InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inu Yasha and company. That honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. The story idea is mine... I think.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am so sorry everyone. I didn't realize just how long it had been since I last updated this story. I was having trouble updating on FanFiction, so I finally gave up and was working on some other things. Unfinished Business hasn't been updated either, although the new chapter for that one should be going up tomorrow if all goes well. But that is neither here nor there. I hope that you enjoy this, and I will try to update a lot sooner! As always, read and enjoy! = D

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Chapter 12

Kagome stood in the doorway, staring at the object of her ire through narrowed eyes, even as her aura circled around her like a caged animal. She never even acknowledged the other two occupants of the small hut, all of her attention was focused on the monk in front of her. Her hands were clenched into fists so tight that her nails were digging into the flesh of her palms, causing them to bleed. She was trying to keep control of her fury, but it was a close thing.

Kaede and Shippo were staring at the young girl in awe, but for two very different reasons. Kaede was amazed at the amount of raw power emanating from the untrained miko. She could feel the pulses of power crashing against her own like ocean waves. Shippo couldn't believe just how angry Kagome was at that moment. She had never been like this before, and she had been furious at Inu Yasha more times than he could count. But none of those had been like this. What could Miroku have done to get this kind of reaction out of the usually cheerful girl? She was actually starting to scare him a little bit.

"How could you do that to me?" Kagome hissed.

"Kagome, I think that..." She threw up a hand, and a whip like strand of her power lashed out to strike him in the chest. He stumbled back a few steps, more from surprise than from pain.

"I suggest that you don't speak for the time being." Kagome ground out. This was too much for Shippo and he whimpered softly. Kagome never hurt people on purpose. He slowly made his way to her side, whining slightly, and tugged on her skirt. The miko looked down into the watery eyes of the little kitsune, and felt her anger subside when she saw the fear in them. Her aura cycled down a bit as she scooped the little fox into her arms and hugged him tightly. She didn't want Shippo to be afraid of her. "Its okay Shippo. I'm sorry."

"Kagome, are you all right?" he asked as he leaned back to look into her eyes. He watched as a single tear fell from her eyes when she shook her head slightly. The kit gently framed her face with his small hands and leaned his forehead against hers. "Can I help?"

"Oh Shippo..." she said softly, hugging him tighter, even as she dropped a kiss onto the top of his head. "You already have. Thank you." Shippo nodded although he didn't know how he had helped at all. He turned and growled at the monk, baring his tiny fangs.

"You said that you wouldn't hurt her, and I know that this is all your fault. You better stay away from my Kagome."

"Shippo..." Kagome called his attention away from the stunned and hurt expression on the monk's face. "I need to talk to Miroku. You stay here with Kaede, and be good, okay? I'll be back soon." She raised her eyes to meet Miroku's startled gaze, but he nodded at her unspoken question. She gave the fox another little squeeze when he nodded and kissed her cheek, eliciting a weak smile from her. She turned and left the doorway. Shippo ran to Kaede's side, but first stopped in front of the monk and growled again.

"I won't trust you again."

Miroku followed the love of his life out of the village and into the forest. He had screwed up royally, and now he had to face the consequences. Strangely, he hadn't been able to speak since Kagome had hit him with that blast of power. She must be somehow blocking off his vocal cords. She could have let them go, he still wouldn't have been able to say anything. He didn't know how he was going to explain what had happened in the street. But he was also extremely worried about this show of power. Her powers had never manifested themselves like this before, and there was no telling what might happen if she lost control of them. He could also see that her power was feeding off of her physical strength, and soon that would be exhausted.

"How could you say those things? Were you just using me?" Her voice was low and filled with sorrow, and her head was bowed. "I should have known that it was too good to be true. How could anyone want me, just for me? I am always just a means to an end. For Inu Yasha, I was a shard detector and the image of his first love. Kouga sees me as a way to strengthen his pack and the fact that I can see the shards is just a bonus." She shook her head sadly, and then turned to look at him.

The answers that had been forming in his mind once again became a meaningless jumble when he saw her face. For the first time, Miroku could see the resemblance between her and Kikyo. That was something that he had never wished to have revealed. Her eyes were void of emotion and no longer sparkled with their usual light, her face was pale and her voice seemed colder than ice.

"Was it all a lie? Did you tell me you loved me just to get what you wanted most...an heir? Neither Inu Yasha or Kouga were that devious, but then again, what they wanted didn't involve getting that close to me. You had to worm your way into my heart before I would give that to you." Miroku gasped at her words. Did she really believe that? "Damn you Miroku, for breaking my heart again! Did you plan for that to happen as well? I could have been with Inu Yasha at the end, and I would have been happy, if not for you making me think that I had found everything that I had been searching for in you. How could you do this to me?" Her power flashed out at him again, this time with a great deal more strength than the last time. He flew back several feet and dropped to the ground, feeling like he had been hit by the Kaze no Kizu. With a groan, he slowly got to his knees, but her final words froze him to the spot. "I loved you, but never again. You were right, we obviously didn't have a relationship." Kagome turned and ran off deeper into the woods. Miroku's heartbroken cry was drowned out by the sound of her own sobs.

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Sango entered the village, and immediately realized that something was wrong, although she couldn't put her finger on it. She saw Shippo sitting on Kaede's porch, looking off towards the woods as tears fell from his wide eyes. She sat down beside him and pet his soft head.

"What's wrong Shippo?"

"Everything." He replied. "Miroku did something to hurt Kagome. She hit him with her power, and it was scary. I swear, when he comes back I am going to chew on his head, the baka houshi!"

"They were okay when I left." How could things have deteriorated so far so fast? Those two were perfect together. Then the little fox's words echoed in her mind and she stiffened slightly. "What do you mean she hit him with her power?"

"He means that Kagome has apparently come fully into her power, and chose me as a target...twice." Miroku said softly as he approached them. He was walking slowly and seemed to be in pain. Sango ran to his side to assist him to the step. Shippo made a move to make good on his promise, but Sango stopped him.

"Good. You deserved it... I bet!"

"Yes Shippo, it seems that I did. Unfortunately however, she didn't let me explain and now things have gotten completely out of hand. She took things much worse than I would have ever thought possible. I don't know how to fix this."

"Wait a minute, I am still lost. When did Kagome come into her power, and what exactly did you say to her?" The exterminator watched him expectantly. Miroku sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

"I told her that if she continued to let Inu Yasha rule our relationship, then it was obvious that we didn't have one." He winced as Sango slapped him in the head.

"When did you do this?"

"Right after you left. Kagome was still upset about hurting his feelings, and I guess that mine were hurt as well. I spoke without thinking."

"Uh huh. So how did she take it?"

"She seems to think that I was using her to get an heir. That I was just stringing her along, and that I didn't really mean it when I told her that I loved her." Sango was shocked to her very core when she saw that he was crying. "I broke her heart, and now she thinks that I am no different than Inu Yasha and Kouga. That I only want her because of what she could give me, not who she is."

"I swear, you have as many rocks in your skull as Inu Yasha. Do the two of you take some kind drug to increase stupidity?" Sango asked with a sigh. "But... Kagome over-reacted too. She will get over it, she always does. Now, when did she come into this power and where is she now?"

"Apparently her rage brought her powers to the surface, and she controlled them just fine, although they were taking a toll on her physical strength. As to where she is now, I couldn't say. She ran off after she gave me a tongue lashing and hit me with the psychic equivalent of Inu Yasha's sword."

"So, you left her out in the woods, sapped of strength when it was getting dark?" Sango asked incredulously. Miroku's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet, causing him to groan. "Kirara, find Kagome." The three of them jumped onto the fire cat and soon were airborne. The firecat soon dropped to the ground and her riders climbed off her back. They came around a corner of the path, and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the sight at the base of the God Tree.

"Kagome..." Miroku whispered as he fell to his knees.

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Inu Yasha had sent Kirara back to the village and then he returned to the God Tree to watch the sunset. It was a gorgeous display of reds, oranges and violet with golden clouds floating within that glorious ocean of color. It was a sight that he wished that he could share with someone. No, not just someone, someone in particular...Kagome.

He understood what Sango was trying to tell him, to a point, but how was he supposed to give up on the light of his life and return to the shadows in his soul? Sango was being a good friend to him and he was glad that she was around, but she had been acting strangely and saying things that were even stranger. He really wondered what she was thinking.

A gentle breeze ruffled his hair and brought with it the smell of wildflowers, rain and salt. Salt? He sniffed the air and realized that what he was smelling were tears, Kagome's tears. Why was she crying? He could now hear the sounds of her blundering through the forest and sobbing that broke his heart. He watched as she appeared out of the underbrush and threw herself at the base of the God Tree. She was crying as if her world had just come to an end. She obviously didn't realize that he was there, and he wasn't sure if he should make his presence known. Her broken whimper made up his mind up for him, and he dropped silently to the ground at her side.

"Kagome? Don't cry..." He reached out and ran a hand through her hair. "Please don't cry." He whispered softly. He couldn't hide his surprise when she hurled herself into his arms and buried her face in his neck. Her sobs increased in intensity and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "What happened? Is someone hurt?"

"All of us are hurt, and its all my fault. You hate me, Miroku was using me, Shippo was afraid of me..." her voice trailed off as she sniffled. Inu Yasha stared at the top of her head in shock. She thought that he hated her? Why would Shippo be afraid of her? Then a growl rumbled in his chest when the other statement registered in his confused brain. The monk was using her? What did she mean by that? "I just wish that all of this hadn't happened. Then everyone would be happy. If Kikyo had just succeeded in..." Inu Yasha grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a rough shake, causing her teeth to click together painfully.

"Don't say that. Don't even think that. How would losing you make any of us happy. Don't you know that it would kill me? And Shippo?" He looked down into her eyes, and she was stunned by the emotions that she saw burning within his golden eyes. "I don't hate you Kagome, I never could. I love you. I wish that things had turned out differently too, but only so that you were with me instead of with..." His words were stopped by the feel of her lips pressed against his, and the rest of the world vanished into thin air.

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A.N. : I don't have time to individual shout outs this time, but I did want to say thank you to you all! You are my inspiration and I appreciate it more than you will ever know. Next chapter I will have separate responses, I promise! Until then....

Jewels Light ^_^

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