InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fatefully Entwined ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

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

The wind whipped Kagome's raven hair about her bruised and bloodied face as she saw Sango and Miroku laying lifeless on the ground before her.

Her grip tightened on the small round jewel in her palm and she pursed her lips, fighting the pain that emanated from every part of her body. Her ribs felt bruised; her wrist was definitely broken, and the wound across her abdomen oozed blood.

Lifting her uninjured arm in front of her she glared at the mass of pure evil that stood across the expanse of the forest clearing. She watched as the youkai before her drove one of his massive tentacles forward. There was a sickening thwack as the tentacle forced its way through flesh and bone, piercing Inuyasha through the heart. His golden eyes sought hers as he fell helplessly. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Kagome screamed in anguish. Her heart felt crushed in her chest. How could she go on without him?

Kagome!

She heard a woman's voice echo in her ears.

You must awaken your power! True evil will soon darken the world once again! Awake!

Kagome felt a surge of energy burst forth from her chest. It was like drowning in a river of electricity. The power violently pushed and pulled at her, searching for the easiest route outward. She screamed, but whether it was out of pain or terror she did not know.

000

Kagome woke to the sound of her own screaming. The bulb in her lamp burst with a sharp crack, sending small shards of glass and sparks through the air. The sound of it echoed in her ears. Her nightmare had been so real she still felt the anguish of watching Inuyasha being murdered in front of her like a pit in her chest. His golden eyes haunted her, and she shuddered. Every inch of her skin prickled, and her muscles ached as if she'd fallen down a flight of stairs.

She was surprised once more when Miroku and Sango came bursting into the room. Miroku brandished a baseball bat in his hands, frantically searching the room. Both he and Sango stopped in their tracks, staring at her in disbelief. Kagome's body was aglow, lighting every corner of the room with a soft pink light.

"Kagome!" Sango gasped, jumping toward the bed.

"Sango, don't!" Miroku yelled, quickly dropping the bat to grab her. "Don't touch her!"

Kagome studied her hands in disbelief. Her entire body was surrounded by a halo of pure spiritual energy. She could see it crackling angrily with every movement she made.

"Let me go! We have to help her!" Sango yelled, hitting at Miroku's arms around her middle, but he refused to let go.

"You'll be killed by her barrier!" Miroku answered through gritted teeth. It wasn't easy holding back one hundred and thirty pounds of pure muscle, but he was determined. "Kagome, you need to calm down and lower your barrier." He coached gently.

"I don't know how!" She cried, feeling herself begin to hyperventilate.

"Listen to me, you can do this. Just close your eyes and breath for a moment." Miroku instructed.

Kagome closed her eyes tightly, and took a few deep breaths. "Alright, now focus. Picture your barrier disappearing. Let it fall away." Miroku’s voice coached her. She imagined pushing her fear away,  and felt it dissipate.

He watched as the glowing energy that surrounded Kagome faded to nothing, and she slumped to the bed from exhaustion.

Miroku loosened his grip on Sango, and she ran to the bed like a shot. "Kagome, are you okay?" She asked, but Kagome had passed out. "Miroku, what's happening?" She pleaded, taking hold of Kagome's limp hand in her own. "We need to call an ambulance!"

"They won't be able to help." Miroku answered calmly. He stood there, crossing his arms over his bare chest. Sango felt anger bloom in her gut. She felt like clocking Miroku in the face for not acting with more urgency.

"I've never seen such a strong show of spiritual energy." Miroku said to himself. He had detected the small amounts of spiritual energy emanating from Kagome's person since their first meeting, and recognized her inherent talent as miko. He'd been tempted to ask her about it, but then he realized that she herself might not be aware of her powers, and so he decided to keep his suspicions to himself. Now he was wishing that he hadn't.

"What do you mean by spiritual energy?" Sango demanded, still kneeling over Kagome's bed.

"She just created a barrier of energy around herself as protection. I've seen it done before, but it usually takes a great deal of spiritual discipline. How she was able to conjure one as powerful as that I do not know." Miroku answered.

"What?" Sango gawked.

"Sango my love, Kagome is a miko. And a powerful one at that." Miroku stepped over the shards of broken glass to Kagome's bed. He put his fingers on her neck to check her pulse, but felt a sharp sting and yanked his hand away with a yowl of pain.

"You mean like a shrine maid?" Sango asked.

"Well, yes in a way, I suppose. She's obviously capable of far more than your typical shrine maid." Miroku answered. "Damn that was strong!" He snapped, shaking his injured hand to dissipate the discomfort. He leaned forward to study Kagome more closely. There, just barely visible under the collar of Kagome's shirt he noticed the intricate mark about the size of a coin. Emblazoned on her skin was the image of four crescent moons surrounding Polaris. He recognized the mark instantly. It was a yokai mark, used in bonding rituals. Miroku held up his right hand, his first two fingers held high as he concentrated on determining the nature of the bond. He could not detect a soul bond, so the mark was not permanent, but he could sense that the bond was strong, meaning that this was not recent. From what he could sense she had been marked weeks ago, possibly even a month or two. He grinned to himself, Inuyasha, you sly dog.  

"Sango, you should call Inuyasha." Miroku said, his tone serious. There were questions that needed answering, and hopefully Inuyasha would have the answers they needed. At the very least he should be made aware of Kagome's current state.

0000

Inuyasha woke to the sound of his phone buzzing on the table beside his bed. He grabbed it before it vibrated itself to the floor.

"Hello?" He answered groggily.

"Hey, it's Sango. Something has happened to Kagome. Can you come to the apartment?" Sango's voice pleaded. He was lucid in and instant and out of bed, pulling a pair of jeans over his boxers.

"I'll be there soon." He answered. He hung up the phone, stuffed it into his pocket, threw his shirt and boots on, grabbed his keys and was out the door. His concealment charm caught on the corner of the kitchen counter in his haste. The rosary snapped, scattering the beads to the floor. He almost stopped, but making sure Kagome was safe mattered more than maintaining appearances. He slammed the door behind him and swung himself over the side of the stairs, landing gracefully next to his car below.

The roads were clear of traffic thanks to the late hour, and Inuyasha prayed that he didn't meet any red lights or traffic cops on the way.

0000

The forest around him was dark and silent. The only light came from the small flashlight he'd dropped on the ground at his feet. Hojo felt a pang of grief at the memory of Kagome kissing that other man so passionately. He had seen the love in her eyes, and that was when knew that he'd lost her.

 

It had been three weeks since that night. At first he had dismissed her little fling. He was madly in love with her, so surely Kagome had to love him. The kiss hadn’t meant anything. He could forgive a moment of lust. He knew that they hadn’t been able to see each other, so of course she would search out someone to fill the loneliness she had to been feeling. But when one date turned into two, and weeks turned to months Hojo was losing his patience.  With every graze of their hands, or kiss on the cheek, Hojo began to realize that he was losing Kagome before he even had the chance to show her how much he loved her.

Then came the anger, hot and explosive. Hadn't he proven his love to her over and over? Hadn’t every bouquet of flowers, and box of chocolates shown her how he felt? Didn’t she know all that he could offer her? She would be treated like a queen. He might appear like an unassuming man, blending into the background, but that was the beauty of it. Nobody ever suspected the quiet ones. He had his hand in so many pots, that he was sitting on a nice little fortune. If only Kagome could see, how powerful he really was, all he had done in the shadows then she would come running back to him. He was certain she would.  After a while the anger gave way to despair and emptiness. Things would be so much easier if he couldn't feel at all. That was when he decided it would be best to just end it all.

Now Hojo stood precariously on the overturned bucket with one end of a rope tied to a tree branch, and the other end wrapped around his neck. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he took a breath and stepped off. Hojo felt the noose tighten around his neck, the rough cord digging into his skin cutting off his windpipe.

He instantly regretted his decision. He desperately tried to swing his feet back up onto the bucket. To his terror the mad flailing of his feet knocked it backward and out of his reach. Panic rose in his gut as the rope tightened, threatening to snap his neck. His vision began to blacken around the edges and he began to slip out of consciousness.

I don't want to die! I'll do anything to take it back! He pleaded, still swinging his legs wildly in search of any footing.

He didn’t noticed the multitude of eyes watching him from the darkness as he struggled to stay alive. Sense his desperation they descended on him like vultures to a dieing animal.

Anything, you say? They hissed in his ear, wrapping themselves around his arms and legs. We can save your life... for a price, they purred seductivly.

For a moment Hojo thought he might be losing his mind, until he felt something cold slither up his arms and legs.

The yokai had hungered for a willing host for centuries, gathering strength so when the opportunity presented itself they would be ready. They craved the power they had had as part of the yokai Naraku before he'd cast them off into the depths of those rotting castle dungeons. Now that they had found a wretched soul to prey upon they weren't about to let this opportunity slip away unexploited.

I'll pay anything! Just save me! Hojo pleaded desperately.

The silence of the forest was split with the growls and shrieks of the mob of yokai as they converged on Hojo's dangling body.

Hojo felt something hit him with such a force that it snapped the rope, toppling him in a heap on the forest floor. Before he could reclaim his breath he felt his chest burst. His entire body felt like it was aflame with an intense burning. He curled up more tightly, trying to close himself off from the pain. He glanced down at his hand and screamed. His skin was black and charred to the bone with bright blue flame.

Finally, a body! You will become one with us, and you shall attain your deepest wish!

Hojo felt himself slip into blackness. His last thought was of Kagome wrapped in another man's embrace, and the anguish he felt at losing her. Gods, he loved and hated her.

0000

Sango ran for the door when she heard a loud pounding. Swinging the door open she stared up at the silver haired man standing in the door. He wore a pair of costume inu ears on top of his head. He was a little old for cosplay in her opinion, but who was she to judge?

"Can I help you?" She asked impatiently.

"Where is Kagome?" He demanded, forcing himself into the apartment.

"Inuyasha?" She asked as she shut the door behind them. He turned, giving her an irritated look. There was no mistaking Inuyasha, even with his change in appearance. The ears on his head swiveled toward the hall, and he sniffed.

"Who else would I be?" He asked, disappearing down the hall in the blink of an eye, leaving Sango to scramble after him. She rubbed her eyes, unable to wrap her head around the inhuman speed of his movement. All the stress was messing with her head she rationalized.

"Ah, Inuyasha. You're here." Miroku greeted Inuyasha as the hanyo pushed him aside and took his place at Kagome's bed. He gently took her hand in his own and pressed it to his lips.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I'm not entirely certain. We heard her scream, and when we found her she'd cast a powerful barrier around herself. I managed to help her take it down so we could help, but she passed out. My guess is she overexerted herself." Miroku explained. He studied Inuyasha's appearance intently. The silver hair was definitely his first clue that Inuyasha wasn't human, but seeing the triangular ears sitting atop his head he corrected his first assumption. He was human, in part at least.

"I must say, this look suits you my friend." He added lightly.

Inuyasha, looked over his shoulder at his long silver hair and shrugged. "My charm's anchor broke on my way out the door. I'm sorry if I startled you." He apologized.

"I expected as much actually. I noticed the mark on Kagome's shoulder when I was checking her pulse." Miroku nodded.

Sango stood in the door, completely confused by their conversation. "Would you please tell me what the hell is going on? Inuyasha, why are you dressed in cosplay?"

Miroku gave Sango a look of disappointment. "Inuyasha isn't in cosplay, Sango. He's a hanyo. Inu if I'm not mistaken." He explained.

Sango's mouth gaped open, unable to find the words to express her confusion. First Kagome was conjuring spiritual barriers, and now Inuyasha wasn't human? What else didn't she know, that the government was secretly amassing an army of ninja assassins to combat the ultimate forces of evil? This was ridiculous!

"You two have lost your minds." She huffed. "I'm going to call an ambulance." She threw her hands into the air as she turned to leave the room. She was certain that she'd left her phone in the living room when she'd gone to answer the door.

"She needs rest, and maybe a trained Shinto priest, not a doctor." Miroku snapped, moving quickly to block her path. He took both of her hands in his own, silently pleading for her to understand.

Sango felt her anger melt as she stared into the depths of Miroku's deep violet eyes. They pleaded with her to understand, and she sighed, relaxing into his touch and allowed him to steer her back into the room.

"This is crazy. You know that, right?" She asked dryly. Miroku chuckled lightly, nodding his head in agreement. "How do you know all of this stuff about spiritual powers and yokai?" She added watching Inuyasha closely over Miroku's shoulder.

"I might be a simple teacher now my love, but once upon a time I was a Buddhist monk in training." Miroku explained. "He won't harm her you know." He added, noticing her trail of vision.

"But he's yokai. Aren't they supposed to be evil?" She hissed under her breath.

Inuyasha growled low and shot Sango a look of disgust. "That's rich!" He snapped. Sango blushed realizing that he'd heard her. Miroku sighed, brushing his hair away from his face.

"They're pair bonded, and have been for at least a short while if I’m correct. " He tried to explain as simply as possible.

"What exactly does that mean?" Sango sputtered.

Inuyasha growled again, and Miroku decided it would be best if he explained it all in a different room so Kagome could recoup in peace.

"Let's have a cup of tea. I'll explain everything." He said, leading Sango out of the room toward the kitchen.

0000

The pain, and the darkness. That was all he knew. Who was he, he wondered.

Naraku.

Was that who he was? He was so much more than that weak excuse for a human he had once been. The pain was his crucible, molding him into something more. He felt new power coursing through his veins.

Naraku's hands balled into fists as he struggled to open his eyes. He felt someone approaching. He stretched his new sharpened senses outward, getting a better sense of his surroundings. He could hear two heart beats thrumming in his now sensitive ears. He smelled human, and an animal. He sniffed again. Definitely a man and a dog.

The dog approached with a curious sniff.

"What is that? Did someone burn a bag of garbage?" the man gagged loudly.

The dog whined nervously, spooked. Naraku could hear the gravel under the man's boots as he moved closer. The dog barked a warning, and then bolted. "Kimi! Come back girl!" The man yelled after her. Naraku ignored the searing pain, and pulled himself up on his hands and knees. It was excruciating, but it only pushed him onward. He had such a strong urge to overcome it.

"Holy shit!" The man yelled in surprise. "Are you alright man?"

Naraku growled, peeling his eyes open. The early morning light was blinding.

"I'm going to call the police. What's your name?" The man asked, leaning over to get a better look.

Naraku opened his mouth to speak, but all that escaped was a garbled slurry of noise. He reached upward, taking the man's throat in his hand, and smiled wickedly. The look of fear in the man's eyes was intoxicating. Tightening his grip on his prey's neck, it snapped like a twig between his fingers. Naraku hissed in satisfaction, and let the limp body drop to the ground with a dull thud.

He stood there for a moment, committing the sensation to memory. He imagined it was Kagome's pale neck held tightly in his grasp. He could almost feel her bones crushing under his fingers. He wanted to see her life leave her eyes; he wanted to see her suffer. If he couldn't have Kagome, then he would see to it that nobody could.

0000

Red eyes. His silhouette was barely visible through the black mist that surrounded her. His laugh echoed in the blackness, making her skin crawl. She could feel his eyes on her, penetrating her very soul with hatred and vitriol. She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. He would be coming for her soon.