InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Between Heaven and Hell ❯ Controversy ( Chapter 5 )

“I should… probably be going now…” Kagome affirmed awkwardly as they broke the intimate embrace.

 

After wiping the stale tears on her cheeks away, she lifted her head, only to find his face turned from her. The familiar, silent inclinations the demon seemed to be full of ensued once again.

 

With downcast eyes, Kagome began tentatively, “…Will I… see you again?”

 

Sesshomaru only grunted quietly, in what Kagome hoped was assurance. As he gave no further response, she gave the daiyoukai a small bow. “I… I hope I'll see you soon.”

 

The young woman backed away uncertainly before turning to go. “Goodbye then,” Kagome bid her farewell timidly. But before she could even take two steps, Sesshomaru stopped her, gripping her wrist. Kagome did not even have the time to turn and face him.

 

“Remember.”

 

It was all she heard before a sharp wind swept against her body. Kagome turned, eyes darting around the quiet clearing.

 

The water from the falls continued to tumble into the pond, just like it always had. The river rippled and bubbled and sloshed, sparkling when the sun hit it just right. Sakura blossoms still rustled gently with the wind, its loosened petals fluttering like snow to the water below.

 

Kagome relaxed, turning on her heel. The woman walked in contemplative silence as she followed the dirt path, leading to home.

 

“Remember…”

 

The words rang in her head like a bell, deeply resonating in her mind.

 

.:.:.:.:.:.

 

Upon entering the busy village, Kagome smiled, deciding to pay a visit to her sister. As she approached the hut, Kagome's eyes brightened as she caught sight of the man standing in front of it.

 

“Ichirou!”

 

The young man turned and on recognizing her, reciprocating the greeting with a wave.

 

“Looking for you sister?” he smiled as she approached.

 

Kagome nodded. “She's here isn't she?”

 

“Sorry; she left just a second ago,” he informed the disappointed girl.

 

The taijiya looked down at the ground for a moment. “Say, Kagome,” Ichirou added, “You mind coming on a walk with me? It won't be for long.”

 

The young woman thought for a moment. There wasn't really anything else left to do that day, Kagome concluded. And plus, a short walk would be nice, she added as an afterthought. Smiling in acceptance of his offer, Kagome nodded. “Sure.”

 

 

The two walked through the homey town, watching as the laughing children ran through the dirt streets. The young woman chuckled quietly as the young ones played together with rowdy cheers and screams.

 

“Kagome,” Ichirou began, slowing to a stop as his voice lowered in solemnity.

 

Kagome halted in her tracks, twirling to face the downcast man. He was staring at the ground silently, almost thoughtfully.

 

“About yesterday… I'm sorry about that,” Ichirou apologized as he lifted his head, showing his sincerity. Kagome shook her head.

 

“Oh, it's okay. I understand,” she smiled. “I probably would have said the same.” Kagome's face softened.

 

After a moment, Ichirou laughed, beginning the walk again. “Well, knowing you, probably not,” he teased, the mood becoming light once more.

 

Kagome laughed along with him. “You never know!”

 

As the two ambled along, they stopped when a man, not much older than Ichirou, approached them. The man's hair was a dark, wooden brown, tousled and matted on top of his head. He limped forward, supported by a single, wooden crutch.

 

“How are you feeling, Shou?” Ichirou asked the grinning man.

 

Shou's full name was Shouhei, but his friends had become accustomed to calling him just “Shou” for short. From what Kagome had seen of Ichirou's fellow taijiya, he always wore a smile on his face, or at least, held a light aura about him. Kagome did not know the young man very well nor did she speak much at all with him, but there was always a certain levity about him.

 

“Could be worse,” Shouhei laughed, shrugging once while he held the crutch in his large hand. “Luckily my injuries weren't as bad as everyone else's.”

 

Ichirou nodded as he ruffled his dark hair. “That's good,” he sighed as he pushed the dirt around with his foot distractedly. Kagome frowned in sympathy as the fickle eruption of despair overtook Ichirou. Looking to the ground in her discomfiture, the young woman sighed.

 

As Kagome opened her mouth to say something to Ichirou, she found, surprisingly, that Shouhei had beaten her to it.

 

Her head shot up in surprise as she heard a dull `thunk' beside her.

 

“What the hell was that for!?” Ichirou shouted as he held his head in pain, teeth clenched in his outraged aggravation.

 

Shou ticked his tongue, reprimanding, as he shook his head disappointedly. He returned the crutch to his side, leaning against it casually. “Maybe if you hadn't been sulking, you could have dodged that…” he stated with narrowed eyes.

 

“What - what the hell!?” was all Ichirou could say, or rather, scream, at his comrade. “… And I wasn't sulking!” he added angrily.

 

“We've been friends ever since we were kids, Ichirou; I'm pretty sure I can tell when you're sulking,” Shouhei declared nonchalantly with another shrug.

 

The younger taijiya took a step forward, with murderous intent in his fiery eyes. “Shou, just because you're recovering doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!” Ichirou threatened as he gripped Shouhei by his collar and gave him a good shake.

 

Shouhei, completely unfazed, only sighed with yet another shrug. “What a temper…” he uttered under his breath.

 

“What was that!?”

 

Kagome covered her face in horror. She couldn't believe the two were fighting over something so… so stupid! Hoping to stop this whole nightmare before it begun, Kagome stepped beside the young, bickering men hesitantly.

 

“Um…” she tried to pacify them, “I don't think you should go on like this in the middle of the street…” The young woman lifted her hands and smiled, hoping they would realize.

 

To Kagome's relief, they ceased their quarrel and looked around. Some of the playing children had stopped to watch the two adults go at it, curious as to what would happen. They certainly had been making a bit of a scene, hadn't they?

 

Backing off of Shou reluctantly, Ichirou turned away, not intent on being apologetic. The sight of it reminded Kagome of a stubborn, young child.

 

“Well, I should be going now,” Shouhei sighed, looking up at the late afternoon sky. “I'll see you later, then!” As the taijiya limped forward, he stopped next to Ichirou for a short moment. Patting his shoulder with a smile, he reassured his friend: “It's not your fault, Ichirou.” With that, Shou proceeded forward, leaving the other two behind him.

 

As they watched the other taijiya depart into the distance, Ichirou gave out an exhausted sigh. “I guess I should probably walk you home then,” he decided, his mood notably lighter now thanks to Shouhei's interesting tactics.

 

 

When they reached Kagome's home, Ichirou gave his adieu. “I'll see you later,” he smiled, waving his hand slightly.

 

As Ichirou turned to go, the girl frowned.

 

He was a perplexing person.

 

The taijiya's moods seemed to change faster than the winds. It almost never failed to catch Kagome off-guard.

 

Not only that, Ichirou despised youkai with his entire being, yet, when it came to his comrades, he did not blame it solely on the youkai.

 

No, instead, he believed it also his fault. An amazing feat, Kagome thought. It was strange for someone who had expressed such a strong take on youkai to not throw entire fault on them.

 

But that still did not change the fact that he hated that “despicable” race.

 

Come to think of it, she could not quite fathom why it was the way it was.

 

Why were youkai hated so fervently?

 

Of course, she knew many of them killed and raided villages, but then again, Kagome had heard of men, human men, who had done exactly the same; murdering, setting homes to fire, ransacking whole villages, starting uproars. So, if ningen did the exact same, what made them any different than youkai? Humans certainly weren't thought of as the “hated” race; at least she didn't believe so.

 

What made youkai so despicable?

 

Kagome was not implying that she held no fear for them, she just could not understand. If it weren't for the time-honored tradition of animosity between their races, Kagome wondered what she would have thought about youkai then. All she knew about youkai was that they were dangerous, lethal, and could kill. And, like any normal person, that was more than enough to terrify her numb.

However, it was somewhat different for her, it seemed.

 

When she had first encountered the silver-haired daiyoukai, as one would expect, she was terrified; the automatic sentiment had been engraved into her the day she had been born into the human race. At that moment, she truly feared youkai.

 

But it was when Kagome saw his injury that her cultural trance began to crumble away.

 

Sesshomaru may have been a youkai, but Kagome realized: He was still a living being. He had feelings and thoughts just as she did; he breathed and had a heartbeat of his own, did he not? In her eyes, the daiyoukai was no different than a wounded human who beckoned for help. Kagome could not turn away from him, despite the fact that fraternizing, much less coming to the aid of youkai was most definitely frowned upon by her people.

 

Brushing an idle hand through her long, ebony locks, Kagome's lips turned downward into a slight frown.

 

But for as long as she could remember, Kikyo and the other villages had shielded her from the raw truth of youkai. They had depicted all youkai as the very essence of fear and lethality, every single one. But other than the fact, Kagome really knew nothing of them. The villagers believed that the knowledge to steer clear of the “monsters” was enough; there was no need to know any more than that. Kagome felt completely and utterly in the dark. It was as if she were in a bubble, surrounded by people blocking the view of the world. Kagome could only rely on what they chose to show her, if they even chose to show her anything at all.

 

She wanted to see, though. Kagome wanted to see for herself, and then, decide for herself.

 

Kagome sighed. She knew they were only trying to protect her, but she was older now. Didn't she have the right to know? She had already made the decision to see the daiyoukai and befriend him, despite all the villagers' warnings. And in the course of meeting with Sesshomaru, Kagome had found that the truth surrounding the subject of youkai - or rumors, depending on the point of view - had not applied to him. The daiyoukai was nearer to a human being than she had expected. Sesshomaru was vaguely… gentle. He was so different than what her sister and the others had told her; it sent Kagome into an endless conflict.

 

And in which, it raised the underlying question: Were all youkai as evil as they were said to be, or only some? Sesshomaru certainly did not seem evil to her, no matter how hard he attempted to convince her so. And plus, would an “abhorrent” youkai really have the heart to save a young girl from the brink of death? Would such an “odious” creature allow someone such as her to help him? Could they even be as patient as Sesshomaru had been with her? What she had actually seen of a youkai and what everyone else had informed her about them clashed like metal against rock.

 

But Kagome couldn't ask her sister that question, and such a silly sounding one no less. Kikyo would find it strange for her younger sibling to ask questions falling into such a category. And even if she were to ask Kikyo, Kagome knew how uncomfortable it would make her sister. The elder miko would always keep to the evasive side when it came to youkai. If she had the choice, Kikyo would rather not speak any at all of them. At least, that was what Kagome had deduced according to her actions.

 

And the night before, when she had asked her older sister if she hated youkai, Kagome wished immediately that she could have taken the question back. The air had suddenly filled with a certain tension, like one wrong move would shatter the atmosphere to pieces.

 

So asking Kikyo was definitely impossible.

 

Kagome sighed in dejection. There really was no one she could go to. All the villagers would have one, almost mechanical answer for her: “Youkai are merciless, bloodthirsty monsters. You must stay away from them.”

 

But Kagome was finding it harder and harder to believe that. She wanted the truth; the whole, unvarnished truth. Perhaps if they let her know what youkai were really like, then maybe she would believe them when they said to stay away.

 

If only there was someone, someone she could trust, someone who wouldn't lie to her…

 

The image of a dark-haired man with jade green eyes appeared in her mind. Smooth-looking skin, sun kissed from the long hours spent outside, spread across finely hardened muscles, displaying his strong yet lean figure precisely.

 

Though his personality was a little rough around the edges, he was kind to her, in his own personal way. He was loyal to his companions, and seemed to always follow what he believed in.

 

Kagome didn't think he would lie to her; he was never the one to make false pretense, especially towards those he knew and cared for. The young man was straightforward with his opinions, be it unfortunate or not. He would give her the truth that she so greatly desired if she asked it of him, right?

 

She hoped with all her heart that he would; he was her only chance of knowing the truth. Soon, she began chasing after the taijiya in a half-sprint.

 

“Ichirou!” Kagome panted as she caught up to the retreating figure.

 

When Ichirou heard her faint voice from behind him, he paused and turned. Looking slightly alarmed at the sight of the young female, he creased his brow, frowning slightly.

 

“Kagome? Did something happen?” he asked with concern as she came to a stop in front of him.

 

“No,” she reassured the taijiya, shaking her head. “I… I just wanted to ask you something.”

 

He almost seemed to sigh in furtive relief. Smiling awkwardly, Ichirou rubbed the back of his head informally. “Alright, what is it?”

 

Kagome stared at her feet as she answered him slowly, pushing the dirt around in strange, oblong circles with her toes. All courage fled her, leaving her completely listless before the taijiya. His eyes seemed to bore straight into her, dissecting each and every small movement she made. This was much more difficult than she had thought it would be.

 

“I… was…” the nervous girl began, “wondering…” A blush made its way across her face. Kagome couldn't find the strength to ask him. How strange it would be to ask a taijiya of all people about youkai, especially after he had voiced such strong opinions against the race the other day. Suddenly, asking Ichirou did not seem like the greatest idea. But, there was no turning back now. Might as well try now that she had come this far.

 

“Wondering…?” Ichirou asked, clearly baffled. He tilted his head slightly to the side in question.

 

“I-uh…” Kagome stared intently at her feet as her stuttering began once again. “Tea!” the blushing girl suddenly blurted out. “Tea - would you like to come back for tea?”

 

It would be the perfect setup. A nice calm talk over tea, and while they were walking back to the house, she could conjure up and collect her thoughts. It was perfect! Kagome inwardly praised her quick thinking.

 

“Tea…?” Ichirou asked, almost incredulously. The taijiya ran a hand roughly through his dark hair, brushing the bangs away from his eyes. “Uh… Sure, why not?” he half-laughed with a smile.

 

~ “*”~

 

Kagome tilted the teapot over, letting the steaming hot tea pour into Ichirou's awaiting cup. After pouring some of the light brown fluid into her own cup, Kagome settled herself across the table from Ichirou. She watched him take a small sip before taking a small sip of the hot liquid herself. Eyeing the contents of the cup, Kagome bit her lip.

 

Now was the time to ask him, she thought. Kagome didn't have all day, nor did Ichirou. She would ask him the question, and it would all be over with. The adolescent female lifted her head to look at Ichirou, only to realize that he been watching her in contemplative silence. Kagome blushed, sent into a flutter once more. Did he notice how nervous she was? Could he see the heavy weight that hung in her thoughts? Was she easy to read? Shaking her head, Kagome forced herself to continue.

 

“I-Ichirou,” she said, striving to sound steady, “I wanted to ask you something. It's a strange thing to ask, I'm aware, but I… want to know. So please, tell me the truth.”

 

After a silent nod from Ichirou, Kagome continued slowly, curling her hand in a fist. “Youkai... What…” Her voice softened, desiring the answer with her whole heart. “… What are they really like?”

 

Kagome continued to watch him steadily as a bleak despondency overtook him. Ichirou turned away, veiling the conflict in his eyes. Upon seeing this, Kagome's heart sank. Would he be like all the rest? Would he tell her those familiar words - those dreaded, recurring answers?

 

“… Why?” he asked instead, somewhat resembling Kikyo the night before.

 

With a half-hearted attempt, she tried to convince him, all while having a vague feeling that his answer would be no different from all the rest.

 

“Because,” Kagome spoke, “all I hear from everyone is that I should stay away from them. I at least want to know why; not be told something when I know nothing better than to listen.”

 

Ichirou's body went rigid at her words; his hand tightened into a fist as he fought to control his anger. “Kagome… you saw what happened to my friends days ago… How can you ask why?” his voice sounded from behind gritted teeth.

 

“But… if one or two youkai decided to attack of their own accord, does that automatically make all youkai bad?” Kagome pressed, her eyes firm with new determination. The taijiya seemed to scoff at the apparently foolish question.

 

“Kagome, this… this is different.”

 

“How is it different, Ichirou? If a band of humans decided to raid our village, does that make our race corrupt?” the young female contested, her voice tight with her mind's inner divergence.

 

“No, Kagome… You know that. Their race is different from ours,” he stated firmly, as though his words answered all questions. Kagome frowned, becoming bolder with each familiar word spoken.

 

“Then tell me, Ichirou, because I do not understand,” she demanded. “What makes them different than us?”

 

“Kagome!” Ichirou yelled, rising to his feet in his frustration. “You saw what they did to my comrades. You know how many times they have done the same before. It's what they do; it's all they ever do! It's what they are.” Ichirou's eyes seemed to blaze with untamed anger, an undying fire. The intensity behind his darkened emerald eyes was confounding, and Kagome could only describe it as such. And the only thing she could reason that would evoke such passion in him, was the untamed, undying force of pure hatred.

 

“Bloodthirsty animals,” Ichirou spat bitterly, turning his back to her. “That's all they are.”

 

Kagome shook her head in refusal, biting her lip. Even though Ichirou had told her this… Even if this was the truth… Why couldn't she accept it? Why did this answer fail to sate her? Why did she become so increasingly frustrated? She wanted to know the truth, and this was what she received. So why did she hope to correct it, to convince Ichirou otherwise? Kagome shook her head once more as she came to her feet, facing the taijiya with unfamiliar defiance.

 

“If that is all they participate in - uncontrollable slaughter - then why did one choose to save me?” Kagome contradicted his previous words. Her eyes blazed with a different rage all her own, something completely and utterly new to her. Tightening her fists, the girl watched him, though his back was turned. Slowly, Ichirou moved to face the young woman behind him.

 

Though, to Kagome's surprise, his expression was not one of anger; instead, it was of subtle, yet clearly baffled, shock.

 

It was then that Kagome finally realized her blunder. Covering her mouth as if the action would retract her careless confession, Kagome watched in silent horror as Ichirou gradually made his way across the room until he reached the place where she stood. The rage he had held in his expression only moments before had lessened considerably, but the sight of him was still frightening all the same.

 

“What…” Ichirou asked in a half whisper, though his voice was not any less intense. “What did you say?” The young man took Kagome's wrists in one large hand, pulling them away from her face gently.

 

Kagome closed her eyes, in dread of what Ichirou would do if he discovered her meetings with the daiyoukai Sesshomaru. “I-I don't know…” Kagome lied shakily. “I don't know what… what I was talking about.”

 

She tried to tug her arms away, in hopes of escaping from the miserable hell he was putting her through. However, Ichirou held her there, holding her close enough to him that the tips of her fingers grazed his simply clothed chest.

 

“I know you're lying, Kagome. It's easy to tell with you,” the solemn taijiya stated in a low voice. Ichirou persisted in his interrogation, “Tell me, Kagome; tell me what happened to you.”

 

Kagome stared up into his resolute eyes, suddenly unsure if she would be able to continue evading his questions. She feared what actions he would take as soon as he knew. Would he insist on keeping her locked away inside of the village's boundaries, or worse?

 

Would he go straight after Sesshomaru, himself…?

 

Shutting her eyes tight, Kagome turned her head away as she opened her mouth hesitantly to speak.

 

“Kagome…?” a feminine voice interrupted their confrontation from the doorway. “Ichirou?”

 

Looking up towards the source of the voice, Kagome's heart was filled with relief as she recognized the woman, her savior from this near-disaster.

 

“Kikyo!” she gasped as she stumbled away from Ichirou's grasp. The taijiya's expression, on the other hand, was darkened and tense. He was stood unmoving as Kagome rushed forward to meet her sister, his gaze falling downwards.

 

Kikyo was quiet as well, unsure what to make of the situation. The two sisters watched in silent apprehension as Ichirou slowly brushed his way past them, not before a quick parting bow from the young man as he excused himself.

 

“I should be going,” he said quietly.

 

And with those four words, the taijiya left them, already half way home before either sister was able to reciprocate the hasty farewell.