InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Father Figure ❯ Let's Set the Record Straight ( Chapter 12 )

AN: I suppose this is where we finally make some progress towards Denji's demise. You all want him dead - and for the last time - no! Jesus Christ I swear you're all blood thirsty vampires. Worse than Inuyasha at this point! -_^

Father Figure

Let's Set the Record Straight…

Kagome staggered along after Inuyasha as they moved through the dark forest, heading for Kaede's village. They passed through the moonlit clearing before the Goshinboku tree, but after that, Kagome was having to depend on Inuyasha's superb vision. Though she'd always wondered about that… he was half human and half dog… neither species really had spectacular vision. Unless the demon side of the dog overruled that.

They arrived in the village before long, to find the rest of the group already waiting outside Kaede's hut. Miroku looked relieved to see them both. "Good, you brought her back then."

"We were beginning to get worried. You were taking quite a while." Sango stood from the porch, hefting hiraikotsu over her shoulder. She sent a mild smile to Kagome… which instantly vanished upon seeing the black bruise across half her face in the flickering light of the torch beside her. "Kagome-chan - what happened to your face?!"

Kagome smiled, a little embarrassed, as she self consciously ducked her head to allow her hair to curtain the bruise. "It's stupid…"

"It's Denji, that's what it is." Inuyasha growled, jerking her chin up forcefully and skimming her hair back behind her ear. "What are you to be ashamed of, Kagome? You aren't the one beating up kids."

"He hit you?" Sango gaped, before quickly growing angry. "For once I find myself agreeing with you, Inuyasha. Do not let Kagome go home."

"I don't plan to." He snorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I do have other people I love back there." Kagome rolled her eyes. "I have to go back eventually."

"But not any time soon." Inuyasha glared at her. She gave up, not because she didn't have the will to argue, but because she completely agreed with him. She didn't want to go home any time soon.

Sango shook her head angrily. "All men are scum."

Inuyasha and Miroku exchanged looks before the monk coughed and frowned. "You know, two such creatures are standing right here."

"What, you think you're exceptions to the rule?" Sango shot back.

"Maybe we should get moving on the trail of that demon then." Kagome interrupted before it turned nasty. They all nodded in reluctant agreement, shooting her worried looks every now and then, as if they didn't believe she could manage the journey with a bruise like that. It looked worse than it actually was. Sure it hurt, but she could still walk, shoot arrows and see Shikon shards.

The trail was fairly easy to follow. The demon had been very large, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake like a train that had careened off course and hurtled through the forest, breaking down the trees in a more or less straight path. An hour's walking passed until they came to a mountain side with a cave half way up the slope.

Then they hit a slight problem.

Inuyasha and Kagome headed off heedlessly towards the cave where the demon had undoubtedly disappeared into, when they noticed Sango and Miroku were hanging back a little. "What's the matter?" Inuyasha scowled back at them.

"Little… sick…" Sango leant forward, her hands bracing against the rock surface, looking very green around the gills. Miroku managed to keep standing straight, but he looked just as ill as Sango.

"The evil… it's a little strong." Miroku said jerkily.

Kagome started to worry. "The only time we encounter evil this bad… it's with Naraku…"

"It's not Naraku." Inuyasha said shortly. "I don't smell him anywhere near here. Just a big, fat, sweaty demon."

"A strong sweaty demon." Kagome countered.

"A strong smelling, sweaty demon." Shippo chirped from Sango's feet.

"I… I don't think I can go on." Sango was crouching double, her eyes closed against the rising nausea. "It's too intense…"

Inuyasha glanced at Miroku who shook his head, signalling he was in the same condition, unable to continue. He sighed and turned back to Kagome who looked worried. "Guess it's just you and me."

"The evil in there is incredible…" Kagome whispered, staring at the cave entrance. "Those poor girls…"

"Well the faster we go in there, the sooner we get them out." Inuyasha started up the slope again, leaving Kagome to either hurry after him or get left behind. She chose to hurry after him, mindful of the loose rocks along the rising slope.

"Look after Sango, Shippo!" She called over her shoulder with a meaningful look at Miroku who gazed flatly back up at her.

Inuyasha was already entering the cave by the time she caught up with him. The entrance was to a tunnel that led down deeper within the mountain, getting darker the further it went. Though the tunnel was straight and not very steep, it still looked slippery and dark. Kagome automatically fisted a hand in the back of Inuyasha's haori, just to make sure she stayed on the path. "You can see in the dark right?" she asked in a hushed voice as they continued deeper.

"No, I was kinda hoping you could." He responded, slowing down as the light began to diminish completely. Kagome looked back over her shoulder, back the way they had come, and found she could no longer make out the silhouette of the entrance any more.

"I could have been tucked up in bed. Nice and cosy and warm. But no, where am I? In a stinky dark hole in a mountain, about to slip up and get covered in slime." She complained quietly.

"Well it was either this or get beaten again by Denji tomorrow morning for snoring too loud." He said in a sarcastically cheerful voice. "You made the right choice."

"My choices suck." She ground out. "Either get slimy or get victimised. Either stay in the future with my family and miss out on my friends here - or choose my friends here and miss out on my family."

"Here's another - which to choose? The mangy dog or the wimpy wolf."

She punched his shoulder softly. "Shut up - that's not even funny."

"What's funny is that you took that seriously." He sounded angry now, and she couldn't see his face to see his expression. "You think you have to choose between us?!"

"I don't have to choose - because there's no choice to make!" she hissed. "Kouga isn't mine to choose - just like you are not mine to choose - just like I am not yours to choose between Kikyo. You can't make choices between people, idiot! That's just mean."

He didn't say anything after that. Either he was sullenly unable to argue with that or he had plenty more fight within him, but he was holding it back for pride's sake. Being unable to see him in the poor light, she didn't know what he was thinking. Being unable to read him was becoming a problem recently.

"I think I see a light ahead." He finally broke the silence and moved faster, leaving her behind.

"Inuyasha!" she hissed, loosing her guide in the dark, but soon spotted the soft light ahead around the next bend and headed carefully towards it. She rounded the corner, stopping behind Inuyasha to look on. The source of the light couldn't have been natural… they were too far down for that.

They stood at the edge of a decent sized chamber. Barren, save for the alter like structure standing in the exact centre of the cavern… with the three girls arranged in a ring around it. Dead.

"We're too late…" Kagome whispered quietly.

Inuyasha didn't say anything to that, but stepped forward into the cavern, staring at the alter before them that glowed with the ethereal light. Kagome noticed his movements and frowned. "Inuyasha?"

"Can you feel it?" he asked quietly.

Kagome shuddered and nodded. "Evil. It's strong - it's unnatural." She slipped her bow from her shoulder, getting that tingling feeling she usually did before a battle.

"No…" Inuyasha continued towards the alter, still in his little trance. "It's power. It's incredible - can't you feel it?"

"I can - it's evil power." She said quickly, frowning at the alter. "It's all emanating from that thing. We have to destroy it."

"No - wait." He stepped over one of the dead girls and stopped beside the alter. A black iron dagger had been carefully arranged so it was lodged at least an inch into the wooden surface of the structure.

"It's some kind of ritual." Kagome eyed the dead girls warily and moved around the edge of the chamber, keeping her distance. "The demon's probably trying to draw power… sacrificing innocent girls… it's sick…"

"We just stumbled on a gold mine." Inuyasha said quietly, watching the dagger. "The power in this thing… it's… it's overflowing…"

Kagome stared at him, apprehension dawning on her. She voiced her concern in her tone. "Inuyasha…" she said, with slight warning.

He ignored her and began reaching for the blade slowly, his intention clear. Break the seal on the alter and release the power… into himself.

His fingers came within an inch of the hilt when the whole structure exploded before him, throwing him back with the force of the explosion. He hit the cavern wall and slid down, rolling dazedly to his knees. It took a few dizzy moments to focus on the desecrated alter before turning an angry glare on Kagome who stood in the motion of just having fired the arrow. "Why? Why did you do that?!"

"What's wrong with you?!" she shouted back. "You were going to release it! What were you thinking?!"

"You destroyed all that power!" he yelled. "You wasted it!"

"It was evil!"

"It was strong!"

"You wanted it for yourself?!" Kagome yelled, in mortified shock and fear. "I thought you gave up that ridiculous idea ages ago! I thought you stopped seeking power like that!"

"I had!"

"Then why were you-"

"I don't know!" he yelled. They locked eyes as he seemed to remember himself and calmed down. "I mean… I thought I'd given it up…"

"What was that?" she demanded angrily, gesturing to the broken alter.

"It was so tempting…" he followed her gaze to the structure, still looking on with a lost sort of longing. "It was just so easy to reach out and take."

Kagome watched him with concern. "You're scaring me, Inuyasha. I thought you decided you didn't need to be all powerful to be strong. You'd lose yourself to it…"

"Well that was when I thought I would have to protect you forever." He said bitterly. "I can't protect you if I'm lost to my own power…"

"When you thought… you mean… you don't plan to go on protecting me?" her voice hitched slightly as she spoke.

He looked up at her, seeing her hurt for what it was. He shook his head, as if bewildered. "But you're not gonna stay with me forever… so what's the point in remaining this way for you?"

Kagome stared at him with a strange expression dawning on her face. "Is that it? You're just forcing yourself to remain this way for my sake?!" her voice rose with anger as she spoke. "I told you I don't care about that kind of thing! Be whatever you want - I won't stop you! Just please stay the way you are!"

"That's not what I meant-" he started angry but was cut of by a heavy cracking sound, followed by a rumble as the chamber started to shake. Kagome looked around slowly, arms out to steady herself and keep from falling.

Inuyasha heard the distant tell tale sound… the demon was returning… and with the powerful evil destroyed… it wasn't going to be a happy fluffy bunny that would be easy to defeat. "Shit!" he immediately moved to grab Kagome and tossed her over his shoulder, ignoring her protesting shout. "It's coming back - we have to leave!"

The chamber seemed unstable, it would have been a bad idea to stage a battle in there, or the tunnels around it. Kagome continued to beat his back, unaware that the demon was returning until she heard the distant roar… a terrible sound of pure fury and rage.

"What was that?" she squeaked.

"Demon.

"Move! Faster!" she now beat his back to speed him up. "I'm not gonna get squished by smelly demons - I still have to avenge myself!"

"Leave the avenging to me!"

"Why? You don't have any faith in me - so why should I trust myself to you!" she hissed angrily.

"Can we talk about this some other time?!" he yelled as he raced through the tunnel, heading up towards where the fresh air flowed freely. Slabs of the ceiling was cracking and falling like rain around him - it was pure skill alone that he managed to dodge them all. Judging by the cries and rumbling of thundering footfalls echoing around the tunnel, the oni wasn't too far behind now. It had their scent and was on their trail. And it was moving fast.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome had stiffened up in fear - her voice conveying her unease. "I see something back there!"

"Shut up - I can't fight here - the tunnels too narrow!" he ground out.

She gasped as he jarred her body whilst dodging more rainfall of rubble. He felt her cling her hands into his haori and hold tight. "Kouga…"

That same cold feeling wrenched his stomach again. He set his jaw and tightened his grip around her legs. She wanted Kouga to save her… well, that was her choice. Until then he'd have to save her as best he could.

He sped up phenomenally, and heard Kagome's shriek of protest as the walls blurred past. But it was getting lighter - and in no time at all he could see the cave entrance ahead. "We're nearly there!" he yelled.

"I can't see the oni anymore!" she yelled back. "That's good right?!"

"Maybe."

They burst out of the tunnel entrance and nimbly hopped down the slope of the mountain to reach level ground again. But Sango and Miroku were no where to be seen. Kirara and Shippo were gone with them wherever they were.

"They probably put some distance between here to get away from the evil." Inuyasha said, looking around.

Suddenly a light blow cuffed him around the ear and he turned with a snarl to Kagome who glared at him with more impressive anger. "YOU have a lot of explaining to do! What the hell did you mean by that jab about not being with you forever?!"

"Well you won't!" he growled back. "This alliance is only temporary remember! When you've gone back to live with your family - Denji free - I'll be alone again! So what would I have left to lose? Might as well go and get an upgrade!"

He received another box around the ear. "Stop that!!"

"That's stupid!" she yelled. "How can you be so thick! I've told you before that I wouldn't leave you - I want to be with you, Inuyasha! How can you doubt that?!"

"Because I'm just your hero right?!" he yelled back. "I'm not strong enough to protect you forever - you'll need someone stronger and when you find him you'll leave me!"

She gaped at him. "That is the most profound load of bull I have heard in my entire life!" she narrowed her eyes. "Where the hell did you get that ridiculous idea from?!"

"Don't think I didn't hear you whimpering Kouga's name back there!" he hissed. "You wanted him - not me!"

She stopped and blinked at him. "It's not what you think-"

"They always say that!"

"No - about Kouga!" she waved her hands frantically to apologise. "I said his name because I can sense him - he's-"

"Here."

They both whirled to the source of the voice. Kagome smiled slightly in greeting of a friend whilst Inuyasha tensed up. "Sneaking up downwind."

"Not intentionally." Kouga snorted. "I smelt Kagome in the area, so I thought I'd help her out. You're obviously trying to kill some sort of oni." He sniffed and darted a glance at the tunnel entrance. "Seems to still be alive."

"We haven't got round to the killing part yet!" Inuyasha spat at him.

Kouga ignored him, pushing past him on his way to Kagome. "What on earth happened to your beautiful face, Kagome?" he gaped in shock at her bruises. "Did that brute let you get hurt again?"

"He couldn't have helped." Kagome responded quickly. "He wasn't there when it happened.

"I would never have let you get into a situation where you could be injured, Kagome." He said seriously. Inuyasha was making choking sounds in the background.

Then it all happened too fast for any of them to really register. Kouga was the first to snap his head around, his invaluable intuition forewarning him, but nothing could have helped Inuyasha. The base of the mountain exploded outwards, just as Kouga swept Kagome into his arms and leapt away to avoid the boulders that were sent flying every which way. Inuyasha was less lucky, having been right beside the source, and disappeared under the rubble.

The oni emerged from the hole it had made and looked around, its huge spindly frame swaying slightly as it turned its elongated head from side to side to locate the enemy. His small beady eyes fixed on where Kouga held Kagome a short distance away, before its keen nose picked up the scent of the Inu Hanyou below him, caught in the rock fall.

Rapidly, long hooked fingers began picking up rocks and boulders, tossing them away like they were mere pebbles. After a few moments it uncovered the boy who stirred slightly in semi-consciousness, having just been crushed by one of the larger boulders.

"Inuyasha!" he heard Kagome scream his name as he was vaguely aware of his pain riddled body being heaved out of the rock pile and into the air by cold appendages.

That was it. Kouga had saved her, he'd failed her yet again and she'd found her new hero. He gave in with a soft sort of sigh and closed his eyes as the cold hard fingers began to squeeze his torso, about to break him in half. He couldn't be bothered fighting back right then, he felt too tired.

But he needn't have bothered. In the next moment he heard Kouga's battle cry and the fingers suddenly released him, allowing him to fall unceremoniously to the ground again. The impact seemed to knock some sense and awareness into him and he opened his eyes as his back arched in pain of having landed on one of the sharpest rocks in the vicinity. "Crap…"

Great… now he'd been so lame as to be saved by the wolf. He's just reached a new low in Kagome's eyes.

"Inuyasha!" She stumbled into his view, peering down at him with deep worry. "Inuyasha - are you ok? Talk to me!"

"I'm fine." He muttered thickly. He wasn't the last time he'd been crushed like this had been when a big fat peach man made of stone had jumped him. In the literal sense, not the other sense.

"You looked dead for a moment there." She seemed relieved he was well enough to lie about his condition to her. It wasn't that serious then. "Is your back ok? Your head? Did you break anything?"

"A few ribs…" he shook his head loosely.

"Does it hurt."

He paused before speaking. "It'll heal."

"I'm so relieved." She whispered, pushing back her hair behind her ears as she visibly relaxed. She watched him with grateful eyes that just as quickly started brimming with tears.

"Of for the love of… don't cry…" he groaned. "I don't look dead yet!"

"It's not that!" she reached out and flicked his ear angrily. "You doubted me! You thought I'd abandon you!"

"Kouga can save you better than me!" he hissed, more in pain than anger. "Why don't you go home with him?"

"He's left." Kagome said simply. "I don't care about him - he's not the injured one - you are!" she looked around the blood soaked front of his haori. "I have to take care of you…"

He watched her blankly for a moment, seeing her genuine anxiety at his condition and her worry. He sighed and turned his head away. "I'm sorry…"

"For doubting me?" she darted a look to see his face. He nodded glumly. "I promise I won't abandon you Inuyasha. Not for anything. You're my family too - and you know that I don't abandon family."

It couldn't have been a hero complex. Kouga was her hero tonight, and she'd already forgotten about him. It wasn't an infatuation… Kagome just wasn't the type of girl to get obsessed…

It could only be love. She overlooked his faults and saw past his body to see his heart. Obsessions would only be about his body, if not just his strength. Granted, sometimes she didn't like what was in his heart, but she still stuck by him. If it wasn't love and devotion that made her do that, then what was it? She always smiled when she saw him, despite the way he always scowled and snapped at her in greeting. She always worried when he got hurt, even though he usually cold-shouldered her concern. Why did he do that? She was like a flower… look how easily she wilted when she was mistreated to the extreme.

For once, his hand reached out deliberately and touched her uninjured cheek. It wasn't one of those actions he did by accident, or did without thinking. He thought about it. He should show he cared more often… otherwise who knows what kind of ideas she might be running off with. He didn't often think about bearing his thoughts and feelings… what if she thought he really didn't care. He didn't want to accidentally turn into another Denji to her. Cold, throwing barbs at her and not showing an ounce of kindness.

Her small, freezing cold hand closed over his on her cheek and she smiled warmly for him, despite the ugly bruise on her cheek. He turned his gaze away to some random boulder beside him… in fear that if he looked into her eyes too long she would see more than he was willing to show her. But he still allowed his hand to gentle cup her cheek, feeling her numb fingers stroking over his own. Despite his current pain… it was somewhat calming. They just stayed like that, expressing secret little emotions through that small gentle touch. No need for words. They were too clumsy, and they would always come out wrong. Kagome soon sighed as he dropped his hand. "How could you doubt me?" she asked again, gently, as if in disbelief. "You didn't have to freak out like that…"

"I wouldn't have freaked out if I didn't care enough." He said quietly. She looked down at him in surprise. But before she could make anything of it, he began to sit up, gritting his teeth in resistance to the pain. At once Kagome forgot the conversation and quickly reached out to steady him.

"We should go back to the village… maybe the others have gone back there already." She told him gently as they rose together.

He cast a sideways glance at the large oni a short distance away and snorted. "He did a bad job. I could have done a cleaner job."

"Of course you could." She said in a deliberately patronising tone, she smiled sweetly when he glared at her.

He wasn't an open and affectionate person, she knew that. He wouldn't be like Hojo, and bring her gifts and shower her with praise and compliments. He wouldn't be like Miroku who would be forward with his feelings and his intentions. He was his own person… but that didn't mean he didn't feel things like the rest of them. His problem was that if he felt pain, he would bottle it up, lock down on it and leave it to fester. The same with doubts and fears. He'd ignore them, or at least try too, then before he knew it they would overwhelm him. Like bills in a way… if you avoid paying them, you end up hip deep in them anyway.

Maybe he felt that he didn't need to express any affection, it should have been obvious already. Why did he have to prove that he cared, when it was already enough for him that he did care. He didn't have to answer to anyone else's standards or expectations in that department.

"Denji did this, didn't he…" she said quietly as they leaned against each other as they journeyed back to the village. "He put doubt in your head that I wasn't loyal to you. What did he say?"

Inuyasha shrugged and chose to look at the path instead of her. "I didn't believe him. He said it was a hero complex. That you weren't being true to me. He said that you'd leave me the minute you found someone stronger."

"If you didn't believe it then why did you assume I would run off with Kouga and leave you for dead?"

"Because that's what I'd do to you." He shrugged seriously.

"Do you want another punch in the ribs?" she snapped.

"Joking!"

she gave him a warning look before turning her gaze to the path ahead. "Just as long as you don't go doing evil moments like back there and start seeking out ways to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world or something like that." She shook her head. "You scared me…"

"It wasn't my fault!" he defended. "It was seducing me!"

"Then why didn't it seduce me?" she shot back.

"I don't know? Because you're human? You've got miko power within you? You're female? I dunno… I just couldn't stop myself…"

"And you were thinking I was weak willed." She scoffed. "Just don't do it again. And don't doubt me again. And don't think I like Kouga over you - because I don't."

"Just as long as you promise not to just leave after all this is over."

"I promise." She smiled to herself with relief. Inside, she was glad that he wanted her by his side just as much as she wanted to be there.

"And you promise to keep fighting Denji - don't give in to him."

"I don't plan to."

"So we're agreed?" he looked at her seriously. "No more doubting… we know each other… we trust each other."

"With my life." She smiled.

He nodded in understanding and turned back to the path. Kagome rolled her eyes and leaned over to whisper in his ear conspiratorially. "That's where you're meant to say you'd trust me with your life too."

"But you already know I do. What's the point saying it?" he shrugged.

"Well how am I supposed to know you feel it unless you say it? I'm not psychic." She rolled her eyes.

He contemplated what she said.

^_^

The next day Kagome went home to face the music again. To tell her mother the excuse for her bruise… and her excuse to where she'd been last night…

She'd made Inuyasha to promise again that he wouldn't kill Denji. She had no doubt in her mind that the next time those two met, one would end up dead - and it wouldn't be Inuyasha. She said she had a plan that didn't involve killing… but somehow he didn't believe her.

So he went ahead with his own plan, to take things into his own hands.

He knocked uncertainly on the door of Mr Higurashi's apartment. It was strange… coming here of his own free will with no Kagome to make sure he didn't misbehave. He shrugged off the weird feeling upon seeing a familiar face as the door opened.

Mr Higurashi's expression changed from curiosity to slight annoyance upon recognising him. Inuyasha mirrored the expression. "Hi. I'm Inuyasha."

"I know."

"I… I have a problem…"

AN: Inuyasha with a plan? Well, it had to happen one day.