InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Misunderstanding ❯ Home is where the heart belongs ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is mine! Nah! That’s not true… just wanted to say it…

Misunderstanding

By Silvermoon Maru

Chapter 9

‘Why do I feel so bad if I did the right thing? Why do you make me feel like this Kagome?’

********

It was like diving into the universe; beyond the darkness, there were thousands of small shinning spots resembling stars. The presence of magic was evident, usually a wonderful and mystic experience, but this time it was far from that.

At the other side of the well.

The night had already fallen over the Higurashi Shrine.

The familiar noises announced the arrival of someone in the well house. The usual mumbling and complaining or relieved exclamations that always followed that sounds were not heard in this occasion.

Kagome climbed out of the dark passage slowly, as if in every step forward the realization of her staying forever in modern Tokyo became truer.

She climbed the last step. All her body was tense, her breathing fast.

Finally, she opened with both hands the exit of the well house and met a full view of her home. The cold breeze hit her skin making her shiver.

The sky was bruised with dark and heavy clouds. A lightning bolt crossed it not daring to hit land. Kagome barely seemed to notice the sudden light. Even a thunderstorm wouldn’t be able to scare her.

He didn’t try to stop her.

She was half way to the house when the rain started pouring unmercifully. Little icy shards of water pinched her body.

“Of course I can decide! I don’t need you here anymore!”

His voice still roared in her mind.

She remembered the kiss that he and Kikyo shared. He wished to stay with her, to freeze that moment forever. And now, her most recent memory, the way he embraced Kikyo in Kanna’s mirror. Kykio told Inuyasha to get rid of her and he agreed. She thought that maybe with all the things that they had shared, with the time spent together, his feelings for the dead priestess might have decreased. Sadly, she found out how strong they still were. She shook her head in an attempt to send away those images. They were torturing her.

“Go back to your time, I don’t want to see you again!”

‘Face it Kagome, you meant nothing to him’ her mind screamed.

Water dripped from her hair and her drenched clothes. She took out her key and opened the door. She turned on the light next to the entrance. Everything was quiet. The house was empty. She sighed and closed the door behind her.

She climbed the stairs to her room. Needed time to think, everything had happened so fast.

Her bedroom door opened letting her in. She crossed it and get into the bathroom dropping the wet uniform to the floor. The hot water ran filling the tub.

Kagome sat into the water; her body was cold and stiff because of the rain and welcomed the warm comforting sensation. Her racing heart was finally slowing its pace. She closed her eyes.

Even when he did not feel anything about her, she really cared for him. It was a very thoughtless thing to come back without a shard.

One single and stupid little Shikon shard.

The tears slipped down her face. Her frail body trembled with her sobs.

Nobody could see her so it did not matter anymore. She let her emotions to flow freely harmonizing with the storm outside.

She had lost the most important part of her life.

********

The night was gone and the Musashi region welcomed a new day. The first sunrays appeared on the horizon immediately bathing the whole area with its light.

Inuyasha sat on a branch at the top of the Goshimboku, his look didn’t leave the well but his thoughts were somewhere else. He had been there since she left.

“Are you planning to stay there forever?” a voice from below broke his concentration. He met with Miroku’s inquisitive look.

He didn’t notice when the monk arrived and felt uncomfortable of had been found in a vulnerable situation. He did the only thing that an obstinate hanyou like him could do.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and lifted his chin arrogantly turning his face to a side.

“Keh! Why do you care?” he was being rude as usual.

Miroku suppressed the impulse of roll his eyes and answered him like if he was talking to a child.

“We still have to collect the Shikon shards and without Lady Kagome, the task becomes quite more difficult”

His expression changed at the mention of Kagome’s absence, a hint of melancholy stained his golden pools. He got down the tree landing gracefully on the ground next to the monk.

“Let’s go,” he simply answered. Miroku followed him close; he wanted to know what had happened to make him send her back but it wasn’t wise to ask yet. They walked through the woods for a while before any of them said something.

Unexpectedly, Inuyasha spoke first, his tone was low and his gaze fixed forward.

“She said… that she understood my feelings for Kikyo and hers for me…” he hesitated, still deliberating if he should share what he heard.

Miroku was paying attention to his friend. Inuyasha was trying to reveal to him something that was deeply troubling him. He waited patiently and kept silence.

“ Because… she felt the same way… about me” both guys ceased their walk. He looked anxiously at Miroku. His words would be the confirmation of what he did not dare to believe.

Therefore, she finally accepted it. An unreadable expression crossed the monk’s face. His gaze locked with the hanyou’s gaze. Miroku’s voice was grave.

“Tell me honestly, what do you feel about her?”

Inuyasha was taken aback; he waited for an answer, not for a question. His feelings were a total mess.

He thought of Kagome, her silky raven hair, her cheerful smile and her caring personality and a warm feeling made him blush, but almost instantly Kikyo’s memory made him remember his promise and the compromise he had with her. She had suffered a lot for him.

He slumped his shoulders and lowered his face. Miroku was very perceptive and noticed the hanyou’s display of emotions.

“I …don’t know… exactly. As long as Kagome is fine even if it means not to see her ever again. I’m content.”

A golden staff landed unceremoniously on his head.

“Hey! Why was that for?!” he glared at the monk and rubbed the spot where Miroku hit him.

“She said she loves you and you don’t know what you feel??” the monk shook his head. Inuyasha was denser than he thought. The hanyou looked away embarrassed.

“That’s not your business” he replied grumpily.

Miroku sighed. It wasn’t exactly the answer he was looking for, but was close.

They arrived to Kaede’s home.

Kaede, Sango and Shippou seemed to be waiting for them. They were sitting on the floor around a low squared wooden table. Kirara was on the exterminator’s lap looking at them expectantly with its wide red orbs.

The kit was very depressed; his eyes were a little red for crying.

Sango did not look happy at all, she glared daggers at the hanyou and petted Kirara at the same time.

Kaede’s face was indecipherable. She, like the others, was waiting for an explanation.

“I guess you can’t get out of this one Inuyasha.” Miroku secretly told him.

“Care to share” Sango was the first to talk.

The newcomers took a sit and Inuyasha told them about the incident with Naraku in the woods, the encounter with Kikyo, how fate played an important part on his decision and Kanna showing Kagome everything through the mirror.

When he was done everybody understood his behavior towards Kagome.

Miroku’ lips curved into a frown. There were some weird details in the story that Inuyasha had told them. Something wasn’t right at all but he couldn’t place his finger on what it was.

*******

A week later.

The little traveler was too worried to get on time. He had heard the events from some bird youkai trying to eat him two days ago. He had to get on time. Traveling over different kinds of youkai, through all kind of roads was very tiring.

He entered the hut. Sango was preparing Hiraikotsu. Shippou sat next to her, crestfallen.

“Sango! Oh don’t tell me I’m too late” the exterminator stared at the old Myoga. She extended her hand and the flea leapt to her palm. She took him closer to her.

“Where is Kagome?” it asked.

“She is gone.” his little eyes widened in alarm. He pulled his hands to his face and started mumbling sorrowfully.

“I failed. I failed. It’s too late.” Sango tried to comfort him. She didn’t know that he cared so much about the girl.

“Hey! Come on, it is not the end of the world. She is alive, even when she is far from us. She will be fine. It’s not your fault” she tried to light his mood.

The flea lowered his gaze. Sango felt that whatever he was going to tell her was not going to be something that she would like to hear.

“That’s the problem. She will not be fine for too long.”

Shippou was at their side in an instant.

“What do you mean old Myoga?” the little kit looked at him intently. Sango frowned.

“Away from this time, she will not live for more than 10 days. Her soul will try to be complete killing her in the process. It was fragmented when the witch Urasue raised Kikyo-sama from the dead. She is fine as long as she don’t stay away from the part that is missing for too long.”

“10 days?! She has been away for almost 7!” she exclaimed worried. A cold sensation filled the pit of her stomach.

The little servant was roughly taken away from Sango’s grasp. His master face appeared in front of him.

“Is that true Myoga?” his little eyes filled with fear and hope at the sight of the familiar half-demon.

Inuyasha and Miroku were listening from the other room. At the mention of Kagome’s name and Sango’s anguish tone, both had stood up to find out what happened.

“If you are making this up I swear I will…” he trailed off when the flea spoke shaking his little hands in denial.

“I swear it is true Inuyasha-sama. I was researching about the miko powers, and in my way, I found this information about the soul. The spell done was supposed to be cast to take a whole soul, not merely a piece” He did not use to lie, just in case he had to runaway from a dangerous situation. However, he would not lie to him in an important issue like Kagome’s welfare.

Things were getting too complicated. Now he had to bring her back, but by doing it, he would risk her to have the same fate as Kikyo.

“When she first got here, her soul was complete. After Kikyo’s resurrection she had gone to her era just for short periods of time and carrying the Shikon fragments, which power had kept her safe.”

Sango tried to figure out why they had not notice anything wrong with her. She felt guilty; she should have pushed Inuyasha aside when he stopped her. She could have brought her back and all of them would protect her from whatever Inuyasha was trying to keep her away. She held tightly the shards hanging from her neck.

“The spell cast was very powerful, we were fools not thinking about any consequences. Seems that we don‘t have another option.” Altering the natural course of things always bring chaos. Miroku turned to look to his hanyou friend and nodded.

Whatever was going to happen next, they will find out all together. A warm feeling enveloped Inuyasha at the thought of see her again. He would protect her from Naraku, from fate, even from himself who had caused her so much pain.

Something flew to him; instinctively he raised his hand and caught it. Opening his palm he saw that the object resting there was the necklace with the Shikon shards. He looked thankfully at Sango.

“What are you waiting for? You know what to do now” her smile confirmed him her wish to see Kagome again. Inside she feared for her dear friend’s life.

The color was coming back again and the world started making some sense. That lonely feeling that gripped him was letting go. Only when she was there it really felt like being home. He realized it now.

He prayed in silence to any known deity that the well still worked and he could get to her on time.

Kagome was in danger in both eras; but at least in this one, they might be able to do something.

*******

The sun was close to set. Kagome climbed downcast the stairs to the Shrine after a long school day. They had a math test which she probably failed for her lack of concentration.

Her mind was in the feudal era, in her friends. She missed them so much. It would be very hard for them to find the shards without Kagome ability to see them.

She was worried too.

‘What if they get hurt? Or worse…’ they didn’t have enough bandages or medicine to heal themselves. Her thoughts went to a white haired hanyou. She wanted to see him.

Kagome had made a decision in the last days. She would find a way to go back to the past and save Inuyasha from Kikyo’s vengeance. One of her friends would not endure that kind of tragic fate if she can prevent it. And Inuyasha meant lot more than a friend did.

Her thoughts flew to the little kit, he probably thought that she abandoned him. She had to help Sango to find Kohaku and finish Naraku, that was the only way to cure Miroku’s hand too. Her life was insipid without them. She couldn’t act as if she had never met them.

Her mind stopped in a halt when a well-known sensation crossed her senses. Her school bag fell to the floor as the girl ran in the direction of the source. Her heart raced in anticipation.

Grandpa watched his granddaughter pass next too him showing more life than in the last days.

‘It’s inside the house’ she scanned it from outside in an attempt to find the exact location.

It was in her room.

She entered the house in a second and climbed to the first floor 2 steps at a time. She had no doubt, it was a Shikon shard.

Mrs. Higurashi was in the kitchen preparing dinner. She was concerned for her daughter. Kagome was paler and quieter than usual. It wasn’t hard to guess that what was troubling her has something to do with her trips to the past.

Souta was playing a videogame in his play station 2. The police chased his character and he had to escape in an stolen car. The stomping on the stairs distracted him for a moment and he lost the game.

“Oh no! Kagome it is your fault!” cried annoyed the young boy.

She didn’t hear him, her attention was entirely focused on the shard. The entrance to her bedroom was closed. Slowly, she reached for the doorknob and turned it unlocking the door and pushing it to a side.

Little of the fast-fading sunlight entered through the window. A silhouette leaned on the frame, apparently waiting for her.

She froze in her place and gasped in awe his name.

“Inuyasha”

********

Oh a cliffy! I’m so evil!.

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