InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Light ❯ Chapter 28 ( Chapter 28 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N**UPDATED** Hi everyone, I kept re-reading this chapter over and over again, and I just didn't feel it was working the way I wanted it too, so I've revamped it a bit and I feel that it flows so much better now. I hope you think so too! Lady P. :-)

A/N** I want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews! It really makes it worthwhile knowing that you are all enjoying my characters and their crazy situation so much. And it sounds like many of you out there know exactly what my characters are feeling and thinking, which makes it that more worthwhile! :-) Yes, Inu and his friends will stop at nothing to be there for eachother... but sometimes life works in very mysterious way, and sometimes what we think, is not really what "is". Lol! I hope I haven't confused too many of you out there, but you'll have to finish reading the story to understand. I know, I know, I'm so mean ;-) Lady P.

Summary**What help can the mysterious demon bring to our down-trodden gang, and will it be enough to get Kagome back? Has Naraku finally won? What happens when Kagome experiences something so terrible, that she knows it will haunt her all the days of her life? Has he broken our favourite Miko? Read to find out!

I do not own Inu Yasha or any of these characters.

Please, please, please forgive me for all the cliffhangers that I'm goning to be leaving you with =) Lady P.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.01.2005 | Updated On: 04.23.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 704 | Status: Work In Progress

Chapter 28

“What the hell is going on here? Who the hell is this guy!?” Kouga snaps, taking a defensive position in front of the group.

“Relax Kouga.” Inu Yasha reaches out a hand to the wolf's shoulder. “He's a friend…sort of.”

“What do you mean? And what about the wolf? That's the wolf that's been leading me around. That's why I showed up here in the first place. That wolf led me here!” Kouga's irritation at not knowing what was going on was starting to show. Not that anyone could blame him. He had been getting fleeting memories of a past life he didn't completely understand, and had only recently, for whatever reason, recovered the rest of his memories.

“Kouga,” Miroku's calm and reassuring voice helped to restrain the wolf's mounting frustration. “That story is a bit complex at the moment, and one I promise we will fill you in on a little later. We don't know much about him, just that he seems to show up when we need help. As for the wolf, well, we've never seen the wolf before.”

“The wolf is a friend of mine,” the cloaked figure cut in. “She's been keeping an eye on our friend here.” He gestures towards Kouga.

“Me!? What the fuck for!?” Kouga didn't like the idea that someone had actually been keeping tabs on him and he had been completely oblivious.

“Let's just say that you are one of the pieces to this puzzle. You were there, weren't you, at the end, with Naraku? You were connected to the shard hunt just as strongly as the others here.”

“How the hell do you know that?” Kouga growls out.

“As the others will tell you, I know a lot of things. But we have more pressing concerns to deal with. The main one being retrieving Kagome back from Naraku. We've got to find him.” The cloaked figure spat out Naraku's name as though he couldn't believe that such a thing had happened, but he struggled to conceal his anger.

“I know asshole!” Inu Yasha steps forward bearing his teeth, ready to attack, when a thought suddenly occurs to him. He scratches at his ear while a confused look overcomes him.

“What is it Inu?” Miroku asks. Surprised that Inu Yasha had cut off his tirade so short. That was very un-Inu Yasha like.

“You wanna know something weird?” Inu Yasha asks to the group in general.

“What?”

“For a while there, I was almost sure that Kouga might have been the cloaked demon.”

“WHAT!?!” Everyone flinches at Kouga's roar. “Why the hell did you think that!?”

“I dunno. He sort of annoys me the same way you do.”

“Whatever dog-shit, I don't need to put up with this.” Kouga crosses his arms and looks away, but doesn't move from his spot.

“You know,” Miroku adds thoughtfully, “to be honest, I was kinda thinking the same thing.”

The rising growl from Kouga signaled Sango to move the conversation along into a different direction, so she turned her attention back to the cloaked figure.

“Listen, you say you can help us find Kagome?”

“I didn't say that.” The cloaked figure replies matter-of-factly.

“Grrr! What the hell are you playing at!?” Inu Yasha growls, “You did so!”

“Actually, what I said was that we needed to find Naraku, to retrieve Kagome. I don't know where he's got Kagome, but I do know how to find Naraku.”

“Then tell us,” Sango pleads with the figure.

The mysterious demon gauges her with his eyes as the wolf beside him whines slightly. He looks down at the wolf and a kind of silent communication seems to pass between them. The cloaked figure nods to the wolf as he returns his gaze to the demon slayer. When he spoke, it was with a much friendlier and sympathetic tone that carried over the field.

“But what will you do when you find him demon slayer?” The figure's tone was soft, but questioning. “Naraku will be able to incapacitate your demon friends with his deadly gas mixture and you still do not have the jewel. You will need to overcome both of these things if you want to get your friend back.”

Sango hung her head feeling defeated. She knew the figure was right. What could they do? And how did they go about finding the jewel?

“Fortunately,” the demon's voice hinted at a smile under the dark shadows of the cape. “I may be able to help the hanyou with the Miko poisonous gas.” He turns his shrouded head in Inu Yasha's direction.

“How?” If Inu Yasha could protect himself against the gas somehow, he knew he'd be able to get to Naraku once and for all.

The cloaked figure smirks. “I'm surprised you haven't figured it out by now. But then again, most dogs aren't known for their keen intellect.”

Inu Yasha growls threateningly low in his chest as Kouga chuckles behind him. A grin quickly spreads across Kouga's face. “I see what you mean.”

Inu Yasha shoots him a dirty glare before turning back to the cloaked figure. “Well I don't, okay!?”

A soft chuckle carries across the field. “No matter, listen carefully. You are mated to a Miko are you not?” Inu Yasha nods.

“You both carry a connection to each other, one that has opened your spirits and your powers to each other. Your Miko's power does not harm you because it recognizes you as her mate. You can simply draw on her power to create a shield against the Miko powers infused in the poisonous gas. Then all you have to worry about is the poisonous gas, which you should be quite resilient too.”

Inu Yasha's eyes widened in wonder. Was it possible? Having Sesshoumaru as a brother after all these years had definitely built up his body's immunity to poisonous gas. He couldn't count how many times Sesshoumaru had attacked him with his poison claws in the past while the brothers fought over something stupid. But to be able to draw on and use Kagome's powers as his own? Was it possible?

“But… our connection. It's being blocked now.”

The figure shook his head. “It doesn't matter. Traces of Kagome's energy, of her power, her spirit, already reside within you. Just as traces of your demon powers reside within her. All you need to do is draw on it.”

“I don't know.” Inu Yasha wasn't sure. How could he possibly have traces of Kagome's powers within him? Sure the connection formed during mating was something that wasn't fully understood by any dog-demon. It had always carried a deep, mysterious undertone, which was why dog-demons took mating so seriously. But a sharing of their powers? Inu Yasha knew that he could send energy to Kagome through their bond, as he had done it in the past, but did that mean they were actually performing an exchange of spirit?

“Inu Yasha, I can see that you are uncertain, so please, for all our sakes, humor me. Draw your senses inward and try to locate the essence of Kagome in your blood. You know what she feels like to you, all you need to do is search for that.”

Inu Yasha eyed the figure for a moment. He wished he knew who the demon was sometimes so he could both pound him to within an inch of his life, and yet shake his hand at the same time for all the help he had given them recently. Even if that help had never been exactly clear or without a witty smart-ass comment made at Inu Yasha's expense.

Inu Yasha closes his eyes. He concentrates on his inner senses as he feels his own powers stirring within him. He could feel the humming of both his human and demon powers within. They were warring against each other and embracing each other at the same time. It was odd to observe his two sides like that. He'd never done it before. He could feel how one would rise to give way to the other, depending on Inu Yasha's mood. He shook his head free of the thoughts. He needed to concentrate on Kagome.

Kagome. Her name immediately brought a warm fuzzy feeling humming through his blood. He sensed his human and demon powers immediately reach for her. The odd part was observing how his two sides actually worked together. They seemed to be joined as one as the feel and buzz of Kagome began to rise to the surface. Inu Yasha smirked in his mind. Was it so surprising that Kagome could bring such peace and understanding to his constantly warring demon and human sides? That she could connect his two halves better with her mere presence, then anything he had ever been able to do?

He concentrated harder as he tried to focus on the soft hum that felt like Kagome. He could feel it, itching under his blood, hiding almost. His human and demon side were reluctant to let it loose as they fought to protect her, as they wrapped themselves around her. Inu Yasha growled softly at the protectiveness of his very blood. But slowly, his blood waned, understanding the greater need presented at the moment. Slowly, both his human and demon side relaxed their hold and Inu Yasha could suddenly feel the strong intense sense that was Kagome.

Everyone gasped as they watched Inu Yasha's eyes snap open while a blue fire burned visibly in his aura. The unmistakable feel of Miko power crackled and radiated from his body. Inu Yasha grinned as he closed his eyes, releasing the power, allowing it to be engulfed and protected once again by his human and demon side as the blue glow faded from his aura.

Inu Yasha's grin was wide and toothy. “Cool!”

The shrouded figure nods his head in approval. “Very good Inu Yasha. Now you know how to call on it when you need it.”

Inu Yasha was beside himself with joy. Somehow, the feel of Kagome's power coursing through his body had reassured him. Had allowed him to feel closer to his missing mate and it had soothed his senses. Kagome's power was like a soft warm blanket, wrapping itself around him. He felt more focused, more connected to everything around him with her power coursing through his blood.

“Very cool,” Miroku grinned in turn.

“But what about the jewel?” Kouga asked. If Inu Yasha could survive the Miko enchanted poisonous gas, there was a strong possibility they could take Naraku down once and for all. They just needed to get their hands on the stupid missing jewel.

“That, I am not certain of.” The shrouded figure spoke hesitantly. “But I can tell you that the jewel is closer to you then you think.”

“But how close? Where do we find it?” Sango just wanted to get her friend back.

“I believe you have already been given clues to its whereabouts. When you understand, then you will be able to face Naraku. And him you will find where he operates his weapons business near the coast.”

“Clues?” Sango questioned, as her hopes soared with the information of Naraku's location. Finally! And then she remembered what Kagome had told them about her meeting with the entity of light.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Yeah, it's really weird. The entity said that the jewel has come back, but I've never seen it.” Kagome munched on a piece of toast as they all sat around the table while she described her most recent visitation with the entity of light.

“What exactly did it say?” Miroku asked as he tried to swipe at a pop tart on Sango's plate, who immediately smacked his hand away.

“Get your own.” She growled through bites of chocolate and marshmallow. Miroku had quickly learned that one did not mess with Sango when she was hungry.

Kagome sipped on her glass of chocolate milk as she recalled what exactly the entity had said. “Well, it said that after we figured out the riddle of the fallen and fixing the weapons and everything, that the power revealed to us by the `un-fallen' is what we must seek. It said that together the knowledge and understanding combined would power the jewel when all the spirits were in place. That the power of all the heavens would be in the palm of our hands.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It made as little sense to Sango now, as it had then.

************

Kagome shivered in the dark damp room. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she knew that she was ready to leave now. Naraku had just left and Kagome could feel her resolve breaking up inside. She wasn't sure what to expect when he had first come into the room, but her heart had leapt in her throat as he knelt in front of her, running a clawed hand down the side of her face. His arrogant smirk had been enough to let her know that he was only just beginning.

He had tried to simply ask her at first, the location of the jewel. But he didn't seem to believe her when she denied knowing its location. That was when he had done something shocking and unexplainable to her. Something she was sure would follow her and haunt her, all the days of her life.

He had gripped her under her chin, pulling her taught against the cold metal of the chains towards him. Her body arched and strained against the unnatural alignment of her body as she struggled to keep from crying out in pain. His claws dug into the flesh of her cheeks, tiny droplets of blood spilling over his fingers. He had grinned as he held her eyes to his when there came a sudden dark flash.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What the…Where am I?” Kagome rubs at her eyes. Where was she? Where had she come from? What had she been doing just now, and why couldn't she remember?

Kagome takes in her surroundings as she looks around. She's in a dark but familiar forest. There are soft cries humming softly in the background as if they are a fair distance a ways, and she can see the glow of massive fires burning against the dark sky in the distance. Confused and disoriented, she doesn't understand what's happening. Where was her mate? How had she gotten here? Had they finally destroyed Naraku? When suddenly, she hears Inu Yasha cry out in the distance as the unmistakable roar of the Tetsusaiga's powerful attack carries across the sky.

Pushing aside all her questions, Kagome quickly races through the forest. Her lungs burn in her chest as she finally comes upon the field where a massive battle has taken place. Kagome continues to race past the burning trees while the sky chokes itself with fire and ash. She can hear the screams of demons all around her, but could see nothing in the choppy light of the fires. When suddenly the torn and bloody body of Inu Yasha limps towards her from a clearing, holding out the broken pieces of the Tetsusaiga in each hand.

“Ka…go…” was all he could utter of her name, as he falls to his knees before her. Kagome gasps in horror at the site before her as she struggles to fight back her tears. One of his beautiful golden eyes had been torn from his face. A bloody mess of torn flesh and oozing blood caked the entire side of his face. His ears, his soft, beautiful ears had been shredded. Nothing remained but torn bloody stumps. A deep gash ran down from his shoulder to his hipbone, his blood and organs were slowly seeping from the disastrous wound. He struggled to speak as his voice choked on the blood spilling from his mouth.

“…your…fault,” he accuses before finally collapsing to the ground as his blood begins to pool around him, staining the white mane of his hair.

A fallen Angel.

Kagome screams hysterically, backing away from the bloody and torn figure of her love. As the trees continue to burn, the ash falling from the sky leaves a gritty film of dirt smearing across her arms and her face. Tears burst from her eyes as Kagome struggles to keep from looking at the gory sight before her. How was this possible? What had happened? These nightmares of events simply could not be happening!

Kagome screams and screams until her voice falls hoarse and the grisly scene slowly begins to fade from her vision. Her head begins to swarm in a fuzzy haze as her eyes, sticky from the tears she had shed, begin to register the presence of a figure before her. She blinks away salty tears as she stares up into the unblinking satisfied glare of Naraku.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome tries to shake her head free from the haze that still clings to her. She didn't understand. What had happened? Naraku's laugh finally breaks through the emotional fogginess of her brain.

“You see my dear, if you do not give me what I seek, I will have you live horrors in your mind the likes of which you can not begin to imagine. And then, when I have broken your spirit, when your mind has been ravaged by my touch, I will ensure that you experience first hand, just how well I can turn your nightmares into reality.” He grins as he allows the full effect of his words to wash over her.

“Why don't you just think about that for a while now, okay? I'll be by to see you a little later. Maybe you'll be more talkative then. Sweet dreams.” Naraku rises and exits the room, feeling quite pleased and proud of himself.

Kagome had sat in stunned silence, huddled in on herself on the cold floor, unmoving, ever since. Her bloody tear stained face could do nothing but continue to stare on in horrified shock in the direction that Naraku had left.

“It…it wasn't real.” Understanding finally begins to register in her thoughts. But how could that be? How had he been able to do that? It had felt so real. She had been there! It had nearly torn her apart! Kagome's resolve hardened. She needed to escape and by any means possible, or die in the effort. Kagome knew without question that her heart would simply not survive another such attack.

She closes her eyes and prays for strength, knowing that her Miko powers were useless to her in her chains.

“Inu Yasha,” she thinks to herself as she struggles to reach within her memories of him for comfort and reassurance. When a sudden odd humming sound begins to coil its way inside her. If Kagome hadn't known any better, she could have sworn that Inu Yasha was in the room with her, but he wasn't. He was somewhere inside her, calling to her.

“Kagome…”

Kagome's eyes snap open. How could it be? How could she feel him so closely, so intensely? And most importantly, how could she find him? Hope surges within her as she closes her eyes again and concentrates on the humming feel of his energy. Pulling it closer to her, she prays for strength.

“I hear you Inu Yasha. I'm coming.”