InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hunt for the Sword of Legend ❯ Questions and Answers ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: Am I a Japanese genius; no. I'm an American with a thick southern accent.

 

 

Chapter 11:

 

 

Questions and Answers

 

 

Kagome hadn't slept a wink. The whole night she stared at the high ceiling of her room. Why was it that she felt so lonely?

 

 

It had to be because she was thousands of miles away from home. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that for the last few nights, she had either slept in the same room as Inuyasha, or had slept in his arms. No, she was just homesick. It was a perfectly acceptable answer in Kagome's opinion.

 

 

Sighing for the hundredth time that night, she looked over at the illuminated alarm clock and saw that it was 5:00 am. She let her mind drift where it wanted to go, so that maybe it would fine a contented spot and stop wandering long enough to let her rest. Once again, as it had many times that sleepless night, her mind stopped at Inuyasha.

 

 

`He said that he liked me.' There were a few men throughout her life that had told her the same thing. Inuyasha's proclamation was different somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was different nonetheless. Maybe she was reading too much into it. Maybe it wasn't any one thing he said; it was a combination of things he had said. He hadn't just told her he liked her, he had also told her that he would protect her. Somehow, Kagome knew that it was a solemn promise that he had made with every fiber of his being.

 

It also unnerved Kagome that she was so at ease around Inuyasha. It seemed as if he knew exactly what to say and do around her so that she felt safe, protected,…lo…

 

 

`No, no, no!' Kagome shook her head violently as she castigated herself. This was not happening. How could she be so stupid as to let herself think these things? She was Kagome Higurashi! She didn't let people close to herself and she certainly didn't love anyone other than her family. Love for any other person was dangerous. It could cause so many unwelcome emotions. Kagome was not willing to risk further damage to herself or anyone else for that matter. That was all that could come from loving someone. Being in love hardly ever panned out.

 

 

But…sometimes it did. Her parents were in love. As were her Gram and Gramps until her Gram died before she was born. Sometimes, when Kagome was imaging what she wanted her life to be like, she felt a small ache. That ache had become so much stronger over the last few days. Being around Inuyasha made her wonder what she would miss out on because she had chosen a life of solitude. Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, she could see a house in the country. When her mind took her into the house, there was a loving man and a few children waiting to welcome her.

 

 

Was it worth it? What if that man suddenly stopped loving her? What if he decided to leave her? What if something happened to them? What if she hurt them herself? Could she survive this time around? Could she go on living if any of these things happened?

 

 

There were so many questions that ran through her mind every time she let herself think about Inuyasha. Maybe, she did `like' him in return. Yes, that was a safe answer; maybe. Maybe, she and Inuyasha could have something together. Maybe they could fall in love some day. Maybe they could get married. Maybe they would have children and a house in the country. Maybe they could live happily ever after.

 

 

Maybe those things would happen, but it's not like she would ever let Inuyasha know that. The awful things that could happen would never allow those good thoughts to stay in Kagome's head long enough. Usually, they swept in five seconds after Kagome started to think that there might be a chance for her to have happiness. She wanted so badly to know that everything would turn out alright in the end.

 

 

However, Kagome knew from experience that nothing turned out quite the way you wanted it to. Kagome was sure that her parents wanted to live to see their children grow up. Did that happen? No! Kagome knew that she wanted her Gramps to always look at her with pride; well, that didn't happen either.

 

 

Kagome sighed again. This was getting her nowhere. It was 5:30 am now. Even though she had been thinking all night, Kagome was nowhere near close to an answer to her problem. Trying to sleep was as useless as trying to live a long life without breathing. Kagome began to wonder if Inuyasha was awake. If he wasn't, maybe she could slip in and lay down next to him. She stopped lying to herself. She wasn't sleeping because, as close as he was to her, Inuyasha wasn't anywhere near close enough.

 

 

If he awoke before she did, she could always lie and say that sometimes she would sleep walk. Maybe she could tell him that she was sleepwalking and must have thought she had slipped into bed with Miroku. It wasn't a complete lie. She did sleepwalk and more often than not, she ended up snuggling up with her cousin.

 

 

Decision made, Kagome got up and padded into the next room. Being as quite as possible, she opened her own door and found the one next to it. The hinges squeaked but not loud enough to wake anyone.

 

 

She could see him on the bed. He looked like he hadn't slept that great himself. His eyebrows were furrowed and his breath was ragged. Inuyasha looked as if he had tossed and turned all night.

 

 

Kagome, just as silently as she had walked in, crept over to his bed and lifted the sheets to let herself under them. She held her breath when Inuyasha rolled toward her, but let it out when he wound an arm around her middle and his breathing evened out.

 

 

Kagome could feel her eyes drooping as soon as she became comfortable. This was getting to be serious. She couldn't even sleep without him, now. How bad would this get before she could bring herself to end it.

 

 

Kagome sighed.

 

 

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Inuyasha woke up with the vague realization that his arms were wrapped tightly around something. It was warm and soft so naturally, in his sleep induced haze, he burrowed closer into it. The warm soft `thing' responded in turn with burrowing back.

 

 

Inuyasha lay there for a few more moments before he realized what was really going on. There was a body next to his. `Who the hell is in my bed?' He scooted back so he could look at the person's face. To his shock, it was Kagome.

 

 

He had never seen anything so beautiful. Her hair was tousled in a way that was endearing to no end. Kagome's lips were slightly parted letting soft breaths in and out. A small smile wound around the corners of her mouth. Her large sleeping shirt was tangled around her neck in what appeared to be a very uncomfortable way. Did he dare question why this angel was in his bed? Well that was a simple question, and the answer is yes.

 

 

Inuyasha couldn't just let this slide. What was she doing in here? She had avoided contact like the plague, and now she was slipping into bed with him. He had to know.

 

 

Inuyasha gently placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder and shook. Her eyes fluttered open and as soon as they adjusted to the light pouring into the windows, her brow's came together in an odd way. She looked like she was about to slap him. `Maybe waking her wasn't such a good idea.'

 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

 

“I'm waking you up; what's it look like?”

 

 

“Not that. What are you doing in the bed with me?”

 

 

Inuyasha's confusion showed on his face. Kagome had a hard time placing her thoughts in order after Inuyasha's face had come into focus, but then they all came together in a rush of understanding. She needed to get her lie straight.

 

 

“You're in my bed Kagome.”

 

 

Kagome looked around the room to make the act seem real. “How did I get here?”

 

 

“You don't remember?”

 

 

“No. I must have been sleepwalking. I do sometimes. Most of the time I end up on the couch or in Miroku's bed. I guess yours was the closest.”

 

 

Inuyasha let his gaze penetrate her for a few moments. Kagome got more nervous as the seconds ticked by.

 

 

“You know Kagome, you're a horrible liar.”

 

 

Kagome groaned and slammed her head in the pillow under her head. He caught her. What would he think of her?

 

 

“Why did you really come in here Kagome?”

 

 

Hoping against all hope, Inuyasha wanted to hear something positive.

 

 

“I ou dant eep.”

 

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed Kagome's shoulder to get her face out of the pillow.

 

 

“What was that again?”

 

 

Kagome's blush intensified when she looked him in the eyes, so she looked at the ceiling.

 

 

“I couldn't sleep,” she mumbled closing her eyes.

 

 

On the inside, Inuyasha allowed a small celebration. On the outside, he held himself in check. Kagome was ashamed of coming into his room and sleeping next to him. He needed to act like it was no big deal so that she would continue to share closeness with him.

 

 

He shrugged and pulled her to him again. Kagome let out a small squeak but didn't fight him.

 

 

“W-what are you d-doing?”

 

 

She sounded scared. He let up on his tight hold a little but still didn't give her enough room to get up.

 

 

“I'm going back to sleep. It's still early.”

 

 

“Oh…” Kagome was confused, to say the least. Why didn't he kick her out for her audacity? He should have been angry that she had snuck into his bed and didn't even consider how he would feel about it. Inuyasha seemed…happy.

 

 

Inuyasha felt the coiled muscles in her body relax, and soon felt her heartbeat even out. They both let sleep overcome them again, but both were a little uneasy as to what this turn in events meant. Neither was willing to dwell on it since the situation was more than comfortable at the moment, so they both decided to deal with the repercussions later.

 

 

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Inuyasha woke sometime later to find that Kagome was gone. He had to admit that he expected as much. She seemed mortified when she finally admitted why she had come into his bed in the first place. She must have woken earlier and left to save herself further embarrassment.

 

 

Inuyasha yawned and looked at the wall clock across from his bed. It was 9:00. `Well, it's as good a time as any to get up', so he did. Getting dressed and making his way out of his room, he tried to burn the image of waking up next to his angel, Kagome, into his mind forever.

 

 

There was no guarantee that Kagome would overcome her fears of being with him, but he still held on to hope. It was all he could do at the moment.

 

 

Making his way toward the kitchen to get breakfast, he remembered that he needed to get everyone together later to figure out what was going on, so that they could all formulate a plan of action. `This is going to be a vacation from hell,' he thought.

 

 

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When Kagome woke up that morning, she felt well rested. Sleeping next to Inuyasha did wonders for her. Before Inuyasha could wake up, she slipped out of the bed and made her way into her own room. She got dressed quickly and suddenly there was a sharp rap on her closed door. Kagome's brows furrowed as she thought about who might be on the other side. If it was Inuyasha, she was going to have a heart attack. She couldn't face him just yet. She still felt stupid for crawling into his bed a few hours ago.

 

 

With as much courage as she could find within herself, Kagome opened the door to find Sango and Rin dressed, ready for the day, and sporting rather large grins. Kagome let her confusion filter onto her face without even trying to hold it back. Without warning both girls grabbed an arm and pulled her out of the door and starting giggling.

 

 

“Okay, will someone tell me what's going on?”

 

 

Sango laughed outright at Kagome's reluctant tone. “We are going shopping. After what happened with Myoga, you and Miroku never got to get anything to wear. You've been wearing my clothes for the last few days and I know you have got to be getting tired of that. So, we `borrowed' Sesshoumaru's credit card and we're taking you to get some clothes and other things.”

 

 

“Wait!”

 

 

The girls abruptly stopped and turned to see what the holdup was. Kagome looked like the embodiment of nervousness.

 

 

“I don't think I'm comfortable with this,” she said looking at her feet. Kagome was never one to take handouts and she sure as hell wasn't starting now.

 

 

“I have my credit card on me. I'll let you guys take me shopping but I'll buy what I need.”

 

Rin tossed an arm around Kagome's shoulders in a reassuring manner. “Kagome, Sesshoumaru feels bad enough as it is with all that's happened to you. He blames himself. This is the only way my husband feels he can make it up to you. Please, let him do this.”

 

 

Kagome looked into Rin's face and saw that she was very serious about this. She rolled her eyes and looked at Sango to back her up. That was not going to happen considering Sango was smiling.

 

 

“Fine,” she grumbled. Rin clapped her hands and squealed. “On one condition, though.”

 

 

Rin let her celebration die and listened with every ounce of attention she held in her body.

 

 

“If I let Sesshoumaru do this, this is the last thing that he does. I don't want anymore gifts. I'll continue to let him pay for the travel expenses and the hospital bills, but that's all.”

 

 

Rin stuck out her hand and Kagome grabbed it. They shook once with very serious looks on their faces. As soon as their hands parted, Rin and Kagome smiled at each other.

 

 

“Well, lets get this show on the road, ladies,” Sango said, and they were off.

 

 

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After breakfast, Inuyasha found himself in his brother's study with Sesshoumaru and Miroku. Shippo was on the computer screen by way of an online video feed.

 

 

“Okay you guys, what have you found out so far?” Inuyasha sat down on a nearby leather couch with the others watching him intently. He had arrived hours after they had started, which left them with all the work.

 

 

“How very kind of you to grace us with your presence, Inuyasha.”

 

 

“I had a weird morning,” he said not willing to go into detail.

 

 

“Very well,” sighed Sesshoumaru. “We have actually dug up a rather substantial amount of information. Shippo…”

 

 

Shippo, a very young boy who was wise beyond his years, smiled and began. “Well, the woman that the sword maker told you about is actually real. Her name is Jacqueline; that much is true. I can't find a last name though. She moved from Haiti, at ten years old, with some friends of her family's. Her family all died of an illness.

 

 

“Once in America, she apprenticed under another woman and became a mambo.”

 

 

“What's a mambo?” Inuyasha, who didn't really know about any religion other than Christianity, was more than curious about Voodoo. He would be the first to admit that he had no idea that Voodoo was an actual religion, let alone so complex.

 

 

Shippo smiled. “A mambo is a woman priestess in the Voodoo community. Mostly, they perform healings and preside over ceremonies. In most religions, women are considered the weaker of the sexes. In Voodoo, women are viewed as equals. They also see homosexuals as equals that have broken no religious laws. This is a pretty unique trait as far as religions go. Anyway, I'm teaching again, aren't I?”

 

 

Sesshoumaru smiled behind his hand. Shippo always was one to take it upon himself to `school' others. He loved it when he was in possession of knowledge and could share it with the rest of them. This was a good thing as far a Sesshoumaru was concerned. It meant that if Shippo had information, he would share it. He never feared that Shippo would keep something from him.

 

 

Shippo sighed and smiled. “Anyway, we suspect that the woman that taught her was a bokor; that is to say, a woman that practiced the art of hoodoo. If I may impart useless trivia to you all again, it is unusual to find a woman that practices hoodoo. Usually, bokor are males. I've never heard of a woman bokor, but I guess that some exist.”

 

 

“So, does this Jacqueline woman use hoodoo, or does she just know how to use it in theory?” Inuyasha wanted all the information he could have. This was uncharted territory for him and he was determined to know everything possible before jumping into the situation. `Wow, when did I start thinking like that bastard Sesshoumaru?'

 

 

He wasn't the only one who noticed. “My, my, Inuyasha, you certainly are in rare form. No, we don't know if she practices it, but I am certain that if Totosai entrusted the sword to her, she has vast knowledge of the subject. It was most likely because of who taught her that she was the one he chose. If it were me, I'd do the same thing.” Shippo started to straighten up his desk as he was finishing that statement.

 

 

“Is that all we know?” That can't be it. There had to be more. Inuyasha waited for Shippo or anyone to answer.

 

 

“That's it Inuyasha. I'm sorry, but that's all I could dig up on her. She keeps herself well hidden.”

 

 

“Well, what about Naraku? Surely you have something on that asshole.”

 

 

Sesshoumaru sighed. “We can't find anything at all on Naraku. Well, other than what we know already. He is an infamous entity when it comes to the black market. He is after the swords. We also have deduced that he is after Kagome, because she is the weakest member of the group and because of the display that you put on the other night, Kagome is in more danger.”

 

 

Inuyasha stood up and stalked his brother. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

 

Sesshoumaru didn't back down. He returned his half-brother's stare and moved to explain. “I mean that you made it obvious that you cared for her. If you would have stayed focused on Naraku, Kagome would have been out of danger. If you would have acted like she meant nothing, then Naraku would have lost interest in her as a target. Now he'll do everything in his power to use her as leverage to get what he wants.”

 

 

“And how was I supposed to do that, asshole! What if it were Rin in that situation? What if that slimly bastard had a gun to Rin's head? What if his hands were all over her?! What would you have done?!!!” Inuyasha was a millisecond away from ripping his brother's head off. He would have tired, if it weren't for the wave of nausea that always followed thinking about the position Kagome was in only a small time ago. Inuyasha backed away from Sesshoumaru and placed his hands on the desk nearby to keep his balance. Sesshoumaru's voice was only a whisper, but Inuyasha heard it as clear as day.

 

 

“If it were Rin, the man would be dead. If you want your revenge, I may be able to help with that. I'll explain later. For now, get some rest. You will need all the energy you can get for the coming days.” With that, Sesshoumaru walked out of the study. Miroku said goodbye to Shippo, and closed the laptop. He walked over and put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.

 

 

“I am glad that I didn't see what you saw, my friend. I can't imagine what it must have looked like given your state. I would be happy if you never told me. If you do, I'll probably be in your position. Your brother is right, Inuyasha, get some rest.”

 

 

Miroku left and soon, the sick feeling was gone. Once he willed himself not to think about it, the illness was gone. It was a mind over matter kind of thing. After the nausea was gone, Inuyasha left to go to his room. On the way there, he wondered what Sesshoumaru could have meant by `if you want revenge, I may be able to help you with that'? Did he mean that if he could take down Naraku, he would have his revenge? If that was so, that was not revenge. He wanted the head of the man that had touched her. How was that possible though? That man was most likely in China, rotting in a jail cell. Even that wasn't enough.

 

 

Well, in any case, he would find out from Sesshoumaru later. Right now, he really did want to lie down.

 

 

As he stretched out on his bed that he used when he visited this brother and sister-in-law, he wished Kagome were there. If she would lie down with him, he would feel so much better. Somehow, Kagome had the power to sooth him just with her presence.

 

 

Inuyasha closed his eyes and, after about an hour of tossing and turning, he fell into a restless sleep.

 

 

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I know that this is a really, really short chapter. I'm sorry but I've been trying to get more information on Voodoo. As fascinating of a religion as it is, there is next to nothing on the internet about it. All I have to go on is basics. If I have stated something in this chapter that is untrue and someone catches it, PLEASE let me know. I would hate it if I got something wrong. Also, if you know of somewhere that might have more detailed information on Voodoo, please send me a link.

 

 

In other news, I only have one response to the challenge I posted last week. I don't care how stupid you think it is I would love to here it. I really want to change the name of this story, but I would like to have many to choose from. As for the one I did get, I thought it was really good. They didn't think so, but if this is the only one I get then this is the one I will choose. Please send me your thoughts. I may put them all together and let you all vote on the one you like.

 

 

Reviews:

 

MM.org-

 

InuGoddess715: I'm sorry they didn't figure any more out about Naraku. I feel it helps the story to keep him a mysterious character. You will find out more about him later but it will be down the road a ways. There also wasn't too much Sessh/Inu head butting but there will be in the next chapter. This, I promise you. Even if you think it's corny, I would love to hear it. You can e-mail it to me like the last person did if you don't want anyone else to hear it. Please! :whimper:

 

jflorea: You are the nicest, sweetest person alive. I swear, I got teary eyed reading your review. I love making Rin the peacekeeper. She is such an upbeat character, it's only natural that she would try to get Sessh and Inu to get along. Although, she does find humor in their relationship from time to time. Also, the reason I have almost no grammatical errors is because I'm OCD when it comes to stuff like that. I've said before that I spend more time reading my story than I do writing it. I'm glad you're enjoying it and thanks for the title suggestion. The more I think about it, the more I like it. I meant what I said, if I get no more suggestions, yours will be the one I go with. I hope this is soon enough by the way.

 

 

FF.net-

 

KP: I'm glad you like the jokes. I think they're funny, but I'm sure I have a strange sense of humor. I love a good dick and fart joke, but I also love dry humor and sarcasm. I'm a strange one, trust me. Anywho, I'm glad you like that chapter and hope you like this one.

 

LoVe23: Thank you for understanding how hard it is to let yourself feel the emotions of your characters. The scene with Kagome was the hardest because, well, things like that happen to women all the time. I guess it was so hard for me to let go of those emotions afterwards because if something like that has ever happened to you, it's difficult to cut yourself off from the feelings you were having at the time. It's like they're engrained into your memory. Once those emotions are brought back up again, like with the Kagome scene, it's hard to let them go all over again. I don't tell you this to get you all to feel pity for me, (I have long since some to terms with certain times of my life) I tell you because I hope that I can shed some light on how a persons mind works after the fact. So far, I've only talked about Inuyasha emotions. Soon, we'll get a look into Kagome's head. I promise, the wait will be worth it. And maybe, you'll all understand what something like that can do you a woman (or man) and you can have a better understanding of friends or family that have gone through a similar situation. Wow! That was a long response! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review.