InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Always ❯ Always ( Chapter 2 )

AlwaysThe Shikon no Tama was completed on a night without a moon. The half dog demon fought despite his handicap of being human. His night was shared with another hanyou he had to defeat. The pile of youkai parts that made up Naraku was destroyed and Onegumi's twisted soul released. The jewel gatherers stood, staring at each other in shock at the small, perfect sphere Kagome held in her hand. "Shit…" Inuyasha broke the silence. He looked around the assembled team, his friends. Kagura made a satisfied noise in the back of her throat and walked away without looking back. Kouga stood close to Kagome, trying to take care of her. "Leave her alone!" Inuyasha growled at the wolf demon. "Inuyasha…?" Kikyou whispered, stepping close to him. Miroku frowned at the dog demon, shaking his head before returning focus to his newly healed hand. Sango stood close to the houshi, rolling her eyes at the dog demon. Inuyasha turned to regard Kikyou. "You're free, Kikyou. Free from the one who killed us." Her eyes fixed on him, full of hope and longing. "You're free…" The dog demon whispered, lightly brushing her lips with his. Kagome excused herself and hastily walked away, followed by an overeager wolf demon and a small kitsune. Inuyasha's flickered on her departing form. There was so much he had to tell her… but first. "Be at peace, Kikyou. Please." Miroku nudged Sango and together they walked away from dog demon and the resurrected miko. "Inuyasha… I still want to die with you." Kikyou whispered, hugging him tightly. "We did that." Her hand reached out to brush his dark bangs from his eyes. "I wanted to live with you… take care of you… but someone else takes my place now, don't they?" "Kikyou…" "You loved me enough to defeat the one who tore us apart. For that I'm grateful. But your heart's no longer mine. It hasn't been since the moment you woke, has it?" Inuyasha closed his eyes and shook his head. "I am sorry." "I wish it could have been me…" His arms pulled her closer. "I will go now, Inuyasha. I love you." The last spirit left her body and her form began to crack and then to crumble to dust. Inuyasha held her until nothing was left. He sat in the spot and stared up at the moonless sky. ^.~ A trembling girl pulled herself out of the well and closed the lid. Her hands folded as if to pray with the Shikon no Tama clasped between her palms. "Seal this portal so that none shall pass." The room filled with swirling blue energy for a moment before it all was drawn into the well. "So it was you…" a voice whispered behind Kagome. Kagome spun around, nearly dropping the jewel. "Who? What?" A figure stood in the doorway of the shrine, dressed completely in black leather and silk. "I had thought it was because of the quest being over, but… that wasn't the case, was it?" The figure took a step closer. "Inuyasha? How did you get through? I got to the well before you did." "There are other ways to cross time." A dark haired Inuyasha breathed, staring at Kagome. Kagome pushed past him and left the well shrine. "397 years." His voice called out behind her. She frowned and looked back. "What?" "397 years… that's how long I've waited for today. I helped the descendants of Miroku and Sango build this shrine… at night when they were asleep, of course. During the war when fire rained down from the sky I protected this place so it wouldn't burn. I stole food for your grandfather to keep his family alive. He never knew who his benefactor was." Kagome shook her head. "I watched your birth. And on your fifteenth birthday I watched the centipede demon pull you into the well." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why have you been here all this time?" "Kagome… I love you." Kagome shook her head and continued towards the house. "I don't believe you." "You stupid, thick headed…" "Osuwari." The figure clad in black made an ungraceful fall to the ground. Kagome knelt before him with tears running down her cheeks. "You think I'm stupid? I saw the way you and Kikyou were looking at each other. You kissed her in FRONT of me." "Kagome," the man pulled himself from the ground, kneeling before her. "That was a goodbye. She left in peace after that." Kagome blinked a few times at him and stood. "No… you love her." "I love YOU!" "Then why didn't you ever tell me?" "You left me! You left without saying goodbye! I went to go find you but the well was sealed. I waited by the well every single day for you to come out again. And you never came back." "Why didn't you tell me before the jewel was completed?" "I… didn't know how. But I felt it." Kagome shook her head and turned to walk away. "Please… I have nowhere to go. I've been living for this moment when I can be with you again… talk to you… tell you everything I meant to say." Kagome spun back around, staring at the hanyou before her. Slowly the gap was closed between them. Inuyasha smiled for a moment, full of the hope that she would come to her senses and accept him. Something small was placed in his hand and he knew without looking what it was. His heart bottomed out. "Don't give this to me." Her empty hand pulled away. "That's what you wanted, wasn't it? The jewel that will make you full demon. Goodbye, Inuyasha." "Wait!" His hand reached out to catch her wrist. "That's not what I wanted." Kagome deftly removed the prayer beads and threw them at his leather booted feet. "Let me go!" "No!" His voice hissed back as his arms wrapped around her in a fierce hug. Kagome wiggled in his grasp. "Stop! You don't…" His lips silenced hers and for a moment she went still, feeling his warm breath across her face. His tongue pushed her mouth open, tasting her for the first time. Her body wiggled in his grasp again and he pulled away. "Gomen. I didn't mean to hurt you. I loved you so much. You were my heart and my soul. I learned what it truly was to live by having you with me. And it gave me the strength to find a way back to you." "I saw you kiss her." Kagome moaned. "I had to say goodbye to her. She knew whom I belonged with. She passed over peacefully." "Stop it, Inuyasha." A fire touched Inuyasha's eyes and he roughly pushed the girl to the ground. "Will you listen to me? Kikyou is GONE! I saw her go! Her body crumbled to dust. And I was happy for her… that her soul was at rest. I was free to care for you without feeling guilty about it. And then you left me. I thought I was going to die. Miroku gave me that lecture on messing with your heart… but he never understood how I felt about you… or perhaps he did. I just thought I could make both you and Kikyou happy. I couldn't." Kagome stared up at him from the ground. "When I finally had the answer… when Kikyou was finally at peace… I lost you. She knew more about how I felt for you than you did… and that hurt. You were gone and I couldn't tell you. So I did the only thing I could. I waited for this moment to tell you… what I couldn't before." Kagome sat up and pulled her body out from beneath the hanyou crouched above her. Inuyasha let her sit up. "You may hate me right now. I don't blame you. I hurt you pretty badly. But I'll keep going on loving you… That's all I have." Kagome stared at him, unsure what to say. "I'm sorry about forcing that kiss on you." "Was that a goodbye kiss?" Kagome whispered, touching her lips. Inuyasha's eyes caught hers. "No. That was… 397 years of frustration." A soft chuckle escaped. "I always wanted to kiss you." The hanyou shook his head. "No, that wasn't a goodbye kiss. You can't get rid of me that easily." His eyes flickered on the eastern horizon. "The sun will be up soon." Kagome looked in the direction he was looking. It still was pitch black. "Do you… want to come inside with me? It's been a long night. I need some sleep." The hanyou smiled and nodded. The prayer beads were carelessly stuffed into his pocket as he held out his hand to her. Kagome reached out, unsure of his intention. The Shikon no Tama was passed back to her. "You don't want to become full demon?" Inuyasha made a face. "Hell no! I'm old enough to know that power is something you have to gain through experience. You taught me that. Besides, immortality doesn't appeal to me." "Why not?" "Because then I can't die when you die." Kagome gave him an odd look. Inuyasha sighed and touched her cheek. "I'm old… old for a hanyou. I'm dying." "You still look… like when we first met." "Over the next few decades I'll start to show signs of aging… at least that's what Myouga thinks. He says my blood is getting old, showing signs of my human mortality… that I probably have fifty to sixty years left in me, enough to live and grow old with you." "I don't want you to die." Inuyasha smiled for a moment, pulling her into his arms. "I'm ready. Let me grow old with you, Kagome." Kagome's eyes searched his, hoping to find answers in their depths. "Inuyasha… I love you." A warm smile crossed his face, making the corners of his eyes crinkle with the faintest hint of future wrinkles. "I know." "You're much older than the Inuyasha I knew." "A lot has happened to him. Nothing has changed him as much as you have." His canines began to point, the first hint of his transformation at dawn. "What do we do with the Shikon no Tama?" "Guard it… purify it… I'll protect you… as always." "As always?" "Always." His arms wrapped around her as he pulled her close in the dark courtyard of the shrine. "Always… yours."