling beds left and right.
I'm leaving, even though I said I wouldn't. I promise you I will return. Wait for me.
Miya stood, rooted to the spot as she watched the man that would come to marry her daughter tear through the hospital.
Her eyes followed his every move as he dipped, dodged, and swiveled his way out of the hospital. She felt a tug at her heart. Despite the bleak situation, a tentative smile curled upon her lips.
She turned to look at her daughter, lying unnaturally still in the bed.
Yes it would be all right.
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Inuyasha sprinted through the busy streets of Tokyo, ignoring the stares he received in his wake. He followed his nose on pure instinct and found his way back to the Higurashi shrine.
Flinging open the familiar rickety doors to the well shrine, he launched himself through the darkness and into the past.
He dashed through the sunlit glade, scattering a flock of birds, who promptly took off in a flutter of flapping wings at his hasty approach.
Kaede was just beginning to enjoy her afternoon tea, when she sensed someone fast approaching. No sooner had she taken her first sip when Inuyasha burst through the door, chest heaving, eyes wild, shaking like a leaf.
"I could have lost her!" He boomed, shattering the quiet serenity that Kaede had been enjoying.
"Inuyasha, do come in." She took another sip.
"You obtuse old woman! I nearly let Kagome be killed! Thanks to my thoughtlessness, she is lying, practically at deaths door as we speak!"
Kaede set down her cup, and fixed him with a calm gaze.
Inuyasha took this as her being purposely insensitive.
"Don't you understand you frustrating old hag, because of me Kagome could have died! She still could!" He snarled into her face, eyes aflame. He sat back on his hunches, having invaded her personal space and now waiting to see how she would react.
"Are you quite through with your little tantrum?"
Inuyasha sat back, thoroughly snuffed at her too calm reaction. "Yes." He relented.
"Good. Here, have a cup of tea." She turned and poured the steaming liquid into another cup before handing it to him.
Inuyasha winced at the bitter taste, but said nothing.
"Now. If you can consent to speak in a calm and rational voice then you may tell me what went on with you and Kagome."
He huffed at her placid expression. How could she be so calm? He guessed it must be from years of experience as the residing miko of the village.
He proceeded to launch the story of how he and Kagome had come upon Yamashi's hideout, the battle, Kagome becoming possessed, the loss of Tetsiaga, and her current condition in the hospital.
By the end he was looking thoroughly on edge. Kaede continued to sip her tea whilst regarding him with a composed gaze.
"It seems to me that you believe this entire ordeal to be your fault, am I correct in assuming that?"
Inuyasha's eyes glared at the floor. She was absolutely right in assuming that he blamed himself for this entire mess. How could he not? He shoved his cup away with a frustrated growl.
"Inuyasha, it seems to me that you have a problem with taking on all of the responsibilities, as well as the guilt that comes with such an unfortunate situation as this one. You need to understand that what occurred was not something you could have prevented. You are not to blame yourself for something that happened to Kagome purely on unpredicted circumstances."
Inuyasha was seething. Didn't the old woman get it? "I'm going to marry her! Of course I should be held responsible! The whole point of she becoming my mate was so that I would be able to protect her! And I couldn't!"
Kaede smiled ruefully. "I thought the mating process occurred because you wished to be with Kagome. I assumed that it was because you loved her. And that is also why you are consenting to marry her under human terms."
Inuyasha gaped furiously. How dare she try to assume his reasoning! It wasn't as if she had ever felt this way about anyone!
"What would you know of it old woman? It's not as if….He faltered. He had not come faced to face with a situation like this in over fifty years. Not since Kikyo.
He was jerked forward suddenly. Kaede had taken hold of his side locks and forced him to meet her eye.
"I know you have suffered deeply in the past Inuyasha, her dark eyes penetrated his, "You and my sister had your differences, and that is partly why your relationship ended in such turmoil. The fact that your trust in one another was dwindling did not help when Naraku deceived the two of you."
"Kikyo and I—
Inuyasha started, but Kaede gave him a swift look and he subsided.
"Yours and Kagome's relationship is not at all like the one you and Kikyo had. For one thing, you two developed an immeasurable amount of trust in each other. Kagome has accepted you in a way that my sister could not. And you in return have opened your heart and allowed someone to love you."
Inuyasha blushed and looked away.
"Do you think that you will lose Kagome the way that you lost Kikyo?"
He did not respond.
Kaede sighed. "You forget Inuyasha, though she was reborn reincarnated, Kagome is not the same person Kikyo was, not at all."
"I know that." He admitted huskily. "It's just we've been fighting this for so long. Now that we have finally reached a point where we can actually settle down, and she gets hurt."
"Kagome, although she is human, she is strong. The fact that she is mated to you will improve her tolerance for pain, as well as prolong her life. This brings us back to the fact of her love for you. She would not have agreed to mate with you, had she not loved you. The question that remains is: what was your reason for mating and agreeing to marry her?"
Inuyasha fixed her with a heated gaze. She was a crafty old woman, he'd give her that.
"You're going to make me say it aren't you?"
"If that's what it takes to banish your guilt."
Inuyasha ground his teeth together in exasperation. "All right listen up you sly woman, because I should not have to be telling you this. And keep in mind I am only going to say this once, so clean the wax out of your ears. Of course I love Kagome. She is the most frustrating, irritating, insufferable woman I have ever had to put up with. It doesn't matter that she irks me to no end, I love her and that will not change for as long as I live."
Kaede smiled warmly. She let go of his side locks, finally satisfied.
"My Inuyasha, can you not see how you have changed over these years?"
The half demon grunted, trying unsuccessfully trying to hide his blush.
"Now that we have that settled, let us enjoy our tea shall we?" Kaede settled back to sip at her cup once again.
"Er, there was one more thing." He fumbled, searching for the right words.
The elder miko set down her cup. "Oh? What is it Inuyasha?"
He was not even sure how to explain this to her. So, tossing all attempt at explanation aside, he pulled out the jewel.
Kaede's reaction was immediate. She lurched forward, sending their cups clattering. Kneeling in a puddle of tea she quickly snatched the jewel from Inuyasha's hand.
"What were you thinking, bringing the jewel back here?!" She hissed.
"Kagome has yet to purify it, and with her current condition, I thought that maybe you could…. He trailed off, caught up in watching her frantic attempts to take control of the situation.
Kaede scrambled as fast as her old bones allowed. She quickly pulled a cover over the window, darkening the hut, living only the flickering fire for light.
She set the jewel on the small alter, closed her eyes and began to chant. After several long moments she opened her eyes.
"I have placed a protective ward over it. Demons shall not be able to sense its presence."
Inuyasha sighed in relief.
"But be warned, it will not last forever. Only Kagome can truly produce such a powerful barrier. It would be better if the jewel was wished upon, a pure wish at that, and then it would cease to exist."
Inuyasha's ears drooped. "Kagome is in her time, the healers there are trying to cure her."
"I think it would be best if you took the jewel back to her Inuyasha, it is best protected in her time, where there are few demons. Let us pray that Kagome gets well soon."
He nodded. She was right, he knew she would be.
"Kaede? There was another thing."
The elder miko sighed. She knew there would be; with Inuyasha nothing was ever simple.
"What is it?"
He pulled out the hilt of tetsaiga, laying it on the floor for her to inspect.
A breath gasp shuttered within Kaede's frail bones. "So this is what has become of the mighty tetsaiga. What will you do now Inuyasha? This sword is what seals your demon blood, it protects you."
The half demon growled. He knew that! Having the old woman bring it up was not making the situation any better.
Despite his frustration, he sighed heavily. "I honestly don't know." The tetsaiga had been what protected him, keeping his youkai blood from taking control. Without it, he was surly bound to fall into the clutches of his volatile inner demon.
All this talk of his imprisoned demon was beginning to put Inuyasha on edge. He decided to deliberately change the subject.
"So how goes the plans for the wedding?"
Kaede decided to humor him, considering how much stress he was under. "All is well. I have let the village know of yours and Kagome's marriage as well as Sango and Miroku's."
"Keh, I'm sure the villagers love the fact of a demon courting a human!"
Kaede frowned in sympathy. It was no secret that Inuyasha's life had been hard. Especially after the death of his mother. The villagers had shunned the woman for breeding with a demon and siring a pup by him. They only tolerated Izayoi and her son because of the woman's status as the daughter of a noble house. Shunned for most of his life for being a half-breed, Inuyasha was reluctant to trust anyone. To Inuyasha, the people residing in the village seemed no different than those who scorned him and his mother.
"You will be quite surprised when I tell you that these people, although wary in the past, have come to an agreement."
Inuyasha snorted. Wary? Hardly. They had fled like frightened sheep at the mere sight of him. That had been fifty years ago. Of course his reputation fifty years ago was not the best, but who was judging?
"The point is that you have more than often proven your worth to the people of this village by protecting it time and again from hostile enemies. They accept you Inuyasha, and they are willing to forget all matters of the past and move on, if you are willing to keep up the agreement."
"And that would be?"
"Continue to protect the village."
"I'm not some guard dog."
Kaede smirked. "To the inhabitants of this village you are. You have become the resident protector, or as you put it 'guard dog'. And for agreeing to this matter, the villagers will help you build accommodations for you and your new wife."
Inuyasha had not thought of that. Kagome would appreciate a house near the village. And despite his misgivings, he had come to appreciate the village and its human populace.
"All right, it's a deal."
"Splendid! Now, on with the wedding preparations. Of course the entire village will come out for the reception. Invitations have been sent out as requested. Akitoki Hojo has received his, as well as Miroku's master Mushin, Jenengi, Kohaku, Koga, and your brother."
Inuyasha's eyes steeled. "She invited that flea bag?"
"It was by Kagome's request, and you know by now how much she loves you, so do be quiet."
Gritting his teeth, he pressed on, determined to find a fault in Kagome's disastrous planning.
Inuyasha bristled. "Sesshomaru?! What was she thinking?!"
"Although hostile and cold in the past, your brother has shown great promise, and he did provide a great advantage in the battle of Naraku. Those were Kagome's exact words she directed me to say to you, in case you decide to throw a hissy fit as she so puts it." Kaede finished, looking expectantly at the half demon.
"Plus Rin would not want to miss this for the world."
Inuyasha nodded curtly, trying to regain some self control while he still had some left.
"Well the conniving wench forgot one. She did not put old Totosai on the list."
The pleasant glow left Kaede's face and her eyes dropped to the floor. "I am afraid that master Totosai has moved on from this world."
He felt something inside him wither away. Although he and Totosai were never close, he held a grudging respect for the blacksmith who had forged his tetsaiga. He had been a good friend of his father, and despite his cowardly and absentminded ways, he was a good man. The old man had proved to be tougher then his looks proclaimed him to be, but even he could not live forever.
Inuyasha stared glumly at the hilt of his former sword. Well so much for getting Totosai to forge him a new weapon. This certainly put a bleak outcome on things thus far. Until he came up with a suitable replacement, he would have to take extra precautions. Just one slip up and the consequences would be too much for him to bear.
"I need some air." He finally decided.
Getting up from his crouch on the hearth, he gingerly handed Kaede his cup. "Er, thanks for the tea." He said awkwardly.
The old woman chuckled. "You're welcome Inuyasha, though I don't think either of us got much in our stomachs, considering most of the tea is now on the floor."
"Sorry." He replied somewhat abashedly. He snatched up a rag and began to mop up the cold tea puddle.
Kaede's eyes were twinkling now. "No need to apologize, I was the one who caused our drinks to spill."
Inuyasha was uncomfortable with the sudden breach in boundaries. He was not used to confiding so much into the elder woman who resided in this village for as long as he had known her. But it was inescapable. He had developed a friendship with this woman. He had once called her a sniveling brat; she now stood here before him an elderly woman in her late fifties. Where had the time gone?
"Yea, but if I hadn't foolishly brought the jewel here…. Kaede help her hand, stopping his self battering.
"Inuyasha, when did you become so wise?" She stood up, more slowly, her old bones cracking.
He blushed, not used to people complimenting him.
"The jewel will be safe for now. You are free to take your walk. See your friends. I am sure they are anxious to meet with you, Shippo especially."
A fond smile graced Inuyasha's lips. Ah Shippo, he had been wondering how the kitsune had been holding up. He had been so devastated when they had left. He would have to assure his little fox that the temporary trips through the well were exactly that. They would be living here. He grinned at the thought of Kagome and him setting up house here, Shippo with them, and Sango and Miroku not far off. That thought put him in high spirits.
"All right old lady, I'm off. Safeguard that for me would you?" He jerked his thumb toward the glittering jewel."
"With my life." Kaede promised.
He nodded before disappearing out the door.
"My how you have changed." Kaede whispered fondly to her now empty hut.
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The warm afternoon sun shined brilliantly from the cobalt sky. A few patchy clouds dotted the sky in white puffs. A slight breeze tickled Inuyasha's nose, sending with it a familiar sent.
"Otou!" A shrill voice called out.
He turned to stare down the path to see Shippo sprinting towards him, a grin plastered on his boyish face.
The small demon barreled into him, immediately wrapping his arms around Inuyasha's waist in a fierce hug.
"I missed you!" He looked up with shimmering jade eyes.
Inuyasha smiled, looping an arm around the kit. He pressed his forehead lightly to Shippo's until they were eye to eye. "And I missed you." He whispered to him.
"Although I've only been gone a few days." He told his adopted son.
"I know, but two weeks is a long time and I…. He struggled to find the right words.
"I was worried about you." He finally choked out.
Inuyasha was shocked. Never had he expected Shippo to display such intuitive insight. As he was still young, he was not supposed to concern himself with such things. And yet, everything he had been through proved that he was more than capable of taking on tasks far more advanced for his age.
"Shippo, you are still the child here. It's not your job to be worrying over me. I am the adult. It's my job to worry about you."
The kit frowned; it looked almost comical on his normally sweet face. Swooping down, Inuyasha enveloped the boy in a hug. He felt his smaller arms wrap around his neck, clinging in a desperate need to be close.
He supposed this was considered normal. Though they had only been gone a few days, Shippo had acted like it was an eternity. In packs, the families stuck together. And that's what this was. It was the beginning of his own pack.
"Where is okassan?"
That question caught him off guard, bringing with it a heaviness that smothered his heart.
"She's back in her time."
"Oh. Well, why isn't she with you?"
"Because she got hurt and has to heal."
Shippo's face immediately crumbled. This was where Inuyasha faltered; he was no good at handling distressed people, humans nor demons. Deciding he was going to have to get used to this sometime, he dove into a hasty reassurance.
"It's all right; the healers in her time are very skilled. She is going to recover."
This seemed to only slightly qualm Shippo's fears. But it was better than nothing, and Inuyasha would take what he could get.
"So why are you here papa?" He piped up, curiosity swimming in his eyes.
"I came back to do some thinking."
"Oh. What about?"
"Kagome mostly. And the jewel. The time has nearly come for a wish to be made. But it must an unselfish, pure wish, or else the jewel will become tainted with malice."
Shippo shuffled his foot on the ground, stirring up a small dirt cloud. The whirl of dust seemed to hinder him because a second later his eyes were watering and his nose began to twitch.
Several sneezes later, when he finally managed to open his eyes, Shippo found himself tucked against a familiar muscular chest, and suddenly perched in the sturdy branches of a tree.
A hand patted his head softly. "I had to get you out of there. You were about to keel over from all that sneezing." Inuyasha's voice rumbled in his ears.
Shippo blushed. He supposed this was something he was going to have to get used to. Not to say that he didn't mind. He was part of a pack now. And he liked it.
They sat there for a few more moments, basking in the others comfortable presence. Just when Shippo thought he would drift off for a nap under the glowing warm sunshine, he felt a slight weight on the top of his head.
He turned sideways to see that Inuyasha had rested his chin on top of his orange mop. When he caught the kits eye he gave a toothy grin.
"Hey, what do you say we go find Sango and Miroku and see how things are coming along?"
Shippo brightened. "Okay!" He cheered exuberantly.
They dropped from the tree's limbs to the ground with a thud.
It was a sight to behold. A tall, chiseled hanyou, having come of age, and a feisty young fox demon.
But to the monk and demon slayer, this was nothing new. "Inuyasha, what a pleasant surprise. May I enquire as to what you are doing here, and without Kagome I might add?" Miroku left no wiggle room and swooped upon them with the ferocity of a hawk as soon as they walked through the door.
Sango had been a little more forgiving and shooed her fiancée away, before folding herself next to the fire, an equally expectant look on her face.
Seeing as he was not going to get by without an explanation and the fact that Miroku possessed a handful of powerful sutras Inuyasha launched the story through grim, tightly clenched lips.
By the end, he sat with his hands lying uselessly in his lap.
"So let me get this straight. You and Kagome defeated Yamashi?"
"Yea."
"But Yamashi somehow possessed her and raped her mentally, through some kind of sick illusion mind game?
"Yes."
"And in the midst of it all the tetsaiga got shattered?"
"That's right."
"And you have no way to possibly repair it because the one sword smith who could is dead?" Miroku concluded with his mouth agape.
Inuyasha finally cracked. "Yes, the answer to all of those is undoubtedly, unfortunately yes. Now would you stop with the twenty questions already!"
It was Sango who broke his hard exterior. "How is Kagome?" She asked softly.
He sighed. "She's….. Unconscious for lack of a better word."
Sango's eyes seemed to waver. "And the jewel?" She asked.
"Safe with Kaede. For now. But it needs to be wished upon and only a pure wish will cause it to disappear."
"And how are you going to achieve that?" Sango inquired while stroking a sleeping Kilala.
"I have no idea!" Inuyasha flopped to the floor in an exasperated slump.
"Sweet Buddha, and the wedding is in less than two weeks!" Miroku slapped a hand to his forehead. "I have sent out the invitations as requested, but how on earth are we going to pull this off?!"
"You're guess is as good as mine. I have enough on my plate to worry about, let alone getting married when my bride isn't even conscious."
"We shall just have to do the best we can." Sango's voice replied. She was the rock, the stable one with the level head while all around them chaos and uncertainty raged.
"I can't take back the invitations. The journey alone to track down some of those guests…. Miroku trailed off listlessly.
"If it comes down to it, those guests may only witness one couple in the bonds of holy matrimony." Sango said evenly, though her eyes were looking off somewhere far away.
A heavy silence fell over the group. Inuyasha knew what she meant, without having to say it aloud. If Kagome did not recover in time, then they would not be married along with Miroku and Sango. He felt a tightness in his throat at the very thought.
"I'm going to take a walk." He left no room for discussion, and they knew him well enough by now not to question his motives.
He strolled through the village, taking in the sites of the everyday hustle and bustle. A gaggle of children ran across his path, squealing and hollering, their faces covered in some sticky residue.
Inuyasha smiled fondly at the lot of them. He wouldn't mind having his own brood someday. He already had one: Shippo who had he had recently declared his own was already a part of the family. Family. That was a nice word. He had never truly had one of his own. It would be nice to start one with Kagome.
He meandered through the local marketplace, weaving in and around the many people who were clutching their baskets full of fruit and spices.
Several vendors were set up, people sat crouched behind them trying to sell their stock. It being spring meant that fruits such as strawberries, the bamboo shoots, and wakame- a sea vegetable were in season. The bamboo shoots were in high demand considering the variety of uses for them. The shoots, also known as takenoko were used to make a special dish: takenoko rice.
Inuyasha reminisced about his first, fleeting taste of takenoko rice. The sunbathed marketplace melted away like ink on parchment. The sounds, sights, and smells drifted away and he was left standing in a small, familiar hut buried deep within his suppressed memory.
"Mother it smells funny!" A small dog eared child complained, whilst wrinkling his sensitive nose.
A melodious laughter filled the small hut. "That's because you have such a good little sniffer my son." She rubbed one of his triangular ears atop his silvery head. He growled contently at the affectionate touch.
His mother puts on a look of feign shock. "Inuyasha, are you growling at me?" There was a smile behind her shining eyes, so he knew she wasn't truly angry.
"Grrr! I'm a hungry monster come to gobble up your takenoko rice! Grrr!" He stomped around theatrically, gashing his teeth and flexing his claws.
"Oh be still my heart! What to do! Be gone you monster, or else!" She had backed up, waving her wooded spoon dramatically.
Inuyasha stopped up short, a look of confusion replacing his hungry monster face. "Or else what?"
Izayoi broke out into a grin. "Or else I will have to release my own monster. The tickle monster! Raaah!!" She descended upon them, her long, elegant fingers dancing across his ribs.
Inuyasha immediately dropped his monster façade and succumbed to the tickle monster. "No please, please I surrender!" His childish giggling echoed within the hut.
"Are you sure?" His mother asked, her fingers prodding for other ticklish spots.
"Yes!" He gasped, flailing to avoid her masterful hands.
"All right then." His mother had backed off, taking the tickle monster with her.
"Now what say you we finish this takenoko rice, so that we can eat it?"
"Yea!" Inuyasha had cheered, throwing up his chubby arms in a show of excitement.
A few more moments and the dish was simmering on the pot, ready to be served. Izayoi scooped the mixture of steaming rice and bamboo shoots into two small bowls for herself and her son.
Inuyasha stood, hovering over his bowl, inhaling all of the wonderful spices and herbs that had went into making this dish. He could take it no longer and plopped his rump onto a cushion before snatching up his chop sticks and devouring the food.
He was nearly half way through when he noticed his mother had not touched her meal.
"Aren't you hungry mother?" He asked through a mouthful.
His mother did not answer. She stood stock still, her eyes fixed on the doorway.
"Mother? What's wrong?"
"Inuyasha, go to your room."
"What? But mother why?" His confusion deepened at his mother's abrupt request.
"Do as I say." Her normally soft, placid voice rings out sharp in his ears.
Amber eyes wide with uncertainty and a burning curiosity he complied and scurried to his small room.
Izayoi stands up, slowly from her spot at their small table. Floating over to the doorway she folds back the cover to reveal the village headman. A hard scowl is etched into his aged face.
"My lady," He spits out the formal introduction, though it is evident that he struggled to maintain a proper tone with her. "I have been informed that your…son has been making a nuisance of himself among the village people." Here his eyes hardened into black diamonds.
Izayoi looks shocked at the man's proclamation. "I have told Inuyasha to leave the village people well enough alone. He knows that they are busy and do not wish to be bothered while they go about their day to day activities. What is it that he has done?"
The headman cleared his throat, his eyes darting around her hut, as if searching for the boy in order to pin him with the accusation he was about to divulge.
"The villagers have complained to me that your boy has been increasingly involved with their children. They claim that he is distracting them from their duties and engaging in unnecessary activities with them."
Izayoi looked confused for a split second. Then, relief and amusement washed over her features. "Oh they must have misunderstood. He was merely playing with the other village children is all." She chuckled merrily. "Children engage in many a game with one another. All Inuyasha was doing was joining in on their fun. Children do have such boundless energy after all. I am sure there would be no objections towards children expressing the urge to play."
The headmen seemed to take her cheery indifference as an insult. His voice came out in graveled tones."Nevertheless, they have asked me to come to you and request your boy not interact with their children. They believe him to be an unnecessary influence."
It was at that moment that Izayoi realized what he meant. There was no 'duties' that the children were settled with, no 'activities' that they were doing either. The villagers simply did not wish her son to play with their own children. They believed him to be a hindrance, someone who would corrupt their children. In other words, they did not see Inuyasha as the innocent child he was. They only saw what their eyes wished them to see. A demon.
Something inside Izayoi crumbled and fell away into endless blackness. She realized at once what it was. Her heart. It was breaking for her son. For the fact that he would never be treated equally. He would be forever shunned for being a half demon. A lone tear trickled down her snowy cheek. The headman followed it, as if tracking a target. She noticed his gaze and immediately composed herself.
"Very well headman. I understand. I will inform Inuyasha of the situation. There is no need to worry." She was the perfect lady, polite, composed, and perfectly agreeable. On the outside at least. She had to be. It was engrained in her very nature to act this way. It was for nearly all woman of that era. They were taught to be meek, delicate, submissive, and virtually illiterate creatures whose only purpose was to bear children and care for them.
She bowed to the headman, showing respect, though knowing he deserved none of it. He turned stiffly and walked away from their small abode. Izayoi waited until he was out of site before collapsing against the doorframe. The tears came freely now. Pooling in her chocolate eyes they fell to their suicide deaths.
"Mother?" A small, uncertain voice reached Izayoi through her blurry curtain of tears.
Inuyasha stood there, a small, wavering figure clad in red. He stared at his mother, wary of her tears. His mother never cried. She was the one who dried his tears.
"Oh Inuyasha." She breathed. A second later he was smothered in a veil of silk, the smell of jasmine in his nose. His mother had swooped down upon him, enveloping him in a sweeping embrace.
"Mother?" His voice was very small now, muffled by the waterfall of elaborate silk that brushed softly against his cheek.
"I love you, son." She had whispered to him, whilst running her hands through his silver locks.
"I love you too." He clung to her kimono, clinging to the very sent that was his mother. She was soft, warm, and gentle. She was mother, his comfort in the night, his protector. She was his as he was hers.
The memory sifted away like grains of sand. Inuyasha blinked one golden eye and he was back within the bubbling market square.
Mother. The thought touched briefly in his swirling conscious before slipping back into the further crevices where he kept his most secluded memories.
Inuyasha sighed, shrouding his already wary youkai. Gritting his teeth, he managed to suppress the raging torrent of raw power, beating it back by sheer force of will.
This would not do. No tetsaiga meant no protection, most of all from the overwhelming demon that clawed his insides. There had to be some other way.
Unfortunately he had to shove the tetsaiga issue to the back of his things to do list. Some things were more important.
He set out, dashing through the village and into the whispering trees beyond it. They were waiting when he reached the well.
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo.
"Why am I not surprised to see you three here?" He asked gruffly, trying to ignore the warmth blossoming in his chest.
"We had to see you off. And to give you some last minute advice." Miroku clapped him on the back, something he would have previously slashed him for, but now found oddly comforting. He was getting soft.
"And what would this so called advice be hm?" His brows knotted to a harsh v shape as he scrutinized the monk for misdemeanors.
"That you watch out for yourself, and keep a low profile." Sango finished for her fiancée. Her eyes regarded him in a soft gaze.
Oh. Right. Inuyasha studied the shooting grass blades beneath his feet, fighting the heat that rose to his cheeks. He forgot people still cared about him. He supposed that recent flashback might have something to do with his low self esteem. Friends were supposed to say that kind of sappy, heartwarming mush that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"I'm on it." He promised them.
He turned to Shippo last. Somehow this felt like déjà vu all over again when they had left at the start of their visit. Looking at the kit, he saw a distinct difference this time.
Shippo was smiling. It was a small, somewhat sad smile, but a smile none the less.
Tipping his chin up he gazed into those emerald orbs, loosing himself in a sea of green. "Are you going to be ok this time around?"
The smile dimmed just a little, but Inuyasha felt the weight on his heart all the same. He'd become so close with the kit that stood before him, it made his insides churn at the thought of being separated.
"I'll be fine." Shippo's steady pitch made Inuyasha want to sweep him into his arms and promise to never leave again.
But he couldn't do that. To make such a promise would prove fatal down the road. So, he put on his best brave face, hoping Shippo would do the same.
"That's good to know. I'm going to need you strong and ready when we get back. You have to help me start a life here in this god forsaken village." Inuyasha smiled ruefully. He was going to be living among humans. Buddha help him.
Shippo nodded eagerly. "I will, I promise."
"Good. I'm counting on you. Pup."
Shippo blushed at the name, but his smile didn't falter.
"All right then." Taking one last look at their hopeful faces he mounted the wooden lip of the well before descending into darkness.
As the familiar swell of magic surrounded him, Inuyasha pondered his friend's expressions. They had all looked so hopeful, so trusting in his abilities to set things right again.
He dug his claws into the side of the well, gauging out slivers of the ancient wood as he pulled himself up. It figures they viewed him as the dedicated rouge hero. He was always charging into battle, the ripple of raw, unimaginable power tingling at the tips of his claws.
What they failed to understand was where that power derived from. It was always because of her. Kagome had fueled his power. She had given him the strength to go on when he felt he might surrender. She had been there by his side, ever faithful and encouraging. He was determined to be by hers.
The roar of busy traffic, the constant babble of the people, it was all muffled in his ears. He streaked by the unaware humans, making his way back to the hospital by following his nose.
Soon the concrete building loomed before him, a tall, foreboding, and reeking of death and the sickly.
Navigating his way through endless halls, he finally found his way back to the room.
Grandpa and Souta were there. The old man's wrinkled face was stretched thin over his brittle cheek bones as he gazed with worry at his granddaughter's frail looking body.
Souta looked positively sorrowful. His eyes, normally bright and cheerful, were now dull and murky.
Miya immediately got up from her bedside vigil upon his arrival
"You're' back." She put her arms around him in a hug.
He draped a loose arm across her shoulder. "How is she?" He asked quietly.
"She's hanging in there. She's a fighter. The doctors informed us that the concussion in her brain is not fatal. But her body is under a lot of stress. They have done all they can do as far as medical help is concerned. Her body is provided with enough medication to help the healing process. But ultimately it is up to her." Inuyasha could hear the uncertainty in her voice. She was scared to death, as only a mother can be for her daughter.
"Why don't you go get some hot tea? It will help." He offered.
Miya smiled warmly. "You are a good man. And I know you will be good to my daughter." She cupped his cheek tenderly, and for a moment Inuyasha pictured his own mother, bestowing her blessing upon him.
"Thank you. I would do anything for Kagome." He replied huskily.
Miya's eyes twinkled. "You don't have to tell me that Inuyasha. I have witnessed it myself, countless times over the years. You have shown dedication and the utmost love and care for my daughter. I know that you will treat her well."
Inuyasha nodded, swallowing the hot lump lodged in his throat.
Grandpa eased himself up out of his chair and followed after his daughter. He turned briefly to stare at Inuyasha through coal black eyes.
Clapping him on the shoulder, he nodded his approval and disappeared out the door.
Souta was last to retreat from the room. "I knew you would be good for her." He said. His eyes flooded. His gaze snapped to the floor, he was determined not to show his tears.
"Souta." The young boy found himself staring into the endless depths of a brilliant band of gold. They were gazing at him with the softest gaze it made him want to cry all over again.
"You know it's ok to cry." Inuyasha told him. He placed a hand on the boys shoulder.
"I'll let you in on a little secret." This caught Souta's attention. He leaned in closer.
Inuyasha bent down so his mouth was close to the boy's ear. "I've cried too."
Sota's eyes were as wide as saucers, a few straggling tears leaked out rolling down his flushed cheeks. He couldn't believe it.
"No. Not you."
"Yes. It's true."
"When have you ever cried?" Souta asked. This had to be interesting; he was talking to the strongest half demon he knew! Heck, Inuyasha was the only half demon he knew!
"I cried when I thought I had lost your sister."
Oh. Well that certainly changed his perspective on things. Souta was not entirely aware of all of the things that occurred in the feudal era. He knew there was plenty of danger, but it never occurred to him just how much Kagome could encounter.
"Oh. So you really must love her huh?" He sounded unbelievably wise for someone his age.
"Yea, Souta. I really love her. Almost to the point where it hurts."
Inuyasha ruffled the boy's hair. "So does that cover any qualms you have about crying?"
Smiling shyly now, he nodded.
"Good. Now you look peaked there kid. Why don't you go down and see if you can find yourself some food?"
Souta nodded and turned to go.
Inuyasha called him back. "Oh and Souta, see if they have any ramen." He licked his lips in hungry anticipation. Souta could almost see the steaming cups of noodles floating in the half demons eyes.
"All right, will do." He chuckled softly before retreating, leaving Inuyasha alone with the pale woman on the bed.
"Hey there." He called softly to Kagome, who remained unresponsive.
"I visited our friends. They are worried about you. As am I."
He laced his fingers with her limp ones. "So far, the wedding is still on. I just hope that we will be able to cover up those pale, sick features you have going on there. You look like hell Kagome." A bark like laugh flew from his lips. Who was he, laughing at his own dark sense of humor while his mate lay there battered and unconscious?
"I left the jewel with Kaede, just for a little while. She promised to protect it until you are well again."
There was a flash of movement and Inuyasha turned to the doorway. Souta had returned and held a steaming cup of noodles in his hands.
"I wasn't sure what kind to get, so I ended up purchasing one of each." The boy motioned to the bag tucked under the crook of his arm.
"Thanks kid. You're a life saver."
Souta nodded and proffered the cup. "How is she?" He asked as he eased himself into one of the bedside chairs and dumped the bag onto the small table.
"Same as always, pale, bruised, unresponsive. She shows no signs of waking up, she's just….there." Inuyasha replied grimly. He ventured a taste of the hot noodles. Ick. Kagome made better ramen.
Souta nodded solemnly, absently stirring his own cup.
All was silent for a few minutes as the two brooded over lukewarm noodles.
"Do you think she will be all right?" Souta finally asked his eyes wary.
Inuyasha sighed. It was a question they all desperately wanted answered. "Only time will tell us."
He was about to take another bite of his bland lunch when the monitor next to Kagome let out another screeching howl.
Inuyasha knew enough from the last incident that this was not good. He got up, nearly toppling over his chair. He was about to dash out the door and grab one of the doctors when he felt something brush his wrist. He looked down. Kagome had grabbed hold of him.
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Something inside Kagome had awoken. The heavy fog that surrounded her, pinning her to some unknown surface seemed to relent, but only slightly. She was aware that she was under some sort of medication; the drowsiness that weighed down her limbs was proof enough.
It was dark in her world. Dark and quiet. Where was she? Where was Inuyasha? Kagome tried to open her eyes, only to find it impossible. Her eyelids seemed to weigh a ton and refused to open no matter how hard she tried.
She could make out muffled voices. It was like someone had stuffed her ears full of cotton. It was very frustrating as Kagome strained to hear what was going on around her. She managed to catch snippets here and there.
"…the doctor. Something's wrong….. I don't know! grabbed my hand….. Must mean something."
Nothing made sense to Kagome. What doctor? Who grabbed whose hand? Panic began to settle into her chest. Her heart thumped rapidly, bringing with it a flurry of burning flames that descended upon her in a scorching, unrelenting heat.
"Hurry…. Heartbeat accelerating….could be….a seizure."
Was that the heat that licked at her exposed flesh? Kagome squirmed, trying to suppress the merciless flames that smothered her.
Through the blanket of fire she felt a twinge somewhere near her hand. She groped, blindly trying to navigate her way through the inferno that raged inside her.
Something brushed her wrist; at least she thought it was her wrist. The blaze was beginning to cloud her senses, to choke her. Kagome was clawing desperately now as she and the fire fought one another. The flames would push her back inch by inch, trapping her in the eternal heat.
A familiar dull numbness was at her side, her ally against the fire. It must be the meds, some morphine or other such pain reliever. But why was she on morphine?
The touch at her wrist flared again and Kagome barreled her way through the flames once more, determined to discover that feeling.
Hands. That was the touch she felt. Someone's hand on hers. Clawed hands. Inuyasha. She had to open her eyes and find out what was going on.
Straining what felt like every muscle in her body, Kagome forced her eyelids open to a blinding white. That's when everything slipped.
It was if a barrier had broken down. The dull numbness of the morphine had faded. A torrent of unbelievable pain washed over her. Compared to the fire this was nothing. Kagome would have preferred the fire then this. She would have been grateful. It felt like her body was literally being torn at. Ripping, clawing biting. Invisible teeth tore at her flesh as the fire seemed to reach a new heat. The inferno raged hotter and hotter. Kagome glimpsed a pair of golden eyes wide with fear and worry. Her tolerance finally slipped. She opened her mouth and a scream erupted.
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Inuyasha had seen a lot in his life. He had slaughtered demons, even humans, though he was not proud of that fact. He had witnessed death and the utmost violence and gore. He saw woman and children succumb to the black hand of death. But nothing, nothing had prepared him for this.
Kagome's eyes snapped open, two murky orbs, frantic and filled with and the utmost pain. Then the screaming began. His mate thrashed in her bed, a howling animal like screech emitting from her being.
"Souta! The doctor!" Inuyasha yelled over the howling.
The boy, white as a sheet headed his orders and bolted out the door.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha tried to grab his mates flailing hands. He caught a nail or two before he was able to grip her wrists.
She was like a snake. Violently thrashing about, slamming into her pillows. Her eyes were frantic, and kept darting in and out of focus.
"Please, make it stop!" She wailed. "Please. I'll do anything. Just make the pain go away." She was begging, sounding like a small child. Her eyes bore into his, feverish and unseeing.
"Finish it!" Her demented glaze pinned him to the bed. Horror stricken, he could only hold on to her, trying to prevent her body from doing any more damage.
Her body had taken to uncontrollably flailing to the point where Inuyasha had to restrain her to prevent her from hurting herself. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his body.
Every violent jolt of her body Inuyasha felt. She slammed into him again and again, but he did not relinquish his hold.
Kagome clawed at his clothes, trying to wretch herself away.
Her obsidian hair clung to her forehead, damp with sweat.
Kagome writhed, ripping at her thin gown, tearing into her own flesh
"Kagome!" Inuyasha pressed his face to her seizing one. "Kagome, I'm here." He spoke into her clouded eyes.
"Out of the way!" An alert voice sounded.
A flurry of doctors rushed into the room, crowding Inuyasha from the bed. A syringe was attached to the bag. Inuyasha watched as the morphine trickled into her bloodstream. Slowly, her body stopped convulsing. The crazed look faded from her eyes. She shuddered once more before falling slack against the pillows.
"What the hell was that!?" Inuyasha stood up, his eyes blazing on the doctors.
"The morphine sustaining her pain wore off. She was most likely experiencing aftershock from the trauma, and has acted out by means of convulsion. Her body had taken on a life of its own, reacting in such a way that caused her to shake violently."
"She asked me to finish it!" Inuyasha hissed his own animosity and fear coming out in tumbling waves. He paced the room, claws twitching in irritation.
"That was most likely had to do with some unseen illusion or nightmare that Kagome was going through, due to her traumatic shock. That, coupled with the abrupt loss of the morphine caused her body to act of its own accord. Kagome had no idea what she was doing; it is almost as if she was in a hazy fog, lost in the tremulous world of her thoughts and dreams, all intertwining as one. The poor girl will most likely have no recollection of the incident. And if all goes well, and she checks out, she should be out of her in a couple of days, a week at the latest."
Inuyasha resisted the urge to rip the man's throat out. Honestly, the healers here were very insufferable. They claimed to know everything and be the best at what they did, but in reality they seemed to cover up their uncertainties with a lot of big words that Inuyasha did not understand.
The half demon sighed, his frustration slowly seeping out, until he was left with a throbbing temple. Miya chose that time to talk to the doctors, most likely about her daughter's condition. As a mother she wanted to know personally. Inuyasha didn't pretend to understand what they were talking about. Instead he let their voices drift over him, while he sat by Kagome's bed, her limp hand clasped in his.
Soon the gaggle of doctors left, giving the family some much needed peace and quiet. Kagome's screeching words still echoed over and over in his head. She had asked him to finish it. Inuyasha shuddered, an idea coming to mind of exactly what Kagome wanted him to finish. Never in his life would he suspect her of asking such a thing. But she had been under a large dose of medication, which alone made her unstable.
Inuyasha nodded, more to reassure himself than anything else. As he sat there, gazing at the limp body that would soon be his wife, he made a solemn vow to himself. He vowed that when Kagome came out of this, he would be a better mate, a better husband, someone she deserved and was worthy of.
That he could at least do.
Soon Miya came to stand next to him. "I know you're anxious about all of this." Her quiet voice fluttered in his sensitive ear. "Kagome is strong. The least we can do for her is be strong too."
Inuyasha nodded, more to convince Miya then for anything else. The truth was that he was due to get married in less than a fortnight, and here his bride lay, incapacitated.
"We just have to give it time." She reassured him.
Inuyasha did not know how Miya could take this. On the outside, she was the strong force that kept everyone together. But on the inside…. Inuyasha knew. She was crumbling. Only so much could be burdened on someone before they eventually fell to pieces. And Inuyasha concluded that Miya Higurashi was on her last leg.
"Excuse me, I think I will go and have another cup of tea." She said brightly. She quickly scuttled out of the room, past Souta and Grandpa, who both gave her odd looks.
Inuyasha wasted no time. Getting up from his bed side perch, he followed the older woman. He found her, huddled in the cafeteria, nursing her lone cup of tea. He could smell the tears before he reached her.
"Oh! Inuyasha dear, I didn't hear you come in." Miya was wiping hastily at her eyes with her sleeve.
He placed his hand on top of her delicate one. "You don't have to be strong for me."
Miya looked at him, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. Inuyasha brought her close to rest against his shoulder.
"She's my only daughter. My baby." She sobbed quietly into his kimono.
Inuyasha was virtually an expert with crying woman by now, and opted to pat her shoulder in reassurance. Here was her break down. She had been so tough, so strong for everyone else. Where was her support, her shoulder to cry on?
They lapsed into silence; the only sound was Miya's quiet sobs. After several moments her tears subsided into occasional sniffles. She looked up from her place, buried in Inuyasha's shoulder. Amber eyes stared back, a fire burned within them, so hot and ferocious that Miya gasped in surprise.
She seemed to compose herself and sat up. "Oh look at me, crying over what is most likely nothing. Oh and I've gone and gotten you all wet." She fussed at his damp shirt, dabbing at it with her handkerchief. Her smile seemed to appear most suddenly, like the sun after a violent storm. He stared at her smile and realized that it was Kagome's he was looking at. It was a smile that made him physically weak. Her smile made him want to be a better person, and it scared him.
"Let's go see our girl." She stood up, and offered him a hand.
Inuyasha took it without hesitation, having come to admire, respect and love Miya Higurashi almost like his own mother.
They walked down the blinding white halls, Miya's pumps clunking softly on the spotless linoleum, while Inuyasha walked without shoes, his bare feet silent on the cold floor.
Miya entered their private room, Inuyasha trailing behind. If he had entered first he would have seen her expression. But he didn't so her sudden sharp intake of breath startled him.
She stood stock still, blocking the doorway. Immediately sensing that something was wrong, he tried to glimpse what had her so frazzled.
The small woman backed away, allowing Inuyasha access to the room. Now he understood why Miya seemed to freeze upon her entrance.
Sitting up in bed her eyes blinking slowly was Kagome. She turned her head, her dazed eyes locked on his. And in Inuyasha's mind, it all seemed to be a dream, a wonderful, blissful dream. And suddenly he was there by her side, stroking her hair, murmuring softly in her ear. And if it was a dream, he prayed to Buddha to never awaken. He would have liked to stay there by her side forever. There was nothing but Kagome, and her sweet smelling hair, and his lips on hers. It was as if the day had never happened. She was back, she was with him, and he could say goodbye to his hellish nightmare.
When they broke, he backed away, regarding her with a soft gaze. He just wanted to keep staring at her. Her eyes were pure melted chocolate, and her hair so gauzy and soft. She was Kagome and nothing else mattered.
"I take it you've been waiting for me a while." She murmured, her voice coming out in ragged heaves.
"You could say that." He smiled, and felt his heart soar when she smiled back. She was real and whole and she still loved him. He decided right then and there that he would marry her, even if it killed him.
Kagome stretched her arms, and yawned widely, arching her back. "I slept like a rock." She announced.
At this declaration Miya promptly burst into sobs and rushed forward, claiming her daughter in a smothering hug. Souta and grandpa were right behind her, clustering around Kagome, each one bending in for a kiss, a gentle hug, all of them glad to see her awake once more.
Inuyasha hung back, letting them have their moment with Kagome. Miya looked up from the knot of people hovering around her daughter.
"What are you waiting for Inuyasha? You're family too." She beckoned him over.
He glided forward upon her request and pressed himself slightly against the throng of people that crowded around Kagome. He felt a hand reach for him through the huddle of bodies. He looked up and saw Kagome and her radiant smile. It was such a radical change compared to the pale, limp body he had been clutching to for the past several hours.
His keen ears picked up the movement of other visitors. He saw that the doctors had arrived, clipboards in hand, ready to reevaluate their patient. He turned away, blocking them out from his warm, shining moment with his mate. There would be time for tests, for medicine, for recovery and explanations, for weddings, for wishes, and more. But right now, Inuyasha pondered to himself, he was perfectly content with the way things stood.
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That's it for this chapter. I wanted to through in a twist, something exciting and possibly unexpected. Kagome was weakened, obviously from her battle with Yamashi. So I deemed a trip to the hospital in order. I believe this chapter tested the relationship not only with Inuyasha and Kagome, but with Inuyasha and himself, his friends, Kaede, as well as Kagome's family. I think that he learns to be able to trust himself and accept the fact that everyone has flaws, and that sometimes the unfortunate happens, and the only thing we can do is pray and be there for one another in the time of need.
I think this chapter served as a good clincher for the soon to be wedding. And for those wondering: WHEN is the wedding already, and stop dragging it out! I can delay it no longer. The next chapter, we will begin our descent into holy matrimony! *big smiles* But for all those having read this one, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. Review if you please!