InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forevermore ❯ Part Five ( Chapter 5 )

A WORD: Rumiko Takahashi is the one who undoubtedly created the character(s) Inuyasha in "Inuyasha." You already know that, so this is just something called FAN-fiction. Not non-fiction, mind you. So don't sue, gosh darnit. lol. Thank you again for the (loving, caring, complimentary) reviews. They are greatly and forever will be appreciated and that one of the reasons why I continue with this story, also for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. Just to tell you, italics wouldn't work when I uploaded the chaps, so to clarify, I substituted the sign "::" to indicate thought expressions, or either actions or loud exclamation sounds, such as ::BWOOOOOM:: etc. Hope that works for ya.

« Forevermore «

By Mia

~ An Inuyasha alternate-universe/continuation kind of story ~

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Why you have to go and make things so complicated

I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated

Life's like this you

You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into

Honestly, promise me I'm never gonna find you fakin'

No, no, no

- "Complicated" by Avril Lavinge

~~~~~~~

* PART FIVE *

Kagome searched around in her closet for a shirt suitable enough for a male about her age, tall, well-built. The trouble was she never did own a shirt that would meet the standards. Suddenly her mind clicked and she remembered she had a large plain white shirt sitting in her pajama drawer. She went over to it and rummaged around until she came upon her desired piece of clothing. Besides, she only wore the shirt only on hot summer nights; it wouldn't kill her to get rid of it now.

Ren looked up from the pictures sitting on her end table as she called out his name. "Ren? I think this'll work . . ." She emerged from the den and shook out the large shirt in front of him that must've reached the midsection of her thighs if it were to be worn by her.

"Thank you, Kagome." He said and took the shirt as she went to the kitchen, pausing only for a second.

"Tea or coffee? Sorry, that's all I have to offer." She smiled gently, watching as he examined the starched white tee.

"Tea would be great." At that, she disappeared into the kitchen while he stood there in the middle of her living room. Ren smiled to himself; who knew Kagome would own a man's shirt? Without thinking, he brought it close to his nose and inhaled. Just as he thought, her fragrant scent had permeated the cotton through and through. Who knew he could be so lucky? So many questions and not enough answers. Out of the bounds of his comprehension her scent brought feelings to him that he had never experienced, like the feeling of calmness, tenderness, affection. At some point that would have startled him . . . But now, he realized, he wasn't afraid at all to trust Kagome. Now if only she felt the same.

Again without rethinking his actions, he slipped off his own T-shirt with his back to the kitchen entrance to change. Kagome, who returned to ask what kind of tea he wanted merely stood silently as she watched him neatly fold his shirt. She was speechless as her eyes gazed over the contours of the many valleys from the nape of his neck to the small of his back. The muscles were strong and firm, olive-skinned and smooth. ::Just like Inuyasha,:: she thought sullenly. Though when her focus came upon the scar in the middle of his spine area however barely noticeable, her breath caught and she quickly retreated back behind the protection of the wall. ::How . . . What . . . Why?:: Her head was spinning; she got the familiar sensation of falling when she had first saw Ren at Mindie's Munchies not so long ago.

Hearing the piercing whistle of the kettle upon the stove Kagome nearly jumped a mile before attending to it, still dazed at what she'd discovered. ::How am I supposed to overlook this? If Ren is the reincarnation of Inuyasha then . . .:: Her sight became bleary and contorted and she realized that she was on the verge of crying and she tried desperately to keep her tears at bay. ::Inuyasha is . . . dead.::

:: Higurashi Jinja; Tokyo, Japan ::

A slightly older Higurashi Sota strolled up the steps to the Shinto shrine that which his home was located near it as he returned from school, walking underneath the tall, red `torii', or archway. As he neared his house where he could see Jii-san engrossed in sweeping the walk of recently fallen sakura blossoms with a rickety old broom, something caught his eye and he turned his head slightly to look.

It had been so long, three years and going in fact, that he had ever seen the well house's door opened. It was only slid open ever so slightly but enough to let someone in and out, but with some effort on their part. `Maybe Mama's cleaning in there,' he thought to himself, his steps slowing. Though even in the back of his head he knew that was impossible. Using what priestess powers she knew of or what she'd learned from that old woman back in the Musashi country, Kagome had put a spell on the Hone Kui no Ido (Bone-eater's Well) to ward off wayward youkai that might be able to travel to their time.

Of course she made it so Inuyasha would be the only to go through, also Shippou, Kirara and Myouga. But there was very little hope they would see any of them, Sota knew. The wind chimes located close to the well house rang loudly and a breeze immediately followed after. Frowning, Sota decided to go over and slide the door shut, cautiously stepping up the wooden steps. There was that ominous feeling again; the last time he'd gotten this feeling was when he'd thrown himself down the well in hopes of getting Inuyasha's help when Kagome had been attacked by the Noh Mask so long ago, it seemed.

Stopping at the top step, Sota squinted down to see what had caught his attention. When he recognized what it was, his heart nearly leaped from his chest. There, just in the way of the well house door laying on the floor was a bloody, sharp-clawed hand, looking as though it had been struggling to open the door.

"Mamaaaaaa~!!"

:: Back to Kagome's apartment ::

"Is this your family in Japan?" Ren indicated to the picture enclosed behind the plastic film of the photo album she let him leaf through. On the picture was a 5 year old Sota sitting atop a 12 year old Kagome's shoulders smiling and laughing, her mother behind them as well as her late father who stood with one hand on Sota's head with the other arm wrapped around their mother. A kind smile was bright on his face; Kagome remembered it to be the year before his death on Kid's Day.

Sitting across from him from the coffee table, she took a moment to see and nodded, sipping her tea. She didn't even make an attempt to tell him her father was now dead and that picture was meant to be in her bedroom, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't mention either her little incident in the kitchen right after she'd seen his scar, a very similar one was on Inuyasha's back as well. Kagome couldn't explain what she felt; either a fierce stabbing pain in the same spot or the painful grief of sadness and loss that claimed her heart. All through the three years since she had been with Inuyasha had she felt such things. It was on her 17th birthday that she wasn't allowed to time-travel, and three years later had she ended up here, in the states.

Without explanation the feelings went on unhindered, incomprehensible. Who knew . . . She might've been experiencing things that Inuyasha himself were feeling, though she doubted that greatly. Was their bond strong enough so the other would know of the other's demise? So if Inuyasha died, wouldn't she know of it? If she was feeling what Inuyasha was feeling, then he truly must have been suffering when they could no longer see one another anymore. ::Are you suffering right now, Inuyasha? I feel lonely even though I'm not alone. I wish for your sake, that you will never go lonely for the rest of your life.::

Kagome blinked and noticed how Ren was staring hard at a certain picture in the album. "What is it?"

He lifted it for her to see. "Is this your home?" His index finger tapped the exterior of the two-story house she lived in by the shrine. In the background could be seen the well house, and in another shot was the Goshinboku tree.

Hesitatingly, she nodded. "Yes, that's in Tokyo. Have I mentioned that I lived in a shrine?" She expected him to be awed and puzzled at that but surprisingly he nodded in confirmation, as though he already knew as he set it back on the table.

"Tell me Kagome, do you remember much of your childhood?" What an unusual question.

"Not really," Kagome answered slowly. "Why?"

Looking at the picture, he shrugged. "Higurashi Jinja, right?" A nod. "I've been there before, once I think."

She blinked again, confused. "Were you a tourist or something? I really don't remember . . ."

"No, not a tourist nor a visitor. In Japan when I was very young, I would go out and run on hot summer nights just to get some fresh air." Kagome listened intently, wondering where he was going with this. "I don't know . . . I think I may have passed by --- never mind." He shrugged and went on to leaf through the album. ::She wouldn't remember anyway, it was very dark and she wouldn't have been able to see that well at all.:: Ren thought to himself, aware of her questioning eyes on him.

When he came to a page where it felt more compact than the others, he saw the reason why and saw that more than one picture was packed behind the front pictures in a single plastic insert. Without asking he went ahead and took out one insert and picked out the pictures hidden in the back. Before Kagome could object, he caught glimpses of every picture; each of a different person altogether. "Ren ---" Kagome cried, rising from where she sat, panic had arisen in her voice. "Those pictures are ---"

"Interesting," he finished, staring at one photo with a long-haired woman in it, wearing what looked like armor on her shoulders and in a tight cat-suit, bearing what appeared to be a rather large boomerang with golden tassels on her back. He managed to look at another picture of a man in black and purple robes with a staff, a rosary around his gloved hand before Kagome snatched the pictures away. "Kagome . . ."

When he met her eyes, they didn't look happy. "Ren, these are my personal pictures. You don't have a right to just go ahead and take them out. They were in the back of the pictures for a ::reason::." Grabbing the album, she hastily replaced the pictures but she didn't notice that one had slipped from her grasp, fluttering by Ren's side. He didn't dare move toward it so she might notice.

::Honestly, why does it have to be the pictures I took of them?:: Kagome shook her head, walking toward the cabinet to return the album to its proper place. In the act of closing the cabinet door, the apartment buzzer buzzed soundly throughout the room, startling them both. Rolling her eyes, she glared at Ren before hurrying to the door. "I can never get used to that sound . . ."

As soon as she was out of the general area, Ren reached for a the picture and turned it right side up. What he saw made his eyes widen profusely. A young man about his age glared back at him with thick black eyebrows similar to his; long white hair and thick bangs cascaded from his head in smooth tresses, wearing a red haori and hakama that hid his hands from sight and he was completely barefoot. A katana in a black scabbard hung at his waist. Ren had to squint to see the eye color of the person captured in time; the same yellow-gold amber color as his. Every detail hit him jarringly one bolt of lightning at a time . . . And when he saw the snow-white dog ears atop the boy's head, Ren nearly lost focus. ::Could this be what Mom was talking about? Could this be . . .::

Ren's head shot up when the door suddenly burst open and loudly hit the wall, and when he saw Kagome fall to the ground by the shadowed figure at the doorway his mind screamed in a tormented cry, PROTECT KAGOME! Not really knowing what was controlling him, his body was propelled toward the kitchen to grab a steak knife and he returned just as the figure unveiled itself from the darkness.

Looming all the way to the ceiling of Kagome's large apartment living room, the head of a monster commenced its shrieking, its skin the color of mold on bread. What was unusual was that the head rested upon human shoulders upon a human body, dressed as a normal human being. It possessed very long, sharp pointed teeth and glowing red eyes, dripping saliva from its mouth to the floor by Kagome's feet. Taking aim, Ren hurled the knife with all his might straight for the creature's head. An incredible mind-shattering sound the creature's mouth produced when the blade struck its left eye, and its human arms ripped apart and what came forth were long, vine-like ropes instead, reaching for Ren.

"SHIKON NO TAMA..." It screeched as Ren dodged the vine whips as they lashed at him. Meanwhile Kagome picked herself up and managed to crawl to her bedroom without being noticed. When she returned, in her hands was a bow and a quiver of arrows. Upon her face was a look of determination. Memory shot through Ren's head when he saw her which caught him off balance for a moment as one of the creature's slippery arms enclosed around his leg. It tugged until he was off the floor, slamming his head to the ground as it lifted him high into the air, bringing him to the creature's awaiting jaws.

"Damnit!" Ren cried, trying to disentangle his leg upside down. A bright flash lit the room all of a sudden, blinding him momentarily as he felt the monster's grip loosen, making land right on top of the coffee table, shattering it underneath his weight and he grunted out loud in complaint. He opened his eyes in panic to see if it was after him again but saw Kagome instead, an arrow drawn back in her bow and what amazed him was the light emanating from the arrowhead, bright and mystical, pink in shade. Seeing her like this yet again triggered something within his mind, and this time it was painful as he closed his eyes tightly. A bright flash, a sound like what crystal would make if it broke, the loud shriek of the mysterious hulking snake-like creature as it faded into nothingness.

He opened his eyes this time and followed her with his gaze as she went toward the place the monster had been, and what he could see was a small, dime-sized glowing object falling to the ground, glittering with mystery. She set her weapons to the ground and picked up the object and as she did, she lifted the broken jewel that served as her necklace close to it, and together they glowed bright, filling the room with soft white iridescence.

Ren attempted at getting up, grunting as he did so making Kagome look up at him in concern. Holding the shard, as he could see it to be, together with the broken jewel as she clasped both hands over them and held it tightly, small shafts of light escaped through her fingers and dissipated. When she removed her hands, the shard had been melted into the side of the broken jewel, put together as if in a puzzle. Placing it back inside the collar of her shirt, she arose and came to him, gripping his arms and pulled him from the broken bits of wood that was her table, helping him to the couch.

Kagome laid him gently down wordlessly for a moment, searching for any other body injuries he may have sustained from the impact. After all, he wasn't as tough as Inuyasha was no matter how he may resemble the half-demon. Sitting beside him, she brushed aside his bangs and looked seriously into his eyes. When she spoke, he reached for her hand as if he needed an anchor to stay sane. "Are you all right, Ren? Do you need medical attention?" It sounded like she was a medical employee, and he shook his head in answer.

"That . . . ::thing:: was a youkai, wasn't it?" He blurted, towards the door and was relieved when he saw nothing. Kagome knew she had a lot of explaining to do if any of her neighbors called the police, what with all the noise.

"Yes. You know what a youkai is?" Her brows furrowed together when he answered with a jerky nod. He looked toward the other end of the broken table to the picture laying face down on the carpeted floor by the cabinet. When she followed his gaze, her hand around his grew rigid.

Releasing him, she went over and picked up the photo and wordlessly, she turned it over. Her lips quivered and she looked helplessly toward him. "I guess I'll have to explain some things to you, won't I?"

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It was the morning after that every matter was properly settled, especially with the neighbors who had only went to her door about five minutes after they heard the "noises," demanding that they "quiet down." Ren faced a blushing Kagome when she returned, sighing a deep sigh of relief. The destroyed coffee table was at the moment, forgotten, a terrifying memento of the events.

Both had spent most of the night speaking in a conversational tone on the couch as Kagome once again made tea for them, both telling what they had to. Kagome told him the time-traveling associated with the Bone-Eater's Well in Japan, and Ren mentioned that he knew a little on the Sengoku Jidai history from his mother, who is a historian. She explained the photos of Miroku and Sango, and even about the one of Inuyasha. Neither mentioned the fact that Ren resembled Inuyasha as much as a nectarine resembled a peach; neither wanted to bring the subject up while Kagome refused to be categorized as the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyou.

"It has been a long time since I've gathered another shard of the Jewel of Four Souls," she confessed, watching as the first signs of light appeared through the blinds of the windows. Ren watched her carefully as she sat in front of him with her knees drawn up to her chin with her cup in both hands, seeing that nothing belied the sadness in her expression. Now he wondered more than ever whether or not Kagome had fallen in love with the half-demon Inuyasha or not. She caught his eye and she smiled slightly. "I don't expect you to believe me in any of this you know, but whether or not you believe it, it certainly won't change the fact that a youkai had hurled you on top of my coffee table causing its destruction." He chuckled slightly, unsure if it was amusing or not.

"So you're handy with the bow?" He motioned to the object sitting right where she'd left it.

Deftly, she nodded. "I didn't know I would be using it for something like this any time soon. Funny how someone's life can change in such a short time." He had to agree with her there. "They're back . . . It must be because of the jewel's aura that the youkai in this time have been awakened ----but in America?" He knew she was thinking out loud. "I just hope that everyone's okay back in Tokyo." She stared unseeing at Inuyasha's photo that she had placed on the floor by her shoes.

"You're all right though, right?" She looked up and returned his smile.

"Yes, Ren. Thank you for your concern." How much did she want to cuddle up close to a warm body again, to feel safe and secure in someone's arms and to know that you were never to be alone again? And if only Ren knew of her loneliness would he attempt at comforting her the way she wanted him to. Then to her surprise as though he read her mind, his arm reached around her shoulders and brought her closer to him and unconsciously she leaned against him, her head resting against his chest. She heard his heart beating steadily, his breathing in her hair as he pressed his lips there. Ren himself didn't think he would ever get enough of her scent, the feel of her against him. Even though it utterly drove him insane, it was the only thing that kept him from going mad. Was that plausible? He could care less as long as he got to be near her.

As though predestined, the ringing of Kagome's telephone shook them from their reverie. Shaking her head disappointment, she scrambled from his embrace and hurried to the kitchen. It was hung against the wall and she hastily picked up the receiver, knowing well that Ren was watching every single move she made. "Hello?"

There was silence on the other line for two seconds, then someone began speaking in fluent Japanese. "Kagome? Kagome, is that you?"

Kagome's eyes widened before she answered, "Mama? What's wrong? Has something happened?" A lump suddenly formed in her throat.

"No, nothing serious . . . Well, ah, how is everything over there, Kagome-chan? It has been a while since you called; we've been wondering about you." Kagome could tell when her mother was either trying to stall or trying to lie. It was the former.

"Mama, I know you wouldn't call at this time of the day, and I know you're well trained with the time difference schedules so I know this isn't any normal phone call." She shifted the phone to her other ear and leaned against the wall lining. "What is it really?"

There was a pause on the other line and Kagome faintly heard the sound of a male voice grunting as though in pain, and her mother's hurried instructions. "Be careful Jii-chan, the poor boy's hurt . . ." Back to the phone, her voice sounded strained. "Kagome-chan? There's something you need to know . . ."

"What is it?" Kagome asked impatiently and Ren looked ever the part of the curious one.

"Kagome-chan, he's come back . . . Sota found him earlier today and he's badly hurt . . ."

"-Who- is back, Mama?! -Who- is badly hurt?!"

It sounded as though the phone was dropped but Higurashi-san seemed to have gotten it back to her ear, still whispering instructions both to Sota and Kagome's grandfather it seemed. "He's bleeding--- Sota, the sterilized gauze ---Rubbing alcohol, Jii-chan . . ." To Kagome, it sounded like a hospital over there. "Kagome-chan, he's back . . . Inuyasha-kun is back, from the Hone Kui no Ido, dear."

"Kagome?" Ren watched in stunned silence as Kagome dropped the receiver to the floor with a loud clatter, her eyes suddenly turning a cool shade of gray.

* END OF PART FIVE *

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A/N: Ooooh, cliffhanger. Don't worry, already working on the ending of Part Six. No, I'm not sure of the time difference so just bear with me. It's supposed to be late afternoon when Kagome's mother calls from Japan, and it's supposed to be dawn where Kagome and Ren are at her apartment in the United States, though I don't know which part of the US they are at. Which part do you think it should be? I can't make up my mind. Oregon's just too boring for me so I decided not to put it in. Any suggestions...? Review! I know, everything's happening like, wham, bam, slam type of chain reaction. Was it longer than last? I damn well hope so. ^_^