InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Seductive Embrace ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Kagome whimpered softly, pulling her blanket over her head to block out the sun's rays that filtered through the window. Although she was now wide-awake, she didn't want to get up just yet, so remained hidden under her blanket.

 

After a few more moments, the sound of thundering footsteps reached her ears, listening in amusement as her brother, Souta, ran down the stairs. Kagome pulled the blanket down, breathing in a deep breath before sitting up, stretching her arms above her head to will the sleep to leave her body.

 

As she was about to get up, she heard the return of her brother's footsteps as he ran back up the stairs, coming to a stop directly in front of her door.

 

“Kagome! Mom said you need to get up and get ready, or you'll miss the train.”

 

“Thanks Souta. I'm up now”, she replied as she stood up to walk over to her mirror.

 

She didn't really want to leave, but her mother insisted that she go spend the summer with her cousin, even though they had only met a few times. Kagome knew that her mother meant well, thinking that if she wasn't around the shrine and all of the memories that it held for her then she would break out of her depression.

 

She slid the door to her closet open, pulling out a pair of jeans and a top to wear for the day. She shut the door, draping the chosen outfit over the chair to her desk, pulling her nightshirt off. As she gazed at her self in the mirror, she unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, her left hand fingering the claw marks that adorned her right hip while her right rested on her shoulder, covering the notch shaped scar that was inches above her heart. It had been eight months since she had finished her quest, completing the Shikon no Tama; eight months since she had last seen or spoken with her beloved friends, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo; and eight months since Inuyasha chose HER. As these thoughts consumed her, visions of that fateful day began to flood her mind.

 

 

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~

 

 

The Inu gang sat around a cozy campfire, preparing for night as the sun slowly dipped beyond the horizon. Kagome sat near the fire, Shippo curled up in her lap like a cat while she softly stroked his tail, humming a song to herself and to him. Sango and Miroku sat opposite from Kagome, clearly engrossed with their present conversation. Inuyasha had left as soon as the battle had been over, saying that he needed to do something. Since the rest of the group had been tired, none had objected to his departure, grateful that they were still alive and that Naraku had finally been defeated.

 

 

Kagome continued to gaze into the campfire, watching the flames curl and lick one another as if in a trance, when the familiar presence of Inuyasha nudged at her mind. As if on cue, Inuyasha stepped out into the clearing, immediately approaching Kagome.

 

“Kagome, can we talk”, he asked, his amber stare meeting hers.

 

“Sure”, she replied, setting Shippo beside her. He ran over to Sango and Miroku, jumping onto Miroku's shoulder, examining the monk's now healed right hand.

 

Kagome began to walk into the woods, but was stopped when Inuyasha stepped in front of her, leaning down so that she could climb onto his back. Kagome did so without question, clenching the fire rat haori to ensure that she would not fall.

 

As they sped through the forest, Kagome began to wonder what it was that he needed to talk to her about that required that they were not in earshot of their companions. A blush began to creep about her face at the thought of him professing his love for her, as she had always dreamed since meeting the hanyou. She knew that she made it obvious what her feelings were for him, and although he never acknowledged them, she knew Inuyasha knew how she felt.

 

Kagome sighed, burying her face into his silver mane, relishing in his scent as it surrounded her. She closed her eyes, her attention focusing on the now whole Shikon no Tama as it thumped against her chest in rhythm with Inuyasha's footfalls.

 

When they had finally stopped, she opened her eyes, sliding from his back as she investigated their surroundings. She immediately noticed the God Tree, as thoughts of their talk ensued through her mind.

 

Inuyasha remained quiet, refusing to look into her eyes. Kagome was about to express her concern when he lifted his face to the wind, sniffing the air to signify that someone was approaching.

 

“Is someone coming?”, she asked.

 

“Don't worry about it”, he snorted back at her.

 

Kagome ignored the harshness in his voice, trying to remind herself that he was probably exhausted after their last battle. She was soon brought out of her thoughts when Inuyasha approached her, placing both hands upon her shoulders, noticing a seriousness about him that she had never seen before.

 

“Kagome, do you remember when you said that you would always stay by my side?”, he asked.

 

Kagome nodded, remembering that day.

 

“I want to hold you to that, but there's a problem with that”, he responded, still refusing to meet her eyes.

 

“What is it, Inuyasha?”, she asked hesitantly when only thing came to mind.

 

“My debt to…Kikyou”, he replied, finally lifting his gaze to meet hers.

 

Kagome turned away, not wanting him to see the anger that flooded her face when the dead miko's name was mentioned.

 

“What do you want me to do about it?”, Kagome asked. “Return to my time so you can be with her?”

 

Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha once again, locking her questioning gaze on him.

 

Inuyasha was about to reply when a pair of bushes were pulled apart, revealing the said Miko. Kagome took an instinctual step backwards, putting Inuyasha between herself and Kikyou.

 

Inuyasha turned an angry look towards the dead miko. “Kikyou, I told you that I would take care of it.”

 

Kikyou sighed. “I know, but I just wanted to ensure your success, Inuyasha”, she replied coldly.

 

“Inuyasha, what's going on?”, Kagome asked as her face was enveloped in confusion, walking up to place her hand on his shoulder.

 

Inuyasha turned at the contact, grasping her hands in his, his gaze boring holes into the ground. “Well, we came up with a solution, one that we can all be happy with.”

 

Kagome remained silent, watching Inuyasha, but keeping a weary eye on the miko behind them. After what seemed an eternity, Inuyasha finally resumed talking, locking his amber orbs on Kagome's sapphire ones.

 

“We, I mean, Kikyou and I, want to use the jewel to wish Kikyou a live body and have your soul return to it. That way it will be like being with the both of you”, he sputtered out, his gaze leaving her eyes, but not her face in order to gauge her reaction.

 

Kagome remained still, disbelief flooding through her body. He wanted her to just happily give up her soul to her? He was joking, right? Kagome remained still for what seemed an eternity, not even realizing that she had begun to cry until she heard the soft splatter as her tears hit the dry earth.

 

As the realization that he was being serious dawned on her, she retracted her hands from his as if they were diseased, walking backwards until a tree stopped her. By that time, Kikyou had stepped out, replacing Kagome's prior position next to the hanyou.

 

“If you do not give what we ask freely, then we will take it by force”, stated the dead miko coldly, notching her bow and aiming at the girl to ensure that Kagome took her threat seriously. “Kikyou, you said nothing about hurting her”, scolded Inuyasha.

“Then you would just have this girl escape with my soul then, Inuyasha. You know that there is no way that we can be together unless I have my soul back, and I will do whatever is necessary to retrieve it”, answered Kikyou, not once taking her cold stare off the girl in front of her.

 

Inuyasha bowed his head in defeat before lifting his back to Kagome, flinching when he saw how frightened she was.

 

Kagome watched the two argue over her fate, her entire body washing over with numbness as her mind slowly comprehended the situation. She now knew that if she did not agree, that Inuyasha would do nothing to prevent Kikyou from taking her. As her resolve thickened, she met the glare of the dead miko head on, determined not to give in without a fight.

 

“Kikyou, I would rather my soul be obliterated than have to spend a lifetime locked up inside of you”, Kagome spat out.

 

“So be it”, replied Kikyou, aiming her notched arrow at Kagome's heart before releasing it. Kagome watched in horror as the arrow flew towards her, forcing her body to move before she was struck down. Her eyes widened, her body falling to the ground, when a pain like no other erupted throughout her shoulder. She hit the ground with a dull thud, staring dumbly at the arrow that now protruded from her shoulder as blood cascaded from the wound, staining the front of her top crimson.

 

She looked up at the couple before her, watching as they fought over something, straining to hear over the ringing in her ears. `They think I'm dead', she thought to herself as they turned their back to her. Kikyou must have foolishly believed that she could not miss. Kagome made a quick glance towards the direction of the well. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced herself up, taking off at a dead set run towards the well. She didn't look behind her, but knew that the two were chasing her, hearing Inuyasha curse at Kikyou.

 

She ran like she had never done before, her body and lungs screaming in protest at the exertion. She couldn't hear the two anymore, but knew that Inuyasha was most likely right behind her. She looked up into the canopy, trying to discern the shadows, when she heard the rustling of dead leaves. She turned her blurry vision towards her goal, sliding to a stop when a familiar red blur landed gracefully in her path.

 

She didn't even think twice before yelling “SIT” before running around the subdued hanyou, but forgot in her frenzied escape that the command only lasted a few moments. She broke through to the clearing that housed the well, the entire ground bathed in the moon's light. She ran up to the well, gasping as she tried to fill her burning lungs with much needed air, cradling her injured arm up against her body. She swung her legs over the edge, preparing to jump in, when she felt something grab at the back of her shirt. She immediately lurched forward, trying desperately to descend into the well. As she fell forward, she felt the hand that had grabbed her dig it's claws into her back to stop her departure. Kagome's mouth opened in a silent scream as the pain washed through her, the claws dragging across her back and around to her right hip as she fell forward and sideways. She glanced up, the tear-filled eyes barely capturing the silhouette of the hanyou that had held her heart as the magic of the well swallowed her, depositing her safely in her time.

 

 

~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Kagome was brought out of her reminiscent thoughts when the sound of glass shattering caught her attention. As her eyes slowly readjusted, she was greeted by her broken reflection, the mirror having been shattered.

 

“Mom's going to kill me”, she groaned to herself. That had been the third mirror that she had broken that month.

 

She turned her back to the mirror, grabbing her clothes as she made her way to the bathroom. Things had been complete hell for her since she had returned permanently. When she had made it back to her time, she woke up in her own bed. Her mother had said that they found her unconscious in the courtyard the next morning. Kagome still had no recollection as to how she managed to climb out of the well with her injured body, her one last memory being of Inuyasha's outline bathed in moonlight.

 

Her family had been very concerned over her condition, and not wanting to tell them what had transpired between herself and Inuyasha, she had told them that she was attacked by a demon and accidentally shot with a arrow when her friends tried to defend her. Her mother had made it clear that she didn't want her to go back again if those were the dangers that she faced, but had assured her mother that she wouldn't be returning since she had completed the jewel.

 

Now what happened to the jewel is a whole other story. During her recovery, she had awoken one night with the oddest sensation in her chest. When she had looked down, the jewel had already submerged its self-halfway inside, and she had watched with morbid fascination as it sank into her body, leaving not one mark to show its intrusion. Although is helped her to heal much faster than normal, it had left her with a whole other set of problems. It seemed that every time she got angry or horribly upset, her energy would start flowing out of her with no control, hence the broken mirrors. And this was a huge problem since she was having a hard time controlling her emotions.

 

After she had recovered, she returned to school, determined to pick up where she had left off and enjoy a normal life. But things didn't go exactly as planned. She still had her friends, and even went out on a few dates with Hojo, but no matter how hard she tried, she felt like an outsider. She felt detached from everyone, not being able to tell even her closest friends of the events that had altered her life so much. She was no longer the always cheerful and trusting Kagome. The majority of her smiles were for show, and the only people that held her trust were her family, and even that was limited. Then to make matters worse, all of her friends were off to university, while she had no clue what she wanted to do with her life. Even if she did know what she wanted to do, her grades were far from average, and that didn't leave her with many options.

 

 

Kagome was brought out of her reverie when her brother began to knock on her door, urging her to meet them for breakfast downstairs.

 

“I'll be right down, Souta. I just need to brush my hair”, she replied, listening to his retreating footsteps.

 

Kagome walked over to her desk, picking up her hairbrush, combing it through her raven locks. Her mother had been well too aware of her depression, and had often suggested she find a support group in the area. But who was she kidding; like there would be numbers of support groups for girls that had their hanyou boyfriend try and kill them so he could give her soul to his dead lover. That would get her locked up for sure.

 

She set her brush down, picking up the folded piece of paper that was beside it and tucked it into her pocket. The only reason she had agreed to this whole trip was that there was a temple in the area that was almost non-existent to the world. She had been looking for a teacher of sorts since the jewel decided to burrow into her body, but so far none of the temples that she had visited had a teacher worth her time. Her teacher would have to have a deep knowledge in spiritual energy, and would have to be open minded enough to not try and commit her if she tried to explain the Shikon no Tama. She would have really preferred not to have a teacher, but at the rate she was going, her energy flares were either going to hurt someone or attract unwanted attention. The only thing that she had managed was a meager concealment spell that she found in one of the numerous scrolls that littered their shed, which she used to hide the presence of the Shikon. So after a lot of research, she decided that the most unknown temples would be the ones to look at, and there just so happened to be one right outside of her cousin's town, about a one hour walk. After she had gotten comfortable, she planned to take a hike out there and see what they had to offer. Taking one last look in the still broken mirror, she headed downstairs to meet with her family.

 

 

 

After a short breakfast, her mom, along with Souta and her grandfather, loaded up the car with her suitcases and other belongings. As her mom and grandfather chatted about something in the background, she wandered off to take one last look at the well and the God Tree, knowing that it would be a few months before she would see them again. She stopped about halfway between the two symbols of her past, lifting her hand to cover the spot on her chest that now housed the Shikon no Tama. She had been a little concerned over the chosen spot, considering if somebody wanted to steal the jewel from her that they would have to kill her to get to it, but so far she hadn't sensed one youkai since she had returned permanently. Part of her felt the relief in this finding, while another missed the thrill of knowing that there was something inhuman in the world.

 

She was brought out of her musings when she heard her mother call for her. With one last glance at the two figures that had managed to alter her life so much, she retreated back to the car, giving her grandfather and brother one last hug before getting into the car.