InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ An Unforeseen Flame ❯ Reunion ( Chapter 10 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: XmArKzThEsPoT 
Kagome reunites with her friends.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Action / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 09.25.2012 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 380 | Status: Work In Progress
Kagome reunites with her friends.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Action / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 09.25.2012 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 380 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N: Another updated chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters, nor could I ever hope to be as genius as Rumiko Takahashi.
Inuyasha sulked glumly in the corner of Kaede's simple hut, half-heartedly watching lively flames dance underneath her kettle full of stew and listening to their jovial crackling. The scent of a hearty meal wafted out of the pot right under his sensitive nose, trying to entice his growling stomach. He inhaled sharply, enjoying the aroma but it wasn't the only scent his nose picked up. He had suddenly detected another smell, one that was incredibly familiar.
"Kagome," he murmured excitedly, exiting the residence hurriedly. His stomach began to do flips. Was she really back, after all this time?
He had spent the past month and a half avoiding the angry and accusing mutterings of Shippo, Sango, and even Miroku. They all seemed to think it was his fault Kagome had run off, and that meant they also thought he was to blame for the fact that they were no longer finding any jewel shards or clues to Naraku's whereabouts. Sure, he cared for Kagome a lot, but he loved Kikyo more. It wasn't his fault that no one but him understood that.
"Damn them all," he cursed under his breath, his thoughts rousing his quick temper. Trying unsuccessful to suppress his irritation, he sniffed the air again. Her scent, clean and flowery, still lingered in the air. Turning in the direction of her smell, he locked eyes with the young priestess and froze. She was leaning lazily against the dead tree outside of Kaede's home as if she had never even been gone.
He stood there silently in surprise staring at her slack-jawed. He was vaguely aware of the sound of children playing in the village and the thick scent of dust that hung heavy in the air. The sun was beginning its descent in the sky, but they sky was still a deep, cloudless azure.
She looked almost ethereal leaning against the deadened tree, which loomed overhead like a black spike protruding cruelly from the ground. Her raven locks framed her pretty face perfectly, curling inwards slightly at the ends, and the short blue pants she was wearing highlighted her long and lean legs. For a moment, the hanyou wasn't sure if she was really there or if the guilt had finally driven him mad, but her scent hung heavy in the air so she had to be real.
"Hello Inuyasha," she almost whispered in salutation, a lazy half-smile playing about her lips. She seemed different to the hanyou in some way. Something about her had definitely changed. The light in her eyes was different, as if she had attained some bit of esoteric wisdom that no one else knew.
"Ka…Kagome," he stuttered in reply, rushing toward her in astonishment. It was an amazing relief to see that she was at least alive. He fought the urge to embrace her, considering the terms on which they parted. "Where have you been? We were all so worried…I went to your time, but your mother said she hadn't seen you. After awhile, we thought that maybe you were…dead…"
He cast his amber eyes downward for a moment, and Kagome could see an enormous amount of remorse reflected in them. It was obvious he felt bad about hurting her. In this moment, Kagome felt an equal guilt for not returning sooner, if only to put the minds of her friends at ease. Her circumstances would have made that difficult, but she was sure that she could have managed it somehow.
"I've been...around," she stated honestly, studying the hanyou's face. He was telling her that he was worried, instead of snapping at her angrily for being gone so long. This was not the angry reception she expected to receive from him. Regardless, she had already knew that he hadn't (and wouldn't ever) changed one bit, while she felt as though she was an entirely different person. It was something that heartbreak could do to a person, and she had never truly realized it up until now.
"You've been around?" he repeated slowly, his anger beginning to flare up. "Yet in a whole month and a half you couldn't stop by to let us know you were alive? What, did you think we wouldn't worry? Did you think we didn't need you around anymore, cos' we sure as hell could have used your help on more than one occasion, since you just up and left us. There you were whining about how selfish Kikyo was, and then you go and pull a stunt like that? Who's the selfish one now? What have you even been doing? Your family was worried sick! How do you think I felt telling them that you were missing?"
"No, I couldn't stop by," she answered softly, her large eyes downcast. She knew it was no more than an excuse, but telling him the truth would be even more difficult. Inuyasha's anger abated as he watched her expression turn melancholy. Whatever had kept her away had to have been difficult for her, and he hadn't realized just how much he had missed her until right now, staring into her expressive brown eyes. Suddenly he couldn't fight it anymore, and he found his arms wrapped tightly around her petite frame.
She felt good against him, small and warm. He could hear her heartbeat speed up as he held her close. It was completely different from holding Kikyo, but it had felt the same long ago. He breathed in the clean scent of her hair. He really had missed her. It was obvious that she had been through some sort of ordeal, and, even if he had chosen Kikyo, he still loved her and wanted to comfort her.
Kagome froze, and tears began to pool in her eyes as a sudden surge of old affections returned. Her pulse began to quicken, and she felt incredibly nauseous like she always did when she was nervous. As she stood completely still, too shocked to return his gesture of affection, Kagome found herself wondering if she might still love him after all or if these were just lingering feelings that she needed to cast away. Even if she did still love him, she probably shouldn't dwell on those feelings anyway. He had already chosen someone else. Her angsty musings were interrupted as the sudden image of Sesshomaru burst into her mind's eye. She felt Inuyasha stiffen as if he knew who she was thinking about.
"Sesshomaru," he growled quietly. He had caught a faint whiff of his older brother's scent on her clothing and rage instantly consumed him. Was he the reason why she couldn't return? Was he responsible for the change in the young woman? "What did he do to you, Kagome?"
"Nothing," she replied hastily. For a moment, she was almost afraid that he had somehow read her mind and now knew where her mind had been, but she quickly realized that he had probably caught the demon lord's scent from her clothes. "He just asked me to travel with him to take care of Rin, the little girl that travels with him."
"Sesshomaru doesn't ASK for anything," Inuyasha stated crossly. This was true. He hadn't exactly asked her to stay. He had commanded it. Not that Kagome minded so terribly much now. "Did he hurt you in any way? He forced you to stay with him, right? I'll kill the bastard if he so much as..."
"No!" Kagome interrupted him in exasperation. "He was very…kind, well as kind as he could be. He saved me from a demon and allowed me to pursue jewel shards. He even let me visit my family for a few days, and now he's letting me stay here for a few days as well."
"Sesshomaru…kind?" Inuyasha snorted derisively. "Yeah, it was real nice of him to try killing you with the windscar that time he managed to steal my tetsusaiga. And I really liked having his hand shoved through my stomach. That was real thoughtful of him."
"Well, you did cut off his arm," she countered meekly, knowing that it was a weak argument. Sesshomaru would've done all those things even if Inuyasha hadn't severed his limb. She had forgotten how cruel Sesshomaru really was. But, he really wasn't at the same time, at least, not to her.
Inuyasha was stunned. She was defending Sesshomaru? What exactly had he done to her? There was more to this than what she was telling him.
"What about before that? He tried killing you at my father's grave site. I guess he was being real kind to you then, huh?" the hanyou spat acerbically. He felt like Kagome, HIS Kagome, had been brainwashed. Just a month before she was all crazy over the fact that he didn't love her, and now she was acting like she felt something for his elder half-brother instead. Something was very wrong.
"He's different now. Ever since he started taking care of Rin, he's been different," she said softly. Inuyasha was becoming infuriated, and she knew it. He and Sesshomaru were enemies, and her alliance with the inuyoukai probably felt like a betrayal of friendship. "He has helped us before, and he's also determined to defeat Naraku. Don't be so quick to forget that."
"Feh," Inuyasha grunted in annoyance. He was silent for a moment. "Well, whatever the case, you can't go back with him."
"Then you can be the one to explain that to him!" she retorted angrily. Who was he to tell her what she could and couldn't do? He sounded just like Sesshomaru, ordering her around like that.
"Inuyashaaaa!" called a familiar young voice, disrupting their argument. "The food is done, are you gonna come eat? What are you doing out here any...," the kitsune trailed off seeing Kagome, frozen for a moment. His eyes filled with tears as he bounded into her arms, loudly wailing, "Kagome!"
"Hey Shippo," she replied fighting back tears herself, hugging the young demon tightly. She had missed Shippo terribly and was glad to be reunited with him.
"Come and eat dinner with us!" he cried exuberantly. "Sango and Miroku will be so glad to see that you're back safe and sound!"
He leapt out of her arms and bounded down the dirt path toward Kaede's hut with Kagome following merrily. A surly Inuyasha trailed behind, his thoughts occupied with jealous ideas and feelings of betrayal.
"Lady Kaede! Miroku! Sango! Kagome is back!" the small fox declared excitedly as they entered the hut.
"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed happily, rising to embrace her friend tightly. The look of complete and utter relief on her friend's familiar face made Kagome feel even guiltier than she had before. "We didn't think you were coming back."
"No, we didn't," a jovial Miroku admitted with a sidelong glance at Inuyasha. "But, I'm glad to see you're all right."
"Yes, we were all very worried," Shippo remarked nodding his head in earnest.
"Especially yon Inuyasha," Kaede added with a sage half-smile. Sango and Shippo glared coldly at the hanyou, who stood silent in the doorway. Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably with the bottom hem of her shirt.
"Well," said Miroku hurriedly, acutely aware of the fact that there was some sort of tension between the two. He was guessing that Kagome and Inuyasha had not had a pleasant reunion. "Let's eat. Kagome can tell us everything over dinner."
Kagome gulped nervously. She wasn't certain her friends would be any more understanding than Inuyasha had been, considering their history with the Demon Lord. She didn't even know where to begin. The details were just too personal and embarrassing, and she really didn't want to make Inuyasha look like the bad guy.
"Yes, let us," the aged priestess agreed, also noticing Kagome and Inuyasha's consternation. "I'm sure we are all very curious to know what young Kagome has been doing all this while."
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters, nor could I ever hope to be as genius as Rumiko Takahashi.
Inuyasha sulked glumly in the corner of Kaede's simple hut, half-heartedly watching lively flames dance underneath her kettle full of stew and listening to their jovial crackling. The scent of a hearty meal wafted out of the pot right under his sensitive nose, trying to entice his growling stomach. He inhaled sharply, enjoying the aroma but it wasn't the only scent his nose picked up. He had suddenly detected another smell, one that was incredibly familiar.
"Kagome," he murmured excitedly, exiting the residence hurriedly. His stomach began to do flips. Was she really back, after all this time?
He had spent the past month and a half avoiding the angry and accusing mutterings of Shippo, Sango, and even Miroku. They all seemed to think it was his fault Kagome had run off, and that meant they also thought he was to blame for the fact that they were no longer finding any jewel shards or clues to Naraku's whereabouts. Sure, he cared for Kagome a lot, but he loved Kikyo more. It wasn't his fault that no one but him understood that.
"Damn them all," he cursed under his breath, his thoughts rousing his quick temper. Trying unsuccessful to suppress his irritation, he sniffed the air again. Her scent, clean and flowery, still lingered in the air. Turning in the direction of her smell, he locked eyes with the young priestess and froze. She was leaning lazily against the dead tree outside of Kaede's home as if she had never even been gone.
He stood there silently in surprise staring at her slack-jawed. He was vaguely aware of the sound of children playing in the village and the thick scent of dust that hung heavy in the air. The sun was beginning its descent in the sky, but they sky was still a deep, cloudless azure.
She looked almost ethereal leaning against the deadened tree, which loomed overhead like a black spike protruding cruelly from the ground. Her raven locks framed her pretty face perfectly, curling inwards slightly at the ends, and the short blue pants she was wearing highlighted her long and lean legs. For a moment, the hanyou wasn't sure if she was really there or if the guilt had finally driven him mad, but her scent hung heavy in the air so she had to be real.
"Hello Inuyasha," she almost whispered in salutation, a lazy half-smile playing about her lips. She seemed different to the hanyou in some way. Something about her had definitely changed. The light in her eyes was different, as if she had attained some bit of esoteric wisdom that no one else knew.
"Ka…Kagome," he stuttered in reply, rushing toward her in astonishment. It was an amazing relief to see that she was at least alive. He fought the urge to embrace her, considering the terms on which they parted. "Where have you been? We were all so worried…I went to your time, but your mother said she hadn't seen you. After awhile, we thought that maybe you were…dead…"
He cast his amber eyes downward for a moment, and Kagome could see an enormous amount of remorse reflected in them. It was obvious he felt bad about hurting her. In this moment, Kagome felt an equal guilt for not returning sooner, if only to put the minds of her friends at ease. Her circumstances would have made that difficult, but she was sure that she could have managed it somehow.
"I've been...around," she stated honestly, studying the hanyou's face. He was telling her that he was worried, instead of snapping at her angrily for being gone so long. This was not the angry reception she expected to receive from him. Regardless, she had already knew that he hadn't (and wouldn't ever) changed one bit, while she felt as though she was an entirely different person. It was something that heartbreak could do to a person, and she had never truly realized it up until now.
"You've been around?" he repeated slowly, his anger beginning to flare up. "Yet in a whole month and a half you couldn't stop by to let us know you were alive? What, did you think we wouldn't worry? Did you think we didn't need you around anymore, cos' we sure as hell could have used your help on more than one occasion, since you just up and left us. There you were whining about how selfish Kikyo was, and then you go and pull a stunt like that? Who's the selfish one now? What have you even been doing? Your family was worried sick! How do you think I felt telling them that you were missing?"
"No, I couldn't stop by," she answered softly, her large eyes downcast. She knew it was no more than an excuse, but telling him the truth would be even more difficult. Inuyasha's anger abated as he watched her expression turn melancholy. Whatever had kept her away had to have been difficult for her, and he hadn't realized just how much he had missed her until right now, staring into her expressive brown eyes. Suddenly he couldn't fight it anymore, and he found his arms wrapped tightly around her petite frame.
She felt good against him, small and warm. He could hear her heartbeat speed up as he held her close. It was completely different from holding Kikyo, but it had felt the same long ago. He breathed in the clean scent of her hair. He really had missed her. It was obvious that she had been through some sort of ordeal, and, even if he had chosen Kikyo, he still loved her and wanted to comfort her.
Kagome froze, and tears began to pool in her eyes as a sudden surge of old affections returned. Her pulse began to quicken, and she felt incredibly nauseous like she always did when she was nervous. As she stood completely still, too shocked to return his gesture of affection, Kagome found herself wondering if she might still love him after all or if these were just lingering feelings that she needed to cast away. Even if she did still love him, she probably shouldn't dwell on those feelings anyway. He had already chosen someone else. Her angsty musings were interrupted as the sudden image of Sesshomaru burst into her mind's eye. She felt Inuyasha stiffen as if he knew who she was thinking about.
"Sesshomaru," he growled quietly. He had caught a faint whiff of his older brother's scent on her clothing and rage instantly consumed him. Was he the reason why she couldn't return? Was he responsible for the change in the young woman? "What did he do to you, Kagome?"
"Nothing," she replied hastily. For a moment, she was almost afraid that he had somehow read her mind and now knew where her mind had been, but she quickly realized that he had probably caught the demon lord's scent from her clothes. "He just asked me to travel with him to take care of Rin, the little girl that travels with him."
"Sesshomaru doesn't ASK for anything," Inuyasha stated crossly. This was true. He hadn't exactly asked her to stay. He had commanded it. Not that Kagome minded so terribly much now. "Did he hurt you in any way? He forced you to stay with him, right? I'll kill the bastard if he so much as..."
"No!" Kagome interrupted him in exasperation. "He was very…kind, well as kind as he could be. He saved me from a demon and allowed me to pursue jewel shards. He even let me visit my family for a few days, and now he's letting me stay here for a few days as well."
"Sesshomaru…kind?" Inuyasha snorted derisively. "Yeah, it was real nice of him to try killing you with the windscar that time he managed to steal my tetsusaiga. And I really liked having his hand shoved through my stomach. That was real thoughtful of him."
"Well, you did cut off his arm," she countered meekly, knowing that it was a weak argument. Sesshomaru would've done all those things even if Inuyasha hadn't severed his limb. She had forgotten how cruel Sesshomaru really was. But, he really wasn't at the same time, at least, not to her.
Inuyasha was stunned. She was defending Sesshomaru? What exactly had he done to her? There was more to this than what she was telling him.
"What about before that? He tried killing you at my father's grave site. I guess he was being real kind to you then, huh?" the hanyou spat acerbically. He felt like Kagome, HIS Kagome, had been brainwashed. Just a month before she was all crazy over the fact that he didn't love her, and now she was acting like she felt something for his elder half-brother instead. Something was very wrong.
"He's different now. Ever since he started taking care of Rin, he's been different," she said softly. Inuyasha was becoming infuriated, and she knew it. He and Sesshomaru were enemies, and her alliance with the inuyoukai probably felt like a betrayal of friendship. "He has helped us before, and he's also determined to defeat Naraku. Don't be so quick to forget that."
"Feh," Inuyasha grunted in annoyance. He was silent for a moment. "Well, whatever the case, you can't go back with him."
"Then you can be the one to explain that to him!" she retorted angrily. Who was he to tell her what she could and couldn't do? He sounded just like Sesshomaru, ordering her around like that.
"Inuyashaaaa!" called a familiar young voice, disrupting their argument. "The food is done, are you gonna come eat? What are you doing out here any...," the kitsune trailed off seeing Kagome, frozen for a moment. His eyes filled with tears as he bounded into her arms, loudly wailing, "Kagome!"
"Hey Shippo," she replied fighting back tears herself, hugging the young demon tightly. She had missed Shippo terribly and was glad to be reunited with him.
"Come and eat dinner with us!" he cried exuberantly. "Sango and Miroku will be so glad to see that you're back safe and sound!"
He leapt out of her arms and bounded down the dirt path toward Kaede's hut with Kagome following merrily. A surly Inuyasha trailed behind, his thoughts occupied with jealous ideas and feelings of betrayal.
"Lady Kaede! Miroku! Sango! Kagome is back!" the small fox declared excitedly as they entered the hut.
"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed happily, rising to embrace her friend tightly. The look of complete and utter relief on her friend's familiar face made Kagome feel even guiltier than she had before. "We didn't think you were coming back."
"No, we didn't," a jovial Miroku admitted with a sidelong glance at Inuyasha. "But, I'm glad to see you're all right."
"Yes, we were all very worried," Shippo remarked nodding his head in earnest.
"Especially yon Inuyasha," Kaede added with a sage half-smile. Sango and Shippo glared coldly at the hanyou, who stood silent in the doorway. Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably with the bottom hem of her shirt.
"Well," said Miroku hurriedly, acutely aware of the fact that there was some sort of tension between the two. He was guessing that Kagome and Inuyasha had not had a pleasant reunion. "Let's eat. Kagome can tell us everything over dinner."
Kagome gulped nervously. She wasn't certain her friends would be any more understanding than Inuyasha had been, considering their history with the Demon Lord. She didn't even know where to begin. The details were just too personal and embarrassing, and she really didn't want to make Inuyasha look like the bad guy.
"Yes, let us," the aged priestess agreed, also noticing Kagome and Inuyasha's consternation. "I'm sure we are all very curious to know what young Kagome has been doing all this while."