Chapter 12

Onward

Inuyasha awoke before dawn the following morning. It was several moments before he was fully aware of where he was. In the last few days, or rather, exactly one night after Kagome’s return, he had started to have dreams that slightly upset him. These dreams presented him with images and emotions from a past that he no longer cared to hold onto. Often now, upon waking, he was unsure of exactly who or where he was. These thoughts never lasted longer than a few short seconds, but they still bothered Inuyasha. Asleep, his mind was trying to take him backwards into a life that no longer belonged to him, but he had no use for yesterdays long gone… and he didn’t like to think about them.

He decided to walk to the nearest stream for a fresh drink and to splash himself with the cool water, which he hoped might help him clear his thoughts. As he made his way out of the house, Inuyasha made no attempt to avoid waking the others. If they wanted to accompany him to find the next demon, they needed to wake up anyway. After all, he hadn’t lied when he had threatened to leave them behind.

* * * *

Everyone was awakened before dawn by the loud beeping sound coming from Kagome’s alarm clock. When Kagome woke, it was to find Shippou, Miroku, Sango covering their ears, and Kirara pawing at the source of the noise. Hastily, she turned off the clock and returned it to her bag.

Once dressed, they ate a short and silent breakfast. The group was too tired and groggy to speak much. Kagome was worried that Inuyasha had left without them, even though they were up on time, since there was no sign of him in the house. Her fears were, much to her relief, proven false when he returned shortly after they finished their meal.

Kagome was still too tired to do much complex thinking, but after they had left the village, she noticed Sango looking back on it with sadness etched onto her face. Kagome realized that Sango had been hoping to make the village their home, and with a pang she realized exactly who had been repairing the houses.

* * * *

Having everyone together again made the long walk bearable, even enjoyable. Had it just been her and Inuyasha, Kagome thought she might have cracked under the pressure of his unwavering silence. As it was, she was able to enjoy herself, despite feeling sore and tired. It just like the old days, or at least, as much like the old days as she was likely to experience.

When the stopped to make camp on the second night of their journey, Inuyasha announced that he was going to collect water from a nearby stream. It was the first time he’d spoken since leaving the village. Kagome stole a glance at the others, who were chatting happily around the newly started fire, and decided to follow after Inuyasha.

She caught up with him at the stream, where he was busy filling their containers.

“Inuyasha,” she said kneeling beside him, “can I talk to you for a moment?”

He didn’t look at her, and Kagome honestly thought that he was ignore her. His response caught her completely off guard. “Care to help?” he asked, and motioned toward a small pile of containers.

“Yeah…sure, I’ll help…” his response had taken her by surprise so much that she was slipping over her words. She reached for a bottle and started filling it.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” He asked.

“You’re being nice….” Kagome pointed out.

Inuyasha looked at her and shook his head. “I am being civil,” he said. “Now, what did you want?”

“I…” Kagome started, carefully choosing the best words. “I want to get to know you again. You’ve changed so much, and it’s like I’m meeting you for the first time.”

“And what?” he asked.

“And I want to know more about you, as you are now. It will be easier for me accept that you’ve changed if I understand what’s happened to you”, Kagome finished.

“I never asked for your acceptance” Inuyasha said, his voice returning to the cold tone she was now too familiar with.

“I-I didn’t mean it like-”

“You did”, he cut her off. “What is it you want, Kagome? Do you want me to love you again? Is that it?”

Kagome was speechless. “I…I…don’t…”, she stammered.

In one swift movement, Inuyasha was on his feet. He reached down, and grabbing Kagome by her wrists, pulled her to her feet. It was the first time he had voluntarily touched her. His grip was tight and restricting, and he didn’t let go.

“Is that what you want?” he asked again.

“Inuyasha…I don’t…”

Before Kagome could react, his lips met hers. There was nothing loving or tender about that kiss. It was forceful and rough. He pressed his lips so hard to hers that it hurt, and she could feel his fangs pinch her skin…she recoiled.

Inuyasha pulled her closer to him and brought his lips to her ear. “Do you see? I cannot love you,” he whispered.

After that, he released her, and headed back for the camp, leaving Kagome to finish filling the bottles alone as she fought back the urge to cry.

* * * *

The next day, they arrived on the outskirts of the village they had been seeking. It was late afternoon, not yet dark, but the village appeared to be enshrouded in darkness. The closer they got, the more obvious this became. The sun was not shining on that place at all.

“What do you think is going on there?” Sango asked the group at large.

“I dunno…” said Shippou, “but I don’t like it”.

“I think its some sort of barrier” Miroku said.

Not until Miroku said it than Kagome noticed that it did, indeed, seem to be a barrier. From a distance, it almost passed as a dark cloud or a fog. Looking closely, Kagome noticed that the darkness took a semi-circular shape around the village, and seemed to be made up of swirling black mist.

“Inuyasha, do you know anything about this?” Miroku asked.

“Only that one of the forty-three is said to be here. I’m assuming that would be the one causing this dark barrier”, Inuyasha replied.

“Do you know anything about this demon?” asked Sango.

Inuyasha growled at her. “I have told you all I know”.

Kagome glanced at Shippou, who was sitting on Kirara’s back, and smiling confidently.

“Why are you so happy?” Kagome asked him.

Shippou laughed. “There’s not a single demon that could beat us! Its just like the old days. Another great adventure where we kick demon butt together and save the village! Right, Inuyasha?”

“Right,” Inuyasha said. He smiled at the boy. It was the first real smile Kagome had seen on his face since her return, and for a moment, she saw the old Inuyasha flash behind his eyes.