InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sealed Away ❯ Emotional Bond ( Chapter 2 )

Kagome sighed as she walked through the crowd of people, and ignored their calls to come and have fun and celebrate the demise of Inuyasha.

Oh, if you only knew…She thought bitterly. Inuyasha is very much…well…alive isn't the word that I would give him, but he is certainly around to give his opinion at this point, and I don't think that he'd appreciate the fact that you are celebrating the fact that the one he loved betrayed him.

"Kagome! Come here! You have to be introduced to Yamatachi-san. He's a specialist that deals with childhood fantasies, and how to cure them. I thought it would be perfect for you to talk with him about your imaginary conversations of Inuyasha."

Kagome felt her eyes start to tear up. My goodness…did her mother still think that she was crazy? She was trying to cure her now? Her nails dug into her palm as she bit back a nasty reply. She wasn't going to take this at this time! She had just been face to face with the dog demon, and he was real. She still felt the press of his claws at her neck, and she shivered involuntarily at the memory.

"Mama…I don't want to talk to a doctor tonight. You said that…" Here she paused, trying to compose herself. She was about to either scream or cry, and she didn't want to do either.

"You said that I didn't need one…that I wasn't harming anyone…"

Her mother's eyes softened for a moment, but the sudden clearing of Yamatachi-san's throat made the warm brown eyes harden.

"You know that it is harming your mind! You cannot keep on living in this fantasy world, Kagome. You will only make yourself unfit for the real world! You need to cure this silly fantasy of yours!"

Kagome glared back at her mother, ignoring the people around her, still hearing the sounds of celebration in the background. Her mind seemed to close in, recalling the words that Inuyasha had told her, remembering how he had viewed her, and more of her dreams coming back in crystal clarity.

"You know, Mama…maybe it's because of the fact that the Shikon no Tama is inside of me. You know what happened to the jewel? I know what happened to it. I know all about it, and all about the history. I know that I am the reincarnation of that damn priestess that everyone so worships! That she is so hypocritical for her treatment of Inuyasha. That…that…"

Her mother blurred before her, and Kagome realized that the tears were running down her face, clouding her vision and choking the words in her throat.

She took a deep breath, and felt anger building up from another source, and she whirled around, searching for Inuyasha. Where was he…she knew that she was angry, but this felt…foreign from her, yet she knew this anger. It was his.

Baka…why would you think that he would be hanging around when you set him free? It's not like he would chose to be with you. Maybe he can finally move on or haunt some shrine. That would make for a good ghost story.

:Baka…even if I'm not here, I can still hear you. Stop getting run over by her. I'm scarier than her, and you always stood up to me.:

"Inuyasha! You're here?" Kagome whirled around, knowing that she felt his presence, and she walked towards it, her eyes narrowing.

"I swear Inuyasha…don't move. My family already thinks I'm crazy. Maybe if I walk into something, they'll realize that I'm not."

Inuyasha appeared in front of her suddenly, and she took a step back to make sure that she *didn't* crash into him. His hand reached out to steady her before she fell on her rear, and she smiled weakly at him, and then turned to her mother and the doctor, gesturing to Inuyasha.

"See, he is real! Like I've been telling you!" Her triumphant grin faded a bit as she took in the blank stare of her mother.

"Kagome, there is no one there. I really think that we need to get you examined, dear. You can't go on like this. You are really starting to think that he is here in front of you."

Kagome faltered, stepping back a moment, unconsciously into Inuyasha, but grateful that he didn't move away from her. She gathered, a sense of concern from him, and she sighed. *Was* she the only one that could see him?

"Stupid wench. The Hojo boy couldn't see me either. What makes you think that these people can?"

Kagome shrugged, tired of it all. She didn't want to have to defend herself anymore, and she wondered if she really was going crazy. After all, only she could see Inuyasha, and she was the only one who could hear him. No…it was impossible. She knew he was real. She could put her hand on his chest, and know that there was something solid there, preventing her hand from going any further. She had heard his voice in her head for as long as she could remember, seen him in her dreams since she was young. He was the one that comforted her when she cried over the teasing she got, he was the one who knocked sense into her and made her stand up when her so called friends were being unbearable in their 'concern.'

She clutched the folds of his kimono for a moment, trying to block the tears that were threatening to spill out at any moment, and she felt a hand stroking her hair, and she jerked away from Inuyasha, startled.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice came out in a raspy whisper, as if all the tears that she was suppressing were stuck in her throat.

He just shook his head, and pulled her towards the house, away from the people that were intent on hurting her.

"C'mon, Kagome. You look tired…" Her eyes stared up at his, and the exhaustion seemed to hit her all at once, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily with the one hand that wasn't clutching Inuyasha's robe.

Letting going of Inuyasha, Kagome ignored her mother and the doctor that were still starting at her incredulously. She nearly fell over, she was so tired, though, and she was glad that Inuyasha was still near her to lean against.

"I guess today took a lot out of me, Inuyasha…" Her voice was slurred with sleep, and he sighed lightly, scooping her up in his arms, noting the stares that they were getting for this.

The man's eyes just got bigger, and whipping out a notebook, he began to write at a furious pace, and her mother fainted dead away on the ground. Kagome snuggled further into his embrace, and sleep-heavy lids soon covered her eyes. He listened to her soft breathing and made his way toward her house, knowing that he was going to make sure she was watched over.

Walking silently through the house, Inuyasha looked around this home that was once a shrine in his time. His eyes took in all the modern items that he remembered seeing through Kagome's eyes from time to time. As he made his way through the dining era, a flash of a memory came to him, and he smiled.

Inuyasha felt happiness from Kagome and he started. It wasn't very rare for him to feel such happiness from her, and he wondered what would put a smile on that girl's face.

"Ke. What are you up to, wench?" He directed his voice toward Kagome, and she paused in something, and then more of 'her' came back to him.

"It's my favorite meal, Inuyasha." She grinned and he could hear a type of echo, her voice from what she was speaking…"It's Oden! Oden! Oden!"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, strangely glad that something so simple could make her happy.

"You really like that stuff, ne?" He sensed her agreement, and he leaned back, leaving her to enjoy her meal, briefly watching her family through her eyes, eyes that were not clouded with sadness.

Inuyasha shook his head free of the memory…it was as if he was experiencing it again, and it took him a moment to realize that he already made his way to Kagome's room, and he gently stroked her face, wondering to himself why he was being so tender with her.

"Kagome…" He called out to her gently, nudging her awake with the bond that they had. Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked up at him groggily.

"Inuyasha…how'd we get here?" She asked sleepily, her stance still unsteady, and she sat on her bed, looking as if she wanted to just lie down on the covers without changing out of her daytime clothes.

"I carried ya." Her astonished look made him grin, and he nodded to her unspoken question. "Ya, your mother fainted and the doctor was writing something down. I think I shocked them…"

Kagome nodded, finding humor in the situation. "I must've looked like I was floating in mid air. Ha! They have to believe me now…" Her words were broken by a large yawn, and Inuyasha grinned.

"Ya better get into your night stuff, Kagome, and get to bed… you did something that took a lot of energy."

Kagome nodded. "I guess breaking that spell had to take a lot of energy, ne?" She stumbled off to her dresser and pulled out her pajamas, and looked at Inuyasha, blushing, before she went over to her bathroom, emerging a few minutes later wearing her night clothes.

His gaze met hers, and he nodded. "Don't worry, Kagome. I won't leave. We'll make them see that I'm still here…" He grimaced. "I have my own scores to settle…"

She nodded, and lay down on the pillows, letting Inuyasha pull the covers over her. When he had gotten so tender, she didn't know…but she would enjoy this moment. She truly felt like his soul was connected to hers, and she let herself drown in the moment of tenderness he was showing her.

She wondered what she would dream about tonight. Before she always dreamed about him. About Inuyasha…and now she found out that they weren't just dreams. That she was connecting with him. Now he was free from the jewel, and his spirit was no longer living inside of her. Would she still dream about him? She doubted it. It would the first time that she knew of that he would not be in her dreams.

She let her eyes land on Inuyasha protective looking form before sleep completely overtook her.

Kagome looked around the echoing chamber, realizing that she didn't feel Inuyasha this time. She closed her eyes. Had she lost him forever because she wanted him to be free? It wasn't fair! She shook her head, amazed at her selfishness. Mou, Kagome…the poor guy spends four hundred years locked up in a jewel that was with your soul. Are you going to begrudge him his freedom?

Still, it did hurt. Kagome felt the sadness overwhelm her, and she called out Inuyasha's name, hoping that he would appear in some way. It was still dark, though, and the darkness closed over her, stealing away her breath, her will. She closed her eyes, and sank down, covering her head with her arms. She wanted Inuyasha, and she didn't understand why. When had he become such a part of her life?

Kagome felt herself giving into the darkness, and she wondered if Inuyasha ever felt like this before she came, or after she left even. It must have been horrible for him. Kagome wondered if her dreams would have been like this if Inuyasha had never been there for her. She felt another wave of loneliness come over her and she sobbed into her arms, wishing that Inuyasha could be there. It was absolute hell being separated from him. Would she remember *this*when she woke up, too?

Why was she feeling this way? Her mind whirled as the sobs racked her body. Mou! He was just a grumpy dog demon…but part of her life. Still, he was never meant to be a permanent part of her life, was he? He needed his freedom; gods knew that he wouldn't want to stay stuck to her all the time. She felt his presence nearby and her head shot up, searching with desperate eyes for him. He was there…just out of her reach! Why was he hiding from her?

'Kagome' There, her name being whispered…was it some cruel joke that her mind was playing on her? Gods, she hurt! It hurt so bad if he wasn't there, and this was just something her mind conjured for her to ease some of the soul deep pain. A gentle, invisible touch on her face, and a concern to penetrate her sorrow made her realize that something…. Something.

Inuyasha watched Kagome sleeping, and he wondered what she was thinking. Damn, but he had been used to talking to her when he was in the jewel. How often had she visited him?

He sat above her bed, and he gazed down at her. She had been all alone her life. Had he been the only companion for her like that Hoho person said? His eyes softened for a moment. Four hundred years to contemplate yourself, you tended to get less touchy. Kagome had helped with that, though. Her visits…even though he didn't treat her all that great at first. He was always touchy around this time of the year, and he grumped at her all the time. What made her keep on visiting him? That connection they had between them. It had been fun teasing her when she was talking to someone and looked grumpy, to wish her a good morning when he knew that she would hear it.

Was it his fault that she was made to be such an outcast among those around her?

He sighed and watched her turn over in his sleep, and her face was scrunched up and unhappy looking.

"Inuyasha…" The whisper was heartbroken, and Inuyasha turned away nervously. She shouldn't sound like that. She was free of him in a way, wasn't she? Shouldn't she be happy? She could make normal friends and everything now. Did her want her to, though?

His ears twitched as the soft sound of her sobbing reached them, and he felt uneasy. He hated when women cried. He nervously started to move away, but the tears on her face and the emotion that stretched between the two of them made him stay. He brushed a light hand over her hair, trying to calm her in some way.

She calmed slightly under his hand, and then tensed up again. He wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't like this when she visited him. She had an undercurrent of sadness around her, but she had been so happy around him. That was the part that baffled him. That she actually enjoyed being with him. Not even Kikyo…he hastily threw away that thought. Kikyo was long dead, and her spirit had not followed him into his prison. He would never see her again. He only wished that Kagome did not remind him so much of Kikyo.

He touched Kagome's cheek gently. She was the only one that gave him the illusion of being alive. She set him free, and she was the one who had cared enough about him to concentrate on him instead of her life. She could be with that Mojo boy. He grimaced. Maybe some things were better this way.

"Kagome…" She called her name, hoping that she would awaken this time. He didn't like to see her like this. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. He hoped that the bond that they shared would let her hear him.

She stirred at the sound of her name being called, and she opened watery looking eyes to stare at him, before she scrubbed at her eyes, trying to erase the tracks of her tears. Why was she always crying?

"I'm fine, Inuyasha…" A small hiccup and a solitary tear rolling down her cheek belied her true feelings, and Inuyasha knew that he should do something for her.

He grinned at her, ruffling her hair. She stared at him and smiled tentatively back, but he could tell that she still felt bad. She looked like she'd been through hell in whatever she was dreaming, too.

"Kagome…what were you dreaming about?" He asked quietly. He was still slightly above the bed…he didn't want to know if he'd fall through it or not…but he was right next to her, almost touching.

Kagome shuddered. "I was…all alone for the first time in my dreams. You were always there. There was always your presence, even if you didn't talk to me. This time it was so achingly alone…" Her voice trailed off as she blushed in the dark.

"You don't want to hear this though." She stood up abruptly, and started to walk away from him. He grabbed her wrist and looked at her.

"Kagome…stay here, okay? It must have…been hard." He paused, not used to comforting people, or showing his emotions so vividly. Earlier that night had been something of a catalytic event, and it would take a lot of him swallowing his pride to go back to that.

She nodded slowly, and sat back down on the bed, hugging Inuyasha. He started in surprise, but Kagome held onto him, burying her face in his kimono.

"Can I just hold you? Onegai?" Her words were muffled, but if it would make her stop crying…He sighed.

"Hai." He reluctantly let the girl cry on him, and he sighed underneath her. What was he going to do? What was Kagome going to do?