InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Emergence ❯ Moving Forward ( Chapter 3 )

The past four weeks had been some of the worst of InuYasha’s life and that was saying something considering what kind of life he had. It was terrible not knowing if she had died, or if she was getting better. Finally sunset came and he left the Goshinboku, where he had spent most of his time over the last month. Once again he waited until the change was complete before stepping out of the well house.

The man wasn’t outside so he went to the door of the house and knocked. The shoji opened. “Come in.” the same man from before said. “I am Hiro. I spoke to Higurashi-san two weeks ago and she informed me that you were a close family friend. She should be calling any minute now.”

InuYasha just nodded. For the next few minutes the man attempted polite conversation but gave up when InuYasha ignored him. Finally the phone rang and Hiro answered it. “Higurashi Shrine.” he said. “Yes he arrived a few moments ago.” He held the phone out to InuYasha.

“Uh…hello.” InuYasha said feeling a little stupid to be talking into the strange object.

“InuYasha.” Asami Higurashi said. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

“What’s wrong? How is Kagome?” he asked.

He heard her mother sniffle and take a deep breath. “She’s in a coma.” Asami told him . “I imagine it is kind of like the enchanted sleep you were under only Kagome will still get older. They don’t know if she will wake up, or how different she will be if she does. They don’t know anything…” He could hear the woman break down into sobs. He waited. “I’m sorry. I just… My poor baby. I have to go. I don’t like to leave her for long just in case. I’ll call back again at the same time on the next new moon and tell you how she’s doing. Maybe I won’t need to…Kagome said one of your friends is a monk.”

“Yeah Miroku.” InuYasha replied.

“Ask him to say a prayer for my little girl.” Asami said. “I’ll talk to you again. Goodbye InuYasha.”

He hung up the phone and rubbed his temples. How did things get so messed up? This wasn’t supposed to happen, not to Kagome. He ignored Hiro and made his way outside to stand under the Goshinboku. He fingered the hole left by the arrow Kikyou had sealed him with, the arrow Kagome had removed. The day his life had changed forever. More than three years had passed with Kagome by his side. He wondered if he could stand the rest without her.

As before he waited before going into the well house to return to the past. This time the others were waiting up to hear what news he brought of Kagome. He sat down and they waited for him to speak. “She’s in something called a coma.” he told them. “Her mother said it is like the spell Kikyou put me under only Kagome will still age. If she wakes up she may not be the same.”

They all considered his words for a time. “InuYasha what woke you from Kikyou’s enchantment?” Miroku asked.

“I don’t know really.” he told them. “It was like her soul reached out and grabbed mine. It made me want to wake up. I can’t explain it better than that.”

“Have you considered that it might be possible for the same thing to work on Kagome?” Miroku asked. “Perhaps if she sensed your presence she could tap into some of her powers and heal whatever it is preventing her from waking.”

“You think that could work?” Sango asked.

“Kagome is more powerful than any other miko I have ever encountered.” Miroku offered. “And she and InuYasha share a connection that cannot be explained. I think it would be worth it to try.”

“Then you and that baba need to hurry and get that spell working so I can wear it in Kagome’s time.” he said. “Next time I go back to talk to her mother I will tell her your idea. Kagome’s mother asked if you would offer a prayer for her to get better.”

“I have offered many since learning of her injury and will continue to so.” Miroku told him.

“As have I.” Kaede added.

~ * ~

The girl was alone in the darkness. She was a girl, the she knew, even if she didn’t know how she knew it. She could hear voices around her most of the time. There was an old man and a young boy, but mostly there was a woman with a kind, familiar voice, who cried a lot. That made her sad. Sad because she didn’t recognize the woman’s voice but knew she should and sad because she wanted to tell the woman not to cry but she couldn’t.

When she was asleep she always had the same dream. It was of a boy, a strangely beautiful boy with glowing amber eyes, long silver hair and two furry ears on top of his head. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew that the ears were wrong. Boys didn’t have ears like those, but it didn’t make him any less beautiful. In fact they only added to his charm. She knew that she should know him as well. He was someone special, someone important to her. His image made her feel so many different things, both wonderful and frightening at the same time. This boy she wanted to know him.

She heard soft footsteps. “Hello dear.” the woman with the kind voice said softly. “I was just speaking with one of your friends. InuYasha is very worried about you.”

InuYasha, that name, it shot through her whole body and reached into her, touching her soul. For a moment she felt connected to herself and she squeezed the woman’s hand wanted her to understand that this name it meant something, did something to her. She needed to know, was this the boy from her dreams? Who was he? Why did she feel so much at the mention of that name?

“Oh my.” the woman said.

The girl cheered. The woman had felt her reach out. Now she would learn about this boy, this InuYasha, but she didn’t. The woman’s footsteps echoed in her mind as they left the room. She didn’t understand after all. The girl was sad again, and alone.

“I need the doctor at once.” Asami said to the nurse. “I was told to report any change in her condition.”

“What happened?” the nurse asked.

“She squeezed my hand.” She replied.

A few minutes later the doctor arrived. “So, your daughter squeezed your hand.” he said. “I don’t want to discourage you, but it may have been an involuntary reaction. We will have to wait and see.”

“I don’t think so.” Asami insisted. “I was telling her that I had been speaking to a friend of hers. When I said his name she reacted.”

“Tell me the name.” the doctor requested.

“InuYasha.” she replied.

They went into the room and the doctor took Kagome’s hand. “I am Dr. Sato, can you hear me?” he said.

Yes, I can hear you.

Nothing, “Can you squeeze my hand?”

I want to. I’m trying.

Still nothing, “Do you know who InuYasha is?”

Who is he? I have to know. Tell me!

His eyes opened wide as the girl squeezed his hand. It was weak but obvious. He guided Mrs. Higurashi out of the room.

“Well.” she asked.

“It is most unusual, but I would say she was indeed reacting to the name.” he told her. “It is a good sign, meaning that on some level she can hear and understand us. This boy who is he to your daughter?”

“As my daughter would say; it is complicated.” Asami replied. “Though she has not said as much I believe my daughter was…is in love with this boy. At the very least he is her best friend.”

“Would it be possible for him to come here?” the doctor asked. “I think it could be beneficial to her recovery.”

Asami considered it. It would be difficult to get the hanyou to come and to hide his identity, but if it meant helping her daughter she would find a way. “It may take a while. I have no way to contact him before our scheduled call in a month, but I am sure I can arrange it.” she replied.

“Until then I would suggest you talk to your daughter about him in hopes of getting more responses from her.” the doctor said. Asami nodded and went back into see Kagome.

She heard the soft footsteps and knew that the kind woman had returned. “The doctor says I should talk to you about InuYasha.” The woman paused and returned the soft squeeze of her hand. Finally the girl cheered. “He is a close friend of yours. You met him over three years ago on your fifteenth birthday. He’s rude and arrogant, but he is also shy and has a good heart.” The woman laughed. The girl liked the sound. She had never heard the woman laugh before. “I don’t know how he manages to be all those things at once, but he does...”

~ * ~

Several times over the next month InuYasha went through the well and snuck into Kagome’s room through her window, just to breathe in her scent for a short while, and it comforted him. Each day that passed though her scent became fainter, staler and by the end of the month it no longer held any comfort, but served as a reminder that she was gone, out of his reach. His only consolation was the picture that he kept with him at all times.

He also spent a lot of time with Miroku and Kaede as they worked on the spell trying to get it right. He was surprised that Shippou was proving to be the most help, since he naturally had the ability to cast illusions. The young fox was willing to completely wear himself out to help, and InuYasha knew it was because of how much he missed Kagome.

Time couldn’t pass quickly enough for him. Finding the last shard was no longer important to him in the least. The only thing on his mind was Kagome and finding a way to make sure she got better. He hadn’t desired the jewel for a long time. Since they defeated Naraku, completing the jewel had simply been something for him to do.

The night of the new moon came at last. InuYasha climbed out of the well. This time though when he slid open the well house doors he was greeted by a very familiar woman with brown eyes and a sad sort of smile. Before he could utter a word or even consider what her presence meant she spoke.

"InuYasha," Asami said softly. "I have come to ask of you a great favor. Kagome still hasn't woken, but at the mention of your name she squeezed my hand. The doctors think that it could help her get well if you would come."

"All right." he agreed.

Asami was shocked that the young hanyou would agree so easily and it showed. "You'll come?" she questioned.

He nodded. "Miroku had the idea that since she woke me then maybe I could wake her." he explained. "I was going to ask you when you called, if I could come."

"I hadn't thought of it that way, but I hope its true." she offered. "Now tomorrow we will get you some clothes and we'll have to find some way to disguise you..."

"I got that taken care of." he interrupted. "Kaede and Miroku placed a spell on some beads to make me look human. I'll go back tonight and get them and tell everyone that it may be a while before I come back."

~ * ~

In the morning Asami took InuYasha to a clothing store and purchased several outfits and a pair of sandals for him to wear. Then they went to pick up their rental car. InuYasha only hesitated for a moment before joining Kagome’s mother inside. "Flying would be faster, but since you don't have any identification we will have to drive to Kogoshima and then take a ship to the port in Naha on Okinawa." she told him. They went to a grocery store to pick up some drinks and snacks before leaving.

Truthfully she could also probably save close to a week simply sailing out of Tokyo, but Asami wanted to spend some time with the young hanyou. While it was true that he had on many occasions spent dinner with the family and even stayed the night in her home, aside from what Kagome had told her she knew next to nothing about the boy who had captured her daughter’s heart.

As they headed out of the city InuYasha relaxed. He was relieved to find that away from the buildings things were much the same as he remembered. He felt more comfortable with trees surrounding him. "How long will it take for us to get to where Kagome is?" he asked.

"It depends on how often we stop, several days at least." she told him. “And then another full day over the water.” He nodded.

They didn't stop until after dark. They rented a room and grabbed a quick dinner before settling in. It was strange to be spending so much time with Kagome's mother alone, but the woman was kind and didn't seem to mind at all. There was an uncomfortable silence as they each sat on one of the twin beds, both not quite knowing what to say. "So uh...how is she?" InuYasha asked.

Asami sighed. "I guess I should tell you know so you have time to get used to it." she started. "She looks very different. They had to shave off all her hair and it has only begun to grow back. She also has a long scar across one side of her face. She looks so small...." Asami started to cry softly.

InuYasha didn't know what to do. He was no good with feelings and comforting people. He usually made Kagome mad to stop her from crying but he didn't think it would work on her mother.

Slowly the tears stopped. "I'm sorry." she said at last. "She has also lost some weight. It's just so frustrating that they don't seem to know anything for sure. She might not be herself anymore. She might not even remember me. She may have to learn everything all over again. She might not even wake up."

"Keh, Kagome's too stubborn to stay asleep for too long." he said with more certainty than he felt. He was pleased to find that he had for once apparently said the right thing as her mother managed a small smile. "That wench is probably aching to 'sit' me by now."

At this Asami laughed softly. "You really are something, so many different things at once." she said. "It is no wonder Kagome cares so much for you." She noticed him blushing. "I better get some sleep if we want to get an early start in the morning."

~ * ~

After a quick breakfast they set out once again. Kagome's mother made small talk asking after their friends in the past and about their quest. InuYasha found that Kagome and her mother were very similar. Both were kind and made him feel better than he thought himself to be. Neither found anything wrong with him as he was and both made him feel relaxed and more open. He found himself having no trouble at all responding to her as she asked things of him. He could see more clearly just how remarkable both women were.

"Uh...can I ask you something?" he questioned.

"Of course." Asami replied, glad that he seemed to be opening up if even a little. This would be a good chance to learn more about the boy her daughter loved.

"Well...Where is Kagome's father?" he asked. "She's never mentioned him and I...never mind."

"It's all right." Asami replied. "Her father, my Dai, died almost ten years ago."

InuYasha heard the lingering sadness in her tone. "You don't have to talk about it." He offered. He had never even considered that Kagome might know in even the smallest way what losing his mother had been like since she still had her mother, brother, and that crazy old man.

"Don't be silly." she said. "I still miss him, but when I talk about him I know part of him, the part I have in my heart and my memories, is still with me. He seems closer when I speak of him. He was a kind man. Kagome got much of her looks from him. Sometimes I can see him watching me through her eyes. I met him under the Goshinboku and I knew as soon as he smiled at me that he was a man that I could love forever. We were only married a year when Kagome was born, and she was eight when he died. He was killed in an auto accident. He hung on for several days. Dai always was a fighter. I think that is where Kagome gets her spirit from. I think Dai was watching over her that day, helping her, giving her strength. The doctors had been certain she would not survive the night, but she did."

"Keh, just like that wench." he scoffed. "She always has to prove everyone wrong."

Asami didn't miss the hint of admiration in his tone. "Kagome doesn't speak of her father often. I didn't let her see him in the hospital but maybe I should have." Asami told him. "They were very close. It was very hard for her when he died For a while I thought she would never smile again, but she did. I think she may be afraid of hurting me by bringing him up." She paused. She decided to be as open with InuYasha as possible. She hoped that in trusting him with her feelings, he would come to trust her as well. "I think Souta looks up to you so much because he can't even remember Dai. I suppose that it’s my fault too, that Souta hasn't had much of a male influence in his life, but my heart still belongs with Dai. He was the one I was meant to be with and one day we will be together again."

InuYasha was moved by Kagome's mother's story. He hadn't expected her to tell him so much about her own life. It was a great gift and an honor that she shared so much with him. He had to tell her the truth. "It's my fault." he said softly.

"What is?" she asked.

"It's my fault that Kagome got hurt." he explained. "I said some stuff to her I shouldn't have. She was crying because of me. I never wanted this to happen. I just wanted to protect her."

"Protect her from what?" Asami asked.

"Me." he replied. "She deserves better, more than a filthy hanyou."

So he does love her. "Did you ever consider that this could have happened anyway, that it happened for a reason?" Asami asked.

"What the hell kind of reason could there be?" he asked, nearly shouting.

"Maybe to bring you and Kagome together. Perhaps to give you both a fresh start, free from the things that have happened in the past." Asami told him. "The doctors have said that with an injury as severe as hers that memory loss is likely and could very well be permanent. She knows your name but that is no guarantee that she will remember your face or anything that has happened over the last several years."

InuYasha didn't say anything the rest of the day and thought long into the night about what her mother had said. Could that really be the reason, to give them a fresh start, a chance to be together without the shadow of Kikyou hanging over them? Even if she did remember everything, she would need him to be there for her, like she always had been for him. For three years she had taken care of him and now it would be his turn to take care of her. It hadn't really been so hard talking to her mother. Maybe she could help him. He could use their time together to let go of some of the things from his past, and to learn about the future and about Kagome.

~ * ~

The next day they stopped in at another grocery store to get more supplies. They were walking back to the car and she stopped in front of a bookstore. "Oh, InuYasha would you maybe like something to read in the car?" she asked. "I could get you some manga." They went inside and she held out a copy of Yu Yu Hakusho.

He took it and flipped through the pages noticing that one of the characters had ears like his. He couldn't read all the words, but the pictures did give a pretty good idea of what was going on. He nodded and watched Kagome's mother pick up several different volumes of the same story. With their purchases they returned to the car and InuYasha began to flip through the manga. He was careful not to go too quickly and alert Kagome's mother to the fact that he was only able to read a few words in the entire book. The more he looked through it the more he wished he could understand what it said.

When they stopped for the night he gathered up his courage, surely Kagome’s mother wouldn't laugh at him for not knowing what the words were. "Uh...Could you tell me what this says?" He asked holding out the manga open to a page somewhere near the middle.

Asami looked at them and saw that he was blushing. She wondered just how hard it had actually been for him to ask her such a thing. She supposed that she should have suspected that he might not be able to read. "InuYasha, can you read any of this?" she asked.

"A little." he admitted quietly. "Mother had just started teaching me when..." He paused and she could see the pain of the memory in his eyes. "Not too many people care if a hanyou can read or not. Then Kikyou taught me a bit more, but not much."

Asami smiled at him. "Your mother, if she could read, then she must have been of noble birth." she said. "I forget sometimes that in your time very few people knew how to read."

"My mother was a hime." he told her.

She nodded. "Well InuYasha the way I see it we have two options." Asami announced. "First I can read this for you and tell you what it says. Second I can teach you to read it yourself. So what will it be?"

"You'd do that?" he asked.

"Of course." she replied. "I am sure Kagome or your friend the monk would have done it as well, but I can see why you would be reluctant to ask them. It will take longer than the time we have until we get to the hospital, but we can get started. What will it be? Do you want to learn?" He nodded. She found a small notepad and a pen and motioned for him to come sit with her at the table. "Tomorrow we'll pick up some more paper and pens, but for tonight this will do fine."

Asami watched the young hanyou as he carefully wrote the characters she had shown him, repeating after each their meaning. He was a quick study. She had a feeling that Kagome and his other friends would have been surprised to see how quickly he was able to learn, she was not. He didn’t survive on his on all those years by being stupid. He would have had to be both clever and cunning to escape those larger and stronger that would have wished him harm.

When he was done he looked up at her for her approval. She nodded and for the first time she saw InuYasha wearing a true smile. “Keh, this ain’t so tough.” he scoffed.

“Well it does get more difficult, but you are an intelligent young man and should have no trouble.” She told him.

InuYasha stared at her. She doesn’t think I’m stupid at all. “Really?” he asked.

“Of course.” she replied. “From what Kagome has shared with me of your life, you would have to be able to think quickly and learn quickly as well, to have survived. In fact I think if you wanted to you could learn to fit in just as well here as you do in your own era. Now I think we have time to do a bit more before turning in for the night.”

InuYasha wondered if Kagome’s mother was right. In her own mind, at least, she had been telling the truth. He would have smelled a lie. He wondered also if she knew how much her words meant to him, that her faith in him was something he couldn’t fully understand, but cherished. Just as he cherished Kagome’s faith in him. He wished he knew what inspired either of them to trust him and to believe in his abilities more so than he did himself, what it was that they saw in him that he himself could not

Just from the short time he had spent in her mother’s company he could see where Kagome got her uncommonly kind heart and pure sprit. Both women were so alike. Both filled all around them with a sense of warmth and acceptance that he had only known when his mother was alive. Something about them had the ability to inspire rare and precious feelings he thought he had given up on long ago, love and hope.