InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Walk Through Hell ❯ The Source of Evil ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Thriller / Romance / Psychological / Adventure | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 11.07.2016 | Pages: 12 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 338 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Thriller / Romance / Psychological / Adventure | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 11.07.2016 | Pages: 12 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 338 | Status: Completed
Inuyasha stumbled and went down hard, scraping the skin of his
palms against the rough earth. It was an odd experience; he
probably hadn’t tripped over his own two feet since he was a
brat. But then, he hadn’t exactly been moving with his
typical graceful stride. He couldn’t seem to get his
legs to coordinate properly; as a result, the best he could muster
was an ungainly half-jog, half-shuffle. He was acutely aware
that everything he had seen and done since yesterday evening was
royally screwing with his head, but there was nothing he could do
about it. It weighed on him, a constant enticement, coaxing
him to give up the struggle and end his suffering. The
tremendous burden pressed down on his shoulders, impeding his
attempts to rise. He slumped back to the ground, defeated.
He was tired, so very tired. It was becoming harder and
harder to remember why he continued to run.
The sounds of soft, irregular footfalls and a low, rasping growl served as an effective reminder. He turned back in dismay to find her bearing down on him, her eyes glowing ravenously. She had pursued him all night and through the morning, never allowing him a moment’s respite. Constantly torn between fleeing in terror and a morbid sense of responsibility, he had moved just quickly enough to remain out of her grasp.
He couldn’t do it anymore. This shameful display had gone on long enough. It was time to make a decision. Strike her down. Save yourself. He recognized that voice as the one which had urged him to lie down and pass into apparently eternal sleep the previous evening. It should have set off alarm bells, but a great haze of despair clouded his mind, preventing him from seeing what he should have seen. Instead of raising suspicion, the voice appealed to a very influential side of him. His youki swelled within him, swirling and crackling in response to the very obvious threat to his life. His youkai side did not wish to die. Perhaps it recognized what his human half refused to believe, that this creature who used to be Kagome was truly beyond saving.
But he couldn’t know that for sure. His human heart, which felt pain and remorse strongly enough to contemplate suicide, also insisted that all hope was not lost for Kagome. If her body still moved, then it wasn’t truly dead, and perhaps her soul could be recalled and she could return to normal. Logically he knew this was a fool’s hope. Kagome had died. Her body smelled like a corpse. Her soul had passed on. And he had already seen first-hand the suffering a soul could endure when pulled back into the living world to which it no longer belonged. Yes, strike down this abomination. Let Kagome be at peace.
Still his heart resisted, effectively paralyzing him as she stalked closer, her growl increasing in volume and ferocity as she drew nearer to her prey. Inuyasha snarled in response, his claws poised to deliver the single swift strike which would end this farce. Still he hesitated, as she knelt before him, as she opened her jaws wide and lunged for his vulnerable throat. Strike now!
A single thought held him back. His human half cried out, struggling desperately with every fiber of its being to prevent him from giving in to the demands of his youkai side. His very humanity urged him toward an alternate path. How could he ignore his human heart, when Kagome loved him for it?
He still wasn’t sure what his plan was, to continue to run in pursuit of false hope or to surrender himself here and now. In any case, it was too late to avoid the pain of teeth sinking into his neck. When the pain never came, however, he snapped his eyes open to find himself alone. He spun in a full circle to locate the undead specter who must still be close by; she couldn’t possibly have moved too far away in the few seconds he’d had his eyes closed. And yet, Kagome was gone all the same. How was this possible? Had it all been a terrible dream? Maybe he really had fallen asleep in the field where he had slaughtered the last of the mercenaries. Maybe this whole mess with the reanimated corpses was just a nightmare. If he fell asleep here, would he wake up in reality? And if so, did he really want to?
Inuyasha flopped onto his back and took to gazing up at the blue sky overhead. He was too tired to do anything else. Perhaps he would eventually rise from this spot and move on, or perhaps not. He didn’t really have a reason to get up, did he? It occurred to him that the voice which had been speaking to him since last night had gone completely silent. He frowned. What the hell was that voice, and why hadn’t he considered it suspicious before? Why did he suddenly feel that something was very wrong here?
Ultimately, Inuyasha quashed those thoughts. He just wanted to clear his mind and rest for a bit…or for eternity. Should he do what was easy, or what his human heart believed to be right? Another story of two extremes, same as the one he had just confronted. Later, he would confront this new decision as well. But for now, he would rest.
There wasn’t much wind, so he heard the intruder long before he smelled her. ‘Her’ because he only heard two footfalls, indicating a biped, and because her breathing sounded feminine to his sharp ears. Hopefully it was just some village girl passing through, and she would leave him alone. And yet, there was something familiar about the way she breathed, as if he had heard this exact rhythm before. He quickly ordered himself to stop being delusional. But as the footsteps came closer and closer, he could no longer simply lie back and hope they passed him by, just in case the owner actually posed a threat. He decided to at least shift his position so he could see the intruder approach. And then her scent drifted to his nose. A surge of pure electricity coursed through him, jolting him to his feet faster than he thought possible. He was still trying to deny what he smelled as he turned to face her.
How could this be? He had seen her corpse with his own two eyes, held her lifeless body in his arms. He had watched her rise as an undead creature, a scourge upon the earth. And then she had disappeared into thin air, causing him to question his own sanity. Now he doubted it even further. Was this merely an apparition conjured by his own grief-stricken mind? And if so, why wasn’t her appearance as pristine as newly fallen snow, as pure as mountain spring water? That’s how he would have expected his mentally unhinged self to imagine her. Instead she wore a yellow blouse which he didn’t recognize, and which was dyed red with human blood. His nose confirmed that it did not belong to her, but it was still a disturbing sight, as were the severe bruises around her neck.
He resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to rush to her side, to take her into his arms and demand to know whether she was all right. Fear kept his feet rooted to the ground, fear that this was all an illusion, that his arms would clasp around empty air if he went to her. For he knew that if he allowed his heart to swell with hope once again, only to discover that the Kagome before him was merely a figment of his own imagination, he would never recover. It would destroy him, utterly and completely.
She slowed to a stop before him, her relieved smile sending pangs of longing shooting through his chest. Oh, how he wanted this to be real. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead she bent over at the waist and rested her hands on her knees. Her panting echoed loudly in his ears, clear evidence of her exhaustion, and yet another aspect of her which did not fit with the idealized version of Kagome that he might have expected his insanity to conjure. Kagome…is it really… He didn’t dare finish that thought. He stood before a great precipice, wondering whether to cling to the solid ground beneath his feet or leap into the uncharted abyss. In a sense, it was already too late. Warmth blossomed within his chest, bringing life to his shriveled heart. Against his better judgment, he had already taken the plunge. All that remained was to learn the truth.
Kagome straightened up, too quickly as it turned out, as she swooned slightly and stumbled to regain her balance. Inuyasha was by her side in an instant, steadying her against his chest. She grinned at him, a polite expression of gratitude on the tip of her tongue. But her words deserted her, her smile melting away as she stared into his orbs of molten gold. She swallowed nervously, but held his gaze, a simple action which caused the hanyou’s revitalized heart to soar. This was the Kagome he knew and loved, the one whose very soul was visible through her eyes if he only took the time to look. The one who made life worth living. Still he held his breath, waiting for something unidentifiable, something which possessed the power to tear him down and restore him all in one breath.
“Inuyasha?”
The sound of his name cascading from her lips flowed through him, a wondrous elixir, reaching down deep inside and healing him body and soul. There were still harsh realities to cope with, hard truths to manage, but the realization that he could face the future with Kagome by his side was too amazing for words. Indeed, his tongue remained hopelessly paralyzed. There were simply no words sufficient to express how it felt to have his shattered heart mended by her loving hands, and how humbled he was by the experience. And so, he did the only thing he could think to do. He leaned down and kissed her.
Kagome gasped in shock, her mind racing with a dozen questions and ten times as many possible answers. Then the reality that Inuyasha was kissing her settled in, and she turned off higher brain function. His kiss was forceful, but not painfully so. Still, she could do little more than part her lips and allow him to take what he needed. Even so, her already weakened knees buckled under the onslaught of pure sensation. His strong arms supported her, pulling her even closer as he continued to devour her. A wonderful warmth spread through her, both exhilarating and comforting, as he encouraged her to move with him, their lips and tongues entwining in a dance as old as time itself.
It was over all too soon. Inuyasha pulled back suddenly, his body shaking against her. Kagome’s heart broke at the sight of his tears, and again when he buried his face into her shoulder and enfolded her in tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his back, blinking back her own tears as she ran her fingers soothingly along his tense muscles. Inuyasha did not sob, but his shoulders shook periodically as he continued to cling to her as if though his life depended on it. Perhaps for him, it truly did. Kagome frowned as she wondered what had happened to him, knowing it would have taken a truly severe trauma to put him in this state. As soon as he was ready, she would try to get to the bottom of this.
He finally drew away from her several minutes later, hurriedly wiping his face with his sleeve and staring apologetically at the wet spot on her blouse. Kagome smiled wryly, reflecting that his tears were by far the least offensive thing to stain her blouse since she put it on two nights ago. Then her expression turned serious.
“Inuyasha, are you okay?”
He blinked once. “Am I…” he trailed off, sudden anger blazing to life in his eyes. “Am I okay? Are you fucking kidding me? What about you?! Why aren’t you—”
He literally choked on the rest of his question, taking the edge off of Kagome’s own rising irritation. She didn’t like being yelled at for expressing genuine concern, but she recognized his irritability as borne of mortification and bewilderment. Inuyasha was obviously embarrassed at his emotional display and confused by his recent experiences. It was not a good combination, especially for the volatile hanyou. So rather than snapping back at him, Kagome resolved to try a more rational approach.
“Why aren’t I what, Inuyasha?” she inquired gently.
He glared at her, as if demanding to know how she could dare to ask such a thing. But when he saw only kindness and worry in her gaze, his own expression softened. He lowered his eyes, shame coloring his features, and for a moment Kagome feared that he was going to retreat into his shell and hide there for the foreseeable future.
“I saw you, Kagome,” he stated quietly, his voice low, almost chilling. “I held you in my arms. You were…you were…”
Kagome placed her finger to his lips, silently telling him that he didn’t need to finish that sentence. His eyes closed in relief and his shoulders slumped in gratitude. Dead. That was how his statement ended; nothing else could have made him act this way, or explain his behavior upon meeting up with her a few minutes ago. Only the overwhelming joy and relief of seeing her alive again would have made him kiss her like that, as though nothing else could return him to life. A pleasant shiver passed through her at the memory, but she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the mystery at hand. So Inuyasha saw me dead before, but obviously that wasn’t real. It must have been an illusion of some kind. The last time I saw him…was that an illusion too?
“Inuyasha?” He didn’t respond verbally or raise his eyes, but both of his ears did turn in her direction to let her know that he was listening.
“Earlier today, did you transform into a full-youkai?” Finally he looked at her, his expression once again dominated by annoyance and confusion.
“What the hell are you talking about, wench?”
“Just answer the question,” Kagome snapped, wrestling with her own temper. She didn’t want to explode at him, but he was starting to push her buttons with his petulant behavior. Fortunately, he seemed to realize the danger he was in, and it was with decidedly less attitude that he complied with her demand. The key adjective being ‘less’ rather than ‘none.’
“No, wench. I didn’t transform.”
“Are you sure?”
“Keh. Just ‘cause I don’t always remember what happens while I transform, doesn’t mean I don’t know when it happens. I’m not stupid, you know.”
Inuyasha expected Kagome to respond in kind, with some attitude of her own. Perhaps he was prodding her temper on purpose just to experience a normal interaction with her. He wouldn’t even mind if she eventually ended their verbal sparring match by shouting ‘osuwari,’ as kissing dirt after saying or doing something stupid had become just about second nature to him at this point. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. So he was prepared to receive Kagome’s annoyance, and perhaps even a little venom. But he did not expect her to put her head down so her bangs covered her eyes, or ball her hands into tight, shaking fists at her sides. She pursed her lips into a thin line, her jaw muscles firmly clenched. And when the air around her began to literally crackle with her aura, he was not too proud to take a few steps back and hold up his hands in a desperate attempt to placate her ire.
“W-wait, Kagome. I didn’t—”
“Relax, Inuyasha,” she growled, her voice low and menacing. “I’m not angry with you.”
Inuyasha was understandably relieved to hear this, but he was still very confused. The term ‘angry’ didn’t really do Kagome justice at the moment; she was positively livid. When she got like this, woe to any enemy who dared to threaten her friends. Naraku and several others had found that out first-hand. And even though he wasn’t the target of her fury, Inuyasha still didn’t dare to utter a word, knowing she would explain when she was ready.
“Don’t you get it, Inuyasha?” she asked, more than a hint of frustration bleeding into her voice. “When you saw me before, it wasn’t real. It was just an illusion. And when I saw you before, that wasn’t real either. Someone has been…screwing with us, making us see terrible things, making us do things we never thought we’d have to do. Some heartless bastard…”
She trailed off here, too incensed to continue. As understanding dawned, Inuyasha felt his own ire rise. If what Kagome said was true, the word ‘bastard’ didn’t begin to describe the person who had put them through this. That voice who whispered to me, when I was at the lowest points of my entire life… His stomach roiled, leaving him feeling physically ill. But anger provided a convenient outlet for disgust and self-loathing, fuel for the burgeoning fire. Suddenly the world blurred before his eyes, shifting in and out of focus several times in rapid succession.
“What the hell?”
“Noticed it, huh?” Kagome asked, her tone utterly devoid of humor. “Once we start to question the illusion, we’re able to see through it. I think this whole damn world is fake.”
Before Inuyasha could fully process the implications of that statement, Kagome strode forward and stopped a half-meter in front of him. She tilted her head and managed a small, strained smile for his benefit.
“Hold onto me,” was all she said, and Inuyasha complied without hesitation. Whatever Kagome had planned, he trusted her. Their arms wrapped around each other, their heartbeats still audible despite the storm clouds materializing overhead, this world’s response to the impending doom presently embodied by the form of a petite teenage girl. Finally reunited, and sharing a warm embrace, they cherished the knowledge that the torments of this artificial world could no longer reach them.
Inuyasha both felt and saw Kagome’s spiritual energy wash over him. It was not an especially pleasant sensation, but neither was it painful. It was as though his youki recognized that the tremendous purity of her aura should be toxic, yet somehow it wasn’t. He wasn’t sure if she was consciously directing her energy, or if his apparent immunity originated on an instinctual level. In any case, he knew that he was in no danger. The same could not be said of the world around them. The blurring he had witnessed intensified, as the weather howled and thrashed in impotent rage. For neither wind nor rain, nor even strike of lighting could reach them now. Inuyasha tightened his hold on the woman in his arms and closed his eyes, knowing she would carry them to safety.
Flashes of light appeared behind his eyelids, the spectacular consequence of a world tearing itself asunder. They grew more intense, building toward a grand climax, until finally all went white, and sound itself gave way to utter emptiness. An irresistible force pulled him backward, tearing Kagome from his arms, but as unknown power swirled around him it was all he could do to clench his jaw and hope it would be over soon.
Finally she was able to rise to her feet, only to sway dizzily and nearly topple over again. She put a hand to her pounding head and was alarmed at the heat emanating from her skin. It was roasting hot in here, she realized, and her clothing was soaked with sweat. But with the humidity so high, her sweat wasn’t evaporating and cooling her skin. In short, the conditions were rendering her body’s cooling system useless. That was far from the end of her problems. A day and a half had passed in the illusion, and it certainly felt as though the same amount of time had passed in the real world. A day and a half without food or water, spent baking in this natural oven. It was no wonder she was severely dehydrated and probably on the verge of heatstroke. So she had two choices now: either get her pulse and respiration under control, or pass out and wind up right back in the sticky shit again.
It took some serious mental discipline, but eventually she was able to accomplish option alpha. She was still unsteady on her feet, but at least she wasn’t about to lose consciousness again. Keeping a cool head would also give her the best chance of finding Inuyasha and getting out of here. The darkness was unnerving even in that state of mind, however, but she didn’t know what she could do about it. Her non-visual senses couldn’t tell her very much. Inspiration struck when she summoned her spiritual energy to scan her surroundings, and after some trial and error she soon had her skin radiating a faint glow. It was not all that different from channeling her energy into an inanimate object, such as an arrow. The light was not terribly bright, but it was sufficient to see by, and it was simply wonderful to be able to see anything at all.
It was not so wonderful to look down in order to study the sticky substance still clinging to her socks and loafers, only to discover a nearly complete human skeleton lying barely a meter from her. She stumbled back reflexively, barely maintaining her balance. Whoever the unfortunate victim was, his or her remains had been resting here for a very long time. No trace of flesh remained on the bones. Swallowing, Kagome tore her eyes away and returned to her original purpose. The mysterious clear substance covered the cave floor, but did not move on its own, nor did it react to purifying energy. Her spiritual senses also confirmed that it was not alive, which was somewhat of a relief. Instead, it was probably a secretion from some other creature, likely the same one who had trapped them in the illusion. Her blood heated to boiling at the reminder, memories of Inuyasha’s odd behavior causing her once again to wonder what tortures he had suffered.
She quickly banished those thoughts and calmed herself once more. There would be time for anger later; right now she had to find Inuyasha, before her dehydration and the stifling atmosphere caught up with her and she really did collapse from heatstroke. Since she and Inuyasha had been in the same illusion, their physical bodies had to be in the same cave system, right? At least, she hoped so. But then, she didn’t have much else to cling to at this point.
For once, her faith was rewarded. She sensed Inuyasha’s aura not too far from where she stood, and he was obviously pleased to feel her presence if the way his youki reacted was any indication. Then he was moving, and Kagome channeled more energy into her skin, knowing the brighter glow would help him find her. She heaved a deep sigh, and allowed her lips to curl into a relieved smile.
This was the sight which greeted Inuyasha when he reached her a few minutes later, having picked his way through pitch black tunnels until he saw Kagome’s light. For a moment he wasn’t sure if she was truly glowing or if it was merely a product of his ecstatic imagination.
“Are you all right, Kagome?” he asked, gripped by an irresistible compulsion to hear her voice.
“I’m fine, Inuyasha,” she told him, flashing him one of those heart-stopping smiles of hers. “What about you?”
Inuyasha frowned, not liking the rasp in her voice. She appeared to be uninjured, though she was clearly dehydrated and suffering from the heat. If she stayed in these conditions for too much longer, the situation could become quite serious. Fortunately, he wasn’t about to let her walk anywhere. This wasn’t to say that she didn’t possess an important role in expediting their escape.
“Think you can keep up that glow, wench?”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
He turned around and knelt down expectantly, and Kagome happily climbed onto his back. He freed her feet from the sticky substance as he stood, and not for the first time, the miko found herself jealous of hanyou strength. Inuyasha marched through the glue-like stuff as though it wasn’t even there. All it did was force him to pick his feet up higher, so his gait was more of a stomp than a stride. He stopped after a few paces to study the interior of the cave.
“Any idea how to get out of here?” he inquired, sounding like he expected a negative response. Kagome bit back her reply as a new thought struck her. The idea of leaving this mountain immediately hadn’t sat well with her, and she knew why.
“Inuyasha, we can’t leave yet.”
“What? Why the hell not?”
“Because we have to find and destroy whatever did this to us. How many people will it devour if we leave it alone? It’s probably killed so many already…”
Inuyasha had to admit that her concerns were valid. In most circumstances, he would be all too happy to take the fight to the enemy, especially one who had so wronged them. But his anxiety over Kagome’s health kept him from instantly leaping at the chance.
“You sure you’re up for that?” he asked seriously.
“Absolutely,” she replied, the confidence and resolve in her tone surprising him, though he realized that it probably shouldn’t have. When she set her mind to something, Kagome could be the most determined—or stubborn—person he’d ever met. And because he sensed that her condition was not in danger of worsening significantly in the immediate future, he eventually decided to go along with her plan for the time being.
“Okay, but I’m carrying you the whole time,” he declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. Not that Kagome had any intention of asking to be put down any time soon. He was the one with superhuman stamina, after all.
“Deal.”
“Good. Can you sense this bastard anywhere?” A brief silence ensued as Kagome concentrated.
“It’s hard to tell…but I think I sense an evil presence coming from that direction.”
They set off, Inuyasha moving as quickly as he could while still giving them time to react to any unforeseen obstacles or terrain changes. The light from her spiritual aura cast eerie shadows across the uneven surface of the rock, but she felt completely safe on Inuyasha’s back. It was thrilling in a way, just the two of them on a mission together. The adventures of the hanyou and the human glow stick. She was glad that Inuyasha was unfamiliar with the modern novelty, or he might actually start calling her that. After they got out of here, that is. Neither one of them found much humor in this situation. Too many emotions churned right below the surface, temporarily masked by grim determination.
The network of tunnels and caverns in this mountain was amazing, she reflected. They seemed to go on forever, one inevitably leading to an intersection with yet another choice to make. It was like a giant three-dimensional ant farm. Kagome wondered if the network had been excavated by some kind of burrowing youkai, but when she asked, Inuyasha replied that he didn’t smell any trace of youkai or animal. Perhaps a colony of subterranean youkai had flourished here long ago, before the evil entity arrived. Of course, it was also possible that the evil entity itself had created these tunnels. They would probably never know for sure.
What they were quickly discovering, however, was that the nasty bastard was incredibly hard to track. One moment it seemed to be in front of them, but the next time she stretched her spiritual senses, it was behind them or off to the side. Eventually she was forced to admit that they were getting nowhere.
“Hold up, Inuyasha.”
“We’re going in circles, aren’t we?” he asked, slowing to a halt.
“Sorry…”
“Keh. Just take some time and try to figure it out.”
His subdued and borderline encouraging response surprised Kagome, but this wasn’t the old Inuyasha who would have reamed her out for her perceived incompetence. He had also undergone some traumatic experiences recently; carrying her on his back had probably been as reassuring for him as it was for her. So she took his advice, and closing her eyes, turned her entire focus toward her inner miko. The outside world faded away, though she remained aware of the strong back supporting her and its owner’s steady presence.
Eventually she noticed something odd. The evil aura was indeed concentrated in one particular location. Even as she observed, it moved slightly, almost taunting them. They could chase this thing for days and never even get close to it. But as she had not previously noticed, that spot was not the only place where the creature’s presence emanated from. Strands of power extended throughout the mountain, much fainter than the moving epicenter but clearly visible now that she was truly concentrating. They traced paths down through the rock in every direction, and she decided to pick what felt like the closest strand and head toward it.
She was surprised to find herself in total blackness when she opened her eyes, having been so focused on her senses that she stopped maintaining the luminous manifestation of her aura. She quickly rectified that oversight.
“Sorry about that.”
“Keh!” Inuyasha scoffed. “I ain’t afraid of the dark, wench. You find anything?”
“I think so. Can you head that way?”
He did so, an extra spring in his step at the prospect of finally making some progress. Kagome stopped him in a large cavern a few minutes later and slid off his back. Like the tunnels, this place was blessedly free of the sticky substance, but Inuyasha still hovered right by her side, ready to support her if she so much as wobbled on her feet. Kagome appreciated the concern, as she was still a bit dizzy. She led him over to the wall from which the dark presence emanated, the strand of energy easily visible now that she knew what to look for. She placed her hand on the rock, but the strand was probably a meter or so too deep to reach. Fortunately, she knew someone who could help her solve that problem. That is, if she could convince him.
“Are you insane, wench?!” he demanded in response to her proposal. “You want me to start smashing through solid rock? Are you trying to start a cave-in?”
“I didn’t say whip out Tetsusaiga and swing it around recklessly!” she retorted. “You just have to be careful for a change!”
Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, his lips quirking into a formidable pout. “It’s a stupid idea.”
“Maybe, but it’s the only way we’re ever going to destroy this thing. If I can just reach that tendril of power, I know I can do…something, anyway.” When Inuyasha only continued to pout, Kagome decided that a change in tactics was in order. She untangled one of his arms and clasped his hand in hers, causing his eyes to widen.
“Come on, Inuyasha. Don’t you want to finish this and get out of here? I wouldn’t describe your style as having much…finesse, most of the time. But I know you can do it! I…I trust you.”
The hanyou sputtered and averted his gaze, blushing fiercely. He yanked his hand out of her grasp, only to stomp over to the wall and roll up his sleeves, muttering all the while about crazy wenches and their equally crazy ideas. Kagome couldn’t wipe the victorious grin off of her face if she tried. Inuyasha settled into a stance, claws raised, eyes honed on his target.
“Be ready, Kagome,” he declared solemnly without looking at her. “If this goes to shit, I’m grabbing you and we’re running like hell.”
Kagome nodded, moving a couple paces closer to him and watching intently as he prepared to strike.
His first attempt was not very forceful, or effective. He paused afterward, listening carefully for any sign that the cavern’s integrity was weakening. He repeated this process countless times over the next several minutes, though his strikes did become more powerful as his confidence grew. Kagome also noticed that he started to use more of his youki as well. But there was still real finesse in his strikes, as he slowly carved a large opening into the rock, kind of like a reverse sculptor. Just as she was about to tell him that he appeared to be getting close, a small explosion of dark energy met one of his strikes and caused him to stumble back in shock, smoke rising from his hand.
“Inuyasha! Are you all right?” Kagome rushed over and studied his hand, finding burns which would have been fairly serious for a human but which truly were mere ‘flesh wounds’ for the hanyou.
“I think we found that tendril you were talking about,” he observed, staring past her.
Kagome turned to the opening and gasped, the sheer malevolence of this thing sending chills down her spine, now that it was no longer concealed by solid rock. She could feel the malice thickening in the air around them, causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. Blacker than the depths of hell it was, like fetid blood oozing through the heart of the mountain. At once Kagome understood the truth. This creature was ancient. It had lurked here for so many hundreds of years that it had become part of the mountain itself. Perhaps it was youkai, or perhaps it transcended such labels altogether. However it should be classified, it was the single most evil life form she had ever encountered.
Inuyasha leaned into her from the side, his hand coming to rest on her opposite shoulder. Accepting the comforting gesture for what it was, Kagome reached up to her shoulder and intertwined their fingers.
“Be careful,” he stated quietly, clearly understanding what she already knew, that this creature was beyond him. It was likely beyond any youkai; only an equally powerful yet polar opposite force could overcome such malice. Her purifying energy had already proven its effectiveness against this creature, but was she strong enough to defeat it? If so, it was going to take everything she had. Her resolve had to be ironclad, her determination unwavering. It would require every iota of her desire to protect the innocent. She would have to relive every painful memory from inside the illusion, every second she had spent contemplating Inuyasha’s own suffering. She would have to rally all of it together, bring it within her heart and transform it into a power the likes of which she had never wielded before. She wasn’t sure she could do it. And even if she could, she wasn’t sure it would be enough.
Inuyasha pulled his hand away from hers, leaving her with an incredible feeling of loneliness. Then she heard rustling, and familiar fabric came to rest over her shoulders. She drew his suikan in close, warmed by the residual heat of his body. He pulled her back against his chest, his arms circling loosely around her, and that warmth spread to every part of her, body and soul. She crossed her own arms, finding his hands and intertwining their fingers once more. He rested his chin on her shoulder, and she leaned her head to the side until their foreheads met. Time seemed to slow, as they shared these few blissful moments together. But the atmosphere was growing more oppressive by the second, and all too soon their brief utopia had to end.
“We have to destroy this thing, Kagome,” Inuyasha declared grimly. “If we don’t…no one will.”
Kagome nodded, knowing his choice of pronoun was purposeful. She was not in this alone; Inuyasha was with her until the bitter end. She squeezed his hands one last time before pulling away. His suikan stayed with her, as did his warmth. Her heart was now as pure and resolute as it was ever going to be. She was ready.
The black tendril sparked and snapped at her as she approached, but she refused to back down. There was a hint of something new in the creature’s aura: fear. She would show this evil bastard that it had every reason to be afraid. This loathsome monster would never again torment an innocent soul. She would purify it from this world, or perish in the attempt. Clenching her jaw, she summoned her power and reached for the tendril with both hands.
A foul wind buffeted her, an unearthly screech reverberating throughout the cavern. But she struggled on through the dark blizzard, the wicked gale, holding on to the tendril with all of her strength and bathing it in spiritual energy. Slowly her power overcame the resistance, consuming the evil as it moved along the tendril in both directions. Purity spread from one strand to another, until the entire network was aflame, and the mountain shook and shivered around them. She felt Inuyasha’s presence behind her, leaning protectively over her, grunting periodically as he was struck by falling rock. But there was no going back now; they had crossed the point of no return long ago. The enemy was coming.
Inuyasha sensed its approach, a dark specter within the mountain, which seemed to glow with Kagome’s aura. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, every fiber of his being screaming at him to grab Kagome and run. But they held their ground, as the very embodiment of death loomed ever closer. It materialized out of one of the tunnels, a swirling void of malice bearing down on them. An acrid stench stung his nose, and his ears were filled with the sounds of hundreds of victims, human and youkai alike, wailing in despair. But for the woman kneeling beneath him, he would be one of those lost souls. With her by his side, he knew that he was no longer destined to suffer that fate. He might die before this ended, but he would die as Inuyasha, a flawed hanyou to be sure, but one who Kagome believed in. And that was all that mattered.
She turned in his arms, tugging on the front of his kosode. Somehow knowing what she needed from him, he crouched down before her and drew her into his chest. She returned his embrace tightly, her hands shaking against his back as her power swelled to new heights. Inuyasha buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, fully aware that this might be his last chance to experience the subtle aroma of Kagome which he loved. Then he held his breath and braced himself for the impending cataclysm.
It took every ounce of his strength to withstand the impact of the creature slamming into his back. It knocked the air from Kagome’s lungs in a rush, though her power managed to keep the insatiable blackness at bay as it surrounded them on all sides. He heard her gasping, struggling for breath as her pure energy wavered and the monster pressed greedily in on them. But the air around them had become poison, and no matter how powerful of a miko she was, Kagome was still only human. Leaning down, Inuyasha found her mouth and pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her harshly, forcing the contents of his lungs down her throat, giving her what little air he had left. Then he pulled away, resting his head on her shoulder and leaving the rest to her. His life was in her hands now. He was not afraid.
Kagome’s embrace tightened once more, her power bursting to life around them. Her determined cry mingled with the creature’s agonized shrieks as her purity began to consume its all-encompassing darkness. It tried to flee, but her aura drew it in bit by bit, refusing to allow an escape. She cleansed each portion of the creature until nothing remained except faint wisps of white smoke, and then only the epicenter of its malice remained. With a final effort, Kagome enveloped this greatest source of evil in her power, until at last the creature exploded in purity, bathing the inside of the cavern in blinding light. Hanyou and miko each inhaled a massive lungful of suddenly decontaminated air, and for a moment there was silence. Then the cavern began to collapse.
Swearing under his breath, Inuyasha picked up Kagome and sprinted toward the nearest tunnel, barely avoiding the giant chunk of rock which slammed down and sealed the entrance behind them. Kagome lay limply in his arms throughout, exhausted by her efforts, the light of her aura fading until it was nothing more than the flickering of a candle against the endless night.
“Shit! Kagome!” he hollered, shaking her without breaking stride. “You have to keep up that light, or we’re gonna die in here!”
They would probably die anyway, but she didn’t need to know that. The creature had so deeply embedded itself into the rock, that its sudden destruction had apparently deprived the massive natural structure of the ability to sustain itself. The entire mountain was coming down on top of them. Their only chance was to sprint as fast as he could and try to travel in a single direction while praying that the tunnels ahead remained intact. The odds of their luck holding for that long were miserable at best, but it was better than sitting around and waiting for death. They had just destroyed what was probably the greatest evil in the whole world, and now they were going to be buried alive? Screw that. He wasn’t about to die like that without a fight. Of course, if Kagome couldn’t light their way, then it didn’t matter how badly he wanted them to survive. His chances of carrying them to safety in pitch blackness were literally zero.
Kagome didn’t respond, nor did she open her eyes. But her aura did brighten. It was not as strong as before, and it continued to flicker dangerously, but it would have to do. Inuyasha had to use all of his agility to avoid partially collapsed cave walls and keep himself upright when the floor vibrated beneath them. He skidded to a stop when faced with a dead end, but it came soon after he picked the wrong fork in a tunnel so he was able to backtrack and take the other path. To his surprise, that was the only dead end they encountered. After torturing them for the better part of two days, fate finally seemed to be smiling upon him and Kagome. The tunnels appeared sturdier the farther they moved from scene of the great battle. But there was still little doubt that the entire mountain was collapsing. If they didn’t find an exit soon…
The sounds of soft, irregular footfalls and a low, rasping growl served as an effective reminder. He turned back in dismay to find her bearing down on him, her eyes glowing ravenously. She had pursued him all night and through the morning, never allowing him a moment’s respite. Constantly torn between fleeing in terror and a morbid sense of responsibility, he had moved just quickly enough to remain out of her grasp.
He couldn’t do it anymore. This shameful display had gone on long enough. It was time to make a decision. Strike her down. Save yourself. He recognized that voice as the one which had urged him to lie down and pass into apparently eternal sleep the previous evening. It should have set off alarm bells, but a great haze of despair clouded his mind, preventing him from seeing what he should have seen. Instead of raising suspicion, the voice appealed to a very influential side of him. His youki swelled within him, swirling and crackling in response to the very obvious threat to his life. His youkai side did not wish to die. Perhaps it recognized what his human half refused to believe, that this creature who used to be Kagome was truly beyond saving.
But he couldn’t know that for sure. His human heart, which felt pain and remorse strongly enough to contemplate suicide, also insisted that all hope was not lost for Kagome. If her body still moved, then it wasn’t truly dead, and perhaps her soul could be recalled and she could return to normal. Logically he knew this was a fool’s hope. Kagome had died. Her body smelled like a corpse. Her soul had passed on. And he had already seen first-hand the suffering a soul could endure when pulled back into the living world to which it no longer belonged. Yes, strike down this abomination. Let Kagome be at peace.
Still his heart resisted, effectively paralyzing him as she stalked closer, her growl increasing in volume and ferocity as she drew nearer to her prey. Inuyasha snarled in response, his claws poised to deliver the single swift strike which would end this farce. Still he hesitated, as she knelt before him, as she opened her jaws wide and lunged for his vulnerable throat. Strike now!
A single thought held him back. His human half cried out, struggling desperately with every fiber of its being to prevent him from giving in to the demands of his youkai side. His very humanity urged him toward an alternate path. How could he ignore his human heart, when Kagome loved him for it?
He still wasn’t sure what his plan was, to continue to run in pursuit of false hope or to surrender himself here and now. In any case, it was too late to avoid the pain of teeth sinking into his neck. When the pain never came, however, he snapped his eyes open to find himself alone. He spun in a full circle to locate the undead specter who must still be close by; she couldn’t possibly have moved too far away in the few seconds he’d had his eyes closed. And yet, Kagome was gone all the same. How was this possible? Had it all been a terrible dream? Maybe he really had fallen asleep in the field where he had slaughtered the last of the mercenaries. Maybe this whole mess with the reanimated corpses was just a nightmare. If he fell asleep here, would he wake up in reality? And if so, did he really want to?
Inuyasha flopped onto his back and took to gazing up at the blue sky overhead. He was too tired to do anything else. Perhaps he would eventually rise from this spot and move on, or perhaps not. He didn’t really have a reason to get up, did he? It occurred to him that the voice which had been speaking to him since last night had gone completely silent. He frowned. What the hell was that voice, and why hadn’t he considered it suspicious before? Why did he suddenly feel that something was very wrong here?
Ultimately, Inuyasha quashed those thoughts. He just wanted to clear his mind and rest for a bit…or for eternity. Should he do what was easy, or what his human heart believed to be right? Another story of two extremes, same as the one he had just confronted. Later, he would confront this new decision as well. But for now, he would rest.
There wasn’t much wind, so he heard the intruder long before he smelled her. ‘Her’ because he only heard two footfalls, indicating a biped, and because her breathing sounded feminine to his sharp ears. Hopefully it was just some village girl passing through, and she would leave him alone. And yet, there was something familiar about the way she breathed, as if he had heard this exact rhythm before. He quickly ordered himself to stop being delusional. But as the footsteps came closer and closer, he could no longer simply lie back and hope they passed him by, just in case the owner actually posed a threat. He decided to at least shift his position so he could see the intruder approach. And then her scent drifted to his nose. A surge of pure electricity coursed through him, jolting him to his feet faster than he thought possible. He was still trying to deny what he smelled as he turned to face her.
How could this be? He had seen her corpse with his own two eyes, held her lifeless body in his arms. He had watched her rise as an undead creature, a scourge upon the earth. And then she had disappeared into thin air, causing him to question his own sanity. Now he doubted it even further. Was this merely an apparition conjured by his own grief-stricken mind? And if so, why wasn’t her appearance as pristine as newly fallen snow, as pure as mountain spring water? That’s how he would have expected his mentally unhinged self to imagine her. Instead she wore a yellow blouse which he didn’t recognize, and which was dyed red with human blood. His nose confirmed that it did not belong to her, but it was still a disturbing sight, as were the severe bruises around her neck.
He resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to rush to her side, to take her into his arms and demand to know whether she was all right. Fear kept his feet rooted to the ground, fear that this was all an illusion, that his arms would clasp around empty air if he went to her. For he knew that if he allowed his heart to swell with hope once again, only to discover that the Kagome before him was merely a figment of his own imagination, he would never recover. It would destroy him, utterly and completely.
She slowed to a stop before him, her relieved smile sending pangs of longing shooting through his chest. Oh, how he wanted this to be real. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead she bent over at the waist and rested her hands on her knees. Her panting echoed loudly in his ears, clear evidence of her exhaustion, and yet another aspect of her which did not fit with the idealized version of Kagome that he might have expected his insanity to conjure. Kagome…is it really… He didn’t dare finish that thought. He stood before a great precipice, wondering whether to cling to the solid ground beneath his feet or leap into the uncharted abyss. In a sense, it was already too late. Warmth blossomed within his chest, bringing life to his shriveled heart. Against his better judgment, he had already taken the plunge. All that remained was to learn the truth.
Kagome straightened up, too quickly as it turned out, as she swooned slightly and stumbled to regain her balance. Inuyasha was by her side in an instant, steadying her against his chest. She grinned at him, a polite expression of gratitude on the tip of her tongue. But her words deserted her, her smile melting away as she stared into his orbs of molten gold. She swallowed nervously, but held his gaze, a simple action which caused the hanyou’s revitalized heart to soar. This was the Kagome he knew and loved, the one whose very soul was visible through her eyes if he only took the time to look. The one who made life worth living. Still he held his breath, waiting for something unidentifiable, something which possessed the power to tear him down and restore him all in one breath.
“Inuyasha?”
The sound of his name cascading from her lips flowed through him, a wondrous elixir, reaching down deep inside and healing him body and soul. There were still harsh realities to cope with, hard truths to manage, but the realization that he could face the future with Kagome by his side was too amazing for words. Indeed, his tongue remained hopelessly paralyzed. There were simply no words sufficient to express how it felt to have his shattered heart mended by her loving hands, and how humbled he was by the experience. And so, he did the only thing he could think to do. He leaned down and kissed her.
Kagome gasped in shock, her mind racing with a dozen questions and ten times as many possible answers. Then the reality that Inuyasha was kissing her settled in, and she turned off higher brain function. His kiss was forceful, but not painfully so. Still, she could do little more than part her lips and allow him to take what he needed. Even so, her already weakened knees buckled under the onslaught of pure sensation. His strong arms supported her, pulling her even closer as he continued to devour her. A wonderful warmth spread through her, both exhilarating and comforting, as he encouraged her to move with him, their lips and tongues entwining in a dance as old as time itself.
It was over all too soon. Inuyasha pulled back suddenly, his body shaking against her. Kagome’s heart broke at the sight of his tears, and again when he buried his face into her shoulder and enfolded her in tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his back, blinking back her own tears as she ran her fingers soothingly along his tense muscles. Inuyasha did not sob, but his shoulders shook periodically as he continued to cling to her as if though his life depended on it. Perhaps for him, it truly did. Kagome frowned as she wondered what had happened to him, knowing it would have taken a truly severe trauma to put him in this state. As soon as he was ready, she would try to get to the bottom of this.
He finally drew away from her several minutes later, hurriedly wiping his face with his sleeve and staring apologetically at the wet spot on her blouse. Kagome smiled wryly, reflecting that his tears were by far the least offensive thing to stain her blouse since she put it on two nights ago. Then her expression turned serious.
“Inuyasha, are you okay?”
He blinked once. “Am I…” he trailed off, sudden anger blazing to life in his eyes. “Am I okay? Are you fucking kidding me? What about you?! Why aren’t you—”
He literally choked on the rest of his question, taking the edge off of Kagome’s own rising irritation. She didn’t like being yelled at for expressing genuine concern, but she recognized his irritability as borne of mortification and bewilderment. Inuyasha was obviously embarrassed at his emotional display and confused by his recent experiences. It was not a good combination, especially for the volatile hanyou. So rather than snapping back at him, Kagome resolved to try a more rational approach.
“Why aren’t I what, Inuyasha?” she inquired gently.
He glared at her, as if demanding to know how she could dare to ask such a thing. But when he saw only kindness and worry in her gaze, his own expression softened. He lowered his eyes, shame coloring his features, and for a moment Kagome feared that he was going to retreat into his shell and hide there for the foreseeable future.
“I saw you, Kagome,” he stated quietly, his voice low, almost chilling. “I held you in my arms. You were…you were…”
Kagome placed her finger to his lips, silently telling him that he didn’t need to finish that sentence. His eyes closed in relief and his shoulders slumped in gratitude. Dead. That was how his statement ended; nothing else could have made him act this way, or explain his behavior upon meeting up with her a few minutes ago. Only the overwhelming joy and relief of seeing her alive again would have made him kiss her like that, as though nothing else could return him to life. A pleasant shiver passed through her at the memory, but she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the mystery at hand. So Inuyasha saw me dead before, but obviously that wasn’t real. It must have been an illusion of some kind. The last time I saw him…was that an illusion too?
“Inuyasha?” He didn’t respond verbally or raise his eyes, but both of his ears did turn in her direction to let her know that he was listening.
“Earlier today, did you transform into a full-youkai?” Finally he looked at her, his expression once again dominated by annoyance and confusion.
“What the hell are you talking about, wench?”
“Just answer the question,” Kagome snapped, wrestling with her own temper. She didn’t want to explode at him, but he was starting to push her buttons with his petulant behavior. Fortunately, he seemed to realize the danger he was in, and it was with decidedly less attitude that he complied with her demand. The key adjective being ‘less’ rather than ‘none.’
“No, wench. I didn’t transform.”
“Are you sure?”
“Keh. Just ‘cause I don’t always remember what happens while I transform, doesn’t mean I don’t know when it happens. I’m not stupid, you know.”
Inuyasha expected Kagome to respond in kind, with some attitude of her own. Perhaps he was prodding her temper on purpose just to experience a normal interaction with her. He wouldn’t even mind if she eventually ended their verbal sparring match by shouting ‘osuwari,’ as kissing dirt after saying or doing something stupid had become just about second nature to him at this point. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. So he was prepared to receive Kagome’s annoyance, and perhaps even a little venom. But he did not expect her to put her head down so her bangs covered her eyes, or ball her hands into tight, shaking fists at her sides. She pursed her lips into a thin line, her jaw muscles firmly clenched. And when the air around her began to literally crackle with her aura, he was not too proud to take a few steps back and hold up his hands in a desperate attempt to placate her ire.
“W-wait, Kagome. I didn’t—”
“Relax, Inuyasha,” she growled, her voice low and menacing. “I’m not angry with you.”
Inuyasha was understandably relieved to hear this, but he was still very confused. The term ‘angry’ didn’t really do Kagome justice at the moment; she was positively livid. When she got like this, woe to any enemy who dared to threaten her friends. Naraku and several others had found that out first-hand. And even though he wasn’t the target of her fury, Inuyasha still didn’t dare to utter a word, knowing she would explain when she was ready.
“Don’t you get it, Inuyasha?” she asked, more than a hint of frustration bleeding into her voice. “When you saw me before, it wasn’t real. It was just an illusion. And when I saw you before, that wasn’t real either. Someone has been…screwing with us, making us see terrible things, making us do things we never thought we’d have to do. Some heartless bastard…”
She trailed off here, too incensed to continue. As understanding dawned, Inuyasha felt his own ire rise. If what Kagome said was true, the word ‘bastard’ didn’t begin to describe the person who had put them through this. That voice who whispered to me, when I was at the lowest points of my entire life… His stomach roiled, leaving him feeling physically ill. But anger provided a convenient outlet for disgust and self-loathing, fuel for the burgeoning fire. Suddenly the world blurred before his eyes, shifting in and out of focus several times in rapid succession.
“What the hell?”
“Noticed it, huh?” Kagome asked, her tone utterly devoid of humor. “Once we start to question the illusion, we’re able to see through it. I think this whole damn world is fake.”
Before Inuyasha could fully process the implications of that statement, Kagome strode forward and stopped a half-meter in front of him. She tilted her head and managed a small, strained smile for his benefit.
“Hold onto me,” was all she said, and Inuyasha complied without hesitation. Whatever Kagome had planned, he trusted her. Their arms wrapped around each other, their heartbeats still audible despite the storm clouds materializing overhead, this world’s response to the impending doom presently embodied by the form of a petite teenage girl. Finally reunited, and sharing a warm embrace, they cherished the knowledge that the torments of this artificial world could no longer reach them.
Inuyasha both felt and saw Kagome’s spiritual energy wash over him. It was not an especially pleasant sensation, but neither was it painful. It was as though his youki recognized that the tremendous purity of her aura should be toxic, yet somehow it wasn’t. He wasn’t sure if she was consciously directing her energy, or if his apparent immunity originated on an instinctual level. In any case, he knew that he was in no danger. The same could not be said of the world around them. The blurring he had witnessed intensified, as the weather howled and thrashed in impotent rage. For neither wind nor rain, nor even strike of lighting could reach them now. Inuyasha tightened his hold on the woman in his arms and closed his eyes, knowing she would carry them to safety.
Flashes of light appeared behind his eyelids, the spectacular consequence of a world tearing itself asunder. They grew more intense, building toward a grand climax, until finally all went white, and sound itself gave way to utter emptiness. An irresistible force pulled him backward, tearing Kagome from his arms, but as unknown power swirled around him it was all he could do to clench his jaw and hope it would be over soon.
* * *
Kagome snapped awake in absolute darkness, inhaling a huge breath.
She tried to sit up, but something sticky pulled her back
down again. For a few moments, she could only lie there as a
coughing fit overtook her, courtesy of her parched throat and the
foul air in this cave. At least, she assumed it was a cave.
A wave of disgust and fear surged through her, a descent into
blind panic prevented only by previous survival experience.
Struggling recklessly against the sticky substance yielded
nothing, as she quickly discovered. It clung to her clothing
and exposed skin like glue, and possessed the viscosity of honey.
But she could gradually free herself if she focused on one
area of her body at a time. Her hair was the worst part.
She did what she could to minimize the damage, but her hands
were shaking and she was a little lacking in patience at the
moment, so she escaped only at the cost of more than a few torn
strands. Finally she was able to rise to her feet, only to sway dizzily and nearly topple over again. She put a hand to her pounding head and was alarmed at the heat emanating from her skin. It was roasting hot in here, she realized, and her clothing was soaked with sweat. But with the humidity so high, her sweat wasn’t evaporating and cooling her skin. In short, the conditions were rendering her body’s cooling system useless. That was far from the end of her problems. A day and a half had passed in the illusion, and it certainly felt as though the same amount of time had passed in the real world. A day and a half without food or water, spent baking in this natural oven. It was no wonder she was severely dehydrated and probably on the verge of heatstroke. So she had two choices now: either get her pulse and respiration under control, or pass out and wind up right back in the sticky shit again.
It took some serious mental discipline, but eventually she was able to accomplish option alpha. She was still unsteady on her feet, but at least she wasn’t about to lose consciousness again. Keeping a cool head would also give her the best chance of finding Inuyasha and getting out of here. The darkness was unnerving even in that state of mind, however, but she didn’t know what she could do about it. Her non-visual senses couldn’t tell her very much. Inspiration struck when she summoned her spiritual energy to scan her surroundings, and after some trial and error she soon had her skin radiating a faint glow. It was not all that different from channeling her energy into an inanimate object, such as an arrow. The light was not terribly bright, but it was sufficient to see by, and it was simply wonderful to be able to see anything at all.
It was not so wonderful to look down in order to study the sticky substance still clinging to her socks and loafers, only to discover a nearly complete human skeleton lying barely a meter from her. She stumbled back reflexively, barely maintaining her balance. Whoever the unfortunate victim was, his or her remains had been resting here for a very long time. No trace of flesh remained on the bones. Swallowing, Kagome tore her eyes away and returned to her original purpose. The mysterious clear substance covered the cave floor, but did not move on its own, nor did it react to purifying energy. Her spiritual senses also confirmed that it was not alive, which was somewhat of a relief. Instead, it was probably a secretion from some other creature, likely the same one who had trapped them in the illusion. Her blood heated to boiling at the reminder, memories of Inuyasha’s odd behavior causing her once again to wonder what tortures he had suffered.
She quickly banished those thoughts and calmed herself once more. There would be time for anger later; right now she had to find Inuyasha, before her dehydration and the stifling atmosphere caught up with her and she really did collapse from heatstroke. Since she and Inuyasha had been in the same illusion, their physical bodies had to be in the same cave system, right? At least, she hoped so. But then, she didn’t have much else to cling to at this point.
For once, her faith was rewarded. She sensed Inuyasha’s aura not too far from where she stood, and he was obviously pleased to feel her presence if the way his youki reacted was any indication. Then he was moving, and Kagome channeled more energy into her skin, knowing the brighter glow would help him find her. She heaved a deep sigh, and allowed her lips to curl into a relieved smile.
This was the sight which greeted Inuyasha when he reached her a few minutes later, having picked his way through pitch black tunnels until he saw Kagome’s light. For a moment he wasn’t sure if she was truly glowing or if it was merely a product of his ecstatic imagination.
“Are you all right, Kagome?” he asked, gripped by an irresistible compulsion to hear her voice.
“I’m fine, Inuyasha,” she told him, flashing him one of those heart-stopping smiles of hers. “What about you?”
Inuyasha frowned, not liking the rasp in her voice. She appeared to be uninjured, though she was clearly dehydrated and suffering from the heat. If she stayed in these conditions for too much longer, the situation could become quite serious. Fortunately, he wasn’t about to let her walk anywhere. This wasn’t to say that she didn’t possess an important role in expediting their escape.
“Think you can keep up that glow, wench?”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
He turned around and knelt down expectantly, and Kagome happily climbed onto his back. He freed her feet from the sticky substance as he stood, and not for the first time, the miko found herself jealous of hanyou strength. Inuyasha marched through the glue-like stuff as though it wasn’t even there. All it did was force him to pick his feet up higher, so his gait was more of a stomp than a stride. He stopped after a few paces to study the interior of the cave.
“Any idea how to get out of here?” he inquired, sounding like he expected a negative response. Kagome bit back her reply as a new thought struck her. The idea of leaving this mountain immediately hadn’t sat well with her, and she knew why.
“Inuyasha, we can’t leave yet.”
“What? Why the hell not?”
“Because we have to find and destroy whatever did this to us. How many people will it devour if we leave it alone? It’s probably killed so many already…”
Inuyasha had to admit that her concerns were valid. In most circumstances, he would be all too happy to take the fight to the enemy, especially one who had so wronged them. But his anxiety over Kagome’s health kept him from instantly leaping at the chance.
“You sure you’re up for that?” he asked seriously.
“Absolutely,” she replied, the confidence and resolve in her tone surprising him, though he realized that it probably shouldn’t have. When she set her mind to something, Kagome could be the most determined—or stubborn—person he’d ever met. And because he sensed that her condition was not in danger of worsening significantly in the immediate future, he eventually decided to go along with her plan for the time being.
“Okay, but I’m carrying you the whole time,” he declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. Not that Kagome had any intention of asking to be put down any time soon. He was the one with superhuman stamina, after all.
“Deal.”
“Good. Can you sense this bastard anywhere?” A brief silence ensued as Kagome concentrated.
“It’s hard to tell…but I think I sense an evil presence coming from that direction.”
They set off, Inuyasha moving as quickly as he could while still giving them time to react to any unforeseen obstacles or terrain changes. The light from her spiritual aura cast eerie shadows across the uneven surface of the rock, but she felt completely safe on Inuyasha’s back. It was thrilling in a way, just the two of them on a mission together. The adventures of the hanyou and the human glow stick. She was glad that Inuyasha was unfamiliar with the modern novelty, or he might actually start calling her that. After they got out of here, that is. Neither one of them found much humor in this situation. Too many emotions churned right below the surface, temporarily masked by grim determination.
The network of tunnels and caverns in this mountain was amazing, she reflected. They seemed to go on forever, one inevitably leading to an intersection with yet another choice to make. It was like a giant three-dimensional ant farm. Kagome wondered if the network had been excavated by some kind of burrowing youkai, but when she asked, Inuyasha replied that he didn’t smell any trace of youkai or animal. Perhaps a colony of subterranean youkai had flourished here long ago, before the evil entity arrived. Of course, it was also possible that the evil entity itself had created these tunnels. They would probably never know for sure.
What they were quickly discovering, however, was that the nasty bastard was incredibly hard to track. One moment it seemed to be in front of them, but the next time she stretched her spiritual senses, it was behind them or off to the side. Eventually she was forced to admit that they were getting nowhere.
“Hold up, Inuyasha.”
“We’re going in circles, aren’t we?” he asked, slowing to a halt.
“Sorry…”
“Keh. Just take some time and try to figure it out.”
His subdued and borderline encouraging response surprised Kagome, but this wasn’t the old Inuyasha who would have reamed her out for her perceived incompetence. He had also undergone some traumatic experiences recently; carrying her on his back had probably been as reassuring for him as it was for her. So she took his advice, and closing her eyes, turned her entire focus toward her inner miko. The outside world faded away, though she remained aware of the strong back supporting her and its owner’s steady presence.
Eventually she noticed something odd. The evil aura was indeed concentrated in one particular location. Even as she observed, it moved slightly, almost taunting them. They could chase this thing for days and never even get close to it. But as she had not previously noticed, that spot was not the only place where the creature’s presence emanated from. Strands of power extended throughout the mountain, much fainter than the moving epicenter but clearly visible now that she was truly concentrating. They traced paths down through the rock in every direction, and she decided to pick what felt like the closest strand and head toward it.
She was surprised to find herself in total blackness when she opened her eyes, having been so focused on her senses that she stopped maintaining the luminous manifestation of her aura. She quickly rectified that oversight.
“Sorry about that.”
“Keh!” Inuyasha scoffed. “I ain’t afraid of the dark, wench. You find anything?”
“I think so. Can you head that way?”
He did so, an extra spring in his step at the prospect of finally making some progress. Kagome stopped him in a large cavern a few minutes later and slid off his back. Like the tunnels, this place was blessedly free of the sticky substance, but Inuyasha still hovered right by her side, ready to support her if she so much as wobbled on her feet. Kagome appreciated the concern, as she was still a bit dizzy. She led him over to the wall from which the dark presence emanated, the strand of energy easily visible now that she knew what to look for. She placed her hand on the rock, but the strand was probably a meter or so too deep to reach. Fortunately, she knew someone who could help her solve that problem. That is, if she could convince him.
“Are you insane, wench?!” he demanded in response to her proposal. “You want me to start smashing through solid rock? Are you trying to start a cave-in?”
“I didn’t say whip out Tetsusaiga and swing it around recklessly!” she retorted. “You just have to be careful for a change!”
Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, his lips quirking into a formidable pout. “It’s a stupid idea.”
“Maybe, but it’s the only way we’re ever going to destroy this thing. If I can just reach that tendril of power, I know I can do…something, anyway.” When Inuyasha only continued to pout, Kagome decided that a change in tactics was in order. She untangled one of his arms and clasped his hand in hers, causing his eyes to widen.
“Come on, Inuyasha. Don’t you want to finish this and get out of here? I wouldn’t describe your style as having much…finesse, most of the time. But I know you can do it! I…I trust you.”
The hanyou sputtered and averted his gaze, blushing fiercely. He yanked his hand out of her grasp, only to stomp over to the wall and roll up his sleeves, muttering all the while about crazy wenches and their equally crazy ideas. Kagome couldn’t wipe the victorious grin off of her face if she tried. Inuyasha settled into a stance, claws raised, eyes honed on his target.
“Be ready, Kagome,” he declared solemnly without looking at her. “If this goes to shit, I’m grabbing you and we’re running like hell.”
Kagome nodded, moving a couple paces closer to him and watching intently as he prepared to strike.
His first attempt was not very forceful, or effective. He paused afterward, listening carefully for any sign that the cavern’s integrity was weakening. He repeated this process countless times over the next several minutes, though his strikes did become more powerful as his confidence grew. Kagome also noticed that he started to use more of his youki as well. But there was still real finesse in his strikes, as he slowly carved a large opening into the rock, kind of like a reverse sculptor. Just as she was about to tell him that he appeared to be getting close, a small explosion of dark energy met one of his strikes and caused him to stumble back in shock, smoke rising from his hand.
“Inuyasha! Are you all right?” Kagome rushed over and studied his hand, finding burns which would have been fairly serious for a human but which truly were mere ‘flesh wounds’ for the hanyou.
“I think we found that tendril you were talking about,” he observed, staring past her.
Kagome turned to the opening and gasped, the sheer malevolence of this thing sending chills down her spine, now that it was no longer concealed by solid rock. She could feel the malice thickening in the air around them, causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. Blacker than the depths of hell it was, like fetid blood oozing through the heart of the mountain. At once Kagome understood the truth. This creature was ancient. It had lurked here for so many hundreds of years that it had become part of the mountain itself. Perhaps it was youkai, or perhaps it transcended such labels altogether. However it should be classified, it was the single most evil life form she had ever encountered.
Inuyasha leaned into her from the side, his hand coming to rest on her opposite shoulder. Accepting the comforting gesture for what it was, Kagome reached up to her shoulder and intertwined their fingers.
“Be careful,” he stated quietly, clearly understanding what she already knew, that this creature was beyond him. It was likely beyond any youkai; only an equally powerful yet polar opposite force could overcome such malice. Her purifying energy had already proven its effectiveness against this creature, but was she strong enough to defeat it? If so, it was going to take everything she had. Her resolve had to be ironclad, her determination unwavering. It would require every iota of her desire to protect the innocent. She would have to relive every painful memory from inside the illusion, every second she had spent contemplating Inuyasha’s own suffering. She would have to rally all of it together, bring it within her heart and transform it into a power the likes of which she had never wielded before. She wasn’t sure she could do it. And even if she could, she wasn’t sure it would be enough.
Inuyasha pulled his hand away from hers, leaving her with an incredible feeling of loneliness. Then she heard rustling, and familiar fabric came to rest over her shoulders. She drew his suikan in close, warmed by the residual heat of his body. He pulled her back against his chest, his arms circling loosely around her, and that warmth spread to every part of her, body and soul. She crossed her own arms, finding his hands and intertwining their fingers once more. He rested his chin on her shoulder, and she leaned her head to the side until their foreheads met. Time seemed to slow, as they shared these few blissful moments together. But the atmosphere was growing more oppressive by the second, and all too soon their brief utopia had to end.
“We have to destroy this thing, Kagome,” Inuyasha declared grimly. “If we don’t…no one will.”
Kagome nodded, knowing his choice of pronoun was purposeful. She was not in this alone; Inuyasha was with her until the bitter end. She squeezed his hands one last time before pulling away. His suikan stayed with her, as did his warmth. Her heart was now as pure and resolute as it was ever going to be. She was ready.
The black tendril sparked and snapped at her as she approached, but she refused to back down. There was a hint of something new in the creature’s aura: fear. She would show this evil bastard that it had every reason to be afraid. This loathsome monster would never again torment an innocent soul. She would purify it from this world, or perish in the attempt. Clenching her jaw, she summoned her power and reached for the tendril with both hands.
A foul wind buffeted her, an unearthly screech reverberating throughout the cavern. But she struggled on through the dark blizzard, the wicked gale, holding on to the tendril with all of her strength and bathing it in spiritual energy. Slowly her power overcame the resistance, consuming the evil as it moved along the tendril in both directions. Purity spread from one strand to another, until the entire network was aflame, and the mountain shook and shivered around them. She felt Inuyasha’s presence behind her, leaning protectively over her, grunting periodically as he was struck by falling rock. But there was no going back now; they had crossed the point of no return long ago. The enemy was coming.
Inuyasha sensed its approach, a dark specter within the mountain, which seemed to glow with Kagome’s aura. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, every fiber of his being screaming at him to grab Kagome and run. But they held their ground, as the very embodiment of death loomed ever closer. It materialized out of one of the tunnels, a swirling void of malice bearing down on them. An acrid stench stung his nose, and his ears were filled with the sounds of hundreds of victims, human and youkai alike, wailing in despair. But for the woman kneeling beneath him, he would be one of those lost souls. With her by his side, he knew that he was no longer destined to suffer that fate. He might die before this ended, but he would die as Inuyasha, a flawed hanyou to be sure, but one who Kagome believed in. And that was all that mattered.
She turned in his arms, tugging on the front of his kosode. Somehow knowing what she needed from him, he crouched down before her and drew her into his chest. She returned his embrace tightly, her hands shaking against his back as her power swelled to new heights. Inuyasha buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, fully aware that this might be his last chance to experience the subtle aroma of Kagome which he loved. Then he held his breath and braced himself for the impending cataclysm.
It took every ounce of his strength to withstand the impact of the creature slamming into his back. It knocked the air from Kagome’s lungs in a rush, though her power managed to keep the insatiable blackness at bay as it surrounded them on all sides. He heard her gasping, struggling for breath as her pure energy wavered and the monster pressed greedily in on them. But the air around them had become poison, and no matter how powerful of a miko she was, Kagome was still only human. Leaning down, Inuyasha found her mouth and pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her harshly, forcing the contents of his lungs down her throat, giving her what little air he had left. Then he pulled away, resting his head on her shoulder and leaving the rest to her. His life was in her hands now. He was not afraid.
Kagome’s embrace tightened once more, her power bursting to life around them. Her determined cry mingled with the creature’s agonized shrieks as her purity began to consume its all-encompassing darkness. It tried to flee, but her aura drew it in bit by bit, refusing to allow an escape. She cleansed each portion of the creature until nothing remained except faint wisps of white smoke, and then only the epicenter of its malice remained. With a final effort, Kagome enveloped this greatest source of evil in her power, until at last the creature exploded in purity, bathing the inside of the cavern in blinding light. Hanyou and miko each inhaled a massive lungful of suddenly decontaminated air, and for a moment there was silence. Then the cavern began to collapse.
Swearing under his breath, Inuyasha picked up Kagome and sprinted toward the nearest tunnel, barely avoiding the giant chunk of rock which slammed down and sealed the entrance behind them. Kagome lay limply in his arms throughout, exhausted by her efforts, the light of her aura fading until it was nothing more than the flickering of a candle against the endless night.
“Shit! Kagome!” he hollered, shaking her without breaking stride. “You have to keep up that light, or we’re gonna die in here!”
They would probably die anyway, but she didn’t need to know that. The creature had so deeply embedded itself into the rock, that its sudden destruction had apparently deprived the massive natural structure of the ability to sustain itself. The entire mountain was coming down on top of them. Their only chance was to sprint as fast as he could and try to travel in a single direction while praying that the tunnels ahead remained intact. The odds of their luck holding for that long were miserable at best, but it was better than sitting around and waiting for death. They had just destroyed what was probably the greatest evil in the whole world, and now they were going to be buried alive? Screw that. He wasn’t about to die like that without a fight. Of course, if Kagome couldn’t light their way, then it didn’t matter how badly he wanted them to survive. His chances of carrying them to safety in pitch blackness were literally zero.
Kagome didn’t respond, nor did she open her eyes. But her aura did brighten. It was not as strong as before, and it continued to flicker dangerously, but it would have to do. Inuyasha had to use all of his agility to avoid partially collapsed cave walls and keep himself upright when the floor vibrated beneath them. He skidded to a stop when faced with a dead end, but it came soon after he picked the wrong fork in a tunnel so he was able to backtrack and take the other path. To his surprise, that was the only dead end they encountered. After torturing them for the better part of two days, fate finally seemed to be smiling upon him and Kagome. The tunnels appeared sturdier the farther they moved from scene of the great battle. But there was still little doubt that the entire mountain was collapsing. If they didn’t find an exit soon…