InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Soul of the Future, White Heart of the Past (On hold) ❯ Chapter 16: Day of Warmth, Night of Coldness - part 2 ( Chapter 17 )
Written by: Zelix
A/N: Hey, guess what?! I finally figured out a usage for the story title! It will be revealed in time but not for a while now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, you know that by now… But I do own my fabulous OC!
"Talking"
`Thinking'
=Used when mentioning Techniques or attacks =
[Check the bottom for details]
If this was a TV-series:
Opening: Blue Gender - Tokihanate
Ending: Tanpopo - Track 1
Dark Soul of the Future, White Heart of the Past
Episode 16: "Day of Warmth, Night of Coldness" - Part 2
"The Warrior group ponders and thinks on how to win against the dark beast, the Warrior and the Priestess spend they're time alone while waiting for it's return… yet, what are the two sides thinking? Is the beast merely a killer? Or is it something more? If only we could understand…" - Unknown
*In Inuyasha's forest*
Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome had really talked much when they reached the well, Inuyasha was capable of walking on his own now but he still needed to support himself a bit with Tetsusaiga, at first he couldn't figure out why his body was still aching so much? He didn't have any wounds so why was his body sill shaky and weak?
He then remembered what Kaede had said: "It's not your body that's damaged Inuyasha, it's your You-ki and your energy that has not restored itself yet… using =Kaze no Kizu= Took a lot out of your physical strength but also your internal strength, in other words: Your soul, because of this even if you're body has restored itself your spirit is still trying to stabilise itself, since ye are not a houshi ye spiritual power is untrained, so ye must just be patient."
He thought while keeping Kagome close to him: `I really don't understand that spiritual crap very well but… it's true, my body has healed but I still lack the strength to move by myself, shit… it's rather scary when I think about it: it took me this much to just defeat Kasaraki's =Kuroi Kaze no Jigoku= Technique, it took so much out of that I can barely stand while he was just warming up, even after I pushed all I had into it, he still stood without a scratch… now, when he comes back, how in the name of seven hells am I supposed defeat him?' By that time, they had reached the well, Kirara just mewed at them and Kagome said her thanks to the little fire Neko (Cat) before she took off back to the village, after this Inuyasha could feel a sting at his heart, this was a really bad situation for him… he knew that he couldn't win against Kasaraki and if he didn't win then Kagome would be all alone even though he swore he would come back to her no matter what! When she turned to face him he put on his normal face and just said: "Shall we go, mate?"
Kagome could have sworn she saw concern crossing Inuyasha's features but ignored it for now, all she wanted right now was to be alone with him in her own era, where no threats or dangers awaited them… so she answered with a small smile: "Let's go, inu-kun." He growled at her playfully for the use of that nickname… so he retaliated by saying with a smirk: "Lead the way, Kago-wench." there was a moment of silence before both laughed lightly, with her help they both jumped down the well and the usual blue light surrounded them yet again, during that short time trip they hugged one another and he said to her with a low voice: "I love you, Kagome…" She too said with a low voice: "I love you too, Inuyasha…" They then looked at each other and kissed tenderly… a kiss that the lovers shared in the middle of time itself…
*Back in the woods, a little distance away*
Kasaraki was leaning against a large tree branch, his sword firmly planted onto the ground beneath the tree where his temporary camp was, he had built a small fire where he was currently roasting an unfortunate rabbit that had crossed his path earlier that day while he was hungry like hell, he could smell the rabbit meat cooking at the fire and the scents filled his lungs… the smell of real cooked meat, it's been so long since he's smelled or tasted anything delicious, 3000 years to be precise.
He couldn't believe just how good this place smelled, the scents of pure nature and wildlife were… heavenly, to say the least… he was thinking while looking at the sun, it was midday and he was thinking: `Dear me, the world is truly beautiful now… the scents, the sounds and the pure `presence' of the world is so calm, yet chaotic at the same time, not in bad way though… unlike 3000 years ago, this period of time is war filled too and both Youkai and humans are coming up with all sorts of nastiness to use against one another, yet the world itself feels so… so, alive… but, despite all that, the fact that I'm alive is more than enough of a proof that nothing has really changed, it's a shame, despite all I did they just wouldn't learn would they? Sometimes I think that all this is for nothing but… just remembering those days so long ago is enough to motivate me… damn, I'm getting melodramatic now, crud…'
With that, Kasaraki's nose confirmed that the food was ready and all his attention was shifted back to the meat, he landed on the ground without any troubles and as he removed the meat from the fire his fangs lengthened and his eyes changed into feral looking and he said just one thing: "One of the 4 best drugs in the universe: Food." With that, he threw away all manners of civilized behaviour and just devoured the meat like a wild animal, not caring about anything else at the moment.
About 20 second later, Kasaraki was laying on the ground looking at the sky through the tree branches, the light shining from between the branches and leaves… he couldn't move, talk or think at the moment, his taste organs and sense of taste were overwhelmed by both the taste and after taste of the rabbit he had eaten, by the universe and the holy shit of god himself… he had completely forgotten what food tasted like, especially well cooked meat… 3000 years of doing nothing but sleeping really did dull once sense of taste and all that, shit, the taste was so divine and overwhelming that his entire body was paralyzed by the sensations running up and down his entire body and mind, all he could think was this: `It's so fucking awesome to be alive again…' Then his senses began to return to normal, the sound of birds and other animals surrounded him and he kept looking at the sky through the thick leaves and branches of the tree above him… the light and the sounds around him made his mind wander, his eyes became slightly glassy and his mind played memories from long ago…
*Flashback, unknown time period*
He remembered himself running… running in a grassy field… the sun was high and the smell of nature was everywhere, this was one of the very few natural spots left in the whole city, which made it his favourite spot since here he could run all he wanted and breathe the scents of the unsoiled earth, to feel the clean and pure wind and air swirling around him and filling his lungs with they're pureness…
He felt so happy at that time, everything was so right at that time… after he had ran for an hour, he was laying on the grass while panting and sweating like crazy, yet, even if he was completely exhausted and tired, he still couldn't stop the feeling of overwhelming happiness in him…
As he laid there for what felt like forever, two other people came into his view and looked down at him with smirks, the first one was male and he said with a humour filled voice: "Heh, we figured you'd be here you lazy bum." The other was a female and she said with a giggle: "Can't say that I blame you, this place is really pretty, you've always had a thing for natural spots, right Kasa-kun?" He chuckled at that, she always called him by that nickname… the male then said with a frown: "You always give everyone nicknames… so how come you never call me by one?" She looked at him with a glare and said: "Because you always said: `don't you dare call me by some nickname.' remember, blockhead?"
The man then said while holding his chin: "Oh yeah… I forgot…" She then said with a teasing voice: "You want me to give you one then?" He immediately said with a shocked voice: "Don't you dare!" There was a moment of silence before I responded: "And the circle is complete once again…" Then there was another moment of silence before all three of them were on the ground, hollering with laughter.
All three of use where laying there, if someone looked from above, the positions of our heads would form a triangle… with me at the top. Then I asked with while taking deep breaths: "Hey guys…? Let's make a promise… let's promise that no matter what happens or no matter how much time passes, we will always be friends, okay?" She was the first one to respond by saying: "Oooh… sounds fun, I like it, what about you?" The male responded: "Sounds kinda girly if you ask me…" She just glared at him and he chuckled before continuing: "But coming from you two… it sounds kinda cool… alright, I'm in, friends forever then?"
With that, all three of us got up and while still keeping the triangle around us, all of us put one hand into the centre and we gripped them before saying at the same time: "Friends, now and forever, no matter what happens or how much time passes…" After that, they had to go back but… neither one of those two knew that… for the first time in so many years, while they weren't looking, I shed silent tears… I finally had the life I wanted.
*End Flashback*
Kasaraki could feel his hear becoming warm with that memory… then he could feel something in his eyes, small tears were coming down his eyes now, however, instead thinking anything, he got up suddenly and with a loud roar of anguish, he rammed his fist into the tree next to him, the tree didn't break, though with his strength he could have smashed it into splinters if he had wanted but… right now he wanted to feel pain, lot's of it too to drown out the emotional pain he was feeling.
Yet, even though his fist was now bleeding, he didn't feel any pain at all… he then roared once again before grabbing the tree with both his hands and starting ramming his head into it, each ram made the tree shake and the point he was pounding with his head was starting to crack heavily… yet he wasn't feeling anything, with a frustrated howl of pure despair he began to shout out while he kept ramming his head into the tree: "WHY?!?!? We promised… we promised that… and yet… yet… THOSE FUCKING BACKSTABBING ASSHOLES!!! WHY!?!?!?!?" Then he rammed his head into the tree for the last time before another memory played behind his eyes…
*Flashback, unknown time period*
I stood in the rain, just crying my eyes out… my hands were still covered in blood, my tiny hands… my tiny hands were covered in blood of that… that… filthy, sadistic pig… also… `her' blood was all over me… why? Why were the gods so cruel on me? What had I done to deserve all this…? What had `she' done to deserve this fate!?
The words of that pig kept ringing in my head: "You filth, you were nothing but a mistake I didn't count on… a mistake like you will always be alone, you would have been better of dead, filthy little shit…' Maybe he had been right… maybe… maybe he really was nothing but a mistake the gods wanted to get rid off…
*End Flashback*
Kasaraki saw red droplets of blood dripping down on the ground beneath him, his head was hung low and he could smell his own tears mixing with the blood his head was bleeding, the results of his relentless ramming of the tree… yet, there was no pain… only tears and the feeling of absolute emotional pain, nothing else was there, nothing else…
He then was talking to himself silently: "Why…? Just... why? Why did those two…? We were… we were friends… and yet… yet… Goddamn it!!!" Kasaraki after yelling that, dropped onto his knees and did something he hadn't done in… well, forever: He brought his palms onto his face and cried, he cried red tears of blood…
Kasaraki wasn't sure how much time had passed, maybe minutes, maybe hours… he didn't care, his mind was blank, blank like a white page of an empty book, all he did was lay there on his side and stare at his palm and the dried up blood in it, he felt completely numb and had no desire whatsoever to move at all…
Then, after about an hour of just laying there, staring at his hand, he slowly got up and thought: `Man… my mind is really messed up, no wondering, I have been sealed for over 3000 years and I just woke up and fought with Inuyasha… my mind is a total mess, though… ah forget it… it hurts damn it, it hurts because I don't know the answers, why? We were so close, just 10 more seconds and we would have succeeded, so WHY? *Sigh* It doesn't matter anymore, they're long gone now and so are the answers… but my enemies still remain… my work is not yet finished, me being alive is the proof that nothing has changed, the existence of the Shikon no Tama and the fact it's pure took me by surprise, it must have been shattered though, I could sense it wasn't complete… hmm… damn, there's just too much that doesn't fit into all this, some things do make sense but the whole picture doesn't make sense yet…'
Kasaraki shook his head and resolved that thinking about it now was useless, he looked at the sun and estimated that it was afternoon now, he also briefly wondered that should he go and finish his fight with Inuyasha now but decided against it, it would be too obvious who would win that fight and besides, he still must be exhausted for over using his battle-Ki in they're previous fight and judging from the fact he wasn't trained in the ways of spiritual powers, it would take a day or two before his body was back to normal… Kasaraki chuckled to himself, though his mind was still heavy and depressed for remembering those painful memories…
He then thought while picking up Mormegail and strapped it onto his back again: `Well, I must find out more about this era, I can feel the magic and all other kinds of mystical powers literally covering the earth but I need more information about the people, Youkai and all other things that live around here… not to mention, I would kill for something with alcohol in it and maybe… well considering I haven't gotten laid in over 3000 years, hehehe…' With that, he chuckled and began to walk again, away from the forest for now. (Notice: NOT towards Kaede's village)
Then, as Kasaraki was walking, a woman's voice said directly into his heart with a sad voice: "I'm sorry, it is my fault you have been through so much pain…" He merely smiled and answered with his mind to the mystery voice: `Don't be… it was my choice, remember? Besides, if all the pain I went through is necessary for our dream to become true… it will be worth it… also, we swore that we wouldn't have anymore regrets, remember?' Then he heard the same voice replying with a small sob: "Thank you, Kasaraki…" To that, he replied with a low voice instead of his mind: "Just one thing, don't cry anymore… I don't ever want to hear or see another woman cry because of me ever again, okay?" He felt her voice again, this time saying only one thing: "Alright… I will be strong for your sake as well." He nodded and then the voice was gone, making him think only one thing: `No matter what, I must complete my dream, no matter who I must kill or what I have to destroy, I will complete it… the consequences of not doing it are just far too severe, why can't they understand that? Just simply: Why?'
*In Kaede's village*
Sango, Miroku and Kaede were sitting in her hut, they were sitting in a triangle with Kaede at the top, Miroky at the left and Sango to the right, all three of them were deeply in thought about the situation at hand: They had 4 things that needed answers, firstly, who was Kasaraki? Secondly, How to get around that `terror presence' he gave out, thirdly, what was Kasaraki up to and lastly, what was he thinking? He could have killed Kagome and then Inuyasha without trouble but didn't, it was like his own personal desires and sense of honour were so strong that he could balance them out without any troubles… which just made it all the more confusing.
They all knew though that the first issue could never be answered, unless they asked him directly and that is something they didn't even want to think about doing. So they settled into thinking about the second issue, how to get past his `terror presence' so the next time he came they would be able to help and not just tremble with fear.
It was Sango who started this little brainstorm conversation: "Since we know nothing about this Kasaraki fellow, it's hard to say why his presence is to terrifying… but, if you ask me, when I felt his presence it felt like… how should I put this…?" Miroku then intervened and said: "It felt like the death cries and howls of countless living beings?" Sango looked at Miroku and said with a small surprise: "Yeah… yeah that's exactly what it felt like, the feeling of so many dead beings surrounding him…" Kaede then finished for them: "Ye are right, the presence was almost like my dear sisters (May she rest in peace, or pieces) but it was different."
At they're confused expressions she continued: "My sister had the presence of death but it was a part of her since she was resurrected, yet Kasaraki's presence wasn't coming out of HIM but it was AROUND him, as if all the people he killed had left they're negative and malicious feelings onto him, or then it could be that his presence collects the terror, pain, hatred and sorrow of the dead around him, thus creating a emotional shield that only those with strong wills can penetrate."
Sango then snapped her fingers and said: "So that means… the more people he kills, the more stronger the `terror presence' becomes, right?" Miroku and Kaede nodded and he said with a thinking face: "But… if that is the case, how can we penetrate it?" There was a moment of silence before Sango said: "Well, there might be way but it won't be easy… you see, I have had more battles with Youkai than I can count and I can tell you, the first battles are always the scariest, fighting Youkai now doesn't even faze me but when Kasaraki appeared, I felt like I was fighting a Youkai for the very first time…"
Miroku then snapped his fingers and said with bright eyes: "You mean…?" Kaede and Sango both nodded and Kaede said this time: "Yes, ye are right, Kasaraki's shield is not meant to defend against you physically but spiritually, the `terror presence' attacks once own subconscious and brings out the fear and terror one felt when fighting for his life the first time, that fear is something that never goes away, we can only either ignore or suppress it but never make it go away."
Miroku then said with a thoughtful expression: "It's true, I remember my first battle with a Youkai… it was a gigantic insect Youkai, I still remember how scared I was when I stared at that it's red, emotionless eyes, I was so scared at that time…" Sango too nodded and said: "I know what you mean, my first encounter was with a bear Youkai, it was my first actual kill, the bear Youkai had once been friendly but it had caught `wild madness' (Or Rabies if you will) and had become dangerous for everyone around it, so we had to exterminate it. I couldn't do it alone, I was too scared and terrified by it, only after my father and everyone else wounded it enough could I bring myself together to kill it… when my Hirakotsu cut it's head off, I swear I saw it's eyes peering into mine and said silently: Thank you…"
Kaede saw her frown slightly, so she said to her with a small smile: "Sango, ye did nothing wrong at that time, when a Youkai is infected with `wild madness' they are doomed, they attack anything they see, enemy, prey, family, friends… anything. They become pained with visions and sounds that are not there, it is a slow, painful death to the very end. What ye described of the Youkai, I can guess it was the guardian of that area, you did it a favour when you killed it Sango, you not only saved it from a painful, tortuously slow death but you also saved it's honour, had you not killed it… it would have attacked the villagers and everything it had been protecting, you saved it from both pain and being dishonoured."
Sango looked at Kaede with smile, she really was an amazing old Miko… just like a grandmother. Miroku too looked at Kaede with a smile, then his attention was directed at Sango and he too remembered when he had killed his first Youkai, the quilt he felt about it… yet, Mushin had told him that had he not killed the Youkai, it would have killed him and then kept on killing people who hadn't done anything wrong.
Miroku then broke the silence: "Alright, so Kasaraki can use his `terror presence' to make us re-feel that fear from our first battles, the fear that we can never get rid off, so the question is: How can we go around it? Since going through it is not possible…" That created another big, long silence… which was broken by a new, yet all too familiar voice: "By doing what dog shit did."
Everyone looked at the door and saw the last person they expected to see: Kouga. Before any of them could respond he said: "I don't have a lot of time now, I must head back to my den and tell everyone the news about this `new threat' and also about my decision to stop courting Kagome… so I'll make this short."
They were all shocked by his words, what had bitten him in the ass? Was this really the same Kouga from just a few hours ago? The one that always referred Kagome as `his woman'? He was giving up on her? Damn, hell must have frozen over…
Kouga saw he had all they're attentions before continued: "What's with the looks…? (Smirks, knowing full the reason they looked at him like he was crazy) Anyway, I too felt that terror thing while dog shit was fighting against him, it too made me remember the first time I killed something… that guy is a real monster alright, to be able to make a Youkai feel the one thing they can't be allowed to feel, fear, just like that… just with his presence he can make even me, a full blooded Youkai become paralyzed with fear."
"But that dog shit wasn't affected, it made no sense to me at first but now it makes sense, the reason that hanyou was capable off fighting of the terror was because his mind was entirely set on protecting my wo… Kagome (Everyone grins at him) and to save her no matter what, plus since she was his mate-to-be… much to my distaste but because it was so, his instincts made him able to resist the terror because they made him numb to fear and terror, that's how he did it: By putting his entire focus on something else… though I doubt that baka even realised it himself."
With that, he was gone, just like that… all that was left behind was his words and the small gust of wind from his sudden departure. This, however gave them all something new to think about: Now that they knew something about Kasaraki's defences… so now, they had to find out just how to go around it, the basic idea was there now, all they had to do was to just figure out the whole picture.
Still, even with his new knowledge, small as it maybe… it still wouldn't change the fact that one of them, was soon going… to…
{[=Die=]}
To be continued…
No preview this time either.
Next time on "Dark Soul, White Heart"
"Day of Warmth, Night of Coldness - Final part"
IMPORTANT: Just so you won't get the wrong idea, it's not THE END, just that it's the last part before a new episode name comes up.
Oh yes, would you people PLEASE review?!
- Zelix, see again!