InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of All the Things ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Of All the Things

By: RedHerring

Chapter 3

"No," her voice was barely above a whisper as her mind refused to believe the horrible truth. "No, no, no no NONONO!" was the frantic, heart broken scream that tore from her mouth even as she bolted out the door.

"Kagome!" shouted Kouga. He tried to go after the sobbing girl, but the doorway was blocked by Kaede.

"Leave her be, for now,' she said. Kouga just growled as he saw Kagome's form disappear behind the trees, Inuyasha hobbling not far behind.

Kagome ran for the well. She had to make sure that this was all a not-very-funny trick. The well couldn't be gone! No, Souta was on the other side, playing with his soccer ball. Mama was cooking lunch, and Jii-chan was in the shrine's trinket shop telling some poor, unsuspecting customer the history of a jar of peanuts. She couldn't believe that she'd never see that again. She couldn't believe that she'd never hear her mother's voice, see her brother's smile, and roll her eyes at Jii-chan's long winded stories.

But... It was all true.... Kagome burst into the clearing, gasping for breath around the searing pain that had developed in her side. There was no well. There was barely a clearing. No grass could be seen and the trees surrounding the area were blackened and burnt. Where the well stood, there was now a gaping hole, filled half-way with debris; the actual wooden structure decimated and blown away.

"NOOO!" she sobbed frantically as she flung herself to the pit and jumped in, hoping against hope that the universe would heed her prayers, just this once, and let the well still work. But it was no use. Nothing happened. There were no soft blue lights to envelope her this time and carry her home. There was no comforting tinkling sound to say that she was traveling through time. And most certainly, there was no chance of her getting home again.

Screams and sobs tore from her throat as she desperately dug her hands into the compacted dirt. She tore away at pieces of branches, sharp rocks, and clumps of dirt that bitterly tore back just as much. She couldn't give up. But...but... they were gone. Her mind was a mess. Her emotions were so conflicted that she was unable to settle on any of them. Clashing and swirling into a tornado of confusion and despair. Her senses clouded and she became oblivious to anything around her.

She buried her face in her now bloody hands and let loose a heart-wrenching wail, her shoulders shaking as loud tears streaked down her cheeks and her hands smeared blood and dirt on her face. Inuyasha, finally catching up, heard it and his face went a few shades paler. He limped over and saw Kagome's shaking form at the bottom of the now useless pit. He couldn't stand to see her that way. So sad and alone; but she wasn't alone. She had him, even though she didn't know it. And screw appearances and his reputation. This was a special case.

He jumped in and set a hand on her shoulder, startling her out of her confused state. She looked into his eyes with a mixture of fear, despair, pain, and loneliness. Inuyasha hoped he would never have to see that coming from her ever again. She looked so sad and helpless, Inuyasha couldn't help it; he gathered her up in his arms and held her, her head buried in the crook of his neck and his back leaning against the side of the pit. Kagome welcomed his embrace and curled herself into him and let loose. She sat in his lap for a long time, neither of them paying attention to how much time past, sobbing her heart out for Inuyasha to take and comfort.

Inuyasha did comfort her and when she calmed down a bit, he could turn more of his attention to the rest of her. He took in her dirt, blood, and tear streaked face, and her torn and bloody hands. Without thinking, indeed he hadn't been thinking of anything else but Kagome for a while now; he took her hand and gently licked her fingers. He cleaned off the blood and dirt and his gentle tongue helped to heal the cuts and bruises. He lapped at her hands until both were clean and the only thing he could taste was Kagome; then looked to her face, almost in a trance. She had her eyes closed, but she wasn't sleeping. She gave a sniffle every once and a while, her scrunching face clearly visible now that it wasn't buried in his neck, but resting heavily on his shoulder. She was still crying, but silently.

"Kagome," Inuyasha muttered. He leaned forward and lapped away a stray tear from her face. Kagome gasped. His tongue was warm and felt so very nice against her cheek. He continued his ministrations, giving her small licks, until her cheeks were free of dirt and blood, and by the time he was done Kagome had stopped crying. He continued to lick a trail down to her lips, reveling in her taste. His tongue passed over her red lips, causing them to open in surprise. Before she could get a sound out he brought down his mouth over hers in a passionate, yet tender kiss. His tongue moved into her mouth almost timidly, lazily tapping its tip to hers, sending electric jolts through both of them.

Suddenly Kagome pulled away and Inuyasha almost let out a whimper at the loss.

"Inuyasha, I can't do this," she said, almost bursting to tears again. "I just lost my family and home, and now this and I just can't deal with it. I can't do this when you don't mean it. You're just trying to get me to stop crying, and it's really nice of you, but you can't do this when you still love Kikyo. I can't do this..." she said, failing to stop a few more tears from coursing down her cheeks. Inuyasha brought his mouth back to hers for a quick and tender kiss. He moved his head away only a fraction of an inch and said, with his warm lips moving against hers, "You don't have to deal with it. Don't worry, Kagome. Kikyo isn't important. She'll never be as important to me as you."

Kagome couldn't help it. She burst into tears again and hid herself into his neck. She couldn't believe this. Was Inuyasha just saying that? Was he just saying that she was important as a shard detector or that he wanted her? Her, Kagome, and not Kikyo? Could this really mean that what she had been dreaming of happening for so long was finally coming true? But why now? Why, after so long, and just after loosing her family?

Inuyasha couldn't believe it much either. He was regaining some of his senses back, now that Kagome wasn't so desperately sad and hurt. Had he just said that she was important to him? He had been waiting for so long to tell her how he felt, but he was too afraid that if Naraku found out, then he would use Kagome to hurt him; hurt Kagome to get to him. And what if she rejected him? He knew that that was unlikely. She had told him several times that she liked him as a hanyou, but old doubts refused to be swatted away and all the years of jeers and rejection had risen to the surface to smother any courage he possessed. Now that he blurted it out, she was crying again. Did that mean she rejected him? For his entire tough guy act, he wouldn't be able to stand it if she tossed him aside for someone else. He had to make her see that he loved her. He had to make her his, he couldn't bear to loose her. But should he do it now? So soon after loosing her life back in the future?

"Inuyasha," Kagome sniffed. She had to know. What was she to him? How was she important to him? What did he mean by what he said? Oh, please don't let him be toying with her! She looked into his eyes and made sure that his steady golden gaze was locked with her watery blue eyes. "Inuyasha, what do you mean by that? How am I important?"

This was it. He could tell her straight, or he could scoff at her like he usually did and put up a safe barrier of faked tolerance and barely controlled disgust. He was about to- old habits die hard- but looking into her eyes stopped the 'Feh' before it came out. He pulled her into a firm, but gentle hug. One hand traveling up and down her back, the other was gently massaging her scalp. Now he had to make her see. She was his; she would see that or she would really reject him, but he couldn't bear to lose her. "It means that I need you, Kagome. It means that I'm depressed when I can't see you. It means that I'm half happy that you can't leave me anymore. It means that Kikyo can't compare to you," he said. He pulled her back and looked into her eyes. "It means that I love you, Kagome; you and only you."

She couldn't take it, she couldn't take it, she couldn't take it! Her emotions were so messed up. Her family was gone, Inuyasha loved her, she'd never see them again, he doesn't love Kikyo, she could never talk to her mother again, he loved her and only her, she had no more family, Inuyasha was her family, she had no home, Inuyasha's time was her home. The ups and downs were like a roller coaster spinning out of control and she couldn't take it. She sobbed and hid her face in his shoulder.

She was crying again. She didn't want him. His heart sunk and he wanted to die. He had finally admitted it to himself and to her, and she didn't even return his feelings. There was no going back now, ever. He wanted her and there was noting he could do to change that. Even for Kikyo, he had never felt emotions this strong. They were all for Kagome; and she didn't want them. "Kagome, don't cry," he said, his voice cracking. "It's alright, you don't have to do anything... just... just don't leave. You can't leave the others, you can't leave Shippou. Please Kagome. You can't leave me. You don't have to love me, just stay here," he rambled on so close to panicking.

Kagome had never seen Inuyasha like this. 'So he really does mean it, he really does!' she thought. But he thinks that she doesn't love him? How strange it was, when just a moment ago she thought it was him that wasn't in love.

"Baka," she had stopped her crying, and now it was only down to the occasional hiccup. "Where would I go?" she asked, half smiling as she pulled away so she could look at him. She wiped the tears covering her face as she looked at Inuyasha. His bangs were covering his eyes as he looked at the ground. His chest rose and fell in ragged patterns with the strain of keeping control on his emotions. Her hand went under his chin and lifted his head so that he looked at her. She gasped. His eyes shone with sadness and regret and Kagome couldn't keep up the teasing that now seemed so cruel. She brought her lips on his and returned his kiss.

His arms tightened as he accepted the kiss and returned it with fervor. He darted out his tongue to lick her lips in a silent plea for entrance. Kagome complied and gasped when his tongue swept in and filled her mouth. He swept it over her teeth and rubbed against her tongue, massaging hers with his. Kagome let out a soft moan and nibbled at his bottom lip, softly sucking and nipping until he let out a low moan of his own. He traced the inside of her lips with his tongue tasting all of her sweetness before he moved his mouth down to trace kisses across her jaw and down her neck.

"Inuyasha," was the breathy, half-moan that came from her lips as his fangs scraped against her neck. Inuyasha smirked, all traces of doubt gone. She wanted him, and he couldn't be happier. He moved his mouth down to her shoulder, gently nipping and licking the entire way. He placed a hot, open mouthed kiss where her neck met her shoulder; flexing his jaw and massaging her skin with his tongue and fangs. Kagome sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, arching her neck so he could have better access. The sensations he was giving her were unbelievably soothing and arousing at the same time.

He moved his mouth up higher on her neck and returned to her mouth to plant one last soft kiss before he settled his head against the stones that made up the wall of the destroyed well. Kagome snuggled against him and pulled his right hand into hers, absently playing with his fingers.

"Love you," she said softly.

"Love you," he returned, added with a soft squeeze with the arm supporting her. They sat in silence, relishing the feel of the other pressed against them.

After a while Inuyasha noticed how dark it was getting and nudged Kagome for her attention.

"We should be heading back. It's getting dark," he said with a glance at the sky. Kagome nodded and eased out of his arms. She stood up and offered a hand when she saw Inuyasha struggling to stand. He grunted and ignored the offered appendage and managed to stand on his own.

"Okay, Mr.Icandoitmyself, now how do you plan to get out of here?" she asked.

"Like this," he grabbed her around the waist and jumped out of the pit. Kagome gave him a startled look and he laughed when he saw it.

"Kagome, I'm a hanyou, remember? I should be completely healed by morning tomorrow," he said.

"I remember," she said, and stood on tip toe to give him another kiss. What was meant to be a quick peck turned into another heated kiss as Inuyasha moved his hand to hold her head, and turn his head to capture her lips and deepen what she had started. His tongue moved in and out of her mouth, pressing down on her tongue as it passed and licking her lips when it almost pulled out. Only lack of air forced them apart.

"Inuyasha, where did you learn that?" Kagome asked in awe, still panting from the force of his kiss.

"It's all natural when it comes to you," he murmured, and buried his nose in her hair, relishing in the feeling of calmness that her scent always seemed to bestow on him.

"Let's go then," Kagome said, and wrapped her arm around Inuyasha's waist. His arm circled around her shoulders and they set off towards the hut.

AN: You thought you were gonna get a lemon, din'cha, din'cha? Hehe. This and the next chapter were originally one chapter, minus the confession scene. My stupid floppy disk had the nerve to get damaged, so I had to do it over again. I decided I liked it this way better. I'm stopping here because the moods of the two parts are jarringly different and you need time to adjust. I'm also planning to get the Inuyasha/Kagome romance started early so while I'm working on everyone else, you can have nice bits of Inu/Kag fluff. You won't see much Sango/Miroku romance, I don't really like writing it, and if I try and force myself to, then it won't come out good and you'll hate me forever. *sigh* anyways, enjoy. AND REVIEW PEOPLE!! REVIEW! I KNOW PEOPLE READ MY STORY! Is it so hard to just press that little button and just type that you liked it, or hated it?

Anyways, Byebye!! ^~^