InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After-effects ❯ An ending and a new beginning ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: Me no own Inuyasha and the gang, as usual.

 

Author's note: Well, I know it may be a bit late, but thanks to livingember for his/her kind review on the prologue. Sorry for the delay in acknowledgement... I was so busy that, in the midst of posting... I forgot he he he. Anyway, better late than never they say ;).

 

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Chapter 5: An ending and a new beginning

 

The bright rays of the sun filtering through Yuna's eyelids lifted the fog of sleep from her mind. Opening her eyes, the first thing she could see was the ceiling of an unfamiliar room. Confused, she turned her head slightly to gather more of her surroundings and stopped. Her head had rolled on something soft and warm that she identified as a pillow. Blinking in confusion, she looked down and, sure enough, there was a blanket on top of her.

 

"Futon?" she thought groggily. "When did I..." she trailed off.

 

Not completely understanding her situation, she tried to sit up in bed, but as soon as she did so, a sharp pain in her right arm caused her to gasp out in pain and abort her effort. While the experience was far from pleasant, it did have the effect of jarring her memory awake.

 

"That's right... an arrow was headed straight for Kagura-sama..." she mused.

 

Careful of her injury this time, she tried again to sit up and was able to do it without jarring it too much. Looking around, she immediately noted the other futon next to hers. The state it was in suggested that it had been occupied not too long ago but gave no clue as to who the occupant had been nor to where he or she had gone now. As it was though, she didn't have to wait long for her answer because a few minutes later, the door slid open to reveal the shape of the wind sorceress balancing two trays of food in her arms.

 

"Kagura...sama?" spoke the child in confusion.

 

Upon hearing her name, the female youkai looked up to notice that Yuna was sitting up in bed, fully awake. "Well, finally up I see," she said with a small smile.

 

 

Setting the trays on the ground, the sorceress proceeded to push her futon out of the way to clear an area large enough for her and the child to eat comfortably. That done, she set them one in front of the other and sat down. Glancing at Yuna, she could see that the ten years old was looking at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Upon closer inspection though, she noticed that her gaze kept wandering to the spare tray of food and that as soon as she saw it, she would look away as if burned.

 

"Aren't you going to come and eat?" she asked perplexed by Yuna's behavior.

 

The ten years old's eyes instantly shot up and looked at the sorceress in complete disbelief. "But..." she said, stealing an uncertain glance at the plates.

 

"But....?" said the sorceress, in an inquiring tone.

 

"It... it's... too much... I can't..." stuttered the child, while at the same time shooting hungry looks at the food displayed.

 

"Too much?" thought the sorceress in confusion while looking at the bowl of miso soup and the few rice balls that made breakfast.

 

Something suddenly clicked in Kagura's mind. "Yuna... What did you normally eat for breakfast?" she asked suspiciously.

 

"L... Leftovers... when there was some," she answered timidly.

 

"I thought so, those monsters didn't even bother to feed her properly," mused the sorceress angrily. Furrowing her brows, she pondered over what to say to the child to get her to eat her food.

 

"Yuna... Do you remember at the hotspring when you helped me?" she inquired after a few seconds of reflexion.

 

The ten years old only nodded shyly in reply. "Why did you want to help me so much?" she questioned again.

 

"I wanted to... please you Kagura-sama," spoke the child softly.

 

"Well then, do you still want to please me?" the sorceress asked.

 

Another nod from the girl brought a small smile on the youkai's lips. "Then... eat," she said gently.

 

The ten years old looked uncertainly at Kagura for a few seconds, but the reassuring smile on the older woman's face finally decided her to get out of bed and head for her designated place. There was another hesitant pause when she settled down, but again, Kagura's encouraging smile won the battle, and the child finally took her first bite. It was like a dam had suddenly burst inside the young girl as her appetite took over and she began to litteraly wolf down her food.

 

Kagura watched the ten years in amusement for a moment before digging in herself. "I'll teach you Yuna... I'll teach you what it means to be free," thought the sorceress determinately.

 

******

 

"Well Inuyasha, your healing abilities will never cease to amaze me, no matter how often I see them," said Kaede once she had peeled off the bandages on the hanyou's legs.

 

"So I can walk again, right?" he asked impatiently.

 

"Your legs are just fine, but let me check your chest now," answered the healer as she started on removing the white gauze that circled his waist.

 

Sighing in exasperation, he turned his head to the side and his eyes strayed to Kagome who was watching the process intently. Truth be told, he would have preferred if the young girl had given him the attention instead of Kaede. In fact, she had started to peel off the bandages on his right leg herself, that is until both had realized just how high it ran. The two had blushed bright red and in the end, the job was passed to the old miko. It was funny when one thought about it, because it had been the schoolgirl who had bandaged him in the first place. But things had been different then, their feelings had not been revealed and it had created a barrier that allowed for such close contact to exist without surrendering to passion.

 

While these thoughts were processed though, Kaede had managed to finish removing the bandages to reveal a wound that was not completely closed yet, but showed good signs of healing. This had been his most serious injury, one of Naraku's tentacle had pierced right through his chest, leaving a gaping wound that would have killed a normal person. Of course, being a hanyou, it had merely slowed him down a bit.

 

"Well, I think a few more days should do the trick for this one," said the old miko once she had eyed the wound critically.

 

"You can walk, but don't go around and get yourself beat up again," added Kaede sternly.

 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," answered the hanyou in a bored tone of voice.

 

Standing up, he stretched his legs a little, getting used to the feeling of walking on them again. Once he had done that, he headed toward Kagome and sat down. The girl was sporting a rather apprehensive look on her face and she quickly averted her eyes when his gaze fell on her.

 

"You know you can't put this off forever," he said surprisingly gently.

 

"I know… It's just that… it hurts… to say goodbye," she said with downcast eyes.

 

"Kagome…" said the hanyou as he started to drap his arm around the girl's shoulders.

 

Abruptly, she stood up and reached for her backpack, throwing the crouching hanyou off balance. "Let's just get this over with," she said and walked briskly to the door.

 

Inuyasha stared at the retreating form in surprise before standing up and following after her.

 

"It's sad," murmured Sango once they had both gone.

 

"I know," answered Miroku. "But it's for the best. If she had kept on with her double life, it would have caused unnecessary suffering for her and everyone close to her," finished the monk solemnly.

 

"Miroku? Why is it that you can say things like this when you can barely choose between two cards?" inquired Shippo innocently, prompting a snort of laughter from Sango and a glare from the monk.

 

******

 

"Leaving the village you say?" asked the dark shape at the bee.

 

"No it's ok, I know where they're going. You keep watch in the village, I'll handle the girl and the dog demon," he said eventually.

 

"Well," launched the shape once the bee had retreated. "It's finally time to play a little," he exclaimed as he stretched and headed off.

 

******

 

The trip to the well was mostly silent. Both were too absorbed in their own thoughts to actually say anything. It was eventually Inuyasha who broke it with a rather cryptic retort.

 

"I'm sorry Kagome," he said.

 

"Sorry? For what?" asked the schoolgirl in confusion.

 

"That you have to say goodbye to your family," he answered quietly. Seeing that she was about to reply, he raised his hand to stop her. "I always dreamed about having a family who would accept me," he continued solemny. "And now, to see you about to leave them all behind… I can't help but feel bad about it," he finished.

 

"Inuyasha… my life in the future ended when I first fell down the well. I just didn't realize it until now. So I have no actual regrets about leaving all that I was to embrace all that I can be," she said solemnly.

 

"But what happened about all those tests and classes you were always complaining so much about," he asked confused.

 

"To be honest Inuyasha, I failed a great number of them. I failed so many in fact that my friends have all graduated while I'm still stuck in highschool," she added with a little slump of her shoulders.

 

Frowning, the hanyou tried to remember what Kagome had told him about her school system in order to understand what she had just told him. "Graduating… Graduating… Was it that thing about going to a bigger school?" he asked himself.

 

"Does that mean that you… got left behind?" he finally added hesitantly.

 

The schoolgirl looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to understand her last retort but he had, at least in its most basic form, which was quite something in itself. "Well that's right, I'm impressed you actually paid attention when I explained my school system to you," she teased.

 

"Keh! You make it sound as if I never listen to you," he answered falsely angered.

 

"Well…" she answered teasingly.

 

"Okay, now I'm mad," he said and stalked menacingly toward the schoolgirl.

 

"Oh! No! I angered the big bad hanyou! Whatever will I do!" she exclaimed in mock terror before darting off in direction of the well, Inuyasha following not far behind.

 

She didn't know exactly how he had managed, but the hanyou had successfully made her laugh and forget the pain of separation she was about to live. Of course, the moment lasted only a few short minutes, but it was nonetheless very appreciated and her spirit had lifted considerably when she stopped in front of her destination.

 

"That was fast," she reflected. "Looks like we were closer than I thought," she finished as she turned around.

 

She was slightly surprised to see that the hanyou was just catching up with her. She could see that he was frowning in confusion at something.

 

"How on earth did you do that?" he asked.

 

"Do what?" she anwered, not understanding.

 

"What else, run like this, I mean you ran as fast as me. It shouldn't be possible for a human," he said obviously troubled by this.

 

This time it was Kagome's turn to be confused. "I didn't realize…" she said trailing off. "Maybe it has something to do with my miko powers," she added thoughtfully.

 

"What do you mean," he asked.

 

"Well in Naraku's castle… they triggered in ways I never imagined before. So maybe they triggered now without me realizing it and they sort of increased my physical abilities or something," she said not fully convinced.

 

"Maybe…" added Inuyasha dubiously.

 

"In any case, let's ask Kaede when we return. It's pointless to stand here and question ourselves," launched Kagome, effectively closing the debate.

 

"Right… Well then, are you ready?" asked the hanyou leaning against the side of the well.

 

"Yeah, let's go," answered the schoolgirl and with that, they both jumped down the well at the same time, the familiar blue hue surrounding them both when they reached the bottom.

 

In the trees not far behind, a black cloaked figure suddenly made his appearance. "Whoops! Looks like I just missed them," it said. "Oh well, I'll just get them on their way back," it said in a dismissal tone.

 

******

 

"So your quest is finally over? That great news!" exclaimed Kagome's mother happily.

 

She and Inuyasha had spent the last hour or so detailing their last encounter with Naraku and the completion of the shikon no tama. They had conveniently omitted the schoolgirl's death and revival, not seeing the point in driving her family mad with worry over it. The coming announcement would be enough of a shock as it was.

 

"So it means that grandpa can stop making silly excuses to explain your absence," launched Sota wryly.

 

"Yeah... I guess it does," said Kagome somberly.

 

Seeing that his joke had not gotten the desired effect, the young boy looked at his sister in confusion. "Is something wrong sis?" he asked, concerned.

 

Kagome sighed in apprehension at what she was about to say and let her arms fall to her side. Turning her head, she looked at Inuyasha for the support she so desperately needed right now. Noticing her gaze, the hanyou offered her a small smile and discreetly took her hand in his. Feeling her courage returning with this small gesture, the schoolgirl took a deep breath and launched herself.

 

"I'm leaving... for good," she said bluntly.

 

A thick and heavy silence fell on the room at this announcement. Everyone looked at the couple in disbelief, not willing to acknowledge what they had just heard. It was Kagome's grandfather who was the first to react.

 

"Are you totally out of your mind girl!?" he screamed in anger. "Do you know how dangerous the sengoku jidai is?! You won't last a day in such a harsh period!" he continued. "Your place is with us and if you can't realize this..." he said before Kagome's mother interrupted him.

 

The older woman had watched Kagome crunch back in her seat at her father in law's outburst and now, she couldn't take anymore of his nonsense. "Be quiet old fool!" she snapped, her voice cracking like a wip.

 

Everyone's jaw in the room fell to the floor in surprise at what they had just witnessed. The sweet and kind woman everyone had come to know had suddenly revealed a hidden part of her personnality that no one suspected. Noticing that all the people present in the room were looking at her with rather disbelieving eyes, the woman cleared her throat slightly.

 

Having thus regained her composure, she continued in a softer tone. "I think you should also consider Kagome's feelings in this father," she said in her normal and calm tone.

 

"It's obviously a decision she didn't make lightly and also one she isn't likely to change. So the best thing for us to do is support her fully," she finished placidly.

 

The old man was about to object when he caught sight of the spark of ice in his daughter in law's eyes. All the arguments he had been about to present instantly died in his throat. Instead, he grunted in anger and left the room briskly.

 

"Don't worry dear, he'll come around eventually," said Kagome's mother reassuringly.

 

"He was always a bit hard headed," admitted the schoolgirl with a humorless smile.

 

"It'll be boring around here without you to tease sis," said Sota jokingly.

 

"Oh you'll find someone else to bug, I'm sure," launched his sister in the same tone.

 

"Now then, you may be leaving, but surely you two have time for a meal," inquired the older woman cheerfully.

 

Schoolgirl and hanyou looked at each other for a few seconds in surprise before Kagome spoke up. "Well... I guess," she said hesitantly.

 

"Excellent, I'll get right to it," answered her mother and promptly sat up from her chair and headed for the kitchen.

 

The three people present looked at the door where the woman had disappeared to for a few seconds before glancing at each other in worry. They had all felt that the cheerfulness had been faked and that in fact the woman was hurting inside. "I'll go see if she needs any help," announced Kagome. "Sota, could you take care of Inuyasha for a while?" she asked.

 

"No problem sis," answered her brother immediately.

 

She nodded and proceeded to make her way to where her mother had disappeared to. When she entered, she immediately spotted her. She had her back to her and was currently cutting down onions. "How convenient," thought the schoolgirl with a shake of her head.

 

"Mom..." she said softly once she was right behind her. The woman didn't turn right away, but she did stop her chopping, meaning that she had heard the call.

 

Finally, she did turn around and Kagome noted that even though she was smiling, tears had streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry dear, it seems that the onions are stronger than usual," said her mother immediately.

 

"You're right, I can feel them too," answered the schoolgirl as her own tears started flowing.

 

Both mother and daughter looked at each other for a moment before the dam finally broke down and they threw themselves in each other's arms. "Kagome..." her mother whispered as her arms tightened around her child protectively.

 

"Mom..." answered the schoolgirl equally softly.

 

They stayed like that for a long time, taking in the other's presence for what would most likely be the last time. No words were said, the silence the two women shared spoke louder than anything they could have said anyway.

 

"I'm sorry dear," spoke Kagome's mother once they had pulled away. "I didn't want you to see me like this," she finished, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

 

"It's okay mom, I didn't want you to see me cry either," said the schoolgirl with a sad smile on her face.

 

"Just promise me... that you'll be happy okay?" whispered the older woman softly.

 

"I will mom... I promise," answered Kagome as she hugged her mother another time.

 

"Now then..." began Kagome's mother with a newfound cheerfulness. "Why don't you go to your room and see if there wouldn't be a thing or two you'd like to bring with you while I prepare dinner," she finished.

 

"I think I'll do that," answered the schoolgirl. "And mom... Thank you... for everything," she finished.

 

"Don't mention it dear. Now go, dinner won't cook itself," said the older woman lightly as she hushered the girl out of the kitchen.

 

Alone in the corridor, Kagome suddenly felt a wave of apprehension flow through her as she looked at the stairs she had climbed over a million times before. With each step she took, the feeling only grew worst and upon reaching her door, she found herself frozen and unable to enter.

 

"This is silly," she thought in a desperate attempt to quell the fear that held her in place. "It's just my room, there's nothing scary in there," she mused again.

 

But deep down, she knew why she was feeling this way. This was more than just a simple bedroom, it was her bedroom. It had seen her grow up, it had seen her happiness, her sadness, her trials. It had always been a safe heaven when she needed it. This room was like a part of her and now, she had to say goodbye to it for good. That was what she was loathing. It was one thing to say farewell to other people, but to say goodbye to a part of yourself was quite another matter.

 

"How many partings must I endure today," she thought sadly.

 

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, pushed open the door and entered. She didn't know exactly what to expect upon being confronted with the familiar scenery. As it was, she couldn't even begin to describe exactly what it was that hit her. Thousands of emotions rushed through her, causing a lump to form in her throat and tears to start welling up in her eyes. She quickly locked herself in, not willing to let anyone see her like this and promptly broke down crying.

 

Her moment of weakness didn't last though. "I won't break down like this," she thought in anger. "I won't let myself be overcome by my pain," she reflected again as she got back to her feet.

 

Doing so, her eyes fell on her backpack that lay on her bed. "That's right, I asked Sota to bring it here when we arrived," she mused.

 

Without waiting any further, she proceeded to do what she had come here to do in the first place. Shutting off her emotions and allowing her practical mind to take over, she emptied the bag and set the miko outfit, her miko outfit, on the side for later. Fishing through the rest, she began to sort the items that could be useful and those that could not.

 

When she was done with the content of her backpack, she widened her search to encompass the rest of the room. Every drawer, every rack, every square inch was thoroughly emptied and its content examined. When that was done, she filled the bag again and strapped it shut. Then, she put it on the ground and changed into her new clothing. She hung her school uniform on a hook in her wardrobe and finally slumped on her bed.

 

Throughout the whole process, Kagome had kept a close seal on her emotions. It was the only way to accomplish what she had done without breaking down completely. Now that everything was done though, it was time to open the dam. Closing her eyes, she released everything that she had kept pent up inside. Pain, anguish, sadness, despair, all of these mixed together in a swirling vortex that swallowed her whole. It got her to a point where she didn't even know what she was feeling anymore and in the end, she simply fell asleep emotionally drained.

 

Her mother's call roused her from her slumber. Looking at her alarm clock, she noticed that she had been unconscious for almost an hour. She felt a little better though, her emotions had run their course and the violent pain in her heart had turned into a dull ache.

 

"Coming mom!" she called back to her mother as she pushed herself to her feet.

 

She grabbed her backpack and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, she paused and looked at her uniform one last time, a nostalgic smile appearing on her face. "Goodbye," she whispered before exiting the room for the last time.

 

******

 

"Good luck Kagome," said her mother while giving her a hug.

 

"Thanks mom," answered the young miko with a smile.

 

"Sis... just be careful okay," muttered Sota not exactly sure of what to say.

 

"I will and you'd better not bug mom too much now that I'm gone," she said while ruffling his hair playfully.

 

Sighing, she looked around the shrine one last time in hope of spotting her grandfather. The man had not eaten with them at lunch and now that they were all standing in front of the house that contained the bone-eater's well for a final farewell, he wasn't there either.

 

"Will you tell goodbye to grandpa for me?" asked Kagome, a little sad at his absence.

 

"We will dear, we will," answered her mother reassuringly.

 

"Thanks," she said softly before turning to face Inuyasha who stood near the door, her backpack on his shoulder, waiting patiently.

 

Sighing once again, she steeled herself and started to walk toward the door. She had taken about three steps when her grandfather's voice interrupted her. "Kagome!" he called from the house.

 

Turning her head, she could see him coming toward her in a sort of half walking half running way. He stopped a few seconds later when he reached her side.

 

"Kagome...You... You" he panted.

 

"Calm down grandpa," said the girl as she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

 

When his breath finally came back, the old man began in a solemn tone. "Kagome... I still consider your decision to be crazy," began the old man and he immediately raised his hand to signal he had more to say.

 

"However... It's the privilege of the youth to be crazy like this. I was a fool not to see it sooner," he amended.

 

"Grandpa..." murmured the girl before throwing herself in his arms.

 

"Now now, if you keep this up, I may end up crying too," said the old man jokingly.

 

"I'm sorry," said Kagome with a smile while breaking the embrace and wiping her wet eyes with the back of her hand.

 

"Here, this is something I'd like you to have," he said, presenting her with a small rectangular box.

 

"What is it?" she asked perplexed.

 

Taking the box from her grandfather's outstretched hand, she opened it and her eyes widened in shock at the two golden circles it contained. "But grandpa, this is..." she trailed off.

 

"These are your grandmother and I wedding bands. I'm sure you'll find someone who will be worthy of wearing mine," he said while shooting Inuyasha a knowing glance.

 

"But... But..." stammered the young miko.

 

"I intended to give them to you on the eve of your wedding day, but I suppose now is as good a time as any," he said with a smile.

 

"Grandpa...I... I don't know what to say," stammered Kagome.

 

"Don't say anything child, just be happy in your new life," said the old man solemnly.

 

"I will... I promise," she answered with a shaky smile.

 

With that said, she started once again toward the well house where Inuyasha was patiently waiting for her to finish her farewell. When she reached him, she simply nodded to signal that she was ready. Seeing this, the hanyou opened the door and headed inside first. Turning around, she could see her family waving at her. She felt her heart warm up at seeing the gesture and she returned it.

 

"Goodbye," she whispered with a small smile before heading inside, away from the 21st century and toward the sengoku jidai.