InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Within ❯ To Love ( Chapter 24 )

Something to Think About: STRESS: A condition brought on by over-riding the body's overwhelming desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk that desperately deserves it.

 

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The Soul Within

Chapter Twenty-Four

 

Inuyasha awoke slowly. His long eyelashes fluttered a few times before opening completely and revealing amethyst eyes. They drifted to the motionless woman lying on the ground beside him.

 

Startled, he sat up. “Kagome?” he asked in confusion.

 

She didn't answer.

 

“Kagome!” he said in a louder voice.

 

Kagome's face scrunched up. Why? Why did he have to wake up now? Of all the times he could've chosen to do so.

 

Fighting the overwhelming desire to either throw up or scream, she gradually opened her eyes. Kami…it hurt like hell to do so. But she couldn't let him know that. She couldn't let him see her pain. A minute or so and it would be over.

 

She just had to hang on a little longer.

 

Freeing her visage from any clues of her suffering, her gaze met Inuyasha's. She forced a smile. “You're finally awake. I'm so glad that you are okay,” she said softly.

 

Inuyasha looked confused. “How long was I out for? And how…” His eyes took in his surroundings. “How the hell am I human during the day?”

 

Kagome really didn't want to get into that right that second. There was no point in telling him it was temporary…there was no point in telling him anything at all. He wouldn't remember anything.

 

“Your body's defense mechanism,” she said quietly. “To heal your wounds from Naraku. It's temporary.”

 

That about summed it up.

 

She was struck by another bolt of the curse's power and couldn't fight a wince.

 

“…literally, tear you apart.”

 

In desperation, she drew all of her power to her center. If she could focus all of her energy on her vital organs, she could live a little longer than Kikyo had said.

 

There was one thing that she couldn't die without doing, without saying.

 

“Inuyasha…” she began, before uttering a sharp gasp that she could not longer hide. She cringed. She had felt pain before but nothing ever like this. Her nerves were screaming at her to give up, to stop enduring this torture and just let it kill her. Let it defeat her.

 

Inuyasha looked alarmed. “What's wrong with you, Kagome,” he demanded sharply.

 

Kagome tried to answer but found that her vocal cords didn't seem to be working. She, again, focused her energy. Now that Inuyasha was awake, she knew in her heart that she couldn't die without putting up a fight. She loved him with all her heart and wanted to stay with him…if only for a little longer.

 

“Inu…yasha,” she choked out. “I…want to say…love you.”

 

Her eyes were squeezed shut, so she didn't see his reaction. Trying to remain focused, she added, “But…this is goodbye.”

 

Kamis above, she was in so much pain. Was she in the netherworld while she was still alive? Because this agony was something that nobody on earth should have ever had to experience.

 

I have already overstayed my time by too much. Forgive me Inuyasha, but by allowing you to forget, the pain will be over for you too.

 

“What the hell do you mean goodbye!”

 

It was hard to work out whether he sounded angry or panicked.

 

“Kagome,” Inuyasha said urgently.

 

The miko finally gave in and let the demonic soul consume her.

 

“Kagome!”

 

With each passing second, Inuyasha's voice became cloudier…dimmer…

 

“KAGOME!”

 

…And the pain finally stopped.

 

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“Kagome! Kagome!” Inuyasha yelled.

 

Her chest was no longer rising and falling. Her lips were no longer pressed together to prevent her from screaming. She was absolutely still.

 

“Damn it all!” Inuyasha swore. “What's going on!”

 

Not surprisingly, Kagome didn't answer. In fact, her body appeared to be growing paler…transparent-like. It was becoming dim like a slow-approaching dusk.

 

She couldn't be…she couldn't be dead!

 

“Kagome!” Inuyasha roared in distress. “You can't die on me, you stupid woman! Kagome! Wake up! Do you hear me?”

 

“She won't awaken,” a soft voice said sadly, unknown, unseen, and unheard to Inuyasha. Kikyo knelt on the other side of Kagome. “I'm so sorry Inuyasha…I should have never laid this curse on you. It has caused much suffering…more than I could've comprehended.”

 

For some reason, Inuyasha was unable to see Kikyo. It was as if she weren't there. The human male could only see Kagome's body…the rest of the world didn't exist.

 

“I didn't want her to do this…but true love will not let anything nor anyone stand in its way…” she trailed off. For the first time in fifty years, a lone tear escaped from her eye and slid slowly down her pale cheek. “There was never a time that I wished so deeply to know of the purest act,” Kikyo said softly and genuinely. “Forgive me, Inuyasha…but I have to take her with me.”

 

As Kikyo held her hand above Kagome's chest, Inuyasha suddenly cried out.

 

“I love you, damn it!”

 

Kikyo's hand snapped back as Inuyasha suddenly crushed his lips to Kagome's in a desperate kiss, pouring into it all of the love he felt in his heart. As if…he could somehow bring her back to life.

 

“I need you. Please…don't leave,” he whispered when he pulled away.

 

She still didn't stir.

 

Inuyasha shut his eyes and slammed his fist into the ground in defeat. She was gone. She wasn't going to wake up. She was -

 

“Thy black tainted heart,

Led to a dark fate.

Thou had fifty years,

To be free of hate.”

 

Inuyasha snapped his neck upward. That voice…he would know that voice anywhere! Sure enough, his eyes confirmed his thoughts. It was her. The woman that had cursed him. The woman that had sent him to this living hell.

 

“For many long years,

Thou remained alone.

Thy jewel got darker,

Thy light was not shown.”

 

If it had been another time and place, Inuyasha would've stood up, got out his sword, and slashed her to pieces. Now however…it just didn't matter. Nothing did. Kagome was gone and killing the woman before him would not change that.

 

“Came then a flicker,

Of thy shining light.

A miko appeared,

To help with thy fight.”

 

Her words meant absolutely nothing to him. Just a low, dull chant. The curse had probably run out of time and he was likely going to Hades.

 

“Together thou learned,

Together thou stayed,

And then over time,

Thy pure love was made.”

 

Purity…what defined purity? If someone as pure as Kagome had to die…what purity existed in the world? The purest act was probably just to send him on a wild goose chase. There was no purist act…not in this lifetime anyway. He was dying now…he was hyperaware of everything around him and his senses seemed to have stepped up. Was this how someone felt before they died?

 

“Thy spell be removed,

Thou are free of sin.

Thy Purest Act is,

To love the soul within.”

 

Inuyasha, again, raised his eyes to meet the miko's. He looked into the eyes of hell itself. Suddenly and surprisingly, she smiled. “It's finally over,” she said softly, before fading away until no part of her remained on earth.

 

A scroll fell from the sky and landed on Kagome's stomach.

 

Kagome moaned softly.

 

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked in disbelief. How did-? Why was-? What?

 

“Inu…yasha,” she forced out, opening her eyes.

 

“How are you alive!” Inuyasha blurted out.

 

Kagome sat up. “I don't know,” she said seriously. Her eyes widened. “You have puppy ears!” she squealed in delight. She immediately reached up to touch them.

 

“Ears…?” Inuyasha looked at his hands and saw claws. He was hanyou again? “What the hell is going on?” he asked in confusion.

 

Kagome shrugged, looked around and her eyes fell to the scroll, still on top of her tummy. Raising an eyebrow, she unrolled it and began to read. Her eyes moved quickly down the page. “…Thy spell is removed…” she murmured.

 

Suddenly, Kagome smiled brightly and threw her arms around Inuyasha. “It's over!” she cried happily. “It's all over! The curse!”

 

“What? How?” Inuyasha demanded.

 

“Um…” Kagome read a little further. “Thy purest act is to love the soul within. The purest act…” Upon realization of what the scroll was saying, Kagome blushed bright red and passed it to Inuyasha. He read it for himself and coughed.

 

“Yeah…uh,” he began awkwardly. “Uh…”

 

Inuyasha didn't get to finish his incredibly articulate speech, because Kagome shut his mouth with hers. Surprised, Inuyasha closed his eyes and cupped the back of her head with one hand, while using the other hand the run his fingers through her thick tresses. Her arms wrapped around his neck without breaking the kiss. When they parted, they were both breathing hard and taking in a lungful of air.

 

“Is that….what you wanted to say?” Kagome asked laughing.

 

Inuyasha grinned. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

 

Kagome smiled. “I can't believe it's over…time for me to go home now?” she asked.

 

Inuyasha growled and clutched her possessively in his arms. “Idiot, you're already home.”

 

THE END

 

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A/N: Wow…thirteen months and it's over. :( I'm going to miss this story sooooo much!! What I'll miss even more is all of you awesome people. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your thoughts. I can't express how much your words meant to me and I'm so honoured that you read this story all the way through, especially those of you that have been with me for the entire thirteen months! I adore you all. ^_^

 

So what's next? More writing of course! Now that I have dipped into the world of AU, I can't leave! I already have plans for my next multi-chaptered fic and I have countless oneshot ideas.

 

HOWEVER, I don't have my next story completely mapped out yet and I need it to be in order to avoid writer's block (We all hate that right?). So, I'm asking that you give me about 3 months to plan and I'll have my next story up in late June or early July. If you wanted to be notified when my new story posts, PM me or add me to author alert.

 

3 months isn't a very long time. We know that some writers take over a year to update. I hope that you all will wait for me.

 

Thanks again for making this an awesome ride. *hugs*