InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Night of the Moonflower Festival ❯ Chapter 2

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: Ok, now that I've given Kagome heaven, i will proceed to give her hell. BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I am not AresGODDESS for nothing! >:D Just ignore me. I was up too late writing and am a little insane. Just a pinch.

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Kagome awoke on her pallet in Kaede's hut. The bright sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the mat that covered the door.

Was it just a dream? she thought sadly. She had found her place, and it had only been a figment of her imagination. She sighed. What a drag.

She walked outside and greeted Sango, who had been up and training since the sunrise. After a light breakfast, the two friends walked down the path that led into the forest. Inuyasha and Miroku were arguing over which of them would win in a death match. Inuyasha waved to Kagome, but made no move to go to her. He smiled at her, but the smile didn't have the same feeling behind it that it used to. She smiled back, but her smile was as empty of emotion as his. They were just two friends, smiling at each other.

Kohaku, Shippo and Kirara joined the two girls on their trip into the forest. They spent the day searching for wild herbs, talking gossip about the guys, and helping Kohaku keep Shippo and Kirara out of trouble. They stopped for lunch at the bone eater's well. She had missed this. Spending time with her friends and just relaxing. Her eerily realistic dream had gotten her thinking. She loved her friends, but she loved Koga too. In her heart, she knew it to be true. Her mother once told her that dreams are a view into your soul. If this was true, then maybe she was ready to move on. She and Inuyasha had grown apart, the exchange earlier had proved it. They were nothing more than friends now. His heart had been going back and forth for a long time, but now it had settled on Kikyo. This too, she knew in her heart. When the boys and Kirara went to play in the nearby stream, Kagome decided to talk to Sango about her confusion.

“Sango...”

“Yes? What is it, Kagome?” Sango turned from watching Kirara and Shippo play. She could hear tension in her friend's voice. It was obvious that Kagome was nervous about what she was about to say.

“Have you noticed how Inuyasha...how he...and I...” Kagome's voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

“How you and he haven't been spending as much time together?” Sango finished for her. Kagome nodded.

“Yes. Miroku too. He commented on it the other day. He thinks that the two of you have lost the passion you once held with each other. Your relationship has cooled, and you are only friends now.”

“What do you think, Sango?”

“I think I agree. You two have been through a lot, but in the end, you have to travel you own road. You two were thrown together because of Naraku, but now that his threat is gone, what bound you together is also gone. Why do you ask?” Sango drank from the plastic bottle Kagome had brought for her. The juice held inside was very tasty and refreshing after the long walk. It helped calm her mind, while she pondered what was going on in Kagome's head.

“I don't know. I'm feeling lost about the situation. I always saw myself with Inuyasha in the end, but I was also second fiddle to Kikyo. He loved her first, and now that Naraku is gone, her life is restored and their misunderstandings are cleared, they are free to be together.” Kagome said, feeling frantic. “But I feel like I should be pining for him, fighting for him, something!” She covered her face with her hands, not even trying to hold back her tears of confusion and frustration. Sango pulled Kagome close, hugging her friend, trying to calm her down by stroking her hair. She knew the feelings of being lost and alone all too well. Sometimes, it was enough to know that someone cared.

“Kagome. Please do not worry too much. Life will go on. You are scared because this is not what you envisioned, am I correct?” Sango asked. Kagome nodded. “And you are also scared because you feel you should be outraged that Inuyasha goes off to see Kikyo, but you aren't?” Kagome nodded again.

“Kagome, it's ok to not love Inuyasha like that. He's moved on, and so should you. The fact that you don't feel anything means that you have. You two are still friends, but not anything more than that. Is there anyone else you have feelings for now? Someone from your time, maybe?”

Kagome hesitated for a second, but nodded again. Sango smiled and patted Kagome's head lovingly. Kagome had the sudden thought that Sango had a very motherly way about her. If Miroku has his say, Sango will be a mother several times over, but she'll be damn good at it, Kagome thought to herself.

“Want to talk about him? I must admit, I am curious about who he is. And talking about the guy you like will make you feel better,” Sango said, still smiling.

She sat up to face Sango, drying her tears with her napkin. Just like a mom, Kagome thought. Out loud she said, “Well, he's very sweet. He's a bit protective of me, but in a good way, not a creepy way. I've known him a while now. He's told me that he loves me. He's not afraid to tell other people that he loves me. He's very bold in that manner. I had a dream about him last night actually. Because of my dream, I realized that I love him too, but,” she paused, “I don't know how to talk to him about it. I think it would seem a bit weird or out of place. I've been spending a lot more time with him lately. He's been kind, very patient, and considerate of me, of my relationship with Inuyasha.”

“He knows of Inuyasha? Kagome, is it someone from this time?” Sango asked, a bit concerned. Kagome hugged her knees and nodded.

“Yes, he is. But don't worry, it's not Miroku.” Sango blushed from embarrassment. Kagome smiled at her friend. She knew the demon slayer well.

“Who is it? Do I know him?” Sango asked, trying to regain her composure.

“Yeah, you do. It's Koga,” Kagome said.

“The wolf tribe leader? Really? I thought you didn't really like him at all.”

“It's not that I didn't like him, it was just that I didn't know much about him. He showed up sporadically, and never for very long. The only quality time I had actually spent with him was when he kidnapped me. But like I said, I've been hanging out with him a lot over the past few months.”

“So that's where you always disappear to? I was wondering...” Sango said, sipping her juice. She noted that Kagome was already starting to look calmer and was also regaining her rosy complexion. I guess she just needed someone to tell her that it was ok to move on, she thought to herself.

“Yeah. I suppose we've been dating.”

“Dating?”

“Oh, yeah, people don't really do that in this time, do they? Dating is when a boy and a girl get together to do something, like go eat dinner, see a show, stuff like that. They get to know each other better, and if they like each other enough, the relationship gets more and more serious and can eventually lead to marriage.”

“Oh.” Sango wasn't sure what to think about that. Kagome lay her head in Sango's lap. Absentmindedly, Sango stroked Kagome's hair.

“I think you should tell him,” Sango said out of nowhere. Kagome looked up at her. “You should tell Koga how you feel about him. You'll never know if you don't try.” Kagome thought about it.

“Carpe diem,” Kagome whispered. Sango gave her a curious look. “It's a famous phrase. It's Latin. It means 'Seize the day.' Pretty much what you just told me. How did you get so wise, Sango?”

“I had good teachers,” Sango said, smiling.

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Around mid-afternoon, they started heading back to the village. The sun was glowing orange as it began its sinking into the horizon. When they got back to Kaede's, the old priestess was there to greet them.

“Oh, Kagome. This was left on the window for you,” Kaede said as she handed her a folded paper. “I didn't notice it until after you left because it was weighted down with the water pot of all things. It was smaller than the base, whoever left it should have known better.” Kagome took the paper and Kaede took the herbs inside the hut. Kagome unfolded the paper. She and Sango read it together. On it was written:

My lovely Kagome, forgive me for returning you to the village before you woke. Some of the scouts came to me in the night, telling me that your friends were searching for you. As much as I wanted you to stay with me all night, I didn't want to cause you or them any trouble or misunderstandings. If you still feel the same in the morning as you did last night, come to the south side of the mountain where my tribe resides. There is a large tree that towers over the rest of the forest. I will be there when the evening star appears. Forever yours, Koga

Her moon flower was wrapped in the final fold of the paper. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

It wasn't a dream?

She looked up at the sky. The evening star was starting to make its presence known.

“Sango! I need to get to the wolf tribe's mountain and quick!” she said in a panic. Sango smiled. She remembered running into the wolf tribe's scouts the night before when she was looking for Kagome. They must have heard her calling out for her.

“Kirara!” she cried out. Kirara responded in a burst of flames to her mistress' call. The two girls jumped onto the demon cat's back and disappeared into the sky. Inuyasha watched Kagome go.

“Is it ok to let her leave like this? She said she need to get to the wolf tribe's mountain. The only person there she could possibly see is the wolf demon leader, Koga,” Miroku said, also watching them go.

“It's alright. She and I both know we have no future together. We're friends, but that's all. She deserves to be happy, and if that flea bitten wolf makes her happy, so be it. However, if he hurts her in any way, I will be the first person to break his neck in half,” Inuyasha replied. Miroku grinned. He agreed whole heartedly.

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Koga sat underneath the great tree. He was early, but he had been going crazy waiting for evening. He had taken Kagome back to the village in the wee hours of the morning after his men had reported meeting up with Sango, the demon exterminator. She hadn't told them specifically that she was looking for Kagome, but the men had heard her calling for Kagome a few minutes earlier. Koga suspected that Sango hadn't wanted to worry the scouts, since all of his men held Kagome in the highest regard and would have been frantic to find her. They had, after all, gone straight to Koga when they heard. Fortunately, Kagome had been swiftly returned to her friends, though none of them knew where she had been or how she came back. Koga had made sure to stay out of sight, and erase all evidence of his presence, including disguising his scent. The last thing he wanted was for the mutt to accuse him of kidnapping Kagome.

He sighed. It had been great having Kagome in his arms last night. Her skin was so soft and her body felt like it fit perfectly with his.

That mutt is an idiot to have abandoned Kagome, he thought. But his loss is my gain. If she accepts me, that is. What if she doesn't show up tonight? I left the letter in an obvious place. He sighed again, not realizing that the water pot was not the most obvious place to put an urgent letter.

He watched as the evening star began to become noticeable in the sky. I'll wait for a while longer, he thought. If she's not here by the time the star has reached it's brightest, I'll take that to mean a rejection. He noted that the wind, previously a gentle breeze, was becoming quite loud.

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Kagome saw how bright the planet Venus had become in the time it took them to get to the tree. She prayed to the spirits that Koga would still be there. Kirara circled the botanical giant carefully. The wind had picked up as a storm was rolling in from the north, and it was hard to keep steady on Kirara's back. Both Sango and Kagome strained to see. Koga was nowhere in sight.

Am I too late? Did he leave already? Does he think I rejected him? Kagome was starting to hyperventilate. She didn't think she could take it if her chance with Koga was taken away. She clung to Sango, keeping her eyes shut tight to keep back the tears. Koga...please be here...

“KAGOME!!”

She looked around.

“Down there!” Sango said, pointing down, not to the base of the tree, but to the branches halfway up the tree. Koga was standing on a wayward branch that was waving as wildly as Koga's arms. She wasn't sure if he was flagging her down or trying to keep his balance. Whatever the reason, her heart soared at the sight of him

“KOGA!!” She cried out to him happily. He's there! He's really, really there!

She's here! She's really, really here! Koga thought joyously. His heart felt like it was going to burst from happiness, and then plummeted as Kagome slipped off the flying demon and started a long descent to the rocky terrain below.