InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Standing the Test of Time ❯ Chapter six ( Chapter 6 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: sunstreak 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.27.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 159 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.27.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 159 | Status: Completed
Chapter 6: Words Beyond the Reach of Time
Kagome slumped against the well, her face buried in her hands as she wept her heart out. She had just said good-bye only a few minutes ago, but it had already seemed an eternity. She was now 500 years in the future, a time that had long forgotten about demons and hanyous, demon slayers and perverted monks. It occurred to Kagome that the notebooks she had given Inuyasha earlier were probably full of entries now, from the moment she left to probably the death of her dear loved ones.
Kagome took a deep breath and decided to go find were the metal box would now be buried and recover it. Kagome remembered telling Inuyasha the only safe place for the box would probably be the bottom of the well and that is were she’d dig. She lowered herself back into the well, holding her breath and hoping that maybe, just maybe the well would be forgiving, but as she had expected, she reached the bottom without being transported to the time she left behind.
Kagome started digging with her bare hands and quickly wished she had something else, but she was too impatient and wanted to recover the box now. Thankfully, the dirt was rather soft, thanks to the well house that sheltered it and it wasn’t long until Kagome found the box. It was weird that the box she had just bought yesterday looked so weathered and dull. She slowly opened it to find all the note books looking no better than the box, but they had been carefully preserved and along with the notebooks were separate papers, folded and tucked neatly under the notebooks. Kagome carefully unfolded the papers to find drawings done by Shippo and some even had notes addressed to her from Sango and Miroku. She refolded them without reading the letters, deciding she’d save them for later. For now, she just wanted to get out of that well and into a bath, were she decided she’d read the first entry from Inuyasha.
“Ah, this feels good. Sango, it was only earlier today we both had soaked in the hot springs, but now it seems like forever ago.” Kagome spoke into thin air, knowing no one was around to hear her as she relaxed in the steamy tub. She dried her hands and reached for the notebook and opened it to the first page and was relieved when she saw that Inuyasha kept his promise and started writing to her right away.
‘Kagome,
Well, it’s been a whole day since you left and there has been a void left in your absence. The villagers insist I live in town, but being a half demon, I don’t feel comfortable living with the humans quite yet, so I’ve decided to live near the well. Shippo has been persuaded by Sango to stay with her in the village and Miroku will be assistant to lady Kaede in medicine. Honestly, I forgot how it felt to be this alone again. I remember feeling like this after my mother died, helpless and alone. But I’m not mad at you, so stop crying!...’
‘God, how’d he know I’d be crying already?’ Kagome thought as she whipped the tears from her eyes and continued reading.
‘I thought about the jewel and how I promised you I’d think long and hard about how to wish on it and I’ve decided already what I’m going to wish for. I am going to tell the jewel to let you come back to us! That is my only one true wish. I don’t know why you bothered to get me so many of these note books because I’m going to have the Shikon Jewel reopen the well and let me through, so be ready and waiting for me tomorrow, because you’re coming back and we’ll never be separated from you again! But incase it doesn’t work, I promise to continue writing, but I have high hopes that this will work.
-Inuyasha’
‘Well, seeing how these notebooks are full of years worth of entries, I’m guessing it didn’t work, huh Inuyasha?’. Kagome thought sadly as she flipped through the note book, finding every page full of writings. Kagome turned the page to find only a few words on it which read, ‘I’m sorry Kagome, I tried, I honestly tried but the jewel remains totally lifeless. I think that with Midoriko’s passing on, the jewel is no more than an ordinary stone now. I’m so sorry, but it would appear we have been once again screwed over by fate.’
“I figured as much. I had wished upon it several times myself and it never once sparked to life.” Kagome spoke to the page as if it were Inuyasha in person. She closed the note book and decided to continue reading some more tomorrow after a good night sleep, so she dried and dressed herself and rejoined her family at the dinner table to tell them of what had conspired over the last couple of days.
“So you defeated this Nuraku person huh? That’s wonderful, but why isn’t Inuyasha here with you?” Kagome’s mother inquired.
“Well, I was getting to that. I left the jewel with Inuyasha and...”
“You gave that demon the sacred jewel?! Kagome, what is wrong with you?!” Kagome’s grandfather interrupted her.
“For starters, he’s a half demon and a good person. He won’t let any harm come to the jewel and besides, the jewel is dead now! The well is sealed and I’ll never be allowed to return, meaning that Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo are only shadows of the past now!” Kagome cried as she slammed her fists on the table and stormed out of the dinning room and went stomping up the stairs to her own room were she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, Kagome woke up feeling as though she was suffering from a hang over from all the crying the night before. She did her morning routine, brushing her teeth and hair, washing her still swollen, tear-streaked face and getting dressed in her school uniform. Despite the fact that she had been through emotional trauma, didn’t mean the world was going to stop just for her, she still had an education to receive and she was going to have to work her butt off to catch up and graduate.
“Kagome, we’re all going out for a shake, would you like to join us? You seem upset and we’re here to listen.” Arimi asked as school let out.
“I don’t know...” Kagome said.
“Come on, my treat. Please? You look like you need to talk about something” Arimi begged.
“Fine, you guys are my best friends and I do need to get a few things off my chest.” Kagome said.
“Great! Let’s go!” Eri cried with excitement.
As the girls sat and chattered at the local McDonalds, Kagome sat in deep thought, trying to find a way to explain her current situation to her friends, but Yuka was quick to notice that Kagome hadn’t joined in their conversation and decided to point out the elephant in the room. “So Kagome, what’s bothering you? You came here to talk, not give yourself brain freeze.” She pointed out the fact Kagome was on her third shake while the other three hadn’t even finished their first.
“Is this about your hot tempered boyfriend?” Arimi asked.
“Yes, you guessed it. We split up yesterday, but it wasn’t like we wanted to.” Kagome sighed.
“What do you mean? You just mutually decided to break up?” Eri asked.
“No, not like that. You see he had to leave and will be traveling and will probably never come back, so yesterday, we had to say goodbye and it was heartbreaking.” Kagome said with tears threatening her eyes.
“Aw, Kagome, we had no idea. Are you going to be okay?” Yuka aked.
“I don’t know about ‘okay’ but I will survive. At least he promised to write and that is what will keep me content, I guess.” Kagome said.
“Well, do you plan to move on and start dating?” Eri asked.
“I don’t know, maybe. Hey you guys, thanks for listening, but it’s getting late and I have to get back to the shrine to help my grandfather. Thank you Arimi for the shakes, it was very kind of you.” Kagome bowed as she got ready to leave when Arimi called after her.
“Don’t push yourself too hard now, just because you’re feeling better, doesn’t mean you’re fully recovered! Last thing we’d want is for you to overwork yourself and die as a result.”
“Thanks, I’ll remember that.” Kagome said with a twitching eye. She had forgotten that she had been ‘sick’ and recently had a miraculous recovery, according to her grandfather.
Kagome returned to the shrine and quickly retreated to her room to read some more of the note books that would contain all the information on how every one’s lives played out. She sat for hours, reading about how Inuyasha spent most of his days.
It seemed as though after her leaving, nothing of real excitement happened. They had been invaded by a few demons, but nothing that Inuyasha couldn’t handle. He spoke of how the demons never even sensed the sacred jewel, only confirming their suspicions that the jewel had died with Midoriko’s passing. This confirmation made Kagome’s heart sink into the pit of her stomach as she realized that the truth was she would never see Inuyasha or his adorable ears ever again. She giggled to herself as she remembered how she would tweak them, driving him nuts because his ears were so sensitive.
Kagome continued to read, she cried some, but couldn’t help laughing when Inuyasha talked about some of Shippo’s antics of trying to cheer Inuyasha up. ‘The little pipsqueak actually transformed so he looked like you, I was almost tricked when I realized that the Kagome I knew didn’t have a huge cotton like tail sticking out from behind her and the blue ribbon in the hair was a definite give away. I would have killed him right there, except for the fact that you would never forgive me and I couldn’t live with that.’ Kagome smiled at the thought of Inuyasha half believing that she had really returned to him only to find Shippo up to his old tricks again. She read some more until she came upon the page she had hoped would one day be written.
‘Kagome you wouldn’t believe it, well I guess you would, but Miroku finally got his head on straight and has asked Sango to marry him! And she accepted! The whole village is excited to start planning the wedding and I guess it’s going to be huge. Sango told me that when the wedding comes, they will have a vacant spot, right up front, in memory of you. She said that she’s going to have a special flower arraignment just for you and it will be placed in your spot as a symbol of the place they hold in their hearts for you. God they must miss you so much as I miss having you around too. I hope that your studies are going well and you’re doing good in school, although I still don’t fully understand the point of it, but if it’s important to you, than I guess that’s what matters.
I am sad to report however that Kaede and I have been doing research about the life span of half demons and although we do live longer than humans, there has never been a hanyou that has lived past 150 years, let alone 500. So I guess that Shippo might be the only one to be so lucky to live to see your time, but that’s if he isn’t eventually slain as most demons usually are. It’s harsh to say, but it is a fact of life. I hope against all hope that your books will be able to show you a way to come back to us soon because as these weeks drag by, it only seems more hopeless that we’ll ever see your face again, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever give up hope, not as long as I still have a breath in my body. But for now, I must remain content in knowing that you’re there, in your time, reading this and in a way I hope it lets you feel our presence there with you. -Inuyasha’
Kagome’s heart sank even more as she read the note, she was over-joyed that her two closest friends were going to get married and share the rest of their lives together, but at the same time she was saddened by the fact that Inuyasha probably had no hope of living to see her time and come back to her, but if he had lived this long, he would have already come back to her. ‘I wonder were he would have been burried.’ Kagome’s mind wondered, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head and continued reading a few more pages. She had done her math and by the point he had written that, she had already been out of their lives for three months, but to her it had only been a couple of days.
As life has it, a couple of days turns into weeks and weeks into months. In seven long months, Kagome had read almost all the entries in the note books, there were times were she felt lonely and sad, so she’d go back and find excerpts that she knew would cheer her up. One of her favorites was a note from Sango that she had written on a separate piece of paper.
‘Kagome, I can’t believe it’s been three long years since we last saw you. As I promised, I pray for you every night before I go to sleep and although such time has passed, I still dream of the day my prayers will be answered and we will see your smiling face again. I hope it comforts you to know that Miroku and I are very happy together, we still live in the village with Kaede and I suspect we will continue to live out the rest of our lives here.
But are you ready for the big news? Miroku and I are to expect our first child! Yes, I’m actually pregnant and couldn’t be happier! I know that you’re thinking three years is a long time to wait for a child, but I’m glad for the time I’ve had before this wonderful occasion. I think we’ve finally settled on a boy and girl’s name. If it’s a boy, his name will be Taro and if we have a girl, her name will be Aiko. I can’t wait till I can show you my precious bundle, so hurry back to us, okay?
I’m sure Inuyasha isn’t going to let you know exactly how much he’s missed you, but he’s built himself a hut near his forest, it’s an even distance away from the village and the well. He says it’s because he doesn’t want to be right in the village, but close enough that he could protect us when needed and far enough away he could have privacy. I think that he just wanted to be closer to the well, but didn’t want to be that obvious. Some days I’ll take a walk to his hut and find him gone and I almost always find him napping in a tree near the well, specially on sunny days. Some times I wonder what he’s dreaming about, but I don’t dare disturb him, so I wind up going home.
Well, good bye for now, Kagome. Till we meet again.
-Sango’
Kagome was so happy for her dear friends, she knew that Miroku and Sango would be great and loving parents. She snickered to herself when she thought of the role Inuyasha would play in the young child’s life. Would he be there as an uncle, or would Inuyasha see the child as a nuisance? Kagome doubted Inuyasha would reject the child and she bet he would be there for Sango and Miroku, at least that’s what she hoped.
Those months that I had spoke of earlier dragged on into years and after seven years, Kagome had finally graduated highschool, barely and was now getting ready to graduate from college. She had spent most of her free time either studying when she had tests coming up, or reading excerpts from the notebooks off and on, or going on the occasional blind date that her good friends from highschool would set up for her, but they were all the same. Dinner and a movie and it always ended in ‘lets be friends’ or ‘it was fun, but I don’t know if you’re my type’, the usual excuses she was so use to now.
Kagome found herself a mature woman without a boyfriend, but she had a good college education and as far as she was concerned, her life was going pretty good without men to interfere. Since she didn’t read the notes as much, when she did pick up the books, it was once a week at the most, she was caught up on her friend’s lives. Sango and Miroku’s daughter, Aiko was now four years old and from what she gathered from Inuyasha, she was a real handful. Aiko was your average four year old, she was rambunctious and would always slip away from her parents to go play with Shippo somewhere in the fields right outside the village and she loved spending time with Inuyasha.
‘Kagome, Aiko is going to be celebrating her fifth birthday in two months and it was funny when we realized that her birthday is on the same day that you left. Ironic, isn’t it? She’s such a happy child though, in a lot of ways, she reminds me of you. Now I know what you must have put your mother through and if you ever have children, I’m sure that’s what they’ll be like. So Aiko’s birthday will mark eight years now since you’ve been gone. Wow, how time flies.
Shippo has also grown, he’s not the same little kitsune that could just jump up onto your shoulders. If he tried that now, he would probably break your back, but he’s still as charming and his love for irritating me hasn’t changed one bit. You should see him with Aiko, he is very protective, like a good big brother should be, and he loves that child. I think he’d give his life for Aiko if needed. They’re so happy, as you always wished they’d be and that gets me wondering.
Are you happy?’
Those three words spoke volumes to Kagome. Was she happy? She wasn’t sure herself, she knew she’d be a lot happier if she could BE there to witness all that Inuyasha wrote about these past seven-almost-eight years now.
‘I wonder if your happy because that’s why you chose to go the way you did. So I wish for your happiness as I know you wish for mine. And I am happy, I do enjoy living and being excepted here. With Aiko around as much as she is, I don’t feel so alone any more. She especially reminds me of you when she tweaks my ears, much in the same manner you use to. I guess that’s why I tolerate her more than I would any other child. I also wonder if you’re married with children of your own, if you are than I wish the best for you and your family. I decided that for Aiko’s birthday, I’d make the Sacred Jewel into a neckless and give it to her for her birthday present.
Best Wishes
-Inuyasha’
Kagome sighed, knowing that she has dwelled too much on the past. She would never forget the day she found the most dreaded letter from Inuyasha, telling her that Kaede had passed on to the next world. ‘She went peacefully in her sleep’, Inuyasha wrote, but despite the fact that the old priestess had lived her life out full, it was still sad to say goodbye. Kagome had wept for a week, her friends became worried and she had to make the excuse that her grandmother died, which was half true.
It seemed as though life was just going to move on, unforgiving as always and Kagome wondered what to do with her life now that she didn’t have college as an excuse. Sota had moved out of the house and had just started attending college himself. He had a girlfriend which he had told Kagome that he was thinking about asking her to marry him and of course, Kagome was happy for him and his love. She was even more ecstatic when he announced their engagement at the dinner table one night when he and his girlfriend, Etsu, came to visit.
Kagome sat on the stairs at the back of the shrine and decided to read the last few excerpts in the last notebook. She dreaded the fact that this was the last of what she had to read and it had only been a short eight years and a couple of days. She wondered why Inuyasha had stopped writing, he still had plenty of note book left, but the last of the note book was empty, so with a heavy heart, she opened the book and started to read.
‘Well, today is Aiko’s fifth birthday and she had a wonderful party. The whole village was there and she was showered in gifts. Shippo had given her a top that looks similar to his fox demon weapon, but it’s just a plain wooden top and she loved it. Sango and Miroku gave her a small horse and she named him Uma, I thought it was cute. Of course she loved mine, she thought it was very pretty and I told her one day I’d tell her how significant that jewel really is. When asked what her birthday wish was, she actually said “I wish for dear Inuyasha to find some one to love like mommy and daddy”. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. Sango smirked and told Aiko that every one wished the same for me, but I’m happy without some woman in my life.
That brings me to the next subject. This is the hardest thing I can do, but I feel that lately, my life is revolved around being just a reporter for you, I think it’s time for a change in my life. I’m so sorry to say that I am going to put down the note books and finally burry them in the box as planned. I hope that you will forgive me, but please understand.
I will have you with me for the rest of my life.’
That was it. That was the last thing Inuyasha would write to Kagome and as she closed the book, her heart broke into a million pieces. He finally grew up and decided to move on. She started to cry out loud. She felt rejected, as if he had told her he was ready to forget her and move on. The last sentence he wrote would forever stick in her mind. Would he really remember her for the rest of his life? Would he eventually forget? Fall in love? What? Her mind screamed for answers as she hugged the notebook to her chest and cried.
“Higurashi, Kagome?” A man’s voice asked, startling Kagome.
“Yes?” She asked, her voice wet from crying.
“I have a letter for you. Instructions say to have it hand delivered to you.” He said as he handed the envelope to her and bowed then left.
She looked at it, no return address, she assumed that she was summoned for jury duty or something along that nature. She carefully opened it and after scanning it with her eyes, she folded it up and tucked it away.
“Oi, Kagome!” A man’s voice called. Kagome whirled around and smiled softly as she saw a familiar figure standing in the court yard, waving at her. The only response Kagome could give was,
“It’s you.”
...End of Chappy...
Kagome slumped against the well, her face buried in her hands as she wept her heart out. She had just said good-bye only a few minutes ago, but it had already seemed an eternity. She was now 500 years in the future, a time that had long forgotten about demons and hanyous, demon slayers and perverted monks. It occurred to Kagome that the notebooks she had given Inuyasha earlier were probably full of entries now, from the moment she left to probably the death of her dear loved ones.
Kagome took a deep breath and decided to go find were the metal box would now be buried and recover it. Kagome remembered telling Inuyasha the only safe place for the box would probably be the bottom of the well and that is were she’d dig. She lowered herself back into the well, holding her breath and hoping that maybe, just maybe the well would be forgiving, but as she had expected, she reached the bottom without being transported to the time she left behind.
Kagome started digging with her bare hands and quickly wished she had something else, but she was too impatient and wanted to recover the box now. Thankfully, the dirt was rather soft, thanks to the well house that sheltered it and it wasn’t long until Kagome found the box. It was weird that the box she had just bought yesterday looked so weathered and dull. She slowly opened it to find all the note books looking no better than the box, but they had been carefully preserved and along with the notebooks were separate papers, folded and tucked neatly under the notebooks. Kagome carefully unfolded the papers to find drawings done by Shippo and some even had notes addressed to her from Sango and Miroku. She refolded them without reading the letters, deciding she’d save them for later. For now, she just wanted to get out of that well and into a bath, were she decided she’d read the first entry from Inuyasha.
“Ah, this feels good. Sango, it was only earlier today we both had soaked in the hot springs, but now it seems like forever ago.” Kagome spoke into thin air, knowing no one was around to hear her as she relaxed in the steamy tub. She dried her hands and reached for the notebook and opened it to the first page and was relieved when she saw that Inuyasha kept his promise and started writing to her right away.
‘Kagome,
Well, it’s been a whole day since you left and there has been a void left in your absence. The villagers insist I live in town, but being a half demon, I don’t feel comfortable living with the humans quite yet, so I’ve decided to live near the well. Shippo has been persuaded by Sango to stay with her in the village and Miroku will be assistant to lady Kaede in medicine. Honestly, I forgot how it felt to be this alone again. I remember feeling like this after my mother died, helpless and alone. But I’m not mad at you, so stop crying!...’
‘God, how’d he know I’d be crying already?’ Kagome thought as she whipped the tears from her eyes and continued reading.
‘I thought about the jewel and how I promised you I’d think long and hard about how to wish on it and I’ve decided already what I’m going to wish for. I am going to tell the jewel to let you come back to us! That is my only one true wish. I don’t know why you bothered to get me so many of these note books because I’m going to have the Shikon Jewel reopen the well and let me through, so be ready and waiting for me tomorrow, because you’re coming back and we’ll never be separated from you again! But incase it doesn’t work, I promise to continue writing, but I have high hopes that this will work.
-Inuyasha’
‘Well, seeing how these notebooks are full of years worth of entries, I’m guessing it didn’t work, huh Inuyasha?’. Kagome thought sadly as she flipped through the note book, finding every page full of writings. Kagome turned the page to find only a few words on it which read, ‘I’m sorry Kagome, I tried, I honestly tried but the jewel remains totally lifeless. I think that with Midoriko’s passing on, the jewel is no more than an ordinary stone now. I’m so sorry, but it would appear we have been once again screwed over by fate.’
“I figured as much. I had wished upon it several times myself and it never once sparked to life.” Kagome spoke to the page as if it were Inuyasha in person. She closed the note book and decided to continue reading some more tomorrow after a good night sleep, so she dried and dressed herself and rejoined her family at the dinner table to tell them of what had conspired over the last couple of days.
“So you defeated this Nuraku person huh? That’s wonderful, but why isn’t Inuyasha here with you?” Kagome’s mother inquired.
“Well, I was getting to that. I left the jewel with Inuyasha and...”
“You gave that demon the sacred jewel?! Kagome, what is wrong with you?!” Kagome’s grandfather interrupted her.
“For starters, he’s a half demon and a good person. He won’t let any harm come to the jewel and besides, the jewel is dead now! The well is sealed and I’ll never be allowed to return, meaning that Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo are only shadows of the past now!” Kagome cried as she slammed her fists on the table and stormed out of the dinning room and went stomping up the stairs to her own room were she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, Kagome woke up feeling as though she was suffering from a hang over from all the crying the night before. She did her morning routine, brushing her teeth and hair, washing her still swollen, tear-streaked face and getting dressed in her school uniform. Despite the fact that she had been through emotional trauma, didn’t mean the world was going to stop just for her, she still had an education to receive and she was going to have to work her butt off to catch up and graduate.
“Kagome, we’re all going out for a shake, would you like to join us? You seem upset and we’re here to listen.” Arimi asked as school let out.
“I don’t know...” Kagome said.
“Come on, my treat. Please? You look like you need to talk about something” Arimi begged.
“Fine, you guys are my best friends and I do need to get a few things off my chest.” Kagome said.
“Great! Let’s go!” Eri cried with excitement.
As the girls sat and chattered at the local McDonalds, Kagome sat in deep thought, trying to find a way to explain her current situation to her friends, but Yuka was quick to notice that Kagome hadn’t joined in their conversation and decided to point out the elephant in the room. “So Kagome, what’s bothering you? You came here to talk, not give yourself brain freeze.” She pointed out the fact Kagome was on her third shake while the other three hadn’t even finished their first.
“Is this about your hot tempered boyfriend?” Arimi asked.
“Yes, you guessed it. We split up yesterday, but it wasn’t like we wanted to.” Kagome sighed.
“What do you mean? You just mutually decided to break up?” Eri asked.
“No, not like that. You see he had to leave and will be traveling and will probably never come back, so yesterday, we had to say goodbye and it was heartbreaking.” Kagome said with tears threatening her eyes.
“Aw, Kagome, we had no idea. Are you going to be okay?” Yuka aked.
“I don’t know about ‘okay’ but I will survive. At least he promised to write and that is what will keep me content, I guess.” Kagome said.
“Well, do you plan to move on and start dating?” Eri asked.
“I don’t know, maybe. Hey you guys, thanks for listening, but it’s getting late and I have to get back to the shrine to help my grandfather. Thank you Arimi for the shakes, it was very kind of you.” Kagome bowed as she got ready to leave when Arimi called after her.
“Don’t push yourself too hard now, just because you’re feeling better, doesn’t mean you’re fully recovered! Last thing we’d want is for you to overwork yourself and die as a result.”
“Thanks, I’ll remember that.” Kagome said with a twitching eye. She had forgotten that she had been ‘sick’ and recently had a miraculous recovery, according to her grandfather.
Kagome returned to the shrine and quickly retreated to her room to read some more of the note books that would contain all the information on how every one’s lives played out. She sat for hours, reading about how Inuyasha spent most of his days.
It seemed as though after her leaving, nothing of real excitement happened. They had been invaded by a few demons, but nothing that Inuyasha couldn’t handle. He spoke of how the demons never even sensed the sacred jewel, only confirming their suspicions that the jewel had died with Midoriko’s passing. This confirmation made Kagome’s heart sink into the pit of her stomach as she realized that the truth was she would never see Inuyasha or his adorable ears ever again. She giggled to herself as she remembered how she would tweak them, driving him nuts because his ears were so sensitive.
Kagome continued to read, she cried some, but couldn’t help laughing when Inuyasha talked about some of Shippo’s antics of trying to cheer Inuyasha up. ‘The little pipsqueak actually transformed so he looked like you, I was almost tricked when I realized that the Kagome I knew didn’t have a huge cotton like tail sticking out from behind her and the blue ribbon in the hair was a definite give away. I would have killed him right there, except for the fact that you would never forgive me and I couldn’t live with that.’ Kagome smiled at the thought of Inuyasha half believing that she had really returned to him only to find Shippo up to his old tricks again. She read some more until she came upon the page she had hoped would one day be written.
‘Kagome you wouldn’t believe it, well I guess you would, but Miroku finally got his head on straight and has asked Sango to marry him! And she accepted! The whole village is excited to start planning the wedding and I guess it’s going to be huge. Sango told me that when the wedding comes, they will have a vacant spot, right up front, in memory of you. She said that she’s going to have a special flower arraignment just for you and it will be placed in your spot as a symbol of the place they hold in their hearts for you. God they must miss you so much as I miss having you around too. I hope that your studies are going well and you’re doing good in school, although I still don’t fully understand the point of it, but if it’s important to you, than I guess that’s what matters.
I am sad to report however that Kaede and I have been doing research about the life span of half demons and although we do live longer than humans, there has never been a hanyou that has lived past 150 years, let alone 500. So I guess that Shippo might be the only one to be so lucky to live to see your time, but that’s if he isn’t eventually slain as most demons usually are. It’s harsh to say, but it is a fact of life. I hope against all hope that your books will be able to show you a way to come back to us soon because as these weeks drag by, it only seems more hopeless that we’ll ever see your face again, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever give up hope, not as long as I still have a breath in my body. But for now, I must remain content in knowing that you’re there, in your time, reading this and in a way I hope it lets you feel our presence there with you. -Inuyasha’
Kagome’s heart sank even more as she read the note, she was over-joyed that her two closest friends were going to get married and share the rest of their lives together, but at the same time she was saddened by the fact that Inuyasha probably had no hope of living to see her time and come back to her, but if he had lived this long, he would have already come back to her. ‘I wonder were he would have been burried.’ Kagome’s mind wondered, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head and continued reading a few more pages. She had done her math and by the point he had written that, she had already been out of their lives for three months, but to her it had only been a couple of days.
As life has it, a couple of days turns into weeks and weeks into months. In seven long months, Kagome had read almost all the entries in the note books, there were times were she felt lonely and sad, so she’d go back and find excerpts that she knew would cheer her up. One of her favorites was a note from Sango that she had written on a separate piece of paper.
‘Kagome, I can’t believe it’s been three long years since we last saw you. As I promised, I pray for you every night before I go to sleep and although such time has passed, I still dream of the day my prayers will be answered and we will see your smiling face again. I hope it comforts you to know that Miroku and I are very happy together, we still live in the village with Kaede and I suspect we will continue to live out the rest of our lives here.
But are you ready for the big news? Miroku and I are to expect our first child! Yes, I’m actually pregnant and couldn’t be happier! I know that you’re thinking three years is a long time to wait for a child, but I’m glad for the time I’ve had before this wonderful occasion. I think we’ve finally settled on a boy and girl’s name. If it’s a boy, his name will be Taro and if we have a girl, her name will be Aiko. I can’t wait till I can show you my precious bundle, so hurry back to us, okay?
I’m sure Inuyasha isn’t going to let you know exactly how much he’s missed you, but he’s built himself a hut near his forest, it’s an even distance away from the village and the well. He says it’s because he doesn’t want to be right in the village, but close enough that he could protect us when needed and far enough away he could have privacy. I think that he just wanted to be closer to the well, but didn’t want to be that obvious. Some days I’ll take a walk to his hut and find him gone and I almost always find him napping in a tree near the well, specially on sunny days. Some times I wonder what he’s dreaming about, but I don’t dare disturb him, so I wind up going home.
Well, good bye for now, Kagome. Till we meet again.
-Sango’
Kagome was so happy for her dear friends, she knew that Miroku and Sango would be great and loving parents. She snickered to herself when she thought of the role Inuyasha would play in the young child’s life. Would he be there as an uncle, or would Inuyasha see the child as a nuisance? Kagome doubted Inuyasha would reject the child and she bet he would be there for Sango and Miroku, at least that’s what she hoped.
Those months that I had spoke of earlier dragged on into years and after seven years, Kagome had finally graduated highschool, barely and was now getting ready to graduate from college. She had spent most of her free time either studying when she had tests coming up, or reading excerpts from the notebooks off and on, or going on the occasional blind date that her good friends from highschool would set up for her, but they were all the same. Dinner and a movie and it always ended in ‘lets be friends’ or ‘it was fun, but I don’t know if you’re my type’, the usual excuses she was so use to now.
Kagome found herself a mature woman without a boyfriend, but she had a good college education and as far as she was concerned, her life was going pretty good without men to interfere. Since she didn’t read the notes as much, when she did pick up the books, it was once a week at the most, she was caught up on her friend’s lives. Sango and Miroku’s daughter, Aiko was now four years old and from what she gathered from Inuyasha, she was a real handful. Aiko was your average four year old, she was rambunctious and would always slip away from her parents to go play with Shippo somewhere in the fields right outside the village and she loved spending time with Inuyasha.
‘Kagome, Aiko is going to be celebrating her fifth birthday in two months and it was funny when we realized that her birthday is on the same day that you left. Ironic, isn’t it? She’s such a happy child though, in a lot of ways, she reminds me of you. Now I know what you must have put your mother through and if you ever have children, I’m sure that’s what they’ll be like. So Aiko’s birthday will mark eight years now since you’ve been gone. Wow, how time flies.
Shippo has also grown, he’s not the same little kitsune that could just jump up onto your shoulders. If he tried that now, he would probably break your back, but he’s still as charming and his love for irritating me hasn’t changed one bit. You should see him with Aiko, he is very protective, like a good big brother should be, and he loves that child. I think he’d give his life for Aiko if needed. They’re so happy, as you always wished they’d be and that gets me wondering.
Are you happy?’
Those three words spoke volumes to Kagome. Was she happy? She wasn’t sure herself, she knew she’d be a lot happier if she could BE there to witness all that Inuyasha wrote about these past seven-almost-eight years now.
‘I wonder if your happy because that’s why you chose to go the way you did. So I wish for your happiness as I know you wish for mine. And I am happy, I do enjoy living and being excepted here. With Aiko around as much as she is, I don’t feel so alone any more. She especially reminds me of you when she tweaks my ears, much in the same manner you use to. I guess that’s why I tolerate her more than I would any other child. I also wonder if you’re married with children of your own, if you are than I wish the best for you and your family. I decided that for Aiko’s birthday, I’d make the Sacred Jewel into a neckless and give it to her for her birthday present.
Best Wishes
-Inuyasha’
Kagome sighed, knowing that she has dwelled too much on the past. She would never forget the day she found the most dreaded letter from Inuyasha, telling her that Kaede had passed on to the next world. ‘She went peacefully in her sleep’, Inuyasha wrote, but despite the fact that the old priestess had lived her life out full, it was still sad to say goodbye. Kagome had wept for a week, her friends became worried and she had to make the excuse that her grandmother died, which was half true.
It seemed as though life was just going to move on, unforgiving as always and Kagome wondered what to do with her life now that she didn’t have college as an excuse. Sota had moved out of the house and had just started attending college himself. He had a girlfriend which he had told Kagome that he was thinking about asking her to marry him and of course, Kagome was happy for him and his love. She was even more ecstatic when he announced their engagement at the dinner table one night when he and his girlfriend, Etsu, came to visit.
Kagome sat on the stairs at the back of the shrine and decided to read the last few excerpts in the last notebook. She dreaded the fact that this was the last of what she had to read and it had only been a short eight years and a couple of days. She wondered why Inuyasha had stopped writing, he still had plenty of note book left, but the last of the note book was empty, so with a heavy heart, she opened the book and started to read.
‘Well, today is Aiko’s fifth birthday and she had a wonderful party. The whole village was there and she was showered in gifts. Shippo had given her a top that looks similar to his fox demon weapon, but it’s just a plain wooden top and she loved it. Sango and Miroku gave her a small horse and she named him Uma, I thought it was cute. Of course she loved mine, she thought it was very pretty and I told her one day I’d tell her how significant that jewel really is. When asked what her birthday wish was, she actually said “I wish for dear Inuyasha to find some one to love like mommy and daddy”. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. Sango smirked and told Aiko that every one wished the same for me, but I’m happy without some woman in my life.
That brings me to the next subject. This is the hardest thing I can do, but I feel that lately, my life is revolved around being just a reporter for you, I think it’s time for a change in my life. I’m so sorry to say that I am going to put down the note books and finally burry them in the box as planned. I hope that you will forgive me, but please understand.
I will have you with me for the rest of my life.’
That was it. That was the last thing Inuyasha would write to Kagome and as she closed the book, her heart broke into a million pieces. He finally grew up and decided to move on. She started to cry out loud. She felt rejected, as if he had told her he was ready to forget her and move on. The last sentence he wrote would forever stick in her mind. Would he really remember her for the rest of his life? Would he eventually forget? Fall in love? What? Her mind screamed for answers as she hugged the notebook to her chest and cried.
“Higurashi, Kagome?” A man’s voice asked, startling Kagome.
“Yes?” She asked, her voice wet from crying.
“I have a letter for you. Instructions say to have it hand delivered to you.” He said as he handed the envelope to her and bowed then left.
She looked at it, no return address, she assumed that she was summoned for jury duty or something along that nature. She carefully opened it and after scanning it with her eyes, she folded it up and tucked it away.
“Oi, Kagome!” A man’s voice called. Kagome whirled around and smiled softly as she saw a familiar figure standing in the court yard, waving at her. The only response Kagome could give was,
“It’s you.”
...End of Chappy...