InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Message in a Bottle ❯ Kagome’s Farewell ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.03.2005 | Updated On: 12.30.2010 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 4.7K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.03.2005 | Updated On: 12.30.2010 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 4.7K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
========================
Original post date: 8/16/05
A/N:
Just sprucing up some of my older stories, correcting this and that, and tweaking a few things. This particular story hasn’t undergone any major reconstruction.
Chapter 1 – Kagome’s Farewell
Awestruck, everyone stood still, holding their breaths while they waited to see if Naraku was truly defeated. No trace of the evil hanyou seemed to remain. Quickly, Miroku removed the wrapping from his hand, and could not conceal his excitement as he confirmed that his kazaana had in fact disappeared. Stealing a quick kiss from his fiancée, Sango opted not to fight back, as this is was definitely happy day, or so they’d thought.
“We did it!” Shippou joyfully proclaimed. Grumbling sarcastically, Inuyasha replied with, “Feh, what do you mean we?”
“Hey!” Kagome protested, though she was grinning. “Shippou-chan helped!”
“That’s right.” Miroku agreed, complimenting the tyke as he bent down to his level before adding, “Never before have I seen such courage.”
The Shippou-praising got cut short when a fully conscious and aware Kohaku shyly made his appearance known from behind the trees, and simultaneously, a certain ‘mangy wolf’ tried to claim his victory prize.
“Kohaku!” Sango cried, tears of joy springing to her eyes upon hearing his reply of “Ane-ue!”
“Well mutt-face…” Kouga spat, “I kept up my end of the bargain. Here’s my stupid jewel shards, now hand over Kagome!”
Like Inuyasha would agree to a trade like that.
As always, Inuyasha’s reply was, “She ain’t going anywhere with you, you stupid mangy wolf!”
Here we go again… the future-born-miko thought, although she was still too overjoyed by Naraku’s defeat to truly get too angry over the testosterone display.
At least until a certain undead miko unceremoniously reminded the group of her own presence.
“Inuyasha.” Kikyou said simply, her tone neutral.
Caught off guard, the hanyou nervously blurted out “Kikyou!” while temporarily forgetting all about defending Kagome from a certain ‘mangy wolf’.
Trying not to look too sad as Inuyasha joined Kikyou in conversation, Kagome took it upon herself to give Kouga the polite let-down, which he, as usual, completely brushed off, stating that he’d eventually be back for her before taking off, his two lackeys quick to follow.
Shaking her head, Kagome added the jewel shards from Kouga’s legs to the nearly completed jewel they’d acquired at Naraku’s demise, quickly confirming that only one more shard remained, the one in Kohaku’s neck.
Glancing in Kagome’s direction with tears in her eyes, embracing Kohaku tightly in her arms, Sango tried to focus on the reality of the situation.
“You need to complete the jewel, don’t you?” she asked, trying with all her might to prevent her tears from falling.
But Kagome was just as emotional as Sango by that point, the miko thinking of her own little brother.
“I…I can’t do it!” she cried. “Kohaku will die without his shard.”
Looking up innocently at Sesshoumaru, who hadn’t yet vacated the scene, Kagome questioned hesitantly... “Um, you could revive him with Tenseiga, couldn’t you?”
“Why should I?” was his cold response.
Clenching her brother tighter, Sango hissed “How can you be so cold?!”
“Please, Sesshoumaru-sama…” Kagome begged, making sure to add the honorific. “I will be in your debt.” she added.
“You have nothing that I want.”
Kohaku, aware of the splitting thread from which his life was hung, took that opportunity to speak. “It’s okay, Ane-ue, I understand. I deserve to die after everything I’ve done.”
“No! I…I won’t let you! At least not alone…” Strengthening her resolve, the female slayer added, “If you die, then I’ll go with you!”
“Sango…” Miroku whispered quietly, having no intention of letting his fiancée sacrifice her life for her brother, although he couldn’t fault her the desire to do so.
“Don’t be foolish.” Sesshoumaru stated in disgust.
Turning to abandon the display of crying, sniveling humans, a sudden tug on his sleeve got his attention.
“Sesshoumaru-sama…please save him? It wasn’t his fault Naraku made him do bad things.”
Looking down at the small child by his side, Kagome could almost swear the Daiyoukai sighed, before stating simply, “Very well.”
Wiping away her tears, Sango suddenly cried out, “Oh, thank you!”
The taijiya received nothing but a cold glare in return.
Kagome knew he had only agreed because of Rin, so commenting “Quickly then, let’s get this over with.” she proceeded before the Daiyoukai had a chance to rethink his decision.
Nodding to Kohaku to be sure he was prepared, Kagome snatched the shard from his neck, causing his lifeless body to collapse against his sister’s embrace. Miroku placed his hand on Sango’s shoulder in a show of emotional support as she gently laid her brother upon the ground. Even to see Kohaku’s dead body for one instant was one instant too long. With a single fluid motion, Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tenseiga and sliced away at the imps of the underworld that had begun crawling over Kohaku’s lifeless body. Blinking slowly, Sango’s little brother regained consciousness and looked up to meet the Daiyoukai’s piercing gaze, before the inu-youkai turned on his heels, and commanding Rin and Jaken to follow, headed swiftly into the forest.
Applying the final shard into the jewel, Kagome observed with baited breath as the now complete Shikon no Tama immediately began purifying itself of all traces of Naraku’s corruption, as the once blackened jewel lightened to a heavenly bright white.
Glancing around the clearing for a moment, Kagome saw the joyful tears in Sango’s eyes that replaced the ones of sorrow she had only so recently shed. Kohaku was crying as well, his tears apologetic, as the siblings reminisced while Miroku stood idly by, a smile of pure happiness upon his lips at the realization that his new life with Sango could now begin. Shippou was currently chasing a butterfly, and Kirara, having returned to her smaller form, was curled up in a ball resting in the sun, the neko-youkai having probably spent more energy during the battle than the rest of them.
Except for Inuyasha, of course.
Ah yes, Inuyasha… Where was he? Looking around, it didn’t take Kagome long to spot him, the inu-hanyou presently still deep in conversation with his first love, the undead miko’s shinidamachuu flying around the pair eerily. A small twinge of nausea hit Kagome in the pit of her stomach as she suddenly wondered…now that their mission was over, did that mean that Inuyasha was going to be joining Kikyou in Hell?
“Um…we should probably be heading back.” Kagome stated in that moment, hoping her voice didn’t betray her breaking heart. “Kaede-obaa-chan should be told the good news.”
“What about Inuyasha?” asked Shippou.
“He’ll…he’ll join up with us later.” Kagome muttered, trying to put on a happy face for the child.
“Kagome-chan…” Sango whispered, sensing the heartache of her close friend.
“I’m fine.” Kagome quickly reassured the slayer, nervously glancing back in Inuyasha’s direction only to note how the hanyou was still deep in conversation with her predecessor, completely oblivious to his friends and their current worries.
Miroku, in awe of the emotional bravery Kagome was portraying, thought to himself… So, it would appear he’s made his decision…
The inu-tachi, minus their inu, all headed back to Kaede’s village, which was only about an hour’s journey away. They received heartfelt greeting upon their return by the villagers who saw the completed Shikon no Tama hanging around Kagome’s neck, which immediately bespoke of their obvious success.
Somberly, they entered Kaede’s hut…
“So ye were successful, then?” the elderly miko inquired immediately upon their entry. “Naraku has been defeated?”
“Yes, Kaede-sama.” Miroku began, adding, “He is dead, thanks to Kagome-sama.”
“Indeed?” the elder miko asked, eyebrow raised.
“What?” Kagome blurted in surprise, blushing at the houshi’s compliment. “Oh nonsense, it was you!” she reciprocated. “You sucked up so much of him when Inu...” Kagome paused, attempting with all her might to prevent her tears from falling at the mention of the hanyou’s name. “When Inuyasha broke him apart with the Backlash Wave, and daring the poisonous insects, even!” she finished with an air of enthusiasm, hoping to mask the sadness she felt. “It was definitely thanks to you!”
“Not at all!” Miroku replied with a grin right on her heels of her own compliment. “It was you, Kagome-sama, and your sacred arrows that did most of the damage.”
Kagome eventually relented, agreeing, “It was a group effort then, but…thanks.”
Listening to the exchange of flattery with amusement in her good eye, Kaede still couldn’t help but to notice the missing party. Beginning to fear the worst, especially after Kagome’s noticeable choke, she asked tentatively, “Speaking of Inuyasha, why has he not returned with ye?”
“Oh, um…” Sango started for her friend, “He just had a couple of things to take care of, but I’m sure he’ll be along any minute.”
Kagome flashed the slayer a grateful, yet disbelieving look.
At any rate, the bubble was quickly burst when Shippou ever so tactfully proclaimed, “He ran off with Kikyou again!”
“Shippou!” Sango spat
“What?” he asked, his own annoyance with the hanyou clear as he defended, “It’s the truth!”
Sango found herself wishing even harder that Inuyasha were present, just so he could bop Shippou on the head for his thoughtless comment. But the taijiya was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Kagome mumble quietl,y “It’s okay…it is the truth.”
“I see…” was Kaede’s reply.
Kagome spoke up again in that moment, a melancholy sigh escaping her as it became obviously to the others she was trying hard to fight back the tears that were gathering in her eyes.
“I’m…I’m gonna go home, I think.” she mumbled, standing up to leave.
“You’ll come back, won’t you?” the kitsune child asked hesitantly, Shippou’s own voice suddenly mirroring the same hopelessness she herself felt.
Bending down and allowing the kit to jump up into her arms, Kagome reassured the boy, “Of course I will.”
Ruffling his titian hair she added, “I could never leave you, Shippou-chan!” Playfully pressing her finger to his nose, she added, “I just need to rest for a while, and catch up on schoolwork, but I’ll definitely come to visit you all, from time to time.”
It would be hard, the miko knew, to continue visiting the past, but she couldn’t just walk away from her other friends because Inuyasha had decided to walk away from them all.
“And you’ll bring me pocky, won’t you?” Shippou asked in that moment, pulling her from her thoughts as she noted the sudden eagerness in his voice.
“Haha, yes, and I’ll bring you pocky.” Kagome assured him with a chuckle.
Walking over to hug his departing friend, Miroku calmly stated, “Take care of yourself, Kagome-sama. Your presence shall be missed, and your return visits shall be welcomed with open arms.”
“Thanks.”
“Yes, and don’t you forget it!” Sango quickly added, pulling the miko into another hug.
“I won’t.”
And with that, Kagome headed out the door and down the path towards the Bone Eater’s Well.
That walk seemed to take twice as long as usual, and once the well came into view, she could have almost sworn that no matter how much longer she walked, it seemed to stay at the same distance away. Like running down a hallway with an unreachable end, Kagome fell into tunnel vision while she felt the upset she’d been concealing stir up inside of her, and suddenly, she bolted, hoping that she could reach her side of time before she lost complete control.
She was literally a step away from her salvation when a blurry streak of red caught her peripheral vision. Glancing off to the side she saw nothing, but then upon returning her gaze straight ahead, there he was, standing directly in her way, arms tucked into the sleeves of his suikan, a defiant scowl marring his features. .
“Just where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” he demanded.
“Home…” she whispered, trying desperately to fight back the tears that threatened to spill free at any moment.
“You were just gonna leave without even saying goodbye?” Inuyasha asked with hurt in his voice.
“I thought…” she choked, “I thought you’d already left, yourself, without saying goodbye.”
He threw on a fake look of irritation, and grumped, “Stupid, I’m right here ain’t I?”
“So you are…So…”
“What?”
“Are n’t you…I mean…I thought…you’re going with her now, aren’t you? With Kikyou?”
Kagome’s eyes met Inuyasha’s, and neither of them could look away. It was that stare, that same gaze she’d caught in him before, when he hadn’t looked away, when he’d needed to tell her, had to tell her, that he’d chosen Kikyou.
“Kagome…” He uttered her name so softly that she almost didn’t hear it in the air, even though she could read it on his lips, and in his eyes.
“It’s okay…I understand.” was all she could manage to say in reply.
“It’s not what you think…” he wished to explain. “I…I owe her my life. I promised her, I have to…” He choked himself. He didn’t really want to go, but he did have to. He didn’t have a say in the matter.
“I understand…”
“If things were different, if I didn’t-”
“I understand…”
“Kagome…” He sighed, wishing she would express the hurt he knew she was feeling, rather than keeping it bottled up like she was.
“Well…you’d better not keep her waiting.” she spoke up suddenly, and her words felt like a dagger in his heart. Was that how he was making her feel as well?
Suddenly, Inuyasha lunged forward, pulling her into a quick embrace.
“Kagome…I…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay…” she whispered. “You have to keep your promise…you’re honorable like that. That’s one of the things I love about you.”
He jumped, startled by her words. “What?”
“I love you…Inuyasha.” She uttered the words so softly that even with his hanyou hearing he had to strain to hear them.
“Kagome…” He wished he could tell her he felt the same way. He did feel the same way, he just couldn’t tell her it was so.
Looking into her eyes and seeing the unshed tears shimmering in her chocolate orbs, he decided in that moment that maybe it would be okay to show her. Gently lifting her chin with his index finger, Inuyasha slowly brought her lips to his, and the two shared their first, last, and only kiss. The barrier Kagome had put up around her emotions immediately broke apart, Inuyasha’s kiss holding more power than the Red Tetsusaiga, and she burst into a river of sobs against his shoulder.
“I *sniff* don’t want *sniff* to lose *sniff* you…I *hiccup* can’t!”
“Shhhhh” he soothed, gently stroking her hair “It’ll be okay. Part of me will always be with you”
“It’s not *sniff* the same!” she bellowed.
“I know…” was all he could say in reply.
“No you don’t!” she cried, pounding her fists against his chest. Had he been human, her blows actually might have hurt. As it was, his heart was human, and it was hurting plenty in that moment. “You don’t care *hiccup* about me!” Kagome wailed.
Sighing, Inuyasha continued to stroke her hair while softly stating, “Kagome…that’s not true, and you know it.”
Holding her tightly, the hanyou thought to let her get it all out of her system, and try as he might to hold up the tough exterior he was used to showing the world, had somebody been there to observe them in that moment, there would have been no doubt regarding the pain he was also feeling.
“Then why!?!” Kagome asked frantically.
“You know why…” was his reply. Slowly, settling her face against his chest, resting his cheek atop her head, Inuyasha thought to himself, How can I do this to her?
For nearly an hour, the two stood together in a silence broken only by Kagome’s gradually subsiding sobs. Eventually, she pulled herself away from his grasp enough to again look him in the eyes, hers puffy and red from the upset. Stepping back a few paces, she reached up to his ear for one last fondle, an act he didn’t deny her.
“I’ll never forget you…never.” she proclaimed, determination in her voice.
“Keh…I’ll never forget you either” he stated matter-of-factly, before dropping just a bit of his mask as he quietly begged her, “Come on…stop crying…please?”
Wiping her face with her sleeve, Kagome mustered as much of a fake smile she could manage, lowering her hand from his ear to the rosary he wore around his neck.
“Kagome?” he asked with genuine confusion.
Slowly, she reached up with her second hand, and pulled the beads up and over his head.
“You’re free from me now…” she said, her breathing still shaky with the ghosts of fallen tears as she spoke. “You’ve fulfilled your vow to protect me while we completed the jewel, so now go, go complete your other vow, to die with the woman you love.”
“Kagome…” he sighed again, truly at a loss for words. She was so selfless, so self-sacrificing, all for his happiness, the exact opposite of Kikyou.
Draping his rosary around her own neck, she entwined it with the string the Shikon no Tama hung from, making the two like one necklace. One necklace she would wear always.
Inuyasha remained silent as he watched her sit upon the edge of the well and swing her feet over, preparing for the drop. Something was nagging at him, something he couldn’t command his mouth to form as words…
“Kagome…” he attempted one last time.
“Goodbye, Inuyasha…” she uttered softly.
“Goodbye…” he repeated, and with that she dropped into the darkness which absorbed her in the blue light of time.
Fighting a single tear that dared to breach the barrier of his own eyes, the hanyou thought what he could not bring himself to say out loud.
It’s you that I love…
Converting /tmp/phpTDEMwl to /dev/stdout
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
========================
Original post date: 8/16/05
A/N:
Just sprucing up some of my older stories, correcting this and that, and tweaking a few things. This particular story hasn’t undergone any major reconstruction.
Chapter 1 – Kagome’s Farewell
Awestruck, everyone stood still, holding their breaths while they waited to see if Naraku was truly defeated. No trace of the evil hanyou seemed to remain. Quickly, Miroku removed the wrapping from his hand, and could not conceal his excitement as he confirmed that his kazaana had in fact disappeared. Stealing a quick kiss from his fiancée, Sango opted not to fight back, as this is was definitely happy day, or so they’d thought.
“We did it!” Shippou joyfully proclaimed. Grumbling sarcastically, Inuyasha replied with, “Feh, what do you mean we?”
“Hey!” Kagome protested, though she was grinning. “Shippou-chan helped!”
“That’s right.” Miroku agreed, complimenting the tyke as he bent down to his level before adding, “Never before have I seen such courage.”
The Shippou-praising got cut short when a fully conscious and aware Kohaku shyly made his appearance known from behind the trees, and simultaneously, a certain ‘mangy wolf’ tried to claim his victory prize.
“Kohaku!” Sango cried, tears of joy springing to her eyes upon hearing his reply of “Ane-ue!”
“Well mutt-face…” Kouga spat, “I kept up my end of the bargain. Here’s my stupid jewel shards, now hand over Kagome!”
Like Inuyasha would agree to a trade like that.
As always, Inuyasha’s reply was, “She ain’t going anywhere with you, you stupid mangy wolf!”
Here we go again… the future-born-miko thought, although she was still too overjoyed by Naraku’s defeat to truly get too angry over the testosterone display.
At least until a certain undead miko unceremoniously reminded the group of her own presence.
“Inuyasha.” Kikyou said simply, her tone neutral.
Caught off guard, the hanyou nervously blurted out “Kikyou!” while temporarily forgetting all about defending Kagome from a certain ‘mangy wolf’.
Trying not to look too sad as Inuyasha joined Kikyou in conversation, Kagome took it upon herself to give Kouga the polite let-down, which he, as usual, completely brushed off, stating that he’d eventually be back for her before taking off, his two lackeys quick to follow.
Shaking her head, Kagome added the jewel shards from Kouga’s legs to the nearly completed jewel they’d acquired at Naraku’s demise, quickly confirming that only one more shard remained, the one in Kohaku’s neck.
Glancing in Kagome’s direction with tears in her eyes, embracing Kohaku tightly in her arms, Sango tried to focus on the reality of the situation.
“You need to complete the jewel, don’t you?” she asked, trying with all her might to prevent her tears from falling.
But Kagome was just as emotional as Sango by that point, the miko thinking of her own little brother.
“I…I can’t do it!” she cried. “Kohaku will die without his shard.”
Looking up innocently at Sesshoumaru, who hadn’t yet vacated the scene, Kagome questioned hesitantly... “Um, you could revive him with Tenseiga, couldn’t you?”
“Why should I?” was his cold response.
Clenching her brother tighter, Sango hissed “How can you be so cold?!”
“Please, Sesshoumaru-sama…” Kagome begged, making sure to add the honorific. “I will be in your debt.” she added.
“You have nothing that I want.”
Kohaku, aware of the splitting thread from which his life was hung, took that opportunity to speak. “It’s okay, Ane-ue, I understand. I deserve to die after everything I’ve done.”
“No! I…I won’t let you! At least not alone…” Strengthening her resolve, the female slayer added, “If you die, then I’ll go with you!”
“Sango…” Miroku whispered quietly, having no intention of letting his fiancée sacrifice her life for her brother, although he couldn’t fault her the desire to do so.
“Don’t be foolish.” Sesshoumaru stated in disgust.
Turning to abandon the display of crying, sniveling humans, a sudden tug on his sleeve got his attention.
“Sesshoumaru-sama…please save him? It wasn’t his fault Naraku made him do bad things.”
Looking down at the small child by his side, Kagome could almost swear the Daiyoukai sighed, before stating simply, “Very well.”
Wiping away her tears, Sango suddenly cried out, “Oh, thank you!”
The taijiya received nothing but a cold glare in return.
Kagome knew he had only agreed because of Rin, so commenting “Quickly then, let’s get this over with.” she proceeded before the Daiyoukai had a chance to rethink his decision.
Nodding to Kohaku to be sure he was prepared, Kagome snatched the shard from his neck, causing his lifeless body to collapse against his sister’s embrace. Miroku placed his hand on Sango’s shoulder in a show of emotional support as she gently laid her brother upon the ground. Even to see Kohaku’s dead body for one instant was one instant too long. With a single fluid motion, Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tenseiga and sliced away at the imps of the underworld that had begun crawling over Kohaku’s lifeless body. Blinking slowly, Sango’s little brother regained consciousness and looked up to meet the Daiyoukai’s piercing gaze, before the inu-youkai turned on his heels, and commanding Rin and Jaken to follow, headed swiftly into the forest.
Applying the final shard into the jewel, Kagome observed with baited breath as the now complete Shikon no Tama immediately began purifying itself of all traces of Naraku’s corruption, as the once blackened jewel lightened to a heavenly bright white.
Glancing around the clearing for a moment, Kagome saw the joyful tears in Sango’s eyes that replaced the ones of sorrow she had only so recently shed. Kohaku was crying as well, his tears apologetic, as the siblings reminisced while Miroku stood idly by, a smile of pure happiness upon his lips at the realization that his new life with Sango could now begin. Shippou was currently chasing a butterfly, and Kirara, having returned to her smaller form, was curled up in a ball resting in the sun, the neko-youkai having probably spent more energy during the battle than the rest of them.
Except for Inuyasha, of course.
Ah yes, Inuyasha… Where was he? Looking around, it didn’t take Kagome long to spot him, the inu-hanyou presently still deep in conversation with his first love, the undead miko’s shinidamachuu flying around the pair eerily. A small twinge of nausea hit Kagome in the pit of her stomach as she suddenly wondered…now that their mission was over, did that mean that Inuyasha was going to be joining Kikyou in Hell?
“Um…we should probably be heading back.” Kagome stated in that moment, hoping her voice didn’t betray her breaking heart. “Kaede-obaa-chan should be told the good news.”
“What about Inuyasha?” asked Shippou.
“He’ll…he’ll join up with us later.” Kagome muttered, trying to put on a happy face for the child.
“Kagome-chan…” Sango whispered, sensing the heartache of her close friend.
“I’m fine.” Kagome quickly reassured the slayer, nervously glancing back in Inuyasha’s direction only to note how the hanyou was still deep in conversation with her predecessor, completely oblivious to his friends and their current worries.
Miroku, in awe of the emotional bravery Kagome was portraying, thought to himself… So, it would appear he’s made his decision…
The inu-tachi, minus their inu, all headed back to Kaede’s village, which was only about an hour’s journey away. They received heartfelt greeting upon their return by the villagers who saw the completed Shikon no Tama hanging around Kagome’s neck, which immediately bespoke of their obvious success.
Somberly, they entered Kaede’s hut…
“So ye were successful, then?” the elderly miko inquired immediately upon their entry. “Naraku has been defeated?”
“Yes, Kaede-sama.” Miroku began, adding, “He is dead, thanks to Kagome-sama.”
“Indeed?” the elder miko asked, eyebrow raised.
“What?” Kagome blurted in surprise, blushing at the houshi’s compliment. “Oh nonsense, it was you!” she reciprocated. “You sucked up so much of him when Inu...” Kagome paused, attempting with all her might to prevent her tears from falling at the mention of the hanyou’s name. “When Inuyasha broke him apart with the Backlash Wave, and daring the poisonous insects, even!” she finished with an air of enthusiasm, hoping to mask the sadness she felt. “It was definitely thanks to you!”
“Not at all!” Miroku replied with a grin right on her heels of her own compliment. “It was you, Kagome-sama, and your sacred arrows that did most of the damage.”
Kagome eventually relented, agreeing, “It was a group effort then, but…thanks.”
Listening to the exchange of flattery with amusement in her good eye, Kaede still couldn’t help but to notice the missing party. Beginning to fear the worst, especially after Kagome’s noticeable choke, she asked tentatively, “Speaking of Inuyasha, why has he not returned with ye?”
“Oh, um…” Sango started for her friend, “He just had a couple of things to take care of, but I’m sure he’ll be along any minute.”
Kagome flashed the slayer a grateful, yet disbelieving look.
At any rate, the bubble was quickly burst when Shippou ever so tactfully proclaimed, “He ran off with Kikyou again!”
“Shippou!” Sango spat
“What?” he asked, his own annoyance with the hanyou clear as he defended, “It’s the truth!”
Sango found herself wishing even harder that Inuyasha were present, just so he could bop Shippou on the head for his thoughtless comment. But the taijiya was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Kagome mumble quietl,y “It’s okay…it is the truth.”
“I see…” was Kaede’s reply.
Kagome spoke up again in that moment, a melancholy sigh escaping her as it became obviously to the others she was trying hard to fight back the tears that were gathering in her eyes.
“I’m…I’m gonna go home, I think.” she mumbled, standing up to leave.
“You’ll come back, won’t you?” the kitsune child asked hesitantly, Shippou’s own voice suddenly mirroring the same hopelessness she herself felt.
Bending down and allowing the kit to jump up into her arms, Kagome reassured the boy, “Of course I will.”
Ruffling his titian hair she added, “I could never leave you, Shippou-chan!” Playfully pressing her finger to his nose, she added, “I just need to rest for a while, and catch up on schoolwork, but I’ll definitely come to visit you all, from time to time.”
It would be hard, the miko knew, to continue visiting the past, but she couldn’t just walk away from her other friends because Inuyasha had decided to walk away from them all.
“And you’ll bring me pocky, won’t you?” Shippou asked in that moment, pulling her from her thoughts as she noted the sudden eagerness in his voice.
“Haha, yes, and I’ll bring you pocky.” Kagome assured him with a chuckle.
Walking over to hug his departing friend, Miroku calmly stated, “Take care of yourself, Kagome-sama. Your presence shall be missed, and your return visits shall be welcomed with open arms.”
“Thanks.”
“Yes, and don’t you forget it!” Sango quickly added, pulling the miko into another hug.
“I won’t.”
And with that, Kagome headed out the door and down the path towards the Bone Eater’s Well.
That walk seemed to take twice as long as usual, and once the well came into view, she could have almost sworn that no matter how much longer she walked, it seemed to stay at the same distance away. Like running down a hallway with an unreachable end, Kagome fell into tunnel vision while she felt the upset she’d been concealing stir up inside of her, and suddenly, she bolted, hoping that she could reach her side of time before she lost complete control.
She was literally a step away from her salvation when a blurry streak of red caught her peripheral vision. Glancing off to the side she saw nothing, but then upon returning her gaze straight ahead, there he was, standing directly in her way, arms tucked into the sleeves of his suikan, a defiant scowl marring his features. .
“Just where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” he demanded.
“Home…” she whispered, trying desperately to fight back the tears that threatened to spill free at any moment.
“You were just gonna leave without even saying goodbye?” Inuyasha asked with hurt in his voice.
“I thought…” she choked, “I thought you’d already left, yourself, without saying goodbye.”
He threw on a fake look of irritation, and grumped, “Stupid, I’m right here ain’t I?”
“So you are…So…”
“What?”
“Are n’t you…I mean…I thought…you’re going with her now, aren’t you? With Kikyou?”
Kagome’s eyes met Inuyasha’s, and neither of them could look away. It was that stare, that same gaze she’d caught in him before, when he hadn’t looked away, when he’d needed to tell her, had to tell her, that he’d chosen Kikyou.
“Kagome…” He uttered her name so softly that she almost didn’t hear it in the air, even though she could read it on his lips, and in his eyes.
“It’s okay…I understand.” was all she could manage to say in reply.
“It’s not what you think…” he wished to explain. “I…I owe her my life. I promised her, I have to…” He choked himself. He didn’t really want to go, but he did have to. He didn’t have a say in the matter.
“I understand…”
“If things were different, if I didn’t-”
“I understand…”
“Kagome…” He sighed, wishing she would express the hurt he knew she was feeling, rather than keeping it bottled up like she was.
“Well…you’d better not keep her waiting.” she spoke up suddenly, and her words felt like a dagger in his heart. Was that how he was making her feel as well?
Suddenly, Inuyasha lunged forward, pulling her into a quick embrace.
“Kagome…I…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay…” she whispered. “You have to keep your promise…you’re honorable like that. That’s one of the things I love about you.”
He jumped, startled by her words. “What?”
“I love you…Inuyasha.” She uttered the words so softly that even with his hanyou hearing he had to strain to hear them.
“Kagome…” He wished he could tell her he felt the same way. He did feel the same way, he just couldn’t tell her it was so.
Looking into her eyes and seeing the unshed tears shimmering in her chocolate orbs, he decided in that moment that maybe it would be okay to show her. Gently lifting her chin with his index finger, Inuyasha slowly brought her lips to his, and the two shared their first, last, and only kiss. The barrier Kagome had put up around her emotions immediately broke apart, Inuyasha’s kiss holding more power than the Red Tetsusaiga, and she burst into a river of sobs against his shoulder.
“I *sniff* don’t want *sniff* to lose *sniff* you…I *hiccup* can’t!”
“Shhhhh” he soothed, gently stroking her hair “It’ll be okay. Part of me will always be with you”
“It’s not *sniff* the same!” she bellowed.
“I know…” was all he could say in reply.
“No you don’t!” she cried, pounding her fists against his chest. Had he been human, her blows actually might have hurt. As it was, his heart was human, and it was hurting plenty in that moment. “You don’t care *hiccup* about me!” Kagome wailed.
Sighing, Inuyasha continued to stroke her hair while softly stating, “Kagome…that’s not true, and you know it.”
Holding her tightly, the hanyou thought to let her get it all out of her system, and try as he might to hold up the tough exterior he was used to showing the world, had somebody been there to observe them in that moment, there would have been no doubt regarding the pain he was also feeling.
“Then why!?!” Kagome asked frantically.
“You know why…” was his reply. Slowly, settling her face against his chest, resting his cheek atop her head, Inuyasha thought to himself, How can I do this to her?
For nearly an hour, the two stood together in a silence broken only by Kagome’s gradually subsiding sobs. Eventually, she pulled herself away from his grasp enough to again look him in the eyes, hers puffy and red from the upset. Stepping back a few paces, she reached up to his ear for one last fondle, an act he didn’t deny her.
“I’ll never forget you…never.” she proclaimed, determination in her voice.
“Keh…I’ll never forget you either” he stated matter-of-factly, before dropping just a bit of his mask as he quietly begged her, “Come on…stop crying…please?”
Wiping her face with her sleeve, Kagome mustered as much of a fake smile she could manage, lowering her hand from his ear to the rosary he wore around his neck.
“Kagome?” he asked with genuine confusion.
Slowly, she reached up with her second hand, and pulled the beads up and over his head.
“You’re free from me now…” she said, her breathing still shaky with the ghosts of fallen tears as she spoke. “You’ve fulfilled your vow to protect me while we completed the jewel, so now go, go complete your other vow, to die with the woman you love.”
“Kagome…” he sighed again, truly at a loss for words. She was so selfless, so self-sacrificing, all for his happiness, the exact opposite of Kikyou.
Draping his rosary around her own neck, she entwined it with the string the Shikon no Tama hung from, making the two like one necklace. One necklace she would wear always.
Inuyasha remained silent as he watched her sit upon the edge of the well and swing her feet over, preparing for the drop. Something was nagging at him, something he couldn’t command his mouth to form as words…
“Kagome…” he attempted one last time.
“Goodbye, Inuyasha…” she uttered softly.
“Goodbye…” he repeated, and with that she dropped into the darkness which absorbed her in the blue light of time.
Fighting a single tear that dared to breach the barrier of his own eyes, the hanyou thought what he could not bring himself to say out loud.
It’s you that I love…
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