InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Feel Like Makin' Love ❯ Making Amends ( Chapter 11 )

 

 

 

Chapter 10

 

Making Amends

 

The Tokyo rush hour traffic had thinned as Shippo and Emiko once again made their way to the Higurashi shrine. They had decided to let Shippo do the talking, at first. He was excited, curious, and a bit worried about seeing Kagome again.

 

Throughout the years since her birth, Shippo had only kept cursory tabs on Kagome. The desire to see her had been tempered with the knowledge that any interference could change the past, doing irreparable damage by changing the course of history. This was some of the wisdom he had had time to acquire, in the intervening centuries between when Kagome first came to the Feudal Era and when she was born, and he shared it with his children.

 

Now, Shippo's green eyes sparkled with anticipation as he smoothly maneuvered the car down the city streets. The closer they came, the more he felt that they were doing the right thing. InuYasha and Kagome would be reunited, and everything would work out. He had faith that Kagome would smooth things over between herself and InuYasha, just as she had always done. All she needed was the chance to see him again.

 

Finally, they pulled over and parked in front of the steps leading up to the Torii gate of the shrine. Emiko stood by her father as he scented the air and listened. He augmented his search for Kagome by extending his youki, until it touched the edges of her distressed aura.

 

“She is sitting under Goshinboku, crying,” Shippo said, and Emiko looked concerned.

 

Shippo gave his daughter a reassuring smile, and she nodded her head and smiled in return. Then they made their way up the stairs, deserted at this time, and he led the way to Goshinboku.

 

As two redheaded strangers approached, Kagome raised her red-rimmed eyes and sniffled. They wore friendly expressions, and she wondered if they had heard her crying. The man looked like someone she should know, and she stood up and tried to smile.

 

“Welcome to the Higurashi shrine,” Kagome said. “Are you here for a tour?”

 

“Actually, we are here to see you, Kagome,” the gentleman said softly, as they stood in front of her.

 

This took Kagome by surprise, and she blinked in confusion. Something about him…

 

 

“Excuse me, do I know you?” Kagome said.

 

Shippo wanted to comfort her so badly, like when he was a child. After all these years, the sight of her still brought on that reaction. But as an adult, he knew how to keep self-control. So, he took a deep breath and smiled kindly.

 

“We came to let you know where InuYasha is,” Shippo said. “We don't know what happened between you two, but we do know that it certainly was not what the two of you want.”

 

All the color drained from Kagome's face, and her eyes opened wide. Her mind raced as she sought to put all the pieces together. The only one of her friends from the Feudal Era who could be alive was…

 

“Shippo, is that you?” Kagome said in awe.

 

A big grin broke out on the man's face, and the young woman beside him looked pleased. He came and sat next to Kagome under the tree, and she watched him with eyes wide in shock.

 

“It is you, isn't it!” Kagome exclaimed, and threw her arms around him.

 

“Yes, it's me,” Shippo said, taking her in a warm embrace. “And this is my daughter, Emiko.”

 

“Daughter?” Kagome said wonderingly, looking up at her. “Oh my, so nice to meet you, Emiko!”

 

The kitsune girl bowed politely.

 

“All my life, I waited to meet you, Kagome-chan,” Emiko said. “It is a pleasure and an honor.”

 

Putting a slender hand to her chest, Kagome blushed and smiled. It was all so surreal, when not too long ago, she had left behind a forlorn kitsune child. She could still see him drooping sadly as she went to the well…

 

`Oh, the well!' Kagome thought, and her conversation with InuYasha reared up in her mind.

 

“So it is really true,” Kagome whispered. “The well closed.”

 

“Yes, and InuYasha was devastated,” Shippo replied. “He came back for years, to see if it would open again.”

 

Sighing, Kagome ran a hand through her hair, looking at her lap. Then she looked back up at Shippo, her brow creased in concern.

 

“How long did he wait to see me again?” Kagome asked. “Not…450 years?”

 

Shippo shook his head. Kagome quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly.

 

“No, after seven years without you, he couldn't stand it anymore,” Shippo explained. “He was sealed again, by a powerful youkai, so he could sleep until you came through the well a final time.”

 

To think that InuYasha had submitted to being sealed again - just to wait for her - made a lump form in Kagome's throat, and she felt the guilt well up inside her again. Shippo and Emiko looked concerned as they watched tears cloud her big, dark eyes.

 

“Don't cry, Kagome-chan,” Emiko said. “We have come to take you to InuYasha, if you wish.”

 

At the kitsune girl's words, Kagome smiled tremulously at her and clasped her hands tightly together. She was going to get a chance to apologize to him! Yes, she knew she could make things alright between them! For despite what he did, she had never meant to be separated from him for so long. All she had needed was time to think, time to come to terms with his choice. But it had never occurred to her that the well might close…

 

“Can you take me to him now?” Kagome asked, jumping up. “Poor InuYasha! I must see him right away!”

 

“Our car is parked right outside the gate,” Shippo said, standing. “He is staying with us at the Kitsune Society Headquarters here in Tokyo.”

 

Grabbing Shippo's hand, Kagome smiled and pulled him with her. “Let's go, then!”

 

~*~

 

In the tree at the Kitsune society, InuYasha lay prone on a high branch, brooding. It felt strange to be here, although the tree had been comforting at first. There were no sounds of bugs and birds; no rustle of the breeze in his hair and clothes, and in the branches of the tree. He kept playing over what had happened in his mind, and wondered what would happen next. Nothing he had imagined had prepared him for this outcome, and he was uncertain of his next move.

 

A sound pinged on the edge of his sensitive hearing, and his ear twitched automatically to capture and identify the sound. Then the unmistakable scent hit him, making his heart race and his pulse beat loudly in his head.

 

“Which tree was it, Emiko?”

 

InuYasha lay motionless, holding his breath as the sound of soft footfalls came running fast in his direction. What should he do?

 

“InuYasha! InuYasha!”

 

Kagome was directly beneath him, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. He could feel her anxiety and anticipation as she stood waiting for his response.

 

“Keh, what do you want?” InuYasha said.

 

`God damn it, why did I say that?' InuYasha thought, cringing inside. `I sounded so petulant…'

 

There was silence a moment, as he waited for her response, and if InuYasha could have kicked his own ass he would have...

 

“I came to say I'm sorry,” Kagome said softly, a trembling in her voice that made his heart ache. “Won't you talk to me, InuYasha?”

 

“What do you want me to say?” InuYasha replied, and then screwed up his face in disgust with himself.

 

“Come on, InuYasha…I did not come here to fight,” Kagome said. “Don't you believe me when I tell you I didn't know the well would close?”

 

`Okay, you baka youkai,' InuYasha thought to himself. `Time to get your sorry self out of this tree and face her…'

 

Steeling himself, InuYasha jumped out of the tree and landed gracefully before her. Kagome's eyes were red from crying, and the pleading look on her face made InuYasha feel guilty. She was so beautiful - how he longed to take her in his arms…

 

“Well, you should have considered it before you launched into me,” InuYasha said, crossing his arms. “I had seven long, hard years without you - not to mention being sealed in a cave for centuries until waking up now to be with you.”

 

Kagome ran her hands threw her hair, not looking at him, and stamped her foot in frustration. It was such a young, girly thing to do, it caught him off guard, and he quirked and eyebrow at her.

 

“Look, InuYasha, I am trying to make amends,” Kagome said in exasperation. “You know I would never have left if I knew that would happen. I never said I would not return - I meant to come back. I thought you would always protect me, take care of me.”

 

That did it. InuYasha looked at the ground and closed his eyes. She was right. He did not need to act like this - he just could not help it sometimes…

 

“I did not mean to make you upset either Kagome,” InuYasha said. “And my promise remains - I want to protect you and take care of you.”

 

A look of relief shining in her eyes, Kagome smiled at him, and InuYasha felt his whole being relax down to his soul. How he had missed that sweet smile!

 

“See, I told you it would be all right if we just talked,” Kagome said. “Except…if we can't go back through the well, what are your plans, now that you are in my time?”

 

InuYasha was dumbfounded at first, and they just looked at each other a moment while she waited for his response.

 

“I guess…I never thought beyond seeing you again,” InuYasha finally answered. “Besides, how hard can it be to live in your time? Can't be any harder than fighting for your life against youkai all the time…”

 

“Oh, InuYasha, you are so impulsive!” Kagome said, rolling her eyes. “I need to get back to the shrine before Souta returns and wonders where I got to and tells my Mom and Grandpa. So you better think of something, and then come over for dinner, okay?”

 

“Yeah, okay,” InuYasha answered, his voice slow and uncertain.

 

“Great!” Kagome squealed happily, and threw her arms around him in a hug.

 

The feel of her soft sweet body pressed up against his so suddenly and unexpectedly sent a jolt and a thrill through InuYasha. Before he could hug her back, Kagome had let go, and he mentally kicked himself for the missed opportunity.

 

“'Bye, InuYasha,” Kagome said as she turned away. “Don't be late for dinner!”

 

“Uh…'bye,” InuYasha said, his eyes lingering on her softly swaying body in that maddeningly short skirt as she left.

 

The elevator doors opened, and she was gone. InuYasha let out an explosive breath, and then realized he was not alone. Emiko now approached him from where she had been standing at a respectful distance.

 

“Did you bring her here?” InuYasha said in wonder.

 

“My father and I did,” Emiko replied, looking at him in slight trepidation. “We decided it was time we intervened on your behalf. Is what we did alright with you?”

 

“Yeah, fine,” InuYasha said. “I just never expected it is all…”

 

A smile of satisfaction lit up the young kitsune woman's face, and she gave him a slight bow with her red-haired head. InuYasha smirked, and snorted, shaking his head at the idea that this woman who hardly knew him was so pleased to be helping him. Shippo's daughter sure was an odd, if sweet, girl.

 

“So while my father takes Kagome home, why don't we find you some modern clothes?” Emiko said.

 

InuYasha shrugged, and then nodded before they headed to the elevators. Despite what he had envisioned, he had to give into the fact that in Kagome's time, his fire rat was not needed…and would not fit in. And he had time to kill before he went to her house for dinner.