InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fading ❯ Reunion ( Chapter 15 )

Wow, I honestly didn't expect this fic to be this long - there's only so much you can do with a plot like this before it just becomes repetitive. Also, with exams and whatnot coming up (yes, I'm only in grade nine believe it or not ^_^0) I don't know if I'll be able to update for a while. That's ok - this story doesn't have a big enough following for anyone to miss it too much lol. Anyways, onto chapter fifteen…

 

Disclaimer: Has it really been so long that you could possibly believe I somehow own Inuyasha? Well, just in case you do… I don't.

 

Chapter Fifteen: Reunion

 

It was, perhaps, one of the most memorable moments that Miroku had ever experienced. He was shocked, rocked to his very core, and he felt slightly light-headed as the whole of what was happening hit him.

 

For once in his life, Miroku was not thinking about women.

 

How, you might ask, did such an earth-shattering change in attitude come about? Well, it might have had something to do with the fact that one of his dearest friends (and one of the prettiest young women he knew…) had just seemingly come back from the dead right in front of him.

 

“S-Sango,” he stammered, his mind reeling as it tried to take in both the fact that he was not picturing the demon slayer naked and the fact that recently-deceased Kagome was standing only a few yards away from him, hugging Inu Yasha no less. “Am I actually seeing this?”

 

Sango took a few disbelieving steps forwards, halting beside Miroku as she gaped at the hanyou and the teenage girl. “But… we all saw her disappear! I mean… how can she…?” Her voice trailed away, but the look of complete surprise, wonder, and dawning joy on her face spoke volumes.

 

Shippou, having jumped out of Sango's arms without her noticing, had no room in his heart for doubt. His beloved Kagome was back! The tiny kitsune gave a delighted yip and raced across the flattened grass towards his surrogate mother.

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Kagome's tears by now had stopped as she slowly relaxed in Inu Yasha's tight, one-handed embrace (due to the fact that he had an iron grip on his prayer beads that wasn't about to budge an inch).

 

“It's alright,” she heard him say in a low voice as he gently rubbed her back, trying to quiet her small sobs. “It's okay, Kagome.”

 

It's okay, she echoed hollowly to herself. The nightmare is over; everything's going to go back to normal. But she knew that this wasn't the end - not quite. The presence of the nearby fate-sealer was an unwelcome reminder that she had merely avoided her destiny, not escaped it.

 

One thing puzzled her though… why was the fate-sealer still standing there when she had quite obviously broken out of the dark void that she had been a prisoner in? It hadn't even twitched, seemingly absorbed in something too profound for Kagome's fragile human mind to process. If she hadn't known that the looming creature had no emotion, the girl would've thought it was distracted by something amusing…

 

Oh my God… Kagome's hazel eyes widened in horrified remembrance. Kai!

 

“Kagome! Kagomeeee!” A small, fluffy blur of red-brown rocketed out of nowhere and caught her around the stomach in a death grip. “You're alive! I knew you were alive!”

 

“Shippou?” The dark-haired girl pushed Inu Yasha away slightly as she looked down at said fox child. Her horrified expression vanished momentarily, replaced by an elated grin as she scooped Shippou into her arms. “I'm so glad you guys are all okay!”

 

Shippou buried his face in her neck as she hugged him happily, earning himself a sullen glare from a miffed Inu Yasha. “I missed you, Kagome,” he sniffled.

 

“We all missed her, brat,” Inu Yasha said, slightly hurt that Kagome had pushed him away so readily but, of course, hiding it carefully. He coloured slightly at the admission, but Kagome's grateful look made it all worthwhile.

 

“Kagome, you're back!” It was Sango's turn to hug the girl as she came running up with Miroku.

 

Kagome grinned happily, returning the girl's fierce hug before releasing her and giving Miroku a slightly more formal embrace. The monk, still in a state of shock, didn't even think to use Kagome's close proximity to his own advantages.

 

“I'm so glad that you're back among the living once more, Kagome-sama,” he managed, somehow clinging successfully to his usual composure.

 

“It's good to be back,” Kagome said with feeling, a prickling beginning again behind her eyes as she gazed around at the faces of her friends. “Very good to be back.”

 

Her gaze moved to Inu Yasha and she couldn't suppress a slight, instinctive shudder as the mental image of him with red eyes and a ruthless expression overlapped her vision. She gave a tiny shake of the head, trying to erase all thoughts of that terrifying encounter. Forget it and move on, she told herself firmly, even though she knew it was still too fresh in her mind to do so.

 

Thinking of the alternate reality the fate-sealer had forced her into made her remember a certain tall, easy-going kitsune. Kai must still be stuck in one of those black voids, she concluded reluctantly, feeling guilty that she had been chatting with her companions only a few seconds ago while he suffered. But how am I supposed to get him out? I don't even know how I escaped!

 

“What's wrong, Kagome?” Inu Yasha's quiet question, close to her ear, made her jump.

 

Forcing her worried expression into a cheerful mask, she glanced quickly around and found that no one else had noticed the look on her face. At the moment, Sango and Miroku were in a heated philosophical discussion about whether or not Kagome had actually died and how she had managed to return to the realm of the living. Shippou watched the two with a knowing, tolerantly amused look that belonged on a person ten times his age.

 

“Kagome?” Inu Yasha prodded, drawing her attention back to his face.

 

He really does have the most amazing eyes, she thought vaguely, trying to figure out how she could explain everything that was worrying her to him. She knew she wouldn't be able to tell Inu Yasha about her experience in the fate-sealer's clutches - not yet, at least. That memory was still fresh and vivid, and she wasn't prepared to talk about it yet. But would it really hurt to explain about Kai…?

 

The words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop and think. “Inu Yasha, after I faded I… I met Shippou's father.”

 

The effect of her statement was instantaneous. Miroku froze in the middle of trying to argue with Sango and feel her up at the same time and Inu Yasha's amber eyes, which Kagome had been subconsciously admiring only moments before, widened in shock as he unconsciously tightened his hold on his prayer bead necklace. The amused look on Shippou's face melted away like snow in the path of a wildfire and Kagome's heart gave a wrench at the sight.

 

Out of the sudden silence, a cool, detached voice spoke. “There is no reason for you all to be so surprised. My reincarnation has been to the spirit realm and back - common sense dictates that she would meet other spirits.”

 

Kagome's head whipped around, bringing her face to face with Kikyo. “You,” the teenage girl breathed.

 

Kikyo studied her with an unreadable expression on her face. “You shouldn't sound so ungrateful, Kagome. It was I who released you from your dark prison.”

 

A memory flashed in front of Kagome's eyes - blinding light pulsing with miko energy ripping through the fate-sealer's black void. She shook her head, trying to clear the stars from her eyes. Even in her mind the intensity of the light hurt her vision.

 

The dead miko gave her a tiny smile devoid of any warmth. “However, it is not your thanks that I seek.” She hesitated, the smallest of creases appearing in her brow as she considered her next words. “I need your help,” Kikyo finally said. “My purifying powers are but a shadow of what they once were - it is my belief that a large portion of that power - along with my soul - was transferred to your body when I was reincarnated as you.”

 

Again, she paused, and a hot spark of intense emotion appeared in her normally empty eyes. “If we were to combine our powers now, we might be able to defeat the fate-sealer! Just think, Kagome - the energy of two mortals finally overcoming destiny itself! It is something that has only been dreamed of by lesser men… until now.” One cold hand shot out to grasp the front of Kagome's school uniform in a grip as unyielding as steel. Inu Yasha moved as if to knock Kikyo's hand away, but he froze when her piercing gaze swept over him.

 

“My destiny has always been my greatest enemy,” Kikyo said softly, her eyes locking onto Kagome's once more. “If I defeat the fate-sealer… I will have my revenge.”

 

With Kikyo's sharp gaze directed elsewhere, Inu Yasha moved to stand in front of Kagome, his steps made slightly unbalanced by the fact that only one arm was at his side while the other held the prayer beads as if holding onto his salvation. “Don't tangle Kagome up in your quest for vengeance, Kikyo,” the hanyou said, a hard edge entering his voice.

 

“Inu Yasha-” Kagome began, but he ignored her.

 

“She has enough problems of her own right now,” he told Kikyo in the same level voice. Kagome frowned thoughtfully. His tone had changed from the one he usually addressed the older miko in - mixed longing and loathing had been replaced by something else, though the girl couldn't put a name to it. He's defending me against Kikyo? she thought incredulously.

 

“Do you presume to know the girl's mind, Inu Yasha?” The dead miko's face had settled back into its usual blank mask, although two fervent sparks of light still burned in her dark eyes. “Can you be so sure that both of our problems cannot be solved by the destruction of the fate-sealer?” Inu Yasha scowled at her, but a flicker of doubt crossed his face. Kikyo smiled slightly.

 

“If the fate-sealer is killed, we will be free to make our own destinies rather than being led like sheep on a string,” she continued. “Things that are impossible now may become achievable then.” Her look hinted at things unspoken, desires forced into the dark corners of the mind, and Inu Yasha's scowl deepened.

 

Kagome shifted restlessly behind the hanyou, hugging Shippou closer. For all her fine words and explanations, Kikyo was still only a memory, the last remnants of what had once been a powerful woman, and her thirst for revenge had blinded her to all else. Destroy fate itself? Even if it could be done, something like that would affect everyone and everything - millions of lives would be thrown off and rearranged. People wouldn't know what to do with themselves!

 

A sudden cry rent the silence, a scream so full of anguish and despair and anger that Kagome gasped and clapped her hands over her ears in an effort to block the noise, her thoughts grinding to a standstill and her eyes squeezed shut. Shippou fell with a tiny yelp to the ground, but Kagome barely noticed. Covering her ears had no effect - the noise was everywhere, all around her, inside of her, burrowing into her mind like an insect. Her eyes watered with the intensity of it as she fought to stay on her feet.

 

“Kagome! Kagome, what's wrong?”

 

“Inu Yasha, look at Kikyo!”

 

“What the hell is happening now?”

 

She recognized those voices, dimly heard through the endless screaming. My friends… Are they okay? Kagome's innate instinct to look after others lent her the strength she needed to force her eyes back open and mentally force the pained cries out of her head inch by inch. The effort nearly made her faint, but she bit her lip until it bled to keep herself conscious.

 

At last, the screams ended, trailing away with the sound of one who had nothing left inside to cry about. Inu Yasha's face swam in Kagome's vision, eyes bright with worry and confusion. “What happened, Kagome?”

 

Shippou jumped onto Inu Yasha's shoulder to peer into his surrogate mother's eyes. “Kagome, are you okay?”

 

The girl didn't answer, her disoriented gaze taking in each of her companions' faces. All of them looked confused and concerned, but with none of the pain she had felt only seconds before. Am I the only one who heard the scream? Then her eyes fell on Kikyo.

 

The dead miko's eyes were as wide as Kagome's, her face just as pale. Angry red imprints faded slowly on her cheeks where slender fingers had clutched at the skin. Her dark eyes met Kagome's hazel ones with a flash of understanding. She too had heard those inhuman cries.

 

“So, Kagome.” Despite her appearance, Kikyo's voice was as steady as ever, her tone the strong, convincing tone of one who believes completely in what they're saying. “Do you still remain undecided? You know whose scream that was. You were not the only one caught in the fate-sealer's web - I sensed another presence even as I sensed yours.”

 

Kagome pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to relieve some of the pressure that seemed to be building behind her eyes. I should have gone back right away and helped him, she thought miserably. After all he did for me, the first chance I got to run I just left him there. What did the fate-sealer do to him to make him scream like that? What could you possibly do to a spirit to cause it so much pain? Again, the image of a snarling, crimson-eyed Inu Yasha caused her to flinch as it filled her head. The fate-sealer doesn't physically wound its victims… it attacks their minds. Oh, Kai, I'm so sorry…

 

Kikyo watched the rapid play of emotions on Kagome's face expectantly, though her own expression revealed nothing of what she was feeling. She could tell that the girl would help her - Kagome was the sort of person who blamed herself if others got hurt. Kikyo gave a small wince of remembrance. And the owner of those screams definitely got hurt…

 

“All right, Kikyo,” Kagome said suddenly, pushing past Inu Yasha to face the dead miko. Gone were her watery eyes and guilt-wracked expression. In fact, she didn't even look like Kagome - surely the raven-haired girl had never worn such a hard mask of anger. “All right. I'll help you with your stupid revenge quest as much as I can. I don't even know if I'll be able to do anything, since my powers seem to come and go on their own, but I'll try. Not for you though. For Kai. As soon as I free him, you're on your own.”

 

Kikyo's mouth tightened but her slight nod held a trace of respect. “I suppose I must make do with that.” She turned and began walking across the strange flattened-yet-not-flattened grass of the overlapping worlds towards the mist-cloaked figure in the distance. “Come.”

 

Kagome moved to follow her but a clawed hand shot out and caught her arm.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Inu Yasha hissed furiously. “You're going to get yourself killed! You're not a fucking idiot so don't fucking act like one!”

 

Kagome gave a small sigh - when Inu Yasha got worried or angry his language always got worse. She pulled vainly at the fingers locked around her arm, saying, “I can't just leave Kai in that black void. I know what it's like in there, and… and I…”

 

Memories chased each other around and around in her head, clearer than ever.

 

Without changing his expression, he plunged his claws into her left shoulder, rendering both her arms completely useless. Kagome's body spasmed in pain, blood flowing freely from the gaping wounds and staining her shirt crimson.

 

Leaning back so the girl could see him clearly, the inu youkai raised his bloodstained hand to his mouth. He kept his gaze locked with Kagome's as he slowly, deliberately ran his tongue over each claw, lapping up the dark liquid.

 

Letting his fangs show in the cocky grin that Kagome knew so well, Inu Yasha whispered, “You taste sweet.”

 

“I know what it's like,” Kagome said in a low, determined voice, shoving the memories out of her mind, “and I will not leave him in there. Not even if I die trying.”

 

She pried fingers loose with shock off of her arm and turned to follow Kikyo without a word.

 

“Are… are you sure that you brought Kagome back from the spirit realm?” Miroku asked Inu Yasha nervously. “Because that was not the Kagome that I remember.” Sango nodded her agreement, absently crouching to pet Kirara as she chewed her lip worriedly.

 

Inu Yasha stared at Kagome's retreating back in amazement, trying to remember if she had ever spoken to him in that tone before. She's changed, he realized. Something in these past few days has changed her. I could smell traces of fear when she looked at me. That angered him even more than the fact that she could very well be going to her death by following Kikyo. She was scared of me! With a growl Inu Yasha started to run after the two mikos, dislodging Shippou from his perch on the hanyou's shoulder.

 

Somebody's going to pay for changing Kagome, Inu Yasha snarled to himself as he ran. She was fine the way she was, and that's the way she should stay. Goddammit, Kagome, what happened to you?

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Shippou sat on the ground where he had landed, green eyes clouded in thought and an unusually troubled expression on his face. Kagome saw my dad? he wondered, mixed emotions rising within him. And she's going to save him now? The tiny kitsune's face turned to watch Inu Yasha race after Kagome and Kikyo.

 

It hadn't been that long since his parents were killed by the Thunder Brothers, but by now Kagome had taken most of the pain out of their memory. She was Shippou's friend, his protector from Inu Yasha's wrath, his dark-haired guardian angel… But more than anything, she was like his mother. Shippou thought she had died once already and everything solid and real in his life had slowly begun to fall apart. He wouldn't be the only one who grieved if the girl who had changed their lives so much were to fall.

 

Come back safe, Kagome, Shippou told her silently, blinking against the sting of tears. We need you.

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Yeesh, this fic is getting harder and harder to write - am I just exceptionally lazy and uncommitted or have I lost interest in the plot? *shrugs* I have no clue. Not much happened in this chappy, but I promise that the story is almost over so most of the action will be in the next few. Ah well, this is only my first fic and I have one or two ideas that other people will hopefully enjoy. Until next time, R&R ^_^

~SilverMyste~