DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA JUST THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS I MAY ADD
Chapter Four
"Kagome!" he yelled as he reached the wall of the well.
He covered his eyes and backed away, sneaking over his sleeve to see the light recede. He rushed to the wall and looked down, seeing nothing. He angrily pushed himself away from the well wall and looked towards where Kikyo was standing, seeing that she had gone. He growled and sniffed the air. Her scent was weak, like she hadn't been there for days.
He clenched his hands into fists and growled low and in his chest. Turning quickly when he heard his name called from behind. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo arrived on Kirara flying over the tree tops to land next to him in the clearing around the well.
"What was the strange light?" Sango asked as Kirara landed and she hopped off, Shippo attached to her shoulder.
"Kagome went home," he replied stiffly.
"How is that possible?" Miroku asked confused "She used the Shikon No Tama didn't she? The shards are what transferred her."
"Kikyo"
The group looked stunned as Inuyasha simply grunted and took off, leaving them to look at one another completely confused.
"What would Kikyo have to do with any of this?" Sango asked confused.
"Im not sure," Miroku replied "But perhaps it would be best if we left Inuyasha to himself for now."
Sango and Shippo nodded, but looked after him nonetheless in curiosity.
Kagome sat at the bottom of the well, tears streaming down her face. She leaned her head against the rock wall and closed her eyes, hugging her knees to her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up the well to see the roof of the shrine ceiling that was extended over the well many years ago.
'You made the right decision,' she thought to herself 'You didn't belong there anymore.'
She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a few deep breaths. She smirked when the smell of pot roast wafted through the cracked doors of the shrine from the kitchen a few feet away.
'Mom must be making dinner' she thought as she stood and grabbed the ladder that was permanently placed down the well for her returns 'I guess I came home just in time.'
Kagome made her way through the yard and into the house. She walked thought the front door and stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching her mom fiddle around in the kitchen. She smiled lightly as she remembered the days before the well, when her life seemed so much less complicated. When her mother was the most important person in her life.
Inuyasha flashed before her for a split second, and Kagome looked to the ground. She closed her eyes and steadied herself before looking back up to her mother. She had just put the finishing touches on the pot roast and slid it back into the over on a very low setting to keep it warm until dinner, then turned to see Kagome standing in the doorway. Her face lit up like it was Christmas eve, and Kagome couldn't help but smile back.
Her mother ran over and hugged her tightly, joy filling her tone.
"Kagome, hunny your home!"
Kagome hugged her mother back for a moment before pulling away and speaking softly.
"I've been in the feudal era for a long time mom, I think I'm gonna go shower ok?"
"Of course dear," she replied quizzically looking at her daughter "Dinner will be ready soon, so once you're out of the bath come back downstairs."
Kagome nodded and walked away from her mother, clenching her fists to not show any emotion right now. She turned down the hallway and up the stairs to the bathroom.
Inuyasha swung his foot as he dangled it off the high tree branch. He clenched his hands and slammed his head against the trunk he was leaning on, causing the birds that were perched among its branches to scatter. He closed his eyes as he thought back to Kagome waking up, Kagome crying. He wrinkled his nose and growled low, sitting up from the tree and swinging his arm around to slam into its trunk, creating a huge gap in the trunk of it.
He sighed before looking away from the damage he had created, staring to the ground a few hundred feet below him.
'Why did she leave!" he yelled to himself "She was supposed to stay with me."
He closed his eyes and bowed his head, resting his forehead against his knee. He sighed heavily as he thought, trying to remember what happened. What had he done to shove her away? The more confused he became the more anger built up inside him. He dug his claws into the tree branch, a low rumble emitting from his chest.
'I've done nothing," he thought sadly to himself.
A gentle breeze blew by and Inuyasha quickly raised his head, looking in the direction of the source of the breeze.
'Kikyo'
Kagome stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel. She walked over to the sink, wiping the steam from the mirror and looking at her reflection. There were dark circles under her eyes that caused her puffiness to be more pronounced. The whites of her eyes were tinged in pink from all of her recent crying and she sighed.
'You look pathetic,' she thought sadly to herself.
With a sigh she picked up her brush and swept it through her hair before walking to her room and putting on her pajamas. She looked to the clock. It was 20 minutes till dinner. She pulled the sheets back on her bed and crawled in, covering herself up to her chin. She buried her face in her pillow and closed her eyes, trying to relax.
Kagome crawled up the wall of the well, throwing her backpack over the wall. Inuyasha stood there watching, and Kagome rolled her eyes. She pulled herself over and sat on the wall for a moment, taking a breather.
Inuyasha walked up to her, an angry expression on his face. Kagome just smiled and shrugged. He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed her bag, throwing it over his shoulder and motioning for her to follow him. She stood and followed behind him, watching the leaves flow in the breeze as they went.
They walked for a while before Inuyasha stopped and dropped Kagomes bag to the ground. She looked to him questioningly as he turned to look at her, an expression on his face that she didn't recognize. She walked up to be an arms length away from him, and spoke softly.
"Inuyasha, whats wrong?"
Inuyasha looked to her and his ears twitched as the breeze tickled the fur around the tips. She smiled and giggled, Inuyasha smiling lightly. He took the last step to be face to face with her looked her in the eyes. Kagome swallowed hard and spoke in a nervous voice.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing?"
Inuyasha said nothing, but raised a hand and pressed it to her cheek. Kagome sighed and leaned into his touch, closing his eyes. Inuyasha rubbed his thumb lightly over her cheek, smiling brightly as he felt the warmth raise in her face.
"Kagome," he said softly "You came home."
Kagome shot her eyes open and looked to Inuyasha with surprise. His eyes showed that his confidence faltered, and he lowered his hand from her face. The two looked to each other for a moment before she spoke again.
"Home?"
Inuyasha stood there for a moment before taking her hand in his and leading her off. They walked through the trees, Inuyasha carefully watching his pace so that Kagome wouldn't trip along the way. They walked for a while, both silent as Inuyasha lead the way. After a while, the walked through the trees to stand in a large meadow with a waterfall at the far end. Kagome took in a breath of surprise as her eyes took in the scene before her. The sun was shining brightly, light reflecting off the mist around the waterfalls base causing it to look like it was sparkling.
Inuyasha looked to Kagome and smiled, seeing the joy on her face. He started walking again, leading her across the meadow to the edge of the small lake made by the waterfall. Kagome looked around and closed her eyes, smelling a sweet scent on the breeze. She looked to Inuyasha curiously and he chuckled.
"You're smelling a flower called an Iris. They grow around the rocks at the top of the waterfall."
"I love Iris'!"
Inuyasha chuckled and pulled Kagome close to him. Kagomes face flushed as she smiled up at him. Inuyasha eyes lit up and he placed his hands on her waist, Kagomes arms wrapping around his neck. The two looked to each other for a moment before something clicked in her mind and she started to pull away. Inuyasha furrowed his brow and tightened his grip, stopping Kagomes escape. She looked to him opened her mouth to say something when she was cut off by his confused tone.
"Kagome, what is it?"
"You don't want me here Inuyasha. Let me go, and find Kikyo."
Inuyasha looked to her, a hint of anger in the back of his eyes. Kagome shivered lightly and Inuyasha closed his eyes to calm himself. He spoke softly and calmly.
"Kagome, I did love Kikyo. But she is my past."
Kagome looked to him as her eyes started to water. She smiled and snuggled into his chest, inhaling the smell of the wind and the trees on his kimono. Inuyasha smiled to himself and rubbed her hair, leaning down and nuzzling into the crook of her neck.
"Inuyasha, I never thought," she started being cut off by her voice catching in her throat. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before trying again, "I never thought you would feel the same for me."
"Kagome," he said softly hugging her tightly "I know it's taken me a long time to tell you how I feel, and I know it seemed like I couldn't chose between the two of you. The truth is," he paused pushing her away just enough to slide his hand under her chin and lift her face to his "I have loved you from the beginning. I just needed my closure with losing Kikyo before. She died when I couldn't do anything, and it was my fault in a way. When you awoke me, and I found she was here, that was my chance to end things right."
Kagome looked to him for a moment before leaping to her toes and throwing her arms around his neck once more, pressing her lips to his as a few tears escaped and ran down her cheeks. Inuyasha kissed her back and when they parted he cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
"I love you Inuyasha."
"I love you Kagome."
Inuyasha continued his walk down the path he found himself on, looking from side to side, searching for any trace of Kikyo. He noticed that her scent was fainter than usual, and he wrinkled his nose and the slight decay mingled with it. He shook his head and continued walking, finally coming to a large tree she was sitting in. He stopped, looking on at her in this tree, her soul collectors swarming around her as usual.
He took a step forward and snapped a twig beneath his feet. Kikyo stirred and shot her head in his direction, relaxing slightly when she saw that it was him. They looked to each other for a moment before Inuyasha spoke up, barely hiding the anger in his tone.
"Why did you get rid of Kagome, Kikyo?"
Kikyo closed her eyes and shook her head before speaking weakly, "She asked me to send her back, Inuyasha."
"She would never!" he retaliated "She would never just leave us!"
Kikyo opened her eyes and studied him, Inuyasha taking a step back when he realized the source of her reaction. He looked to the ground and clenched his fists, looking back up only when he heard Kikyo stumble from the tree. She stood, leaning on it for support before speaking again.
"Inuyasha, what do you feel for this woman?"
With a pause he looked to her before replying carefully, "What does it matter to you?"
"Inuyasha please. I saw how you looked to me when I was alive, and how you look to her now."
"How do you know anything? You've only ever tried to harm Kagome, why should I believe this was any different?"
"Inuyasha, why did she come here?"
"We tracked the jewel together."
"And now that the jewel is complete do you think she feels she has a place here?"
Inuyasha stood there, frozen.
'She…doesn't belong here anymore?'
"How do you feel for me Inuyasha?"
"I loved you once Kikyo, I won't deny that."
Kikyo smiled and nodded, walking to Inuyasha and placing herself against his chest. Inuyasha stood there looking down at her, confused on how to react. She chuckled roughly as she pushed herself away from him, her hands on his chest looking up to him. Inuyasha looked down to her frozen in place. Her face was so pale, so fragile. Her body was cold. Her scent was distant and full of decay. He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked to her.
Once, his gaze was for no one but her. But now, as he looked at the fragile creature that she was he realized. She was no longer a part of his life. She was supposed to be dead, that's why Kagome showed up. Kikyo had passed away, her time was over. She didn't belong on this plane anymore….and he didn't belong with her.
Kikyos eyes softened as understanding hit her. She looked to Inuyasha and smiled sadly, distantly. Inuyasha took a breath before placing his hands on hers, removing them from his chest. His eyes looked fragile as he tried to decide how to chose his next words, making Kikyo chuckle to herself.
"Kikyo, I did love you. But, Kagome is my world now."
Kikyo nodded and removed her hands from his, leaned up and kissed his cheek, and back stepped a few feet. Inuyasha watched as her soul collectors flew down and circled her, Kikyo being enveloped in a bright white light. Orbs of lost souls left her body, being caught by the collectors. Inuyasha looked on in awe as Kikyos pale color returned to its normal shade, the light in her eyes brightened, and the joy in her face returned.
His expression gave away his confusion as he watched what was happening and Kikyo closed her eyes as the last of the souls escaped her body. She opened her eyes and looked to Inuyasha, her body slowly turning into pure light.
"Thank you Inuyasha," she said lightly "You have set me free."
Inuyasha smiled as he raised his hand in a wave, "Good bye Kikyo."
"I love you Inuyasha."
Kikyos body turned into a pure light source, the soul collectors flying away from her, and the source turning into a few bulbs that flew off in different directions, leaving Inuyasha to stand by himself in the dark of night. He stood there for a moment, looking to the spot where Kikyo had just stood and smiled, looking up into the dark sky, looking to all the stars. Remembering something Kagome had once said, he lowered his head and darted off through the trees.
