InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness in the Hearts of Light ❯ Seperation Anxiety ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer : Of course, no matter how much I might wish it, the original characters etc. of Inuyasha do not belong to me. (Pout.) I do have a few original characters spicing up the plot though: Kioshi (I can’t reveal his secrets just yet, and I assure you there are some good ones) a demon with an interesting ability outside of the typical demon traits (i.e. strength, hearing, sense of smell, etc.); Haru: Kioshi’s “Grandfather” (not quite the truth) who is not quite human either, but no, for those of you trying to guess what he is, he is not a demon/youkai nor a Hanyou nor a human... anymore; Raiju: a powerful demon belonging to the lightening clan (as Hiten and Manten did only more powerful); Ran: a white wolf (can’t say more than that either without spoiling Kioshi’s story). And a few other minor characters that tell their own story as the plot continues.

A/N: I am very excited to post my story on MediaMiner.Org, it has kind of become my baby. This being the first time to post here, I am itching for reviews. I need all the help I can get so I’m throwing myself at your mercy (or the wolves haha.) So don’t make me beg! Review it to the bone, please! Oh, and thank you! - Felan Silverchild


Chapter One - Separation Anxiety

Miroku sat staring into the fire as he stirred the embers with a long, twisted branch.

Nothing in particular was rustling through his mind as he enjoyed the beautiful rhythm of the surrounding nightlife. He was lost in the quiet of it. It was a hell of a jolt to his system when Inuyasha crashed his way back into the campsite snarling something under his breath.

The hanyou sat gruffly on the leaf littered ground with both his arms and legs crossed. He never noticed Miroku half fallen back panting and clutching at his chest as if in pain.

“Inuyasha! What’s wrong with you?! You were too mean to Kagome! What if she really doesn’t come back this time?” Shippo charged in behind him with his hackles high.

Inuyasha turned his nose up as he cracked Shippo over the head with his clenched fist so fast Miroku wasn’t even sure if he actually saw it happen.

“Kagome went home again?” The monk was sitting up calmly now as though nothing had happened. “What did you do this time? I thought she wasn’t going to return home for several more days.” Inuyasha’s expression said everything to him. He had a fairly good idea what had happened, considering how often it did.

“I didn’t do anything! She... that;” Inuyasha growled. “That stupid bitch needs to stay home!” He wrenched himself to his feet and stalked back off into the dense forest with a sour look on his face. He should have known he wouldn’t find any peace here either, but he inwardly didn’t want to be alone right now.

“Inuyasha!” Shippo started to go after him but stopped, flustered and angry. “If she doesn’t come back this time,” Shippo called into the darkness, his voice winding down into a whimper, “It’s all your fault.”

“You shouldn’t worry about it too much, Shippo. Kagome will come back to us. At least she’ll be safe back in her own world for now.” Miroku thought for a moment as Shippo sat beside him, sulking. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like for her.”

“What do you mean?” Shippo was twirling a leaf in his small fingers. He looked up at Miroku with eyes wide and curious, and a little worried.

“To go from one world to the other. She has to find a way to balance both. And how different I imagine our two times to be.”

“You’re right. All those wonderful things she brings back for us. It must be a nice place to live,” Shippo licked his lips with thoughts of the strange snacks she always brought.

“Hmm, maybe. But I wonder if she ever feels displaced. After all, her spirit lives in both times. First here and then reincarnated to the other. I wonder sometimes where she really belongs between the two worlds.” Miroku thought for a moment. “Her heart, too, seems to be in both places, but what happens when our adventure ends?”

Shippo’s eyes went wide.

“Do you really think she’d stop visiting us?”

“I don’t know. I don’t really like to consider it but the thought has crossed my mind. We’re all in this for different reasons, after all. It’s only natural that we might go different ways when it’s over.” Miroku threw his twisted stick into the flames and watched it smolder and catch fire. “Suppose that when the Shikon no Tama has been completely reclaimed, and I assume destroyed, that she can’t return to us anymore.”

“I wonder what Inuyasha would do since he can go to Kagome’s world too?”

“I really don’t know what he’d do. He also seems to have his heart a little in both worlds.” Miroku and Shippo looked off into the direction Inuyasha disappeared.

The darkness was thick in the dense foliage of the forest. The moon cast its light only in a few places, and with his mood as foul as it was the darkness suited him just fine.

Inuyasha could hear their argument in his mind over and over again. He didn’t mean to be so harsh with her, but it was her fault for catching him off guard anyway!

He had wanted to be alone to think and had walked out into the forest where it was more secluded from their campsite. He always felt this way after a run in with Kikyo; like his chest wanted to tear itself in two directions. Inuyasha had stretched out on the cool ground staring up into the stars when Kagome had decided to join him. She sat close by and leaned back against her arms, staring quietly for a short while with him.

“I forget how much brighter the stars are here.” Kagome looked down and caught him staring at her. His cheeks had flushed a pale shade of what she thought was pink before he huffed and snapped his head the other way and crossed his arms tightly across his chest.

She watched him for a moment and smiled. As if on cue, Inuyasha turned over onto his side with his back facing her. She sighed a small bit and looked back up at the stars feeling strangely alone.

“I wonder what’s going on back at home.”

“I don’t know, why don’t you go find out.” Inuyasha huffed.

“Am I bothering you that much?” Kagome sat upright, her arms stiff with indignation.

He remained silent outside of a barely audible growl.

“Just say so,” her voice gained a softer note. “Am I really bothering you that much? I thought.. we had gotten.. well, closer than that.”

“Well you were wrong!” Embarrassed he sat upright and leaned forward confrontationally.

Kagome caught his eyes with a straightforward gaze wrapped in a hurt expression.

“I wondered who it was you were looking at when you stared at me. You’re thinking about Kikyo again, aren’t you?” She tried to catch his gaze with her own.

His golden eyes fell downward as he turned away again. To her, his expression said everything she didn’t want to hear, and it was far more than she could stand.

“See! Every time you hear her name or anything to do with her, you can’t look at me in the face, except when you can pretend I’m her without feeling guilty.” She paused to force back her tears, and to see if he would say anything. When he didn’t, she suddenly felt rejected in the deepest most hurtful way, and it she hated the fiery anger it brought out in her. “I knew it. I didn’t want to believe it, but it is true isn’t it. That’s really all I am to you, a way for you to pretend she never died.”

Kagome stood abruptly and began to walk away, speechless and hurt. She was angry but he could tell it was different than the usual anger that smashed his face into the ground with one little word. He had wanted to say so many things but he found he couldn’t.

It wasn’t true; it wasn’t Kikyo he saw when he looked at her. Or was it? Their eyes were so different, but the face was still filled with the old memories he couldn’t help feeling.

He leapt to his feet and started after her. “Kagome! Where are you going?!”

“Don’t you remember? You already told me to go home!” Her shoulders were stiff and her fists were clenched at her sides as she stalked back toward the road that led off in the direction of the small well. She was glad they were only a day’s walk from the village, still though, she was beginning to wish Kirara and Sango were there with them instead of at another nearby village.

“Since when do you listen to me?!” He was getting defensive.

“Since when do you care?!”

“You can’t!” He began to holler after her.

“What, now you don’t want me to go?” She stopped. Her shoulders were beginning to shake and her fists were clenched hard until her knuckles turned white, but she refused to turn around and let him see her tears flowing. “Why, because you wanted to go search further north after those Shikon Shard rumors? I forgot that that’s the only other thing you need me for! You’re so selfish, Inuyasha!” She stomped off again.

“You’re the one leaving,” his voice was more reserved than usual. And she was much more angry than he was used to. He had no idea how to react. He wanted to say in his clumsy way: ‘No, stay and be with me.’ Or, ‘No, it’s you I’m looking into when I get that look you were talking about. It’s you I want.’ But he said none of those and regretted it more than anything. He just couldn’t do it.

When she stopped the second time, a shiver ran up his spine and he gritted his teeth expecting it.

“OSWARI!”

The force of it pummeled him hard into the root, covered earth.

“You… Bitch!” Stunned, he tried to recover himself from the ground and the pain, but he was hit by it again.
“Oswari! And don’t you dare come after me this time.” Her words were filled with venom as she continued on into the forest away from the small clearing.

“Kagome,” he whispered. “Goddamn it! Come back here!” But she was gone. Frustrated and overwhelmed; his own anger began to boil over.

It took him longer to drag himself from the dirt the second time. It hurt more than he had expected but his intense anger was enough to push the pain aside for now. Growling, he turned his back on her as well and was walking back toward the campsite when he almost tripped over Shippo.

“What the fuck are you doing here,” he snarled, embarrassed as he clenched his hand, cracking his knuckles.

Shippo understood the threat all too well and threw his arms up to protect his head. Inuyasha waited. The little Kitsune let his arms down to peek when no punch came, but that was what the hanyou had been waiting for and the little youkai went rolling.

“Ahh!” Shippo rubbed at the swollen lump on his head. “Inuyasha! Go after her! Tell her you’re sorry! She sounded like she meant it this time. What if she doesn’t come back?” He squeaked in frustration.

“You’re her pet, why don’t you go after her?”

Somehow, while deep in his thoughts, Inuyasha found himself back in the clearing where the argument had begun. He sat in the same spot he had claimed before and sulked.

No matter how much he really felt, right now he just couldn’t tell her. The hanyou gazed at the spot Kagome had been sitting in. He felt a little anxious letting Kagome go off into the woods alone like that, but better that she cool off before he tried anything again.

Inuyasha touched his face where Kikyo’s fingers had touched him earlier in the evening. And felt guilt devour him.

He looked out in the direction Kagome disappeared.

“Kagome.. if only you knew..” Inuyasha sighed. “If only I could just tell you everything I really see when I look into your eyes.”

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