InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Dreams ❯ Reunion at Long Last ( Chapter 23 )

Broken Dreams

 

I was gonna wait till Sunday to post this, but you've suffered enough.

 

Shout out to Koumori-hana for being my 10th reviewers on MM-Org. Also, a reviewer accused me of breaking their dreams by not revealing who Youkai is just yet. Well I kindly ask that reviewer to take a look at the name of this story. Lol, kidding. Now I've been so cruel for so long, hiding Youkai's identity. But now, at long last, I reveal who he is! Read on for the moment you've been waiting for!

 

Chapter 22

 

Reunion at Long Last

 

Kagome groaned and reached up to rub her head. She sat up and noticed Youkai stirring the pot of stew. She yawned, and gasped as her memories flooded back to her. Youkai's face…

“Y…Youkai?” Kagome asked. Youkai didn't answer. “Youkai?” Kagome asked again. Youkai turned around and handed her a bowl of warm stew.

“Here.” He muttered, turning his back to her again. Kagome took the stew and placed it beside her and put a hand on Youkai's shoulder.

“Youkai…when you woke up…” Kagome bit off the end of her sentence. Youkai would have woken up with his mask off. It wouldn't take much to figure out what had happened.

“It's ok Kagome. Just forget about it.” Youkai said, not even looking at her. Kagome cocked her head. Forget about what she had seen? That was the last thing on Kagome's mind.

“But Youkai…your face.” Kagome gasped and stopped as Youkai punched the ground angrily.

“I know, alright? I'm sorry you had to see that, so just pretend it never happened, okay?” He growled. Kagome stood up pulled Youkai to his feet.

“No. I saw what I saw Youkai.” Kagome said firmly. Youkai stared at her for a moment before hanging his head.

“I'm sorry Kagome.” He mumbled. Kagome bit her lip, but reached a hand up to the back of Youkai's head. The second her hand made contact, Youkai's head snapped up. ”What are you doing?” He whispered.

“Trust me.” Kagome replied. Youkai caught her hand as it moved up again.

“But Kagome…” Youkai protested. Kagome shook her head.

“Youkai, I'm not afraid. Trust me.” Youkai growled as his drooped to his chest again.

I don't want you to see.” He murmured softly. Kagome nodded, but reached back up to his head again. When her fingertips brushed against the bindings, Youkai tensed, but didn't make a move to stop her. Taking a breath, Kagome slowly pulled out the thread and pulled Youkai's mask of his head. Gasping at a sight that only confirmed her earlier suspicions, Youkai's head snapped away.

“I told you…” He groaned. Kagome grabbed Youkai's chin and jerked his head back to stare her in the eye. Youkai stared back in confusion as Kagome slowly reached up to touch him. Her fingers trailed up over a fresh cut on his lip to the flesh of Youkai's cheek. The whole of his face was lightly tanned with slashes of light-pink scars here and there. Kagome gently ran her hand over his cheek, and Youkai stared as she continued her exploring of something that had earned him nothing but fear his entire life.

Kagome hand came up to his left eye, wide with awe. Then her fingers crossed over his nose to his right eye. A red scar ran over the lid to the forehead, where it went up at a right angle. The eye was only open halfway, but it too held the same look of confusion. Youkai blinked as Kagome went up further.

The top of his head was bare in a curve starting from above Youkai's left eye and going around his head to his right ear. The skin was completely bare and light-pink from lack of exposure to the sun when there had been hair. The rest of Youkai's head was covered in a tangled mess of dirty-grey hair that went down the back of his head and down between his shoulder blades.

Kagome couldn't believe it. It was impossible. She knew that the man she saw before her couldn't possibly be who she thought it was. But the more she stared, the more she knew it was him. She reached down and tightly grasped Youkai's 3-fingered claw in her hand.

“You really don't remember me?” She choked, tears coming to her eyes. Youkai shook his head.

“I told you, when I remembered before, my shoulder…” He explained. Kagome nodded and sniffed back the oncoming tears. They weren't tears of sorrow, or tears of loss. These, for the first time in over three years, were tears of happiness. Kagome reached up behind her neck and gently unclasped the locket that had rested against her heart for years, even before Kouga mated with her.

“Please…you have to…” Kagome pleaded. Kagome gently clicked the locket open and pressed it into Youkai's palm. Youkai looked down at their hands and gently pulled away to stare at the small piece of jewelry Kagome had given him. A picture of a much younger Kagome glared out from the right picture as Youkai gingerly took a claw and pushed the locket open. But the other picture…Youkai didn't have a clue what the pictures were. But that second picture…

A white haired, golden eyes man was snarling at who ever had taken the picture. A pair of small fangs hanging from the corners of his mouth indicated he was either youkai or hanyou. Youkai stared at the picture with an open mouth, as his other hand came up to the bare part of his head. What he was searching for couldn't be seen in that picture. But something in his mind's eye guided his hand to the bare spot on his head, and the wide, crescent-shaped scar that had been cut into his skull. Youkai's hand began to shake as his hand traveled across his head to the part that still had hair, and dug down into the scalp until there was movement.

A small, furry object twitched under Youkai's claws. Youkai gasped and dropped the locket onto the floor as his hand clasped over his hair. Youkai's jaw began to work, trying to form words as he slowly withdrew his hand. There, where his hand had been, a small, fuzzy, triangular ear twitched under the hair after being pinned down under the mask for over two years. Youkai's gaze bored into his hand before traveling back up to face Kagome.

“Kagome…” Youkai's whispered. Kagome felt warm tears stream down her face as an air of recognition came into Youkai's eyes. With a sob, Kagome threw herself into his arms and squeezed for dear life. And to her joy, Youkai squeezed back. Kagome sniffed and murmured the one name that had been on the tip of her tongue for years.

“Inuyasha…”