InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shared Blood ❯ The Jewel ( Chapter 14 )

This chapter is dedicated to my imouto-chan, Stef. Without her, I'd have some more roadblocks with this story, and I owe the coolest paragraph in the world to her. ^.^ You'll see it-its something Shiru says. As always, Inuyasha does not belong to me, but this story idea is original, and I would like it to remain as such. Also-I'd like to apologize for the short chapter, but my cliffhanger was too easy. I'll try hard to get the next chapter out soon. Also thank goes to Ely-chan for her help with the rings and the jewel.

Shared Blood

Chapter Fourteen

By: Lazuli

lazuldreamer@yahoo.com

Inuyasha held Kagome tightly to him, knowing her emotions more than ever before. It was like they were truly one person at that point…their emotions so perfectly melded. He wondered if it was because of learning their shared past. He bit his lip, holding onto Kagome tighter with that thought. He had lost her then…he didn't want to lose her again.

"Inuyasha? You're squashing me." He broke away after hearing Kagome's voice, and gave her a rueful smile.

"Gomen, Kagome…I just feel like I'm going to lose you, you know? Don't let that happen, beloved." He tightened his grip on her again, and this time she didn't complain, just snuggled further into his embrace. She knew what had to be done. She saw her destiny so clearly, and it tore her apart at the choice that she had to make.

"Inuyasha…you know what we have to do." Her eyes were serious as they met his, and he swallowed uneasily.

No! She couldn't leave him…she couldn't! She was his…first his slave, then love, then mate. She wasn't allowed to go, to give up her time with him because of some stupid destiny.

*You know it has to be this way, beloved. We can't let the world stay this way. Soon all humans will be dead…the world will tear itself to pieces over this. We need to make it right, and the only way to do this is by forming the jewel, and making everything back to way its supposed to be.*

He frowned. "Why? Why do we have to do this? We barely found each other, and now we're going to be taken from each other again? I don't want to! I know its selfish…but…" His voice trailed off as he buried his face against her neck. "I love you too much to let you go."

He lightly kissed her neck, trailing kisses to the pulse in the front, arms firmly around her. "If I'm going to lose you…I want you to remember how much I love you…I will always care for you, see you as my mate." He moved his lips up to hers, kissing her deeply. She instantly responded, and he pushed her down to the bed, lost in her arms, her lips…her love.

~~

Kagome woke up slowly, draped over Inuyasha chest. She held on to him tightly, knowing that she wouldn't have this for much longer-she wanted to savor it. She was determined to right their world…for something that she caused in another life.

Even if it wasn't intentional…she certainly never planned on dying-she had to correct it now that the chance was presented to her. Carefully disentangling herself from Inuyasha's embrace, she climbed out of bed, dressing in the red fire-rat outfit that Inuyasha gave her. She needed to talk to Inuyasha's mother…perhaps she knew where the jewel was-or had a clue to where they could find it.

"Kagome? Where're you going?" She turned around at the sound of Inuyasha's sleepy voice, and gave him a pained smile.

"I was going to talk to your mother, Inuyasha." She whispered. "I wanted to let you sleep for awhile longer. You've been up all night, taking care of me lately…you deserve a chance to relax."

He glared at her, sitting up in bed. "You were just going to sneak off, leaving me alone? Do you know what that would have *done* to me?" He demanded. "I would have been so worried about you-waking up with you not by my side." His gaze softened.

"I'm going to lose you soon enough, mate. Don't rush the process." Kagome stepped close to the bed, and he pulled her into it, grinning mischievously at her.

"I want you to stay here with me all day." He whispered, face nuzzled in her neck, breathing in her scent. "I want you to stay with me forever, but…" He held her close to him, and she closed her eyes.

"I understand, Inuyasha." She looked down into his amber eyes, and kissed him gently on the nose. "I want nothing more than to be with you, forever." Her lips trailed down to his lips, pressing against them. "My love…" Her heart felt like it was breaking in two-she let Inuyasha remove her outfit, and she melted in his arms once more.

~~~

Inuyasha looked at his mother, his gaze intent, Kagome in his lap. His arms were wrapped around her as if wasn't going to let her go, and especially not for the destiny that was planned for them. He knew that they had to find the answers to the jewel.

"Well, Mother-tell us the great legend of the jewel. Where its located. What do we have to do?" He asked. His voice was bitter, and he was satisfied to see his mother wince at his tone.

Kagome sighed, but didn't even admonish him for his behavior. She was as distant as he was, both of them drifting in each other.

"There is no 'great secret', Inuyasha." She said, her voice low. "The rings that you both wear contain your halves of the Shikon no Tama. When they were created, and your bond was created, the jewel settled in there, a safe place until its time was needed again."

Kagome's eyes were startled as she looked down at the intricate silver and turquoise band on her left hand. How could a jewel be in here? She asked as much.

"The jewel is nothing more than pieces of your souls, made solid. Those rings are part of your souls, part of you. That is how it is there, Kagome."

Inuyasha snorted. "I'm not going to break apart my mate's ring just to get at a jewel." He said. His arms tightened around Kagome. "It can just stay there." He said rebelliously.

Shiru shook her head. "It's nothing that complicated, Inuyasha." Her smile was sad. "It's the simple act of you and Kagome making the wish to restore the world. You don't even have to release the jewel-the rings act as the solid portion of it."

Kagome sniffled, hiding her head into Inuyasha's chest. She wanted it to be more complicated-to take more time than a simple act of wishing the world back. To simply toss out this life with her mate, to a life that she no longer cared about, no longer wanted.

"What if we don't do it?" She asked, her voice muffled in the fabric of Inuyasha's sweater. "What will happen?"

Shiru looked at her, shocked. Out of the two of them, she expected Kagome to be the most understanding of the situation.

"Kagome-the human race…it will crumple." She said slowly. "Don't you want to have humans as the dominant race again? To end this slavery?" She asked.

Kagome felt the tears slip down her face. "I…if it means not being with Inuyasha, I don't want it!" She said fiercely. "I don't care about my old life-my parents or friends. I'm content to just be with Inuyasha. Why must it be now that we have to return everything to normal? Why can't we wait?" She demanded.

"The longer you wait, the less likely this is to work. Your hearts are less likely to survive the separation if this is not done now, when the bond has only formed, rather than thirty years from now when the bond is broken painfully."

Kagome nodded, her pain evident in her eyes. She saw the sense in Shiru's words, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She pulled herself away from Inuyasha abruptly, standing up.

"Well, let's get it over with then." She said steadily, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. The tears on her face belied her emotion though, and Inuyasha's heart tore at the pain that his mate was going through, but he knew what she was trying to do.

"Yes…" He murmured, standing beside her, his hands gently intertwining with hers. He wasn't going to lose her on a bad note-where sadness predominated the feelings that ran through them both. He wanted her hands in his, her warm breath near him.

Shiru looked at the sudden change in the both of them. "You want to do this now?" She asked in shock. "Don't you even want to say goodbye to anyone?"

Inuyasha shook his head, a small smile on his face. "It's not if we're going to remember anything. Goodbyes are pointless."

Kagome nodded in perfect agreement, her eyes closing as she let herself just sink into Inuyasha's presence. She wanted to take a piece of him with her when the world was turned upside down.

She leaned up to kiss Inuyasha softly, lips brushing against his for an instant before pulling away to smile at him sadly. She looked down at the ring on her finger, and she swallowed uneasily.

She closed her eyes, waiting for Inuyasha to vanish, and was surprised when she still felt his warm grip on her hand. He looked just as confused as she did, and they looked toward Shiru for an explanation.

"You have to find your own way for this." Her reply was simple, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, looking down at the ring that he wore-that was made of Kagome's essence, his connection to her. An idea came to mind, and he was almost scared to voice it out loud, afraid that it was the right answer.

"Maybe…maybe if we switched rings." He said quietly. "We have to break the connection to this world-to return the halves of the jewel to its original owners."

Kagome's hand flew to her mouth when Shiru nodded. "NO!" She cried. "This is my only link to Inuyasha. I don't…don't want to lose it!" She clung to her mate. "Please…don't give me that ring, Inuyasha. Please…"

He tilted her chin up, his eyes serious and reflected the same agony she felt. "It's the only way, Kagome." He said, his voice hoarse with suppressed emotion.

She nodded, kissing his lips, as she slowly removed the ring from her finger, almost going to her knees with the pain that tugged at her soul. It was as if she was ripping a physical part of herself away, and tears came to her eyes. She quickly handed the ring to Inuyasha, who had taken off his own ring.

Shiru observed the two silently, who did not seem aware of her presence any longer. They were too wrapped up in each other, the pain of their separation. It wasn't fair to them that this was happening, but she knew it had to be for the best in the end, right? She contended herself in believing that they wouldn't be aware of each other once the world reverted back to normal.

Inuyasha slipped his ring on his finger at the same time Kagome put on hers, and both looked at each other with fear in their eyes. He felt slightly dizzy-he wasn't sure if it was the aftermath of the pain he felt, but he felt light headed as he watched Kagome waver in front of him. His eyes widened, and he reached for her, only to have her slip through his grasp like water.

She mouthed something to him, and he nodded painfully as he realized what it was. "I'll never forget you either, Kagome." He whispered as she vanished completely from his sight. "I'll find a way to you."

~~

Kagome blinked slowly, her vision returning to her. She didn't feel Inuyasha near her anymore, and she wondered if it worked. Her eyes darted around an unfamiliar room, and she fell to the floor in disbelief.

"Inuyasha…" She whispered. She didn't know where she was-she didn't recognize anything. "INUYASHA!"