InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Cataclysm ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

 

Desperation

Inuyasha's body grew cold as Kagome cupped her face in her palms and sobbed. She felt the slick wetness of the blood against her face, and she hunched over, letting the contents of her stomach out.

She felt the barrier drop, and then there was a low chuckling. Her head shot up to see Shuuketsu in the air, laughing at her. Without even a second of hesitation, she focused all of her power into her hand and a massive black flame erupted. And then, it was gone, and the incarnation was running away from a massive dragon of dark energy.

Having spent all of her energy and human emotion killing the man she'd once loved, she fell to the ground, unconscious…

 

Hiei

Hiei watched in utter shock as the hanyo released massive amounts of power. He was even more amazed as the demonic miko dodged every attack thrown at her.

The foolish hanyo continued throwing attacks at her, and all the while, she tried to talk him out of the fight. And then, he charged her and she had her claw around his throat.

The hanyo actually threw the woman into the barrier around them, shocking her. She'd obviously given up her notion of a peaceful solution. He watched as her claws sharpened and she used speed rivaling his, if not surpassing it. And then, the hanyo's head was buried into the ground.

And that's when he became absolutely petrified with shock.

Much to his surprise, the Dragon's flames began to wrap around the miko's body. His dragon. He watched as she began to melt the flesh off of the hanyo, and suddenly he kicked her away. Their fight escalated, and suddenly he sensed a void forming next to the miko.

He didn't understand what he was looking at until the hanyo yelled, and then she finished him. Everyone present watched in utter disbelief and shock as the seemingly tame and innocent miko killed her `friend' in defense.

Then, the abomination appeared in the sky, and he had the audacity to laugh at her. Even Hiei had enough compassion to pity the priestess. But, he realized, there was more to it, though he didn't know what it was.

And then, she did the most amazing thing yet. She actually summoned the Dragon. And it didn't do any damage to her as the demon above retreated. And then, she fell unconscious…

 

Kagome

Kagome woke up wrapped in warmth. As soon as she woke up, though, her memories returned and she shot upward.

She met a very surprised Sango's glance and then her `sister' became comforting.

Kagome pushed her head into the elder girl's shoulder as she let her tears flow.

“Sango… Please tell me that I just woke from a really bad nightmare,” she practically begged, looking at the older woman with hope. It was quickly shattered.

“Kagome… I should tell you something…”

“What?” she asked, suddenly afraid as several horrible scenarios flashed through her mind.

“Umm… well… That little fire demon, Hiei… he carried you up here. And when your cousin, Miroku, or that red-headed kitsune tried to follow, a massive black dragon formed around you…”

“It's called the Dragon of the Darkness Flame,” said a masculine voice, making them both jump. Kagome looked around to find a small shadow standing by her door.

“What?”

“The dragon. The one you used to attack that fool in the sky. It's called the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. And you shouldn't be able to summon it.”

Kagome looked at the fire demon with confusion.

“The Dragon is extremely powerful. And dangerous. Its flames come from the deepest, darkest corners of Hell. And you have to have the Jagan eye to control it. So, again, you shouldn't be able to use it.”

“So how am I?” she asked, standing up.

“That's the question I want to know the answer to.”

“I don't suppose you can leave me alone for a while?” she asked sheepishly.

“No. You're too dangerous. And while I don't particularly care if you hurt someone, that toddler would probably blame me for it.”

“A simple `no' would have been enough,” she said, glaring at the cocky demon.

There was a comforting touch on her shoulder and she reached up, petting Shippo's head absentmindedly.

“So… I really killed Inuyasha?” she asked, looking at Sango. Her friend looked at the floor, her eyes masked by dark bangs.

“He attacked you first, Kagome,” she said, her tone trying for comforting.

Kagome ran her hand through the thick tangle of her hair only to feel the odd wetness. She pulled her hand in front of her face and her eyes widened at the slick coating of blood over her hands.

“I'm going to go take a bath,” she said numbly as she walked past Hiei and down the hall to the bathroom. As she closed the door, she felt her cousin outside. She turned on the water, knowing he'd wait.

Ten minutes later, she was sliding into the warm, silky water and sighing at the comfort.

“So, you want to talk?” Yusuke's voice asked from outside the door.

“I don't know what's wrong with me,” she mumbled, watching as tears mixed with the red that was tinting the bath water.

“Nothing's wrong with you, Kagome. You were defending yourself.”

“But I could've stopped if I really wanted to,” she sobbed. “I could've done something to stop it.”

“No you couldn't,” said another voice, surprising her. “The fool was intent on killing you for a traitor. You would've died a fool's death if you hadn't killed him,” Hiei said, making her shudder at the harshness of his tone.

“As much as how he said it sucks, Hiei's right, Kagome. If you hadn't done what you did, someone else was going to. He would've killed you.”

Kagome's head rested against the back of the tub as blood-red tears fell down her face.

“Yusuke, you always used to get in fights, right?” she asked. She could hear her cousin's muscles tensing and she smiled slightly.

“I guess you can say that… Why?”

“You remember what I told you all about why everyone's in this time?”

“Yeah. The guy that got you, right?”

“Yeah. Naraku. I want revenge,” she said, her voice low. She could practically see both men outside the bathroom door tensing.

“Yeah, I get that you'd want to get back at him, but that's why everyone's together.”

“No. I mean I really want revenge. I don't know what's wrong with me. When I stabbed Inuyasha, I knew I was stabbing him… But I also imagined it was Naraku I was killing…”

“Revenge is a good motivation,” Hiei said outside.

“But revenge isn't necessarily a satisfying end,” Yusuke added.

“You know something interesting?” she asked, standing up and watching all of the pink water drain. “I don't care if I die. I mean, I don't want to die, but the thought of dying doesn't scare me… It did when everyone came through the well. But now I just… don't care.”

“Understandable. Fear for your life is a useless emotion,” Hiei said, making her feel slightly better, somehow.

“Anyways, listen, Kagome. Regardless of how much you want to kill this demon, remember that you have friends that are here to kill him also.”

“I know… But now, I've got two less, and I seriously doubt that Miroku, Sango, or even Shippo can trust me. I wouldn't trust me.”

“Nobody but your mother in this house is `normal.' From the story you told us, everybody here suffered some kind of tragedy,” Yusuke said, his tone thoughtful.

“That's not making me feel better, Yusuke,” she huffed.

“It wasn't meant to,” he replied seriously. “I'm just saying that, based on your story, none of the people in this house are innocent of killing things.”

“But I killed Inuyasha! And Kikyo died because of me! And it's all because of that bastard Naraku,” she bit out.

“Hn… Perhaps you should think of this another way,” Hiei's voice said, making her shiver again.

“What way would possibly give this a shred of optimism?” she bit out as she began drying off.

“The fool has sealed his own fate,” Hiei said simply.

Now Kagome was interested in where the small youkai's thoughts were.

“How do you mean?”

“He's made you into a collection of demons. While he meant to bring out the weaknesses, every one of those demons inside of you has unstoppable power if trained. Essentially, he's made you into a `cure' to him. He's made you into something so powerful you actually summoned a dragon, without hurting yourself. I have no doubt that, when you meet next, you'll finish what you've obviously failed in the past.”

Kagome nodded, though she was fairly sure the psychic wasn't watching her through the door or something.

“I see your point… Thanks, Hiei…”

“Hn.”

She felt his youki disappear and she gasped.

“What-”

“Don't worry, Kags. He just doesn't talk that long in single sittings. I'm sure he's gone off to brood somewhere.”

Kagome giggled as she pulled her clothes on hastily.

“He's not a social person, huh?”

“Yeah, that's an understatement… Well, I'm gonna go. But just think about what I said, alright?”

“Yeah… Oh, and one other thing… I think that Naraku's hideout is a broken down castle of some kind.”

“What makes you say that?”

“It's just the way everything looked. It was like all of the other castles he used to hide in, only more broken down and dungeon-like.”

“Okay. Thanks, Kags. I'll go see what I can find out.”

She heard his retreating steps and quickly exited…

 

Kagome walked down into the kitchen later, her armor fully adorned, to find everyone talking around the table.

“I'm going for a walk to clear my head. Be back later,” she said as she walked past them. As she neared the forest, she felt the calmness of the day soothe her.

She heard scampering coming towards her and smiled as Shippo landed in her arms.

“Momma,” he sighed, taking a tight hold on her arms. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, Shippo,” she sighed, burying her head in his hair. “I don't know. Do you hate me?”

“Hate you? I can't hate you, momma,” he said, burying himself in her warmth, still palpable underneath the armor.

She walked into the woods and felt the stillness relax her further. She began to think, and when she reached a particularly startling decision, Shippo noticed immediately.

“What's wrong?”

“N-Nothing… I was just thinking about something.”

“What?”

She bit her lip, debating whether or not to divulge her sudden plan to Shippo, who she loved as a son while at the same time knowing of his gossiping nature.

“It's nothing important, Shippo,” she said, smiling brightly as she petted his head. He let it go and they continued further into the woods. When they reached a small clearing, she sat down with her back to the tree. She put Shippo down and ruffled his hair.

“Shippo, can you keep watch for me so I can meditate?”

The young kit nodded eagerly and she closed her eyes, her breathing slowing.

She slipped into absolute blackness, and let her body go…

 

Hiei

While discussing where Naraku might be, Hiei's eyes widened and he vanished. Shortly after, there was an explosion deep in the woods outside the shrine and both Yusuke and Sango were running at incredible speeds out the door. When they reached the woods, they found the little kitsune shaking Kagome.

“What's wrong!? Why the hell isn't she moving!?” Yusuke snarled.

“I don't know… She started meditating, and then there was some kind of explosion… She won't wake up,” Shippo said, trying to shake her awake once again.

As if summoned, Hiei appeared next to them and his third eye was open wide.

“Hiei? What the hell?”

“The foolish woman separated the tie from her body and soul,” he bit out. “And even the Jagan's having a hard time finding her.”

“You sensed this happening?” Sango asked suspiciously, eyeing the small psychic demon.

“I watched it happen. I can't very well let anyone in control of the Dragon wander around without being monitored.”

“If you watched it happen, where the hell's her spirit? I mean, her body's still alive, so she isn't in too much danger,” Yusuke said, gently trying to shake Kagome awake.

“Her spirit's hiding,” Hiei said with frustration evident in his voice. “I don't know if it's guilt or some other foolish emotion, but her spirit doesn't want to return to her body, so it's hiding.”

Sango knelt down next to Kagome's body and gently petted Shippo's hair to soothe him.

Just then, Kurama appeared, and he looked at Kagome as though he already knew what had happened.

“Her spirit has the same energy as her body. Perhaps you should use the spirit radar, Yusuke.”

“That's a good idea!”

Yusuke pulled out the small device and when he put one of Kagome's hairs in, it showed two dots. With one being right where they were, Hiei grabbed the device and took off for the other one.

The small demon stopped before a glowing woman, and she frowned.

“Where am I?”

Hiei's eyes widened.

“Why are you looking at me like that? And why do I feel so light?”

Hiei's Jagan flashed open and he spun.

“Shit. Come with me, onna.”

Kagome's ethereal hand gripped his hand and the two were gone. They stopped at the clearing and found a massive fire.

“Hiei! Did you find her!?” Yusuke yelled while knocking several falling, burning tree limbs from his cousin's body.

Hiei felt Kagome's spirit tense at seeing her body.

“Am I dead?” Kagome squeaked.

“No,” he bit out. “Stay close or you will be.”

Kagome gasped as Hiei put his hand out. Suddenly, all of the flames around them extinguished and before anyone could do anything, the small fire apparition was drawing his sword.

“Hiei, what the hell's going on!? The second you were gone, the whole damn forest caught on fire.”

Hiei's eyes scanned the forest for any signs of movement outside of the clearing. He hadn't noticed it until now, because he'd been so focused on finding the damned miko's soul.

There was no other sound. Absolutely none.

“What the hell's going on, Hiei?”

“Someone separated her soul and body. Forcefully,” Hiei said as he sensed power. “Yusuke, I suggest you stand back.”

Yusuke's eyes widened as flames began to build around Hiei's body.

“I don't sense anything.”

“You wouldn't,” Hiei snarled before lunging. The tree he hit almost exploded from the heat and the small demon's sword almost reached the second tree, which was almost a shadow of it. This one moved.

Shuuketsu dropped his illusion as he dove backward.

“Oh ho! Impressive!”

Hiei swung the blade and just barely missed his throat.

“You dare use the Jagan, you lowly creature?”

Shuuketsu smirked as a large scythe began to form in his hand.

“Lowly? Tell me, if I'm lowly, what's the woman you're currently protecting? She let her body be used by a hanyo, and for a time, she wanted to with the other. What's that make her?”

Kagome's spirit growled and Shuuketsu grew an amused expression.

“You're going to have to possess someone's body, Kagome. Or you can always just let your spirit move on to the afterlife.”

“Yusuke, take her body and everyone get out of here,” Hiei commanded as he began to move the flames from his body to his blade.

“Hey! I'm still here! Can't you just put me back in my body!?”

Hiei shook his head, glaring at the incarnation.

“It would seem he's poisoned you. Should I return you to your body now, you will most likely die.”

“I don't care! Just put me back in my body! I can purify whatever he put in me if I'm in my body!”

Shuuketsu smirked as he took in their conversation.

“You still trust them, Kagome? Master was right. You are an optimistic fool! And to think such a whore was hiding behind such an innocent face!”

Hiei snarled as his power flared.

“I mean, really! How desperate are you? To cling to the strongest male after your protector died? That's just so sad… And he's not even a sane demon!”

Hiei's grip on his sword tightened when suddenly, he felt her power filling the entire clearing, despite her not having a body.

“Hiei,” she ground out, “put me back in my body.”

Hiei felt her rage and hatred and saw Shuuketsu beginning to shake as he felt it too. With that, his Jagan began to build power.

“Go inside of your body when I tell you, onna. Not before or after, understood?”

“Yes,” she said, glaring at Shuuketsu.

“He's going to kill you, fool! Why would a demon help you!? You're a miko!”

“Don't think myself on the same level as you, fool,” Hiei bit out. “I'm not a weakling who'd be afraid, like you.”

“On top of that, you seem to bring misfortune to everyone who encounters you!” Shuuketsu added, completely ignoring Hiei.

“As soon as I'm back in my body, I'm going to destroy you,” Kagome bit out.

“You don't think so? Kikyo was revived and then killed again. Without you, her soul wouldn't have been revived and she would have been a simple mindless, soulless body. Inuyasha was also released to only suffer greatly and be killed again. By you, for that matter. Sango's village was destroyed because master gained enough jewel shards to do so. Kohaku was revived into his misery because of the jewel shards, which is something that you caused. Without you, even the monk would have been better off, since he wouldn't have damaged his body with the hell insects at all!”

Kagome's fury spiked and, despite having no body, she lunged. Hiei's hand caught her ethereal wrist and he threw her at the same time his Jagan flared. She met her body and flew backward into the tree from the momentum.

Despite the sudden agony, she launched upward and black flames rose from her body.

Shuuketsu backpedaled as all of her power began to release.

“Am I really your enemy? After all, I've not laid a finger on you, Kagome.”

An evil smirk appeared on her face as she vanished. She reappeared with a sword buried into his chest with the grip in her hand.

“No. You were created by him. But that doesn't mean you'll live.”

She pulled the blade from his body and tossed it to a stunned Hiei, who caught it without his gaze leaving her.

“I can heal from this,” Shuuketsu said with a cocky smirk. His body began to vanish, but then the black flames shot into the wound.

“I doubt it. You shouldn't have been so laid back about destroying me.”

Shuuketsu's face paled as his teleportation completed and his energy was completely gone.

As soon as it did, the flames vanished and the pain struck Kagome to her knees, panting as blood began to drip from her face.

“Kagome!”

She fell to the ground, clutching at her throat. Smoke and blood began to rise from her skin as her body shook.

“Hiei, what the hell'd you do to her!?” Yusuke growled, grabbing the neck of the demon's cloak.

“Shut up, idiot,” he said with a sigh. His body vanished and appeared kneeling down next to the choking miko.

“It hurts,” she said through body-wracking coughs that left the ground red.

And then, Hiei did something that shocked the entire group. He gently placed his hand on her back and shushed(1) her.

“Relax and it'll go away quicker.”

Once again, something happened to shock everyone. She grabbed his hand, as though just that contact would comfort her.

“I suggest you all leave,” Hiei said, his eyes not leaving Kagome's shaking body.

“Hiei, what the hell!? You think I'm just going to leave her with you? She obviously needs medical help.”

“No. She needs to suffer through this. Or she'll suffer later.”

“What're you talking about!? That demon poisoned her! Hiei, she must be healed,” Kurama said, watching the two with concern.

Kagome's shaking began to worsen and she gripped the neck of her skintight armor.

Without caring that others were around, he quickly took her armor off. Unlike everyone else, he was unsurprised to find black flames enveloping her.

Her appearance began to change the second the armor was off. The doglike appearance to her face lessened, becoming more sharp and hardening, while still retaining its elegance.

Her aura, however, changed entirely. Now, it consisted of only three types of energy instead of five. The worm and inu youki energies completely vanished.

And then, her skin began to glow with an unearthly light as the black flames enveloped her.

“Hiei, what the f-”

“Leave. Now,” Hiei said as the flames began to grow. The absolute command in his tone left no room for discussion or debate, so everybody quickly vanished. Except for the woman and the kit.

“Leave.”

“No way am I leaving her with some strange demon we've only just met, who can very obviously harm her,” the woman, Sango, argued.

“Hn.”

Kagome's body shuddered and suddenly, the flames began to explore the forest floor. The Jagan reacted, drawing the black flames into his body.

Kagome's hair began to blow in an unseen breeze around her. Energy flared up around her, and the entire area became as black as night.

“Kagome!”

The kit and slayer began to move toward her when the Jagan once again exerted its power. Their bodies froze completely where they were and Sango growled.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

Hiei gently moved the hair from Kagome's delicate face and felt their power connecting at the touch.

Kagome began to cough again, but no blood spilled this time.

“Wh… What's happening?” she choked out, her body slowly beginning to relax.

“It's not important. It'll be over soon, so just suffer a little more,” Hiei said as she slowly became a female fire apparition. Her eyes flew open and what had once been red were now dark silver. Her hair flared with color, becoming a dark blood-red.

And then, with one final explosion of power, dark black slits formed in the center of her eyes as they became more slanted. Her shaking stopped and she gasped for clean air.

 

Kagome

“What just happened?”

“Your powers fought for superiority. Fire and snake beat worm and dog, it seems.”

“What? Why do I feel embarrassed all of a sudden?”

She looked down to find herself in nothing but her underwear. With a gasp, she curled into a ball to cover herself.

“Where's my armor!?”

“It was making the flames choke you to death, so I took it off,” Hiei said, handing it to her before vanishing.

“Sango… what just happened?” she asked her friend, who was suddenly at her side.

“I don't know… I think he just saved your life…”

 

AN:

(1)- For those of you that don't know what that means, it's when you make the sound `shhhh'

Well, there's the third chapter! Sorry it's been a while, but I had some various things popping up recently. That being said, hope you enjoyed! Be sure to review!