InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mou Ichido Dake ❯ Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sensei.

Author notes: Sorry if they are OOC. This is my first Inuyasha fic. Sorry if there are any English grammar and spelling mistakes. Gomen ne, minna.

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Chapter 9: Questions About The Future

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It's been three days since the New Moon Day and Inuyasha had long recovered. Although he could not move as quickly as he was used to, his condition was improving rapidly. Kaede brought him food and water everyday and talk to him to relieve his boredom.

"Ne, Chibi, how come I didn't see your sister around?" Inuyasha questioned in between mouthfuls of soup. The meat stew was delicious and more than what he expected, given that the village was quite poor.

"I told you not to call me chibi right?" Kaede pouted. "Anyway onee-sama is now busy tending to the preparations for the winter, as well as constructing new wards around the shrine."

Inuyasha nodded. Somehow it seemed strange that Kikyou did not visit him for the past three days. Kaede always said it was because Kikyou was busy with many things in the village and Inuyasha could not sense any deception in her words. But something in his heart told him that Kikyou does not seemed like that kind of person to abandon her patients halfway. He was also quite disturbed by the fact that he actually tasted Kikyou in his mouth when he woke up three days ago.

:I hope I didn't do anything stupid while I was unconscious.:

"Inu-niichan, are you done?" Kaede questioned innocently, peering at the hanyou who was staring into space for the past minute.

Inuyasha blinked and shoved the bowl into Kaede's waiting hands. Kaede then stood up and packed everything into a basket, preparing to leave. Inuyasha suddenly blurt out, "Chibi, where is your sister?"

Kaede rolled her eyes and tapped her foot, eyeing Inuyasha meaningfully. Inuyasha snorted and repeated the question. "Kaede, where is your sister?"

"She's in the shrine."

Inuyasha stood up. "I want to go and see her. You wait here for me alright." Before Kaede could protest, Inuyasha already flew past the door.

"Baka! I was about to tell him onee-sama was placing wards now!"

The shrine looked empty, Inuyasha mused even as he stood at the entrance, debating whether to go in or not. What seemed like a good idea back then seemed stupid to him now. Why should he be concern if Kikyou was avoiding him? On second thoughts, what evidence does he have to prove that Kikyou was indeed avoiding him? It was nothing more than wild conjecture, a gut feeling, but a feeling that saved his life more than once.

Taking a deep breathe, Inuyasha slowly opened the shrine door. It creaked with age, soundly oddly loud to his canine ears. In the dim candlelight, he could make out a figure sitting in a lotus position. It was Kikyou. In front of her was a familiar purple light that glow eerily bright in the shadows.

:Shikon no Tama: Inuyasha whispered to himself, even as his gaze was drawn involuntarily to the jewel placed a head above Kikyou. Suddenly, he could feel a sharp pain in his heart. It felt as if something was trying to force itself out of him and the agony was blinding. He gasped and clutched his chest, sliding down into a kneeling position. The noise broke Kikyou out of her concentration and she opened her eyes, only to discovered Inuyasha's prone form.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing here?" Kikyou asked, hurrying over to the fallen hanyou. "Is your wound acting again?"

Inuyasha wanted to shake his head but he could only managed a soft groan. Kikyou took his pulse and tried to examine what was wrong with the hanyou. Yet the pain left Inuyasha just as sudden as it came, leaving the hanyou surprised.

"I'm…I'm okay now, I think." Inuyasha stammered, struggling to get up.

Kikyou regarded the hanyou with a doubtful look. "If you say so." She replied, brushing her hakama. "What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha winced. What should he say? The reasons seemed pretty trival to him now.

"I came, because I wanted to ask you a question." Inuyasha started. "Why didn't you come back to your hut for the past three days?"

Kikyou paused. To tell the truth, she was greatly distressed by the emotional display of Inuyasha on the new moon night. In fact, his delirious confession had stirred something deep within her. She knew that she was attracted to the hanyou, but she tried to convince herself that it was just a silly crush. Hence she tried to put more distance between them to see if time and space would make those fiery emotions within her fade away.

"I was busy. Winter is coming and there are many things to prepare for."

Inuyasha nodded. "Is that so? Is that the reason why you left Kaede all alone to take care of me? She's a child. What if something goes wrong while you are away? Who would take care of her?"

Kikyou winced. She knew Kaede could take care of herself but it doesn't stop the guilt building up within her. "She'll be alright. I trained her to be independent."

"Kikyou, you are hiding something from me. I can sense it. Did I….did I do something foolish while I'm unconscious?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, stop playing these games with me alright? You know I got sharp nose right?" Inuyasha said. "Why is it that I got the taste of you in my mouth?"

Kikyou paled. Inuyasha looked furious, curious and sad at the same time. His expression was so similar at that moment to the expression he had at the new moon night that she could not help herself but asked.

"Who is Kagome?"

Inuyasha paled. "Who told you about Kagome?" He half whispered, half whimpered. Hearing the name from another's lips brought back memories that were both sweet and bitter at the same time.

Kikyou paused. Inuyasha looked so sad, so lost at that moment that she nearly wanted to rush over to comfort him. "You did. You said her name while you were delirious from Sesshoumaru's poison. You thought I was her, and you said you love her to me."

"And I kissed you." Inuyasha continued. It wasn't a question but a statement.

"You were delirious."

Inuyasha suddenly felt very tired all of a sudden. A strange exhaustion crept onto him even without him realizing it. No matter how he run, no matter what he do, it seemed as if he can never break free from the shadows' of his past, whether be it Kikyou or Kagome.

"So, I answered your question. But you never answer mine. Who is she?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Inuyasha whispered.

But to Kikyou, it does. She had a sudden urge to find out more about this woman whom Inuyasha loved. She wanted to know more about Inuyasha. The sudden desire seemed so strange and alien to her that she was taken aback herself by her forwardness.

"Inuyasha…." Kikyou whispered, staring at the hanyou's dejected form. Without realizing it, her arms already wrapped themselves around him. He looked at her in surprise and their eyes met for an instant. She looked at his lips, and wonder if he would still taste the same as he did before. As if controlled by strings, she lowered her lips to meet his.

It was a chaste kiss, yet Inuyasha's eyes widen in shock. Kikyou, too, seemed to realize what she did a second later and mumbled an apology.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I….I think you should leave now."

Inuyasha nodded. He fled the shrine, his heart thumping wildly inside him. It hurt, the kiss. It felt as if he was betraying Kagome with Kikyou. He ran and ran, not caring even where he was going.

When he finally stopped at the familiar trunk of Goshinboku, he panted and catch his breathe. Yet a sudden familiar scent caught his attention once more.

"Sesshoumaru, what the fuck do you want this time round?" Inuyasha snarled, turning towards the direction where the scent of his brother came from.

Sesshoumaru appeared out of the shadows, as graceful as ever. "Why? Can't a brother even visit his only family?"

"Don't play with me, Sesshoumaru. What are you here for, revenge?"

Sesshoumaru's smirk faded. "I came here, Inuyasha to tell you one thing." At Inuyasha's expectant look, he continued.

"I remembered."