InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Middle Road ❯ Half-light ( Chapter 21 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Ejecta2248586 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Sci-fi / Romance / Psychological / Mystery / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.09.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.2K | Visits: 225 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Sci-fi / Romance / Psychological / Mystery / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.09.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.2K | Visits: 225 | Status: Completed
Inuyasha does not belong to me.
Half-light
D ay was approaching. Small desert birds twittered from the tangled underbrush that dotted the land. A gale blew over the dune. It sent a swirl of fiery cinders into the air from the embered campfire, now dwindling to a soft glow, almost out. Gentle brushstrokes of warm gray and blue crept up the horizen. She stood, alone.
Sango closed her eyes, not wanting to use any more tears. She gazed wistfully out over the barren, sunburnt land--a sea of sand. It did not make sense to her. The lush, green, tropical trees of the forest had thinned out, becoming farther apart. Now all that remained of the forest that they had passed through were bony, white, naked trees that stood, tall but half dead, at the fringes of the desert.
She dropped a burning stick onto a large bundle in the sand. It burned hot and white, all signs of the cadaver becoming burnt ashes. With a wordless, silent, dirge-like eulogy, she grabbed her boomerang and walked out into the painted, desert morning.
*** ***
The mesmeric croaks of cicada sounded out in a tree nearby. Kagome sighed, staring up at the night sky. No moon tonight. Darkness was all about. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and walked over to the figure who stood beneath the halo of a flourescent streetlight. He looked up oddly at the structure, curious at how they made that fire burn so brightly. A shuffle of feet behind him.
Kagome walked up to him. He glanced down at her then looked back up to the lamp. A group of insects swarmed around the yellowish glow.
"How does this work?" He said, pulling a strand of black hair out of his eyes.
"What?"
"The lantern," He squinted, his eyes stung from staring into the light. "how does it work?"
"Inuyasha, I need to talk to you."
"Sure," He conceded reluctantly, turning to her. "what is it?"
"I want to show you something." She held out her hand. "We don't know if you'll ever get another chance to see this." He looked at her strangely.
"See what?"
"Just come on." He took her hand and she pulled him toward the subway station.
"You see, Inuyasha," Kagome laid a hand on his. "it's not so bad."
Inuyasha jumped slightly as the lights on the train flickered, then came back on.
"Yeah, well," He eyed the silver pierced, tatooed American next to him suspiciously. "we'll still have to go back tomorrow."
"I know," She said, staring out over the city through a window. "I know."
"Where are we goin', anyhow?"
"There." She pointed to a large, lit tower. It rose up out of the other buildings like a titian obelisk out of a sea of headstones.
"That's a big building." He said in awe.
"Tallest one in the city."
"And we're goin' to the top of it?" She giggled slightly.
"Yes, Inuyasha," She sighed. "unless you're scared, that is."
"No, no," He eyed the winking city lights. "just...curious about how they built such a large building."
"Some other time, Inuyasha." The train came to a halt. Kagome grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
"Wow," Inuyasha said, staring out, awe-filled at the billions of lights below. "that's a lot o' people in this city."
"More than any other city in the world. Almost thirty-million people live down there."
"How many's that?"
"A lot." She pulled him off into a corner, away from the other spectators. She gulped nervously. "Inuyasha?" She looked up at him. "Can I ask you a question?" Inuyasha looked nervous.
"Uh...sure, what is it?"
"W-" She sighed. "Well...do you?...what I mean to say is...do you...l-love me?" His eyes widened.
"Wh-what?" She sighed.
"You heard me."
"Well," he said. "I--well, I mean I....yes." She looked him in the eye.
"You mean it?"
"Of course." She bit her lip again.
"Then why did you steal the jewel?" He had not seen that coming.
"I...'m not quite certain." She furrowed her brow.
"How could you not know?"
"I mean," He said. "I don't quite remember what I was thinkin' at the moment. I was all kind of a blur."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, Kagome," He sighed again. "that I wasn't quite thinkin' right. I was crazy. So I decided to go to the witch in that village and see if I couldn't change things. See if I could have made it so you never went through all of this mess with the jewel."
"But," Said Kagome, confused. "we finished the jewel." Her eyes teared up. "We could finally have been together."
"No," He said, turning away. "you should have someone right for you. Someone from your own time." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Someone who can make you happy." Kagome clenched her fists at her sides.
"But I've told you, Inuyasha, you make me happy." He growled in annoyance.
"What difference does it make?" He looked her in the eye. "It's too late for any of that."
"But why?"
"Because I don't expect to survive the next fight with the witch."
"So you're going to fight them again?"
"I haven't any other choice." He chuckled sardonically to himself. "It's either you or me. I'd rather burn in hell before I let them hurt you." She brooded over that for a minute.
"Inuyasha?"
"Yeah."
"You do know that I would've given you the jewel if you'd asked. Why did feel the need to have to hurt me to get it?" He looked confused, then sighed.
"I don't know." he said. "My mind and memory is all muddled up. I can hardly think straight." he cleared his throat. "But," he grabbed her hand. "I do know that I love you more than anything, and would- and will die for you if need be." She hugged him tightly, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the elevator.
"Come on," She said with a small smile. "it's getting late."
Kagome opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake her mother. She turned on her bedroom light and pulled Inuyasha into the room after her. He glanced back down the hall, toward Mrs. Higurashi's room. He hoped that she would not wake up tonight. Kagome sat down on the bed. She gulped nervously.
"Inuyasha?" He looked at her.
"Y-yeah?"
"Would you stay w--with me tonight?" He started to speak, then took a deep breath, and answered.
"Are you sure?" She smile reassuringly, her eyes softened.
"Yes."
Half-light
D ay was approaching. Small desert birds twittered from the tangled underbrush that dotted the land. A gale blew over the dune. It sent a swirl of fiery cinders into the air from the embered campfire, now dwindling to a soft glow, almost out. Gentle brushstrokes of warm gray and blue crept up the horizen. She stood, alone.
Sango closed her eyes, not wanting to use any more tears. She gazed wistfully out over the barren, sunburnt land--a sea of sand. It did not make sense to her. The lush, green, tropical trees of the forest had thinned out, becoming farther apart. Now all that remained of the forest that they had passed through were bony, white, naked trees that stood, tall but half dead, at the fringes of the desert.
She dropped a burning stick onto a large bundle in the sand. It burned hot and white, all signs of the cadaver becoming burnt ashes. With a wordless, silent, dirge-like eulogy, she grabbed her boomerang and walked out into the painted, desert morning.
*** ***
The mesmeric croaks of cicada sounded out in a tree nearby. Kagome sighed, staring up at the night sky. No moon tonight. Darkness was all about. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and walked over to the figure who stood beneath the halo of a flourescent streetlight. He looked up oddly at the structure, curious at how they made that fire burn so brightly. A shuffle of feet behind him.
Kagome walked up to him. He glanced down at her then looked back up to the lamp. A group of insects swarmed around the yellowish glow.
"How does this work?" He said, pulling a strand of black hair out of his eyes.
"What?"
"The lantern," He squinted, his eyes stung from staring into the light. "how does it work?"
"Inuyasha, I need to talk to you."
"Sure," He conceded reluctantly, turning to her. "what is it?"
"I want to show you something." She held out her hand. "We don't know if you'll ever get another chance to see this." He looked at her strangely.
"See what?"
"Just come on." He took her hand and she pulled him toward the subway station.
"You see, Inuyasha," Kagome laid a hand on his. "it's not so bad."
Inuyasha jumped slightly as the lights on the train flickered, then came back on.
"Yeah, well," He eyed the silver pierced, tatooed American next to him suspiciously. "we'll still have to go back tomorrow."
"I know," She said, staring out over the city through a window. "I know."
"Where are we goin', anyhow?"
"There." She pointed to a large, lit tower. It rose up out of the other buildings like a titian obelisk out of a sea of headstones.
"That's a big building." He said in awe.
"Tallest one in the city."
"And we're goin' to the top of it?" She giggled slightly.
"Yes, Inuyasha," She sighed. "unless you're scared, that is."
"No, no," He eyed the winking city lights. "just...curious about how they built such a large building."
"Some other time, Inuyasha." The train came to a halt. Kagome grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
"Wow," Inuyasha said, staring out, awe-filled at the billions of lights below. "that's a lot o' people in this city."
"More than any other city in the world. Almost thirty-million people live down there."
"How many's that?"
"A lot." She pulled him off into a corner, away from the other spectators. She gulped nervously. "Inuyasha?" She looked up at him. "Can I ask you a question?" Inuyasha looked nervous.
"Uh...sure, what is it?"
"W-" She sighed. "Well...do you?...what I mean to say is...do you...l-love me?" His eyes widened.
"Wh-what?" She sighed.
"You heard me."
"Well," he said. "I--well, I mean I....yes." She looked him in the eye.
"You mean it?"
"Of course." She bit her lip again.
"Then why did you steal the jewel?" He had not seen that coming.
"I...'m not quite certain." She furrowed her brow.
"How could you not know?"
"I mean," He said. "I don't quite remember what I was thinkin' at the moment. I was all kind of a blur."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, Kagome," He sighed again. "that I wasn't quite thinkin' right. I was crazy. So I decided to go to the witch in that village and see if I couldn't change things. See if I could have made it so you never went through all of this mess with the jewel."
"But," Said Kagome, confused. "we finished the jewel." Her eyes teared up. "We could finally have been together."
"No," He said, turning away. "you should have someone right for you. Someone from your own time." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Someone who can make you happy." Kagome clenched her fists at her sides.
"But I've told you, Inuyasha, you make me happy." He growled in annoyance.
"What difference does it make?" He looked her in the eye. "It's too late for any of that."
"But why?"
"Because I don't expect to survive the next fight with the witch."
"So you're going to fight them again?"
"I haven't any other choice." He chuckled sardonically to himself. "It's either you or me. I'd rather burn in hell before I let them hurt you." She brooded over that for a minute.
"Inuyasha?"
"Yeah."
"You do know that I would've given you the jewel if you'd asked. Why did feel the need to have to hurt me to get it?" He looked confused, then sighed.
"I don't know." he said. "My mind and memory is all muddled up. I can hardly think straight." he cleared his throat. "But," he grabbed her hand. "I do know that I love you more than anything, and would- and will die for you if need be." She hugged him tightly, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the elevator.
"Come on," She said with a small smile. "it's getting late."
Kagome opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake her mother. She turned on her bedroom light and pulled Inuyasha into the room after her. He glanced back down the hall, toward Mrs. Higurashi's room. He hoped that she would not wake up tonight. Kagome sat down on the bed. She gulped nervously.
"Inuyasha?" He looked at her.
"Y-yeah?"
"Would you stay w--with me tonight?" He started to speak, then took a deep breath, and answered.
"Are you sure?" She smile reassuringly, her eyes softened.
"Yes."