InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After the Storm ❯ Dreaming of...Kikyou?! ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

 

 

Kagome was in her Shinto hakama, walking along a quiet path in the forest near Kaede's village. Everything was silent, oddly so. The forest was rarely, if ever, this calm.

 

She felt something hanging around her neck and felt it. To her minor surprise, it was the Shikon no Tama, almost whole but with Kouga's shards still missing, which she realized were clenched tightly in her fist.

 

She came upon the clearing where the Bone-Eater's Well stood, and to her surprise she found…well, almost her mirror reflection, or as most people would say, her twin--Kikyou. She stopped dead, wondering whether she should approach her rival, or if she should just leave. Before she could do anything, though, Kikyou looked up and saw Kagome watching her.

 

"So you're still here," she said unfathomabley.

 

Kagome swallowed and nodded silently, cursing herself in her head. Why was it that she felt so intimidated by Kikyou? They were equals, both powerful archers and priestesses, both equally strong when it came to spiritual powers. And yet, she continued to clam up in her presence. How did Kikyou manage to do this to her?

 

Kikyou, meanwhile, stood from where she was sitting on the side of the well and approached the young woman.

 

"You realize what this all means, don't you, Kagome?"

 

She nodded again, somehow knowing what the miko meant. "I have to leave soon…" she said quietly.

 

Kikyou regarded her calculatingly. "And yet you still continue to make ties? If I can see you here, that means your heart still wishes to remain here."

 

Kagome couldn't meet her gaze, and Kikyou retained her unreadable expression.

 

"It's Inuyasha, isn't it?"

 

Kagome looked at her in surprise, then sighed and nodded. "You know how I feel about him, Kikyou…I don't even have to say it."

 

Kikyou nodded. "And it's not just him, is it? The others…you want to stay here with them, don't you?"

 

She nodded, and Kikyou turned away, gazing at the well. They both stood, looking like sisters, staring at the portal that divided Kagome's world from the Sengoku-jidai.

 

"Kikyou…what are you going to do?" asked Kagome hesitantly. "I mean, now that Naraku's dead and the Jewel is near to both completion and purification."

 

Kikyou didn't answer right away, just stood as though the other girl hadn't said a word. Then she sighed and turned to her.

 

"I plan on leaving," she said. "I'm done in this world. I…I've forgiven Inuyasha, and you've proven to be a strong, competent guardian of the Shikon no Tama…better than I was, or ever can be. When I fell in love with Inuyasha, it proved to be my weakness, whereas that same thing has become your strength. It gave you the courage and strength to awaken your miko powers, enabling you to purify the Jewel faster than any other could. You could have the Shikon no Tama purified within a few days of its completion, while it would have taken me most of my lifetime."

 

Kagome was speechless. What was there to say?

 

After a few moments, Kagome gathered the courage to ask the biggest question burning in her mind. "Kikyou…do you think you ever really fell in love with him?"

 

The miko, once again, didn't answer right away. When she did, her eyes betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. "Kagome…I don't know, and I doubt I'll ever find out. What I do know is that I don't love him anymore…I think I lost that feeling for him long ago, perhaps even when I returned to this world. I wish Urasue had left my grave alone…I said I hated Inuyasha for before, and I was until I found out what had happened. But what I was angriest about was that I was here, when I had had the chance to rest, to be at peace, something I never would have achieved had I lived."

 

Kagome smiled slightly. "You're really talkative today, Kikyou," she said softly. Both girls smiled similar, reminiscent smiles; Kagome had said the same thing when they had finally destroyed the miko eater.

 

"You should wake up now," said Kikyou suddenly. "Inuyasha's waiting for you."

 

Kagome blinked. "What?"

 

"You're body's still in the hospital. You should go back."

 

It was then that Kagome realized that everything happening was a dream. Well…not so much a dream as an astral projection, but still. She closed her eyes…

 

…and then she opened them to find an unfamiliar room, with an IV in her arm and an oxygen mask strapped onto her face. She must've stopped breathing at one point.

 

She felt her bed move slightly, and she glanced down to see Inuyasha, clad in black, modern clothes, his head on his arms. He was fast asleep. Reaching up slowly, gingerly, she took off the oxygen mask and gazed at the hanyou. He looked so peaceful; his face didn't show any signs of the anger, fear, or contempt that usually was on his face. No, he looked calm and at peace. She smiled and tried to sit up; her gasp of pain woke Inuyasha instantly.

 

"Kagome?" he asked, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

 

Her face screwed up in pain, she lowered herself back onto the bed. "Moved too quickly, I guess," she replied with a grimace.

 

He stood and walked until he stood by her shoulder, then stooped so that he was kneeling on the balls of his feet, his face right by hers.

 

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

 

She grinned slightly. "I've been better," she joked easily. His face relaxed, and he smiled. If she was being so blasé about this, she'd be fine.

 

"So what exactly happened?" she asked curiously.

 

"Huh?"

 

"I don't really remember much since I collapsed…all I remember was waking up once and talking to you just a little bit…so what happened?"

 

He explained everything, including what the doctor had said when he had visited this morning. According to him, if she woke in the next twenty-four hours, she'd live, but she'd have one hell of a scar. She laughed at the scar part.

 

"Man, it's a good thing I'm so used to fighting and wounds," she said. "I may not even be here to talk if I hadn't been."

 

"Your mom said the same thing," said Inuyasha, grinning. Inside, though, he was worried. He knew that she'd be alright, but until she was released from this place, he knew he'd be worried about her. And really, who could blame him?

 

"Inuyasha?"

 

He blinked; he hadn't realized he had fallen silent and hadn't registered anything she had said, if she had said anything.

 

"I think I'll go back for a while tonight," he said. "Kaede may have some kind of herb to heal your scar. I think she said she had something like that around the village."

 

Kagome nodded at him, then tensed up as a spasm of pain shot through her body. Inuyasha straightened, his fists clenched tightly, watching helplessly as she waited it out. When she finally relaxed, she looked considerably weaker. He frowned.

 

"Goddamn it, if I could, I'd go and kill that wolf for this," he growled.

 

"I'm sure he didn't mean to do it, Inuyasha," she said.

 

His expression changed slightly…he looked forlorn and serious. He knelt beside her again and took her hand in his hesitantly.

 

"Kagome…I have to say…I'm sorry," he said quietly.

 

"What? Why? You haven't done anything," she said, confused.

 

He shook his head. "It's all my fault this happened," he said, his ears drooping. (He had taken off the hat for a while; his head was beginning to feel really warm.) "If I hadn't followed you guys, or listened in, I never would have attacked Kouga, and you never would have been hurt this badly…"

 

She reached out and placed a finger on his lips, making him stop.

 

"Inuyasha, hush," she said quietly. "What happened isn't your fault. Don't worry about it."

 

His lip trembled, not visibly, but she could feel it against her finger. She stared at him and tried to sit up.

 

"Kagome, don't!" he said, reaching out to hold her up. "You're not healthy enough yet…"

 

She leaned against him, her face in the fiercest expression he had seen for a while. He raised his eyebrows--then widened his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, drawing her close to her as she buried her face in his hair. He stilled and slowly returned the embrace, not holding her as tightly as he wished to for fear of re-opening her wounds.

 

"Stop punishing yourself for everything, Inuyasha," she murmured. "You're only one guy. You can't do everything."

 

"But I can protect you," he said quietly, starting to shake slightly. "I've been too sure of myself…I've been letting my guard down, and that's been the cause of what's been happening to you lately. I was always sure in my ability to protect you, to keep you from harm…but now that I can't even do that anymore…what can I do? What good am I anymore?"

 

Kagome widened her eyes as she realized the hanyou was crying. For the first time, he wasn't trying to deny his tears. He was shedding them freely, letting her see them for once. She knew he saw them as a sign of weakness…

 

She pulled away and looked into his eyes, his wet, golden eyes. Her heart broke, seeing her Inuyasha this way. He was sincerely scared, she knew he was afraid of losing her…of being rejected.

 

She didn't know what to do…

 

So she leaned forward and kissed him. A light, feathery kiss, but she still kissed him. He stilled completely, even stopped crying. He just knelt, stock-still, as the josei kissed his lips so lightly, so tenderly…

 

If she hadn't been so seriously wounded, he would've held her close and kissed her with all the ardor he could, would've tried to convey to her at least a little how he felt about her…

 

And then, much too soon, she pulled away. He sat, still as a statue, as she sunk back on her pillows weakly. He glanced down at her, still stunned.

 

"K-Kagome?"

 

"Stop…berating yourself…" she said, smiling at him as best she could. "What's happened…has happened. Don't…don't worry about it. You've always protected me, Inuyasha…since the beginning, you've…protected me…"

 

He watched as she fell asleep once more, having exhausted the rest of her energy by moving around. He couldn't move. Did this mean she still loved him, even after all this…? Even after letting her see him cry, letting her get hurt, after being unable to protect her…did she still love him?

 

He leaned over and gazed at her face, wondering just what she was dreaming. He leaned down and did what he had been unable to do moments before, and kissed her back.

 

 

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Author's Notes:

Oh my god this chapter SUCKS! But I'm having a major writer's block right now…I had to write something, it's the only way I can get past them.

BTW thanks again for all the reviews, guys! They make me feel loved. LOL. ^_^

Okay here's more Japanese vocab:

 

Shinto hakama: The priestess uniform Kikyou wears constantly and what Kagome wears occasionally. If you don't know what it looks like, or you want to see it again, here's a link so you can see Kagome in it. http://www.peko-peko.net/inuyasha/movie14.jpg