InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cloud Watching ❯ Star Gazing ( Chapter 2 )

I do not own Inuyasha.

Star Gazing

By Melissa Spoula

After another hard day of shard hunting our little band of hero's set camp for the night. As each settled down performing their nightly rituals, a calm settled over the group.

Kagome set out her sleeping bag in a position that would be best for Inuyasha to watch over her. She had learned long ago that the hanyou would in some way get her to move into a place were he could keep a eye on her at night. If she was not in a spot he liked he would make up any number of excuses to get her to move. After she finally figured out what he was up to she almost always took this into consideration when choosing a place to settle down.

Shippo she found also loved to sleep near, or right on top of her. This was cute at first but not being able to toss and turn as she pleased during the night proved to be uncomfortable. So she had gotten him a sleeping bag of his own. Every night when Kagome choose her spot to sleep Shippo would get his bag out and look around pretending he was considering a place that was not right next to Kagome. In the end he always ended up lying right by her.

Sango would pick a side of the camp that was opposite the side Miroku choose to sleep on. She had learned that his hands had a mind of their own at night. Miroku usually found a tree to sit against were he could keep watch when his turn came at night. And our favorite hanyou would pick out the perfect branch to watch over the group, especially Kagome. He was happy that he no longer had to position her every night so he could watch her sleep, um….a…. I mean keep an eye on her.

One by one the others fell asleep. Kagome lay facing the fire. She kept thinking about what had happened between her and Inuyasha earlier that week. It had been several days since, and he had yet to show her any sign of emotion. She just couldn't figure it out. She had been so sure he had wanted to kiss her. And if Miroku had not let his hands get the better of him she was sure they would have. So…why had he not at least tried to get her alone again? Sometimes she just couldn't understand him.

Up in the tree Inuyasha was having similar thoughts. `I know she's not asleep yet. Wonder what she's thinking about?' He was almost tempted to climb down there and talk to her but he didn't want to wake the others. Either way unless he know she was sleeping he wasn't going to.

Kagome knew sleep just wasn't going to come tonight. She just couldn't find the switch that made her brain turn off. `Maybe a walk would help wind me down.' Slowly she climbed from under the covers. She glanced up to find Inuyasha perched above her, eyes closed. "Inuyasha?" she whispered softly so only his demon hearing could pick it up.

There was no response. Taking her bow and arrows from their spot with the rest of the equipment she picked a direction and began walking.

"Now were in the hell is she going?" Inuyasha said as he began to follow her. When she called his name he was sure she had caught him staring at her. Pretending to be asleep was just a last ditch effort to get himself out of a sitting. Instead she had armed herself and gone out for a midnight stroll. Didn't she know just how dangerous it was out here at night without him to protect her? `Well she did try to wake you.' That small voice in his had said. "Shut up!" he said to himself. That voice always seemed to side with Kagome.

Kagome had come to a large clearing. She walked further from the tree line towards the middle of the clearing and sat down. The grass was wet with dew but she didn't mind.

Putting her bow and arrows down she looked up at the stars. She always loved the night sky here. In her time she could only see the brightest stars but here every last one was visible. She had always wanted to learn the constellations but with her homework and shard hunting she just never had time. She looked to the sky trying to find something familiar.

While Kagome scanned the sky a slight shiver ran through her. She folded her arms over her chest for extra warmth. `Should have brought something wormer' she scolded herself. She was only dressed in the sleeping kimono that Sango had given her not long ago for the lighter spring weather. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms trying to take the chill out. She stopped when something thick and worm was draped over her shoulders.

"You should know better than to come out here on your own." Inuyasha said as he sat next to her. "Thank you" she said as she pulled his haori tighter around her shoulders.

"I tried to wake you to let you know I was going for a walk but you were sleeping."

Inuyasha sat playing with a few strands of grass. "I was up. I was just hoping you would go back to bed if I didn't say anything."

"Oh" Kagome sighed "you could have just said you didn't want to talk to me." She went back to watching the sky.

Inuyasha batted at a dandelion causing the seeds to fly up and scatter in the breeze. "I never said I didn't want to talk to you wench. But you should be sleeping now, not running around in the dark."

Kagome kept her eyes on the sky "I couldn't sleep."

"Why?" Inuyasha had run out of things to keep his hands occupied with out moving from the spot he sat at. So he just put his hands on the ground behind him and leaned back.

"Too much thinking, too much to think about. One thing leads to another and my mind just wouldn't let me rest. I was hoping that a walk would calm me down." Kagome pulled her knees closer to her chest and rested her chin on them.

"But you're not walking, you're just sitting. How is that going to tire you out?"

Kagome turned her head so that her cheek was still resting on her knees. "I'm trying to stop thinking about what I was thinking about." Kagome looked up. " So I'm trying to pick out constellations, to get my mind off things."

Inuyasha tilted his head and gave her a cute questioning look. "What's a constellation?"

Kagome couldn't help but giggle. He looked so cute and it made her heart do a little flip-flop. "A constellation is a group of stars that form a picture. Most have interesting stories behind them." Kagome leaned her hands back in the same position as Inuyasha and turned her gaze back to the stars.

"Oh right," he smiled up at the sky "my mom used to tell me those stories. We would sit on the sill of my bedroom window and she would tell me all about the different stars."

Kagome was tempted to point out the fact that he was smiling but decided not to because then he might stop. She always thought he looked best when he smiled. "What did she tell you about?"

Inuyasha scooted a little closer to Kagome. He pointed to one bright star and than another. "She told me that those two stars are lovers. You see that stream of small stars that form a line between them?" Kagome nodded her head in response. Inuyasha continued, "She said that the two lovers were mad at each other one day and walked away from each other. By the time they were ready to apologize the small stars had already blocked their path back to each other. So now the two lovers have to wait until the small stars fade away before they can be together again. But they love each other so much that they stay waiting for the stars to fade hoping that the other is still waiting too."

"That's sad." Kagome said. Inuyasha looked at her "It was a lesson she said. They teach us that no matter how mad you are never run away from the one you love because you never know if you can run back." Kagome looked back up at the stars. "I hope they find each other again."

Inuyasha kept looking at Kagome. "You could learn something from them." Kagome turned her head but before she could argue with him he reached his hand up and cupped her cheek. He closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly. It lasted for about thirty seconds and then he pulled away. Inuyasha leaned his forehead to Kagome's and continued, "every time you get angry at me and run back through the well I'm afraid I'll never see you again. While you're here its different. We may get angry and fight but at least were forced to forgive each other because we have to keep on traveling. When you go back to your time we don't have to say were sorry." Kagome kept listening to Inuyasha's every word. She wanted to look into his eyes but there position prevented that. "When your there and I'm here one of us has to give into the other. Most of the time it's me because I'm to afraid you're not going to come back." Inuyasha moved his face away form her and looked off into the distance.

Kagome placed her hand on his. "You know I will always come back."

Inuyasha looked back to her. "What if you can't? What if something happens and the well stops working?" What would you do?" Inuyasha had been holding these questions in for a long time. He didn't know why he was telling her all this now. It wasn't like him to get so emotional.

Kagome moved closer to him "I would find a way back you know I would."

"And if you couldn't?" he was looking away from her again. Kagome placed her hand on his chin and lifted his head till his eyes met hers.

"I'd die trying."

She looked strait into his eyes when she said it and he knew she was telling the truth. This time it was Kagome who leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back harder needing to feel the emotion behind the words she had just said. They stayed like that for a while just holding each other and kissing every now and then. Finally Kagome said she was tired and Inuyasha picked her up and carried her back to camp.

At the camp Kagome gave Inuyasha back his haori and climbed back into her sleeping bag. She glanced back at Inuyasha.

He had settled himself down on the ground at the base of the tree closest to Kagome. Kagome turned on her side to face him "um…. You're so close I can almost reach out and touch you." Kagome said as she playfully tickled the bottom of his foot. Inuyasha pulled his foot away "Oi wench quit that" he whispered and tried his best to giver her a stern look. Kagome knew better and smiled at him till he gave in and smiled back. He leaned over and pulled the cover up closer around her. He whispered in her ear "Go to sleep now koibito."

Inuyasha leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. His haori now smelled just like kagome and it calmed him. Once he heard the steady breathing of Kagome he too fell asleep.

Tomorrow they may fight with each other like always, but what happened tonight wouldn't change that. Now at least they knew no matter how angry they got with each other they would never be separated.

Author's notes

I think I will have two or three more chapters to this story before I start my next one. Give me a few days and I'm sure I will update.