InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nigatsu no Hoshi (Stars of February) ❯ Family ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I don't own inuyasha

Suteki: alright, after I typed that last chapter, I didn't really know where to go. The whole time I've been typing it was to get to kagome somehow turning youkai. I HATE how she's so weak in the story line, and thought she deserved better.

Shizuka: you should have seen her! She was hysterical when she realized that she had no idea where the story was going from there. Lol

Suteki: well, I hate to admit it. but Shizuka helped me a lot to get it back on track. So I think you'll all be very happy with all the original things we've thrown in here!!

Shizuka: so why don't you shut up and let them read it?!

Suteki growls…then sweat drops

Suteki: fine

Chapter 9: Family

The group sat outside, deciding it was a nice night to sleep under the stars like old times. Sango, Miroku, and inuyasha had already fallen asleep, and it was only kagome and shippou that stayed awake to watch the fire. Kagome and shippou were wrapped in a blanket since it was probably in the high 60s to low 70s outside.

It had been four days since kagome transformed into a inu-youkai, and she was doing her best to adjust, as were the rest of them. Sango had cried hysterically when she saw kagome, although the fever could have had a lot to do with it. Miroku didn't saw anything, only gawked in amazement, which inuyasha quickly ended. Shippou….shippou couldn't have been more excited, "now you're even more like my mommy! Yay!!" was basically all he was able to say, the grin never leaving his face for about 3 days straight.

Kagome always kept a smile on her face, but inside she felt like she was falling apart. It wasn't that she was unhappy about what she was, to tell you the truth, she was a bit excited about the whole thing. But, she didn't feel well, she always felt light headed, and heavy. Inuyasha had noticed that she acted strangely when she wasn't around the others, but she just told him that she was tired, and not to worry. But of course, being the possessive hanyou that he is, he never left her side and kept his eye on her at every moment.

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"kagome okasan?" shippou asked half asleep, while he sat in Kagome's lap as she was petting him.

"what is it shippou?"

"I want some chocolate! When are you going to go back to you're time to get me more candy??" he begged as he sat up to look at kagome. He quickly frowned when he saw an almost frightened look on her face. "ok-okasan?" kagome slowly picked him up, and then set him back on the ground. She turned around, and then bolted off into the woods faster than he had ever seen inuyasha run before.

Inuyasha had been watching the snuggling miko and kit from under his bangs as he pretended to sleep in an overhanging tree. He could tell though, by the smiles that kagome would throw in his direction, that she knew that he was really awake. He watched in utter confusion as he heard her heart beat quicken, and breathing cease for a moment, and then she ran away into the forest.

He leaped from his perch, and chased after her. He was having a lot of trouble catching up to her, and he quickly became frustrated, not used to being left in the dust. He ran, slashing his way through brush and trees until he came out into the clearing that held the Bone Eaters well. The first things his eyes searched for was the well, and sure enough, there she was. She was on the ground with her head in her arms which were resting on the lip of the well.

"What's wrong kagome? Why'd you run off like that?? Why'd you come here?" he said as he approached her slowly. Kagome's head shot up and she looked at him, her eyes red and puffy. "inu-inu…" she couldn't even speak through her choking sobs. Instead she just flung her body into his, burying her head in his chest, fists tightly gripping his coat. He was barely able to keep his balance through the force of the impact, but when he regained his footing, he embraced her tightly. "Its okay kagome. Stop crying, I hate it when I see you cry. What's wrong?!" she was trying to calm herself down, and thanks to inuyasha, she was getting close to control. She hiccupped a few times, the repercussions of her violent sobs, and then tried her vocal cords again. "oh inuyasha >hic< what am I >hic< going to do?"

"About what kagome? You're not making any sense." He said a bit frustrated, and she started to cry again. "No kagome, I didn't mean to say it like that. Please, help me, help you."

She started to calm down again, "I can never see them again! Never! Mother, Souta, Jii-chan! You're all gone, forever…" she practically screamed, and started to cry again, saying it out loud having an even worse impact on her. `Her family! Of course, I almost forgot about that. The jewel was what allowed her to go back and forth, and without it she wouldn't be able to do that anymore. But I thought that she was able to travel to her time without it, why didn't she think of that?' "Kagome, cant you go back one last time without the jewel? I thought that was you're plan in the first place."

Kagome looked up at him. "What, are you blind inuyasha?! I can't go back like this, I cant live in my time as a demon! And besides, I wouldn't be able to make it back here again. So it's either one or the other, and I cant choose between them."

"why not kagome? They're your family, what's stopping you?"

"My god inuyasha! You're almost as naïve as Hojou-kun! I can't choose because I have my own family here, I cant just up and abandon shippou. I can't just leave YOU inuyasha! I can't give up what I have with you, you mean too much to me, everyone does." She said as she pounded on his chest.

`Me? She won't leave because of me? Why do I mean so much to her…does she really care for me that much? That she would leave her former life to stay with me?' inuyasha couldn't help but smile inside, although he felt bad for being so selfish. `look at what this is doing to her you baka, you have to help her make the RIGHT choice, not the one that will make YOU happy…'

"I wish I had been able to say a REAL goodbye to them all, not the fake one I parted with. I said farewell, still giving them the hope that I would return, but now…but now they will never hear from me, never find out what happened to me. Mamma will probably think that I was brutally killed in the battle, its going to rip her heart out. I cant leave her like that, I cant leave ANY of them not knowing whether I was alive of dead. Inuyasha…I don't know what I'm going to do…I have to make a decision, and now."

"kagome…" he didn't know what to say to that, he didn't know how he could help her with such a decision. But he soon found that he wouldn't have too. Kagome, seeing the worry and confusion in Inuyasha's eyes, realized that he didn't know how to handle the situation at all. "inuyasha, if you don't mind, id like to be alone for a while. I need to think this over and find the answer myself. Please forgive me, I'll be back soon."

She smiled at him warmly, and then pulled out of his embrace. He reached towards her still, not liking the sound in her voice. `where is she going?' He watched as she began to glow in a blue light, which grew brighter, and then she vanished into thin air. "kagome? Kagome!!" he jumped forward to where she had once stood, `where'd she learn that little trick?' he thought bewildered. `I hope she'll be okay. I know that she's strong, but no one is immune to this kind of torture.'

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For three days, kagome wandered the lands. She had used a concealing spell on inuyasha that day, hiding any trace of her from him, so that he wouldn't have any way to follow her. She was a blur on the landscape, she moved with such speed that only the keenest of youkai would have been able to see her, although all could feel the power that was radiating off of her. She had stopped crying long ago, now only lost in her thoughts. She would somehow always wind up at the places of her past. Sango's destroyed and abandoned village, various hot springs she had enjoyed with her friends, the field she encountered the young kit shippou, lost battle fields, villages they had stayed in, fields they had picnicked on, the clearings she had spent nights staring at the stars, the many trees she had looked into, staring at her hanyou above.

But last….she found herself on a rolling hilltop that was covered in grass, mosses, and beautiful wild flowers. `Why does this place feel so special? I can feel lingering positive vibrations in this land.' She smiled as warm memories returned to her. Images of a group of misfits came flooding into her memory. There was a fox child, a cursed monk, a female demon slayer, an inu hanyou, all of which were orphans…except one traveler, the lone time-traveling miko. It wasn't till that moment that she realized just how strange of a group that they must have appeared to be. But, they all had something in common that held them together, giving them a unique bond that could never be broken…they were all lost, and shared the same pains.

She remembered that this was the place her friends had surprised her with a `party' ("Warring States Era" style) for her 16th birthday. She placed her hands over her heart, and continued to smile as a single tear streamed its way down her face. THIS was her family now, THESE were the people she had dedicated her life to. She had accepted these individuals as her kin, and she realized that she needed them as much as they needed her. She felt that she belonged here, she fit better than she did in her time she noticed…this was her home.

With her new, confirmed, revelation. She focused her power strongly, and in a moment vanished again, this time transporting herself close to her destination. `I'm coming home…for once, I'm coming home to stay…'

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inuyasha had been doing nothing but pacing back and forth in the hut for the past couple of days. Miroku and Sango had almost given up on trying to get him to stop. He had quiet literally wore away the straw mat on the floor, and was now working a distinct rut into the earth below.

"inuyasha…you have to at least eat something. Starving yourself will not prove helpful in bringing miss kagome back any sooner."

"shut up monk! I'll do whatever the hell I want until she comes back! she's been gone for four days now, and its starting to piss me off!"

"leave him alone Miroku, you know how he gets when he's worried about kagome."

"I'm NOT worried about her"

"Alright. You know how he gets when he misses her." Sango corrected herself with a small smile gracing her lips. Followed by Inuyasha's all-intelligent answer…

"Feh!"

Sango still wore bandages over her wounds, and a sling on her right arm. Miroku, was about in the same condition; although now he took pride in leaving both his wrists bare, indulging in the freedom that came with the loss of kazaana, the only sign that it was ever there, was an almost unnoticeable circular scar. Both of them sat in contentment, still adjusting to being able to relax for once. They stared into the fire pit, both with small content little smiles adorning their faces. Then they all felt a tremendous burst of power just outside the hut, wiping the smile clear off. They all jumped up, looking for the source of the power surge. Even inuyasha had one hand over the tetsusaiga, ready to attack. All was silent for a moment.

"what, you guys planning on killing me?" came a soothing voice. They looked up to the doormat to see a woman standing half inside of the room. The fire made her hair glow, making it appear almost silver. The flames cast soft shadows on her face, and they almost couldn't recognize the female creature.

"kagome?!" inuyasha yelled, having the advantage of smell over the rest. He ran over to her, dragging her the rest of the way into the small home, embracing her possessively.

"kagome-Chan! I almost didn't recognize you. Where have you been? We've been so worried about you. I mean, just look what inuyasha did to the floor!" she said, pointed at the pit in the floor.

Inuyasha still hadn't released her, and was just enjoying the feel of her in his arms, and inhaling her intoxicating scent. `I wont let you leave me ever again! That was too stressful.'

Kagome smiled warmly at all of them, and then noticed that shippou was beginning to stir from his slumber. He sniffed the air curiously before he opened eyes, when he caught Kagome's scent, he was up in a flash. He flew at her, lodging himself in between inuyasha and kagome. Inuyasha didn't really care, or didn't notice. He was smiling into the crook of her neck, his face pointed down towards shippou as he smiled happily.

Sango giggled, and then leaned over to rummage through Kagome's things. She pulled out a Polaroid camera, and then winked at Miroku's curious look. The cute huddling threesome was suddenly interrupted by a bright flash, causing inuyasha to jump. He glared over at Sango who was pulling the piece of paper out of the strange contraption. Shippou ran over and settled next to the Taijiya, staring over her shoulder to watch the picture `magically' appear. He smiled and started to giggle as it came into view. "okasan! Look, its us!"

Kagome walked over to the two, and Sango handed her the, not-quite-developed-picture. Kagome's eyes went wide as she watched the picture form. Her mouth dropped open, and her hand smacked up to cover it. She gasped at what she saw. It was the first time she had seen herself in her new form. She smiled widely, happy with what she saw. `wow…that's me? Ha! What a hotty!…no, you're a conceited little demon,' she argued with herself, and then giggled. She ruffled the kits orange hair. Then she turned her attention to inuyasha, who had one eyebrow raised, wanting to know what was so funny. Paranoid as usual, he assumed they were laughing about him, he never was too good with those picture things kagome seemed to be obsessed with. She giggled again, guessing at what he was thinking, and then walked over to him. She faced him, and then held the picture infront of his eyes.

He looked at it, and for some strange reason that he couldn't explain, his heart swelled, and he started to blush. In the picture, kagome was smiling happily at the kit in her arms, who had a smile from pointy ear to pointy ear. And then there he was, also smiling, and eyes also down towards the kit. He held his breath for a moment, `I don't even look like I belong in that picture. It looks fake, we all look so…happy.' He started to reach his hand towards it so he could hold it, but kagome snatched it away. "no inuyasha, I have a special plan for this picture. Sorry. We'll take another one later if you want, but I need this one." He looked up into her eyes a bit shocked, and confused again; but quickly caught himself, "keh, like I really want something like that anyways. It creeps me out. You SURE those things don't steal your soul?" he tried to change the subject. Kagome rolled her eyes, and smiled again, "no, inuyasha. They don't steal your soul. I told you a thousand times. " she leaned forward and pecked his nose playfully.

"kagome-sama. May I ask as to where you were these past four days? Your sudden absence was a bit unsettling"

kagome looked at the ground for a second, and then looked up to meet eyes with Miroku. "thinking is all Miroku, I'm sorry to have worried you all. Trying to figure out for myself where I belong."

The others sat in silence, waiting for her to finish the sentence, but it never came. "and?…" they all said in unison. She only smiled back widely, tears threatening to fall again, but she held them back. She then turned around, and found her things. She pulled out some stationary paper, and a pen. Everyone watched as she did this, and then walked over to a low wooden table, and began to write something down. But no one asked, all deciding that since she didn't say anything, it was something personal. They all settled back around the fire, all except inuyasha. He stood, still staring at the beautiful inu youkai, and smiled to himself. `I'm glad you came back to me, kagome. I hope you'll stay'

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Kagome stayed at the table for a long time, staring at the paper most of the time, until she finally wrote something down. Every once and a while she would crumple up the paper, and throw it into the fire, startling them from time to time. But when she was done, she set the pen down, and read it over and over to herself.

She wiped away the tears on her face, and stood up. As she walked to the door, she turned and gave everyone a look that clearly said, `don't follow me, I'll be back'. inuyasha nodded to her, and she turned and exited her home. She walked slowly into the forest. As she walked, she stared up at the stars through the breaks in tree branches. She smiled, knowing that those also connected her to the future. She knew that as she stared at the night sky, her family could see the same stars 500 years in the future, and it made her all the more comfortable with what she was going to do.

She came upon her destination, and looked down at the old wooden well. Walking over to it, she sat on the lips and gazed into its depths. She swung her legs over, like she had all those times before, although this time, she wouldn't jump. For a few long moments she just stared, thinking about what was going on at the other end of the well. She could barely feel a presence close to her, and it felt as if it was in the well. She quickly shook the creeping images of her mother crying in the well house over the loss of her daughter.

The miko/youkai held the small envelope in one hand, and looked at it while smiling. It read, "Family" in beautiful Japanese calligraphy, the last class her mother insisted she take in her senior year. She closed her eyes, and settled it close to her heart, then focused her energy, and the letter began to glow in a soft yet powerful blue light. She opened her eyes slowly, and then held it over the mouth of the well. Her shaking hand let it fall, and she watched as the magic of the well activated one last time, and the package disappeared in the brilliant lights of time.

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On the other side of the well, in modern Tokyo; a mother did indeed occupy the special well house, but she was not crying. As every night for the past year, she would sit on these steps, and wait for her daughter to return, thinking that she might somehow be able to protect her offspring as long as she was as close to her as possible. She smiled widely when she saw a glow come from the well. She ran to look inside, but was surprised that it wasn't kagome that had come through, but an object.

She carefully made her way down the small ladder to the bottom of the wooden structure. She picked up the small envelope, and turned it over. Her heart stopped when she read the word that was in Kagome's handwriting. Her shaking hands slowly opened the letter and she pulled out the note. Tears quickly formed in her eyes when she read the words her only daughter was telling her.

------------ NOTE

Mama, Souta, Grandpa,

If you're reading this, it means that you got worried about me and came to the well. I'm sorry for having worried you, but I'm okay. The battle with Naraku was won, and we all survived. There were only two casualties on our side, first Kouga. You know him, he's the wolf prince I told you about, the one that was in love with me. And then the second was Sango's little brother, Kohaku. Good news is that we were able to free him from Naraku's control before he died. Sango's okay, she's happy he was free when he passed on. Miroku's wind tunnel is gone, and he's pretty happy about that.

Okay, you're probably wondering by now, why I'm not telling you all this in person. Well, there was a slight problem regarding the jewel, and to make a long story short, I'm no longer the human girl you last saw me as. I am now a dog youkai like inuyasha. In the state that I am in now, I cannot live in the future anymore. One, I wont look human, and two, my powers are needed here, and would only cause problems in the future.

Please don't worry about me, I'm fine, and adjusting well. I thought long and hard about this, and I've come to my conclusion. I can only pass through the well one last time, and I wont be able to come back to the past. So, I've decided, to stay here. Please forgive me, it was hard to accept this myself. But, mother I'm sure you will understand. These people are my family now, and they need me. I know that we will always be together, and I will always be safe with them. I love them all very much, almost as much as I love you all.

I hope you are not too upset with this, I love you all with all my heart, and I wish you all the best in life. Mother, you were the best mom any teenage girl could have wished for. You were always there when I needed you, and I can only hope that I will be as good a mom as you. I leave Souta and Jii-Chan to you now. Souta, you take care of yourself, you are the sweetest little brother in the world, and I love you very much, and I'm sorry for all the times I might have yelled at you. Didn't mean it, and just to let you know, yes, you can have my stereo. ; ) grandpa, take good care of the shrine, it is the only place that connects us to each others worlds. Whatever you do, don't let anyone tear it down, especially the god tree, thank you. Love you lots gramps.

I can't say it enough, I love you. I will always regret that I wasn't there for all of you, I've been selfish. But this is the way it has to be, the way I've chosen. I know that you will all be happy, you have each other. I will always be with you in your hearts, I'm still apart of your family. Just think of this as, I've moved out of the house. There's still a chance I might `visit', since I am a youkai now, I may live to see you all in the future. I'll try, I promise. In the meantime, I will never forget you, I'll think of you in all I do. I'll see you in my own family, so I know I'll never be too far from you. I give you my heart, and my best wishes. Take care always, and see you in the future.

Love Always and Forever,

Your Kagome

You may be out of my sights, but you will never leave my heart.

----------END NOTE

Her mother smiled and wiped away the tearstains, as she began to understand what kagome had done, she was happy for her. Her daughter had found happiness, even if she had to be so far away to obtain it, she didn't care. As she turned to begin back up the ladder, something fell out of her hand. She looked down to see a photograph. She smiled as her tears returned as her eyes observed the gift from her daughter. She looked happier than she had ever seen her in her life, she knew this was right. She had found her own family to love, one that loved her with their whole hearts as well, and she knew that her daughter was in good hands. She had become a woman, and this was the route she had rightfully chosen. Her mother knew deep in her heart that she would most likely choose this road, but was partially scared for her daughter. But now that fear had been conquered by the joy and comfort her daughter had given her. "I love you kagome, you will always have my blessing."

Suteki: so! Whatcha think? I cried when I read this over. Hope you like it. I've come up with a solid story plan for all that's to come after this, so it ain't gonna end all that soon.

Shizuka: I feel so sorry for Kagome's mom, *sniffles*.

Suteki: hey, I tried to break it easy to her, so don't get mad at me!

A/N: next chapter…I cant really say what all I'm gonna fit into it, but it will have to do with Kagome's adjusting to her new powers, physically. I know she's been demon for a while, but there's been something going on inside of her that she wont be aware of until next chapter. Keh! And they thought it was all going to be sunshine and rainbows from here eh?