InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Alternative Ending: Towards Tomorrow ❯ Reunited? ( Chapter 1 )

Alternative Ending: Toward Tomorrow

Kagome meets Inuyasha at the Goshinboku before her return the Feudal Era. Fluffiness and potential for ongoing story.

-…..

The moon was full and high in the clear sky as Kagome looked out her window at the Goshinboku with silent tears streaking down her cheeks. Three years had passed since the connection closed and her knees ached from her most recent triesat the
dry well. Her attempts at scrubbing her nails still could not remove all traces of dirt from where she had dug in desperation before laying in a ball sobbing until her mother found her. Every day had been a struggle for normalcy and every night the silence made her heart throb and her nerves raw. Now that she had graduated high school, there was nothing to distract her from the void in her life. It was especially difficult on nights when the moon was full. She gazed at the Goshinboku through
blurry eyes and felt every beat of her aching heart. As she stared at the sacred tree, she felt a sudden impulse to approach it. She quickly got dressed and then made her way downstairs. She slipped on shoes before she eased the door open and slipped into the night.

The air seemed to buzz as she approached the Goshinboku. She paused about 10 feet away and her heart squeezed painfully as she gazed at the scar on the ancient tree. She closed her eyes as the air continued to vibrate and she listened hard. The tree seemed to be calling to her. She opened her eyes and slowly approached the trunk with her hand outstretched.

"Please," she whispered and her voice broke. "Please, let me see him."

As her hand made contact with the bark, a pulse of power thrust out and Kagome gasped. Her eyes snapped open and she saw she was in a world of white. Just her and the Goshinboku. She spun around and searched expectantly, looking for him only to confirm she was completely alone in this world between worlds. She climbed up the roots of the tree, touched the scar and prayed.

"Goshinboku, you called me here. Please, call him as well," she pleaded as she focused her power into her hand. "Inuyasha. Come." The seconds felt like an eternity as she kept her hand pressed on the scar and the tree sent out another, stronger pulse of power.

-…..

Inuyasha sat with his back against the Bone Eater dry well. Head tilted back while he looked at the moon. He came to this place every three days to try the well and wait. The others had stopped trying to talk him out of it after the first few months.
He would never stop trying to be with her again even through every failed attempt was physical pain. Her smell had faded from the well only a month after it had closed. He let his head fall back against the well as he closed his eyes and tried to
remember every detail of Kagome. Her face, her smell, the feel of her in his arms and her voice.

'Inuyasha. Come.'

Inuyasha's eyes flewopen and he was on his feet in the same instant as he felt the pulse in the air. He took off running towards the Goshinboku, noting to himself that there was no smell of her. He disregarded this as he came to the clearing of
the scared tree. A single leap around the perimeter confirmed there was no one there. His heart dropped to his stomach.

"Damnit!" he cursed as he dropped to his knees, eyes squeezed shut and punched the ground. "Kagome," he whispered. And then her smell hit him. His eyes openedand he was greeted by a world of white. He lifted his eyes to the Goshinboku and saw the back of the raven haired girl with her delicate hand pressed to scar of the tree and her head bowed. He felt his breath catch in his chest in surprise as he stood up and took a step towards the vision of her. "Kagome?" he whispered. And her head snapped up.

-…..

Kagome focused on her prayer and the power in her hand, barely daring to believe this was possible.

A painfully familiar voice broke through her reverie and seemed to stop her heart. "Kagome?" it whispered, sounding almost like it was begging. Her head snapped up and her eyes opened as she spun around.

-…..

Their eyes met, warm brown and intense gold. As if in a trance, Inyuasha approached her. Kagome's eyes never left his face as she also took steps towards him. They stopped a foot apart and Inuyasha raised his hand to her cheek. His eyes widened as he
discovered he could touch her. Tears overflowed from her eyes as a radiant smile spread across her face. Her own hand reached to his cheek.

"It's really you," Inuyasha murmured and he moved his hand to the nape of her neck and the distance between them closed.

Their lips met and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, standing on her tip toes to be closer to him. His strong arms wrapped around her desperately, dragging her closer and her feet left the ground. She wrapped her legs around him and he stepped closer to the Goshinboku, pressing her against the bark with his thigh against her center as he deepened the kiss. She moaned and he broke away from her mouth to kiss her jaw and neck, reaching his hands up her shirt to touch the skin of her sides and stomach.

"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome," he whispered against her skin between open mouth kisses down her neck.

Kagome's fingers were tangled in his hair and found his soft ears. He growled against her neck as she rubbed them between her fingers. She took advantage of his pause and moved her hands to the sides of his face and pressed her forehead against his, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Inuyasha," she whispered against his lips, "I love you so much." He felt a smile stretch his mouth and his own hands cradled her face and stroked her cheeks as he lowered her feet to the ground. He pulled her tight against himself and buried his face in her hair. And murmured,

"Kagome, I love you, always. I was born for you. I can't believe you are here! I don't know how this happened, but I am so thankful to have you back."

Kagome nuzzled into his neck and felt her chest fill with happiness. But even as she was held in the arms of her constant protector and hearing his words of love for her, fear gripped her.

"Inuyasha!" she said, pulling back just enough to look him in the face. "I don't think I'm back. I think we are in the world between worlds. We've been to this place of white before, but when it ended we were both still separated by time." His eyes hardened and she could feel his grip tighten on her. Her heart broke to see his face fall as he realized the truth of her words. Tears poured from her eyes and her chest ached. His eyes softened sadly as he saw her recognize his pain. He reached out to wipe them away with both hands before cradling her to him.

"Kagome, I've tried the well so many times, every three days, but it won't accept me through!" He gazed into the distance and noticed the start of faint shimmering around him. He hardened his resolve and spoke the words he hoped would set her free. "Maybe...  Maybe this is for the best. It's hard now. But you have people who love you and need you in your time. When I had you in mine, I was too much of a baka to realize what I had. Maybe.." He trailed off as her eyes met his and anger flashed in the warm brown depths. She pulled back and hit his chest with the palm of her hand, but he didn't release her from his arms as she released her tirade.

"I know there are people I love in my time, but none of it compares to my love for YOU. Don't ever say this is for the best! I tried to go through the motions, keep my family and friends happy and act like I am okay," she rested her forehead against his chest as the truth she had been avoiding encircled her. "I am a shell without you, Inuyasha. I need you. I don't want to live in a world where you don't exist." And then he was kissing her again. When they broke apart the world of
white was shimmering so much that it was impossible not to notice. Kagome glanced around with a look of rising panic. Inuyasha's eyes were shining and he had a determined look on his face.

"I will find a way to you again. If I have to wait 500 years, I will, Kagome!" He clutched her hand to his chest. She raised her other hand to his face and stroked it gently.

"I love you, Inuyasha! I won't stop trying either!" She wiped the tears from her own eyes, but the blurriness of his image was only worsening. His form seemed to be less solid by the moment. He pulled her forward and wrapped her tightly in his arms, lifting her once again off of the ground and she clung around his neck.

"My Kagome," he said against her neck and then she fell forward onto the ground as he disappeared with the world of white.

-…..

"SHIT," Inuyasha yelled into the night, so loudly that birds flew into the air from the surrounding trees. He leaped away to the bone eaters well in a blur of movement. With one hand on the edge of the well he gazed down into the bottom. He could smell
her scent on his own clothes and breathing deeply he closed his eyes and leapt into the well. With a grunt he landed hard at the bottom. Inuyasha's head dropped forward and his bangs fell over his eyes. He forced himself to take a deep breath before
leaping into the air again and again before stopping on all fours at the bottom of the well. He suddenly felt the panic in his chest of failure and jumped out of the well. He sat on the edge with his feet on the ground and his back to the opening,
shoulder slumped as he cursed the cruel fate of reuniting only to be torn apart again.

-…..

Kagome was on her knees in stunned silence. She stood quickly and rushed to the well house. Fear filled her heart as she opened the door and gazed upon the dry well. Her breath came quicker as she felt her heart rate increase.

'I was in the darkness for so long,' she thought, 'But I didn't think the well isn't connecting because of my feelings.' She walked tentatively to the edge of the well. She placed one hand on the edge of the well and the other over her beating heart.
As she closed her eyes and took multiple deep breaths, she remembered Inuyasha telling her he loved her. As she remembered this, it all came crashing down around her that she would not let her fear keep them apart. She would see him again and not keep him waiting for her. Enough was enough. As she opened her eyes, she was startled to see the star filled sky at the bottom of the well.

"Kagome?" a voice called from behind her.

"Mama," she replied, eyes not leaving the bottom of the well. Her mother came up behind her and hugged an arm around her and gazed into the depths of the well. Her mother smiled sadly and handed Kagome a small leather bag.

"Kagome, go and be happy. Your future is in the past. Your future is with him." Kagome turned to her mother with fresh tears falling from her eyes and clung to her for a moment.

"I love you, Mama. The connection is temporary. I can feel it. I must go now." Her mother nodded with a loving look in her eyes, touching her daughter's face.

"Be happy, my daughter," as she leaned forward, kissed her forehead and backed away.

Kagome stepped up to the edge of the well and turned to smile one last time at her mother. Her mother cried, but smiled brightly at her daughter and waved goodbye. Kagome jumped and fell towards the bottom. She refused to close her eyes and a thrill went through her as the well accepted her for what she knew was the very last time.

-…..

As the sun crested the horizon, Inuyasha felt the tingle in the air of the well's magic and he was surrounded by her scent. Spinning around he reached a hand into the well and held his breath as he pulled her out of the well with such strength and speed that she went high into the air and ended up standing on the edge of the well.

"Inuyasha. I'm sorry. Were you waiting?" she asked, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Kagome," he whispered and pulled her to him. "Baka. What were you doing all of this time?"

She sighed in relief as she snuggled closer to him and his head came to her shoulder. She pulled back to look into his eyes once more. They smiled at each other and slowly they leaned together to gently and tenderly kiss. When they broke apart, they both were smiling widely and Kagome giggled. The sound of it rolled over Inuyasha and he found himself laughing with happiness as he picked her up by the waist and swung her around.

"Kagome! You did it!" he exclaimed. And then they were kissing again, in-between laughter and whispered pronouncements of love.

-…..

A/N awwww.. Well that was satisfying! I always wondered why the sacred tree never brought them together in their time apart like it did in the movie… Plus, I'd like to think that Kagome didn't just graduate and then decide, 'Oh! I'm not scared anymore!'