InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Yours ❯ Chapter 23

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

A/N: Please Review.

**********
 
Forever Yours
Chapter Twenty-Three
 
Kagome gasped and wheezed, but Kuro's vice-grip only tightened. She forced herself to open her eyes, only to see his maniacal grin illuminated by the blue light of the bone eaters well.
 
No! He can't come here! He can't! My family's secret!
 
Kagome desperately tried to inhale but Kuro's evil smirk was growing blurrier…and darker…
 
I can't die! Not before I figure out the mystery of Sango…Miroku…Inu…
 
Then Kagome's world went black
 
**********
 
“Kagome, Kagome!”
 
Kagome groaned. Why was her mom waking her up? It was Saturday. And why couldn't she breathe? Why was her bed so hard? What was going on?
 
“Kagome, Kagome!”
 
Kagome tried to tell her that it was Saturday but she couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe. Kagome turned onto her side and started to give hacking coughs. Tears stung her eyes.
 
“Kagome!”
 
Kagome forced herself to open her eyes only to be met with a dark gaze looking half worried, half relieved. Her eyes widened.
 
“Inu…yasha,” she said gasping.
 
“Kagome…you're okay.” Suddenly, he pulled her toward him, his strong arms clutched her tightly. “I thought you were gone.” He said in a low voice.
 
Kagome tried to tell him that she was okay but she still couldn't talk. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waste and gave him a gentle squeeze. This was way better than Kuro choking - Wait a minute!
 
Kagome jumped to her feet, earning another round of coughs. As she struggled to get her breathing under control, she said, “Where is…Kuro?”
 
Inuyasha looked angry at the mention of the name. “That bastard ran off when he saw me,” he said shortly.
 
Kagome nodded and sat back down in shock. Inuyasha was here…in the feudal era and Kuro had run of somewhere… She glanced around at the surroundings. The well, the village in the distance, the forest…full of youkai…
 
In a panic, Kagome jumped up again. “Inuyasha, we have to get out of here!” she exclaimed, tugging on his hand.
 
Inuyasha made no move to get up. “Why?” he asked.
 
“It's a long story. It's what I was going to explain at my house. I'd be happy to tell you everything but right now…we have to go!” she said urgently.
 
Inuyasha sighed and let her pull him up.
 
“This way,” she said, leading him toward Kaede's village.
 
It was after a few minutes that Kagome realized that she was still holding Inuyasha's hand. Blushing, she dropped it as if it were a piece of hot coal and continued walking. Just after they had passed the Goshinboku, Kagome realized that Inuyasha was not following her anymore.
 
She turned around and saw him staring at the Goshinboku. He reached toward it and touched the spot where Kikyo's arrow had dented the ancient bark. He seemed to be confounded.
 
Ignoring the little voice in her head that was comparing the two Inuyashas again, she walked over to the tree and tapped him gently on the shoulder. “Inuyasha…we really need to go.”
 
“Just a minute!” he said impatiently.
 
Kagome raised an eyebrow. So he was going to be snappy, was he? Kagome didn't think so. He didn't understand that there were youkai around here that were dying for a meal. Kagome turned around and continued walking. Without looking over her shoulder, she said in a careless voice, “Sit boy.”
 
CRASH!
 
“Hey!”
 
Kagome continued walking. “I'm sure you'd love to know how I did that so get over here! I don't have all day,” she called over her shoulder. She suppressed a grin of satisfaction when she heard him grudgingly begin to follow her.
 
**********
 
“Kagome! I thought that ye were going to see - Oh hello,” she said in extreme surprise as she noticed the man with Kagome.
 
“Kaede this is my friend Inuyasha. Inuyasha this is Kaede, she is a miko,” Kagome introduced quickly.
 
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. “Doesn't miko bring somebody young to mind?”
 
Why did you say that? Why must you insist on making me compare you with Inuyasha!
 
Kagome sighed. “Sit,” she said to Inuyasha, taking satisfaction in the thud that Inuyasha made when he hit the ground.
 
Kaede looked interested. “It doesn't work as hard as it should,” she said conversationally.
 
“Yeah, I know,” Kagome agreed as Inuyasha sat up and started sulking. “Kaede I need to tell you something.”
 
Kaede sighed. “I can't think of anybody that gets into more trouble than ye child. What happened this time?” she asked.
 
Kagome didn't pause. “I had just gotten out of the well at home and Kuro, Naraku's reincarnation, appeared. He started strangling me and somehow, while he was trying to kill me, we fell over the side of the well, back here.”
 
“Kagome's mother told me that Kagome would meet me in the well house. Just as I opened the door, I saw Kuro and Kagome fall into the well. I jumped in and ended up in this freaky place. Kuro ran off when he saw me,” Inuyasha finished up.
 
Kaede looked alarmed. “He is running in the forest? What if he tries to go back to your time, Kagome? He'll get away!”
 
Kagome wasn't fazed. “Rest assured Kaede, Inuyasha and I are the only ones who can get through the well on our own. I don't know why but it is true. The only reason that Kuro got here in the first place is because he was hanging onto my neck when I fell through.”
 
“Okay, I've been patient enough…What the hell is going on? What is this place? And what is with this?” bellowed Inuyasha, tugging on his rosary.
 
Kaede stood up. “You are going to tell him everything?” Kagome nodded. “I'll be next door if ye need me.” With that, she disappeared.
 
Kagome faced Inuyasha. “What I am about to tell you sounds even crazier than Kuro's nuclear bomb. This is the biggest secret of my life and nobody except my family knows about it. Now I am going to tell you everything, from start to finish. Do not interrupt me until I'm done.”
 
Inuyasha nodded to show he was listening.
 
“Do you remember that legend I told you about and the story I wrote?” Inuyasha nodded, looking confused. “It's all true, the story explains all about this place. The hanyou I told you about was named Inuyasha and the miko was named Kikyo. Inuyasha was the one I told you about who had died.”
 
“He was a hanyou?” asked Inuyasha in surprise.
 
“Yes, no interrupting. On my fifteenth birthday, I fell through the well on my family's shrine. It made me come here, to feudal Japan. 500 years back in time. I freed Inuyasha from the Goshinboku and accidentally shattered the Shikon no Tama. We were forced to work together to collect the shards of the jewel and put it back together. I was able to sense the shards and he would protect me.” Kagome smiled softly. “Along the way, we met some other friends and an evil youkai - actually hanyou - that we had to defeat. He was responsible for everything bad that had happened to my friends. Kuro is the reincarnation of this evil hanyou. His name was Naraku.”
 
“Although they were both hanyous, they were created differently. Inuyasha was the result of a human mother and youkai father. Naraku, however, he was born a human and stayed a human for his childhood and youth; his human name was Onigumo. One day, not long after Inuyasha and Kikyo met, Kikyo found Onigumo with severe burns. She helped him as best as she could, but he was beyond repair and he knew it. Still, he fell in love with Kikyo and was extremely envious of the hanyou she spent so much time with. So he called some youkai and they became one with his flesh. He became very strong, stronger than most youkai and he was constantly building up his power.”
 
“A year later, we battled him for the last time. All my friends were killed and I ended up shooting him with an arrow. When I told you that Inuyasha had died protecting me, it was from Naraku, and when I said that the murderer was killed on the scene, it was by me.” She took a deep breath and showed him the jewel around her neck. “This is the sacred jewel. That is basically the whole story in a nutshell. I…really miss Inuyasha and my other friends - ironically named Sango and Miroku. Oh and that rosary…I don't know how you got it but it has a spell on it that mikos use to subdue youkai.”
 
Shocked would be a mild way to describe Inuyasha's expression. He didn't speak for several moments. “That sounds really complicated but I think I get it. You've been through a lot,” he added quietly. “I can't believe you actually told me your biggest secret.”
 
Kagome shrugged, “I would have a hard time explaining how we got here. Besides, I trust you.”
 
Inuyasha showed a faint trace of a smile. “Since you have told me your biggest secret, I can trust you will mine. This is the reason why I don't want anyone to know my real name.”
 
One hand went to his rosary. He twirled each fang on it once and waited. To Kagome's amazement, his hair turned silver and two small dog-ears appeared on his head.