InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Dreams ❯ Memories of Darkness ( Chapter 30 )

Broken Dreams

 

Chapter 30

 

Memories of Darkness

 

“3 years of living in peace…I guess my youkai side was just itching to get a good fight.” Inuyasha muttered. He visibly shivered and tightened his grip of Tetsusaiga. Kagome looked up from the cooking pot on the fire as the hanyou's golden eyes took on a darker look. Kagome was mentally kicking herself for pushing for Inuyasha to come. It was only after his fight that that dark look deepened.

“To be perfectly fair, you were provoked.” Toga pointed out. Everyone turned to glare at the hanyou leaning against the wall. “Hanyous only give in to their youkai blood when overwhelmed in battle and they risk death.”

“It was not my intention to kill you.” Raijin sniffed. “I was merely testing him. Had I wished to kill you, Inuyasha, I would have done so.” Inuyasha looked up at Raijin.

“Thanks, I guess.” He muttered. Toga snorted and turned over on the floor, covering himself with a pelt from his sleeping bag.

“I am going to rest. I do not wish to be disturbed until morning.” He growled. Raijin spared the monk a glance before nodding towards Inuyasha.

“As I said, I was merely testing you. Naraku ordered me to capture you for him. I wished to know why.” Raijin looked down at the Tetsusaiga in Inuyasha's grasp. “If what I observed is true, your youkai side is quite strong. It is no wonder Naraku would wish to possess such power.” Kagome ladled the small soup in the pot into one of the bowls Inuyasha had packed and handed it to him.

It's not just that, Naraku and Inuyasha have been enemies for years.” She told Raijin. Raijin nodded.

“Understandable. Inuyasha is strong in his youkai form, but there are others that Naraku could capture more easily. I figured my orders would have stemmed from a personal vendetta.” Inuyasha frowned.

“So what are you going to do now?” He asked. Raijin peered at him.

“That depends on you. If you indeed plan to fight Naraku, then I will carry out my orders and deliver you to him. If, however, I ascertain that you pose no threat to him, then I shall leave you in peace.” Raijin bowed and swept out of the hut. Kagome cocked an eyebrow at Inuyasha.

“Well?” She asked. Inuyasha shrugged.

“I really don't want to fight Naraku anymore. If he comes for us, I'll protect you, but otherwise…” Inuyasha's gaze fell on the Tetsusaiga. “If it comes to it, I'll use the Kongosoha and kill him, but…” Inuyasha trailed off, and Kagome wisely decided to change the subject.

“Um, I was thinking…” She started. “You were…lost, three years ago, but you said that Yoshi found you two and a half years ago. Where were you for those few months?” Kagome asked. Inuyasha bit his lip and looked away.

“I told you before, I don't like to talk about it.” He whispered. Kagome nodded.

“I know, but I thought you might have changed your mind…” She replied. She waited, but Inuyasha didn't say anything more. Sighing, Kagome took another bowl from the pack.

“It was dark.” Inuyasha muttered. Kagome froze and looked over her shoulder. The hanyou's head had dropped to his chest, his eyes taking on a dark look. “It…it was dark. And it was cold. I wasn't sure where I was, or…who I was. I think there were a few things I remembered, but…they vanished.” Kagome set down the bowl and moved to sit beside Inuyasha. “If he was still remembering, it must have been just after the fall…”

“I couldn't move a lot, there were chains around me. My wrists…my ankles…I knew I should have been able to break them. But I just felt so weak…and there was something over my eyes, I couldn't even see. But I could smell. And the room reeked of burnt flesh and death. Both of the smells were coming from me.” Inuyasha slowly raised his three-clawed hand to stare at the empty space where a finger should have been.

“I'm not sure how long I lay there…I tried to escape, but there was something draining me…then I heard someone come in…a man and a woman. They started a fire near me, and I wasn't sure what was going on. Then I smelt hot steel. I started struggling, but one of them grabbed me and held my hand open…” Inuyasha had started to shake as he clenched his hand. Kagome reached out and wrapped her own around his fist.

“I've never felt anything like it. I felt like every nerve was on fire. I screamed, but they didn't care. I just wanted to know who they were, who I was…why they were doing this. Then they stopped, and I felt even weaker. I could feel it…not there anything.” Inuyasha held up his other hand, the one missing the thumb. “It was this one. They had had their fun with my other hand.” He growled. “It hurt so much, I though I was dying. Either that or I already had and was in Hell. I…I begged them to kill me. I begged them to stop hurting me and just make the pain stop. He told me…that I didn't deserve to die. He told me that I deserved to beg, to suffer. That I deserved to live like the half-breed freak I really was.” Kagome threw caution to the wind and wrapped her arms around the hanyou beside her. She winced slightly and Inuyasha gripped her and dug his claws into her back, but she didn't pull away.

“I'm so sorry…” She whispered. Inuyasha nodded against her shoulder before pulling away.

“I fell asleep…and I'm not sure how long I was out. But when I came to, there was fire. The whole room was on fire. I screamed for help, but no one came. A beam cut one of the chains, and I tore off my blindfold. Then…” Inuyasha started to breathe more deeply as he reached up to his face. Locking eyes with Kagome, he traced a claw over the scar over his eye and forehead.

“I waited for the pain to stop, than I got out of there. My hair was on fire, I think my flesh was on fire even. I just kept running until I found a river. I jumped in and waited. I ended up falling asleep half in the water. When I woke up…” Kagome nodded.

“Youkai.” She whispered. Inuyasha nodded.

“And…I didn't know who they were back then…” He said uneasily. “But I think I recognize the voices now...of the two people that did this.” He sighed and hung his head.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Outside, Raijin listened as Inuyasha named his unknown assailants. He frowned and walked into the forest. “So, no wonder Naraku wanted Inuyasha. He's already tried to break the hanyou. And he failed when his castle was attacked.” Raijin sighed.

“That so called `abomination' has found peace that most youkai and ningen can only dream of. He just wants to live. And Naraku wants him to die.” Raijin stared at the ground as Inuyasha's memory played back in his head. “He had suffered enough. He shall suffer no more, not by my hand.” Raijin raised his head and glared at someone unseen for in the dark forest that stretched before him.

“I shall give you the power of any ningen or youkai you desire, Naraku. Except for Inuyasha and Kagome.” He declared. “They have suffered enough. I refuse to make them suffer anymore.”

 

Another piece of the puzzle clicks into place. But there's still a big piece that no one has figured out yet! And there's one more piece that I bet no one has even expected until now about Inuyasha's deformities…

 

Translation

 

Kongosoha; the Diamond Spear Blast that can break Naraku's strongest barriers. Not really seen until the last jewel shard is found, meaning that you've probably never heard of it over in the US and Canada. Unless you know where to look, of course.