InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Sealed Fate ❯ Chapter 7

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

“Girl. I must speak with you.”

Kagome's heart lurched in her chest; she could hear her blood pumping, suddenly hyper aware of her own body. She felt feverish. She had done what she could to avoid this very moment- to be alone with her incarnation, the woman who walked around with the missing piece of her soul. She knew whatever the miko had to say was going to be unpleasant, perhaps even lethal. Inuyasha could never believe that she could cause harm to others, and a part of Kagome wanted to believe that for him. Yet she could never forget the encounters where Kikyou that proved otherwise.

She swallowed hard and answered in a weak voice:

“Me? What do you need to talk to me for?”

Kikyou looked her up and down. She was a beautiful girl, resembling herself in features. There were differences if one was to look closely, but the biggest was her eyes. She could see that Kagome had lead a happy go lucky, carefree life as a child, and from what she could tell still had that essence about her.

It made her sick with jealousy.

Who was this little girl, her reincarnation, to live the carefree life that she deserved? She was stronger, smarter, more skilled in herbs and healing. From what she had witnessed, her power as a miko blew her competition out of the water.

And she had the affection of her hanyou. She had the respect, love and admiration of friends. She had a child who followed her faithfully. She had a man who would put not only his life on the line for her, but also his heart, his pride. He was willing to show a side to this girl that he never dared expose to herself.

True, he had not done much more than sulk in a tree to keep his distance, or walk quietly, his gaze appearing determined, yet to those who knew the amber orbs, knew that he was fighting a battle inside. Kikyou could tell from the awkward, thick atmosphere that this was not now he typically interacted with the others. She came into the group only to find the dog demon she had known long ago, not the more open one that had emerged recently.

And it was this child's doing.

What gave her the right to live the life she should be living, with her soul? She set hard eyes on Kagome.

“It is time you returned from which you came. This battle is not yours to fight. You skills are lackluster and you weigh down the progress of Inuyasha and I. You do not belong here, child.”

The future born miko kept her eyes cast down, her little hands balled into fists.

“…Kagome.”

“What?” Kikyou asked. She had expected a variety of responses, none of which was the utterance of the girl's name.

“Ka-go-me. My name is not girl, not child.” She drew her eyes up to meet the clay woman in front of her. She squared her shoulders, and let her temper steady her voice from a whisper to a respectable volume. “MY NAME IS KAGOME.”

If Kikyou was able of a larger emotional range, confusion might have been the expression written on her porcelain face.

“Your name is not the matter at hand here, child.”

“I'm not a child. I have lived independently from my family since that jewel came into my life, I have cooked, cared for and loved a child who needed my help. I have fought monsters that people in my time consider legends and fairy tales. In this time I should have been married off years ago! What give you the right to think of me so far beneath you?”

“Because you are. And now it is time for you to return and leave Inuyasha to me. He is mine.” The statement did not need any more of an explanation of that. It was as if Kikyou had shot an arrow right into her insecurities. It was enough to almost extinguish what little fire and fight she had left. Almost.

“I know what you are doing…I know what you want! It wasn't Inuyashas fault that Naraku deceived you. It was HIM that killed you Kikyou, NOT Inuyasha! You keep punishing him over and over for something he didn't do! He loved you, and you didn't trust him. You had so little faith in him, thinking he would turn his claws on a human, on the person he loved. Do you know the guilt that guy suffers for you, for things that were not his fault?!

“Again child, you speak about things you know not. While it is true that it was Naraku who deceived Inuyasha and myself, the blame does fall on Inuyasha as well. Had he not been a demon who lusted after the jewel, I could have placed more trust in him.”

“He did want the jewel, your right.” Kagome said with a small smile, “But you failed to notice how he changed.”

“How could I not have noticed a change in him?”

“When I first met Inuyasha, he did his best to frighten me. He gave me a menacing grin, flashed his fangs and extended his claws. He made it clear he could be a blood thirty demon who would have no remorse about bloodying his hands if it meant the jewel would be in his grasp… And when the Shikon shattered, it was rough, at first, to be with a person who was so harsh…

…But in time, I noticed a change. He eased up a little, his words, although always coarse, were backed by softer gestures. Even if it was just in his own way of sitting quietly beside me. He put his life on the line for me. In the beginning, when he couldn't stand my scent, he would throw his fire rat over me, to protect me, a person he would have easily discarded of. I knew then that I could trust him. I knew early on that he would save me. I think I knew from the moment I met him that he wouldn't hurt me.”

Kikyou took in the words that Kagome spoke and readied herself for a response. All she kept thinking was this girl has to go.

“Perhaps I failed to notice a change in his demeanor, perhaps not. You were not there child. You did not have the responsibility of protecting the jewel and keeping it pure. I had other obligations that required my focus, not the mood changes of a man.”

“It doesn't take much to see a change in someone, if you know them.”

Kikyou narrowed her eyes at the future girl. Here she stood insulting her. Her!

“We have veered from the matter to which I called you out girl. My past with Inuyasha, as well as any events that occur in the future are not your concern.”

Kagome knew that she was less of an asset than Kikyou; no one could deny it. But she did have a purpose that only she could fulfill- she had to save the hanyou. From the moment she met him she had been repeatedly trying to free him; of his arrow, his burdon, his past, his guilt. Was she now to free him of his past love and demand that Kikyou be sent away? He always saved her with his physical strength and brute force, she was to save him with loving getures and nurturing words. She had to protect Inuyasha! SHE WOULD NOT GIVE UP HIS SOUL WITHOUT A FIGHT!

Kagome steeled her voice with all the power of a new realization and purpose. She knew why she had to stay!

“You keep telling me that this is not my place, and that I need to go home, and while it is true that I can't contribute to the group in the same ways that you can, I do have a place here- and it's to protect Inuyasha. OVER MY DEAD BODY WILL I ALLOW YOU TO DRAG INUYASHA TO HELL!”

This elicited a small laugh from Kikyou, and her beautiful lips curved into a smile. It unnerved Kagome and made her take a step back.

“Silly child. You dare stand there and speak of recognizing the changes that people make. Had you noticed the change in me? Did you not feel the pull of my soul as it changed its course of desires? In the beginning I did desire to bring Inuyasha to Hell, as payment for taking my life. However, once it was known that Naraku was the cause of the suffering, that desire changed. I kept my distance from Inuyasha so I could process the events that had taken place and for the rage in my soul to be quelled. Do not misunderstand, my soul still burns for vengeance, but no longer is it aimed at Inuyasha. In regards to him, the only thing my soul wishes for is a second chance. I came into this group, not only to band together to defeat Naraku, but to live together with Inuyasha as she should have 50 years ago. I came here to take my place by his side.”

Kagome felt a gasp leave her body. She wasn't aware had been holding her breath, or for how long, but she suddenly felt her lightheaded, weak. Kikyou didn't want to take Inuyasha to Hell? She… she wanted to pick up where they left off before that tragic day. Kagome knew her purpose was to protect Inuyasha. Now, what was there to save him from? A life with the woman he loved? A chance to heal the wounds that festered in his soul? The opportunity to live out his dreams?

“As I said before, it is time you took your leave. I allowed you near Inuyasha this long as a place holder for me. I mean him no harm. I desire only to live as a man and woman do, the same as he desires. You have no place with him, or in this world.”

Kagome hung her head.

“…I understand…”

~.~

Inuyasha sat on the branch of a tree, his eye closed trying to focus on his breathing. His ears were on alert, swiveling in this direction and that. He couldn't help it; as much as he wanted to tune out the world and retreat into himself, Kagome had left the group. And when his bitch wasn't near him, he became uneasy. Short term leaves manifested physically in either a jumpy, nervous state, and when she went back to her world for days on end, he became listless and depressed, sulking by the well, waiting to catch her scent.

And since she left only to relieve herself, he had the sudden urge to pace or follow after her. She had been gone a while. It would be just like the wench to get lost on the way back from the bushes. He tried to calm himself with taking deep breathes through his nose. He could smell his friends, his pack. The feminine scent of the slayer, the masculine odor of the monk, the demonic smells of Shippou and Kirara… and he could still smell Kagome. Her lingering fragrance still swirled in the air. Her belongings had her scent all over them. He tried to separate that smell in particular. However, the most dominant scent was the new addition. The scent of death clung to the air more dominantly than all the others.

Kikyou had left the group, and Inuyasha assumed it was to collect the souls that fed and sustained her body. He was glad that she chose to do this a distance from him; even though it allowed her to stay, it left him uneasy.

How had he gotten himself into this mess? Why did Kikyou request to join them? He couldn't seem to figure out her angle.

`Do others think this way about those they love? Whats her angle? What does she want? Why cant anything in my damn life be simple!'

His demon was furious. It screamed at him minute after minute that this was wrong. He was hurting his mate, making her sad, driving her away.

NO. Just the thought of her leaving had his blood on fire. His bitch would NOT leave him. Kagome was HIS.

Inuyasha tried to subdue the demon in him. He wasn't sure exactly when, but his demonic blood had began to call her his bitch, his mate. He couldn't reason with it, his demon side was his instincts. People assumed that it was because Kagome was Kikyous reincarnation that woke Inuyasha up when he was sealed to the tree.

They were wrong.

It was her blood, her soul calling out to him. The demon sensed its mate. It yearned to be with her so badly, so intensely that it was able to shake the spell that Kikyou had placed on him. When he smelled her scent, it awake the demon in him, a deeper more primal part that he didn't know he had.

And he hated that she was the cause of it. He hadn't been lying when he told her that he couldn't stand her scent at first. It was too overwhelming to his senses, it threatened his control. Simply being near her was enough to tip him over the edge to become a basic animal. The smell of her drove him mad. His demon urged his aching hands to grab her, and bury his nose into her core and become lost in that smell, that maddening insanity.

It was enough of a battle not to claim her before this mess happened. He had learned how control his urges better, but never dampen the fire. She had been his bitch long before he accepted it. And now it demon side was in overdrive. He knew she would leave. He had to lay claim to her. If he marked her, she wouldn't, couldn't go. Making her a mate by force, that was something Inuyasha never wanted to do. `But maybe it would make her stay…'

That was not the only thing that his demon was telling him.

It told him that Kikyou was a threat. She was dead. There was a reason that the dead were burned and buried. If one kept company with the dead, death and diseases would be soon to follow. It was unnatural; his demon instincts told him to protect his mate, his pact.

His demon saw Kikyou as a threat.

He didn't know what to do.

His ears picked up the sound of foot steps from one, no two people.

Kagome and Kikyou made their way to camp.

He noticed that Kagome seemed to have all the energy drained out of her. He sat up and had to resist the urge to go to her, beg her to confess what was wrong.

He knew Kikyou had done something. He felt a growl work its way up. `She hurt my bitch!' He swallowed the growl and the accusation. He could do nothing but sit and watch.

Shippou immediately left his place beside Kirara and leapt into Kagomes arms.

“Whats wrong Kagome? You seem really sad!” He clung to her, shifting his head and lowering his voice. “Did she do something to you?”

The fox kit couldn't stand it when Kagome was hurt. When his parents had been murdered, he was left on his own. He was sure that he would never feel happiness again; that he would no longer be a child. He was responsible for his own protection now that his mother and father were gone. He was to carry the weight of their massacre on his shoulders, and vengeance his a heavy burden to bare. He was sure from that moment on, he would never find another good, kind person.

Then he met Kagome. He tricked her and treated her foully. She protected and forgave him. She soothed his aches, and embraced him in a way that he had not experienced since the passing of his parents. She told him stories that he had never heard before, spoiled him with attention and presents, let him curl up beside her at night and snuggle into her warmth and scent. When his world seemed hopeless and black, she offered light. And although he was but a child, he knew that she was a person he never wanted to lose. He loved her more than anything else.

Kagome stroked his head and held him close.

“No, I'm fine Shippou, don't worry about me.” She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. It was then that she looked closely at the child in her arms. “Are you okay Shippou? You don't look well.”

“I don't feel well.” He brought himself closer to her ear and lowered his voice.

“It's Kikyou. She SMELLS. She reeks of death! It gives me a headache and makes me feel like Im going to throw up. I can't stomach it from all the way over here. I don't know how Inuyasha can stand it so close up!”

`He can, because he loves her. His nose is so sensitive, that when she's near it probably does cause a physical discomfort. But he loves her so much he overlooks it.'

“Is there anything that I can do to help? Do you want some water or food maybe?

The kit shook his head.

“Nah, can I just… smell you for a while?”

This took Kagome aback.

“What?”

“Well, its just that you smell so good Kagome, and it comforts me. I feel like if I can surround myself in your scent maybe it can push away Kikyou's odor.”

“So thats why you've been clinging to me more than normal.” Kagome said with a slight smirk. When she thought about it, it made complete sense. Shippou was a fox demon, with a heightened sense of smell she couldn't relate to. The kit just nodded in answer.

“And when you're gone, even for a little while, the smell of her makes me sick. When you went to the bushes all I could smell was death.”

Kagome looked down at him, both in awe of his amazing sense of smell and in embarrassment that he was so openly speaking about her going to the bathroom.

“Really? Even if I'm gone a short while?”

Shippou looked up at her with wide, doe eyes and nodded again.

`How am I going to tell him? How am I going to go through with this?'

“Can you still pick up my scent on objets? Like my sleeping bag or my clothing for example?”

“Well yeah. Your sleeping bag always smells like you because you spend every night in it. And your clothes always have your scent on them.”

Kagome smiled.

“I have an idea. Its just a temporary fix, but for now here-“ Kagome took off her red scarf and handed it to the fox. He looked up at her with confusion.

“You keep this. If I ever have to go anywhere, and you suddenly miss my scent, you can just bring this up to your nose and smell. Its not a permanent solution, but do you think it would work for now?”

She gave Shippou a hopeful smile.

“Thanks Kagome! This is perfect!” He shouted with glee. “With this, I will definitely be able to stand it when you have to go to the bushes!”

First, relief flooded her face followed by sheer embarrassment. She muttered `glad I can help' so low that had it not been for his sensitive hearing, Shippou would not have picked it up.

The hanyou had merely listened from a distance, giving no indication that he had overheard their private conversation. He could smell sadness and regret in her scent when she returned ad his ears perked up when Shippou began talking. He couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree. He sat there in jealously that the damned brat had something that smelled like his bitch and could bring him comfort.

“Inuyasha, we must make our way back to my sisters village. There is something of importance I must speak to her about.” Kikyous stone voice ushered him out of his jealous musings. His gaze was trained on the clay miko, but he thought he saw from the corner of his eye, Kagome hugging the fox a little tighter, a look of sadness and despair across her face.