Chapter 1: Deal the cards
She flew threw the air elegantly, soaring like an eagle… Closing her eyes she smiled as she embraced the wind as it hit her face. The heat of the sun hugging her curvy form as she beamed across the sky; opening her eyes once again, ocean blue orbs gazed upon the ground beneath her… scanning it for a certain being. One whom she knew was long over due… for a heart… a heart of warmth… kindness… and dare I say it… love….
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“Awe, Shippo you got them all over the place… What happened?” A grown Kagome asked kneeling down in a pile of potato chips to start picking up the playing cards that littered the ground.
“It wasn’t my fault Kagome; I tried to shuffle them like I saw you do last night and Inuyasha decided to grab them from me and I wouldn’t let him have them.” He said glaring the best he could at the hanyou helping her clean the mess.
“Keh! None of this would’ve happened if you woulda’ just let me have ‘em you little runt!” Inuyasha spouted grabbing a potato chip off the ground and tossing it in his mouth.
“Inuyasha…” he flinched at the tone knowing what was to come next. “No Kagome plea-” ”sit boy!”
Sighing she picked up some more cards and started to count them. “Hey Shippo I’m missing one have you seen-” “Here ya go Kagome!” he said with a smiles handing her the Queen of hearts.
Kagome looked down at the card and accepted it with a smile. She looked at the card with a long face. This card was her favorite card of them all. The Queen of hearts… She often wondered what it would be like to be the queen of hearts, to have every heart of a man that desired you and even every heart of those who didn’t.
She could make them love her and she could break hearts. She could control everything the heart would feel and could probably make even the coldest of hearts… love…
“Kagome did you hear me?” Shippo asked staring up at the miko.
Kagome shook her head a little to clear her thoughts. “No Shippo I’m sorry. What was it that you said?” she said with a small smile ready to put the card in the pile with the others, but Shippo grabbed it from her hands.
“Who is this lady you were looking at?” He asked pointing at the woman on the face of the card.
Kagome only smiled at his curiosity. “That’s the queen of hearts Shippo.” He looked at her tilting his head to the side a bit then looked at the woman on the card.
“She beautiful Kagome” He said in awe as he looked at the card. Kagome owned no ordinary set of playing cards. She had hers special made the aces, kings, queens, and the jacks were her own designs. She took them to a printer in her time and had a special make of cards made for her.
In her opinion they were all beautiful, but the queen of hearts she put she most effort in. The most detail and the most time, she thought the queen of hearts to be a beautiful strong elegant woman.
Shippo looked at the wild patterns on the woman’s kimono. The colors blended in with one another you couldn’t tell where one color started and where the other finished. The use of pinks and reds were very well meshed. From what he could tell her hair was neatly tangled in what looked like decorative chopsticks.
Her face was sharp and soft at the same time. The eyes, her eyes are what gave her face sharpness. She was made with a long thin body her kimono fitting her top side like it was painted on as the bottom half flowed like a never ending river. And to finish the beautiful piece of art, a glowing heart hovered above the palm of her hand.
Kagome smiled as she watched him gaze upon the woman she worked so hard in creating. “Thank you Shippo. I’m glad you like it.”
Handing her the card with a smile he then turned to start cleaning up the chips all over the ground. While trying to take the cards Inuyasha tossed a bag of potato chips at him in attempt to try and make him let go.
Kagome put the cards back in their case and looked at Shippo. “I’ll get that Shippo you run off and play a little okay.” she said with a smile. Shippo looked at her and nodded his head and took off.
Turning to face the hanyou that caused the mess in the first place she found that he was gone. “Inuyasha?” she said looking around only to see miles of grass surrounding her. Walking off a little she tried to feel his aura. “Inuyaaaashaaaa” she yelled. ‘I wonder where he ran off to.’ She thought as she walked a little further reaching the wooded area.
A rustle in the bushes made her stop in her tracks. “Hello?” she said a little timidly slowly approaching the bush. She squeaked as a bunny popped out surprising her. Putting her hand over her heart she spat at the bunny as it hopped away from her. “What’re you trying to do give me a heart attack!?”
Letting out a breath she headed into the woods in search of Inuyasha. Hearing a slight noise to her left she turned and slowly approached to what sounded like voices. “Inuyasha? Is that you?” she said as she came into a clearing only to duck behind a tree quickly.
‘K-Kikyo?’ she thought as her heart raced. Peering around the tree her eyes went as wide as saucers. She couldn’t believe it. Right before her was Inuyasha and Kikyo… Kissing…
Her heart sunk with a terrible pain and only did so more as she watched Inuyasha start to remove Kikyo’s top. At seeing this Kagome ran, she didn’t know where she was going and she didn’t care all she wanted to do was get away.
Get away from the pain that’s filling her body. Get away from the one who asked her to be his mate… tonight… ‘Inuyasha, how could you?’ she thought sourly as she kept running. ‘All this time… All this time!’ her running slowed. ‘I thought I was the one. I thought I had won your heart, that you had forgotten about her… chose me. Chose to love me…’ “I guess I was wrong.” She said to herself as she stopped in her tracks. Kagome looked up into the sky as a tear slowly trailed down her cheek.
A rain drop quickly following the tear washing it away. Falling to her knees she stayed there as she let the rain fall on her body. She closed her eyes as her face still looked to the sky. ‘The rain… please… please wash away this pain… Inuyasha…’ was her last thought before she broke down into tears falling to her hands.
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“It’s really pouring out there.” said Miroku as he came in from his search
“Did you find them?” Sango said looking at the monk with concern.
“No. I couldn’t even trace Inuyasha’s aura…” he sat next to Sango and discarded his soaked outer robe. “But I’m sure that they’re fine Sango. Inuyasha won’t let anythi-”
“Man its dropping waterfalls out there.” Shouted Inuyasha as he walked in the little hut then shook like a dog to dry himself off some.
“Inuyasha where’s Kagome?” Miroku asked noticing that the little miko didn’t follow in behind the inu like always.
“How should I know. Last I saw her she was cleaning up the mess Shippo made” “With YOUR help!” Shippo shouted from his spot of the floor.
“Why you-” Inuyasha was silenced by Miroku putting his foot to the hanyou’s head “Inuyasha we need to find Kagome. We haven’t seen her all day and she’s obviously not with you. So put your musings with Shippo aside and help us find her.” He said as he put his damp robe back on and headed back outside with Sango in tow.
“Keh!” was all he said as he headed out as well.
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‘Warmth… I feel… warm’ thought a hazy mind. Slowly blinking open her eyes Kagome saw a fuzzy figure in her vision. “Your awake! Father she has woken!” a young boy shouted.
Sitting straight up Kagome opened her mouth to speak but stopped as a man grabbed her shoulder and slowly pushed her back to lie down. “You should get some rest young one. You’ve been out in the rain for quite sometime.” The man said with a small smile.
“Who… Who are you? How did I get here?” she asked looking at the man. Her mind was starting to clear from her hazy state.
“My name is Kenji and this is my son Taro.” He said in a soft voice introducing himself and his son.
“We found you in the middle of a field on our way home. You must have been there for some time for you were shaking almost violently. You’re lucky we found you when we did or you would have surely died.” The man said placing a warm rag on her forehead.
“Luckily you are not sick.” He said. “Taro go fetch some more water we will need it for evening meal.” “Yes father” the young boy headed out the door but took one last look at the girl bundled up in his bed before leaving.
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‘Three hours and still no Kagome…’ thought Inuyasha as he scanned the area once again from the top of a tree. He thought that he might have a better shot at spotting her from an elevated area. “Dammit Kagome where are you?” he said taking one last look before turning in for the night to get some rest.
Inuyasha covered his ears instantly as he walked into the hut. Shippo obviously wasn’t taking the news lightly and it got worse when he came in without Kagome. “Shut up will ya runt!” he shouted plopping down in a corner.
“Inuyasha at least be a little sensitive, Kagome was like a mo-” “Stop Sango you don’t have to say it ok! I already know.” Inuyasha cut her off harshly then laid down with his back to the group. ‘…Kagome…’
Sango glared at the inu and opened her mouth to say something but Miroku put his hand on her shoulder to grab her attention. She looked at him then to the floor. She missed her sister like friend already. “We’ll head out at the crack of dawn and start looking again Sango… She couldn’t have gone too far.” He said in reassurance then settled himself in a mat to get some rest.
Sighing Sango laid down as well, though sleep was not going to come easy for her this night she could at least try. She felt Shippo curl up in her side and she softly smiles and patted his head lightly. ‘Kagome I hope you’re safe… wherever you are…’ she thought before she closed her eyes to try and get some sleep.