InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ True Love ❯ Reflections ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: Reflections

Inuyasha stared into the flames of the fire. The others were sitting on the other side of the camp. They knew not to disturb the hanyou. He had barely recognized the fact that there was ramen in front of him until Kagome had screamed his name in his face.

`Two weeks. Two damn weeks.' Inuyasha thought. `Where could that bastard have hidden my jewel?' His ears twitched slightly when he heard Kagome say his name. He knew she was talking to Sango about him, but he didn't care. Inuyasha sighed to himself. Yes, actually he did care. More than he wanted, and why? His fist clenched. `Why do I care so much about that girl? Shouldn't I care more that Kikyou is dead? Kikyou… I didn't even think to save you and now you're dead. Again. And this time really is my fault. Kikyou, I'm sorry.'

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, as his face grew sadder. `He's thinking about Kikyou, isn't he?'

"Sango, do you think Inuyasha regrets saving me over Kikyou?"

Sango turned and looked at her best friend. "What? What do you mean?"

"I think he would have been happier if she had survived over me." Kagome lowered her face and looked at her hands folded in her lap. "I can't ever be her and now she's dead again. Inuyasha swore to protect us both. But I think he should have just tried to save her. I'm a burden."

Sango hugged her adopted sister. "No, Kagome. It was his choice. He chose to save you instead."

Kagome wasn't really listening though. "Maybe I can ask Kaede if I can bring her soul to the surface. That way he can have her. At least he would be happy then. And I…"

Sango enraged over her friend's depression suddenly slapped her. The sound of her palm cracking over Kagome's cheek brought even Inuyasha out of his stupor. Angrily, Sango stood. "I can't believe the way you're talking Kagome! Until you can act like yourself I'm going over to talk to Miroku! And you know how I try to avoid that!"

Miroku flinched at her words, while Kagome just held a hand to her cheek. Inuyasha just looked on wondering what had caused the two girls to fight.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

The next morning Inuyasha stood up after breakfast.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at him concerned.

"I'll be back soon."

"What? Inuyasha, where are you going?" Miroku stood as he spoke.

"I have something I have to do. By myself." He added when Kagome started to stand also. Her face fell and she sat back down hard.

"But…"

Inuyasha's face became hard. "No! I go by myself! I need to do this myself." He didn't wait for anyone else to say anything; he leapt into the nearby tree and disappeared into the forest. He heard Kagome's cry of "Inuyasha!" echoing after him but he ran on. It was time he went home. Maybe he could figure out what those dreams meant there.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

That night Inuyasha arrived at his childhood home. It was nestled in a beautiful clearing with a large lake that has a waterfall falling into it. The trees stood proudly in a circle, guarding the house from all others. Even when the other trees of the forest turned brown these trees stayed green all year long. The house was large with a full wrap around porch and had large windows. Inuyasha stopped at the circle of trees staring at it.

Inuyasha walked out of the trees. He walked across the clearing towards the house. He stopped on the porch and looked out over the clearing. The sun was setting, reflecting into the lake. The waterfall was splashing happily in the background. He could hear the door begin the open behind him. He turned to the door. It opened slowly to reveal a beautiful girl standing there. Her black hair floated around her shoulders. He could see her eyes shining with love and a smile covering her lips.

"Inuyasha!" she cried happily and flung herself into his arms. He caught her easily and whispered her name, "Kagome" as his head started to lower to hers.

Inuyasha blinked. `Kagome?' Inuyasha tried to imagine the reserved Kikyou acting as the young woman had in his daydream, but he couldn't. He shook his head and slowly started walking towards the house. He got to the front door and hesitated. He firmly grabbed the doorknob and twisted it sharply. The door swung open and the smell of dust assailed his nose.

A trail of footprints followed him as he walked up the stairs. His fingers trailed a path in the dust on the banister as he went. He walked slowly until he reached a door. He pushed the door open and looked inside at the room where he had lived for the first five years of his life. Toys were still scattered about on the floor. He picked up what had been his favorite toy and cradled it in his hands. Light shone in through the large windows.

Inuyasha walked up to the open door of the nursery. He leaned against the doorway and stared at the enchanting scene before him. A woman stood in the light cast from the window. She had long black hair that flowed over the back of her clothing. She was singing softly to the pup in her arms. Her head lifted and turned towards the open door, where the pup's father stood. Although her face was shadowed he could tell that she smiled and beckoned to him. He walked in and stood next to the beautiful woman, looking at the baby. The child had pure white hair, little doggy ears, and rich golden eyes.

"He looks just like you, Inuyasha."

"And you're the perfect mother, Kagome."

Inuyasha stiffened. `Kagome again? What's going on here?' He tucked the small stuffed animal into his waistband and wandered out into the hallway. He investigated the rest of the upper level before walking to the one room he didn't want to enter. Inuyasha pushed the door and walked into the room that had been his parents'. He would always sit on the bed listening to the stories she would tell him as she put up her hair. Inuyasha walked over and picked up the bottle of perfume that had rested in the same spot for many years on the vanity. He wiped a hand across the dusty mirror. He looked at the large four-poster canopy bed through the mirror.

The early morning light shone onto the bed. Inuyasha lay there with a sleeping young woman. She lay there next to him with her head on his bare chest. Her black hair covered almost all of her face. He buried his nose in her soft hair, inhaling her scent. Inuyasha wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. He brushed back her hair and looked into her beautiful face. Her eyes opened slowly.

"I love you Kagome."

She smiled softly and pulled his head down for a kiss.

Inuyasha stiffened. `Did I just say I loved Kagome in that? Do I love Kagome? No… I love Kagome… Kikyou! I loved Kikyou. Didn't I? What was it Kikyou said? Were we just lonely? What about Kagome? What has she got to do with this?' Inuyasha looked around the room one last time before he left. At the circle of trees he halted again and turned back to the house.

`I should bring Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara here. They're as much a family as I have. We can fill this house with more happy memories.'

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Kagome sat next to the fire. She stared blankly at the flames, remembering the harshness of his voice before he left. `What happened? What's wrong with Inuyasha? He was so harsh before.'

"Mama, when will Daddy be back?" Kagome looked at the kitsune huddled in her lap.

"Mama?" Kagome hugged Shippo tightly.

"Oh, Shippo, I don't know when Daddy will be back. He… He was pretty upset earlier. Don't worry, nothing can hurt Inuyasha." Shippo sighed and snuggled closer to her.

"Mama, will you tell me a story?" Sango and Miroku were sitting on the other side of the fire. They looked up at Shippo's question. They all loved listening to Kagome's stories. Kagome smiled.

"Of course. Do you want to hear the story about a young prince who was cursed by a witch and how only the love of a beautiful girl could save him?" All three nodded quickly. She started to tell the story of Beauty and the Beast. At the end of the story, Kagome looked down. This story reminded her of her life. Sucked into a world filled with magic and monsters, falling in love with the one who yelled at her but protected her no matter what. But her story ended there, whereas Beauty and the Beast ended happily ever after. `What would Beauty do if the Beast was in love with someone else?' Kagome looked down at the sleeping boy in her arms. She placed him in his sleeping bag carefully and kissed his forehead before walking back to her sleeping bag. Unbeknownst to them all, Inuyasha had listened to Kagome tell the story and he watched Kagome put Shippo to bed.

`She really will make a good mother.' Inuyasha smiled slightly. His daydream about Kagome holding a pup looking like Inuyasha flashed into his mind. He tried to imagine Kikyou as a mother but the image melted back to Kagome. `She would never love me or have my pup, so what does it matter?'

Inuyasha walked out of the woods and stopped before the fire. "Hey guys." They spun around and faced him.

"Inuyasha! You're back!" Kagome looked at him anxiously.

"Yeah, I had to be by myself for a while."

"It's okay Inuyasha, everyone needs some alone time." Sango patted his shoulder and noticed that he didn't stiffen like he normally would. Her eyebrows rose a little when she turned and walked back to her sleeping bag.

Inuyasha just nodded to her before walking over to Shippo. The kitsune had started to whimper in his sleep and calling out for his daddy.

"It's okay, Shippo. Daddy's back." Inuyasha's words soothed the cub and he smiled in his sleep. Inuyasha just jumped into a tree above everyone's sleeping bags ignoring the surprised looks from the others