InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stolen Soul ❯ Face To Face ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: Okay, this is a looooooong chapter, because there's a lot happening. I considered ending it in a really mean cliff-hanger place (can you guess where?), but decided to keep going and end where I'd originally intended, even though that made for a chapter almost twice as long as the rest.

Thanks: Enthusiastic thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Without your encouragement, I probably would not have kept up the energy to finish this story ... and now it's almost finished!

Japanese Terms
sutra -- Not actually a Japanese word, since it comes from Sanskrit, this means something like "a teaching of the Buddha." In this context, "sutra magic" basically just means something like "Buddhist magic."
kokoro -- Just a reminder, since this word pops up a lot in this chapter: "kokoro" translates variously as heart, mind, spirit, etc.

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. This fic, however, is mine. Please don't take it without my permission.


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* * *
Chapter 11
Face To Face

* * *





Inu-Yasha had been brooding in his tree for some time when Miroku came to fetch him. The afternoon sun was still bright, so that the monk was forced to shade his eyes with his hand when he peered up.

"Inu-Yasha!" Miroku called. But the hanyou ignored him. "Inu-Yasha! Lady Kaede and I need to speak with you about Kagome!"

Inu-Yasha's ears twitched, though he showed no other reaction. Only a moment later, however, he leapt to the ground beside Miroku, his arms crossed impatiently, his expression hostile. Miroku wondered briefly, What could he have been thinking that has left him so defensive? Was it about Kikyo or Kagome? Or both?

"Well?" asked Inu-Yasha crankily. "Where is the old crone?"

"I am here, Inu-Yasha," called Kaede from just outside the doorway of her hut. "Let us speak here, where there are stones to sit upon."

Inu-Yasha and Miroku went to her and Miroku sat upon one of the large stones against the wall of her hut. Inu-Yasha chose to stand, his arms crossed and tucked into his long sleeves, his face distant.

Sitting upon one of the stones, Kaede looked up at Inu-Yasha and said patiently, "This situation troubles you, Inu-Yasha. But know that it troubles your friends as well. You are not alone in this."

Relaxing slightly at her words, perhaps without realizing it, Inu-Yasha ignored the large stones and sat cross-legged upon the ground. "Well? What'd you wanna talk to me about?"

Exchanging a cautious glance with Kaede, Miroku looked at Inu-Yasha and asked quietly, "It is important that our conversation not be overheard by Lady Kikyo. Could you inform us if she draws near?"

Rolling his eyes, Inu-Yasha scoffed, "Of course. Even Shippo would be able to tell if her scent grew closer."

"That is well," replied Kaede. "The lord monk and I have been speaking of what must be done should Kagome return and Kikyo should once again attempt to absorb her soul."

"Even Kagome wouldn't be stupid enough to come back here after what happened last time." Inu-Yasha shook his head in scornful disbelief.

Again exchanging a glance with Kaede, Miroku replied, "You may underestimate Lady Kagome's loyalty to you, Inu-Yasha. It is very likely that she may return because you are here."

"Nobody's that stupid," scoffed Inu-Yasha. "Kagome may be dumb, but she's not a complete idiot." In his eyes, however, a concern was growing. It seemed Inu-Yasha had not considered this possibility.

It is fortuitous, then, that he has friends to help him, thought Miroku. If we work together, we may be able to pull this off.

Kaede's voice was serious as she said, "We must consider the possibility that Kagome may return, and we must plan what shall be done if she does. It is certain that Kikyo will again attempt to absorb the remaining portion of Kagome's soul, and if she succeeds, she shall become even more dangerous than before."

"Kagome's soul," Kaede explained, "appears to have a power that surpasses even Kikyo's original soul. Even the demon sorceress Urasue -- who had far greater control over the kokoro magics than I have -- could not subdue or direct Kagome's soul. I have observed her aura for some time now, and I do believe that Kagome's soul is larger and more powerful than it was when it resided within Kikyo's body fifty years past. If Kikyo gains complete control over such a powerful soul, we may have no chance of stopping her."

Even Inu-Yasha looked worried now. "So what do we do?"

Miroku spoke calmly, "Lady Kaede and I have been discussing ways that we might use the kokoro magics to prevent Lady Kikyo from absorbing Kagome's soul."

"But if Kikyo defeats us," explained Kaede, "we may yet still save Kagome. If the soul leaves the clay body, Kagome's mind and heart shall rise to the heavens to find peace. Though souls often return to this earth, minds and hearts are unique to one individual life, and so they do not return. They walk only one life on this earth, unlike the soul's long path filled with change."

"I have long believed that Kagome's soul, heart, and mind are more tightly entwined than those of most, even more than many of spiritual power. I believe that this is why she behaves always according to her heart and soul, rather than masking her feelings as some do so well."

At the old woman's words, Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes. Why is the old hag looking at me when she says that?

But Kaede paid his scowl no mind and continued, "This may help us. If Kikyo does succeed in absorbing the final piece of Kagome's soul, then we must act quickly. Kikyo must be somehow distracted so that she realizes not what we plan, and then we must attempt to use kokoro magics to place some small portion of soul back into the clay body, and use the soul to summon Kagome's mind and heart, allowing Kagome to live once more in Kikyo's body."

"Why don't you just switch 'em back?" asked Inu-Yasha impatiently.

Miroku explained, "Lady Kaede has some skill with the kokoro magics, but even our powers together would not allow us to challenge Lady Kikyo on such an advanced level. Even drawing Kagome's heart and mind back into the clay body may be difficult, because the bones and grave soul are not her own. But this is the best that we can do, under the circumstances."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Inu-Yasha snapped irritably. "Just stand around and watch?"

Kaede replied, "No, indeed, Inu-Yasha. All our efforts will be for naught if you fail in your task, for Kikyo will almost certainly immediately attempt to undo our work and reabsorb the portion of soul we have stolen. You must take Kagome away from this place as quickly as possible, take her far from Kikyo's reach."

"I won't fail, old woman," Inu-Yasha growled. Turning his face away as if to hide his expression, Inu-Yasha added quietly, "I'll take her to Koga."

Miroku exclaimed in shock, "Koga?" But Inu-Yasha has always seemed so jealous of him! Why would he do this? Can he be so foolish as to believe that Lady Kagome loves the wolf demon, and not himself?

"Yeah, Koga," Inu-Yasha replied grouchily. When a stunned silence met these words, Inu-Yasha eventually explained, still without turning his face back toward Kaede and Miroku, "Kikyo won't ever leave me alone, not until I die. No matter where I go, she'll eventually find me. She'll never forgive me, and she'll never stop." Inu-Yasha took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. His throat worked as he swallowed, communicating the depth of his emotion even with his face averted. "If Kagome is with me, she'll constantly be in danger. Kikyo will constantly be a threat. But if Kagome stays with Koga, then ... then ... he can protect her. And ... I'll stay with Kikyo ... to try to make sure she never goes near Kagome again."

Miroku had just opened his mouth to reply when Inu-Yasha abruptly leapt to his feet, his golden eyes hard and determined, his mouth set in a grim line. "She's coming," he growled.

"Lady Kikyo?" asked Miroku, confused by Inu-Yasha's tense demeanor.

"No," replied Inu-Yasha tersely. "Kagome."

* * *


Inu-Yasha, Kaede, and Miroku were standing waiting when Kirara landed soon afterward. Sango helped Kagome to dismount, while Shippo leapt nimbly to the ground.

Before Kagome or anyone else could speak, Inu-Yasha stepped toward them and shouted, "What the fuck are you doing here, Kagome? Are you a complete idiot? Go back to Koga and stay there!"

Kagome only watched Inu-Yasha with a determined look on her face, though her eyes glistened with tears. "I know you don't want me here, Inu-Yasha, and I'm not going to get in the way. I just ... I needed to see you before..."

But Inu-Yasha wasn't looking at her. Instead he kept glancing anxiously toward the forest, toward the direction of the river. Glaring at Kagome again, he hissed, "Get out of here! Get away from me!"

Kagome flinched, wounded by his words. But the determination on her face had not changed. She had been resting against Kirara until this point, but she now began to walk unsteadily toward Inu-Yasha, whose eyes shone with fear. What is he afraid of? Me?

Noticing that Kagome's legs were not entirely stable beneath her, Inu-Yasha took another step toward her before stopping himself, glancing again into the forest. "Kagome!" he whispered urgently. "Please go!"

"Your neck is still bandaged," Kagome noticed, stepping even closer to him, close enough that she could raise a hand to hover near his throat wound, though she did not touch, not wanting to hurt him. But she did rest a hand on his chest to steady herself before looking up into his golden eyes.

"Kagome ... please ..." he begged shamelessly.

"Inu-Yasha ... I never told you ... but I need for you to know..." Kagome looked down briefly in hesitation, but then raised her eyes to meet Inu-Yasha's again, an intensity on her face that he had never seen there before. "I love you, Inu-Yasha. And so, no matter where I am, you'll always be in my heart..."

And then all hell broke loose. Three things happened simultaneously. Inu-Yasha's mind reeled at Kagome's words, for they reminded him of his dreams, leaving him wondering what was real and what wasn't. Was Kagome really here? Or was he just dreaming again?

The second thing that happened was that Shippo leapt onto Kaede's shoulder and whispered to her, "Kagome's dying! Can you find a way to fix it?" Though the words were quiet enough to be heard by no one else, Inu-Yasha heard them and jerked his head around to stare in horror at the little fox demon.

And the third thing that happened, while Inu-Yasha's face was turned away, was that a voice said coldly, "How very touching."

Kikyo's voice. Or, to be precise, Kagome's voice speaking Kikyo's contemptuous words.

Inu-Yasha turned toward the voice, and saw Kikyo standing several yards away, near the edge of the forest. But she was already walking toward him. Inu-Yasha roughly pushed Kagome behind him and faced Kikyo squarely.

"Oh, how noble of you, Inu-Yasha, trying to protect that little girl from the effects of her own stupidity." Kikyo continued to walk serenely, drawing ever closer.

Behind him, Inu-Yasha heard Kaede whisper low to Shippo, "If Kikyo drains Kagome's soul, you and Sango must distract her." He did not hear the fox demon's response -- perhaps he only nodded -- but he did see from the corner of his eye that Shippo ran to jump onto Sango's shoulder.

There's too many fucking things going on at the same time!

"Inu-Yasha," murmured Kagome from behind him -- Oh, perfect! Just one more thing to deal with. -- "you don't need to protect me. I know you're sworn to protect Kikyo, and I've never wanted you to have to choose. So, please, just let me go. I'll be all right."

"Fuck that!" growled Inu-Yasha. She keeps talking like in my dreams. What the hell is going on here? He kept his eyes trained on Kikyo and commanded, "Just stay behind me, Kagome, and shut up!"

Kikyo smiled disdainfully. "I find it rather amusing, Inu-Yasha, that you try to protect this girl. You made no such effort to protect me from Naraku. Will you eventually betray her as you have betrayed me?"

"I never betrayed you!" shouted Inu-Yasha. "When are you going to get it through your head that Naraku betrayed us both?"

Eyeing him coldly, Kikyo replied, "You cannot deny that when Naraku deceived you, you immediately stole the Shikon jewel and terrorized the village. Is that not a betrayal of my trust?"

"And you showed up to kill me!" Inu-Yasha's patience was wearing thin. "I've never tried to kill you. NEVER."

But Kikyo merely waved a dismissively graceful hand. Kagome's hand, small and soft, but with calluses from all the work she had done since first falling through the well. Inu-Yasha knew that hand well, because it had given him food, treated his wounds, touched him gently in sympathy ... it was not right that Kikyo should use that hand to dismiss him. Inu-Yasha's heart clenched painfully.

Having Kikyo and Kagome in the same place was making things even more confusing, since both of their scents were in the air, and they both wore the traditional red-and-white miko clothing. But Inu-Yasha knew which one was truly Kagome. And he was going to defend her in any way possible.

"You truly believe that you can protect that weakling child from my power, Inu-Yasha? You were not able to protect her when I stole her body ... what makes you think you can stop me from stealing the rest of her soul?"

Inu-Yasha grimaced. Her words had hit home, for he still couldn't let go of his guilt that he had left Kagome alone, leaving her vulnerable to Kikyo's attack.

Suddenly, a crackling of power surged through the air, seeming to surround all of them, but focused most strongly around Kagome. "Oh!" Kagome gasped, and a blast of miko energy blew Inu-Yasha off his feet to land flat several yards away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaede and Miroku seated side-by-side, their eyes closed, their mouths moving in prayer or magic. Please let them help Kagome!

Kikyo and Kagome now stared at each other, dressed identically, their faces hauntingly similar. Kikyo smiled slightly. "So you say that you love Inu-Yasha, girl? Why do you torture yourself? No matter what I do to him, no matter what I do to you , no matter how much I hurt him, even after I have destroyed you, Inu-Yasha's heart will always belong to me."

Kagome's head hung low in defeated sorrow. Her voice was very small when she replied, "I know that."

Pulling himself to his feet, not bothering to brush himself off, Inu-Yasha shouted, "That's not true!"

Turning to look at the hanyou, Kikyo asked archly, "So you would betray me yet again, Inu-Yasha? Do you have so little honor?"

"Who are you to talk about honor, Kikyo? Which one of us is trying to kill an innocent woman?" Inu-Yasha attempted to walk forward, but a crackling spirit shield prevented him from getting close.

Kikyo raised her chin slightly. "Was I not innocent, too, Inu-Yasha?"

"Damn it!" he roared in frustration and fury. "I never fucking tried to kill you!"

Shaking her head, Kagome's thick hair moving gently in the breeze, Kikyo replied, "Perhaps not yet, but I have seen the beast within you, Inu-Yasha. The monster you hide from the world. The most dangerous demons are those who disguise themselves as human. You fooled me once, but no longer, Inu-Yasha."

"And, as for this 'innocent' girl," Kikyo continued disdainfully, "her heart by now has been tainted with the pain of that unliving body and its paltry portion of soul. It will truly be a mercy to put her out of her misery."

And as those words were uttered, it was as if a tornado had set upon the clearing, wind whipping in circles, bright white light emanating from the clay body that housed Kagome's mind and heart. Kagome screamed, high and helpless. And then, with a loud whooshing noise and an intensification of the winds, the white light streamed from the false body to the human one.

In the stunned silence that followed, Kikyo's clay body slumped to the ground, lifeless, the eyes empty.

* * *

Miroku saw the body fall, and knew immediately that Kagome's heart and mind were free to rise to the heavens. Kagome was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Now there was only Kikyo.

But if Kikyo could be sufficiently distracted, their plan could still work. Miroku would gather Kagome's mind and heart, and hold them with his sutra magics until Kaede could steal a portion of soul to return to the clay form. Then they could use the kokoro magics to summon Kagome's mind and heart once more into the body, and she would live again. There would be other problems to be addressed afterward, but first they needed to bring Kagome back before her mind and heart were irretrievably gone. He and Kaede together did not have the power to draw them back from the heavens if they rose so far.

While Miroku and Kaede continued their prayers, their faces strained with effort, Sango and Shippo sprang into action. "Divide and conquer!" shouted Shippo, throwing several leaves into the air, each of which transformed into his shape.

"How droll," smirked Kikyo. "You think such tricks would fool me?" With a wave of her hand, she sent blue light blasting at the true Shippo, easily knocking him unconscious and causing the other Shippos to vanish instantly. "Still, I must admit that, given the situation, your choice to produce doubles is rather amusing."

While Shippo had been using his leaves, Sango had been stepping into position to use her large demon-bone boomerang. She held it high, ready to throw, but her affection for her friend had caused her to hesitate, and so she had not even thrown it yet when she too was blasted by Kikyo's magics, flying backward and landing flat with her flesh smoking from burns.

"What was that you were saying about me being a monster, Kikyo?" Inu-Yasha stepped forward, his fingers curling and uncurling as he flexed his claws. His eyes were filled with rage. If you're going to blast somebody, Kikyo, blast me. I'm the one you hate. Leave my fr-- ... everyone else alone. "You spent so long protecting that damned jewel, being the 'special' priestess, that you really believe you're better than everyone else, don't you?"

Turning to face him, Kikyo replied coldly, "You know nothing of my struggle, Inu-Yasha. I once believed that you might understand, but I now see that we are nothing alike."

Crossing his arms insolently, making sure never to glance toward the monk and the old woman, Inu-Yasha scoffed insolently, "Oh, really? So ... if you're this great priestess ... how do you justify devouring innocent women's souls in order to keep yourself alive?"

A wind began to rise, sending Kikyo's hair -- Kagome's hair , Inu-Yasha instinctively corrected himself -- flowing. "You would be unwise to challenge me, Inu-Yasha. I now possess power you cannot begin to understand."

Strolling with false casualness, Inu-Yasha goaded her again, attempting to hold her attention. "And how do you justify wanting to drag me to hell? Is that something that all priestesses do, or is it only the extra-special ones?"

Her eyes narrowed, the wind whipping around her more and more quickly, Kikyo spat, "I will do whatever is necessary to have my vengeance, just as you do."

Shaking his head, his long white hair billowing in the wind that was now raging through the clearing, Inu-Yasha shouted to be heard. "Now, see, I wouldn't kill innocent people in order to get my revenge. So which one of us is the real monster here? Which one of us is the beast?"

Kikyo shrieked and sent a blast of blue light slicing through the wind to explode Inu-Yasha backward. But even when he landed, he still spoke, though his voice was grimly laced with pain. "It's easy to be good and pure when you have nothing to overcome. But when you're faced with real choices ... that's when the proof comes. And that's where you fail ." His voice had grown increasingly weak, but he still attempted to struggle to his feet, only for Kikyo to blast him again.

As Inu-Yasha dazedly attempted -- and failed -- to rise once more, his chest burned and smoking heavily, Kikyo's head suddenly snapped up, and she turned to look at Miroku and Kaede with narrowed eyes. "How dare you?" she spat contemptuously. "I see what you are doing, your paltry attempt to thwart me."

Miroku and Kaede spoke quietly but quickly, whispering the final words of their magics, while the dark priestess smugly strode forward. And as Kikyo stepped scornfully onto the clay body, shattering it into a pile of shards and red-and-white cloth, Inu-Yasha cried out in horror, "Kagome!"

But the miko's smug smile immediately vanished, replaced on her face by a momentary flash of shocked confusion and disbelief. And then her human body slumped to the ground, landing limp among the shards of earth and bone.

* * *

Silence stretched afterward. Kaede and Miroku were both drained from the power of the magics they had commanded, and the others were physically injured by Kikyo's blasts of miko energy.

It was Inu-Yasha who struggled to his feet first, staggering to where Kagome's body lay among the shards of Kikyo's. His eyes were large and lost. "Kagome?" he whispered. But in the next breath he had turned to face Miroku and Kaede, demanding harshly, "What the hell happened? I thought you were going to put Kagome back in that body! You said you were going to bring her back!" If he had realized that tears were glistening in his eyes, he most likely would have leapt into a tree to hide his expression, but his thoughts were all on Kagome.

"The spell did not go as planned," explained Miroku as his strength began to return to him. He stayed seated, however, as did Kaede. It would take time for the draining effects of the spell to dissipate.

"Well no shit!" growled Inu-Yasha. "Now there's only one body, and Kikyo's got it! But why did she just collapse like that?" Inu-Yasha stood looking down on Kagome's body, not touching it, sadly recognizing her scent and gazing at her familiar features, now slack in unconsciousness or something like it.

"I believe I can explain what has happened," offered Kaede, sounding even older than usual, her voice weak and quavering. "Lord Miroku had summoned Kagome's heart and mind, and we had nearly completed our spell at the moment Kikyo shattered the empty shell. There was nowhere for Kagome's heart and mind to go, but her body and soul called to her to reunite with them. Doubtless she would nonetheless have dispersed to the heavens, except that ... Inu-Yasha ... you spoke her name at the last moment, and so she did not leave."

"What the fuck does that mean, 'she didn't leave'? Where is she?"

Gazing at Kagome's body lying in the pile of clay shards, Kaede said solemnly, "I believe that Kagome's heart and mind joined once more with her body and soul, despite Kikyo's presence there ... and so her body fell because it cannot obey two different masters. Two hearts and two minds occupying the same body and commanding the same soul would cause paralysis."

Nodding in comprehension, Miroku added quietly, "Until one of them achieves dominance."

"Yes," said Kaede. "We should carry her inside, for this may take some time."

"Can't you help her?" demanded Inu-Yasha. "Use your magics or something, to help Kagome win?"

Kaede only shook her head. "This is beyond our control, Inu-Yasha. Kagome should have more power in this body than Kikyo, because this is her own body and her own soul. Kikyo has only been borrowing them, for even the soul has changed to become uniquely Kagome's. But Kagome must fight this battle alone, and we must simply give her time to fight to live."

* * *

Hours later, Kagome's body remained paralyzed and unconscious, though it did twitch occasionally, as if in some slight sign of the battle that waged within. Inu-Yasha sat cross-legged beside her, watching her face with worry and hope. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede had all been keeping similar vigils, rarely leaving the hut lest some change occur in their absence. They all sat about the hut, Shippo sometimes curling with Kirara, sometimes seeking comfort from Sango, and sometimes even leaning against Inu-Yasha's thigh. It was a sign of Inu-Yasha's deep disquiet that he did not even bother to swat the kitsune away.

"Why is this taking so long?" he growled at no one in particular.

Kaede replied with concern clear in her voice, "I do not know. Perhaps the battle for Kagome's body and soul is more complicated than we had imagined. It may be true that Kagome's heart has been corrupted by the pain of the unliving body. If she has lost belief in herself and refuses to fight, then Kikyo will win control, though it shall take more time."

From the far side of the hut, Sango said softly, "Kagome may refuse to fight if she believes that it is what Inu-Yasha wishes. She ... she loves him. If she believes that he prefers Kikyo, she may wish to give him what he desires, instead of fighting for her own survival."

Ignoring the reference to Kagome's feelings, because that was just too complicated to think about right now, Inu-Yasha insisted, "She can't be that stupid, can she?" But Inu-Yasha remembered words from his dreams. You're with Kikyo now, Inu-Yasha. It's what you've always wanted, and I'm glad for you. I only ever wanted for you to be happy. I never want you to have to choose. No! Could she really believe that was what he wanted? "Well ... fuck! How do I tell her I want her to fight?"

Kaede looked pensive for a long moment. Then she looked intensely at Inu-Yasha and asked, "You spoke of dreams of Kagome. Do you believe that they were Kagome reaching out to you?"

"Hell, I don't know. Maybe? I don't understand all this magic shit." Despite the heat in his words, Inu-Yasha was still gazing down at Kagome's face worriedly.

"I ask, Inu-Yasha, because it seems clear that your souls are linked, from Kikyo's lifetime into Kagome's lifetime. That link is strong. If you and Kagome are also linked in your hearts, then there may be something we can do to help you communicate with her, even now."

Inu-Yasha growled impatiently, then said, "Fine. It's worth a try, right? Just tell me what to do."

Kaede asked somberly, "Are you sure you wish to do this, Inu-Yasha? If Kagome achieves control of her body, I do not know what will happen to Kikyo's heart and mind contained within."

Inu-Yasha finally turned to look at the old woman, his eyes tired but determined. "Any loyalty I owed to Kikyo is served already. She freed me from my oath of protection when she stole Kagome's body, because I won't protect her from the results of her own evil deeds. If Kagome is in trouble, I'll do what I can to help her, and Kikyo be damned." Literally.

Nodding slightly, Kaede said firmly, "Then let us begin."


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To Be Continued

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