InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forevermore ❯ Part Seven ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A WORD and maybe more: As you well know, all characters belong to their respective owners (Inuyasha=Takahashi; Ren=Me, etc.). Thank you all for reviewing after every chapter...Ren here just feels so loved! *author pats him on the head* *Ren sends death glares at author* Herm...I did draw a pic of Ren, in Mediaminer.org/fanart, though I can't post the address here because I don't have it at the moment. I"ll post it later--^_^ Please sirs/ma'ams, I'd like some more...er, reviews please (lol!). Feedback is ALWAYS good, even when you're telling me that the story sucks and makes your eyes bleed at the sight of a word. Just tells me at least SOMEONE'S reading it, right? LOL Love you all! Want to see a hasty pic I did of Ren?

« Forevermore «
By Mia
~ An Inuyasha alternate-universe/continuation kind of story ~

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Patience will come to one who will wait for it.
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One can truly be in love more than once.
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* PART SEVEN *

"You've the address with you, correct?" An attractive figure of a tall woman with long, wavy blue-black hair dressed in a sleak red two-piece suit with black Prada heels lowered her dark sunglasses, peering at the man inside the tinted-windowed vehicle next to her.

The reflective glass lowered and inside a handsome man with white-blonde hair and bright cobalt-eyes grinned, showing himself from behind the shadows. "I do. Sazumai? You must be careful to not lose sight of him."

The woman Sazumai nodded in agreement, eyeing her surroundings and at the little coffee shop across the street from where she stood, the light of the setting sun showing orange against the mirror-like surface of her shades. "I know that, as I have been careful not to lose sight of Kagome-sama. I've kept track of for this long; I am not about to lose anyone out of callousness." Nodding once more, she prepared to go. "Make sure you inform Tora and Nanji that we're ready to unite. Until then, ja Yuma." She turned and looked up and down the street for upcoming cars before walking across, heels clicking simultaneously as the window of the black vehicle went up once more. 'Business as usual,' Sazumai thought, glancing at the black dot that was Yuma's car that had sped away now far down into the street.

:~<>~:

"Miss? Miss Higurashi," A gentle voice called from the abyss of slumber. "We're here, miss. Please, you have to--"

Kagome instantly shot up in the taxi seat, bumping her head hard against the interior ceiling in the process, causing her to cry out loudly. "Ite---!" The bright-haired taxi driver who had opened her door looked concernedly at her as she rubbed her head, muttering curses to the heavens. Looking over his shoulder, there indeed were the steps leading to the shrine. Gathering her purse and her larger bag from the seat next to her, she began to get up when the driver grabbed her free hand to aid her. "Th-Thank you," she muttered quietly, standing by the side as he rolled her luggage next to her.

"It's no problem, Miss..." He smiled and bowed as she handed him the indicated charge fee. "Would you like me to help you up the steps?"

Kagome glanced momentarily at the medium sized luggage on wheels at her feet complete with a handle. "That's all right. I think I can manage." Now that she looked at him, she barely managed to escape the lure of his intriguing cobalt-blue eyes.

"How's your head, Miss? That looked like a pretty nasty bump in there." Without warning, the stranger had reached up and touched her forehead and she barely felt his fingers make contact with the skin under her bangs. There was a minute shock that came through her from the bump then throughout and spreading all over like her veins. Before she could even attempt a stumped reply she already saw his form heading back toward the cab. He gave her a bright smile he'd opened his door and ducked inside, not chancing a second glance as he drove down the curve of the hill and disappeared from her sight. Closing the mouth that she had opened, she couldn't figure out what she had felt just recently. She brought a hand up and spread her fingers over her forehead and with plain surprise the bump she'd accumulated and the pain that came with it was nonexistent.

'Oh, I must be imagining things,' Kagome thought, shaking her head and turned to grab the handle of her luggage, attempting to scale the steep stairs that led to the red torii. 'It's a good thing I had Ren visit his mother, otherwise he really would believe the fact that I've gone insane.' Just remembering Ren and why she had come here her sleep-filled legs kicked into gear, her short black heels gathering speed upon the cement. 'Inuyasha ... Inuyasha...'

Getting to the top, she paused for a second, trying to catch her breath and set down one of her heavy duffel bags. All that traveling so long ago was not helping now that she was more immobile and it seemed as though her strength had lessened over time. Gazing slowly upwards, what she saw was her old home, sitting in the center of the shrine grounds. ::Her home . . .:: There was a relapse of memories that passed through Kagome's mind, thoroughly silencing her as a soft breeze blew through her hair and shifting the tall trees that stood all around the Sunset shrine. Soft warm sunshine lit the area from the canopy of the trees and she could hear birds singing in her background and everything seemed okay. Peaceful, quiet. Even the sound of the cars in the streets were muffled here. Everything seemed as it were so many years ago, before she had met Inuyasha, when everything to her came normal in daily routines.

Now that she thought about it, she was grateful upon the day of meeting the once incorrigible hanyou.

'Grateful? More than grateful.' Kagome thought feeling tears from behind her eyes. 'I've . . . Missed him so much.' The tears spilt down her cheeks and blurred her vision as she recognized the love that came into her heart. Stooping, she grabbed her bag and began to walk the remaining distance to her goal. Kagome paused, feeling a slight brush against her legs and she hastily swiped at her tears to look down. 'Nani . . .?'

"Meorrw," A sleek feline greeted, its fur the color of Kagome's hair. It adoringly looked up at her, meowing again and stared with bright emerald-green eyes the color of the jewel. Kagome frowned, never seeing such a color on a cat before.

"Ano . . . Konnichiwa," Kagome smiled gently, squatting and set her bag down and the cat immediately jumped into her lap, purring contentedly as it rubbed against her hands. She giggled slightly, petting it before her finger got caught in what seemed to be the cat's collar. Leaning the cat away a bit, she examined the jewel around the base of its neck, a little lower than its throat and the sun sparkled upon the small green jewel fastened by a silver cord of some kind. "Ne, what have you got there, neko-chan?" Kagome muttered as the cat meowed in answer, purring louder than ever. Chuckling once more, she set the cat off of her lap and stood with her bag. "I didn't know Mama wanted another cat besides Buyo, but you're so pretty, aren't you, neko-chan?"

Another meow and it seemed to brush against her heels to indicate for her to go forward to the house. Kagome chuckled and obeyed, quieting when she saw someone familiar walk from around the house to run up toward her. "Ne-chan!"

"Sota!!" Kagome literally dropped her bags right there and ran the remaining distance, catching her brother's embrace as she brought him off the ground and wheeled him around for good measure. Setting him down, she stared into his matching blue-gray eyes, holding him by the shoulders. "How have you been, Sota-chan? Geez, you've grown!"

Sota's lips upturned into a wide smile and ignored the fact that he hated being called with chan as the endearment. "It's only been three years, Ne-chan." He replied, but then his words grew softer. " . . . But we still missed you." At that Kagome brought him closer for another hug. 'Three years? Has it really been that long? It certainly feels so.'

"I've missed you too, little brother." Kagome whispered softly against his head. They both looked up as Higurashi-san also came running out of the house to embrace her, followed slowly by her grandfather who had grown more elderly in the least.

The only thing that would have made the scene perfect was to have Inuyasha be the first one to meet her arrival.

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Jii-chan glanced behind him at her, knowing what the troubled expression meant as they all filed back into the house. He slowed and in the process slowed Kagome down as well until they were stopped and her mother and brother entered the house by themselves. They both stood in the doorway, facing off one another. "I know what you're thinking," Jii-chan began and she noticed his voice had gone weaker and more frail, his whole head barely trembling the way elderly people do as well as their hands.

Kagome stared at him, puzzled. "What do you mean Jii-chan?"

"I mean that I know what it is that you're looking so glum about. The fact that Inuyasha-kun did not come out to meet you when you know he's here. I'll just let you know right now, Kagome . . . He is still asleep. Not in a coma since Sota had fed him ramen the night before."

Kagome's miko senses hummed at the knowledge of Inuyasha's presence but she forced herself to contain her urge to run and find him. "He . . . He needs to be hand fed?" 'Is he that badly injured? Oh no, I must---'

"No, no not like that. He's physically and mentally all right. Healing, anyway," Her grandfather quickly reassured her. Upon noticing the seriousness that reached his eyes, Kagome stiffened and forced herself to listen to the rest of the diagnosis. "There's a large wound across his abdomen though and we bandaged it up as well as we could and the rest of his demon healing helped though surprisingly slowly. There's something wrong with his blood, Kagome . . . It's like his body is fighting to keep it."

As she processed the information her foot unconsciously moved forward, her whole body wanting to follow the presence that emitted from Inuyasha somewhere in the house. A hand on her shoulder stopped her and she looked up at him slowly. Her voice was low and quiet, rough sounding but firm like she had just finished crying. "I know it, Jii-chan. I can feel his pain . . . It's like we've been connected from the start." She slid away from his hand and stood straight. "In fact I know we have. I love him." Then she turned and allowed her senses to lead her body to him, blatantly ignoring the reaction she received from her announcement.

The room felt cold once she entered, her eyes scanning and stopping upon the splay of snow-white hair all around the futon's top laid neatly on the tatami floor. Walking slowly and in silence, Kagome's eyes locked onto his peaceful sleeping face as she kneeled at his side, automatically reaching for his hand and pressing it against her cheek, the flat of his claws pressing against her temple. Shock was momentarily kept at bay at the sight of him, the contour of his jaw, the soft to the touch ears. His lashes were black and laid upon his cheeks, his lips thinly closed, brows furrowed as though he were having a nightmare. From his chest he was laying underneath a thin blanket, since it was the summer time though his temperature didn't seem to be growing which made Kagome worry all the more.

Not much had changed about him except he looked even more pale and Kagome figured that to be an effect against whatever happened to him. His hair had grown more unruly and only made him look more dashing, but a spot of caked blood underneath his bangs didn't miss Kagome's eye. She reached out with her other hand and rubbed it gently away, careful not to awaken him even though deep inside she wanted him to, just to see his eyes open would make her the happiest person in both time periods. 'Inuyasha, my love . . .' "Please wake up," she whispered as new tears began to swim in her eyes and dropping against his cold hand in crystal beads. "I want . . . For you to be able to see me, to forgive me for . . . For ever leaving you," she finished with an uncontrolled choking sob. This pain, the pain she felt in her chest was almost unbearable and she pressed herself against his hand even more to hide somehow from all the afflictions in her life, in his.

A movement flickered in his fingertips and Kagome gasped as she felt them, instantly looking down through her tears as the same slight movement occurred with his eyelids. Kagome was filled with such unattainable relief when she spied upon the bright yellow-gold of his irises, and more yet when they slowly focused on her. His hand shifted to frame her face, the pad of his thumb caressing her tear-stained cheek. A weak smile formed upon his lips as she looked speechlessly down at him, his thumb moving down to her lower lip and moistening it with her tears. "Love." The shaky word reached her ears and instantly brought about even more tears. Inuyasha's smile moved to widen at her once-again moistening eyes, using his hand to come around her head to bring it down to his, Kagome using her hands to steady herself on his chest as she leaned forward to him. He whispered against her cheek, his breath tickling the skin there, "This is where our journey of trying to find each other ends, koishii . . ." And when his lips came in contact with her own Kagome lost all hope in steadying herself and wholly relied on him for balance.

His kiss was one that was long, hard and desperate, Inuyasha pressing even more as the need to surround himself with her scent and everything of her came into his heart. It felt like a steady, cooling rain after a desert season in a dry land. Like a cool healing salve upon a burning wound. . . Like two separated lovers finding each other again. She leaned away slightly and smiled, tears falling from her face to his. "Inuyasha . . ."

"Did you miss me?" He leaned his forehead up to hers and nuzzled against her, eyes closed and a famliar deep rumbling could be heard that sounded like a contented purr coming from his throat.

"I did. If only you knew how much I missed you . . ." She brought him close to kiss his forehead, his eyelids, his nose and finally his lips.

"I don't think I would ever want to miss you again, my koishii . . . Because that would mean I have to be away from you." 'And that's something I don't want to go through all over again.'

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::Word Translations::
Koishii: Beloved one, dear, endearing word
Konnichiwa: Greeting
Neko-chan: Kitty or little cat
Ne: Equivalent of 'hey'
Ano: Equivalent of 'uh...' or 'Well...'
Ite!: Ow! Eqlnt: Pain!

::Names::
Tora: Tiger

::Notification::
I've changed the thought actions from '::' to using just apostraphies (sp?) because I thought it would look a little better. Though "" still means speech interactions, so I'm SO sorry if I confused you. I hate it when I get confused too. :)

A/N: Not as long as I wanted it to be (this chapter), but I got some points across. There will be some new characters appearing so I better get some of their bios on here---at least of the ones I've completed and so you'll see them in the next chapter. I will be explaining them a little more later on though, so PLEASE be patient with me! *begging on knees* I'm sorry it took so long for this one to be posted; I moved someplace different during the writing of it so I apologize if it's a little off-track. I really didn't want to end where it ended, but you know....Oh, don't forget! I know I'm highly demanding and all that but....I would appreciate it if I got some reviews. The ones I have already are so GENEROUS! They tell me what's good and what's not. Again, arigatou gosaimashita, minna-sama.