InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bringing Kagome Back ❯ Prologue

AN: Since I keep getting bugged about doing something with this story, I'm doing something. I've finally begun a restructure that should make the story's path a bit more clear for me. I also noticed that I have a bad habit of bringing Naraku back in the future. Certain things in this story MIGHT change. I still haven't decided everything yet. Thanks for your patience!

WARNING: This story contains rape and swearing and violence. If you have issues with any of those things, DO NOT READ. I don't want flamed because someone read this not knowing.

Bringing Kagome Back
By: Demonsaya

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They had found her in the the deepest, darkest corner of Naraku's palace. Looking at her made all of them cringe, as though they could feel her pain. Long deep cuts ran along Kagome's sides, down her thighs from cruel claws. Dirt covered her body from being carelessly tossed to the ground. One of her ankles was swollen twice it's normal size, obviously sprained or broken. Her torso was covered in dark welts, bruises from punches no doubt taken for fighting back. Slashes from a whip covered her back, a painful looking mesh of blood. She looked like he had taken her down there and spent days torturing her.

He probably had enjoyed every minute of it.

She lay curled up in a ball on the floor, her eyes holding a dead appearance. Tears flowed freely down her bruised face. Her hair hung limp and lifeless in front of her face. The look on her face was one neither of the two who had discovered her had ever seen on her face before.

Complete hopelessness.

Miroku had reached out to her, trying to coax her to her feet, to comfort her, to let her know her friends were there, that they would help her.

That was when Kagome made the first noise she'd made since Miroku and Shippou had found her.

She screamed.

The sound had echoed through the room, and then the castle, till it floated up to the level where Inuyasha, Sango, and Kouga were facing off with Naraku. It caused something to snap inside of the hanyou and with a hard swing of Tetsusaiga, he destroyed the demon.

Looking back to that now, Inuyasha realized his demon blood had screamed right along with the girl. He had known she was hurt. Instinctively, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he had known. Like some deep forgotten part of himself had felt her pain when he'd heard that tortured, terrified sound. He realized at that instant his demon blood had already made the decision his human side was hesitating over.

It was then that he realized that he loved Kagome.

Inuyasha glanced towards where Kagome lay against the floor of Kaede's hut, still bruised and battered. The girl's eyes were closed in troubled sleep, tears dancing at the corners of her eyes. She would twitch back and forth, whimpering softly in her sleep, like her soul was broken.

Each whimper broke his heart.

He could still remember after they had destroyed Naraku and ran down to find what had happened to Kagome. He couldn't remember being so terrified in his life of what the might find.

At the entry to the room their friends were in, Sango and Kouga halted, horrified. Yet, he had moved forward, slowly, like he was in a trance. He moved silently towards the girl who looked like someone had ripped her soul away. Kagome was sitting at that point, still screaming, her eyes wide, terrified, terrifying, tears pouring down her face, pausing only to draw breath when she would let out another ear-piercing scream that threatened to deafen him.

Miroku said something, tried to stop him, but he had just shook off the priests grasp, moving towards the woman he loved, a woman who was hurting.

He had smelled the scent of male orgasm all over her, Naraku's scent, from several feet away, and he hesitated, but only for a moment. When he finally reached her side and gently rested his fingers lightly against her lips. The finger just barely trembled as it came in contact with them, but he held it there gently. He brought his lips close to her ear and whispered two words softly against it.

“I'm here.”

And she'd stopped screaming.

He watched the heart-broken girl every day since, never asking questions, keeping their well-meaning, but sometimes too nosy friends from pushing her too hard. If they brought it up, he'd simply shake his head, giving them a firm look.

They'd been upset at first. Now they were just confused. They didn't have noses as sensitive as his own. Shippou was too young to understand what some of the smells that had been on Kagome's body actually were.

They didn't know the bastard had raped her.

Inuyasha's eyes saddened as he looked where the girl lay. They'd been in the village for days, but she wasn't asking to go home. She didn't seem to want to go see her family. It was as if she were scared to go back to her time. He didn't understand. He knew her mother. Her mother would help her through this.

But he didn't ask why.

Instead, he coaxed her to eat what she could and held her hair back when the memory of what had happened stressed her out so badly that she vomited profusely. He stood guard while she bathed everyday, scrubbing at her skin till it was red and nearly bleeding, trying to get something only she could feel off. He let her cry on his shoulder when the nightmares got so bad that she woke up screaming all over again.

Like the one she was building up to now.

He decided on a preemptive strike. Slowly, silently, Inuyasha stood, walking towards the sleeping girl and knelt beside her head. One hand reached down and smoothed her tangled, matted hair, while the other gently shook her awake. “Kagome...” He said quietly, bringing his lips close to her ear.

Her final whimper died into a groan and she opened her eyes slowly, releasing the tears that stood in them. Immediately, her eyes sought his and she relaxed a bit. She could see the concern in his beautiful golden eyes as he looked down at her and bit her lip, looking away. It hurt sometimes to see that concern. She knew she was causing them all to worry more by not telling anyone what happened, but that meant reliving it, and she just couldn't live if Inuyasha turned his back on her. She didn't read into his gaze, but sometimes it seemed that he was looking at her with such loving eyes that it hurt. “Sorry, Inuyasha. I'm okay now...” She lied.

Her voice sounded dead, like there was no emotion in her anymore. Like someone had broken that part of her that made her 'Kagome'. “Are you sure?” He asked softly, pulling his hands back. He shouldn't touch her. She probably didn't feel comfortable with him even this close. He received the expected response and sighed, looking away. She wasn't okay. He wished she would accept that and let him help. “Are you thirsty? I could get you some water...and I think Kaede has some Miso left from dinner...” If she wouldn't let him take care of the emotional issues, he could at least try to take care of the physical discomforts.

“Just leave me alone, please...” She whispered. She knew he was trying to help, but every time he treated her with kindness, she felt like he pitied her. She didn't want his pity. She wanted, needed his love

He lowered his gaze. So tonight she was going to be stubborn. He felt a bit of that hanyou annoyance and arrogance return. “Kagome, if you don't eat something, you're gonna get sick.”

“I'll be fine. Leave me alone...” She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away from him.

Inuyasha moved to stand, then stopped. 'Leave her alone? How can I leave her like this?' He could look at her face and saw the pain there, plain as day. His hands curled into fists slowly, claws biting into his skin. 'She's hurting. She's hurting because I wasn't strong enough to protect her. Because we didn't get there fast enough.' With a sigh, he reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of water. He uncapped it and forced it into her hand. “Please, at least drink some water...” He said softly.

She knocked the bottle away. “I said leave me alone!” She hissed, trying to look angry. She saw the startled look on his face and shame hit her. Quickly, she looked away.

He could leave it. He probably should. But he'd had enough. She was going to kill herself if she kept this up, and he was not going to watch her die. He could handle her being quiet as long as she took care of her body. The heart could heal later. But she wasn't letting anyone help her. She was drowning herself in her own misery, not letting anyone extend a hand to help her. “No.” Inuyasha said finally. He kept his voice soft, but firm.. He saw the shock on her face and bared his teeth at her slightly. “We are going to talk.” He said evenly, slipping one hand under her shoulders and the other under her knees.

The feeling of arms around her brought the memories back in a flash. She began to fight him, feeling fear welling up inside her. “No! Let me go!” She flailed her arms and kicked her feet, trying to get him to drop her, anything, just to get away from him.

Everyone in the hut startled awake and looked towards where Inuyasha was partially holding, partially restraining the girl. Sango looked nervously from the hanyou to the girl, but didn't interfere. Miroku gently caught Shippou by the scruff as the tiny demon lunged at Inuyasha.

Good. There was still some fight in her. That should make this easier. Inuyasha stood fluidly, looking towards their friends. “We'll be back later.” He said firmly, then walked out of the hut, holding the screaming flailing girl tight against his chest.

Kagome continued fighting, but she was tired, and weak, and Inuyasha was holding her against him in such a way that her struggles were very, very ineffective. Slowly, her body turned against her and her struggles weakened and finally died, not too far from Go Shinboku.

When the struggles died, he relaxed a bit, turning the holding into something more tender, more comforting. When they reached the tree, he set her down on the grass, his face perturbed. They had to be a good distance from the village, because he was more than slightly sure this was going to get moderately ugly, and he didn't need a bunch of the villagers getting pissed because they were woken up by one of their screaming matches. “Dammit, woman, are you trying to kill yourself?!” He snapped, but his voice was laced with worry.

She didn't meet his gaze.

Frustration grabbed him in the chest. “Kagome, LOOK AT ME!” He finally yelled. He hadn't raised his voice at her since this happened.

Slowly, Kagome lifted her gaze and met his. There were so many emotions in his eyes it was hard to make them all out. But right there in the forefront was concern. Right beside frustration and annoyance. Shame grabbed her and her heart bled. This was Inuyasha. The man who'd managed to get her to stop screaming after they found her, the one who carried her the whole way back in his arms, not on his back. The one who'd stood vigilant guard while she tried to was the feel of Naraku off her body. He'd spoon fed her soup when she was too weak to feed herself, was always there to comfort her when she woke up after reliving those memories in her sleep. Her lower lip began to tremble. Yes, this was Inuyasha. The man she trusted with her life, the man she loved. With an anguished cry, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “He...Inuyasha...he...”

Inuyasha slowly, hesitantly put his arms around her, making sure to keep them around her shoulders, where there were fewer wounds. He listened to her ragged sobs and bit his lip roughly, running one hand over the back of her head to calm her. “You don't have to talk about it.” He said softly. “You do, however, need to take care of yourself, or you wont get better.”

She pushed back, looking at him in confusion. Why didn't he want to know? Everyone else had been trying to get her to talk about it, but Inuyasha seemed uninterested. “Don't you want to know?” She asked, biting her lip. “Everyone has been practically begging me to tell them, yet you tell me 'I don't have to'? Don't you CARE?!” She was so confused. What was wrong with her?

A frown turned down his lips and he grabbed her biceps, seeing that she was about to get up and run away. “Don't be stupid, Kagome.” He snapped. He saw her jaw drop and huffed. “Of course I care.” His voice was gruff, but gentle. “But I already know. I've known from the beginning. I could smell Naraku on you the whole way back.” He released her slowly. “No point making you relive something to someone who already knows...” He looked away.

Kagome's eyes widened, then filled with tears. Little memories popped in of how he would simply wave the others away when they started asking questions, how he'd give them warning looks now and then when their questions go a bit too close to home. A cry left her lips and she burrowed into his chest. “Why? Why couldn't he have just killed me?” She whimpered.

Fear knifed through him and Inuyasha pushed her back, keeping his hands tight on her shoulders. “Kagome, don't ever say that again!” He growled. He bit his lip hard so hard it bled and thought for a moment before he spoke. “At least this way...you're still alive...At least this way, you can heal and live...and...” his voice broke a bit. “You're my best friend.” He admitted, not willing to say more. “So don't talk about dying.”
A tear slowly wound down Kagome's face at his word. “I wish I could just go back to my life before I was drug here...” She whispered, lowering her head so Inuyasha couldn't see the pain in her eyes. “If I'd never come here, this never would have happened...” She finished, squeezing her eyes shut, releasing a second tear down the opposite cheek.

It splashed on Inuyasha's hand.
He dropped his hands and looked away. “I know...” He whispered. He'd thought about it constantly since she'd been taken in the first place. If only he hadn't made her come back that last time. Maybe this wouldn't have happened. “I'm sorry...Maybe...” He swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut. “You'd be better off going home, Kagome. Away from this time, back to your mother. She could help you...” He curled his hands into fists against the grass, an unspeakable pain in his chest. With an option like that thrust in her face, there was no doubt in his mind that she would take it in a heartbeat. And when she was gone...he'd be alone. Again.

She lifted her head slowly, staring at him in shock. 'Go home?' She wondered in disbelief. She saw his ears lowered close against his hair and somehow, sensed his sadness. She reached towards him, moments away from stroking those ears when a horrible realization hit her. “But...If I go home...” She took a slow breath to steady herself. “How can I tell them? What if they try to marry me off...what if I get pregnant...I can't take that, Inuyasha...” She felt a tear roll down her face when two golden eyes met hers. “I can't deal with it alone, Inuyasha...” She wrapped her hands around one of his fists, her eyes terrified. “Come with me. Please. I can't deal with this alone.”

To go with her, be by her side? There was nothing he wanted more. He shook his head slowly. But the world was against them, and so was time. “I don't belong there, Kagome...I don't fit in.” He looked away, his face serious. She was crying. He hated it when she cried “Besides, you'll get hurt again, and it'll be my fault. Just like it was this time.” She'd be better off going home and staying there. Finding a nice human mate like that Hoho kid. Someone who could buy her nice things. Someone she wouldn't get ridiculed or insulted for loving.

Kagome stared at him, seeing the defeated slump in his posture. “You don't mean that!” She whispered fiercely. “And I don't care if you 'don't fit in'. I need you for this. I need you to help me make it through. I can't go on alone, Inuyasha. I need you there.” Please don't leave me...Please...she mentally begged, reaching towards him.

“Keh...” Her plea had left him weak. Physically, he was trembling. It didn't help that there was nothing he wanted more than to do what she was asking him. But she would eventually get hurt, or someday she would finally did go off and get married to some human from her time? He would see it, he would have to watch her live her happily ever after without him...
“Please, Inuyasha...”
That took what little will he had left to resist her away. He would follow her anywhere she wanted, anyways. “Alright...” He finally whispered, resting his other hands on hers. He blinked in shock when suddenly Kagome's arms were around his chest, squeezing the air out of him. An exasperated sigh left him and he smiled a bit, putting his arms around her and pressing his nose into her hair. “We should go back to the hut.” He said gruffly. Gently he shifted her in his arms and stood in a single, fluid motion. “Go ahead and sleep, Kagome, we'll return to your world tomorrow...” He said holding her against his chest. “And I'll stay as long as you need me there.”

She gave a small smile, the first in several days and rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Thank you, Inuyasha...” She whispered softly, closing her eyes and falling into a fitful sleep for the first time in weeks.

Inuyasha watched her sleep as he walked through the dark forest, his eyes soft and sad. It may kill him, but he would stay with her. He would stay by her side and help her heal and be the constant she needed. The constant she'd always been for him. Then, god help him, when she didn't need him any more, he would do the right thing and step aside. She didn't need a hanyou dragging her down for the rest of her life.When he reached the hut, he sat on the floor and lay her down as well, letting her rest her head against his lap. He remained vigilantly awake, watching over her and their friends while the humans all slept.