InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blazing Hearts ❯ Chapter 32

Blazing Hearts

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Inuyasha or company; I merely toy with them for my own twisted amusement.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Kagome felt very numb as she lay in bed. Even the kisses that had been earlier showered on her body by her hanyou couldn't make her relax. Kikyo had known something and meant to warn her… but she was killed by Suikotsu instead.

She looked at the now sleeping hanyou and she ran a hand through his silver hair. An act that was once calming had no effect on her at this moment, but she still remained in awe at his beauty.

With a deep sigh, she thought back to her conversations she'd had that day. She had called her family and she cried with them and then she had called Rin. Rin was shocked when Kagome had told her, no doubt, but Kagome didn't hear any sadness—of sympathy, there was plenty—but Kagome knew that she shouldn't have expected any sadness on her best friend's part. Rin and Kikyo never did get along. Kikyo didn't get along with many because of her severe views of demons; Kagome knew she wouldn't get much more from her co-workers either. They would sympathize, but they wouldn't be sad.

Rin was, however, terrified when Kagome confessed who had been there. She demanded that Kagome get out of dodge… to run away. The thought had occurred to Kagome as well. She could have easily gone to L.A. with her son. She didn't expect she would have to plead very much to get Inuyasha to leave with her… so why didn't she do it? Kagome couldn't answer for her own reasons. Something… just something made her stay.

She scooted down in the bed and laid her head on her love's bare chest. Inuyasha would keep her safe. Suikotsu was insane, but Inuyasha was half demon—surely that trumped madman. She wouldn't have to worry… but who would protect the other innocent people out there?

Closing her eyes, exhaustion took over and sleep overcame her with ease.

********

It was a marvelous thing to be Naraku as luck favored him so. He smiled a revolting smile and looked into the wide, frozen eyes of his former partner. “You should never have gone to Kikyo,” he told the corpse. “I thought you were smarter than that, Abi.”

It was also a marvelous thing to work with such dangerous weapons and an environment where so many dangerous experiments were done—this wouldn't have been the first accident to happen at this site and this wouldn't have been the first fatality in the company, especially when it concerned acid. These things were known to happen. Patting the corpse's head and gently running his fingers through her silky hair once, Naraku shrugged his coat on, “It's a pity. You were a great partner.”

********

No one knew what to say to Kagome when she came to work. No one thought she would be coming to work after what had happened… where it happened… and what she saw.

The door had opened and Kagome walked in, her face unreadable. Botan and Momiji shared an uneasy look. Kagura and Rin watched her as she sat down at her desk. Each of the women wondered why she had come in; not even Kaede—who was in charge—came in. However, none had the nerve to ask.

As Kagome leafed through her paperwork in a desperate attempt to quiet the thoughts that ran through her mind. She looked up and saw the confused and worried face of her best friend. Rin's mouth opened to ask the question that Kagome did not want to answer. “Don't,” she cut Rin off before she had a chance to do so.

“If you need to—“

“I know,” Kagome answered quickly, not looking back up at her friend but rather fixating her eyes on her papers… on her clients.

The day went on without the usual bustle or chatter. Momiji had begun to apologize for Kagome's loss, but she was cut off nearly as quickly as Rin had been—didn't they realize that she didn't want to think about it? She didn't want to cry—that is, if there were tears left within her to cry.

Botan and Kagura only shot the woman pitying glances and while she hadn't appreciated that, but she couldn't snap at them for that, she made sure not to look at them.

Few clients came in, people who hadn't been reading the papers or watching the news and others who were more interested in their own problems to care. But that was okay. Kagome didn't want them to know, she didn't want them to care. All she wanted to do was focus on them. All she wanted was to solve their pitiful love lives so that she didn't have to focus on what happened to Kikyo and why it had happened and what Kikyo needed to tell her. She didn't want to deal with it right now, she would when she went home, she just needed these eight hours to only have to think about her job—for this, she was thankful that her grandmother hadn't come in.

Unfortunately, those eight hours passed by quickly and it was time to go back to reality.

“Kagome, be careful,” Kagura said as she and Rin stopped her before she left the building.

“Do you want me to go with you to Inuyasha's place?” Rin asked.

Kagome shook her head, “No. No… I'll be fine. I just need to think about what I'm going to do,” she told her.

Though grudgingly, Rin accepted her friend's position. Even if Kagome needed someone to talk to—which Rin was certain that she did—the person she needed clearly wasn't her.

********

Kagome didn't know what to expect. She knew what she feared, however, and she knew that fear wouldn't help her. Inuyasha would protect her if she needed him to… she probably would. And Inuyasha was half demon. Suikotsu, while completely insane and dangerous, was still only human. Again Kagome felt her heart sink into her stomach and found herself mourning her cousin.

Well… that was it wasn't it? Kikyo had come to help her, warn her… to save her. Kagome could either wait for something to happen or she could confront the danger first; on her own terms. Whatever Kikyo had known, she didn't sit on it and although she ended up torn apart as a result, Kagome would rather that fate than stay safe and live in constant fear.

Her mind was made up. She wouldn't wait for Suikotsu to come and terrorize her. She would find him first. It was time she took control herself.

“You want to what?” Inuyasha asked, staring at her with his unblinking golden stare. “Do you have any idea how stupid that is??”

“It's not stupid,” she defended, “not really. I don't want to live in fear until Suikotsu decides to finally show up and slice out my heart.”

“I'll protect you! You don't need to be afraid!”

“You can't be with me every minute of every day,”

His look informed her that he begged to differ, but surprisingly he said nothing. Kagome sighed and took his hands, kissing the knuckles with light butterfly kisses and marveling at how sharp and dangerous his claws were… and how she didn't fear them as they grazed across her flesh. “I know you're worried, but if I don't do this and end it all now, I will never be able to sleep. I'll never see my son. I need this to be over. So I can't wait for the bad guy to make the first move.”

His eyes remained hardened and his hands tightened over hers. “I'm coming with you.”

She smiled sadly, “I know.”

It wasn't as though she'd planned on doing this without his help; to face Suikotsu all on her own would be suicide. And even if she had planned on going alone, there was absolutely no possible way Inuyasha would have let her. Though the fact that she had expected and even needed him to help her didn't make her any less afraid for her love. He was still going to risk his life to help her do what she needed. And Kagome hated that she had no choice but to let him… to ask him…

They didn't have much trouble getting to Kagome's home. Inuyasha carefully snuck through a window and sniffed around for the scent he knew didn't belong while Kagome waited in the car. It hadn't taken him more than two or three minutes. When he returned, he got into the car and drove a few blocks away before parking the car, he looked at Kagome, “I can't follow his scent in this thing. If you want to do this, I have to be on foot and you have to get on my back,” he told her before stepping out.

She nodded in acknowledgment, “All right,”

He bent down and she hopped onto his back, “This is the last chance to back out. You sure you wanna do this?”

“More than anything,” she told him grimly.

Kagome is done being the victim and she's ready to take things into her own hands—with Inuyasha's help of course. The next chapter will be the last with the exception of a possible epilogue.

“What's the use of having it all, if there's no one around to stop you?” - Megamind (Will Ferrell) - Megamind