InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Duck ❯ Grown Closer, Torn Apart PART I ( Chapter 2 )

Hello again! It's been forever since I've updated, huh? I apologize. I couldn't figure out what to write next, and how to add the next chapter… Yeah, pretty stupid.

 

Anyway, I want to thank the -er- two people that reviewed…. Thanks! It's quality, not quantity.

 

In this chapter, I promise that there will be a bit more to the story line, so I hope you're not too disappointed.

 

On Gaia, I did get a few complaints on the POV switching. Yeah, I know that's annoying. So, in this chapter, it's only going to do it twice. Hopefully, I can keep it that way. LoL…

 

Anyway,

 

DISCLAIMER: What do you think? I don't own shit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two: Grown Closer, Torn Apart

(Kagome's Point Of View)

 

The sun shone brightly as I collected herbs for Kaede. The old woman had grown so old in the past few years that she was unable to walk around as well. Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, and I had prepared ourselves for her death, which we feared would come soon. Kaede must have known this also, because she had gotten me a new mentor, Aki.

 

In the weeks that I had trained with her, my powers had not only increased, but my senses had, too. It was fascinating what I had learned from her.

 

She was a stern and harsh teacher, but she taught me well. There was a stoic beauty about her. Her eyes always seemed focused on something and yet they seemed empty. Her skin was almost a sickly pale, but she was beautiful nonetheless. Her voice was gentle at all times; probably a requirement for a priestess, I guessed, to calm the nerves of the sick.

 

When she was angry with me, which she rarely was, her eyes were the scariest. I couldn't stop staring at them. They were indescribable. One thing was for sure:

 

They scared the hell out of me.

 

I sighed and looked up to the sun. God, it was so hot today. I wiped the sweat off of my brow. I wished I had brought my backpack out here. I looked down at the basket I was gathering the herbs in. It wasn't even half full yet. I sighed yet again. I was thirsty and cranky and I didn't want to get -er- stared at by Aki. I closed my eyes and listened to the forest.

 

The trees moving in the gently moving wind. The birds chirping happily. The steady beat of my heart.

 

Thump… Thump… Thump…

 

Everything was still, silent, and perfect.

 

Until I heard someone else's heartbeat, going rather rapidly.

 

THUMP THUMP THUMP

 

"Hey." Said a voice.

 

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around quickly. It was Inuyasha. I stared at him angrily, "God! Don't do that!"

 

His ears slumped, but then he matched my angry stare, "Jeez, don't get so touchy. I was just coming by to give you some water." He showed me the ice cold bottle of water he held in his hands. I stared at it thoughtfully and I looked up at him and smiled.

 

"Thank you, Inuyasha." There was a slight blush on his face, or maybe that was the heat. Either way, he looked adorable. I mentally laughed at that thought. Inuyasha, adorable. There two words in a sentence that I never thought I'd use.

 

"Feh. No problem. It's not like I saved your life or anything." He said, folding his arms after I'd taken the bottle and had a sip of the water.

 

"Actually," I said after I swallowed a big gulp, "Technically you did. Dehydration can kill people. Maybe not right away, but eventually your throat dries out and you die."

 

He stared at me stupidly. Then his gaze switched to the herbs I'd collected, a smirk showed on his face, "Need some help?"

 

I sighed dramatically and hugged him, "Ugh! Yes, please! I'm not getting anything done! If I come back with this, Aki's going to have a fit!"

 

He smiled, "Damn heat."

 

"Ugh, I know!" I said looking at him. In the past weeks, Inuyasha had become closer than we ever were before. We talked more and did more things together. In fact, Aki and I had had a few discussions about Inuyasha. I told her about things that we'd talked about and some funny memories. Of course, I wouldn't know if she thought those stories were funny or not: she never laughed. Ever.

 

"So, what kind are we looking for here?" He said staring at the small patches around us.

 

"These." I said holding up a sprig of some odd herb that I couldn't remember the name of. He nodded and began inspecting the patches.

 

I smiled to myself. I liked not having something to chase after; just relaxing like this was really good for Inuyasha and I. No more stress, no more kidnappings, and no more pain.

 

No more Kikyou…

 

A giddy thought passed through my mind. I didn't have to share Inuyasha anymore, he was all to myself. But then, another emotion came over me: guilt. It was selfish of me to think that way. I mean, Inuyasha and Kikyou were, at some point in love, but then they were torn apart. Thinking that the other had betrayed them.

 

I sighed. I didn't know much about Kikyou, but I knew that once she had been a very powerful priestess; I wondered if I would ever be as good as her in the long run. To be honest, I highly doubted it. But strangely enough, it didn't upset me…well, all that much, anyway.

 

My thoughts were interrupted by Inuyasha," Hey, Kagome! Over here!"

 

I looked over at him he was maybe twenty, thirty yards away. I picked up the basket and began to walk toward him. There was a smile on his face as he pointed to the herbs beneath him, "Quite a large patch, huh?"

 

I gave him a tired smile, "Thanks."

 

He returned the smile, "No problem." He helped me kneel down so I could pick the herbs, and he soon followed. "Who are these for anyway?" He asked.

 

"Well, since Aki wants me to learn how to heal and things like that, she wanted me to pick these herbs," I said holding them up once again," for Kaede."

 

Inuyasha looked at me seriously, "She's not looking so good, is she?" He said, his voice matching his expression.

 

I paused and looked over at him with a sad expression on my face, "No," I said, "No she's not."

 

"Have you told Shippo? About how she might die, I mean."

 

"No." I said, my voice slightly cracking from the tears that I was trying to fight back. I swallowed the large lump in my throat. Inuyasha must have sensed this, because his arms wrapped around me and he nuzzled my hair.

 

"Please don't cry, Kagome. You know I hate it when you cry." He cooed. I tried so hard not to, I really did, but the tears came so freely. I didn't say anything, I just let them fall. My body was shaking slightly, as my sobs came more and more heavily.

 

"Inuyasha…" I whispered, "I'm so scared for h-her. S-she's helped-" Inuyasha interrupted me.

 

"Kagome, she's just getting to that age where she can't get around as well. At least she's not dying of a disease that's killing her, it's just old age. She's lived a long, hard life and I know she's done more than I can think of for all of us. But to rob her of her final resting would be the worst thing we could do for her." He said, running his fingers through my hair. God, his voice was so soft, so comforting. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

 

"Thank you, Inuyasha." I looked at the herbs, why was I collecting them anyway? I suppose I should just get the rest of the patch and then go back. I'll explain what Inuyasha said to me, to Aki.

 

"Kagome," He said, softly. He kissed the top of my head and let go of me. He smiled, "We have to get to work."

 

I dried my tears and said, "Yeah."

 

We collected the herbs in silence for a while, until Inuyasha broke the silence, "Kagome, um… y-you don't regret coming here, do you?"

 

I was surprised, "Why do you say that?"

 

He sighed, "It's just… with all of the danger and the kidnappings, I figured that, you'd just want to have your normal life back."

 

I looked at him, "Well, a small part of me does." His ears drooped and I continued, "But I don't regret anything. With the things I've seen? No way could I regret it. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I mean, it's like you said, Shippo is like a son to me; and Miroku and Sango are like my brother and sister."

 

By this time Inuyasha's ears had perked up, "And me?"

 

I smiled, "You have no idea of how special you are to me." I borrowed his words, looking at him straight in the eye.

 

He gave me a sly smile, "How special?"

 

I scooted up to him, to where our faces were only a centimeter apart, "Inuyasha?" I said.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"We have got to get to work."

_________________________

 

On our way back to the village Inuyasha and I were silent. I found myself wondering about him. Where had he lived before he was pinned to that tree? What did he do? Did he work somewhere? What had happened and why did he leave his mother?

 

I stared at him. His face was set on the path ahead of him and he had a look of concentration on his face, like he was thinking hard about something. I then wondered what he was thinking so hard about. He looked at me suddenly, and I looked away. I could feel his eyes on me as we walked.

 

"What?" He asked.

 

"Nothing." I said, quickly. He knew all too well that I was lying.

 

"No, something must be on your mind. You were staring at me so intently." I blushed. "Now don't get all embarrassed about it. It's not my fault I'm so good looking." He said, arrogantly.

 

I playfully punched him in the arm, "I was just thinking…" My voice trailed off.

 

He lifted an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

 

"Well, I was wondering where you lived and what you did before you were pinned to that tree."

 

"Ah. Well, I don't usually talk about that. Not too many good memories for me." He said simply.

 

I shrugged, "I was just curious. It's just, I feel like I don't know that much about you. Like, I don't know where you're from, or what you did, or anything like that."

 

"Okay, I'll answer one question. That's it; because if I don't, you'll be pressing me all day about it." He said. He looked over at me, waiting.

 

I rolled my eyes, "Fine. Where did you live before you met Kikyou?"

 

He thought for a moment, "Well, to be honest with you Kagome, I didn't really have a home."

 

"What? You mean you were like a beggar on the streets?" I asked, surprised.

 

"No! Of course not, I'm half demon. What I did was I slept in trees and caves mostly and I'd pilfer things from villages when I needed them." He said folding his arms and shrugging.

 

"You mean like a bandit?" I asked, smiling arrogantly.

 

"Bandit is such a strong term. I took things because I needed them, not because I wanted them."

 

"So, basically, you were a handsome beast that liked to steal things from villages when he needed them?" I felt like I wanted to die. 'Handsome beast'? Where the hell did that come from?

 

"Handsome beast, eh?" He said. He looked down at my blushing face, "Yeah, I can live with that." He laughed a little when he said this. God, what on earth?!

 

We had arrived at the village. Everything looked the same as I'd left it. I smiled and looked up and Inuyasha. He looked down at me, a strange look in his eye. I held his gaze for a few moments, but then I dropped it and looked down at the basket in my arms.

 

His hands wrapped around it and he took it from me and set it on the ground. He took his right hand and put it under my chin, making me look upwards at him. His amber gaze filled with some emotion that was impossible for me to identify, but I was sure my eyes were filled with that same emotion and I knew he saw felt it, too. His other arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me toward him. Our faces closer…

 

Closer…

 

Closer…

 

"Kagome." Said a harsh, yet silent voice behind me.

 

Inuyasha and I sprang from each other, blushing furiously. I looked over to the source of the voice.

 

It was Aki.

 

"Do you have the herbs, Kagome?" She said.

 

"Uh, yes! Yes, they're right here! Inuyasha and I were just-"

 

"Yours and Inuyasha's personal life is none of my concern. However, what you do on my time, is strictly my time. But if you two were doing something in the forest," If it was even scientifically possible, we blushed even more, "that was on my time, you should know that Kaede's health, rests in your hands." She said this rather harshly, giving her infamous stare. She changed the topic, "Kagome, gather your herbs and come with me."

 

I nodded and picked up the basket.

 

I was going to say good bye to Inuyasha…

 

But he wasn't there.

 

I sighed and followed Aki into her hut. It was a small place, but not too small, if you get what I'm saying. There was a pit towards the back wall for fires; something seemed to be cooking in it. It didn't smell too good. To the left end of the room, was Aki's bed, though I doubt she ever slept. The bed was so neatly made and clean, it looked as if someone hadn't slept in it for days.

 

The rest of the hut was filled with books and potions and all sorts of things you'd think a person like Aki would have. I found it odd that a person with so many possessions could keep their place so neatly kempt and not cluttered.

 

I sat on one side of the fire pit and Aki followed suit by sitting on the opposite side. She looked at me, "You wish to tell me something."

 

I nodded, "Um… Today… Inuyasha and I were talking about Kaede. About how she was dying of old age and not some disease and-"

 

"You wish not to treat her with the herbs, because you feel that it wouldn't be doing her a favor to prolong her death."

 

"Uh, yes." I said, scratching the back of my neck, waiting for her response.

 

Aki gave a small smile, "I was hoping you'd say that." I looked at her, confused. She continued, "You see, I spoke with Kaede today and she says she fears her death may come sooner than she thinks. But she said she was ready for death to consume her and then she could finally be at peace.

 

"She will be calling a meeting with you all: Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, you and myself. She will be giving all of you a piece of her wisdom separately. And she wishes that her body be cremated and buried beneath the God Tree." She explained.

 

"Why there?" I asked.

 

"She says that's when she last remembers her sister and that she wants to be buried in that memory." She said.

 

I nodded, solemnly. When I looked up at Aki, I saw a cup in her hand; no doubt that it was filled with the liquid that was boiling, "For your purifying abilities. I think you're ready for this now."

 

I took the cup, "What is it?"

 

"It's a potion that will strengthen your powers. When the potion begins to set in, you'll feel a little woozy and pass out." I must have looked worried because she said, "It's just too much for your body to take at the moment, while you're unconscious, your body will be building strength. That's all."

 

I took a sip. You know, for such a disgusting smelling liquid, it was actually pretty good. Sweet, but a little bitter. A little like when you put cream and sugar in coffee. I drained the entire cup. Aki took it from me and said, "You are dismissed."

 

I bowed and thanked her and walked out of the hut. As I was walking, I remembered this afternoon. I smiled, 'Inuyasha… almost kissed me.' I closed my eyes and began to remember what it felt like to be in his arms, the way his voice sounded when he said my name, how he laughed at me when I said something embarrassing-

 

"Handsome beast, eh?" Inuyasha's voice sounded somewhere in front of me. I put on a sly smile, I was going to play with him a little.

 

"Catch me if you can!" I said running as fast as I could into the forest, dodging trees and bushes. I could hear him behind me and above me. I didn't know where he was going to land, well, that is, until he landed in front of me and pushed me up against a tree.

 

"Man," He panted, "You're pretty fast." He caught his breath and stared at me. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. We both smiled. Our faces were just an inch apart. Gods, how I wanted to kiss him…

 

But apparently he wasn't thinking what I was thinking. He scooped me up and sat me in a tree in his lap.

 

He looked down at my flushed face, "Look at the stars, Kagome." I looked and I gasped at the sight. I could see the whole forest and the moon and the stars. A hand covered my mouth.

 

"Inuyasha." I whispered. He looked down at me and removed my hand. He put both hands on the either side of my face. I closed my eyes as he slowly kissed my forehead, both of my cheeks, and then my throat.

 

"Sleep now." He said.

 

And I was more than willing to.

 

____________________________

 

The next morning, I found myself highly uncomfortable. I shifted slightly; there was a growl behind me. I gasped.

 

Inuyasha.

 

I turned so I could see him. His eyes were closed dreamily, his face glowed angelically in the morning sun. A small smile on his face, as if he were dreaming of something happy. A bit of his fangs were sticking out of his mouth. I smiled at him, my attention turned to his ears. My eyes narrowed mischievously.

 

I scratched them gently at the base, working my way up to the tips of them. He let out a small moan. I blushed, but I didn't stop.

 

"Kagome," He said, groggily, "Y-you gotta…" He yawns, "stop."

 

I pouted and he stretched. He laughed at my face, "Good morning to you, too."

 

I smiled and looked down. I gasped, "I have to get down…"

 

Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow, "So soon?"

 

I looked at him, annoyed, "So I can take a bath and brush my teeth. That potion Aki gave me left a horrible taste in my mouth."

 

He stared, "Potion? What potion?"

 

"Oh, well. Aki gave me a potion yesterday, um, after you left," He blushed, "and said it would increase my powers.

 

"But then she said that when the potion sets in…" My voice trailed off.

 

Inuyasha urged, "When it sets in…?"

 

"I'll just be… different." I lied, but it was sort of truthful. In a way.

 

"Different how? You're not going to become like her are you?" He asked, clearly worried.

 

I laughed. "No, no. I didn't mean like that. I just don't want you to get all worried, okay? Now, can I get down from here?"

 

He said, "Fine. But I'm still not reassured."

 

He picked me up and placed me on the ground carefully. He put his hands on each side of my face and I closed my eyes. He kissed my forehead, cheeks, and throat. Just like he had last night. What's the deal? Maybe it's like, a demon thing.

 

"I'll be back later, okay?" I said. He nodded and ran off somewhere else. I smiled and walked off.

(Later, after Kagome's bath)

 

I walking back from my bath with Sango when I realized that she could help with the whole "weird kiss" thing. The thing was, I didn't know how to phrase it without giving away that Inuyasha had actually done it to me. It could have been nothing, but then again… It most definitely could have been something.

 

"Kagome? Are you alright?" Sango asked.

 

"Um, yeah. It's just… uh…" I sounded like an idiot.

 

"What? Is something wrong?" She was worried.

 

"Well… I was wondering if there was… aspecialwayforademontokisssomeone." I said, rushing the last bit.

 

"Er, sorry? Didn't catch that."

 

I took a deep breath, "Is there a special way for a demon to kiss someone?" I waited for her reaction.

 

She appeared to be in deep thought, mumbling inaudible things under her breath. She looked up; as if she had just realized something, "Well, actually yes." I perked up a little, "It's called the 'Wordless Proposal'."

 

"What?"

 

"The Wordless Proposal," she repeated, "It's not really a kiss on the lips. It's just an expression of love, and how the demon wants to have you as their mate."

 

I lifted an eyebrow, trying really hard not to appear giddy, "How do they do it? I mean, how is it preformed?"

 

Sango thought for a moment, "It's more of a symbol. Like the demon kisses different parts of the female's head. The forehead, the cheeks, and the throat.

 

"Her mind," she touched her forehead, "her beauty," she touched her cheeks, "and her voice." Sango touched her throat.

 

I blushed furiously. Inuyasha wanted me to be his mate, I nearly squealed. Sango looked over at me, she must have noticed my happiness because she said, "Something you'd like to share with me?"

 

I looked over at her and smiled and I uttered one word: "Inuyasha."

 

Sango nearly tackled me, she hugged me so hard. We were both laughing and squealing. My legs were shaking in pure excitement. I had to take a few deep breaths before I could speak again.

 

"But he thinks I don't know what that means. The kiss, I mean." I said.

 

Sango looked so happy, but not as happy as when she found out she was pregnant. There were tears of happiness in her eyes as she stared at me.

 

"Sango, it's- are you okay?" I knew this was a stupid question. We were both crying.

 

She just hugged me and said, "You just really deserve this, after all you've been through." We stood like that for a while, just hugging each other. But then Miroku came through the clearing, a weak expression on his face.

 

He looked at the both of us and said very seriously, "She's called a meeting with us." Both Sango and I knew exactly what that meant. Our tears came from happy to sad ones. "It seems that I've ruined a happy moment. What was it that was making you two so cheerful?" He asked, putting an affectionate hand on Sango's shoulder.

 

I looked over at Miroku, "Inuyasha proposed to me."

 

I saw his eyes widen slightly, he came over and hugged me, "Congratulations, Kagome-sama."

 

"Only," I sighed, "He thinks I don't know what the kiss meant."

 

Sango looked over at Miroku's confused expression, "The Wordless Proposal."

 

He nodded, "Ah." His expression changed again, "Come, we must go to the village. Kaede wants to meet with us all."

 

We all nodded and continued on the path to the village, all of us staying silent. I wondered what Kaede was going to say to all of us. And I also wondered what reaction that Shippo would endure when she told him that she would die soon. I couldn't bear the thought.

 

When we arrived at the village, Inuyasha was leaning on Kaede's hut with a solemn expression on his face. When he saw me, his ears perked up and I knew he was happy to see me, but his expression only turned sadder. He looked at all of our faces and sighed. It was at this time, Shippo came out from behind Inuyasha's legs, with a tear streaked face as new ones began to appear, and said, "Kagome…" He couldn't finish the rest of his words, he just ran up to me and I held him tightly in my arms.

 

We both began to cry, I mean really cry. Everyone crouched down beside us and put their arms around us, even Inuyasha. He was bawling, too. I looked up into his tearful amber eyes and gave him a small, sad smile. He returned the action, and he put his arms around me and Shippo. Shippo clung to both of us as he cried. Inuyasha petted his hair, slightly awkwardly, since he had never really shown Shippo this kind of… fatherly affection.

 

We all sat there for God knows how long, crying silently with the occasional sob. Inuyasha looked down at Shippo and began to wipe his tears. He spoke, his voice shaking from all of the crying, "C-come on S-shippo, we have t-to s-stop crying. It ain't l-like she's d-dead yet." The kit looked up at Inuyasha with extreme admiration and respect. Shippo smiled.

 

Aki walked out of the hut, "She will see you all separately. Miroku first." She said. Miroku complied with a bow and walked into the hut. We all stood there, all quiet, and all with a saddened expression. Inuyasha and I were holding Shippo, stroking his hair and muttering things that we hoped would make him feel better.

 

About two minutes later, Miroku came out and nodded at Sango. She looked over at Aki, bowed and walked into the hut. Inuyasha continued to stroke Shippo's hair and tell him things. I smiled as tears, once again, began to fall freely from my eyes, blurring my vision. I laid my head on Inuyasha's shoulder, soaking his haori with my tears. He looked down at me and put his arm around my shoulder.

 

"It'll be okay." He whispered at the both of us. I clung to him tighter. Before I knew it, I was being ushered into Kaede's hut by Aki. I looked back at Inuyasha and Shippo, who were crying again. I entered the hut.

 

Kaede was lying down on her bed, looking absolutely peaceful. When she saw me she smiled, "Come here, Kagome."

 

I smiled sadly and sat beside her.

 

She said, "Do you trust Inuyasha?"

 

I sat there for a moment, confused, "What?"

 

"Do you trust Inuyasha?" She repeated.

 

"Yes, of course. I've always trusted him."

 

"Good, then you'll trust him to make the right decision." She said, clearly relieved. I, of course, had no idea what she was talking about. I just stared at her stupidly, through my saddened eyes. Kaede's weak eyes filled with tears, "She lied to you, Kagome. She lied about the potion."

 

"How do you-" I started.

 

She interrupted, "You're in serious danger, Kagome. You have to trust Inuyasha, you'll die."

 

"What?"

 

"God damn it, girl! Listen to me! I don't have much time to live…" She wheezed, "You must trust Inuyasha. You must."

 

I nodded. She looked at me with desperate, tear filled eyes, as if to say : Please Kagome, just trust me. I was scared; I really didn't want to die. I didn't even know what she was talking about, but I was so scared. Had I drank pure poison yesterday? I didn't know.

 

I walked out of the hut, trying desperately hard not to let my fear show. I nodded at Inuyasha; he gave Shippo to me, never taking his gaze off of me. He gave me a weak smile and walked away from us. His long, silver hair gleaming in the sunlight.

 

He wanted me to be his mate.

 

'He thinks I don't know…'

 

 

 

(Inuyasha's POV)

 

 

 

I had never cried like that before. Not even when my mother died. Sure, it was one of the saddest moments of my life, but for some reason, I couldn't cry. And I think that I had bottled up my grief for my mother and wouldn't let myself cry. A part of me today, when I was crying, was grieving for my mother.

 

When I had first seen Shippo that afternoon, he was pretty cheerful, just skipping along in the forest. But then, after he'd seen my face as I was sitting against a tree, he looked rather worried. He didn't say anything, he just came over to me and put an impossibly small hand on mine and looked up to me.

 

Okay, I know I've treated Shippo like dirt for the past four years, and I know that he gets on my nerves a little. But, he was such a good kid. He had a good heart and he was way too smart for his own good. And when I had finally looked into his eyes that afternoon, I had realized it, and tears came to my eyes. Guilt and sadness had washed over me like a tidal wave. I took the kit into my lap and hugged him. Yes, to be honest, he did find it quite startling and a bit awkward at first, but he just sighed and hugged me back.

 

"I'm so sorry, Shippo." I had whispered to him. He just pulled out of my arms and looked up at me.

 

He said, "Inuyasha, it's okay. I've always looked up to you."

 

My heart melted.

 

And before I knew it, we were both bawling. This was tears, stuffy noses, and everything else in between. We discussed Kaede and Kagome.

 

Kagome…

 

Oh my God! I'd proposed to her… Twice! I knew I'd come of age, but I didn't think I'd just propose to some random girl! But wait a minute; Kagome wasn't just some random girl, she was… She was… An amazing woman. Not a girl anymore, and she had proved that the day that she had come back. Of course, we had fought over a really stupid thing, but she called herself on it and apologized to me. She was smart, beautiful, and she had an amazing way to voice her opinions.

 

Hence 'The Wordless Proposal'.

 

But what if she hated me? What if she didn't want to be my mate? Which, in my mind, was way more likely. But lately, I'd been acting a bit more romantic to her. Like yesterday, I'd almost kissed her! And I really wanted to. Damn that Aki! And then later, after we'd chased each other for a few minutes, I'd almost kissed her then. But, in fear that she'd slap me and run away, I didn't.

 

Oy…

 

But then, I brought her up into one of my favorite trees. The way the moonlight hit her and the way her eyes shined, that had made up for it. And then… I couldn't control myself, I had to do it. I proposed, in the only way I knew how, er, without getting the 'Oh my God, Inuyashas' a lunatic' look on her face.

 

But she didn't think I was a lunatic. And I liked that about her. She knew that I was smart, and that I could catch onto things quickly. I liked how we could listen to each other and talk about things. Now that there was no stress or mission, Kagome and I could talk like civilized people.

 

But who in their right minds would consider a half demon civilized?

 

I had just realized that, yesterday, Kagome had… Oh God… What's the term that she uses? Ah, "flirted". Kagome and I had flirted yesterday. Flirted! Me and Kagome! I still cannot believe that she had called me a handsome beast. Handsome… She thought I was handsome. And beast? Yeah, I really liked how she put that. I felt like howling every time I replayed that moment in my head.

 

But then, a few hours after I had proposed to Kagome the second time… I realized that she hadn't known what 'The Wordless Proposal' meant. And my heart sank. But maybe, as I thought about it, it was a good thing she didn't know what it meant. Then she wouldn't look at me like I'm crazy. But there was a part of me that was just so heartbroken. It tore me apart inside, and I wanted to lie down because the feeling was so strong. It felt like I was dying.

 

Kagome…

 

But back to Shippo. Somehow, he'd known about how Kaede was going to die. He'd known that Kaede was old and that she would leave us sometime soon. I had to respect the kid. We sat there for a while just talking about her, about all of the wonderful things she'd done for us.

 

Then Shippo began to talk about Kagome. I felt my heart wrench painfully; Shippo must have sensed it, because he looked up at my face.

 

"Do you love her, Inuyasha?" He asked, very seriously.

 

'YES!' My mind screamed at me, 'YES YOU DO! What do you think you've been feeling for the past month?! Say YES damnit!' But apparently my mouth didn't understand my mind.

 

I said, "I-I don't know." Which was some sort of truth in a way. I was confused about my feelings for Kagome, but in my heart I did know that I was falling in love with her.

 

But apparently Shippo saw right through my obvious lie, "Yes you do." He was smiling.

 

My ears drooped, "I don't know if she feels the same way…" Shippo's smile only brightened.

 

"You'll find out." He said. Though Shippo was crying a minute ago, and evidence of crying could clearly be seen on his tear streaked face, he was smiling with a confidence that I'd never seen on him. Sure, he had his brave moments, more like fleeting and brief moments, but this confidence was as if he'd known something that I didn't.

 

Needless to say, it rubbed off on me.

 

(A/N: I was thinking about ending the chapter here, but as I said, I'm going to put a little more into the storyline. No worries!)

 

 

When Kagome approached us that afternoon, with Miroku and Sango, they all had tear streaked faces. But I could smell brief happiness on each of them, Kagome and Sango's being slightly stronger. And an artificial scent of me was on them…

 

So they were happy about me…

 

What was so happy about me?

 

And then I realized. Kagome must have suspected that the two times I'd given her 'The Wordless Proposal', that something was up, and that maybe it was a demon thing. This was indeed true. So she asked Sango about it, and there you go. Then Miroku must have come by them and told them about the meeting. Which would explain the now dominant sadness.

 

So Kagome did know…

 

But… she was happy about it. That meant that she didn't hate me; possibly even love me. Which I found extremely pleasing. But then I realized I was a hanyou. Not human, or demon. I saddened. I bet that part of why she was sad was because I was a hanyou; and that she could never love me.

 

I thought about this as I held both Shippo and Kagome in my arms. I wept for Kaede and for the fact that I could never have Kagome. And when it was my time to go and talk with Kaede. I looked into Kagome's eyes so deeply, trying to tell her everything.

 

That I loved her.

 

I walked into the hut, my tears still streaming down my face. I looked at Kaede in her bed, looking weak… But strangely peaceful. I knelt down beside her and she looked up at me, smiling slightly. I returned it, slightly sadder.

 

"Inuyasha," I nodded, "Do you love Kagome?"

 

I looked surprised. What was she getting at? "What?"

 

"Do you love Kagome?" She asked, a bit more urgently.

 

I decided to admit my feelings for Kagome; to myself, and Kaede, "Yes."

 

All she said was, "Good." We sat in silence for a while, my curiosity almost unbearable.

 

I decided to break the silence, "Why?"

 

She looked at me very seriously, "Kagome is in great, great danger, Inuyasha."

 

I glared at her, "What kind of danger? What's going-"

 

"If you do not love her, Inuyasha, she will die. You must admit to me honestly now, do you love her?" She said, cryptically.

 

I looked her dead in the eye, "I love Kagome. I would die for her."

 

Kaede nodded in satisfaction, "She trusts you to make the right decision. She's always trusted you, she says."

 

I blushed, "What do you mean 'make the right decision'?"

 

She looked at me with some sort of emotion that I couldn't identify, "Your brother is coming."

 

My eyes widened, "What does that have to do with anything?"

 

She closed her eyes, "Everything. It has everything to do with what I'm saying.

 

"Aki lied to Kagome, Inuyasha. She lied about the potion." Kaede looked at me very seriously again, "The potion is as good as poison if you don't love Kagome, Inuyasha." She then fell asleep. I almost screamed at her to wake up and tell me more…

 

But I couldn't…

 

She was dead…

 

_________________________________________________________________ _

 

(End Chapter 2)

 

So, what do you guys think?

 

I promise I'll get on Chapter 3 immediately, so don't get your panties in a wad. LoL…

 

Please Review!

 

Love and Kisses,

 

 

 

 

Oddery