InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demons ❯ Home ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha!

Hey...sorry this took so long to update...I was having a bit of writer's block. Anyways, I hope you like this...and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it, but if I get a good response then I just might! Major thanks to Darcelona, my amazing beta and best friend! Woot! Anyways, on with the story!

Kagome stood at the bottom of the well and looked up to see the roof of the enclosure that held the well in her own time. Convinced that there was no way that Inuyasha would come after her now, she fell to her knees on the cold dirt at the bottom of the well, defeated. `It's over' she thought, placing her hands to the dirt and pressing down, as though willing it to stay shut to Inuyasha, `It's really over.'

Suddenly drained of all energy, it took everything within her to pull herself to her feet and climb out of the well. She dragged herself into the house, ignoring her mother's cheerful greeting and shuffling up the stairs to her room and locking the door. Throwing herself onto the bed, she submitted to the tears, allowing loud, heavy sobs to escape from her throat.

“It's not fair!” she yelled at no one in particular, burying her face in her pillow, `After all this time…he still went back to her. I thought…I thought ...' She closed her eyes tightly and saw Inuyasha holding Kikyo tightly to his chest. `It's not fair…I love him…' A loud knock on the door pulled her from her mourning.

“Go away!” she cried, willing whoever was at the door to just leave her alone.

“Kagome?” a small voice asked, shaking with worry.

“Souta, please go away,” she begged, “I need to be alone, j-just leave me alone.” Souta paused for a moment, then cleared his throat and began to speak again.

“Mom wanted me to tell you that you don't have to talk to us if you don't want to, and that we're going grocery shopping and we'll be back in an hour. Okay?” Souta waited at the door for her to speak, but when Kagome's muffled sobs were the only response he backed away, leaving her with her grief.

Kagome sat up, wiped her eyes with her sleeves, and stood up to look into the mirror.

“What does she have that I don't?” she asked her reflection, staring at the face in the mirror that looked remarkably like Kikyo's. `She has his heart,' she thought, lowering herself to the floor beside her bed, and laying her head in her hands, an action that reminded her of a hanyou she had seen sitting in that very same position. `Grief,' she thought, `this is a position of grief.' Could Inuyasha have been grieving for losing her?

“Did I make a mistake?” she whispered into her hands, “Could we have fixed this?” Kagome's heart swelled for a moment, but she pushed the feeling back.

“No,” she said, trying desperately to convince herself, “This is best. For both of us.” She looked out the window from her position on the floor and watched as an airplane flew by. “This is where I belong.” She told herself, and knew instantly that it was a lie. Images of faces surged across her memory. A kitsune child, a lecherous monk, a youkai taijiya…and a hanyou boy. Her family. Her life in the modern era was merely a façade, she could see it now. Where she really belonged was with them…with him. And now it was too late. The look of pain that had filled Inuyasha's eyes as she had said goodbye would not leave her head. Kagome let her head fall back into her hands, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

o-O-o---

Inuyasha held the jewel close to his heart, and let his memories of Kagome wash over him. In one memory she was pressed against him by the body of a giant centipede as she pulled an arrow from his heart. In another she sat on the well and asked him if she could stay with him. Memories melded into one another. Countless “Osuwaris” that left him face-down in the dirt, countless rides through the countryside with her held firmly to his back. Countless fights over something ridiculous, Countless times he had carried her to safety, watched over her when she was hurt, gone back to get her from her time when she took too long coming back to him. Countless moments that added up to the part of his life that he had shared with Kagome. She had brought him so much happiness; more than he had ever known.

`She can't really believe that all she is to me is a shard collector,' he thought, bringing the jewel up to his face. It was whole and pink and pure. `She has to know that she means more to me than that.' He thought of the way Kagome had blankly stared at him as she told him that she wanted to leave, and the feeling that he had gotten that something was wrong.

“Why did she leave?” he whispered to the jewel, staring intently at it, as if it would answer him, “I can't let it end like this.” He put the jewel back into his haori, stood back up, set his jaw and headed straight for the Bone-Eater's well…to Kagome.

Now back in Kagome's time, Inuyasha stepped gingerly into Kagome's house. It seemed to be empty, but he could smell her, up in her bedroom, and he could smell the dark scent of heartache. `It's because of me,' he realized, feeling a tightening in his chest at the thought that he had caused her pain, `What did I do?' He searched his mind for something that he had done that could have caused Kagome this much grief, but could not come up with any rational explanation for her sudden flight. He walked noiselessly up the stairs and found himself in front of Kagome's bedroom door. He hesitated before finally gaining the courage to knock on the door.

“Souta, I said please … please just leave me alone,” she said in a voice that was almost too low to hear through the thick door. Inuyasha could hear the tears in her voice, and his heart squeezed even tighter. He hated it when she cried. Especially when it was his fault.

“Kagome?” he said timidly, his concern creeping into his voice. Kagome tensed, the steady flow of tears coming to an abrupt stop. `Inuyasha,' she thought, as she sucked in a breath and held it. Maybe it wasn't too late after all.

“No,” she whispered, too quietly for even Inuyasha's sensitive ears to hear, “It's too late. He went back to Kikyo. He doesn't love me.”

`Then why is he here?' A little voice said in her head, but she ignored it, clenching her eyes shut and wishing that Inuyasha would just go away.

On the other side of the door, Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. She still hadn't responded to him. `You're scaring me, Kagome,' he thought, reaching for the doorknob he knew would be locked, and turning it fruitlessly.

“Kagome?” He ventured again, “Kagome? Talk to me.” Inuyasha could hear her moving inside the locked room, but she didn't open the door. Frustrated and confused Inuyasha sat down roughly, leaning his back against the door. He felt Kagome crawl to the door and do the same on the other side. They sat silently for a few minutes, each listening to the slow, steady breathing of the other. Inuyasha sighed, whispering to the girl that was mere inches away from him, but that he couldn't see, “Please. Kagome. Let me in.” He heard her sigh deeply, a sigh full of fear, doubt, and heartache, and slowly bring herself to her feet. Inuyasha quickly stood and waited for her to open the door.

Kagome took a deep breath, wiped her eyes with her sleeves again, turned the lock to her bedroom door, and reached for the doorknob with a shaky hand. `What can I say to him?' she thought, her stomach tying itself in knots. Slowly, she pulled the door towards her, averting her eyes from the boy who stood in front of her. Neither said anything for a few moments that felt like a lifetime, and finally Inuyasha got up the courage to speak.

“Are you okay?” he said gently, taking a small step towards her. She looked up to meet his gaze with eyes full of pain. She nodded slowly, but her lip began to tremble and the nod turned into a shake as fresh tears spilled down her already tear-stained cheeks. Inuyasha acted impulsively, willing to do anything to stop Kagome's weeping. He reached his arms out to the girl and pulled her to him in a tight embrace.

“No.” Kagome whispered feebly, but soon gave into the arms of the man she loved, burying her face deep in to his chest and feeling more at home than she had in a long time. She felt the hurt she had felt only moments before wash away as she melted into Inuyasha's strong arms. Those arms were safe. She was about to let out a contented sigh, when she suddenly realized that Inuyasha had been the reason she had been crying in the first place. She roughly pushed him away, and turned her back to him. Inuyasha had felt Kagome relax against him, and was surprised when she pushed him away so abruptly. `So it really is me that is making her feel this way' he thought, his heart sinking into his chest. `But she hugged me back…she still cares for me…what's holding her back?'

“What did I do?” he whispered, exasperated. Kagome turned to face him to find his face wrought with hurt confusion. He really couldn't understand why she was so upset? He honestly couldn't think of one thing that he'd done that could have hurt her?

“Kikyo.” Kagome cried, fire building up behind her eyes. Inuyasha searched wildly through his mind for a reason that Kikyo could have upset Kagome this much. When she had come by the night before it had been to say goodbye, and Kagome hadn't even seen Kikyo there. Or had she? In the deep recesses of his memory of the night before he heard a slight rustle in the bushes nearby as he embraced Kikyo for the last time. As they said goodbye.

“I want you to live, Inuyasha,” Kikyo had said to him, “and you can't do that with me. I am of the dead, and it is time for me to leave the world of the living.” Inuyasha had been guiltily relieved when he found that Kikyo didn't want to take him to hell with her anymore. “You have defeated Naraku, and avenged my death,” she had whispered, “that is all that I could ever ask from you.” Inuyasha had embraced her for a final time, finally letting go of her, and she setting him free. The rustle of the bushes nearby had seemed inconsequential at the time, but now Inuyasha's eyes lit up with comprehension.

“The hug?” he asked carefully, and the fire in Kagome's eyes burned brighter, confirming his suspicions. “That,” he said confidently, “will never happen again.” Confusion and doubt clouded Kagome's face as she waited for him to continue. “Kikyo set me free last night.” He explained, the confusion still settled on Kagome's brow.

“Set you free?” She whispered. Her heart not daring to think what that might mean.

“Yes.” Inuyasha continued, his eyes soft and apologetic. “What you saw was a goodbye hug. Kikyo is no longer of this world.” The fire in Kagome's eyes fizzled, as her heart dared to believe him, the look in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying.

“Kikyo's…dead?” Kagome whispered, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Yes.” Inuyasha said, reaching out his arms and placing his hands on her shoulders, “But she was dead the whole time. She hasn't been the Kikyo I knew for a long time. I realized that I couldn't keep living in the past. She's gone. I have to move on with my life.” Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but Inuyasha placed a clawed finger to her lips. “I have one more thing to say…Kagome. Will you stay with me?”

“You…you want me to stay?” Kagome croaked, her heart swelling up bigger and bigger as Inuyasha said things that she'd been longing to hear.

“Yes. Of course I want you to stay, baka! I need you with me, and I will never leave your side ever again. I promise I will protect you. Will you sta-…” Kagome cut him off by rushing into his arms and clasping her hands around the back of his neck. She buried her face in his neck, and said,

“Of course I'll stay!” Inuyasha was surprised by Kagome's sudden embrace, but smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. `This girl' he thought contentedly, `Makes me feel like I am home.'