InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sketches ❯ Promises to Keep ( Chapter 7 )

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Chapter 7

 

Promises to Keep

 

(I'm back! Between getting a new job and working two for a period of time, plus going off seizure meds, getting all of my old stories up and finishing those that are incomplete, it has been difficult. It's amazing to go back and see the difference in my old work and what it is now. I've smoothed this chapter out. I promise, barring death, you won't have to wait long for the next chapter. ^_^)


Intoxicating, that is what she was. Silky, raven hair tangled in his fingers. Heated breath flowed across his cheeks, into his nostrils, and throughout his body, the scent so erotic, so enticing. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the blush in her lips and in her soft cheeks. So scintillating was her sweet nectar that he could barely imagine denial of this ambrosia concocted by the gods. He wanted her. He wanted to ravage her like an animal, and at the same time, fill her with his tender, yet passionate love. He wanted both. But, would it be fair to her? Would that he could deny the promise made to another. Was there a loophole, a way out, a way to delay the inevitable, a way to keep her wrapped in his embrace for eternity? His heart fought like a beast in chains, frustration bordering on fury.

More than anything in the world, she wanted always to be able to touch him, to feel his embrace warming her skin, to gaze into the blazing golden eyes that mirrored the soul he had once tried so hard to hide from her. Everything she ever needed, everything she had ever desired was slowly slipping from her grasp. The fates could not be so cruel. They could not abandon her like this. The loss of his strength, protection, and devotion would be lethal to her belief in love. It would simply cease to exist. Life would become a meaningless toil to face every day with no expectation of happiness. Clutching his waist, she felt as though her heart were being ripped from her chest and stabbed a thousand times over.

Painfully, Inuyasha slowly withdrew his lips. In one smooth and fluid motion, he stood, taking Kagome with him, his eyes never leaving hers. He cradled her in his arms while he carried her to her bedroom. She did not want to let go when he sat her down on the bed. She clutched him with her tiny fingers until he gently slid his large fingers around hers and slowly tore them from his shirt. It hurt his soul seeing her pained expression when he lifted himself away from her. He sucked in a deep breath and let it leave him as he turned and gazed out her window.

In the back of his mind, beyond his reach, something she had said made sense. Like a puzzle, he needed to put the pieces together. He could not think when he was with her. She consumed his every thought.

“Kagome?”

She simply stared at him, numbing herself for his departure.

 

`Will he ever come back for me?'

 

“I…I need to sort things out and I can't do it here,” he stammered.

Her heart felt like a dead stone and it showed in her expression. To him, she looked lifeless.

“Will you come back...Inuyasha?” asked Kagome, her tone of voice uncharacteristically flat and devoid of all emotion.

Inuyasha said nothing. He did not want to make promises he might not be able to keep.

Kagome, drained of emotion, watched as he silently stepped to her, bent down and tenderly licked the mark on her neck. After placing a chaste kiss on her cheek, he disappeared through her window.

~*~

Inuyasha hopped out of the well and into his own time, nearly knocking Shippou off the lip of it with his knee. The little copper furred fox child rolled backward and fell to the ground.

“Where's Kagome, Inuyasha?” asked the innocent little creature, anxious to see the woman he adopted as his mother.

Shippou stuck his nose outward toward Inuyasha in an attempt to smell the scent of the woman he had adopted as his surrogate mother. “You smell like her. Why do you look so sad? Is she alright?”

“Feh! Kagome is just fine, brat!” Inuyasha huffed, attempting to sound his usual self. “Where are Sango and Miroku? You shouldn't be out here all by yourself. One of Naraku's demons might do me the favor of devouring you.”

Shippou rolled his eyes at Inuyasha. “They aren't very far away. Come on.”

“No. I'll find them later,” Inuyasha sighed. “Go away,” he scowled at Shippou and then turned and trudged into the forest in the opposite direction of his friends' scents.

Shippou stared wide-eyed. `Inuyasha didn't even try to thump me on the head!' Shaking his head in disbelief, he returned to Sango and Miroku. Per usual, the monk lay unconscious on the ground, his black and purple robes flared out, and a very large knot on his head. Shippou chuckled and stared up at Sango, the demon slayer, a red tinge to her cheeks.

“Do you think he will ever learn to keep his hands to himself?” Shippou asked with a grin.

“Not likely. He still asks every woman he meets to bear his child,” spat the petite, dark-eyed, brown-haired slayer as she glared down at Miroku.

Sango's boomerang often came in handy. Its length spanned all of five feet and weighed nearly as much as the monk. Unfortunately for him, his head frequently made contact with it.

 

A groan was heard from the ground as he gained consciousness. Rubbing his head, he looked up to give Sango a sly grin. “Ah, my dear Sango, it was worth the pain,” he cooed. It was always worth the pain to see fire in her eyes instead of the sadness that always seemed to linger.

“Hentai!” She glared and stomped her foot, barely missing the monk's hand.

His grin became wider. Annoying her gave her something to focus on other than her deep hatred of the demon that killed her family. He knew that, deep down, she liked his attention, even though it was a bit crude. Many times, he had caressed her bottom, and many times, he had been knocked out cold. But, it was worth it, always. Why else would Sango walk and stand so close beside him? Why else would she allow him to ride behind her on her firecat, always innocently sliding back to fit snug between his thighs? More than once he had noticed her gazing at him when she thought he was asleep. One day, her enemy would be defeated and he would have her all to himself. Only then would he be able to ask her to marry him and bear his child. She would be the one, no one else. He smiled and gazed at her with all the love in his heart and was pleased when her cheeks turned a deep crimson.

`I can't stand him!' she lied to herself. `Why does he ask every woman he sees to bear his child? He never once asked me. Does he think I am beneath him? Damn houshi!'

Every time the hentai monk touched her, he gave her a reason to knock the shit out of him, and she enjoyed every opportunity. Her pent up frustration was somewhat eased with every blow.

`Humph! Why should I care if he asks me? I don't even like him!' she lied to herself again.

“I take it Inuyasha has not yet returned, Shippou,” commented Miroku in that smooth, sultry voice that Sango hated so much. Her body always betrayed her mind with the desire to hear him whisper into her ear.

`Damn houshi,' she glowered at him.

Noticing the angry stare, Miroku gave her a wry smirk. He knew what was going on in her mind, or rather, her body. He just loved making her blush. That crimson tinge to her cheeks made her so sensual, so desirable.

Shippou never gave away that he knew what was going on. “Yep, Inuyasha came back, but he went into the forest.”

Miroku looked at Shippou in surprise. “I wonder what that is all about?” questioned the hentai monk while his stayed focused solely on Sango.

She just shrugged her shoulders. “You never know with that jerk. He probably argued with Kagome again.”

Miroku sighed in disappointment. “You are probably right, Sango. He is one thoughtless hanyou.”

Abruptly, Inuyasha stepped forward out of nowhere, causing Sango and Miroku to gasp in surprise.

“Ah, Inuyasha. We were just talking about you,” said Miroku, smiling with innocence at a disgruntled hanyou.

“I know you were talking shit about me. My ears itched,” growled Inuyasha with his ears pinned back against his head.

Miroku and Sango gave each other a knowing look. Now was not a good time to annoy Inuyasha.

“So, how is Kagome?” asked Sango, quickly changing the subject.

Inuyasha's ears drooped, even though his response was quite normal. “The wench is just fine!”

“Is she coming back soon?” asked Shippou, unable to hide his anxious excitement.

A flash of pain crossed Inuyasha's face before he regained his composure.

“Feh! You know Kagome. She'll come back when she's good and ready,” spat Inuyasha with an almost imperceptible tinge of sadness then he stood and silently jumped to a high branch of the nearest tree.

Miroku and Sango knew how keen Inuyasha's hearing was. They did not say a word, but both knew that something was very wrong. Their friend sat, seemingly hypnotized as the new moon rose into the sky. It was obvious that something serious was going on.

 

His friends below prepared to bed down for the night, neither in the mood to sleep. They both lay down, occasionally exchanging glances and tried not to stare up at Inuyasha's lonely figure.

~*~

Kagome suddenly stood with fists clenched. Now she understood some of what her mother had felt when her father had died. `If mama can be so strong, I can too. I won't sit here feeling sorry for myself!' She strode to her closet and picked out the most cheerful-colored clothes she could find, dressed, and headed downstairs.

“Hi, Mama! Hi, Souta!” she chirped with a smile, very cheerfully, too cheerfully.

`Oh, Kagome. You've had another argument with that friend of yours. Why do you punish yourself so?' thought Kagome's mother. A mother could always tell when her child was hurting and Ms. Higurashi was no exception.

“Hey, Kag! Watcha been up to? When do I get to see your dog friend again?” Souta asked.

Souta reminded her so much of Shippou. Suddenly, she wanted to see Shippou more than anything. She loved her annoying brother, but Shippou was like her own son, a whole different kind of love altogether. Sadness welled up in her chest.

`No! I'm going to enjoy this day, and the day after that, and the day after that!' her mind commanded her heart.

“Would you like some pickles, Souta?” Her mother, bless her heart, had saved her. “They are very crisp and so good.” Her mother smiled and stuck a pickle in Souta's mouth.

“Thanks, mama.” She lowered herself to the table, across from Souta and her grandpa, grateful that her mother had so conveniently interrupted. The food her mother filled her plate with looked delicious, but she was not hungry. She played with her food and finally asked to be excused. `A stroll outside in the fresh air might clear my mind.'

“Kagome? Aren't you going to eat your dinner? Your mother went to a lot of trouble making it,” chided her grandfather.

“Yes, Kagome. You go right ahead,” said Ms. Higurashi in answer to Kagome's request. “Grandpa, I can't eat another bite. Would like my squash?” asked Kagome's mother stuffing a slice of squash in his mouth.

 

'Another save.'

“Thanks, Mama,” Kagome gently replied and took her dishes to the sink.

“That's alright honey. I'll get the dishes,” her mother sweetly intoned.

 

This scene was not out of the ordinary, not with her constant ups and downs in her relationship with Inuyasha.

Before heading out the door, Kagome turned and bent down to pet her cat, Buyo. The furball was always a comfort. She wandered around outside the house, finally ending up beneath the centuries old god tree. Something stirred inside of her and she looked up. The god tree, with the place on the trunk bare of bar where Inuyasha had once been sealed, blocked the sun. `I remember when we first met.' The first time she had ever seen Inuyasha, he had been pinned to the tree by an arrow. A powerful spell held him there in a perpetual, unearthly sleep. She had marveled at his appearance. Long flowing silver hair flowed over his shoulders, down his arms, and framed the sweetest, boyish face she had ever seen. His head had been adorned with puppy dog ears on top his head. Of course, his countenance had completely changed after she had freed him. Her heart ached. She had come to know him as a stubborn, selfish jerk, only to discover that his insolence protected a heart of gold, a broken and bleeding heart. With all the times he risked his life to protect and defend her; she had grown to love his protectiveness and his seeming possessiveness.

 

Kagome knelt dropping her head, tears staining the ground. `I wish I had never fallen through the well, never laid eyes on him. If I had known it would hurt this much...'

Kagome's mother walked toward her obviously heartbroken daughter.

“Kagome,” she gently spoke from behind.

Kagome rose and turned. She couldn't help herself from wrapping her arms around her mother's neck and sobbing uncontrollably.

 

Her mother led her to the bench where they sat together, her mother wrapping an arm around her.

“I don't know what has you so upset, Kagome. But, I will always be here if you want to talk about it. I know how independent you are and I am sure you will make the right choices,” Ms. Higurashi murmured. After a brief pause, during which she rubbed comforting circles on Kagome's back, she continued. “You know, this tree has always helped me to clear my thoughts and make decisions that my heart has never regretted.”

Kagome sat still, enjoying her mother's comfort. Seeing that Kagome had calmed, Miss Higurashi kissed the top of her daughter's head and retreated to the house to let her daughter think. Now, Kagome sat alone under the tree, gazing at the place had she first met the man—no, hanyou that she so dearly loved.

`Why should I have to give him up? Why should he have to leave me and go to hell with his long dead girlfriend, Kikyou? It isn't right and I'm not a quitter. I won't give him up. I won't lose him to a demon that thinks it is his friend and one day lover. It's not going to happen!'

Having made up her mind, Kagome quickly strode to the house and marched up the stairs to pack her things into the yellow backpack she always carried to take essentials and goodies back to the past, to Inuyasha's time. Looking around to decide what to pack first, her eyes swept over the top of her desk.

 

She gazed at the sketchpads. `I wonder if…'

~*~

Inuyasha leaned his head against the trunk of the tree. He was nowhere near solving the puzzle Kagome had given him. But, there was one thing he knew; he knew he had to do it. Solving what, for him, was a riddle, would bring him and Kagome together. He just knew it. He closed his eyes then sensed something. Opening his eyes, he could see the faint blue glow of Kikyou's soul stealers, those snake-like floating beasts that gathered the souls of dead women. Only the souls kept the clay version of Kikyou animated.

 

Inuyasha sighed. `How many times must she torture me? How many times will I torture Kagome by chasing after Kikyou? Kagome…'

 

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

TBC

 

Thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers.

 

 

*Disclaimer*

 

Inuyasha and all associated characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this story, nor do I intend to. My only goal is to occupy my demented mind with delusions of actually owning a life-sized, anatomically correct Sesshoumaru.