Words Without Meaning: Chapter 4
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~Promises~
It had been three days.
Three days had passed since their victory. Three days since the death, the bloodshed, the madness. Three days since the Sacred Jewel had been made whole and placed in her possession.
And he had lived. He had truly done it.
Kagome could not even being to form the words to express her relief.
He had taken a nearly devastating beating, and had been so bruised and wounded and bloodied that she almost didn’t recognize him when she found him. The silvery-white hair had been matted by blood, so covered that it had taken her two whole bottles of shampoo to return it to its original state. Both eyes had been hit and blackened, and for several hours, he hadn’t even been able to open them. One furry ear had been sliced in two, and there were several gashes, holes, and gaping wounds adorning his body.
Three days later, she was still cleaning the blood.
She was putting it upon herself to assure that he received every bit of medical care and rest that he needed to recover. After all, wasn’t that what she had constantly done since she met him almost four year prior? She had become so adept in the skill of mending wounds that her Okaa-san joked about not needing to send her to medical school anymore.
She carefully bathed and set the injuries on his abdomen, and immediately turned to his look after his chest. She kept one hand on the back of his head, rubbing his left ear softly to soothe the pain. Even with his hanyou blood, these wounds were taking their sweet time healing.
Kagome sighed softly as she thought about the past three days. Their small group had sacrificed much in order to win, and everyone was still smarting from the blows. Kouga, who had come to aid them, had his right leg severed in the middle of the battle. Luckily, Ayame had been at his side, and with her help, he was able to reach safer ground. Even Sesshoumaru had come to offer his alliance. It was a short-lived truce, of course, but the demon had been an irreplaceable asset. He, too, had not escaped unscathed. Young Shippou had done as best as he could, and truthfully, he had helped the group a great deal, having gained more experience and strength over the years. Now he was resting on the tatami in the corner of the room.
But of them all, her heart went out to Sango. She had lost nearly everyone she loved during the battle. Kirara had died protecting her mistress, numerous tentacles piercing her through, and Miroku’s Kazaana had torn, proving fatal. Now the demon slayer was overcome with grief, and even though Kagome had shed many tears over the death of her friends, she knew it didn’t compare to the misery Sango was feeling.
She could only thank the gods that her InuYasha had survived.
A single finger traced his cheek, one of the only parts of his body that wasn’t too badly bruised. Staring at her nearly broken hanyou, she reflected on the blessing that he had been in her life and on their questionable future together.
Last night, he had awoken, and they had discussed what would happen after the Jewel had disappeared.
Propositions had been made, tears shed, happiness felt, and (finally) kisses shared. But the fact remained that, even with Kikyou put to rest and Naraku vanquished, their future together was highly uncertain. Who knew what would become of the well once the Jewel was gone?
Kagome had cried then, unable to fathom what her life would be like without him. Now that she knew him, how could she return to the way things were before? How could she move on?
The mere thought made her eyes well with tears once again.
As if on instinct, a clawed hand rose to her cheek. His thumb brushed her tears away, drying the wet skin affectionately, and Kagome’s eyes snapped open to meet his own.
“You’re awake,” she whispered raggedly.
He gave a strained nod, the movement sending slight jolts of discomfort up his spine. “You’re crying,” he stated. “Why?”
The girl sighed, sinking beside him on the mat and curling into a fetal position. “Because I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she admitted. “I don’t know what the future will bring for us.”
InuYasha gave a small ‘keh’ and shrugged his shoulders as best he could in his state. “So?” he questioned. “What’s that matter? No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day. We just have to keep living through whatever life throws at us.”
“I know…but still…”
The unspoken truth hung in the air between them, creating an awkward atmosphere within a few seconds. It was the uncertainty of what would become of them. It was the lack of knowledge of what tomorrow would bring.
But perhaps that was the beauty of it all.
“What should I do?”
His soft question sent a tremor through her, all of its implications assaulting her at once.
What could he do?
With a shaky sigh, Kagome lifted her eyes to peer at his face. “Promise me we’ll stay together?”
A heavy silence passed between them.
More promises…
“I can’t.”
Her lip began to tremble slightly, signaling a coming onslaught of tears. “Why not?” she whispered.
“Because I don’t know what will happen.” Golden eyes locked on her brown ones, and she swore she could see his soul in that instant. “Because I don’t want to make a promise that I might not be able to keep.”
There. The truth had been spoken.
And in that small moment of honesty, Kagome felt her hopes crumble.
But she understood.
“I know,” she responded after a moment. “And it’s okay.”
He gave her a genuine smile, and through her tears, she smiled back. They had finally been honest with each other. The truth had been spoken without a mask of vows and promises, and as the sun finally rose against the horizon, Kagome knew that whatever happened, her heart would embrace the memory of her hanyou until the end of her days.
…Owari…
~Promises~
It had been three days.
Three days had passed since their victory. Three days since the death, the bloodshed, the madness. Three days since the Sacred Jewel had been made whole and placed in her possession.
And he had lived. He had truly done it.
Kagome could not even being to form the words to express her relief.
He had taken a nearly devastating beating, and had been so bruised and wounded and bloodied that she almost didn’t recognize him when she found him. The silvery-white hair had been matted by blood, so covered that it had taken her two whole bottles of shampoo to return it to its original state. Both eyes had been hit and blackened, and for several hours, he hadn’t even been able to open them. One furry ear had been sliced in two, and there were several gashes, holes, and gaping wounds adorning his body.
Three days later, she was still cleaning the blood.
She was putting it upon herself to assure that he received every bit of medical care and rest that he needed to recover. After all, wasn’t that what she had constantly done since she met him almost four year prior? She had become so adept in the skill of mending wounds that her Okaa-san joked about not needing to send her to medical school anymore.
She carefully bathed and set the injuries on his abdomen, and immediately turned to his look after his chest. She kept one hand on the back of his head, rubbing his left ear softly to soothe the pain. Even with his hanyou blood, these wounds were taking their sweet time healing.
Kagome sighed softly as she thought about the past three days. Their small group had sacrificed much in order to win, and everyone was still smarting from the blows. Kouga, who had come to aid them, had his right leg severed in the middle of the battle. Luckily, Ayame had been at his side, and with her help, he was able to reach safer ground. Even Sesshoumaru had come to offer his alliance. It was a short-lived truce, of course, but the demon had been an irreplaceable asset. He, too, had not escaped unscathed. Young Shippou had done as best as he could, and truthfully, he had helped the group a great deal, having gained more experience and strength over the years. Now he was resting on the tatami in the corner of the room.
But of them all, her heart went out to Sango. She had lost nearly everyone she loved during the battle. Kirara had died protecting her mistress, numerous tentacles piercing her through, and Miroku’s Kazaana had torn, proving fatal. Now the demon slayer was overcome with grief, and even though Kagome had shed many tears over the death of her friends, she knew it didn’t compare to the misery Sango was feeling.
She could only thank the gods that her InuYasha had survived.
A single finger traced his cheek, one of the only parts of his body that wasn’t too badly bruised. Staring at her nearly broken hanyou, she reflected on the blessing that he had been in her life and on their questionable future together.
Last night, he had awoken, and they had discussed what would happen after the Jewel had disappeared.
Propositions had been made, tears shed, happiness felt, and (finally) kisses shared. But the fact remained that, even with Kikyou put to rest and Naraku vanquished, their future together was highly uncertain. Who knew what would become of the well once the Jewel was gone?
Kagome had cried then, unable to fathom what her life would be like without him. Now that she knew him, how could she return to the way things were before? How could she move on?
The mere thought made her eyes well with tears once again.
As if on instinct, a clawed hand rose to her cheek. His thumb brushed her tears away, drying the wet skin affectionately, and Kagome’s eyes snapped open to meet his own.
“You’re awake,” she whispered raggedly.
He gave a strained nod, the movement sending slight jolts of discomfort up his spine. “You’re crying,” he stated. “Why?”
The girl sighed, sinking beside him on the mat and curling into a fetal position. “Because I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she admitted. “I don’t know what the future will bring for us.”
InuYasha gave a small ‘keh’ and shrugged his shoulders as best he could in his state. “So?” he questioned. “What’s that matter? No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day. We just have to keep living through whatever life throws at us.”
“I know…but still…”
The unspoken truth hung in the air between them, creating an awkward atmosphere within a few seconds. It was the uncertainty of what would become of them. It was the lack of knowledge of what tomorrow would bring.
But perhaps that was the beauty of it all.
“What should I do?”
His soft question sent a tremor through her, all of its implications assaulting her at once.
What could he do?
With a shaky sigh, Kagome lifted her eyes to peer at his face. “Promise me we’ll stay together?”
A heavy silence passed between them.
More promises…
“I can’t.”
Her lip began to tremble slightly, signaling a coming onslaught of tears. “Why not?” she whispered.
“Because I don’t know what will happen.” Golden eyes locked on her brown ones, and she swore she could see his soul in that instant. “Because I don’t want to make a promise that I might not be able to keep.”
There. The truth had been spoken.
And in that small moment of honesty, Kagome felt her hopes crumble.
But she understood.
“I know,” she responded after a moment. “And it’s okay.”
He gave her a genuine smile, and through her tears, she smiled back. They had finally been honest with each other. The truth had been spoken without a mask of vows and promises, and as the sun finally rose against the horizon, Kagome knew that whatever happened, her heart would embrace the memory of her hanyou until the end of her days.
…Owari…