InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Within ❯ To Speak ( Chapter 9 )

A/N: Quote of the Day (Vernon Sanders Law): Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.

 

Thanks for all of the reviews! I treasure each and every one.

 

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The Soul Within

Chapter Nine

 

Kagome threw her head back and laughed. “And what did he do?” she asked the kitsune with a giggle.

 

Shippo grinned. “He started moaning and complaining about how Sango crushed his heart,'” Shippo said. He had just finished telling Kagome about a time that Sango had dumped a bucket of water over Miroku's head while he was sleeping, leaving him in wet clothes for the entire day.

 

Kagome was about to comment when she suddenly stiffened.

 

“What's wrong, Kagome?” asked Shippo.

 

“Shippo, be quiet for a minute,” Kagome whispered, feeling tense. Shippo's eyes grew round but he nodded.

 

It was silent but Kagome could sense a demonic aura just outside the stable…and she couldn't shoot arrows with her arm in its current condition. She closed her eyes to focus her powers manually -

 

And a powerful force ripped the roof off the stable.

 

Shippo screamed. “Kagome!”

 

“Shippo, get behind me,” Kagome commanded sharply. He complied and Kagome raised her eyes to meet those of the youkai that she had sensed.

 

It was a giant bear youkai. Normally child's play for her, but right now…the best that she would be able to do was protect herself. She wouldn't be able to do any damage.

 

Closing her eyes and muttering an incantation, Kagome focused…and conjured a barrier around herself, Shippo and Amaya.

 

The bear youkai swung its huge paw at the barrier, only to receive a shock of purification. Kagome tensed and tried to keep her only protection in one piece. The youkai howled and swung its paw at the walls of the stable, causing them to collapse. It turned its attention back to Kagome's barrier and struck it again.

 

This time, Kagome could barely keep it in place. Fearing for her life and Shippo's, she resorted to a last measure. She screamed.

 

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As Inuyasha neared the stable, he noticed that it appeared to be severely damaged. He sped up his brisk walk to a hurried jog and reached the area in a matter of seconds.

 

He immediately noticed the bear youkai that had its back turned to him. He clenched his fists apprehensively. Where was Kagome? It had been her scream, he was sure of it. He shifted sideways, so that he wouldn't alert the youkai, and then he saw her. A flimsy, pink barrier was protecting her.

 

Instinctively, Inuyasha's hand came to rest on the hilt of one of his swords. Before he was cursed, he used to always use his Tetsusaiga. It had the power to slay 100 demons with a single stroke when he was hanyou. When he was human…he had to use a normal sword.

 

“Oi! Ugly!” Inuyasha called smirking. The beast turned and grunted. “Yeah, I'm talking to you! You're pretty stupid, attacking a purification barrier like that,” Inuyasha said.

 

It was true. The youkai was already sprouting many purification wounds on his paws, head and belly. Apparently, it was trying to destroy the barrier with everything that it had, literally.

 

This'll be easy…

 

Inuyasha raised his sword but before he could use it, the bear swung its paw right into Inuyasha's stomach, sending him flying across the room.

 

Inuyasha cursed his human body and laid a hand over his abdomen. He could feel the warmth of his blood where the bear had scratched him.

 

“Bastard,” he muttered.

 

The bear came at him again to finish him off. Inuyasha quickly moved to the side and plunged his sword into the belly of the bear. It howled in pain and brought its jaws toward Inuyasha, in hopes of biting him in half. Unluckily for it, Inuyasha took his sword in both hands and forced it through the roof of the youkai's mouth. After a long shriek of pain, it finally collapsed, dead.

 

“Bastard,” Inuyasha mumbled again, touching his stomach.

 

“Inuyasha!”

 

Inuyasha looked up and saw that Kagome had dismantled the barrier and was rushing toward him. “Shippo! Hurry and get Sango and Miroku. Tell them that Inuyasha is hurt and we need some medical supplies,” she said quickly, falling to the ground beside Inuyasha.

 

Shippo nodded worriedly and scampered off.

 

Kagome locked eyes with Inuyasha. “Take your shirt off,” she commanded. “I need to see your injuries.”

 

Feeling dizzy from blood loss and in no mood to argue, Inuyasha obeyed her and leaned against the wall of the stable. She looked at his stomach quickly before pressing his discarded shirt against it.

 

“It doesn't look deep, but we have to stop the bleeding,” she explained.

 

“Keh,” he said quietly. “It'll be completely healed by morning.”

 

“Well, until then, we need to keep pressure on your wound,” she said, pressing slightly harder.

 

Quiet ensued for a few minutes and Inuyasha was feeling hazy again. He could use a nap…

 

“Hey!” Inuyasha jerked. “No falling asleep, mister! You need to stay conscious if you want to live,” said Kagome forcefully.

 

Annoyed, Inuyasha looked at the young miko. “Who says I want to live? Why don't you just let me die?” he asked coolly.

 

Kagome looked shocked. “You-? What-?” Suddenly, realization dawned on her. “Oh, I get it…this is about the curse,” she said quietly.

 

“Damn right it is.”

 

Kagome didn't comment for a few seconds. She looked…sad. “I didn't think that you were the type to give up on something just because the odds were against you,” she said softly, looking into his eyes.

 

“Don't think that I haven't tried to break this damned curse! I have searched for nearly fifty years for answers about the Shikon no Tama and the Purest Act! I have searched-!”

 

Kagome interrupted him. “Perhaps this isn't something that you can find by searching for it, Inuyasha. Maybe…if you stop searching for it…it'll come to you.”

 

Inuyasha gave her a weird look. “You have no idea what you just said, do you?”

 

Kagome blushed. “It sounded good though, didn't it?” she replied with a giggle.

 

Despite himself, Inuyasha felt a small tug on the corners of his lips. “I have less than a year, Kagome. I probably have a few months…or weeks.”

 

Kagome couldn't help smiling. He had just used her name without adding any malice to it. “Anything can happen in that amount of time, Inuyasha.”

 

Inuyasha's eyes hardened again. “Just because it can happen, doesn't mean it's going to,” he emphasized. “I don't have a pure bone in my body,” he said, resting his gaze on her broken wrist.

 

Kagome blushed. “It doesn't hurt, Inuyasha, and you weren't yourself when it happened.”

 

“Doesn't matter,” he muttered. “That bitch should've purified me rather than left me living in hell.”

 

Kagome felt tears behind her eyes but she held them back. “You are too strong to just die, Inuyasha,” she said simply. “However…wishing for death is a cowardly thing to do.”

 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. “I'm not a coward,” he hissed venomously.

 

Kagome shifted her position. Without taking her hand off his stomach, she maneuvered herself so that she was leaning against the wall too. To Inuyasha's surprise, she rested her head on his shoulder. “I know you aren't,” she said wearily.

 

Inuyasha tensed.

 

“Relax,” she muttered without moving. “I'm not hitting on you or anything. It's just that…that was the longest amount of time that I've ever held a barrier for and quite frankly, I'm exhausted,” she said bluntly. “Your shoulder seemed like a better pillow than smelly, old, horse hay.”

 

“Keh, I knew that,” Inuyasha said, feeling stupid.

 

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Kagome spoke again. “How's your wound?” she asked.

 

“It's fine,” Inuyasha said gruffly.

 

“I'm glad,” she said with a small smile. “Inuyasha?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Thank you…for saving my life,” she said, looking up at him and giving him a tiny, but grateful smile.

 

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. “…No big deal…”

 

At that, Kagome smile widened and she felt truly happy for the first time since she had arrived at Inuyasha's castle.

 

“…Please don't give up on yourself yet,” Kagome pleaded softly. “I want to see you free from this curse just as much as you do,” she said, laying her hand on his arm.

 

The feeling of her warm hand on his bare arm brought Inuyasha a sense of comfort and peace. He was just about to answer her when he heard three sets of feet approaching. “Sango, Miroku and Shippo are finally here,” he said, painfully standing up.

 

Kagome nodded. “I'm sure that they have some medicinal herbs that will take away the pain.

 

Inuyasha shuffled over to the door and looked back at the young miko leaning against the wall. “Kagome?”

 

“Yes?” Kagome asked in surprise.

 

“You should go home,” he said, before walking outside.