InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wake Me Up Inside ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Wake Me Up Inside

Chapter 2

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Author's notes: For those of you who caught this story when I first posted it, I'm letting you know there has been a small change in the first chapter. I changed his hair from silver to black. The reasoning behind it, I would tell you if it weren't for the fact that it'll be grounds for a later plot twist. Therefore, I must leave you wondering on that one like Kagome is.

The rating of this story has been increased to PG-13 due to the appearance of adult themes in a few places in this chapter. Rating may increase still more in the future depending upon how intimate I want to let this story get. Of course, if there arise situations stronger than R, they will be posted on Mediaminer.org and you will thus be notified.

I will also note that the start of this chapter overlaps the end of the last one. I felt it was the best way to approach the cliffhanger scenario. ^_^ That said, I'll let you get on with reading.

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"No. It can't be him. It…" Kagome reasoned then slowly crept over to the figure in the bed.

The young man that lay there in perpetual slumber resembled in every way the human form of the boy she had grown to love so dearly. Her mind instantly began comparing this moment to the first time she'd seen him. Instead of the fire rat haori and hakama, there was a hospice gown clothing him. In the place of vines and an arrow holding him down, it was tubes and gismos from medical equipment. It was a completely modern version of day Kagome had found Inuyasha sealed to the God Tree. Then, Kagome noticed one key element. Around Yue's neck was a necklace the miko would recognize anywhere.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome blurted as her heart clenched hard within her chest and tears welled up in her eyes. How could this be? Why wasn't Inuyasha in hell with Kikyou? What happened to him after she left? All of this was too much for the young miko who swiftly parked her rear in a chair to try and prevent collapsing right then and there.

"Oh my god! You do know him! Don't you Kagome?!" Peggy gasped.

"Hun, take deep breaths and squeeze your thighs together. Try doing that every couple of seconds. It'll keep you from fainting," Beth advised a very pale Kagome while kneeling beside her to make sure she'd be all right. "Peggy, go across the hall to the break room and ask Clara to fix a cup of water for your friend here."

Peggy nodded and deposited the stuff she was carrying on the floor. She then turned and exited the room to complete her errand. Beth then turned and looked at Kagome who was trying her best to follow the nurse's instructions despite her dizzy aching head. The miko rubbed her temples with her fingers till Beth called her name. Kagome looked up at her with tear filled eyes.

"Would you like to talk about it? I have a good ear and plenty of hugs," Beth coaxed gently with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean-" Kagome said, desperately trying to speak clearly enough for the nurse to understand. Beth swiftly interrupted her with a loose hug.

"Don't be. Fate has strange ways of playing its cards. Don't apologize. I'm actually glad to find someone that knows him," Beth smiled. "Romeo doesn't get very many visitors aside from us nurses and the occasional gawker. How do you know him? Better yet, what was it you called him again?"

"I know him as Inuyasha. And my story with him is.. rather complicated. I grew up tending to a shrine that he was connected to through a.. umm.. mutual acquaintance. It's hard to say anymore than that. And I'd rather not anyway."

"Inuyasha. It's certainly different," Beth nodded.

"I'm back. Here's your water, Kagome," Peggy said as she bounced back in and handed the fountain cup to the Japanese girl. "So who is this guy again? Is he ever gonna wake up? Is he available?"

Kagome groaned softly, "Peggy, slow down. You talk too fast."

"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting."

"Perhaps it would be best if you held your questions off for a few minutes while Kagome takes a breather," Beth advised while Kagome slowly sipped at her water. She closed her eyes to try and further calm herself while finishing off the water. She then took a few more deep breaths while Beth took the cup and set it on the night stand.

Once certain that she was no longer in danger of fainting, Kagome opened her eyes to gaze forward at Inuyasha. Beth followed her gaze.

"To answer one of Peggy's questions, we're not really sure when he'll wake up. But, having people near him that he knows certainly helps. It lets him know that he's not alone and that he has a life and people to come back to," the nurse advised.

"Whoever he is and however you know him, Kagome, I'm jealous," Peggy admitted. Kagome nodded solemnly as she carefully rose and shifted to sit on the bed side.

"You're not the only one, Peggy. A guy like that, I'm sure when he was conscious he had to beat the chicks off with a stick," Beth grinned. Kagome, however was once again lost in her own thoughts.

Slowly, the miko reached out her fingers to touch the cool ring of prayer beads that encircled Inuyasha's neck. Even now, her miko senses could still feel power in the beads. She even thought she could faintly sense Inuyasha's aura as well, though she wasn't quite sure.

"That appeared around his neck about two years ago. We think a member of the family or a friend left it with him, but we're not sure. We tried to take them off a couple of times for hygiene purposes, but no one could get them off. Finally we decided to just leave it rather than possibly anger him by ruining it.," Beth mentioned.

"I see," Kagome replied as she nodded slowly.

"You seem to know what the trinket means," Beth suggested.

"I know a bit, but I'm still puzzled by some parts of the story. Again, I'd rather not elaborate," Kagome responded.

"That's fine. You're entitled to your privacy on such things," Beth grinned. Kagome couldn't help but blush. "Now, if you're up to it, Kagome, we can get to taking care of Rip-van-Romeo."

Again, Kagome blushed, "Hai. I'll do whatever it takes. I know he and I have had our differences, but I'll still do whatever it takes to help him through this. I owe it to him for all the times he's given his all for me."

"Great. All right. Since you two are only here for an hour and we've already used up a considerable amount of time, I'm going to have the both of you help with a daily routine that's simple and not too embarrassing," Beth grinned.

"Well shoot. I was anxious to see his sword."

"Peggy, hush. Pervert!" Kagome scolded while giving the girl a predatory glare.

"What?!"

"Hey, hey. Let's keep our mind out of the gutter. I'm gathering that's Kagome's job, and I don't want to be cleaning up any cat fight messes," Beth laughed.

"All right. All right. What are we suppose to do then?" Peggy asked.

"When a person stays in a state of suspended animation for an extended period of time, the muscles begin to get stiff and will degenerate. With people who are in comas, we make it a point to daily exercise the muscles for them so that they don't become rawhide," Beth explained.

"Oh, I get it. Cool."

"Enjoy it while you can, Beth. When he's conscious, it's next to impossible to keep him still. Even when he's injured so bad you wonder how he even breathes without screaming in pain," Kagome scowled.

"So he's a feisty one, hmm?" Beth laughed.

"That's putting it extremely mildly. Some friends of mine had to literally lock him in a shed to keep him from getting into trouble. Well, more trouble than he was already in anyway. I don't think he quite knows how to stay out of it," Kagome frowned even more. Beth laughed a little harder.

"Is he a biker dude?"

"No. He's a hot tempered, foul-mouthed moron that can do anything when he really puts his mind to it."

"My goodness. That's quite a description."

"Ehh.. Nothing with him is ever quite that simple. Ne, Inuyasha?" Kagome commented as she poked at the sleeping boy's chest. She looks to the other to. "If he could talk right now, he'd be saying something along the lines of 'Keh!'"

Peggy and Beth both giggled at Kagome's meager attempt at humor. Somehow, even Kagome felt a little better from her own antics. It was faint, but she allowed herself to smile as she looked at her helpless friend. 'We're going to make it through this, Inuyasha. We've beat far tougher odds than this. And what's to say, you didn't some how change your mind and decide to wait for me? I don't always understand you, but some part of me still holds on to faith in you to do what is right,' the miko thought to herself as she moved around to his left side. Coming to stand next to him, she reached out to touch the spot upon his chest where Kikyou's arrow had once pierced his flesh. Her fingers then lightly trailed down his arm to his hand which she picked up to hold between the two of hers, careful of the IV.

"Yoshi! Let's do this," Kagome gave Beth and Peggy a determined stare.

"One of you can turn on the radio if you like. Pick whatever station you're comfortable with," Beth said.

"I have some Japanese CDs in my bag there."

"That could work too," Beth nodded. Peggy pulled out one of the CDs and popped it into the player. The song "Ultra Soul" by B'z came on and Kagome smiled as she lip-synced along.

"The language sounds weird but the music is cool," Peggy nodded as she listened. Kagome sighed with a soft smile.

"It's a song that basically says if you wish to find happiness, you have to go out and fight for it," Kagome explained.

"Words to live by," Beth nodded.

As the music played on, the two college students followed Beth's lead. Limb by limb and joint by joint, together, the three women exercised their patient's weak muscles. Each time, Kagome's mind started down dark paths, Beth or Peggy would notice her retreat into silence and bring her back by asking questions about life in Japan. Kagome found herself more than happy to answer. She knew she needed to stay strong. She wasn't a little girl anymore and breaking down in front of other people wouldn't solve anything. There would be plenty of time to cry later behind closed doors.

For some odd reason, the time flew by for Kagome. Before she knew it, it was time for her and the rest of the class to leave. Then again, she did have other classes to attend after this, so it was probably better that the time went by so fast. She could always come back later on her own.

"I thank you for your help, ladies. You're welcome to come back again any time, you know," Beth said with a smile as they were walking out the door.

"I would like to. I'll probably drop by again later after my other classes," Kagome answered.

"I figured you'd be say'n that," Peggy grinned. "Sure, I'll swing by when I can."

"All right, I'll see you two later then," Beth grinned back. Peggy waved then all but dragged Kagome off towards the bus. The Japanese girl inwardly sighed as she realized things would only get more complicated. With complications came stress, which is the last thing she needed right now. 'Why me?' she thought to herself as she sat back down in her seat on the bus.

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The rest of the day went surprisingly well for Kagome. Her next class was chemistry lab. Experiments and group work kept her mind on what she was doing rather than dwelling on one particular young man. After that, it was a computer class where they were focusing on learning how to install a hard drive. That also kept her mind relatively busy. However, once free of classes, Kagome's mind finally caught up with her when she stopped at the university grill to grab a salad for dinner.

As she sat down to eat, questions began flooding her mind. What happened to Inuyasha after she left? What did he do with the Shikon no Tama? How was he connected to the boy in the hospice? Was that boy Inuyasha himself or a reincarnation like Kagome was of Kikyou? If he woke up, would he remember her? Would he know who she was and why she was drawn to his side? There were soon so many questions to be answered, it gave her a head ache.

Groaning, Kagome rose from her seat and tossed what little was left of her salad into the trash can. Gathering up her things, she headed to her car. She intended to go home and study a bit first, however, that was not where she ended up. Instead, she found herself pulling up in front of the hospice. She frowned at herself, inviting trouble as she was. But, still, she could not prevent herself from gathering her things and going inside to visit that mysterious boy once more.

Once inside, she began walking the way she remembered she'd went earlier in the day. Yet, this time, the mood was decidedly different. As she went, sounds slowly died out to just that of her shoes clicking against the linoleum floors, and gravity seemed to strengthen. It seemed as if she were walking somewhere on Jupiter rather than Earth. Finally nearing the room she sought, Kagome swallowed hard at the lump forming in her throat.

Bravely, the miko stepped inside, and placed her things down near the visitor's chair. She then took a deep breath and turned to approach the bed. As she neared, step for step, her eyes fell to take in the person laying in it. Upon reaching the bedside, she turned and sat down facing the boy she had come to see.

Maintaining the heavy silence, Kagome found herself content to just sit there for a while. Her glassy umber eyes carefully studied the perpetually slumbering figure. His jet black hair was left loose to cascade about him in a river of ebony. The way the light glistened off those locks made it seem as though his hair might be made of delicate fibers of glass. The miko found herself compelled to reach out and touch them. Gently raising her hand, she brought her delicate ivory digits to shyly play through his thick set of naturally unruly bangs. She then trailed them down through the long silky tendrils that framed the boy's face. The hair flowing through her fingers was just like it's owner, course and soft a the same time.

Kagome's eyes roamed onward to that face that seemed to haunt her both in dreams and in flashback memories of the past. That face that was so burned into her mind held the same expression of serene peace as the first time she looked upon it the day of her fifteenth birthday. The features were soft yet strong as a boy learning to be a man. Bold black eyebrows stood out in contrast with the whiteness of flesh as they arched with attitude over the boy's eyes. Then those gently closed eyelids drew in the miko's gaze to watch raven lashes come to rest ever so lightly against tensionless cheeks. Following the ridge of his nose, Kagome watched slow even breaths taint that statuesque face with the faintest of movement. Thoughtlessly, Kagome's hand moved to allow a thumb to brush over the cool tip of that nose. A blush then rose to her cheeks as her thumb continued far enough to meet soft smoothly sculpted lips.

Kagome bit her lip as memories surfaced of how many times she had dreamed of kissing those lips. Then, she recalled the time she actually did. She could still remember every sensation from that moment as contact with the hanyou at that point sent sparks shooting through her being and the taste of him lingered after that contact was broken. Even now, as she thought about that memory, she could feel her body respond in a way that reminded her she was no longer a little girl, but a woman. She could feel the heat pool in her cheeks and abdomen with growing intensity the longer her mind remained upon that memory and the dreams it had inspired.

Finding the course of her thoughts growing a bit inappropriate for the time being, Kagome shook her head clear. Turning back again, she took in the whole picture of he whom Inuyasha had somehow become. She still knew not if this was the original Inuyasha merely waiting for her, or if this was his reincarnation bearing those beads that were attached to Inuyasha's very soul. Yet, as she gazed at him now, she saw the same person as she had seen during Inuyasha's new moon nights. Then, again, the more she gazed at this boy, and the more she remembered her own Inuyasha, the more she saw the tiniest hints of aging that set the two images apart. Though not by much, this boy seemed to look just a tad bit older than Inuyasha did. But, this really meant nothing. She still new little about the hanyou's rate of aging as he had never said anything about how old he truly was. And, Kagome, herself, had done some aging as well.

The Kagome that now sat at Inuyasha's side was three inches taller than she once was. No longer the scrawny school girl, Kagome had matured to fill all the right places. Her efforts to remain fit even after the adventures were over had paid off as the miko now possessed more athletic physique, strength showing through the toning of her muscles. In her ears were tear drop onyx earrings. Gone was the school uniform, and in it's place was a peach cotton blouse, black business casual slacks, and black Franco Sarto slides. However, the most drastic change was her hair.

Shortly after arriving in America, in an attempt to further deviate from the past, Kagome had started dying her hair a rich chestnut hue at the suggestion of a classmate. In addition, she had layered and permed it into gentle waves while her bangs were parted mostly to the left side of her face as they curled a bit more tightly. It had certainly taken a bit of getting use to, but Kagome was now stuck on the look. It seemed to compliment and enhance her features that last little bit to make her the radiant yet sophisticated young woman she had become.

If and when Inuyasha woke up, would he remember her? Would he remember the girl she used to be? Would he recognize her through what she was now? Would he like the changes, or would he hate them? One thing was certain, though. She could no longer see Kikyou when she looked at herself in the mirror. She was all Kagome and no one else. She had noticed that the change of appearance upped her popularity with the men. She could just see Inuyasha's reaction to that. These days things might really get messy if she didn't watch that jealous temper of his.

Looking back up at Inuyasha, Kagome allowed her fingertips to run up under his bangs and dance across his forehead. Their path then turned down the side of his face as her palm molded to cup the side of the boy's face. For some odd reason, memories of Inuyasha's irritating habits only made her pine for him all that much more. Deep inside her, the miko's soul implored to the sleeping boy to find this moment ripe for waking. Yet, despite her wish, Inuyasha remained unresponsive.

Biting her lip, Kagome fought back the tears that threatened to spill as her hand traveled down to the slumbering man's chest. Through the barriers of fabric, she could feel the steady beat of his heart within his chest. The miko tensed as emotions within her pooled still more. Shifting, she laid down to where her head came to rest upon the center of his chest. Now she could hear as well as feel the rhythm of his heartbeat and the breath moving in and out of his lungs. Finding one of his hands in her line of sight, she clasped it with hers, lacing her fingers through his.

Finally, no longer able to keep her feelings pent up, Kagome let the barriers come crashing down. As they did so, the tears she'd held such a tight reign on finally burst forth to flow freely down her cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kagome drew in a hiccupped breath before falling completely apart to sob out the aches and pains her heart now suffered. She couldn't care less now if anyone saw or heard. All she knew was the pain of seeing her best friend like this was excruciating. If tears would help ease it even the slightest bit, then so be it. She was still female, after all, and it was her job to cry for this man when he was in such trouble as this.

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Penguine: I could have made this one longer, but it's already 9 pages as it is and there are quite a few of you on my case to update. *lol* I'm glad you all like the story so far. Let's just hope that my muse continues to cooperate with me on this. *lol*

A little note on the song I chose in this one, I almost chose something from Inuyasha but they all talk about something that would have made Kagome cry at that moment. So I went for a group I know a bit more about. B'z is a highly popular group on the Jpop charts in Japan. They've got so many songs they've done I've lost count. For those of you who like Jpop and haven't heard them, check them out! Complete lyrics and translation for the soul "Ultra Soul" is available at http://keen_on_all.tripod.com/bzlyrics/list.htm if you're interested in reading them.