InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Missing You ❯ Painful Tradition ( Chapter 1 )

Suteki: my 3rd one-shot, hope you enjoy!

Missing You

Kagome walked out into the cold of the night. She'd done the same for the past 4 years on the same day each year. She thought that one day she might be able to move on, but it just seemed to hurt more as time progressed. She walked up to the giant tree in her family shrine, the shrine that she was now caretaker of since her grandfather passed on last year. The Goshenboku seemed to glow in the light of the full moon, but she couldn't really tell. Her eyes were glazed with unshed tears, tears she promised herself to hold in this year.

She stepped over the small fence around the tree, and leaned her head against the soft bark. That's when it happened again, the visions she was trying to forget came flooding back to her. Four years ago, on this very same day…February 14. the day held no significance regarding valentines, the only holiday she ever hated, no, it went far beyond any petty holiday.

::Flashback, Kagome's POV::

The air was thick in the scent of youkai blood. The bodies of Kagura and Kanna lay discarded to the side. Naraku engulfed the completed shikon no tama, half of which he had once again stolen from me. We all watched in horror as he radiated with his newfound power, feeling completely helpless. I was the first to regain my bearings, and looked around. I saw Sango first of all, who was still on the ground clutching the body of her dead brother, Kohaku. Then I found Miroku, on his knees in pain from the poison he had consumed during the battle, clutching his accursed hand.

`we cant let this end this way! We waited for this day to come for 3 long years, and we cant let him get away with all that he's done to us' I though to myself. With that, I found the strength to lift my wounded and tired body off the ground. I notched my final arrow to my bow, and said a silent prayer. `for all of those whose lives were ruined by this monster, please, let my this arrow that carries my soul have the strength to destroy him…' I opened my eyes to see that he still had his back to me, laughing that hideous laugh of his. I focused the last of my strength into my weapon, and let it fly. I've never seen one of my arrows flare with so much power, and I knew my prayers had been answered, whether by myself or the gods above.

All I know is when I saw Naraku turn to watch the arrow speed towards him, and that look of pure terror that shattered his composed face, I knew this was it, and smiled myself. The arrow hit him square in the chest, and he screamed in agony as he was ripped into a million pieces, which then dissolved before ever hitting the ground.

I fell to the ground in pain from my wounds and lack of energy, and watched as inuyasha picked up the jewel from the ground and then looked at me. That look…those eyes…I'll never forget what they looked like at that moment. They held…relief yet a sadness. We both knew what would happen now…I had to go home…permanently.

The next morning, February 14, we all gathered at the well. Shippou never stopped crying, as he clutched onto the sweater I was wearing. "I don't want you to leave okasan! I'm going to miss you so much!" he wailed over and over, "I'm sorry shippou-Chan. I have to go though, my place is in my time. I know that Sango and Miroku will take good care of you." I smiled at him, holding back the strongest urge to cry that ever plagued me at the time. I set him on the ground, just to have Sango lunge herself at me. We embraced so tight, I though for sure I wouldn't make it home alive. She cried on my shoulder, "kagome-Chan. You've always been like a sister to me, thank you so much for being there for me when I needed you." I pushed her away, and smiled at her, a couple of silent tears escaping my eyes. "Sango-Chan, I will never forget you. I couldn't forget any of you, never. I will cherish the memories I have of you, of this time, until the day I die."

Sango nodded her head and let go of me so Miroku could have a chance to say goodbye as well. He hugged me, without any wondering hands this time. He pushed me away to look into my eyes. "And we will never forget you either kagome-sama. You were always the strength in the group, and brought us all together. You definitely have the right to hold the title of a legend, Lady Kagome."

"Thank you, Miroku. And you better be good to Sango! No more wandering hands." I said, my voice cracking as I tried to laugh instead of sob. They both chuckled at it, and Sango blushed.

I turned to find inuyasha. He was standing on the edge on the well, back to me, waiting to take me home for the last time. The well had never looked so foreboding to me in all my years, not even when I still thought that it was cursed and thought the well shrine should be bulldozed for a pool.

As I made my way over to him, I felt a presence to my right. I turned, already knowing who it was, `Kikyou'. And there she was, the clay form of my passed life. Our eyes met, hers burning with hatred, but her cocked smile told he she had never been happier to see me, now that she knew I wouldn't be coming back. I felt my blood boil at that look, the look that told me that she won, and I lost.

I stormed the rest of the way up to inuyasha, and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around to face me. His eyes were filled with tears that I knew he wouldn't let fall infront of me, but I didn't notice them at the time. I snapped the shikon no tama from neck, and placed it over his own. "At least in hell, no demons can use it against the living again." I said in a soft yet hard voice, much colder than I had meant it to be. "Kagome…" he started, but I didn't want to hear it now, it was too hard as it was.

I turned to face him, and put my finger tip to his mouth. "kago-" he started again, so I slammed my lips against his, only trying to shut him up. "Just let me leave inuyasha, don't fight with me. I don't want to hear it. My life resides in the future, and that will never change. I only wish that you are happy," I glanced over to the now fuming dead miko, " with whatever you choose to do after I leave."

I stepped away from him, more tears streaming down my face. I stepped backwards onto the wells edge, as Kikyou came to stand next to inuyasha. And I did one final look over of my friends, that had been my family in this era. They all tried they're best to smile, though most failing. "Goodbye…" I whispered as I stepped back to fall into the depths of the well. But before I was consumed entirely, my eyes locked with Inuyasha's, who stood next to Kikyou now. Those golden pools that I would forever miss…they were once again filled with that sadness I saw on the battlefield, but now they held something much worse, a hurt the tore at my very soul.

Then my heart stopped as I watched him mouth my name, one last time. and I still swear to this day, that I saw the twinkling of tears fall from his eye. And I can still almost feel that wetness fall to my cheek, to mingle with my own tears of sorrow; as we watched each other begin to fade away from our lives…never to be seen again.

"inu…yasha…" I whispered but it was too late, and I was instantly consumed in the lights of time, thus beginning the banishment from my own happiness, as I felt the power of the well disappear entirely, as ordered by Fate.

::End Flashback::

Kagome was overcome by painful sobs as she remembered that day in painful detail. Her hands went over her head, to trace the large scar in the front of the tree…where she had first found her hanyou. The sobs instantly grew more powerful, and she slid to the ground, weak from crying and the pain in her heart.

"Inuyasha…why did it have to end like that? Why didn't I ever tell you just how much I loved you. Why didn't I stay with you…what a fool I was, to have let you go…to leave you to be dragged to hell with that bitch…please forgive me…" she whispered to the tree in-between sobs.

"…I forgive you…"

Kagome's head shot up, `that voice! It can't be!' her mind screamed. "Inu…inuyasha?" she questioned, staring into the tree where the voice had come from.

"Please stop crying kagome…you how I hate to see you cry, especially over a baka like myself." Came the voice, now sounding even closer. She stood and trailed her fingers over the bark. "But…but how?"

She gasped as she saw a figure emerge from the other side of the tree, and come to stand in the moonlight. The man was wearing a tight red shirt, detailing every fine toned muscle in his chest. Black baggy jeans, all under a black floor length trench coat that fluttered in the night breeze. He had long silver hair that was neatly pulled back in a long braid. And on top of his head was a black baseball cap.

"Hello kagome…its been a while."

She couldn't believe her eyes, was this really inuyasha? Or had she finally lost her mind, or fallen asleep against the tree, and this was just a cruel dream. "Are-are you real?" she asked as she took a step towards him.

Inuyasha smirked, "yes kagome…I'm real." Kagome smiled the truest and most happy smile she had over worn since her days in the sengoku jidai. She ran to him, and threw her arms over his shoulders, and around his neck, burying her tearstained face deep into his shirt. He returned the embrace, and wrapped his arms tight around her waist, burying his nose within her hair. `how I've missed this scent. I waited 500 years for this, and it was worth it.'

"But how?" she asked

"I'm a hanyou remember. I can control how I age. I've been waiting until you had completed the battle with Naraku, so I could find you again."

Her awe soon turned into a glare "Inuyasha! The battle with Naraku ended 4 years ago! Where have you been? Watching me live in misery?" she yelled at him.

He blinked a few times as he looked at her, his mouth forming a small `o'. "Four…four years? oh shit. I'm sorry kagome! I didn't know what year it was exactly…I must have lost track. I was on tour in America the past four years.'

"On tour? In America? Why?" kagome asked, now very interested in how her beloved hanyou had spent his time waiting for her.

"On tour, with my band. Well…me and my brothers band. I went to America in hopes that you wouldn't hear about us. Seems it worked. You've never heard of the band, "Silver Fangs"?" he asked, saying the bands name in English.

Kagome's eyes went wide again. "You…you're in Silver Fangs?! They're, they're like the biggest hit in America! I never heard the music, but my friend Eri moved there and said that she was totally in love with the lead singer, Josh. That was…that was you?" she asked bewildered. He nodded.

"Its Yash, not josh. But enough about me."

"Right! You're back…you're standing here with me. I've dreamed of this since I left. Ooh inuyasha, I've missed you so much. I've felt lost and out of place since I left you." She said as she began to cry again.

"I know. I've felt the same way. I watched you grow up, and it killed me never being able to embrace you until now. Never being able to have you near to me, to inhale that intoxicating scent of yours. To never return that kiss you gave me when you left." He said in a soft tone as he stroked her hair.

Kagome blushed, feeling like a child again instead of the 22 year old woman that she now was. Before she could say anything though, inuyasha leaned into her, and kissed her chastely on the lips. The feeling of his lips on hers made her whole being ignite. As he was about to pull away, she pulled on his neck, pushing him back into her. He growled in surprise. He licked at her lips, and she granted him entrance.

In the passed years she had dated Hojou, just to get her mind of inuyasha, though it never worked. They had only kissed before, but those memories were already fading in comparison to the feel of inuyasha.

His tongue snaked its way into her mouth, and she eagerly met his. as he caressed her tongue with his own, she felt her knees melt, and she clutched onto Inuyasha's coat in order to remain standing. Inuyasha inwardly smirked, noticing the effect her had on her, and tightened his grip on her waist.

They both felt the heat pooling in their stomachs as the kiss grew even more heated. Inuyasha grabbed her waist and pushed her hips into his, grinding his arousal against her. He could smell her arousal grow stronger as he did, and he could barely control his demon instincts that told him to rut her right there.

As they broke for air, they stared into each others eyes. Kagome was flushed with passion, and inuyasha could clearly read the lust and desire in her eyes. "Gods I've missed you kagome."

Kagome smiled as she read his eyes, she saw no pain, no hurt, only love and desire. "I love you inuyasha. I love you with all my heart. I only wish I could have told you sooner."

"No more regrets about the past kagome, only now and the future. Do you know how much I love you, my kagome?" she nodded her head. "Too much. Enough to go through 500 years of living in the same castle as my brother, enough to send Kikyou to hell alone, and enough to save this." He finished as he pulled a necklace out of his shirt. It was the rosary, and intermingled with the beads and bone, was the glowing orb of the shikon no tama.

Kagome had never been so happy in her life. She kissed him again, more happy than lost in passion. When the kiss broke, inuyasha placed his hands on the under sides of her thighs, and picked her up. "What are you doing?" kagome asked in wonder. "We're going for a ride."

Before she could say anymore, they leaped down the long stair case that led up to the shrine, in one fluid jump. And then were bounding from roof top to roof top. She clung to his neck, feeling new to the sensation of flying, it had been so long. "Where are we going?" she finally asked, yelling over the howling of wind in her ear, as she watched her home disappear into the distance.

Inuyasha smirked and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "My place." Kagome blushed, "you're place?" inuyasha looked down at her and winked. "my place"…'soon to be your home, my beautiful miko…'

Suteki: the end! Hope you liked it. Something I came up with while in the realm of