InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness in the Hearts of Light ❯ Barriers ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter Eight : Barriers


His heart froze. That smell.. was of Kagome’s blood. He searched through the underbrush and found a dried pool of blood staining the ground along with her broken bow. It was at the foot of a short but steep hill. There were other smells around it as well, including that of the youkai that had attacked him at the well.

Inuyasha suddenly felt like he couldn’t breath.

“So it was true…” He searched fearfully for a body but found none. Good, so there was still a chance. But with how much blood he had found on the ground, he feared it was a slim chance.

“Kagome, where are you?” His voice was weak in his throat. It was unbearable to think that he had not been there when she needed him most.

The wind changed direction. It was slight, but he caught the whiff of a trail that just barely had her scent mixed with it. Inuyasha could feel his blood boiling at the thought of her in someone else’s hands as the memory of his vision with Kagome returned to him.

Following his nose, he leapt into the air a great distance and charged through the underbrush as soon his feet met the ground again. His speed was greater than ever and his heart strained to keep up. He would get to her before anything else could place her in harms way.

His shoulder pulsed with pain, but his heart was in one place and in one mind-set. He would find her, no matter what. And anyone trying to hurt her would die on his claws.

Kagome wearily opened her eyes. She could smell a sweet tea being boiled and her parched throat ached for it.

“Kioshi?” She blinked to clear her eyes from sleep. The small, old shack was dark except for a shaft of light pouring in through the hole in the roof. From the smell of smoldering wood, though, she could tell the pit in the shack was being used for once.

“I believe he’s gone up to the reflecting pond to fetch us some more water. He’ll be back soon enough.” Haru looked up and smiled warmly at her. “Are you feeling any better?” He settled a lid over the boiling pot and stood to dust himself clean.

“I feel heavy,” she coughed and bowed over a bit. “Like something heavy… is sitting on my chest.” Her voice was timid and broken as she breathed raspily. Haru sat on the edge of her bed and placed a hand to her forehead.
“I expected as much. And a high fever, too.” Haru stroked the hair stuck to her skin back and touched her cheek. “You must have a very strong will to be awake right now. It’s no wonder Kioshi looks at you the way he does.”

Kagome looked a bit startled.

“It’s alright. Worry about yourself right now instead.” His eyes followed to her bandaged chest. “May I take a look? I believe it’s time to change your bandages again, anyway.”

“Thank you.. for all of your.. trouble.” She looked aside momentarily to prepare herself for the inevitable pain as Haru began unwrapping her wound.

“You shouldn’t think on it. We are all too happy to have you with us. Now then, I’ll be as gentle as I can, just bare with me,” Haru chewed on his lip as he began to carefully pull away the layers of bandages.

The fluids that seeped from her injury into the wrappings had begun to crystalize and caused the cloth to stick to her flesh making it more difficult to remove. Kagome tried to scream once but suffocated in a series of coughs as tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew it had to be done if she had any hope.

After all, Inuyasha probably thought she was still in her own time safe and sound. If he cared. The thought of it suddenly made her feel very much alone.

“We’re almost done, just bare with it a little longer.” Haru carefully withdrew the last bits of bandage from her shoulder. The flesh beneath was starkly red and badly infected. The old man felt a shiver of deep concern flush through his body. All of his knowledge meant to fight this sort of ailment just wasn’t enough. He feared a dark future was ahead for her now.

Kagome saw the look in his eyes and felt her heart flutter in her chest. She could tell her pulse was weak already from all of the significant blood loss she had endured, but it actually skipped beats when she realized why he looked so glum. Her eyes flowed over to her torn shoulder. She knew the arrow had gone all the way through and she knew her lung had been damaged, but the infection was why she was feeling so miserably hot and ached so badly.

One thought in particular struck her. People die from infections.

“I’m…” she sucked in a breath. “going to.. die.. aren’t I?” Her throat began to feel tight and her eyes stung.

Haru couldn’t look her in the eye.

“I can honestly say that I don’t know.” He fell silent after that and stood to find the bandages he had already washed in the river from the last change. “Let’s wrap you back up then, shall we?” He withdrew his hand from a satchel beneath his worn vest. There was a multitude of leafy herbs sticking out from between his fingers in every which direction.

“These will help absorb the infection and cleanse the wound,” Haru rolled each of the leaves between his fingers to break their veins open, releasing liquid that would have greater antibiotic affect. He placed them against her wound and sealing them in with the new wrappings.

Kagome grimaced at the touch but bore with it until he was done. She could feel the leaves burning against her skin.

“You are a brave young woman, Kagome. With a spirit like yours I am sure you will find a way to recover with time. Kioshi wants the chance to get to know you better anyway,” he grinned a wrinkled old grin filled with mischief. She could still see in his eyes that he was hiding something.

“You don’t… have to .. lie..” Kagome’s voice was a little weaker than before. “I just.. wish I could… go home one… last time.”

Haru helped her lie back down into the worn old bedding and drew the covers up to her chin as he deliberately avoided her last remarks.

“I’ll fetch you some tea if you like,” he looked into her face. It was calm and still and asleep. “It must have been too much strain for her. Poor girl.” Haru looked towards the door worriedly. Kioshi would be back any moment now he hoped. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen. Even the trees were beginning to whisper it. And they usually didn’t care where fire and axe aren’t concerned.

Kioshi couldn’t tear his eyes from the calm surface of the reflecting pond. It was an ancient and holy place with a small shrine half buried in undergrowth at one end. This had always been his one place of quiet thought. There were times when he felt like he could just merge into the water and find a whole other time and place beyond the sleeping forest.

He laughed softly at himself and broke the surface of the pond with his wooden bucket to collect water. As it filled, the waters surface around it returned to its calm state as though nothing had happened. To one side, something in the waters reflection caught his attention.

Kioshi dropped the bucket and spun on his heel towards a tree that hung thick, old branches out over the waters edge.

Above, in the sky, the sun was covered by one solitary cloud as dark as any storm cloud, yet it was completely alone in the empty sky. The birds had fallen silent, too.

“Raiju!”

“I wondered if you would notice me or not.” He was sitting with legs crossed amongst the thick, old limbs of the tree. The wind gusted viciously as an amused expression crossed his features.

“Something rippled through the country yesterday that has the spirit world in an uproar.” Myoga shifted uncomfortably. “I happened across an old friend, a Shi-Ryo, that told me he witnessed O Goncho rise from the depths and cry out Izanami’s return. This is very serious. If she does manage it, life will change far for the worse.”

“Izanami? O Goncho?” Shippo looked questioningly at Myoga as he tossed an acorn into the air, catching it again easily.

Myoga thought for a moment.

“I’m a little sketchy on the old tale but Izanami was once a great mother deity married to the god Izanagi. When she died, she became ruler of Yomi no Kuni, the world of the dead. Before she could return, though, she was trapped there by Izanagi who lodged a gigantic rock called Chigaeshi no Okami between the two worlds of the living and dead, to keep them separated for all eternity. It is said that she cursed after Izanagi upon their separation, saying that her return marked the deaths of a thousand men a day until the living world was no different than the world she ruled.”

“You left out Izanagi’s words, Myoga.” Miroku stared down at the flea demon with disinterest. “In the old tale, he countered to his dead wife that he would cause the birth of a thousand five hundred men in return. His power is greater than hers, so against him she shouldn’t be a real threat.”

“That would be true except there are rumors that he is no longer.. present in the spirit world.” Myoga paused for greater effect.

“You mean he really exists?” Sango had a look of surprise on her face.

“Oh yes, very much so.” Myoga responded.

“I thought he was a god,” Shippo caught the acorn one last time before peering at Myoga with his brow furrowed. “How can a god disappear?”

“That’s a very good question, Shippo. That’s why I came to find you all. I need your help finding out. Something tells me that we have a part in all this, and I am not nearly strong enough on my own, of course.” There was a glare directed from every surrounding face down on Myoga. He calmly cleared his throat and continued. “Even with my great influence, it’s unlikely O Goncho would surface and speak to me. He’s very resistant and speaks in riddles at best.”
“In other words, Myoga. You’re afraid of him and want us to do your dirty work for you. Right?”

“Miroku! I’m hurt by that remark. I would never..”

“But who’s O Goncho?” Shippo set Myoga down onto the sandy path that carved through the tall weeds.

“O Goncho is an old dragon that lives in the waters of Ukisima and is seen every fifty years as a great golden bird. It’s a bad omen if he makes his call once he’s surfaced.” Miroku leaned his forehead against his staff as he spoke. “It’s been less than fifty years since the last time he was seen, so I can’t expect this to be good.”

“How awful.” Sango drew her hand to her mouth.

“Oh, it’s much worse than that, Sango. The Shi-Ryo I came across was the ghost of an old deviant houshi that claims he saw the barrier between the worlds crack and weaken.”

“He must have been an old relative of yours, Miroku.” Shippo’s ears rang from the strike Miroku’s staff gave him.

“What can we do, then? We’re only mortal and they’re gods. We can’t even reach their world, can we?” Miroku still looked agitated as he glowered at Shippo.

“There is a way, I’m sure of it.” Myoga stroked his chin with deep consideration.

“Should we wait for Inuyasha and Kagome first?” Sango slumped and sat on the ground with her legs drawn up beneath her. Making it clear that she felt they should.

“I fear we don’t have the time to spare. But I’ll admit I would rather have them here with us for this.”

“Then we start with O Goncho, do we? I wonder how freely he will give up the information. I seem to remember being told that he was not easily forthcoming in his information.” Miroku joined Sango on the ground and set his staff aside. “Not without some sort of offering or sacrifice.”

“S-Sacrifice?” Shippo’s voice shook. He could picture Inuyasha laughing and dancing wildly with Shippo on a stick over a fire.

“Ah yes, I had thought of that and I recall that even then his answers are cryptic and difficult to understand.. if he gives them up at all.” Myoga paced with small steps, occasionally pausing to rub his chin. “We should travel to him and ask what he would receive in exchange for answers. That’s the only thing I know to do right now.”

“That’s a long journey, Myoga.”
“I know Miroku, but if Izanagi is truly gone then we need to do everything we can. I can’t shake this feeling that we have a part to play in this. Something that I can just barely remember hearing a long time ago in a rhyme from even in my youth:



“Three will destroy
“And bring mans defeat.
“And there was more but I can’t remember the exact wording. Something about a Hanyou, a Youkai and a great Miko.”

“You think it means Kagome and Inuyasha? But then who would the youkai be?”

“Perhaps me?” All eyes again turned to glare at Myoga.

“What does it mean, Miroku?”

“I don’t know Shippo. It is strange that both a Hanyou and Miko are mentioned as joined. I can only think of Inuyasha and Kagome, as Sango suggested. It’s disconcerting, though, since they are missing and all of this is suddenly transpiring. Don’t you think, Myoga?”

“I hadn’t thought of that truthfully. I still think we should keep to our original track. Find O Goncho and see what can be learned from him; after all, O Goncho only makes his call upon the imminent arrival of danger. Whatever is coming is already in motion. Besides, if I am correct, as I believe I am, none of us can travel into the well to call them back, can we. The best we can do for now is our own part of finding out what is coming. We can leave it to Inuyasha to fix.” Myoga snickered.

“You don’t think you’re relying too much on him?” Sango quirked her brow. “As you go to such great lengths to avoid difficult situations and all.”

“I’ve never been so insulted!”

“It’s only the truth, Myoga!” Shippo crossed his arms and glared at the small flea, who was beginning to blush furiously.

“Then lets get going before night finds us.” Miroku, whom had been sitting near Sango (she hadn’t noticed him move beside her) stood and brushed the bits of dried grass and dirt from his robes and offered his hand to Sango. She gave him a look of apprehension before accepting it.

“But where are we going?”

“Weren’t you listening, Shippo? To Ukisima, to speak to O Goncho.”

“You don’t have to sound so much like Inuyasha just because he isn’t here, Miroku!”

Sango grabbed the Houshi’s arm before he hurt the little Kitsune.

Myoga leapt onto Kirara’s back and turned to call after the others, but Sango hadn’t seen him before leaping on herself and crushed him beneath her thighs.

“Then off we go!” She called in his stead.

“What do you want?!” Kioshi’s fists balled tightly as he tensed, ready for an attack.

Raiju looked indifferent as he canted his head back to gaze at his lonely cloud perched above him in the sky.

“It’s interesting that Inuyasha said the exact same words. He’s coming for the girl you know. Probably to take her away, and from what I saw of her, she’s in no shape to be moved.”

“What are you playing at, Raiju?”

“You’re wasting time, boy.” There was a definite bite to his words as he disappeared from the tree branch. The sky, too, cleared.

“He’s gone.” Kioshi glanced into the calm waters briefly and thought he caught the glimpse of something staring back at him. Just as suddenly, it too was gone.

Kioshi’s hackles went on edge as he drew his strength and rushed back down the mountain side towards the humble shack where Kagome slept, healing. Rage was surging in his soul, fueling him as he ran.

He wasn’t ready to let her go yet. For her own good… as well as his.

Haru stretched and patted Ran on her rump.

“All finished. Nothing unwanted will be visiting us now, old girl.” The white wolf nuzzled him and whined. “Not to worry, Kioshi will still be able to pass the barrier. But Raiju would have a time with it.” The old man laughed as if he said something all together funny. He could have sworn he saw the wolf roll her eyes.

“What?” Haru looked affronted. “You don’t believe me do you?”
As Ran ruffled her fur and flattened her ears back in an obvious no, she caught the scent of something ominous. She threw her face into the wind and stood. The fur down her back rose along with her as she stifled a growl.

Before Haru could even ask, a flurry of red broke from the forest and landed in a crouched position nearby.

“This doesn’t mean the shield didn’t work, you know.” Haru looked at Ran and caught sight of her disbelieving expressing.

Before Inuyasha could say a word, the old man shook his head.

“I wondered how long it would be until you arrived here. I’m sorry to say your miko is not well but resting comfortably.”

“Who are you? Why do I feel like I should know you?” Inuyasha positioned himself between the shack and the old man, every muscle tense despite the pain in his shoulder. He could feel the blood still pulsing from the wound, made worse by all of his exertion.

“Never mind that for now. I sense Kioshi returning and I don’t believe he will be too understanding if he found you here. You should take Kagome with you quickly, but be careful with her as she may not make the journey,” Haru’s voice was suddenly firm and emotionless.

“She could die in my arms?” The idea of it was more horrible than he had imagined. Inuyasha paused as he looked back over his shoulder, staring at the shack. Suddenly, he feared touching her. What if it was enough to .. no, if he could just get her back to her time, they could fix her. Those in her time could do anything.

Haru didn’t respond to him but stood quietly watching. Somehow thunder had swept in when they weren’t watching.

Without another word, a look of thanks crossed Inuyasha’s face as he turned and leapt the short distance to the shack and vanished inside. A moment’s breath passed before he reappeared cradling Kagome’s limp form to his bloodied chest, wrapped tenderly in the tattered blanket she had been lying beneath only moments before. It tore at his heart to see her like this and to know that he hadn’t been there for her.

Haru watched mournfully as Inuyasha carried Kagome into the forest and disappeared into its depths. He wondered how he was going to explain this to Kioshi.

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