InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Paradox: The Power of Letting Go ❯ Come Back to Me ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: InuYasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan Inc. and Viz Media.

Story and all original characters created are owned by me.

 

 

 

Come Back to Me

 

-x-x-x-x-

 

 

 

 

She jumped.

 

 

Fate was cruel — hand in hand with irony. The two merged into one, and she was caught twisting in its tight embrace. Falling, falling, she was always falling… until arms reached out and caught her. Yash pulled the weeping girl into his arms. Holding her close, he whispered words of comfort and love. He soothed her soul, her heart, and her very existence. He was her anchor, her rock, which tied her to reality when she felt like she would drift away. He lifted her up with his love, his passion, and his very soul.

 

She looked up, confusion contorted her features. “InuYasha?”

 

He jumped.

 

Clutching the girl tightly in his arms, he scrambled out of the well. Slamming the lid shut, he barked out rapidly, “Now! Do it now!”

 

Kagome's frozen brain tried to grasp the rapid happenings. Flashes of blue and pink filled the air, then silence. What?! Her brain couldn't comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

 

Her mother stood at the well, paper slapping against the dry, splintered edges.

 

Comprehension slowly dawned on Kagome as her eyes transfixed with shock and grief. The well… Her Mama had sealed the well!

 

No! She cried out, sobbing uncontrollably, “M-mama, wh-why?”

 

Her mother looked at her, sadness radiating from her pores, her features taunt and apologetic.

 

Kagome clawed her way to the side of the well, ready to rip off the ofuda seals. She slapped at the hands that were tightly embracing her. Mad with grief, her mind couldn't assimilate the scene before her. All she could think of was that InuYasha, her InuYasha, was trapped in the past.

 

She stilled as the arm around her stomach tightened and a low growl sounded by her ear. “Because I told her to.”

 

InuYasha.

 

Her numbed mind processed what he had said.

 

InuYasha had the well sealed.

 

Shocked immobility turned to disbelief as Kagome watched her mother quietly walk up the stairs and out of the well house. It took her a few moments to realize that the arms that had held her tight had dropped. The breath hissed through her lips as she slowly turned around and faced Yash.

 

His shoulders were slumped, and his hair fell in disarray around him as he stood silently watching her. His expression was inscrutable as his eyes fixed on her face.

 

The silence pulsated and stretched around them as they held each other's gaze. The fragile bond strained taut between them. With one wrong word or one wrong move, it would snap - shatter like a fragile jewel.

 

A look of grief stricken bewilderment crossed Kagome's face. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she asked brokenly, “W-why?”

 

“I had to seal the well. I - he… he was coming after you. I had to stop h-him… me.” His voice cracked as he tried to explain.

 

The truth flashed through her like a lightning bolt hitting its target. Pieces, broken pieces, began clicking into place like a jagged puzzle. As comprehension dawned on her, the blood rushed from her face leaving her pale and drawn. She strangled on her tears. “T-t-that's w-why you h-hated m-me.”

 

“I never ha -” He choked off his words as realization sunk in. He looked at her helplessly, not knowing what to say.

 

She stood silently, suddenly cold despite the dry heat of the well house. She shivered slightly and hugged her arms to her body. Her voice was shaky with effort as she tried to control her tears. “A-at the meeting, you were so m-mad at me. Now I know w-why. You thought I sealed the well.” A myriad of emotions crossed her face: confusion, despair, hurt, grief, betrayal. “Why didn't you tell me.” The accusation in her voice hung in the air, vibrating around them.

 

The hanyou stood there stricken, his heart bruised and battered from the knowledge that he had hurt Kagome. Before her trip to the past, he had watched as she slumped under the weight of guilt and torment, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He had wanted so badly to tell her the truth before she left, but he knew that he couldn't. He couldn't tell her until the time was right, until she came back. He just hoped it wasn't too late.

 

InuYasha stood staring at the woman he loved. He would do anything for her; he did do everything for her. All he wanted to do was to wrap his arms around her and erase the vulnerability that was radiating off her small frame.

 

It was time to ease her pain and to free her of all responsibility. It was time to take the guilt from her slim shoulders and put the blame where it truly belonged.

 

Squaring his shoulders he stood tall, ready to face the consequences of his actions. He found his voice, shaky but determined. “When you came back to the Feudal era, I was so happy to see you again. It was like old times… and then you showed Sango the ring, and I asked if you loved the man who gave it to you.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “The ring I gave you. Then I tried to come after you, and the well was sealed…”

 

He paused and grimaced in pain as he clenched his fists as his sides. His hands were like ice. After a few moments of laboured breathing, he looked at her, bleak and heart-sick. “Don't you understand, Kagome? It was never you. You never betrayed me. I'm the one who gave you the ring. I'm the one that you're going to marry. I'm the one who sealed the well. It was me, me all along. I betrayed myself.”

 

He desperately searched her face for any signs of forgiveness, but she remained passive. Her eyes burned into his, waiting… just waiting…

 

“I-I've…” His voice cracked, and he swallowed. Clearing his throat, he looked at her with eyes full of remorse. “I've lived with a lie for 500 years, and I put the guilt on your shoulders. I know saying sorry is not good enough… It'll never be good enough. What I put you through, the blame I placed on you…” His voice trailed off, and he inhaled a deep breath. “I couldn't tell you. I couldn't tell you until now. I love you, Kagome. I would have done anything to keep you. Anything. I-I don't regret sealing the well. I would do it again… I'm so sorry.” His voice filled with penitence as his eyes pleaded for her to understand. Oh, Kagome, please say something, anything.

 

Time stood still and Kagome's heart tightened as a kaleidoscope of feelings surged through her. Her chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing. She couldn't see through the whirlwind of emotions. She couldn't filter through her thoughts, and then…

 

“Kagome. Forgive me.”

 

… And then…. his words slowly, ever so slowly, sunk in and touched her heart.

 

With tears in her eyes, Kagome looked up into the face of the man she loved. Staring into his amber gaze, the truth resonated in her heart. Everything that he had ever done was done to protect her. He was always protecting her, even from himself. This was the man she loved. This was her beloved hanyou, her InuYasha.

 

The unconditional love between them — a love that transcended time — that was so strong and so deep, flowed out of their hearts and hovered in the air. And then, like a gentle breeze, it swirled through the well house and wrapped around them like a cocoon. It lifted up the fractured pieces of their hearts and made them whole again.

 

Kagome slowly crossed the chasm between them. Stopping in front of him, she raised her left hand and pressed it against his heart. His pulse was strong and steady beneath her palm. A sweet smile graced her lips as her fingertips brushed lightly against his cheeks. “InuYasha, I'd forgive you anything.”

 

A smile broke out onto his face then, like the sun breaking through the clouds, washing away all of the hurts and sorrows of the past five centuries. Looking down at the love of his life, his eyes reflected what hers showed: there was no more pain, no more hurts, no more misunderstandings, and no more need for forgiveness. All was forgiven, by both of them.

 

Drawing her close, InuYasha tilted her head up and gently kissed away her tears. His breath, like his heart, was warm and tender against her. “Thank you for coming back to me. I will never let you go again, Kagome. I love you.” His words hovered between their lips before his mouth captured hers in a deep, lingering kiss.

 

Kagome's heart beat rapidly against her chest, thundering in her ears like a drum until it found its rhythm; beating, beating in time to another drum, another heart, until the two hearts melted into one beat, one life, one soul. They stood beat to beat, heart to heart. Their souls interweaved as tightly and woven as a ring of promise, a never-ending circle — forever intertwined until there was no beginning, until there was no end.