InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Every Heart ❯ Chapter 3

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Inuyasha tried to still himself, but it was hard when she was touching him so much. Sure, it was out of concern, but it made him think about things he shouldn’t be worried about, considering he was currently lying on the floor of the shrine’s well house. By the time her idiot brother finally returned with the wet cloth, he had managed to sit up again.

“Inuyasha, what happened?” Kagome tried again, wiping his brow with the cloth. Suddenly her stomach was a gigantic knot of worry and fear.

“I’ve never had such a hard time passing through the well,” he replied, shaking his head slightly. “It took me all day to get through, and even then, it felt strange.”

“What do you mean, strange?” Kagome questioned, pushing his sweat-soaked hair off his shoulder and touching the cloth to his neck.

“The magic was…weak, I guess. I was afraid it wouldn’t let me through.” Inuyasha turned his golden gaze to Kagome, which made her flush. “But I’m glad it did.” He put his hand over hers as she touched his face again with the cloth.

“Do you want something to eat, Inuyasha?” Sota piped up, breaking the moment.

Inuyasha stood and tested his balance before replying. “Might be a good idea, before trying the well again.”

Kagome didn’t like the sound of that statement, but kept her mouth shut as she helped him up the steps to the door. Leaving her pack in the well house, the trio moved back through the courtyard to the main house. Kagome’s mother was shocked to see Inuyasha, much less take in his wearied appearance. Kagome quickly heated some water for ramen, and cooked an egg. She served Inuyasha the simple meal; by the time he was finished, he appeared completely restored.

Once again bidding her family goodbye – and leaving Sota behind this time – Kagome and Inuyasha returned to the well house. Inuyasha grabbed her yellow backpack and lifted it over his shoulders easily before hopping down the steps to the well. He eyed it suspiciously as he waited for Kagome to catch up. He was ready to jump in, but Kagome stopped him.

“I have some good news, I think,” she said, touching his arm to get his attention.

Inuyasha turned his skeptical eye towards her. “You think?” he repeated.

“I let my grandfather look at the Shikon Jewel, and he said that he thinks it can conjure up its own barrier.” She lifted the jewel from under her shirt and showed it to him. “I’ve been working on it, but so far, I haven’t had much success.”

Inuyasha’s gaze narrowed. “How is that good news?” he asked.

“If I can manage to conjure its barrier, it means I can spend more time with you and the others in your era,” she explained. “Think of it as extra protection against all the demons that will be after the jewel.” Upon seeing his still-confused expression, she tried again. “I won’t have to come back to my own time so often.”

“There’s just a little problem with your theory right now,” he said, glancing back down at the well. “I barely got here to get you; what makes you think you’ll have any better luck travelling through the well?”

Kagome bit her bottom lip as she contemplated this. Inuyasha saw her do that and wished he hadn’t. Those thoughts were coming back, and he really didn’t have time to deal with them just now. He had to concentrate on getting her back across the time gap.

“I guess we’ll never know until we try,” she finally said. She looked at him, fear full on her face. “I hope this works.”

Inuyasha grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “It will. It has to. After all, I don’t belong in this time period.”

Kagome nodded, unwilling to think about that particular point just now. “Okay, let’s go back.” Still clutching his hand, she stepped forward. Together, they climbed onto the ledge of the well and jumped in.

Kagome’s eyes were squeezed shut as they fell freely. When they didn’t hit the bottom, she opened them and looked to her left, where she was still holding onto Inuyasha’s hand.

He wasn’t there.

She turned completely back and saw him, barely hanging onto her. Her grip on his hand tightened and she reached back with her other hand, slowly and awkwardly crawling backwards until her arms were wrapped around him. The more contact between them, the faster they travelled, until they were on the other side. Instead of falling softly to the bottom, they crashed to the ground, the weight of her backpack bringing Inuyasha down on top of Kagome.

“Are you okay?” he gasped, breathing heavily as he struggled to sit up. Kagome looked up at him, and noticed he was again covered in sweat. He shoved her pack off his back and reached for her when she didn’t immediately follow his motions. She grasped his shoulders as he pulled her into a sitting position.

“That was strange,” she said, looking around them at the inside of the well. It was covered with freshly turned dirt and bones.

“If I hadn’t held onto you, I wouldn’t have been let through,” Inuyasha said, his breathing still arduous.

“I just don’t understand,” Kagome said, brushing his bangs way from his face. “The only thing that felt different for me was pulling you through. You were like dead weight.”

Inuyasha shook his head. “The well was rejecting me.” He gestured to the walls of the well. “You see how hard it was for me to go through the first time.”

Kagome wanted to cry. Panic was swiftly rising in her. Something was most definitely wrong. She had never had trouble passing through the well with Inuyasha, and it had taken almost everything she had to make sure they both arrived in one piece. What could this mean? That he couldn’t come for her in her own time? Could she even return to her own time?

She was in the midst of working herself into a right good panic attack when Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. “Kagome!” he said firmly, bringing her back to the present. “Look at the jewel. It’s practically white.”

Kagome looked down. The jewel was shining brightly under her shirt, and it felt warm against her skin. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, but it was rather hard to do with Inuyasha glaring at her chest. She bent her head and let her hair fall down, covering the jewel’s glow as well as the rest of her.

Inuyasha grumbled something and let go of her shoulders, hoisting himself to his feet. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice a bit rough. He grabbed her backpack and threw it over the top of the well before climbing the vines to the top. Kagome followed him, grateful for the help over the well’s ledge. She was even more grateful that the jewel had stopped glowing.

“I’m not like that pervert monk, you know,” Inuyasha said as he picked up her bag.

Kagome smiled. “I know,” she replied, taking his hand again as they walked through the forest towards the village.

“Well, I’d say it’s pretty obvious that the jewel is tied to the well,” Miroku mused later that night. The group was gathered around the cooking fire in Kaede’s hut and had just listened to the strange tale of travelling through the well, as well as the possibilities for the spiritual barrier of the jewel.

“I think that if you have the jewel with you when you are trying to pass through the well, you wouldn’t have any trouble,” he continued. “But it seems that this means Inuyasha can’t retrieve you anymore. I suggest you not make Kagome angry anymore, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha shot Miroku a dark look. “And I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Monk.”

Kagome ignored their fighting. “What do you think about the jewel’s supposed barrier, Kaede?”

The old miko gazed at her thoughtfully. “I’ve never heard of such a thing,” she said, “but I suppose it could be true. Ye say that ye tried to conjure it already, with no success?”

Kagome nodded. “It has grown much brighter, though,” she contended. “It’s more white than pink.”

“Mmhm,” Kaede mused. “Perhaps, if ye can purify it until it turns completely white, that’s when the barrier will form.”

“Maybe,” Kagome said. “Sango, do you know anything about it?”

Her friend turned to face her across the fire. “I’ve also never heard about this, but Midoriko had extraordinary spiritual powers. We’ve all heard the theory that the jewel could be purified out of existence, so maybe this is an extension of that.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, I’ll keep working on it,” Kagome decided. “If it means I can come back here more often, and stay longer each time, I’ll give it a shot.” She smiled at all of her friends.

“I’d be grateful for any help you could lend me,” Sango said, reaching out to squeeze Kagome’s hand. “I’m going to search for my brother now.”

Kagome’s eyes widened in surprise.

“We know he’s still alive, thanks to Kikyo’s light when the Shikon shard was pulled from his back,” Sango continued. “I’m just not sure where he is, or what he remembers. But he’s the only family I have left, and I need to find him.”

“Of course!” Kagome said. “Any way I can help, I will.” She noticed Miroku shift closer to Sango during this little speech, as if to remind his fiancée that she wasn’t as alone as she thought. “So is this the new mission for everyone?”

The group nodded. It seemed they would stay together longer than last suspected. Shippo had made himself quite at home with Kaede, and Miroku and Sango didn’t seem in any hurry to move away from the village.

“Hopefully we will be planning a wedding soon, too,” Miroku said smoothly, putting his arm around Sango and grinning.

“And I’ll be keeping an eye on Sesshoumaru’s empire-building,” Inuyasha added. “He’s already summoned me for a meeting.”

Kagome turned to Inuyasha in surprise. “Really? I wonder what he wants.”

“I’m wondering that myself,” he said, casting a dark look to no one in particular. “I can’t imagine he wants to kiss and make up.”

Kagome shrugged and touched the jewel at her collar. Between learning the jewel’s secrets, searching for Sango’s brother, and trying to figure out Sesshoumaru, it appeared there was more than enough to justify deferring her education for another semester…or two.