InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forevermore ❯ Part Thirteen ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha. Not mine. I wish. Inuren, Yuma, Tora, Sazumai, Naomori and Aoi are tho. ^^

Author Rants: Thanx to my reviewers...however little as they are! lol

loving-miko-to-hanyou: LOL You're too nice! Seriously. I might take advantage of you ^^ JK!

priestessmykala: You are such a mind reader! And yes, I'm going to address the situation of Ren's feelings about being a second-rate when it comes to Kagome's affections, just like the Kikyou complex, hehe. You're so kind...and yes, I've read Inuki, that was awesome. I only wish I could be that good. ^~ But can't say I haven't tried! Thx again.

Mel: THANK YOU SO MUCH!! *Mia is flattered*

HawkNiag: lol Fun to read huh? Glad to hear that. Hope you enjoy this one!

::f.o.r.e.v.e.r.m.o.r.e.::

a tale of truth, love and time by Mia

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A Kiss by Mia

A kiss, yet so simple, is such a wordless way for expressing a thought, feeling, desire. A single touch from one to the other, an action louder than words, a declaration with the lips instead of with a voice. Something shared between friends, and family, lovers alike; a gift to be given and received and treasured to be remembered. Something not as willing to be shared amongst strangers. A kiss can be something so minute and meaningless, yet can hold such encompassing emotions all at once, at times taking one's breath away. A kiss is shown in those movies portraying love and all of the above. We see it everyday, all around us and we thank the heavens that such a gesture was made for all of us to experience, to feel, to take in, a never-ending unique way of expression.

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::Part Twelve::

There was darkness all around Inuyasha - and then - what's that?!

He raked sharp claws wildly before him at the youkai that attacked him with such malevolence, and he tasted its blood, the iron-cool liquid heated against his lips and he shuddered at the untamed flavor, his own blood throbbing within him, his control breaking. He growled, the sound vibrating violently throughout his whole body and through the flesh that hung mercilessly from his fangs.

Then he met her eyes, warm liquidy blue and he felt himself drowning within them. Her touch brought him back, melting him alive, bringing calm to the storm raging within.

Then suddenly . . . there was nothing.

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Memories were such treasures. Something no one else could give you, yet can't be taken unless given. He remembered when he was small, lively and so full of energy. His mother was inside, fixing one of her healthy delicious dishes for dinner. They lived deep in the mountains, away from the heavy bustling of today's stressful modern world, a life with little mercy and full of detriment. He remembered sneaking about the woods, crouching low to study plants and little creatures in the shrubbery, imagining a world for himself and easily inventing friends out of thin air. It wasn't that he was lonely but it would have been better if his friends were made of flesh and blood and hair, all those things that he could play with, talk to.

He sat by himself and gathered the little treasures from his walk, planting himself somewhere not too far off from his home. The smell of the firs and of fresh earth beneath him gathered at his nose, his hands busy with making some sort of creation with the twigs and small rocks when he heard faint voices somewhere before him. Amber eyes tinged yellow suddenly widened as he looked up, his attention suddenly heightened when he spied upon a young woman sitting down on a log in front of him about ten feet away, her eyes downcast and she didn't seem to notice him.

He remembered how he sat frozen, still as a picture, not sure of what to do but decided to watch the ebony-haired girl that wore a green and white high-school uniform. When her eyes turned up in his general direction, she still didn't see him but continued to look off into space, the sadness painfully apparent in her face as he recognized the glistening tracks that marked her cheeks, tears pooling in her bright blue-gray eyes. He grew curious; why was such a pretty girl looking so sad for? He stayed silent when she reached up a hand and hastily swiped away at her tears. She gazed down at her moist hand then bit her lip as she realized that was only the beginning of the river she shed as more came, undesired. A forlorn sigh escaped her lips, as was a whisper directed to no one. "Why, Inuyasha? I don't understand..." She sniffled, wiping away another batch of tears as more came to replace them. Her hands fisted at her lap as she fixed a burning gaze at the ground. "You still love her, don't you. You still love Kikyou."

She stopped abruptly, her sad eyes suddenly alert, searching somewhere to her right as though she'd heard a sound of someone approaching. She hurriedly picked herself up and ran the opposite way, her actions in slow-motion and he watched as she gradually spirited away into thin air, nothingness.

He had to blink several times before he proceeded off the ground, forgetting to dust himself off. He moved swiftly to the place where he had seen the girl, sought for her but found nothing; she had departed without a trace.

Dinner wafted from the house and reached his nose. It was then his attention was directed partially away from the girl, his stomach having other ideas.

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Inuren Hayasha opened his eyes as though he had just momentarily blinked and not as though his body was in a deep, suspended slumber. The dream, or so-called memory, waned from his peripheral vision, bright sunlight filtering through a small window and landing just below his eyes and the rest of him, being merciful to his awakening irises.

He instantly located the places where his body ached the most; his arm carried a bandaged wound with exactly four small punctures and he figured it was from that demon he had encountered before he completely blacked out. His whole head throbbed slightly as though he had sharply hit the ground, a huge weight being thrown on top of him. A deep breath came and went through his lungs, his bare chest rising and falling steadily before he used his hands to sit up, his world teetering a bit as he looked around.

Yuma looked up from the fire pit at the young man, his focus shifting from cloudy to alert in a single second. "I see that Inuren-sama has chosen this hour to finally wake up," he remarked, receiving a slight frown from using his full name. He ran a hand through his fair hair before gesturing to the small bowl of food set near Ren. "Try to eat something. Sazumai and Tora are outside with Kaede-sama and Kagome-sama so you need not wonder their whereabouts."

At the sight of food, Ren's stomach cried out, grumbling. His lips pursed; if only he had the appetite to match. Yuma calculated the meaning from his face without much effort. "Not to be rude, but you are not of much use to Kagome-sama." Ren looked up at him, his frown deepening at the open-mindedness of the haughty-toned guardian. Golden honey and amber fire challenged cold ice as their gazes met. "It would be a lot better if you went back to where you belonged."

He kept his voice steady despite his temper engulfing his heart. "I'm already here." Yuma continued to wordlessly glare at him before backing down, turning his head toward the fire pit again, eyes closing. Ren wasn't finished yet. "If I ever wanted your useless opinion, I'll fucking ask for it...just don't treat me like the bottom of your shoe every time you talk to me." Ren wanted to continue to elaborate but Kagome had walked in with herbs and bandages in hand, followed by the two other women. Almost instantly had his temper cooled like a cold splash of water.

Yuma watched as Kagome and Ren exchanged greetings, his thoughts matching his troubled eyes. I have a bad feeling about that man. It's not just something I can simply pick off and dust away...something's not right. His aura emits two souls, not one. So what is he really...? "Do you feel all right?" Kagome asked, voice genuinely concerned as Ren chuckled.

"I'm fine, really I am." He let her undo the bandages to replace them with new ones, content in watching her fretting over him, his view trained solely on her face.

So when he transformed into a full-blooded youkai...was that Inuyasha from the depths of somewhere deeper?

He continued to brood in his thoughts as Sazumai began to converse with him. "Have you been contacted by Aoi-sama as of late?" She frowned; he wasn't responding but was still gazing off into space. "Hey, you're not even listening to a word I'm saying!" Sazumai then chose to light a small flame underneath his rump, causing him to rocket up to the ceiling with a trail of dark smoke.

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A young youkai-taijiya sat with her slender yet skillful hands covering her face as tears leaked through her fingers, bodies strewn all around her as far as the eye could see. Blood streaked across her face, caked in her hair and stained her clothing as she never looked any worse for wear. She tilted her face up for a moment, only hearing her choked sobs in the deadly silent air about her and she came to a painful realization; she was the sole survivor. The murderer...the killer. Every one else reached death while she lived. That made her throw herself on the ground, her body racked with sobs, her sword lay unsheathed near her, the blade marked crimson.

She only paused for a moment when she heard something stumble across the ground and stop next to her foot and tapping it. She was startled when next she laid her eyes on a rice-papered door, tatami-mats moist from her tears beneath her - she found herself in someone's home and not in the battlefield. The shock compelled her to get up and straighten herself; her clothes were clean and her body suit and armor was replaced with a scarlet kimono with sakura printing, a cream sash securing it around her waist.

"Rei, don't throw pebbles at Fuyumi...ah look, you almost hit Mother!" Children's voices and laughter emitted from the outdoors. She was utterly speechless as the intial pain of her evil deed still harbored inside her chest, heavy and thick. Someone called her name, a man's name. Famliar and deep, melodiously enticing, ever so beckoning.

She turned - and discovered herself being encompassed by intense passion, love that came by a purple tidal wave. The eyes were entrancing, so kind. He was so near she could feel his breath cascading over her. "Sango." He repeated, each nuance of his voice effecting her heart.

"Hou...Houshi...sama?" She was crying again, soundlessly. His soft lips gradually upturned into a rakish grin, his eyes brightening effectively warming her soul and relieving her of her misery.

"What ever happened to 'Miroku,' koibito?" It was when he took her into his arms and submerged her with his intense love was when she began to forget everything, and remembered everything of what she loved, needed, wanted. All of the above was right there, right underneath her hands.

And she would stay there, as long as the Gods would allow her.

Koishiteru.

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When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was standing near a sakura tree, its blossoms raining down upon him. He shook himself as the petals descended to the ground and he warily looked around, spying upon a traditional Japanese home before him. What he had experienced before was altogether forgotten in just a passing second and his mind discarded any memory of tasting wild youkai blood.

As he came forward to the back yard, he saw Sango sitting down surrounded by several children including Kohaku and he hissed in annoyance. "Oi, Sango!" He walked forward as she didn't look up, and he laid a hand on her shoulder - or tried to but his hand did not meet anything but air. "What the-?!"

He knew instantly that this was an illusionary world created by Naraku, cleverly woven through the minds of the monk and exterminator as Inuyasha then hopped onto the wooden porch on his right toward Miroku, knuckles cracking. His hands made to grab at him but to no avail; apparently their ears were deaf to his voice no matter how loudly he yelled at them.

"Kuso!!" Inuyasha cursed loudly, eyes on fire. "This is just fucking great! Stupid bouzu...Can't you see it's not real?!"

Inuyasha, in all his desperation, waved his hand back and forth through Miroku's head, still unbelieving. Simultaneously, Miroku was gazing ever so lovingly at his children, the illusion wrapping itself fully around Sango as well as she mothered their offspring and the benumbed expression on their faces made Inuyasha want to vomit.

He stopped for a second to take a deep breath, nostrils flaring as he considered the situation for a moment. He crossed his arms underneath his sleeves, "This is futile. How am I supposed to knock him outta the dream if I can't touch him?" As if in answer, a burning red hot sensation seared inside his haori, and he quickly fumbled for the object that Naomori had bestowed him. He reached his fingers around it and studied it on his palm; the burning fire from it instantly vanished. It was a small mirror with an intricate silver border, not any bigger than his palm. Even though he expected to see himself, his reflection was nowhere to be seen. This alarmed him only a little, as he didn't see anything else being reflected but just the shiny shimmering surface of glass.

Inuyasha pondered this for a little while longer until he had the sudden urge to turn it over, and make it reflect onto Miroku. He gasped; there it was - the source of all this madness. So this is the mirror's power... Surrounding Miroku's dazed form were two youkai, black rough skin, yellow fangs, four limbs on which it stood. A malevolent aura enclosed Miroku as well as Sango, apparently the ones responsible for controlling them. Inuyasha growled menacingly, shifting the mirror from his right to his left hand before he lunged forward.

"Sankon Tetsusuo!!" He ripped through the air with razor-sharp claws but as he landed on the other side of them, he saw that once again it was useless. "Damnit!" He yelled, frustrated even more than before. Again he felt the mirror heat his palm and he angrily looked at it. Once he did, he gave out a startled response as it seemed to transform in his hand. The mirror shaped itself into a shiny blade made of unbreakable glass, and as he held the handle, he slowly recognized it to be Tetsusaiga, only all silver; a slight rendition of the original. His grip tightened and it mutated again into the large Tetsusaiga transformed.

He had to stare at it in awe for a moment, the sword felt so good to be within his possession once again despite a slight difference as he stood in battle stance, pointing the blade at the monsters that held Miroku. If I couldn't touch him before, the Wind Scar won't be able to hurt him, right? Thought unanswered, he shifted and wielded Tetsusaiga in one move. Now or nothing, I guess. "Kaze no Kizu!" A golden wave of destruction ripped toward the two demons, and before they could even take notice they were swallowed up by incredible power, their defeaning shrieks filling the air as Inuyasha bit down on his lip at the sound.

Miroku snapped his eyes wide open, taking a sharp intake of air in his lungs as though he were on the brink of drowning. Nearby Sango abruptly stood up, blinking rapidly as her vision cleared and she stared at Inuyasha and Miroku in front of her. Inuyasha sighed as his sword dissipated back into its original mirror form before putting it into his haori for safe keeping. Miroku weakly rose on his feet and Inuyasha walked toward him, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder and dropping it as Sango joined them, a slightly puzzled look in her eyes.

"Inuyasha..." Sango began but was cut off.

"You fucking idiots..." His tone was sarcastic albeit slightly serious as Inuyasha fought not to start crying like some weakling. "You would've been done for if I hadn't..."

"I am quite glad to see you too, Inuyasha." Miroku finished for him, his voice gentle as he clapped the hanyou on the shoulder.

Sango started to grin in relief, then met Miroku's dark eyes. There was that warmth there, dream or no; it was still apparent on his face. Swallowing back tears, she ran toward him and held him close as he reciprocated, the memory of the illusion still clouding their minds. Inuyasha looked away and let them have their little reunion, his thoughts wavering toward Kagome once again. So when would he have his own joyous reunion with her?

"Inuyasha," Miroku beckoned, an arm around Sango's shoulders. "What of Kagome-sama and Shippou?"

Yeah, what of them? "Kagome's in her world right now. No doubt she's worried about you two." His reply was terse but his expression gave him away.

Sango frowned. "I'm guessing Shippou's still in his illusionary world; Kirara managed to escape - how, I don't know. Perhaps she found her way back to Kaede-sama." She stopped as the world around them started to fade, melting all around them as she glanced at the children and Kohaku outside, frozen, blurring out of vision and she realized it was her own tears. She quickly blinked them away, finally accepting the fact that it wasn't real, none of it was even as her heart fought to keep the emotions she had felt during the dream.

They were now in the middle of a grassy field, alone under a clear darkening sky. Inuyasha breathed in deeply in relief; he had somehow escaped the clutches of death and was given a precious second chance to try again. He thanked the gods silently...how his limbs ached to run to her, now that he was in the same world yet so far - he couldn't chance it. If he ran to look for Kagome now, he might ruin the only chance he had to be with her once more and he wouldn't be able to live with the fact that sheer desire for her warmth was something that destroyed everything he could have ever built for himself and for her.

For now he would have to survive without her; afterall, all he did was for her. He had a mission to fulfill - it was now Shippou's turn to snap out of it.

Inuyasha blinked in surprise when he felt a solid body lean against him, and another hand to his left that strayed on his forearm. Sango had come up next to him, with Miroku on the opposite side of the hanyou. Sango swallowed away joyous tears as she regarded Inuyasha through reddish-brown eyes. "Inuyasha, I'm so glad you're safe and...thank you." He merely nodded, biting down the urge to brush away her heartfelt gratitude and instead let it soak in.

Miroku let the exterminator voice his gratitude for him as he breathed in deeply, thankful for life as Inuyasha had been before - although his hand was coming around Inuyasha toward Sango in such a sneaky fashion... "Ah yes, our group is slowly starting to come together again, ne...?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he was aware of his intentions, and stepped forward to get away from the oncoming punishment dealt to the monk. Miroku's hand had found its target - Sango's eyes narrowed.

SLAP!

"Itai..."

"WE FINALLY REUNITE AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO GRAB ME AGAIN YOU PERVERTED LECHER!"

Oh, how Inuyasha missed Kagome, indeed.

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It was funny how you felt one's eyes as they silently watched you.

Kagome had the feeling all day and nothing had been done to blot it out besides a huge dose of ignorance. Ren kept watching her as she moved all around the hut and even outside when she showed him Goshinboku later that evening, and only then had his eyes strayed the least from her. It was worse when she had to tell him about his unusual characteristics and behavior during the youkai encounter the first few moments after he'd arrived out of the well into Sengoku Jidai.

There he sat at the thick base roots of the God Tree, lips wordless as his tongue did not move to emphasize his opinions on the matter and it was making her utterly shiftless. She kept pacing in front of him and he watched, expression unreadable and it was irritating the hell out of her - he was acting unusually like Inuyasha and it just made everything fucking perfect when he had the same eyes, same voice.

She stopped on her rampant and gazed back him - or rather, glared. "And just what do you think you're doing??"

That caught him a little off-guard, and he straightened a bit, his arm had stiffened in its makeshift sling. "What do you mean? I'm just looking at you, that's all." He tensed when she walked quickly up to him, stopping just a couple feet away and meeting his eyes with such fierceness.

"You know, if you don't stop staring at me like that and at least tell me how you feel on this stupid situation, I just might reconsider."

"Hn? Reconsider what?" This was just too much fun.

The smile that appeared on his face just added kindling to the flame. "Throwing your wounded carcass back into the well, you idiot!" Kagome squeezed her eyes shut before turning away and pacing again. Only after a few moments had she taken a second to look at his reaction. He sat there, not looking at her anymore much to her surprise, but he was glaring ruefully at the ground as though it had said something he didn't like and not her. She paused in her steps; she felt that there was something that bothered him before, she just wasn't so sure until now. "Re-"

"Do you really think of me as such a weakling?" The question and the look fixed on her was altogether intense, she found herself grappling for the correct response. She felt in her heart that she owed him at least that much. She was about to relay to him her opinion when he continued, not looking at her. "Yuma had already shown me just how weak I am and I . . . Well, I don't hate him for it, it just made me so fucking mad to see that he was right. I'm nothing like the Inuyasha that they wrote about in the history books. I'm nothing like the legend you'd loved no matter how much . . . I want . . ."

Kagome quickly intervened before it was too late as she placed herself before him at his feet. "No. I would never think of you as a weakling. You're one of the bravest people I know," Despite your weaknesses and limits as a human. She fought to bite that thought back. "You saved us. Even if you didn't know what you were doing when you killed that youkai. I know that, somehow . . . you still felt the need within yourself to . . . Well, to protect me." She felt that if she were to mention Inuyasha now, everything would go down the drain. She didn't know that as she grasped his hand, he was filled with the love that Inuyasha had for her. His lips were numb to the words he wanted to say for so long now that he'd realized he felt that way for her. He was entranced, his actions and feelings guided by a source even he did not know existed. He wanted her, more than life itself. Although he knew without further doubt that she would die first if Inuyasha were to be completely taken away from her and she was utterly powerless to reverse it.

"Why do I feel...like I would willingly die for you?" He asked slowly, his hand going from hers to frame her cheek; at the contact she sucked air in through her mouth, almost a forlorn hiss.

What should I say? "You're tired - maybe we should go back..." It suddenly dawned on her that the look in his eyes displayed nothing but raw emotion, love and perhaps envy toward the one that she loved. How does one react to love when one has been depraved and thirsting for it for so long? And he didn't even have to say anything, he was offering it to her. Her heart almost caved in as she leaned against his warmth, closing her eyes.

Kagome felt a sudden nervousness growing in the pit of her stomach. Those eyes . . . they were weaving a spell that encompassed the universe of her being. She feared it more than anything.

You are mine, Kagome. It's forever.

I'll never let you go. Never.

Ren began to lean down to capture her lips when she got up so suddenly, his chin almost collided with her head. Her face was the perfect example of scarlet silk, and she refused to meet his eyes. He felt like his heart had just been thrown back at him after he had so wrenchingly offered it to her. "We should go," she said evenly, still flustered. Almost . . . angry? "Let's go." The order was given and she turned and started walking back without him, not even to help him up perhaps because she had already forgotten that he was still hurting. Now a new pain had been added to his collection, one that wouldn't mend simply with healing salve and bandages.

He staggered to his feet when he couldn't see her anymore, eyes downcast as evening descended, blanketing him in shadow. He realized that he wanted Kagome to love him as though he were Inuyasha - he suddenly didn't care whether or not she loved him as either Ren or the legendary hanyou. Either way, he would be able to love her the way he desired, to finally meet her lips with his. No matter how pathetic he had stooped to be, what of it - he simply wanted to be with the woman of his dreams.

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End Part 12. ^^

Notes: I know, Ren might sound a little pathetic, but hey! Some of you out there might have felt the same way too ya know! Even the lonely need love (oh DUH!!). Hee hee. Until Part 13 then. Ja!