InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Simple Plan ❯ A Time for Farewells ( Chapter 6 )

Konnichiwa minna-san! It's Tenchu's Angel here finally! I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this update out, but a combination of a ridiculously busy schedule, writer's block, and wanting the chappie to be good made it take virtually forever. That and, when I went to post it last week, my computer decided to be a real butt hole and stop working on me. I had to spend three hours on the phone with tech support guy who's accent was so heavy I could barely understand him. But anyway, enough about my inconsequential little life, basically I'm just really sorry I took forever to update and I'll try not to let it happen again (no promises, though, because midterms are coming up and things are gonna get crazy). Now on with the story! Please read and review!

 

 

It had taken hours of yelling, name-calling, and even a few traded blows before Inuyasha and Kouga had calmed down enough to hear anything that Kagome was saying. Once they were finally calm she had suggested that they all go back to Sango's house to talk things out. Unfortunately, this had started a whole new argument about who would carry her back.

 

But eventually that argument too had been solved and they had returned to Sango's house, though it was about three a.m. when they finally arrived. Now they all sat around Sango's kitchen table, Kagome placed carefully between Inuyasha and Kouga and looking about ready to pass out from exhaustion.

 

“Now, before we start talking about what to do next, you two have to promise to behave,” said Sango sternly, addressing Inuyasha and Kouga. “Someone (she gave Kouga a sharp look) has already wrecked my kitchen door by tearing it off its hinge. I don't want you destroying anything else.”

 

“He's the one who starts it!” exclaimed Inuyasha and Kouga almost in unison, pointing accusingly at one another.

 

Kagome groaned in exasperation, slumping over to rest face down on the table top. Sango looked sympathetically at her fatigued friend.

 

“Cut it out, you guys. You're wearing poor Kagome out,” she chastised them. Inuyasha and Kouga ceased glaring at one another for a moment and turned to look at Kagome. Both looked suddenly guilty at the sight of her weary form slouched over so pathetically.

 

“Sorry, Kagome,” said Kouga quietly, grabbing one of her hands in his own and squeezing it apologetically.

 

Inuyasha glared at him for a moment, but didn't comment further as he grabbed Kagome's other hand and said, “Me 'n' the wolf'll try to cut it out, okay?”

 

Kagome lifted her head and gave them both a small, grateful smile, squeezing their hands once before letting them both go. Then she clapped her hands together, looking suddenly decisive and alert.

 

“Alright, then! Let's get down to it. How long do you think we have before they send someone after you, Kouga-kun?” Kagome asked, turning to face him.

 

“Two days. Three tops,” Kouga replied. “And they'll be coming here first to look for me, being that they know this is where I was headed last to look for dog-breath. More likely than not that they'll send another one of the experiments after me.”

 

“Okay, then it's simple enough. We just won't be here when they get here. We can all go to hotel. Or maybe Miroku will let us stay at his house,” said Kagome, looking pleased with how simple it was all turning out to be.

 

“Uh-uh,” Inuyasha said, shaking his head and looking grim. “It would be nice if were all that easy, but it's not. Moving to another house or hotel would be a band-aid solution at best, not permanent. Like the mangy wolf said, they'll be sending more experiments after us, and more likely than not these ones will be even better at tracking. Anywhere in Japan that we go, they'll find us.”

 

Kagome frowned as she considered his words, hmmmming thoughtfully to herself. “Anywhere in Japan, huh?” she muttered quietly to herself before going silent for a few moments.

 

“Then I think that you had the right idea with the cargo ships, Inuyasha,” she resumed. “The experiments are tied to the government, right? And the Japanese government is most powerful in Japan, but if we go to another country then it will be harder for them to get at us. It will be especially hard because they don't want to tell anyone about the experiments they've been doing, considering that they'll be using them in wars against the other countries and that they violate all ethics. So basically, we take a ship to another country and it will be nearly impossible for them to track us.” Kagome looked to Inuyasha for his approval. After a moment of consideration he nodded in affirmation of the plan.

 

Kagome squealed happily, looking like kid on Christmas. “This is so great! I've always wanted to visit the U.S. , and now we can all go together!” she bubbled, practically squirming with excitement.

 

“I think you've got the wrong idea, Kagome,” Sango broke in, sounding serious. “You're treating this like it's going to be some sort of vacation. This is serious, Kagome. If you go, you're not going to be able to come back. You'll be leaving everything behind. Hojo, your grandpa, Souta. You'll be giving up everything. Are you really willing to do that?”

 

Kagome's face fell and she deflated, all the excitement leaving her in a rush. Sango felt a pang of guilt at being so harsh with her friend, but steeled herself against it. Kagome was a smart girl, but she had a tendency to be too idealistic. She often took things too lightly and refused to see the reality of her situation. But this was too important for her to take lightly.

 

“I...I...” Kagome mumbled helplessly, looking small and lost.

 

“Why don't we all sleep on it, okay?” suggested Sango, taking pity on her friend. She got up and went over to Kagome, helping her stand up and guiding her out of the kitchen with a hand o her back. Kagome didn't react or resist, merely moved forward like one in a trance.

 

“You two can decide who gets the guest bedroom and who gets the couch, which folds out into a bed. Just don't break anything, okay? Kagome and I will share my room. G'night,” Sango called as they walked up the stairs.

 

They reached Sango's room and both got ready for bed quietly before lying down, back to back, on Sango's king sized bed.

 

“Kagome?” Sango ventured as they lay there, staring at opposite walls.

 

“Hmm?” Kagome replied, the most she'd said in the past twenty minutes. It did, however, alleviate Sango's worry that Kagome might be angry with her for her almost brutal words.

 

“I'm sorry. And...I'm sure everything will be alright,” Sango tried to assure her friend, but she didn't sound at all certain.

 

Kagome was silent, and eventually Sango drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

After hours of tossing and turning and slipping in and out of a fitful, tiring sort of sleep, Kagome gave up on the idea of resting altogether. Exhausted as she was, her head was too full of chaotic thoughts to allow her any sleep.

 

She got up silently, putting on a robe and slippers to ward off the cold. She shuffled out of the bedroom and downstairs into the living room

 

She paused in the living room, smiling slightly at the peacefully sleeping form of Inuyasha lying on the fold-out couch. She wondered idly for a moment how Kouga had managed to get the guest bedroom, but within seconds the thought was forced out of her head by more pressing matters.

 

Kagome frowned and decided that she needed some fresh air to clear her head. The house itself seemed oppressive and Inuyasha's presence, once so comforting, now pressed down upon her like a weight. She hurried quietly to the front door went out, careful not to slam it.

 

She breathed deeply of the crisp early morning air out on Sango's porch, relieved to be out of the house. She walked over to the porch swing and plopped down on it gratefully, watching as the sun climbed slowly into the rosy dawn sky. She closed her eyes, listening to the twitter of birds greeting the morning light and feeling a warm breeze dance lightly over her skin. She reveled in it and the complete emptiness it brought her mind.

 

But the moment passed, as all moments do, and the worries flooded back into her mind with a vengeance. Could she really leave her entire life behind forever? The little bit left of her family that she loved so dearly, the boyfriend that had been so unwaveringly devoted to her for two years (however dull he might be), the friends that she had known since elementary school, the numerous hours she had spent slaving away as an intern to become a biotechnologist. It would all be gone and she would be forced to start all over again from scratch.

 

But she had all but promised that she would go with Inuyasha and Kouga. They hadn't been with 'normal' people in years and would need her help to blend back into society. They needed her to help them keep from being caught and tortured again. And Inuyasha-oh, Inuyasha-the thought of being separated from him again tore at her heart. Had she really just gotten him back only to watch him leave? Kagome curled in on herself as her heart constricted painfully at the thought.

 

It shouldn't be this hard, Kagome though miserably, tears beginning to flow down her face.

 

“Kagome?”came a tentative voice from her right, and Kagome felt the swing move a bit as someone sat down beside her.

 

Kagome wiped her tears away hurriedly, embarrassed at having been caught. She turned to see Inuyasha next to her, looking concerned.

 

She looked away from him quickly so that he wouldn't see how puffy her eyes were from crying. “Inuyasha...I thought you were asleep,” Kagome said, trying to sound casual and cursing the way her voice wavered.

 

“I was until you stomped downstairs like a herd of elephants. Then you went outside and I thought you might want to be alone, but...are you okay, Kagome?” Inuyasha said, his tone unusually gentle.

 

“Of course I'm okay. Why do you ask?” Kagome lied, still refusing to face him.

 

“Kagome, look at me,” Inuyasha ordered. Kagome shook her head.

 

“Kagome...”

 

“No!” Kagome squeaked, her voice cracking as the tears welled up again

 

Inuyasha was silent for a few moments, and then Kagome felt his arms wrap around her shoulders. He guided her around to face him, pressing her gently into the warmth of his chest. Kagome clutched at his shirt, a sob welling in her throat that she was unable to hold back. Finally she gave in, crying helplessly into the front of his shirt. Inuyasha merely held her quietly, stroking her hair every now and again and letting her get it all out.

 

After a few minutes the sobs quieted to sniffles and then died down to the occasional hiccup. Kagome pulled back from Inuyasha a bit, her cheeks flushed from crying and slight embarrassment at her breakdown. “I'm sorry. I got your shirt all wet,” she said lamely, staring at the dark spot her tears had left on his red shirt to avoid having to look him in the eye.

 

“Don't worry. You bought this for me, so technically you got your shirt wet,” Inuyasha said lightly, hoping to keep her from feeling awkward about her outburst. She chuckled slightly and smiled, aware of his efforts and grateful for them.

 

“Thanks, Inuyasha. And...sorry for having a meltdown on you,” Kagome said sheepishly.

 

Inuyasha was silent, looking at her consideringly. He seemed to be debating about something in his head, if the conflict on his face was any indication. After a few moments he forced himself to say, very quietly, “You don't have to go with us, Kagome.”

 

Kagome drew back from him a bit, stung. “You don't want me to come with you?” she asked, unable to keep the hurt from her voice.

 

“Of course I want you to come, you idiot!” Inuyasha said with a vehemence that surprised Kagome. He looked away from her, fists clenched and a fierce, pained look on his face.

 

“But...you-you have a family here that you love and a life here that you've spent years building. I don't want you to be forced to give all that up just because you think you owe me'n' the damn wolf something. God knows you've already done way more for us than anyone else would have. I want...I want you to be happy, Kagome. You deserve to be happy.”

 

Kagome gazed at Inuyasha in awe, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. A warmth so strong she thought her heart might burst from it filled her chest. Never had anyone been so selflessly considerate of her. He wanted her with him, but he was willing to let her go if it meant that she would be happy.

 

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms about his tense form and pressing her face into his shoulder. “Thank you, Inuyasha,” she whispered. “I think I know what I'm going to do now.”

 

Inuyasha hugged her back, holding her tightly enough that he might memorize the feel of her for the lonely years to come. “I understand,” Inuyasha said, and he really was trying to. “I'll...I'll miss you.” He inhaled deeply, determined to hold in that scent and keep it with him forever. Sakura blossoms and something deeply sweet and distinctly Kagome.

 

“No, you won't,” Kagome said with certainty, burying her face affectionately in the crook of his neck and shoulder and reveling in the odd foresty scent that was uniquely him. Inuyasha could hear the smile in her voice and felt a pleasant shudder go through him at her warm breath on his neck.

 

“What do you mean? Of course I'll miss you, stupid girl,” Inuyasha said gruffly, though the raspy quality of his voice undermined it a bit.

 

Kagome giggled a bit. “No, you won't. I'm going with you. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I want to stay with you.”

 

Inuyasha's eyes went wide with surprise and he tensed up. Excitement rose sharply within him, but he forced it down brutally. She couldn't possibly mean it.

 

“Kagome...your family...your life,”Inuyasha stuttered, trying to make her understand despite how much he wanted her with him.

 

“I know, Inuyasha. I've thought about this and I know what I'm giving up. My family will understand if I explain it to them. And my life...well, it's not like I can't start a new one. It might be difficult, but it'll be like an adventure. I just- I really want to help you and Kouga-kun. So it's okay.”

 

“Kagome...Kagome!” Inuyasha whispered raggedly, clutching her to him tightly and feeling the warmth in his chest so powerfully that it was hard for him to breathe. He wondered how he could ever have even thought that he could live without Kagome.

 

“Inuyasha?” said Kagome after a few minutes of warm silence.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Will you come with me to explain to my family tomorrow? I'm really gonna need some support when I say good-bye.”

 

“Sure.” Anything for you, Kagome.

 

 

 

 

A few hours and one fight between Inuyasha and Kouga later (Kouga had found Inuyasha and Kagome curled up together and sleeping on the porch swing), Kagome and Inuyasha got on a train and headed out to Hokkaido where her family's shrine was located.

 

Now they climbed the numerous steps up to the shrine, Kagome lagging a bit and dreading what she was about to do now that she was actually faced with it.

 

Inuyasha seemed to sense it and reached over to grasp her hand reassuringly, a light blush on his face at the gesture. Kagome was momentarily distracted from her worry by amusement at how shy Inuyasha still was at such a small gesture when they had already “slept together” twice.

 

Before she knew it they were at the top of the steps and there was her jii-chan, sweeping the walkway in his priest robes. Kagome felt a pang of sorrow, sharp and swift, as a hundred different memories of the childhood she was leaving behind assaulted her at the simple picture. But Inuyasha squeezed her hand once more, bringing her out of it and prompting her to move forward again.

 

Jii-chan looked up and squinted uncertainly at her for a moment before his face, old and lined with the many years of his life, lit up with recognition.

 

“Kagome-chan!” he exclaimed delightedly, and Kagome found herself letting go of Inuyasha and rushing forward into her jii-chan's open arms like a small child.

 

“It's been so long, Kagome-chan! What brings you out here? Shouldn't you be at the biotech lab?” Jii-chan asked, embracing her with all of the tender affection he felt for the little girl he had raised and loved so well.

 

“I need to talk to you and Souta,”Kagome said, trying not to sound too grim.

 

“And who is this you've brought with you?” Jii-chan asked, peering over her shoulder at Inuyasha. “Your boyfriend? I thought you were still dating that Hoko boy.”

 

“It's Hojo, jii-chan. And this is Inuyasha, a friend of mine,” Kagome explained.

 

“Um- nice to meet you,” Inuyasha said awkwardly, attempting to be polite.

 

Jii-chan smiled and led both of them into the house, chattering about this and that and asking Kagome how she had been.

 

In the kitchen Souta sat hunched over a pile of books at the table. He looked up as they entered, his face lighting up at the sight of his big sister. In that moment he looked so much like the little boy of her memories that Kagome thought she might cry.

 

“Nee-chan!” he exclaimed, jumping up and rushing to embrace her. The fact that he was now nearly a foot taller than her simultaneously brought her out of her nostalgia and made her heart ache at the thought of all the growing he still had to do that she would not be around for.

 

“It's been forever! I think you've shrunk since I last saw you!”

 

“I haven't shrunk, you've just kept growing like the weed-boy you are!” Kagome returned affectionately, returning her brother's hug and then taking a seat at the table. Jii-chan and Souta followed her example, but Inuyasha merely stood behind her chair like a body guard.

 

“What'd you come here for, nee-chan?” Souta asked.

 

“What, I'm not welcome in my own home anymore? That hurts, Souta, that really hurts,” Kagome said with her hand over her heart in mock anguish, trying to lighten the mood before she dropped the bomb on them.

 

“Cut the bull, nee-chan. What do you want?”Souta returned with a small smile.

 

Kagome tried to think of a way to stall for awhile before she actually had to say it, to delay it for just a bit longer, but her jii-chan wrecked the effort by saying, “Wasn't there something you needed to tell us, Kagome-chan?”

 

“Yes,” Kagome forced out, and then, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, “I'll be leaving tomorrow to go to the U.S. with Inuyasha here and another boy named Kouga...and I won't be coming back.”

 

Silence, thick and tense and stunned, descended on the room following her announcement. Kagome held her breath, waiting tensely for some kind of reaction.

 

“What? Why?” asked Souta in a sort of breathless, strangled voice, his tone disbelieving.

 

“I...I can't say.”

 

“What do you mean you can't say, young lady?” Jii-chan put in sternly.

 

“I don't want you two to get involved, and if I tell you anything you will be.” Kagome looked steadfastly down at her tightly clasped hands, watching the knuckles turned white. Inuyasha's hand came to rest on her shoulder and she felt a rush of gratitude towards him.

 

“Are...are you in some sort of trouble with the law, Kagome-chan?” Jii-chan asked, horror written all over his face.

 

“Of course not! How could you even think that, jii-chan?” Kagome said indignantly, hurt at how quick he was to think badly of her.

 

“Yeah, jiji! Kagome ain't like that!” Inuyasha defended her, and Kagome felt another surge of gratitude and affection toward him.

 

“Don't you dare tell me about my granddaughter! I know her better than you ever will! In fact, you're probably the one making my granddaughter do this! It's your fault!” Jii-chan snarled, standing up to face Inuyasha and waving the broom he still held threateningly.

“Is this guy forcing you to go with him, nee-chan?” Souta asked, standing also and glaring murderously at Inuyasha.

 

“No! Both of you just sit down and listen to me!” Kagome commanded, slamming both hands down on the table to get their attention.

 

Jii-chan and Souta continued to scowl menacingly at Inuyasha for a moment, Inuyasha glaring right back at them, before they grudgingly sat down.

 

“Now, Inuyasha is a part of the reason I'm leaving, but he's not forcing me. I'm choosing to leave because I want to,” Kagome explained.

 

“You...you want to leave us, Kagome?” Souta asked, refusing to look her in the eye and looking very much like a little boy once more.

 

“No...No, Souta,” Kagome crooned, standing and moving to wrap her arms around her brother's shoulders. “I don't want to leave you. I love you. You're my most favorite brother in the whole world, remember?”

 

“I'm your only brother,” Souta muttered, playing along with her little reference to one of their many childhood memories together.

 

“But you don't need me anymore. Inuyasha and Kouga-kun are going to need me,” Kagome said gently , stroking his bangs back from his forehead.

 

“But I do need you, nee-chan,” Souta said quietly. He turned around in his chair and buried his face in her stomach. Kagome could feel him shaking slightly, probably trying hard not to cry.

 

“No, Souta, you don't. Not anymore. Whatever I might have said to the contrary, you're all grown up now. And you've grown up so well. You're kind and smart and considerate and I couldn't be any more proud of you. I love you Souta-chan, but you don't need me anymore,” Kagome said earnestly, trying to hold back tears of her own.

 

Souta whimpered slightly, clutching at her more tightly. “I'll miss you, nee-chan.”

 

“I'll miss you, too, Souta-chan,” Kagome said, her voice quavering. She bent down and placed a kiss on his temple tenderly, her heart aching with pride and longing for the boy that she had practically raised.

 

When she looked up she found her jii-chan staring at her with a hard expression etched on his face. She steeled herself, preparing for whatever argument he might throw at her.

 

“This is something you have to do?” Jii-chan asked seriously, throwing her off balance.

 

“Y-yes, this is something I have to do,” Kagome replied after a moment of surprise, putting all the conviction that she could muster behind her words.

 

Jii-chan studied her face for a few long moments. Then the hardness went out of his expression and he sagged a bit, looking tired.

 

“If you're sure it's what you need to do, then I won't stop you. Even though I don't like all this secrecy, I trust your judgment.”

 

Kagome stared at her jii-chan, touched at the level of faith he had in her. Gently she released Souta, who hastily wiped at his eyes to clear the tears from them. She went over jii-chan and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace immediately, his arms coming up to hold her tightly. For a moment she was once again a small child being cradled by her jii-chan after a long, hard day. It was comforting and painful all at the same time.

 

“You've grown up beautifully, Kagome-chan. I love you and I trust you to do what's right,” Jii-chan whispered in her ear.

 

“Thank you, jii-chan. I love you. And don't worry, I'll be fine. If I can I'll even try to write to you both.”

 

Jii-chan released her and turned to Inuyasha, his face stern once more. “I'm trusting you to take good care of my granddaughter. If I hear that anything has happened to her...” he trailed of darkly, leaving Inuyasha to fill in the blank.

 

“You don't gotta tell me, jiji. Either way I'm gonna take care of Kagome, no matter what it takes,” Inuyasha said with fierce protectiveness in his voice. Jii-chan and Souta smiled approvingly, and they had all reached an agreement.

 

 

 

A few hours later Kagome and Inuyasha left the shrine. They had stayed for dinner and made small talk with Kagome's family, everyone avoiding the subject of her leaving despite that none of them could think of anything else. Kagome had packed the few things that she kept there, trying to absorb as much of her jii-chan and Souta's presences as she could so that she might keep them with her in the years to come. Somehow she had managed to avoid breaking down even as they all said their final goodbyes.

 

But now on the train back to Sango's house the tears poured silently down her face as she stared steadfastly out the window, vision blurred.

 

“You can still change your mind,” Inuyasha offered quietly from beside her, taking one of her hands comfortingly in his own.

 

Kagome shook her head. “No,” she choked out through the tears. “No. I've made my decision. But Inuyasha...tell me that it's going to be alright. Even if it's a lie. I need to hear it. Just once.”

 

“It's going to be alright, Kagome,” Inuyasha assured, determined to make the words true for her. “It'll be okay.”

 

 

 

 

Well, I hope it didn't suck too much. Please review and let me know what ya think. Love and hugs to all my dear readers.