InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love and Obligation ❯ Part Two ( Chapter 2 )

Love and Obligation

By Pareathe

A/N: Yep, second part of my first InuYasha fic. Thanks for the great response to the first chapter...I was a little nervous, this being my first attempt at Inuyasha and all. Arigato, minna!

Also, I have to put a note in here about the rating. As you can see, it's been dropped way, way down from where it was. You see, people who know me (and I've noticed many of the reviewers were ones I've never seen before, so that was really cool ^_^) refer to me fondly as a porn queen, because 99% of what I write is NC-17 rated, adult-themed fanfiction. Unfortunately, it's become a bit of a habit to just hit that rating without even thinking about it, hence, what I did on this story. The fact is I never had any intention of doing anything which would deserve a high rating, so I'm truly sorry if any of you read this solely for that purpose. It was a stupid oversight on my part, and I hope you'll forgive me for it.

Anyway, I hope you continue reading anyway, so on with the next installment. Enjoy! :)

Part Two

Inuyasha?

Kagome's head snapped up, and her heart thundered wildly in her chest. Her eyes moved frantically around the room, looking for any sign of the voice she thought she'd heard.

It took several minutes of searching-the closet, the hallway, and out the window-for her to realize she must've imagined it. Perhaps she'd dozed off while trying to study. She was exhausted, after all. Since coming back to her time, she'd been doing little aside from catching up on all the schoolwork she'd missed during the continuous string of 'illnesses' which had kept her out of school while she gallivanted around feudal Japan.

For the millionth time, Kagome wished she hadn't left. She missed her friends, and she missed Inuyasha. She missed him more than she'd ever imagined.

Maybe I should've stayed. I mean, what if he's lonely?

She shook her head. No, that was silly. He had Miroku, Sango, and Shippo. They wouldn't leave him, she knew. And he had Kikyo.

She made herself take a deep breath to ward off the sudden tightness in her throat and moisture building in the corners of her eyes. Yes, Inuyasha had Kikyo, would be with her forever if she had her way about it. Considering she'd been gone nearly a week, he may already have given his soul over to her, just so they could be together.

She'd wanted to beg him not to, but she'd also known better than anyone why he felt he had to. Even after everything she'd done and said, he loved Kikyo.

If her heart hadn't been breaking with longing for him, it would've probably seemed extremely romantic. Under the circumstances, though, it was anything but. In fact, the idea of a woman who so desperately clung to her hatred and need for revenge, stealing souls of the dead just to remain among the living until she could drag Inuyasha into hell with her, royally pissed Kagome off.

It wasn't fair. Kikyo wanted to capture Inuyasha's spirit, and trap him forever. Sure, she'd claimed to love him, but she'd also admitted that she loved her hatred of him; it gave her power over him. But Kagome wanted Inuyasha to live, and be happy with his life. She wanted to see him find the inner peace he'd desperately looked for. Even if it meant losing him, she would've been willing to let him go, if he'd wanted it.

That's the difference between us, Kagome mused. She loves to hate him, but I just want to love him..

Of course, he'd made his decision many months ago. The memory of that night was still vivid in Kagome's mind, the chilling image of Kikyo in Inuyasha's arms as he declared he'd always protect her. He hadn't know she was hiding behind a tree only a few feet away, but when she'd stepped out...well, it was the first time he hadn't looked away in embarrassment after being caught with Kikyo.

That's when she'd known his mind was made up. She hated it, hated Kikyo for a while too, but it was something she'd forced herself to accept.

Partially, because it wasn't her decision to make, and partially because she'd hoped to change his mind over time. It had been a longshot, but she'd been willing to take the chance, just on the remote possibility that he would realize how different her feelings for him were, compared to Kikyo's.

She'd known she couldn't compete with his dead first love. She'd been murdered by Naraku in Inuyasha's form all those years ago, just as Inuyasha had been attacked by the same youkai in Kikyo's form, all so the Shikon no Tama would be corrupted. And he blamed himself for her premature death.

Kagome knew Naraku was the one to blame for all of it-Inuyasha's confusion, Kikyo's animosity, and her own heartache. And yet, even though Naraku was gone, it still didn't feel like justice had been done; the good guys were still paying the price for that bastard's deceit. What was fair about that?

There's no reason to dwell on this, her conscience scolded. I couldn't be selfish about it. Inuyasha loves Kikyo; I had no right to get in the way of his happiness.

Sure, she knew she'd done the right thing from a moral standpoint, but it didn't stop her heart from aching any less, knowing she'd basically handed Inuyasha over to Kikyo-a woman who hated him as much as she loved him-without a fight.

She found herself going over their last conversation in her mind once again, looking for anything she should have done differently. Anything at all that would have changed things between them...

***

"What're you doing out here?" Inuyasha piped up as he entered the small clearing where the well sat, and where Kagome was standing next to it. "Everybody's looking for you."

Kagome shrugged, though her eyes never left the Shikon no Tama, hanging from a long chain around her neck once again, just as it had when she'd first received it from Kaede. "Just thinking, I guess."

"Feh, you think too much," he scoffed as he took his usual place at her side. "C'mon, we beat Naraku! Miroku doesn't have to worry about disappearing, Sango's got her brother back, and the Jewel's in one piece again!"

"Yeah, everything's back to the way it should be. It looks like we really did it," she replied softly.

Inuyasha let out and exasperated growl. "So what the hell's your problem? Instead of being happy, you look like somebody died!"

"I guess I'm just wondering, what now?"

He blinked a few times, a confounded look on his face. "What do you men, what now? What else is there? We did our part."

She nodded. "Hai. All that's left is...for me to go back to my world, right? Then everything will be like it was before I came here."

"Um...well, I don't know about all that, but..." Inuyasha stopped suddenly and scowled. "Wait a minute. You're making out like we're never gonna see you again or something. Baka, as long as you have the jewel-"

"I've already decided. I'm not taking it with me," Kagome whispered.

He stared at her for a few minutes, looking for any sign she was putting him on, but he found none. "What are you talking about? I mean...who's gonna guard the thing?"

"You will."

"Me?" He shook his head. "No way. That damned thing's already caused enough trouble. I don't plan on protecting it anymore."

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before taking his hand into one of her own. He opened his mouth to protest, but fell silent when she finally let her gaze meet his. With her free hand, she took the jewel from around her neck and placed it in his palm, closing his fingers around it as he watched her in disbelief.

"You don't have to protect it. I'm giving it to you, so you can use it," she explained.

"You're serious," he breathed.

She nodded. "I know how badly you wanted it."

"Well...yeah, but-" He fell silent, frowning thoughtfully for several minutes. "Why?" he asked suddenly. "You've never been too thrilled with the idea of me becoming all demon, and you and I both know Kikyo won't let me use the jewel to revive her. So why are you giving it to me?"

"I want you to live and be happy, Inuyasha. If the jewel can give you what you want, then you're the one who should have it." Kagome sniffled and cleared her throat. "I know the only thing left for you to do is settle things with Kikyo..."

She bowed her head, commanding her body to ignore how badly she wanted to grab onto him and never let go.

"Ka-Kagome...?"

"I already said my goodbyes to everyone this morning," she stated, her words rushed and jumbled so he wouldn't see her cry, "but you were gone, so-"

"You already...what? Hey, wait a minute!" Inuyasha interrupted. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her forward until they were nose to nose, with every intention of finding out exactly what she meant, but the expression on her face was all the answer he needed.

She knew she couldn't hold out much longer. "Thank you for keeping me safe while I was here," she managed, despite the fact her throat was painfully tight, "and for letting me stay with you." She smiled sadly. "I'll never forget you, Inuyasha. Take care of yourself."

Before he could say anything else, she jerked away from him and leapt into the well, mentally begging him to forgive her just as the first tear escaped down her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut when he called out to her, and she refused to look back when she heard him jump in after her. Part of her wished, once she was back on solid ground again on her side of the gateway, he'd land right next to her, mad as hell at her for trying to run away. But she'd known before she'd left, it wouldn't turn out that way.

Alone and in the dark, she stayed for what seemed like hours at the bottom of the shaft in her own time, unable to do anything except drop her head in her hands and sob uncontrollably.

***

Kagome gasped shakily and wiped her moist eyes roughly with the back of her hand, pushing the agonizing memories aside. She knew she'd never forget the way he'd looked at her before she left, or the sound of his choked, panicked cries, which followed her even as she vanished from his world.

Still, she'd done the right thing. She had to believe that.

"But if it was really the right thing to do," she muttered to herself, "why does it feel so wrong?"

*~*~*~*

I know it's another short chapter, but the final installment will definitely be longer, as I've got a lot to cover to wrap it up. Once again, I'm really sorry about the rating...didn't meant to get anyone's hopes up. Still, I hope you've enjoyed it, and I'll see ya in...erm...probably a month or so with the conclusion. Sorry for the long wait, but I'm a busy gal. *grins*

Oh yeah, almost forgot the reviewer responses! Can't be doing that, now can I?

inususu: Wow, thank you! I'm glad you liked it so far. I was really nervous, so I feel good, knowing someone enjoyed it ^_^

diva_eyez: Thank you, and yeah, I just wanted this to be short and simple. This is kind of my 'stretch your wings' fic for this fandom.

Cataluna: I'm glad you liked the explanation for his side. I didn't want to just say he had a choice, and not tell anyone what he was thinking, so I'm glad it came across the way I wanted it to. Thank you!

Moon_Kitsune: LOL, yeah, from what I'm hearing about the second movie, the actual ending of the series is probably gonna be totally different just on that alone, but since I'd only seen through Ep 92 and the first movie when I started this fic, I thought it'd be fun to play with this scenario.

ChocolateEclar: Thank you! And no worries on the ending-to say I detest Kikyo is about as understated as calling the Grand Canyon a drainage ditch. I don't know if it's a popular view or not (my beta reader is actually quite sympathetic to Kikyo, I think), but I can't stand her. Besides, she's dead, and I'm not into necrophilia. ^_~

Namek Kaia: Aw, thank you! I know...I'm addicted to InuYasha now...it's gotta be unhealthy, but I love it just the same, and am really excited about doing a fic for this show. Coming from doing DBZ fanfiction for over a year now, it's nice to be writing in a pool with a lot less fish in it. I've already noticed the feedback is more critical (which I consider a good thing, BTW), so it's a treat for me.

animealam: Well, it wasn't really soon, but I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, despite the wait. Thank you for the compliment about illustrating the conflict-I was hoping it'd come across right.

Yume Maxwell-Yuy: Wow, thank you so much! I'm glad you're looking forward to it, and I hope you'll enjoy what's to come. As for being skilled, the truth is, if it weren't for my beta-reader (who didn't beta this one, so if you see mistakes, it's all on me, LOL) and reviewers like you guys, I wouldn't be half the writer I am right now. You guys truly are the best inspiration for me to keep at it and continue improving.

kat: LOL, every good story ends like that because, if it didn't, you wouldn't keep reading it. *chuckles* Seriously though, just as I'm known for writing NC-17 stuff, I'm also accused writing the occasional cliffhanger from time to time. Still, there's only three parts to this, so you're over halfway to the end! I'm glad you like it ^_^

Graceria: Woah, perfect 10's! I'm thrilled you thought it deserved them. Also, thank you so much for your comments on the characterization. Personally, I'm super-anal about characters being portrayed as close to the manga/anime as possible, so I'm glad you thought I managed to do that. I mean, I don't want to knock folks who like writing or reading folks who are OOC, but for me, the characters are what make the show great, and I don't want to change their personalities, if at all possible. And if I fall short on it at any point, don't be afraid to tell me! That's the kind of stuff I really like to know. Thank you so much!!!

zel no miko: You don't ever have to apologize for a lower rating to me, but thank you for doing so. ^_^ And I understand why you did-I can imagine the majority of what's out there is similar to what I'm doing, but I'm glad you see potential in this story. I'll do my best not to disappoint you! Thank you again, especially for your honesty. It really does help.

dbz obsessed: Hey girl! Yep, no longer am I solely focused on DBZ fics, and I'm glad you checked this one out too. Between this and my other Inuyasha fic, I'm really getting back into regular writing again. I mean, I love DBZ and the fics I'm working on for that show, but doing nothing but Dragonball for so long started feeling kind of like a chore, so this is helping me immensely! And I'm glad you liked this one so far. These new fics are partially responsible for me getting out of my bout of writer's block and getting the Timeline chapter done (finally!), and I'm pretty sure Granted will be the same, especially now that I've finished the update on this fic. Anyway, no worries...I'll get to 'em all in good time, LOL! You know me...I'm slow, but I'll try to make it worth the wait. ^_~

Enula: LOL! Well, this chapter was kinda short too, but the next one's gonna be much more my norm, I guarantee you that. Anyway, thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it so far!

The Great Anime Demon: Okay, first of all, that's an awesome name! Sorry, just had to say that. You know, I'd like to see what happens between them too... *grins* Just kidding. I've got it planned, so I hope you like it. Arigato!

Shorty*: Yeah, I know...decisions, decisions. Of course, this one's a no-brainer, neh? Thank you!

Hisaki: Cruel? *blinks innocently* Who, me? *grins* You know, I get that a lot...dbz obsessed up there can vouch for that, though I can't imagine why...

*dodges various DBZ paraphernalia thrown at her head*

O-kay...seriously though, I'm really glad you liked this one too, and I hope this update made it to you in time. So no crying! The conclusion will be up in a few weeks, so hang tough, k? Thanks, Rizu-chan!!! Reviews like yours truly make my day. ^_^