InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Sealed Fate ❯ Chapter 14

Her heart was racing, her blood pumping so furiously that she could hear the pounding of it in her ears. Each beat seemed to be saying, `what are you doing, what are you doing?' She tried to take deep breathes to calm her nerves. The sweet, unpolluted air of the feudal era filled her lungs and she held it, savoring it, letting it fill her. It was a scent, a sensation she was sure she would never encounter again.

Kagome ran her finger tips over the walls of the well. Had it always been so cool down here? Had the space always seemed so enormous and yet suffocating, closed in? She drew her head back and looked to the sky. A brilliant shade of blue with puffy white clouds hung over head. This was where her heart wanted to be. If she remained in the well, if she didn't move her feet, how long could she indulge this fantasy?

She climbed to the lip of the well, and realized she suddenly felt off balance. She didn't have her over stuffed back pack with her, filled with goodies and supplies. It was so much easier to maneuver without several weeks' worth of material possession weighing her down.

`Maybe I should go back and bring them some supplies. It's not like I will be able to come back here, and I'm sure they miss the conveniences of the bandages and medicine from my time. Not to mention the food. And Sango probably would like somebody wash. Yeah, I'll go back and come when I'm more prepared.'

As she began to turn her body to descend into the well, the familiar voice made her freeze in her tracks

“…K-Kagome!”

The miko bit her lip. That voice. It was so precious to her. So dear, so missed. She felt thick, fat tears build up in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder, terrified that she had both heard and imagined the voice.

“Shippo?”

“Kagome!” He rushed to her side and she fell to her knees, grabbing the kit and crushing him to her body. “Is it really you Kagome!?”

She smiled as the tears of reunion streamed down her face. “Yes, Shippo, it's really me!”

He buried his nose into her, inhaling her scent. He had missed her so much, missed the smell of her, the comfort of her arms. They sat in silence, simply holding one another, neither sure if minutes or hours passed.

Finally, it was the kit who spoke.

“I'm so glad you're back Kagome! You're staying, right? You're not going to leave again, right?!”

She gave him as brave a smile as she could muster.

~.~

The battle between the demons and the group had been challenging. Miroku and Sango had no choice but to retreat, as the miasma threatened to overtake their senses. Kikyou and Inuyasha had stood together, determined to slay the beast that held the shard. The clay miko let an arrow cut through the air, purifying the area for her companions. Truthfully, she did not care whether or not the slayer and lecherous monk died from the noxious poison. Yet she did care that Inuyasha would sulk, create an ever bigger gap between them if they died. They seemed to be important to him.

The hanyou he had met so many year ago had no one but himself that he could rely on. She liked it that way. It made her unique, special, that he placed his trust in her. Apparently, he gave it out to anyone who asked these days.

And while the Kikyou from 50 years ago may have smiled at his attempts to preserve human life and avoid confrontations with locals, it irritated her to no end now. It was not that he saw the value of human life because of her, just as it was not she who ha tamed the wild, lustful desire for the jewel, for the wish to become a full-fledged demon.

No, she had not given him that peace and tranquility.

The miko had been certain that he would have never accepted himself, his heritage. He was so absorbed in self-pity and loathing his mixed blood, that she had never seen the opportunity that lied within him that he could one day accept who he was. Well, at the time, she couldn't take him as he was.

Demons were vile. She had been taught that from as long as she could remember. They were cruel, and merciless. They would use their strength to rip apart the things humans held dear, claiming the spoils of war, not just goods but the flesh of woman too.

There were many different demons she had encountered, even long before it became her responsibility to protect that damned jewel. Dumb ones, too stupid to do much else besides charge at her, or the cocky ones, who thought her weak, as she was a mere human after all.

The sly ones, such as the kitsunes, who could change their shape and loved to play games. Cat demons, who would wait in the shadows lying low before they pounced; bird demons who would swoop down on her from high above. Even water creatures, that dared disturb her while she bathed!

And they had all met their end. She never left without her bow slung over her shoulder, arrows always at the ready, her miko senses on full alert. She had to always be prepared for the vile creatures to make their appearance.

And Inuyasha was by far the worst.

He was persistent, day after day trying to half heartily claim the jewel. He would watch her from high above in the trees, and she would taunt him with calls to join her and the children. Humans made him feel an unease. He was not one of them. And he was not a demon either. He was mixed; tainted; filthy.

She knew that feeling well. She was not a woman, but a priestess; a protector. She felt a kinship to the hanyou.

And as they days passed so close in his proximity, she felt that it had slipped away. He was not the same lost soul that he had been. Nor was he was the guilt strapped man that came to her beck and call in the dark nights, ushered by the sudden appearance of her soul collectors.

It made her soul sting that the man she craved, the man that she deserved to claim, had somehow fallen away from her. She had to make him see that she was the only one that he could depend on. That she was the only one that he needed. That she could be- should be- the most precious treasure in his life.

One simple way was in battle.

She held her own, she always could. Yet as it dragged out, she felt her energy growing weak, her body in desperate need of new souls.

Inuyasha finished the fight with another swing of his mighty sword, and the demons began to deteriorate in the light. Other parts, scattered on the ground, littering the grass with steaming bits of burnt flesh. The dog demon had thrust his sword into the dirt and leaned heavily on it, taking ragged breathes. That bastard had managed to claw at his ribs. He knew the feeling well enough to know that a few had broken.

His skin was dirty from sweat and blood, dirt and dust clinging to the fluids. More than anything he wanted to remove himself from the area. The smell of death was flooding his nostrils. It was strong and pungent for something that had just died. Typically it took a few hours before that type of an aroma set in. He hadn't noticed that Kikyou had rushed to his side.

`Ah, that's why. Even over the smell of burnt flesh, the smell of death on her is over powering.'

She tried to lift Inuyashas arm from its dependable place on the sword.

“Inuyasha, let us go to that clearing over there. You must rest. You have sustained injuries.”

He shrugged her off, gripping his sword and putting it in the sheath. He swaggered over the base of a tree and slumped down. He made out the figures of his friends heading his way, visually assessing that they were not in any life threatening danger. He allowed himself to close his eyes and revel in the pain.

This pain, the win of another shard, was one step closer. He wouldn't whimper over a few broken bones and puny claw marks. No, he would smile. This pain brought him nearer to his ultimate pleasure. She would be mad that he let himself get hurt, that he would without the day for his bones to heal without doing anything to aid it. He could practically feel Kagome undressing him, silently demanding to clean and dress his wounds.

His amber eyes snapped open. Those were not the warm, petite little hands of his fantasy. They were the cold sterile ones of his torment. So absorbed in his own musings, he hadn't noticed that Kikyou began to strip him of his fire rat. He moved back to take his jacket from her grasp.

“What are you doing Kikyou?” He grunted out.

“Your wounds must be properly treated, Inuyasha.”

“Keh, I'm fine. I've had worse than this.”

“I am sure you have. And in the past you had no one to treat you. But now, I am here and I will tend to you.” She spoke to him in a way that made his blood boil.

And not his alone.

Sango was one edge. How dare she say such a thing? How Kagome was able to wrap Inuyashas gashes, set his broken bones, cure his ails, along with everyone elses was nothing short of a miracle! No one else could get that stubborn hanyou to let them touch his body. He didn't trust anyone enough that they wouldn't attack him while he was weak, vulnerable.

“Kagome, was a gods send to us. Do not belittle what she did for this group!”

“Her methods of treating ailments are inferior to mine. I am a trained miko. I was born to purify and heal.”

The slayer straightened her back. No one was going to bad mouth her friend!

“As was she. She may have not been trained as you were, but Kagome has more raw power than you could ever dream of! Your just so lucky that she has the kind heart that she does or-“

Miroku placed a calming hand on the slayers shoulder. “Enough Sango. We should not speak of Kagome when she is not here to speak for herself. The same courtesy should be extended to you, Kikyo.”

Sango sat herself down and crossed her arms. She wouldn't storm off as she wanted to. No, she wanted to interfere with the crazy mikos plans to seclude Inuyasha.

She had been aware that Kikyou was trying to force a wedge between him and the group for quite a while now. She knew that her goal was to alienate him and cast the rest away.

Sango wouldn't allow that. This group was far too precious to her to be disbanded by the likes of a dead woman. This… this was her tie to her truest friend, the woman who had saved her from the black abyss that she had been drowning in. Kagome welcomed her with open, healing arms into the mix. The miko let her cry in the night when she was sad, shoulder some of the burden of her loss, confide her secrets when they threatened to bubble over. They could exchange meaningful glances and snappy remarks. To Sango, she was the sister she longed for, the companion she dreamed of.

Woman in her village often excluded her. They did not know how to approach a woman who took on the job of a man. She was not invited to sewing circles, the woman did not allow her to gossip or exchange recipes. That's why her brother had meant so much. He was the only one who treated her like Sango. That is, until she met Kagome. She let her be strong and feminine at the same time. Kagome was her first, true friend.

For the sake of her memory, she wouldn't let that cold bitch win.

And if it meant that she would sit close by, then she could claim that easy victory.

“I keep telling ya that I don't need no damn bandages! Just give me back my fire rat!” He hissed.

“I will treat you, Inuyasha.” Her voice stern. Her fingers began to pry open the white undershirt.

“Kikyou! Would you-“ He stopped when her hands drew back.

“What is this?” She asked in a cold tone.
His eyes looked at her questioningly.

She was looking right at the silver and gold chain that hung around his neck.

~.~

“Shippo… you know that-“

“Kagome, please… I miss you so much…”

“I miss you too Shippo.”

“Why did you come back if your not going to stay?? Wait, how did you come back?”

“I found this in my time.” She said, producing the chain from under her shirt. “I found a shard back home. I knew I needed to bring it here. Where is everyone?”

Inuyasha must be avoiding her. If he wanted to see her, he would have made his way to the well by now. Shippo had sniffed her out almost the moment she arrived. Despite being a hanyou, his nose was stronger and his speed faster. He must really want nothing to do with her after all.

“They are all away. They heard a rumor about a shard.”

“Oh… So why didn't you go with them?”

“I can't stand the scent of Kikyou. She makes my head spin. Besides, shes not really that nice to me. I would rather be at the village if shes around.”

Kagome felt anger well up in her chest. She was mean to Shippo? How! He was only a child!

“And Im so glad I did, because now I got to see you! When I smelled you I almost didn't believe it. I thought my nose was playing tricks on me! But it really is you!” He snuggled into her once more, and she brought him in closer.

“Did you know Shippo… that I missed you so much it was hard to sleep at night?”

“Really?”

“Haha, yeah. Because you were always sleeping next to me, I was so used to having you there to hold onto. I still look for you at night sometimes.”

This made the kit grin. He was glad that he wasn't the only one that was lonely.

“Me too. I wake up and try to sniff you out, but then I remember…”

She gave him a sad smile.

“How long are you going to stay for Kagome?”

“I should really be getting back now. No one knows that I came here.”

“You can't go yet!” He begged. He was not ready for this. He was not prepared! She was going to breeze in and out of his life once more.

“I have to. Here. She removed the necklace and pushed it towards the kit. He crossed his arms and shook his head, a wicked grin on his face. She knew that look.

His fangs poked out over his lips.

This was a kit with a plan.

“No way. Im just a kid after all. If I take that thing theres no way I ould protect it!”

“Well, then we will give it to Kaede.”

“Impossible. She isn't at the village right now. She went to collect herbs in the fields. Besides. Kaede is old. Should you really be giving something with that much power to a frail old lady?”

His voice was so confident and determined, she couldn't help but be proud. Her little Shippo… always so clever. She knew his end game, but decided to play along.

“Well then, what should I do?

“Come back again.”

“Shippo… I don't know if I can handle seeing Inuyasha… I got lucky that he wasn't here today. The minute I come back he will smell my scent. There's no way I can avoid him.” She didn't want to burden the child. But she didn't want that pain.

“That's easy then.” He looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “You have to come when he can't detect your scent.”

Her eyes widened in realization.

On the night of the new moon.