A/N: Well, the Tigers kicked the Yankees butt! Even though I'm from Michigan, I never really paid attention to them until my dad yelled at me to watch the game yesterday, since it was the sign of the apocolypse. Maybe I should wear a Tigers hat for Crazy Hat Day at school...
Anyway, this is the LAST chapter of FSWYL. Please don't ask for a sequel. It's OVER. Besides, I got another fic that's coming out next moth. (More info at the end.)
Anyway...this story I liked alot, since it helped really branch out and show Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship progress, and fall apart. I wanted to do something sad, since I was in a tragedy mood when I wrote the outline months ago. I know you guys cried a lot, but you might be happy knowing that I won't do this every story. It was fun, but I should probably say now, enjoy it, because with the way my ideas are going, this might be my last canon fic.
Chapter 50: Reunited
The chilling wind of winter blew through the village, accenting the somber mood to be found there. Years had passed since happiness had been found freely, with the strange girl who was supposedly Kikyou's reincarnation had laughed and smiled with her companion, the hanyou.
Now the hanyou was gone, and had been dead for years; seven in fact. The villagers had noticed since the hanyou's funeral that the girl, pregnant with his child, had lost the laughter and smiles she had shown so much over the years they had seen her. She had smiled and laughed when her child was born…but it was all a façade. As the years went by, more years without her beloved hanyou, when she let her guard down, anyone could see that she was falling into depression.
The only one who never noticed was her son, since she kept up a happy face for him, but soon he, too, began to realize that something was making his mother cry in the night when she thought he was asleep. Something was making her visit his father's grave several times a day, and not return for hours. Something kept her from being truly happy.
He never figured it out until, at the age of six, he finally put together the puzzle of his life and the life of the child in the Hanyou and Miko story. Unlike other children, who would have been angry and asked why such an important thing was being kept from him, he asked his adoptive aunt and uncle about it, then quietly told his mother he knew.
Inuko could remember that day clearly, when one night at dinner, he explained to his mother that he knew the story she had told him many times was actually the story of herself and his father. Kagome had explained to him that it was true, but she had kept it from him before because she didn't want him to be upset if he knew what had occurred. After their understanding, she told him the story; the true story, explaining to Inuko what kind of man his father had been.
Ever since that day, Inuko had tried to live up to his father's legacy, wanting to become a great warrior, and defeat many youkai in his life. But even with that, he always felt an obligation to make his mother happy, and keep her from crying, even though she denied it when he asked. He wanted to see her smiling again, laughing as he killed bugs with his tiny claws.
He could have never imagined a world without her.
Inuko was only six when Kaede, the village miko had died, and had learned how it felt to mourn the death of someone you knew. He didn't know the miko that well, but she was always willing to talk and explain things about his father that Kagome would never tell him. She was a nice person, and he felt bad about her death.
But when he was seven, during the winter, there were rumors of a sickness sweeping the land, striking villages to the west. It seemed that the two mikos who had died and were buried protected the village, keeping it safe from an outbreak of this plague.
There was only one who managed to catch the disease; one who it seemed was not protected like the others.
Inuko had seen it happen; when his mother had been tidying up their hut, when she suddenly collapsed, covered in sweat. His aunt Sango had rushed over immediately, and had discovered the truth—Kagome had been sick for a long time, but had never shown it, not wanting to upset her son.
Every cure they knew of had been tried, but it seemed nothing could bring down Kagome's relentless fever. Soon the other symptoms came; the coughing fits that made her throat raw, causing blood to be coughed up as well. There were sometimes periods of time when she didn't seem to be fully there; lost in a waking dream. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she lost all color in herself, turning deathly pale. She was so weak that for weeks, she hadn't been able to move from her bed, only able to eat foods that did not require chewing.
She was wasting away, and nothing could be done.
Ever since she had gotten sick, no one had been able to rest freely. Sango was always at her hut, taking care of her, Miroku used every holy power he knew to try and cure her, and Shippou and Kirara watched the children, Inuko, and his two cousins Sakura and her little sister Kimi, to try to keep their thoughts of this sad time. But all efforts to help Kagome were in vain; it seemed nothing would make her better.
Like they always had done, the adults tried to convince the children that everything would be all right, telling Inuko that his mother would soon be better with time. But he was not so easily fooled. He was awake when Kagome would wake in the middle of the night, coughing for what seemed like hours. He heard her when she seemed lost, talking to his father as if he could hear her. Everyday, he saw the saddened faces of Sango and Miroku, knowing that they were losing hope as well.
Soon, he had to come to the realization that everyone else had concluded long ago; his mother was dying, and there was nothing to be done.
A year ago, he couldn't imagine living life without his mother, his wonderful mother, the only parent he had known. And now, he would have to live without her. His father had died before he knew him, and now his mother was being taken away.
Sometimes, Inuko found himself asking the question; how would he be able to go on with life without her?
"How are you feeling today, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, faking a happy mood for her. Even though she and Miroku knew it was almost hopeless, she couldn't bear to tell her friend that they knew of nothing else to be done.
Kagome didn't respond at first, just continuing to keep her eyes on Inuyasha's haori and Tessaiga beside her. At first, Sango wondered if Kagome was in one of her delusions again, when she would talk to Inuyasha as if he was still alive. But Kagome replied, her voice scratchy, "The same…"
"Do you need anything?" the exterminator asked, but Kagome shook her head. Her hair was already limp from sweat, and her pale face was accented by the circles under her eyes—put there by sleepless nights, kept awake by coughing. She was so thin that she already looked like a skeleton; just barely being kept alive.
"I found some more of those herbs that Kaede told us once helps with coughing," Sango told her, in an attempt to keep her mind off the inevitable. "I thought I might boil them up and bring them over later—"
"Sango-chan," Kagome cut in softly, turning to look at her longtime friend. "You don't have to hide it from me…I know."
Sango took a sharp inhale at her words, but feigned innocence. "Know what, Kagome?"
Slowly, she spoke, "I'm dying, Sango-chan."
Quickly, Sango told her, "We don't know that; we could still find something, you could still get better—"
"I've known ever since that time that I would die like this someday…" Kagome replied, turning back so her dull eyes glanced back at Inuyasha's things.
After a pause, the exterminator asked, "What do you mean?"
"The curse," Kagome told her simply. "Remember I told you how it worked? There was something I never told you; something I figured out on my own…The curse needed to be dipped in the blood of one who died in the war of the jewel to continue, and that day it fell in Inuyasha's blood as well…It only made sense that I would be next."
"Kagome-chan…" gasped Sango, looking afraid.
"I'm just glad that it allowed me to live this long," she murmured to herself, before turning back to her friend. "I've known ever since I got sick what was happening."
"You're…all right with this?" the exterminator asked, looking to be on the verge of tears.
Closing her eyes, Kagome explained, "Inuyasha died without being afraid…I won't be either…Inuyasha helps me not to be afraid."
Sango stiffened as Kagome mentioned him. "Kagome…you're not really seeing him," she reminded her. "You're sick…you only think you see him."
"Perhaps…but it feels better, thinking that he's here." Her eyes, which had once sparkled like the sun, but were now dull, opened. "But still…I don't want to leave Inuko…Sango-chan, please…take care of him," she begged, looking genuinely worried.
Sango nodded, replying to any request Kagome had now. "We'll raise him like our own son...But, are you really giving up hope?"
Kagome sighed, something like a smile forming on her face, "You know, eight years ago today, Inuyasha told me he loved me…I think, ever since he died, I've always had a selfish wish to be with him again…" A tear formed at the corner of her eye, "Maybe I can finally see him…once more…"
She lay still for a moment, making Sango worry until she realized Kagome was only asleep. Deciding it was all right to leave her, for a time, she left her and exited the hut, to find Miroku waiting for her. The instant she saw him, she ran to him, needing his comfort. "Oh, Miroku," she cried, feeling tears in her eyes. "Kagome-chan knows…she knows we can't do anything! She knows that she's going to…"
"How was she?" her husband asked after a moment's pause.
Sango whimpered, "She said she didn't care…but she wants us to take care of Inuko."
"I wouldn't think of anything less," Miroku assured her, "But I was afraid it would come to this."
As they spoke, Shippou, who was nearby watching the children, heard them, and his face fell. He hadn't grown at all since the first day Kagome had seen him, aging slowly, like youkai did. Miroku had said when Kagome was sick and wasn't getting better that there was probably no hope, but he didn't want to believe it. His parents had died and abandoned him, and now Kagome, the woman who he had thought of as his mother, was dying as well.
But Shippou wasn't the only one who heard them. "Mama's…dying?" Inuko asked, as he peeked out from behind the barren tree he had been spying from.
Sango covered her mouth in a gasp as she saw the tears spill down the young hanyou's face. "Inuko…"
"Why does she…why does she have to die?" He yelled, the amber eyes he inherited from his father glaring at his adopted aunt and uncle. "Why can't she just get better? Why has she been sick all this time and never felt better?"
"Inuko," Miroku sighed as he sat down next to the child. "Your mother is…she's very weak. We tried everything, but nothing could help her. Humans get sick, Inuko, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"Why not?" he demanded, his tantrum raging as more tears spilled down his face. "My Papa died before I knew him, and now Mama's going to die? Why can't someone have saved them? Why do I have to be left alone?"
Sango scooped the boy up into her arms, holding him close. "You won't be left alone, Inuko…we'll take care of you. I know it will be hard without your mother, but we promise, we won't leave you all alone."
Choking back a sob, Inuko pushed away from her, his amber eyes glaring with an intensity they had seen before; only in Inuyasha's eyes. "But you're not my Mama!" He shoved out of her arms and ran into their hut, barging into Kagome's room. "Mama!" he cried, running to her form.
Kagome's eyes fluttered open. "Inuko..." she murmured, her voice weak. "What is it?"
She guessed before he spoke by the tears streaming down his face. "Mama, they say you're going to die! Please, tell me you're not going to…I need you, Mama!"
In hearing her son tell her that he needed her, tears streaming down his face, she was reminded of a moment, seven years ago, when she held someone dear to her in her arms, pleading with them almost the exact same thing. "Inuko…" she spoke, lifting a shaking hand to touch his cheek. "I don't want to leave you…but this is something that I can't help…This is what humans call 'fate', Inuko, I can't stop this."
"I don't care!" he yelled, making Kagome remember when Inuyasha used to yell at her like that…when something he couldn't tell her was bothering him. "I don't care what it is! Please, Mama! Don't leave me…don't leave me like Papa left…"
The small boy collapsed into tears next to her, and Kagome couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes as well, as she held him close. "Inuko…I'll never leave you, I promise. I'll always watch over you. If you ever need me, I'll be there…I'll watch you grow up, and turn into a handsome young man someday. If you're happy, I'll be right there, smiling with you. If you're sad, I'll cry too. I'll never leave you all alone. I know it'll be hard for you, and it'll be hard for me, too…but all I want is to see you happy, and I will be content."
"I can't be happy without you, Mama…"
"Yes, you can," Kagome assured him, trying to smile. "I've seen you, you can be happy when you think there is nothing left to be happy for. You always smiled and laughed when I felt sad. You can live and be happy Inuko…Just promise me that you'll try."
The boy sniffed, "I promise, Mama…"
"Good," she smiled at him softly. "I love you, Inuko…I'll never stop…"
"I love you too, Mama," he said, snuggling into her embrace. She held him softly, remembering all the times as she held him when he was just a baby, getting over Inuyasha's death with the life in their child.
Suddenly, Kagome was hit with a violent coughing fit. Inuko pulled away slightly as his mother fell back, too weak to hold herself up as blood was coughed up into her hand. "Mama? Mama, are you okay?" Inuko asked, wondering if he should run for his aunt and uncle.
But as soon as the fit started, it stopped, and she lay still for a moment, breathing deeply. "Mama…?" he asked, coming closer to her, almost afraid of what would happen.
Kagome then turned over and looked at him in one jerky movement…her eyes glazed over. "Inuyasha?" she asked, making Inuko's blood run cold.
"M-Mama?" he asked, but she continued to stare at him with that scary look in her eyes. "Mama…I'm Inuko, remember?"
His mother continued speaking, lost to the world. "Inuyasha…what are you saying? We'll be fine…Naraku will be defeated and then we'll live…with our child." Her hand drifted over to her very thin stomach, and she gave an eerie smile, with her pale face and dark circles under her eyes, she looked like a smiling skeleton.
Inuko scooted away, frightened at what he was seeing. "Mama…Mama please, you know who I am…" Tears he had before fell down his face at the sight. "Mama!"
With his last cry, Sango and Miroku rushed in, half afraid that they were too late. Sango glanced at the tiny hanyou, white as a sheet. "Inuko, what is…" she stopped when she saw how Kagome was acting.
"What do you want, Inuyasha? I want a girl, but I wouldn't mind a boy…Yes, I think that would make a good name, but I still think we should have a girl someday…" All the while, Kagome kept tracing circles over her deathly thin stomach.
"She doesn't know where she is…" Miroku gasped, before Sango ran over to her friend, and began shaking her lightly.
"Kagome, Kagome, wake up! This isn't what you think it is!" But Kagome still had that glazed look over her eyes. Glancing back at Inuko, Sango roared, "You're scaring your son, Kagome! Wake up!"
With her words, Kagome blinked a few times, and that glazed over look in her eyes left her. Coming back to reality, she gasped, and turned to look over at Inuko, her heart sinking when she saw how scared he was. "Inuko…" she asked, her voice pained.
The boy cried some more, before running out of the room, leaving the three adults there, the tension so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. "We'll go after Inuko, Kagome-chan," Sango told her softly, before she and Miroku followed the boy out of the hut, leaving her alone once more.
He was so scared…she thought, remembering the look on his face as she woke up. She didn't realize what was happening…she really thought she was back to the time seven years ago, when Inuyasha was alive, and they were both expecting their child… He must have been so afraid when I…
She trembled for a moment, before the tears came, making her cry into her pillow once more, each sob depriving her of breath, as she let her pain out through tears, one last time.
Kagome lay still on her pallet days later, as she stared up at the ceiling, apparently lost to the world. That one encounter wasn't the only one she had when she felt like she was back at that time…several times her friends had to bring her out of it, but ever since the last one, it seemed like she was in permanent delirium, staring at the ceiling and not responding to anyone.
Sango sat at her side, finding it hard not to cry in her presence as Kagome continued to waste away. She was even thinner, and if possible, more pale. Kagome didn't speak anymore, but the way she stared at the ceiling was much more frightening than if she spoke to those who had died years before.
Smelling the stew that her husband was cooking being finished, she glanced back at Kagome, who still held no change in her behavior before telling her, "I'll be right back, Kagome-chan," leaving her alone in the room.
It was then that the one Kagome had wanted to see for a long time appeared beside her, a pained expression on his face. Though Kagome had seemed not to notice her friend beside her, she did turn to see this visitor, too weak to say his name.
Inuyasha appeared like he always did, shining brighter than anything around him. No words were spoken, but that look in his eyes was clear—he never wanted to see her like this. He gently reached out a hand to trace her cheek, so thin and damp with sweat. Kagome closed her eyes and savored in the feeling—Inuyasha was here, comforting her once more.
He removed his fingertips, and when she opened her eyes, she saw him stand up, like he was going to leave. She tried to say his name, but all that came out was a small croak, a droplet of blood landing on her lip. Inuyasha's eyes, if possible, looked even more pained, and if she didn't know any better, Kagome would have sworn she saw a tear in his eyes. But instead of leaving her like he had done previously, he did the unexpected. A half smile appeared on his face, and he reached his hand out to her, urging her to take it.
Her dull colored eyes locked on that shining hand, going to take her away from her pain, like he always did. But she paused for a moment, rolling her head over to see where Sango had left; where her friends, and her son were waiting. She felt a painful cough rise out of her chest, scraping against her already sore throat, drawing more blood from the raw flesh as she coughed, before it subsided once more.
A tear filled her eye as she looked back at Inuyasha, her dead lover, but for the first time in a long time it was not a tear of sadness, but a tear of happiness, at being reunited once again. And, with a smile on her face that had not been seen for seven years, she reached out and took his hand.
Sango walked back in with a pot of warm stew just as she saw Kagome fall limp, her hand reaching out towards the wall, while the necklace she always wore in full view, having fallen out from the front of her yukata.
The exterminator gasped as the pot of stew dropped, and she ran over to her friend. "Kagome...no, don't do this…no...Kagome!"
With her cry, Miroku, Inuko, and Shippou burst into the room, gasping at what they saw. "Oh no…" Miroku whispered, while Inuko and Shippou ran to her.
"Kagome!" Shippou cried, while Inuko wailed, "Mama!"
But as his wife and Shippou and Inuko cried, Miroku turned towards the window, feeling a sudden breeze. And he knew, wherever Kagome was, she must happy.
The bright, white void seemed to be sparkling with an even brighter light as Kagome, running towards the unknown, saw the one person she had wanted to see for a long time; Inuyasha. She ran into his arms, feeling them wrap around her and lift her up, as he caught her lips in a tender kiss.
Warm, happy tears, spilled down her face as Kagome continued to kiss him, not having felt him like this in years. Inuyasha's arms were so warm, so tender, and after so long, they seemed so real. His kiss was passionate, desperate, needed. Finally, they broke apart, touching each other's faces as they looked into each other's eyes before kissing again. After what seemed to be an eternity, Inuyasha lifted his head, only to crush Kagome in a desperate hug, as she held him back, closing her eyes and savoring the feeling she hadn't felt in so long.
Finally, she was truly happy once more, being back in his arms.
But though she was happy, she could still hear the voices of her friends, crying for her. She broke away from him for a moment, as they both looked upon the scene that seemed so far below. One in particular caused Kagome's smile to fade—seeing Inuko crying so much that he started hiccupping.
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha for a moment, before he nodded. And suddenly, they were there, in the room with them. It seemed no one noticed they were there…until Inuko suddenly stopped crying, staring at the image of his mother and the man beside her. His amber eyes, identical to the ones looking at him softly, got wider as he mouthed, "Papa…"
Both of them smiled down at their child, the one created from their love so long ago, before they turned, leaning into each other, and headed towards the bright light of the unknown…going arm in arm, like they had promised long ago.
And at long last, the Hanyou and Miko were reunited, never to be separated again. Their love in life had been cut short, but now they would spend eternity like this, each day, each year, together, as it should be.
Four seasons with their love, forever.
The End
A/N: (I'm too lazy to get the reviewer awards right now, but I should have them up tomorrow. Sorry bout this.)
Anyway, this fic is finally over! Whew, it seemed to go on forever, didn't it? Anyway, the next fic will be released next weekend, and here is a preview: (For a preview in the form of a drawing, check out my deviantart.)
The Protector of Her Heart: As always, Inu/Kag, Mir/San. But for the first time in my fics, an AU. Summary: Kagome is the princess of the Human Lands, and when an unknown force threatens the throne, Inuyasha, a knight in service of the crown is ordered to protect her until marriage. But as the world gets darker, Kagome discovers the simple life that she is missing; the life that will lead her to her true love.