InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Incomplete ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Langus

The smell of rich earth permeated the dank air the bottom of the well in Higurashi shrine. Kagome clawed her hands into the dirt and rode out the silent sobs that shook her shoulders. She'd cried a river over him in the short time since they'd met. Why did love have to hurt so much? Why did her chest have to ache so bad every time she thought of them together? Every romance novel that taught girls about 'Happily Ever After' endings was nothing but a lie. Love was never that easy. It was always complicated, painful and tragic - at least where he was concerned.

After collecting herself together and wiping the last of the tears from her cheeks, she climbed the rickety wooden ladder to the top of the well and emerged into the yard. The day was the exact opposite of her mood - bright, sunny and cheerful. She squinted against the sun and put up a hand to shield her eyes. Her mother waved from where she was hanging the laundry on the line and Sota ran over with his soccer ball in hand. She didn't miss his subtle look behind her to see if Inuyasha had followed her through the well.

"Hey Sis! Did Inuyasha come this time?"

She put on a weak smile and shook her head.

"Not this time, Sota."

The disappointment beneath his quiet, "Oh, okay," was palpable. He'd really taken a liking to the half demon and looked up to him like he would a big brother. It only made it harder to think that he'd never be coming through the well again. She didn't have the heart to tell him so instead she darted for the house.

Sota stared after her confused.

"That was weird..." he muttered with a shake of his head.

Sneaking into the well he peered into its dark depths and caught sight of something laying on the ground. Sucking up his courage, he climbed down the rickety old ladder into the dank, dark well. Hopping off at the last rung, he landed in the dirt with a soft grunt and stepped over to the object.

"This looks like Inuyasha's necklace..." he wondered aloud as he picked the necklace up and examined it in the dim light. But why would Kagome have Inuyasha's beads? And why did she leave them at the bottom of the well?

Stuffing the necklace into his back pocket, he clambered up the ladder and scampered out of the shrine.

No matter how many times Kagome travelled back and forth safely through the well, he would never forget the pair of luminescent, disembodied hands that'd thrust forth from it's murky depths to drag her into the feudal era. He shivered despite the warm sunlight and shook his head to dispel the memory.

Calling a quick goodbye to his mother, he picked up his soccer ball and headed to the park to meet his friends.

oOo

Kagome emerged from the bath looking like a pruned sea creature and wrapped her sopping hair into a towel. Her every muscle was relaxed to the point of lethargy. It felt soo good to soak in hot water again! Wearing a content smile, she walked lazily to her bedroom to change. Her legs felt like jelly as they carried her towards the soft luxury of her bed and its freshly washed sheets.

As it turned out, Sota had beaten her to it. He sat patiently on her bed, kicking his feet under him.

"Sota! What are you doing in my room?" she scolded, grabbing the boy by the arm and ushering him towards the door.

He planted his feet firmly on the ground and stubbornly braced his hands against the door frame.

"No! I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened to Inuyasha! I found these at the bottom of the well!" he exclaimed, holding up the prayer beads that'd once lain around the half demon's neck.

She tried to snatch them away but after nearly losing her precariously wrapped towel, she relented. Sota held them out of her reach and stared at her accusingly.

"Is Inuyasha okay or not?"

Seeing the worried look in her brother's eyes, she felt her anger begin to ebb away. Her shoulders drooped and she slowly backed up to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Without those beads Inuyasha can't come through the well," she explained. "He and I…we had a fight so I took the beads from him."

Sota's expression softened and he stuffed the beads back into his pocket.

"What did you fight about?" he asked as he curled his feet beneath him and sat cross-legged on the floor next to her bed.

"Well, has it ever happened to you where you have a best friend who you think you have a play date with and when they don't show up you find out it's because they were really out playing with someone else and didn't invite you to come along?"

Sota nodded his head slowly in understanding, "So Inuyasha ditched you to hang out with someone else?"

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled weakly, "Something like that."

His face scrunched up as he thought over her predicament. She could practically see the wheels inside his head turning as he searched for an easy solution.

"Well don't worry, Sis. I'm sure he'll change his mind. I don't think there are many people in his era cooler than you. You fight demons, you kill monsters with a bow and arrow, you have power over those crazy jewel shards… You're practically a super hero!"

He wore a triumphant grin and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at his description of her life in the feudal era. With a lingering smile on her lips, she ruffled his hair.

"Thanks Sota, I needed that. I'm sure things will work themselves out. Now you'd better get off to bed before Mom gets angry at you."

He nodded and jumped to his feet.

"Alright, see ya later Sis!" he called over his shoulder and in a flash was bounding down the hall towards his room.

After hanging her towel over the door knob to dry and slipping into a fresh set of PJs, Kagome crawled between her freshly washed sheets with a grateful sigh. Staring thoughtfully at the ceiling she smiled and pondered what Sota had said. He was so confident about Inuyasha's feelings for her! If only she could feel the same...

oOo

It was well before dawn when a lone figure crept down the hall toward Kagome's room. Dressed in denim jeans, a sweater and a ball cap, he held his sneakers in one hand and tip-toed across the wooden floor. If he got caught he'd be in big trouble, but it was worth the risk.

Turning the knob to Kagome's room, he held his breath and listened for any signs that she was still awake. The sound of her soft snores greeted him from the bed and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe this would be easier than he though.

Scanning her room, he quickly located the pink glow of the jewel shards his sister always kept on her desk. Careful of his footing, he navigated around various clothes piles and snatched the shards up from her desk. Grinning he tucked them into his pants pocket and retreated down the stairs. Once he was clear of the house he ran all the way to the well. With the weight of Inuyasha's necklace in his pocket and the soft chinking of the shards marking his every step, he was sure he was doing the right thing.

The hut that housed the well was pitch black and eerily silent once he'd shut the sliding door behind him. Sota took in a deep breath and tried to block out the sound of his heart pounding in his chest. This place was creepy in the middle of the day. In the dead of night it was down right terrifying!

Using his hands to feel his way down the stairs, he groped blindly in the dark until he reached the bottom and found the edge of the well. Or rather, the well found him after he bumped into it with his knee.

"Ouch!" he cried out, rubbing the soft spot that was sure to bruise.

Un-thwarted, he dangled first one leg and then the other over the inky darkness at the bottom of the well. Pulling out the shining jewel shards he clutched them tight to his chest and said a quick prayer. This was really gonna hurt if he was wrong.

"Come on jewel shards! Do your thing!" he commanded and pushed himself off the edge of the well and into the bottomless abyss.

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Author's Note: I found Sota to be very under-represented in fanfics so I added him into my story. Please take a minute to leave a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you :)