InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After-effects ❯ Rushing home ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: Well, as usual, me no own Inuyasha and the gang.

 

Author's note: Well, many thanks to angel~of~fire for his/her kind review :). Other than that, I believe I'm in a cliffhanger mood, what's with the last few chapters he he he. But luckily for you, I haven't kept you all waiting for too long a time ;). So, before I get really boring, on with the story :).

 

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Chapter 12: Rushing home

 

"Inuyasha, you have to sleep!" admonished Kagome sternly. "You've been carrying everyone all night long and you will be carrying us tonight as well. You need to rest!" pleaded the miko.

 

"Shut up!" growled the hanyou in response. "I don't need to sleep as much as you humans do, I'll be perfectly all right!" he exclaimed again.

 

Kagome simply huffed in answer and started muttering some ungodly things under her breath. "You're not fooling me! You're exhausted and it shows! You will get to sleep right this moment!" she snapped again.

 

"I told you I'm not tired so leave me alone already!" yelled Inuyasha angrily.

 

Kagome gritted her teeth in frustration. If anyone could be stubborn, the hanyou sitting in front of her was definitively that person. Ever since Mattemaru's warning the night before, they had been on the run, trying desperately to get back in time to stop the attack on their friends. The plan was to have Inuyasha carry everyone at night, allowing Kirara to rest, and to have the cat youkai carry them by day, allowing Inuyasha to relax a little. The idea was excellent and if they could maintain their current pace, they would reach the village sometime tomorrow.

 

The only problem with this was that Inuyasha refused to go to sleep no matter what she said. And despite his earlier statement, it was plain to Kagome that he desperately needed to rest, if only for a few hours.

 

"Rub this carefully in your husband's shoulders everyday for a week and his pain should go away."

 

Kagome blinked as the scene flashed in her mind briefly. Something like this had happened the day before, when she had found out that Mattemaru was saying the truth. One of Kikyo's memory would pop into her head, leaving her feeling slightly disoriented. It was the other woman's way of communicating with her. A bit disconcerting, true, but also extremely efficient. Kagome could not help the evil smirk from appearing on her feature as she understood Kikyo's plan.

 

"Nothing like a good massage to help a man relax," she thought mischievously right before she got to work.

 

The hanyou jerked a bit in surprise at the unexpected contact and turned to her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he questioned sharply.

 

"Well if you won't sleep, at the very least you should let me get rid of the knots in your shoulders," she answered in kind.

 

Inuyasha looked like he was about to protest for a few seconds but then thought better of it. With a snort he turned around again and lowered himself a little to make her job easier. Sitting on Kirara's back and flying a hundred feet in the air was definitively not the best condition for a massage, but it seemed to work nonetheless.

 

Despite anything he had claimed to the miko behind him, the hanyou was tired, dead tired in fact, and his shoulders were aching from the night before. His worry prevented sleep from actually taking over him though, thus the argument he just had with Kagome. When she had voiced her idea, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious, like she had an ulterior motive for doing it. But seeing as he didn't really feel like arguing with her anymore, he decided to put up with it, if only to shut her up.

 

He had to admit though that it did feel good. He could feel the cramps in his shoulders gradually melt away under the relentless action of her hands. Closing his eyes, he let out a deep sigh of contentment. He also unconsciously lowered his head to give her better access to his stiff neck.

 

As it was, this turned out to be his undoing, so to speak. First, his eyelids being already closed, he didn't notice the gradual increase of weight in them and second, his head couldn't dip down more than it actually was so he failed to notice the heaviness there too. Thus, by the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. He had only one thought before sleep overtook him. "I'll get you for this Kagome," and then there was nothing.

 

He didn't know exactly how long it was, but eventually awareness did come back to him. The first thing he noted was that his head was resting on Kagome's shoulder and that his arms were draped around her waist loosely. He was tempted for a split second to remain as he was, basking in her warmth, her delicate scent teasing his nostrils, but the memories of their current situation drove these thoughts from his head. So instead, he opened his eyes and straightened his posture, thus informing the miko in front of him of his state.

 

"So, did you sleep well?" she asked, turning her head slightly to look at him.

 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in anger. He hadn't failed to notice the slightly amused undertone in the miko's question. "Keh! Thanks to your dirty tricks," he answered gruffly.

 

Kagome giggled at that. "Well it did get you to rest and I won't have you say you didn't enjoy it," she replied knowingly.

 

The hanyou merely snorted in response. There really wasn't much to say to this. He had enjoyed it and quite a lot at that. What's more, he felt a lot better now that he had had his fill of sleep. The same thing couldn't be said about Kirara though, she had slowed down considerably since he had last been awake, a sure sign that the cat youkai was growing tired. Looking at the sky, he noted for the first time just how low the sun really was in the sky. "Have I really slept that long?" he mused incredulously. "God there can't be more than an hour of daylight left!" he thought again.

 

Just then, a small gust of wind swiped at the hanyou's face, bringing with it a scent that made him cringe. "Great, just what we needed: rain," he reflected glumly. "Kirara, pull us down over there," he said, pointing to a small clearing to their right.

 

"Inuyasha?" asked the miko, puzzled by this unexpected stop.

 

"There's rain coming this way," he explained. "This is our last opportunity to make a dry stop, so let's use it," he added.

 

"What?" he questioned upon seeing the strange look Kagome was giving him.

 

"Nothing, I just didn't expect you to actually make such a decision," she answered with a touch of humor in her voice.

 

"Keh! And what's that supposed to mean wench?" the hanyou shot back in a menacing tone

 

"Well that you're usually a reckless fool who don't think twice about jumping into a hopeless situation," she replied jokingly, earning herself a very nasty glare.

 

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the hanyou's expression. "Don't worry," she amended, snuggling against him for emphasis. "You wouldn't be even half the man I loved if you weren't like this," she finished with a smile.

 

The hanyou looked at the miko for a few seconds in wonder before wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight. "That's Kagome for you. One moment she insults you, the next she's all over you," he thought amused.

 

The embrace, as enjoyable as it was for the couple, was short lived as Kirara reached her destination and made her landing. The cat youkai was so exhausted that as soon as she set foot on the ground, she transformed back into her small form, not even allowing the people on her back to get off. Both passengers landed on the ground in a heap with a loud 'hoof' as the air was knocked out of them.

 

"Kirara!" Kagome called as soon as she managed to disentangle herself from the mess she and Inuyasha were in.

 

"Poor thing," she said as she gathered the youkai in her arms. "You must really be worried about Sango and the others to have pushed yourself so hard," she added softly.

 

"Don't worry Kirara, we'll reach them in time. Just rest for now and leave everything to me," Inuyasha added confidently.

 

He promptly turned around to prevent anyone from seeing how uncertain he really was and went away to gather some firewood. As he chopped down some nearby branches, two questions plagued his mind. "How long until the mastermind realized the failure of his agent?" and "How long would it take him to stage an attack on their friends?"

 

When he came back a few minutes later, he noticed that Kagome had the necessary supply all ready for cooking and was just waiting for him to bring the wood. He also noted that Kirara was lying on the ground motionless, likely fast asleep from her long day of flying. "Tomorrow's going to be hard," he reflected grimly, but he wisely refrained from voicing such thoughts. Instead, he busied himself with starting the fire.

 

"Inuyasha?" Kagome suddenly spoke up, startling him from his thoughts.

 

"What is it?" he asked, a bit more sharply than he had intended.

 

"Do you honestly think we'll make it in time?" asked the miko, concern evident in her voice.

 

"I don't know anyone who's better at staying alive than them Kagome. We'll make it," he spoke firmly, trying make himself believe what he had just said.

 

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said, not sounding convinced at all, if anything she sounded defeated already. "Still, one can't help but worry that..." she began but never got to finish her sentence because Inuyasha suddenly jumped over the fire and wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him tightly.

 

"You're the one who taught me that it was okay to show my weak side once in a while," he whispered softly in her ear. "So out with it," he admonished gently.

 

"Inuyasha... I'm fine really," she said, rather surprised by his action.

 

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed. "You died and got revived, you left your family behind, you got dragged into another battle for the jewel and now our friends are in danger. How can you possibly be okay?" he shot, his voice growing firmer as he spoke.

 

Now that she thought about it, what the hanyou said was true. It seemed that every time she actually wanted to acknowledge her pain, something came up, forcing her to bury it deep within herself. She didn't have time to shed tears for her family, she didn't have time to spend with Miroku, Sango and Shippo. She would have wanted so much to get to know Kagura better and little Yuna too. But most of all, she desperately wanted to spend some real time with Inuyasha without the shadow of evil looming over their head.

 

"Inuyasha... " she whispered as tears started to stream down her cheeks. "Why is it that we can't be happy Inuyasha? Why is it that no matter how hard we fight, happiness is always out of our reach?" she murmured before collapsing in his arms, sobs wracking her body.

 

The hanyou was a bit taken aback by Kagome's reaction. In the three years he had known her, he had never seen her look so... vulnerably. "She must have had a lot on her mind to break down like this," he reflected while gently stroking her hair.

 

As surprised as Inuyasha was by the miko's sudden outburst, he was even more baffled when a few minutes later, she sighed deeply and snuggled against him comfortably. "Kagome?" he asked confused.

 

When the girl raised her head to look at him, he could see that her eyes reflected not sadness but instead happiness, only adding to his bewilderment. Upon noticing the hanyou's expression, the miko couldn't help but giggle softly.

 

"I guess I must look a little strange, crying my heart out one minute and smiling like it never happened the next," she amended. "But I simply can't stay sad, not when you're holding me like this," she explained.

 

Now that, the hanyou could understand, because he felt the same way. Having her in his arms, her rich scent permeating his senses, her warmth radiating into his body, it made everything else seem insignificant. He even found himself contemplating the idea of staying like this until sleep overcame them both. Of course, the threat on their friends quickly banished such a fantasy from his thoughts.

 

Thinking of Miroku and the others dispersed the fog of drowsiness that had been slowly filling his mind. Glancing down, he noticed that the miko had once again settled against his chest and was showing no sign of moving. Sighing deeply, he resigned himself for the inevitable.

 

"Kagome..." he began, not bothering to hide the disappointment he felt.

 

It was the girl's turn to sigh this time. "I know," she answered in a tone that mirrored the hanyou's. "All good things must come to an end," she reflected out loud while slowly disentangling herself from Inuyasha's embrace.

 

Before she was completely out of his reach though, she froze and looked at him intently. "Inuyasha... promise me... when all of this is over, we'll spend some real time together okay?" she asked him halfway between pleading and begging.

 

"I swear Kagome, no evil, no jewel, just you and I snuggled against each other," he answered her plea in kind. "When all of this is over Kagome, I'll take you as my mate and then, we'll do more than just snuggle together," he swore silently.

 

******

 

Cursing slightly, the miko wiped the water streaming down her face yet another time only to have more coming back once she was done. "Damn it all to hell, this isn't rain, it's a bloody flood!" she exclaimed silently.

 

Everything had started about an hour before dawn when the first drops of water had fallen from the sky. Though not even close to the level they were currently experiencing, it had been enough to rouse Kagome and Kirara from their light sleep on Inuyasha's back. Things had only gone downhill since then. The rain had increased so much that the ground had become like a lake, forcing Inuyasha to slow down in order not to lose his balance.

 

Of course, what was really annoying the hell out of her right now was the fact that her clothing was not providing any protection from the water any longer. Every square inch of her miko uniform was soaked through, making her very cold and excessively irritable. And then, to add to her misery, small rivulets of water started running down the length of her hair and into either her face or her back, which was driving her positively insane. All in all, the day promised to be just wonderful.

 

She was grumbling under her breath, not really paying attention to anything when Inuyasha stopped his frantic running. He knelt down and allowed Kagome to set foot on the ground.

 

"Kirara, how about it, are you up for the last round?" asked a very tired and panting hanyou.

 

Perched sleepily on Kagome's shoulder, the cat youkai opened a tired eye to gaze at Inuyasha. Apparently, the previous day combined with lack of restful sleep had taken a lot out of her. Nonetheless, she jumped on the ground and moved a few steps away in order to accomplish her transformation.

 

For a few seconds, nothing happened, causing the miko and the hanyou to look at each other in concern. Just as they were about to ask if everything was all right, the fireball usually accompanying Kirara's metamorphosis started to appear and grow. It didn't get very far though, before it was even halfway from its maximum size, it suddenly receded back, leaving the cat youkai completely unchanged. There was an instant of stunned silence on her part and then she collapsed to one side.

 

"Kirara!" exclaimed Kagome before hurrying to the youkai's side.

 

"Poor thing, she's completely exhausted," said the miko as she cradled her in her arms. The said youkai miewled softly, as if apologizing for her inability to continue any further.

 

"Get on Kagome," ordered Inuyasha gruffly. "I'll manage the rest of the way," he added.

 

The miko nodded in agreement and promptly got in position. "Even if we do make it back in time, what good will that do?" she thought worriedly. "Dammit! If only I was stronger, I could take Inuyasha's place and carry him instead. That would allow him to rest and be ready for the fight!" she mused, her worry quickly being replaced by frustration. These were moments when she really envied Sango's almost superhuman strength.

 

And so, it was back to grumbling and sulking once again as Inuyasha made his way through the forest and toward Kaede's village. The treacherous terrain combined with his fatigue caused him to slow down considerably. As the minutes passed however, Kagome started to note a dangerous sway in the hanyou's steps. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

 

"Inuyasha let me down right now, you can't go on like this," she ordered.

 

"Shut up!" he snapped back. "It doesn't matter if I'm tired or not, I'm not going to let anyone die today, not if I can help it!" he shot back in her face.

 

"Moron! At the rate you're going you won't even be able to stand straight when we reach Kaede's village. It's a miracle we haven't fallen down already," she answered, her voice rapidly increasing in volume.

 

It is common knowledge that if you call upon misfortune, it will come running to you. This time proved to be no exception to this rule because as soon as the words left Kagome's mouth, the hanyou's left foot suddenly slipped in the mud and everyone was sent sliding down a slope, where they landed in a heap.

 

"Dammit you stupid wench, look what you made me do!" yelled a very angry Inuyasha.

 

That was it. Kagome's patience already dangerously thin evaporated and she exploded. "What I made you do?!" she screamed at him. "You're the one who refused to stop when told!!!" she continued in the same tone.

 

"You're the one who..." he began but his words died in a strangled choke as he put his weight on his left foot.

 

Kagome's anger was instantly replaced with concern at seeing the hanyou's reaction. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" she asked.

 

"Nothing!" he snapped back and promptly turned away from her.

 

The miko would have none of this nonsense however. Her eyes took on a dangerous gleam as she spoke. "Osuwari!" she said angrily effectively making the hanyou crash to the ground.

 

"You stubborn fool of a hanyou!" she grumbled while making her way to him.

 

By the time she reached him, the spell had worn off and Inuyasha's foul mood was back in full swing. "Dammit wench what did you do that for?" he spluttered, his face full of mud.

 

Instead of answering, the miko knelt beside him and pressed a finger at a specific point on the hanyou's foot. This caused him to catch his breath and wince in pain. "Just as I thought," she said, completely ignoring Inuyasha's murderous glare. "You just sprained your ankle," she finished.

 

"Keh! As I said, it's nothing," he spat back at Kagome and made to stand up once more.

 

"If you dare to stand on this foot before I tell you it's okay, I swear that when I'm through with you, you won't be able to even sit up for a week!" she threatened.

 

While Inuyasha wasn't usually one to fear menace, this time he found that he simply couldn't ignore the murderous glare in Kagome's eyes. Growling, in protest, he sat down on the muddy ground. "And just what do you suggest, that we wait here for half a day until my ankle heals?" he questioned sardonically.

 

This caused the miko to frown. He was right, if they ever hoped to get to their friends in time, they couldn't afford anymore delay. Finally, she stood up and threw her backpack at him. She then turned her back to him and lowered her stance. Inuyasha knew exactly what Kagome meant to do, but he couldn't actually believe she was crazy enough to consider it.

 

"You've got to be kidding!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Kagome, you're not strong enough to carry both me and Kirara on such a long distance!" he said again.

 

"Get on," she answered in flat tone.

 

The hanyou exchanged a doubtful gaze with the cat youkai that was propped on his shoulder before sighing and standing up, mindful of his injury. With the mood she was currently in, there was no way the miko would listen to reason. Better to let her see just how impossible her idea was, it would be a lot simpler.

 

Kagome knew that she was nowhere near strong enough to carry out her plan, but stubbornness alone kept her from backing out. "If I can carry us for even one meter, that'll be one meter less to travel," she mused while gritting her teeth, preparing herself for the effort she knew was coming.

 

Only when Inuyasha did settle on her back did she realize just how heavy he really was. It took every ounce of her strength just to remain crouching. "I have to do this," she thought. "For all the ones I care about," she reflected again. "I... will... not... LOSE!" she screamed.

 

As she spoke the last word, the jewel hanging around her neck suddenly started to glow softly. A strange gray mist started to seep out of it, only to be sucked into her body. The effect was immediate. The world around her abruptly snapped into focus, sounds coming in more clearly, things appearing more sharply. She felt her muscles harden as the weight on her back all but disappeared. She stood there for a few seconds, trying to actually puzzle out what had just happened to her when Inuyasha, who had not missed the transformation, broke the silence.

 

"Kagome, you..." he trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

 

"I'm fine," she answered with finality in her voice. "Now you just hang on tight," she finished before taking off, surprising both her passenger with just how fast she was going.

 

"This speed," reflected the hanyou. "It's impossible for a human to attain and yet..." he trailed off. "What did the jewel do to her?" he asked himself, uneasiness washing over him and making him shiver.

 

For her part, Kagome knew that what was happening was far from being normal. She didn't mind though. Right now, this newfound strength was helping her get closer to her friends and it was all that mattered to her. "Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kagura, Yuna, Kaede... Hang on, we're on our way," she thought, cold determination filling her body and soul.

 

******

 

"Fujin no mai!" exclaimed Kagura with a wide swipe of her fan that caused blades to race toward her opponents. It did little good though as all of them evaded in time.

 

"Dammit! They're just too swift, I can't hit them," she thought in frustration.

 

The attack had started about an hour after their lunch, thus materializing the fear everyone had been feeling since then. The first thing they had tried to do was overwhelm her at close range. They had burst through the door and literally jumped on her, pinning her to the ground. Their plan had almost worked, but the monk saved the day by launching a serie of hamafudas in the fray, forcing them to get off of her and thus giving her the opportunity to place an attack of her own. Summoning a huge gust of wind, she had pushed the enemy back outside, far from Miroku, Sango and Shippo, but most of all, far from Yuna.

 

"Kagura, I'll try to erect a barrier around the house that will keep us safe, but I need some time," the monk had said to her.

 

"Don't worry, they won't get through me," she had answered with fierce determination before rushing off to meet the panther youkai outside.

 

"I'll protect you Yuna, even if it's the last thing I ever do!" she thought grimly.

 

The group of panther youkai she was currently facing was very well organized. They kept moving in a general circle around her, not staying in the same place for more than a second and never going in the same direction twice, making them almost impossible to hit. The problem was that they were getting closer with each pass and pretty soon, they would be on her.

 

"All right then, time for something a little more substantial," she muttered as the loop tightened yet again. "Ryuuja no mai!" she exclaimed, sending a huge tornado toward her opponents.

 

At this distance, those directly in front of her didn't have time to dodge and they were caught in the whirlwind. When it died down, a few panther were lying motionless on the ground, but most of their group had managed to escape the deadly attack, much to Kagura's dismay.

 

That seemed to be the trigger they had been waiting for because as one, all the remaining youkai charged at her. Frantically swiping, kicking and punching anything that got in range, the sorceress managed to last about a minute before someone tripped her and she fell on the ground.

 

Instantly, she found herself pinned and her fan was wrenched from her hands. She could only watch helplessly as one of the youkai made his way toward the house she had been so desperately trying to defend. She frantically fought against the hands restraining her, but no matter how much she trashed about, they kept holding strong. "Yuna," she thought desperately.

 

"Miroku dammit hurry up with that barrier," but even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew that there was just no way the monk would be able to complete his spell in time.

 

And then, just as she had lost all hope, everything seemed to happen at once. A blast of purification slammed into the youkai heading for the house, disintegrating him on contact at the same time that a red blur of movement crashed into the pile of panthers pinning her to the ground with a loud "Sankontessou!". The grip of her assailants instantly slackened, giving Kagura the opportunity she needed. Wrenching her hands free, she started punching and elbowing blindly at the mass and in seconds, she was free with her fan back in hand. The sorceress' vindictive anger couple with Inuyasha's might proved to be too much for the panthers to handle and before long, most of them were lying motionless on the ground with the rest running for their lives.

 

"Well I'm sure glad that you showed up, though I can't figure out just how you managed to know we were in trouble," said Kagura once the youkai had retreated.

 

"It's a long story," he answered tiredly.

 

"By the way, where's Kagome? I saw the blast of energy, it had to be her," she asked frowning in confusion.

 

"Right... here," came a panting voice from behind her.

 

And sure enough, there she was, Kagome Higurashi... or what was left of her anyway. She was standing on wobbling knees in a very muddy and drenched miko uniform. Her hair was a hopeless mess of dirt and water and to complete the picture, her shoulders were hunched in exhaustion. Clinging to the miko's shoulder was Kirara who looked about to fall on the ground at any time. Turning to face the hanyou, Kagura noticed that he was in no better shape than the rest of them.

 

"What the hell happened to you two?" she asked, not sure if she should be amused at their condition or amazed that either of them were still standing.

 

"It's... a long story," muttered the miko before finally giving in to her body's demand and falling to her knees.

 

Looking up, she could see Shippo and Yuna running toward them, a happy expression on their faces and a bit further back, Miroku was holding Sango up in the doorway, not daring to venture on such a treacherous terrain with his charge. "Kaede? Where's Kaede?" Asked the miko once she noticed the missing face.

 

"Gone for the day. She had to treat a sick child at a neighboring village," explained the sorceress.

 

Just as she was about to sigh in relief at hearing the news, a huge gust of wind suddenly caused her to fall to her side on the muddy ground. When she looked up, she could see Shippo and Yuna being carried away by a giant eagle.

 

"No! Yuna... Shippo," she rasped while futilely extending her arm to try and reach the retreating pair.

 

"Why?" she thought in frustration. "Why must things like this always happen to the ones I care about?" she reflected again, despair washing over her like never before.

 

She tried to get back to her feet, god only knows she tried, but her exhausted limbs refused to obey her command. "Dammit... I... have... to... help..." she croaked right before all form of strength definitively left her body, causing her to crash on the ground.

 

"Yuna... Shippo... forgive... me," was the last thought she could manage before the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness claimed her.