Dry Your Eyes [1/? PG-13]

[Leia Avenrose]

Disclaimer: I don?t own Inuyasha! I only own my computer, wh007.
Dedication: To all Inuyasha fans, and also Iron Dog

AN: The whole locket thing; that happens in the second movie, for those both familiar and not familiar with it. Also there is a scene in here that relates to the second movie, the pictures, the locket, yadda-yadda.




Dry Your Eyes
By: Leia Avenrose
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Angst? (naturally)



Chapter One


Her expression was one of dejection, almost as if she had lost her way and didn?t know the right path to take to find it again. Cupped in her hands, the light of the moon gleamed gold as it reflected off the smooth top of the heart-shaped locket.

She had given it to him. It had been her gift to him.

The pictures that day, Souta had gone and taken them only minutes after she had grabbed the hanyou by the collar, forcefully dragging him into the photo-booth to finish their discussion on why he had shown up, once again, in her time. Unfortunately, their discussion wasn?t over as she had hoped, but instead it had grown into something more heated, their words thrown at each other carelessly, harshly, not caring whatsoever who heard from the other side of the thick curtain.

Higurashi Kagome sighed softly, a hand closing around the locket that had hung around her neck for the past seven years now. Not once had she taken it off; she felt it would be a sign of betrayal to him if she did, and yet ? all this time, she had lost contact with him.

Twenty-one years old now, her features had changed, but not beyond any recognition. Her face was still as slender as it had been at the age of fifteen, her deep brown eyes softer, but guarded from past experiences over the years. She had grown slimmer, her legs a bit longer, her torso leaner. Her voice had lost the young girl edge to it, matured, just as she had.

Where are you? she wondered, tilting her head back against the post to stare up at the full moon. What are you doing?

Kagome closed her eyes, bringing a hand up to rub the fatigue from them.

Lately, she had been having restless nights, dreamless ones as well. She wondered what it was like for him now. Did he miss her at all? Did he even care?

A scowl marred her face momentarily, and she muttered to herself, lightly banging the back of her head against the post. She hopped off the edge of the porch, kicking at the soft gravel as she made her way for the shrine. In passing, the tree, a tree that had seen all, stood in silent solitude. In passing, she heard nothing emitted from the ancient bark, but a fleeting thought reminded her that the last she had communicated through the Tree of Ages had been upon touch and much concentration.

Seven years. It had been too long; she had to find out for herself why he never once had come through the well to even see her, to drag her off back with him to his own time.

The young woman eased the doors open, her slippers slapping softly along the wooden floorboards, kicking up dust. Too long, indeed, she thought, feeling suddenly melancholy, and sneezed.

?Is that why you couldn?t find me?? she whispered to the darkness that shrouded a place she had once cherished. Her eyes were transfixed on the well, on the rusty nails that pinned down the wooden boards overtop of a black entrance she had gone into and come out of countless times.

For a moment, she became hysterical, trying to remember when her Mother or her Grandfather had made a mention on sealing off the well. ?I?m so sorry.? She shook her head, a hand lifting to grasp the locket. Since when had she become so emotionally distraught? So mentally weak?

The doors behind her slid open quietly, and a broad silhouette filled the gap where the moon had shone through. Eerie shadows were cast along the floor, the walls, and gradually Kagome backed away from the well, stumbling back to sit on the steps, the back of her heel catching on the bottom lopsided step.

?Sis??

?I?m all right.? Her words were soft-spoken. She was speechless; it had to be a dream.

?No, you?re not.? Higurashi Souta came forward, crouched down behind her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. ?Come inside, please.?

Kagome shook her head, hunching her shoulders. ?Seven years??

His hand tightened on her shoulder. He stared at the back of her head, silent a moment, then sighed, looking down. ?I?m sorry, I really am.?

?Was it you?? She turned her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye. And when he didn?t reply, she shrugged off his hand, standing, and stared at him. ?Was it?? Her voice rose, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

At fifteen, Souta was beginning to look like their father more and more with each passing day; his ebony hair cut short, his brown eyes like his sisters?; soft, but guarded. He was tall, taller then her now, with broad shoulders and slender, handsome features.

She saw his lips press together, a contemplative look in his eyes as they darted past her to the boarded up well, then back to meet her furious gaze.

Her voice was low, her words hard to emphasize them. ?Was it??

Souta wrinkled his nose, reaching out to take her arm, but she callously slapped his hand away, stepping away from him. ?Don?t you DARE touch me, just don?t! Answer me, Souta, damnit,? she hissed, feeling her temper rise as his prolonged silence only further fueled her anger. ?Was it you??

Her brother sighed heavily, plowing a hand through his hair, his eyes pleading. ?Kagome, listen to me; it was for your own goo??

?No!? she shouted at him, her eyes widening. The blood drained visibly from her face, leaving her skin pale and drawn; she aged before his eyes in only a matter of seconds. It terrified him.

But what she would find at the bottom of the well would only further hurt her, if not kill her completely.

Kagome shoved past him, moving quickly up the stairs and away from the shrine. She ran for the tool-shed next to the house, thoughts running through her head; it hadn?t been her fault, nor his, but that of her own family. What was going to happen now? How could her family do this to her? How could they have so easily betrayed her, using the excuse that it had been for her own good?

Her hands trembled, tearing open the door. Without much light, it took a full minute to finally find the hammer lodged behind the toolbox. Cobwebs clung to her hand, coating the length of her forearm and the handle of the hammer. On her way back to the shrine, she lost her footing, falling hard to the ground, the moon that had lit the grounds vanishing completely behind the thick, dark clouds that now rolled before it, enveloping the once clear night sky in a gloomy, threatening darkness that only nightmares could ever create.

The locket burst open as the end split against the pavement beneath her, and she ignored the sharp pain that erupted in her chest, pushing herself to her feet. Glass had shattered, but the sound had been muffled and barely audible in the first place.

?Kagome, stop this!? Souta called to her, coming out of the shrine, the doors left open behind him.

Kagome ignored him, her grip tightening on the handle as a heavy rain fell upon them. Lightning streaked across the sky, lighting it up brilliantly. She flinched, and then gave a startled cry, losing her foot once again on the slippery grass.

Souta rushed to her side, nearly slipping on the grass himself, and fell to his knees beside her. Tears of frustration blurred her vision, and despite the fact that she loved her brother dearly, she had this urge to smack him in the face with the hammer in her hand at what he had done: Followed their mother?s and grandfather?s 'advice'.

?Go away, Souta,? she muttered, using the hammer as leverage, standing.

?You?re going to catch a cold, Kagome,? he warned, reaching for her, but immediately jumped away as she wildly swung the hammer at him.

?I said go away!? She leaned down, pulling off her socks and slippers roughly, leaving them on the grass and walked past her brother, side-stepping him as he went to reach for her arm again.

?You?re bleeding.?

She ignored his words, not caring. All she cared about was getting to the well and going through it, and that was exactly what she was going to do whether or not she had to beat her brother to the ground with the hammer to keep him off her back and away from her. As she broke into a jog, the water squished between her toes, and she had to push her hair out of her face upon reaching the shrine doors.

?I?m coming, Inuyasha,? Kagome whispered, not once paying any attention to how soaked her clothing was, her pair of white shorts and black tank top.

The rain was coming down hard on the roof, and for a moment she thought the shrine might collapse, it was so old. Kagome made her way down the steps, water dripping over the floor, leaving a trail behind her. She took a deep breath, gripping the hammer with both hands now and brought it up above her head, intent on going through once she was done with opening it.

Souta burst into the shrine, and flew down the stairs just as the hammer was inches from coming in contact with the boards. He tackled her from behind, and his sisters? startled cry was lost as the both of them went flying over the well, landing roughly on the other side.

The grip on the hammer was lost, and it skidded away, the siblings lying in a heap of wet, dirty clothing on the bug-infested floor.

[kyoki]

Oh, this seems like it will develop into a very interesting fic. I hope you update soon

[Iron Dog]

So when's the next part? You're not just gonna leave us hanging are you? We need to know what happens next (not so subtle request for more). I liked this alot. It had a nice rhythm to the story and it caught my attention right away. Good place to stop as well to make sure that people come back for more. I will definately be checking for updates (again, not so subtle request for more).

[wj]

I like this so far, so when will you update? I hope it's soon. Thanks!

[Noko Marie]

So, is she going to have to off Souta first to re-open the well? The hammer is within a couple of yards after all

Thanks for your responses to my fic, no way you managed to read it all this morning; even I can't get through it that fast and I wrote the thing .

[Eden]

Wow, I'm loving this so far! Great beginning, it's so exciting to read a story that jumps right into action without too much set up. You gave us what we needed to know, and got right to the point ^^

Keep up the great work!

~Eden

[Lara Winner]

oooh... now I gotta know what happens next.

[ice princess]

Oh. My. God. I don't wanna know what's on the bottom floor of the well. If it's a dead Inuyasha I might just scream and throw something at you, but then it would only hit my computer screen, thus breaking it, and then I would cry because I thoughtlessly broke my computer screen, and then I would throw something at you because you compelled me to break my computer screen, but that would just damage the wall to my bedroom, which I'd have to pay for when my lease expired...

So please, to thwart a downward spiral of unfortunate events, I beg you. Do not let a dead Inuyasha be waiting for our already distraught Kagome at the bottom of the well. And please do understand that if your writing, and the beginning of this fic, wasn't absolutely SUPERB, I wouldn't feel it my duty to share just how distraught I AM at that thought.

But I'll leave it in your capable hands, Leia. Even if your plot is thus (and I cringe, prepared to cry a few buckets-full) I will still devotedly read this and every amazing, gripping, intriguing fic you write.

~ice princess

[Leia Avenrose]

Hee! Your reviews ALWAYS make me smile, they're always so long and you just voice your thoughts and everything; I love you for that! <33!! :o

And everyone else!

[Mellie]

LEIA LEIA LEIA!!!! EEPP!!!! MIstress of the angst gods indeed! That was so wonderfully done! The feelings and emotions in that piece. It was so riveting! I don't want to know what is at the bottom of the well, but next chappie, here I come!