InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Not Over You ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I don't own Inuyasha.

Kagome’s fingers dug into Inuyasha’s haori as they were bathed in the warm sparkling dust of the Shikon no Tama. It really was a sight to behold. The powder fine specks glittering against the black back drop reminded her of fireworks exploding in the night sky. She could feel the steel band of his arm around her waist, pulling her against the wall of his chest protectively. She sagged against him completely exhausted, almost unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

“It’s over…” He whispered, but there was no smile, no relief in his voice. He turned blazing amber eyes to her face, a twisting inferno of emotions banked there. They’d found no true joy in the death of Naraku, not the way they’d thought. There would be no real happy ending, the war that had been fought had been wrought with such horrendous hardship and debilitating loss. So many lives forfeited… so many tears, such guilt, and blame, and pain.

Kagome felt a crushing reality settle in her chest, she nodded, looking up into the face of the only boy she’d ever loved. She heard the tell tale scrape of Tessaiga as he dropped the Great Fang into its scabbard. A brilliant smile graced her face, even as the tears gathered in her eyes. She committed his image in that moment to her memory, the cut of his jaw, the tilt of his eyes, even the shape of those famous ears. She wanted to tell him everything she’d never dared to, ever hoped to dream about with him. She reached up cupping his cheek, she felt him press into her palm, his smoldering eyes burning into hers.

“Kagome…”  

Suddenly, before she could even catch her breath, they were falling, or maybe it was flying, across time. Kagome could feel the magic of the well prickle against her skin, she felt the familiar flip as her stomach adjusted to sudden gravity pulling on it. They emerged in a blinding pillar of light, on her side of the well, to three extremely worried faces. “Mama?”

Her mother’s watery brown eyes softened as she took her in, “Kagome!” She held out her arms expectantly.

She fumbled over the lip of the well toward her family, her heart clenching with unfounded anxiety. She’d thought for a very few dark moments that she’d never be able to see them again. It felt so good to feel the solid protection of her mother’s embrace.  Kagome took full advantage, crying into her shoulder as she hadn’t since she was child. She felt her hand enveloped in loving warmth, her grandfather wrapping his aged fingers around hers, she could even feel the reassuring weight of her little brother against her back. She was home! For several blissful minutes Kagome allowed herself to really breathe. The evil that had plagued their lives for so long vanquished, she was free of the ever looming shadow that was Naraku. Her friends were safe, her family. She should have known, should have never let her guard down. Nothing ever lasts.

Ethereal light filled the small damp well-house again, Kagome turned to see Inuyasha glowing. Dread formed like a weight around her heart and dropped into her stomach. No. His breathtaking honey hued eyes widened in alarm, he reached out to her, her name on his lips. She broke away from her family and rushed to him.

“Inuyasha!” She flung her hand out desperately, the tips of her fingers brushing against his, but the well took him too quickly. She couldn’t grasp him fast enough. Her body hit the brittle aged wood with enough force to knock her breathless, she paid no heed. She heard her name as he called out to her again, that damned light engulfed him. But she was too late. The light died as soon as it had come, she was left staring into empty darkness, her hand still reaching out for Inuyasha’s.


Kagome bolted up-right, her hand hanging in the air, searching for something that wasn’t there, would never be there, tears still burning hot on her face.  She wasn’t staring into the desolate nothingness of the well. She was in bed, the early evening light bathing the pale walls of her bedroom. Her shoulders sagged in defeat, her hand falling limply and empty in her lap. She took a shaky breath, her heart slowing its painful pace. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, shutting her eyes against more tears. God, when would she stop having this nightmare?

Too bad it wasn’t a nightmare, she thought bitterly. No, a nightmare could be quieted, put to rest knowing that it was just that. A nightmare. Not this, this was her haunting reality, a truth so sharp it reopened already jagged wounds.

She kicked angrily at her tangled blankets, throwing them off of her. She knew it would be pointless to attempt sleep, it came so rarely too her these days, so she padded across the cool wood floor of her room barefoot to and made her way downstairs. Her family was stretched wide across the shrine, her grandfather probably tending the gardens, her mother starting dinner, her brother either with his friends or immersed in some video game. She grabbed her favorite baggy sweatshirt from the coat hanger in the entrance and stepped outside into the chilling twilight, the temperature of the air dropping with the sun.

There was only one place in the entire world that would soothe the hurt that seemed her ever present companion. The sprawling branches of the God Tree came into view, tight pink buds soon to bloom dotting the thick limbs. Autumn was falling gracefully into winter, the days growing cooler by the hour. Had it really already been three seasons? Almost nine months since she’d last seen her precious friends? Kagome could see the small out-building in her peripheral vision, but refused to look at it. Just knowing it was there caused a familiar pang to lance through her.  

The days after the well had closed had been some of her darkest, even emptier than the few she’d spent floating in the tainted jewel. When the light had faded, Kagome had thrown herself into the blackness after Inuyasha and started digging at the compacted earth until her fingernails were torn and bloody. Her mother had climbed down after her, wrapping her shaking hands around Kagome’s and finally forced her to stop. She’d struggled to draw even a single complete breath in that Godforsaken hole. She had sat there so defeated and sobbed, great heart wrenching sobs that had shaken her very soul with the force of them. She’d exhausted herself, clawing at the ground, crying brokenly in the cold oblivion, until she’d finally slipped into a merciful sleep. But… she’d never really woken up, only continued on in her comatose state, weeks had flown passed her unnoticed as she did nothing but stare out at the window and into the sky completely shattered.  It seemed so trivial, her life, now that half of it was five hundred years in the past.

 A part of her would never be able to wrap her mind around the fact that she would never see any of them ever.

They were dead, a voice whispered to her.

Sango, the woman she’d regarded as a sister, with her loving smile and fierce loyalty. She had smiled that beautiful smile despite losing everything. Miroku, the infuriating lecher with his ever laughing eyes and endless wit, he’d been able to ease any fight, find any solution in even the hardest of situations. She’d never again gossip with her best friend in the hot springs, never swat Miroku for is wandering hands, never rock Shippou to sleep.

Moisture collected on Kagome’s lashes as she thought of the little boy, maybe not the child of her womb, but the child of her heart. She rubbed her chest, trying in vain to ease the constant ache. She could still see those luminous green eyes looking up at her with such trust, pleading with her to tell him another bed time story. She bit back a viscous sob, God, how was she ever going to be okay? The grief washed over her in waves, it was so hard to understand that the people she’d loved would forever be nothing more than memories…

And then… then there was him.  The Goshinboku loomed in front of her. She placed the palm against the smooth bark where a body had been pinned for fifty years in suspended animation.

Inuyasha.
She’d never forget the look in his fathomless eyes as he’d looked up at her, powerless to stop the will of time. The shock and sadness was so profound it ceased the breath in her lungs, made her knees weak with the pain of it. She slumped against the rough bark, settling in the giant tree’s gnarled roots. What she wouldn’t give in that moment to be nose to nose, in a heated battle of wills with that boy. Hell, she’d sell her soul just to hear Inuyasha insult her.

And then the memory haunted her of his lips, melting against her own, his eyes shifting from an angry red, to a warm thrilling copper, and finally to the soft molten gold she’d fallen in love with. She could still feel his arms slip around her to pull her into him, his mouth becoming more insistent on hers, like she was the most precious thing to him in the world, like she was treasured. She felt the shattered pieces of her heart splinter further. Her head falling into her hands, she wanted that again, she wanted the chance for them.

That day the well closed, a part of her had died. Something vital and powerful and been snuffed out, like a flame caught in a strong wind. Or maybe Inuyasha had taken it, stolen it from her forever. If that was the case then she wanted him to keep it, always. Maybe, she marveled, they were never supposed to be together. The well had served its purpose, she had served her purpose, and after they’d done their job, it had made sure that time couldn’t be altered any more. She damned fate so venomously she knew she would’ve made Inuyasha proud.  

Anger blossomed in her chest, sparking some life back into her dead eyes. She turned to glare at the well house, wishing that it would spontaneously combust. She wanted to get up and fling open those doors, strike a match and let the old, dry wood burn. But she knew she could never do that, it was her last connection to all of them. Deep, in the depths of her cold heart she was still harboring a fruitless hope, that one day somehow she’d make it back to them all.

She stood up on shaky, unstable legs, drawn to the source of all her pain by some unspeakable need. It was the first time in months she’d even dared look directly at the damned thing. She came up against the faded white of its old door and eased it open, the hinges protesting loudly. A whoosh of stale air hit her in the face.

Tears came unbidden to her eyes, slipping down her pale cheeks. She scowled, she was so tired of crying, surely after endless hours of it, her overactive tear ducts would have a max limit. Apparently not, she thought scrubbing her face with her sleeve. She stepped into the space, anxiety clawing at her throat, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Still she forced her feet to move, one after the other, until what seemed to be an eternity she arrived in front of the well. Her hands gripped its fragile rim, her knuckles surely white on the aged wood.  Slowly, her large blue eyes adjusted to the dimness, the strengthening morning light spilling in, they had used this well as a storage house for yard equipment. A few large brooms were leaning against the paneled walls, unused for several seasons. She was desperately avoiding looking into the well. It was then that she realized that she was hoping by some miracle, by some small chance of fate that she’d peer into the well and she’d see the sparkling pink light of the time slip. She tipped her head back, the pain in her chest swelling.  My heart… my heart can’t take another disappointment. It would crush her completely.

“Kagome?”

Kagome spun around. Her mother was silhouetted in the doorframe against the warm yellow light from the melting sun, her cooking apron wrapped around her small waist. She gave her mother a breathtakingly sad smile, “Hello, Mama.”

Yukio’s hand fluttered to her breast, trying to calm her stuttering heart. Her daughter hadn’t stepped foot in this room in almost a year. Yet, there she was standing in front of her looking so fragile she was almost too afraid to breath for fear of watching her crumple into a fine dust. “What are you doing, dear?”

Kagome shook her head. She didn’t really have an answer, her tiny shoulder lifted half-heartedly in response.

Yukio tilted her head, her heart aching as she noticed the wetness that lingered on her cheeks. “What is it, baby?”

Kagome leaned against the well, she hated when her mother used this tone of voice with her. It had a unique way of blowing past all of her walls and barriers. A cruel lump formed in her throat making it impossible to talk passed the damned thing. Instead she lifted her eyes to meet her mother’s gaze.

Yukio gasped, the raw undiluted pain there was enough to cause her own eyes to brim with moisture. She rushed forward and folded Kagome into her arms, rocking her as she had as a child, as she had the day her daughter had lost the man she’d loved. Lord, help her, but she knew what it felt like to say goodbye. Haru’s image flashed behind her eyes, his laughing azure gaze so much like his oldest child’s.

“I can’t Mama.” She heard the muffled statement against her shoulder.

“Can’t what?”  Yukio smoothed Kagome’s ever unruly hair, so much like her own.

“I can’t go on like this, it hurts.” Kagome gripped her mother’s floral button down shirt, crushing the starched material in her hands. She wanted the smell of a burning bonfire, the starry night sky. She wanted her best friend to complain about the stupid monk with perverted hands.  She wanted Shippou she wanted Inuyasha.

“I want them back!” She whispered frantically.

Yukio squeezed her daughter, “I know, baby, I know.”

Kagome couldn’t stop them, the painful debilitating sobs that reached into anyone that heard them and pulled on their heartstrings.

Yukio’s own heart was bleeding and broken for her daughter’s, she was the one that couldn’t. Absolutely could not stand to see her cherished first born so torn. She prayed, to any God that would listen that they grant her wish, she pleaded, she begged silently. She would let Kagome go, would give her up, if they could stop this horrible pain. She cooed, trying in vain to ease the chasm that had ripped Kagome apart. A panic started inside of her, bubbled up to burn her throat. What was to become of Kagome now?

Suddenly, a warm glow skittered over Yukio’s arms, like the soft rays of the beaming sun. But it couldn’t possibly be from the sun, it was coming from the wrong direction. She opened her eyes to see the ethereal magenta light float up and fill the space like a growing flame. A sad smile graced her face, she crushed Kagome close and sent out a bittersweet thank you.

“Kagome.” She whispered, leaning back so her daughter could open her own eyes and see what was happening.

Kagome slowly quieted, turning her tearstained face up to look at her questioningly. It was then she noticed that her mother’s lovely face was awash with a rosy brilliance, she whipped her head around, hope expelling some of the darkness from her heart.  She gasped.

The well was allowing her a final passage, giving her back her stolen choice. New tears traced familiar and well worn tracks down her puffy cheeks; a radiant smile split her face. After hours, weeks, months of waiting she could finally go home. Inuyasha’s cocky lopsided smirk popped into her head. She could finally see her hanyou, her beautiful infuriating dog boy. She couldn’t almost see him perched up on the lip of the well, scowling at her for her late arrival.

What took you so long, Ka-Go-Me?

Her euphoria lasted only briefly. She knew, had always known on some level that she would have to make a choice. She simply hadn’t realized until it was too late, just what it would be.  She pulled her mother into another tight hug, “Mama…”

It was Yukio’s turn to cry, she also had known, just what her choice would be. “I know.”

She always does, doesn’t she? Kagome’s heart felt so heavy, goodbyes were just a part of life, but that knowledge didn’t make it any easier. She looked into her mother’s soft brown eyes, “I will find a way to let you know how I am.”

Yukio nodded. She ran trembling fingers along Kagome’s cheek, tilting her face back she brushed her bangs away and placed a kiss on her forehead, “Remember, my precious little girl, that I will always love you.”

Kagome smiled bravely, despite the horrible sadness, “I know, Mama, I love you, too. Tell Souta and Grandpa for me?” She didn’t think she could do anymore goodbyes. “Tell them I love them and that… that I promise I’ll be happy.”

Yukio thought back to the day she’d held Kagome in her arms for the first time, wrapped in a downy pink blanket. She had asked for only one thing in that moment, her heart surging with love, that her daughter, despite all the evil in the world found her happiness.

“It’s all I’ve wanted for you.”

She kissed her mother’s cheek and hugged her, refusing to succumb to the fear of the unknown, to the sadness of her farewells. She leaned back, committing Yukio’s face to her memory. She hauled herself over the well, but before she plunged into the past she looked back one last time and smiled at her mother.


Inuyasha let out an irritated sigh, the damned kit was snoring noisily on his thigh. It amazed him still how easily the brat fell asleep, after lunch his full belly had lulled the small youkai to slumber in what seemed mere seconds. Well, he supposed he had run the boy ragged this morning. They’d gone through all of his exercises, Sango drilling him on all of his defensive stances and kicks.

Things on this side of well had fallen into a quiet routine. Each morning the slayer would drag Miroku, Inuyasha, and the squirt to the clearing. The adults would spar, while one remained on the sidelines with the child, breaking down moves and battle strategies for him to understand. Sango taught mostly, the woman had what seemed endless patience, something Inuyasha lacked considerably. Miroku was teaching the poor kid to meditate and control his anger, the philosophy of war, was how the monk had put it. He’d gone onto explain that Inuyasha would benefit from such things, Inuyasha had thrown him a crude gesture for the snide little comment. He was happy for the couple though. Miroku had finally lost the fatal hole in his hand and finally done good on the promise to his girl. Sango and Miroku were planning their nuptials soon and during the preparations the monk and Inuyasha were building a decent sized home for the newly forming family.

They could all tell though, that she missed her brother Kohaku. She would sometimes be caught, frozen by the memory of him, the sorrow that he knew so well radiating from her. He could still recall the haunting look in that boy’s dark eyes, a soul that had been wise and jaded beyond his years. He’d had been unable to handle the incredible guilt of his family’s massacre, and despite their best efforts when the Shikon no Tama was gone, so was he. His last words to his sister had been a blessing, that the rest of her life she’d be happy. It had been another tragic moment in a series of many.

 Inuyasha had assumed the responsibility of the brat, being that he was the only adult demon to show him the things he’d need to be taught. Things he himself had had to find out the hard way, through lessons and pain no child his age should have had to endure. He’d be damned before he’d let Shippou go through the same. He snorted as the kit rolled onto his back, his face contorting comically in sleep. He reached over and ruffled the kit’s coppery hair affectionately. He didn’t mind him so bad, he was a convenient distraction from the one thing none of them could even talk about without someone falling into a silent depression.

Kagome.

Her name whispered though his mind and the barely restrained heartache gripped him. Damn, but he missed that girl, and her memory graced every bit of this place. More times than he could count he’d nearly run away, letting his feet carry him far away from here, but always, always he found his way back. He couldn’t bear to leave, couldn’t because some part of him believed that she’d return to him. He didn’t try to squash the clenching pain in his chest, sometimes he needed it to let him know that he was still here, that Kagome had existed. That girl had given him everything that mattered to him today, he couldn’t help but glance at the tiny body nestled next to his leg. She’d been the glue that had kept them all together in the beginning, deceptively telling them that it would be easier to defeat a common enemy if they were allied. And then over time with her gentle nature she’d taken them in like strays and healed them, given them a second chance at a family, a home, at happiness.

Inuyasha felt for the weight that was always pressed against his collarbone. He flipped the gold locket open to see Kagome’s angry face glaring back at him from behind a tiny piece of glass. He smiled, and if anyone had seen it in passing, it would have taken their breath away. His face, even twisted with such profound grief, was beautiful. He thumbed the small portrait, what he wouldn’t give to have that face right in front of him berating him for his idiocy. He could still see the last memory of her burn behind his eyes, the way she’d screamed his name… his heart shuddered painfully. He’d fought so hard to keep the fucking well from pulling him back, but he’d been completely helpless against the compulsion of time. He’d ended up on his side of the well, dazed and broken. He’d been beaten, bloodied, bruised, he’d had his own entrails carved out of his stomach, but it would never compare to the utter emptiness and soul-consuming agony that had come in the wake of Kagome’s absence.

It had taken months for him to come out of his stupor, so many nights he’d spent keeping a close vigil on the well, waiting for a flicker of light, the telltale teasing of her scent. He’d barely eaten, almost never slept. In the end it had been the kit, already grieving for Kagome’s loss that had come to him, and desperately pleaded with him to stay, to live. It was then that he realized how close her vacancy had pushed him to his own death. And he knew, looking at the tiny life in front of him how absolutely pissed Kagome would have been with him if he left the half-pint by himself. So he’d picked his ass off the floor and tried to do right by being there for Shippou.

So lost in his thoughts he’d overlooked said boy’s signs of waking.

“’Yasha?”

He turned, slightly surprised to see Shippou’s huge emerald eyes peering up at him, “What, kit?”

He yawned wide and reached out a tiny hand and touched the smooth metal, lethargically climbing onto Inuyasha’s lap to see what was in he was holding. Inuyasha heard a small intake of breathe as he saw Kagome’s picture, all remnants of sleep vanishing. A strange pressure settled around his heart as he watched tears collect in those translucent eyes. The look on his face hit so close to home, he knew what it was like to lose a mother, but Shippou had lost his twice.

He reached up and unclasped the lock, letting the chain fall loosely with a mournful ting.

Tearing his eyes from the irate image of Kagome, Shippou looked up at him questioningly, not sure why Inuyasha had taken the necklace off.

Inuyasha felt one side of his lips quirk in a little grin, despite the sadness, “It’s yours.”

Shippou’s eyes widened, those monstrous tears threatening to fall, “Y-you’re giving it to me?”

Inuyasha nodded solemnly, it was his most cherished possession, but he knew Shippou needed it just as much as he did, maybe more. “Only if you keep it safe, brat.”

It was all it took, Shippou broke down into great heaving sobs, he tried valiantly to tell Inuyasha thank you, but he couldn’t force the words out. Inuyasha awkwardly patted his back, letting him cry out all of his pain, he was horrible at this comforting thing… But he remembered being not much older than Shippou and wanting someone to just hold him close and tell him everything was going to be okay, even when it really wasn’t.  He pulled Shippou’s smaller body into the shelter of his chest, “It’ll be alright, runt.”

Shippou pressed his cheek against Inuyasha’s steady heartbeat, taking comfort in the soothing rhythm.  It had taken Shippou almost ten minutes to sniffle his way to quietness. Inuyasha stuffed his hands into his billowing haori sleeves, “If you get ready in the next two minutes I’ll take you hunting with me for dinner.” Inuyasha winced as he watched Shippou drag is bare arm across his nose, wiping snot sideways over his cheek.

Shippou sat back to look up at his elder’s face, excitement chasing some of the sadness away, “Really?”

Inuyasha cracked one golden eye, “Go put that where it’ll be safe until we get back.”

“Okay, Inuyasha, be right back!” He re-clasped the chain around his neck, before tucking the priceless locket into the folds of his cloths. He bounced off of Inuyasha’s crossed legs and bounded off toward Kaede’s hut, leaving Inuyasha alone on the grassy knoll.

“Two minutes,” He yelled after his retreating figure, he heard the short affirmative Shippou called over his shoulder.

He turned back, his nose catching the smell of salve and thyme on the wind.

Inuyasha nearly rolled his eyes at the sight of a slow, hunched Kaede ambling over with a large woven basket of herbs in her arms. As soon as I get rid of one, another one shows up, like fleas. The deep grooves in her face were harsh under the mid-afternoon sun.

“How are ye, Inuyasha?”  

Inuyasha fought the urge to sigh, instead he answered with a noncommittal grunt.

He heard the old woman’s bones creak as she slowly made her way to the ground and the rich chuckle that rumbled out of her. “I see,” She maneuvered the cumbersome basket to her side. “Tell me Inuyasha, about what’s on yer mind.”

He did sigh that time tipping back his head, allowing his long silvery hair to pool luxuriously behind him. Damn, but the hag was almost as good at guessing his moods as Kagome was. The response slipped from him unbidden, “At the time, I was just happy that I got to say goodbye.”

Kaede frowned, aged skin crinkling further. “So ye are saying that ye sent her home?”  Had the hanyou really not asked the girl to stay with him? She had certainly thought that the couple would have eventually ended up together.

“No.” The knife twisted in his heart as he saw the ghost of those indigo eyes torn in such pain before him. No, he’d been brutally ripped from her, never even given the fucking opportunity to ask. You did have nearly two years to ask, you fool. He growled at the voice, ignoring it completely. Fuck that shit. It was the bitch called fate had given him only a taste of what could be, like tantalizing a thirsty man with sweet water, then casting him into the desert.

Kaede hummed an understanding, the way only the extremely old and wise could. “So ye are saying that at least ye were given the chance to say farewell.” Her weathered fingers were busy bundling various types of herbs with small scraps of tweed.

Inuyasha’s eyes wandered to the tiny image of Shippou scurrying along the short path to Kaede’s hut. By no means, had he meant that the chance had given him closure. There was still so much to say, so much to do, but at the very least he’d known that she was going to be okay. Safe.

“I’m not the only one that needed her.” He hadn’t realized he’d spoken until he heard Kaede’s laugh. He looked sharply at her, her one aged eye seeing through him with a precision, with a knowing that irritated the hell out of him.

“Maturing are ye, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha couldn’t even muster the energy to be embarrassed, sometimes the truth did that to you. He just gave her another grunt in response.
    

Inuyasha balanced the dead deer across his shoulders as they emerged from the thicket. The stag had been a surprisingly easy kill, the four legged beast had been grazing at some of the berries that grew near the river. The meat could be used for several nights, its pelt something maybe Sango or Kaede could barter with next time they went to the market.

Shippou was beaming next to him, a certain pep in his step Inuyasha hadn’t seen in a long while. The kit had done well under his instruction. Inuyasha had slowly been showing him how to track, teaching him the basic rule to always keep their scent downwind and to never alert prey to their position with faulty footing. Inuyasha had initially found the stag, but he’d used the tracks the male had made in the soft ground of the river’s shore to show how to identify the beast’s weight and how fast it was moving to the younger demon.

Inuyasha had made the kill, knowing that Shippou would have a tough time with the animal because of its size. “Oi, brat, when we get closer I’m going to show you how to bleed it out and clean the carcass.”

Shippou screwed his face in a grimace so similar to Kagome’s that his heart clenched, “That sounds gross.”

Inuyasha grunted, shifting the heavy weight, “Everything in life can’t be pretty. Got to learn sometime, might as well be now.”

Shippou was about to reply but was interrupted by a feminine call, the duo looked to see Sango waving them down. She jogged to them, dressed in a light pink summer kimono with the billowing sleeves tied up and out of the way. Her long hair was braided down her back, she flashed them a pleasant smile, “I was wondering where you two went. Nicely done Inuyasha,” She commented as she inspected the stag. “We can use his horns.”

“Fantastic. Now can I move so we can skin the fucking thing?” The weight wasn’t truly burdensome for the half demon they all knew, he could lift boulders seven times heavier, but it was incredibly cumbersome.

“No need to be rude to the lady, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha groaned throwing a scathing look to his right, “Fuck off, Monk.”

He heard the other man’s low chuckle at the offensive remark, his amethyst eyes flashing in amusement. Miroku wasn’t wearing his traditional robes. He’d retired them for the most part, only using them when he was called upon for an exorcism. Instead he’d taken on simple clothing that suited the everyday wear and tear. Still he retained his signature colors of black and deep plum.

“So, I’m guessing it’s venison for dinner?” He commented as he eyed the current topic of conversation draped across the hanyou’s shoulders.

Sango sighed, “Well it’s too late in the evening to do a stew, that will have to wait for tomorrow evening, but we could probably do something with it if Inuyasha would oblige.” Kagome had brought a flat metal pan from her time saying that it could be set over an open flame to ‘fry’ or ‘grill’ with. The innovative cookware had been incredibly useful and with Inuyasha’s claws he could cut the meat into strips for easy cooking.

“Well, if you’d all shut your traps I could hurry this process the fuck up! Shippou, let’s go.”

Shippou started at the bark, trying to protest, but the look Inuyasha shot him quelled any argument. He sighed and dejectedly followed the older half-demon.

Sango’s brow furrowed delicately, neither one of those boys had been the same since her friend’s disappearance. Inuyasha, no matter how well he tried to hide it, had an incredibly haunted look in those gold eyes. She felt a strong hand come to rest at the small of her back; subconsciously she leaned into the reassuring weight. “I’m worried about them.”

Miroku stepped closer to the woman, wishing that her dark chocolate brown hair was loose so he could run his fingers through it. “I know, but at least they have each other, my love.”

She nodded, it had taken her by surprise how easily Inuyasha had taken responsibility for Shippou. She smiled, who had known he’d be such a wonderful father? Shippou practically worshiped him. Hell, Shippou even walks in that same haughty stride. She wished so desperately that Kagome could be there to see that, she felt a lump form in her throat at the thought. “I miss her,” She whispered.

Miroku folded her smaller form against him, resting his chin on her head. “Me too.” And truly he did, they all knew how much they owed that girl. He’d never be able to thank her. The mere fact that he was standing with the woman of his dreams in his arms, the damned void in his hand an ugly memory, was more than he could have ever dared to dream before he’d met Kagome.

“What’s going to happen to them?”

Miroku knew exactly what she meant. Kagome had carved out a life for all of them, with her loving smile and accepting soul, but what would happen to Inuyasha and Shippou once they were gone? The village had slowly been exposed to Inuyasha’s presence, even revered him as protector, but it could never mask the fact that he was a hanyou. Many of the elderly folk still avoided him, even if they did respect him enough to shut their mouths, but with the Kagome gone so was the subduing spell and it put the lot of them on edge.  It was still a cruel world, where people were judged by appearance, not the content of their character. He sighed, rubbing his hands along her shoulders, “Time will tell.”


Shippou had taken the cleaning surprisingly well, despite the copious amount of blood that had trickled from the deer’s neck, and putrid smell of its guts. Although, all things considered the boy had seen more than enough carnage in his short life to harden his stomach.  The now clean hide was pinned up on the outside of the hut, drying.

The smell of cooking meat tantalized his nose, Sango had always been a decent cook, but recently the girl was coming into her own. Unlike another female he knew, Kagome was many things, but a chef she was not. He flipped the leather flap to the hut open, ducking in to see Kaede poking a healthy fire with a long pole, with Sango leaning over the grilling platter flipping the steaks.

Miroku positioned over the girl, chopsticks poised and ready for a quick taste, but Inuyasha cuffed him on the back of the head.”Let the woman and children eat first, lecher.” He grumbled at him.

Miroku gasped at the unexpected hit. Rubbing the abused part of his cranium he gave Inuyasha an accusing glare, “When did that become a rule?”

Inuyasha plopped down underneath the only window in the hut, “Tell you what, houshi, you track, catch, kill, and then clean dinner next time and then you can be the one to say who gets what first.”

Miroku sat back on his heels, feeling like a little boy getting a stern scolding from his father, “Touché.”

Sango grinned at the easy banter, “Thank you by the way, that deer should yield enough meat that I’ll be able to salt the rest for later.”

Inuyasha made a face at the mention of jerky, “Whatever.”

“ Inuyasha, will you take me hunting again tomorrow?” Shippou asked as he hopped over to the other male, his face was flushed from the heat of the fire.

Inuyasha snorted shoving his hands into his haori, “Not tomorrow, runt.”

Inuyasha fought the urge to ruffle the kid’s hair at the sight of his crestfallen face. “Maybe we could go snare us some hares later in the week though.”

He got a beaming grin for that one and an enthusiastic nod.

“Get ready for bed.” He heard the answering sigh and tried not to smile.

 Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Shippou unrolling Kagome’s sleeping bag, the heinous yellow beast Kagome affectionately referred to as a ‘survival pack’ rested against the wall next to him. He hadn’t seen the boy color a single picture since he’d come back without Kagome. He could smell the muted scent of wax that emitted from the brightly colored sticks. Kagome had always encouraged his artistic talent, saving all of his drawings, even hanging them up inside Kaede’s hut as a decoration. Suddenly the air in the hut was stifling, the smell of sizzling meat making him nauseous. “Runt, make sure you eat dinner.” Without another word, Inuyasha gracefully picked himself up off the floor avoiding the questioning looks from his friends, he left.

The air was calm as it hit his face. It was getting cold but not quite cool enough to see his breathe before him. The trees were set aflame by the sinking sun and the sky was cast in bright vibrant colors, a lovely violet creeping into the edges of the picture. The first brave stars were blazing against the lingering brilliance of the day, they had a long battle though, and it was still early yet.

He sighed, the weight of his loneliness crushing him. Slowly he made his way to the Goshinboku, the only place on the planet that could sooth him. His bare feet crunched along the well worn path, it was in these quiet moments that he could finally grieve.

He snapped the tight restraints on the pain and suppressed images of Kagome. They rushed to him with a forcefulness that always took his breath away, the tinkling of her laugh, the feel of her fingers on his forearm. Memories flashed before him like images on Kagome’s television.

The wind whipped around them, picking up Kagome’s hair and threaded through it gently. Those eyes, the most pure blue he’d ever seen looking into his very soul. He watched as a lock of hair escaped from behind her ear, the urge to tuck it back was overwhelming. He couldn’t look away, even as he felt her hand twine in his much larger clawed one.

“Can I stay here with you, Inuyasha?”

His heart swelled, he’d never had another person in his long life ask him such a thing. He only gripped her hand tighter, he dared not open his mouth and ruin the moment with some stupid sarcastic comment, or worse yet tell her the truth, to tell her what he really wanted.

Forever.

He swallowed against the sorrow that lodged in his throat. He kept his pace as another place, another time, played behind his eyes.

The feel of her lips crushed under his, he tilted his head not caring how or why, just knowing he needed this. He needed her. He lessened his grip on her slight shoulders, sliding his hands across her back, pressing her body against the length of his, reveling in the way she fit into him like they were made that way. He fought the urge to groan as he felt her small fingers slip into the length of his hair at the back of his neck. He kept kissing her until the need for air burned his lungs. They were still so close when they parted he could feel the wash of her breath against his mouth, he shuddered and fought the urge to take her again.

“Inuyasha, I like you just the way you are.”

Inuyasha blinked several times, refusing the sting in his eyes to become anything else. Not another being other than his mother had ever accepted him as he was. Not his brother, not even Kikyou.

It had been so many years since another living thing had held him like this, like he was important, like he was special, like he was loved. He pressed his cheek into Kagome’s thigh, desperately wishing through his hazy state that he had his demon senses. Even without his supernatural nose, he could still clearly make out Kagome’s scent. He inhaled until his lung expanded past their limits. He realizing if he died there’d be no one to take care of this troublesome girl, no one to protect this beautiful fragrance.

“Mmm, you smell nice.”

 She did, like jasmine baking under the sun in the middle of summer. Sometimes, when his mind was toying with him he could still smell her on the wind. Like right then, it was so vivid he found himself closing his eyes and breathing it in, letting it fill him.

Kagome.

His eyes flew wide, a feeling blooming inside of him. His feet followed his desperate impulse, he moved with a speed that would put Kouga’s jewel-enhanced legs to shame. His legs pounded against the ground launching him into the air at gravity defying heights. Please…He begged silently.

 Please, let me be right.

Huffing hard he skidded to halt in front of the well.

A gentle glow was spilling from its depths, setting the nearby grass awash in its ethereal brilliance. His heart ceased beating as his entire world zeroed down to that one second, he leaned over the lip of the warped wood and stretched out his hand.

Hey all. Been gone for a bit, unfortunatly, many of you may know my story Of The Fallen. Well, it officially on haiatus until I get some of it's kinks worked out. This story however has been rattling around in my brain for a very long time. There will be an actual plot.

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