Fragile

Chapter 9: A Compress and Some Foundation

Kagome woke up, her mind in a drowsy fog, and noticed that she was unusually, though comfortably warm. The heat was behind her and wrapped around right side as well as down her right leg. Lying there for a moment, she contemplated going back to sleep until she thought more about the source of her new warmth. After waking up a little more, Kagome realized that whatever was keeping her leg warm was very soft and fluffy. She slowly turned over and was eye-to-eye with caring teal-green eyes framed by rusty, auburn hair. “Shippo…” Kagome sniffled. “He’s gone Shippo…and I never got to say goodbye.”

The fox demon hugged her close and stroked her hair gently. The woman who had taken care of him and protected him as a child after losing his family needed him. And he was more than happy to lend her the strength she needed now. “I know, Kagome…I know.” His voice had long outgrown the high-pitched squeaking of a child and was now a soft baritone. “I’m here for you now though, and I’ll stay for as long as you want me here.”

Kagome’s body shook with silent sobs as she clenched her fists in his shirt, and she could feel his strong arms wrap around her in an attempt at making her feel safe and secure. “Shippo…you grew.” She mumbled into his shirt before looking up to give him a watery smile.

Letting a sad smile of his own slip, Shippo only looked down at the small human woman and said, “It was bound to happen at some point in those 500 years you were gone.”

Shippo had arrived late the night before, long after Kagome had fallen asleep. He was greeted by a calm Sesshoumaru while Shippo was anything but calm. When he’d heard that Kagome was with Sesshoumaru and had driven herself into a depression over Inuyasha’s death, he had dropped everything to be at her side. Immediately upon arrival, Shippo had quietly entered Kagome’s room and slipped into bed behind her, snuggling her close to his chest. Maybe now she would finally be able to get closure and move on.

After holding Kagome as she cried, Shippo was able to pry himself from her arms as she began calming down. He walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a struggling Mana trying to open the door and not spill the tray of two breakfasts in her arms. “Thank you very much, Mr. Yamata. For a moment I was afraid that you and Kagome may not have a breakfast left!” Mana crossed the room and placed the tray down on a bedside table before leaning over the edge of the bed to check on Kagome. “How are you feeling this morning? Did you like your wake-up surprise?” She joked.

Sniffling, Kagome put on a smile and nodded. “Yes, it’s good to see a familiar face…well, it’s actually not that familiar anymore, but those eyes couldn’t belong to anyone else. Either way, it’s good to know that I’m not alone.”

“Kagome,” Mana said, “you never were alone. At the very least you had Lord Sesshoumaru and I.”

“Yes, but…I enjoy your company but I don’t want to bother you while you work and sometimes being around Sesshoumaru is almost the same as being alone.”

“Well as long as you start eating again and get out of this bed, I don’t care. I want to see the Kagome I saw a few mornings ago! You have such a beautiful smile and you were absolutely glowing. Well, I suppose it’s time for me to get back to work and let you two catch up on things. Be sure to let me know if you need anything else!” Mana said as she turned to leave the room with a wave, shutting the door behind her.

Shippo brought the breakfast tray over to the bed and sat down on the fluffy comforter across from Kagome. “‘How have you been’ just doesn’t seem to cover it after not seeing you for 500 years.”

“For you, maybe. It’s only been five years for me.” Kagome said as she nibbled on a piece of toast.

“Kagome…I may have still been very young when I last knew you, and it has been a very long time for me but still…” Shippo paused looking for the right words. “I know what kind of person you are, Kagome. You’re strong and determined. You bounce back even when things are at their absolute worst. What is all of this really about? It can’t all be because you found out that Inuyasha died when you knew it was a possibility all along.”

Kagome was quiet for a few minutes as she pushed her food around on her plate. “When I came back…I was so lonely Shippo. I was worried out of my mind that I had left everyone to die that day. And I was lonely because the closest friends I ever had were gone and I knew I would never see them again. I never got to tell anyone goodbye. I never got to see Sango and Miroku get married or have children. I never really told Inuyasha how I felt about him…” Kagome had started tearing up halfway through her explanation and was now starting to hiccup. “I never knew if he felt the same way. Why couldn’t things have turned out differently, Shippo?” And the breakdown began again.

Moving the plates out of the way, Shippo pulled Kagome so that she was cradled in his lap. “I know it may not be the same, but I promise that he felt the same way Kagome. You shouldn’t ever doubt that for a second. Do you want to know how he died? I was there.”

“Sesshoumaru already told me…”

Tilting her head up with a clawed finger, Shippo gave her a curious look. “What exactly did he tell you?”

“He…he said that Inuyasha went crazy after Kikyo died and that a stronger demon killed him.”

“Well that is true, but how about the full story instead of the abridged version?” He asked. Upon seeing her nod and settle into his embrace, he continued. “Inuyasha didn’t run off to join Kikyo like you might have thought from Sesshoumaru’s version. He stayed in Kaede’s village with Sango, Miroku, and I. He remained the village’s protector for many years even after Sango and Miroku died. I eventually moved away to try and find my own place in the world, but the hunting of demons made that very hard. Deciding to go with the ‘safety in numbers’ philosophy, I went back to the village to look for Inuyasha. He wasn’t there so I followed what rumors I could until I found him. When I did…well, it wasn’t pretty. It was a gory scene and that’s all you need to know. Finding Kikyo’s clay body shattered had been the final push to send him over the edge. I tried calming him down, but you know better than anyone that there’s no reasoning with a beast like that. I wasn’t able to kill him myself, but I was there when Sesshoumaru struck the final blow—”

“Wait…Sesshoumaru was the one—Sesshoumaru killed Inuyasha?” Kagome said in stunned disbelief.

“Yes, Sesshoumaru was the only one with the power to stop him. But if it makes you feel any better, Inuyasha returned to himself for a moment before he died. He called out for you, Kagome. You were the last person he had wanted to see. Not me, not Kikyo, not anyone else but you. That’s how I know that he loved you too. Now knowing that, do you think that he would want you to stay in bed mourning him for the rest of your life?”

“No…” Kagome answered quietly, letting Shippo’s words tumble around in her head.

“So then what do you think he would say if he were to walk through that door yesterday and see you like that?”

“H-he would have told me to get out of bed and quit being stupid.” Kagome laughed around her tears at her own foolishness. “He would have marched in, given me an ultimatum, and dragged me out if he had to!” Kagome was now laughing at the memories of a few times when her fiery half-demon love had tried to do just that. “He would do…” And in that moment realization hit Kagome in the face as though it had been trying to get her attention for hours. ‘He would do exactly what Sesshoumaru did yesterday…’ Turning in Shippo’s arms, Kagome tackled the overgrown fox with a hug that nearly sent the both tumbling off of the high bed. “Thank you, Shippo.” She said as she nuzzled into his neck and laughed with tears flowing down her cheeks the entire time.

“I feel like I just missed something, but anytime Kagome, anytime.” He chuckled in response as he patted her on the back.

~*~*~*~

Early evening found Shippo in the city in search of a few things he would need for his stay at Sesshoumaru’s and a refreshed Kagome walking out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe with a towel in hand trying to soak up the excess water from her long hair. However, she was surprised when she found a dress, a letter, and a box lying on her bed neatly. Curiosity roused, she made her way over to the bed to pick up the letter. Unfolding the paper she read:

Kagome,
I’m so glad to hear that you’re feeling better. Lord Sesshoumaru asked that I give you the contents of this box and to pick out a nice dress for you to wear. He said that he’s tired of being indoors and is going into the city for the evening and that you are to accompany him because he refuses to leave you alone. He said it’s because you might try to run away again, but I don’t think that’s the case. Don’t tell him I said that though! Anyway, I thought this dress would be beautiful on you. He said he’ll be in his study whenever you get ready, but I wouldn’t wait too long because he can get anxious when kept waiting.
Sincerely,
Mana

Kagome looked over to the box and saw a manila envelope sticking out of the top. Grabbing it up, she saw a sticky note on the front that read “Stop crying.” With a roll of her eyes Kagome opened the envelope and pulled out a thick packet of paper. It took her a few moments of flipping through pages to realize what it was, but someone (probably Sesshoumaru) had searched for the current health and whereabouts of her demonic friends from the past. Kagome clutched the papers to her heart and smiled as a sigh passed her lips. She eagerly turned back to the box and reached inside until her fingers touched the bottom. ‘That’s strange,’ she thought. ‘Why would Mana have used a box just for an envelop?’ But she ran her fingers along the bottom until they touched something smooth and round. Gripping whatever it was, Kagome lifted it out only to almost drop it as soon as she saw what she was holding.

With another sticky note taped to one of the smooth spheres was Inuyasha’s subjugation rosary. The small note read “The fox said you might want this.” Holding the ancient beads close she walked over to her vanity table and laid them at the base of the large mirror. She would never forget, but would do her best to move on.

Kagome pulled herself from her memories and put on a smile. “I need to get ready. It’s not polite to keep others waiting.”

~*~*~*~

Sesshoumaru was sitting in his study going over different business proposals, but not really paying much attention to any of the details. His mind kept wandering to the girl downstairs and to whether or not it was a good idea to give her the rosary. The fox child seemed to think it was a good idea, but he was worried that it would only send her into another spiral of despair. ‘Human women can be so odd about things like that.’ He thought absently as he remembered how Rin would often react in the exact opposite way of what he would expect.

But his thoughts were interrupted when a throat was cleared from the doorway. Turning to the source of the sound, Sesshoumaru suddenly found himself entertaining the thought of giving Mana a raise. The woman who had been sobbing in bed not twenty-four hours prior was standing in his study looking every bit like a well composed lady of high society who had never in her life lost herself in misery. She was wearing a simple black dress that was sleeveless and form-fitting. It had a deep, but tasteful V-neck and belted around her waist. The dress was complimented by black strappy, yet classy high heels and a small black clutch for the things she would take with her. Half of her long hair was pulled back and the rest was left to fall around her shoulders. She wore little to no make-up letting her natural beauty shine through.

Sesshoumaru silently stood from his chair and grabbed his suit jacket before walking over to Kagome. He wordlessly offered his arm like a gentleman should and started down the hallway and stairs when her small hands took the offer. They walked out the door together and as they made their way to Sesshoumaru’s car Kagome couldn’t help but notice an odd look that he kept giving her. Finally unable to take it any longer, Kagome asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned to look her in the face fully. “You look very nice, but one thing puzzles me.”

“And that would be…?” Kagome prompted.

“How could you possibly cry during those four straight days you were in your room and not have your eyes swollen shut?”

Laughing at the question that only a man would ask, Kagome pulled him the rest of the way to the car as she explained, “Girls are magic. We could cry for weeks, but give us a warm bath, a cold compress, and some foundation and we’ll be ready for a date by eight o’clock!”