InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ And Times In-Between ❯ Chapter Two - Goodbyes and the Baby ( Chapter 5 )

"Destiny?" Kagome's eyes widened.

It seems an accurate enough name, for your purposes. Now, girl, you must go. There is no point in your dallying about here. You will be contacted through your dreams.

She frowned at what the voice in her head had said. She didn't particularly relish the idea of having her dreams interrupted by a somewhat secretive abstraction, which, like most people, refused to call her by her name. "So I can go back to Inuyasha now?"

She could swear she heard it scoff. Don't be silly - that is not where you are needed.

"Excuse me?"

Well, you will need to stop by there, on second thought. To get that ridiculous pink bicycle of yours. Of course, if you are to go and retrieve it, you are expected back promptly.

"Don't change the subject! What do you mean, that's not where I'm needed? I have a responsibility to uphold! I broke the jewel; I have to help Inuyasha find it… I need to help them defeat Naraku! Isn't that why I was brought there in the first place?"

No, you simple little girl. That the jewel broke was your own fault - and that you got tied up in that whole adventure was self-imposed destiny. You are here because some things need to be fixed, and under these particular circumstances, you are the only one that can fix them. You already completed your first task, in freeing Inuyasha. It wasn't supposed to go further than that, but you got a bit carried away. Now you have to move on to the next task on the list.

She shook her head. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, but she didn't know why. Nothing was making sense. She didn't get it. What was going on?

Why do you think the name you were given was 'Destiny'? This is your destiny. Embrace it.

*-*~*-*

And Times In-Between

Chapter Two

Goodbyes and the Baby

*-*~*-*

When Inuyasha first felt the shock of her scent suddenly appearing at the bottom of the well, he knew something was wrong. She smelled like she had been crying. He didn't wait for her to climb out - he hopped into the well, scooped her up into his arms, and let her down gently on the grass. "Kagome? What's wrong?" Her eyes were puffy and red. She had been crying.

"Inuyasha!" His name spilled from her lips and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him and digging her head into his chest. A stream of tears burst anew and she let all her sorrows flow out with them.

He was shocked for a moment, and a little frightened by her tears. He couldn't stand it when girls cried - least of all when Kagome did. His arms wrapped around her and he held her close, whispering her name in a soothing tone of voice, hoping to calm her down. He felt his heart increase its pace a degree or two, but ignored it. He relished the way that her scent drifted around them, tauntingly, teasing his sensitive nose. He held her even more closely. "Kagome… what happened?"

She cried for an eternity, until her tears ran dry. When they did, she expected him to release her, but he held her even closer. He murmured the question to her again, and she closed her eyes, blissful in his embrace for the moment, knowing it would be one of their last. "I can't help you any more, Inuyasha."

The second the words left her mouth, he pulled away from her, putting a distance between them that became a barrier to her. "What?"

"I can't help you anymore," she repeated, her tongue feeling numb and her lips suddenly dry. Her throat felt hollow, cottony, and she felt a sudden need for water. Parched. She was parched. "I…"

"Why?" Inuyasha demanded. His heart was pounding so loudly that it was sounding in his ears. He wondered if she couldn't hear it herself. "You have a responsibility! You were the one who broke the jewel, damnit!"

'I have a responsibility to uphold! I broke the jewel; I have to help Inuyasha find it…' Kagome heard the words echo in her ears. She felt each one stab at her, aiming for her heart and hitting each time. "That was a mistake, Inuyasha. And I'm going to fix it."

"But you just said -"

"I can't help you anymore Inuyasha. I will correct my mistake… but I can't do that if I'm with you -" she was going to say more, but the words were cut off when he closed the distance between them and crushed her against him.

"Baka! I thought you said… that you wanted to stay with me…"

A sad smile crossed her features, and she closed her eyes again. "I do… and I will… it's just that there are some things I have to do, Inuyasha. I have to fix some things. And… I can't do that if I'm by your side. I will see you, Inuyasha. Often. Just… I can't stay." She hated having to say it. She hated having to mean it. She hated, hated, hated 'Destiny', that smug son of a bitch.

Inuyasha pulled away from her, and studied her features closely. She had a look of determination about her, and a sad, sad smile graced her delicate features. He didn't know what possessed him, but he nodded, and looked away. "Alright," he said. Alright. It wasn't alright.

Kagome stood and rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to go and get my bike. If I were you guys, I'd get going pretty soon. Get a head start on things." She took a few shaky steps away, and then paused to look back at him. That smile appeared again, that soft, cheerless smile, and she continued her walk back to town. He didn't move from his place against the well. A despondent aura rose around him and he stared into nothingness.

Kaede said little, but embraced her warmly and left the little hut to find the girl's bike. Sango had cried. Kagome had assured her that it wouldn't be their last meeting, but the taijiya didn't accept the consolation. She knew that this was a separation - that although Kagome swore she would see them again, that things had already changed irrevocably. Sango fell against Kagome and wept openly. Kagome had stoked her hair in a maternal sort of way and embraced her. "Shhh, Sango-chan…" she murmured over and over, until Sango fell asleep, exhausted from tears and grief.

Kagome stood and left the hut, only to see Miroku leaning against the wall of the hut, one hand on his staff, and another on one of the handlebars of her bike. He didn't smile when he saw her. "I'll walk you," he said quietly. She nodded, placing a hand on the other handlebar as they began to walk.

"Miroku-sama…"

"Don't say anything," he said, his voice taking on a tone that she didn't recognize.

She turned to look at him, but his eyes were trained in front of him. After a moment, she averted her eyes and relished his silent company, ignoring the tension in the air between them.

The sun was starting to set, she noted absently. As they headed into the forest, the trees grew thicker and the light floated between tree limbs, making a splotchy trail of light for the two to follow. The birds were already beginning to fall silent. She walked on, looking anywhere that wasn't in the monk's direction. Finally, she paused and looked over. He had let go of the bike and was standing several feet back, looking at her with a particularly queer expression.

"Why are you leaving?"

She looked startled, and dropped the bike onto the ground, taking a few steps toward him. "I have things to fix."

"Like what?" He moved closer to her too, searching her eyes for an answer.

Her eyes strayed from his face down to his right hand, and she took it in his, tracing the edges of the fabric over his covered palm. "This…" She looked back up at him. "Naraku, Kikyo, the jewel… all of it."

"Kagome-sama," he started, but looked away and exhaled slowly. His eyes drifted down to their hands, which were still touching. She followed his gaze, and was about to pull her hand back in embarrassment, but he stopped her, his hand grabbing a hold of her wrist. Her eyes met with his.

"Everything would fall apart if you weren't here."

He didn't need to say the words again - she heard them clearly anyway. "I'm not leaving you, Miroku-sama…" she paused, shaking her head, trying to get rid of the guilty feeling building up inside of her. She didn't want to cry again. "I'll just be helping in a different way. I'll actually be helping…" she managed to say.

Miroku nodded. He pulled on her wrist, and she tumbled into him, her body colliding with his. He wrapped his arms around her for a brief moment, hugging her warmly before pulling away and moving to pick up her bike. "You have to come back anyway," he said, his voice light once more. "You're going to bear my children, after all!"

She laughed and punched his arm playfully, a sheepish smile on her face. She moved to go back to the other side of the bike, but her grabbed her wrist and smiled at her. "No barriers", he said. She stayed by his side, him leading the bike along, his staff in her free hand. They held hands until they got to the well. By the time that they did, Inuyasha was nowhere in sight.

*-*~*-*

Must it be explained to you again? Heavens, girl, you can be so dense.

Kagome shook her head and looked through the branches of the tree once more. "Okay, okay, I'll drop it," she muttered, and looked down. The ground was so far below her that she was certain Destiny was trying to kill her. She bent her knees and grabbed onto the trunk of the tree, making her slow and dangerous journey toward the safety of solid ground. She had expected that once she jumped through the well, she would appear at the bottom of another well near her destination.

Alas, it was not so. Destiny was cruel. She had gone through the well and appeared at the top of the tallest tree that anyone's sick mind could have imagined. By the time that she made it to the bottom, her knees and palms were so cut up that she wondered if she had any skin left on them at all. "Now I need to get a healer. Damn it, it stings!"

You're a miko, right? Use your powers to heal yourself.

Kagome had the urge to scream just then. "I don't know how! I'm not trained in these sorts of things."

Well, figure it out, then!

"Cant I just get the town miko to do it? She'll know what she's doing…"

Don't be stupid, girl. The village miko is not there. That's why you were brought here in the first place. Now heal yourself, and get to it! You don't have all the time in the world you know. Well, you do, really, but… just move it.

Kagome grumbled and looked down at her knees like she'd never seen them before. A small sigh escaped her lips and she stuck her hands out in front of her, hovering just an inch from the broken, bleeding skin on her knees. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and after a suitable amount of time, slowly letting one eye open and looked down. Nothing was happening.

"Oh, just work, damn it!" She cried in exasperation and hoped for all the world that her stupid miko powers kicked into gear. Minutes passed, and nothing happened.

You are incompetent. The voice sighed into her mind and spoke again. Just go into town and do what you are meant to. You can work on disciplining your powers some other time. Go on.

She staggered to her feet and made her way to the village. She walked quickly, ignoring the sting that tormented her damaged hands and knees. Random bursts of thought flitted through her mind, and she found herself wondering why in heaven's name she had acquiesced to separate from her friends and aide some crackpot abstraction to achieve a somewhat obscured end. After a moment, she revised the thought. 'I'm the only crackpot here,' she sighed. But it made sense.

At least… it had when she had agreed to it. "Was I high when I agreed? Please, tell me. Why am I doing this again?" she groaned.

Must it be explained to you again? Verbal contract is binding - there's no backing out now. You're stuck, so Good Heavens, girl, just let it go.

*-*~*-*

Sesshoumaru raced through the forest, heading toward the east. He dashed through the forest, either dodging or destroying obstacles in his path. A frown took place on his features and he heard the healer's words echo through the recesses of his mind - "There is really nothing I can do, my liege… you must find a miko to cure this disease. It need not be a terribly powerful one - it's just that miko energy is sort we need to heal her. Any miko will do - but Misumi is the best".

Sesshoumaru's pace increased. He had little time to waste - Rin's condition worsened with every breath she took, and he would not be without her. He could smell the village as he approached it, its stench increasing in intensity every inch closer he got to it. He slowed to a walk as he neared the village's outskirts. The first villager he saw was his unsuspecting victim - Sesshoumaru grabbed him by his throat and raised him into the air.

"Where is the miko Misumi?"

The man struggled and writhed in Sesshoumaru's hold, gasping for breath. Sesshoumaru dropped him unkindly and the man prostrated himself before the youkai lord's feet. "He is not here," he managed to sputter as his body trembled and shook violently with fear. "There is another miko here in her stead."

'She's not here?' Sesshoumaru did not like what the villager was saying, and was tempted to kill him. Alas, there was no time. "Is she competent?"

"Extremely so. She is delivering my sister's baby just now."

He approached the hut with a baleful expression on his face. It reeked of sweat, blood and tears. The screams of pain emanating from within were puncturing his hypersensitive eardrums. He moved toward the door, standing in its frame to watch.

The patient's bed was angled so that he could only see the miko's back and the feet of the woman to which she attended. He heard her coo words of comfort to the young, birthing woman. He turned his back on the scene impatiently and waited. A quarter of an hour more ticked by and the baby was finally borne from his mother's womb. He heard the miko speak briefly to one of her attendants and then turn to comfort the new mother. When she finally had the baby in her arms, clean and squirming about, Sesshoumaru repositioned himself to catch the miko as she left the hut.

"What are you going to name him?"

After a moment of deliberation, the woman replied in a voice full of wonder at the small creature in her arms. "After his grandfather, I think. Onigumo."

He heard the miko's heart stall momentarily and she caught her breath. 'Shock?' The miko resumed her breathing and cast a weak smile on the mother. "I'm sure he'll be just fine, Ruka-chan. Onigumo… it's a…" she fumbled for words. "A strong name." The mother giggled in response and turned back to coo at her baby.

The miko busied herself about the room for a minute or so more before finally turning to leave. Just as she left and was about to pass him, he reached out and caught her arm. She spun to face him and her face blanched, her eyes widening. She didn't move, and her breathing became shallow.

This time, he too experienced the symptoms of shock. How could he not have recognized it before?

"You're…" suddenly her eyes steeled and she tried to pull away, reaching behind her with her free hand to grab an arrow. She was foiled in both plans - he held fast to her arm, and her hand encountered empty air. Where had she left her bow and arrows? She had had them before, when -

"Where is Inuyasha?" he bit out.

Sesshoumaru was not exactly a fan of surprises, and this was a very, very unpleasant one. How was it that he had not recognized her? It took little for him to realize why. It seemed that the only things about her that hadn't changed were her eyes - steeled over with resolve - her mane of midnight locks, tumbling over her back, and the fiery, defiant aura that swirled around her.

Her scent was not as strong as before - it was not heightened by fear or rage, and lay hidden, drowned out by the disgusting smell of perspiration and blood that had clung to her during the delivery. Her voice was different as well - he found it a lot more tolerable when she wasn't screeching self-righteously about his alleged injustices to his half-brother. She was clothed in the proper red and white miko attire, as well, instead of that ridiculously impractical and indecent getup she had worn before.

And the most important change - no Inuyasha. He was completely unable to sense the stupid hanyou, and the fact disturbed him. He was forced to draw a conclusion, and the girl affirmed it with her next statement.

"He's not here," she responded, her eyes changing for a moment, and then hardening once more. "What do you want?"

"I have no time for your impertinence," he snapped. "You are a qualified miko. This Sesshoumaru requires a service of you."

*-*~*-*

Inuyasha looked up when he heard Miroku and Sango approach. Miroku frowned deeply when he saw Inuyasha shake his head. "His scent disappears here," he said in a scratchy voice. Shippo had disappeared. Inuyasha had followed the fox cub's scent until the well, and it disappeared at the lip of it. "You don't think he went with her, do you?"

Sango felt the overwhelming urge to want to smack him. He had not said Kagome's name at all since her departure the day prior, referring to their friend and former companion simply as 'her'. She settled on merely glaring at the hanyou, and nodded.

Miroku shared her sentiments. "That seems to be the most logical conclusion that one could draw." He walked over to the well and looked down into it for a moment, swallowing a lump that threatened to rise in his throat. "The question is: how is it that he was able to go through the well after her?" A subdued silence fell upon the group. The mutual realization that the cheerful fox would no longer be accompanying them fell over them, and they each took the moment to mourn the loss of his company.

Inuyasha stood with a 'keh' and started walking out of the clearing. Miroku and Sango watched him as he was leaving, slightly confused. "Oi, hurry up. We're leaving," he called without turning around.

The other two stood and looked back at the well before somewhat reluctantly following Inuyasha. Miroku paused just before leaving the clearing, and bowed his head respectfully in the well's direction. Kagome was gone, and Shippo with her, apparently. Their tight-knit group was slowly coming apart, and he grieved for the loss of their pleasant and relaxing company. He would miss her a great deal. He would simply have to redouble his efforts to get her to himself when she came to visit them. Farther ahead, the same thoughts - thought slightly more intense - coursed through Inuyasha's mind.

*-*~*-*

The girl was perceptive, at least. She had seemed to understand his urgency and asked no questions. She had also seemed to understand that resisting him was a pointless venture, and had gone with him peacefully and quietly, much to his contentment. She would cure Rin of her mysterious ailment, he would interrogate her to get some much-needed answers, and he would return her to the town where he had found her. No doubt Inuyasha would make a foolish attempt to rescue her from harm, despite the fact that there was none. That is - she would come to no harm unless she was foolish and decided to deserve it. She was doing him a service, and he was an honorable man.

When they had reached Rin's room, he had dropped her rather unceremoniously on the ground outside of the door. She had stood with all the dignity that she could muster, and looked up at him silently, speculatively. He decided she must have been waiting for instructions, so he had decided to give her some incentive. "I will not hesitate to destroy you, should you fail, human."

She had looked him in the eyes with an intense resolve, and said, "I never fail," before walking into the room.

He had been about to follow when the door was shut right in his face. He let the offense go, promising to punish the impudent wench for it once Rin was well. He opened the door enough to see inside, and watched. A minute had passed by where the girl had done nothing but stare at his ward. He had been about to yell at her when she moved. A slight bit of confusion overcame him when he saw her uncover the young girl and push her into a sitting position, sliding into the bed behind her. She had cradled the ailing girl in her arms, on her lap against her chest, and closed her eyes and hugged her close. After a few tense moments of nothingness, he saw the miko shimmer. She was glowing a soft pink, the light radiating from her body and enveloping the girl in her arms.

"It's unorthodox," the healer had said, from where had stood by Sesshoumaru's side, "but if it works, it works."

It had been just over three hours since she had entered the room. Sesshoumaru stood across the hall from the door, staring t it. His every sense was alert, waiting to hear movement from within so that he could ease his anxiety by knowing the girl's state of health. He was surprised when the door opened and the miko toppled forward, using the doorframe to support herself. He hadn't heard her get up.

"She'll be alright," she said, a tired smile appearing on her wan, drained features. "She's sleeping now." She inhaled sharply, and her eyes closed. Her body crumpled to the ground as she fell into an exhausted faint. Sesshoumaru moved her body out of the doorway and laid it at the foot of Rin's bed, sitting down on it to look at the little girl he'd been so anxious for.

Her sleeping face lay calm and restful, a slight blush on her cheeks from the temperature she was running. He touched her forehead and was pleased to see that the temperature had dropped substantially. A smile spread on his face and he felt relief wash over him. She was alright now. Planting a small peck on her forehead, he stood and grabbed the miko's unconscious body, hefting it over his shoulder.

*-*~*-*

Title: And Times In-Between

Rating: R, eventually.

Coupling: Hints of IY/K, M/K. Coupling in later chapters undecided.

Summary: Kagome has an epiphany when conflicts start to reach their worst. The results of her sudden enlightenment are far more than anyone could have expected, and the well stops being merely a door… it becomes her destiny. *Updated Weekly*

Disclaimer: In author Profile.

AN: Okay, some notes on this chapter. I know there are a few holes but they will be filled in eventually. It was really hard writing this chapter. There were some things that had to happen, and it was really hard to keep things going in the direction I wanted them to, hence the somewhat sad low quality of the chapter.

Also, this chapter is about the length that the other chapters will be in the future. The prelude chapters were shorter, somewhere along 2,000 words. This one almost made it to twice that length. (Yowza!) Thanks for reading and reviewinnnng!! If anyone can help me think of a better summary, I'd love you forever.

Thanks to:

small fry- You're special and I love you. I have read that story before… but I lost it, sadly. Thanks for finding it for me agaaaaain! XD Much love, you're the bestest.

Morlana - Hey, thanks! I really appreciate it. I don't really have an update list… but I'll pretend I do, ehehe… ^_^